Urban Jungle

When I walked out of my apartment this morning I thought to myself. "Man, I can't believe I am in Thailand." After being in the country for over 2 months it still feels so new and different. Especially when I wake up in the morning.

It would be hard to sleep in here. I wake up to the big city noise of cars, trucks and motorcycles zooming down the narrow streets. There is always noise. Dogs barking, children yelling, whistles blowing. But early in the morning I hear strange bird sounds never heard before. I feel like I have awoken in the jungle. An urban jungle.

Before school starts uniformed students swarm the streets. Dodging cars to buy snacks before school from the many street vendors. There are stalls selling meat on a stick served with a spicy sweet sauce. Stalls selling sweet drinks with flavors like coconut, lagan fruit, chrysanthemum and green tea. Stalls selling steaming bowls of noodles. Fruit stands. Vegetable stands. Pen and Paper stands. Anything. Everything. Next to the school there is a temple. Early in the morning the monks walk the streets collecting donations and food for the day. The streets are brimming with the white and navy uniforms of the students and the bright orange robes of the monks getting ready for the coming day.

After school is pandemonium in the market. Students are everywhere. Everyone is buying the dinner for the night from one of the food stands or scrutinizing over raw meat to cook themselves. You can buy some Tupperware, pineapples and a dress without walking 30 steps. Everyday I have picked something different from one of the "food on a stick" stands. I have had a hot dog, a pork ball, a squid, and a hard boiled egg wrapped in puff pastry then deep-fried. And of course my new favorite- coconut water. The perfect thirst quencher has just the perfect amount of sweetness. Coconut water contains electrolytes so it is ideal for replenishing the body after a day sweating under the tropical sun.

Sometimes I have to take a step back and think about how different this place really is from Kentucky. Some of the differences are strange. Some are difficult to understand. And some are just flat-out annoying. But I have to remember:

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman