Talkingthailand

Bangkok Beckons

I have been teaching in Bangsaen since May. After only two days I felt a little overwhelmed. I had good days and bad days, where the lessons went ok or they didn’t. The kids are so noisy and there are 32 9 and 10 year olds- so it was very difficult to keep them engaged.

I was talking to my friend about this and he said that 32 is far too many kids to give them all the much needed attention that they deserve. Believe me, 32 in a class is low for Thailand, some schools have 50 + students. Imagine! But, he said, it is also up to the teacher to try and engage them- a 50 minute class is a long time to keep them all interested, but I needed to find ways to get them learning without them getting bored. A difficult task at hand.

Two weeks later I wasn’t feeling much better. I always looked forward to the weekend, when I could just forget about work for two days. Not that I wanted to wish my life away, but I was thinking that I couldn’t do more than a year at this school. I mean teaching was great, and the kids are cute-very noisy and some of them have proper attitudes- but they are cute, and their little characters were just starting to emerge- so some of them made me laugh every day.

Nearly two months in and, dare I say it, it was going well. I was halfway to enjoying the teaching, but I realised I prefer teaching older students. The younger ones are so noisy, and a little harder to control, and this is not helped by the co-worker who talks in Thai to them when I am trying to teach them. (This has got a little better after having a few kindly words in his ear). When the classes went well, it really is a pleasure to teach the students, but the bad classes leave me feeling like I cannot teach-it’s a little soul destroying. But I decided I was sticking with it, although I was always on the look-out for another job.

So I knew I had to get out but I didn’t know which way to turn- go back to Surin, go to Sri Lanka or last resort go home? Yes, Sri Lanka is on my mind a lot at the moment. Maybe it is time for me to experience a new country, but that’s a story for another day.
It’s the atmosphere in the office that I have never liked. There is some sort of daily drama every day, and I don’t like friction, whether I am involved or not. It really sets me on edge and it doesn’t make for a pleasant working environment.

After talking to my friend, Chris, over a few civilized beers, he told me not to go anywhere yet but to apply to his company in Bangkok who were looking for female teachers. Chris is always full of guidance and advice, and he gave me the answer I was looking for.

I applied and I got the job, so am moving to Bangkok next month.

This has made me very happy- the last three months I have not been myself. Working somewhere I don’t want to and wondering whether I would even get a new job. I was planning on handing my notice in anyway at the end of the current term and exercising my plan B- move back to UK, at least until March. But at the back of my mind I never wanted to do that.

Everything about this new job sounds great- I will be teaching older students, a week off every six weeks, plus time off in December and April, so I will have time for writing and more travel. It will be a bit of a lifestyle change working evenings and weekends but it will be worth it.

I will be living in Sri Nakarin, near Bang Na. It’s a good area, outside of central Bangkok; close to a park where I can run, and cheapish condos which I am still yet to find. I have friends there already so I have a ready-made social life. And I can start to explore the parts of Bangkok that I don’t know about more easily.

I will miss teaching the kids- they really are a lot of fun but I have got to do what is right for me. So all in all a very good move for me and I cannot wait.

Bang Phra Reservoir- a good place for the soul

Around 15 km from Bangsaen, Bang Phra reservoir is a beautiful, natural place to visit. The reservoir itself is large, 40 km or so, and it is surrounded by lush grassland and woodland. There is a picnic area where you can relax by the water, and a pathway that meanders through the woods and around the reservoir. It’s a great place to go bird-watching and see the different species in their natural habitat.

It was so peaceful and quiet. We were the only ones there apart from the odd runner, or cyclist, who had taken advantage of the beautiful landscape for their daily exercise.

As we walked around we passed a viewing tower from which you can sit and watch the resident and visiting birds at different times of the year. In the distance we saw a flock of Asian Open-Billed Storks and Adjutants resting in the tree tops. Different species of birds, but from where we were we couldn’t really appreciate how big these birds actually are. According to www.thaibirding.com on a good day you may well see over 100 species- Bushlark, Prinia, Barred Button Quails, Chinese Francolin, Oriental Darters, Rufous Treepie, Laced Woodpecker to name but a few.

As someone new to bird watching and not really knowing what I am looking for, or where to look for that matter, it is kind off special to be able to see the birds through the binoculars in the first place and then, after consulting my book, to actually name what I have seen. I am getting better, but my friend is constantly asking me “what’s that”? He instantly see birds high up on tree tops, that I, even with binoculars, take several minutes to find, and then invariably too late. But as Chris says, it’s easy for him to tell me the name of the bird, but it’s better that I learn myself and that way I will remember what I have seen.

