10 Commandments for Travelers

While traveling to many countries and cities so far I thought it would be a good idea to share my idea of the 10 Commandments for Travelers! Obey and you shall be rewarded with a good time. 

First, when you choose a place to travel to look up on Tripadvisor.com about things to do in that area and then decide how long you should stay there. Do you think you should go to different cities or can you stay in one place? 

Second, figure out what needs to be booked ahead of time. Certain museums and tours may need to be done a few months before you get there or they may only offer them on certain days. You can plan your hotel bookings based on the tours. If the website sounds like you can just walk in, contact them and make sure! It would be awful to travel to a different country just to figure out that the thing you wanted to do was a reservation only event. I think tours are a great way to learn about local history and culture and more in-depth then just watching documentaries about it. 

Third, location is important! When you book a hotel or hostel pick an area that is popular or at least beside a train, subway, or bus station. Yeah, I know it is more expensive to book a place right next to the subway/bus station but you know what else? It is AWFUL to walk back to your hotel for blocks and blocks after a long day of touring. The price is worth it! It also makes a LOT easier for taxi drivers to pick you up and drop you off. 

Fourth, how are you getting around this city? Does it have a subway or bus system? Do you have to take an Uber everywhere? How much does it cost to use these systems? Do they offer tourist passes? 
In my experience, many of the Asian countries I have gone to do have subway systems but areas like Thailand don't offer Uber. Japan offers tourists passes. 

Fifth, what language do they speak? Is there a population that can speak your language? If not, be sure to write down the address of your hotel and the places you are going in the native language. You can show the address to people if you get lost. Not to mention, download the language to your translator so if you don't have wifi you can still communicate. 

Sixth, figure out how you are spending money in this area. Some countries do take most major credit cards but small local shops may not. I think you should always have some emergency cash as well. The best way to exchange money is with your personal bank before traveling but you can also exchange in airports or some businesses overseas. 

Seventh, does this country have "free" internet? Or is is blocked off and censored to certain websites? 
Google maps won't work in China so you either have to get a VPN or use a different maps system. 

Eighth, be aware of the local laws and customs. You don't want to start a fight by accidentally saying the wrong word or making the wrong hand gesture. 
In Thailand, putting your feet up on a chair is very rude. 

Ninth, figure out what the local scams in this area are. 
France has particularly bad pick pockets and recently they had a friendship bracelet scam. The scam was that a person would run up to you, tie an impossible knot around your wrist, and force you to pay them for the bracelet. Be aware of these scams and keep your eyes open. 

Tenth, when you pack be sure you bring the essentials! Depending on how long you are staying there and where, this can be completely different. There are many lists online you can find where they give recommendations. 
My big tip is you should figure out if your country has clothes dryers, so far only America has had them in my experience. That means denim is impossible to dry out and you shouldn't bring denim if you plan on washing them. It also means bringing a small rope so you can tie and hang dry your clothes. 
Other items like deodorant, toothpaste, razors, and brushes can be bought in most stores if you forget them. 
Important items to bring would be glasses, contacts, medicine, and an electric converter. 

Do you have any other tips? Write them below!

Son Be a Dentist! You'll Be A Success!

You're never fully dressed without a smile. That is how the song lyrics go in the musical Annie. This is especially true in western culture where teeth are highly cared for and are considered beauty markers. If you want to be more beautiful, then you need straight white teeth. Most teenagers in the USA wear braces or retainers, whitening strips, kits, and pastes are sold everywhere from Walmart to Instagram. You want to look good? Fix your teeth and get them whiter than a page of paper! Personally, I have worn braces and have two sets of permanent retainers currently. 

This does not translate over to other countries specifically China. 

I was aghast when I came to China and I kid you not, half of my first grade students have teeth rotting out of their heads. They smile at your with their cute little faces and then you see a row of black and green teeth. Or in many cases, no teeth. I literally do mean that their teeth are rotting out of their heads. We have a student in the third grade who doesn't have any top teeth because they all rotted out but since they didn't fall out naturally his permanent teeth still don't feel the need to grow in yet. Teachers are confused as to what they should do with him as his pronunciation of Chinese and English words are wrong-but are they wrong because he has a lisp or are they wrong because he doesn't have teeth?

The student's mouth. Yep, all gums and no teeth. 

