Coming to Terms

With wounds still fresh from a layoff last June news of my position dissolving yet again was hard to swallow. Within 24 hours I went from devastation to action plan. This life throws things our way. I don't know if everything happens for a reason and frankly, I don't care. All I know is recent experience has taught me I can handle anything. Knowing ourselves is important and that is one thing this experience has taught me. I have always had a certain sense of independence. This is likely due to growing up with a strong independent mother. For better or worse that stubbornness has stuck. When it hits the fan I stay and unplug it instead of run away. To know ourselves is something wonderful, but to truly be comfortable with being alone is invaluable.
My time in Thailand has brought friendships, heartache and a sense of independence I never imagined. Less than a year ago I was working full time and living with Eric on the road to settling down. If someone had told me I would soon live in Thailand along with travel to Laos and Burma... well you can imagine my response.
Korea ignites a new excitement. John Ritter, a contact and senior adviser at Search Associates wrote to me, "Korea is not exotic, but it's very foreign which is equally appealing." I love this. SE Asia is plenty exotic and I can always move back. Seoul makes me excited because I am certain it is like no other place I have seen. It's modern. It's huge. It's foreign. The idea of living somewhere I am not likely to visit has always been appealing to me. I am still sorting out the details but the perks are there. My contract will include a salary increase,a fully paid and furnished apartment, airfare home, and more perks.
I've been clear about how I feel about making plans. For now Korea is my next move and a gut feeling makes me certain of this. Anything beyond is still TBD. I have learned to live without much and am happier for it, but I would like to have more options. What I do know is I can make money there. Money gives you options and I am satisfied with that, for now.

The Other Side

The morning after all the excitement of a Tsunami evacuation, we set out for Ko Samui on the other side of Thailand. A minivan picked us up from Pearl Beach Resort, clearly on "Thai time," and we set out for the Gulf of Thailand. The journey was easy enough, aside from a driver that rubbed both Sara and myself the wrong way. We arrived in Donsak to catch the ferry to Samui, only to miss it by a few minutes due to our drivers need to stop at 7-11. We know better then to sweat the small stuff so in an hour we made our way to Koh Samui. Our reservation had already been made (thanks to the excellent planning skills of Sara) but the owner's jeep was still in the shop which meant no ride from the pier. We are a bit stubborn when it comes to getting ripped off and denied offers from aggressive drivers upon arrival. This backfired as no one was around otherwise, and we just ended up walking a kilometer or two up to the main road. A few people stopped to offer us a ride, for 500 Baht, which we obviously declined. Eventually we made our way to a resort and took a cab for 200 Baht each.
Once we found our bungalow it was clear we weren't going to accomplish much on this island. It's privately owned, just next door to the landlord who rents it out to visitors. It had one main room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. For once the place actually looked just like it did in the photos, and we were set. That night we ventured out to the cheapest place in the area recommended by our host. The next few days consisted of lay on the beach, read, nap, eat, repeat. The one morning we ventured out the heat got the best of us and the rest of the day was spent rehydrating.
Three days later we ventured off to Ko Tao. A ferry from Samui, to Ko Phangan which we later would return to, and on to Koh Tao took about 2 1/2 hours. Upon arrival we decided not to be stubborn and walk around with our heavy bags, and just paid the 100 baht each to get to our resort. Out of the entire trip we were mindful of the prices and most places we have stayed were on the cheaper side. Every girl loves a splurge though, and this was it. Imagine private bungalows descending the hillside, with the most amazing grounds full of flora and fauna, spectacular views, and an infinity pool. We were surrounded by nature which proved to be a little more nature than we bargained for, but I will get to that. That evening we relaxed and had an early dinner on the grounds. Followed by a trek into town for reinforcements aka snacks from 7-11.
We spent the bulk of our time enjoying the amenities of the resort along with venturing out on our last day. We rented a motorbike from a local shop nearby. The woman proved to be not very Thai in her demeanor, and was wearing only a towel, but that happens. We borrowed snorkel gear and tried our luck in Shark Bay. After swimming around for a while and seeing only the same (beautiful) fish we decided to head to Freedom Beach which happens to be right next door. We snorkeled there for a bit, laid out in the sun for a short time before deciding food was a great idea. This proved to be wise as my Norwegian roots don't allow for a very high sun tolerance (and yes Mom and Dad, I wore sunscreen). We headed back to the resort and eventually ventured out back into town for dinner (after a sunset photo shoot), then returned the bike to our oh- so- friendly lady who we rented from. I made it a point to give her an extra cheerful Kap Kun Ka (thank you) as we left.
Upon arrival back at the resort Sara went to use the internet and I made my way back to the room. As I was getting ready for bed a spider crawled from my clothes into my backpack. Earlier in the day the biggest spider in the wild I have ever seen had been in our room and despite no fear of them freaked me the hell out. As I was mulling over the idea of I shake the bag, Sara catches it for release, my back decided to spasm. The resort being on the side of the mountain meant lots of stair and hill climbing. I am in fact an old man, and when over excerpted my back goes out. So here I am unable to move waiting for Sara to get back. When she arrived I let her know what was happening only to crack up laughing as she shook my bag, jumping back each time, as my clothes were strewn about the room. Eventually we were fairly certain the spider had fled out on the balcony and a restless night of scary spider dreams ensued.
The next morning we made our way down to the Pier, luckily this time with a ride from the resort. The ferry to Ko Phangan was nice and only took an hour and a half. We had arranged pick up at the pier but with no confirmation from the resort. Although uncertain we hung around when they were not there, not in the mood to negotiate a ride. Luckily they showed and we arrived at our final resort of the trip a short while later. A walk into town, some Mexican food, and a lot of Law and Order sums up the rest of the day. It's located near town and right next to the beach with two pools, so I am certain that is pretty much all we will do for the final days of this trip. It has been amazing and even after almost two weeks I still can't believe the color of this water, and the beauty of these islands.

