Yosemite

is stunning! Here are some pictures:

The mythic Half-Dome. I say mythic because the one other time I was in Yosemite it was so rainy & foggy I couldn't even see it. Clearly, not a problem this time.  Now I want to climb it! Maybe this summer.

Lower Yosemite Falls. You can just keep climbing closer & closer so we did... and got wet. But the fall was so powerful.  I kept thinking about the waterfall we swam under in Thailand which was much smaller but still instantly drove me down to the bottom of the river. This one would have been like being hit by a cartoon piano as you walk down the street. 

Only, you know, wetter.

Rebs gets excited about snow.

Me? I've had enough snow in my life. But I like hot cocoa.

Even our shadows are in love.

bloggie pride

I am impressed with this whole thing. I am impressed I was able to format this enough for a beauty-lovin' Libra to feel satisfied for now. 

I consider myself quite a dumbo when it comes to any-beyond-the-basic computer skills but I have tenacity & have come up with some gypsy MacGyver solutions to do what I've wanted to do.

Yay me.

After all, I climbed a mountain in Thailand. With the help of this stick.

I really loved that stick.

sad reality

is my least favorite kind of reality.

But recently I heard that the elephants living in Bangkok have sad & dangerous lives. After no effort at all I found this.

I'm not sure why I'm so surprised since the 2 other times we saw elephants in Thailand they didn't look like they were living the high life.  Once, outside a temple we saw an elephant in a tiny pen in the hot sun- he looked every unhappy.

When we rode an elephant as part of our trek it was clearly animal cruelty & if we had know what it was going to be like we wouldn't have done it. The elephants kept trying to go off the trail to eat the vegetation & the handlers would pull them back on track with a metal hook in their ear. And again, no shade or water in sight for the poor beasts.

So up with elephants, down with cruelty.

things I liked less about Thailand

Squat toilets - I don't even like typing the words so I'm not going to go into detail.

Humidity & my hair- a lethal combination. Thank the Lord I married a guy who likes curls & who doesn't really know the difference between curls & frizz.

Seeing the extremely dark, definitely damage causing tans on many people on Ko Samui & being jealous. WHY? What is it about me that craves leathery skin? So unhealthy, I know that. I do. I know that.

The open air markets that smelled of rotting fish & seeing so many flies crawling on the uncovered unrefridgerated meat. Obviously people do not get sick from this but I don't undertsand how this is possible.  On the other hand, I did like the markets because there was so much to see & it was all so different than my usual life.

The fact that on our first day in Bangkok both Rebby & I felt as though everyone was smiling to our faces as they tried to rip us off.

Tuk-tuks! They looks so fun- carts attached to motorcycles that serve as taxis but they're such a scam, They quote you a low fare but they don't tell you they are also going to bring you to several tailors, travel agencies, etc. & want you to buy something as they can get a free gas coupon. Rebs quote, "Please! Why won't you just take us straight? straight? To the hotel! Straight!" to a very angry tuk-tuk driver who was yelling at us for not staying long enough at a travel agency we never wanted to go to in the first place. Rebs thought he was going to drop us off in a random, dangerous spot & we'd be stranded, didn't happen but he charged us about 4 times the promised amount by the time he let us out at our hotel.

The guys on our trek who, on the second day, when or guide asked us if we wanted to go the easy way or the hard way replied, "Hard!" ALSO the equally tired girls who did not argue with this leaving me vastly outvoted in my desire for an easy, light day of hiking.

RLS- Restless Leg Syndrome. Despite the fact that Rebs insists it is all in my head (it's NOT) a condition that plagues me especially on planes when I am trying to sleep. The persistent feeling of needing to move my legs. So annoying! Although, admittedly not Thailand's fault.

The hardness of hotel mattresses in Thailand. After 2 night on bamboo mats we were looking forward to sleeping in a bed. However, we soon realized the mattress felt exactly the same! An upside to this is the sensation of crazy cloudy softness I experienced in our bed back home.

I realize most of these complaints have to do with comfort & aesthetics but what can I say? I'm a comfort & aesthetics kind of girl.

things i loved about Thailand

Beside the obvious 2 weeks vacation with the love of my life in a foreign land as the tropical sun tans my skin stuff.

While eating our last meal in Bangkok outside on a very busy street we witnessed someone walking their pet ELEPHANT down the sidewalk with more aplomb that I would walk a puppy, if I had a puppy. 

Let's take a moment to realize that if I had a puppy to walk I would be dancing with glee.

Oh the hedonistic delights: fresh fruit shakes on every street corner in any flavor, cheap, cheap massages, & a complete lack of responsibility.

I love saying the word baht (Thai money).  Also that it doesn't feel like real money because the exchange rate is so favorable so even though a meal can cost 450 baht that's still only about $12.50 & it was probably an awesome meal involving curry (yes, lot's of Indian food in Thailand). It should probably be noted that Rebs does not appreciate hearing me chant the word, "baht, baht, baht" in my most Mid-Western accent repeatedly.

When people began mistaking our tan selves for Italians we went along with it because it seemed friendlier & they kept complimenting our English!

I love that when it rained it was still warm & fun to be outside. When staying on the beach Rebs taught me how to spot a rainstorm coming in from over the ocean.

I climbed a mountain. This is not an exaggeration & an event that probably deserves its own post all to its accomplished self.

I loved meeting people from other countries, trying on their exotic accents in my head & secretly believing that my life would be infinitely cooler & more exciting if I had said exotic accent.

Snorkeling! Who knew you could feel peaceful in such a limited oxygen environment???

I loved the airport on Ko Samui! It is nicer than some of the hotels we stayed at including those here in CA. So very clean, tropical, & open aired with palm trees & very comfy, living room type furniture everywhere. They had a great bookstore & great little cafes with aforementioned fruit shakes. (Try the banana it is scumptious.) Also, the restroom had a huge aquarium with tropical fish & a large WATERFALL, in the restroom! Ahh! I should have gone with my instinct & went back to take a picture. Kicking myself. 

Seriously, I could have moved into that airport.

The airplanes are painted like bird & fish so you (I) can pretend it's like a ride in Disneyland.

When greeting or tanking someone in Thailand you put your hands together in front of you like a prayer to show respect or honor. I like that. We can use a bit more respect & honor around here. I wonder if I can start it?

There are Indian restaurants everywhere. So much great Indian food- who would have thought?

Despite the fact that we spent 2 weeks in a foreign land (I love that phrase- straight out of a fairytale) it was never a problem that we couldn't speak English. almost everyone we had contact with could speak/understand enough English to work it.  Which, in my opinion, is another example of America being a bully & forcing our ethnocentric ways on the rest of the world. generally, I do not agree with this policy but I greatly benefitted from it in Thailand.