Many of the Chinese adults I have seen don't have any teeth or if they do, they are deeply discolored or crooked. At my old gym I had a trainer who had the straightest and whitest teeth and he was the only person I met in months who actually took care of his teeth. 

But why?

What I found in my research is that the biggest deterrent of dentistry is cost. Hardly any Chinese insurance companies will pay for oral health and about 85% of all the costs are paid by the client (Zhou, et al., 2018). What about those who can afford it? They go overseas to get their teeth fixed while the poor suffer. The only times people would go to the dentist is if they were in great pain (Ruggles Media, 2016). In one study in Shaanxi, China they interviewed 207 four to six years old children and 501 twelve to fifteen years old children and found that in 88% of them said that oral care was important to them but only 5% knew how to take care of their teeth. The same study found 67% of the those four to six year old children had missing teeth due to lack of oral care. The reason education was so low is that this area is poor and doesn't have access to oral education, while richer areas did (Gao, et al., 2014). 

There seems to be a lot of dentists in the country but why is no one using them? According to the article Oral Health in China: From Vision to Action they aren't actually trained that well and not all of them have certificates. The Chinese government wants to change this by 2020 by requiring all doctors to have a bachelor's degree and then a specialty degree above that. There is supposed to be a written set of criteria that dentists' offices will follow by 2030. On top of this, most of the tools that dentists use in China currently are developed and made by western countries which China hopes to change. The reason they are buying overseas is that the dentistry tools are considered, "high-tech, high-end, and high-price items."(Zhou, et al., 2018) These items include dental lasers, CT scanners, dental implants, and microscopes (Zhou, et al., 2018). 

Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM has also been listed as a cause. As mentioned in a previous blog post, many locals prefer to use TCM than "western" medicine. However, it was found that if a person were to have oral issues, TCM doesn't have a lot of remedies for it. Since TCM wasn't studied in-depth scientifically, there doesn't seem to be much evidence that it actually works(Zhou, et al., 2018). Most locals will still try to use TCM first when there is a problem and will only go to the dentist when the home-made remedies don't work (Ruggles Media, 2016). 

As of right now, China is working on changing how its people care for their teeth. My elementary school has a "Love Your Teeth Day" and my supermarket just had free teeth check-ups for children. I have also seen a huge surge in tooth products available like mouthwash, toothpaste, and toothbrushes in the last six months. 

I would say that if you want to get your teeth checked and you are a foreigner, wait until you back to your home country. Come back in 2030 when everything is fixed up. 

I think in the future, Chinese dentists will make a lot of money once people care about their oral health so to end on another song, "Son, be a dentist. You'll be a success!" *

*I know the idea is totally different but I still like the song. 

References

Gao, J., Ruan, J., Zhao, L., Zhou, H., Huang, R., & Tian, J. (2014). Oral Health Status and Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior Among Rural Children in Shaanzi, Western China. BMC Oral Health.

Ruggles Media. (2016, December 17). How Chinese Differ from Westerners in Oral Health. Retrieved from NorthEastern.edu: http://www.northeastern.edu/rugglesmedia/2016/12/17/how-chinese-differ-from-westerners-in-oral-health/

Zhou, X., Xu, X., Li, J., Hu, D., Hu, T., Yin, W., & Fan, Y. &. (2018). Oral Health in China: From Vision to Action. International Journal of Oral Science.

New Zealand: Volcanoes, Maori, and Hobbits...Oh My!

If you are looking for a place to backpack, hike, and learn about traditional cultures than New Zealand is a good place to visit. I actually wish that I would have spent more time in this country. While in New Zealand I was mostly in the Northern Island and in the top half, so it would be nice to get around all the island. If you want to get into the trip, skip the next three paragraphs. 

Before getting into the trip I wanted to give a little advice if you are planning on going. If you are planning on a cheaper trip than I would use InterCity Flexi Bus Pass. You buy how many hours you will travel by bus, find the bus schedule, reserve your seat, and you are good to go. I tried buying the Travel Pass but it is hard to use and the buses don't stop at every town. Use Flexi Pass! You can book tours and places to go on this as well. 

You can rent a car as well and use your own country's license to get around. However, the most car accidents are caused by tourists who forget to drive on the left side of the road or using the many roundabouts the country has not to mention that renting a car is expensive. The plus to this is that if you want to go to national parks, beaches, or mountains it is much easier. Sometimes buses will not take you to certain parks. 

