Everything I say is fascinating.

Snow In My Crack

Well the ski trip was a success to say the least. I DOMINATED that mountain. Okay perhaps dominated might be a strong word but I did better then I have ever done, which basically means I graduated from the greens to the blues. Yes I would like to have a ceremony. You should be expecting an invitation sometime soon, and yes I will accept gifts. 

The first day we went skiing was probably the funniest with my friend Desaree falling every five feet. (The following day she skied into the trees.) At one point we sat down on the side of the slope to wait for her and upon trying getting up Jenny starts screaming there is snow in my crack now I'm going to be cold for the rest of the day. I pretty much laughed my head off at this statement. Desaree eventually called the snowmobile over and waved goodbye to us and headed to the bar at the lodge.

I would like to tell you that I didn't fall at all during the trip but we all know that would be a lie. Although I didn't fall because I was out of control it was because SOME CHICK TOOK ME OUT! There I was minding my own business practicing my turns skiing my little heart out when I hear Oh Oh Oh. I looked behind me just in time to see this girl out of control coming towards me and then she crashed into me. My poles flew out of my hands and then I was sliding. At the same time as I was sliding I heard from the lift above me OOOOOOOHHHHH. I knew it must have looked bad if it got that kind of attention.  Luckily no broken bones, in fact I skied better after the fact.

Here are some pics from the trip.

I love Breckenridge because it always looks like Christmas.

This is exactly how I looked when I was skiing... gun and all.

The drive back to Denver

I also present things that happen in the Denver airport when you are delayed because of a snow storm.

Can you believe this cost $1300 dollars

This only cost $20.

As you can see every minute of the trip was a good time.

 

More Highlights

Emily would like to welcome you to the Grand Palace.

Nobody likes it when you get a flat tire on the side of the freeway.

At the beach

Relaxing at dinner on Koh Phi Phi

Darin is smiling because there are no road laws in Thailand

My favorite part of the trip was this day.

This is my favorite picture of the whole trip.

Darin with the ladies.

You have to love a monk on a cell phone.

If you look closely on this guys jaw line you will see blood from where this snake BIT HIM IN THE FACE!

Now keep in mind that I took over 850 photos but these where some of my favorites.

Highlights

I'll post the fun pictures tomorrow.

Back to Life, Back to Reality*

When I first started planning this trip about 6 months ago I thought it would never get here and now that it's over I don't know what to do with myself. Every night before I went to bed I would break out my Lonely Planet, Frommer's and Fodor's guides and compare and contrast on activities and hotels.If I was on the computer I was on tripadvisor.com making sure I would make the most of this country. I would check to make sure I was saving enough money and made lists on exactly what I needed to take. I would pepper my friend Darin, who is fortunate enough to live there, with so many questions that I'm sure he thought I was crazy.  I often stayed awake at night thinking about the flight and how I was going to get through it since I have a horrible fear of flying. If Thailand was a class I was studying like it was finals time and this class determined if I would graduated with honors.  For the last six months this trip has consumed me and now that I'm back I feel empty. I feel like I need to be doing something, planning something. ANYTHING.

I look around and everybody is doing their day to day routine and I just want to shout I was in Thailand last week! I rode an elephant! I saw things I have only dreamed about for so long! I was on a jungle kayak tour and fed monkeys! I saw water that was so clear it made me never want to leave! I was among one of the nicest cultures on earth! Doesn't anybody understand I was halfway around the world? Sigh.

I also feel like I didn't spend enough time there, and I want to go back to really explore everything. I want to visit Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. I feel like I only got a taste of this amazing continent. When am I going to find the time to do this and who is going to go with me? I don't know yet but it's on my list.

*Yes this title is from the group En Vogue and please don't blame me for getting this song stuck in your head because rest assured it's in mine too.

Train Wreck

It is no secret that I am a walking disaster, anyone who knows me can tell you that information.  This trip hasn't been any different and I'm not sure were to begin my stories. Should I tell you how I walked into a tree? Should I tell you how I fell down because my backpack was to heavy? How about the time when I fell face down going up a flight of stairs? All those stories are good but none of them compare to my friend Emily's story and it's so good I can't stop laughing when I think about it. 

We had to catch a flight from Krabi to Bangkok and of course we were running late.  I thought we were going to die on the way to the airport because my friend Darin, who lives in Thailand, was driving and I could have sworn we almost got into several wrecks. He claims he had it all under control but thats hard to believe when there is a car coming straight for you at about 60 miles per hour but I digress.

