The Thailand I Read About

This week I moved into a new place, a guest house called Mango House.  It is located inside the old city, which I have never considered before.  Everyone I talked to said to avoid the old city, that it was dirty and I wouldn't like it.  I guess that's a lesson learned, it's always good to investigate for yourself, no matter what people tell you.

The guest house is located on a very nice street called Moonmuang Soi 9.  It it a residential area with trees and plants, houses and animals, and lots of little restaurant-shacks and other businesses like massage parlors, tattoo parlors, hair salons, laundry shops, convenience store-shacks, and a ton of other little random stuff.  I wake up in the morning and go across the street and order an "American" breakfast; eggs, toast, fresh fruit and orange juice.  People walk by on the street who look like they just rolled out of bed, hair sticking up, clothes all rumpled, looking like they desperately need a cup of coffee!  That's what I love about here, there is no pretense, no makeup, people just show up as they are.  This morning I was eating and one of the staff came out, apparently from the shower because her head was still wrapped in a towel, and started taking orders. I call them shacks; they're not exactly shacks but they are certainly not restaurants like we have in the states.  As far as I can tell, there is a house in the back and they put up a shelter, like a carport in the front, with a kitchen and chairs and tables.  When they close, they just pull down a giant metal rolling door and lock it all up.   I have a very nice room here, it is all decorated in blue.  You can see the beautiful painting hanging above the bed in the picture.  The rest of the room is blue as well, and it makes for a very soothing atmosphere when I get home hot and sweaty from the day.  The bathroom is tiny as you can see, that's it.  There is no shower like we have in the states, when I want to take a shower I close the door and use the shower attachment you can see on the wall and the whole bathroom turns into a shower.  Actually I think it's a really smart space saving design and pretty easy to use once you get used to it.

Thai class is going well and I am now able to carry on a basic conversation in a restaurant with limited English.  So that’s fun!  The Thai people are very gracious about my attempts to speak Thai and genuinely seem pleased that I am making an effort.  They are very helpful and often teach me a new word or give me hints when I am not sure. Also, in an unexpected turn of events, I asked the owners of the guest house, who are French, if I could practice my French with them.  I didn't know if they would be keen on helping me, as I have had limited success with other French speaking people.  But to my pleasant surprise, they are gracious and even enthusiastic about helping me with my French!  So around the guest house, we speak mostly French, then I go out and speak Thai in the markets and restaurants, and speak English with my friends.  This is a dream come true for me.  I have always been in awe of people who speak more than one language (and even a little jealous).  I feel like I am finally getting clear on what I want to do with this next season of my life, and becoming a polyglot is definitely at the top of my list. It is exciting, I finally feel like I'm where I want to be and starting to develop into the person I want to become!

Housing, Tai Chi, and Temples

This week has been one of waiting and searching for new roach-free housing.  I really wanted to stay in the area called Nimmanhaemin where the roach condo was but the more I looked, the more expensive it was getting.  Most of the condos and apartments here are as expensive as Sacramento!  I did not come here to pay that much money. So I kept looking. (Picture: This beautifully decorated tree is in a courtyard with restaurants and shops that I recently discovered.  Most people come out at night to hang out because it is so hot during the day.)  While all that was going on, I also started Tai Chi classes at a little studio just inside the old city.  It’s in a really nice neighborhood with lots of little shops and shacks and I thought it would be interesting to move there.  I hadn’t considered the old city yet because until now I wanted a condo with a kitchen so I could cook.  After the condo drama I have changed my criteria.  I have given up on the notion of a kitchen, it’s just so rare here (read: expensive).  I started looking into the guest houses but what I found initially was not inspiring.  So I just sent out a prayer that God or the universe would lead me to something.  I was walking down the street after tai chi one day and a voice called out to me “are you looking for a room?”  I wasn’t thinking about that at the moment so I said “no thank you” and kept walking.  About a block down the street, something was bugging me.  So I walked back.   This is one of my favorite pieces of graffiti I have found. The place was painted bright orange and had a sign that said Mango Guest House.  I told the man “yes, I would like to look at your rooms.”  He took me upstairs and showed me.  The room was painted a beautiful sea blue and had an elephant decal on the wall.  He said I could get a room with air-conditioning if I wanted.  I said yes, absolutely.  I asked him if he had cockroaches.  He is French, and didn’t understand the word.  So I showed him a picture on my phone.  He jumped and said “Non, of course not!  My place is clean!”  I said “good, because I don’t like cockroaches.”  We made a deal that I would move in on Wednesday and give it a try for a month.  So next week I will let you know how that is going!

While that was going on, I have been doing some fun things.  I started my Thai classes this week.  The first day we went over greetings, how are you, what is your name, etc.  The language classes are Mon, Wed, Fri and on Sundays there is a cultural component.  This Sunday they took us on a field trip to a local temple!  It was really cool, they gave us flowers to place on the buddha statue (see above picture), then we went inside the main temple.  At the front you could buy bowls of coins and there was a long table with 100 or more bowls lined up and you walked around in a circle and dropped the coins in the bowls.  I don’t fully understand the history and significance of it, but it was very meditative and I thought about all the bowls representing all the blessings in my life and just thought about being grateful.  Another thing I did was get a blessing from a monk.  Usually women are not allowed to touch monks but in this case, I knelt in front of him on a mat and he sprinkled me with water.  The I held my arm out and he tied a braided string on my wrist.

