Thailand: All's Well That Ends Well

South to North. East back to West. 

The final course: Koh Tao - Koh Lanta - Penang (Malaysia) - Bangkok - Chiang Mai - Bangkok - NYC

So that's it, my Canon camera didn't make it. It was left in the service shop in Bangkok. I heard back from them several weeks later with a quote 3x more than what I bought it for to fix it. It couldn't take the humidity and has retired. So though this last post will consist of iPhone pictures, I'm sure you will forgive the Canon for being a slacker :P.

Koh Tao was a great place to relax and a favorite of many people I've come across that checked out a lot of the islands in Southern Thailand. Sadly, I ran out of money to do a diving certificate or course so I lounged on the beaches, checked out the viewpoints, and practiced how to drive a semiautomatic scooter. It was surprisingly easier to drive than I expected but Koh Tao is full of steep hills and I ended up burning myself on the exhaust. This is the second time it's happened to me, but I had seen it coming. I had a premonition when I decided to get off on the wrong side. Well, I can't change what's already happened. So for all those people that have burnt themselves, here are some medical guidelines on how to take care of it, courtesy of WebMD.

The view from John Suwam Viewpoint in the southern part of the island. If you started from the left and turned right, this is what you would see in the next four photos.

Thai grilled and minced (larp) catfish salad. Another favorite dish right here! Sample recipe here. 

View from one of the resorts in the North. Lots of great snorkelling here even if you choose not to dive.

The first leg of the trip to Koh Lanta: night boat to Surat Thani.

Doing a bit of island hopping myself, I went to Koh Lanta next where I had arranged a couple of workaway opportunities. One was in a guest house and the other at an animal welfare center. You must be thinking all of these volunteer hours equals no down time. You are absolutely right! For that reason and others listed in my review, I left the animal shelter. While helping out at the guest house, I gave ample time for my burn to heal but also got sick from something else. Many people are known to get dengue fever or dehydration on this island. I really hope it wasn't the first but I couldn't tell you for sure as I had a lot of the symptoms of both because they're similar. Perhaps it was a combination of both. The mosquitoes do love my blood. Any spot that I happened to miss with bug repellent ended up with a prompt visit from those blood suckers. I was also working in the heat (hotter than volunteering in the Philippines) for two full on days at the shelter and I didn't drink as much water as I did back in the Philippines. Anyway, it was a bad combo and a lot of chilling out at the Chill Out House. Before I left the island, I did a visit around on a scooter and took a Four Islands tour on a long-tail boat, which I would highly recommend. The Emerald Cave and the method of entry was epic (sorry for the lack of photos on this--no waterproof camera)! Other noteworthy occurrences included finally booking a ticket back to the USA and finding out two days later, I would make it back in time for a friend's wedding on the second of May. Check out their romantic proposal here, and congratulations Liz and Alex!

Sunset on Long Beach.

Walking one of the dogs, Carrot, from the Lanta Animal Welfare Center.  This cute and fluffy little puppy was already adopted by a family in Sweden and just waiting for transport. My leg was still covered waiting for the burn blister to pop. 

A vet with one of the kittens that needed a shot.  

The Chill Out House, treehouse style guesthouse.

At the sea gypsy village in the south of the island via motorbike armed with a map like this.

Someone in the village fixing one of the boats. It reminded me of All Hands Bohol because the guy was taking apart something with a half broken hammer. This is a shout out to you, All Hands. I miss you!

Sunset on one of the rockier beaches on my way down to the national park.

On the four islands tour, the operator anchors the long-tail boat to one of these cliffs in a good snorkelling spot,

Lunch on the beach with a beautiful view.

Found the cat, Pirate, who was adopted from Lanta Animal Welfare by the owners of the guesthouse, on my bed enjoying his favorite pastime: sleeping.

Since I would be in Thailand for over a month from my flight, I decided to do a visa run down to the food capital of Malaysia. I missed it the last time around and was very bummed. Let me tell you, a couple of days is not enough to sample all of the lovely food in Penang, and definitely not when you still aren't feeling well. So my cuisine trip was a bit of a failure, but the old town was a lot of fun to roam. My host grabbed me an Old Town Street Art brochure and took me around to check them out.

Prayer banner for the lost Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 outside of a church.

One of the wrought iron caricatures. Number 6: Bullock Cart Wheel.

A cute sign in a cafe. Just saw a inspirational video on this topic about our technological age. "The paradox of our age" everyone.

Hey you, let go of the poor chicken!

With my host, Paul, at a Lion Dance mural.

Come back you hooligans!

Real life version of the above. 

The funniest one. Poor kitty lol!

Minions fever in Malaysia. They're everywhere!

Another hope and prayer wall for the lost flight. 

A close up.

My favorite street art. Let's feel like a child again :). 

After Penang, I did a pitstop in Ao Nang to do some cliff jumping in Railey instead of making the long trip to Bangkok. For all the party people and rock climbers out there, this spot is for you.

Climbing up for the jump.

This had been on my list the first time I visited Thailand in 2010. Check!

View along the way on the long-tail boat.

