Thailand Part 2

This blog is being written extremely delayed, however, I felt weird not summing up the end of my last big trip before moving on to the next trip.  So here's my journey in photos with a few stories in between.  

Disclaimer: Since this blog is almost two years late my memory is a little foggy.  Hopefully I'm recounting these events correctly.  And if not, there's only a handful of people who would even know.

My trip began with a Thai family that I met on couch surfing. I spent an evening at their house helping the girls practice English.  Their parents invited me to stay with them, but I'd already booked accommodation for my stay in Surat Thani, Thailand.  The eagerness of the girls to learn English and teach me a few things in Thai was incredible.  How amazing it is that this family invites strangers into their home in hopes of encouraging their daughters to learn another language and inspire them to seek out adventures around the world once they're a little older.

The lovely family I spent an evening with

A Thai treat they gave me before sending me on my way

Food food food for days!

After three crazy weeks buzzing around with my mom and sister I spent my time in Surat Thani relaxing, sleeping, wandering the city, and eating.  Nothing too crazy or exciting. Then it was time to move on to Koh Samui.  I took a night boat and met two other travelers, Ben and his friend Hockman.  We chatted for a bit before going to sleep.  I awoke to Ben standing over me telling me we had arrived.  I followed the boys out and ended up hanging out with them for the morning.  Ben taught me to drive a scooter before we set out to find a beach to nap on.  Along our morning adventure it just so worked out that they were invited to couch surf at the same place I was couch surfing.

Our lovely host, Sunny, told us about a road across the island that was through a jungle.  The next day we hopped on our scooters and set out for an unknown adventure.  The road led to water falls, hammocks, and a red temple.

The boat dock where our over night boat
pulled in to drop us off in Koh Samui

Helmets on, two laps around a parking
lot learning how to drive, and we were off

Chilling on a beach with a local cutting open a coconut
(Photo credit: Ben)

The one and only time I've driven a motorbike...
 I was feeling super cool

The local road across the island through the jungle

The bottom of the waterfall
(Photo credit: Ben)

The Red Temple

The signs in Thailand were hilarious!  Read the third sentence 

The following day Sunny was able to join in on the adventuring.  She led us to a part of the coast with  a lovely view and a night market where we tried, surprisingly delicious, snacks of grasshoppers, crickets, and worms... ok the worms weren't delicious. They had the consistency of peas which I'm not a fan of, but the crickets and the grasshoppers were scrumptious!

This coconut ice cream changed my life! I had no idea
coconut ice cream existed prior to this photo

Night market
(Photo credit: Ben)

Fried chicken feet... it was good except for the bones

Squid YUM!

Bugs!

I hesitantly bit into my one single worm

Ben on the other hand went for it!
Go big or go home!

Our last night in Koh Samui and we stuffed ourselves on Korean BBQ.  My food baby
along with Sunny and Hockman's food commas are evidence of an amazing meal!
(Photo credit: Ben)

Big thanks to our gracious host who didn't mind us completely taking over her living
room for three days and showing us around her lovely island.
(Photo credit: Ben)

Ben and Hockman were headed up to Bangkok and since I didn't have anywhere to be I followed them.  Bangkok was a bit of a suck hole for me.  It wasn't remarkable or amazing, but I spent two weeks there each day saying I'd head out the following day then not doing it.  It's an easy place to be content.  

The power lines in Bangkok are CRAZY!

There are so many of them at every intersection!

An ice cream sandwich... literally ice cream in a roll! 

We saw this woman talking into her bag and thought she was
crazy.  Then we saw the kitten inside and stopped for some cuddles.

Ben drawing a recap of our day and trying to take a picture
while I'm being my usual annoying self ruining his photo op

Tuk Tuk... Tuk Tuk...Tuk Tuk... Tuk Tuk... Tuk Tuk
If you've even been to Thailand this plays on
repeat as you walk through the streets

Random signs in Bangkok that don't make sense

Another funny sign

This shower cap was in one of our rooms with
a message completely unrelated to showering

One of Ben's many, many sketches
(Photo credit: Ben)

We met a couple deaf Thai people and had a conversation

Another deaf friend

Photo 1 of my self diagnosed mild narcolepsy.  I have the gift of sleep anywhere at anytime.  Ben managed to snap o few of these gems in our 5ish weeks traveling together.
(Photo credit: Ben) 

Another one of Ben's sketches of Khao San Road

Scorpion on a stick anyone?

I mustache you a question, how does scorpion taste?

Like hairy bacon...

Not great!

My pal Brynn happened to be in Bangkok for one day at the same time I was there.  We were able to meet up and run around together for the day.

She's such a pretty lady

Good ol' Khao San Road

Ben and I ventured out of the city one day to check out some markets.  We hung out with a cool group of people all making the same trek for the day including a mother and son duo.  The mom pulled her 16 year old out of school and signed him up for home schooling then took off on a 6 month around the world adventure.  What better way to learn than through experience!!

The floating markets

The view from inside a tuk tuk bus

The train markets

The smallest, itty bitty-ist pineapples.
I held up my beer for a size comparison.

(Photo credit: Ben)

Everyone pulls their good back just in time for the train to
pass through.  After the train is gone their goods are once
again spread across the traintracks and the market resumes.

You can see the market is literally next to/on the train tracks!

And finally meeting the Canadians Eric, and the Newfie twins, Seamus and Aidan.  Ben met them on a bus or a boat or some form of transportation from Laos to Thailand.  After running into them a time or two more it was a sign from the universe their paths needed to cross for a bit.  That's when our party of two (Hockman soon went home) became a part of five. 

The day I met the Newfie twins.
They're crazy dudes in all the best ways.

Chinese New Year

The original Pad Thai

The local pub.  Go into 7-11, purchase a beer, sit in plastic chairs
outside 7-11 with your pals, and when it's time for another round
you go inside and buy a cold (and by that I mean luke warm) beer.

Seamus, Aidan, and Eric are Canadians who like it cold so their room was
FREEZING (for me) all the time thus earning it the name "The Igloo".
(Photo Credit: Ben)

I went to my first... rugby game???  I think it was rugby??

What I do remember is the jazzercise class that was taking
place in the courtyard in front of the stadium during the game

After two weeks of talking about going to Cambodia I finally bought a bus ticket, but only after Seamus and Aidan bought theirs.  I needed that extra push to get me out of Bangkok.  A few hours later Ben got his ticket and 12 hours later the four of us were off on a bus to Cambodia.