Temples, BBQ, Swimming and monkeys

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Wednesday started with a Thai language lesson which was a good laugh. We all got the basics I think although most people do talk basic English here so you can get by, but saying hello to the locals always goes down well.

We then went out at about 11am to the 'Heroes' monument which is a statue to remember all of the Thais who fell in the war against the Burmese back in the late 1700's, the war in which Thialand won their independence. After this we went to a Temple which had statues illustrating the story of Singburi, the town we are staying near. Singburi translates as the 'Lion city' or 'City of the Lion' and is named after a story of a lion who was killed by his son, but then the son repented and perforemed good deeds in this area, or so the story goes.

We then had lunch en route to the main town where we did a bit of shopping and then went and relaxed for a couple of hours at the local outdoor pool, only a pound to get in and really relaxing. For dinner we went to a BBQ restaurant where by we got various fish and meats in sauces and a red hot pot with a grill style thing on top to cook your own food. It took us a while to get going but then we got the hang of it and it was really good fun, although only little bits of food every so often so not very filling. There was a traditional Thai desert too which we tried with jelly and fruit in a sauce which looked quite nice but had a very strange texture, there are no chocolate cakes around here!

Thursday was a pretty quiet day. We headed to a local basket making workshop to see how traditional weaving is done, then to a desert factory, and to a music shop where we could play Thai instuments, and then we headed back to the house for lunch. In the afternoon we had a second language lesson, didn't get much further then before to be honest, and then a Thai cooking lesson which was really good. We made a Papaya salad with chilli's so it was quite warm, and then noodles with egg and spinich which was lovely...good job really seen as it was our dinner!!

Friday was monkey day! We headed to a town about 45 minutes away which is completely overridden with monkeys. They are really sweet and don't come too close to you so you don't need to worry, they just run around and swim in their little swimming pool. We then visited a museum about Buddhism and in the afternoon went to the most impressive temple so far. It was said to be a royal temple, one of only 2 outside of Bangkok, and had three sets of stairs leading to the front door. One is said to bring you happiness if you run up it holding your breath, the second will bring you love, and the third will bring you money. Inside the temple was a pool which was said to contain holy water and you can throw in coins and make a wish, and there were about 20 huges bells just outside which you can hit to bring you luck too. The people here really believe in religion, luck and the afterlife, and who knows, maybe running up the stairs will work, we will have to see.

Friday night was a big group night out where we all went to see Thai boxing. I have to say that boxing is not really my thing but it was a really good night out. Loads of us went, had a couple of drinks and the atmosphere in the 'Baan Klang Boxing stadium' was amazing, the crowd were all make bets even though gambling is illegal and really get into it. Most of the fights were between younger guys, late teens or early 20's, but the big fight of the night was two guys in their 30's and they really had a go at each other. The french guy got a massive cut on his head which threw blood everywhere, I didn't particularly like that bit, but then in the next round the french guy had obviously had enough and hit the Thai guy out cold near enough! He got up after a few minutes but he didn't look too good. I am not sure I am a fan now of boxing but it was a good night out and Thai boxing is like football over here, there were families with little kids there and all sorts of people cheering along, they love it.

It is now my first weekend here and most people have gone away on a 2-day trip to see a waterfall but me, Kerry, James and Mia and a few others decided to have a quiet weekend, as the trip was quite expensive, and just headed into Singburi to spend the day at the pool. A quiet Sunday tomorrow I think and then it is culture week next week where we spend time with local monks and stay at a temple..all good fun!

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