Miracle Fruit

While browsing the Internet, Dan came across something called the Miracle fruit. The miracle fruit is a berry that, when eaten, causes sour foods to taste sweet.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synsepalum_dulcificum)

Quite intrigued upon learning about this (and surprised that I hadn't known about it before), I began searching for where this fruit is found. I soon learned that the miracle plant could be found in Chiang Mai at one of the local flower markets.

After a couple of hours spent wandering around the market, hopelessly trying to communicate with a lot of mimicking of sour and sweet faces, I finally found the plant.

We read online that the most effective way to do it is to put the berry in your mouth for one minute and move it around your tongue. For the next hour, lemons, limes, grapefruits and sour candies tasted amazing!

Coaching CMIS

Coaching soccer has been something that I've always wanted to try.  I started training young girls when I was 16 years old, but had never coached before.  So, when I was offered the opportunity to coach the Chiang Mai International School U14 girls team, I jumped at the opportunity.

Showing up at practice the first day, I was unsure what to expect.  But, I know what I definitely wasn't expecting-- girls to show up for practice with their hair down, jeans and normal tennis shoes.

"Are you on the soccer team?" I asked a girl dressed in jeans who hopped into the songtaew headed to the field.
"Yes," she responded.
"Do you want to change before we go to the field?" I asked.
"Change?" she replied confused.

The team consisted of girls aged 11-13, some of whom had never before touched a soccer ball, and others who were quite good.  A good portion of the girls were from Thailand, and the rest from the US, South Korea, the UK, and South Africa.  There were 15 girls on the team, more than double what we needed for their 7v7 games.

In the beginning, practices were difficult, as better players would become frustrated with some of the girls who had never played before.  It was tough to find drills that were simple enough for beginners, challenging for the better players, yet fun for everyone.  And what was even tougher was trying to fit 15 girls into a 40-minute game.

But, I made it through the season, with an undefeated record, far surpassing my initial expectations, and even won the final conference tournament.

I have a feeling that this won't be my last time coaching...

Hong Kong

I pride myself in my flight searching abilities, so when I found a round-trip flight for $250 directly to Hong Kong from Chiang Mai for the Chinese New Year, I gave myself a hefty pat on the back.  One of my good friends is currently living in Hong Kong, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to visit.  Only later did I learn that my flight was actually during the New Year celebrations, and that it arrived at 12:50am, just two minutes after the Express train stopped running for the night.  Luckily, I was able to easily find a cab from the airport.

Arriving to Steph's apartment at 1:30am, I felt fully awake, and full of excitement.  But, my actions might tell otherwise.  I paid the driver and subconsciously swung the door open...right as a bus was driving by.

"No, no, no, no, no..." the driver yelled, wincing in his seat.  For what might be the longest three seconds of my life, the taxi door skidded along the bus, until the bus came to a halt.

Amused passengers on the bus made sure to document the incident with their iPhones, as I stammered to find some words that might make the situation any better.  As traffic piled up behind the bus, I apologized profusely to the cab driver, while waiting to see what would happen next.  Police officers arrived at the scene a few minutes later chattering away in Cantonese as I stood there awkwardly.  To make a long story short, my first night in Hong Kong was a memorable one.



*In case you're wondering, the taxi had insurance to cover its repair, but I had to partially cover the damage to the bus.  Well, technically I'm sure I could have easily gotten out of it since they really had no way to contact me, but $250 wasn't such a terrible price to pay.

Hong Kong was basically as expected: an overcrowded international city with small apartments, the longest skyline I've ever seen, delicious pork buns and egg custard buns...and really nice beaches!

Phuket

Phuket

This past week Dan and I ventured out of Chiang Mai for the first time in three months, to Phuket, a city a bit more well-known. When imagining Thailand, I (like most people) had always pictured picturesque beaches with transparent turquoise water, white sand and long wooden boats. Phuket is definitely the place to see this. However, you have to venture to the nearby islands to see the really beautiful beaches (and endure an hour of a potentially vomit-inducing boat ride to get there).

There is much more to Phuket than just the beaches. There are many different parts of Phuket Island. Dan and I chose to stay in Patong to be in the center of the action. Patong is by far the most touristy place I have ever visited. Most of the tourists seemed to hail from Russia, Australia and other parts of Europe. In fact, the only Thai people I spotted in the city were the ones working in the tourism industry.

In the center of Patong lies Bangla Road. Bangla Road is home to the nightlife that Thailand is famous for. Imagine a road closed off to cars after dark, littered with drunken tourists, bars, nightclubs, half-naked pole dancers, and ladyboys (some flamboyant, and some in disguise). Now, throw in some Thai people trying to sell you pictures with giant, heavily-sedated reptiles and miniature monkeys, and more Thai people pushing signs into your face advertising ping-pong and "sexy lady" shows. 

