Floating Markets

It was 6:30 AM when I approached Starbucks. I felt like I was going on a blind date. I had to walk in and find someone I had never met or seen before. Nothing like walking up to a person and saying, "Are you so-and-so?" Luckily this was easy because there was no one else in Starbucks that early and I was finding another 23 year old white girl in Thailand.

I was meeting Courtney, a niece of someone else at my Aunt and Uncle's school. We were in the same boat: in Thailand for a few months, living with our relatives who have young children and wanting to meet a friend...if even for a day.

We had been emailing back and forth and decided to go to the Floating Markets. These, like the name suggests, are markets that are connected by small waterways and can be navigated through by boat. The biggest Floating Market is two hours away from Bangkok so we decided it would be easiest to visit there with a friend. The two hour distance and intense midday heat is why I was meeting Courtney at 6:30 AM.

We hopped in a taxi, destination the South Bus Terminal. With Bangkok traffic working against us it took nearly an hour and $6 to get there. A lady in red found us and brought us to the bus going to the Floating Market. The bus was relatively clean, had an air conditioner and was only 65 Baht ($2).

We spent a tired two hours on the bus. I couldn't fully fall asleep so I gave up and started eavesdropping on conversations throughout the bus...to improve my Thai! I couldn't understand much but I figure the more I listen the better I get. I eventually gave up on eavesdropping and decided to memorize some of the new Thai words I had written down instead.

At the end of the bus line we were the only ones still on the bus. A lady greeted us and tried to have us agree to by boat tickets for 600 baht each ($18): bogus. Courtney had done some research before the trip and said it should only cost us 100 baht each ($3). We kept walking, met a man and bartered the price down to 100 B each. We got on the long boat, just the two of us and our driver, and motored off down the river.

The color of the water was grayish brown and the breeze felt good on that 90+ degree morning. We navigated our way down the streets made of water and found our way to the main hub of waterways. There were tons of boats floating around, smacking into each other, trying to fit down this narrow path of water. It's sad though because I thought before going that it would be an actual market, when in fact it was a tourist trap on water. The boat driver must have special monetary compensation relationships with some of the vendors because he would stop us at certain stalls even though they were all selling the same thing. They would literally pull our boat in with a cane-like rod and shove objects in our face.

Despite their constant hassling it was a nice boat ride and an interesting concept. I would love to see a real floating market. Also I got to test out some basic Thai and drink chai yen (iced tea).

After we looked at enough touristy kitsch on land and afloat, the market started to pack up at 12:30.

The bus had dropped us off at a pretty remote place so we went back to the same spot and stood. The two blonde white girls clearly weren't locals so someone came up to us and directed us to the actual bus station. We got onto a bus directed to Bangkok, bus line 78: same same as the number outside the bus we took to the market.

When we walked into the bus it was a very different story. The first thing anyone would notice was the smell. I can only compare it with stale urine mixed with someone's morning breath, all which has sat in the sun too long. We sat down in our Lysol-worthy seats and then saw the floor move. There were bugs everywhere. No, it wasn't Fear Factor style, but enough to make anyone get the heebie jeebies (which incidentally doesn't translate in Thai.)

A woman approached us to sell us our tickets and said it was 80 baht...a nearly 15 baht increase! Sure it's still only $2.25 for two hours, but I'm thinking in baht here. How is a bus that is 200% more disgusting also more expensive? We received a completely different ticket than the one on the way there and went a different route back to Bangkok. Sketch.

After two hours of near-vomit-inducing bus driving we were back at the bus station. One taxi ride and a shower later I was back in my own bed, checking my Facebook and watching the previous night's Colbert Report online. It was fun, but felt good to be back.

Views from the front of boat Z3 showing the various degrees of "business" in the waters surrounding the markets.

The stalls of tourist stuff that they sell at every market in Thailand. These ones were on water though!

Frequently Asked Questions (Manners, Customs, Etiquette Edition)

The Thais are very polite people. Since I’ve been here I have become accustomed to the various ways of being polite and respectful. Here are some of them.

****You do not wear your shoes inside houses, temples and some private buildings. For instance, I was on a tour inside a house-turned-museum and the whole tour was done barefoot. There is almost always a stand for shoe outside the door and I haven’t had my shoes mysteriously disappear yet! I have yet to see carpeted floors anywhere and think that the feeling of bare feet on marble or stone floors is phenomenal. Many Thais also wear “house slippers” around the house so they don’t track the dirt from your feet onto the floor.

