HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Here's hoping your year is joyful and prosperous! - Theo and Amber from India

HIGH TECH BAG SECURITY

The new year in New Delhi

Wow. India needs a Punjabi Dick Clark stat! Hell, send us Seacrest! Happy New Year and we'll post an update during our train ride to Jaipur.

Ghandi and Lincoln

How very appropriate the Ghandi ashram bookstore would have a tome paying tribute to what many consider the greatest American president to live, and a reasonable analogue to the peaceful teachings of Ghandi during revolutionary times. There was this weird vibe at the ashram regarding Ghandi's visage. He was everywhere of course, in stone, bronze, marble, and canvas. It was as if he were the Virgin Mary, without all the prostrations. People clamored to have their photo taken next to the various busts and paintings of Ghandi. A guide working there repeatedly approached us beckoning for Ambi and I to have our picture taken in front of these objects. We politely refused again and again. Forget the whole "stalking the foreigner" thing, it was just a bit unnerving.

Somehow, I'm not sure Ghandi would approve of the near deification he now recieves. Everything I've ever read or seen shows him to have been a very honest and humble man. The amount of material at the ashram is mind numbing. Everything from letters he sent to the British goverment, to a notice in a UK daily regarding his jurist degree completion, to pictures from all points of Ghandi's life. It was a bit haphazardly arranged, which seems to be the norm here. To Amber, the ashram reminded her of the Lincoln museum in Springfield, Illinois. It's the city most identified with Honest Abe as Ahmedebad is as the birthplace of Ghandi. A bigger city could probably provide a better exhibition, but being so intertwined historically, it's hard to argue against them as hosts. We did enjoy our time spent there and recommend it to anyone traveling to India.

In India, Santa's laugh is creepy.

On the ride to the airport this morning, we heard a radio jingle in Gujarati where the jolly old elf pimps a radio station contest. In their version, Santa bellows "Ha, Ha, Ha!" Not knowing the phonological inventory of Gujarati, I can only assume it's a mistake in transference. That said, Santa's creepy maniacal laugh made me smile with evil crosscultural glee.

Having only a 160 character count. I've realised my blogs have to be minimal in nature. Expect short quips and pics for the duration of our stay. Cheers!

Even @ 4:30 am, I'm able to compartmentalize better than Ambi, so please pray for her. I'll deal with our loss when I return to the States. Thank you, all.

Please pray for Amber. She loved Ulee very much and is taking her passing very hard. Keep her in your thoughts during this difficult time as we stay in India.

is saddened by the loss of his beloved bearded dragon Ulee. It's so hard to deal with any loss, much less one from 6000 miles away.

After a short taxi ride through the city, we arrived at our lodging for the next 3 nights. We saw Ami for a few minutes before we crash. What a great day! :-)

We're in the Frankfurt airport, and it never ceases to amaze me how marked as an American I am. Twice I received double-takes when I spoke German. Awesome.

Dreaming of Deutschland

Amber and I are on the plane bound for Frankfurt. To be honest, I am just as excited to head back to Germany (even if it is the sanitized culturally neutral environ of a mega-airport) as I am heading to Ahmedabad. Don't get me wrong, I am seriously juiced for this, but I really miss living in Germany. I also miss butchering the German language on a daily basis. But it's all relative right? It's been nearly seven years since I lived in Benrath, and I was a bit zealous when the path to India went through Deutschland. Sure, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates was tempting, but the chance to have Amber experience Germany even a sliver of it, was exciting to me. Obviously, we'll travel there someday and do the country right. But for now, Amber will just have to settle for a taste. The taste just got a whole lot sweeter!! In the middle of blogging, Amber's duplicate seat got us an upgrade to business class! Europe in style, hells yeah!! (Man, I am using way too many exclamation points...) this trip just got a whole lot better. Well, I am pretty sure the plane is about to head out. So I'm going to wrap this up now. Next blog from Germany! Merry Christmas!

This is a test blog from Theo's mobile phone.

Tentative Itinerary

I think I've put more time into planning this trip than any other I've ever taken, including my four-month study abroad trip to Ireland. Neither of us have been to India before; I'm not sure what to expect, and when that happens, I try to plan and prepare for everything. I've done this knowing that I might have to throw the whole plan out the window when we arrive, but at least for now, we have a pretty set itinerary. Theo thinks it's funny that I've done this much planning ahead of time, but India is a large country with an enormous number of travel possibilities. I want to make sure we see as much as possible in the small amount of time (2 weeks) that we have.

That said, our travels are pretty much restricted to the northwest corner of the country. We knew we wouldn't have time (or the money) to see everything, and therefore wanted to concentrate our travels to one area. Our friend gave us some advice on the best places to visit, and we've planned our itinerary from there. Here's an outline of the places we're visiting:

Day 1-3: Ahmedabad for the wedding

Day 4: Delhi

Day 5: Agra

Day 6: Delhi

Day 7-8: Jaipur

Day 9-10: Jaisalmer

Day 11: Jodhpur

Day 12: Back to Ahmedabad and return to Chicago

We'll be traveling partially by by plane and primarily by train. (I'll be writing about the crazy online train reservation process soon.) Along with standard trips to various temples, forts, and the Taj Mahal, we'll also be taking a camel safari in Jaisalmer. Theo will be texting furiously while abroad, (it's only $0.35 to send, free to receive.) By proxy, he'll be updating our Facebook and Twitter accounts and the blog along the way. We'll try to update this blog as often as we can with pictures and prose. Please stay tuned!

Before We Go: Shopping for wedding clothes, not Christmas gifts

This trip will mark Theo and my first visit to India. While we have always wanted to visit this amazing country, we're not just going to sight see. We were invited to our good friend's wedding in Ahmedabad, which will take up the first portion of our trip. We're incredibly excited not only to be able to travel around India, but to participate in a great cultural experience like a wedding.

As we are attending an Indian wedding, we needed the right clothing. Our friend is having clothing made for us for the wedding itself, but there are three days of events beforehand, so we needed to pick up a few more things. We headed over to "Little India" in Chicago on Friday, and the women at the Al-rahim Sari Center were incredibly helpful in assisting us in picking out clothing. They gave us a great deal, altered my outfit within two hours, and even threw in free jewelry. (My accessories are pictured here below.)

Theo picked out two kurta, a long loose shirt that is worn with pants, one garnet-colored and another blue, along with a matching scarf. I chose a taffeta salwar kameez, which is a loose dress paired with pants. It looks more like this than those pictured in the previous link. I also bought gold heels to match. As graduate students, we don't have many opportunities to dress up, and it's been a long time since I've worn heels. I'm crossing my fingers that I won't appear too clumsy at the wedding! We topped off the afternoon by having dinner at Udupi Palace, one of the many outstanding restaurants in this area of Chicago. If you're in the area, we recommend their eggplant dishes. Amazingly good.