"What is a ping-pong show?" you might ask. Or perhaps I was the only one completely oblivious to the existence of ping-pong shows before visiting Phuket. Apparently if you've seen the movie Hangover II, you know what this is (I haven't seen this movie). If you're not sure what a ping-pong show is, switch on your dirtiest mind and let it wander…and wander some more…and yeah, keep going…I still don't know if you're there yet. If you're curious, google it. Although I am usually enticed by new experiences, Dan and I opted against the ping-pong show because of some of the horror stories we had heard about the sex trade and treatment of the women performing the shows.

These are some of the options of shows we could choose from:

As would be expected from any tourist destination the price of things was quadruple the price in Chiang Mai. Okay, I'll admit $5-8 for a meal is still a good price, but Dan and I took it upon ourselves to try to avoid the tourist trap and venture around until we found a restaurant where Thai people were eating. That restaurant happened to be in the parking garage at the local mall, so most of our lunches were spent alongside mall employees.

Alongside Bangla Road are tons of markets selling your typical clothing, souvenirs, and accessories. One afternoon I thought that it might be a good idea to search for sundresses in the local market. The moment I walked into the market, the vendors immediately latched onto me and began pestering. As I browsed their shops, and they followed just inches behind me, the dialogue went something like this:

Vendor: "Hello. Where you from?"

Me: "Sawadeeka." My eyes scan the sundresses.

Vendor: "You like dress. I get for you."

I wonder what dress they are talking about because I have not yet expressed interest in any of the dresses.

Me: "Mai, kop khun ka." (No, thank you.)

The vendor reaches for a dress and takes it off the rack to show to me.

Me: "Mai, kop khun ka." (No, thank you.) "I can look by myself."

Vendor: "No like? Try this one." Vendor proceeds to grab a different dress off the wall and put directly in front of me.

Me: "Mai, kop khun ka.." (No, thank you.) "I will look alone"

Vendor: "I know! This one for you. I give you. 700 baht. Here you go…" The vendor goes to the corner to grab a plastic bag.

Me: "Mai, kop khun ka." (No, thank you.)

The dialogue continues like that until I eventually manage to maneuver my way out of the shop or I decide to make a purchase (after bargaining them down to about ⅓ of their initial ludicrous price).

Once I asked the woman if I could try the dress on over my clothes, and she replied yes. Before the dress was fully on my body, the women was complimenting it. "Perfect! You beautiful. You buy dress." When I tried to tell her that I didn't like it (for a good reason: it was obviously too big even on top of my jean shorts and t-shirt), she proceeded to yell at me. "One size for all. You try, you buy." I couldn't help but laugh as I walked away…

Visa run
Dan and I knew when planning our trip to Phuket that we would have to squeeze in a visa run. We were approaching our 90 day mark, and our 3 time re-entry tourist visa requires us to leave the country after 90 days for a 60 day extension (We can get a 30 day extension from inside Thailand). The fastest visa run from Phuket is a 4 hour drive and a 30 minute boat ride across the border into Burma. The van service informed us that we'd be picked up at 5:40am, driven to Burma, fed both breakfast and lunch, and be back to our hostel by 6pm. Our driver was an hour late to pick us up, but by being outside at 5:40am I was given the chance to satisfy my extreme desire of people watching, as ladyboys and drunken men stumbled towards their hostels to end their night.

If I disregard the fact that our driver didn't speak a word of English, insisted upon holding onto our passports for a large portion of the journey, and drove as if it were tryouts for the Olympic race car team, I guess I can say that the visa run went smoothly. Luckily, we're only planning to stay in Thailand until early March, so we won't have to do it again!

Some things I learned:

All my life I have looked at young people covered in tattoos and body piercings and wondered what might happen to them when they became older and…well, saggier. I now know the answer. They go to Phuket.

Thai beaches really are as beautiful as the pictures.

Beware of sea urchins. And don't itch microscopic jellyfish bites.

Ladyboys can easily pass as beautiful Thai women. I was unable to tell the difference when I was sober, so I can imagine how easy it might be to make this mistake when drunk.

More streets should be closed off to cars at night. It's pretty great to be able to walk down the center of the street and not have to worry about a car zooming by.

Thai performers struggle with lip-syncing American songs.

All restaurants should have menus like the restaurant below:

Celebrating Loi Krathong

I was lucky enough to be in Chiang Mai during the famous Loi Krathong festival.  Loi Krathong is a festival celebrated annually on the full moon of the twelfth month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar.

"Loi" means to float, and "krathong" means a leaf cup.  On the night of the full moon, Thai people gather near the river to release small, decorated, floating banana-leaf structures.  The Thai people say that this symbolizes the washing away of last year's misfortunes.

Often coinciding with this, or at a very close date is "Yi Peng," another festival where thousands of sky lanterns are released into the sky.  This year, the two events fell at the same time.  During this festival, thousands of Thai people gather at temples, private homes or open fields and release giant lanterns into the night sky.  On the lanterns, many Thai people write their hopes for the future.  

