Bangkok Orientation

Here follows the account of my first few days in Thailand...

Dear Diary,
   
    (8/10/10) After waiting a while at the airport doing sudoku and looking like a freak just standing there, Timmy arrived and we were driven to the hotel.  It was raining lightly (duh), and the mosquitos were crazy, but no biggie, we weren't outside long.  Our room wasn't what he had expected, but isn't that what traveling is all about? New things? Unfortunately it was also more humid than we had expected, so i took a quick rinse-off shower before falling into bed, while Timmy went to look for a 7/11.  Apparently at some point the air conditioner was switched off, because we almost died of heat.  My hair was still damp 9 hours after having showered, thanks to the humidity. I was up early, but made myself go back to sleep. Adjusting to the time difference (12 hours) was now or never..i went with now! Around 9, we showered and got breakfast (ham/cheese sandwich, tea, and Tang!), and then walked around a bit.  There was a river right by the hotel so I bought a bag of bread crusts ( proceeds went to charity!) and we watched the fish duke it out…they're huge! Nui tried to get me to feed them by hand…but i chickened out last minute and just tossed it in his mouth. they were freaky. Just saying.  On our walk we noticed that there were tons of stray dogs…even after Egypt, it was still hard to get used to. 
    Kai and Nui took us to our new hotel, the Ambassador, which is completely amazing! We each have our own rooms, with a double bed, couch, an amazing view of bangkok, and a really nice bathroom (with toilet paper! After Egypt and what I've read of rural Thailand, that's a big deal!).  After freshening up, we took the sky train downtown to do some shopping and get lunch.  We got converters for our electronics, as well as some other things.  For lunch, I had steamed duck on a bed of rice - SO GOOD! The fruit everywhere looks so good, I might get some watermelon later tonight.  When we were all done, we took a TukTuk (usually seats 2-3, not 4) back.  After Cairo driving, I'm a little jaded, but that would scare the average American!  Since we had a break, Timmy and I found the pool, then went to visit the bird sanctuary. (Yeah, they have a bird sanctuary!) Now we're getting ready for dinner. Tomorrow is a tour of the river, and Thursday is the Grand Palace, and an overnight train to Chiang Mai!
    For dinner, Nui took us to the Bangkok Night Bazaar - so cool! I'm a huge fan of bazaars in general, so it was really great to see a night bazaar! We had dinner outside while there was a live concert (we rocked out to versions of Lady Gaga, Coldplay, and many more, as well as Thai pop), then Timmy and I wandered the bazaar looking and shopping.  We saw several of those foot baths with fish in them (the fish eat the dead skin off your feet…ew!), but I decided to pass…I did, however, get several scented soaps (love!). Then we headed back to the hotel for SLEEP!
    (8/11/10) Today started with breakfast- yum! After, we were off to take a boat tour down the Chao Pra Ya River, visiting the Mohn people and their famous pottery on the island of Koh Kred.  Tim and I both got a little frowny man pottery cup with iced tea in it-less than a dollar! I love the exchange rate! After this nifty boat tour, we walked around the city, looking at the shops and all the city life.  For lunch we had a pork and noodle soup-thing. It was DELICIOUS! The noodles are rice noodles, a technique the Thai people learned from the Chinese.  I also learned that the name of the dish, when mispronounced, means something very naughty that should not be discussed in public! oh dear, this will be interesting to order in the future!
    After a bit more wandering, we took a taxi to see the Phra Buddha Maha Suwanna Patimakorn, or Golden Buddha.  Comprised of 18k gold for its head, and 6k gold for the rest of the body, the Golden Buddha weighs a whopping 5.5 tons and is beautiful! Nui explained that when you pray to Buddha, people cup their hands in a lotus-esque manner, because they believe the lotus represents the Buddhist way of thinking.  Although the lotus plant is dirty and muddy, it grows above the water into a flower, an object of beauty.  Similarly, through good karma, souls can go from the very bottom rungs of life through incarnations to reach nirvana, the full bloom - very inspiring!
    Next was off to Chinatown!  Bangkok has a huge China town, bustling with vendors and consumers!  We saw frogs bagged to be sold (still alive, the way fair fish are at home), fried fish stomachs (for soup…pass!), and plenty of fruit! They had more gorgeous hand-made items, of course, especially beautiful tea sets.  I wanted to get one, but I have 9 months of moving around…no way it would survive! Hopefully when I'm on my way out! Dinner was in Chinatown, although very different from the China Place back in Des Moines! We had several dishes to share, and boy was I full!
    We had quite a ride back to the hotel, and after we were free to do as we would.  I was ready to pass out then (about 7 o'clock), but Timmy and I went down to the internet café to update our loved ones…and facebook!  Then it was back to the room to practice my dance for the talent show and then BED!
    Well…Because I'm myself something was prone to go wrong before long.  I attempted to charge my computer right before bed, but unfortunately my converter was not up to it…and it fried. Not only did the converter fry, but it took the power to my room with it! Luckily my computer was okay, however I passed the night and the next morning in darkness, sans AC. Again luckily, my room was already cooled down, so I didn't need the AC to survive!

