#why has it taken me this long to sut down and watch it

[demonkidpliz]

Things I learned while re-watching Star Plus Mahabharata (Part 4/many):

1) Finally, Dronacharya is in the picture and he has some major attitude and aukaat. This will spice things up amidst the vanilla, pansy-ass Kurus.

2) Mahabharata is here fulfilling all my brother-in-law angst.

3) Kripa hitting Drona where it hurts..uff.

4) I solved the mystery of why Kripa is motherfucking old, he’s an immortal.

5) Kunti praying to Shiva…if I were Shiva I would be scared and give her what she wants. These Yadavs are not to be taken lightly.

6) Bhishma is not fooled by a single one of his grandsons, is he?

7) I’ve said this before but I love Shakuni’s dramatic ass.

8) Not Ram. Arjun is the best of men. Even as a child, it’s so clear why he was Kunti’s favourite, Drona’s favourite. And Bhishma’s favourite. Arjun is Draupadi’s favourite and Krishna’s favourite. When you’re God’s favourite, you obviously are the best of men.

9) ‘Parth’ is canon eeeeee

10) Yudhisthir trying to teach his brothers to be pansies just like his father taught him. Thank God Kunti and all her Yadav sense was there to knock some sense into them.

11) Poor Bhishma trying to so hard to be human and to care like one and failing mostly. Not everyone has nailed this avatar thing properly.

12) Bhishma reminding Dhritarashtra that he’s not the first blind person in the world lmaoooo

13) Drona appears to be a little extreme but a rational person at the end of the day. How did he end up with the bad guys?

14) Also, his mild obsession with Drupad makes me think that there was more to that story than meets the eye.

15) No wonder Drupad wanted Arjun to be his son-in-law, the one person Drona loved the most.

16) Drona’s statue built by Ekalavya looks a lot more like Kripa.

17) I feel like I should feel bad for Ekalavya as he’s going to become one of the first victims of casteism in India…oh no, wait, he just shot three arrows into a dog’s mouth, he’s dead to me now.

18) What happened with Ekalavya, is so poignant, and a proof of how for millennia we have been complicit in the subjugation of our scheduled castes and tribes - this story really has everything in it. Also A+ 10/10 for the background score.

19) I love Drona. I didn’t think I would this much, but I do. There’s something so otherworldly and primal about him - like Ganga. And the actor, he doesn’t appear to be acting at all. Drona is his role of a lifetime.

20) The reason I love Arjun the most is because of all the qualities we have identified in the best of men - bravery, loyalty, intelligence and ambition - he is a combination of all four.

21) I can just imagine Ganga cackling to herself as she sends this big-ass crocodile to take a chonk out of Drona thinking, ‘this is going to be so much fun’.

22) Karna obviously did not get the memo that Drona is the biggest casteist this side of the Indus because he thinks he’s going to teach him, a Sut kid.

23) I just realised that the actor who played Duryodhan in B R Chopra’s Mahabharat plays Parashuram in Starbharat! Good for you, Puneet Issar!|

24) Goddamit Karna is going to get bitten by that fake looking bug.

25) I was just going to say that Dronacharya probably learned his casteism from Parashuram but it appears that they had to make Parashuram a legit Vishnu avatar. He seems okay. Where did we go wrong, Ram?

26) Aww, even Kakashri Vidur and Drona are friends. What’s the deal with Vidur anyway?

27) Duryodhan and his L’oreal hair.

28) Yudhisthir straight up bungee jumped into the playground bro.

29) My man, Kuntiputra Arjun, maybe just a prince, but he sure is the king of trash talk.

30) They were right. This story really has everything. But most interestingly I like how this story is mostly about selfish parents, even the Gods, wanting to leave a legacy for their children. Ganga wanted Bhishma to be king. Satyavati wanted her sons to be kings. When her sons died without heirs, she wanted her illegitimate son’s bloodlines to inherit the throne. Dhritarashtra wanted Duryodhan to be king. Pandu wanted Yudishthir to be king. Kunti wanted Arjun to survive over her illegitimate firstborn. Duryodhan wanted Lakshman to be king. Subhadra wanted to Abhimanyu, and after him, Parikshit, to be king. Krishna crowned Pradyumna crown prince in the hope that he would be Lord of Dwarka after him. And at the end of the day, the Kauravas and the Pandavas fought the war but the war was won by the Yadavs that played the long game. This story indeed has everything. But in the end when it is being narrated to Janamejaya and Vajranabha, the kings of Hastinapur and Indraprastha respectively, one is the are grandson of Subhadra and the other is the great-grandson of Krishna, and that tells you that men and Gods alike have one and only one primal instinct - to leave behind a legacy for their children.

