Happy Birthday Thai Style

Shoutout to my cuz!  Corbin, my cousin, is turning 10 this week.  So I just wanted to say Happy Birthday - Thai Style...  but better than me saying it, how about some thai ladies singing to you, Corbin?  I hope you enjoy!

Kung Hey Fat Choi

Holidays all around.  Today is Valentine's Day and as with any other holiday in Thailand, they go over the top.  I just returned from the grocery store and the streets are covered with all things red, white and pink.  Where street carts full of fish balls and fried rice usually block the streets, roses, teddy bears and all things valentine are for sale.  There are so many roses out that the "scent" of Bangkok has been replaced by roses.  I wish everyday were Valentine's Day in Bangkok.  Once the clock struck midnight last night, the vendors were out.  Apparently Valentine's Day is one of the biggest holidays here, and from the look of things, that was an understatement.  In the tradition of the holiday, Meris, Charity and I are going to have a romantic dinner - at McDonalds.  yeah, I'm a big spender...  

So this past week was a lot of fun.  Fernando, my old roommate from USC, came to visit Meris and I in Bangkok.  He is studying abroad in Hong Kong at CUHK for the semester.  First of all, I think he really enjoyed his time in Thailand.  It was a lot of fun for us because it was our first chance to play tour guide in our new home.  He also enjoyed the bargains to be found in Bangkok.  Apparently Hong Kong is very expensive.  Fernando arrived on Tuesday.  We had him meet us on Khoa San Road.  We were already out playing flip cup at a bar called "Half Tank."  It's a gas station by day - bar by night.  It's funny because at about 5 pm they start to break out chairs and tables and put them in the gas station.  Only in Thailand...

Wednesday, Meris, Jimbo and I wanted to take Fernando to Chote Chitr - and the taxi adventure began.  An HOUR AND A HALF later, we were still without food AND lost.  

The worst part is we had a map and the business card of the restaurant and we STILL couldn't find the restaurant.  We decided to cut our losses and go home.  That night, since it's the year of 21, there was another 21st birthday.  Matt, from Cal Berkeley, turned 21.  We went out to RCA at Route 66 and had a good time.

KUNG HEY FAT CHOI!  Thursday was Chinese New Year.  I didn't make it out for any of the adventures in Chinatown on account of the rain.  It was POURING!  I don't think I've ever seen rain like that before.  I could see rain approaching from my window but I didn't think it would reach Ratanakosin.  I was wrong.  It was like a hurricane for about 45 minutes.  

And this isn't even Monsoon Season.  I don't know how the city survives.  What I heard from the people who were out during the rain was that the streets flooded within about 5 minutes and the worst part of the rain - all the roaches and rats were flooded out of their homes... So they all came out wandering the streets.  It didn't take the Chinatown adventurers long to return home...

That night, in continuation of Matt's 21st, he wanted to go out and find this club called "glow."  An hour taxi ride later, we find ourselves lost...again.  Fortunately though, we were able to find the club.  We were so excited and when we walk in, we find that we were the ONLY people there.  Quite the ladies night...  So we decided to go to Q-Bar on Soi 11.  It was a really good time.  They were having a Chinese New Year Party called "Mickey Rat," since the new year is the year of the rat.  At midnight, they blocked off the streets and shot off fireworks.  It was pretty cool to see.  Q-bar was nice but the crowd was a bit too old and farang for my taste.  (Thai lesson for the day - farang is a thai word meaning "tourist" or "foreigner" - learn something new everyday...)

Friday, we were feeling up for some Bangkok culture.  So we all throw on our school uniforms (because we're cheap and wanted to get into our cultural event for free!) and head out.  We decided to go to Wat Po, which is near Thammasat and the Grand Palace.  It is famous for being the largest Wat in Thailand and it houses the world's largest reclining buddha.  (History lesson of the day - the Reclining Buddha's position represents the last moments before death of buddha's life.  Unlike the typical meditation position of Buddha, the reclining buddha is in a relaxed position on his side.  Learn two new things everyday!)  This buddha was huge!  It dwarfs the wat that houses it.  It's about 150 feet long and is covered with gold leaf.  His toe nails are made out of mother of pearl.  It was very cool.  And we made it to the wat around the sunset so everything had an extra sparkle to it.  It was definitely one of the best cultural events thus far. 

the reclining buddha

Me with the Reclining Buddha - just a little clue as to how massive it is

Wat Po

 Abby called this my James Bond picture - at Wat Po

That night, Noon, one of our Thai friends from Thammasat, told us about a modern dance performance in a park near school.  We decided to just walk there from the Wat Po.  The dance performance was about the class system in India and cross class marriages.  I wouldn't have understood that if Noon hadn't told me because the performance was very, VERY modern.  But hey, it was a cultural event.  After the performance, Noon took us to a nice restaurant on the river that overlooks the Rama VIII bridge.  We had some nice seafood and returned to bed to rest up for our day of cultural events.

