Hello hello!
I was so wrong when I thought a blog would be easier than social media to maintain. I find it too easy to be self critical about what I type and what I’m putting out for everyone to see.
But I know it’s a let down to my dedicated followers (I’m lookin at you Precious….) to never see any updates.
I promise I am alive and well, experiencing all the things I have been wanting to experience and then some. I’m soaking up every bug bite, every insane view, every mysterious market meat, and every awkward interaction I have with my terrible Thai.
Missing you all dearly!!
After Vietnam — which I may post about more in the future once Billy recovers from his flu and sends me some pictures already — I headed to Thailand with Matt. We serendipitously got our plane tickets for the same exact flight so naturally decided to explore the new country together.
Seeing as we were both recovering the nasty ‘Hanoi Hack’ (after spending many days in a city with an aqi over 200 it’s bound to happen…) we decided to skip the Bangkok business and head straight south to soak up the sun and scooter around a gentle beach town.
My future Workaway host immediately recommended Krabi, since this time of year it sees better weather and with arguably much more to do than other areas down south. So we popped on an easy going 14 hour train ride seated in a pre-war style 90° bench with non stop lights and food vendors.
About an hour away from our stop in Trang, the train comes to a sharp halt and suddenly, everyone is looking out of the window confused. We hear them saying this word that sounds like “duh koy”. Naturally we wonder if we’re getting robbed? Is there a blown gasket? Eventually, and awkwardly since I just woke up from a mish mashed 2 hour nap and was very disoriented, I get a family and some of the train people to speak into my phone.
The train had only hit a Buffalo.
Our time in Krabi was already off to an interesting start.
We were there for a total of 7 days.
Just enough time to get sunburnt once, drunk 6 times, see a proposal on the beach, get a flat tire, eat more fried noodles than I ever had up to this point in my life, buy and lose a pair of sunglasses each, get 40-50 bug bites, get a flat tire, see some enslaved elephants, stay in an abandoned movie theater, watch seven sunsets, get stung by jellyfish, scared by giant monkeys, climb 1260 stairs, call an ambulance for a woman on those stairs, lose a bike key, find a bike key, watch a fire show, get chased by butterflies, listen to stoned old men give an entire synopsis of a Mel Gibson movie, throw up in a public bathroom, beat the sea lice, bathe in a waterfall, and eat many mystery items from sprawling markets.
Alas, even though we didn’t want to, the time came for Matt and I to part ways (after another 14 hour bus and sitting train ride of course). We had grown very close over the last several weeks, and for someone who’s been traveling solo for as long as Matt has or for as long as I plan on doing, a close friend is never to be taken for granted. I will miss his company but have high hopes our paths may cross again. Either way I’m sure we will hear plenty of what the other is up to in the months to come.
In the interest of saving time for myself and for you, oh thoughtful reader, I’ll leave it at that. This week offered me recovery, excellent friendship, and my first taste of Thai. I love what is in the air here, even though the trees keep reminding me not to get too comfortable.
I don’t plan on it.