I'm taking a break from prepping my 1st grade lesson. I am planning on doing a lesson based around one of my favorite children's books, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," by Eric Carle. So I'm on track to trace out 144 apples for the art activity. 20 apples in and I'm already on a break.
This weekend was very tame compared to the previous weekend adventure with Lisa to Koh Samet. I made a new friend this weekend, Trevor. He may be jumping on board with the private school that I am teaching at. So this weekend I showed Trevor parts of Siam Square, a restaurant by the Chao Praya River and we both tried out some food in Thong Lor at Soul Food Mahanakorn. I had a yummy drink called Jai Yen Yen, which means Cool Down/Chill out which is totally what I needed after a hellish Friday (I'll scratch the surface on that later). We also explored and grabbed a bite to eat on Sunday at Som Tam Nua, a small tiny restaurant in Siam Sq. They had delightful Thai som tam (papaya salad) and delicious chicken wings. Both of these places were amaaazing and have now become my two new favorite restaurants in Bangkok.
Nom Nom Nom.
So, lessons and things I have learned this week.
1. Do not use a Thai debit/bank card to buy plane tickets. Even if the website (cough cough Bangkok Air cough cough) tells you that debit and credit cards can be used to purchase tickets. What they really mean is international debit cards, like the ones in America, can be used. I tried using my new Thai bank card to buy a ticket and my money vanished into cyber space. After three hours of talking to wayyyy to many people form the airline company and my own bank in strangled Thai, we have reached a resolution that will kick in sometime later this week. Perhaps in seven days. Currently, I am out 7,308 baht and no airline tickets. whomp whomp.
2. 7-11, otherwise known as the Adventure Store ( renamed by my old roommate to cleverly convince others to join her on a quick convenience run in their drunken states) is a common fixture on every block of Bangkok. For those who live in Richmond, think about how often you see a tattoo parlor in Richmond City, that's pretty much how typical 7-11s are here. To everyone outside of Richmond, it would be safe to compare it to the multitude of Starbucks that reside on every walking block.
Back to the point- 7-11 is truly an adventure store. Here in Thailand, not only does the majority of the country refill their phone service (buy minutes) in 7-11, but they also pay their Internet bills, water and electricity bills throughout the country at these stores.
What amazed me the other day was that you can purchase airline tickets at 7-11. Prior to the shock of knowing that my funds had been lost in cyber space, I was told by Bangkok air that I could make a reservation online or on the phone and then pay for my tickets at 7-11. So friends, there you have it.
7-11, your one stop store. I don't think any other store in the world can claim that.
3. Bumrungrad International Hospital provides world class service. The hospital is decorated in such a way, one would think you were arriving at a beautiful hotel. The decor and cleanliness sets you immediately to ease, and makes it possible to forget whatever ails you.
That's all for now folks. Goodnight.
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