Ao Nang

Kate and I are currently on the bus from Ao Nang to Surithani, where we will take a boat to Ko Samui. We were picked up on the side of the road by a large tuk tuk, and dropped off on a lush side road with a small, makeshift bus station, a large bus, and 3 mini buses. Each person was given a sticker corresponding to their island destination. All 20 of us stood around a little confused and concerned that we had just been dropped off in the middle of the jungle and that we were all about to be robbed. But we're all on the bus (which strangely has siren lights in the back that will not turn off) on our way to the port and no scams seem to be in sight. This odd (yet seemingly normal for Thailand) means of transportation culminates a 5 night stay on Ao Nang beach in the Krabi province of Southern Thailand. Ao Nang Beach is a gorgeous strip of beach enclosed by massive sandstone cliffs on the Southwest side. To the north are rolling hills. The part of Ao Nang beach that we were staying on was unbelievably touristy, with more Italian restaurants than we could count.

Caroline, Amy, and me on a longtail boat

The first day in Ao Nang we decided to go over to less-crowded Rai Lay beach, which is known for its seclusion and rock climbing. We took the 10 minute longtail boat ride over past towering sandstone cliffs and turquoise waters. Our day included swimming in the calm sea, eating a $6 tuna sandwich, marveling at the rounded cliff above us and the similar rock formations on the next island over, and floating in the oh-so-salty water that felt like it was prickling our skin. We loved Rai Lay so much that we headed over the next day for a day of trekking. Kate had read about a hike to a viewpoint and a "secret lagoon." What she read failed to mention that the "hike" was really a climb, the only assistance being ropes at some points, The way up was not too bad, as you could see where you were going. The viewpoint was absolutely beautiful and totally worth it. At the viewpoint we met two women who were headed to the secret lagoon with a tour guide. He told us he would take us to the lagoon, which was a very difficult climb down. We could not imagine anything more difficult than what we had already done, or at least without the assistance of harnesses, so we followed him. The lagoon was down from where we were, and extremely muddy. I was already hesitant when I slipped on a downward slope in the mud and banged my knee, causing a few wounds and scrapes. My hurt knee and fear of falling again did not stop me from going, but as soon as we saw the verticle climb down to the lagoon, Kate and I decided to turn around. Though the climb itself was not hard, it was strategic and scary.

Rai Lay Beach East and West

me petting a giant sting ray

The next day I woke up early to go to an aquatic research center with Bob and Collin where I fed giant fish a smaller dead fish (cool? gross?), pet a giant sting ray and sea turtles, and saw uncountable adorable clownfish and seahorses. The center had some interesting fish, but was not very clean, especially compared to American standards and there was a dead sea turtle in one of the tanks :(. Later that day I got my first Thai massage. A woman on the street took us down a long stretch of beachside restaurants, which eventually turned into a row of beachside massage shops, all open-aired and thatched roofed. They were all numbered. The 5 minute walk left us confused, but relieved to finally reach number 17, which was her shop. We thoroughly enjoyed our 1 hour massage while listening to a light rain patter on the roof and the waves crashing on the beach. The best part: it only cost 200 baht ($7).
Yesterday was our last day in Ao Nang. After our intense hike day we took a long boat back with a Swiss man named Sven who told us about a family of monkeys that lived at the end of Ao Nang Beach. Bob, Jess, Kate, and I decided to check them out, thinking we would be able to see them swinging in trees above us. As we ascended the rickety staircase up a mountain, we were greeted by a monkey just hanging out on a railing. He just sat there and stared at us, clearly used to people, yet we were still scared since these are wild animals. I continued to head up the stairs and stopped as soon as I saw a baby monkey (that looked like a fetus jumping around), afraid that the mother would get over protective and attack anyone who came close enough with her sharp teeth. We finally got up the courage to move forward and stood amongst the monkeys. We saw probably 20 monkeys. Some stood on the walkway, some on the railing, walking around, not  trying in any way to avoid us. There were several young monkeys running around and playing. Though the monkeys were completely fine with our presence, I was still scared by the fact that they are wild animals and could at any moment turn on us.

me and a few monkeys

I have been meaning to update this blog for a couple of days now but haven't had much internet. I currently just arrived to Koh Phangan after a wonderful day on beautiful Koh Samui. We will be on Ko Phangan for the next five days before heading up to Bangkok!

