Not Busy, Just Thai'd Up

OKAY! Sorry that my post is like two days late.  Between sucky internet that won't upload my pictures, and doing a crap ton of other things, like doing research for my term papers (UGH I'M STRESSIN!), I had a hard time making my Monday deadine.  WOOPS! So, please, enjoy my new post on Humpday.  Also, Happy Elections! :)

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you feel like you felt like you grew into yourself a little bit more?  Ya know that feeling of surprise after you try on this really great pair of pants or a pretty shirt that you think would never flatter your figure…and then it does?!  That’s how this past week has made me feel.  I’ve had such an excellent week, it’s ridiculous.

Let’s start on the Friday before Halloween! Which is also the Friday after I got back from Vietnam.  That night, the International Community thing was having a Halloween party at some place called Mr. Yum’s- I wasn’t going to attend, but four hours before the party, I decided that I was going to seize the chance to dress up like a weirdo because I love doing it, but never have a chance in Thailand where I feel like everyone is judging me.  Laura and Maia needed a third bear for their Three Litte Bears costume group, so I hopped in as Baby Bear!  We perused around Big C to gather all of our items for Big C, then rushed back to campus to hurriedly get dressed.

Seeing everyone dressed up was really fun- some had incredibly clever costumes like “Same, Same, but Different”, or Jason’s Chad Micheal Micheals (from Blazing Glory) using clothing from the free clothing box, or a Sims character.  It’s really funny because for most of the Thai people, dressing up does not constitute elaborate clothing- but rather normal clothing and a Halloween headband or some zombie makeup. As always, the people made the venue- Mr. Yum’s was kinda lame, except for the free sodas and French fries, until the dancing started.  I danced for four hours straight, and the next morning, my entire body was sore.  I threw my neck out during the dubstep part.  The band played some songs by the Carpenters, and I just about died with happiness, and everyone attempted dancing to slow songs, or salsa dancing, and our mock version of square dancing.  It was lovely.

The highlight of the night though: LAURA, MAIA AND I WON BEST COSTUME! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! I was absolutely certain no one was going to understand the reference to the Western fairy tale, and that we would not win, but WE DID! Our prize- a certificate, and a flask of rum J

On Monday night, it was Mickey’s birthday.  After a day of classes, and attempting to do research for my two term papers (omg I’m freaking out because I only have a month and a half to do research and write about 40 pages of intelligent sentences! Like really- I bit off all of my nails last night), about half of our SEAIGS groups went out to celebrate her birthday at this really delicious restaurant called Dash.  It has Thai food and Western food, including soup, salad, pizza, sandwiches, and pasta.  Holy crap.  Not only is the atmosphere beautiful (outdoors, candlelit, wooden furniture with colorful table cloths, and Christmas lights), but the food is absolutely delicious.  The spaghetti and the BLT were scrumptious, the Teak burger was juicy, the cheesecake with a mango sauce was to die for, and the brownie with ice cream was uncooked but slightly heaven.

The waiter was awesome too.  He spoke English in a manner that made him seem pretentious, but he’s actually a really weird and sweet fella.  He set up karaoke for us, and sang a few times- he was way too into it, but I loved it.  The night was filled with Disney karaoke, Gangnam style dancing, and embarrassing Mickey.  Check out the video that my friend made about the night (click on 'video')!  There’s nothing like great friends, great music, and great food all together.

"Hey Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, HEY MICKEY!"

 

Essentially, the same group of people went out to celebrate Cam’s birthday on Thursday.  We went to Sumo Sushi for dinner- absolutely delicious, and they work fast!  I learned that generally, women can’t become sushi masters because our hands are a warmer temperature than male hands.  So many people went to her birthday dinner, that some of us finished eating before the others even got their food, so Sam volunteered to go explore Niemanhamen with me in order to find Cam a birthday cake, but also to film me running down the street in pumpkin shoes.

Yes, I ran down the street in pumpkin shoes.  Why? Because Mischa Collins of the show Supernatural wanted me to.  How am I getting orders from such a man?  Through GISHWHES! Earlier this year, my friend asked me to join her team on GISHWHES, and I said YES! I kinda wish I hadn’t accepted because I have way to many other things to do and I’d been stressing about money and time conflicting with all of the other things that I want and have to do because this scavenger hunt is elaborate.  I will explain no further- you should just check it out because it’s worth it, especially if you are obsessed with Supernatural. 