So things are going pretty well, there have been some mishaps and detours but it’s all part of the adventure!

#Roachfail

To follow up on last week’s newsletter, I had found a couple of roaches in the bathroom and wasn’t sure how that situation was going to unfold.  The next night I found another roach and killed it.  I went back to watching tv.  A couple hours later I went back in the bathroom and there was another one!  I screamed out of surprise and frustration and killed that one.  That night my nerves were shot and I hardly slept at all.  In the morning I walked down the street to the smoothie shop, bought a smoothie and used their restroom.  I know that sounds crazy but I couldn’t go back in that bathroom.  I went back to my condo, booked a hotel for the night, and packed an overnight bag.

At first my plan was just to give myself one night without giant roaches.  It probably sounds like I’m overreacting, and I had a lot of people on Facebook say “what’s the big deal, they're just bugs.”  When I was a kid I had no problems with bugs. I would spend hours in my grandparents’ yard climbing trees and playing in the dirt and looking back I must have been covered with bugs.  When I matured, something happened and I became squeamish around insects and downright terrified of spiders.  I don’t understand it, but there it is.  So for me having roaches scurrying around me is terrifying.  I say this with the full understanding that I am very lucky to have lived in nice places where I did not have roaches and I could afford pest control.  I am fully aware that millions of people in this world don’t have that luxury and have to cope with all sorts of vermin.  So believe me when I say I am deeply grateful for having access to clean housing. Back to the story.  I spent the night in a cute little hotel called Hug Nimman.  I was still really jumpy at every movement and scared to go into the bathroom.  I hit the good ol’ Google search and read up on roaches.  What I read was not good.  Apparently they can get anywhere and everywhere, and when you see one, there are thousands lurking nearby.  I thought they were just in the bathroom, and so far they were, but I didn’t want to take my chances of all my possessions getting infested.  So I decided right then and there to leave the condo.  I went the next day and very carefully packed the rest of my things and brought them over to the hotel and booked three more days.  Fortunately hotels are cheap here, not as cheap as rent and not an expense I had planned for, but do-able.

So now I am in my hotel room trying to figure out my next move.  I am disappointed, I really liked that little condo and I was really getting in my groove of cooking and getting settled there.  I also feel like a bit of a failure for not being able to make it work.  But all my bug phobias aside, roaches are a significant health hazard and it just wouldn’t be safe or smart to stick around.  So I am looking for newly constructed apartments or condos that are hopefully roach free.  Hopefully I’ll have some good news for you next week!

Laundry and Water and Cockroaches, Oh My!

Now that I’m all unpacked and settled in my condo, it’s been quite an adventure figuring out how to get services.  First, I inquired about laundry.  Here in Thailand, most folks don’t have washers and dryers like we do in America.  Instead, people take their clothes to laundromats or full service laundry shops.  There is one at the entrance to my condo, so I asked them how much for laundry.  They quoted me a price (I don’t remember exactly how much) for washing.  I asked “what about drying?”  They said no.  I asked them how I was supposed to dry my clothes and they said I could take them up on the roof and dry them.  I wasn’t about to do that, so I asked my friend who lives here how he gets his laundry done.  He referred me to a husband and wife team that will pick up and drop off.  Perfect!  Then lady is very sweet, her name is Sopa.

The front of my complex Next I needed to sign up for water delivery.  The tap water is not safe to drink here, but getting bottled water every day from 7-11 was turning out to be a hassle, so I inquired.  For 50 baht ($1.50 US) I get 20 one-liter bottles delivered to my door.  And the cool thing is they are re-usable.  When I’m done, they bring me a new crate and they take the old ones, sterilize them, and re-fill them so it cuts down on waste.

The big department store here is called Central, and it is located in a mall called Kad Suen Kaew.  There are other malls that are more Westernized but I like this one because it is a mix of Western and Asian shops.  I have bought a saucepan and frying pan along with some kitchen instruments and things like salt, pepper, and olive oil so I am able to do some cooking in my new kitchen.  I am working on accumulating all the sauces and things I need to try some recipes from the cooking school.  I’m not quite there yet but I have been cooking pasta, eggs and potatoes, and things like that.  It’s nice not to have to use a microwave for everything.   I am learning how to get around, and which transportation to take for what.  For the more common areas, I can take a songtaew, which is a red pickup truck that has been modified with a cover over the back and two benches inside.  Those are by far the cheapest.  I can get from my place to the mall for 20 baht, or about 60 cents. Next up are the tuk tuks, they range from 100 to 200 baht, roughly 3-6 dollars.  They can go places the songtaews can’t, so I generally only use them for more out of the way places.  Then there are the air-conditioned taxis, exactly the same as we have in the U.S.  They are about 200 baht, and I take them when I am hot and tired and just want air conditioning!  I also take them to and from the airport.   One little problem I have not solved is cockroaches in my bathroom.  I am grateful that they are not in the kitchen or bedroom.  However, they keep getting in the bathroom, big ones about 1-2 inches long.  I have cockroach spray which helps.  Tomorrow I am going to ask my guy to look into it for me.  There's only room for one in this condo: me.  On another note, I just purchased a mosquito zapper and tonight I had my first opportunity to use it.  It worked like a charm and the mosquito was incinerated with a satisfying POP!  I think that is going to become a permanent addition to my bag.