And we have met the end of the journey... Thailand!

Thailand was our final destination! After a VERY long day of traveling, getting off and on all different types of transportation, sitting in the blazing sun, having no clue whats going on and then jumping on yet another van, we arrived in Bangkok. It was a "six" hour trip that took us about 12! haha. So when we got there we were ready to eat and sleep. We randomly picked a restaurant and got something yummy to eat!

Pineapple again...
I was ready to eat some traditional Thai food! :) Chicken Curry rice served in a hallowed out pineapple.
That night we set up the next days adventures, we went on an all day excursion to the Kanchanaburi war Cemetery, to ride the elephants, float down the river, eat lunch, then end the day at the Tiger Temple where we got to pet the tigers.

We just happened to come across this sweet little guy!! So of coarse we had to feed him. :)
I normally am not a fan of cats (sorry for those cat lovers out there) but I kind of fell in love with this one!
This was a bridge that was significant to Thai history, during their war many Thai people were forced to build this bridge for their adversary... here we honestly didn't really know what was going on because we opted out of paying to go to the museum and just kind of walked around. It was such a perfect day and a really beautiful place.


Had to get a shot with the HUGE Buddha in the background...

When we arrived to ride on the elephants they also had these little monkeys just hanging out on their little play area...
Then it was time for the elephant ride...
We went all over their site, down steep hills, up steep hills, in the water, across the field. There were literally times where I was sure I was going to fall off! I was amazed at the strength of these beautiful creatures. They really were so precious.






Hungry after the walk....


Rollin' down the river....

After we got off the river we ate lunch and got back into the van to head to the Tiger Temple.. on our way we stopped at this beautiful water fall. We were there during their dry season so it wasn't very big but we were told during the wet season it covers the entire rock.

Believe it or not this is the SECOND violin this awesome lady had in her hands that day! haha. We ran into two different men playing.. Mel paid them, to play FOR them! She is pretty much killer with an instrument in her hands. :)
Tiger Temple! Before you walk in you actually sign your life away.. haha.. there are wild animals that just kind of roam about everywhere. Luckily they're used to people and pretty much do their own thing but it was a weird feeling to just walk by some of them just hanging out. Here you're seeing some water Buffalo who were escaping the afternoon heat in the water... and a random hog rolling in the mud.. yep, so stereotypical of him but true..

This monk and his tiger were just hanging out, so we went up and talked with him a little..
This tiger really was asleep.. you'll see in the photo's to come that the big tigers are all sleeping in the pictures.. we are sure that they were sedated although we were told the Monks had meditated them to sleep... but the babies were normally awake and this cutie woke up right after we took this picture!
Paul and Bambi...
These big guys were in their own area of the park that sat down in, they obviously weren't just roaming around.. that would be a little more risky I believe... They were however a lot of fun to watch as the jumped on each other and wrestled in the water. I was grateful for the distance once I saw the strength they really have. :) They are such beautiful creatures!!

This was another designated area of the Park.. You had to go in with a helper holding your hand from place to place. There were foreigners who were working with the Tigers along with some of the Monks. Every now and them one of them would move a little or wake up but you could tell they were "sleepy". That aspect was really difficult for me. It was a great experience that I will have forever but the whole time I was just hoping that they were taken care of...Being next to this guy was a test of courage ... he was HUGE. Seriously, he could have hit me with his tail and I'm sure I would have been a goner. haha. They really are massive animals but so unique.


This guy decided it felt better to sleep on his back... :)

Some very large black bears...
Funny looking hogs...
The next day we were off again to the beautiful island of Koh Semet! I requested to spend my birthday on the beach so we headed out the day before to get there and get settled.. This was our boat ride over to the island...

We spent the first day getting settled, going for a swim and the grabbing something for dinner...I dont have a picture of where we stayed but it was this really neat Bungalow home that looked out right onto the ocean.

On my birthday I woke up early and headed to the beach! I spent some amazing time in the Word and then once the others were up we went for a birthday breakfast on the beach.. :)

I had chocolate pancakes and an amazing espresso milkshake! YUM.
Then while I went to the computer lab area to skype with my family and friends to say hey on my birthday (which was a total blessing) they went to work in the sand.. this was our slogan throughout the trip. "Livin the Dream 20-12" I then spent the rest of my day under an umbrella (trying not to fry) ocean side, reading my book. Exactly what I asked for! :) After running around to so many places in such a short time I really wanted some time to relax!
Then later that night we got ready and went out to eat. The island was so cool because most of the restaurants were set up right on the beach! Pretty much anything you needed to access you did from the beach..

I ordered a Burger and fries, something I never have access to here in Huangshi..
Then Paul and Jacqueline found these yummy chocolate pancake type things to make as my cake! :)
24 Represent... ha. I was honestly excited for this birthday, no not just because I was on an Island in Thailand but because I am excited to be older.. weird I know. There is just something in reflecting on the last year of my life that filled me with this incredible hope, joy and gratefulness. I feel like our Father is beginning to give me some direction, restoring old passions and instilling new ones and I feel like I'm ready. I'm ready to move forward and walk towards all He has so why not add a number to my age because I know there is still more to come and THAT, whatever it is, brings me overflowing peace and abundant joy. He has done so much in and around me in this past year and it spurs me on towards the future. Even if I don't know the details of exactly where I'm going or what it will look like, I know Who is with me.
This was one of my favorite things ever.. On the beach they were selling lanterns ( yes, like the ones you see in Tangled) that you could light and send off. I was super excited. This is going to sound totally corny but then again when am I not.. ha.. but as I watched it go further into the distance against the black sky I realized just how much a single light illuminates in the darkness..




After this picture was taken all sorts of illness broke out... it was awful! Melodie had some serious sun poisoning, and Paul and Jac came down with food poisoning... Beau and I somehow managed to escape all of the above... I felt horrible because there was nothing I could do. They all spent the rest of our time there in bed! Since it was out of my control I would occasionally stop in and then go back to sit on the beach... I feel guilty saying this but I think I'm the only one that really enjoyed our time there. haha.

This is where the photo's stop but the last event in Thailand was by far the BEST! After we left the beach we went back and stayed in Bangkok. There we set up an appointment for the next day, to go to the Flight of the Gibbon.. this was a zip line attraction where we actually got to zip line through the rain forest! Poor Mel's feet were too swollen from the burn for her to go so just Paul, Jacqueline, Beau and I set out. This was by far one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. First off I've never been zip lining before and secondly, I have never been in a rain forest! You literally fly through and above the trees, surrounded by the sounds of the rainforest and all the creatures that live in it. You realize just how small you are when you're up there too and how amazing of a creator we have to construct and bless us with such incredible beauty in this world.

The day after zip lining I ended up cutting the trip a little short and flying back into Wuhan with the boys. Beau had to be back for school and I was honestly ready to get home. I had one week before classes to kind of get myself back in order before teaching again and to reflect on all that happened while I was gone.

Although, it has taken me what feels like forever to finish these it has been bitter sweet to look back over all of the events I was apart of in January. It was an experience and a trip that was a once in a lifetime kind of thing. It gave me more of a passion to see the world but also more of an appreciation for traveling. It was a blessing far beyond myself. From the "random" conversations and people we met, to the family I gained in my friends, to the ways He spoke to me in His creation. It was a constant day in and day out of living from a suitcase, running from one place to another, jumping from bus to bus, train to plane and back again.. and it was all worth it!