Hi, it's Krissy!

 

[hi-its-krissy]

Learning to live with the life around us

These days our lives in the quiet Thai countryside are frequented by hundreds of visiting little critters. Some pass through in their annual swarm for ritual mating and some stick around for longer than we’d like. In any case, I thought I’d introduce you to our new bug friends (and foes).

Coming from the centre of London where the odd slug and spider are spotted during the really wet months, life on bug mountain definitely took some getting used to. One evening while Ned was away I got a little craving and decided to whip up a late-night snack. I turned on the lights and started my preparations. About 5 minutes I notice a few termite looking bugs on the counter. A bit further I see more and at eye level I see they’re on the wall too. I then looked up and around and, you guessed it, the entire kitchen was covered in flying ants.

Normally at this point I scream for my hero of a husband to come and rescue from the bug invasion but that wasn’t an option tonight. I got in the car and drove to the closest 7-11, picked up a can of killer bug spray and a sandwich which I quickly inhaled on the way back. Upon arriving I get the can ready to spray those suckers to oblivion but as I entered the kitchen they were no where to be seen. That is, until I looked down. In a matter of ten minutes, hundreds of flying ants had shed their wings and dropped to the tile floor, wiggling their way to death. It was a bug graveyard and the deceased were on every surface of my kitchen.

I learned that this frenzy of flying ants would occur every night for the next 2 weeks or so, leaving a daily delight of wings and exoskeletons for the dogs to feast on.  

If you have a fear of spiders then Thailand might not be the best place for you to live. We once had a spider the size of a Ned’s hand (long fingers spread out..that’s pretty big!) in a stand-off with a tookay gecko which is basically I gigantic gecko. All this on the wall of our son’s nursery and we couldn’t get them out for days. He slept in our room during this time but our Thai friends seemed to think it was no big deal. “No problem! Mai gin baybee!” they’d say with a smile. 

And the most pesky of all pests.. you know it, the mosquitos! Learning to live with these little shits will be an ongoing annoyance that I’ll just have to accept. We keep a tiny tub of tiger balm in most rooms next to the lemongrass repellent and somedays when it’s really bad I start scavenging for their breeding grounds and googling ways or committing mass executions. I don’t know if we’ll ever be fully used to these blood sucking bastards but at least they tend to give us a break during the dry season which is several months long. 

We are just reminded that you gotta take the bad with the good and that’s fine (especially when the good tends to always outweigh the bad). If things were completely perfect we’d be spoiled and jaded. No bugs to bug us seems like a nice idea but I guess it just wouldn’t feel right. This is Thailand after all! 

[hi-its-krissy]

Learning Thai

Our Thai teacher Nui bends her face and flashes her teeth to show us how to pronounce words. Thai seems to use all the muscles above the neck to communicate correctly. We giggle as she makes us blurt out the weirdest sounds with our throats and nasal passages while our faces contort.  

I always thought languages came easy to me. I learned Spanish and French in no time (well in about 3 months of living in South American and France to be a bit more exact). I realised I had an ear for picking up lingos and accents and when we moved to Thailand I was determined to speak Thai fluently in no time as well. 

My basic Thai, or taxi Thai as they call it here, is pretty darn good. But I suppose if you only said the same things everyday for months then you’d be pretty good at those phrases too. When Ned and I enrolled in a language course we figured we’d pick up the learning pace in no time but our goals were quickly squashed by the difficult reality of the language and none other than laziness to really give it the dedication it needs. 

Learning a roman-based language is obviously a lot easier simply because so many words sounds the same as they do in English and being able to use the same alphabet. Learning Thai means starting from zilch and learning to re-associate English letters and sounds to a completely new alphabet. 

Thai probably isn’t the hardest Asian language to learn. Afterall there is a limited alphabet of about 46 characters compared to Chinese’s millions. It’s given us a taste of just how difficult language learning is outside of the roman arena. Thai is especially complicated because of the tones, 5 in total, which means many one syllable sounds can have up to five different meanings. But it doesn’t end there. Even after you memorise the alphabet and tones you have to remember which consanants change when paired with which vowels. There are a multitude of possibilities and exceptions to rules. 

[hi-its-krissy]

Remember us

Favourite things - dancing on the roof, feeding each other tasty creations, lazing and laughing, you playing guitar and me background chorus, watching our fave series, playing with these dogs, gardening, planning, dreaming, loving, staring into the weirdness of each others eyes with noses pressed together, spa nights, accents, gossip and sleeping in. 

We’re kind to each other except when you’re hungry or when I’m sleepy. We understand our differences (and there are many) make us stronger and we don’t let the small rants bring us down for long. We take good care of each other by truly valuing each other’s happiness, opinions and desires. We dream of our future together, the places we’ll go as a family, the experiences and adventures, the things we want to achieve. 

