A Perfect Weekend

...falling asleep to peepers
...waking up to birds singing
...leisurely sipping coffee and eating buttered toast on the patio
...being spied on like a celebrity by passers-by and smiled at for huddling in a blanket just like them
...meeting more locals who are now unafraid of approaching me because of who I moved in with
...being told I have made Pi Lyn very happy, and that she isn't lonely anymore
...walking to the van station and being greeted by my students and the attendants as if I have lived here my whole life, then joking with them about where I was going as if I spoke perfect Thai
...being asked to sit up front in the minivan ;-)
...jamming to Bob Dylan's Highway 51 Blues, thinking about how more than once in my life my front door was just steps from Hwy 51 just like the words in the song
...smiling the whole way to Bangkok
...remembering how much stress travel used to cause and enjoying how simple it had become for me here
...meeting Kara at the mall and eating some amazing Indian food
...getting checked into the hostel even though I didn't have my passport
...trying to nap while the noisiest eater EVER filled her face with some nasty smelling dinner (LMAO!)
...stepping on a rat on our way to dinner and FREAKING out about whether or not it bit me
...then immediately being asked if I wanted to go to a sex show "Do I LOOK like I need to go to a sex show?!?!"
...being recognized and hugged at our favorite Mexican restaurant
...drinking really strong Margaritas, then being asked to sing on stage
...spending the next four hours singing on stage (!!!)
...snuggling with ET the yorkie
...making friends from New Dehli, which just happens to be where the cheapest flight I found has a 13 hour layover
...being the last ones to leave the restaurant at close
...immediately finding a club to go dance like idiots at
...getting pulled on stage before we even had a drink in our hands
...huddling in a corner to "sneak" the rum into our bottle of coke
...more dancing (!!!)
...dancing in the VIP corner with the local ladies
...following drunk Kayla down the street, weaving through pedestrian traffic at 2am
...drunkenly pigging out on craptastic Seven 11 food
..."just walk in like you own the place, don't even look at them"
...sneaking Eric and Stephanie into our hostel
...Kayla dropping her phone under the bottom bunk, "but I miss my phone," and erica comforting her "here honey, you can hold mine"
...erica and stephanie sneaking out way early so they don't get caught
...sleeping in til 10am
...eating at some fancy French restaurant in the mall for dirt cheap, in my GB Packer t-shirt
...spending the afternoon in a movie theater with best popcorn ever, reclining seats, perfect screen quality... *sigh*
...leaving the theater to realize the ENTIRE city of Bangkok had turned out in protests, filling Siam Square
...Kara not-so-jokingly saying "I was nervous throughout the movie, and now I am nervous in real life, my poor heart can't take it!"
...fighting for over 30 minutes against the flow of thousands to move about 100 feet out of the BTS system, tailed by some adorable Aussies who helped keep the mood light
...looking out over Victory Monument, which is usually filled with vans and taxis, and seeing nothing but a sea of people, screaming and blowing their whistles

Image borrowed from Stephanie :-)

...reminding myself 100 times over that you are experiencing history in the making, and to breathe
...praying the entire way, "if there is a God, the minivans will still be running, if there IS a GOD, the minivans...."
...rounding the corner and celebrating as I realized that the vans WERE STILL RUNNING!
...being helped by a Ban Mi local to get my van ticket
...recognizing girls from Lop Buri at the stop and catching up with them
...watching a fascinating Chinese movie and sleeping all the way home
...having the same local tell the driver to take me to my apartment so I didn't have to walk at night
...meeting Pi Lyn, hugging her, then going straight to bed
...checking my email to read a message about a possible job offer from one of the wealthiest men in Thailand (he OWNS True Move)
...falling asleep with a smile on my face, curled up under three blankets