31) Did they change Kripacharya? Looks like being an immortal is like being an icchadhari naagin.

32) The biggest disservice any retelling of Mahabharat can do is to downplay the relationship between Karna and Duryodhana. Yes, Karna was a social climber and Duryodhana only made friends with him in the hope that he would come in handy against Arjun. But it didn’t start and end there. Karna was loyal and he loved Duryodhan. Duryodhan never begrudged Karna’s low birth and treated him like a friend and equal. Karna was as much a part of his family as any of his brothers. Karna was friends with his wife, was an uncle to his children. That sort of thing is not born from just convenience. People need to stop whitewashing Karna as some guy who was compelled to fight for Duryodhan against his will. What makes Karna’s character so great was the fact that he was so flawed and hitched his ride to the wrong wagon but stuck by it.

33) Duryodhan pointing out that the five Pandavas are not Pandu’s biological children, which is 100% fact but somehow is considered scandalous. Also, how does it even matter? None of them are Shantanu’s bloodline. That died with Bhishma, Chitrangad and Vichitraveerya. They are all sons and grandsons of randos. Important randos but randos.

34) The Pandavas and Kunti always get to me. Is there anything as pure as the love of a single mother and her sons?

35) Arjun so soft. Cries in court.

36) As a person who grew up in a family that loved them only to be estranged as ambitions diverged, I can feel the story of Dhritarashtra, growing up loving Pandu, only to hate his sons. Sometimes, in Indian families, love isn’t enough.

37) How does everyone not immediately shit their pants when Dronacharya stares down at them? That man gives me crazy Vishwamitra vibes.

38) Every time you think you know what the Mahabharat is about, it changes. It goes from being the story of a war between the Pandavas and Kauravas to Bhim and Duryodhan’s enmity to Arjun and Karna’s stand-off to a story of revenge. Drona’s revenge on Drupad. Drupad’s revenge on Drona. Gandhari and Shakuni’s revenge on the Kurus. Draupadi’s revenge on the Kauravas.

[kitkat1003]

Transcendental Meeting

They'd asked to see, to come in his head and meet this weird, convoluted time traveler that was Emmet and also not Emmet. Emmet wasn't exactly thrilled, and neither was Rex, but it wasn't too much to ask. After all, Emmet had had peoppe in his head before, and he can't imagine it would be difficult to have them in his head again.

Lucy headed the ritual this time, and Emmet tried to ignore the tight pull from both his and Rex's metaphorical hearts as he remembered that Vitruvius was so terribly, awfully gone. Instead, he focused on clearing his head, shutting his eyes.

When he, Lucy, Batman, Unikitty, Benny, and Metalbeard appeared inside his own mind, he could tell Lucy was surprised by the change. It is definitely fuller now, a multitude and dark blues and bright oranges filtering through the constantly shifting space, as well as the numbers and their corresponding parts that float around aimlessly.

In the center of it all, a large ship, identical to the one Rex had had before he...no longer had his own body. They can hear the sound of video games and someone shouting, and Emmet smiles with a sort of fond familiarity that has Lucy grinning.

He leads them to the door, hidden behind a plethora of sensors, and opens it, gesturing for them to follow him inside.

Instead of the makings of a spaceship, the interior is large house mixed with an apocalypse survival bunker. There is a gun rack and a homely kitchen, side by side, an odd juxtaposition of Emmet's and Rex's tastes that seems to work.

Rex is sitting in front of the largest tv screen they've ever seen, and Emmet stops them a few feet away from the chair, walking over by himself and tapping Rex on the shoulder.

Rex inclines his head-Emmet is the. only one allowed to sneak up on him like that and not get punched

"What, they finally show up to see the glory that is me?" Immediately, all save for Lucy are taken aback by the voice, bravado and ego and cockiness all turned up to eleven and shoved into a single sound. Lucy just smiles and shakes her head as Emmet nods, and Rex gets up, pausing the game and taking the few steps and one turn to face the people he knows so well, yet not at all.

Their appearance takes his breath away.

He doesn't front when Emmet is with his friends. As is, Rex secludes himself to being seen by GCBC and Lucy only, because he's too good-too nervous-to be seen by anyone else.

