Cannot Brain, I Have teh Dumb

Not much to say today, really, and no new pictures. I wandered the streets of Chonburi again for a bit, picking up the last few little things to give to people. Tomorrow, I am spending three hours at the ocean - frolicking as Julie puts it - so there will be pictures then. And after that, early to bed and far too early to rise and off I go back home. :)

Mountains and Molehills

I have only two days left in beautiful Thailand.

This thought brings with it both joy - at going home, sleeping in my own bed, being with my friends in Austin, playing with Eliot - and sadness - at saying goodbye to such a beautiful land. I definitely will need to come back to this part of the world again at some point, because there is so much that I know I have missed seeing.

I do plan to thoroughly enjoy the next two days, however!

More Errands and Thoughts

So, today was errand day in Bangkok. I was reminded how much I love the colors here in Thailand - pinks, purples, blues, greens, yellows, oranges, reds, and combinations of all of those, and that's just the taxis! It amazes me how something so ordinary and blah in the states can be made to look so beautiful with a splash of paint and a trip halfway around the world.

Another thing that surprises me is the juxtapositions that exist everywhere. Out my hotel window alone I can see a series of slum style buildings, a new high rise being built, and a beautiful temple. It isn't something that would be expected in the US at all. Sometimes, you even get contrasts within a single building:



So many things that are beautiful and old and slightly sad all while still smiling.

And, because I am a forensics geek:

Colorful Metaphors Float Through the Air

So, the hotel is just off one of the longest and busiest roads in Thailand - Sukhumvit Road. It runs from the center of Bangkok all the way down to the southern end of Pattaya. There are no crosswalks and very few street lights. Instead, for the safety and edification of the pedestrians, they Thai people provide bridges across the street. They are tall enough that double-decker buses can pass under them without trouble and wide enough for three people to stand abreast. They also afford one of the most interesting views of daily life in Chonburi.









People and cars and dogs and carts and scooters and motorcycles and mountains, oh my!

My Head is Hung in Tasty, Tasty Shame

Today, I became THAT tourist. We all know who THAT tourist is. They go to a foreign country and eat only what they are used to eating - hamburgers, hotdogs, etc. I have made a conscious effort to avoid being THAT tourist during my first trip away from North America. But today I buckled.

I had to walk to the Post Office today - not a horrid walk, if a bit long to undertake in the heat of the afternoon - in order to mail postcards off. On my way there, I passed the Pizza Hut. Again. And on the way back, the familiar smell hit me and I just had to go in. I ordered a Hawaiian pizza and paid about the equivalent of $3.50 for a small. It was SO worth it, though.

Nom. *in shame*

If it is Sunday, This Must be Christ Church, Bangkok

There is something comforting about being a member of the Anglican community. Wherever you go in the world, you can find a family ready to welcome you.

There are two reasons why I think that my father (Hi, Daddy!) would like Christ Church. First of all, the service was full of music and congregational involvement and wonderment. Second, they seem quite attached to the animals of Bangkok.

I was late arriving to church - only by a few minutes, but that was enough to make sure that the only seats available were near the front. (For my non-Anglican readers, the back pews of the church always fill up first, perhaps so that the priest can't see people when they nap during the sermon.) I was able to sit near a window and was distracted by a little cat sitting under a bush, hot and apparently paw-sore. One of the greeters had noticed her as well, it seems, and was soon next to her with a cup of milk. (NOTE: I know that cat's are lactose intolerant; this is not the point of the story. ;) ) He put the cup down and waggled his fingers at the cat, trying to get her attention. She was meowing loudly enough that I could hear her in the church. He moved the cup closer and waggled again, but she kept meowing. When she tried to get up, it was obvious that her paws hurt. So this wonderful, kind, elderly gentleman - a stranger in a strange land if ever there was one - poured some milk into his hand and held it out to her. She lapped it up gratefully, and then it was time for another song so I had to look away. When I looked back, both man and cat were gone, with the cup being the only evidence they had ever been there at all.







