Bangkok by Night

I was trying to live off a budget of 100 baht a day ($3.30) for awhile because I want to make sure I have enough money to get a scuba certificate in April. It is feasible to get breakfast, lunch, a coffee, dinner, a beer and a snack all for 100 baht. But then I realized time was going on and I still didn't feel like I knew Bangkok very well, so I scratched that idea and started going out with some of the people in my class who are getting the teaching certificate as well.

There are 13 people in the class and it runs Mon- Fri 10am to 4pm- long days. It really is a diverse group of people ranging in age from 21 to 62 from all parts of the world. It is such a diverse group of people who all bring so many different qualities to the table. We are learning the basics of English and how to present them. Every week we have to give at least one presentation on a certain topic. My instructional speech was teaching the class the fundamentals of Salsa dancing...haha it went well. After sitting in class all day your ready to go out and explore.

We didn't have class last Thursday because it was a Buddhist holiday, so Pedro, Dan, his friend Collin, and myself went out for a night on the town. Pedro just moved here from Canada and Dan and his friend are both from England. We took a cab to the RCA district, it is the best known place in the city for the large nightclubs. This is the place where all the young rich Thais come to show off what they got! The clubs are a bit different here in Thailand, they do not just have a large bar area then a large dance floor, in fact they don't have much a dance floor at all. There are tables throughout the whole room and you just kind of stand at them and dance in one area.... not my style of a dance club but it sure was interesting to see. They kept playing American music but they were songs that were popular about 5 years ago.

That night we went to 3 other clubs in the RCA district. It is a strip of large clubs with fancy

outdoor seating and crazy lights all around, it reminded me of Vegas meets the Gas lamp district of San Diego. The drinks were expensive but still cheaper than the states, we started off with a bottle of vodka then switched to beer and at the last bar we ordered a bottle of whisky. Needless to say I felt great the next day. We left the RCA at around 2 in the morning and went to another club named "Spicy". I wasn't sure why but no matter where you are in Bangkok you could get a taxi for free to come to this club. When I walked in I knew why, it was a place where the working girls hounded faraangs. Not just working girls, you also had to look out for Thailand's deceivingly charming third gender, the Lady boys. This one Thai girl who was sitting close to me laughed and pointed out the Lady boys that were making out with men who thought they were really women. I got a kick out of that but then realized I can't trust anyone in this city. I had at least 5 people tell me that since I've been here- I mean just random people telling me this.

On Friday night everyone was going out from class again so I went too. This weekend they were holding elections so you can't buy or legally drink alcohol anywhere in the country. Can you imagine if they did this in the states? We found a bar that served us drinks so we all celebrated being halfway done with the course. We left that bar around 11 and Pedro, Dan, Colin, and I took a cab to Khoa San Road. For being a Friday night the street was not so packed because of the no drinking policy. We found a bar that would serve us but only in red sketchy cups and they told us if you see the cops throw your drink on the ground. We ended up at another club and ordered a bottle of whisky.... that night didn't end until after 4 am. Let's just say my 100 baht a day plan is done for.

Bangkok is a city that never sleeps. At any hour of the day there will be a traffic jam and loads of people walking around the streets. The nightlife is huge here.

I am getting really excited to see the rest of Thailand. I have been gone for almost a month now and feel like I've been in Bangkok forever. I am excited for the countryside and the hill tribe communities. I am also very excited to rent a motorcycle, you can rent them for $10 a day and it is a great way to see the country- I just don't dare drive in Bangkok- I've already seen someone on a bike get hit to the ground and accidents happen everyday. Even with saying that I still love taking motorcycle taxi's- I was scared out of my mind the first time but now I'm addicted.

Getting the hang of it!

After getting away for the weekend I felt much better about coming back to class. I've always told myself that I want to live in New York City at some point in my life. Well, this is like New York- but crazier. This city is huge! It is easy to get around though and is not so cut throat for having such a large population, people aren't in such a rush. It just feels like such a large over-populated concrete jungle at some points and all the exhaust from the diesel engines hits your lungs hard.



I had to add these pictures! haha Ronald McDonald and the Michelin man both are doing the Wai- How's that for enculturation?!

