Passionation

PHOtastic

2013-06-19T01:43:00.002-07:00

You know your in Vietnam when you see this outside your window!

Motorbike overload!

Travelers favorite shirt

California Fitness! hahah thought this was great!

they come out like horses on a track

Right here is a safe addition to any motorbike or motorcycle...

I would never put a baby on this! so unsafe.

here is maybe the reason I was sick after my first day in Hanoi

After an all nighter, no sleep- + a funny drunk cab ride.... I made it 3 hours early to my 6:45 AM flight to Hanoi.

Its crazy how many Vietnamese people really do embrace the Vietnamese pyramid hat. I find it quite comical because they really are funny looking hats but they do work wonders. I don't know what it is about my Vietnamese hat but every time I take it out in public, people assume its a "community hat".

They pick it up, put it on and sometimes walk away with it on.

Ya sure.... I mean it was only a dollar.. As long as you bring it back. Promise you'll bring it back.

So what do I have to say about Hanoi...

I love it.

WOW surprise surprise right? I mean I like it even more than Ho Chi Minh.

All though they do have a lot of similarities, its just less crazy.

Pyramid Hats

Crazy motorbike drivers with 4 or 5 people cruisin'

Never ending honk wars

Miniature bar stool like table chairs

Cheapest beer

Coolest backpacker hostel

Amazing food: Baguettes, salads, noodles for days, butterscotch ice cream cones (at the mini marts)

Funny looking outfits, onezies and a very active culture.

Vietnam has personality. It should definitely not be missed if your doing a trip to South East Asia.

Today I didn't do much just got some sleep, took it easy, went on a walk and celebrated the 5:50 Happy hour special... Ah shit I bought one, I get one free... if you say so!

I am in a dorm with 10 other beds (girls only)

Met this guy who I swear has been with me since 5AM.

Matt from Kansas hehe. I saw him when I was still buzzed at the airport. He was at the "plug in" area chargin up. He had a guitar and looked like he was from the states.

I asked him if he would watch my shit while I went to the bathroom. I saw him again at visa checkout and then when I walked in my hostel guess who was there... Yep, Matt. After checking in guess who whose stuff was on the bed under mine.... Matt's, kinda trippy. We were like soooo are you staking me?

I went on a walk by myself to go explore this little "old town". The streets all look very similar so its very easy to get lost, which can be the fun of it (sometimes).

So yes, I got lost.. Found a gym called California Fitness and Yoga, thought that was comical.

Now tomorrow I got to go get my visa, hence the reason I came here... and then I gotta find something to do with my day. I think Wed I will go on the Ha Long Bay Tour. I'm excited for sure!!! It's expensive but when your already broke everything is expensive. Even this dollar beer I bought.

I am glad my blog is back up, its a great stress release and reflection of life, love and the pursuit of my travels :) (See what I did there) ... since traveling is my happiness**

Over and Out

#followthefarang

Back To Blog

2013-06-13T00:25:00.003-07:00

Some people call it falling off the horse others may call it rock bottom, but I like to call it a slap in the face. What am I talking about? well I guess you could say life.... but thats a little too general

I'll go with: My goals/purpose/what the fuck am I doing?

Today, I pretty much realized every GREAT thing I've accomplished but for some reason didn't feel that rewarding sense of accomplishment, moreso "instant gratification". The problem isn't that I give up, I just simple lose motivation to do the tasks I set for myself from previous goals.

I start and go and then I go away... I don't run, I simple change my focus because I feel like it ? Anyways, the purpose of me posting this is because I'm excited. I started this blog because I felt my stories and experience were worth something. In the mist of living up to that expectation I simply lost faith in everything that I came to do. I lost my confidence that I can do anything and be my best. My attitude shifted and I honestly think it was because what I was doing wasn't challenging enough.

I stopped pushing myself because I didn't think I was capable of doing it all. Today I move forward, I know I can do what I love, challenge myself, fall down, get up and push on. Not everyday is going to be SUPER AMAZING... but I know if I pick up the pieces of what I've started and stop making up excuses, I will succeed. I will achieve my goals and I will make a difference.

I Challenge anyone and everyone who reads this (if any) to flip the switch, become your own coach and tell yourself: TODAY IS THE START OF SOMETHING GREAT, I am bigger than my fears and I will not settle for easy.

Cheers all.... I have re-named this blog and created another blog which I will be proud of! Thanks for everyones love and support.

Light The Flame

2012-12-04T10:00:00.002-08:00

LOVE this video

When I find something useful or exciting the first thing I want to do is share it.... this is one of those things

Goal-Setting Theory:

Goals tend to motivate people in four ways

1. Provide a consistent direction

2. Improve the chances for success

3. Serve as self-motivators and energizers

4. Bridge the gap between the dream and the reality

I believe in this theory very strongly. Do it people, WRITE IT DOWN.

How do you expect to have meaning in your life without direction and clarity?

Your important, your worth it, the future is in your hands all you have to do is handle it

Do Something Epic

2012-11-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

Never have I ever felt so proud to be apart of something bigger than myself....

Today my homie Kyle finished this video/documentary for his Business Fraternity Fundraiser back home in Ohio. The video sums up our experience during our Halloween visit to Baan Unrak orphanage.

If you feel the love you can Donate Here

Kyle thank you for taking me along for the ride, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I'm so blessed to have such an amazing friend that shares the same passion to inspire others.

Oh and i'm also proud of his ability to quickly create this inspiration video while also learning how to use Imovie in two days ... He deserves the credit for putting our footage together in a timely fashion! I'm a perfectionist and take forever so deadlines and me don't do well... We are now working on another video that we hope will inspire others to make a difference.

Living out of a suitcase

2012-11-08T10:02:00.003-08:00

M.I.A.

This is me inside of Brooke's new traveling backpack

Where have I been?!?... Living out of my suitcase

I can't believe it is already the 8th of November...

Thats 1) sad 2) crazy 3) exciting

October was one NON-stop month and thus the reason why its been a month since I have updated anything.

I think I managed to fit a few years worth of travel back home but in one month....

Here are places and highlights of October:

Kanchanaburi, Thailand (4x)

Photo taken by Sam Barber

I have this weird obsession with pictures of shoes...

Me and my best friend

Relaxation at its finest; Jolly Frog

Trip #2 Kanchanaburi with Luke Kennedy

An unforgettable scooter ride to the waterfalls

We had the road to ourselves, not a care in the world... Our scooter ignited the fire of freedom as we enjoyed our hour ride with the fresh air, green scenery and clear skies.

We made it, the water level was higher so we took a new route to the top

We spent the day exploring the waterfalls, hiking, swimming, jumping off rocks, getting lost and being kids, it was truly amazing. Intimately experienced mother nature to the extent that literally left us both in tears of happiness. It's invigorating climbing upstream fighting mother nature in an attempt to discover what so many people never see in a lifetime. To feel like REALLY FEEL apart of nature is indescribable. When we were climbing from level 6-->7 (not on the path but through the water) I became overwhelmed by the joy of life. Me and Luke were both speechless, laughing, crying and smiling because the greatness of earth empowered us. We made it to the top with no one else there and we laid for awhile staring at the sun while it peaked over the tallest fall. My camera couldn't even capture the moment because of the mist fogging my lense...

My attempt at a good picture

shoe shot

Crashed into reality

After one of the most amazing days of my life I got struck by an eye-opening experience. Me and luke were about 5 minutes away from our hostel when we crashed into a black dog after attempting to steer away from him. He slammed on the breaks, my eyes closed as we tumbled to the ground- skidding on the road. I jumped up in out of instinct to get out of the way of oncoming traffic and told Luke to get out... Thank god for the Thai locals that helped us get an ambulance and fix our broken scooter.
Through thick and thin, good and bad, highs and lows... unexpected tragedy is something that is necessary for you to appreciate the beauty, greatness and love in your life. Reality can hit hard literally, but at the end of the day its all about perspective. How we digest it and interpret it can change the course of our lives.
The experience made me realize that life really is unpredictable and everyday, every moment and every person should not be taken for garnet. Life is short, live it up!

Trip 3: Chiang Mai

Picture Perfect at Butterfly Farm in Chiang Mai

Mama, what a gem she is. Watched my boo while we trekked

Trip 4: Laos Vientiane and Vang Vieng

Laos is Beauitful

Stopped in Vientiane then bused to

Vang Vieng

Trip 5: Sangklaburi field trip

Of course a shoe shot

Truly was a sight to see..
Trip 6: Sangklaburi Baan Unrak Orphanage

Visit to the orphanage with Kyle...

Will have photos of orphanage to come!

Ended October in Singapore, Singapore

all of that in the mist of a month, it was NUTS.

Chasing Waterfalls

2012-11-07T05:44:00.002-08:00

Bridge over the River Kwai

September-22-2012 (3 days, 2 nights)

Destination: Kanchanaburi, North of Bangkok

Transportation: Public Bus 127 (30THB) -->Bus station Noi--> Private Bus (leaves every 30 minutes, 150THB)

Hostel: Jolly Frog

Accommodation : Waterfront room 150THB per night (75THB each= $2.50 USD)

comfy king bed, fan, bathroom not attached to room (squatter)

Tips for travelers-

Bring: Toilet paper, towel, bug spray, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, pack light, a book, shoes you can get wet (girls jelly shoes)

Budget: total spent less than 3,000 THB (we got 2 massages, ate nice meals and did the major attractions)

Our experience:

We had heard a lot about the waterfalls but didn't have a Lonely Planet book or any idea what we were really* getting ourselves into.

Co-incidentally on my moms birthday; Saturday, Sept. 22nd we woke up around 6:45am (early for us) because we wanted to have the whole day to explore. Our morning actually worked out perfectly, time was in our favor. Before leaving we stopped at 7-11 down the street from our house to stock up and when we got out of the store the bus 127 was right there waiting for us! we hopped on, got to the bus station and waaallaaa the next bus happened to be in 30 minutes. The ride was easy, fast and somewhat relaxing.

