Alarm goes off at six am, yes you did read that right. The grandma (who is my age lol) who speaks no English was up to great me after I had showered with my eggs on toast - still delicious. I think whenever I have eggs on toast in the future I shall think of her.
Mini bus collects me at 7:00 and today's adventure starts. Change buses a couple of times and I am sharing my minibus with an English couple, five Korean women, a Korean family with two small children and trust me when I say him have not heard a child winge until you hear a toddler winge in Korean lol. A guy from giddiness knows where and three very hangover, but load Australian blokes.tempted as I was by the loud Australians ;) I was mot prepared to hear about their adventures of the previous night.
First stop was the War Grave Cemetery. It was spotless. There were people sweeping, weeding, cutting and cleaning the graves. There were far too many, from all over the world. Many were so young; such a waste. The Thai people keep the place with total respect. It was very moving. Then off to the bridge. The river is so wide and fast flowing and the bridge, well it was so rickety. I was brave lol. I thought that so many lives were lost to build this at least I can do is walk across it. I just looked ahead, stepping through the tracks to miss other people. I was so scared as I don't do heights and I don't like things moving under me like a fast flowing river. It's hard to comprehend the waste of life and suffering for a bridge and railway - the death railway as the Thais call it.
Back on bus, you getting the picture and off to elephants. Oh they were lovely, so many of them. I ended up sharing my elephant with a young girl called Amy. That was not her name, that was her western name, she was from South Korea and her English was fantastic. The young Thai lad driving the elephant lol was trying to rip us off left right and centre. Buy this, buy that lol. Then if we paid we could sit on the elephant itself lol. I had visions of me sliding off lol, but Amy did it lol. The young boy buggered off and there was me and her and this bloody elephant wandering all over the place, it was brilliant lol. Then I bought some bananas and feed them. Do you know that elephant had eyes that could read the sadness of my soul - so meaningful. Note: never give a Korean house iPhone to take pictures, she took so many lol of me feeding the elephants lol.
So me and Amy (aged 26, one there for you Lee I thought lol) are firm friends. The Australians are still be loud, the Korean toddler is still winging and we are on a raft made out of bamboo, shoes off, going down the River Kwai lol. Amazing views, it really is such a beautiful country.
Then it's lunch. As I'm vegetarian I am given an omelette which the Australians who are now getting over their hangovers had their eyes on! No one gets my food lol. Anyways,they had my portion of Thai curry lol. Back on bus to see some waterfalls. Australians had gone off to see doped up tigers. I thought that was ethically wrong, tigers are tigers they should not be sedated.
Anyway I needed a wee. I had to walk over stepping stones lol only to find the toilet was just an open hole, I guess everyone pees in the waterfall lol. Needless to say, I didn't bother lol. I found a little cafe and had a cold Americano and was speaking to a lovely trans person. It is difficult to work out the gender of some people, and that's me having trouble! So I now know hello in Thai lol it's coming along.
Back on bus and and off to the railway to ride on the train on the death railway. Then we are told train not coming, then it is lol, then it isn't. Lol. I'm teaching Amy the definition of chav lol. I type it I her phone, she changes phone to Korean,she understands chav lol. Oh and yes it was a samsung phone lol. Train comes and we are off and the views are beautiful. I can't imagine, not want to imagine now awful it was building it; the heat; the terrain and the Japanese who Amy informs me everyone in the Far East despise. We are then joined by an Australian couple from just outside of Sydney, so I had a good chat to them. 5:30pm back on bus and three hour drive to Bangkok!!!!! We all fell asleep so got back at hostel around 8:15 ish. I was going to check out the nightlife tonight but to be honest it's not for me. For me it is not what Thailand is about. So as it was late I thought stuff it, I can go tomorrow. That was a good decision. Collected my washing lol all done - excellent service and went straight out again. I found a lovely little restaurant called Jenny's that served vegetarian food. I was looking at the menu and a young guy who was eating there said it's good food and they serve brown rice. That was it sold. I asked him what he had had and told me he teaches here, he is British and he eats here every night as the food is cooked with love. So I took his recommendation - brown rice and massaman curry with tofu. I can't tell you it was fabulous and yes you could just tell it was cooked with love. The young guy is called Daniel - hey Daniel if you are reading this we swapped blog address and he's trying to find me on FB and his friend Suzy who Lee picture is attached, she said she liked the younger guy lol bit like the there lol. We chatted and he's been everywhere I'm still very envious Daniel. They left and a couple with a ten month old baby looked at the menu so I recommended the food lol and they stayed and ordered the same. We started chatting and they had bee here for six weeks and were from Finland lol.n then the two American girls staying at the same hostel as me stopped to chat to me. When I chatting to Daniel he asked if got lonely travelling on my own lol. I said no how can I, so many people to talk with, share stories with. Today has been rich in so many ways. Two weeks is not enough time in this beautiful country and I have meet some truly wonderful people today, who I hope, will keep in contact with me.
So I have just been to the coffee shop opposite and they know me now too lol so I am off, dressed appropriately to the Grand Palace tomorrow. I feel now as if the clock is ticking, there is so much I want to see and do. I will have to come back. Of that I am certain. Back at the hostel a new guy has arrived who is German and he asked me if I could recommend anywhere to eat - so I gave him directions to Jenny's - where the food is made with love :)
So what have I learnt today? The whole world speaks English yet at times we can't even grasp it lol!
Elephants have eyes that can see straight to your soul
War is pointless and mans greatest enemy is man
Robbie Williams and it pains me to say this lol lol is right ....
Baby be a giant, let the world be small
We in the west have totally lost the plot. All we need for a rich life is food, prayer and love! It's that simple
There is just too much to see, experience, smell in this wonderful world. Yet we are like hamsters on a wheel, going round and round, chasing this, chasing that but missing out on so much as we do so. It's crazy.
So go do something simple today, something that costs nothing. Speak to a stranger, try something new because until you do my friends you don't know what you may be missing x
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