Come to Me, Angelina Jolie #3

I had started this blog a little differently, but as I wrote my sentence the previous record holder of THE WORLD'S LARGEST SPIDER just scurried across my wall. I say previous because he had an unfortunate encounter with my shoe. No worries, I left his body lying on the ground to both warn his friends and to serve the all mighty geckos that live in my room. I've come to respect these tiny little lizards. At first they freaked me out... seeing as they come and go from my room as they please, but now we have something of a mutual agreement. They keep the spider population down in my room, I don't kill them... sounds legit to me.

Now... , where was I? Ah, yes, Cambodia! I have been dying to go to Cambodia since I arrived in Thailand, and I jumped on the chance when some fellow international students said they were headed there. 

First, let me just say I HATE IMMIGRATION. I will never, EVER allow someone to make a joke about immigration/aliens again. After being on the other side, let me just tell you, it sucks. I would rather spend 3 months at the DMV than spend another second at immigration. Getting a mental image? First of all, before my arrival to Thailand, I of course had to acquire a visa. Being on a time crunch, my home coordinator for study abroad had told me it was much easier/faster to obtain a single-entry visa than a multiple. Well, not so much. Now, this is a lot of lingo mumbo-jumbo, but long story short I had a single entry visa-- meaning if I wanted to leave the country, I would have to get a re-entry permit. So, off to immigration. Rather naively, I assumed that I would be able to waltz into immigration, they would greet me with open arms, ask what I wanted and BOOM! You got it girl! Ha. What a fantasy world I live in. First of all, there was no real direction to get what I aimed to obtain. I wanted to switch my single visa to a multiple. So did two of my classmates, perfect! Let us ride! We show up, head for the door, and say what? This is the embassy for ONLY Malaysians or Laotians? So there are two Thai embassies... cool right? And we conveniently went to the one that didn't accept us. This wouldn't have been as frustrating IF it weren't for: so much traffic that you rarely moved, not being able to speak Thai= embarrassing language barrier, we didn't actually know where this "other" embassy was located, and just for kicks if it weren't 50023435094530 degrees. I've ranted enough about immigration, didn't intend to write a paragraph, but I could honestly write a novel on the flawed system that is immigration. I sincerely hope that there are translators at our immigration offices in the US, because I felt like I was an unwanted creature that was shunned from society. It was so frustrating, but luckily after two trips too many to immigration, I got it all situated, and I was that much closer to Cambodia! 

The trip to Cambodia was going to take about 5 hours. Three hours to the border, then another two once in Cambodia to the town of Siem Riep where we were staying. So, in the wee hours of the morning, we set out to catch the bus from Mochit Station. The bus ride was rather easy. I have troubles sleeping on a bus normally, but it was either that I had an hour of sleep or that this was some magically comfy bus, but I was out. I wake up to an entirely different world. We've gotta be there! There were rickety buildings and giant casinos atop red clay instead of the temple infused concrete jungle that I was now accustomed to in Bangkok. Well, it wasn't really Cambodia quite yet, but it was the in-between... the border town. Fun fact: In neither Cambodia or Thailand are casinos legal.... solution? All casinos to the border town! There were five huge casinos before we even got to passport check. Good thing I've never been a gambler, onward!

As we got off of the bus, we were approached by a Tuk Tuk driver. From my other blogs, you can probably infer what this meant. Again, tricked by our lack of knowledge! As her appearance suggested, she was just a nice little lady who wanted to take us to the border for cheap, cheap! We were driven to a fake border, a tourist trap and some pretty shady operations, if I may say. Luckily, veteran Cambodian traveler Cristina (my Californian friend who had already been to Cambodia and saw these horrors) led us to the correct border and we started the waiting game to get our visas and get our passports stamped. In this line, we were basically ran down by some incredibly rude Russian people. The guy doesn't understand the concept of 'queue up' and literally mowed down Cristina and myself, taking about 11 of his rude friends with him. An instance that was annoying turned into a comic relief for our tense nerves. I don't think I've ever laughed that hard about rude people in my life. We cracked jokes about line jumpers the entire one hour wait. (I think our correct state was sleep-deprived) Finally, after many obstacles and laughs, we were in! Hello Cambodia!

After a short bus ride and an encounter with some friendly travelers, we got the name of a nice guesthouse and situated our things. First on the agenda was Angkor Wat. The largest religious structure in the world! Angkor Wat includes several temples, all more impressive than the last. We heard from some friends who had been there in the past that you could get in for free past 4, since the place closed at 6. Day passes cost 20 dollars (US) so we decided to get in for free to watch the sunset, then go for sunrise/the day trip the next day. We arranged travel to and from within our hostel and some nice tuk tuk drivers (a seemingly uncommon occurrence here) After a nice hike up to the top of the sunset temple, we stood in a line that stretched all the way to back. As the sun started to drop in the sky, we worried we wouldn't get up there fast enough, but alas, we were close! Unfortunately, we were then passed by 7 people.... line jumped AGAIN. sigh. Thailand has taught me many things, and of those things: Mai Pen Rai (No worries) and to have a cool heart. But wouldn't you know, those 7 line jumpers were the last ones to get to go up.... I hope it was the best (and last.. JUST KIDDING) sunset they've ever seen... jerks. Even though we didn't see it from the top of the gorgeous temple, it was still amazing. A good sunset never gets old, no matter your altitude. We hiked down and got some grub. Cambodia offered basically the same type of food as Thailand, but it the Khmer curry was awesome! It was about the same as far as taste and ingredients, but I took great pride in the fact that it didn't burn my lips off one bite in. Go Cambodia! Since we were getting up at 4 am to make it to the sunrise, it was an early to bed kinda night.

The next day, we were all insanely quiet. 4 am will do that do you after a day of traveling. We approach the base of Angkor Wat and it was unlike anything I've ever seen. The decaying temples were an astonishing brown/sand color that was so interesting. The sheer size of the structure was enough, but something about the contrasting color and architecture just set my mood to awe. We were lucky enough to grab some seats near a reflecting pool to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Unfortunately due to some cloudy haze, it was a little anti-climactic, but it was gorgeous none the less. For the next 2 hours, we walked through hall after hall of the temples and admired the world that once was. The very ground we were walking on once housed an ancient city. It would have been insane to see the halls filled with people and their homes. I can't even imagine! After our short trek there, we decided to get some lunch. Jumping back to the title of the blog, you were probably thinking Angelina Jolie #3? This was the name of the restaurant, and possibly the owner, of the place we had lunch. Before we even set foot inside the temple for sunrise, we were approached by this woman that asked us to eat at her place. Amidst the myriad of street vendors that set up shop at the grounds, we were like yeah right, like we'd find you! But she assured us, 'come to me, Angelina Jolie #3.' Sure enough, as we started for the food, we saw the sign and there she was... She had a huge smile on her face, "My friends! I knew you'd find me!"I can't speak for the original Angelina, but #3 makes a mean banana pancake... so delicious! Angelina Jolie is a bit of a god in Cambodia, it's kinda funny actually... They love her! Probably the most hilarious moment of the trip was at lunch. As we waited for our food, we saw a group of small children playing in the field beside the restaurant. We laughed at the cute little baby that wobbled along and played soccer with his sisters, and Jenny, a friend from Oregon, laughs and says, "the one in yellow is my favorite" She was speaking of a little boy that was playing with his siblings, but at the moment we all turn around, he just whips down his pants and starts peeing. Startled, Jenny said "GEEZ, of course he would do that when you all look." We were dying laughing, and thus began the daily joke: creeper: Jennyfile! (luckily, she's a fun spirit that can take the jokes) We left our good friend Angie and headed on to the next set of temples. Angkor itself was impressive, but it was the smaller temples that left me speechless. We saw the elephant terraces, bayon temple, and the temple where Lara Croft: Tomb raider was shot. It was crazy, inspiring, and amazing... telling you about it doesn't do it justice, nor will the pictures, but it's worth a shot!

