My last day at Sa-Nguan Ying was definitely a toughie. My M1 and M2 students had absolutely amazed me with their presentations while the M3 students were amazing hosts and helpers throughout the whole process. As we were packing up to leave, it really started to hit us that this was the last time some of us were going to see the kids. The boys attacked Jared with hugs playful punches. One of the boys who was a bit of a challenge for me (he's a sleeper) came up to me telling me not to cry and to smile. It was such a sweet gesture and i asked if I could give him a hug. Thais aren't too fond of crying, so I tried hard to pull it together. But, if any of you truly know me, that's quite a challenging task.
Some of my M3 girls had taught me a phrase about a month ago, but I was nervous to say it, hoping it wasn't actually something mean. But after asking around, Chi-wit thi dee (ชีวิตคีตี) is a solid phrase. It means "It's a good life." One of the students was always the most adorable, and she would walk around with a bright smile on her face and declare that phrase. It became our thing, and that's how we started to end class. But on Sunday, that was the last phrase I heard from the kids, and I absolutely lost it emotionally. It's amazing how much they have taught me about loving my life and appreciating what I have.
Even though leaving Sa-Nguan Ying was difficult, I must say that I was quite ready for a vacation. And what better way to celebrate the end of the school year than with a trip to the beach?! Because our school didn't have many long breaks, I wasn't able to go down to Krabi and Phuket, two of the most popular places in Thailand. On Monday, I paid my last rent, cleared out my room, bid farewell to Yoo Dee Mee Suk (my apartment building) and all of Suphanburi, and hit the road towards the airport. The flight was simple, but it definitely was an odd feeling knowing that it'll be a long time before I see Suphanburi again.
The next couple of days consisted of sunburns, beach-bummed tourists, the most radiant sunsets, music, amazing Mexican food, making friends both locally and internationally, and having such a magical time on the beaches.
Krabi is attached to the mainland, and we stayed in Ao Nang beach at a little bungalow run by one of the nicest guys: Nui. These bungalows were quite basic: mosquito nets, non-flushing toilets (you pour water in them to "flush." This is typical in Thailand), cows and roosters walking around the property, and cool showers. It may sound odd, but I absolutely loved this place. The first night, we taught Nui how to play Blackjack and we stayed up to swap stories of life. When I went to bed, there was a little jumper friend on top of my mosquito net. Not exactly sure where that little frog went to, but he was gone in the morning.
We took long-tail boats to check out the other beaches (specifically Railay Beach), and we ended up bumping into monkeys, amazing shops, and unbelievably clear water. There's really not much to say except that I was in awe of the beauty of this little corner of the world. We all got ambitious and didn't apply as much sunscreen as we should've, leaving us red as lobstahs. Later that night we attended a Thai Cooking Class where I learned how to make my favorite dish: Panang Gui (Chicken with panang curry). Our teacher, Yok, was amazing and so kind. We left the Thai Charm Cooking School with our bellies full and our hearts happy.
We left Krabi for the amazing island of Koh Phi Phi Don. This island is pretty famous since the movie The Beach was filmed there. The popularity of this movie attracts a lot of tourists which means that the island is changing quite a bit. There was a lot of construction (and sometimes the not-so-pleasant smells that comes with it) but I'm sure the center of all the hubbub will eventually become more magnificent and extravagant than it already is. The island was definitely a bit touristy, but we had an amazing time. I must say that Koh Phi Phi is one of my top favorite places I've seen in the world, mainly due to the spectacular scenery. Our hostel was practically on the beach, there were amazing shops full of your typical souvenirs and other handicrafts, a large variety of restaurants, and hands down the most beautiful scenery thus far. We met some fun and outgoing people, danced along the beach, snorkeled in turquoise waters, and island hopped. My favorite part of the half-day tour we took was sitting on the back of the boat next to our wonderful boat driver and watching the sunset. The sky was a soft lavender with ribbons of blue and pink streaking across the sky. The silhouette of the long-boats that are traditional in Thailand spotted along the ocean, making for an absolutely majestic view.
Our final day of our vacation was in Phuket. Part of me would've felt silly for traveling all the way to Thailand and NOT have gone to Phuket, famous for it's glorious beaches, tourist vibes, and layback feeling. Maybe it was the area of Phuket that we stayed in, but I wasn't completely in awe. We stayed on Kata Beach and at a funky little hostel called Fin Hostel. The beach was nice, but once you've swam in crystal clear waters, it's hard to go back to "regular" beaches. I'm satisfied that I was able to see Phuket, but I'll probably head back to the islands before I go back to Phuket.
