Thailand!!!!

And now for the long awaited Thailand blog...

Here are some of the logistics of it all...
January 27, 2009
5am-depart for Thailand
7am-board plane
12pm-arrive in Bangkok, Thailand.

January 29, 2009
7pm-depart for Chao Lao Beach
11pm-arrive at New Beach Travel Resort

February 3, 2009
3pm-depart for Bangkok
7pm-arrive in Bangkok

February 7, 2009
12:00am- arrive at Bangkok Airport
2:00am-depart for Xi'an
7am- arrive in Xi'an
8am-arrive at XIS


The above times are approximate, and may not line up exactly with my story. I apologize in advance for any discrepancies, it is kind of blurry at this point.

So my first few days in Thailand were spent in Bangkok. First, let me begin with the fact that I went from below freezing temperatures to temperatures that were in the 80s and 90s (Fahrenheit that is). I was extremely glad to thaw, and to enjoy a lot of sunshine. While I was in Bangkok for the first few days, I did a lot of shopping...I like to shop, but that is not what I go on vacation for. I was with Carrie J. and Vikki, and they needed to shop, so I just went along for the ride. I saw a movie, and ate at several western restaurants...this was a nice change, though I do love chinese food.

Moving on...Our retreat started on the 30th so we went back to the airport on the 29th and took a 3-4 hour bus ride to the beach!!! If you didn't know already, I really love the beach! There is just something about being there, that makes me feel more alive...While there I tried really hard to relax as much as possible. My schedule in Xi'an can get pretty busy, so I really needed some time to decompress. The location of the place we stayed was very beautiful...and far away from everything. This was really nice, but not convenient. When we had to find food on our own things were a little difficult, but no big deal. I really enjoyed just chillin' for a while. I went out on the beach every afternoon except one...and that one I just took a really long nap! I napped on the beach too don't worry. The weird thing about this beach though was that it was not at all like the Florida beaches that I am accustomed to.

The beach was made of dirt, seashells, sand and some rock...not the most comfortable for sunbathing, but not completely awful either. The first night we got there I needed to put my feet in the water as usual, and so the journey began. I know there shouldn't be a journey when your resort is on the beach, but when the tide was low there was a journey to be had...We had to walk about a quarter of a mile just to get to the water, and then it was only ankle deep...I thought this was really weird, but again no big deal I was at the beach! The next morning I got up early to take a walk on the beach (I know waking up early for me is unheard of) and when I went down to the water, it was only about 15 feet from the stairs...later I found out that I would still have to walk a quarter of a mile or so to get in deep enough to swim...I liked this beach even though it was weird mostly because I didn't need or want anything fancy, I just wanted to be on some type of sand with a book and sunglasses in a place that was warm, and quiet other than the sound of the Gulf of Thailand...I also have not mentioned how calm the water was...super calm...no waves, perfect for swimming! I had forgotten how much I love being in water too. The place we stayed also had a really awesome pool. So that was nice as well.

One afternoon, we did go to a different beach that was more like what I am used to. It was about 6km from the resort where we were staying. This was a really relaxing afternoon...what I mean to say is that I took a really good nap on the beach that day. I think this was my favorite day of the whole trip...

Back to Bangkok...After the retreat was over, I had a few more days in Bangkok. This time Brad was in Bangkok too, so I didn't need to shop as much which was a relief. The first day we were tourists...We went to several things that were kinda touristy... our main stop was The Grand Palace...There was a temple there, and in order to go in, you had to be dressed appropriately...no shorts...or short pants...So we rented a skirt (for me) and pants (for brad). To get to the Palace we took a ferry sort of thing from one part of the city to another. It was a really awesome ride. I loved seeing the sights that way!

In Bangkok, I also saw 3 movies, drank about 10 Chai Tea lattes at starbucks, ate awesome thai food (i still like chinese better), and walked a whole lot! I like walking, but recently it has been really cold in china so walking is a little more painful...

The last day we were in Bangkok, we met up with some people from Alabama that I met while I was in college. They work with students at the University of Alabama, but have come to Thailand to work with a university there for a year. It was really cool to see people that are from home on this side of the planet. Then we went to our last movie...Madagascar 2 on IMAX (awesome!) We didn't have to be at the airport until really late (or early i suppose) so we went to the night market. It was a pretty cool place. It was just like an open air market with hundreds of booths. There was live music and food...I think if I lived in Bangkok, I would go there all the time. Having said that, I don't ever want to live in Bangkok, there are some things about that city that I would have a hard time dealing with. My heart was broken at the number of young girls I saw who were selling themselves to whoever they could. It broke my heart and made me want to vomit all at the same time. I was glad to come back to china. Things like that probably happen here, but we don't see it. After the night market, we searched and searched for Rotii...a pastry dessert thingy that is awesome. I like mine with banana and sweetened condensed milk. ( now you know why it is awesome) Then we made our way to the airport where we met up with the rest of the team that was headed back to xian. We arrived back here at about 8 in the am, and I got directly into the bed! I slept until 4pm and then got up and went to eat dinner...Then I went back to bed at 11pm and slept for 12 more hours! it was an awesome time of rest!

I am sure that there are things that I have left out, and I am greatly sorry for that. Just know that this trip was some good and some bad, but mostly good!


Are there pictures? of course!

love from china!