First impression of Kanchan: Omg this place is the coolest thing ever. I can't believe it's only 2 hours away from us for $2.50. We took a TukTuk bike to Jolly Frog (which we had heard about from other friends). What an amazing place, it was RIGHT on the river. Gorgeous day, sun shinning, around 11 o'clock and we were ready to explore.

Jolly Frog's restaurant=extremely cheap but you get what you pay for. Quantity over quality thats for sure (just a splash of shell in my scrambled eggs)

The great part about Jolly Frog was the hammocks and the baby kittens we fell in love with!

After having a late 2nd breakfast we decided to rent a scooter: 200THB for 24 hours= we're in! It was kinda a pain because we didn't bring our passports, luckily all we had to was walk down the street to another shop that didn't care. I appreciate it more now that I've been to Kanchanaburi 3x, we both had helmets. Man did it feel good to be back on a scooter. Not gonna lie at first I had forgotten what side of the road to drive on, but I put on my poker face and rode me and Brooke threw the city.

Bridge over River Kwai, where the 1957 British World War II film by David Leah was based on the bridge. yes, Tourist attraction! we checked out the shopping, saw some random animals and enjoyed the sunshine.

FYI, getting lost in a new place is the most effective way to explore

The first day in Kanchanaburi changed my life. Me and Brooke were SO happy. We found the most beautiful little island, scenery that made my heart skip a beat.

It takes the untouched land and massive landscapes of Mother Nature to truly change your perspective

I had never seen anything like it, well except on StumbleUpon where there is pictures of beautiful destinations that look too good to be true. In that moment nothing else mattered to us, our adrenaline was as high as a kite through the rest of our adventure. The only inconvenience:

Pictures don't do justice!

No matter how great it is....for some reason the moment we feel something so fabulous, beautiful, inspiring, life-changing and unreal... we are always quick to capture.

"Omg this is so unreal; holy cow... Did you see that!!! Take a picture!"

The happiness that fills our hearts isn't for-filling until it is shared. I mean I can tell you how amazing a place is and I can show you my pictures but unfortunately living the experience is something more personal than this (or any) blog.

BUT, in my defense I write because I am passionate about traveling;

Passionate about living life to the fullest and pursuing the purpose of life.

This brings up a lecture I had in my PY228 Interpersonal Relations class (yes, I still do go to school) where my teacher was talking about the purpose of our lives. She asked some students:

"What is the purpose of your life?"

Thai students response: to make my family proud, to give to others..to be happy.

One Thai student said "I am not sure what my purpose is, I think mine is to find out that purpose."

I found this interesting; the idea that the journey of our self-discovery, self-concept is a piece of the puzzle of our purpose. Its not necessary the finish line that we are all seeking; the end; success.. but rather to เพลิดเพลิน (enjoy) the process and how we embrace it and reflect on it.

Every life experience is a piece of the puzzle...throughout this journey of life, we are all building, constructing and revising our puzzle, our purpose, ourselves. When it's done, a beautiful picture is created. A beautiful life. Although the beauty is not in the picture, it's in the story of each pieces being put together.

Together we all live in this world with the same pursuit of happiness. Hand in hand, we can help fill the missing pieces of each others lives.

Ask yourself: "What is the purpose of your life?"

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS HAPPINESS.

"The turn-toward happiness as a valid goal and the conscious decision to seek happiness in a systematic manner can profoundly change the rest of our lives." -Quoted from the book I'm reading The Art of Happiness.

So back to what I was saying...yes, I am usually one of those travelers that says: Omg lets get a picture or a video to prove that we did that.

On our way back after a good 2 hour scooter ride on the island, it started DUMPING. At this time, Brooke was driving and wow I couldn't even watch. I was nervous, not gonna lie. We made it back to Jolly Frog drenched as if we had showered in our clothes. There were a few moments when the rain fogged up our glasses and things got pretty scary.

All in all, that scooter ride is one I will remember forever. Me and my best friend had the opportunity to explore a piece of the world that gave us goosebumps and made us reflect on how lucky we are.

After we changed out of our wet clothes, we decided to check out this sick-ass reggae bar that had a hammock in the middle and live music. Straight jahhh, it was so chill and whoaaaa their Long Islands are long and strong!

Since it was only like 6 pm we decided that we better go get a thai massage and then go out. At our Thai massage the guy next to us seemed as if he was gettin' alittle bit more than that (happy ending). After a great meal and a great day we were ready to try out the night life. Of course we started at the street bar that said "Get drunk for 10 baht" ummm thats like a penny. I'm in. and on top of that the first bottle we saw was of course the infamous Black cock!

REPRESENT.

We met some pretty cool people (best part of our traveling) and got to hear everyones stories. We went back to the reggae place played with the instruments and bonded with the loc-dogs. Brooke knocked my Long Island over, after I knew it was gonna be a good night. At that point I knew it was going to be hard to wake up early and go to the waterfalls :/ but in that moment, nothing else was on our minds. We wanted to celebrate life at its greatest.

Ended up sleeping in.. ops. Had to push the waterfalls back a day because its one of those events you need to wake up early and do.

We spend our day laying in Hammocks chilling with Sam and I attempted to paint. But didn't manage to get anything on the canvas.

I would recommend Jolly Frog to travelers who

1) aren't high maintenance

2) are on a budget

3) don't need AC

4) Looking for a peaceful cheap place to sleep

There is really frogs at night that are Jollily making noise.

Our last day we woke up early to catch the bus to Erwin Waterfalls. The bus was easy and around 30 baht (1$) and then they charge you around 200 baht once you get up there. So worth it.

7 different levels of waterfalls. Tall Trees, beautiful streams, reflections, bridges and insects. Since we made it there early we beat the tourist, but on our way back we ran into some entertaining european bathing suits. They are definitely not shy about showing skin. Guys in speedos, girls in skimpy suits.

Waterfall #7 is the jackpot. Looks a little like Yosemite back in the US but obviously had a different atmosphere. What people don't tell you is:THERE IS FISH EVERYWHERE. They nibble at you when you go in the water. It tickled and was hard to really swim while being surrounded by a bunch of hungry nemos. Brooke sat back and laughed as me and Sam attempted to swim while telling the fish to back off as if thats going to do anything.

On our bus ride back we all sat in the back with this little adorable girl staring at us. Of course I wanted to capture her emotions in a photo.

When we got back in Bangkok it was pouring rain, we had the driver stop across from our place so we wouldn't have to get a cab. We looked hilarious, 2 girls with our backpacks on and rain suits on, we looked like walking umpa lumpas. Everyone was staring, we got a kick out of it.

All in all the trip was great, our first trip without Kyle and Kevin, we missed them but it was nice to meet Sam and bond with my besty.

Kanchanaburi TRIP #1=Success

Biggest Realization:

It is SO easy to take a bus from Bangkok --> anywhere. The hardest part: deciding where to go.

Favorite Moments: Scooter ride, Sliding down the manmade slide at the falls, Dancing and playing music at the Reggae bar, Thai massages, Playing with the kittens

I knew after that I would be back to Kanchanaburi soon.

Iris Love

2012-10-04T11:19:00.002-07:00

Feels like yesterday Jane and Katie were here!

But really... it was like 3 weeks ago :(

We met at Koh Phangan and ever since then its been love at first sight.

They came to Bangkok for the weekend and me and Brooke were of course excited to host...

I mean they were techniqually our first guests! I had an itinerary all set up, well kinda. AKA do everything in Bangkok that we haven't yet done... & take them to all the cool places we love: Here is our stay.....read on

This is at Bombay Blues=Best indian food/atmosphere near KhoSanRoad. Who doesn't like sitting while you stuff your face and smoke hooka.. I do!

As the night progressed, so did our adventure.. This was our last night with the girls! We had to make it a memorable one. We found an entertaining bar aka the corner where we kicked it for alittle and talked about our friends, family, future... you know the 3 most popular F's! oh and food ;)

Cheers to no hangover! (I never know if they work....but I tend to feel better about it before)

Here is one of the sketchiest dogs WE have ever seen... Mind you Katie got eaten alive about a week before from a stray dog at Koh Tao. This was the last thing on her list of things to see in Bangkok...

But hey, she's a champ... Gotta fight fear face on!

Here we are; casually kicking it...

Feet shot!

If you moved... He was first to tap tap

People watching never gets old

We made friends with a local...

He is also the owner of the dog

We asked him where he lives and he said here....

aka him and his dog live on KhoSan road

His friends were entertained

But he loved it

YEP! thats the dog....

And he ended up being the sweetest thing

We were happy to be together

Funniest photo everrr

Look who decided to show up; casually late

THE CLUB!

This note was from Jane, Thursday night we went out and Jane insisted that she come to class with me Friday. I couldn't manage to wake her up, she looked way too comfortable with her little teddy bear out like a light...

That morning we insisted to kill the hangover with a good old fashion trip to Ethos!

Tea for a hangover?

Cutest Hippy Couple with their dreads and adorable baby

Kyle felt like amillion bucks!

Bird food didn't do the trick :/

On our way to the zoo!

YEP we are foreigners

Bottoms up!

We managed to do it all... Act like we were 5,7,11,12,15 all ages you name it! Here we played a game with the fishes. You scoop them onto this thin tissue net thing and transfer them into a cup. The one with the most fish before breaking the tissue wins! Patients, stillness, strategy. Ya I didnt win. KYLE DID!

Then we feed the little growin hungry kids

Some great pictures with the animals

Do we measure up?

Dinner bell

Its the moments when no one is looking that are the greatest. Priceless

So asian!

I want one

Look pretty much peed herself here

Just chillin with the truck

Technology is taking over!

SINGHA FOR DAYS

our boat ride to the boys soccer game!

