Koh Samed (Samet)

(Note: Sorry this is so delayed. I have had it typed out, but never uploaded this post)


Now I can see why people fall in love with this place. All seven of us have felt like we were in a dream or someplace fictional. The water is a gorgeous blue, the air is fresh, and the humidity is more than tolerable. Of course, it may help that you can walk around in a swimsuit versus business clothing. 


We got there just before noon, after a harrowing van and ferry ride. Once off the pier, we caught a truck taxi (you sit on benches in the back of the truck). We got let off at a resort with beach access and walked down to the water. The view was spectacular. The bright sand and water was just the site I needed to see. I think I had begun falling out of love with Thailand because of the city. This escape was just the thing I needed. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach and in the surf. We also rented some beach chairs under umbrellas and fell asleep for a couple of hours. Elissa and I took a walk down the beach and came across a restaurant/club where they have a nightly fire show. We made some reservations for that evening to have dinner before the show. We took pictures with a mermaid statue on the beach. 

Dinner was okay, not the best meal, but the view more than made up for it. There was a small band from the Philippines that played some cover songs as we ate. They were pretty good and added to the overall relaxed atmosphere. Of course, they revved up the excitement level with the beginning of the Fire Show. The shirtless men lit various apparatus on fire and continued to throw, spin, and wave them about. They certainly are fearless, at least they appear that way. The MC for the show told the crowd, "Those who drink go to sleep. Those who go to sleep do not sin. Those who do not sin go to heaven. So drink up!" Possibly an effective marketing tool :)  After the show they set up a limbo pole, that they of course set on fire. They invited the guests to walk under the pole as well. As women walked up, the performers would pick them up in their arms and limbo under the flames. I got a good video of one of the girls from our group being carried under since our seats were right at the front (well back, but at the beach edge where the fire was set up). Sitting wasn't an option as one of the performers came over and grabbed me from my seat. I was carried under and then walked back around to my seat. But this was no good as another performer came over and carried me under a second time. There was a giant tug-of-war and sack races. This ended with the opening of a dance floor where we enjoyed the rest of the evening. 

The next morning we woke up and had lunch at a cafe and walked down to the beach again. The weather was beginning to turn stormy, so we left a little after lunch for the trek back to Bangkok. I feel another visit to this island will be necessary. 

Week 3

Monday

 No, I did not have a case of the Mondays. I started the morning skyping with family as I prepared for school. When I got to school one of the teachers brought us coffee and another brought us Roti (a sweet Indian pastry). Another ray of sunshine to our office was finally having Internet access at my desk. One of my fellow American teachers figured out how to use her phone to create an Internet hotspot, and voila my iPhone was no longer a pretty paper weight. A pretty amazing way to spend a Monday morning.  I finally had speaking classes with the fourth graders today. They were a lot of fun, but very chatty.  It is amazing to see the difference in English proficiency over three years. The students are able to follow more advanced instructions and the Thai teacher does not have to translate the instructions. I did have one of my first grade classes today. It was a nice break to go back to those wonderful, smiley faces. The staff at the school have begun to erect a stage for the high school graduation on Thursday. They were testing out some of the sound equipment, and played an unedited version of Bruno Mars' "Billionaire" (those who know he song will know about the f- bomb dropped right at the beginning).  The work day ended with a stop at Big C for some groceries. And here I sit, writing today's entry in a taxi as it rains and we are stuck in typical Laoprao traffic.

 Tuesday

Second Sunday

Holy Redeemer Church, Bangkok

Sunday Mass:  I love the church that I found. It is a bus, train, and walk away from home. It took me an hour to get to mass, but was well worth the effort. Going to mass always makes me feel so much more calm and relaxed in new situations.  I remember when a family from my church in Sacramento traveled to the Philippines and the mass was still said in the old order. This mass followed the new missal and so included all of the "and with your spirit" that was still being misspoken in the states as well. 

Inside/ Altar 

I really enjoyed the cultural blend between the Thai and the catholic in the look of the church, as well as the giving of the peace. Instead of shaking one another's hands, everyone turned and "wai"d each other. The wai is the process of bringing ones hands together and giving a slight bow in respect. The level at which you hold your hands in respect to your chin denotes the level of respect. I love this feature as the church is open air with fans mounted to the walls and after the ten minute walk I am very sweaty :).  They have weekday masses in the evenings and I think I may begin to go to these at least once a week so that I can familiarize my with the community. As with any Catholic church, there is a building campaign. They are in the process of building a hall to accompany the church. 

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga bow that lights up!

     On Sunday, while we were being shown around the malls, Kelly and I were offered the opportunity to buy some  concert tickets off of one of the teachers. We snapped up that chance in a hurry, and so we waited for Friday to come. What an amazing way to end our first week in Bangkok. Actually, not even a week. We got in during the wee hours of Sunday and now five days later we are headed to an event at the National Stadium.
 I am not an OMG!! Lady Gaga fan, but the chance to see her in concert in Thailand is too hard to pass up.  Kelly and had a difficult time getting to the stadium. First lesson learned, do not get on the 92 bus to go to the BTS (Bangkok Sky Train). Luckily we hopped off and got on the MRT to make the connector. Second lesson learned, there are two stadiums (at least) named National Stadium. We went to the wrong one. In fact, we jumped back on the BTS and headed toward a connecting line for the airport rail line. We knew we were in the right direction when we saw others dressed up to go to the concert. By this time, we got off of the train at 2000, and the concert was scheduled to start at 1930.  A quick taxi ride from the rail station later and we finally arrived at the stadium. We could hear simple piano music being played and knew that the concert had not yet begun. A long walk around the stadium and we got to the entrance. Kelly had problems entering because of a silly rule about not bringing your cameras into the concert. There is a camera check just for that reason. Much like a coat check at a restaurant.  At last we made it inside, and began the trek to our seats on the third level. It was so high up, that the stage looked so small. I believe there were over fifty thousand people in attendance. We got into our seats and the concert began about five minutes later. We were so lucky, considering we got so lost.  The concert was very entertaining. She sure does but a lot of thought into the theatrics and making a show, not just singing. I was so glad that we were on the top level of the stadium because we could feel a slight breeze throughout the night. We were in no way cold, let alone cool, but the air circulation felt wonderful. She sang a mixture of new and old songs to fill about two hours of time.  That is another difference to a concert in Asia, there are no opening acts. The music we had heard prior to the start was just pumped in through the speakers. All in all, I would love to see another of her concerts from a much closer seat.   :) Pictures to come :)