Good Purchases: Fruit and Tickets

Today is my first day off since I arrived at Monte Vista! I will be getting my tickets this afternoon to return to Bangkok on Tuesday or Wednesday by overnight train again (wish me luck on my second train experience!).  And from Bangkok I will most likely take another overnight train to Chiang Mai (wish me luck on my third train experience!).
Last night I walked about a mile with my Dutch friend to the Saturday night market in town. We stopped for coffee on the way and ran into another volunteer from China who does the cooking here at Monte Vista. His name is Marco. When I first met Marco I asked him if he had been to America before, to which he replied, "No but, someday! I have heard about the very famous 'Root Sixy Six!'" He is referring to Route 66, and I told him I hadn't been there but yes, it was famous. He has a heart of gold. When he sweeps the paths here, he always says "I am sweeping the path, but I am also sweeping my mind!" with a huge smile on his face.

Marco joined us for coffee and then walked with us to the market. Neither of the boys bought much, but I walked with three bags of miscellaneous tropical fruit, some mango and sticky rice for breakfast the next day, and a few little dessert treats. My fruit included mangosteen, which is a new favorite of mine, bananas, a mango, a whole coconut, and a big bag of rambutan which is also a new delicious fruit to me. My grocery total was a grand 110 baht, less than $3.50.

Rambutan: Tastes s little like honeydew and grapes

Mangosteen: Hard to describe, kind of like a sweet mellow creamy  grape flavor.

I do still feel like I might be getting a cold, but not too bad yet. Maybe a mini-cold. It doesn't help that I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights. One of the side effects of my anti-malaria pills that I take once a week is very vivid and intense dreaming. I thought this wouldn't be a big deal, but the only dreams I seem to be having are bad ones. Me being stabbed, me being cheated, and me being framed for stealing have been the topics of the last three nights. The wind has also been very strong at night here and it often wakes me up blowing in the trees violently. The lack of sleep this week is making me feel a little cranky...

But today will be a beach day I think so maybe that will help. I need to get the rest of my body caught up on getting some color- so far my face and arms are getting a little tan but the rest of me still looks like an Oregonian.

When I am in Chiang Mai I think I will participate in a 3 day meditation retreat at a monk temple there. It is by donation and you stay at the temple for the whole three days, eating only an early breakfast and lunch and fasting the rest of the day. You are not allowed to speak those three days, including communication using phones or internet. I am looking forward to it, and if it goes well for me, I would be interested in doing a 10 day retreat as well. Although I speak much less here on my trip than I did back home, it would be good for me to experience some silence in my mind if possible.

 The 306 steps to the temple of Wat Doi Suthep, the temple in Chiang Mai where I want to do the retreat.

I keep finding myself thinking of my past experiences and longing for them, but not living in the moment that I am in right now. I want to be mindful of the time I am in in the present moment- especially since my present moment took so much work to get to. Why am i constantly dreaming of my past and future here, but I can't seem to absorb 'right now'? I am hoping to find some answers or at least some direction during my time in Chiang Mai. There is also quite a bit of negative energy here at the yoga center floating around which is making it harder for me. I am a big sponge when it comes to other peoples energy and emotions so it is challenging to control my own sometimes. This is something I would like to work on during my time here in Thailand. I don't think it is something that I need to 'fix' about myself, because it is part of what makes me an empathetic person and a good listener. But it can be taxing on my own life sometimes when I am not in control.

Well, I am going to head out and enjoy my day. Miss you all so very much.

-H

Slowly but Surely

The last two days of my volunteer work here at Monte Vista have been much better than my first. I still don't know if I want to stay here longer than this Wednesday, but I must admit that the last three days have gone by fast. Yesterday I spent most of my day in the bungalows with another volunteer from Holland named Root and the Burmese maintenance guy here named Dyn (pronounced Deen). We spent most of the day talking about where we come from and asking each other questions.

