Trekking Day 3

We woke up early for breakfast at the park at 8:00 today. Some weird porridge was for breakfast, but it tasted pretty good. Then we left for trekking at 9:00! First we walked through the forest to see some waterfalls. On the way there I saw 2 dead scorpions on the road! The forest was beautiful, and the trails were nice. We ended up seeing the same waterfalls we had seen yesterday, but from the other side! The tour guides took us to another waterfall level that was beautiful! The water was clear and there were so many fish! The fish were pretty big and the guides told us we could stick our feet in the water and let the fish eat off the dead skin!

Afterwards we headed to a different park where some ancient caves existed deep in the forest. We went from park to park while sitting in the back of pick up trucks. That was one of my favorite parts of the trip so far! The views were phenomenal! We could see mountains covered in trees, a huge dam, and a variety of Thai houses. We arrived at the park and had a great lunch of fried rice, eggs, chicken, and vegetables. The tour guide told us the hike from the base area to the cave was 600 meter, but he failed to mention that it was 600 meters of steep stairs. My legs were DYING! It may have been one of the most physically taxing things I have ever done. The outside of the cave at the top was beautiful! There was gorgeous flora and fauna and the cave itself sported stalagmites and stalactites galore! Unfortunately, I did not go into the cave. Although I have been in caves before, this cave really scared me because the entrance was itsy bitsy! It was the sixe of a small doorway and only one person at a time could fit through. I decided to pass because situations like that freak me out, and I know I wouldn’t be able to enjoy what was inside if I was freaking out about getting back out safely. Apparently the inside was very spacious; a big room with 30 meter tall ceilings! 

After hiking, a bunch of us went to get some ice cream and get changed for swimming in the river. I had the most delicious strawberry ice cream that I have ever had! Unfortunately, I hadn’t brought a swimsuit because I didn’t realize swimming would be an option. Most of us just swam in our clothes. The water was so pretty and there were fish everywhere! I let the fish bite off the dead skin cells on the bottom of my feet. Most people didn’t like it, but I didn’t mind. It just felt a little tickly. On our way to the river we got an unexpected surprise, Monkeys! There were monkeys just hanging out in the trees surrounding the river. It was absolutely unreal to be swimming in a gorgeous natural river, with waterfalls on either side, and monkeys jumping through the trees above me. I also swam back and stood behind the waterfall! On my way back into the swimming hole I hit my leg on a rock and got scratched up pretty well, so that was the end of swimming for me.

Trekking Day 2

For our second day at the floating markets, a bunch of other SEAS students and I got up early to watch the monks receive alms. I was really glad I got a chance to do this because it is a bug part of buddhist culture, but we could never get to the city quick enough to see it in Bangkok. I went to the riverside around 6:20 in the morning. The monks paddled their boats up to the lobby of our hotel (which was open to the river) and people went down to give alms in exchange for prayer. Once a monk was done receiving alms at a certain location, he would speak a prayer for those people. The prayer was spoken in Thai and was absolutely beautiful to hear! I went back to sleep for a couple of hours after that, and then woke up to see the market alive in the day. We ordered some food for breakfast off of a boat! The boat complete with all the ingredients necessary for cook Thai food and rowed right up to the hotel. I’m not quite sure what I ordered, but it was so spicy I couldn’t even finish it! After relaxing by the river for a couple more minutes, I went to get packed up for our next adventure! We took a bus to a different floating market, that was much more touristy. The first one wasn’t really touristy at all! After looking around at all the landed vendors, we hoped on a boat to see the floating vendors. There were entire stores on little canoes! I was feeling sick from the motion of the boat, so I hoped off early, but not before buying some bananas from a women on her own boat who rowed up next to us. After getting off the boat I decided I needed to relax for a little while and got a massage while sipping water in hopes of feeling better. The massage wasn’t as great as the professional ones I’ve gotten here in Thailand, but it was still nice. I did a little more shopping and bought a Carolina Blue bracelet before we embarked on the long drive to Kanchanaburi.

We got settled into our bungalows at Erawan National Park around 4:30, and then went to do a little bit of exploring! We found some beautiful waterfalls and some of the boys went swimming in the clear blue water. I eventually gave in and jumped into the water with my clothes on. After getting cleaned up we went to have a delicious feast prepared by a restaurant at the national park; we finished the night with a group game of fishbowl!

Trekking Day 1

Today we left Salaya and headed off to our side trip for the Thailand portion of the trip. I wasn’t too excited for this one, because we have had a lot of work to do and I have been very stressed out. Plus after the disaster that was Brunei, I wasn’t expecting much.

I started off the day on the wrong foot. My roommate Helena and I slept through our alarms and woke up five minutes after the group was supposed to leave to the sound of Dr. Tsin pounding on our door. Luckily I had already packed and the group was on our way 20 minutes after I got out of bed!

