Fish Massages!

I've been doing far less lately, focusing on schoolwork to be able to finish a week early and finding it difficult to get out sometimes. When I'm not doing schoolwork, it's hard to find someone to actually get out with since I only know three people here in Bangkok. I am thankful for them though, and when I do get out it never ceases to be a good time. Last week, my Chattanooga friend and I went to dinner at 8 (my second time there) and I opted to not get the octopus balls this time but instead to eat the dumplings (basically pork gyoza). I made a meal out of them ordering 12 and a delicious Coca-Cola. Then we were on the hunt for a place to grab a quick beer or just generally something to do. Well, what do we find but a fish massage stall! She had never had a fish massage before...I was lucky enough to have had one on my visit last November. It was amazing. No pedicure can ever compare. The guys working went to a nearby store and got us each a Singha and we jumped right in.

She made the most hilarious faces as she tried it for the first time! It's quite the experience. I'm very ticklish so for the first several minutes I giggle. She was more brave than I. I got in the same tank with her but all of the fish preferred her so I got in the other (very large!) tank. ALONE! This meant that thousands of little fish were attacking me and only me during this fish massage. Some of the fish were pretty huge, about the size of my hand, and when the bit - it was obvious! There were many times when I would let out a little yelp and jump in the tank because quite honestly, it stung a little bit. We payed 150 baht for 15 minutes and once we got out my feet were definitely soft. Not as soft as the last one since that time was unlimited but I am certainly going to return for another fish massage here in Bangkok, very soon! :)

How to beat the rainy season in Bangkok?

I've been here in Bangkok almost two weeks and, of course, I arrived during rainy season's peak. It rains pretty much every day. Some days it pours and pours and pours, which causes the roads to flood (Those days I stay indoors). Other days it just sprinkles for hours at a time. Sunday was a combination of the two. I was meeting a fellow Tennessean at JJ (Chatuchak market) for some shopping followed by dinner when it started to pour. Luckily, I had my pink Gap umbrella that I love. Take that Bangkok rainy season! She, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. 45 minutes of rain passed and we finally were able to meet each other! Trying to find someone in JJ is absolutely ridiculous and nearly impossible. We decided to take cover under some awnings. We sat down and realized the DJ for this little bar was right behind us. He played some hilarious American music - including "Sexual Healing" (while the French guys behind us danced with their Thai girlfriends, very funny). So how do we beat the rainy season here in Bangkok while attempting to shop at JJ? SINGHA of course! :)

Octopus Balls and Ice Cream

I went to a mall close to my apartment with a friend for some lunch the other day. We decided on a restaurant that is a combination of both Thai and Japanese. I was having a picky day but wanted to try something new as an appetizer (although the gyoza was calling my name). I found octopus balls on the menu! I like octopus and this appetizer was octopus bits fried up in a ball (my dad compared them to conch fritters when I described them if that helps give you an idea). They had this delicious sauce drizzled over them that was some sort of Japanese sesame sauce or something. It was so good!! I didn't even use the soy sauce for dipping since it had that creamy sauce on them. I loved it! I could literally drink that sauce...or use it as a salad dressing. YUM!

For my meal, I went with fried rice because I can't seem to get used to the unusual broth that comes with Thai noodles and that was primarily the whole menu. The fried rice was good - better than in America and I loaded it up with soy sauce which made it even more tasty. They served it with ginger on the side, I'm not sure what I was supposed to do with this but on my plate it served as decoration primarily.

Then the fat American kid that lives inside of me was calling out as we walked past Swensen's, an ice cream shop. After we walked around a bit longer we decided to stop in for one scoop of ice cream.
Well, needless to say, I went in for one scoop and ended up ordering this...

A two-tone brownie sundae. It was AMAZING! I have no idea how many scoops of ice cream they put in there or even what kind it was but there were pieces of heavenly brownies that were half vanilla, half chocolate, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup and two hidden banana chunks at the bottom! No idea how many calories it was, nor do I want to know, but it was the perfect ending to a perfect day of FOOD!

Chicken & Rice. Chicken? & Rice.

