So it has been a long time since my last post on the website and things have been crazy. Finals came and went but for the first time in my 6 mini’s I did not have a final exam. All of my classes required final projects and presentations which led to a hectic week before finals but also provided me with some much needed additional rest. Then there was Christmas and right after that celebration I was off to Thailand and China.
Several ambitious students at the school have been working diligently on strengthening the ties between our school and its alumni in the Far East. This year’s trip was the first widely promoted excursion and was highlighted by 33 students heading off to learn about “Doing Business in China”. Essentially, the course was a 2 week immersion into every aspect of Chinese society. Luckily, a few of the students going on the trip as well as our professor are excellent Mandarin speakers or I would certainly be lost as we speak.
Before I get to that I must talk a little bit about Thailand. One of my classmates was gracious enough to host 4 other classmates and myself and essentially she showed us the time of our lives. We arrived in Bangkok after a grueling 24 hours of traveling that included leaving and entering China’s customs in under 2 hours. That was an absolute spectacle as 2 of my classmates and I where barreling down corridors with massive amounts of luggage falling behind. Let me say that thankfully, at least for us that day, security outside the U.S. is much more lax. We arrived in Bangkok where we stayed at the Narai hotel, a very affordable and luxurious hotel, which I highly recommend. We saw the Royal Palace which was amazing and zipped through canals on some small boats. Quite possibly the most interesting experience was being transported from destination to destination in small 3 wheeled vehicles called tuk tuk’s. Driving rules in Bangkok don’t exist. One lane can easily occupy 2 or more vehicles and trust me weaving in and out of traffic in an open air vehicle is quite eye opening.
We left Bangkok and hoped down to Phuket were the trip turned from great to once in a lifetime. The weather there was spectacular and we stayed in the nicest hotel I have ever been in. The Rising Sun Residence in Phuket is the type of place I could envision going on a honeymoon or retiring to someday. We stayed in a 3 bedroom villa with a private pool that was located on top of the island and overlooked the water. Spending New Year’s Eve feeding monkeys, snorkeling, island hoping and seeing where the movie the Beach was filmed was pretty amazing. New Year’s Day was spent riding Water Buffalo and Elephants! To say that I was sad to leave Thailand might be the understatement of the year but I was definitely looking forward to 10 days with classmates in China.
More info on the Narai hotel
http://www.gothailand.com/hotels/bangkok/frameme.php?page=/narai-hotel/
More info on the Rising Sun Residence
http://www.rising-sun-residence.com/
Comments