We finally made it to the airport with no less then about 5 minutes to spare. The ticket counter was closing down when we ran up to it. I should also note that when I say the term airport I use that term very loosely. They have 2 gates and the security there is a joke. My boarding pass was printed like a receipt. Emily and I went through security while laura paid for her extra luggage and Darin returned the car. I don't know what happened between the check-in gate and security but somewhere along that line Emily starting freaking out that we were going to miss the plane. She starts running through the airport to the gate and I'm running behind her but I'm thinking why are we running?

Emily gets to the gate and there is no one there checking anybody in so she just goes down the escalator and running down to the walk way to the plane. It's at this point that I start yelling at her because I realize what is going on and I look out the window and there is no plane just an empty walk way.
I'm at the top of the escalators shouting "Emily there is no plane!"  Emily just keeps on running.
I waited for her to realize her mistake and when she does its classic. She comes running back up the walkway and looks up to me and shouts "Melissa there is no plane!" I shout down to her, "I KNOW. IT'S 11:50 OUR FLIGHT DOESN'T LEAVE TILL 12:30." Her face is priceless as it all registers in her brain and she says very meekly, "Oh." Emily takes several tentative steps to the escalator and thats when we both realize that this whole ordeal has just been witnessed by about 150 people who are all waiting in the airport to board our plane.

classic melissa

Yesterday we took a tour off of some of the islands around Thailand which including, snorkeling, kayaking, swimming and chatting. In that order I might add. I would like to discuss the snorkeling and kayaking part of the trip. I have never snorkeled before and I lasted about maybe 5 minutes and two of those minutes were spent trying to put on that stupid mask. Then there was the kayaking and God help me it was supposed to be for 15 minutes but we had the kayak for 45. Of course it was Emily and I who were stuck and the boat is honking and we are paddling with all our might and somehow just managing to go in circles. We ended up getting out of the kayak and dragging it behind us but not before I fell on the rocks. Ahh good times. But the talking with french boys with nice accents? That was nice.

Culture Shock

Well after over 24 hours of traveling I am in Bangkok. I have been here for three days and it is a sight to see let me assure you.*  Everyone here is so nice and goes out of their way to help you. I haven't seen an elephant yet which I'm not quite sure why I thought I would see one roaming the streets since this is a very western city. Oh well maybe at the next town.

On our first day we decided to go to the weekend market as well as the Jim Thompson house. The Jim Thompson house was an interesting sight to see because it is a traditional Thai house but since they are small he built three together connected by a long hallway. He was an American that moved to Thailand and revived the Thai silk trade to what it is today. He disappeared on a trip to Cambodia never to be heard from again and the government turned his house into a museum of sorts... and of course there is a gift shop. No, I didn't buy anything.

The weekend market was crazy and like nothing I have ever seen before. It is crowded with so many people selling everything from jeans to puppies. Now being an animal lover I have to say it was very hard for me to see these puppies being sold from cages, some of them looked so scared. I had to walk away. I did find some cute things here and there that I did buy but overall that wasn't really my favorite part of bangkok no matter how cheap I can find a dress ($3). Okay maybe it was great feeling to find stuff and haggle for the price but for the most part I felt bad suggesting a lower price because it was so cheap already. I felt like i was robbing them... although to be honest that really didn't stop me.  I'm emotional not stupid.

That evening my friend Emily flew down from New York to join us and the following day we went to The Royal Palace. I couldn't describe this place even if I wanted to, it is that amazing. The walls are so white and the attention to detail is dumbfounding. It is made out gold and they have these "demon" statues that guard the Buddhas and keep the bad spirits away. I took a lot of pictures and will post them when I get back home. It started to rain and we tried to hurry to the next sight which was the reclining Buddha but we didn't get there in time to escape from the rain. We got drenched and had to seek shelter for a bit. I should also mention that the reclining Buddha is only around the corner from the Royal Palace.

It seemed like it was about 20 minutes when I'm sure it was about 5, but time gets to be tedious when you are waiting for something, it stopped raining and we continued on. The reclining Buddha is made of pure gold and can be blinding and again I took tons of pictures.

I have much more to say but I'm about to run out of minutes on my paid internet so I will have to update later. I will say keeps those thoughts/prayers/good vibes coming because I got sick on the airplane and vomited twice (lovely i know). In the taxis alone in bangkok we have gotten into one wreck,
one flat tire on the highway, and another fender bender in phuket
coming from the airport. One would even think I was driving but let me
assure you that is not the case!

*I'm now in Phuket and have been in the country for 5 days. I've been working on this post little by little.

And we're off

Well as read this I am in the air on my way to Tokyo and after that 14 hour flight I take another 5 hour flight to Bangkok. To say that I'm not nervous would be lying. I'm not a good flier and I get sick easily. You want to travel with me now don't you? I know that this is going to be a great trip but I'm still nervous. I blame my mother.

