Friday, November 19, 2004

Of pigs and tigers.

For some reason today, I got to thinking about Pattaya, Thailand, and my trip there almost four years ago. I had the privilege of visiting the place courtesy of my last job in Manila (Go Linksys!), and I must say it was one of the most unique places I've been to. Anyone who knows me can attest to my awful memory, but I do remember the trip quite vividly (You'll understand why in a minute)...

Imagine this:
- The cutest darling tiger cubs milking from the biggest pig you've ever laid eyes on. (Yes, you read it right. And man, that pig was HUGE).
- An asian woman wrapped in 200 real, live, DEADLY scorpions. There they were, crawling all over her body. And she was smiling.
- The amazing opportunity of actually having all them crazy thingies transferred to you.
- A man frolicking in a pool of about 20 seemingly agitated crocodiles. At one point he forced open a croc's mouth and stuck his head in there. And then some.
- Going up the tallest point of Pattaya, only to jump off the tower right after (with safety gear, ofcourse), and THEN go right back up again for a lunch buffet at their revolving restaurant.
- A porcupine--the first one I've seen, and probably the only one you'll ever find in Thailand.
- Cradling one of them darling tiger cubs in my arms. They're quite heavy, btw.
- Buying my very first pair of PERFECT FIT jeans for only 700 baht. Yeba!
- And an AWESOME beach resort to come home to for three glorious days.

Yes, quite unforgettable that trip. Would love to go back there and take Bebs to see the sights. Come to think of it, I'm grateful that the jobs I've had have enabled me to see so many places. When I came to the States I thought the world was huge. Now, after three years, a new job and many trips later, I marvel at the vastness of geography and God's handprint in it. So much to conquer, so little time. Sigh.

Anyway, if you ever find yourself in Thailand, Pattaya is the place to be. Otherwise, you only need to turn on your TV and watch just as much weirdness. But hey, that's another topic ;)

4 comments:

MadMuse said...

Hi! Got your link from the Bulletin Board posting you did in Friendster. Nice site! I'll add it to my favorites list so I can stay updated about you and Bebster. Take care and God bless you two... :)

nikkerbockers said...

Thanks MadMuse!

You are officially my first visitor. Come in anytime :)

kookaii said...

dapat pinost mo din yung mga pix! =)

nikkerbockers said...

I was a poor kid back then, so I didn't have a digital camera to document the trip. :( But hey, I do have that polaroid of me cradling the cutesy tiger cub. And I left it there too, so why don't you send me a copy of it. ;)