Not a ton to write about today... we did our last dive yesterday and the water was pretty murky but it was fun to be diving all together with my buddies here since they finished their course! After diving we got our tickets for the ferry to Koh Samui and went to do a little shopping. Claire got her lip pierced, and I got a little tattoo added on to the outline on my back! Again, pictures coming in the future, I'm sorry my camera situation sucks so much here :(

Last night we went out again with our little crew and it was really fun, but I'm so sad to have left all those awesome people and I'm really stoked for another excuse to travel the world some more! Today we checked out of the hotel and caught the ferry over here, which was a bumpy ride to say the least... I felt like we were going to capsize the whole time and poor Julia spent some serious time throwing up in the back haha :/ Anyway, now we're here and we're pretty much just taking it easy until our flight to Bangkok, so I probably won't write again until my return to California! Wahoo, can't wait to see everyone :)

Swam with a whale shark yesterday, and it was SO AWESOME!! Definitely in the top three of coolest and most beautiful things I've ever experienced... we were out diving in the morning and it was already a great day since the visibility was awesome and it was just my dive instructor and I exploring and finding scorpion fish and blue spotted sting rays. We got back on the boat after diving and someone spotted the shark, so we all jumped in (not my first instinct, haha!) with just fins and masks and swam over to where it was! It was apparently small for a whale shark, but it was about 5 or 6 meters long, which is almost 20 feet!! We were all swimming right next to it and it was just hanging out up on top of the water and swimming all in between us... I went underwater and Bridget (my friend from South Africa) was going to take a picture of me with it in the background but then it came right on top of me and I freaked out! She isn't sure if she got the picture or not so we'll have to wait and see, but it was incredible to be right in the water with such a huge and amazing animal :)

Last night we watched the dive video since everyones course was over, and we had a few drinks at the hotel before going to Lotus, a live music bar/club a little ways down the beach. There were about ten of us, and all the people here are really cool - there are two girls from South Africa who are taking a holiday from teaching English on the mainland of Thailand, and a bunch of English guys who are super funny and sweet. Anyway, it was really fun and there was a guy playing guitar and a crazy fire show once it got later. Then we went to this other bar and I had my first bucket, which are famous in Thailand and really quite dangerous, haha! We all had much too much to drink and went dancing at some other bar and decided it was the perfect time to go for a swim in all our clothes... I also thought a guy was really cute at the first bar, but Natalie said that he was too skinny and that his torso was the same size as my thigh, so that didn't go anywhere haha. I have some battle wounds on my shins from the coral and we all had awful hangovers this morning but it was really fun :)

Just a couple days left here, and we're diving tomorrow and the next day before going to Koh Samui and then finally heading home. Love and miss everyone back in the US!

Wahoo I am having so much fun here on the island! After I posted last I did my dive review in the pool so that I would be okay getting in the ocean and not running out of air or anything scary like that... At night we went to dinner at this great Thai place on the beach and watched the sunset sitting on little cushions around the table, and we went to bed early since we were so tired from the travel here, and I woke up to leave at 6 the next morning for my first dive! It was awesome, the visibility wasn't great since it's starting to be monsoon season over here, but the coral reef here is beautiful and I LOVE the anenomes. We saw a little yellow box fish and almost got charged by a trigger fish... I was diving with a really cool dive master named Kate, and a really nice couple from Holland, everyone I meet here is so great!

After I got back I had the rest of the day to hang out since Claire and Julia are getting their certifications, so I went into the little town and did some shopping... for some reason there are about a thousand shirts in every store with Heidi Klum topless and flipping off the camera on them, so if anyone wants one of those just let me know! Hahah but anyway I got another massage on the beach so that was fabulous, and then we went to dinner at this cute italian place with delicious pasta! The beach here is beautiful, I can't wait to post pictures when I get back! It's super white sand and light water, and the island is really mountainous and dramatic with little bungalows all tucked away in the hillside. Today was great since Claire and Julia had their first open water dive of the course, so I went along on the same boat for a fun dive with another group... I got stuck with this little German brat who kept kicking me in the face underwater, but the dive site was beautiful with tons of coral that looked like cabbage, and lots of colorful fishies! I haven't taken many underwater pictures since the visibility would be even worse on the camera, so hopefully it will improve by tomorrow or the next day.

