Keep in mind that this was July 28th...

In less than thirty minutes I shall touch down in Bangkok, Thailand!  I am hardly able to contain my excitement!  I am certainly glad that Rich will be meeting me outside of Customs.  I have a Thai phrasebook, as well as an "In Flight Thai" introductory program uploaded to my i-Pod, however I only began reviewing them Wednesday evening after the bar exam.  Thai is a very difficult language!  It would be extremely intimidating to enter a country with my current and oh-so-limited knowledge of the language if I were travelling alone.

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I spent four hours in Taipei, Taiwain this morning.  They have these neat little kiosks where you can charge your cell phone as you travel~many different connectors so that there's something for everyone...interesting.  I am unsure if they provide a quick boost or if people stand there and wait...or go off and leave their phones or what...I have no idea why I care either...I guess you tend to care about many a benign thing when you're stuck in an airport for four hours.  I watched and waited, but no one used them. 

I ate my first Tawainese dish at the airport~quite tasty!  I haven't met any interesting folks yet.  I am quite cautious and quiet when I travel alone.  I spoke briefly with a family on their way home to Taipei from a vacation in San Francisco~they were completely harmless though.  We ladies must be careful when travelling alone, eh!?

There are a TON of Westerners on this flight, as opposed to my SFO to TPE flight whree I was one of three...and the other two were married to Easterners, with whom they were travelling.  It doesn't necessarily bother me to be in the very obvious minority.  I juts happened to take note that I was receiving "thank yous" from the flight attendants, the rest of the plane was receiving "shieh shiehs."  I began using "shieh shieh" with them, too, and ignoring their English~except when presented with food options..."Omelet or oatmeal" isn't easily decipherable in Mandarin!

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My True Day One in Bangkok

Still playing catchup...this was actually July 29th

My True Day One in Bangkok

Well, for the sake of chronology, perhaps I should go back.  My plane arrived on time yesterday...Hooray for on time flights! 

I have been very impressed with EVA Airlines and intend to use them for all of my SE Asia needs.  I had no problems at all in customs and immigration, though the employee laughed at me because I was the only person who actually stopped and read the entire list of items necessary to declare.  I had brought a small bottle of Knobhill Bourbon for Rich and didn't want to go to jail for my lack of knowledge of Thailand's rules and regulations.  (I know, I know~I've seen too many Hollywood flicks about Thai prisons!) 

Rich met me outside, just as we'd planned.  I was so happy to see him!  Bangkok can be a very intimidating city if you face it alone for the first time!  WE took a 45 minute taxi ride to the backpacker's district of Bangkok.  Rich had made reservations in a fairly Westernized hotel/guesthouse for my first night so that I could let my body and mind adjust to the time change and new environment.  It has two twin beds, a TV we never used, air-conditioning, a private bath, and hot water...these are very nice accomodations for SE Asia on a shoestring.    We stayed at Thai Cozy House.  It is 700 baht (or about $20) per night, which also includes breakfast.  Not bad, eh? 

I took a short nap once we arrived.  Then we ventured out into our neighborhood.  We ate at an absolutely fabulous Indian place...perhaps the best palaak paneer and garlic nan that I've had in my entire life!  For both of us, food and drink, it was only about 450 baht ($12)...that included beer, coffee, water, break, rice, samosas, and two entrees.  Not bad at all!

I then tried to call Lillian, but my efforts went straight to voicemail.  We turned in early, around 9:30 or so...I was naseated.  I woke up around 10:30 to vomit and I was terrified that I had caught something awful, thus ruining my entire trip.  Luckily, as if often the case, purging the toxins from my body was all I really needed.  I surfaced feeling refreshed.  I woke up at 2 a.m. and forced myself to toss and turn until falling asleep again around 3.  I then slept soundly until 7.  We woke, showered, and enjoyed our free breakfast. 

Today I visited Wat Pho~home to the famous Reclining Buddha. In a word: Amazing.  I know I tend to exaggerate at times and I wish that weren't the case because it tends to mitigate the true magnitude of the honestly amazing thigns that I do see in life.  This was definitely one of them!  I also saw the old palace as well as a tweakwood mansion where King Rama IV (?)  {I'll have to check my facts later} lived from 1901-1906.  I rode on a water taxi and a tuk tuk for the first time.  Tuk tuks are these interesting little motorcycle/golf cart combinations that are used as a less expensive alternative to a taxi cab here. 

A few things that I found notable are:

~The Thai are more concerned with women covering their shoulders than their breasts when entering a Wat or place of royal stature.  I had to twice "borrow" shirts for the wats AND the mansion today, even though I was in a very modest tank top.  Yet other women with sleeves, albeit showing several inches of cleavage, were admitted with no problem at all.  To "borrow" an item of clothing, you leave your name and a 100-200 baht deposit.  Upon return of the item, your money is returned to you.

~Traditionally Thai children wear their hair long and in a knot on the top of their head, with the underlying area shaven.  This knot is believed to protect them from evil spirits.  Upon the female age of 11 and the male age of 13, the "Top Knot Cutting Ceremony" takes place to mark the child's entrance to adulthood.  {Further evidence that females mature more quickly than males. }

~It is highly disrespectful to point your feet toward a statue of Buddha in a Wat. 