Also, everything has to be booked ahead! The way they advertise it seems like you can just show up to place and you can go, but this isn't always the case. For the Hobbiton trip I saw online that it seemed like you could just show up, but I have been burned so often in China that I thought No, check to make sure. Sure enough you have to make a reservation. So even though the brochure sounds like you can just show up, just call and ask to make sure. 

Day One
I arrived in Auckland and checked into the hostel Nomads Auckland Backpackers. I guess I got there right when a bus dropped people off because the line was out of the door. When I was in Europe in 2016 my tour group used hostels the entire time so I was familiar with them however, this time I was 25 years old, graduated college, and had a full-time job. Why bring this up? I had to be, without a doubt, the oldest person in that hostel. When I was talking with my roommates (I was in a room of 7 other girls) I found they had all just finished high school or where in the middle of their college years. When they asked where my next hostel was and I replied, "It's called Hamilton Lodge Motel" they looked at me with surprise. They remarked that none of them could afford a hotel. They also thought it was strange I was only there for a few days, most of them were there for at least a month. 
I did meet a nice Australian girl and this woman from Denmark but she was a little out there. She found out I was American and teaching in China and she went on a rant about all these conspiracy theories she heard about both countries. She did make me a vegetarian dinner, so I nodded politely and then left early the next morning. 

Day Two
The next morning I head to the bus station and store my backpack. I need to exchange money and head to find the office. On my way there, a bald American stopped me asking where I'm going. I thought, Oh, this guy is lost, and I tell him I'm headed to the bus station. Turns out, he was part of a cult and trying to get me to come to his meetings. 
Great.
I tell him I'm in a hurry and I get going to find something to eat before the bus ride. I found this great burger place and the guy who served me was really nice! I offered to tip him and he informed me they don't tip in New Zealand and told me not to get scammed by those who ask for tips. 

Our bus driver, to my surprise, actually gives information about New Zealand and the areas we were driving through. While on the bus ride I learned that New Zealand's top export is wine, the number one way it makes money is through tourism, and is considered one of the worst places to drive in the world. The bus driver went on to tell us that in 2020 the roads and subways should be well underway and it will be much easier to travel. 

We arrived at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. There are no photos allowed inside but it was really marvelous! We climbed down into these caves and the tour guide had us sing as the walls didn't echo like normal caves. The tour guide went on to explain that the worms are actually maggots (ew) and they light up to attract mosquitoes or other bugs attracted to light and fly towards them. The maggots have sticky strings in their mouths and when a bug is caught, the maggot slurps the string and bug up to eat. The lights were turned out and we were told to be silent and then that is when we saw the worms glowing. It really did look like we were outside in the middle of the night! 
We exited the caves by boat. There was a river in the caves and the guides got us out of the caves by holding on to these bars that were stationed along the river. The would grab the bar or sometimes rope and pull us along. 

This was in front of a green screen before we entered the caves.

I headed to the city Hamilton after this. Which was surprisingly stressful. The bus dropped me off at my station which felt like the middle of nowhere. The town of Hamilton is actually quite small so finding a taxi was impossible. I got out my GPS and walked to my hotel. At this point, my backpack isn't doing well. The zipper on the front ripped off which made me lose half of my socks and the strap that goes around the stomach literally came apart in my hands as I was ready to make the trek from bus stop to hotel. All the weight is on my shoulders as my Chinese GPS is telling me where to go. When I arrive at my hotel, I find that most restaurants are closed for the night (it was 8 pm) so I went to KFC and called it a night. 

Day Three
I had an absolutely wonderful breakfast near by my hotel. The waitress was really kind and my food was delicious. I was thinking that my vacation so far in New Zealand was going to not live up to the way I thought it would, but then I realized at that moment that I could speak English again, I didn't have to wear my pollution face mask, and I can eat all the western meals I wanted! Plus my Instagram and SnapChat worked without having to turn on a VPN! I had to live this up before going back to China!

