How to Turn a Class Project into a Day Trip 101

I have wanted to spend some time at one of Bangkok’s famous floating markets for a while now, but between my weekend trips, I hadn’t found the time yet! When my photography professor assigned me an editorial photography project, I decided this would be a great opportunity to visit Amphawa, take some photos of the market-life in Thailand, and also work on my school project all in one.

The markets around Thailand have been one cultural difference that has really intrigued me. Of course, Madison has its beloved Farmers Market, but beyond sunny, Saturday mornings around the capital square, I’ve never really had the chance to live in a place that relies so heavily on markets for its economy to function. And it’s fantastic being able to browse through loads of cheap and tasty items all in one place while getting a better look into Thai culture through the items being sold at each vendor. So, for my editorial photography project, I knew I wanted to try to capture the spirit of one of these markets. Ultimately, I chose Amphawa because I had read it was still one of the more authentic floating markets. By floating markets, I mean that the market is set up right alongside (and on top of) the Amphawa canal. So many of the vendors sell and cook the food right in their little canoes.

 

Amphawa Floating Market

 

Cooking prawns right inside their boat!

 

 

Amphawa is only open on weekends, so I knew I’d have to work to find a time that would make sense to go. I have midterms scheduled for next week, so I wasn’t planning on going anywhere big this week and decided it would be the perfect time to take a study break and make the trip to see Amphawa. I was texting Austin about it and he said, “Cool. Do you have any other plans for the day?” And I actually laughed a little when I wrote back, “This will take all day.” At that point, even I didn’t actually understand just how long of a “day-trip” this would be.

We (Gabby and I) planned to hop on a van into the city in order to catch another van shuttle from there to Amphawa. My photography professor had told me that I could catch a van from Victory Monument, so that’s where we were headed. However, as I read more about Amphawa on the way there, I found one blog post that said all vans from Victory Monument had been discontinued as of 2016… great. Not to my surprise, when we arrived an hour later, we were told there were no vans to Amphawa here. No worries though, Victory monument is located right under the Skytrain (BTS) line so we could catch a train to the Mo Chit bus terminal. Somehow, neither Gabby or I was paying any attention whatsoever, and we ended up taking the train the opposite direction and had to do a 180 switch around at the next stop.

Finally, arriving at the Mo Chit stop, we got off and looked around for vans. We were pointed towards a shuttle bus stop by some locals that would take us a few blocks away to the Mo Chit terminal. Once we got there, we just started asking around, “Pai Amphawa?” Sometimes we were met with blank stares, sometimes just a hand gesture in a different direction. Fourth or fifth try, finally a man told us his van would take us to Mae Khlong “4 km [away from] Amphawa.” Ok. It was already almost 2 p.m. when we finally left the city. I dozed off for awhile in the back of the van but when I woke up I was being asked to exit the van at a gas station. In Thailand, whenever they fill up the van shuttles they make everyone get out before they pump any gas. I’m not sure if there’s a fear it will blow up or what the reasoning behind it is, but at the gas station a friendly Thai man started talking to us and told us that he too was headed to Amphawa, so he would show us how to get there. When we finally arrived in Mae Khlong, we walked through the railroad market. This is another super interesting market in the area, and one I hope to return to another day. The market situations itself right along and on top of the railroad tracks and when the train comes through periodically throughout the day, the vendors just pack up their stuff, leaving just enough room for the train to sneak by, and then go about their business.

 

Mae Khlong Train Market

 

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the train come through but just looking at the space, I couldn’t imagine how a train snuck through this market! We continued following a local boy through some side streets and alleyways to an area where we could pay some pickup trucks to take us to Amphawa. I was so thankful that we had some local help because I’m not sure how I ever would’ve figured this out otherwise. In the back of the pickup truck, the helpful local Thai man was happy to tell us all about Amphawa, his family, terrorists in Indonesia, Siamese twins (“They each got married! Two wives! And had children! Look at it on Youtube!!”), and anything else that popped into his head as conversation topics. We finally arrived at Amphawa around 4:00 p.m. I was already tired, and I hadn’t even begun the actual work yet. If you ever read that it only takes 1.5-2 hours to get to Amphawa — IT’S A LIE!

