Ahh, so much I’ve seen to tell you about yet time is limited – I’m sure yours, as well as mine, so I’ll stick with the highlights.

Kristi & I were grateful to return to a relatively calm Bangkok following the riots and protests of the previous week. Things had simmered down and the red shirts had conceded a defeat, abandoning camps & leaving the city with disappointment. I asked a few Thai’s their opinions & from an economy-driven-aspect they seemed annoyed themselves that the Thai holiday of Songkran was chosen for the protests as it disrupted an important time for Thailand to have tourists and the income.

We arrived back to Bangkok on Wednesday morning and headed to Khao San Road – a backpackers destination with cheap lodging and tons of stuff to buy. We were slated to load Kristi up with a ton of souvenirs and gifts to take back to the US, however the last ‘official’ night of Songkran got in our way. Not many vendors wanted to risk their stuff getting ruined while the crowds clearly valued partying instead! While I loved (well, that’s not completely true) Songkran in Chiang Mai, as it felt a bit more of a family affair, on Khao San Road it was much more of a Daytona Beach/Spring Break experience, in my opinion. Not only were we doused with lots of water, at this location (I don’t know about the rest of Bangkok?) the Thais were way more into smearing everyone with this water/flour (I think?) concoction. So, as you try to move through a sea of people – literally elbow to elbow – imagine the folks to your left and your right reaching out to touch your face or shirt to smear stuff on you…Some Thais were gentle, some a little rougher, all with good intent, I believe, though more than once it was TOO much and I needed some space! (Khao San Road during Songkran is not for the claustrophobic, that’s for sure!)
What added to our last night of Songkran (though technically Thailand extended the holiday b/c of the red shirt incident) was that I got sick on some Indian food Kristi & I had for lunch. Kristi is such a good sport – not only did she endure my love/hate feelings of Songkran (I hate being cold and I felt that way enough times to avoid some of the water throwers at all costs – including shielding myself with her body a few times), I got sick while we were walking around and threw up in my little plastic bowl while we sat on a sidewalk. (My little bowl was for dousing water on others.) Yep, good times! (Sorry to those of you who might not have wanted that picture ;-) )

the crowds of Khao San Road (top) & My "I've had enough of Songkran" face! (bottom)

KRISTI

It so much bears repeating how much it means to me that Kristi was able to travel and experience Thailand with me. She had already been to Bangkok and Koh Samet (a beach area) and I knew from long before our travel plans were definite that her motivation to go was to support and love me more than she needed to see Thailand some more. I felt her love and care for me deep down to my soul and her companionship in the last 2 weeks made the start to this adventure SO much more fun & memorable. I’m so thankful for the depth of our friendship which also lent itself to some ‘debrief’ opportunities for us to improve our communication with one another. It is a gift from the Lord to have friends that know us deeply, who applaud and nourish our strengths and who also can speak to our weaknesses gracefully with incite and love. In many ways, this aspect our ‘team’ dynamic during our traveling time has been a great preparation for my communication with the other volunteers that I’m about to meet. It was bittersweet to see Kristi off at the airport yesterday morning. So sad for me to see her go but so very grateful that she was able to come. I’ll forever cherish our experiences in Thailand together. We’re planning for a return in 35 years (if not sooner), let us know if you’d like to join us!

SOLO SITESEEING

I’ve had 1-1/2 days to recover from my stomach sickness, rest up and see a few more sites around Bangkok. With the extra time on my hands, I decided to take a ½ day tour of a floating market this morning. So worth the trip. It was about an hour outside of Bangkok & while it was quite a tourist trap, it was really fun. I almost bought a little toy for my nephew Grahm until I saw “made in china” on the bottom…hmm, what’s that about?! Since my luggage is already full, I’ve told myself not to buy anything of any size unless I’m ready to mail it to the US. This strategy had worked well so far and I’m glad to be more of an observer of the culture than a consumer of the available stuff!

I see the Lord putting people in my path that I’m grateful for: a woman from Canada who was likewise interested in some conversation & company – we ate dinner together last night; a guy from Brazil on my floating market tour who lives in Laos & who’s traveling for a couple of months – I was able to tell him a little of our time in Chiang Mai as he’s heading there tonight; a guy from Malaysia who literally knows more about US history and current events around the world than I think I’ll ever know – we had a long conversation including pondering of the sex trade - is ‘supply’ or ‘demand’ more to blame? When Kristi left yesterday, I was glad that I knew I was supposed to stay in Thailand. I pray that the Lord will continue to bring people into my life that He will influence me with as well as use me to influence.

FLEXIBILITY
My surprise of yesterday was that Holly, one of the 4 other volunteers I was to work with, has decided to postpone her time with Cross Cultural Solutions until September. She’s 19 & her parents felt uncomfortable with the events of the red shirt riots & protests. Very understandable. Of the other volunteers, only Holly & I had directly communicated and I had planned my day & lodging tonight around meeting her at the airport when her flight arrived. I was excited for the early start to this new friendship. So, while there’s a bit of disappointment on my end, I’m freshly reminded that this is a time and experience for me to remain flexible.

REFLECTIONS
For me the backdrop of this trip continues to be that I’ve made significant decisions to try new things as I consider the future. Leaving my job & going overseas for 3 months have both been enormous decisions for me, marked by the desire to find new ways to be challenged and to invest myself in serving and helping people once I return to the States.
Two songs that have really resonated with my heart are:
Whatever You’re Doing (Something Heavenly) by Santus Real
Details in the Fabric by Jason Mraz
I’m excited for the next stage of this trip – the time volunteering with Cross Cultural Solutions in Trang – and I look forward to seeing what it will hold.

Let me know how you’re doing!

Know that you’re thought of & prayed for.

Miss you, Becky