SONGKRAN Pt. II (Day 5-9)

Day 5 - what am i doing... 

udely awaken by mama. "MAE SALONG WAITING FOR YOU FASTER WAKE UP!" at 6:20am. Also the big cocks weren't thinking of letting me get any sleep either.

Breakfast was rather heavy. 

Took photos of the 豆浆油条.

Then took road trip down to Mae chan first to find my dads best friend's second wife and daughter. Dad kept getting lost cause the landmark he used to remember the place was shifted.

wife and daughter

Afterwards we went up to Mae Salong to look for his own friend where they talk cock while I read my A&D.

we're nearing the peak of the mountain 

Then to another friend to drink some free tea.

flowers in the garden

free tea, some chitty chatty. 

It always aches me how the woman with the best location have no sense to resurrect the place. And that her father passed away and she's spending money on cosmetic surgery and all. Same age as my mama. Don't know what to say.

Then went back to Mae chan again for lunch at our favorite noodle store. Siao their business really damn good. Still as delicious as cheap as ever.

pork skin and fried goods that goes heavenly with noodle soup

the shop is like forever packed

米干？i really dont know what it's called. if you want to order just point to what other people are eating #foolproof

Eat until my stomach kena burst already, 2 pax = 70 baht. = $2.80
Going to retire in Thailand already kthnxbai.

Then went to look for my uncle, who lent us his SUV, to carry the fan back to the kampong. Had some drinks made by ah mei my cousin (sort of) too. Longan drink. Naise.

Went back to the village had dinner.
Showed my mama the photographs I took. Napped.

Then had some really awesome 梅酒.

I am not tipsy.

It is fucking hot down here. Can I just sleep at 8pm?

Day 6 - Favorite foods.

Nothingness. And the ultimate feeling of waking up from a 12 hours nap. Had been dreaming for the past few days but can't seem to remember anything, except for that one where I'm accepted into the course of my choice - but they always say dreams are the opposite of reality, and I'm going to prove myself/them right in a few days. Fuck uncertainty.

Saw my dad cutely peeling some onions and mom and some neighbor holding two chickens in each hand, sums up to a total of 4, as our sacrifices for the delicious dish - 辣子鸡

The look of resignation of the chicken held upside burns deep into my soul.

Maybe I'm too arrogant to say this but I think they died being a happy chicken. I didn't want to witness the process of them being killed and skinned/feathered, but I did see the head in my dish.

Then I started wondering that if I were a chicken and my purpose is to be served on a dinner table, would I rather be a kampong chicken or a KFC chicken. Answer is obvious.  Perhaps as a cock I would have flirted around with the other chicks in town and probably had some close friends and all. And I get to eat leftovers or corn. I don't get injected.

That's what happens when you get locked up without Internet access for a week. I over think more than usual. FML. But it's fun.

cooking outdoors because the kitchen is just too hot

inserts a random photo of how the chickens were being skinned and had their feathers plucked out 

That aside I was given the important task of frying pigs intestines (village again damn fucking sweet)for lunch.

Dad had to help me halfway because I'm useless like that.

Then kiapped a lot of food give grandma. Then massage grandma.

Ate mulberries, plum wine and some 凉拌面。

Read A&D for the whole day and played some iPhone games.

Then i move on to scarring you with more chicken photos: 

the chicken skin we used as oil to fry the chicken later (we didn't add oil), as well as the eggs (orange and oval shaped looking things), as well as the assorted organs

this was the lemon grass thing i was talking about. fresh from the garden of the lady who helped my mom handle the chicken

a huge tub of 辣椒鸡

i tried to help frying initially but my dad had more energy so i let him do it instead :P

the end product - not for just a meal: brought back to sg too

that was the look i saw on the chicken, only more desperate.

Dinner.

Went over to another neighbor where the kid's whose parents are as old as me coughed into my mouth and scratch my mosquito bite. Motherfuck. Oh, my bad.

Dad came to my rescue and we went chiang saen's night market sort of.

Walked around for barely half an hour before returning. Guess my dad and I have a common motive: enjoy the automobile's aircon.

the night market. can have game stalls. 

there's even a mini aiya you know what that thing is called

you can help me out with the gender. 

when we return there was this forest fire somewhere

My mom went to have some beer with some old uncles in the village. And by some I mean a lot. She actually kept her mother locked out of the house and haven't even return when we did. To provide some background, the three groups went different ways. My mom to drink, my dad and i to chiangsaen and my grandma to another neighbors to chat(as mentioned earlier).

My grandma was damn pissed off when my dad pulled my reluctant mama back LOLOLOL. Then we keep chanting "坏死咯! 坏小娃!" (Dialect)
And my mama was like "女儿不准讲我!"

And there was another thing she did I can't reveal. OMGGGG I'm scarred.