Vegetarian Festival

Inside the temple

Sunday night Kate, Amy, Caroline, Alicia, Tess and I went to the opening ceremonies of the vegetarian festival in Phuket town. The festival started about 150 years ago by Chinese tin miners who had a horrible drought at the beginning of October. After they gave up meat for 9 days and prayed to their gods, the rains came back. The festival now takes place for 9 days in Phuket town every year and  also now involves self mutilation and other ceremonies such as walking on hot coals. It is a festival of purity, so everyone wears all white and women are not allowed to attend if they are menstrating or pregnant.

 We all headed head to toe in our white outfits to a Buddhist temple about 15 minutes walking away from our hotel, getting called "farang" (foreigner) the whole way. We didn't have to worry about getting lost, as we were able to follow the procession of people in white on motorbikes. We finally hit a street that was full of people dressed entirely in white, food vendors, and just absolute chaos. Many people who passed us had gold flakes sprinkles on their faces, and we knew that we were heading in the right direction even though we were going against the crowd. We quickly noticed that we were some of the only white people, and felt out of place and as if we were intruding.
We finally found the side street that housed the temple we had been looking for and walked up the stairs underneath the Chinese arch. Upon walking into the courtyard we were greeted by the smell of incense, a bellowing chant coming from speakers, throngs of people in white, and a tall, thin tree painted in gold. We all stood motionless, completely in awe at how out of place we felt. I have never felt so out of my element in my entire life: I had never been inside a Buddhist temple before, I was unsure what the festival was even about, and I can count the times I have been a racial minority on one hand. It was an incredibly humbling experience.

 After aimlessly wandering around looking at the different shrines around us, afraid that we may interrupt someone who was actually there to practice their religion, I kind of gave up and just stood in one spot taking it all in, knowing I was safe. Kate began talking to a Thai woman inside the temple, who told us to give a donation to the temple and pick up 18 incense sticks, 2 candles, and a roll of papers. When we reported back to her she instructed us to take off our shoes and follow her around to each alter. We lit all of our incense and began walking to different shrines, each adorned with at least 10 colorful statues of Buddhas and other deities, food, and a pot filled with ashes in which to stick our incense sticks (3 at each alter). We walked around with our incense's smoke burning our eyes, and at each alter we knelt and did the appropriate wai. June, our Thai guide, told us to be thankful that we had all met each other and to be thankful for what we have. I thought this was a beautiful way of putting things, and something I kept in mind while I participated in a religious ceremony that I had no idea about. June continuously told us how happy she was and that we had come together by fate, as she was at the ceremony alone and was happy to teach us about her beliefs and rituals.

A monk putting a string bracelet on a child. Note the man on the right holding a sword

After we had placed all of our incense sticks in their respective alters, June took us to another room inside the temple that was also an alter but had more food including bottles of water and large silver containers that looked like paint cans with a picture of a rabbit on them. She told us to sit down and then gave us a large orange candle that she had bought for us. She told us each to say what we wanted and what we needed, as a prayer to the Buddhist deities. She then lit it and placed it on the alter. She then gave us each 2 rounded pieces of wood and told us to go one by one and say what we want in our heads, throw the pieces of wood on the ground, and depending on how they fell, she would tell our fortunes. Her fortunes included things like, "it will be very difficult, but if you try really hard you will be able to acieve it," and "yes, it did not work out before but it will happen for you the next time."

