Just booked my tickets and I'm headed to Bali!!!
Yes it is true I just came off vacation, but it's already time to start planning another. I tell ya, the life of an international teacher is tough stuff!
At the end of May I will be off exploring another part of SE Asia and I cannot wait! I don't really know anything about Bali other than the beaches and diving are suppose to be spectacular (however I don't know if you can beat Thailand's).
The best part of it all is an Aussie guy that used to live in my condo complex in Bangkok moved there a few months and has offered me his spare room for free! No gross hostels and free accommodations, I think that calls for celebration!
If anyone has tips on what to do or see let me know.
I guarantee a blog about it when I get back, so stay tuned...
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Baan Thai - Thai Cookery School
To escape the madness of the water fight in Chiang Mai for a day, I decided to take a Thai cooking class.
After living here for over 7 months I have grown to love many Thai dishes - even more so then I did before if that's even possible.
For those of you who know me, you know I absolutely LOVE cooking and desperately miss it! I am so excited to go home to cook and bake! It's simply too hot here to cook and honestly, it's cheaper to eat out then eat in, so why bother right? Doesn't help the fact that I have no cooking utensils or an oven either. Details.
Once I somehow managed to dodge the buckets of water being thrown at me, I finally arrived at Baan Thai - Thai Cookery School. Myself and the 8 others taking the course headed off to the local market to buy fresh produce to use for the day. Here we got a lesson on what type of rice, noodles, greens, etc are best to use for the dishes we were individually preparing. What I liked about this company was they let each student pick their own 6 dishes to make whereas other companies had set menus or you had to decide as a group. I chose the following: Green Curry Paste, Green Curry with Chicken, Pad Thai, Tom Kha Gai, Spring Rolls and Mango with sticky rice. Not going to lie, they all turned out delish! I cannot wait to come home and share these with you!!
Here are pictures of my finished products:
After living here for over 7 months I have grown to love many Thai dishes - even more so then I did before if that's even possible.
For those of you who know me, you know I absolutely LOVE cooking and desperately miss it! I am so excited to go home to cook and bake! It's simply too hot here to cook and honestly, it's cheaper to eat out then eat in, so why bother right? Doesn't help the fact that I have no cooking utensils or an oven either. Details.
Once I somehow managed to dodge the buckets of water being thrown at me, I finally arrived at Baan Thai - Thai Cookery School. Myself and the 8 others taking the course headed off to the local market to buy fresh produce to use for the day. Here we got a lesson on what type of rice, noodles, greens, etc are best to use for the dishes we were individually preparing. What I liked about this company was they let each student pick their own 6 dishes to make whereas other companies had set menus or you had to decide as a group. I chose the following: Green Curry Paste, Green Curry with Chicken, Pad Thai, Tom Kha Gai, Spring Rolls and Mango with sticky rice. Not going to lie, they all turned out delish! I cannot wait to come home and share these with you!!
Here are pictures of my finished products:
Friday, April 23, 2010
Songkran Festival
Each April during celebrations for the Thai New Year (Songkran), the country becomes a four-day street party of riotous water fights. Honestly I have never seen anything like this in my entire life. If I had to choose two words to describe this they would be complete chaos.
There are no rules other then arm yourself and prepare to get soaked. Young, old, Thai, farang (foreigners) all coming together as one to create the world's largest water fight - Amazing!!!
Klong water, ice water, hoses, guns, buckets, backpacks, anything and everything is game as long as you can get someone wet with it. People literally just stand on the outskirts of the road and fill up buckets with dirty river water and throw it on anyone daring enough to walk, drive, or ride by - if you're lucky (or unlucky enough) someone will have put a block of ice in their bucket and douche you with the coldest water you've ever felt.
One full day of this and you are left drenched and chilled to the bone. I must admit that although I have never had so much fun in a water fight, 4 days of this may be about 3 too long. I lost a contact, hurt my knee and even jumped into the gross river to try to warm myself up b/c I knew that water was warmer than then ice water being thrown at me. All in all this was an incredible experience and I am SO glad to have taken part of it!