This is us, now, before our lives change forever when we bring a new life into the world. I just want us to remember what it was like when it was just you and me. 

[hi-its-krissy]

Reflections on turning the chapter

Here we are, a few months into our big journey East to start a new life with warmer weather and unknown adventures. A year ago we were frantically trying to plan the biggest party of our lives, juggle the busiest work-year we’ve both ever had, and dream up this big bounce to Asia that we’re now in the thick of. 

Around this time I was having reservations about leaving London. Ned had already discussed the move with his partners which was a big step for him and when I expressed my insecurities he was pretty upset. All of a sudden I had the things I was working towards - a solid relationship, a really nice flat in a great area of London, wonderful friends, a stable job that gave me lots of freedom, a savings account that was actually growing and a ‘known’ future of what our lives would be like if stayed on that course. 

We’d have that amazing wedding, continue working, save a bit more and buy a house outside of London where we could possibly move or possibly rent and continue living it up in London surrounded by great friends but bitterly grinding out the 8-12 hour days at the office accompanied by grey and gloomy British weather. We’d still be expecting so we’d probably move into that house outside of London and it would all be family, work, friends, work, family, house, blah blah blah until the end of time. 

There’s no doubt we both miss our friends and family, which is often one’s main incentive for not taking a leap into the unknown. But we now realize that it’s necessary to be selfish about some things, especially when it comes to your happiness and the future happiness of your own family. Being here will allow us both more freedom to simply enjoy life rather than continually trying to keep up with it. Our child will definitely have a unique upbringing in the mountains of Thailand, and we love that idea. And there is so much to be said for us being able to stay home with him during his early years, surround him with love and watching him develop. 

Overall, we’re super excited about this new reality and to have been able to escape the rat race we called life, however comfortable and familiar it may have been. We sit before a blank canvas and hope to paint the most colorful of destinies for our growing family.

[hi-its-krissy]

Eastbound via West

Travelling westward to arrive east meant a mini coastal expedition and a few quintessential US pitstops. Sorry to sway from the subject matter of Asia. This is not as much about the Far East as it is about our adventure getting there but hey, it's all about the journey, right?

We left London at the end of 2015, literally the very last day, New Year's Eve. This wasn't so much about making a statement as it was about saving money (not many people want to travel on NYE. Go figure!). Our original plan was to hop on a train from London and keep heading east, slowly making our way through some of of Europe's most enchanting cities. The ultimate adventure it seemed! We even raised close to £2,000 ($3,500) in wedding gift donations to help us get there. Sadly, that plan got nixed for a couple of reasons. First of all, we had heard things were a bit hairy around some of the borders due to the influx of refugees in Europe. We're not the kind to be scared by things like this but queuing and border interrogations are not my thing (been there too many times including a 6 hour lockup atop the Andes mountains as I tried to enter Argentina on an expired visa. No bueno!). Then there was the thought of seeing all those beautiful cities during the darkest, dreariest time of year which seemed a bit of a shame (Europe's not going anywhere and we can totally make this happen one hot lovely summer, right hubby?). And last but not least, I found out I was pregnant during the trip planning process and I was eager to see the fam over in the US so I could tell them in person. And so it was settled. We were westward-bound from London to Thailand over a four week stretch. Hey, our wedding guests would understand. After all, we were just swopping one big adventure for another!

We decided to stopover in Baltimore to see my family, spend a few days in NYC and then skip over to California for a bit more family and then an epic road trip down the Californian coast from San Fransisco to Los Angeles, stopping frequently along the way of course. From there we would hop on a (terrifying) flight to Singapore to see even more family, yaaay! And then finally we'd end our journey in Chiang Mai, our new chosen basecamp for the foreseeable future.

Baltimore - Family Thais

Arriving around 5pm, just in time for a New Year's Eve toast for our friends across the pond in London, we popped open that beautiful bottle of champers given to us by Herman, the nicest flight attendant on American Airlines (yes, we totally pulled the honeymoon card). Ned did the honours of making a toast and telling everyone the news. It was pure joy! Watch the vid to see Mom's reaction.

Onto the most authentic (NOT!) Irish pub in town for some NYE family fun. My parents were the first to hit the dance floor. Nothing new there! It was a very special night of happy shameless Irish pub boogying to B-more's best retiree covers band. Oh yeah! We know how to par-tay! Big bro Justin joined us the next day to hear the news and celebrate the rest of the weekend with us. We strolled the city and dim-lit trails, overdosed on extended family and Thai food, we bonded and big-belly-laughed (Cards Against Humanity, anyone?) until we had to say farewell for now. See you all soon in Thailand!

New York and Brrrrrooklyn

Next stop was NYC to see some familiar faces and do some general frolicking. By this time the winter weather was more on point and we were freeeeeeezing our buns off. Winter in New York ain't no joke! More family, friends, a trip to the New Jersey suburbs to dine with Patty's padres (you gotta get a taste of local living), and we even got lucky enough to catch the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Score! Off to Jamaica (station that is) to catch our flight from JFK to San Fransisco.