The pictures are a touch blurry, perhaps, but give you an idea of how lovely the church is. And her people were doubly so! Thank you all, congregants of Christ Church, for opening your worship to me!

Every Cat has her Day

I figured out what was lacking in my Thai adventure last night - cats. I had seen plenty of friendly dogs wandering the street, but there was nary a feline in sight. Well, last night coming back to the hotel at the magic dusk hour, I saw many! They had spent the heat of the day sleeping, as anyone wise would do, and then came out to bask in the last of the sun before beginning their prowl. Sadly, I did not have my camera with me, so I cannot share them with you now. However, there will be more chances! :)

I do, however, have an amusing dinner picture from last night. This was my meal, thanks to 7-11 and a street vendor. And all of this for only about the equivalent of $1.25 US:



Today, I woke up far too early - which is when I've been waking up anyway, so *shrug* - and Headed out to the Khao Keeow Open Zoo. It should be mentioned that this is the second largest zoo in the world, with only San Diego being bigger. The morning, however, was dedicated to a zipline tour of the jungle around the zoo. After getting geared up:



we trekked out into the jungle. For me, this was the most strenuous portion of the morning fun. There were way to many steep portions of hill side for my comfort. Still, the views of the trees along the way were well worth it:



Once up into the trees, the fun really began! The group I was with was mostly composed of Russian tourists, but they were a fun group and really threw themselves into the experience:



And, just to prove that I really was up there, flying with the gibbons:



You can't see it, but there was a huge grin on my face the entire time. (More pictures may follow later, but this post is getting heavy already and I haven't even started in on the zoo yet!) One of the zip line guides decided that I was "very beautiful" and spent the entire time hitting on me and taking my picture. He also gave me his number, which was flattering and amusing all at once.

After we were back on solid ground again and had a light lunch, I set off on my own to explore the zoo. There was an awful lot of walking to do, but it was well worth it! Of course, not everyone agreed that the zoo was fascinating:



One of my favorite parts of the zoo was that most of the - non-predatory - animals were easy to get close to and see. Some even were available to touch - although, not being an animal lover on this trip (stupid rabies), I didn't touch. This elephant had a new calf and both were on display so that they could meet their public:



Me being me, I had to see the tigers as quickly as possible. I got to see two lovely beasts, but both were asleep. One reminded me very much of Eliot, who often sleeps with his tongue out as well:



Many vendors offer snake beans to feed to the various herbivores. The hippos, especially, seemed to love them:



On my way out, I stopped into the visitors center to ask about getting a taxi back to Chonburi. Naturally, there were even more animals there:







I asked at the information desk about getting a taxi and the gentleman there - Eddie - said that he would drive me back himself. I got into his very large truck - !! - and he brought me back to the hotel. He also gave me his card and said I should call him before I leave Thailand.

Apparently they like big white girls here. ;)

There's Crazy and Then There's Crazy

Before I get to my Thai ramblings, I'd like everyone to know that the building hit by the plane in Austin was miles away from both where I live and work. To the best of my knowledge no one I know was directly affected by it - thanks for letting me know, Jenny! - and the monster kitty, while scared by the noise, is likely ok - thanks for looking in on him, Geoff. My prayers go out to the people who were affected by the crash.

*****

I am eternally grateful not to be driving myself anywhere in Thailand. Apparently, lanes are something that happen to other people here.

Mind you, all of the drivers that I have ridden with have been excellent - and not in the Rain Man sort of way. I feel perfectly safe as we merge and break off from the pack with utter disregard for the lines on the road and only minor regard for the posted road signs. The good thing is that all of the other drivers disregard the same rules and lines, making things mostly safe for those inside cars.

It also all explains why there are walkways above the street used to cross it, rather than people trying to walk across on ground level.

There will be pictures of this phenomenon later today. Just to share my easy unease. ;)

Out of the Roaring Ocean the Crowd...