Since Friday, I've done a lot of shopping for much less glamorous things, including an electricity converter, a charger for my ipod, water filter bottles, and lots and lots sunscreen. (Stay tuned for our travel essentials checklist.) It's been crazy dodging Christmas shoppers at Target and the mall when I'm looking for things like insect repellent, but I thankfully finished up the shopping yesterday. Today I'll be attempting to fit all of my clothes into my new travel backpack that arrived just this morning. It's roomy, but I think it will still take more than a few tries.

No More UTE

This is it: our last Ultimate Thailand Explorer post. Although we've officially been eliminated from the contest for a few months, and our last post preceded the selection of the finalists, we know that many of our readers truly appreciated our blogs. Sure there were a number of detractors and cynics who criticized us, but we kept plugging away. Now's the time to move on to a new chapter, but a few words before we do.

We had a blast with the contest, and we were sad to see our involvement as participants end. We still vote, and we still post on the UTE Facebook page, but we've stepped away from commenting on the contest in this forum at this point. After the finalists were selected, none to our liking, our interest in the contest decreased dramatically. Our last blog succinctly emoted our thoughts on the voting discrepancies, and although 128 folks clicked to the blog from FB, only one pathetic little man commented disapprovingly here. I feel quite justified in noting that neither Greg or Alex continued their involvement with the contest.

In fact, commentary from most non-finalists ended. No more Rana & Sherry; no more Ben & Fee; no more Jackson & Lori; and most thankfully, no more Frank & Melona. We believe these teams were no more invested in the contest than Aubrey's sister, Aleene, or Ben's mom, Lisa: much less likely so. The chatter on the UTE wall has virtually disappeared save a few stalwarts like Stephanie, Lauren, and Ambi & I. It's not even really transferred to the main UTE site, much I'm sure to TAT's displeasure.

Before the voting period ends, I expect to see some more controversy, and I'm sure an undeserving team will win. Curtis & Mark have provided such little content, it's deplorable. Four, count 'em, four posts from Thailand! The other likely winners, Aubrey & Parker, continue deluge us with their drivel. "It’s wonderful hearing stories and seeing pictures from a century ago while asking questions to how they relate to the present." I'm sure Parker's English professors in Bloomington are very proud. The three other teams are all far more qualified, entertaining, and informative. I have been quite pleasantly surprised by the quality of their contributions. I wish them all luck, but hold no promise for their success.

Thus, the blog is changing in nature, but not in tenor. Instead of detailing our desires and qualifications for a trip to Thailand, we're going to tell you about our upcoming trip to India and beyond. Ambi and I love to travel, and now that we've gotten into travelogueing, we see no reason to stop! So even though the UTE contest is nearly done, stay with us and enjoy the ride. We'll have plenty to share from Ahmedabad!

Reason #30 we should go to Thailand: We don't have hanging chads

With voting for the semifinalists in the UTE competition now closed, I must admit I feel a slight sense of loss. As Amber wrote in our last blog, we've put a lot of time and energy into supporting our own efforts and that of the teams we endorsed, sadly none appear to make the finals. That said, the workload devoted to the contest should decrease for us, but that doesn't mean I'm done writing here. In fact, I have some final thoughts on voting I'd like to express. (psst... Louise, I'm about to get mean.)

There's been a lot of complaining as the contest came to a close from various voting blocs and contestants pussyfooting around accusations like this gem: "Yes, it is quite impressive to gain 25% of your total votes in 1 nite (from 2,000 to 2,500 in the middle of a california nite)." No one wants to come right out and say, "I think this group is cheating" for fear of being chastised by TAT or being labeled as "bitter" or a "sore loser."

Do I think some groups cheated? Most definitely. I was frankly disgusted to see how Ben & Brian moved up like they did at the end after sniffing at view counts and for claiming the moral high road. Having friends and relatives coming out of the woodwork to suggest the move was all hard work was a bogus rhetorical strategy. I really thought they were better than that. I think Alex complaining about this is laughable. The way his group shot from 4th to 1st in two days weeks into the contest is just as suspicious. We all know Robert & Kelly cheated, and I referenced this in a wall post on the UTE Facebook page. Of course, all the Filipinos freaked out even though I wasn't talking about their token representative. Sure it was suspicious when Michael Paul & Jennifer jumped up like that, but they're professionals with lots of media contacts and a rabid fanbase voting for them simply based on their ethnicity. (Right, Melona?) Finally, the way Curtis & Mark roared into first after treading water for weeks is more than friggin' shady.

But the important thing to remember is that TAT allowed this to happen. By publishing vote counts just as they did views, they incentivised the process. Teams had a target, and they knew if they just got 40 more votes here and 24 votes there, they could vault into first. You also had a virulent voting bloc organized by Frank and Melona threatening teams to grovel before them to earn their votes. "Any team is cordially invited to present itself here, 250 daily votes are at stake :) Just let us know, why we should vote for your team." Their endorsements were not placed on value, but how well you curried favor. Rana & Sherri were picked for their "good looks" and Michael Paul & Jennifer were chosen because of Frank's anti-American resentment, "We definitely want to see non-Americans in this heavily US dominated game!" By hijacking the contest, they upped the ante.

Then halfway through the contest, TAT changed the rules, allowing anyone to plug an email in with no confirmation. I'm surprised more cheating didn't occur. Robert & Kelly egregiously blew from 5th to 1st having never made a Tweet, a status update, or a blog post to do so.

Meanwhile, TAT stayed silent. When I engaged them on a variety of topics on the UTE Facebook page, they deleted the discussions. In the waning days of the contest, they finally spoke to the reasons for the rule changes, and the way in which voters were confirmed. It was too little too late, as many posters had clearly formed their opinions. Had TAT been as effective communicators as Theo and Amber, perhaps the open hostility could have been avoided.

We voted for the same people every day. We supported them on the UTE page and our fan page, as well as our blogs and tweets. Sadly, it appears none them shall move on, unless TAT surprises us again, "TAT reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest and select winners from among all eligible online entries received." Huh, maybe Amber and Theo still have a chance! See you next time.

Reason #29 we should go to Thailand: We put substance over style

As the voting for the semifinalists in the UTE competition comes to a close, we've been reflecting on the various ways that different teams have promoted themselves to find voters and to show how they would support Thailand. We've seen a lot of creative content, but we've noticed one difference between some of the promotion material we created and that of some other teams. We always put substance ahead of style.