In Bangkok, I stayed with another couchsurfing host. Surfing with him ended up being the best decision I made for Thailand because I met more CSers through him and we all had an epic time in Chiang Mai for Songkran. Let me tell you, this festival was the main reason I wanted to come back to Thailand before ending my journey. I remember a friend and past roommate describing this festival to me when I wanted to learn more about Asia. Since then, I've always wanted to experience it firsthand. After this long trip through Asia, I don't know when I will return again. Therefore, I'm glad I was able to check that off my list too after five years!

Having lunch with my host, Oat. He doesn't like vegetables or spicy food.  He doesn't sound very Thai, huh? Hehe!

I got lunch and found out his mom was having lunch with her friends so we all had lunch together. Papaya salad, larp pork, mushroom soup, sticky rice and fresh cucumbers. They didn't speak much English so I got a mini Thai lesson during lunch :).

My favorite form of transport in Bangkok, the small canal boats.

A free Muay Thai show at MBK. I dragged an All Hands friend, Nathan Ashker, there. He's also on an Asia to America trip. Check out his Instagram page!

Second floor, front row seat on the bus to Chaing Mai. Lots of leg room but roasted to death lol. 

Free Far East Movement concert. Whoop whoop!

So they always celebrate Songkran early and there are rules that people don't follow. I was walking on a safe street looking for lunch and got sniper sprayed by that little kid on the second floor balcony. This is why even my CS host comes to Chiang Mai to celebrate Songkran.

Beautiful Chiang Mai Old City view.

Double Ristretto, coffee shop opened by latte art champion, Arnon Thitiprasert. Their motto: “Coffee” is our passion & “Art” is our life. = a beautifully crafted  and delicious cup of coffee.

My drink, Ristr8to signature drink, ficardie.

Baristas hard at work.

The bubble party by AirAsia. (Photo courtesy of Justin Cheong)

The starting splash team. (Photo courtesy of Sarayoot Tangjitpaew)

The splashing team taking a break at the temple, Wat Suthep. (Photo courtesy of Sarayoot Tangjitpaew)

Last day of Songkran, Oat got his cousin to drive us with a tank of water on the back of his truck to splash other people. The girls in the back got splashed by all the enthusiastic locals. (Photo courtesy of Sarayoot Tangjitpaew)

Getting blessed by Oat's grandfather; truly a privilege. (Photo courtesy of Keerati Anurakpradorn)

Took a visit to the Chiang Mai Zoo. Seeing pandas for the first time! (Photo courtesy of Sarayoot Tangjitpaew)

Since I was running low on funds, I decided to hitchhike back to Bangkok. Honestly, I should have done this more often. All of the people that picked me up did not speak well or any English but were really nice. I have to say I had more bathroom stops than if I took a bus and it took only an hour longer than the bus. Almost all of my rides tried to send me to the bus station though lol. They did not understand why I wanted to hitch when buses were plentiful. The last ride I caught took me over half of the distance I needed to go (from Tak to Bangkok). The family was very cute. They wanted to communicate with me so the mom looked up common phrases in English on her smartphone to ask me. She didn't understand a lot of my answers so the conversation didn't last very long. In Bangkok, it was more chilling out and a lot of heartfelt goodbyes.

Sharing a ride with these kind people on their way to a temple.

The mom looking up questions on her phone to ask me. 

Taking funny pictures in Bangkok before final goodbyes to Wendy.

Visiting the Artist's House in Bangkok. Definitely worth a visit for anyone heading to this city!

Bangkok traffic. 

Goodbye Thailand. Catching my Air India flight.

Couchsurfing the Delhi airport (14 hour layover) after not sleeping my last night in Bangkok.

I was freezing on the flight as we were flying over the Faeroe-Iceland Ridge.

Hello New York! "I'm coming home, I'm coming home, tell the world that I'm coming home!"

One year has past so how should I conclude this grand journey? I guess I'll begin by apologizing if I sounded overly dispirited in numerous posts. At any rate, we all experience angry, depressing, ecstatic, and mellow moments. Most posts are reflections of the emotions in those moments. Sure I shouldn't have blown up in someone's face or got overly excited over something simple. But wouldn't you rather really feel these intense emotions than let them pass you by. During Vipassana, the meditation preaches anitchya, that all things will come to pass (心平气和). Nothing is permanent. Yes, this over the top happiness feeling will go away, but rather than not reacting, I would like to feel it. If not with my whole body, I would still want to with seep my feet, my heart. The same goes for anger. Experiencing it is what keeps me human, what defines my imperfection. I want to roll in all the colors. Perhaps I'll cherish one color over another, don it more than another, but they are all in my wardrobe. So if you happen to see a color you don't like, I'm sorry, I'm only human. Or perhaps that's what Vipassana was preaching. Relish the moment but also realize it won't last, so don't get attached to the moment and wish to time travel to it every time or freeze it for eternity. Either way, thank goodness some feelings don't last forever!

So why do I travel and where has been my favorite? I have to say I don't have a definite answer to either of those questions. Food, culture, compassion, wanderlust, the people, those golden moments, to learn patience for those dark moments? When it comes down to it, do I need any? Any excuse will do. There's no going back to "normal" life after this. I know the dust from everyday life will eventually need to be shaken off with vigorous traveling again. For now, I will dock in NYC and everyone is invited for a visit. I don't know if I even have a place to sleep yet, or a job, or any money left but all's well that ends well (船到橋頭之然解). There are more important things to worry about. Stay happy :D and goodbye.

Signed,
Your Weary Globetrotter