Bangkok Mother's day weekend 9.8.13 - 12.8.13

C Fai
Queen Siriket's birthday weekend, also known as Mother's day
celebration and décor is great round Bangkok so that were the 3 amigos headed 

FRIDAY 9TH AUGUST - SATURDAY 10TH AUGUST
Monkey gang wars in Lop Buri!

Got up half an hour for this Queens birthday/ mothers day celebration, got pointed to a table near our English Base and Jo told me that I was to give the bags on the table in one corner to the Monks when they came, I had 9 for each of the monks but I only needed to go over to the table when they neared. They didn’t near until 8.30, I easily could have slept on as there were so many tables along the way for them, these monks seem to have quite the life here! It was quite ceremonial in giving them the bags, we placed a bag or some of the items in the Bowl the Monk carried and then when it got to fill they would put this in a bag someone was carrying for them along side the procession, when this was nearly full level a student would then empty it onto a truck, the truck was piled high with the stuff! Then all of a sudden when they came to the end they just seemed to disappear, and we went on into the Assembly hall, which Ofc had been decorated with lots of C FAI ribbons and portraits of the queen. Jongrak was in charge, we saluted the Queen at the front standing, a row of all the teachers a few times, whilst the main directors outscore an oath or similar to the pulpit facing the picture of the Queen, so strange! Addressing and salting a picture. The whole room was a sea of blue, I wore my top that had been specifically given to me that had a heart over mine and says “I love mom” in Thai, along with my red skirt as asked to by Jongrak. The students had some awards given to them, as did some of the staff, there was a GLONG YAOW performance and Thai dancing, the Glong Yaow was impressive, the sing reminded me a tribal times, along with the drum beat and movement, an one point they all climb on top of there drums turned upside down and stand up on them and dance, impressive but surely not safe! Thankfully I was able to leave as I was shattered and needed a nap, there’s no class either as it’s a half day as it’s a holiday weekend! Unfortunately Bla and Jongrak had a meeting so we weren’t able to go to Lop Buri as soon as the activities were over, so went for a bicycle ride, P arrived, turns out he’s taking us.
Lop Buri is older than Ayutthaya and there’s loads of monkeys too! The other were finally finished around 2.30pm and we were finally able to set off. My throat was aching though, apparently because of this I should drink hot things and eat hot food, i.e. lukewarm water not ice cold. The journey to Lop Buri to 1-1 ½ hours as there was loads of traffic MI RUT MA tried to doze but I wasn’t particularly successful, past a cool tech were the outbuilding was designed like a giant tree trunk, pretty cool! It rained while we drove thankfully meaning it should be a bit cooler now.

 In the centre of the town are two ancient temples one is similar to the Khmer Cambodian style of Angkor Wat, the other was slightly newer, but each side of these temples which are separated by a road, a main centre one a that, has a gang of monkeys, 2 troops. There are hundreds of them, no joke! They’re like two gangs, and every once and a while they meet in the centre of this busy street and have some form of a monkey gang war! Lop Buri, monkey ghetto! Haha. There’s cages up along covering parts of the shops to stop the monkeys getting in, one woman with a shop across the road from the temple was shooting at a monkey with a rifle, I don’t know whether it was bullets or salt, but I wouldn’t care to be the monkey that found out! On my way down to Lop Buri, not even that close in the town that had a tree tech, I saw a HUGE monkey, most likely another gibbon  but more like a baboon it was that huge, climbing along the top of a 3 storey house, utter madness, in the middle of this city with the busy main road, alone!
Jongrak was asking me about houses in my home, don’t know whether she was trying to be funny as that’s what I’d been teaching my after school class or whether she was generally interested., such as the word “bungalow” but perhaps she’d never heard the word herself and wanted to know?  Got an ice green Thai tea when we stopped, such sugary deliciousness that can only have a trace of healthiness remaining in it! We then got directed across the busy road of traffic by a Thai woman to the older temple. Such similarities to Angkor, to think that the Khmer’s had so much influence that their architecture influence a huge period of time throughout Thailand! Like Waisali, and here in Lop Buri and many other parts I am yet to see.

