I have spent the past eleven days in Thailand, first in Bangkok for a day then Chiang Rai for two days, two days in Chiang Mai, and Bangkok again for the past six days killing time before heading off to teach English in Korea, soI guess you could say that this is my farewell trip. I arrived in Thailand on 18 May 2006, after spending about two months at home in the US seeing friends and family in Milwaukee,Wisconsin and New York City. I had just finished a year of teaching English to 8th graders in Chiang Mai, Thailand at the Prince Royal's College, a private K-12 school of about 6,000 students. At the end of that year I desperately needed a break, so going home was just what I needed. But after just one month at home, I started to feel very distanced from the life that I had made for myself in Thailand, and after two months I was itching to go back--back to the tropical surroundings, the delicious, tantalizingly spicy food, and the relaxed, easy going lifestyle that I had grown to love.
Being back in Thailand has been challenging, because I have spent the majority of my time in Bangkok which compared to Chiang Mai, has a much more vibrant, energetic feel, being the big metropolis that it is, but it's also a difficult place to be. Doing something that one would consider simple anywhere else is far more draining here because the heat and humidity is so intense that it can zap you of energy within minutes. Couple that with dealing with taxi drivers who don't always speak much English, and you could be standing at the curb hailing down taxi after taxi until one driver understands where it is you want to go and knows how to get there which makes getting from point A to point B a huge hassle. But I really can't complain that much because I have had a wonderful time here in the City of Angels. For instance, last night was spent with two friends--Jeff from Minnesota and Ae from Thailand. Jeff and I splurged on a meal at Outback Steakhouse (both of us were craving Western food). I had a cheeseburger with swiss cheese and bacon and fries, and Jeff had a burger with lettuce, tomato and mustard and fries. After that the three of us saw "X-Men, The Last Stand" at Siam Center shopping Mall, which was a truly awesome film. After that we headed to Silom to see a Cabaret show at the Freeman Disco, featuring ladyboys (Thai transexuals) lip synching and dancing to American pop music. I have also gone bowling with my Thai friend Mauy at Seacon Center. We ate tom yum kung and pad thai at the market near her family's home in Bang Na, a residential area of Bangkok. I spent another day taking the river taxis all over the city, which was a scenic and cool, breezy way to see the city. On that same day I had an orange creme brulee tartlet topped with bittersweet chocolate at the Author's Lounge at the Oriental Hotel during afternoon teatime, a divine experience. I learned that that hotel is 130 years old!
So here I am now , on my last day in Thailand :( I'm excited about moving on, but sad at the fact that I will no longer be living in this country that is so alive with warmth and friendliness. But I have come to realize that as a world traveler, saying goodbye to one country and moving on to the next is just a part of the adventure, and I am thrilled to be blessed with the opportunity to live in many parts of the world--not just as a tourist, but as an educator, a part of the society. Well, I've got ten hours until I leave for the airport, so I think I just might spend some of them in the air-conditioned bliss of one of Bangkok's many shopping malls!!