Surin, Thailand: Extras

Are you on Thailand overload yet?

I think I may be- especially with the number of breakout posts! Since the previous entries didn’t mention everything about my trip, I wanted to take the time to share some of the extras that made my experience that much more different than any other travel adventure.

1: No waste! I noticed that Thai people can find ways to use almost everything and anything. Take this for example – they use elephant poop to make paper! Sure, doesn’t seem too strange, but definitely not something we do in America. Most of the time, Americans are too lazy to pick up their animal’s poop, let alone re-purpose it! In the village, they have a building specifically to make poop paper. POOP PAPER! A significant amount of chemicals are used in the making of this product, but it’s still made out of poop!

Here are the steps to make POOP paper, in case you ever decide to try to make it 😀

I had to applaud these people who using their resources to make money – that didn’t exploit elephants. This was such a cool concept. They made journals, picture frames, cards, and other supplies. I ended up getting two cards from them; one specifically saying “Elephant Poop Paper” that I shared with my family upon my return. Plus, I can say I helped in the production of poop paper!

2: THAI FOOOOOOD: Thai food alone might have been my favorite, even before I went to Thailand. But goodness! Nom, nom, nom! Yum! My mouth is watering just thinking about all the good food we had in Thailand. I am sure this short blurb about Thai food won’t do it justice, but I figured I would mention it anyway.

Once we got to the project, all of our meals were covered. We didn’t have to think about where or when to get food. As I said before, breakfast was at 7am, lunch around 12pm, and dinner at 6pm. We always ate breakfast and dinner at HQ, and lunch was always at Nana’s wife’s restaurant – keeping it in the family and local. (Nana was our driver to and from the project to the bus stop – pretty sure he was the only one who knew how to drive on the highway in a regular car.) This is Nana! Please note his driving is technically on U.S. right side, but totally on the wrong Thai side of the road. Ha!

For breakfast, they kept it very “American” – eggs, toast with jams, and banana pancakes. They even made things gluten-free (for me) and vegan for T & L. We also usually had some type of fresh fruit, like pineapple or watermelon. For lunch, we got to choose from the menu at the restaurant. Every day I tried something new, but my ultimate favorite was the basil chicken – yum yum yum. Oh and how can I forget the papaya salad. OMG- that salad was the best thing I had ever tasted. Then for dinner, it was a mix of random Thai food. Curries. Pork with vegetables. Tofu for the vegans. Papaya salad. And always white rice! I became obsessed with yellow curry and papaya salad…to the point, I asked one of the nurses at the hospital to make me some when I came back 🙂 DELISH!

One night we bought dinner for our host family. We ended up doing a Thai BBQ style dinner, sitting on the front porch with the family. Great intimate setting and interaction with the family. I am happy JM was creative in the moment to think of this when we were still there. Thai BBQ is cooking meats, fish, and vegetables over charcoal fire in a pan – similar to Korean BBQ. Except inside a concrete pot. Because we were really into learning and getting to know the family, we don’t have too many pictures from that – there is one interspersed here, though.

And don’t forget my doughnuts that I mentioned in my Bangkok post – they were also in Surin! And I took every opportunity to get them whenever the driver came around. One day I bought a whole bunch to share with the mahouts – amazing, delicious little bites of goodness!

3. Thai Tea: I had never had Thai tea before going to Thailand. JM was very familiar with it, though, so he encouraged to try it while we were there. Since we usually had time to kill after lunch, the group would usually stop by the”Thai Tea Lady” on the way back to HQ. First day, I tried it “original”, which was loaded with carnation milk, other dairy stuff, and tons and tons of sugar. Since it was too sweet and I don’t handle milk well, I changed it up after that first day. I then asked the lady to make it without all the dairy fixings … and let me tell you – AMAZING! Even JM, who loves Thai tea, said it was great! Guess I will need to find a good spot in Virginia that makes some good Thai tea, since I am carving it right now 🙂

4. Surin Villagers: Somewhere along the line, I stated that Thai people are up at the ass-crack of dawn and pretty much settled in shortly after dinner and dark. I wasn’t lying about this. I noticed that families were up and at ’em very close to sunrise – sweeping (dirt), doing chores. They were anywhere, but inside the house. Even the kids were up…and they weren’t in front of the TV. Thai people seemed to take their lives, chores and business very seriously. Unlike Bangkok, where the hustle game is too much, the villagers in Surin were patient, friendly and really rely on each other. They seem to have a “network” that works for them – even if I didn’t understand it. They have businesses that work for them – Thai tea, for example, or running a restaurant or being a mahout. They make things happen in a small village like Surin.

One thing that I really appreciated was how kind everyone was. The people really look out for others. I don’t think I met or came in contact with one mean Thai villagers when we were on the project. Sadly, most of them have been pushed out of the village due to the government building a big elephant “park”. So, not only did so many people lose their houses (now living in storage unit like homes), but there will soon be a center of elephant exploitation. Despite that, the people were great to interact with – whether it was asking for a picture or doing business with them. There were a couple of villagers that will remain with me forever.

First, JM and I had the honor of meeting a man who made knives and machetes, for basically whoever wanted/needed them. Well, both JM and I walked away with some pure TALENT, in the form of knives. The welder was kind, patient and veryyy hard working, since we had a request for four knives to be made in 3 days! He did a phenomenal job, and the knives will make great Christmas gifts.

Second, there was a woman, who had a business across the street from the Thai tea lady. I couldn’t tell you what her name was, but R knew her from past years. She was such a bundle of personality. She had a smile that was instantly contagious. She kept telling me I was pretty and had “beautiful skin”. One day, she even offered me a ride back to the village on her scooter. I can’t explain how kind she was. Writing about her brings a smile to my face. I told her I would see her again – and I plan to hold true to that someday!

I just have to say that I am truly thankful for the experience to travel to Thailand and interact with Thai people and the elephants. It was an experience like no other – and I will always hold my first “true” international trip close to my heart. It drives me to find other volunteer programs, trips and experiences to learn more about other cultures outside of America.

If you have questions about my trip, please leave a comment below! I would love to answer and/or provide any insight.

Kap koon ka (Thank you!)