Koh Chang

Alexis and I had a 4 day weekend so we decided to head south again and visit the island of Koh Chang. We had heard it was about a 4-5 hour journey, but as usual Thai time kicked in and our travels took just over 7 hours. It was well worth it though, I think Koh Chang takes the cake on "favorite destination" in Thailand.

We arrived Friday evening and headed straight for the restaurant Magic Garden, recommended by a friend. The food was amazing!!! We split pumpkin curry with tofu and I had a delicious plate of chicken quesadillas. It was delicious and reasonably priced- right away we noticed that Koh Chang wasn't nearly as touristy or over-priced as Phuket. Everyone was very relaxed in Koh Chang and Alexis and I felt very comfortable in the Lonley Beach area- it was a pretty condensed area so it was easy to settle in. Friday night we were tired from traveling, so we wanted to find a mellow bar with live music to sit and chill. We found the perfect spot- 3 doors down from our hostel was an outdoor bar with hammocks to sit in and a live reggae band. You would think a Thai reggae band would sound pretty lousy, but the lead singer had a very good voice and we thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing evening.

Hammock at the Reggae bar! 

Saturday morning we woke up and had a delicious breakfast of porridge and fresh fruit. The mango was to die for, and there very cute Thai children hanging out in the restaurant. After our enjoyable meal, we attempted to rent a motorbike to ride over to Bang Bao pier. Koh Chang is a very mountainous and hilly island, so when I asked the rental man to teach me how to drive the bike, he showed me the breaks the key. I told him I needed a little more advice, because I had never driven a bike before (or a car for that matter, but he didn't have to know that...) and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He started talking very fast in Thai and repeated the word "never" over and over again. Then his wife came out of their shared office and exclaimed "Ah very bad for you- you will die in Koh Chang if you ride a bike. Very dangerous for you!! No hospital nearby - you will die! I will give you money back- very bad for you!" I swear she told me I was going to die about 15 times!! After that, Alexis and I were rather discouraged from our dreams of riding a motorbike, so we chickened out and paid for a song theaw to Bang Bao. They weren't kidding- it was a very hilly ride!!

It was kind of cloudy on Saturday so Alexis and I explored the shops on Bang Bao pier. Then we decided to rent a kayak as our "fun activity of the day." It wasnt really a beach day, so kayaking was the perfect solution. It was so beautiful, with the beaches and the mountains of the island in the distance. We had some issues steering the kayak against the current, and we saw some huge fish jump nearby, but other than that it was a really fun experience. After our kayak adventure, we grabbed lunch on the pier then did some more souvenir shopping. Then we headed back to Lonely Beach, for my first ever Thai massage!! Even though I usually hate when strangers touch me (like pedicures- eek!) this was actually very soothing. After our massage we headed to the beach to eat dinner and watch the sunset. The restaurant had a "beach party" going on with fireshows and British DJs. It wasn't crowded at all so it ended up being another low-key and enjoyable evening.

Kayak adventures

Dinner on the beach ! 

fireshow

Sunday we decided to book an all day boat cruise of 4 small islands off of Koh Chang. Alexis and I were the only english speaking people on our boat (Monday was a Thai holiday so a lot of Thai families were on vacation) and as a result, we were the only people sitting on the sun deck area of the boat. All of the Thai people sat under the covered area, and everyone went swimming in their pants and long sleeves! Their fear of the sun still fascinates me.

The islands we visited were very beautiful. 2 of them were snorkeling stops and 2 of them were beach stops.We saw so many fish snorkeling of all different colors and the beaches were very clean and remote. The lunch they served on the boat was surprisingly delicious and overall it was a very pleasant day. On our trip back to Koh Chang, the clouds rolled in and the island looked absolutely beautiful with the mountains in the fog. Koh Chang is HUGE! I have a prediction that in a few years, it is going to develop into a major tourist trap but I am happy we got to experience the island now, with its natural beauty and chill atmosphere.

ready to snorkel

island stop #1

Island #2

Island #3

Island #4

Sunday night we went back to Lonely Beach to have some drinks on the sand. Literally- the bar had small tables on beach mats where you could literally sit in the sand. There was a cool fireshow at the bar and again we had a very relaxing evening.

