Destination, but ah the jouney!

Hola all!

I finally arrived in Phuket Thailand!

Until now, Thailand always seemed like a place of abstract. I had no idea what to expect or feel. But now, I am in Thailand and there is no escaping the extent of culture shock I am and have experienced. It is around 85F here, and I am sitting at a computer provided by the schooll. The via language school is located in the heart of Phuket Town, and about a 30 minute drive from any beach. I am very comfortable in my room as I have one bed, a shower, and a toilet-all of which are luxuries compared to the world outside the school walls.

Well, for the sake of sleep and a clear mind, I have to write about my journey to Phuket! Eieee I was so thrilled upon arriving in Bangkok!

On the plane from LA to Hong Kong, I sat next to this sweet middle aged lady from Cebu, and her husband who was AAmerican. They were both really friendly. The woman was short and fit with dark black hair, and a sunny olive toned skin. She immediately introduced herself, and started teaching me a her language so we could communicate better. "My name is Olivia Sanders," she said smiling. We got extremely acquainted over the 16 hour plane ride. Olivia was going back to the Philippines to visit her family, and escape North America to her "favorite place in the world." She said when she was very young, before age 14, she had twin boys. But she could not take care of them, so her cousins adopted them while she finished school, college, and came to the United States to work. She seemed almost bashful about telling me, but then she put on a huge smile, and her whole face lit up and she looked me in the eyes, "My name is Olivia Sanders, and that is my story," she said cheerfully. She told me she was 49 and only ate whole foods. "I shall tell you the secret to a long life and happiness," she said smiling. "When I was young in Cebu, I would eat raw fish, many fruit, and many vegeatables. My mother would pick bananas and for sweet treat, she would put them on a stick and into the fire." She then smiled and rubbed her stomach. "Mhm yummy, yummy. Malik Malik." She said she eats everything raw. Chicken, fish, vegetables, fruit, and nuts. We talked more about what Cebu is like, and she invited me to stay in January.
"If you don't remember anything from our talking," she said, "remember always, eat three things and your body will aways be happy and full." She leaned in closer if to tell me a secret, and said, "my grandmother live till she was 105. She would always tell me, pineapple, avocado, and sweet potato. Every day, every day, three things. Pineapple, avocado, and sweet potato." She nodded her head as to say, "know don't you forget!"
We slept a little, but there was a lot of turbulence on the plane and the captain kept the fasten seat belt sign on. It got extremely cold on the plane, and I tried to curl up against the side of the plane next to the window and go to sleep, but it was almost impossible. I was so excited!
Around 6am HK time, the sun started to come up, which was glorious to see from the plane window. I could also make out little white caps on the dark blue ocean below. As time passed, we flew over lush mountains covered in clouds and uninhabited by buildings. I looked at a map to see where we were. We had begun our descent to Hong Kong, and landed after a short amount of time. I said goodbye to my new friends, and walked out of the airport down a hallway through a security check point. Our plane arrived late, and I had around 15 minuted until the plane to Bangkok left. When I got through the check point, I walked into the main terminal which was made completely of metal beams and glass. The terminal was full of light and outside was a breathtaking view of tall mountains. Surprisingly, the mountains were all I could see and none of the city. I went into a bathroom, washed my face and brushed my teeth. I was so thirsty, and you aren't supposed to drink the water, but I didn't have time to buy water, so I took my malaria pill with a little tap, and ran to my gate.
After boarding the international sized plane to Bangkok, I talked with a few people who'd had the same flights as me. I met a scientist who was going to Thailand to conduct archaeological research, and test the soil of the Chang Mai area. This middle aged brown haired lady came down the row, and said she had the seat next to mine. She was talking on the phone with a heavy British accent, and afterwards I asked where she was from. Her name was Anna and she was from New Zealand, but had lived in Hong Kong for 9 years. She works for a sporting apparel company that competes with Nike, and she was super, super sweet! She also invited me to stay with her in Hong Kong after the New Year. We talked about how she used to teach English in Hong Kong, and now she travels meeting netball, soccer, and rugby teams from the UK and Asia. She told me her company supplied the sportswear for the Asian Games (similar to the world championships in America prior to the Olympics), and all the people she has been able to meet. I thought this was awesome, and really enjoyed hearing about her travels, and hearing her talk. We spoke of life, and love and what we want out of life. She also helped me develop a plan to get to my hotel, and Phuket using the local transportation, and gave me a little booklet explaining about the Night Bazar and market in Bangkok. We landed, and got off the plane after saying goodbye.

