Today was teacher appreciation day at Hang Chat Wittaya. There was a big ceremony where students presented the teacher and principal with beautiful pan (bouquets) decorated with hand-folded banana leaves and fresh flowers.Thursday, June 14, 2012
Wan Wai Kru (Teacher Appreciation Day)
Today was teacher appreciation day at Hang Chat Wittaya. There was a big ceremony where students presented the teacher and principal with beautiful pan (bouquets) decorated with hand-folded banana leaves and fresh flowers.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Lampang: The Big City (relative to Hang Chat)
Jack and I spent another night in Lampang this weekend. It’s the capital of our province and only about 15 minutes away by motorbike. Whenever we need something that we can’t find in Hang Chat, we can get it here. It’s also not a tourist-y city like Chiang Mai so we can experience authentic Thai life. We love it!The first weekend after I began teaching we headed to Lampang for a little stay-cation. As a reward for bearing the jungle house for a week, we splurged on a night at Auangkham Resort. At $20 it was a little pricey but well worth it. It was beautiful, clean, and very high-so.
Monday, June 4, 2012
เชียงใหม่ (Chiang Mai)
This weekend Jack and I made the first of probably many trips to Chiang Mai. I had an extra day off of school because of the Buddhist holiday Wisaka Bucha, so we headed out early Saturday morning. Turns out that probably wasn’t so necessary as the earliest A/C bus we could get was 11:00. (We may or may not have been lied to about this.)
In hindsight, we probably should have asked around to other companies. The way the bus stations work here is that each line has its own booth. Since everything was written in Thai, we had no idea which buses go to Chiang Mai at what time. Jack had bought a second class ticket on a previous trip to Chiang Mai, so we knew we wanted first class. Turns out the difference is night and day! (Bus station pro tip: Don’t trust people if it looks at all like they work for a bus company. Only the information desk will give you unbiased reliable advice.)
Our bus ended up being on Thai time, which meant it was about 40 minutes late. Once we got on, however, all our troubles dissipated. We purchased VIP tickets which, it turns out, are even better than first class. The A/C was refreshingly chilly, they served us water and a snack, and we each had our own little TV with music, movies, and games. All for less than $5 each! The ride was incredibly pleasant and we arrived in Chiang Mai in about an hour and a half.
We grabbed a tuk-tuk to bring us to the Tawan Court hotel. Since we don’t have A/C at the jungle house, we always splurge on it when we travel. We dropped off our stuff and headed out for some exploring and eventual dinner.
Chiang Mai was nice. You can tell it has been designed to cater to foreigners—almost everything is also in English. There are McDonald's, KFCs, and Pizza Huts. Tuk-tuk and songtaew drivers are constantly asking if you need a ride. Every third shop is a travel agency. It was almost annoying how many white people were there. Ok, maybe Chiang Mai wasn’t for us. I enjoyed visiting but now I’m glad my placement wasn’t here as I requested.
Tha Phae Gate into the old city:
In hindsight, we probably should have asked around to other companies. The way the bus stations work here is that each line has its own booth. Since everything was written in Thai, we had no idea which buses go to Chiang Mai at what time. Jack had bought a second class ticket on a previous trip to Chiang Mai, so we knew we wanted first class. Turns out the difference is night and day! (Bus station pro tip: Don’t trust people if it looks at all like they work for a bus company. Only the information desk will give you unbiased reliable advice.)
Our bus ended up being on Thai time, which meant it was about 40 minutes late. Once we got on, however, all our troubles dissipated. We purchased VIP tickets which, it turns out, are even better than first class. The A/C was refreshingly chilly, they served us water and a snack, and we each had our own little TV with music, movies, and games. All for less than $5 each! The ride was incredibly pleasant and we arrived in Chiang Mai in about an hour and a half.
We grabbed a tuk-tuk to bring us to the Tawan Court hotel. Since we don’t have A/C at the jungle house, we always splurge on it when we travel. We dropped off our stuff and headed out for some exploring and eventual dinner.
Chiang Mai was nice. You can tell it has been designed to cater to foreigners—almost everything is also in English. There are McDonald's, KFCs, and Pizza Huts. Tuk-tuk and songtaew drivers are constantly asking if you need a ride. Every third shop is a travel agency. It was almost annoying how many white people were there. Ok, maybe Chiang Mai wasn’t for us. I enjoyed visiting but now I’m glad my placement wasn’t here as I requested.
Tha Phae Gate into the old city:
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