Bo Pen Yang - update of the last two weeks!

I've become really terrible at updating this thing. I just get caught up with life and forget to report. The last few weeks have been incredible though and I should probably write a post about them.

A couple weekends ago I was supposed to go to Pai with my friend Ben, but a few last minute things popped up preventing him to come. I had been looking forward to that weekend, so I was disappointed on the last minute cancellation. However, my friend Marianne spontaneously got onto a bus from Nan and met me in Chiang Mai. We met up with her two friends from London who are traveling and the next day our friends Lisa and Kim arrived, also very spontaneously. We simply enjoyed each other's company and partied the nights away. I am starting to really love Chiang Mai. The more I go, the more I love it. I've started to befriend a few expats down there as well which makes my trips down there all the more exciting.

Last week wound up being extremely short as on Thursday and Friday our students all went on a school camping trip. Although I did not teach, I was still expected to scan in on both mornings. This worked out well, because on Wednesday night, I met up with my friend Bertrand and had one of my first incredible nights out in the Rai. I wasn't expecting to be out til 3 in the morning, but some nights are just too good to end early. We met as always at the Night Bazaar - the central meeting point - and had a few beers. Later after a few hours of wood carving and more beers, we ended up at the Rasta house where a huge crew of Frenchies showed up. Something clicked in the bar, everyone met each other and no one wanted to call it a night. I woke up the next morning exhausted but with a smile on my face.

Last Friday, I took the bus to Chiang Mai where I met Liz who is traveling with her friend Tali. It was so incredible to see a friend from my life previous to Thailand with whom I feel utterly at ease. We took off on Saturday morning for Pai where there was a huge reggae festival. I can't say enough about last weekend. First of all, we got off the bus in Pai and I was already feeling high on life. Add a reggae festival and amazing company and you just can't go wrong! Pai was busy because of the festival, and the first few bungalow guest houses we checked out were full, including an out-of-the-way chilled out spot run by an Italian expat with huge dreadsl. His friend took pity on us and offered us a spare room in the back of his fantastic Italian restaurant. It was simple, but better than we were expecting. We had a roof, a mattress, a bathroom, and in a perfect location, what more could we ask for? After enjoying an incredible Italian meal - it has been at least 4 months since I'd had real pasta! - we made our way to the festival with some friends who joined us from Chiang Mai. There I ran into Bertrand and other friends. We also met some hilarious rasta Thai guys. The next night, we never made it back to the concert, but we wound up kicking back in a few bars listening to some jazz with our new friends. Somehow, we ended up staying out til 3 AM -again! I took Monday off and spent the day traveling back from Pai to Chiang Rai in the excellent company of my new adorable Dutch friend Yara.

This is my last real week. My older classes have exams starting next week. Just this afternoon was my last lesson with one of my better classes. I ended my lesson early so we had a few minutes to talk. I suddenly felt an overwhelming sensation of sadness as I told them what a lovely class they had been, and how they should keep practicing their English. We took pictures, and the students said : "I love you Juliet." So cute! Although I wasn't able to get to know my students on a personal level, I will miss their smiling faces every morning...

Lately, I've been seriously starting to feel the full effects of my experience here. As I've mentioned in a previous post a while back, I have been truly confronting solitude, and although it was extremely challenging at first, I am realizing now how badly I needed it and how much I continue to grow from it. As they say, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Now, with less than a month left, I know now how far I've come and am excited for what the next two months of travel will bring.

This weekend, a few friends are coming up for my birthday and we are going camping in Puchifa, also known as fog mountain. Should be fun, I'll post! Print this post