First excursion

Excursion 1

The first Saturday in Thailand looked to be a promising one. The plan involved elephant trekking, white water rafting and tubing. We all met outside the resort foyer and eagerly awaited the songthaews (bakkies that have benches on the inside for people to sit on) to fetch us and take us to the first destination. The first stop was at a river with a natural slide. I was nervous at first but so keen to give it a go. I went down and it was such a rush. I almost lost my contacts a few times but still had a blast. It was a bit disappointing that only a few of us from the group were going down the slide but it had helped me find my adventure buddies who I was sticking to for the day (Tristan and Zanru - one of the guys who helped wake me up the first morning).

Next up was white river rafting. Now it was a rather dry time of the year so the river was quite low and the rafting involved a lot of bumping into rocks. There was also a moment where I almost fell out the raft (Thanks to Tristan who’s reflexes made him quick enough to catch me.) It was a pretty incredible experience because it led me to seeing even more of the Thai lifestyle. All along the river there were families in the river and children who were eager to splash us. The experience was once in a lifetime.

The rest of the time in the songthaews Tristan and I made sure we were riding on the roof because it wasn’t illegal out of the city area and the views were insane. I had a blast, even though I almost got taken out by a couple trees.

After we reached the end of the rafting we grabbed some tubes and it was time for that leg of the adventure. With the river being so low we encountered some painful bumps on the behind. And walking in the river was painful due to all the little rocks but we still had a good time. Next up was elephant trekking.

The first half of the group got to the elephant trekking and were to get going. For some reason I opted to go on an elephant with Sara and ended up sitting on the back so I didn’t really get to see much of what was going on in front of me. I did really enjoy it even though it felt like I was going to fall off quite a few times. Next up we got to wash the elephants in the river. I had so much fun and the elephants were absolutely adorable and loved the attention. There was a photographer there taking pictures of all the people doing the elephant trekking and we could buy the photos if we wanted or put them on an SD card if we had one on us. Sara and I decided to spit the cost and buy the photos. Definitely worth it.

The ride home was a bit tedious and by the time we got back to the resort we were all exhausted and eager for a swim. I will be quite honest in saying my shyness kicked in a little when it came to going outside for a swim. Sara wasn’t interested and so that left me to go venture out by myself. But Tristan and my roommate and a few other guys I had made friends with were there so it wasn’t so bad.

The orchid farm was our first stop.

The view from the songthaew.

The natural slide.

Us getting spashed by the locals.

Honestly one of my favourite pictures to date. This little boy was so excited to get in on the fun.

Washing elephants in the river.

That’s about it for the first excursion day.

Thanks for reading!

Happy wandering,

Centaine xx

First week in Thailand!

Week 1

So now allow me to properly explain why I’m currently sitting at a desk in Thailand typing this blog post. I’d always been a huge lover of animals. Well I still am. So up until about 2 years ago I had decided I would be a vet when I started working. Then physics screwed me over and I realised I’d never get accepted to the only university in South Africa that offered vet science no matter how hard I tried. But I also knew there were other ways of getting into vet science and other places to study at. So all hope was not completely lost. But the realisation that physics was an absolutely bitch threw me for a loop and left me feeling unsure of what to study after school. I had decided on a few options and applied to a few courses and different universities and got accepted for them. The world was my oyster. I could just pick one. But something didn’t feel right. I wasn’t ready to settle down and study. So after putting off registering for university way past due, it left me going for the other option I had decided on which was becoming an English teacher in Thailand. So here I am.

Time to start the course to qualify me to teach.

Day one of the course was good. I almost didn’t wake up in time so I’m still so grateful to my roommate who helped me out by waking me up. Breakfast was scary. I walked to the buffet and was worried I was going to end up eating by myself until I spotted Tristan and the couple. I was nervous about the first day but relieved I’d found my friends. The breakfast itself was something to get used to, I’m not really too keen on the idea of noodles and Thai food for breakfast. But I tucked in none the less. After that we all met at foyer of the resort and did register. It was then that I become overwhelmed by the size of my class. 54 people. I would have to do practice lessons in front of 54 people, most of whom were older than me. And public speaking is not my thing. We made our way to class in 45/48 degree temperatures. We were relieved to find the building had aircon. During the first day we were just given a brief overview of the course and what we’d be up to for the next 3 weeks. I was excited and was eager to explore with my new friends. So obviously what else to do than to go to a mall. I was excited because I’d recruited a new member Sara to our group and she was my age so I didn’t feel so alone. The mall was huge and exciting and expensive. When people picture Thailand they often picture cheap affordable etc. that’s not the case at all. Obviously you can find the cheap stuff at the markets and night bizaars, but other than that living in Thailand is not all that cheap. Well at least not in the beginning. After realising we wouldn’t find much in our budget at the mall, we ate supper and headed back to the resort (with one last longing look at Starbucks). By the time we got back to the resort it was quite late and time for bed.

Days 2 to 5 involved introductions and our first little presentation. I was extremely nervous and just hurried through my presentation, regretting my rushed performance immediately. I reassured myself that I’d do better in the next presentation. We also had photos taken which would be used to show the schools when applying for jobs. That meant long skirts for girls and ties for the guys. And we were also told that black wasn’t an appropriate colour (it was associated with death) and neither was red (considered to be an aggressive colour). So Simone, Sara and I headed back to the mall to find some light coloured clothes because we mostly had dark colours. The trip to the mall was unsuccessful and we had to settle for what we already had for our photos. After putting on make-up for the first time in weeks I was ready. (had barely any make up on) Oh and I didn’t have a straightener or anything so I had to also settle for my natural hair. Fun. The walk to class was awful and we all soon realised working was going to be hot unless we had aircons in the classroom.

