This week started out with chasing a gecko out of my apartment. My windows are glass blinds so I’ve grown used to ants, bugs, and flies being in my apartment. The gecko though, that surprised me when I saw him climb through my bathroom window/glass blinds. And let me tell you, it’s not the easiest thing to direct a gecko down the stairs by stomping and making loud noises. And no way was I going to touch that thing!
On Wednesday, I treated myself to an eyebrow wax and an oil massage at Nuad Thai House. I was pretty nervous for the wax because I had no idea what their standards were. I’m pleased to announce that it may have been the best eyebrow wax I’ve ever had. In speaking to the waxer, I found out an oil massage is essentially what a Swedish massage is back in America. It didn’t take much for her to talk me into getting one. Two key differences between an oil massage here and one back home: the masseuse climbed onto the table for the majority of the massage (and fell off once) and she massaged my stomach. That was…. odd.
I believe I have found the secret to why Asians are all so skinny. Their medium Dairy Queen blizzard was the same size as our mini blizzard. Their small pizza at Pizza Hut was smaller than a personal pan. I mean, the whole thing fit in my hand. It also came with ketchup which I wasn’t expecting. I love ketchup, but on pizza?! They gave out more ketchup packets with my pizza than I got with my McDonalds order. Can you tell I’m starting to crave American food….?
Outside of the small portions for Western food, the local Thai food is SO HEALTHY. Rice, eggs, veggies, and a type of meat is the norm. Cucumbers are served with almost every meal. There is an endless supply of bean sprouts and occasionally lettuce to add to your meal. Their soup consists of just broth and maybe one slice of a potato. Everything is made fresh right in front of you. Fresh cut fruit is easily available on the side of the streets.
Thursday after nannying, I went to the fitness center to work on gaining back strength in my knee/leg. I hopped on the treadmill and planned to run one mile as I had only gotten up to half a mile before I left Denver. Just six and a half short minutes later, my mile was complete. Wow, that was a really fast mile and I’m feeling great! I’m in way better shape than I anticipated! I headed home with a pep in my step and then it hit me…. Thailand uses the metric system. In other words, I only ran 1 KILOMETER which is the equivalent of .62 miles. Absolute. Fail.
I rang in the New Year alongside a solo female traveler from South Africa who I met earlier that morning, a couple hundred other expats, and a few local Thais at Zoe in Yellow. Zoe in Yellow encompasses about a 50 x 50 yards corner of a street block. There are about 15 different bars around the outside. In the middle, the street is closed to cars and it’s a massive dance party. So you order your drink from whatever bar you’re closest to and then dance your face off in this massive crowd. So. Much. Fun! Zoe in Yellow is pretty popular with backpackers and expats so I plan to go there a couple more times before we head south to Bali.