
Final Days in Thailand
I spent my final days in Thailand enjoying the sunsets and driving my motorbike around. I met up with friends and reflected on my time there. I overstayed my visa by one day and got questioned at the airport.
I spent my final days in Thailand enjoying the sunsets and driving my motorbike around. I met up with friends and reflected on my time there. I overstayed my visa by one day and got questioned at the airport.
I did two try dives and decided that I would I continued open water 20 dive certification, but it wasn’t easy. I got personalized training and an instructor who gave me two game-changing tips.
My mind wandered, Why am I doing this? I won’t be able to have my mask off that long because water will go up my nose. I won’t be able to clear my mask. If I’m panicked in the pool, I’m going to really panic in the ocean. Do I even want to dive? Am I just doing this because it’s cheaper here and it would be cool to say I did it? Maybe I don’t even like diving. I’ve never even done a ‘try dive.’ I don’t need to do this. I should just give up.
I took a boat from Phi Phi Island to Krabi and stayed the night. I went to the market and met some people from Poland. a woman in the pool swam right up next to me and said I have very white teeth.
I went to the Art in Paradise in Chiang Mai by myself. I didn’t have anybody to take my picture, until a girl approached me. Even though she didn’t speak very much English, we had a blast taking silly pictures of each other. It was meant to be.
I arrived at Chiang Mai, Thailand, exhausted from three very long flights. I couldn’t check into my hotel yet, so I wandered the streets.
I stayed a beautiful lodge off of a lake. I went for a brief hike, but turned back after failing to find the trail and being too afraid of bears.
I woke up with intense itching on my back. Then I noticed two huge, red bumps. I went to the pharmacist and they said it was an allergic reaction to spider bites.
Another RV pulled up with two middle-aged couples, and we all talked about driving the Alaska highway. They were surprised to see I was alone and not in an RV and asked where I was staying.
I started my drive to Dawson Creek to start the Alaska Highway. A man at a gas station saw my CA plates and welcomed me. A man scared me a little as he asked me for money while lingering at my car at a motel.
I saw a memorial for Pete Tipping, who died while on vacation near the Skookumchuck Narrows. It broke my heart. Sometimes we need reminders from people like my grandma and Pete to help us get out of a cycle and to see the big picture.
Glamping in Madeira Park was in a beautifully structured tent that was secluded. At night, I hear noises that freaked me out. My heart started racing. Was it a person who would attack me? Was it a bear who would eat me?
I posted my blog about feeling depressed on day five of my travels. I felt vulnerable and embarrassed. Then I sat in awe of the scenery and reminded myself that the reason I’m blogging about my trip is because I want people to experience what I’m experiencing.
I told the guys that they should be careful of the impressions they get on the news. Yes, there is crime in the U.S., and some cities are unsafe. However, most places in the U.S. are safe and you don’t need to sleep with a gun under your pillow.
I was questioned at the border and then told to pull my car over and go inside the building. I was told to sit down in the waiting area while they searched my car and took my pepper spray. I started freaking out.
I reconnected with a friend after not talking for five years. We both seemed to realize we’d played a part in the dissolution of our friendship and had both been in the wrong. It was great to see her again and resume our friendship.
I went for a hike, solo, in the mountains of Washington. Hearing something in the bushes made my heart race. I was certain it was a mountain lion and he would kill me. I also discovered how intense Tinder can be.
A woman behind me in the grocery store snarked about how she was happy that I had to pay so much for a plastic reusable bag. When will people realize that you will push people away from your ideas with an attitude like hers?
Throughout her wild 3-week journey backpacking 220+ miles in the California Sierra Mountains, Christy encountered freezing temperatures, pelting hail storms, and losing her way, but found trail family, incredible views, and experiences that would change her life forever. Hiking up and over ten different mountain passes gave Christy a lot of time to think about why her nine-year marriage was falling apart, gave her the chance to truly embody her individualism, time to make new friends, and the strength she would need on and off the trail. Her life could never again be the same.
This is one woman’s account of the three weeks she spent on the iconic trail.
From Readers Favorite: “... a compelling non-fiction adventure story of finding strength in the face of adversity and learning how to believe in yourself.”
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From Readers Favorite: “... a compelling non-fiction adventure story of finding strength in the face of adversity and learning how to believe in yourself.”