The Adventure Begins

March 13-14
Alright, so like I mentioned previously I have had an incredible past 2 months filled with amazing sights, beautiful scenery and unforgettable memories. I am not sure whether or not I regret keeping up with my blog along the way, but I think it’ll serve me well as a way to remember everything that’s happened and maybe filter out some of the fluff that would inevitably lead me to writing a novel for every entry (which is still quite possible.) Anyway, I guess I’ll start from the beginning: March 13; school is over, I’ve reached enlightenment at the Buddhist retreat and I can’t wait for some travelling. Enter: Dad.

I had been trying to get my room clean and get all packed and suddenly it was time to get Dad at the airport. Danai, our neighborhood taxi driver, took me to get him and I can’t begin to explain how great it was to see a familiar face when we got there. You don’t really realize how long 5 months is until you see someone from home and then it hits you…man, I’ve been gone for a long time! Anyway I got Dad back to my apartment where we went for a walk and went to bed. It was cool to see someone else’s reaction to my home (I don’t think he ever got used to the plane engine that is my ceiling fan!) and be able to finally show what I’ve been up to.

We slept in a little the next day (after 24+ hrs of travelling that’s pretty necessary). Dad and I went to Pe Pen’s for lunch and got to meet a few of the teachers/try some of the food I eat. We gathered our things and made our way to BKK. I took Dad the way we take to get there (taxi, city bus, sky train) and away we went. The 13th marked the first day of the Red Shirt protests which we weren’t really sure what to make of, but at this point all we knew was not to wear red downtown and just be careful—easy. We dropped our stuff off at a hotel in Chinatown and took the MRT (subway) to Chatuchak Weekend Market. This is sort of an overwhelming place, but it’s definitely cool as it’s one of the world’s largest open air market. After having our fill of wares/people watching we took a brief rest by the pond in the park; it’s like a mini-green oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of downtown BKK and for a second makes you forget about the fast-paced, horn-honking life in the city.

Feeling pretty hungry at this point we headed back to Chinatown to scope out a restaurant. We ended up at the Orchid hotel for an international buffet which was awesome! It had been a long time since I’d had pasta and the like and actually had an entire plate of bread (we don’t really get too much of that here in Thailand) We decided to head back early as we had a 555am train to Cambodia in the morning. Dad was a great sport being willing to just hop on board as far as this travelling goes (esp as he just landed less than 24 hrs ago!)