Northeast Thailand Adventures!

July 25, 2012

I got to Chiang Khan early, about 11 am after an hour on a songtao. I got a tuk tuk and went to the main street where I decided to stay at Chiang Khan Riverview Guest House. What a good idea cause it was beautiful. It had been raining so I spent most my time in the shady part of the terrace writing in my journal… so awesome!

I took a bike and an umbrella and biked a few streets down to a restaurant where the owner force fed me some noodle dish which was actually pretty good. I then took a tuk tuk to Kaeng Khut Khu, a famous bend in the Mekong River. I had some iced coffee and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the mountains of Laos.

In the afternoon after reading and relaxing I went for a run along the River, it was absolutely stunning. I then walked and got some Pad Thai… Yes I am eating Thai food!!! And actually enjoying it! I guess I’m growing up.

This town has been my favorite town in Thailand by far. It is a beautiful couple streets town by the river. 

Everyone is very friendly and when it rains or it is winter if you go up to the peak it’s like sitting on the clouds. I loved the little shops, the friendly locals, and the very homey feel of it… Like a little boardwalk town back in California but with more Thai culture.

July 26, 2012

A TRAVELING NIGHTMARE

I didn’t sleep very well last night; my cough was still bothering me.

I woke up got ready and was downstairs by 6:45. I took some pictures with the owners of the guesthouse and as per their recommendation took the long route to Nong Khai. First I got a bus to a place 20 km away where I waited an hour and a half for a songtao. The songtao was a 60 km ride to Pak Chom where I would get my next bus.

On this particular songtao there was a lady with huge baskets full of fish, frogs, chicken, veggies, and everything else under the sun! I guess she was the source of food for her whole town or something like that. 

The drive was beautiful but the driver took an unannounced turn into a 20 minute detour to take this lady to her house. This would have not bother me in many other situations, not only was the scenery beautiful but this country has taught me a lot of patience… but the bus that I was supposed to catch at the next stop left at 10 am so I missed by 10 minutes and the next bus didn’t to leave until 3 pm! So I was stuck in a tiny village with nothing to do for 5 hours.

I lay on a bench and decided to relax and read but some of the village men decided to try to talk to me. They couldn’t speak English so I figured they would leave me alone but nooooo they went and got an 80 year old man (the only English speaker in town) who decided he would practice his English with me for the next 5 hours. He talked about everything even God, Joseph Smith, everything.

Slightly annoyed, I was extremely happy when 3pm came around and I was finally on my way. The bus ride was beautiful, it was 3 hours by the Mekong through mountains, rice fields, banana plantations and more. So green, so lush, so rich, so beautiful. The bus was a really old rickety bus but it was fine. It was pouring rain and there was a drip on my seat but I got over it.

I got to Nong Khai around 6pm. I got a room at Mut Mee Garden House which was beautiful.

I got myself together and went to eat Indian food. On my way while asking for directions I met an American psychiatrist who is taking a year off to teach here as well.  He joined me for dinner where we talked about the challenges of living in this country. I ended the day early by enjoying a good book.

Friday I woke up early and went for run, again along the river, beautiful views and perfect weather. It was a great I did laps along the river and back through the day market. The looks I get from Thai people when I run are hilarious. Most Thai people don’t exercise, especially Thai women.

After running I went to this amazing park full of enormous structures of Hindu and Buddha symbols and all kinds of other things. It was really cool. My favorite part was the circle of the cycle of life. You walk in and it shows you all different stages of life, from birth to falling in love, to dying, and it shows you that the only way to not get stuck in the cycle of suffering is to follow Buddha principles.

I went back to the guest house and relaxed and met some cool people. I made a friend from Australia named Andre and him and I went out and explored on his street bike.

We played monopoly, went and played pool and had a good time.

Saturday I headed back home on the train. It was a good day relaxing with my Italian friends Barbara and Christina. We took a meditating end to a course which I completely failed at (opened my eyes in the middle, was going kind of crazy), but it was a great ending to a wonderful vacation. 

Olive Juice and Puja

July 21, 2012

Udon Thani, Tah Khantho, and Loei

Olive and her roommate Puja met me at Central Plaza (the big mall) in Udon Thani. We walked to an Irish Pub and had breakfast. This was the first place I have been to in Thailand with actual booths pretty amazing. So nice to be in a different place with good friends.

