LOVING THAILAND

SO MUCH TO TELL... YESTERDAY I DECIDE I WAS GOING TO FIND THE GRAND PALACE WHICH HOUSES THIS EMERALD BUDDHA THAT WAS FOUND IN LIKE 1445 OR SOMETHING, ANYWAYS I DECIDED I WOULD FIND IT ON MY OWN... DIDN'T HAPPEN. CAME BACK TO THE NEW PLACE I'M STAYING WHICH IS ABOUT A BLOCK FROM KOH SAN AND GOT BETTER DIRECTIONS. WALKED ALL THE WAY THERE AND FIND OUT THAT I AM NOT DRESSED CORRECTLY. YOU HAVE TO WEAR PANTS, CLOSED TOED SHOES AND A SHIRT THAT COMES TO YOUR ELBOWS. SO THAT WAS OUT. DECIDED TO JUST WANDER AND I FOUND A SMALL FOOD MARKET AND WAS WALKING AROUND THERE LOOKING AT WHAT LOOKED LIKE BIG ROASTED COCKROACHES AND OTHER THINGS I WAS EVEN SCARED TO LOOK AT UP CLOSE. I WAS WALKING DOWN ONE ROW AND TRIED TO TURN AND THIS LADY WAS LIKE ONE WAY! AND I WAS LIKE OK SO I KEPT GOING IN THE DIRECTION SHE WAS POINTING WHEN I SEE PEOPLE WALKING THE OTHER WAY AND WONDERING WHY I AM EVEN LISTENING TO THIS LADY AND NEXT THING YOU KNOW SHE SAYS AGAIN, ONE WAY FOR THE BOAT RIDE! I DIDN'T WANT A BOAT RIDE SO I JUST TURNED AROUND AND WAS LIKE I DON'T WANT A BOAT RIDE BUT THEY TRY TO TRICK YOU AND I THINK IT'S FUNNY. BUT THEY ARE COMPLETELY HARMLESS AS SOON AS YOU SAY NO AND KEEP WALKING THEY MOVE ON.
I WALKED FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE HOURS UNTIL I REALIZED I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO GET BACK TO THE HOTEL. DECIDED TO TAKE A TUK-TUK RIDE. A TUK-TUK IS A FORM OF A CAB BUT LOOKS LIKE THE FRONT OF A MOTOR BIKE PULLING A COVERED BENCH SEAT. FUNNY. SO I FIND ONE AND ASK HIM TO TAKE ME TO CHINATOWN AND HE GOES WHY DO YOU WANT TO GO TO CHINATOWN AND IM LIKE I DON'T KNOW JUST CAUSE AND HE PULLS OUT HIS MAP AND TELLS ME WHERE HE WANTS TO TAKE ME... ALL THESE TOURIST THINGS BUT WHAT THEY DO IS GIVE YOU A REALLY GOOD PRICE AND THEN STOP OFF AT ALL THESE SHOPS TO TRY TO GET YOU TO BUY STUFF AND THEN THE SHOPS GIVE THEM LIKE FREE GAS CARDS OR MONEY OR SOMETHING.
AT ANY RATE, I SAID NO I JUST WANT TO GO TO CHINATOWN AND HE SAYS 200 BHAT. WHICH IS ABOUT $5. WHICH IS A RIP OFF CAUSE IT'S 200 FROM THE AIRPORT WHICH IS ABOUT AN HOUR AWAY. SO I KEPT WALKING AND FOUND ANOTHER ONE. IT WAS PRETTY FUN OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT THE TRAFFIC HERE IS AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. AND THIS THING WAS VIBRATING LIKE HELL THE WHOLE TIME.
SO I GET TO CHINATOWN AND THEY HAVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LOOKING FRUIT... ALMOST PUT THE PUBLIC MARKET IN SEATTLE TO SHAME. THE SOI (SIDE STREETS) WERE JAM PACKED WITH VENDORS AND PEOPLE SELLING ANYTHING YOU COULD EVER WANT. TOOK ANOTHER TUK TUK HOME AND TOOK AND SHOWER STRAIGHT AWAY. THIS CITY IS PRETTY DIRTY BUT WORTH SPENDING A FEW DAYS TO SEE THE SIGHTS AND GET THE EXPERIENCE.
TODAY WAS A GREAT DAY. SPENT THE MORNING ON KHO SAN RD... LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO BUY BUT REMINDING MYSELF I HAVE TO CARRY THIS STUFF FOR 40 MORE DAYS. NOTHING STRUCK ME BUT A PAIR OF THAI PANTS... THEY ARE LIKE SCRUBS KIND OF BUT WRAP AROUND AND THE BUT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A DIAPER... EVRYONE HERE WEARS THEM. THEY SOUND CUTE HUH? WELL THEY WERE $2.50.
SO I GOT THEM HOME AND COULDN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO TIE THEM, GUESS I WILL HAVE TO ASK SOMEONE.