There were so many monkeys, everywhere!  Old, young, fat, slow, agile, small, mothers etc, even a pair that were mating on top of the temple (romantic I guess) there was a really old creepy scraggly one I like the look of , he was cute in his own creepy way, a grumpy fella ( a bit like my dad I guess) with tuffs of old monkeys hair on random parts of him (again like my dad, he’s half monkey I swear!)  there was three chilling near each other on a wall that reminded my of my gossip sessions at the Log, good ol’ slut wall as we named it, her in monkey Lop Buri! There was a mother with a baby clinging to her in a protective maternal fashion, I guess that can be mum and Ryan as she molly coddles him! There was one hilariously obese female ones, she had huge breasts, monkey tits! Even thinking about her makes me laughs, and the photo I took cracks me up every time. There was many there were pretty daring, up at the very top of the ruins surveying their monkey turf I guess. And they’re cheeky things, and I’m sure vicious too when they want to be if they were to gang up on you, a few came over to the grass area where I was taking pictures and started to clamber all over me, I was swinging them off my bag while the Thai’s came over and threatened them with sticks (I had visions of them viciously attacking my face, going to blame mum for that one!)  they had completely covered some French tourists, finding it funny with one on them at first found the disasters of several clambering all over you a very different story indeed. Bla was doing her usual selfie thing and they sneaked up behind her, got a few hilarious photos of that! Its funnier with her because she’s actually a Thai and not a tourist. I guess I technically still am one but I’d rather be known as a traveller, I feel tourists are ignorant of culture, the people and society their visiting, especially when they cannot even be bothered learning basic phrases, it irks me, they come to Thailand for Bangkok the dirty seedy place that it is, they don’t get to experience real Thailand like I do, guess I should feel sorry for them, but then again they’d probably hate the way I’m living, thinking its so basics and wrong, but frig them, this is how the Thai people live and I want to experience as much culture of real Thailand as I can, not this silly westernised stuff of Bangkok that has no semblance of true Thailand, its for drunkards and party boys wants to see some breast, whether its all female of lady boy it doesn’t matter, not my cup of tea thank you very much! 

 mummy and baby

 old creepy monkey...or the monkey version of my father?

Jongrak paid the guards a bit of money and they opened the gate and we were able to look around the temple, very small, but again I had a strong sense of being back in Cambodia  (to an extent of course, that was the best day of my life!)  the Buddha images had all been beheading , I think maybe its to do with the religious conversion back to Hinduism or perhaps it’s a ransacking from another country? Like the Cham’s who were always fighting the Khmer’s. 

 Lopburi architecture

 bats

 inside the temple

 square faced Buddha

 Bla being attacked, too busy taking selfies to pay attention

 the funniest biggest breasted monkey out there,

her milkshake brings all the monkeys to the yard.....

 if you cant beat em, join em!

There was only a feel tourists, French FARANGS I feel sort of embarrassed when I see foreigners as they seem to take it all as some silly joke and aren’t respectful of the country or the culture, I guess I am, but hopefully not as much as when I first arrived, I hate ignorance! Took a few wee selfies as Bla and P were Ofc! 

 size of its ears!!!

 the french getting attacked haha. no one likes the French

Then we headed back, stopping at a hot pot place in Phaisali, unlike China they don’t eat it with rice or noodles, maybe just a few mushroom noodles like things , I ate lots of mushrooms and cabbage and some burn curd, it’s the white jelly thing, not the most appetising to be honest, the hot pot was set atop a bucket of coals, with a bowl like large lemon squeezer sort dish, which meat was placed in the centre as it was hottest and the water of the hot pot and the veg around the bowl sides. The chilli sauce I got with it was delicious! One of the owners of the place wife is a nurse so sneaky Jongrak got her to come round to give me advice, and she gave me amoxicillin and some throat tablets, kid of her, she kept asking did I want to go to the hospital…no. back home I booked the hostel for tomorrow and planned for an early night, but when I came in the fucking tarantula was on the bottom step!! I had to spray bug spray at it up scurry up the wall!, then next thing I knew it was beside the fridge wall which is beside the bathroom, near died, how could I go to the toilet in peace or do anything? I spend all my time before I do ANYTHING looking to see where this thing is, in case it jumps on my face bites me and I die, or a stand or lean on it and it bites me and I become really ill and no one can help me as I’m alone in my house! Definitely another reason to go to bed early! 