But soon enough the first week was over and it was time for our welcome braai/barbeque. We were all excited to unwind and socialize. Everyone hurried off after class to get some booze and I was eager to get myself an ice cold sprite (I don’t drink alcohol, never have). Then we all met back at the building where we had our classes and eagerly awaited the delicious smelling braai meat. The braai was a perfect way to start getting comfortable with my classmates and made me feel a little less nervous for our next presentation. The braai was pretty cool, the staff had set up tables on the pavement and we were literally having a street party. As things started to unwind plan of going to a lady boy show arose. Although a few of us were sceptical at first, a group of about 12 of us plus one of our teachers decided to try it out. It is definitely one of my favourite memories here. I’ve never laughed so hard. The boys felt rather uncomfortable when the lady boys would grope them or try plant a kiss on them during the show. We all had such a blast and it’s definitely something that is a must see in Thailand, hands down. (The show we went to was at the Night Bizaar in Chiang Mai. Which is also a must see if in Chiang Mai.)

All in all, the first week was tons of fun and I was eager for our excursion the next day. And for some sleep.

This was some pretty amazing ice cream from the NIght Bizaar that was made on the spot by hand.

Night Bizaar

Night Bizaar

Night Bizaar

This is the Central Festival mall. The ground floor has a mini food market.

Some crickets we were offered as snacks during class on the day of the welcome braai.

The Ladyboy cabaret show. Unfortunately I only took videos of the show so this is essentially the only picture i have from the show.

Thanks for reading!

Happy wandering,

Centaine xx

Touchdown in Thailand

TOUCHDOWN IN THAILAND

Sawadeeka! (Hello in Thai)

On the 2^nd of April I departed Durban (South Africa) and took the +- 24-hour journey to Thailand. I am a very family and friend orientated person and saying goodbye for me was rough (I cried so many times in the airport, no jokes. And I cried on the plane once. And when skyping my parents in Dubai airport. Not proper crying, but like a few tears and sniffles.) But I’m not a complete baby, being away from home just makes me anxious. And even though it sounds quite the opposite I was extremely excited for my new adventure in Thailand. I’d been before in 2014 and absolutely fallen in love with the beautiful country and the amazing people so I knew I’d enjoy it here.

Time to leave for my gap year* in Thailand.

My flights were as follows: Durban to Dubai (6 hours), Dubai to Bangkok (8 hours) and Bangkok to Chiang Mai (1 hour). I normally love airports and flying but I have to say this trip for me was terrible. The best part was the awesome pictures I took from my window seat. The reason this trip was so bad was because I’d never travelled alone before. Okay I wasn’t completely alone but I’d only properly met the guy (Tristan) I was travelling with the day I departed. So that sucked. Plus, I was moving to a new country. And the 5-hour time difference between here and South Africa sucks ass and makes communicating with my famdamily and friends back home a little challenging. I also battled to sleep on the plane, I had a couple naps along the way but that’s it. Although, I was out like a light on the flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and had an empty seat next to me so that was quite lucky.

I love venturing around airports though and was super keen for Dubai airport because I had my heart set on checking out the Victoria’s Secret shop. No such luck, couldn’t find it anywhere at that terminal. Knowing my luck though I probably walked past it like 5 times. And I lost my travel companion for about an hour which was not nice at all. I literally walked up and down the terminal about 3 times and by the end of it my back was in absolute agony (from the giant backpack I had burdened myself with.)

Another ‘fun’ experience was at the Bangkok airport. We were getting off the plane and I saw my name on a board and started panicking, what had I done now? The person holding the sign just told me what I already knew: I had to collect my bag from baggage claim and check in for the Chiang Mai flight. After waiting for an eon for my giant plastic wrapped bag, I finally made my way to check in for my flight. Missioning to the other side of the airport was terrible, lucky for me a local traveller helped me find my way to the right place. It felt like my arm was going to fall off because my bag was so heavy (just made the weight limit. After digging out a kilo worth of toiletries.) And finally I was checked in and waiting at the gate (after replacing my toiletries at Boots.) My travel companion wasn’t there so I was forced to talk to the “problem client” of the group. But Tristan finally got back and we made friends with a couple who were embarking on the same journey as the rest of us. Having made some friends, I started feeling less anxious but more than anything I was just keen to get to the resort and settle into the room I’d be staying in for the next 3 weeks.

We only got into Chiang Mai at around 11pm and checked into the resort we were staying in at 12pm so it was a hella long day. And I had the pleasure of being the only girl sharing a room with a guy (who I’d also never met) that I wasn’t dating. But he was decent guy and gave me the bottom bunk so all was good. And he and his friends helped me out by opening my bag (my lock was broken and all I wanted to do was shower.)

*Gap year: I hate this phrase. Gap makes it sound like I’ll be doing nothing for a year which is far from the truth. I came to Thailand with the intention of teaching. So not really a gap, just year to work, explore and figure things out in my head in terms of what I’ll end up studying.

So that’s it for my first Thailand blog post. Should get the next one done before the end of next week and will be the first taste of the beautiful Land of Smiles.

These are the little iciecles on the window on the way to Bangkok (I think). 

This was the sunset view from the window as we were nearing Bangkok.

This is the view as we were flying into Chiang Mai. (sorry about my reflection in the window)

Thanks for reading.

Happy wandering,

Centaine xx