THAILAND!!!!

I've made it to Thailand!!!

I spent one night in Bangkok and then hit the road to get to Lampang where Kel and J are teaching. Bangkok was NUTS from as much as I saw. My plane landed at 1am, I headed out of the airport a bit concerned about how to get to my hostel with it so late at night. But, being the naive person that I am, I didn't realize that Bangkok never sleeps... honestly. On the 30 minute drive from the airport to Kho San Road (famous travelers destination), there was traffic, there were people all over the streets, I saw a full fledged farmers market going on -- it put Pike Place to shame (not really, but kind of)-- I got to Kho San to find the street packed with travelers and street vendors selling tons of food... And this continues all night and all the next day!!! I got up the next morning, strolled around town, got a Thai Massage....very interesting... ate some bomb food for like 2 bucks and then decided I'd catch the overnight train up north to Lampang that evening so I could meet up with Kel and J!! (The photo above is on the train, and my friend Karina, the other girl in the Kayak story, met up with me in Bangkok and then took the train with me up north).

I got to go to the girls school where they are teaching English. Here are some photos of them in action:

Kel says 'Yes, you Joe'

Jbo played Hangman with the kids and wrote my name in as the word... so obviously I made the kids start chanting Molly, Molly, Molly....which sounded more like Morry, Morry, Morry.

It was very entertaining to go to the school for the day, though extremely exhausting and I didn't even have to teach!! The classes usually have 50 students in them, and very, very few speak any English. It's actually really funny too because the kids will come up to you and chat away in Thai and tell you some random story and you just have to stare at them blankly, shrug your shoulders and then...they keep going!!! (I had an old Thai woman do this to me too in a taxi and when I said I didn't speak Thai, she just kept chatting away. She was pointing at my knees and then hers and making an 'ouch' face, so I think she was saying that her knees hurt and my knees were young and strong... maybe?? Only so much you can pick up on from gestures!)

AND THEN......

I got to go to an Elephant Conservatory!!!

Here I am riding an Elephant through some water.... trying to take a candid photo of myself....

The elephants have learned how to paint.

His final product, which went for 500 baht. (Less than $15... I thought about buying it, but didn't want to lug it around for the next three months.)

It seemed that the Elephants were treated pretty well here and I was OK about visiting. I've heard horror stories of how they train these elephants to do certain things, and since I'm an animal lover, I try not to encourage those situations. Part of this conservatory was an Elephant Hospital that I went down to see. They bring in any Elephant that is injuried and do their best to help it recover. It was pretty legit overall, so that made me feel good about visiting!

I left Lampang today and just got up to Chiang Mai. The girls will meet me in a couple of days for the weekend. In the mean time, I've signed up for a trek to the highest mountain in Thailand, Doi Inthanon. Sounds like we'll hike for the morning, get toward the top, stop at a waterfall for lunch and a swim, hang out a bit, then take a bamboo raft back down to the bottom!! Should be cool and I'll update as soon as possible!!

Hope everyone is doing well at home!!

Byron Bay

I left the Gold Coast (where I learned to surf) and headed south for Byron Bay. It's a small 'hippie' town and I was told that people are constantly walking around in a stoned state. Figured I would be used to it since I lived in Bellingham for a few years....

When my bus pulled in through the city, I knew right away that I would love it!! No building was over 3 stories high. It's filled with shops and cafes and overall very cute!! I spent a few lazy days there, just cruising through stores and stopping for a coffee and snack. I've had a very difficult time with ordering my coffees while here though. I normally get an Iced Americano, but here if you ask for an iced coffee it comes with milk, ice cream and whipped cream on top... sounds great, but not the best for a lactose intolerant person!!

The most exciting thing I did while in Byron was go on a sea kayaking trip. My hostel roommate, Karina from Norway, and I decided to sign up for an afternoon out on the ocean! Off we went into the Pacific with our guide in the next boat partnered with an Irish guy. Karina and I shared the other boat, with me in the back because I've had a big more kayaking experience than she had. It was a beautiful sight to see -- large cliffs were to our right with a lighthouse perched at the top. We came to a rest in a small cove, when our instructor said this is where the dolphins like to hang. We waited for about 5 minutes to no dolphin sightings and just as we went to paddle again, we spotted one sole fin riding a wave in toward us about 50 feet away. It was a bit eerie for me at first, considering a shark fin looks awfully similar to a dolphins, and I was in a plastic boat about 6 inches above the water! Once I saw two, then three and four fins pop up close to each other my nerves settled and I was able to enjoy these beautiful animals!! I think in total there were 8 dolphins at one time, they didn't come too closeto us but within 15 feet. We could easily see them and hear the little 'pfffts' of breath from their blow holes.

