Manila. 4:10 am. I've lost an hour, but no big thing. It means I have only a couple of hours to go before my next flight leaves. So, after going through Immigrations and then through Customs (separate forms - do not make my mistake and only fill out the one they give you on the plane, do the one they hand you as you are leaving the plane as well), three scans of my bags, two perfunctory searches and a 200 peso domestic passenger terminal fee I'm in.
The main terminal area is humming, even at 4am. Most of the people are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as well, and are having an excellent time. Every eating place that is open is serving sweet stuff - doughnuts and cakes abound.
I want to find a place to do some stretching, but I don't think that's going to happen. I've noted a Catholic prayer room (pray silently please) and a smoking room, but so far nothing for Muslims, which confuses me a little. There are more Muslims in PI than Christians. I shall do a little more exploring when my phone is charged up - I need to change money and get a SIM card if possible, and find some toothpaste before I go mad from having gungie teeth. My toothpaste tube was too big to bring on my carry on.
Sunday 30 October 2011
29 Oct 2011 - Part III
Checked in, got my re-entry permit sorted (only 1200 Baht to get back in to Thailand - bargain!). I always feel so furtive when dealing with Immigrations people. In my personal history I've not been in trouble, apart from the odd misunderstanding that was quickly cleared up. In any event I've always been treated with kindness and courtesy by civil servants so there's no rational explanation for my emotion. I think it's because I have a natural tendency to want to remain anonymous and well out of the glare of Sauron's fiery red government eyeball. Calling attention to myself by turning up at the border of a foreign country is always worrisome to me because somebody, somewhere can officially thumbtack me to a particular place at a particular time. I find this creepy.
Thailand is pretty vigilant, likes to keep tab on its visitors.
I think after fifty more days of this I will go home and settle back into my cozy little nest with my hubby and stay there until the spring thaw. I'm already ready to go home, I miss him so much :-(
Thailand is pretty vigilant, likes to keep tab on its visitors.
I think after fifty more days of this I will go home and settle back into my cozy little nest with my hubby and stay there until the spring thaw. I'm already ready to go home, I miss him so much :-(
29 Oct 2011 - part II
Observations about BKK:
1) This airport is busy, but well laid out. I've been stuck in worse, for longer.
2) There are rubbish bins all over the place, which makes a refreshing change from the binless, guilty-conscious UK public transportation system.
3) The vegetarian spring rolls at the Chinese restaurant on the second floor are a steal at 69 Baht and they are FAB! I kept the chopsticks, they are so reusable. I wish I had room to keep the plastic container as well.
4) Emirates stewardesses are consistently the most glamorous of all. I daren't be seen on the same continent as they - I wouldn't survive the comparison process.
5) There are a lot of cleaning people here. Those rubbish bins I was telling you about? Just try and fill one. The cleaners constantly empty them using large pairs of tongs.
6) At night the girders overhead are lit up with blue lights, and the effect is very nice.
7) My ass hurts from all this sitting. Come on 11:35!
These guys are standing at the end of each row of check-in desks:
1) This airport is busy, but well laid out. I've been stuck in worse, for longer.
2) There are rubbish bins all over the place, which makes a refreshing change from the binless, guilty-conscious UK public transportation system.
3) The vegetarian spring rolls at the Chinese restaurant on the second floor are a steal at 69 Baht and they are FAB! I kept the chopsticks, they are so reusable. I wish I had room to keep the plastic container as well.
4) Emirates stewardesses are consistently the most glamorous of all. I daren't be seen on the same continent as they - I wouldn't survive the comparison process.
5) There are a lot of cleaning people here. Those rubbish bins I was telling you about? Just try and fill one. The cleaners constantly empty them using large pairs of tongs.
6) At night the girders overhead are lit up with blue lights, and the effect is very nice.
7) My ass hurts from all this sitting. Come on 11:35!
These guys are standing at the end of each row of check-in desks:
29 Oct 2011
Lisa left yesterday. She got a ride north with teachers Pong and Yimlack, who have a rubber tree farm 6 hrs from Salaya. Two of our other classmates, Olja and Malee, are with her. The plan is to head north to Malee's house then go on to Chiang Mai for a week of leisure/misbehavior. My parting gift to them was three bottles of icy cold Chang (the big bottles, yes!). There is a no alcohol policy at the school, but since Pong busted me buying it to start with I reckoned I may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.
He saw me hand over the bottles to much cheering from the girls and he smiled, but said nothing else. I have the strong feeling that he knows exactly how much we drank and when we drank it this last month (my personal count was an impressive score of three Changs). Pong plays his cards close to his chest and is definitely no fool. I have a lot of time for him, he's top shelf.
This morning was our turn to go. Po drove me, Lynn, Jenny, A, Villi, Agnes and Miki away from the school. The road was covered with water for the first time, but wasn't deep.
This is the blue store: our primary source of Chang, Pepsi in real glass bottles and Olja's cat food. It is a two minute walk from the school.
Just outside of Bangkok Po stopped and sorted out taxis for Jenny, A, Villi and Miki. They are heading into Bangkok to await their flights or in Villi's case to finish his Muay Thai training. Hopefully I will see Villi one last time before he leaves Thailand.
Villi, the owner of the Muay Thai feet:
Lynn, Agnes and I ended up at Suvarnabhumi (Su-ra-wani-poom) Airport. My flight leaves at 11:35 tonight. Sigh. The original plan was to go to the airport this afternoon, but the water was coming so I got while the getting was good. It means doing a 12 hour shift at the airport, but is better than missing flights etc. I can't hook up to the free wi-fi until I have a boarding pass and I can't check in until 8:30pm. It's 12:40 now. Meh. This sort-of reminds me of the time my sister was stuck at Fiumicino Airport, eh Victoria? No matter, I'm moping around anyway, might as people-watch at an airport while I'm at it.
The teachers and staff at Chetawan are used to saying good-bye. I hate it, personally. Saying good-bye to Lisa was pretty hard to do. We have become exceptionally good friends in a very short space of time - she is a sister in my heart and I starting missing her the minute she climbed into the back of Teacher's truck.
Lisa, waiting for the bus that never came.
I have given Kenny a pair of black fisherman's pants and left him the onus of finding me some Thai people, any Thai people, actually wearing them. I suspect the whole Thai fisherman pant thing of being in situ solely for farangs. Personally, I think they suck. They come in a one size fits all format, which is a disaster for the more generously endowed individual. However, Kenny needs meat, so they fit him ok and don't look half bad.
I hope to see Kenny and Emmy when they return from Oz. Belgium isn't so far that we can't go there or have them come to us. They've promised to show us around Belgium and not make us go to Bruges unless we insist. In return I have promised no English beer.
Things that make me laugh when I think of them:
"Poopie!"
"Of course you'd sleep with me. I'm awesome!"
"I want elephant."
"NaaaaAAAaaaaah"
Accidental (and non-accidental) breast brushing
"Miaow!"
Quadriceps femoris
"Shut UP and go to sleep!"
Lisa, screaming and doing one-legged running in place while laying on her side on a treatment couch getting deep tissue work done on the other leg.
"If you don't understand please understand"
He saw me hand over the bottles to much cheering from the girls and he smiled, but said nothing else. I have the strong feeling that he knows exactly how much we drank and when we drank it this last month (my personal count was an impressive score of three Changs). Pong plays his cards close to his chest and is definitely no fool. I have a lot of time for him, he's top shelf.
This morning was our turn to go. Po drove me, Lynn, Jenny, A, Villi, Agnes and Miki away from the school. The road was covered with water for the first time, but wasn't deep.
This is the blue store: our primary source of Chang, Pepsi in real glass bottles and Olja's cat food. It is a two minute walk from the school.
Just outside of Bangkok Po stopped and sorted out taxis for Jenny, A, Villi and Miki. They are heading into Bangkok to await their flights or in Villi's case to finish his Muay Thai training. Hopefully I will see Villi one last time before he leaves Thailand.