Pregame with the TKB shirt! Love it Kyle
although it took me 3 weeks to get it back

Yes Brooke and Jane managed to carve there names into the wall at the irish pub on Khosan

I thought in spite of everyone being together for the last night.... I had a personal bracelet made for each of us! my drunk ass decided to try to be witty when really it was just not..
Bucket My Cock...
It really isn't sexual at all. I was referring to the Bucket of Alcohol that they sell everywhere in Thailand's and Black Cock was the first drink we had when we met the girls... My* was referring to the personalization of the bracelet :) I sware there is meaning behind it!

buckets.....NEVER

We thought tongues were cool

if your happy and you know it....

The fambam

We love each other

This was a few days before when the boys came to visit us! It was awesome seeing them again too... Ethos for dayszz!! I'm sure we will all be reunited under a full moon agian..

Shout out!

This was our last night... we made a lot of friends.. Jane was napping

Goodbye are never fun :( but we tried...

Me and brooke tried on their heavy bags! All I can say is thank got for the seat belt. Brooke is in for a treat in Europe ... you too Zack!

Straight backpacking

Pepto, black cock, polaroids for dayyzsss

We had a cute collage of photos. We miss you guys already! So many great memories that will not be forgotten. I hope to see you in Ireland soon :) Santa send me a plane!

Update

2012-09-29T07:17:00.002-07:00

Its been a while since I have blogged, I apologize to all my die-heart followers... (crickets)

DONT WORRY, I am here to tell you that I have good things coming!

I am currently uploading photos and although I haven't filled you in on the adventures, I haven't forgotten them.

Me and Brooke were at the waterfalls last weekend and it was unreal, can't wait to tell you that one.

This week I've been crazy busy with school and trying to get all of my graduation stuff on track.

BORING... so ya I will have some new post in the near future;

PS. Thanks for all the feedback family, friends, strangers...it's always nice to hear that people are actually reading my blog and this isn't just a lost cause.

Keeps me interested when I keep other interested!

Pressures on

2012-09-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

Today it hit me. Like a bag of bricks, it's my last year of college. I'm a senior, in a foreign country where I feel like a freshman all over again. The pressure is external but it's causing me to feel like its "now or never" ... Right when I though "Thai time" was so amazing, western ideology tries to sneak its way in.

I just wanna like push a button and turn off the time in America. Can you image? People would probably go crazy because they wouldn't be going crazy trying to keep up with the time.

Counter productive.

So the reason for my vent is because of my situation:

#1 priority: GETTING MY DEGREE

I'm a senior who has changed major from undeclared to pre-studio art to communications to communications with a minor in journalism to now: a communication studies major with a ton of extra art credits.

33 units left to graduate.

I would have said "on time" but that's not even fair. On time to one person could be late to another. Oh like my brother who is in the "5 year program" ... What the heck does that mean?

Seems late to me ;)

So now I'm try to please my parents by getting my degree in May 2013.

Which would be "on time" because I'm on the "4 year plan" ....

I'm sorry but college itself is such a paradox. Don't EVEN get me started. I sincerely don't even frown upon anyone who took a passion and followed it after high school.

I don't want to come off unappreciative or whatnot but I truly feel alittle "feed up" with this ideology of education. That by getting my BA degree its going to change my life and all of these great opportunities are going to pop out. NOPE, life's going to continue on the same way and no one will even know that I spent 4 years of my life going to college.. Unless its on an application or someone asks.

What I have gained from college is experience, but not from the classroom.... From the relationships I've built and the places I've been.

In my opinion, Experience is 10x more important, useful and enjoyable than a textbook.

You want to learn something, you can learn it... Why do you need a piece of paper to prove your more qualified than someone else?

Anyways, enough complaining. College has taught me how to stay committed and be disciplined so I guess I'm doing something right.

In the end, I am not mad at my parents for pressuring me to get done if 4 years... I know they only want the best for me. I also know that's how they were conditioned/brought up and that is what they think will make me more successful in the long run.

There was something my teacher said yesterday that really made me feel good about sticking it out and made me feel motivated, he said: " This is the generation that thinks there going to be different... This country needs change,

Are you going to make a difference?

There is no universal right or wrong... Its your individual decision.

Make a choice... Think about it.

Ambition

Do something with your privileges.***

Have that mentality. The drive. The goal to succeed. To be happy."

I do feel very privileged and lucky to be going to school over here. I owe so much to my family back at home, they have no idea. I want them to know how much I appreciate there support: financially, emotionally and socially. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all there hard work. (I'm talking about working not baby making)... because of there passion, selflessness and love I intend to get my degree May 2013.

Giving my parents happiness by accomplishing college will not justify how thankful I am for all they have done for ME, but I hope it will show them I DO CARE and I LOVE THEM so SO MUCH.

Time to go study. Xoxo

Life as we know it

2012-09-19T09:37:00.001-07:00

It's been 1 month & 13 days since I moved to Thailand.

Seems like longer but feels like yesterday I arrived. I can't begin to think I would only have 2&1/2 months left here....there's just no way.

I'm going to take a second to share with you my first experience thus far, since I haven't been "the best" on updates. I missed a lot of really memorial moments but at the same time....I can't spend my life behind a screen..

Paradox of progress: blogging takes a lot of time.

So my initial expectations and my actual experience are two separate realities.

Although I didn't know what quite to expect coming to Bangkok, my ideas remained constant. The #1 question: "Why'd you come to Thailand?" ...Everyone and their moms asked that one.

Helllooo, because I wanted to go somewhere I had never been, somewhere I could experience culture shock, cheap living and a new perspective.

I have experienced all of those but what is more interesting is the unexpected, untold, spontaneous, unreal, life-changing, inspiring and unforgettable moments.

The ones that make you wanna " LALA" as Ashlee Simpson would say....

Coming here I had so many different ideas, stereotypes, judgements, negative and positive reviews about Thailand... It took me until now to realize that all of the talk (Internet, movies, news, friends, books) is just that; talk. They are all going to tell you something different (as I am), but it takes the act of actually traveling to FULLY understand what Thailand or any other culture for that matter, has to offer.

In my opinion, Thailand is an amazing place that unconsciously swims in its rich culture; from the people to the food it is one-of-a-kind.

Thammasat university (my exchange school) is only a little chunk of my experience here.

Orientation: everyone abroad wants to make friends. We put ourselves out there... me and my best friend who really isn't even going to the school :P (love you B)...but looking back, we coulda tried harder. So now were trying to reach out to other international students and include ourselves.

Everyone thinks me, Kyle, Brooke and Kevin are dating, or have known each other for years but the truth is we just happened to be at the same place at the same time and we clicked. like a seatbelt.

We first met on our trip to Kho Samet (which has its our post).

We have done SO much in the past month and 10 days it really blows my mind.

1st night we had an authentic Thai dinner made by our landlords parents

We have been to 2 islands

Meditation temple

Fish spa

Thai massage

Ate almost everything and anything

Fried bugs, Thai food, Indian, Mexican, you name it

Became English teachers:FTC

Rode in a tuk tuk and a scooter cab

Rented scooters

Been lost in Thailand

Boat rides

I spun fire!

Rainbows for days

Kickboxing on the rooftop

Spent too much money on shopping

Realized they don't sell alcohol between 2-5

Full moon party

Pet elephants

Drank out of buckets

Zoo

3 rooftop bars:pub crawl

Night market

Siam market

Central mall

Meet people & made friends from:

Irvine, SB, SD; California

North Dakota, USA

Ohio, USA

Devon, England

Barcelona, spain

Caen, France

Dublin, Ireland

Morocco

Sydney, Australia

London, UK

Singapore, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand ;)

Kudelstaart, Holland

We Still forget: that it rains almost everyday, taxi cab drivers decided if they want you or don't, bugs bite, u need to bring toilet paper, we are farangs, you can't be high maintenance, laundry doesn't do itself,

Hangovers dont get better with age, tone is everything in Thai language and they look at you like you live on mars.

PS There wine taste like grape juice with a splash of lint.

Heres some photos from Khao San Road

Bomb Fruit

Sawadeee

Hair wraps for dayzz

This is Lizette, She's awesome

Irish place with best veggie salad

Small appetite...

guess what... it started to rain!

Our first, not last, Thai massage! 8$

Street food...

Hello Kitty eyes

Our second home..Swensens

Selfesss

Beer in a cup? haha

From day to night

ETHOS

Brookes first dread

Fun little hangout with live music!

Yep this is the sign that got us hooked. Shoulda known... it was posted on Khaosan

Our first night out

Thai baby!

Its suppose to prevent a hangover...suppose to*

only in thailand

Burnout

No idea what I'm doing

Its hooka people

Goodbye Greek life, Hello Thai life

2012-09-16T22:13:00.017-07:00

Typical Thai Meal

HelloKitty Contact!! I got 3 different colors; I have 2 now...

Pizza Hut in Thailand: a nice sit down restaurant! hah

This is my hellokitty phone that I had for my first month, I got my iphone unlocked so I have been using that :)

We call it ketchup

Tuk Tuk's for dayszz

This is PATA PinKlao; its like an oversized walmart+a zoo! its also across the street from our condo

Transportation

Totally safe...

Speed racer

Me sitting in the back thinking, "how the heck are we gonna fit!"
My eyes are closed most of the time

If I had a dollar for every time I see a stray animal....

We pretty much live in these

Blind people singing on the street

so far our favorite indian food...Bombay Blues

Last week we went with Plum to see this shark...
Brooke was so excited to see it but when we got there, it was closed :/

Believe it or not, a line to get into Louis Vuitton

Sick elephant chair

Plum recommended these egg tarts...I didn't think those two words should be in the same sentence

Brooke had a bit and said it tasted like a sweet egg...surprise surprise

Here is where we get all our underground electronics/accessories
I don't know how they get away with it but I'm pretty sure its all illegal
I bought Microsoft word for 150 Baht: $4.80

All I do in Thailand is eat. Swensens...the Coldstone of Bangkok
Its a sit down ice cream shop with more options than a supermarket. You can literally get 5 scoops of ice cream on a waffle with hot fudge and carmel...did I mention they deliver? I don't know thai people stay thin... there is food everywhere

Home

2012-09-16T21:29:00.006-07:00

Wanna see our place?

