Flights, Bugs, Immigration, and the Opera
Good news for all of you!! I just received an update from Travelocity and flights out here are looking good...start making those travel plans! haha :) To give you an idea, these are all prices into Bangkok from...
San Francisco $554
San Diego $594
Chicago $505
Minneapolis $555
Los Angeles $565
Well, as you all saw in my email, the people of SE Asia are not opposed to snacking on bugs. When I traveled through Cambodia last summer, I saw large baskets of crickets for consumption along the roads, but I didn't realize that they also ate cockroaches and those lovely, fat, worm-like insects, as well. I won't be trying any of those, as there are several other ways to consume protein, even with my newfound vegetarian diet!
On Thursday, the trips to Thai Immigration to renew the visas of the new teachers began with groups of 4 or more making the 1.5 hour trip in traffic with a driver provided by TCIS. It was a bit humorous because TCIS sent one of the office staff, Anchalee, with us and she did all of the talking while we stood around for about 40 minutes waiting...for what, I'm still not exactly sure. Apparently, the Thai government is only concerned with whether or not the person on the visa actually exists so they simply glanced up at us while we were obliviously standing around chatting, and sign our visa renewals. One of the other teachers, Jerry, worked in Thailand ten years ago and he said that when he visited the department for his work permit, he gave an official his paperwork and was walked into a huge room completely packed with file cabinets. The official opened one of the cabinets and literally dumped the contents of his file inside, closing the cabinet and telling Jerry he was all set. Jerry doubted that his paperwork would ever be able to be found, if needed in the future.
While we were sitting around inside the Immigration Department, Jerry was sharing with me his opinions on the quarks of Thai culture and I found them quite humorous! It came up because Anchalee walked up to us showing Berndadine's passport and stating that she had the wrong stamp; she was supposed to get a three-month visa when she entered Thailand, but she had a two-month visa. It sounded quite serious, so as our eyes were bulging, thinking Bernadine would have to exit the country for a few days to get the proper paperwork before returning, I asked Anchalee what was going to happen. She replied, "It's okay. No problem." Jerry and I looked at one another wondering why she bothered to tell us the dilemma in the first place?! Of course there are many times when cultural miscues, such as this, occur and it can be frustrating when it's regarding something more serious, but one has to laugh or you'd go crazy.
On Friday 9 September right from work, Leah and I headed to the Thai Cultural Center for the opera, Madame Butterfly. I had never been to an opera, but we had a great time and we'll definitely go back for another! There were gorgeous geishas providing free coffee, tea, and cookies at the entrance before and during the two intermissions. The opera was sung in Italian, the story took place in Nagasaki, Japan, and it was about an American Navy GI who abandoned his 15 year-old Japanese bride when he was called back to the United States, telling her he'd return when the birds make their nests. The Japanese bride waits for him for three years, giving birth to their son in the meantime. The GI and his new American wife return to take the boy back to the US and the Japanese woman kills herself.
It was quite sad and somewhat ironic to watch Madame Butterfly in Thailand because everywhere you turn, there's an older, not-very-attractive guy, with a pretty, young, Thai girl. I realize it's a give-and-take, the Western man's money for the Thai girl's body, but it sickens me as it's quite honestly prostitution. I haven't lost any sleep over it, but it's not something I feel right about. I feel sorry for the girl and think the guy is a low-life pig, but it's a way of life for many Thai girls.
Before the opera, Leah and I had dinner at a great restaurant, Crepes and Company, recommended to us by Paul, one of the other TCIS teachers. The meal was excellent! I ordered a Greek crepe filled with spinach and feta cheese and Leah had a Greek salad with a yogurt dressing. We both went for dessert, and as you saw in my photo, it was delicious! Leah had a banana and carmel crepe, which looked great, as well!
The Thai Cultural Center ended up being quite easy to find. We took the Sky Train to Asok where we transferred to the underground Metro, taking us right to the theater. We had only a three block walk to the front door, which normally wouldn't be too bad, but it was raining and crossing the streets of Bangkok, even at crosswalks, can be deadly with motos flying in between cars without stopping, so we were happy to reach the safety of the theater.
When we weren't sure where the theater was, I walked down to have Yoonying, one of the office staff at school, write the name of the theater and the address in Thai, in case we needed to use a taxi to get there. She informed me that it was very close to the Metro and we could easily walk. Leah, in the meantime, looked up directions on the theater's website and emailed me stating, "this is what it said we are suppose to tell the taxi driver:
'Soon-wat-ta-na-tham-hang-prated-thai Ta-non-Rat-cha-da-phi-sek'." As neither of us felt we would be understood, we were happy to know we could get there on foot!
