White Water Rafting

So, we almost died yesterday and it was pretty awesome. A few days ago we went rafting as part of our elephant adventure and it was so much fun that we decided to have another go at it. For $30 Canadian we got a 10km all day rafting trip which was a level 4+ and it was AMAZING.

After a very long drive up the mountain, getting a little disenchanted with all the delays and then a terrible lunch, we settled in for our safety talk. Man, I am so glad we learned what we learned during this because it was about to become very useful. They taught as commands like, get left and right, get down, rowing, how to get out from under a capsized raft, and told us about the rescue team that would be at all the bad spots on the river.

Now, this all sounds like it would be standard to learn before you partake in a very dangerous sport but this was not the case on our first rafting adventure. We were not given any instruction on that at all, not even when we were suspended on a rock.

When we were eating our lunch, we were seated across from a middle aged couple from Spain. At one point, the man suddenly jumped up and ran over to the stairs in the bungalow at mach speed. I realized after a minute that a child had fallen and gotten stuck between the stairs. So, before I even realized what was wrong, this guy had sprung into action and saved a child. It was then that B and I decided we were DEFINITELY rafting with that guy. It turns out that he is a police officer in Spain. A damn good choice but I was concerned at first since he spent the majority of the time taking scenic photos with his waterproof camera and barely listening to instructions. I guess his police officer instincts only come out in times of great panic.

We also chose our “Skipper” or guide, his name is Crazy and for good reason. He was a strange guy and legitimately a little off his rocker. He is 22 years old and the number one kayaker in Thailand – we even saw the medals to prove it.

He was insane but he knew that river like the back of his hand. He guided us so specifically through tiny spots between rocks and turns. He truly has a talent. The river had some very rough spots though and at one turn, the boat in front of us lost a passenger. An Australian girl went overboard and we saw it all happen... she was getting whipped through the rapids when Crazy ordered us to ROW and we were on the chase. We got to her and Crazy leaned over, grabbing her life jacket while still ordering us when to row as he dragged this girl through the water and around the rocks. Eventually he got us parked on a rock and we got her into the boat. She was shaken but all in one piece and she made it onto her boat to finish off the day.

We were touting ourselves as the rescue team until our boat hit “flipping corner.” You can imagine what that means – this is a common place for boats to flip overboard and ours was no exception. We had hit a big rock the turn before which left the boat with a lot of water in it, making it impossible to control. As we hit the corner we just flipped entirely over. Both B and I were under the boat but we remembered our instruction and paddled out from under it.

I remember thinking, “Why the fuck is my life jacket not working?” but the undertow from the rocks was just pulling me under again and again. I was gulping water and trying to get myself going feet first down the river so I didn’t hit my head when B grabbed me, “Grab the rope, grab the rope!” The police officer had somehow got a hold of the rescue rope that they threw our way and he then grabbed B who grabbed me. The other two people in our boat had come to a stop higher up the river and when I looked up, Crazy was extending a paddle to help us up to the rocks.

I don’t know what would have happened if that police officer wasn’t there. I was struggling to breathe and even see above the water so there was no way I would have been able to find a rope! Climbing a ton of rocks and getting seriously scraped up, we finally made it back to our boat and finished the day off! I think everyone was a little rattled but we were all fine except a few scrapes and bruises (Ok, a lot of scrapes and bruises – my ankle was BLUE) so we were able to laugh it off – in fact, I want to go again NOW!

S.

Hospital, Tigers, and Sunday Market!

It was an eventful few days. As I mentioned in the previous post, B had a little mishap while dismounting an elephant and after attempting to sleep it off, she figured a hospital visit was our best bet. At least if it isn’t broken, she can take it a little harder on it. If it is, well... I guess we would have to reconsider ziplining and other super fun times activities. Luckily that wasn’t the case and we are back in action.

