Countdown...

I will leave Korea on June 27th-- so soon, I can't believe it! The past few weeks have been very busy and they promise to just get busier. I will be posting most of my belongings so that I don't have to check extra baggage on my flight to Chiang Mai. I get to Chiang Mai in the middle of the night so I'll just stay at a hotel there and catch a bus or train to Uttaradit the next day. Then, I get to settle into the new house! Al got a house last week and we're both very excited about it. It's two storey with two bedrooms and a bathroom on the top floor and a sit-in kitchen, living room, and bathroom on the bottom floor. There are balconies off of the top rooms and we have a walled backyard. The bedrooms have air conditioning and the entire place is furnished. The rent comes to 110 US dollars a month! Unbelievable...

I will spend a few weeks getting settled and studying my butt off before going to Mongolia for the dig. I can't wait but I'm also very nervous. I hope that I do a good job there.

When I return I will have another month or two to relax before starting my new job. I will still be very busy though as I will want to prepare ahead of time for my classes, study Thai as much as a I can, and do some exploring to see what sort of archaeological resources are available here. From my reading, this area is very rich with sites from the 13th and 14th century in particular, when it was a satellite city of the Sukhothai Kingdom. The ancient city of Sukhothai is an hour or so from us-- way too cool. Here's a link with cool interactive pictures (it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

OK, more updates laterz.