Next thing I knew when I tried to go down to the toilet, it was one step down from the top. that’s really fucking close to my room, ahhhh!! And I have a space under my door. I took Malik’s advice and barricade myself in using a pillow to block the gap. Why didn’t I get a mosquito net!!! I texted dad, not that he’d be able to help being in Spain and if he was here he probably do one for two things, “he’d definitely say, “oh fuck” and then do that weird jerky movement he does flittingly and pulls this weird disgusted face that’s sort of contorts as he remembers he’s supposed to look brave, then he’d either, run sort of like a woman and remembering last minute he’s a man and half way through each leap he tires to return it to a macho sprint, or he’s hit the thing with whatever is nearest. Neither of these would help me as I’m afraid I’d miss, id anger the tarantula and it would leap on my face and kill me (this is the worst case scenario that happens in my head every time I thing of the creature, I get a tarantula in the face, I get bitten, I die alone and in horrific pain because no one lives with me…) he texted back however with the worst advice yet to come from him, he told me to go get someone to help me, to rescue me from a silly little spider… HELLO, barricaded in dad! And it was late, and My mentor would thing I’m a pathetic Farang who cant look after herself and is scared of a little spider since I’m sure these are common in Thailand, I want to seem independent and unfazed. Therefore, his advice sucked! In other words, his reaction in my situation, run like a little girl…I had texted Robin as well since he was getting the night bus to Bangkok , his advice on the situation was much better “KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!” I did have a lighter and spray in my room, my the vision in my head now had me dying from a painful spider bite whilst also on fire, so I decided since I really needed to go, to spray the bastard (with dry shampoo of all things! Least it‘ll smell nice and have non greasy looking hair) into a stupor. It worked going into a little ball. On my way back up I brought bug spray and sprayed in again. It was now upside on the fair corner of the stair, success! I was tempted to squish her, but I felt it would somehow awaken her from her stupor and she’d bit my foot leaving me in agony. Started feeling sick and along with the spider i couldnt sleep, texted J and told her and took some tablets. It worked a bit, they checked up on me, I tried to get a later van at 7 but was exhausted, Jongrak gave me soy milk and I slept for another while before deciding that I’d rather be in Bangkok than stuck feeling sorry for myself in my house,  re hydrated I then got a 10.30van,I felt sorry for Robin as he’d arrived in Bangkok at 5 am =/ but he knew I wasn’t well and said it was ok least I was coming now. Thankfully there wasn’t many on the van so I was able to get some shut I, kept drinking fluids and soy milk for some strength, eventually coming around but was still very shaky. I was a real big kid and just wanted my mummy! But weirdly enough, it was her voice in my head throughout the night advising me on what to do to feel better etc, cant believe I’ll be here a month on the 12th! Time is flying in! and my lovely family are away having a jolly holiday without me in Spain, that’s the second year in a row L I’m all alone in a humid country, sick and the only native English speaker for miles! Living in a zoo whilst I believe I’m dying and in threat of actual death from Thai tarantula and scorpions who lived outside….awesome.

Arrived in Mochit station about half two and got a metered taxi to Khao San to meet Robin, he was pigging out in McDonalds. His mentor randomly took him to the border or Cambodia yesterday, turns out he’s quite close lol. He got an awesome denim ranger hat, looking quite traveller chic is I do say so! Took a good while getting there due to Bangkok’s fabulous RUT TI I was a bit surprised he was taken to Cambodia as Del had said on the T.E.T page there was some trouble in the border countries? Must be wrong. Got Fanta grape (CHUEN DRA)To perk up my sugar levels and then we got a taxi to the hostel I’d booked the “overstay” it was described as an artsy hostel and for 100B was the cheapest one yet. It took me a while to register that the woman I was talking to was not just a backpacker but the owner, a white woman speaking English, it’s said that it takes me a while for this to register. So yes, the hostel it was definitely different, a sort of run down bar with graffiti art as décor with some cats lazing around and a sort of stage area with drums, mic and guitar, turns out there’s a “gig” on tonight. We were taken to the second floor, lots of graffiti and art styled wall pieces, photos or random people who’d stayed, all covered the stairs and the halls. We got shown the “better” bathroom’s (I didn’t spot a cockroach in them, but I did later in the ones on the ground floor =/) our beds were part of a 12 bed room. If you can call in that. They were rickety bunks, that’s had very thing straw mattresses with many broken and instead on the floor. The aircon only goes on at night and ours were to be there 3 top bunks on the left, mine nearest the window of the main road. So yes this “hostel” was in fact a squat pretty much, similar to the war zone in Belfast but hotter, smellier with more graffiti and dirt, and a form of bedroom sleeping area. But fuck it, there was wifi and hot showers which were refreshing! So cant complain, I’ve stayed in worse, I’ve slept outside and in doorways randomly on a night out, I can survive easily for two nights for £4, better than nothing. Robin got really excited about what Toms reaction would be, I hope he can accept it, he’s travelled before and might enjoy the “beach” style crazy backpacker drunken rebel theme it has to it… he wasn’t arriving until 6 so Robin and I decided to get our bearings. It was 5pm and ROASTING! We found a weird temple and chilled in the shade of it for 10 minutes, we passed a massage place that did an hour for 150b! I want sure which way to return and Robin decided to take the other direction as he believed it would lead us back, the bastard was right, he wont shut up about it, “remember the time you and Malik got us lost in Chiang Mai….Remember the time Robin got us lost in Bangkok, oh wait he didn’t” …“or remember when Robin didn’t get us lost in Bangkok like you tried“….asshole haha! We chilled at the hostel again and Robin befriended the cat whilst they started some sort of band practise/sound check.  

Long live the king bus

 the overstay....

 kitty!

There’s an English bad boy that’s a mix between a chav and rocker, NO KELLY NO! no more bad boys… he spent his night locking lips with some random girl outside the toilet anyway…

we went exploring again as Tom still wasn’t in Bangkok, we found a really shitty market full of old lady styled clothes and blankets…a flea market if you will but not as exciting, it also had some sort of fun fair theme going on, very poor devised stall games like balloon popping and hooking fish for a prize, the prizes of course being the usual creepy stuffed animal, but more so creepy as they’re Asian. 

