The Black Kittens

Christmas in Thailand was very different. Not different in a bad way, but different in a way that I will never forget it. Every Christmas prior to this year was spent with family eating, exchanging gifts, and playing games. This year we did the same, but with our new friends.

On Christmas Eve the school had a 3 hour assembly that Steph and I put together. I wrote the play, which was a simpler version of Rudolph, and Steph set up a some song and dance numbers and a dance contest to the classic tune Jingle Bell Rock. Oh yeah, and I also got to dress up as Santa. As if the little kiddies didn't give me enough rock star treatment, I got even more dressed as the man in red. I got to throw candy out into a crowd of thai children, which has always been a dream of mine. And I also got to spread some cheer by giving a few "Ho Ho Ho's." It was a lot of fun, but extremely hot.

Christmas morning we caught the 5am minivan for Bangkok. Seven of us booked a massive suite for the night. This place was a sight for sore eyes. It had a huge tv, massive beds, and a kitchen with all the appliances. We didn't ever want to leave. We spent the day watching Christmas movies and catching up with our friends. That night we prepared the best Christmas feast we could've asked for in Thailand. We had chicken, salad, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, and mac & cheese. I overbought and ended up making about 4 pounds of mac & cheese. I tried to eat all of it, but failed unfortunately. After eating we exchanged gifts and I quickly fell into a miniature comma.

We figured if we couldnt celebrate the holidays with family back home, we would celebrate with our new family here. It was a great Thai Christmas.

We brought in the New Year celebrating on the island of Koh Chang, Thailand's second largest island. Our place had a sweet dinning area that looked out over the flat placid water. If any surfers are reading this. Don't come to Thailand for surfing. I haven't seen a single wave. Anyways, the night of New Years Eve we drank at our resort and headed down the beach and celebrated outside an exclusive party, which some people were able to sneak into later. It was an awesome night, but we did have to do the countdown ourselves. I remember looking at my wristwatch and counting down for everyone around us. First time I've ever had to do that.

The next day five of us rented some mopeds and explored the island and all it's glory. I dubbed us "The Black Kittens" and we were that badasses you didn't wanna mess with. I, the leader, or King of the Kittens, decided that we needed to establish some street credit. So we were cruisin along just minding our own business when we approach a road block where two Thai cops in black uniforms signal for me to pullover because I didn't have a helmet on. The company we rented the choppers from gave me one helmet, so me being the nice guy that I am, gave it to my precious cargo Steph. I didn't want to argue so I payed the $6 fine and The Black Kittens hit the road again. Only this time we had a bad reputation.

The kittens seeking refuge after a long, hard ride.

That night we played pool with some "ladyboys" who may or may not have been selling their bodies for money. It was hilarious. My team won both times, but not because of my skills. The "ladyboys" are incredible at pool.