Not Busy, Just Thai'd Up

Well, folks, I can honestly say that this has been one of the most boring weeks that I have had here in Thailand.  Tis because finals week is coming up, and my laziness meter and stress levels have skyrocketed to an all-time high.  It’s quite unfortunate that they’ve both decided to grow at the same time.  Also, all of the Thai students have left for break, the internet is AMAZING; so, the internet is an even worse distraction than before. The amount of times that I’ve checked Facebook is making me feel disgusting.

A lot of my time this week has been dedicated to reading the assignments that I neglected reading so that I can do well on my take-home final exam for Social and Cultural History.  I have two out of three essays done!!!!! It’s never taken so long to write two 3-page papers before (both of them are over 4 pages- #overachieving). I have neglected to study for my Thai exams and one of them is an oral exam at 10:10 am (kill me now). It’s not my fault- I had to watch the boys at Omega Dorm model on top of the rooftop for 30 minutes, and hang out with Allen, and watch Game of Thrones, and learn the lyrics to a bunch of songs.  These things are important too. 

Speaking of Allen…Allen is one of my good friends here at Payap.  He is from China, but he goes to school in Thailand, and he studied abroad at SMCM last semester!  Eyesha and I went out to dinner and an excursion with Allen and his girlfriend Tingting to hang out with them before they leave for China- Allen has graduated, and Tingting is leaving for break.  After dinner, we went to the market behind Big C.  It doesn’t have many things that interest me (mostly nice normal clothing and weird toys), but it DID have fried bugs for sale.

 And I ate some.  I had a little grub and bit the head off of the largest grasshopper in the bin. They didn’t taste bad, but I was absolutely horrified at the fact that I was eating bugs, and the grasshoppers head was super crunchy.  It’s amazing how the mind bars us from doing things that we’re totally capable of doing.  I tried eating bugs.  Now I can cross that off of my list of things to do, and I can say with conviction that I would prefer not to eat them.

After that lil escapade, we went to the German Microbrewery in Chiang Mai where I tasted the best beer I’ve ever had.  Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name, but it was yummy.  We met a man from Arizona who has been living in Thailand for 20 years.  We had a short conversation about how he saw that America was going downhill for years, and that he’s glad he’s no longer living there.  I can see how he justifies his reasons for being in Thailand from an economic perspective- you get a lot for your money here- but, politically…I just don’t really know.  Speaking of politics- sending in my absentee ballot this week!!!!! Good citizen!  Tis my first time voting J

 

I talked a lot about SMCM with Allen.  Unfortunately, this made me miss home a lot.  I think a lot of people are kinda missing home, especially those in relationships.  Crap has been going down lately, and it’s making me sad.  I won’t delve into personal matters too much in my blog, but I feel that long-distance relationships are a big issue in travelling.  It can be done people.  It sucks, but it can be done.  Don’t be a dingus and throw something good away.  My own beau has asked me to give this message to the boyfriends of my friends here, but I think this can apply to many others, so I post it here:

"Good sir, it has come to my attention that we are each dating incredible women as they mill about several thousand miles away in Thailand. I hereby challenge you: That we both maintain relationships with these ladies so long as they remain in that silly country. Where I am I have seen several relationships collapse due merely to distance - and I issue you this challenge in the hopes that at least two pairs of us can come away unscathed from this interesting, but most trying time. Stay true to your heart, stay true to your soul, Peter."

 

Now.  On to less serious matters.  Perhaps the most fun that I’ve had this week was our short reunion with the Swedes- Andreas, Erik, Adam, Philip, and Rosa (and the Chinese girl’s name that I can’t remember) that we met in Pai.  We intended to go to a Salsa Dance Club…but it was closed.  So we hitched a ride with P’Jew who had agreed to go bowling with us…but there was a bowling tournament that shut us out.  Success came when we decided to hit a few bars- the THC bar, Loco Elvis’ Restaurant and Bar, and of course…Zoey’s.  I hate Zoey’s.

