Homeward Bound pt. 2

Dear Reader,

I survived the wait in Dar without having to go back outside for a drink.  I was disappointed when I realised the price of Tanzanite in the duty free shops was almost double the cost in Moshi. Good thing I'm  going  back to Moshi (smile).  I saw a cute Tanzania tank top, typical tourist wear, which I figured would be a nice article of clothing to remind me of my time here.  It was $30... as in US dollars.  I probably wouldn't have paid Tsh 30,000  for it on the street so I had to walk away from that.  I have many memories that I'm positive will last a lifetime so ridiculously overpriced tourist trap, you may keep your shirt!
The flight to Dubai went faster than expected. After some rest and a refreshing shower I'm ready for my day of wandering around the Dubai International Airport. Maybe I'll find a camel for Baby Oz... it is Hump Day after all!

The Chunder Bag - 06/08

Last night I met my friend Neka in Dar es Salaam. This morning we were scheduled to fly into Ruaha National Park for our first safari. The flight was delayed and when we finally took off I wasn't as nervous as I expected to be.  The flight was going to take us group by group to the different parks. I was unaware of this arrangement.
For the first two stops I was alright but by the third stop I was not feeling good at all and wondering what I was going to do as I didn't have any plastic bags. Thankfully there were some bags in the seat pocket labelled "The Chunder Bag" in English and "Mifuko ya kutupikia" in Swahili which apparently means "vomiting bag".
I used all three and was feeling less than fine when we landed in Ruaha. I wanted to cry when Doto, our driver, said we'd be going on safari before heading to the camp. I wanted to go to bed!
The drive was good though- saw a few elephants and lots of Maasai giraffe.
The lodge is breathtaking.  Our banda  (room) is quite impressive. Minus the unwanted guest - two geckos that Neka has named Tim and Albert, I have no complaints. I'll be sure to post pictures at some point.

{{photo to follow}}

Here

On our descent for landing I admired how all I could see was grass and trees. So simple yet so beautiful. I thought to myself that I've never seen anything quite like it and a smile grew across my face as I realised - I haven't set for on this continent before; Welcome to Africa!

Safe and Sound

After almost 24 hours of traveling I've settled into the Home Base in Moshi, Tanzania. It's one of those places off the beaten track you'd never randomly decide to come for vacation but already I think I'm going to love it here - provided the mosquitos and lizards leave me alone!
I had a short tour of the main parts of the house, claimed my bunk and unpacked some of my belongings. I've met two roommates so far.
It's almost time for dinner then I'm going to try and have an early night so I can be rested for tomorrow morning.  We gave breakfast at 8:00am followed by orientation.
I look forward to sharing more information with you tomorrow! 

Off I go!

At 12:48pm Bermuda time my flight pulled away from the gate at JFK. We were scheduled to leave at 11:15am NYC time (12:15 Bda time) but apparently the aircraft was late arriving into JFK. I was tired for some reason, which may work out because it's currently 6:50pm Tanzania time.  After I eat and take my malaria tablets I should be able to sleep. 
Back to the flight business- this time I'm traveling on Qatar Airlines for my first time.  One of these days I'll be able to fly in luxury with those enviable bed seats but for now I'm in economy class with the normal folk ☺. I was not thrilled to see that I somehow had a middle seat (aka the worst seat ever for solo travel) but thankfully the window seat was empty so I shuffled over when the cabin doors closed, giving myself plenty of leg room.  My compression socks are on,  Swahili learning app and dictionary ready to go and I have no shortage of snacks thanks to my dear friend, Danielle!
Well, we're in the air now, I've chosen my first movie and soon it will be time for lunch/dinner. Here's to a smooth and safe flight!

In-flight Update

My watch says 6:10pm, which means it's ten minutes past midnight in Tanzania. I was sleeping.  But as you can tell, now I'm not.  😕
The reason being there are some cute little children two rows ahead who have NO IDEA that we're meant to be sleeping right now.  I wish their parents would clue them in on why it's so dark and why the flight attendants have asked them to leave their window shades closed (more than once).
On the upside, they really seem to be enjoying the flight.
Alright, I'm going to try for more sleep. Oh, wait!  I meant to tell you, I'm currently somewhere over England. Shout out to my family across the pond!  🇬🇧 👋 Hiiiii guyssss, love you!  😘

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Today I slept  in and took some time to relax.  The group had planned to head out early to see a certain temple but I  had decided last night that I was not going to go with them. 
There were a few reasons for my choice. The first and a very important fact for you to remember my dear reader is that I am NOT a morning person.  Waking up early is never my first option. Another reason was that I wanted to spend some time alone. I chose to come on this trip on my own and even though I suggested to a few friends that they accompany me, I'm actually quite okay with traveling solo. 
I think that traveling alone gives you time to think, reflect and get to know yourself a little better each time.  You might think that sounds silly and that's okay. My guess is that if you do, you might be one of my students reading this blog.  Don't you worry, my little love bug.  You'll get it when you're older. 
Now off I go to wander the streets of Chiang Mai!

Jet Set ~ Air Asia

This evening I'm flying out with a group of five other volunteers to Chiang Mai. Adventure awaits!

The Kingdom of Thailand

Today we had a crash course in the history and geography of Thailand.  We also learned about some cultural norms, which I was already well aware of thanks to my pre-reading. I'm so proud to be a nerd!

We had our first official Thai language lessons this afternoon.  Slow and steady are definitely the key to participating in this race!  The importance of intonation, rolling of "r"s and new letter combinations are proving to be a challenge.  Don't you worry, Reader- quitting isn't my style!


