Venice of the East

The last day in Bangkok, we took a tour of the Chaopraya River. A private boat owner took us around for over an hour to see the canals. We had met the gentleman a few days before and agreed on a fair price. We stopped at a floating market but asked him to shove off immediately when we realized that all the boaters were simply docked, cooking in their boats, waiting for you to walk by to eat...and it was too early for that. Floating markets are unique here...Bangkok was once known as the Venice of the East, because people would sell their goods in their boats, floating up and down the river and coming up to your boat. We did have one woman come up to our boat to do just this, but we couldn't settle on a price and didn't want anything she had anyway, but it was cool to barter with someone on another boat in the middle of the river.

The boat driver stopped at a stand alongside the river. He didn't pull up to the bank - instead, he waited for the women to send a bucket out to him on a string by pulley, filled with bread. We put 10 bhat in the bucket (about 30 cents) and threw chunks in the water. Catfish came out of the woodwork. There were so many, some of them were actually not in the water at all, flopping on top of the many fish below them. They had huge, gaping mouths. I figure, if I could eat fish, and if I were desperate enough to eat one from this filthy river, I'd come here and take one of these catfish, because these bottom-feeders are stuffed each day with primo bread. This river is best measured alongside the Hudson for cleanliness - actually, the Hudson might be cleaner (never thought I'd say that). We did see boys swimming in this water and another woman doing her dishes in it, ...someone, gag me to DEATH, was brushing their teeth in it. Shoot me in the face. I can't even deal with it.

It was actually quite fun; the juxtaposition of dumpy houses that must flood every time a boat drives by too quickly, and the gaudy, super elaborate temples in between, certainly made it an interesting journey. Sometimes we'd pass other boats that would kick up waves, and the water would splash us over the side - my mom stuck her face in my dad's shirt, thinking she could get some sort of disease from the water...she probably was afraid of contracting some water-borne disease. But, hey, let's ask the man who brushes his teeth in it each day!

We took a cab to the Weekend Market, where our hearts were broken in pieces at the sight of the sales of animals. It wasn't a row of pet stores. Sting rays in bags of water, overheated albino frogs, baby squirrels in tiny cages, water-deprived kittens...in bags as far as the eye could see (see below). There were signs on the aquatic tanks that you couldn't take pictures - probably because they had gotten the fish illegally. Same with the baby owls. We found solace in a very western food court where we collapsed from the heat. Pineapple fried rice was the pick of the day, and we wandered around to find cheap, over-sized bottles of water to keep us alive until we could reach air conditioning.

Dinner that night was at Kim and John's house. We waited for John to pick us up at the BCGH. I wasn't as tired as everyone else and spent a lot of time in their gift shop, where they sold goods made by all kinds of Christian organizations - leper colonies, children's shelters, women rescued from the sex trade, etc. I found little hand-sewn elephant ornaments to send to everyone that is financially supporting us...they'll be mailed when we get back. John brought us to their home, which is beautifully decorated. We had a lovely dinner and enjoyed cakes and chocolate chip cookies for dessert (manna from heaven!).

We headed to the night market afterwards, where I accidentally got a woman to drop her prices unbelievably low on a silk dress that I wasn't actually interested in (I'm not cruel...she just wouldn't take no for an answer. Afterward, I felt bad about it, but I really wouldn't have worn it). We didn't stay long, with an early flight the next day. Headed back to Khao Lak, to share our home with my parents. Mangos, beaches, air conditioning, here we come!

Culture Shock

This entry is more meant to be entertaining than a serious reproach to life in Thailand so I'm not being entirely serious. 


But really I am. 

We've been in Thailand for two months, and as I reflect on our time here I come again and again to a sort of 'best of times, worst of times' revelation. Only, the worst of times really aren't that bad.

Back in the States, Kendra would save us some money by giving me haircuts. We do the same here, only instead of sitting in the comfort of our apartment bathroom, we're... outside. To paint a depiction of what it's like being outside, imagine the surface of the sun. Then, to incorporate the humidity, imagine being underwater. Basically, being outside during the daytime is like being in superheated water. I recently joked to my family that, given the humidity, Kendra or I will jump in the shower to dry off, and that's only something of an over exaggeration.

