July 6, 2009

Yes. We all thought as we rolled out of bed this morning. Finally, a day off! After a rough start to the tournament, we got into the gym bright and early for practice. Defense being our focus, we spent the morning preparing ourselves for what was to come in our next pool. We will be playing Germany tomorrow morning. We showered and then proceeded to lunch, where we all ate, well, the same thing we had eaten everyday prior. Dressed in street clothes for the first time in weeks, everyone looked completely different than we are used to seeing them on the court.

We got on our bus, accompanied by my parents, the Wopats’ parents, as well as Bomb and Gun, our translators. About an hour away were some amazing ancient ruins, where we spent the afternoon exploring in the pouring rain. Built in the 11th and 12th centuries A.D., the stone structures were adorned with intricate carvings, grandiose doorways, and a center statue visible from any room in the complex. It was the home to the royalty of the ancient Thai civilization, the lower class lived just outside the walls.

We then went across the street to a small local trinket shop and bought keychains and bags to bring back home to our friends. There was also a small parade going on down the street, with big, golden Buddhist floats. There was a local food market right down the street where we proceeded to next. Let me tell you – this was beyond interesting. The place reeked of fish, and as we walked through the colorful umbrellas crammed together. There were many local Thai people selling anything you can think of. And I mean anything – fried grasshoppers, octopus, intestines, animal tongues, livers, pig heads, and fish in many various forms.

As soon as we got back into familiar territory, we were pleased to hear we were making a surprise visit to the mall. Four stories high, the mall was filled with people. People of the taller type, such as myself, didn’t even try to shop for clothes. We met back at our meeting spot after an hour or two of exploring and continued on to the hotel for dinner. The scouting report was discussed as usual for Germany, our next opponent scheduled for tomorrow morning.