 Dyn has lived in Thailand for 5 years, but will be going back to Burma when it becomes a democracy in two years. Root has the baby face of an 18 year old, but is 30, and quit his full time job in Amsterdam to travel and draw. Gotta love lost souls :) I had an interesting conversation with Dyn, who by the way is about 5 feet tall, Indonesian looking, and dresses so nice I wonder if he might be gay (he says he is not). He speaks in broken English but it's enough for us to communicate just fine. He said he is going to get a nose job next year, and he told us about injections he got in his face to make his skin white, but it's only been two months since he stopped getting them and he is disappointed that his skin is dark again. I told him that in America, many women my age get into a bed that is made of light bulbs to make our skin dark. He asks "WHY?? That is crazy!" I agree, Dyn, but I think most Americans would find your skin-whitening injections pretty crazy too! I didn't tell him this, and I also didn't mention that I only stopped using tanning beds a year ago myself...I have also noticed that almost all beauty products here have a promise printed on the front to make your skin whiter. Lotion, deodorant, face wash, all with whitening stuff in them. Meanwhile, I can't wait to hit the beach on Sunday to get my tan on.

After we finished work and dinner, Dyn came back to pick up me and Root to take us to the night-time Temple Festival that goes on all day and night this week. He mentioned really cheap clothes and I signed up to go immediately.

And so, my first ride on a motorcycle (which is how all the locals and lots of tourists get around here) in Thailand happened. I didn't drive it, but I rode on the back of Dyn's. Even though it was only a five minute ride into town, the air was cool and I looked up at the bright moon in the clouds and felt better about life.

Dyn's sweet ride. Stop freaking out Dad.

The three of us walked around for a while, I scored some baggy yoga capri things for three bucks each and a light sweater. I also bought some sliced mango for breakfast the next morning, and some grilled gummy-coconut like stuff in banana leaves that was, of course, delicious. I ordered five planning to save some for breakfast as well, but lets be honest... I ate them all. They were quite small so don't judge me too hard.
We ran into two of Dyn's friends who each had a paper sack full of fried grasshoppers, and were eating them like popcorn. They insisted we eat some. I said no at first, but quickly remembered that I was in Thailand and if not grasshoppers here, then where? They were salty, crunchy, protein bites. Not too bad, but I don't think I could ever graduate to eating a cockroach or a big maggot. Both of which were sold at the fair.

We found a booth called the '9 baht' store, and I explained to Dyn that we have something like this in America, called the Dollar store! I don't think he understood.

The 9 Baht Store.

I tried to get a picture of me and my friend Dyn, but my flash wasn't working, so this will have to do.

Dyn & I at the Temple Festival

Today started with yoga from 8-9:30 on the big beautiful deck. It was difficult, but still wonderful. I really missed yoga. Remind me to never stop, and when I move back to the states, I need to find a studio again, K? Okay.

"Purple House"- where I am staying. I am, in fact, just upstairs through the window on the right, right now.

After yoga I still had a few hours until work began and I decided to eat my mango from the night before and a cup of peppermint tea. I woke up this morning with that feeling in the back of my throat that I am about to get sick so everyone cross their fingers for me that it's a fake. With the extra time I had on my hands, I decided it was time to fetch my laundry from down the hill. I grabbed my fake ray-bans that I purchased in town (the logo scratched right off, but I still love them for 4 bucks.) and headed down the hill. By the time I reached the bottom I realized that I hadn't had any coffee in three days and that was unacceptable. Right next to my laundry ladies was a beautiful hotel with a big restaurant/cafe. I took a seat and treated myself to a cappuccino and a bacon omelette. Let me just insert here- I will never be vegetarian. Like, ever. I always thought that one day I would give it a try, but after eating no meat here at Monte Vista- I will never again deprive myself of the holy meat that is bacon. Anyway, this omelette was delish and the cappuccino was exactly what my morning needed.

Breakfast of Champions

View from breakfast

I paid and strolled over to retrieve my freshly-laundered clothes. The girl hardly glanced at me before she had my clothes for me. Good memory I guess? I wasn't sure they were mine and then I accidentally said out loud "Yep, that's my thong!" She didn't understand thankfully... awkward.. They came folded in this lovely plastic package and smelled fresh and slightly floral.

The Laundry Shack.

