Khao Yai: A World Heritage Site

This weekend was a lot of fun. I cant believe I only have a few weeks left of teaching. 3 to be exact. Ive been planning my end trip with Matt and couldn’t be more excited! It is going to be the experience of a lifetime! Im excited to see how it plays out.

I have to say I am getting very anxious about going back home. I don’t know what my place there is anymore, I don’t know if it will feel like home anymore. I have learned, evolved, and grown so much while here that I don’t know if I am looking forward to being back in California or not. Needless to say I go back and forth on this constantly.

I also find myself in a heightened state of wonderlust. I cant wait for my next adventure and keep seeking job opportunities in other countries. Of course I will finish law school, but I want to see the world, and I don’t want to be stuck. I don’t want golden handcuffs… yet at the same time I see all my friends getting married, getting engaged, having kids, and I get scared! Am I just stalling and postponing growing up and being what society expects me to be as an adult? By doing this am I giving up the possible opportunity of ever being a functioning adult? Oh crazy little mind, you are driving me nuts!

My room has been growing mold all over. There is mold in my shoes, in my clothes, everywhere! It cant be good… I spend 20 hours a day in this room… Not a good thing. These are the small things that make me want to go back home… No job, nothing to do, no school, and the old dysfunctional routine make me want to stay.

Ok back to the weekend… Friday I left school at about noon. I took a van to Bangkok and then went to the Vietnam Embassy to get my Visa for next month. I finished running errands at about 4 and had to wait for Jessica to get out of work and meet me at the BTS. Well like everything in Thailand it took way longer than expected and I waited for a good 3 hours until Jessica finally met me.

We then headed to the minibus station where we met Robbin and got a minibus to Pakchong. We arrived at Pakchong 3 hours later and got picked up by the guest house where we were staying.

We stayed at Greenleaf, which was awesome. It wasn’t very fancy or anything like that but the people who own it and run are awesome. Exhausted we headed to our room and went to sleep relatively early.

On Saturday we woke up very early and had to meet our group at 8 am. We had breakfast and headed out on our tour of Kao Yai (a world heritage site). The whole trip we were riding in the back of a songtao. It was pretty awesome. We drove for about 40 minutes into the park. The park is massive! And it is gorgeous. It is incredibly green and beautiful. Within minutes of having entered the park we saw monkeys, which for some reason like to hang out by the road. It seemed as if they were as curious about us as we were about them.

A few minutes later the tour guide stopped abruptly as he spotted a hornbill. For those of you who don’t know a hornbill looks just like a tucan with an extra beak on top of its beak. It was pretty awesome. We took pictures and kept going.

Our next stop was to look at gibbons. At this point our tour guide was incredibly excited. Gibbons are supposed to be very elusive, very hard to find, and people go on expensive long tours looking for them, lucky for us we were able to spot them about 3 times during our day hike. We took pictures and watched them hike from tree to tree. We then kept driving and finally went on a 3 hour hike. We looked at insects and learned about different plants and ended up at a view point where we had lunch. It was very beautiful, exhausting but beautiful.

After hiking we went to see a waterfall, we hiked around a little bit more, took some pictures, and headed on the last part of our tour: searching for wild elephants. This was the worst part of the tour. We were all cold and exhausted and tired of driving up and down the road, but our tour guide did not want to give up. 

Eventually he did and we headed back to the guesthouse, where we had dinner, relaxed and went to bed.

Another great fun filled weekend in Thailand. 

Cooking... Like a BO$$

 This weekend Olivia decided she would come to Bangkok to see all of us. Since she is so far away we were all happy to stay in Bangkok and spend time with her. We booked one room in a hotel for the four of us and figured we would all just cram in. The hotel looked really nice online, a little perfect boutique hotel where us girls could just relax and have fun.

I left early after school to go catch the bus… but this is Thailand and nothing ever goes as planned so the bus that was supposed to be there at 1:15 did not get there until 3 pm. Oh yes this country has definitely taught me to be patient. How amazing it is to wait 2 and a half hours and not feel like I am going crazy. I really cannot emphasize how my temper, anxiety, and impatience have just come to a minimum if they are even there anymore.

I got to Bangkok at about 5 pm. I arrived at Victory Monument and magically was able to make it to the hotel with a horrible map and my little sense of direction. For those of you who know me well know that I am the most geographically challenged individual in the planet. I can get lost from the kitchen to my bedroom so the fact that I made it to the hotel that was in an alley a mile away by myself is pretty amazing.

