Where Upon One Journey Ends, Another Begins.

Once again, I find myself sitting before my macbook screen, absolutely beside myself concerning where all this time has been spent. Come tomorrow, I will have a final breakfast with my mom, who spent Christmas with me, and I will be accompanying her to the airport to catch her flight back to the Philippines. From that point I will catch a taxi to meet up with an acquaintance that I have never met in person before, and together we will journey far south- either by bus or train- to a broadly-determined region, in search for little more than something we have never yet encountered.

Where one journey ends, another begins.

Christmas went well for my mom and I. We took the graveyard train up to a very brisk Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second largest city, and spent three restful days at a heavenly guesthouse, fully enclosed within lush fruit trees, feathery lawns, and refreshingly crisp breezes.

While there, we did what one does when they visit Chiang Mai- journey through the old city, trample through the overgrowth ontop elephants, and meander through the many fascinating handiwork factories that align the export section of town (watching them extract silk thread from the silkworm’s cocoon was definitely a highlight!). It was a soothing respite for the both of us, and we were glad to have the time to catch up with one another, as we only see each other every one or two years.

But now I must be off to prepare the upcoming adventure. All I can explain beforehand is that other than determining to take a trip down to southern Thailand with a companion, I have left the next week as open and free as possible. At this point, we plan to hike through Koh Sok National Park in Southern Thailand, a savagely gorgeous region that is essentially untouched rain forest and currently in full bloom with Thai orchids that are “football-sized”, the largest in the world! After that, all I know is that classes start on the 4th.

Let the journey begin.