Sunday July 23, 2006: Ang Thong Marine National Park

We were up very early getting ready to go snorkeling- in fact we almost missed the shuttle van... okay, I almost missed the van. We had to have all our stuff out because we were going to miss check-out, so we left our bags with the front desk and left for our tour. We met up with about 25 other people at a dock on the north side of Koh Samui. We were given blue ribbons to wear around our wrists while the rest of our group had pink ribbons. I surmised we were the only ones to opt-out of the kayaking portion of the trip. We had a quick breakfast and boarded our motorboat for a 45 minute journey to Ang Thong Marine National Park. The boat ride was full of amazing views. Ang Thong (pronounced Ayeng Tong) is a group of about 40 small islands, most of which are uninhabited, and uninhabitable. We stopped at one such island and were allowed to go snorkeling. There wasn't much instruction other than to stay off the coral and only stand on white sand. We donned our snorkels and masks and jumped in! I had only been snorkeling in a swimming pool in high school, so this was amazingly beautiful! There were so many different species of fish swimming around, I reall felt like I was in an aquarium. The water wasn't blue-green, but it was definitely clear. The coral almsot looked fake. There were huge mounds of caramel colored coral with bits of sea life all around it. The fish were every color of the rainbow, and some even looked like a rainbow. A few times I dove under and got a real close-up of the fish and some anemones. There were large, black spikey 'plants' that looked sharper than a needle. The water was aout 10' deep or more near the boat, and about 40 yards to shore. I was very suprised how effortless snorkeling is. I remembered from high school that you don't need to kick, only breath regularly and move yourself along with your arms. It was quite peaceful and the fish hardly noticed I was around. We snorkeled for 45 minutes- 1 hour and then boarded the boat again. Upon boarding, a large school of silver fish hung out underneath the boat. That was pretty cool to see from underwater. Also, as we were running out of time snorkeling, two or three other rour boats came to our exact location. I'm so glad we were there first and had the whole area to only share with the fish. The last 10 minutes or so was unbelievably crowded. Children in life-jackets clung to their parents and were excessively loud and boisterous.
We then continued through the Marine National Park to another island. This particular island was special because the water came up through the inlets in the rock and created a lagoon in the middle. We climbed a bunch of stairs and found connecting wooden stairways up to a little view point. From here we could see the surrounding islands and a beautiful view of the lagoon below. We climbed back down and went to another view point, really close to the lagoon. We were able to see where the water fills in the lagoon. There were fish and coral and the like in the inlets as well. The water in the lagoon was a magnificent sea-green and the lush jungle all around it made for beautiful pictures and memories of paradise. We then boarded our boat, I had the help of Timmy, our Thai tour guide, and set off for the third island of our trip, translated to mean "Sleeping Cow". Here we enjoyed a buffet lunch. The rest of our tour went on a guided kayaking trip, while Liz, Todd, and I set off on a hike to the top of the island. What started off as a nice stroll through the woods, quickly became a daunting task. the trail often featured ropes to assist in climbing. We were all wearing flip-flops, so that also didn't help. I was really amazed there were no warnings about the difficulty or dangers involved on this "hike". On some portions of the climb, thre was little to hold on to and below were very dangerous rocks. Little children and families with elderly grandparents were climbing the trail to the top. The temperature was also extremely hot. Along the way we saw monkeys climbing in the trees. One mother clutched the baby monkey and just stared at us. It was too cool seeing monkeys in the wild. The very top was exceptionally difficult to climb. We made it to the top, but were very sweaty and very surprised at how hard we had to work. At the top the view was astonishing. We could see so many of Ang Thong's islands, the white sand beaches, and the open water. It was just gorgeous! We relaxed a bit at the top to catch our breath, cool off, and take in the archipelago below. The top consisted of a small wooden platform, uncovered. There were other peaks around us but appeared dense with trees, no viewing platforms. We made our way down with some Hawaiian fellows. As we neared the end of he hike, we ran for the beach and couldn't cool off fast enough. We had a soda while hanging out in waist deep water, a white sand beach behind us ladden with palm trees and lush jungle greens all around. This was paradise!
We finally headed back to Koh Samui, had dinner at a restaurant along the beach after outdoor showers at Lawana's guest house. We then drove our rental car back to the airport. We left paradise around 9:30pm, but our hearts are still there... ha! :)