Shoes racks are built outside most houses, here is the one at our house! Yes, I caved and got Crocs, but they are pink and ballerina slippers, so they are still very "Alexis-esque"

Our family's house slippers. Mine are on the far left, right next to Gabriella's animal face slippers.

***Women add ‘ka’ to the end of their sentences and men add ‘khop.’ Apparently that one little syllable can turn anything you say into something polite. If you ever hear Thai people speak it is the one word that you hear over and over again. I think I’m starting to overuse it!

***Children are taught to greet others with a wai at a young age. It is also how you greet an elder or a person in a higher position than you (not a physically higher position…) A wai is when you put your palms together, as if in prayer, fingers straight up, put your hands to your chest/chin and bow. This motion is usually accompanied by “Sawatdee ka/khop” (Hello) or “Korb koon ka/khop” (Thank you.)

***In temples shoulders and knees must be covered. Women may wear knee-length skirts but with pants they must be full length trousers, no capris. Some temples let you cover your shoulders with a scarf, while others—like the Temple at the Grand Palace—enforce a strict dress code

We have a picture of the dress code at the Grand Palace

The worst picture of me ever. But, on here for a reason. I didn't have sleeves on that dress so I had to "borrow" a shirt from the Grand Palace (ick!)

***Thailand has both a monarchy and a Prime Minister. The monarchy is purely symbolic with very few legal duties but very highly respected. Except for seeing his picture every once in awhile in the Bangkok Post I never catch a glimpse of the PM. On the other hand, there are pictures of the King EVERYWHERE. He has done amazing things for Thailand and has created hundreds and hundreds of programs for the people here. He is currently the world’s longest reining monarch. If anyone says bad things about the monarchy they will go to jail under the Lèse Magesté laws. Currently there are several stories in the news here about people serving long prison terms for speaking against the monarchy.

This is Khao San Road and is lined with the flag of Thailand (red, white, blue) as well as the flag of the Monarchy (yellow)

***Along with not wearing your shoes indoors, it is not polite to point your feet at people, especially not the Buddha. At one temple I went into there was a specific sign telling all visitors (foreigners!) to remember not to point their feet at the Emerald Buddha.

***Despite the near 100 degree Fahrenheit heat here it is not appropriate to dress like you’re on the beaches of California. I would like to walk outside my house wearing shorts and a tank top, but looking at the many people around me in T-Shirts and capris I know its inappropriate. However, this changes drastically in downtown Bangkok, especially the heavy shopping areas. There you will find many young Thai girls and boys wearing less than those in my neighborhood.

***It is very important for Thai people to “keep their cool” in Thai you say jai yen (cool heart) and its one of the first Thais phrases I learned. This goes hand in hand with the laissez-faire mai pen rai attitude around the country. It is very important to try not to lose your cool (it’s happened to me only once.)

These are just some of the etiquette/customs I have come across while in Thailand. It is altogether a completely different type of lifestyle here. Whether the customs are Buddhist, Thai or more local they are nothing like we have in the U S of A. It is a relaxing and respectful culture and I love exploring the different aspects it presents me every day.

Frequently Asked Questions (Location Location Location edition)

I have had several people ask me questions about where I live and the daily “haps” of my life. So, your prayers have been answered. I am going to do a run down of the location here in my life.

I live in the Greater Bangkok area, in a northern “suburb” named Pakkret (or Pakkred or Pak ket, etc, depends which sign you’re looking at). I am roughly a 25-minute taxi ride from the heart of downtown Bangkok. It is technically still considered Bangkok where I am, but just the “Greater Bangkok Area.” Here are some analogies I can give you—hopefully the majority of readers will understand one or the other.

Thailand : Bangkok : Pakkret

US/Illinois : Chicago : Evanston

US/Minnesota : Saint Paul : Roseville

Get it? We’re right outside the city, but pretty much the closest “suburb” you can be in by the city.

This is the house I live in. The window on the far left 2nd floor is my window!

I am staying in the “suburbs” with my Aunt, Uncle, their soon to be 3- year old daughter Gabriella and Gabriella’s nanny (Mon-Fri) in a gated community called Bangkok Boulevard. It is pronounced "Bouleward" though because the Thais do not pronounce their 'v's like we do. I use the term “suburb” very lightly, because it is nothing like a suburb in the U.S. The gated community I live in is very clean and nice and filled with some middle to upper class Thais, but right outside the gates is a completely different story.

