The third leg of my trip to Thailand has arrived. I am currently sitting on a small picnic table underneath a straw hut in Chat-Pa-Wai, a small town in the subdistrict of Suan Phung in the province of Ratchaburi. I am on A FARM. For those of you who have been demanding greater details about my happenings here thus far, I figured that this is as good a place to begin as any.
My first week in Thailand was spent in Bangkok in the Siam neighborhood. The second week was spent in Chiang Mai with friends for the Loi Krathong and Yi Peng festivals. If you ask nicely, I will tell you more about what happened during that time. If you ask really nicely, I may even show you pictures.
This past Monday, one of my new friends and I took a bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. It was an overnight bus, and we were scheduled to arrive in Bangkok at 7 am on Tuesday. But because the driver drove like a maniac, in the pitch black of 4:55 am, we found ourselves standing in the middle of Khao San Road surrounded by other sleepy passengers from our bus and loads of luggage heaped around the curb. A few other travelers and I stumbled into a 24 hour McDonalds and unfolded some maps. We spent a few hours trying to figure out where we were, how to get to where we needed to get, and sharing travel stories and tips while we waited for the sun to rise over the streets of Bangkok.
Once the rest of the city caught up with the day, we parted ways. I took a taxi back to Siam Journey guesthouse to grab lunch with Gio. I took a few hours to just rest in their air-conditioned common area, draw a cartoon (see previous post), and chat with some other guests. In the evening I left to catch a mini bus from Victory Monument to Chat Pa Wai. The ride itself lasted around two and a half hours, and the only notable occurrence was that we stopped at a "gas station," I think.. to fill up.. on something, I think. We pulled up in front of some sort of pump, and this lady popped the hood (the hood!) of our van to do the fill-up. My dad called me during this car ride as well, and we had a hilarious conversation about zip lining and small towns with no internet. I miss my family.
Once I arrived in Chat Pa Wai at the bus stop-- and by bus stop I mean designated crack in the sidewalk--- I called Arnon, the owner of the farm, who then sent a tiny pick-up truck to retrieve me. I met Piriam (Arnon's friend) and the other two volunteers on the farm, Erica and Phoebe. On the way to the farm, we also passed some friendly neighbors, who peeked their heads excitedly into the car window and exchanged enthused Thai greetings with Piriam. Once I arrived at the farm, the first thing that I noticed was how stunningly dark it was. Oh man, I really am on a farm was my first thought. I immediately felt nervous about this volunteer commitment. I felt nervous because I suddenly realized how far away I was from everything and everyone else, I couldn't understand what the few people on the farm were saying, and at that moment I became strangely aware of how dirty eating and showering on a farm really could be. But most of all, I was nervous because I noticed that on our car ride from the "bus stop" to the farm, we did not pass a single 7-eleven. That is the ultimate indication of non-civilization.
Upon my arrival, the volunteers and Arnon helped me unload my bags from the truck and showed me to the volunteer quarters, a small building connected to the back of what appears to be an old bar and concert venue. Dust lined the old wooden counters and the small handful of foggy wine glasses that still sat silently along the shelves. The rest of the furniture in the space had been shoved to the edges of the room; old benches, tables and couches holding each other in a strange hug of sorts.
We walked back into our bedroom, and I was pleased to see a large, clean room with several beds and a nice shiny floor. The room smelled like bug spray, and I could hear a leaky faucet splashing against the floor from behind another door which I presumed to be the bathrooms. But overall, it was a pleasant place.
Once I put my bags down, we were brought back outside for dinner. As I neared the large kitchen hut, I noticed a few people huddled together closely studying an object that laid on the ground between them. I got closer, closer, closer. And then this happened.
Python!
I immediately sent the photo to my family along with the caption: "I have arrived at the farm!"
I enjoyed a beautifully simple, yet delicious dinner that Piriam had prepared for us with the other volunteers. Then they showed me where to do dishes and how to navigate around the many huts, teepees, buildings, fences, and trees scattered around the farm. I also got to meet a few of the farm's dogs. Exhausted from the preceding 24 hours of traveling with my heavy bags, I opted to shower after dinner and go to sleep. It was 9 pm.
I took a shower using a shower head that sprayed the most narrow stream of water ever, flooded the bathroom a little bit, and crawled into bed. I did a little bit of writing and went to bed listening to the sounds of Arnon and the few other volunteers talking, laughing and playing guitar on the roof of a gorgeous orange cabana of sorts that stood just a few short steps away.
This farm is friendly. The people are pretty amazing. It already feels familiar. I am learning things. I am already eaten by mosquitoes.
- bcl.
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