Food courts in Bangkok are so bizarre. Unlike in America where you would pick the food you want, stand in line, get your food, and pay - all at that one stall - here in Bangkok you go to a kiosk, pay them, get a card with money on it, pick out your food, get your food, have them swipe your food, eat your food, and get the remaining money back at that same kiosk. It's something I'm having to get used to. The food is really cheap though, which is always a bonus (especially when you're unemployed). At the first mall I went to in one day, I ordered chicken yakitori and rice. It was quite good and simple. Some days I crave Western food so bad that I have to have something plain and simple like this.

(note the yummy authentic iced Thai coffee to drink. It was delicious!)

The next mall I went to that day I pointed to something on a picture that looked like chicken and rice but the texture did not seem like chicken when I got it. It also came with soup that they call water soup. Let's just say, it definitely tasted like soup water. It was not good and realllly plain. At least I tried it though!

(in the picture it looks like roast beef, maybe that's what it was?)

Every meal is an adventure to say the least. I branch out during certain meals and go for something simple when Western food seems like the only thing that will suffice. I'm hoping to get more accustomed to the food soon.

Bon Marche: "Good Market" in Bangkok

Yesterday, I had the privilege of touring a traditional Thai bilingual school. I really loved it! I would love to work there if they end up having an opening. The staff was all very friendly and, of course, the children were just adorable. I learned that the students take their shoes off before entering the classroom as well as the library. The teacher doesn't have to in the classroom but the students do. It was really enjoyable and good for me to see what they're like. It also made me feel like I really want to teach children instead of adults. I love kids and feel like I'm meant to be a kindergarten teacher!

After that we went to Bon Marche in Bangkok, literally translated into Good Market, and I loved it there. We stopped at a little sandwich shop for lunch and I had a ham & cheese sandwich - the cheese did taste a little funny. The view was great and it was really cheap! We got to overlook some water as we ate on these big, black, plush couches.

We then walked around the shops in the Bangkok market and saw the cheap bags and shoes as well as the neat Thai handicrafts. The shops there are really spectacular, some more expensive than others. We stopped for yogurt too which was really delicious. They serve you plain yogurt with fresh fruits. None of it has sugar so it's actually really good for you. Different than American yogurt but I could tell it was decently healthy and I loved the fruit with it. I had cranberry, strawberry, and banana on mine. YUM!

We then walked through the actual market area which had all kinds of fresh food! There were fresh chickens, rice, sauces, fruits, and veggies. Bangkok is known for having food in the markets that was just alive yesterday. Sort of a depressing thought for an animal lover like myself but at least you know it's healthy and hasn't been stuck in a freezer for several months like America! Nothing like McDonald's or horrid American fast food.

Needless to say if you live in Bangkok or plan on visiting Bangkok and want a neat market to walk around and have some good food, Bon Marche is worth it!

New food of the week? Ethiopian!

Wednesday afternoon, I finally got my lazy butt up and out and visited my friend. We were both very hungry, and decided on Pad Thai! I loveeee Pad Thai! It was literally the best I've ever had and she says it is some of the best in Bangkok and I wouldn't argue with that. It was at a little restaurant near Ari and it was only 30 baht! (that's about 1 USD!) It was quite amazing and I had a very happy stomach afterward.

That evening it was time for another new food. Ethiopian. I had no idea what Ethiopian food even consisted of so it was pretty interesting to try it! They bring out a huge flat bread and cover it with a variety of dipping sauces. I tried so many different things and wasn't sure what most of them were. I tried raw beef which was a blue color (they assured me it wouldn't make me sick so why not?), chickpeas (my personal favorite), some peppers, some spicy stuff, some other spicy stuff...it was great! Like I said, I couldn't tell you what half of it was but that was ok with me. I really enjoyed it!

There are so many new things to try here in Bangkok. My rule is I'll try ANYTHING! If I don't like it, I won't eat it again.