Bang Phra is a peaceful place and, even if you are not into bird watching, just taking a gentle stroll round the reservoir will sooth your soul and get you out in the fresh air.

Weekly Photo Challenge- Silhouette

Mount Lavinia- Sri Lanka……entry into the weekly photo challenge

Jungle Tripping

I had a couple of days off work, so yesterday afternoon my friends and I decided to go to Khao Kheow forest and wildlife reserve. We then went to Egret Pond at Bang Phra Reservoir to go look at birds. I wanted to go on the hunt for insects, but I soon realised that it was very difficult to take photographs of these little creatures because they don’t stopping moving, and I am not exactly the quietest when tramping through the forest. Nevertheless, here is what I came up with. 😉

One Couple’s Thoughts about Thailand

A few years ago two of my friends, Trudy and Jamie, came to Thailand for a holiday. I went to meet them in Bangkok for a couple of days. What follows is their take on the strange, yet wonderful things that they came across.

1. Tailless cats. They are everywhere in Thailand. The reason is not that the cats have broken their tails at some point, as most people may think, but more probably due to mutation and crossbreeding. Or as my friends proffered, “they may have had an electric shock, from the electricity wires”.

2. Strange people on boat piers. On a boat trip along Bangkok’s canals, we happened to share our boat with a strange dude. He was on his own, nothing wrong with that, but he sat next to me on the boat, and proceeded to talk, and talk, and talk. It was nice to chat, at first, but he felt the need to speak to us, about everything! Don’t you know it’s sometimes nice to just shut up and enjoy the surroundings.

3. Mini Floating Market. On the canal, lurking in wait is a lady in a boat who wants to sell you stuff. Bread (for the catfish), souvenirs, and beer (at highly inflated prices). She always asks if the boat driver wants a beer. I am sure they are working together.

4. Canal Trip. One piece of advice from my friends- don’t do the canal trip after a few beers.

It’s not exactly settling to the stomach.

5. Post Boxes. As part of the canal trip, you get to see some traditional Thai houses, and the people who live there. Some of the houses are nothing more than wooden shacks, and one thing that Jamie was more than bemused about was that some of these shacks had post boxes.

6. Waving Cats. Called Maneki-neko, these little figurines are thought to bring good luck to their owners.

220px-Solar-powered_Maneki-neko_with_continous_moving_arm — Maneki-neko

Trudy took an instant dislike to these cats as she thought them a little freaky.

7. Kamikaze Lizards. Cute little animals that are seen everywhere, but tend to dart away if you get too close. However, as Jamie experienced, one such lizard decided to throw itself in Jamie’s general direction, landing on his shoulder.

8. Tesco Lotus. I mean who would expect to find Tesco all the way over in Thailand; Boots, Ikea, and Marks & Spencer. Yep they are all here.

9. 7 11. A handy little corner shop in case you can’t be bothered going to the larger supermarkets. You can choose from any of the five located in the same area.

10. Vitamin B. Another piece of helpful advice; Vitamin B helps with mosquito bites. The little buggers don’t like it apparently.

11. Food. The food, oh the food. Two firm favourites of my friends- chicken with cashew nuts, and the curries. I don’t think they were bothered which curry. All of them!

12. RBV. For those not in the know- Red Bull Vodka. For some reason, if you say Vodka & Red Bull, when ordering, the Thais don’t get that; you have to order Red Bull Vodka. In a bucket preferably.

1916535_192005862121_7673687_n — T.I.T- This is Thailand

13. No Health and Safety. My friends witnessed some guys several floors up, on the outside of the building, cleaning windows, with no safety harnesses. T.I.T. after all!

14. Taxi Metres. After a little advice from me, my friends always asked for the metre to be used when taking taxis. If the driver says no, get out and get in a different one.

15. Tuk-Tuk Drivers. Don’t believe them when they say the Grand Palace is closed. It is never closed. My friends didn’t believe them, and enjoyed a nice day out.

deserted beach — Deserted Beaches- Just make sure you wake up in time to leave!

16. Deserted Islands. Apparently, when on a boat trip, you shouldn’t fall asleep on a deserted island. I am not sure whether this was Trudy or Jamie, or both of them!

17. Patpong. Be very careful if your curiosity gets the better of you, and you go into one of the many ping pong shows in Patpong. My friends got taken down a dark alleyway into the club, where they bought one drink. Five minutes later they were presented with a bill for 9000 baht. Bangkok can be expensive, but not that bloody expensive. They had watched a couple of shows- all manner of things being shot out over the audience (you will have to use your imagination for that bit). They challenged the bar staff, to which the woman replied “you have seen show, you pay”! They paid 2000 baht and quickly left. So be very, very careful if you find yourself in the same sort of situation. Suffice to say they didn’t leave a tip.

