I've a Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Toto

All in all, the trip was great.  Cathay Pacific is the way to go if you're traveling to Asia.  During my check-in, the attendant shared with me that the flight was extremely light for the trip and if my friend and I wanted to move seats, we could share a three seat row between the two of us.  She said to change it at the terminal.  When we got to the terminal, a woman asked if we could wait until some more people had been checked in as well.  We were later waved up to the counter and each given our own row.  That's right, we flew our 15 hour flight with our own row to stretch out in and watch movies and sleep.  Once we landed in Hong Kong, we took off to find a hotel to stay in and were eventually pointed in the direction of the Marriott.  If you're ever in Hong Kong, this is a great place to stay.  It is beautiful and affordable and so easy to get to from the airport.  They have shuttle buses to take you wherever you want to go.  I wish we could have spent more time in Hong Kong - Carey and I are looking forward to making a trip there.

The flight to Phuket was also easy.  We made friends with our neighbor, Jack, who is in nuclear medicine.  He invited us to use his pool pass to sit by the Patong Beach, "You don't even have to talk to any of us.  We'll get you set up with a couple of pina coladas before we have to go in to work and you can stay all day if you want."  Awesome.  We'll see where Saturday takes us.

Trying to figure out how to best describe this world i'm going to be living in is extremely difficult.  It is like nothing i've ever experienced so I don't have much to compare it to, but i'll try.  

Only a short drive from the airport to our guest house gave us a really great first glance at the island.  I had to stifle giggles when the driver started off and kicked on the tunes: Thank God I'm a Country Boy, Take Me Home, Country Roads, and so on.  Speedbumps exist here, along with car dealerships, 7/11s and Autoboy shops, and that's about all we have in common with this place.  

Ramshackle houses are used for anything and everything.  Open restaurants and markets where people gather to eat, buy fruit and veggies, chat and swing their babies in rigged up hammocks.  Building faces are covered in scaffolding made of bamboo.  Stray dogs wander the streets, sit on porches, and laze around.  Cows roam freely in fields with no fences or restraints.  Of course there are chickens and cats in front yards.  The tallest palm trees i've ever seen, groves of them so thick you can't see what lies beyond.  I saw all of this because I couldn't look away and I couldn't look forward either without tensing up and pushing my brake foot on the floor like my mom.

The traffic is insane, Manhattan+Chicago+Los Angeles insane.  I guess.  Chicago cabdrivers ain't got nothing on these folks in Thailand.  People basically make up their own traffic laws and it seems like the best thing you can do is just stay out of everyone's way and be somewhat aggressive because there is no "by all means, after you" mentality in any scenario including but not limited to, the airport, lines at cafes, the sidewalk, the bus.  So you better go when the going is good or you. are. screwed.  

People are so lovely here, even though the common courtesy mentioned above is lacking.  Let's be honest, wherever you go in the world (I believe), there are lovely people and then there are shitty people.  At this point in the game, we've mostly encountered the better side.  We know how to say thank you and bow properly and this seems to go over well.  

You better be willing to bargain.  Taxi drivers will offer advice on how to get to places in a way that feels like they're just trying to be helpful and in the same breath they tell you how much they would charge to take you there.  We took a bus into the middle of town.  A man told us when we got off the bus where to get back on one when we were ready to go home.  He pulled out a map and showed us where we were and then where we wanted to be in the meantime, "I'll take you there for 40 baht each."  What?!  This is not an outrageous amount of money, it's just that thinking you're being assisted voluntarily only to find out its a game is a bummer.  That's just how it is here, whether it's a ride or a car rental, people want to make some money and they will put you through the ringer if that's what it takes.

After sitting down in a cafe for some lunch, it began to rain.  Monsoon rains.  I mean, i've seen rain like this before, but I think this is what it's like every time it rains here.  It lasted a mere 20 minutes, but it was heavy and it came down.  We just hung out a little bit longer than usual.  Apparently there is a big storm coming through this weekend.  That will be interesting, particularly since Carey and I are hoping to use the next two days to explore the island and figure out where we want to focus our energy come Monday.

Although I oftentimes have difficulty focusing on one thing at a time and I feel a little helpless and a lot overwhelmed, I still believe this was the right move for me to make.  I can't imagine having done this straight out of college.  There is so much to consider and do, and being so far away from home and familial support would have just been too much for me, I think.

Timing is everything.  I made it because it now because it was right for me.  I'm so excited to see where all of this leads.  It has been an adventure from the minute I woke up Wednesday morning and I hope it continues to be.  I'm sure homesickness will set in at some point and there will be days that i'm so frustrated that the temptation to book a ticket for home will be difficult to ignore, but I just have to remember - wherever you go, go with all your heart.

It just started raining again.