We'll be the first to admit that our video wasn't the most slickly produced, but we would argue that it succeeded better than most in answering the questions asked in the application. We talked about what we hoped to see in Chiang Mai, what we would do to promote the city, and why we had the best experience to do so. The other videos we have produced for this contest were similar in this way. Instead of just showing us having fun at a restaurant, Theo and I told our viewers how they could make their own Thai cuisine; we shared our iguana Dorian's favorite fruit; and we even took our viewers along to share the Colts game day experience with us. Our Facebook posts and tweets have been similarly informative. We've always done more than implore that followers watch our video, as we've offered up a new reason why we're the best team to become the Ultimate Thailand Explorers almost every day. I haven't counted the number of words we've written on this blog, but I will be the first to admit that I've spent more time and attention writing blog posts than I have on my own academic work this semester.

As we've made clear many times before, Theo and I are effective communicators. We know how to craft a message that will be both informative and entertaining. We know that a good video needs more than a popular song over some random, if pleasing, images. The audience wants to learn more about what makes Thailand an amazing place, and that understanding comes through content that draws them in and teaches them something about the land and its culture. Theo and I have spent a great deal of time crafting our message as UTE contestants. We hope you've learned something about us and something about the qualities the best UTE candidates should possess. Thanks for reading and listening.

Reason #28 we should go to Thailand: We're educated, and that makes all the difference

As we've mentioned about 100 times on this blog so far, Theo and I are graduate students. And we're not talking about two-year professional program graduate students. Theo and I have spent most of our lives and more than our incomes pursuing advanced degrees; we have made long-term commitments to academia. I have a bachelor's degree from Albion College, a master's from Ball State University, and I'm finishing up my PhD at the University of Illinois. Theo has both a bachelor's and a master's degree from Ball State, and is working on a second master's at Northern Illinois University in preparation for a PhD.

Some might see all of this time spent in universities in the Midwest as a bad thing; we haven't been out to "experience the real world." Yet our time spent in school has provided us with opportunities many others don't have. (And I'm not talking about the "meet new people and have fun" kinds of typical college experiences.) Theo and I have had the opportunity to develop our academic and creative talents in a variety of ways, from performing on stage to planning lecture series; we've been exposed to new ways of thinking from world-class professors; and we've even published some ideas of our own. Our academic experiences have given us an open minded view of the world; we're always ready for the next adventure and the next challenge.

Our studies have also physically taken us beyond the boundaries of campus. We both had the opportunity to study abroad as students, taking advantage of our universities' connections with institutions all over the world. We've already written a great deal about those experiences on this blog, from my studies in Spain and Ireland, to Theo's in Japan, Korea, China, and Germany. On these trips we were not just tourists but students. Our universities placed us with host families, and we were given the opportunity to experience life from the local point of view. As students, we approached each new destination with an eye for adventure, but also an appreciation for history and culture that we would take with us back to the States. What better way to study Irish poetry than from Yeats' tower, or to study art history by exploring 600 year old palaces in Spain? Studying abroad taught us to bring the skills we had learned in the classroom to our other experiences; each day gave us the opportunity to learn something new.

Because of our study abroad experiences, we've always seen travel as not only an opportunity to have fun and relax, but an opportunity to learn. We learn as much as we can about the history and culture of a place before our visit, and we plan our sightseeing adventures with an eye toward the historical especially. As teachers, we also know how to take the information we've learned and present it to others in a manner that's engaging and entertaining. Given the opportunity to promote from Chiang Mai, Thailand, we would show our audience much more than a typical vacation. We would make sure you learned as much as we did.

Reason #27 we should go to Thailand: We're not liquored up

It should really come as no surprise that I am a bit of a beer snob. Living just outside Düsseldorf and studying at Heinrich Heine Üniversität really spoiled me back in 2002. That was when I first discovered Altbier, a style of ale that can be found nowhere else. Och meine Himmel... I was already picky about alcohol before I moved to Benrath, but a particularly delicious Altbier sealed it. No more would I let a lame American domestic touch my lips.

That being said, we have no idea why so many of the couples competing think the bar scene in Thailand is tantamount for their travelogues. Amber and I have been involved in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers contest for almost two months now, and I have seen countless pictures roll through the UTE Facebook page displaying hedonistic beer binges beyond what I think lies in good taste.

Just a glance of some of the pictures of other teams, and most of the jolly good friends are in some back alley dive drinking the night away. I guess if that's how you want to promote Thailand, I can't stop you, but you're out of your mind if you think I'm not going to rip you for it.

I've written about the Altstadt in Düsseldorf, and I had lots of fun there. But that was not the essence of my time in Germany. Two teams in particular, one not included in the contest (and thank the good Lord for that) actually posted an update with a picture of a women's glittering glutes while in a dusty establishment in Cambodia. Another proudly displays half-inebriated pics of "him and his bros" while chugging in a boozy board in Bangkok. They devoted half a post on their "blog" to where to drink the night away in Railay.

We'll enjoy our taste of Thai liquor when we go someday. We'll promote it with the best of them as well, but Amber and I can promise you this: we're there to see and promote Thailand, not to drink ourselves silly like we're back home in Ann Arbor. That's akin to heading to Hokkaido and stopping at the McDonald's in Sapporo. Please.

We enjoy the nightlife, but if we're heading to a wonderfully historic city like Chiang Mai, you can bet we're there for other reasons. So while we won't win this edition of the UTE contest, you can be sure that we'll raise a glass of Chang beer for the winners. We can guarantee we'll do it responsibly.

Reason #26 we should go to Thailand: We're trendsetters

Theo and I have been involved in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers contest for almost two months now. I first saw the contest discussed on a Yahoo News story back on Sept. 1; I sent it to Theo that day suggesting that we enter. We started planning our video that evening and completed the shooting the next weekend. Because we've been involved in the contest for so long, we've seen various trends among the contestants come and go, and we'd even be so bold as to claim that we started some of those trends. We are the UTE original innovators.

We knew that if we wanted to have a chance in the contest, we needed to show off our social networking prowess. We decided that it would serve us best to have a blog and a Twitter account devoted strictly to the contest, giving daily updates on our new content, and also on the numerous reasons why we were the perfect choice as the Ultimate Thailand Explorers. So as I finished editing our video footage, Theo was hard at work setting up our blog and connecting it to our new Twitter site. We were among the first teams to have contest exclusive social media accounts that we promoted through our video, and as you all know, we used them extensively. In fact, if you watch the end of our video, we don't just mention "We'll be on Twitter." We actually gave our Twitter address. Other groups simply stated they'd have these accounts, but it wasn't until we popularized it, it came in vogue.

We were also among one of the first groups to set up a Facebook fan page. We learned quickly that the fan page was one of the best ways to send updates to our friends and family. Soon everyone we knew was interested not only in our progress through the contest, but also in Thailand as a travel destination. While others floundered with group pages, our fan page hummed right along updating our friends' walls the second we posted an update.