Our review of the Thai hospital system? It is pretty great! Some questionable things like filling needles while not wearing gloves and the very flimsy “x-ray proof” door had us a little concerned but the wait times were not bad and they were very helpful. The longest process was dealing with our travel insurance company. Everything ended up being covered but we didn’t want to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed later, we wanted to pay zero dollars. It was surprisingly difficult to even get the hospital to get a call through to Canada. Apparently, foreign area codes are quite confusing to them. Eventually though, B got xrays, treatment, medication, an ankle brace and aluminum crutches. Total cost for her was 1 dollar for the overseas call. The insurance was stuck with the rest, but it was a shockingly low number: $146 Canadian. You couldn’t even get one x-ray for that in Canada.

The final diagnosis was a 2^nd degree ligament tear. She was ordered not to walk on it for 6 weeks. We took the crutches for one walk and she hasn’t touched them since. The pavement and sidewalks are so uneven here that it is impossible so she’s goin’ bareback. The owner of our hostel, her name is Nine, is incredibly nice and helpful. She gave B some mystery Thai balm to use. Not sure what is in it but we’re giving it a go!

The next day we went to the Tiger Kingdom where you can pet tigers of varying ages. It is expensive by Thai standards at $42 CAD and for only about 30-60 minutes but it was still very cool. Interacting with the baby tigers that just wanted to play was great. We got to meet tigers of 2 months, 3 months, 4 months and full grown at 2 years. After 2 years of age, the tigers are put into the breeding population and no longer visited by tourists as their instincts are far more powerful after that age.

It wasn’t too scary – I found it a lot scarier on top of the elephants. We were given strict instruction not to touch their heads, which was harder than you’d think. They look so cute and snugly.

Last but not least, we went to the Sunday Market. It is a fantastic market they hold every Sunday which stretches 2km on the streets of Chiang Mai (more specifically, on Walking Street.) There was everything you could imagine and at fantastic prices. This is where I got most of my gifts for family and friends. Fresh food, crafts, books, art, you name it. I wish we were here for one more Sunday!

S

Orchids, Elephants, and Rafting. Oh my!

I guess the secret is out! Yesterday was a very action packed day that started at 8am when we were picked up at our hostel by our guide for the day, MooMoo Jr. We did a quick trip to some other hostels to pick up a few other travelers and we were on our way to the Chiang Mai jungles. It was quite a multicultural group with one guy from the Netherlands, two girls from America, one girl from Germany and another from England as well as ourselves. All sitting in the back of a covered pickup truck, we took turns singing our national anthems for each other.

Our first stop was an orchid farm. It was beautiful! My interest in flowers isn’t particularly high but this was a sight to behold. There were so many colors and patterns and they are grown in a hanging position, not in the ground. There was also a room called a butterfly farm but I only saw two butterflies... I saw 5 times that on our 30 minute walk in the jungle later that day.

Next stop, elephant camp! We were with the elephants for half of the day. First learning the Thai commands to tell your elephant to stop, go forward, backward, left and right. I promptly forgot this as I was holding on for dear life though and let the mahout (elephant trainer) do the work for me.

First we fed the elephants. They eat an alarming amount of food every day, about 550 lbs. We fed them bananas but during our ride their only concern was eating. They were constantly grabbing branches and leaves to snack on. Oh, and an elephants tongue is very large and very slimy.

In order to get on the elephant, you order it to kneel – when it does so, you step onto it’s bended leg, grab it’s ear and hoist yourself upwards. Now, either I don’t have the upper body strength or I’m just challenged, but this was more like a 3 person job to get my ass up there. Once up there, you have to use your legs to clamp behind their ears as it is VERY unsteady. It was seriously terrifying. I had to do controlled breathing to keep calm. You could get seriously hurt on one of these things... as we found out when B jumped off of one.

