January 21st: Breakfast and Farewell to The Chill…Traveling…Dinner at Hot Pot

---

Today I woke up so sad that we had to leave the beach already! We had another wonderful breakfast and this time I got eggs benedict and a chocolate croissant that was delicious. After breakfast we had some time to relax on the beach before we had to pack up our stuff and leave the resort. We all enjoyed the last looks at the ocean water and took some pictures in our The Chill hats and headed into the van. We were all not excited to make the long journey back to Chiang Mai, but we had fun reflecting on the excitement and beauty of the beach and resort we got to experience. We drove to the ferry and waved goodbye to Koh Chang. I was getting a little car sick when driving down the winding mountains of Koh Chang so the breeze on the ferry felt great! After the ferry we drove until we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant about 2 hours from the airport. We were all very tired but we enjoyed the food and spent a little time shopping in the local market across the street. I got some of the delicious rice cakes we have been having and another pair of elephant pants. 😊 We finally arrived at the airport and it was quite chaotic and overwhelming. We waited in a number of lines to get our bags checked and then because we were there earlier than our boarding time, we had to wait outside in the lobby area before being let to our gate. The flight went fast and I actually stayed awake for the whole thing! We had a gorgeous view of the sunset on our side of the plane and I was again in awe of the beauty of God’s creation and how He never ceases to amaze me. Thank you Jesus for your goodness! After we got off the plane, we stopped at a Japanese hot pot for dinner. There was a large pot in the middle of our table which had broth in it and we were able to add a bunch of different vegetables and meats to it and eat it! It was all very good and a cool cultural experience. We talked about starting a hot pot restaurant in the U.S. 😊 It’s such a cool idea and a fun community building activity. After dinner, we made it back to the college and unpacked. Our buddies came up to welcome us back and we exchanged stories about the weekend and they were very concerned about my burnt skin. Ha. I went to bed feeling exhausted and having a headache, but it felt so good to be back in Chiang Mai. Felt good to be home again. 😊

---