Isan is not Thailand as I know it. It is clean, not busy, and smells good. It is the country and I guess even in Thailand I am a still a country girl at heart.

We went spent the day at the mall and had lunch by a beautiful lake.

We then took a tuk tuk to Big C, the big grocery store in Thailand and bought some ingredients to make burritos. We attempted to head home but unfortunately were led to the wrong bus… After some scrambling we got off and got picked up by their coordinator who took us to their place. We went to the night market and just hung out in their nice place, ate good dinner, watched good movies, and even got to take a nice hot shower.

Sunday we woke up and had breakfast. Olive Juice made me French toast with Canadian maple syrup that she brought from home! What a treat! We lounged around watched movies and then to the bikes to a restaurant. Their town is beautiful. There are rice fields everywhere and the air smells sweet from all the sugarcane.

We ended up at a restaurant by the river, where we sat in a little thai bungalow to eat on the floor.  What an amazing experience.

In the evening we went out for a jog. My ankle still hurt from the last time I fell but all I could think about was how amazingly beautiful this run was. My music was blaring, my feet were moving, the view was breath taking, and the smell of sugarcane was so sweet. I felt so free. It is amazing how far I am wouldn’t change for the world.

Monday

Monday I woke up sick with a cough and a fever. I wanted to make the best out of the situation so I got ready to continue my trip.

True to Thai culture a ride that was supposed to happen at 9 am didn’t happen until noon. I waited patiently but had to change my plans because by the time I got my ride there were no more songtaos to where I wanted to go. I had to flag down a bus to Udon Thani, got there 3 hours later and then took a bus to Loei.

I arrived at Loei at about 7 pm I sitill didn’t feel very well so I decided to stay the night.

Wednesday

Wednesday I woke up feeling a lot better. I spent Tuesday all day sleeping and watching tv so that I could feel better and could head out on my adventure. Next stop Chiang Khan. 

Train Rides and Keeping Up With the Irish...

Friday July 20, 2012

Friday after school I got all my things together and got ready to venture off for the whole week. My students have midterms so I dont have to teach or be there which is really nice. I was thinking about heading all the way North but opted to go to the Northeast instead. Most people dont explore this are of Thailand but my really good friend Olivia "Olive Juice" lives there and I wanted to visit her. Not only that but this area is completely different, they speak Isan, eat different, act different, and even the music is different.

I took the bus from Rayong to Bangkok and sat by a Thai boy who was studying to be a doctor. He was thrilled to practice his English with me.

When we got to BKK it was about 4 pm, my train didint leave until 8 so I had some time to kill. My new friend invited me to go to the market with him which I did. It was fun but also a little awkward so after about an hour I headed to the train station.

At the train station I figured out the procedure for everything and then headed to 7-11 to stock up on snacks. I still had a few hours so I headed to a small restaurant where there were many backpackers eating. It was manned by thow lady boys or "katois". I was talking to one of them when a girl overheard me. She asked where I was from, she was from California too! I sat wiht her and we wasted time until I had to get on my train to Udon Thani.

I got on the train at about 7:30, sat on my seat and started talking to the guys besides me. They were super fun Irish boys who were headed to Cambodia. At about 8 pm they set up our beds and we left. I had the upper bunk. The lower bunk is two seats facing each other until they turn everything into beds. It is pretty cool, you have your own little nest with AC and a clean blanket a cushion new sheets and a pillow all in your own privacy because of a curtain.

I put my stuff away in my bunk and headed to the restaurant with my new friends. We got some beers and started drinking and Oh man everything they say about the Irish is true! Those boys could drink!!

They  were loud, obnoxious, and hilarious. We went from beer to whisky and oh man were we drunk!

It was such a great time, they were dong push ups in the middle of the train getting yelled at by the cops as I tried to mitigate the situation with the little Thai I know and hand signals...

I went to bed and woke up in the morning to beautiful countryside views of rice plantations and sugarcane when the train stopped in Udon Thani. Today would certainly be a lot more tame and serene... I thought to myself but was brought back to reality when I twisted my ankle and fell on my face getting off the train... Oh Thailand!