It was fun to figure out how to get to the island of Ko Si Chang all by myself with no one to help with the language barrier. The island isn't really well known besides the fact that it is a small fishing community. That meant it had AMAZING fresh seafood for next to nothing. I am still surprised at how far you can stretch your money here- which is good because I have no income for a few months... Anyway, I had this huge bowl of Thom Yun Kung for 80 baht ($2.60) and I think it had at least 20 shrimp in it- no joke. Then I had this squid stew that was so fresh while I was sitting outside a temple and it was only 25 baht- less than $1. The ferry over was 40 baht and the bus was 110. My own beach bungalow (not hostel) that was steps from the water was 250 baht- $8. I felt like I was living like a king and the whole weekend and it only cost me less than 1000 baht-$3o!

For being only 70 miles away from Bangkok the water was pretty clear. I was happy with the fresh air and peaceful quietness. The island was about 5 miles off shore and I noticed these crazy flying fish jumping out of the water to avoid the boat and fly for about 20 feet before going back in the water- it was quite bizarre! I was one of about 3 faraang (foreigners) on the island- at times I didn't know if I was intruding or welcomed but I decided just to step lightly and go ahead with it. I'm doing my best to learn Thai by surrounding myself in the language- it is helping me with pronunciation. It really felt good to get out and figure things out on my own; I am excited to travel around the rest of Thailand!

Welcome to my studio!

This week has been pretty rough- a great deal of moving around and figuring things out the hard way. However, I now officially live in Thailand! I just rented a studio for about $115 a month. It's pretty basic but in a good neighborhood with tight security and a 3 minute walk to the school I am attending for the TEFL certification. I have never lived in another country before- it's pretty exciting (yes, I am a dork). The landlord (I guess you would call her-she looks pretty young) is so nice. She is trying to learn English so she was excited to talk to me, last night she stopped by and gave me sheets, a pillow, a cake, juice, and this pastry type meal just to welcome me to the place. Hmm... new girlfriend?

Here is a video of what the place looks like if you have a minute-

As mentioned in the video I got a new backpack which wasn't easy to do. My last one had so much sentimental value starting with the first trip I ever took it on when my sister Rachel and I took on the Appalachian trail seven years ago. That trip changed my life and the bag has traveled the world with me ever since. It even went up and down the entire West coast on my motorcycle! I owe it to her, and the rest of my family (by that I include close friends) who have all encouraged and motivated me in some way to never give up, even in the ugliest of situations. You all know who you are and I thank every one of you for always challenging me to do more.

I spend a few hours everyday walking around the different neighborhoods- everything about this place catches my eye as incredibly unique. Bangkok is such an interesting "World City".

I am still trying to practice my Thai lingo so I went out and bought some music. The cd I bought ended up being a kareoke video but it is still interesting. This is a very popular song right now in Thailand. Try and sing along to it! haha Good Luck!

Do as the locals do-

Back to busy Bangkok- The last few days have been amazing! The first three days were spent in Wang Noi getting to know the other volunteers signed up for the program, learning about the language, and visiting the ruins in Ayuthaya. On the last night all of us hopped in the back of a truck that was our taxi and went to see the town at night.

We were six strangers picked to live together, volunteer together, and have our lives photographed. This is what happens when you start being nice and talk about how you feel. This is the Real World: Thailand.

Here are some pictures from visiting the ruins-

3 of us went to a village homestay in Bang Sai- about an hour away. To anyone who is thinking about signing up for Global Crossroad I highly recommend the language and culture class! We drove deep into the countryside and were miles away from any large city, you wouldn't be able to find this place on the map! When were arrived at the house we were introduced to Urei and it didn't take long to feel at home, its true about Thai hospitality being so warm. She gave us a tour and we rode bikes from one village to another- there was no other tourists here- we were the only faraang around.

I quickly fell in love with the way of life while staying here. The whole time I was there I kept being reminded of Brian and Asha's farm in Washington that I went and visited last summer- It was a slower pace of life and everything they ate was organic. All the neighbors knew one another and helped each other out- everything about the whole place was self-sufficient. Urei's place is the house that she grew up in as well as her mother. It was an old wooden house on stilts because she lived right on the river and it floods every year during the monsoon season.

