Category: Thailand

Ayuthaya Province, Bangkok, Thailand

Clash of Classes

Joel

I had quite the clash of classes between yesterday and today. After spending a long day hammering around the hot pavement of Bangkok, I decided to treat myself to that King Kong movie I noted on my previous visit.

Before I go any further, let me just say Kong is King. ‘Nuff said.

Anyway, I bought that deluxe “Gold Pass” ticket I told you about earlier. For about the price of a regular movie ticket in Australia, I got to sit in a special theater full of huge reclining sofa chairs. No need to exert any energy to recline them, mind you, these babies had electronic push button controls to get them in whatever exact contortions you desired. Each seat came with its own pillow and blanket set so you could snuggle up extra comfy in that chilly air-conditioned darkness. Next to your seat was a personal hard-wood table for holding your popcorn, snacks, coke, or bar drink. There were waiters prowling the theater to beckon to your every need.

Before the film started, we were entitled to hang out in this luxurious lounge with free open bar and snacks. The movie had Thai subtitles, and there was that glitzy tribute to the King of Siam before the show started (for which everyone was expected to stand). It seemed that the audience was predominately made up of Western tourists. I couldn’t help but think it was all a bit frivolous, really.

And then came today, when I rose early and made a mad dash for the Bangkok train station so I could get out to the “must see” historic Wat (Buddhist temple) filled Ayutthaya Historical Park for a three day stay in a finely restored teak guesthouse overlooking a peaceful frog filled lily-pad-laden pond.

The only seats available on this 1.5 hour train trip were third class. This meant hard bench-type seating with no air conditioning or ventilation other than through open windows. The view wasn’t bad (seeing as you had nothing between you and outside to look through), but you just had to be careful not to stick you arm out there. Occasionally a beam or bridge girder would fly past without any warning.

Even though I had a reserved seat, it seemed at least half the people on the train were forced to stand for their entire journey. There were mostly Thais on board, but there were quite a few Western backpackers as well. My guess is they filled up the seats and just continued selling standing-room-only tickets. Fortunately the trip was an early one and not too hot. I hate to think what a later afternoon train ride must have been like.

It seems much hotter here in Ayutthaya than it was in Bangkok. It must be due to the lack of smog Bangkok has filtering out the sun’s rays. I only managed a short hike around some of the ruins today before I was forced to retreat to my guesthouse sweating profusely. There isn’t any air-conditioning in my room, but the house was designed to be cool with high walls that don’t quite reach the ceilings, polished hardwood floors elevated up above ground on stilts, and big breezy windows — all with air circulation in mind. I do have a ceiling fan as well. I plan to get up early tomorrow (before it gets too hot) so I can take a cycle ride around town and visit more ruins.

I plan to stay here for three nights before moving on to one of the allegedly best national parks worldwide. Its chock full of wildlife, including elephants and tigers! The guesthouse I’m aiming for sounds like it has some interesting tours (including nocturnal).

Bangkok, Thailand

Bleary Eyed in Bangkok…

Joel

My 18 hour air odyssey has come to a close. The longest flight of my life! We flew non-stop north from L.A. passing just west of Gilroy (a little more east of Watsonville), up over Anchorage Alaska, in deep over Russia, down diagonally across China (which is one big country), and finally in over Vietnam and into Bangkok at sunrise. It was night time outside the whole way as we followed the dark side of the earth. It was the longest night of my life, I think.

Thai Airways wasn’t a bad way to go… They stuffed us full with three meals that seemed too big to fit on our trays. We had the usual personal movies and TV on demand, and they gave us comfortable seats with lots of leg room (for economy, anyway). I managed to get about five hours of sleep and took another nap on arrival at my guesthouse.

I’m now scrambling to come up with local travel plans for my next few weeks here in Thailand. While getting a cheap haircut, I just bumped into a guy who serves lunches over the counter at a shop I visit 3000+ miles away in Perth. Small world…

Bangkok, Thailand

Santa’s comin’ to town on the back of an elephant…

Joel

Spent most of the day walking my dogs off while Christmas shopping. Not much mention of Christmas ’round these Buddhist parts… Not like Singapore, which always gets extra high-tech and glitzy this time of year. Or Kuala Lumpur — even though it’s a Muslim country. New Years gets a mention here in Bangkok, but that is probably aimed more at the Chinese population. You just get the odd sounding Christmas tune in department stores. That’s about it, here in ninety degree heat. Actually, the weather’s be quite ideal (and perhaps a bit cooler). Nice, dry, warm, and sunny. What Perth should be like right now.

