Sukhothai July 8-10

This weekend will forever be one of the most special I will ever experience my in my life because Teacher Ron invited me and the other teachers to her home town of Sukhothai to experience her son becoming a monk.
We left right from school on Friday so I brought my bags with me and we all had a quick body shower at the school. This was very weird but makes sense because we have been sweating all day and don't want to be trapped in a van with smelly people for 8 hours. Yes.... the drive took 8 hours. I didn't really do my research before and thought it was close because we were just going for the weekend, but nope!! The whole weekend I never really knew what was going on. This is the trouble of the teachers not speaking fluent english and I only know words in Thai and can't really formulate a sentence. I was just very observant and followed the lead of the teachers. If they wore army pants and flip flops then I wore army pants and flip flops.. hahahahaha just kidding (mean girls reference if you didn't understand ahah). I just watched and followed, it's become a great talent of mine! We had a full van load and lucky me got squished in the back row which had 3 seats but 4 of us.... We stopped lots for pee breaks and dinner at 7Eleven. I slept for some of the drive but it was hard as I was sitting on the crack of two seats and the A/C was turned on so high I was freezing!!!! We left the school around 6pm and arrived at this unidentified building at 2:30am. I wasn't sure where we were all going to sleep, but it was on the floor. A hard tile floor with a thin sheet to lay on, small pillow and blanket. It wasn't as horrible as it sounds. Most beds in Thailand are rock hard anyway so my back has adjusted. I fell asleep right away but kept waking up because I was worried I wouldn't wake up in time! That's the one problem with not knowing what's going on. I didn't know when I needed to wake up or what the plan was for the next day; would I be able to shower again? Where is the bathroom? What should I wear? The teachers told me to bring white clothes but do I wear that on Saturday or Sunday? Everyone was up and moving around this large room around 7am. I think it was a front living room of a house but had no furniture in it. There were rooms off of this room with other people sleeping in them. I showered, which was interesting as it was only a bucket of water and scoop. Then I got dressed and noticed the teachers getting all dolled up so I put on some makeup too. I wanted to feel involved in the prettiness. Yah curled my hair and I loved it!!! I literally have not straightened or curled my hair in almost a year so I forgot what it looked like done. Then we went and walked the property. There were around a 100-200 people helping set up tables and chairs under tents and prepare food. We said our hello's and yet again no one spoke English but all the mothers were quick to introduce me to their sons. We went upstairs in the one building and had breakfast. The main and most popular dish was crickets. The teachers absolutely love them. I was grossed out but hey when am I ever going to be able to say I had crickets for breakfast so I tried one and it wasn't that bad. The teachers mingled and chatted while I just observed and took everything in. It's amazing what you notice when you can't understand what the conversation is about. I watched the smiles and laughter and felt apart of it, it was nice. Then the head cutting and washing ceremony took place. I learned this weekend that 3 is an important number in the Thai culture. Everyone lined up and took turned cutting some of his hair. You cut off three pieces and placed them in a banana leaf. Then the men shaved his head and eyebrows leaving no hair on his head and face. Everyone then lined up and washed his head with blessed, fragrant water. I felt really honoured to be apart of this special moment. People were crying and it was emotional for the family. Then Ron and the gang took her son to the temple to notify the monks that he was ready and to be present for the ceremony (I think... I was never told but through observation it looked like they were registering for something at the temple and discussing stuff with another monk). Back to the family property we went and started the big ceremony. They had a band all set up and a master of ceremonies who ran the event. I figured it would only last half hour but nope.... 3 hours. We sat crossed legged on a hard wood floor for 3 hours. I couldn't feel my legs or feet, but it was such a fun experience. The master of ceremonies spoke and sang for the whole three hours and people danced and drank! There was around 100 people in this small room and bottles of whiskey and probably only 2 shot glasses were passed around! Everyone just wanted to celebrate! Other parts of the ceremony included tying a cloth bracelet around the monk to be wrist, passed a dish around with water and a flame and did a special movement 3 times.The band had so much energy and made everyone laugh! When it was over we had dinner and this huge staged was set up!!! They had singers and dancers that preformed for us while we ate! It was amazing and I had the time of my life! We danced and drank more until around 11 pm then went to bed.
The music truck that was blasting music all weekend started playing music at 4am. I guess that means it's time to wake up! We quickly got ready and went outside with everyone else. Everyone had their car, motorbikes and vans all ready to go. Ron and her son and his dad sat in special chairs in the back of the pickup truck and everyone followed behind with their hazard lights on just like a funeral. When we got to the temple the sun was starting to rise and we did a dance train around the temple 3 times. And yes they brought whiskey and were trying to give me shots, but holy it was 5am!!! Then Ron's son took paper flowers filled with coins into the crowd and everyone runs and tries to collect them. It was really exciting! Then Ron and her family went into the temple with the monks and her son wearing his white robes and the doors were shut. We heard chanting and after an hour the doors were open and out he came wearing his orange robes. It was a very special moment. Then everyone headed back to the family house and had breakfast with the monks. We took turns and gave rice to each monk dish. The food was amazing just like every other meal! They fed me so much I felt so full I don't think I ate for the rest of the day on Sunday. The monks left and the clean up began. We packed our bags and off we went. We were in the van and back to Bangkok by 9:30 am! The ride back was horrible because I couldn't sleep and the traffic was bad! Finally got back to my apartment by 7 pm at night.

Teacher Appreciation Ceremony

In Thailand teachers are very well respected and every year in June the schools hold an appreciation ceremony to say thank you to all the hard working teachers. Our celebration was on June 16 and each student brings in a flower arrangement, which they often use for offerings to the monk or Buddha to present to us. All the teachers sat in a row at the front of the classroom and 1 student would kneel down say thank you and present us with their flowers. This was repeated until all the students had a turn to thank a teacher. This was such a special day and I felt so appreciated. I think this needs to be a holiday that comes to Canada, It makes the teachers feel amazing and also shows the students that teachers should be respected and that they deserve a thank you. The kids in Thailand always show respect to teachers everywhere! Even walking to school in the morning I pass the same little girl and her mom and even though she attends a different school she always Wai's (there sign of respect when saying hello) me. Some of these flower arrangements that were brought in amazed me!! They were so beautiful!!!! My one student Ethan also made a personalized card and single white rose to give to me. He is so sweet! Some of the mom's also brought in donuts, coffee and snacks for all the teachers. This is a day I will always remember because it was a day I really felt loved. I felt appreciated for all the hard work I do. The kids had fun too showing off the flowers they brought in and then kneeling down to the teachers to say thanks and then give them the flowers. Great ceremony that every school should participate in!

That time my paycheck sucked and I stayed in BKK for 8 weeks

So pretty much my school's rule is, if you don't show up, you don't get paid. Which is completely fine!! They told me during the summer break I didn't have to do the summer school and could travel as much as I wanted but I would only get paid for the days I worked. I strategically planned my holidays so I would work 2 weeks and travel for 2 weeks so I would get half a paycheck. This made sense... but with only half a paycheck and travelling more than I usually do I went through that money fast and savings from back home... soo then I was broke. I get paid on the last day of each month so once I got back from Australia I really had no money!!! The rest of May I was struggling (which in Thailand isn;t really struggling because I can eat a meal for $1). Then when I got paid in May it was still only half a paycheck so then for June I had to live off half of what I was used too. So travelling was not a luxury I could splurge on during this time so I hung out in my lovely city of Bangkok. Which isn't so bad, except Bangkok is also very expensive. So here is a run down of what I did during those weekends I was broke.

Week 1 (May14-15)
This was the weekend after getting back from Aussie so I had lots of laundry to do and cleaned my apartment while I was at it. For a small space my apartment gets dirty quick! Dust collects on the daily and I truly did not know how much hair I shed until I am the one cleaning it up weekly (sorry mom for all the years of you doing it)! How am I not bald yet!!! I was also a little sad this weekend because after leaving a place that felt like home, made me miss home. Coming back to Thailand felt like home at first but I miss having conversations with people who speak English everyday. I also went to the movies this weekend and saw Bad Neighbours 2. It was really funny! I love seeing movies here! The theatres are huge and the seats so comfy! I also have found I really enjoying seeing movies by myself. At home I don't think I would have ever imagined going to a movie by myself... how embarrassing. But honestly I love it and think I will continue my little tradition when I get home... unless I mean someone wants to come with me, then I would also love that!

Week 2 (May 20-22)
This was a long weekend for Visakha Bucha Day so we got the Friday off school. I did not know this until the Thursday before so I couldn't plan a trip to do and oh yea I was broke.... My friend Jenna also had this day off so I went to her apartment and hung out with her for the weekend. She teaches at an international school so her school years runs at the same time as the Canadian school system so she had lots of marking to do and I offered to help. We marked ate junk food and watched Gossip Girl for most of the day. Then on Saturday we sat by her pool and read our books. It wasn't the nicest day as we were just at the beginning of the rainy season, but it is always hot as hell in Thailand so the pool was still refreshing but I couldn't work on my tan. The next day I went for lunch and got sushi and ended up getting food poisoning. I was throwing up and my stomach was in the worst knots. I called in sick for work on the Monday because I still wasn't feeling the best.

Week 3 (May28-29)
Did the normal laundry and cleaning of my apartment but other than that I watched Netflix. It's become a bad obsession... I am embarrassed to say how many different shows I have started from season 1 and completed the whole series. A weekend like this once in a while is nice though to just be lazy and watch tv and google the next places I want to visit in Thailand when I do have money. I also went to the movies again but this time with Jenna. We went and saw Money Monster. I had no idea that this movie even existed Jenna picked it, but it was pretty good. Not what I was expecting but I had a good time! We also went to a theatre that is closer to home that I've never been too before, so I think I will go here now when I see movies.

Week 4 (June 4-5)
So I finally got a paycheck! Even though it was small it was money!! This was the last weekend that my friend Jenna was in Bangkok before heading home for the summer. Her work was having drinks at W-District right by my place so I stopped by for some drinks and to say goodbye after work on Friday. Since Mary left Jenna is the only other person I see on a weekly basis so I was sad she was leaving for 6 weeks. I don't mind travelling solo, I get to meet so many new and exciting new people but it's nice to meet up for dinner with Jenna during the week just to talk. Her flight left early Saturday so I said my goodbye Friday night. The rest of the weekend was boring.... I went for a walk around my block and got groceries for the week. The closest market is about a 20 minute walk. I used to walk there and back but now that it has gotten hotter I will usually get a motortaxi back. Just imagine me on the back of a motorbike in shorts and a t-shirt, no helmet, not holding on because I have grocery bags in each hand, swerving in and out of traffic and around cars.... yes I still can't believe I do this too! Wow life is going to be so different when I get home!

