811
that's my favorite number in thai. "bad pun zip it."
pong was kind enough to teach us yet more thai (it's so hard!) while we were on the island of ko samet this weekend. we learned numbers, which are extraordinarily helpful, and some food: shrimp (koong), chicken (gai), pork (moo - i know. moo.), rice (khao), fish (blah), and crab (boo). fun times.
so the island was beautiful even though it was a thai national holiday so the place was packed to the gills. there was the 4 hour bus ride (chocolate wafers and icy cold water in bus-shaped bottle provided) to get there with pong and nim. then it was getting dark when we took the songtiao (there's no english spelling, so you'll just have to bear with me as i try to sound everything out) - songtiao is a truck with two parallel benches in the bed - you clamber on with a bunch of other people, and pay 20 baht (50 cents) for your whiplash at the end. and hold on to your stuff. -so nabia and i planted ourselves at one of the beach restaurants - seated on the grass mat with the table lit by lantern, ocean in front of us, while pong and nim went to try to find a room (it was just unreasonable for us two farang to try to find our way around with our packs. besides, we were hungry. so we ordered some sweet and sour vegetables while we waited. they returned, less than triumphant. they had secured accomodation. but it was a tent. a two person tent. the last two person tent. so stay we did - nim and i in the tent, pong on a bench outside, and nabia on her sleeping bag on the ground in the nook of a tree. it was beautiful - the ocean right there behind the rocks... starry sky... but a little noisy with the pumping music backing up the fire twirling and drunken dancing on the nearby beach.
next day, woken early by the sunrise and movement in the other tents in the line, we eventually made our way to pong's favorite beach, just over a hill from where we were - a private-feeling little arc of white sand cradling the bright teal water. we spent the day napping there. and the restaurant there was so very good. so very spicy, it's true, not the best for my upset tummy, but worth it, i think. yumm.
the next night we were able to get a second tent, so we all had "indoor" sleeps. then the thai long weekend was over and most people cleared out on monday, including our fabulous friends. we decided to stay another day and relax in the new quiet. we even got a bungalow (expensive though - at almost $20) beachside.
we relaxed, ate more at that great restaurant at the lovely beach, chatted with a belgian girl, cecile, who is travelling alone around southeast asia, and had some yummy garlic pepper fish (whole) with an alaskan girl, lua, also travelling alone out here... it was nice. a little pricy, but nice.
now we're back here in bangkok after a sweltering "a/c" bus ride during which we were subjected to exactly TWO movies dubbed into thai. the first was "venomous" starring treat williams as a doctor trying to solve the mystery of all the people who keep coming into his hospital pale faced and dying. his lady friend doctor, from whom he's been hiding his feelings, gets infected while doing some tests in the lab (naturally) and so he has to rush to find the antidote, or else he'll never get to tell her... blah blah blah.. it was bad, even without being in english. next up came steven segall in "into the sun." wow. i'm not even gonna say anything about it except that the horrible violence was made even more surreal by the folky music entering my right ear through the headphones i was sharing with nabia.
anywho, we got back to bangkok, and it's still hot and sweaty and dirty, but we're not staying near khao san road anymore, so we've got a pretty place, though it's still expensive. we'll probably head out tomorrow night on the night bus up north to chiang mai or pai. we won't know for sure until we get our hands on a guidebook, which we've been surviving without only because of pong and nim. how helpful it is to have local friends. especially ones you really enjoy hanging out with.
ummm... my tummy. much much better, due mostly, i think, to the antibiotics i buckled down and decided to take. but i think i'm pretty far along the road to recovery, and that makes me much much happier and more pleasant to be around. i had a couple of pretty mood swingy days and i think that wasn't too much fun for anyone.
the food here is pretty good, it's true, but everyone RAVES about it, and we're still working on figuring out exactly why. we've had a bunch of pad thai and a couple of curries... i'll let you know as things develop, of course.
i think that's all for now.
amy
ps. some pictures. those of you who read the whole thing get rewarded. thanks.
email me
pong was kind enough to teach us yet more thai (it's so hard!) while we were on the island of ko samet this weekend. we learned numbers, which are extraordinarily helpful, and some food: shrimp (koong), chicken (gai), pork (moo - i know. moo.), rice (khao), fish (blah), and crab (boo). fun times.
