Thanks for the prayers, encouragement, and empathy regarding our flood experience. It was very brief and we were very fortunate to get out of it without getting wet (or worse!) Here is some info I got from the Bangkok Post regarding the flood:

• It was the worst flood in this area (maybe the whole country…I can’t recall) in the last 40 years.
• At least 8 people died from the flood.
• At least 10 people were missing at the time the article was written.
• Nearly 3,000 homes were damaged by the flood.
• Over 110,000 people were affected by the flood.
• The city of Chiang Mai (I believe?) had to open the dam in order to allow the water in the streets to drain off. It has taken a few days in most areas of the city. (I’m not sure if some areas are still under water…it rained today.)

Some ripple effects (no pun intended) from the flood…

• When we went to the Embassy to get our visas Monday, we were not able to get them processed because the person responsible for that could not get in to work due to the flood. We’re hopeful they will still be available for pick up on Friday.
• The office where I was planning on getting some US dollars for our trip was flooded. (Recently they cleared the water out and have re-opened but the phone lines were completely down yesterday.) Can you say, "contingency plan"?
• We had taken some of our laundry to a laundry-mat near the Lanna Palace before the flood hit. It was a first floor laundry mat. (Kiss that Old Navy shirt goodbye!) We actually were able to get our clothes back today, but they were still wet. Clean; but still wet…
• The Thai Army actually did rescue some of our group who were stranded at the hotel. (Wow, this feels like an episode of the A-Team!)

And now for something completely different…

• Everyone in Thailand thinks Anna & Sarah are twins…from tuk-tuk drivers who fought in the Vietnam War to smiling women on the street, we’ve been asked on many occasions, "Twins? Are they twins?" I don’t get it. Their cuteness makes them look similar, sure…but identical? I just don’t see it. To the Thai, "all us Americans must look alike."
• The coolest thing happened the other evening and I didn’t have a camera to take a picture. We were at a street side market and we were checking out the Thai cuisine. We’ve been in many streetside markets and seen many different types of food. But nothing like this. Instead of kebabs, rice, noodles, or chickens, I saw before me (behind the foggy plexiglass window) a whole variety of cooked critters. And when I say critters, I mean BUGS!!! We’re talking marinated grubs, worms, and three-inch (no exaggeration) cockroaches… And to beat all, there were guys perusing these delicacies who were ready to purchase. It reminded me of Fear Factor food. I am sure I will eat many things on my cross-cultural adventure, but just thinking about consuming those formerly squirming protein packs makes my stomach churn. When we go back I’ll take a photo for you folks back home. It was the quintessential "this-just-doesn’t-happen-back-home" moment I’ve been longing for…