An Eclectic Mix

A few recent events- some unusual and some tame. We'll start with the tame...

Our community center/church has an English school and we recently had a bowling tournament as a social event. I haven't been bowling in years, and it was big fun, and a great way to build community. The kids had a great time, too. This bowling alley is only a 5 minute song taew (click here for a picture of this handy mode of conveyance) ride away, and I have big plans for a bowling date for Tim and me soon. Classy, huh? But it really is fun, if you just give it a chance...

Did you know that Thailand has an aquarium? A really nice one at one of the enormous malls downtown. We had the opportunity to go recently with some folks visiting from out of town, and here's our girl with her best buddy PJ in front of one of the exhibits.

And now on to the unusual...

A few weeks ago, our friends who own a satay stand by the nearest Sky Train station invited us to a party. As is often the case here in this adventure of speaking Thai, we did not fully understand what was happening. We knew it was a party, we thought it might be in a hotel, we had no idea who it was for. (We have countless conversations during which we nod and smile, having very little idea what is actually being said). Anyway, we agreed to go because we love these folks and who doesn't enjoy a good party?

So when we arrived, we found a huge outdoor alleyway absolutely packed with people, and discovered it was a New Year's party for people from the Isaan (northeast) region of Thailand living in Bangkok. There was to be a concert, and these guys above are a couple of the performers, apparently big names in Isaan music. So it was quite a privilege for us to have our picture taken with them!

There was also food, and this woman is dishing out the green curry, which is a delicious dish but can be quite spicy. I was told it wasn't hot, but that was a Thai person speaking, whose definition of "phet" (the Thai word for spicy) is very different than mine. I took a bite and had to quietly abandon my bowl at the first opportunity. Emmy and I went hungry that night. Tim could handle the curry and Asa enjoyed some yogurt and a banana that I had packed away in my bag.

And on to the concert. There was a huge stage set up and an abundance of red plastic stools for the audience. When the music began, it was the Hawaii Five-0 theme song, and these ladies dressed in feathers came out and danced to it. This picture really doesn't do it justice; I only wish I had the power to transport you to this event- after Hawaii Five-0 the Isaan music began, with performers coming out and being given roses and leis by enraptured fans as they sang. I don't know if you've ever heard Isaan music, but it can initially sound pretty discordant to western ears. Add a high decibel level, brightly flashing multi-colored lights, and you're there! This music was pretty tough for me to handle initially when we came to Thailand, but it's grown on me.

And just in case you were still hungry when the curry ran out, there's always dried squid on a stick, for just 20 baht!

We had such a good time, wacky experience though it was. We're going to our friends' Isaan home for Songkran, the Thai New Year in early April. They assured us that this party was a little bit fun, but the party at Songkran will be a lot of fun! We'll be sure to let you know:).