Koh Samet Round Two!

Koh Samet is almost becoming my second home! I love this island so much! I love it because it is not super touristy and busy like other well known islands in Thailand and it also is cheap to stay. Another plus is it only takes a 3 hour van ride to get to the island (whereas some you have to fly to or be on a bus for 10 hours!) Mary came with me this time to Koh Samet so we could celebrate her birthday! Mary was already in Bangkok dropping her sister off at the airport so we left for Rayong Province(where the dock is to take a boat over to the island) as soon as I was done at school. The van ride wasn't horrible but it wasn't great. We got stuck in the back seat which is the worst because you have to squeeze 4 people back there and the air never flows so it is extra hot and sweaty. When we finally arrived at the dock, we were hoping for others to be there so we could take a speed boat together to reduce the cost but after waiting 30 minutes we bit the bullet and just paid the full cost to get over to the island and get settled into our bungalow. We staid in the same place I did the first time, just because I felt comfortable knowing the area and loved the beach we stayed on! The first night was a quiet one because we were exhausted from the day and wanted to get an early start on the beach! When we woke up on the Saturday the weather was looking a little sad.... cloudy and rainy! UGH! Whyyyyyy!!! It hasn't rained much since I've been in Thailand, why now when I am on a beach. Mai pen rai, we are still on a beach and away from the city so I was still happy! After our delicious breakfast of pancakes and french toast the sun finally started to peek through! We got ready for the beach and walked around for a bit and saw a sign for parasailing! I got super excited and still had the adrenaline rush in me from zip lining and just want to do everything and anything now! So we handed over our money and jumped on the boat! The boat ride was a little bumpy, but once you were up in the air it was amazing. You could see such an amazing view of the island, beach and ocean! It was relaxing and beautiful! Then near the end of the parasailing they bring you down close to the water so you touch it and then swing you back up high! It was so much fun and a great start to the day! Then Mary and I just laid on the beach and got our read on. If I could spend every weekend on the beach reading books, I would! It is honestly my happy place. We swam to the floating dock and laid out there for a bit, laid on the beach, swam... it was a great day! As the sun was starting to set we finally went for our massages on the beach, amazing. Coconut oil massages are my new favourite thing and dirt cheap. Im addicted. Then on our way back to the room we saw a sign for happy hour and it was ending in an hour, so we sat down to have some drinks! I had a long island icetea and it was soooo good! I have usually been drinking beer or whiskey but thought I would change it up and I'm so happy I did! It was delicious :) Once we had a good buzz going on, we went back showered and got ready to celebrate Mary's Birthday! We went to Naga bar because you have to experience the glow paint bar at least once. We had a couple drinks, met some friends and moved on to a bar closer to our bungalow. Then we met a wedding party! We had noticed a wedding going on further down the beach and joked about crashing it, but they came to us! They were at the same bar and having a great time and invited us to have some drinks with them! It was so much fun and such a diverse group! It was a Thai woman and her friends and a Spanish guy and his friends. It was an overall great night with new friends! The next morning we planned to leave earlier so Mary could catch her bus back to her town 3 hours of Bangkok, so we had breakfast and went to the docks to catch the 12 ferry back. Overall it was another great weekend on the beach and once again made me super thankful to have gotten to come to Thailand and experience life to the fullest.

Trip to Chiang Mai!

