Thailand Blog :: Last day

I wanted to post something yesterday but now I've slept I have forgotten what it was, so I am going to go with something I'm thinking now. 

Today is my final day in Thailand. I've tried to adjust my body clock already by sleeping late and getting up late, but this has only caused more tiredness so far and my digestion/bodily functions don't feel optimal. Let's hope it's worked though because tonight I won't be sleeping till 3-4am! 

Yesterday I had a good day souvenir shopping. I don't usually buy much because at the end of the day it's usually just tack in someone else's house, but I wanted to get something seeing as I've been away for 6 months and I like shopping. I'm happy with my purchases. Perhaps I'll show you what I got when my family have received their items! 

I also visited Rasayana too. This morning I've woken up with that familiar weird breath, sight headache and stimulant hangover. I think I'd much prefer to just binge on mangoes. However, I think I'm still going to order food to take on the plane! I definitely want spring rolls and a banoffee pie. 

Spring rolls

Veggie sandwich 

Raw cacao moose tart

My plan was to buy a blender to take home, but I decided against it when I went to the shop and picked it up in the box. I'm pretty sure it was around 5kg with packaging and I am not confident that I'd be able to carry everything through Manchester airport (they have these stupid single file exit tunnels and everytime I'm there with my bike I have to push or pull it like a train and it's carriages). I also think it would take me over the 30kg limit, especially with my bike too. The last time I flew the bike box weighed roughly 25kg.

What I want to do today is to get some fruit that's still unripe to take home with me, mainly mangoes and maybe some namwa bananas. I'll definitely miss these flavours. 

I don't have any other wishes, so I may hang out in the park and catch some sun. 

It actually feels like a long time since I've been home. Sometimes I say things like "I cannot believe how quickly it's gone", but actually these 6 months have been really long! For example, it feel like such a long time ago that I was in Bali! It's almost as if it was a dream not a reality! I hope that from now on I'm present in every moment experiencing life to the full. 

I hope that you too live life in the present and are fully aware of what you have right now, because that's all that matters. 

Thailand Blog :: bananas

Fasting in Bangkok has proved difficult, mainly because I do it at the worst times (volunteering at a hostel) and due to the fact that if I go out there's fruit and juices everywhere! I'm always tempted and I allow it to play on my mind so much that it affects my dreams. 

For example, Wednesday night I dreamt about bananas. Seriously, my dream was about bananas. I was eating the small lady finger bananas that are so sweet. I'm pretty sure I had more than one dream about bananas. I haven't even eaten bananas for perhaps 2 weeks! So I went out yesterday morning and bought some of Thailand's special apple bananas, organic and sweet. So sweet in fact I think I'm eating sugar! 

I think bananas are a superb fruit even though people say it's hybrid this and that. I love to try new varieties but my favourites are red, lady fingers and apple (or ice cream) bananas. I want to start eating more bananas again throughout the week. 

I am so grateful that I've been able to try these varieties in their home country. To taste sweet, ripe bananas fresh from the tree. I appreciate nature and all that she provides. 

Thailand Blog :: my own room

It just occurred to me as I'm on the bus heading to Chanthaburi that I've forgotten what it's like to have my own room. I was fretting about spending 280 baht per night on a room, but now I'm thinking about it that's cheap considering I paid 250 to stay in a dorm!

I have been living in dorms for at least 8 weeks now, sure some nights I had a room to myself but the majority of my time has been spent with other people. 

Do you know why I'm excited? Well firstly, I can walk around naked! Sometimes I don't want to wear clothes but it can be difficult sharing a room with others. When I stayed in a girls dorm I wasn't afraid of getting naked to change my clothes, but I have to be more conscious when I stay in a mixed dorm. Secondly, I can dance, sing, play ukulele, meditate, lay in bed, do whatever the heck I want without the need to be considerate for anyone in the room. Sure I'll think about my neighbours but man I have felt somewhat restricted living in dorms. 

I'm really looking forward to being alone now. I think part of the reason why I have been up and down, here and there and slightly confused is because I haven't had that serious alone time with myself. Fair enough I'm travelling solo and do everything alone but it's not the same as being alone with no one to talk to. I'm looking forward to not having to speak! This may be the perfect time for me to retreat for a few days and avoid civilisation. 

I think it is so important to be comfortable with being alone but similarly it's important to be able to socialise and not lose that feeling I get when being alone. Often I'm thrown off balance and find that I lose everything I've worked for when being alone. It's very difficult to stay centred and I believe that is the issue I need to overcome in order to integrate back into a standard society. Especially when having such different views and opinions regarding the thing we all have in common, food. 