The day got the most interesting when it decided to torrential downpour on the final temple. One thing that was completely different about Cambodia was the plethora of adorable little kids trying to sell you things. "ladyyyyyy where you go?" "Lady, one dolla for you!" "Lady, please buy for one dollar!" "Cold drink for you, one dollar!" I was exhausted from saying no, and I felt so guilty because they were literally the cutest kids I've ever seen! One boy came up to me and begged for me to buy postcards from him. I couldn't say no, and needed postcards, so I gave him the dollar and some extra for him... although in hindsight, it probably didn't get to go to him :( but I hope it did! A girl immediately came up to me and said that she saw me first and why didn't I buy from her!? I was in the middle of a post-card turf war! What does one do in this situation? Run Lola, Run! The final temple was the most fun. Even though we were drowned rats and couldn't walk without sinking in mud, the rain felt amazing. We were so hot from climbing up a million stairs and walking around. It was incredible and the views were amazing! (see photos) A little boy came up to me and tried to get me to buy a flute. Assuring him I have no musical talents, he was like 'you learn!' After telling him no about 15 times, I asked sarcastically if he could play jingle bells. Without sparing another second, BOOM! Jingle bells!! I was amazed at the English level of cambodian people. They were so shocking to hear! Once, I said Kap khun ka (thank you in Thai) and of course, duh, I'm in Cambodia where they speak Cambodian/Khmer, and politely, the vendor said 'that's Thai, if you say thank you in Cambodian it's awkunh" Silly differences... I will probably make the same mistake a million times when I am back home in the states. Only difference is people probably won't be half as polite in correcting me.

That night, we decided to hit the town, enjoy the night markets, and eat some more amazing Cambodian food. It was very interesting to be able to both compare Cambodia to life in the states as well as my new 2nd home in Bangkok. Such a surreal experience. I still can't believe I am living in Thailand.

Unfortunately, school awaited, so it was back to Bangkok for us!

Now for the part you're all waiting for: pictures! (I apologize for the ordering... blogspot hates me and I still don't know how to use it properly... probably why it takes me forever to write these!)

some of the stairs were so high that expectant mothers weren't allowed...

stairs for days

Thanks Yellow Guesthouse!

Sunrise courtesy of Angkor Wat

Bayon Temple

Tomb Raider! 

Our guest house was full of these little signs

English, lost in translation

see the baby on the front of the motorcycle? Yeah, freak out like I did...

Jenny, Aasa, Gabe, Cristina and I

So much detail! 

Tune in soon for tales of Songkran (Thai New Year) and Northern Thailand adventures in Chiang Mai and Pai!

It's Been Awhile, but I'm Still Alive

For those that were diligently following my travels, I apologize for the delay, or more like the abrupt halt in the writing of my blog. It's been a busy month since my last entry, and as I have so much to say about what I've done in that month, you may want to grab a drink because this will be a long one. :)

To start with the next weekend after my last entry, I joined three friends to a trek down to some islands on the southern coast of Thailand. The plan was to start our journey at the southern bus terminal for a twelve hour bus ride to Phuket. Now, I know what you're thinking, 12 hours on a bus?! I assumed I wouldn't sleep a wink as I failed to do on the 16 hour plane ride to come here, but I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the makeshift pillow I fashioned with my purse and a scarf. I've taken many buses since my arrival in Thailand, but this was my first overnight bus. It was an odd experience. First of all, it was so cold.  SO COLD. My roommates can attest that I'm basically a penguin. I love the cold and rarely complain about the conditions of cold places. But this was crazy. Luckily they provided us with a flannel blanket, which was weird in itself... flannel in Thailand? Go figure. They also showed a movie for the first few hours. Normally, an inflight movie, or inbus movie rather, will be something light, a comedy or family feature. I should know by now that nothing in Thailand is like what I expect at home. It was a horror movie. I love horror movies, but I can't say I enjoyed being awoken by a blood curdling scream, then looking up startled and confused to see a girl hanging in a tree with her feet chopped off. Oh Thailand. After that, I was out and basically didn't wake up until I was awoken by Celine, a wonderfully pleasant girl from Luxembourg and one of my favorite traveling companions. We're here! Well, sort of. When we arrived in Phuket, it wasn't what I expected. No beach? No sand? No palms? What is this place? We are supposed to be in paradise!! We were staying in Phuket TOWN not Phuket beach... oh there's a difference? Regardless, we set out looking for our hostel and after bargaining with a Tuk Tuk driver to take us there, we made it! It was a simple, quaint place that seemed clean and safe. I was nervous, because is was my first time staying in a shared hostel, but luckily no one came other than the four of us. After taking a ten minute breather to change and put some things away, we set out for the beach. From everything I read about Phuket, I was so disappointed in what I saw. The pictures were all tourist traps by what I was witnessing. The beach was dirty, crowded, and small. The water wasn't the icey-turquoise blue that I signed up for, but instead a dingy brown. After my time on Kho Samet, I loved the water there. It was crystal clear and greenish blue. You could see straight down to the bottom, but not in Phuket. I couldn't even see my hand beside me let alone my toes as they bobbed around in the sand beneath. I didn't like that. The water was also infested with sea lice. I felt like I was constantly bitten while I swam and it burned to even be in the water. Talk about a buzz kill! I did however meet a really nice local named Mr. Yob who told me a little history about the town, what he does during the off season, and about his family. He was such a nice person, and he spoke perfect English. He told me that with so many tourists flocking into his beach rental service, he could practice his English and never had to leave his home. Oh the places you'll go and the people you'll meet! Next stop, Kho Phi Phi.

After taking a long ferry ride to the island, I see giant rock formations on the horizon... we must be close. Close we were and after the slight dissatisfaction from Phuket, Kho Phi Phi didn't disappoint. It was gorgeous! The water was finally the blue I imagined, and the rocks and surrounding areas of the island were incredibly beautiful. I again had to remind myself that I was in Thailand! We hadn't booked a hostel, so it made me a little nervous to walk around and see 'no vacancy' signs along the island. We heard that hostels booked fast on Kho Phi Phi, so the control freak in me started panicking when we were turned away at three different places. Then one of the guys we were with suggested a hostel his friend had stayed in. He said it was "a little rough" but it was cheap. Great. I don't know his idea of "rough" but I didn't like where this was going. The place was called The Rock Backpacker. It was indeed a "rough" place but it was a place to stay for about 500 baht cheaper than the rest of the island. You can't beat 300 baht a night, or in USD about 9 bucks to stay on one of the most touristy islands of Thailand. It was my first shared hostel experience, and I'm proud to say I survived it. As weird as it was to share a room with 12 people I didn't know, I was tired and it was cheap. The island was beautiful and I enjoyed myself much more than in Phuket. However, you could wade out as far as your eye allowed, past the boats and the rocks, and you'd still be wading. I wanted to swim. It was so hot and all I wanted was to cool off. There was no chance in that. The water was just as hot as the air, and it only came up to your knee. Great. 

I think we mainly paid for the view when we booked the hostel! 

So sketchy! 

I made my mark amidst all the trash on the walls! 

Island nightlife is by far my favorite! 

After Kho Phi Phi, it was time to head back to Bangkok. We took a ferry to Krabi, and then it was time to go back home. Next weekend: The annual Thammasat vs Chulalongkorn football match! Time to bust out my newly acquired school spirit! 

The football match was so amazing! We were taken by our school, which was pretty nice, but once we got there, there was no order whatsoever. It was absolute chaos! We were supposed to be in a parade to support the international program, but it was very political and I didn't really feel comfortable holding a sign for something I had no idea what it meant. Especially in a country where I don't know if that's okay!  Yikes. But after the parade we were ushered to the arena. You could either pay 200 baht (6 dollars) to sit in the shade, or you could get in for free as a student and sit in the shade. Being a true college student, anything that's free is where I'll be. It was so unbelievably hot that it would have almost been worth it to shell out the 6 bucks to sit in the shade. But it was so much fun. I'm not much of a sports fan, but soccer has always had a place in my heart. Because I've played since 3rd grade, I actually know what's going on and can enjoy it more than other sports. The crowd energy is what I loved though. There was so much pride in the stands and it was so awesome to see their cheers. Being from a smaller school, I know about pride. We may not win many games at Marshall, but we know how to support our school. The entire student section had flip down panels that made pictures and cheers. It was incredible the amount of coordination that must have required. It was probably 100 degrees out and it was either heat exhaustion or the energy from the stands, but everyone was having a blast, and it was so much fun! 

