Final days in Thailand

It’s been a week since I’m back in Switzerland. Today is cold (10°C) and rainy and while I’m dreaming of the warm Thai weather I decided it’s a good time to write about my last days in Thailand.

Farewell parties

These were filled with farewell parties. First a farewell party at the teacher’s house (with karaoke) which was just the beginning of our emotional goodbyes. The next morning we had to say good bye to all the students. They all lined up and we said bye – hugs, hugs and more hugs. Then lots of them came back to get our phone numbers and give us theirs. (Throughout the week I noticed a lot of missed calls and one morning at 7 a.m. – I was still asleep – a girl called me “Hello P’Natalie. I miss you. I love you.” So sweet. I almost started crying! Unfortunately my phone was stolen and that was the end of the students calling me L). They also wanted us to sign their arms and do body art on them. After a morning of being a celebrity I was ready for the “calmer” farewell party with the teachers and principle, though in the end we were all dancing around singing karaoke. The feast they’d prepared for us was delicious and I ate, and ate and ate – especially the durian sticky rice! When it came time to say goodbye we all started crying. The teachers were really like mothers and sisters and during our time here they were so helpful, kind and caring. The next three days we helped at the Giving Project (name of this English teaching project) booth at Bangkok University. On the evening of the last day the AIESECers had a farewell party for us (again with karaoke) and it was a very special evening.

Farewell party at the teacher's house.

Just a few of the kids on the last day of school. We took about 10 of these pictures, each time with a different set of kids.

 

Waterfall and rural Thailand

The next morning I said my first set of goodbyes to An and Dale leaving that day. Judy, Thea, two other EPs Michelle and Elaine and I joined the teachers for an excursion to a waterfall. It was great to see the teachers again so soon, the waterfall was fun to swim in and after a long drive and visits to sisters, aunts and cousins of the teachers we finally made it to the teacher’s friend’s house where we’d spend the night (about 20 people sleeping in one room small room!). It was in a beautiful location in the countryside – somewhere in the middle of nowhere. After a feast, including a whole roasted pig which choked me – a vegetarian – at first sight, we sang karaoke until almost midnight. The next morning we drove back to Bangkok University where Lukjan, an AIESECer took us to her grandfather’s house. It was a good 2 hour drive from Bangkok University in the country as well. After meeting her relatives we ate something and then her uncle took us on a small tour of the area. When we got back it was already dark out and dinner was waiting for us, including some milk tea crème filled buns – a new favorite.

 

Hua Hin

That next week Judy and I took off to Hua Hin (3 hours south of Bangkok). After finding our hotel (Les Bobo’s Backpaper’s Hostel for 6 $/CHF a night) we took a local bus (it looked like a big tuktuk) to Khao Takiab, a hill at the end of the beach with a big Buddha at its foot and a temple on top. The main attraction however, apart from the lovely view, are all the monkeys on top. They were literally ALL over the place and I spent more time taking pictures of them then doing anything else. The next morning we set out on our adventure to the Phraya Nakhon Cave located in the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. Even though the tourist information office and bus drivers had told us that there was no bus that could take us to the cave, our super friendly and helpful hotel owner looked up some information and told us that there was a bus. We first took an ancient looking bus to Pranburi, there we thankfully found somebody who understood a little bit of English and showed us where the bus to the cave would leave from. It turned out that the bus was really like a big tuktuk and bus driver a delivery man, bringing food from the market to rural areas. Next problem: there was no bus coming back to town. Judy and I weren’t about to give up and finally – through somebody’s friend who was able to speak english with us on the phone, we made a deal with the bus driver that he’d pick us up in the afternoon and drive us back for 200 baht (~6 $/CHF) each. The drive was quite long and I “made friends” with boy who reminded me so much of my students. Since counting is one of the only things I can say in Thai, I started counting and soon enough he was counting and counting and counting (he must’ve reached at least 400 by the time we arrived). I’d been expecting a whole crowd of tourists at the foot of the trail leading to the cave, but the place seemed quite deserted. Judy and I started our hike up, stopping along the way to take some pictures of the spectacular scenery. It was quite the hike to the cave, but well worth it. The cave was huge, and reminded me of scenes from the movie “Journey to the center of the Earth”. After the hike down the guy did come to pick us up, and before leaving we enjoyed a fresh coconut. Back in Hua Hin we went to the beach to swim. The next day we took the bus to Phetchaburi, a city north of Hua Hin, to see a summer palace of one of the past kings. I’m quite proud of our 3 day trip, considering we planned it all and I spend only about 45 $/CHF for the whole trip.