However, excited to finally be here, I instantly began taking photos. I figured that the more photos I took, the better chance I’d have of having at least five I can turn into my professor later. And through the lens of my camera, I really loved taking in this quaint, little market space. Seafood and delicious-smells lined the crowded boardwalk that weaved through the market. I was especially tempted by all the fresh, Thai desserts and sweets I was watching be freshly prepared.

Grill Master

Wok Master

After wandering back and forth on both sides of the market, my tummy was rumbling and I was little fried as far as photo inspiration. Gabby and I decided to sit at one of the waterside “restaurants” and ordered some pad thai with fresh shrimp and coconut juice (served in the coconut meat). This was actually the first coconut beverage I’ve had since coming to Thailand, believe it or not! And they are everywhere, so that’s a huge surprise. Unfortunately, it turns out I’m still not the biggest fan of plain coconut, although I really wish I was because it looks so fresh and delicious at almost every market I go to.

 

Pad Thai with fresh Shrimp and Coconut Drink

 

After dinner, it was close to 6 p.m. and we knew we had about two hours before the final bus back to Bangkok left. We decided to pay for the longboat tour of the canals. Since it was getting later and darker, the price was more expensive because the typical tour became a “firefly tour.” We rode along the canals, stopped at one temple along the way, then, once it was dark, spent the rest of the time watching the fireflies dance along the marshy riverbank. It was cool and dark and there was a light breeze, and I was so relaxed finally. Being near the water and being a little chilly and having fireflies all around me seriously made me miss Wisconsin summers on the boat with Austin so much.

 

Two Thai women at the temple who signaled to me they wanted me to take their photo

 

Before Gabby and I left to get our van back to the city, we decided to search around for some dessert. I tried some Mochi ice-cream. Mochi is a Japanese cake, so it’s kind of like this little cake ball with ice-cream in the middle — it’s like chewy ice-cream. I’m describing this badly, it was delicious.

 

Mocha chip and Thai tea flavored Mochi Ice-cream

 

Gabby decided to try a Thai dessert that both of us had seen everywhere but never actually tasted called Khanom bueang (crispy pancakes). These desserts resemble mini tacos, but the shell is actually a mini crepe and the inside (which looks like sour creme and cheese) is actually a sweet cream and a traditional Portuguese treat called fios de ovos (angel hair), which is very similar to cotton candy. Walking back to the van, we passed a vendor pulling a fresh pizza out of the oven. Pizza isn’t incredibly common around here, and lots of the time it’s nothing like the pizza you find in the states (think when you’re babysitting and you make pizzas on top of English muffins for the kids) but this pizza was gooey, with real cheese and spinach on top. Neither Gabby or I could resist devouring a piece before we hopped on the van. Best decision of the day by far.

Khanom bueang

Being even just a little smarter than when we started our journey that afternoon, Gabby and I got back to our apartments (after a van and taxi ride) around 10:00 p.m. Making it a long day with more traveling than actual doing. However, I must say how impressed with Amphawa I was! I hope I can make it back again before I leave to see more. There were plenty of interesting temples in the area and some of the riverside shops and restaurants looked really neat, plus I’d love to see the Mae Khlong market in full action as a train rolls through. Who knows? If my professor doesn’t approve of my photos, I might be back sooner rather than later! But for now, until next time Amphawa!

Chicken or Pork? Rice or Noodles?

While preparing to live in Thailand, one of the things I was quite worried about was the food. I’m known to get an upset stomach often after eating in Wisconsin, so I was expecting this to only get worse in Thailand after reading about some of the differences in food preparation and safety. I had also been advised different things from different sources from “do NOT eat the street food,” to “if you go to Thailand and don’t eat the street food — you didn’t even go to Thailand.” You can see how I was a little concerned. In the end, I just prepared myself for whatever issues may arise by bringing plenty of western medications.

