This weekend was a whirlwind…I went to visit my friend Nicky in Kamphaeng Phet, which was part of the Sukhothai Kingdom (a long, long time ago). One of the most amazing to see is Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park, with its temples, pagodas, and city walls. We also drove north to Sukothai, an ancient city that was the capital of the Kingdom of Sukhothai, and walked  the remains of the ancient city.  Then there was Mae Wong National Park (Chong Yen Mountain) and Khlong Lan National Park (and waterfall). Breath taking...

Fall Break… Hiking in Khao Chamao-Khao Wong National Park (Rayong Province). Maybe not the safest thing to do in rainy season, but definitely exciting. Limestone mountains, powerful waterfalls, Tham Khao Wong cave and gibbons (though we didn’t see any).

Lumphini Park is a large (140+ acre) park in the center of Bangkok. Think well-maintained, scenic lake with large free range lizards (monitor lizards) roaming about. They don't tend to mess with people but I have no doubt a large one could take out a small child if provoked.
It was a very nice walk. There were basketball courts, tennis courts, a track, a community pool and designated areas for various other sports. I didn't see any tai chi, yoga groups today though. 

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Ko ​Kret (or Koh Kret) is a small man made island in the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi province, Thailand. The island was created in 1722, when the king had 10,000 men dig a canal to reduce shipping time to Ayutthaya (which was the capital of Siam). The canal became gradually wider due to erosion and Ko Kret became an island.  Ko Kret is roughly 2 miles long and 2 miles wide and is best known for Mon pottery. Interesting tidbit: According to Wikipedia, during WWII, Koh Kret was used as a hiding place for many politicians and officers to avoid allied bombing raids.

Getting to Ko Kret from my condo was an incredibly simple. I took a bus (12 Baht) from my condo to Wat Sanam Nuea (8 stops west) and then a 5 minute ferry (3 baht) to Ko Kret. The most prominent temple on Ko Kret is Wat Paramai Yikawat, with a leaning white “chedi” (which I think means Buddhist momument).

Today I walked the 3 mile walking path and then stopped at Chitbeer (the island’s craft beer joint). I ended up meeting the owner who, believe it or not, graduated from GA Tech (https://asiatimes.com/2020/01/changing-thailand-one-pint-at-a-time/ it’s a small world). Next time, and there will be a next time, I will rent a bike and take a pottery class.  

So this video popped up on my phone…
I am still in pre-planning and furiously writing lesson plans so I appreciate any distraction (yes, apparently teachers still do this…whatever, it beats writing IEPs any day).
Anywho, I was immediately transported back to my trip to the Netherlands (and Paris) this December.
I don’t care what they say about you Technology… you are grand! 

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I really did end up with a great kid, here's a recent text...

Todays Mission: Check out the largest open air market in Thailand, Chatuchak Weekend Market (aka JJ Market), and try Som Tam Thai (Central Thai-Style Green Papaya Salad). I was told that Chatuchak Weekend Market is a “must see”, and according to Wikipedia, it has more than 15,000 stalls and is divided into 27 sections. I was also told by two of my new coworkers, that Som Tam Thai is a dish I need to try. 

Side note: Since my last outing I have discovered the “ViaBus” app (shout out to an unnamed, surprisingly talkative, Buddhist monk I met at the mall this week) which is a real-time public transport bus tracking and navigation application that works with Bangkok Transit. Thanks to this app I may never get lost again! (Not likely, but one can dream.)

So, I left my condo, by bus, around 10:30am and arrived at Chatuchak Weekend Market at 11:30am (spending a whopping 35 baht~$1 US). ​And, they’re not kidding… this is the mother of all flea markets. When I say you can find ANYTHING, it’s real…and it’s more than a bit overwhelming. Here are a few photos: 

​By 12:30pm I found some Som Tam Thai, and officially declared this mission a success. Som Tam Thai is sweet, spicy, salty and sour all at the same time. Per Google, it is served all over Thailand and each region has a different version. Som means “sour taste” and Tum means “pounding with pestle”.  I ordered mine “nit noy ped” (a little spicy) and it was very, very good.  

​Yes, at Chatuchak Weekend Market you can buy anything: clothes, bags, essential oils, china, furniture, a massage, plants, great street food, and a hedgehog. Ah, yes…“the pet zone”. This is where things get a bit sketchy ethically, for me. If you enter the pet zone from the front, things look okay. The animals at the front have air con, look cared for, aren’t in over crowded cages, and have access to water. But as you work your way deeper into the pet zone, the animals get more exotic and the conditions become questionable. I saw kittens, puppies, chickens, a sloth, chinchillas, parrots, iguana (maybe bearded dragons?), hedgehogs,  and many, many other exotic animals.