Now that we’ve learned the proper way to mount an elephant, let’s learn the proper way to dismount an elephant. First step, don’t jump off. The easiest way to get off an elephant is by swinging your legs over the top of its head. The elephant will then lower its face to the ground so that you can slide off. B didn’t quite understand the directions so she didn’t wait for it to lower its head far enough. She jumped and heard a crackling noise, immediately knowing that something pretty serious was wrong. She’s a trooper though and didn’t let it ruin her time with the elephants. We rode them to the stream where we dismounted (properly) and bathed them.

The other people took a longer trek into the jungle but we decided to split the day half with the elephants and the other half white water rafting. First, MooMoo Jr’s brother took us for a 15 minute hike through the jungle (B used a giant piece of bamboo as a walking stick,) to see a beautiful waterfall. People were sliding down it but after B almost breaking her foot we were feeling pretty cautious. We then went to visit a hilltribe... I thought it would be the Karen Long Neck tribe (they have the rings around their necks) but unfortunately it wasn’t. This part was pretty disappointing since really, we were just dropped there to buy their crafts and I didn’t need any kazoos.

Off to rafting! We were given helmets and life jackets – my helmet was two sizes too small and my life jacket was two sizes too big. I tried to trade to a different helmet but the others were cracked basically in half so I stuck with my yarmulke sized helmet. We were one person short to fill our 4 person raft so someone from another group had to join us. I felt so bad for this French guy. Not only was he separated from his group, but we were essentially useless to him. When we brought the raft into the water, he dragged it 90% of the way entirely by himself since we didn’t want to walk bare foot on the rocks.

When we got going, our guide was completely silent. He sat on the back giving zero instruction. B had to talk control of the situation, having had some experience in kayaks and what not. She was shouting, “ROW! DIG! LEFT! RIGHT! TOGETHER!” and we were doing pretty good. At one point we were completely beached on a giant rock. I turned around to look to our guide for, y’know, guidance, when I saw him sitting and staring into the distance looking entirely unphased. It was then that I knew we were in this alone.

We were cruising down the river now, gaining speed when disaster struck. I remember hitting a rock hard on my side and sliding down into the raft between the two seats. I was lucky to land there. I looked up while I slid down and saw B in literal mid-air. It was complete chaos but Frenchy leapt into action... he dropped his oar and with on hand grabbed B’s arm and shorts and pulled her back into the boat. It was SERIOUSLY lucky that he has cat-like reflexes because mine are akin to a manatee.

After that, the guide got pretty lively. He was not pleased that we lost his oar so we went full speed ahead to try and get it. We paddled and paddled and paddled straight into a very tight squeeze between three rocks. Stuck. Majorly stuck. Our guide had to get out and yank on the ropes several times while we all piled into one side of the boat to adjust the weight. It was absurd. Especially since every other group was having the most leisurely time! We had so many rafts pass us and I’m sure it took about half an hour longer for us than the other group with us.

It wasn’t over yet though. We parked our boat at a bamboo raft... we all sat on this and it immediately started sinking to about mid stomach level. Seems like a rather pointless mode of transportation if you’re trying to keep anything dry. They are steered by large bamboo stick similar to a boat in Venice. Frenchy handed me the stick at first but seriously, we all know how that would end so I passed it off.

What a day, what a day.

We got back to our hostel and almost immediately passed out. At this point B was pretty certain that her ankle was broken or fractured but we figured with some ice and a good night’s sleep we could better assess it in the morning. I think we fell asleep at about 8:30pm. Oh, and all this cost us 50$ each. I love this place!

S.

Bus to Chiang Mai

Last night was one of those nights that you wish you could erase from your memory. We boarded what we were told was a VIP FIRST CLASS bus but was actually just a glorified double decker transit bus with some dress up.

Let me tell you, the road to Chiang Mai is paved with hatred and fury. 10 hours of horror! What a terrible sleep – it felt like we were fighting our way through the elements when I woke up at some undetermined time to thunder and lightning. The suspension of that bad boy left me with aches and pains today. My body is starting to punish me for punishing it with a lack of sleep and I am feeling worse for wear. In addition to that, this sleeper bus started with a movie, dubbed in thai, at high volume and all the lights on.

