About two weeks ago was my 22nd birthday. Given
my previous sporadic blog posting, I know that updating on events after that
length of time is not necessarily uncommon for me. However, within the last two
weeks so much has happened that time seems to have snuck away from me more so
than normal. A one-night birthday trip to Ao Nang ended as a 10-day adventure!
Upon returning, I found out I have been working illegally for the past month
and that my visa is being reported to Immigration…. Let’s backtrack a little to
how this all started.
I am a June baby meaning my birthdays are normally ones of
sunshine and warmth. This year was my first international celebration. Work
gave me the day off and so I had the freedom to do whatever my heart desired.
Therefore, I rented a moped for the first time since in Thailand. A new friend
by the name of Shelly was visiting from Canada and also had no plans for the
day so we paired up to tackle adventure. The original plan was to play with
some tigers, get some lunch and then receive a Thai massage from one of the
prisoners at the Phuket Prison (because that’s a thing here). Our day started off well enough and
typical of two North American female tourists. Got the bike, got lost, got
coffee, got lost again, you know… normal. The amusing fact was the entire day
ended up being an absolute downpour of rain. This was Mother Nature taking a
water gun and aiming straight for our little motorbike. Since the day had been
sunny when I first rented the bike, neither of us had any waterproof
protection. At one point, a truck snuck up behind our bike and passed us
through a miniature lake that had formed in the middle of the road and
ultimately drenching us in street water. We both started laughing hysterically
because the only comparison to the feeling was being on Splash Mountain and
getting nailed at the slide. A small, old Thai women drove by on her moped
(while wearing a poncho to protect from rain) and was just smiling and pointed
to us saying only one word: “Wet” and then drove off, still smiling and
laughing.
Finally, after our day continued like such for several
hours, we reached the Tiger Kingdom! We paid full amount to play with both the
smallest and the biggest tiger possible. Shelly was a little timid and nervous
while I was in absolute heaven.
*A small confession; a few years ago I researched the
requirements for owning a Tiger in America. Let’s just say it was out of my
reach at the time, but I am simply obsessed with these creatures.
The paws were the size of my full hand from wrist to
fingertip and lifting the tail felt like doing dumbbell weights. The tigers
were so majestic and beautiful; I was simply in awe.
Between the rain and the ability of myself to get so easily
lost, we were unable to do the Prison Massages, but it is still on my list
before I leave. The night consisted of a few new friends coming over for dinner
and I made good ol’ fashion Mac & Cheese! Matt and Shelly were adorable and
surprised me with a birthday cake, candle and all, and everyone sang me Happy
Birthday! The night ended with the group going to Patong and having several
drinks which lead to dancing, laughing and pancake eating. For my first
international birthday, I am fully satisfied and thankful for all the people that
shared it with me
Now, I could continue to tell you all about my incredible
adventure the next day, or about Ton Sai rock climbing, or how I’m an illegal
work immigrant… but where is the fun in telling the whole story at once! I’ll
post Part Two next week so stay tuned….
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