Mai Pen Rai

Monday morning I woke up a little upset that I'd lost my camera but ready to start my day. I decided to go to Bangkok Tattoo Studio and get the tattoo that I wanted. I did a lot of research on various tattoo shops and this one was very clean and professional plus the tattoo artist I got was a woman, which was very cool. It's not very big, although the pictures I took makes it look huge, but it's so beautiful. She did a great job. I got mai pen rai in thai writing which translates into "don't worry about it" which is basically the Thai motto. I highly recommend this shop to anyone looking to get a tattoo in Bangkok. They use individual needles for each person and sterilize everything just like they do in America. She kept asking me how I was doing and was very attentive. I love it and am sooo glad I did it. It was very painful though, I think this has to be the most painful spot to get a tattoo - no matter what anyone says. My foot and my neck don't compare to this one.

When I walked out of the tattoo shop toward Siam, I came across a beautiful temple on the side of the road. I'd tried to photograph it before but the pictures didn't turn out so well so I took some more.

I love being able to walk around and see all these beautiful places everywhere.

One problem I'm having is getting accustomed to Thai food. It is so spicy! Some of it is amazing and some of it I really just don't like. I've had my first Japanese restaurant here in Bangkok, Fuji. It was amazing!!! They are everywhere and if you just look at it you'd think it was so expensive but my meal was $5.50! We ordered gyozas as an appetizer (although of course they don't come out as an appetizer) and I ordered the chicken teriyaki set which came with miso soup, tofu, sticky rice, and cabbage. It was all amazing! I wasn't crazy about the cabbage but everything else was great. It was strange though because the miso soup didn't come with a spoon. You literally sip it out of the bowl. It was odd to get used to but I enjoyed it.

I could eat Fuji every day of my life just about! Tonight I'm having Thai food with a friend so that should be interesting. I will write and let you know how it is and what I liked or didn't, along with pictures! Hopefully I find something yummy! :)

Backpackers, Beer, and Bugs

Two nights ago I found myself at my love of Bangkok, Khaosan Road, for some beer and pizza. I was really excited to go back there - I fell in love with it when I was here last time. We had some delicious, very cheesy pizza. I've been craving cheese a lot since being here because not only is it not abundant but it's also expensive because they have to import it. My friend is a vegetarian so we had a delicious veggie pizza, garlic bread with cheese and Singha. The garlic bread was much different than in America and that really wasn't that great.

After dinner, we walked actually on Khaosan Road and went to Hippie Bar. That place had a really awesome atmosphere and we sat inside where it was nice and cool. I saw on the menu the Shee Va Wop that I'd tried last time I visited Bangkok in November 2009. It's a light rum that they make here, I believe. I am dying to have it again because it's so light you can drink it straight. Very good flavor. After having a couple of beers, everyone stopped for some street food and I had one thing on my mind: BUGS!

They sell bugs on Khaosan Road and last year I was too scared to try them and regretted it. I mena, what's the worst that could happen? It's protein at least! I got an assortment of grasshoppers, ants, and bamboo worm or larvae or something in between. I tried the grasshopper first and had a very timid small bite...it wasn't bad at all. They put soy sauce or something on it so it had some flavor. I ate most of the grasshopper but couldn't bare to eat the legs or the head. Next we tried the ants. They had lemongrass flavoring and had an overwhelming taste of lemon. I didn't really like them very much but had two big handfuls to try. Not my favorite. The best of these three were the bamboo worms or whatever they were. They were delicious! I know that sounds crazy but I ate several. They were juicy and very good. These also had that soy sauce on them. So, I ate bugs! I had lots of funny pictures documenting this but lost my camera already so I will just have to try the scorpions next time and take more pictures.

It was interesting that everyone in line for bugs was Western. Everyone wanted to try some bugs! Definitely a once in a lifetime thing and I'm glad I was brave enough to do it!

I ♥ JJ!

Yesterday morning I woke up and got ready to head to the WORLD's biggest weekend market, Chatuchack, or JJ as the Bangkokians call it. I had visited there last November and was just overwhelmed by all the stalls - there are something like 18,000. You can buy pretty much anything you want from miniature dogs to beautiful Thai handicrafts. First off, we stopped for breakfast and coffee. We had banana pancakes and iced coffee. For both of us to eat it cost around $4 and was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!

Then we walked around and just saw the different vendors and items. There's so much there it's still overwhelming but it was nice being with someone who had a grasp of everything there. It wasn't as crowded as it was last time I was there because it was a holiday weekend and some places were closed or people traveled.