18. Football Playing Elephants. On a lighter note, elephants can play football. And Jamie decided he was going to be the goalkeeper. After trying to save the first ball, and suddenly being in pain, he let the elephants win.

My friends left Bangkok and spent the rest of their holiday on Koh Samui. They thoroughly enjoyed the time they spent in Thailand. They are planning on coming again later this year. I cannot wait to see them, to get more insight into their thoughts.

Weekly Photo Challenge-Zigzag

For this week’s challenge, share with us your own take on zigging and zagging. It can be a winding path, the Herringbone pattern on your coat, a scar: any jagged line that tells a story- Daily Post Photo Challenge

On Nut Night Market- an alternative night out

On Nut (pronounced oh noot) night market is located just beside On-Nut BTS station on Soi 50 in Bangkok. It’s a great place to hang out for the evening if you don’t want to venture too far into Bangkok.
It kicks off around 5pm but the later you get there the busier it is. At least if you get there earlier you can bag a seat. There are seating areas surrounded by market stalls (it is a market after all) where you can buy the usual stuff- clothing, souvenirs and the like. But there are also food stalls where you can buy anything from somtum and chicken or pork, to chicken with cashew nuts and rice, or something to satisfy your sweet tooth- whatever you fancy really.

When you have chosen what you want and ordered it just tell them where you are sitting and they will bring it to you. Excellent!
I have been there a few times, and one time with friends, we arrived at around 6pm, ordered our food and had a few drinks. We didn’t leave until around 1am and we wondered how much the bill would be. Don’t think that because you are at a night market, and not one of the plusher establishments in town, that things will be cheaper, because they are not. The beer prices are almost the same as what you would pay on Soi 11- 100 baht for a large tiger. The food prices, however, are much cheaper than proper restaurants (around 35 baht for somtum for example).

Nevertheless it is a great place to spend a few hours. They have local bands, playing on two stages that they have rigged up, and there is a constant hive of activity, with people coming and going.

They also have toilet facilities situated at the back which cost 5 baht. You can get change from the toilet facilitators to use in the turnstile to get in, and there is toilet roll, which is an absolute bonus. Not the cleanest, but as long as you can put up with the squat style toilet, they are right there for your convenience.

So all in all a different night out away from the bright lights of central Bangkok as long as you don’t mind the resident rats that occasionally run under your feet, I totally recommend it to get more of a local experience.

Koh Loi- perhaps Thailand’s smallest island

One Sunday afternoon I needed to get out of my apartment to get some fresh air, and in order to keep myself out of the local drinking establishment, I took myself to Koh Loi, in Sriracha.

I didn’t even know it existed until I came across it by accident when I was doing some online research. So I hopped on an orange songthaew, after checking with the driver, who confirmed that the songthaew waiting was indeed bound for Sriracha.
The journey from Bangsaen to Sriracha took less than 30 minutes- it’s 12 km away, so not far at all. The songthaew stopped opposite Paradise Park, Sriracha’s biggest mall. I could see a few tuk-tuk drivers waiting, so I got off and hailed one down.
Koh Loi is connected to the mainland by a bridge, so I asked the tuk-tuk driver to drop me this side so I could walk. He didn’t understand and pointed to the island, so I said to him in my pigeon Thai “durm, sanook”, which means drink for fun. I meant to say “dern sanook”-walk for fun. I wondered why he was giving me funny looks; poor guy must have thought I was propositioning him.
The island is located by Sriracha’s pier and it is perhaps Thailand’s smallest island. In fact it took me longer to get there than how long it took to walk around. It was busy with Thai’s, visiting for the day, and me, the only foreigner.

The first thing I saw was a huge pool with sea turtles. All sizes from small to very large. Interesting to see them but the water doesn’t look particularly clean, and am sure the pool will not be large enough to house the number of turtles there. But I read that, in the past, some of the turtles were released into the wild, so maybe they are doing some good conservation work. I hope so anyway.

Then continuing to walk around I climbed up stairs to the small temple at the top of the hill, where there were a number of people making offerings, and enjoying the views. I stood admiring the view myself before walking down the other side of the hill.

There I saw the Kwan Yin Shrine at Wat Koh Loi. This temple is hard to miss. It has traditional Chinese decoration- brightly coloured reds, greens and yellows and ornate dragons on every column.

Just by the side of the temple is an area where you can sit and relax-have a picnic, chat to friends, or simply sit and take in the surrounding area. From here you get great views of Koh Si Chang, another island off the coast of Sriracha. This would be an ideal spot to enjoy the sunset in the evenings.