My work visa expires on March 15, which means that I absolutely must leave Thailand on or before that date. So, today on March 14, I am on my way to Singapore. When am I ever going to have a chance to visit this small yet extravagant city/country again? I figured I might as well visit while I had the opportunity.
So let the travels continue! 1 week down, 7 weeks to go of my 2 month backpacking journey.
"Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal." -Elbert Hubbard
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This is my final night in Suphanburi, Thailand. The time here has flown by so quickly, and it's unbelievable that my time in Thailand is coming to an end. To be honest, I have gone back and forth about whether or not to renew my contract and just stay here. But I've decided to fly home (at the beginning of May) mainly to plan my next big adventure. This weekend wasn't dedicated to escaping to the islands, roaming around the mountains, or exploring the numerous wats (temples) around Suphanburi. It wasn't dedicated to trying new cuisines, meeting new friends, or being engulfed in the Thai culture. No, this weekend was dedicated to presentations... Yup. Presentations. At the end of each semester there is a giant Presentation Competition in which the students create a large presentation and present on the "Big Stage." We help them with grammar, spelling, pronunciation, their Keynotes, iMovies and Pages documents. This semester, my 7th and 8th graders were the ones who were to perform. The 7th graders had to present their Asia Country Projects (I've now heard these presentations on repeat since the end of December...) while my 8th graders had to present "How to be a Good Citizen of Thailand." With this project, the students had to create a blog, Facebook page, Keynote, iMovie and poster. So much to look at and grade it was absolutely crazy! This week ended up being long and tedious, listening to all of the presentations on repeat, fixing the pronunciations of "kilOmeters" rather than "kiloMEters," and fixing all the grammar mistakes on the movies. All of us were kind of dreading this weekend, but I couldn't have asked for a better send off weekend with my students. I was simply blown away by the talent of my students! The movies were creative and entertaining, the information was perfect, and the speeches were informative and engaging. I'm so proud of my students. One of the 8th grade groups of boys almost brought me to tears with their movie and their message of how littering truly affects our world. I was completely impressed by how hard our students worked to improve their presentations and bring their personality to these projects. They made us laugh, cry, and smile from ear to ear. Afterwards, they all asked us how we did and thanked us graciously for our help. Thai students are the most grateful (even if they can get absolutely out of control). Even though I reflect back on my time here just about every day, I won't write my reflection now. I'm sitting in Katrina's room with everyone around me (Chelsea, Jared, Josie, Mike, Jade and Katrina), and we've done snail/salmon masks, watched silly videos, helped each other pack for our travels, and did yoga. It's been a wave of emotions throughout the day today. Today started on a huge high when my supervisor played jazz early in the morning, a low when I had to bid my students a final farewell, and now I'm hitting that medium point where I'm just completely satisfied. All I can say for now is: Thank you, Thailand.
The past month truly flew by. Since Koh Samet from January 16 to 18, I've been bombarded with grading constant presentations, explored ancient ruins on my own, was introduced to rice planting with my students in Kanchanaburi, discovered and explored a little island called Koh Kret, experienced my first movie in Bangkok, climbed up the infamous Ghost Tower, and attended a magnificent festival in Lopburi. However, I've been so caught up with remaking schedules, grading endless amounts of quizzes and presentations, and creating/grading finals that for a couple of days I forgot why I was here for a while. I allowed the stress and exhaustion kind of overwhelm me, and for a while I didn't want to be here. But that feeling has come and gone, and now the sand is rapidly slipping through the hourglass. I'm going to miss my students. Hands down. Sure, they can get unruly, I can get upset with them, and they can give off the vibe that they don't care. But what matters to me is at the end of the day, I still get the biggest smiles when they say "Goodbye, teacha." They're starting to realize that I won't be here next semester. One student came up to me asking when I was going back to the States. When I answered with "Early May," her smile immediately turned upside down. She continued to tell me that they learn so much with me as their Social Studies teacher, and that they want me there for longer. She had small pools in her eyes, which then almost made me cry. More of the students began to ask me not to leave, and I almost lost it. My students this year have helped me grow as a teacher in so many ways. I'll never know how much they truly learned from me, but now I can leave Thailand knowing that they'll truly always and forever have a place in my heart.
