Dandy December Days

Okay...does anybody know where the past week of my life went, because I have no recollection of it whatsoever! Between cheesy Christmas shows, last minute trip planning, intensifying marathon training and oh yeah, a 23rd birthday (yikes!), this girl has been one busy lady! No lie! The good news? Vacation has arrived, and today, we are heading off to Chiang Mai to hang out with elephants! Never thought I would hear those words come out of my mouth!

Before I do that however, my little kiddies of Sarasas Witaed Saimai Bilingual School would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The school had a huge Christmas show (complete with completely new, outfitted stage decorations) on Friday, where all the classes dressed in their holiday best and belted the best tunes of the season! My little ones sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and were the cutest ones for sure! Here is Attakan (a.k.a. the compulsive pelvic thruster) as St. Nicholas himself!

After weeks of intense choreography sessions, voice lessons and performance practice (okay...maybe not so much on the first two...), my grade 1C students wore their red Santa hats with pride and danced their little hearts out on stage. Ms. Chartnapa (my adorable Thai teacher) and I were very proud of them for managing to actually stand in one place, sing and do all the moves after all those weeks of practice! I mean, they are just 1st graders! Here is the front row crew of Thanawat, Aan, Chotiros, Patharapol and Nattaporn.

I do have to make one side note...I am loving the whole teacher thing if for no other reason than for all the Christmas and birthday gifts from my students! Purses, scarves, candy, jewelry boxes, bags and trinkets - I got them all! The parents of these students are no dummies - they surely know the way to get this teacher to give all their children A's!

After the Christmas show on Friday, which happened to also be this girl's 23rd birthday (which in the words of Jessica Simpson, is like halfway to 30!), I got the most lovely surprise! Joanne, Suzi, Lauren and Thomas (along with others) planned a little birthday dinner and get-together at a local bar/restaurant to celebrate the big 2-3! It was my first ever surprise party! Woohoo!

Complete with yummy food, some birthday drinks, a bunch of Sarasas teachers and of course, one deliciously scrumptious chocolate cake (with an Oreo crust, may I add! Thank you once again Miss Joanne!), I had so much fun! So many teachers showed up, may of whom I was totally not expecting to, some with gifts even, that made it the most wonderful birthday halfway across the world! The bar/restaurant even had karaoke, which you know I happen to love! Cher's "Believe" anyone?

So between my birthday also being the last day before Christmas break, one would think the day could not get any better. But then, you might just be wrong. After celebrating, I then headed off to Thailand's Suvarnhbumi Airport to pick up Eric - a very special visitor who I will be traipsing, trekking and tailgating it around Thailand with for the next 12 days! After a brief 24 hours of flying, he arrived safely (complete with loads of goodies from home!) and being the notorious tour guide I am, wasted no time in getting this kid right into Central Bangkok!

Tuk-tuk rides, Chatuchak Market shopping excursions and ventures to the top of Thailand's tallest tower later, I like to think this kid had a pretty good first day here! The weather is being extra hot and steamy - a nice break from the brittle cold of Wisconsin I hope! Unfortunately, I don't want to make Eric spend too much time of his holiday while I update my blog, so I will give you lots more fun details on the adventure later. We have about 20 minutes before we need to pack up, head to the airport and fly off to that jungle! Bon voyage!

Thai Christmas Fever

For a predominantly Buddhist country, the Thais sure love their Christmas! Yesterday, we ventured into Bangkok for a bit of last minute Christmas shopping, movie watching and eating (or gorging) a nice Christmas dinner. We were greeted with 50-ft. Christmas trees, Mariah Carey Christmas tunes and Christmas lights of all colors and shapes twinkling brightly all around central Bangkok! There were even a group of carolers singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" in front of a large 100-ft. tree in one of Bangkok's biggest malls, Central World. Now, if it hadn't been 85 degrees, I might have felt right back at home in the U.S.A.!

You can also definitely tell it is tourist season in Thailand - foreigners crowd the night markets, all of the bajillion malls and can be seen everywhere around the city! They are moving in on my territory! Last night, a Swedish lady tried to swipe a pair of Chanel sunglasses (let's be real, they were fake) from me to buy, but no worries, I swept in and made the purchase before she could do it! Of course, more tourists means more people which means only one thing in Bangkok...more traffic! The already notorious traffic drives me absolutely insane - I do NOT have one ounce of patience for it at all!