The hotel was exactly like the pictures… not! It actually looked like the scene of a scary movie, where we were all going to get murdered later that night. Everything leaking, empty, weird, and just old. The girls did not arrive until way later so I just relaxed and waited.

Jessica and Annie were the first to arrive. We headed out to dinner and went to a little Indian restaurant that was near the hotel, we then went to pick up Olivia at the MRT station. On our way there I saw what has to be the weirdest thing I have seen in Thailand… there was a man face down on the sidewalk with his pants down and his finger up his butt… I couldn’t believe it! Oh Thailand you never cease to amaze me.

We picked up Olivia and headed for a night out. We walked down the street and bumped into a little Jazz bar. It was awesome! It was on a rooftop with an amazing view of the city, we were surrounded by mostly Thai people but met some foreigners who worked for United Nations.

It was a great time with the girls.

We then headed down the street and were stopped by some Thai men who were hanging out at their little restaurant. We went in and had some beer and hookah with them. At this point Olivia decided she was hungry so I decided I would go cook with the chef.

Little did I know this would ruin much Thai food for me. There were coachroaches in the kitchen and the whole thing was just kind of filthy… Umm the things we don’t appreciate but should in America, clean restaurants and high standards.

Saturday

Saturday we woke up early and got ready. We headed out and attempted to go to China town. Jess and I had already been there and had not liked it that much but for some stupid reason we thought it would be better this time. Well it wasn’t. There was nothing there and we pretty much wasted our time going to that side of town… but we did get to eat at a Chinese restaurant which was pretty cool.

We then headed to the financial district of town. We shopped and hung out until 5:30, when we headed to our Thai cooking class.

This class was amazing! We learned to make 5 dishes and learned about different Thai spices. It was very traditional thai, we all sat on the floor where we each had our own little set up and got to prepare our dishes. We then each had our own little stove, where we finished our dishes and then got to eat them on the dinner table in a very thai setting. It was awesome! I would recommend this to anyone coming to Thailand.

When we finished our cooking class we went down the street and found a cool little beer bar with a live band, we each had one drink danced, and sang along with the band. It was an amazing time. We finished our trip with a little walk through the gay area, which was full of gay men and a little round of shopping before we headed back to the hotel.

Another awesome weekend in amazing Thailand!

Bangkokkkkkkkk

August 20, 2012

This weekend was awesome… exhausting but awesome. I definitely cant party like I used to, and I don’t think I enjoy it as much either, but regardless a weekend out in the town is always fun.

Friday after school I got ready and headed into Bangkok. It is crazy that after just having lived here for a few months I feel so comfortable in this country. I don’t get harassed nearly as much as I used to when walking around in the city, and I think a big part of it is because I am a lot more comfortable and confident in my surroundings… and it shows (or maybe it doesn’t and I just ignore the harassment, who knows).

I went all the way to my friend Jessica’s place in Kasin Bundit University. When I got there we got ready and headed to meet up with Nick and Leon at their place so that we could all head out to a bar for one of their friends birthdays.

Hanging out with Tex or Nick is always fun. His friends are all very nice. They are mostly all South African. It is so nice to be around other English speakers.

We headed to Bangkok’s beer bar. It was a huge bar two stories with a main stage. It was sooo much fun, we had a huge group with two birthdays. We ordered amazing german beer (a rare luxury in Thailand) and sat around to watch the show.

The show was like something you would see in Vegas, it was lady boys and real women (I think) performing in Vegas like attire, I guess cabaret style. They did a cover of Shakira and I was sooooo excited! (I made a video to show Veronica as I think she definitely would have enjoyed it).

After the show we headed back home, the South Africans and Nick stayed out and partied some more but Jessica and I decided it was time to go home.

Sensation Saturday!!!

I had been waiting for Saturday for MONTHS! Literally! I had been talking about this since I was at home. Sensation is a huge music show that is usually in Denmark (I believe), it is known for having the best known DJs perform and for the amazing staging and theatrics.

I woke up really early (6 am early) to watch football on Saturday. I then lalad around for a few hours while waiting for Jessica so we could head into town. We head out to the weekend market in Bangkok. This is the biggest market in Bangkok, they sell everything from fake purses to puppies. We needed to find some things for the night so we figured we would buy them there.

The theme of Sensation is Ocean of White, everyone has to wear white or you are not allowed in. I had already bought white shorts and finding a shirt was pretty easy. Jess had to find a full outfit and that was a mission and a half.

