Last Two Weeks In Bangkok And We Are All Still Smiling

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With less than two weeks left in Thailand, before our 30 days is up, we are faced with some tough decisions. We have been in Asia for almost four months.

We booked a flight back to Montreal, a while ago not knowing that France and many other places would be in a lock down state.We were going to stay for three days in Paris before we left on this flight.

We have not booked a flight to France from Bangkok yet, and now we don't know if going to France would be a good idea. We are faced with decision of giving up the money we paid and booking another flight to Canada, or perhaps sticking around Asia longer in hopes that the Canada lock down lightens up, or will it get worse?

The most stressful part is talking to people back home and having them think we are in danger.

We are in fact having fun and enjoying the warm weather and activities here in Bangkok. There are fewer travelers here and business is slow but when we get out, which is not so much these days, we notice that life seems to be going on quite normally.

On the weekend we went for a stroll to Chatuchuk Market where fighting crowds was not an issue. Everyone that worked there seemed to be extra cheerful and despite the lack of business, the vibe was exceptionally good.

We sat down at a restaurant for a drink in the Market where they were playing some upbeat Latino tribal dance kind of music, and the staff were just dancing singing ,smiling and laughing as they worked.

The tourists and locals that were there, strolled gleefully to the beat of the music.

I have been hearing lately that the world is having a shortage of toilet paper due to panic shopping. This would have been the last thing I would have thought about buying for an apocalypse.

Anyway here in Bangkok there's plenty of toilet paper and it's even used for hacky sack.

Whenever we are at the weekend market we always stroll to the nearby Chatuchuk park where we forget about things for awhile and enjoy the beauty of trees and flowers while greeting the squirrels with cute funny faces.

Yesterday we had no time to be stressed as we had plans to join our friends at the Bangkok snake farm. This is something that I wanted to do even though I am terrified of snakes.

Some of the last memories I have of Bangkok before we moved to Canada at age four, was going to the snake farm to watch them extract venom to make a serum for snake bite victims. This started about seventy years ago. It is the oldest snake farm in Thailand and the second oldest in the world.

I have a vivid memory of one day when I was about three or four when my mother took me to the doctor to be vaccinated. I imagine it would be a requirement at the time to travel to Canada.

I was sitting on the table, got the needle and cried like I always did. Afterward I would get a treat and go to the snake farm.

The place was different at the time but it was amazing to me to think that the last time I was there was over fifty years ago. I feel like my whole life since then has slipped by.

There was a presenter that spoke in Thai and English. He told us about the place and gave detailed explanations about each type of snake that was brought out. He added a bit of humor as well.

It was kind of difficult at first to watch. I felt kind of sorry for the snake. It doesn't seem right to excite these creatures so much. I convinced myself that after all these years they must know what the limit is in order not to hurt the snake. The cobra was probably the most interesting one to see. How something so scary and creepy could be beautiful at the same time.

The handlers seemed quite calm as they demonstrated how to catch the snake but it looked pretty darn scary. The presenter said that they had all been bitten already. He even had to have a skin graft due to one incident.

There were two snakes that were brought out that only paid attention to the handler and not the presenter. He explained that they can only see the movement that passes by their face but if you are behind them you could even tap them on the head and they won't react. He did the demonstration and he was right.

I don't remember all the names of the different kinds of snakes but he mentioned that there were a couple that were endangered because of people eating them. They all play an important roll in the eco system.

What looked to be quite small and harmless was said to be a very poisonous snake that hangs in trees camouflaged in green like the leaves.

At this point I realized that if I had to live in the jungle, I just wouldn't make it.

The end of the show came and the opportunity to pose with a python was there for those who wanted.

If you would have asked me a month ago before the world started turning upside down, I would have said " hell no" but in light of everything, I decided to do something that was sure not to kill me. It was very weird and creepy though I have to say.

This particular python was raised by the institute and was used to being around people. I sill wouldn't hang out with him in a room by myself though.

If you are in Bangkok or coming to Bangkok, you really should not miss going to The Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute in Silom Bangkok Snake Farm.

As usual, after an event with our friends, we always go to eat and it just so happens that there is one of our favorite vegan restaurants nearby. It's called Veganerie with five locations around town.

I have been trying not to eat fried foods lately but I just did it. It will not happen too often. I have to make sure I consume the healthiest foods possible so I am in perfect shape when I travel.

We had a great time and now we are back to the drawing board hoping that soon we can make up our minds where and when to go after our time runs out. Meanwhile we will try to keep calm and figure everything out.

Ideally I wish I could just stay in Thailand where I began. I still feel that this is more like home to me even after most of my life in Canada.

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