Sawasdee...Sawasdee!

Since many of you are considerably younger than me, you may not remember the movie, The King and I.  The story focuses around a middle-aged British widow who accepts the job of governess for the King of Siam in the 1860s.  Siam….what an exotic-sounding place…particularly to a kid who had never been to a big city!  Scenes from that classic production swirled through my memory as I winged my way towards Bangkok in November.  Not only was I excited to at last see Siam (er, Thailand), but I was going to experience it all with my daughter and her husband.  As I cleared customs and walked towards the transportation center, I was greeted with a musical-sounding “Sawasdee…Sawasdee” by a smiling Thai woman holding a card with my name on it!  I soon learned that Sawasdee means “Welcome to Thailand” - and was greeted the same way probably hundreds of time over the next couple of weeks.  I hopped into the waiting van and we made our way into the city.  Although I had stopped in Sydney for 3 days on my way to Bangkok, I was in no way prepared for the tangle of traffic that is Bangkok!  OMG – at times it was 6 lanes of traffic coming from four different directions...cars, taxis, vans, trucks, scooters, and tuk-tuks all crammed together and going nowhere fast.  After Port Vila it was a real eye-opener.  Let’s just say that I will never entertain the idea of getting a rental car in Bangkok – and at times I just closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and held on – especially when riding in a tuk-tuk.  

We visited several locales throughout Thailand:  Bangkok, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and the last five days at a resort on Phi Phi Island.  When looking back at the highlights of our stay in Thailand, I think it’s safe to say that we simply ate our way through the country!  Although I’ve always enjoyed Thai food – nothing prepared me for the delicious, beautiful dishes that were a part of every meal.  Whether it was street food or a meal in a small country inn, the food was fresh, spicy, multi-layered with flavors – and best of all inexpensive!  To give you an idea of cheap, I feasted on a plate piled high with tempura prawns…very large tempura prawns…for the equivalent of $4 at the night market in Chiang Rai.  There were also ample opportunities to sample grubs, crickets, and other unidentified beetles grilled on a stick!!  But perhaps the most unusual was a fun little place nestled on a tiny, congested back street of Bangkok.  I have to admit that it was the name of the place that drew us in – after all, wouldn’t you be intrigued when coming across a restaurant called Cabbage and Condoms!!   The food was delicious and cheap – but the story of the restaurant is that it operates to support the activities of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), an NGO promoting family planning and the health and safety aspects of condom use.  Condoms are part of the décor of the restaurant – as an example, artwork is made from condoms, and a 6’ tall Santa was made of red and white condoms!!  Not only was the décor entertaining – the food was great too!

Obviously a “must-do” in Thailand is a visit to a working elephant camp, so of course that was on our itinerary as well.  After a drive through northern Thailand – which included a roadside stop to watch workers harvesting rice, we arrived at the Mae Taman elephant camp.  Have you ever been hugged by an elephant? Well, as you can see from the picture it is quite a surprising experience!  We also were able to hop aboard elephants for an hour-long ride through the hills above the camp – and last, but certainly not least, we actually saw elephants painting pictures…which were of course then sold in the gift shop. These big guys are the Picassos of the animal kingdom!

Early one morning in Chiang Mai, we headed up in the hills above the city to Wat Srisoda where we watched and listened while the Buddhist monks chanted their morning prayer, and we participated in the traditional Buddhist food offering.  This was really a special moment.  The morning was cool, it was perfectly quiet, and the just the sight of the monks proceeding down the hill and accepting the offerings of food was humbling.  In Thailand, all young men are expected to spend a minimum of three months in the monastery.  Many of the monks were very young boys – but they seemed to have the composure and mannerisms of a seasoned Buddhist monk.
 

A visit to Thailand wouldn’t be complete without visits to many of the ornate and historic temples sprinkled throughout the country.  We visited many – one of which is recognized as the holiest temple in Thailand.  It’s situated high in the mountains at the top of a 300-stair climb – so in the heat you may find yourself praying just to make it to the top!  We also visited the Grand Palace and several very small but beautiful temples located in the hills of northern Thailand.  And who could forget seeing the Emerald Buddha…not to mention the 150’ long gold-plated reclining Buddha designed to illustrate Buddha’s passing into Nirvana!

Our visit to “Siam” wrapped up with a 5-day stay at a beautiful resort on Phi Phi Island – located off the southern tip of Thailand about a 90-minute speedboat ride from Phuket.  This area is absolutely gorgeous – the islands here are surrounded by the jeweled-toned Andaman Sea – highlighted by stark, towering limestone spires jutting up from the sea floor.  The resort was absolutely wonderful – but not without its sobering moments.  This area was severely hit by the tsunami that hit Sri Lanka several years ago.  It now has several very large emergency sirens, and a large memorial to those who were swept out to sea when the tsunami hit.  One of the more pleasant surprises of Phi Phi Island was the monkeys in the jungle!  While I was having a “spa day”, my daughter and her husband hiked across the island and were lucky enough to see quite a few of those inquisitive, noisy little guys – thankfully, they weren’t chased through the trees by any wild ones baring teeth! 