Back at the hotel, got a cold shower and Tom then finally arrived, his driver couldn’t find the place. Robin was raging that he didn’t freak out about the place and was very acceptable about it all, thinking it was quite cool. We tried to go to the floating market but turns out it’s closed at night so we headed to Khao San and browsed. Absolutely disgusted, Thai men keep trying to get my to go to Ping pong shows, shoving the lists in my face, DO I LOOK LIKE I WANT TO SEE THAT SHIT?!?! Yet they don’t do it to the guys…WHY ME?>> maybe they look gay, or I do haha. They kept making popping noises while they did it too, GROSS!! 

Met up with Malik who took us round an area of Khao San we’d never been before, round the side of the temple, he was at a bar with an E.T.A 2 Asians, one male, one female, no idea where he found them from, and then some German or something joined us lol, quite the continental group! Turns out the E.T.A had done a programme last year and spent a year in Nakhon Sawan, cool eh! Did some more browsing, Robin and I BOTH got braids as we’re fucking class! 100 each with feathers, he got orange (his favourite colour) and I got purple and blue to perhaps go with my hair dye. We ROCK! Got a Thai orchid hair clips, some earrings, one is a pair of thai elephants J  and then went to the jewellery store brand “Pink Pussy” such a charming name for a brand. It did have great jewellery though! Got some rings  and an Asian anklet with bells before we headed back to the overstay. We’d been given orange wristbands so we didn’t have to pay in, its actually dearer to pay at the door for the gig than for a bed for the night, mad! I was knackered, the party was in full swing downstairs but I just wanted to snooze, luckily if you closed the dorm door and the hall door it wasn’t too nosy. There were books in the area outside and I luckily found Robin the 3rd Game of Thrones book he need, such a fluke! Got some pics of the graffiti, one of them looked like faith and another sort of reminded me of two drunk punks, maybe lee and wak.  Was able to sleep in my uncomfortable bed, but then again the one in Phaisali is horrid too! Kept sipping water and peed a lot but got a decent sleep I guess, had my damp cloth to keep my cool too, think I’ve developed a cold form all this. No idea who when its warm and humid and you know, IM IN THAILAND! Just my luck eh?

 lit up for the mothers day weekend

 the mothers of sex and the city?

 such a charming t shirt

 who needs to spke their hair when they can turn it into a hat!!!

 night time in the Hostel

 WHAT??

 comber/belfast punks?

Faith Guynes? they'd all love this place

SUNDAY 11TH AUGUST

That party just didn’t seem to end last night, though it was a bit quieter round 5am or 6 but when I went to use the smelly ground toilet at like 8am, there was still music playing and a few people about, one guy was passed out outside the toilet even with the cockroaches and horrid smell! Some people tried to get us up during the night by knocking on the window between the hallway and our room but jest ignored them., think they were on our floor as they were using the roof as a smoking area. Another guy (think it was the one who’d been passed out beside the toilet) tried to steal by bed, I cam back from 7/11 to find my stuff on the ground and him lying on the mattress on the floor, that was the 2nd time!! He was totally out of it! His eyes were bright red, with loose dreads, he sort of reminded me of Darzo from Belfast in a way. Thankfully I got it back, but a foreign guy had tired to do the same thing yesterday, turns out it was told before me that was his bed, I didn’t know that at the time though, this place is so disorganised! He accused me of stealing beds! But because of this incident he understood. He was leaving to day anyway I gave him his bed. Lots of people came in to sleep when we were getting up about 9, I was chatting to Robin and some Spanish girl  came over and was all like “ I like you guys but you need to be quiet as people are trying to sleep” its not my fault they partied all night and are wasters, they woke us up when they were coming in at out of the room fs! The guy under Robin’s bed was in a league of his own. Shaved/bald head, american, he was so fucked he’d spent the night coming in and out having random conversations with people, making no sense or having them with himself, must have been on some hallucinogenic or maybe he was just mad. Robin and I were near pissing ourselves trying to hold in the laughter and not wake him from his rambling stupor, he was in the middle of going on about someone being a slut or a whore, but then Tom came over, and the guy perked up and joined our conservation. Turns out he’s gay,don't know why he took a shine to Tom, perhaps the fact he was wearing a tie dye t-shirt made him attractive to the gay crazy guy but he would not stop talking to us, and he couldn’t understand Robin or his saying “7 hells” it got him really confused.  He then decided to tag along with us to Khao San road, we couldn’t really say no we’re all too polite, luckily he paid for  the whole taxi, I left them for breakfast to go get Ryan his present, the Cola tuk tuk form last night that I saw on the way round with Malik. The guy made a box for it by carving up a large water bottle, impressive, but I’d realised id picked the wrong one, the more expensive one, as the guy had taken ages at making this he decided he couldn’t be bothered with the hassle and gave me it for the cheaper price. Yeo! Got it for 100B. Went to the temple beside it, WAT CHANASONGKHRAM.. returned back to the others to find Tom sewing a button on his shorts, I was itching to do it for him, don’t know if that’s the housewife coming out in me, a woman wanting to see the man do her thing correctly, or just the fashionista coming out haha. The gay guy staring at him like he planned on devouring him and he was also sort of massaging Tom’s shoulders. So awkward! Tom’s the Whore this week, with his Cambodian Masseur and gay American boyfriend Haha decided to leave them all to it, they’re going to meet Mark while I go Temple hunting as one does. Took some more lozenges for my sore throat, I’d gotten Strepsils thankfully but I’d take so many last night I felt out of it, High with the cold on lozenges, as you do, guess this is what Tom feels, haha, it shouldn’t be “Oh hi Mark” it should be “oh, High Tom” :L

