Thailand : Out of the Book

"Thailand will always be in my heart",my Prof once told us. Started with her class,I was so curious about Siam. To discover Thailand directly & experience what I learnt,I decided to go there. Luckily,I met new Thai friends;Earth,Ice,Gob (frog),Eoi (end),Baitoey (leaf),Giada (jade),& Mr.Vatit. I went there on January when the political turmoil was on its peak. Yet,I decided to keep going. I stayed at Earth's house. His parents were very nice & good at cooking! On 1st day,Eoi took me around Bangkok. We crossed Chao Praya by boat to Wang Lan & had padthai for lunch,then took tuktuk to Grand Palace. There Eoi showed me the story of Ramayana painted on the wall & colorful palaces influenced by Hinduism & Budhism. Magnificient! After that,we bought snacks,very similar to teh tarik & canai in Malaysia. The seller came from South & talked to me in Bahasa! In Wat Po I saw the big sleeping Budha statue & put coins into monk's bowls lined next to the statue. Finally,we went back & Earth's parents had cooked for dinner,tomyang. On 2nd day,I went to Ayutthaya with Earth's fam. It was my first time-elephant ride to see the ruins of old town. Some shrines stood still,others burned in the past. In Watyaichaimongkhon I enjoyed pouring water on the small Budha statues & sticking the gold papers on others. In Watphramongkhonbophit a monk prayed for us & gave a small tiger totem for luck. We also went to Bang Pa In. It had Western & Eastern architectures. At Floating Market we had lunch,thai boat noodle. On 3rd day,I went to a meditation place with Eoi & North. I met P'Thon,a young monk,& asked a lot about Budhism. He showed us the relics of Budha believed to be real for the King himself gave them. I was awed to witness some Budha's bones. In Sanam Chan,we saw English Tudor style buildings. Phra Pathom Chedi,the highest stupa in the world,was the last. North told me that the real old pagoda inside stupa was smaller. We tried but didn't find a way inside. Next day,me & friends went to Yaowarat & had seafood for dinner. We also went to Asiatique,an indoor theme park full of shops and restaurants. Colorful lights & the ferris-wheel were glorious at night. The last day,Mr.Vatit took us to Benjarong Village to see how Benjarong(famous & invaluable Thailand 5-colored pottery)was made. Kind Mr.Vatit gave me 2 beautiful Benjarong! Finally,I left Thailand with all precious memories inside my heart,just like my Prof did. I'll never forget the day I stepped on Thailand,the free land.