Meaningless yet fun. Time passes slowly here.

Rather glad that my grandma seemed to be recovering well. In case you didn't know, the trip was mainly aimed to visit my grandma after she fell down the stairs at my uncles shop and was hospitalized and immobilized by fear.

Though due to diabetes, her eyesight is getting worse but she kept insisting someone 下蛊 her. >< and when you think she's sleeping and everything, she surprisingly have a clear idea of what's going on in her surroundings.
And my mom often get news of the village from her. Grandma just had problem articulating, but she knows. Everything.

Glad that she's still healthy!

And this morning the cocks weren't as noisy as usual. Guess those chickens had a way of predicting their own death.

Day 7 - Back to civilization 

Woke up early for the occasion. 6:20 actually. Predicted that my mama will nag if I sleep until noon again. Which I never did.

Woke up early to help... Do what I forgot LOL. But went on a mini road trip with my dad. Took my uncles car and drove up the village, to the other more inaccessible parts.

breakfast was this 炒米线。。。

阿花 can eat 3 packets at ago --> proven during our waterfall trip

this photo composition not very good i apologize

i took all these in the car.. i'll really miss seeing these scenery

Greedily tried to absorb all the scenery into my eyes. I don't know when will be the next time I visit my mother's 密额村 again.

when we get back from the mini road trip.... my mom was like screaming at this thing on the kitchen floor... looks inauspicious..

and apparently there are many snakes in the house. thank whatever godly forms i didn't encounter any..

Helped my grandma massage again with my mom drooling and pestering me to help her too. Which I did la I so guai. Then returned to my routine of a morning nap, games and reading.

Had lunch. Felt obliged to have one more meal with my mama and her mama because after we leave, there'll only be two of then ): so sad.

My mom kept going on like "you two going to abandon me already WAAAAAA"

And as abrupt as it seems, here's a few instances of how livable the place is in terms of food:

#1 mama wanted to go market buy white radish but a neighbor stopped her and was like "aiya don't buy la help me clear my vegetables"

#2 mama went to buy spring onions, sort of, but she took too little the seller was like "why you take so little? I don't even know how to count the money already, just take it for free"

Ps/ those are vague translations from what I heard from my mom.

And for your info our village mostly consists of 云南人, and why they settled there traced back to the 1xxx during some war time I do not remember so don't probe. Oh you didn't. and i keep reiterating. 

And I would like to refute the claim that Thai people are dishonest and they charge different people different prices. Though I cannot speak on behalf of Caucasians.

As far as my encounters allow me to, I would like to conclude that Thai people are rather honest and very polite.

Like how that woman unknowingly bumped into me with hot soup and when I gave her the death glare (instinctive, I was trained to not apologized anymoar by bastards I've encountered this far) she turned around and gave an apologetic sheepish smile. I guilty.

Like how I went to rebond my root hairs (LOL I SOUND LIKE A PLANT CELL) and even though the difficulty of pulling my mane straight is five stars, the hair dresser had charged us 500 baht(approx SGD$20) and did not compromise. Chemical used was shiseido, my hair was kiapped 3 times and there was even a treatment.

佛心来的。

I was so guilty that she undercharged me and my dad wanted to go back to the shop to give her an extra 100 baht. Chicken out la.

My dad said she geksim and we later caught her to be doing hoola hoops from our hotel window.

And the last incident that despite my dad and I being blatantly foreign, the hawker who sold us food for dinner did not cheat our money by overcharging us.

#canijustliveinthailand



after my 3 hours , 500baht rebonding hair experience is completed, my dad and i went on a food hunt at their market.

very crowded and lively. saw a pair of cute gay couple ^^

first station - 炸猪皮

3 corns for 20baht = 80cents

therefore 1 cob of corn will cause you ~SGD$0.30

50 baht ($2) mango sticky rice with coconut. very generous with the ingredients.

you can get a chibi version in singapore at an exorbitant price of $9.90 from thai express/porn's. 

ikr.

3 sticks of meat 20 baht($0.80). 

this store so popular once they put on the banana leaves it'll be swept away by customers. when i tasted it i sort of know why. 

Half a duck for 80 baht.($3.20)

Dinner  

Buddha bless Thailand.

sort of like their most central area, there's this majestic and royal looking building..

i can't really recall if it's for their royalty or buhddism

my guess is that it's probably dedicated to the royal family 

After that dinner which exploded my calorie meter, we went to return my uncles car and lepak at their shop for a while.

drinks offered to us. apparently made from some flower that is very expensive. a very delicious and refreshing drink. taste a little like sour plum. 