Before I hit the markets and shops, I spent a few hours checking out old Jim Thompson’s place. Jimbo’s a Yank who’s credited with opening up Thailand’s silk trade. He studied architecture at Princeton before being sent to Thailand during WWII (the big one) to do espionage work. Jimbo decided to return to Bangkok after the war ’cause he fell in love with the place. He decided to make a living by promoting Thai silk around the world. Considered quite the hero for it.

Jim Thompson is actually the second American I’ve come across in the past 18 months responsible for opening up a foreign country’s trade. The first being Tom Price in Western Australia, who is credited with opening up Australia’s mining industry for export. Anyway, Jimbo collected traditional Thai buildings and resurrected them on his old property, which is now a nice museum, just around the block from my guesthouse. Jimbo (as I’ve obviously come to call him) mysteriously disappeared while on vacation in Malaysia in the 1960’s. Adds to his legend status, I guess.

One of the many interesting things about Jim Thompson’s place was the fact that the main house was positioned with its front door pointed towards a little skinny river canal that ran the length of inner Bangkok. The premises may have been tucked away back up some alley, but in the day it was built, the canal system was the preferred mode of transportation in this city. Bangkok was known as the “Venice of the East”. To this day, regular long boats frequently ferry passengers back and forth on these canals. And unlike the few remaining cable cars of San Francisco, the people who ride these boats aren’t predominantly tourists.

Had another nice cheap Thai meal tonight. Maybe $2 this time. Funny thing I’ve learned about Thais. When they say spicy, they mean burn-your-mouth-off and sweat-a-gallon spicy. But when they say “not spicy”, I’m still finding the food to be about as hot as anything labeled “spicy” in Western supermarkets. Guess their taste buds are too burned off to recognize mild spices anymore. ‘Course, the cure for an overly hot Thai meal is a nice scoop of coconut ice cream.

Saw an ad in the paper today for my flight to Los Angeles tomorrow. It’s a brand-new spanking plane with a personal entertainment system on each seat. Hopefully that will help break up the monotony of the 15 hour non-stop flight. Maybe I’ve got that wrong though — it could be quite fast, since it’s scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles 20 minutes before it leaves Bangkok.

Bangkok, Thailand

My Bangkok Hangover…

Joel

Well I’m safe and sound in Bangkok, but not before arriving with a throbbing migraine as a result of the 8 hour red-eye flight to get here from Perth that started at 2AM. Fortunately, I had one last migraine pill in my carry on luggage and went straight to a men’s room on arrival to pop it down my gullet. Unfortunately it decided to pop down the sink drain instead. $7.50 down the drain (literally). Fortunately I had more migraine medication in my checked baggage, but that took a little longer to get to (after the additional headaches of immigration, baggage claim, and customs).

Once I got to my guesthouse, they acted like they had no record of my reservation — even though I made it six weeks ago. I followed all their Web site instructions to the “T”: had it confirmed, and then re-confirmed by e-mail both Saturday and Sunday and re-confirmed again by phone on Monday (two days before my arrival). Oh well, they came up with a room for me anyway. I guess I shouldn’t complain for $10 a night.

I spent a few hours napping this afternoon, trying to catch up on my lost sleep from the flight. Then I spent several hours dizzily wandering the streets and shopping centers of downtown Bangkok. Tonight I had a nice yummy double meal of Phad Thai (cooked before my very eyes) and barbecued chicken and coconut flavored rice for a whopping US$2.41!

I’m currently blogging this from the top floor of a giant shopping mall called Siam Square. They have huge movie theaters here that offer deluxe viewing packages (recliner seats, free eats, etc). King Kong perked my interest, but it doesn’t look like it opens for another week. I’ve heard you’re required to stand and pledge allegiance to the King of Thailand (aka the King of Siam) before all movies here. That, in itself, could be interesting.

At this point, however, I’m just looking forward to a good night’s sleep….

Bangkok, Krabi Province, Thailand

Learned a great recipe for jello…

Joel

Ah yes, the cooking class was great. I now have the secret recipes for creating my favorite Thai dishes. A group of five of us managed to cook up some of the best Thai food I’ve had since coming to Thailand — all from scratch using fresh herbs from a nearby garden. Of course, we were under guided instruction the whole time, so it’s only a matter of time before I attempt to recreate the dishes on my own and find out that I must have missed a few crucial instructions…

I’m now back in Bangkok for my last few days of snooping around before heading back to Singapore and Perth on Wednesday. I spent most of my morning snooping around Chinatown’s extensive markets. They had market stalls that seemed to run for miles up and down little alleyways with everything imaginable for sale. Lots of fun to photograph.

