Sunday, August 24: Played my first game of squash today! It was SO much fun ☺ I was super excited because up until this point, I’ve been playing racquetball (by myself), on the squash court in our apartment complex. Definitely a bit awkward. So, I played with this Norwegian grad student who also lives in the Rattanakosin, and both of us are new at squash, so we kind of make up the rules as we go along. That’s always a fun way to play a sport. After squash + shower, myself and 3 other guys went to the weekend market..MADNESS!! The weekend market huge—there must be thousands of booths/stores set up and thousands of people milling about. Needless to say, I lost the boys within about 15 minutes of being there (what was I thinking, going with boys?? For some odd reason, they didn’t want to look at dresses…) Anyway, my first stop was at a dress shop and I probably spent about 20 minutes there, “trying on” dresses. By “trying on”, I mean putting the dress over my clothes and crouching down to this small mirror to attempt to see how it looks. Oh, and stopping every 2 minutes to get the sweat out of my eyes. Alright, none of the dresses fit so I move on. I find another shop with a shirt and a dress I like and so begins the bargaining. I set the price at 160 baht for both shirts and she misinterprets me, thinking I am saying 160 baht for each. So, she begins the price at 360 baht, to which I laugh and say nono, 160 baht, to which she laughs and says nono, 180 baht and 150 baht= 330 baht. We argue for a few more seconds, and then she brings her friend over. I say something lower than 330 baht and he says “No, no, cannot do”. We repeat this process about 5 more times and exasperated, I finally say, “No, I am leaving”, fully expecting them to chase after me. They don’t. Damn, and I really liked those shirts. I liked them enough that I found them about an hour later and bought them for about 10 baht less than originally stated. Lol, so much for bargaining! Okay, next I am on the lookout for fisherman pants, which are really comfortable and breezy, aka great for this hot weather. I find a store with some fisherman pants and right away a Thai woman comes over and asks 180 baht for them. I immediately drop the price to 150, and she says no, and I say oh okay, that’s fine, I’ll walk around and come back later. She then drops the price to 170, and we repeat the process two more times until the price is at 150. Then, I drop it again to 140 and she says “ooh, you say 150 though”, and I start to walk away. Then, she chases after me and we settle at 140. Now, that’s the way it should be. Success. By the way, all this price bargaining is over about $1-2 USD, haha. But, with bigger things, you can bargain down a lot of money. One of my friends saw this cool elephant figurine and the seller first offered 2500 Baht for it. My friend almost talked it down to 1300 baht, but that was all the money he had. He wouldn’t have been able to eat dinner or get a cab home, but he would’ve had a sick huge elephant to take home!
After the market, Filipa, Sophie, Sofia, Lindsey and I go to MBK to watch Mama Mia at the cinema. Too bad Mama Mia wasn’t out yet (although I saw the pirated copy at the market!) Sofia and I watched Wall-E, and the others saw Made of Honor. Wall-E was cute, but I was really distracted because I was supposed to skype my mom and dad, but I completely forgot. My dad kept calling me during the movie and I continuously told Sofia to turn off her damn phone….turns out is was my phone. Oops…. I felt really awful about the situation, especially because my mom woke up early and went all the way to my dad’s to talk to me…but it wont happen again because she is getting a computer soon, yay!! Go Mom!
Monday, August 25- Signed up for Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) today! So, basically Muay Thai is taught at school in this old, rusty little place, with no A/C. Mai ben rai….it has fans (that are also old and rusty) and is taught by this cute Thai man (who is also old and rusty). So, despite all the oldness and rustiness, Muay Thai is a GREAT workout! I sweat so much (did I mention there was no A/C and its about 1,000 degrees outside?), and am so tired after the instructor kicks my butt for an hour. It’s a really cool workout option though, because I would never do something like this at home. Maybe I will come back a boxer! I also wasted some more time today trying to talk to the bba office about classes, issues, etc. Inefficiency at its greatest!
Tuesday, August 26- Had my first finance quiz today. I think it went well, since there were no problems with actual numbers in it… Thank god. So much for my love of calculus and numbers….once words get mixed in with numbers, its not okay. Did Muay Thai again, and then went to my very first Intro Marketing class afterwards (with only a Mexican shower after Muay Thai….if you saw the unisex—yes, unisex—shower the university has, you would understand why I chose to take a Mexican shower. The shower is really just a hose coming out of a hole in the wall, and the door is basically a piece of wood that closes about ¾ of the way. Um, no thanks, even I have standards)
Later that night, myself and a few guys head down to Suan Lum Night Bazaar to hit up some cheap DVDs. I got 4 seasons of my fav tv. shows on DVD, and 2 movies for 1100 baht= about $35 dollars... love it! After that, we walked around lost for about 1 or 2 hours, and then settled at a beer garden to have a few drinks and watch a Thai band butcher some English songs. I actually thought they were speaking Thai until my friend said they were singing to a song from Grease...wow, I had no idea.
Wednesday, August 27- Monica Jamaluddin comes in today! So excited to see a familiar face ☺ We are heading to Phuket tomorrow after Finance…long post after our long weekend!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Ayutthaya + Puppet Show
What a great day today!
Went on Thamassat's (university I am studying at, referred to as TU from now on) bba trip to Ayutthaya, the ancient city. I was very impressed at how well organized the entire trip was (What, TU organized??? I know, that's what I thought!)
Before I talk about the trip, let me mention what I did yesterday, on Friday.
Friday, August 22- Took the 15 minute trek to Tops, a supermarket, to get pb, jelly and bread to make some good old fashioned pb & j sandwhiches. Now why would I do that when I have tons of adventurous, and amazing food to eat right outside my doorstep? Two words: Bangkok Belly. Google it. Hence why I also did not leave my apartment for the entire rest of the day. Literally, I didn't see another human being all day, after arriving home from the market. My stomach hurt so bad, all I could do was lay in bed all day and watch an ENTIRE season (I'm such a bum) of my favorite t.v. show on dvd. lol, good stuff.
