Here I am, somewhere in central Thailand. Sukhothai, I think. It is Sunday, and I am spending it the way one (who, much to her father's chagrin, does not go to church... but I would be hard-pressed to find one around here anyway) should spend a Sunday... having a lovely big breakfast, and then being completely idle. I picked up The Sex Lives of Cannibals (recommended by a friend when he found I'd be going to Fiji) yesterday, and have spent the day reading (and loving!) it... when I'm not napping.
But to recap the last couple of days...
I believe I forgot to recount the facial that I had when I was still in Bangkok. Yes, another $6 well spent. I've only ever had one facial before (a gift from a parent who was a dermatologist), and it was a mini facial, so I don't really know how these things work. In Thailand, apparently, it involves rubbing lots and lots of lotion onto your face for a long, long time. Not bad. That wiped off, some orange, I believe, was smeared around. (Not orange goop, an actual orange wedge, leaving bits of pulp all over.) After that, something came dribbling onto my forehead which felt like honey. As that got smeared around, I smelled that it was indeed honey. A few steps later, cucumber slices were placed all over my face. At this point I was getting actively hungry, and wondered if they weren't working in conjunction with a nearby restaurant to get people to go!
Back to the north... After I wrote my last post, I wandered around Phitsanulok for a while. I had decided to check out the Night Market down by the river, then stop in at an actual restaurant (which would be my first, not including the ones that my aunt's friends took me to), and for dessert (!) go to the little establishment which was called "It's a Cake", which looked awfully good. I'm not sure what I was expecting from the Night Market exactly. I suppose a Farmer's Market at night. Well, it was really just a strip of shops that were open from 5 pm to 3 am. I wandered a bit, and when a little woman said "Thai Massage??" to me, I acquiesced. It cost 100 Baht. For those who haven't figured out the exchange rate yet, that would be three dollars. For an hour long massage. Sure, I was basically lying on a mat on the sidewalk. Yes, at one point her runny nose did drip a bit on my wrist. And no, she didn't stop watching TV the whole time (but those where her Stories, so how could I expect her to not follow them??). But three dollars is three dollars, and it was good.
I checked out a restaurant or two, and then was drawn back to the street vendors by the almost intoxicating aroma of sweet corn. Oh, sweet, sweet corn (not like the horrid maize that they have in Kenya). And some Pad Thai that was fantastic. But rest assured, I did go to It's a Cake, and purchased a slice of chocolate almond something. Those of you who know me well (which most of you ought to by now, having had this lovely little glimpse into my psyche) will not be at all surprised to read that as I walked up the stairs to my room with this treasure, I did, out loud, proclaim my love for it. (And yes, I went back there for some apple crumble for breakfast the next day before heading off.)
From Phitsanulok I took an hour-long bus ride to here, Sukhothai. I had already decided that I would spent two nights here, because there were so many things to do and see in the area. I checked in to this nice little guest house, which has a restaurant, a computer, nice rooms, and a nice garden, and decided that I didn't need to see any of those things at all. I would just relax until I didn't feel like relaxing any more. (Hard to imagine that I would need to relax, given all the stress that is NOT in my life right now, but I had, for some inexplicable reason, had a dream about writing progress reports (!!!!) the night before, but even in my dream I was completely unworried that others had already had their reports checked and returned, and I hadn't even started writing mine. In fact, I couldn't really think of my kids' names...) By the way, on the back of the menu here are photos of all the people who work at the guest house, along with their names and titles. My favorite is the "Manager of Textile Purification." I don't know if that is done tongue in cheek, or if it is a translation issue. Either way, it makes me happy.
I did eventually motivate a bit yesterday, and I got the bus (loose term) down to the Old City of
Sukhothai (which used to be the capital of Thailand, or the region, or province or something... I've read it a zillion times in the guide book, but obviously not cared enough to internalize it), which is now a bunch of ruins. I have to say, I did very much enjoy walking around it. I didn't walk far, for I was not on a quest to see all the ruins (there are LOTS spread over a large area). I just enjoyed the fact that it was tranquil there. I could actually hear birds and insects, and for just a moment, I could hear no cars or motorcycles in the background. It was lovely. (There had been one moment previously on my trip when I was walking around Bangkok when the lights had changed or something, and there suddenly wasn't a drone of traffic next to me. I hadn't realized how loud it was until then. The constant ringing in my ears in bed at night should have been a hint, though.) I sat on some ruins and just listened and watched. There was a group of birds near by... egrets, or herons, or possibly dodos (I'm not so good with bird identification), and I watched them. In walking around the ruins, though, I did feel like I ought to have had binoculars attached to me, and I should have been hunting for monkeys. (For any Earthwatchers reading this, there was loads of TI, but not a monkey in sight to ING the RF.) It was all very pleasant, except for the gnats which perpetually flew right into my eyes.
I caught the bus back home (almost dying from exhaust inhalation... I still don't feel like I've had a clean breath of air for a while), and did a little straw poll of the vehicles we passed on the other side of the road, for I noticed there were many trucks. In my ever so official sampling of 25 autos, the truck to car ratio was 4 to 1. But the motorcycle to auto ratio was 2:1. Translation: It's loud here.
Tomorrow I head for the hills. I probably should go rest up before the big journey...
