Wow, what a week. I don’t know where to start. I am not going to go into too much detail because most of it was” you had to be there” moments. But basically here is the extremely basic, in as little words as possible rundown of my past week.
Sunday: Boarded a bus to Bangkok at 7:30 am with the cell phone number of my councillor, her two daughters and no other knowledge as to what was happening. When I arrived in Bangkok I called my councillor and she picked me up and drove me to JJ market to meet up with her eldest daughter Anil and her youngest daughter, Anila’s host family from Germany. We went out for dinner and I had a great chat with the German family’s eldest daughter about living in Thailand.
Monday: Got put in a Taxi with my address written on a card and was sent to the mall for a fun day of shopping. I spent way too much money but had a great time terrorizing Forever 21 by trying on a million outfits including shoes and accessories. I am sure if they knew how to say please, leave the store in English, they would have. I then went outside the mall and waved down a taxi gave them my address card and hoped to dear god, I wasn’t going to get dropped off in Soi Cowboy. (Google it)
Tuesday: Well, I made it home in one piece the night before so I woke up and went with Anila to tour around the city with her host family. We took two taxis, a sky train and a subway in rush hour traffic to get to their hotel. It was beyond crazy busy. We arrived there and helped them book their resort for the next week then helped them switch hotels to a resort in Bangkok on the river that had a beautiful roof top pool. We switched hotels and then went out for brunch. I ordered SPAGHETTI and it was delicious but I can do better. Then while walking to the sky train station I saw a fish spa and suggested we try it out because I had been dying to. It was hilarious, it tickled soo much and felt soo weird. It was definitely worth 100 baht. Then we went and visited temple on a hill. It was like any other temple except it was touristy so there were gongs and bells everywhere to ring. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Then we went by tuk tuk to a museum but the German family wanted to go back to the hotel so we took a taxi back to their hotel. I decided to try and find the famous Khao San road and wandered around, getting lost a few times, but finally finding it. I walked around there for a bit, I got my hair wrapped, got a tattoo (ha-ha just kidding, I am crazy not stupid) and ate French fries at McDonalds. Ahhh yeah! Then I wandered back to the hotel getting lost once more but eventually finding it. Oh I bought a pair of earphones on Khao san road because I was so proud of myself for bargaining the price from 550 baht to 350 baht in Thai!! Mind you I sat in McDonalds for like half an hour before memorizing the bargaining words. I then went back to the hotel and met up with the German family and Anila. We went back to Khao San Road for dinner and cocktails, non-alcoholic for me of course. Then we took a taxi home.
Wednesday: I woke up at 6 am and got in a taxi heading towards a van station where, I would meet one of Anila’s friends Goi and a German backpacker named Stephen who was couching surfing at her house. (Google Couchsurfing) I waited an hour and a half in traffic and then I finally arrived getting in a van headed towards Pattaya. After a two hour van ride we arrived at the pier in Pattaya and boarded a ferry to Koh Larn Island. When we arrived we met up with Goi’s friends and rented a motorcycle to tour around the island on. We had to drive straight up this curvy mountain road. It was so steep and then once you got to the top you had to go straight back down. At the end was an island paradise beach overcrowded by fat Europeans stuffed in bikinis and Speedos and speed boats. I was a little disappointed but I realized that we are really spoiled with our empty beaches at home. We stayed and went swimming and then drove to some of the other beaches which were less crowded but still quite busy. Then we had dinner and went back to the hotel room to hang out. Goi’s friend bought a fried pregnant horseshoe crab and ate the eggs. I had a bite. They weren’t bad just really gross texture and all I could think about was hundreds of baby crabs crawling around in my belly and that bothered me. Then I went and read my book in a hammock for a bit before finally going to bed.