Back to Saturday Ayutthaya tour. Okay, let me begin by saying we were supposed to meet at TU at 6:30 a.m. and leaving at 7 a.m. TU is about a 30 minute walk + 3 minute ferry away. Okay, I set my alarm for 6 a.m.. Of course it doesn't go off/ I dont hear it. Amin, another exchange student, calls me at 6:51 am and asks where I am. It wakes me up. I say "Oh shit, I'm on my way!" I quickly brush my teeth, hop into some clothes, grab my bag (or as Amin says, my beg) and head out the door. I grab a cab on my way out, as TU calls me asking where I am, and I beg them not to leave me ("You no come?" "Nono, I'm coming, I'm on my way, I'm almost there!!" "Okay, but no, you no come? You cant come.?" I dont know if that is a question or statement, but I reassure her I am on my way, and not to leave me... I really wanted to go on this tour).
I get in the cab, point to my watch and throw my hand out towards the street, indicating that this cab needs to put the pedal to the medal. He did....he wasn't messing around. So, I leave my apartment at about 6:58 a.m. and arrive at school at 7:07, 15 minutes after Amin calls me. Damn, I am good....well actually, I suck for not waking up on time....but 15 minutes, that has to be a record. Oh, and this whole time I couldn't call anyone to ask if they were waiting for me, since my phone ran out of $$ and I obviously didn't have time to stop and put more baht (Thai currency) on it. So, good start to the day.
Okay, I get on the bus, and immediately am offered water and some odd crab sandwhich...nice service. I throw my ipod in and relax for an hour before we reach our first destination, the Bang Pa-In, aka "Summer Palace" for the royal family. It was a really beautiful palace, etc etc.... after that we went to Ayutthaya, which is the ancient capital of Thailand, but has since been taken over by tourist stands and really cool ruins (does anyone know how to post pics on this blog?!?). Then, we pay respect at Wat Mahatad and Wat Phasrisanphet (what, you've never heard of those/cant pronounce it?? Geez, get with it people!!)...2 pretty bumpin temples. I see an enormous golden Buddha and have a sudden urge to climb to the top of it, but am told I will go to jail and maybe get put to death if I do that. So, I nix the idea.
Next is the best part; we board the Grand Pearl Cruise at Wat Chondlom Pier and enjoy a magnificent oriental and Western Style lunch buffet.... I finally got to eat bread and not just rice! Amazing. The cruise was absolutely beautiful and so much fun, although I had no idea what sights we were seeing. I do however remember the guide pointing out Bangkok Hilton. I asked, "Oh, is that the hotel in Bangkok?" Turns out it is one of the most horrific jails in the world...the inmates must eat roaches to stay alive, since all they are served is rice every day. I was just slightly off in my assumption. After being served dessert and coffee (of which I had about 6 cups, since I have been deprived for the past 2.5 weeks.... I know, poor me), we get dropped off at the night bazaar to do some shopping! Oh wait, it is 4:30 pm and the night bazaar doesnt open until 7pm. Hmm... what to do? Have a beer of course (well, banana shake for me.... so good, I think all the beer drinkers were actually quite jealous of my beverage of choice). At 6, we sit down for this incredible dinner, family style. The waiters just kept bringing us tons of new dishes, until we were stuffed! But not to stuffed for watermelon, pineapple and dragon fruit dessert....love Thai desserts! At 7, we proceed to walk around the night bazaar and I saw the entire seasons of my favorite tv show on sale for 400 baht (less than $15).... I was so excited, but I actually didn't get it, bc I know I can bargain for it and get it much cheaper, we just didn't have time since the puppet show started at 7:30.
Okay, the puppet show....wow, what a weird and cool new experience. It was a puppet performance telling the story of "The Birth of Ganesha"....it was awarded the first prize at the World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague, twice! It was really cool, the puppets fought and there were cool special effects and I didn't understand anything they were saying, as it was in Thai. But, still very cool. After that, time for home!
Another great day in Bangkok, time for bed to get ready for tomorrow: the weekend market + watching Mama Mia with the Swedes (they are excited about a movie based on a Swedish song [Mama Mia by ABBA])
Ciao baby!
Went on Thamassat's (university I am studying at, referred to as TU from now on) bba trip to Ayutthaya, the ancient city. I was very impressed at how well organized the entire trip was (What, TU organized??? I know, that's what I thought!)
Before I talk about the trip, let me mention what I did yesterday, on Friday.
Friday, August 22- Took the 15 minute trek to Tops, a supermarket, to get pb, jelly and bread to make some good old fashioned pb & j sandwhiches. Now why would I do that when I have tons of adventurous, and amazing food to eat right outside my doorstep? Two words: Bangkok Belly. Google it. Hence why I also did not leave my apartment for the entire rest of the day. Literally, I didn't see another human being all day, after arriving home from the market. My stomach hurt so bad, all I could do was lay in bed all day and watch an ENTIRE season (I'm such a bum) of my favorite t.v. show on dvd. lol, good stuff.
Back to Saturday Ayutthaya tour. Okay, let me begin by saying we were supposed to meet at TU at 6:30 a.m. and leaving at 7 a.m. TU is about a 30 minute walk + 3 minute ferry away. Okay, I set my alarm for 6 a.m.. Of course it doesn't go off/ I dont hear it. Amin, another exchange student, calls me at 6:51 am and asks where I am. It wakes me up. I say "Oh shit, I'm on my way!" I quickly brush my teeth, hop into some clothes, grab my bag (or as Amin says, my beg) and head out the door. I grab a cab on my way out, as TU calls me asking where I am, and I beg them not to leave me ("You no come?" "Nono, I'm coming, I'm on my way, I'm almost there!!" "Okay, but no, you no come? You cant come.?" I dont know if that is a question or statement, but I reassure her I am on my way, and not to leave me... I really wanted to go on this tour).