San Fransisco Bay Area  - Hills, Hiking, Hugs and Tacos

After a few hours we were blessed with more family fun at the Toomey-Elkin residence in Montclaire, Oakland. I got a special Auntie welcome massage (she's the best!) and Uncle David was the host with the most (cooking skills that is. Yum!)

Ned and I fell in love with the whole bay area, from the charm and quirk of San Fran, the delicious and cheap eats of Berkley, to the accessible surroundings of redwood forests, beaches and greenery of the entire area. "Shall we just live here instead?" we thought. Hmmm, maybe later ;)

Road Trip Time - San Fran to LA on Route 1

We picked up our ride and there was no need for pimping this bad boy. A white Ford Mustang convertible with a serious kick! We were ready to cruise the coast in style. Along the way we stopped in Half Moon Bay for a quick all-American sub on the beach, our first gaze over the Pacific and finally some much needed sunshine. Life is good!

We were stuffed but couldn’t resist stopping for a taste of the much talked about artichoke bread in Pescadero. What a treat! Pescardero is a tiny little town tucked away in the hill folds just off the coast. If it wasn’t for the sound of the clashing waves (and a generous number of pick-up trucks), you’d have thought we had landed in 19th century Nevada with it’s old western sign boards and shop fronts.

We wouldn't stop again until Monterey, a city I was once resident to at the ripe age of two. My dad was stationed at the Defense Language Institute for 6 months during his Marine Corps days while I bumbled around the beach in diapers. Highlights of Monterey include the Aquarium, the boardwalk and 17 Mile Drive. Oh and did we mention there's a pub-loving pelican?  Pretty rad!

We left the next morning for a 3 hour stretch down to Big Sur, our Big Fave! First of all let me mention that the drive down Route 1 is like no other drive. It’s pure crystal coastline and infinite ocean makes your heart explode with happiness. Driving down with jazz tunes blasting and the sea breeze drenching your skin while the sun gently falls over the horizon is as mesmerisingly magical as it sounds. Once you cross into Big Sur the experience intensifies tenfold with petrifying peaks and precipices towering over the relentless crashing waves. We drove down the tiny strip of highway inches away from what seemed like THE ultimate death drop. I couldn’t help but wonder how many drivers had been so seduced by the beauty of Big Sur they accidentally gazed a bit too long at the horizon to find themselves tumbling over the cliffs one by one, bang! crunch! BOOM!.. until the Pacific swallowed them whole. You're probably thinking that's quite twisted. But those sharp jagged drops would give anyone the heebie-jeebies and did I mention how my mind just loves to make up hypothetical situations to scare the shit out of me? I am working on this with my own spiritual therapy (more on this later) but for now, back to the trip..

If you ever go to Big Sur you must watch the sunset form Nepenthe’s. It’s like virtual reality meets water colour, truly surreal! We stayed at Deejten’s Big Sur Inn which deserves it’s own post entirely. This rustic retreat hasn’t changed a bit since it opened in 1931. You might ask why anyone would pay upwards of $200 for room with no internet, a shared bathroom and not even a lock on the door. But only by experiencing this place can you understand why so many do. We lay in front of the wood burning stove digesting our divine dinner from their Michelin star restaurant reading the emotional declarations of previous tenants in the room’s guestbook. It’s a truly captivating album that you can read more about in this NYTimes article

Books of Revelation

if you’re interested. I couldn't help but pour my heart out, proclaiming our love of Deejten's along with those before us, adding to it’s graffitied pages.

In the morning we hiked up to a cliff to bask in the morning sun and praise the universe for such good fortune. We drove to Pfeifer Beach for some stunning rock formations and silliness. Then we hit the open road again and after a quick one-nighter in Pismo Beach we arrived in Los Angeles; Venice Beach to be exact. Now, I had been to LA once when I was an unappreciative teenager and didn’t think much of it. This time as we cycled along the boardwalk and moseyed aimlessly along Abbot Kinney Blvd we couldn’t help but adore the mishmash of people, art and scenery. Some might say Venice Beach is tacky but I think it’s a people watcher's paradise. Where else can you find every single type of person doing every single type of activity from body building, to drum circles, ultimate frisbee fanatics, tight-rope enthusiasts, wheels of all variety, boxing, busking, angel dusting.. you name it, it’s there for all to join in! All along an expansive stretch of white sandy beach and an eternal summer. We were not missing London just yet! Just as fast as we fell in love with LA, we were just as quickly off again, this time to cross that perpetual Pacific we’d had the pleasure of travelling with for so long. Asia here we come!

We’ll leave it there as we end our UK to US adventure and finally arrive in our first far-east destination, Singapore!