I get on my bus to go to Taupo. It is a long drive so I packed some snacks and drinks to go with me. The driver had us take a break about an hour into the trip. I buy lunch I walk back to the bus when something wet is dripping on my leg. I look down, my purse is leaking! I desperately pull out the offending bottle which was filled with soda (this is important later) and took out all of my stuff. Thankfully my important documents and keys were fine but my ipod and my phone were soaked. As soon as I get to Taupo I check into my hotel and run to a convenience store to buy rice. My ipod and phone seemed to be working and charging fine. 

I go out to the iTaupo center where you can book trips for hiking and fishing. I wanted to go to the Pureora Forest only to find out you have to have a car to get there, no buses. A taxi would be really expensive. While meeting other backpackers in New Zealand, they told me of similar situations. Hopefully by 2020 this will be better, because we couldn't see everything without a car. I booked my hike for the Tangariro Alpine Crossing at 5:30am the next day. The iTaupo site is very serious when it comes to hiking as a few people have injured themselves or died on the trail so I was told to watch the safety video and to take the safety course online. 
While in Taupo I bought a new backpack which fit so much better and the person who helped me was really nice! She tried to get me the cheapest and best bag she could after she heard about my current bag. I love Kiwis! (Kiwis are native New Zealanders.) I spent the day buying souvenirs, getting a sewing kit to put my patches onto the new backpack, and watching Kiwi TV. I also had a wonderful supper by the lake. It was a romantic evening, just me, the water, and this giant pink drink. 

Day Four
I wake up with all my gear ready to go at 5:30 am for the 19.4 kilometer hike. I have my rain jacket, warm jacket, hiking shoes, hat, sunscreen, lunch, chocolate, and two giant bottles of water. The bus I am looking for has a big hiking boot footprint on the side and I see one come...and go. I start to panic when right behind it is another one where they call me by name and I hop onto the bus. I met a man named Mark who was from England and we had a great conversation on the bus. His wife was supposed to go with him but she got food poisoning so that is how I got to sit next to him on the bus. 

Now this trail is where they filmed part of Lord of the Rings (LOTR), specifically Mount Doom. There are specific points where there are port-a-pottys. If you don't know, on Mount Everest there are no bathroom points and it is really cold there and not much animal life, so the waste stays frozen and poisons the environment. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing doesn't want this to happen so you can only go in these places. They were signs everywhere about not going to the bathroom behind rocks. Our bus guide told us a few ground rules. 
First, everyone is wearing a bracelet which indicates which bus route we were on, we just show the drivers our band and they will get us on the correct route. 
Two, no potty behind the rocks.
Three, if you feel like you can't go on, you just want to give up, then keep holding on...and turn around and go back. If we come to the "point of no return" sign you have to make a choice if you can make it. 
Four, THE MOST IMPORTANT well, in my mind. We got on the trail at 6:30 am and at 4:00 pm was the very last chance to get on the bus home. If we didn't get on that bus...we would have to take a taxi all the way back. 
Five, the water is from sulfur springs and is not actually safe to drink. Don't drink or touch it.

We head out and at first I think it isn't too bad. There are a lot of wild flowers and the sun is just starting to rise over the mountains. I felt like my dad would have really loved that area. Once in a while I could hear a babbling sulfur brook and got to see the Dead Marshes from LOTR.

There was a small trail to see a small waterfall and then the Point of No Return was upon me. I ate two chocolate bars and headed up The Devil's Staircase. While hiking I was thinking that this wasn't too bad but of course right when I thought that it got more rough. I took frequent breaks. At this point I remembered who was passing me and then I would pass them. It gave me a marker for how well I was doing or how fast I was going. And then right when you think you have hit the highest part of the mountain, you find that there is one higher. 

The highest point was when the climbers got to look down on these turquoise sulfur lakes. It was beautiful but that was also THE WORST part of the hike. 



Do you remember that part of Lord of the Rings when the big bulky rocks are on silt and they keep falling down? Yeah, that was this part. 

Thankfully we hikers just had to go down this slope but it was nearly impossible. It was like skiing in dirt but without skiis and there are big rocks that come loose once in a while. I suddenly remembered my safety course where it said that around 30 people a year fall off a mountain and I thought It has to be this part that they fell off of. Thank my stars I didn't fall off the mountain but I fell down three times, once really hard on my butt. I was so angry and tired about falling that I sat there for a good two minutes. However, you can't rest long because this slope is not just slippery but it is small so only two or three people can be side by side on this trail. 
                                 