Here I am making cupcakes with my cousin Gabriella in our kitchen, while single handedly supporting the MN Twins in Thailand.

The gates open up to a “4-lane” (sometimes 6 or 8 lane) nameless highway. I can slightly compare it to Hwy 36 in Minnesota or Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. There is a pedestrian walkway about “7 blocks” down but the grocery store is right across the highway. So, in order to get there, we look both ways and run for our lives.

The view from a taxi (being driven by Khun Supachai apparently---I love looking at the taxi drivers' names!) on the busy road outside our community. Of course there is an elephant walking on the sidewalk and motorbikes creating their own lane...

This highway presents a very different lifestyle than the confines of Bangkok Boulevard. The sidewalk on either side of the highway is filled with litter, stray dogs and roadside food stands, sometimes all three of them together in one place. One second you’ll smell a delicious meal being presented on a questionably sanitary plate, the next second you will see, and smell, four stray dogs laying on a heap of garbage. This goes on for miles.

An example of one of the many roadside food stands right outside of our gates.

The lovely view of the side of the road once you walk out of Bangkok Boulevard.

Not too far from our house, right next to the poverty stricken streets, is “Little America.” The real name is Nichada Thani and it is where the International School of Bangkok is, which is where my Aunt and Uncle work. Nichada is a gated neighborhood that is filled with many gated communities, shops, the school, a lake, Starbucks and a whole lot of Westerners. I’d say that 99% of the families that live there aren’t Thai. There are even some cars in Nichada with the steering wheel on the left side of the car! So they have a car solely to drive around the neighborhood, because you can’t take it out on the Thai roads, where cars have steering wheels on the right side. You will also see families driving golf carts around the whole place. Not much Thai culture going on in Nichada, but a little slice from home if that's what you need...

But back to where I live: Bangkok Boulevard. When you enter the place there are guards right at the front gates. They keep us safe. Every time you pass one they salute you, click their heels together, and say “Sawat-dee-khup.” They are the smile-iest men I have ever seen. Brittany and I have nicknamed our two favorites “Khun Smiles” and “Bucky.” Khun Smiles smiles more than any other person in the world and Bucky has two big front teeth. I always reply to them with “Sawat-dee-kaa” and a big-ole-American wave. The Belisle house over here is one of maybe two houses holding Westerners, so they definitely know who we are by now and absolutely love Brit and I. Along with the gate guards we have the floaters. They keep us safe by riding around the community on their pink cruiser bikes. There is something about a man in uniform on a pink bike… These men, the guards, are some of my favorite people in Thailand, even though we cannot speak to one another except for the occasional "Taxi pi wrong-rien, korb koon ka"

One of our community's finest, sitting by his pink bike. He's taking a little break. If he knew I was taking this picture with super zoom he would be very embarrassed, stand up and salute me.

This is the Spirit House for our community. Thai Buddhists (which is incidentally most Thais) have these houses outside of their houses to ward off the evil spirits by making offerings of flowers, food, water, tea etc. to the Buddha. The offerings are usually changed daily or weekly in the case of flowers.

This is the playground in our compound. My cousin will go out sometimes to play with all of the Thai children. She speaks Thai when out there and I just smile at the non-English speaking mothers.

Our community also has a pool. I see it everyday, but have yet to go in it. The Thais aren’t fans of tanning, instead they advertise whitening cream in their drugstores. That being said, there are no lounge chairs by the pool, just one wooden bench. It is not the ideal place to lie out tanning and hop in every once in awhile, which, incidentally, is my style of swimming. Apparently in the hot months (March-May) it is too hot to even swim. The pool heats up and isn’t even desirable. I’ll keep you all updated on that.

There is also a workout room for all of the members of our community. However, Brittany and I share it mainly with two other Thai guys. There are only two treadmills, one creaky elliptical, a bike and a weight machine, so it is best when we go two-by-two. When I’m in there by myself I like to run on the treadmill and sing really loudly to my ipod…well, today I realized that the people in the office downstairs can hear me singing…I guess I’ll have to sing in my head like a normal person now.

