Family Affair

Just got the most powerful jab of my life that sent me to a long sleep I haven’t had for a long long time. A sleep I thought I didn’t have to wake up anymore. This combination of Dexamethasone and Ceftriaxone was really that lethal. The reason was that I haven’t been sleeping enough and being exposed to stress due to many things that have been happening around me, and especially planning for an exciting trip for my visiting family of 11 in Christmas.





Gee, that is the biggest thing I have to deal with right now. The last time they visited was 6 years a go and based on their confession it was the best trip they had had in the past. They had reminisced about it everytime I visited them and kids, especially kids, were making clear gesture that they would definitely want another trip very soon since then. Only then, they realized they had to wait for 6 more years to make it happen. It was a big decision since it involved a few families which then involved their annual leave permission, kids’ school holiday, and not to forget the other essential part: the money!. Comparing to joining a tour, they would rather to have me organize a trip for them, they preferred the freedom and flexibility involved in traveling on our own, the opportunities to try out local delicacies and go to non-touristy areas, and budgetwise, it is also cheaper.





Considering how short time has left to Christmas, I have pushed myself to do the best within the time restriction. Visited the travel expo during the weekend and that helped me moderately in working out places to visit for the trip (by the way, I think I had been exposed to some virus from the expo crowd as I started coughing and having fever right then). Needed to work out a concrete itinerary in order to make things right including booking for train tickets, air tickets, touring vans and other transport, meals and budget.









Time is really running out. Some desired accommodations are fully booked. That left me with very little choices or bigger budget to spend. I was lucky enough that T’s friend who happened to be residing in one of our destinations has offered to help for the local itinerary. Thanks H, you are the best!





Making this trip a sucess story is crucial to me, and therefore I have been focusing on doing it right a little bit too much. T disclosed how much he disliked me when I was so stressful about this matter. I was like “Hello, this is my family trip we are dealing with! I have to make this a happy trip for everyone”. Family connection is something personal and subjective. My view about my family might be different from his.





So there I was, sick for a couple of days while the itinerary was taking shape. It was just relieving that I had done the most crucial part regarding train and air tickets which are in fact running out quickly as everyone is going away on Christmas. For now, I need to be healthy again and I am pulling myself together, mostly on my own…





And these are photos of which I had promised in my previous posts. Without any delay, hope you all enjoy the scenes of the nature in KhaoKoh National Park. Maybe you will be there one day!