Once I reached the bottom of that mountain I sat by the lake and ate my lunch. I reapplied my sunscreen and was back on the trail. It was when I got to the last few kilometers of the hike that I was starting to feel myself lose it mentally. The mountain I was on was switchbacks the entire way down the mountain. I saw that and was filled with grief. My turtle self hobbled its way down and I frequently took breaks, not because I was tired, but because so many people were passing me and the trail was too skinny. I got to an area with benches and my "marker" people were all there. They had all beaten me to the rest area but I was the first back up and actually went the entire rest of the hike without seeing them until we reached the buses at the end. 

From the benches to the end of the trail I did not stop once to take a break. My brain was on overdrive to just.finish.the.trail. I saw the 19 kilometer sign and felt like someone had given me the gold medal. 
                                     
That night I took a long bath but when I checked my ipod there was a strange warning on it. It said that my charging cable was not compatible with my ipod! Just because I dried it out doesn't mean that the sugar didn't have an effect on my ipod. To this day, I get that warning however it charges just fine. 

Day Five
This morning I headed to Rotorua where I had already scheduled a spa and tour day at Hell's Gate. I take the bus to Rotorua and then I get a taxi driver takes me to the thermal spa. While I was there I drop off my bag and walk around the area. It was very cool to see all the mud and geysers in the area. At the end of the walk I could carve my own kiwi into a piece of wood. The person who helped me carve into the wood was a nice local guy who used to work in a hospital and in the Moari cultural center. He played 1950s music while I carved. Also, I was basically the only person at the park which was a cool bonus. 
                                           
Next was the spa. They had a mud bath where a person can only be in it for about 20 minutes before they have to wash off. Then they had hot sulfur baths for the after care of the skin. I brought my own towel and swimsuit so I didn't need to pay anything extra. My skin looked amazing after! To this day though, my towel and swim suit smell like sulfur. It is hard to get that smell out! 

The Hell's Gate people were also extraordinarily nice as I needed a ride back and asked if they could get me a taxi. They had a tour bus that left at 4:50 pm but that was too late for me (it was about 2:30 pm) and because I was basically the only person there, they took me home on the bus for free! How awesome is that!!

I check into my hotel, took a shower and changed clothes, and then I was off to learn about the Maori culture. 

The Tamaki Maori Village is the group I went through and yes, that is a reserve ahead of time event as well. Our bus driver was of the Maori descent and on the ride to the town was telling us all about his culture and was asking us questions and singing songs together. On our group, we had to pick a man to be our group leader. The group leader was to greet each Maori leader with a traditional Hongi and then the Maori people would tell us something about their culture. We learned about music, tattoos, games, the Haka, watched them sing and dance, and at the end ate a traditional meal. What I found refreshing about this tour group about native people was that it was the actual native people talking about their own culture. If you go to America to learn about Native Americans, most of the time the tour guide is not of that tribe or culture. 

I went home that night, tried to wash my sulfur clothes, and slept peacefully. 

Day Six
This was the day I was looking forward to the most. Hobbiton ya'll! I reserved this ahead of time as well. It was a bus tour and we left at 8:00 am. I met a Swedish girl on the bus and we ended up being buddies that day, taking pictures of each other. I follow her on Instagram now (Rebecka_jonsson). I was surprised by how small the hobbit holes actually were and if you are a LOTR fan you might be thinking "Well, duh they are hobbits." The hobbit holes are actually even smaller than you realize. These holes were maybe the sizes of mailboxes and I realized that to build an entire town would be crazy, so they had miniatures of the holes to film. 

All of the plants are real and they have gardeners working on them year round. The gardeners also get to keep what they grow and sell them if they want. Also some of the doors do open! But they are the size of closets and it is actually where they store the gardening tools. All the scenes where Frodo and Gandalf or talking? Those are filmed somewhere else. So when you watch Lord of the Rings and the characters walk into a hobbit hole, they are basically just walking into a closet. 

I saw Sam's House (AKA the BEST Hobbit and character from LOTR)

I saw Frodo and Bilbo's house.

Then we got to get a free drink at the Green Dragon Inn! I bought a meat pie to go with my apple cider. 

