In the meantime we have also said goodbye to another milestone..SE Asia. After spending almost 2 months here we took our final departure from Bangkok yesterday. In order to bring some closure to the experience and to write stuff down so I don't forget what happened, here's some of what went on in our final days.
One of my many idiosyncrasies is that I tend to get fixated on the way I expect things to happen, and I don't always adjust well when what I want can't happen. Looking back now, as much as I wanted to experience Vietnam, the issues that precluded us from getting a visa led to a far superior time (I say this now because I know the weather we would have experienced in Hanoi was crap). We got to sample the magic of Laos and reconnect with Madeleine (our friend from Cusco) in Koh Lanta Thailand.
Meeting Madeleine in Koh Lanta meant not only that we would be heading back to the southern Thai islands for multiple days on the beach in the hot sun with the ocean just steps away.
It meant that we got another chance to hone our elephant driving (and feeding) technique
It meant I got to take advantage of outdoor plumbing and get some travel dirt off
It meant we got to see more monkeys (c'mon - induldge me.Monkey's are funny) and a boat that seemed to come from a James Bond movie
It meant another snorkelling adventure where we saw fantastic fish, hung out on a cool beach, and watched a lizard eat used chicken wings
It meant trying stand up paddle boarding for the first time for both Heather and me
It meant having some quality frisbee time on a beach
It meant stopping every day to take a moment and watch the sunset
And best of all it also meant that I had a date to watch the Super Bowl! Even if I was in a bar at 6:30 in the morning to do it, had two cups of Thai coffee (one fortified with Bailey's) and had the jitters the rest of the day!
The extra time in Thailand also enabled us to discover the infamous Khaosan road in Bangkok, where you can bargain for t-shirts, sunglasses, travel bags, keychains, suits, massages, and even fake ID's. t one point I thought maybe I should save myself a bunch of money and just buy Chloe's degree now, but ethical kid that she is, she declined my offer to become a 10 year old university graduate.
Too bad you have to put up with that crappy weather on the beach. A nice cool 4 degrees here. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for not rubbing it in by sharing the results of the game. So good seeing you guys! Looking forward to reading about your adventures in India.
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