All in all, Thailand is an enchanting country to visit.  The people are very friendly and welcoming, the countryside is absolutely beautiful, and the Thai people are eager to share their history and traditional culture with any visitor who will listen and smile.  It’s definitely a spot to put on your proverbial “bucket list”! 

TIME FLIES...WHEN YOU'RE HAVIN' FUN!

I actually didn’t realize it had been sooo long since I had updated my Blog. Now, I hardly know where to start, so I’ll just touch on some highlights that have taken place since my last blog in August 2011:

I enjoyed a week-long birthday celebration – on and around my actual birthday of September 29th. Believe it or not, I totally forgot it was my birthday last year. It was a lot different from my first birthday in Vanuatu. We had just arrived in Vanuatu on the 10th of September, 2010, so my mind was filled with Bislama classes, village life, and overall adjustment. One day I was admiring a dress that Danielle, one of the other volunteers, was wearing, and she said it was a birthday gift from her village sister. As it turns out, her birthday was October 4th – and it was only then that I realized that my birthday had come and gone! This year it was a lot different! Danielle and I shared several special “Happy Birthday” events, including happy hour at the Grand Hotel here in town, brunch at Chill - a lovely air-conditioned restaurant here, and an afternoon at the Iririki Resort here in Port Vila sitting around the pool and enjoying more than a couple of cold, draft beers! I have always wanted to see sea horses when I’ve been snorkeling. Several species of seahorses are indigenous to Vanuatu – but so far I haven’t been lucky enough to see any. But a very special friend of mine gave me something pretty darned wonderful – a locally-carved wooden seahorse. He is really beautiful and is now hanging in my “Vanuatu Villa”. So, 2011 was possibly the best birthday I’ve ever celebrated…to date! But who knows…I have one more birthday here before heading back to the states…where I am also counting on many, many more!!

October 9th was another very special day because it marked the arrival of 29 new Peace Corps trainees. Most of the volunteers from Port Vila and the island of Efate were on-hand at Bauerfield International Airport with loud cheers and hugs for all. All of the new volunteers will be focusing their efforts on either health or English literacy. They were officially sworn in on December 8th and are now stationed throughout the beautiful islands of Vanuatu.

October also marked a big change for me and what I am doing as a volunteer here. The Peace Corps transferred me to a new position as a strategic advisor at the Vanuatu Institute of Technology – a secondary technical and trade school based here in Port Vila. Wow, what a great place to be – and the work there is really “right up my alley”. I’m working on writing and implementing their five-year plan, helping with a transition from trimester to semester scheduling, and providing some training to staff members. The school is staffed with NiVanuatu instructors and nearly 800 students attend – including about 200 students from the outer islands who board at the school. The campus is lovely with lots of trees and beautiful blooming flowers. All the staff members have been very welcoming and helpful. I love going to work every single day!

In November I made the trip of a lifetime to Thailand…by way of Sydney, Australia. I spent three days in Sydney – which included attending a performance of The Merry Widow ballet at the famed Sydney Opera House. That place is every bit as special as all the pictures I had ever seen…and I still can hardly believe that I was actually there. From Sydney I traveled to Bangkok, Thailand. I arrived somewhere close to midnight and was met by the tour company and driven straight to the beautiful Rembrandt Hotel in downtown Bangkok. About an hour later, Sue and Brian arrived at the hotel and stayed in an adjoining room. What a wonderful reunion it was. I had brought a bottle of wine from the Sydney duty-free shop, so we immediately popped the cork and visited until the wee hours of the morning. Thailand is an amazing country. We saw the sights of Bangkok, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, a quick stop in Laos – and then down to Phuket and finally wrapping up with 5 nights at the phenomenal Phi Phi Island Village Resort. The temples we visited were just phenomenal – and there are Buddhas of every shape, size and color everywhere! We were also able to see the local villagers hand-harvesting and thrashing rice in rice paddies along the road. The three of us also thrilled to getting up close and personal with elephants at an elephant camp in northern Thailand and also took an hour-long ride through the nearby hills and jungle. The food was amazing, and the final 5 nights at Phi Phi Island were spectacular. The hotel upgraded us at no charge to a beautiful hillside villa – which included our very own pool. Yes, we were very spoiled – but enjoyed every single minute of it. We also literally “ate” our way through Thailand – that food is so flavorful – and now I want to learn how to cook it!

Christmas was very quiet. Many of our volunteers here returned to the states for nearly a month. But a few of us who stayed here enjoyed a lovely dinner at the home of our Medical Officer. It was an extremely hot day, so we all sat on her verandah and enjoyed a phenomenal meal featuring many of the dishes that she prepared when she lived in New Zealand.

I’ve been in great health – although I did have a week-long bout of giardia a couple of months ago – and then was hit with strep throat a couple of weeks ago. But overall, I’m doing well and staying healthy and happy! Happy 2012 everybody…and I’m on the countdown to returning to the states in the fall of this year!