What a wonderful first day at Massage School, i recoment Sunshine School of massage if anyones in Cahing Mai and have a couple weeks to learn a great skill. Our teachers name is Mint and she is adorable yet fierce. My other classmates are fun and great to talk to. There are four of us in total. A man from Southern France, Portugal and a woman from Germany. all of them have many stories to share and travels under there belts. Today we learnd feet and energy maridian of the legs. It takes some getting used to and is hard! I am always reminded to keep my back straight because you can get sore after awhile and you have the most power that way. I changed to a guest house that is really very nice for around the same price of the hostel and much closer to the school. I have a fridge and lost of shelves, it will be my home for the next two weeks and it feels great to be able to unpack and have some space. Its strange but i am still scared of the dark a little ( i know im old) i feel so much better walking by myself on the street or encountering strangers then i do sometimes trying to fall asleep. Guess thats a silly fear that wont go away with the chagne of a country! Easter came and went and I had bearly an idea! i wonder if Haloween and the Holiday season will be the same.. prob not, ill set up a little banna tree in my room in Neapl.

Wade went with Ryan to Pai and I know they are having an amazig time, he will have his own adventured to tell soon enough!

Happy Easter!

Thailand(BKK) Chaing Mai

Alright, so i met Wade at the skytrain after some miscommunication but we found each other. he wasn't able to get a Thai phone so i pretty much have him on a leash ;) Because of Songcran (the thi New Year water festival) all the hostels were full. So we drank and snuck me into his where we did some moving around and I was able to find a bed. It was a dutch hostel so everyone spoke mostly dutch ut knew english and spoke for our and our Canidan friend, Shaine's, benifit. they taught us some card drinking games that Im excited to bring home. Similar to kings cup but a little better and way less nasty. The next day we took a sleeper train to Chaing Mai. the train didn't leave until 6pm so we hug out in the station allot and avoided the streets. The Water festival is pretty much the biggest water fight in the world. every one runs around with super soakers and hoses and just sprays EVERYONE. sticks mud on your face and gets drunk. We wern't to down to be soaked on the train so we hid. I thought that I would arrive with enough time to catch the last days as everyone said it went through the weekend. I missed it however and im really bummed. Looked like loads of fun. People were spraying monks and little kids would do drive by shooting on the back of motorcycles. SO cute ut got a little old after you just get dry. the sleep train was rad, a bed that folds down and was very cozy, though a little pricy and i think we will opt for the less expensive and wayy less luxorious bus option when we go elsewhere.
Arrived in Chaing Mai around7 am a toal of 14 hours on the train. We booked a hostel online and it turns out its pretty much the best thing in Cahing Mai. A Little Bird Guest House is filled with awesome travelers with wonderful stories. its a great place to meet people and plan other trips. Hearing all the stories from others just makes me want to travel more. I dont think i ever want to come home!
Wade is having a time adjusting, though i have so much faith that he will rise to the challenge once he gets a handle on things in a week or two. Traveling is deff harder for some people then others, i used to think that everyone should do it (and they should!) but some i think get used to the experience faster. Its super crazing not being able to speak the language, and even just the street food is an out of wold experience in itself. You have to watch where you step as to not get run over and people will try to take advantage of you as much as possible. Im used to this a little because i lived in SF for a tad bit and cities dont scare me as much.
WE went Bunge Jumping yesterday which was awesome. 50 Meters which i think translates to around 160+ feet. you stand on this little platform with a rope straped around your legs and you just have to trust it'll catch you. It was pretty funny seeing huge british guys take 5 min at the top to get the balls to go. Honestly thats so much harder then if you just do it and dont't think as much. Once you get in your head its allot harder to talk yourself into it. You stomech just flip flops when you jump and the ground get closer then the bunge sets in and back up you go! Then you just kinda bounce around for a little bit till they decide to take you down.
Meeting loads of awesoem people. I start Massage school on Monday, so im sure exactly what Wade will do till them. Our friend Ryan is renting a motor bike and going to Pai. Whcih is a smaller version of Cahing Mai and a mekka of amazing travelers. I think it will be very good for him to take off for a bit and learn how to navigate by himself and with someone that isn't me. We will need to do a visa run soon and i hop i can fit it into the weekend i have off with School.
keep me in mind for a massage when i get back, ill have to work my ass off to make South America happen after a few months of being home. I can't image being in the states for a long period of time right now!