First stop of the day was Chatuchak Market - Lauren and I just had to show Thomas the glory and craziness that is Chatuchak (I dare anybody to find a bigger market in the world)! We browsed there for an hour before we bargained a tuk-tuk driver (I am getting way too good at bargaining!) to bring us into central Bangkok where we saw the Bhutanese film, "The Golden Cup." The film was fascinating! Not because it was good but because it reveals the socio-political situation of the country. It is only the second movie ever made and released from Bhutan - a notoriously private country that did not have television or Internet until 1999.

Made all on a hand-held video camera, the story was of a woman who inherited an evil curse from her descendants - which forced her to poison people and kill them in order to stay alive. She fell in love with a man who got her pregnant, then was forced to leave her because his parents threatened to disown him if he married the "poison giver." So, he left her and soon after, she sought revenge on him by cursing all his children with his new wife. But hold on...she is not as evil as she may seem! She gave away her child (so she wouldn't inherit the curse) and in the end, killed herself and her family so that the curse would end and nobody would have die anymore! I quite enjoyed the film, especially with its ridiculously cheesy special effects!

After the busy day, we headed off to the Windsor Hotel, where some of the staff gathered for a nice Christmas buffet dinner. Oh, what I wouldn't give to stay in a fancy hotel for just one night! The food, service and everything! It was nice to have a good, hearty meal (well, if you count a whole plate of desserts - chocolate pudding, carrot cake, cheesecake, bread pudding - part of a hearty meal) and lots of fun! Now, with a full belly intact, I am going to go run 2 hours and 20 minutes today! Yikes!

This week should be a fun week - lots of Christmas fun going on around the school, and my very special visitor in coming on Friday, so I am, needless to say, very, very excited! I also started tutoring last week, which went very well, and even received my first teacher gift, this cat purse from Thidarach in my class! I have to say, the reason I put a picture of it on the blog is because this is seriously in-style Thai fashion. Hilarious, I know. Happy last minute Christmas shopping, stay safe in all that snow and I wish you all an excellent week!

Kickin' Ko Samet

Are there any words needed for this? Clear turquoise water, soft white sand and a seaside restaurant ready to provide you with whatever food at your every whim (soft shell crab curry anyone?), all without a 1st grader in sight! Ummm...yes please! That was my long weekend - lounging at Sametville Resort (complete with a private beach!) on lovely Koh Samet island. This is why everyone comes to Thailand people - the beaches are unlike any I have ever seen. Can you blame a girl for not wanting to leave this place with its perfectly sunny 80 degree weather to go back to Saimai and teach 34 1st graders? I think not!

Since Monday was Constitution Day (I will be honest - I have no idea what that means!) and a day off of school, we packed our brightly colored beach bags, threw on our best swimsuits and headed out in the wee early hours Saturday morning to enjoy the long weekend off. Koh Samet is just a couple hours from Bangkok - so six of us packed into Suzi's boyfriend's Toyota Corolla (yes, six of us!) and drove about 3 hours to Ban Phe, where we caught the 40-minute ferry to our private beach resort! The front of the ferry clearly called for some Titanic-like movie re-creations (before the captain yelled at me in Thai to get off)...

The weekend was everything I needed...and so much more! Along with Suzi, Por (her boyfriend), Joanne, Lauren and Thomas (a new teacher at Sarasas straight up from Brooklyn, NY), I literally spent the entire 3-day weekend lying my formerly pale self on the beach, interspersing the hours with dips into the crystal clear salty water (which, let me say, did wonders for my hair) and lazy walks on the beach, topped off with lots of beachside eating and even a 14-mile marathon training run around the island! It was absolutely glorious (well, except for the bajillion hills on the island - my butt is still sore)!

Many of you may know that one of the very few foods I hate is seafood, but this weekend I became a seafood lover! No lie! Let me tell you, soft shell crab curry may sound absolutely revolting (it did to me initially!), but it is hands-down one of the best dishes I have had in Thailand. But not only did I eat soft shell crab, squid & basil with jasmine rice and lots of shrimp, but I even went fishing along the rocky bays and caught a squid! Here is Thomas, Lauren and I lounging beachside on the giant swing!