 WAT CHANASONGKHRAM

I planned to go to the Grand Palace but I took a wrong turn  (typical female directional skills as my father would say) and instead of went turning right I went left, towards the Democracy Monument to WAT RATCHADDARAM  It is the third Loha Prasada (brazen palace) in existence, modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, and now the only remaining, built in 1846 and having 37 metal spires, signifying the 37 virtues toward enlightenment. The temples was amazing so different from any of the others, its been put forward as a Unesco site too! Unfortunately the higher part of the tower was getting renovated so it was screened off in green but could still go up it, perhaps they’re cleaning the metal. There was an exhibition too, I’m sure the view was absolutely fantastic before silly Bangkok got westernised and lots of tall buildings were erected. Was still a great sight. And there was an exhibition about it all too!

Beside this temple was WAT THEPHIDARAM it was over 300 years old and this was obvious as it was quite worn in parts, to think, I was looking around a place that has been full of live since the 1700’s! next I went to the golden mount, or WAT SAKET, it was 20b to go, climbed about 120 steps to the top, but maybe more as there was more inside and leading to the actual Pagoda. On the first set of stairs there was a miniature waterfall lots of decorations and smoke through dry ice, creating a very mystical and spiritual setting on the way up, however this was broken as when I got out of the shade the full force of the sun hit and I was sweltered.  Climbed to the very top, could see so much of the nearby surroundings, it was lovely, but would have been nicer Ofc if the skyline wasn’t covering in modern western buildings, I think I’m beginning to despise the western culture of today, that’s bad for a Westerner isn’t it? 

They had their usual money offerings at the top, same sort of thing as our collection I guess, or perhaps its for luck? They place the money on sticks and they also have a big sheet people were signing. I’m so glad I’m in a school and can learn about the culture first hand and from Thai’s and can therefore experience, understand and appreciate so much more than the usual backpacker or tourist, don’t understand how people can be so ignorant!

 should have turned right @Democracy momument

 WAT RATCHADDARAM

 my new friend

 WAT THEPHIDARAM

I walked across the canal and a tuk-tuk driver advised me on some places to go as the Palace was closing soon and he’d do it for 20B, something about lucky Buddha, Queen’s birthday/government or something. Really its if they take me to certain shops they get stamps for bringing tourists. Not bothered. Went to a temple with a golden Buddha, but unfortunately it was closed as its so rare. But the man outside it spoke English and told me all about it and showed me through the window, was very pretty. He also spoke of the celebrations for the queens birthday and how Muay Thai and Thai dancing shows are free. A boxing match here is 2000B, so should have went in Chiang Mai.. He got me to touch a “lucky stone” which was over 1000 years old! Then went to a suit place, expensive and fancy inside but similar to every other suit store in Bangkok, AND THERE’S A LOT.

I was then taken to a jewelry store with all different sorts of jewelery, different gems different bands, different carats, I text gag and my dad as was sorely tempted, there was a beaut Garnet stone and Cubic Zirconium on a 925 silver band, 800B or about £17/18, I never really have anything good, nor do I treat myself…Gag text back, I should go for it, and because last night was so good he will get me it! Aww. Also got a watch as mine, as per usual broke, least we had a good run haha. The woman who sold me the ring fully loved me because I tried speaking Thai and told her I was a teacher, CHEUN KRU . CHEUN SOAN PASSA ANGRIT . she went as far as to tell me she loved me and I was beautiful and smart lololol. After this we went to another temple WAT INTRAWIHAN it had a huge standing Golden Buddha outside, the guy agreed to give me a lift back to Khao San for whatever, I said an extra 10, he said that was fine as long as I could get him another stamp so went to another tailors, the chatted away and the guy was like, I’ll give you discount on the tie if its for your Granda but if it’s for boyfriend I make higher price haha.

