The countdown has begun. I'll be home in 20 days!
The weather has become amazingly beautiful. It's been in the high 70s and low 80s with a nice, cool breeze all the time. Of course it gets like this 3 weeks before leaving. If only the weather had been like this the whole time, I think it would have made a huuuge difference on my perspective here. That sounds weird, but honestly--when you are always soaked in sweat as we were the first 2 months, the uncomfortableness gets in the way of enjoying things to the fullest extent. Not to say that I haven't enjoyed everything--of course I have--but never feeling clean got annoying.
It's actually almost cold here today/tonight. I'm in jeans and a sweatshirt! It's strange that 75 degrees feels "cold"... Winter in Baltimore is probably going to be very hard to get used to.
In other news. Kasey and I are traveling to Cambodia next weekend. We decided to go a weekend before the rest of our program friends go because we don't want to deal with an entire group of people trying to travel together. Far too stressful by our standards. Besides, we're going to spend the extra money and fly to and from Cambodia, rather than take a bus or train. We heard that the buses and trains are very unsafe--no thank you. We'll be flying into Phnom Penh, staying there for 1-2 days, then taking a boat to Siem Reap and staying there for 2 days and flying out of there with a different airline.
I'm extremely excited to finally see Angkor Wat. We're also going to see the famous killing fields in Phnom Penh--called Choeung Ek--where almost 20,000 people were killed during the late 1970s due to genocide.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
I'm sitting in the "Executive Loung" at the Millenium Hilton in Bangkok. Since dad is traveling around the southern part of Thailand this week, he let my friends and I stay in the hotel for a few nights. It's been really nice since we've been living very sparingly the past few months (at least, sparing compared to our lives at home).
Today we (Colin, Kasey, and I) treated ourselves to a MONSTROUS breakfast. We had so much food, it was unreal. Omelet, bacon, 2 orders of hasbrowns, 2 pain de chocolats, 3 croissants, 2 farm's rolls, 4 slices of bread, 2 English muffins, 2 banana muffins, a plate of pineapple, a plate of papaya, a plate of different seasonal fruits, 2 pots of coffee, 1 pot of hot chocolate, 2 pitchers of orange juice, a bowl of oatmeal, a bowl of cereal, 5 differents kinds of jelly, honey, salted and unsalted butter... and that's all I can't remember. I think there were a few more things. The best part is that we ate every single bite. It took us a good hour and a half of lengthy breaks in between, but we don't eat much western food, yet alone breakfast food, so we were in absolute heaven!
They are about to leave to go back to our apartment in Pathum Thani but I decided to stay here by myself for a night before dad gets back. They have a service at the hotel where they come draw a bath for you, and fill it with all sorts of essential oils and bath salts for only 400 Baht (which is about $12 or so)... so I've decided that I'm going to treat myself to a really nice bath, haha.
Yesterday we went to Bangkok's Chinatown for a few hours and walked around for a while. It was really overwhelming so we got very exhausted very fast. Afterwards, we went to Wat Traimit, the temple that houses the world's largest pure gold Buddha. Our travel book warned us that would be "particularly underwhelming", which it was, but I'm glad we at least took the time to see it. We also treated ourselves to a nice Italian dinner. Usually any kind of Western food doesn't taste so great in Thailand, but this dinner was delicious. It was well worth the expenses--about 190 Baht per dish, and we usually pay about 40 Baht (but 190 Baht is only $6 anyway!). Afterward, we went to one of our favorite Bangkok brew pubs called The Londoner. We found out that every Friday night when you order a glass of wine, you get another glass free, so Kasey and I ordered some expensive Sauvignon Blanc so we both got a glass.
That said, it's been a good week/weekend! And we're going to Cambodia next weekend!