San Francisco $554
San Diego $594
Chicago $505
Minneapolis $555
Los Angeles $565
Well, as you all saw in my email, the people of SE Asia are not opposed to snacking on bugs. When I traveled through Cambodia last summer, I saw large baskets of crickets for consumption along the roads, but I didn't realize that they also ate cockroaches and those lovely, fat, worm-like insects, as well. I won't be trying any of those, as there are several other ways to consume protein, even with my newfound vegetarian diet!On Thursday, the trips to Thai Immigration to renew the visas of the new teachers began with groups of 4 or more making the 1.5 hour trip in traffic with a driver provided by TCIS. It was a bit humorous because TCIS sent one of the office staff, Anchalee, with us and she did all of the talking while we stood around for about 40 minutes waiting...for what, I'm still not exactly sure. Apparently, the Thai government is only concerned with whether or not the person on the visa actually exists so they simply glanced up at us while we were obliviously standing around chatting, and sign our visa renewals. One of the other teachers, Jerry, worked in Thailand ten years ago and he said that when he visited the department for his work permit, he gave an official his paperwork and was walked into a huge room completely packed with file cabinets. The official opened one of the cabinets and literally dumped the contents of his file inside, closing the cabinet and telling Jerry he was all set. Jerry doubted that his paperwork would ever be able to be found, if needed in the future.
While we were sitting around inside the Immigration Department, Jerry was sharing with me his opinions on the quarks of Thai culture and I found them quite humorous! It came up because Anchalee walked up to us showing Berndadine's passport and stating that she had the wrong stamp; she was supposed to get a three-month visa when she entered Thailand, but she had a two-month visa. It sounded quite serious, so as our eyes were bulging, thinking Bernadine would have to exit the country for a few days to get the proper paperwork before returning, I asked Anchalee what was going to happen. She replied, "It's okay. No problem." Jerry and I looked at one another wondering why she bothered to tell us the dilemma in the first place?! Of course there are many times when cultural miscues, such as this, occur and it can be frustrating when it's regarding something more serious, but one has to laugh or you'd go crazy.
On Friday 9 September right from work, Leah and I headed to the Thai Cultural Center for the opera, Madame Butterfly. I had never been to an opera, but we had a great time and we'll definitely go back for another! There were gorgeous geishas providing free coffee, tea, and cookies at the entrance before and during the two intermissions. The opera was sung in Italian, the story took place in Nagasaki, Japan, and it was about an American Navy GI who abandoned his 15 year-old Japanese bride when he was called back to the United States, telling her he'd return when the birds make their nests. The Japanese bride waits for him for three years, giving birth to their son in the meantime. The GI and his new American wife return to take the boy back to the US and the Japanese woman kills herself.It was quite sad and somewhat ironic to watch Madame Butterfly in Thailand because everywhere you turn, there's an older, not-very-attractive guy, with a pretty, young, Thai girl. I realize it's a give-and-take, the Western man's money for the Thai girl's body, but it sickens me as it's quite honestly prostitution. I haven't lost any sleep over it, but it's not something I feel right about. I feel sorry for the girl and think the guy is a low-life pig, but it's a way of life for many Thai girls.
Before the opera, Leah and I had dinner at a great restaurant, Crepes and Company, recommended to us by Paul, one of the other TCIS teachers. The meal was excellent! I ordered a Greek crepe filled with spinach and feta cheese and Leah had a Greek salad with a yogurt dressing. We both went for dessert, and as you saw in my photo, it was delicious! Leah had a banana and carmel crepe, which looked great, as well!
The Thai Cultural Center ended up being quite easy to find. We took the Sky Train to Asok where we transferred to the underground Metro, taking us right to the theater. We had only a three block walk to the front door, which normally wouldn't be too bad, but it was raining and crossing the streets of Bangkok, even at crosswalks, can be deadly with motos flying in between cars without stopping, so we were happy to reach the safety of the theater.When we weren't sure where the theater was, I walked down to have Yoonying, one of the office staff at school, write the name of the theater and the address in Thai, in case we needed to use a taxi to get there. She informed me that it was very close to the Metro and we could easily walk. Leah, in the meantime, looked up directions on the theater's website and emailed me stating, "this is what it said we are suppose to tell the taxi driver:
'Soon-wat-ta-na-tham-hang-prated-thai Ta-non-Rat-cha-da-phi-sek'." As neither of us felt we would be understood, we were happy to know we could get there on foot!