Loco Elvis was great.  We didn’t eat their food, but we used their microphone.  Laura and I sang “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith, while Andreas pulled out his air guitar to Kiss’ “Detroit Rock City.”  The owner of the place is the absolute best- during a Thai girl’s performance of “Billionaire”, he made an unexpected entrance during the rap part- and he was amazing.  Twas a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and totally recommended for all of the classic rock fans and pop babies. 

 

Okay.  Awesome update.  We figured out how to get on top of the roof of Alpha! AAAHHHH!!!! I’ve been wanting to do that since I’ve been here, but the urgency was heightened by watching those boys model on the rooftop for 30 minutes.  It’s way too easy (though satisfactorily so) to get up there.  And the view is awesome.  We were gonna eat our Greek pizza from Duke’s on the roof, but then it got too dark.  Duke’s is a place that I would recommend to everyone who is missing good ol’ Amurican food- it’s a lovely establishment, it delivers to campus, and the food isn’t made Thai-style.

I feel like this is the most boring post that has been posted.  But my week has literally been filled with work and gorging myself to death with 7Eleven snacks.

Well, I’ll talk about food then.  I’ll list out my go-to’s slash all-time favorites that you must eat while here!

 

There.  I’m sure I’ve sufficiently bored you until you drool on your keyboard.  Either that, or I’ve made you extremely hungry for some Thai food- in which case, you should come here and join me for some nom noms!

4) This is a really good movie; it's called Lost in Paradise, and is about two gay men living in Saigon.  It talks about homosexuality and the sex industry in Vietnam.

Ard. Let’s get down to business…to defeat…my current lack of a new blog post. So, on Friday, I went on a magical journey with my good friends Emily, Laura and Maia to Pai, a backpacker’s haven!  We departed from the Arcade Bus Station in a bus, where we would stay for the next three hours. Luckily, I bought some yellow motion sickness pills and took them…there are about 780 curves through a windy mountain to get to Pai.  The ride was great- I was asleep for most of it.

When we emerged tired, and stiff-knee’d, we found ourselves in a quaint lil town where white people were roaming the streets, and nary a Thai person was to be found.  That is, until we stumbled across the high school, where a festival was being hosted.  It was a multiple-day festival of constant music, regardless of whether or not there was an audience.  We got to witness Thai pop singers belting out songs whilst girls in traditional Thai costume danced around them.  It was…interesting.

 

We went on a hunt for our hostile- Spicy Pai Backpackers.  Dude, this hostile is awesome.  It’s a bit out of town, across a couple of bridges…and on your right is a lovely set of bungalows. Just beauteous.  I’d never stayed in a hostile before- and I’m so glad that this one was my first.  The mindset and personalities of backpackers are so wonderful- and these backpackers were the greatest people ever.

 I swear, our hostel was a mini taste of Europe (and other white people countries)- people from Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, Denmark, Australia, and yes, folks, we befriended more Americans.  We spent the weekend with our short-term newfound friends- they acted as hosts, caretakers, and family.  My favorite person, Uncle John, was a bright green gumdrop in my day- he never failed at cheering everyone up or adding a laugh into the conversation. His favorite video was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMS2VnDveP8.  It was only hilarious because he laughed at it so hard.

We slid down Slidey Waterfall, we jumped off of Jumping Waterfall, and we climbed an incomplete Buddha statue to watch a sunset, and we chilled in some natural hot springs. (OMG the roads to get to the hot springs are awful and treacherous and slightly resemble a rollercoaster.  It was like being in a video game…but in real life.  I was on the back of a motorbike [rent for 140 baht per day with insurance-cheap!] the entire time, so you can imagine how terrifying that was…not really, since I didn’t describe it, but I shouldn’t because it could deter people from going.  Just do it…it’s an experience.) But, I think my ultimate favorite thing that we did was go to a bar with the hostile peeps.  They decided that Saturday night was lady’s night, so the guys all dressed up as women.  It was the most hilarious thing ever.  They were enjoying it way too much, and Andreas especially was amazing at being a girl.

I had way too many Mai Tais and ended up having a drunken political talk with all the Europeans.  We also had a contest to see who was better at geography- guess who lost…RIGHTO- this girl!  And for those of you who might think I can’t possibly fail, well…*blush* why, thank you, but I really suck at geography…and politics.  I did know when the French Revolution started (1789!), which impressed Cory…I think that was his name.  Anyway, the Europeans are very impressive, and very into politics, so it was fun to have a conversation with them. They did acknowledge the fact that they were uneducated about Africa, a lot of Asia, and some other things- same as America.  Come on Western countries- let’s fix this ignorance.