My new bed sheets!

My Window view

Brooke's wall decor

Brooke's bed

After a few weeks, Brooke went shopping for the perfect Hooka

of course the boys were there to try it out

Mission Accomplished: a hippy corner with lights, incenses, hooks, and tie dye

the living room: Clean 24/7....

Sometimes we move the furniture around...

our elevator: 38 floors

7th Heaven(floor 7)

Storms brewin'

after rain comes sunshine

in the meantime we play

Maybe meditate?

Trash bags flyin'

We found out a few days after that Thailand is known for its acid rain....

VIEW FINDER: ON

Taxi Please!

the lovely scooter crew

The lobby where everyone speaks english....oh wait

Challenge accepted

2012-09-11T09:17:00.001-07:00

I just registered for the half marathon in Siem Reap, Cambodia:

Dec. 2. 6:30am. Angkor Wat temple

BRING. IT. ON.

Can't wait.

I also just got my iPhone unlocked so now I can update my life from my phone again :) damn it feels good.

Another great day but got a bring presentation in the am- Wish me luck.

Ethos

2012-09-07T19:45:00.004-07:00

The week flew by and today has been the start off a great weekend. Yesterday I decided I will be staying in Thailand for my second semester.

It is what I need, what I want and what will happen. I can't explain to you how happy I am!

Today I went to lunch with Plum, she is my thai "buddy" that I got paired up with through the international exchange program. She's awesome!

I brought Brooke, Kyle and Kevin to tag along so we could all get to know eachother. What an amazing lunch....ETHOS I LOVE YOU.

Ethos is in a hidden alley behind KhoSan road. Such great atmosphere, food and prices.

We asked Plum every single question we had... from Thai words to hot spots to ladyboys... you name it; we asked it. I was beginning to feel like I should start paying her per question because her insight was soooo useful. It is an experience within itself to share culture with someone from a different place...

Kyle asked Plum to write "Wake up and live" in thai but the thing we all didn't quite understand is that Thai language and English don't aways have direct translations. Emotions and words are translated differently.

The word wake up in thai can mean to become concious while in America it means to Wake up, Get up and get out...
We joked saying it would be hilarious if Plum wrote something extremely inapropriate and Kyle got it tatooed thinking it said "wake up and live" Shoulda woulda coulda.

This guy overheard us talking about learning thai, he was the one that told us about the trouble with direct translation.

We later find out that he has lived in thailand for 9 years and is also the owner of the resturant!

I tell you, somethings are just too crazy. He was so insightful, humble and genuine.

I told him I would post a picture of him with his resturant on my blog so that when it becomes big and everyone is looking for a place to eat... they will go to Ethos at least once ;)

Real. Raw. Vegan. Healthy. Good Vibes. everything you need in one place.

I would love to work there... I got his number because in Novemeber he said he will need someone to work part time!

you can never know too many people

It inspired me and made me even more confident with my decision to stay.

In Thai, Love can be translated as a verb or as a literal term...

There is a different letter for each tone... and twice as many letters as English.

Its crazy.

The word cow itself can mean like 5 different things in thai, depending how you pronounce it... no wonder no one understands us!

If you try at everything and fail at somethings its better than trying for nothing and missing everything. Take every opportunity you get and open your heart to everyone that crosses your path.

Share your story, inspire others and have good Ethos.

We Survived

2012-09-03T09:51:00.004-07:00

This was our weekend at Koh Phangan Island. I will do my best to share our crazy experience.

Since being in Bangkok me and Brooke have made 2 best friends thus far= Kyle & Kevin.

They are staying at the Amarin Mansion (along with all of the other international students) and ever since they responded to our facebook invite to Koh Samet island, we have all been inseparable.

Thus the reason why you haven't heard me mention them is because we are always with them.

Ironically I have to experience the stories in order to write a blog about traveling...

So we basically all INSTANTLY because "The New* four best friends"

Wolf Pack. Players Club. Polyamorous Marriage

that sums up our relationship. This trip we all saw sides of each other that we didn't even know existed!

Since I was on my death bed earlier this week and Kevin was in class, we left the transportation planning up to Kyle and Brooke.

Nothing like waiting till the last minute to start planning our trip to one of the most popular places in Thailand!

No surprise: the TRAINS WERE FULL.

Plan B= 10 hour bus ride, reclining seats, 7PM then another 2 hour fairy to the island.

Mind you all 4 of us are extremely A.D.D.

sitting for any long period of time... NO thank you

We all had one thing in common: sleeping pills.

Friday: after class me and Brooke started getting our stuff ready for the weekend...

1 Packback, 3 bathing suits, alcohol, NyQuil, baht and bug spray.

Did I mention we didn't have a place to stay; everything was fully booked.

Our plan was to pack light, make friends and sleep on the beach: FAIL

The boys came over around 5 to go to PATA mall (it is like a thai walmart, right by our place) to get alcohol and food.

Since the only thing on my mind was the 5th day of my Z pack... I decided not to fully* kill my liver.

We found the Thailand's "pop-off" vodka and this is what it looks like:

Don't know why they call it Black Cock but we yoked that joke all weekend.

It was finally time to go:

In our lobby waiting to for a taxi

We ended up with the whole bottom VIP floor of the bus ironically with our friends from our last trip (Koh Samet), so stoked!

Kyle (left), Kfed (right), Zuzanna (right), Moroccan friend (left), me (left)

Oh, before leaving Kfed dropped a black cock on our floor and it spilt everywhere, COOL!

On our bus ride Kyle and Brooke decided they wanted to start the celebration early... One Singha down, Kyle popped open the Black Cock right in front of Moroccan Oil (the girl that came with us to Koh Samet) She doesn't drink, doesn't eat breakfast because she is doing Ramada, some Morocco fast/detox religion tradition.. like lent. Being American, we asked her if she losses weight while doing it and if she gets hungry... she said, "no I am pretty use to people eating in front of me and I actually gain weight cause when the sun goes down= I stuff my face."

No wonder she finished off all of our snacks on the way there...don't worry, we like girls that can eat ;)

9pm and we are all ready for our sleeping pills, unfortunately the VIP section is located right next to the SMELLY bathroom which of course has NO toilet paper (like every bathroom in Thailand) and had a broken door with the light switch outside/behind the door. (you can imagine how many times we had to tell people how to use the restroom)

They don't mention that in the description; "10 hour bus ride to Kho Phangan, VIP section, AC, Bathroom regulation, Broken door, talkative travelers and to top it off, we will kick you off the bus extremely early at a port where you will have to wait another 3 hours for a boat.... only 2,000 BAHT"

Sounds great right?

After we took our sleeping pills, we decided to play some games which involved: "Never have I ever" and a contest of who could stay awake the longest.

At this point, the trip got real entertaining!

Kyle's liquor and ambien began to kick in... (don't worry they locked the bus door so the only place he could go was upstairs where the rest of the travelers were sleeping and whatnot)and of course Kyle insisted that he up and visit to make sure that we really are getting the VIP treatment. (ps we really didn't pay for VIP it was just the first seats we grabbed)

Brooke began to get alittle delusional as well. For some reason she wanted some lovin' and kept asking to hold my hand-being a good friend, I gave in.

PIcture this: Kyle upstairs insisting that we all stay seated while he makes sure the upstairs is alright, Kfed laughing and observing, Moroccan Oil eating her white oreos, probably thinking to herself: "wow these people are druggies and alcoholics, what am I dong here" Zuzanna yawning, observing and a bit concerned about Kyles behavior, Brooke plugged in, holding my hand laughing at the situation and me... wishing I had my camera to document all of this.

Kyle came back downstairs, falling over,"You guys don't worry, it's nothing that we want. How's everyone doing down here? everyone good? ok good. Welp, looks like im the only one partying."

We later find out (by someone who stopped us after we got off the bus) when Kyle went upstairs he made an impression, they said, "Dude I remember seeing you come upstairs, you were so funny.... you came up to check on us and then laid in the aisle and everyone was laughing at you but you didn't care."

Yep, that sounds like Kyle.

3:45AM: (angry thai bus driver screaming) WAKE UP, WE ARE HERE... GET UP, GET OUT!!!

So happy

All we wanted was for someone to tell us we were dreaming. Nope, we had to get out and the only open spots to wait for the fairy were outside. I slept on the top of a table with my Sarong over my head, the rest of the group took the bench seats. Miserable...

7AM the sun began to rise and at this point I couldn't sleep anyone so I decided to go watch the sunrise. We all took the camera over and saw a beautiful scene. We tried doing yoga poses to set the mood but it was more graceful in our imagination than the pictures.

If i'm a bird, your a bird

life as we now know it

Brooke and me doing yoga

FINALLY... After waiting for all the Kho Tao people to get on the fairy first, they finally let us on...we sat near the snack stand and I was stoked because the AC was right next to me... The seats were made of plastic, I sware there was a gasolin leak in the AC vent, and we all smelt like dirt.

Just FYI we all like the idea of not complaining but its almost as hard as not recognizing when something is really great you say how much you love it... we reminded eachother frequently how much we hated our decision to take the bus/fairy.

We didn't leave till 8AM.. .I don't know if we were hungry or angry... but me and Brooke decided to get the only thing on the menu; a sandwhich.. Brooke being a new* vegitarian got everything but ham and mayo... me being a new vegitarian got no mayo and a peice of ham hah. common' you can't just go cold turkey**

After 3 hours I was about to loose my cool, and my lungs from the gasolin poison. Brooke and Kyle went to the front deck outside to get fresh air. Man do I wish I did that earlier... It was so refreshing. Sticking our feet off the side of the boat watching the water hit the boat. SOOOO romantic.

