A little ride down the river

Bangkok is dubbed "The Venice of the East", so suffice it to say, I took more than just one little ride down the river during my trip to Thailand. Thank goodness Dad brought his seasick patches with him because it seemed as if we were always on a boat. Not a problem for me. I love the water.

Our first taste of a ride on the Thai waterways was a boat ride through the klongs, Bangkok's canals. We floated along to see family homes, temples, and the way of life in Bangkok.

At first, I was shocked to see such run down homes in the capital city! In the States, properties along the river would be the best, sitting on prime real estate. This did not seem to be the case in Bangkok. Houses were leaning, sinking, and falling down. Louis, our tour guide, explained that the appearance of the house did not necessarily indicate that the family did not have enough money to purchase something more stable and beautiful. It is just not as important to them. In Thailand, education, healthcare, public transportation, and electricity are all free. Because of this, even the poorest people have televisions! You cannot judge the income of the family on the structure in which they live.

As we cruised along the Praya Chao river, we stopped to visit this:

This is Wat Arun, Temple of the Dawn.  Its 260 foot spire has been identified with Bangkok. This temple is steep so nobody attempted to climb the stairs to the top!

After leaving "Venice of the East", the boat rides continued. One of the highlights of the trip was taking a 3 hour ride down the Kok River from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. We boarded our longtail boat early in the morning and began our journey from one city to the other.

We were freezing,  our butts were sore (no real cushions on those seats), but by the end, we had arrived in a new city with more to explore.

PS: There is a little challenge in the blog world called the A-Z challenge. The idea is to write everyday except Sunday using a letter of the alphabet. I probably won't be able to keep up with daily updates and my readers might get blog fatigue, but I am going to try my best to meet the challenge. Stay tuned.

The Need for a Fourth Suitcase

 The Bigbys do not know the meaning of "pack lightly". My mom is the biggest culprit of over-packing, but admittedly, I am not much better. Dad is the best of us. He is a man and doesn't need a different pair of shoes for every outfit. Ok, well, we really don't need that either, but you know....This trip, however, the tables had turned. My dad's shopping extravaganza resulted in the need to buy a fourth suitcase.

It all started like this. Before going to Thailand, we had a number of people tell us that we had to go to the tailor to get some clothes made. We arrived in Thailand a day before our tour actually started so we would be able to acclimate ourselves to Asia. It so happened our tour guide, Louis, was around the hotel ready and willing to offer us suggestions on how to spend our spare time.

First stop: The tailor.

Louis made a phone call and the tailor sent a car to come and pick us up at the hotel and bring us to the shop. Dad said he was absolutely against going, but then decided he'd better go to "protect" us. He didn't want his two leading ladies whisked away by some strange men in the capital city of Thailand. So, he reluctantly enters the shop. Mom and I excitedly walk in and immediately sit down to tear through books of options. The two of us are so focused on what we are going to choose to have made that we completely lose track of where my dad might be. We turn around and we see this:

WHAT?!? The man who didn't want to go to the tailor is getting MEASURED?! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this man went crazy at the tailor! Mom and I decided on two dresses and a pair of pants in the amount of time that Dad had signed on the dotted line for 2 suits, 5 pairs of pants, 5 dress shirts and 5 ties! Now you see the need for the fourth suitcase.

The experience at the tailor felt very special. You'd pick out your pattern and then your fabric.

There were 2 whole floors of fabric to choose from. Then you were measured and your clothing was cut and sewn within a matter of hours! Zippity-quick, I tell ya. That night or the next day tailors would bring the freshly cut garments to the hotel for a fitting. While I don't have the money or the closets of celebrities, I did feel like one when the tailors would make a special visit to my room for a fitting!

The whole vacation was very special. This was just the beginning.  More to come on the Thai adventure.

Day One: The Journey to the Far East

I wouldn't normally write a post about a plane ride, but there are some very interesting things that happened that I would like to document.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I was really anxious about flying for 24 hours. I had no idea what I was going to do for that long and feared that I might get antsy and claustrophobic. I packed all of these activities to keep me occupied and I must say I did not touch one of them! I was plenty occupied by 4 movies, 3 meals and some sleeping. Before I knew it, we had landed in Tokyo.

