What now?

Touring Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok.

Being home is nice. I really missed the family. But I wasn't done exploring Thailand. Guess that's a given. And I have to admit I loved only taking care of myself for a week or two.

Now I have trip-letdown. I put so much energy and time into this trip, learning Thai (no chance of needing it anywhere else except Erwan restaurant and the Laos Market) and reading up on Bangkok and the Burma-Thai border. Now that I'm home I'm feeling at loose ends. Even with sick kids, homework, tons of work and other stuff to catch up on. 

Maybe it's time to start planning our next big vacation. And learning Spanish? Or maybe try Karen? I did find a website with some basic Karen phrases (written out in English and with sound files) www.ktwg.org 

She put cucumbers on my face

Today I was on my own - all the others in my group have scattered. Some want home, some went to the beach and some went up to Chang Mai. So I had the afternoon to spend at that fancy spa/massage place (Center Point). 1 hour of foot massage and 1 hour of facial for 1000 baht($30US). The rooms were very nice and the background music was nice (Asian/spa like). The funky rustic massage place we went to the other day had awful musak - I was laughing at the bad version of Moon River during my massage.

But this foot massage was heavenly. Very comfy chair/bed. Lots of poking on the bottom of my foot. I did the order backwards (hindsight) and had the facial second. She put thinly slice, chilled cucumbers on my face towards the end.

A very peaceful way to spend some time. This place is just across a busy street from my hotel but a couple of blocks in Bangkok is enough to shake off the spa-buzz.

We watched a PAD protest

On Silom (the main street here) this morning there was a huge march by PAD supporters. They're really pissed about the girl killed in the last big protest near Parliment. There were hundreds (thousands?) walking (slowly) down the street with signs and speeches. You can imagine what that does to the already insane traffic here. I was a line of police watching near the Bankok Bank building. But the mood was parade like and the crowds on the street were very supportive. Signs were in English and Thai and people were very friendly to our cluster of Anglo women. I have to say it was kind of exciting.
The good news is that the roads near Parliment are now open. We had a meeting at the UN building with UNHCR (UN High Commission for Refugees) and the UN building is near Parliment. Saw piles of tires that were obviously a blockade.

that lady walked on my back

Thai massage today at a hip little place (Reun Nuad) that was recommended in Lonely Planet. It's not a gentle massage! The nice little lady who spoke no English pulled and kneaded and poked for an hour. It's an hour after and I feel great. But she really did stand on my back and legs. 350 baht (about $10) for an hour. She did say that 2 hours is much better. Not sure I could stand it. Supposedly Thai's get a massage daily. Not sure how they fit 2 hours into their days.

Stopped for a nutty buddy at the 7-11 on the way back to the hotel.

Washing clothes

After a few days here I had a serious pile of very dirty clothes. Fully expecting to find a little shop with cheap laundry service we (six women) headed out with bags of laundry. The hotel prices were kinda steep - 100 baht per shirt ($3 US). The 2 laundries down the street were 1/2 the price but not same day service. I thought they'd have a per pound (kilo) rate but no luck.

Back at the hotel we quizzed the staff. They understood what a laundrymat was but said there were none downtown - we'd need to take the skytrain. Bleh. So we all went back to our rooms. I did 2 sinkfulls of laundry and sprung for 2 shirts and 2 pants (all cotton which takes forever to dry here) at the hotel service. So my going home clothes will be clean and my quick dry stuff should be ready for my bike tour (spiceroads.com).

If this was a city in the US I'd know that there would be a laundrymat somewhere. But it's hard to navigate a different culture.

The idea that we're back in a beautiful comfortable hotel after a day in a refugee camp is not lost on me. And poor me is stuck (because I'm cheap?!) to wash clothes by hand. But the people we met on Wednesday have been washing clothes in a bucket for 10 years. There is running water there and electricity. We would see clothes hanging everywhere. We saw TVs and Cd players. Kareoke is very popular.

Whern refugees come to Syracuse they all do laundry in the tub and hang it to dry everywhere. It makes a mess of bathroom floors, but US laundrymats are not cheap. I remember last winter one family was washing their winter coats weekly and their church sponsor explained that we don't do that here.

THere has been lots of talk here about Cultural Orientation (CO in acronym speak). People who are resettling are taught about their new culture. But are they doing a good job? And what should be taught. The CO staff were really energetic and seem to be very thoughtful in what they teach and how they teach it. Wonder what they teach about laundry?

bua

In Bangkok we had lunch at a restaurant on nearby Convent Rd called Bua. Best food I've had this trip. Really good red curry with coconut milk. And Morning Glories. Kind of a fried green. Then up at the hotel in Mae Sot there was a little gift shop, also called Bua. hmmm, maybe it means shop?

So as I was checking out of the hotel (Centara, slightly resorty, slightly run down) I asked the guy at the desk what Bua meant. His English was ok. He couldn't say and asked the other guy. He couldn't say and asked the woman running the shop. It's a huge lobby and was very busy earlier that morning. But quiet when I was checking out. Except for the ever present muzak. She also can't say it. They all chat a bit and call the doorman over. They say he will show me. So we go outside and over to the garden. He manages the word "flower"! And we walk over to a pot with big buds. I think it was something like a lotus. Ohhh. So I thank everyone (Cob Koon Ka) and head out. I guess I could have looked in my phrasebook but this was a much better lesson.

shades of grey

The more I learn about refugees, Bruma, Thailand and all that goes on here the more shades of grey I see. Spent today in the Mae La refugee camp. It's a camp of about 50, 000 people on a beautiful hillside. With layers and levels of problems.

But we wandered up and down some very steep paths to see how people live. The children were charming and people were very gentle and welcoming.

And now we're off to another big NGO dinner with people who live and work here.

And I bought a sarong today. Proceeds go to the Karen Womens Organization. Just gotta figure how to wear it.