The view from my temporary safe place: the opening of the temple and the gold stick

We were all so grateful to have someone to show us not only how to go through the steps of the ritual, but also explain the significance of the steps and to be thankful for what we have. What caught me most was that you tell the deities what you want and what you need, meaning that we can all want things and know what we want, but knowing what we actually need is hard,and in a way more important. As we were leaving the temple, a man that worked inside the temple chased us out to the street and spoke to
June in Thai. She turned to us and said that he was very happy that we came and participated in the ritual. Even though we were all uncomfortable the entire time, it was so nice to hear that our attempt to participate and our interest in something new not only expanded our own world views, but showed respect to the people who were participating.

 We are now in Ao Nang beach, a gorgeous resort town. Today we spent the day at the beach and tomorrow we will go on a hike through the jungle. I am excited to be on a beach and be doing some outdoor activities, but feel strange being right back in the tourist bubble, especially after taking part in such a spiritual and Thai festival. I now know that Thailand's beauty not only lies in it's pristine beaches, but also its rich and welcoming culture.

Out of the Bubble

I'm excited to explore Thailand, but going to miss amazing Nai Harn sunsets

Yesterday marked the end of my practice teaching, meaning that I am officially TESOL certified! It was a long week, but gave me a good idea of what to expect and what I need to work on for when I start teaching on November 1. After my terrible experience teaching at the orphanage the second day, I had an easy week of practice teaching at a soccer academy/orphanage 2 days and a juvenile delinquent center one day. It was exciting teaching on my own and making lesson plans all by myself.

Teaching at the Youth Soccer Academy

Now that we are done with the course, we have finally left our little tourist bubble in Nai Harn and have entered the real Thailand. As much as I loved living in Nai Harn on one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen and getting to know all of the incredible people on my program, I am ready to set out and discover Thailand. Though we are no longer all together in the same hotel, just about everyone on my program decided to go to Phuket Town for a couple of nights before most people need to head up to their teaching assignments to start work and find apartments. I along with 4 other people on my program cannot move into our accommodation, a guest house called the Grandparent's Home, until October 30, so we get to island hop and explore Southern Thailand for a couple of weeks before moving to Ayutthaya.

The English department

Two days ago I found out that I will be teaching in a government school in Ayutthaya that is walking distance from my accommodation. I will be teaching grades M1 and M4, which are 12 and 16 year olds. The other 2 English teachers at the so called "naughty school" are 2 other people from my program, so I already know 2 of my coworkers. I am a bit nervous that we are the entire English department, as there is no one to give us advice on lesson planning. The woman who placed us in the school said that she would be around frequently and would help us with poorly behaved classes. There is also another teacher that got his certification through ATI and will be teaching at another school but living in Ayutthaya that can help us with lesson planning, as he teaches high school as well.
These past few days have been exciting and sad, but I am ready to explore Thailand and to start my first real job!

 

My first Thai street food experience: noodles and chicken soup.

More Practice Teaching and My Real Teaching Assignment!

I have practiced taught for three days now and have had mixed experiences. Yesterday, I was in literally the class from hell. We were at an orphanage and teaching children between the ages of 3 and 9 the basic model, which was far too advanced for some of the kids in the classroom. Sara and I were the last group to go, and even though we knew it would be a challenge, all hell broke loose for our lesson. The kids were running around, refusing to respond to us, and beating each other up. At one point, I witnessed a little boy rip off part of a toe nail of a girl that had been rolling her eyes into the back of her head the entire morning. It was certainly a challenge and I was more than relieved when I found out that I will be teaching high schoolers in Ahyutthaya for the next 5 months.
Today, we went to an orphanage that scouts boys that excel in soccer. They were between the ages of 11 and 15 and extremely well behaved. Though I was nervous at first, my lesson went well and I am feeling a lot more confident. Tomorrow I will teach at a juvenile detention center, and then go back to the orphanage on Friday for my final day of teaching.
Now that I know I will be living in Ayutthaya with Kate, Kim, Alex, and Matthias, I am extremely relived and so excited. Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam and has ruins and temples mixed in with the new city. they also have elephant tours around the city so I will be hanging out with elephants every day!! Ice told us that we will be in 2 schools, 1 is for "naughty kids" that is walking distance from our accommodation (grandparents home), and the other has kids that are more motivated, but is a 30 minute commute from our guest house. I am honestly indifferent, as the "naughty kids" are just ones that are not as excited about learning, but that means taht lesson planning will be simpler because it will take longer to get the kids to participate.
We aren't able to move to Ayutthaya until the 30th, so Kate and I are going to go to Krabi and Ko Samui/Ko Panang and do some island hopping. It's going to be really interesting to be in Thailand but not with our group. However, we are heading up to Bangkok either the 26th or 27th and going out the night of the 27th for my birthday, so hopefully people within an hour of Bangkok will come in and we can have a reunion.