Political parade featuring former prime minister Thaksin...

some serious trash talking from Chula, eh I think? :p

Although we lost the game, it was still a lot of fun to compare the sports scene to home

My next topic will be less about where I've gone and more about experiences... Bangkok is full of surprises and I learn so much about myself and other people here. 

Most hilarious thing to do in Bangkok: tell someone you're from West Virginia. No. I'm serious. Every single time I tell someone where I'm from I get a plethora of hilarious reactions. They're usually the same, but ALWAYS entertaining. I've had three people now tell me that I speak really good English. Wait, what? And these people aren't Thai, usually Thais are lucky to even know of West Virginia let alone stereotype it. The majority of the people that have these reactions are either fellow Americans or Europeans. I thought it was hilarious when I was told that I spoke "good English." Am I not still American though I'm from West Virginia? Just because I don't have an accent that people associate with West Virginia, that must mean it's impossible that I'm from there. I met a guy on Khao San Road that said "you're full of shit" in reaction to me saying where I was from. Startled and confused, I was like, no I'm serious. He apologized and just asked "what are you doing here?" My reply was pretty sarcastic, as you can imagine being annoyed at this point, I said that "We do get out of the state once in a while!" In reaction to where I'm from, I've also heard, "I've never met anyone from West Virginia", "You don't talk like a redneck", and my personal favorite, "Is there still segregation there?" haha oh WV, we need to work on clearing up your tarnished name. I feel like it is a blessing to be here, to learn more about other cultures and to show people that West Virginia isn't just about moonshine and Wrong Turn. (Yes, I actually heard the whole "Oh West Virginia, like in Wrong Turn?") hahah I'll just have to work on representing West Virginia well and relaying to my fellow students that, yes, we are A STATE, and no, it's not Virginia. :)

Next, Lady Boys! I went to a Lady Boy Cabaret with some friends from school and it was hilarious! The show was kind of all over the place, and didn't have much of a plot, rather than segments of types of songs and dances. With anything from traditional Thai dances, to burlesque pole dancing it was certainly entertaining! It was a really unique experience and I really enjoyed myself. The costumes, vivid colors of the displays, and of course the beautiful "ladies" made the show wildly entertaining and really exciting! 

Next, I had a run in with monkey city again. Some of my friends here that listened to my tales/horrors of the monkeys and were ready to go, I decided that I just couldn't resist going back and hanging out with my long lost relatives. It was about the same as my other trip, but there were some classic "I can't believe that just happened moments" And those types of moments are rather common here in Thailand. As we were walking back from Monkey City where we were  attacked by monkeys and they hung all over us, we got some lunch at a little sit down place near the temple. Gabe, a fellow student from Seattle, decided to treat himself to a chocolate ice cream bar. Little did Gabe know, so did an onlooking monkey. As we were walking right in front of this monkey and his little friends, he spots the ice cream and decides from that point that it's definitely his. Gabe, seeing this icy monkey stare at his food shouts "Guys! He sees my ice cream! Guys! He sees my ice cream" In a split decision to either part with the ice cream or his dignity, Gabe shoves the entire thing in his mouth and throws the stick down to the encroaching monkey. He decided at that moment that he wasn't giving up his ice cream for any monkey. That was seriously one of the most hilarious things I've seen on this trip. Oh memories. The monkey look entirely pissed off, like he was so used to getting his way, which I'm sure he was. The people of Lop Buri owe the monkeys their livelihood. The monkeys are responsible for the majority of their tourism, so they are treated very kindly and often fed several times a day. The epitome of spoiled, basically. I'm sure he was angry that he didn't get the ice cream that he claimed. 

Monkeys everywhere! 

I have one more entry left to write, but I believe that I will save it for my next beginning. My weekend in Cambodia deserves a blog to itself, because it was one of the greatest experiences that I've had in my entire life. Until next time! :)

Same same, but different

So, it's been a while, but due to a combination of laziness and being incredibly busy, I just haven't made the time to stop and keep up with my life. This shall be a long post, I have to somehow cram two busy weeks into one entry! 

Last week, I just wanted to do something fun, nothing was really planned, so I did some searching and found a little blog with things to do in the Bangkok area, and came up with Lop Buri, or as it's better known, Monkey City. Originally, I planned to go with two friends, but due to miscommunications and last minute decisions, they couldn't go on the trip. Mai pen rai, no problem. I caught a bus that took about an hour and a half to the city, and once I arrived, I was a little surprised. Where are the monkeys? When I read the article on the city, it was crawling with them, and now that I was standing in the central part of town, I didn't see any. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. After being so let down about the monkeys, I walked over to this old temple ruins and took some pictures inside. It was incredible. There were tons of Buddha statues, worn with age, with broken arms and legs. It was really beautiful! The colors of the stone were so interesting, some were reddish brown, others a decaying grey and black. After getting my fill of the historical side of Lop Buri, I walked across town in search of something else, seeing as I had no idea where I was going and I knew little about the town, it really didn't matter. As I turn the corner after a short walk, I see what I came for. This was definitely monkey city. They were climbing on telephone wires, jumping on the sidewalks, atop cars, on tables, scaling buildings, EVERYWHERE! I had never seen this many monkeys in my life. There was another ruin at the top of the hill that was crawling with the crazy little creatures. They were so cute, well most of them. I loved seeing them from afar, but when they got super close, that was enough for me. I was focused on a little baby monkey with a plastic bag. He sat on the corner of the temple and took the bag over his head, then freaked out, and took it off. As this little one distracted me, apparently a giant one caught a glimpse of the bright pink luggage tag on my backpack. The next thing I know this insane monkey is literally jumping on my back and grabbing at my backpack. Naturally, I freak out and he jumps on my head and pulls my hair and my ear. After running away to try to shake the monkey's death grip off my head, I see the police officer out of the corner of my eye. And what is he doing while I'm being attacked? He is hysterically laughing and pointing. Once you hear a bunch of Thai and then the word Farang (foreigner), you know you're sort of being made fun of. I imagine it was a pretty entertaining sight, I probably would have laughed too. Trying to keep my composure, I decided to give the monkeys another chance. I walked to the other side of the temple and remembered that I brought some crackers. Surely, with food in hand they'd be more apt to patiently wait on the ground. Somehow I forgot I wasn't in the zoo or a feeding place, these were wild animals. Opening the plastic on those crackers was like a homing beacon to the monkey population. It was so unreal, like a scene from a movie. They all freeze and slowly look up at me. Then in a matter of seconds, I have like 30 monkeys running my way. I threw the crackers as far from me as I could and ran back to the gate, my visit was over. I was done with the monkeys. I was going to stay the night, but seeing as the town was kind of creepy, no one spoke english, and I was frazzled from my run-in with the primates, I was over Lop Buri for the day. I'd love to go back, however, perhaps for more of the monkey experience, but mostly for the sunflower fields. I couldn't find someone that was willing to take me, they all said "tomorrow, tomorrow" and the one person that I found that did speak enough english to explain said that they won't take you in the evening because you won't find a ride back. Fair enough, I'll be back for that tour!