The resort was filled with people from all over the world - including a group of 6 overweight (I am being kind here...) men sporting banana hammocks, better known as the Speedo! They were lots of fun and from Europe of course - one even called me madame! We also met a half-Thai, half-Indian friend. Her name was Cherry, and she was 5 years old but very mature for her age. The stars numbered in the thousands at night, the bugs were out in full force (I have NEVER had such bug-bitten legs!) and like I said, the food was delish! Not to mention...the gorgeous sunrise sitting perfectly on the Gulf of Thailand, seen from a mere 10 feet outside our 2-bedroom villa!

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and so we reluctantly left Koh Samet Monday morning to head back for the school week ahead. But...seeing as Pattaya was conveniently right on the way home (remember? The land of ladyboys and go-go bars?), we thought it would only be right to show Thomas the sleaze and cheese that is Pattaya. The best part? I finally got to quell my craving for Indian food - we had lunch at Ali Baba Restaurant, and I had Baingain Bharta - an eggplant curry, which went perfectly with a big slice of garlic naan!

Now, I am back in good ol' Saimai and counting down the days until my next vacation, which is in 9 days! Starting tomorrow, I am also going to tutor Pavin, one of my students and a pelvic-thrusting addict, for a couple hours a week, so I am excited about that too! I forecast some shopping in my future this weekend along with a Christmas party or two and possibly a Bhutanese movie - should be a good one! Take care everyone (especially with all that snow falling in the Midwest), eat lots of Christmas cookies for me and celebrate the season, while I indulge myself in American Christmas music from abroad!

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

That's how I'll be skedaddling around Thailand for the next 2 months! A plane trip up north to Chiang Mai and down south to Ko Samui, then a 7-hour train northeast to Khon Kaen in January to run the big marathon, and finally, an old-fashioned road trip to Ko Samet this weekend to bask in the glorious weather. Oh my!

Like I promised, life has kicked up a notch - starting with a weekend trip to the land of ladyboys, Russian tourists and the Gulf of Thailand - Pattaya! Last weekend, a bunch of us teacher folk headed 2 hours east to the oceanside town of Pattaya - or what I like to refer to as Crazy Uncle Chuck (C.U.C.). The thing is...nobody likes to admit they are related to C.U.C. - much in the same way tourists often don't like to admit they've been to Pattaya. However, deep down, one kind of secretly enjoys the sleaze, craziness and fun that is both C.U.C. and Pattaya. Me included!

My dear Nesrine's brother-in-law opened a fusion Thai-Russian-European restaurant (if you are wondering what that means, I am still unsure myself) there, and we were VIPs on the guest list! Let me say, I could totally get used to the VIP lifestyle, where the free food and drinks flow steadily right in this girl's direction! We had lots of fun strolling around the go-go bars, running into Russian tourists (they all come here, I swear!) and eating, all in good company of course! On our way to Pattaya in one of Thailand's bajillion minibuses, we stopped at a good ol' truck stop in the middle of nowhere where - well, I think the picture says it all!

We returned to Bangkok late Saturday night, and you could feel something special in the air - King fever of course! Yesterday, December 5, was Big K's big 8-0 - so you can imagine the fanaticism of the Thai people when it comes to celebrating the King's birthday!

The school put together another ceremony (complete with another whole background for the stage) full of ornately corny staging, singing and skits - featuring moi once again. Sarasas Witaed Saimai students descended on the school's canteen Monday morning to engage in almost 2 hours of singing King songs, holding (and swaying) King pictures and watching poorly practiced skits featuring their English teachers - all in the color yellow of course! I kid you not - there were even girls crying as the King songs were sung. For what reason? Your guess is as good as mine. Lauren has some great photos - so I will try to put one of those up soon!

Yesterday, on the King's actual birthday, I dressed myself in my best yellow shirt (which also happens to be my only yellow shirt) and got ready to do what Asian nations seem to do best - shop! We went to a huge exhibition called "Made in Thailand," where you guessed it, all the products are made in Thailand! They had row after row of food, housewares, scarves, clothes - everything a girl could want and more - including Starbucks Coffee (don't ask me why that was there!). After beginning our day of shopping, we stopped for a late lunch at a delicious Thai restaurant where I had some vegetable & shrimp rice cooked in a pineapple! Delish!