I get in the cab, point to my watch and throw my hand out towards the street, indicating that this cab needs to put the pedal to the medal. He did....he wasn't messing around. So, I leave my apartment at about 6:58 a.m. and arrive at school at 7:07, 15 minutes after Amin calls me. Damn, I am good....well actually, I suck for not waking up on time....but 15 minutes, that has to be a record. Oh, and this whole time I couldn't call anyone to ask if they were waiting for me, since my phone ran out of $$ and I obviously didn't have time to stop and put more baht (Thai currency) on it. So, good start to the day.
Okay, I get on the bus, and immediately am offered water and some odd crab sandwhich...nice service. I throw my ipod in and relax for an hour before we reach our first destination, the Bang Pa-In, aka "Summer Palace" for the royal family. It was a really beautiful palace, etc etc.... after that we went to Ayutthaya, which is the ancient capital of Thailand, but has since been taken over by tourist stands and really cool ruins (does anyone know how to post pics on this blog?!?). Then, we pay respect at Wat Mahatad and Wat Phasrisanphet (what, you've never heard of those/cant pronounce it?? Geez, get with it people!!)...2 pretty bumpin temples. I see an enormous golden Buddha and have a sudden urge to climb to the top of it, but am told I will go to jail and maybe get put to death if I do that. So, I nix the idea.
Next is the best part; we board the Grand Pearl Cruise at Wat Chondlom Pier and enjoy a magnificent oriental and Western Style lunch buffet.... I finally got to eat bread and not just rice! Amazing. The cruise was absolutely beautiful and so much fun, although I had no idea what sights we were seeing. I do however remember the guide pointing out Bangkok Hilton. I asked, "Oh, is that the hotel in Bangkok?" Turns out it is one of the most horrific jails in the world...the inmates must eat roaches to stay alive, since all they are served is rice every day. I was just slightly off in my assumption. After being served dessert and coffee (of which I had about 6 cups, since I have been deprived for the past 2.5 weeks.... I know, poor me), we get dropped off at the night bazaar to do some shopping! Oh wait, it is 4:30 pm and the night bazaar doesnt open until 7pm. Hmm... what to do? Have a beer of course (well, banana shake for me.... so good, I think all the beer drinkers were actually quite jealous of my beverage of choice). At 6, we sit down for this incredible dinner, family style. The waiters just kept bringing us tons of new dishes, until we were stuffed! But not to stuffed for watermelon, pineapple and dragon fruit dessert....love Thai desserts! At 7, we proceed to walk around the night bazaar and I saw the entire seasons of my favorite tv show on sale for 400 baht (less than $15).... I was so excited, but I actually didn't get it, bc I know I can bargain for it and get it much cheaper, we just didn't have time since the puppet show started at 7:30.
Okay, the puppet show....wow, what a weird and cool new experience. It was a puppet performance telling the story of "The Birth of Ganesha"....it was awarded the first prize at the World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague, twice! It was really cool, the puppets fought and there were cool special effects and I didn't understand anything they were saying, as it was in Thai. But, still very cool. After that, time for home!
Another great day in Bangkok, time for bed to get ready for tomorrow: the weekend market + watching Mama Mia with the Swedes (they are excited about a movie based on a Swedish song [Mama Mia by ABBA])
Ciao baby!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
School + Swimming
Classes started two weeks ago, and I have almost been to all my classes. I have yet to go to Principles of Marketing; last week we had 2 holidays (Queen's Birthday and Graduation day), which both fell on the day I have Marketing, and then my Tuesday class this week was rescheduled for Saturday (um,,, no, not okay).
Okay, so really I can't remember what has happened since last weekend. But, I do remember (kinda), we went to Bed Supper, a club on Sukhumvit Road, which has Ladies Night on Tuesday nights. It was ridiculous! Warren introduced me to his Thai friend, Sugar (Sugar Sugar, nananananana You are my candy girrrrrrllll), and one of the exchange students from last semester, who has been backpacking around SE Asia for the last few months. Anyway, they were two badass girls! They were crazy fun, and we basically danced the night away, along with about 10 other exchange students we came with.
A funny story from my attempt to swim in Thailand: Warren found a pool about a 20 minute cab ride away, at a local high school. You can pay 40 baht and swim for the day, so that's what we did. In the States (and probably everywhere else in the world but Thailand), lap pools mean people swim in their lane, right? They swim back and forth, in their own lane. Well, it doesn't quite work like that here in Thailand (of course not). People just criss-cross the whole pool. The laps dont have dividers, but when you swim, you can clearly see the lane markers on the pool floor. Anyway, so people literally begin swimming straight, then randomly decide to swim to the right, or left, or maybe even completely horizontal across all the laps. It's so annoying! I hit people so many times... this one guy swam right into my head and it hurt! I was about to get out of the pool and yell at everyone to get their act together! It is just such a waste...you have to constantly look up while swimming, to make sure you don't run into anybody. And backstroke? Forget it. Ugh, so frustrating. But, it was great getting back into the pool again! I'm going to try to go to that pool as often as I can before I tear my hair out from people swimming all over the place....seriously, who does that?!? Why!?
That was my gripe for the day... I thought it was funny and totally Thai.
Have Finance tomorrow morning, then am free for the rest of the day! Perhaps I will try to get my vaccinations?
Okay, so really I can't remember what has happened since last weekend. But, I do remember (kinda), we went to Bed Supper, a club on Sukhumvit Road, which has Ladies Night on Tuesday nights. It was ridiculous! Warren introduced me to his Thai friend, Sugar (Sugar Sugar, nananananana You are my candy girrrrrrllll), and one of the exchange students from last semester, who has been backpacking around SE Asia for the last few months. Anyway, they were two badass girls! They were crazy fun, and we basically danced the night away, along with about 10 other exchange students we came with.