However, I’ve been living here two months now (and yes, eating plenty of the incredible street food, fruit, snacks, and drinks) and I’m really happy to say I’ve felt healthier and more energized after eating than I typically do in the states! This might because of the practically nonexistent gluten and dairy in all the food products here, both things that are seemingly impossible to avoid when you live in the beer and dairy capital of America. Thankfully, I’ve dealt with very, very few instances of questionable food. Of course, I’ve also avoided some food entirely – like the live turtles you can pick from the market or the pork intestines you sometimes find in your soup or the fried-to-a-crisp-insects you can get on Khao San. But for the most part, I’ve come to absolutely love Thai cuisine.

I really worried that I would be missing Western food by this time, but I’ve truly been so satisfied with my meals here. Besides the occasional lasagna or pizza craving, it’s somewhat amusing that my mega-cravings haven’t even been for American food, but Mexican food instead. Seriously, all I want is a big plate of tacos and chips and guac and a margarita (I’m one month away from being legal in the U.S. ok?) from La Mex. The only Mexican restaurant I’ve found so far was in Georgetown in Malaysia – months ago now. I have even been searching out avocados in Thailand to be able to make my own guac to subside my craving. No luck so far, but I will not give up the hunt.

For the first few weeks after my arrival, I knew almost no Thai dishes, so when I’d go to eat my Thai friends would ask me, “Chicken or pork? Rice or noodles?” and that’s what I would get. Thankfully, I have begun to try and taste more dishes and have started to be able to differentiate what makes them each unique. But in all honesty, this is really the basis of almost any Thai meal – chicken or pork and noodles or rice.

Pork with chili sauce and white rice.

“Boat” noodles. Noodle soup with pork and fish balls.

(Scroll over the photos to see what the food is)

One thing I’ve really come to embrace about Thai culture is how the day, and many conversations, center around food. I can’t count how many times one of my Thai friends has greeted me with the phrase, “Are you hungry?” or “Have you ate yet?” It’s a beautiful thing. And I think this is largely because eating is such a social activity too, especially for students. Almost none of the apartments/dorms have kitchens, so we eat out for every single meal of the day. Before you think, “Holy cow, Mckenzie. You’re paying to eat at a restaurant every meal, every day?” Meals in Thailand cost anywhere from 20-150 baht. Mine are usually around 40 baht… this is the equivalent to $1.20. So I’m paying around $4 a day to eat full-blown plates of chicken and rice or pork and noodles — I’d say that’s doable. So typically, I meet up with a group of friends for meals around campus and we eat together and talk for awhile and have a good time. So, food is the center of my days because it usually determines when I will be seeing everyone next.

Luckily, my campus does not have a shortage of yummy and cheap places to find a meal at any point of the day. Here’s the layout:

So the big red house is where I live at Skyview. Across the street from me, you can see…

View down my road towards campus

Zone 1: I don’t have much over here but I do have a small restaurant under my building that will deliver food to me at my room. However, I do have to have a Thai friend call and order it for me because they only speak Thai. Then, I have a 7-11 which is very frequently visited by me. I often go if I’m feeling lazy or low on time. You can get food warmed up for you there, and as pre-packed meals go, they aren’t half bad. I usually go for the garlic chicken or basil chicken stir fry, always with sticky rice included. Although, after a night of drinking nothing beats a ham and cheese toastie. They are ALL the hype for drunk, Western food in Thailand. 7-11 has even teamed up with Lays to make a 7-11 special, ham and cheese toastie flavored bag of chips.

I also have a few small food vendors around here. I finally worked up the courage to order food from one of them the other night. I have been admittedly quite shy to order from some food vendors because I’m often wary of the language barrier. I mean sometimes people genuinely look terrified when I approach them knowing that I’m going to speak English to them! But I keep pushing myself to not give up because of it! Pointing and nodding works very well.

 

Fried chicken over rice and some type of sauce (siracha mayo maybe?) over the top that I got from a small vendor near my apartment. Came with a baggie of cabbage with a lemony-mayo dressing – delicious! Plus, nothing better than dinner in bed with Netflix.

