October break begins

Today is the second day of my October break. It is most certainly a needed break both mentally and physically. I have been very lucky in that a friend of mine from work was very pro-active in organizing a holiday, and invited me along. She tried to involve me in the planning, but once she realized I really meant it when I said that I didn't mind where or when, she made the plans for me together with another friend.  I did have to take the time to chime in and pay for one of the hotels, but otherwise Iwas quite oblivious to where we were going until recently.

Friday, the boys' Dad arrived from Saudi.  They began hanging out in the afternoon, and after work I went to a pre-break after work drinks hosted by the secondary principal.  Nice company and some good conversations before all of us began heading off for our various destinations. I realize how lucky we are as international teachers with these breaks and the exotic locations we can take off to during our weeks off.  

After that the boys and I took their Dad to a local Thai restaurant by a pond, where we introduced him to the basics of Thai cuisine. As always the cuisine did not disappoint; from Pad Thai and Red curry to Shrimp TomYam and Papaya Salad. We had an enjoyable evening, and returned with a driving tour of the area. I packed efficiently and crashed, exhausted to prepare for our morning flight.

We flew out from Chiang mai around 10am. We flew on Bangkok Air which is supposedly a more expensive airline, but we found the flight to be less expensive.  The perks of the airline are that whilst waiting, you can sit in their lounge and you get free coffee and snacks! Plus an actul meal on the plane. I guess I should also explain who 'we' are.  I am travelling with one of our special needs teachers who is from Wisconsin originally, our English teacher, who is from New Zealand originally, and we are being 'hosted' by our History tacher, who is originally from the UK, but has lived and worked in Thailand for the last 12 years.  He has a home in Rayong which is in South East Thailand, and helped us to choose accommodations in the area, including th island of Koh Samet.

We arrived in Bangkok just before noon, and our friend had arranged for a taxi to take us the hour and a half further south for a very reasonable price.  We checked into the hotel, quickly changed and spent a good hour at the pool.  We followed that up with a drive to purchase the necessary beverages and snacks for the week ahead.  Then our friend and his wife took us to a local seafood restaurant - garlic shrimp and steamed fish to die for! I love Thai food! It is a bit diferent down South, but just as good.

We returned to our hotel and slept very well. It was one of the first evenings I managed to sleep the whole night.  This morning we had or breakfast buffet, and have spent the day by the pool swimming laps periodically, and then enjoying the sun. We will follow up soon with Thai massages... the holiday has really begun.