Ao Nang to Bangkok Thailand - Day 5

The next morning we hurried out our caterpillar friendly hostel and got our cab to the tiny Krabi airport, where I prepped the girls for what to expect when in China…

The flight was only an hour back up north to Bangkok where we had to fight for a fair taxi price to Kevin’s apartment. The driver couldn’t’ have been nicer but he still was trying to rip us off. Tracy was already getting good at putting her foot down and not letting locals take advantage of us for being foreigners ☺. I was quite proud of her.

We hung around Kevin’s place until he got off work. I began to teach Lizz Chinese (which she picked up very quickly! Before the end of the day she was fluently saying, ‘Bring me another beer.’ ‘I love you.’ ‘Long time no see.’ Etc. –although they weren’t always the most practical sayings she only learned them because she learned the most useful ones just after a few minutes. She practically learned what I have in my 8 months of being here!).

When Kev returned, he took us to face the chaotic city of Bangkok. We rode the Sky Train, ate street food, rode in a tuk-tuk, went to a market, went to a park where we saw people play volleyball but instead can only use their head and feet. At the park they also played the National anthem where everything must stop, people must freeze and Thailand ceases for several minutes. From there we…(Mom, I wouldn’t read this next part...) each rode home on a motorcycle taxi. Quite thrilling- I had never ridden one before. The driver somehow managed to talk on the phone, hold his ‘to-go’ dinner in one hand and drive with the other.

We quickly went back to Kev’s before we met Air, Kevin’s girlfriend, at Face Bar and then went out for the evening.

This trip was the first time being out of China in eight months and as a result I noticed more than I had anticipated. For one, Thailand is a great country-similar to China in some aspects and yet quite different in others. But more than anything, I noticed how I have changed from being in China and it wasn’t all something to be proud of. In China, manners don’t matter. I know it’s hard to really believe that but sincerely, after a while you adapt to their ways/customs. You have to- it sounds a little over the top, but it’s a means of survival. Several times throughout the trip I noticed how hardened I’ve become in comparison to the girls. I’m skeptical of every person I encounter and of every opportunity that presents itself. I don’t trust anyone. No one. I know there’s a hard drive to bargain in Asia and if you don’t keep up, you’re going to sink. I also take more notice of things- how to get around and back, how people respond to seeing foreigners, how to ignore people, how to not let people take you for an ordinary fool, etc. Although, Thai’s are so welcoming, always smiling and greeting you with a ‘Y’, they too tend to take advantage of foreigners and their innocence to the country. I will never understand how people can do this to others. It’s infuriating which only motivates me to be as much in the ‘know’ as possible.

Of course Kev was a great host who really led the way for us when we were in Bangkok. It was great to see what his life is like there and we all were so impressed with how fluent he is in Thai!