I'm so grateful that I have this opportunity to travel and grow as an individual. I appreciate having the time, energy and love to do this. May I be blessed forever more by God for my life. 

Thailand Vlog :: mango mania

Wowowowowow that's how I feel about mangoes right now. 

Last year I was so unfortunate because I couldn't enjoy the mangoes, I would eat one and have diarrhea straight away. So I don't know if that means my body has adapted (which is a bad thing) or last year I had a reaction because of other issues I was having. 

I'm not going to sit and analyse it because I'm too busy enjoying the Nam Doc Mai mangoes that are in abundance here in Bangkok. I've been getting them from 20-25 baht per kilo and I've been eating them for every meal. 

Today I wanted to do an entire day on mangoes only, but after I taught I really got the taste for a salad so I went to gourmet market and got one. 

I missed eating mangoes when I left La Palma and then when I got to Bali it took me a few weeks to acquire a taste for them because they tasted like perfume. Then in Borneo they were so expensive that I never even bothered to buy them. So now I'm in Thailand in the mango season I want to make the most of them. 

However, making the most and binging are different things. But as people stated on Facebook it's not as if I'm stuffing candy bars or McDonald's down my throat! However, I still need to work on my relationship with food. I'm the one with the power, after all it's me who picks it up and puts it in my mouth. 

So tomorrow I will start and end the day with mangoes. Bliss. 

Thailand Vlog :: volunteering

Today I took a one to one private English class with Mint, she came last night and I felt like I did a terrible job but I think that's the perfectionist in me. I believe that I'm really developing my listening skills when I teach and from remembering what Mint likes to do I was able to plan a lesson around her interests. 

So today's lesson was designed around her passion for fashion and the possibility for job applications. Yesterday she told me how much she would love to be a fashion designer, but her mum doesn't allow it so instead she works as cabin crew for a new airline. However, Thailand have received a bad report from Japan, China and a few other countries so they no longer have flights. Mint said that she would like to work for Qatar or a similar airline so I thought it would be good to practice being able to talk about her strengths and weaknesses. 

The lesson started by me showing her some pictures of women and asking her to describe their clothes and appearance. I corrected her mistakes and then I asked her to repeat the same exercise using new images. Each time there were improvements and at the end of the lesson I had her repeat it one more time. I feel confident that she understood, but I will find out tomorrow by repeating the same exercise. 

Regarding the attributes exercise I wasn't entirely confident with it because let's face it job applications are generally hard work anyway, but I guess it was useful to practice speaking in full sentences. 

I find 2 hour lessons are exhausting, especially one on one as there's no one else to break it up. However, today was good because we did something different, the first day we just talked for 2 hours! I'm thinking about taking her to the mall tomorrow so we can people watch and look in the shops so she can practice the descriptive sentences again. 

I'm also thinking that she could describe something to me, perhaps an item of clothing or an ensemble and I will draw it (but my drawing skills aren't exactly perfect Haha!). I hope I get to continue teaching her. 

All in all I'm enjoying this more than when I was at the school. I find that I am better communicating with young adults than with children. They say that life mirrors you so I need to contemplate why I don't like being around young children... Some would say it's because I am a child. Hmm.. 

Thailand Blog :: relaxing, new hostel, English club

Well hello there. Hopefully I've not lost my readers because my posting has been inconsistent. I have also abandoned my YouTube channel too.

So I left the alternative school, returned to Bangkok on the train, cancelled my second voluntary position because it was difficult to get to (and I felt like I needed a rest from being with so many children), chilled out for 1 week and now I'm in another hostel in Bangkok helping Thai students improve their English speaking skills. 

First impressions of the hostel were "I want to go back to De Talak!" 

Here's why. The building is residential, once upon a time it may have been a wealthy families 5 storey home, which then may have been developed into flats and it has since been converted into a hostel. The rooms are packed with bunk beds. There are shower curtains hung around the beds to create walls in order to keep privacy when people from other rooms come in to use the bathroom. There is an unusable kitchen that smells terribly damp, the fridge was padlocked (but I think it was cleaned out today) and the lockers are actually really old built in wardrobes and cupboards. 

