What a Weekend in BKK

Last weekend was one for the books.

FRIDAY

Wat Pho
I had plans to travel to an island for my last weekend before the semester resumed, but I considered my finances and wanted to save up some cash for an upcoming trip to Nepal and decided to lay low around Rangsit and Bangkok.

I spent the week of March 9 working on a paper for school, watching Netflix, reading, and playing basketball. I would usually wake up whenever. Then I would revise the paper. Next I watched (and completed season 1) of "Our Idiot Abroad" on Netflix. Around 5:30 I would head to the basketball court and play until 7:00, shower, eat, and then read until bed. I started and finished The Enemy by Lee Child. It is one of the books from the Jack Reacher series.

By Friday I had gotten bored. I decided that I would go site-seeing. Coincidentally, one of the Stenden Students, Lena from Germany, also wanted to go to Bangkok. We left at about 8:45 am. We took a truck to the highway and caught the bus to the Mo Chit train stop. We took a train across Bangkok, walked to the river, and then took a boat upstream to visit Wat Pho.

This was my first temple visit and I think I have peaked. Wat Pho is the home of the Reclining Buddha. It was stunning. I have seen plenty of amazing structures from skyscrapers to cathedrals, and monuments to sculptures and Reclining Buddha is definitely one of the most impressionable. The image of the Buddha is 15 meters high and 43 meters long (50 ft X 141 ft). It is painted gold and the feet are lined with mother-of-pearl mosaic depicted the different forms Buddha takes. There is a backside to the image. It is exactly what you would expect--the backside of a person.

Outside of the Reclining Buddha were big court yards with tiny temples and hundreds of pagodas. It wasn't very crowded when we were there and it was possible to find areas where there was no one else. It was the best way to see a top sight.

Near Entrance

From Feet

Among the pagodas 

Pagoda 

An empty hall of Buddha images (all different)

Grand Palace

Going to the Grand Palace after Wat Pho was a strategic mistake. Actually, going to the Grand Palace was a mistake in general. We left Wat Pho and made the short walk to the front of the Grand Palace. On the way, some local tried to tell us the Palace was closed and then suggested some other places to see. We of course knew we were trying to be swindled. After talking to him for a bit, answering his hustler questions, he realized he could not dupe us. Once people find out that you're not a traveler and that you go to school here, you get treated much differently. 

Once in the Grand Palace, it was very crowded. I had to give a cash deposit to rent pants, which were scrubs to be worn over my shorts. It was hot, but modest dress is understandable at a palace. The cost to get into the Palace is 500 baht (~16). Being thrifty, I remembered my student ID which showed I was a Thai student. I figured this would get me at least a discount OR even free entry. When I showed the lady my ID, she just laughed at me and said, "Not for private schools. Only for public schools. Private school, you pay." Well, that is BS. In the US a community college ID would work for the student discount. 

We enter the grand palace and walk around. Nothing was that impressive. Sure, the buildings were pretty. They were multicolored with gold roofs. In the breezeways, there were huge murals of strange temples being attacked by monsters and monkeys. We couldn't go inside any of the buildings. The first building we could enter had a Buddha image seated in the middle of the room. Photo's were not allowed, but it looked like all the images I saw at Wat Pho and was nothing close to impressive compared to the Reclining Buddha. 

We moved on to the next portion. After doing so, we realized there was no reentry permitted--no revisiting anything. We went to a weapons museum in the basement of the residence. It was swords and civil war era weapons, but I thought it was cool. After, we walked around the courtyard. We still hadn't seen the Grand Palace, but we were sure that we had walked throughout the entire area. Finally, we asked someone if we could look at their map. As it turns out, we had already seen the Grand Palace. We had even stood on the front steps. I had no idea. 

Overall, the Grand Palace was a disappointment. I would not suggest anyone visit. It is overpriced, overcrowded, and not that extravagant. It is no Windsor Palace.

Khaosan Rd.

We were waiting for Lena's Thai friend to finish school in order to meet up with her. We got some coffee and sat around a cafe as the backpackers filed by outside. Originally, our plan had been to return to Rangsit to shower and change and meet some friends to go back into the city. We changed our plans to just stay in Bangkok and rendezvous somewhere to begin the night. This meant I needed to get fresh clothes to go out in because some of the nicer clubs have dress codes. I bought a new shirt and a pair of jeans. 

