Not all pizzas are created equal.

I've had mind blowing pizza. Just plain good pizza. Bad pizza. Strange pizza (chili cheese dog pizza...)... I've eaten a lot of different pizza.

Of all of these pizzas, not one of them combined mayonnaise and ketchup.

Maggie (the other farang teacher) and I were wondering the streets trying to find food and everything was closed! Finally, we spotted a pizza stand (we had never seen it before).  Two teenagers giddily take our order. One medium shrimp pizza and one medium cheese. We wait anxiously on the curb while they place it into a steam based oven.  

While waiting, we spot a sausage stand and Maggie claims I have to try one. Thai sausage is spicy and delicious! So, we buy two. 

The young girl flags us over, excitedly letting us know our pizza is ready. We pay and walk on.

While we scope out a spot to sit, we take out the sausages on a stick to eat. I was so excited as I love sausages! 

This was... Different. It was a Thai sausage, noodle dish rolled up in sausage form. It was filled with veggies, pork and glass noodles. Maggie proclaimed this is not at all what she has had before! So, I still need to sample Thai spicy sausage. This was just okay.

So, now we are excited for our pizza.  We find a spot to sit by the lake, open up our pizzas and start to dig in.

Mine was: crust, a layer of mayonnaise, cheese, ketchup drizzled on top.

Maggie's was that with shrimp baked inside.

I managed to eat half (American size personal pizza), Maggie took three bites and have up.

Of all the American trends they could've picked up on... They choose mayonnaise and ketchup... And put them on pizza.

Don't be fooled by its delicious exterior!

Melting pot.

In Somdet I am one of three white faces. One being a 70 year old man. Another being a 40 year old woman.  To say I am the minority is an understatement. The town is about 10,000 people and about 10 people speak english. I go out of my house and am stared at every step of the way. I have learned its not just because I'm white. It's because I'm a young woman. Typically young Thai woman are not seen out alone. Especially at night.

Now, please don't misunderstand. These are incredibly nice people. They smile and wave if I do. They're curious.

Only 1% of tourists visit northeast Thaialnd (otherwise called Isaan). They are intrigued by me and my funny way of doing things, just as much as I am intrigued by them.

After being here for exactly 10 days I found myself craving western food and culture. So, to give in, I have treated myself to a trip to the big city (laughing)!

I am in Khon Kaen, Thailand. It's the gateway to Isaan and it's as big as Des Moines, but it's the happening big city in these parts, so I took the three hour bus ride out west.

I currently sit in a German brewpub, with Thai servers that wai (bow) at you as you enter while saying "hello, good evening" in perfect English. They bring me a large German dark beer, brewed on site.  

First off, I had the choice between large and small for my beer... I chose large and it is a half liter. I have to remind myself I'm in a whiskey culture, not a beer culture!

As I sit enjoying my Thai German beer, a Thai hipster band begins to play cheesy Thai AND American music. They alternate between the two. The best part? They are dressed in all white, matching, with their brown leather vests!

I was going to order food, but as I looked over the menu, I found myself craving the mystery Thai street meats and the confusion of the streets.  I may not know what I'm eating, but damn, it's good.

So, while my life can be frustrating nowadays, it's not without rewards.  I have been both ripped off and rewarded by Thai people that don't speak a word of English. You cannot let the ones who rip you off ruin those that don't.

I have been given random motorbike rides by strangers when I looked lost.  I have been given free food when I forgot to bring the right amount of baht.  I have been bowed at and smiled at with more enthusiasm over the last 10 days than I have seen my whole life.  Thai people frustrate and amaze me in equal amounts every single hour of every single day.

So, I will finish my German beer as I listen to the Thai guy with gauges and hipster pants serenade me in Thai, then venture onto the crazy streets. I will have no idea what's going on, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

My dunkel beer.

He kept posing and winking at me.

Massaged.

When a Thai woman asks you to take off your pants, you just do it.

There I was, pants-less, in a Thai massage parlor, getting my feet massaged by a cute, young Thai girl.  And, not only do they work your feet, they massage your calves, shins, thighs, hips and groin!  

There is a moment when your leg is up over a Thai girls shoulder, and she's massaging your upper hamstring and her face is a foot away from your bare bottom, that you question your life's decisions.  But, I am here to say, 300 baht (9 American dollars) bought me the best hour long massage! I didn't receive a 'happy ending,' but they did give me honey tea, which made me very happy :)

The land of smiles

It's hot. Which, it's apparently the start of winter here, so it scares me what summer brings. I sweat through my clothes, change, then sweat through those, too.  Luckily, my hotel in Bangkok has a nice shower! I may not be so lucky next week...

I can't complain about anything here. The food is delicious and plentiful.

(Breakfast)

The coffee is strong!

(Snack time!)

And, the beer is cheap and cold!

(Local beer)

My days are long and filled with learning Thai and teaching techniques. And, sleep is restless due to jet lag. I'm 12 hours ahead of Iowa... A cause for confusion on my body.

However, the country is beautiful and filled with lovely people.

(The Royal Palace)

(Cleansing myself)

(Shoes are always taken off before entering a building!)

Til next time!

Sa wad dee ka

Greetings from Bangkok! A bus ride, two ten hour flights with a seven hour layover and I have arrived!

The things that I have learned so far:

The lines on the street are merely a suggestion to follow, not a rule.

They drive on the "wrong" side of the road.  Always look RIGHT then LEFT!

The king is on all the money, do not step on it!

100 baht sounds like a lot, but it isn't. 9 baht for a liter of water is so close to it being free.

That's it for today. Orientation starts tomorrow.

Chat soon :)