Saturday July 22, 2006: 3 First Times

We woke up fairly early and booked a rental car for two days. It took way too long to arrive, and as a result, I was extremely antsy. We had a whole island to discover and we were sitting there, twiddling our thumbs in the open-air lobby of our resort.
The Honda finally arrived and I assumed the driver's position- on the RIGHT side of the car! [#1 first time] It was fun driving on the left side of the road, though taking turns was a bit tricky. Mostly you have to be really conscientious of where you're turning and which lanes you have to cross. The other thing that added to the difficulty was motorcyclists. They rule the roads! They are everywhere and don't really obey signs or laws- if they even exist. Also, the turn signals (directionals) are on the right side of the steering wheel, and on the left side is the windshield wipers. It's the opposite at home, so every time I wanted to turn, I put on the wipers instead. It was extremely frustrating because I felt like a fool!
We left Lawana Resort on the north side of the island, Bophut Beach, and headed east along the coast. We couldn't find anywhere to park along the busy beach called Chaweng; we actually couldn't see the beach because the town was so over-run with shops! All the buildings were one or two stories, but there were just too many and it was just too dense. The town was cute, but very touristy. We continued south and followed a little road to the water. We parked at a tiger zoo and found we were the only people on the beach. The sand was white and it was low tide so we had to do a bit of walking to get to hip-deep water. There was also quite a bit of coral, and it made walking difficult. We hung out, floating in the water for a good hour+. Liz took a walk down the beach while Todd and I soaked in the sun through an overcast sky.
We left the beach and continued around the island clockwise. Our next stop was Na Muang Falls, an area to view waterfalls and elephant trek. Todd and Liz shared an elephant while I rode my own. [#2 first time] My elephant's name was Bang. He could yell, lift his trunk, and maneuver all by commands of the manhout. Bang's manhout, who I named Tarzan, because he imitated Tarzan by holding onto vines in the jungle, was only 21. He told me Bang weighed 2.5 tons, was 25 years old, and had been working for 5 years. Tarzan rode Bang's neck while I sat in a little seat strapped to Bang's back. We walked through the jungle and crossed a stream. After Tarzan dismounted and took a bunch of pictures of me and Bang, he let me sit on Bang's neck while he sat in the seat.
He controlled Bang with loud commands, and sometimes had to use a tool with a hook on the end that pulled on Bang's ears to make sure directions were followed. Tarzan also used his heels to direct Bang, much like one would if riding a horse. It didn't seem to hurt Bang, as I assume it takes quite a bit to hurt a 2.5 ton animal.
We next walked a very short distance to a waterfall where kids were swimming and many people were taking photos. I climbed up on a large rock to enjoy the view. Then Liz and I went for a swim! [#3 first time] I've never been swimming in a waterfall pool before, so this was quite exciting, especially after riding on an elephant! We climbed into a little pool and cooled off for a bit. It was great to just lie along the rocks as water poured all around me and over my head.
We continued driving clockwise around Koh Samui and decided to pull to the side of the road and get a good panoramic view of the island.


We were also getting a little hungry, but decided we wanted to dine at sunset, so we settled for a few drinks instead. We had a tremendous view of the west coast of Koh Samui and the water. The sky had gotten a bit cloudy, so we couldn't really see the sun setting= very anti-climatic. We did go down onto the beach and skip stones however. I made good use of a 4-foot piece of bamboo and coconuts that lie on the beach, washed ashore. I'd stick the bamboo into an opening on the coconut and toss it into the Gulf, propelling the coconut over my head with the bamboo like it was a lacrosse stick. I was amused. Liz tried punting (drop kicking) a coconut but was unsuccessful. That was also amusing. We did play baseball with washed-up sea life, however. One drink turned into three, and three drinks led to a Tequila shot with my boss as the sun set. Liz doesn't drink, so she was happy to drive home. She did great- but had the same problem with the signals and wipers. I think she really liked driving on the left side of the road. In fact, she even tried off-roading once, but remained on the road the rest of the way after poor reviews from the passengers.
Once back at Lawana, we shared dinner at the resort down by the water. We actually had to move under the pavilion because a storm was rolling in. We sought cover just in time because the rain surely did come fast and hard. It was very late after dinner, and we had booked a tour the next morning, so we got to bed soon thereafter.

Friday July 21, 2006: Lawana Resort

Mew and I each isolated RNA from 10 plasma samples and ran RT reactions for all using my protocol from Boston- primers, reagents, and conditions alike.
We got a flight from Bangkok International Airport around 7pm after almost being delayed. The plane was so cute and tiny! Two seats on each side, maybe only 60 people, maybe less? The flight was one hour, smooth and direct. Strangely, they served a meal for our 1 hour flight. The food looked disgusting, so I passed kindly. I sat next to Todd, who let me have the window seat. We talked candidly about our younger years in college, relationships, and family. I totally take back all the bad things I ever said about him... just kidding ;), I've never uttered a bad word about him.

The airplane was really small, but the airport at Koh Samui was even smaller! The 'terminal' was open on all sides with a thatched roof. It was even smaller than Aspen's airport! Excluding the runway, it was probably half the size of a football field. We found a taxi-bus and went to our hotel; Lawana Resort.

