Let's see if I can talk about everything in one post

I'm going to attempt to explain to all of you just why I think Thailand is so great. It's going to be a mixture of things I've done, things I've seen, and Thai culture. I don't really know where this is going to go, I might have to ramble a little bit. But as the Thais say, mai-ben-rai; no big deal. Hopefully you'll get the picture.

Thai society is way different than western/American society. Although there are a lot of people trying to rip off us farang (the Thai word for white foreigners), for the most part everyone is very very relaxed. Thais will never get angry or raise their voice, will never be stingy with their money or time, will cook for you and mix drinks for you, and will do it all with a big smile on their face. Time isn't really an issue here, and punctuality is looked down upon. Classes here start whenever the professor and students finally make it to class. Could be 5 minutes after the hour, could be 45 minutes after the hour. One thing is for sure though, it's never on time. It takes a lot of getting used to being from such a punctual place as America, and I'll probably never be on time for anything again.

The traffic and the traffic laws here are ridiculous. There are lane lines, but they might as well be for decoration. Cars weave in and out of oncoming traffic, cut each other off constantly, and motorcycles weave in and out of cars at high speeds. One of my professors told us that this is because Thailand was recently a heavily rural country, and people just haven't adjusted to structure and law in an urban environment like western countries. There are these things called tuk-tuks that are basically huge tricycles that are really loud and spit out thick black smoke. They're really annoying, and sometimes more expensive than nice, air-conditioned taxis, but you can fit a ton of people in them so it's a good way to go short distances at night.

Alright, onto the food. I'm sure everyone wonders about the food. The food here is incredible. And ridiculously cheap. For the most part, I never spend more than a dollar or 2 per plate. The portions are small, so sometimes I have to get 2 (or 3), but spending 3 or 4 bucks for chicken curry with rice, paad thai, and pork/rice soup isn't too bad. Don't get me wrong, there are things I've gotten here that I haven't been able to eat. Some of the street food is as dirty as they warn us about, and I've had to spit out or just throw away more cold food than I care to remember. But I've also been pleasantly surprised by some food. Pig blood is in a lot of soups; somehow they form it into blocks so it looks like dark tofu. Apparently it's really good for you. Chicken knuckles and heart are a few of the other things I've eaten. Drinking and eating are institutions here. Meals are events, and if you go out to eat with Thais, everyone orders something and then passes their plates around. Beer is plentiful, and if it isn't beer, it's whiskey.

Thais love their whiskey; I rarely see a Thai drinking anything at a bar or club that isn't whiskey or beer. The usual is to get a table with friends at a club and order a bottle of whiskey that everyone splits, and then order mixers and ice to go along with it. It saves people money, and it definitely saves time going back and forth to the bar to order. Once the bottles are gone, people move from their tables to the dance floor. Usually there is either a DJ (or multiple DJs in multiple rooms at the bigger clubs) or a live band. The DJs are often really good. The big clubs have different rooms for techno and hip-hop. And the live bands are hilarious. Usually they're cover bands, and they cover American songs in Thai accents. It's great, everyone loves it.

Just sitting here thinking about the last month, I know I'm leaving a ton of stuff out. My trip to Ko Samet, an island about 3 1/2 hours south of Bangkok. Beautiful beaches and an all night party scene. There are fire shows outside the clubs and restaurants at night, and one of the guys let me and my friends spin the sticks lit on fire for as long as we wanted. Once again, that's how Thais are. Mai-ben-rai. He didn't watch us to make sure we didn't mess his stuff up. He left to go somewhere, and we never saw him again. We played with his fire sticks for over an hour, finally got bored, and went off to do something else. That was just one little part of an amazing weekend at the beach.

There are night bazaars with huge beer gardens, so you can go have dinner, drink some beer with friends, and then go out into the market and bargain for anything in the world you could possibly want. Well, except clothes my size. The only place I can shop for clothes is at the touristy malls where they expect to sell to big, tall farang. Khao San Road is considered backpackers paradise. Every night there are thousands of foreigners on this street, although there are a decent amount of Thais too. It's the first place everyone wants to go here, and pretty quickly everyone gets sick of it. There are some pretty cool restaurants, shops, and bars, but stuff is overpriced and everyone is trying to rip you off.

The temples around the city are beautiful, especially Wat Pho with the reclining Buddha. I've yet to go into the Grand Palace, but it's so close to where I live I know I'll go soon. It amazing to see big buildings next to ancient temples. Monks are everywhere in the city and, while everyone does pay them respect, they're so much a part of the culture that the respect is just understood and not displayed as much as I expected.

This place is huge, and I have yet to discover even a fraction of the city in which I live. I see and experience new things every day, and I hope to share more and more with everyone as it all unfolds. I may be going to Chiang Mai this weekend, I may be going to Ko Samui, an island further south than Ko Samet. Whatever I decide to do, I'm sure I'll return with more stories and more adventures.