Orientation: Elephants and Karaoke !

My favorite day that I have had in Thailand so far was our day trip to Kanchanaburi and our last night of orientation. This day was memorable for a lot of reasons, but the coolest part of was being able to ride an elephant!! Alexis and I rode the elephant through the paths of the elephant camp and into the river, which was my favorite part. Then we got to take turns sitting on the elephant's neck, which was actually really nerve wracking because I thought I was going to fall off every time his shoulder blades moved!! After our elephant ride we moved on to the bamboo river rafting, which was a really simple concept but very enjoyable. We got to go swimming in the river and glide along the side of the raft, with beautiful mountains in the distance and our friends passing us on elephants. It was definitely a one of a kind event and it was really fun! From the rafts, we returned to the camp and caught the end of the elephant show, which had adorable elephant babies doing tricks with hoolahoops and entertaining the crowd.
After our visits with the elephants, we visited the historic Bridge Over the River Kwai. I only knew about the bridge because of the famous song, but it was really cool to see it in person and learn about its significance during war conflicts in Thailand.
After the bridge, we wrapped up the day-trip at the coolest restaurant I have ever been to. It was an all-seafood menu so I had a heaping portion of white rice and fruit, but it wasn't until after dinner was served that it started getting fun. The restaurant (originally docked on land) was being tugged along the river by a small Thai boat and we were cruising along a gorgeous scenery of greens with beautiful mountains in the background. Then, the disco lights came on, the DJ played "Gangnam Style" and the 2 hour dance party began! I didnt participate because I was way too tired from the day, but it was a fun environment and it was a great way to kick off the last night of orientation.
Once we got back to the hotel, everyone changed quickly and rushed to the downstairs bar that they opened especially for us. It was the weirdest room I have ever been inside, with strange Egyptian patterns on the walls and a funky smell, but the Karaoke songs were all of my favs, pure 90s and love ballads. I was loving it! Skye and I did a great rendition of "I Want it that Way" and then Alexis and I designated ourselves the token background singers and belted out every song that followed.
Overall it was a great last day of orientation. The next day we traveled back to Bangkok where we all met our coordinators and said our goodbyes.
Alexis and I were officially on our own!

 The elephant ride passing through the river

Lex riding the neck of the elephant ! 

                                       

My turn! 

 Baby elephant taking a rest after the show

 Our tug boat taking the floating restaurant down the river

Karaoke room with our new Thai friend, Fiat!

Orientation: The Royal Palace

We finally arrived in Thailand after 2 long flights. The first (San Fran-Tokyo) went by fast because I watched about 6 movies and tons of TV shows. If anyone is interested, Moonrise Kingdom is a quirky film that was really entertaining and well-done. Beasts of the Southern Wild was a film I also watched on the plane and even though it was heart-wrenching, it was amazingly well-done. I suggest watching both!!
Anyways, Alexis and I arrived in Bangkok after our flight from Tokyo which we both used as a prime napping opportunity. Once we got to the airport, we had 12 hours to kill until our scheduled pick-up to the hotel. After lots of games, delusions, and unsuccessful attempts at naps, we finally met up with the other teach in thailanders and made our way to the Louis Tavern Hotel. Needless to say, Alexis and I passed out minutes after we settled into our room... and slept for 17 hours. It was a very necessary nap.
Orientation at the hotel was very informative and everyone I met was so nice. Orientation made me so excited to get to the classroom and start interacting with the students. The teaching overviews, Thai lessons, and general Thailand seminars were very helpful but I was eager to move on to the excursions.
Our first trip was to the Royal Palace which was the original palace and home of many sacred Buddhist temples. This is considered a very historic part of the city of Bangkok because the area surrounding the palace cannot renovate from its original construction to preserve the history of the palace.
Our tour guide, Lucky, was the cutest Thai woman who was very informative about the different architectural designs of the buildings inside the palace walls and the history of the royal family and the palace itself. The detail in the architecture and design of the temples is literally like nothing I have ever seen before. The true beauty of the buildings was in the details of the patterns on the walls and the beautiful colored gems used to decorate.
The temple of the emerald Buddha is one of the most famous sites inside the Royal Palace, and it is considered a very holy place. On the outside, the temple had beautiful detail and on the inside the walls painted a beautiful story of the life of the Buddha.
Overall the Royal Palace was an amazing day trip that was literally unforgettable. The buildings were truly remarkable and despite the heat rash I obtained, and our strange seafood buffet lunch, it was one of the highlights of my time in Thailand so far.