 the lucky 1000 year old stone

 the suit shop

 WAT INTRAWIHAN

 the waterfall at the golden mount stairs

 the golden mount

 view

 ringing the bells for luck

 Wat Saket

Back at Khao San, met Robin and then we met Tom at Starbucks, Mark had left to meet some ETA’S. we decided that since the floating Market wasn’t on we’d go to the huge weekend market on Kampheng Phet road, the Chatuluong weekend market. Got a taxi to Huampoloung station then got the subway- MRT go us!  OMG ITS HUGE. Sooo much, Robin and I got chocolate floats to begin, heaven in my mouth!! Not so many tourists either :D there’s the Lady Gaga bags for 550, sure I could get them less, there’s Dm’s in a dark red and a SHIT TONNE of clothes, defs going back when I get paid, did gets a hippy tie dye dress which im going to wear for tom’s bday weekend in a fortnight, he wants to go to Pattaya, BEACH TIME YEO (Y) got a thai pendant hugeee for a necklace , priced by weight, got gag a thai silk tie that’ll do for his bday, 100B, some of the Thai ties that are in fashion are skinny with a square edge, how strange! There’s a plants section, antique and furniture and antique section too! Kept hearing Thai songs that I can sadly admit I now know, though the words are a mystery haha, kept being like “oh I know that song, that’s my tune” and Robin was just like, “Kelly just no, stop trying to be Asian, just no!” haha neither of them know any Thai so I try to teach them random words but it goes in one ear out the other, least they know hello/goodbye and thank you, typical men :L There’s also and outlet store which had a stage and thai people signing and dancing which of course Robin joined in with haha, all we all ever seem to do is sing and dance randomly, its great, all so comfortable round each other, joking about sexuality and random and hell stuff, Robins latest phrase is “can I touch --- inappropriately?” haha, when we were waiting for tom who as usual was taking forever to get his ticket in the station and kept rummaging in his bag, Robin turned it into the best dirty story ever, something about how Tom can stuff as much as he wants in his bag, its such a loose bag that’s takes a good stuffing etc hahaha we were wetting ourselves! We were all hungry after our market browse we went to the mall to the food court bit, again it was coupons…I got a tofu and mushroom with chilli and rice dish, didn’t have to pay, I was bad haha :P Robin got caught out and goody two shoes tom paid of course, Robin and I are such bad influences on each other lol. Got a sprite and a lace pixie skull top for 80b, love my bargains! Tom wanted to book his bus so we went to eh next stop but it was just a random train station in the middle of no-where, but there was the fattest dog ever with some kid, it actually looked like it had eaten the child’s siblings haha, its whole body did a waddling walk :L cats there too Ofc, its weird here, they stump the cats tails, often very short, but they leave dogs along, back home its the opposite sometimes, though I think its been stopped, wonder why they do it to cats? Maybe they don’t like cats, maybe its just the cats have got their tails cut off by a car, who knows, strange anyway! Decided that instead of Khao San again we’d hit SUKHUMVIT, the same area that the Ambassador and the sky train is on, needed to pee so went into the terminal shopping centre, its based that each floor is a new country or “departure zone” the toilets on the ground floor we went to were in “Rome” Omg best toilets ive ever been to in my life! There was a fountain to wash you hands and Roman wall murals!! The toilet was in a league of its on, I even took a picture! It was electronic,  all adjustable, seat heat temperatures, bum wash and front bum as the nozzle was adjustable along with the temp, andd a dryer, I sat on the loo and it did all the work for me, all I had to do was pee, AMAZING! The weekend stalls were on, they really are just a rotation of fake bags, sex toys and tablets, cheap clothes and DVDs…repeatedly! Robin still hasn’t had any luck finding a lady boy lighter though, he’s beginning to consider getting porn for his friend just instead,  went into a market, it seemed to be an Arab one, there are a lots of Arabs atm, must be as Ramadan is over, saw a really weird face cover, it was metal with a moustache…I don’t know if it was a joke or for the women to buy…Robin pointed out men kept starring at my chest as I walked past, wearing my stripy maxi dress, I’d noticed earlier but forgot again, it was quite bad, men are just pervs! Tom wanted us to continue walking to try and find Siam Square which is a good bar scene according to that gay guy form our hostel it is great for Bi and Gay’s...just want we want lol. We gave up near the a shopping centre and haggled down for a tuktuk to Khao san as Robin wanted another braid, shorter and at the front as the other one is irritating him, turns out we’d taken the wrong turn for Siam square, he had shit loads of market shops, near MBK too ffs! Robin went to get him braid, another orange one as its his fav  colour, im sorely tempted to get a henna elephant tatt, its similar to the chang one and I got offered 150B for it…tempting, maybe get it before Pattaya?? Started to rain, Tom and I had half an hour to kill before we could get our foot massages, 100B for 30mintues, we were the last ones, too, mien was really soothing and in the seats we were in I near ko’d. used oil and massaged me more that focus of pressure points, so very different from the Chinese ones, still it was great as my feet stank and were sore, Tom hated his, his woman was too rough on him apparently, he was envious of mine, I actually wouldn’t have minded mine a bit rougher, get out all my knots in my feet, oh well, was still great! 

 sub way. much better than then london tube 100%!!

 a sexy chocolate milk and a hilarious hat at Chatuchek market

 the scooter in the "aiport" mall

 the most amazing toilet experience of my life!

