TWO GIRLS GONE WILD IN KOH SAMET

I'm writing to you from the balcony of a bungalow overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. Koh Samet is an island located about half a day's journey from Bangkok. My mother and I feel like two girls gone wild: spending the last few days of her trip on the beaches. We've been swimming in the warm bathwater surf, doing lots of yoga, sipping banana shakes, hitting up the live music spots, and working very hard on our tans. It appears that, like me, my mother has found a second home in Thailand.

In fact, my mother is handling being a backpacker quite well considering this is her first time. She's already learned how to sit on the motorcycle taxis so as to not fall off of the back. She's a natural at riding the Songteaw, Thailand's public transport akin to a flat bed truck with benches welded onto the back. But I'm most impressed by how she's handled the night train. Cockroaches and all (pics are coming!).

As my mother is a practicing western Sikh, another big part of her trip here has been her exposure to the eastern Sikh community. She was immediately welcomed and well respected in the Sikh temples of Bangkok. Once we passed by a female Buddhist monk in the streets who saw my mom in her traditional all white Sikh garb and bowed deeply to her. Mom smiled at the monk and bowed back. Travis and I are in awe at the way she seems to makes friends with everyone even whilst traveling in a foreign country. It will be hard to say goodbye when she goes back home to Seattle tomorrow.

We've all had a great time together.