Day 15 - August 19, 2018
"We're halfway there
How you ever gonna reach the stars
If you never get off the ground."
Big Time Rush
Time flies so fast and I couldn't believe it's already fifteen days since we went here in Thailand. I felt both satisfaction and fear. Satisfaction because of what we’ve accomplished and fear that everything we were doing will eventually become mere memories. But I kept in mind that life goes on and as we go halfway through, we’ll meet new challenges and we’ll make new experiences toward the end, then even after that.
One Day Trip!
We woke up extra early to prepare for the One Day Trip for us. By 8:30 in the morning, we went to the President’s Building to meet with our Thai Buddies. We were so many that’s why the university divided us into two separate vans but riding one after the other. We went to different places and I enjoyed each place we visited.
Here are the things we did and places we visited:
1. Khiri Wong – Based on its name, Khiri Wong means “surrounding mountains” because it is a place walled by mountains. Khiri Wong is one of the best places to visit when you’re in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
2. Tie Dye Making – Tie Dye materials are one of the products in Nakhon Si Thammarat especifically in Baan, Khiri Wong where their dyes were naturally made from fruit and leaf extracts or from the pericarps of plants. For us, we made a handkerchief from the yellow jackfruit dye. In making Tie Dye materials, as the name suggests, we had to tie the cloth with the help of rubber bands and wooden sticks (or any similar object we wanted to use for our designs). It can be done randomly or with a pattern, then we dipped it in a boiling dye in a huge pot. We waited for a while before getting our handkerchiefs and untying the bands. The final appearance often becomes a surprise.
3. Lunch by the falls – By noon, we ate lunch by a river then bought some souvenirs in the nearby shops. I also bought a cotton candy that they call “saimai”.
4. Roipee Market (100 Years Market) and Khanom la making– We were told to ride a ferry going to the market, that’s why we were surprised and got excited. Upon buying the ticket, we were even more surprised when they told us that the ticket is only 1 Baht per person. Little did we know that the ride is less than five minutes and the ferry just crossed the river to the other side. We laughed when they told us we already had to go. We also went to a small factory where they make Khanom la which are very tasty especially when fresh.
5. The Royal Project Dam – Our second to the last stop was the royal project of King Rama IX. It was so big and wide that it almost looked like a bay or lake.
6. Floating Market – Lastly, our last place to visit was the floating market but not really floating. It’s more like at the edge of the road beside a body of water that made it seem to float. We bought dinner there and more souvenirs like handmade bags and wallets for our classmates and family.
Tired but happy!
Back in the dorm we looked back about what happened throughout the day as we ate dinner and fixed the stuff we bought. One thing is for sure, we were all tired but very happy. This was just halfway, we couldn’t wait what more was waiting for us for the rest of the stay.