If you count the number of miles that I flew from Seattle to Khon Kaen, I have traveled about 7,275 miles. I never thought that I would be living this far away from my family! Since arriving in Khon Kaen, I have only left the city once, to travel to the dam this weekend.
I rode my motorcycle! In Thailand, and especially in Khon Kaen, most people use their motorcycle, or in pas-a-Thai, moto-sie, to commute to school or work. So each morning, I strap on my helmet, hop on my moto-sie and roll off to school to teach.
Every Saturday, a "night market" called Walking Street Market takes over a busy street in Khon Kaen. The street closes off to automobile traffic as it opens up to street vendors selling food, clothing, jewelry, knick knacks, toys, potted plants, electronics and everything in between. The street is full of bustling energy as hoards of people squeeze through the tight walkways, their faces lit by colored, hanging lights from above as they chew on skewers of chicken and freshly blended smoothies.
This weekend, some friends who teach English to first graders in a city called Nan in Northern Thailand visited me in Khon Kaen. On Saturday, we woke up early to see the temple, but since I don't have a car, we had to catch a songtaew. A songtaew is a form of public bus made from a painted pick-up truck with a tin roof and metal benches in the flatbed.