So to sum up the haircut experience- Kendra is a saint. Our hair trimmer, previously quite tame while using the American 110V electricity, has now hulked-out into practically a weed whacker while running on Thailand's 220. Haircuts for me become counter-productive as the trimmings simply fall off my head and immediately stick to the overly sweaty body below. It's more like a hair re-location than a cut, and I come out of it looking like a heat-exhausted Robin Williams.

Yet, despite these difficulties, we endure. But living in another country has additional challenges. Take driving. 

I pray daily for the pedestrians who will be anywhere near the car I'm driving when I return to the States. I've now totally adjusted to driving a manual with my left hand, sitting in what used to be shotgun, while driving in the opposite direction. For anyone curious, driving in Thailand is like a video game that becomes more complex for each 20 seconds of driving. 

Let me explain- for the first twenty seconds, you drive along smoothly paved roads with no traffic and not a care in the world. Enter scooters. If the Buddhist belief that spirits are reincarnated is true, then the WWII Japanese Kamikaze pilots are now existing in the bodies of every scooter driver in Khao Lak. I've never seen such disregard for one's own life as I have with each scooter that pulls in front of me without looking going half the speed I am while carrying two toddlers. It can be infuriating. Then, 40 seconds in, we have the next level- cars traveling in the opposite direction pull into your lane to pass the slower car in theirs and always justify doing so because, "Hey, that oncoming pickup can just pull over into the shoulder. I'm not gonna waste 5 seconds of my life waiting for a safe moment to pass. That's ridiculous." And it's made even more ridiculous by how blindly it's done ("Blind curve ahead? Dip in the road hiding possible oncoming traffic? No problem!). Then the small army of tourists in the city, each suffering from the Western delusion that 'pedestrians have the right of way' always engage you in a game of high-stakes frogger. I never thought I'd say this but I really miss traffic cops. 

This pretty much sums it up. 

But you can always get a fitful night's sleep in tropical paradise, right? Maybe. If you're immune to noise. 

The local roosters here have collectively thrown circadian rhythms out-the-window and jointly decided only to crow under two conditions: 1) when it's dark out, or 2) when it's light out. Subsequently, the dogs decided to bark only when there's a noise of any volume level within a five-mile radius of their position, especially if it's a rooster crowing or another dog barking at a rooster crowing. Then the laxative you took because the last 5 days have been rather uneventful decides that it will actually work after all. At 2am. Then at 3am. And then at 5am. Sleep indeed.

While we're on the topic of food, and we nearly were, let's discuss it's entry. Thai food is excellent and I've greatly enjoyed the culinary moments of our life here, but if you can't handle spice watch out. As far as Kendra's concerned, some of the dishes she's been served may have looked like food but actually consisted of pure fire. Traversing a menu for her is like walking through a minefield only there's a mine every square foot. It's been actually quite humorous at times, as she quickly learned the phrase, 'mai ped', meaning, 'not spicy.' The dish is then made 'not spicy', but it's not spicy to a Thai, meaning, it's still really, really spicy. So it escalates. She learns 'mai sai prick', essentially, 'absolutely no spice', and come serving time there are 5 red peppers in her meal. You can't escape it, you can only take Tums. 

And that's the thing of it- regardless of any differences in cultural mentality, you ultimately have to embrace the Thai perspective of 'sabai sabai', which essentially means a combination of 'relax' and 'oh well.' It's too hot to care and there's too much good food yet to be eaten to be bothered by anything in Thailand. 

Bangkok Dangerous

You may know Bangkok from Nicholas Cage's terrible movie flop Bangkok Dangerous, but most know it as an economic and cultural center of Thailand. It was our first stop on our trip with Craig and Ranae, the first two days of which Kendra wrote about below. By the way, there was nothing dangerous about our trip to Bangkok (other than the Thai drivers in the city), I just think it's a funny term.

