Ayutthaya with my Thai Family

This past weekend, on a whim, I was invited with my Thai family (a group of street vendors and teachers who are all related that live near my apartment), to go on a family trip to the ancient city of Ayutthaya for the weekend. Due to the fact that I haven’t yet had a weekend at home this month, I was hesitant to go. However, they pressured me into going, and I couldn’t turn down a fun trip to somewhere new anyways, with Thais who were sure to travel differently (more authentically) than a foreigner like me.

At 9pm on Friday night all ten of us left in a “karaoke van” to drive to Bangkok, and then on to Ayutthaya.  We arrived just outside of Bangkok on Saturday morning at 7am- I have to say that sleeping on a van is not the best sleep ever. Regardless, we brushed our teeth and freshened up in a public bathroom and headed to our first of four wats for the day. The wats were all extremely busy with Thais who were there to worship, as opposed to foreigners who usually sleep in and show up later in the day. I had an absolute blast. I loved seeing throngs of Thais carrying pineapples, huge cartons of eggs, gooses, and pigs’ heads to donate to the monks in the hopes of good luck. I also love buying lotus flowers, incense, a candle, and gold leaf paper at the wats. I am not sure exactly what all of these symbols represent, but it is really exciting. The gold paper comes in little envelopes, and, after you pray, you stick the gilt paper on different Buddha figures (e.g. happiness, wealth, etc.) for good luck. Buddhism is just such a different religion than the semitic religions I know. I mean, Buddhism worships idols…and many of them! On the drive, if we passed a wat or a Buddha figure, everyone in the car would silently pray and wai to themselves. There are also really only two religions in Thailand: Buddhism and Islam in the far south, so I always think to myself how strange/ Thais must feel knowing that everyone is the same! In the states, while Christianity is a prominent religion, when you walk outside you really have no idea what the religion is of the strangers you see on the street.

After our exciting day of wats, and my exciting day of practicing Thai, we drove to Bangkok to spend the night at a friends home. I am continually amazed at how flexible Thais are, and how they are willing to be more uncomfortable than many Americans I know. We stayed in the basement of a 3 bedroom house. Ten guests? No problem! We rolled out a big floor mat and everyone piled on. I can’t think of many situations in America where a host would be comfortable with this.

The next day we drove an hour north to Ayutthaya, and we visited nine wats there. Thais, like Chinese, believe that the number 3 is good luck. Therefore, what is better than the number 3? Multiples of 3!!! The wats in Ayutthaya were very different than any other wat I have been to. They were ancient ruins, and the Buddha figures were a different style than the Buddhas in the more modern wats in Bangkok.  Ayutthaya used to be the capital of Thailand, but it was attacked by the Burmese in 1767. Let me tell you, Thais have not forgotten. Many of the stone Buddhas in Ayutthaya are headless now after the attacks. Still, the Thais pray to them, almost as if in mourning.

The highlights of the weekend, besides getting to spend time with my adoptive Thai family (!), were:

•  Going to Wat Pho Bang Khla, where there were hundreds and hundreds of relatively large bats in the surrounding trees. It was SO cool.
• Going to Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, where I could see the ancient chedis peaking up from the trees from where we parked, and then being overwhelmed at how majestic the white Buddha’s were there. It was like living in another time.
• Going to Wat Phanan Choeng as our first wat of the morning in Ayutthaya, when wat-keepers were changing the attire of the giant Buddha. Every morning they do this, and every morning they extend the fabric into the crowd for people to touch. It is supposed to be lucky to touch the fabric. It was amazing to see people trying to touch a little piece of the material. I have a pretty powerful photo of this below.
• Seeing a spirit house that was filled with these really scary cat stuffed animals. 
• Having a happy stray cat follow our whole group from a parking lot to the quiet ruins of Wat Maheyong, and then it followed us back again. If you see cat pictures…this is the cat.
• Eating coconut ice-cream with peanuts sprinkled on it, in a coconut shell, at the Ayutthaya floating market.
• My favorite: Going to Wat Phra Mahathat's ruins…home of the famous, and truly unbelievable, Buddha face overgrown within a fig tree.

Ayutthaya was a whirlwind trip (I came back Monday morning and then I had to teach!), but it was truly spectacular. This weekend, I am very much looking forward to sleeping in J

Beautiful jasmine and orchid garlands that you can buy and 

bring as an offering to a wat. They are sold everywhere in Thailand. 

