The last few weeks have flown by. I spent a week more in Chiang Mai and was sick with the flu, Cash stayed at the Wat meditating until day 12 and then came down the mountain thinking I was already gone and flew to Koh Samui the next day. I left by train to Bangkok and flew from there.

We met Alexys and her family and her young baby boy. We stayed on the touristy beaches of Koh Samui where everything is 3 times more expensive than the other islands or anywhere else in Thailand but still less expensive than California and the ocean water is WARM! We lounged and swam and enjoyed a relaxing reunion together and with Cash's friends. Then, we found our way to a ferry and stayed on Why Nam beach on Koh Pha Ngan... we had to take a taxi boat to this private beach that only has one 'resort' or rather two women who run a restaurant and have several beach front bungalows with hammocks and porchs and ants in the bathrooms:) Enjoyed paradise, Cash dealt with back pain and I swam in my new heaven.
Walking trails connected the three private beaches, Haad Tien (a place called the Sanctuary is a haven for people wanting to eat healthy or fast and detox and relax) and Haad Yuan, a slightly larger, still quiet beach with restaurants that play films in the evening.
Cash left earlier than me to return to Bangkok before our flight to Calcutta and I left my passport in the safe of the hotel and had a big day of running around since I only realized the mistake once LEAVING and on a boat away from Koh Pha Ngan.. all was well.

CALCUTTA!!!! this place is like no other place I have seen... intense poverty and overcrowding, overpopulated streets. Everything has a schedule for the people sleeping in the streets and over a cup of chai, one can simply observe. We met Madison and Spencer Kwan's Aunt Daisy, cousin Rebecca and her baby Mattias and husband Anand! Amazing people, very kind and amazingly helpful to show us great places in the city!!
We have met the most amazing people, all with fantastic reasons to be in Calcutta or India and great travels behind them as well. We have joined the community of volunteers and been 'working' at the Daya Dan Mother Teresa charity house, me for a week and Cash for several days before getting a bit sick and shocked.

We visited an amazing charity that takes in people from the streets, educates them on nourishing their children properly, gives general health education, medical treatment and runs a school. It is called CALCUTTA RESCUE and will soon have a website up. I am thoroughly impressed with them and hope to find a way to support them soon!!!

A typical day includes breakfast and prayer at Mother House at 7, two crazy local buses to the center and then bathing and dressing children with Down's syndrom or cerebral palsy, some very deformed! Then, a few hours of massaging, giving attention, talking to and singing to the kids before feeding them lunch by hand. At noon, we take the metro back to Sutter St, have lunch and spend the day either chatting amongst ourselves, visiting the New Market or simply trying to walk around and take it all in. I have been nervously and excitedly anticipating India for some time and am happy to say that I AM strong enough to be here, happy to help people and dealing with the culture shock well!
Cash and I have parted ways again. He left for Siliguri last night and may go to Nepal, I will go to Darjeeling and Sikkim with some other volunteers tomorrow. Hoping that both of our travels continue to be amazing. We are blessed to be here, seeing this different world and culture from our own and have been happy to be of some help, although the need is so great.