 

The town of Pai.  Well, basically, there are streets upon streets of stores with some pretty cool stuff for tourists, and restaurants.  We made this weekend our escape from Thai food- it was beautiful.  Some recommended places are Witching Well, The Good Life, and Coffee in Love.  But we didn’t go to any of those.  We went to a place that I think is called Cake Go.  OMG.  I had THE BEST sandwich that I’ve ever tasted in my life.  Just look at it.  I have never been happier after eating a sandwich.  This could be because it’s been a long time since I’ve had a decent sandwich, decent bread, decent cheese, decent raw veggies….mmmmm I am slobbering.  Just look at it.

 

We also went to the Curry Shack.  The guy who works there is over 30 years old, but looks 25.  Aaaaaand he’s an amazing cook.  Best durn curry I’ve had in a long time.  I recommend the Green Curry, the Masman Curry, the Khao Soy Curry, and the Panang Curry.  Woof woof awhooooooo!

The Thai food there is absolutely delish as is the street food.  There are a million possibilities for eating at this place, but apparently the Italian food is crapola.

Lemme get back right quick to the motorbikes.  It’s super easy to rent a motorbike- super risky, but super easy, and super cheap.  If you are good and comfortable at riding a motorbike, I’d recommend it.  You’ll fall in love with Pai that much quicker.  There’s something amazing about riding down the roads on the back of a motorbike, taking in the lush scenery, and conquering fears and roads.  Emily brought up something she’d read in a book about “the zen of motorbikes” (or something like that) where the writer said that riding in a car is like watching a movie, but riding on a motorbike is like being in the movie.  Definitely sums up how I felt.  Incredible. 

 

So, Pai.  If you are looking for a break from your culture shock in Thailand…definitely the place to go.  A lovely haven for travelers, who are mostly white people, where your only encounters with Thai people are at the shops.  I bargained for a skirt there and the shopowner complimented on my Thai skills. HELLZ YEA!

Oh! On the way to town from Jumping Waterfall, we stopped at this lovely little place called the Land Crack.  It is called this because it's a family-owned farm with a giant land crack in the middle of it.  So, they can't produce enough food to sell at market.  Instead, they feed us backpackers some delicious fresh peanuts, sweet bananas, tasty passion fruit, cut up potatoes with salt, refreshing roselle juice, and some of the best red wine in a tiny bottle.  Oh my goodness- it was so delcious.  These people run off of donations, so EVERYONE WHO VISITS PAI SHOULD VISIT THE LAND CRACK AND GIVE EM SOME BAHT!

 

Now, enjoy my photos…or else.

Sa wat dee kha (hello)!!! So I have officially been in Thailand for three days, and it feels like I left home about three weeks ago.  The flight was an excruciating too many hours- from Dulles to Seoul, Korea, and then to Chiang Mai.  22+ hours of travel, several back and neck aches, and minor body odor: totally a great time.

Alex and I exchanged our U.S. money ($1= 30.5 baht, roundabouts) and then were greeted by a really nice driver named P’Jew.  The main mode of transportation for foreigners, or those who don’t have motorbikes or cars, seems to be the songthaew (spelling is probably not correct- but my internet is barely working, so I cannot check) which is a red truck.  They are relatively cheap, especially if you cram twenty people into it.

Anyway, we arrived at school- Payap- around midnight, and were taken to a guest room in Alpha House, which is the girls’ dormitory here.  We were confused about our placement because normally, students have stayed at the International House…but oh well! We do not have to worry about paying utilities, which is just lovely!  Erm, yea.  So, we will be moving into our real room in Alpha on Sunday- our Thai roommate has been away, and tomorrow we are going to a village in the Phrao district for four days, so we continue to live out of our suitcases,

I am really tired.  But I must push through and try to write this!  By the way- no pictures yet.  This internet is very slow and I do not have the patience to try uploading photos.