Villi, the owner of the Muay Thai feet:
Lynn, Agnes and I ended up at Suvarnabhumi (Su-ra-wani-poom) Airport. My flight leaves at 11:35 tonight. Sigh. The original plan was to go to the airport this afternoon, but the water was coming so I got while the getting was good. It means doing a 12 hour shift at the airport, but is better than missing flights etc. I can't hook up to the free wi-fi until I have a boarding pass and I can't check in until 8:30pm. It's 12:40 now. Meh. This sort-of reminds me of the time my sister was stuck at Fiumicino Airport, eh Victoria? No matter, I'm moping around anyway, might as people-watch at an airport while I'm at it.
The teachers and staff at Chetawan are used to saying good-bye. I hate it, personally. Saying good-bye to Lisa was pretty hard to do. We have become exceptionally good friends in a very short space of time - she is a sister in my heart and I starting missing her the minute she climbed into the back of Teacher's truck.
Lisa, waiting for the bus that never came.
I have given Kenny a pair of black fisherman's pants and left him the onus of finding me some Thai people, any Thai people, actually wearing them. I suspect the whole Thai fisherman pant thing of being in situ solely for farangs. Personally, I think they suck. They come in a one size fits all format, which is a disaster for the more generously endowed individual. However, Kenny needs meat, so they fit him ok and don't look half bad.
I hope to see Kenny and Emmy when they return from Oz. Belgium isn't so far that we can't go there or have them come to us. They've promised to show us around Belgium and not make us go to Bruges unless we insist. In return I have promised no English beer.
Things that make me laugh when I think of them:
"Poopie!"
"Of course you'd sleep with me. I'm awesome!"
"I want elephant."
"NaaaaAAAaaaaah"
Accidental (and non-accidental) breast brushing
"Miaow!"
Quadriceps femoris
"Shut UP and go to sleep!"
Lisa, screaming and doing one-legged running in place while laying on her side on a treatment couch getting deep tissue work done on the other leg.
"If you don't understand please understand"
Friday 28 October 2011
Going to Cebu!
Right, the flights are booked and I am away!
The class ended early because of the flooding, and everyone is a little concerned about getting where they want to go. Salaya is under water but we are still dry out here.
Everyone but me and one other girl took all of their exams. I have to do my one hour massage yet and will do this at 9 am tomorrow. The school van leaves in the afternoon, and I'll be on the 11:35 pm flight to Manila. Everyone got their certificates and are all very happy. I've seen mine, but haven't earned it just yet!
Well I'm off to practice, my last exam is at 9 am tomoz...
The class ended early because of the flooding, and everyone is a little concerned about getting where they want to go. Salaya is under water but we are still dry out here.
Everyone but me and one other girl took all of their exams. I have to do my one hour massage yet and will do this at 9 am tomorrow. The school van leaves in the afternoon, and I'll be on the 11:35 pm flight to Manila. Everyone got their certificates and are all very happy. I've seen mine, but haven't earned it just yet!
Well I'm off to practice, my last exam is at 9 am tomoz...
Thursday 27 October 2011
Oct 28, 2011 - Part II
There are no buses. There are no taxis. We wasted a fair few hours waiting for any mode of public transport to make an appearance, but no such luck. The school van did not go on its daily run to Mahidol University. Salaya hospital is flooded. There's no answer at Nakhon Chaisi hospital. Phutthamonthon Hospital phone number isn't valid. Mahidol University Clinic is closed until Nov 1. Hmmm.
One of the online news channels said that the Thai gov't has made Oct 27-31 national holidays. This will give people a chance to move their families or protect their properties as best as they can. I don't know if these are paid holidays, I sure hope so. The airport is full of Bangkok people heading north, where the water has already been. Some of my classmates are planning a trip to Chiang Mai, and I hope they can make it!
I called the US Embassy and had a conversation about hospitals. The BNH (Bangkok International Hospital) is still accepting non-life threatened outpatients. However, getting into Bangkok might be a bit tricksy - the trains are running on a reduced schedule as well.
Chetawan has changed the exam schedule in light of the flooding. We now have to take our one-hour exam tomorrow and our 90 min relaxing massage w/herbal compression exam on Saturday. We also take our written exam Saturday afternoon. Tonight is going to be a no-sleeper cram session. I haven't done one of these since college, and am not looking forward to it very much. I have lots of tea and coffee.
The school has agreed to send its van to the airport on Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday. I see this as a possible means of getting my next vaccination - I can take the Skytrain into Bangkok and make my way to the BNH, and then back to the school. We'll see how it all plays out, I might just get on a train and head back to Hua Hin. I don't know what the sea will be like once all that water flows through Bangkok though :-(
I am waiting to hear from my mother, or from the people in the family I have contacted in hopes of getting her phone number in Cebu. If I can contact her I will book flights and leave Sat or Sun, and get my rabies jab there. I'm trying to keep my options open - outwardly I'm a little ragged around the edges but staying as close to calm as possible for little old Type A me, and internally my brain is spinning like a gyro, trying to figure out a way out of this little predicament.
The dog bite marks are healing up, and the antibiotics have stopped the budding infection in its tracks. I just might live through this one. I know I have a few days' grace with this rabies vaccination thing, but want to keep on track if at all possible.
I best go do some more cramming before the dawn breaks. Nothing like a little stress at my age to keep the pipes clear, eh?
One of the online news channels said that the Thai gov't has made Oct 27-31 national holidays. This will give people a chance to move their families or protect their properties as best as they can. I don't know if these are paid holidays, I sure hope so. The airport is full of Bangkok people heading north, where the water has already been. Some of my classmates are planning a trip to Chiang Mai, and I hope they can make it!
I called the US Embassy and had a conversation about hospitals. The BNH (Bangkok International Hospital) is still accepting non-life threatened outpatients. However, getting into Bangkok might be a bit tricksy - the trains are running on a reduced schedule as well.
Chetawan has changed the exam schedule in light of the flooding. We now have to take our one-hour exam tomorrow and our 90 min relaxing massage w/herbal compression exam on Saturday. We also take our written exam Saturday afternoon. Tonight is going to be a no-sleeper cram session. I haven't done one of these since college, and am not looking forward to it very much. I have lots of tea and coffee.
The school has agreed to send its van to the airport on Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday. I see this as a possible means of getting my next vaccination - I can take the Skytrain into Bangkok and make my way to the BNH, and then back to the school. We'll see how it all plays out, I might just get on a train and head back to Hua Hin. I don't know what the sea will be like once all that water flows through Bangkok though :-(
I am waiting to hear from my mother, or from the people in the family I have contacted in hopes of getting her phone number in Cebu. If I can contact her I will book flights and leave Sat or Sun, and get my rabies jab there. I'm trying to keep my options open - outwardly I'm a little ragged around the edges but staying as close to calm as possible for little old Type A me, and internally my brain is spinning like a gyro, trying to figure out a way out of this little predicament.
The dog bite marks are healing up, and the antibiotics have stopped the budding infection in its tracks. I just might live through this one. I know I have a few days' grace with this rabies vaccination thing, but want to keep on track if at all possible.
I best go do some more cramming before the dawn breaks. Nothing like a little stress at my age to keep the pipes clear, eh?
Wednesday 26 October 2011
Oct 28, 2011
We've just been told that the water is coming. It will be here tomorrow, the next day at the latest. The school is surrounded by a solid wall. The only way for water to come in is from the driveway at the front, and there is a big pile of sandbags sitting there at the ready. The school admin people have assured us that everything will be fine, there's enough food, water etc here to cover the emergency. We are on higher ground anyway, and there are machines in place to pump the water out. I'm not too worried, it's not like there's a flash flood coming down from the Rockies or something. Whatever happens, we'll cope. If it gets too-too we'll peace out. The important thing is to not worry. Those of you that know me know that I won't put up with too much of this shit before I bail - my instinct for self preservation is well developed and working overtime.
I have to go into Salaya. I have no choice, it's the day for my third rabies vaccination. I'll take my camera and try to get some good pics of the situation on the ground. We'll be riding the blue bus in and out of town, it's a big old thing and cuts through the water just fine.
Stay cool, I'll update you as soon as I know more.
I have to go into Salaya. I have no choice, it's the day for my third rabies vaccination. I'll take my camera and try to get some good pics of the situation on the ground. We'll be riding the blue bus in and out of town, it's a big old thing and cuts through the water just fine.
Stay cool, I'll update you as soon as I know more.
Thai Feet
Thai feet crack me up! They have the cutest little round toes ever.
My feet, Thai feet.
Muay Thai feet.
