View from John's window, complete with relaxin' pet LizardNo thank you!
I said as Pee Joe, John’s Thai friend, kept shoving some incense and gold pieces at my face in front of the biggest golden man (or non-golden man for that matter) I had ever seen—topping off at a few stories high. I shook my head, said I didn’t need one, my hands were full, I’d just embarrass myself anyway by sticking the incense who knows where-probably someplace unknowingly offensive, I was cool just watching the other Buddhists do their thang.
No thank you is apparently not an answer allowed in a Buddhist temple.
John and I laughed it off, more concerned at the time with the silliness of it all to us than what it could possibly mean. As we stood before the Buddha, we giggled as we wished for ridiculous lottery winnings and said our Our Fathers and Hail Marys. Then, it was an interesting cultural (I admit partially sac-religious) experience. Now, I think either God or Buddha put a hit on me because of it...
I’ve had, officially, the worst week since I’ve come to live in New Zealand.
My laptop broke beyond manageable repair, our road-trip car’s engine died and the whole thing needs to be replaced, my luggage was lost in Sydney, my school assignments’ due dates were moved forward to earlier this week, my dog back home (Charlie aka the happiest dog in the world) has cancer meaning he may not make it to the time I return home, I’m sure I’ve gained at least 500 overloaded stress pounds, and my bad hair day has now officially extended to a bad hair week.
Wow, this has turned into one depressing blog, right?
Despite the horrid events of the week, I’m trying to stay focused on the good, which was pretty much my entire holiday in Thailand. Let’s just stay focused on the good together, shall we?
I said as Pee Joe, John’s Thai friend, kept shoving some incense and gold pieces at my face in front of the biggest golden man (or non-golden man for that matter) I had ever seen—topping off at a few stories high. I shook my head, said I didn’t need one, my hands were full, I’d just embarrass myself anyway by sticking the incense who knows where-probably someplace unknowingly offensive, I was cool just watching the other Buddhists do their thang.
No thank you is apparently not an answer allowed in a Buddhist temple.
John and I laughed it off, more concerned at the time with the silliness of it all to us than what it could possibly mean. As we stood before the Buddha, we giggled as we wished for ridiculous lottery winnings and said our Our Fathers and Hail Marys. Then, it was an interesting cultural (I admit partially sac-religious) experience. Now, I think either God or Buddha put a hit on me because of it...
I’ve had, officially, the worst week since I’ve come to live in New Zealand.
My laptop broke beyond manageable repair, our road-trip car’s engine died and the whole thing needs to be replaced, my luggage was lost in Sydney, my school assignments’ due dates were moved forward to earlier this week, my dog back home (Charlie aka the happiest dog in the world) has cancer meaning he may not make it to the time I return home, I’m sure I’ve gained at least 500 overloaded stress pounds, and my bad hair day has now officially extended to a bad hair week.
Wow, this has turned into one depressing blog, right?
Despite the horrid events of the week, I’m trying to stay focused on the good, which was pretty much my entire holiday in Thailand. Let’s just stay focused on the good together, shall we?
Arrival
Although I have travelled to non-English speaking areas of the world before, I had never been shocked out of my comfort zone as much as I was upon first arrival in Thailand. The signs were not only in a different language, but the characters of words looked more like pretty squiggles than letters to me. The language was absolutely foreign to me as well; even the tones and pitches used when speaking—very soft and high—made me wonder if that was really “normal-speak” at first, or if they were doing impersonations of some children’s cartoon. I also looked much different than the people there—granted I also stand out in a crowd in New Zealand with my outfits inspired by the rainbow shining in a sea of black. But in Thailand, it wasn’t just my clothes, my skin, my hair, or my language that made me stick out—it was my awestruck half-open-mouthed expression as I stared at absolutely everything in sight. The further away from touristy spots we travelled, the more interesting I became to the Thai people as well. I was pointed and stared at in many settings, ranging from the market to the restaurant to John’s school—which took a lot of getting used to, but I just shrugged it off with a smile (assuming it was my "stunning good looks" and not the combination of sweat pouring off every surface of my body, matted hair, clumsy attempts at eating, talking, and abiding by overall cultural norms, as well as the camera glued to my hand that initiated the looks) and usually received some huge smiles in return.