But to recap the last couple of days...
I believe I forgot to recount the facial that I had when I was still in Bangkok. Yes, another $6 well spent. I've only ever had one facial before (a gift from a parent who was a dermatologist), and it was a mini facial, so I don't really know how these things work. In Thailand, apparently, it involves rubbing lots and lots of lotion onto your face for a long, long time. Not bad. That wiped off, some orange, I believe, was smeared around. (Not orange goop, an actual orange wedge, leaving bits of pulp all over.) After that, something came dribbling onto my forehead which felt like honey. As that got smeared around, I smelled that it was indeed honey. A few steps later, cucumber slices were placed all over my face. At this point I was getting actively hungry, and wondered if they weren't working in conjunction with a nearby restaurant to get people to go!
Back to the north... After I wrote my last post, I wandered around Phitsanulok for a while. I had decided to check out the Night Market down by the river, then stop in at an actual restaurant (which would be my first, not including the ones that my aunt's friends took me to), and for dessert (!) go to the little establishment which was called "It's a Cake", which looked awfully good. I'm not sure what I was expecting from the Night Market exactly. I suppose a Farmer's Market at night. Well, it was really just a strip of shops that were open from 5 pm to 3 am. I wandered a bit, and when a little woman said "Thai Massage??" to me, I acquiesced. It cost 100 Baht. For those who haven't figured out the exchange rate yet, that would be three dollars. For an hour long massage. Sure, I was basically lying on a mat on the sidewalk. Yes, at one point her runny nose did drip a bit on my wrist. And no, she didn't stop watching TV the whole time (but those where her Stories, so how could I expect her to not follow them??). But three dollars is three dollars, and it was good.I checked out a restaurant or two, and then was drawn back to the street vendors by the almost intoxicating aroma of sweet corn. Oh, sweet, sweet corn (not like the horrid maize that they have in Kenya). And some Pad Thai that was fantastic. But rest assured, I did go to It's a Cake, and purchased a slice of chocolate almond something. Those of you who know me well (which most of you ought to by now, having had this lovely little glimpse into my psyche) will not be at all surprised to read that as I walked up the stairs to my room with this treasure, I did, out loud, proclaim my love for it. (And yes, I went back there for some apple crumble for breakfast the next day before heading off.)
From Phitsanulok I took an hour-long bus ride to here, Sukhothai. I had already decided that I would spent two nights here, because there were so many things to do and see in the area. I checked in to this nice little guest house, which has a restaurant, a computer, nice rooms, and a nice garden, and decided that I didn't need to see any of those things at all. I would just relax until I didn't feel like relaxing any more. (Hard to imagine that I would need to relax, given all the stress that is NOT in my life right now, but I had, for some inexplicable reason, had a dream about writing progress reports (!!!!) the night before, but even in my dream I was completely unworried that others had already had their reports checked and returned, and I hadn't even started writing mine. In fact, I couldn't really think of my kids' names...) By the way, on the back of the menu here are photos of all the people who work at the guest house, along with their names and titles. My favorite is the "Manager of Textile Purification." I don't know if that is done tongue in cheek, or if it is a translation issue. Either way, it makes me happy.
I did eventually motivate a bit yesterday, and I got the bus (loose term) down to the Old City of
Sukhothai (which used to be the capital of Thailand, or the region, or province or something... I've read it a zillion times in the guide book, but obviously not cared enough to internalize it), which is now a bunch of ruins. I have to say, I did very much enjoy walking around it. I didn't walk far, for I was not on a quest to see all the ruins (there are LOTS spread over a large area). I just enjoyed the fact that it was tranquil there. I could actually hear birds and insects, and for just a moment, I could hear no cars or motorcycles in the background. It was lovely. (There had been one moment previously on my trip when I was walking around Bangkok when the lights had changed or something, and there suddenly wasn't a drone of traffic next to me. I hadn't realized how loud it was until then. The constant ringing in my ears in bed at night should have been a hint, though.) I sat on some ruins and just listened and watched. There was a group of birds near by... egrets, or herons, or possibly dodos (I'm not so good with bird identification), and I watched them. In walking around the ruins, though, I did feel like I ought to have had binoculars attached to me, and I should have been hunting for monkeys. (For any Earthwatchers reading this, there was loads of TI, but not a monkey in sight to ING the RF.) It was all very pleasant, except for the gnats which perpetually flew right into my eyes.
I caught the bus back home (almost dying from exhaust inhalation... I still don't feel like I've had a clean breath of air for a while), and did a little straw poll of the vehicles we passed on the other side of the road, for I noticed there were many trucks. In my ever so official sampling of 25 autos, the truck to car ratio was 4 to 1. But the motorcycle to auto ratio was 2:1. Translation: It's loud here.
Tomorrow I head for the hills. I probably should go rest up before the big journey...
2 comments:
Hi Lucie,
Just spent the morning with a nice cup of coffee...or two..catching up on your blog. Am amazed at all your encounters and ability to put same to word for us to enjoy! Loved the picture of the children in the school room...so much to reflect upon. Take care and here's to that next piece of chocolate you might find!
Kathy
Sorry, had to write a comment, really concerned to hear that there's no Sykes to ING the TI. Might have to speak to Jeff and see if we can get some flown over.
Post a Comment