I found a Thai version of Captain Jack Sparrow! He looked just like Johnny Depp. I actually ended up seeing him last night on Khaosan Road too. So awesome. He asked me about my piercing and asked if someone had stabbed me there. haha.

Now, there is a JJ mall where it's nice and air conditioned and has lots of shops also. I saw a vendor selling oysters and for some reason those oysters were completely calling my name. For the record, I HATE oysters. They're slimy like boogers. I waited for her to warm them up a little bit and she added all these spices and things to them.

Once I tried them, I was in love. They were so good and so spicy!!!! I ate every single one and loved it.

It looks like I'm about to go explore Bangkok by myself for the first time which is exciting and scary all at the same time. I need to get lost a few times on my own to get used to the area. I may even head to the tattoo shop and get my tattoo today! :) Wish me luck. I'll write again soon and update about my adventures on Khaosan Road last night.

Thai Moments

Well, I'm officially on my fourth day here in Bangkok. It's going by so quickly and I'm doing SO much! I do have days where I'm much more homesick than others and cry but some days are easier, especially when I stay busy.

Friday was the hardest day so far. I moved into my apartment in the rain...which wasn't fun. It is the end of rainy season though so it's expected. My apartment reminds me of a dorm. Simple, plain and kind of old fashioned. It's a great price though and not too far from the BTS (the skytrain). I just take a taxi from the skytrain and it is pretty cheap. Once I got here, I unpacked a couple of things and talked to my friend from Louisiana and we met up around Soi Arri. She needed to go to the IT mall so I got to experience what it'd be like to get something for my computer if I'd ever need it. That mall is crazy. There are literally electronics from wall to wall for several floors.

Then we went to get a Thai massage! My first one! It was only 100 Baht for 1 hour, that's about 3 US Dollars!!!! So cheap. I had seen video of Thai massage so I knew it was much different than a traditional massage. They do a lot of bending and stretching and they use their whole body to massage you. They brought us into a room with 5 flat mats and have you change out of your clothes into these weird scrub clothes (they pull the curtains closed so the other people getting massaged don't see you), then they come back and start massaging. They do move the curtains so it's one room and you can see everyone getting their massages. Some parts were painful but over all, it was amazing. My muscles felt great after! Then we walked back downstairs and they give you green tea.

After that we decided to have a couple of beers and appetizers at one of the many prostitute alleys. It's so funny to watch these old farang men in these areas. It's actually quite gross, in my opinion but to each their own. I had a couple of Singhas (pronounced Sing) and ordered some spring rolls. It was funny because the restaurant we were at doesn't even make their own food. She had to bring our order to a restaurant a few feet down and they delivered it when it was cooked. The spring rolls were unlike any other I'd had before, they had these clear noodles and shrimp inside them. It was served with this honey sauce that was soooo delicious!!! Sara told me that is usually served with fried chicken here. YUM!

After gawking at the older farang men, we went to Big C which is the Thai version of Wal-Mart. I'm so clumsy I wiped out in front of the store and wound up with a swollen knee that is all scabbed over now and quite gross looking. It was my first battle wound. I bought a fan and a pillow at Big C for my apartment. The pillows here are crazy, they are sooo thick. Needless to say I woke up with a bad neckache. After Big C, I was pretty exhausted from jet lag and drinking beer at 4 in the afternoon so I went home and unpacked a little. This is when my frustration hit. I started to try and put my sheets on my bed which are MUCH too small! It was annoying and made me miss my bed at home. I got really homesick and frustrated.

