Finally decided to do a blog

Well I've been here almost a month now, and it's everything and more than I could have imagined. I just got back from a national park called Khao Yai for the weekend, about 3 hours northeast of Bangkok, and realized there's too much awesome and amazing stuff that I'm doing to not share it and then just forget about it all.

One group left for Khao Yai Thursday afternoon, but some of us had stuff to do Friday so we couldn't leave until then. I left with my roommate Mat, a girl from my program Katie, and her friend who will be studying in Korea this semester Friday afternoon on a bus to Pak Chong, which took about 3 hours. From there, we took a songthaew up to the park. Actually, it was more like a big tuk-tuk because it was a tricycle and could barely make it up hills that weren't really that steep. Transportation in Thailand is often sketchy and even seems downright dangerous sometimes, but there really isn't any other way to get around some places. It's fun, cheap, and part of adjusting to the culture. When we got to the entrance of the park, the other group was at a camp site about 10 miles in, so we took another songthaew and met them at the visitor's center. From there, we just hitchhiked around the park. We were cramming 10 of us into the beds of pickup trucks and would just bang on the roof of the truck when we wanted to get off. No one ever asked for money, and most seemed used to doing this kind of thing for foreigners.

We got to our campsite, got tents, and then set out on a hike. We hiked along a river, which is really really low because it isn't the rainy season. So we eventually abandoned the trail to walk along the rocks that usually make up the river floor. We found a couple waterfalls that are probably pretty big during the rainy season but are little more than big cliffs with water trickling down now. At one of the falls, there was a rock that was perfect for cliff jumping, only about 10-15 feet high, but hanging out over the pool so it was easy to clear the cliff. We jumped into the pool to test the water depth. After swimming at least 15 feet down and not touching the bottom of the pool, about 5 of us climbed up and jumped off the rock. It wasn't a huge jump, but it was nice to get in the water because it was getting really hot.

We eventually got back to the trail and came out of the forest at Haew Sanuk, a more touristy waterfall. This one was much bigger, maybe 75 feet, and there was a decent amount of water coming down. Once again, nothing like it is in the rainy season, but still beautiful.

When we got back to the campsite, we went and got food and just kind of relaxed. Once it started to get dark, the campsite came alive with Thais cooking food and drinking whiskey. Some camps had cooked up what most of us would consider feasts. We started talking to a group of Thais that spoke very little English next to us, and before we knew it, we were in their circle eating with them and drinking with them. We ended up staying up pretty late just hanging out with them. Us practicing our Thai, them practicing their English. Most of us are taking Thai at school, so it was really cool to hang out and try to communicate with the little Thai we know. I feel like my Thai is coming on much faster than I expected, and I try to use it whenever possible.

We went with the Thais the next day to the biggest waterfall in the park, Haew Narok, but once again it was barely more than a trickle of water with a big pool at the bottom. There are pictures of the waterfall during the rainy season, and it looks incredible. If you google it you can see just how beautiful it is in the summer and fall. Maybe I'll try to make it back there in August.

After the waterfall, they drove us all the way back out of the park and to Pak Chong, maybe a 40 minute drive. Thais are so nice, hospitable, and friendly it's impossible not to feel like we're part of something great when we're here. Never once did I feel unsafe hitchhiking, and countless times strangers have gone out of their way to do something for me while I've been here.

Well, since I've already been here a month and am just now starting this blog, I obviously have tons of stories that I need to share with everyone. Many of them even my parents haven't heard because communication is difficult and I'm often busy both in the mornings and at night. I'll fill all of you in on those another day, and probably not in as much detail. Just know that everything is better even than I could have imagined. The culture shock has been existent, but I've dealt with it really well. It makes me realize that I don't crave the conveniences that America offers as much as maybe I thought. I really could see myself moving to Thailand in the future. The people, the culture, the nightlife, the location, everything that Thailand has to offer.