Tuktuks and Turian

Crazy! that's about all I can muster, that and Wow.
Yesterday I left with my host mom, Phet, Ploy, P nu and Dana to go to Thrang to see the Gin Jai festival. It's a special festival for Chinese Thai people where they eat Vegan for 10 days and celebrate.
Okay so I'll jump right to the Crazy stuff. Today we went to see the parade where I was told people would but knifes through their cheeks. Well it wasn't just that it was bicycles, chairs, trees, spears, knives. And these people feel that they are possessed by the spirit of the gods and so they cannot feel the pain. It was horrify. Afterwards they don't even go to the hospital to get the huge holes in their cheeks fixed. the best way I can describe it is to just show you the photos. i think i may be able to write more later but for now here you go.

I'm sitting writing this from my hotel room in Koh Samui. We caught the mid day ferry yesterday. We hung around the hotel, saw the beaches and relaxed. For dinner we went to a brand new health and Spa. First things first they had amazing bread. Whole grain I mean the real stuff it was spectacular. That's one thing that is impossible to find in any stores here all they have is horrible white bread. I had a pumpkin coconut soup that was fantastic. I finished off the meal with spinach ravioli which was okay. By far the best was the bread and pumpkin soup. So Good!! Ahh!!! I didn't get to post this as I had to run off with my friend shortly after. Overall Samui was fun but it was also really awkward. My host family didn't take to my friend Dana who came down to visit and go on the trip with me. In fact by the end of her stay they weren't talking to her and were being very rude and hostile towards her. My host mom even called AFS Bangkok to complain about her. She did this without talking to me or to Dana. Of coarse Dana then got a call from AFS Bangkok telling her all that my host mom said and saying they needed to have a meeting with her. Here it's not good to call AFS Bangkok like that it can cause a lot of problems and it really offended me. I was annoyed by the way my host family treated one of my closest friends and then went behind my back and called AFS possibly getting my friend into trouble. (She even said at one point to AFS that she hoped my friend wouldn't have to go back to the states early) luckily things worked out in the end and everything is okay for Dana. But this made the trip even weirder and not all that fun. Dana and I did get to have amazing massages, time in the pool, and a Mexican dinner all to ourselves and those times were fun. I really enjoyed having one of my friends there and having someone to talk to and figure some things out. Anyway the hotel we stayed at was really nice and had two pools and a bit of beach. Unfortunately it was quite cold the first day (I might even say cold) so Dana and I weren't in the mood to swim. The second day was a bit nicer not as cold but still cloudy. My host family took us out at lunch time to see a bit of the island. They said they were going to take us to see amazing rocks. Amazing Rocks okay sounds interesting. Well when we got there and walked out to the ocean they said there amazing rocks and pointed. I was well speechless. Amazing I'm not quite sure if that's how I would chose to describe a giant penis rock. Dana and I were in awe. It was perfectly okay for my host family to take us to this, but I'm not aloud to where a skirt that doesn't cover my knees or a tank top. Okay not really sure where the disconnect is. Then they called us down and we realized that at least rocks aren't sexist as there was also one for the girls. Don't worry I have photos but that's all I will say about that. Then we went to this waterfall that was quite nice but we didn't spend much time there.Phet wanted lunch which meant he was going to KFC as all that boy eats is fried chicken or noodles. So Dana and I headed back to the hotel where we had hour long massages and then went for a dip in the pool. Dana went back to the hotel room earlier than me and I stayed out and swam. It ended up starting to rain and that made the swimming even better. The pool was huge and very relaxing just what I needed. That night we went off from my host family to go and eat some Mexican food. It was really good and so nice to have something other than Thai food and to not be the only foreigner there. In fact the place is called Gringos Cantina :) The next day we left at 1030 after a delicious breakfast of pancakes and french toast to head to the ferry to go back to Surat Thani. Dana then left on Saturday night to head back up to Bangkok and then on Sunday back to her town way up in the north. Because of the issues with my host family and Dana it was awkward between me and them. I really was offended by the way they handled it and treated my friend. AFS had kept talking to my host mom and to Dana. Then later in the week I got a call from them and I talked things out. It's hard in Thailand because you cannot be direct. You really don't discuss things face to face. At one point my host mom tried to talk to me but it consisted of her just telling me that I would agree with her in the future when I was older and understood more. She couldn't even listen to me. Okay well she would at least she would listen but she wouldn't hear what I was saying. It's hard because she is very confident in herself and very controlling and I don't think she has every experienced someone disagreeing with her, ever.
Since then things have been awkward with her but I'm making an effort to try to get things back to normal. On the cool side though AFS explained to her that she doesn't need to worry so much and that it's okay for me to go out on my own. So today for the first time I went on my own really. I walked to the local coffee place and had coffee with Dana (Pet's teacher not the other AFSer) and now we are sitting at the local internet place where I don't have anyone reading what I write. And she has said that once school starts its okay for me to walk home or to come home with my friends. I'm excited! It's so weird how even little things like that mean so much to me. It's hard to believe just how little freedom I got used to. Very different than things back home. I mean it's actually a big deal for me being aloud out. I never would have thought I would put up with that (I certainly wouldn't back home ;)
Now I have to run of to go to a Dan Beam concert which I just learned is 4 hours long. I'm planning on bringing a lot of Advil and my camera. Ah well it's just another experience to add to the list.
I will write more soon. Sunday I head off to an English camp where I will get to see some of the other AFSers and that should be fun. Photos really soon promise they take so long to upload here :(