Then we headed to Siam Paragon (a.k.a. the nicest mall ever) and MBK (the best bargain mall) for more shopping, where I preceded to start checking off my list of Christmas presents for family and friends! Then unfortunately, we all remembered that we had to teach the next day, so we headed back around dinnertime to Saimai, where I blissfully fell into bed after a loaded day of shopping, shopping and more shopping!

Soooo...I am going to leave you with a parting picture of me and the King (which is actually a ginormous King memorial outside Siam Paragon) celebrating the day off from school yesterday!

December Begins...

This is going to be short but effective - I got paid yesterday! Please let the trumpets roar, the bells ring, let people shout and cheer because December is going to be a busy one now that this girl is rich with baht! Today, we are heading off to Pattaya for the day. Now, if you think Bangkok is the sex capitol of the world (which it is, no doubt about that), you haven't been to Pattaya because apparently this beach town is the crown jewel of it all! Nesrine's brother-in-law has the grand opening of his new restaurant there tonight and yours truly is on the V.I.P. list!

Next weekend, I am headed off to Ko Samet - one of Thailand's many, many gorgeous islands then it will be lots of cheesy Christmas shows at school (complete with lots of singing Christmas carols!) and Christmas shopping, then 2 weeks off over Christmas where I will be headed to Chiang Mai in the north to go elephant trekking, Ko Samui in the south for more sun and finally back to Bangkok for New Year's!

I am following through on my promise - my life will get a lot more interesting! I will post lots of goodies from Pattaya and stuff later this week! Hope all is well with everyone, and enjoy the snow for me while I bathe in the sunny 80 degree weather here! A special shout-out to my Grandma - I am praying for you G'ma and love you very much!

Loy Krathong

What a week of craziness - beauty pageants, theatre performances, teaching, immigration runs, the works. Not to mention, my first Thai holiday, Loy Krathong! Held every November under the full moon, Loy Krathong is a beautiful tradition dating back to the Sukhothai period. Children, parents and people of all ages apologize to the water gods for treating the rivers, canals and lakes poorly while asking for good luck in the coming year. Literally meaning "float" (loy) and "lotus-shaped boat" (krathong), Thai people offer their forgiveness by floating lotus-shaped boats lighted with candles along waterways. Needless to say, it was one of the most beautiful, lovely sights!

Suzi, Lauren, Nesrine and I headed to the local temple where all the Saimai residents were out and about, krathongs in hand! Food stands selling everything from dumplings to good ol' meat on a stick lined the streets, loudspeakers had someone jabbering away in Thai (I have no idea what was said there!) and stands selling krathongs made from flowers, bread or anything biodegradable (the Thais are very conscious of global warming) makes this one of the happiest holidays in here.

I had to get myself my own krathong, which cost me nothing (only 20 baht = 60 cents) so I could apologize to the water gods myself, seeing as I am going to be a resident of here for another 4 months! A proper krathong has 4 parts - the boat, incense sticks, at least one candle and a coin (usually 1 or 5 baht - the water gods can clearly be bought with money). Here is me floating my krathong along the canal!

However, the best part about Loy Krathong is not the boats or the meat on a stick or even the fried bananas (which are delish - you must try!). The best part about Loy Krathong is the week's festivities leading up to the holiday, which at Sarasas Witaed Saimai School includes kindergarten beauty pageants, dance competitions (including a teacher skit featuring moi) and an all-school beauty pageant. Oh yes, let the good times roll!

The week started off like any other although Loy Krathong fever was in the air. Walking around school, I caught peeks of On (a Thai teacher who is fabulously gay) teaching kindergarteners how to walk in high heels about 10 sizes too big for them, young girls practicing their singing for another upcoming competition and girls trying on their beautiful Thai silk outfits for the pageant. (***Note: These Thai silk dresses and skirts are absolutely gorgeous!) I just knew I was going to like Loy Krathong.