My most obedient/filial/not spoilt/smart cousin, 阿花was helping out at the shop while the other two siblings are slacking upstairs. Shake head... 阿花好乖~~ #obsessed

i think i forgot to mention i have another boy cousin, 阿法.
he's... a boy of a few words but very cute too ^^

Then  阿花 rought me to the night market behind their store and kept asking me what I like and she'll buy for me.

I abit paiseh so I chose a cute pouch from the handmade shop at 39 baht ($2). Quite funny when she used the 1000 baht bill to pay for it. Then she insist I buy something else so I just anyhowly point to a dress :P

Yi ge blessed Yi ge lucky.

Then after we realized they will never close shop at 8pm, cause the human traffic at their shop is just too... Packed. Left at 8:20.

Went to the 19 baht store to buy stuff. WTF is daiso/value dollar store to a 19 madafakaing baht store. (70cents)

Then went to Edison, near our hotel. I never really knew the name of the place until today.

My dad bought a shirt and a beltI belt out for the belt for his birthday present. -money bleeds-

And I bought an hour glass for myself. I love hour glasses. Feels like i am buying time and in control of it.

Then.. Please don't judge me. We went to Swensen's.... Aiya it's a tradition.  My ice cream costed 125 baht and my dads Thai special costed 109baht.

Due to guilt I didn't finish mine. Guilt of eating too much > guilt of wasting food. Aiya indulge a little.

swensen's thai special. price is on it. do your own math. 

mine

my dad's thai special - mango icecream, with green stick rice and coconuts

Then went back to the hotel room and I finally did sit ups due to the guilt and burned a pathetic 19 calories.

hauls of the day whee~

That ended the night. Didn't sleep as well as during my stay in the kampong. ):

Did I mention that as we leave the village, the cocks waking us up every morning for the past few days was held opposite by their master, with a hollow look in their eyes. Good bye.




self timer and the camera just couldn't capture most of my dad. nevermind la can cover his tummy.
#DNAworkswonder

Day 9 - KRUNGTHEPMAHANAKHON

As I typed this I am at chiang rai airport waiting for the plane to Bangkok. Had typed the log for yesterday as well as the day before at cafe doi tung just now.

Woke up relatively early. Despite my attempt to cover myself entirely under the white sheets, my dad still woke me up cruelly. To have breakfast.

And oh my god my face. Acne breakout. From yesterday. Think it's because of the chemicals.

Took the hotel wangcome private shuttle bus to the airport, with a fare of 100 baht per pax. SHIOK.

at the airport 

doitung coffee and tea we were having

another photograph

Rather reluctant to leave the place though. But I know I'll be back someday. So all is good.

Did I mention that my first thought upon landing was not "I'm here" but "I'm back!". I believe I belong here. ):

Ok time to board to plane that's delayed. TG131.

on board the plane.. i love the sky T_T

food that we didn't eat 

Everything also delay today.
The luggage took a while too. And the check in at the newly decorated hotel took damn long.

Everything also going against me.

Reached pratu nam at 2:30 instead of the intended 1pm or so. FML. Did a timed shopping around the mall. Around 20 minutes per floor but I gave up after a while.

Had lunch at around 4pm can sense me and my dad cannot tahan already.

oyster omelette!

 a little like char kuay tiao but no hum and not that thick

Turn everywhere also can hear the Singaporean accent FML.

Not happy with most of the buys but at least still clothes.

the every tourist who come to bkk for shopping must-go mall.

Went back to the hotel to speed bathe and continued shopping round 2 at the newly opened mall.

view of the newly built hotel, after two years. 

Bought five sets of bras. I wonder how big boobed people buy quality bras in thai. 90% A and B cup. (At least the few brands I was at) and the salesperson thought I don't know what is noom yai. 

Then my dad bought a shirt too.

buys from platinum fashion mall

sort of like thailand's homegrown cosmetic brand? i bought it for emergency use... my breakout was horrendous. 

my buys from tesco lotus --> spam deodorants.

sorry la i just find thailand's deodorants more attractive!! 

Went back to the hotel and chomp on auntie Anne's.

Concussion. 

Day 9 - i don't believe this. 

i didn't type anything on this day.. so i'm now on recalling mode.

went off to the airport early after finding that the shop we wanted to have breakfast at was not operating yet.

went back to the chinese restaurant we were at after check in.

my dad's duck noodles.

wanton soup 

my fried rice

and for the first time after 8 days in thailand, TOM YAM GOONG

afterwards we kept walking around the entire airport to find which model of rayban i'm gonna buy

wait for it 

tadah!!! finally my baby's with me. <3 

there was a little drama but i really don't wanna write it down -.- my poor legs.

last airplane meal as i finish my wreck in ralph. was crying while eating... oi don't judge. 

and i forgot to mention this during my water war posts!

have a blessed new year ahead and thank you to mui who read my posts carefully!

;Kace