Pictures and words...

Surprise!

Look! Part of a mountain! Doi Suthep, to be exact. This is the view out of my new 'apartment' I say 'apartment' because it's really just a room, a bathroom, and a balcony. It works, though. No geckos have been spotted yet, which is a plus. Don't get me wrong, geckos are cool, but they move faster than me and that's not a good thing, especially in the shower. So this weekend has mostly been filled with moving in here, looking for random bits and pieces like bedding, hangers, and a lock for my door. It's been a fun little treasure hunt that took me from the 7-11 to the small dimly lit market without any westerners and then back to the mall. People definitely have regarded me with curiosity because I've been shopping for pillows and towels. I guess westerners are usually limited to carved wooden elephants and bootleg dvds. But of course people were helpful everywhere I went. Anyone who says customer service doesn't exist in Thailand hasn't looked too far... they practically fall over themselves to help you, which can be a bit bothersome and sometimes makes me feel obliged to hurry up and decide what I want! But all is well. I have some of the ugliest sheets in the world and a really cool blanket that cost more than all of the food I've eaten in this country so far. Picture time!

This is my very hard bed, with the ugly green/orange/white sheets that I bought before having the chance to co-ordinate with this super-cool blanket.




This is the other half of my room... pretty amazing, I know.




This is the bathroom (left) and the balcony (right) where my new Aloe plant Eli lives along with my drying laundry and some incense. There are many views from this balcony, including a yard full of trash, a big water tank, and the mountain, which is my favourite.

Today has been pretty mellow. I went back to Central (the mall) to have them teach me how to use my phone and to buy an ethernet cable. Tomorrow I begin my TEFL certificate course, which looks to be pretty intense. We have class every day from 12-3 the first week, then for the next 3 weeks we have another session in the evenings until 7. Apparently there is a lot of homework as well. This doesn't sound too tough, but that's the rumour.

I went to the Sunday night market this evening after grabbing a bite to eat and it was pretty neat. Lots of stalls with tons of junk and cool things. Clothing mostly, but jewelry, trinkets, and food also abound. I am trying really hard not to spend my money on the clothes and jewelry, and I've done well so far... but it's tempting. Anyway, it's fun just to wander, especially when there are things like this to amuse me:



Yes it's true, tracts are everywhere. Even Thailand has proselytizers. Maybe Rev. Haggard should move here, then he could have little boys and teens singing about Jesus.
Ooh, that was bad taste, wasn't it?

And on that note, I'm going to bed. I have a constant source of internet now, so whenever something cool happens, I'll post about it. I also have an address, but I don't know what it is. When I do, it'll be up here as well.