THEN IN THE AFTERNOON I DECIDED TO PUT ON MY BUDDIST CLOTHING AND HEAD BACK TO THE PALACE. THEY LET ME IN THIS TIME AND IT WAS AMAZING. THIS AREA IS PROBABLY BIGGER THAN ONE CITY BLOCK AND INSIDE WAS AMAZING. I TOOK TONS OF PICS AND WILL TRY TO GET THEM UP BEFORE YOU FORGET THIS STORY. ANYWAYS WHEN YOU WENT IN THE TEMPLE WITH THE EMERALD BUDDHA YOU HAD TO TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF, COULDN'T TAKE ANY PICTURES COULDN'T HAVE YOUR FEET POINTED AT HIM. EVERYONE WAS ON THEIR KNEES AND THE BUDDIST PEOPLE WERE ALL PRAYING. IT WAS SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER FELT BUT I STAYED IN THERE FOR A WHILE TRYING TO REMEMBER EVERYTHING. THIS BUDDHA WASN'T THAT BIG BUT WAS UP MAYBE 50FT ON TOP GOLD COVERED TEARS OF MOSAIC TILES AND GLASS. SURROUNDED BY OTHER BUDDHAS AND FIGURES. WHEN YOU CAME INTO THE COMPLEX YOU COULD BUY LOTUS FLOWERS OR INCENSE AND NOT IN THE TEMPLE BUT ALL AROUND WHERE SMALL ALTERS WHERE PEOPLE WOULD OFFER THESE THINGS AND PRAY TO BUDDHA. IT WAS PRETTY AMAZING. THEN I WENT TO WAT PHO WHICH IS ANOTHER TEMPLE THAT HAS THE LARGEST RECLINING BUDDHA, 43 METERS LONG. WHILE I WAS THERE I GOT MY CHART AND MY PALM READ FOR FUN BY A VERY OLD THAI MAN WHO WAS VERY SWEET. HE SAID SO MANY THINGS THAT ARE TRUE ABOUT ME WHICH I AM SURE YOU ARE ALL SHAKING YOUR HEADS BUT I HAD A GOOD TIME. HE SAID THAT I AM VERY CLEVER, ALWAYS HAPPY AND SMILING, THAT I LIKE MY FREEDOM AND LIKE TO HAVE CONTROL, THAT I SHOULD GO INTO BUSINESS FOR MYSELF BECAUSE I DON'T DO WELL WITH PEOPLE TELLING ME WHAT TO DO. IT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THINGS MY KINDERGATEN TEACHER TOLD MY MOM 23 YEARS AGO, BUT HEY. I ALSO LEARNED THAT YEARS 29-31 WILL BE GOOD LUCK YEARS FOR ME AND THAT 21-28 WERE NOT GOOD YEARS. VERY INTERESTING.
THERE ARE TONS OF MONKS AROUND AS WELL, THEY ALL LOOK SO PEACEFUL AND HAPPY. SHAVED HEADS WITH BRIGHT ORANGE ROBES. ONE SMILED AND CHUCKLED AT ME ON THE STREET TODAY AS I WAS MOUTHING THE WORDS TO THE SONG PLAYING ON MY I-POD.
ON MY WALK HOME I PASSED A PARK WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF LOCALS FLYING KITES AND LITTLE KITES WITH STREAMERS ON STICKS. IT LOOKED SO BEAUTIFUL I WENT AND SAT AND TOOK PICTURES OF THESE LITTLE THAI BOYS RUNNING AROUND WITH THEM, IT WAS A REALLY GREAT DAY.
ON MY WAY HERE TO WRITE THIS ENTRY I PASSED A VENDOR WITH A CART FULL OF COOKED BUGS. LIKE 8 DIFFERENT KINDS, LONG SKINNY WHITE WORMS, CRICKETS AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE. THERE ARE VENDORS ALL OVER THE PLACE THAT JUST PUSH THEIR CARTS AROUND WITH ANYTHING YOU WANT, DRINKS, FRUIT, STIR-FRY, CHOCOLATE BANANA PANCAKES WHICH WAS ONE THING JESS SAID I HAD TO TRY. THEY ARE DELICIOUS. I GOT LIKE 1/2 A PINEAPPLE TODAY FOR 25cents.
PLAN ON REALXING A LITTLE TOMORROW. WANT TO GET A MASSAGE AS THEY ARE ABOUT $5 FOR AN HOUR.
I BOUGHT A BUS TICKET TO KRABI WHICH IS ABOUT 12 HOURS SOUTH OF HERE. IT LEAVES AT 6pm ON MONDAY WHICH WILL BE NICE, I HOPEFULLY WILL JUST SLEEP THE WHOLE TIME. KRABI IS SUPPOSEDLY A ROCK CLIMBERS DREAM AND ALSO HAS DIVING. SUPPOSE TO BE AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL WITH ROCKS AND CLIFFS COMING OUT OF THE WATER. CAN'T WAIT AND IF I GET THE COURAGE I WILL TRY CLIMBING. THAT OCEAN WATER COULDN'T COME TO ME ANY QUICKER.