Cute monkeys.

Phraya Nakhon cave.

Beautiful beach at Bangpoo Fishing Village where we started our hike.
 

My last three days in Bangkok I went to see the Grand Palace and Wat Pho (particularly impressing: the reclining Buddha) with my dad and went shopping with Judy. Some of the AIESECers came to say good bye at the airport. It was a sad moment – saying goodbye to them and knowing that I was leaving Thailand. Though it’s over now, I have memories of this amazing experience that will last forever. I’m sure I’ll come back to Bangkok again. I’m so thankful for everything the teachers and AIESECers at BU did for me.

The riclining Buddha in the Wat Pho. It's huge!!

 

Just one last thing I have to say: Join AIESEC. Go on exchange. And if you’re too old to do that: travel the world and go to Thailand!

 

Pattaya, Thai wedding and markets

Pattaya

On Saturday we drove to Pattaya, a city approx. 2.5 hours southeast of Bangkok and right at the beach. We (5 EPs, 3 teachers and Fim, the teacher’s nephew who goes to school where we teach) spent the day at the beach. We went on a banana boat and got dumped seven times! I enjoyed every moment as we sat on the beach and ate, knowing that I’ll be back in Switzerland facing the cold fall and winter.

Banana boat!!!

That evening we went to a wedding with the teachers. It was huge – I’m guessing at least 200 people, probably more. We all sat down at a table and they brought us lots of food – unfortunately all with meat except for the pineapple and cashews. We seemed to be a big attraction because lots of people came over to our table just to say hello. At the end the bride and groom took a picture with us and gave us each a little bag. We were all really excited, and it’s perfect to keep my hair stuff in, but the next morning we were told that those bags are only used by old ladies. I guess that means I just aged overnight J

At the wedding

On Sunday after a big meal – let’s call it brunch – we went to Bangkok to the Chatuchak market again. I think I could go there every weekend – it’s so big, there are so many things to buy and it’s so cheap! The only downside is that it’s outside, but luckily they sell refreshing coconut drinks (don’t know what to call it – is it coconut juice?). From Chatuchak market we drove to a night market near the school. It was fun and a lot more authentic – I think we were the only foreigners there since a long time. It was definitely a “shop ‘til you drop” day.

At Chatuchak market. Sticky rice with egg. Very delicious :)

The night market.

Mother’s Day weekend in Thailand

On Sunday it was the Queen’s Birthday and Thai mother’s day. In honor of this event Monday was a holiday and we had a mother’s day celebration at the school on Friday. This ceremony was really special and emotional. The teachers spent Thursday afternoon and evening preparing for the next day.  We bought flowers for all the teachers as a little thank you. All the children’s mothers – and maybe also some grandmothers – came on Friday morning. The kids sang songs, danced and read things (it was all in Thai so I don’t know what it was – maybe a poem or a story. Towards the end of the ceremony one of the girls sang a song and started crying. Soon almost all of the kids were crying and hugging their moms or coming up and hugging us. It was quite emotional and of course we all started crying too. Later they had mother – child games, i.e. musical chairs, freeze dance etc. The kids always wanted us to be their “mother”, so we played almost every game.

This girl started crying while she was performing the song.

In the afternoon the girls got ready for their dance performance in the evening. We all drove to a fancy hotel in Bangkok. The performance was in honor of a company’s 40 year anniversary and they’d donated money to the school. The girls (and three boys) did a good job performing – there were five different groups performing dances from different regions of Thailand.



With some students and the teachers before the show.