On the third morning of our stay in Bangkok, we ventured from BCGH to the Jim Thompson house. Jim Thompson revived the Thai silk industry following World War II, and with the revenue generated from his substantial success, he built an excellent house in Bangkok. Consisting of six antique Thai teak houses, the complex, now run as a museum, has excellent grounds and is replete with antiques from Thompson's collection. Mysteriously, Thompson disappeared without a trace while on a trip to the Cameroon Highlands in Malaysia when he was 61. People suspect foul play or CIA involvement in his disappearance, but nothing's been proven. The House-Museum is Bangkok's second most popular tourist attraction (surpassed by the Grand Palace) and we greatly enjoyed the tour.

My favorite part of the Jim Thompson experience, however, followed the tour. Kim Quinley gave us directions to an old, out-of-the-way factory that was one of Thompson's original facilities and still makes silk the old fashioned way. We took a single-track concrete footpath along the canal adjacent to Thompson's house down to a little bridge and crossed over. Boats sped down the green water and cramped shops and tiny homes lined the opposite shore. We pressed onwards until we saw the sign leading us down a narrow alleyway to the shop. What we saw inside was incredible. Two men were pulling on silk strands looped around a pipe and warmly welcomed us inside the tiny factory. We went into a stiflingly hot room to the left that had 4-foot tall cauldrons bubbling with deep red and pure black dye. The fibers being dyed hung above above the cauldrons and an old man eating his lunch greeted us kindly. We then went on to another room where a woman was using a big wooden machine to make fabric from the silk threads. It appeared to be quite complex and required her to coordinate all four limbs while managing the spools of thread. There was also a little shop area where they sold the products made from the wonderful fabric. It was incredibly authentic and I loved our visit to the little factory.

The next stop on our tour of all things Bangkok came in the form of the country's museum. I was, to be honest, underwhelmed by the experience but there certainly were highlights. Tales of the country's history wrought with stories of elephant combat were definitely of interest, as were the sections showing musical instruments, weapons, and ceramics. Our admission fee certainly wasn't used for maintenance, however, as the facilities (other than those visible from the street) were lacking in upkeep. If you're a history buff I think you'll find it interesting, but probably wouldn't recommend this stop to visitors myself.

Following our trip to the museum, we retreated for some rest in our air-conditioned rooms at BCGH. Craig, Kendra, and I then ventured out for a most enjoyable experience- high tea at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Following our very low-budget lifestyle in Khao Lak (Craig and Ranae thought our outrage of having to pay more than $1 per meal at a Bangkok restaurant was quite entertaining), such an occasion as this was an incredible contrast. Craig very generously treated us to the experience and I must say that I recommend it highly if you: 1) love expensive things and enjoy gorgeous high-rise views of the river and Bangkok skyline, 2) greatly enjoy tea and value the history of the tea room as the Author's Lounge, where numerous greats came to reflect and write (Merideth Jeffries- this place is made for you and we thought about you while we were there), or 3) hate your money. The decadence of the experience certainly came at a price, and we're extremely grateful for the experience. I'd also like to just quickly clarify that we're doing our best to be good stewards of the money we've been blessed with by our supporters- thank you again for helping us and making this trip (the mission to Khao Lak) possible.

The evening also had its adventures: joining the parade of Red Shirts (thousands of supporters of the previous Prime Minister who want the dissolution of the current government and an open election), $1 dinner of noodle soup from one of the legion of noodle carts along a busy Bangkok street, and a trip to the Night Bazaar at Lumpini Park, where we looked at the army of merchants selling all sorts of items.

All of this was just one day in Bangkok- a crazy city with destitute slums, luxurious tea rooms, and everything in between.

Bangkok Bound

We decided to stop being so cheap and got a taxi to the airport last Wednesday. We were on our way to Bangkok to meet my mom (my dad's passport "expired" and he was delayed). Of course, we determined this after standing in extreme heat and moisture for 45 minutes on the road side and knowing that it could be a very long trip for just a little bit less green. We had cocktails with John and Kim on the beach instead of roasting in the bus station, and our flight was on time. Air Asia has a reputation for being "Air Delay-sia" but this time, our prayers were answered and we met my mom almost immediately.

We stayed at the downtown Bangkok Christian Guest House. With an excellent location near both a station on Bangkok's efficient elevated-train system and Lumpini Park, BCGH affords its guests a convenient place to find a respite from the constant activity (and heat) of the city. We definitely recommend it to everyone reading the blog. 

