Last 48 Hours

The last 48 hours have consisted of a picnic on the beach, a late night swim in the pool, sleeping over at the village, encountering a lot of drunk males, a monk ceremony, swimming at the waterfall, and meeting some monkeys.  At the moment I'm friggen exhausted!

After spending the day down by the beach, mostly just eating, we went back to the house and packed for our sleepover at the village.  Before we left though we, excluding Mon and Mama, decided to go for a night time swim to cool off.  Once we were at the village we got served dinner and watched the show.  By show, I mean all the drunk people dancing around.  Unlike the last monk ceremony I went to, this one had payed entertainment.  There was a huge stage and singers, who were actually friends of Sa's from the university.  

It doesn't matter if they have little to no money, when it comes to a ceremony such as this they, Thai people, fork out as much money as possible to boost and show off to other members of the community.  Its a big competition as to who can pull off a bigger and better show.

  

Heres a fact for you:  Did you know Asians have the lowest sense of pride out of all other nationalities.  That fact proved itself to me last night.  I have mentioned before a monk ceremony mainly consists of people getting plastered.  Last night girls would go on stage and dance provocatively, guys were leading woman off to their huts, and I had numerous men hit on me.  I have come to the conclusion I don't handle drunk people well, when I am a foreigner.  I owe Bow and Sa a lot for saving me numerous times.  I think I need to learn the phrase "piss off" in thai, since repeating"I do not understand" and "no I don't want to dance" doesn't seem to get the point across.  

As the night was wrapping up, which was at about twelve, I said to Bow "Isn't it funny that the night before he becomes a monk, which restricts him from touching females, they put a bunch of pretty ladies on a stage."  She laughed at me and said "It doesn't matter to him.  He is gay." 

I don't know if you can get kicked out of being a monk but if you can I have a feeling it will happen to this guy. Or that he will choose to only be a monk for a short period of time.  I have an assumption he did this more for his mom than for himself.  It's considered a huge honour for a family to have their son become a monk.  My impression during the day was that he was just doing this for the attention and show, and that he didn't actually want to be there.  But I could always be wrong.

In total there was two other groups at the temple today.  Already thai music sounds horrible to me but when you get two other bands playing different songs in the mix...  Its just not a good combination. Having more parties join you on this day is good luck for the monks since this means they receive more money.  After the monks have their new attire and have chanted they come out of the temple where people are waiting to give them a contribution in exchange for good luck.  Each person does this for all three monks for triple the luck.   

After hours spent at the temple we went back to the village where we loaded up the vehicle with a bunch of kids from the village and went to the waterfall.  In total there was fourteen of us in the vehicle and I was the one driving.  Ever since I have been back from Taipei Mon has been getting me to drive which I love.  She has recently even been asking me to drive in the city, which was a shock considering she won't let me drive the scooter into town or to the market for my own safety. 

At the waterfall we saw two monkeys.  At first they were situated at the top of a rock but slowly made their way down to the base where everyone was sitting.  I was walking over with my camera as they were coming down the fall and due to my careful concentration trying not to slip when I looked up the monkey was standing right in front of me.  Three more steps and I would have been able to reached out and touch him.  One guy threw them a piece of chicken.  

Later he regretted that decision since they stole the rest of his food.  The brown one stole the chicken while the orange one rushed him and took the plastic bag which contained potato chips right out of his hand.  It was amazing to watch the monkey tear open the bag and scarf down those chips like no tomorrow.  The poor man didn't even stand a fighting chance against those monkeys.

   

    

         

                                        

Happy Birthday Mike

Since you are not here to celebrate your birthday with the family, we celebrated it without you.  We went out and bought you a cake. Unfortunately it looked so good we decided to eat it.  Don't worry you didn't miss out on much though.  It literally tasted like wax. 

Warning: Do not buy cake from K&S in Thailand.  

How to describe today....  