Bangkok
Moving on, my first day in Thailand, we stayed in Bangkok. Prepping for our first adventure, one of John’s friends—Pee Nee—and her parents, fed us a very large Thai breakfast (I say Thai not just because of what the food was, but how much there was. I was told by John that there is only one meal in Thailand: it starts when you wake up and ends when you go to sleep. Now that is something I can get used to!!). I ate a lot of rice, fried vegetables, and (just in case I wouldn’t enjoy Thai style food) cookie-crisp cereal. It was a strange combination, but my first indication that in Thailand, strange food combinations do not exist, anything goes.
After my first Thai meal (which was delicious by the way, next time you’re in Bangkok call up Pee Nee’s mom, she is almost as good of a cook as my own mother!) we headed out to an outdoor market the size of which is not found anywhere else in Asia (it’s called the JJ market by Johnny and the locals, or the Chatuchak market by Foreigners). Although it was quite warm out and I as well as the many Farang (foreigners) were sweating profusely, it wasn’t uncomfortably warm—plus I wasn’t about to complain about tank top and shorts weather when I hadn’t taken off winter boots and jacket when I went to sleep for the last two months. The market was fabulous; there were hundreds of stalls woven like honeycombs—perfect to find a good deal on anything you could dream of, but also easy to get lost in and even worse, a big trap for pickpocketers in the crowded sea of shoppers. John and I wandered through the pet sections—admiring the cheap puppies and kittens, ran our hands through Thai silk of rich dark colors, marveled at beautiful hand woven purses, spent far too little on far too many small souvenirs and clothes, and finally called it a day with some Pad-Pak complete with shrimp with eyes still intact, watching me struggle to break its shell open as I ate it. If I hadn’t realized how much of a carnivore I was before the trip, I realized it then.
My next day in Bangkok, I had another wonderful breakfast—this time enjoying cooked squid, rice, veggies, and choco-crunch cereal combo, yummo!—then we headed out for a little sight-seeing before travelling North to Soeng Sang, John’s city. First, we spent our morning at the Floating Market of Ayutthaya, where the high levels of Farang had started to drastically thin, and John and I were becoming something of an oddity. We were lucky enough to catch a traditional Thai show put on by some of the young people in the market. They started out in a procession of small canoes paddling through the canals—dressed beautifully in traditional Thai garb, and filed onto a stage where in small groups they performed dances with swords, drums, or just their hands—the Thai music and delicate fluttering movements was something to be marveled at. After the show, we piled back into the car, driving to what’s left of the ancient palace of Ayutthaya since the invasion of Myanmar left it in ruins. There, we watched another show, this time put on by some heftier performers—elephants—and then clumsily climbed onto one for an elephant guided tour of the ruins. The jerky sway of the elephant prevented me from taking any pictures that turned out to be at a normal angle, but I still very much enjoyed the ride as I listened to John and our Thai guide joke (in Thai!!) with one another. I couldn’t have been prouder.
Floating Market
Floating Market
Thai Show
Elephant Show
Elephant ride through Ayutthaya Ruins
Soeng Sang
The drive up to Soeng Sang, (equivalent about to the drive from Owatonna to Cloquet) provided me an interesting insight into Thai driving. The rules are…there are no rules. The painted lines on the road are really more of a suggestion, and a suggestion that is often completely ignored. Cars swerve back and forth, driving more in the middle of the road on top of the lines than neatly between them. I hardly noticed that we were supposed to be driving on the left side of the road; we spent more time honking and passing motorcyclists, slow farm trucks and cars on the right side of the road than driving on the left. More than a few times I wondered if I would make it through the trip as we came dangerously close to head-on collisions while passing 18-wheelers, barely swerving back to the left in time, but my bad luck thankfully hadn’t cropped up yet so we made it safe and sound to Eiamheng, the Tapioca factory complex complete with offices, orchards, farmland, animals, factory, dining hall, guest houses, and John’s little duplex style home.