Tonight we went to dinner with like ten other people that we dove with today, who are all young and from England/South Africa/Holland and it was a lot of fun! Tomorrow is the last day of all their courses so we're going to go out for drinks and watch their dive video. This place is awesome and I'm having such a great time, but I'm also excited to be coming home soon and reuniting with everyone! And not being covered in mosquito bites will be nice too :)

Leanne and Michele thank you so much for telling me what you're up to, I love hearing what's going on back in the US! I can't wait to get back and hear more about what's been going on... and to SEE you Michele sheesh it's been way too long!

We are finally on Koh Tao, and it is incredible! The last few days at the center were fun and full of more hard work, and then last night we took a taxi to Hua Hin, caught the night bus there at 11 and arrived at the ferry around 6am... needless to say we are pooped! It also didn't help that the guy sitting behind me on the bus was this disgusting drunk man from Norway who was making out with his wife for about an hour and kept rubbing my head thinking it was the seat... so awkward. Then we got the ferry here and talked to a guy from one of the dive resorts and ended up going to that one! It's really nice, and we're getting a sweet deal with a free hotel room for four nights since we're doing diving. Awesome that I already got certified with my dad because I only have to pay about 40 dollars for the whole four days... should be fun :) I'll write more once we start doing stuff, this place is paradise so I think I'm going to go read slash sleep on the beach and maybe do some snorkeling later!

My friend Shawnie just put up some pictures on facebook, and I'm not sure if y'all can see them so I'm going to upload them on here! Here's one of me on the first day when I was washing one of the elephants in the poop lake, I think this was before she gave me a huge shower with her trunk :)













This was from the pirates and ninjas party... Rosie was drawing beautiful pirate pictures on mine and Abigail's cheeks due to our lack of costume haha... hopefully these pictures tide some of you over until people upload more or until I get back and get mine developed!

Thanks for reading Daddy, to answer your question I think I plan on doing a little bit of both SCUBA and snorkeling, since I'm sure both will be awesome! And I brought my certificate with me so I'll probably only have to do a little refresher course... I can't wait :) Aaron the poo canoe is this crappy (haha) little plastic boat that someone has to take out into the elephant lake and pick up the poo out of the water... the scooper thing broke, so I had to use my bare hands - it was aweseome!

Yesterday was my day off and I went around helping a bunch of the wildlife people, since I wanted to see what it's like to hang out with the gibbons and other little creatures. Julia gave me some food to give to this little monkey who is missing both of his legs and one arm, and didn't seem to think it was neccesary to warn me about how aggressive he is... he took the first little bit of food and was really cute, and then when I reached out with the second bit he grabbed my hand and started screaming at me with all his teeth out hahah I obviously shreiked and ran away, and I'm pretty sure Julia got a picture of it with my camera, so I'm anxious to see that one :) The rest of the day I finished Twilight and got about halfway through the sixth Harry Potter, so that was great too!

Today I was with June again, peeling all of her food and being showered with fruit from her trunk afterwards... I'm convinced she is feeling better since she's so fricken sassy, so I guess that's a good thing haha. On the walk to the village today this lady picked us up on her motorbike and gave us a ride, it was so much fun! I can't wait to rent a bike when we get to Koh Tao to ride all over the island, it should be awesome. I'll write again either in Hua Hin on Saturday or Sunday when we're in our little bungalow on the island :)

Conquered the poo canoe today! Other than that it was a pretty lazy day since other people were taking care of June, who is an elephant to clarify things and she is getting much better :) The ice cream lady came by the center after lunch which we were all pretty excited about... the ice cream here is yummy and only like ten cents each! Julia is making fun of me right now for writing about ice cream in my blog... but oh well, I'm sure it isn't a surprise to anyone reading this.

