Chapter 23: Thailand

new pictures are posted to the right under blog roll: New Years vacation pictures and New Years Continued

We continue to drive and drive all day…seeing various sites along the way…the Thai music has not stopped and would be bearable if it were not vibrating the seats. I no longer have a smile on my face. Last night we arrived at Loei University…grateful that the “showers” or water buckets were inside this time and that there was a room to sleep in. bed frames on the floor but still a room. Three sides were opened windows but still a room. With nothing to do, I pulled out my computer and started showing the teachers my pictures and videos, which they absolutely loved. There it was a priceless moment sitting there in our pajamas talking about boys and hearts. The moment was broken by the cold and another sleepless night. I was woken an hour early to walk to the markets with the fellow teachers….I could see my breath and only had gouchas and a jean jacket to protect me from the cold. This was one instance where grandma definitely wouldn’t approve. I grabbed my blankets and wrapped in them on our walk at 5am. No markets were in site and neither was warmth. I was miserable…I think all of us were…until audame aupan (the thai teacher) started busting out her English directions I had taught her weeks prior. Turn left…go straight…it was something. Back at the bus and one of the students finally lent me a jacket and her blanket on the bus. I bared the cold for 5 more hours until we went down the mountain into the sun. Enough with my complaining…right now that’s all I want to do though. There was some comic relief, however, and a brief glimpse of happiness as we pulled into a winery…but no time to taste. More random stops…some at markets, temples, a river, another winery…finally time to head back. Another 8 hours of blasting Thai music and kids jumping and dancing in the back of the bus. Somehow I managed to sleep through part of it. One more stop before Uthai- Moo Ga Ta (translation: pig plate)- Thai Style bbq. Ok almost home 9:30pm…Thai music still in vibration. I either wince for the next hour and feel each pound on my temples increasing my week long headache…or I embrace it. That’s what life’s about right…embracing…so I jumped up out of my seat, stripped off my jacket and danced for the next hour at the back of the bus with all the students. They went absolutely nuts and loved every second I think. They even put in an English cd for my pleasure. So the trip ends in high spirits and on a good note…me jamming and dancing my heart out to “beautiful girl” and “umbrella” with 30 screaming Thai girls. I was even able to get an English lesson out of it and taught them the correct lyrics to “low”. The trip ended with a laugh and I realized this will probably be my last student fieldtrip. I think Ill manage the others on my own…

Ok so that was Koh Samui. My trip was planned to end here..after 4 short days…but unfortunately we ran into a small problem. And when I say unfortunately I say it with much sarcasm and in reality it was thankfulness. We were stranded…or “lost” on the island…there were no ferry spots available to Bangkok until the 8^th, it was the 3^rd. I was not heartbroken to say the least. Since we were stranded against our will…we made our way to Koh Tao…the third island next door and most soi of the trio. Tao was by far my favorite- it is smaller and quieter then the others. Here we spent a full day snorkeling (swimming with sharks!), relaxed on the beach, ate fresh seafood and fruit shakes and received the best massage of my life (sorry grandma). I must comment on this massage, however…it was sunset as I lied on the beach practically naked with a mere sheet for protection and my body surrendered to this tiny Thai woman. She was older and seemed frail, but she new what she was doing. For an hour and half and for 10 dollars (300 baht) I was a in a state of bliss. I was in one of those states…where I didn’t care that people probably saw my bare ass, I didn’t care that an old Thai woman was standing on top of me, twisting my body into a pretzel. All I know is that it may have been the best part of my trip…

The trip home was another long one…12 hours between bus and ferry and a sleep over again in Bangkok. So…all in all…you could say I had a good vacation…up until my first day back and now im on this bus in the freezing cold sleeping on cement floors. It could be worse though and I keep telling myself that. In all honesty these are the stories ill remember. Their for your enjoyment as well as mine…I am relieved a bit to be back in the North.  I can live out of a backpack for so long.  And althugh the islands are me…they are not thailand.  We had a good time in the aussie and irish pubs and living with backpackers…but during my travels I met people from probably every country except from Thailand..and the US for that matter.  It makes me appreciate this experience even more…because I see the real Thailand and its people.