Rex's appearance is a shock to the four as well, eyebrows shot to the ceiling. Of all things that would have been thought to be a part of Emmet, Rex is not one of them.

"The heck happened to you?" Batman's gruff, blunt voice cuts through the silence, and Rex twitches, ever so slightly. The mindscape darkens for a moment, and Emmet and Lucy make the same face-the "Oh my God Batman don't say that Why did you say that" face.

"I grew up-yknow, trained some raptors, created a time machine spaceship, got tough, typical easy stuff. You wouldn't get it," His words are barbed wire behind the self aggrandizing, and Emmet's eyes dart back to Batman, pleading with him not to engage.

But the Dark Knight's ego won't be challenged.

"Oh yeah, it's not as if I pioneered that-besides, I doubt any part of Emmet is grown up," Emmet flinches, and Unikitty jabs Batman with her horn. "Hey!" Batman shouts, rubbing the spot where he was hit. Unikitty glares at him.

"I suggest ye back down. Wouldn't want the wee lass to go into a rage on ye, would ye?" Metalbeard speaks up, and Batman crosses his arms and relents.

"Whatever," he mutters.

Rex face is locked in a smile-one that never means anything good. He's either plotting revenge or holding back tears, and at this point Emmet isn't sure what's worse.

"How'd you meet Emmet, Rex? Emmet said you two used to be two separate people?" Benny asks to try and lighten the mood, and Rex crosses his arms.

"Saved his life," he grins, and Emmet rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, and then made me mess up a whole lot," he replies, eyes silently asking the question if he's allowed to tell. Rex shrugs, and Emmet takes that as a concession, summoning some couches for everyone to sit on.

He regales the tale-how he arrived at the wedding, what Rex did to manipulate him, etc. He can see their like of Rex wane as he continues, but Rex just leans back in the armchair he made and grins, arms behind his head.

When Emmet is finished, Unikitty jumps up, glaring at Rex. Her fur is slowly changing from pink to red.

"You ruined everything! Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi could've been killed because of you!" She shouts, and Rex shrugs sort of helplessly.

"Eh, I could've fixed it. It worked out fine, because I'm so great," he pats Emmets shoulder and winks, but no one is amused. Rex just shrugs again.

"You could've gotten us all put in storage!" Benny jumps up with his arms crossed. Lucy and Emmet hold their hands up, mouths opening to placate.

"What were ye thinking!" Metalbeard's cry suts them off, and Rex's hand crushes the can of soda in it.

The crunch makes the room lapse into silence.

"What was I thinking?" And Rex's voice is ice, sending a chill down everyone's spine. "What. Was I thinking?"

The roar shocks everyone, and the crushing stomp that accompanies it shatters the floor of the ship house, chairs dissolving with the shockwave Rex's foot creates. Rex's voice is loud, pained, and all that braggadocio lost as something broken and vulnerable and Emmet in a way that makes Lucy's heart ache.

The four, plus Lucy, all wince as they see the broken man Rex is, the trembling fists, the shadow of a man that used to be Emmet.

How long, they have to wonder. How long did Rex lay under in the dryar system alone, before he snapped? How long did he wait for them, still believing they'd come to save him, before his hope broke?

How must it have felt for his only friends, which he had given his fragile, naive, sweet, innocent, kind heart to, to have abandoned him, snapped his trust in half, and forced him to change?

"So...I decided," Rex finally starts up again, taking in a deep breath.

The final resounding scream has the whole ship dissolving, the dark blue colors in the landscape surrounding them smothering the bright orange as Rex continues to shake and shudder and take in heaving breaths.

Eventually, Eemet steps forward, placing a hand on Rex's shoulder, and when Rex turns to face him Emmet pulls him into a hug.

Rex shakes and grips Emmet like a lifeline, and Emmet nods at the five with something old and sad in his eyes, and suddenly they're back in Emmet and Lucy's home.

Emmet smiles sadly at them, something akin to disappointment in his eyes that burns into their souls when he catches their gaze.

"I'm gonna head to my room to talk to Rex. See ya later, alligator," with that, he turns on his heel and walks away.

Lucy stares at the four dejected master builders and sighs.

The four head home in silence.

----------

In the mind space, the pieces of the home they'd thought of together is already starting to rebuild, and Emmet finds Rex sitting and watching it coalesce.

"Sorry," he says. "I should've told them what jad happened before," he sits down next to Rex, and Rex looks so tired.

