Mariana and I were able to make a much needed detour to visit her host family in Southern Thailand on our way to Malaysia. For the first time in our two months of travel, we were able to put down our own cameras and become the main attraction. Farang is a Thai word that translates to foreigner and you really only hear it upon entering a town that is not used to seeing them. Trang is one of those towns. Our host family picked us up at the airport which is slightly larger than Luang Prabang’s and took us almost directly to the school where Mariana taught two years ago. Mariana may take a back seat to my obnoxious ability to attract mostly negative attention back home, but here in Southern Thailand, I am the lame Robin to her whip ass Batman. The people here know her as NanAAA! and she is loved and revered by everyone who I have come across so far. Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles because it is filled with wonderfully friendly people, but honestly, no smile shines brighter than hers. She has an uncanny ability to attract complete strangers into her presence and make them feel as if they are old friends. People want to see her, meet her, and learn from her. We have been married for nearly seven years and we have known each other since we were 16, so I can completely understand and appreciate their infatuation. I have discovered that language is simply a vocal barrier that can easily be overcome by an honest display of emotion, and nobody pulls this off better than NanAAA!
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