Finally, Friday hit - the big day. Unfortunately, the school also decided Friday would a good day to ship me off to the Ministry of Labour (to pick up my work permit) then shuffle me over to Immigration, where I had to update my visa status. So, needless to say, I was a bit crushed because I missed most of the Loy Krathong activities. However, I arrived back at school just after lunchtime to catch the results of the all-school beauty pageant for grades 1-3! Yes! Dolled in their Thai silk, ornate headdresses and slathered with make-up, these girls looked like little dolls up onstage. Take a look for yourself!

Pimmada (the little girl who I hang out with on Wednesday nights) won 3rd runner-up, then Pichada (the girl who's mom picks us up to bring us to school every morning) won the entire thing, so my girls did me proud! They were so cute!

On Friday night, I also performed in a small teacher skit at a local university which was holding a dance competition for Loy Krathong. So, right smack dab in the middle of beautiful Thai dancing as well as more modern dancing (just like out of a U.S. dance recital), I performed a small skit about Loy Krathong in front of hundreds of people! The funny part is it was more of a advertisement for the school more than anything else, but I think I definitely got my big break. The scouts are calling me non-stop now - Hollywood here I come!

Okay, maybe not, but the good news is that even though I won't be starring in any major movies anytime soon, I get paid on Friday, and I got my 12 mile run out of the way this morning. So, things are looking up regardless. My life is going get a lot more interesting on the blog once I get paid, promise! Alright, well time to head out but I hope all is well back home and take care everyone. Happy Loy Krathong!

This and That

This post is deservedly called "This and That," because I have a great collection of tidbits from this past week! Again, the weeks seem to be flying right by me! The kiddies - although wildy rambunctious and raucous, not to mention the fact they love to hear the sound of their own voices way too much - make for some great stories.

However, first, me and my great spur of the moment ideas have decided to run a marathon. Yes, run 26.2 miles for no apparent reason other that to put my body under stress and pain like it has never before felt. The Khon Kaen Marathon (http://www.khonkaenmarathon.com/) is apparently "the greatest marathon of Thailand." So on January 27th, you can find me in northeastern Thailand running my little heart out! It's something I have wanted to do, so I figured, why not in Thailand? It makes for a much better story!

Another funny tidbit...this week the students of grade 1C had a spelling test on "Animals." Pet animals and farm animals to be exact. Well, #4 was the word horse. Little Supicha (seen here in possibly one of the cutest pictures ever) racked her brain for the spelling, and instead of h-o-r-s-e, came up with w-h-o-r-e-s. Yes, whores. But with a face like this, who really cares?

Another funny side note...I have slowly but surely been discovering all my student's "nicknames" or "English names" (refer to previous post for explanation). I am going to prove to you all how much the Thais (and myself included) love 7-11. I kid you not, there is one every 50 feet and am convinced the only reason 7-11 as a business is still afloat is because of Thailand. In addition to that, parents even name their children after the convenience store here! It is true, Attakan's (my little pelvic thruster) nickname is Seven.

Here is just a nice little shot I took from the top floor of the school - which looks out over a series of beautiful, green rice paddies to southwest. If you keep going this way, eventually you will run into the heart of downtown Bangkok!

Other shenanigans from the week? Well, this week in English we are working on "Clothes," and one of the vocabulary words is underwear. With each vocab word, I had the students point to someone with that article of clothing on. We got to underwear and to hopefully avoid a compromising scene, I said (with an air of firmness), "Now, don't show me your underwear!" Clearly, I should have known better because before I knew it, half the boys in my class were already prancing around the classroom, showing off their Superman and Batman underwear. I didn't know what to do, so I laughed and prayed nobody from administration would walk by at that moment. Which, thank the Lord, they didn't!

Other than that, it is the same ol', same ol' in the classroom - mass chaos, pelvic thrusting, lots of talking and me, hoping that at least one child in my class is learning something. Anything. Unfortunately, Lauren and I are still living on a budget, although last night I accidentally blew about half my week's budget at Big C - the Thai equivalent of Target. It's the things like Big C that make you feel right at home.

The plan for today is up in the air - probably going to the pool (free!) and getting myself a proper tan, since I am in 90 degree weather in the middle of November! This girl needs to start taking full advantage! We also need to pay our electric bill, which you can do at 7-11 (I tell you, you can do anything at 7-11 in this country!), and I have a big 11-mile run tomorrow to rest up for! Unfortunately, nothing super exciting for you all, but I will leave you with Pam and I - making the face that we always make toward one another. Enjoy!