Bangkok is called Krung Thep Mahanakhon by the Thais. Thailand used to be called Siam, which I have heard before (Siamese cats). We spent our first day visiting Tae, a friend of the Quinley's who has her own tailor shop. Derek and I each ordered a suit and Derek put in orders for his dad and brother. The material they use is very nice, and the creation of suits are quite inexpensive here. We toured the Step Ahead site in the Klong Toey slums, where we met some of the people who are benefiting from the center's loans. We met a man who's job it was to pull the nails off chicken feet...not sure why I felt that needed to be shared. Sorry!

We took the rest of the day to rest and had dinner at Bu Restaurant, where for the millionth time, they forgot to keep the chilies out of my basil chicken. That evening, my mom and I met my dad's cab. We were glad to have only lost 24 hours with him. By the way, if you have international travel plans any time in the future, you need to make sure that your passport is valid for at least six months after your scheduled departure. You are welcome!

We spent the next day running around the Grand Palace area. We saw Wat Po (famed "reclining" Buddha that is ENORMOUS) and we climbed Wat Arun (the steepest stairs you've ever seen...my backside is still burning!). The Grand Palace covers a ton of space, and all of the buildings are hand painted inside and decorated with mirrors and gold and tiles on the outside. It's overwhelming how ornate they are. We met a monk there who sat with us for quite awhile - his name is Dipak, and he is from Bangladesh. He told us he is very lonely and even had me talk to his sister on his cell phone (for the novelty of it, I suppose?). We've promised to write him, and have done so already, in the hopes that we might foster a relationship that shows him that, when you know our God, you're never alone. 

We took a canal boat to and from and did some market shopping on the streets. Dad left his hat at a little dive where we ate and bought another two minutes later for $3. Gotta love Thailand markets! Mom found a teapot she loved but we didn't buy it, hoping we could find another later, and when we didn't, we went back and bought it anyway. The seller was an old Thai woman with blue eyes...a very unique thing, indeed. 

I got a steal on a traditional Thai hat from a woman who was rewarding my efforts with the Thai language. She told me that most sellers give the hats to "farang" (foreigners) for 450 bt (about $14) but to Thais, she gives them for 100 bt (about $3). There is a lesson here...put some effort into basic bartering phrases and you'll be less likely to be ripped off. Besides, you gain their respect speaking to them in their own language, and still more if you even attempt it.

Toilet Paper is GOLD

It's unbelievably beautiful here. We spent yesterday at the beach after church, and even in the shade, we burned. We didn't care. I'm going back today, just to read, fully clothed, but it sure beats reading inside.

There were wasps building a mud nest under our towels that were drying on our porch. Derek went out and got the towels, and killed one with a bottle. He said it was a shame...apparently, they're "pretty." I hid in the room and watched from the window. Call me a coward, but I'm alive!

There's also a GINORMOUS spider living in the Thai Totes building. Gai wouldn't kill it because of some mumbo-jumbo about the "circle of life." Whatever. That thing was the size of my hand, and brown and fuzzy. The worst part was that I was sitting next to it for half an hour before I moved a few bags and discovered it on the wall. I thought, for some reason, that it was fake, because in my mind, there is no such thing as a spider that big in real life (outside of the rain forest, as we have learned). It's still there. Eww.

Last night, we had spaghetti and ice cream and french fries...mmm, home-cooked food and sugar! We watched an incredible clip about Burma. We were both blown away at the atrocities the people there continue to suffer. Burma is never in the news, but still maintains the third most brutal dictatorship in the world. Many of the Burmese are Christians, and they are hiding out in the jungles to avoid the government military. It's an unbelieveable tragedy. Please pray for the people and their country.

It's not a good idea to eat something with a TON of cheese in it when you haven't had dairy in almost two months. Let's just say missing half of the church sermen to spend time in the bathroom with the ant colony, without any toilet paper, was better than the alternative. Toilet paper should be treated like gold, because it is...hoard it!