I spent a few hours this afternoon enjoying my final Thai massage. Actually, I don’t know if “enjoy” is the word for them since they can actually be quite brutal. I’ve learned that the best ones are the brutal ones because they really work your muscles and make you feel as rubbery and relaxed as jello afterwards. I enjoy the feeling of having had a massage, but I’m not sure how much I actually enjoy them while I’m having them.

Cairo, Egypt, Hawaii, Kauai: The Garden Island, Krabi Province, Thailand

Dogs are to Asia what Cats are to the Middle East what…

Joel

Dogs are to Asia what Cats are to the Middle East what chickens are to the Hawaiian island of Kauai: Stray. Feral. Wild. Whatever you want to call them.

Before I started my travels, my travel doctor pondered whether I might need a rabies shot on top of all the other immunizations I had to get. Now I know why. There seem to be no shortage of stray dogs wondering the streets of Thailand. Many of them look quite sick. Many just lie around in the street and on sidewalks, where pedestrians give them a wide berth. The only ones that really seemed threatening were recent mothers nursing pups. You just had to make sure you never got between them and their young.

Egypt, on the other hand, seemed to be full of stray cats. They were interesting to watch as they looked like they were always scheming to score some food. They would travel around in gangs and use each other as lookouts while they found ways to sneak into buildings through broken windows and other holes.

The Hawaiian island of Kauai, as I mentioned earlier, was full of jungle fowl known as “Moa” and introduced by the Polynesians. Basically, they were chickens and roosters who loved to cock-a-doodle-do at all hours of the night and day (which was particularly fun while you were camping). The strangest scene I recall with these creatures was a family of chicks being herded by its mother through a crowded Walmart parking lot.

I guess it’s a good idea all these strays are segregated in different parts of the world or they’d never get along.

Krabi Province, Thailand

Another lazy day around the islands off Thailand

Joel

My grueling kayak trip turned out to be about as laid back as any of the other adventures I’ve signed up for this past week. We basically kayaked around a fairly small island and then just chilled out on a few island beaches for the rest of the day. Our tour guides even insisted on doing most of the paddling.

The sad thing about the tour was the lack of tourists. This region is so hard up for tourists right now (in what should be their peak tourist season) that they insisted on running this trip with only two customers. The two of us had a big 45 passenger boat (to get us to our kayaking area) and seven crew members at our disposal. We only paid about US$33 for the all day tour (including lunch). It was really quite ridiculous.

The trip around the island in the kayaks was quite interesting. The island consisted of huge limestone cliffs that fell straight down to ocean waters or skinny little beaches. There were a number of caves around the island that were being harvested for swallow bird nests. The nests are a delicacy in China where they are the main ingredient in “bird nest soup” and worth about US$750 a kilo. Needless to say, the caves were off limits to us and the harvesters working in them required special permits from the Thai government.

In the middle of the island lay a fabulous secret lagoon that had a small entrance passage between two cliff faces. Actually, I can’t say it was secret because there was an endless entourage of motorized tour boats zipping in and out of it. At least those of us in kayaks could venture deep into the mangrove section of it to explore the shallow waters.

Our tour guides seemed to have the usual happy-go-lucky attitude you find in Thais. They were very friendly and liked to clown around. They insisted on doubling up on our kayaks so they could do most of the work and run a fishing line off the back of our boats for squid. They mentioned that Thailand was having trouble selling its seafood lately because so many people around the world falsely believed the fish Thais were catching had fed off the corpses of the dead from the tsunami.

On the way back into port, we passed one of the gleaming palaces of the king of Thailand, up on a hill overlooking the sea. The royal family here also happens to have another retreat on top of the mountain I cycled down outside of Chiang Mai. Thais hold their king in very high regard. In fact, the King and I (and the movie Anna and the King) have been banned here for years because they find it deeply offensive. I did come across a reference to Anna in the National Museum in Bangkok, so she did exist as an English teacher. She just never romanced the king…

I just have a few days left before I fly back up to Bangkok for a few days, so I thought I would enroll in one of the many cooking classes they offer in Thailand. I know several people who done them and they said they were great. We’ll see how it goes.

Krabi Province, Thailand

The Krabi Life

Joel

I’ve spent the past few days trying to squeeze in as much as possible in my rapidly dwindling days of leave. I signed up for three tours around the area, including speedboat trips to beautiful islands, hot springs soaks, sea kayaking excursions, snorkeling, swimming, beach time, and a forest temple visit.