1.  Painful.  Very very painful

2.  Lazy

First thing this morning I had my first thai massage.  I was rather excited about it and was thrilled to have two hours of nice relaxation.  It wasn't until it started that I realized I was actually in for two hours of excruciating pain.  I had my toes and fingers yanked on until they cracked.  I was stretched beyond my normal capacity.  The majority of the time she used her bones to massage mine.  Not going to lie, its not the greatest feeling.  I think the most enjoyable part of the massage was when she stepped on me and massaged my eyeballs.  Haha yup, she actually massaged my eyes.  Don't get me wrong, she is a really good masseuse!  I just had a different perspective about what the massage would be like.  It wasn't until Mon got back home that she told me I could have choosen the kind of massage I wanted.  I was under the impression there was only one kind from previous observation.  Hell, the pain was totally worth it for the experience.        

^This picture perfectly described me during my massage.  I got the exact same one Mon did, and she gets this done regularly.   

Communication

So yesterday Jad and one other worker came to the house to finish up the Buddha room.  Jad more or less just tagged along since all he did was sit outside and watch the kids and I help Mon clean the pool.  He did however played catch with Taiten and I.  While I guess you can't really call it catch since Taiten just threw the ball in the pool to laugh at Jad or I struggling to get it.  I guess I am just going to be spending a lot of time peering over the fence to see him. :P

Today we spent another wonderful day out at the village.  I kept to my word and took a picture of the houses that they are currently building out there.  Today I had fun talking with the villagers.  I have improved my Thai a considerable amount since I have gotten back from Taiwan and am able to somewhat hold a conversation.  I mostly need to be the only one talking since when they talk back to me I have no friggen idea what they are saying.  Some of the villagers are really good and usually just talk in one word sentences or simplified terms.

The greatest feeling for me is to say something in Thai and have people actually understand it.  The other day Bow and I went to go get noodles and I am proud to say I ordered all by myself. :)  I absolutely love talking, which anyone who knows me knows, and feel a great sense of accomplishment when I am able to talk to the locals.  I also got asked by one of the ladies if I would paint her nails next time I was out there.   I delightfully accepted.    

While we were at the market today a lady called me beautiful.  When I turned around and said thank you she at first looked completely shocked that I understood her.  When she finally snapped out of it all she could do was smile and laugh.  During the time that I was at the market I made numerous children run into people, one woman trip, and another walk into a pole.  I'm apparently so beautiful its dangerous.       

 

New News at the Village

Today was yet another busy day in Thailand.  I don't think those of you back home will consider it busy but for here it was.  We all got up at 6:30 and went to the temple to feed the monks.  This happens four times a month when the moon is either half or full.  What Mon does on these mornings is first she chants to Buddha inside, then she chants to Buddha outside.  Then everyone goes to the temple and we lay food out for the monks.  After you lay down the food, you must scoop a spoon full of rice into nine pots.  You must also distribute water into nine canisters.  This is what everyone does. The monks chant before they eat and then do so again after.  This is the rather boring part of the ceremony since it seems to take forever and all you do is keep your hands together in a prayer like position.     

Once they had finally finished chanting I drove the family and I out to the village so that we could go visit Mon's brother.  Mon spent most the day sleeping, the kids played with their friends, and I sat in a hammock and read.  We also spent time playing with Sak and Peelawon's new puppy.  Along with a new dog they built an extension onto their house which looks really good.  

                               

While at the village one of Peelawon's dogs tried to bite Taiten.  Later on while I was walking by the same dog I tried to stay as far away from it as possible.  I seriously think dogs can smell fear since it started to come after me.  Thank goodness Sa was walking by and came to my rescue.  Five o'clock eventually rolled around and it was time to take Bow to Taekwondo.  While Bow had Taekwondo I went to Mew's house where we did english. 

Mon's brother is staying out at the village and is being cared for by Peelawon and Sak.  Mon told me that he isn't able to walk until he gets stronger.  More news out at the village.  They are building three new houses out there which are looking very nice.  I will be sure to take a photo the next time I am out there.     