Monday 24 October 2011
The Water is Coming
I went into Salaya with Lisa, Kenny and Emmy to get my next rabies vaccination. We had planned on going to the market afterwards, but there was no market. We started walking through town and saw that everyone was busy building cinderblock walls in front of their shop doors and there were lots of trucks roaring past, filled with sand bags.
Brian sent me a text today saying he and Kai had to leave their house because of the water.
Lisa says she watched the news and it showed the water heading for the centre of Bangkok. Many people are already wading in Bangkok, and I wonder where they will end up. The flooding is supposed to arrive very soon and will last approximately 5 days.
Chetawan School is a good metre or so higher than the rest of the surrounding area, so we will be amongst the last to flood. I wonder if any of the local people will come here for refuge. I am pretty sure they won't be turned away if they do. There are already a lot more vehicles parked here than usual, and I think that some of the staff have moved here for the time being. I know for a fact at least one of our teachers is staying in the room across from mine.
The news mentioned that Suvarnabhumi Airport might flood as well. I don't know any more than this, but I was under the impression that they had that under control. Perhaps not.
I think we might need a little good luck here. Send us some, won't you?
Brian sent me a text today saying he and Kai had to leave their house because of the water.
Lisa says she watched the news and it showed the water heading for the centre of Bangkok. Many people are already wading in Bangkok, and I wonder where they will end up. The flooding is supposed to arrive very soon and will last approximately 5 days.
Chetawan School is a good metre or so higher than the rest of the surrounding area, so we will be amongst the last to flood. I wonder if any of the local people will come here for refuge. I am pretty sure they won't be turned away if they do. There are already a lot more vehicles parked here than usual, and I think that some of the staff have moved here for the time being. I know for a fact at least one of our teachers is staying in the room across from mine.
The news mentioned that Suvarnabhumi Airport might flood as well. I don't know any more than this, but I was under the impression that they had that under control. Perhaps not.
I think we might need a little good luck here. Send us some, won't you?
Sunday 23 October 2011
Monkeys, Dogs, and What Happened Next
21 Oct 11: As you know from the previous entry, Lisa went from an e-low to e-high in 1.7 seconds. I was also happy and relieved, because up until then we had been having a cracking good time and a sad Lisa isn't nearly as much fun as a happy one. Plus, it's always better to find that you actually haven't lost all your holiday cash when you thought you might have. Since she wanted to go to Monkey Mountain (she saw it on the Travel Channel back home, thought it would be cool to see it for real) I said get your kit, let's go to the mountain.
One green bus ride later, and we were there. Unfortunately, we hadn't dressed properly to visit the temple so we contented ourselves with walking around and staring at the monkeys that were staring at us. There are lots of monkeys on Monkey Mountain. We bought some souveniers, as one does.
Monkey Mountain, view from the beach:
Wat Khao Takiab up close:
We walked down the mountain and back to the Green Bus parking area to buzz off to find something to eat. The sun was just about down and we hadn't had any lunch so supper was the next order of business. We took the Green Bus to a pub, which neither of us caught the name of but it was really good food and had tons of Belgian Beer. After eating I suggested we walk back to the hotel; it wasn't far, and we could stop on the way and get a couple of beers.
After picking up a couple of bottles of Chang we headed out. Along the way was a Thai eatery (no walls, a few rickety tables and plastic chairs) that had a tray of ice out front containing crabs. There were three large, black horseshoe crabs and I slowed down to take a look, just for a second. I then carried on walking and had taken a couple of strides when I felt a huge pain around my right leg. I looked down and saw that a dog had decided for whatever reason to have a go. There was then a massive hoo-hah, complete with me taking a swing at this bloody dog with my bag (remember, there's two bottles of beer in that bag and it would have hurt the little bastard if I hit him) while the dog is dancing around, barking his head off. Lisa stopped me and said let's go to the hospital, which was conveniently located across the street. I was bleeding pretty good, madder than a wet hen, and just about ready to break one of the bottles and stick the sharp end in that damn dog.
The visit to the hospital didn't help my temper much. Everyone in the hospital was kind and gentle, while I was still fuming. I don't have time for dogs that bite. Buddha bless the doctor and nurses at Bangkok Hospital in Hua Hin for putting up with me!!!
They cleaned my wound and gave me a rabies vaccination - one of five, meh. They wanted to treat me further, and wouldn't let me leave until they had some sort of confirmation of insurance or payment in cash. This is when I discovered, four hours later, that the coverage I thought I had through Nationwide Building Society's traveller's insurance program didn't exist, and there was no record of me ever even calling to enquire about it - even though I had made several phone calls to them to confirm I had cover before I left the UK. A good piece of advice: ALWAYS get the certificate of cover and keep it with your passport. Do not believe some goober on the phone assuring you that everything is hunky dory, which is what I did. Nationwide, that was your second strike. You have one balls-up left with me, before you get dumped forever. Just sayin.
Finally, I paid for the treatment, gathered up Lisa and left. I'd had enough, it was 1:00 am and we had planned on an early night and a really early wake-up time to catch the 4:28 northbound train. As it was, Lisa got a few minutes sleep while I stayed up. I couldn't trust myself to sleep for such a short amount of time and we had to be back to Chetawan for 9 am. She had her prayer exam to do, and it wouldn't have been a good thing to miss it.
We were up by 3:30 am, and checked out by 4 am. When we got to the train station, we found plenty of people hanging around but no one at the ticket booth. We waited until 4:28, then waited some more when the train didn't appear. The next one was at 4:56. At 4:55 the ticket guy turned up at the booth and sold me two tickets for the express train (three hour journey instead of the usual 4-5 hour one). We piled on and Lisa promptly fell back to sleep. I stayed awake, to keep an eye on things and get us off the train at the right stop. Falling asleep and eventually waking up in Bangkok would have been horrific; the absolute End.
We were in Nakhon Pathon by 7:40 am. We got off the train and found ourselves in the early morning market. No taxis. We wandered out to the main street. No taxis. No one spoke any English. Uh oh. We found a kind lady that eventually understood that we wanted to go towards Salaya and she flagged down a bus that was headed that way. We got on, and I spent the next 20 minutes trying to explain that I wanted to get off at Chetawan School, which is on the Salaya-Nakhonchaisi Road. The bus we were on was on the PinKlao-Nakhonchaisi Road, which will take you to Bangkok if you aren't careful. The PinKlao-Nakhonchaisi Road runs parallel to Salaya-Nakhonchaisi Road, and is the Thai equivalent of a motorway or freeway.
Fortunately, there was a man on this bus, a physics teacher from Mahidol University in Salaya, that understood a little English. He knew Chetawan School, and knew how to get there. Our bus turned off at Nakhon Chaisi and he asked us to come with him to catch the correct bus. We did this, and arrived at last to Chetawan School at 8:20 am. Lisa wasn't too bothered about it all, but I had refused to quit, refused to give up and cause her to miss her exam.
Don't ask me how I did it, but I stayed in class all that day. At 4 pm I stumbled back to my room and fell asleep like a dead thing. I had been running on my reserve superhuman ornery powers for most of the day and ran the batteries flat.
Note to self: before coming back to Thailand learn something of the language.
One green bus ride later, and we were there. Unfortunately, we hadn't dressed properly to visit the temple so we contented ourselves with walking around and staring at the monkeys that were staring at us. There are lots of monkeys on Monkey Mountain. We bought some souveniers, as one does.
Monkey Mountain, view from the beach:
Wat Khao Takiab up close:
We walked down the mountain and back to the Green Bus parking area to buzz off to find something to eat. The sun was just about down and we hadn't had any lunch so supper was the next order of business. We took the Green Bus to a pub, which neither of us caught the name of but it was really good food and had tons of Belgian Beer. After eating I suggested we walk back to the hotel; it wasn't far, and we could stop on the way and get a couple of beers.
After picking up a couple of bottles of Chang we headed out. Along the way was a Thai eatery (no walls, a few rickety tables and plastic chairs) that had a tray of ice out front containing crabs. There were three large, black horseshoe crabs and I slowed down to take a look, just for a second. I then carried on walking and had taken a couple of strides when I felt a huge pain around my right leg. I looked down and saw that a dog had decided for whatever reason to have a go. There was then a massive hoo-hah, complete with me taking a swing at this bloody dog with my bag (remember, there's two bottles of beer in that bag and it would have hurt the little bastard if I hit him) while the dog is dancing around, barking his head off. Lisa stopped me and said let's go to the hospital, which was conveniently located across the street. I was bleeding pretty good, madder than a wet hen, and just about ready to break one of the bottles and stick the sharp end in that damn dog.
