Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Thoo-la-kom (October)

Yes, I know- I haven't really kept up with posting regular blogs... my excuses is that we were on vacation from school all month. My school closed for a between-the-semesters break from September 27th- October 27th (between the first and second semester). However, my Mom and Dad still had to work every day except for Sunday (our family day). About every other Sunday we did something together if everyone was free. We went ‘bai tieow’ (on a trip road trip) to a waterfall called Arowan and to a floating market. I took the last week of the break to go to Chiang Mai.
Floating market- about an hour drive away- It was a great experience to walk around with my family and see what food all of the floating vendors had for sale. I bought some fruit- two new types of bananas, star fruit and sapodilla. My favorite was the sapodilla. We ate a second breakfast of ‘gwit dieow’  (noodles with pork or fish balls, a few veggies and a soup). Then we went to the not as touristy area of the market and walked around. We stopped for a lunch full of seafood meat and I also got som tum (spicy papaya salad) and the Thai version of a snow cone topped with corn, sweet red beans, and canned fruit. Then it began to rain shortly after lunch, so we drove home in my dad’s new, shiny, white, Mazda Pickup truck.
Arowan Waterfall - My two cousins Pee Orm and Pee Gluay joined us too. (Pee is a title you use for people are older then you- it is pretty much calling them your older sister or brother) Aerowan was about a two hour drive away, but most definitely worth it! After first eating lunch, we went to four out of the waterfall’s seven levels, stopping to swim/ wade in the water at the third level. The water was filled with pretty large fish that were very glad to swim up to you and try to nibble your skin every time you were still for more than ten seconds. I liked the tickly feeling of the fish but everyone else was afraid to go in the water for too long because of them!
The last week (five days) of my vacation, I went to Chiang Mai to visit a family friend who lives there. I stayed with her and her granddaughter as well as my good friend Pee Bpaw. We went on lots of trips- to a famous wat (Thai word for a Buddhist temple) called Doi Sutep in the mountains, three other wats, two waterfalls, a huge ‘safari’ zoo, three markets, The Queen’s Botanical Garden, a famous scenic terrace farming area in the mountains called ‘Monjam’-( they are known for their strawberries), and just walked around the city a time or two. I really enjoyed my time visiting Chaing Mai!
I flew back on a Sunday (October 26th) and started school the next day- (happy Sarah).
More to come soon about my Halloween in Thailand….
Signing off,

buying fruit at the floating market-my host sister is in the corner
Thookathaa
I wasn't joking about the fish at Erawan!
 


floating market



walking street market in Chiang Mai
botanical garden in Chiang Mai

animal safari in Chiang Mai
me, my sister and two cousins at Erawan waterfall
Doi Sutep Temple

Monjam 

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