A funny story from my attempt to swim in Thailand: Warren found a pool about a 20 minute cab ride away, at a local high school. You can pay 40 baht and swim for the day, so that's what we did. In the States (and probably everywhere else in the world but Thailand), lap pools mean people swim in their lane, right? They swim back and forth, in their own lane. Well, it doesn't quite work like that here in Thailand (of course not). People just criss-cross the whole pool. The laps dont have dividers, but when you swim, you can clearly see the lane markers on the pool floor. Anyway, so people literally begin swimming straight, then randomly decide to swim to the right, or left, or maybe even completely horizontal across all the laps. It's so annoying! I hit people so many times... this one guy swam right into my head and it hurt! I was about to get out of the pool and yell at everyone to get their act together! It is just such a waste...you have to constantly look up while swimming, to make sure you don't run into anybody. And backstroke? Forget it. Ugh, so frustrating. But, it was great getting back into the pool again! I'm going to try to go to that pool as often as I can before I tear my hair out from people swimming all over the place....seriously, who does that?!? Why!?
That was my gripe for the day... I thought it was funny and totally Thai.
Have Finance tomorrow morning, then am free for the rest of the day! Perhaps I will try to get my vaccinations?
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Weekend Trip to Kanchanaburi
Bus Trip to Kanchanaburi: 250 baht
Room Rental at Jolly Frog: 200 Baht
Motorbike Rental for 2 days: 200 Baht
Eating dinner in a tree bungalow, served by a (rather goodlooking) Ladyboy: 100 Baht
Wiping out on our motorbike and getting first aid from the locals: Priceless
Let me back up here....
Thursday night, about 20 of us exchange students went to RCA, an incredibly nice club district, full of the most posh clubs in Bangkok. The club we went into even carded us; who knew they had rules in Thailand!! It was one of the nicest clubs I've ever been to....half of it was a Thai dance club, with a live Thai band, while the other half was full of farangs and had English hip-hop songs. It was a blast--we took over the club and just went nuts dancing!
Friday morning, 6 of us Americans took off for Kanchanaburi, a province 2 hours west of Bangkok. We took a public bus to get there and once we arrived, we met up with some other exchange students and rented 4 motorbikes, which everyone in Thailand drives. There are probably 10-15 motorbikes for every 1 personal car (not including taxis). After renting the motorbikes, we checked into the Jolly Frog, a guesthouse primarily made for backpackers and foreigners. It was situated right on the river, which was really nice, but it was definitely a bit rough. No Marriot, that's for sure! But, hey, this IS Thailand. Anyway, we grabbed lunch at the Jolly Frog restaurant (which has about 2,000 items on the menu....not good for an indecisive person such as myself) and then proceeded to hop on our motorbikes to take a mid-afternoon tour of Kanchanaburi. Joel and I, who were riding together on the motorbike, separated from the group and headed back to town to get a massage. As we walked into the massage place, I asked to use the "restroom"--I use this term loosely, really it is a raised hole in the ground. Worst part is, I had to take my shoes off before entering said restroom....ughh. Okay, I pee (slightly on myself, but I'm getting better) and then proceed to walk through the doorway I used to enter the room. Problem is, there was a glass door which was shut while I was in the restroom. I of course walked right into it...very smooth, I know. The Thai lady laughed at me, haha. So, then I am lead into a dark, upstairs room. Kind of sketch, until I see Joel sprawled out, awaiting his glorious massage. I lay down next to him, and an elderly Thai woman comes over to massage me. Damn, that old lady had some powerful hands! I cried out in pain on more than one occasion. And besides that, she seemed to really like Joel--she kept leaving me to help the other lady massage him! After a few dirty looks from me, there was no more of that nonsense :)
After our painful, yet amazing $4 massages, we (very cold) showered up (in the bathroom/shower/toilet/sink area) and hopped back on our bikes to find a restaurant in town. What did we find? A junglesque Family Robinson style restaurant...we literally ate dinner in a tree house! It was fascinating...a bit scary, since I thought we were going to fall through to the ground beneath us.... we didn't. We also got served by who we thought was a pretty Thai girl. Until she asked for our order, and we realized our pretty waitress was actually our pretty waiter. Ohh ya, ladyboys. That was pretty much the end of our first day in Kanchanaburi.
Saturday morning, time for an adventure! We hop on our bikes and cruise the 65 km to Erawan Waterfall, a national park in Kanchanaburi. On our way there, Joel and I take a minor spill on our motorbikes, while turning onto some gravel. As soon as we fall, 8 Thais swarm over to us and start administering first aid.... hydrogen peroxide (Ouch!!), Iodine, bandages, the works! One of the other exchange students took a video of me screaming as they did this...I hope they don't understand English obscenities! Anyway, everyone was fine, and we went on our way. Although, this is the last time I ride a motorbike....not too much fun after taking a spill!
Once we got to the national park, we took a 1km (about .6 miles) hike up to the 7th path, which had the most beautiful waterfalls, and fewest people. The waterfalls had flowing, blue water and plenty of opportunities for some photo shoots (see facebook!) It was incredibly beautiful up there-- I never wanted to leave...but had to when the Thai ranger ushered us out! After leaving the park, we drove over to a bridge perched over a dam, overlooking a gorgeous lake. After taking a few pictures, we hit up some bars across the street from our guesthouse. It was great, we went to the bars in the exact same clothes we were in as we hiked to the waterfalls...try doing that in Europe! My friend Robert ordered a Pina Colada at the bar, and they took 30 mintues to make it--they had to call their friend to figure out how to make it... haha, gotta love Southeast Asia...the people there try so hard to accommodate us Westerners!
Sunday, we wake up and spend the day in the hammocks outside our room, awaiting our bus back to BKK. 11 people squished in a non-A/C van...not the most comfortable ride back. But, it wasn't too terrible.
Finally back home in BKK, ready for school tomorrow!
Room Rental at Jolly Frog: 200 Baht
Motorbike Rental for 2 days: 200 Baht
Eating dinner in a tree bungalow, served by a (rather goodlooking) Ladyboy: 100 Baht
Wiping out on our motorbike and getting first aid from the locals: Priceless
Let me back up here....
