I am not dating this entry, as it will span a few days.

I did heed my mother’s advice (threat?) and had myself some fun and relaxation on Sunday. Being that I did nothing on Saturday, save some grocery shopping and all my lesson plans and quizzes for the next week (brush your shoulder off), I think I deserved a little outing in Songkhla.

There is actually quite a bit of stuff to do in Songkhla. We had already been to the zoo on the hillside. There is also an aquarium that is supposed to be quite nice, a couple of beautiful beaches, things to do on Koh Yo (which I guess wouldn’t technically be Songkhla) as well as Tang Kuan Hill. Also known as Monkey Hill. With good reason.

Pat was laid up with an injured back. She had slipped on the steps getting off a bus on Saturday and landed on her coccyx. This aggravated a prior back injury and she could barely walk. I didn’t find this out until Monday morning because she kept getting in a comfortable position out of reach of the phone.

So, I ventured out on my own. I decided I wanted to go up the hill and also have a splash about in the ocean. Put on my swimsuit (which I feel more comfortable in, so I must have lost some weight), grabbed a towel and a water bottle and my camera. Motorbike at the end of the road indicated that he knew where I wanted to go. I sure hope so. I said the name, made (what I think is) the universal sign for a mountain, and also used it’s slang name of Monkey Hill. I got on and he started off in the right direction. When we were, I would say, five minutes away, he suddenly seemed to change his mind about where he thought I wanted to go. He said the name again, I confirmed and he turned south. Not the right direction. I thought maybe he wanted to take Saiburi Road instead of the smaller roads. I let him continue on for a little while until he didn’t turn the direction he should have on Saiburi. I tapped him, pointed my thumb behind me and said, “Tang Kuan”. “Oh, Tang KU-an.” I heard no difference between the way we were both saying it. Definitely not enough that he shouldn’t be able to understand where I wanted to go. Anyhow, got him turned in the right direction and pointed to the hill when it came into sight. He again corrected my pronunciation and I again heard no difference. I will have to ask someone how it is supposed to be said.

When we got there, I certainly didn’t have to hunt for the monkeys. Those filthy vermin were everywhere. At first, it was really cool to be up close to them. To not have a cage or glass between us. Like with the elephants and the giraffe at the zoo. They had a whole jungle gym and a “Monkey Fun Boat” that was filled with water and they would just cannonball into it. I walked on a little ways and realized what absolutely primal animals monkeys are. I admit, it shamed me a bit and I really couldn’t enjoy the monkeys anymore. Dirty, raping monkeys.

It was then I decided I was done with the primates and would head to the top of Tang Kuan. You CAN take the steps to the top. I would rather pay 30 baht and have a round-trip ticket on the inclined elevator. There isn’t really anything to do at the top, unless you are Buddhist and would like to buy something to give as an offering in the Dvaravati chedi in the royal pavilion. However, the 360 degree views are totally worth the ride or the hike. All of Songkhla on one-third, Koh Yo on another, and the Gulf of Thailand and beaches round it off. It’s a really spectacular view.

The beach looked terribly inviting from up there on the hill, so I made my way to Samila. I walked because it really wasn’t that far. Not far enough to justify paying for it, anyhow.

I had my flip flops on but the sand was still scorching. Hurriedly made my way to to the water’s edge. There were a few families enjoying the beautiful day and splashing around in the shallows. I took off my shorts and tee and made my way in to the water. I understand now why I kept being told that “Samila beach is no good for swimming.” It remains fairly shallow for quite a ways out. I was not prepared to venture that far in to the ocean in order to have an actual swim. Instead, I just floated about for a bit. The family of children nearest me were laughing and giggling and staring pretty well the whole time I was there. It was cute though. I took pictures of them in the water and waved. Even though they blatantly stare, they always get a kick out of it when you acknowledge that they are looking at you.

Grabbed my stuff and waded down the beach. Looked for shells along the way. I found an intact oyster. Both shells and still closed. I realized later that, of course, this meant the animal itself was still inside. The ants started getting at it in my room so I rinsed it in the sink and tapped it on the edge. This opened it up. With the dead bivalve inside. Yuck. Tossed it out.

When I left the beach area and headed towards the tuk-tuks, I decided to have one of those fresh coconuts that they open for you right then and there. People rave about them saying how refreshing they are and so on. I will be honest. I was not impressed. You can buy coconut water back in the States and this was just about the same. And I am not a fan of it back home either. It was warm and I guess it took away some of my hunger pangs, but I didn’t find it very refreshing. To each his own. While I was sitting there drinking my coconut, a group of girls came up to have their picture taken with me. I am curious to know what they put as a caption on these pictures when they post them on Facebook. Which I would bet is where they inevitably end up.