Last was the gift shop of course but my tour group was one of the last ones in that day so the shop was pretty skimpy on some things. I was trying to buy things that I thought I couldn't buy online but I was still debating. I bought a keychain for myself, a Green Dragon Inn t-shirt, and a magnet with the leaf pin that the hobbits wear. 

Rebecka remarked that it would have been cooler if the town was populated with real hobbits. We discussed that hiring people to just hang around the hobbit holes would have really boosted the experience. Our guide told us that people on the tours dress up often and I think if I go back, I would do that. 

That afternoon I headed back to Auckland. I was able to call my hotel who got a shuttle to pick me up. The woman who was driving me was about to tell me about how Jesus saved her life when we got to the hotel and I could get out. (Second time I was evangelized in New Zealand.) The hotel I was in had a deal with a few restaurants to deliver to them and I got a great shrimp noodle dish with a brownie and ice cream. What a good way to end the trip!

Day Seven 
This morning I head back to China. 

I would go back to New Zealand for sure but I would make sure I was there for a longer time so I could see all of New Zealand and not just some of the northern island. 

I will always remember you New Zealand. You and your wonderfully kind kiwis. 

Banging Bangkok and Other Places in Thailand

It's that wonderful time of the year again, Lunar New Year Break! I started off my vacation in Thailand and what a wonderful start it was. 

Day One: Bangkok Culture and Art Center, Siam Discovery, and MBK
I landed in Bangkok around 12:30 from Shanghai. I ate lunch and found the train to take me to my hotel Siam@Siam Design Hotel. It takes my train about an hour to get from the airport to my hotel. My hotel was late in cleaning up but to make up for that they gave me a free snack plate and then upgraded my room to a fancier suite! I had a bathtub and a separate shower, a king sized bed, a small dining area, a couch, and a closet big enough to fit the king sized bed. I loved that hotel. 

Dragon outside of the hotel

I walked the two minutes over to the Bangkok Culture and Art Center which was a free entry. The art is on the very top floor and floors 1-7 are shops you can eat and buy knick knacks in, which is why the art is free. During my time there they had live art displays in the morning and in the evening they had various musical performers. I saw a high school marching band walk through the halls, heard an opera singer belting out on floor 8, and an orchestra perform on the ground floor. 

The artist would come here to "plant" flowers during his live art performance. 

Afterwards I headed to Siam Discovery which is a giant mall and ate at Jamie's Italian Restaurant (which I had no idea it was a chain). They had nail salons, clothes stores, restaurants, and in the evening they had night markets. 


The staff was so diverse and I was to find that all of Thailand was like this! There are a high number of Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians along with transgender individuals all over and everyone seemed very accepting. I saw small altars for different religions all over the country. I wished I had come to Thailand to teach!

Day Two: River Kwai
I booked a tour for the River Kwai and Burma Railway to learn about the Japanese treatment of Allied POWs and of the native Thai people. The Japanese wanted to build a railway from Bang Pong, Thailand to a city in Burma. The railroad would be 415 km long and using slave labor the entire time. 
We began our trip at the cemetery where the POWs were buried. The bodies were originally buried along the railway but later found and moved. American bodies were sent back to the states but some of the Danish, Australian, and British bodies are still in this cemetery. 

Next we visited the JEATH War Musuem. JEATH stands for Japanese, English, Australian/American, Thai, Holland who were all part of the Burmese railway construction. We watched a short film, visited inside a recreated living hut, and then took a boat ride to see the River Kwai Bridge. We took a short break before getting on a train. 

While I think the train ride, boat ride, and the people I met were great I found that our tour guide really lacked. Whenever we asked a question she didn't know the answer. She also didn't book enough tickets for us to sit down on the train, so quite a few of us had to stand for the hour and a half ride. I was one of those people. Thankfully a very nice Australian let me sit in his seat for the last 30 minutes. 

Later that night I met up with some people I met on the tour. I am convinced that I get lost in every country I am in, and this was that night. I tried taking the bus and thought it was fairly straight forward. However, the bus stopped at a station every block, which confused me. Was this my stop? Did this count as a stop?