I grabbed my backpack from the overhead compartment, and walked into the Bangkok airport. This airport was shaped like a vertebrate of an animal with various levels, and sizes of volume for the inside terminal area. Upon our descent into Bangkok, I notice there were no mountains, but only fields of green arranged in various lots, and separated by roads. However, when the plane got closer, I saw these were lakes of green water, probably rice fields.
Bangkok airport was busy, huge, loud, and smelt most unpleasant. I was thankful to see many people backpacking with large packs, and I didn't stick out as much as I thought I would. Not all the people were Asian, though most white foreigners I saw were from EEurope. After standing around 30minutes in the Immigration line, an officer took my picture, stamped my passport, and then I was free!

I went down 2 flights of stairs looking for the sky train, and directions to my hotel, but suddenly the exhaustion of traveling for 24 hours, with the combination of no water, made my knees fell weak and I was almost ready to faint. My backpack was getting heavy, and shoulders sore from carrying it. I found an empty chair to sit on and took a time out.
I took a couple deep breaths, and regrouped my thoughts. I had a yoghurt in my bag from the plane ride, and drank that for nourishment. I needed sleep and water, and needed to get to the hotel. I went downstairs and found a store that sold water for 7baht, and drank thankfully. I then went to a desk, and asked for directions to the hotel, and information about the train ride to Phuket the next day. A representative from the hotel was contacted on the phone, and I was told to meet him on the 4th floor.

I became very cautious, and skeptical at this moment for the horror stories I had been told about taxi scams, human trafficking incidents, and kidnappings. I took the escalator to the 4th floor, and walked past all the people shouting, "you need taxi? you need hotel?" I did not see the representative from the hotel at first, but then he came up to me and introduced himself. He said, "you come follow me, we take bus to the hotel!" I followed him to outside the airport, and was hit with a full blast of hot Thailand air. It felt amazing, and smelt tropical. "Here, here!" the man said, pointing to a white mini-bus and offering to take my backpack. I asked to see some identification before I got in the bus, and proof they were from the hotel. They showed me what papers they had, and both their personal IDs and then laughed realizing I didn't trust them. However, I did not care what they thought. I wanted to be safe, and not just get in a bus with anyone. They drove about 15 minutes into town, and rounded the corner to the hotel entrance.

