A Very Spearie Holiday (Part 1)

The week that Hilary left, I tried not to think about it too much. I was having finals for the summer semester and packing for the trip with my family. As i boarded the train from Lampang to Bangkok, I was so full of mixed emotions...excitement over seeing my family, sadness over being so far apart from dear friends and family and even nervousness about the introductions between Otto and my family. Once in Bangkok, i hit up the our hotel...the wonderful New Siam II (thanks Bec!) and did a little lap around Khao San road (the infamous backpacker strip of Bangkok). then it was off to the airport to pick everyone up. Luckily for me, their flight was delayed and they spent the night in Tokyo so i was actually able to meet them at the airport. It seemed like hours until i saw everyone come out of the terminal and it was a flurry of hugs and tears. We got a private minivan to accommodate the excessive baggage. This ended up being a good idea which we used for the rest of the trip. Anytime we needed transport, we just spoke to a minivan driver and rented them by the day. On the way to the hotel, Amy was showing me her "brag book" which is a compilation of her best photographs she's taken at her job. Flipping through I saw some really nice pictures of Amy and Josh and suddenly I came upon a picture of two hands with wedding rings! I was speechless and Amy said, "I kept trying to flaunt my engagment ring, but you didn't notice." So it was a very celebratory ride and i was so excited to finally be let in on the big news.

Amy at the airport:


We walked around Khao San and then came upon a bunch of shops selling wedding dresses. We had fun with Amy trying on all the different dresses. She looked gorgeous but decided to wait until she got back to the states to buy a dress. Dad and Ryan looked bored but enjoyed the air con. Everyone seemed really shocked by the heat which must have been even worse on top of jet lag. We had a quick dinner and everyone was in bed by 8!

The next day we toured the Grand Palace and Wat Pra Kaew. It was definitely too hot for comfort and the palace was full of many pushy tourists. We went to Wat Po which houses the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand and then decided to take a canal tour on a long-tailed boat. It was great to sit down and relax in the shade, taking in all the back alleyways and residential areas of Bangkok. During our ride, Amy and Ryan pointed out what they thought was giant snake in the water. Our driver informed us that it was actually a "small crocodile." Great...it looked more like a giant lizard but you definitely wouldn't want to be sharing the canal with that guy. The boat dropped us off at Wat Arun which is my favorite temple in Bangkok. It's name means "Temple of the Dawn" and it was built in the Khmer style so there is a prang instead of a chedi. The prang is actually built our of chards of ceramic which were used as ballast by the Chinese at some point. The steps are STEEP and mom and dad only made it to the second landing. Thankfully it started to sprinkle which really cooled everything off. We went back to the guesthouse to relax and that evening got massages. It was Ryan's first and i think he was pleasantly surprised. During our massage, one of the women caught a live mouse which she promptly took outside. She said jokingly in Thai, "Does anyone want to eat mouse tonight?"

Saturday, Otto finally arrived and we took off for the Chatachuk weekend market (the biggest market i have ever seen). Right away Ot was helping my family bargain and i could tell he really wanted to make a good impression. Of course, everyone seemed to get along right away but we didn't get much shopping done as the market started to heat up in the late morning and the crowds were swarming. We took the skytrain to a ritszy mall called Paragon where the first of many scuffles over food occurred. I'm not exaggerating when I say that our family has to be one of the pickiest groups of people in the world when it comes to food. Of course, I'm vegetarian, Dad's a pasta/potatotarian, Amy has a very "eclectic" diet, and nobody wanted to eat spicy food or anything remotely foreign-looking. So this became a point of contention as most western foods aren't readily available in Thailand. Luckily we stayed in a lot of bigger towns that catered to westerners so we were able to find food. We ate at the food court in Paragon so that everyone could choose their own cuisine and then took in a movie (i believe the parents slept through most of it). Saturday night we went out to a fancy Italian restuarant on Khao San and did a bit of shopping. We got to bed early in order to wake up early for our trip to Ayudthya.

Mom and Dad on Khao San Road:


Ryan on Khao San. This is picture is cool because he's the only thing in focus. It kinda gives you the feeling of being there since there is always such a flurry of activity and loud music.


Me and Ot:


7 AM came very early that Sunday and our minivan driver drove around in circles for about an hour in Bangkok before we even left. Once we got to Ayudthya, we met up with our very cute old guide who went into a VERY detailed history and description of the city and thai culture. We wanded around the ruins and the chedis. Once we arrived at the center of the old city, we were allowed to explore on our own. The city reminded me a lot of Sukothai and i got that same eerie feeling that i usually get in these old ruins. I'm always overwhelmed by this sense of how many people must have lived and worked and prayed in these places. Amy and Ryan also enjoyed an elephant ride and my favorite part of the day was seeing the Buddha head that has grown into a banyan tree. It is such an iconic image and i was really touched to be able to see it.
Here are some highlights from the day!

Mom and Dad in front of the Buddha head:


Me with the Buddha head:


the Spearie children:


One of my favorite pictures of Mom...


An elephant ride:

Good Times, Bad Times

As always in life, things around here keep changing. I've almost finished my summer semester which was a rewarding experience. I felt really blessed to have such dilligent students who actually wanted to do homework and come to class every day. The hot season is still here but hopefully will be winding down very soon. We were also very lucky that the cyclone that hit Myanmar didn't do any damage in northern Thailand though we were directly in the route of the storm.

Hilary will be leaving on Tuesday. She's been here with me for 2 years and has been a constant source of joy and friendship. I can't imagine Thailand without her. I'm trying very hard not to think about it so that I can enjoy our last few days together. I know the sadness won't really sink in until she's actually gone. I keep looking to the positive things in my life. My family will be here on Wednesday and it will be exciting to take them around Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Ayudthya and Koh Samet. I'm especially excited for my brother, Ryan as it's his first time in Asia. It will be wonderful to have a reunion of our whole family and also for everyone to meet Otto. Another positive note is that Otto will be moving in at the end of May. I'm excited for us to share our time in our little house in Lampang. I'm also excited for Otto to be able to free-lance and pursue his own artistic and architectural goals.

Two friends will be coming to teach at Yonok next semester. Kazu, our Japanese friend, is moving back to Lampang from Chiang Mai. And our dear friend Sudha will be moving back to Lampang to teach in the English Department with Nadine and I. It will be great having more friends around at work. This weekend is full of parties. A birthday party tonight for a precocious 9-year old (Katerina). Hil, Nong and I made a pinata for the kids and also one for the adults. Tomorrow night is Kirk's annual fruity-cocktail party. Everyone brings a bottle of liquor, tons of fresh fruit and we commence to make our own crazy fruit slush concoctions. Hil and I will also be singing a couple songs at the party. So this week will be a week of good times but also tears as we say goodbye to Hilary.