Monday morning we woke up and booked our van back to Bangkok. We had until 1 pm to hit the beach, so Alexis and I had another delicious breakfast with mango and oatmeal then headed back to Lonely Beach. We rented floating rafts for the morning and relaxed in the sun for a few hours. Then we got lunch on the beach- I had a delicious chicken bruschetta with Mediterranean veggies - so yummy ! Then we headed back to the hostel (which we were happy to leave. The only negative part of our trip was the bungalow had a serious ant problem!!) and grabbed our backpacks to head back to Bangkok. We expected that traveling would be a little delayed because of the Thai holiday, but we were not expecting to have to sit on the floor of an over crowded Song-theaw just to get to the ferry on time! Between the heat and the hills, it was a very unpleasant 45 minute journey!!!

Once we finally made it to the ferry, we had to wait on the other side (in Trat) for a second Songtheaw to the minivan. We finally started heading for the van when our fellow passengers figured out their bus had been overbooked and they no longer had seats. I felt really bad for them but the song theaw driver kept pulling over and negotiating ticket prices with them for a later bus. We finally had to speak up and say we had to keep moving, because our minivan was waiting!! Well, Thai time was not on our side this time, and the van had waited for us for 5 minutes (the one time a van actually leaves on time!) and we missed our ride. We had to wait another 40 minutes for the next van, and it was going to a different BTS stop than the one we needed. It was all very confusing... but I was relieved when the mini van finally pulled up. After about 10 minutes in the van I realized I was not going to be getting any rest on the 5 hour journey home... we were squished in the back row with a french couple (who were very lovey dovey in such a small space..) and the potholes in the road were making for a VERY bumpy ride. I was in the middle seat so my feet didn't touch the ground- so every little bump sent me flying. We finally got back to Bangkok around 9:15 pm where we then had to take the sky train to Victory Monument and a van back to Salaya. By 10:30 we were home safe and sound at CU apartment !

Despite the long day(s) of traveling, Koh Chang was a very beautiful island and I am SO happy we got to go. It was one of my favorite places because it had natural beauty, cheap activities  and very friendly and relaxed people (both tourists and locals). I would like to go back to Koh Chang sometime in my life and see the rest of the beauty the island has to offer.

Cannot believe this was our last trip in Thailand!! Tomorrow is our last day of teaching and one week from today we leave to meet Skye, Ethan, and Emily in Vietnam. I am so happy we have been able to see so much of Thailand- it is truly an amazing country with absolutely beautiful sights to be seen. The time is flying by and I truly can't believe I will be back on American soil in 6 weeks!! So many mixed emotions are going through my head as I prepare for my last day of teaching and start to prepare for our 5 week trip. This has been a truly incredible experience and I can't believe we are so close to the finish line! What an adventure this has been. I am so excited to see what the rest of Southeast Asia has in store for us :)

Lonely Beach

 Delicious Chicken Bruschetta !

 Relaxing on a floatie!

Thailand Through the Eyes of a Farang

I have been meaning to write this cultural observation post for a while now, but I was trying to capture a photo of a family of 4 on a motorbike before I wrote it. Unfortunately, whenever I see a family cruise by, I am not camera ready so I have no photo evidence, but it is VERY common to see an entire family on one motorbike. Including infants and toddlers. Sometimes they even stand up and hold on to the handle bars in front of where the driver sits. More often than not, the riders are helmet-less which is a terrifying thought because traffic laws are basically non-existent here in good ol' Siam. 

