Songkran Break & Koh Chang Beach

View from dive boat
Lunch on the beach
Jumping off of snorkeling boat
After news of protests going on in Bangkok during the same time we were to travel through it to get to Koh Chang we were a bit concerned. We were reassured that we would not be affected and learned that it had passed quickly anyway. So we were on our way with a flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, taxi from airport to bus station, taxi from bus station to ferry in Trat, taxi from ferry to our destination in Koh Chang! Certainly a lengthy journey and what made it feel even longer is the fact that food poisoning decided to set in in my body on our way down. After losing fluids in all directions when we finally reached our bungalos I could not do much other than lay in bed. After a day had gone by and I was getting worse it was time for a trip to the local hospital. This was not exactly exciting considering I had never needed to go to a hospital before coming to Thailand and now this would be the second time. The doctors gave me an IV of water and glucose but it took them about five times to finally insert a needle in my arm since my veins were so dehydrated. That certainly didn't feel too pleasant but I felt much better after being there for quite a few hours with Kel by my side... until the songtaew/taxi ride home! The driver who knew he had just picked someone up from the hospital decided it would be a great idea to drive like a maniac all the way home, bumping us around over the awfully paved road and speeding around turns like his life depended on it. So I felt sick again but after a good night's sleep I felt much better in the morning, I was even able to make a trip to the beach in the afternoon.

The next day I felt almost perfect and went on a scuba diving trip with Reid. This was his first time so he took some diving lessons with a couple others on the boat while I went on a couple dives with some other certified divers. This made my trip to Koh Chang complete and at this point I did not care that I had been so sick previously. No pain no gain I guess in this situation. The sites underwater were gorgeous and the water temperature was perfect. The crew was great especially my dive master, Tea! The following day most of us went on a snorkeling boat trip. Another positive adventure especially since I have never actually been snorkeling; only scuba diving. It was so fun to swim among the shallow coral and see many new fish I hadn't seen the day before.

Village Home Stay in Pa Klang - Nan Province

View from lychee farm on top of mountain
Mercy and brothers on lychee farm
My home for the week
Mercy and I with our host moms
Walking through the village at sunset
Crazy squirrel
For this trip our Thai studies group traveled to the province of Nan which is located in North-Eastern Thailand on the border of Laos. In this village there were three main ethnic minority groups including Hmong, Lua, and Mien. I stayed with a Hmong family on my own during this stay. It was a much different experience not having a friend stay in the same home as me but I was grateful for this change as I realized how much more I was able to connect with the family.

This trip was a lot more relaxed than our last village home stay since we didn't have a fully packed schedule. This left us with free time to explore the village and partake in activities that our families wanted us to experience. I was living right around the corner from my friend Mercy and our families were related so I spent a lot of time with her and her family throughout the week. The first night we arrived Mercy's family and mine took us to a funeral in the village. A strange thought at first but it was more of a celebration than a mourning.

We basically spent the week exploring, being lazy, and spending time with our families. Mercy's family took us to their lychee farm which was at the very top of one of the mountains surrounding the village. It was huge and gorgeous but the fruit was not ripe yet so we couldn't taste test! Among other adventures was a trip to a mango farm-- we got to taste test this time :). One night there was an area set up outside where a couple movies were played under the stars-- a lot of fun! Since among most of these adventures Mercy and I were hanging out with her brothers it was a bit of a heartache leaving them and our families. The oldest brother, Song, shed some tears during our departure from the village and it was really difficult to leave. You spend a week with a family, can hardly communicate verbally, yet it is so easy to become attached to each other... to really care for each other. The people in this village were so loving and very brave to put up with us! We were the first group of foreign students to be hosted in the village.