But really, It was really beautiful to be in the middle of the ocean with nothing besides blue skies and water for miles. I was having a "moment". Me and Brooke looked at eachother and in that "moment" we both realized how truly lucky we are to be experiences this together.

photoshoot

Everyone has dreams, goals and passions... but only few people actually pursue theirs. Although me and Brooke are different in so many ways, we are also alike in our passion for traveling. Traveling to us is living. For me, It makes me FEEL alive, apart of something that is bigger than me. In that "moment" no photograph, video or words can describe the happiness that filled my heart. Sounds sooo cheesy but its the truth.

I share this with you because I want to inspire you to find something that makes your heart smile. If you don't feel like their is a will or a way; You are wrong. You are stubborn and you are ignorant.

If you want something bad enough you will make it happen. No doubt in my mind. Yes, it may be a challenge and yes it will take effort but the payoff is better than unhappiness and depression.

So I'm rambling. We dropped the first group off at Kho Tao... Beautiful Island, looked like a sticker. I will go back.

Marocin oil and suzanna were staying there for 2 days and then taking a fairy to the full moon party..We will meet again ;)

From word of mouth I would conclude that Kho Tao is not as "swag" as Kho Phagan... It is known for its Scuba diving claasses/certification. It is the elite version of Kho Phagan.. classier and I would bet a few more stars on accomidation if you looked it up on travelosity or lonelyplanet.

But our group wasn't looking for a relaxing vacation...we were looking for the Full moon experience. We wanted turn in our V-card and say we have been there, done that.

Which we did.

We got to the island, extremely egger to find a room and ditch the idea of saving money and sleeping on the beach. The things we woulda done for a shower were scary.

The first accomidation promoter on the dock captured our attention. surprise surprise... our patiences disappeared with the lack of sleep.

We decided on a plan: We all take a taxi down to the full moon beach and the girls go to the hotels to ask whats avaliable and what the prices are. 3 day House shopping!

Our taxi... A truck with an Indian Jones trunk where we cramped in with 4 other guys, I remember 2 things from the guys we shared the ride with... One was a Maui Thai Fighter who was wrapped up in white gause. He was training to fight but on his last trip him and his friends had alittle too much fun (and whiskey) on their scooter renting adventure. He said "ya we had alittle too much fun with the locals and I ended up taking a fall... I couldn't train so we decided to come to the full moon party to extend our vacation until I recover" His wraps were gnarly. But let me tell you, this wrap look became EXTREMELY common and started looking like a fashion trend like tatoos. Another traveler made a comment when I turned on my "party music" Dubstep remix of a Flux song: "Good Feeling"... He said, "What is that.... Is that your music or are the speakers broken? sounds like Motion sickness.

They got dropped off a few minute later so we all got to rock out to the sea sick music :)

After visiting around 4 different hotels (most of which were recommended by others) we got hooked by one of the taxi scooter guys "Hey you girls looking for a place to stay for the full moon party? I have a place: 4 beds, on the beach, 500 baht a night" mind you I told brooke "When in Thailand, act as though you aren't interested in anything... Pretend you are car shopping: Poker face baby!"

We couldn't hold back a smile. We toured it.... Room C3, 2 rolls of toilet paper, but wash, 4 single beds, a trash can, and a shower. "We'll take it."

Pay now, play later. We were advised to NOT GET PAINT ON ANYTHING and DON'T LOSS THE ROOM KEYS. (500 baht deposit per key,2)

So we are at 2,000 baht+ (500x3baht)= $112 US dollars. (+around 150 baht on snacks/blackcock.. $5)

Yep We GO BIG.

I love you Bahts. When we got to our room it was around 3PM. BEACH TIME! Excited and ready to vacat... we brought a bottle of black cock down to the sand and laid out our sarons, speakers and accessories.

I'm not going to lie.. we all said, "Why is everyone drinking water and why is no one partying??? I was expecting spring break not granny pannies? where are the pasties and spedos?" Because everyone there was really dirnking water and or in granny pannies. I'm not being judgmental or arrogant... Just honest. It wasn't what we expected. Not like the pictures.

Oh so right after we got comfortable it started raining :) Yepp... The moment we get to paradise... everyone starts running away from us. WHAT DO WE GOT TO DO TO MAKE SOME FRIENDS AROUND HERE!?!?

We refused to let the rain affect our vacation. 20 minute later, Buzz going we had sunshine, smiles and a great time.

We made friends too! Our first friends; Will his friend (I will refer to him as Grace because they had a bromance) and Katy & Jane. Drinking water... Shocked at our ability to start partying at 4pm.

Will and Grace, Chainy Katty, Pinky Jane (she is from Ireland and has extremely senstive skin, any sun exposure causes a burn pretty much).. At first we didn't know how long they would keep up with our outspoken, inappropriate and crazy personalities. But to be honest, when us 4 are together.. we don't filter/hide or change the way we talk because there is other people around.. Take it or leave it, I think that was the only thing they liked about us... Our blunt honesty.

So Brooke was pretty much blacked out, on accident..... she doesn't remember meeting them the first day. So mid convo so wanted to leave and go to our room. Of course I went with her but insisted that we get food before because I was starving. WHAT A DATE!

Brooke had her head down sleeping while I waited patiently for our pizza. Pretty sure if I was a guy people would think I roofied her. But for us, this is normal. I know that when the pizza comes she will be up and present once more. In the meantime, she needed sleep.

Pizza and Brooke came to the table at the same time and when it was gone; in 2 minutes, we went to take a "power" nap so that we could go to the pool party.

8:30 PM All of us are in our beds but since our new friends invited us to their preparty pow wow on the beach with face and body paint we couldn't resist.

Our Bathroom in the room consist of 2 walls that don't attach to the ceiling so when someone is using it, your literally in the same room as them. When I said we became best friends over this trip I wasn't being sarcastic...I believe it was this night when me and brooke where in the bathroom and the butwash hosecap flew off and water was spraying everywhere.. (second time this has happen to us, once in our apartment) in Thailand bathrooms, the majority of the time there is a drain in the middle of the floor, a shower with a hose-like shower head, no tp, and a butwash. Now it all makes sense to me... You can literally go to the bathroom and shower at the same time. I'm just sayin'

So the butwash wouldn't stop so we sent one of the guys outside to try to find some maintance people who could help.

The guy came in and put a new butwash hose on and everything was fine. (we were all betting they were gonna charge us 500 baht for that)

You know those friends of yours that are like, "Omg turn on the sink, I can't pee in front of you, I'm "blattershy" hhahah!!!! like what does that even mean? if you gotta go you gotta go.

Well none of us are blattershy so that wasn't a problem. for us this is how it went:

"Yo, turn on some tunes I gotta drop my kids off at the pool" and that was that. The only time it was a problem was when fricken Kyle left his kids to play. like come on... leaving the toilet seat up is one thing..

The TP was gone after the first night and ya.... that was it.

Enough bathroom talk. We got ready aka put on a suit and I threw on a black crosha top... Walked down our spot where are new friends were waiting eggerly to hang out with us :) (ya right)

Of course we brought our Black cock and yellow gatorade. HELLO we are college students, we are on a budget and If we wanted to get roofed we don't need to put it in a bucket with 10 straws and a bottle of smirnoff.

The PowWows were always a good time. Felt like an episode of "that 70's show"... youth, good times, drinks, facepaint and just good conversation.

Me and Brooke took an intermission during the preparty to go back to our room and pretty much have a heart to heart. Ya, its what girls do... They drink and then they spill there hearts out. Its not just a rumor, it really does happen.

We talked about how we are living the life and how there is a time and place for everything and this is where we are meant to be. This is our life.....pinch me. She told me that she wrote down some of her goals and that really did make me so happy. Thanks to the people I met; Marci, Molly, Chalene and Brian Tracy... I have been inspired to set goals, believe in myself, inspire and help others. If you ask Brooke how many self-help books/inspiration quotes and crap I have in my room and on my phone... She would start laughing... Because its so true. I told her, Brooke... I could have asked anyone of our friends to come on this trip and or I could have come alone (not sounding like spoiled or supieror) but I wanted you to come. And to this day I am so happy she is here with me. She is my best friend and the fact that I get to experience all of this greatness with her is unreal. I know whatever goals she wrote down on that peice of paper, she will achieve if she wants to.

After we had our talk we were ready to go celebrate! Celebrate life and living and friendship.

We said goodbye to our new friends because they went to the pool party the night before and wanted to stay on the beach some more.. We told them to come later, they did :)

There is a free bus service that says " FREE RIDE TO THE POOL PARTY" and its not a joke. Like really? I love you Thailand.

Pool Party in one word: MTV Music Video.

It was Epic... Normal size pool, foreigners for days, Chicken fights, on the beach, Loud music, Singha, Leo, Chang, Tiger, Buckets, Dancing on tables, it was great.

The four of us split up for the majority of the night and made new friends. The place wasn't that big so we literally ran into one another every few minutes. Me and Brooke didn't bring money out..Thank god! and I don't think the boys did either.

I met up with this guy that I had met like a week before at Kohsanroad. Haha we met at "The Club!" so classy. His name is Luke, and no he is not my father. (starwars fans)... anyways, he's alright. From the UK and has this contagious accent that I can't help but mimic everytime i'm around it. He didn't like it as much as me. He pretty much has my dream job. He works for a tour company: Live before Work. or maybe its life before work I don't remember. He basically takes a group of people on a party trip to like bangkok, kho phangan, riley, kho tao and elsewhere. Like what?!?! Jealous. He is 21. and a day after the pool party I found out I was older than him.OMG EW! haha. 2 months baby. I'm so much more experienced its a joke.