(practice) Teacher Laura

Now that I have gotten used to giant millipedes, living next to a beach, and pesky mosquitos, I have finally gotten my first practice in what I came here to do: teach.
This third and final week of my TESOL training course is practice teaching. Everything that I have learned over the past 2 weeks will  actually be practiced on real live specimens. Today we went to an orphanage about 30 minutes away from Nai Harn beach. We were told that in partners we should be prepared to teach up to 25 students ages 7-9 year olds. We were prepared to have some younger visitors to the class because they didn't want to miss out on the foreigners visiting the orphanage. All 28 of us were split up into pairs and spread in 3 different rooms. Fortunately, my partner Amy and I were first to go in our room. Our given topic was cartoons, so we used familiar cartoon characters to teach the children the words duck, cat, mouse, boy, and sponge. The kids were fairly receptive and already knew some of the words. However, we only had 8 kids, most of whom were no older than 7.
Though we over prepared for the amount of children in the class and  under prepared for their vocabulary ability, the kidswere extremely well behaved and fairly receptive.
I had a great time with the kids and so happy that I got them first became they got  rambunctious by the 4th and 5th lessons. I am still unsure of what age group I will be teaching, but I'm really excited to start teaching and get to know my students and their ability so I can actually teach them and help them improve on their language skills.
Tomorrow I am teaching hospital vocabulary in the last time slot of the day, so I will be the one handling the wild children. Later this week we will be teaching older children in a juvenile detention facility and an orphange for children who excel in soccer.
Overall, I am so excited to be Teacher Laura and for the next few months ahead!

Sunsets, Lady Boys, and Lizards

Nai Harn sunset

I haven't written in a few days because not a lot has happened (especially after such an eventful weekend in Phi Phi), and also because I've been busy with assignments and hanging out with everyone.

This week's classes were more boring than usual; we just sat in class and got lectured at. Though we were quite bored, we learned about classroom management and the difficulties taht will be facing us in the next few months became far more real. What stuck out to me most was the idea that i will have to be the leader and voice of reason in the event of a natural disaster, including fire drills, earthquakes, and, and tsunamis. I will not have to worry about the last disaster, however, because I am 90% sure that i will be in the city of Ayutthaya, which is an hour north of Bangkok and used to be the capital of Siam. It's supposed to be an amazing city. I will also be with 4 other people on my program. However, only one person has been given this information verbally, so I can still only wait and see where I will actually end up. The weather has been absolutely beautiful, and after class we have been going to the beach to enjoy the warm water, crashing waves, and most pristine sand I have ever come across. The other night John, Collin, Dylan, Annie, Alicia, and I swam around in the water and went out far enough to enjoy a beautiful sunset. We were able to see the sun go down below the horizon line, without it being blocked by a ledge that encompasses the beach we are on. We bounced up and down on the waves and just stared at the pure beauty of the place we have been living in for the past 2 weeks. I love it here so much and cannot believe that I had the opportunity to not only visit, but to call Nai Harn beach my home for three weeks.