During this adventure, we found a mini birthday cake that was presented to Cam at Sangdee Gallery!  Now, ever since the first night I went to Sangdee Gallery, I’d been wanting to perform.  I love to sing in the shower, I love to sing in my car, I love to sing while walking through campus.  Aside from the two times that I’d sung karaoke in Thailand, I had never performed for people.  That night, I set out to do so.  The timing was perfect because I could dedicate a song to Cam in response to all of the times that she has praised every person in our group, telling us how beautiful and awesome we are.  Lemme tell ya what.  Performing gives you such a high.  Such a high!  I felt liberated, and I felt like I grew a little bit, I felt as if I had made a lifelong dream come true. 

Now, the last main event of this past week was the weekend trip to Sukhothai, Siam's first Thai capital, founded in the 13th century.  We stayed at Sila Resort, which is this beautiful half hostel, half motel thing.  The walls were colorful, flowers were everywhere, and the room I was staying in had A/C.  The rooms were only 200 baht per night, which is excellent for the great conditions of the room.  The restaurant at the resort was delicious too!  They serve breakfast all day!  This includes muesli, yogurt, fresh fruit, pancakes, omelets, ham and eggs, and more!  It was amazing to have a light breakfast that did not involve over processed white bread.

We travelled through the ruins of the Old City’s historical park on the bikes that we had rented for 30 baht (HECK YEA I CAN RIDE A BIKE!).  Riding through the city through the ruins felt like we were travelling through history in a romantic way.  The trees gave wonderful shade, the manmade lakes glistened in the sun, and the light breeze was soothing as I pedaled past ancient buildings, eroding away with time.

The structures were impressive, and it felt so weird to be able to see and touch these buildings that have existed for hundreds of years.  The most exciting ruin to me was the Khmer temple originally built for Hindu gods, but converted to a Buddhist temple after it was discovered during the reign of Rama XI.  I was sorely disappointed that the siva linga and the statue of Vishnu laying on his Naga seat were no longer there.  Nearby, there was the most beautiful, reverential tree I’ve ever seen.  The roots twisted over top of each other, crushing the cement blocks in their grasp as if to give a fatalistic message to mankind, while also cradling statues of deities that the people gave to the tree in recognition of its sanctity.  I hugged it, but then I saw the red ants crawling over it.

The other awesome site was the giant Buddha.  He sat, in his ginormous glory, while a Thai family prayed to him, and a man with a tiny squirrel-ish pet added gold leafing to his elongated fingers.  I learned that one of the 32 marks of the Buddha is his long fingers; another is the flame that exudes from the top of his head as a symbol of his wisdom.

Emily and I marveled at how all of these sites made us feel.  Not being religious persons, we were surprised at how awed we were in their presence.  It’s the effort and meaning that people place on these objects and places that make them so inspiring.  I think about how much effort went into making these sites colossal, and intricately beautiful, because the people love their gods so much that they want to take the time, effort, and resources to pay respects to their gods in this physical expression of their love.  Others make a pilgrimage to see these sites and pray to the Buddha, admiring him with immense love and duty in their eyes.  Even though I am not a believer in any conventional belief systems, I cannot help but feel a tiny bit of the reverence, awe, and love for the Buddha, for Christ, for the saints, and any other sacred being or form when looking upon these stony embodiments of a people’s love, or watching people take the time to worship their gods.  This is why I like religion.

So, all in all, this past week has been a memorable one.  And there will be even more awesome weeks to come.  I only have a few more weeks left in Thailand, so I’m gonna make it count.

And so the blabbing continues. I must say that I've been listening to the soundtrack of Good Morning Vietnam while writing this blog, so all of the titles are things that have come out of Robin Williams' mouth. Anyway, the NgocThao Guesthouse offers to set up several day trips to places outside of the city, and all of them are really cheap! Each of my day trips cost about $10, with transportation, English tour, and snackage included. 

My first day trip was to the Cao Dai Temple and the Cu ChiTunnels. It was on this trip that I was the only American in a tour group for the first time ever. I was surrounded by about 20 Filipinos, 1 Canadian, 3 Spaniards, and 2 people from somewhere else in Europe.  It was odd to be the only one from the big ol’ USA.

Anyway, the Cao Dai Temple is a very interesting bugger.  This is where the religion of Cao Daism is worshipped.  Here are some quick and dirty facts about Cao Daism, the third largest religion in Vietnam after Buddhism and Catholicism:

This is only a basic layout, and there is much, much more to know about the religion, for sure.

Inside of the temple is an impressive display of dragon pillars, decorated ceilings, and a cluster of golden objects at the far end of the temple where the altar lies.  There are several depictions and statues of their saints, as well.  I must say, I was very surprised at their choice in saints.  There was a sea of followers worshipping- all clad in white.  The women entered the temple on the left where they sat on the ground in a perfect grid, while the men did the same on the right side of the temple.  In the front, closer to the altar, were figures with a higher status- they were wearing red, yellow and blue to signify their higher status.