"It's okay-I needed to say that anyway, I think. Catharsis or whatever," Rex mutters, and Emmet's heart soars.

"You've been reading the therapy books I make in here!" He exclaims excitedly, and Rex chuckles.

"I got bored, what can I say," he shrugs, though his expression turns more somber. He goes silent, staring off into the distance.

"Rex?" Emmet tries, patting him on the shoulder.

"I don't know why they didn't come back for me," his voice shakes. "I don't-what did I do wrong?"

Emmet hugs Rex tightly, thinking of the empty despair that had clenched around his heart when hope was lost, when he thought he'd be left beneath the dryar system forever. Imagines sitting in that despair for months.

"Nothing. You didn't do anything wrong, okay?" He says, because Rex is him, and has Emmet done anything wrong to deserve that? To warrant that degree of suffering?

He leans his head on Rex's shoulder, and whispers again-you didn't do anything wrong, to Rex and to himself.

Maybe one day at least one of them could believe that was true.

[alexis-abroad-blog]

Second Year Abroad

Just like that with another snap of the fingers, another year has come and gone. I am now coming to the end of my second year of teaching abroad in Thailand. This year was filled with vacations, friends, teaching, and a few challenges. Unfortunately, I didn’t do as good of a job keeping track of what I did this year but I’ll do my best:

Summer 2016

[Home sweet home]

I was home for 7 weeks over the summer and it was amazing. Seeing my family and friends after being away for so long was the best feeling ever. I spent the summer working for my dad, catching up with friends and enjoying being home. I even met a boy.  I have to say, it was quite cold considering I just spent a year in 35+ degree weather! At the end of July, I packed my bags and moved back to Bangkok for my second year of teaching.

August

[Getting back in the swing of things]

My first day back was crazy; I touched down in Bangkok early in the morning and somehow found an apartment and moved in the same day! Work started a few days later and I was lucky enough to be teaching first grade this year instead of preschool! It was a busy month getting things together in my classroom but it was nice to be back in the city with my friends. We spent the month hitting up our favorite restaurants and I even got a visit from one of my bff’s Christina! She was finishing her South East Asia trip and I was lucky enough to have her stay with me for a week.

September

[First vacay of the year & a surgery]

The first weekend of September we had our staff trip to one of our favorite islands: Koh Samet. We visited our favorite paint bar; saw a fire show and visited a quiet private island. We were lucky enough to have some great new staff members and it was awesome getting to know them over the weekend.

A few weeks later I finally got my knee checked out at the hospital in Bangkok- About 8 years ago I injured my knee in hockey and it has been swollen ever since. Why didn’t I do anything about it over the last 8 years? I tried to go to the doctor at home but they referred me for an X-RAY and saw nothing. The health care is amazing in Thailand and at this point, I knew something was actually wrong with it. I went to the hospital and the next day I was booked in for an MRI- quick right? A few days later I got the results and I had a full tear of my Meniscus, with a large amount of cartilage build up. The doctors said that sometimes your Meniscus fixes itself, but because it had already been 8 years it looked like mine wasn’t going to. So three days later, I was in for surgery. I was a little scared and nervous to go under anesthesia without having my family here but the doctors go above and beyond here to make sure you are taken care of; so that was comforting. I spent a night in the hospital after surgery and my friends brought me candy and magazines! My hospital room was basically a hotel: fully equipped with a kitchen, wifi and a TV! The rest of the month I recovered from my surgery and I was up walking normal by October.

October

[A vacation and a sad time]

BALI

The month started off with a trip to Bali with some of my amazing friends! Laura, Alexa, Anique, Emma, Bianca and I (later named the Bingtang Bandits). I felt so lucky that they came to Asia to see me and it sure was a memorable trip.

Seminyak- I arrived at the airport alone and made my way to meet my friends at our hotel. I showed up and quickly saw that we had our own private villa! It had a beautiful pool and lots of rooms [the only problem with it was that a few girls jumped into the pool and it turned their hair green… oops]. I ended up getting sick during these few days so I had a day of bed rest but was good to go after that. We went to a crazy, fun Mexican restaurant called Motel Mexicola. The vibe was incredible and there was a lot of tequila! We spent our last day in the city at a nearby beach! We indulged in some Bingtangs (Bali beer), enjoyed the sunshine and got to watch the gorgeous sun sut.