Oh and ps- happy birthday ally!! I know its late…but im sure you understand.

Pps this entry is dedicated to marianne, kelly, lisa, jen, Anthony, shanna, Jessie, joi (the random thai girl we ran into numerous times on KPG) and everyone else who shared these memories

After a night like that..I needed a few days off…vacation can be tiring after a while. I traveled to Koh Samui (an island next door) a day later with two girls. One would think taking a short ferry ride there would be quick…but as everything in Thailand…it was no easy task. For two hours, it was basically a rush to each boat that docked, pushing your way through, hoping to get a spot. We finally arrived. The sun was still not out and hadn’t been our entire trip. The clouds and rain were relaxing, however, and we appreciated it for what it was worth. The next day we rented a jeep, Anthony our new Zealand friend in the drivers seat, and explored the island. The sun was finally out and we made it to Nuang waterfall.

What made this trek particularly interesting was our “tour guide”. I use quotations because he was just this random Thai guy in boxer briefs that adopted us as his own, and who we trusted, following him walking blindly into the bush. Okay let me start again…as we walked on toward this waterfall we passed many foreigners and visitors…nothing out of the ordinary…we thought we had reached the end of the trek and were about to swim, when a friendly Thai man waved us on and said there was better swimming farther up the mountain. We trusted this and followed him for another 30 minutes on a jungle trek with a very small path and no more tourists. I felt as if we were invading his territory, ducking under man made banana-leaf doors, trekking up farther and farther, None of us questioned his intentions…especially as we made it to the pristine, solitude swimming hole. He tore off his shorts and jumped ten feet from the tree above wearing only his Dolce and Gabana briefs. We swam through the caves, sunbathed, and jumped in like kids. It was time to go and he lead us back down to several view points. Well…he never lead us to our deaths or to be chopped up into tiny pieces (anyone see Touristas?)..but we at least expected him to ask for a tip. In the end, Marianne slipped on a rock on our way down (almost falling to her death, but merely bruising here foot thankfully). Thai man chewed up some plants and stopped the bleeding, carried her bags, put us in the back of a truck at the bottom and drove us to our jeep with many apologies, a smile and never asking for a penny. Only in Thailand. FYI- Marianne survived…that’s all you need to know.

First let me say Sawatdee Bi Mai 2009!! I hope everyone had an enjoyable and memorable one. I know mine was. As the crazed teenager that I was, I have attended many parties in my time (sorry mom), but I have never experienced one like this; the Fullmoon party on Koh Pagngan in the South of Thailand. My expectations were high to begin with, but it still managed to exceed them. I will keep the details pg and to a minimum…don’t worry I didn’t do anything you wouldn’t do…but im sure other people did. Basically it was a huge beach party consisting of at least 10,000 people…and anything goes. The night consisted of fireworks, body paint, fire limbo (it’s exactly what it sounds like), dancing, mushroom mountain (a little disturbing), singing in the streets, thai techno and not arriving back at our beach front bungalows until 6:30 in the morning. When we left there were still people everywhere, sleeping all over the beach, some covered in body paint, some covered in nothing…but after 3 rallies we new our time was up. I can see how it could get out of hand for some…but for mom’s sake…we had a buddy system, kept our cool (to an extent) and all 8 of us managed to stay together the entire night. Again…one new year that will go down in the books…but cannot be describe with words or pictures. If youre still young, or young at heart J it is one party you must experience in your lifetime. For me, I think once is enough.