The Tsunami, well sort of

On our last day in Koh Lanta I was still taking it easy in order to not be sick for the 8 hour ferry/ bus ride the following day to Koh Samui. We had gone down to the beach in the morning, and once Sam and Becky left I napped and Sara went down to the beach. As I was napping I felt the earth shaking. At first I thought it was from Sara in the hammock, but as it continued I decided it could be an earthquake. It was slight enough that it triggered the idea but still had me questioning my sanity in my current state. The thoughts possible earthquake and tsunami potential ran through my mind, as I fell back asleep. A little while later Sara came in to let me know there had been an 8.9 earthquake (later down graded to 8.7) in Indonesia and that there was a tsunami warning for the Andaman Sea coast. We began to pack our bags just in case we needed to leave. Without a timeline I started to get a little freaked. I know enough about Tsunamis that I can be realistic about when it may occur, but the fact that it was unknown to us scared me. Also the realization that we are in fact, still in Thailand. I love this country, but trust is low. We got our stuff and made our way to the front of our resort. A was there and promptly put us in a cart attached to a motorbike with Tong as the driver. As we made our way out to the road and to higher ground there were people everywhere headed in the same direction. They were hopping into trucks, onto motorbikes or hoofing it on foot. Any twinge of fear was eased by Tong making us laugh, and the reassurance the these are good guys running the resort, and we trust them. Only later did we find out how lucky we were. A Swedish couple we met on the bus to Samui told us all about their awful experience of no warning, and no help from their resort. Only when the sirens went off and they got a notification from relatives at home, did they take off to climb up the hill minus their things, they didn't even have time to find their shoes. We were taking to another hotel called Lanta Loft among many other evacuated foreigners, where we waited it out. Eventually the announcement was made that the wave would hit at 6:30 pm. It turned out to be a 30 centimeter wave and I am not aware if there was a recordable wave from the aftershocks. We waited those out as well and around 8pm made our way back to Pearl Beach for spring rolls, pad thai, and mango shakes. I also realized this was my 7 month anniversary of arrival in Thailand, to the day. Luckily this quake was horizontal, which most are, and it takes a vertical quake to produce a large tsunami wave. In 2004 Thailand had no form of warning system and loss of life was significant as most victims were caught by surprise. In the aftermath systems were put in place for detection as well as warning sirens. Turns out this is the first time that the system has been used since. It's unfortunate it took such a tragedy, but at least when it happens again people will be warned and loss of life will be significantly less.
The following day we made our way to the other side of Southern Thailand. Warnings of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake for The Andaman side are out, that could potentially create a tsunami. How valid these are remains to be seen. Here's hoping nothing else happens now. At least we are tucked away in The Gulf of Thailand for the remainder of the trip, on the safe side.