We met with Lena's friend, Jess, and headed to her place to hang out before going out. We sat around and chatted for a while until all of her friends came. Then we went to a bar called Mulligan's. It was awesome. We drank beer and did shots. All of her friends are Political Science majors and they answered many questions for me. They also asked me questions. It was honestly an educational experience. All the drinks added up and we needed to get back to Rangsit. 

Saturday

Big C 

I could only sleep until 10, and I have no idea why considering we got back at 3:30 am. Nevertheless, I woke up and had breakfast. My neighbor, Leo, was going to Big C to buy a fan. Big C is essentially Thai Walmart. While we were there, I decided I was tired of having a lousy cup of tea at breakfast so I bought a coffee maker, coffee, and a coffee mug. As soon as we got back from Big C, I realized I forgot filters. Inevitably, I got back to my room and decided to take a nap. 

Danish Embassy

Some of the Stenden Students had heard about a free jazz concert at the Danish Embassy on Saturday night. It sounded like a good time and I do love some smooth sax so I had them add me to the RSVP. As it turned out, the embassy was also provided free Carlsberg beer! I had at least 8 or 9 beers while we listened to the concert out on the lawn with 300 other people. The music was great, the beer was cold, and the company was good. The Ambassador of Denmark actually came out and played some Jazz guitar! 

Jazz Concert

Danish Ambassador can party

The Jo Bros Some Guys Called One Direction

Since we were dressed nicely after the embassy concert, we decided to go to a club called Levels on Sukhamvit Soi 11. There was no cover, but a cheap, small, Thai beer was $7.75. No thank you. After maybe 45 minutes we went to the patio for some fresh air among the smokers. While we were sitting around, a few guys came out and the girls we were with were like "Those guys look like guys from One Direction." Proudly, I could not identify them. They decided to go and talk to these guys. The next thing you know, our girls were being ushered away by guys wearing black shirts and ear-wigs. The girls had been invited to party with One Direction. 

WE WERE SWOOPED BY 1D

Let a few things be known. First, they are short. All the girls we were with were taller than them. Second, they are not that impressive. It wasn't like meeting President Jammeh in the Gambia. They didn't have the star quality. Third, they are assholes. They asked one of our friends if she was with us. She responded saying we were. He then turned to the security guard and said, "Make sure those guys don't come anywhere near our area." 

They stole our women and didn't even have the decency to buy us some beers. Lord knows $7.75 per beer isn't any skin off their back…

The one plus side to 1D being there was that the club stayed open for an extra two hours. 

Eventually, the girls returned and we left the club around 4 and got a van for the group of 8 or 9. We made it back to Sita Villa around 5:30 after buying bbq pork on the street. 

The three Dutch girls with two 1D guys

 

It's Been a While

It has been a while since my last blog entry! Sorry for being behind. This is a long blog entry. I'm going to cover A week in Rangsit, Midterms/Academics/School, Full-Moon Party, Entertainment, and Food.

In Rangsit 2/20-2/28/15

Following my last blog entry on Wednesday, February 18, many of the Stenden students (the Euros that live in my building) had a study week, so they all left to travel to different places in Thailand for their week off. I, on the other hand, still had school obligations.

Being at Sita Villa was eerie because it was empty. I spent a lot of time in my room, at school, or at a coffee shop reading or working on school.

I went out to the club Wednesday-Sunday that week. So, Monday-Friday would be filled with a chill week. With the building empty and wifi strong, I figured I would catch up on Netflix and work on some school related projects.

As far as being productive goes, I outlined a 20 minute presentation on the Gambia and wrote a paper for Public Policy Analysis. I also read The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson, although this was for leisure.

As far as Netflix goes, I watched 15 episodes of West Wing and two movies.

The weekend of February 20 was graduation weekend at Rangsit. This meant that there were two full dress rehearsals and two full graduations. There were so many people in the area that it was difficult to find a restaurant without a wait (previously unheard of). There were also cars everywhere. The sheer number of people basically ruined the cell phone reception. I wanted nothing more than to leave Rangsit, but because there were so many people, it was impossible to leave. This led to more reading and Netflix.