To familiarise ourselves with the neighbourhood we were randomly spilt into teams and sent out on a Scavenger Hunt.  It was hot but fun.  One of my team members is here with her son.  This is their fifth CCS trip together.  I think that is amazing!  I'd love to make this into a family trip. I've already tried to recruit some of my teacher friends as well.  I sincerely hope this is the first of many CCS programmes for me.
After working hard all day, a group of us headed out to the Night Market after dinner.  Obviously I'm tired because amazing is the only adjective that comes to mind!  I didn't make it through half of the market but here were my favourites:
The clothing - elephant pants galore! Can one ever have too many elephant pants? I'm sure we'll find out.

The gifts - I had to remind myself that the purpose of this trip is not shopping. Even though I saw gifts for almost everyone, I am here to assist the students in Thailand, not the economy.

The ice cream - need I say more? I'm also happy to report that Allison, one of my roommates is a sweet lover as well. We went separate ways at the market but both of us chose the same ice cream spot before we left for the night.

The fish spa! - Tiny little doctor fish cleaning away dead skin for a truly natural pedicure. I first saw this in Europe but have never tried it until now. I had a 15 minute treatment in a private tank for less than $5 US dollars.  It was an interesting experience to say the least.  I would suggest trying it. If you can get past the creepy factor it is pretty cool.

Overall it was a informative day followed by a pleasant night out with the group. So far, so good in Thailand!

Sawatdee, Bangkok!

What a journey!  After a total of just over 18 hours of flying I finally landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport. When I stepped off the plane I was pleased to find that the atmosphere wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Yes, it was hot and humid but not suffocating. Of course the fact that it was after 10:00pm might have had something to do with it! We caught a bus from the plane to the terminal where I was greeted by another pleasant surprise; Delta had an agent waiting to assist me with my bags.  Yay for Delta! The previous airline I used to fly from Bermuda to New York was not as helpful but that's not important right now. 
With my Delta agent leading the way (I refused the wheelchair), I breezed through customs. Once my Delta agent collected my checked bag and set me up with a trolley Amanda and I headed out to arrivals to meet our host. We exchanged US dollars for Thai baht along the way.  I saw an unlimited Internet sim card but the line was pretty long so I decided to try and find something closer to "home" tomorrow.  
We had about an hour wait before the rest of the volunteers arrived. We had just finished introducing ourselves when our hosts and one of the other volunteers arrived.  Our now party of 13 headed out to the vans.  I wish I could tell you how in awe I was at the sights of Bangkok on our drive but the reality is it was dark and I was in and out of sleep.  We arrived at the home base around 12:30am and were given our room assignments (more on my roomies to come later).  We unpacked, showered and after giving up on the WiFi I crawled into bed around 2:00am. I'm officially busted. Early morning tomorrow so I'm going to call it a night now! 

Tired in Tokyo

After over 12 hours of flying I was thankful to land safely in Tokyo. The airport was like no other I've ever seen- considering its size it is very quiet, clean and unhurried. As we peacefully made our way from the plane to customs I noticed a young lady who appeared to be traveling alone like me.  I was wondering if she could be a fellow CCS volunteer as I was informed I wouldn't be alone on my flight from Tokyo to Bangkok. While I was debating whether to say something she asked the Delta agent which way to the Thailand flight. It had to be her!  I followed the directions given and hesitantly called her name.  I'm pleased to say I was correct and we ended up walking around the airport for a bit.  Her name is Amanda and she'll be volunteering in a daycare for two weeks.  Like me this is her first time volunteering with CCS and she came with protein bars too. We made our way back to the gate to wait for the plane.
After what was possibly the longest three hours of my life we are finally getting ready to board the last flight. 
Despite my best efforts my body is not convinced that it is 5:15pm. My red eyes are proof that my body thinks it is 5:15am. Six more hours of flying - I can do this! Bring on Bangkok!

Lessons after Laparoscopy

When you wake up from sleeping on a long flight, your first reaction might be to stretch. Well my dear reader, I am here to tell you that if you've recently had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy AVOID THE URGE!! Nobody told me that.  Now I sit here in slight pain (about 3/4 on the pain scale) and feeling irritated with myself.  I haven't been able to stretch for the past three weeks, why did I decide to try today?
I'm going to say that it must have had something to do with the fact that sleeping in a reclined airplane seat, even though it has that glorious extra comfort space, is nothing like sleeping in my own bed with my amazing post-surgery full body pillow.  Anyway, here I sit.  Thinking it might not have been a bad idea to spend the $12 the airport convenience store wanted for Tylenol... alas, I didn't. So for now I'll have to see how it goes.

The journey begins!

At 12:15pm Bermuda time I boarded my first flight of the day! I met a very nice couple who assisted me with my overhead carry-on since I'm still under doctor's orders not to lift over 10 lbs (more on these orders to follow).
Originally from the Philippines and now living in Atlanta, the couple is headed to Manila for business after which they are deciding between a vacation in Europe or the Caribbean. Being an Unofficial Bermuda Embassador, I whipped out my handy Bermuda cards and showed them how close and convenient travel is to Bermuda from Atlanta. I've given out six cards since I left Bermuda yesterday afternoon; if teaching doesn't work out maybe I should work for Department of Tourism!
My Kindle is charged with plenty of reading options ranging from "Do's and Don'ts in Thailand" to a book on teaching English as a Second Language  (ESL) and of course the many James Patterson books I didn't make time for during the school year.  For the paperback lover in me, I have my Thai language workbook.
Being a music lover my iPod is also charged and ready to entertain me with a wide range of genres to meet my eclectic taste.  I think I'm set!
So let the travel timer begin as I officially embark on my journey to Thailand, with love.