Our plane from DC to Tokyo was unlike any one I had flown on during my many trips. It was a 777 with close to 400 passengers. There was not an empty seat to be found. The business class seats (which we did not have on this leg) were interesting. Half of the seats faced forward toward the pilot like you would normally expect and the other half of the seats faced backward. It was a little strange.  At first, I thought it would make me sick to ride backwards on a plane for 13 hours, so I was thankful that we didn't have those seats. But, on the flight from Tokyo to Bangkok where we were upgraded to business class, guess who had a "backwards" seat. That would be me!

The cockpit is actually at my back. It didn't make me sick, though. My seat unfolded into a bed, so I just kicked back and went to sleep. Sadly, I was so full from the crappy airplane food in coach that when the good stuff came in business class, I wasn't even hungry! My dad was happy because he got two meals.

Speaking of my dad, this was his seat on our first flight.  There is no seat in front of him. He said he wanted legroom and the man got legroom. Everyone around us was commenting that we have never seen a seat like that on a plane! It's great if you have super long legs because you can stretch out to your heart's desire.

Being on the initial flight for 14 hours meant lots of walking around to stretch and avoid blood clots. As I would pace from one end of the plane to the other, I noticed something. There were close to 400 people on our plane and only about 10 of them were women, including myself. Yes, really, only 10! It was strange. I felt like I was a part of some social science experiment. This number doesn't include the flight attendants, but still. It could be because we were going to Tokyo and a lot of businessmen fly to Asia for work matters. It could be because Thailand has an issue with prostitution and unfortunately, a lot of American men take advantage of this. I have no idea, but it was weird. The benefit of only 10 women was that there was rarely a line for the bathroom! HA!

Arriving in Bangkok was a little disorienting. Not only had we been flying for over 24 hours, we had trouble figuring out what time it was. We left DC at 12:00 in the afternoon on Saturday and arrived in Bangkok at midnight on Sunday. It was so confusing to think we had completely missed a day and in a few short minutes, Monday was upon us. After gathering our luggage and going through immigration, we set out for our hotel and arrived there around 2am on Monday morning. Let me tell you, I thought New York City was dubbed "The City That Never Sleeps", but I think Bangkok claims that title. At 2am on a Monday morning,  the streets were hoppin'! Street vendors were cooking, people were dancing and mingling in the streets. "Don't these people have to go to work in a few hours?!", I thought when I was admiring their energy.   Either way, I knew all the action was symbolic of the fact that we would have a fabulous time on this trip! And that we did.  Check back for more details on our first full day in the capital city.

Sawatdee Kah

Greetings from back home in the good 'ole US of A. I wasn't going to blog today because I got home at 4pm after literally traveling for 24 hours on a plane. Before my family and I made the journey to Thailand, the 24 hour flight seemed absolutely horrendous! I mean, really. But, once you get to the airport, you succumb to that fact that it will be a long journey, but the adventure that awaits will be unforgettable. This could not be closer to the truth. We endured cramped seats, lots of turbulence, a few unidentifiable airplane meals (You get fed constantly on such a long flight), but the last two weeks of my life have been absolutely incredible. Now I am tired. So tired. But, it is only 7pm and I need to stay up until at least 8pm to help ward off the jet-lag. Hence, the reason I am blogging right now.

Everyday of the trip, I turned to someone and said "I just don't know how I am going to blog about this. Every day is a new adventure, a different experience". After I sort through over a thousand photos and receive some photos from fellow members of my tour, I think I will blog each day of the trip separately. We'll see how it shakes out in the end, but that's the plan for now.

Since I am way too tired to upload a few of the photos and blog Day One of our adventure in Asia, I'll throw out a few teasers of what I will share about our trip. First, God is funny because one of the physical therapists for the Green Bay Packers was on my tour! What are the chances that I would be on a family vacation with a physical therapist?! Yes, my friend, Kathryn is one, so there is a slight chance, but Kathryn wouldn't come on our family vacation. Second, I have to describe some of the cultural differences: the bathrooms, the taxi drivers, the food, the prostitutes -- all have stories attached to them. Third, the highlights of the trip: elephants, tigers, boats, temples...I can't wait to share all of it with you. But, it may be a little while. There is so much to say I have to get it all together. This trip was truly an adventure from the very start!

