September 18 Emily, Josie and I were lucky enough to get to go back to Dr. Absorn's sister's house in Ratchaburi. It seemed so perfect that our first weekend at Satit Bagna was spent there and now so was our last. We hopped in the wan nice and early and were brought to a bus which took us to the Sai Tai Mai bus station which then put us on another bus to Ratchaburi--never a dull trip in Thailand! We were greeted by the ever smiling P. Jao (Dr. A's brother-in-law's sister who also lives at the house) who brought us to a local restaurant for lunch. As the feast was brought out to us we all smiled at each other remembering how much we got fed last time we were there. 4 deep (the 3 of us and Oil) in the backseat we made our way to the house which, upon arrival, seemed so familiar and home-like. 
We were greeted by the most genuine toothless smile you could imagine as P. Jop's (Dr. A's brother-in-law) mother recognized us instantly. Last time we were in Ratchaburi we were basically unable to communicate verbally with her as our Thai was zilch; not this time though! Even though we had just eaten we were presented with endless snacks which we nibbled on in the gazebo that P. Jop so proudly built by the family pond. We laid out some pillows and blankets and the four of us spent the afternoon chatting, snoozing and reminiscing about everything that had happened over the past year. Aft
er many bouts of laughter we were greeted by P. Jop who corraled us into his pick up truck (I got the honorary front seat) and we made our way to our favorite market in Thailand: Ampawa Floating Market. First, though, we stopped at a couple small factories where they make hand-painted Chinese ceramics. We couldn't believe house detailed and precise it was as we stared at the artists in awe. Instead of being overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds like last time, we dove right into bargaining and sampling and joking with the vendors at the market. I think we all walked away with some souveniers and even 
more food in our stomachs; don't worry though, we were fed once again upon our return to the house :) I can't describe how gracious and welcoming these hosts are and how quickly they adopted us foreign strangers as part of the family. Wanting us to have an 'authentic' Thai experience, Emily, Josie and I were booked into a homestay nearby. We weren't really sure what was more authentic than the experience we were given by staying at their house, but we smiled and went along with it. It turned out to be a standard Thai production which made it worth every second. So, we arri
ved to this homestay which actually turned out to be more of a motel and were told to wait outside while the family went in to inspect the room. We weren't really sure what was going on but there was a lot of discussing and a lot of pounding going on inside. After about 20 minutes of this, with numerous workers going in and out of the room we were asked to come in. It turned out the pounding was P. Jop making sure the a/c worked as well as making sure the missing ceiling tile exposing the tin roof above wouldn't pose a potential threat for a burglar could climb through in the middle of the night. At this point there were 11 people in the room and the 3 of us were in hysterics over the whole situation. It was just like having parents there and from that moment on I started calling P. Jop, 'Pa'--which he thinks is hilarious! No traditional night would be complete without us finding the only English-speaking channel on the tv and having it be some large African American lady ranting and raving as her friends sat around a table shouting 'Amen' and 'I feel ya sista!' Oh wait, I mean it wouldn't be complete without screams erupting from the bathroom as the girls discovered the giant spider on the wall. Now we could sleep soundly.
We were greeted by the most genuine toothless smile you could imagine as P. Jop's (Dr. A's brother-in-law) mother recognized us instantly. Last time we were in Ratchaburi we were basically unable to communicate verbally with her as our Thai was zilch; not this time though! Even though we had just eaten we were presented with endless snacks which we nibbled on in the gazebo that P. Jop so proudly built by the family pond. We laid out some pillows and blankets and the four of us spent the afternoon chatting, snoozing and reminiscing about everything that had happened over the past year. Aft
er many bouts of laughter we were greeted by P. Jop who corraled us into his pick up truck (I got the honorary front seat) and we made our way to our favorite market in Thailand: Ampawa Floating Market. First, though, we stopped at a couple small factories where they make hand-painted Chinese ceramics. We couldn't believe house detailed and precise it was as we stared at the artists in awe. Instead of being overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds like last time, we dove right into bargaining and sampling and joking with the vendors at the market. I think we all walked away with some souveniers and even 
more food in our stomachs; don't worry though, we were fed once again upon our return to the house :) I can't describe how gracious and welcoming these hosts are and how quickly they adopted us foreign strangers as part of the family. Wanting us to have an 'authentic' Thai experience, Emily, Josie and I were booked into a homestay nearby. We weren't really sure what was more authentic than the experience we were given by staying at their house, but we smiled and went along with it. It turned out to be a standard Thai production which made it worth every second. So, we arri
ved to this homestay which actually turned out to be more of a motel and were told to wait outside while the family went in to inspect the room. We weren't really sure what was going on but there was a lot of discussing and a lot of pounding going on inside. After about 20 minutes of this, with numerous workers going in and out of the room we were asked to come in. It turned out the pounding was P. Jop making sure the a/c worked as well as making sure the missing ceiling tile exposing the tin roof above wouldn't pose a potential threat for a burglar could climb through in the middle of the night. At this point there were 11 people in the room and the 3 of us were in hysterics over the whole situation. It was just like having parents there and from that moment on I started calling P. Jop, 'Pa'--which he thinks is hilarious! No traditional night would be complete without us finding the only English-speaking channel on the tv and having it be some large African American lady ranting and raving as her friends sat around a table shouting 'Amen' and 'I feel ya sista!' Oh wait, I mean it wouldn't be complete without screams erupting from the bathroom as the girls discovered the giant spider on the wall. Now we could sleep soundly. 
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