Week 5 (June 11-12)
Every Friday now after school I have been teaching the teachers English. The principal makes the worksheets for me to do with them. It's simple classroom phrases or frequent questions that are asked to the students. Friday isn't the most ideal day because I'm stuck at school until 6pm and it makes it hard to catch buses after that to travel, but I get paid for it and it is hilarious! Now I know why the teachers laugh at me when I speak Thai. Listening to them try to say L's is the best thing of life. On Saturday I went and saw the movie Me Before You. I had just finished the book and it was the best thing of life, so I was very excited for the movie. They had some great actors in the movie as well! It wasn't as great as the book but man it still made me cry like a baby! I knew the ended so I feel like the whole movie was extra sad because I knew what was going to happen! I highly recommend everyone reads the book then sees the movie. On Sunday I did The Rainbow Run at Lumphini Park. This run was raising money for the special needs community in Bangkok. I had to call a taxi at 4:30 am to get me to the park for 5 am registration. Thousands of people came to support this awesome cause and were full of great energy! The race began at 6:00 am and it took me just under 1 hour to do 5km. I was happy with this because I don't run un Bangkok ever and it was hot as hell, even at 6am. We got a completion medal and swag bag with snacks inside. This event made me so happy and I was glad to give back and help the community raise money and awareness.

Week 6 (June18-19)
This was the worst and hardest weekend I have had in Thailand. I had to say goodbye to furry best friend Daisy. When I had left for Thailand I knew she wasn't in the best condition. She was 16 years old and starting to slow down. I was just praying that she would make it one more year until I returned to give her one last hug and lick. This unfortunately did not happen and on Friday June 17 my mom and Sean had to take her in after work to have her put to sleep. She wasn't eating and had lost a lot of weight. I am so thankful for my mom and Sean. They are so incredibly strong and I knew her leaving was extremely hard on both of them. I looked upset at school on Friday knowing what was going to happen and my teachers noticed and tried to cheer me up and were extra nice to me. I woke up at 4am my time on Saturday to saw a final goodbye to Daisy. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I spent the day crying and thinking of poor Toto too who also lost his best friend. Saturday night I went to the Finding Dory movie solo to try and take my mind off things. Super cute movie and brought me back to my childhood days! Sunday morning was another early morning as I called home to my Dad to say hello to the family at Sarah and Greg's wedding! It was nice talking to the newlywed couple! Very sad I missed the wedding it looked beautiful!

Week 7 (June 25-26)
It is now really into rainy season and rains almost everyday, and when it rains it pours!!! You always need to bring an umbrella or you will most likely get caught in the rain. Was on my way into the city centre on Saturday for some drinks in the party area and yup I got caught in the rain on a motorbike. We were so close to the sky train and then it started to pour so he pulled out and we got stuck under a patio cover at some closed down business. He didn't speak English.... and we were stuck there for an hour! I was like a 5 minute walk from the train but it was pouring so hard we weren't going anywhere! If only I brought my umbrella I could have walked and only got a little wet, but nope I had to encounter one of the worst hours of my life! We still got soaked then I was cold and didn't want to go out now because I was wet and uncomfortable. I still went because I hated being cooped up in my apartment but the night didn't last long because I just wanted to get on dry clothes and go to bed! Other than that my weekend was uneventful. I use motorbikes to get everywhere so rainy season has also ruined my life for me because the taxi's suck around here and take forever!!!!

Week 8 (July 1-3)
Canada Day!!!!!  I originally thought I was going away with the teachers on this weekend but when I arrived at school with my bag on Friday they all laughed at me and told me no next Friday..... they only told me Friday no date so how was I suppose to know!!!! I then got super excited though because now I could celebrate Canada Day!! This one bar I go to called Sway was doing a free poutine and cheap beers so what better way to celebrate the homeland then with my favourite food and drink! Free poutine was only going on until 6pm so I got ready after school and rushed over! The poutine was small and not the best but it was free and I loved every second of it! The beer was great too and cheap until 8pm for happy hour so I was chugging them back! I was by myself so figured get drunk early and leave early so I could have a good drunken sleep. Well nope... I ended up meeting this couple and the guy was from Vancouver! His Thai girlfriend was so nice and told him to come over and talk to me because I was by myself and then invited me over to have a drink with them! People are honestly so nice here! I travel solo a lot, but I never feel alone because people are always inviting me to sit and drink with them or go out with them so I am always surrounded by great people who then become my friends! Matthew and Kookai were so much fun and we all got way to drunk, which was fun at the moment but sucked the next morning... Thai beer gives me the worst hangovers ever!!!! Saturday was a write off because I could barely leave my bed. Thank god I had just gotten groceries because I was not leaving my room to get food!!! Sunday I thought one of the teachers was coming to pick me up for lunch party at her house but I guess I didn't hear that right because she never showed up to pick me up and I didn't have her number.... not that she would even be able to talk to me on the phone. I love my teachers but sometimes the communication between us is frustrating. So I just spent the Sunday in my neighbour hood and went for dinner at W-District!

Australia Part 2!

I will apologize in advance again for how long this post will be, but these blogs are also for me to look back on and I don't want to leave anything out! I hope you enjoy reading them!
Friday was our first full day of driving. It is about 850km from Melbourne to Sydney but we spilt it up into 3 days so we could do some sight seeing as well. We started our day off early and had breakfast at home and packed some food for the trip ahead of us. As we began our drive I noticed that Australia is more green and lush than I imagined it to be! Highway drives in Ontario are not exciting with a boring flat scenery (well most that I do). This highway drive was amazing with hills and tress everywhere! It was honestly very surprising but made me fall in love with this country even more. Our first stop was in Glenrowan to see the famous Ned Kelly statue. This was the city where his outlaw ways began. Learning about all this history really made me feel more connected to the cities I was visiting. I am happy Ross and Barbara decided to plan this wonderful trip for me. Back in the car we went and then stopped at the Brown Brother's for lunch. This is a winery that Ross and Barbara have been to before and the food was amazing! We got some different plates to share and had some cheese and meat spreads and salads. I was in heaven... I have missed cheese so much! The property was also beautiful! I can't wait to explore wineries when I get home. We then did the long drive to Gundagai where we were staying for the night. We stayed at a farm homestay and it was one of the best places I have ever spent the night! It was a little two story cottage feeling building that we stayed in, right in the middle of nature. The girl running the homestay that night took us out on the 4-wheeler around the farm. While driving up the hill we then spotted wild kangaroo and chased them! There were hundreds and I'm not exaggerating!!! It was amazing to see them jumping through the trees. Then we had a wonderful mean prepared and delivered to us. They prep the food and then Ross barbecued the steaks while Barbara and I put the salad together. We also had potato bake which is the most delicious thing I have ever had in my life! It was a perfect evening with a perfect sunset. I had the best sleep that night because the air was cool and there was a heated blanket on the bed!!! Made me feel like I was home. We had toast, coffee and left over potato bake for breakfast before we hit the road again. We spent the morning driving to our next destination which was the lovely city Canberra! Canberra is also the capital city of Australia! Our first stop in Canberra was at the old parliament building. We got to do a walk through and see all the different wings of the building. It was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be! It has really made me want to visit Ottawa and check out my own country's parliament building. We then went to the National Gallery of Australia to see Sidney Nolan's series of pantings on Ned Kelly. They were beautiful and gave me more information and visuals to the life of the famous outlaw. The gallery had a lot of paintings as well completed by the Natives of Australia and they were amazing. If only I had more money I would have bought copies of some of these traditional dot paintings. Then we went to this nice spot on the water and had lunch. It was a beautiful sunny day so we had a nice little picnic. Then we drove to Red Hill viewpoint to get a fantastic view of the whole city! You could see the new parliament and old parliament buildings, it was beautiful. Then we went and settled into our apartment for the night. It was really cool to stay in a place like this because it allowed for us to each have our own room but also be in the same apartment. It also included a nice living room area and kitchen! We got ready for our dinner reservation at Belluci's and gave me time to message home. Then we walked to the restaurant because it was just around the corner. The restaurant was really nice and busy! It is an italian style restaurant and we had wine and amazing food! I had a salmon salad that was to die for! I seriously can not believe how much I missed a good salad! Then we headed back to our apartment for the evening and called it an early night. Once again it was an amazing sleep!