Since then, I've had a fun weekend in Kanchanaburi, climbed up an abandoned building in Bangkok, enjoyed some wonderful craft beers at the Mikeller Brewing Company, had my first movie theater experience, explored the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya on my own (first time in rained in quite some time!), attended a historical festival in Lopburi (aka Monkey City), and put my stress and anxiety behind me. I am saving my GoPro videos of these events for a "end of the semester" video. But for now, here are some photos!
My family is truly the best. Really. They've helped me through the good and bad times, always been a shoulder to lean on, supported me through all of my traveling ordeals... and sent me a GoPro for Christmas! WEEEEE! As a traveler, a GoPro is definitely one of the best gifts I could've received. I absolutely love my Canon DSLR, but sometimes it's a bit of a pain to carry around. That's where the GoPro comes in! Mom and Dad sent it before Christmas, but it got stuck in customs and didn't reach me in time for the North. However, last weekend was a three day weekend due to Teacher's Day on January 16. What better way than to celebrate a long weekend than to hit up the beach?! So, back to Koh Samet we went where we met up with old friends (Olly, Manny, Kevin), and met some new faces. Below is the video I made (little hobby of mine) with my first go at the camera. I definitely still have a bit to learn while using it, but I think this shows how solid of a weekend it turned out to be! The transition from 2014 to 2015 couldn't have been more surreal, social, relaxing, and inspiring. Due to the long holiday break, Katrina and I went north since it was just about the only time we would be able to visit. We visited the three main cities: Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, and Pai. Each city offered new adventures, new sights to see, new people to meet, and old faces to reconnect with. Chiang Rai was our first stop in our journey to ring in the new year. We took an overnight bus from Suphanburi to Chiang Mai, then had to hop on another bus to drive an extra 3 hours to Chiang Rai. The trip was long and exhausting, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the city. Since we arrived a bit later, we decided to relax while we waited for other OEGers to get to Chiang Rai. The first day consisted of walking through the bazaar (both day and night), getting much needed massages, listening to live music while enjoying some good drinks, stumbled upon a flower festival (which we have dubbed "Selfie Stick Festival"), danced with the locals, and watched the clock tower light up every hour. Day 1 was very successful. Day 2 was even more amazing. We met a new friend, rented motorbikes, and visited two of the main hotspots. Both locations are supposed to represent Heaven and Hell, and you can definitely see it at each place. The first spot was the Black House. The local artist wanted to create something that opposed the idea of Heaven and created this small village of odd statues, intricate dark carvings, skulls, animal hides, and dark, wooden houses. It was eerie and creepy, but strangely intriguing with how the artist was able to use strange objects to create something quite beautiful. The next stop was the amazing White Temple, which symbolized "Heaven." The White Temple was definitely one of the most stunning things I've seen here in Thailand. The temple had interesting aspects to it, like carved snakes, hands reaching out from below, random Batman and HellBoy head statues hanging from the trees, and other oddities. However, these strange aspects didn't take away the beauty of the sunset, the gleaming reflections, and the serenity that surrounded it. The next morning we headed to Chiang Mai, where we met up with a whole bunch of other OEGers. The two main highlights of Chiang Mai included my first time ziplining and celebrating New Year's Eve in the city with floating lanterns, which is what Chiang Mai is known for. Katrina and I decided to do ziplining, both our first time ever and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful area to experience it. We signed up for the "Silver Package" with Eagle Trek, but was bumped up to the "Gold Package" for free! This meant that we got to experience more crazy ziplines, more abseiling, and crazy bridges and obstacles. This experience definitely helped me get over my fear of instability and heights. It got to a point where I was laughing with excitement and twirling purposefully on my zipline. We were also in Chiang Mai for the beautiful floating lanterns for New Years. We