While we weren't the first team to do a second video, we were the first with original content and not a blooper reel or a lame attempt at humor as moronic robots. We wanted people to learn something from our videos, whether it was about our personalities, our travelogue skills, or even a culinary video people could emulate in their own kitchens.

After we learned we were not selected as semi-finalists in the UTE contest, we continued to be trendsetters. Theo and I discussed our options and decided to keep blogging about our qualifications and the contest itself. We also wanted to publicly express our support to the teams we thought would best promote Thailand as a destination. So we then became the first teams to publicly endorse a full slate of UTE contestants. (And we don't think they're doing so badly so far!) Granted, we didn't sell our votes as some of our imitators did, so I guess they did do something we didn't.

So stay tuned. While Theo and I might not be heading to Thailand this year, we will continue to lead the way in the UTE contest. You don't want to miss it.

Amber and Theo Endorse...

So we started breaking the news today to our blog readers, Facebook fans, and Twitter followers. When we told them that we were not selected as semi-finalists in the UTE competition, the most common response we heard was, "But we were just waiting to vote for you!" We wanted to let everyone out there know that they can still vote, even if it's not for us. While we're still campaigning to be the Ultimate Thailand Explorers, we think the following teams are worthy of your vote. We're definitely not going to split our votes like some, "Sure we'll vote for you today, but tomorrow..." We not duplicitous or disingenuous. We genuinely believe the following teams would make ideal Ultimate Thailand Explorers, and they receive our official endorsement.

Chiang Mai: Greg and Phil. Greg and Phil joined the contest shortly after we did, and they have had the right approach to this contest the entire time. They've been fun, irreverent, and witty, and they've been fairly active throughout on Twitter and their blog. You can also follow them via their Facebook fan page. They'll approach Thailand with a fresh set of eyes that will get people to follow them over their large network. We aren't going to vote for spammers, self-absorbed people who live in Thailand and want to keep prizes to themselves, and pros who skipped a puddle to make a slick video there.

Bangkok: Cheryl and Genevieve. This team (aka Two Happy Campers) are newcomers to this competition, and while they are as slick and professional as anyone else, they've enthusiastically promoted Thailand already through their great application video, their Twitter account, Facebook page, and even through the press. Their video was one of the most creative and best produced we've seen. Everyone else "talked" about how they'll use Web 2.0, but they demonstrated their plans for promoting Bangkok. They're enthusiastic travelers, and they showed better than anyone how they'll travel. We know they'll do a great job of promoting Bangkok to the world. We like another couple on a personal level, but they've been to Thailand way too many times. And while screaming "Thailand is my favorite country" may curry votes, ranking places you've been is just poor etiquette.

Phuket: Connor and Mike. While they are professionals (Connor is an international tour guide and filmmaker and Mike is a graphic designer), their video shows them to be adventurous travelers. Theo sees a kindred spirit in Connor, I see a creative and seasoned filmmaker. Check out his Twitter account and his YouTube channel. It was hard for us to choose a team in this category, because we loved Marcin & Agnieszka's creative video, but they've been absent from Web 2.0, as far as we can tell. (Hey kids, we tried.) And for all those teams who are trying to sell us on sending them back to Thailand, go there on your own dime. And we're not voting for Mathieu and Emilia, who arrogantly told us they would go to Phuket even if we didn't vote for them.

Pattaya: Justin and Libby. Justin and Libby's video stood out to us, because it was different from any others we've seen in the contest. They have also been active in other ways online, and we know that they can write entertaining and informative travel blogs. Check out their Facebook fan page. (And we've read a lot of travel blogs.) While they have been to Thailand before, as new parents, we think they will enjoy it even more this time. We're not going to send two pathetic Carrie Bradshaw wannabes, a Free Credit Report Band knockoff, or two self-absorbed dudes who write press releases.

Koh Samui: Personally, we'd send Craig and Jono, two Kiwis with the best narrative in the competition. Instead, we're left with a bunch of teams filled with pros, hucksters, and bad story telling. One video was great, but didn't say a single thing about Koh Samui as a destination. We're sure as hell not going to send someone who does this for a living. You wanna go lay on beaches, have your company sponsor you on your own dime, not TAT's. And don't you dare think you deserve to go over someone who's never been there. So we're officially endorsing NO ONE for Koh Samui. If we could send ourselves there, we would, because we'd certainly come up with better results than a girl trying to improve her odds at starring in "Candide" in the West End. (psst... one more word of warning, if you've just come back from Portugal, write a real blog).

So vote Greg and Phil, Cheryl and Genevive, Connor and Mike, and Justin and Libby. Since we can't go to Thailand, we think these teams deserve to.

Reason #25 we should go to Thailand: We're not going to stop

So we got the bad news this morning that we are not semifinalists in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers contest. As you know, Amber and I have been hard at work for the last month and a half writing, tweeting, and vlogging about why we were the Ultimate Thailand Explorers. It seems all for naught with our names excluded from the list of semifinalists.

In fact, it be very easy and understandable for us to not want to continue the blog at this point. We now assume that no other material was actually considered during the course of the contest. We produced copious amounts of writings and videos to show the committee how serious we were about the social networking aspect of the contest. Other teams said, "we'll try to blog," but only a handful of did, and not one produced as much material as us. Despite the opportunity to qualify for the consolation prizes, the fact that our work at promoting ourselves as contestants and by virtue, Thailand as a destination, is a bitter pill to swallow.

But we're still going to keep posting and keep writing. Why?! Well, we proved we were more than adept and more than capable as the UTEs even without an endorsement from the TAT. Of the 38 teams competing for Chiang Mai, only three had a Facebook Fanpage before today, (including us). Most never appeared as fans on the UTE Facebook page, never commented, and never posted. (of Chiang Mai semifinalists, three NEVER contributed on Facebook)

Only two had a blog exclusively devoted to the contest frequently updated, (psst... just us and Greg & Phil), and only two other teams made supplemental videos for the contest. (both being kinda jokey/outake vids). And nobody in the entire contest blogged more substantially and prolifically than us.

So no, we haven't been to Thailand, and it appears we're not headed there anytime soon, and we're definitely bummed about being left out. But as my favorite lyric from Midnight Oil goes, "It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." We're gonna go out fightin'!

Reason #24 we should go to Thailand: We can multitask

The excitement and anticipation have been building this week, as the submission deadline for the UTE contest came to a close and the number of applicants more than doubled. I had some pressure building in other ways this week, as the submission deadline for an article a few of my colleagues and I are writing approached. The journal is completely online, so I spent the last few days in my office until after midnight working to build webpages and embed video. This week was not that different from most other weeks during the school year, though, as I'm constantly doing 10 things at once: planning events for my graduate program, managing a journal, supervising a multimedia writing course, working on my dissertation, attending committee and reading group meetings, participating in the HASTAC technology scholars program, and those are just the things I do on campus. Theo's schedule looks similar, if not more hectic, than mine. But neither of us mind; we're graduate students. We live to multitask.