~Buddhas are often dressed differently according to the seasons...Cold, Hot, and Monsoon.  Speaking of, I saw the famous Emerald Buddha today...gorgeous doesn't do it justice.

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Sunday is a Day of Rest

July 30, 2006

Today we moved to a less expensive, yet surprisingly larger, guesthouse.  I like it more, though it doesn't include the free breakfast.  Today was a lazy day.  Our new accomodations include satellite TV, with several American channels.  One of Rich's favorite shows, Battlestar Galactica (or something), was a marathon feature on Showtime today.  We watched about 5 episodes~I knew it would be interesting, because Rich isn't the type of person who spends that much time in front of the tv...I'll have to tune in once I return to the States. 

I had my first genuine Thai massage today~herbal compress style...once I got past the initial awkwardness of feeling so exposed, it was heavenly.    (You're stripped down to your underoos in a room full of other massagees who are also in their underoos, as well as the masseuses who are fully clothed...lucky fellas!) 

We then went to dinner at Cabbages and Condoms~excellent Thai food~possibly the best I've ever eaten! All of the proceeds go to the Population and Community Development Association...a worthwhile cause. 

Must get some sleep for now...I finally caught up with Jason today...though speaking with him only made me miss him more, it was wonderful to hear his chipper little voice.  One of the best feelings in the world is picking up the phone to call someone you care about and actually being able to hear that the feeling is mutual in their voice the moment they hear your own...if that makes any sense.

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Thursday, August 03, 2006

Comfort Levels Category: Friends It is interesting how comfort levels differ in our lives...I have certain people in my life, with whom I have been friends for years...yet I would never enter their home, remove my shoes, and automatically curl my feet beneath me (what I always do) as I sit upon their couch.  Yet with Hamoon and Govin, people with whom I only shared one Canadian semester, that is not the case at all.    I felt instantly at home in their home...because we are just that close.  When Hamoon said make yourself at home~eat, drink, watch whatever you want...I actually did...whereas with other people, I would politely nod and smile, thanking them for their hospitality...I love knowing that some friendships, though they were cultivated in only four months, are so strong that little things, like living on the other side of the world and only seeing one another once every two years, don't affect them at all. _____________________________________

Bridges, Elephants, and Trains
Category: Travel and Places

Returning to my journal entries

July 31, 2006

Today we visited the site of the infamous Bridge of the River Kwai.  After a 2 hour minibus ride with 2 Dutchmen, 1 Korean, 3 French, 1 Thai, 3 South Africans, and of course, Rich, my fellow American, we arrived at Kanchanburi around 9:30 am.  Our first stop was the KanchanburiWar Cemetery.  Buried there are bodies of WWII POWs and soldiers.  It is a Christian cemetery, as mostly Austrailians, Swedes, Brits, etc. are there. 

Our next stop was the Jeath War Museummy first experience with a non-royal Thai museum was interestingDecidedly, the museum was curiously strange.  I'll try to follow up with that more later.  We'll just say that museums here value different things than the museums to which I am accustomednot that it is better or worsejust different. 

We then walked the sorrowful bridgeWhile doing so, I tried to imagine the 115,000+ people, civilians, and POWs who died in its construction.  Railroad engineers estimated that it would take 60 months to complete the project, yet the laborers were forced to do it in only 16!  That is absolutely inconceivable to me. 

Now, as I write, I sit beneath a waterfall whose beauty is only bested its serenity.  In moments like these, despite the tiny spiders that continuously cover my bare arms and legs, I feel as though I am the luckiest woman alive. 

I just demounted an elephant!  FOR FREE!  We took a little 30 minute rideRich and I were offered the option when we booked our package yesterday, but both refused, because we had already ridden on elephants in the past.  Watching our baht, we didn't want to incur the additional cost.  At the close of the ride, we were offered a photo for 100 baht, which I gladly bought, as we didn't pay anything for the ride itselfAND because my borrowed camera had run out of storage space! J

The little French family is absolutely adorable.  I was hesitant to speak to them initially because my French is so deteriorated, but once we began to converse, it was wonderfully free flowing.  If I passed the bar exam, which is doubtful, but IF, then I can't wait to get back into my French studies.  It is a language that I truly love.  Thai, is very challengingon one hand, I hate its difficulty, but on the other, I embrace it, as each phrase feels like a minor battle victory in the long-time war. 

After the elephant rides, we trekked to the train station, where I met some locals~a mother and daughter~who actually complimented me on my efforts at broken Thai.  Thought the mother spoke no English, I was able to  effectively communicate with hermy efforts were confirmed by her daughter, who spoke minimal English.  J  Full of confidence, I went with the rest of the group to attempt to purchase tickets from a non-English speaking man.  With the assistance of my "In Flight Thai-At the Train Station" section, I as able to talk to another local man and get the information we neededHooray!  (The truly small victories make me such a happy girl!)

We had a marvelous trainride through the Thai country side, just beautiful!  Breathtaking views were around every bendSome of the tracks were hugging the mountains so closely that Rich actually reached out the window and touched them.  It was so amazing that it made me rethink my decision to fly from Bangkok to Penang.  I am now taking the 22 hour trainride instead!   

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