Thailand, travel to and first day

The day went as painlessly as could have been expected. I have decided that the worst part of travel is the airports. I think it's especially worse here having to go through Beijing. Not that the airport is bad, it's just the wait time in between flights. I had to wait 13 hours on the way back, and I think about 8 or 9 the way there.

Jack picked Richard and I up at 4:30 am and we were on the same flight at Oyuna and her family, as well as some familiar faces from school! Richard and I also were seated next to one another on the flight into Beijing, so I didn't mind sharing such a small space. He is a courteous traveller. After our landing though, I quickly took my part and headed off to terminal 3. The airport in Beijing doesn't make much sense to me. I had to take a train and a bus to get to my next terminal. I guess that's why the wait periods between flights is so long. I had many hours to fill so I ate some spicy Korean soup, napped and read.

After getting on the flight to Bangkok, I discovered I had three seats alone! I stretched out luxuriously. When I woke up I had drooled all over my purple Thai pillow. I did try to take some photos out the airplane window, but none of them turned out.

I was disappointed to learn that the "international credit card" I paid for is not a credit card at all! I was concerned about having enough money for my trip, but that was quickly dispelled after I changed my American funds to Thai baht. I was mostly concerned though that my worst nightmare would come true. That after all my planning and emailing and such, no one would be there to pick me up from the airport.

As luck would have it, this did not come true! The sign read "Chtherine Mihowich", but that had to be me. Nookie and her boss from Syriana tours picked me up right on schedule. I then too discovered I had the entire van to myself for the ride to Koh Chang. What luck! Nookie began talking to me about various trips I could take with them and they all sounded amazing. Snorkeling, elephant riding, water falls, and yes, dolphin swimming.

My flight got in later than the ferry to Koh Chang ran, so we drove for a bit, slept, drove and I finally made it there after 28 hours. It wasn't particularly sunny that morning. The desk reservationist was expecting me the night before and I had a flash of panic that they'd given my room away. Not so! I had a smallish room with a giant, clean, white king sized bed with a balcony facing the water. Who could ask for anything more?

After checking in I had my free breakfast. It was an interesting concoction called an omelet. It had cauliflower, carrots, and even broccoli in a sweet red sauce surrounded by scrambled egg. It was good though to sit on the open patio and take in the sights. I even drank 2 beers! The most important item on the agenda though, was swimming! I jumped into my suit faster than you could say "Hey, Cat, wanna go swim....?" I have realized that I am my happiest either in or near the water. The water was so buoyant, I could just lay on my back and it suspended me in bliss. As I walked out of the water for the first time that trip I thought to myself, "If you want to see me happy, this is it." No schedule, no agenda, and no one else to worry about. Loverly!

Aside from a minor moisturizer explosion in my bag (thank heaven for plastic baggies!) and a bikini rash from the Mongolian razor, life was good. Plus, the sun had started to peek it's way through the clouds. I though that maybe I was the whitest woman there after my Mongolian winter, but I sure was the happiest!

I did manage to get the beginnings of a burn that day, even though I spent no time in the sun and wore 30 sunblock. I wasn't going to let what happened in the Domincan happen there!

As I lounged on my balcony that day, I called Nookie to get my week in order. She came by and we planned many outings. There were some people down below me who had a guitar. I made my way down and asked to play them a song. They all clapped when I began to sang and took my photo. I also learned that the Thai word for cat is mao! How cool is that?

Day 2

I slept so well that night, it was unbelievable to me. Considering on the way in I was dreaming about school, my dreams were few and unmemorable. Just floating on the crisp white sheets in the cool of the fan.

I got picked up and headed out for my big day. First was the elephant riding. I have to admit I got a bit shaky when I first saw them, they were just so big! On the ride you could see the rubber trees being tapped. After this we had a brief stop at the Chinese inspired temple. We lit 14 sticks of incense and I gave thanks for my amazing trip. Next on the agenda, kayaking. The trees were those kinds with large roots that were half in, half out of the water awaiting the rainy season. There were tiny crabs scuttling around the base of each near the water. We stopped at a shoal and I swam, cutting my feet on the sharp pieces of shells around. I quickly put my flip flops on and cooled off. Being the only one alone, the guide operator, an amazingly beautiful Thai woman, was my partner. She took this photo for me. I quickly became confident to approach just about anyone and ask them to take my picture.

Once we returned from the kayaking, we had the most amazing lunch. Spicy seafood soup and this garlic grilled sea bass. It came with rice and veggies. We hung about for a bit afterward and watched the local fishermen with their nets. What patience they must have!

Even after this, we still went for a swim in the local waterfall. It was the only one worth seeing at the time apparently due to the end of the dry season. It was still beautiful. While the water was cooler, it was fresh and refreshing! The pool was so deep in the centre people could climb the rock ledges and just dive in.

I went back to my room and sat on my little balcony, swam at will, and slept again knowing I had snorkeling to look forward to the following day. Ahhh!