Sadly, Songkran is not all fun and games. According to the Bangkok Post a total of 2,515 road accidents were reported in the first four days of the festival, 47 more than last year, with 212 confirmed deaths, eight fewer than reported in 2009. A total of 2,734 people were injured, an increase of 76 from the same period last year.
See why something like this could never fly in the US?
I think I will stick to celebrating this holiday in Thailand only. All I know is, the Thais sure know how to throw a great party!!!
Here are some pictures and a video of the madness. Keep in mind these were taken the day BEFORE everything was suppose to kick off - you can only imagine how much more chaotic the streets got - SO MUCH FUN!!!
There are no rules other then arm yourself and prepare to get soaked. Young, old, Thai, farang (foreigners) all coming together as one to create the world's largest water fight - Amazing!!!
Klong water, ice water, hoses, guns, buckets, backpacks, anything and everything is game as long as you can get someone wet with it. People literally just stand on the outskirts of the road and fill up buckets with dirty river water and throw it on anyone daring enough to walk, drive, or ride by - if you're lucky (or unlucky enough) someone will have put a block of ice in their bucket and douche you with the coldest water you've ever felt.
One full day of this and you are left drenched and chilled to the bone. I must admit that although I have never had so much fun in a water fight, 4 days of this may be about 3 too long. I lost a contact, hurt my knee and even jumped into the gross river to try to warm myself up b/c I knew that water was warmer than then ice water being thrown at me. All in all this was an incredible experience and I am SO glad to have taken part of it!
Sadly, Songkran is not all fun and games. According to the Bangkok Post a total of 2,515 road accidents were reported in the first four days of the festival, 47 more than last year, with 212 confirmed deaths, eight fewer than reported in 2009. A total of 2,734 people were injured, an increase of 76 from the same period last year.
See why something like this could never fly in the US?
I think I will stick to celebrating this holiday in Thailand only. All I know is, the Thais sure know how to throw a great party!!!
Here are some pictures and a video of the madness. Keep in mind these were taken the day BEFORE everything was suppose to kick off - you can only imagine how much more chaotic the streets got - SO MUCH FUN!!!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
I love Pai (and Pie too)
3.5 hours outside of Chiang Mai and 762 switchbacks up a mountainous road, I finally made it to a tiny tranquil town located in Northern Thailand called Pai.
I have heard various things about Pai, but one thing I heard over and over again was how laid back it is. Pai, in my opinion, is a little slice of heaven. I loved everything about it - the chill atmosphere, peaceful scenery, amazingly cheap food, art galleries, and chic coffee shops.
I thought of Pai as the Thai version of Bellingham (which we all know is one of my favorite cities). There were hippies, backpackers, dreadlocks, Bob Marley and Jack Johnson bars EVERYWHERE (everywhere as in the 4 streets that exist there).
Pai was the perfect place to go to escape the chaos of Bangkok (especially during the riots). For three days I grabbed a freshly squeezed fruit shake or cold beer, a good book and comfy hammock and found myself in pure bliss. It was just what I needed!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Koh Chang
While on vacation (yes again) I headed off to Koh Chang (Elephant Island). Originally for this break I was going to go back to Koh Tao, but due to some cancellations back home, I had to change my plans around. Since I do not have much time left in Thailand I wanted to visit somewhere I have never been before - life is too short to do re-visits ;)
My friend Abby came over from Australia to make the trek to Koh Chang with me. After many hours on the bus and a totally sketch ferry ride, we finally arrived at yet another tropical paradise in Thailand. Koh Chang is BEAUTIFUL! A few of my friends from Bangkok also happened to be there, so we spent the next 5 days relaxing on the beach, swimming in our beach-side pool (the ocean was oddly too warm to swim in), eating way too much, dancing the night away at a local reggae bar, scuba diving and elephant trekking.