During the stay Urei took us to the temples that were close to her house and showed us the etiquette of visiting a Buddhist temple and the meanings behind everything. For example the placement and significance of the Lotus flowers, lighting a candle before entering and taking your shoes off. At one of the temples we went to there were bats everywhere in the daytime! It was so crazy to see! I wandered into one of the temples that was being worked on to find a monk painting a mural. Speaking the few Thai phrases I knew he took that as me being fluent and then decided to give me a tour of the whole place. He took me over to the pond and started to feed the fish and then showed me another temple that a different monk was working on woodwork. I couldn't understand anything that Pho, the monk, was saying but it was still quite the expeirence. He gave me a glass of ice water and though I didn't want to drink it because it wasn't filtered and had a spider floating in it, I also didn't want to be rude. So I drank it- no problems...yet.

During the stay at the village we went and visited a school get some practice teaching English. The kids were so excited to have a visitor in the class and the loved having their picture taken!! We taught one class of 10 year olds and one kindergarten class- then later in the evening we would play games with the kids in the neighborhood. They were happy to show us their version of duck-duck-goose and other games. I really enjoyed doing that.

The best part of the homestay was that Urei was so eager to teach us about Thai food. The only other home cooked meal to top this food was made by my mother. We never ate the same thing twice and everything was made from scratch. I mean even down to peeling and chopping up a coconut to use the shavings for milk. She made us go to the local market and ask for all the ingredients we needed and even how to bargain. The food has been so spicy- it took some time to get used to it- it's hard to eat food that is so spicy when it is so hot outside, but when it's so delicious you don't hesitate.

Urei took Sam and I to the local hospital and bought us a traditional Thai Massage- she didn't have to but just wanted us to have the expeirence! It was kind of strange, they kind of beat you up but it's relaxing- haha. They stand on you, pull your feet then stretch your leg above their shoulder as they pound on your thighs.

I really enjoyed my time in the village. It has been awhile since I've let my mind be free. I loved everything about the place and Urei if you ever read this thank you so much for teaching me everything and for your warm hospitality!

As mentioned above after the village we headed back to Bangkok to visit Khoa San Road. It is a huge tourist trap but also a lot of fun. Sam and I stayed there overnight and went out to go and meet some people. It was quite the crazy night, I feel like all my senses were over stimulated giving me the attention span of about 10 seconds. I've got some funny stories ...haha I'll wait to share them though.

Now its time to buckle down a bit and start the TEFL certification- no more spending my entire day taking pictures for awhile! If you can't tell I like to pretend that I'm an actual reporter whenever I go out-I get a kick out of it.

Go with the flow.....

From Bangkok I was picked up by a cab and driven to Ayuthaya, an hour away. I had no idea where excatly the driver was taking me but I just hoped that it would all work out. I was going to meet Sukanya at Thomasaat University. However, the driver didn't know where to drop me off and I didn't know where to go. So I go out, got my luggage and started walking around the campus it was Sunday so everything was closed. Now that I was outside of Bangkok no one spoke English and I don't know Thai. After walking around for an hour in the hot sun with my heavy bags, I got a little frustrated about what to do, but hey I am the one who signed myself up for this. Finally I met Sukaya and she took me to the house where the other volunteers were arriving.

We all get along very well, there are 6 of us- 2 from the States and 4 from Denmark. I will only be with them for this week then I am headed to Bangkok for the TEFL certification. This is all our 1st time to Asia so we all plan to meet up on the weekend's to travel around the country. There are so many weekend trips to take for only about 350 baht- $10!

The first two days was the language and culture class. Thai language is SO hard because of all the different tones/letters/ and sounds that we do not have in our language, but I'm still trying. Sukanya taught us as much as she could but Eastern thought is very complicated for Westerner's to understand. Haha we would ask questions and she wouls answer and then start laughing and say, "something like that."

