A little Christmas cheer

We had another three day weekend (Constitution Day) this week. December rocks. Only one full week of teaching this month! Instead of jetting off again to somewhere far away, I decided to take it easy this weekend.  I have not been feeling well after a nasty sinus infection and I definitely have not been sleeping well here. I was in no way wanting to take on a full day of traveling to go anywhere. I decided that I needed a laid back weekend by myself with no agenda and no pressure to run off to do things and see things. It honestly felt really good.

I decided to head to Bangkok. Not exactly what you think of when you want a relaxing weekend to yourself. Bangkok is busy, noisy, crowded and can be very overwhelming. I have to say my opinion of Bangkok sort of changed this weekend. I didn’t have anywhere to be or any real plans. Bangkok is so much easier to manage when you are not in a rush to get somewhere. I stayed near Khao San Rd. in a very nice guest house. I was able to catch up on my sleep on the most comfortable bed ever. It is really sad when you look forward to staying at a hostel or guest house because the beds are more comfortable than your own.

It was quite nice to travel on my own. I literally had the freedom to do whatever I wanted and did not have to worry about what the other people I am traveling with wanted to do. Don’t get me wrong, I have met some great people here that I love to travel with but it was just a nice change of pace.

I went to the Pak Khlong flower market on Friday night which was truly stunning. I have never seen anything like it. An entire street blocked off with stalls after stalls of vendors selling the most beautiful fresh flowers I have ever seen. Thai people unloading baskets of orchids, daisies, lilies, roses etc. The orchids were the most beautiful colors of purple and pink. My pictures don’t even do it justice. The street just kept going with more and more flowers being unloaded from trucks. Truly a sight to see.

On Saturday I decided to go in search of some Christmas cheer. I found a few Christmas trees, some lights, and even a Santa Claus or two. It definitely feels weird to be in Thailand for the holidays. It does not feel like Christmas or even December. At all.  It may sound weird but I actually miss the cold weather and the snow. In my search for anything Christmas, I decided to splurge and get a starbucks peppermint mocha. Even though it was too hot outside to be drinking hot coffee, there was something oddly comforting about drinking from my holiday cup and listening to Frank Sinatra Christmas music. It’s funny sometimes what reminds us of home. I am definitely missing a lot of those “homey” things that I am used to doing around this time of year and I miss being with family. I do feel a little better after getting a little taste of Christmas so far away from home.    

I feel 100% better after the weekend and I am ready to take on this week of teaching. The next three weekends will be filled with lots of traveling and exciting places so I am glad that I was able to rest up so that I can enjoy it!