Off to Elephant Island

JJ Market.  Imagine navigating through 100 of these.

Imagine the biggest fleet market you've ever been to and times it by four.  Where I went is even bigger than that.  This past Sunday I went to the JJ Market, which is the largest market in Bangkok.  And when I say large that's an understatement.   It's mammoth - 35 acres of five by five feet stalls.  I walked around it for like two hours and still didn't see everything.

Getting a cab back was not nearly as fun.   In Thailand stationary cabs don't turn their meter on, which will always result in a huge rip off.  After about twenty minutes of searching an angel offered me help and I got a cab back WITH the meter on.  But it wasn't smooth sailing yet.  On the way we ran into a protest.  I wasn't told many things before I came to Thailand but I did remember that when there's a swarming crowd of red shirts, that's a bad thing. My cab driver seemed freaked out too because he kept saying "Red shirts traffic jam!"  After we took a different bridge (it's a yellow suspension bridge and beautiful) I made it home safely and hid in my room for a little while.

Oh and don't worry.  I did embrace Thai culture and tried some street food.  A friend, Hilary, and I got the same soup and it was so gross.  So I went back and got french fries as a reward for being adventurous.

The soups came in plastic bags.

This week I started classes so I've been much busier and have spent most of my time getting used to the school.  I met a Thai student who studied at USC last semester and ended up being in her group for one of my classes.  She introduced me to two other girls and we all got lunch on my first day.  We had this thing called a Japanese pizza which was kind of like a funky, noodle casserole.   It was delicious.  The girl that introduced it to us is also a big lover of food and told me there's a good mexican restaurant outside the city by her house.  I don't care how far it is; I will go to any lengths to get mexican food.  It sounds like Tex Mex, but I'm in no position to be picky.

The dock for the ferry I take to school.

"Research Nuclear Medicine Center"

Tonight I depart for Koh Chang.  Apparently it's an island more towards Cambodia so it's a relatively easy journey for our first trip.  In Thai, Chang means elephant so I've got my hopes up that I'll get to at least pet one.  I think about all of my friends in Europe, or even back home, who will be/are freezing and I picture myself sleeping on the beach on a beautiful island.  It's quite a nice image really.

I'll be without internet and probably without my US phone until Sunday (Saturday American time) so don't count on any updates until then.