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| Baby elephant by the pool? Life doesn't get better than this! |
This past week I was the luckiest girl in the world to have
both Jon and Linda visit me in Thailand.
The entire week was a whirlwind and I have to keep pinching myself to
remind me that it actually happened - I had an absolute blast!
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| Jon getting elephant kisses |
We had a “getaway” weekend and went to the nicest Marriott I
have ever been to. We sat out by the
pool (Ashley got sunburned!), ate the most amazing foods, people watched, and
got to sleep in! This was the
first time I was able to actually relax since my exams and it took me no time
to wind down. Just looking at the place –
you can imagine why! It cannot go
without mention that the beds in that Marriott are the nicest things I have
ever slept on in my life. You melt into
the sheets and I had a battle with the comforter every morning as I did not
want to get up and leave that bed! The
highlight of the weekend was getting to meet a 14-month old baby elephant that
came to visit the pool twice a day. She
was absolutely adorable and Jon, Linda and I got right in there with little
kids, petting and playing with her. She
was incredibly well trained and could wave, courtesy in thanks, and loved to
drink the pool water and squirt water all over the place. I also got to go to my first Hard Rock Café and
ate - get this, a delicious pulled pork quesadilla. It was amazing.
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| In my apartment - with one of the two CASES of Mac and Cheese they brought me! |
I also had my first foot massage…ever. For those of you that know me, you are
already concerned, because I am one of the most ticklish people I have ever
encountered, and I somehow was signed up for one hour of someone touching your feet. I winched and giggled through it, but decided
foot massages might be the next best thing invented besides Mac and
Cheese. They are amazing. This was not the only foot massage that I was
spoiled to on this trip and after the second one, it wasn’t nearly as
ticklish. Perhaps getting massages is a
self-prescribed way to cure my ticklishness.
At least it is an excuse to get more massages!
Jon and Linda treated me and a few of my classmates to dinner at
Benihana – one of my favorite restaurants since I was little. I was shocked to hear they have a Benihana
in Bangkok and elated to walk in and see the same famous chefs with their
tall red hats twirling their spatulas and knives around. We had a wonderful time and I was so happy
that they got to meet some of my classmates.
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| Dinner with my Chula classmates and See's Candies!!! |
Tuesday was a very eventful day for us. First there was a bombing in Bangkok, which
happened to take place on the adjacent street near my apartment. I was in class at the time, but was unable to
return home for a few days. You can read
more about the bombing in the links I included below although I can assure you, the location of where I
live is far from the commercial center of Bangkok, and the bombing of my area
was completely accidental and in no way targeted. They caught all three people involved (one of
whom accidentally blew up his own legs with the bombs he set off). It sure made for an explosive Valentine’s
Day! Articles covering the bombing:
More importantly, I was able to
crash the coolest couple’s Valentine’s Day dinner at a wonderful Italian
restaurant. We each ordered a different
kind of risotto – all delicious of course, and exchanged Christmas/Birthday/Anniversary/Valentine’s
Day presents. I was stunned to get a
beautiful white watch – which I have worn every day since.
Linda and I went on an adventure on the BTS out to see the
extremely large Jim Thompson warehouse where all of the finest silks in
Thailand are made. It was breathtaking –
and they had over 5 floors of silks, purses, accessories, furnishings and
clothing. It was so much fun to run
around and pick out different patterns, colors and designs of beautiful silk
scarves, purses and even shoes!
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| Sitting in the classroom - ready for school |
On Thursday I was able to show off my amazing apartment in
Phra Kanong and Jon and Linda got a great view of the city from the roof. We visited Chulalongkorn, my university
campus, and took a shuttle bus around the grounds, seeing all of the main
school buildings and offices. I was so
happy to be able to take them to see the university where I am currently
studying – they even sat in my classroom for a bit, living the life of a
student.
I had so much fun with them I didn’t want them to
leave! Jon and Linda - I cannot thank
you both enough for a wonderful week to which I was truly spoiled rotten –
massages, vacation getaway, baby elephants by the pool, delicious buffets (which
I will be working off the rest of the month!), my first Hard Rock, tours around
campus, and so much more. I can’t wait
for you to come back in May!!!
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| Outside my Faculty at Chulalongkorn University |
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