The visit to the hospital didn't help my temper much. Everyone in the hospital was kind and gentle, while I was still fuming. I don't have time for dogs that bite. Buddha bless the doctor and nurses at Bangkok Hospital in Hua Hin for putting up with me!!!
They cleaned my wound and gave me a rabies vaccination - one of five, meh. They wanted to treat me further, and wouldn't let me leave until they had some sort of confirmation of insurance or payment in cash. This is when I discovered, four hours later, that the coverage I thought I had through Nationwide Building Society's traveller's insurance program didn't exist, and there was no record of me ever even calling to enquire about it - even though I had made several phone calls to them to confirm I had cover before I left the UK. A good piece of advice: ALWAYS get the certificate of cover and keep it with your passport. Do not believe some goober on the phone assuring you that everything is hunky dory, which is what I did. Nationwide, that was your second strike. You have one balls-up left with me, before you get dumped forever. Just sayin.
Finally, I paid for the treatment, gathered up Lisa and left. I'd had enough, it was 1:00 am and we had planned on an early night and a really early wake-up time to catch the 4:28 northbound train. As it was, Lisa got a few minutes sleep while I stayed up. I couldn't trust myself to sleep for such a short amount of time and we had to be back to Chetawan for 9 am. She had her prayer exam to do, and it wouldn't have been a good thing to miss it.
We were up by 3:30 am, and checked out by 4 am. When we got to the train station, we found plenty of people hanging around but no one at the ticket booth. We waited until 4:28, then waited some more when the train didn't appear. The next one was at 4:56. At 4:55 the ticket guy turned up at the booth and sold me two tickets for the express train (three hour journey instead of the usual 4-5 hour one). We piled on and Lisa promptly fell back to sleep. I stayed awake, to keep an eye on things and get us off the train at the right stop. Falling asleep and eventually waking up in Bangkok would have been horrific; the absolute End.
We were in Nakhon Pathon by 7:40 am. We got off the train and found ourselves in the early morning market. No taxis. We wandered out to the main street. No taxis. No one spoke any English. Uh oh. We found a kind lady that eventually understood that we wanted to go towards Salaya and she flagged down a bus that was headed that way. We got on, and I spent the next 20 minutes trying to explain that I wanted to get off at Chetawan School, which is on the Salaya-Nakhonchaisi Road. The bus we were on was on the PinKlao-Nakhonchaisi Road, which will take you to Bangkok if you aren't careful. The PinKlao-Nakhonchaisi Road runs parallel to Salaya-Nakhonchaisi Road, and is the Thai equivalent of a motorway or freeway.
Fortunately, there was a man on this bus, a physics teacher from Mahidol University in Salaya, that understood a little English. He knew Chetawan School, and knew how to get there. Our bus turned off at Nakhon Chaisi and he asked us to come with him to catch the correct bus. We did this, and arrived at last to Chetawan School at 8:20 am. Lisa wasn't too bothered about it all, but I had refused to quit, refused to give up and cause her to miss her exam.
Don't ask me how I did it, but I stayed in class all that day. At 4 pm I stumbled back to my room and fell asleep like a dead thing. I had been running on my reserve superhuman ornery powers for most of the day and ran the batteries flat.
Note to self: before coming back to Thailand learn something of the language.
The A&B Guesthouse, Hua Hin, Thailand
I had booked us a room on the Agoda website at the A&B Guesthouse, and am so glad I did.
This is a great place to stay. There's no restaurant in the hotel, but it's easy to find plenty of eating places withing a ten minute walk so we didn't stress it. A laundry service is two doors up the street. If you walk out to Phetkaseam Road you are almost diagonally across the street from a huge shopping mall that includes a Tesco Lotus. A 100-metre walk in the other direction and you are on the beach. You don't get a sea view, but for a double occupancy family room at £23 a night for the two of us I don't really care.
Lisa took the double bed, since she has a single one at Chetawan. I have a king bed at Chetawan, so sleeping on a single is cool with me. When we sat on the beds for the first time we wept for joy, because the nearly-forgotten sensation of a memory foam mattress was overwhelming. These beds are comfy!!! Yay!!!
Both of us slept well and in the morning sprang, well-rested, from our beds with glad cries. We've decided we like this place. http://www.abguesthouse.com/engindex.html. You could do a lot worse than stay here. There are much larger and posher places to stay, and the king even has a place on the beach for holidays, but in terms of value for money we are on a stone-cold win.
We studied for a while, then went down to the beach to have a look. We saw a mountain in the distance, with what looked like a temple on it. This is the Khao Takiab Temple on Monkey Mountain. We started walking down the beach towards the mountain, and agreed that we were very contented with the beach and the sea.
The tide was coming in as we walked further down the beach. By the time we got to the highrises, we were forced to end our walk and clamber onto a handy boat launch. This is when I realised that the sea had taken my flipflops, which I had stuck in my pocket. We walked back to the main road and caught the next green bus headed in the right direction.
One stops a hire car or bus by standing in a visible location, stretching out your arm and making a gentle downward patting motion with your hand. The green buses will stop no matter where on the street you are. There aren't any designated stops, you just get on, pay the attendant the fee (in Hua Hin it's 10 Baht, in Salaya it's 8 or 9 Baht) and ring the bell when you want off. It's so easy.
A green bus:
We got off at the mall and went in search of a new pair of flipflops for me. Though I walked around barefoot through much of the place, no one even raised an eyebrow. I found some Adidas flips that were just right and was shod once more. We had talked about finding me a rucksack and ditching the overnight wheelie bag so we had a little look around for one and found one I liked. I didn't have any Bahts left so I asked Lisa for the cash.
She reached for her money and realised that it wasn't there. She had been carrying all of it, everything she had. This was money for all her expenses, including the travelling she was going to do after she left Thailand. Oh god. We went back to the room to regroup, and on the way I said we should have a really good look around the room, just in case it was there. We didn't have a hope, and I was already planning on how far I could stretch my cash to help her out. I couldn't replace the three grand she'd lost, but I could at least sort her out for the next little while.
We got back to the room, dejected and still damp from our incoming tide challenge. They had tidied the room for us, and even though we'd left books and notes all over Lisa's bed they had replaced them as close to their original locations as possible after making the bed. Lisa started looking through her gear and after about five minutes she let out a cry and held up the bloody money pouch.
I stayed mad at her for about 10 minutes.
This is a great place to stay. There's no restaurant in the hotel, but it's easy to find plenty of eating places withing a ten minute walk so we didn't stress it. A laundry service is two doors up the street. If you walk out to Phetkaseam Road you are almost diagonally across the street from a huge shopping mall that includes a Tesco Lotus. A 100-metre walk in the other direction and you are on the beach. You don't get a sea view, but for a double occupancy family room at £23 a night for the two of us I don't really care.
Lisa took the double bed, since she has a single one at Chetawan. I have a king bed at Chetawan, so sleeping on a single is cool with me. When we sat on the beds for the first time we wept for joy, because the nearly-forgotten sensation of a memory foam mattress was overwhelming. These beds are comfy!!! Yay!!!
Both of us slept well and in the morning sprang, well-rested, from our beds with glad cries. We've decided we like this place. http://www.abguesthouse.com/engindex.html. You could do a lot worse than stay here. There are much larger and posher places to stay, and the king even has a place on the beach for holidays, but in terms of value for money we are on a stone-cold win.
We studied for a while, then went down to the beach to have a look. We saw a mountain in the distance, with what looked like a temple on it. This is the Khao Takiab Temple on Monkey Mountain. We started walking down the beach towards the mountain, and agreed that we were very contented with the beach and the sea.
The tide was coming in as we walked further down the beach. By the time we got to the highrises, we were forced to end our walk and clamber onto a handy boat launch. This is when I realised that the sea had taken my flipflops, which I had stuck in my pocket. We walked back to the main road and caught the next green bus headed in the right direction.
