Rice, Rice, and More Rice

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January 6th

This morning started out with a traditional Thai breakfast consisting of rice-chicken soup. Rice for breakfast, rice for lunch, and rice for dinner. That being said, it is some of the best rice in some of the most-flavorful dishes. We then went to visit Doi Suthep Temple. Words and even pictures cannot do this place justice. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The temple is situated at the very top of a huge mountain in Chang Mai, so as you can expect, the views are unbelievable. We winded up the hill in red trucks that has the backs open for us to see out. By the time we got to the top, we were all pretty dizzy and motion-sick.

It only took one look at the temple to help me forget about my headache and upset stomach. As I looked around at all the gold and intricate designs, I saw hundreds of people bowing and showing respect to Buddha. Even though I am well aware that this is a common part of Buddhism, it was a very different sight to see. The temple was filled with hundreds of Buddha statues, and I noticed that several people would bow or “wai” (which is kind of like a “mini-bow” to show respect in Thailand), every single time they would pass by one of the statues.

As we were driving, I noticed that gas in Thailand is 25 baht. This is about 80 cents per gallon in America. We also discovered on the bus that our Thai buddies did not understand why we say, “bless you” after someone sneezes. Kate was so polite when she asked, “I don’t mean to offend you, but why do you say bless you when someone sneezes.” I learned something new when one of my American friends explained to me that the tradition started years ago when people thought sneezes were demons coming out of people. As a result, people would say, “God bless you,” as a way to rid them of being demon-possessed. We went on to explain that we say it now because it is has become the polite thing to do.

After the temple, we ate lunch at the coolest market place. One of our Thai coordinators translated for those of us who have to eat gluten free, and we were able to eat fried rice and shrimp with some vegetables mixed in. My friend, Shelby, convinced me to try squid for the first (and last) time! If I could describe what squid is like in two words I would say fishy and chewy. While we were eating lunch with our Thai friends, I noticed that they use their utensils differently than we do. They put a fork in one hand and a spoon in the other, and they use the fork to push food onto the spoon. They then take the bite using the spoon. After pointing out the difference, our Thai friend who goes by the English name, “Necktie,” started eating his food with just a fork and said, “Look! I am American.”

We went to the most amazing garden after lunch, and got to look at different plants from all over the world. It was like Epcot on steroids… except the nature version. A butterfly landed on my finger when we were in Bug World!

Finally, we ended the day at a zoo, where we had dinner while sitting next to giraffes and got to go on a night safari. It was a good day.

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