 

The musicians would play their music and sing in a chamber on the second floor, much like the choir does in several Catholic churches.  The temple itself shows the mixture of beliefs, taking influence from each of the religions’ temples.  It was really neat- I wish I had more time to examine it all.  Anyway, at certain points during the music, everyone in the room would bow three times at the same time- that kind of unity is rather impressive.

Outside of the temple, there was a road that I accidentally stepped on because I was unaware of the danger.  At the front of the temple, there are important religious figures buried; during worship, the ghosts walk around outside of the temple, so one is not supposed to step on the road in front of the temple during prayer time.  There was a pillar not too far away decorated with a dragon at the top, and a lotus at the bottom to symbolize the name of the town, which means “Dragon Lotus”.  Also at the bottom were four unicorns at the bottom, facing each of the cardinal directions in order to ward ghosts away. 

 

There’s a lot more information I could provide about the decorations of the temple and what they mean, but I’m sure you are bored of this rant already.  So to conclude, I’m really fascinated with Cao Daism- of course, I would be since I’m a Religious Studies major.

The next stop was the Cu Chi Tunnels.  These were the tunnels in which the Vietnamese guerilla warriors would hide out, and surprise the American soldiers.  To begin, we entered a little underground hut where we were given a brief history of the tunnels and the Vietnam War.  Afterwards, there was a question session.  Let me tell you what- even though English has become the common language of the world, accents are a great barrier.  It took forever for questions to be understood and answered correctly because the Vietnamese lecturer could not understand the accent of the Filipino people and the Canadian dude, and vice versa.  I found it quite amusing.

We then watched a movie made in the 70s, given a very biased and propagandistic account of the guerilla soldiers.  A proud woman narrated the history of the war while proudly proclaiming certain people to be national heroes.  Approximate quotation of narration: “Bruce was a young soldier whose parents were killed during the war.  He was very stealthy and became really knowledgeable about where to place bombs and how to disguise them in order to fool the Americans.  He killed 35 Americans and became a national hero, the American Killer.” Simply amazing.

The tunnels are 250 km of complex and winding structures that all interconnect.  It’s really rather impressive that these were built.  We explored how tiny the entrances to the tunnels were.  But this extended to the tunnels themselves- the soldiers had to crawl through them, and they even slept inside of them.  We got a chance to go through 20 meters of tunnel, widened for tourists to use.  But even though it was widened, I still had to bend in half in order to get through them, and I’m pretty small.  It was very stuffy in there with just a few people, so I can’t imagine how people were able to sleep inside of tinier tunnels with more people inside.

 

We were also given a tour of different traps that the Vietnamese set up, and we were given a chance to shoot old guns used during the war, but the price of the bullets is a ripoff.  After seeing so much history about the terrors of war, the thought of shooting a gun was not appealing to me anyway.

We headed back to the city shortly afterwards.  During one part of the trip, we were stopped in the most horrific traffic I’ve ever seen.  Our bus was stuck for over 30 minutes.  I wish I had sufficient internet to upload the video I took of this traffic, but the picture below should give you a decent idea.  All of those heads are motorbikes, which can swerve in and out of traffic, and congest any free space that may be available.  While we were waiting, I got to enjoy watching a man eat an entire bowl of pho before traffic police came to control the flow.

That night, I ate at a street restaurant.  Don’t order sandwiches with bacon on them in Vietnam- you will only be disappointed with flabby, fatty bacon.  But this is not why I bring up dinnertime.

After I had finished my meal, two kids at the ages of 10 and 12 sat across from me, and the British lady sitting next to me. They asked the British woman if she would speak English with them, so that they could practice- it was adorable. They were having trouble understanding her accent though, so I piped in and talked to them.  It was fun until I was made to answer what my favorite color is fifteen times, and thrice whether I like cats or not.  It was very hard to make different conversation because I was unsure about the limits of their vocabulary.  It was fun, though.  They apparently do this every Monday night, which is just awesome! I wish I had that dedication to learning languages.

Their teacher came up to me after they left, and made conversation with me.  She thanked me for talking with her students, and admitted that she told them not to talk to me because she thought I was Vietnamese (victory). Of course, my ethnic origins were brought up.  The best part of the conversation was when she asked if I looked more like my mom or dad- I said I don’t look more like either one of them- I think I’m a rather good mixture.  She said “you don’t look like your mom…and you don’t look like your dad…you look like a STRANGER! HAHAHHAHA!”  She suggested that I look like a stranger because while my mom was pregnant, she would often look at a handsome stranger.  I liked her a lot.  Day 3 ended on a good note.

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.