I am finally in Thailand! we arrived to Bangkok at 11:50am Sunday morning. after some difficulty, we found MaryAnn in the airport and went to my grandfather's house. we had a light lunch with Gong Gong, then took a very long nap and went to bed at 8pm. this morning, had coconut juice, cha siu bau* (BBQ pork buns) and white corn for breakfast.
MaryAnn was on her way to the market and my cousin and i invited ourselves along. she called for extra moto-taxis. but as i was running down the stairs, i saw MaryAnn speed off. my cousin was on the back of another one and the third motorcycle was sent away right before i got there. sad, i thought, and a little weird. i waved goodbye and stayed with Gong Gong. 15 minutes later, a moto-taxi pulled up and brought me to the market. apparently, Mary Ann thought me and my cousin would ride the 2nd one together. not sure how. MaryAnn had fun introducing us to her friends and we got to practice our Thai phrases (hello and thank you). we stopped by the 7-11 (with slurpees!) for the AC and to buy more cha siu baau, which was discounted from 30 to 25 baht after 10am! it's about 35baht to $1. instead of motorcycles, we rode a tuk-tuk (a motorzied cart) home.
and, my 30baht 1hr is up at this internet cafe,,
*The phonetical spelling of Hello in Thai.
* Cantonese!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Leg 2 - Complete
in the Taipei airport right now. i just tried to post but the Taiwanese internets wouldn't let me, so take 2.
so...it's 7:30am here, which means 7:30pm in DC? i haven't slept in days so it doesn't even matter anymore. landed at 5:40am after a 13 hour and 15 minute flight. i slept for about 4 hours, off and on. had dinner and breakfast (didn't get the congee) and watched 2 movies. it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be!
the flight to bangkok is at 9:15am. my step-grandmother, Mary Ann, will meet us there and we'll head straight to my grandfather's house in Bang Bua Thong. it will be 91 degrees there today. i can't decide if that is better than the 38 degree weather in DC yesterday morning.
this journey is taking a very long time....
so...it's 7:30am here, which means 7:30pm in DC? i haven't slept in days so it doesn't even matter anymore. landed at 5:40am after a 13 hour and 15 minute flight. i slept for about 4 hours, off and on. had dinner and breakfast (didn't get the congee) and watched 2 movies. it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be!
the flight to bangkok is at 9:15am. my step-grandmother, Mary Ann, will meet us there and we'll head straight to my grandfather's house in Bang Bua Thong. it will be 91 degrees there today. i can't decide if that is better than the 38 degree weather in DC yesterday morning.
this journey is taking a very long time....
Friday, March 20, 2009
Leg 1 of Trip complete
I am currently in San Francisco at my Chinese grandmother's house doing last minute prep before heading to the airport for legs 2 and 3:
SFO to Taipei
1:20am - 6:20am
which is really a 14 hour flight. i hope my sleeping pill works. i've been saving it for a special occasion.
Taipei to Bangkok
9:15am - 11:50am
and 3 hour flight
looking forward to the 11 hour time difference!
SFO to Taipei
1:20am - 6:20am
which is really a 14 hour flight. i hope my sleeping pill works. i've been saving it for a special occasion.
Taipei to Bangkok
9:15am - 11:50am
and 3 hour flight
looking forward to the 11 hour time difference!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Podcast moving to YFM
please go to www.yourfriendsmusic.com for podcasts of Red Pandas For Real!
Episode 2 will be up soon. promise.
Episode 2 will be up soon. promise.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
You're going to Thailand???
Yes! I'm going to Thailand!
When are you leaving?
March 20 at 9am, i fly out to San Francisco and will leave for Thailand at 1am on March 21st.
when are you coming back?
I'll be back to SF on May 1st to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. I'll head to DC around may 9th or so.
why are you going?
my chinese grandfather is 90 and i haven't seen him in 9 years since he left the USA (after 40 yrs!) when Bush was elected. i'd like to hang out with him before it's too late.
why does he live in thailand?
my great-grandfather moved from china to thailand for work and sent for his chinese wife (my great-grandmother). they then had my grandfather in thailand and he grew up there . my step-grandmother is also thai. so my grandfather considers thailand his home and has fond memories of water buffalo and mango.
what are you going to do there?
hang out w/the fam, sleep, take mandarin lessons from my gong gong (grandfather), learn to cook thai food, volunteer at a local NGO. if you know of one, let me know!
so you quit your job?
yes, i did. while i enjoyed my time at EB, i need to make this trip.
are you crazy? in this economy????
no, i am not crazy. i know. but the business of saving kids will unfortunately be around for awhile and will always be hiring. i'm looking for something in international development/policy/law, preferably something to do with saving the kids. i'm looking in DC, NYC and SF. if you know of anything, let me know!
are you going to travel while you're there?
yes, i'll travel around thailand and head to cambodia and vietnam April 19-April 30. you should join me!
i miss you already.
i miss you more! you can hear my voice on my podcast Red Pandas For Real! here: www.yourfriendsmusic.com
....wait, you're half-Chinese???
yes. it's like you don't even know me. sigh, here we go again:
Bolivian father + Chinese-American mother = Bolivinese-American nattyq
When are you leaving?
March 20 at 9am, i fly out to San Francisco and will leave for Thailand at 1am on March 21st.
when are you coming back?
I'll be back to SF on May 1st to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. I'll head to DC around may 9th or so.
why are you going?
my chinese grandfather is 90 and i haven't seen him in 9 years since he left the USA (after 40 yrs!) when Bush was elected. i'd like to hang out with him before it's too late.
why does he live in thailand?
my great-grandfather moved from china to thailand for work and sent for his chinese wife (my great-grandmother). they then had my grandfather in thailand and he grew up there . my step-grandmother is also thai. so my grandfather considers thailand his home and has fond memories of water buffalo and mango.
what are you going to do there?
hang out w/the fam, sleep, take mandarin lessons from my gong gong (grandfather), learn to cook thai food, volunteer at a local NGO. if you know of one, let me know!
so you quit your job?
yes, i did. while i enjoyed my time at EB, i need to make this trip.
are you crazy? in this economy????
no, i am not crazy. i know. but the business of saving kids will unfortunately be around for awhile and will always be hiring. i'm looking for something in international development/policy/law, preferably something to do with saving the kids. i'm looking in DC, NYC and SF. if you know of anything, let me know!
are you going to travel while you're there?
yes, i'll travel around thailand and head to cambodia and vietnam April 19-April 30. you should join me!
i miss you already.
i miss you more! you can hear my voice on my podcast Red Pandas For Real! here: www.yourfriendsmusic.com
....wait, you're half-Chinese???
yes. it's like you don't even know me. sigh, here we go again:
Bolivian father + Chinese-American mother = Bolivinese-American nattyq
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