The next morning was easier, I woke up and unpacked a little more and then my mentor friend came over around 11:30 for us to go to Siam Paragon and meet her adorable Thai friend for lunch. It was funny because she mainly only eats Thai food and my friend usually only eats western food so we had an interesting time finding out where to eat, especially since the malls were crazy with people because it was a holiday weekend. We ended up eating at Greyhoud Cafe which I'm now obsessed with. It had a nice mixture of food. (Greyhound Cafe isn't actually in Siam Paragon, but in Siam Center)

I had beef lasagna with Italian Sausage. It was delicious. I'd been craving cheese because we are constantly talking about how cheese is expensive and pretty much nonexistent here, so it really hit the spot. We also had bruschetta as an appetizer which was also delicious. Appetizers don't come before the meal though which was interesting. I got my food first and they insisted I start even though no one else had their food, very different than American restaurants. The Thai couple that was with us (super nice and I really enjoyed meeting them) ordered a Thai appetizer that I really liked also. It was a square noodle that you fill with pork and lettuce and spices if you want (I stay away from the spices though). It was so good! Difficult to eat, especially since Thais are very delicate with their food. I ordered a beer with lunch and the guy with us said that I should try one that I hadn't tried before, it was Phuket beer. DELICIOUS!! It was the first light beer I'd had since coming here and it was so good, and of course a product of Thailand.

After lunch, the girls went for a walk around the Siam area at all the markets and shops and everything. I found the most adorable skirt! I love clothes here in Bangkok! :)

One area was full of people. They had a guy singing that was from the Thai version of American Idol. It was great! There were bean bag chairs everywhere for people to sit in in front of the stage too. Nothing like you'd ever see in America!

Then we walked around to the MBK area and I got to see my first spirit house. It was beautiful. They are in front of Thai buildings. Thais believe that theses spirits are in all the buildings so they give offerings to the spirits this way.

Then we walked to see the areas that had been burned during the protests earlier this summer. I really wanted to see Central World because that got a lot of damage but there were other places in that area that were destroyed also. One was a really old theater that they had around that same area here in Bangkok. It's so sad because people who lost money in this were people without a lot of money that really needed their income. The first photo below is what they are doing to rebuild Central World now and the second one is the area around the theater that was also badly burnt.

This next one is the front of Central World. It is difficult to see how badly damaged it was but apparently this was a pretty great mall. A mixture of different kinds of shops and people. There's a sign outside that says this great landmark will return to Bangkok, pretty sad.

After seeing all of these, we went into another mall and looked around. Then it was time to eat again! I'd been craving pizza so we went to The Pizza Company which I was warned wouldn't taste like Western pizza but I really couldn't tell a difference. It was delicious!!! I don't mind the cheese here at all..especially since I love cheese! Then we went to the supermarket because by this time we had been out for around 9 hours and the supermarket would be closing soon. I needed some things for my apartment like milk, cereal, etc. I found Cocoa Frosties that weren't too expensive for imported cereal and had them for breakfast today. Quite good. I didn't realize how much I take for granted having a car and being able to push the buggy out to my car and leave. It's much more difficult here. I had to carry my half gallon milk and two huge bottles of water all the way to the apartment which was a pain. We had to get on the BTS with all of this as well as get into a taxi. Finally arriving at my apartment was amazing! I was so glad we made it. I slept so well last night too after all the walking.

More adventures in store today! :)

Bangkok: Expect the Unexpected

I've been so busy it's been difficult to write any blogs. This one will be quite long to update on everything that has happened! I had my very successful going away party the week before I left and got to say goodbye to some amazing friends who I will miss dearly. I had a great time and was honored with how many people showed up! I had a good weekend before leaving which included the pandas at the Atlanta Zoo (gosh they are so adorable!), the Braves (even though they lost I got to see Chipper and the rest of my team before leaving the country), and the lake! I'll miss the Nashville lakes a lot! The water here in Bangkok is scary - no telling what is in there :).

I got an email from the school I'm attending about 4 days before leaving and they told me they cancelled my class. After a mild freak out, everything worked out and I start that same school here on September 6, which means I'm on vacation until then! I plan on taking the time to figure out my way around Bangkok and get lost a few more times. As my dad keeps telling me, as far as Bangkok is concerned - expect the unexpected! So true.

I was able to fit everything into my 3 suitcases and my 2 big carry ons on Tuesday morning the 10th when I left Nashville. I had some tearful goodbyes and it was really hard telling my mom bye and knowing I wouldn't see her for a while. My parents are so supportive and so far Skype has really helped me feel a little less homesick.