UPDATED 2/26/2013 I cannot believe I forgot three of the biggest cultural observations/differences in Thailand when I first wrote this post! The first thing I have to mention is whitening cream. Thai people have naturally tan skin, but all of the actors/models are insanely PALE WHITE. They think that being white is considered beautiful, and many of their skin care products are "whitening" products, they bleach their skin to look pale! I suppose its similar to Americans wearing bronzer... but every time I purchase body wash or deodorant  I have to examine the label to make sure it isn't a whitening product!! I want to be tan ! When Thai people go to the beach, they cover their entire bodies from the sun and sit in the shade! They are terrified of catching the sun and all wish to be pale and white. Very interesting. Another observation is how socially acceptable being gay is here in Thailand. For a conservative country I was pleased to learn that being gay is very common, and harassment in school is nothing compared to America. I have many male students as young as M.1 (age 12-14) who are openly gay and it isn't made into a big deal at all. Lady boys are another common occurrence in Thailand- when boys dress as girls. Not like drag shows or for spectacle, its just a very common thing for boys to dress and act like girls. They are surprisingly good at doing hair and make up!! The final thing I forget to mention is squatter toilets.... They are bowls in the ground with two elevated areas to step on. It was a big adjustment at first, but I have gotten pretty used to them now. I still prefer western style toilets, some of the squatters can get a bit smelly because they don't flush! You use a scooping pail to add clean water and manually flush down the contents in the bowl. And toilet paper is nonexistent! Everyone carries around little packs of kleenex. The last thing I will mention is that I pretty much forget about the existence of shower curtains. Our shower is freestanding in the bathroom - very different than the tub unit I have back home ! 

Alexis and I ride motorcycle taxis to get  to nearby destinations. We learned how to say bus stop in Thai ... which sounds something like "Nah-more" and then we hop on the back of the bike and cruise to the local van stop. We also ride a motorbike to and from school for .33 cents. Other modes of transportation include tuk-tuks, which are very small vehicles with bench like seats and bizarre decorations. Song-theaws are another popular option for tourists which are like pick up trucks with bench seats facing each other in the bed of the truck. Most of the time you can bargain the price of a ride in a tuk tuk or song-theaw but in tourist destinations they really love ripping us farangs off. (Farang is the Thai word for foreigner or westerner- can't remember if I mentioned that before...) Getting on any type of vehicle is always an adventure in Thailand. The traffic laws are nonexistent and the traffic is SO heavy in Bangkok. Motorbikes weave in an out of traffic to avoid waiting and red lights are commonly ignored. When there is a traffic police officer on duty, he is usually on foot and blowing a whistle. Thai people LOVE blowing whistles and honking horns. Whenever Alexis and I are walking around Salaya, we get beeped at by truck drivers.  Its actually highly agitating and scares me when they come up from behind! Another fun fact about Thailand traffic is they  drive on the left side of the road like in England. I was unaware of this until I got in a van at the airport in Bangkok. 

Another observation I have made during my 5 months here in Thailand is that Thai people will eat ANYTHING you put in front of them. And 90% of the time the food is made with fish, or at least cooked in some type of fish sauce. There is no such thing as breakfast, lunch, and dinner foods. Meat, rice, spicy soup, chicken feet, chicken's blood, fish on a stick- they're all fair game at any hour of the day. I have seen all of these things be consumed by Thai people and I have to say the chicken's feet thing really gets me. Also, one time when our school was serving a staff breakfast, Alexis and I were hoping for some tea or coffee. Instead, we were given a bowl of noodles with shrimp, squid, pork, and chicken. They added broth to the noodles and when I looked in the pot, there were 2 full chickens floating in the hot soup. The broth had a nice flavor but I was a little disturbed by the concept. You have to turn a blind eye to a lot of things here in Thailand. I have eaten around my fair share of ants on my plate and even though I ask for no fish and no shrimp in my meals, I have consumed a few dried shrimps in my pad thai. Even though Thai people love to snack, Alexis and I have concluded that the food here is way more natural than American processed snacks, which is why Thai people are generally so tiny. Alexis and I have discovered a new love for coconut flavored things here, and one of our favorite desserts is dried shredded coconut with natural flavors from Thai flowers. 

Street food is actually very delicious, despite the hesitations Alexis and I had when we first arrived. I have mentioned before that everything here comes in a bag- and when I say everything I mean it. If you order food from a street vendor it will 100% be given to you in an air-tight plastic bag tied off with a small red rubber band. Soups come in bags, salads come in bags, SODA even comes in bags and and you stick the straw right in! One day after school a snack vendor was selling soda in a bag and I had to try it. Something about it tasted extra refreshing, but it was probably all in my head....

