17
Location: Bangkok
Today we went back to the playground at the Phet Siam Children’s Center where we were split up into two teams. The first team painted the floor in green, and the other group was mixing dirt and planting flowerbeds. There were huge white creepy crawly grubs in the dirt we were mixing. After a few hours of labor, we took a break, and a traditional Thai dessert truck came by the school to serve us shaved ice with fruit and syrup. It was delicious. Another cart came by, and we got iced drinks as well! Then we brainstormed what designs and games we would paint on the floor. We drew a huge snake game and a space-themed hopscotch game.
We had another phenomenal lunch with a huge fruit bouquet (it was maybe the best food we’ve enjoyed all trip)! We then went back to our painting project. While some of us worked on finishing up the snake and the space games the last group painted a huge sea turtle, Owen drew an awesome SpongeBob, but unfortunately, we did not have time to paint it. The wonderful people at the Children’s Center gave us cold fresh coconuts after we finished up our painting projects, and then they surprised us with a Thai farewell ceremony. Afterward, they offered us a flower necklace and blessing bracelets, which they tied around our wrists to send us off and to show they care about us. We danced around and played lots of different homemade instruments. It was a spectacular procession that was full of joy, and we were truly touched by their kindness and compassion. They escorted us to our bus all the while still playing music. They gave us another parting gift of special water, and then we bid them adieu.
We returned to the hotel to take a quick shower before going to the Dalat Rot Fai Market. We took the sky train and then a taxi to get there. Once we arrived we divided into buddy groups to explore the market and buy dinner. The market was buzzing with people. We found bracelets, textiles, and amazing Nutella crepes!