Bangkok...Wetting Our Appetite

Well, after hours and hours of traveling, we’ve made it to Bangkok! Already we have had three and a half days of exploring and falling in love with Thailand. Right now we’re staying in the touristy area near Khaosan Road which is great for people watching, but also like swimming upstream when you walk through the streets. It’s a lively place with many street vendors, restaurants and some great pad thai carts (I’m partial to the lady right by our place, Amye is partial to the guy to the right about 50 ft.—we’ve eaten at both more than once).

Some of the best experiences we’ve had have been when we’ve traveled outside of the immediate Khaosan area. Two days ago, we were exploring the side streets and came across a guy who we expected to ask for money. Instead, he offered some great suggestions for Buddhist sites away from the tourists. This turned into our first Tuk Tuk experience. A Tuk Tuk is a local mode of transportation that would not fit into an American equivalent. It’s a 3-wheeled covered motor bike with a bench attached to the back. “Taxi” is a loose term but it’s an efficient mode of transportation and doesn’t need to stay within the lanes of traffic.

Our first stop was the giant standing Buddha (Wat Indharaviharn) which words cannot describe. A massive gold statue rose from in between buildings on side streets to reveal an incredible site where locals went to pray at the feet of Buddha. These feet are about 8 feet wide each.

The next stop on our Tuk Tuk journey, was at the “Lucky Buddha” garden (Wat Sakhet) where we met a very gracious Thai gentleman who not only took a moment to show us around but to also tell us some of the history and meanings behind the statues. The incredible thing was that he kept thanking us for coming to Thailand, for coming to the garden, and for allowing him a few moments to teach us. This gentleman did not work at the garden, he was just a visitor who was spending some of his day off to pray and talk with the monks.

Saturday we had a goal for our travels: a Typhoid shot for Amye and Japanese Encephalitis for both of us. We made our way via public transportation on a boat and then the sky train--which were great ways to see the river and new parts of the city. After some shots at the hospital (which looked more like a hotel) we spent some time at the Lumpini Park which is by far one of the best city parks either of us has experienced. In the middle of a busy city, a large public park with multiple bodies of water, outdoor exercise equipment, childrens play areas and many tree-lined paths made for a great afternoon.

We’ve also spent some time relaxing and taking it easy after our travels to Thailand. The downtime in the parks and walking through the streets has been great. We’re preparing now to move on to our new city and school. It sounds like the teaching positions in Chainat have been filled so we’re going to NE Thailand to a city called Si Sa Ket which is quite a journey from Bangkok. Si Sa Ket is about 70 miles from Ubon (with an airport) but located on the rail line, so we’re likely to take the train there tonight or tomorrow night.

From what we know right now, the school already has 7 English teachers there from our program (AYC) so we’ll have some company. However, it doesn’t sound like there will be much in terms of Western restaurants and shops like we’ve found here in Bangkok. It sounds funny, but 7-11s are all over and we’re really hoping there’ll be one near us.

We’ll try and update again once we’ve arrived in Si Sa Ket with more information and an update on where we’ll be living.

-Tyler & Amye