Today we (Colin, Kasey, and I) treated ourselves to a MONSTROUS breakfast. We had so much food, it was unreal. Omelet, bacon, 2 orders of hasbrowns, 2 pain de chocolats, 3 croissants, 2 farm's rolls, 4 slices of bread, 2 English muffins, 2 banana muffins, a plate of pineapple, a plate of papaya, a plate of different seasonal fruits, 2 pots of coffee, 1 pot of hot chocolate, 2 pitchers of orange juice, a bowl of oatmeal, a bowl of cereal, 5 differents kinds of jelly, honey, salted and unsalted butter... and that's all I can't remember. I think there were a few more things. The best part is that we ate every single bite. It took us a good hour and a half of lengthy breaks in between, but we don't eat much western food, yet alone breakfast food, so we were in absolute heaven!
They are about to leave to go back to our apartment in Pathum Thani but I decided to stay here by myself for a night before dad gets back. They have a service at the hotel where they come draw a bath for you, and fill it with all sorts of essential oils and bath salts for only 400 Baht (which is about $12 or so)... so I've decided that I'm going to treat myself to a really nice bath, haha.
Yesterday we went to Bangkok's Chinatown for a few hours and walked around for a while. It was really overwhelming so we got very exhausted very fast. Afterwards, we went to Wat Traimit, the temple that houses the world's largest pure gold Buddha. Our travel book warned us that would be "particularly underwhelming", which it was, but I'm glad we at least took the time to see it. We also treated ourselves to a nice Italian dinner. Usually any kind of Western food doesn't taste so great in Thailand, but this dinner was delicious. It was well worth the expenses--about 190 Baht per dish, and we usually pay about 40 Baht (but 190 Baht is only $6 anyway!). Afterward, we went to one of our favorite Bangkok brew pubs called The Londoner. We found out that every Friday night when you order a glass of wine, you get another glass free, so Kasey and I ordered some expensive Sauvignon Blanc so we both got a glass.
That said, it's been a good week/weekend! And we're going to Cambodia next weekend!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Today we went to see Wat Pho, one of (if not THE) largest reclining Buddhas in the world. It was huuuge! I have a lot of pictures of it--I'll most likely upload them this coming week.
We also saw Wat Arun, one of the coolest looking old temples I've ever seen. The entire thing was made of mosaic tiles, small ones, so it was glistening in the sun and extremely colorful. Unfortunately my camera was dead at that part of the trip, though...
'Wat' means 'temple', in case you were curious.
My friends and I are planning a trip to Cambodia. All of our passports expire December 3rd, but we don't leave Thailand until December 13th. In order to get our passports stamped again, for another 30 days, we need to leave the country.
We plan on going to Siem Reap, Cambodia where Angkor Wat is. If you've never heard of it, then you should read about it. It's this crazy old temple (hundreds of years!) that's all overgrown with trees and monkeys and stuff. It's one of top ten most traveled locations, I believe. One of those things you can't miss. The city of Siem Reap also has a lot to offer, or so I've read. Tons of hostels for travelers, historical French neighborhood, etc... I'm really excited!
Okay, we're leaving for dinner soon so I'm gonna go. The restaurant has Thai dancers! It should be fun.
We also saw Wat Arun, one of the coolest looking old temples I've ever seen. The entire thing was made of mosaic tiles, small ones, so it was glistening in the sun and extremely colorful. Unfortunately my camera was dead at that part of the trip, though...
'Wat' means 'temple', in case you were curious.
My friends and I are planning a trip to Cambodia. All of our passports expire December 3rd, but we don't leave Thailand until December 13th. In order to get our passports stamped again, for another 30 days, we need to leave the country.
We plan on going to Siem Reap, Cambodia where Angkor Wat is. If you've never heard of it, then you should read about it. It's this crazy old temple (hundreds of years!) that's all overgrown with trees and monkeys and stuff. It's one of top ten most traveled locations, I believe. One of those things you can't miss. The city of Siem Reap also has a lot to offer, or so I've read. Tons of hostels for travelers, historical French neighborhood, etc... I'm really excited!
Okay, we're leaving for dinner soon so I'm gonna go. The restaurant has Thai dancers! It should be fun.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Wow this is the longest break I've taken from posting.
Anyway. Still not much to tell. Halloween was fun, though!
