Camels and Tacos: Thailand

Friday, February 17, 2012

Chiang Mai Thailand

In retrospect we could have done a better job in exploring all that Chiang Mai had to offer. We just didn't go for the gusto; no elephant rides, no silk village tours, no jungle adventures. Somehow we were content with hanging out inside the walls of the old city getting massages and wondering from Wat to Wat (monastery Buddhist temple). We'll do a better job next time, I promise.

A nice little gem.

Where do all the unsold pirated straight to DVD movies go? The Tha Phae Gate has giant sculptures made from the likes of Garth Brooks and Godfather 3.

The night market was a hit-I'm sure every American blows a gasket when experiencing one for the first time. Imagine a swap meet on steroids and out of control.

Ana was pooped so I had to experience Thai Boxing on my own. The spectacle was definitely catered for tourists. Betting was allowed and encouraged. Ringside seats were available if you're itching to be showered by another man's sweat.

The chubby guy didn't have a chance. Were the fights legit? I'm not sure. Halfway through the evening, there was a free-for-all round.

Tattoos on fighters were common.

We couldn't pass up the insect museum, it is the life's work of the couple running it.

This should have been our new painting.

One Wat had some unusual lawn decorations.

Donald Duck eating a bowl of noodles with chopsticks is exactly what I thinking when walking into a Buddhist temple.

Ana found a yoga studio and I found a terracotta garden or buddha heads.

There was a more upscale area away from backpackers near the university worth exporing.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Thai Food, Beverages, Job Fair, Art, and Punk Jackets

Chiang Mai and Bangkok followed Hong Kong. Our main purpose in traveling to the far east was for a job fair. We made it known to a handful of friends that we were planning on leaving Egypt at the end of the school year. The Bangkok Fair was a rough one; competitive, congested with type A personalities, and overrun by top tier Asian Schools. Ana and I realized how quickly the American curriculum is a dinosaur in a global perspective. The question is how do we make ourselves more marketable from here on out.

I made it two rounds with the top school in Shanghai. I was approved by the superintendent and wife, the second in command (HR), but the principal insisted the school needed someone with IB experience or else the parents would riot! That is where our story ended. The number two guy told me to take a two-year gig with a second tier IB school that would train me then I would be golden. Perhaps China is in our future.

We also interviewed with a school in Korea. The school is new and the recruiters were a bit green and not very professional. We ran into the pair several times while we were out and about; they didn't seem too concerned tending to their task of hiring people.

In the end it looks like we'll be spending a fourth year in Egypt. We aren't exactly heart broken being that school really takes good care of us in every way possible. All the bad luck the folks here wished us in finding a new home, worked. When the day comes it will be hard to leave.

Now it's time to get down to the business of food, beer, and painted leather punker jackets.

Yes, I have no idea what I'm eating, but it tasted like crispy sweet olives.

Khao Soi and Chang beer is the breakfast of champions.

Just outside town you'll find the 1000-person capacity Chiang Mai German Micro-Brewery complete with a rock band playing in front of a giant screen TV. We tasted all six of their brews including the Oktoberfest.