I feel like I moved from a mid to high range modern hostel to an 80's shabby chic home. The bathroom actually has a bath (which looks like it's older than me) but it smells like those awful lemon toilet balls. The first bed I slept in was just terrible. The mattress is softer than any I've ever slept on (in Thailand the beds are normally rock hard so it was a shock to my body!) and it didn't fit the frame so technically I could have fallen down onto my bunk buddy as well as onto the floor. I tried to keep still and as I was conscious of this I didn't sleep well, plus the noise downstairs was very loud too. 

My second night was a bit better but I have been having to listen to music in order to get to sleep. The first night I listened to smooth jazz, very sexy saxophone music and last night I fell asleep listening to Iggy Azalea! 

Today I moved beds so I am right underneath the air conditioning unit. The previous two nights I was so hot so I made the decision to be blasted with cold air. Let's see how it turns out tonight! 

I was actually dreading the teaching part because of my inexperience but I actually really enjoyed it. The first class I did was not prepared very well. Learning from yesterday's mistakes I put some effort into planning today but I had planned for a group of 9 but in the end they were split up and I only got 3! So my tasks were completed quickly and the last 30 minutes was terrible! 

I feel confident about staying here for 2 weeks now. My initial judgements are turning around and I'm finding things quirky rather than awful. I said to myself not to make judgements and after I accepted that statement I started to see the beauty and not the negativity. 

Tomorrow I may tell you about my recent eating habits... 

Thailand Blog :: staying put

Today has been interesting. I checked out just before 11am still undecided about where to go and what to do. I had thought about visiting Ayutthaya but my heart just wasn't fully in it so I decided to join workaway and apply for numerous placements. 

As I waited for replies I had some errands to run. First I needed cash, then I cycled to Pro Bike opposite Lumphini Park (I cycled around it once) and after getting back I convinced myself I'd have one last trip to Rasayana (of which could have paid for 3 more visits to the fruit buffet...). 

I checked my emails again and had 2 responses. So far I've replied back to one that I'm interested in. It's not far from Bangkok, I'm pretty sure it's a durian growing region so I should be present for when they start coming into season and it's working in a small village that's quiet. I love quiet times where I can be alone with my thoughts. 

So I've just checked in again and I have a new room (I've been in 4 rooms now). This one has the best view, I see skyscrapers and the view at night is incredible. It reminds me of being up on the Baiyoke Sky Hotel observation deck. 

As much as I love the city, I also love the peace and quiet. I miss seeing a clear sky of stars (as in La Palma) and breathing in fresh air. I hope I can go tomorrow, but it gives me the opportunity to get to Chatuchak Market to buy an ukulele so I can play it during the evenings. Perhaps I can learn some kids songs so they can sing along during class :) 

Thailand Blog :: Rasayana

Ahh I'm sat on my top bunk bed (seriously I believe that I am too old for this at 28 I'm scared of falling and seriously damaging something on the hard tiled floor...plus if you saw my status about breaking things you'll know why I'd rather play it safe and sleep on the bottom bunk) and I am happy that I've had 2 trips to Rasayana today. 

If you've known or followed me for a while you may already know that I love Rasayana raw food restaurant in Bangkok. They prepare the best raw foods with a Thai touch that no one could replicate. I spent a lot of time going to various restaurants in Bali, but Rasayana stands out and wins my heart everytime. 

My favourite dish to date are the cabbage spring rolls. Filled with an almond nut paste and topped with an amazing sauce, the flavours tantalise my taste buds so much it feels like my mouth is dancing with pleasure! I had to eat this dish, there was no question about it. 

During my last few days in Sabah I went through the Rasayana menu and wrote down everything I wanted to try so I ended up getting the shitake sandwich and that was amazing! Impossible to eat with the fingers, I ended up eating most of the salad and then picking up parts of the bread when it was more manageable. Fantastic flavours and I love the sauces so much. 

I bought some apple energy bars whilst I was at the till and they didn't last long in my bag... I ate them on the walk to Terminal 21 shopping mall. They were soooooooooooooo tasty, I will be getting then again. 

Brunch : spring rolls, shitake sandwich and apple energy bars

Then when I returned just before 5pm I had the pasta compane, which was a creamy zucchini spaghetti with cashew cream sauce. This is another of my favourites, so delicious and after every meal I have wanted to lick the plate! 

I have never had dessert at Rasayana before so I wanted to try them. Considering how good some of the cakes were in Bali, I figured this place would exceed at cakes too and yes, it exceeded all expectations. My cheeks tingled, my tongue danced and my head was in a state of disbelief that this cake was made from 100% raw plant foods. Wow. (I'm not pedantic regarding cashews) 

I honestly believe I am Rasayana's number 1 fan... I love everything except the mosquitos. I would move to Thailand just to have this as my regular go to restaurant. 