Buddha's Room

Buddha's room is done!  Well all but a quick paint job.  That means I won't get to see Jad as much.  (He is working on the fence behind the house)  Haha no, that is not just a made up name.  After two days of Bow constantly repeating the sentence "What is your name?" in Thai to me, I finally memorized it.  I even asked to get a picture of him and one of the other workers.  This picture doesn't do him justice since I think he looks ten times better when he is smiling.  If you couldn't tell which guy I'm talking about, he is the young guy on the right, you sicko's. :P
Another benefit of being a tourist: taking pictures of people.  

One thing I have noticed about Thai people is they are more than willing to help out.  (Keep this in mine though, some are very greedy and all about the money.)While the guys were here doing the Buddha room they were like an additional part of the family.  They helped Mon out by bringing in the water jugs for the cooler.  They entertained and played with Taiten, helped Bow pack out the recycling, and mostly just made fun of me.  Especially Jad.

The kids have been wanting me to teach them how to whistle so that when Mike comes home they can be 10x's more annoying.  Your welcome Mike! :)  While we were practicing Jad mocked us from the other room by whistling back.  He continued to do so the rest of the day.  Each day I teach Bow english for two hours and she teaches me Thai for an hour.  I was practicing how to say I am 18 years old and was having difficulty with the pronunciation.  As I was desperately trying to say the sentence correctly Jad walked by the kitchen window and said it for me.  When I looked back all he could do was smile and laugh at me.  So much for charming him with my Thai I guess :P

So other than Mike coming home to a finished Buddha room and extra annoying kids, he is also coming back to less of a dog.  Mon and I shaved Suka!  He has been taking refuge in the house away from the heat and leaving ticks behind.  I told Mon that I thought it would be best if we just cut off all his hair.  So thats exactly what we did.

Thai Fruit

I find that I'm always eating down here but almost all of it is fruit.  It's like I'm preparing myself for some kind of fruit hibernation.  "Going back to Williams Lake hibernation," since I won't have the luxury of indulging on fruit so easily back home.  One day after I had been here a month I consumed two containers of strawberries, four kiwi's, three banana's and half a watermelon.  I even ate a whole pineapple one day.

Here are a few of the more unique fruit that I have tried during the duration of my stay.

This is called a rose apple.  Hence its name you may be able to guess that it is similar in taste to an apple.  I find it a lot sweeter and juicer than one though.  They either come in green, like this one, or in red.  

Got to admit I'm not a huge fan of Dragon Fruit.  I don't like the texture which is a big deal to me when it comes to fruit.  I can't eat fresh coconut meat since it makes me gag and I shy away from anything but Thailand and green bananas.  I absolutely love the bananas down here, since they are much sweeter than back home.

I love guava!  I find it very refreshing.  Did you know in Japanese it is called Guaba and in Spanish, Guayaba.  Just a fun fact for you. :)     

  

School Holidays

This is going to be a very short blog since I can sum up today in three words.  Pool.  Games.  Exhausted. Right now Bow is currently on summer holidays which means I get to spend more time with the kids.  Today I did exactly that!  The morning started off with Mon and I doing some errands while the kids stayed at home with Grandma.  We went to the school and got Taiten registered for classes, and went to the market to get some vegetables.  One of the ladies at the market asked Mon if I was her daughter.  Mon explained this to me and told me this was bad luck for her.  "She thinks I'm that old?" Mon said.  "I just want to go kill her."  I laughed so hard at the way she said that!  Once we got back home Mon dropped me off, and her and Mama went to the hospital in the Village.  Mama was complaining about having a sore neck so Mon took her out there to get some medication.  While the two of them did that I stayed home and played with the kids.  We played in the pool for four hours!  When we finally got out we worked on english, and then played some card games.  At the end of the day I was so beat!