Veggin' Out

I am going to have to apologize to you all beforehand - I have gotten pretty good at making this whole Thailand experience look like an adventure, which it has been, don't get me wrong people. But this weekend, well...I don't think any amount of exaggeration would be able to make it seem interesting, haha! It was one of those weekends which confirmed that no, I am not on a perpetual, 7-month vacation here, and yes, I do work and live here. Key words being work and live.

Friday night we headed to go to Central Ram Inthra - one of a million shopping malls in the Bangkok area - to see "The Playbook," (the new movie with The Rock) only to find that it was only in Thai - not English. Slight problem. Then, instead of shopping, I spent over an hour browsing Boots - the British pharmacy which has transplanted itself in Thailand!

Yesterday, I bummed around Saimai - went for a run, did laundry, hung out by the pool for a couple hours, went for a pedicure (you are never too poor for a 100 baht=3$ pedi!) then walked around Wongsakorn Market, which is the biggest market in Saimai. Here is a lovely shot of my main market's entrance!

The best part of the day was definitely our Thai feast! Us young, female teachers - Suzi, Joanne, Lauren and I - went to Suzi's house, ordered a plethora of dishes from the local restaurant and stuffed our faces with all the deliciousness, including my favorite - Som Tum Polaimai! It is fruit (guava, pineapple, pears, grapes) and vegetables (green beans, tomatos, carrots) in a slightly spicy sauce - the BEST! We also had suki and Som Tum (spicy papaya salad), along with other soups, noodles dishes, fried fish and of course, rice and khai dao (fried egg)! Oh man...now this is good Thai cooking!

After dinner - fully stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey - I was actually pretty tired. I think all this teaching, running around and flitting about from here to there caught up with me, because I slept for like 12 hours last night! Now, I am ready and rarin' to go - although, I think it might be another veg out day in Saimai. Oh well, we are probably going to need all the energy we can get for the kiddies this week. As for next weekend, Lauren and I are thinking Buddhist meditation retreat...going to see if I can make it happen!

Classroom Craziness

Oh…the first full week back teaching after break is coming to a close. Thank the Lord! I started off so patient with the children – lovingly guiding them to the correct answers on worksheets, giving them praise for coloring jobs well done and overall, boosting their self-esteem so they could feel good about their English skills. Then, I lost my patience. It is nowhere to be found at the moment. here are the little rascals actually behaving in the classroom, in somewhat of a rare moment.

My kiddies in grade 1C are still rambunctious, but the good news is that this semester, I lost two of my most out-of-control boys, so the class has quieted down a bit. And I mean, a bit. I also started teaching after-school, which is pretty much one hour from 3:30 – 4:30pm where you babysit the children until school is out. On Mondays and Tuesdays, I have six girls, and they are so much fun!

Pornpawee is my fave – she is short, chubby and just about the sweetest little girl in the world. In Thailand, children are given their Thai names by a Buddhist monk when they are born (in other words, Pornpawee’s parents are not to blame for their daughter’s name). Their parents give them a nickname or English name, which is used by family and friends. Well, I asked little Pornpawee what her nickname was and she said quite simply, “Pam.” Yes, her English name is Pam, and she is totally, 100% a Pam. Little Pammy is the one in the bottom right hand corner.

Also this week, I have had Attakan singing Maroon 5’s song, “This Love” all week on top of Pavin drawing suicidal people jumping from buildings into cars (We are in our environments unit, and he was asked to draw a city environment. That’s what he came up with). Today, I wore a white, flowy dress, and now all the girl’s in my class are coming up to me, rubbing my stomach and saying “Baby! Baby!” Yes, my students think I am pregnant. Great ego boost for me.

An even bigger ego-boost happened today at lunch. I was walking from the canteen to get lunch from the teacher’s lunchroom. The Thai gym teacher, Chanon, happens to teach gym between those two areas, and he was teaching grade 7 boys soccer. Well, as I was walking, the ball came towards me so I thought, “Hey! Let’s show these boys that the cool American teacher can play soccer too.” So, I went to kick the ball, completely slipped on my gold ballet flats, was hurtled into the air and landed smack dab on my right elbow. Not only did I flash 10 grade 7 boys in the process (remember the white, flowy dress?), but now I have an elbow the size of a tennis ball. No joke. Friday cannot come soon enough.