Watching the lanterns float off into the sky is one of the most amazing sights I have ever witnessed...

Some other things I learned: 

Be weary of crowded festivals when you have a slight case of claustrophobia. (I guess I already knew this, but I often forget...)

In the the United States, events are a lot better planned and structured than in Thailand.  When trying to exit the festival and make our way back to our transportation, there were no signs directing people as to which way to walk to get to the exit.  This resulted in complete chaos as people pushed one another, walking in opposite directions, but all attempting to get to the same place.

It's difficult to sit through a 30-minute Buddhist ceremony on your knees, while not understanding one word of what was being said.

Cost of Living in Chiang Mai

It's hard to believe that I've been in Thailand for three months now.

When speaking to people back home, I am often asked the question, "How can you afford to travel so much?"

Here's the answer...

A breakdown of my monthly expenses:

Rent: $400 or $200 per person (We are splurging for a one-bedroom apartment in the nicest part of the city to keep our sanity since Dan doesn't really want to listen to me teaching English for 4 hours a day.  Many travelers spend about $150 a month on a studio.)

Food: $230 per person  (About $7 per person per day-- Breakfast (oatmeal or granola & milk) $1-2 per day, Lunch $1-2 per day, Dinner $2-3 per day, Late night snacks $1-2 per day, occasional splurges $20)

Our favorite local Thai restaurant also happens to be the cheapest!  Lunch usually consists of either Pad Thai or Khao Soi (Chicken and curry noodle soup), my two favorite dishes totaling in at a whopping $1 a piece.

Cell phone: $10 or $5 per person (Including initial fee-- We don't have too many friends, and often resort to email when making plans)

Internet: $34 or $17 per person (Including one-time initial set-up and router fee)

Electricity and Water: $50 or $25 per person

Drinking Water: $1 or 50 cents per person (3 cents every time we fill up 2 huge bottles)

Transportation:  approx. $20 or $10 per person  (occasional taxi and tuktuk rides, motorbike rental)

CrossFit: $70 per person

Back in the US, I was opposed to CrossFit merely because I could not convince myself that any exercise was worth the hefty fee bordering on $250 a month (especially with limited equipment).  But, in Ecuador, at about 15% of the price, I couldn't resist giving it a try.  And, it grew on me...a little too much...So, when Dan and I found a CrossFit in Chiang Mai for $70 a month, I couldn't resist.

Bridge Club: $6 ($1.25 per week + initial club fee)

Extras: $20 (Occasional massages $6 an hour, small purchases (shampoo, soap, etc...), movie tickets $4...)

Visa fees: $40 (Initial visa fee $100, 30-day visa extension fee $60, visa run to Burma $60)

US Health Insurance: $170 (Thanks to Obamacare)

TOTAL: approx. $795 a month

If I add in Travel and Entertainment: $250 (RT flight to Thailand- $400 (Thanks to my awesome flight benefits!), trip to Phuket $500, trip to Hong Kong $600, trips to nearby destinations $40), I am still spending only about $1000 a month!


On another note, did you know that elephants can be taught to paint?

New experiences

My first time driving a motorbike:

Chiang Mai is one of the few cities I've ever visited without a public transportation system, and with a limited number of sidewalks. As a result, motorbikes are the common mode of transportation.

Some might think it's odd that I have gone skydiving and bungee jumping without so much as thinking twice, but that I would be afraid to ride a motorbike. I, however, think it's completely logical.

According to the Public Health Ministry, motorcycle accidents claim the lives of 27 Thais and injure 438 every day. And from observing the motorbikes zig-zagging through traffic, cars changing lanes without signaling, and the complete oblivion to traffic rules, I'm honestly shocked it's not more than that. Also, Thais drive on the left side of the road, which can get a bit confusing at times when crossing the street, let alone driving.

Luckily, after a few friends taught me the basics of the motorbike (such as how to turn it on) I built up enough confidence (and Dan, enough trust in me) to try renting an actual bike for a day. Yesterday we drove around Chiang Mai for a few hours, and to be honest, it was quite exhilarating. We made it back alive, and although I don't think we'll be buying a motorbike for the remainder of our time here, I'm sure we'll rent again in the future!

Frozen in time:

I have read that every day at 8am and 6pm the Thai National Anthem plays and everyone stops what they are doing and stands with their hands to the side. I had yet to actually see this happen until this past weekend when I was in the market. At 6pm on the dot, everyone froze in place. Food vendors stopped selling foods, street performers stopped performing, everything came to a complete stop. It was quite a strange feeling being frozen in time...especially in the middle of a market.


Some other things I learned:

Thailand has reverse osmosis water vending machines which release filtered water for as cheap as 1 cent to fill 2 water bottles. They are pretty great.

Sushi is cheap in Thailand. I can actually eat enough sushi to make me feel full for less than $4!

Thai food is ridiculously delicious (I guess I knew this already).  I don't know how I'm going to return to eating regular food ever again.