Through my eyes, in China

1. There are a lot more Muslims than I realised. If you didn’t know anything about the country, at glance, especially in cities such as Bangkok, one would think that Thailand is a purely Buddhist country. In Krabi, however, it appeared as though there were a lot more Muslims than any other religions.

2. Not everyone was as nice as I had remembered. Back in 2012, I remember thinking “wow, everyone is SO NICE here!” but this time around, I thought “wow, most people are nice but some whisper about me and laugh like those back in China.” My boyfriend’s mom even stated that she felt that Chinese people were friendlier than Thai people (in some ways). I disagreed but I could see why she thought this way.

3. Traveling with a family is enormously different than traveling with friends. The experiences are different and the activities are different. It wasn’t bad just, different.

4. I still LOVE lemongrass.

5. Plantain chips are EVERYWHERE and they are delicious!

6. I stopped taking an extensive amount of photos of temples and trying to mimic the stances of the various Buddha statues—I don’t mimic the stances of Christ on the cross so why do that?

7. I learned that any replica of Buddha or his followers, have their eyes pointed towards the ground, or to the side but never straight. The reason being that one is never supposed to directly look Buddha (or his followers) into the eyes but kneel down to be gazed upon.

8. There were many signs advertising that selling or buying replicas of Buddha is illegal and disrespectful (same with tattooing your body with the image of Buddha). I hadn’t noticed that before and maybe it’s new or maybe I just hadn’t noticed it before.

9. A lot of signs are in traditional Mandarin characters. Chinese people go everywhere.

Now Krabi, was a new monster for me. I say “monster” because as much as ordinary people appreciate islands, I don’t. I can appreciate the beauty of them—the beaches, the color of the water, the feel of the sand beneath my feet but, I am not a beach person. When I was younger, and spent time at summer camps in the U.S., of course going to the beach once a week was a nice treat but if I had to go every day, I would be miserable. I have always preferred the pool to the beach (less unwanted sand in crevices you didn't even know existed) but my boyfriend and his family, fancy the beach. That being said, trying to enjoy the beach when it’s not your absolutely favorite, can be tiring. Anyways, let’s start from the beginning of this area.

Driving to our hotel, in a bus from the airport, we passed blocks of shops, live music, and restaurants, which reminded me a bit of Miami. I grew excited, as the neurons in my brain went into overdrive, and the neon signs caused my pupils to dilate. I also thought about how different this experience would have been if it were only my boyfriend and I. As the shops and vibrant energy of these streets disappeared, it dawned on us that our hotel was in the middle of nowhere. The path leading to the hotel reminded me of a scene out of a scary film—darkness, bushes, silence, isolation, and at any moment, I was expecting the high beams of the bus to land upon the evil that is Jason. No such thing happened of course, and we got to our hotel/resort.

No one was there to greet us and when we rang the bell at the front desk, a lady appeared from a room, with bewilderment not only on her face but in her voice. She didn’t understand how we could be checking in (it was 23.10 at that time) so late and said she had no record of us coming. She called someone, who then came and told us he didn’t have rooms and no records from Booking.com about our reservations. My boyfriend stated that our reservations indicated that we would be late, to which the man replied that he specifically has a note added on Booking.com that check in is not allowed after 18.00. Seeing the predicament that we were in, this man took advantage of us, showed my boyfriend and his mom to another section of the hotel/resort with rooms, and charged FIVE TIMES the price of the original booking. My boyfriend and his mom agreed (having no other choice) and we spent the night, and a bit of the next morning, looking for a new place to stay. I must say that my boyfriend’s mom did have a place booked already but the day before we were to head to Krabi, she received an email saying that the reservations were cancelled. In the end, the hotel that we stayed at for the remainder of our time in Krabi, was the original hotel that she had booked.

We didn’t ride bicycles or mopeds in Krabi but we did take the long tail boats to Railay and Poda Island. Those two islands are typical visiting places for tourists and my preference was Poda Island. The water was warmer, the multicolored water was much more vibrant, and the sand was unbelievably soft (in certain areas). I also watched a monkey snatch corn from a man’s hand, eat it, chuck it on the shore of the beach, then proceed to scavenge for more food and water to drink.

We also went kayaking which was….something. I’m all for adventure but kayaking is not my thing. I realised that when I did it for the first time, in Lagos, Portugal. I had always wanted to try it but last summer proved to me that I was not good at it. This time around, I just gave up. We went kayaking in a place called Sea Island, which seemed to be located a bit outside of Krabi. The route we took was absolutely amazing. I imagine the Amazon River looking a bit like this but who knows! At one point during our route, we were surrounded by trees and rocks here and there. At one point, a monkey jumped into the water, swam to a kayak, hopped on, and went along for a ride. The couple of said kayak was shocked and no one more so as the woman, who kept screaming and trying to push the monkey off with her oar. The monkey was their third passenger for about five minutes or so and upon reaching his destination, he found a tree branch and rejoined other monkeys. As funny and cute as that was, I was like a hawk, making sure to steer clear of monkeys as I didn’t want any to come into my boyfriend’s and my kayak.