One stops a hire car or bus by standing in a visible location, stretching out your arm and making a gentle downward patting motion with your hand. The green buses will stop no matter where on the street you are. There aren't any designated stops, you just get on, pay the attendant the fee (in Hua Hin it's 10 Baht, in Salaya it's 8 or 9 Baht) and ring the bell when you want off. It's so easy.
A green bus:
We got off at the mall and went in search of a new pair of flipflops for me. Though I walked around barefoot through much of the place, no one even raised an eyebrow. I found some Adidas flips that were just right and was shod once more. We had talked about finding me a rucksack and ditching the overnight wheelie bag so we had a little look around for one and found one I liked. I didn't have any Bahts left so I asked Lisa for the cash.
She reached for her money and realised that it wasn't there. She had been carrying all of it, everything she had. This was money for all her expenses, including the travelling she was going to do after she left Thailand. Oh god. We went back to the room to regroup, and on the way I said we should have a really good look around the room, just in case it was there. We didn't have a hope, and I was already planning on how far I could stretch my cash to help her out. I couldn't replace the three grand she'd lost, but I could at least sort her out for the next little while.
We got back to the room, dejected and still damp from our incoming tide challenge. They had tidied the room for us, and even though we'd left books and notes all over Lisa's bed they had replaced them as close to their original locations as possible after making the bed. Lisa started looking through her gear and after about five minutes she let out a cry and held up the bloody money pouch.
I stayed mad at her for about 10 minutes.
Khao San Road.
The sellers don't want to deal. No smiles, no discounts, no haggling. If something is priced at 100 Baht (everything) then that's the price. If you suggest 80 Baht they shake their heads and walk away. I guess if my customer base consisted mainly of spoiled, barely post-adolescent, freshly tattooed backpackers on gap year adventures I would be in a foul temper as well, so it is easy to forgive them.
Lisa, sweating and shopping on Khao San Road:
We found a Starbucks and retreated from the heat and bad vibes, finding air-conditioned solace in an iced caramel macchiato and a latte.
My left knee has packed up. For those of you in the know my quad tendons and IT band have all tightened up and there is some swelling as well. Lisa is a physiotherapist and a damn good one so I'm receiving treatment, but what I really need most is time and RICE. The stretching and trigger point therapy I can assure you I'm getting. Note to my clients: yes, treating this knee hurts like hell and there is a certain amount of low-volume screaming involved. Happy now?
We have decided to take a train to Hua Hin, a resort town down the coast, in the skinny part of Thailand. We don't want to stay in Bangkok. The thought of two more days here is sapping the life out of me. Happily, the train back passes through Nakhon Pathom so we can get a taxi from there straight to school, without returning to Bangkok first. It will be nice to see the beach :-)
Lisa, sweating and shopping on Khao San Road:
We found a Starbucks and retreated from the heat and bad vibes, finding air-conditioned solace in an iced caramel macchiato and a latte.
My left knee has packed up. For those of you in the know my quad tendons and IT band have all tightened up and there is some swelling as well. Lisa is a physiotherapist and a damn good one so I'm receiving treatment, but what I really need most is time and RICE. The stretching and trigger point therapy I can assure you I'm getting. Note to my clients: yes, treating this knee hurts like hell and there is a certain amount of low-volume screaming involved. Happy now?
We have decided to take a train to Hua Hin, a resort town down the coast, in the skinny part of Thailand. We don't want to stay in Bangkok. The thought of two more days here is sapping the life out of me. Happily, the train back passes through Nakhon Pathom so we can get a taxi from there straight to school, without returning to Bangkok first. It will be nice to see the beach :-)
A Quick Glance at Bangkok
18 Oct 11: Brian and Kai invited me to stay with them for the three days off. This was a very cool gesture, and I was looking forward to it very much. Brian and Kai are such nice people and it would have been a good chance to get to know them better.
Unfortunately, the roads are flooded and it's very, very difficult to get to their house just now. When I spoke to Brian he was just awaiting a delivery of sandbags (coming by boat) to stack around their place. They didn't have any water yet, but the news had advised that more water was on the way. Their road is already under a metre of water. It's frustrating that I can't do a bloody thing to help them.
I told Lisa that I was coming with her to Bangkok. Her plans had fallen through as well so we were both at a loose end. The backup plan was to find a place to stay in the same hotel our friends Kenny and Emmy were staying in and hang out.
Emmy is taking the Thai Professional Massage course with Lisa and I, and Kenny is her partner. He is waiting for her to finish the course and then they are off to Australia for 3 months or so. They are an extremely nice Belgian couple and I feel fortunate to call them friends. Emmy is gentle and sweet, and very quiet indeed. I enjoy her company - her rants are barely audible yet full of passion, and when she swears I am always quite taken aback. Hearing someone whisper "Fuck!!" vehemently in a Dutch accent, complete with toothy grimace and bulging eyeballs makes me laugh in spite of the intended sentiment. Kenny is a sound engineer and a very good guitar player. Additional Kenny benefits include his willingness to sit still and let people jam their thumbs into him for practice, his quick wit and dry, palatable sense of humour. He has a big bushy beard which I have forgiven him for (Emmy loves his beard) and I call him her bear because of it.
Emmy and Kenny:
Po the driver took us to Bangkok and dropped us off close to Khaosan Road. After some discussion in Dutch, Kenny and Emmy found their bearings and away we went in search of the rooms. Eventually we found the hotel, after a few false starts and retracing of steps. The addresses in Thailand are a bit tricksy to work out - how it works is you get a number, (the number of the building, etc) then you get a name which relates to the section of the neighborhood that building is located, then lastly you get the street name. For instance, we stayed at the New Siam II Guest House, located at 50 Trok Rong Mhai, Phra A-Thit Road, Chanasongkram, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. Trok Rong Mhai is the neighborhood and the street sign off the main road says Trok Rong Mhai. Once you turn into Trok Rong Mhai, you need to look for Phra A-Thit Road, and this is where the problem might be. Not everyone hanging out on the streets actually knows the names of those streets, or how to get to them. Another issue is that Thai people want to please, so if you ask them a question that they don't understand they will always reply to the affirmative. This adds an extra element of chance to the process of exploring Bangkok and in a way is very charming.
When you are lost in Bangkok, having an overnight bag on wheels is probably the most useless, stupid and inappropriate piece of equipment one could actually have. A word to the wise: 25 litre backpack. Bangkok is dirty. I mean really dirty. I always thought Camden on a Monday morning was gross, but compared to Bangkok Camden is a pristine virgin living in a convent way up in the mountains. I would love to culture the wheels of my bag, but then would be frightened to read the report.
After getting checked in and sorted, we reassembled in the lobby to coordinate a search for food. The easiest thing to do was to pick a direction and start walking, so we did. We came upon a pizza place called the Cafe Primavera, and after two pizzas, breaded mushrooms and a plate of ravioli we were full, happy and having an excellent conversation. We ordered coffee and desserts and stayed until the staff were just about to throw us out (the cafe closes at 11pm) and then hit the streets once more. The whole meal for the four of us cost about 2400 Baht, or £45. Getoutahere!
Walking back to the hotel, past the music clubs with people sitting at the inevitable sidewalk tables, past the shuttered shops and sand bags I had time to ponder and to notice the smells of the city. Sometimes they are good smells, sometimes bad, always foreign. Terry Pratchett described the smell of Ankh-Morpork in one of his earlier Discworld novels and if I had a chance to ever ask him a question it would be if he used Bangkok as an inspiration.
Lisa and I had asked for a twin room and yes, we had a room with two beds: they were pushed up next to each other and shared a common headboard. We had to laugh.
Unfortunately, the roads are flooded and it's very, very difficult to get to their house just now. When I spoke to Brian he was just awaiting a delivery of sandbags (coming by boat) to stack around their place. They didn't have any water yet, but the news had advised that more water was on the way. Their road is already under a metre of water. It's frustrating that I can't do a bloody thing to help them.
I told Lisa that I was coming with her to Bangkok. Her plans had fallen through as well so we were both at a loose end. The backup plan was to find a place to stay in the same hotel our friends Kenny and Emmy were staying in and hang out.
