boracay: this is our last goodbye

I finally finished editing Boracay photos. I'm letting go of actually putting together any kind of real informational post in regards to Boracay. just. ain't. gonna. happen. so... here's a lovely little mish-mosh of our last night and morning on the island. [I still can't get over how gorgeous that beach is.]

today I am letting go of the blog every day in may challenge. I am letting go of thinking that I will blog frequently or consistently for the next six months. and I am letting go of caring about that. or at least trying to.

the next few months are going to be hectic. getting our house in order. visitors coming to visit. traveling in Taiwan. traveling elsewhere in the world. training for a ten mile race. inconsistent internet access.

I hate to be cryptic but I have something big coming up this summer. I feel like I have to share it, eventually. but right now I'm not really into announcing it to the general populace. [hint: it's not a baby] I make no promises as to when I'll get around to writing about everything, but by fall there will sure be plenty to write about.

so please, stick around.

[and maybe listen to a little Jeff Buckley]

sorry, I'm not sorry

dear readers:

I'm sorry that I haven't finished editing pictures of Boracay yet. and that it's been... almost 4 months. actually, I'm more sorry that I'm not sitting on the beach right now. [and I'm sorry that you aren't with me.] I'm sorry that this is going to be a random post and the best I could do to save it was to drop in pictures from vacation.

I'm sorry I've been absent from blogging this past week. [and instagram, now that I think about it.] I'm sorry that you've missed out on the thrilling bits of wisdom I was sure to drop you... likely involving advice on how to travel without being a tourist [but kindof being a tourist anyway], or the worst interview question I was ever asked [if you could be a piece of furniture, what would you be?], or just random facts about myself [such as: did you know my hair is curly?] right. [this post is shaping up to be awesome already, isn't it?]

I'm sorry to throw you a shameless self-promotion and say you should review my blog on expats blog. and then check out the other 1,674 expat blogs from around the world. holy cow, there are some amazing people out there living some amazing lives.

I'm sorry to the adorable Allison that I probably won't ever get around to writing the post she nominated me for, but appreciate it anyway. in fact, I'm sorry to all of you who have commented or emailed and I've missed. and to all the new readers whose blogs I haven't checked out yet... sorry.

I'm sorry I switch around bits and pieces of my blog design every so often [and sometimes the whole thing!] and make it confusing. I'm sorry that changing to using Disqus for comments means you have to sign into twitter or google or facebook or make a disqus account. and I'm sorry that in all probability I will change back to blogger comments if I feel it's not working out. [or if you voice your opinion to me that you feel it's not working out.]

I'm sorry I have yet to inform you about the two cobras that are slithering around our school's campus. that's right. cobras. Husband came home last week with a flyer that said two cobras were spotted, but failed to be caught, so we should be careful when walking around campus and stay away from grassy areas. especially at night. [anyone remember the cobra escape from the Bronx zoo and the hilarious fake twitter account?] I'm trying to find amusement in the situation while exercising caution. and trying not to be more than slightly terrified. don't worry, I checked in our dirty laundry pile. no cobras there.

I'm sorry that I've missed out on writing and linking up and exploring more than half of the blog every day in may prompts. but... not really that sorry. because I'll never be the girl who consistently blogs every day and I while I love new readers and visitors and comments and pageviews I refuse to make this blog about that. I'm not really that sorry, because I've been out living life. scooting to Nanliou to see the Taiwan straight and eating pizza when I probably shouldn't. I've been making summer plans and evading cobras and beating Husband at canasta. [ok, he's won more games than I have.] I've been going out for girls nights and double dates and trying to embrace my natural hair texture. and instead of chaining myself to my computer I've spent time walking or sunning or reading or writing or doing whatever I please. because if I don't ever get out and live a little life, what on earth would I write about?

so... sorry, but I'm not that sorry. xo

boracay: ten words or less

ten words about the beach in Boracay: a blue paradise where I could gladly spend my life.

ten more words: so beautiful, so relaxing... can we go back now, please?

and ten more: yes I do feel a little weird about swimsuit photos.

I missed a few days of the blog every day in may challenge. I've been subbing this week, and will be subbing next week too. so let's be honest... I'll probably miss a few more. but I'm ok with that. today's prompt is to sell yourself in ten words or less. well, here's my ten word take on that:

I'm a complicated woman, and ten words aren't nearly enough.

brevity isn't really my thing. or hadn't you noticed?

sunchild, burning bright

// walking the beach in boracay

I've always been a creature of the sun. reading, running, walking, even just sitting in the sun for a few moments cheers me up. I think there's some truth to the sun's rays causing happy chemicals and endorphins and whatnot. I don't really need to know the science. I just know it works for me.

it's been rainy and grey more often than not these past few weeks. we're entering the rainy season soon. but today? today is beautiful and bright. so I'm off to soak up some warmth while I can.

railay: the last sunset

tragedies happen, life goes on. dogs are walked. words are written. photos are edited.

these are the last of my Thailand photos: our last night in Railay. we spent the afternoon drinking at the pool and playing cards, but managed to hit the beach for dinner and sunset. the tide was low and the crowd was out in full force. there were kids playing soccer and some guys doing what must have been a muy thai kickboxing demonstration? it looked like dancing and fighting at the same time. sadly, no pictures of that. but we have sunset and longtail boats aplenty...

to be honest, the sunset was a little lame and my pictures went a little wacky. but we sure had a blast running around the shallows and hopping onto boats.