After the class part we would visit the nearby ruins- I was blown away about how close you can get to them! It was funny because Thai locals would come up to you and want to have their picture taken with you. There are about 15 Wats (Temples) just in the area ( it is considered an island because it is surrounded by a river on all sides). It was nice to have our own personal guide to take us around and tell us about the history. The older ruins are about 750 years old and show the Khmer (Currently Cambodia) influence- they show the corn-loke style temples. The new Thai style shows the Chedi's that are bell shapes. Most of the ruins are blackened due to when the Burmese came in and sacked the the capital in the 1700's.

After seeing the Ruins we went to go feed the elephants. The whole time I could'nt help but feel like I was feeding Dumbo because they were making the elephants do tricks like walk on their hind legs or hula-hoop with their trunks, it was like being in some sort of carny zoo. It was such a crazy feeling to have them suck food out of your hand.

I'm really enjoying my time out here- I felt like I have changed into a new person automatically. Thailand really is magical- I think its because the Buddha is all around. Today we leave for our next stop- a village homestay about 40 minutes from where we are now. The next days will be spent learning thai and how to cook the food. I'm sure there won't be internet there so I'll be back on Saturday when I return to Bangkok. This computer can't handle loading pics so I'll have to wait to show you.

My first days in Bangkok

After spending the morning mourning I remembered how that the last time I saw my grandpa he was very interested that I was going to Thailand and told me that I was going to learn a lot about life. So that is what I want to do- the best way to do that is by completely loosing yourself. I spent the past two days getting to know the area and just soaking everything in. I've been wandering around the city getting to know how to use the transit system and where the different neighborhoods are. I really don't want to do anything touristy right now because I will be living here for a month so I want to keep things new instead of rushing around the city. Plus it is about 90 degrees so you don't want to move too fast. The weather is very similar to Cleveland in August. I guess April is the hoteest moth of the year reachin up to 100! When visiting temples, you have to wear a dress shirt, shoes, and pants. For some reason I thought jeans would be comfortable- now I understand why everyone wears loose cotton clothing. I've never seen so many stray dogs and motorcycles in my life- watch the video below and look at the pic of the dog passed out with a cigarette in its mouth. I really am shocked about how common it is for western men to come here and buy wifes. A couple times in the hostel these guys started talking about purchasing women with no shame. Sexual tourism sadly is one of the countries biggest exports and women move from all over Thailand to find men in Bangkok. For everyone who asks or is wondering- No, I have not and will not contribute to the prostituion, if I could refrain in Amsterdam I can do it here. I'm 22, I don't have to pay for that.

Usually I only have a few days in each town when i travel but I actually have time to really expierience life out here. When I landed it kept going through my head that I won't be leaving for 3 months! Something has already woken inside of me, I just needed to get out of my normal routines of familiar scenery. I am so pleasantly culture shocked, I love being a foreigner! I can probably go one for about two months from what I've been through the past two days, but I'll keep it short. I want to write as much as I can now while everything is new because soon it will all start to become normal.

Here is a quick video of some of the pictures I have taken so far. The background music was the top hit in Thailand in 2004...haha I thought it added to the pictures.

Thailand really is "The Land of Smiles", everyone here is so friendly and it is not just because they want your money. All my senses have been overloaded- The architecture, clothing, billboards, sounds, all the different languages being spoke here, the smells of the market, the tastes of different foods, and the thick smell of pollution. That is the only downfall, some people walk around with masks over their mouths and nose to avoid inhaling the exhaust from all the cars, scooters, buses, and tuk-tuks. The thai language is so different from any other language I've tried to learn, especially since they have a whole different writing system. I have been practicing my thai- just with knowing a few words you can really impress the Thai. I am really excited because in a few hours my supervisor for my language and culture class will pick me up and I will get to meet the people taking the class. I am ready to learn more about the language and customs to make sure that i am not offending anyone.