Started off our next day with muesli and fruit for breakfast in our room and then packed up the car and headed to the new parliament building. There are free tours at scheduled times so we put our names down to do the tour. Again it surprised me how much more interesting government  can be. I learned so much about the electoral process and how to pass a bill. The building was also mind blowing! It is built into the hill and you can walk on the grassed roof of the building! It was raining but did not ruin the roof walking experience! Canberra was a perfect stop before Sydney! After our tour ended we drove around and looked at all the embassy properties and they were beautiful and huge! Then our drive continued to Sydney. We arrived in the late afternoon and instantly I fell in love with this city! It is breath taking being right on the water and we arrived right at sunset making it seem magical to me! Sunsets make things so much more beautiful. We went to our hotel and got settled in and then walked around the harbour looking for a place to eat. We found this greek restaurant on the water front and it was yummy yummy yummy. I feel like every meal I eat is great but I'm not picky and had been living off of noodles and rice so changing up my food groups excited me! Also wine!!! So much wine and champagne, it was amazing! Thailand isn't really a wine place but I can tell you Australia sure is! After dinner we walked back to our hotel and planned the following day and then called it a night. The Ibis hotel was amazing and the rooms so nice! I got my own room so I watched a movie before bed and had a great sleep! We had the buffet breakfast at the hotel and it was great! Eggs, bacon, croissants, and fruit; I loved it so much! We then walked down to the harbour and the pier. There are ferries that run on a schedule and take you around the city of Sydney but on the water. It was my favourite way to travel while we were here. We got on the ferry and went to the pier closest to the Opera House. When we came around the bend and saw the Sydney Opera House I got goosebumps. It was beautiful, especially seeing it for the first time and being on the water it was indescribable. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was also a sight too see, and watching people climbing up it was crazy! I really wanted to do it but was not in my budget. Living on a Thai budget has really made me a cheap ass hahaha. We headed straight for the Opera House because we had a tour booked to see the inside of it. This was something Barbara and Ross had never done either so all three of us were very excited! WOW!! Words can't describe how beautiful the inside of it is. It is now a dream of mine to go back and watch a performance in one of the theatres. It was more incredible than I could have ever imagined. So much hard work and detail was put into the creation of the Opera House and I loved learning about it. That will forever be a day I remember. The weather was overcast all day but the perfect temperature for walking around the streets of Sydney. We stopped for afternoon tea with salad and soup for lunch at this cute cafe. We then went and saw some historic buildings and the parliament building in Sydney. They were beautiful buildings. Then we stopped for a rest in a park by the fountain. People watching is fun no matter where you are in the world. Then we went back to the hotel and took the subway instead of the ferry back. We rested and got ready for dinner where we met up with Ross and Barbara's friends. We went to the Meat and Wine Co. for dinner and it was delicious! I got a chicken kebab which came on this huge hanging stick with my salad underneath, so cool! The wine was also great as always! I will never complain about wine. They were very nice company and we had a lovely evening. After dinner we walked back to the hotel and packed my bags for the trip back home the next day. My flight wasn't until late so we still had a full day but had to take our bags and put them in the car after checkout.
We did breakfast again at the buffet with amazing real coffee! The instant Thai stuff is fine but I was getting sick of it. Then we went and loaded our bags into the car and then walked to Town Hall and got a train from the station there to Circular Quay, where we caught a ferry to Manly. This ferry ride was longer but the beach was worth it! It was the beginning of the winter season when I arrived so we couldn't really go swimming but I went and touched the water still so I could touch the South Pacific Ocean. The waves were huge here!!!! There were some people surfing and I was scared for their lives! We had morning tea at a restaurant on the beach and then checked out some of the shops along the boardwalk area. Then back on the ferry we went to CQ and then bussed to Bondi Beach! This beach was beautiful! The waves once again were huge and this beach was actually busy! People were laying out in bathing suits working on their Australian tan, but still way to cold for me! We grabbed some take out sushi and sat at a bench on the beach and had lunch enjoying the view. Then back on the bus and our next stop was Watson's Bay. We had coffee in the cafe on the dock and waited for the ferry back to Darling Harbour. I loved the ferries it was so nice to be on the water sitting in the sun with the wind blowing, I was very happy. It was the perfect last day in Australia. Then we headed to the car and drove to the airport. They dropped me off at 6:00pm and my flight left at 9:30pm. Ross and Barbara planned the most perfect trip for me and I am so thankful I got to spend 10 days with them in such a beautiful country. I hope to visit again very soon!
The flight back was really bumpy and I couldn't sleep much but that gave me the chance to stare at the stairs. It was breathtaking! Being above the clouds with a pitch black sky and so many bright stars. I was at a loss for words and felt so small. Felt good getting back on Thailand soil, felt like home.

Australia Part 1

Wow, Australia!!!! Still when I think about it I have to pinch myself because that has been a place I have dreamt of visiting my whole life! I was so lucky to have some Olney blood who helped plan my trip and made it an experience I will never forget. Barbara and Ross Olney had emailed me before my visit and suggested some things that I do and asked if there were any specific things I would like to see. They had made an itinerary that I would see in more detail when I arrived. The flight from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur was around 7 hours but went smoothly. The flight was in the evening so after the served dinner I slept for most of the flight. After that I had a couple of hours to explore the airport before my flight to Melbourne. I arrived in Australia around 7 am and was excited to start my day exploring the city centre! So I grabbed my bag and headed for security but they kept asking me to go in smaller lines and follow the blue line on the floor... what was going on? Then finally I come to a small room full of officers and they tell me that they would like to search my things, great. They were very kind and polite asking me why I was in Australia, where I came from and then asked if they could swab my bag with one of their tools. I had nothing to hide so I emptied my purse and they wiped each item and my purse. When the officer came back he said it tested positive for explosive material and a high amount of it..... WHAT! Then it got into more serious questions like if I have fired any guns lately and I started freaking out. Again I had nothing to hide but now I was scared. Then they wanted to swab my bigger bag so I took out some items and opened all the zippers. They officer went and tested it and came back saying it tested positive for cocaine. Now I almost started crying and let out a quiet and scared, what? Then he started laughing and said just kidding...... NOT FUNNY!!!!!!! Then they let me go. I packed up my bag and by the time I was heading out it was now 9 am. I felt so bad because Barbara and Ross had been waiting for me! I found them quickly and apologized, but they were worried they had forgotten what I looked like and missed me walking out of the airport!!!

Once we left the airport we went right into the city and had breakfast at the club and discussed the itinerary for the next 10 days. Barbara is a volunteer for the city and stands on the street to help tourists get to places or suggest things to do, so she knows a lot about the city!! This was awesome because I got to learn so much about the history of the city and see all of the important buildings! We parked the car and walked around for most of the afternoon. It is a lot cooler in Australia than Bangkok!!! The temperature was around 15 degrees but it felt freezing to me!!!! It was nice not to sweat for once though. Melbourne felt a little like Toronto, with the tall buildings and similar businesses. The one thing I loved about Melbourne was the arcades! These walkways were so cool and had the cutest shops in them and bakeries! It was amazing! I wish I had more money because I could have done some serious shopping here! We then went to the Victoria State Library. This looked like a library from a movie! It was huge and had all the old books on display and tables in the middle of the room, I loved it! They also have a museum and we stopped to see the Ned Kelly display as he is a huge part of the history and we would also be stopping to see more of his monuments during our trip. He was a thief and outlaw that became very popular to the Aussie's and some even saw as a hero. After that we stopped for lunch on the water and oh my how good it felt to eat a proper salad! Don't get me wrong, I love rice and noodles but I have missed the greens. Then we got in the car and saw some of the city by car. We drove past the casino and then threw King Albert Park, where they just had the Grand Prix. It was really cool to see where the track was set up! Then we went back to Barbara and Ross's house. They live in such a cute area in the suburbs, I loved it! Ross then set me up with a SIM card I could use during my stay and a myki card with money on it so I could use the train to get into the city if I wanted too. We then went for dinner at their friends house. Lisa made an amazing dinner and again, a home cooked meal was really what I needed! She made a pumpkin soup that tasted similar to one of my moms recipe and I was extremely happy! Champagne is also very cheap and the drink of choice for the Olney's and their friends Lisa, Bridget and Ernie so we popped the bubbly and had a great night!

I had the best sleep ever! Finally a non-thai style bed was heaven on earth! I have gotten used to the hard beds but I just melted into the mattress it was amazing. We woke up and had breakfast nice and early. They served muesli with milk and fruit with toast. It was nice to have food that I don't get often in BKK. We left the house by 10 am and took a very nice road trip to Portsea that Barbara and Ross planned. We took a pit stop at the Mornington Pier for coffee. Australia is very English in the way that they drink a lot of tea and have morning coffee everyday before lunch. I love it because I usually only get instant coffee in BKK. The pier was very windy and the waves were huge! I then thought I saw a bird in the water and got so sad because he must have gotten hit by a wave and died but nope.... it was a penguin!!! What! I didn't even know penguins in Australia were a thing! SO COOL! Then back in the warm car and we headed to Arthur's Seat State Park lookout point. This road went straight to the top and had the best view of the water front. We spent some time just sitting and enjoying the view but it was still chilly and windy so we went for lunch. We stopped at the Portsea hotel which was right on the water. Extremely beautiful building and great fish and chips! Of course we had wine as well and man was it good! Thailand does not have the best wine so I was a very happy girl! Then we went to the Portsea Beach where Ross used to lifeguard. It was beautiful! The waves again were some of the biggest I have ever seen in my life! Surfing waves as they are called, but I don't see these often so I was amazed every time. Ross told some funny lifeguarding stories and scary ones too! That is such a brave job to do especially with waves that big and sharks! We then drove to a very secluded street with huge homes! Barbara called it the Millionaire walk and man were these houses brilliant! We walked along the path looking into the backyards of these houses and they all had a wonderful view of the ocean and docks for swimming and porches that wrapped around the house. It was really neat to see these houses and was a nice relaxing walk listening to the waves crash on the rocks below. On the way home we stopped in the town of Sorrento to grab vanilla slices for dessert  to go with dinner. They were huge and looked delicious! We also made a pit stop at the 10 minute Tractor Ride winery. They have 3 vineyards in different directions but they all only take 10 minute by tractor to get there, hence the name of the winery. The rose wine here was awesome to Ross grabbed a couple bottles for us to have the rest of the week with dinner!! We had a small dinner at home because of the huge lunch we had. Barbara made Potato leek soup and it was delicious! The vanilla slices went down perfectly for dessert! The day was very busy but so amazing! Went to bed early because I had to be up early for the Great Ocean Road the next morning!