The drive up to Soeng Sang, (equivalent about to the drive from Owatonna to Cloquet) provided me an interesting insight into Thai driving. The rules are…there are no rules. The painted lines on the road are really more of a suggestion, and a suggestion that is often completely ignored. Cars swerve back and forth, driving more in the middle of the road on top of the lines than neatly between them. I hardly noticed that we were supposed to be driving on the left side of the road; we spent more time honking and passing motorcyclists, slow farm trucks and cars on the right side of the road than driving on the left. More than a few times I wondered if I would make it through the trip as we came dangerously close to head-on collisions while passing 18-wheelers, barely swerving back to the left in time, but my bad luck thankfully hadn’t cropped up yet so we made it safe and sound to Eiamheng, the Tapioca factory complex complete with offices, orchards, farmland, animals, factory, dining hall, guest houses, and John’s little duplex style home.
School
The next few days I accompanied John to teach classes at his school. The school was beautiful, all open air, which made it hot and muggy, but the views of the outside were easy on the eyes to say the least. I was awestruck by John’s natural abilities with the students; he had that talent to not only keep 40+ students under relative control but also have a lot of fun and learn English. I wasn’t the only one to admire his abilities, I was told on countless occasions by other teachers what a big hit he was at the school. I felt as though I was accompanying a celebrity as we toured the grounds, not only was I with one of their popular teachers who the students loved (especially the teenage girl students I noticed!) but I was new. Everywhere I went kids heads were turned to look and bow, yes bow. Whenever greeting someone in Thailand you do a “Wei” where you put your hands together, fingertips at your nose as though praying, and bow your head/shoulders. It is a sign of respect and especially essential when greeting your superiors. I have to say it’s not something I particularly enjoyed. I always felt sort of awkward when the groups of kids would do their Weis toward me, interrupting their conversations and sometimes dropping their books in order to do so. To make it worse, most of the time the Weis managed to surprise me, panic stricken I found myself doing this awkward half nod half head bob where I ended up just jerking my head as though I was having a spasm…No wonder they thought I was interesting.
I was lucky enough for John to let me help teach some of his classes—by putting me on the spot in front of 50 kids to exemplify as fast as I could tongue twisters they were practicing. Apparently I’m pretty good entertainment because every time I finished speaking the whole class would erupt in an uproar of giggles—I think maybe I’ll open my own show there: Kelsey the Farang’s Thai Tongue Twisters, its sure to fill the house.
The next few days I accompanied John to teach classes at his school. The school was beautiful, all open air, which made it hot and muggy, but the views of the outside were easy on the eyes to say the least. I was awestruck by John’s natural abilities with the students; he had that talent to not only keep 40+ students under relative control but also have a lot of fun and learn English. I wasn’t the only one to admire his abilities, I was told on countless occasions by other teachers what a big hit he was at the school. I felt as though I was accompanying a celebrity as we toured the grounds, not only was I with one of their popular teachers who the students loved (especially the teenage girl students I noticed!) but I was new. Everywhere I went kids heads were turned to look and bow, yes bow. Whenever greeting someone in Thailand you do a “Wei” where you put your hands together, fingertips at your nose as though praying, and bow your head/shoulders. It is a sign of respect and especially essential when greeting your superiors. I have to say it’s not something I particularly enjoyed. I always felt sort of awkward when the groups of kids would do their Weis toward me, interrupting their conversations and sometimes dropping their books in order to do so. To make it worse, most of the time the Weis managed to surprise me, panic stricken I found myself doing this awkward half nod half head bob where I ended up just jerking my head as though I was having a spasm…No wonder they thought I was interesting.
I was lucky enough for John to let me help teach some of his classes—by putting me on the spot in front of 50 kids to exemplify as fast as I could tongue twisters they were practicing. Apparently I’m pretty good entertainment because every time I finished speaking the whole class would erupt in an uproar of giggles—I think maybe I’ll open my own show there: Kelsey the Farang’s Thai Tongue Twisters, its sure to fill the house.