My day was spent working in the bungalows again with Root, we sanded and mopped the floor of bungalow #1 and then painted the floor dark blue. Because I can't do anything without making a mess, my toes and fingers ended up looking like I was part of the Blue Man Group.

My days off this week will be Sunday and Monday, so I think I will find myself a good square of sand on the beach to plant myself on and play in the ocean. I still haven't gotten more than my feet wet here and that needs to change STAT.

Hope you are all well- I am not sure how many of you are actually following the blog so give me some warm fuzzies and comment below or send me an email if you have time <3 Miss you like crazy.

-H

Has it Really Only Been a Week?

My first day is over and it is now the morning of my second day here at Monte Vista. It is absolutism dumping rain right now. Beyond cats and dogs, it is raining whales and sharks.

Yesterday started at 6:45 and I joined two other women and the yoga teacher on the big open deck for 30 minutes of meditation. I have to laugh, anyone who knows my reasons for coming here were greatly inspired by the book Eat.Pray.Love, as cliche as that may seem to people who don't understand it. Anyone who has read the book or has seen the movie should remember the part where Liz has traveled all the way to an ashram in India to spend six months meditating, praying, studying, and doing selfless work. In one part, she is in the silent meditation room, trying her hardest to silence her mind and experience the self-discovery that she came there for. Instead, she writes about the impossibility of the task when all she can do is think of other things in silence and be bothered by mosquitoes. She is unable to quiet her mind for weeks, and becomes very frustrated.

But you look so tranquil, Julia.

There I was, in the most absolutely beautiful place I could possibly be meditating (not that my surroundings should effect my ability to quiet my thoughts) and all I could think about was home and my day and what was for breakfast, etc. The birds all around us didn't help me focus either. I am still in transition, I am sure it will get better.

 I peeped open my eyes a couple of times, and over the course of the half-hour, the teacher could have been made of stone, I swear. He is a an awfully small man, not sure where he is from but he looks like he could be from maybe Indonesia. Following the meditation was an hour and a half yoga class, I think there were a total of 7 of us plus the teacher, and it was wonderful. I haven't done yoga in so long, I felt really happy that it seems my body isn't completely back to square one. I still have those impossibly tight hamstrings that I have always has, but I still was able to do things that took me months to achieve when I started yoga. Needless to say, today I am sore.

Wax apples

After yoga was breakfast: a pile of tropical fruits and toast. The sugar load was more that I wanted, but my willpower to say no to food in times of chaos has always been small. It was delicious. There is something called a wax apple tree here outside, and one of the girls told me to go ahead and pick one and try it. It's kind of like a bland cross between a cucumber and an apple, pretty good.
Next was my work assignment. The owner didn't show up until later in the day and I was pretty much told to follow another girl and she will show me the kind of work we will be doing. Long story short, I ended up sweeping the walkways with a broom that is 3 feet tall for about 3+ hours yesterday and my back is also sore now. By the end of it, I figured out the technique that made it obvious that nobody should be sweeping for 3 hours. Ahhh, the fun of figuring things out.

A traditional Thai broom: horribly inefficient with leaves.

The walkways need to be swept every day because, I am told, centipedes and scorpions hide under them and if you step on one it's horribly painful. Great. Which leads me to the fact that I saw my first centipede yesterday, shortly after I was told that someone found a cobra in the garage last week. Grrreeeeeaaaaaaatt.

I finally met the husband of the couple that runs the place here. He seems to do most of the volunteer organizing, so it was nice to get a little direction of what needed to be done here. He is kind of an intense guy thought, only seeming to be in his late twenties early thirties. He is from Venezuela and he gave me the rundown of what I will be doing here. He was certainly nice, everyone has been here, but he must deal with a lot of lazy travelers that volunteer here, because he was firm to explain what he expected of me. Which in turn- between my fear of commitment and my dislike of authority- left me feeling like I needed to get the hell out of here. But I recognize that I feel that way about any new job- spooked and incapable. It's just the process I go through and I have had many new jobs so I see the pattern, and know that everything will be fine after the first few days.

That being said, I am not sure if I will be staying for the whole two weeks. I am mentally committing myself to one week, and we will see after that. The couple that I met on my plane to Bangkok have been emailing me since I got here and saying I should stay with them in Hua Hin for a few days.... sounding pretty good right about now. We will see how this week goes.

