Abroad Trip Day 14

Today we left at 8am to go to Wat Doi Sutep, the Buddhist temple on the top of the mountain. Wat = temple, Doi = Mountain. I am not sure what Sutep means. Unfortunately, even though we were at breakfast before 7:30, we were not served any food by the time we had to leave. The main woman wasn't there the day before, so maybe her kitchen and routine were messed up. Breakfast yesterday took forever, too. Oh well, we were going up the windy mountain road anyway, so less food means less motion sickness.

The temple was a crazy tourist attraction. Very ornate and very crowded. Lots and lots of farang. Tour buses of French and Korean and Middle Eastern people, just to see this temple. We went there to do an ethnography of the people there, so the wider variety of tourists besides French, English, Australian, Kiwi and American was quite refreshing. The market that's grown around there also provided me with delicious waffles for breakfast. I think everything has sweetened condensed milk in it. Even ice cream has sweetened condensed milk on top for syrup. Not that I'm complaining, though. :)

After, we came back for lunch and a lecture, then had the rest of the afternoon off. I went to Wawee coffee, did some homework, had some delicious coffee. Then I went to the place in front of org veg for dinner, and had a pepsi with it. Much sweeter but not as acidic as in the US. I went back to the hotel, did more homework, then went out for the Sunday Walking Market. I got a bunch of gifts for people and myself. I spent a lot of money, but it was only $25, but that is 750baht. Considering my dinner was 30baht and my pepsi was 20baht, it's a lot of money. Anyway, we took a tuktuk back from the market, and it's a lot of fun to ride!

A few of us went out to a bar called Panda'n'Roll, listened to the live punk cover band, had a beer, and called it a night. It was a pretty touristy day. Fun night, but touristy. We did go down market alleyways that other farang did not go down, though. Not sure why people didn't go there, because there were a lot of good deals.

Day 14 - Last full day in Piran... for now!

Today, we gave presentations about three cities we'll be visiting: Osijek/Vukovar, Sarajevo and Mostar. We had to describe what happened there, why it happened, what it's like now and why we are going there. You can find most of the information by reading the Wikipedia pages about these towns. : )

I am currently using Shawn's computer. Shawn is the academic administrative assistant for the political science department. She's having dinner with Paddy at Dushka's house, our talkative tour guide. It's nice to not think about where the letter Y is, and not search for symbols only to find they're not there at all!

Today marks the halfway point of the trip, kinda. In two weeks, we leave early in the morning for Venice, then fly to Munich, then to Chicago, then Minneapolis, where we arrive at 9:30 in the evening. Good times. I think I am going to buy a small bag and check my suitcase on the way back. A few of my souvenirs are alcoholic in nature, and more than three ounces. I am also bringing honey (not to you, orange-sue, don't worry!), which cannot be brought as a carry on, either. I suppose I could just buy 3 ounce containers of honey, but that might be a bit weird. Ha....

I went to the post office today to buy souvenirs. They don't have a souvenir shop in Piran. It is a small town. I also bought ear bands, because it will be hanging around freezing the next week in Croatia and Bosnia. They're very cozy, and only 3 euros each.

Tomorrow, we go to Ljubljana. I am so excited! Just two more nights in Piran, and one more meal to pay for! But it means the end to our amazing breakfasts of bread, eggs, cheese, tomatoes, and various spreads.