Wednesday: I joined my Aunt and Uncle on a trip back up to the Precadet school to pick up my cousin Ake. It was a beautiful day so I got to really see the mountains and lake. And I got to do zip line and kayaking. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. The area was so beautiful it would have been nice to camp there for sometime but I don't know if that is possible. It's so nice to see country after living in cities here.

Thursday: Yay!!! Dana came!! I woke up ridiculously early for no apparent reason since her train wasn't coming in until 9 am. But no worries. I picked her up we headed over to my other aunt's house and dropped off our stuff. We jumped over to Siam Paragon and spent the afternoon and evening there. We ate pizza and saw 2 movies. We saw Death Note which was this really awesome Japanese movie that had both Thai and English subtitles. After that we grabbed some Starbucks and then went to see The Devil Wears Prada.

Friday: We hung around the house in the morning. Then went out to Kao Suan road and Siam Paragon again to eat Japanese food and catch another movie. The food was amazing. It was so nice to have a few days of just western food. We also found the huge supermarket in Siam Paragon and did a little shopping there, which was awesome. We also had the weirdest run in with another AFSer. We were just getting on the escalator and suddenly Dana pulls me back and turns and says “hey Max” Max is a German AFSer who we hung out with at the last camp and who I believe lives in the Northeast. Turns out that he was in Bangkok to visit his host cousin and had just arrived. I don’t know how it is possible that in a city of 10 million in the biggest mall we could just happen to run into another AFSer especially one that doesn’t live in Bangkok. We caught up a little and then he had to go to his cousins house so we split up. Then we headed over to Kao Suan Road to see it at night.

Saturday: We went to Jatujak market in the morning and did some more shopping. Then we headed off to central mall to grab lunch. The place was crazy. It looked like any mall in the States. All the signs were in English only the directions had Thai along with English. We ate pizza hut, had Starbucks and then it was time to meet my aunt. We meet and then ran off to the airport. We left from the new Thai airport which is huge and definitely not close to the city. I'd say at least an hour and a half away. It was however quite beautiful. We didn't get scanned until we reached the departing gate and so movement was fast no lines. It is made mostly of glass and Dana and I spotted some guys up on the glass roof cleaning and fixing things and took some pictures. The flight was short just about 1 hour. We reached my house around 7 and then had dinner. It was a special night of this huge festival that's going on in my town to celebrate the Buddha. And I have to say that this festival is actually festive and is quite fun. We drove and walked around my town until about 10 30. There was a competition for these huge displays showing the life of the Buddha. They were awesome. Most were done in a mix of glow in the dark and black light paints and had waterfalls and parts that moved.
Sunday: We got up to tambon with my family. Then we headed out to see the boat parade (both with the floats and with actual boats on the river) The parade was pretty cool. Each float had people in front of it the first group dancing in costumes and then the second holding signs and the last right before the boat were pulling it along. They believe that if you go and help them pull the boat it is a big tambon and brings you good luck. Unfortunately Dana was pick pocketed at one point. Luckily we discovered she still had here drivers lisence and she was able to cancel her bank card within the hour so all should be okay. It was scary and it sucked but it ended up with the best possible outcome. After doing everything we could for that situation we went out on a boat to see the floats in the river and to see boat racing. It was cool to be able to see my town from the river and it gave me a different look into the set up. After that it was home and napping thank god.

