เมือง - The Town

So we have been going to town a lot lately. Tang has provided us with bikes, and even though one is broken and we have to have two people riding on one we have been utilizing them everyday. Phichit is only about 10 minutes away and even though it is small it is bigger than I expected. But everyone knows who we are and everyone waves and says hello. And they really say "Hello" in English which is exciting! There is one man who we always see walking next to the roundabout. He lives under an archway around there. We haven't decided on what to call him, but he is so sweet! He always has such a huge smile on his face and waves at each of us (as in raises his hand and the lowers it individually at each one of us). He walks with a limp and is extremely impoverished but has one of the most humble and genuine demeanors of anyone I have ever met. This man in not supposed to function as an introduction to today's post but a symbol of the beautiful people we have the pleasure to meet every day here in Phichit, Thailand.

Us on our bikes in a park.

First, the drive to town.

A woman sorting through trash to sell.

These are only two of the many common scenes that we see as we ride our bikes to town. The people just look, smile and wave and by this I am reminded of how lucky we are to have AC, even if it is only at night. These people live this life every day not only in the day time, and not only for four months. I thought I had seen poverty until I came here. It is so different when it is right next to you instead of  on a TV screen. Tang was not exaggerating when she told us that we will be like celebrities here and that it is so safe and the people are incredibly nice. 

Second, town park.

So Phichit is well-known for a Thai legend that includes an Alligator creature that becomes human when he is underwater and lives in a large underwater city. This alligator man one day kidnapped a millionaire's two daughters to be his wives and the millionaire offered a reward for the rescue of his daughters and the reward was one of his daughter's hand in marriage. One man saved the daughters and married one, and they lived happily ever after. This story is the source of alligators being the theme of Phichit. They are everywhere around the town and right when you enter town there is a park that seems to be dedicated to alligators. Here are some shots.

This is what we call "the crocodile pit." This is right out of town with a pier that goes onto the little lake seen in the pictures above. There is an over-water walkway that you can walk on (with a high fence, don't worry mom) and before you get on that you can buy some raw meat to throw at the alligators. They were a little scary, but hardly ever moved while we were there. 

Third, Tesco. 

Tesco is the local grocery store. It reminds me of a very small Wal Mart: has a little of everything. We get about everything we need there, and a lot of the supplies around the school is branded with the "Tesco" label. We were pretty entertained by this shirt, and I'm sure it is only one grammatical error of many that we'll see in Asia but this is what we found:

Fourth, shops around town.

This is our favorite place. It is a drink shop and we have gone there almost every day 

since we have been here. They have everything from coffee to milk shakes, and everything 

we have tried has been SO good!! The owner speaks English and is very nice! 

The drinks are one dollar or less and pretty big. 

Fifth, the market.

Today was our first day going to the market. It was an experience to say the least. They had everything from shoes, to raw meat and fish. The people who ran each stand were there all day long. Each stand had a TV, radio, or something to keep them entertained. They were all very interested in us as well. They would make sure that we knew they were ready for any prices if we were to ask. It was incredible to realize that that market was their daily life and some of us couldn't even take the smell for a few minutes. It truly was another testament to the simple but happy lives of these people. I absolutely loved it. 

More pictures of the town of Phichit to come. This was simply a mere introduction but I hope that it added to the picture you have in your mind; the picture we are privileged to live for four months.