For my first full day in Koh Chang my friend Stacey and I decided to hit the underwater playground once again. With a few minor mishaps in the beginning (malfunctioning regulators and a tank that was supposedly full, but wasn't) we finally made it down and had a great time. I cannot tell you enough how much I LOVE diving! Every time I go down I am amazed at what I see. Whether it's something I've already seen a million times, a cute little Nemo or a new piece of coral, I am constantly in awe. Honestly I think I was born to be in the water. That may come as a surprise to some of you, especially since I cannot swim; however, strangely enough, I am 100% comfortable once I am underwater. Every instructor I have had thus far is amazed at how at ease I am and the lack of oxygen I use under water - some instructors come up with less air then myself and cannot believe their eyes when I show them my air level - apparently I have gills. Not only did we see amazing things on this trip, we also met a great couple from San Diego. The wife is a dolphin and seal trainer for the navy (totally jealous of her job by the way!) and is working with a pod to send up to Banger in Bremerton of all places - small world huh?
After scuba diving for the day and relaxing by the pool the following day I decided it was time for another adventure. Abby and I set off for some elephant trekking. When in Thailand one must ride an elephant right? This is something I've wanted to do since moving here; however it was NOTHING like I expected.
Did I like it? No. Would I recommend it? Probably not. Am I glad I did it? Yes.
Would I do it again? Definitely not.
We signed up for the 2 hour option where we could do an hour of riding/trekking and then spend an hour in the water with the elephant - sounds cool right? Wrong. Within the first 5 minutes I wanted to be done. Not only was it uncomfortable, it was insanely rocky. I was getting motion sickness and thought I was going to puke on the poor elephant's head. I decided I had to suck it up and continue on. Once we ventured around the tropical rain forest (SO AMAZINGLY PRETTY THERE!) for an hour or so, we were told via hand gestures to get off the elephant and walk around - where to? Not sure. Our guide barely spoke a word to us, but we gathered we were suppose to climb through some bushes to the water source. We definitely were not prepared for this one - thankfully I had my Chacos on, but poor Abby only had flip flops. You can imagine we had a bit of difficulty navigating through the overgrown forest. We finally came to where we were to swim and bathe the elephant and I about died. Stale, stagnate, insect and poop infested water was what we found. It was absolutely disgusting! Did they seriously expect us to climb on in there? Ugh, no thanks. Instead we watched the elephant splash around and drink the nasty water. The guide asked if I'd like my picture taken with the elephant in the water and I said yes. What I didn't understand was that he wanted me to climb onto the elephant's head while she was still bathing. The picture below may look like I am enjoying myself, but really I wasn't. Check that one off my bucket list! Glad I did it, will never do it again.
The remaining few days were spent at the pool reading a book and relaxing. The evenings usually consisted of a happy hour drink during sunset, a delicious BBQ on the beach then live music and dancing at the reggae bar.
It's a rough life I lead and the best part is I still have another week of vacation! Off to the mountains for some more relaxation, then a 4 day country wide water fight!
My friend Abby came over from Australia to make the trek to Koh Chang with me. After many hours on the bus and a totally sketch ferry ride, we finally arrived at yet another tropical paradise in Thailand. Koh Chang is BEAUTIFUL! A few of my friends from Bangkok also happened to be there, so we spent the next 5 days relaxing on the beach, swimming in our beach-side pool (the ocean was oddly too warm to swim in), eating way too much, dancing the night away at a local reggae bar, scuba diving and elephant trekking.
For my first full day in Koh Chang my friend Stacey and I decided to hit the underwater playground once again. With a few minor mishaps in the beginning (malfunctioning regulators and a tank that was supposedly full, but wasn't) we finally made it down and had a great time. I cannot tell you enough how much I LOVE diving! Every time I go down I am amazed at what I see. Whether it's something I've already seen a million times, a cute little Nemo or a new piece of coral, I am constantly in awe. Honestly I think I was born to be in the water. That may come as a surprise to some of you, especially since I cannot swim; however, strangely enough, I am 100% comfortable once I am underwater. Every instructor I have had thus far is amazed at how at ease I am and the lack of oxygen I use under water - some instructors come up with less air then myself and cannot believe their eyes when I show them my air level - apparently I have gills. Not only did we see amazing things on this trip, we also met a great couple from San Diego. The wife is a dolphin and seal trainer for the navy (totally jealous of her job by the way!) and is working with a pod to send up to Banger in Bremerton of all places - small world huh?