Before the bus even started moving though, B had to use the bathroom. She came back to our seat in complete shock. It was the worst bathroom she has ever been in. She described it as entirely stainless steel but rusted and dripping wet. The toilet was a metal bowl no larger than the palms of her hands with a bucket of water beside it which also held a ladle. It wasn’t until later that we figured out the use for such tools.

The fine folks on the bus were kind enough to provide us with a delicious and nutritious meal though:

Yup, the mystery drink and custard filled bun stayed in that package. We were on a very strict liquid limit for the next ten hours so sampling that was not on the agenda.

Now... the real thing I’ve been waiting to tell you, dying to tell you, is that when we stopped at 1am in the morning at a rest station we simply HAD to use the bathroom. There was no avoiding it. People, I peed into this last night:

I’m serious. The scoop is for putting water into the “toilet” after you go in it. Somehow it washes it away. Needless to say, THIS is the worst bathroom I’ve ever been in. Welcome to Thailand!

It wasn’t all bad though, I did see these adorable little kitties. I’m not allowed to touch any stray animals because I’ll probably get some sort of parasite and spend the next 25 days in a hospital but it is damn tempting.

Today has been a chill day exploring Chiang Mai by foot. We went for a Thai massage (one hour for 7$) and had some delicious lunch. I have settled on fried rice and chicken for now and it cost me $1.60 for a plate of it today! The massage was quite painful to be honest. They do a lot of contorting and a lot of sitting on you. I did feel good afterwards and I kept telling myself, “She is a trained professional” but really, this is Thailand after all. The prices are so ridiculous here that I fear I will be the most frugal person in the world when I get back.

We are off to the night market tonight and something very exciting but secret for tomorrow!

S.

Bangkok!

Yesterday was such a whirlwind that we’ve spent today in a lazy stupor watching movies in our hostel and staying out of the rain. We headed to Hua Lamphong train station in search of some breakfast. Luckily we found a fruit stand where we got a bag of pineapple and a bag of watermelon for a whopping 25 baht – that is just under a dollar! We topped that off with an apple filled pastry and we were good to go.

In order to truly get the feel of any city, I suggest you try out public transit. This was one of our most memorable moments of our trip to Mexico and Bangkok proved no different. I’ve now decided that we can’t go to a country and not try their bus system. This system was slightly more organized that the bus stops in Mexico but they generally expect you to get on whilst it is still in motion – something that I was not privy to. If you ever find yourself in a Thai bus, don’t give the money to the driver, he does not speak English and he does not want to talk to you. Another person will come to collect your fare. Hopping on a bus is the epitome of throwing caution to the wind. You need to rely on locals to get you where you need to go. Luckily after obliterating several language barriers, “go this way, then this way” with various hand motions, we unexpectedly arrived at a boat. Why not? Let’s hop on.

Our final destination was the Siriraj Medical Museum. If you’ve watched season two ofAn Idiot Abroad, you will remember this from the Thailand episode. This is a quite gruesome museum lacking the quality of body preservation that we have come to expect in North America. There was a lot of formaldehyde in that room. We saw about 50 conjoined twins with various connecting points. Babies in jars . Seriously. Unfortunately no photos were allowed but we did snag one of this lovely man... woman? split in half.

After that it was off to SWENSENS! Ok, so this isn’t even remotely Thai, it is an American chain but how can we say no to delicious ice cream sundaes? Good to see that the dead babies didn’t kill our appetites.

See that rose? This is a classy establishment.

We took the boat back to... wherever we took the boat from, and grabbed a taxi to Siam Mall where Siam Ocean World is. It is Southeast Asia’s largest aquarium and it was VERY impressive. It is an expensive tourist attraction by Bangkok standards at $36 but well worth the money. This was far bigger than the Vancouver Aquarium and had far more to see, including several activities like the “Happy Fish Happy Feet” foot bath – get your dead foot skin eaten off by little fish! It mostly tickled but that didn’t stop B from squealing like a stuck pig. She was sitting by a 4 year old girl who was far more composed.