 such a bathroom!!

queens celebrations lit up outside Khao San

 Bumped into Mark with 2 Eta’s they were planning to head back to their hotel too, he wanted to continue partying but we were all knackered, just before we got our taxi we did the “oh Hi mark” but I don’t think he got it, hopefully we didn’t offend him either l0l. Was well pleased to discover no one had stolen my bed and some of the drinkers came in and turned on the air con and then disappeared, returning in the morning, and Robin’s bed friend the gay guy didn’t show, bet Tom was happy, especially since he was too warm and was just in his boxers, he DEFINETLY would have got raped lol. Seen a good few cockroaches this time scurrying about, in the hostel and out and about, I understand Tom’s strong dislike, however he wouldn’t eat any from the vendors at Khao San, then again I wasn’t going to eat the tarantula or the scorpion that was on offer either.. They actually charge to take photos, what’s the need when I can take pics of live ones for free in my zoo house lol

MONDAY 12TH AUGUST Queens birthday/Mothers day 

C FAI

Actually got a good sleep last night! Awoke before my alarm went off, that’s a lie in until 9, that’s so late for me here…how sad my life has become, thanks Thailand lol. Got a shower, Tom took ages with his, Robin and I were packed and ready to go so we chilled on our beds, a new guy appeared to stay, definitely knew to all this sort of lark, he had that look abut him, one of the fucking foreign girl came over and was all like “ I like you but can you keep quiet people are trying to sleep, well no one was fucking quiet on Saturday night for us, not our fault they sleep at day and don’t at night, Alco’s…we weren’t even being loud ffs! Two of the woman downstairs were already fully lit, it was 10.30am when we left…Tom’s boyfriend was unconscious and beyond waking for the girl on the sofa.

Took money out as running low, got 4,000b with 150b charge, should cover me until I get paid hopefully J

The guys went on to Mochit Station I got dropped of at the grand Palace, its been all lit up at night with hundreds of fairy lights and blue and white ribbons etc and portraits of the Queen at night. During the day, as its mothers day it was packed out, sun was splitting the trees too, lots of vendors selling wares. Unfortunately the palace was closed but I wouldn’t have enough time and I can do it on my last weekend. 

Pillar shrine

 The palace!

 Buddha's Galore

When to the Pillar Shrine lots of people praying already, huge. Afterwards I got funkayy Sunglasses for 50b, black and gold :D bit more respectful looking for this fine celebratory day, Ofc shoulders and knees need covered, read somewhere about feet too but id washed my plimsolls as they stank and therefore were still damp and sludgy, however there were lots of people in sandals so I risked it. My mosquito bite from yesterday on the sole of my foot had been scratched so much it’d turned into a blood blister, so of course I burst it, it was agony! Tried to make a bandage with a wipe but it really didn’t work, dirty and sore, knowing my luck I’ll get an infection to add to my cold which as of course developed into a chest infection, as Robin says, “im Broken” least Tom has the sniffles too, when I sneezed last night they said it was cute, a nearby Thai lady who was spray painting tie dye was pissing herself, I always thought I sounded manly when I sneezed, can defiantly say I sound manly today well, throat is quite hoarse but of the C.I and the air con. Went to WAT PRA KHEO. beautiful! Got a free wine like fruit drink, obviously an tea as it was hot and we added ice to it, was tasty. There were lots of gazebo’s set up for the Thai people serving them food and drink for the start of the celebrations today, couldn’t get to see the Emerald Buddha as it was closed off as the King and Queen were going there, not sure if they were there presently but I saw 2 people male and female in white military uniform, like the ones the royals wear in the photos!! Who knows! Im going to say I did see royals well haha! There was a local school/tech in marching gear, what an honour for them to prefer for the Queen on her birthday, and im sure it’ll be televised too! Next was WAT PHO had to pay 100b for that but no matter. Had to take our shoes off and place in a bag, if you weren’t wearing something respectable enough you had to wear a green gown lol. The reclining Buddha was amazing sooo HUGE! And mother of pearl feet, spectacular! The hall itself was fantastic, done in what I deemed an 18th century styled paint, ceilings to floor was highly decorated in highly skilled artistic designs depicting the tales of Buddha but the most ornate and beautiful I have seen yet, I may actually have been more intrigued by the walls than the Buddha! The floors were marble and the ceiling was golden and red patterned, a recurring styles and patterns throughout the temple. The Buddha and the room itself was easily the length of an assembly hall in Regent! Went and got my free water that I was entitled to with my ticket and took some photos of the area outside the Buddha temple. There was a waterfall feature that people were sitting round, along with the hot sunny weather and all the many different coloured shapes and styles of the temples and shrines surrounding in the next section of the temple I went picture mad! Took some timer pics so it wasn’t just all scenery. Then camera warning came up that the memory was nearly full and I only had 150 picture spaces remaining…Rebecca’s card is 8GB! Lol this is just since Waisali =/ haha. It was round half 1 by the time, did the majority of it all, was very tired and had told Jongrak I’d head round 2 for Phaisali or Nakhon Sawan. Some frigging Asian boys -(I think Chinese but I could be wrong) -started taking photos of me! Eughh. Not in the mood, still feeling shitty but as per usual that’s not going to hold me back from much, apart from death, im a pusher, just for myself really…would that mean I’d be a good teacher? Who knows.  None of the taxi drivers would do me meter the twats! 

