This is what goodbye looks like

my scrapbooked journal: now an inch thick with travel stories

traveller bands: the yellow stolen from southern belle Lucy, the pink and yellow made for me by girls at the orphanage, the white and red, some string I found on Mod's porch and fashioned into a band

the brown books: messages from everyone at foundation. We all wrote in each others and vowed not to read them until on the plane home. They have quotes from funny happenings here, contact details and just funny things to read. There are so many beautiful and hilarious messages in those pages, testimony to my amazing and hilarious new friends!

thank you cards: from kids at my last placement: a reminder of the children, the lessons, the songs, the games...

I want to say thank you, lastly to so many people- those who started this journey with me- who sponsored me to come out here and the teachers and friends who inspired me to travel. Those who listened to this blog which now has almost 1000 views, that's so cool to see, thank you! And to the wonderful volunteers and travellers who I shared this experiences with, thank you guys. This summer has gone beyond words (coming from someone who writes a lot...). Anyone on this webpage must fall into one of those three categories, so THANK YOU ALL!

Lastly, my wish for anyone reading this page is that they travel. If you can't get on a plane this summer, get a bus and see your own hometown- go to new coffee shops, talk to strangers, get involved in local culture be it temples, theatres or bookstores nearby. Go out and see the world (well, a bit of it...)

Above 1: A quote I found on the wall in Peace Bar (Chiang Rai) and loved instantly
Above 2: Playing my favourite game- how many people can you fit round a table in Doi Chaang

 

Until next time
"Goodbye"
Georgia <3

Mission Waterfall

Woke up around 10.30am, ate a pancake and then some of the others had already made plans and booked transport to take us to a waterfall. So there I was, drowning my pancake in honey to find plans already made for me! Perfect.

 

So, in the heat of mid day (33 degrees) and the humidity that comes with monsoon season, mountains and waterfalls we made the half an hour hike/trek to the enchanting waterfall in Chiang Rai.

 

Man, it was sweaty. And the altitude was HIGH. And the path is rocky (I mean boulders, not pebbles you had to watch your feet the whole walk). But when we reached the top-

Enchanting

*Insert Hallelujah chorus here*

I forgot my swimming costume. So, here I am, in my best dress, after swimming/frocking/posing/climbing the waterfall. That was fun. Imagine being so hot and so tired and so sweaty and then reaching a paradise. That was the best shower I’ve ever had.

Pre Weekend Adventures!

Not only did we make our driver make 3 detours on the way back from placement so we could stop at the Dam, White Temple (again) and a 7/11 but we also made him camera man, shouting the one phrase that seems to transcend language barriers “PHOTO! PHOTO!” at him at each location. This is group B at the Dam.

 

Note: These photos on this blog really aren't the best. But this isn't facebook and I'm here to see the world, not for the world to see me...

We also spend a couple of hours in what I guess the closest thing a tiny village in the mountains has to a pub- a shop that sells alcohol and has bamboo mats to sit on. As Lisa noted, playing Chinese whispers with 10 different accents is hilarious.

 

On Saturday morning a group of us went to the Orphanage for a few hours just to play with the kids. It’s so cute- when the Songtao pulls up outside the building the kids (knowing the songtao is full of young adult foreigners carrying baskets with toys and games) start screaming. As soon as I got out of the songtao one girl ran over and grabbed my hand and pulled me into the building. The same thing happened to Nicole and Tom. Aww.

 

The kids were so sweet. I don’t know what I was expecting, I knew modern day orphanages aren’t like ‘Annie’ or workhouse style ‘Oliver!’ full of skinny, depressed children. It was also a great excuse to act like a kid- teaching the Hokey Pokey, making bracelets and “What’s the time Mr Wolf?” (in my lessons yesterday teaching ‘Time’ to Grade 3 we played “What’s the time Mr Snake” as I thought it was more culturally appropriate, paha.

This photo shows the gorgeous views and dust cloud experience of song tao travel (well, the romantic view. Others see it as dirt track riding down potholes without seatbelts or air conditioning…)