The good, the bad, and the amazing.

The good:

(Written in the morning,  March 29th 2015)

Welllll it took me a while but I seem to finally have unwound the small coil of anxiety that was quietly plaguing me this whole trip. I think it happened the moment I found my last place to stay in, and realized that I have naught to do but eat, sleep and be merry until I go home. No more planning,  no more finding places, no more worries how I'm going to get there and the physical struggle and fatigue that can be involved in that, no more transfers that cost a shocking amount more than I anticipated... just relaxation on a stunning beach. And thanks to the generosity of my amazing parents, no worries about making the last of my baht stretch to the very end. I can just enjoy. Thank the various gods for that!

The bad:

I worry about writing too negative of posts, but the truth is this has been a very challenging trip. I've found SE Asia to be hard on an ambulatory quad. I unfortunately have missed out on some phenomenal opportunities due to fatigue or physical inability. Or experienced financial restraint if there was an option that I could do, but it, of course, is more expensive.

Even now I sit in a simmering cloud of green jealousy staring out at all the people renting scooters to drive about the island of Ko Lanta. I hate jealousy. It doesn't suit me. I like to find alternatives and find experiences for myself. Unfortunately I can't ride a scooter - or, I suppose more accurately, this is not the place to learn, and I'd likely need adaptions to a vehicle in order to provide more safety in the face of my physical limitations - and although I no longer have to worry about accomodations, food, and the occasional drink, (thank you thank thank you mom and dad!)  hiring a tuk tuk to tour the island is just a bit too exorbitant a price to pay.

So, I guess I'll just get a cheap massage and rest by the beach again. Haha. Hard knock life, hey? :p

Ah, well.. I'm looking on the bright side but if I'm honest it does bother me that I can't do something I want to do. I'm certain all peoples with a disability have felt this at some point. A thick frustration that festers like green slime on your resolve to enjoy life to the fullest.

........

The... amazing?

Huh.... I paused in my writing this to have a conversation with a couple new friends I met here and now it seems they might be willing to have one of them drive me on a scooter I rent with me on the back, and the second would drive their own scooter!  HaHAH! Go universe providing! Green slime washed off and down the drain. Hahahahhaa!!!

The amazing!

(Written the next morning, March 30th 2015)

Sooo that turned into a perfectly phenomenal day. I owe a serious debt of gratitude to Pierre and Evelien for sharing their day with me and giving me an opportunity I would not have otherwise been able to enjoy.

I got exactly what I had hoped for. We scooted almost the entire circumference of beautiful Ko Lanta. We stopped at stunning beaches and snorkeled with the fishies and crabs. We played games with shells in the sand. We ate on the pier in Old Town. Shopped a bit (and an extra thank you to Pierre for suffering through that!!), and drove back as the sun set.

With the wind cooling us in the dwindling light as we cruised along we saw the people of Lanta go about their daily life,  elephants riding trucks, kids hooting and yelling while piled up on the backs of bikes, and more beaches which we managed to reach just in the nick of time to catch sunset.

For me,  this was an absolutely incredible day. That feeling is heightened because I had thought for certain I would miss out on the experience. I may forever owe these kind people for what they gave to me today. I think they may not even know how special this was to me.

I am so wonderfully content in this moment. And so thankful for the generosity of people. You've capped off my trip in gold and sparkles.

Thank you.

The grateful Wandering Quad