So it's been a few weeks since my last bloggy, and there's a lot of stuff that's happened and I truly can't even begin to cover it all....so I will do my best to cover the good stuff.
Our last few days in Laos consisted of a lot of excitement for the upcoming arrival of Thad and Angie. We decided one day to get out of the town and we rented peddle bikes and explored the countryside. We made our way to the blue lagoon, which was just how it sounded...a vibrant blue lagoon, with a perfectly placed tree over it for jumping in and cooling off. It was so nice to get out of the town for a day, and it was the perfect way to top off our time in Laos.
We flew out of Laos on the tenth back into Bangkok, and Leif and I were faced with the one thing that has caused us stress this entire trip...really the only thing that has caused us stress this entire trip....getting a 30 day stamp in our passports at the airport! When we saw that we got our 30 day stamp, we shared a ton of high fives, and our one stressor was gone!
Angie and Thad came a few hours later, and the butterflies in my stomach felt like crows! When they walked out of the gate, I let out a few happy tears...as did she, the waiting was over!
Bangkok can be pretty overwhelming stepping off the plane, and my poor sister was a touch overwhelmed, as I was my first time there. Fortunately, we had a stroke of luck with when they planned their trip as the Songkran Festival was going on in Bangkok starting on the 13th. The Songkran Festival is the Thai New Years, and literally Bangkok erupts with energy and positivity. Some shops close down for three days, and it's time for their biggest celebration of the year! For a place like Thailand, a lot of the parties and festivals are geared towards tourists (aka full moon party), but this Songkran Festival was a place for locals and tourists to party together. Basically, it's a huge water fight in the streets, actually it's said to be the hugest water fight in the world. Thousands piled into the streets for the party. Trucks with people in the cab drove by and dumped buckets on bystanders, hoses sprayed into crowds, and water guns were strapped over everyone's shoulders. It was the most fun we've all ever had, seriously. Every few meters there were tables lined with different kinds of water guns, and people refilling your water gun once you ran out. At first, we didn't have water guns and we fell victim to many people shooting us with theirs, and dumping buckets of water on us. Ok then....game on!!! We bought ourselves some water guns, headed off to Khoasan Road, and joined the fun. Once we were drenched, the victims became the "dry people," in which we teamed up to ensure they were no longer dry. The funniest were the people that honestly thought they could avoid getting wet, we made sure this didn't happen. It was just so nice to see the locals let loose and to party with them...and to get a friendly smile every time you shot someone, likely followed by getting a shot back in return. If and when I come back to Thailand, I will be sure to plan it around that festival.
We were literally in that water fight until the second we stepped on the bus to head down to Koh Phangan again. My love of this place has been revived. The rain that we were plagued with last time we were here has subsided, and the weather is straight outta paradise. We're all lovin' it!
A few days ago was Thad's birthday. Above I explained the "funnest" time of my life, and Thad's birthday was the "craziest" time of my life. Not one I will get into on the blog, but I will be sure to explain further when we return.
Tonight is the full moon party, can't wait!
Our bike ride to the blue lagoon, just biking with some cows lol:
The blue lagoon:
About to head back into Bangkok!
The start of the Songkran festival, Thai flags lining the streets!
Game on!!!!!
Met up with Thad's buddy, Scott who said this was the most fun he's had since he was two years old!
With talcum powder on our game faces, a Thai tradition to ward off evil for the upcoming year:
Are you scared?? ;)
After a good drench fest!
Back in gorgeous Koh Phangan!
Our partners in crime!
Here's a video of the Songkran festival that someone posted on youtube...
....And an article about it as I did my best to explain, but I'm not sure if I fully captured the awesomeness...Enjoy!
Anyways, that's all for now!!!
Keep fit, and have fun!