New Years Eve is celebrated big in Thailand! I had to work Christmas day but this next week off made up for it! Mary's sister was coming to visit and her plane arrived the Monday morning so we booked our sleeper train for that night. I had never been on a sleeper train before so I was really excited! The train left at 10 pm and was scheduled to arrive in Chiang Mai at 12 pm the next day. A nice long trip of 14 hours! I had a top bunk in the train and it was surprisingly comfortable. The train wasn't the smoothest but I popped some Gravol and it helped me sleep the night through. They served breakfast in the morning too! I would definitely travel this way again! Once we arrived we took a Songtao to the hostel. We stayed at Thapae Backpackers Hostel. I had never stayed in a hostel before and had some mixed feelings. I was worried about my belongings and it being loud, but I loved this place! The woman who ran the place was very helpful and so kind! Her name was Om and after we settled in and had showers we went down to explore the city. First we a chat with Om and she hooked us up with some group tour activities for the week, gave us some money off and gave us free breakfast for the days we were staying there! The city was already setting up for the New Years Eve celebrations and the night markets were crazy! Our hostel was right in the heart of it and I have never seen so many people in one place ever! Food stands, clothing, pantings, nicknacks and so much more. This market had everything you could ever dream of. The first night I didn't go to crazy buying things but just looked. There were so many paintings I wanted to buy but I resisted even though they were so beautiful. We went to bed early the first night to rest up for the busy days ahead! The next day we had booked a day full of events! I driver came and picked us up bright and early. Our first stop on our trip was an orchid farm. The orchids were so beautiful and still remain one of my favourite flowers to this day ever since I went to a similar place in Hawaii and saw some of the most beautiful flowers. There was also a butterfly sanctuary which always reminds me of my mommy and our love of butterflies. I got lucky enough and a butterfly landed on me! I felt pretty special lol Then our next stop was white water rafting! Mary, Colleen and I had a raft to ourself with a guide. The water level was low so the rapids weren't as big as they usually are but it was still fun to paddle down the river and see the landscape and the houses that are right on the water. Some of the rapids were fun and made me scream only a little... I swear lol We made a quick pit stop to switch off on to bamboo rafts! This was something really cool to experience! The bamboo boat ride wasn't long but something cool I can check off my list of things I've done! Then was lunch.. pad thai my fav!!!! Then we went to a waterfall slide. I love these things and they seem to be all over Thailand! This once was a little bigger than the one I did at Erawan Falls and faster! I love the adrenaline rush! We all took turns doing the slide and relaxing on the rocks then off to our next stop, the elephants! This elephant camp was not like the sanctuary I did before. The elephants were treated nicely here but after learning the facts about riding them I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought. I was riding on the neck, which is the strongest point on their body which makes it better for them, but still wish I could have been feeding them or helping instead of riding. Was still an experience that was amazing but I would go back to the sanctuary first. We also got to see a longneck tribe. This was actually sad and they didn't look well. I don't know much about the longneck tradition, but these women looked like they were in it for the tourism and they look out of it and not happy. I didn't take any pictures because it just didn't feel right. Then it was back to the hostel we went! We all had quick showers then went for dinner and walked the market again. This night I went a little more crazy and finally bought a painting and some souvenirs to bring home with me. The next day I had zip lining set up! I was really exited because I have done it before and knew the exciting rush that comes with it! I was going to Skyline adventures and they have the longest zip line in Chiang Mai at 900m long! The van came and picked me up and it was about a 2 hour ride to get to the top of the mountain to begin the day! We all got suited up and got a safety lesson on the do's and don'ts of zip lining and then the fun started! Our guides for the day Muang and Yon were awesome! They were very professional and also so funny! There was a group of 9 of us zip lining together and in that 9 was a family from Australia. Peter the dad and his three kids, Josie (20), Mel (19), and Matt (16). They were so cute and so much fun! They included me with them all day and made me feel like one of the fam! There was a total of 50 combined zip lines, drops and bridges. It was so fun! I got mazing pictures and felt like a was flying for the day. So happy I decided to do it even though Mary and Colleen did not. It was well worth it! Then back to hostel and shower to get ready for the New Years Eve celebrations! We went for dinner at a cool looking restaurant and had the best Pad See Ew ever!!!! Then as we were coming out of the restaurant I saw the most amazing beautiful site I have ever seen... lanterns! Chiang Mai does a lantern release on New Years Eve and it was breath taking. Thousands of lanterns in every direction. Moving stars in the sky, it was amazing. We all just stood there staring not able to even speak because we could not believe what we were witnessing. It is something I truly wish everyone could experience. We bought a lantern each and said our wishes for the new year as we released them. At that moment I felt excited about this new year I would spend in Thailand and all the things I would get to experience and new people I would meet. It was a great moment. Then it was time to drink! First we grabbed some beers from the 7-Eleven and sat on the curb just watching the lanterns, then we tried to meet up with Elise and her friends but there was so many people it was insane! For most of the night my phone could not even get a signal because everyone was trying to use their phone that all roaming data just was not working. Mary and Colleen wanted to call it an early night, so I finally found Elise and we went to a bar! There we met twin brothers who were traveling Asia together and they were 65! It was so cool to see brothers backpacking together at that age! We talked and drank and finally parted ways. Lucky for me the bar was right next to my hostel so I didn't have far to walk! When I got back from people in the hostel were having a after party so I stayed up talking and drinking with them and got lucky enough to see the very first sun rise of 2016! Was a great night! The next day Mary and Colleen left to head down south for a couple of days so I met up with Elise for some breakfast! I then went to the Grand Canyon of Thailand. Elise and friends wanted to walk around town so I went solo, but once I arrived there were some other people from my program that were there, so I hung out with them for the day. This place was amazing! You could swim, eat and cliff jump! As soon as I got there I knew I just had to go for the big jump! It was about 20m high and one of the most terrifying things I have ever done in my life. As I stood on the top of the cliff, looking down made me sick. I knew I just had to run and jump. I needed a moment, I was shaking then I heard the chanting of my friends in the water... "Canada, Canada, CANADA!" (this is what they call me since I was like the only Canadian in the program). So I got a countdown and jumped. I think my eyes were closed, I don't remember it happened so quickly, I was screaming, then I hit the water and went deep! It felt like it took forever for me to swim up! Wow that rush though!!!!! My ears were ringing from going so deep but it was so worth it! I stayed for the afternoon and got to watch the sun go down over the canyon. It was astounding. Then back to the hostel to squeeze in a quick nap. My bug bites from the day before had swelled so  I took some meds and slept. They helped a bit. I woke up and chatted again with the same people I had the night before and called it an early night. The next morning I went to breakfast with my new friends Tristan and June, which was delicious! Fried egg on rice is very popular for breakfasts in Thailand and I have grown in live with them! For the rest of the day I wandered around the city myself checking out all of the temples. There is so many in Chiang Mai!!! On almost every street! I stopped for some mango sticky rice, because it is now my favourite food in the world omg!!!!! I probably ate it everyday in Chiang Mai and I do not regret it, I regret not eating it twice a day. My bus was leaving around 6pm so I headed back to the hostel to pack my things and get ready to leave. I wasn't thrilled to be taking a bus back because I knew it wouldn't be as comfortable as the train, but the train was sold out. The bus ride wasn't horrible. I ended up seeing a friend there and sat with him the ride back. I tried to sleep for most of it, but was hard as the seats didn't go all the way back. The bus ride did only take 11 hours though and I was back in Bangkok by 5 am. It was an amazing trip and one I will remember forever!  