Sunday, I decided to go to Sriracha. It's a small town beneath Bangkok, around 2 or 3 hours away. In Sriracha, I went to the Tiger Zoo. I read that this was one of the best zoos in Thailand, that they treated the animals really well and they believed in harmonious living between the animal species. It was so cute to see adult tigers caring for baby pigs in little tiger t-shirts as if they were their own cubs. I definitely wasn't disappointed in the zoo, I thought it was really clean and the animals seemed to be well cared for. The zoo was also insanely organized. My OCD for time has caused some turmoil for me since I've arrived in Thailand. Thai's aren't really concerned with schedules or time. They are on their own schedule. You can expect trains, buses, teachers, and just about everything else to be late when you're here. The zoo was a very welcome change. Everything happened EXACTLY when they said it would. How nice! They had three animal shows: tigers, elephants, and crocodile. The shows were really cool. They were in huge arenas and the people were really interactive with the crowd. Unfortunately, I don't speak Thai, but I still understood what was going down. In the crocodile show, the performers stuck their arms and heads into the crocodile's mouths. I have seen this before, so it probably wouldn't have been as shocking if I didn't just see the crocodile almost destroy the man just minutes before. The show was centered on this little island made of tile and had kind of like a moat around it. The performers went in barefoot and splashed water on the tiles to try to get the crocodiles out. The crocodiles were swimming in circles in the moat. The performers would pull out the crocs by their tails and put them on the little island. I didn't really blame the animals for snapping at them, I mean they were being pulled from the nice, cool water into the sun and heat. The man pulled the biggest one out, and the crocodile twisted around and snapped at his stomach, he was literally inches away from what I would think would be a pretty serious injury when the guy matrixed himself out of the way and fell on his back just feet from his attacker. Like a ninja, he sprang to his feet and flipped over the crocodile to jump on his back. The guy has a death wish, I'm sure. It was a neat to see them so close, I used to watch Steve Irwin (RIP) on Animal Planet with my grandparents and I was always amazed at the skill required to handle such an animal. If you go by looks alone, crocodiles don't seem like they'd be very fast, but when they've got some motivation, they're insane! I can't believe their little legs can even move that quickly. For the tiger show, they had about 10 tigers in a circle. They were doing various tricks and show moves. Jumping through flaming hoops, walking on tiny poles, jumping over each other, etc. The most degrading, I think, was that they made them roll over. I just thought it was too much to see them roll over like a domesticated house dog. The elephant show was really cute! They had tons of little babies and they had them playing basketball, walking tightropes, massaging volunteers (yes! they gave people massages) and popping balloons with darts! I loved elephants before I came to Thailand, but the more time I spend here, the more they are rounding close to my favorite animal. They're so incredibly intelligent and gorgeous! 

Around the zoo, you could stop at several places to take pictures and hold animals. I held a baby tiger and bottle fed it. I think the bottle was more for myself than it was for the tiger, they were pretty squirmy, and their claws were insanely sharp looking. Luckily they lay a blanket down over your legs, so they can't scratch you. I also got a picture with a giant tiger. It was a little intimidating to look at a real tiger no more than a few inches away from you. The staff urged me to get closer to its head, and dumbfounded, I complied, but very wearily. The tiger's head was the so huge, as I got closer it turned to me and snarled, showing its teeth that were like the size of my fingers. I probably turned white, because the man who was taking the picture said mai pen rai, and flicked a little stick with a feather on the end at the tiger. He turned back, annoyed and took the photo. It was such a surreal moment. I am for sure in Thailand. You can't just go up to animals like that in the states. Crazy! The rest of the zoo was reserved for animals in little enclosures like capybaras, deer, rabbits, etc. There was also a scorpion queen who wore a shirt of scorpions. There are such weird attractions here, it really makes me laugh sometimes. 

Sometime in between the tiger zoo and this week, I went to see a 4D movie. I had seen a few at amusement parks back in the states, but never a full length feature. Underworld was probably not the best decision for my first long 4D film. For those of you that haven't seen the Underworld movies (go see them now) the movie is loaded with action, blood, fighting and death. So basically, my chair wasn't still and my face wasn't dry for the entire movie. It was still a really cool experience. Every time something was killed and blood would splatter, these little jets would spray you with water and for all the fighting, your chair would move with the action and little mallets would hit the back and sides of your seat! So cool, but so exhausting! 

This weekend was lovely! Thammsat University hosted a weekend homestay at the Plai Pong Pang Village in Samut Songkram Province.  We had a full two-day itinerary, so I was really excited. First, we arrived at a pier that would take us to the floating market. Someone told me on the trip that Bangkok and surrounding areas are often called "The Venice of the East" and I would believe it. After this weekend, I have a whole new appreciation for people that live on the water. I cannot imagine not being able to step off my porch without my swimsuit or a boat. The people use their boats to go everywhere. The floating market was incredible! There are stores on either side and if you see something you like, you just pull over to the place and make your offer! The items were insanely overpriced, but it is a touristy spot and they know that they will have to bargain with you. I wonder if anyone actually pays the listed price? After the floating market, we went to a small area where they showed us how to make palm sugar. In my Thai Cuisine class, we ironically just learned about the process of making palm sugar, so it was cool to see it in real life after learning about it in class. To make the sugar, they climb up the tree, cut the ends of the flowers, and let the syrup drip into a little canister. They have to do this twice a day, and if they miss a day, the tree won't produce anymore. Our teacher told us that the people who supply her palm sugar never leave their farms for this reason. Can you imagine? The sugar tasted like normal sugar, only it was more buttery and thick tasting. It was really good, but super rich. One taste was enough! Then we headed to the homestay where we would be staying for the night. The homestay was an incredible traditional Thai home where 9 of us stayed on thin mats on the floor. They were so nice, and though they didn't speak English they spoke to us in Thai and we shared awkward smiles of misunderstanding. 

The house was so beautiful. P'maa, the international office coordinator and our chaperone for the trip, told us that you could tell when a house was a traditional Thai house when the space was completely open to accommodate large families and the wooden floors were made from the oldest trees. It was really cool to see how families lived in traditional ways. They provided us with mosquito nets, but since Myriam and I got one with holes in it, it kind of defeated the purpose. Luckily I was drowned in bug spray anyways, so no bites for me.

That night we went on a firefly boat tour. It was so pretty! Being from West Virginia, of course I've seen fireflies, but they are a little different here. At home, they seem to float just above the ground in lonely strides, you can see a few at a time, but they're never in large groups. Here, it's almost unbelievable, they're in large clusters high in the trees. It's almost as if there are christmas lights in the trees, not small twinkling bugs. The tour was a nice change of pace to traveling around, it was very relaxing. And get this, I actually felt a tinge of being cold, just for a few seconds, but it was nice. 

The next day, we had to wake up extremely early (ugh!) to feed the monks. In Thailand, the people of the village offer food to the monks. Monks can only eat before noon, so they only eat either once or twice a day. It was a really neat experience to see the monk paddle up to the dock and they had prepared rice, soup, fruits and vegetables, and a soup to offer to them. After the monk collected our food, he prayed for us and then paddled to the next house. After we fed the monks, our hosts fed us. Since I've arrived in Thailand, I haven't really eaten "a normal breakfast." They just don't really eat breakfast foods like the ones I'm used to at home. Since I'm not a huge breakfast fan anyways, it doesn't bother me, but breakfast here is definitely not my favorite. We had rice porridge and I will say, that will be my last rice porridge. It's just overcooked spicy rice in broth. Not a great way to start the morning for my stomach. Strange.

For the remainder of the day, we visited temples and saw a small animal zoo! It was really sad to see some of the animals, they were in very small cages and they looked a little sad. But, I got to feed them a bundle of bananas. I fed a bear 3 bananas, and it licked my hands. It still amazes me that wild animals can be that close to you here. At zoos in the US, you can't really get that close to animals that are potentially dangerous, but here you can just stick your hands into their cages to feed them and pet them. Crazy! I saw goats, peacocks, a bear, pigs, monkeys, porcupines, a mongoose, and other little small farm animals. A girl in the program, Aasa, was wearing a pair of sunglasses and was taking a picture of a small black monkey. As she was distracted by his cuteness, he snatched her sunglasses off her head and took them into his cage. Everyone tried to get them back, but they were gone for good. He broke the arms off the glasses and stuck the lenses into his mouth. He was a little crazy. Monkeys are definitely not to be trusted. Lesson learned. 

After we returned from the temple tours, we had a snack of mango and sticky rice with coconut milk. It was delicious! Then we had a cooking demonstration where they showed us how they would make our dinner. Green Curry, Stir-fry, and pumpkin dessert was on the menu. The food was delicious, but it was so hot, as everything is here in Thailand, so no surprise. And another thing about the food, pumpkins here are totally not the pumpkins I'm used to at home. Not the halloween pumpkins, but instead, a sweet yellowish pumpkin that is more pineapple looking than pumpkin. It was all very interesting though!