I will definitely miss seeing these everyday when I move home.

A woman presses her gold paper onto a Buddha figure for good luck.

A pig's head and egg offering for the monks.

So many offerings. I spy a pineapple!

My Thai family :)

From left: Me, Mahh Lahng, Nomurri, Paw Owt, Foot, and Ying

If you dress showing too much skin they make you wear these horrible blue robes.

That is reason enough for me to dress modestly!

Me with Ying (left) and Yee (right).

Giant Pink Elephant Wat!

(Wat Samarn)

Mahh Lahng clipping money into a lucky elephant figurine.

Wat Samarn had these giant rat sculptures with large ears.

You are supposed to whisper your dreams and wishes into their ears...it is lucky!

I have no idea what this is, but I saw it at Wat Samarn and I thought it was cool.

It reminds me a little bit of a seder plate!

Wat Samarn offers massages by blind masseuses.

It brought tears to my eyes seeing them work, and not letting their disability hinder their lives.

Bats at Wat Pho Bang Khla

The ancient temple at Wat Pho Bang Khla

Ying and I, sitting in the back of the van, showing off our coconut snacks.

Step 1: Make hole in the coconut

Step 2: Insert straw

Step 3: Enjoy

The Grand Palace/ Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok

Riding the SkyTrain. I've missed this!

Harley Davidson exhibit outside of Central World in Bangkok. 

You can see the famous gold domed restaurant Sirocco glowing in the background.

I love this photo.

Height discrimination! (I was a tall child...)

Workers changing the giant Buddha's attire in the early morning at Wat Phanan Choeng.

Everyone was so anxious to touch the fabric that had touched the Buddha. 

Really something...

Oh you know, just ringing some lucky bells.

Michael Jordan fans, even in Ayutthaya, Thailand!

Go Chicago!

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon

Also, the cover of my Eyewitness Thailand Travel guide. Another world.

(Me with Mahh Lahng)

Spirit house filled with stuffed animal cats. Don't ask, because I don't know.

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon

People sticking gilt paper on its feet for good luck.

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon

I climbed up those stairs, and at the top there is an incredible view, 

and many more small gold Buddhas inside.

View from the top of Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon

Wat Maheyong

Foot (right) and I found a "magic" cat here who followed us around everywhere we went :)

Wats are safe places for all animals to live, because it is considered a sin to kill an animal near a wat.

Wat Maheyong

We had the wat all to ourselves

The headless Buddha at Wat Maheyong

Do you spy our cat?

The whole gang :)

Mahh Lahng, Paw Owt, and me!

Wat Na Phra Men

My Thai family praying/ mourning a headless Buddha ruin.

An entire wall of headless, destroyed Buddhas

Nomurri, Ying, Yee, and me in front of the famous head-within-a-fig tree at

Wat Phra Mahathat

The Lord Buddha's head nestled within an overgrown fig tree.

Me, Mahh Lahng, and Nomurri at

Wat Ratchaburana

Wat Ratchaburana

Wat Thammikarat

Me, with our van driver (who wanted to take a picture with "the farang")

in front of the great Buddha head!

Wat Thammikarat: The Rooster Wat!

(Some king won a cockfight a long time ago...)

Note the umbrellas: It was raining, it was just super hot.

Me, Yee, and P'Liew with some crazy ruins

The picture of tranquility:

A motorcycle taxi driver takes a rest on a bench in the shade, near a hammock, 

reading a newspaper, accompanied by a lounging stray dog. 

An elephant and a tricycle-taxi: Thailand.

Ayutthaya Floating Market!

Floating ice-cream stand!

Eating coconut ice cream, from a coconut, with peanut sprinkles

On our drive back to Ubon, we made a brief stop at Kao Yai National Park,

where I saw a parrot.

I will leave you with this happy image: 

Me holding the stray cat our group bonded with at Wat Maheyong.

(It's okay, I've had the rabies vaccine :))

Chiang Mai: Umbrellas, Chinese New Year, and Mountain Adventures

Disclaimer: This blog is longer than usual, and there are more photos than usual! I traveled to Chiang Mai last week, and there is much to share!