were chuckling about the lanterns that were stuck in the trees because we believed that meant that they were going to have a rocky year. Well, I should've kept my mouth shut. My lantern got stuck in the power lines for all of 2 seconds before floating off to join the other well wishes in the sky. Later that night, a small shard of glass pierced through my flip-flop. No harm, no foul. But on the next day, New Year's Day, I experienced my first motorbike accident. I am safe and only received a minor scrape and bruise. I know people who have experienced worse accidents, and I'm thankful that I walked away with only little bumps and bruises. Our final destination for the week was a little town called Pai. In terms of sight-seeing, there isn't much to do here. Pai is known as a "bohemian hippie-ish" area that is surrounded by beautiful sights and sounds. We stayed in a hostel known as SpicyPai where we slept with mosquito nets and was a little walk outside of the town. But I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful area to stay. New friends Diego, George and Pat joined us in Pai, and we watched the glorious sun set behind the hills while we say in front of the large white Buddha. Pai was more of a relaxed atmosphere, and it was nice to be in a town where we didn't need to bounce around from point to point to make sure we see all the sights. We enjoyed great friends, great food, a beautiful atmosphere, amazing music, and stunning artwork. Pai was the best way to round out the weekend due to the calmness that the town offered. This was my first New Year's out of the country, and it was definitely weird to welcome in the new year 12 hours before everyone back home. But reflecting back on the past year, I can't believe how far I've come mentally, spiritually, and physically. My dreams of traveling the world are finally coming true. For the most part, I've been able to accomplish this all on my own financially and have received nothing but the most amazing support from my spectacular and magnificent family. I am able to pat myself on the back for all that I've achieved. This year has had some head-in-the-cloud highs and lower than dirt lows, but having these experiences have helped me become a stronger and well-rounded individual. I volunteered for a month in the amazing country of Peru, I backpacked Europe in 6 weeks, moved to a foreign country, worked 3 jobs that helped shape me for the future, and met the most amazing people from all around the world. To say that I now have friends and family in Peru, England, Germany, Australia, Thailand, Barcelona, and of course back home is one of the most unbelievable thoughts. The connections that I've made around the world are helping me realize that the world truly is small. I've felt my Uncle and Nomma with me every step of the way, and I can only imagine what 2015 has in store for me.
Coming to Thailand has introduced me to a lot of "firsts." I rode an elephant for the first time, got face-to-face with monkeys for the first time, and lit off a Chinese lantern for the first time. However, two huge firsts that have occurred over here were my first multi-day music festival and missing Christmas with my family. Wonderfruit Festival was from Dec 19 to Dec 21 in Pattaya, just about 2 hours southeast of Bangkok. This was the festival's first year happening (see! Firsts all around). The festival was based around a "no trace left behind" philosophy, and was geared towards promoting living a sustainable, healthy life-style. The food was simply superb (cheese-steak cheeseburger! WHA?!), the atmosphere was the most relaxing, and the music was beyond compare. I hadn't heard of any of the performers whatsoever, but being introduced to new music was one of the best parts of the entire festival. We watched groups like Fat Freddy's Drop, T-Bone, Woodkid, and other smaller acts and DJs. My absolute favorite group was called Little Dragon. They put on an absolutely amazing performance and was so full of energy. Music and art was everywhere you turned, and we met new faces every day that we're still in contact with today. I couldn't have asked for a better festival to have been my "first," and I definitely can't wait for my next festival! Bonnaroo, Coachella, Electric Forest, or Firefly anyone? Another major first here in Thailand was me missing Christmas with my family for the first time. I obviously knew I was going to be missing both Thanksgiving and Christmas when I came here, but I didn't realize how hard it really was going to be. As a family, we had said that since Hayley has missed one Christmas, I was allowed to miss one.
