Sleepover

Sunday, October 03, 2010
Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand
My friend Ji and one of her Peace Corps students came to stay with me this weekend. Blanka has been placed way up north in Nan, teaching English, and is in Bangkok visiting Ji for the weekend.

I met them at the bus stop near my house and we first went into Major Hollywood where they did some serious shopping . On to my condo to drop off their bags then to Central Mall for dinner. Since Blanka is way up north, she was craving some western food, so we went to Sizzler for their outrageous salad bar - complete with quail eggs.

Back to my place for some TV - neither of them has much in the way of TV channels - and sleep. Up in the morning and off to Koh Kret island in the middle of the Chao Praya River. Bought some delicious fried flowers again -fried orchids, plumeria, and others that I recognized from seeing along the road. Blanka and Ji bought some eels and frogs to release for good merit - I saw Ji doing some serious meditation before releasing hers. We got iced coffee and chai in decorated earthenware pots with strings attached for 20 baht, and I bought 2 plants in beautifully decorated hanging holders for $1.50 each - one is "to be a millionaire" (I know this because it has a sign that says so in Thai) and one is for "good luck and money."  Interestingly enough, these seem to be two different concepts to the Thais, although I have no idea why .
They also have many "little black Sambo" or "Aunt Jemima" type statues which are said to bring good luck - I would love to know the history behind this.

When I questioned Ji about this, I asked her what things symbolize good luck to Thais. We were standing near a pottery shop and she pointed to literally every single object in the shop one by one - roosters, Buddhas, Sambos, Ganesh, on and on and said, "That brings good luck, and that, and that, ..."

We ate rice noodles with three different kinds of curry in a restaurant that 1/2 hour later was flooded with at least a foot of water from the overflowing river.

Then we walked home, watched a few movies and it was time to walk my friends to the bus stop and say good bye. Ji read many of the van signs to me as we waited and I realized that I could go anywhere from my little bus stop if only I could read. For instance, Scott and I paid over 100 baht each way to go to The Mall at Ngam Wang Wan a few weeks ago, and Ji says, "This bus goes to the mall." (for 10 Baht) If only I had known.   I have GOT to learn to read.  

I did hire a Thai tutor for one hour a week - a teacher from our school who someone said is hurting financially, and she is good. But it takes me so long to remember each letter and put the sounds together that the damn bus is halfway to Bangkok by the time I decipher it.
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