We finally found her outfit, found a small purse for the evening and were ready to head out. We decided to go to the bus station so we could get to Impact Arena where the concert was but on our way it started pouring! We got into a tuk tuk and still got soaked… and to top it off it took us to the wrong bus station.

At the bus station we managed to get someone tell us which bus… and when we got on we got yelled at in thai by the bus driver… who then dropped us off an hour away and told us we had to get on another bus. 

We had left 3 hours early, and by this point we were late, wet, and fed up so we took a cab.

We finally made it and it was incredible! The theatrics, the sets, the djs, the music, the energy, the people, it was amazing! We danced and partied until 4 in the morning… What a night!

Sunday was hard… after partying until 4 am a 5 hour journey home was the last thing I wanted to do! But I did it… and on the way home I sat next to a cop who kept trying to talk to me… which is nice but I just wanted to sleep and relax. He wouldn’t leave me alone, on the rest stop he followed me bought me food, wouldn’t let me carry my own things, then he gave me praying beads, taught me the high numbers, and everything else under the sun.

I got home and crashed… really not ready for another week of teaching.

Full Moon Party... and When S*&$*# Happens!

August 1, 2012

Wednesday I left school early for Bangkok. The school was having some sort of festival (I swear this country has a million and one reasons to cancel school).

I got to Bangkok and I met with Mauricio and Way, we took a taxi cab (the craziest ride I have ever taken) to the bus station and headed on the night bus to Koh Pahngan, an island down south which is famous for its full moon parties.

We got to the port the next morning at about 8 am and took a two hour ferry to the island. On the way to the island we found a Thai man that was hours away from land floating on a bamboo stick. The crew rescued him, he was shaking and wouldn’t talk. I wish I could speak Thai and had been able to find out what had happened but I have no idea.

When we got on the island we rented motorcycles which was a horrible idea (later that day I got into a horrible accident, I am all banged up and 6 days later still having to go to trips to the hospital). I wont talk about it anymore because it truly was terrifying  but lets just say it changed my trip.

The island was beautiful, except for the fact that it is completely overtaken by farangs which even though I am one of them gets really old. The scenery was beautiful, with clear water and forests everywhere.

We headed to our hotel and then went to a beautiful secluded island. We met up with about 20 other English teachers and headed into town for the night. At this point I was pretty hurt so I just had dinner and went back to rest.

Friday I woke up early had breakfast and decided to lay outside instead of pouting over my accident in my room any longer. Everyone in my group went to adventure but I decided that my book and I were comfortable with the beautiful view the ocean and the sunshine.

While laying I made friends with Khris a guy from Liverpool. We went to the main beach together had some lunch and hung out a bit

.

Later that night a small group of us decided to go out for a bit. Though I was going to stay in because of my injuries I was easily convinced. I don’t regret it one bit. It was one of the best nights I have had in Thailand. 

We laughed, danced (on one foot), and even had Chong (one of the other teachers) do magic tricks to end the night. The beach was packed, and the energy was amazing. I still decided to go home early because I didn’t want to feel really bad the next day.

Even though I took it easy I still woke up really swollen and in a lot of pain. I decided to stay in with Khris and Mike. We hung out by the beach and did nothing all day. It was very relaxing. At night we went out to the full moon party. That was a crazy experience. The beach was completely packed, and there were maybe a few Thai people… so all foreigners. Everyone was wearing bright colors and covered in face paint.

We walked along the beach watched fire shows, went from stage to stage and finally got to the big bar at the end. This is a bar called Kangaroo bar, the view from it is incredible as you get to see thousands of party goers all on the beach! It was pretty incredible. The other reason this bar is very famous is because it is the bar that sells weed, and all the “special shakes”. These are mushroom shakes so you get to see a ton of people all hallucinating and walking around the beach. I sat outside for a while and marveled at the scene… 

Again stuck in a part of Thailand that did not seem like the Thailand I have come to know so well. It was a cool experience yet it made me sad to see such amazing natural beauty go to waste by young party goers who want to live with no restrictions.

It made me wonder how this all looked before. How amazing this beach with all its natural beauty was once before it was ruined by all the young westerners and the commercialization we have brought to this beautiful country.

The next day we woke up got ready and headed on our long journey back home. Still hurt it was a long journey, but I made it home safe only to find out that I had another 4 day weekend the week coming up… Do this people ever work?!?!