Kim took us out to dinner Saturday night to celebrate a successful seminar. We had 50 teachers and mothers over to hear teaching on Positive Discipline for Children. The seminar was led by two Thai teachers who got their PhD's in America. They teach 101 principles that the people traditionally believe will not work in Thailand (no spanking, positive reinforcement, etc), but they have implemented the program here and have proven that it works. While the seminar was going on, I babysat two little girls for mothers downstairs. One mother gave me a little pink elephant satchel to thank me for helping. They watched cartoons and colored most of the time, but it was a long day, so Gai and I took turns. By the way, Felix the Cat is a demonic show, and it's even scarier in Thai...especially if you're watching it for 5 hours!

Our parents will be here on Wednesday, and we are getting so excited for their arrival!

Children of Takuapa

My mother-in-law is a teacher, and as such she had a strong desire to hear more about how kids learn here in Thailand. So, this is a short entry about the children of Takuapa that we are helping.

Step Ahead Khao Lak helps four child development centers in the area, and the Tapdawan Preschool is one of the farthest from our home base. Anne and I would take a motorcycle out there several times a week. It's a half and hour out, but the kids are always so happy to see you - the drive is more than worth it. They always point at me and say "Cheu Dao!" which means, "your name is Star"...they are always careful to reaffirm to themselves which of us is Dao and which is Fa (Sky). We each join different groups, each with about 12 children, that are led by two teachers each.

They sing songs and do crafts. We learn to count and I review the English words for fruits and animals with them. This helps the teachers, too, because their pronunciation needs some polishing. This is especially important when they are teaching the English words to kids, who will remember the word as it is said, right or wrong. They have very hyper Thai songs with movements, which the teachers lead with more enthusiasm than I could ever manage. They are getting very good at their ABC's (always with a rush through the "LMNOP" part, just as kids in the US sing it) and they love to watch themselves on video and on a camera screen.

The kids have "uniforms" which don't seem very strictly enforced. Most of the kids wear a light purple button-up shirt and red shorts or skirts. They also sometimes wear a dark purple cover over it, the purpose of which is a bit lost on me. One day, they were wearing what looked like blue soccer shirts, shown above. The younger kids don't seem to follow the dress code and show up in all kinds of outfits, many of which have English words on them that their parents probably don't even understand. However, Micky Mouse is a universal symbol, and there's no need to understand the language with something so very recognizable.

We have been told that these children come from families with very little, but at the center, they are treated with respect and loving kindness. The teachers are bright, wonderful, God-fearing women who clearly enjoy their jobs. They are creative, letting the kids show the fruits of their imaginations all day long. In turn, they teach me patience (regardless of their adorable faces, they are still 3 and 4) and a little bit of Thai. Anne once said that the best way to learn a language is to work with a child, since no matter how many times you ask them to repeat it, they will, and gladly.

After playtime, English lessons and songs, the kids have a snack and are showered outside. They are very funny, running around naked two or three at a time, but because I thought it inappropriate to capture those moments, there are no pictures of such events. Then, they lie down for nap time, and that's when we scoot off. You can view more pictures of the kids on our Shutterfly site, the link to which can be found to the right of this post!

Sea Gypsy Village Secrets

Right outside of Tapdawan Village, where we do many Step Ahead projects, there is a brillant beach with NO TOURIST TRAFFIC. After helping other volunteers attach an extra nozzle to the source for water to our Seed Project, we met them at the beach, which you can only get to by a very narrow and bumpy road by motorcycle. There is an abandoned resort there from when the tsunami hit in 2004, and Derek explored inside.

We walked to the sand and discovered immediately that the tsunami had also dumped tons and tons of broken coral and beautiful shells on the beach. The tide continues to bring in incredible specimens, the likes of which I have only ever seen in pictures. We rooted around for the best ones, but there were so many, it was hard to be selective.

I had something like "beach burnout" with the shells - if you've seen a hundred perfect shells, the next perfect one doesn't seem like that big of a deal. So, we had a field day and stuffed my cotton pants full of delicate treasures. What Derek's mom would give to see this place (she is a big "shell" fan)! We had to be careful not to step on them, but they were everywhere, all the way up and down the shore.

This is a little-traveled portion of Bang Sak Beach (view video on our Shutterfly site), and though there were some fishing boats parked off the shore on this side, on the other side, there is nothing but beach and silence, as far as the eye can see.