I got off the bus and turned on my GPS to see that I was still 45 minutes away from the hostel I was to meet these people at. I tried getting a taxi but was confused by them. There were taxis with red, green, and white lights so I assumed red meant busy but I found later that white meant busy and red meant free. Waving down the wrong colored lights meant that I got no taxis and ended up walking the entire way. 
The group of people who gave me directions couldn't figure out where I was and even when I looked online I could not find this hostel. The group kept saying they were on Khao San Road, which I was also on, which snowballed my frustration. I eventually called my sister who got out Google Maps on her laptop in the Czech Republic to help me. We found out that this hostel was not on Khao San Road but two blocks away from it and on top of that it was down two different alley ways.  

Khao San Road

When I finally arrived to the now infamous Bed Station Hostel (*note* there are two Bed Station Hostels but only one is near Khao San Road) I found out why the directions they gave me were so poor. Yep, they were already three sheets to the wind. They realized what had happened to me and bought me a drink as compensation and we played card games. It was a fun night but at 11:00 pm I realized I had to get home. I had a tour early the next day and then I realized that the train system was shut off for the night. I walked the entire way home. Even in the night, Bangkok was about 80 F (27 C). 

A selfie after my long hot walk home. 

Day Three: Ayutthaya
This was by far one of my favorite days. I was with a tour group once again but this time our tour guide was amazing. Donna was very detailed about the temples, Thai culture, and even the local food and souvenirs we should buy. While we were looking at Buddhas, Donna explained to us that the fat Buddha was her favorite because "it was just like her." We asked what she meant and she said, "The Buddha is fat and happy and Donna is fat and happy!" (Yes, she referred to herself in the third person.) Later in the day she showed us how to fold a lotus flower and place it on the statues. She told us that laying a flower on a Buddha every time you see it means that the next time you are reincarnated, you will be beautiful. "Donna likes being fat and happy but the next life Donna wants to be beautiful."

This is my new beautiful best friend Donna.

We saw four main areas with Donna in the city of Ayutthaya. The first was Bang Pa-In Palace. We were there the same day the Thai King was which was exciting. We had to be out of the palace before he got there. If he was there at the same time as us, we would not be allowed to leave until he left. 

Next was the Buddha in the Tree in the ruins of a temple. To understand the significance of this we had to learn about Thai culture. In Thailand the head is the most sacred part of your body, no other person is allowed to touch it and your feet are considered the least holy. Putting your feet up on furniture is extremely rude in Thailand. In 1767, the temple was destroyed and the Buddha statues were broken. Since no one can touch the Buddha heads, they stayed on the ground except for one. This special Buddha head was picked up by a tree and lifted out of the dirt. It is considered a Buddhist miracle.

Third was the Royal Temple. We learned that you could lay gold leaf onto the Buddhas and people leave flowers on the altar as well. Donna told us that in Thai culture there is a god for each day of the week. Whatever day you were born on is the deity your should pray for to protect you.  Each day of the week also has a color. The Thai king's flag is the color of the day he was born on. Most families in Thailand also choose one animal to protect for their life. Donna's family has vowed to take care of catfish and dogs. While we were at this temple, Donna fed the stray dogs who followed her around very patiently until she fed them. It was like following a saint around. She also goes to the local pond to feed the catfish. 

Day of the Week Deities

Finally, we saw the reclining Buddha and headed to our cruise back to Bangkok. The cruise ship had a buffet of western and Thai food. That is when I became obsessed with Thai chicken. As soon as I got back to China, I made my own. 

Day Four-Five: Similan Islands
Day four was spent flying to the Similan Islands and checking into my hotel. Nothing too exciting but day five was the fun day. 
Apparently I had bought the "expanded package" for this snorkeling day but I had completely forgotten about that or maybe the people there just gave me the expanded package by accident. Either way, I was going to take it. The tour picked me up in a van and dropped us off at the snorkeling center. As per usual with these tours, there were quite a few people and we got lumped in a group together. We were all given breakfast and I was given a towel, mat, and snorkeling gear while everyone else had to bring their own or pay a little extra for those. Everyone had their swimming suits on under their clothes. 
The first island we saw was just to climb the small mountain and play on the beach if we wished. I could have started swimming but I decided against it because I would have had to skip out on the mountain and this amazing view! 

The second island is where we got to snorkel. Our guide told us that if we were strong swimmers we could go without a life vest on. I thought about it but decided to keep mine on. I wish I had an under water camera to show you all but it was amazing! I saw parrot fish, groupers, bannerfish, butterfly fish, and emperor angelfish.