I also got my first real wave of homesickness yesterday. No bueno.

I had few hours in between my work yesterday and walked into town. the volunteers are not allowed to do their laundry here, so I was told to drop my clothes off to a couple of ladies at the bottom of the hill and they will do it for 40baht/kilo. I am really wishing I knew the metric system better- kids, pay attention in school! Reguardless, it is cheap. So I brought down my clothes, they gave me a hamper to put my things in, and simply told me "pick up tomorrow evening." I asked if they wanted my name or any information and they said no, it's fine. Normally, this would be sketchy, but in Thailand I have full faith that my clothes will be waiting for me this evening, clean and dry.

My shift doesn't start until 12 today, which is nice. I should have gone to yoga and meditation this morning, but I needed sleep something fierce, and gave myself permission to skip it this once and get some much needed rest instead.

-H

Volunteering: Monte Vista Yoga & Detox

It's about 9:30 pm and I finally got around to making this blog! All the previous posts have been emails sent out to family and friends this past week that began on day 1 of my adventure. I am currently at Monte Vista retreat and detox center on the island, and of course, it is beautiful here too. I made my way here in the most swelteringly sweaty heat this afternoon, walking through town first to pick up a couple things, and also in hopes of being closer to the retreat center before I had to get a taxi in an effort to save some money. Feeling pretty worse for the wear sweat-wise, I bargained my taxi down from 200 baht to 150 baht, but the deal was that they would take me to the turn off, and I would walk the rest of the way up the hill. Fine by me!

False.

Hill of doom. Looks easy enough...

By the time I got up the hill, it was not fine by me and I was really regretting not forking out the extra 50 baht (that's a grand $1.50) for the service to the top of the hill.
I haven't been that drenched in sweat since the last time I took a 105 degree bikram hot-yoga class over a year ago. It wasn't that the hill was a long walk, but with the pack on my back, the sun, and the humidity (I'll just ignore the fact that I'm totally out of shape right here), it was rough.

I arrived, read some paperwork, and was shown my room. For the next two nights I am sharing a room with a guest at the center, a 25 year old masseuse from Perth, Australia. She will be leaving in a couple of days to go to Bangkok, she tells me, to get a boob job. She then showed me a picture (without me asking) of the boobs she wants, and we chatted for a bit in the room.

For lunch I was made a couscous burger in between two pieces of bread. On a side note- most of you probably know that I gave up wheat, grains, and sugar, but this trip will have many exceptions because I refuse to say no to a plate of THAI pad-thai. It was actually pretty good and after that hike up the mountain (I mean hill) I ate it without a thought. For dinner was a small pile of sweet potato fries, asparagus and peas, and a salad made of tomato, olives, red onion, and some other stuff. Needless to say, I enjoyed dinner quite a bit more. The view from the big main office deck is absolutely stunning...

His name is Harry and he enjoys scratches and long walks through the jungle.

I have to admit, this morning I was a little nervous to see what this place had in store for me before I arrived. I am still a little nervous because my 'work' day doesn't start until 7:15 tomorrow morning. That is when mandatory meditation begins on that big beautiful deck, followed by an optional yoga class that I am free to join every morning at 8. I am very much looking forward to getting my body and mind in better shape.

I will be working 6 hours a day here, either morning or night shift depending on the day, with two days off a week to do as I please on the island, and I get two free meals a day. From what I gather, the work will include things like sweeping, dishes, painting, etc. I plan on being here for two weeks.

Everyone I have met has been very friendly, although I am the only American here and feel a little awkward. Oh well, things to get used to. There are currently only 4 other volunteers, some of which I will meet tomorrow. It feels kind of strange, like the first day of a new job. Which I suppose it is, but in the setting of being on vacation it feels misplaced. Either way, I am looking forward to getting the first day out of the way and done with. I am sure I will feel better about it by tomorrow night. Well, I should probably head towards sleep since I have to be awake and ready to stretch my mind a little tomorrow morning. Miss you all like crazy.

-H

Journey South to the Islands of Koh Samui & Koh Phangan

Support group and loved ones!

