THAILAND!!

We've been in Thailand for about a week and a half  - and  so far all three of us quite like it. We spent the first three nights in Bangkok, staying with a warm-hearted Indian family, which made the cultural transition much smoothier. Our host, Ram, was exceptionally kind in ferrying us (sometimes literally on the muddy river that flows through Bangkok) from temple to temple.

The temples here really are extraordinary.

I don't think that anyone who has traveled to India would find Bangkok dirty or off-putting. It is however unplanned and for the most part it looks like a second world country; but parts of it, such as the banking district, are like any other major modern city - plush and polished.  


Where we are living is about a 4-hour drive north east of Bangkok in a medium sized town, Pak Thong Chai, which is itself about 35 minutes from the second largest city in Thailand, Korat. The side streets of our little town look a bit like India, with dark, un-airconditioned shops selling dusty bagged potato chips and an inexhaustible array of plastic odds and ends. The streets are hot - it appears no one had the foresight to leave any tress - but they're very clean, albeit studded with stray dogs. Many businesses and local residents have potted orchids and other such plants on their stoops.  


Our home is quite lovely, and about a 3 minute walk to the International Buddhist College (IBC), whose gate is pictured below. 

While the campus is indeed modest, it is shaded by tall trees, has a couple of vegetable gardens, a few class rooms, library, dorms and whatnot. Apparently they are preparing for some new construction. The Korat campus, as this is known, is a satellite to the main campus in Southern Thailand, although one day Korat will be the main campus. The next couple of weeks are reserved for registration and orientation - classes start July 9. But ... back to our house. 


It is fairly large, with a spacious and airy living room, three bedrooms and two baths. The inside is definitely in need of a fresh coat of paint, but the shiny tile floor (patterned and colored to look like hard wood) somehow almost makes up for it. Genla's bedroom has its own bath; the other bath connects to our bedroom and the hallway. The bathrooms are - much to my dismay - "India" style, which means that there is no designated shower area. There's hot water (!) and a shower head, but no curtain or the like, so the whole bathroom floor gets wet when you shower. In fact, you can actually shower while sitting on the toilet if you choose!

There is a new and quiet AC in our room, but not in Genla's - although he doesn't mind. Actually, he doesn't even use his fan during the day, which although hot, is not oppressive. Our kitchen is fairly bare-bones and we've spent a good amount of time outfitting it with gas burners, steel pots, a new cabinet, etc. We basically didn't use much of what IBC thoughtfully provided for us (aluminum pots, an electric hot plate, etc). We are, however, still using the typically Asian mugs with Bugs Bunnies on them for the time being!

The food is great, and not *too* spicy.  Each day, there's a morning and evening market. The morning market has all sorts of things; the evening market has just foods. You can buy freshly cooked street food,  home-made curry sauces or fresh veggies and fruits. The fruits are amazing. The veggies are not as flavorful as ours. The spices are - as of yet - still mostly a mystery to us.  The best part for me is that a fresh young coconut is about 30 cents (compared to a dollar in Bangkok). I'm already on very friendly terms with the coconut man!

I suppose that's all for now. Pictures of the house and college to come. . .