Let me first begin with my first day back and work my way to the beginning…because this is one memory I will never forget. Right now I am in Loei- a province in the Northeast of Thailand, right along the border of Laos. We’re actually at the border as I write this, but of course I could not cross because of course no one informed me to bring a passport. The day I arrived back from my week stay in the islands…well actually I was still on the bus…I was informed I would be headed to Loei on a three day trip with the live-in students. I hadn’t seen them in weeks and felt like it was my duty to chaperone. So I had 12 hours to repack, catch up on some kind of sleep, and head out again. Let’s just say I think someone is getting me back for staying on vacation longer then I should have because this trip is just one disaster after another…and yet I try to keep a smile, wonder how I got here, and think, “happy new year”. Let me paint a picture for you…it’s 11:30 pm…I’m lying on a cement floor. The teacher to my left is snoring, yet sleeping soundly and the teacher to my right is bundled up in her winter jacket, hat, scarf, and gloves. The students are in the hall outside saying their prayers. An hour earlier we arrived at the temple where we will sleep for the night. The monks are in the next room and the boys are sleeping in tents outside. What was thought to be a 5 hour bus ride turned into 9 hours after trucking up the mountain at a slow 20 mph. Meanwhile…for exactly 9 hours straight…Thai hiphop music videos and game shows played on the bus screen and blasted the speakers. The first hour was great…flashing lights at the back of the bus, the students dancing and singing to every song…reminded me of hockey days…but I am no longer 17 and as you can imagine, I had my fill after just watching one video of practically naked thai women dancing on the screen. When the women started stripping and spreading their legs, it was finally time to call it quits and the teachers got the hint to turn it off.. Ok, so…Im staying upbeat, laughing at every new thing thinking ok things couldn’t get any worse. Well…due to my haste in packing and everyone failing to inform me that it was 30 degrees in the mountains of Loei where we were going…I did not pack sufficiently and froze all night. As I finally began to drift to sleep, the lights went on (4:30am) and it was time to start packing. I would not even attempt the outdoor water buckets they call showers. Still freezing, I managed to find gloves, socks, and a hat at the food stand…I guess many people make this mistake because they were readily available. We loaded into trucks, drove up the mountain, and when you couldn’t think it was any farther had another km walk to the top…still dark outside. Im sporting a sweatshirt and sandals. Finally…we arrived at the top of Pho Loua Peak just in time for sunrise. I kept telling myself it would be worth it…ive done sunrise hikes before and in the end they are worth it. The sun never rose…it took the day off. So there we were disappointed, cold, and with no sunrise. I can now only imagine what it looked like. So anyway…we continue on our bus journey…stopping at random places in Loei…never knowing where we are or where we’re going on just 2 hours of sleep in the past 2 weeks and still I try to keep a smile on my face. Oh the joys of Thailand…tbc.

Christmas Day- I awake early from sleeping (if you can call it that- trying to sleep with 300 screaming highschool students and soccer matches going on until 3 in the morning) on the floor with 30 students to my left and right…oh and not to mention there was no running water for 2 days.  merry christmas to me:)  I was at the 9th annual Kanchana Games in Nakohn Pathon (basically the olympics of the 9 Kanchanapisek high schools all over Thailand….ours obviously being one of them). It was five endless days of soccer, tarkrow, badmitton, baton, singing contests…and the list goes on.  The students ended up with a silver and bronze.  By the end we were all very exhausted. 

The holiday did not go unnoticed however…Christmas Eve was spent with my director and a few other teachers on a dinner cruise around Bangkok.  The hotel Christmas lights lit up the Chow Praya river…Bangkok was actually enjoyable and peaceful looking from the outside in.  A few days before the 6/1 and 6/2 students put on an english Christmas play and exhibition complete with christmas trees (bamboo), thai jingle bells, cinderella and santa clause.  I even attempted teaching them the true christmas story…with suprisingly much success.    I did get many “merry christmas teacher” all day and little flowers and candies…from all the students at the kanchana games….even the students from different schools.  i guess my white skin screamed I’m christian in their eyes…but bless their hearts…it made my day.  It has been a very interesting and unforgetable Christmas to say the least.

 Im headed to the islands tomorrow for New Years and the infamous full moon party.  More details to come…

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and holiday…know that your all in my heart.  xo<3

after many requests…ive posted my address.  Not saying that you have to send anything…but if you wanted to/if you had any love for me what so ever…all is welcome.

