By Matt
Shelly and I kinda enjoyed spending our Christmas in Bangkok and in our hometown of Phanom. Granted, we didn't enjoy the fact that we were away from friends and family, but we made the most of it!
Christmas in BKK
We decided to go all out for Christmas (on ourselves) and used some of my few remaining Starwood points to score a room at the Sheraton directly in front of the Chao Phraya River. Our room had a great view of west Bangkok and the river, which was an added bonus when the unannounced fireworks went off on Christmas Eve. We spent the weekend shopping in one of Bangkok's newest malls (Bangkok getting a new mall occurs pretty frequently when there are 12-14 million potential shoppers), going to Catholic mass at Bangkok's cathedral, and lounging pool side in the 85 degree sun.
Being in a warm climate for Christmas didn't phase me much being from Phoenix, but Shelly mentioned Christmas shouldn't involve palm trees or drinking from a glass that has a tiny umbrella in it. We also splurged on a very, very good Spanish tapas dinner on Christmas Eve. It might not have been traditional, but we both were in the mood for something we can't get very often and eating olives, prosciutto, goat cheese, and Spanish omelettes fit quite nicely! Here are some of the pictures from the weekend for your enjoyment:
Views of Bangkok from the hotel:
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| All those shopping malls are in there somewhere... |
Christmas Eve Dinner at Spanish on 4 in Bangkok (Matt giving the horns for Christmas '11 with the gazpacho and vodka shot, and our spread at dinner)
Our Christmas Tree and Presents back in Phanom!
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| A pretty nice collection of gifts for ourselves...Shelly and I both put framed pictures and saved them for the last gift to each other. Aww. |
Christmas Celebration at Phanom Adun High School:
Despite the fact that no one is Christian or has a real grasp on the meaning of Christmas in our town, the school puts on an annual Christmas celebration for the students, and we think, for the foreign teachers to make us feel like we're back at home. In addition to the typical Christmas carols (the foreign teachers performed Jingle Bell Rock and Santa Clause is Coming to Town in front of the student body) and gift giving, our Thai version of Christmas also included an appearance by a Thai Santa Clause, Christmas Clowns, and pink balloons that incited a near riot among the boys in the first few rows of the assembly. I worry that it's hard to explain some of our experiences here so they can be fully appreciated for just how ridiculous, but hilarious, they all are.
The Foreign Teachers unsure of what is about to happen:
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| Christmas wouldn't be complete without palm trees, the school dog, our a small Buddhist shrine |
Gift Raffle with Teacher Clay and Thai Santa with his Santarinis:
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| Inciting the riot with pink balloons... |
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| Try to spot the only girl attempting to get one of these sought after balloons.. |
For more on how we spent the holidays, check out the "Ringing in the Year 2555" blog!
God, your blogs make me laugh so much. What an amazing experience you guys are having. It's making me want to quit my job...
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