Last Friday I was informed that I wouldn’t have school for the next week, because all of the teachers were headed off to a conference in Bangkok. So, what’s a girl to do in Southeast Asia when she suddenly learns she has 10 free days? First, she freaks out.  Then she checks her flight options. (I’ve really wanted to go visit my sister in London, but it is still quite a trek to get there from Ubon). My flight options were both expensive and limited, so I decided that this week would be a great opportunity to see-another-part-of-Thailand-bus-week. While browsing the internet and my Thailand books, I learned that this very weekend happened to be the same weekend as the annual Umbrella Festival in Bo Sang, Chiang Mai. I remember seeing photographs of these beautiful umbrellas in National Geographic before, and I made up my mind that I was going to go. The only problem was that the festival was only 3 days, and it had already started. I was determined to make it to the final day of the festival…Sunday! However, this meant that I would need to quickly book a 16 hour, overnight bus to Chiang Mai.  This is exactly what I did, and it was such an adventure. I find that some of my most thoughtful moments happen on these long bus rides.

While waiting for my 2pm bus (getting into Chiang Mai the next morning at 645am), I chatted with two women who were teachers at a nearby secondary school.  When our bus stopped for dinner, we sat and ate together. I love making new friends! The next morning our bus got in around 6am. It was FREEZING cold, and pitch black. I had my backpack, myself, and no plan except to get to Bo Sang, and to hopefully eventually meet some of the other Fulbrights. The two women that I had been talking with the night before saw that I was waiting (and didn’t really know what I was doing...it was 6am in a place I didn't know), and they offered to take me home with them, and then drive me to Bo Sang. I went with them! One of the lady’s sisters picked her up, and we went to her home, where we had bananas and clementines and green tea. I brushed my teeth and was able to clean up a little bit. Then they drove me to Bo Sang, treated me to a sit down breakfast, and we started strolling through the fair. One of the ladies even bought me a scarf! (I have since worn it everyday). I couldn’t believe how kind these strangers were to me—obviously not expecting anything in return, or thinking that they would ever see me again (I must have looked pretty pitiful!). Regardless, meeting these women, and the adventure of going home with absolute strangers, is one of my most treasured memories from my almost four months here. I will never be able to repay these women, but I definitely plan on “paying it forward” to someone, at some point, when the opportunity unfolds itself. Never again will I look at a foreign, confused person in Chicago the same way. These little (or big!) acts of kindness have touched me forever.

At Bo Sang, I was able to meet up with 3 other Fulbrights. It was great to speak with them in fast English and hear their latest stories. I then went home with one of my friends, Kelly, to her home in Sarapee (about an hour’s drive from Chiang Mai proper). I could not get over how beautiful the looming rubber trees that lined the roads to Sarapee were. I felt like I was in some sort of kingdom where I was an itty bitty creature! One day when I went venturing into the city while Kelly had to teach, I accidentally got off the bus to soon and walked an hour and a half back to her apartment- no sidewalks, but beautiful rubber trees lining the streets. It was quite the adventure! I visited Kelly’s school one day, which is always interesting for me to compare experiences. I think that I am the only Fulbright who teaches at a school where, literally no one, speaks English. I also spent the Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai proper, which was very exciting, as many Thais are of Chinese ancestry. I did some shopping and ate lots of delicious food.

On Wednesday, I took off from Kelly’s place and went to the Royal Flora exhibit on my own. The only way I can describe Royal Flora is as if there were an Epcott Center for flowers. The exhibit was HUGE (like Disney World), and many different countries had their own “garden” within the exhibit.  I was shocked to be one of the only farang there, though. Not only that, but I was wearing a Cubs hat. I caught several different people snapping photos of me.  (aka You know you’re in Asia when you offer to take a picture of a group of people, but instead they want you in the picture, they want you to stand in the center, and everyone in the picture passes over their cameras). I actually think that this is one of the sweetest, most harmless things that I love about Thai culture, and I will miss being a celebrity once I am back in America. One thing in particular that I found absolutely hilarious about Royal Flora was that all of the translated English signs and English pamphlets were FULL of grammatical mistakes and very poor English. Royal Flora runs from December 2011 to March 2012, and was resurrected to commemorate the King’s birthday (the most revered man in all of Thailand). This was a multi multi million dollar, international project. Yet, they didn’t get a native English speaker to edit any of their large printed signs or pamphlets. 

Another highlight of Royal Flora: Finding a 2004-2005 New Trier High School student ID in my old backpack, testing it out, and having it WORK to get me in as a student!!! I have found that many Thai people guess that I am 18...the opposite direction of age that Americans usually guess. They also go by Buddhist years (it's now year 2555), so maybe that helped me. I was naughty!