Our bungalow was furthest from the office, but closest to the pool and the ocean! It was a one-room place with a huge bathroom and huge bathroom windows overlooking the pool. The bathroom had 4 sections: toilet area, tub w/ shower, separate shower, and changing area and sink. In the bedroom was a large platform. Atop the platform was a large kingsize mattress along with a separate twin bed mattress.
Our first night was spent by the water. We ate a very scrumptuous dinner within feet of the Gulf. We then sat by the water on large wooden, reclining beach chairs. We stayed up fairly late gossipping, star gazing, and soaking up the bay view by moonlight. We called it a night after Liz and Todd were thoroughly eaten by mosquitoes. I somehow managed to avoid all but 3 or so bites.
Todd took the twin mattress closest to the wall, while Liz and I shared the king mattress. I settled for the middle spot. Todd had the A/C blowing right on him during the night, so he was freezing. Liz and I, on the other hand, had a great night's sleep.

Thursday July 20, 2006: 'Would you like fries with that?'

We had some promising results from the past days' experiments, so tomorrow we'll begin some larger protocols and really start pushing through data.
Liz and I went back to the mall for dinner, except we tried the food court instead of a sit down restaurant. Everything was Thai food and 80% was written in Thai as well. I decided to go with the boiled chicken and white rice. A young Thai student was ordering at the same time, and she helped me choose a sauce to put on my dinner. Thank goodness she helped because the sauce I would have poured on my meal likely would have burned a hole right through my tongue- it was so spicy hot! The girl also helped Liz by answering about 50 questions about all the meals at one particular food place in the food court. The "restaurants" were closing while we ate, and much to my surprise a lot of the supplies were left out on the counters, like rice cookers, plates, and kitchen utensils. If they were left out in the US, someone would probably have stolen them. This surprised me because Thailand is not a very wealthy country, yet they are not worried.
Tomorrow we go to Koh Samui, and island off the eastern side of the southern penninsula in the Gulf of Thailand. I can't wait to go to the beach!

Wednesday July 19, 2006: Things that make you go 'hmm'

Daily lab duties, PCRs, etc. Nothing exciting to note.
Todd, Liz, and I went to the mall down the street for dinner. We had Suki and dimsum. Suki is raw food that you cook in a hot pot at your own table. We had pork, chicken, glass noodles, and cabbage. We also had dimsum which comes in little baskets, but it wasn't anything I hadn't tried in Boston's Chinatown before. We then hit the night market on Silom Road for a little shopping. We found a few streets with 'questionable establishments', but all we could see inside were lots of Thai girls wearing next to nothing dancing on platforms with bars extending to the ceiling. I'm not even sure there were patrons inside, there were too many 'dancers'. The men outside held 'menus' of sexually explicit activities with prices provided. There were at least 50 of these places on one street (more or less an alley), the same street where people are shopping with their children at the outdoor market. It was SO raunchy. There was also one alley with lots of neon-type lights advertising "Sexy Boys", "Males Only", etc.
It's amazing that suburban parts of Thailand, namely Bangkok, a predominantly buddhist community is extremely accepting of homosexuality and transgenered individuals. A huge number of people on the streets fall into those two categories. Furthermore, appearingly straight men are very touchy-feely with other men, compared to the US. Similarly, seemingly straight women hold hands or link arms quite frequently in Thailand. I find this interesting considering Thailand's strict dress code and religious beliefs.

delay in blogging...

sorry it's taking me so long to post new blogs! they internet connection is pretty slow here, and uploading pictures takes a lot of time. i have been taking lots of pictures and journaling everything, so as soon as i get to a high speed connection i will post more! unfortunately, that may not be until i get home. :(

i'm off to the philippines in a few hours!!! actually, i'm going to miss my flight if i don't leave right now!

love and miss you all! thanks for reading and thanks for commenting!
see you soon!

love,
who else do you know in thailand/philippines?
:)

Tuesday July 18, 2006: Happy Birthday to...