You must visit one day, I highly recommend it to everyone. 

Check out my latest video, day 1 in Thailand at Rasayana :) 

Subliminal Saturday

Now I know I was only away for 2 months, but since I got back to the UK I seriously feel like I am being brainwashed to buy any shit from any where. I am more conscious to it.

Let me tell you something about Thailand. They do it on a BIGGER scale!

I think that because I spent a lot of time in Bangkok (more than the average tourist probably) witnessing first hand the large scale advertising, it is hard to switch off to the fact that we are all being brainwashed to buy, to consume, to want to dedicate our lives to working in a mediocre job just to buy shit that we really deep down don't need or want just because a poster says we should, or an advert on TV says it'll make us feel better.

I was too cautious to take photos or videos in Bangkok to capture this, mainly on the Skytrain (BTS) because there were signs everywhere saying no photos. Well let me tell you. As soon as you walk up the stairs you're greeted with food stands, magazine stands and clothes shops, when you reach the platform there are MASSIVE bill boards plastered with cars, food, computers. Even the barriers that stop you jumping onto the tracks have digital screens that advertise one thing or another. Then once you're on the train there are posters everywhere and the worst thing are the TV advertisements.

What is it about Asian women being airbrushed to look like Western women?

Why do already petite Asian women need to jump around in skimpy bathing suits (looking Western again) chewing weight loss pills?

WHY ARE ASIANS OBSESSED WITH WEIRD SAUSAGE "MEAT"??

Seriously, everywhere I went there were weird sausages, and you know that the "meat" content will be 0.01% and the rest is something unspeakable.

What disheartened me about Bangkok so much was the need to consume. Huge malls everywhere, shops, stands, everything is about spending money. I got so disheartened by it that I fell out of love with Bangkok, we had a very quick love affair and the only reason I returned was for food - but even then I was part of what made me dislike it!

I never want to fall back into a "normal" life. I don't want to get a 9-5 job just to stay alive. I don't want to own a home and I also don't want to be spending money on a car. From now on it is just me and my bike and whatever public transport I decide to use (mainly a plane out of here again - eventually!), but I want to pledge that no matter how magical things appear I will do my best to avoid being sucked back into the consumerists lifestyle.

If you are struggling to quit consumerism then ask yourself this question

Who is benefiting?

I hope that one day soon everyone wakes up and really sees this matrix we are living in.

Jennifer x

Airline review - going to Thailand

Norwegian air review

When I got to the airport I went to check in and found that it is all done by machine, so I had to scan my document and choose my seats. This was great because I got to select a seat on my own row with a window! Bonus point 1. Also, no one checked my hand luggage either, it wasn't weighed (10kg allowance) nor were the dimensions checked.

After check in I received a text message from Norwegian air asking people to volunteer to change flights for 200€ compensation due to a technical issue. It wasn't the greatest thing to ask someone getting a connecting flight, but I just ignored it. 

When I got to the gate I overheard someone mention that a lot of people were being put on standby, so they either overbooked the flight or had to down size the plane due to this technical issue they mentioned. The plane left on time despite this.

The flight arrived on time in Stockholm and I had to make my way though security again, which was not ideal for my water situation. I ended spending £10 on about 3 litres of water.

Unfortunately the flight to Bangkok was delayed by 1.5 hours, which isn't really too bad considering I've waited 4 hours many times flying to/from Turkey. The bonus for this is that when I boarded the flight I still had 3 seats to myself! On a 10 hour flight that was the best thing that could have happened. 

I got to fly on one of the new dreamliners and I absolutely recommend getting on one of these planes.

The great features of these planes are:

☆ big windows with dimming facilities

☆ TV, films and music in the back of the seat in front. Easy to operate and good to watch the planes location as you're flying.

☆ toilet facilities were good

☆ mood lighting to allow for a relaxing sleep

☆ I didn't get jet lag at all, this is supposed to be down to the improved air system

I personally don't have any negatives towards the plane or the service provided by Norwegian air. I wouldn't hesitate to fly with them again despite them having some negative reviews.

Overall I paid just shy of £200 for a one way ticket from London Gatwick to Bangkok via Stockholm. I took my own food and didn't check in a bag. I got a bargain!

I definitely recommend catching a flight with this company, but it has to be on a dreamliner!

Jennifer x