Getting Into The Groove of Things

I know that you all share my excitement with my new wheels but I thought I'd show you the real reason that I liked the bike aside the fact that it is speedy yellow. Check out the lock system below. Pretty cool huh? 

Ready to roll.

All locked up.

So, this morning at 6:45 am I was ready to leave to find that I had a flat tire on my bike....the valves here are something that I have never seen before but Vince had his fixed by the "old bike man" in the shop down the street so I will be heading there in a few minutes. Fortunately, this is Bangkok (okay, suburbs) and taxis are plentiful so 2 minutes later I was flying down the road on the back of a scooter taxi hitting speed bumps like a pro. 

We have three hills (bumps) on the way to school.....just to give you an idea of the terrain. 

They go over waterways (klong), one of which looks like this and the other two look more like marshes. If you look closely on both sides  you can see a "walkway" along the canal which we have been told that people bike along. Well, the one on the right is missing a huge chunk but there are sections that go on for a long time. Uh....no...not for me.

I decided to walk home after work today to see how long it took-maximum 35 minutes along civilized roads like this.

I got the key to my classroom today so took a quick picture before they came in and set it up. It is one side of a square with an open quad in the middle and the chairs that you can see is one of the cafeterias. I have to say it is pretty neat to have a lot of open area and the air conditioning when you really want it. The quad is 6-7 stories high which is a little dizzying from the top. I am excited about teaching both math and science which to me is the best of both worlds. 

 I am at a course at the International School of Bangkok all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as part of the requirements by the Thai ministry for international teachers. Apparently, it is a bit long but it will be over with. The initiation has really been great and we are all glad that we came early to get things settled and explore the area a bit.

Vince went on a trip with a couple of other "trailing spouses" today to IKEA for some office furniture so he should be set up in a couple of days. There are many women who are teaching and their husbands are either staying at home with kids, doing substitute teaching or looking for other opportunities. Vince is the only who has a different job but they really make for a nice group to hang around with and we all seem to meet up in the market or what has become our local hangout for dinner. 

It's 6:45 am,  Bridget and a colleague, Colby are off to school for their first orientation day. It does appear that the picture was taken circa 1957 in Holland, but really it is just a normal day in Thailand as the rain came early this morning. A colleague suggested Bridget buy boots since there will be times her foot will be in water at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Guess these are some of the experiences to look forward too.

Freedom Found on 2 Wheels

We moved into our new place today which feels amazing since we are now closer to the school and we were looking forward to getting to know the neighbourhood.

This is our street which is a dead end around the corner at the end. We are the grey fence on the right.

The streets are organized by number but not the way they do in New York...or any other city. We live off 174 soi (street)  Ramkhamhaeng in a complex called The Villa which is a mix of expats and Thais which we really like. We are also a 15 min walk to soi 164 which has all the local shops you need, including a bike shop which was our second priority today. Imagine that 164 and 174 are 10 streets apart and parallel....it's kind of like that with chunks of the grid missing. Soi 166 has all the food stalls and vendors and is also a great place to go.

Soi 164

We settled in (5 min) and walked down to Soi 164 (we know the backroads now) to buy bikes at where else...Perfect Bikes. Yes, that is what it is really called and he has a mix of new and secondhand bikes and has great service from when we heard and experienced.

Perfect Bikes Store

Perfectly patient and waiting for Pad the owner to fix his bike with a much longer handlebar stem and seat post. Apparently, he is a little taller than most Thais. The first one I tried, I took down the road and up a side street where I collected 4 dogs who nipped at my ankles all the way back to the main road. I felt like the Pied Piper. I don't know what Vince did, but the next time I went down that way, they ignored me. 

Of course, life revolves around eating and when everything is written in Thai you basically point to something that someone else has ordered (no pictures at this one) and hope that they understand your broken Thai for "not too spicy". Since this is a local place I took a picture and I can show it next time i want it.....until I learn the name. The bag is rice. eating with a spoon and fork is becoming second nature to us.

My new wheels!! It was the same price as a new cruiser bike with smaller wheels and I wanted the bigger ones for stability. It has a built in lock for the rear wheel which  both impressed and intrigued with me. He told me that it is a Japanese bike and they are great at the little detailed things. When I asked why it was the same price as the new one he laughed and said "made in Taiwan".  It is an 8 min ride to school and aside from a few manhole covers that could swallow a bike whole, it is a safe ride through Perfect Place.

Vince's new wheels. Check out the length of the seat and handlebar posts. 

