A Visit from my Pops

So again, it's been a while. When asked by a friend at dinner why I'd dropped off so much with the blog writing, I realized that the reason is actually pretty simple- nothing really shocks me anymore. Experiences that would have seemed absurd only a year ago are now only mildly amusing, annoying, or downright typical. So maybe I find a cockroach so large that it must be on steroids in my shower. Or perhaps I count over twenty people in the back cab of a pick-up truck splashing other moving vehicles with ice cold water in honor of the nation-wide water fight that takes place every Thai New Year. Or I get stuck in a rain storm so intense that I'm convinced Global Warming is complete and the entire capacity of the polar ice caps are being dumped on me at that very moment. Uh, yeah... not really fazed by it anymore.

I've also realized that this acquired "un-fazeable-ness" is one of the great reasons to live abroad. I think of this as a life lesson in dealing with the strange/crappy/amazing things that will come in the future. All keeping a demeanor of complete calm (at least on the exterior.)

But enough ranting ... a few little updates for now:

My father came in February, and we had an amazing time travelling for over two weeks together. We first met in Hong Kong and stayed with his amazingly generous friends, Andrew and Judy Tucker, in a gorgeous apartment overlooking the whole city. The city was incredible- modern, sophisticated and RICH. You could almost smell the money that was being traded between the hands of Hong Kong businessmen. We also got a chance to see more "traditional" parts of the city, and even spent a day at the race tracks that Hong Kong is apparently famous for! Needless to say, our horses never won. But fun nonetheless. The only downside to the trip was the weather - in a city known for it's incredible skyline and peak-top views, we were totally sacked in by fog everyday. We even ventured up to the top of Victoria Peak, the highest point in the city, only to get a picture of us looking freezing and wet against a backdrop of pure white sky. Oh well.

After Hong Kong, we travelled to the Thai homeland, and got a short taste of Bangkok. We did the obligatory temple visits, travelling to a ancient temple-filled province outside BKK called Ayutthaya. But the real highlight of our Thailand stint was our trip to the South. We went to a province called Krabi, where we spent the day on white sand beaches on the mainland and an island called Koh Lanta(at times accompanied by a tropical cocktail or two.) We joined a kayaking tour, in which my dad scored major points as the oldest participant. We basked in the scorching Thai sun and soaked up every last morsel of relaxation that can only be achieved on a beach holiday. And we even met a nice British couple that were amused by my father's off-color jokes which were starting to wear thin on me after a couple of weeks together.

Overall, it was a fabulous visit with a fabulous man, and a great way to open my eyes once again to some of the ridiculous realities of life here. So although I'm not fazed by much anymore, it was still pretty fun to faze my dad by jumping on the back of a motorbike as we parted ways during the evenings. Some things never get old.