So ya never thought I'd see him again but we ended up staying in contact and running into eachother at the pool party. He actually wasn't working this trip he was just tagging along with the other tour guide. So he really had no reason not to party!

If you don't know me and or have never seen me dance.... I mean like really dance.. then you won't appreciate this next part but whatever.

So I was feelin the music and ya I got up on the table for a few songs. I tend to just get really excited that I know the words and do a sort of DDR/Jersey shore/laserpoint dance. I sware Kyle was watching from the beginning because by the end of the trip he had it down!

So proud. ... So ya we danced our little hearts out, got a circle going with the mushroom pot in the middle dancing.

Half the time I didn't know if people were clearing the dance floor because they liked my moves or because they were scared.I am pretty sure it was a mixture of both :)

and Luke was probably like "who the hell is this girl and why does she keep shuffling"

Whatevs..

After dancing Luke took me down to the water were we talked about our futures and we kissed and I felt butterflies. Then he took me to his treehouse and we watched the shooting stars and cuddled.

TOTALLY KIDDING, ew none of that happened and if it did I wouldn't tell you.

Common I gotta leave some of the stories to myself. Who do you think I am Kim Kardasian.. I don't want to be the next girl who pops up on the Yahoo search engine :)

Hi Dad ! that was for you.

Reminded me of what Kyle told me: Ya I went to go piss on the beach and I looked over and this girl and this guy were totally doin it on the sand and everyone was watching....

I thought to myself.. "THATS SOMEONES DAUGHTER."

She musta been making sandcastles for days cause she forsure had more than 1 bucket. or she had one with a present dropped in.

The rest of the night we all just danced and partied, eventually making it back to the beach party.

went to bed around 5am.

11AM: I'm wide awake. I look over: Kyle is naked with his ass in the air, towel covering everything but his butt. Brooke asleep with a water bottle in her left hand and Kevin wrapped in his sheet that he brought from home.

I decided to go out, get a smoothie, call my mom and get some pictures of the ocean.

On my way out I saw a broken bottle of black cock on the floor, not a surprise I sware they are made out of sugar cans.

Everyone woke up like the hangover3 wondering where they left there lives... But what was important is that

we all made it home together, safe and sound in our beds. No inappropriate behavior, ever...

So we had another amazing day on the beach and then did the same thing but instead at night time we went to the jungle party!

I promise you this island will have a party for everything and anything.

The most exciting thing about the jungle party was when we got there at 11:15 they started charging 300 baht to get in after 11.

Brooke didn't like that idea and she literally booked it in. after that the security guard started doing his job and blocking that spot. Me, kyle and kevin had to get creative. Of course we didn't bring any money again... So what did we do? Go through the jungle baby!

Mind you none of us wore shoes. Stepped on some mushrooms, sticks and god knows what else.

Saw this guy peeing in the corner, (seriously saw a total of around 40 guys peeing the whole trip).. and we got in!

We were so stoked...but the adrenaline rush was the most exciting thing. We got over it and the dumb housemusic so we bouced back to our cool huge beachfront loft to party on the beach. Me and Brooke took a taxi scooter, totally safe... Like 80mph 3 people on one scooter doing turns like big bear mountain. Don't worry we werent wearing helmets. We decided to stop by the pool party on the way home. We did and it was the same thing as the night before.

Chrissy was getting tired cause it was like 3am and Brooke wasn't. I left and Brooke hung out with her island friends. I started walking back, I thought it was the same way as the night before but I didn't really remember. I knew that if someone came up to me I would TKB their @$# or something crazy.

Its funny because everyone is always like omg don't go anywhere alone. Don't do this, Don't do that. blah blah blah.

In Thailand I have never left safer in my life. Thai people are the nicest people and ya not everyone has the same motives but I like to go with the majority. The only advice I would give a girl going to the full moon party: WEAR SHOES, Don't black out and use your common sense.

I promise you, if you stick to those 3 rules... and you have some kind of IQ you will have a great time.

So me being not so smart...but desperate for my bed... started walked. I asked a local which direction the full moon beach was and he pointed me in the opposite direction of where I was walking. Bad Idea... I got stuck with the minority. aka the one local that probably doesn't know what the full moon beach is. I walked around 2 miles until I realized there can't be a beach at the top of a hill/jungle. A scooter taxi was passing by and asked if I needed a ride. I had no money but I knew that if I got back to our room I could pay him there. I said full moon beach and he took me. on our ride home we were driving by a girl, walking alone not too far from the pool party. Yep, it was brooke. I told him to pull over we picked her up and magic! we were at our beach. He followed us to our door because I think he thought we were gonna take off in a sprint...

NEVER! We were both praying that the boys were in the room because neither of us had the keys.

Thank god. There they were K&K !

We paid him and hung out with the guys for the rest of the night.

Chainy Katy came knockin; ballin' her eyes out because her and Jane got into a fight.

Kevin and Kyle trying to be sentimental tried huging her and "talking it out" I sat back and took pictures trying not to bust out laughing cause they were being so funny.

We later find out that they were fighting over Will and Grace and everyone was just drunk. Problem solved.

Brooke was talking on the phone with her lover Zack.

I went to bed that night around 5 and woke up around 6am iching my skin off. Mosiqutos for days. SOOOOO gross. I couldn't take it anymore and decided I need to go get some bug spray. Kyle woke up at the same time and I said where are you going? he said, "Go get some water and maybe dance alittle."

The parties don't stop. Maybe for an hour around 8am-9am.

I went to get bug spray and saw some pretty crazy people on the street.

A lot of wasted girs and even more happy guys. ew.

So I went back to our room and couldnt sleep so I decided to go for a walk on the beach. I find Kyle dancing his heart out, alone, on the table at the catus bar on the beach.

I convinced him to come on the floats with me in the water until sunrise.

We did and it was cold, comical and entertaining. We watched so many guys, drunk out of their mind pretend to "not" be peeing in the water when really everyone could clearly see everything.

I don't know how we survived the 2 first nights but it was epic.

Stories for days and memories for a lifetime.

The full moon party was just that. Insanity. The beach has like thousands of people on it. Neon shirts, face paint, buckets for days, lights, fire turners, huge slide, mushroom moutains (with mushroom shakes) and much much more.

Thank god the full moon only last 1 night... cause a liver cannot survive much lover.

hahaha we ran into Marocin oil and suzanna at the beginning of the night and it was great.

Me and Brooke ventured off and just danced our lives away.

When in Thailand there is a time and place for everything. We walked over to mushroom moutain and were very curious as to what they looked like/tasted like.

I don't do drugs and I am not one to start but I am not going to lie... I wanted to have a sip of a mushroom milkshake.

Common? its legal, its organic and hell its funny. its also 500 baht and me and b didn't want to spend that.

We made friends and got to share a half of a half. We totally didn't finish it because we were scared and it was probably best.

I am not quite sure if it worked or not. The sky didn't fall and I didn't see any fairies or anything.

We went and danced some more but nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe my dance moves were alittle different but thats it. We ran into Luke and I don't think he could handle my dance moves because he looked scared and confused. He also had alot more to sip than us. Brooke was dancing like DDR MYSTICDIAMONDS aka my nickname.

It was so great. I was loving every second of it.

That is how our night continued.

10AM: Time to get the hell off of this island.

Got pizza for breakfast and talked about how miserable the next 10 hours of our life was going to be. and it was just that and then some. Longest 24 hours of my life.

Patience was tested to the max. Never been so miserable in my life. I wasn't even hungover... It was like sitting straight up from 12-4:45 am isn't cool.

We all have never wanted to be back in Bangkok sooo bad!

Seriously wanted to break down.

We got dropped off at KhoSanroad and it was pouring rain. Me and Brooke took a tuk tuk home and the boys walked. Don't know how but they did.

Props.

Overall...Our trip was nuts.

Everything paid off and I loved every good and bad second of it.

Would probably never do it again, but now we know...

check please

Tuesday Showers

2012-08-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

Lesson of the day, when in Bangkok- CHECK THE WEATHER.

For starters, me and Brooke went shopping over by grand central mall...walked (for once) and after that I took B to the ghetto barbershop where I got my hair cut for 150 baht. So scary/sketchy getting your hair cut by someone who barely speaks english but when your desperate, anything goes.

The whole dreadlock thing just wasn't cutting it for me in Bangkok... ITS HOT...ALWAYS.

Brookes hair looks good! I love it... The girl we both went to was a little nervous to cut too much off but I guess that is better than cutting too much off? After getting ready to go to walk to dinner in KhaoSan, we decided we were too impatient and hungry to walk. We ordered a cab and while we were driving there it started DUMPING rain.

Gnarly thunder and lightning. Brooke spent awhile doing her hair and was wearing her new favorite pants, I spent longer and I was in shorts and her black docmartin boots.

Picture this: Brooke and Chrissy running down KhaoSan road with no umbrella, B had no shoes on and we were both drenched in acidetic rain. We didn't know wether to die laughing or die crying because we literally spend the last 2 hours getting ready to go out.

We went with the laughing.

At dinner (our favorite vegetarian place) we ordered soup. Everyone there was staring at us because we were soaking up the rain like sponges.

While waiting for our soup, a large ass cockroach was crawling up my leg NO JOKE. I about lost it!!!! Brooke was like " OMG CHRISSY STOP, DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT." I was like, "DUDE, DON'T SCARE YOU!!! THERE WAS A HUGE BUG ON MY LEG" We then decided its best we get this soup to go and somehow find a ride home in the rain.

In Bangkok, when the rain comes out... All cab drivers are dicks.

THEY REFUSE SERVICE LIKE IT'S SOME KIND OF VOLUNTEER WORK. I'm like dude its your job??

So what did we decided to do it the rain?