I like to call Saturday the day of "overrated events".  In our valiant effort to show Fernando the sights of Thailand, we booked a day-long tour for Saturday that included the Floating markets, the Bridge Over River Kwai and Tiger Temple.  Going back to the Floating Markets was OK - we got some good Mango and Sticky Rice again.  As much as I didn't like it, Fernando liked it - which is all that matters.  Then we headed further north to Kanchanaburi, which as Thai's call it is the "armpit of Thailand."  It was soooooo hot.  and we were all wearing jeans and the girls had to have long sleeves since we were visiting a temple (tiger temple).  I wouldn't be surprised if the temperature was well over 100 degrees.  To make it worst, we had to stop at the Bridge over River Kwai.  My ignorance aside, I don't know why this is such a tourist destination in Thailand.  The real bridge doesn't even exist anymore.  It was probably the worst museum I have ever been to.  And to make things worst, we spent the whole time jumping from shade to shade.  It was a miserable stop - even for a history buff like me..... If you want to learn anything about it, look it up on Wikipedia, because I sure didn't learn anything.  But, 30 minutes later, our third and final stop for the day made up for that "bridge."  Tiger temple was AWESOME!  We got to pet and get our pictures taken with real, live, full sized, UNCHAINED tigers.  It was probably one of the coolest things I'll do while I'm here.  We waited in line for about 30 minutes and got to take our picture with about 6 tigers.  Then we walked up the hill to the nursery and played with tiger cubs for the rest of our time at the temple.  They are so cute and so playful.  One even bit Meris - it was pretty cute.  We're calling it her souvenir from the temple. 

 

me and a big ol' tiger

Meris and I with a tiger

me with the tiger cubs

After that, we returned to Bangkok and rested a bit before heading out for the night.  That night we went to a new place called SANTIKA.  It was a really cool club.  Supposedly it's one of the best in Bangkok.  I could tell by the Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, etc in the parking.  Quite a change from the usual Toyota Corolla.  The inside was decorated like a church so we were all joking saying that we partied with Jesus and didn't need to go to church the next day.  We also ordered very cool shots that they lit on fire - see below.  Quite the sight...

the fire shot

the interior of SANTIKA

Meris, Fernando and I at SANTIKA

Sunday was another day of Cultural Events.  We went to the Grand Palace - dressed in our uniforms and everything....Prepared to pay nothing.  However, we don't have our real Thammasat ID's yet, we only have temporary ones.  So the staff wouldn't let us in with our temporary ID's.  And we weren't about to pay...so we left.  We were close to Chote Chitr and our stomachs were growling.  We were determined to find this restaurant.  And we did.  And it was closed for repairs for the month of February.  Quite the let down.  After we got some street food, we were on a mission to have at least one cultural event for the day, so we decide to find Wat Arun.  We split up into two taxis - I was in the one that didn't know where we were going.  So of course we arrive at Wat Arun first - and it was closed.  Everything was shut down and there weren't any people there.  I call the other taxi and tell them to go home because it's closed.  I found out later that our taxi driver had taken us to the wrong temple....  whoops,  my mistake...

One thing that Fernando did that I didn't take part of was get a traditional Thai tattoo at "Tattoo Temple."  This was done with a long needle and a hammer.  He said it hurt pretty bad. It was performed by a monk and it's a sort of blessing to rid the body of harmful spirits.  When you walk in, the monk is supposed to decide what tattoo they place on your body.  But fernando knew he wanted a tiger, so the monk decided on the text.  He ended up getting a 10 inch tiger on the left side of his back and Thai characters saying "Do not be afraid."  It took about 30 minutes and only cost 100 baht.

Fernando's Tattoo

Well I have officially been in Bangkok for a month now.  And time is flying by...  Before I know it, I'll be back in LA.  It kinda bums me out to think about that.  Next week we are headed back down to the Southern Gulf.  We are going to stay on a different island near Koh Samui called Koh Phan-Ngan.  It is the home of the world famous FULL MOON PARTY.  I am so excited to go to this party.  Ever since people found out I was coming to Thailand, all they could talk about was the full moon party.  It happens every month when the full moon occurs.  And it's basically a beach party from sundown to sunup.  I can't wait to return and tell you all about the party.

(world) peace  

44,000 baht for some ladyboys...

