And Over Here We Have...

Oh, hello there. Let me tell you about my weekend, as I do so very often. Friday night I stayed in my town, Kamphaeng Saen. I realized that I had seen very little of the gigantic campus that I live on so I decided to go for a nice long bicycle ride and do some exploring. I biked to the far ends of campus and was actually really impressed with what I saw. Since it is an agricultural campus, there are tons and tons of huge green fields, ponds, bird sanctuaries, and flower gardens. I can't believe I never took the time to see it all before, but I sure am glad I did. I feel like I was rediscovering my surroundings for the first time all over again, and it was a great feeling and a great way to spend the evening.

I woke up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning, because I had a huge day planned in Bangkok. I was meeting my sister Talis friends Steph and Chelsea who were in Thailand for a school program. I met up with them around 9:30, and we set out for a day of sightseeing and fun. I had a whole list written down of places to go, and we actually accomplished pretty much everything I wanted to. We went to Wats, took tuk-tuk rides, went to the market, basically covered the whole city, in about 7 hours. As I played tour guide, I was actually surprised at how much I knew about Bangkok, facts and information about places, and other little tidbits here and there. After our day of fun, we went back to their awesome 5 star Sheraton Hotel right on the Chao Phraya River, and relaxed for a bit. I met most of their other friends that were also from the program and actually saw some familiar faces that I knew from my days at good old University of Maryland. One of them even taught me how to meditate! And while I thought it was hilarious at first, I got into it as time went on and actually felt very relaxed by the end. We got a quick dinner at a restaurant on the river and then went out for the night. Where do you think 20 underage college students would want to go in Thailand. If you guessed Khaosan Road, give yourself a pat on the back. I've been there so many times this month, if I never went again, I think I'd be totally fine with that. But still, they had fun and it's definitely a place to see while you are here.

I slept at their hotel Saturday night, in probably the most comfortable bed I've slept in since I have been here. They were gone on a school trip by the time I woke up, so I just went downstairs and had myself a delicious and filling breakfast full of pancakes, french toast, eggs, bread, donuts, and coffee. It was pretty wonderful. I then set off for what was the most stressful and confusing couple of hours of my life. I was trying to find an Air Asia store where I could book some flights for the upcoming adventure, but every place I went to where someone told me there was a shop, told me to go somewhere else. I went from place to place, failing every time. I bounced all over the city, taking taxis, tuk-tuks and even a motorcycle ride through the city which was one of the most terrifying things I have ever done. Alas, no success was had and I couldn't bear the thought of another taxi ride to another unsuccessful destination. So, I just went back to my town, spent the day relaxing and watching movies, catching up on some work. All in all though, a pretty solid weekend, but I think it will be the last time I go to Bangkok for quite some time.

The Chao Phraya River in Bangkok

PS- I was in a collision with another bicyclist last night and it was probably the funniest moment of my entire life. Details to come tomorrow, stay tuned.

PPS- An Elton John singalong session just broke out in my office. I think I might join in, Almost Famous style.