a long awaited post...

Sawatdee ka! Due to all of the trains, buses, and tuk-tuks we’ve had to take in the past few days, our availability to write kind of disappeared. It has been driving me crazy because I am so far behind. A normal person would probably just start from today and go from there, but a crazy person, like me, would have to go all the way back and fill in all the gaps. It takes a lot of time and effort….but I’ll do it for you guys. : - ) We have done a lot of fun things, so I can’t leave you hanging. It may not be as detailed as before, but I’ll try my best. We have constant internet access at Mirror, so hopefully I’ll be able to post nightly. Hopefully. (Except for this upcoming week, but after that it should get better).

January 12

Tuk-Tuks!

We decided to try another walking tour today but like the last, it didn’t take long until a “local” came and helped us. This time we were directed to the government gem store and the marble wat. The sites were interesting, but the more daring experience was the tuk-tuk. Never have I feared for my life so much. Not while skydiving, scuba diving, or white water rafting, but while riding in a tuk-tuk on the streets of Bangkok. Our driver was insane…we pulled out in front of trucks, motorbikes, cars, people…anything. I closed my eyes most of the time. It was similar to a roller coaster. Although scary, the tuk-tuks are a great way to experience the craziness of Bangkok..just be careful of the ones that want to take care you on a “special tour” of their cousin’s silk shop.

Moon Bar at Vertigo!

If our tuk-tuk ride wasn’t enough, James and I decided to venture downtown and visit the Moon Bar by Vertigo. The bar is located on the 59^th floor of the Banyan Tree Hotel and has the best view of the city. The bar reminded me of something I would go to in NYC, but it was still amazing. Please refer to my photos link for pictures. To get an idea of what the restaurant/bar looks like, go to the website, http://www.banyantree.com/bangkok/facilities/dining/vertigo.html. In James’s post he may tell you we were underdressed. The truth is that we were not underdressed, just our feet. If you ever go, and I encourage you to, men must wear closed toe shoes and women cannot wear flip-flops. I read about the Moon Bar in my Lonely Planet book. There wasn’t much written about it, I believe it was underrated. My only “problem” with the bar is that is was highly Westernized. While the bar was fantastic and a must-see, it is not how I want to remember Bangkok or Thailand. I want the culture experiences that cannot be found anywhere else.

Patpong Market!

After the market, James and I went to Patpong Market. Wow - was this interesting! The market was a sea of knockoff silks, watches, purses, movies, pretty much anything you can think of. I thought NYC had a lot of knockoffs, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Bangkok. The funny thing is, you can’t tell the difference between the real and fake. In addition to the knockoffs, they were selling women’s services left and right. I had been warned about such things, but didn’t think it would be to this extent. To be honest, I think I was expecting to be much crazier based off of movies filmed in Bangkok, but what I witnessed was enough. Sometimes it seemed as if they were targeting women more than men, which I find odd.  Regardless of the “red-light” section, I would suggest checking out the Patpong Market if you want to do any shopping or have a true Bangkok experience….just make sure you bargain.  

January 13

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

If you ever look at a Bangkok travel guide you are more than likely to be subjected to a photo of the famous floating markets. After seeing hundreds of photos during our research, James and I decided we must see one for ourselves. We would have liked to of gone on a full day tour to the market and the tiger temple, but we couldn’t because it was our last day in Bangkok. To compensate, we found a half day tour of the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. In addition to the market, we also stopped at a sugar cane mill, wood carving factory, and snake tourist trap. While I enjoyed the market and took a lot of great photos, this particular market seemed to be more touristy than local. As James says, the photos make the place look a lot better than it actually was. I only say it was touristy because of the paddle boat tour they took us on; the company actually took your photo and put it on a plate and the tour consisted of moving from knick-knack boat to knick-knack boat. I would have preferred more of the fruits, vegetables, and local cuisine boats. If I ever went again, I would check out the Amulet Weekend Floating Market instead.

After our two hour ride back into the city, James and I did some last minute DVD shopping and headed to the train station. The DVD quality was much better this time. On the train we watched the Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, which is still in theatres. It was a rather different movie, in a good way, just very long.

 Overnight Trains!

The overnight train experience was much better than I expected. I slept well on the train and would suggest it to anyone traveling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, or vice versa. Not only was is comfortable, but economical….much cheaper than a plane ticket. In addition, you don’t have to pay for a hotel or hostel for a night. I am going to let James explain the rest of it to you…aka..the bathrooms.

January 14

Arriving in Chiang Mai around 10am, we hopped on the 10:30 bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. These past two days were filled with lots of travel time! The bus ride took about three hours and was VERY luxurious. The bus offered better accommodations than JetStar! I personally enjoyed the entertainment.

The Mirror Foundation!

We finally arrived to the Mirror Foundation after 17 hours of travel. It was great to finally be able to settle down after lugging our backpacks around the Australia and Bangkok. I am excited to be in one place for a month. I am initially very intimated by the Mirror Foundation…it is going to be A LOT of work, but I’m looking forward to it! I really want to make a difference and I think this will be the best place to do it.