I know I will get to see things that I can't even imagine but for now as I'm cruising at probably 35,000 feet I'm completely freaked out. I will be so much happier when I get to Bangkok on Saturday night. I ask that if you are the praying kind that you say a prayer for me while I'm gone because I honestly don't know what to expect. If you aren't the praying kind and want to send me good thoughts or vibes I will take those too. I'm not picky.

I'm sure I will have story after story for you, and I promise a blog post while I'm gone. (You know I can't stay away from the computer that long.) 

imix

Music is essential in life and I think we can all agree on that. I myself LOVE music and I am always looking for new artists.  I have music from the Three Tenors to Bob Marley. Music determines so many of my moods and I like I said I can't get enough. I would love to know what songs you listen to when your travel? What are some of your favorites to listen to when you flying high above the sky or are on a road trip with your family or friends?

One of my favorite songs to listen to while I'm driving is Love Song by Sarah Bareilles. I will crank this song up and sing like I'm giving a concert at Madison Square Garden. Even at the stoplights. With the windows down. Can I ask who doesn't get pumped up by Madonna? I know that if I have a big meeting at work or a date with a cute boy Madonna will do the trick. Her song Jump is probably on every playlist. A little bit of unrequited love got you down? And you want to wallow a little bit longer? Just put on We're All In The Dance by Feist or Magic in the Air by Badly Drawn Boy. When I moved back home from New York I listened to The Long Goodbye by A Girl Called Eddy on repeat for about two weeks. I'm sure my neighbors wanted to kill me. When I feel like going out and helping the world I listen to MercyMe's song Hear Am I to get me going. Amber by 311 is calm and soothing and always reminds me of the beach. How can you not relax when that is coming out of your speakers? If you hear It's A Great Day to be Alive by Travis Tritt and you see me driving with the windows down I'm probably heading to the lake to kick off the start of summer in Texas. If I had to have a theme song for college well lets just say you shook me all night long by AC/DC and George's Bar by Pat Green will always bring a smile to my face. Which if you ever do go to George's Bar look for my picture because it's  there... you might say I was kind of a regular.  And whenever I hear Forever Young by Youth Group I always think about how time seems to be passing me by.

Songs bring back so many memories and they can transport you to another place and time entirely. It happens to me all the time. I will be sitting in the car with my ipod plugged in and set to random and a song will come on that will either bring tears to my eyes from laughter or from sadness. When I think about this upcoming trip I wonder what song is going to make me think about it in the future. What song is going to bring back this once in a lifetime trip that I am taking with 2 great friends? I truly can't wait to find out.

Countdown

I leave for Thailand in less then a month and I am just now starting to freak out about it. Have a I started packing? No. Now I know what you are thinking packing a month before a trip that is absurd! Well let me tell you my friends this is packing for south east Asia not Denver! There are things to consider like the fact that I'm going to be there for two weeks and I have to cart all my stuff in this little bag because in my infinite wisdom I have decided to rough it! Now this is coming from a girl who travels with her straightner in her carry on because she is afraid it will get lost and she needs to be able to do her hair properly. Shut up and don't you dare judge me!

My goal is not to check any baggage on my way to Thailand therefore I have to fit all my liquids in that tiny quart size bag as well. Surprising I thought I had that down... until I found out that the bag can't have over 16 oz. of liquid. WHAT! My 3 bottles of hand sanitizer already make up 9 oz. not to mention that in that bag I also have tooth paste, contact solution, face wash, lotion, and liquid soap. I'm still going to try to squeak by and hopefully they won't notice. (The last time I traveled they didn't even have me take anything out of my carry on bags.)

Since I have such a little bag to work with I am going to really only take the necessities for this trip and unlike Brittney Spears underwear is a necessity. I have two options, a friend of mine went to Thailand a couple of months ago and took two packs of underwear and then threw them away as she went along which is not a bad idea, or I could buy travel underwear. Travel Underwear is where you can wash it and it drys in an hour, but I also need to think if I really want to do laundry on this vacation. I also need to worry about my  clothes for this trip because technically we are going toward the end of the rainy season but I still want to look cute for my pictures, and I don't have much space to pack all my clothes. I know in reality I will probably only need about 5 outfits but a girl likes to be prepared. As for my shoes, 2 pairs of flip flops and some trekking shoes and I'm done.

I just remembered I need to get shots for this little excursion of mine and I just looked up what I needed and oh my it's a lot. I have to get the following: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Rabies, Polio, and Tequila. Why Tequila? Well I need courage to get all the other shots. Flawless plan if I do say so myself.