Thank you or kòp kun mâak, as the Thai say.  We give thanks to those who sent prayers and well wishes for our journey overseas.  We made it here safely after a very long day of travel from San Francisco.  We arrived at our hotel at 4 a.m. and we weren’t tired since it was only 1p.m. in California.  You would never know it was that late as the streets were just as busy as if it was 10 p.m. with food vendors, young Thai’s and old, and lots of backpackers partying.  We spent the next two days exploring Bangkok’s food, Grand Palace, super cheap massages, and took a short bus ride to Damnoen Floating market.

Still not adjusted to the time change but craving less congestion we headed to Pattaya.  We heard lots of stories about the city but entered with an open mind not knowing what to expect.  Timeframes are very loose over here and our minivan driver to Pattaya from Bangkok was no exception to the rule.  A trip that was supposed to take two hours took four hours instead.  Google translate came in handy when we had to communicate exactly where to drop us off.  We spent the next two nights going out on the town, riding scooter bikes, witnessing our first sunset on this side of the world, and exploring all aspects of Pattaya with our friend from the states.

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A heat rash, traveler’s stomach, and a few scratches and bruises but we made it out of Pattaya for some relaxation on an island.  We were recommended to check out Koh Samed, a decent sized island another two hours south of Pattaya but not as touristy as other islands closer to Bangkok.  We hopped on a speedboat and were treated to the vision of the turquoise blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand and white sandy beaches.  This is exactly what we needed to finally feel adjusted to the new time.  We walked the beach, ate delicious seafood curry, swam, and went to bed early.

We rose in time for the sunrise.  We were able to reflect on our travels, still in awe that we are on the other side of the world.  We wanted to show our respect and be grateful for being given this opportunity.  The beaches here are beautiful, white sand but unfortunately we noticed the day before that a lot of tourists litter.  We orchestrated our own cleanup repurposing our takeout bag from last night’s dinner.  We were thanked with thumbs up from locals, while some people joined in and others didn’t.  We still got to enjoy the sunrise as we did it.

We are so very fortunate and blessed to be in this position to spread karma and goodness internationally.  We are just trying to do our part.  The world is such a beautiful place and sometimes you just need to help others open their eyes.  We left Koh Samed feeling rejuvenated and ready to head to the jungle and volunteer at our next stop in Sangkhlaburi.  Stay tuned.