Well I officially feel like I am in an ever increasing
vortex of time. As I look back at the past few months I am overwhelmed with
gratitude and amazement at how much I have come to love Thailand and how much I
have continued to learn and experience here. The last day of school in March
was emotional to say the least, I never imagined how much I would grow to love
my students. Saying goodbye to them was the hardest moment in Thailand, I was
overflowing with love and appreciation for each of them. They are each so
special and looking back at all we had gone through was nothing less than
awesome!
But with that said, I was certainly ready for a holiday and
had been looking forward to my dad’s arrival in April. As soon as he landed in Suratthani
we wasted no time getting moving, and hopped a minibus to Krabi Town to start
our Thai adventures. My dad was eager to try new things and not afraid to get a
little sweaty (which is a given when it’s the hottest time of the year here!).
First on the agenda was renting motorbikes and heading out of town to the imfamous Tiger Cave. I had been advised to go early in the morning, as there is also a hike to the top of the mountain that would not be fun in the heat of the day. After 1,237 of the steepest steps imaginable we made it to the seated Buddha overlooking the entire district of Muang Krabi. Next we found the temple inside the tiger cave and I had a photo-op with the tiger shrine.
Having been to Krabi several times I had a general idea of
the area but exploring it on motorbikes was totally different and we really
enjoyed the drive between Krabi town and Ao Nang, stopping at Shell Beach,
Nopparathara Beach, and the reclining Buddha.
We enjoyed Krabi but I was eager to get on a boat and show my
dad my most favorite spot – Ton Sai. After grabbing a bungalow just off the
beach at Mambo we went straight to Sunset Bar where we could relax and enjoy
the view and slackline with a few beers.
On the second day we were feeling ambitious so we rented a
kayak and thought it was a good idea to venture out to an island. The locals
told us it would take about 2 hours to get there and back so we left in good
spirits eager to see what the nearest island had to explore. Once we were about
half way out we realized that I had left our water back on land, but we were
determined to keep on and figured we were making good time and would be able
get some water on the island one way or another. However, as we continued to
row and made it to the small rock that had appeared to be right next to the
island we realized we were not even half way there. From the beach it was a
straight shot, but with no real landmarks it appeared much closer than it was
in reality!!
By the time we finally made it to the island we were both
dying for some water and rest! But what we had hoped would be a neat deserted
island turned out to be flooded with tourists! Every ten minutes or so another
large boat was pulling up and dropping off between 10 and 40 tourists. We were
disappointed to say the least but still dreading the journey back! After
downing several bottles of water each we were in a hurry to get back to the
oasis of Ton Sai, but it took every ounce of strength we had to make it!! There
were literally moments when I doubted that we were actually going to make it,
but somehow our arms kept going and there are no words to describe the relief I
felt when we finally reached the beach!
Next destination was Koh PhaNgan, after stopping through
briefly in Suratthani, as I was eager to escape the heat and get in as much
beach and pool time as possible! We stayed at a really nice resort that had two
pools and a restaurant on the sand. The fruit shakes were unbeatable,
especially after we got the idea to get our own bottle of SangSom at the 7Eleven.
The relaxation was in full effect and we had planned to go to another side of
the island but were enjoying Loyfa Natural Resort too much to leave! With our
rental motorbikes we still made it around the entire island and had a great
time exploring the steep jungle roads and bypasses.
I was eager to try some new things as well and I had been
hearing about the zip lines at Just For Fun. Of course it wasn’t until after we
were strapped in and on the second platform that dad tells me he’s actually
afraid of heights! It was cool because it was more than just a traditional zip
line, it was more like a treetop obstacle course, each platform had a different
kind of challenge, a rope ladder, wooden swinging steps, a single board you had
to balance on, or a zip line. The whole course took about 30 minutes to go
through and we had an awesome Thai guy leading us through it, he was super
entertaining, friendly and knowledgable about the area!! Afterwards we enjoyed
a drink and the view from the mountain top across towards Koh Samui (the
neighboring island).
On Koh Pha Ngan I celebrated my 1 year travelversary on Haad
Rin where we had amazing Greek food and a Guiness J It was really neat to
spend it with my dad, who had taken me to my last meal stateside (I choose
mexican food – and it still is the one kind of food I miss the most!!) and
dropped me off at LAX exactly one year before.
Following the Bangkok Art Map we took off towards 100 Tonson
Gallery, where there was a solo exhibition of minimalistic wooden sculptures
called “Capturing Moments” by Utai Nopsiri. The artist happened to be there
when we arrived and I admired the craftsmanship of the work as well as the
existential undertones of the figures and shapes.
Next on the list was Adler Subhashok Gallery, or SAC, which
seemed to be not too far out of the way, according to the map. But after
walking for over an hour it became extremely obvious that we had the worst map
in the history of maps, and if it hadn’t been for a happening to see the small
handwritten sign with an arrow in the general direction and a HUGE amount of
patience and determination we never would have found the 4 story contemporary
gallery. Luckily there was enough interesting work there, as well as cold
drinking water, that we left happy and hydrated and ready for the next and
final art stop.
WTF Gallery and Café was everything I could have wanted it
to be, with graffiti and street art installations surrounding the alley
entrance, craft beer and politically charged artwork I was more than satisfied
and it was a perfect end to our day full of artventures throughout the city.
The next day I wanted to do some shopping at the famous JJ
Weekend Market, also known as Chatuchak, or Jatujak market, where you can
literally find anything under the sun from fine art, clothing, housewares,
tools, crystals, antiques, exotic animals, and of course fruit shakes.
With one day left and at just about the time dad had thought
he’d seen it all I still wanted to make a stop in Chinatown. We took the river
boat up towards the Grand Palace area and then grabbed a tuk tuk into Chinatown
for one final shopping and photo spree (I may or may not have purchased 11
pairs of sunglasses!!!) Then we enjoyed one last dinner looking across the Chao
Phraya as the sun set behind the temple.
We had a great time traveling travelling together and it was
so much fun to show my dad around my town as well as explore some new areas
with him that I had never been to before!! I am so thankful that he was able to
come all the way out here and see what my life has been like and the places and
things I have been experiencing over the past year!! It was also really neat to
talk to him about some of the world travelling he has done as well, he had some
really neat stories to share about some of the trips he has taken to Europe and
Asia and it was fun to hear them!! I always knew that the travel bug runs deep
in my blood line, and I am so happy that both of my parents have now made it
all the way to Thailand to visit me!!
Ahh yes, I am a lucky girl J
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