Growing up, vacations were always like this for me also. My father is a small business owner and he can never leave his office for vacation time. Instead of taking the typical summer American road trip out West, our family vacations always happened over Thanksgiving break. Because we only had a few days for each trip, we packed in as many things into our schedule as we possibly could. I remember a family vacation to New York City where we were out the door before 6am, and returned every night after midnight. We had a wonderful trip, and all of us decided that we would worry about sleeping when we got home.

Theo and I are going to do the same in Chiang Mai; we already have a list of hundreds of attractions we want to see, both in the city and the surrounding area. We want to travel to have fun, but that means spending our time experiencing as much of the city as we can, not just lying on a beach or relaxing at a health spa. Because we're so used to multitasking, you can be assured that we'll be tweeting, blogging, and vlogging the entire way. (And we've had some great practice doing this already since the contest started!) We're used to having to produce final documents (in text, image and video) with quick deadlines, and we'll be able to write a blog and upload a video even when we're traveling to the next location on our agenda. With all of the temples to see, foods to try, museums to visit, rivers to raft down, hills to trek, and people to meet, you can certainly trust two ambitious and hard working grad students to get it done.

Reason #23 we should go to Thailand: We are athletic

It should come as no surprise that I love athletics. I've coached wrestling at the scholastic level in three different states, and I study sports now as a graduate student at Northern Illinois University. After serving as a head coach in Louisville, I took an assistant position last fall with a small private Catholic school in Illinois. As the assistant coach in charge of, let's call it motivation, it was my responsibility to make sure the wrestlers practiced the way we want them to. I'm leading the guys in something called a Hindu push up, a nasty little exercise I picked up from my friends in combat sports and professional wrestling. (long story) It's a yoga move used in ancient Indian wrestling and has found practice in combat sports like the UFC and Gracie jiujitsu.

It's because of that flexibility and balance that powerlifting has come so easily for me. Don't get me wrong, there's some differences from strong man, which I used to compete in, that are now old habits I have to break. That's been the hardest part of the transition.

Amber has been doing yoga and pilates for a number of years. She also rides her bike to school on a near daily basis, and has gone roller blading with me on my Trikke for miles at a time on the Cardinal Greenway in Indiana and in various parks in Illinois. Amber's Wii Fit let's her run around a virtual island, do step aerobics, or even tackle a fierce, (and I do mean fierce!), boxing workout.

But why is this blog about why Amber and I are athletic? Well beyond speaking about our physical prowess (c'mon, we're not that vain...), I wanted to talk about how Ambi and I are ready for any physical challenge that may come our way in Thailand. Climb 309 steps to reach the pagodas at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep? No problem. Hiking to take the eco-friendly zipline tour, Flight of the Gibbon? Cannot wait! Carrying 80 lb. for days filled with smelly clothes and gifts for the peeps back home? Bring it on!

Chiang Mai has lots to do and we're a couple who'll be ready to rise early, backpack all day while visiting the sites, and be ready to do it all over again the next day. We look forward to showing you all that Chiang Mai has to offer and we're physically fit to do it!

Reason #22 we should go to Thailand: We know how to brand

After Amber wrote an excellent blog about our understanding of social networking, I think we're ready for another academic piece, but this time, I would share my knowledge of branding and how that makes us the perfect Ultimate Thai Explorers.

To my Uncle Dennis who works as a cowboy on his own ranch in Idaho, branding has an entirely different meaning, especially to the cattle which roam his plains. As a grad student in sports management branding encompasses my life and my research.

The utilization of Web 2.0 in brand management is key to understanding my research. In fact, that's one of the reasons Ambi and I made our Colts travel vlog. Sure we tried to flex our muscle when it came to showing what we can do with a tankful of gas and a digital video camera, but the another purpose of the vlog was to show how adept I am at branding.

That's right, I am a brand: the Dreadhead. Just by being my wild and crazy self at the games, I have created a "character/superfan" with brand awareness and brand equity, far beyond what a normal fan could do. As witnessed in the video we posted, you can see fans flocking to have their picture taken with me.

"But why, Theo? Why do other fans care about you, when you're not even on the field?" It's all part of the brand awareness. When you are at the market and see a recognizable commodity, be it cola or bread, or even toilet paper, the more aware of the brand you are, the more likely you are to buy it. The greater degree you trust the brand, ("Wow, Smucker's makes delicious strawberry jam!") the more likely you are to buy it.

The same goes for the Dreadhead. I actually never set out to become a commodity, a usable good, if you will. I was just at the games like anyone else, trying to get on the Jumbo-Tron and get the other fans excited about the game. But as I got on the screen more and more (usually 3-5 times a game), people began to recognize me (psst... brand awareness) out and about Indianapolis. When I was picked as the "Fan of the Game" and included in the official team video, I had equity, value. I was an identifiable quantity, and people started to ask me to sign autographs and pose for pictures at a rapid pace.

The Dreadhead now poses for pictures with at least a dozen people a game. I never get tired of it, but must admit that I am strangely fascinated by it. I'm not famous, just recognizable, as in "Oh, I think I saw the Dreadhead at Chili's last week!"

I have cultivated this image, and people have come to recognize it. It's really beyond "the big guy with dreadlocks who headbangs." The Dreadhead is recognized for his passion, his energy, and his loyalty to the Colts.

Let me end with a message for the Tourism Authority of Thailand: if I'm getting this much brand awareness for just being me, imagine what I can do for Chiang Mai. Whoooooo!

AoIR Conference Wrap Up, Or how the cyborgs took over Milwaukee

No doubt most of us associate Milwaukee with beer and bikes. As the proud home of Harley Davidson and Miller Brewing Company, the largest metropolis in Wisconsin was taken over this weekend by the technoarchy of the 10th Annual Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) Conference in Milwaukee. To be honest, I was somewhat unprepared for my first AoIR. Although I have been to a number of academic conferences, even organizing the very one Amber and I met at and fell in love, the field of internet research is relatively new and definitively liquid. Each year of the conference has brought a wide array of disciplines together with the sole premise of internet research.

After attending my first panel on social networking sites (SNS), I wrote of my excitement to meet other "nerds like me." Honestly, that was a thrill. The AoIR group is a diverse group of people; that no one batted an eye when I introduced myself as a sports management major was of great relief. Preceding the conference, I thought I would be an outsider, not ostracized by any means, but generally outside the normal convention of researchers AoIR membership contained. But if you are interested in a single question, "how do people use the Internet?" you were welcome.