I went to Chatuchak Market Saturday 27th to get things for the full-moon party the following week. I had a really nice day in the park on Sunday 28th.

I got tired of Thai beer and sprung for four bottles of Budweiser at a pretty price of $3 a bottle. The beer helped wash down cheese and crackers. It was a nice treat from Thai food. I also got a haircut during this week.

Make shift cooler

Tastes like home...

Haircut $6

Japanese beer for Chinese New Year

The club on a Sunday

HIGHLIGHT: I played basketball one night and finally had some success. My team won a 3 v 3 game to 11. We picked up two more guys and won three of four 5 v 5 games to 16 by two losing the fourth by a long two at 14-14. I would just like to clear things up, some of these guys are really good at basketball. A lot of them Rangsit U basketball jerseys. Maybe they have a club team? It's been interesting playing basketball here. Even after we win, my teammates will say "sorry" to me. One time I thought, "They're saying sorry? I could have swore we won…but I can't count in Thai, so maybe not." It is difficult to communicate in general because of the language barrier, which makes playing a team sport a bit challenging. Finally, I think it's interesting that everyone plays 2-3 Zone in pickup games. At home we always play man defense.




The Study Part of Abroad

Midterms 3/02-3/16/15

Comparative Politics: 3/03/15; 5 possible essays, answer 3
Theories of Democracy: class cancelled for February; no midterm

Introduction to Thai: language skills class; no midterm
Public Policy Analysis: 3/18/15; 10 page paper on any public policy topic

The midterm period takes two weeks. During this time, all classes are cancelled. In the week leading to exams I completed a public policy paper on American Drug Policies. I had to explain how policies came to be, who the major actors were, and then evaluate their effectiveness. I outlined a 20-minute presentation on Gambian politics.

I began my modeling career sitting for 3 hours so a Thai art class could draw me. It was a fun and easy way to make $15 (a lot of money for here).

I prepared for the CP exam as I would have at Columbia College. I organized my notes, reviewed highlighted passages, and checked the power point slides. I was confident going into the exam. After all, I am one of three native English speakers in the class so that should give me some advantage.

I put on my uniform and headed to a coffee shop on Tuesday March 3 to study for about three hours. I went to the classroom where I was to take the test. Each student has an assigned room to take the test. The four other exchange students and I were separated into a different room along with some accounting students to take the test. I had to show my student ID to get into the room. I don't even get carded at the club here! Once I sat down at my assigned desk, I had to sign an academic honesty form and had 3 hours to complete the test. I think I did well.

My official student ID

Art Class

After the test, I ate, packed, and then headed out for Koh Phanang for the Full Moon Party!

Full Moon Party

A hearty description:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_Moon_Party

Why
I had planned to travel during the exam period, but I wasn't sure where. Traveling alone can be a bit lonely so I wasn't sure what to do. At someone else's misfortune, I found luck. One of the Dutch guys in my building had booked a bus and accommodations at Koh Phangan island for the full moon party. However, he couldn't go because of some minor injuries incurred in a motorcycle accident the week before. I soon learned that I would be traveling with 8 Dutch girls, I had only ever met one. I wanted to go to party, and that's what I did.

Travel
We left Sita Villa at 4:45 pm and took a taxi to Bangkok. As soon as we left, I realized I forgot my sunglasses and my book. This was a serious mistake considering our destination. We got to Bangkok at 6:30 for our bus that was leaving at 7. I emphasize leaving because in all of Thailand, no time is a prompt time. The bus eventually left around 7:40 and we traveled through the night until 4:00 when we got to the pier. The ferry left at 6:30 and was supposed to take three hours; it took six. We finally arrived at our accommodation at around 1:45 pm. We traveled for 21 hours.

Accommodation
We stayed at Haad Yao Over Bay Resort. I had a single bungalow with a bathroom, king bed, porch, and ocean view. It was $19 a night. The resort also had a pool and was only a three minute walk to the beach. We were also on the quiet side of the island, far away from party central Haad Rin. The staff that operates the resort was super friendly. I ended up staying an additional two nights there.