Mon has to go back out to the Village tomorrow for Mama.  I would have gone but I volunteered to stay home since we have people coming to work on the buddha room.  Partly the reason why I volunteered to stay behind is because there is a really cute young worker.  Ok.  Truthfully, thats 100% why I volunteered.  And I have to work on homework :P  Mon had a good laugh when I explained my enthusiasm for staying home.  Hopefully she will put in a good word for me tomorrow. :P  And if not I can use what little Thai I know to charm him.  Bow says I'm cute when I speak Thai so I don't think he will stand much of a chance.

Back Home (Thailand)

From Bangkok I took a taxi to Pattaya.  The first taxi driver I had took me to another taxi company where I switched drivers.  That wasn't before he asked me for the money though.  When I switched taxi drivers I asked if the first one had given the money to the second one.  I again clarified this with both of them before taking off.  Later on in the taxi ride though the current taxi driver asked me for a hundred baht for the toll both.  I told him that he had confirmed that the previous guy had given him all the money even for the toll booth.  He told me that he was given five hundred, and that he apparently misunderstood what I was saying.  He phoned his boss and told him what happened and they got everything all figured out.  I felt bad for the guy but I'm happy that I didn't have to pay him anymore.  Lesson to be learned from my mistake: you should never pay the taxi driver until you have reached your destination.

When I was finally reunited with Mon and Taiten in Pattaya I found out that while I was away that Wrinkles passed away.  You would have thought that he would have learned from his brother's mistake but unfortunately while playing on the road he was run over.

This is the after photo.  I forgot to take a before photo, but just imagine there was no counter space and floor  was super dirty!

While I was gone the house got hit by a nuclear missile.  At least thats what it looked like.  I spent four hours just cleaning the kitchen the day after I got back while Mon, Mama, Sa, and the kids were out shopping.  Of course it didn't take long till the house was messy again once everyone got back home.  

Later on in the afternoon Mon looked like she was ready to punch a wall and pull out her own hair.  I asked her what was the matter to which she responded "I wish the kids would help out more around the house and do what I told them too."  So to help Mon out I made Taiten and Bow work jars.  I printed off a calendar and gave them specific chores on certain days.  Bow has to sweep the floor on Tuesday, wash the dishes on Thursday, and mop on Saturday.  Taiten must pick up his toys on Monday and Wednesday and remember to say please and thank you.  If the kids do what they are told and help out around the house they get a check mark for the day.  At the end of the month we add up their check marks and give them money so that they can save up for something they would like to buy.  I told Bow about the "work jar" and she absolutely loved it.  She went and explained it to Mon and she loved the concept as well.  So far it has been working fantastic!  Today even though neither of them had assigned chores they asked me how they could help out around the house.  Taiten picked up all the shoes and put them away, while Bow swept .

For english Taiten, Bow, and I played a matching game.  I made flash cards which Taiten had to tape to the matching object.  We did colors, human body parts, and household objects.  Bow spelt the words thEn helped her brother match them.  Once they were done doing that Taiten said he wanted to play more.  I kept making cards until Taiten finally got tired which was two hours later.  I didn't realize his full enthusiasm for the game until Mon walked into the kitchen sporting the flash cards "shirt" and "mom." We all got a good laugh out of that.

Taiten has a commitment problem when it comes to clothes. :P

Bow and I had been trying to find marshmallows to roast in Kamphaeng Phet but had no luck finding any.  While I was in Taiwan I bought some to bring back for the family.  After we roasted the marshmallows we dipped them in melted chocolate.  They absolutely loved it!!  Mon even liked them :)
  

Guide to Taipei

If any of you are planning on going to Taiwan especially Taipei here are a few things that you might want to know.  Its not considered rude to burp, fart, or pick your nose in public.  However, it is frowned upon for a women to wear clothes that show off their shoulders and cleavage.  With that being said women are allowed to wear super short, short shorts.  Some I don't even consider shorts but more like underwear considering the amount they actually cover.  Women are also taught to speak softly and that they should not raise their voice or yell.  Unlike in Thailand women are allowed to be monks.
Like in Thailand I recommend packing toilet paper around with you and be prepared to use a squat toilet once in a while.  You might want to do a few squats a day before you come down to prepare yourself,  otherwise you may be stuck doing what Elycia does which is stripping down to avoid accidents.  Taipei is a more modern city and have half upgraded to sit toilets.  Most rural areas are old fashioned though.  Some bathrooms are also half sit down, half squat toilets so you can choose which one you prefer.  
Most Taiwanese people speak english its just the question of if they are willing to speak to you.  Some are very shy but the majority are more than willing to help you out.  Some are just plan stubborn and tell you "No I can not speak english" in perfect english.