Tuesday morning was an early one because Ross had to drop me off at the train station at 6:45 am. The station is right down the road from their house and takes you straight into the city centre and drops me off at the famous Flinders Street Station. Barbara packed me a bag with snacks for the trip and a raincoat just incase it rained. The morning started off nice and the tour bus picked everyone up across the street from the station. I sat next to a girl named Eegje, she was from the Netherlands and currently working in Sydney and just travelling for a couple days. Everyone slept for the first 2 hours of the drive because we were just on the highway getting towards the Great Ocean Road. Our first stop was for morning tea of course. The bus driver set up a nice picnic for the 15 of us but it was so windy everything was blowing away!!! The sun was still shinning though so I was staying optimistic! The wind was a little cold but I had layers on! Shortly after our next stop was at the beginning of the GOR, with the famous sign, so everyone had to get a picture! Then we saw the most beautiful and largest rainbow of my life!!! Eegje and I ran to the beach to get some pictures! The hair on the back of next stood seeing this rainbow. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life! The rainbow followed us for the next hour as well! the bus driver didn't seem to excited and when I asked why he said he sees rainbows everyday on these tours! How amazing, but he did note this one was the brightest and was one of longest lasting ones he had ever seen! Then the rain began to pour.... great. The one day where I wanted nice weather and it was raining so hard our bus driver warned us he might have to swerve on this already rough road to avoid branches if any fall.. hah! The bus driver was very informative and gave us such a great history of the road and how it was all originally built by hand, I was amazed! Then we stopped at a forest where koalas are usually spotted.... well omg we saw 3!!! 3 wild koalas in the trees!! It was lightly raining and I was wet and cold but seeing that first koala was such an exciting moment! There were also hundreds of parrots here and they would come and just land on your head or shoulder looking for food! Then we stopped for food! This was all included in our price of the tour and we each got a full pizza!!! We got to choose what kind and it was delicious! I hadn't had a good pizza like that in forever! Eegje got a salad and then regretted it so I gave her  slice of my pizza! Then we all ran back to the bus to avoid getting wet and on to our next stop we went! It started raining harder when we got to the rainforest so I gave Eegje my extra raincoat because mine was waterproof and she was only wearing a light sweater! We walked through this rainforest and got soaked but saw some amazing huge trees and plants I have never seen in my life before, and so many ferns!!! Well worth it. Then he next stop was the one we had all been waiting for... the 12 Apostles! The winds were now at 100 km/h and the rain was coming down but we had so much fun! We had a photo shoot in the rain! We were laughing so hard and falling over from the wind but I wouldn't have changed it! They were breath taking and beautiful even without perfect weather! We once again ran to the bus and told the driver to crank up the heat so we could possibly dry off before our next stop! Loch Ard Gorge was amazing and we walked right down onto the beach here! The waves were humungous but wow was it a sight to see! So much more I could say about each of these stops but this blog is already getting long enough sorry.... haha. Then we got to see the London Bridge!!! A very funny story that goes along with the history of the London Bridge so ask if you want to know! The sun finally came out when we got to the London Bridge and man did the sun make it more beautiful but I am so thankful for this day. I made great friends and memories that will be in my mind forever and my eyes have seen some of the most beautiful things while on this tour. We all slept on the way home because we took the highway to make it home in good time. Arrived back in Melbourne around 9pm and got back on the train for Ross to pick me up at the station. I jumped in the bath as soon as I walked in the door to warm up and once again slept like a baby.

The next morning breakfast was scheduled for 8 am like most days and we had the usual muesli and fruit. We had a road trip planned for Yarra Valley. Our final destination was Healesville Sanctuary but on our way we made some stops at a couple vineyards. Our first stop was Domaine Chandon. We did not try any wine here but just wanted to see the vineyard. My god was it beautiful! This vineyard was huge and the winery was inside this old brick building, I loved it! Then we wanted to try some wine so we stopped at the TarraWarra vineyard. Another beautiful property and the tasting room was built into a hill and very modern, the wine was also amazing so we bought a couple bottles. We had lunch at the club in the area and the roast was to die for!!!!!! More wine was served for lunch of course and Ross always picks the best bottles to have with our meals! Then off we went to the sanctuary. I was soooo excited because I was going to see a kangaroo! How exciting!! Ross and Barbara kept on going on about how ugly the tasmanian devils are so I was very interested to see these as well. This place was soo cool! All of the animals got to roam around in open areas and do as they please. I saw so many different animals that I had never seen before! The platypus was probably one of my favourites! They were so much smaller than I expected but so amazing!!! Tasmanian devils are super ugly haha and the kangaroos.... omg I fell in love! They way the jump around is very interesting and we saw a mom with a joey in her pouch it was super cute! I also touched one!!! I was scared because all I could picture was him kicking me right in the face but he didn't and it was amazing. We also went to the flight show and saw some beautiful and talented birds. I love animals so this day was just amazing getting to walk around and enjoy them in their habitats. Then back to Melbourne we went, the drive took a couple of hours and I got Ross to drop me off at the train station because I was heading into town to meet up with Bri and Lindsay from Laurier who are teaching in the city! I was so excited to see familiar faces from back home. I met them on the steps of Flinders Street Station which I was told is a popular place to meet up. AHHH it was so exciting to see them and gossip! We went for drinks on the water and talked about our different teaching experiences and how they have been life changing. It really made me think about coming back to teach in Australia because of how much they loved it. Who knows where my travels will take me next.

On Thursday I got to sleep in and have a relaxing morning. Barbara had gotten me a ticket to the Mother's Day lunch at her church. I helped her prep some finger foods for us to bring for the early arrivals and those helping to set up. It was nice to be in a kitchen making food! I miss having a kitchen so much! We walked over to the church and helped with the remaining set up. The lunch was being catered and made the whole room smell amazing. Once everyone arrived and had a glass of bubbly we sat down for lunch. The food was amazing!! They had salads, beef, chicken, buns... I was in heaven! After lunch author Robin Bowles was the guest speaker and talked about her life as an author and some of her books she has written. She was very funny and had a great life story to share about her journey becoming a writer. It was a great afternoon and I got to meet Lynn Olney. I know we are not really related but having the same last name makes it fun to get to know the Olney's in Australia. We helped clean up and put away all the chairs and tables then walked back home. I spent the rest of the afternoon packing my bag for our trip to Sydney and reading my book. The family was coming over for dinner so Barbara was preparing for that. Barbara and Ross's daughter Melissa Olney was coming over for dinner and 2 of their grand daughters, Emily and Sarah. Emily and Sarah's parents were on a vacation in Europe and Melissa's daughter stopped by before dinner to say hi but she could not stay for dinner. They were so kind and nice and Sarah is also a teacher and same age as me! Dinner was amazing! We had lamb roast with veggies and potatoes and pavlova for dessert! It was a very traditional Australian dinner that they have often. It was a night filled with wine, stories and laughs. I am so happy I got the chance to meet the family and have a great night with them. Barbara and Ross are great hosts and I am so happy I got a chance to see the city of Melbourne with them as my tour guides!
(part 2 is the road trip to Sydney!)

Songkran on Phi Phi Island!!!!