After Royal Flora, I caught a bus to Mae Hor Phra (a small town in the mountains of Chiang Mai province) to visit my friend Matt, and to see something new. I really didn’t know where I was going, and the bus driver informed me when we were at the school where Matt had told me to get off. I literally got off on the side of the road. There was no one around, but there were breathtakingly beautiful mountains. It was dusk, and mist had begun to move over the mountains. (Or as Chiang Mai students say “Thailand’s snow”). Matt met me (thank god), and we went for an amazing nighttime motorbike ride through the mountains. I absolutely loved his school, teachers, and students, when I met them the next day, and everyone spoke wonderful English. It was also very fun for me to hear the Northern dialect of Thai. They use some different words and sounds, so it was very cool. Matt took me to Buatong Falls one day, which was drop dead gorgeous. At the falls, you can literally climb down them (you get soaking wet), and swim in the lagoon at the bottom. I don’t think that there is anything in life more thrilling than swimming in a serene, jungle lagoon at the bottom of a waterfall that you have just climbed down. Ubon is flat, so everyday I enjoyed the novelty of the mountains gracing the backdrop.

Just before I boarded my 16 hour bus home, I got a really bad case of food poisoning. (Hilarious if you think about it, but I felt so sick!) I am currently on antibiotics, hoping that it’s not a parasite. However, my trip to Chiang Mai province was the perfect adventure.

Enjoy all of the umbrella pictures! They are my favorite J

The wonderful ladies who took me home with them at 6am from the Chiang Mai bus station.

Their car cover. One of the ladies loved Hello Kitty.

The look of success.

 I made my goal of seeing the Umbrella Festival a reality!

(and I am so glad I did, because I will most likely not be in Thailand next January, so I don't know when I would have gotten the next chance to see it)

Just a warning...the next (many) photos are of me with umbrellas...

I call these the "fire" colored umbrellas!

Maya (left), one of the Fulbrights who lives in Chiang Rai, and me, next to a very large umbrella!

Old ladies making the umbrellas! 

SO COOL

A woman painting an umbrella

Peackock Umbrella

Sherbert colored umbrellas!

Posing with some bad ass umbrellas.

ps- the scarf I have on is the scarf the ladies who took me home from the bus this morning bought for me!

Lauren, another Fulbright, and I eating Ancient Ice Cream 

(ice cream that comes in cool shapes that is sold on a stick)

Not as good as klondike bars, but few things in life are as good as klondike bars.

Birds for sale! I got a kick out of the "bird feed" in the cages. Can you see?

(The birds eat peeled bananas!)

Beautiful. 

If I ever do a scrapbook of my travels, this photo will have to be a backdrop of some sort.

Making umbrellas. 

The woman on the left is trimming off the extra paper on her umbrella.

Papering umbrellas! Such a cool skill. I want to learn the craft of umbrella making!

Umbrellas "undersides." I feel like I am violating them!

An artist paints an umbrella

Parade! Marching band with PLUMES! Awesome.

Beauty queen, under an umbrella, of course, with floats decorated with 

more umbrellas and pictures of the king.

Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai's China Town!

Cool Mushrooms

Chinese New Year Dragon!

Sugar cane being "juiced"

Rubber trees line the streets on the way to Sarapee

Royal Flora

The "Soiless Garden" greenhouses of Royal Flora. 

I was way into these :)

Royal Flora

Monks on their way to ride the ferris wheel

Fresh off the bus: Mae Hor Phra

My friend, Matt, and his house (on the school's property)

Rice fields and mountains 

(photo taken from motorbike)

Driving to the National Park

Just BEAUTIFUL

This is a "magic" spring. Thais put the holy water on their faces, but you can't swim in it.

The color of the water was really cool. It did seem like a holy spring!

Buatong Falls

Climbing back up the waterfall, after a lovely swim in the lagoon at the bottom.

A little pond I found and decided to swim in

We got a flat tire, and stopped at a Hilltribe village to get it fixed.

We definitely looked like dumb farang

Cool silo?

I will never forget the vibrant kelly green of fresh rice sprouts

Northern Thailand

I like this picture because it looks like we're in Park City, Utah!

Matt slightly reminds me of Hansel from Zoolander

View from dinner on the lake

At dinner, this kitten jumped on my lap...

I wanted to bring it home with me.

My favorite new teacher friend, Kruu Zara! She calls herself the "Lovely Dictator."

She kindly drove me back to the city of Chiang Mai to catch my bus home :)