Getting around Taipei is very easy with the MRT and buses that come every twenty minutes.  Driving is way better than in Thailand!  Most follow the rules but there are a select few, AKA Julia's host dad, that do whatever they please.  It wasn't until this year that they put in the wear-a-seat-belt law.  Also Taiwanese people are very familiar with the horn and feel obligated to use it regularly.  Speaking of driving I forgot to mention that Mike got a speeding ticket while we were traveling down to Bangkok. The ticket cost him a whopping eleven dollars!  It's also a rule in Thailand that you can not get two tickets in the same day.  The police man that pulled Mike over also recognized him from a previous time.    
In general, in Taiwan they are very orderly people.  They stand in a nice single file line while waiting for the train or even to get onto the escalator.

The crime rate in Taipei is extremely low.  It is safe to leave your bikes unlocked!  While sitting in a cafe I witnessed a guy leave his laptop and cellphone on the table, walk outside, and come back thirty minutes later to his stuff still there!  Gosh! if only you could do that in Williams Lake and other places for that matter!  People also chase you down if you drop something such as an MRT card or forget your wallet.  People there are also very polite and respectful.  On the metro and buses there are specific seats for the elderly, disabled, and women who are pregnant.  If someone boards the train or bus who requires those seats people are more than willing to give them up to stand.  Its very nice to see people show kindness this way.

Be aware of the rain in Taipei since it has a higher level of acid in it.  Try not to get your hair wet or wash thoroughly to decrease your chances of loosing your hair and becoming bald.
Warning:  Do not whistle.  They believe this calls spirits and ghosts.

Taipei Zoo & Maokong Gondola

Saturday was a major sleep in day. Julia and I had been getting up almost every morning at 5:30 and getting to bed around eleven. Even if we had plans to go to bed early it never did happen. Like one time we missed our bus stop and walked in the opposite direction. Instead of it taking up 10 minutes to get home it took us 40. Another time we missed our train station by four stops and had to back track. All these mistakes were carelessly made due to us talking to much.

Once we had woken up and gotten dressed we went to the Taipei Zoo. It was nice, but it would have been nicer if it hadn't rained the whole day. Ever since I have been here that's all that it has done. It reminds me to much of Vancouver. :P There is just one major difference. Taipei's rain has higher levels of acid which can cause you to loose your hair if your not careful.  If I come back home bald you guys know why. :P

Lucie and George, one of their friends, met up with us later on in the evening. We went to Ximen where we did some window shopping and bought a penis cookie. No that is not a spelling error. You can actually buy a pastry in the 3-D shape of a penis.

Sunday we got up and went to Miramar which is a big ferris wheel that gives you a good view of Taipei.  That is if it isn't cloudy. Even with the crappy weather conditions after Miramar we went to the Maokong Gondola.  This is a four kilometer cable car system that takes you into the mountainside famous for its tea fields and factories. The journey up was very pleasant. Julia and I got paired up with an Asian couple. It was funny cause the girl would translate the conversation Julia and I had to her boyfriend, and then Julia would do the same right back.

At the top there are restaurants and hiking trails that I would recommend exploring if the weather is nice. As we were going back down though the lift broke down. We were very fortunate that we hadn't made it off the loading platform yet, since a shuttle bus took us back down to the bottom. At the top of the hill we met a group of guys who were a little different. We were creeped out by them and in an attempt to get away we sat in the front of the bus. Unfortunately when they got on they decided to surround us and try take a group photo with us in it. I was not very happy with that and turned away just as the photo was taken.