Another comment on street food- if it doesn't come in a bag- it comes on a stick. I have eaten many chicken on a stick dinners. They are very delicious but what I do NOT like is when I see someone gnawing on a full fish- bones and all - like its a stick of cotton candy. There is a market not far from our apartment and when Alexis and I go there to buy fruit, we only walk around certain areas. The areas selling fish and meats are what we call the "danger zone." We have seen some pretty frightening things on sale at the market, like the skin of a pig's face and pig's feet. The smells are literally un-describable.  Raw meat in the Thai heat is a terrible combination.  

Ah, the smells of Thailand. Between the seafood, the heat, the street dogs, the curries, and unidentifiable puddles of liquid on the sidewalks, I have smelt some pretty rancid smells. They sell inhalers at 7/11 that are menthol flavored to help with vertigo... but Alexis and I use them to block out the foul smells. We call them sniffy tubes. When I first got here, I swear I thought people were openly snorting drugs on the street, until a woman in our office explained their use to us. 

Animal sightings are a common occurrence here in Thailand. Alexis and I have had more than a few unwelcome guests in our apartment ranging from ants to geckos. We also see chickens on the side of the road in very random locations. Like side of the highway, near the train tracks, and even some walking around school grounds.  The other day, on the way home from the restaurant we eat at everyday for dinner, something to the left caught my eye and there was a HUGE lizard walking down a long driveway. It looked like a komodo dragon and was easily 4 feet long. It was cool to see but then I got nervous and walked home quickly to our apartment. 

Everyone in Thailand goes by their nickname, which they choose at a young age. When I first arrived, all of my students wanted to know what my name was and what my nickname was and they were very confused when I responded with "just Shannon." Some of the nicknames that stuck out to me when reading my student rosters were Jasmine, Max, Ken, Cartoon, Mickey, Potato, Big, First, and Boss. Other common Thai nicknames include Ploy, Tang Mo, and Aum. Many of them I cannot pronounce and the students always laugh at me when I call their names in attendance. 

Thailand has a very conservative culture. Wearing tank tops and short shorts/skirts is not socially acceptable in rural areas of the country. Because Bangkok is a more westernized city, its okay to wear whatever you want, but in Salaya I try to wear maxi skirts and short sleeves when I am out and about. I'm sure there have been times when I am traveling to Bangkok in jean shorts and a tank top that I have stood out, but its so hot here I can't help it ! Being polite is very important in Thailand and Alexis and I make sure to "Wai" (the traditional Thai greeting) each of our co-workers every morning and the few phrases of Thai we know we always end with "kha" - the polite female ending of a phrase in Thai. Thai is a very difficult language and I am mildly amazed at myself that I have lived and worked in this country for 5 months with only the knowledge of "hello, thank-you, bus stop, how much?" and the numbers 1-10. Hand gestures and charades are newly acquired talents I have developed while living in Thailand. 

Disney is all the rage here in Thailand, which I LOVE. You can buy pretty much any item in the world Disney-themed here and I caved and bought an adorable Winnie the pooh phone case. Its strange though because films that are popular in America are not that well known here, but Stitch can be found on anything and everything. Other fads that are way more popular in Thailand than in America include (but are not limited to) Furby, Crocs, platform sandals, Korean Pop Music, scrunchies, Gangnam Style, denim overalls, and angry birds. Also, I think every single one of my female students is obsessed with One Direction and Justin Bieber. 

Okay well I think I have rambled on long enough. I know I have left out a lot of things but I wanted to provide an insight of what it is like to live in Thailand as a farang. This has been a truly fascinating experience and I am so thankful that I was able to have this once in a lifetime opportunity. I truly can't believe Alexis and I only have 3 days of teaching left. Time has gone by SO fast- this trip has been a whirlwind of adventure. And the journey will continue, in less than 2 weeks Alexis and I will be flying to Vietnam to meet up with our friends Skye and Ethan (and Ethan's younger sister Emily! Woop Woop new friends!) where we will be traveling throughout Southeast Asia for 5 weeks. We are traveling from Vietnam to Cambodia, then back to Bangkok for a few days, then flying to BALI for a week and then flying to Singapore for 3 days. Then its back to Bangkok and Salaya for 3 days to pack up our lives and head home. I am SO excited for our travels, we will be seeing so much of the world and an amazing variety of beautiful locations. I can't believe in 7 short weeks I will be boarding a flight back to America, this trip has gone by in the blink of an eye, but I am so thankful for all that I have seen, all that I have learned, and everyone that I have met. I am so sad to say goodbye to my students (more on that later) but I am very much looking forward to our travels. 

