Hanging Around

My weekend shenanigans began with a field trip and photo shoot. Ajahn Penny, ten M-1 students (7th grade), and I crammed in the school van with our sights set on the wonderful attractions of Nakhon Chaisi. This trip was the second of its kind. Ajahn Penny wants me to create an English brochure highlighting places of interest in the area (i.e. temples, markets, and markets at temples). I had to be physically present because Ajahn Penny wanted to be sure to capture my foreign face in all the shots. It's weird how whiteness is such a big deal here.
First stop: Sisatong Temple- a giant, half-bodied demon changes the luck of petitioners who make an offering of eight black things (coffee, jelly, sticky rice, whisky, grapes, etc.); caged monkeys in the parking lot
Second stop: Klang Kuveyung Temple- located by the Tajeen River; lots of golden orbs; people like to feed the fish (see photo) and the turtles
Third stop: Baang Pra Temple- features a glass coffin (with mother of pearl inlay) containing the decaying body of a revered monk who died five years ago
Fourth stop: Lampaya Floating Market- busy, authentic, not-so-touristy floating market
Fifth stop: Tajeen River at Huay Ploo- delicious chicken noodle soup (10 baht! = 33 cents); great place to get friendly with the huge fish (see photo- you can put your whole hand in a fish's mouth!)

On Sunday I went to the Dusit Zoo in Bangkok. Though it was not nearly as big as the Chiang Mai Zoo, the animals were incredibly entertaining and animated. I spent about 30 minutes staring at the primates. One of the monkeys was totally intentional with all of his actions: he analyzed each of the bugs he picked out of his buddy's armpit; he slumped off by himself to be lonely for a bit; he struck up a conversation with another monkey after a while. I was amazed at how thoughtful the little guy was. I caught another primate planning his escape (see photo). I got a kick out of the playful jaguars, the hungry giraffes, and beautiful exotic birds. Only an inch or two of glass separated me from the giant nose of a lazy hippo (see photo). I have some great pictures, but I chose three of my favorites for the blog. The picture of the yawning tiger barely beat out the picture of a peacock fanning out all his feathers. So even though I stayed close to home this past weekend, I had a wonderful time.