Thailand!

Hello friends!

Well, I just got back from Thailand and it was an amazing way to spend the Tet holiday! Last Thursday I took off for Thailand with six other teachers. We stayed in Bangkok for two nights then headed off the not-so-small island, Koh Chang.

I suppose I should start with Bangkok. Our flight arrived pretty late and by the time we got our bags and Thai SIMs for our phones, it was around one in the morning before we arrived at our hotel on Khaosan road. This street is absolutely crazy. It is the main backpacker area in Bangkok. It's packed full of people, bars, food vendors, and people selling things like clothes and fake ID's. It's loud and dirty and a good place to drink. After settling in we decided to hit up the night life for a bit. It was a mild night for me as I was still feeling the aftermath of the night before, but it was fun going out none the less. On Friday Michelle and I were up bright and early and ready to do some shopping. We were told a good market to go to, so we hopped in a tut-tut and away we went. This market was interesting to say the least. There really wasn't much to buy at all. We both got some shoes and Michelle found a couple of other things. We then headed back to Khaosan after nearly getting lost within the market for some more shopping. The best thing to buy on Khaosan are dresses. They have tons and tons of dresses, many are the same, but they are so cheap! I think I bought about 8 dresses between the various times we were on Khaosan. After a day of attempted shopping I was pretty pooped so I took a cat nap before heading out to meet up with a friend of Michelle's who is teaching in Bangkok. We took the sky train to a completely different party of the city and ate an outdoor grill place. We then went to a street that was filled with Vans that turned into bars at night. The roofs pop up and there are places to sit along the street. It was another fun place to hang out. However, it was an early morning for me as we had a bus to catch to Koh Chang at 7:30 the following morning.

Saturday was a long day of traveling. We had a seven hour bus ride, a 45 minute ferry ride, then about a half an hour in the bed of a truck, or as they call it, a taxi. It was a very boring day on the bus, however once we got on the ferry we started to have a bit of fun as you could buy beer. So we did. This also made the ride in the back of the truck very entertaining. This would be a good time to mention that your not just sitting the back of some truck. It has benches along both sides and is covered. On top of the cover is where you put your luggage. There were quite a few of us, so a couple of Brits had to stand on the 'tailgate' and hold on the whole ride. I'm glad it wasn't me who had to do that! The ride to our hotel was gorgeous and a lot of fun. The middle of the island is a big mountain, so the roads are very windy and hilly. Our hotel was gorgeous! We had our own little porch and a whole wall of windows looking out to the pool and ocean. The very first thing I did was put on my swim suit and dove into the ocean. Then my towel got stolen. Sad day. After taking a dip we all got dressed and went out to dinner. We went to an amazing restaurant where you sat on pillows on the floor on your feet dangled over the ocean. They also had amazing Thai food! After din din I went out with Darren and Krystal. It was a lot of fun, we went out on Lonely Beach, near where were staying, which is a big party place on Koh Chang.

Most of my days consisted on being pretty lazy. Laying on the beach and swimming. I was semi-active though. We kayaked and went zip lining. Michelle and I stayed with everyone on Lonely Beach for three nights and then we moved to a more secluded part of the island, White Sand Beach. Here we stayed in a little bungalow with our own private beach access. It was quite the romantic resort mainly occupied by older Russian couples, but it was amazing none the less. We were again quite lazy. We did rent a motor bike one day and ventured out to one of the waterfalls on the island. It was very pretty, but I must say, the waterfalls in New Zealand were definitely better! This one was cool though because you could swim there. The water looked extremely dark until you jumped in. Then you realized how perfectly clear it was. You could see all the way down to your toes. It makes me curious as to how deep the water really was. On our way home we stopped and got to pet a baby elephant. There were a couple of places where you could ride elephants on the island, but they all just looked so sad, so we skipped that part! After that was more reading and relaxation.

On Thursday morning Mich-Mich and I made our way back to Bangkok. It was another day painful day of traveling, but quite entertaining. Michelle had a few Hulky moments while waiting for our 'bus' which was really a large van. However, we eventually made it back to the city. Michelle found us an amazing hotel that was still pretty cheap. We spend our Valentine's night eating Burger King, reading, and going to be super early. Friday we met up with Sara and did some more shopping. We went to a huge mall that was really just terrible so after an hour or so we headed back to Khaosan for more shopping! Friday night we ate a place called Cabbages and Condoms. It was a restaurant with a great atmosphere and not so great food and at the end of the meal they gave you condoms instead of dinner mints. Unfortunately I didn't get the whole background story on the restaurant, but I believe it started in the UK and is affiliated with some organization to help with the prevention of HIV and AIDS.

Bangkok was a nice city, but it's got nothing on Ho Chi Minh! It's much hotter there, or at least it felt like it because of the humidity. I was constantly sweating. The traffic there is also terrible. It literally just stops for 20 minutes at a time. You don't even move an inch. So getting around wasn't that great. I did, however, love the tuk-tuks, they were a fun and cheap way of getting around. Before going to Bangkok I was told it was super dirty and there was a lot of sex. It was definitely dirty, but I didn't see a lot of sex, though there were quite a few 'lady-boys'. Outside of Bangkok was also much different from outside of Ho Chi Minh City. On the island we saw tons of monkeys along side the road. There were also tons and tons of stray dogs who were all very friendly! There were also a lot more bugs. My legs are covered in bug bites and they are itchy!!

Overall it was an amazing trip. My goal was to relax and read which I more than accomplished. I read three books and made it half way through another. When we first got there I finished One Day by David Nicholls. I then read The Act of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, which I highly recommend, and then The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I am still reading the Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, another very good book thus far. I also am nice and tan now, so hopefully it lasts five weeks until the next time I am on the beach!

Our next break is only five weeks away and that is when my mom and sister will be here at the end of March. We will be staying in Vietnam and going to Phu Quoc, an island just south of the country. I am more than excited for them to come and see my life here. While I am sad this vacation is over I am ready to back into the swing of things and see my kiddos again!

Until next time,
Michelle