Sweating isn't an activity here, its a way of life.

    (8/12/10) Today we woke up early to see the famous floating market! Unfortunately what we didn't know was that it only floated on the weekends…bummer! But it was still a great experience! We saw all sorts of things while we were there, duck beak (for eating), handmade crafts, so many different kinds of food, and of course, people watching! It was so hot, and still only the morning! After the market, we continued on our tour.  The day's schedule held the Emerald Buddha, Grand Palace, and the Reclining Buddha.  The Grand Palace was gorgeous! There was so much gold, or at least gold paint, and painted mosaic tiles that reflected the sun and made it hard to see at times.  It was for this reason that we were forced to wear pants and nicer shirts, so sweat was abundant!!  The Palace was worth the sweat though, very beautiful!

    The Emerald Buddha was smaller than expected, but very beautiful! And the temple the cased it was so beautiful as well! Quite awe-inspiring! There are three outfits for the Emerald Buddha, one for each season, and it is changed not by the monks, but by the King, or in this case the Crown Prince.  We are currently in the rainy season, but there's also one for the cold season (pah, cold as in a slight chill compared to the usual temperatures!) and for the hot season.

    After walking through a continuous sidewalk market, we saw the third largest Reclining Buddha statue.  Although he is 3rd in size, he is considered the 1st in beauty because of the mother or pearl inlay on the bottom of the feet.  There is also a tradition when visiting this temple, one buys a bowl of coins (the money is donated), and then walks along a series of bowls, distributing the coins at will.  There is no rhyme or reason to the distribution, only what one desires.  You are supposed to tell your own fortune as you do this, and hopefully it will come true! I'd tell you what I foretold, but then it would be less likely to come true, like wishes on shooting stars or birthday wishes. 
    We still had plenty of time before the train, so we sat in a department store coffee shop for a while cooling down, and then went down _______ Road.  This is similar to Cornmarket in Oxford, or any other market street.  There are vendors and peddlers selling everything and anything you want- there are fried bugs, tattoos, massages, shirts, DVD's (including toy story 3, salt, and others still in theaters!), and books! I was able to buy a cheap and well-worn copy of Pride and Prejudice to keep me occupied.  It began to rain, so we Tuk-Tuk-ed to the train station to wait out the rest of our time. 
    At the train station I had a sandwich, showered, and read to pass the time. There was a cyber café, so I could check my e-mail and such as well.  Eventually, the train came and we were off! Needless to say, as soon as they put my bed together I was behind my curtains snoozing away! 
    (8/13/10) I woke several times in the night, but I think less often than some.  The guy across the hall snored, and I heard some nocturnal noises from the girl below him as well. Hopefully I didn't contribute to the melody! About 9am breakfast was served. I thought we HAD to get out of bed…boy was I mistaken! Unfortunately I didn't realize this until after they had already put my bed away!  Timmy and I passed the time staring out the window and reading/listening to ipods.  Finally, after 15 hours, we rolled into Chiang Mai! We were finally here!
    We went to the school, and I got to my room. Only one of my roommates was there, Mem.  I meant to shower and change, but I lost the keys to my luggage locks, and had to go in the same clothes I'd been wearing since yesterday morning! We went to get our uniforms (I'm a 3XL in Thailand, ouch), and then to the mall for a snack and some shopping. We got some things for the dorm (laundry and shower stuff and a new converter among other things), and then headed back.  I wasn't very hungry, so I stuck to fruit for a later snack.  After a shower (I found my keys right after we left), I changed into my pajamas and spent the rest of the evening unpacking, getting to know Mem and Nona, my other roommate, and catching up on my e-mails and facebook.  Now I am all set up, and am preparing for bed!  My roommates and I have made an agreement to teach each other languages - they'll teach me Thai and I'll teach them English. I also made them promise to not laugh at my Thai! I'm not sure if they'll be my roommates all year or not, but we're off to a good start!

                           Love always,


                                      Anna!