Week One in Thailand

I arrived in Bangkok at 115am...ugh! Pi Kai picked me up and away I went to my hostel in Ayuthaya. That Sunday was a lovely lazy Sunday. I met Dor an Israeli traveler in the hostel and late in the afternoon we headed over to Chao Phraya market for some stall food eating and temple seeing...unfortunately we spent more time eating and internetting and the temples closed. We did stumble upon a night market and of course ate...again! The next day we got up early and visited Wat (temple) Maha That and Wat Ratchaburana. These temples were absolutely incredible secondary to the fact they've been there for over 600 years!! After the temples my volunteer director came to pick up the 3 other volunteers and my self. We were taken to our first cultural immersion class where we learned about herbal Thai medicine. They only use herbal ingredients such as the oil from a bergamot, eucalyptus oil, cloves, galangal (thai ginger), camphor, menthol crystals...etc. I had a great time learning about their properties. Hopefully I will use my new found knowledge at home...anyone want to be my first experiment??? So the first week included a lot of learning about thai medicine and viewing temples...oh and an elephant ride!! I asked if the elephants were treated well and from what I could understand they are. So I hope my bahts went toward a good cause. Anyway, the elephant ride was great, at least that's what Allen and I thought. Our "driver" thought otherwise, because he kept shifting Allen one way and me the other. An elephant high view of Ayuthaya was beautiful! After the ride I got a little up close and personal with one of the elephants! He slobbered all over my cheek and ear!!! It was great!!! I was laughing hysterically!! Needless to say after that I washed my face and ear!!! The coolest part of the cultural immersion week was the time spent in Bang-Sai fishing village. About 20 mins north of Ayuthaya I was taken to the home of Urai. She is a wonderful host!! The house is set on stilts because it sits on the bank of the Chao Phraya river. The living conditions are definitely primitive, but nothing I haven't seen before in India. No flushing toilets and no hot water. A wood burning stove sitting on the ledge of the kitchen door with no way down if you lose a utensil while cooking. Absolutely fantastic!!! On the back side of the house is a dock and Urai has one paddle boat. She has tons of pedal bikes for volunteers who come to stay with her. So off we went on bikes to a nearby temple that also sits near the river. We went to the dock for some eats! Now it wasn't a restaurant you sat at. We sat on the dock and put our bowls on a small stool and ate Thai chicken noodle soup. So maybe some of you don't want to know this part...our bowls and utensils were washed right in the river. Take a look at the pics to see why I mention that! Also our cook creates his delicious soup right out of his boat while anchoring himself beside the dock!!! Again, where in the world would I ever have this experience!!??? That first day in Bang-Sai was a lot of bike riding which I think I not only lost 200 baht, but also 10lbs of sweat!!! That evening after I showered...again...Urai taught me a few useful Thai phrases!! I learned basic greetings, goodbyes, and introductions. The next day we went to a local village school to teach English! It was really cool. I wasn't so keen on the idea at first, but I really enjoyed the experience. The children were very eager to learn the language, studiously copying down the letters off the board and trying their best to enunciate the words correctly. At the end of teaching they really liked getting their pictures taken. Some of the boys were such hams. Oh...mostly of note to my therapy people...I could immediately pick out those children with handwriting difficulties, spatial relation issues as well as one boy who was developmentally delayed. When I asked Urai if there were separate schools for children with learning difficulties, she said no and said everyone is taught at the same pace. Sad to hear...
So our last morning there was such a great way to start the day and leave Bang-Sai! Urai woke up early to make food for the monks. We sat on her dock and awaited the monks arrival by boat at 630am. We took turns filling the monks containers with delicious curries, coconut milk, custard and water. Wow what a serene experience. Happy to be blessed by a monk!!