Chonburi Living

These past few days, I've been trying to acquaint myself with my province. So far, Chonburi has proven to be somewhat of a desolate and industrial wasteland, but it's revealed a few hidden gems.

One of said "gems" is a small road we found tucked behind a field, less than a mile from our apartment. It's certainly a locals place, to the point where our presence as farangs (westerners) attracted stares, whispers and even pictures. However, we were so happy to have somewhere to grab dinner and a beer that we decided to go two nights in a row. No one on the street speaks English, so I'm seeing it as an opportunity to practice my Thai.

Our favorite location is an outdoor restaurant packed with locals and dripping with vines, where an elephant is a frequent visitor. Turning around and seeing an elephant in the bar was almost as surprising as noting the other patron's disinterest regarding the elephant's presence. We bought a bag of sugar cane to feed the elephant, and got a good laugh at his manners (he would squeak impatiently if you kept sugar cane away from him, but he was polite enough to throw away his trash). The low point of the evening was seeing a blind man come through the bar and sing for money. His eyes looked sealed shut, and he was led around by the arm—I wondered if he was intentionally blinded so that people would take pity on him as a beggar. I also suspect there's a brothel on our street, since old men emerged from one building with young women in small dresses, and disappeared down an alley. I think it's probably best that I'm exposed to these things now, so that I can (in a kind of depressing way) get accustomed to seeing them. I am strictly forbidden to be politically active, so I need to put this issue aside for now.

My favorite location so far is Bang Saen beach, which is only a 20 minute cab ride away. We met up with a handful of other teachers on our program on the beach, and we enjoyed a lazy day under the umbrellas, strolling on the walk street packed with seafood stands. We were definitely the only farangs for a few miles, and I realized that this was a popular weekend get-away for Thai families. The only downside was the water, which was pretty brown from industrial run-off. I jumped in and immediately got out, because the smell and taste was so foul. Still, I was happy to be back by the sea, it's the only location where I always feel at home.


I loved the evening in Bang Saen, when the entire beach lit up with fireworks and paper lanterns being set off into the sky by Thai families. It was a beautiful sight at sunset. We lit some sparklers in an effort to join the pyromaniacal fun.




That night we had dinner in a local Thai joint, where we met a crazy ex-pat from Australia named Shane, who showed us the ropes when it came to ordering. He was definitely a character, as most ex-pats in Thailand are turning out to be. Being the only Westerner in a new country seems to affect people in good and bad ways, it definitely fosters some quirks. He talked openly about the "ladies" (a.k.a prostitutes) he buys, but also spoke just as candidly about his two daughters who he loves with all his heart (he literally has their names tattoed over his heart).

We went out for the evening, and met some incredibly friendly Thai people at our bar, including one Thai guy with silver shoes and dance moves that rivaled Michael Jackson. It was probably one of the strangest and most fun nights I've had so far, and it ended with some definite transportation issues. I've already decided that I love riding on vehicles where you can feel the wind in your hair, motorbikes and the back of trucks especially.

I start my first full week of teaching tomorrow, hopefully I can really focus my energy and make it through until Friday.