It has been a crazy couple of days since I last wrote! I keep finding myself writing emails to you all in my head several times throughout the day, but I haven't had the time or internet means to do so- which means I have a lot to tell you :)

Lebanese dinner with new friends

Tuk-Tuk ride to our train

Train Station

So jealous of their sleep.

Our provided breakfast: A roll, a cake, and instant coffee.... 

The friends I met in Bangkok ended up being exactly the people I needed to meet. The day after I met them, we all purchased tickets on an overnight train together to get to our ultimate destination which is an island in the southern part of Thailand called Koh Samui. Koh Samui is neighbors with an island called Koh Phangan, which is where I wanted to spend two weeks doing volunteer work at a yoga and wellness center. The journey, which was supposed to be a train, a shuttle to the ferry, and the ferry ride to the island, ended up being quite a stretch. Very, very, very long story short, after a cockroachy and horribly uncomfortable train ride, we took a bus, to another bus, to the ferry, to a taxi, and finally got to the hotel. This hotel wasn't mine, and I hadn't planned on staying with my new friends, but they insisted that I stay. Little did I know that the hotel they booked was actually a private villa,  and had rooftop pool overlooking the top of the jungle, not to mention many other incredibly lavish qualities that I was not expecting to have at any point in my trip to Thailand.

The Villa

Enjoying our pool

Big Buddha in the distance

Birds of Paradise

 We had a great time and went into town the first night there and found some food. OH the food. The food I have eaten with these people has been nothing short of amazing, as well as cheap. The night before we left for the train, we went out for Lebanese food and it was nothing short of wonderful. I stayed the night at their villa, and the next day (aka today) I woke up and- I am very proud to say- arranged my own transportation to the island of Koh Phangan. In the two days I spent with these guys, I have really gotten a good idea of how to get around here. Much less scary than I thought. 

Around noon, I said goodbye to my new friends (they were staying on that island for the rest of their vacation) and took my taxi to the ferry. A word about these islands- they are absolutely beautiful. The water is the most amazing color of teal, all the way into the ocean. It just keeps being that color. The humidity, which really isn't too bad with the breeze, is killing my hair. Meanwhile, the rest of the world around me continues with their silky-haired selves....ANYWAY.

It was really nice being around those friends so that I didn't have to endure my first week completely alone like I had planned. It is nice, however, to be on my own again. They were very much on vacation, and I am not so much on a vacation. They were ready to spend money and kick back with drinks like people who are on vacation should. I am here for completely different reasons.

When I boarded the ferry it was the first time I was on my own again since I got here. So, I did what I haven't done since I got here, and put on a song that makes me feel teary (we all know those songs, right?) and had myself a good cry. It felt good. I let my heart miss the people I left a week ago and sobbed openly on the boat. 

I pulled myself together before we reached the dock and got ready to get back to my solo adventure. Feeling a little lighter, I stepped onto the island and found myself a 100 baht ($3) taxi to my hostel.

The thing I am really loving about Thailand is that everything can be planned the night before, if not the day of. This morning I was at the villa with my friends with no idea how I was going to get to Koh Phangan, and before 11am I had arranged my taxi, ferry, and booked my hotel that morning. Wonderful.

Boarding my ferry to Koh Phangan

My hotel really is a great little place. It's beachfront, has a pool, restaurant, and my own little hut with a mosquito net, all for around 500 baht. (15 bucks) I put my stuff in my room and decided to walk 5 mins into town to do a little shopping. I am a little mad at myself still for packing so much, mostly because stuff here is cheap and I don't really feel comfortable in most of what I brought. So today I snagged some cute plastic sandals, a skirt, a tank top, and a dress. All for about 25$. I also wandered deeper into town and got more chicken on a stick (so much better this time!!) and snapped some pictures. I wandered back to the hotel, dipped my toes in the ocean, and sat down at the hotel restaurant for a coconut shake (Btw Ev, I owe you big time for tipping me off on the shakes here- the fresh coconut one I had this morning was delicious, and was also served in a coconut- as if I couldn't enjoy it any more.) Shakes are not what you think- no ice cream here, just fresh fruit, ice, and maybe coconut milk blended together. I also got some papaya salad that was really great but super spicy. I think my tolerance is getting better already though, cause I ate the whole damn thing without a problem. 