Monday:
Dana and I slept in. I had gotten way too much sun the day before but luckily I woke up feeling better. We hung around the house most of the day trying to organize our stuff and just relax. We went out in the afternoon to see my town and more of the festival. Then we came back home and made an amazing box of macaroni and cheese thanks to my parents.

Tuesday: (today) Getting ready to hopefully head off to Koh Samui tomorrow with my family. And who knows what else.

Pictures to come soon!
Bye

I've been staying at my Uncle house for quite a few days now and well I don't want to leave. He lives smack in the middle of Bangkok close to everything. The main road is about 5 minutes walk and kaow san road maybe 10. There are museums, everything. But best of all he has two sons one in University and one in high school so his house is used to teenagers and since they are boys they give more freedom. If I want to go somewhere all I have to do is ask but otherwise I'm left alone. It's so amazingly nice to be able to read my book, watch tv or go on the internet without someone coming over and saying "what are you doing Pim" "Pim" Pim" in fact most people here use my real name. It's all just so refreshing and is really giving me my much much needed break. Today I'm going off with my other Uncle again to try to do activities at Ake's camp before we bring him back.

Then tomorrow Dana comes and they arranged it so that I'll stay in the Bangkok house with her. Everyone already said that we have all of thursday together for me to show Dana around bangkok with no other obligations. So different than life in Suratthani. And our trip was extended again instead of leaving on friday night we will now fly back to Surat on Saturday one day before the festival begins. Then we have until wed. when we'll go off to Koh Samui!!!

Well yesterday I went with Luong Utt to Samut Sakorn. He made these three assistants take me out and show me around. I felt bad for them but they were really nice. One spoke a little english but had a friend in Bangkok who does tours so we would call her to tell me what we were up to next. We went to a mangrove forest on the Gulf of Thailand where they have 3 species of the walking fish. One was really huge and there were tons of then all over the mud fighting and such. Then we went to another temple and it was covered in bird s*it. I guess it was okay because all the birds have nest inside the temple and I think they think it is good luck because these are the birds they make birds nest soup from which is very expensive. Then I came back and in the evening we went to eat dinner in the local China town. It still doesn't beat the one in San Francisco but it was a lot of fun.

As I said I'm just really enjoying how relaxed and laid back all my family is here. Now they are talking about having me up more often which I would love. It's so nice because even though I'm doing all of this traveling none of it is counting against me for AFS. AFS gives us 2 one week of exchanges where we can go and live in another part of thailand, and 2 weeks of independent travel. Since all of this is with my "host family" it doesn't count same with the trip to Koh Samui. It's so perfect since well after December I still have another 6 months and I want to make sure I can travel.

For now I'm off!