When I finally arrived on Phi Phi Island I went to the guesthouse I was staying at and was pleasantly surprised. It was a little difficult to find because it is a new guesthouse but once it was found I was happy! When I came with my Dad and Debby we stayed on the complete opposite side of the island on the different beach. I heard it was a party island but it didn't seem to crazy when we stayed... but now I was on the other beach and holy cow! Yes this was the party spot! I was by myself and had a single room so I sat in the lobby for a bit to see if anyone would invite me to dinner, surprisingly it worked!!! Travelling by myself has taught me that just a simple hello and wearing my blue jays hat can help me make friends. I met some guys from Winnipeg and we went for dinner then drinks. I hadn't met too many Canadians yet during my time in Thailand so it was refreshing to talk Canadian weather and food. I called it an earlier night since I was still on yoga time, except now I am on the party beach and there is a beach party every night. I can hear the music from my room.... It wasn't too loud, but I could not imagine the hostels that are right on the beach!! They are probably shaking from the music! The next morning I received a text from my friend Jenna who lives in Bangkok. She had seen my snapchat picture saying I was on Phi Phi Island and said she was coming in two days with her friend from home! No way!!!!! I spent most of Tuesday just laying on the beach, drinking beer and reading my book. The beach near me is beautiful and the water level was perfect to swim in, unlike the other beach which always seemed to have a really low tide. I fell asleep on the beach and woke up just in time for the sunset, which was stunning. I have had the chance to see many sunrises and sunsets and they still amaze me every time. As I was packing up my things a girl noticed my maple leaf towel and asked if I was from Canada. Her name was Reagan (21) and she is from Vancouver! She had also just arrived and has been traveling Asia by herself now for 3 months. She asked if I wanted to go grab some dinner! Wow being Canadian was really helping me on this trip! She was was really nice and on our walk to dinner promoters of a bar stopped to talk to us. They were telling us that the parties tonight were going to be crazy because it was the Thai New Years Eve and we should wear bathing suits. We separated after dinner to get ready and met back up at the bar we got stopped at. The bar was called Stockholm Syndrome and was awesome! Every half hour a horn would sound and they would give people free shots. They also had beer pong tables and great music. We met some guys from England named Chris, Barry and friends (I forget the rest of their names). They were staying the same hostel as me and were hilarious! They were typical boys doing stupid stuff to get laughs. Everyone was carrying around water guns and buckets of water so we were soaked from head to toe! Then most of the crowd started heading toward the beach for the big party. It was insane!! I have never seen so many people on one beach! There were 3 different bars that had a set up dance floor area and loud pumping music. Reagan and I danced the night away until our whole bodies started to look like prunes from being wet for hours! The next day April 13 was the big Songkran festivities. Songkran is all about the throwing of the water. Everyone I saw on this day had a water gun or a bucket, hose anything you could think of to get people wet! The custom originates from the ritual of cleaning the images of Buddah using blessed water. To soak other people is seen as a way of paying respect and is supposed to bring good fortune. People were also coming up to us and putting a 'chalk' on our faces. It is a mixture of water and powder and placed on you to show you have been blessed. Some of the chalk that was put on me smelt very nice too so I think also some families had put something else in it too. From the moment I walked out of my hostel I got soaked! It was the most incredible day of my life. Most businesses were closed but the Thai families that owned them were outside of their shops with buckets of water and chalk blessing people. Everyone was smiling and laughing and having the best time ever. I met a girl who works on the island and she said her roommate woke up that morning like it was Christmas! He was up bright and early filling his water gun and waking everyone else up in the house. The Thai kids were hilarious too chasing around tourist with their water guns. All day I had a chalk in my eyes, pruned fingers but a permanent smile on my face. It was amazing to see everyone celebrating this day together on the streets of Phi Phi Island. Reagan and I had heard of a pool party the day before so we decided to head in that direction. Once we got to the Ibiza Hostel we could hear the music loud and clear! This pool party was incredible! I don't think I have seen so many people in one pool before!!!! We got a bucket of rum to share and sat down to take a break from getting sprayed at by water guns. Another group of guys from England approached us and bought us some drinks. There were so many groups of English boys on the island, it's like a thing I guess for boy from England to do haha. They were all really nice guys and we decided to meet up with them later after a quick nap because we had now been drinking from 1pm-8pm and we were exhausted! Well the next thing I know, I wake up in my room with 6 missed calls from Reagan and I look at the time and it is 1:30 am... haha opps I had slept the whole night away! But also a great time to wake up because when I went to go get some water I bumped into Chris and his friends who had pizza :)  I sent Reagan a message apologizing for not meeting back up and went back to bed after stuffing my face with pizza. Jenna was on her way to the island the next day and I knew she would want to party so a good sleep in was needed to prepare me for the night. Jenna arrived around noon with her friend Liv who is so nice! They met up with Reagan and I for lunch and turns out that Jenna is staying in a hostel really close to mine! It was really nice to see a familiar face, especially Jenna's because I have been travelling and hadn't seen her in a while. We all laid on the beach for most of the afternoon. At the time I was reading the book Me Before You, so I could never put it down! It was the most amazing book! Then we went to go shower and get the sand off of us before heading out for the night. We went to a restaurant for dinner called The Rock. It was on top of a large rock... obviously, and had great food! Then we went to Stockholm again for starter drinks. Well we got buckets right away at 8pm and played beer pong, and the rest is history. We lost Reagan, then I lost my flip flops and some of my memory haha. We all woke up the next morning feeling really rough. Jenna came back to my hostel because it had better a better aircon so after we had breakfast we went back and napped. We were supposed to do a booze cruise on this day but cancelled and rescheduled for Saturday. We took it real easy!!! Worked on our tans, then Liv and I went and got pedicures. It had been 6 months since my last one, so it was time hah. I also bought some new flip flops so I could give Liv back her extra pair. We went for dinner and then to a fire show. They are very popular and always different so I really enjoy watching them. It's incredible when the little kids come out and do amazing things with sticks on fire! We went to bed early so we would be in good shape for the booze cruise. I decided to get up a little earlier so I could do the hike up to the lookout point. I knew I had to leave early Sunday morning so this was the only time I would be able to do it. It was already 35 degrees out by 10 am and the hike was more than I was expecting.... First it was about 400 steps until the first lookout point... but it wasn't the best. Then you had to walk about another 30 min up a trail to the second lookout point. I was covered in sweat and out of breath when I got to the top but because it took longer than expected I could not stay too long because I was meeting Liv and Jenna for breakfast before we left for the booze cruise. Two girls were taking pictures and I kindly asked of they would also take my picture for me at the top of the lookout point.. well this girl was serious and posing me it was hilarious! But she got some great pictures! Then I hurried down for breakfast. Going down is always much easier and faster. I had the most delicious eggs benedict for breakfast and then we walked to the pier to start the best day ever! Jenna and Liv had pre-booked us tickets for Captain Bob's Booze Cruize. It is a very popular company and known for being one of the best on the island! The cruise goes from 1pm-8pm and makes numerous stops at beautiful locations and free drinks the whole time! Well you pay for your ticket but then its free right haha. We went to the pier and waited for our boat to arrive. Other people started showing up and a group of people from Canada was on our boat!!! They were from Hamilton which was so strange because that's so close to Cambridge! So everyone gets on the boat and the rules were simple. Music loud, drinks in hand and have a good time! Our first stop on the cruise was Shark Bay. We did some snorkeling here but sadly did not see any sharks. Then we put on our lifejacket diapers and just sat in the water drinking beers. Cooper and Brendan were the DJ's of the boat playing the best music from new tunes to 90's and it was amazing! Our next stop was Monkey Beach. Usually they would stop and feed the monkey's but lately they had become very aggressive and bit someone the day before so we just stopped and stayed in the boat and watched them jump from tree to tree and hang out on the beach. Next was Maya Bay and I had gone here with the scuba boat with my dad but only quickly for lunch. This time we got to get off the boat and explore and go to a lookout point and walk to Loh Samah Bay! The guides of the cruise were awesome! We had a guy from South Africa and a girl from Australia named Eliza. We hit it off and she was super cool and only 19! I could not believe that she moved here with her friend and just applied for a job and has been here for 6 months now, amazing. They had a Go Pro that we could take pictures with. We did a super cool jumping picture with everyone on the Maya Bay Beach. By this point in the cruise everyone was starting to feel drunk. Next we went to the lagoon and holy was it beautiful. We were the only boat in this cove surrounded by huge walls of rock and it was magical. We did some more snorkeling here and saw crazy amounts of fish and the water was so clear! We stayed here for a long time we dancing and chatting with the others on the boat. I started talking to this guy Sami from Switzerland and he was so nice and really fun. After the cove we just went out into the open water and watched the sun set. It was so beautiful and everyone was jumping into the water and just having the most amazing time ever! It was dark when we got back and I was starving! They had given us a sandwich on the boat but I forgot to eat mine so Sami took me to get some dinner. Then I went back to my room to change and everyone on the boat planned to meet at Stockholm for drinks later. Well classic Melissa again went and passed out!!! I woke up to Jenna and Liv banging on my door I woke up confused and drunk so i quickly changed and went to the bar because poor Sami had been waiting there for me! We started at the one bar and waled around the streets stopping at different ones we had never been to before. Everyone on the boat had really bonded and I made friends who will be some of my friends for life now. That's the great thing about traveling, you get to meet people from around the world you would never had gotten the chance to meet, and now they are my good friends. And now I also have friends all over the world to show me their home country when I go to visit! This was a great last day with amazing people and I was sad to leave the next morning. I was also hungover and packing and carrying a heavy bag to the ferry then to the airport was not fun! Overall one of the best weeks I have had in Thailand. I know I keep saying that but they keep getting better and better, it's going to be a hard place to leave.

Island Yoga Retreat April 7-11

After the exhilarating but exhausting trip to Myanmar I was excited to then spend the next couple of days relaxing at a yoga retreat on the island of Koh Yao Noi. First I had to spend a night in Phuket after my two flights that day back from Myanmar because the boat rides had stopped to the island unless I wanted to take a private boat which would cost and arm and a leg! I stayed at a wonderful guesthouse called Moonlight Cottages. The owner was so nice and made me feel very welcomed! It was very clean and the bathroom was huge! It was nice to have a proper shower and bed after roughing it for a week. The next morning the owner personally drove me and some other guests to the pier to catch the afternoon boat at 12:30. It took about an hour on the longtail boat to get to Koh Yao Noi and the boat was nice and full! When we approached the island I was shocked by its beauty. I mean over the past couple of weeks I had witnessed some of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen in my life I didn't think I would witness more! How blessed and lucky I am. The island was not crowded with tourists and very quiet. Perfect for a yoga retreat! The yoga resort was beautiful and Mary was there to greet me when I arrived. My room was right next to hers, and even though it was not air conditioned it was cute! Yoga classes were twice a day 7:30 am and 4:00 pm. I was able to go to the afternoon class. The yoga was more difficult than I was expecting. I've done beginner classes back home and videos but this was intense. It felt good to push myself and the instructor and owner of the retreat, David, was amazing! He was probably around 50 years old and filled with so much knowledge and loves to share it! After yoga class we rushed to go to a viewpoint to see the sunset. It was hazy so we couldn't see much of it, but the view was still beautiful! We then went for dinner on the beach with a group of girls from the yoga retreat. I was really happy to have my Thai food back. The food in Myanmar was amazing but Thai food has stolen my heart. I could eat pad see ew  for every meal!!! We all called it an early night because David does Tai Chi at 6:00am on the beach and I thought it would be a cool thing to try. I didn't have the best sleep because it was hot and no AC was killing me. It would just take some getting used too. When my alarm finally went off for Tai Chi i wanted to stay in bed, but I was here to get the full experience so I got up. It was magnificent. Tai Chi is very relaxing especially when the sun is rising while you are doing it. David supplies coffee and fruit before the Tai Chi which is nice because right after Tai Chi is 2 hours of morning yoga. The morning yoga was a little easier than afternoon yoga and focused more on breathing and mediating. I haven't thought much about meditation before but it is really relaxing and can set you up for a positive and stress free day. David talked a lot about the power of positive intention and if you think about something happening it will happen because you have positive thoughts about it. During meditation dream about what you want and how to achieve it and it will happen. After morning yoga we get a buffet breakfast. It was amazing!!! Yogurt and muesli, fruit, eggs, rice and french toast. I could get used to this! After breakfast Mary and I went for massages and then to the beach. This beach was beautiful and had an awesome view of the many islands and rock formations that surround Koh Yao Noi. We swam and lounged in the hammocks. This was the most relaxing island and trip I have taken so far! Afternoon yoga David kicked my butt and I was doing yoga moves I had never tried before. Pushed myself and I am very proud of the progress I am making during this yoga retreat. A couple of girls went for dinner together at a restaurant on top of a hill. It was dark so we didn't get the view but the food was amazing! I had cashew chicken and a coconut to drink, so great! Most nights during the retreat I was in bed by 9 because we were all exhausted from the day and knew morning would come too soon. It was now Saturday and and the morning started off the same as the one before; Tai Chi, morning yoga, breakfast. After breakfast the yoga retreat they set up a day trip to go kayaking in the mangroves by Krabi. We took a 40 minute boat ride to get to the mangroves, and then spilt in pairs, as they were double kayaks. Mary and I went together and had a blast! It was the hardest kayaking I have ever done because we were going against big waves and then maneuvering in between trees in the water, but so worth it! During our tour we saw monkeys who jumped on the kayaks, a king cobra snake in the water that scared the Thai guide because they are extremely dangerous, and in some of the caves it was so peaceful just to take in the beauty around me. We stopped for lunch on an island and went swimming. It was a perfect day. This was one of the coolest tours I had done, and unfortunately my go pro broke during this trip so none of my pictures were saved, but the memory is enough. When we returned from our day in the sun we still had afternoon yoga to attend. We were all exhausted and our arms sore from hours of kayaking. We had a new yoga instructor as well who took it easy on us. She focused a lot of breathing and holding poses for 10 minutes at a time. It was still difficult but a type of yoga I enjoyed. After that we grabbed dinner at a restaurant right next to the resort, and I extended my stay by a day. I was suppose to leave Sunday but I wasn't ready so I changed my last day to be Monday. The sunrise on Sunday morning was beautiful. The best one I had seen yet. No Tai Chi on Sundays but we still got up for coffee and the sunrise and then yoga and breakfast. This retreat was teaching me so much about myself and how to channel negative thoughts into positive ones. Mary and I spent the afternoon at a cafe reading our books and drinking coffee. It was a nice calm day and the last full day I would have with Mary as the next day we would be going our separate ways and then she would be going back to Boston. Afternoon yoga introduced us to another new instructor. I did not like her, she was very critical and if people weren't doing it exactly like her she would come over and say something, like sorry I can't move my leg like that I'm trying my best now leave me alone!! After we went for dinner with the great friends we had made that week; Tanya from Germany, Emma from England and Mia from New York. We had all become very close and it was sad knowing this would be our last dinner together. The next morning was bittersweet at Tai Chi knowing it would be my last. We all got a little emotional knowing it was coming to an end and we would all be leaving each other. Mary left right after breakfast and I saw her off. It was sad and I am going to miss her so much. She has been my rock and travel partner for the past 6 months. She will be a friend for life. I left late afternoon and was headed back to Phi Phi Island. It was a last minute decision to go back, but I knew it would be a good party island for the Songkran festival. I caught a boat to Krabi first because there is no direct boat from Koh Yao Noi to Phi Phi. And then once I got to Krabi I then caught the ferry to Phi Phi Island. I finally arrived at 5pm on Phi Phi Island to spend the next week exploring the island on my own. I hadn't done much travelling on my own so I was interested in how it would go.