Now, I have one more class left before the end of the day, then after-school class, a little Internet and then off to the gym tonight, although no lifting with the injured elbow! Hope all is well back home! Sawatdee kah!

Moopin' Around

We are back, back again in Bangkok...but this time, with a visitor! Our dear friend Steve-O - who we acquainted ourselves with on the long, treacherous lurching bus ride through Laos - happened to swing by this crazy metropolis before he leaves back to England today, so we were able to reunite with our British mate! Since Steve had yet to properly see Bangkok, it was only natural that Lauren and I bring him to only the best sights. Clearly, our first stop was crazy Chatuchak Market!

Now...if you look closely at this picture (I guess you don't need to look close because it is pretty obvious) you will see a lovely mural of the King Rama IX plastered on the side of the building! One of my favorite things in Thailand is that a majority - and I definitely mean more than half - of the buildings here have ginormous King murals on multiple sides of their building. This one happens to be in Queen Sirikit Park, which is situated just outside the chaotic consumerism that is Chatuchak Weekend Market!

Another note...the King is currently in poor health - I mean, the man is going to be 80 years old this December for heaven's sake (which is a national holiday and a vacation day for moi!). Let's hope for a quick recovery because supposedly, this country is going to descend into widespread craziness if he passes away! You can also get jailed for saying anything bad about the royal family, so I am going to refrain from telling more. As much as I would love to spend seven years in Thai jail, I am going to keep quiet! King Rama IX is not only the world's longest reigning monarch (take that Queen Lizzie!), but he has done loads of community development work. One example, he is helping out poor hill tribes earn money by promoting local artisan crafts. What a King!

After navigating the maze that is Chatuchak Market (which, miracle of miracles, I did not buy one thing at yesterday!), we brought Steve to another Bangkok trademark - Siam Paragon! I think I have mentioned that Paragon is by far the nicest shopping mall I have ever been in - Gucci, Versace, Armani, Dolce and Gabbana - they have it all!

They also happen to have a most delish gourmet food market - which much to my delight, I discovered yesterday! With a large supermarket, bakeries, fruit stands, restaurants and stands selling local delicacies, it is a cross between Whole Foods and Kowalski's. Heaven, I'd say! Littered with free samples, the three of us spent hours browsing everything and got much of our dinner for free! Having a built-in radar for finding sickenly sweet sweets, I discovered the Thai dessert roti. Oh man...after turning the dough so it is literally paper thin, they fold it up into a circle, fry it on a large griddle with butter, then proceed to chop this flaky delight up into pieces, put it in a cute little Tupperware container and drizzle it with milk and sugar. I don't know what else to say but perfecto!

After finally leaving Siam Paragon following our 2-hour eating samples binge, we headed back out to Silom - where we continued the market extravaganza with the night markets! Bootlegged DVD's, designer clothes & purses, lamps, shoes, belts, clothes, food - you name it, they've knocked off the originals! This is a really fun area of the city to browse, not only because of the shopping (I am slowly learning that Asia is one big consumer society!), but because Silom is the area where people go out, party at night and all that jazz.

Which means...knowing Bangkok and the fact it's pretty much the sex capitol of the world, Silom is one of the centers of the sex show industry. Enter the moop. The moop is a new term - coined and hopefully, in the future, trademarked by Steve, Lauren and I - to signify the presence of what they like to call, a ladyboy. Wherever you walk, you are accosted by men offering you invitations to shows featuring scantily clad women - ping pong shows, banana shows, sex shows...I think you get the picture. However, you may find that many of these "women" are not in fact real "women," but instead, ladyboys or more properly speaking, transvestites. So, everytime we saw one, we'd say "Moop!" Now, there are different varying degrees of the moop - dependent upon the degree of the ladyboy - but all you need to know is that the moop looks something like this...

Overall, we clearly had quite a lovely day in Bangkok showing Steve around! Now, it is Sunday once again, and our agenda for today? Maybe a little pool (the rainy season is gone!), a little massage (there is always enough money in the budget for a massage), definitely a work-out, then relax before the school week starts all back over again tomorrow! So far so good at school, here's to another good week with the kiddies!