We took a lunch break and I found that I got a bento box meal while everyone else had a buffet style meal. I had fried chicken, spaghetti, salad, shrimp, and mushrooms in my boxes. Everyone got pineapple and watermelon and rice as well. I felt very swanky. The guide gave me a snorkel and fins and I was able to do a little snorkeling in the bay of the island. At one point I slapped my left foot on a reef and got a small green bruise which has to be the best bruise story ever. 

We got another snorkeling excursion. I noticed that everyone was swimming around the same area and being the cool kid I was decided to swim on the opposite side of the boat where no one was. I was having a grand old time when I saw it...about 40 yards (36 meters) away from me was a shark! He was maybe only 4 feet long (1 meter) but it both scared and amazed me. Here I was in the same ocean as this shark! I didn't say anything because I was worried that maybe sharks aren't from that area and I could have mistaken this fish for a tuna or something. I found out later that it was in fact in a Grey Reef Shark and are common sights in that area!

11/10 would do again

Day Six: 
I flew back to Bangkok this day and that night was to go boxing. However, the driver took me to the wrong stadium by accident. Thankfully, the company was able to reschedule me for the next day. 

Day Seven: Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Grand Palace and Muay Thai Boxing
This day I had to take a taxi for the first time to get to my first stop, Wat Arun. Before leaving for Thailand I had learned that taxis can scam people by not using their meter. The first two taxis I hailed both refused to use their meter but thankfully the third one did. It only cost me 100 Baht to get to the temple from my hotel! (about 3 USD) By the way, shoulders and ankles should be covered when going to these areas, no ripped jeans allowed either. 

After that I headed back to the street to hail a taxi. This is when I finally learned about the taxis lights. After failing to get a taxi, a man on a moped and orange vest stopped by and asked if I needed a ride. I had seen these guys around, they are moped taxis! I hiked up my skirt and off we went to Wat Pho. Again, it only cost me around 100 Baht. 

This temple was giant. It is the home of the Reclining Buddha which has pearl laid into its feet. It is so big, it is hard to get a full picture of it, especially with the pillars in the way. 

They were many temples with Buddha images throughout the area and the stupas were in all different colors like yellow, green, and blue. They were so beautiful! I also got a massage before leaving the facility. 

My next stop was the Grand Palace. This place is truly massive. They have giants guarding the gates, multiple stupas, a museum, the palace of course, and where they keep the Jade Buddha. Pictures aren't allowed of the Jade Buddha but where it was kept was insane. The walls are covered in beautiful art and there is special place for Thais to go pray. I honestly thought that heaven must look very similar to this. 

The giants guarding the gates.

I ate lunch at a local restaurant where I ate some delicious Pad Thai Noodles and two very large glasses of iced lemon tea. Like I said before, Bangkok is hot. The temples close by 3:00 pm so I got another moped taxi back to my hotel, showered, and got ready for my boxing class. 

My coach was a tiny man, maybe 4 feet 5 inches (1.4 meters), but he was super flexible and had a ton of energy. When we did our stretching he looked at me like "Oh man, another one of these untrained losers." For those that don't know, I am just able to get my first knuckles to touch the floor and can barely do anything beyond that. However, he was fairly impressed with my boxing moves and we went on to perfect my kicks. Overall, I was happy with the training and was glad I got to enjoy the national sport of Thailand.  

Day Eight: Chatuchak Market
My last day of Thailand was at the largest weekend market in the world! I was here from when it opened at 9:00 am to 1:00 pm when I had to get back to my hotel, check out, and get on my plane to my next destination. The market closes at 6:00 pm and honestly I could have stayed there for that long and would have come in the next day. I went through the used clothes section, and up to handicrafts, and down to plants and gardening. I had a foot and shoulder massage, bought some soaps and fake flower arrangements, and had my nails done. Not to mention I got to eat mango ice cream!

A map of the market. 

The market is so big that each section has a subsection and then a hallway number so you don't get lost. 

I thought the wind chimes were so lovely and they are all supposed to be hand made as well. 

I loved Thailand and would 100% go back again. When I was telling my sister about it I said that I thought it would make a great honeymoon spot. It's warm, there are a ton of things to see and do, and everything is so cheap. Plus the people are incredibly polite. 

So from me to you, Kob Khun Ka for reading!