So, I made it most of the way to the ocean today. (There were some logistical problems to getting all the way there, but I was still able to see the tide roll in.) In honor of that, no more writing just pictures:

The Queens we use Would not Excite You

Today was dedicated to a trip to Bangkok. As part of the trip, we did two things the guidebook tells you never to do. One ended up being a great choice, the other less so but still overall positive.

One of the things that you read is to be careful of taxi and tuktuk drivers because they often have deals with stores and will take you there instead of going directly where you want. However, we got to the Grand Palace and were deflected for a bit. Instead, a tuktuk driver was called to take us to see the Lucky Buddha:



The Lucky Buddha temple is located up a tiny alley and is not a place that I would have even considered going without the tuktuk driver. However, it was absolutely lovely. We met a former monk - most men in Thailand become a monk for at least a little while and this gentleman had been one for three months - who told us all about the shrine and regaled us with stories of being a Chinese-Thai man who now lives in L.A. It was a remarkable time and gave me many ideas for things to write about.

After that, we went to the Pan-Siamese Gem Co., Ltd. This is a government "factory" that makes and sells jewelry. Generally, everything is sold via export and the manufacturer is closed to the public. The one exception to this is the week of Chinese New Year. Today was the last day that they were open to the public - and was a tax free day. Needless to say, there was an amazing array of gems. I picked up two lovely pieces for myself: a cat pendant with a two caret star sapphire for the body and Thai rubies for the eyes and a half caret star sapphire ring that matches remarkably well. I couldn't resist, the pieces are so beautiful. (Pictures will follow in the next few days.)

The next stop was James Fashion International, a local tailor. I had been planning on going to one anyway and so chose a lovely mint colored silk and a beautiful pattern and am having a dress tailor made for me. I will pick the dress up in just over a week. I can't wait to have it finished and will have to find some where to wear it when I get back to the States.

Then we went back to the Grand Palace, only to find out that it was closed. There were people selling lovely cloth panels painted like the walls of the temples in the Grand Palace. I bought several for use as pillows - and possibly gifts - and we were instantly surrounded by people wanting to sell random stuff to us. We escaped into a taxi and headed back to the hotel. Now it is time for some dinner and mellow time in the hotel room. Tomorrow: OCEAN!!!!

Why am I not an Animal Lover Again?

So, after a lovely breakfast buffet and a bit of puttering in the room, Julie and I explored our environs some today. We spent a little over an hour walking around the center of ChonBuri, the city the hotel is located in. And what an experience it was.

First of all, may I take a moment to say that I love the way that first world nations handle their sewage. Not that there is a major problem with how it is handled here, just that walking past grates in the streets in more, um, fragrant. More than making up for that, however, are the multiple street vendors with their curries and meats and fruits of various sizes and colors. Nothing was purchased from any of them today, but the experience was more than worth it just to see what was being offered.

A Thai shopping mall, for the record, is very unlike an American one. Rather than a collection of shops that share a common building, here it is a series of shops that make up entire city blocks. Most are separate physically from one another only because of shared walls, but they all face outwards. Walking around at 1100 was likely a mistake, however, as it was quite warm and the natives all gave us strange looks for being out and about and active. I am sensing that excursions in the neighborhood will likely happen earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon for the rest of our stay.

One of the very interesting differences between Thailand and the US is the prevalence of random dogs here. During our hour of walking, we came across four dogs in various stances - from the black and white dog that was sacked out next to one of the shops to the brown mama dog wandering around saying hi to everyone. It was clear that the dogs belonged to no one in particular, however none of them appeared unhealthy or unhappy in any way. They had good body weight and none seemed inclined to snatch food from any of the food stalls. Clearly, they are looked after by the locals without regard for ownership or anything else. A lovely thing to see and something I wish there was more of in the States. There would be far less overcrowding in shelters, if nothing else.

For the record, there are both a KFC and a Pizza Hut within easy walking distance of the hotel. Both scare me a little bit, however, and I think that I will skip them.