Emmy is taking the Thai Professional Massage course with Lisa and I, and Kenny is her partner. He is waiting for her to finish the course and then they are off to Australia for 3 months or so. They are an extremely nice Belgian couple and I feel fortunate to call them friends. Emmy is gentle and sweet, and very quiet indeed. I enjoy her company - her rants are barely audible yet full of passion, and when she swears I am always quite taken aback. Hearing someone whisper "Fuck!!" vehemently in a Dutch accent, complete with toothy grimace and bulging eyeballs makes me laugh in spite of the intended sentiment. Kenny is a sound engineer and a very good guitar player. Additional Kenny benefits include his willingness to sit still and let people jam their thumbs into him for practice, his quick wit and dry, palatable sense of humour. He has a big bushy beard which I have forgiven him for (Emmy loves his beard) and I call him her bear because of it.
Emmy and Kenny:
Po the driver took us to Bangkok and dropped us off close to Khaosan Road. After some discussion in Dutch, Kenny and Emmy found their bearings and away we went in search of the rooms. Eventually we found the hotel, after a few false starts and retracing of steps. The addresses in Thailand are a bit tricksy to work out - how it works is you get a number, (the number of the building, etc) then you get a name which relates to the section of the neighborhood that building is located, then lastly you get the street name. For instance, we stayed at the New Siam II Guest House, located at 50 Trok Rong Mhai, Phra A-Thit Road, Chanasongkram, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. Trok Rong Mhai is the neighborhood and the street sign off the main road says Trok Rong Mhai. Once you turn into Trok Rong Mhai, you need to look for Phra A-Thit Road, and this is where the problem might be. Not everyone hanging out on the streets actually knows the names of those streets, or how to get to them. Another issue is that Thai people want to please, so if you ask them a question that they don't understand they will always reply to the affirmative. This adds an extra element of chance to the process of exploring Bangkok and in a way is very charming.
When you are lost in Bangkok, having an overnight bag on wheels is probably the most useless, stupid and inappropriate piece of equipment one could actually have. A word to the wise: 25 litre backpack. Bangkok is dirty. I mean really dirty. I always thought Camden on a Monday morning was gross, but compared to Bangkok Camden is a pristine virgin living in a convent way up in the mountains. I would love to culture the wheels of my bag, but then would be frightened to read the report.
After getting checked in and sorted, we reassembled in the lobby to coordinate a search for food. The easiest thing to do was to pick a direction and start walking, so we did. We came upon a pizza place called the Cafe Primavera, and after two pizzas, breaded mushrooms and a plate of ravioli we were full, happy and having an excellent conversation. We ordered coffee and desserts and stayed until the staff were just about to throw us out (the cafe closes at 11pm) and then hit the streets once more. The whole meal for the four of us cost about 2400 Baht, or £45. Getoutahere!
Walking back to the hotel, past the music clubs with people sitting at the inevitable sidewalk tables, past the shuttered shops and sand bags I had time to ponder and to notice the smells of the city. Sometimes they are good smells, sometimes bad, always foreign. Terry Pratchett described the smell of Ankh-Morpork in one of his earlier Discworld novels and if I had a chance to ever ask him a question it would be if he used Bangkok as an inspiration.
Lisa and I had asked for a twin room and yes, we had a room with two beds: they were pushed up next to each other and shared a common headboard. We had to laugh.
Wat Po Annual Closure Oct 19-21
All the Wat Po schools close for three days each year. These are the only days off - the temple is open year round EXCEPT for October 19, 20 and 21.
This is the reason we have been attending class seven days a week. Had I known this I might have made different plans, since I am not someone that can take in blocks of information continually - I need some down time to process, practice and think about it. This seven days a week lark is killing me and wearing me out.
The closure is significant, because if you are staying in the school's accomodation you have to leave. I did not know this until I arrived here. You can leave your stuff in your room, but you have to go. Oh shit.
This is the reason we have been attending class seven days a week. Had I known this I might have made different plans, since I am not someone that can take in blocks of information continually - I need some down time to process, practice and think about it. This seven days a week lark is killing me and wearing me out.
The closure is significant, because if you are staying in the school's accomodation you have to leave. I did not know this until I arrived here. You can leave your stuff in your room, but you have to go. Oh shit.
Saturday 15 October 2011
Thoughts on Insects
15 Oct, 2011:
Foreigners to Thailand
are little more than a buffet to many of the local flying buglets. They don’t bother the Thai people so much,
but they are chewing the hell out of me and my American and European cohorts. The screens on the windows keep out the
bigger ones, but the little guys just zoom straight through and are in.
Citronella spray is readily available and works pretty
good. I’ve a can of Off and it’s ok, but
spraying it on when standing on a tile floor can make life tricky because it’s
oily. I sprayed it on in my shower room,
which was even a bigger hah once the floor got wet during my next shower.
Once you’ve let your guard down and have lost a few pints of
blood, you will be tortured by the itching of the bumps. Put Tiger Balm on them. If you have it, put yellow oil on them. This kills the itch for a while, and will
make you taste bad. Buffet closed! YAY!
The ceiling in my room is too high for a net. I could hang one, but there would have to be
some DIY first. I have worked out that I
have to shut the windows before I turn on the lights at night. Once I’ve gone to bed and just have a bedside
lamp on, I wait. Whoever is in the room
with me, waiting for me to fall asleep, will come to the light. They can’t help it. When they do, I kill them. I leave no survivors. I don’t stop; don’t sleep until I’ve killed
them all. I know Buddha is in every
living thing, including the flying, bloodsucking horde, and I’m sorry it has to
be this way, but hey.
Our Thai teachers, when they see mosquitoes buzzing around
looking for a good place to land on one of us walking feasts, just laugh and
say the mosquitoes are coming to kiss us.
Hmph.
Blue vial: Citronella mosquito repellent. Yellow bottle: yellow oil, for when the inevitable happens. Jar on the end: Tiger Balm.
Learning to Massage
So far we have learned a two hour relaxing massage routine, with 90-minute, 60-minute and 30-minute variations. The different steps have sunk into my head at last, and all I need to do now is practice until they settle into place. Today I massaged one of our teachers for the first time and he only had to make minor corrections to my pressure point positions. He told me I did good. This means something because he only says about 10 words a day. He's an awesome teacher, and I like him very much.
We also learned a one-hour massage routine for a tension-type headache. This is good stuff, it centers around the trapezius, rhomboids and the cranium and I can't wait to give it a try.
We are starting to get a little tired, need some down time. I was counting on having Sundays off to recharge and assimilate. No such luck!
We also learned a one-hour massage routine for a tension-type headache. This is good stuff, it centers around the trapezius, rhomboids and the cranium and I can't wait to give it a try.
We are starting to get a little tired, need some down time. I was counting on having Sundays off to recharge and assimilate. No such luck!
Thursday 13 October 2011
Sunday Outing - Bangkok
13.10.11: I finally
have a moment to sit and type. Sorry it’s
been so long, I’ve had a lot to do lately.
We went to Wat Phra Chetuphon (AKA Wat Po) in Bangkok last Sunday. Wow, what a place. I got pictures of all the surviving statues
depicting RueSi DatTon postures. They
are dotted about the temple grounds. People visit and leave them gifts of flowers and fruit. There are only 25 left of the original 82 - the rest were stolen or broken. They are beautifully crafted and I would have loved to have seen them all.
This is one of the postures we practice after class is finished for the day. It's not an easy one, but is getting easier. I have spoken to my teacher about continuing to learn RueSi DatTon after I finish my training in December as this is something I very much wish to pursue. I love Thai Yoga!
I have been to places like New Orleans, which has a history that goes back to the 1600's what with being occupied by the French etc etc etc. Then I moved to England, and there's some pretty old stuff stacked up there too, and because of that, the English sneer at America's history. However, Wat Po really drives home the point that when the Anglos were still running around in the mud, stacking stones, hitting each other with sticks and working out the bit about fire there were people on the other side of the world, dressed in woven clothing, studying the human body and documenting their findings.
Wat Po has a statue of the Reclining Buddha. He's huge.
They built the Buddha then erected the building around him, he's so big. Inside the building it's very noisy; sounds like a penny slot casino. We walked around his front and as we turned the corner to go back out we stopped and bought a cup of satang (100 satang = 1 Baht). The trick is to drop one coin in each of the bowls that line the wall on your way out. The coins make a noisy clatter as you drop them in - hence the casino-esque noise. They charge 20 Baht for your cup of coins, and yes, you are being took for the tourist bitch that you are. I don't mind, I'm grateful for Wat Po and all that it represents, and the Reclining Buddha is dead cool!