Gilli T- We took a ferry from Seminyak to Gilli T. We sat on top of the boat to take in the beautiful scenery and we ended up seeing dolphins! We finally arrived at the island of Gilli T. On the island there are no cars and the only form of transportation is bicycles and horse buggies. It was very sad to see the condition of the horses on the island- a mixture of being overworked and the heat had them looking exhausted and sad. We tried to stay away from taking the buggies. The island was absolutely gorgeous and we stayed at a resort with a beautiful pool and beach side restaurant. Over the four days we swam with sea turtles, went on a boat cruise and watched the beautiful sunsets!

Ubud- Our last stop on our holiday was Ubud! I was fascinated by the nature that we were able to see- definitely a change from the pollution in Bangkok! We had to leave the other girls, so it was just Laura, Alexa and I for this last leg of the trip. Our hotel had a pool that overlooked a beautiful rice field, which had a relaxing spa (which we took full advantage of). Over the few days we explored a waterfall, got to experience a coffee plantation (yum) and see the famous rice fields! I was sad to leave but it was time to get back to work and reality in Bangkok! The girls visited me the following weekend in Bangkok and I got to show them my favorite restaurants and places to go in the city!

An unexpected trip home

At the end of October I got the horrible call that my grandmother had passed away. She had been fighting cancer but the news was extremely unexpected and hard to take in. That day I was on a flight back to Canada to be with my family. It was a difficult two weeks at home but I was lucky that I was able to take the time off work to be with my loved ones during this time.

  RIP Grammie, I love you and we miss you.

November

[Back to work]

I got back to Bangkok in the middle of November. It was hard leaving my family and saying goodbye but knowing that I was home for Christmas in a few weeks made it a little bit easier. I was planning on surprising my mom that I was coming home but I ended up telling her so that she could have some joy in the next 5 weeks to come. Work was busy, as we were coming to the end of the first half of the year. We spent a weekend in Krabi with our friends and enjoyed the beautiful weather!

December

[Home]

The first two weeks of December were crazy, finishing up the semester with Christmas celebrations and report cards. The first weekend of December we had a long weekend so we went to Koh Tao. Little did we know, the weather wasn’t exactly good at this time of year! It was pouring rain the entire weekend but we made the most of it by drinking baileys and coffees and getting massages!

Before I knew it, I was on another flight home for Christmas break! I couldn’t wait to see my family, friends, Aaron  and LOUIE! I arrived in Toronto and could not believe how cold it was. I think I spent the whole two and a half weeks shivering! Over the break I went to lots of Christmas parties, had lots of cuddles and spent NYE with the best people. I was so incredibly happy to be home for Christmas after being away last year. I can never imagine spending another Christmas away from my family again.

January

[Japan]

Leaving my family and friends at home was horrible. I had had the best time at home and I really didn’t want to come back. But I knew I had to finish off the year strong, it would fly by and I would be home for good in no time.

JAPAN- Two weeks later I was on another vacation to one of the coolest countries I have ever been to! I travelled with one of my best friends Christina and her boyfriend. They met me in Tokyo from Australia, so they were in the same boat as me for how FREEZING it was.

Tokyo- What a cool city! Some of the best food I have ever had- especially the sushi! We visited Shibuya crossing (busiest intersection in the world), followed by going to a famous sushi restaurant- YUM! We even went to a famous ‘Hedgehog Café’, were you basically pay money to play with Hedgehogs. They are not the friendliest animals I’ll tell you that! After freezing our butts off for a few days, we took the bullet train to Nagano.

Nagano- Small city, we stayed right beside the train station so we could catch the bus early the next day. We walked around the city and ate lots of Ramen… mm… It was also Christina’s birthday while we were here! We enjoyed a nice sushi dinner in the city for her special day.

Hakuba- Now when the fun begins… We took a short bus ride to Hakuba, Japan AKA snow boarders heaven. When we got to our hotel we were a little shocked to see that our room was a ‘Japanese Traditional Room’, which basically meant there were no beds and we were sleeping on futons on the floor. It took a while to get used to but we survived! We spent four days in the city, snowboarding through 5 feet of powder and drinking lots of Bailey’s and coffee! The snow in Japan is not even comparable to home… At one point I got stuck in 3 feet of powder for about half an hour. Christina thought I had gone up the chairlift and done another run by the time I got out of being stuck in the snow haha. By the end of the week I was exhausted and ready to go home.

