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).