Cheers!

Kate: playing catch up!

Well its been awhile and i have done and experienced much since first arriving in Kathmandu.  The trek was amazing, as any group journies there were up and downs but mostly ups. WE hicked for 6 days, climing to 15000 ft ultimately.  It rained allot and there were pleanty of leeches to make me a little crazy.  It was actully perfect hiking weather as heat makes everything way more difficult.  Besides the rain and hail, which was only in small amounts, i had a great time and bonded with some really incredible people. Gram was deff the one i chilled with the most. a a16year old from Minnisoda who knows whats up.  He kept me sane as most of the group was much older.  though Sarah was pretty bad ass as well.  After the trek we traveled to Phukaharat to chill with hot showers for a night, that came as a relief! then off to Lumbini where we saw Buddahas birth place.  It was super touristy and i got sick of temples after 6 hours of getting on a bus getting off, hearing the story and buddahs birth, taking photos, seeing gold shit and getting back on the bus to do it all over again. Got a little over whelming. My hgh light was seeing some super cute Nepali childern tryin to break dance and showing them a few (super rusty!) moves.  they were impressed none-the less. Its been so long im trying to remember all that we did!
We traveled to a small village that is apart of a non-profit that is towards a better future in Neapl. Basically makes sure they are clean and provides medical assistance. What a huge welcom we recieved! Got off the bus and was met by a parade and was given the red dots on our heads as sign of celebration and respect. We had a good old dance party then stayed the night with a local village family.  The story of our family was kind of sad.  five daughters and a wife were abandoned by there father how went to Kathmandu to get re-married and now has 4 sons.  There were still photos of him in the house in his police uniform. PIG! The dsughter has originally wanted to be a nurse but now with there financial situation she will prob just have to get married. on the up side they had super cute baby goats.
Then we traveled to Chitwan where we stayed at Takurs (our fathiful guide and friend) house for lunch.  Then off to see Everest Learning Acadamy, the shcool i will be teaching at for 6 months after Thailand.  I can teach the kids theater and art and help the teachers with English. IM SO EXCITED! Nepali children are so cute and very respectful.  They clamor at learning because its such a privlidge.  I will tell more about the school and my wonderful Nepali family im staying with when i return there.

We went a safari in Chitwan and saw  a rino that almost charged us!  They are very territorial, stupid, blind, and dangerous! Im glad our guides knew what to do to scare it off or we might have been impailed. 
blah blah blah went bak to Kathmandu blah said good bye to sister and parents
Traveled BACK to Chitwan, an 8 hour drive,  with Dr. T to be trained a little and check out the school more. Met my wonderful host family, Ananda and his wife Pramilla are around my age, Ama and Grandma, and Joti, Takurs nice who is studying at ELA and staying there.  They are all super lovely and i cant wait to live and love them. joti taught me some new games and we drawed together.

Went to look at a property with Dr. T he wants to build an orphanage on, really long off road journy that almost made me car sick and was not good for his bad back.  (a tuk tuk driver stole Mayraves camers, shes blind and from israel and super bad ass, so he found they guy and shook him to get it back but hurt his back :() SO then i went to Thailand to meet wade. Which i am too tired to blog about now.  we have been in Chaing Mai for about a week and start massage shcool on monday.

CHEERS

A China Town Night

They had some wild music going on and I still don't know what to think.

BTW... Those people where sitting in a busy street... Note the empty chair on the left.

How I miss California Pedestrian Laws.

Welcome to China Town.

Crazed as ever.

So neat I just don't know what to do.

Best chinese food ever and for only about 100 baht.

It sort of reminds me of the disny land castle.

I'm told there is a solid gold Buddaha in there somewhere.

I was confused too.

Trucks, Water, Golden Arches.