We had a great night ride tonight over to a teacher's house who had collect "stuff" from leaving teachers and wanted to get rid of it. We got a laundry basket and a couple of pots which was helpful.....and not easy to balance on the bike. There were 6 of us, with all the bike lights etc we could muster doing a balancing act the whole way home. Good fun and great to have some for of transportation. The scooter will be next...not for in the but for heading out into the country....or whatever lies beyond soi 184 since we have not been further.

Chatuchak Market: One of the world's largest markets with over 15 000 stalls

A group of us decided to go on an excursion to the Chatuchak market today (Saturday) since it was labelled as "one of the 25 things to do in Thailand". We added to the adventure by taking a river boat in to town and then the new, modern Skytrain up to the market area. This is not water you ever want to fall into but a pretty cool way to travel. It took 45 min by boat and I just spoke to someone who took a taxi the same distance for 1.5 hours....so not a bad decision. 

Diversity in the architecture.

The Skytrain rails are on the left and this is the beginning of the market. I am not sure how we missed getting a picture of it but, as any one who has seen it knows, it goes on forever. 

 The gang on the road trip....a really great bunch!

They didn't make it into the first picture so posed for a second.

Taking a break before heading back. I am sometimes not quite sure what we are drinking. But I do know that we are always damp and it is not even the hottest yet! They say that we adjust so I believe it is true.

Tour On The Back of a Golf Car - people use the for cars.

We took a quick tour of the area on the back of a golf cart with one of the teachers today. Another couple had rented a place near us and she wanted to show us the road connections between the school, Perfect Place (yup, that's the name of the nearest and biggest expat community), The Villa (where we live) and the markets. The school takes up 28 acres and when driving around in vans it is easy to get confused...although Vince seems to keep it all straight.

On the back of the cart.

View of a part of my commute. Check out the cement roads....apparently, it gets too hot for asphalt.

......and more commute.

One of the many entrances to Perfect Place which reminds me a lot of the Stepford Wives. Check out the Happy man and the sign.

Entrance to The Villa.We are located behind the first row of townhouses.

The centre of perfect Place is a lake complete with monitor lizards, which apparently can be seen on the streets sometimes and come in many sizes...large and larger. The lake is seen in the background but the park goes around the lake. Although we are not living in Perfect Place, The Villa is like it's little sister...not as many expats and we have access to the same facilities. This is a hub of activity in the evenings.

 We will be joining the Health Club at the end of the lake for social, exercise and a pool. Swanky!

Health Club from a distance across the lake.

As Bridget mentioned, we secured our housing on the second day here... with huge relief. I learned today that the Internet is already connected so that is a bonus. We listed a few updates to do in the house so the owner will fix by the weekend, so with any luck we can move in on Monday.

We went back to the school today to set up a bank account and get Bridget's schedule and classroom sorted out, which turned out not to be so simple as it is still in limbo for what she is actually teaching-math or math/science. However, I met the college counselor today and after a brief conversation, we have our foursome set for the weekly golf round, so a good day after all!! We explored the area around our house and the school by foot, scooter and taxi to get better acquainted with the shops and food vendors. Gotta get me one of those scooters... which is on the to-do list for Friday: scooters, bike shop, and IKEA.

Oh, by the way, the food here has been excellent...never knew there are so many ways to hide rice!

We have a place to call home.

We are eighteen new teachers all competing for the same houses for rent and they vary considerably in every way. It feels like a bit of a race and you want to be first out of the gate. We are lucky and got a great little townhouse which is partly furnished, clean, on a dead-end street and walking/cycling distance to school. It is in an expat community and near some great little local markets. It is technically a 3-br but the last bedroom is a walk-in closet which is great because there are none in the house. If you want to check it out inside see the listing. Yup, the yellow room (area) is the kitchen. Things are a little different here:) It's pretty small but has a big TV and a really nice exercise bike which they are more than happy to leave with us.
We had a tour of the school today and I am sure that I will get lost at some point since it's really big; their facilities are fabulous and the great news is that Vince can also use the gym, pool, squash courts etc.

Home away form home

We are in Thailand!

 A nice surprise at the airport to find that my golf bag is free transport... so we only had one extra bag!! We arrived safely Tuesday July 23 without incident. After a nice walk to The Mall where we can get anything!!, and a little nap, we are sitting in the cool hotel lounge watching the downpour, sipping our latte... it could be worse.

Saen Saep Canal

Saen Saep Canal with the huge mall on the left. Not a place you want to swim but apparently a good way to travel.

Departure time

Waiting at Tim Horton's in Sherbrooke for the shuttle. 7 bags + golf clubs. I just noticed that we match our bags.

Our Last Night in Canada

Our next evening will be in Thailand.