Thursday: I woke up early and went and sat outside and wrote in a journal for a bit marvelling on the fact that at the age of sixteen I was alone on an island in Thailand. How many people can say that? We woke up and went to the beach. The Thai’s wanted to sit on the beach but it cost 100 baht to sit on a chair and the sand was wet so I and Stephen decided to walk around taking pictures and talking about travelling. He is doing a gap year after university and is travelling to some amazing places like Bali and Fiji. I am so jealous. Then we went back into town for lunch and took the next ferry back to Pattaya. I wanted to go to Walking Street a street equally famous for its strippers and prostitutes as it is for its creepy old men. Since it was the afternoon none of the bars or clubs was open and it was pretty dead but once you got off the street and in to Pattaya, you saw the shady crowd. All these old men roaming the streets either drinking or walking around with a young Thai woman on their arms. Ugh it was absolutely gross. Anyone travelling to Thailand don’t listen to what anyone says, DON’T GO TO PATTAYA. We then got on the van and drove home arriving around 7pm. I then flagged down another taxi gave him my card and had to wait another 2 hours in rush hour traffic.
Friday: I woke up around seven and was ready to go at eight but had to wait until nine for my councillor to bring me to the bus station. I then boarded a bus at 9:30 and was off to Khorat for my three bound meeting which started at 12pm. I arrived in Khorat at 3:30pm and got picked up from the bus station by my second host father and host brother. They drove me to the hotel where I met my second host mother and checked in. Then when finding my room I ran into Avry and Luis who were lost and didn’t know what was going on so we followed my mom over to the sports field. They were all just finishing playing soccer and volley ball so I walked back to the hotel and hung out with the exchange students. Oh I love those people soo much. They are all so fun and chill. We then had dinner and then walked to seven eleven for junk food. We thought we saw some strippers along the way so we got our picture taking with them but when we entered the “strip club” it was just a karaoke place. I don’t know why they had pictures of strippers on the front. Hmmm. We picked up a ton of junk food and headed back to the hotel for a night of dancing in the hotel rooms. Don’t ask me what time I went to bed because I have no idea.
Saturday: We woke up early and had breakfast. Toast and eggs were the only edible breakfast food. We then listened to a lecture on how we cannot get CAUGHT breaking the D’s or else they will HAVE to punish us but if we DON’T get caught, they will not punish us. Go figure. Oh and they told us the drugs over here are totally wack so, be careful. XD oh Rotary. We then proceeded to do nothing for the rest of the except for sit in our rooms listening to music and confusing the hell out of the poor room service people but in retrospect we gave them a ton of money. Then we went and talked to some Thai students about our countries! HA! Yeah right the Thai students were too afraid to talk to us. So we gave each other temporary tattoos and then went back to our rooms for predinner naps. Then we had dinner and a talent show. Canada being extremely unprepared sang our national anthem then plugged in Justin Bieber's Baby, turned off the light and sang our hearts out. All the inbounds came up and danced on stage and we just jammed out. Basically we rocked. Especially because Avry and I went up front and rapped the Ludacris part like the awesome Canadians we are. Then we walked to seven eleven again bought more junk food and hung out in our rooms.
Sunday: we woke up early rushed to pack and eat breakfast and then found out we had nothing to do except eat lunch together, and then go home. Way to tell us before. So we just hung out in our rooms and did basically nothing. Then we ate lunch and my second host family drove me home. Oh I really like my host family, they talked to me for about half of the car ride home asking about my life back home and checking to see if I was homesick. They seem like a very loving family and I am excited to have two younger brothers. My one brother will also be going on an exchange next year which is so cool. He wants to go to the US. Then I have another brother who is younger than me so he calls me Phi-Kahn which I love. My second host mom is the librarian in my school and she doesn’t speak much English but she is good at teaching me Thai. In the car she was telling me how to say things. I would love to move in with them tomorrow especially because they were telling me about how they live near the physical college where I work out but I figure it will better to wait another 2 and a half months, so I have something to look forward to.
So that was my week in as few words as possible. Exciting eh?
I also wanted to include some of my favourite quotes from the week.
Bangkok:
Jula: “I don’t think I could do it, I don’t think I could live here for a year.”
Ajan Anuch: “Do you feel safe travelling alone? Oh well its adventure you will learn from danger.”
Pattaya:
Goi: “eww the guys here are so gross.”
Khorat:
Various people in reference to crossing the road: “You have to want it more than they do.”
Luis:” Wow, you look sawai mak.”
Annie: “Do you ever look outside and think I am in Asia? Why the ____ am I an Asia?”
Enjoy that food for thought.
Xoxox Chantel <3
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