Finding our own way

Theres something about the security that you have when being in a group when exploring an unknown place. There is something about sharing a meal with people and laughing at their face when it doesn't taste quite right. There is something in the new connections that you make as you experience crazy things with people that you have never met on your own.

As mentioned in previous posts, the trip was comprised primarily of group outings to temples, elephant camps, gem markets, etc. These trips were fun, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I made friends who I am still in contact with, I laughed harder than I should've about stupid stuff, and I did crazy things I never would've imagined doing.

With all of that said, one of the best days that I had, I spent wth just my mom. We took a day for ourselves, as the rest of the group went to 'The Temple of the Emerald Buddha' my mom and I ventured out on our own with a map and a driver that spoke broken English. As my mom and I go out into a city of 6.35 million people with no Thai vocabulary we are relying on strictly our vague directions given by the tour guide. Somehow, we made it safely to the launching point on the river that we would spend the next two hours snaking through the inner canals of. While our adventure wasn't crazy, in fact it was merely tooling around the city. I have never smiled more, I have never laughed more, and I have never been more glad to get onto dry land. Even though it was just me and my mom doing a fairly chill activity, I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

Going somewhere on your own, figuring something out for yourself, and learning how to live outside of the box makes an experience quite different. While it may not be as fun as a large group doing crazy things, some experiences are heightened and you end up having more fun!

The Sanctuary of Truth

For the most part, I have used this blog to share funny, or bad experiences, this post will make an exception. I have unfortunately conveyed a theme of distaste for the trip and a lot of activities that made the trip. Tonight I will stray from that and talk about when my mind was blown and I saw one of the most amazing things of my life.

I have never been to one of the seven wonders of the world, despite the burning desire that I have to go to one, literally just one, thats all I need. With that said, on my last day in Thailand, I visited one of the most amazing structures I have ever seen, and in my opinion it should be an amendment to the list of wonders. Sitting on the crystal blue waters of Pattaya Thailand sat a meticulously and ornately carved teak wood temple. The structure is known as the Sanctuary of Truth.

There was something awe inspiring about its size, its setting, and just the beauty of the structure itself in regards to the craftsmanship. According to the official website and the plaques that surrounded the grounds, the purpose of the temple was to use art and culture as "a reflection of the Ancient Vision of Earth, Ancient Knowledge, Easter Philosophy. Within the complex, visitors will understand Ancient Life, Human Responsibility, Basic Thought, Cycle of Living, Life Relations with Universe and Common Goal of Life towards Utopia". These ideas are beautifully displayed in the numerous carvings that make up depictions of the figures from Buddhist and Hindu religions and mythologies.

Not one thing made it beautiful, it was the combination that made your heart skip a beat, or words dissipate from your brain. The message, the scenery, the people, the sheer size. Its just amazing, I would make that 20 hour flight just to go back. If you have the chance to ever visit, do not think twice!


Below are picture that I took during our visit!

Rice Barge from hell

Conjuring the memories from this event are hard as most of them have been suppressed hoping that they would never return. Yet, here I am writing, blanking on potential topics other than the lovely rice barge from hell.

The trip that my mom an I went on was partially with a guided tour. In the mornings we would go out in the group - leaving the evenings for us to do as we please. However, if you were a tourist who preferred to be in a group the majority of your trip, you could tack on extra excursions. The only problem was that when you were picking the excursions, they had written the activity headers in an enthralling manner. The headers were succeeded by vague descriptions, yet still appealing. Thus, explaining how we ended up on a ship with no way to turn back.

For the most part my mom planned the excursions, one of the few that we added was this "Traditional Thai dinner on a rice barge". My mom quickly ran the activity by me, "fun" I replied, despite the wary feelings about it. That was the end of it until the day of. The morning of, our two trip groups split again, and we boarded the bus in which we stuck close to our friends. We soon realized that in our half of the whole tour group, we were the only ones going for the dinner. Discussion to skip came up multiple times, but my mom and I decided why not, when will we ever be back? We met the group who was going on the dinner cruise, and like we assumed, we knew no one. That's fine other than the fact that it was family style dining and the only entertainment of the night was 3 hours of sober karaoke.

Upon seating, we were served a poor, mediocre at best meal, which I muscled through. 30 minutes later the servers got the brilliant idea to crank the mid-2000's pop songs that wear themselves out after approximately two minutes. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate karaoke, but after the 3rd YMCA, I'm done. Add to that no alcohol (only assuming that helps), and no friends, and you will be guaranteed a hell of a night. 

Famous Feelings

I was warned before final trip plans were made that I would be an entity upon arrival, and my mom even more so. I had the perfect assets for a family photo op, proven by our trip to the great wall and two hour detour to the Beijing olympic park.

Being blonde, fair- skinned, and comparatively tall, I was the root of much gawking and discussion. Little girls would follow me around and mime cameras to indicate that they wanted a picture, teenage boys would use their broken English to ask politely, and adults would just grab me, dragging me into the frame of their cameras. Aside from pictures, older men would ask me to marry them on a regular basis, their love for me was professed, and groups swarmed around me. I had an uneasy feeling at first, but eventually got caught up in the so called "fame". My mom would have to remind me that we had places to be and that I couldn't take a picture with everyone.

