Friends!

When we were planning our trip we left an open invite for friends saying anyone could join us at anytime. Matt and Elaina (a nursing friend from school) called us the day after Thanksgiving to inform us that they would be joining us at the end of April. They happened to want to see Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia and the dates they were coming happened to match the time we would be in that area.

Now here we are in Malaysia with Matt and Elaina. They have been with us for a week and we have been to Bangkok, Koh Tao, and now Langkawi. We are going to Penang tomorrow... I think that is a province, but I can't tell you the city we are heading to because I don't actually know where we are going.

We spent a couple days in Koh Tao. We rented scooters, went snorkeling, swam in the warm ocean, and enjoyed the stunning views the island had to offer. I have never been to a beach as beautiful as the one we went to in Koh Tao. The water was crystal clear and there were thousands of incredible fish swimming in the coral just below the surface around the edges of the bay.

It is great to have travel companions. It is nice to have someone else make decisions and to be able to tag along. The first few days took a bit of adjusting, but we have found a comfortable stride.

The rest of my trip can be measured in thirds. We have three more weeks with Matt and Elaina, then three weeks with just the two of us before Erik heads home and I have three weeks in Australia.

I am very excited to see Lynn in Australia. I think I would want to go home soon if it weren't for that. Well, if my ticket home were booked for tomorrow I wouldn't be too disappointed. If I have only learned one thing traveling (and I have learned many more than that) it would be that there is no place quite as wonderful as home. I love Canada.