Below is a random assortment of funny/cultural photos I have randomly acquired throughout the semester. 

 Random sign on a tuk-tuk or local taxi

 The modes of transportation in Thailand never cease to amaze me

 SODA IN A BAG.

 "Carrotcake" ... same same but different.

 The Furby fad is all the rage

Spotted: random chicken on the side of the road at school.

Thai Valentine's Day !

Valentine's Day has been my favorite holiday to celebrate here in Thailand so far. Mainly because it is the first "western" holiday my students have actively participated in. Alexis and I decided to be festive and wear red and pink to school, and we even passed out home-made valentine's cards with mini M&Ms inside to our co-workers in the office. I wasn't expecting much in return, because it is a western holiday, but I was pleasantly surprised when Eye and Ice, two of the student teachers in our office, placed stickers on my shirt and explained that in Thailand, if you "love" your friends you give them a sticker to wear on their clothes. I was happy with the two stickers I received from them, little did I know they would be lost in a sea of pink hearts within the hour. 

The second I stepped out of my office, students were flying at me with stickers, saying "Teacha Love You!" Students I didn't even teach were sharing their sticker love and I was absolutely loving it. There was a very happy vibe throughout the school. Girls were walking around with roses and HUGE stuffed animals from their boyfriends. (Thai students are not allowed to show any sign of affection in school, so it was strange to see a boy give a girl flowers and stuffed animals, then turn around and walk away. No hugging, no kissing- I don't think they can even hold hands in school. Very different from American teens!) Some students spelled words out on their shirts with all of their stickers and some even jazzed up the rims of their glasses. I was so happy with the simplicity of the stickers, I was almost moved to tears when a small M.1 student came running at me in the hallway and gave me a single red rose. I was so happy I hugged her! Hopefully not violating any school rules of showing affection! I received three more roses throughout the course of the day and each one made my smile bigger and brighter. I only spend 40-50 minutes a week with these students, but they went out of their to think of me on Valentine's Day. It was really sweet. 

For my classes on Valentine's Day I kept it simple- games, games, games. "The Hot Seat" is a crowd pleasing game where I randomly select a student to sit in the "hot seat" (a chair facing the rest of the class) and write an English phrase, movie, or famous person on the board. The class then has to explain to the student in the hot seat what I wrote- in English, without saying the words. 75% of the time they end up yelling everything in Thai, but the students enjoy the game so I let it slide.. In my M.1/3 class the students put me in the hot seat and explained "a beautiful young woman who wears a pink shirt in the winter." I wasn't trying to be arrogant, but I was wearing a pink shirt so I guessed myself- I got it right! I turned around and the students had written a special note to me saying "We will remember you forever :)" SO CUTE! I have one more class with them next week, but it was adorable nonetheless. My other classes enjoyed hangman, a word search, and some failed attempts at the hot seat. Some students even gave me Lindt chocolate truffles !   Overall, Valentine's Day was an extremely memorable holiday that I shared with my students. I can't believe that as of today, February 19th, I only have 3 more days of teaching!! Where did the time go??? I will be sure to write another post about my final reflections on teaching, and I also have some cultural observations to share. This week is final exams week, so we have lots of free time in the office- aka lots of time for blog writing !

 "The Hot Seat" The students put me in the hot seat and gave me a surprise message! 

 My shirt was covered in stickers from Thai students who "loved" me 

Flowers, Cards, and Stickers- a very happy Valentine's Day for teachaaa Shannon :) 

Hope everyone back home had an enjoyable Valentine's Day as well!! Another western holiday has come and gone and I haven't been able to share it with friends and family. It is a bit of an odd feeling, but I will be home in less than 2 months and I am very much looking forward to it! Love and miss you all- SEE YOU SOON! <3