BUT, that wasn't even the most exciting part of the trip!! Adter we decided to call it a day, we turned our boats around and headed back toward the beach. Our guide gave us some pointers for how to 'ride' the waves in and not tumble of out the kayak. Hoenstly, I was pretty excited about this part of the trip. After my stellar performance at surfing, I thought this would be amazing! Since I was in the back of the boat, I got to make the call on which wave we would catch. I let a few go through and then saw my chance. I told Karina to start paddling and we started to pick up some speed at the perfect time to get the wave. I felt it pick us up, and I started to notice that karina wasn't staying in front of me but rather started to go below me! The front of the kayak stayed with the wave while the back had hung off and was beginning to go airborne! I was literally 16 feet in the air (the legnth of the kayak) before I "decided" to bail and was catapulted off and into the sea!! *Picture having jello on a spoon and using the spoon to fling the it somewhere...well, I was the jello being flung*

As I was comiung down toward the water there was a split second when I thought 'Man, I could probably get hurt from this...." I hit the water, held my breath, got pummeled by the next wave, popped up and felt no injury and could breath. Success! I immedately turned to find the boat and Karina, and as I did I caught our guide 20 feet away with his fists thrown in the air and cheering for us! (Picture stereotypical surfer dude - way tan, bleach blonde long curly hair going "That was gnarly dude!")

Karina was 10 feet from me and looking around with her eyes wide open double in size... I sensed then that she didn't enjoy this as much as me...when I got over to her she said she was done and headed for the shore. I followed along and pulled in the boat. Our guide met us there and luckily the guide could tell how much fun I had and asked if I wanted to go back out there. Obviously I said yes!! We caught a few more waves but none of them compared to me being turned into a human food fight!


This is a picture of Bryon Bay (on the right). We left from the right side, saw the dolphins right before reaching the tip of the point- though we did go around it. You can kind of make out the lighthouse at the top of the green area.

Computer sucks...

Computer won't let me add as many photos as I'd like so they'll just be spaced out.

The Blue Mountains most recognizable feature is the 'Three Sister's'.... here I am standing within them.

Here is a view from afar of the Three Sisters.

If you can see on the left side, in the middle of the photo there is a white dot? That's where I was standing for those previous photos.

Blue Mountains pt. 1

I went up to the 'Blue Mountains' with my friend Kathy that I met on my flight down here. The Blue Mountains are supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in Australia, so we decided to go check it out for ourselves!! And I must say that it was amazing!! I've uploaded some photos below, but they do not give it justice for how magnificent these surroundings were!!

A little history of the mountains: They are located about 50km outside of Sydney (it took about 2 hours by train), it consists of 7 national parks (its HUGE), its filled with gorges and waterfalls and tons of eucalyptus trees. The reason this area is called the Blue Mountains is because of the eucalyptus trees giving off a 'blue' mist that lingers in the air.

One of the MANY waterfalls we saw.

That is hanging way too high in the air, by a very small rope.... definitely did not sign up to do that!

A Sydney Morning

Thought I'd share a few photos from a recent ferry ride I took from Balmain (surburb I'm staying in) to Sydney.

Mom! Look what I can do!

I got to learn how to surf!!! I arrived to the Gold Coast on Thursday, checked into the first Hostel I found, and asked about activities I could do here. The receptionist was very helpful and said that I could jump into a surf lesson in about an hour. I was a little reluctant at first because I wasn't mentally prepared to learn how to surf that day, but I figured since the weather was nice and there was an open spot I could fill, I ought to do it.

My instructor picked me up and a few other people and off we went to a The Spit (a quiet beach with small waves- perfect to learn in).

Here is the gang:

I had SO MUCH FUN surfing!!! I was by no means good at it, but I did stand up and catch a few waves!! Here are some candid shots. I think if I hadn't been laughing the ENTIRE time, I may have been a little better... oh well, I had a great time!

Heading out - looking like a pro:

How to Surf:

Bring right knee up to center of board:

Bring left leg up to center, in front of right foot:

Push yourself up to standing position:

And stand up to ride the wave!! (With a big goofy grin on your face):

A few wipe outs for your enjoyment:

"Times Are A Changing"

My friends Sarah and Britt helped me out and put music on my iPod (since my computer crashed and I have no more tunes). It has been fun listening because I have no idea what songs are on there (I have a ghetto iPod that doesn't show song titles). When I first sat down on my flight and pressed play, a familiar voice came through - Bob Dylan singing 'The times they are a-changing'. Thought that was extremely fitting for my current situation...