Take a TUK TUK.... you know, the three wheeled scooter like car. YOLO.. I was holding on to dear life while holding my hot soup in the other hand.

This story wont do justice but maybe the fact that I left my laundry on the porch before we left will!

Overall the night was one for the books. I will remember forever the rain that 1)ruined my outfit 2) made a cockroach crawl up my leg 3) ruined my laundry and 4) made my Tuesday night.

Goodnight y'all Stay dry wherever you are!

Destination Procrastination

2012-08-28T00:41:00.000-07:00

Talk about procrastinating!

Wow... I have been putting off blogging for awhile now. My apologies.

First I wanted to get caught up with the first few days I missed out on and then I just wanted to get todays stuff down... Now I am just going to update today and then work on the days I have missed. That way I can have everything organized and it won't be such a burden to do new post.

Currently, Tuesday, August 28th 2012 @ 2:30PM I am sitting waiting for my laundry to be done while Brooke is skyping Zack ;) I am sick...as I have been since I went to bed Sunday night at like 2am. I felt it coming. Thank God for the Z pack I packed.

I am getting better so thats the good news...As of yesterday: Being sick in a foreign country, no mama no papa... Nothing... Just a lot of medicine that is mostly in Thai. Luckily I found Tylenol at a pharmacy in KhaoSan and some chewable Halls at 7-11.

Halls in Thailand taste like candy! A cross between Mentos and Hi-chews.

Moving on, today is not a very eventful day BUT it is an eventful week because we are leaving for the islands tomorrow night at 7PM!

Me, Brooke, Kyle & Kevin (our only 2 friends who I talked about previously)...

We are so excited and can't wait for the 10 hour bus ride to the islands ;) SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP. Then FULL MOON PARTY PARTY PARTY.

Well I am going to go update the rest of my post so that I am up to date. I will try to stay on top of it so this isn't just a project=FAIL.

I have been getting good feedback from friends and family and it makes me smile to know that you are all interested in my travels and I hope you find some of this either comical, entertaining.

Koh Samet

2012-08-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

Kho Samet:

The amazing little forgotten treasure island.

My first spontaneous trip was to this island. Had no idea who, what or where I was going. Ended up being one of the best trips of my life. We stayed at the smile inn, cheap as hell. Me and Brooke shared a twin bed, boys got the queen...

our sleeping thai's

These are a list of the things you can do.... supposedly you can strip!

Cutest panda baby ever!

friendship.

Thaiship.

Me and Brooke shared a twin bed, boys got the queen... The first night we went to dinner on the beach and it started dumping, typical. We didn't let it ruin our night...we moved the party inside. had our first bucket; mojito!

The first night we went to dinner on the beach and it started dumping, typical. We didn't let it ruin our night...we moved the party inside. had our first bucket; mojito! First experience with face paint, danced with little kids, stayed up till sunrise and lived it up, not to mention fire limbo and an epic fire show.

First experience with face pai

In the morning, a bit hungover... Brooke lost her thai phone and her shoes, we all went swimming in the clear water and decided we should rent some scooters.

Omelet anyone?

Only in Thailand can you rent a scooter for like $5, no helmet, beer is allowed, no license, and they had so heavy duty wheels. YOLO.

No wonder I have seen a wrap on about half of the travelers we meet.."what happen to you?!"

Oh we rented scooters.

It all made sense after KhoSamet.

This got me excited....

Another thing, The place we took our bus to (7hrs) had the cutest puppies I've ever seen. So adorable. Oh and I remember right before me, Kyle and Kevin were leaving early to go back to Bangkok- I had my first experience with an upset stomach.

Perfect timing right?

The boys thought I fell in, but really I was praying that the whole on the floor would turn into a toilet so at least I could sit.

No TP, no AC, and to flush u have to scoop dirty water from this bucket next to you.

If I had 3 lifelines, in that moment I wanted to use one.

It was like the sense from white chicks where he/she has an upset stomach. Not pretty.

All I was thinking about was being on a bus ride for the next 10 hrs.

l sunrise and lived!

Here is some photos from Brooke's second day:

Zen Time

2012-08-16T06:47:00.002-07:00

Never thought in a million years that me and Brooke would be able to sit still for a whole 3 1/2 hours.... Mission accomplished.
Today we stuck to our word and went to the temple to learn how to meditate. We were suppose to go yesterday but after we met up for lunch and a beer.... it turned into two beers and then ya we decided we best just enjoy the rest of the day with a buzz instead of buddha. but I must say....
WHAT AN EXPERIENCE.
our expectations: "Ok so lets go get lunch then go to this thing for like 15, 30 minutes tops cause lets face it we both get bored easily and we can't sit still for anything.."
what happened: we got there and there were 4 other people in our class. (2 of which were a man who spoke no english and his translator aka daughter...) Our teacher Manit came in wearing jeans and a polo.
I was expecting some monk or something cra cra... He was so down to earth and normal.
So it was me, Brooke, these two girls who were backpacking and this guy who spoke no english and his daughter. The guy who spoke no english supposedly said he was just looking for a place to meditate and that he had seen the illusion of buddha a few times during meditation. He was startin to freak me out not gonna lie. So later on he got dismissed cause Manit said he could use some more "one on one" teaching ;)
Good call.
We continued our lesson where we learned the ins and outs of meditation. He said, "Welcome to the beginners class, this class will last between 3-4 hours.." I didn't even need to look at Brooke cause I already knew what she was thinking... Do we run or do we just pretend like we have self control. We stuck it out. and I am so glad we did.
The experience we had was one that cannot be described via blog/words. Its personal and self-relfecting. Manit requested that we keep the experience to ourself and that we share with others the knowledge of meditation but the true gain is within your own insight.
The type of meditation we were taught is called Insight Meditation. This type of meditation is practiced to help you have a better understanding of yourself through concentration, awareness, patiences, control, discipline and mindfulness. This meditation goes against what we have been programed to learn since birth....Since we were children we have been taught to copy, copy others thoughts, ideas and actions...What we aren't taught is to look inside ourselves for knowledge and direction. This is what I learned today...
Key reminders that stuck with me:

YOU ARE THE BOSS OF YOURSELF.
EVERY FEELING YOU FEEL IS BASED ON A CHOICE THAT YOU MADE.
YOU CANNOT CONTROL OTHERS, YOU CAN ONLY TRY TO INFLUENCE THEM BUT IT IS THEIR DECISION IN THE END.
NOTHING IS PERMEANT

Meditation & Mary Poppins

2012-08-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I meant to update but I got caught up....its hard these days when you have so much going on and so much responsibility! .....but really, me and brooke watched a movie and I had no energy to write after that. Bachelorette= Hilarious. Go watch it, now! (after you read this wonderful story)

Yesterday was classic. Tuesday, my first day of school. well if you think about it I have had like 21 of those "first" days but whose keeping track.

You know when your in a class with all of your friends and then there is that one "new" kid or the "FOREIGN exchange student"..Hello I'm Chrissy Bowman. YEP that was me. the american girl with the strong accent. ? what? Never saw that coming. So in Thailand its like ok to be late. it's not like a blind date where if you are waiting for 5 min your like wtf and then 15 your like never again... its like 15 and your sold. First impression=Teacher is hilarious. Interpersonal relations in thailand.....common what could be better? (sticky rice and mango ;)

So we had our first group assignment and I got in a group with these 3 girls and 1 guy.... I was trying to be friendly and ask what everyones names were..."Oh I'm Chae, I'm Kuie, I'm Maye, I'm Aunta" this is when I realized yep... I am the foreigner. When I got out of class Brooke met me at school and we decided to explore. Greatest idea ever... we ended up finding barred treasure behind the school..aka The hidden temple. Meditation temple for international students! after passing some messed up little kitties and some monks we made it to the international meditation room. Unlike anything I have ever seen/experienced. Took off our shoes, filled out some paperwork and next thing you know we are following this sweet lady upstairs to the room where people meditate. You thought twilight had a lot of vampires....we peaked in and people were meditating standing up. I can't even describe to you what it looked like. So of course me and Brooke wanted to fully experience it. We went in and sat down on the floor mats, cross legged and all. I had NO IDEA what I was doing or what to do. I just pretended to do something that I saw in a movie or in hot yoga. After a long 3 minutes I looked at Brooke and she said, "I think we should come back when we know what we are doing..." I said "Good Idea".

What an amazing place though, I cannot wait to learn how to do it all.

Moving on, we started wondering over to the great palace but of course got distracted by a group of birds. Next thing you know some lady on the streets is handing me bird food (corn) and I am getting bombarded by pigeons. Funniest/Funnest thing ever. They are NOT shy one bit. Brooke got to feed them too and we were having the time of our lives. 15 minutes of Marypoppins right before the HUGE rainstorm. In Thaliand it dumps for like 15/20 minutes start and its every man and woman for themselves. Right after the birds left it started pouring...We had no umbrella, no rainproof coats and no taxi. No street vendor would let me stand under there umbrella and nobody that had one wanted to share. We finally found a Tuk Tuk to take us home after 1 hour and a sandwich. The rest of the night we just kicked it and Skype our friends from auzzi Mitch! WE MISS YOU MITCH AND WILL COME VISIT YOU SOON. Please have a ton of fun stuff planned for us cause we get bored easily :)

Mitchy! we loved the Skype seshh!

Eat Pray Love

2012-08-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Normally I would be starting school today but thankfully the Thai people know how to celebrate birthdays. The queens birthday was yesterday so I am guessing they just extended it and wa-la I don't start till tomorrow.

What I realized today is if you have nothing planned for the day it is extremely hard to motivate yourself to not just lay in bed all day and be lazy. (hence we have officially been here for a week and sleeping has not gone to waste) I don't know if its the jet lag the spice food? the hot air...I could probably list 20,000 more excuses but I am just going to go with

"Well this is what the queen would want me to do"....