The Beautiful Country of Myanmar

Finally my summer break had arrived and I wanted to travel outside of Thailand. I had many ideas of countries to go to such as Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos, but Myanmar won me over. My friend Jessie had already been planning a trip there with some friends so I joined in on their plans. I flew out on March 30 to meet them, as they had already spent a few days exploring Yangon. I caught the earliest flight out of Bangkok so I would have plenty of time to catch a bus from Yangon to Kalaw because that was where we would start our trek the next morning at 9 am. The airport was insane though!!! I arrived around 2 and half hours early and I was cutting it close because all the lines were so busy and I had to get my re-entry permit completed! The flight went smoothly and was only an hour and 15 minutes long. I quickly rushed off the plane into a taxi to go to the bus station. I briefly had searched bus times but it was difficult to understand online but in Bangkok buses run almost every hour for every destination possible, so it should be similar right? Wrong. WAY wrong. Myanmar has only been a tourist destination for about 4 years now due to the government so they aren't as up to date as I thought. There are two buses from Yangon to Kalaw a day; one at 9:00 am and one at 6:00 pm. The time when I arrived 9:30am. F*cK. I was now in a strange place I have never been before by myself and I didn't even know the language they spoke and my phone wouldn't work without a wifi connection. What a better way to quickly adapt. I took a deep breath and was thankful I at least was going to make it in time for the trek the next morning I just wasn't going to make it into Kalaw until around 3:00am. I bought my ticket and found a place to settle for the day. The bus company office was set up in a garage looking building with a couple of chairs and one fan. I read my book for a couple of hours and then I started to feel my stomach rumble. I asked the girl working at the desk to watch my bag as I looked for food. Nothing was found but I did find some chips and water and a beautiful temple. When the bus finally came I was already on page 400 of my 500 page book. The bus was really nice and stopped for food and then I slept for the rest of the way. I woke up when we finally arrived, stepped off the bus and holy shit it was cold!!! I had forgotten what the cold felt like! I grabbed my bags and ran to the hotel to find Mary waiting to let me in to our room! I quickly went to sleep as the alarm was set for 7 to wake us to get ready for the trek!

It was really nice to see familiar faces at breakfast. Mary and I met up with Jessie and her friend Aiden, Annie and her friends Laura and Garrath, and Rick a guy from Holland who they had been travelling with for a couple of days now. The temperature again was cooler than I am used too and because I just assumed everywhere is hot like Thailand I did not bring any warm clothes. After breakfast we all walked over to the trekking office. They loaded our big bags on a truck to take to our end destination while we carried smaller bags for the three day trek. Our group was led by Pew.  He was such an awesome guide! We began our walking right from the office, across some roads that then turned to dirt. So far so good. The first hour was mainly flat ground and roads which then for some silly reason I thought hey this will be easy.... well it wasn't! On the website it suggested you be in average shape for the trek and I would agree I am but oh boy! Those hills that first day were on an 80 degree angle. I struggled a lot, I wanted to cry, but I didn't give up. Pew was very helpful and I was lucky to be with friends because we all struggled and got through it together. We stopped for a bigger break at a beautiful lake. This was the first time I could truly take in the beauty of this country. Myanmar has similarities to Thailand, but is also so different. It felt untouched by tourists and like a secret place not many people get to see, and now my eyes got to see this raw beauty of hills, flowers, lakes, vegetation and many animals. I felt so lucky. Mary wasn't feeling well for most of the first day. She was taking malaria pills (which I also should have done, but I knew how sick they made me in Kenya) and they made her throw up the whole first morning. I stuck with her at the back of the pack to make sure she was okay. We were getting close to lunch time and I was more hungry than I have ever been! Then Pew tells us we have to climb this huge hill first though to get to the spot where lunch is..... well I almost died but it was worth it! This view point was beautiful. Looking down at the area I was just trekked to get here made me very proud of myself. Then I ate so much, and it was Indian, I was in love! The rest of the walk to our first home stay was more hills of course. The village was very cute and the owners of the home cooked us a delicious dinner. They set up a table with lots of food and tea, candles and love. They took care of us like you would family, and that's what we felt like. We all slept in the upstairs room with a big spread of blankets all in a row. It felt like a sleepover you would have as a kid at a birthday party. As Annie was was getting dressed for bed she noticed all these hives all over hers legs and we all panicked, checking our bodies for bugs bites or hives. Annie had used a bush for a toilet on the trek and brushed up against a plant that gave her a nasty reaction, but she was fine. No one slept much the first night because a baby was crying and we all heard weird animal like moaning and crying. When we got woken up at 6:30 am for breakfast to find out that a bull was giving birth through the night. We all had a good laugh about that! My legs were sore from the 18km of walking the day before and my body was sore from the sleep on the floor, but it was a new day! Breakfast was great and served with tea like always! Tea is a huge part of the culture in Myanmar and served with every meal and even if we stopped for a break near a shop they would bring us tea! At our first break we picked up two girls (Mac and Eliza)  who were only doing a two day trek. The second day was less hills, but more walking and all in direct sunlight. It was a hot day! This day had some amazing views of the hills. I got to see villages with children playing, crops being harvested by farmers and smiles from all the locals we passed. We did a lot of walking on old railroad tracks and and paths less travelled. Again I felt as if I was apart of a secret world that you only read about in books, I was amazed. The village we stopped at for lunch prepared fresh fruit and noodles for us. Once again I was amazed at how great the food was! After lunch we walked on the side of hills and came to a river. We were allowed to swim here and I bathed because the showers at the home stays were just buckets of rain water. The water was cold but it was a nice break from our longest day so far. The sun starting setting after our swim and on a downhill slope my foot slipped and it felt like my knee popped out a bit, but I thought nothing of it and figured it would start to feel better after some sleep. When we got to our home stay for the night they spoke their own mother tongue so Pew had some trouble communicating with them but they still treated us like family. We had chicken curry and vegetables for dinner and a nice surprise they also made home made french fries!! They were so good!! We had a couple of beers to celebrate that we just walked 21 km and we had one more day until we arrived to our final destination! Again we had the upstairs of a building with bamboo flooring. This made me a little nervous because at some spots you could see all the way down and it didn't feel stable but it was more comfortable than the first place we stayed. The next morning when I woke up I barely move my knee it was in so much pain. I was limping around and taking more advil than I should have. I had to make a hard decision... Pew said I could get a motorbike and ride to the final destination if it was too sore, or I could walk with the group. Mac helped me make a brace for my knee to see if it felt better and it helped a bit but I was not giving up on this trek. I was going to finish. Pew said it was the easiest day of walking, which it was but I was wincing in pain for most of the day. It was a lot of flat ground on roads and through villages. We stopped for tea and some snacks before lunch. I had great conversation with Pew on this last day. I had great conversations with everyone on this trek. We would start walking at 8 am and arrive at our home stay around 7 pm, so a lot of time to talk while walking. Pew educated me on the history of Myanmar and the vegetation they grow and how important tea is to them. It was great to learn about the culture from a local instead of a book. When we finally arrived for lunch I felt relieved, I knew we didn't have much further to go but to my surprise after lunch they told us all the walking was done and the rest of the trip would be done by boat! We all piled into a long boat for an hour boat ride to Inle Lake. During this ride we got to see villages on the water, women with boats filled with goods to sell and men fishing. The fishing techniques were amazing!! They would hold their paddle with their foot while standing up and pulling up their fishing net by themselves. I was amazed. We stopped for a bit to watch and I think everyone's jaws were open with awe. The boat dropped us off at a dock and then we walked foot to our hotel. Everyone was tired so we grabbed our things and took a nap. When everyone had showered we went for dinner at a restaurant down the road. We all got a little tipsy and went back to the hotel and played fishbowl (a different version of charades). It was a great night to end off 3 of the hardest days of my life. I pushed my body to its limits and mentally had to reassure myself I could do it. I am extremely proud of my accomplishment.

The next day we had to check out of the hotel but our bus wasn't coming to get us until 8pm to take us to Bagan, so we had the day to check out Inle. We did breakfast at the hotel then lounged around until check out. I sat on a swinging bench outside and read my book while a stray puppy sat at me feet. The owners said not to touch the dog because it was not theirs and could be dangerous but he was soo cute! We all stuck together for lunch and went to a cafe! The smoothies were to die for! Then we all wanted to do different things for the afternoon so we separated. Laura and I had seen horseback riding advertised in a building and thought that would be fun! It was only the two of us on the trail. The horses just walked the whole time but that was fine with me because I wasn't the most comfortable around the horses, I hadn't been on one in years!!! The views were breath taking and we had fun talking while our horses walked side by side. We stopped at a templed in a cave. It was a little scary because it was dark and we only had our cell phone lights to lead us through and then we both began thinking of scary movies in caves and we ran! It was a nice afternoon spent in the quiet hills of Inle. When we arrived back into town we met Jessie and Aiden on a roof top bar for some snacks and drinks to watch the sun go down. It was a beautiful sunset and then a parade started going through the town! One weekend every month they have a parade to celebrate boys who are becoming men and have a celebration for it! It was really interesting to see! Then we hurried back to the hotel where the bus was picking us up. It was the same bus company I had used before so it was another great ride and slept the whole 8 hours through until we arrived in the early hours of the morning in Bagan.