February

[Relaxation]

I got back from Japan the first week of February and I was happy to be back in the warm weather! Nothing went on this month, as my bank account was recovering from my Japan trip! I couldn’t believe how expensive Japan was. However, I am so happy I did it and I wouldn’t trade that trip for the world! 

I started really getting into Yoga this month. My knee was finally healed and I was given the go to start exercising. Yoga was definitely a changeof pace from my normal physical activity (hockey and soccer) but I really enjoyed it.

March

[Birthday month]

The month started out on a happy note. Aaron sent me an early birthday present- a mug with a plane ticket inside; he was coming to visit me in April!! I couldn’t believe that he was actually coming to visit me. I think I smiled for the rest of the month!

In March we went on a staff happy hour to a really cool place in Bangkok called Taco Lake. It is a man-made lake where they have paddle boarding, beer and mechanical wake boarding! I tried to get up on the wakeboard and failed. Next time: try before the beer haha.

For my birthday, my closest friends and I went to a free flow wine and cheese night at a restaurant called Vintage. What does this mean? You get to drink all the wine you want and indulge in their unlimited supply of cheese, cold cuts and bread. If anyone knows me, wine and cheese nights are my absolute favorite! We didn’t go out; we just enjoyed each other’s company. I wouldn’t have it any other way (wow I am getting old lol). That Saturday I had a birthday brunch with some more of my girlfriends at my favorite brunch place- Tribeca.

April

[Songkran]

Don’t be jealous but yes, another vacation for me. In April falls Thailand’s NEW YEAR- Songkran (known for the water fights). For the holiday, we got 13 days off work and had a fun vacation to Laos and Vietnam planned. The last day before break our school had a Songkran festival. All of the students and staff dressed up in floral shirts or Thai Traditional Dress and we had a day of festivities. The day started out with a water pouring ceremony. The students one by one would come up to their teachers and pour water over their hands. This symbolizes paying respect to their teachers and elders. The students then played some Thai Traditional Games and enjoyed the carnival where they could buy food and toys. My favorite part of the day was the water fight! All of the students in grades one and two were on the field and for 45 minutes we had a massive water fight. It was so much fun to run around and soak all the kids! We said our goodbyes and it was officially holiday time!

LAOS

Lauren and I flew to Laos for a few days before meeting up with the girls in Vietnam! We flew into Vientiane then took a four hour cab ride to Vang Viang. We stayed in a beautiful hotel that was on a rice field. There wasn’t much going on in the city but there is one thing that it’s famous for: river tubing! The next day Lauren and I packed a waterproof bag, rented some tubes and floated down the river with some beers! The views were absolutely incredible. Down the river you got the perfect view of the mountains and the lush scenery. Once upon a time, this attraction was much more popular. It was filled with tourists that would drink excessively and tube down the river. There used to be bars open all along the way and they would throw a rope to you and pull you in. However, over the last few years a lot of the places have been shut down due to safety. This was good for us, because we wanted to just relax and enjoy the scenery. We loved Laos and I was so glad I got to experience it before the end of the year!

VIETNAM

Hanoi- Our first stop in Vietnam was Hanoi. After another flight, we met up with the other girls late at the hotel. Krista’s best friends were visiting from home, so we had a huge group- 11 girls! We were only in Hanoi one night so we went out for dinner and had an early night. A lot of the girls were jet legged so it was good to take it easy.

Halong Bay- Early the next morning we got picked up early to head to Halong Bay. It was about four hours before we arrived and pulled up to our private yacht! The main thing to do in Halong Bay is to take an overnight boat tour around the bay to see all of the sites and spend the night on the water. We had a staff that prepared all of our meals for us and answered any questions we had. That day we spent some time on the top sun deck, saw a cave and enjoyed a cooking class! At night we had some drinks and enjoyed some charades! The crew came to get us late at night to do some squid fishing. I love to fish so I was definitely interested. Most of the girls stayed inside but a few of us went out to squid fish. All you had was a long wooden rod with a fishing line attached to the end. There was no reel or anything. At the end of the line was a small lure and all you had to do was bob the line up and down in the water. I was lucky enough to catch a squid! It was so cool- as soon as I lifted the squid out of the water it started to shoot black ink everywhere [I’m also pretty sure we had it for lunch the next day lol]. After the fishing, we head to bed to our rooms on the boat. When we woke up the next morning, the weather was stormy and freezing. On our way back to land we stayed inside, relaxed in the warmt and listened to music.

