Back to work tomorrow after a nice 3 day holiday for New Years! It was great to have time to relax. Normally if I have time off like this I go on a trip but every place in all of Thailand it seemed was booked, so I stayed home minus 1 day trip to Samut Prakan’s Ancient City, which is a big park shaped like Thailand with replicas of all the countries major cultural sites, including temples, ruins, palaces, religious structures, etc. It’s a beautiful place; I used a bicycle to see it and it’s like you’re truly riding through these different areas because they do the landscape as it appears in each region. A lovely day.
I haven’t written in awhile so I’ve not mentioned many of my trips. I went home to Florida shortly after my Vietnam trip to see my mom’s wedding. While I was there for 2 weeks, I actually got married too. J It was a decision we made purely out of convenience because getting the legal requirements done in Thailand was becoming a problem. I’m glad we did though. We made it official on 11/11/11. How cool is that?! We had the ceremony in a mosque that Ismail found at the last minute after trying several. I’m happy to be married to the man of my dreams.
So when I got back to Thailand, a friend and I went to the Lopburi Monkey Festival during the last weekend in November. Many of you know by now through my various facebook pictures, that I have developed a LOVE for monkeys since coming here. I had been looking forward to the Monkey Festival since getting here and it didn’t disappoint. The coolest thing was watching many naughty monkeys sneak up on people and grab things right out of their hands! I watched several small children have their sodas, ice cream, and plates of food snatched; I watched a woman have a plastic bag full of toilet paper grabbed and I saw the disappointed monkey throw the toilet paper after realizing it wasn’t food. I also got the pleasure of feeding monkeys by hand, something I was too afraid to do in Phetchaburi. In Lopburi however you can stand inside the ruin with bars separating you from the monkeys and therefore feed them without being mobbed. It was a real treat!
Then a week later I went with the same friend to an island not far from Bangkok called Koh Si Chang. I consider it to be a real gem because it seems fairly unknown to Westerners and so still remains filled with cultural charm. In addition to beautifully clear water, and a nice beach where we stayed, it also has some beautiful wats and an amazing Chinese temple. One of the highlights was a day trip to a surrounding island where we had the place completely to ourselves. There were 2 rope swings right over the crystal clear water. The sunsets on Koh Si Chang are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. It was a lovely trip.
Lastly, I took a trip to the beautiful island of Koh Kood, which borders Cambodia and is 6 hours South of Bangkok. This island is in my top 3 of trips I’ve taken after Kanchanaburi, and Phetchaburi. Firstly, it also has this amazing feel because it’s not yet discovered as a high traffic tourist destination. There are few Westerners and apart from resorts that line one side of the island, the rest of it feels completely deserted—like you are alone in the jungle. It’s got 3 waterfalls—two of which I had to myself—beautiful clear water and sand, amazing deserted roads to motorbike through, and a favorite of mine, discovering a real Thai floating fishing village, practically unknown to tourists. No signs tell you how to get there – I just kept going on the motorbike and came to it when I reached the end of the island. It was amazing to see this small floating village, with those big fishing nets out in the water. I’m sure it will be the only time I get to see one of these authentic villages while I’m here.
So I’m back to work tomorrow after a nice little relaxed break. Lately I’ve been very busy—working on Saturdays and in addition teaching twice a week freelance, and working on my math. My husband has his ticket for our honeymoon. He’ll be here March 13th & we will both leave April 19th. I can’t believe I’ve been here almost 6 months already! 3 more months left and still so much I want to do and see. I’m going to Khao Yai National Park in 2 weeks for a few days in mid January because we have 2 days off for Teachers day and students day—actual school holidays here! Gotta love Thailand!
Pic 1: Naughty monkey at Lopburi Monkey Festival, Nov. 2011
Pic 2: Koh Si Chang, Dec. 2011
Pic 3:Floating Fishing Village, Koh Kood, Dec. 2011
Pic. 3: Ancient City, Samut Prakan, January, 2012
Pic. 4: Mosque where Ismail and I got married, 11/11/11
I wish you have taken the photo of the disapointed monkey that found toilet paper instead of food, I found myself sharing his feeling when I was reading your blog. lol
ReplyDeleteI am lucky to have you as a wife baby
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