Country-western bars and karaoke in C-buri

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The clock seemed to tick faster than usual as I tried to tie up all my loose ends in Chonburi. I was scrambling to make last-minute changes to the 'final exams' I had prepared for all the students and was also trying to pack and give away/sell the things in my apartment that I wasn't taking with me. I wanted to buy some small gifts for my one-on-one students and for the ladies in the office. There was so much to do and suddenly so little time left!

I sold my refrigerator to the lady who manages the apartment building. Though we have hardly any language in common, I somehow managed to get my point across and she somehow managed to negotiate me down in price! I was just happy to get rid of it. I still had a bunch of other 'kitchen' supplies to unload, as well as my bedding, curtains, and a number of other things. On Thursday after school, I saw Nong and Nay, my usual morning and afternoon street buddies, and I asked them to come up to see if there was anything they would want from my apartment. I wasn't sure how this would go over- if it would seem insulting or nice, but they jumped right in and signed up to take EVERYTHING! I was really glad to know that everything would have a home and I wouldn't have to dump it at school and they seemed pretty happy about the situation, too. In fact Nong started to get a little carried away and was about to take the electric pan that was still dirty even though I was trying to tell her that I needed it to cook my dinner that night.

Later that evening Nong came back to my apartment and asked me to come over for dinner. I had already eaten, but didn't want to be rude, so I headed over and brought the end of a bottle of whiskey that I had (still left over from Thanksgiving!). Nay and her husband were there, as well as Ki, a guy who works with Nay's husband. They had several dishes but all were fishy. I hated to have to say I was vegetarian, but there was no getting around it. I also told them I had already eaten, but they sent one of the kids off to the store to buy some peanuts for me, despite my protests.

After dinner, they took me out on the town. Who knew there were so many places to go out hidden away in the backstreets of Chonburi? First we went to a huge bar that had something of a country-western feel. I wasn't sure if that was an accurate description until I saw a big bull skull with glowing red lightbulbs for eyes on the stage. Next I noticed on the video loop playing on two big screens near the stage were Thai people dressed like cowboys and country line dancing! The music didn't sound particularly country to me, but it's hard to tell when you don't really speak the language. We drank whiskey and Coke and more whiskey and Coke until they finally decided that we should move on to karaoke. They insisted on paying the whole bill and wouldn't let me contribute at all!

Sadly, there were no karaoke songs for me in English, but I was able to accompany the singers on tambourine and maraca. Finally, around 1:30 we went home. I still hadn't packed and had to finish a present for one of my students! It was a fun evening, despite the fact that I couldn't talk directly to anyone except Nong, who must have been tired playing the role of the translator all night, and I didn't regret the sleep that I lost that night at all.

The next day, Nay's husband, along with Nay, her son, and Nong, took me in his pick-up to the bus station. That was a great help, because I really didn't know how I was going to make it there with my huge backpack and other suitcase. Though I didn't know these neighbors very well, they were very generous with me during my last day and I will remember them fondly.

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Photos

My typical packing style
And always up to the last minute. I had good intentions this time, but was led astray by promises of karaoke . . .

Nay's son
In the back of the truck with my bags on the way to the bus station