DAY 3 - FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Spirit House at our condo
pool restaurant (elaborate)

The four of us all awoke early (not adjusted to the time change yet). After a buffet breakfast that had not only scrambled eggs but also a wonton-like soup and noodles (right up Danny's alley for breakfast), we went for a walk. There were a number of unique and interesting observations , the first being a scooter with a family of five riding on it: 2 small kids in front, then dad driving, mom on the back holding an infant on her hip - none wore helmets.  We walked through a road-side food market and took in the sights and smells (not always so pleasant). The sidewalks are pretty crazy, you have to watch carefully to make sure you don't step into a hole or stumble over a small mountain of brick.    Pretty much every single home and business has a "spirit house" on their property.  These are usually miniature wooden houses in which they believe household spirits live.  They present offerings of food and drink to these spirits to keep them happy. If these spirits aren't happy, it is believed that they will inhabit the larger household of the Thai, and cause chaos. These spirit houses can be found in public places and in the streets of Thailand, where the public make offerings.

Corinne, Danny, Linda
(The Cottage - Bangkok)

We spent a relaxing  couple of hours at the pool   after our walk and then the  van arrived to take us to Jomtien (area just past Pattaya).  A reported two hour drive took slightly over 1 hour as our driver drove like most Thais do - FAST.  He did not speak or read english so we had some difficulty explaining where we needed to go (the address was written in English) and requests for a bathroom stop (using the Thai phrasebook) were, apparently, not understood.

Linda, Corinne, Abe & Phil at our condo

 The condo we're renting is amazing except for one little thing...  Like many Thais, the owner does not cook and does not have an oven.  There's a 2-burner cooktop, convection microwave, fridge, sink and water cooler in an area of approx. 5' x 7'.  5' may sound ok, but there are counters/cupboards on each side.  Makes it very efficient for 1 person but starts getting cosy when anyone else needs to get in there!  We're on the 11th floor and have two balconies, facing East and West, one of which overlooks the pool; great views of the sea. The floors are marble and the condo is filled with art work. The owner is from Ireland and has a thing for movies, we have never seen a collection of DVD's like he has. This place will be a wonderful home-base for our Thailand experience.

Abe drove us to a grocery store to stock up on essentials.  The store was enormous with everything from food to mattresses.  The trip was an experience in itself. Traffic seems totally chaotic.  While there are traffic laws, no one really abides by them (except for stopping at red lights).  If you need to drive a block or so down the wrong side of the road to save having to go 4 blocks to pull a legal u-turn, and there's room to do it, then that's what you do.  The scooters are constantly weaving in, out and across traffic.  In Vancouver, people would be laying on their horns and swearing a blue streak.  Here, the only horns sounded are light taps to warn drivers or pedestrians to watch out, you're coming up on them. 

Condo pool

Still trying to get used to the heat and humidity.  At home, we refer to wind chill. Here, it's all about the "humidex" which means the temps often feel like the high 30's or even low 40's!   Looking forward to a restful day at the pool tomorrow.