Last Post - En route from Thailand

Hello, all -

I (Sarah) am now in the Hong Kong airport, waiting for my connection back to New York. Will left yesterday, so I was all by my lonesome last night and this morning. I'm not sure how I'll be able to survive the 15 hour flight without having him to talk to and play cards with, but I guess I'll have to manage.

After our last post, we went to a Thai kickboxing match, which to my delight, involved no blood, but rather just alot of athletic kicks and jabs.

What better fits with a loud boxing match than the nicest bar in all of Thailand, which is where we went next. The Sirocco bar is on the 64th floor of the State Tower and has a panoramic view of all of Bangkok. On one side, they have a live jazz band playing. The scene was amazing and definitely something I would recommend.

Last night, after Will left, I went with the rest of the remaining MIT Sloan group on a boat tour of Bangkok. The ride started ~5pm in broad daylight, and took us all around Bangkok until well into darkness. We saw a number of temples and palaces at night - a very impressive sight.

And now I'm in Hong Kong, waiting to come back.

Goodbye, Thailand!
- Sarah

Final day

Today I leave Thailand for New Zealand. Sarah is staying one more day and will join the group tonight for a river boat tour. It has been a fun trip and a good place to spend the otherwise cold winter. Last night we went to a very upscale bar on the roof of one of the tallest buildings in Bangkok. The view was absolutely amazing. It felt like being on top of the world. There was a jazz band playing and nice cocktails served. Earlier in the evening we went to a Thai kickboxing event and saw four live matches from ring-side seats!

I am off to the tailor now. I had some custom suits and shirts made. They are incredibly cheap and look great. I picked out the cloth / fabric myself and then I have gone to a few fittings.

Great trip. Hope you enjoyed the blog!

Bangkok exploring

Hi, all. It's Sarah writing now. We arrived in Bangkok last night and spent the evening at a jazz bar in a swank hotel called the Oriental. The music was great, and the atmosphere very relaxed.

Today is the first of two dedicated to company visits, which the Sloan students are required to attend. I, however, decided to opt out and spend a day relaxing and exploring Bangkok.

I've been walking around the streets - it feels amazingly safe here - and stopped in for a pedicure at a local salon.

I guess you'll have to wait for Will to get back to hear how the company visits went - a cement company and a hotel company today - but I think he was pretty envious of my day of leisure as he left the room at 7am today.

Hope all's well!
- Sarah

Back to Bangkok...

We are leaving Krabi now to fly back to Bangkok. Today we went sea kayaking through the mangrove forests. A narrow shallow and muddy path led us through a twisty maze of mangrove trees, that is, until we got stuck in water too shallow and had to turn around to hit the open water more.

Yesterday we spent New Year's Day on a boat cruising to small islands near Koh Phi Phi. Four or five of our group stepped on sea urchins and were stuck with poisonous (not lethal) barbs that stung quite a bit. The locals told us we had to pee on the stung feet to reduce the pain, but the victims said they would just ride out the pain.

We also managed to get in a little snorkeling, saw some coral and tropical fish. No sharks or turtles though.

So this is the end of the beach time. It was pleasant and warm here. It was also amazing to think about how this area was affected 3 years ago at this time when the tsunami hit. Koh Phi Phi, for one, was majorly damaged but has been rebuilt to its former glory and is seeing vibrant tourism again. But in the rural areas, the small homes we pass in our coach don't look as if they are any more prepared for a new disaster. Hopefully one won't occur.