Hello everyone. Sorry for cutting the last entry short. Jet lag got the best of me and I could barely keep my eyes open! The good news is that Nanc and I have fully recovered and are ready for the many adventures to come.
Jeannette and Michael were wonderful hosts in Honk Kong and they made sure we got a good taste of the city. A HUGE shout out to them for letting us stay there and for making us feel at home. Also, for giving us a comfortable place to adjust to the time change and ease in to the pace of life over here. Thanks guys!
HK is a beautiful city and not so much like what I had expected. There is so much water in and surrounding the city and the mountains and greenery within/surrounding the city is amazing. Depending on where you are, you would not think that you were in a city of 7 million or more people. Jeannette took us around the city to a few markets and delicious eateries the first day we were there. There architechture and the culture is beautiful and so intriguing to me. I have acquired a few books so I can become more informed on certain aspects of the culture and gain a better understanding of what I am seeing and experiencing. The second day we were there we went to a secluded monestary hidden in the mountains and home to the "Big Buddha." Tian Tan (the Buddha) at Po Lin Monestary is 34 metres hight and sits north to overlook the chinese people. It took 12 years to complete and is HUGE!
It was so great to see my cousins. Sam and Madeline, and to see them all grown up and loving life in the new home. We even got to see Sam in action and cheer him on at one of his baseball games against a Japanese team. He is a great pitcher and brought in a few runs batting as well. Go Sam and the Hawks!
Nanc and I spent our last morning in HK cooling off in the South China Sea and exploring a beautiful sea side temple, both of which are about a 5 minute walk from the house. We both gained atleast six days walking over the bridge of life (can't remember the formal name) at the temple. We were tempted to keep lapping the bridge but weren't sure if that was appropriate and if it would be effective. I will have to pay another visit to the bridge when I am back in HK!
We landed in Bangkok late on the 5th and checked into our hotel around 1am our time(11 hour time diff in Thailand). We got settled and planned out our one full day in Bangkok. We got a late start in the morning but we were still able to have a full day of exploring. Our first stop was our first authentic Thai Restaurant. After all of my pad thai attempts and failures back home, I was so excited for finally be ordering the real thing! And let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! Way better than any of my creations. Oh ya, and we had to get thai beer with our meal as well, and that was also delicious :)
Next, we explored the Golden Palace for a few hours. WOW. I was in awe the entire time, taking in the amazing detailed structres and statues and watching/listening to the different religious ceremonies taking place. After a few hours of taking in what we could (there was SO much to take in it could take days), we took our first tuk tuk ride to the famous Kao San Road. We lapped the street, popping in to the numerous shops, tempted by all of the fun clothing, jewlery, and anything you can think of really. I was extremely proud of myself because I only ended up buying one shirt. I had to constantly remind myself of the length of my trip and the many markets to come. Nanc was a different story. I just bit my tongue and reminded her that whatever she bought she would have to carry around on her back for the next two weeks :) I will have to say that I am impressed with how little she bought knowing her previous shopping history and habits! On our way to get a taxi, we stopped for a famous Thai foot massage at this family run market. A brother and sister gave us amazing foot massages and were giving each other a hard time and joking around the whole time . They were super fun and it was a great way to end our day out! It was a fun, HOTT day of site seeing/shopping but we were glad to make it back to the hotel and jump in the pool to cool off. We bought our plane tickets for Krabi, booked a hostel for a night, and went to bed.
We found our way back to the Bangkok airport this morning and are waiting for our flight down to Krabi. In about an hour, we will be making our way to Ao Nang where we will be setting for two nights. We are hoping for good weather so we can soak in the sun and explore a new part of Thailand. I have 99% aloe vera for the terrible sun burn that is inevitable after these past five months of winter.
I hope all friends and family are doing well and I hope it is warming up for all of those in the North East! Sending love to all of you!! Cheers until next time!
-S
xoxox