The accommodations are quite interesting here. I don’t really know what I expected, but I think it is better than I expected. I am living in bunk-style bedroom with about 12 other girls. I think the hardest thing to get used to will be the cold showers.

James is staying in a clay hut with three other guys. His showers are much different than the girls. The girls have actual showerheads where the guys have bucket showers.

The first day may have been intimating, but it will get better. This is going to be a great experience.

January 15

Today was our first full day at the Mirror Foundation. I had a mix of emotions because I did not know what to expect. We were told to be ready for breakfast at 8am. I was so cold last night, so it was hard to get out of bed. Nonetheless, it was freezing this morning too. Unfortunately I did not take a shower yesterday during the day, so I had to take one in the morning. I could not bring myself to take a full body shower, so I just washed my hair.

Breakfast was quite interesting this morning. I’m not quite used to the eating a full meal for breakfast. Thais find it completely acceptable to eat items we would eat for lunch or dinner for breakfast. James loves the concept. I’m still catching on…

After breakfast James and I were asked to go to childcare with two other volunteers. The child daycare consisted 20 children ages 3-6. We practiced the ABC’s, numbers, read books, and completed an art project. It was a fun way to spend the morning. I am not sure if I’ll want to do childcare the entire time, but I may consider it. I think I want to work with some of the older kids because they may get more out of it. The littler children are just having fun. It was a good laugh though. James was so funny/cute with the kids -  I think they enjoyed his height.

After childcare we came back for lunch and had orientation. Orientation with Thellie, our leader, was informative but long. It lasted about three hours. The three hours were essential though..there is so much for us to know.  I did a bit of Mirror Foundation research before I arrived and was amazed by the amount of things they were involved in. After our orientation I was astonished by the presence they have within the community. I am so glad I joined this group; I know my work will be helpful. I cannot wait to become more involved.

January 16

Woohoo! I am finally caught up - I am not letting myself fall this far behind again!

Today we had a free day because all of the schools were closed for a teacher’s institution day.  We had a meeting earlier in the day and afternoon, so I spent a lot of time writing this blog post. We are leaving tomorrow for Mae Chan, Thailand to do some volunteer work. It should be an interesting time since we are staying in local homes. I believe each person is teaching English one of the days and then community development during the rest of the week. I overheard we are putting a in a water pipe and building a playground.

A Night in the City

After a lot of typing and downtime, the foundation took us into town for our Friday outing. I had such a great time! We had dinner at a local restaurant, went to a superstore (basically Thai Wal-Mart), and the night bazaar. We are going to do this every Friday, it will be super fun and useful.

BC’s, the superstore, was very interesting. It was weird how it resembled Wal-Mart. The products, layout, everything was just like in the States, expect instead of English it was Thai. I needed to buy shampoo; it was interesting trying to figure out what it said. I based my decision on the bottle’s photos. Finger’s crossed! I was disappointed in BC’s because they didn’t have any warm clothing. I needed to buy some warm clothes. If it truly were a Wal-Mart, they would have had warmer clothes.

After BC’s we went to the Chiang Rai Night Bazaar. I was super excited because I wanted to buy fisherman’s pants. Everyone wears them here and they look so comfy. They are one size fits all with a tie to make them smaller. I am wearing them now, they are fabulous! I’ll have to post a picture for a better explanation.

After finding my pants and a sweater (wooho for second-hand 80 baht ($2 USD) sweatshirts!) we sat down at the stage area and had a few drinks and local delicacies with fellow volunteers and Thai interns. The beer pitcher was intriguing; I’ll have to take a photo next week. It was a tall cylinder with a nozzle and an ice cylinder in the middle. It was much more efficient than the pitchers we have at home.

While at the table we started talking about eating insects in Thailand. The next thing I know there was a plate of grasshoppers on the table. I told myself before that I wanted to try them while I was here, but I didn’t think I was ready.  Well, tonight I tried one along with the rest of the table. It didn’t taste bad; it was just hard to chew knowing what it was. I had issues because I chewed and chewed and didn’t swallow it. I should have just taking two bites and been done with it. Beer has never tasted so good! I feel obligated to tell you that James chicken out half way and only finished half of the grasshopper. Maybe we will have to try again next week. : )

Tonight was such a great time because of the people. I love meeting new people, especially the locals. Everyone is so inviting and I cannot wait to get to know them more. Without them I probably would not have tried the grasshopper. It is something I will never forget.

The combinations of the work, culture, and people will result in a beautiful experience. I am so excited.

James’s Wisdom

Hello everyone. It’s been quite a change of scenery since we last posted. The floating market, while slightly touristy, was nice to see. Sam was able to get some really good pictures, which will hopefully be up by the time I post this.

