It’s a well-known fact that I’m not exactly the type who travels the world, or even just the country. So, my colleagues didn’t find it to be surprising that I had never really been to Ratchaburi (except for a brief day trip to the Talad Num Dumnern Saduak)

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the resort we stayed at during the company outing earlier this week to be, for the lack of a better word, so pleasant.

As the name suggests, Baan Aom Kod Kun Kao is quite literally “hugged” by the surrounding mountains (so much so to the point that my lovely DTAC’s mobile phone has absolutely no reception inside the resort!!!)

With about 20 differnt rooms, each decorated in a different style in a different color, the resort has a very warm feeling to it. The ambiance of the surrounding greenery is also very serene and very romantic. There are more than a few spots that are very picturesque, and my main regret is that I didn’t have my DSLR with me during this trip.

(But of course, maybe the resort was in its top condition because during the period we were there, there was a shooting for a Thai drama at the place. But even so, it would have been a lovely place nonetheless.

My only complaints? Besides the fact that I had zero cell phone reception (but the free wi-fi does make up for that flaw a little bit), I was a little uneasy with the fact that the bathroom area in every room is a little bit too . . . open . . . ! There simply was no door!!! Just a layer of thin curtain separates the bedroom from the bathroom/toilet, in such a fashion that privacy is completely nonexistent!!!!

Of course, maybe that was the intended effects of some sort of kinky romanticism or something, but that’s definitely not something I was hoping for in a company trip . . .

Would I want to go back to one of these Ratchaburi resort again? DEFINITELY! But the next time I’ll have to be be a bit more choosy regarding whom I’d go with. This types of places would probably be better suited for a romantic getaway . . .

So, whenever that may be . . . . . . . 

I just came back from a company outing yesterday. Spending 3 days away from the hectic Bangkok was quite a surreal experience, especially since we got to spend half a day doing CSR activities (painting school building) at a local school in Ratchaburi by the Thai-Burma border where the average family income is just 100B a day.

It’s this kind of things that makes me reflect upon a lot of things in life. A hundred baht (roughtly 3$ a day) can mean so much out there, while it’s barely just one cup of starbucks here at the office. (well, approximately 1.5 cups of my usual Solo Espresso shot.)

Yah, just that much. My luxurious wake-me-up each morning is enough to feed half a family for a day. My usual outings with friends probably can feed a family for a whole week.

 It’s not like this is something I have never known before. The disparity between Bangkok and the rest of Thailand is probably almost a common knowledge. But to be honest, this is something I truly appreciate in this job that I’m doing — the opportunity to not just sit in the office and enjoy my “little bubble”. Through work, I had been to 3 CSR activities in 3 different schools under 2 different context. On top of that, I get to spend almost 2 months outside of Bangkok, doing the actual “sales” job, getting to see what a tiny provincial store in Chiangrai or a local supermarket in Mukdaharn is like.

But then, of course, that whole little experience at the school was quite a contrast to the resort that we chose to stay at. It is quite a nice place to stay at though, and I intend to write more about it one of these days.

So, just after 3 comfy nights on my own bed, here I am, packing my stuff for another few nights on the road. >.<

And this time, it's work-related (although DEFINITELY nothing fancy). It's just a conference for which my presence is really really REALLY not required...

So, I'm really not sure why I have to be there at all...

And it's not as if I'm going to a nice fancy place or anything. It's just going to be at Pattaya, a place I'm not likely to choose even as my vacation destination. >.<

So, yah, I’m going to be gone for another 5 days, and when I come back, I do hope to get around to write about my experiences of the 5 days I had gone away to last week…

At the very least though, I should be glad that I’d actually have a mattress to sleep on this time around… right?

So, I’m now back from the 4-night dharma trip! To say the least, it was tiring!!! Even though it was supposed to be nothing but relaxing (with almost nothing to do) but the fact that I had to sleep without a mattress equals 4 very sleepless night!!! >.<

Of course, I did complain about it a bit to my aunt, who fired back at me that it's one of the points of this kinda of practice -- to control your bodily desires!

Had I known any better, I would've brought my own sleeping bag at least!!! I'm a city girl through and through, and I need my comfortable bed (and the lack of naturely sounds of insects and toads and lizards, etc) at night.

Apart from that though, the experience has been positive overall. There are things that I did like, and a few that I seriously did not.

But then again… I’m too tired to be blogging right now.

So, I’ll be away from BKK, from civilization, from the “world” this weekend and a few days next week (Sat-Wed). The whole point of being away this time is not work-related, nor is it really a *walking-around-some-foreign-land-eating-all-the-good-food* kinda trip. I’m just going to be spending a few days at a dharma center (excusez-moi for a lack of better translation for the term “ศูนย์ปฏิบัติธรรม”) for a few days of getting-away-from-it-all retreat…

My uncles & my aunts has been telling me about this for years already, and yet I never managed to find a slot of time to get away. But considering that I have some annual leaves days carried over from last year (which will “expire” next month), I decided to put a few days of into good use.

So yah, I’ll be away for 5 days at Nakhonratchasima, in a dharma center. It certainly doesn’t look so bad (at least it doesn’t look like I’ll have to live a rough outdoor-ish life or anything. ^^%)

Will definitely try to take a lot of photos… and depending on how strict they are, I may not have much access to the outside world. >.< But if anything, I might still be able to access the email…