Good Bye Samui...Hello Phuket

Left a Koh Samui that I hope to see again sometime, jumped on a bus and 500 Baht later I arrived in Phuket.

New Years and Wedding Celebrations here I am!

Dec 27th

Julgransplundring

I’ve been so lucky to be able to have family and great friends around for a week now. One week together to celebrate Christmas in it’s full glory. Gift shopping, rhyme night, Christmas 'tree' decorating, spoiling ourselves with glögg, gingerbread cookies, saffron buns, herring, Swedish cheese and Swedish candy, and of course singing and drinking schnapps. The only thing left on my last night here was to dance around the tree, have a fishing pond and say see you next year Santa. What a great week with the “oldies” :)

…I can only agree with Linni and say we could see no good reason to act our age…I love the wonderful craziness…makes me happy.

Små Grodorna

"throwing out" the tree

Fishing for baquardi breezer's

Dec 26th

Another bike trip was on the agenda.

We went to have a look at the local market

enjoyed the ocean views on our way

Some pool time at "home"

Then we were surprised by a night market that was set up on our street.

Absolutely love just living day by day…sees the moment.

Christmas Day

The motorbike gang hits the roads. Another beautiful day and another fun outing with the “oldies” :) The one thing we had planned on seeing today was the golden Buddha, of course we totally missed it as road signs doesn’t seem to be of much importance to the Samui people. I decided to turn back to have a look while they had a rest by the beach waiting for me. Some nice views and quite the impressive statue.

Merry Christmas

A run on the beach felt like a good way to start this day of indulgence. I have started to adjust to more ‘normal’ times, and instead of getting up at 5am I sleep in until 7 or 8. What is it about Christmas that makes you feel like a child again, that excitement and joy you feel, I don't think I'll ever outgrow that. Here I am reaching 30 I still woke up at 6am, anxiously waiting for everyone else to wake up and Christmas eve to start.

A little photo sequence of today's events...it's a fun Christmas on Koh Samui

My morning sock...love it :)

and in it...new pj's

Were served a christmas breakfast in the apartment...we all ordered boiled eggs so that we could save them for our lunch :)

Then we headed for the beach

To indulge in a tasty Christmas drink

So beautiful

It is only around 12.30 and some of us look like this :)

Even though I love the winter and lots of snow, a beach Christmas never seem to be wrong

Sill lunch of course...they brought herring and good swedish cheese

And then Santa came

To hand out all the 150 baht gifts you can see laying around the tree

Till er alla från Koh Samui en riktigt God Jul!

Dec 23rd

Preparing for Christmas

We all went for a lovely morning walk and lucky we did cause after that it rained all day long...and not just a little bit, it really poured for hours. We were all however in a good Christmas mood and used the day to set out and complete our different missions…mine was the Christmas tree. This is the third time we celebrate Christmas in Thailand and it has become sort of a tradition to have a Pringles Christmas tree, and this year we all agreed that it was so beautiful you could cry :) Mission accomplished. Two gifts each (with a limit of 150 baht, $5, 35 kr) to put under the tree and we were in full Christmas spirits. A little bit of glögg and gingerbread cookies while jingle bells was playing and rhymes for the gifts were being composed and another wonderful day at Lamai Beach passed by.

Tomorrow Santa comes!

Morning walk

Christmas shopping lunch break, while the rain is pouring down. Note the truck in the background parked right under the water spout

Christmas tree decoration

The finished product

Fika

Uppesittarkväll

Med glögg och pepparkakor

Good Morning Koh Samui Lamai Beach

View from our balcony, sunrise at 7am

Agenda for today, sit by the pool and read my book, have a few beers, take a walk on the beach, purchase and decorate our christmas tree (aka pringles tubes, an old tradition of ours)...it's gonna be a good day!

Koh Samui Arrival-10 different modes of transportation later

The adventures of living on a budget includes feeling a bit squished, a bit tired, somewhat uncomfortable and it can be quite time consuming, but you also get to enjoy some fun people and experiences. The great thing about traveling alone is that you're actually never really alone. You're bound to talk to people you have to sit next to in a bus for 12 hours...lots of swapping of life stories and my list of things I want to do in life just keeps growing. I also don't have to worry about anyone else but myself...I do what I want when I want. Although, the company of friends and family is of course always appreciated and I'm looking forward to time with dad and the gang.

