A Suphan Kind of Weekend

It has recently dawned on me that my time in Suphan is slowly coming to a close - I've only got 3 months left in my little corner of Thailand and there are a lot of people, places and things I'm really going to miss. Since I'm attempting to save as much money as possible so that I can travel for a month before I head back to the US, staying in Suphan on the weekends has become more of a regular thing.  Sure, there's not a whole lot going on here, but we make the most with what we have and this weekend was no exception.

Friday night we had a welcome dinner for 2 new teachers, both from Wisconsin, that have joined our staff for the summer.  Like all school functions, and almost any party in Thailand, it featured a lot of karaoke.  Usually I try to stay away from the microphone, but this time I took the stage for "Stop" by the Spice Girls and "The Call" by the Backstreet Boys, and I was pretty, pretty good.

Due to a very important election held today in Thailand, there was no alcohol sold and most of the bars and hang-out spots were closed for the weekend, so we made our own little party on the sidewalk on Saturday night.  We grabbed some yoga mats, snacks and a few beers (snuck away from our friend's restaurant) and camped out on the sidewalk for a few hours for some life chats and funny stories. There was actually a breeze that appears so rarely in Thailand, so it felt like the perfect summer night.

Samchuk 100 Years Market

On Saturday afternoon, Nell and I had taken a stroll that basically covered the entire town of Suphan, and at one point in our wanderings, we were yelled at by someone on a passing motorbike.  This is not an odd occurrence as passing motorists will often yell out things like "farang" (white person) or "beautiful" or even "I love you!"  We reciprocated with our usual smile and they took it as a sign to pull over and ask for our numbers.   They then joined us for dinner and invited us to join them the following day at one of Suphanburi's main attractions: Samchuk 100 Years Market.  We had been planning on going there anyways so we couldn't turn down a free ride when faced with the prospect of a crowded, hot, and long ride on a public bus.  Sunday morning Nell, Liz and I joined our new friends J and Gas for a trip out to Samchuk. I had been there before and it was more of the same: checking out some of the shops and crazy snacks and desserts offered, eating some delicious green curry, and taking a boat to tour a really old house with some amazing antiques - including things like really old cameras and radios - all that still work! J and Gas were the ultimate Thai hipsters and super friendly - showcasing the classic Thai hospitality. I guess normally I wouldn't meet someone in a foreign country and allow them to take me on a road trip the next day, but Thai people are something special and they really love showing off their country to foreigners, so far I've been alright to trust them with my life! 

All in all, a simple but great Thai weekend, and a good reminder to soak up my remaining time in Suphan.

Thai desserts!

Boat Ride Entertainment

Backyard Barbecue: Thai Style

Hi friends! Reading everyone's blogs and emails from the USA about Summertime and Memorial Day barbecues has me missing summer back in the States. Of course, living in the land of eternal summer, or so it seems, has its benefits too! This week my friend Wat invited several teachers from the English Program out to a local barbecue place for dinner.  Now, when Thais say barbecue, they mean Thai-style, which back home means Korean-style.  So, while in the USA barbecue means steaks, hot dogs, seed-spitting contests, corn on the cob, and a Budweiser, over here in Thailand we do barbecues with jellyfish, spring-rolls, photo hunt, Beer Singha and chopsticks!

In Thailand, barbecue means a hot-pot on the middle of your table - with coals on the bottom, water in the rim and a piece of fat in the middle to grease up the pot.

Next, you head over to the raw-meat bar to pick up any fixings you would like: beef, pork, chicken, jellyfish, you know, the usual.  While you're there you can also grab some appetizers: mini hot-dogs, spring rolls, and french fries! You can also grab some greens and noodles to add to the barbecue soup that you make while the meat is cooking.

After you head back to the table you add the meat piece by piece with your chopsticks and bbq it until it's cooked to your liking. Since I'm not a fan of touching raw meat, and I don't really understand how it's ok to touch the meat with your chopsticks and then eat off of them, I usually let someone else "man the grill."

From there it's a free for all, whoever grabs the meat first with their chopsticks gets to enjoy it! You can also add some spicy sauce - because it wouldn't be Thai if it didn't leave your mouth on fire.


Finally, there's no better way to finish the meal than a couple of scoops of ice cream to cool things down because, trust me, sitting outside in the 100+ degree heat with the smoke from the hot-pot added in does not make for a super pleasant eating experience and by the end everyone at the table is mopping sweat off their bodies.

Thai Snacks: The Good, The Bad, The Insects

Living in Thailand, my eating habits have undergone a major change in the past five months. I no longer have access to cheese, sandwiches, pizza, bagels and many more foods.  Each day for lunch and dinner I struggle with one essential question: rice or noodles?  I've also had to adjust my snack habits, there's nothing as simple as pretzels or Wheat Thins or chips and salsa.  There is, however, an abundance of fresh pineapple and other tropical fruits that are SO delicious.  There's also a wide variety of other snack options.  Since I'm packing up for a week long tour of Vietnam with about 80 Thai teachers from my school, I figured I'd keep it simple and show off some of the Thai snack choices: the good, the bad, and the insects, here's a few photos from this morning's walk around the market (and of course a stop at 7-11).

The Good: Pocky chocolate dipped biscuit sticks and Hershey's cookies & cream nuggets (which they stopped producing in the states a few years back much to my dismay.  Luckily, Thailand imports them from the Philippines.)














The Bad: Walking through the market can be tough on the stomach, especially when the sun is blazing. There is an excess of raw fish and various pig's body parts for sale.  You want it, you can get it.

The insects: I haven't tried one yet--and I likely won't--but you never know.  When in Asia...