Also, is it wrong that I am vastly amused by the Gideon placed New Testament in this hotel room and wish there was a copy that I could buy to take home with me?

Now it is almost time for me to hit the hay. Tomorrow we are planning on taking the bus into Bangkok and seeing the Grand Palace. I want to be well rested for that.

:)

Happiness Comes in Odd Packages

Thailand - and sleep - are achieved!

After all of the drama getting to Seattle, the boarding and flight across the ocean - ocean! - were fairly uneventful. I watched more movies than I thought humanly possible - 500 Days of Summer is cuter than expected - and found out that I have difficulty sleeping on airplanes. (I will pick up some Tylenol PM at the local 7-11 before I leave; thanks for the idea, Jess!) Arriving at Narita, we went through airport security again on our way to the International terminal for our Bangkok flight. Whee! Lines!

Once at our gate, however, there was time for bathroom breaks and a little duty free shopping - had to get an orange lucky cat to watch over me since my orange monster is at home. Then back onto a huge plane and off for the last leg of our trip.

Julie had the window seat from Seattle to Tokyo - my choice because I knew that I would be entranced by glimpses of the ocean and quite annoying to those travelers around me who did not know the back story. Instead, I took the window for the Tokyo/Bangkok leg. I made the right choice.

Taking off from Tokyo, it was already dark, so the first knowledge I had of being over the ocean was that the lights from the land ceased to be below me. Instead, we were low enough that I could see the lights from the boats running hither and yon still - and their reflections in the ocean. It was a surprisingly magical sight that will stay with me for a very long time indeed.

The next sight that I won't be getting rid of anytime soon was that of running away from the sun. For the first three hours of the trip I could look out towards the back of the plane and watch the light across the horizon - in fact it would seem the entire horizon - shrink, until it was just a thin orange line that disappeared between one breath and the next. Stunning and lovely.

Flying over Thailand was much like I would imagine flying in the space shuttle is like. At our elevation and the time of night, only small specks of light were visible as we flew over homes and villages and farms and temples. It was like the constellations had left the sky to dance on the earth.

The airport in Bangkok was surprisingly full of life for 11PM. There were people everywhere! Getting our passports stamped was a relatively simple process of standing in line and then getting our pictures taken after 28 hours of being up and in either airplanes or airports. I'm sure that picture is every bit as lovely as my passport photo itself. We then picked up our checked baggage - both bags having made the trip none the worse for wear - and went looking for the driver that was to take us to our hotel. Despite feeling like we had walked half way across Bangkok proper, we found our guide easily enough and she called the van. Then it was off to the hotel - a brief 30 minute drive away - and sweet insensibility (i.e. - sleep) for me.

The beds are small but very comfortable at the Chon Inter Hotel and I feel as if we are off to a good start. More later - perhaps with pictures as well!

Ocean at Last!!

Ok, so it was just through the plane window as we flew into Seattle, and technically it was the Sound, but still I will take it!!!

This morning has been an adventure thus far - mostly good with some "WTF" thrown in for good measure. With all the weather drama, Delta (the people providing us with our passage, after receiving a sizable chunk of cash) is running behind with almost all flights and doing flaky things like not reporting our check in to the gates. Needless to say, there was minor panic on our part, but we got on the plane ok and are now waiting in Seattle to fly to - JAPAN!!!!!

Not that I'm excited or anything. *slurps udon*

Leg One - Complete

I am typing this from Julie's apartment in Salt Lake City. Settling in for the five hours of sleep before we leave for the airport. It's been a lovely evening so far. :)

The Countdown Continues

I'm entering into the last few days before my trip now and the excitement has set in! Clothes have been sprayed for bugs and are about to be packed, camera and batteries are ready to go, and I am working on my Thai - not fluent by a long shot, but I can ask where the bathroom is and count to 10 at least.

There is still plenty to do, but the clock is quickly running out!