Christmas was definitely weird here. To me, Christmas isn't about the gifts and such, but more about the beauty, the spirit, and being around the ones you love no matter where you are. Christmas Eve was the big "farang" dinner. We dressed up nicely and went out to a restaurant where I was finally able to have a decent glass of wine (or two.) Being around the friends who have become so close to me and making new friends all in one night reminded me that Christmas doesn't have to be exactly home to be celebrated. I had school on Christmas day where I had to give a midterm to my M3's. I was heartbroken to do such a thing, but there was nothing I could do. The beginning of the day started with a wonderful assembly where a lot of the Sa-Nguan Ying staff sang Jingle Bell Rock and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. It was a jolly way to start off the day, and we had so much fun sharing our tradition. Even Thai Santa showed up! Later that night, some of our friends came over to Yoo Dee Mee Sook where we ordered pizza, watched Elf, and reveled in each other's company. It wasn't exactly the Christmas I'm used to, but my first Christmas without my family couldn't have been better. I apologize for the delay in posting. Things have been starting to pick up here in Suphanburi. Between traveling outside the city to creating midterms, Jeopardy review games, correcting homework, and listening to country project scripts to just having time for myself, time has been flying out the window and I haven’t been able to sit down and write it all down. The past two weekends have been a whirlwind of an adventure. The weekend of December of December 5 was a three-day weekend due to the King’s Birthday on December 5. In the States, we celebrate Father’s Day in June, but here in Thailand, they see the King as their Father. Thus, December 5 is Father’s Day. Our school had a long assembly on Thursday where they honored many fathers of the Sa-nguan Ying students, and it was wonderful to see some of our students honor and give thanks to their own fathers. It was very touching. I decided that since we had a long weekend, I was going to do something crazy and travel on my own. Sammie and Amy decided they were going to travel up to Khon Kaen, so I figured I may as well join them and explore some of the Northeast. After school on Thursday, I gathered my belongings and bought an overnight ticket to Khon Kaen from Suphanburi. The ride took altogether about 8 hours. One of the things I'm still having difficulty with here is the language. Not only is speaking it a challenge, but reading it sometimes presents an even bigger challenge. At least with western languages, I can read what I’m looking at. With a dead phone and my Lonely Planet book in hand, I was that lost American who constantly asked where I was. But I got there safe and sound at 4 in the morning and was able to pat myself on the back. Khon Kaen wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for. Since I’ve been here in Thailand, I haven’t really explored the rural areas or areas in the mountains. I’m not exactly sure why, but I thought Khon Kaen was going to be a bit more rugged and rural than the other cities I’ve visited. I was wrong, but still had an absolutely amazing time. Some of the highlights include:
The following weekend, we decided to hit the beach to celebrate Sammie's 22nd birthday! Destination: Koh Samet. We couldn't have picked a better location to spend the weekend. Again, even though each place that we visit we always say is our favorite, Koh Samet will always have a place in my heart. The clear blue beaches, the amazing food, the wonderful people that we met. Everything this past weekend on that island was perfect. I was with a group of people that I care about the most, and the memories from this weekend will forever stick with me. The moment that stuck out the most with me was the whole fire show on the beach. After our phenomenal dinner at Red Ginger (a MUST if you ever go to Koh Samet), we made our way down to the water because we had heard that there was a fire show going on. We were welcomed on the beach by Chinese floating lanterns, loud electronic music, and fire twirlers. After an absolutely amazing fire show, Katrina tapped me on the shoulder with a Chinese floating lantern in her hands. It was one of my dreams coming here to Thailand to let off a floating lantern. Being surrounded by my closest friends here fulfilling my small dream of letting one go meant the absolute world to me. When our lantern was set free to soar towards the sky, it faltered a bit. With words of encouragement and a little push from the wind, it shot back into the sky up towards the stars. We all stood hand-in-hand, arms wrapped around each other, just watching it float. The moment that the wind ended up blowing out our lantern, a shooting star streaked across the sky. Literally, that exact moment! There was no hiccup, no fault, nothing. All of us burst into happy tears and belly-laughter. A couple minutes after, fireworks started shooting into the sky from the beach. I will never forget that moment. Koh Samet truly will always have a place in my heart. We met amazing people, experienced the craziness that is island nightlife, made memories that will last a lifetime, and created stronger bonds with my Thailand family. It would take me a couple of hours to describe everything that happened this past weekend, and I'm more than happy to talk about it. But for now, I can say that this weekend truly was the best.
This weekend (December 19 to December 21) will be my first music festival ever: The Wonderfruit Music Festival in Pattaya. So cheers to more new experiences, new music, new friends, love and life!
