Koh Samui

Koh Samui is both beautiful and seedy.  On the beach it is beautiful and on the road it is seedy.  I was walking on the main street last night and it depressed me, but now I’m at the beach– took a swim in the warm ocean and am getting ready for the next leg of the trip.

Koh Samui is well known for its detox spas and treatments.  I picked a very mainstream program focused on fitness, but somehow Sue’s husband Paul has managed to convince me to try colonic hydrotherapy (ok, when I say convinced, Sue was on the phone with Paul and he told her that I should try it…she relayed the message to me…I said “really?”…and she said it would make me feel like a new person.  To which I said “ok”).  I figure, when in Rome… (?)

So I’ve got that to look forward to this afternoon (I’m scared sh*&less, but I guess that’s the point).  And there are many more new experiences for me to encounter!  My  Bioimpedance Analysis should be very enlightening, but I’m most curious about my 90 minute Lymphatic Drainage session on Thursday (WTF IS THAT?).  Oh the things I will learn about myself that never occurred to me to question.

So today my computer stopped working and I started to panic, not so much because most of my life is saved on this computer, but more because I wouldn’t have contact with what was happening in my world.  Me thinks this is a sign I need to stop using my computer.  So I’m going to take a break and spend the next 6 days trying to figure out what it is I love to do outside of working.  And I guess I'll learn something about poo too.  Have a good week!

Goodbye to Bangkok

I’m at the Bangkok airport and just said goodbye to Sue – was very sad!  It was so much fun seeing her, and she’s been to Bangkok so many times she’s like a local which was super handy.I totally screwed up the Customs thing at the airport and waited with Sue for ages in a ridiculously long line with a creepy man leering at us just to find out I was flying domestically and belonged in a different check in than her.  Somehow this flight to Koh Samui felt a hell of a lot more like an International flight than a Domestic one, but I felt a little stupid having made the mistake.  

We had a great last day in Bangkok and took a fab cooking class in the morning.  Since then, Sue and I have been taking turns sprinting to the bathroom which was our own fault because we’re the ones who cooked it.  But it really was fantastic!  I’ll have to check out A’dams China town and see if they have any of the ingredients so I can try out the recipes at home.  Ok, who am I kidding, I’ll never bother to cook any of the recipes again (along with the long list of other recipes from cooking classes that I’ve never attempted again).  But I learned a lot and should I ever be forced into a Thai cooking contest, I would still lose but it wouldn’t be quite so embarrassing.

Sue and I also went to the night market where she showed off her negotiating skills.  She’s really good!  And I’m really bad!  My idea of “Getting to Yes” with a Thai street hawker is looking at them, thinking “I just want to pay you a fair price” and then happily being ripped off.  Sue, however, takes no prisoners in the most pleasant way so that everyone is laughing by the time the sale is finished and the deal is great.  Side note:  neither Sue nor I was exactly sure what the exchange rate was with the Baht for any of the many different currencies we’re getting paid in or spending right now.  So throughout the negotiations we were making educated guesses as to how much we were spending and had to google what we had spent the next day.  But it all turned out well!

Outside of that, we did a great job visiting rooftop bars.  I know, I know...on  scale from 1 to 10 on how much I immersed myself in Bangkok culture, I score about a 4.  But I saw a lot of the skyline which included several Wat’s and I also feel good about how I helped inject some growth into the Thai economy by buying all those purses that Sue negotiated.

Now I’m going to the spa for 5 days to become one with myself and detox which is probably the right thing to do.  But I’m seriously going to miss the rooftop bars.

Bangkok!

Made it to Bangkok as easy as pie!  Which was great after the last day of work at the office - truly one of the most bizarre days ever with the grand finale being a frantic bike ride from the office in sheets of rain and nearly missing my flight.  Was a fab flight - cleaned out my inbox and slept like a baby (woke up a bit crumpled on the floor of that airplane).
Found my way to the hotel and Sue Gratton was right behind me!  So great to see Sue - and so weird to be in Bangkok and not working for 2 months!  I made up a new song in my head that went something like "this is so weird...this is so weird...oh my god this is so weird...so weird!"  and then the chorus just repeated.  It's sure to be a hit if I ever record it.  I am so glad Sue was here right away for my first part of the trip or I might have gone off the deep end.
Sue and I went on a dinner cruise on the Chao Praya river (just had to ask Sue to remind me what it was called) and then to the rooftop bar at the Banyon Tree.  So much fun!
Today we've just been chilling at the pool getting ready to go to the night markets and another roof top bar.
Bangkok is really nice!  The people are ridiculously friendly and helpful.  Even the guy at Customs nearly made me cry he was so sweet and kind.  Sort of a bizarre reaction so I held it together in an effort to be admitted into the country. 
I cannot remember any Thai words and constantly have to ask Sue.  No matter how many times I repeat "hello" and "thank you" I promptly forget how to say it...
Tonight we're going to the night market and then to more roof top bars.  I'll do the cultural stuff later...right now it is vacation mode!  We are having a ball!