Thursday night, about 20 of us exchange students went to RCA, an incredibly nice club district, full of the most posh clubs in Bangkok. The club we went into even carded us; who knew they had rules in Thailand!! It was one of the nicest clubs I've ever been to....half of it was a Thai dance club, with a live Thai band, while the other half was full of farangs and had English hip-hop songs. It was a blast--we took over the club and just went nuts dancing!
Friday morning, 6 of us Americans took off for Kanchanaburi, a province 2 hours west of Bangkok. We took a public bus to get there and once we arrived, we met up with some other exchange students and rented 4 motorbikes, which everyone in Thailand drives. There are probably 10-15 motorbikes for every 1 personal car (not including taxis). After renting the motorbikes, we checked into the Jolly Frog, a guesthouse primarily made for backpackers and foreigners. It was situated right on the river, which was really nice, but it was definitely a bit rough. No Marriot, that's for sure! But, hey, this IS Thailand. Anyway, we grabbed lunch at the Jolly Frog restaurant (which has about 2,000 items on the menu....not good for an indecisive person such as myself) and then proceeded to hop on our motorbikes to take a mid-afternoon tour of Kanchanaburi. Joel and I, who were riding together on the motorbike, separated from the group and headed back to town to get a massage. As we walked into the massage place, I asked to use the "restroom"--I use this term loosely, really it is a raised hole in the ground. Worst part is, I had to take my shoes off before entering said restroom....ughh. Okay, I pee (slightly on myself, but I'm getting better) and then proceed to walk through the doorway I used to enter the room. Problem is, there was a glass door which was shut while I was in the restroom. I of course walked right into it...very smooth, I know. The Thai lady laughed at me, haha. So, then I am lead into a dark, upstairs room. Kind of sketch, until I see Joel sprawled out, awaiting his glorious massage. I lay down next to him, and an elderly Thai woman comes over to massage me. Damn, that old lady had some powerful hands! I cried out in pain on more than one occasion. And besides that, she seemed to really like Joel--she kept leaving me to help the other lady massage him! After a few dirty looks from me, there was no more of that nonsense :)
After our painful, yet amazing $4 massages, we (very cold) showered up (in the bathroom/shower/toilet/sink area) and hopped back on our bikes to find a restaurant in town. What did we find? A junglesque Family Robinson style restaurant...we literally ate dinner in a tree house! It was fascinating...a bit scary, since I thought we were going to fall through to the ground beneath us.... we didn't. We also got served by who we thought was a pretty Thai girl. Until she asked for our order, and we realized our pretty waitress was actually our pretty waiter. Ohh ya, ladyboys. That was pretty much the end of our first day in Kanchanaburi.
Saturday morning, time for an adventure! We hop on our bikes and cruise the 65 km to Erawan Waterfall, a national park in Kanchanaburi. On our way there, Joel and I take a minor spill on our motorbikes, while turning onto some gravel. As soon as we fall, 8 Thais swarm over to us and start administering first aid.... hydrogen peroxide (Ouch!!), Iodine, bandages, the works! One of the other exchange students took a video of me screaming as they did this...I hope they don't understand English obscenities! Anyway, everyone was fine, and we went on our way. Although, this is the last time I ride a motorbike....not too much fun after taking a spill!
Once we got to the national park, we took a 1km (about .6 miles) hike up to the 7th path, which had the most beautiful waterfalls, and fewest people. The waterfalls had flowing, blue water and plenty of opportunities for some photo shoots (see facebook!) It was incredibly beautiful up there-- I never wanted to leave...but had to when the Thai ranger ushered us out! After leaving the park, we drove over to a bridge perched over a dam, overlooking a gorgeous lake. After taking a few pictures, we hit up some bars across the street from our guesthouse. It was great, we went to the bars in the exact same clothes we were in as we hiked to the waterfalls...try doing that in Europe! My friend Robert ordered a Pina Colada at the bar, and they took 30 mintues to make it--they had to call their friend to figure out how to make it... haha, gotta love Southeast Asia...the people there try so hard to accommodate us Westerners!
Sunday, we wake up and spend the day in the hammocks outside our room, awaiting our bus back to BKK. 11 people squished in a non-A/C van...not the most comfortable ride back. But, it wasn't too terrible.
Finally back home in BKK, ready for school tomorrow!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Confusing Day in Bangkok
Wednesday, August 13th. Woke up this morning at 8am. Was supposed to be at a "counselor meeting" at 8:30 am at school. Oops. I leave my apartment complex at 8:20, walk to the ferry and sit down at around 8:45. Look down at my uniform (black skirt, white button up, brown belt. Why brown belt with black skirt is a mystery to me!) and think "Wait, wasn't I wearing a belt this morning!?" The belt had just fallen right off my hips and I never even noticed. A few hours later another exchange student said he saw a belt lying on the ground while he was walking to school. Lol!
I get to school at around 9 and I have no idea where everyone is! I ask a Thai girl for help and she walks with me all the way to the other building...thai students are so nice! I finally walk into the "counselor's meeting" at a bit past 9. 5-10 minutes later, they dismiss us. Oops again!
I hang around the classroom to try and figure out what I missed. I happen to glance behind some people and see the TU (University here I am attending) website on the computer screen. I see one of my classes, Principles of Marketing, has been canceled for next Tuesday and rescheduled for this Saturday!! Not only that, but it is rescheduled for 9:00- 14:00 o'clock!!! A 7 hour class, are you kidding me? And, were they planning on telling us about this "little" change?!?!? Um, no. They are so inefficient here! I would have missed class this Saturday (well, I'll be missing it anyway. 7 hour class on Saturday? No thank you, I think I will go to the islands instead. Sorry Mom and Dad!), and shown up on Tuesday, really confused as to why the professor wasn't there.Unbelievable. Mai ben rai. It's okay, no problem.
