Teal’s trip abroad! (part d’eux)

I’m feeling much better today! I think the meds and the rest really did me good! Yesterday I rented a motorbike for a 24 hour period for 200 Baht ($5.00) really a bargain. Off to the BEACH!

I found a beautiful beach today. It really is like paradise. It reminds me alot of Hawaii, but different. Very tropical, the water is the clearest I’ve ever seen, and warmer than I ever imagined! Lot’s of picturesque islands just teasing you to swim over to them.

I found a lovely beach resort named Cabana Beach resort. There I met a really friendly German dive shop operator and booked my open water PADI course. I start my training on monday!!! I’m very excited about that. It turns out that most people head for Koh Tao and I’ve heard that it’s overdived and too many people, so I chose the low key option. The bonus is I get the instructor all to myself for the same price!

I’ll keep you posted!!

I just arrived in Chumphon, Thailand. I decided I wanted to experience train travel in Thailand and booked a trip to Trang. Well, it turns out, I never made it to Trang, I got a nasty case of food poisoning and spent last night in the hospital in Chumphon! Not the best train ride, I can tell you that.

All in all, my trip is going good though. I spent some time in Bangkok with a really sweet Thai girl, and I plan to make it to Koh Tao as soon as I feel better. That’s it for now, gotta get some rest!

I’ve finally arrived in Thailand with no setbacks! It’s my fourth day here and I must admit I had no idea what I was bargaining for. That said, I think finally today I’m warming up to the whole idea of my new world! I’m staying north of town near the BTS Skytrain, which is the best and most affordable way to negotiate the city, and best of all it has aircon!! You really learn to value that here. It’s very hot and the humidity is like nothing I remember.

The past three days I’ve just been getting aquainted with everything. I saw some really beautiful Temples yesterday and also went for a ride on a longtail boat on the Chao Praya river. That was the highlight so far. We went thru canals similar to the Venice canals and really had a chance to see some unique ways of living! I have some great pictures and will get them online ASAP.

One thing I must add is, just walking the streets here is so different from anywhere else. The Thais love the streetside market vendors and that’s all you see lined up everywhere. The smells are truly amazing and add to that, all you hear around you is this strange language! The traffic is absolutely NUTS. That is the only way i can describe it. Many motorbikes similar to scooters just buzzing around at all hours of the day and night!

Well, I am missing home and I really hope I can last! It’s going to be interesting, that’s for sure. The Hostel I’m staying at has really friendly guests and workers, so it’s been nice chatting with them and I’ve already met some good people!! I’ll keep you all posted.

Well, it’s finally go time!!! I’ll be heading for the airport in a few hours. I am indeed starting to get nervous now. I was pretty calm and collected up until this point, but the thought of being in such a strange place, with no one else by my side is getting to me a bit….lol

Just giving a heads up – my cel. phone is no longer in service. I may get a number once I get there, however if you want to contact me you can reach me thru email.
Wish me luck!!!!

OK so here is the plan! I arrive in the Philippines on April 6, to meet up with a friend I’ve met. In the Filipino culture, they have a religious week they refer to as Holy Week, has something to do with the Catholic up bringing. So, the second week in April is there Holy Week, on this beginning day of Holy Week a bunch of people get together and converge at the base of Mt. Apo to make the several day journey to summit the top! I will be joining this group along with my new friend for the event. Check out my Mt. Apo link to view the details.Mt. Apo

Well, today is the 3 week mark on my countdown for my first trip anywhere outside North America, and this also marks my first step into the blogging world. I’m getting all my loose ends tied up, taking care of visas, vaccinations, and tickets! I find myself getting anxious with all kinds of thoughts roaming through my head at night before bed, not sure where this trip will take me and what kind of person I will be when it comes to a conclusion. Can’t hardly wait!