On Our Way

Well, hello from the other side of the world! After a lot of planes, taxi rides, a bus trip, a boat, and a few hotels along the way...we're enjoying Thailand. It's been quite a journey so far...

  

Here's us, rallying through our 14 hour flight to Bejing. 

We actually kind of, a little bit, were ok on this plane ride somehow. Probably because for like an hour at the airport we thought we'd be sitting apart from each other, each in our own middle seat, for all 14 hours....ahhhhh!!

 But we got it fixed. Phew.

The ensuing 5 hour layover, 6 hour flight, 1 hour taxi ride to our hostel were...less exciting. 

 

We went straight north, over the top of the world. 

 

 ...and straight down into China.

Watched the sunrise over Russia.

On our way we spent our first nights in the familiar little town of Bangkok. It was strange to be somewhere so foreign, but also familiar now that this is our second time here. The smells, the motor bikes that carry food stands, construction materials and entire families, fresh coconuts every day and $1 pad thai ...it is really great to be back here.  

We spent most of our first day in Bangkok trying to get a Chinese Visa so we could visit our friend whom invited us to stay with him. We are so, so sad to say we won't be able to go, and are slowly making other plans for the end of our trip. We tried everything we could to get a visa in time, but after unanswered phone calls and emails to the embassy and conflicting information on what was needed for a visa and the end of year holidays.... we just ran out of time. We even dealt with a semi-shady Chinese guy outside of the embassy in Bangkok (which turned out to be closed on a Friday afternoon) who said he was an agent and he could get us a visa. We went with him and got the needed photos, filled out paperwork, but then he said he needed to keep our passports for the few days of processing...and well of course we couldn't do that. Alas, China has kept us out. Sigh. We were really looking forward to seeing Xuanlong and Chow.

Soon after we were on our way to the Andaman Sea. 

 I am very happy about the Thai sticker system. They color code you depending on where you are going so they can herd you through to the right boat/bus. No language barrier needed. So smart .

 

 Our first fresh coconuts...ahhhh....soon to be a daily affair.

Nok air = funny airplanes.

 

 

Longtail boats, the local Thai water taxis. 

We made it to Koh Phi Phi! Let the island adventures begin.

So we will travel the Isles of the Andaman Coast for the next couple of weeks then fly to Bali for our first taste of Indonesia on the 26th. Sometimes as I write this and as I am here its still kind of hard to believe we are actually doing all of this! What a big and varied world it is.