Then, I am told I need to get my picture taken at a photo place so I can put it on my student id. Okay. I go to the street behind TU (so crazy, one block from TU is 3rd world country, complete with street vendors and stray dogs. Oh a word on stray dogs. They are EVERYWHERE in Thailand. Like, everywhere. Hundreds. It is so sad....you can tell they have a tough life). So, I get my picture taken and in true Tracey style, the picture is horrendous!! haha, that's okay, I just wont show it to anyone:)
Okay, so after this, I have lunch at this great restaurant on 2nd floor of the cafeteria at TU. I spend 5 minutes trying to ask the waiter if the chicken is fried or stir-fried. He just looks at me. I keep talking. He keeps looking. I keep trying to ask "Is this fried?" He never says a word for 5 minutes; it is just me talking. So, I say, "okay, we'll just order this and be surprised". Ended up being a great meal! :)
After this, I wander around with some other people for a few minutes and then go to class. It is a 3 hour class and I am bored after 20 minutes. I leave (again, sorry Mom and Dad!). I go try to find Narisa, the bba exchange coordinator, to get my classes settled. The class I left was one that hasn't yet (and probably wont) be approved by UT (my home university), so I was trying to figure out if I can take another marketing class in its place, so I dont fall behind in credits. Again, nothing gets accomplished by this conversation. More funny looks and confusion.
After this, I meet up with my Thai friend, Warren, and we attempt to open a Thai bank account for me, bc I am almost out of money! I decide not to do it, bc I opened up a citibank account, which has branches in Bangkok, before I left. I will try to go there asap and get some money... I need to pay rent!! eeeee...... I'm sure that trip will be an adventure in itself.
Oh, I also checked out Muai Thai (thai boxing) while at school. I think I am going to join that while I am here! haha, I will come back a boxer :)
Oh, and Warren taught me some thai on the way home from school. Today, I learned how to tell a taxi driver to "turn left/right" and I also learned numbers 1- 900ish. Now, I can bargain with street vendors! I will probably not fool anyone with my Thai; I am such a farang (foreigner). ps. my spelling is awful, sorry!
pps. I am eating rice which I cooked myself! haha, I think cooking rice is about as easy as boiling water, but hey, I am proud of myself! A true asian in the making.... by the time I come home, I will be "asian"-fied!
Until next time!
I get to school at around 9 and I have no idea where everyone is! I ask a Thai girl for help and she walks with me all the way to the other building...thai students are so nice! I finally walk into the "counselor's meeting" at a bit past 9. 5-10 minutes later, they dismiss us. Oops again!
I hang around the classroom to try and figure out what I missed. I happen to glance behind some people and see the TU (University here I am attending) website on the computer screen. I see one of my classes, Principles of Marketing, has been canceled for next Tuesday and rescheduled for this Saturday!! Not only that, but it is rescheduled for 9:00- 14:00 o'clock!!! A 7 hour class, are you kidding me? And, were they planning on telling us about this "little" change?!?!? Um, no. They are so inefficient here! I would have missed class this Saturday (well, I'll be missing it anyway. 7 hour class on Saturday? No thank you, I think I will go to the islands instead. Sorry Mom and Dad!), and shown up on Tuesday, really confused as to why the professor wasn't there.Unbelievable. Mai ben rai. It's okay, no problem.
Then, I am told I need to get my picture taken at a photo place so I can put it on my student id. Okay. I go to the street behind TU (so crazy, one block from TU is 3rd world country, complete with street vendors and stray dogs. Oh a word on stray dogs. They are EVERYWHERE in Thailand. Like, everywhere. Hundreds. It is so sad....you can tell they have a tough life). So, I get my picture taken and in true Tracey style, the picture is horrendous!! haha, that's okay, I just wont show it to anyone:)
Okay, so after this, I have lunch at this great restaurant on 2nd floor of the cafeteria at TU. I spend 5 minutes trying to ask the waiter if the chicken is fried or stir-fried. He just looks at me. I keep talking. He keeps looking. I keep trying to ask "Is this fried?" He never says a word for 5 minutes; it is just me talking. So, I say, "okay, we'll just order this and be surprised". Ended up being a great meal! :)
After this, I wander around with some other people for a few minutes and then go to class. It is a 3 hour class and I am bored after 20 minutes. I leave (again, sorry Mom and Dad!). I go try to find Narisa, the bba exchange coordinator, to get my classes settled. The class I left was one that hasn't yet (and probably wont) be approved by UT (my home university), so I was trying to figure out if I can take another marketing class in its place, so I dont fall behind in credits. Again, nothing gets accomplished by this conversation. More funny looks and confusion.
After this, I meet up with my Thai friend, Warren, and we attempt to open a Thai bank account for me, bc I am almost out of money! I decide not to do it, bc I opened up a citibank account, which has branches in Bangkok, before I left. I will try to go there asap and get some money... I need to pay rent!! eeeee...... I'm sure that trip will be an adventure in itself.
Oh, I also checked out Muai Thai (thai boxing) while at school. I think I am going to join that while I am here! haha, I will come back a boxer :)
Oh, and Warren taught me some thai on the way home from school. Today, I learned how to tell a taxi driver to "turn left/right" and I also learned numbers 1- 900ish. Now, I can bargain with street vendors! I will probably not fool anyone with my Thai; I am such a farang (foreigner). ps. my spelling is awful, sorry!
pps. I am eating rice which I cooked myself! haha, I think cooking rice is about as easy as boiling water, but hey, I am proud of myself! A true asian in the making.... by the time I come home, I will be "asian"-fied!
Until next time!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
First week in Thailand + Weekend Trip to Ko Samed
Sawatsee Ka!
I have been in Thailand for about 6 days now, but I feel like it has already been several weeks! The slow-paced lifestyle in Thailand makes the time go by very slowly, but I like it. More time to savor this experience. Today is the Queen's birthday, which is a national holiday here in Thailand. There should be fireworks and a big celebration later tonight, so I will try to take some pictures and post them soon.
To chronicle my journey thus far:
-Monday, August 4th: Flew out of Austin, heading to Bangkok!