In all honesty we did get out of the house...after wasting about an hour deciding what we were going to do (beach 2hrs away) VS what we were going to do (5 min cab to fish spa), we got a cab to KhaoSan road. aka backpackers stomping grounds.

Lunch and Spa day!

Highlights of today:

*NO BUY NO TOUCH* While street shopping this cute little artsy journal caught Brookes eye...It was covered in plastic wrap but only tapped up. Brooke wanted to see if there was lines in it so she proceeded to unwrap the book and open it. BAHA the owner (i'm guessing) came over, cig in mouth...and started yipyappin and speaking angry thai/foreign huha..... "aslkjdflkasj mam!!!NOkljekjaslk;fja;lsdjNO" He was extremely upset and looked as though his life was about to end. I said "um? excuse me how much?" He said "NO, 250 BAHT... YOU MUST BUY" Brooke looked at me... um what is going on. I said oh "no thank you.." He looked as though he was going to write his confession letter in that little book if we didn't buy it. Brooke; "Oh My Gosh um Chrissy should I just buy it?!?" me-"Legoo"....The look on Brookes face priceless.. The look on his face Mugshot.

*Don't bring your dog to lunch* When we sat down at this cute hipster thai place for lunch we looked over and saw a cute puppy laying in from of a sign that said,"We need 100 Baht for dead dog" or money for dead dog. SERIOUSLY right before that we heard this noise that sounded like a dog getting slaughtered. I mean I had heard about it in the books and whatnot but common. Some how Bangkok has doesn't let me down...always knows just how to kill an appetite. ( no pun intended ;)

**FISH SPA** Just when you thought a pedicure was great...Thai Fish Spa; we did it for 15 min (150 baht), the little fishes nibble off all the dead skin on your feet. I HATE feel so when we decided the experiences was worth it I just followed along. The thai man washes your feet and then you sit like you do at a medspa but these little fish come bubbling at your skin. So hilarious. It tickled so bad I thought I was gonna pee myself. Normally when the asian lady gives me a massage at the nail salon I try not to kick her in the face... In Thailand that is not an option because the whole point is to let them tickle you so that your feet are dead skin FREE. its a MUST do. not gonna lie they are open till 2am... I am thinking about doing it next time we go out at night....Tickle me thai. so groosss dude.

The rest of the day was pretty lazy and weird... experienced a lot of kooks (cab drivers) and of course finished the day with PhaThai, Rice, Ice Cream and Eat Pray Love.

I absolutely LOVE the movie so I had to have Brooke watch it. She was a sleeper today and we both felt a little overwhelmed with all the planning that comes with traveling and being in a foreign country with almost everyone speaking a different language.

It is so easy to just live in the day....wake up, eat, sleep, watch tv.... but I don't want easy... to live doesn't mean your alive. I came here to Bangkok because I felt I was living a life that was just not me.... I want to do things and experience things that will allow me to grow into a better person. Culture makes me feel alive. It is a passion that "lights my life." Since I don't have a boyfriend to light it up I have to get creative but I don't mind. haha

Although it has only been a week...or already been a week.... I am extremely happy that I am here. This is exactly what I want & need in my life right now. Bangkok is amazing and I cannot verbalize the joy of living in this new world, 5 months is defiantly not long enough.

Eat.Pray.Love.

Orientation

2012-08-09T03:03:00.000-07:00

12th Floor

2012-08-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

For the next 6 months (at least) of my life, I am going to be living in Bangkok. Obviously It hasn't settled in but once me and Brooke decided it was time to find a place we can call home, we felt better about our decision.

Unpacking and packing again reminded me just how much I miss moving...ew.

So we started our morning with an ice coffee from Mcdonalds, mind you we were told by several people not to drink the ice in Bangkok.

Ops, thank god for that Hepatitis A shot.

Mcdonalds; or Mcthai as it is referred to here, is not the same as home.

EVERYTHING in Bangkok has some sort of fish or meat in it.

They really should call it TunaTownToGo...one of the items on the menu looked like a hot pock but with tuna and cheese in it...can you image what that is made of ?!?

Anyways, this is day 2 in the city and what really began to sink in was the language barrier.

I guess I was ignorant in thinking that everyone in Bangkok will know english and if not then I will just find someone that does. That is most definitely NOT how it works over here.

But I must say... the moment me and Brooke hear someone speak English, we are magnetic to them.

On our way home from Mcthai we met Matt...so positive, happy (& gay) and lost like we were so we instantly had a connection. He came from UC Berkeley. Like a lost puppy we took him back with us to show him the tricks we have learned in bangkok thus far. We also talked about all the gay clubs we are planning on visiting together while we are here.

Moving on, we moved into our place...what a joy! So exciting to have such a great apartment with an amazing human to share the experience with. (this is Chrissy referring to Brooke)

After unpacking we decided to get crafty....took out some pastels and began to decorate the walls.

Art really does bring out the kid in you....no wonder I was an art major for a year.... I don't want to grow up :)

The reality of Thailand made me reflect on these key points:

1.) Living in the OC is like living in a bubble and until you pop out of their, your never gonna understand

2.) Language can be simultaneous; dividing and connecting people

3.) Don't expect someone to know your culture when you are the visitor...."Why doesn't anyone know english?" is the same as saying "We are better than you so why don't you learn english?" according to locals, it is not their responsibility to adapt to you

4.) Don't ever assume you know what your eating....a pancake in the US is not the same here, let me tell ya!

Travel Channel

2012-08-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

Day 2 Bangkok exploring the Siam

Let the Honeymoon Begin

2012-08-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

We finally made it: 1AM

Bangkok, Thailand

Tired, nervous, excited, lost and ignorant

First impression: It feels like an oven and why doesn't anyone know english...

Oh and this Baht thing is confusing

Baht= Thai $currency. ($1= 31 Baht) aka we are livin' large over here.

Sitting on the left side, driver on the right Brooke in the back... we taxi'd to Amarin Mansion (first hotel/apartment building we stayed in) which took around an hour. Pop music in english the entire way.

As we pulled up to the hotel we realized it was located in what looked like the neighborhood hangover 2 was filmed. our room looked like a dorm, 2 single beds, TV, shower BUTT wash....

We passed out only to wake up at 8am wide awake.

Day 1: Time to go explore. Brooke was awake before me seeming as she slept for 18 hours straight. we went down to the lobby and met some other students who had been in Bangkok for 4 days...They seemed a lot more familiar with the area than us so we asked them some advice. His name was Nomad. He told us are apartments were the nicest ones but they are in a location that is worse than the ghetto. After that we were inspired to look elsewhere for living.

He gave us a map and pointed us in the direction of cheap, flee market shopping which included a boat ride and a tram to get to.

Two american girls in shorts that are too short, glasses that are bug eyed and high tops. Walking idea of what not to wear in Bangkok. We found that out after the sun went down around 7pm and all we wanted to do was PASS out.

Walking to the boat we saw some crazy stuff. Huge lizard on the street, mad traffic, stray cats and dogs everywhere. Smells like New York city but with dead animals mixed in. Sweating after being outside for only 5 minutes... We made it on the boat. (15 baht which is like 50 cents)

then we took the tram which was around 50 cents to and made it to the mall in Siam.

Never been so excited to see a Starbucks Coffee. Ordered a Cool Lime Refresher and Brooke order a Passion Ice tea.

We found out later...Nothing is the same in Bangkok.

Finally after searching for two hours for normal food because every Thai dish looks the same.... We found pizza and sushi our 2 favorites. I got a roll and a salad, Sarachi doesn't exist and Brooke order a Margareta pizza. Turns out that Margareta in Thailand is considered a cheese pizza.

This is where the language barrier finally kicked in.

Brooke, "umm.. I order a margareta pizza, like the one with tomatoes and basil..."

Our Thai speaking waiter, "ooohh may chay? uuuhhh no cheese chay?"

Brooke, "ya the one with light cheese and basil..."

He taker her pizza only to bring back a pizza with no cheese... bread and pizza sauce.

The look on her=priceless.

A few carbs and an unsatisfied stomach, we learned that this is going to be a long 6 months.

Shopping in Bangkok=amazing. We basically bought everything we saw and we could because everything was under $10. I ran into a Allergan sign and took a picture!

I really hope the Botox in Thailand is the same as the one in the US... I am not going to be the one to find out!

Exhausted after shopping we decided that its time to head back... Got on the wrong boat on the way back and ended up in the middle of a sketchy street with gnarly locals.

What would have helped was a pair of pants and an english map.

We found our way to the boat station by our apartment and took a Tuk Tuk home!

Tuk Tuk is a 3 wheeled oversized scooter with a place for people to sit in the back. Brooke put her feet up on the back of the seat... (only to read a few days later in the Do's & Don'ts of Bangkok that putting your feet up is extremely rude in Thai culture)

When we got back to our place we realized its time to move. No phones, no sense of direction... We found a place not to far that later became our new place!

Rattanakosin Island Condominium

Our own rooms, living room, bathroom (butt wash) 2 balconies, kitchen, fully furnished on the 12th floor.

That night we meet Justin, our little gay asian landlord. After walking the streets of Bangkok all day, I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to hear someone speak English. Never thought language would make you feel so lonely.

Justin is honest, straight forward, sweet and hilarious... everything we had been looking for in locals since we arrived.

He introduced us to his Aunt and Uncle.. Dau and Dan.. pretty sure that isn't there real name.

Sweetest Thai family we have met thus far. After taking our shoes off they welcomed us in with baby bananas and cooked us dinner.

Jetlag started to kick in but the conversation seemed too interesting to not engage.

We sat across the table from each other talking about culture and our experiences while eating instant noodles... couldn't have asked for a better night.

We told Justin "Were in".

Went back to our old apartment Amarin for the night with our new keys.

What felt like a lifetime was only day 1, this day was truly a definition of the "honeymoon" stage.