Anyways, so yea.  Life on this campus is pretty nice.  Some of the scenery and the fact that the city is a short travel away remind me of SMCM- so it’s kinda homey.  But, this place is definitely not as lax- no girls in boy dorm halls (and vice versa), no changing in front of your roommate (modesty and conservatism are key), walking around barefoot is unseen, walking in general is disliked, we must shower at least twice a day (Thais are very sensitive to smell- I am so self-conscious about my perspiration now), and the uniforms.  At first, it seemed a great idea…and then the all-too-complicated shirt button system was introduced.  I will deal, and it will probably get easier…but come on maaaaan!

Blah.  More exciting things.  We met a bunch of people from the SEIAGS group on Saturday.  About fourteen of them had travelled together and toured Bangkok for four days, so they knew each other quite well.  We had some bonding to catch up on.  Pretty much everyone in the group is cool.  A lot of us are from America, but there are three Japanese students, an Australian, and a Gambian (CHERNO! YOUR GF IS COOOOL!).  I’m really enjoying the diversity of our group in terms of background, travel experience, majors, and personalities.  It’s been fun.

Our SEIAGS group and some Thai students have gone to a couple of bars and dance places.  Thais go hard- go party early and then come back home early in the morning.  OMG.  It’s entertaining for sure, but like whoa.  I can barely stand from tired legs and some buzziness around 1 a.m.  Sheesh.  They like their mixed drinks- there is this one drink that the Thai students ordered for us that they call a “special drink”.  It consists of rum, lemonade, Coke, and Red Bull.  Some people have been getting them in small buckets and sip out of that all night…or in twenty minutes if they are ambitious, or have help.

My favorite thing that we’ve done as a group is to go to this really pretty lake- and I can’t remember the name of it now, but I will eventually rediscover it.  Along the side of the lake were these bamboo huts where everyone gathers around a table, and they can order food and drinks, or buy it from a walking salesperson.  JJ, one of the Thai students, had us all try live shrimp.  Yes, I ate a live shrimp, and it was delicious.  It just tastes like squishy shrimp, and they put it with a bunch of yummy spices. 

The scenery at this place is just gorgeous- the mountains are so enticing, the atmosphere is friendly, the trees look so luscious.  The water was very warm despite the short burst of rain, but it was refreshing in the heat.  We were practically the only people in bikinis, most of the Thai people dove in fully-clothed, so it felt odd to be half-nekked.  Modesty is super big here- shoulders in many places must not be bared, and sometimes I am self-conscious about the length of my shorts.  A lot of girls in Chiang Mai dress as we do in America though (probably because it is a city), so it’s not as conservative as I had previously thought it to be. 

Oh- we did go to a bazaar.  I plan on exploring more later.  The most exciting thing that happened was a torrential downpour (we are currently experiencing the monsoon season).  We waited for maybe 20-30 minutes for the rain to stop so that we could go back to Payap, but the skies would not give up their water bombs to the ground. So, we ran through the bazaar and got completely soaked.  For those of you who have seen me squeal with exuberance through the rain, the image of me shivering and being quiet through this natural waterpark would be a foreign image.  My lack of excitement came from the fact that I couldn’t see through my glasses.  Why am I wearing glasses? This infernal pink eye won’t leave me be!!!!! AAAAHHH.  I had the misfortune of having pink eye for two weeks before departure to Thailand.  I got rid of it, and it came back.  What an asshole my eye is being.

Dees lil piggies went to market...and den deeeeees lil piggies got stuck in da rain.

Um, anyway. I feel as if I could go on FOREVER! I didn’t realize how much we’d actually done and learned (there’s way more than this), or that I would have so much to say after three days.  This blogging thing is vair difficult. 

I will conclude by saying that today was our orientation.  Soon, classes will begin, Thai language will be learned, and papers will be written.  I’m really excited though! We had a pre-test on what we know about Thailand and Southeast Asia.  I got 26 points out of 100.  Tis fortunate for my pride that I am not the only failure.  Bloop.  This post is way too long already.   Get ready for an even longer one after these next four days are over.  We are doing a homestay with families that barely speak English.  I am excited to use the four (maybe more) phrases that we have learned.  Wish me luck!