Christmas in Thailand!

As the days approached Christmas I could feel the urge to cry becoming stronger. I love Christmas, and I love spending the day with all of my families and playing games, and eating great food (especially Grandma's orange stuff!). Knowing I wasn't going to have that hurt. I knew all of the celebrations would still happen. My family would still have drinks and laughs and it would go on with or without me. I felt very selfish having these feelings and thoughts because I am experiencing something many people will never get to during their life, and that should be enough to be thankful for. I can't have Christmas dinner with my family and travel the world, and realizing that I have to miss out on things back home to experience new things in Thailand, made me sad but also happy. I am so thankful to be here. I am also so thankful that my family still thought about me lots during the holidays. I got more letters than I could have imagined and I have never felt so loved before. My coordinator at my school kept telling me, "Oh wow more letters! You must have a lot of people that miss you back home!". It was a great feeling, so thank you to those who sent letters, and to those who sent messages on Facebook. I felt the love xox. When Christmas day arrived I was happy to be working so I wouldn't spend the day alone in my apartment making it worse. We had a Christmas party at the school and all the students and teachers got to dress up and play games and we had a potluck and secret santa gift exchange! All of the students brought in a small gift for the same gender and when they arrived each gift got a number. Then the kids would go up and pick a random number from a jar and that would be there gift, and whatever kid brought that gift would go next. We played games like musical chairs and other elimination games. Then each kid was asked to bring in food for a potluck lunch. OMG so much food! Someone brought in Mcdonalds fries and nuggets, there was chicken wings, so many bags of chips and cookies, homemade cupcakes and much much more. There was so much food leftover it was insane. Most of the kids got picked up early because their parents had the day off, or a half day. Some kids stayed the whole day if their parents had to work. Later in the day the teachers did our gift exchange. It was supposed to be a gag gift, but something still useful. I am with the teachers all day during the week but because they don't speak English I don't know their sense of humour or what good ideas were. When I was at a weekend market I found a change purse that was in the shape of the grumpy cat face, a mug with a mustache on it and said keep calm and drink coffee, and a frog shaped cactus vase thing. I had no idea and thought these were random enough together to be funny.... right? Well when I opened my gift it was a box full of pads... yes pads for your period. They don't use or really have tampons here so a variety of pads was in my box... lovely, but probably the best gift I could have gotten as I had no idea what some things were and they were laughing so hard at the gifts! I think the one was maybe like an emergency survival kit? I have no idea. Then the principal of the school told us to go to the BBQ restaurant down the road for dinner and it was on her. I didn't really want to go because I wanted to be back at my apartment to skype with my mom bright an early (well Canada time) for Christmas morning. I told them I could go but only for a bit. Once the principal left the teachers in broken English told me no BBQ we go dancing shhh its a secret.... alright so I work with a bunch of badass's nice lol. So we went to this large building that had hundreds of tables and a big stage but no dance floor... okay so it's a different than dancing in Canada because I was picturing a big dance floor and bar. We sat down and the teachers ordered food, they grabbed my plate filled it with food and then the beer tower came! It said it held 4L, there was about 10 of us so the first once went quick. Then they ordered two, one for each end of the table. Also in Thailand you usually have a server that stays with your table all night. So this woman would stand there and as soon as your glass was half empty she would grab it and fill it up from the beer tower. Well at first I was just thirsty because it was hot out, then we got spicy food so I was drinking a lot and then I was drunk so I was drinking a lot. It was a vicious cycle.... Then the band got loud and the teachers would scream when a good song was being played (it was all in thai so I had no idea). Then some of the teachers got up and started dancing. This was a common theme. People would just stand up and dance at their table. It was weird at first but once you tucked your chair in and got some space it was a lot of fun. When 10 hit the teachers were like teacher you go home? Well hell no now lol this was actually fun! I mean I didn't have drunk family members around and I wasn't playing Just Dance, but it felt nice. These teachers have become family to me. They always include me and make me feel involved even when I can never join in the conversations we have fun. So more beer towers kept coming and music kept playing and the rest was a blur! I woke up with my AC and fan on (which I never do to save money!), my lights were on and a started Skype conversation with Debby and a dead phone I was trying to charge to call mom. It was 6:00 am the next morning my time, but still Christmas Day in Canada. I had felt horrible for missing Christmas Day! I started to panic and called my mom quick, she was still at Grandma's thank god and I got to see everyone. Christmas was very different this year, but I wouldn't change it for anything. It was the Christmas I needed and I now have a special secret with the teachers!