We spent several hours there then went to the food court for dinner. It was absolutely massive! There were at least 3 shops dedicated solely to breads. And I was worried about the lack of cake... my worries are gone! Cupcake shops galore! We bypassed the sweets and ate at a thai place. I got grilled chicken and rice – Hey, I’m taking it slow here. B got fried vegetables and rice which was “the spiciest thing I’ve ever eaten.” She couldn’t feel her mouth (hence the lack of cupcake desserts.)

We decided to take yet another form of transportation home – time for the Skytrain! The station was busier than Stadium station after a hockey game. I’m not sure if there was enough oxygen to keep all of us alive in there. We had to transfer to the underground Subway MRT. Are you counting? We took a city bus, boat, taxi, skytrain and subway all in one day. The Bangkok Skytrain/Subway system is VERY advanced compared to ours. It is amazing how parts of this city seem straight out of the third world and others are shockingly futuristic. The juxtaposition is strange to see.

We need these! Everyone forms perfect lines on either side while leaving a space for people to exit the trains first.

We were exhausted by the time we got home. The heat here takes a lot out of you and it is difficult to stay hydrated. Water is insanely cheap here – I’m currently drinking from a 1.5L bottle that I got for 50 cents!

We are headed to Chiang Mai tonight via bus. We tried to book a train ticket but they have to be booked many days in advance in order to get a sleeper car. We get in tomorrow morning (Jan 26^th) and are staying there for a week. This is where the real adventure happens... we have some incredible things planned for this week.

Dinner time!

S.

Airline Food, Round 1

The airline food was... not as bad as I expected. There is a handy site where users can post pictures and reviews of airline meals called www.airlinemeals.net and although it was useful, it was also scary. Some of the meals featured on this site were swordfish and eel. Needless to say, we bought a sandwich, bagel and muffin from Tim's before boarding the plane for 20 hours of travel.

Without further ado, here are the meals!

B's Vegetarian dinner consisted of many salads including a fruit salad, a garden salad, a spring salad and a traditional ice berg and carrot salad. It also came with rice and some sort vegetable chutney (whatever that is) and green beans. B's rating out of 5 is 3.5.

Here is my sundried tomato chicken and roasted potatoes - the potatoes were delicious but the chicken was awfully greeaaazy. The bun was good. As for the green noodles and the offwhite goop with prawn, I couldn't tell ya. Also, Japan Airlines own official drink, Sky Time, is gross.

And here is the most delicious vanilla ice cream I've ever had. It was only this de

licious because B didn't get one, being a "vegetarian" and all.

She settled for cookies that Lil Wayne would be proud to consume:

B's lunch was a cucumber and tomato sandwich which she happily gave to her neighbor who seemed to be really enjoying his.

My lunch was this: I would tell you what it was if I knew. I took it out of the wrapper solely to take this photo which I had to do whilst holding my breath. We then ate our bagels.

This is how the Japanese do goldfish crackers. They aren't satisfied with one fish, they give you the whole aquarium.

As for the second leg of the flight, we slept the entire time. At one point the lady did show me the meals but I was too out of it to really register what they were. I was so out of it that I even turned down a mini haagen daz. You know it's serious when that happens.

Oh, and this is what I ate at the Tokyo airport:

Yum yum yum!

S.

Planning Polly

Well it is 6am in not-so-sunny Bangkok. Turns out the sun doesn’t come for another 40 minutes but we feel like we’ve stepped into a time loop. We got to our hostel at about 1am last night and went to bed at about 2am. That means we have had four hours of sleep but legitimately had to check three sources for time because it feels like we’ve been asleep for several days. Neither of us would be surprised if we had been sleeping until 6pm.

