Phucket and Phi Phi!

After Bangkok, we headed to southern Thailand on an overnight bus to get some beach time in. The in-bus movie was Twilight...and was just as nauseating in Thai, to my disappointment.

Both Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands were hot tourist spots. It didn't take us long to spot a McDonalds in Phuket within about ten minutes of being there...we weren't feeling too brave about the Thai food just yet!

The beach was great! Though we all got pretty fried our first day. I learned the hard way that SPF 30 does absolutely nothing here!

After a couple days in Phuket, we took a little cruise boat down to the Phi Phi Islands (pronounced "Pee Pee." Yes I laugh every time I say it because I have the maturity level of a five year-old...Phi Phi Bakery anyone?) Despite the name, it was BEAUTIFUL! The rock-islands around the main island are huge and covered with bright green shrubs and trees and surrounded by clear, aqua-colored water.

Here is a street in Phi Phi, complete with abandoned laundry cart. Most of the town was lined with little shops and restaurants. There were also tons of massage places but, after a frightening Thai massage experience during the evening of our day in Bangkok, we steered clear of them!

We lived in a bungalow!! 9 bucks a night. It was pretty awesome, except for the actually living in it part. Let me just say, my mosquito net became my best friend.

Our first day, we saw a sign that said "Viewpoint" and saw a flight or two of stone steps going up the mountain. We thought we could handle it. However, those steps turned into a mountain-side of steps! We had no idea what we had gotten ourselves into, but the view was definitely worth the hike! Just look at that!

Some kiddos playing soccer.

A street in another part of Phi Phi.

Beautiful views from one of the beaches!

We spent half a day in a boat trip around the islands and rocks! We got to snorkel and kayak and see monkeys!

The tourist guide said they gather eggs from bird nests on this little island and make a soup that gives you powers. Now I know where to go to summon my eagle powers.

We swam up to that crevice, climbed the rope ladder, walked through a little village, and saw the most beautiful little beach, called Maya Beach. It was amazing! I didn't post a great picture because it's impossible to capture the view with my camera. It was like paradise though! The water was so warm and it was surrounded by rocks covered with green growth and you could see the sun through an opening between the rocks at the far end.

Loving Maya Beach!

Then they brought us back to the main island and fed us dinner, complete with a fire-dancing show from the local teens! SO awesome!

We didn't want to get out of the water on our last day!

Next up, settling down in Phichit! I'm almost caught up!

First up, Bangkok!

We were given time to vacation our first week! We decided this first trip to head down to the beautiful islands off the coast of southern Thailand, but we spent a day touring Bangkok to start everything off!

Our morning began with a boat ride through the floating market. On our way, we visited the first of many Buddhist temples we would see throughout Thailand. We were greeted by a couple of Buddhist nuns who let gave us gold leafing to put on the huge Buddha at the top of the large shrine inside the temple. They must never have to do it themselves with all the tourists coming through!

The floating market was so much fun! They piled their little boats high with fruit or hats or other fun things to buy. I bought some coconut pancakes for breakfast which were delicious! Other than that we didn't buy much since it was our first day and we were just trying to soak it all in! I did, however, hold a python around my shoulders. The snake guy’s sign said “No Dangerous,” so I wasn't worried!

Later, after a breakfast of fried rice, we went into the heart of Bangkok to see the temples and palaces. They were amazing! Gold leafing and hand-placed pieces of tile and glass created beautiful designs covering the entire temple walls.

We also saw the king's old palace...

And went on a boat ride...

...and climbed to the top of the Temple of Dawn! It was amazing to see the rooftops of Bangkok and the canal the boat had taken us through.

Next up, Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands!

Info, thanks, and hopes

A week and a half in Thailand doesn’t seem like much time looking at the three months ahead, but it’s definitely proven too long a wait to start this blog! We have done and seen so much already, it’s going to be hard to catch up!

Here’s the lowdown. I’ll be living in Phichit, Thailand for the summer with International Language Programs (ILP), a service organization that sends volunteers abroad to teach English to children. In fact, this is the very first school that ILP will have in Thailand, and I’m so excited to help begin the program in this country!

Just being here for such a short time has already helped me see how much easier life comes for those who speak English. I’m so grateful to my incredibly generous friends and family who paid my way to come here! I feel immensely blessed and know this is where I am supposed to be right now. I can already tell I am going to learn so much and see the world in a way I never could have seen it otherwise! I know I’m going to come to love the kids I’ll be teaching and love the people of Thailand by the end of this experience. Above all else, I hope I can become more like my Savior as I serve and love these sweet children this summer! I can’t wait!