Bugggggs

My hotel's view. 

I always wondered where pomegranates came from.

This place is littered with kitties- my heaven.

My hut

Papaya salad

The streets and markets of  Koh Phangan

So here I am, it's about 10pm, and tomorrow I will be going to the retreat center to sign up for my volunteering. I will be working for the center doing things like gardening and cooking in exchange for free accommodation, 2 meals a day, and free yoga and meditation time. I hope to spend two weeks here doing that and then need to make my way back to Bangkok to apply for a tourist visa before eventually making my way to Northern Thailand's Chang Mai. That is the part of the country where I would like to end up teaching so I want to check it out.

While in Bangkok I took an afternoon to read The Alchemist. If you haven't read it, it's about following your own personal life path. It talks about the importance of not ignoring your path, and to trust in the direction that live points you it. I have only been here 6 days, but I feel like I have been here for weeks. The part of this whole thing that made me the most scared is the fear that I am not capable of doing it. I no longer have the knot in my stomach that I carried my first 4 days here, and I am feeling strong and very much willing to take what I need from this trip.

Love you all- H

Temples and Tuk-Tuks

Dear Support group/Loved ones:

Oh my. Where do I begin? It is almost 5pm here and I am sitting out on the patio of my hostel listening to a bunch of Thais play sports in an open dirt lot across the street. I am almost too exhausted to type right now but I must write about my day before I have more to write about...

If I didn't already believe in fate then I most certainly would after today. If you remember in my earlier email that booked a my room for the day after I was supposed to, you'll remember that I had to stay in a coed room instead of my panned all-girls dorm. Because of that mistake, I met two people in my coed room who had recently arrived in Bangkok. They were here with two other of their friends who were in a different room and they will be in Thailand for two weeks. The two people who were staying in my room are Kate and Trenton. Trenton is from Montana and Kate is from Texas, and their two other friends, Rachel and Mac are from Anchorage, Alaska. After I talked to Kate and Trenton a little this morning, they invited me to find some breakfast and come hang out with them and their friends. We joined up with another guy named Josh from California and we took to the streets to find some food...

Oh my gosh the food! Chicken on a stick (WAY better than my previous meat on a stick) and some really delicious sticky rice/banana thing. I was really happy to be with other people, and I really got along great with the people in the group. Josh wasn't a part of the group either and it is his first time in Thailand too. After we got some food, the day from there on out feels kind of like I dreamed the whole thing. All of a sudden we were all in a tuk-tuk heading to a HUGE temple to see the Reclining Buddha. A tuk-tuk is kind of like a three-person cart attached to a motorcycle  and they are all over the city with drivers to take you around. The drive to the temple took us through Chinatown and some really crazy parts of Bangkok, there is so much to see, I can't really take it all in. The temple was absolutely stunning, I will tell you right now that don't get too excited for pictures because I left my memory card in my computer and couldn't take any pictures. (actually I had room for three pictures in my internal camera memory, but I am still trying to figure out how to get those on to my computer). There were many Buddhas and many different things to see- but the actual Reclining Buddha itself was absolutely amazing. Google it and you will see what I mean. WOW.

We trotted around the temple grounds for a while, taking our shoes on and off as we entered the different temples. Then we found another tuk-tuk (but not after a man put a snake around my neck and then insisted that I pay him 100 baht without asking before hand) (Mom this is similar to the man in Cabo who gave us the huge iguana to hold and then wanted money), and then we were off to find a boat to cross the river to another temple. Rachel and Mac just came from two weeks in Cambodia and Laos and are obviously skilled travelers because Rachel lead the way on the whole thing. We tried to get a boat driver to get us simply across the river, but the best we could get was a good deal on an hour boat tour around the river to get us across to the other side. We decided to take the deal and do the boat tour. I couldn't help saying to myself over and over "oh my God, I am on a BOAT in THAILAND on a beautiful day, someone pinch me this can't be real. We went up and around the canals and river and saw gila monsters laying in people's lawns, run-down houses, amazing houses, and temples.