Railay, you were wonderful. relaxing, tasty, and full of adventure. I can't wait to go back...

railay: the lagoon. almost.

there is a lot of great rock climbing to be done in Railay. the trail that Husband and I took to find the lagoon [rumored to be hidden somewhere in the jungle] involved more rock climbing than we anticipated. it may not have been the best idea I ever had to go through with it. being, as I was then, a girl who was recovering from a scooter crash related knee injury and hadn't really worked out in 6 months. but, we did.

I should also mention that in the interest of saving space while packing [and in an attempt to be realistic- really, like I was going to start working out again while on vacation?] I left my nikes and workout gear at home. so I ended up doing this climb in flip flops, a bathing suit, and jean shorts. oh. and with a DSLR slung around my neck. when I make a bad decision, I really just go all in.

the hike/climb involves going up a steep, rocky incline with the aid of some ropes. and then to get to the lagoon you have to go down again. a few times. we made it down two levels before we decided to call it quits. we could see the lagoon [pictured above. kindof.] but we could also see that the next stretch of rock was completely vertical and had no ropes. and that there was at least 2 more drops after that.

I really wanted to climb all the way down. we could see it. it was so close. and we had already come all that way... but we decided that we wouldn't go any further, for fear of not being strong enough to get back up. it was really tough for me to give up and climb back. I'm stubborn. and I don't like not being able to do things. but it also was probably a really good decision not to get us stranded out in the jungle with no cell phone and no one knowing where we were.

I would love to say we made it all the way to the lagoon. but we didn't, and that's ok. looking back it seems pretty impressive that we made it as far as we did. and since we've been home I've been working on building my strength back up... because there's always next time.

railay: monkey business

we spotted our first monkey less than 5 minutes after arriving on Railay Beach. a pack of them ran across the trail we were on, headed to the hotel. another gaggle of tourists was snapping pictures and oohing and ahhing over how cute they were... until one snagged the banana right out of her hand.

I laughed when I saw the sign on our balcony door, thinking it was a funny way to let guests know they had to keep the monkeys out of the room. not thinking the monkeys would actually break into the bar. I was wrong.

we heard the shouts of an angry Thai woman before we spotted this guy scampering along the edge of a wall. seems he had stolen her orange soda before she even had a chance to open it.

one afternoon I came back up to the room to grab some more sunscreen for the pool, and I heard some interesting noises coming from the room next door. I though the French couple next to us was just having a fight, but there weren't any shouts to go along with what sounded like chairs and such being knocked over. I peeked out on the balcony and sure enough, it was a pack of monkeys.

one was sitting on the railing [you can kindof see] chowing down on a bag of nuts, while two more were on the roof ledge wrestling open a can of pringles.

it was one of those moments where you grab your camera and just start shooting, not stopping to think. apparently I had left the settings on manual from the night before [instead of switching back to Av], and the bright sunlight left me with nothing but this. or maybe it was the monkeys?

railay: one night on the west beach

welcome to Railay, a little slice of heaven on the Andaman Sea. this is the west beach: our arrival, and our first night there.

I think it says a lot that to even get to Railay you have to ditch your shoes, hike up your skirts, and put your faith in a guy with an 8-foot-long outboard motor. this is not a fancy place. beautiful, yes, but in a very laid back way. you have to just go with it. you will get wet + sandy on your way to Railay. there's no way around it, literally. even though Railay is a peninsula [not an island] thanks to the surrounding rock cliffs, there are no roads that can reach this beach- only boats.

oh, but it's worth the trouble.

we arrived late on a hazy afternoon, flying from Bangkok to Krabi, grabbing a taxi to Ao Nang, and then of course a longtail boat to Railay beach. by the time we settled in to our hotel and made it back to the west beach for dinner we had missed all but the very end of the sunset. [in fact, we only ever saw one sunset in Railay. but it was a spectacular one.]

spectators hole up at one of the many beachside bars or restaurants and stay through the whole show. others camp out in the sand. or better yet, in front of the bar that sets out mats on the beach to use as tables. [that's where we relocated after dinner.] with warm breezes and cool beverages aplenty, there's not much incentive to go very far.

there's still plenty to see after dark. the moon, big and bright. the stars, clear as ever. couples strolling hand in hand. possibly drunk girls feeding pizza to cats. 

merchants selling paper lanterns wander the beach. and when someone breaks down and buys one, and everyone watches to see how far out over the sea the lantern will fly.

after a few drinks, the west beach quiets down. the sea starts to light up in eerie green as the squid boats arrive for the night. some good conversation, a few rounds of cards, and it's time to head back to the hotel for a midnight swim some beauty sleep.