eventfully uneventful

Monday: So this past weekend we stayed local and didn't do much of anything. We went to Nan Friday night for a birthday party where the theme was to dress in a costume that started with B or X (in honor of those people whose birthdays we were celebrating). So Caitlin, Kristin and I went as Blind Mice and Ethan went as Xenophilious Lovegood from Harry Potter (Google it if you're confused). Of course there isn't much that we do here that doesn't involve some sort of drama and this day was no different ....on the way to Nan our motorbike pretty much stopped working. Ethan would try to accelerate, but the bike would just putter along and then stop. We opened the gas tank hoping we had just run out, but that wasn't it. We puttered our way to a gas station that we knew was near with our fingers crossed that they had a mechanic or knew one close by. They put some gas in and then did everything they could to fix it (including taking things apart), but they didn't have the proper tools to remedy the problem. They were all so nice though and we are super thankful for them. When they finally decided they couldn't fix it, they put me on the back of one guys bike, while Ethan drove ours and two kids followed behind him. They took us to a house nearby where presumably the owner fixed motorbikes. They spoke a bunch in Thai and then the guy started taking apart the bike. We just crossed our fingers and hoped that he knew what he was doing and that it could be fixed. We used our time there wisely and made some parts of our costumes (Ethan's wig and my tail...the family probably thought we were nuts). So about an hour later (after the guy had completely dismantled the front end of the bike and put it back together) he wheeled it out, took it for a spin, brought it back in, replaced the cover and handed us the keys. All in all it cost us about 2 hours of our time and 100baht in repairs (or a little over $3). No too shabby!

blind mouse and mr. lovegood

So we get to Nan and go to the party thinking everything is cool. But then Ethan starts to feel weird. A little while after he mentions it to me I notice he is gone and when he comes back he tells me he just threw up and feels like crap. Seemed like we weren't going to catch a break on this event filled Friday. We went back to our hotel when everyone left the party to go to the bar and Ethan spent the night mostly with his head in the toilet. Poor guy! We determined he either got food poisoning or some other weird bug from some pork on a stick he ate for dinner. It was a rough night for him and an even worse morning when we woke up to see the incredibly disturbing and horrifying news about the shooting in Connecticut. We were overcome with a feeling of homesickness that we hadn't felt yet since being here. I think it was just not being able to talk about it with our families and friends and not seeing it plastered all over the news everywhere was what made it so strange (not that we'd really want to watch sensationalized stories about mass murderers, but just not hearing about it at all is really strange and sad). Our hearts go out to all those who died and those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.

Saturday we did nothing all afternoon and went out to dinner with the Pua gang and a couple other people. Ethan's stomach was feeling better, but we still called it a night earlier than everyone else. Sunday we did nothing as well. "Did nothing" is a bit extreme... I cleaned and we did laundry and we ate food. But that was the extent of our movements that day. It was a very chill day that I think we both needed. We had lots of time to recharge, talk about our upcoming vacation plans as well as reminisce on our past travels together and our wedding. It was the perfect way to start the week. :]

On a side note, it is really cold here at night and in the morning! I slept in sweats and a hoodie the other night and this morning I could see my breath. We definitely don't hate it (its actually really nice), but it sure is strange to wake up and want to jump into a hot shower in Thailand. I don't think the Thais like the cold very much though, because they all wear scarves and sweaters and shiver all morning.

Wednesday: On another side note, Ethan got sick again yesterday (Tuesday). More of the same symptoms from Friday :[ It started early in the afternoon and lasted until late evening. We have no idea what's causing it, but if it happens again I think we'll be making a trip to the hospital. He's feeling better today and staying away from any unknown/weird foods. We're also preparing for our upcoming vacation during which we will be visiting Chiang Mai for a few days and then traveling south to the well known island of Koh Chang (Thailand's second largest island.) We just booked accommodations at both places and have our train/bus tickets booked (for part of the trip). We're very excited to get out of Nan Province for a while and spend some time relaxing on the beach. We are in the midst of planning what activities we'll be doing in both places, but we have a few ideas. Our ideas include, but are not limited to motorbiking to Thailand's highest peak, visiting the Chiang Mai zoo, visiting an elephant camp, visiting a temple on Doi Suthep (Google it), kayaking, snorkeling and chilling out. We will have wifi at both places so we'll probably be posting photos and what not. We leave Friday at 9:30pm for Chiang Mai! Aufwiedersehen (see you later) Thawangpha!!