On Saturday we went to the famous Chatuchak market. It’s huge and there are so many different things to buy! We spent four hours there, and then had to take the van to Amphawa, famous for its floating market. We bought dinner at the many food stands. I tried quail eggs, had some corn on the cob and some refreshing watermelon. We took a boat out on the river to see fireflies. Even though I’ve seen them before, it was really special because they were all sitting in the trees, so it looked like the trees had blinking Christmas lights on them. At the end the boat took us to our hotel. It was a simple homestay, but nice. Even though we went to bed late, we still got up at 6 a.m. to give a monk in a boat some food so he’d pray for us. Since I’m not Buddhist I just watched and took pictures. It was worth getting up just for the beautiful lighting.

The view in the monring.

Where we stayed (there was water under
the house at night because of the tide)

Praying with the monk

After breakfast the owner of the hotel drove us to a nearby temple. That was really nice of her. All the Thai people are so friendly and helpful. The temple was amazing because it had trees growing all around it! Then we went to the floating market in Amphawa. We took the van back to Bangkok in the afternoon. Three buddhas and a shopping mall later we went to Chinatown for dinner. I really felt like I was in China since I was with five Chinese speaking people and just three of us who didn’t speak Chinese.

The temple with trees around it.



Floating market in Amphawa.

Four-faced Buddha in Bangkok.

Candle Festival part II

Last Wednesday we celebrated the candle festival with the school kids. In the morning we walked around the neighborhood to collect money. This was very interesting because until then I lived in the somewhat protected bubble of the school. The houses are all very simple, some resembling shacks more than a real house. It’s a swampy area and a lot of the houses are built over the water. The water was full of garbage; people just seem to dump their stuff anywhere. Knowing that this is the neighborhood where the kids live made a big impression on me. They always seem so happy, yet when you see what little they have... While we were walking around one girl continued to hug and cling to me the whole time. What surprised me was that she hadn’t really done this before at school like some of the other kids who hug me every time they see me. At one point the principle came up to me to tell me that both of her parents are in jail and she lives alone with her uncle.

After lunch we walked to the temple, which is on the other side of the highway, approx. 10-15 min walk from the school. We walked around the temple three times before entering it. Inside we all sat down and facing the big Buddha statue with ten monks sitting in front of it. They had us sit in the very front so I had a good view of everything, especially the monks. One of the monks started praying and everyone else repeated after him. Since I’m not Buddhist and couldn’t understand what they were saying I silently watched. I had to laugh when I saw two of the monks continually using their smart phones, hiding it under their orange robe. Even they have caught up with modern technology, as old as the monks might look.

After the ceremony in the temple we walked down to the canal just behind the temple to feed the fish. They were huge and sometimes started fighting over the food, thus splashing everyone with the dirty water. At that point I didn’t really care anymore because I was so sweaty and hot.

In the temple after the ceremony with two teachers, An, me, Judy, Thea, the principle and three girls from the school.

Koh Samed

This weekend we had a mini vacation on Koh Samed, a small Island about 3 ½ hours from Bangkok. The adventure started at 5 a.m. with Judy and An; we had to get to Rayong without any AIESECers. Somehow, we made it there and met the other EPs and one AIESECer, Fern. We took a speedboat to the island. It was a rough and fast ride – we all arrived with windblown hair and big smiles on our faces. We got off right at the beach and it was just a short walk to our room. After getting settled we all went back to the beach to swim. The water felt soooo good and was really wam. I could’ve stayed in for hours since it felt so good and I don’t think would’ve ever been cold. Our stomach had other plans and we all got out to eat something. I enjoyed just sitting right on the beach, enjoying the view and the calming sound of the waves.