Hoi An- Our stop was the beautiful little town of Hoi An. We stayed in a nice little resort that was close to everything and even had a nice little pool. Our first day, the weather wasn’t great so we decided to get our shopping out of the way! We made our way to the Old City of Hoi An, which is filled with little shops and restaurants. A lot of the girls got clothes made- which Vietnam is known for! I decided not too because I don’t think I have any more room in my closet ha ha. The next day was my favorite; a beach day! We found a gorgeous place to post up on the beach, played volleyball and swam all day! The beach wasn’t close to as beautiful as the Thailand beaches but it was nice and relaxing.

The next day we rented scooters and drove all the way from Hoi An to Da Nang (about an hour scooter ride). It was so much fun driving down the coast with the girls enjoying the sights and wind in our hair! On our way we found one of the most gorgeous beaches I have seen. We stopped for a quick drink and to check it out! When we arrived in Da Nang at our hotel half of the girls had to leave so it was only Krista, Lauren and I for our last night in Vietnam! We decided to go on a river cruise that night. Da Nang is a really cool city that reminds me of Singapore. They have a really unique bridge that is designed like a dragon. Every night at 9:00 the dragon is lit up and shoots fire and water out of its mouth! We got to see it on our river cruise which was unbelievable. The next morning we head back to Bangkok!

Back in Bangkok

It was nice to be home but I didn’t have much time to relax, as Aaron was arriving a few days later! I couldn’t believe how fast the weeks flew by from the time he told me he was coming to visit. I picked him up late on a Friday night and was beyond happy to see him. Finally after four (long, long) months we were together again! The first weekend we went to Chattachuck Market, had dinner and drinks at the W District and hit up a few of my favorite restaurants! On the Monday we took a taxi to the nearby city of Kanchanaburi. From there we got picked up and head for Elephant Haven Sanctuary. We spent the day feeding, swimming and walking with elephants! I went to an elephant sanctuary last year but this one didn’t even compare- I think because of my company! That week I had to go back to work but Aaron kept busy in the city. After work that week we went for dinners, had a drink at a rooftop bar, saw a traditional Muay Thai Fight and spent a night at Khao San Road (famous backpacker road where we ate scorpions- yum). So, so happy.

Before I knew it, it was the next weekend and we were on our way to Krabi! In Krabi, we spent our first day swimming and enjoying the beaches. I took Aaron to some of my favorite islands around Ao Nang and we stayed at my favorite hotel. After the beach, we spent some time at the pool floating and enjoying some Mojito’s. That night we went for a delicious Italian dinner with some red wine and a yummy charcuterie platter.

The Sunday was Aaron’s 25th birthday! When we woke up we went for breakfast- eggs benedict mmm. After breakfast we went to the board walk and booked a private long tail boat for the day; it took us around to a few different islands. We got to climb up to a cave and took some nice pictures. We ended up back at Railay beach, where we were the day before. We had some drinks, swam in the ocean and enjoyed some Thai food. That night we got ready for dinner and I surprised Aaron with dinner at a beautiful restaurant called the Hilltop. We got to watch the sun set, drink wine and eat some delicious sea food. The band even sang him Happy Birthday! That night we went out to explore the city. It wasn’t even my birthday, yet I think it was my favorite day, ever.

The next day we had to head home (booooo). For Aaron’s last night in the city, we went to the Canadian bar for wings and beer. Not so ‘Thailand’ but it’s one of my favorite places so why not! The next day he met me at my school and spent the afternoon with my students and I. They absolutely loved him and had a million questions. After work we took a taxi to the airport and had to say our goodbyes. Sad day for me, but only 7 weeks until I was moving home. Which compared to this whole year, was nothing.

May

[Long weekending]

Two days after Aaron left I was on another flight for yet another long weekend! This time we head for Koh Lipe with a group of 9 of us. It was one of the most gorgeous places I have been since moving to South East Asia. They call it the ‘Maldives of Thailand’ because the water is clear blue and stunning. We relaxed on the beach, rented kayaks and had some delicious food.  

The End...

With only 6 weeks left in in Thailand, the countdown is definitely on. Four weeks of work left, a staff trip to Koh Samet and a two week vacation with my Aunt is all there is left. 

I can’t help be excited for the next chapter of my life. I’m excited to come home, get on the supply list and start ‘real life’. Looking back at the last two years of my life, I can’t help but smile and be thankful for everything I have been lucky enough to do and see. It feels like a dream. 

Thailand, you are beautiful, thanks for the best two years of my life.