We have not fallen off the grid...

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lapse in posts the last few days. We were in Bangkok the last few days and the hotel we were staying at did not have free WiFi and we refused to pay for internet. So, we arrived in Koi Samui today and have free internet, so the blog posts will return. First, we'll recap the last few days in Bangkok.

So, when we arrived back in Bangkok from Chiang Mai we had a tasty lunch with P'Pui and her family. See tasty food shots below:

The next day we made a day trip to Petchburi where Naa Taew (Natie's Aunt) lives. It was about a two hour trip from Bangkok. When we arrived we of course had to eat. We had a tasty lunch at a place called Relax. I had my first taste of a really good noodle dish called Mew Krab - it is fried noodles with chicken and veggies and chilies with crispy fish bits on top. It was delicious (see below). The other dish is duck feet, but I didn't try those...

We also visited a shrine to King Rama the sixth that was located on a small waterfront beach area. 

We didn't know the shrine had the same rules as a temple (no shorts allowed), so I had to wrap my sarong around my waist to cover my legs down to my knees, ha. I'm so stylish :)

Naa Taew and her family are in the middle of having a new home built, so we went to visit and see the progress. It was huge and filled with gorgeous gorgeous wood! I included some pictures below. They'll get to move in about 3-4 months. 

Our last day in Bangkok we finally were able to make it to the Grand Palace as well as the Wat Pho where the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand resides. Lung Nian (Natie's Uncle) and his son, Ji were nice enough to take us into the city to see these sites. Because of the protests going on in Bangkok, we weren't able to stay directly in downtown Bangkok, so due to this we had to take multiple modes of transportation to get into the city (the protests have also closed a lot of the roadways into downtown). First, we drove to the metro (underground), then we connected to the Skytrain (above ground). From the Skytrain, we hopped on a boat which took us down the river to the Grand Palace. It was quite the trip, but the boat ride was pretty cool as we could see all the original boathouses/piers along the water. The Grand Palace was very impressive - it is the royal residence of the King and Queen, but the temple within houses the famous Emerald Buddha (sorry, no photos were allowed of that one). 

We had a great couple of days in Bangkok and as I mentioned earlier, we just arrived in Koi Samui! More posts on that soon! Hope everyone is staying warm at home - we heard there is some snowy weather!!

Happy Birthday Joy! We will eat some Thai food for you!

Back to Bangkok

Today we are heading back to our homebase in Bangkok where will stay for two nights and then head down south to Koh Samui.  Yesterday was a fun packed day visiting the highest point in Thailand.  Once we got up to the summit, it was pretty funny on how everyone was bundled up in layers and in winter hats because it was so cold (about 52 degrees F).  Everyone was looking as us like we were crazy just wearing t-shirts. Not to say it wasn't chilly, but seeing all the winter hats and face masks was funny.   

On the way back, we stopped at a random lunch place that had Koa Mun Gai (A whole chicken that is boiled and then the broth used to cook the rice), one of my favorites.  They also had a bowl of Yen Ta Pho noodles (Sweet tangy red broth), again both for about a dollar each.

After lunch we headed temple where people come from all over to pray.

Finally, to close out the day, we went to the weekend market (which was a bit of a cluster) and then the night Bazaar where things were much less crowded.  Dinner was at a random seafood place that was gears towards foreigners, still great food but a bit more expensive according to my aunt and cousin.  We bought all sorts of goodies to bring back with us.

And now a quick flight back to Bangkok where we will do some laundry and get a hair cut.

I see White People

I now know what it means to be a foreigner, ha! As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, everyone has been joking that Natie looks like a foreigner. I have learned that the Thai word for foreigner is "Farang" (see wiki page here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farang). Of course, being a foreigner or minority has taken on a whole new meaning here for me. One of the first nights in Phrae, we went to a festival that one of the family members organizes. So, as he was taking us around the festival and showing us all the displays, I definitely felt a lot of stares or just folks looking at me. It didn't bother me at all, but I definitely could tell folks were looking. Then all of the sudden, I see a little boy who turned to look at me and then suddenly took a double take as if he couldn't believe what he saw. He then continued to tap his brother on the shoulder and whisper and point at me. Again, I thought it was pretty funny, but it certainly was an experience. 

Then the next day we were Ba Nai's house (Natie's Aunt) and we met one of his cousin's and his family. They have a little girl about 3 or 4 and when she saw me, she ran to her mother and made her pick her up and wouldn't look at me. Everyone told me that she was scared of me because she had never really seen a white person before!! Again, I didn't take it personally, but it is not something you experience everyday. I learned that it is pretty rare to see a white person in this area of Thailand, so I can understand why a kid would be scared. She eventually warmed up to me (sort of), but it was definitely a joke for the rest of the day :)

Now here are some pictures of yesterday's outing to the original capitol of Thailand (731 years old) and lunch.

Awesome bowl of hand made egg noodles with all sorts of goodness.  Only 30 bahts = 1 dollar.

Now we are off to Chiang Mai for a couple of days.