Welcome to Thailand, Mega-malls, and the Grand Palace

So more classes since my last entry.  Learning more about how to teach and a bit more Thai, but that is coming pretty slowly.  I think it is the sort of situation where I will learn a lot more as I go along, but everything we learned in class was just information overload.  It was a nice introduction though.  Yesterday afternoon we also had a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood--lots of fun and quite silly.  Some things were easy (Thai product with English writing, English product with Thai writing, spirit house, skin whitening product, etc.), while others were not so easy (squat toilet, police officer, rhambutan).  All in all quite fun.  My team didn't win, but we did merit an honorable mention for our human tuk tuk, since real tuk tuks aren't found in our neighborhood.

Best tuk tuk ever!

After our scavenger hunt we also had a welcoming ceremony.  This was really interesting, as all of our coordinators were dressed in traditional Thai attire.  They welcomed us to their family and then gave us their blessings (something traditionally done when family members return home from a journey).  This involved us kneeling before them as they tied strings on our wrists.  The idea is that the strings represent the bond between the two people, and although the string will eventually break, the bond between them will always remain.  It was quite touching.

Receiving our blessings

After our welcoming ceremony a few of us decided to go to MBK, an 8 story mega-mall.  The idea was tog et some shopping done and have dinner at the food court.  This might sound silly, but our guide book really recommended a meal there, so we decided to try it out.  As it turns out, dinner was rather fun.  I ended up having falafel, and several other members of our group also had non-Thai food. I also got some whiskey, figuring this would be my last chance for a while.  Unfortunately, the rest of our trip to MBK was not as successful, as the mall ended up closing at 9 p.m.  So very little in the way of shopping happened before we had to head back to the hotel.  Ah well, next time.

Today was another big day with a visit to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew.  The Wat, or temple, is the most sacred temple in Thailand, although it is the only one without monks since it is connected to the Grand Palace.  The main building in the wat houses the Emerald Buddha, which is actually made out of jade.  Another fascinating feature of the temple is the huge set of murals telling the story of the Ramayana.  I was surprised by the artistry involved in these panels--there was so much detail in each area, you really got a feel for the story.

Overall, the complex was very impressive.  I wish I could say more about it, but to be honest I had trouble hearing a lot of what our guide had to say.  It was beautiful to see both the wat and the palace, but it was hot and very crowded.  In fact, this was the most touristy place I had been, which sort of detracted from the experience.  However, certain areas were more manageable and that a plus.

Elephant statue in the road on our way to the palace

One of the guardian demons

Serpents

Group 555 (ha ha ha)

A close-up of the murals

Grand palace

Grand Palace

After a long morning at the sites and a lovely lunch (there was some delicious soft shell crab and shrimp cakes), we headed back and had a few hours of class. Then this evening we had a dinner at the hotel where we were introduced to traditional Thai dancing, which turns out to be quite spectacular.  Unfortunately I didn't know we were in for such a treat, so all my pictures are just on my phone.  Oh well, it was still amazing to watch.  I can't even imagine how they bend like they do...their hands must be double jointed at least!!! Such beautiful movements and outfits though.

Anyway, long but very fun days.  Tomorrow should be a bit more manageable.  Soon we get to go and ride elephants!!!  Should be quite the experience.  I need my sleep for now, but I would still love to hear from anyone who has time to write.  Keep in touch!