I was amazed at the number of cars, motorbikes, and tuktuks (little golf cart-cars) all sharing the road. The city was made of little huts, buildings, and dirty signs. We drove up on a bridge, and I could see a stadium to the University of Bangkok. We got to the hotel, and I started asking for help on getting a train to Phuket. The hotel was very nice, made of glass, wood floors, open light floor plan, and gardens in the back. One of the hotell staff gave me a small cup of sweet red juice, which was refreshing. Later I realized I was so thirsty, I didn't even think it to be drugged, or something like that. Thankfully, the hotel staff was very helpful, and nice. Almost an hour had passed, and I hadn't even been to my room, but was trying to arrange a passage way to Phuket. The planes were booked, trains were full, and one bus was leaving on the 31st of December at 7pm. I hadn't planned to take the bus, but it was my only option. So the hotel staff said I needed to take a taxi to pick up my ticket in a couple hours. One of the hotel staff said he has a friend who has a taxi to take me for 500 baht. It was 1:15pm at the time and I asked to leave at 2pm. I needed time to rest, or take a shower, or get some food. So they agreed on 2pm, and I went up to my room.
I started unpacking my clothes, and soap to shower, and found an outlet to plug my phone in. The room was nice, and clean, and even nicer than some western hotels. There was silk on the bed, and I debated taking a short nap before 2pm. I opted for a shower instead. After I got out, I put on my clothes, at a little trail mix I had purchased from Whole Foods in Colorado, and took advantage of the complementary bottled water. It was time to go, and I went down stairs to the lobby refreshed, and ready to get my bus ticket. However, the taxi did not show up, so one of the hotel staff offered to drive me for the same amount. As I was waiting for him to get the car, I walked down the street from the hotel a little bit. I hate to compare to America, but everywhere around me looked like I was in the hood. I thought maybe it was just Bangkok, but now I see all of Thailand is just materialistically poor. I passed a store, and there was a woman cooking a huge pot of broth, and stirring it with a metal ladle. I wanted some fruit, and walked a little further to see a man selling huge clusters of bananas. I asked for one banana, and he charged me 10baht.
Most frequently I wonder if they are charging me more because I am an American.
I paid him, and bit into the banana. Best ever! So sweet, and not starchy tasting at all. Just very sweet, and firm. I turned around to walk back to the hotel. There were children playing in the road, and chickens walking around. It was very warm and sunny. I went back to the store with the lady and the big pot of soup, and asked for some food. She pointed to things in the store, saying each word as a question. You want this? You want this? How about this? I asked for curry, with chicken, and she said ahh and showed me to a table and chair inside the store.
I sat down next to two Thai men. One was skinny and smiled a lot, and the other was fat and loud. Neither spoke English, and I used a little paper with a few Thai words to introduce myself. The skinny one's name was Pode, and the other was referred to as Pode's friend. Haha.
The lady from the shop set a bowl of broth with chicken, mint, and rice noodles in front of me, which smelt delish! The steam warmed my face, and I felt as if I was coming back to life from the long plane ride. I started eating my soup with a little metal ladle. ( they use as a spoon) Pode and his friend were watching me eat, and then both at the same time said, "no, no, no." They used their hands to show me how I should use the spoon, and instructed me to twirl my noodles in my chopsticks and THEN eat. When I did it the right way, both held out their hand for me to shake. I took another bite, and they cheered, and shook my hand again.
"Arroy makk!" "It is very delecious," I said.
I paid the lady, and thanked her and then walked back to the hotel. The man driving me was ready, and he showed me around the back to the car. I got in a small green car, and closed the door. The steering wheel was on the right side of the car, and traffic moves on the left. The taxi driver walked over to this grove of trees, and started speaking to a man. The man came walking over to the car, and I was thinking..."oh god, help me, this is it! I'm getting ready to run." But the man walked past the car all the while with his pants down, trying to zip them up, and put his belt back on. I then realized beyond the grove of trees was a prostitution house/hut/hammock thing. I wanted to get to the bus station. I was feeling a little unsafe never riding in a taxi before, so I called mom and let her know I made it to Bangkok. I talked to her for maybe 10 minutes, and the taxi driver pulled over for gas.

On the way down to the bus station, the taxi driver and I started talking. He told me about his family, how he has one son in the military, a 19 year old daughter, a 14 year old son, and a 8 year old daughter. He told me that he would like to go to America and work for his family, but it cost too much money. He was interested in my adventure to Phuket to teach English, and told me he wishes his children knew how to speak English. He was very nice, and asked if I minded going to a phone market to get a new phone for his wife for New Years. I said I did not mind, as long as we get the bus ticket first. So we drove to a travel agency in downtown Bangkok. The city was very poor. I don't want to say it was dirty, because for Thailand, the conditions were very clean. But almost all the structures were old and dilapidated. It was getting dark, and street vendors had little fires going in buckets to light up their stands. I went into the travel agency and a tall nice looking man, who didn't look Thai asked me if I was the one coming for the ticket to Phuket. I answered yes and asked him to check on the plane tickets too. He called on the phone, and said the plane tickets would be almost 4,000baht! That would be an astronomical amount to go to Phuket, but everything is so expencive because of the New Year. So I said I wanted the bus ticket the next day. While I was filling out my information, he stopped me and said, " oh no! I'm sorry, the buses are closed tomorrow because of the holiday, you have to take the bus to Phuket tonight."
"Tonight?!?" I said shocked. "Is that the only way to Phuket?" I asked.
"Yes," he said," and it will be 1,700baht because it is the New Year."
I was so overwhelmed by this information and exhausted from traveling for the past 2 days i just started laughing. "OK, OK, let me get the ticket then," I said. "Okay," he said, the bus leaves tonight at 7pm from this shop." At that moment it was 4:30pm which meant I would have very little time to return to the hotel, get my backpack and come back to the travel agency. After getting my ticket, I told my taxi driver I needed to go back to the hotel, and come back to the travel agency. I offered to pay him 800baht.