I actually didn't go out on Halloween night because I went out the night before--I can't handle going out twice, so I opted to stay in and get some rest. Yesterday, the 3rd, was the official Halloween party thrown by my university, Rangsit International College. They rented out a nearby club for the night, provided tons of food, alcohol, and a great DJ. It was a ton of fun, and COMPLETELY FREE! All of the faculty members came, too, and they all dressed up. It was hysterical dancing in a club next to 50 year old professors (one of whom is related to the King!)...
Other than that, the main things on my mind have been preparing things at school for when I return... choosing my classes for the Spring, figuring out housing, and making sure that I've completed/will complete all my requirements to graduate. At this point, I'm really excited about my schedule! The classes will be really fun and the times are even better.
Philosophy 217: Contemporary Philosophy (required for my major)
Philosophy 336: Heidegger (once a week seminar)
Art 285: The History of Photography (fulfills a requirement and seems interesting)
Psychology 281: The Psychology of Dreams (for fun)
Religion 212: New Religious Movements (about cults n' such, for fun)
Physical Education 180: Ballroom Dancing (fulfills a requirement, will be hysterical)
Monday
9:30-10:45
12:30-1:20
6:30-9:00
Tuesday
6:30-9:00
Wednesday
9:30-10:45
12:30-1:20
1:30-4:15
Thursday
3:00-4:15
Friday
12:30-1:20
Basically, 3 of my classes only meet once a week. One of them only twice a week. And the other 3 times a week. Definitely can't complain.
Dad departed from Nashville today and will be in Bangkok tomorrow night! I'll see him Friday. I'm really excited. Also, I'll only have a few weeks left here after he leaves, which will hopefully fly by really fast... like I've said before, although I have absolutely loved being in Thailand, I really miss Goucher, my friends, and my dogs (and my family but they've visited/are visiting).
Oh, and I'm seriously bummed about missing Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday, and although my university is having a Thanksgiving party, absolutely nothing beats the company and the meal at Aunt Kate's every year... :(
Anyway. Still not much to tell. Halloween was fun, though!
I actually didn't go out on Halloween night because I went out the night before--I can't handle going out twice, so I opted to stay in and get some rest. Yesterday, the 3rd, was the official Halloween party thrown by my university, Rangsit International College. They rented out a nearby club for the night, provided tons of food, alcohol, and a great DJ. It was a ton of fun, and COMPLETELY FREE! All of the faculty members came, too, and they all dressed up. It was hysterical dancing in a club next to 50 year old professors (one of whom is related to the King!)...
Other than that, the main things on my mind have been preparing things at school for when I return... choosing my classes for the Spring, figuring out housing, and making sure that I've completed/will complete all my requirements to graduate. At this point, I'm really excited about my schedule! The classes will be really fun and the times are even better.
Philosophy 217: Contemporary Philosophy (required for my major)
Philosophy 336: Heidegger (once a week seminar)
Art 285: The History of Photography (fulfills a requirement and seems interesting)
Psychology 281: The Psychology of Dreams (for fun)
Religion 212: New Religious Movements (about cults n' such, for fun)
Physical Education 180: Ballroom Dancing (fulfills a requirement, will be hysterical)
Monday
9:30-10:45
12:30-1:20
6:30-9:00
Tuesday
6:30-9:00
Wednesday
9:30-10:45
12:30-1:20
1:30-4:15
Thursday
3:00-4:15
Friday
12:30-1:20
Basically, 3 of my classes only meet once a week. One of them only twice a week. And the other 3 times a week. Definitely can't complain.
Dad departed from Nashville today and will be in Bangkok tomorrow night! I'll see him Friday. I'm really excited. Also, I'll only have a few weeks left here after he leaves, which will hopefully fly by really fast... like I've said before, although I have absolutely loved being in Thailand, I really miss Goucher, my friends, and my dogs (and my family but they've visited/are visiting).
Oh, and I'm seriously bummed about missing Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday, and although my university is having a Thanksgiving party, absolutely nothing beats the company and the meal at Aunt Kate's every year... :(
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)