After we got back from the weekend trip, I decided to get a Thai massage. I've been here for almost two months, so it was LONG overdue. Everyone said they were awesome but painful, so I was kind of nervous, but after sleeping on the floor for the past weekend and then sleeping on my equally uncomfortable bed for the past month, my spine was crying out to me, so I braved through it. Painful pleasure is the description that would accurately describe the massage. I've never had a professional massage, just impromptu ones from boyfriends etc, but this wasn't something I would even have gotten at home. There is no relaxation during this massage. I now can say I know how a contortionist feels. My body was into positions I never knew were possible. Ones leg should simply not be bent in that direction. The masseuse climbed on top of me, driving her heels into the back of my legs and back, she had me lace my fingers and pulled my arms so she could crack my back with her foot. It was crazy! But, at the end, I felt like a new person. I had a few new pains from the massage, but the old ones were gone, and my body no longer ached of my travels. Interesting to say the least, but something I'll reserve when I truly feel sore. Perhaps an oil or herbal massage next time. If you're in Thailand though, you've gotta try it!

Well, that's two weekends shoved into one blog! Too much! Next entry will be a photo entry, long overdue, but I am getting to it! 

Saying Goodbye to the Former Me

Before I left for Thailand, I think every one of my friends and family told me, "Thailand will change your life. You'll be so different when you return." I knew that spending 5 months abroad would definitely change me, but I never anticipated that it would take effect so quickly.

Friday, I left for Kanchanaburi and Erawan Waterfalls. I was so excited for the trip because a few of my classmates had already been and from hearing their stories and seeing their pictures, it seemed like an amazing little trip. I woke up early to meet with other students to catch the bus. Traveling into Kanchanaburi was such a change. I left the dirty, over-polluted city behind me and began to see mountains,  plants, and water that wasn't quite as brown as the rivers in Bangkok. Once we arrived, we decided to catch a train and ride some elephants. We rode on the Death Railway, which was a really interesting journey. The Death Railway gets its name from the thousands of prisoners that died during the construction of the railroads during World War II. The views from the train were amazing. I couldn't believe the incredible beauty that was flashing before my eyes. The train took about 2 hours, but it was a really neat experience. Once we arrived at the end of the line, we stopped for lunch and bargained a taxi to the elephant camp and then home! Once we arrived at the elephant camp, we were ready for our elephant trek. It cost 250 baht (a little over 4 dollars) to ride on the back of an elephant on a seat or 500 baht to ride on its neck. I was so ready to ride on the neck, but the guide said that you would go into the water and the elephant would flip you off its body so everything would get wet, seeing as I had my camera, money, and other things in my bag that couldn't get wet, I settled for the dry seat ride. I wasn't disappointed. I was mystified at the absolute elegance of this giant creature. Even though I could feel its massive shoulder muscles working beneath my feet, I felt like I was floating above the ground. I thought that we would go on a little path around the farm, something easy, nothing major. Wrong. After getting on the elephant, we head straight down a path, almost a complete drop-off into the water. I have no idea how an elephant can do such a thing. I mean this path was at least a 70 degree angle drop. I would have busted my ass if I tried to trudge down it. But, slowly, we went down the path into the water. The elephant seemed so happy to get into the water. One of the elephants had a little baby, 2 years old according to the guides, and he was adorable. The minute he slipped into the water, he was just like a human child. Splashing the older elephants, swimming in circles around his mother, and blowing water out of his trunk, I don't think he could have had a better time. We went around for about 30 minutes and it was so awesome. Being 5'3 it isn't often that I have to duck for tree branches. The elephants were just so peaceful. When we first arrived, I was a little apprehensive about seeing the elephants with chains around their necks. But, as I came closer to them, they had rubber tubes around the chains, so they wouldn't rub their skin. After taking the ride, I think that they are cared for pretty well. They were going down to the water to play pretty often, and we stopped so they could grab food several times. At the end of the ride you could feed them bananas, which they loved! I stopped to pet one, and it was so incredibly beautiful. I spoke with the woman who was selling bananas and she told me that he was 20 years old and was a "good boy." He was adorable! He flipped up his trunk and blew air at my face and the woman told me that he liked me. I have seen elephants before at the zoo and once at a circus, but this was so different. There was nothing besides a flimsy little wooden fence between us, and he was just enjoying the bananas I was feeding him. Such an awesome experience! There were also two monkeys at the camp. The monkeys I did feel bad for, they were chained to some bamboo structure with about 2 feet of room to roam. They were frantically running back and forth, and even though monkeys are crazy and riddled with disease I hate that they're chained and forced to be a spectacle. I tried to give it affection from afar by throwing food to it.

I rode a motorcycle. Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you, I Jessica Kesner, rode a motorcycle. For those of you who know me well, I am afraid, actually, more like terrified of them. But, when you have a brutal headache and the only thing standing between you and your bed is a ride on the back of a death-trap, I learned that you're not so picky about how you get there. Trust me, I tried like hell to get a taxi, but out of the 2 we saw, they weren't willing to take us to our guest house. It was insane. (sorry mom) I didn't have a helmet on, the guy obviously wasn't really concerned, and I felt like every moment was impending death. Well, it probably wasn't that dramatic, but let's just put it this way, I won't be getting on another anytime soon. I just feel like Thailand continuously challenges me in every way possible. I am learning that everything I said I wouldn't ever do, I will probably do it in Thailand. Crazy.

Saturday, it was time for Erawan Falls. Erawan Falls is a national park in Kanchanaburi that holds 7 steps of gorgeous waterfalls. The water was crystal clear and an insane turquoise color. It was also freezing, but in an excellent, refreshing way. It was such a wonderful change to being hot and sweaty. The trails were really beautiful, but it was incredibly difficult to trek the trails, because most of the steps were longer than my stride (damn my genetics for making me short, thanks Dad) but it was a great day. I saw a huge spider. I was so freaked out. It was about the size of my palm, and being afraid of spiders, that is not cool. It was jet black with a yellow underbelly. Ew. As we all stood around and took pictures, the woman who was cleaning the trail behind us was laughing hysterically and kept saying "bite, bite" That was my cue to get out of there. Swimming was definitely the highlight of the trip. The water was awesome. And there were some of the fish that I got a fish pedicure with, except some of these were a foot long, some even longer I'm sure! I wasn't as happy to let them eat my dead skin, it felt like you were being shocked, as if you touched a door handle too quickly. Once was enough for that, too creepy. There were places you could step into the rocks and let the water cascade before you, and that was really neat. I did, however, hurt my ankle on the last swimming trip. I jumped from a rock into the water, but didn't quite jump out as far as I thought, and hit a rock. But, as began to complain about hurting my ankle, I had to think about the fact that, yeah my ankle was hurt, but it was hurt at a waterfall in Thailand. I'd say it's worth it. And besides, after 2 days of icing it and taking it easy, it feels almost back to normal, and should be completely better within a few days or so.

Today, I went to Siam Cineplex to watch a movie. I decided on Underworld 4. It was in 4D, so I thought that would be really interesting. Being a fan of the Underworld series, I should have known better. What was I thinking? Although it was an amazing movie and a really cool experience, my chair wasn't still the entire movie. Every fight scene (which was basically the entire film) my chair was moving at impossible angles and flipped to the side and then back to the other. It was a little exhausting. There were also these little mallet things that would jab into the back and sides of your chair when someone was stabbed or punched, so I felt like I was literally being attacked. It didn't hurt, but it definitely kept you alert and into the movie. Also, there were these water sprayers that would squirt you when there was any blood that flew up on the screen, which was kind of gross. It was as if you had the blood on your face. It happened at least 10 times in the movie. I had to wipe off my glasses several times. For 10 dollars, I thought it was a pretty cool thing to do. I mean at home, a 3D movie is more than that. I think it's 11 dollars to see a movie in 3D at Marquee and this was one of the nicest theaters I've ever been in. Not something I'd do often, but it was definitely worth the money.