Here are some pictures of our wonderful workout facilities. As you can see, there is a nice little lounge area in the room as well! What's on the table? The remote control for the 3 air conditioners in there.

I really enjoy where I live. I feel like I am getting the best of both worlds. I get Western-style amenities (Western toilet, Western AND Thai electrical outlets, sanitation) with Thai culture. Pretty much everything is written in Thai here, everyone speaks Thai and everyone is Thai. This gives me the opportunity to live in the real world of Thailand instead of a touristy world. I am so lucky that I have an Aunt and Uncle who live in Thailand and are willing to house, feed and entertain me!

I think that about covers where I live, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Other FAQ Topics to come:

Food

Downtown

Shopping

Manners/Lifestyle

etc

How The Thais Exercise (Rhyme Intended)

Brittany and I captured this lovely exercise event going on in a big park in the middle of downtown Bangkok, Lumpini Park. There are hundreds of Thais doing aerobics with this man as their guide. The funny thing is that as we continued to walk around the park there were more "large group aerobic" sessions going on! Who knew!

Early Morning Bus Ride to the Cambodian Border

My alarm goes off at 3:20 in the morning and all I want to do is go back to sleep. Instead, I peel myself out of bed and get ready for the task ahead: a 10-hour escapade on a bus to Cambodia to get my visa stamped. I won’t try to explain why I need to get it stamped or how Thai visas work, but I will tell you that I have to get out of the country in the next 24 hours.

My research on this visa run became quite extensive. Prior to “D-Day” I poured over internet sites and travel forums in an attempt to find the “least sketchy” bus tour. I read stories about cops raiding some buses and throwing people into jail because their visas were only one day overdue. None of this was settling…I don’t think I would do well in a Thai prison. One of my most viable options included slipping a cop 500 Baht ($15 USD) at the border—no joke. After a few recommendations I settled with the visa-run bus company titled Jack’s Golf International. Weird, huh? This guy started the company when looking for golf courses by the Cambodian border…oh the funny places life may take us.

Back to my early morning. Trusty late-night-taxi-driver-extraordinaire Khun Kob (who ended up not being my abductor) picks me up at 4 AM. He was told, once we get to the bus, to write down the license plate number “just in case”…now that’s settling. On the way through downtown Bangkok we pass tons of people on the street. Most of them still out from the night before. The plethora of high heels and short skirts reminds me that Thailand is infamous for its red light district. What a great place to be dropped off in at 4 AM.

The pickup/drop off place is a 7-Eleven on Bangkok’s busiest road—Sukhumvit. We pass by the convenient store and there is no bus. Khun Kob gets nervous and tries to call the number of the bus company. Right as he hangs up after no answer we see the double-decker pull up. It looks like a really old Megabus with about 30 Hello Kitty stuffed animals in the front window.

I hand over my passport to a woman sitting at a card table, sign my name in six places and get on the bus. When I’m handed a fleece blanket upon entering the bus I wonder how many bodies it has touched. I predict the number is more than the number of people that have urinated on the seat (that stench doesn’t come easily) but less than the number of she-men outside my bus window. The seats are actually quite big and it is comfortable for a bus—and I’ve had my fair share of bus rides between Mpls and Chicago. All I can do is blow up my neck pillow, turn on my ipod, guard my backpack with all of my soul and sleep the 3 hours to the border.

After three hours we arrive at the border. I sleepily get off the bus and follow the group of 20 or so people. There are only 3 other women on the whole bus. Two older Korean women and another blonde girl who looks about 30 (turns out she’s from South Africa.) Most of the passengers are older men, mostly Korean and Japanese. I am obviously the youngest and my blonde hair sets me apart from everyone on both sides of the border. We walk to the border crossing and, as advertised on the website, truly have VIP service. Everyone else is waiting in lines that apparently can take an hour or two to get through while we just walk straight through. I am in Cambodia. The lady in charge takes all of our passports so she can deal with the visas and border stamps while we all eat breakfast.

Our group walks to a casino about 3 blocks from the border. Except there aren’t blocks, just one really dusty road filled with garbage and people. At the casino we eat a provided breakfast and wait for an hour for the paperwork to get filled out.