- Wednesday, August 6th: 30 hours later, I arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, a very confused person. I got a taxi and made my way to Kao San Road, a famous road frequented by backpackers and farungs (foreigners). Kao San Road also had a debut performance in the movie "The Beach", check out some pictures: http://www.khaosanroad.com/khao_san_road_photo_gallery/displayimage.php?album=random&cat=9&pos=-28I Once I arrived at Kao San Road, I found a small room to spend the night in, and walked over to a 24 hour internet cafe to let everyone know I've safely arrived. I eventually went to bed at about 5am and woke up at 9am. I got in touch with a fellow exchange student who was staying in an apartment complex across the river from Kao San Road. I took a taxi to him, and met some 3 other exchange students on the way there. We all got to know each other for a few minutes and then we went to go buy cell phones and grab lunch. Afterwards, a few of the other exchange students and myself went apartment hunting. Spent the entire day walking around the city, completely lost! Spent the night crashing on a friend's futon. Day one in Thailand complete!
-Thursday, August 7th. Had orientation at school today and met tons of other exchange students. Went on another endless housing tour, trying to find an apartment! This city is HOTT!! Walking outside for a few minutes will leave you drenched in sweat.
-Friday, August 8th. Finally moved into my studio apartment at the Rattanakosin, near Pata shopping center. It's such a cute little place, on the 35th floor of the building. Standing on the balcony (where the rail reaches waist high) scares the hell out of me...don't think I will be doing much of that. After moving in, I went to the grocery store to get some essentials. I'm not actually sure what I got, everything is written in Thai! Went to sleep at 8pm, woke up at midnight, went to a friends place for about 15 minutes, and went back to sleep at 1am. Woke up around 6am, then went back to sleep until I was woken up by a friend at 9am....time to leave for the Islands!!
-Saturday, August 9th. Went to Ko Samed (my spelling on everything is probably wrong by the way), an island about 1 hr cab ride+ 3 hour bus+ 45 minute ferry away, in southern Thailand. So much fun! We arrived and met up with about 10 other exchange students, and had lunch and just relaxed on the beach. Had a nice dinner right on the beach, as it lightly drizzled, then proceeded to go to a club which had been taken over by gay asian men....gaysians!! It was a lot of fun, letting loose and dancing till the wee hours of the morning. Woke up at 5:30 am, and went to the beach to watch the sun rise. While lying there, a few thais approached me and we started chatting. Well, more like playing charades, since they dont know english and I definitely do not understand much Thai. Then, one of their friends who knows english joined us and we all hung out on the beach for a few minutes, as they took pictures with me. I went back and ate breakfast (a rice and chicken dish....too spicy though! It was a painful meal...), and then went back to the beach, where the sun was now blaring down on us! Got a 1 hour long massage right on the beach for 200 baht= about $6! It was AMAZING! Spent some more time splashing around in the ocean, then went home at about 3 or 4 pm. Arrived back in BKK (Bangkok) at around 9 pm, and crashed out a few hours later!
-Monday, August 10. Actually, August 11th, I missed a day somewhere! Anyway, first day of classes!! I had Marketing- Consumer Behavior. It was a really good class, only about 10 exchange students and everyone else was Thai. We went around introducing ourselves and all the Thais gave their nicknames, since their real names are very long. Basically sounded something like this: "Hi, I am "e". I am "Je" I am "Ju" I am "Ping" I am "cake" I am "ooh" I am "moo" I am "ee"....lol, I love it! After class was over (9am-noon), the other exchange students and myself ate lunch. Once again, my meal was painfully spicy! To help reduce the painful feeling on my tongue, I left campus and found a fruit vendor outside. The fruit vendors are amazing, they sell fresh pineapple, hichama, papaya, coconut, mango, and more! It is delicious. I actually ate from the fruit vendor 3 times today. Then, I went to Bunglampoo Road (near Kao San) to find a uniform vendor. After about 1.5 hours of wandering around with another friend, we finally found it! Before I could try on the uniform (black skirt and white button down top. SO cute!), I had to pee. After 5 minutes of playing charades with the women who owns the shop, she finally took me to the "bathroom", ie, squatter toilet. I then proceeded to pee all over my feet, since I dont think I have quite grasped the squatter toilet concept. It is basically a toilet that is little more than a whole in the ground. There are rigged sides on the edge, where you are supposed to stand (I think), and then you squat ALL the way down, till you are practically sitting on the ground. Toilet paper= non-existent, ugh! It's all good though. Mai ben rai....thai motto meaning, "no problem, it's okay".
After I got my uniform, we went back to campus and I had a bba orientation from 4-6pm. Met some really cool Swedes and went to their apartment a few hours later to have a few drinks, which turned into an exchange student party! Then, we went to a hookah and dance club on Kao San Road....everyone stayed until 6am, but I had to cut out at 3 am...these kids are party animals!
-Tuesday, August 12 (today)-- Finally met Warren, a Thai student Abby (UT student who studied here last semester) introduced me to....he is super cool! I can tell we are going to be good friends; I'm excited to get to know him better. He and I went to a couple gyms in the area to try to get a membership, but they were so rude to us! So much for the land of smiles...they saw my white face and were just trying to rip me off! Mai ben rai..... I will figure out some other way to exercise while here...maybe Muy thai at school? There are also squash courts at my apartment complex, so maybe I will try to learn how to play squash! I am going to be way out of shape after this semester, oh goodness. I'll have to hit gregory gym with a vengeance when I get back to UT! Tonight, I think I will go up to the penthouse suite (top floor of the apartment complex) to hang out with other exchange students and watch a fireworks show to celebrate the Queen's birthday.... I think that is happening, I actually think I may have just made the fireworks show up in my head....they should do that though.
Until next time!
I have been in Thailand for about 6 days now, but I feel like it has already been several weeks! The slow-paced lifestyle in Thailand makes the time go by very slowly, but I like it. More time to savor this experience. Today is the Queen's birthday, which is a national holiday here in Thailand. There should be fireworks and a big celebration later tonight, so I will try to take some pictures and post them soon.