Our first stop was an elementary school in a more rural area outside of Bangkok. It was the most incredible experience of this trip so far! Most of the children had never seen foreigners before. They were adorable, so excited to see us, and so energetic. I was sad I couldn’t speak more Thai; it would have been nice to communicate with the children more! Many of the older ones had been taught to shake our hands and say “hello, nice to meet you” or “what is your name?”. I learned how to say “Pi Chu Kristin”, or “My name is Kristin”. Playing with the children was so rewarding and fun. The school gave us a delicious lunch of traditional Thai fruits, veggies, rice, and more! Then we went into the school so that the 9th graders could show us what they were up to during the school day. Once a student reaches 9th grade, they learn vocational training. There were workshops for sewing, cooking, making fermented eggs, carpentry, and electrical work. It was interesting to see that the students were learning so many vocational skills in school, but it was sad to hear that many students don’t continue their education past 9th grade, and that is why the vocational training is so important. Pi Da, the lady who is in charge of coordinating our program through Mahidol University, had attended that school as a child and gave the students a speech in Thai urging them to continue their education. She used us as examples and I really hope the children took it to heart!

Next we went to a high school nearby! After nomming on some delicious traditional Thai desserts and watching Thai dancing, Pi Da asked us to pair up with a Thai student and help them practice English! I ended up talking with three Thai girls who were 16 and 17 years old. One was significantly better at English than the other two. There seemed to be an apathy for learning english among the other ones, and they had trouble understanding a lot of what I was saying. However, I understand their pain because I hated learning Spanish! It was fun to learn about the everyday lived of the Thai girls and what their school is like. They are ver similar to American girls, actually!

Next we headed to our final destination for the day, the floating markets! We checked into our hotel, which is a really neat little ned and breakfast right on the water. And when I say on the water, I mean literally, on the water! We ordered our dinner off of a boat and ended up with some delicious noodles and prawns. After walking around the shops for a little bit we headed back to the hotel to catch a firefly tour boat. The tour was amazing! we were taken down the Mekong river, where the riverflies gather on trees and look like christmas lights in the dark! After relaxing for a little bit in the lobby of the hotel (which is actually outside) I headed off to bed! Good night:)

Thai Massage

After our group trip to UNESCO, Sara Bush, Brenna, Leeann and I went to try out some traditional Thai massage. We took the Skytrain to Asoke and spent a couple minutes trying to follow the confusing Thai version of Google Maps before we found Healthland Spa. My first impression was “There is no way these massages can be only $15 USD, this place looks so nice!”. It was a gorgeous multi-story white colonial looking building with its own parking area (a luxury in the city). Upon entering, I was even more impressed; it reminded me of the nice spa I had been to in Southlake. We were informed that there was a one hour wait, and decided to stick it out on the comfy couches on the lobby. I got some rose water and tried to ignore my extreme hunger. Luckily, we got called in for my massage in no time! A massage therapist had us sit and take off our shoes; she provided us with little slippers to wear. Then she took us up to our massage room on the 6th floor (yes, that means 6 floors of massages). We got funny little silk outfits to change into and then laid down on our comfy mattresses on the floor before the massage therapists came in. 

I can safely say it was nothing like any massage I have gotten in the states. She started off with my legs and feet while I was lying on my stomach. Then she moved to my arms and my back. After a short break, I flipped over and laid in her lap, while she worked on my face neck and shoulders. Last but not least she did all these weird stretches with me. Some people equated the whole process to having someone do yoga for you. It took two hours total. I felt like she was using a foam roller on my muscles for much of the session, but it still felt amazing. Also, Thai masseuses don’t use any oil, just their bar hands. She massaged every part of my body that could possibly be massaged using really weird techniques! I felt so relaxed during the massage despite the intense pain and tickling at points. Leeann, on the other hand, was yelping of pain throughout the first 20 minutes.

I enjoyed the massage so much that I went to go get another one the next day with Paul, Madeline, and Anne. When a two-hour massage costs 450 Baht, or 15 USD, it is hard to resist getting them again and again! We went to the Pinklao location of Healthland this time, because it is much closer to Mahidol (but still not really close). I had a slightly different experience. The masseuse used different techniques, but the basic structure of the massage was the same.

The next Friday, Leeann and I wanted to go shopping, but found out that they place we were headed was close while we were in the taxi on the way there. We decided to hit up Healthland Pinklao again. This time, we got foot reflexology treatments. It was a little over $8 USD for one hour! The foot reflexology was amazing, I was so relaxed and felt refreshed after that. I also got a massage that weekend at one of the floating markets, but it was not nearly as nice.

I have officially decided after so much massage and relaxation, that what I am going to miss most about Thailand is the affordable massages.

Cocktails and Cabaret

On Wednesday night, Pooja, Leeann, Mariah, Olivia and I went out for a night on the town. We started out with some delicious pizza at a little Italian place in Bangkok. It actually tasted like real, western pizza and was for sure the best pizza I have had so far in Asia. 

