Weekend in Bangkok

This past weekend we went to Bangkok and stayed with a coworker of Mr. Arntz named Somsak. His family offered to pick us up in Chachoengsao, drive us back, and let us use their condo! The condo facility was amazing, we even had hot water and a glorious resort-like pool. We went to JJ Market, the biggest market in the world, and shopped like crazy. This market had everything from live animals to clothes to kitchenware. You can find absolutely anything you need, except for shot glasses apparently. I bought a big traveling backpack for about $4 and had a blast bargaining. We went to Siam Paragon, the huge center of Bangkok, and saw a famous Thai popstar, a dance competition and surprisingly, the USA fair. The mall was all decorated for Christmas so that made us feel a little bit like back home. The next morning we got up really early to travel to the floating market in Ratchaburi, about 1.5 hours away from Bangkok. We rented a boat and bought several things along the river but didn't really get started until we walked around to all the rest of the shops. I had a total blast bartering with everyone; I even started bargaining for stuff I didn't even want! I bought a silk Thai robe for about 15 bucks, even though it started more at like 35 and I got a lot of really cheap souvenirs. Some woman gave me a discount because I "spoke Thai so well" - aka I know how to ask how much things are and then can make a distressed face and say ahhh, too expensive! We tried some coconut ice cream, a huge selection of new fruits and altogether had a blast. After a quick nap and some lunch, we headed back home, thanked Somsak and got settled back in for a full week of teaching. He offered to pick us up and let us stay at his place again (since he has 3 houses) and we'll probably see a Muey Thai boxing tournament next time we head up there. Another successful weekend and now back to the daily grind of losing my voice, hating my administration and teaching from a textbook that apparently still thinks the Soviet Union is real. Oh Thailand...