Before I actually start 'bloggin' about my adventures, I must say a few things. I look at this whole experience not as scary or intimidating, but as the best opportunity I have had so far in life. Who really gets to take a five month long vacation?? I mean, seriously!? And just travel around the world, meet people, learn about new cultures and about themselves! It's kind of a joke that I am able to do this! I shouldn't say that because I am so grateful that I am here. I plan on taking it all in and making the most of this situation. (I'll give a shout out to my parents here -- I AM able to do this trip because they have taught me how to be open minded, carefree and strong. Plus, Nanners let me stay in the basement so I could save all of my money!! Thanks Mom!)

Now on to real bloggin....

It's currently 4am Sunday morning in Sydney Australia... My body seems to think it is 10am on Saturday morning in Seattle. I was lucky enough to stay in a hotel my first night on my travels so I'm using the FREE internet to update everyone.

I've made it safely, obviously. The plane ride wasn't too terrible. I was the first one to my row and unfortunately got the window seat... As each person walked slowly toward me, I was crossing my fingers and hoping that no one would sit next to me. Right at the end of everyone herding in like cattle, a nice lady sat down in the aisle seat, made a joke about how we should both pray that no one will follow her and sit in the center seat between us. I knew right then that I liked her! And to our benefit no one did come sit next to us!! My new friend Kathy and I chatted away for a couple hours until my 2 Tylenol PM's kicked in and I crashed for about 8 of the 14 hour flight! Kathy was on her way to visit her daughter (get this), Molly, in Sydney! Could it be foreshadowing to what my Mom will be doing down the road????

After the flight, I successfully made my way into Sydney without any issues at all! I got off the train and started to search for my hotel. I was trying my best to not look like a completely idiotic tourist, but I think the look gave me away:

22 lbs in the big bag on my back!!

I didn't want to pull the map out, stand on a street corner looking like a lost puppy, so I kept walking and around the corner I go, when my saviour appears!! No, Susie not a tall dark Italian man, but STARBUCKS! Ah, a little taste of home and a delicious coffee waiting for me. I saunter in, chat with the Barista's and make my way to a corner table to pull out all the brochures, maps, coupons, etc that I have collected since the airport.

As I'm reading through all my material, I hear a man behind me order his coffee and say 'It's in my blood, I'm from Seattle'. *Head turns to face him* And even more to my surprise, he's wearing a Seahawks jacket!!! Love this guy. He and his wife walk toward me so I start chatting with them and they give me a few pointers about the city... overall though, I'm really happy to see that us Seattle-ites are branching out of our comfort zones while we are out around the world....

I figure out where my hotel is, finish my iced Americano and walk the 3 blocks to get there. I'm feeling doubtful that I'll get my room, considering it is 9am, so I'm a bit early for check in. To my surprise, they have a room and it's fine that I go check in to it!! I organize a bit and then head out to wonder around the town for the day.

Later in the afternoon, I was sitting at a bench looking at this view:

When a 70 year old man from Greece approached me. (Envision a man that is 5'5'', white haired, tanned skin, big round glasses that make his eyes slightly larger, wearing khakis and a blue blazer.) He said "Why you beautiful woman all alone?" I looked up toward him, smiled, shrugged and said 'Just traveling'. He looked at me curiously stepped a bit closer and said "You have heart of steel, very brave woman." As he made a fist and touched it to his chest.  I scooted over on my bench and patted the seat next to me. He obliged and sat down. We chatted here for a few minutes, right before it started to pour down rain!!! He looked over at me and said "Would you like to continue talking? We can go to Art Museum." I thought to myself, I've got nothing else going on... plus, talking to a guy like this is pretty entertaining anyway! We walked around the Museum of Contemporary Art, and shared life stories more than compared our thoughts on the artwork. Well, he did most of the talking and gave me LOTS of advice on how to live -- such as, marry as late in life as you can, around 50 or 60.  And I said George, but what about having kids? And he said 'Oh yes, well if you want children then you must marry younger'.  He also told me that experience is the best way to gain knowledge and you can never know enough and you never will know it all.  After our afternoon, I asked to take a picture with my new friend George, and really wish I had so you could see how cute this guy was... but I think it was lost in translation and he thought I was making fun of him.  The day was dying down, he said he needed to get back to his wife and I figured I could go back to my room to plan some more adventures. Overall, it was an amazing day and precisely the reason I love to travel!!

Will see what other new friends I will make....