so the island was beautiful even though it was a thai national holiday so the place was packed to the gills. there was the 4 hour bus ride (chocolate wafers and icy cold water in bus-shaped bottle provided) to get there with pong and nim. then it was getting dark when we took the songtiao (there's no english spelling, so you'll just have to bear with me as i try to sound everything out) - songtiao is a truck with two parallel benches in the bed - you clamber on with a bunch of other people, and pay 20 baht (50 cents) for your whiplash at the end. and hold on to your stuff. -so nabia and i planted ourselves at one of the beach restaurants - seated on the grass mat with the table lit by lantern, ocean in front of us, while pong and nim went to try to find a room (it was just unreasonable for us two farang to try to find our way around with our packs. besides, we were hungry. so we ordered some sweet and sour vegetables while we waited. they returned, less than triumphant. they had secured accomodation. but it was a tent. a two person tent. the last two person tent. so stay we did - nim and i in the tent, pong on a bench outside, and nabia on her sleeping bag on the ground in the nook of a tree. it was beautiful - the ocean right there behind the rocks... starry sky... but a little noisy with the pumping music backing up the fire twirling and drunken dancing on the nearby beach.
next day, woken early by the sunrise and movement in the other tents in the line, we eventually made our way to pong's favorite beach, just over a hill from where we were - a private-feeling little arc of white sand cradling the bright teal water. we spent the day napping there. and the restaurant there was so very good. so very spicy, it's true, not the best for my upset tummy, but worth it, i think. yumm.
the next night we were able to get a second tent, so we all had "indoor" sleeps. then the thai long weekend was over and most people cleared out on monday, including our fabulous friends. we decided to stay another day and relax in the new quiet. we even got a bungalow (expensive though - at almost $20) beachside.
we relaxed, ate more at that great restaurant at the lovely beach, chatted with a belgian girl, cecile, who is travelling alone around southeast asia, and had some yummy garlic pepper fish (whole) with an alaskan girl, lua, also travelling alone out here... it was nice. a little pricy, but nice.
now we're back here in bangkok after a sweltering "a/c" bus ride during which we were subjected to exactly TWO movies dubbed into thai. the first was "venomous" starring treat williams as a doctor trying to solve the mystery of all the people who keep coming into his hospital pale faced and dying. his lady friend doctor, from whom he's been hiding his feelings, gets infected while doing some tests in the lab (naturally) and so he has to rush to find the antidote, or else he'll never get to tell her... blah blah blah.. it was bad, even without being in english. next up came steven segall in "into the sun." wow. i'm not even gonna say anything about it except that the horrible violence was made even more surreal by the folky music entering my right ear through the headphones i was sharing with nabia.
anywho, we got back to bangkok, and it's still hot and sweaty and dirty, but we're not staying near khao san road anymore, so we've got a pretty place, though it's still expensive. we'll probably head out tomorrow night on the night bus up north to chiang mai or pai. we won't know for sure until we get our hands on a guidebook, which we've been surviving without only because of pong and nim. how helpful it is to have local friends. especially ones you really enjoy hanging out with.
ummm... my tummy. much much better, due mostly, i think, to the antibiotics i buckled down and decided to take. but i think i'm pretty far along the road to recovery, and that makes me much much happier and more pleasant to be around. i had a couple of pretty mood swingy days and i think that wasn't too much fun for anyone.
the food here is pretty good, it's true, but everyone RAVES about it, and we're still working on figuring out exactly why. we've had a bunch of pad thai and a couple of curries... i'll let you know as things develop, of course.
i think that's all for now.
amy
ps. some pictures. those of you who read the whole thing get rewarded. thanks.
email me
posted by theonetheycallamy at 5/03/2005 11:16:00 PM
6 Comments:
Oh, how delightful to see your new entry- and to hear that you're feeling better- and to see those wonderful pictures of you both (looking terrific,by the way) and your friends. You've made my day start out sooo much better. Thank you.
The words for some of the foods are hysterical. I particularly am fond of the blah and boo. I hope you girls are back to your giggling days.
The island sounds lovely, and I think you both needed the rest.
I've heard such good things about Chiang mai. You will love it.
By the way, how DID you bowl? Score??
Much love, mom
Hope Amy scores in other ways sometime on this trip!
ok, who wrote that last comment? Fess up.
Her mom
Mrs. Greenwood-
The comment about scoring was almost certainly written by either Heidi or Evan. If not them, it was Matt. My money's on Heidi, though.
Amy-
Yay that you are feeling better! I agree with Matt: keep eating until you find the food you rave about.
Love,
Em
So glad that you can write about food and fun. I was a worried mom and aunt for these days. So now, keep enjoying, and kkeep writing. You do make me laugh out loud. Barbara
Hey Amy!!
Just catching up on your adventures and I am JEALOUS!!! It sounds gorgeous- I like trying to picture you doing all these amazing things. I think I'm going to be saying 811 in Thai all day today. hee hee
Glad to hear you are feeling better- have fun!!
Love,
Elizabeth
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