As soon as we got off bus at 4:00 am there were men bombarding us to use them for a taxi to our guesthouse. It was very overwhelming and I had just woken up I didn't even know the name of our guesthouse so I may have gotten rude and yelled at them to give us space, but we wanted to figure stuff out. Once we got a van taxi to fit all of us we were on our way. Bagan is a protected area because of all of the pagodas and ruins so we had to pay 25,000 kyat (which is around $25). When we got to our guesthouse I felt bad waking up the guy sleeping at the front desk but we all wanted a bed to rest in. Some of the group didn't go to sleep right away and instead rented motorbikes to go see the sunrise. I had a nap and then went for breakfast (it came included with our guesthouse). They had the best samosas ever! I rented a bicycle with Annie, Garrath and Laura for the day and we went around visiting ruins and pagodas. It wasn't he best idea with my knee but everyone with motorbikes had already left and I didn't want to go on my own for the first day. Bagan was a lot hotter than Kalaw and biking was hard work, especially all day in the sun. At one of the temples we visited they had a little market selling a variety of things. I bought way to much but I got excited and they had the most beautiful paintings. We all met back up for lunch and went to a restaurant called Weatherspoons. It was so good! I got an avocado salad and fell in love. I have missed my avocados and just my luck they grow way to much in Myanmar. We went back to the guesthouse and played cards and relaxed until dinner and we went back to Weatherspoons hah. This time I got the veggie burger and again the most amazing things ever. My knee was hurting so I hopped on the back of Rick's motorbike to see the sunset on a pagoda. It was very beautiful and I am happy I got to experience it with such great travel friends. The next morning we woke up at 4:30 am to rent motorbikes and see the sunrise. We went to a different pagoda to get a different view. We were some of the first people to arrive but by the time the sun finally started coming up there were around 30 people on this pagoda. The sky was a beautiful purple and pink colour and it made me fall more in love with this country than I already was. I know I have said this was too many times but I was asking myself, why do I deserve to see such beauty.. how did I get so lucky? I feel so blessed. After the breath taking sunrise we went back to the guesthouse to eat breakfast and have a nap. The rest of the day was spent exploring old Bagan. It was beautiful and I had to pinch myself to make sure this was real! We stopped for lunch and ice cream and played some cards. Then we headed to a fancy hotel and had some drinks on the water, it was really nice. We had made some friends earlier and we discussed going on a boat cruise for the sunset so we bought some beers and headed down to the lake. The boat ride was nice and relaxing and we had a great time with our new friends. We all went for dinner after at Bibo and I had the pumpkin curry. I wish everyone could try this pumpkin curry! I talk about the food a lot but I am not kidding when I say it is all the best ever! On our way back to the guesthouse I stopped to buy a traditional umbrella and fell behind and when I came pulling into our place a woman was going crazy and yelling to be careful, I mean I always am (because I can hear my dad in my head every time I turned or brought my speed up a little too high haha). I had no idea why she was going crazy though and then she said someone just got in an accident. I didn't think much of it until I walked in the main lobby and saw people circling around someone and thought shit... it's someone that is staying here. When I got closer I then saw that it was Laura! I screamed her name and went to her aid. She was okay and didn't hit her head which was good but she landed hard on her ass. When she stood up her pants were ripped all the way across her cheeks so we went to her room. I helped rubbed alcohol on it but we thought it would be best to go to the clinic. The owner of the guesthouse got us a driver and he came with us to make sure all went well. She got it washed up properly and they gave her some pain meds. Again I heard my Dad saying I told you someone was going to get hurt, but I'm glad it was minor and she was wearing a helmet. The next morning I got up at 4:30 am again but this time for a bus. I had to take a 5 hour bus ride to the airport in Mandalay. This time it was a local bus and we were all squished in and no AC. I tried to sleep for most of it, but did not succeed. Got to the airport and took a snooze there while waiting for my plane back to Bangkok.

Myanmar was a trip I will never forget and was such a great decision. Going to busy tourist places can be fun and they are good that's why so many people go, but experiencing a place that hasn't been touched by too many tourists was special. I recommend it to anyone travelling to South East Asia. 

Dad and Debby in Thailand Part 2!

The ferry left for Phi Phi Island around 9 am. The ferry was a lot bigger than I was expecting!!!! It also had reclining chairs and AC! It felt luxurious compared to the other modes of transportation I have taken! It took about two hours to get to Phi Phi from Krabi and it was a nice smooth ride. When we arrived at the pier we had to pay a 20 baht clean island fee (I think to help with garbage removal costs to keep the island looking beautiful). We had someone from the hotel meet us and other guests at the pier to help carry our luggage. It was a hot 15 minute walk to the Andaman Hotel but once we got settled and cooled down we were ready for lunch! We headed to the Reggae bar for lunch and had some drinks. The DJ came over to our table and brought my a heart made out of straws haha. Then we went and lounged by the pool because the ocean was in low tide and it only came up to our knees, not even!! Phi Phi Island experiences 4 different tides throughout the day so you really have to time when you want to go swimming. While we were laying by the pool we came up with the crazy idea of getting tattoos!!! I had told Dad and Debby about a tattoo idea I had and they loved it so much we all got it!! Earlier we had passed by a couple tattoo shops and saw one that we remembered so we went there to go check it out some more. My palms started to get sweaty as we got closer because I had never gotten a bamboo tattoo before. I know tattoos are already painful but how would a bamboo tattoo feel! All the guys working in the tattoo shop were hilarious and soo nice making me feel a little less nervous and they began designing our tattoos. Dad and Debby started getting theirs first. We all got mai pen rai (no worries) in Thai writing on different places on our bodies. Dad got his on his upper arm, Debby's is on her lower arm and I got mine on my side rib. Dad didn't even flinch while he was getting his, Debby was making some faces that scared me and well.... I cried like a baby. It hurt so bad!!!!!!! I also got a plumeria flower with him, which are very common in Thailand and now my most favourite flower in the world! I think the flower hurt the most!! Once it was done we went for dinner on the beach and then to a fire show because you can't come to Thailand without seeing a fire show! The fire show was great except for the drunk girls skinny dipping right behind the show!!! So we tried to ignore them and got Dad and Debby their first bucket of booze and I got to be in the show! It was really cool and scary! They put a cigarette in my mouth and twisted fire balls together to create a spinning fire ball and put it close enough to light the cigarette! Then gave me a shot of the strongest alcohol ever blah! The next day Dad and I went scuba diving!! Yes scuba diving :) It was the best day ever. It started bright and early at 7:00am meeting at the scuba headquarters. We did some talking then headed to the boat! Our first stop was by an island in shallow waters to practice the signals we had talked about earlier. I was extremely nervous because I thought I would be practicing in a pool first but here we go! That first jump in had my heart racing but it was exhilarating! Being able to breath underwater, whatttt!! That feeling was amazing. Our guide Ruan was amazing and really helpful. I felt super safe and Dad was helping me the whole time too, giving me tips and telling me the rules of diving. The first dive I was more focused on watching Ruan and making sure I was keeping my breathing normal. I saw so many different kinds of fish and it was so cool to be swimming and breathing like them. A feeling I can't describe. Near the end of our dive Ruan kept making tis hand signal to me and I had forgotten what it meant and he kept doing it with the okay symbol so I finally just gave him the okay symbol back. When we came back up to the surface Dad asks if I saw the shark. I yelled noooo a shark where!! Ruan said well I asked if you saw it that was the symbol I was making.... well I felt like an idiot! Dad got to see a shark though! Then we stopped for lunch in Maya Bay where the movie 'The Beach' was filmed. It was a beautiful but busy spot. I did some snorkeling here. Then we went for our second dive. This time I felt more comfortable and was able to enjoy it more. This dive was even more amazing and we saw a turtle and it felt as if we were invisible to it. We just followed the turtle in its natural environment and it was so cool. Again we saw thousands of fish some of the most beautiful fish I was ever seen! It honestly felt like I was in the movie finding nemo. I know how silly that must sound but that's what it felt like!! It will be a day I remember forever. We got backed and relaxed by the pool had dinner and called in an early night to catch the ferry at 9. Our flight the next day had been switched to an earlier time and this became problematic because the earliest ferry was at 9 and to get another boat would have cost us an arm and a leg so we decided to risk it. Our flight left around 12:00, two hours on the ferry meant we arrived in Krabi at 11 then it was a 45min ish drive to the airport...11:45 yea we could make it, right? Well man did we feel like we were on the amazing race!! We had a guy help us get a taxi right away from the ferry and then our taxi driver said he would drive extra fast for us! We got there by 11:30 and was boarding at 11:40. Still can't believe we made it hah!
When we got back to BKK we went to my apartment and packed smaller bags for Kanchanaburi the next day. Then we went to go check out one of the popular malls of Bangkok called Terminal 21. We window shopped, people watched and grabbed some dinner. Then I showed Dad and Debby the places I like to go to drink. We went to Cheap Charlie's and had a couple of drinks and then headed to Aussie Bar. It was so exciting to finally show family the places I go too! Now when I talk on the phone with my Dad when I say I'm going W District he knows exactly where I am going. It feels good :) We started the morning off a little later and headed to catch out van to Kanchanaburi. The van was late which they usually are, but as long as you get there it's all good. Once we got on the van it was full and Dad and I got the extra squishy seat at the back but we made it work. I slept on and off for most of the ride and we finally arrived around 2. The hotel we stayed at was so nice!!! The rooms were clean and the pool nice and great location! We had lunch by the river than napped by the pool. We headed to a market during the night but found no food there so as we were about to head back towards the hotel we heard a huge crash and turned around to see a motorcycle getting run over by a truck. Now I have never seen an accident yet in Thailand and of course it would happen when Dad is here because it made him more nervous about me and motorbikes! An ambulance did come and take the guy so it was good to see how quickly they responded. Then we got a late snack before bed. The next day was elephant day!!!!! I am so happy I got a chance to go back to Elephant World. I had the best experience last time and couldn't wait to see some of the same elephants as last time and some new ones! A van came and picked us up along with a couple of other people at our hotel. When we got to Elephant World it was very similar to the first time I went. We fed an elephant a basket of fruit! It was exciting to see Dad and Debby experiencing this! The rest of the day was amazing and we made sticky rice balls, cut bana grass, watched the elephants have a mud bath and then we got to bath them!! This was so much fun! Splashing around with the elephants was amazing!!!! Then I spent way to much money in the gift shop but all the money goes towards the elephants so how could I not! When we got back to the city we went to dinner at On's, my favourite restaurant in Kanchanaburi, and it was delicious as usual!! I got the banana leaf salad, yum!!! We ended the night with a 10 baht shot, because you just have too! It was another day that I am grateful I got to experience and will never forget. It was now my last full day with Dad and Debby and the past two weeks had gone by way too quickly. We got an early van and once we got back to Bangkok we headed straight for the Chatachuck market! I got to see some of the market I did not see before. I think you could go to this place a handful of times and still not see all of it! I did buy way to much but it was fun spending the morning shopping with D&D. Got some yummy wontons and sticky rice for lunch while I was at the market. Then back to my apartment we went to pack up all of our bags! Then we packed ourselves into the BTS to go to the airport. We were sardines with oversized luggage but hey that's how you travel in BKK. We dropped all the luggage at the airport so we would only have to catch one taxi in the morning for the flight. Then we headed to the hotel for the night. It was a very nice hotel and last night with D&D. We went to the mall next door for dinner and then hit the sheets early because we had a taxi coming for us at 6:00am. Saying goodbye to Dad and Debby was heartbreaking. Seeing them was great but it hurt a lot and made me more homesick than I thought I would get. Thailand has been amazing but with family here to share it with took it to the next level. I am so thankful they came and took the time to visit me and I will cherish the time I had with them seeing as they won't be home when I get there :(

Dad and Debby in Thailand!!