Zone 2: This area is called U-Village. It has a nice set of proper restaurants and cafes but for one reason or another, it’s not very popular. I have yet to try anything here. But it’s nice to know it’s available and close!

Zone 3: U-Square. Ahh, the heart and soul to cheap eating at TU-Rangist. U-Square is basically just a large market area with a bunch of outdoor vendors who are set up permanently in their locations. But the food is delicious, there are lots of options (from fish to salad bars to crepes to noodle soup to steak) and it’s all very cheap. This is my most common stop for dinner. I can also find freshly cut fruit bags or fruit shakes here at almost any hour of the day, which I love.

U-Square at Night.

Fish & Rice from U-Square! Eaten right off the bones.

Zone 4: Zone 4 has a set of proper shops underneath the apartment buildings here. There is also a small bar (the only one located so close to campus) that gets pretty popular on weekends. I have two restaurants I like a lot here. One is called Poon Poon (supposedly, named after the sound of a train whistle) and it has some good Italian-style dishes. The other is called Clean Food. I was struggling for a while to find a well-balanced meal with enough vegetables to satisfy me — Clean Food has it. You get a large portion of lean meat, jasberry (whole-grain) rice, a side salad and cooked vegetables — all for $2.20. This is my favorite place to eat on campus by far because it’s healthy and so tasty.

Chicken breast, side salad, cooked veggies, jasberry rice and a sweet teriyaki sauce. Mmmmm

Zone 5: Another set of proper shops under apartment buildings. I haven’t tried a ton of these but you can find almost any craving (besides for Mexican food) you need to be fulfilled down here. They have sushi, dim sum, boat noodles, shabu, curry, American food, pizza, etc. A lot of these places are on my mental list of places to try when I’m craving something specific.

Coffee shop with ham and cheese crossiant

Edamame from Sushi restaurant!

Hawaiian Pizza is so popular here, and I am so here for it!

Zone 6: This area has a little market available on Tuesdays that I tend to stop by on my way home from class. There I can grab fresh fruit drinks or little sweets or my dinner for the evening, typically I can get all of the above for about $2.50. Plus they have some little boutique/thriftshop clothing vendors that can be fun to look through.

Melon shake – nothing but a 1/4 of a musk melon and ice!

Little waffle desserts with chocolate and strawberry jam

Chicken kabobs with chili sauce

Zone 7: This is the canteen (aka cafeteria) I eat most of my breakfasts and lunches at. It’s right next to my faculty (in the dark pink circle.) The food here is super inexpensive (about 90 cents per meal) and very tasty! When I’m low on time, I’ll have a mug of granola with chocolate soy milk at my apartment, but if I have the extra time I’ll typically go here for a plate of rice, fried chicken, stir-fried veggies and egg for my breakfast in the morning.

Chicken, Veggies, Thai Omlete, and Rice

Fried Fish, Sweet hard boiled eggs, and White Rice

Two weekends ago, I took a Thai cooking class that was offered through the Thammasat Office of International Affairs out in the countryside of Bangkok. It was so interesting getting to see what ingredients make up some of the dishes I’ve begun to enjoy so much, like spicy papaya salad! The menu, recipes, and ingredients are below. It was fun for me to read them and see how many I didn’t recognize, yet lots of these ingredients are very common in traditional Thai cuisine.

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Now, this entire post was really for my mom because I know she likes details and photos and maps and getting to feel as much as possible like she understands what my daily life is like here. Love you, Mom! But I also wanted to make a post about this just because of how different the culture surrounding food is! Getting my food from markets and small vendors and trying things I would probably avoid in the U.S. has been such a rewarding experience for me! I’m also proud to say that my spice tolerance has dramatically increased since when I left. So for those of you who stuck around till the end, thanks so much — I hope you learned something new!

 

My Feet are Blistered, but My Heart is Happy

It’s been a whole week now in Thailand! The past seven days felt like both the longest and fastest week of my life. Between brief periods of frustration, confusion, and homesickness, I have found amazing moments of wonder, beauty, love and joy. Luckily, in the words of Lin Manuel Miranda, “Ev’ry action has its equal, opposite reactions,” and with every negative situation, there has been a counter positive to focus on.