Also the Moon bar had spectacular views, but may have been a little out of our league. I kept telling her I thought we would be underdressed, and she kept saying we were fine. When we got there we found out that only closed toed shoes were allowed, which I didn’t have since this is a backpacking trip. Not to worry. Similar to how some nice restaurants have house dinner jackets for its “uncivilized” guests, this one had house shoes. I put on the shoes they gave me (although my feet stuck out the back slightly), and started to pick up my sandals to put them in the closet. The lady sort of shouted “No, no” at me and reached for my sandals with a pair of tongs. I forgot that feet are considered lowly here. But after all that we made it up to the bar and the view was amazing. After the drinks, we decided that since we were in such a swanky hotel, we should make use of the facilities before leaving. The bathrooms were immaculate, complete with flushing toilet, TP, and nice smelling soap. I will even forgive them for not having any means to dry your hands in the men’s room.

Sam had commented to me on the rooftop that she didn’t feel like we had experienced enough of the crazy part of Bangkok that gets shown in the movies most of the time. To make her happy I agreed to go to Patpong Market, which is basically a bunch of shops set in Bangkok’s red-light district (as if other parts of the city aren’t red-light enough). As soon as we stepped out of the cab we were bombarded with people wanting us to go upstairs to see one of the many “shows” they had to offer. I’d like to keep this blog at least R rated or lower, so I won’t even go into a description of what they wanted us to see. Anyone interested or curious can probably find out on the internet, or if you want you can ask me privately when we get home. It will probably blow your mind. Aside from that and the strip clubs (with open doors trying to lure you in) there is so much for sale that we might make a trip back on our last day to buy souvenirs. I guess it was a good way to spend our last night in Bangkok.

The following evening we got on the night train for the 14 hour trip to Chiang Mai. Overall the train was pretty nice, especially for the $25 each it cost us. It got a little cold sleeping but I was still impressed, which is a good thing since we will probably be on this type of train 3 more times while we are here. As I promised I will comment on the bathrooms in the train. I don’t even know if anyone cares besides me, but this is my portion of the blog so I call the shots, and you all just have to either listen to me or skip ahead. It was slightly larger than the size of an airplane bathroom, but only because they needed to allow plenty of room for you to squat over the hole (I did not find out until later from Sam that a stall on the opposite side of the train had a seat). But there was no need to worry about flushing or sluicing, since anything that went into the hole (or the bowl) went straight down to the tracks. You could actually see the tracks and feel air coming through the hole as the train moved. Thailand train tracks must smell awful. I should also mention that the bathrooms were 6 feet 2 inches tall. I happen to be 6 feet 3 inches tall; I’ll let you guys work out the math on that one.

After getting off the train we caught the first available bus for the 3.5 hour ride to Chiang Rai, where the volunteer site is. The bus service was quite first class, with more snacks and drinks than some of our flights in Australia. They even had a few Thai shows on TV screens, which Sam constantly laughed along with even though we couldn’t understand anything. Then we caught a ride on a Satong,  the Thai version of a rural taxi, which is a truck with a roof over the bed and a metal cage around it, with benches to sit on. We will try to get some photos to help convey the picture.

Arriving at the foundation was a bit of a shock; I don’t think either of us was sure what to expect. The living arrangements are comfortable enough but slightly more basic than I had originally thought. The pad I sleep on doesn’t do a lot to soften my concrete mattress, but hopefully I’ll get used to that. It is much colder here than we had planned for.  It’s winter so it gets to around 50 at night and 70s in the day. That doesn’t do much to warm the water in the trough that we use for our bucket showers. I took my first one this morning and it was a little rough. Other people suggested waiting until the afternoon, and then taking a long jog before you take your shower. Once again the women’s bathroom is far superior. They have an actual shower head and one flushing toilet; the men’s is the sluice method.

But all in all it’s going fairly well. We went to a daycare this morning and played and did crafts with 3-6 year olds. They can sing the ABCs and practice letters, but I don’t know how much they comprehend other than associating letter names. It was fun being there. The daycare was for a small village, with 15-20 kids. They have limited supplies but make good use of what is available. We are still getting settled so I will have more to tell later about what kind of work the foundation does. Usually during the afternoons we will go to schools and teach older children, but tomorrow is a school holiday so I’m not sure what we will be doing.

The breakfast concept Sam mentioned is something I really like. How amazing to be able to eat whatever you want for any meal of the day. Could you imagine eating a cheeseburger for breakfast, then maybe a steak for lunch, and finishing off the day with bacon and eggs??? I think this is a great idea. I’m going to try to implement it when I get back, but I don’t think it will really catch on.

One thing I’ve noticed at Mirror Foundation is that we seem to get tired early here, so I might head off to bed soon. We are doing great and both of us look forward to our time here. I hope my family members know it was difficult for me to decide to stay here instead of coming home. Sam and I are both very saddened by Nita’s death and wish we could be there with everyone, but I feel Nita would have wanted us to stay. We are grieving in our own way and want Peter and Rachel to know how sorry we are. We miss you all and will see you when we get back; 6 weeks will go by quickly.

 

I know I said I wouldn’t let myself go this long ever again, but as I stated earlier we are leaving this week to volunteer in another village. I will not be bringing the computer, so I’ll have to update you all when we get back. If all goes as planned, look for our next post on Saturday.

Have a fabulous weekend and a joyous week! Like we are here, push yourself to try something new, it is so rewarding!

Best always,

Samantha and James