John with one of his classes.Beach
On one of John’s day off we visited a beach where we went jet skiing and swimming. The water was, not surprisingly, very very warm—a strange occurrence for a native Minnesotan, but I adjusted quickly. On the edge of the beach, little thatched huts sheltered small tables where we ordered and ate, of course, lots of food. I experienced another common Thai food experience where when ensured by my companions that the food was not spicy (Mai Phet! Mai Phet! Not spicy! Not Spicy!), it was inevitably spicy enough for me to be panting and gulping down Coke through coughs. I shudder to think of what they would consider spicy…
Temples and Malls
Next, John and I journeyed with Pee Joe to what John has lovingly nicknamed his second home, the mall. On the way there we stopped at the Budhdist temple where I had my penance inducing sac-religious experience. The temple itself makes me interested further in Buddhism, because to an outsider like me, it was all rather strange. Everything we did seemed to revolve around objects of value: gold and money. To Buddha we applied small gold squares, into pots we dropped coins, on the walkway to another temple, we had to ding bells with money coins to ward off bad luck (pity that didn’t work), at the adjacent temple there were more money pots where you bought a pack of coins and went around in a circle, dropping coins into each basin. All in all, it was different than anything I’d ever seen—I wonder where the money went, Pee Joe had difficulty explaining it to me.
Next, John and I journeyed with Pee Joe to what John has lovingly nicknamed his second home, the mall. On the way there we stopped at the Budhdist temple where I had my penance inducing sac-religious experience. The temple itself makes me interested further in Buddhism, because to an outsider like me, it was all rather strange. Everything we did seemed to revolve around objects of value: gold and money. To Buddha we applied small gold squares, into pots we dropped coins, on the walkway to another temple, we had to ding bells with money coins to ward off bad luck (pity that didn’t work), at the adjacent temple there were more money pots where you bought a pack of coins and went around in a circle, dropping coins into each basin. All in all, it was different than anything I’d ever seen—I wonder where the money went, Pee Joe had difficulty explaining it to me.
On the way back we stopped at a large dam, and I experienced another Thai food phenomenon—orange pop…in a bag! Although sanitary and easier to dispose of after drinking, the novelty of drinking pop in a bag wore off after a few minutes of holding the plastic handles and realizing I couldn’t set it down until I finished.
The Temple
The Buddha
Pop...in a bag!Ling
For my last full day we loaded up one of the Eiamheng SUVs with some of John’s other friends and headed to, you guessed it, another market! On the way we stopped for breakfast and iced coffee—one of the many drinks I grew to love Thai style. After the market, we drove to a sort of national park, or what John called “Jurassic Park—Thai Style.” In the park you drove up and down winding roads, never knowing what animals you could encounter. There were wild elephants, crocodiles, tigers, monkeys, and so on living in the park—all free to roam the land as they pleased uncontained by cages, but pretty much stayed to their own areas. We would drive through the roads and see a little cluster of ling (monkeys) waiting deceivingly cute and patient. Pulling over, we’d start throwing bananas to them, watching them neatly peel and devour. They weren’t quite so cute or patient after that. Soon they were jumping all over the car, seemingly even more excited by the sound of the shrieking passengers inside. I opened the window a crack to poke out a banana, only to have John hold down the button to make the window open more. Before I knew it the whole car was rocking (as we all clawed toward John, throwing off the equilibrium) as we all screamed (Pee Joe being the loudest, gee whiz can that man shriek!) for John to shut the window, closing it just in time before one gigantic (it was actually pretty small looking back) monkey (probably extremely terrified at the extent of noise we were emitting at the time) came in to eat my face off (Or more likely grab the banana from my terrified clutches).
Back to Aotearoa
Soon it was time to leave Thailand. I had a wonderful trip, and was more sad than I thought I would be to let it go, but I did. Now, back to New Zealand, where I am trucking through the bad luck in hope that some more Thai good luck will be in the horizon—especially since mid-semester tests and then break is in sight. I don’t wish my bad luck to follow me on our road trip exploring glaciers…that has potential to be disastrous…
View of the Mountains of NZ from my planeCheers!
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