I can't wait to share it with you after I get some sleep.

Bags are packed

When you book a trip for February in July it seems as if it will take forever to get here! Well, believe it or not, seven months have passed and tomorrow my parents and I embark on our adventure to Thailand! This trip has required much more preparation and planning than our past vacations. A trip to the International Travel Medicine clinic resulted in a typhoid shot and a terrifying briefing by a very passionate doctor who concluded her visit with "You will have a wonderful time". Ok, lady, now that you have told us we should only eat food served by people wearing gloves (What are the chances of that happening?) and that we might die if a mosquito bites us, sure we'll have a great time! Thhhhanks. After that visit, I frantically quizzed my friends who have been to Thailand about the thrills and the dangers. They all assured me that that lady was quite zealous and we really would have a wonderful time!

On Monday, we went to our primary care doctor to get our Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Tetanus shots. He filled prescriptions for malaria pills, Cipro, Zofran, and a patch that helps seasickness for my dad. We are a walking pharmacy, I tell ya! All of this is probably an act of over precaution, but considering a mosquito in Richmond will come and bite my dad and I in DC, better safe than sorry!

It was fun to pick out the clothes to take on the trip. Did I mention it is 95 degrees and sunny there right now?! My suitcase is jammed full of summer clothes in hues of orange, pink, and white. Sadly, I had to leave out the cute shoes. I won't be able to blend into the crowd because if you look at my feet, my tennis shoes and socks scream "tourist"!

Our ride will come at 8am tomorrow morning to take us to the airport. Our first flight from Dulles to Tokyo is 17.5 hours! Yes, you read that right. Seventeen-and-a-half hours. I am struggling to pack a bag for the plane. 2 books, 2 magazines, an iPod, an iPhone, a deck of cards, Soduku - iPod will probably die half way through the flight because the battery life is not that long --- and that is just the FIRST flight. We land in Tokyo, sit around there for 2 hours, and then board a second flight lasting 5.5 hours to our destination, Bangkok. I will probably be bored of all of the stuff I brought to do by our second flight, so maybe I can catch up on some movies I missed in the theaters. Don't even get me started on what to do on the return flights! Who the heck knows?! Any ideas?

In 18 hours, I will embark on the longest flight of my life for the biggest adventure of my life! I'll be tired, dirty, stiff, and probably a little heavier from all they will be feeding me. But, who cares! In this case, it's the destination, not the journey, that counts. I'm leaving behind freezing temperatures, traffic, and long days for heat, sun, elephant rides, long necked ladies, Buddhist temples, and amazing food! A 24 hour flight! Oh well. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Thirty IS Awesome!

Despite the fact that I had a little meltdown on the eve of my 30th birthday, those who had already entered this new decade assured me that your third decade is truly something special. I had agonized for months over what to do to mark such a milestone. A big party felt like 29 + 1 since my friend graciously threw me a fete last year. Instead of one big event, I decided to do something fun each day for a week. Stretching out the celebrations as much as possible seemed just right considering how much I love birthdays (mine and others)!

The celebrations kicked off with "Billy Elliott" at the Kennedy Center and then a delicious dinner at Filomena thanks to DC's Restaurant Week. The jury is still out on "Billy Elliott". This was the second time I have seen this play and it is just not high on my list. It was "good enough". Filomena, however, OH.MY.GOSH. Some angels came down from heaven and prepared that oooey, gooey delicious Italian feast! For those of you not in DC, if you ever find yourself here, make sure Georgetown and Filomena are on your list of highlights. Those of you who live here, run, do not walk to Filomena! You will be glad you ran because you need to burn some calories before sitting down to this meal. The best part is they give you so much food, you will be eating it for three days!  

My actual birthday was also the day I have Bible study. It was so special to have these girls over to celebrate the start of my new decade with me.

So thankful God brought these girls into my life

Cora's caramel cake. It tasted even better than it looks!

The day after my birthday, I spent the evening downtown watching my two schools, Richmond and GWU, battle it out on the hardwood.