In the beginning, this experience didn't have much of a context- it was merely a funny phenomenon that would be the root of jokes between the other blondes on the trip, but on the flight home it became more. Just as people targeted me for pictures, I found myself migrating to a retired NBA player (Carlos Boozer: Bulls, Lakers, Jazz, Cavs) and asking timidly for a picture. I had no idea who he was, but his designer luggage, enormous stature, traveling assistant, and first class tickets tipped me off to ask for the picture. I had no idea who he was, but the rarity of his appearance was captivating, seemingly the same as my appearance to the people requesting pictures.

It was interesting to be on both sides of it. To be a commodity one day and then to seek out the commodity was crazy. It reminded me that fame is an everyday thing, a celebrity, whether athlete or singer, is a person too - an idea that I think we often lose sight of.

Recently, there has been a rise in the fish pedicure industry. However, according to Wikipedia, "The practice is banned in several of the states in the United States and Canadian provinces as cosmetology regulators believe the practice is unsanitary, with the Wall Street Journal saying that "cosmetology regulations generally mandate that tools need to be discarded or sanitized after each use. But epidermis-eating fish are too expensive to throw away". Thai safety regulations seem to be a bit more lax because these stands are everywhere, some more to regulation than others... 

It was our last day in Thailand before flying to Beijing China and I had the bright idea to try one. A quick cab ride later, we would end up in an alley at an outdoor fish spa. Appealing right? Lines of tanks were accompanied by seats that made up the numbered stations, one person per station. Behind the tanks sat racks of crocs and bikinis, imagine any tourist shop on the beach. It was a lot to take in, and not a very appealing environment, but the $1 charge and free wifi counted for something. 

The actual experience will be something that I never forget. Upon my entrance, I felt a slimy coating under my feet, red flag number one... I glance over at the tank next to me and see a dead fish floating in the corner, there goes red flag number two. A fish swims between my toes, red flag three. I’m done! As my mom and our travel friends enjoyed their pedicures, I filled my time reading the list of poorly translated health benefits, one of which being "skin smooth".

If you ever find yourself in Pattaya Thailand, the Vegas of Asia - I would not recommend this. For health safety reasons, and just overall sensation.

My Place in Thai Consumer Culture

Thai night markets, the cultivation of all of my favorite things: "designer goods", low prices, and arguing! The basis of Thai economy is the tourism industry, thus, everywhere you look there are people strategically placed waiting for you to be sucked into the wonderful deals. During the day they spread out along the streets, more concentrated as you approach major temples, monuments, or malls. During the night, they come together to turn an alley into a wonderland for every teenage girl (me) looking for a pair of Yeezy's, Cartier bracelet, maybe even some Ray Bans. 

The market for fake designer goods is high- especially for people like me who feed off the accessibility to such products at "low prices". One problem stood in my way, bartering. I had read articles on the do's and dont's but very little can prepare you for the adrenaline rush as you argue through the language barrier. Adrenaline? YES! Nothing gets your heart pumping like passing back and forth a calculator as you threaten to walk away with each new price that they throw at you.

The second night after landing in Thailand, I set my sights high on a pair of Ray Bans. I go into the interaction knowing my limit $5 USD, approximately 174 Thai Baht.  I flag down the woman in charge of the stand and show her my dream pair of glasses, a nice round turtle shell and gold frame, she begins to ponder. Seconds later she is typing the number that would determine my next move into her well worn calculator. 1200 Baht, $34, my heart sank. I immediately turn around and begin walking the other direction, magically the price plummeted to 400 Baht. I whipped around and aggressively typed 70 Baht into her calculator, I was met fervently with a sign of disgust - something that would persist through the entire trip. The exchange continued until I was the proud owner of a pair of Ray Bans breaking the bank at $4.69. I felt on top of the world as I scanned the other products surrounding me and tried to get them for the same deal, but to no avail...

I would go on to improve my tactics, and make a lot of Thai merchants very offended in the midst.

"Why would you want to go to Thailand?", people said shocked when they found out my summer travel plans. I can easily tell you why not, maybe the 30-hour travel time, the fact that I know absolutely no Thai, and I have no idea who or if there will be the promised person waiting in the welcome area of the Bangkok airport. However, I can also tell you why you would want to go to Thailand, you get to go to Thailand.

As the trip quickly approached, I was left shocked myself. Traveling in my family is often for relaxation, merely a get away from our normal lives, Thailand though seemed different. While many would argue the tropical nature of the country would be relaxing, I was worried for a different outcome. We would be completely out of our comfort zone the entire time, to the point of being taxed. Thus, when I walked into the O'Hare airport, I reminded myself that this was to be a wild adventure. Rather my mom and I would be traveling for the crazy memories, the one time experiences, but to be very honest- the food and $16 two hour massages.

I hope to share some of the wild experiences, embarrassing events, and things that we stumbled across.