Teachaaaaah, Where You Go?

Thais don’t talk about the weather like Americans do. Since the weather is so static (hot, hot, rainy, hot), they make small talk by asking where you’re going and sometimes where you’ve been. Whenever I see a student outside of the classroom, it’s usually the first thing they ask. Some of my lower level students holler a simple, “Teachaaah, where???” It’s important to realize this is just friendly small talk because to a Westerner it might seem a little intrusive or personal.

However, that time of year has come. I’ve finished teaching, students are taking exams, and it’s just about time to say goodbye. My students want to know what I’m going to do now. Well, I’ve cooked up quite the adventure for the next six weeks, kiddos, so stay tuned.

Zoom out to see the entire trip or view it in a larger map

Teacher’s Day

Today was Teacher’s Day, not be confused with Wan Wai Kru. From what I could tell, teachers celebrated by kicking the students out of school, playing bocce ball, and drinking whiskey. Not too shabby.

New Year’s Doubler (the conclusion you’ve been waiting for)

After two nights home to refuel and get the laundry done, we started the second half of our vacation by heading to Nan, one of our favorite cities in Thailand (you can read about our last visit here). Because Nan is so far northeast, it is sort of an undiscovered gem inside the country. We took a LONG bus ride to the Nan bus station outside the city and walked to our guesthouse. We stayed at Nan Guesthouse, which was a good deal for the money, with a great location and a cafe with delicious breakfast right across the alley. We spent our first two days exploring the city, catching up on our internet surfing, and eating a lot of good food. We visited Poom 3, a nationally known restaurant with a famous chef/owner who appeared on a number of Thai TV shows. Sara ordered their signature dish, massaman curry, complete with apples, pineapple, and naan (in Nan!) It was so delicious, in fact, that she forgot to take a picture. We did find one in the paper though.

Monk Visit

I don’t know if the date had any significance, but yesterday a group of monks visited Hang Chat Wittaya School. It was quite an amazing ordeal, and many people from the community joined the students in offering alms. Teachers and students alike lined up around the school with their bags of rice, juice, soymilk, and snacks.

Loy Krathong-ta-tong-tong-tong

After five weeks on the road, Sara and I returned to Hang Chat ready to get back into a routine. Luckily for Sara, who had gotten quite used to not working forty-plus hours a week, that routine consisted of two four-day weeks, a three-day week, and, my personal favorite, a two-day week. The two-day week wrapped up the last week of November, and Sara was set free for five days in honor of Loy Krathong, yet another Buddhist holiday honoring the spirits.

(not my video)

Back to Base Camp

After three days of intense relaxation, I was still not ready to go to work. But alas, putting in some time with OEG was going to help fund our month-long vacation. It turned out to be fun to meet two new groups of teachers, scare them shitless with spider and snake stories, and assure them they’d probably suck at teaching because we all do at first.

The most amazing part was going to Siam Niramit, which we did not attend when I was in orientation. It seriously blew my mind with a little bit of Thai history, theatrical depictions of heaven and hell, and a sampling of Thai festivals. Before the show, you can wander around a faux Thai countryside complete with crafting stations and musical entertainment.

Second to Nan

Even with the semester break looming right around the corner, Jack and I decided to take advantage of a long weekend and head east to a small province near Laos. We were planning to take a bus right from Lampang, but the seats were booked by the time we got to the station (quite a rarity!) Instead we hopped on a minibus (read: van) to Phrae and another to Nan.

The secret to minibus-riding is being stocked up on motion sickness medicine and avoiding watching the driver. The curvy mountain roads are not conducive to passing other drivers and, although the lane lines prohibited such dangerous behavior, our driver wouldn’t heed the painted suggestions. Instead he seemed to enjoy spiting them by spending time leisurely in the oncoming traffic’s lane. So, just stop watching. Ok? Ok.

We made it safely to Nan and hopped in a songtaew to our hotel Srinual Lodge. This place turned out to be clean and charming, and we were blown away that it’s available for about $100 a month.

I’ve Reached a Turning Point…

My perspective has changed since arriving here 4 1/2 months ago. It wasn’t an overnight switch, but a gradual shift from an American consciousness to a more Thai-ish consciousness. I’ve got an entirely new “normal.”

Ubiquity

Of course there are the obvious things you can’t miss when you visit Thailand—rice fields, temples, and orange-clad monks. Instead of the obvious, here’s a list of things I didn’t expect.

The Temple on Top of a Mountain (Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep)

Yesterday Pii Pan had to go to Chiang Mai to pick up her daughter and she was sweet enough to invite us along. Chiang Mai is about an hour and a half drive from Hang Chat, through some beautiful (and sometimes treacherous) mountains. We are always up for an air-conditioned car ride anywhere, especially with our good friend Pii Pan. We had some extra time before we had to pick up her daughter, so she brought us to the most famous wat (temple) in all of northern Thailand—Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. It is a beautiful temple on top of a mountain overlooking the city. Jack is somewhat “wat”-ed out, having seen a dozen temples already. I agree that many Thai temples are similar-looking, but they are always very beautiful and we can appreciate the craftsmanship and work put into creating them. Besides we couldn’t pass up the trip to the top of a mountain.

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.

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:

The Jungle House

A couple of representatives from my school headed down to Bangkok to pick up Jack and me. As soon as I met Pii Pan and Lung Janevit (Uncle Jane), they gave me big hugs and told me that they were going to be my Thai aunt and uncle while I’m here. How sweet! Since it was already late in the day and would take about 8-10 hours to drive to Hang Chat, they decided we should leave the next day. They told me we can stay at the Louis Tavern hotel another night. OK!

The next morning Pii Pan would call me and we would head home. Oops, Uncle Jane was getting the car inspected so it would be later. After a few more setbacks (mai ben rai!), we started our long journey at 4pm.

We stopped for dinner in Sing Buri at a cute little place on the river. The sun was setting and the view was beautiful.

Aksra Theater

We had quite an evening! After spending the morning at the Grand Palace, we loaded up in the buses for another little field trip. This time we headed to Aksra Theater/Ramayana restaurant for a fantastic buffet and puppet show. I know what you’re thinking…puppets, how great…but you better rinse that sarcasm out of your mouth. The puppets were incredibly detailed and required 3 puppeteers each! The crew performed traditional Thai dances and battle dances and walked around the room pretending to kiss members of the audience. So cuuuuute!

Day Two in Krueng Tep (Bangkok)

Skytrain above the downtown traffic

Jack and I started our second day a little more refreshed than the first. After talking with Eric yesterday, we had big plans to take the ferry along the river and check out the Grand Palace. Our hostel is right off the BTS line, a Skytrain that runs all around town. Bangkok has THE most amazing public transportation and it is incredibly affordable. In addition to the Skytrain, there is an elaborate subway system and plenty of busses.

We took the Skytrain to the central stop of the Chao Praya Express. This is a system of ferries that runs along the Chao Praya river making various stops depending on the line. Eric recommended we avoid the tourist line and take the orange line instead. Good call!

Why Thailand?

As if you really need to ask that question, here are a few things we are looking forward to.

What the Heck Do I Know?

I didn't really know all that much about Thailand before I applied to this program. I knew it's a predominantly Buddhist country, I'd heard it is pretty inexpensive to live compared to the states, and I'd seen pictures of elephants and amazing beaches. We've done some research since then and also started learning the language.