Red. Light. District. (Pattaya)

Thursday July 12, 2012

On Thursday we had regular classes like we usually do, but during one of my breaks we had to go to the local hospital to get checked for syphilis. For some reason, to be able to get a work permit in this country you need a medical exam and a syphilis test. I hate doctors and I hate hospitals, and being in a hospital in Thailand was kind of terrifying but I survived and I am healthy and syphilis free… Now I only have to wait for the very long paperwork process so that I can go on to the next step of my work permit.

When we got back there was a guy here that used to teach 3 years ago. His name is Glyn and he is from Virginia. Danielle my roommate talked to him for a while and he invited us to have dinner at a local restaurant. Danielle had a friend over from Canada that she met at a different province so he came with us. 

We went to this really nice little restaurant by the school. The owner is named “Big Ass” and he took care of us all night. (I don’t know if I already mentioned this but parents give their children American nicknames when they are young, so I have many porns, banks, a muffin, a morphine, and I believe a Garfield…) We sat with all of them and tried to communicate regardless of the language barriers. They kept bringing us drinks and food, and it was a great time. Any time we get to interact with the locals it is a great time. If we can sort of communicate and there is food and drink involved it is entertaining and enlightening… what I came here for. Oh I forgot to mention, I saw a guy eat it on his motorbike. He slipped on the wet ground and ate shit. He was so drunk he did not realize it and it took him a few minutes to react towards us trying to speak to him and make sure he was ok.

Friday I got done teaching early like I always do. I sat around and relaxed until the market was open. We all decided to go to the market together. When we got there I decided that for the first time, I was going to venture the market on my own, at my own pace, looking at everything by myself and attempting to communicate on my own. It was wonderful.

After the market we made some drinks and hung out at the house. My friend Jessica was coming from Bangkok so I waited for her. At about 10 pm my roommate Jessica and I walked to the main street to meet Jessica. When we were walking there we got offered a ride on a random persons motorbike. We took it and waited for Jess. She got here and we headed to big asses again. We drank and ate and had some cake that was for his mothers birthday. It was another great night. I have actually been trying different foods and got to eat fried flowers that night. Like I mentioned everyone has nicknames here, besides Mimi, my other nickname is Anchan, which is purple or violet flower. A beautiful flower… how flattering… except for the fact that we ate deep fried me for me dinner…

Saturday

Jess and I stayed at my place. We woke up early and headed bus was an hour long. I remembered that we had met two Turkish guys in Koh Samed that lived and worked in Pattaya. I called them and they said told me they would pick us up and we could crash at their condo.  We headed there and hung out at the pool while they worked.

Being in a pool was so nice. The weather was amazing and it was very relaxing.

We went to eat some Thai food and headed to the beach. While at the beach we were having a beer and relaxing when this guy from Iran got sand in my beer. I got a little upset so he bought as a round and took me out on a jet sky. Not a bad bargain at all.

When our friends got off work we got ready and headed out to a night out in town. I don’t know if you have ever heard of Pattaya but it is Thailands main red light district. There are hookers everywhere and it is pretty scummy. A lot of men from abroad come here to take advantage of the women who will do anything for about 100 dollars.

We headed back to the main party street and ate some kebabs. I am proud to say I ate lamb for my first time and I actually really enjoyed it. The streets were crazy… Full of bars, karaokes, strip joints, tourists, lady boys, etc. The music was blaring from every corner and there was intense energy everywhere. We got approached by multiple men offering us menus for ping pong shows which range from anything like watching live sex, women shoot ping pongs out of their vaginas, or ever rats… yes rats… coming out of females….

The menus and energy  surrounding all of it was disturbing.

We kept walking and went to the end of the street to the big clubs. Our friends work in the tourism industry so we went in to the VIP area and got a couple bottles of Jack Daniels while we danced to some of the best DJs spin some amazing music… and we danced the night away…

Sunday

Sunday morning Jess and I woke up and made breakfast before heading home. Jess took a bus but I had to flag a bus down myself.

This was horrible! I stood in the sun for about anhour trying to figure out which bus I was supposed to flag down. Eventually I got a mini bus and made it back. I ended my weekend by making homemade salsa which unfortunately I had to eat with potato chips…