To chronicle my journey thus far:
-Monday, August 4th: Flew out of Austin, heading to Bangkok!
- Wednesday, August 6th: 30 hours later, I arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, a very confused person. I got a taxi and made my way to Kao San Road, a famous road frequented by backpackers and farungs (foreigners). Kao San Road also had a debut performance in the movie "The Beach", check out some pictures: http://www.khaosanroad.com/khao_san_road_photo_gallery/displayimage.php?album=random&cat=9&pos=-28I Once I arrived at Kao San Road, I found a small room to spend the night in, and walked over to a 24 hour internet cafe to let everyone know I've safely arrived. I eventually went to bed at about 5am and woke up at 9am. I got in touch with a fellow exchange student who was staying in an apartment complex across the river from Kao San Road. I took a taxi to him, and met some 3 other exchange students on the way there. We all got to know each other for a few minutes and then we went to go buy cell phones and grab lunch. Afterwards, a few of the other exchange students and myself went apartment hunting. Spent the entire day walking around the city, completely lost! Spent the night crashing on a friend's futon. Day one in Thailand complete!
-Thursday, August 7th. Had orientation at school today and met tons of other exchange students. Went on another endless housing tour, trying to find an apartment! This city is HOTT!! Walking outside for a few minutes will leave you drenched in sweat.
-Friday, August 8th. Finally moved into my studio apartment at the Rattanakosin, near Pata shopping center. It's such a cute little place, on the 35th floor of the building. Standing on the balcony (where the rail reaches waist high) scares the hell out of me...don't think I will be doing much of that. After moving in, I went to the grocery store to get some essentials. I'm not actually sure what I got, everything is written in Thai! Went to sleep at 8pm, woke up at midnight, went to a friends place for about 15 minutes, and went back to sleep at 1am. Woke up around 6am, then went back to sleep until I was woken up by a friend at 9am....time to leave for the Islands!!
-Saturday, August 9th. Went to Ko Samed (my spelling on everything is probably wrong by the way), an island about 1 hr cab ride+ 3 hour bus+ 45 minute ferry away, in southern Thailand. So much fun! We arrived and met up with about 10 other exchange students, and had lunch and just relaxed on the beach. Had a nice dinner right on the beach, as it lightly drizzled, then proceeded to go to a club which had been taken over by gay asian men....gaysians!! It was a lot of fun, letting loose and dancing till the wee hours of the morning. Woke up at 5:30 am, and went to the beach to watch the sun rise. While lying there, a few thais approached me and we started chatting. Well, more like playing charades, since they dont know english and I definitely do not understand much Thai. Then, one of their friends who knows english joined us and we all hung out on the beach for a few minutes, as they took pictures with me. I went back and ate breakfast (a rice and chicken dish....too spicy though! It was a painful meal...), and then went back to the beach, where the sun was now blaring down on us! Got a 1 hour long massage right on the beach for 200 baht= about $6! It was AMAZING! Spent some more time splashing around in the ocean, then went home at about 3 or 4 pm. Arrived back in BKK (Bangkok) at around 9 pm, and crashed out a few hours later!
-Monday, August 10. Actually, August 11th, I missed a day somewhere! Anyway, first day of classes!! I had Marketing- Consumer Behavior. It was a really good class, only about 10 exchange students and everyone else was Thai. We went around introducing ourselves and all the Thais gave their nicknames, since their real names are very long. Basically sounded something like this: "Hi, I am "e". I am "Je" I am "Ju" I am "Ping" I am "cake" I am "ooh" I am "moo" I am "ee"....lol, I love it! After class was over (9am-noon), the other exchange students and myself ate lunch. Once again, my meal was painfully spicy! To help reduce the painful feeling on my tongue, I left campus and found a fruit vendor outside. The fruit vendors are amazing, they sell fresh pineapple, hichama, papaya, coconut, mango, and more! It is delicious. I actually ate from the fruit vendor 3 times today. Then, I went to Bunglampoo Road (near Kao San) to find a uniform vendor. After about 1.5 hours of wandering around with another friend, we finally found it! Before I could try on the uniform (black skirt and white button down top. SO cute!), I had to pee. After 5 minutes of playing charades with the women who owns the shop, she finally took me to the "bathroom", ie, squatter toilet. I then proceeded to pee all over my feet, since I dont think I have quite grasped the squatter toilet concept. It is basically a toilet that is little more than a whole in the ground. There are rigged sides on the edge, where you are supposed to stand (I think), and then you squat ALL the way down, till you are practically sitting on the ground. Toilet paper= non-existent, ugh! It's all good though. Mai ben rai....thai motto meaning, "no problem, it's okay".
After I got my uniform, we went back to campus and I had a bba orientation from 4-6pm. Met some really cool Swedes and went to their apartment a few hours later to have a few drinks, which turned into an exchange student party! Then, we went to a hookah and dance club on Kao San Road....everyone stayed until 6am, but I had to cut out at 3 am...these kids are party animals!
-Tuesday, August 12 (today)-- Finally met Warren, a Thai student Abby (UT student who studied here last semester) introduced me to....he is super cool! I can tell we are going to be good friends; I'm excited to get to know him better. He and I went to a couple gyms in the area to try to get a membership, but they were so rude to us! So much for the land of smiles...they saw my white face and were just trying to rip me off! Mai ben rai..... I will figure out some other way to exercise while here...maybe Muy thai at school? There are also squash courts at my apartment complex, so maybe I will try to learn how to play squash! I am going to be way out of shape after this semester, oh goodness. I'll have to hit gregory gym with a vengeance when I get back to UT! Tonight, I think I will go up to the penthouse suite (top floor of the apartment complex) to hang out with other exchange students and watch a fireworks show to celebrate the Queen's birthday.... I think that is happening, I actually think I may have just made the fireworks show up in my head....they should do that though.
Until next time!
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Kanchanaburi
Beautiful View from atop Bridge
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Posh club district on Suhkumvit Rd
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Erawan Waterfall
