Some more memories of Thailand!
No shoes allowed inside!!!! At all!!!!!!!
Part of Asian culture is a high regard for clean floors; therefore, you are NOT supposed to EVER wear shoes indoors. I wore shoes indoors once, and boy did I get a scold from my host mom. Oops. Won’t do that again.
Thai people take showers twice a day
Although I am considered one of the cleanest Racers on D Squad because I take a shower every day, even I have no desire to bathe twice a day.
Bugs somehow get under our mosquito net … not cool.
My threshold for bugs has SIGNIFICANTLY increased while I’ve been on The Race. For example, lizards crawling all over the walls … no big deal. An army of ants crawling all over my backpack … annoying, but the norm. Ants crawling all over my mattress … totally irritating, but I am coping.
Thai people, for the most part, are efficient, progressive, and polite … and they love to smile!
This is my kind of culture! They are on-time and value hard work. And Thailand is sometimes referred to as the “land of smiles!”
Mosquitoes galore!
I am pretty much guaranteed one to ten mosquito bites per day since I’ve been in Asia. It is warm and humid here … an ideal climate for an onslaught of mosquito attacks.
Mark and Wes' "room"
Riding on the back of red taxi trucks … anywhere!
Apparently it is totally legal to hang off the back of the taxi trucks regardless of the road. Sweet! I will take full advantage of this fun! Is it safe? Not really … sorry, Mom and Dad.
Mam, our translator and a songthaew (truck taxi)
Bamboo rafting down an awesome stream (with small rapids) in Chiang Mai
(FYI: it is similar to stand-up-paddle boarding)
SO AWESOME! We turned this outing into way more fun than was advertised! Instead of gracefully floating down the stream, by either sitting or standing on the bamboo rafts, we made it our goal to tackle everyone off their rafts, which meant landing on and getting dragged on sharp underwater rocks. I have not been bruised this bad in a long time, but so worth it!
borneotourgigant.com
Hip-hop/aerobic dance at the Chiang Mai University Main Gym
So much fun! Alys, Casey, Sammie Jo, Mark, and I attended some aerobic dance classes at a gym full of Thai people! So humorous to see elderly men dance to techno/dance versions of “Like a G6” by Far East Movement.
Volleyball at CMU's Main Gym
$3.50 – $6.00 1 hour Thai massages
What???? A good hour-long massage for less than 10 bucks!? Did I take full advantage of getting massages this month? Absolutely. I will preface to future travelers to Thailand that Thai massages are like physical therapy … prepare to be contorted.
Seriously? There is a 7-Eleven on almost every street corner of Thailand?
Yup. I know. I don’t get it. But they are quite convenient for snacks and mobile phone minutes for team leaders.