WAT PRA KHEO

 closed for the royals, is that them in there???

 Wat Pho reclining golden Buddha

 WAT PHO

 the mother of pearl foot

 the back of the head

ventually a tuktuk driver agreed 100B if I did the stamp thing for him, so I went to another jewellers, in no way was it as good as the one as yesterday and the same suit place as before, the driver told me to speak no Thai, and the way everyone got on was sooo different to me, like I was a stupid tourist! Less respectful to me but just as courteous of course, but the difference was there, like they couldn’t be bothered, just like I couldn’t be “bothered” to find out about their true culture and language…guess most people are like that, but just goes to show! Got to Macchit after 2, the driver wanted my number lol, when  I lied and told him I didn’t have a thai number he gave me his instead so I could get him and we could help each other next time I was in Bangkok lol, he’s called johny, apparently im beautiful, again it has to be this dress and the thai speaking I’m doing, im irresistible llf! Luckily enough a bus to thought the tuktuk driver trying to pull me was hilarious! Sat at the front, no toilet on the bus but air con and a big TV, they had English “time” on one of the shows, and then a comedy came on, the comedies here, and in Cambodia are so messed up! Like really bad panto’s, CRINGE! Then there was some movie, with bits in English, Italian and French as these 2 Thai girls went on a working Holiday, it all kept going wrong and they had to keep leaving to a new country, they were skint and kind of miserable but had each other until in Italy one of the girls got caught selling ht leftover spaghetti as take away and got deported lol. It was a random one, just like when in France the thai girl befriended a French guy who could miraculously speak thai….Ofc that’s not real, but then again its not in English films either, when thinking about films when the characters speak to foreigners who know English its completely unrealistic as the accents aren’t real, they don’t use native actors (bar Jackie Chan Ofc) and they don’t have any accent or word mistakes, NOT REALISTIC AS ALL, Jongrak calls clothes cloat-us lol. After this was some music videos, the strangest was a GAY video, about 2 GAY Thai’s, who fall in love, even though one is hot and the other looks like the gay headmaster in Suburgatory. They even get a Chihuahua and lend big wads of money to each other, lovelovelove, and get engaged, then soon after the hot one brings his fiancé on a night out with his mates, kind of ignores him then cheats on him with a mate in the loo LLF and he sees, they break up and cry and the rest of the video has them singing all sad Thai stuff. RANDOMMM! But cool that gay music vids and singers are openly acceptable particularly on public transport. had a toilet stop, got some more soy milk, its sooo nice here there black rice and soy or barley and soy or flavoured, all quite sweet, yumyum and so readily available! Got dad some scaled crisps, they could be fried fish, or snake or just crisps, who knows, if he’s a real man he will eat them! Did some reading and marked out where all I’d been in Bangkok before finally getting dropped off in Phaisali where Jongrak picked me up with another teacher and drove us to the candle ceremony for the Queens birthday celebration in the market.  I’d watched a bit of the Thai news on my phone and it showed people in white but only like 30 in white military uniform and then 3 main men, one looking very like the kings relation doing some gift ceremony under the portrait of the queen at the grand palace, maybe I did see someone ;) Felt pretty grim as my throat was dry, was knackered and wanted a throat sweet, but of course had to get loads of pictures and got pushed and prodded into place and told what to do like a doll or child. Found it irritating when I’d normally be okay with it as I didn’t feel 100% for the ceremony everyone wore blue, I hadn’t been given time to change so my c fai which I pointed out to them was my braid and the blue in my scarf! Everyone had a lit pink candle (myself included) though I wondered why not blue since pink is the kings colour? 

Chanted/sang, something them put in in a trough, quite a Buddhist ritual I felt. Got forced to try and talk to some little boy who clearly didn’t want to speak either but was made to as he lived in London or something, I really could not be fucked and told him he could go. We had dinner, needed to be so the stall owner lent me the key to pee out the back in the toilet shack of the van station, had a noodle soup was tasty and tried some pancake coconut and flower wrap dessert,yum! Finally was able to go home were I unpacked and lay in bed, shattered! Hope this cold dies a horrid death, just like I happily discovered had happened to Mary the tarantula, still curled up on the step HURRAH! Oh and earlier, when I typed “bus from Bangkok to Phaisali” into google.com which Ofc was no help and didn’t give me the information that I wanted, I did discover that my blog was the 7th link on it as I’d mentioned parts of the phrase, AWESOME!