Thailand fun

The Wai.  A lovely aspect of Thai culture used to show respect. However, it can  be confusing for foreigners.  There are rules about the Wai - rules regarding who wais first (younger adult wais older adult first; employee wais boss first) and how high to wai.  Never wai a child and you are not supposed to return the wai of restaurant servers (Yes, Thailand is a hierarchical society).

When I moved here I was convinced that I needed to find a routine, something to replace work & provide substance to my life. I have finally come to realize that this will not be feasible if I want to experience both Korat and Bangkok (at least not in the way I had envisioned).  What seems to work best for me is to alternate my time between Bangkok and Korat, with most of the weekends spent in Bangkok.  Taking into account events going on in both Korat and Bangkok my calendar is constantly changing & can be a tedious task.  I keep reminding myself of the art of patience and flexibility.  Basically, I am trying to de Americanize a little, trying to get away from pre-determining how things "should" work or should be.  Some days it works beautifully and some days it is a challenge.  I believe that my time in Thailand should focus on people and experiences (and with those two things will come learning a new culture), and everything else will fall into place.

Looking back on the past several weeks I realize how much fun I am having and how wonderful an experience this is (sprinkled with moments of Korat culture shock).  Additionally, I realize that I have developed some sort of schedule - it is just one that is flexible. I joined a doubles woman's tennis group in Bangkok that plays on Fridays (and they understand when I can not play).  It is a fun group. I have started attending a monthly international bookclub in Bangkok. Right now we are reading "The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea".  I accepted a volunteer position with the American Woman's Club (AWC).....drum roll please.....I am the Advertising Manager for the AWC Newsletter!  Not quite what I originally had in mind for a volunteer activity but it is something I can do from my computer wherever I am at. Plus, the AWC supports charities that I approve of so it is a way I can help them raise money for these charities.  The AWC has a variety of events that I sometimes attend when I am in Bangkok. One of the benefits of living in both Korat and Bangkok is the opportunity of experiencing both the expat community (Bangkok) and the Thai community (Korat).  I find both communities very enriching.  When I am in Bangkok I have expat friends from a variety of nationalities that I meet up with for lunch, movies, tennis, and various activities.  When I am in Korat there are a couple of female Thai coworkers of Colin that I have befriended and usually get to spend some time with.  Also, there is another American woman (named Jen) who also lives in Korat part time so we meet for lunch or other excursions when we are both in Korat at the same time.  Admittedly, sometimes I have no idea where all of my time gord and find myself rushing around to catch up on laundry and chores.

Colin continues to be very busy with work. As always, I love the weekends with Colin. We usually do some sort of exploring...which I normally get to plan. We always start our exploration as early as possible in the morning to avoid the heat as we are not having highs around 95 degrees and if you are in the sun in the middle of the day it can be bruttle.

Here are some of the adventures I partook in since I have last posted:

The Melbourne Cup Party:  Australian women know how to throw a party.  This event was planned for early November but had to be postponed due to flooding in Thailand.  Of course the flooding did not postpone the Melbourne Cup itself (being in Melbourne and all). So instead of showing the actual Melbourne Cup they had a simulated horse race (so people could still bet).  I admit that I was a bit unsure of this event because I had to wear a fascinator (hat).  I admit that the event was a blast and it was fun to see everyone dressed up.  And like I said - the Australian women know how to through a party - free flow wine and champagne, ice sculptures, live band, fashion contests, food, and dancing (plus any money that was raised was donated to flood victims).  It was like a wedding reception, horse race, fashion show, all colliding together.  The invitation actually said that the hotel does not allow dancing on hotel property or the removal of property (result of past events)......daytime drinking can lead to some crazy women.  My favorite part of the evening was when they had the men (there were only about 10 of them) come and stage and do a fashion show...and they were great sports about it. 

Our table opted for simple...hat (big feathery thing) matches outfit (yes..I do match - my necklace & ring have red stones)

My table

Contest for the best hat

Jen..other woman that is stuck (I mean lives) in Korat

Pattaya PTT Woman's Tennis Open.  Time for a road trip.  Jennifer, Robin, and I went to Pattaya City to watch the Woman's Tennis Open.  It is only a two hour drive from Bangkok but since it is right on the Gulf of Thailand we made the excuse to spend the night.  Pattaya is an interesting city with an infamous reputation....if you come to visit Thailand this is a beach city you probably want to skip...definitely not the prettiest beach Thailand has and can be raunchy.  Great place for a tennis tournament though....nothing like watching tennis with a beautiful view of the Gulf of Thailand.

We were able to watch 2 courts at once

Please...no hair comments - it was 95 degrees

Gulf of Thailand view!

Red Pattaya sign reflecting in water (note:  that is the area you either want to avoid or visit - depending on what you enjoy for entertainment...we avoided it)

 

Phi Mai.  One of the nice things about living in Korat is that you are closer to off the beaten track sightseeing locations.  Areas that have few tourists and the majority of the tourists are Thais.  Phi Mai was one of those trips.  Colin and I visited the Phi Mai historical park (Khmer ruins), Phi Mai Museum, and the Banyon Tree.  It was a wonderful day.  Phi Mai Historical Park contains Khmer ruins built in the 11th and 12th century.  The ruins are very similar to Angkor Wat in Cambodia (but much much smaller).  In their heyday these ruins were connected to the Angkor Wat empire in Cambodia by the Ancient Khmer Highway (which no longer exists except for some ruins of temples).  The town of Phi Mai was very quiant and quiet, walking around the ruins was very pleasant.

 

 

350 yr. old Banyon Tree



Phi Mai Museum

A day exploring Chinatown.  The Chinatown in Thailand is so big it really is best to try not to explore it all in one day.  Colin and I went back for round two.  This side of Chinatown was different from our first visit when we visited streets that were lined with street vendor and markets.  This side of town had some temples and Chinese antiques (really cool stuff).

China Gate

More Thai in style but in Chinatown

Exploring Bangkok.  Still one of my favorite past times is exploring Bangkok with Colin.

Giant Swing - yes, it used to be used as a swing in festivals

Khoa San Rd - backpackers area

Khao San - everyone sits in cafes to people watch.  Great place to see dreadlocks.

Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon

Phra Athit Road - Riverwalk (Chao Phraya River)

Phra Sumen Fort (near Chao Phraya River)

Orphanage I volunteered at. I was hoping to continue volunteering but they really want someone that could committ to two days a week.

Korat

Korat Zoo -  giraffes have very long tongues

Our friend (& Colin's coworker) Kuhn Pooh (nickname)...so together this is Winnie Pooh

A word about safety in Thailand.  It does not seem to be a huge priority.  You see things here that would not be allowed in the U.S. (when we were in Phi Mai we saw a woman jump on her scooter and drive off while holding her baby in her arms).  However, safety does seem to be a little more of a priority than what we witnessed when we were in Cambodia.  The Cambodians like to see how many people they can fit on one scooter - if you think that a family of four can not fit on a scooter - you are wrong (Cambodians tend to be very small).

Go kitty kitty (bottom left)...balancing on the mess of electrical wires

You need power - just add your plug!

How many kids can we fit in the back of a pickup?