Today is January 7th, and I have officially been in Thailand for two and a half weeks. It hasn't felt like that long to be honest, it's felt like longer. Though as Sam said yesterday, not in a bad way, in a good way.
A few of you I'm sure have been wondering what I have been doing while here, vacationing in the land of smiles. The answer I'm afraid may bore you and shock you. The answer? Not much.
Haha, see, confused yet?
What I mean by this is that, my trip here was not about being a tourist, going off to remote jungles and exclusive waterfalls- it has been about seeing my best friend Sam. Her and I were really close in Korea, and when she left for her next adventure two years ago, we never lost touch. In some ways, the distance has helped us to become closer at times, and for me at least, I know I have opened up more and more to her. While I have gone away to places like Chiang Mia, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, and Koh Larn, aside from the last, they were all day trips by myself basically.
The rest of the time was spent right here, where I am now, sitting on her couch, talking and hanging out with one of my best friends. Neither of us need much to be happy- give us some tea, a good book, and we will let it ripe with laughter, good conversations, and lots of smiles between us. The friendship is beautiful in that, we don't have to talk to be company, and we are both similar and laid back enough that we can just go with things 97% of the time. (hey, no one is perfect!)
Has it been the most exciting trip of my life? No. Has it been exactly what I needed at this moment in life? Yes yes yes. 100%. Even more than I could have anticipated. Sam is more laid back than I am really, and being around her again has helped me learn to sit back and relax again. For so long, I felt this need to just "Go Go Go!", always moving, always doing something, that I didn't know how to sit without becoming unhappy. These two and a half weeks have been a lesson in just that. I could not have asked for a better friend to help me with this too.
Have we butted heads, or had moments of discord? Sure, every friendship has that sometimes. But we have moved past all quickly and with blind eyes to those moments, knowing they are of less importance than everything else.
The other wonderful thing that Thailand has done for me is to help me find my feet again. The last two months, I have been lost. I was always "The Girl With a Plan" *blows a pretend trumpet*. Yet, since about early November, life has felt a bit like a boat drifting in shallow water- no path, no guidance, no North Star to point me where to go next. For me, this sensation is absolutely terrifying, and after real conversations with Sam, and probably still WAY too much thinking, I am hesitantly pointing my feet towards what I think I should do next with my life. Right now I won't get into the exact details, but I will say that it feels good to have a goal and direction again.
Today I leave for Cambodia, one of my absolute favorite countries in the entire world It'll be my third trip to that amazing land, and while I am sad to say goodbye to Sam again, I know that our friendship will last over the distance, that I will see her again 2017 (England next time!), and that true friendship never fades, despite how long it is between visits. As Sam pointed out to me yesterday, sitting in what must have been our 20th coffee ship visit this trip: "Don't cry because it's over, laugh because it happened." So laugh is what I shall do. :)
Before I go, I will share one story with you from my time here- my favorite story I think, and one I will never forget.
The all day bus I had taken to get to Bangkok pulled in to the station at 5pm nearly on the dot. While impressed, I didn't linger, but instead bolted for the first taxi I could find- Siam Paragon was my destination, and Sam was waiting for me there. The driver pulls out on to the road and we are making good time, until we turn left. At first, we hit a little bit of traffic, which seems like no big deal. That little bit of traffic turns into more and more traffic, until before too long, the taxi I am in is sitting amid this congo line of red lights as far as the eye can see. Anxiously, I watch the time tick away, knowing full well I have no way of telling Sam I am stuck in traffic. Finally, after almost a full hour this, my taxi driver says that the station is just 200 meters up the road. I thank him, pay, and grab my stuff. Practically speed walking as fast my little legs will carry me with my giant backpacking backpack, I walk towards the subway station exits looking for exit 5. Very quickly I realize, they're not numbered! "What city doesn't number their exits?!" I think! Across the road I see a sign for exit 3, and hope that I am getting close. It turns out, that is the only exit that is numbered! Having walked past at least 4 subway exits with no Sam yet, I am beginning to panic. At one point I even go upstairs into the station, apparently mistakenly assuming that all subway stations have signs for the exits posted. NOPE! After walking back down, I continue following the main road. There is one more exit ahead of me before they end, and after that I figure that if Sam isn't at that one, I'll cross the street and start on the other side looking for her. All the sudden, I see something in the corner of my eye! I turn and Sam is running towards me. "OH MY GOD!" I yell, and then we hug for a solid two minutes! We laugh, both talking at the same time, trying to share our stories about the last hour, before she asks if I am hungry. Of course, like always, I am, so we head off for Korean food.
Thus began my time with my best friend, and I don't think you could find a better reunion story if you looked in my opinion.
I promise to write more about my adventures as I continue to travel. Thailand was just special. :)
Much love,
Rita
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