I think I need one more trip to Wat Po before I go. I wish to spend the day there, looking at everything properly. It's fun going with a group, but you have to keep up all the time and don't get to stop and enjoy.
After Wat Po we went to the JJ (Jatujak) Mall and weekend market. I didn't see much of the mall as we scooted straight out into the real action. Everything at the weekend market is for sale, and the prices are always negotiable. We had fun looking at all the stuff - I've never seen so much stuff! The market is laid out between two main streets in a grid format. The alleys are narrow and full of people shopping, browsing, eating, chatting...just living, really. There were plenty of tourists standing around, panting in the heat. I said hello to a few of them but they seemed a bit wilted.
We would charge down an alley, stopping to look, haggle and occasionally buy bits and pieces, then burst out onto the street for some air. After a few minutes of air one of us would announce "I'm going in!!!" and we'd find another alley. It was awesome. Four hours was never enough time. I tried to get some pictures but there was no point, none that I attempted even came close to depicting the experience.
I was shopping with my Japanese classmate, Miki. She was like a machine. I'm not much of a shopper, I usually know what it is I'm after and power shop my way in and out. If I can do it in under ten minutes so much the better. Miki led me round that market for hours, bargaining like a pro. I can fully recommend going shopping with a Japanese girl. They can work the system. Miki is so cute as well, which I am positive helps.
Miki, Lisa and I stopped for lunch...
It had
to end, eventually. We piled onto the Chetawan School van and buzzed
back to the school. I never needed a shower so bad in my life! I
smelled like that market (don't ask me to describe it, just go there and
get a few lungfuls for yourself) and my clothing had pretty much fused
to my skin. What a day!
Friday 7 October 2011
07 Oct, 2011
07.10.11: Today we
learned about Thai herbal compresses, and about some of the herbs used to treat
illnesses. I wonder if I will be able to
source all of the ingredients in the US
or the UK. I know some of them, but not all. I will have to start searching around to see
if I can get either the plants or seeds and then find a place to grow them
myself. This seems to be the best
answer, but a very time oriented one.
We also started learning about the ten sen lines – the Thai
energy lines. They make sense. It’s a whole ‘nother set of anatomical
landmarks to memorise, but that’s ok.
That’s what I’m here for. I’m
trying to document as I go and it’s going to take me some time to work it all
out.
Thai yoga is called RueSi DatTon, and we are learning the
first 18 postures. Eventually we will
learn 32 of the 127. I will continue to
learn them after leaving here – after doing all the work for three months I
won’t want to let it go. It’s good for
me. We do RueSi DatTon every day, M-F
and rest on Sat/Sun. I have noticed that
I improve a little each day – I can balance on one foot longer and do a few
more reps of the various exercises. This
Saturday we have Muy Thai, but I think I may have to skip it this time due to
needing to study. It’s probably for the
best that I have no internet tonight.
I’ve discovered green mangoes. They aren’t as sweet as the ones we get in the UK, but the flavour is delicious! I
can’t get enough. I might have to buy
some more on Sunday. I've given up on the chocolate here, it's so waxy that it's just not worth the effort. Most of the Thai sweets/desserts I've tried are so sweet I can feel myself slipping into a diabetic coma before I finish the first bite - I'm not used to eating that much sugar in one hit. I am having too much fun trying all the new fruit to bother to much with dessert.
My English has gone slightly wonky. When speaking to people with a limited grasp
of English I’ve found it best to eliminate all unnecessary words and just speak
the noun and verb, and don’t use too much slang. It’s also useful to speak clearly and make
helpfully descriptive gestures. Do not get frustrated
or angry (not that I would, Thai people are way too sweet to get mad at!!!),
and in Thailand
one never shouts. Ever. I mean never ever. Keep smiling and stay polite and these unbelievably
patient souls will move heaven and earth to make it happen for you, once they've figured out what you're on about. Lose your cool and you lose face, and not
only is that a bad thing, you also won’t get what you came for in the first
place.
All the massage is starting to loosen off my tight shoulders
and back. My bones are starting to pop
back into place. I’m still sweating like
a mad sweating thing, but it’s water – my sweat has no smell which means I’m
not consuming any toxins. My diet is
pure good food and water. Every night
I’m fighting the urge to go to bed at 7:35pm and I’m not sleeping very well,
but I think it’s the combination of missing my husband, sleeping in a strange
bed, and the six hour time difference that’s thrown me a little.
My iFox data SIM card doesn’t want to know. It just doesn’t work in my HTC Desire, even
though I called HTC to check the APN settings.
I’ll take it back to the shop on Tuesday but I know I won’t get a
refund. Sigh. I can only try. My DTAC SIM works, which is cool. Sixy-nine Baht for the SIM plus another 200B
phone credit at 1B per minute. The SIM
comes with 300 mb data per month for 4 months.
I cannot tether my laptop though, and that disappoints me. I was grateful to escape the DTAC store with
a SIM card that worked, I wasn’t about to start demanding extras. None of the girls in the shop spoke any
English so they had to call DTAC customer service to get an English speaker to
help translate for them. I could barely
hear her because the music out in the mall was playing so loudly, so getting
the help I got was better than I had hoped for anyway. The internet connection via DTAC is slow,
painfully so, but better than a poke in the eye with a frozen carrot I suppose.
I better put on some Flaming Lips and do some studying
before I drop in my tracks completely.
Wednesday 5 October 2011
05 October, 2011
The end of the day. I'm exhausted. The teachers have divided the two-hour relaxing Thai massage into 5 parts. We've learned two of the five so far. It's good stuff! I am really enjoying this work and am being the best knowledge sponge I can be.
I've taken two of my three daily showers so far.
I've lost twelve pounds since the day I left England. I think it's mostly water. I spend a good chunk of my days with sweat pouring off of me like someone's standing over me holding a watering can. The sad thing is, I'm sweating like this in an air-conditioned room. I'm not alone in my sweatfest, but I'm definitely the worst. I was laughing with one of my American classmates that is also sweating buckets - I told her when the aliens come they'll eat us first because Americans are so plump and juicy. There's plenty of filtered water around and I have some every chance I get.
I'm not eating as much food as I normally do and I think it's because of the heat. I'm still tempted to sample everything though! The fruit here is amazing, unrecognizable, alien, delicious. I can't wait til the 19th when I meet up with Brian and Kai - one of my ideas is to try as many fruits and veggies as I can while Chetawan is closed from the 19th-21st of Oct.
The Thai people I've met and interacted with are excellent. I haven't met one I didn't like immediately thus far. So much is accomplished in spite of the very obvious elephant-in-the-room language barrier. Even the police are happy to cease crimestopping for a moment to budge up for a picture...
Look at those stern expressions! As soon as I thanked them for the picture they all gave me big, bright smiles and resumed their normal duties. I love this place.
We've been planning on getting down the road for a beer this week but so far have been stymied. If we do get out I'll try to get some pics of the local area. I know there are those of you out there that have been told that I wouldn't be drinking while I'm here, but having been introduced to Chang Lager last week I have to try it again - if only to see if it's as good as I thought it was the first time. I can only handle one bottle - I think it's 6.4% - and the bottles are BIG. Can you believe they only cost 40 Baht? That's less than a pound Sterling, man! Can't really drink too much in this heat, I'll get sick for sure.
This Sunday the class is going to the Wat Po temple in Bangkok, then to a big market. I need to buy some clothes. I brought things that are suitable to wear here, but I'm changing 2-3 times a day and I can't wash clothes so often. It takes everything a day or so to dry out. I didn't consider the drying factor when I packed. Anyway, I will definitely be recording the adventure for all you (poor darlings) out there in non-Thailand :-)
I've taken two of my three daily showers so far.
I've lost twelve pounds since the day I left England. I think it's mostly water. I spend a good chunk of my days with sweat pouring off of me like someone's standing over me holding a watering can. The sad thing is, I'm sweating like this in an air-conditioned room. I'm not alone in my sweatfest, but I'm definitely the worst. I was laughing with one of my American classmates that is also sweating buckets - I told her when the aliens come they'll eat us first because Americans are so plump and juicy. There's plenty of filtered water around and I have some every chance I get.
