Why didn't I teach in Chiang Mai?

Reasons I love Chiang Mai, Thailand:
-It's significantly less sticky than Bangkok
-They actually have a cool season
-The city is easy to navigate and drive
-It closely borders 3 countries: Laos, Burma and China
-The people are totally laid-back

Tiger Kingdom

At Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I got to play with tigers of all sizes for 1,400 baht (about $45). They raise all of their tigers in captivity, so there were even 3 newborn tigers. The facility was kept-up, the staff spoke English- fabulous experience. It was the best day of my life. Here are some of my favorite shots from the day.

  

Khao Yai

This weekend I visited Thailand's second biggest park, Khao Yai. Here are the highlights...



On the way in we were harassed by monkeys who stood outside our taxi begging for food. I think tourists feed the monkeys and their families.


On the way out of the park, we stopped by a pork roast on the side of the road. Two things about this incident: 1) Notice the stuffed gorilla pretending he's roasting the pork 2) I ate my first piglet that day. It was actually pretty good.

Strange Reminder

I've been working on another blog to introduce other foreigners, specifically the next round of Baylor teachers, to Bangkok. I've been consciously walking through the city taking note of anything that used to be "foreign" to me... like these...



Screw napkins, give me a roll of toilet paper! Most street vendors and cheap restaurants in Bangkok offer toilet paper to wipe your mouth (or sweat, I mean, it's Bangkok).



Don't worry. Just because there are crazy wires hanging everywhere doesn't mean you'll get electrocuted. Oh no... it's rainy season.



And now... to the squatter potty. Talk about awkward.

Looming on the Loom

I passed by a store for... looming... the other day. So I, randomly as usual, walked into the store to ask if they had lessons, specifically lessons in English.

They did. So I scheduled a lesson for a couple days later.

What is a loom, you ask? Let me transport you back to 1891 before the Industrial Revolution. (I know you're thinking and why did you do this? I don't really know either.)



The one-on-one lesson was awesome. The lady was an absolute sweetheart. She showed me how to use the pedals and strings to operate the loom. Seriously, it was quite the sight.



I showed up and for the next 2+ hours, I learned how to weave silk into this beautiful masterpiece below...

JJ Weekend Market... Where Everything Goes

JJ Market, or Chatuchak Market, is Bangkok's famous outside weekend market. This market is so massive that it covers 35 acres and has, literally, everything you could ever want: bags, souvenirs, trendy clothes, exotic pets, furniture, art, cutlery, ninja stars (c'mon, like you don't want ninja stars......). You name it- It's there.



It's about 30 minutes away, located at the Mo Chit BTS stop. So if you're going to travel that far, you really have to make a day of it. I know there has to be a map of Chatuchak somewhere out there in the universe, and every time I go I wish I had one. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten lost.

"Outside? Outside? How do I get to the outside?"
...As they laugh at another lost tourist.
"I speak nit-noi Thai. Leo qua or leo sigh?"
...As they laugh even more.

So here are some of the amazing things Chatuchak brings to my life...


At the same stall, you can buy cowboy boots, country flags and hanging sculpted plumber butts.



And here you get some steals on fake fruit. See that- 3 for 100 baht!!!

Social Networking At A Social Place

Bangkok never ceases to amaze me- it's about as ridiculous as you can get.

Take this for example-

A group of us went out to RCA (big complex of clubs) to a club called Route 66. On the way to the bathroom, we passed a bunch of computers logged onto facebook and hi5 (the Thai version of facebook).



So here you are, surrounded by a bunch of friends dancing to great music... and hold up! You've gotta go check to see if you have any updates!!!!

But seriously, I can only imagine the kind of late-night drunk posts from here...