A boat cruise and my last night in Thailand

Boat tour

On Thursday, we headed to Siriraj Hospital, which is a huge public hospital in Bangkok where we heard many lectures and got a tour of the IVF clinic as well as the genetics lab. Later that night, we all headed to a cruise boat on the Mae Nam Chao Phraya (“River of Kings”). The boat took us along the river and gave us a beautiful view of many temples and the Grand Palace from the water. There was another all you can eat buffet (I really love this country) with tons and tons of delicious food. I was particularly excited to see more of the coconut milk desserts (karan croch). As we ate and enjoyed the view, there were several musical acts including a Thai band, traditional Thai dancing, and eventually a band that played more upbeat music that people could dance to, including “Country Roads” and a grand finale of “Waka Waka,” which I was particularly excited about. While we were standing on the deck of this boat, surrounded by the beautiful lights of Bangkok at night, it started to hit me that I was leaving this amazing place. It was hard to believe that five weeks had already flown by. I most certainly was not ready to leave- I don’t know how anyone could ever be ready to leave a place like Thailand where the food is delicious, the sites are gorgeous, and the people never seem to stop smiling. As we filmed more scenes for “Bahts on Bahts on Bahts,” I started to realize how much I was going to miss everyone whom I’ve come to know here, the American and Thai students, as well as all the others who have helped us make the most of our time. While Dylon kept telling me he was going to cry when we left, Larry offered a less depressing view. He said, “I really feel fulfilled after this trip. I think that we really got the most out of these past fives weeks. You know there are some trips where you leave saying, ‘I wish I had done this and that.’ I don’t feel that way leaving Bangkok.” And I have to say, as much as I felt a knot in my throat while standing on that deck, Larry was right. We have done so much on this trip and experienced so many amazing things- almost everything on the “Highlights” list in my Lonely Planet Bangkok book: 1. Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew, 2. Mae Nam Chao Phraya cruise, 3. Wat Pho, 4. Chinatown, 6. Chatuchak Weekend Market, 7. Dusit Palace Park, 9. Jim Thompson’s House, 11. Mah Boon Krong, 12. Food Markets & Street Stalls, 13. Skytrain. Even though we missed: 5. Wat Arun, 8. Wat Saket & Golden Mount, and 10. Wat Mahathat & Amulet Market, we did so much more beyond the guidebook. Our time here has been like a fairytale and I honestly don’t know what I did to deserve such an incredible experience. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, we still had one more night and we were certainly going to make it worthwhile.

Performance on the cruise

The rain is coming

Friday was Queen’s Birthday and Mother’s Day so, after our presentations were finished, we headed into Bangkok to see a celebration where everyone lights candles and sings happy birthday to the Queen. Nearly the entire time we’ve been in Bangkok, city has been slowly acquiring more decorations in preparation for this day. As we arrived downtown, there were tons of people gathering outside the Grand Palace where the big celebration would be occurring. Unfortunately, shortly after we arrived, so did the rain clouds and then the torrential down pour. We should have taken the hint from the dozens of Thai people running away from the celebration to buses and other shelter. Instead, we kept on walking and got caught in the downpour…with only one umbrella between the 12 of us. Soaked to the skin, we waited under a tent that surrounded the field that was the main location of the celebration. Eventually, we decided that the rain was never going to stop and when it slowed up somewhat, we made a run for Khao San Road in search of dinner and a place where we could dry off. I bought a new shirt because I felt like I might freeze to death and we found a restaurant. It seemed appropriate to end my time in Thailand the same way I started it- chicken fried rice and a Chang beer. After ordering food and drying off, we heard what sounded a like a stick of dynamite going off 10 feet away. Really, it was just the fireworks for the celebration, which were so close to us that the entire restaurant shook every time they went off. Even though we might as well have been lighting the fireworks ourselves we were so close, we watched them on a TV screen instead of in person...Later, Dylon, who had stayed at the celebration with Jenn, told us he literally saw the fireworks leaving the ground. Safe. After dinner, we hung out on Khao San and enjoyed our last night in Thailand together.

Sarah's umbrella... yet she's not using

On Saturday, people began leaving one by one for the airport. As I didn’t leave until 8:45 pm, I spent the day with Carla and Jenn (who are staying for a 2 week internship) trading pictures and music, as well as watching the final product of “Bahts on Bahts on Bahts” way too many times. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QjCiuF9n40. It’s a pretty good representation of my summer… or at least the people I spent it with.