It was rush hour in Bangkok and on the way back we ran into traffic. I grabbed my stuff in the room, checked out of the hotel, and left in the taxi. We drove back to the travel agency all the more getting acquainted. He said if I need anything, or am in trouble I should come back to Bangkok and stay with his family. He said his daughter would like to meet me. His name was Treete and he gave me two of his numbers for contact information. I paid him a little extra, and he dropped me off of the agency.

The travel agent suggested I go get some dinner along the street side and told me where to go. I was still feeling faint, and weak. I walked along the street and got a bottle that said electrolyte drink. That cured almost all my headache.
I went to a place called Texco Lotus which looked like a huge mall. Inside were little stores, and 2 ice cream western stores I recognized. I went up to the second floor, to a huge food Court area. But the food was super expensive and almost all of it was either ice cream or fried food. The third floor was a market with anything you could want. I looked for bug spray and found some with 15% deet...or what looked like deet in thai characters. I then got some water bottles for cheep, and some fruit. It was dark and I went down and out to the main street. Across the block was an aerobic dance studio where these girls where being instructed in movements. There was so much activity going on. I have never had a quiet moment until now that i type my thoughts.

I went back to the travel agency, and sat down outside on the sidewalk. I was surrounded in the company of people waiting for the bus. Almost everyone was in their late 20's and white. They all had backpacks as well, and we waited for the bus together. I had to use the bathroom, and went into the back where a sign said toilet.
There was a white man waiting in line and I asked him where he was from. He said Germany with a thick accent and we talked briefly. When it was my turn to use the bathroom, I walked into the room that said toilet and looked down at a single hole of pvc pipe in the floor. That was the toilet. Next to the toilet was a hose for cleaning, and a bucket for water to flush the pipe (toilet) after use. The room was a bunch a wet, wooden boards nailed together, and the floor was concrete and covered in pools of water (and other clear liquids).  I finished, and got the hand sanitizer out of my bag for use.

The bus was 1/2 an hour late, and when it got to the agency, we saw it was a 15 passenger van. We filled it up with backpacks and i slid in the 2nd to front seat. The guy from Germany i had met in the bathroom sat next to me. He didn't speak much English, but told me they had been in Bangkok for 4 weeks and were backpacking through Thailand.
We drove to a hotel and there was a group of 4 people also waiting for the bus. Our little bus was already full, but the bus driver got out and motioned for the people to get in. They walked around to the other side of the car and put their backpacks in, then climbed in. It was tight, but we soon went to a street where there were almost 100 people and a larger charter bus was waiting. We loaded our backpacks under the bus and were separated into groups according to our destination.
I was seated in the lower compartment with a girl from Japan, her friend from Thailand, and a friend from Finland. In front of us were two hilarious guys from Switzerland who were cracking jokes the whole ride, and then there were two friends, one from France, and the other fron Canada. We were all around the same age and it was very fun to ride with them. We all shared our experiences, and things about our country and laughed so hard. The two guys from Switzerland brought a huge bottle of orange-juice with Vodka and passed it around all to share. We had a good time together.
We fell asleep, and woke up around 2am in the morning for a break for dinner and bathroom. The toilet was similar to the one I used in Bangkok. It was dark and there were a lot of people around drinking and smoking. I pulled out my apple and started eating that and met some people from England.

We got back in the bus and the Switzerland guys had bought beer and were so funny. We were all laughing so hard, and then we went to sleep. We woke up around 7am and were in Suri Thani where we waited for 3 hours to catch another bus. Everyone got more beer, and i decided to take a walk in the town. I walked up a ways to a shop with a lady selling Portri and bought some for breakfast. It's like a funnel cake without sugar. Then I went to another shop and got coffee, and ate my peach I had bought the night before. It is funny, the coffee here is not what we think of as coffee, but it is all instant, and powdered. So this lady brought me a cup with hot water and a packet of "coffee." :) It was very good. I paid her, and forgot how to say thank you so I bowed and said Kah, which is like showing respect.

