Starting Wednesday of last week, every day had something special going on.
Wednesday: Dinner cruise in Bangkok
Thursday: Friendsgiving on Thanksgiving night!
Friday: Thanksgiving in Bangkok
Saturday and Sunday: Lopburi for ruins and monkeys!
It's been an absolute whirlwind of a week, and every week I find myself saying "This was the best weekend ever!" The Bangkok Dinner Cruise was a send-off to American foreign exchange students that were here for 3 weeks. Other than orientation, we haven't really been able to spend some time in Bangkok because each weekend, we've been off to different areas of Thailand. Bangkok has so much to offer in terms of nightlife, restaurants, wonderful sights, bustling markets, and amazing people. The buffet on the dinner cruise was out of this world amazing (WE HAD SALADS! YAY!), and the music was loud and fun. The best part? Seeing the sights of Bangkok from the water. It was peaceful, serene, and jawdropping. Being on that cruise was one of the moments where I thought, "Wow. I can't believe I'm here."
Thursday was Thanksgiving Day. Being away from family was definitely one of the hardest things about being here in Thailand, but fortunately I was able to skype with my family back home. It was wonderful to see them and to update them on everything as well as hear how all is in the States. Later that night, 16 of us farangs went out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant right around the corner. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was lively, and we laughed and toasted to a lovely little "Friendsgiving."
Wednesday: Dinner cruise in Bangkok
Thursday: Friendsgiving on Thanksgiving night!
Friday: Thanksgiving in Bangkok
Saturday and Sunday: Lopburi for ruins and monkeys!
It's been an absolute whirlwind of a week, and every week I find myself saying "This was the best weekend ever!" The Bangkok Dinner Cruise was a send-off to American foreign exchange students that were here for 3 weeks. Other than orientation, we haven't really been able to spend some time in Bangkok because each weekend, we've been off to different areas of Thailand. Bangkok has so much to offer in terms of nightlife, restaurants, wonderful sights, bustling markets, and amazing people. The buffet on the dinner cruise was out of this world amazing (WE HAD SALADS! YAY!), and the music was loud and fun. The best part? Seeing the sights of Bangkok from the water. It was peaceful, serene, and jawdropping. Being on that cruise was one of the moments where I thought, "Wow. I can't believe I'm here."
Thursday was Thanksgiving Day. Being away from family was definitely one of the hardest things about being here in Thailand, but fortunately I was able to skype with my family back home. It was wonderful to see them and to update them on everything as well as hear how all is in the States. Later that night, 16 of us farangs went out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant right around the corner. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was lively, and we laughed and toasted to a lovely little "Friendsgiving."
The weekend included MORE Thanksgiving, enjoying the nightlife in Bangkok, seeing monkeys, and relaxing in the ruins. We drove up to the province of Lopburi where the annual Monkey Festival was going to occur on Sunday. Lopburi is interesting because for years, monkeys have lived coexistantly with the humans that occupy the area. The monkeys are mainly concentrated at the Monkey Temple, but you do see the occasional monkey strolling around the city. The ruins were absolutely marvelous. Throughout the years, the ruins have been destroyed, rebuilt, and then destroyed again. The Thais now protect these remarkable ruins. On Sunday, we relaxed in one of the small parks, imagining how these all looked in the golden days. We made some new friends, stayed in the shadiest of hostels, played with some Thai children as well as the monkeys, and had some amazing food. Our hostel, as scary as it was (DON'T EVER STAY AT ASIA HOSTEL), had an amazing rooftop where we all just stood on top of, watched the sun set over the city, swapped stories, and just sat in awe of where we are and the beauty that surrounded us. This weekend was one I will never forget.
Every place we have visited has instantly become my new favorite city, and this stands true with Lopburi. The ruins were truly captivating, and we only caught a glimpse of the numerous ruins that were scattered about the city. I wasn't too afraid of the monkeys, but I did see some of them get quite vicious. We missed out on the sunflower fields, but Lopburi wasn't too far away from Suphan, so we'll make our way back there soon.