Sawasdee ka from Thailand! Apologies for my lack of posting. My B, folks!
It's been a whirlwind of adventure since my last post.
I finished up my two months at the lion project in Zimbabwe at the beginning of December. I left feeling like it was time for me to go, ecstatic to get away from the frustration and the drama that came along with that project, but unbelievably and incolsolably sad to have to leave the lions. However, as you may have seen on facebook, I have enough photos to last a lifetime, so for now, that will have to do. And best of all, I did actually get to meet the newest addition to the Antelope Park family of lions. Baby Lowa was born only 11 days before I left and the cubs are meant to stay with their mother and secluded until they are 3 weeks old. HOWEVER, the onslaught of the rainy season meant trouble for mother and baby and a silver lining for me. Rain flooded the den leaving mama Lola with a terrible choice: leave the cub in the den as it fills up with water or leave her outside in the pouring rain . . . COOL. Anyway, the lion manager Leigh Ann made the call to take her away from mama early. Lowa was living in Leigh Ann's living room when I got to meet her. I spent my last 45 minutes at Antelope Park petting, cuddling, and bottle-feeding a newborn lion cub. And God bless Leigh Ann becase not only did she answer each and every one of my incessant questions, she left me alone with the kitten while she prepared her bottle, and best of all, allowed me to take my "Circle of Life" photo that I'd dreamed of since before I even booked the trip! Thanks, Leigh Ann!
I finally left Antelope Park later that morning. The tears didn't really come until that night, but I was comforted by the thought of Thailand on the horizon . . .
I had a night in Johannesburg in transit between Zim and Thailand where I accidentally met one of the other women on my trip! We just HAPPENED to be put as roommates in the same hostel near the airport. Weird.
After what felt like my longest trip since my departure back in July/August, I finally arrived in Bangkok. I have to be honest, I was terribly concerned about the group of people I would be traveling with. The month of December was to be spent on an organized tour around the country with three big stops, beginning and ending in Bangkok. I imagined myself surrounded by 18-year-old gap yearers whose only interests would be getting drunk and getting laid. Thank the sweet baby Jesus that was not the case! In fact, there was only one 18-year-old. Most of us were in our mid-twenties and there were a few in late twenties early thirties. It really was a wonderful group. Of course, we knew how to have fun, but it was also a group that was really nice just to chill with. A great mix of people.
I don't have the time or energy to recap the entire month for you, but suffice to say, it was a little bit of everything. After our introductory days in Bangkok, we hit the road for a week in Kanchanaburi along the River Kwai, then it was off to the more rural Sangkhlaburi for two weeks, including our volunteer projects, and we wrapped it all up with the week from Christmas Day to the day after New Year's Day on the party island of Koh Phangan. In the last month I've visited gorgeous Buddhist temples, had a mani/pedi for the equivalent of $7, found a new favorite dish (chicken with cashew nuts), cuddled and bottle-fed a tiget cub, swam in the highest tier of a beautiful waterfall, trekked in the jungle (ish), chased and been chased by two dozen Thai children at once, shopped a market at the Burmese border, gone zorbing for the second time in my life, learned to say two things in Thai, been to an infamous Bangkok ping pong show (horrifying was the only word that sprung to mind), drunk a mixed cocktail out of a bucket while wearing neon clothing and body paint and dancing like a fool on the beach, risked my life on many a tuk tuk, and made great friends along the way. It really was a great trip.
Since the tour ended here in Bangkok on January 2nd, I've just been killing time. I'm SO ready to get the hell outta Bangkok! I can't go anywhere that isn't dripping with Western influence. Now, don't get me wrong. For a few days, that can be kind of comforting, but it's been close to a week now and that's MORE than enough. Time to move on. I've been told that there is only Thai food in Surin . . . perhaps I will have to take advantage of the McDonald's down the street before I leave in the morning, just because I can.
The train tomorrow will take about 7-8 hours, assuming no complications (*scoff). The next 5 weeks hold my last volunteer projects of this trip. First, I'll be working in childcare facilities for young children (mostly under the age of 4, as I understand it) either in a daycare or orphanage setting. This placement will be fore three weeks and I'm VERY excited. I love kids and I can't wait to work with the same group regularly and get to know them, even if it's only a little bit. Then, the first two weeks of February are reserved for the elephants! I'll be living in a homestay situation, along with any other volunteers, during the week while we work with and for the elephants. Not sure exactly what our days will be spent doing, but often our afternoons will be filled with learning how to handle the elephants and we'll have the pleasre of taking them for afternoon swims! Don't really know what to expect from that project yet, but I'm positive it will be amazing. As always, these projects sounded like a long time when I booked them, but I know that when it comes down to it, it'll fly by and feel like I haven't been there long enough.
I have no idea what the internet situation will be in Surin, but here's hoping I can post more often there! Miss you and love you all!
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