Well I'm back from Koh Samui, I've caught up on my sleep, and I'm ready to recount our journeys.

Last Wednesday, before we left for Koh Samui, the BBA students at Thammasat planned a "Black & White" party for the whole school.  It was crazy!  Open bar, all night long.  Needless to say, there were some drunk thai kids.  It was pretty funny!  It was at the club called JET in the Thong Lor District.  The club was completely packed.  It was impossible to make it anywhere within the club.  But the best part was the Thai band that played.  We're not sure if they're Thammasat students or not, but the Thai's were loving it.  It was fun for us to dance around and pretend like we knew what we were singing.  It's always a good time partying with the Thais.  

The chicks at Black & White Night

Needless to say, some R&R was in need before we left for Koh Samui.  Thursday, I woke up, got some much needed McDonald's, packed and we were on our way for our journey to the Southern Gulf of Thailand.  Wednesday after class we had gone to Khoa San road to reserve tickets for our trip down south.  For 450 B, we reserved a "VIP Bus w/ Express Ferry."  We were loving the bargain we got - little did we know the "bargain" consisted of almost 18 hours of traveling.  

So we were schedule to leave at 6 p.m. from Bangkok.  We all packed up our stuff and headed to Khoa San road.  And, of course, the bus was on thai time.  So, check your watches, 7:15 we got on the bus.  Yes, already an hour into our journey and we're only on the other side of the river.  Now here's where the true VIP experience comes in.  Our "prime" seats were located right above the toilet of the bus - which was "malfunctioning."  And apparently to accommodate the "scent" coming from the toilet, they cranked up the A/C on the bus.  Seriously, I had to go to the beach to thaw out after this bus ride.  It was so cold on the bus that there was condensation forming on the windows.  And then, our feature presentation for the night: Mark Wahlberg.  I don't know if the thai's really like Mark Wahlberg or if they think foreigners do, but they showed three of his movies.  Fortunately though, I passed out for the entire bus ride.  I wasn't even awake for the rest stop.  

So I wake up in Surat Thani, our first stop for the trip.  Now this is where the title of this post comes in and where one of our friends, Jimbo, starts to have the worst trip ever.  While waiting in Surat Thani for our ferry to Koh Samui, he looked in his backpack to get his food and realized that he was missing the 10,000 baht (about $300).  He realized that because his backpack was the last one underneath the bus, he'd been robbed by the bus workers and his money was long gone.  And, to make things worse, he didn't bring his ATM card because he had packed enough cash for the weekend.  So Bank of Meris comes to the rescue and lends him 10,000 baht.

Running tally: 

10,000 baht - Stolen from the bus

10,000 baht - Transaction with the Bank of Meris

Total = 20,000 baht (about $600 - and we're not even to Koh Samui yet...)

Then we get on the ferry, which was probably the best part of the traveling.  It was about a two hour ferry ride to Koh Samui.  And poor Meris doesn't do well with watercrafts - so she had her ginger in one hand and dramamine in the other and was trying to do her best for the whole trip.  

When we arrive in Koh Samui, we hop in a tuk-tuk and we think that we are on our way to our hotel.  But we were wrong.  We made it about two blocks and our tuk-tuk gets pulled over by the police.  We then learn that our driver didn't have a drivers license and he couldn't drive us any further.  So we had to get our stuff off the tuk-tuk and walk back to the pier and try and catch another tuk-tuk.  

This time, we were smart enough to ask if they had a drivers license.  

And I decided to take the wing-man seat and hang on from the back.  It was pretty sweet because I got a really good view of the whole island and I saw a lot of stuff that you

 couldn't see out of a tuk-tuk.  However, I didn't realize that it was going to be an hour long ride so I got a little fried from the sun, already.  I think most of us are still trying to get used to the sun at the beaches.  The sun is so hot here.  Unlike anywhere else.  

Eventually we made it to our "condotel."  Yes, word of the day: CONDOTEL.  And even after staying at a "condotel" for a weekend, I still don't quite know what a "condotel" is.  

Think I can say "condotel" one more time: condotel.  Sorry, I just really liked that word.  Oh, and the best part of the "condotel" is that you could rent in a "mini-stay," convenient for those ladies that charge by the hour.  Oh, only in Thailand.  Checking in to hotels here in thailand has become a bit of a wishing game - but this time we were lucky.  Fortunate for us, this place had flushing toilets, A/C and hot water.  It was like the four seasons for us.

