Exploring Bangkok

The next day Alex escorted the other volunteers to their projects and I had the day to myself.  I woke up at 6 a.m. and researched things to do in Bangkok. I made a list and then spoke to the hostel receptionist to figure out how to use the sky train (similar to the Seattle monorail).

Everyone in Thailand is friendly and wears a smile on their face. Once I reached the sky train several school children in uniforms came up to me and asked if I needed help. I showed them where I was trying to go and they helped me buy my ticket and find the right platform. 20 minutes later I arrived at the Jatujak market. This 35 acre open air market with over 15,000 stalls is the largest in the world. It sells everything from t-shirts, Buddha statues and incents to orchids and exotic pets. What I really like about the market is that unlike when I was in Turkey, no one is trying to force something on you. There is no cat calling or people trying to get you into their shops. When you approach a booth the person behind it smiles, places their hands together as if in prayer, gives you a little bow and says “Sawasdee”.

After the market I took the sky train to an orchid festival.

After taking over a dozen pictures of orchids I walked to Lumphini Park where I saw more than one Komodo dragon. A family who was out for a stroll and asked to take a picture of me told me that they are quite common and wont bother me so long as I don’t bother them.

After a long day of walking I decided to go to the spa. Alex had given me the address of his favorite spa so with this plan in mind I left the park and went onto the street to signal a cab. Before a cab could show up though, a man on a moped appeared. I asked how much it would cost for him to take me to the spa and it was relatively cheaper than a taxi so I jumped on! Driving through the streets of Bangkok was both exhilarating and terrifying!

The spa was beautiful and amazing. It was the perfect end to an amazing day. 




-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following day I took a seven-hour bus ride to Surin after a seven-hour bus. Josy, one of the volunteer coordinators met me at the bus stop. We went to the local market in Surin where we bought over 400 pounds of cucumbers and corn to feed the elephants. Once we arrived at the site Josy gave me a quick tour of the facility and an overview of my duties before taking me to my home stay. All the houses in the area are on stilts. The house consists of a porch and two small rooms. Each room is used as a bedroom and contained a mattress and mosquito net. Underneath the house two hammocks have been hung using the stilts that support the house. The bathroom is close by and consists of a western toilet (no toilet paper is to be flushed) and a bucket for showering. The water isn’t heated, but after a long days work in the sun, the cold water feels amazing! My house mom is a short little Thai woman named Sue. She always has a smile on her face and likes to laugh at how tall I am. From her I learn that Mia means wife in Thai.

Total HR: 13