What I did Prior
I had a chill day near the pool overlooking the water with all the girls. I mostly slept and swam and got a nice tan. The next day was Thursday, the day of the party. I wanted to be in tip top party shape by 10 pm so my day included reading and swimming at the beach from 10-1, lunch, nap, pool 3-5, snack, shower, dinner, and then the departure.

Party Time
We had a nice dinner together before the party. The girls all ordered pizza and I had a chicken sandwich, fries, onion rings, and beer. Before we left, a few of us did Tequila shots. We met two Austrian guys on the truck ride there, and we intended on partying together. Our group of 11 split into two groups of five and six. I bought some beers at the beginning in 7-eleven. Then, the austrian guys bought some buckets. Buckets are literally pales with a bunch of straws filled with various mixed drinks. There was a lot of alcohol consumed. Eventually I was separated from the group. It was chaos out there on that beach…

But I met some Norwegians, befriended them, discovered they were staying near me, and decided to party on with them. They were on holiday for a month in SE Asia. We drank and danced and wondered. We got home around 5 am.

After
The day after I paid the misery for my sins--the worst hangover I have had in Thailand. I got up at around 11 am in a sandy bed, still dressed. I showered and went to the porch. I was going to go for breakfast but I FaceTimed some people from my hammock. Then I fell asleep until 4 pm. I woke up and had an enormous breakfast of a tuna sandwich a banana pancake, coke, and a coconut shake. I stumbled up to the pool and passed out for a few hours. I woke up in time for dinner at 8 pm on the beach with the group. The girls left Saturday morning and I spent the next 2 days lounging on the beach or at the pool reading from the backpacker bookshelf and listening to music. It was quality alone time.

Travel Back
I woke up Monday morning at 7 and showered. I headed down and had breakfast and finished the last 100 pages of my book. I left the resort at 9 am, immediately got a truck taxi, and was whisked away to the pier. The driver took care of my tickets and got me on the right boat. The ferry took 3 hours and then we were packed into a bus to be shuttled to the airport. About half way there, we were ushered off the bus and made to wait in front of the bus depot for another bus to finish the journey. The 10 minute wait turned into 40 and I was cutting it close to boarding time. I got to the airport 5 minutes before boarding, zoomed through security with my blue USA passport. I got into the terminal and the line had already begun for boarding, but no one was being let on. I sat down and waited it out. We boarded 20 minutes late, but the plane was only 5 behind. I made it back to Rangsit at 6:30 pm, nearly halving the travel time on the way back. I will only fly from here on out.

HIGHLIGHT: Expenses. I spent $80 for a bus and ferry to the island, along with 3 nights accommodation. Then I spent $37 for an additional 2-night stay. I bought sunglasses for $10. Four truck taxi rides were $34. I ate about $70 of food. I spent $12 in all for the party (cover and drinks). The ferry/bus to the airport was $18. The flight back was $50. The bus to Rangsit was $1.

Total expenses: ~$312 USD for 5 nights and 6 days on a tropical island, including a sick all night beach party.

The huge ferry

Bungalow View

First seeing Phangan

Path back from beach

Poolside

Pre-party meal

Body Painting

My last lunch

Entertainment
Here is all of the entertainment I have consumed in almost 9 weeks in Thailand.

The Reading List:
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
American Sniper by Chris Kyle
1984 by George Orwell
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
Calico Joe by John Grisham
The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson
The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
The Hit by David Baldacci

Comparative Politics by Joseph L. Klesner; ch. 1-4, 7-8, 19
Public Policy by Michael E. Kraft; ch 1-4

Cinema Movies:
Into the Woods
Taken 3
American Sniper
Tracers
Jupiter Ascending
Unbroken

Netflix:
West Wing Season (5 episodes 12-22/Season 6 episodes 1-7)
The Interview
Seven Years in Tibet
The Rum Diary (via Amazon)


Food
As always the food is good, but I do grow tired of it.

Frozen Ovaltine

Banana Crepe and Ice Cream

McDelivery 

Love me some San Mig

Garlic Chicken w/ Rice

Green Curry Chicken w/ Rice

Onion Rings

Full American Breakfast