On Friday we got out of Nai Harn and headed to Patong, which is called the “back alley of Phuket. It’s known for its wild bars, crazy partiers, prostitutes, and extreme sex shows. My excuse to go was that it was something just to see--I could not imagine streets filled with lady boys, prostitutes, and men trying to get laid (or knowing they would with a little $$).

Me, Jess, Erin, Kate, and Amy in Patong

We were dropped off at what seemed to be the main bar street in Patong. We made our way down the street to another club. Upon entering we received coupons for a free shooter* (*when you buy a drink), and a dance floor filled with people copying the moves that the lady boys on the stage in front were doing. It was quite the scene and looked more like a zumba class than a dance club.

The night ended with most of our group attending a sex show (myself not included). Everyone who went is scarred for life and cannot stop talking about the images they will never be able to get out of their heads. Though Patong is incredibly seedy and a place I would have never really imagined myself, it is a part of Thailand that is interesting to witness, since sex tourism here is incredibly popular.

Our night ended with all of us finding our way into tuk tuks—little trucks that have open backs. Our driver said that we could have fit 8 people in the back, but 7 was more than enough as the tuk tuk had a hard time making its way up the hills that separate Patong from Nai Harn. In between my bits of concern of falling out of the side of the tuk tuk and possibly needing to get out and push it, we danced our way home as the driver blasted music such as YMCA and the Spice Girls.

I am now entering the last week of my training, which means that we go to various organizations to practice teaching to REAL children. Tomorrow we are heading to an orphanage. The topic of my lesson is cartoons for 7-9 years old. I will be teaching children the words cat (Tom), mouse (Jerry), boy (Ben10), duck (Donald Duck), and sponge (spongebob). I am excited and nervous for my first real teaching experience!

On a side note: there is a little lizard in my room. One of the many little surprises I get for living in the tropics.

Ko Phi Phi

This is a very long post, but I could not take out out my enthusiasm and obsession with Phi Phi island. 18 of us woke up at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning and were on the bus headed to the ferry in Phuket town at 7:10 AM. Our classes go too late for us to get the later of the two ferries that leave each day, so we took the earliest one possible on Sunday so that we could maximize our 1 night stay. We chose to go this weekend because it coincided with the full moon...and of course, we all wanted to attend a legendary Thai full moon party.
Before landing at Pei Pei Don, our ferry took us around Pei PeiLei, which is the uninhabited of the two Phi Phi islands. As we approached Maya Bay, which is where the movie The Beach starring Leonardo Dicaprio was filmed, we were greeted by towering sandstone cliffs. When we entered the bay, we were greeted by the most beautiful tourquoise water I could have ever imagined. Everyone in the group was shocked. I stood looking up and down with my mouth gaping, absolutely speechless, when only minutes earlier I had been in deep conversation.

 Matthias, me, Dillon, Bob, Laura, Alex, Tess, Mike, and Amy at the beach

As we went along the coast of the island we continued to be amazed. The height of the cliffs and their sharp edges were unlike anything I had ever seen. From the water it looked like Pei Pei Ley was solely sandstone jutting out of the water, but somehow lush green bushes, plants, and small trees were able to survive atop the 30 story cliffs.
We arrived in the bay of Ko Pei Pei Don and were informed that we were to pay 20 baht to visit the island. We were all confused and angered at this (meager) expense, but after spending time on the island we were able to accept the charge that went to the conservation of one of the most beautiful places in the world.

 Ferry and longboat port on Ko Phi Phi Don

Because we are all unemployed at the moment, we got the least expensive staying accommodations as possible: bungalows about 3 minutes from the beach. They were a series of tiny shacks with mattresses on the ground, and a small bathroom. All that was provided were top sheets, towels, and toilet paper.

 looking into Maya Bay on Ko Pei Pei Lei

After lunch the group decided on doing various activities to make the most of the short time we had in paradise. I decided to go on a hike with two of my friends, Alex and Mattias. The hike was hot and steep, and we thought we were going to get lost in the jungle of Ko Phi Phi, but we finally made it to the top. Saying it was worth it is one of the biggest understatements I've ever made--the view was stunning. We sat on the lookout point for 45 minutes gawking at the view of the double bay that Phi Phi Don provides, with its pristine clear blue waters, lush jungle, and view of Pei Pei Ley to the left and mainland Thailand to the right. I was truly in the most beautiful place I've ever been in my entire life.