On the opposite side of the island, as you walk back towards the bridge, there is a market selling food and souvenirs, and a lovely little garden area.

Although the island is small, it will take you all of twenty minutes to walk around and see everything, it is a lovely little place and so easy to get to. Go see for yourself.

Chonburi Mangrove Nature Reserve

My friends and I took a trip to the Mangrove Forest Conservation and Study Centre for Eco-Tourism. It is located just outside of Chonburi city near to the weekend dark market on Moo3 , Tambon Samet.

It is an interesting place with an elevated walkway which weaves 2.3 km around the reserve. In some places the walkway is damaged and some of the planks of wood are missing so you have to be careful where you tread.
All around are mangrove trees all different sizes-some of which have been newly planted so this area’s contribution to eco-tourism is ongoing.

There are resident mudskippers- prehistoric-like creatures that are perfectly happy in and out of water. They are amphibious fish but they use their pectoral fins to walk on water. I thought these animals were small but the ones that live in the reserve can grow to 9.5 cm. They skim across the water coming into land on a tree trunk that has fallen into the water. If disturbed they go splashing back into the water making such a noise that you may well think that there is a bigger critter lurking. There is other marine life there as well such as fiddler crabs and blood cockles and there are signs to tell you what lives in the different little pools as you walk around.

There are plenty of birds and also a colony of fruit bats. They were hanging from the trees like vampires getting ready to go off and hunt. They have a huge wing span and if you are lucky enough to see them leave the trees all at once it is a sight to see.
The water there is a mix of fresh and salt water and a murky brown colour, just the right habitat for the mangroves and the animals that live here to flourish.

There were not many people there when my friends and I went so it was quite an eerie atmosphere. It was so quiet with only nature’s sounds surrounding you.
There is supposed to be 10 baht entrance fee but we didn’t pay anything. I think it may depend on the day you visit. It is open daily from 8.30am to 6.30pm.

If you want to escape the city just for a little while then this centre is a lovely place to visit.

Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre

Bangkok is not a destination that you would normally associate with art and culture centres. But there are quite a few dotted over the city, so I decided to put my cultural hat on and visit the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre and I was happy I did, it is well worth a visit.

The centre is located at National Stadium BTS stop and opposite MBK centre, so you can’t really miss it. I got off the BTS at Ratchthwei and walked back towards the centre and was almost disappointed when I saw that there was scaffolding all over it and barriers surrounding it. I thought it was closed but I walked around and found the entrance and realised it was open.

There are five floors that circle around the main foyer, and on the ground floor there are a couple of coffee shops. The Art Café is a chic little place decorated with beautiful murals and there are easels, magazines to read, and funky jazz tunes playing.
On the first couple of floors there are more cafes. Most of them sell crafts or books, and some of them you can go to share ideas, read books, or just have a coffee. There are also little stalls selling homemade jewellery and handicrafts, and there were painters painting caricature portraits. There are ice cream cafes which sell a weird and wonderful range of flavours- cigarette (yuk), wasabi and global warming??!!

On the second floor there are a couple of rooms displaying different art and one of the exhibitions was the “Illusion of the Human Body”. Large painted canvases showing parts of the body stitched together. It was meant to represent how people turn to plastic surgery to achieve beauty when there is natural beauty in everyone.

Wandering up and around the floors there was more art- paintings, sculptures and hand-made jewellery displays. Floors seven, eight and nine are used for the main exhibitions with new ones each month. The day that I visited there was only one main exhibition. A collaboration of Thai and British artists called MD III- Monologue, Dialogue. The idea behind this exhibition was fragility and monumentality. The explanation was it illustrates nothing. It is a continuation of a conversation started eight years ago between the artists.
“ failure and nothingness are key words in art and ones that can be embraced resulting in fragility and a vision that is unexpected. Monumentality is about presence, and can be about the awkwardness of being”- quote from part of the exhibition.
Whether you understand the meaning behind this or not the pieces displayed in the exhibition are impressive. I had to guess at what “The Ghost of Jimmy the Nail” meant. It wasn’t until afterwards when doing some online research that I realised that the cotton sheets were hung in the shape of a nail and there were rusty spots on the sheets, which I think are meant to represent blood. I still haven’t fathomed the meaning, so if anyone knows please enlighten me.

The creativity and foresight these artists have is incredible. I am certainly no expert, in fact I would say I know nothing about art , but I was definitely impressed, although a little bemused, at everything I saw there.

The centre is open Tuesday to Sunday 10.00am to 9.00pm. Admission is free.
Address
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
939 Rama 1 Road, Wangmai, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

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