The area in Cambodia where this particular border crossing is, is not too different than some of the more rural parts of Thailand I’ve seen. The biggest difference is the smell. Kind of a vomit and urine meet sewage and fish smell. It smells much worse than Bangkok, which smells much worse than Chicago, which smells worse than anything Minnesota has ever dealt with. I was holding my breath most of the time there. There is garbage everywhere and children running around barefoot and begging for money. I don’t think this short visit represents the country of Cambodia as a whole and I can’t wait to travel around in March, but it is very different than anything we are ever exposed to in the U.S.

We are already across the border, holding our stamped visas and back in the bus by 10 AM—my wake-up time in the U.S. The ride back to Bangkok is surprisingly fast, and with little rotit (traffic). I get dropped off at the 7-Eleven in no time. Now it’s the hardest part of the day for me. I have to hail a taxi and explain how to get back to my house, all by myself. I have not had to do this yet and am always with someone who speaks more Thai than me. After the first cab refuses to brave the traffic and take me out of Bangkok the second—and hot pink—taxi begrudgingly agrees. I strongly believe that one has better luck when in a hot pink taxi. I stumble over my words, try not to pronounce my ‘r’s or ‘l’s and we go back to Pakkret, excuse me Pak-ket.

The whole trip ended up not being so bad. I was very nervous at first, but am so proud that I managed to do it by myself. I definitely had help setting it up and finding a proper company, but I did the bulk work on my own. In a country that I am new to and where I don’t speak the language. I can’t wait to travel around more for real and will of course keep everyone updated!

Top Ten Jobs in Bangkok

As time passes with our travels throughout Thailand our expectations of ever getting a job in the United States again have lowered significantly. With the “booming economy” in Thailand we have become aware of a unique lifestyle filled with eclectic career paths. These jobs have inspired us to skip the fast track back in the States and lead a meaningful life with one of the many abstract positions available on this side of the world...

10. Woman Who Paints Flowers on Toenails

This job entails both an artistic knack and a steady hand. The flowers she can paint on the big toe have more detail than the decorating of a Buddhist Wat. She doesn’t stop at flowers though. She can paint Santa Claus, Hearts, Fish, Frankenstein you name it!

9. Bakery Counter Tag Team

Our baguettes or croissants could easily go stale without this duo. After picking out your bakery item (in a bakery section the size of a bathroom) your next step is to hand it off to these ladies so one can put it in a bag while the other rings you up, cash only. Then you proceed to the real checkout line to pay for all of your other items.

8. Parking Lot Whistler

A screaming drill sergeant whistle directs you into your parking space in most of the parking lots in Bangkok. This is necessary because most parking lots allow people to double-park their cars as long as they leave them in neutral. Behind every whistle is a job opportunity.

7. Ko Kret Ferry Ticket Seller

The woman sits at a table and collects 4 baht (10 cents) from everyone who wants to cross the 50-yard wide, man-made, portion of a river.

6. Dried Fruit Pusher

This position must work on commission. If your eyes meet she already starts pushing the 20+ options of dried fruit, she even has little bowls of samples for every kind of fruit imaginable. “Try some.” I have heard those words before…

5. Single Stair Mopper at Central Plaza

There is one stair outside of the local mall here (Central Plaza) and you can bet that stair is clean, thanks to our next job. That stairs’ gleam can be seen when flying overhead, because of the woman mops that single stair entrance.

4. Illegal Document Seller on Kosahn Road

He opens a suitcase and there are many illegal documents to be found…and bought. You need a Drivers License, Employment Visa, Diploma or other similar documents? Then you come to this man, give him a few baht, and you are good to go. Luckily this deal can be made completely out in the open at one of the dozens of storefronts on the busy Kosahn Road.

3. Rowboat Popcorn Seller

This woman rows her boat up to the side of a riverfront restaurant at the peak hours of dinnertime. In this boat she sells bags of popcorn to the hungry customers. She is able to hand off the popcorn by using a 6-foot long handle on a fishing net.

2. Team of Illegal Movie Sellers

At the IT Mall, in front of a store with blankets over most of the displays, this pair runs their business. After picking out a movie from the shelf the first man calls a second one on the phone. You wait 10 minutes for the second man to arrive. They take the cellophane wrapper off of the movie box, which ends up being empty. The second man hands over the disc he just brought and they place it inside the once empty box. So, for just 3 dollars you now have a movie that was just released in theaters in the States.

1. Feather Duster Selling Man on a Bike

This man rides a bike in the middle of the busy road…with a cart attached…full of feather dusters.