The view from the lookout on our hike.

After tearing ourselves away from our incredible view, we made our way back down the mountain into the jungle. About half way down, Matthias noticed some rustling in the trees and we stopped and stared at the monkey jumping around in the canopy above us. We finally made it down to the beach and didn't even stop at our bungalow because we couldn't wait another second to jump into the water. We got to the beach and stopped in our tracks because the tide had gone out about 600 feet. Boats were beached, there were ugly brown rocks scattering the sand, and the water looked brown. Our dreams of jumping into the crystal clear water were shattered...so we did what anyone else would do and bought some large Chang beers, found a nice spot of sand in the 2 ft deep water, sat, and took in the beautiful scenery that still surrounded us.
Around 9 we showed up at the beach unsure if Pei Pei even celebrates the full moon party, but were greeted with fire dancers outside a few of the beach side bars and djs blaring music. We painted our faces and danced away the night. We were entertained with fire hoops, fire throwers, fire double dutch jump roping, fire limbo, and fire tight rope walking. At one point there was a sign that said "full moon party" that was lit up in fire. It was quite the celebration and we all had a great night.
The next day we had to catch the ferry at 2, some of my friends and I decided to just stay on the beach and enjoy paradise for a few more hours. The tide was high so I was able to enjoy several swims in the warm, calm, and endlessly perfect depth (a little over 5 ft deep) water.
As they say, all good things come to an end, and we all headed to the dock to board the ferry. As we got on the ferry, merchants attempted to sell us plates with unknowing people getting off the ferry's pictures on them. they were absolutely hilarious, and we wondered who would ever buy them....and were also a little alarmed that maybe one day our faces would be on a plate that was to be sold at the Phi Phi ferry.
 Though most people were ready to leave the island, take a nice shower, and get out of the sun, I could have stayed for a few more days. It was so difficult for me to leave the most beautiful place I have ever been, but I cannot wait to go to more islands in the area and see their beauty as well.

fried worms

pig nose and tongue

A few nights ago I went to the night market in Phuket town. As beautiful as Nai Harn is, it was refreshing to get out and made me feel like I was actually in Asia. I had been surrounded by tourists in a tropical paradise that could have been in so many places in the world, but this market was uniquely Thailand. We were immediately overwhelmed by the amounts of stalls...and our hunger...so, led by our taxi driver Kai, we headed straight to the food. Even foods that looked familiar tasted exotic and so different than I could have imagined. We started our tour de food with a sausage on a stick that was stuffed with immense amounts of garlic. Other foods we tried included chicken liver, fish cakes, spicy mango, pigs in a blanket on a skewer, and to top it all off....a worm and a grasshopper.

The entire market completely overwhelmed us with various sights, smells, and sounds coming from all directions. After sampling the exotic assortment of food, we headed to the other stalls that sold just about everything including makeup, animals, clothes, and electronics. I had my first bartering experience by talking down a pair of fake Ray Ban sunglasses from 100 baht to 50.

about to eat our fried grasshopper and worm.

Overall, it was an incredible experience. The market was mostly Thai people, but there were quite a few white tourists as well. It was a good introduction, as I'm sure the markets I frequent in my placement will be similar in crowdedness, but not as familiar with foreigners. I will definitely have to work on my Thai numbers if I am going to succeed in bargaining in non-tourist areas. 

I just got back from Ko Phi Phi, which is the most beautiful place I have ever been in my entire life. I'll write a post about it tomorrow and upload many pictures!