We finally ended our tour and were on the other side of the river. The next temple we went to was absolutely stunning. We climbed up the NARROWEST stairs to the top and had the most amazing view of the entire city. After that, we walked down the street and found a sit-down restaurant and ordered many different dishes and all shared. I can't tell you how fortunate I feel to have met these people! After we ate, we took another tuk-tuk back across town and to the hostel. I am now so disappointed to have to change rooms, but I am so glad I had the chance to meet these new friends. I am feeling much less scared of the big giant city. Today was one of the most adventurous days of my life. Completely spontaneous and everything went so absolutely wonderful. They are also here in Bangkok for two more nights, the same amount of time I am, and they are heading down to the island of Ko Samui- which is where I wanted to be headed next. They said we might as well make the trip together and I am thinking that I will take the overnight train with them down to the island. I haven't ironed out the details yet but I will share them with you as soon as I know <3 

Oooh it's real alright.

Me and Reclining Buddha

I would also like to get a word in here about how thankful I am to all of you for your support and love. I don't know where I got the nerve to do this big adventure, but I certainly wouldn't be able to keep it together without all of your help. Whenever I start to feel overwhelmed with my decision to come here, I just remember that I am so overwhelmingly lucky to be in a position to do something like this. There is a lot of poverty here and plenty of run-down neighborhoods, but everyone seems to still be happy. So with everything I have, I will be happy too <3

First Day/Night: Bangkok, Thailand

Dear Support Group, 

It's just before noon here, and I just woke up and feel much better rested thanks to my worth-their-weight-in-gold ear plugs. I am so relieved I was able to sleep because my last two nights in Portland I was much too anxious to get more than a couple of hours in- plus we moved Dave into a new apartment two days before I left. So needless to say, there was a lot going on. Which was good, it kept my mind off things, just not when I went to bed.

At around 6:30 this morning, right as I was finally drifting off to sleep, I heard a TON of birds that sounded like they were right outside my door- it sounded like a pet shop. I made sure my pajamas looked decent and walked out the open lobby doors and saw the sun was rising already. The sky was bright pink and orange- it was such a beautiful scene to start my first day. I couldn't see the birds, but it was the coolest sound to match the sunrise :) I finally was able to fall asleep around 7 am.

I will be heading into Bangkok today- the front desk guy told me I could go by bus or taxi- I asked which was cheaper- he smiled and said bus, but I would have to go back to the airport first. So, taxi it is then. Besides, I don't think I am ready for Bangkok public transit quite yet.
 I am excited to get to my hostel today and hopefully meet some people. It is an all-girls dorm room, and  I am hoping to meet more people doing the same things I am. I am sure that I will.

I guess I should pull myself together- check out is in an hour and I need a serious teeth brushing.

My room

Love- H

Night:

Day one has come and gone! I fell asleep at the early hour of 8pm. I slept like a freaking baby until about 330am. AKA 45 mins ago... I look forward to being on a sane sleep schedule again one day.

I made it to the hostel just fine, thanks to my taxi driver named Mr. Mana. Mana and I spent about an hour or so driving into the city to my hostel. He knew enough English to tell me about his 3 year old son and his wife. At one point he asked me if I could fix his phone because his son accidentally deleted the dialer shortcut, making it impossible to make any calls. Try as I might (and I was surprised because his phone was very similar to mine, English and all) I could not fix it. We then laughed about how his 3 year old is obviously very good with phones. As with my previous driver, I busted out my Thai phrasebook and did a little practicing. After a few phrases such as: "It is beautiful today," and "It is nice to meet you," Mana told me that since my pronunciation was very flat, I needed to speak slower. I feel like a child all over again. Mana also gave me lots of advice and even gave me the number to his taxi in case I found myself in any trouble with other taxi drivers. Needless to say, I was very thankful to have someone so helpful.

Driving into Bangkok I saw a lot of things. The outskirts of town seemed to be ruled mostly by stray dogs. The traffic was absolutely insane, people drive within an inch of each other to get by! I could have sworn one of the highways we drove over was actually a parking lot, with stopped cars as far as the eye could see. Among all the cars were motorcycle taxis, which didn't seem to have any traffic laws that applied to them. They weaved between any car or person as fast as possible, often with beautiful Thai girls on the back wearing dresses and high heels.