After we checked in, we headed straight to the beach.  We were staying near Chaweng beach so we just went there.  Chaweng was beautiful.  The beach was full of young people and you could find anything on the beach - from massages to jet skis to any sort of food.  And about the food on the island, it was actually fairly hard to find thai food.   Most of the food on the island was western.  We even indulged ourselves with Pizza Hut - and I must say, that was probably the best Pizza Hut ever.  

After we relaxed on the beach, Marney and I decided to head out for the night.  We end up meeting these two girls, Martha and Alex (and Martha's father - who looked like he'd been b

eat with the wrong end of the thailand stick...  a little haggard), from London.  They were very cool.  Alex had just arrived in Thailand for the next year and Martha and her father had been traveling for the past year.  They'd been on Koh Samui for the past five months.  So they knew what to do.  When we were sitting having drinks, I excused myself to go to the toilet.  While I was in the restroom, a Thai woman came up and put a warm towel on the back of my neck and started giving me a thai massage - neck, shoulders, back, head - she even cracked my neck and back.  All while I was peeing!  Only in Thailand....

Since it was Martha's last night in Koh Samui for a while, she wanted to go out with a bang.  And by a bang - I mean a lady boy show.  

It was hilarious!  The show was free, but you had to buy a drink (fine with us!).  The show lasted about an hour and they did basically pop songs.  This fat one was our favorite! 

 haha...  Marney and I knew that we had to bring the rest of the group back the next night so they could witness Christy's Cabaret.  After the ladyboy show, we headed to Soi Green Mango to go to Green Mango.  Yes, this club is so massive and so popular it has a whole street named after it.  After hitting up Green Mango, Marney and I decided to part ways with our Brits and hit the sack.

The next morning, we woke up at 8am, had breakfast at Khoa San bakery (which served western breakfast aka bacon toast etc - none of which you can usually find in Thailand) and headed off to Ao Thong beach.  We had read in Lonely Planet that this beach was more secluded and less crowded than Chaweng.  And it was.  It was definitely much more of a family environment too.  It was beautiful!  We got to the beach around 10am and stayed til around 3pm when it started to rain just a little bit.  But it was ok because we were tired anyways.  We headed back to our CONDOTEL (haha- love that word) and most of us took a little naps to rest up for ladyboy round 2.  When we woke up, we went to Pizza Hut then headed out for the night.  The rest of the group loved the ladyboy show.  Everyone had so much fun.  and the show was different.  Apparently, Christy's

 is famous for having a different show every day of the year.

  

Marney and I with some of the ladyboys

I guess we'll never know if that's true or not.  Now, after the ladyboy show is when Jimbo's trip goes from bad to worse....

Jimbo was on the hunt for the ladies at the Green Mango so he lost the rest of the group.  And we were tired, so we went home.  But Jimbo had to walk home by himself.  And with a few too many Tiger Beers in him, he was walking in the street.  While wandering the streets, a taxi came close to hitting him.  To avoid being hit by the taxi, Jimbo jumped on the hood of the taxi.  This was not cool with the driver - who proceeded to throw the taxi in park, jump out of the taxi and start Muay Thai'ing Jimbo.  When Jimbo tried to run away, the taxi driver grabbed him by the back of the neck and stole the rest of his money.  Now, after this happened, Jimbo was pretty shaken up and thought he needed to go to the hospital.  So he got a taxi to the hospital and stayed there til we woke up in the morning.  When Meris woke up in the morning, her and Charity went to meet Jimbo at Samui International Hospital (which they say is like a country club - it had a pool and everything).  Luckily though, the x-rays came back ok and Jimbo is back safely in Bangkok.  He was unable to ride the bus back, however, so he had to fly back to Bangkok from Koh Samui. But now without adding to his debt:

Running tally:

10,000 baht - stolen from the bus

10,000 baht - Transaction from the Bank of Meris

14,000 baht - Medical Bills at Samui International Hospital

10,000 baht - Plane ticket from Koh Samui from Bangkok

Grand total = 44,000 baht (roughly $1,400)

Trip to Koh Samui = not so priceless

The View of Koh Samui

The rest of us packed up and left Koh Samui at noon.  We made the never ending journey back to Bangkok and arrived back at our condo around 5:30 am Monday morning - ready to head back to Thammasat for classes.

This week is Chinese New Year.  Fernando, my old roommate, is studying in Hong Kong this semester.  Since this is like THE holiday for Hong Kong, they get the whole week off so he is coming to visit me and Meris in Bangkok for the week.  (Meris and him are both in Delta Sigma Pi - the other business fraternity.)  So this week should be fun.  It'll be another weekend in Bangkok - which always proves to be a good time.  And it'll be our first time showing someone around our new hometown.

(world) peace