Later the “four single ladies” (long story, so I won’t explain now) An, Calvin, Michelle and I walked around a bit and took lots of pictures. After that we were starving and since dinner was only going to be in an hour I got a banana and chocolate “crêpe”. We had dinner on the beach, only about 10-15 meters away from the water. There were beautiful lanterns hanging and as it got dark we could see some of the stars and later even the (almost full) moon. At one point we walked to the other end of the beach to watch a fire juggling show. Later we danced and sang on the beach and I went “swimming” again (remember: never stand with your back against the sea, you never know, it might attack you from behind with a big wave that leaves you with a wet skirt and underwear). Later we took a “taxi” (aka truck with seats on the back) to a nearby bar. The roads on the island are really bumpy, either because they have huge holes and cracks or because they aren’t paved at all, so the drive there was very bumpy (the car version of the speed boat ride we’d had earlier). We first sat out on the beach, later went inside to listen to some live music – part thai, part English.

The next morning I took a quick swim before we left. This time we took the slow boat back. The scenery was nice, but I fell asleep. We then took a van back to Bangkok and from there a van to Bangkok University, where we ate dinner with Melody, Thea and two AIESECers Pam and Mos. As we ate dinner it started raining really hard and when we wanted to take a taxi back it the streets were all half flooded.

This weekend was great and I enjoyed every single moment of it. I love it here in Thailand and I’m having a great time with all the new people I’ve met and I’m so thankful for the AIESECers who help us, show us around and organize events, like Fern who organized this weekend for us.

Shopping in Bangkok and visiting temples in Ayutthaya

Grand Palace in Bangkok

What a perfect weekend! On Saturday we took the bus to Bangkok. We went to the Grand Palace, walked around and went shopping. I was happy to have some AIESECers with us because I would’ve had no idea where to go or how to tell the taxi driver where to go. The shopping mall was crazy! I’ve never seen something like it! So many tiny stores selling lots stuff – mainly clothes, but also jewelry, shoes, bags etc. Just one floor took us a long time, and there were 5 floors! Exhausted after a long day, we all went to have ice cream, then took the tuktuk which was quite fun. That night we went to a party with lots of Thai music. Some of the songs were good, but according to the translations the songs were all about a girl and a boy breaking up and we couldn’t sing along like everyone else.

The next day we some teachers from the school took us to Ayutthaya. We first went to a temple with a huge golden Buddha inside. They were having some type of a ceremony (maybe comparable to a church service?). Everyone was sitting on the ground praying and some people had a tray with orange cloth on it that they gave as an offering. This cloth was knotted together and then put over the heads of everyone while they prayed. Then they gathered the cloth together and draped it over the huge Buddha.

Very big Buddha in Temple

Next stop was a very old temple site. We climbed the stairs to the top and I was expecting some fancy gold stuff, but there were only a few Buddha statues that people were going around sticking little pieces of gold on. After that we went to some other temple complex, though it reminded me more of an amusement park with all the kitsch – statues, monk figures with funny glasses, cheap looking plastic animals etc. This didn’t seem to distract the people from praying. We went on to an elephant show and then had lunch.

Old temple

In the afternoon we visited the floating market. By then I was really hot and tired, so the coconut ice cream served in a coconut tasted very refreshing. And I learned that there’s also a green coconut that’s soft inside, not like the brown shelled dry one I know.

Fundraising for the candle festival

On Thursday we spontaneously went along with some of the school kids to collect money for the candle festival which takes place next week. We drove to a huge market area where they were selling fruits I’d never seen before, vegetables, flowers, fish etc. Two boys played the drums; the rest of the kids walked around with bowls and asked the people for money. What surprised and impressed me the most was how giving the people were. Almost everyone gave money without hesitation – the old woman peeling onions, the street cleaner, the fruit seller… People even stopped their cars and motorcycles just to give money! And yet it wasn’t like most of these people had lots of money. Compared to Switzerland, where most people – including me – just ignore the people in town asking for donations for something.

For lunch we stopped at a small restaurant. I had papaya salad – the spiciest food I’ve had until now in Thailand. I thought my mouth would never recover! Luckily most of the food we eat at the school isn’t spicy at all.

When we got back to the school we all helped count the money. I don’t know how much they got, but it looked like a lot. They’ve been doing this all of this week and continue until the candle festival next week, so seven days. The money goes to the school, for school supplies, renovations etc.