Wonderfruit Music Festival Starting Wednesday of last week, every day had something special going on. Wednesday: Dinner cruise in Bangkok Thursday: Friendsgiving on Thanksgiving night! Friday: Thanksgiving in Bangkok Saturday and Sunday: Lopburi for ruins and monkeys! It's been an absolute whirlwind of a week, and every week I find myself saying "This was the best weekend ever!" The Bangkok Dinner Cruise was a send-off to American foreign exchange students that were here for 3 weeks. Other than orientation, we haven't really been able to spend some time in Bangkok because each weekend, we've been off to different areas of Thailand. Bangkok has so much to offer in terms of nightlife, restaurants, wonderful sights, bustling markets, and amazing people. The buffet on the dinner cruise was out of this world amazing (WE HAD SALADS! YAY!), and the music was loud and fun. The best part? Seeing the sights of Bangkok from the water. It was peaceful, serene, and jawdropping. Being on that cruise was one of the moments where I thought, "Wow. I can't believe I'm here." Thursday was Thanksgiving Day. Being away from family was definitely one of the hardest things about being here in Thailand, but fortunately I was able to skype with my family back home. It was wonderful to see them and to update them on everything as well as hear how all is in the States. Later that night, 16 of us farangs went out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant right around the corner. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was lively, and we laughed and toasted to a lovely little "Friendsgiving." The weekend included MORE Thanksgiving, enjoying the nightlife in Bangkok, seeing monkeys, and relaxing in the ruins. We drove up to the province of Lopburi where the annual Monkey Festival was going to occur on Sunday. Lopburi is interesting because for years, monkeys have lived coexistantly with the humans that occupy the area. The monkeys are mainly concentrated at the Monkey Temple, but you do see the occasional monkey strolling around the city. The ruins were absolutely marvelous. Throughout the years, the ruins have been destroyed, rebuilt, and then destroyed again. The Thais now protect these remarkable ruins. On Sunday, we relaxed in one of the small parks, imagining how these all looked in the golden days. We made some new friends, stayed in the shadiest of hostels, played with some Thai children as well as the monkeys, and had some amazing food. Our hostel, as scary as it was (DON'T EVER STAY AT ASIA HOSTEL), had an amazing rooftop where we all just stood on top of, watched the sun set over the city, swapped stories, and just sat in awe of where we are and the beauty that surrounded us. This weekend was one I will never forget. Every place we have visited has instantly become my new favorite city, and this stands true with Lopburi. The ruins were truly captivating, and we only caught a glimpse of the numerous ruins that were scattered about the city. I wasn't too afraid of the monkeys, but I did see some of them get quite vicious. We missed out on the sunflower fields, but Lopburi wasn't too far away from Suphan, so we'll make our way back there soon.
First off, I just want to thank you all for the wonderful comments on my blog! It means a lot to me that you're all keeping an eye out and reading about my adventures: the good, the bad, and the ugly. If there's anything else you folks would like to see or learn about, give me some ideas! One of my goals here (as is with many of the places I visit in life) is to learn as much as possible. Throw me some challenges here in Thailand, and I'll see what I can do! Birthdays in Thailand After a crazy, stressful week at the school (as you all saw last week) we decided to head to the beach to celebrate Katrina's 26th birthday! We had last Friday off since our students were off to Scout Camp. Thursday night, we caught a bus down to Bangkok and met up with Jemma, one of our fellow OEG teachers, and found a Mexican restaurant to start off birthday celebrations! Steak quesadillas... who knew I would've missed them so much?! Early the next morning, we caught a minibus that literally screamed down the highway and immediately wanted to get to the beach.
The weekend consisted of fun nights on our guesthouse's patio overlooking the water, bargaining with vendors along the beach, meeting and playing with local children, a wonderful Thai policeman named Bill who brought Katrina a birthday cake, a spunky 4-year-old French girl who played host with the birthday cake, Germans, Frenchmen, and dancing galore. On Friday night, we went to this bar called the London Bar where I was able to sing a bit with the band. The singer of the band had this amazing raspiness in her voice, and it was such a joy being able to take the microphone and just go all out. The town of Hua Hin treated us well, and we will definitely be returning in the new year to explore more of the markets and possibly check out the vineyard. Throughout our Hua Hin adventure, we discovered two amazing places that really made the weekend complete. We discovered the Family Tree shop, a fair trade business that offers beautiful handmade crafts from all over Thailand. I probably could've spent all my money in that store, and I did, in fact, spend quite a bit of Baht there. Everything is beautifully handcrafted from small villages. The owner, Prem, was the kindest person. She introduced us to so many stories and crafts and did it all with a smile. We also found a beautiful art gallery practically right beside the Family Tree Shop. Everywhere you turned, there was something remarkable and captivating. The artist's sister, an adorable girl named Ply , allowed us to walk around and admire the artwork. With such bright colors, amazing techniques, and stunning use of gold leaf, we couldn't help but be amazed at her brilliance. We wanted to take everything home with us. Hua Hin offered us some of the simplicity in life that Thais believe in. We were able to relax on the beach, laugh with some wonderful new friends, and be exposed to some amazing artwork and crafts. I can't wait to go back and sit with my toes in the water and to let life just pass by. ไม่เป็นไร
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