They Just Go...

The title of this entry will not make any sense to most of you. In fact, there are probably only 3 other people who might get it and they're all fellow Green Parkers who probably won't even read this. But if you have a burning desire to know what I mean, let me know.

First, an update. One rat down. That's right. Today was the day that Green Park got revenge on the rodents. Caught in a trap, with no escape. One down, countless more to go. Not to mention the geckos and the cockroaches. But we will persevere. And we will prevail.

I thought I'd fill you in on what happened during the last week but first I want to share a few little bits and pieces that haven't made it into any previous entries.

SLEEP - As you know from my previous ranting, sleep seems to be a rare commodity around here. Loud dorm mates etc aside, the beds we have are hard. Like rock solid. Something akin to sleeping on a concrete slab. And the blankets we were supplied are scratchy woollen things that are not ideal for Thai weather. Also some of the girls found suspicious little black curly hairs on theirs so I invested in a replacement at the grand cost of 250 baht, or about $9.00. Who knew such a small thing can make such a difference?!? I finally feel like I'm sleeping in a bed that is slightly more...mine. Not my bed exactly, but it's better.

THE STUDY LAMP 900 - When you "invest" in a lamp that costs around $3.00, you probably shouldn't expect it to last too long however I was so disappointed when the switch on mine got stuck and I could no longer turn it on. I'd held such high hopes for the Study Lamp 900. So I thought I'd attempt a home repair job instead of splurging and buying a new one. Long story short, don't take apart a lamp, plug it into the electricity outlet and then stick your finger onto a metal section of said lamp. It will end in a minor electric shock, a burnt finger and a fair amount of pain. Despite the near-death experience, I have purchased a new Study Lamp 900 (version 2.0) and am now eagerly awaiting the release of the Study Lamp 1000.

THE FRIDGE MONSTER - We have a resident food theif. Yep, that's right. Some ass is stealing other people's food. It started with my pasta which is not terribly cheap in Thailand. I had made enough to have for two meals and put my leftovers in a clearly labelled container in the fridge. When I went to enjoy my pasta after a long day at school the following day, there was hardly any left. OUTRAGEOUS!! And it was not a one-off occurence. It appears that the Fridge Monster (as the theif is now known) has expensive taste and helps themselves to the stuff we buy for ourselves as little treats, like cheese, vegetables, bread and jam. We will catch them though. Fridge Monster, if you are reading this, your days of free food are numbered. You will be caught. And you will be named and shamed.

Now. On to my recent adventures in the Kingdom of Thailand. I haven't been well (god, I sound like Little Bob!) but that didn't stop Amber and I going to Dream World on the weekend. Yep, we went to an amusement park. Two supposed adults, aged almost 21 and 26 got up bright and early to go on rides all day.

Being ushered to an Information Office to buy our tickets instead of joining the outdoor line like the Thai people should have been a clear indication that this day was going to be one of those "only in Thailand" days. But I think we're so used to this strange form of racism they have here that we didn't really think anything of it. (The Thai's have different sets of rules for "farang" than they do for local people. Foreigners generally pay more for everything than the Thai people do. Even our college dorm and electricity is cheaper if you're Thai. It's beyond annoying. In any other country it would be discrimination!)But we got our tickets and skipped into the park like two little kids! I will add some photos of the park so that I don't have to go into too much detail about it here but we took a train around the perimetre to check out the sights and decide what we wanted to do, then headed to KFC to get some lunch. As I sat at the table, waiting for Amber to get our food, my purse was stolen. Right out of my zipped-up handbag. Right from under my feet. And I didn't see a thing. Major panic ensued as there was a fair amount of cash in it in preparation for souvenir and food and drink purchases (which are notouriously expensive in theme parks), not to mention my credit, debit and ID cards. No one had seen a thing, nobody seemed to speak much english and no one really cared. Thinking my day was completely ruined, we headed back to the Information Office to make a complaint to find that whoever had taken my purse had stolen all the cash from it and dumped the rest in the bin. The safe return of my beloved purse, cards etc, albeit without the cash, made my day. Having now had both my mobile phone and purse stolen out of a zipped up bag that has never been more than an inch away from me has, however, made me overly cautious and completely distrusting of Thai strangers. Which sucks. I don't want to think that every person that bumps into me is trying to rob me, but now I do. Hopefully it'll wear off.

So our day of fun in at Dream World continued with a 4D show that had us freaking out and giggling uncontrollably before we headed to the Haunted Mansion (Dream World has both a Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain. For those of you who are unaware, these are both rides at the Disney parks. Dream World also sells Disney clothing and Mickey Mouse ears, yet is not affiliated with Disney in any way. It appears copyright laws mean very little here). The mansion had us that scared that we held hands the entire time and stuck uncomfortably close to a group infront of us so that anything scary would happen to them first!

The highlight of the day was by far and away Snow Town. Who would've thought you could go sledding in the snow, endure 1.5 degree celcius temperatures and get snowed on in the middle of Thailand?? So much fun!

Our day wrapped up with a cab driver telling us that Amber looks like coffee and I look like milk. For once, we found this kind of thing pretty funny, although I'm still confused as to why the Thai people are so fascinated with my skin colour. I'm not the first white person they've ever seen so it can't be that much of a novelty. It's one thing that I truly dislike about this country. It makes me hideously uncomfortable whenever they stare, point etc but I'm hoping I can get used to it eventually!

It seems that a lot of us are getting sick at the moment with either stomach issues or colds. I have had a headache, sore throat and aches for a few days now but I'm hoping it will go away. Of course here everytime one of is sick, it's automatically swine flu or malaria. Which in any other country would be laughable. Here, it's entirely possible. I'll give it a few more days before I head to the doctor.

For now though, I'm off to bed to listen to the amazing storm that's raging outside and to get one day closer to seeing Leah and Shaun. I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am to see my best friend after over a month!!! 2 more sleeps!!!

Miss you all! If anyone else would like to make me happy, please feel free to come to Thailand to visit!

xoxo