We played pictionary last night and I stayed up way later than I have been, and it was really fun! Most of the things we were drawing were related to wildlife stuff, and it's cool how much everyone knows about animals just from working here for a few weeks. I have a day off tomorrow, so I'll probably do some laundry and take a bunch of pictures with the animals... there is a tiger here named Meow that was on an Animal Planet feature so you guys might recognize him! He was chained to a cement floor at a gas station to attract tourists for most of his life, so now he has some central nervous system problems and walks like he is drunk... but now he has a beautiful and huge enclosure with a big pond to swim in and he seems really happy! Hopefully he'll come out so I can take a couple pictures of him. Looking up bungalows and other places to stay when we get to Koh Tao currently, so I might not write again until we're on our way, but miss you all and Lindsay post more pictures I miss you and want to hear about what you're doing!

Today was such a long day! June was in the hospital still, and Sophie and I were taking care of her the whole day, with pretty much no breaks except during a torrential downpour after lunch. She can't eat any of the skins of fruits so we were peeling everything and getting eaten by flies for most of the day... we also were making these little rice balls so that she could get nutrients, and covering them in banana to fool her into eating them. That worked for a while but then she started throwing them at us, so at least she hasn't lost her sassy side even if she is very sick :)

We had another harvest today but we have a couple new pretty boy English guys to help, so it wasn't too bad! Julia and I are both rereading Twilight in our spare time, and I think our new roommate Alicia thinks that we are crazy... we were also wearing almost the exact same outfit this morning, so maybe we should try to be a little less alike, haha! The only real difference today was that she had a massive hole in her shirt from one of the gibbons reaching out and ripping her shirt... we got a new little monkey yesterday also and he is adorable! Matt, the main guy in charge, is taking care of the two baby monkeys since their mothers got killed by hunters, so he doesn't get much sleep but they always jump on me and the other blonde haired girls, not sure why! Sorry this post is so random, there's not much new stuff to talk about since we have a bit of a routine going every day, but things will start to be a little more adventurous when we leave for Koh Tao on Saturday - can't wait for some diving! And a real shower :)

Yes Michele I have more than three pairs of underwear! Hahaha I agree that I would be in a much more disgusting state if that weren't the case... Anyway yesterday I had my day off of working - we get one day off a week - and it was so nice to relax! I went to the spa at a nearby resort with another German girl named Julia, and I got an hour long Thai massage for only 600 baht, which is like $25. It was awesome, they cracked all my fingers and toes and my whole back... pretty different than massages in America and more similar to a chiropractor, but I loved it!

Later last night we went on an elephant safari through the national park that is really close to the center, and it was really cool to see some wild elephants through the bush, since the ones at the center are not in their natural condition. It's a bummer but the elephants we're working with can pretty much never go back into the wild, since they have this process called "breaking the spirit" here in Thailand that they put all elephants through before they can be used commercially. A huge male elephant who definitely still had his "spirit" charged us in the truck last night, and this guy Chris and I jumped to the other side of the pickup and probably missed being decapitated by less than a foot!

Today was a really busy day - three of the elephant volunteers left and we got new ones tonight, but there were only five of us to work with all the elephants, so we were running around all day and I'm totally pooped. Also, June, who has only been at the center for a week now and is extremely malnourished and covered in wounds, was lying on the ground this morning and couldn't get up... a couple of us had to spend most of the day peeling soft foods to give her and we hooked her up to an IV in the animal hospital at the center - I really hope she gets better soon! I wish I could post pictures but I'm documenting everything so that you'll be able to see all the animals and people I'm talking about when I get home! Miss everyone a ton - only five more days at the center before heading down to Koh Tao for some scuba! Wahooo :)

Leanne and Mitchy thanks for commenting! Haha it's nice to know that someone is reading this, and I miss you guys so much!! Keni I don't miss you at all since you haven't been commenting... how rude. Juuust kidding :) Anyway, everything here is still going great, and I can't believe how fast time has gone - I'm already halfway done with the volunteering part of my trip!