Now, where to start... Oh, I know – Just as we were leaving home, I got a call from my lovely cat-sitting pal informing me that I forgot my passport on her table. Yup. As B likes to say, over and over, “Planning Polly forgot her passport!” She sure did. But not just once folks, I also forgot it in the bathroom at the Vancouver airport. At that moment, B decided she had to hold onto our most important items and I was deemed barely fit for travel. This is why we make such a great team. B is utterly useless in the planning of anything and apparently I am utterly useless at putting anything into action.

We passed through customs just fine but B insisted, quite loudly, that she would like one of those famed body scans. By the grace of the gods, she was randomly selected. I wanted to take a picture but sadly those aren’t allowed when they’re violating your rights.

Onto Japan Airlines – I love this airline and I love Japanese people! We had two legs of the flight and the planes were different (one was older) but the first plane was SUPER AWESOME FUN TIME! It had a sweet remote that popped out and turned into a video game controller. There were tons of new movies to watch including Footloose (my movie of choice,) What’s Your Number, and Dolphin Tale (B’s choice.) Yes, they were terrible.

The airline though, is extremely accommodating and apparently has free booze the whole flight. We took to hoarding bottles of water instead because the air was so dry. There was literally nothing to eat in the Tokyo Narita airport though. This airport was also pretty disappointing, it was very grey and deserted and the surrounding seemed like farmland. Not what we expected flying into Tokyo. There is more than one airport in Japan though so maybe the others are a little more exciting. As for the food on the actual plane, I will do a post with that shortly!

Oh, I can’t forget to show you the first of the “Japanese Style Toilets” we saw. They give you so many options in the bathrooms in Japan... western, western with bidet, and this hole in the ground:

When we finally arrived in Bangkok, I was surprised to see how busy the airport was at 11pm. Tokyo was dead at 5pm but Bangkok was all lights and bustle. We are staying at Hua Lumphong hostel which is directly across from the train station. We thought we could get a jump on things and book our train tickets when we arrived, so we got out cabbie to drop us off there – no dice as it was closed. You wouldn’t know it though because there were several hundred people sleeping on bare tile. This meant we had to get back across the street to our hostel. Oh don’t worry, only 8 lanes of traffic to get through but there is a cross walk painted on the road! No flashing hand or walk symbol meant playing Frogger and hoping not to get squished while carrying 22 lbs on my back (yup, we weighed them at the airport!)

I also saw my first stray cat! She was pregnant and had a heart shaped marking on the side of her belly. I probably would have taken a picture of her if it didn’t smell like animal feces everywhere... and if it wasn’t 1am... and if people weren’t lying on the streets randomly massaging each other’s feet.

Our hostel is over all pretty good. We got the A/C going and I’m a little frightened about stepping out into that hot humid air. It was 26C when we arrived but bear in mind that was only in the middle of the night. B’s hair is telling us the humidity index with the rate it is growing. We have two little beds, a tiny shower and toilet but I feel this is pretty high class compared to what some more budget travelers are dealing with. And free wi-fi!

We are off to explore now, after eating our last of the Tim Horton’s we loaded up on for the flight. And now my white rice diet begins...

S.

Packed

We are officially packed and ready to go. Save for a few things I need to stuff into my carry on, everything has been purchased and packed for both of us. It is a frightening thing to realize that everything I own will be contained in a 65L backpack that I will carry around day in and day out for an entire month. The thought is also liberating though and I think we will either come back realizing that we don't need as much as we think we need OR we will gain an appreciation for all the things we do have.

That being said... I'm still bringing a hell of a lot of stuff! When I laid out all of the things I felt I needed (and I was being very sparing), I put them all into my bag and it was comfortably full. The problem is, you should never travel anywhere with a full pack. I took it all out and hummed and hawed over every little thing - I ended up getting rid of one pair of shorts. Yup, really slimming it down. Thankfully, B suggested we roll all of our clothing and then put them in large ziplock bags with the air squeezed out of them. I was surprised at how much room could be saved just by rolling everything. I went from having zero extra room to having nearly a foot of space. Just the right amount of room to pack an adorable cat.