Once I got to my hostel, the front desk informed me that, yes, I had reserved two nights to stay there... starting tomorrow, not tonight. I'm going to go ahead and blame that on the crazy time change confusion on my part. I had quite a moment of panic, not at all calmed by the signs all over the front desk informing me that they were BOOKED SOLID for the night and they are sorry, but there is no room. But I needed a room. Any room! PLEASE I cannot go out into the streets and find another place for the night-iamnotaseasonedtravelerpleasepleaseplease-....after a few twisted and pained facial expressions from the secretary guy, he scanned his computer for an answer for me he said that they had one cancellation and he could give me a room, but all he had was a co-ed bed. YESTHATSFINEILLTAKEITYESYES. So I am here for three nights instead of two. 

The first mistake I have made on this trip, I realized as I attempted to carry my luggage up three flights of stairs, is that I packed too much. I have so far seen 4 Thai men offer to take my luggage at the hotels and taxis, and every time the poor guys go to lift it, a strained grunt tells me that they regret it immediately. On that note, I am taking a trip to the post office tomorrow and sending some stuff back home to Mom and Dad. I am going to take it as a sign that I got free luggage checking on my flight, because I now will be paying to send things back. From what the internet has told me, it shouldn't cost too much, especially if I pick the "slow" mail, which could take up to three months. Fine with me. 

After I checked in and picked my bed (the room had only three people in it, all of them napping) I decided that I really needed something to eat. Really. So I decided to take a walk around my "block." On my way out, I picked up a sheet from the front desk with food suggestions in the area. I couldn't find any of them. I walked past some street food vendors, but as much as I thought I would jump at the chance to eat street food, I was nervous. I walked past a few strange things and settled on trying a lady who had sticks of different colored ball-shaped meat things on a stick. Ev, I immediately thought of your story of meat on a stick. Don't ask me why, but I went for it. I asked the woman what kinds of meat they were but she obviously didn't understand me anymore than I did her. I asked "chicken?" (Don't ask me why, but at the moment, that seemed the safest bet on meat) and I think she pointed me in the right direction. I bought 1 small meat stick of "chicken" and she put it on a tiny little coal grill and then dipped it in the most wonderful sweet and slightly spicy sauce. She also gave me a bag of what looked like was mini sliced cucumbers. I paid 10 baht, which is something like thirty cents, and sat down on a step down the street to try it. It was good! Minus the few little bits of chewy bits mixed in the meat- lets be real, i don't think this was premium white breast meat. I am pretty sure it was chicken "bits"- but the sauce was delicious.  The cucumber things were weird and I couldn't really get into those. But I was still hungry. I walked all the way around the block back to the hostel and decided to settle on a Thai seafood place that I had seen earlier. The menu was huge but had English subtitles and big pictures so I was good. There was all kinds of crazy fish and shrimp with heads on them (mom I thought of you) and decided on a glass noodle-shrimp-pork dish that my waitress said was "a little" when I asked if it was spicy. I also ordered a young coconut. The coconut came with a straw and I was very excited about this, since as many of you might know, one of my favorite things to buy in the US was young coconuts.

Then the food came.
At first bite, I thought it was delicious, and yes a little spicy.
Ok, maybe pretty spicy.
Ok, I can power through this, I am so hungry.
Ok, how am I going to do this.
Ok, i don't want to make myself sick on my first day from eating this.
Ok check please.
About 5 bites of food and a coconut down, I headed back to the lady with meat sticks on the street.  This time I busted out my Thai book and asked for one chicken and one pork. I took my bag of meatsticks, and headed back to the hostel. I began to eat, but soon found myself grossed out by the previously acceptable chewy bits in the meat and decided to call it a day (it was only 5 pm) Better luck tomorrow I hope. 

Pineapples on my ride with Mana

Meat on a stick

Neighborhood of my Hostel

Too spicy. Check please! 

Dreams do come true.

Love- H