I walked along the road back to where the bus should be, and waited with my new friends there. We talked and waited some more. Finally a little truck with two benches in the back, and a canopy overhead pulled up. "Phuket! Phuket? Phuket?" the driver started shouting and motioned for use to get in the truck. I jumped in and was practically hanging out the back, and legs dangling over the road. Someone loaded our backpacks, and about 10 of us got in the back of the truck. He motioned for me to sit in the front with him, so someone else could fit in the back. I got in the front and we took off. Almost half way there I asked him how long to Phuket, and he said 4 hours. We started talking and I learned his name was Egg. He took us to a outside store/travel agency with wooden chars, and we got out and unloaded the bags.

Here we waited almost an hour, and I found a wall charger to charge my phone. I called Mark Shedden to let him know we were having bus difficulty, and he said it would be okay. Before I met him today, I had only spoken with him on the phone, but one can't get past his incredible British accent. The old gang was splitting up because I was going to Phuket Town, and my fellow companions were going to the beach. I met a guy who was sitting at the table, and he was also going to Phuket Town so I sat next to him. We waited for almost another hour and got on the bus. This bus was decorated in pink floral material, and little doilies as head rests on the back of the seats. I sat down, and he asked to sit next to me. I said yes.

His name was Eric, and last name I can't pronounce. He was from southern France and lives in Thailand for half of the year as a diving instructor. He had blond hair in a bun, a necklace of Buddha, and was very tan. After getting acquainted, he took out his Nikon and showed me the pictures he had taken. The pictures on his camera looked like they could belong in National Geographic, they were amazing. He had alot of pictures of women on his camera too. He showed me his beach hut on the beach, which consists of a wood walls and wood roof, with a hammock hanging in the middle. He surfs and said he made his life in Thailand because he doesn't like the mind of the French. He was kind of flirting with me until I told him how old I was. He was 32...haha. yah that's not gonna work. (I'm getting really tired, it's 4am here)

The next 9 hours we spent on the bus. I slept most of the time, but the bus kept stopping an picking up people, and dropping people off. It stopped almost every kilometer, so by the time I arrived in Phuket Town it took 22 hours, a longer time than it took to get from the US to Bangkok. I got off the bus at Phuket Town and immediately went towards the information booth, but then remembered I left my backpack under the bus. Eric helped me get it out from the bus, and said to call him ,then left in a taxi to the beach.

I walked over to the information booth, asked for directions to the school address and a lady drew how to get there on a map. It was about 8 miles away, and I was not wanting to walk. I was exhausted and just wanted to get there. I walked around a little around the bus station and didn't know how to hail down a taxi. A man came up to me and said, "you need taxi???" "yes!" I said. "Do you know where this is," I pointed to the school address. "I want to go there." He said he knew where it was, and said Bangkok Hospital. On the map, the Bangkok Hospital was right across the street from the school, so I said yes. I told him I would pay 100baht because the lady at the information booth said it would cost 150baht by taxi. He agreed, and took me over to a motorbike. I had no idea we were going to be riding that, but it was okay because I was just ready to get there.

I hopped on the back of the bike, and he gave me a helmet which i snapped under my chin. I held on tight and we took off. He drove in and out of traffic, and even into the oncoming traffic lane if no cars were there. I felt my helmet slipping off a couple times, and one time it came completely off and I caught it in the air. He took me to the Bangkok hospital, and I told him I wanted to go to the address. He didn't know where it was, so he said, "you are at hospital, now you get off, you say you want to go to hospital, now you pay me." I told him I could only pay 70baht because he didn't take me to the address. He was very mad, and said, "no, no, no! You told me 100baht, I said okay, so 100baht!" We argued a little, and I said 70baht or nothing, so he took the 70baht and drove off mad. I felt bad, but I didn't want to pay him full price because I wasn't even at the address I needed to be.

I called Mr. Shedden and he said I was just around the corner and he would pick me up. So I started walking to the main road, and a little white land rover came by and honked, and pulled over. He waved, and I opened the door and asked if he was Mr. Shedden . He responded in his British accent yes, and I got in. He took me less then .25 of a mile to a big white building and announced that we had arrived at the school. He introduced me to a man Simon, on of the instructors, and Simon took me to my room up stairs and showed me around.