 Buildings within the palace walls.

 Real Gold!!

 The Detail in the buildings was unbelievable.

 Lucky and Kevin demonstrating the balance of good and evil (demons and monkeys) that are necessary to support the weight of society

The entrance to the temple of the Emerald Buddha (no photos allowed inside).

first stop: cali !

Before we arrived in the land of smiles, Alexis and I made a 6 day pit stop in San Francisco, California where we explored the city and the beautiful areas around northern California accompanied by our wonderful hostess and tour guide, Tatianna. For 4 years Alexis has told me how much I would love San Fran, and she nailed it. It was an amazing city with beautiful buildings, landscapes, and overall really positive vibes. Even though it is a major city, there was something very homey about it (probably because of the harbors and the Boston-feel). I loved how just off the coast of the city there were dolphins, seals, and sea lions swimming in the distance. I have to admit, seeing the golden gate bridge for the first time gave me butterflies because as a die-hard Full House fan, it was a dream come true! Also as a fan of rounded rooms and old fashioned homes, the buildings in San Fran stole my heart.
The sights that I saw along our coastal drive to Carmel are some of the most amazing views I have seen in my lifetime. I love how everything is so green right up to the water's edge and the cliffs along the coast are unreal. The stop in Carmel had its ups and downs- with a visit from bed bugs being the downer, but the views along the 17 mile drive were the highlight of my time in California. The houses, the sea creatures off the coast (harbor seals are so damn cute!) and the sunset !!!!!! Ah, it was truly amazing. Unfortunately my immune system was wrecked and I had to take a day of rest (which unfortunately meant cancelling our trip to wine country) but it was necessary to kick the sickness before I left for Thailand. The other highlights of the trip were the redwoods, the amazing thai restaurant we went to (pumpkin curry- yum!) fisherman's wharf,  and catching a glimpse of the blue angels in the air show. We crammed a lot into our visit and there is still much more to see and do in the area ! I have a feeling this was notttt my last visit to San Fran :)

Lex and I in front of Golden Gate Bridge!

 Views along the drive to Carmel!

 17  Mile Drive!

 17 Mile Drive!

 Sunset at 17 Mile Drive!

 Redwoods!

 Fisherman's Wharf!

Full House Intro!

preparations for the journey

Can't believe 2 WEEKS from today Alexis and I will be boarding a plane to start the first leg of our journey in San Francisco, California. I can't believe the time has come and the packing chaos has begun!  I remember sitting on my couch over winter break and receiving a facebook inbox from lex of the Thailand application. From the moment I read the description and saw photos of teachers riding elephants during orientation, I was sold. And who better to go to Thailand with than Alexis; my yoga-loving, asian-loving, travel-loving best friend??

The paper work is done, the application is complete, and now all I need to do is PACK. A 50 lb suitcase for 6 months is not the most accommodating, especially when I have about 15 pounds of medicine to take with me... but adjusting to the weight limit is the first adjustment I must make to living in a new environment. Everyone keeps asking me if I am nervous, and my answer is this: I can't be nervous because I have no idea what to expect. I am going into this journey completely open-minded and ready to face any challenges thrown my way. I am excited, and I know any anxieties I may encounter on this journey Alexis can help me face. There are a million different thoughts zipping through my mind as I prepare to depart, but the one thing that is constantly repeating itself in my head is the infamous quote from Bilbo Baggins: "I think I'm quite ready for another adventure."


Thailand, here we come =)