My allegiance is to my undergrad alma mater. Too bad GWU wiped the floor with us. I couldn't let the birthday week end on a low note, so the celebrations continued when a few friends took me out to tea at the Ritz Carlton. It was fun and fancy. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

I didn't expect my parents to give me any gifts because we are leaving on Saturday for Thailand for two weeks. I just figured I would look for something there. Knowing my family and our love of birthdays, I should have known that they could not let the day go by without giving me a gift. After devouring these mini ice cream cakes (my favorite),

I opened some very special presents:

This was my grandma's. She died 6 years ago, but this will be a special piece forever.

My dad gave me this bracelet. I LOVE stars.

A pendant with elephants to commemorate our upcoming adventures in Thailand to tell me the trip is a GIFT!

The week was filled family, friends and fun.  If my birthday week is any indication of the year (and decade) to come, 30 IS somethin' special!

Faith and Patience

Praying sometimes feels like a one way conversation. I know God is there and listening, but I find it hard to hear Him speak back to me. It is entirely possible that I am too busy talking to take time to listen. It's also feasible that I run my mouth and then move onto the next thing completely missing what He has to say. Sometimes I wish God had Facebook, text messaging or gchat. I rarely miss a message there. But, at the same time, what does that say about me? I pay close attention to technology that often fails me and breeze by the Man who created me and loves me more than any of the people I technologically communicate with ever could.

This past month has been different, however. I hesitate to say I have been a better listener. I don't think I have been, but I have not been able to deny God's voice everyday so far. What does He say, you ask? It's a faint but audible whisper. "Faith and patience". I feel God whispering in my ear especially when the situations of the last month have seemed off-kilter or downright impossible. Everyday, I tell God that I don't understand. And, He constantly responds with the words "Faith and patience".

God, being the Man that He is, also knows that sometimes I need re-enforcements. So, what does He do? Put me in situations where I have to exercise faith and patience - situations where He can knock me on head with the message He wants to get through to me. Of course, I think this is rather comical because I feel like I practiced more than my share of patience during my recovery from surgery, but God obviously thinks I could benefit from more practice.

A couple of obvious examples come to mind. Lately, I haven't been able to sleep very well. I think a lot of it has to do with what is going on at work, so I wake up and daydream at night. (Is that really possible?) And, I just let my mind go. Over the last month, I have dreamed some seemingly impossible dreams. Dreams that I know only God can make come true. Even when my family and friends might dismiss my wild imagination,  God whispers those three pivotal words: faith and patience. With God all things are possible, so here's to those "radical dreams" coming true.

I haven't taken the opportunity to tell all of you that I am doing pretty well with my recovery. My canes are back as my main mode of transportation from here to there with the wheelchair trailing behind "just in case". For this, I am so thankful. (I leave for Thailand in 2.5 weeks so my mobility is particularly important) While I am able to hold my body up and put one foot in front of the other with little difficulty, my strength has still not returned 100%. This has become evident when I am working out with my trainer. Jon will ask me to do something that I have repeatedly done successfully before my surgery and I struggle at even the thought of attempting the exercise. After 45 minutes of exercise, I am panting, sweat drips down my face, and I am on verge of tears thanks to the physical, mental and emotional exhaustion of the workout. It's not attractive and has been a source of discouragement and loss of self-confidence. I get frustrated when I walk slower than a turtle without my canes from one side of the room to the other. Four months ago, I could have walked a whole block in Old Town in the amount of time it took me to get from point A to point B in the gym. There are times during the workout when I just want to collapse on the floor in a pool of tears and give up. But, I hear "faith and patience" and keep going despite the fact that a frustrated expression feels plastered on my face. Today was the first day I have made real noticeable progress, so God's three words to me are clearly at work.

I am confident that God is going to put me in more of these situations. A 24 hour flight to Thailand is an exercise in faith and patience if I've seen one! My hope is that I will continue to pay attention to that whisper. I've asked for an audible message for years, I've got one, and I better pay attention! And, while I had wished it would come in the form of email, Facebook, or gchat (silly, I know), God's voice in my ear is far better. I can hear it anywhere. I don't have to be connected to technology to receive the message.