I'm not eating as much food as I normally do and I think it's because of the heat. I'm still tempted to sample everything though! The fruit here is amazing, unrecognizable, alien, delicious. I can't wait til the 19th when I meet up with Brian and Kai - one of my ideas is to try as many fruits and veggies as I can while Chetawan is closed from the 19th-21st of Oct.
The Thai people I've met and interacted with are excellent. I haven't met one I didn't like immediately thus far. So much is accomplished in spite of the very obvious elephant-in-the-room language barrier. Even the police are happy to cease crimestopping for a moment to budge up for a picture...
Look at those stern expressions! As soon as I thanked them for the picture they all gave me big, bright smiles and resumed their normal duties. I love this place.
We've been planning on getting down the road for a beer this week but so far have been stymied. If we do get out I'll try to get some pics of the local area. I know there are those of you out there that have been told that I wouldn't be drinking while I'm here, but having been introduced to Chang Lager last week I have to try it again - if only to see if it's as good as I thought it was the first time. I can only handle one bottle - I think it's 6.4% - and the bottles are BIG. Can you believe they only cost 40 Baht? That's less than a pound Sterling, man! Can't really drink too much in this heat, I'll get sick for sure.
This Sunday the class is going to the Wat Po temple in Bangkok, then to a big market. I need to buy some clothes. I brought things that are suitable to wear here, but I'm changing 2-3 times a day and I can't wash clothes so often. It takes everything a day or so to dry out. I didn't consider the drying factor when I packed. Anyway, I will definitely be recording the adventure for all you (poor darlings) out there in non-Thailand :-)
Monday 3 October 2011
Morning
03.10.11: In this
class we have a great mix of nationalities.
One Greek, one French, two Belgians, one German, one Italian, three
Americans, two Thai, one Japanese, one Serbian.
Everyone is really cool and we are getting along well. The two Thai girls both work as Thai massage
therapists. I and one of the other
Americans are massage therapists as well.
Everyone else is green. I’m not
sure who has the advantage here, but I suspect it might be the MTs – there is a
lot of theory that we know and have field experience with that the others don’t.
Our mornings start out pretty mellow. Everyone drags their carcasses to the
cafeteria to eat and drink coffee. As I
am something of a crab first thing in the morning this is a challenge for
me. (At home I get up and don’t speak to
anyone for hours – I plant headphones on and work out on my crosstrainer until
I’ve burned 1600 calories – if that doesn’t get the endorphins blasting around
my bloodstream nothing will. Once I get
off the machine I feel a bit more chirpy and up for it all.)
At 9:00 we assemble in a room with the teacher and do the
morning prayers. Tradition dictates that
we pray to Buddha and to the Father of Thai Massage, Jivaka
Kumar Bhacca, every morning before practicing the massage. This ritual calms me, settles me down and
gets me ready. After prayer there is a
moment of meditation and I take this time to empty my head of everything else
and get ready to learn.
Tomorrow is our first day of massage! I can’t wait, I’ve come so far for this and I
am SO ready!
Siriraj Medical Museum
03 Oct 11: Today we
had class only half a day. We finished
the A&P, which I found to be a relief.
After lunch we went to the Congdon
Anatomical Museum at the Siriraj Medical
Museum in Bangkok.
Omygod. This museum is full of
human parts, skeletons, cadavers, jars of foetuses, Siamese twins, and other
really horrific birth defects.
We weren’t allowed to take any photographs inside the
museums as the flashes will destroy the body tissues. Some of them are over 250 years old.
The tourist brochure has this to say about Congdon Anatomical
Museum (don’t sue me for
plagiarizing. I freely admit I copied
this word for word, including punctuation):
“The Museum was established in 1927 by Prof. Dr. Edgar Davidson Congdon,
the Rockefeller Foundation visiting professor of Anatomy at Siriraj. It started with the collection of specimens
dissected by Prof. Congdon and his students and later developed into a standard
anatomical museum. When Prof. Dr. Sood
Sangvichien was the chairman of the department.
The museum was named Congdon Anatomical
Museum. A variety of exhibits are displayed, such as
human development from zygote through embryo and fetus, various types of
congenital anomaly, conjoined twins, anatomy of every organ system of human,
normal and abnormal. The most fantastic
specimen is whole body dissection of the nervous and arterial system.”
The other museum we had a look at was the Songkran Niyomsane
Forensic Medicine
Museum. Happily, the brochure tells us this: "While being chairman of Forensic Medicine,
Prof. Dr. Songkran Niyomsane, a pioneer of this field at Siriraj, established
this museum. The museum exhibits many
objects from homicide, suicide and accident cases, such as skulls, bones,
preserved organs, preserved bodies of the notorious murder: Si-Ouey as well as some blood stained clothes
from Nualchawee’s case. The most
importance exhibited are skulls from experimental investigation and autopsy
instruments which were used in the case of King Rama the VIII’s assassination. The skeleton of Prof. Dr. Songkran is also
mounted in the museum."
I spent the drive back to the campus staring out the window, this being my first chance to have a look around in the daylight. Scooters and cars fill the roads, and everyone just kind of
drives through it all. Surprisingly, I
haven’t seen an accident yet. On the
larger roads undertaking is the norm, and if you want a lane that someone else
is in you just honk your horn until you cut them up. Our driver, Po,
is a cool customer and gets the job done.
One thing I can say about the microscopic spec of Thailand I've seen so far is that where ever people go, they fill up the space completely. In between pockets of people, piles of garbage, buildings in various states of disrepair, cars and motorcycles, are rice fields with white cranes stepping through the mud, eating. This place is green, and the jungle is an ever present reminder that people are only a temporary fixture...
We got there and back safely, and now I’m going swimming.
First Day of School
01.10.11: Today we
got a tour of the school and then did Anatomy and Physiology. The A&P is very easy stuff; we are only
touching on the basics of each system.
After class ended we did water aerobics in the pool (good fun, lots of
laughing!) and now we are going to meet up and get a taxi to Tesco Lotus. I’ve come half way around the world and
here’s bloody Tesco…
Tesco Lotus is a real treat.
The marketing is so different here, I can’t believe it. Garish colors, lots of sparkly stuff. I bought a SIM card and it doesn’t work. Sigh.
I will have to go back to Tesco on Tuesday and get it sorted out.
Got homework to do and a bed to get to. Night!
Chetawan Health School
30.09.11: I’m
here! I’m in room 106 and have taken
pictures, will post them as soon as the internet is working again. It’s been off since 8pm tonight (just in time
for me to show up, uncannily).
After 18 hours of airports and airplanes and two really
horrific airline version curries, I’m exhausted. Two things have made me cross: one of my security locks was missing from the
green suitcase and DTAC at the airport were out of data SIMs. Grr!
I’ve met some people.
Kai and Brian Spooner. They are
FAB! Kai is from Thailand, Brian is from the UK. They manage a small restaurant in Great
Yarmouth for the tourist season and come back to Thailand for the other 5 months of
the year. We will be hooking up later
on, once I’ve found my feet here.
I can’t wait to see what Salaya looks like in the
daylight. One thing I noticed while
being driven from the airport was that Toyota
have got this place locked up tight!
Everything’s Toyota. Pete would love the big Toyota vans – they are the same size as a
long Transporter but aren’t used for work.
They are people movers and have loads of chrome, curtains, and shiny
paint jobs. I wanted to get pictures but
my camera lens was so fogged up I couldn’t do anything.
Here are some pics of my room:
Here are some pics of my room:
The Green Suitcase Has Left The Building
29.09.11: Heathrow. The queue to check in was so
multi-cultural…most folks were some shade of brown, with a few white folks in
the mix. I felt a bit out of place with
my one green suitcase, all around me people had trolleys stacked with all sorts
of gear to take home.
I’ve got all eyes open and in spite of my desire to remain
passé about all this, I’m excited and taking it all in. I’ve found a quiet spot to plug in my phone
and laptop to do a bit of charging…I’m regretting not buying the airplane adapter
(cheap tart!) but did bring the analogue equivalent of Word: a pen and a notebook…
We leave in an hour.
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