Leaving a blazing trail in Bangkok

In the intense Thailand heat we follow our guide, C, in a neat row on the crowded Bangkok streets. He smiles often, pauses to call out “Momma” over his shoulder. Each time he does it brings out a giggle from us. His “momma,” our Aileen, shouts back that she is just fine. But that never stops him from circling back to make sure that “momma” has not fallen out of step with the group.
Our line would be hard to miss – I’m sure there is a trail of perspiration we weave from our hotel to the sky train all the way to the markets. The water seems to pour out from us to soak our clothing and run down our faces as quickly as we guzzle it from our plastic bottles. I am in desperate need of a diaper. My pants are soaked from perspiration and I am pretty sure along with our trail of perspiration, I have left prints of my derriere all over the city.
The markets are almost overwhelming as we make our way through it. Side by side, row by row unique gifts, clothing, quality handcrafted furniture, paintings, carvings and more are at each turn. You can smell the scent of cooking meat at nearby vendors. The city is alive with sights, sounds, smells and tastes. In fact, I can almost taste the thick humidity. Inside the markets we spilt up and roam leisurely. I climb the tri-level market and explore what I can. Exquisite silks and handcrafted jewelry line tabletops and counter spaces waiting for an owner. I hit the jack pot in the basement though. Unique paintings line a small square room. Bright colors, bold images and minute details capture me. I ask the young woman if she has created the wonderful artwork and she shakes her head. Her sister, who is not present, is the artist behind the masterpieces.
After lunch (old-school cafeteria style complete with karaoke entertainment) we leave the markets, get back on the sky train and head over to MBK mall. The stores are impressive. I have little luck in the clothing departments. I tease C earlier in the day by telling him, “Big Girls Get No Love in Bangkok.” Ha.

Goodbye Bangkok......Next stop: Phuket Island

Our last few days in Bangkok were full of fun activities, including the zoo, the weekend market and a great Thai show called Siam Niramit. We did a lot of new things and saw unbelievable sites. We even had the chance to feed the elephants, who slobbered all over us.
Visiting the traditional Thai village was one of my favorite things to do. We had the opportunity to witness the string ceremony. We had a piece of string tied to our wrists, while a prayer is said to bring good luck and health.

We visit the zoo

Wonderful Thai Cuisine

And it wouldn't be a good recap of our time here without some pictures of the delectable food that we've been enjoying. Thai cuisine is a wonderful combination of fragrant spices. herbs, vegetables, beef, chicken, the freshest of fish and of course sweet and colorful fruit. The food is aromatic, delicious and contains many varieties of rice dishes, sauces, soups and side dishes. Enjoy!!

Learning from one another

This morning I can’t seem to sleep for a long period of time. I went to bed a little before midnight and kind of toss and turn in the night. It is a little after 4 a.m. and since we will depart Bangkok in two days, to begin to head south, I figure now is a better time than any to write. I may not get the opportunity, nor have the time, to fully get my thoughts down later.

First off, you don’t realize quite how long 23 hours is until you’ve spent it with no where to go in an airplane. Nonetheless, when the five of us finally landed in Bangkok, after crisscrossing our way from Connecticut to Washington D.C. to Tokyo to Thailand, I don’t think we could have imagined the welcome wagon that awaited us. The people of District 3330 have been absolutely amazing. It’s funny because language is not the barrier that everyone seems to think it is (Of course, many of the fabulous people we’ve met have spoken English, so it may sound overconfident to say). When we can not understand each other very well, we do take a moment to find a better word that will contribute to understanding. But warmth, kindness, hospitality, the early roots of friendship, these are things that can be communicated without words. It is body language, demeanor and the tone in which you say anything in any language.

Jiraporn reminds me of just how similar we all are when we are on the grounds of the Grand Palace. She is a GSE member of District 3330 who will journey to our District 7890 in April. She and her other GSE teammate Unchalee, Krittika and I visited the Emerald Buddha together. As we move around the palace my team (Maggie, Brett, Jacelyn and our Team Leader Aileen) break off into twos or threes, meet up again, take pictures, chat, keep it moving – the cycle continues. I pretty much have traveled along with Jiraporn and Unchalee not only because they are awesome, but because I really love to hear them explain what each piece of architecture, painting or symbol means personally to them and their people as a whole.

We take off our shoes and sit down inside, pointing our feet away from the Buddha. We talk a bit about Buddhism; I do most of the listening and every now and then ask specific questions about prayer, worship and meditation. This is why I personally came to GSE, for these moments. You see I am captivated with studying and learning about life and how others get through theirs. About a year ago I went to Elms College on a scholarship to study religion. Not because I am taken so much with the acts of worship, but with the reasons people choose to worship. We human beings are ingrained with the need to believe in something. In order to survive in at least a happy existence we all have the inner need to be connected to something or someone - whether we choose to believe in our family, a politician, God, our friends or in the greater good of every human being. Here I am sitting with a woman I met for the first time a day before, and while I don’t know everything about her (she’s still almost a stranger), I know the feeling she talks about when she tells me about what her prayers and meditation mean to her. She finishes by telling me that in Thailand there are Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, but all, each and every one of them, are all Thai.

Time for bed

I am very tired after a long day. But the photo is an inkling of what the day held.

First day pictures!

Here are some more pictures on our first day adventures! We saw a lot in one day. Thank you very much to our hosting country!

We visited the Rotary Center of Thailand!


The Grand Palace visit was amazing! So beautiful.

Sawitree & Unchalee will be visiting us in New England next month.