After scuba diving for the day and relaxing by the pool the following day I decided it was time for another adventure. Abby and I set off for some elephant trekking. When in Thailand one must ride an elephant right? This is something I've wanted to do since moving here; however it was NOTHING like I expected.
Did I like it? No. Would I recommend it? Probably not. Am I glad I did it? Yes.
Would I do it again? Definitely not.
We signed up for the 2 hour option where we could do an hour of riding/trekking and then spend an hour in the water with the elephant - sounds cool right? Wrong. Within the first 5 minutes I wanted to be done. Not only was it uncomfortable, it was insanely rocky. I was getting motion sickness and thought I was going to puke on the poor elephant's head. I decided I had to suck it up and continue on. Once we ventured around the tropical rain forest (SO AMAZINGLY PRETTY THERE!) for an hour or so, we were told via hand gestures to get off the elephant and walk around - where to? Not sure. Our guide barely spoke a word to us, but we gathered we were suppose to climb through some bushes to the water source. We definitely were not prepared for this one - thankfully I had my Chacos on, but poor Abby only had flip flops. You can imagine we had a bit of difficulty navigating through the overgrown forest. We finally came to where we were to swim and bathe the elephant and I about died. Stale, stagnate, insect and poop infested water was what we found. It was absolutely disgusting! Did they seriously expect us to climb on in there? Ugh, no thanks. Instead we watched the elephant splash around and drink the nasty water. The guide asked if I'd like my picture taken with the elephant in the water and I said yes. What I didn't understand was that he wanted me to climb onto the elephant's head while she was still bathing. The picture below may look like I am enjoying myself, but really I wasn't. Check that one off my bucket list! Glad I did it, will never do it again.
The remaining few days were spent at the pool reading a book and relaxing. The evenings usually consisted of a happy hour drink during sunset, a delicious BBQ on the beach then live music and dancing at the reggae bar.
It's a rough life I lead and the best part is I still have another week of vacation! Off to the mountains for some more relaxation, then a 4 day country wide water fight!
A Series Of Unfortunate Events
1. Stalked by a Thai man on a motorbike while riding on my pedal bike to the bank.
2. Forgot my bank account track record and therefore could not deposit the much needed money into my account.
3. While in the bank, crazy Thai lady selling lotto tickets broke my bike - seat fell completely off. Still not sure what she did to it, but it was definitely not ride-able anymore.
4. Had to walk my bike all the way home in 104 degree weather with 100% humidity, not so fun.
5. Decided I needed to get my hair trimmed and went to a place a friend got a great haircut. Asked for 1/2 an inch off, but instead took about 3.5 - 4 inches off, plus cut it into a mullet - not so much what I was going for. There goes the idea of growing my hair out long.
6. Got woken up to a phone call saying "here to pick Mr and Mrs Anderson up at the airport for your boat to Koh Tao". Where he got the idea we were married I have no clue - there were definitely 2 names on the itinerary, plus I canceled that one months ago - thanks for pouring salt in the wound and reminding me of this one buddy.
Did I mention these all happened in a series of 2 days? Thank goodness those days are over! Here's to moving on.
2. Forgot my bank account track record and therefore could not deposit the much needed money into my account.
3. While in the bank, crazy Thai lady selling lotto tickets broke my bike - seat fell completely off. Still not sure what she did to it, but it was definitely not ride-able anymore.
4. Had to walk my bike all the way home in 104 degree weather with 100% humidity, not so fun.
5. Decided I needed to get my hair trimmed and went to a place a friend got a great haircut. Asked for 1/2 an inch off, but instead took about 3.5 - 4 inches off, plus cut it into a mullet - not so much what I was going for. There goes the idea of growing my hair out long.
6. Got woken up to a phone call saying "here to pick Mr and Mrs Anderson up at the airport for your boat to Koh Tao". Where he got the idea we were married I have no clue - there were definitely 2 names on the itinerary, plus I canceled that one months ago - thanks for pouring salt in the wound and reminding me of this one buddy.
Did I mention these all happened in a series of 2 days? Thank goodness those days are over! Here's to moving on.
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