I had been waiting for this day since they booked their tickets! I was so excited to finally show someone my life in Thailand instead of trying to explain it over the phone. I couldn't sleep the night before and was at the airport earlier than I needed to be, but I did not want to miss that moment when they came walking from the luggage claim. My eyes were starting to hurt from not moving from the crowds of people coming towards me looking for a familiar face. Once I saw them it still didn't feel real. It had felt like no time had passed but at the same time like I hadn't seen them in forever. Obviously the tears started to pool in my eyes, because I'm Melissa and I cry a lot :) That was such a special moment I will cherish forever seeing them arriving in the country I currently call home. We took the airport rail link and then the BTS to their hotel. We caught up and shared stories during the ride. I taught them the basic hello and thank you phrases in Thai. It was so surreal to have them here! I had never been to the On Nut stop before so was not sure of the area. Once we arrived I used GPS to help us find their hotel. After a nice long hot walk we finally arrived! Later we found a shorter way to get to the hotel from the BTS, but we got there and that's all that mattered! We celebrated with pony tails and beers because it was deathly hot. Probably one of the hotter weeks I had experienced was the one while they were here. They got settled and we chatted some more, then took a trip to the Big C. This is slightly the same as a Walmart, but this one was one of the biggest I had ever seen! We walked around and finally found some food. We had some fun looking down the aisles at the different foods and products. Dad and Debby were a little turned off by some of the displays, like the raw chicken just sitting out for people to bag up themselves. Yes it was pretty gross but I'm used to it now and it almost seems normal. We got some snacks and drinks (but not beer because it was between the hours of 2-5 and you can't buy booze then) to bring back to the hotel. Dad and Debby then took a nap because it is a super exhausting flight and I chilled and watched some TV and dozed off a bit myself. Then I took them to one of my favourite spots for dinner. We went to W District, which is pretty much a beer garden. We had some beers and ordered some food to share. We got Pad Thai, Quesadillas, and Sushi. After we headed back to the hotel and discussed what we would be doing for the next couple of days in BKK. We called it an earlier night, which I'm never opposed to, because I love my sleep! Day 2 in Bangkok started off with breakfast at the hotel, it was a standard breakfast for a hotel (eggs, toast, fruit, and coffee). Then we went to my apartment to show them the new place I have been calling home. It seemed so much smaller with three people in it, but it works :) Then we did my daily walk to the school. Dad and Debby got to meet some of the kiddies I teach and Debby fell in love with the nursery kids just as I knew she would. We played a little and I showed them around! Debby had brought stickers for the kids and key chains for the teachers and Dad made some maple fudge for them to try. As we were walking back to my apartment we realized we forgot to hand everything out!!! (I brought the key chains and fudge to them the following week when I can back to work and they were so happy and loved it!). The Grand Palace was next on our list! I had been before but knew the beauty of the buildings was something D&D (Dad and Debby) needed to see! We took the water taxi over to the Palace. It's always nice to be near the water because it's something I don't see a lot in the city. The Grand Palace was packed as it usually is, and boy was it hot!!! After doing some walking around and taking pictures and sweating I checked the temperature and it was around 40 degrees with 80% humidity. This was one of the hottest days I had felt in Thailand, so poor D&D having to endure this their second day in! Because we were in the area we then went to a place called Asiatique. I had never been myself but the coordinator at my school suggested we go. It was a huge outdoor shopping centre with restaurants, theatres and everything you could possibly thing of. We had some dinner and beers to quench our thirst. D&D also experienced their first ever mango sticky rice, which is always a heavenly experience for me. Because it was a day of firsts I also thought they needed to have a legendary tuktuk ride!!! Our driver was fun and had his music on and lights on in the back! It was a fun and breezy ride to Lebua Sky Bar! We took the trip up the 64th floor to get one of the best possible views of downtown Bangkok. We paid ridiculous prices for our drinks but the view speaks for itself. A very busy day filled with sweat drenched clothes but lots of family fun. Our next adventure in Bangkok was a cooking class! We took the morning easy and lounged in the room before we headed to the BTS to Silom Cooking School! We were told to meet at the corner of a street to meet the group before we walked over to the market to learn about the ingredients we would be cooking with today. We all got baskets filled with ingredients to then bring back to the cooking school. Our group consisted of 9 people and our teacher for the day. We prepared, cooked and ate all of our dishes which included pad thai, spring rolls, papaya salad, massaman curry and mango sticky rice. We would prepare and chop downstairs on the main level and then our hotplates were upstairs to cook. Most of the dishes were a lot easier to prepare and cook than I thought! I can't wait to take my new cooking skills back home and make these dishes for the fam. After the cooking class we took our full bellies back to Asiatique for the Ladyboy Cabernet Show!! This show was a hoot!! They did not look like boys at all!!! The hair, makeup, boob jobs and tuck jobs were all on point!! They danced beautifully and knew how to put on a show! Day 4 was St. Patrick's Day!!! I was really excited to celebrate with D&D because I haven't had any family during the holidays so this was special to be able to celebrate with them. The day started with packing our bags because the next day we were leaving Bangkok, so we took the larger suitcases to my apartment to stay there until D&D left. We did some laundry and hung out and then got noodles from my noodle guy at the end of my street! Mary came over as well to drop off her suitcase before she started her travels around Thailand for her last month here. I'm happy they got to meet Mary because she is very important to me and was a main reason why Thailand has been so great! They loved her of course! Since it was St. Patrick's Day we decided to go to an Irish Pub called the Dubliner! Debby wasn't feeling the greatest so she stayed back at the apartment, so Dad and I went to get our party on! We got food and drinks and had a great time! The band that was playing all night was amazing and played Irish songs that were making the crowds dance! The pub became filled with people dressed up in green and it felt like home. Mary and a girl from her hostel joined us and the rest of the night is history! We had a lot of fun and I am glad I got to share that with my Dad :) The next day we were off too Krabi!! I was so excited to finally head down south and check out the beautiful islands of Thailand! We headed to the airport for our 10 am flight. When we got there they told us our flight back would be earlier, whatever we would deal with that later. The flight was quick and smooth and then into a taxi we went to get to our resort. The taxi cabs in Krabi don't use meters so it was a lot more expensive than I was used too and couldn't help but feel ripped off, but I would have to get used to that because that's how it is when you get to more tourist areas. The resort was beautiful!!! It was a hot day so we headed down to the beach, the sand was so hot you had to run to the water! It was a little rocky but the water felt good. We were hungry so we grabbed lunch on the beach from a little hut serving finger foods. Then massages!!! My favourite part of Thailand. All three of us got coconut oil massages and it was fantastic, well mine was, Debby's girl was a little to rough with her. We went back to the room and got ready for a night on the town. We got a ride from our resort to Ao Nang. The streets were filled with more people than our resort and it started to feel more familiar to me. We got dinner and did some shopping for souvenirs for D&D to bring home. We asked the driver to stop at the 7Eleven on the way back so we could grab some beers and snacks. It was a bit of an early night, but the heat sure does take a lot out of you!!! The second day in Krabi was nice and relaxing. I did a walk on my own down the beach and walked across the water (it only came knee deep) to a small little island. I was the only one on it and it felt like my own private island! It started to get hot so I headed back to put on some more sunscreen. We laid by the pool for majority of the day. It was too hot to do anything else!!!! The pool water wasn't even refreshing because the tile of the pool was black so it made the water nice and warm. I sat under the umbrella all day reading my book.... and somehow still got burnt to a crisp!!! My dad did the same and also got burnt!!! So we headed back to the room to shower before dinner and apply lotion to our red lobster skin. We went for dinner off the resort and walked down the street until we found a place that looked good to us. It was as always :) I am really never disappointed by thai food, I love it!! Our third and last day in Krabi Dad and I went on a island boat tour! Debby didn't want to come so she stayed and lounged by the pool. It started bright and early in the morning but was so worth it!! We were on a boat filled with Thai people, all the other tourists were put on a different boat, so Dad really got to experience how I feel on a daily basis! The tour guides were awesome though and explained everything to us in english and made the day a lot of fun! We stopped at a couple different islands and had time to swim and explore and we stopped by an island to do some snorkelling. I saw so many colourful fish and many I have never even seen or heard of before! It was amazing and made me excited to so scuba diving with Dad later on! We stopped on Poda island for lunch and this was my favourite stop! The island was the perfect white sand and the water looked crystal clear! Fish were swimming all around us as we floated in the water and talked. It was such a nice day, except we were burnt from the day before so we stayed covered up for most of the day to prevent more burning!!! We got back in the afternoon and laid by the pool for a bit before heading back to the room to get ready for dinner. We decided to go back into town and check out the restaurant on the top of the hill! It was called Hilltop... hah go figure :) It was a beautiful view and we got to watch the sunset. The food was amazing and it was a great way to end our time in Krabi. The next morning we were off to catch a ferry to Phi Phi Island! ( Part 2 still to come..splitting this into 2 posts).