Basically the school is 2 stories. The 1st is the lobby where people can come and enroll in a class, and there is office space. In the back is a kitchen with drinking water (yea!), coffee, and tea. Up on the sides of the building are two staircases with rooms, 4 rooms per each side of the buiding. My room is number 8 and there are 2 girls staying on the other side of the school in room 5, and 7. I have keys to the room, and to the school so I can come in and out whenever I want. The Second floor is all class room space. There are classrooms, with orange and blue desks, and around 8 computers on the second floor. I am using one of those computers right now to blog.

When I got here I asked Simon some questions about the school, and how to get around Phuket. He gave me a packet of information to read over, and showed me where the main road is for food, clothing, ect. I found out it's only 30 minutes to the beach by bus...which hasn't been very reliable, but still that's not very far! I am going to try to go to the beach tomorrow, and do a lot of walking/getting acquainted.

I could have gone out with some people from the school tonight for New Years, but was absolutely exhausted from traveling non-stop. I figured up the last time I slept was 4 days ago in Colorado. Thankfully, I took a nap from 5:30 to 11:30pm tonight in a real bed and slept like a baby. There is no glass in any of the buildings, and everything is open except for the metal bars on the windows. I have a balcony attached to my room, and outside my window is a night club, which just now stopped playing music.
The Asian vocals are a different sound. Not unpleasant, but just kind of nauseating. Everything together is refreshing in a way. Just because it is so different to the world I have know my entire life.

I awoke at 11:30 to the smell of rotten fish, burning bamboo, and the sound of fireworks outside my bedroom window. There were so many fireworks all around me! I went outside on the balcony and just looked up in the sky to see it lit up, and people yelling happy new year at the top of their lungs. So much excitement. I fumbled to put on my chacos, grabbed my purse and went outside to the main road, and begun walking. I was soaking in all the excitement and looking at the fireworks. I needed to eat dinner, and found a lady making the soup thing I had in Bangkok, so I order some of that. In the bar next to me, these people got plastic bags, and kept them open with a circle hula hoop. They then filled the bags with air, and in the center of the bag, lit a little wooden piece on fire. It was the same idea as a hot air balloon. But as soon as they let go of the bags, the bags drifted into the air. One of them caught on fire, another caught on fire on the ground. The people just cheered and laughed saying "happy new year!" I walked down the street after finishing my dinner, and several people said happy new year, as which I responded the same.
I walked a little further and got some hot ginger juice, similar to ginger tea and drank it quietly thinking about all the people I love an miss.

This is the only New Years where I haven't been with people I know. In a way, I wish I knew someone here to spend it with, but really it's about what you do during the year that is important. I met so many people just in the past 24 hours who have shown me more love, and kindness then I encounter in my daily life at school in a month. It was a true blessing from God to have such loving people next to me on the plane and bus ride over here. And now I am here. And now I have arrived. I feel like I have been preparing for this moment for years, and now it is here, and I am at my destination, and all I can do is go to sleep right now, and do the next thing. I don't know what tomorrow holds, or the next hours, or the next month, but a comforting thought is that God is always with me. I have felt his presence with me through out just the short time I have been gone, and feel like people are attracted to me because of the light, or joy, or hope God radiates through me.

I want to be completely honest, so I will just say I feel a little uneasy at the school because I am the only one here because I arrived early. Simon and Mark said there were two girls staying here, but I am still skeptical of almost everything. I think maybe I will feel more comfortable once I know how thing work here, and meet some people who are attending the school. There are programs, and activities at nightime for people at the school, and all are supposed to meet at this hotel about a 10minute walk from here. I might see what that is like tomorrow, so I know exactly what I'm getting myself into.

I am not allowed to connect any USB cables to the computer so I cannot upload pictures, but I do have skype which would be free, and can be used as a phone because there are no phones here. Everyone is wearing t-shirts and longer shorts. I'm glad I packed light. Tomorrow I will go exploring. I've heard it is very safe here as far as traveling alone. But right now, I will go to sleep. It is 5:30 am in the morning, and I am very tired.

Thank you for all your prayers for safe travels! I know God is watching me.