$1 USD = 29.94 THB (Thai baht)

$1 USD = 1.79 TL (Turkish lira)
$1 USD = .69 € (euro)

Welcome friends and thanks for checking in on our journey! Updates will be posted in the column to the right >>>

We set out July 25th, 2011 for Thailand, then on to Turkey and Greece. Five weeks total with two main goals:

1) To think outside the American box and experience life in other parts of the world, with every intention of finding some things we like better and some worse, but regardless, learning our way isn't the only way.

2) To bring a little history to life by visiting some of the archeological ruins in Turkey and Greece that will appear in Trevor's 6th grade social studies book next year.

Why Thailand? It's been on my travel agenda for quite a while. I've heard so much about it; almost all positive. The people are friendly, the food is good, the country is beautiful. My friend Lynette goes regularly and stays for weeks...as do many of Thailand's visitors. The cost of living is less than in America (or Europe), and I've said the next place we go will have to be somewhere the dollar goes farther! As Lynette says, "Thailand is cheaper than staying home". I was tired of the high cost of traveling in Japan and Australia and wanted to give it a try. Life is an adventure, after all. Plus, with the declining benefits of my airline job, I feel every time I get on an airplane using a pass, I just gave myself a little raise. More miles=more of a raise.

Our plan:

You can find blog updates to the right of this page; if you like you can follow or choose to be notified via email when a new post is added.

We'll try to share things we find of interest and hope you'll find them interesting as well. Feel free to send emails to us while we're gone - we'll have wifi most days.

Have a great rest of the summer and we'll see you when we return at the end of August!

Some memorable photos:

The slums of Klong Tuoy, near the river in Bangkok.
The train runs right through their little village, where there is no proverbial, "right side of the tracks". There is no sense of hurry here (except when the train comes, when they have to close their doors/windows as it whizzes by!)