Friday 23rd saw Thammasat exchange students pile into 2 mini vans in order to eat the food supply of Northeast Thailand. After being told the absolute importance of arriving on time....we all did! Only, we had to wait for a certain professor who had only one day earlier told us how important that we arrive on time.....hmmmm....anyways, lunch was at a lotus tesco, which I have decided has the least delicious food out of any department store food court in Thailand. This field trip was always going to be good, because the entire schedule was designed around what we would eat, and when we would eat it! Yes, my kind of field trip. So, after driving along this highway which America helped build (patriotic cheers by American students at this stage.....dont be so proud, the road is terrible, pot holes, falling apart, dusty, bumpy.....you sure stuffed this raod up).
And then we stopped at petrol station number one....let me say now, petrol stations featured prominantly in our feed-trip....I think we counted about 34 petrol stops in the first day alone! So, while you're reading, just insert the sentence "and then we stopped for petrol/someone to be sick/snacks/more snacks at the petrol station" about 33 more times and you'll have the full picture of this trip.
So, first meal stop was for the famous Issan duck. We went to a restaurant which is considered to have the best grilled duck in the whole of Thailand! Wow wow wow......it is very different to duck as we eat it, coz it doesnt have a lot of meat on it. But it is really nice. This place also specialises in some friend noodles, a little bit like phad thai, but different, and soup containing the foetus of a chicken....ie, not fully developed eggs which have yet to be laid....they are interesting to say the least. They look like a yolk, but taste very rubbery. And in the soup you can even eat the duck ovaries....actually, they taste better than liver, so that's something!
The duck is so famous here, they even build a monument to the duck.....
First temple was at Phimai, where we saw some ruins of a temple which the King used to come too. It was realy interesting, with 2 pond either side of this walkway, which was meant to be the sea between the secular world and enlightenment....of course, we had to jump into these ponds (no water in them) and have a swim on our way into the enlightened world. And yes, you really do feel so much more enlightened...or perhaps that was just heat stroke setting in from the temperature that day, and everything just kind of feels a bit burred and dizzy.....if this is what enlightenment feels like, then I am opting out and am happy to remain in the secular world. Here are some pictures of the temple, and us dispelling fear like the buddha's do....maybe we could do this in our truely enlightened state after not only crossing the path over the sea, but swimming in it too!!
Back on the raod, and this is the part where you really need to insert abovementioned sentence re petrol stations.....hmph....fun fun! But at one of these stops, we did get to try grilled frogs, like this...taste a bit like fish, and are salty.
Finally we pull up for dinner....spirits lift...well, mine lift at least! We ate dinner which has the best khaow ka muu (stewed pork leg with rice) in Thailand!! Woooooow, it was AMAZING! I would go back to phimai, and put up with 34 petrol stations stops just for this pork any day!!! AND, thanks to Jun being sick, and everyone else being full, I got to eat almost the entire leg!!! Oh how I did enjoy myself at that dinner stop!!!!!
After this, we had one last petrol stop for the day....here are some of the reactions from the group at having to stop...again.....
Day 2 involved a trip to a history museum where we could see lots of buddhist antiques, and also som stuff about elephants, coz elephants are famous in this part of Thailand. I aprticularly like the fact that the museum classifies their rice
And I also like the fact they have displays of khanom (snacks)!
These models look so real....actually, one of theme...the farang....she is real!
After, we went to a Hindu temple which is meant to have the most beautiful picture in Thailand of Shiva dancing...this is it....
And they had these cool doorways which amused the farang no end......
Back in the bus and Ajarn had scored 100 khanom for 30 baht...baragain! This is it
Day 2 involves a few petrol stops, but not as many....but here is one shot of another petrol station
We almost lost Brooke at this place coz she blended in with the purple motorbike too well....
Then, and Mum if you're reading, please skip this part.....we went to the Cambodian border to a temple which is considered to be the next temple which might cause tension between the two countries....so we had armed security guards with us...almost 1 guard per person!! Wow, why did I even bother extended my visa and getting a re-entry permit when the border here is a mere fence...doesn't even have a gate!!
Here are all out guards keeping close watch
And yes that gun is real....he heard something and went to investigate!
Over the fence is Cambodia. Right after this photo we were hurried away coz there were some gunshots (which we could hear really easily, so maybe they were a little close for comfort!)
But of course, not even gunfire could stop us from amusing ourselves in the doorways of the old temple ruins...!!!
A sign of the trouble....landmines
Next stop was an old hospital, but it is a spiritual hospital, so there was no medicine at this hospital, they used spirits and stuff like that. This place only required 1 armed guard....so safe!
And finally we went to the old fire house
Back in the bus and we got some bus snacks....lots of bus snacks!!! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAAAAAPPPPPY!!!
That night for dinner we enjoyed Thai bbq or muukhata....here I found a novel way to use old printing paper from the 90s.....to drain oil off chips!!
It was Kenny's birthday so the band played happy birthday and Ajaan had bought a cake...it was really nice. Nancy and I had an icecream eat off, but it was called off due to the fact that we had both eaten too much buffet and started to feel slightly ill.....
Final day, and before leaving the hotel, I decided to snap a picture of the killer disabled ramp...seriously, how would you expect anyone in a wheelchair to get up that ramp....and what about when they go down....how much speed would they get up!!!
As this area is famous for elephants, they have a monument to elephants here....this is it...it's right in the centre of town. Oh, we learnt how to train an elephant here.....
1. catch it and take it home
2. put a rope around it's neck, and put it between two adult elephants so it feels safe....then take it right away from them, so it learns to like you and not the elephants.....
3. tie it to a tree and feed it only grass so it likes you
4. tie it's feet together so it learns your its friend
Ok....I trust these people know what they're doing....but seriously.....tie it to a tree so it learns its your friend....???????
Next temple was one next to the largest resevoir in Thailand....I forget the name though....
Apparently, if we walk around the temple clockwise three times, we can make a wish....it was too hot for wish making, so we sat instead
Next was to a really famous temple....again I forget the name...I always forget temple names...they are too long to remember. But it was really cool. Here we saw lots of monks with designer sunglasses, digital cameras, and I was wondering if they are therefore real monks, or if they just enjoy wearing orange robes.....
This is looking into Cambodia
On the way home to BKK that night, we stopped at Chockchak milk farm where we saw the big cow
We also enjoyed icecream made from fresh milk...yes it is very good!
And a hamburger which even by Australian standards is very tasty! And then we went home. Yes, fee trip to Issan was a big success, give or take the numerous petrol station stops!