Since I posted last, we've been doing the same daily stuff with the elephants, but we have also gone on two harvests, which are possibly the most miserable inventions of mankind. Basically we all get in a truck and drive to a pineapple feild to pick more food for the elephants... this consists of getting totally sunburnt and dehydrated, not to mention the plants are super heavy and covered in thorns! So much fun... it's actually not that bad but I'm covered in scratches and mosquito bites so going to the beach after this will be hilarious! The people here are awesome, it's going to be weird going home and not hearing any accents... I'm one of only two Americans here! My roommate is this German girl named Julia who is gorgeous and totally hilarious. She speaks English really well, but still has to ask about some words, and whenever she get's frustrated she just says "fuck off" to no one in particular, just the situation... doesn't sound that funny but I always die laughing every time.

There are a bunch of French girls also working with the elephants who are totally incompetent, but a really cool British girl named Emma and I just laugh about it and end up doing twice the work. Tonight we're having a party since a bunch of people are leaving and new people are coming, and it's themed pirates and ninjas! I have no idea what to wear since I only brought three shirts and three shorts, but oh well, should be fun. Oh and last night we went to the night market in Cha-am and I got some sweet rainbow parachute pants before I had to leave because the smell of fried bugs was making me so nautious. Ha! Luckily the center is veggie friendly and the food is Thai and delicious! And free, yum! Miss you all so much, I'm having a great time but I'm also looking forward to getting home, where I won't be covered in elephant poo and I can meet my family's new dog!

Wow this place is so amazing!!! The work we're doing is really hard, especially because it's extremely hot and humid all the time, and all of the clothes I brought already smell awful... but basically what we do in a day is feed the elephants pineapple plants, clean their enclosures, wash them, water them, and make toys and food treats for them to play with. Yesterday I went in the lake with one of the elephants and I got to be on top of it scrubbing it's back... despite the pooey lake smell I had on me for the rest of the day, it was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.

They are such beautiful animals, and it's really sad how badly they are treated all around the world, but it's wonderful to see them living happily and being treated well at the center. I'll write more later, a bunch of people are waiting for computers but I just bought my ticket to the south so I'll be scuba diving and stuff once I'm finished volunteering - wahoo! Also my camera isn't working so no pictures but I have some disposables that will have to wait until I return. Miss everyone and happy birthday miss Hannah Meade! Hope you don't have too awful of a hangover :)

Whew! I'm finally in Thailand and all settled! It was really a crazy time getting here... we got back from Mexico on Wednesday night and I went to see Eclipse with Leanne which was wonderful :) Then I packed my stuff for this trip and left Thursday morning for my 18 hour flight... yikes! When I finally got to Bangkok around midnight I got my backpack and everything and then I went to get money out of an ATM and it wouldn't take either of my credit cards, so then I proceeded to freak out for the next hour or so and I was super hangry which didn't help matters since I hadn't eaten much of anything on the airplane.

Luckily though, Thailand is known for being one of the friendliest places ever and a bunch of random people pretty much saved me from being stuck in the airport with no access to the outside world! And my mom also saved my life by talking me through the minor breakdown I was having :) I guess you have to tell your bank if you're going out of the country, otherwise they block your cards to avoid fraud... whoops... the hotel I stayed in near the airport was pretty sweet, complete with a lizard on the ceiling and a few hours of French cartoons that I entertained myself with instead of sleeping since I'm super jetlagged.

This morning I got a ride from this nice Thai driver who loves Arnold Schwartzenagger (wow how do you spell that?) to Petchaburi which is where the wildlife center I'm volunteering at is! I really love it here, all the other volunteers are super nice and fun to hang out with, and it's a very diverse group, which is awesome. Tommy, one of the main guys at the center, gave Claire (my newfound Australian friend) and I a tour so that we could scope it out before starting work tomorrow, and the things the rescue center is doing are incredible... I'll be working just with the elephants, who are all really beat up from their past lives but doing much better after being here, but there's also a ton of other animals that have been saved - monkeys, bears, a tiger, and a bunch more. I'm particular looking forward to using the "poop canoe," which is for scooping the huge elephant poops out of the lake that we wash them in... yummy! Hahah the place is really cool though, all very open air with a bunch of places for lounging and little huts that us volunteers sleep in. I'll take some pictures to post once I get a little more settled in!