I was completely useless, when it came to rowing. I spent most of the time splashing myself with the murky water, while making little to no movements. Little to NO movements—can you picture it?! I rested my oar upon the kayak a few times, as my boyfriend did 99.9% of the work. I’m sure he was tired and would have appreciated my help but ineffective help is no help whatsoever. As he rowed and I attempted to from time to time, I tried to digest all the beauty around me. Sure, the water wasn’t so clean and my paranoid/ imaginative mind went into “oh my gosh, is that an alligator there??!? Oh, it’s a big log” or “what if something is underneath this water and tips us over?” and sure, the waters needed to be navigated in such a way that we didn’t get stuck inside tree webs or by rocks slightly poking out of the water but, it was lovely nonetheless. Of the entire trip, THAT moment, even with my continuous failed bids at rowing, was my favorite. Almost two hours (maybe less—I didn’t pay attention to the time), we completed the journey and I was about two shades darker. I had put on sun screen before we had commenced our journey but it appeared as though the sun loved me anyways. Hey, no complaints here! ^_^

We had dinner at this seafood heavy restaurant called The Family Restaurant (go there if you ever end up in Krabi) and had food that caused our taste buds to dance, as we relished in each other’s company. Quite frankly, to me, it was the best meal we had in Thailand.

I hadn’t realised how massive Chiang Mai was, until I was back there. My time spent in Chiang Mai, back in 2012, was absolutely different than this time. Firstly, back then was spent with friends and we stayed in backpacking areas as opposed to this time. Secondly this time around, I did experience new parts of Chiang Mai, such as the botanical garden. The most memorable part of my time there was going for a bike ride, along the city walls, and temple hopping. Two reasons as to why this was memorable: 1. There is such tranquility that overcomes me when I am riding a bicycle especially one with a basket. I feel at complete ease when I’m on a bike, as though I’m “in my element.” 2. As lovely as it was, there were times in which I was suffocating on the toxins being spewed by the vehicles. Not the best memory but it does link in with my moments of elation.

Nostalgia engulfed me as well, as we made our way to Chiang Mai’s night market, and also when we rode a van back to our hotel, past an area in which I had a mango smoothie with a new friend from my cooking class.

A new beginning. A new chapter, maybe chapters, to add to my book entitled My life-A Marie-Claude Anoh autobiography. I embraced this particular new beginning with vast excitement, as it was a venture that I hoped would aid me in developing a stronger character along with challenging moments. A new job, one that I knew I would be great at, one that would utilize my skills appropriately. A new beginning is something I look forwarded to.

Now, what happens when this new beginning commences well but eventually the veil of perfectness that was observed on the first few days, is lifted? How do you handle feeling lost in this new venture? How do you handle working with a colleague who aggrandizes himself, while others add fuel to his fire? How do you work alongside said colleague, who goes about with a fraudulent sincerity, attempts to act as your superior and shoots down your abilities? How do you go about speaking with said colleague who speaks to you only when he needs something but in other moments, acts as though you are an irrelevant, not present, being? How?! Relax, take a breath, and step back.

Never in a million years had it dawned on me that the most challenging aspect of my job would be a colleague. A colleague who appears to be filled with insecurities, which he tends to transfer upon me. Being the most prevalent challenge at this particular moment, it is one that I have reflected on, on various occasions. At the onset, I gave my colleague small insights into his behavior but this seemed to be done in vain. Others depend on him and constantly praise him. These people don’t work with him as closely as I do. His every day demeanor has caused me to doubt my position at the company and want to terminate my contract. As I am not a quitter, another thought crept into my mind. Relax, take a breath, and step back.

Maybe he has some internal demons which are manifesting themselves into a poisonous gas, and seeping into my skin. It could be that he feels threatened by me, for some reason. Whatever the case is, I wanted a challenge, and here it is. Quitting not being an option, I have decided to leave my ego at the door every morning, dedicated one hundred percent and more to my duties, and be more patient with my colleague. Relax, take a breath, and step back.

Why do the people here who own luxury cars, feel as though they can do whatever they want, whenever they want?! Possessing a luxury car DOES NOT give you the right to:

1. Drive fast and furious, while almost running people down 2. Park your car anywhere and any which way 3. Be an @$$ 4. Cut off other drivers, to the point of causing (or almost causing) accidents 5. Be an @$$ (again)

It sure as heck does not buy you class! You have a nice car but you’re sitting there digging for gold, hurling loogies, and picking dirt out of your disgusting, long, nails.

Ugh. Stop. Just stop.