This summer Kelly and I were invited to go to Thailand with our friends Os and Brooke. Why Thailand you ask? Well, I've always wanted to go to famous Phuket, an island off of southern Thailand. I have dreamed about it for years! Also, Os is Thai, both of his parents are Thai, and they were born and raised there before moving to Utah many years ago. Recently they got called to serve their second LDS mission in Bangkok! Also, with many of Os's relatives living there who were more than willing to serve as our hosts and tour guides, we couldn't pass it up! We decided we could make this trip work just weeks before leaving. So with much anticipation and excitement we boarded a plane from SLC to SF with connecting flights to Japan and then Bangkok. Unfortunately, the flight was delayed due to fog in SF and we missed our connecting flight (last flight to Asia for the day) and were stuck in SF! We couldn't leave until the next morning at 11:00 a.m.!!! We were soooo sad! We decided if we were stuck in SF why not live it up? So we used our Starwood points and stayed in the St. Francis on Union Square, ate at Roy's, shopped (because I needed a coat for the chilly SF evening) and saw Billy Elliot at the Orpheum! It was a perfect night!!! We arrived in Bangkok a day late, missing a famously huge outdoor market but we made up for it with one of my favorite sites, the "Floating Market." We were picked up by our friend Os (who arrived in Bangkok on a different flight and on time) and his dad who we knew from our church (they lived in our area for a few years-his mom taught me how to cook Thai). We stayed at his uncle's house outside of Bangkok. His aunt rented a nice van with a driver for 2 days just for us! This was a luxury and we really were amazed at her hospitality! Also, other family members drove us around, made us dinner, paid for our boat cruise etc. I was really impressed! So in Bangkok area we went to the LDS church, visited the ruins of the original capital city of Siam, went to many Temple sites such as the Grand Palace, we rode in a Tuk Tuk, we ate amazing food, we shopped, we road elephants, we fed elephants, we saw an elephant show, we went to the Rose Garden, we went on a boat cruise at night down the Chao Phraya River, we LOVED the floating market and saw the famous Emerald Buddha! Bangkok was amazing! But after running around for 2 days there, we were ready for some R & R! We flew down to Phuket and from there, took a boat to our little island called Koh Yao Noi where we had amazing views of distant islands, a great resort to relax in, wonderful food, amazing kayaking excursions through caves, swimming in warm water off one of the numerous islands, friendly people and good times with the Seangsuans! The only complaint was that we visited in their winter instead of ours. The water is supposed to be clear in November! So if you ever decide to visit, go then for blue sky's (less rain) and gorgeous water (better photographing!!!) Kelly and I also got in a little crash on our motorbike. So we got to see first hand how the islanders react to white tourists crashing in front of their house! (I had a chair brought to me, a young girl fanning me, a lady giving me a scalp massage, and a lot of sweet sighs and empathy. And the hospital was a treat! Very 3rd world! They didn't give us any pain killers which was sad since Kelly got even more road rash than me! It just added to the adventure! I am so glad we went to Thailand! I had such an amazing time and learned so much! I feel even closer to our friends! They were a blast to travel with! Brooke was our personal nurse. Os was super supportive and positive through the "accident." Best part-it was great to get away with Kelly and to share the experience with him. We love to travel more than anything! Now, where should we go next??? Hmmmm...