Thursday and Friday

Again I attended Chinese class with Julia.  In class we worked on our speeches which we have to perform Monday in front of the class.  I am even going to do one! :)  So far I have;  My name is Sharyse.  I am from Canada.  I have red hair.  I can speak a little bit of Thai.  I love Tiawan.
Julia had a rotary meeting at lunch which I was invited to attend.  We mostly spent three hours with a bunch of very wealthy men, eating expensive food, and listening to a very boring presentation in Chinese.  It almost put me to sleep.  We also sang "rotary songs" and did some head and hand exercises.  Don't ask!

After the meeting we walked to the school and met up with Lucie and Elycia.  We went back to Gonguan night market to the movie theatre.  It cost us under five dollars to get in to the theatre and only two dollars for a medium size drink and popcorn.  When you leave the theatre you get a stamp on your hand which allows you to come back in.  You are even allowed to bring food in from outside the theatre and can watch all six movies, without paying again, if you wish.

Friday, the day before Saturday and the day after Thursday, I went to Taipei's parliament block.  The buildings are European style and were built before World War II.  At least That's what this random guy told me.  After giving me a brief history of the block he asked if I had a cellphone and that if I had any questions about Taipei to feel free to call him.  I politely turned him down telling him that I didn't have a cellphone (which was the truth).

I met up with Julie and Lucie after school and the three of us went to Chiangkai-shek Memorial Hall. Unfortunately just as we were walking up the steps though to the hall, the doors closed.  Even though we didn't get to see the inside of the hall, as it was national women's day a few bands and the Taiwan military were at the sight performing.

We had no idea what to do for the rest of the evening so we tried to contact some people to hang out with.  The only one we got a hold of who could come hang out was Oscar, who is from Poland. Stumped as to what the four of us should do Oscar became courageous and went up to some random white guy and asked him what there was to do around that area.  Before he asked that though he asked how old the guy was.  The guy had a good sense of humour and laughed while telling Oscar "that's a creepy question.  Want to know were I live as while?"  After walking around for a bit we ended up at McDonald's.  We just happened to sit beside a group of guys who were playing cards.  Julia asked them if she could show them her card trick which surprisingly she didn't screw up.  Lucie also spotted a girl doing French homework and offered to help.  The two traded numbers and planned to get in touch with one another whenever needed.

    

Gonguan Night Market

We got to sleep in until six today!  Usually Julia and I have to be up at 5:30 to get ready.  I haven't mentioned this yet, but I'm living with an old fashioned Taiwanese family.  In total there is fifteen of us in a four story building.  The aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents are all sharing the house together.  On the floor Julia and I are on we have one bathroom for six of us.  Everyone but Julia and I have a shower the night before but it is still a fight for the bathroom in the morning. 

While Julia and Lucie went to school I went back to the house to have a nap.  At lunch time I brought the girls McDonalds at school, since they aren't allowed to leave.  We had to eat right at the gate since I wasn't even allowed in.  For the rest of the afternoon I walked around and went to Longshan Temple. While walking I saw a wedding, two Chinese men get into a verbal fight about their bag of birds, and a scooter crash which was scary.  I also walked down the historical block of Taipei.  

At four I met up with Julia and Elycia and the three of us went to Gonguan Market.  There we did some major bargain shopping.  Elycia got two pairs of shoes for less than five hundred, regular eight. We ate dinner and met some incredible people.  In one store we meet a Russian who was a former Mafia member.  We sat and chatted with him and his girlfriend for about an hour and a half.  He even taught us some Russian.  

Before we went home Elycia took us to an art studio where she had good friends.  The owners knew very good english and since Elycia's stay in Taiwan the three of them had become very close.  The place was very quaint and all the staff was very friendly.  One guy didn't know very much english and when he saw how stumped we were when he said his Chinese name he just told us to call him Mr.Right.  He was the jokester of the group.  Before we left they gave us carrot cake which was absolutely delicious!