We were in the lab by 8:30am today. Our PCR finished and we discovered that the high spin doesn't work as well for these samples as the normal isolation. We ran a few more second round reactions, diluting the high spin template further and we'll see how things progress from here. Sunee treated us all to lunch at a local restaurant. We had a delicious dish of papaya salad with soft shell crab, dried mini-shrimp, and fish sauce. It was excellent! They also prepare the same dish with fried papaya and that was great too. Their soda comes in tall, thin, glass bottles and is smostly flat. It's still quite good though, especially the Fanta (orange soda)! We also had stick rice, some type of white noodles that looked like spaghetti and tasted like over-cooked spaghetti. There was fried chicken and soup with lemongrass and shrimp. Thais eat their meals with only a fork and spoon. You use the fork to anchor the food, and the spoon to tear it to bitesize pieces and deliver it to your mouth. It's a little inefficient, but I'm also learning that inefficiencyis a key element to Thai society. Thai's use 1/4 of a 2-ply napkin. Unfold a paper napkin so it's rectangular, and cut into 4 peices. A napkin that small has almost NO effect, especially if you're eating something particularly messy. Thais also don't keep toilet paper in the bathrooms. Our lab uses toilet paper (on the roll) to wipe up spilled reagents, and opposed to using the more expensive laboratory Kim Wipes. The same toilet paper appeared on our conference room table during lunch. You must also take a few squares with you to the bathroom or "water room" as it translates directly from Thai to English. Why not just leave some in the bathroom? Well, that's just too efficient. They also don't flush their t.p. A waste basket sits beside every toilet (in the lab) and you dispose of your contaminated t.p. in there. There are also waste baskets beside the toilets in the hotel. I still flush, however.
After lab, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and decided to try the Thai restaurant down the street from us, Anna's Cafe. It appeared to be a normal place, lovely greenery outside, pleasant hostesses and waiters (all male), so we ordered a few dishes. The food was all delicious! I had salmon with a curry sauce, Todd ordered crab meat in a stir fry, and Liz had to have Pad Thai because she just can't get enough... We shared everything!
All the waiers are male, and have names, or nicknames as we've learned, like 'Boy', 'Kar', and other one syllable easy names to pronounce. They were all very polite and especially cute because they all gathered to sing "Happy Birthday" to one of the guests. They sing in English, "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, happy birthday.......(long pause)..... Happy birthday to you." It was SO cute -- the first time. We were there and hour- hour and 1/2, and we heard the happy birthday song TWELVE times!! Unfortunately for Todd, the 11th happy birthday song was sung in his honor. After the fifth and sixth songs, we decided something was up, so we just thought they went around to each table and sang to someone... I guess we won't really know, since Liz got to them before they could get to us! Liz had gone to the bathroom and discreetly mentioned it to one of our watiers. Boy was Todd surprised! I laughed so hard my stomach hurt and my mascara ran. Nice one Liz!

Monday July 17, 2006: Chulalongkorn University

Today was our first day in the lab at Chulalongkorn University. Sunee met us in the lobby of our hotel at 9:15am and walked us to the hospital, about 10 minutes away. A conference room was waiting for us, along with the other employees of this Thai lab. Kiat, the director gave a quick presentation of the data they had gathered thus far. Next, Todd presented an overview of what was expected from each site for the contract (Peru, Thailand, China, as well as Boston's role) by the end of this month, the end of year three for Contract II. There's a LOT to do in Thailand! Todd included a list of more specific duties that need to be worked out while Liz and I are here. This should really help Thailand get up to speed with their part of the Contract.
My group, Sven (PhD) and Mew (technician) gathered after the meeting in the conference room and brought me around the microbiology and cellular labs. The facility is 2 years old, and they have ample space. Everything is very white and appears clean. We gathered for lunch in the conference room and had Thai take-out which was very delicious. The fresh fruit was quite abundant as well.
After lunch I put my team to work. We isolated viral RNA from two HIV+ plasma samples using a 2 hour spin and also a regular extraction- both with the Qiagen vRNA mini-kit. We then used 3 dilutions (1:1, 1:10, 1:100) of each isolation and did 12 RT-PCR reactions with the Titan One-Tube enzyme. Mew, who did all the work, seemed like I had asked a lot from her, and 12 reactions being uite a small number from my point of view compared to the caliber of reactions that we do in Boston, was quite surprising to me. I found out shortly after the extraction, that they have individual reaction tubes so it takes a very long time to label each tube, hence the problem with doing many reactions at once. It also takes about 2 weeks to a month to receive reagents in their lab, while it takes as little as one day to four days to receive reagents in Boston. Also, they don't plan too far ahead, so when they are out of reagents, they order more and just wait until it arrives. Extremely inefficient, but they also can't afford to waste reagents if they don't get used. The labelling of each individual PCR tube slows things down tremendously, and insn't conducive to setting up many reactions at once. I'll see what I can do to help out the productivity...
The TC (tissue culture) room we use has no air-flow, no A/C. With a gown on, 2 hoods ventilating their exhaust, as well as a fridge and centrifuge, the temperature was well over 100 degrees F!
Liz's TC room was quite nice; actually, it was too cold! They leave their sandals outside and put on slippers to enter the TC room. There is a large office to the side of the TC room that has huge windows, a viewing room into the TC area. Her group, Man and Am also seemed to be asked to do quite a lot, especially since we each made them stay til 5:30pm.
Hopefully without the high spin and with the dilutions we used, we will find a good amount of template that will work. Right now, a 2 hour spin and 15ul of vRNA is way too much template I think, causing a large smear on their gels. If this works, I will have earned some trust and respect and should I make more adjustments to their protocol in the future, I think they will be sure to take my advice! Also, this could solve their problem immediately, and that'd be marvelous for all involved, not to mention saving them 2 hours right off the bat!