The Islands: Phuket to Ko Lanta

We arrived in Phuket only to find it was exactly as I had pictured it. The word gross comes to mind repeatedly when I think about it. Patong Beach is a series of roads that resemble Koh San Rd in Bangkok and are reminiscent of Vegas. Along with a strip full of Farang tourists, pushy Thai salesman, and aggressive women offering their services, among countless hotels, bars, and over- priced restaurants. Just gross. The intent was just to pass through, and that's exactly what we did. Arrived at our hotel (which was nice enough) Thursday night, and left on our ferry to Ko Phi Phi at 1:30 pm the following day. If the intent had been to spend a few days there we would have stayed on a more remote part of Phuket and I am sure it would have been nicer. However moving on to better places was the priority and precisely what we did.

The ferry to Phi Phi takes about an hour and a half. The excitement and giddiness I experienced was unprecedented as I have never seen a tropical beach before, let alone water the color of turquoise, yet clear! Phi Phi is indeed the Cancun of Thailand and is bizarre in it's own right. Luckily it's beauty make up for this, and I now understand why people put it on their bucket list. Sara had done an amazing job of pre- booking all our accommodations and we were excited to arrive and find our bungalow. Upon arrival at The PP October Guest House they informed us they did not have our room anymore. Even though Sara had confirmed by email a few weeks prior. Our new friend Andy a foreigner who works at the Visa Dive Shop, lives on the Island and acted as our center for info during the trip, informed us that they most likely gave the room away earlier that day to some naive farangs. Whom most likely walked in and unknowingly were charged twice the price. He also warned us that the Thai people on Phi Phi have become greedy and overcharge any chance they get. He was right. We immediately went on a mission to find accommodations and ended up at an alright place with ac and cable. It worked out fine as most of our time on Phi Phi was spent exploring. The following day we went to the highest point on the island to enjoy the viewpoint. It is indeed a trek and Nicole and I fell behind as she was hungover, my flops were slippery (I have sweaty feet, gross I know.) and Sara and Nick walk much faster. They didn't wait, and we didn't go looking for them so it ended up that we were separated for a short time only to intersect with them on a random trail near the top. The view was breathtaking, and we eventually made our way back down to the room to rejoin each other. Followed by a nice beach- laying- nap- reading session on a quiet part of the island Andy had recommended.
The next day we took a long boat ride to Maya Bay. It's very famous and well known not only for it's remarkable beauty, but because the movie "The Beach" was filmed there. Which I still have yet to see. I am not entirely sure how to proceed describing this place. We made a stop to swim a bit in the most beautiful water I have ever seen. The driver of the wooden longboat we hired to take us to Maya Bay and around for 3 hours proved to be awesome. He took photos for us while we were in the water, found the best spots, and allowed us to frolick on our own private beach in Maya Bay. A photo shoot promptly ensued. The only disappointment of the day was we arrived in Maya Bay during high tide, and it was very crowded so we did not actually get out of the boat on "The Beach." Otherwise it was perfection and I snorkeled for the first time in my life!
The following day we left for Ko Lanta and arrived at our resort in the afternoon. Pearl Beach Resort proved to be an amazing find (thank you Sara). Right next to the beach, we stayed in a beautiful hut complete with a/c and a flat screen. Upon arrival there was an issue with our reservation but luckily this time we were taken care of and even given a discount. The two main guys running the resort are A and Tong. Both delightful people that really made our stay wonderful. Unfortunately I got pretty sick and spent most of the time nursing a gnarly head cold in bed. This did not prevent me from enjoying time on the beach. The rest of our crew hung around the resort as well. On our second evening I was feeling particularly ill. I went up to the front to ask A where the nearest pharmacy was. Some speaking in Thai ensued and next thing I knew one of the women was taking me on her motorbike to her sisters pharmacy. They were so helpful and made me feel looked after. Always a nice thing when you feel like poo.
Ko Lanta really was the epitome of a relaxing mellow vacation and despite the sickness, I really enjoyed our time there.