Snip Snip, Holy S**t.

I have written previously on this blog about overcoming loneliness, death, language barriers, cultural differences, and homesickness. Yet today I faced an experience so daunting and nervewrecking it will live forever in my mind.

I got my hair cut.

Now, I am not one for fretting about my hair. Since a gekko decided to die in my hair dryer about 2 weeks ago I have gone au natural with the hair, which includes lots of flicks and general awfulness. In Thailand, if you are a farang, you can get away with wearing a bin liner as long as it covers your shoulders. But you can only put off the inevitable for so long, and after nearly 6 months, I was in need of a haircut.

In the past I have cut my hair from below my shoulders to a near shaved side-of-the-head with a floppy fringe style, I have bleached it, snipped it myself with a blunt scissors, and I have changed it about so many times and all without much thinking. I did the same this time. I cycled into town with an average idea of what I wanted, did a few hand gestures at the hairdressers, and after a lovely shampoo and head massage, I was feeling well confident when I sat down in the chair. Nothing prepared me for what came next.

The hairdresser came over, I showed her how short I wanted it, which was about 2 inches off, and I signalled a side fringe. She went 'ok ok ok', grabbed her scissors, pinned a chunk of my hair up, and nattered to the girl beside her as she went SNIP , taking at least 4-5 inches off the back.

Holy mother of jesus and the seven mollywopsies what has she done!!!!!

Mai pen rai, mai pen rai, mai pen rai (Thai version of Hakuna Matata). Breath, breath. It may not be as bad as it seems.

After about three minutes and a lot of very fast and not really measured snips, I had a bob pretty much exactly the same as my students' government school uniform hairstyle. She also went to town on the fringe and it is a lot shorter than I anticipated. It took me til this time to take my eyes off the scissors in the mirror and look at myself to see I looked like I was about to be sick. They just laughed. But, after the trainee dragged the hair off of my head with the hairdryer, I found it wasn't at the 'oh god, hand my the electric shaver and a bottle of vodka' level of direness. Its short, and I needed a serious coffee and a good half an hour sit down to let the heart settle, but I survived.

Next time Amy, go in with a picture and a native speaker. Silly girl.

Sawatdiikha.

Winding down and Revving Up

Turns out, the whole 'I dont want to do any work' feeling that comes with the end of term in Ireland is not just for students. We have one week of classes left before we break for exams, and although I have really loved working here in Rattanaburi, I am feeling the itch to move on. So, the plan for the week is easy classes of games and sweets, coupled with a ton of research on the places I plan on visiting over the next three months.

For this weekend though, I decided to see a little more of the area I am in, and along with a friend from a nearby town we headed off to stay with a fellow ESL teacher in the busy little town of Sikoraphum, about 1 hour drive in a car (which means 2 in a bus) from where I live. We spent the weekend eating incredible Thai food (nom nom Som Tam) and biking around the area. We made a quick visit to a local ruined Hindu temple, drank the strangest green tea I have ever had, and followed all of this with jelly tots and wine gums, drinking cheap Thai beer and planning our travelling together. It was a very productive weekend, and after booking a flight down south in time for my birthday in March and outlining the locations we wish to visit, I have come to the conclusion that come June I will be very well travelled but also very well broke. In fairness though, what's the point in having money in a bank. May as well be spent on hostels, planes and tours.

The plan so far consists of this; Koh Samet for starters, then onto Bangkok for a flight down south, and then the Koh Mook in the Trang islands for my birthday (see incredible pic below .... yes, that really is how beautiful it is), moving on to Phuket, up to Phi Phi island (where 'The Beach' was filmed), then over to Koh Samui, see Koh Phangan, and then on to Phetchaburi before heading to Bangkok for a few days. For Thai New Year in April I will hopefully be in Chiang Mai up north, then a quick visit to Chiang Rai before heading over the scary border on an incredibly long bus journey to Cambodia. Between April 18th and June 6th, I plan to cover Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and hopefully Indonesia (although I may be too broke after Malaysia. We will see how good my budgeting skills are).

To say I am excited is an understatement. To also say I am utterly terrified is also an understatement. Considering that booking the flight down south last night nearly gave me an ulcer shows how I deal with making travel plans. There is always the fear of not pressing the right button, or making sure you have enough time to get to whatever airport before the flight, or maybe you put in the wrong passport details or the wrong date, not to mention organising currency and visas all in another language that you have a beginners grasp of ..... The only hope I have is that the Thai idea of mai pen rai (don't worry, be happy) will rub off on me during my three weeks beach hopping in March.

Here is a photo of where I am spending my birthday. May I just mention three nights accommodation here is costing me 19 euro thanks to Agoda's half price promotions. Living in a second world country with squatters toilets and a lack of cheese its not often I get to say this, but I think I will revel in it just this once; jealous much? :-)