First things first: Vegemite.
This is something Maddy brought with her from Australia, because she actually likes it. I cannot believe this! In no way can I adequately describe the smell, but the closest thing that comes to mind is burnt rubber. Eww eww eww. She eats it on toast with butter, but here, I tried simply with bread. Below is a sequence of my first and likely last encounter with the Vegemite.
Game to give it a try, knowing full well there's no way I'm going to like it.
My first of two bites. She said I had to eat the whole thing, and I was initially contemplating suffering it down. After the second bite she caved and agreed to finish for me. It was crazy for me to watch her eat it and enjoy after knowing exactly what it tasted like. Sooooo bitter.
My thoughts on Vegemite after bravely tasting..
Laughing and trying to keep it down.
This past weekend was a very, very Thai weekend. It was crazy fantastic. Long, hard, interesting and fun. Have I mentioned how much I love Thailand?
These past couple of weekends, I have ventured out of Si Racha and seen some new things, but more importantly, gotten to spend some time with friends from orientation. It's been great to change things up a bit. This weekend was by far my most Thai experience to date.
My schedule:
Friday: Si Racha to Angtong. Travel time 4:15 to 9:45 p.m. 3 busses, 170 baht.
Saturday: Angtong to Korat: Travel time 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 2 busses, 110 baht.
Sunday: Korat to Si Racha: Travel time 11:30 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. 2 busses, 270 baht.
The wonderful girls I spent my time with in a tuk tuk headed for The Sizzler in Korat. From left to right is Liza (South African), Jen (Canadian), Allie (Texan. What What!!!), and Maddy (Australian). I realized at orientation, but even moreso this weekend, I have a very difficult time understanding all the accents. I seem to be able to conquer only one a time. I constantly found myself asking, "What?" "Huh?" "What does that mean?". I now have a new goal. I spent a lot of time on the busses, but it was so worth it! I left right after school and was pleased with myself for figuring out how to get from Si Racha to the northern bus terminal, Mo Chit. This saved both money and time. After arriving at Mo Chit, I was surprised and overwhelmed. It was the largest bus terminal I have seen to date. I didn't see any other farang, and by this time it was dark. It was a trip determining the best way to get to my destination. I settled on a school bus type ride to destination unknown, then a coach bus trek to Angtong. On the first bus, I was one of three passengers, which was unusual and bizarre. It was a woman and child, so I figured I would be safe. I was told at one of the fleeting stops to hop off and run to a bus in front of us (that was already taking off), and man I ran. This was a direct bus to Angtong, of which over 50 percent of the passengers were Thai police. Slightly disconcerting, but again, you go with it. We stopped for gas, everybody off in the middle of absolutely nowhere, sitting around and waiting for 20 minutes while they filled up the tank.
After arriving in Angtong, it was great to catch up with friends for a bit before calling it an early night. This is a small village, so it was quite a contrast from the luxurious Si Racha. I really liked it, and definitely want to move farther north next session. As much as I love Si Racha, I would really like to get a taste of the real Thai experience. They have only one place they can hang out and maybe 3 restaurants. I have hundreds of restaurants, and a beach view. It felt so authentic. Authentic, but still comfortable. Their apartment size was similar to mine, and they had A/C (an absolute must for me).
After a lot of laughs, a painted Thai woman in lingerie on the bathroom wall, and an attempt to eat Vegemite, we were off to bed.
Not a poster, rather, this lovely photo is painted into the tile on Maddy's wall. What an unexpected surprise when she moved in; it definitely makes for a great conversation piece. When I walked in I just bust out laughing. Good times.
Here I am waiting at the door with my shoes on. I stupidly decided to put them on, and then realized I couldn't go back into the apartment. In Thailand, same as Korea, you usually don't wear shoes indoors. I really like the idea, as it is much easier to keep things clean. Since I actually made the effort to tie and knot my tennies, I chose to wait rather than go through the process again. It was a pretty entertaining sight.
Next morning up and at 'em by who remembers when, not me. We missed option number one, the train, so we took option number two, the bus -- a school bus. Very colorful; very very Thai. After about 2 and a half hours we arrived at the bus station to start leg two of the trip.
In Korat we went and ate at The Sizzler. Hahahaaa. Not expecting that, but it was soo good to have proper salad and baked potato for once. We all felt funny afterwards, who knew western food would get me so quickly.
We had planned to visit the night market in Korat, as it is supposed to be pretty nice, but as always, something unexpected happened. This was my first scare in Thailand. In our hotel, just like everywhere else, the shower and the bathroom are one. Long story short, one of the girls slipped, fell, and hit her head on the toilet, then passed out soon after. We were all concerned, so decided to take her to the hospital for a check-up. Korat is the second largest city in Thailand (who knew, I always assumed Chaing Mai), so, lucky for us, they have nice medical facilities.
It was great to use a little of my Thai for something good. They got her right in and she was just fine. Of course, when it was all said and done, they tried to overcharge us. I was so thankful I was traveling with a group of people who weren't down for that. After about 10 minutes of arguing the point, we got them down to less than half of their initial offer. And, I'm sure we still overpaid. But on principal, I have a real problem perpetuating the idea that it is okay to overcharge farang like no other. I almost always fight it.
The girls sitting in the waiting room after her first check. We were trying to get them to check her a bit more thoroughly at this time (which is what they claimed cost so much).
When we were waiting, we saw a group of Thais gathered around something on the floor. It ended up being a snake in a bag, and I assume someone was bitten and took it in to check how poisonous. It was really cool to see, and as usual, a bit scary. This little guy, he was black and white stripped, wriggling around in a plastic baggy while people poked and prodded at him. I stupidly didn't take a photo. I was too intrigued by the actual situation to think about the camera.
We decided to call it a night afterwards, waking Allie up every couple of hours to make sure she was okay. I only heard the alarm and mildly woke up as Maddy checked on her. It was quick, she was fine. What a long night, though. Allie is just fine now.
The last day was spent in transport. On my way into Bangkok, I made it in just under 2 hours, back to Si Racha took 3 and a half. The bus you take can make a HUGE difference!! What a weekend. This is most definitely Thailand.
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