The most terrifying issue, and this is where men and women likely differ, is that we are not bringing a flat iron or a blow dryer. THIS is a very big deal. It is due to be raining and 36 degrees when we arrive in Bangkok. Do I need to repeat that? That level of humidity will turn my hair into a tumbleweed. I hope there isn't a strong wind - but then again, it might save me the cost of a train ticket up north.

I delegated the task of making a first aid kit to B. She has worked in a clinic and has the knowledge and access to many things we might need. The average first aid kit for travel is about 20-30$ and weighs no more than 1lb generally. B has spent 120$ and was at one point including a tracheotomy straw (I talked her out of this.) I kid you not, if I needed a liver transplant we could do it on the ferry ride to Koh Tao. We also have the equipment to do sutures, some artificial tear eye drops and vagisil, because, "Try explaining 'itchy vagina' to a pharmacist in Thailand."

I've included a picture of B's belongings as well as mine - yes, that small amount of stuff (or does it look like a lot?) is everything we'll own for an entire month. I refuse to weigh mine because I think that will only make it feel heavier. I know for a fact that while I'm hunched over in a train station in Bangkok the last thing I need to know is how much my bag weighs, "Well I am carrying 35 lbs you know."

Mine:


B's:



Hey, in our defense - we are taking about 25lbs less to Thailand for a month than B took to Mexico for a week. Wrap your head around that one.

S.

Prologue

Snow, really? Part of me is happy to have caught a glimpse of snow before we go on our big adventure since I don’t think I’ve had a snowless winter at any point in my life but the other part of me is thinking – really? Couldn’t this have happened in a week?

Roughly a year ago, I was perusing the internet and saw a picture of a man bowling. The caption under the picture said, “Midnight bowling in Stockholm.” I picked up the phone and immediately called B, “I want to midnight bowl in Stockholm instead of Wii bowl in my living room. I want an interesting caption for the various moments of my life. We need to go to Europe.” The planning and dreaming immediately ensued with B replying, “Ok, let’s go for 6 months! Let’s sell our cars!” She is a throw caution to the wind kind of girl where as I am a “Let’s figure out how to harness this wind and turn it into energy” kind of girl. After talking some sense into her, we decided on a 5 week Eurotrip in September of 2012.

Clearly this isn’t what is happening, as I’m sure you know by now that we are going to Thailand in one week but this is how the dream started. We set out a savings budget and began waiting until September. About 5 months ago, B kept lamenting about how badly she wanted to go to Thailand. I was highly against this because Asian countries scare the shit out of me – have you seen what they eat? Have you seen what I eat? Um... do you have mashed potatoes please? So I was quick to squash the idea but my brain kept turning and I realized that Thailand is a great “starter” for an inexperienced traveler. It is laid back, cheap, and our schedule would be far less stringent than a 5 country Eurotrip.

Naturally, B insisted that we go for a year... “We’ll put our stuff in storage! Sell our cars! We’ll teach English! Can you imagine if we left for a year? We’d come back and everyone would be living in pods!” Our lack of college degrees and my lack of insanity put the kibosh on that one. So here we are... one week away from a 31 day backpacking trip to the other side of the world.

If you keep tabs on this blog, you can expect to hear about all of our adventures, including but not limited to:

RIDING A FUCKIN’ ELEPHANT

WHITE WATER FUCKIN’ RAFTING

ZIP FUCKIN’ LINING

PARTYING WITH TWENTY THOUSAND FUCKIN’ PEOPLE ON A BEACH DURING A FULL MOON

LADY (not fuckin’) BOYS

HOLDING BABY FUCKIN’ TIGERS

NIGHT FUCKIN’ KAYAKING

SURF(uckin!)

Are you as excited as I am?!

S.