December 19

I knew this day was going to be extra hard spending it alone without family, and around this time I started feeling a little homesick so I wanted to find something fun to do to celebrate Brandon. I decided to spend the day eating good food, drinking beer and show Brandon around Bangkok. I brought my dog tag of Brandon with me and snapped some pictures of him in Bangkok. We started off the day at a pub, because I wanted to celebrate him and the times we had together. Bully's Pub looked good and had a sign that said happy hour from 11-4 so why not! Well it turned out to be the perfect place for lunch because they had Bud. I have not found a restaurant yet in Bangkok that serves Bud.... super weird but it was meant to be! So I had a Bud, or two watched some soccer on the TV, because having hockey playing would have been madness lol. I started my long walk down the busy streets of Bangkok stopping at little stands to buy some souvenirs and food along the way. I found this to be such a great way to see my city. Usually I will google somewhere to go and I will take the BTS (sky train) and get off at that stop. I walked the distance of 5 BTS stops and it took me about 3 hours but it was fun to see everything that goes on in between each BTS stop. It allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone (which I didn't think I really had one) lol, but I was alone in the busy streets with so much going on around me. I felt lost at times and started to freak out, but then in those times I found myself as silly as that may seem. I was okay with not knowing where I was and no one could speak the same language as me. I felt myself blending in as I tried to speak more thai, and just trying food I would never before or could even say what was in it. But I tried it and the food was awesome and I found my way back to the BTS. Every thing worked out. I then had heard about a market going on in Bangkok and thought it would be fun to do. It was called MAP Weekend Festival and was filled with food venders and food trucks and so many things to buy! First things first I got a beer from the beer tent. I asked them to pour me their favourite, and it was good! I think this stand was a craft beer or Thailand because I had never heard of the company before. Then the food!!! I got a rotee (which are super popular in Thailand) and it is like a crepe with fruit. Mine had kiwi, strawberries, bananas and nutella :) I bought lots of stuff as well because it was all cheap and got some new earrings and a ring. I had to get my secret santa gift still as well so I found a mug, change purse and cactus (they were suppose to be funny gifts). I ended the night with getting a stone oven pizza made from this food truck that had a big line... so it must be good! And it was :) I had a great day that made me feel more independent in Thailand, it helped knowing I have a big brother keeping an eye out for me up above. xo

Sports Day at School!

I think my school holds events every week, this is no joke. Every Friday (well most) we have no classes because something is going on. December 18th was sports day and the school was separated into two teams. Team Yellow and Team Purple. I was on team yellow and I was feeling confident on our chances of winning the trophy because I had some fast and smart kids on my team! They gave all the kids hats to wear and pompoms to cheer with! It was really exciting and felt like an O-Week back at Laurier, except with babies... We sang and played lots of games. There was relay races that all varied for each grade, more advanced for the K3's and easier things for K1. It was adorable to watch them get so excited and competitive at only 3-6 years old! They did basketball and raced on bikes it was such a fun day! My favourite was the tug of war because I was screaming at my team to pull and obviously led them to victory... then the real fun began! The teachers got to play tug of war against each other! Again from O-Week had lots of practice and kicked butt! Team Yellow won and the day was one of my favourite!