So I've survived another working week (maybe got a reaction to work, did an aerobics class in Thai, and gave a presentation on Fri) and just returned from the planned weekend trip with our Thai students.
Oi and the other CRI students organized this trip, leaving hella early on Saturday from our rooms to minibus about an hour and a half west of Bangkok. First we checked in at Dara Resort where we were to spend the night. Traditional Thai style house with a big open space underneath to sit during the heat of the day. From there we traveled mostly by boat as we were in a region known for palm plantations and generally using canals for transport. We had a tour of the town and life along the river. The houses tend to go right up and into the water's edge on stilts. People were out cleaning dishes, swimming, fishing, and even bathing as our long-tailed boat drove by. It almost felt like an invasion of privacy but they seemed to take it in stride. Being only an hr from Bangkok, it wasn't exactly isolated but such a large group of Westerners was definitely noticed. The tour led then to the large floating market where the canal became clogged with boats selling an infinite variety of fruits, noodles, hats and other clothing. We got out to wander along the riverside and enjoy the chaos. Our students declared it was time to eat around 10:30, so noodles for everybody! Of course through some miscommunication I got the extra spicy... not a good thing in Thailand. Nothing like being so hot that you sweat constantly and THEN eating things that make you cry and your lips burn. hahaha... So from there we went to one local temple which was actually inside and completely hidden by a copse of trees - apparent protection from invading Burmese at some point or another. No tourists here really, just a few Thai people and monks running the place. Went inside and our guid showed us how to shake this can of sticks until one falls out and then use the number on the stick to get a fortune from a list. Mine was 'overall good.' (legal case is favorable!) Hahaha. Then our whole group headed to another temple with time enough to stop as an icecream boat went by. This temple was much larger and filled with carved wood murals of scenes throughout Buddha's life. The last stop of the afternoon was a park with traditional Thai homes and one that used to belong to their King Rama II. A short trip back to our tropical resort for the rest of the afternoon. A nap, some more snacking and wandering around the nearby coconut plantations and then it was time for dinner!
After dinner we headed to our second floating market which was much more local in nature. In other words we got a LOT more stares. Fair enough though, as I was able to find one of my favorite Thai sweet things - Chai-ling which is this iced, sugared, tea type drink. I've been using it as dessert since despite the high quality of Thai food I've found desserts lacking pretty seriously - almost always jelly/fruity/salty/or containing way to much coconut. Plus towards the end we found another quality desert which was basically mini doughnuts with sugar coating and bannanas inside... delicious! On the way out we found Chai-ling smoothies and ended up getting free ones since the lady selling them was running out of ice. Absolutely fabulous let me tell ya. So suitably high on sugar we all pile back into the boat and they take us to see the fireflies of the Mae Klong river. We're excited but skeptical at the same time since we haven't seen any yet. We eventually turned off the boat lights and there they were - like thousands of flashing christmas lights. Definitely cool looking, but these fireflies are only about 1/3 the size of the ones at home, so we win that one.
Back at the resort it turned out that the 6 of us Americans (Matt and Wendy, the couple, didn't come since they were sick), were staying in these really swanky bungalows while all the Thai kids were camping underneath the main house in mosquito nets. Crazyness! Some cheap Scotch later had us on the karoke machine (very popular here) and singing some classics. I think we suitably entertained with our dancing at least. It's great that we have such a good group! So shower and crashed.
This morning we got to sleep in before having some high quality rice and toast for breakfast. I went on a good 40 min bike ride and got absolutely drenched in sweat and tends to happen relatively instantaneously if I exert myself in this country. Everybody ended up jumping in the river despite having seen all the things floating in it previously. So hanging out eating more fresh grown pamelo (like a giant grapefruit) before returning to the big city.
This trip is absolutely flying by. Things are so laid back, inexpensive, and generally delicious here that having a good time is hard not to do! Speaking of - I'm meeting everybody for ice cream at Swenson's... now!
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