My trip started from okay guesthouse in Phnom Penh on sunday night. First a tuk tuk ride, then on to the night bus. I had 2 seats to myself, so not to bad, however the toilet was the tiniest, dirtiest little box that didn't have a working light...which made dehydration seem like a good choice for that leg of the travel. I was also woken up by a rooster kadoodling at 4.30am...apparently you can bring your rooster on these so called VIP buses, who knew. Stopped 10 min from the border and got to stay on the bus to sleep for 1 1/2 hour waiting for the border to open. Then had to switch buses only to drive the 10 minutes to get to the border. Lugging all my stuff across the border. Had to pay a 40 dollar fine for staying 8 days longer than my visa allowed me to. We get over to the other side and I'm in line to go through customs, when the clock turns 8am and the tv starts to play the national anthem. The room gets all quiet as everyone is watching the immigration officers stand up perfectly straight during the song to pay their respect to the king. It didn't matter that the whole room was full of people waiting...such difference in cultures, so fun to see. I finally get to thailand and although I'm squished into a minivan to continue on to Bangkok, I'm happy to be sitting down and be rid of my bags again. Once we arrive in town I get into a taxi to go to a travel agency, feeling happy as I plan for my next haul to be by train in a sleeper cabin. But oh silly me, the trains are all fully booked and I have no choice but to spend another night on a bus. I suck it up, pay for the bus and then head out and spend the day wandering the streets of Bangkok. A 1 dollar pad thai from the street vendor on Khao San Road and a steamed corn on the cob made for a delicious dinner on this beautiful afternoon and I enjoyed the time to just be. Back to the travel agent for a quick shower and getting ready for the next ride. One minivan ride, a night bus ride, a local bus ride, a ferry ride, and a tuk tuk ride later I finally arrive at this beautiful apartment hotel that dad, Nillan, Sonja and Tobbe have booked...it is 12 noon on tuesday the 21st of december.

Pad Thai on Khao San Road

and some yummy corn on the cob

They sure do like their King

Although Bangkok isn't my favourite place, it was a very nice sunset in the city

The tiny little local bus we got squished in to

The apartment hotel

Despite spending two nights in a row on a bus, I am quite the happy little camper and feel content. Life is good!

Weekend in Phnom Penh

I had two last days in Phnom Penh before leaving Cambodia. It sort of feels good to say goodbye just a little at a time...to prepare myself of leaving this country and its people who I have fallen in love with. Phnom Penh has really grown on me and the more time I spend here the more I like it...the quaint little shops and the cozy cafés. Jacqui was in town and we had a great last weekend together just walking around looking in the different shops, eating good food and having a few drinks.

Saturday night Dancing. The Cambodians gather in the park and do different dance movements as a form of exercise...so fun to watch and we of course joined in for a bit, hilarious.

Khmer Surin, such good food and cozy place.

Dining with a view, by the waterfront.

The waterfront

Oh Cambodian prices how I will miss you

Dec 17th

Goodbye
So, friday the 17th did come, no matter how much I was trying to deny it. It was a sad sad goodbye. A very strange feeling to leave the village knowing I wouldn't be back...not for a long time anyways. I have even tried to ignore it on the blog by not really mentioning much about the fact that goodbye day was quickly approaching. I am really really gonna miss it, it felt like home. I'm glad that my journey is continuing and I have new goals to focus on, it makes it a little bit easier to leave.
The list of things I'll miss is long. I'll miss waking up to children's laughter and play, the beautiful sunrise and sunset, going to the market with the cooks, evening playtime, all the thousands of hugs everyday, the food...and so much more. What I wont miss are the flies and bugs, and that's about it.

So my question to myself now is weather I continue my blog or not. It feels sad to say goodbye to it as well...maybe it has to take a new turn and for the next few adventures to take by. Next stop Thailand.

Dec 16th

It's been a busy last week...a week of me pretending like friday is never gonna come...a week of enjoying the kids as much as possible. They put on a last dance in my honor and it was so much fun. The children had made me a bunch of drawings and cards, necklaces and a flower wreath for me to wear :) It was a happy sad last night.

My grade 8 and 9 boys

A heart line up for me :)

The boys gave it all

and Rattan danced her little heart out

Phanna wore her Zara shirt for me :)