Before it gets too far into the semester, I figured I should make a list of my first impressions of Thailand…
1. Cars drive on the opposite side of the road. I still get confused as to which direction to look first when I cross the streets…
2. There a LOTS of power lines all bundled together weaving their way throughout the city. I have no idea how fires don’t start all the time.
3. The food gets pretty spicy. (And you can buy food anywhere, at any time. There are food stands everywhere!)
4. There are fruit trees everywhere. Mainly banana, mango, and coconut. I could get used to that.
5. The water is a little unreliable in our room… You can basically count on the water turning off sometime in the middle of your shower.
6. Squatty potties. (Usually no toilet paper is provided, so to be safe, BYOTP.)
7. Motorcycles seem to be the main mode of transportation. It is not uncommon to see 3 or 4 people on one motorcycle together – oftentimes including babies.
8. There are lots of bugs. Especially gnats and ants. (Which means there are lots of geckos to eat them! It’s pretty cool to hear them chirp at night.)
9. Song-teaws are awesome (even if they may be a little unsafe.) However, they are not as fun to ride when the air outside is smoggy… Which is any time during rush hour. The cars don’t seem to be very eco-friendly here.
10. Everything is cheap!!
11. Temples are everywhere – and their ornate architecture is gorgeous.
12. It is very humid here, but the air stays pretty still. I have never sweated so much in my life…
13. People are very kind!
14. Lots of stray dogs roam the cities and villages, although they are usually friendly.
15. Nothing is as beautiful to wake up to as rice paddies and mountains!
16. Trucks seem to think that they can transport loads up to 3 times their height…
17. Did I mention that fruit is delicious here? There are so many tropical fruits I have never had before.
18. Ginger and lemongrass seem to be a staple in almost every dish.
19. Very few places have air conditioning.
20. Shoes are traditionally taken off before you enter buildings. It is actually very nice being barefoot!
21. You can’t drink the water here due to pesticides. It’s hard to remember to bring clean water upstairs to use for brushing teeth!
22. The cities are not the cleanest… But there is always a lot going on – especially with markets and food vendors.
23. There are so many beautiful and interesting flowers here, many of which grow on very interesting trees.
I could probably add more, but these pretty much cover them all!
to float on water 