I boarded my first plane from BNA in Nashville and was flying standby, so the fact that I got on the LAST seat was quite amazing. Then after a few hours we arrived in Salt Lake City then went on to Seattle. I really recommend flying from that area because the flight to Tokyo was only a little over 9 hours. I also got to fly first class which was pretty amazing. As soon as I boarded the plane I was welcomed with champagne. No complaints here! The food and wine are also much better up there! Then when I arrived in Tokyo we were shuffled around quite a bit and had a 3 hour delay! I finally arrived in Bangkok around 3 AM and was welcomed by my first friend. It was so kind of her to wait until I got there and to still pick me up at 3 AM! Very sweet. It was also nice seeing her fleur de lis on her UL shirt! I love people from Louisiana!!!! :)

It was interesting trying to get all of my baggage to the car. We took an uphill moving escalator type thing - minus the stairs and with a couple hundred pounds of luggage this was hilarious. The luggage was so heavy that we all had to hold on to it as we went up the flat escalator to keep it from rolling back and taking us down with it! So funny!

Her and her nice Scottish friend drove me to my hotel and I got all checked in. I love this hotel! It is very funky and artistic, and for the most part quiet.

This is in my room. It's a tree painted on the wall where everyone who has stayed here leaves Post-it notes. So cool!!!

I didn't sleep much but was able to Skype my parents and say hello. I then slept for only a couple of hours.

Breakfast the next morning was DELISH!! I had scrambled eggs (not very Thai, right?), fresh fruit (the fruit tastes so much better in Thailand), and some delicious juice and coffee. Then I went out for a walk to the BTS to meet a writer. She writes several great articles on Thailand and has been a mentor to me even before I got here (she writes on Associated Content, Cassandra James. If you're interested in learning about TEFL in Bangkok - read her stuff! Very informative and honest!). She took me to my apartment building to pick out a room and even told me which side of the building was better. She was great! She took me to the supermarket here, showed me around a lot and took me to lunch. I had a great time. We also had some delicious coffee. She made me feel so much better about being here and assured me the homesickness wouldn't last long. After all, she hasn't returned the US in 4 years!

It was a Thai holiday here yesterday. It was mother's day which is the Queen's birthday. The Royal Family is VERY important in Thai culture and you could see evidence of this everywhere yesterday. In the mall there were stalls set up everywhere selling items with the royal insignia which people here just love to buy! There was a giant, very old picture of the King and Queen inside the Central Ladprao mall which was amazing to look at. Around Victory Monument, they strung lights to honor the Queen also and it was GORGEOUS at night!

Then I met my Louisiana friend at her apartment. This is where I met another guy from Louisiana. He actually went to a rival high school which was funny. He has a sweet Thai girlfriend who was trying to help me practice some Thai phrases. We all 4 took a taxi to dinner and shared LOTS of Thai food and a giant thing of Chang beer.

My favorite food at dinner? Yum Bpah Dook Foo...it was a fluffy catfish that was fried with a mango salad type thing on top. DELICIOUS!!! I tried not to let the catfish head staring at me affect the taste of the food haha, and it definitely didn't! The jet lag started to catch up with me at this point so I took a taxi back to my hotel for some much needed sleep.

Now it is 7 am here in Bangkok and I am wide awake and have been since about 5. I check out of my hotel here in a few hours and then move into my apartment! I think a trip to a market to get some local decor will be needed to make it feel a little like home. Wish me luck!

This morning, August 13, a rainy Bangkok morning!

Goodbyes and Parties

I can't believe one week from today I will have been on a plane for several hours heading to Bangkok. Time flew by! Can someone actually slow these last 7 days down so I can take it all in and say goodbye to everyone that I can?

My going away party is tonight. I'm hoping to see some good friends, new and old. I'm going to miss everyone so much! I've made some really great friends since moving to Nashville last December and they will truly be missed. I see lots of skyping in my future!

I feel like I have so much to do in these 7 days, and so much to enjoy. I'm hoping to even make it to a Braves game this weekend to spend time with college friends and see my favorite baseball player in his possible last season. It's hard to believe I won't be around next summer to enjoy American baseball, but perhaps I will find a Thai alternative?

Next time I write, I'm sure I'll be even more frazzled than I am right now, so it should be interesting. Wish me luck!