At the beginning of every movie in Thailand, there is a clip that you stand to attention and watch. This clip is to pay respect to the King. Every patron stands for the short collage of photos and a song plays in the background. I thought this was so cool. You can see the level of respect just oozing out of the photos of the people of Thailand. They love their king and it definitely shows. I love seeing the pride that Thai people have, it is so inspiring.

It's time to get my things put away from the weekend and prepare for another week of classes. It's hard to believe that in 4 days, I will have been here for exactly a month. That's insane! Time truly flies here, and I cannot believe that I've already done so much! Next weekend, I plan to visit Monkey City and the sunflower fields!

Living for the weekends

Well, it has been a while since I've really had the time to sit down and write out my thoughts! It's been a pretty busy (but fun!) week.

Wednesday, I had film class and as everyone started to leave around me, a few polite Thai students filled me in on the fact that our class was switching rooms for a bigger screen to watch the movie (oops, didn't get that memo) and I made some really nice, new friends. A student commented on the book under my arm (my new Stephen King book) and asked me if I liked the author. Surprised he recognized Mr. King, I asked if he'd ever read any of his books. He said his mom was a huge fan and that they'd been to the US several times. He was totally shocked when I told him I'd never been to Disney Land and made me promise to go once I'd returned to the states. (who wants to go?) I still can't get over how nice people are here, and even if it's a small connection, something like Stephen King or Disney, everyone is just so willing to talk to you and make conversation. I feel like it's more effortless here, what might be considered awkward small-talk at home is so incredibly normal here. In class, we watched Rashomon, a Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa and it was excellent. I had seen one Kurosawa film before, but I would venture to say that this one was even better. It was basically a film about one story, told through the eyes of 4 different people. It was an incredible film and I would recommend you see it if you haven't already.

Thursday was a little boring. I don't think I did anything besides endure an incredibly long day of class. I did learn that vegetables in Thailand have Cyanide in them. (WHAAAT?) But with a nonchalant grin, my Thai Cuisine instructor said it was fine to have in moderation. I am still confused by that statement, as vegetables are basically in every Thai dish. I guess Mai pen rai? It doesn't really seem to bother anyone else, so it must be okay.

Friday was an awesome day! I couldn't really coordinate with other people to do anything major, so I just decided to spend the day on my own! I was looking up things to do, and I stumbled upon the snake farm. I've seen it before on websites about Thailand, so I just decided that it was time to check it out! With some help from my friendly Thai neighbors, I got on the 79 bus to Siam Square and headed for the hospital. The Snake Farm is connected to the hospital because it is run by the Thai Red Cross Society. The Thai Red Cross uses the snakes to extract their venom to create anti-venoms for treatment of patients that come in with snake bites. After arriving at Siam square, I knew I was close. Being awful with directions, it took me some time to orient myself. I knew I was close by the map, but then again, the map doesn't really have a scale, so I didn't know how close I was. With a few hits and misses in the directions department, I finally made it! I was ready to see some snakes! I arrived at about 1030, I had read online that they had daily snake handling shows, so I looked at the schedule and it didn't start until 230, so I had plenty of time to look around. Outside they had large cement tanks that you could look down in as well as little cages on blocks (similar to a rabbit hutch) that held the non-poisonous snakes. Most of them were sleeping, curled up into pots and rocks that were provided for them in their tiny homes, so it wasn't really all that interesting. However, I did see the elephant trunk snake eat a live fish, which was pretty gross/awesome. Inside, there was a full, two story museum. On the first floor, there were tons of poisonous snakes. They were safely displayed behind glass because many of them could spit venom and blind their observers. I loved looking at all of the snakes, but it also made me a little more aware of the fact that, yet again, I forget that I am in Thailand. There are 60 species of poisonous snakes in Thailand and 200 that are nonpoisonous. Great. I think the scariest snake however, was one of the smallest. It was this little green snake that looked just like a leaf. It wasn't highly poisonous, but it did carry enough venom to make your arm or leg swell twice its size if bitten. I just get a little freaked out thinking that something so small, something so elusive, could be lurking in the trees every time I stop to admire the plants. The second floor was more of a look at the history behind snakes and their role in society throughout time as well as information on their anatomy. I was baffled by a lot of the information that I read, because I had never really learned much about snakes. The exhibits were really awesome. They had some that showed the organs of snakes and their bone structure. Snakes have really strange hearts, which I found really cool. Before I knew it, it was already 2! So I quickly went down to the arena and snagged a front row seat for the snake show! Awesome! The snake show was insane! None of the snakes were defanged or devenomized, and I won't lie I felt that the brave snake handler before me wasn't enough of a barrier to save me from a snake bite. First, they brought out a King Cobra, one of the most aggressive species in Thailand. And it wasn't really happy to be there, that's for sure. Even though it was a little crazy and unstable, it was graceful and really (as weird as it is to say about a snake), beautiful. The sand colored snake mirrored the movements of the snake handler with a dancer's poise. It was really cool to see the connection between the snake and the handler. It was almost as if they were old friends in conversation, unaware that they were being watched. They showed 5 or 6 snakes, and they were all really different and interesting in their own way. One was a huge black and yellow banded snake and if bitten, the victim could have immediate and permanent paralysis. When the guide of the show said that, my heart felt like it just exploded. The man holding the snake wasn't phased a bit. It was as if he was holding a puppy instead of a creature capable of ending life as he knew it in a matter of seconds. Crazy! The finale was a burmese python. It was a massive snake and if you wanted to, you could hold the snake and get your picture taken with it over your shoulders. Of course I did. I didn't expect it to be as heavy as it was, but it was really strange to have something so massive around you. They were so nonchalant about it too, just plopped it down over my neck like I was trying on a scarf from a department store. The snake farm is definitely one of the best things I've seen in Thailand so far.

After I finished up with the snake park, a girl that I met at the snake show and I set off to find the mall and grab some lunch. After some walking and getting lost, we found the mall, and it was overwhelming. I have never seen so many stores in my life. Sensory overload. The entire ground level is nothing but food places. Perfect. We settled on a Mexican restaurant called Sunrise Tacos. We both were getting a little tired of the constant Thai cuisine, so we gladly accepted the huge change in taste. Earlier in the week, I scoured Tesco (the grocery store here) for salsa, and left empty-handed and extremely disappointed, so I was so excited to have chips and salsa. I got the "hot" kind, because I assumed that it wouldn't really be hot because it wasn't really indigenous to Thailand. I HAVE TO STOP DOING THAT. You'd think that after continuously ordering hot food, to find out that, yes, it really is hot, that I would learn my lesson. The salsa burned my entire mouth to eat, but seeing as it's Thailand and I won't see it often, I just sucked it up and ate the insanely hot, but delicious salsa. The food was a little expensive for what I'm used to here (about 200 baht for dinner instead of 50) but really, it was only 6 dollars vs 1. And considering you can't even get fast food for 6 dollars at home, I was willing to let it go. The quesadilla I got was really good and it had cheese in it! And sour cream! Maybe that's so trivial to you, but here, those ingredients are hard to come by. There isn't cheese in anything, and sour cream? Forget it! Overall, I was glad I chose to do something a little different, it was well worth the efforts of making it through the crowded mall to get there.

Friday night, we decided to venture out and get... wait for it... FISH PEDICURES! No, you read that correctly, I stuck my feet into a large aquarium and had hundreds of little fish literally eat the dead skin off my feet! It was so interesting! When I first stuck them into the water, it was really creepy! I didn't know if I could keep them in for the full 30 minutes, but after the initial shock of seeing the little fish nibble at your feet, it was really relaxing. It kind of felt like your feet were asleep, but it was a different sensation than the normal, painful throbbing that my poor feet have grown accustomed to. After the pedicure was over my feet felt really smooth. It was a really nice experience and I'd say I wouldn't mind to do it again before leaving Bangkok!

