This morning after meeting and discussing our next two months of ministry we were free to explore. Most of the World Racers ended up at the mall after a short bus ride. The ride cost 8 Baut which is about 25 cents. I enjoyed the built in oscillating fans on the ceiling of the bus. While on route to the mall I noticed a few things that I had missed yesterday. There are several little restaurants or stands built on stilts over marshy land. Cars drive on the left hand side, but people walk on the right hand side. (In Africa they drive and walk on the left hand side.)
The Central Mall is seven stories high and contains more stores and restaurants than we had time to check out. Ginger, Stacy, Becca and I decided to eat at a restaurant with the word Barbeque in the name. We sat around an electric pot in the center of our table and picked the family beef meal. Two platters were brought out with raw cabbage, noodles, fish, pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, and squid.
We cooked the meat, fish, and squid on the metal center and boiled the noodles and cabbage on the ring around the outside. At the beginning of our meal one of the waitresses had motioned for us to put two mystery pieces on to cook. I decided to try out these mystery pieces only to find out that they were fat. Later we watched as a couple rubbed the fat on the metal cooking surface rather than eating it-woops!
After checking out the mall we went to an outdoor market, but unfortunately most of the clothing is much too small for any of our American frames. A second bus ride took us back to our neighborhood where Ginger, Katie, and I enjoyed some Milk Bubble Tea. It’s a tea with lots of milk and sugar served over ice with tapioca pearls in the bottom. I enjoyed slurping the tapioca pearls through the straw then chewing the sticky substance. For dinner I ate Pad Thai (chicken with noodles). My meal and drink cost about $1.50.
I really enjoyed the little I saw of Thailand today. I am impressed by how warmly we are received and by the amount of English I hear and see around the city. It is frustrating to not be able to read or communicate very clearly, but so far it is not a major problem.
A picture of the Royal King and Queen.