A popular notion among AoIR attendees is that today's tech-savvy citizen is so wholly integrated with technology via SNS, our mobiles, the Internet, and all the technology we have ingested into our daily lives (who doesn't use a GPS to drive anymore?) the definition of human has been corrupted; we're now all cyborgs. As fully vested members of this cultural and biological shift, Ambi and I are fascinated by this idea, and would argue the Ultimate Thailand Explorers competition is for cyborgs of the highest degree.

If you've never been to an academic conference, they are usually organized with panels of 3-4 researchers with similarly themed topics (but not always). Each researcher is allotted a certain amount of time with a questions and answer session at completion of presentations.

Friday morning's panel titled "Friendship Online," had two presentations about Twitter and two about Facebook, but all talked about how relationships online are formed and maintained in very different ways. Dr. Erika Pearson from New Zealand spoke of the importance of knowing the audience for effective online communication. Much of her research showed how the fluidity of online communication sometimes led to miscommunication and misunderstanding through audience misidentification.

Amber and I have been very conscience of our audience which includes friends and relatives, the judges for Tourism Authority of Thailand, other competitors, and the world at large. To that end, we've sought not only to gain the widest audience using our expertise in SNS and blogging, but also in what we write in these communique.

As we showed in our cooking video, we want the viewers to not just be able to make the green curry, but to smell, taste, and participate in making it. We'll never forget to include the audience in our updates, blogs, vlogs, and tweets because we want them there with us, and eventually, to come Thailand on their own. Amber and I are the perfect couple to do this, and we look forward to having you experience Chiang Mai with us.

Colts Game Video Blog

We made this video last week as we traveled to Indianapolis to watch the Colts play the Seahawks. Check it out!

AoIR Conference Wrap Up, Or what we learned in Milwaukee

If you were following us on Twitter or Facebook, you learned that we spent the past few days at the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) Conference in Milwaukee. Theo will post his own reflection on the conference, as well as some of the great pics we took during our time in Milwaukee, but I thought I would start with my own conference wrap up.

The AoIR group is an interesting mix of people; there were people at the conference representing technology companies and government research groups, but most were academics in a variety of fields, including sociology, anthropology, communications, media studies, library and information science, etc., etc., etc. The thing that drew us all together was our interest in the ways people use the Internet. Theo and I were excited by the fact that most of the conference sessions focused on Web 2.0 technologies, which was helpful both for our own research and also for our involvement with the UTE contest. If you're interested in getting a taste of the different conference topics, check out this blog.

As a whole, most of the discussions at the conference focused on one large cultural shift, which is also the reason everyone attending the conference was there in the first place: Social media technologies have changed the ways that people relate to each other and to the world around them. Many sessions at the conference asked, what happens when we're always on? When we're always connected? How do our lives, our relationships, and our sense of self change? For Theo and I, this has meant spending a great deal of time and attention crafting a message and a story about ourselves that people are interested in and to spread that message to the most number of sites in order to gain the widest audience. When you're always on, you have to know how to craft a persona and how to be sincere at the same time.

We heard many stories this past week about how the world is changing. We heard about people spreading breaking news on blogs, children making their own videos to share on YouTube, and teenagers talking to celebrities on Twitter. We think the Ultimate Thailand Explorers competition pioneers travel through social media in much the same way. Instead of telling all of us why we should go to Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is allowing people like us to create our own experience to share with the world.

Theo and I plan to harness the power of social media to share our experiences in Chiang Mai. Because we're used to always being connected, we know how to represent our experiences in a way that will be true to our impressions and to the beauty and richness of the city. But we'll never forget the other important part of the social media equation: interactivity. We'll always let our readers and viewers take part in the experience with us, whether it is to help us decide which attractions to visit, to answer questions, or to spread the word about Thailand. We can't wait to go to Chiang Mai, and we're taking you with us.

Forget durian, Dorian loves dragon fruit!

After all of the time we spent cooking our Green Thai Curry for our latest Ultimate Thailand Explorers video, Dorian wanted to join in the fun. Dragon fruit, which is very popular in Thailand, is one of Dorian's favorite fruits. We thought he would enjoy some for dessert.

Make Thai food with Amber and Theo

We're really excited about the Ultimate Thailand Explorers contest and the possibility of going to Chiang Mai. We can't wait to meet the people, see the sights, and of course, eat the food. We decided to do the next best thing this weekend and made some Thai food for ourselves. We wanted to share the experience with all of you. Watch our video and make some great Green Thai Curry at home.



Note: For our friends who use the metric system, our recipe is based on English measurements. But you can find some great conversions here.

Reason #21 we should go to Thailand: We're in awe of nature

Theo and I grew up in the Midwestern United States, where we both currently live. Northern and Central Illinois are both rather homogeneous as far as natural wonders go, consisting of flat farm lands and prairie punctuated by the occasional rolling hill. Our UTE application video is a pretty good example of the scenery found both in Urbana and in DeKalb.

Land in the Midwest is characterized primarily by its flatness, but Theo and I both grew up close to some of its most beautiful scenery: the Great Lakes. It was a short drive from my parents' home in Saginaw, Michigan to my grandmother's cottage on Lake Huron, and I spent almost every weekend of the summer running on the beach and swimming in the always cold water of the lake. I remember all of these trips fondly, and I believe that these summers, and the scenery of the Great Lakes, have helped define who I am.

For this reason, I find my natural surroundings to be incredibly important, and it's something I always pay attention to when I travel. On my trips through Europe, I waxed poetic in my travel journal about the countryside of Tuscany and the rocky cliffs of Ireland. The places I found to be the most awe-inspiring were those most unlike the places I grew up. In Costa Rica, we hiked through forests different from any I had seen at home, visited hot springs, and even swam at the base of a waterfall. But the volcanoes were the most awe-inspiring. We visited both Arenal and Poás, very active and incredibly amazing volcanoes. Poás has a crater with an incredibly acidic lake at the center, which gives it an otherworldly appearance. And of course one of the most amazing natural wonders I've visited, Mt. Fuji, is a volcano as well.

One of the reasons we chose Chiang Mai as our destination was for natural wonders like these. Theo and I can't wait to climb to the top of Doi Inthanon, take in the Mae Sa Waterfall, and raft down the Mae Taeng River. In our application video, we showcased the place that we come from. In our videos and pictures from Chiang Mai, we will give the natural wonders of Thailand a starring role.

Reason #20 we should go to Thailand: We are like Spider-Man

I'm pretty sure this blog post title will catch some eyes. Maybe it's because I'm a huge comic book nerd and have actually managed to get Ambi hooked on the graphic novels of Y: The Last Man. (If you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?)

Or maybe it's because Peter Parker's IQ-Score is higher than Glenn Beck's (and thank God for that). But I have found a great deal of life lessons in comic books that have led me to this blog. And while I wish Amber and I had the proportional strength and abilities of a spider, I can only suggest that we do follow the wall-crawler's golden rule, spoken to him by his dear Uncle Ben before his life was tragically ended by a wayward mugger, "With great power comes great responsibility."

