mama and papa dukes visit thailand

Is it possible that I've become so accustomed to Thailand and life here that when my parents came to visit and they made comments on how different it is here, I actually responded with: 'Is Thailand, really that different?'  Both of my parents looked at me like I had 10 heads and then I snapped back to reality and was like, 'Yeah, I guess it is!'

So, I was blessed enough to have my parents visit Thailand and we spent 2 weeks together!  They had a long and trecherous 22 hour flight here and they continued to be troopers for the next 2 weeks.  We spent our first 4 days down south in Phuket.  We stayed at a glorious hotel called 'Boomerang Villa' which we all kind of laughed when we said the name....but it was beautiful.  The hotel was away from the action, but not too far that it was difficult or long to get to, provided a great view and surrounded us with beautiful landscaping.  The staff were so sweet and I think we all felt at home there.  Although we weren't all that impressed with Phuket itself (not the most beautiful place we've ever been and we felt as though we were in Europe as everybody there were European.....aka it was way too touristy and not the 'real Thailand'), we did enjoy ourselves and had a few 'firsts' and interesting moments:

1. First ride in a tuk tuk (a primary cab transportation in Thailand)

Mom and dad in the tuk tuk

2. Saw a great Thai band singing American music (in English) fabulously as though we were in a bar in NY

3. Got screwed over into a tourist trap (that was my fault!)

4. Rode a 'public bus' (mom loved this b/c it was so small and the bus station was simply the side of the road!) and met some great Australian people

5. Went to see a nice show that included Thai culture, dance and theatre

6. Took a boat tour to Ko Phi Phi and met a trans-sexual woman from Kuwait - she goes to Thailand to get all of her surgeries because it's cheaper and more acceptable here. 

7. Swam in the Indian Ocean!

Mom and Dad's feel in the Indian Ocean!

8. Dad comments regularly about how bad Thailand smells. 

Needless to say, it was interesting.  We leave Phuket, say our farewells to our newly beloved friends at the Boomerang Villa and head for the north for a visit to Chiang Mai, where we were meeting 3 fellow Peace Corps Volunteers as well.

Chiang Mai was absolutely lovely.  We once again stayed in a hotel that was off the beaten path, but not too far away with a lovely staff that was extremely helpful.  The owner was a flaming gay man and all of his staff followed suit - they were all just so cute!  In Chiang Mai we were able to leave the city one day and see the beauty surrounding us...it is very mountainous and green.  We visited the 'Long Neck' village, which are groups of people that are typically from Thailands neighbor, Burma.  The woman where the heavy metal rings around their neck from the time they are young girls until adulthood to elongate their necks as it is viewed as beautiful. 

1. Took mom and dad to their first Wat (Doi Suthep) where mom made merit and paid her respects to Buddha!  They also got to see a group of young kids performing traditional Thai dance. 

2. Ate some legit Thai food at a restaurant owned by a ladyboy.  As dad was  paying, she asked my dad where he was staying (wink, wink).

Eating kaao dtom!

3. Mom and dad ate their first 'kaao dtom' which is a very popular Thai kanome (sweet/dessert).

4. Dad still thinks Thailand smells awful and makes sure to tell everybody throughout the day.

5. First traditional Thai massage....aaahhhhh!

6. Markets, markets, markets!

7. Mom and dad ride an elephant!!!

8. Two great days having my parents and my PCV friends get to know each other and share stories - it's great to share my world back home with my world here, and vise versa.

We sadly say good-bye to Chiang Mai, spend 18 hours on a bus (12 of them, thank God was an overnight bus and we all slept well!) to visit my site, Donnanghong.  I'd love to read a blog written by my parents about their experience at my site, but at least you can read mine:

1. 'God, this country stinks!' - Dad

Mom and I roll our eyes, even though we both know it's true.

Out to dinner with my host family

2. My host family takes us to a nice restaurant on the water where my parents have their first experience eating dinner while sitting on the floor.  My dad says his body just doesn't move like it used to :)

3. Mom and dad sleep under a mosquito net for the first time, mom laughs at this and so do I!

3a. Mom and dad are woken up at 3am by the monks at the Wat (about 50 meters from my house) banging the gong proceeded with 1 hour of chanting.  They look at each other and exclaim: What the f*$# is that?  The following morning I say: 'Welcome to Thailand!'

4. Mom and dad are totally wonderful and go along and meet so many people on day 1 we can't even count.  Lots of excitement that my parents were here, lots of pictures were taken and lots of wai'ing and hugging!

5. Mom and dad eat on the floor AGAIN!  They finally get some good home-cooked food at the home of my host family....Esan style, sticky rice and all....which means you eat with your hands.  Dinner was followed by each family (meaning my parents and host family) exchanging photos and talking about our families.  It was a really nice moment.

6. My parents spend an entire day at an organic farm that raises organic turkeys. They didn't think that was on the agenda....but unexpected things happen in Thailand all the time :)

7. We go to my provincial capital to go on a boat ride on the MeKong River and see the sunset.  We wait around for 1 hour (as per the boat staff) for them to eventually tell us that they have to go to Laos for something and so the ride was cancelled....so we ate instead.  Cnce again, Welcome to Thailand.  But, they got to see the River and saw Laos from Thailand.....pretty cool. 

8. Attended a Thai festival that takes place once a year to preserve Thai culture.  So, it's a day full of women in beautiful traditional Thai outfits, Thai dancing and singing contests, contests for students who have the most beautiful wai (for real, this was a contest) and which village makes the most beautiful bai-sii, which are made out of banana leaves and flowers.  Bai-sii's are used at monk ordinations and other celebrations to hold the white strings they use to provide the welcome ceremony.  The welcome ceremony is when they take the string and wish you good luck and happiness while wishing away all things negative and tie the string around your wrist.

9. Received the strings of the welcome ceremony, by my neighbors.  Grandma was so happy, she cried.

10. Ugh, it freakin stinks!

11. Mom and dad rode bikes....on the dirt rodes in the rice fields no less!

12. Mom and dad were celebrities for 4 days, got touched and grabbed a lot, were fawned over, were told what to do a lot, in Thai even though everybody knew they didn't speak Thai and told how beautiful and young they still are.  That's life in Thailand!

I had a great 2 weeks with my parents. I can't believe it has already come and gone, but it was amazing to show them my new, temporary home and the people in my life here.  It was really important to me for my community to meet my parents as well and see first hand how important they (and my familly) are to me.  It was most amazing to just have them around, talk, hug and laugh for 2 weeks straight.  Always good to know I'll be going home to amazing people in 1.5 years.