With that, here are this week’s ups and downs:

1. Down:
I found out I would be living and studying on a campus 40-75 minutes from the heart of Bangkok because this is where the school of Journalism and Mass Communication is located at Thammasat University. Only one other exchange student is living on the campus with me as most international student study at Tha Prachan in Bangkok, so I was bummed to not be living close to all the other international students and afraid of feeling isolated living so far away.

Up:
The other international student on my campus is a fantastic person and is studying journalism with me! Also, living on the Rangsit campus has given me the opportunity to become friends with Thai students.

Rangsit Center is massive and vastly different than Tha Prachan (the campus in Bangkok), so I get a nice balance of city and “countryside” life when I visit the city to do fun things. For example, on Rangsit, there are trees, canals, and lots of wildlife, including the Varanus Salvador, or Asian water monitor.

(Note: the picture of this is from the internet, although I did encounter one on my walk the other day, I had a mini heart attack so I couldn’t snap a photo of one in person [yet]. I have been informed, “Don’t touch it!” It seems that they are not friendly creatures…)

 

2. Down:
I discovered that the immigration officer at the airport gave me the wrong stay on my passport. So, instead of 90 days in the country, I got stamped for 30 despite having everything correct on my visa. This means I must take a trip to the Immigration Office in Bangkok and figure out how to make sure I can study in the country without being an illegal immigrant, which sounds like it could be a long day with lots of frustration.

Up:
I learned this from a very helpful, Thammasat University orientation day, and I’m beyond thankful I was informed to even check the stamp in my passport at all because I’m not sure I would’ve realized it was wrong until it was too late otherwise!

 

3. Down:
Many of the menus (particularly around my campus) are written in Thai only, so ordering for myself can be quite the challenge…

With that, the language barrier, in general, has been harder to work around than I expected. This can especially be an issue when using transportation services because it’s hard to explain where I want to go.

Up:
The food is so, so good so it’s worth the extra innovative effort. I’ve learned to take a photo of what I want to order if they have menus on the wall with pictures or go out with Thai friends so that they can help you figure out what to get. Plus, I have never had a problem finding food when hungry – there are restaurants everywhere.

 

Photo 1: Orange juice and Iced latte
Photo 2: Gai Ped Med Ma Muang (Chicken, cashews, green peppers, onions, dried chiles and sticky rice)
Photo 3: Vietnamese Noodle Bowl with Pork

I have been doing a lot of walking (hence the title of this blog post) which allows me to discover and stumble upon lots of other little places on my way from point A to point B. I’ve also been able to try lots of different transportation modes: van, shuttle, taxi, motorbike, and ferry. Still to try: train, tuk-tuk, skytrain, songthaew. When I do figure out how to get somewhere, it’s great. Some of my favorite places I’ve visited so far are Chatuchak Weekend Market and Wat Ratchanatdaram.

 

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4. Down:
I really miss my family, my pets, Austin and my family.

Up:
My texting and data plan has been working great so far with 4G everywhere I’ve needed it (so far only been around the city, so hoping it’s good further away when traveling too). This allows me to stay connected with the people I love and eases the strain of me being away. Plus, Austin is working on getting a plane ticket to come here at the end of my semester so that we can travel together for a little over a week and come home together. Having that to look forward to makes it much easier!

Other ups: I have settled into an apartment! It is spacious, has a nice shower, a fitness center and pool, really hard beds, and I share it with these little white geckos (Chingchok lizards) that I only see occasionally. It is supposed to be good luck if you find them in your house, plus they eat mosquitos, so I’m going to get along with them.

If you want to try to send me any mail for whatever reason, my new address is:

Mckenzie Halling
88/38 Sky View @TU, 5108
Klong Neung, Klong Loung
Pathumthani 12120
Thailand

Today, I start school and with that, I expect a whole new set of ups and downs. But I am truly in a place of comfort, and I am happy to officially be settled in my new home for the next five months. I am so excited to plan adventures and start seeing the Southeastern part of the world!