Mixed emotions...and a bit of sunshine in Thailand!

We have finally enjoyed a bit of sunshine in Thailand! Although the forecast called for "torrential downpours"....we have had some sunshine the last two days. We were both very excited- not only for some beach time- but also because Marissa only had a week in Thailand and who wants to sit in the rain?! Thailand is wonderful....relaxing....clean...beautiful and filled with SO many smiley people! We can eat anything we want and not worry about getting sick (knock-on-wood)....I am thoroughly enjoying the relaxing time!

We had a wonderful time while Marissa visited- she left today. It was great to throw someone new in the mix after being gone for 12 weeks and she always makes all situations more fun. We have been on Surin beach (a great beach town) and staying in the most friendly place. We call the owner "mama"- well, not to her face- but we refer to 'mama'- who basically runs the whole show,while sitting at the bar eating mass amounts of Thai food. I'm not joking, every time we come downstairs she is eating. She is the happiest person and was even happy to take us on her errand run yesterday to help us find a bookstore.

While Marissa was here we also got a Thai massage, which wasn't the most relaxing experience- but I'm glad we did it. I basically couldn't stop giggling the whole time and it didn't help that the woman was standing on my back trying to contort my body into strange positions. Of course the three of us are lying on mats right next to each other, which also didn't help my laughter.

We have 7 days left of traveling. Being done traveling after a 3 month trip comes with very mixed emotions. From moment to moment, my emotions range from being very excited to be home to staring out at the beach in Thailand-feeling lucky! A friend gave me the advice to "not let your head go home before the plane leaves"- and I'm trying to remember that. I know that once I'm back for several days, I will miss the routine of traveling. Ang and I have become very used to packing/unpacking/negotiating/admiring and enjoying our travel life. But traveling in India rocked me and challenged my view of the world- it challenged me in ways that will probably slowly be discovered and part of me is ready to be home and enjoy the comforts we are all so lucky to have.

Tomorrow we are taking a boat to Ko Phi Phi island and will be there for several days.

Additional random information:

• Since the beginning of the trip Ang has been obsessing about when she can start to get rid of clothes and other items. Her whole goal was to take items to India that she would never have to wear again. She has talked about this so often that I finally had to break it to her that I couldn't go through the list of what she will leave in Delhi one more time.  In theory, this obsession is related to making her backpack lighter. However, it is getting to the point where she has talked about giving away everything except for one shirt and the pants she will wear on the plane. You should have seen her excitement when she could finally leave her running shoes behind. She suggested a celebration ceremony. Our backpacks are getting lighter and we are finally down to flip flops and sundresses!
• We got upgraded to Business Class from Delhi to Bangkok....it was awesome! The seats go flat, movies galore.....we are both hoping for an upgrade on our long flight home.