ALRIGHT FOLKS I'M POSTING PHOTOS HERE IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO
Gird your loins for some photo-heavy* posts.
*heavier than usual
I flew to Thailand on August 19th, half as a treat for myself for finishing my work contract (!!!) and half to audition for Hong Kong Disneyland. Why Hong Kong Disneyland had no auditions in Hong Kong itself at that time, I will never know.
Hong Kong Airport - Leaving
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| I love love love LOVE the area around the Hong Kong airport |
I got in to Thailand pretty late, so I quickly caught a cab to the hostel and checked in. I think the proprietor was surprised I wasn't Chinese, because we had communicated in Mandarin via WeChat before I got there. I was on the third floor, and there was no elevator, so I really had to WORK to drag my suitcase to my room.
Thailand - Day 1 - Audition Day!
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| My lunch before the audition - the spiciest and best friend chicken I've ever had! |
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| Lots of feral cats :') |
The audition took place in a studio on the waterfront of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, so I got to relax and appreciate the view beforehand. The audition itself was PACKED with people, and I bonded with one of the only other girls there who was dressed like a trained ballerina (bun, leotard, tights, etc.) She was a senior in high school (or maybe a college freshman?) who had lived in America for a while, so she was comfortable enough to chat with me in English.
After a warm-up, the main body of the audition was a combo to the Spider-Man theme song. We started learning the choreography to counts, so when the music came on, I almost had a fit laughing. Over all, it was a great time!
However, ultimately, I was cut and had to leave. :( My new friend lasted through the first round, though! I don't know if she made it all the way, but I hope she did.
So after that, I stayed on the boardwalk for a little longer and ate my feelings.
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| Mango sticky rice will soothe any ailment of the heart. |
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| Shaved ice over rice over mango <3 |
Day 2
Freed from any constraints, I set out to EXPLORE.
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| This is the area behind my hostel: a path along a narrow canal. |
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| Another feline friend :') |
I hiked over to the Jim Thompson House, a museum made from the private residence and art collection of the man himself. He was a US spy during WWII, a silk trader, art collector, and when he was 61, he VANISHED in the northern mountains of Malaysia. So like, pretty neat dude.
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| Path into the garden |
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| Me with my hair carefully slicked back to hide how UNSPEAKABLY HUMID it was |
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| Some of the displays in the garden houses that are free to access! |
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| Hard to see from this picture, but the "vase" is really a sculpture of dried flowers |
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| A really cool Thai tapestry |
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| We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the sections of the house that required passes to enter, so have this shot of the back as we were exiting. |
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| We took our shoes off to go inside... |
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| ...and I was DELIGHTED. |
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| the one (1) good thing about tropical climates is flowers bloom year-round |
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| close-up of some garlands hung on an altar |
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| The altar |
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| From the backyard looking up at the house |
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| KOI POND KOI POND KOI POND |
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| A lily-basin |
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| The front courtyard -- employees would come out and demonstrate historical silk industries every so often |
After that fun adventure (including a visit to the art exhibition space above the museum gift shop), I headed out into the wider city.
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| Love me some good metro lines. |
I followed signs for a Chinese historical association, but I just ended up getting HIDEOUSLY LOST in a residential neighborhood, so.
Took some photos of that.
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| This is definitely someone's garden but it was the heat of the day and no one saw me photograph it. |
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| Also the gate looks cool. |
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| a BEAUTIFUL altar - stay tuned for next week when I post my adventures in the full-sized temples |
After that misadventure, I went back to the hostel and rested until the sun-stroke faded. There was still something left to explore--the night markets!
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| I thought I was really slick photographing the sign at the bus stop near my hostel so I could find my way back, but it turns out that the sign.....just says "bus stop." |
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| Coconut ice cream inside a coconut!!! |
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| Transferring bus lines on empty streets is very peaceful and a little magical. |
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| This was at the second night market I tried that night, which was on the water and had more of a general night-life vibe! |
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| Chao Phraya skyline~ |
After that it was very late, I took the wrong bus and had to walk pretty far back to the hostel, and so I was exhausted when I collapsed into bed.
I didn't buy much from the nightmarkets because most things were too obviously touristy, and I was on a mission to find a pair of distressed black jeans for a dance costume I needed lol.
More next week!