So my trip to Bangkok has turned out to be two weeks in Bangkok! It also was a 3 day trip to a neighboring province of Muak Lek where my father's twin is the sheriff (head of police) I arrived on Sunday after a hour long flight where I saw Koh Samui for the first time and the other neighboring islands. Which only made me want to go more. The water was perfectly blue and the islands covered in lush green trees. Aah Utis is an officer in the Thai air force and so once we where off the plane we took a short cut across the the airport on the military side. Here in Thailand most airports are split in half one for civilian travel and one for the air force. Then we headed into the air force base. We stopped to take photos of me with the first tank we saw which just happened to be commandos (special forces). I gave them roses and took photos which I will try to get up once I'm back in Suratthani. We went to their house put out stuff in and then were off to Jatujak market. It's this huge weekend market in the middle of BKK. After an hour or so there I realized what people said was true. You could spend two days there and still not see everything. Well it was also way too hot so we decided we had had enough and headed off to my other Uncle's house. I meet more cousins and extended family. Lung Utt has two sons P Golf, Gab(15) and a daughter Nong Gip(9). As per usual the family tried to get them all to speak English to me which just made the boys more shy and the girl nervous. That night I went to Kau San Road to have dinner. It's the famous road in Bangkok where all the tourist especially backpackers go. It was strange to be there with my Thai family see all the tourist. It was fun though to see all the things they sell. On t-shirt which I hope to pick up soon that says "same same" on the front and sometimes "but different" on the back.
The next day I spent most of the time sitting around the house while my host cousin Ake pronounced more like Egg played video games. I did get to go to the Air force museum. We walked around and Ake talked about all the planes and such. He knows most of them if not all. I guess though if you live right next to an air force base and your father is an officer and mother works for Thai airways you should. On real cool thing about the museum was they make models of the planes from paper and give lessons. So I tried to make one. I got a lesson along with Ake and P Bop. It was rather interesting and required a lot of patients and care. Tuesday was much of the same until we got a call from Luong Ut and he said okay lets go to Muak Lek today. WE had planned on going to Muak Lek on the weekend with both families but plans changed. We packed our bags and by 1 were off. For this trip it was my Uncle Luong Ut, Ake and P Bop. The trip up was a little over an hour and we stopped in a town to eat delicious noddles with fish. Let just say that before I left I was told that Muak Lek is cowboy country. now I'm not really sure what I expected that to mean as none of the afsers have seen any cows and well one doesn't think cowboys when you think of Thailand at least I didn't. So we went to my Uncle's house in the city and then to his office. Then we drove around the area. It was all truly beautiful. All country with mountains an rolling hills and fields of corn which reminded me a lot of home. Over the three days I saw Conestoga wagons named for states that are also rooms at one cowboy place. Lots of horseshoes, listened to the most awful American country music, rode around in the back of pick up trucks. Went to an ATV place and almost rode horses. We ended up staying at the Muak Lek resort and Spa instead of at my uncle's house per my aunt's request and well I didn't argue that one. It was really a lot of fun. Much more relaxed and laid back than the normal atmosphere of my home in Thailand and a much needed break.
Since then I've gone to the huge mall in Thailand Siam Paragon. I discovered it has an aquarium and I went there for a while. I spent one night in my uncle's house in Bangkok and I'm actually back there again for two nights with his family while my cousin Ake goes to Precadet school. We went to another district Nakron naiuk, I believe I'll check on that one later, to have sea food which was delicious. I went to Wat Prat Gaow and Wat Pho with Gip. I also talked them into letting me go back to Jatujak market for an extended time. Which was so much fun but my wallet isn't too happy about that trip, but I'll justify it by saying in Bangkok I can actually buy clothes that fit and find cute things to bring back home.
Yesterday I went with Ah Chou and Ah Utis to bring Ake to precadet camp. Gip came with us as we were planning to do zip lines, kayaking and parachuting. Once we got there we went to the house of the head of the Precadet school as he is a good friend of Ah Utis. I met his family and then he took us to the camp. Just as we stepped out of the car it started to pour. We waited for 5 or 10 minutes and it didn't let up at all, so we decided to try again another time and instead went to have dinner. We said goodbye to Ake and drove back to Bangkok rather late. Gip and i grabbed our bags and headed to her house back in the city. Today I'm staying at the house where luckily I have Internet and can update you all. I went on a nice walk to see another temple. Oh yes i forgot before we went to eat seafood the other night they took me to two different temples where apparently my host father always goes. Now I'm relaxing while my two host cousins Golf and Gab study and sleep and Gip is at school.
I''m hoping to get a few more walks in around the city today and tomorrow before I head back to Ah Chou's house for the end of the week.
Yesterday a new Prime minister was announced and it looks like even more of the tanks left the city. The city is just a little awkward. There aren't too many tanks around though there are some. There are many many soldiers all over with guns which is strange and weird for me. No one seems to really notice except to take photos and move on. Life here like back in Suratthani seems to be going on as normal.
One really awesome thing that came out of one dinner with Ahh Utis, Ah Chou and Luong Ut was a call to my host mom to convince her that my friend should visit me after our trip to Koh Samui but that she should come with us. Okay so next week is the planned trip to Koh Samui and my friend Dana (AFS not teacher) wanted to come to the south for a week to see another part of the country and we had planned for the week following. Now Dana is coming down from the North to spend two days with me in BKK before heading back with me to Suratthani for 4 days and then on to Koh Samui. We also lucked out because Suratthani is apparently having a festival this weekend and we will be back just in time. So not only have I had an awesome time in Bangkok but I have great plans for the future. I send a big big thanks out to Hilary for answering her phone when i needed to vent about the hours of TV and boxing that I had to endure to also get the good things.
Something I learned during this trip. Some of the most frustrating parts of American culture can be found all over the world. Country music and WWF wrestling were not expected on my part.
Well thats all for now. Pictures to come and I'll try to remember what I forgot to write!