Then, we headed up to the Skybar, where The Hangover 2 was filmed. I have never seen The Hangover 2, but hopefully I will recognize the bar if I do see it! The bar is on the 63rd floor of the Lebua Hotel. I don’t think the whole building is a hotel, because that would be a a lot of rooms. The bar is completely open air and situated on the edge of the roof of the hotel. The view was amazing; I could see all of Bangkok so clearly! I think it was definitely better (and scarier) than Marina Bay sands in Singapore. I ordered a ‘Pink on the Roof’ and sipped it while enjoying views of the Chao Praya River and all of Bangkok.

Next we grabbed a cab and headed over to the Calypso Cabaret at the Asia Hotel to see a show. Cabarets here in Thailand are a little different than those in america. In Thailand, all the dancers are boys; some are boys dressed up like girls, some are boys dressed like boys, and some are ‘ladyboys’, or transvestides. We ended up getting front row seats; they were some of the only ones left in the theatre, so we were really lucky. The show was very entertaining and funny. Some of the ladyboys were so convincing looking, I couldn’t believe they were every boys!

Exploring the Chao Phraya River

Monday I went with Brenna, Calvary, and Emily for some exploring of the Chao Phraya river! The Chao Phraya river runs down the heart of Bangkok, and then upwards towards Ayutthaya. We started by taking a taxi to the Madarin Oriental Hotel. The hotel was beautiful! Exotic flowers and oriental hardwood furniture adorned the lobby. We went outside and saw palms and orchids shielding the private pool. Unfortunately, I think it was pretty obvious that we didn’t belong there, and we were shooed away by the people working in the lobby. It was actually the most unwelcome I have ever felt at any hotel!

After scurrying from the hotel, we found the oriental pier next door, where we caught an express water taxi down river. The water taxis are medium sized ferry boats that Thai people use to travel down river. Our first stop was at Memorial Bridge, where we went looking for Wat Rajaburana and Red Chinese Temple. They were part of the same complex, and we found them, but for some reason the temple had been converted into a parking lot? We were so confused! The temple was one of the prettiest temples I have seen in Southeast Asia so far! We tried to take pictures, but some guys in the parking lot started walking towards us, so we ran away quickly!

We hoped back on the river taxi and headed to Tha Tien. It turned out that we were at the same port we had been to on the day we went to the Grand Palace and Wat Po. Our group was really excited about that because there had been some great shopping. We took a quick shopping break and I got some beautiful ceramic wear and a teak wood carving. Next we took a cross river taxi to Wat Arun, or the temple of dawn. We didn’t go inside the temple because we were trying to conserve our baht, but it was amazing to see it from the outside! The temple is so intricate and beautifully designed it is unreal!

We took another cross-river taxi back to Tha Tien and hopped on a tuk-tuk to visit the Golden Mount. The golden mount is a large shrine built on an artificial hill. It is the only place to get a birds-eye view of the old city because high rise buildings are prohibited in the area. As we ascended the 300 steps to the top, there were gorgeous flowers and various small shrines. Additionally, we could here the prayers projected from the surrounding monastery as we climbed. The view from the top was spectacular. We could see the Bangkok skyline in the background, so many wats, people playing soccer on a rooftop, and more!

Unfortunately, we got caught in Bangkok 5 o’clock traffic for the first time, and it took almost and hour to get back to Mahidol. I was glad to have checked so many great sites of off my list though!

Ayutthaya

For our second weekend in Thailand we headed to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. First we stopped off at a museum to learn about the history and culture of ancient Ayutthaya. Then we went to the Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal to ride some elephants! We got to go on the ‘elephant taxis’, which were quick elephant rides around a big lake and some of Ayutthaya’s ruins. Leeann and I sat on a little seat on the elephants back while a man sat on the back of his head and controlled the elephant with his feet. It felt like riding on a boat, because with every step the elephant took I would rock back and forth. Afterwards some people became upset because they thought that riding the elephants and making them do tricks was inhumane. Although it was a little weird to see elephants living in a city and sitting on concrete slabs, I had to think about the circumstances at the elephant kraal in terms of the current elephant situation in Thailand. It is really sad to think that the elephant’s natural habitat is being destroyed, and elephants are being hunted in the wild. However, I am glad that the elephants can live through the conservation efforts of the Thai people. Elephant conservation efforts will be a good cause to look into in the future, when I actually have internet access!

Next we went to look at the ruins of Ayutthaya. It was absolutely amazing! There were wats upon temples upon palaces of decayed brick structures and concrete Buddhas without heads or limbs. It was crazy to see such a place and imagine what it had been like at its prime. Unfortunately, many of the sites had been damaged by the great floods that swept through Thailand last year. However, they were being repaired. Seeing Ayutthaya and learning about all of the history and culture that was involved with this great city was incredible!