Saturday, Cody and I decided to go to the weekend market. We took the 509 bus to the end of the line and walked into this giant, beautiful park. We weren't quite sure where we were, but we knew it was close. (or rather he did, as I can't seem to ever figure out where I am) As the gorgeous park was just luring us in, we caved and walked through in hopes of spotting the butterfly gardens. I was in a state of shock at first. I hadn't seen this much green since I left West Virginia. I was sure that I was dreaming. Could there be such a place amidst the dirty, polluted city that is now my new home? I really enjoyed walking around taking pictures of all the plant life that the city had to offer. I didn't know how it was possible to walk from one extreme to the next in the matter of feet, but I certainly wasn't complaining. We finally rounded the corner of a really neat swampy picnic area and found the butterfly garden! I was really excited to see it and even better--- it was free! The garden was really pretty, but I was a little disappointed at how many butterflies there were. When I went to one in DC, they were everywhere, they would even land on your shoulder, but I only saw about 10 in this garden. Perhaps we were there at a bad time, or maybe they moved some of them, but it was still really beautiful nonetheless. I was really happy to see some more plant life and flowers! I just get so excited when I see something that isn't covered in the grime from the city! After we escaped the park (if it weren't hotter than the depths of hell outside I could have probably stayed all day!) we headed to the market. Wow. There was just so much! Street stalls everywhere! Art, pottery, dishes, clothing, sunglasses, shoes, anything you would ever want to buy, you could buy at JJ Market. We got lunch inside, and I was less than impressed. I got a fruit salad, and after being in the extreme heat, I was so excited to have a light, refreshing lunch. I was starving! When I got it, however, it was a tiny little bowl with chopped fruit with a white sauce over the top. I naively assumed (never assume in Bangkok) that it was like a fruit dip, some kind of cream cheese dressing. But, alas, fool me again, it was mayonnaise. How disgusting! For one, if you know anything about me, you'll know that I utterly LOATHE mayonnaise. But, to be fair, even if I liked mayonnaise, I don't think I would ever want to dip my fruit in it. What a let down. The indoor part was kind of the same thing I'm used to seeing around Bangkok. Some places were overpriced, and others were reasonable, but you could still bargain and get a better price. But outside, outside was where the insanity started. There was an entire area designated to pets! And pets was an understatement for sure. Squirrels, toucans, macaws, owls, geese, kittens, puppies, turtles, snakes, scorpions, rabbits, and basically a ton of other random animals were crammed down the streets of the markets. PETA would have a field day with this place. I couldn't stay long, because it really is a sad environment. The puppies look exhausted from being in the sun all day. Owls were crammed into tiny cages that were far too small for their bodies to stand upright, and animals were forced to be in cages with so many inside that they had to climb on top of each other to move around. It made me kind of sick to wonder how long they'd have to live like that until they were lucky enough to be rescued and given a home. I had to fight the extreme urge to run wild down the isles, opening all the cages, and setting all the animals free. Pretty sure there is either a law against that, or I would make some definite enemies. Maybe before I leave? ha.

Sunday, we went to Chinatown with some other Thammasat Students that live in our apartment building. I didn't know what to expect, but I definitely didn't expect what we experienced. The streets were covered in decorations and thousands of people lined the busy roads with flags and paper dragons, waiting for what we thought was going to be a huge parade. It wasn't exactly a parade, but they were waiting to see the queen of Thailand. We stood on the busy street as she passed by with an ear to ear grin and waved to the people. She was a very beautiful, humble, sincere looking person, and it was a really cool experience to see everyones reaction to seeing the queen of their country. As we walked in search of food after seeing the queen pass, we ran into this massive crowd of people. It was hard to even breathe let alone walk as hundreds of people were shoving against you and pushing their way through the herd of gatherers. I was so over Chinatown by that time, so we all decided maybe it was best to come back when it wasn't such a circus.

Today was a pretty relaxing day. I had class at one, and grabbed some dinner afterwards. I got Spicy Chicken Cashew Stir-fry again, and it's probably one of my favorites here. After everyone settled in from dinner, we joined some of our classmates on the roof for a drink and played some cards.

This weekend, I plan to visit some waterfalls and hold some tigers in Kanchanaburi. I can't wait to explore more of Thailand, and as the weeks go by, I still can't believe all I've seen and done! I feel incredibly blessed to be on this journey and can't wait for what is to come!

Postcard Perfection

For my first travel outside of Bangkok, Koh Samet (or Samed as it is frequently written both ways) was literally the perfect place to go. As much of the international students were already there, a large group of us went late, because we either went on the Grand Palace tour, or had class. So, to arrive by Saturday morning, I woke up at 3:45, met a group of fellow students downstairs, took a 45 minute taxi followed by a 3 hour bus ride and a 20 minute speedboat ride to the tiny, secluded island. It was well worth all the exchanges in transportation. The island was beautiful. The water was crystal clear, a pleasant change from the dingy brown waters of Bangkok, the sand was an incredible white, and the weather was surprisingly nice. It was a perfect day. I was a little nervous, because reading weather reports, there were chances of thunderstorms, but luckily, we didn't see a drop of rain all weekend. With no previous reservation, the control freak in me was going insane at the thought of not having a place to stay. Again, mai pen rai, don't worry about it. I don't know what it is about Thailand, but somehow everything seems to go wrong, just so it can be incredibly right two seconds later. I have already started to mellow out, and I cannot wait to see what I will be like in five months! We found accommodation with no problem. I shared a room with two other girls from school, and for 700 baht a night (20 dollars us) split 3 ways, I had to remind myself 'you're in Thailand!' As soon as we threw our stuff in the room, I was ready to hit the beach. The water was just taunting to look at, and after the two weeks I've spent sweating in the sweltering heat, I was so ready to swim and cool off! Well, here's the second snag of the trip. I forgot my swimsuit. Now, as a rule of thumb, your bathing suit is normally the first thing you'd back for a weekend at the beach. I don't know if it was the nerves of leaving my new comfort zone to travel to a weekend of unknown, or the fact that I had to pack at 1 am, but I left it at home on my bed in Bangkok. I was so mad at myself. So, as everyone else suited up and headed for the beach, I began to walk down the beach in search of a bathing suit. The first three shops were no luck. There were a nice collection of european thong bathing suits and barely there speedos and string bikinis, but being a little more modest, I was extremely nervous about finding something I could actually be seen in public in and feared for having to wear shorts and a shirt into the water. But luckily, with my new optimistic attitude I continued on to find a little store that had tons of bathing suits, and finally! I found one that was decent enough, and although It was a little old-ladyish and I would never have bought it in the states, I had to have it! After I had a bathing suit I couldn't get back to my room fast enough! I was so incredibly happy to finally be on the beach and I hit the water! It was so refreshing and judging by the temperature of the air, I couldn't believe the water was as refreshing as it was. I venture that it will probably be hotter as the "hot season" starts, but I was in heaven. Tired from the trip, I rented a little umbrella and a chair, and took a nap. Regrettably, I woke up to a completely red body. I apparently had been sleeping for about 5 hours and naturally, the sun shifted, as the shadow from my umbrella did. I didn't even care about being a lobster for the day, I was in a remote beach on the coast of Thailand! I was just in awe. So, I ordered a Pina Colada, and started into a new book. (Thanks to my christmas present from April Bias) I felt so relaxed sitting on the beach that I never wanted to leave! I couldn't believe how peaceful and quiet it was! After living in the booming and bustling Bangkok for the last two weeks, I can't think of the last time I heard the still of silence!

After the sun started to set, the group of international students we traveled with started to make plans for the evening! As everyone cleaned up and prepared for dinner, I was excited to experience the beach nightlife! There was so much to do! The island just came to life! First, we experienced the fire dancers. These shows were happening every couple feet and they seemed to just move down the island. One thing I really loved about the island is that the restaurants were literally right on the beach. It was so cool to be eating dinner while feeling the sand beneath your feet and watching the waves crash just feet in front of you. The fire shows were crazy, I had never seen one before, and I was so impressed by the coordination that they had! Flaming batons, fireballs on ropes, and flaming hula hoops were just part of the show. The men who put on the shows were so insanely fit that it almost hurt to look at their 8 packs. These guys must have invented the word cut. There was also little boys, probably around 7, that participated in the act. I was really impressed, I know at that age, actually I don't know what I'm talking about. I know even now I would burn my entire body if I tried to hula hoop with a flaming hoop. It was such a neat experience. They also had a flaming jump rope. They put on a little routine, then invited the crowd to jump through it. Well, I guess in theory this was an okay idea, but most of the crowd was heavily intoxicated, so it was painful to watch as some people fell on top of the rope! OUCH! The beach was just as beautiful at night. With lanterns, strands of lights, and colorful signs lighting up the entire beach, it was a completely different atmosphere. There was also a Muay Thai boxing bar, which was really cool. I only got to watch one fight between two small children, which was really weird. I don't know why, but I just felt bad for these kids, it just made me really uncomfortable to watch two little kids fight such a hardcore way. The cool thing about this bar is that if you signed up, you could fight your friend and the winner would receive a free bucket of beer! Ha! How's that for entertainment?!

