Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Day No.1 in Thailand (an amazing experience with incredible people)!Was kinda bummed when I found out only 4 student nurses (including myself) signed up for this trip. The other 5 ladies were from Physiotherapy. But it didn't dampen my mood or enthusiasm one bit! It was an opportunity for me to widen my network of friends.
Note: It gets kinda boring when the only people you're familiar with are either from your course or CCA.
Dad and Mum sent me off! My heart was racing while in the car towards Changi Airport. We're talking about 8 days abroad ON MY OWN! With a huge sum of cash in my pocket for non-stop shopping! The excitement simply overwhelmed me.
Stupid Clara couldn't come to the airport so she sent me this sms: "Bon voyage ar woman. Take care of yourself. Dun get rape okie! Be careful of the patients over there okie! Love you many! Xoxo"
What can I say? A dumb sms from a dumb person. Tsktsktsk. I swear, I'll finish up your bottle of vodka that's collecting dust in my room!
That's my flight. Nura and I had extreme difficulty in locating the correct gate. Dammit! Our gate just had to be right at the end!
Feelin' bored before take-off. The plane was facing some kinda "technical difficulty" and just drove around for 5 mins.
Bye-bye, Singapore!!!!
Sawadee-ka, Chiangmai!!!
From left to right: Thamarai, Mr Bala, Hiu Yan, Mei Ping, Pauline, Phoebe, Xueling, Tami, me, Nura
I bunked in with Nura at the International Centre. This place is one heck of a hostel man! It is actually for foreign students who're studying in Chiangmai and guess what?! There's free breakfast every morning and tidying up of our rooms!
Our oh-so-comfy beds (mine's the one closest to the window)
Well, since we were being told that we'll be staying in a hostel, I was expecting rowdy students loitering along the corridoors and common toilets...
BUT I WAS WRONG!!!
The people living there were really well-behaved! And each room has it's own spotless bathroom!!!
MY DESK.
Once we were all settled down, Pat (our tour-guide) took us to some place called "Khum Khantoke" for a cultural Northern Thai dinner.
These ladies carving fruits were the first people that greeted my eyes when I alighted from the coach.
Pretty lady playing some sorta instrument. haha! Pat did mention the name of it but I was too engrossed in taking pictures, I wasn't quite paying attention to what she was saying! =X
Yummy Thai dishes! There was chicken curry, mixed vegetables, sweet vermicelli, crackers and iforgottherest. Dinner was damn shiok! So shiok, I had two plates of rice when I should be watching my carbo intake!
See the amount of rice in Nura's plate? Well, I had DOUBLE that amount!!
The performers came out halfway through dinner. I had to make sure my hands were free from all the oil and crumbs before snapping pictures cause the camera I was using belongs to Arlene. Thanks for lending it to me, gal!
Kinda reminds me of a traditional Malay wedding, don't you think?
Here's the solo-dancer. She is so BEAUTIFUL and FLAWLESS!
Couldn't get a clear shot of her because her dance movements were real quick.
When it was time for the dancers to pick out people to dance alng with them, I signalled at her to pick out Mr Bala!! Hahaha! He better thank me for this! He had the chance to dance alongside a future Miss Thailand! (I hope his wife doesn't come across my blog. I'm screwed if she does!)
After I sabo-ed him, he turned the tables on Nura and I!
The dance routine was tiring ok! The movements are so slow, your muscles began to ache. And I had to flex my fingers so hard, they were numb afterwards.
Believe it or not, the girl whom Bala sabo-ed me to dance with is only 15!! I couldn't believe it when she told me. And she couldn't believe it when I told her I was 18!
That's her in the blue outfit!
When I said Bala was a lucky man, I meant REALLY lucky. Look at his dance partner (in pink) up-close for yourself:
Guys, you can STOP salivating now.
Nura and I with the "peacock lady".
Us and the white deer! Hahaha! With so many cameras around, the poor thing had to stay on until way past performance time just to take snapshots with us. Sweet eh? WE LOVE YOU!
Those things around our necks are jasmine flowers, not necklaces or chains or some sorta accessory.
Nura and I waited for 10 frickin' minutes to take this picture. And while waiting, we were deciding on who should be the male and female. My roommate chose to be the male because the female character has exposed nipples!! Her feet looked kinda distorted as well. Lol!
That sums up our first evening in Thailand. Keep a look-out for the rest of the remaining days in the land of a thousand smiles!
Shadow stepped, body touched, soul crashed at 12:47 pm.
