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Published: November 20th 2012
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This week came and went in the blink of an eye. Time flies when you never stop moving…
By Tuesday we were finally done faffing on with visas, forms and work permits making us ‘legal Aliens’ and free to enjoy our week off. We came down from Ubon at 5am and into the smoggy half-light of Bangkok. After dropping off our bags in Hua Lam Phong train station, we procrastinated our way around the streets in anticipation of the Oriental Galleria opening. Despite Bangkok clearly having a lot to offer, we found little to do at 8am except hide from the rising heat in an internet café and drink iced coffee. In fact, apart from picking up Ben’s suit and browsing the minimalist art, (as in there were only 6 open displays), in Bangkok’s Cultural and Art Centre, the attraction of seeing Bangkok over better laid out cities (i.e. Chaing Mai), remains a mystery to me. However, music seemed the concrete capitals saving grace. Inside the Art Centre I got the chance to rekindle my love of piano and after pleading for 20minutes alone, hammered out noisy renditions of ‘Hit the Road Jack’ and ‘Perfect Day’. Outside, a man made his own original sound from a very original instrument. Using an assortment of empty plastic tubs, cans, lids and an over-turned oil drum, he beat out samba rhythms till his instruments fractured with the sheer speed and energy. Who needs a drumkit?
Maybe I judge Bangkok a little harshly but in contrast, Nakhon Sawan is a dream. Arriving early evening, we met with Holly and Beth and ate a picnic in the city’s main park. Sitting beside the giant and colourfully illuminated Chinese Dragon, you can see across the vast lake to an island containing one of three public gyms. After the chaos of Bangkok, I felt mollified watching the runners and cyclists moving steadily around us and the city lights ripple through the water.
During the next two days, we toured the 3 separate Tessaban schools which they worked in. It seems hosts share a similar relaxed attitude to actual work. We spent a whole morning driving round on errands and Beth’s plea to teach her classes were met with ‘I don’t care’ and ‘We have lunch now’. Meeting her classes I can understand the eagerness to get back. Nearly all contained bright-eyed 4-10 year olds, brimming with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn, (unlike my half-asleep M3’s this morning). The 4 of us joined Holly’s class of 15, mucking around with Zip, Zap Bong and acting out illnesses. We even got a lesson in Thai games from the students!
But the most amazing thing I saw here was the drum-dancing. A group of boys laid down a tribal beat whilst 50 girls holding long, thin drums 2-stepped towards us in lines 10 deep. The 14 year olds then stood on their instruments, slowly moving their hands in the classically Thai way of replicating a blossoming flower. This continued till they had created pyramids 2 drums and 3 dancers high. Clearly Thai students can do a lot more than Gandumstyle!
Joined by Amy and Robyn (and a Ring of Fire round later), we hit Holly and Beth’s local, Bonbon. We danced around the clubs surreal layout till the early hours before stealing past the ‘Tessaban Teacher Flats’ own security guard. Only 4 hours sleep before we had to get up…
How not to deal with a hangover. Wake up at 7am then walk on an empty, beer-filled stomach to an English camp where you will be press-ganged into running around, shouting and dancing to the overly-enthusiastic tune of Nikki. We all sweated and blinked through relentless games of ‘Banana’s’ and ‘Cat & Mouse,’ till lunchtime. Over a well-deserved Cow phat Kay (chicken egg fried rice), we listened to Nikki’s boyfriend Jay, who told us the more serious consequences of tourists messing with the King. One man drunkenly went round drawing moustaches on pictures of his majesty and is now serving a life sentence in a Thai prison! His sobering facts were counterbalanced by Nikki’s crack from her year volunteering in Thailand. We felt quite tame considering all the girls got tattoos and the boys were all involved in a motorbike crash! Still plenty of time for that…
We crashed out back at the flat and awoke to the mouth-watering promise of an all-you-can-eat/cook-it-yourself Korean BBQ. We hungrily wolfed down half-cooked bits of chicken and pork, nervously joking that we would get food poisoning later that night. We danced away our last night in Bonbon and got thoroughly gazeboed on free drinks thanks to Thai courtesy.
On the train to Bangkok, taking 4 hours longer than the bus, I watched as the sun gave way to the starry skies and the endless yellow rice fields melt into a patchwork of concrete and corrugated rooftops. At night, Bangkok’s vivid skyscrapers struck me as quite beautiful, rising above the bedlam below. Although the city is mad with traffic, tourists and nothing like the niceties in Nakhon Sawan, I’m not put off having a night out on Khai San road. It’s not like I don’t have a year to do it!
Hope everyone’s enjoying the blog and not being put off by the length! If you are, then please write a comment, then delete it and say something nice instead.
Sa Wat Dee Krap!!
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