Now of course, I didn't write this with the same gravitas Cliff Robertson spoke with in Spider-Man really, but the message remains clear. Amber and I want to be the Ultimate Thailand Explorers, but we understand better than anyone that we don't just represent ourselves in this competition.

If fortunate enough to be selected for the semi-finals and curry enough favor with the voting public to be sent to Chiang Mai, we understand that we have several responsibilities to fill, and not just the ones the Tourism Authority of Thailand tells us to. We are representing ourselves, the people who voted for us, our home country, and Thailand.

Whew! That's a load of responsibility! Good news is, I have a broad back and am willing to shoulder that load. As a world traveler, I know that I am sometimes the first or only Westerner many of our new friends will have met.

Take, for instance, the picture to the left where I visited some school children as part of a cultural exchange program in Tokyo. Most of these 4th grade students had never met a gaijin much less talked to one. And although I was only there a matter of hours, it meant a great deal to me that I was the first and only impression of a gaijin they may have. Every Westerner they meet from that point on in their lives will be measured against the interaction they had with me, brief as it may be. You'll always remember your first flight, and although you may earn a frequent flier card at some point, you'll always remember that first jaunt into the blue sky.

Amber and I look forward to this pressure. It'll keep us honest. We'll have fun and we'll give everyone following us a taste of Thailand as well. But we will represent Thailand in the best way possible, because we understand the responsibility better than anyone.

Reason #19 we should go to Thailand: We know social networks

So Theo and I have been making plans today to attend the Association of Internet Researchers Conference in Milwaukee next week. We're excited about the conference not only because of our own research interests, but also because we think we'll learn about some upcoming technologies we can use to promote Chiang Mai. We'll be tweeting and blogging about the conference too, so you'll definitely be hearing more from us about our trip to Milwaukee.

I also spent the day working on my research proposal for my dissertation, so I've been thinking a lot about social networking sites. One of the reasons we're the most qualified group to be the Ultimate Thailand Explorers is our knowledge of social networking sites. We each have accounts on at least a dozen, including everything from the popular and general sites like Facebook, to more professional and academic sites like LinkedIn and Academia.edu, sites that are about collections like Delicious and Citeulike, to niche sites like MyColts.net and Reptile Channel. The things we've gained from being a part of so many different Web 2.0 sites is an understanding of how they work and how they can work together. One of the great things about Web 2.0, of course, is convergence, and it is so easy to link our different accounts together and to syndicate content between them. Add a phone with a good data plan, and we can send updates to all of our networks from almost anywhere!

Because of our involvement in a variety of social networks, we have a large number of people we can draw from to publicize the UTE contest. While the people we know through Facebook and through Reptile Channel don't overlap much, overall we're able to reach a large number of people relatively easily. This becomes incredibly important when it comes time to share our amazing adventures in Chiang Mai.

We've talked before about our technical expertise in creating and editing images and video and designing webpages. But most importantly, we understand the societal impact of technologies like social networking sites and their growing importance in any number of countries around the world. We know which Web 2.0 sites are popular in Brazil and the UK. We know why the Americans who popularized Friendster left the network; we understand the MySpace to Facebook migration; and why Twitter exploded and with which demographics. But more importantly, we know how best to craft a message on each site and to utilize it to its potential. Syndication is indeed important, but even more critical is knowing when to use Twitter, and when YouTube or Facebook might be needed instead. For example, we knew when creating a page on Facebook for our friends to follow, a fan page was a much better idea than a group page. Fan page status updates telling everyone what we've been up to automatically appear on our fans' newsfeeds, a feature a group page simply does not have.

We've already been busy promoting the UTE contest through this blog, Twitter, and our Facebook fan page. And we know that we can put our knowledge of social networking sites to use in sharing our traveling experiences in Chiang Mai with the world better than anyone.

Reason #18 we should go to Thailand: We know the Hmong/Mong

As we've mentioned in our biography and in a number of blogs already, Amber and I are huge fans of culture. We don't just want to experience it, we want to immerse ourselves in it. As the old cliche goes, all politics is local, the same could be said of culture, especially when considering a very old country like Thailand.

Thus my interest in unique cultural experiences is often boiled down to the local level. As an undergrad in the geography department, I once wrote a short 15 page paper on the Hmong/Mong, specifically the white Hmong (Hmong Der) and the green Mong (Mong Leng). I described their history, their culture, and their future as my final paper for a class on southeast Asian cultural geography at Ball State University. I was fascinated by this unique group of people, but frustrated by the dearth of material available to me.

When I returned to graduate school at Ball State in linguistics, imagine my delight when I discovered that my faculty adviser Dr. Elizabeth Riddle was an expert on the Hmong/Mong language. We spent several hours discussing her research on this fascinating language inside class and out.

But it wasn't until I worked as an English as as Second Language teacher that I was able to encounter Hmong/Mong culture and its people in an interpersonal way outside an academic or research based environment. I taught several Hmong/Mong refugees from Thailand and Burma in Louisville, Kentucky, (of all places!) As it turns out, Catholic Charities has its second largest immigration center in Louisville, a city of 750,000 people.

Many of my refugee students from Thailand and Burma were Hmong/Mong. I came to know these students well, and was even invited to a Hmong New Year's function by some of my students. I got to meet several members of differing clans, taste some wonderful food, and even see a game of pov pob! These students were some of the kindest and earnest I had; I felt honored to be invited into their home. Politics aside, the chance to speak with some of the estimated 140,000 Hmong/Mong living in Thailand is just too good to pass up.

I dare say no one else in the Ultimate Thailand Explorer competition would truly understand and appreciate this opportunity as well as Amber and I. To see local culture as it truly is, and not some idealized Disney-fied spoon-fed schlock is important. We need to see how people really live before we can truly understand them. Considering the way many cultures and traditions around the world are disappearing with the enormous tide of globalization, it's important to see them while we still can.

Reason #17 we should go to Thailand: We love to get lost

So I'll admit that I'm usually a girl who needs a plan. I keep a detailed schedule of my appointments and meetings for my job, and I like to have things planned out beforehand. To a certain extent, I'm also like this on vacation. I want to make sure that I get a chance to see everything I want to in the limited amount of time I have, and I do a lot of research ahead of time to plan each day of my trip around the sights I just have to see. But I also understand that part of the excitement of traveling is to throw that schedule away and just enjoy the moment and go wherever the day takes me. There is a joy in throwing away the map and getting lost.