So it is true, everything is really inexpensive out here. They use Baht here in Thailand and one US Dollar amounts to 32 baht. Here is a breakdown of some of the pricing:

My hostel was only 190 baht (about $6)

20 minute cab is about 160baht (less than $5)

20 minute motortaxi ride is about 70 baht ( about $2)

15 minute Tuk-Tuk 100 baht ($3)

1 litre of Gas 30 baht ($1)

A good size meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner 65 baht or less ($2)

Fresh squeezed OJ 10 baht (30 cents)

Red bull 10 baht ( 30 cents)

A 22oz beer at a bar 68 baht ($2)

1-hour Internet Cafe 30 baht ($1)

Phone calls- using Skype 2 cents a minute

1 hour massage 180 baht! ($6)

It is easy to get around town, the have a fast Sky train hat is similar to the BART in San Francisco and buses on every corner, a subway system, and trains to take you all over the country. The skytrain is very easy to use and I'm usually the only faraang (pronounced falang means western white man). The moped/scooter/motorcycle taxi rides are ridiculous! You see whole families sitting on the back of one with no helmets and these things whip through traffic! I've ridden a motorcycle for about 3 and a half years and I took a 20 minute ride and was scared out of my mind- maybe because my legs kept rubbing up to the busses we were passing. I guess I'm just not used to sitting on the back of a bike. The tuk-tuks are 3 wheeled open taxis that are pretty cheap to get around- they are not just for tourists either- locals commonly pack about 5 people inside each cart.

Well I have to pack my bags and take off for the next leg of my trip. I'm really glad I had 2 days off before my classes started to adjust myself to the city and lifestyle. I got to know some people and the area will- it was funny I actually ran into the people I met at the hostel around town- it's funny to recognize people on the streets and stop to talk to them in a new city. I'm loving Thailand!

Goodbye Grandpa

Traveling is always good for the soul and helps you learn more than you ever can in a classroom, but sometimes you don't realize how much you are separating yourself with the ones you love. I just found out that my grandfather has passed away and his funeral is going to be today. He lived a long life and although it wasn't a complete surprise to our family, I didn't think that it would happen so soon. He was the biggest gentleman I've ever met and I learned alot from him. Although I can't be there in person, you are in my mind and I am saying my own last words. I can't help but feel completely selfish that I can't be there to pay my respects, give my grandmother a huge hug, or just be there for my family. Being so far away makes me realize that with always traveling I am distancing myself away from my family. This has made me question a lot.
Goodbye Grandpa.

Made it!

Whoa. wow. whoa.
My internal clock is a mess and I am confused as to what day it is but I made it to Thailand! After Ryan dropped me of at the Amtrak station in San Diego I took a 3 hour train to LA then a 1/2 hour bus to the airport. I don't know how it happened but my flight was leaving in 40 minutes and the security line was over an hour long. I caught eyes with one of the workers and for some reason she came up to me randomly and said, "Are you traveling alone?" when I said yes she brought me to the front of the line and I just made the final boarding call. Haha no matter what plane I take I am always the last one to get on. From LA was a 15 hour flight to Hong Kong and they gave you a fresh pair of socks and a toothbrush when entered the plane. It was a surprisingly comfortable and quick flight with good food and free drinks. From there was a 3 hour layover in Hong Kong then a 2 1/2 hour flight to Bangkok and when we landed at midnight it was 85 degrees.. A guy from Israel sat next to me and told me some great stories about his travels in Thailand. I was pumped and ready to explore. After landing was a long process of of immigration and baggage check and I guess I had someone from my volunteer project ready to pick my up but I didn't she her and took a cab to my hostel. They drive on the opposite side of the car and street so I was sitting passenger (which is normally the driver seat) as we zoomed through the city. Apparently its normal to drive in the middle of the road- haha. We got lost through alleys looking for the hostel but finally we found it. The area reminds me a lot of neighborhoods of Tijuana with stray dogs and people running businesses out of houses. It was nighttime so I couldn't see much, so it was great to wake up this morning and see the view.. I checked in and then had some drinks with the people in the lobby. The hostel is in a great part of Bangkok away from the hectic tourist areas. I met Jessie, Carrie, and Aaron and they were visiting from China as they are teachers as well. They funny part is that they were from Chicago- even though I'm so far away I still gravitate towards mid westerns! haha Good times, I'm off to explore until Sunday when I get picked up for my language and culture class.
laa Kawn!