The next day I wanted to spend the entire day on the beach, and that is exactly what I did. The area where we were had a cool little dock that you could swim out to and lay out, so many us just spent the day laying out and swimming. It was a great change of pace since I was going non-stop in the city. I did get a little freaked out because something large- thankfully I didn't see it, touched my leg when I was swimming. I have seen too many discovery channel shows about wild thailand to be okay with something touching me out in the ocean!

I was sad to leave the beach, but as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. I started the last morning on the beach off with watching the sunrise. Although it was a little cloudy, I still thoroughly enjoyed seeing a blend of reds and oranges across the wavy horizon of the beautiful island. I caught the noon ferry back to the city and said goodbye to the amazing weekend I just experienced.

Back in Bangkok. The feeling is bittersweet. Bangkok has come to be my home now, and I could feel myself missing it a little when I was gone. It was definitely nice to come back and shower and sleep in my own bed, but the city is so noisy and dirty, that it was so nice just to take a weekend to relax. I feel a lot better after taking a weekend off, and I would definitely like to travel back to Koh Samet before I leave!

Now it's another week in the city, and back to school. When I first arrived here, I thought that my time here would be so long, but I can tell that my time here is going to fly by, and it will be over before I know it! I am excited for the next weekend and can't wait to make more plans to travel around and experience more of Bangkok and Thailand!

Bahts, Buddhas, and Blisters

Wednesday I started my international film class. The class is taught by a man from NY and apart from myself, there was only 2 people in the class that weren't Thai. I think the class will be really interesting, and being a movie buff, I am excited to explore film from all over the world and compare them. We started with Star Wars, and although I can appreciate the beauty of a film that has made such an impact on not only the US, but the world, I really don't see the appeal. I have been fighting off watching Star Wars for so long, and now that I've seen it, I wasn't that impressed. We are scheduled to watch a Thai film next week, so it should be fun!

After my class, one of my classmates and I took the long shuttle back to Tha Prachan Campus where we live and decided to head down Kao San Road to get some food. We stopped at a busy side street and ate at a little street restaurant that he had frequented before. I got a banana smoothie that was really good. It still amazes me how much more I appreciate fruit here. The fruit here just tastes better, it is a lot more fresh. For dinner, I decided on Chicken Cashew Stir-fry. I am so glad I chose this, because it was one of the best meals I've eaten since my arrival here in Bangkok. At 70 baht, (about 2.18) I got a huge portion of chicken and mixed vegetables with browned cashews. It was the perfect blend of spicy and sweet! After picking around at the food, I was surprised, and suddenly my mouth was on FIRE. Too busy enjoying my food, I didn't even notice that carrots weren't the only orange vegetable in my dish. Unknowingly, I shoveled three chillies into my mouth! As a person that loves hot food, and can normally tolerate a kick, this is nothing like anything I've tried before. My whole mouth felt numb and my nose began running and my eyes watering!  Prik Kee Noo, or "mouse shit chillies" as they are nicknamed in Thailand, was the little surprise in my dish. Apparently, they got their name from "hiding" like a mouse does and surprising the finder. (they're also the hottest in Thailand) Well, the Thai's got it right, surprised I was! I liked the heat, but I stayed away from the orange for a while. I think one per dish would have been plenty!

Thursday, I had my final two classes. Islam in Thailand and Thai Cuisine. Islam in Thailand was a little dry, but we are taking multiple field trips, so I am excited to learn about different religions and see how they practice. I wanted to take a class in Buddhism, seeing as it is the main religion in Thailand, but it wasn't offered this semester, like basically every other class I wanted. But I think it will still be a really cool experience and learning about the 2nd largest religion of Thailand works too. The Thai Cuisine class will be one of my favorite classes, I am sure. The instructor is a chef and owner of a restaurant in Bangkok. The first part of the class, she said we would be learning about Thai food, what goes into it, the culture and history of food, and more importantly for practical reasons, what things are called! Gone are the days of staring at a script I cannot read, looking at a plate of food and wondering what the hell is in it, and pointing to things trying to order. At least I hope so! She seems like a really sweet woman, and I am excited to take the course. The second part includes a cooking tutorial where we will learn to make curry pastes, salads and soups, and other Thai dishes! My mom would be proud! I think it will be an awesome experience to not only cook things that are extremely different than food I eat at home, but just to cook with a professional Thai chef in general.

I saw fish pedicures yesterday. For those unfamiliar, fish pedicures are where you go to a little street salon and you stick your feet into a fish tank, so that hundreds of fish can literally eat the dead skin off of your feet! I know, it sounds kinda weird, but I talked to a girl who has already gotten one, and she said it was amazing and it was the softest her feet have ever been! I have a HUGE blister on my foot, so I don't want to get one just yet, but I will be doing it as soon as my foot heals! (so check back in for that blog entry!)

Today is Friday, and our school took us on a trip to the Grand Palace. And the name doesn't even do it justice! It was incredibly breathtaking. From the first steps inside the white fortress walls, everything was so amazing. Bangkok is a pretty dirty place, but this was like an Asian Pleasantville. Everything was so ornate. The temples and buildings were covered in tremendous detail. The main golden dome was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. At first glance, you are deceived to believe that the entire building is just painted gold. But as the tour guide rounded the path and we got closer up to it, it was covered, from floor to peak, with small probably 1 sq. inch glass tiles. These tiles were then covered with gold leafing. It was insane to see. I couldn't believe the amount of laborious detail that had to go into the construction of this. All of the sights within the palace had incredible detail and were tremendously inspiring. I was just in awe the entire time. I still have to pinch myself once in a while, and say, 'Am I really in Bangkok?!' We went inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and it was really cool. Outside there were flowers that you could dip into holy water and place on your head, then once inside, people crowded around a tall tower-type wall with the Emerald Buddha inside. Seeing everyone bowed in respect was just a really awesome experience.

Today was the first day I wore my uniform. Although I thought it was required when I applied here, I was informed upon my arrival that BJM or the school of journalism, and Thai studies classes (which includes all of my courses) were not required to wear them. The only times I HAD to wear my uniform was the palace tour, midterms, and finals. However, I felt really nice today when I wore it. I really did see why the program coordinator said it was optional, but would gain you more respect if you chose to wear it. The already tremendously nice people around me, seemed to look at me differently. Being a student of Thammasat University gains a tremendous amount of respect in Thailand. I had two people bow their heads to me in a wai (which is a huge sign of respect here) and two others go out of their way to tell me hello, and say Thammasat and smile a gigantic grin. It was nice to see how people respected education so much, and it made me really appreciate what I have been given and the opportunities I have been lucky enough to embark upon. Although the uniform is stuffy in this heat, and wildly uncomfortable, I may consider it wearing it a few more times than the required amount. Respect and keeping face is a huge deal in Thai culture, and I definitely saw that first hand today!

As for the weekend, it is finally time to relax! I have been stressed, running around trying to fit into this new lifestyle, at a new school, with new friends and now that I am getting more settled in, it is time for the beach! Tonight, I will be leaving for Kho Samet, an island a few hours away from Bangkok to spend the weekend on the white sandy beaches, soaking up the sun. I am incredibly excited, because I have seen pictures and heard of the beauty in the beaches of Thailand, so I cannot wait! This should be a great way to set off the semester!