When I studied in Seville, Spain, I often spent my afternoons purposefully getting lost. After I had lived in the city for a month, I was familiar with its layout and had a routine. I took a particular route to school each morning. I had a favorite cafe, a favorite book store, and a favorite heladeria. But I knew that there was so much more to the city that I hadn't been able to explore yet. It was time to shake things up. So a few times a week in the late afternoon, I set out. I would always start at the cathedral because the bell tower (called the La Giralda) was the tallest point in the city. Then I would set out in a different direction, wandering the narrow streets, entering stores I came across, and taking pictures of cathedrals and other historical landmarks I encountered. I knew that as long as I could see La Giralda, I wasn't really lost, and I could always find my way home before the dinner or meeting planned for that evening. It was through this method that I found some of my favorite parts of the city. I explored the old Jewish area of the city, discovered a convent that sold the best marmalade in Seville, and took pictures of sections of the old city wall and the remains of the Roman aqueduct. Because of my wandering explorations, by the time I left Seville at the end of the summer, I felt I really knew it. I had explored all the back corners and side streets that held the city's history.

While in Kyoto with Theo and my sister, we got lost a little less on purpose. The wonderfully comfortable but out of the way guest house we stayed in was a little hard to find at night in the dark, and we spent an evening wandering through Kyoto neighborhoods until we found our destination. While we were certainly happy to see our beds when we found our way back, we were never really angry about getting lost. We knew it was just part of the adventure. I also learned more about Japanese street signs that evening than I had ever considered before.

While we're in Chiang Mai, you can believe that I'll plan detailed itineraries so that we can visit all of the wonderful sights the city has to offer. But we'll build our schedule with the understanding that sometimes it's better to let the city lead the way. You never know what you might discover.

Reason #16 we should go to Thailand: We'll reach for the mountains

Not only do Amber and I love animals, (psst... we don't even eat them!), we love the mountains. Now, I know what you're saying, "Theo, didn't you grow up in the flat cornfields of Indiana?" Yes, it's true. I grew up in the American Midwest, and I love the Great Lakes region. There's nothing quite like a brisk fall day in central Michigan or northwest Ohio. A little American high school football on Friday night in the heartland; sign me up. But that's maybe why I long for the mountains now.

I've lived in a few places with peaks, and I loved every minute of it. After studying for a semester in Germany, I backpacked alone throughout Eastern and Central Europe for two weeks. Not only did I have a fantastic time, but I got to see REAL mountains. I traveled south to Austria and made my way to Innsbruck. The Tyrolean Alps were absolutely majestic, frost tipped and totally huge. It was a hot day in August as I enjoyed a beverage in the Altstadt; I was mesmerized by the view.

In Korea, I would often hike the hills near Anyang, Gyeonggi, and even tackled all 632 m of Mt. Gwanak. A few friends and I trekked up the slope and watched the sunset on a crisp October day. It made for a beautiful view, but a treacherous descent.

But to say that Amber and I are looking forward to snagging pic after pic of Doi Inathanon and the rest of the Shan Hills would be a massive understatement. We're not here to tell you we're on our way to climbing the rest of the Himilayas, but we're definitely looking forward to standing atop the highest point of Thailand and visiting the ever-magnificent Napamaytanidol Chedi. Not only that, but 14 national parks will lay before us, ripe for exploration. We cannot wait!

Reason #15 we should go to Thailand: We love animals

As you may have noted from an earlier post, Theo and I go to extreme measures for animals. And we're not just talking about the common cat or dog here. The other members of our households are a little, um, different. I currently have an iguana named Caliban, and Theo has another iguana, Dorian, a bearded dragon named Ulysses, and an Asian water monitor named Gobo. They're all pretty spoiled lizards; we love telling stories about them to our friends and family, and we often teach our friends something about them in the process.

But we're interested in more than the animals that lounge on our couches all day. We also love to see animals in their natural habitats. The first time I saw an iguana, I was in Costa Rica; we stopped along the side of the road to admire the 10 iguanas lounging in a tree. They were huge and amazing creatures, and I was immediately mesmerized. One of the best things about that trip to Costa Rica was the opportunity to see so much wildlife. Our tour guide, Jorge, was a college student majoring in wildlife biology, and he led us on hikes through the rainforest, identifying the various creatures we saw there. He identified all the bird calls for us, and we saw toucans, various kinds of monkeys, lots of iguanas, butterflies, and even a three-toed sloth. I couldn't get enough of the rainforest, especially the cloud forest in Monteverde, and I found myself on all of the optional nature walks scheduled early in the morning. It must have been amazing for a teenager to willingly wake up before 5AM, right?

I can't wait to have similar experiences in Chiang Mai, and Theo and I are excited to explore the wildlife in the surrounding area. We're generally fascinated with all kinds of animals, their habitats and their behaviors, and we can't wait to see them in their natural surroundings. We're also excited to visit the Elephant Nature Park. We love the philosophy behind the park in creating a sanctuary for elephants, and we want to see these amazing and majestic creatures up close. If we go to Chiang Mai, you can expect an attention not just to the people and the culture, but to the animals as well. We'll shoot some great pictures and share the things we learned about them to readers all over the world. We can hear the elephants already.

Reason #14 we should go to Thailand: We won't bite the hand that feeds us

As we tweeted earlier this week, we've been subscribing to Twitter feeds and reading blogs to see what other competitors are doing in preparation for the semi-finals and possible becoming the Ultimate Thai Explorers. Amber and I think we're the best representatives the Tourism Authority of Thailand could ever have, but it never hurts to scout the competition.

One couple, who will remain anonymous, wrote in a blog of one's knowledge of "the tricks of the Thais who prey on tourists to cheat them out of money." This person elaborated in writing of unscrupulous tuk-tuk drivers and raised prices for foreigners.

What a negative portrayal! This person wants to win a trip at the expense of TAT and "sell" Thailand to foreign visitors but writes something so derogatory? I can promise you, you'll never see anything negative from us. Once something is in print, it's there forever, my friends. And once you post it online, it's everywhere forever! The Ultimate Thai Explorer competition is about extending Thailand's brand awareness around the world. The brand has little equity because it lacks salience. (how's that for a marketing perspective?) We understand that not everything in Thailand will be exactly to our liking. But we will not use the blogs, tweets, status updates, and vlogs as a forum in which to air those grievances. We're never going to portray Thai people or Chiang Mai in a negative way. It's not us, and nor should it be anyone else.

When I was in Japan, I was hospitalized for a few weeks after having an appendicitis and my gall bladder removed. I later wrote a column about the experience for The Gaijin Journal, entitled "Hospital Hospitality." While I can't claim that everything about being in the hospital was a pleasant experience, I never presented any negative experiences I had as systemic or endemic of Japan or her people. Instead, I used the experience as an opportunity to discuss the differences between the American and Japanese health care systems to my readers back home.

Amber and Theo will bring you the best content and the best stories in a completely positive manner. In fact, this post will be the most negative I'll ever be! We want to represent Thailand in a positive way, and we'll promise that here, now, and forever.