Weekend trip to Tuk!

I still haven't written about Friday's hike up Doi Suthep mountain but I'll just have to do that tomorrow. 

Today was, hands down, the best day of my home stay.  Yesterday (Friday), on the motorcy ride home, I asked Paw what we would be doing this weekend. He said he was going away all day Saturday and most of Sunday so I should make plans with a friend. Meh doesn’t drive. Well, we were a little too late to make plans…it just isn’t that easy here. So, after a ton of calls and wrong numbers, I thought I was out of luck. I guess I seemed a little frustrated because then Paw said well maybe you can come with me. Originially Meh didn’t want me to go because she was nervous something would happen to me. So, Paw called the woman in charge of homestays at 8pm the night before we left and she said YES! So, 6am today, I was up and ready to go to Tak. I didn’t know what we were doing except it had something to do with painting and a bunch of his friends were going and Tuk is another province and 2 hours away. So we head out…

We first stop at Paw’s friends house to ride with them. Good call because I was definitely wondering if Mr. Rickety was going to make it all the way. Anyways, Paw's friend and his son are probably the coolest people who live in the sickest house. They are obviously artists and the hippies of Thailand. The house is all wood and impeccably decorated. The father is a wood sculptor, painter, and musician and the son is a metal worker and wood carver, as well. The four of us had tea and headed off in the pickup truck.

The ride was ridiculous…these men obviously have a sense of humor although I’m not sure what kind. Paw’s friend talks SO LOUD and constantly sounds like hes yelling and after he says anything they all laugh like hyenas. Not kidding. I actually took a video. It was hilarious. I had no idea what they were talking about but I just couldn’t help but laugh. And then I would hear them say “farang” (meaning wihite foreigner, sometimes derogatory depending on who says it and the context) and look at me or put their hand on my knee and then start cracking up again. So, I know I was part of the amusement…I just don’t know exactly what. So, we stop to eat breakfast with the rest of the crew! Breakfast was like most people’s dinners and we ate it out of the back of a pickup. It doesn’t matter where you eat or the circumstances, Thai’s always have full elaborate meals.

The artists were all hilarious and so sweet. One woman , Kwan talked to me for a while and told me that I was really great at Thai and she was really impressed! I later realized I told her I had been in Thailand for 4 months instead of weeks so when I later told her I made that mistake she was even more impressed. Her English is perfect. There were a few old women who were so adorable and wonderful. I had already eaten by the time they came and they kept saying kgeen caow??? (meaning eat mean??) and I said kgeen leow (I ate already!), and they were just so excited about the fact that I spoke some Thai, which made me feel great! I think I’m making myself sound better than I am. I know enough to get by but can by no means keep a conversation or even remember half of what I have learned hah.

Anyways, after breakfast we headed on and the cackling and yelling continued as I tried to take a nap. Didn’t happen. About a half hour later we stopped for lunch. Wasn’t hungry…but ate anyways so then my stomach hurt a bit for the last hour and a half of the drive! They planned this two hour drive to last half the day…they like breaks.

We got to the hotel and it was SO nice! It has wireless and everything! This is definitely a change and I don’t hate it. The only problem was that I had to share a room with some woman I didn’t know! Luckily, I found out it was Kwan. It has been really great. We have talked a lot about Thai culture/etc. and she’s so sweet. But we do have to sleep in the same bed and that has yet to happen.

Kid that came to paint...there for more than an hour!

So little story… One of the old women is really tiny (up to my chest). So, they were all around a truck grabbing bananas when I came over. Paw knows I LOVE bananas so he was said “ohhh don caow (my Thai name), get gruay (banana)”. The old woman grabs one and quickly gets it to me! I thanked her a lot and then I’m not sure what happed but I heard “farang” and then other Thai words and all of a sudden she grabs another banana and gives me a HUGE hug and slips another banana in the side of my backpack. It was the best hug and the first I have gotten from a Thai (my family doesn’t even hug). So, another hilarious, great moment.

So, we chilled for a few hours at the hotel and then headed off to a market. They waited about an hour to leave because they thought it was too hot outside…Thais are sensitive to heat, I have realized. So, we get to the market and Paw puts out our paintings. He brought the one I started the first weekend!  Turns out this group of 15-20 does this every Saturday. They come to this market and each have their craft (painting, wood work, making things out of banana leaves, etc!) and they bring supplies for the children of the village to take part as well and they teach the children how to do the craft. They said they do it because they don’t want children to lose touch with the Thai art culture. Love it. This is just one part of the vast market. There is a stage where the students of the town sing, dance, play instruments, all in traditional Thai costume. There is also amazing food! I really had the best time.

My new friend :)

I spent an hour or two painting and the rest of the time I just explored and tried out my Thai a little. The best thing happened while I was painting. This little girl and her mother kept coming up to me the entire time and I thought they were just amused because I was a farang (like everyone else was…people were taking pictures and everything…I felt like I was in a zoo). But, towards the end of the evening, the mother pushed the little girl towards me and she giggled and grabbed her mom. Her mom then said that she really wanted to talk to be but was nervous. She was learning English. So I told her that I was trying to learn Thai and maybe we could help each other out! So I spoke a little in Thai and then some English and she finally started talking. I found out she was 10 years old and LOVES art, also! She said she loved my painting! Then she and her mom left. About a half hour later, when I was packing up, she came back  on the motorcy with her mom holding a Thai dessert! She handed it to me and said “for you”! I thanked her a million times and took a picture with her. She was the CUTEST. Then she ran back to the motorbike with her mom and they asked if I would be back next weekend. NOW I WANT TO COME BACK L

My painting of the transport of Thailand

Anyways, this was the highlight of my trip so far. No question. It was just a really great day and I met all the nicest people.