I polished off my coconut water and decided that I fancied a nice green salad with chicken. Only one place to go for that. You guessed it. The Buzz Stop. Took a tuk-tuk who knew exactly where I wanted to go and dropped me at the doorstep. It was a very slow part of the day, so I ate my salad and drank my water in silence while trying to cool off in front of the fan at the bar. At this point, I just wanted to get back to my room and cool down. Which is what I did. For the rest of the day.

Monday morning. We were meant to “speak in English” at the morning assembly. As if there was another option. French? Riddles? Tongues? I was still recovering my voice, so Patricia did the talking. Basically, she said to the students that she and I are very happy to be their teachers. Then she had them say, “Today is Monday, the 25th of June. It is a cloudy day.” After having them say, “Good morning”, of course. Ok, we did our bit and made our appearance. Back to the office to finish prepping for classes. I had to make photocopies of my quizzes to administer.

The room was very hot because we had been told that, in order to save money on energy, we could only use the air con for five hours a day. However, they will turn it on in every classroom (regardless of if it is being used or not) and keep it blasting all day. I have students turn it off sometimes because the room is too cold. The land of contradictions.

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. No incidents in class. Yay!

Pat took off a little early to try and locate a chiropractor. Pi Ying sent her to a GP and then the GP sent her to a dentist(?). Found out that they basically have spinal surgeons and masseurs. That’s what you will get here. Bangkok has some chiros for the ex-pats, but you are out of luck anywhere else.

I decided that I must get bread and jelly. Had my cycle driver take me to Big C. I knew I could catch a wen from there. Oh, glory be! Strawberry jelly, white bread, half gallon of milk, Clusters cereal, baggies (for sandwiches), a butter knife (for making sandwiches), chopsticks, and a box of Oreos.

Because I can.

Put what I could into my back pack and went out to wait for a wen. I thought I might have some difficulty getting one since I knew this was the last stop before getting on Thanon Lopburi Ramesuan. And it is usually full by this point. I had to wait for about 30-40 minutes, I think. At least, that’s what it seemed like. I did see two Songkhla wens drive by without slowing. Which means they had no room. I started to worry at this point that I might not be able to get one from this stop and I tried to flag down a couple of motorbike taxis to take me to the plaza. Fortunately, they didn’t stop for me. Patience is something I need to be reminded to have here because, a few minutes later, a wen did stop and I was able to ride back home.

I have a new appreciation for when they stuff another person or two in a bus that I already feel is full. In my situation, who knows when I would have been able to get another one or IF I would have been able to get one before they stopped running. I won’t silently complain about it anymore.

Patricia’s back was really bad and she wasn’t able to go to school on Tuesday morning. She only has one class on Tuesdays and I happen to have the same class of kids that afternoon. I decided I would administer her quiz in my class so her kids wouldn’t be behind. THAT was an experience. Before the quiz, I wrote the rules on the board (same as I had done with my other classes). No talking. No cheating. No cell phones. Or you will lose points. One out of three ain’t bad, right? Too bad it wasn’t talking or cheating. I had to tell them numerous times to stop talking and sharing answers and even made a show of circling the rules on the board. Nothing. I marked their quizzes when they handed them in so that Pat would know which ones had cheated and talked the whole time. I mean business.

I enjoyed my PB&J for lunch (I had made two, but I ate one in the car on the way to school). It was quite possibly the best thing I have eaten in weeks. What is interesting is that, back home, I eat Thai food about two or three times a week. And now, I can’t get enough “American” food to save my life! I wonder if Noi will let me use her kitchen every now and then to make myself some non-Thai food…

Spent half an hour on the phone with Andrew. Yes. THE Andrew Biggs. I was able to talk to him about some of the things that had been going on and that Pat and I were concerned about. Also found out that our new teacher is named William, in his mid-twenties, and from either England or South Africa. He couldn’t remember for sure, but was pretty sure SA. I guess we will find out on Thursday.

One thing I have noticed is that, since we decided to stay at Greenview, Tun is more relaxed and less formal with us. Always stops to have conversation when we get home from somewhere. Will show us foods or other things and ask what they are called in English. He also likes to have us taste his dinner. Found out the dog that lives on our soi is named Lilo. She is a sweetheart with lots of battle scars on her face. I am really glad we decided that Greenview was the place for us.

So, to sum up. Filthy monkeys, beach, salad, cooling off. Class, jelly, waiting. Class, PB&J, phone call. Yeah. As my students just learned, “Same old, same old.”