 20 Moo 2

Donkloy, Nongkhayang

Uthai Thani 61130

Thailand

Also, new pictures are up under the tab to the right titled “new pics”

Wonkapkoonpawja

The literal translation in Thai is a celebration in thanking God. Kapkoon (thanks) Pawja (God). I find this interesting because Thanksgiving is not considered a religious celebration in the States. There are many meanings of Thanksgiving, many that I realized were hard to explain through pictures…although my Pilgrams and Indians and peace signs did turn out nicely. But I think the most important concept stressed since 2^nd grade is thankfulness…”what are you thankful for this year?” And in that, no matter your religion, you are ultimately thanking your Pawja, your own God, your creator. In the spirit of the holidays…I am most thankful for this opportunity (a year ago I never imagined I would be spending Thanksgiving with 2 Thai teachers, a thai student, a Chinese teacher, and papaya salad) and of course, my family (my first Thanksgiving away from home) They always say home is where the heart is and my heart is definitely with my family. Even though there was no pumpkin pie this year…I am still thankful. (to replace the pie, I’ve hung a picture of it on my fridge). I did manage to make mashed potatoes (something new that they seemed to enjoy), green beans, and chicken. Grandma’s chocolate cookies were of course the best part…and were deemed “heavenly” by the teachers.

Although a little late, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

We are now beginning to decorate for Christmas. Although it is not celebrated, they love putting on a Christmas play, which I will help with this year and they love learning about it. The students helped me decorate my classroom– we put up lights, made an advent calendar, and are in the process of constructing a “hand” wreath with all the classes. We also sing jingle bells almost every class. Happy holidays!

In celebration of the King’s birthday and our annual sports day, I traveled south during the week holiday. My first stop was Bangkok. I traveled there with a few other teachers and students to visit the palace. The King presents a speech annually to his people. Thousands of Thais gather in the heat and sun in their finest attire to see him walk through the palace streets. We arrived at 1 pm and left at 6 pm. We never saw the King (he was sick and could not attend) and never found a seat (barely standing room). I did catch a glimpse of the Princess, however, but I’m not sure it that was worth the trip. Although I was a tad annoyed and exhausted from the heat and waiting, no one else seemed to feel the same way. The Thais showed true concern for their King who had to cancel and were in no way upset at their wasted day. I don’t think this would be the response anywhere else. Their respect gleamed on their faces as they left the gates hoping to catch a glimpse of him next year with no regret of their attendance this year. In celebrations such as this one, I am usually the only white person in attendance. I am used to the stares and pictures, but am starting to feel like a lucky charm. Many older Thais come up to me and touch or grab my arm (sometimes feel down my entire body) with a rich smile and big eyes…I am supposed to bring them luck and happiness. I welcome them and resist breaking the news, thinking that maybe my touch will someday bring them good fortune.

My second stop- Pattya (Thailand’s Cancun meets down scale Waikiki). Lisa and I stayed for one day and decided to search for something cleaner and less commercialized. For my first and last time I treated myself to Starbucks…but when your coffee (200 baht) is 1/3rd the price of your guesthouse (600 baht) it puts things into perspective. We did enjoy coconuts on the beach and fresh seafood, but with the combination of vendors constantly harassing us and fat western older white men who crowded the bars looking for young Thais, we were ready to leave.

We finally landed in Koh Samet, a small southeastern island. It was here that we found our peace and from then on, nothing but sanuk. The island is quite small (it took us 40 min on an ATV from one end to the opposite). It is charming with several secluded beach resorts, backpacker’s huts, beach bungalows and bars, crystal blue water and only one atm. Our guesthouse was serene and rugged, much like camping, and by the time we left I felt teary eyed to say goodbye to the owners and other travelers. Highlights included running into 4 others from our program on the beach (small world), exploring all the beaches via ATV (I only feared for my life once or twice)–and mind you the only “road” that runs through the island is a one way dirt/rock path, waking up for sunrise our last day followed by sleeping on the beach, fire dancers and learning how to fire dance, coconut banana shakes for breakfast followed by som tom (papaya salad) for lunch…and everything in between. You can’t really go wrong with sunshine and the ocean.

After being away…it still feels nice to come back to school. Not like home, but comforting.

 PS The King’s Bday is also father’s day– so happy father’s day dad.