I’ve decided that the town of Krabi, where I’ve based myself for the week, is probably better and cheaper than most of the alternatives. Unlike the ugly sterile resort towns I’ve come across in the area, Krabi retains a lot of his pre-tourist flavor, has lots of great streetside foodstalls and markets to snoop around in the evenings.

I took my first tour yesterday, where a local company whisks tourists out on a speedboat to famous beaches and snorkeling spots around islands in the area. It used an itinerary that has been in place for a number of years, but modifications have had to be made since the tsunami hit here on December 26th. While most of the deserted beaches (including “The Beach” beach) and superb snorkeling spots we visited are probably the same as they were before. They all have crystal clear water, long white sandy beaches, and spectacularly huge karst limestone cliffs protruding out of the water and coastlines. On the other hand, the coastline was clearly lined with a demolished seawall, and some of the islands with developments we were supposed to visit remained closed to visitors because they’re so devastated.

On Ko Phi Phi island, where we were originally scheduled to have lunch, we now just cruised the boat up close to gawk at the distruction. It is estimated that between 750 and 6000 people died there alone. All that’s left is a long line of demolished beach shacks and lots of demolition taking place — with backhoes loading the debris onto ocean barges.

It seems as though every one around here has a story to tell about the tsunami. Our tour group leader was on one of the beaches we visited where he held onto a palm tree with one arm and his wife with the other to prevent being swept out to sea. They said there were three waves that came in. The first was small and kind of cool, but the second and third were the large devastating ones. Fortunately the initial small wave scared a lot of people to safer, higher ground.

Today I did a tour that was what I thought was going to be a jungle trek that circulated by some hot springs, cool crystal clear pools, and a famous forest temple. Unfortunately, we just seemed to drive between all the destinations — so I didn’t get the workout I have been hoping for. I guess the tour company is trying to maximize their potential client base by opening their trips up to anyone (including the chronically inactive).

The forest temple was really pretty cool. I actually visited the place a few days beforehand to scale up the 1237 (!) steps to the top of one of these huge limestone cliffs you find all over the place around here. It was really grueling, as you can imagine, but the views from the top were really quite amazing. The Buddhists seem to like to position temples on top of high hills, but this had to be one of the highest I’ve come across. It was almost as difficult walking back down again, using different muscles. My legs were complete rubber by the time I got back down to the ground. I spent a few hours up there, just relaxing, recooperating, and enjoying the views. Other visitors seemed to act like they sprint up there on a daily basis.

When we visited this temple today, we didn’t bother scaling the steps on our inactive tour. Instead we visited some other interesting parts of the temple including a secret valley positioned in between several of the cliffs. Monks were living in shacks and caves all over the grounds. It’s a pretty neat place to explore.

Tomorrow I’m heading off to do a kayak trip around a local island where I will also have some time for some more snorkeling, swimming, and beach time. I think I will finally get the active day I’ve been looking for.

Krabi Province, Thailand

Another Election Day

Joel

Ah yes, another country, another election. Today is Thailand’s big election day, which I think only comes up every four or five years. Alcohol sales have been banned since 6PM last night. Sounds like Pennsylvania!

I’m now in Krabi, which isn’t all that far from Phuket and the December Tsunami hit areas. I just flew down here from Sukhothai and Bangkok last night. My first impression is that it really is a beautiful area. The air seems much cleaner than it was up north, and there are huge karst limestone rock formations jutting out of the land and sea. Like the rest of Thailand, the people here seem very relaxed and friendly. Thai people give minimal hassles about anything — especially when you compare them to the hustlers I encountered in India and Egypt. Thailand is proving to be a great place to just cool your heels and hang out.

I will spend my day running some personal errands and looking for some adventurous excursions. It seems as though tourism is still reeling from the aftermath of the tsunami and occupancy levels are very low around here.

I have the nicest hotel room here that I’ve had on my trip. For the first time since I left the U.S., I actually have a shower that is not on the wall above the toilet. In fact, I even have a shower curtain! And a color TV so I can try to watch the Philadelphia Eagles play in the Super Bowl tomorrow morning (if I can find it on here).

Sukhothai Province, Thailand

Buddhism by Bicycle

Joel

Sukhothai has proved to be a great place for bicycling. I must not be the only one who feels that way because the streets are lined with many bike shops. I spent a few days in the town, and on both days I ended up peddling all over the place.

On my first day, I headed for “Old Sukhothai” on a mini bus with some German rock star friends (whom I met on my 3 day trek along the Burma border). Old Sukhothai is an old Khmer city, built in the 1300s when it served as the capital of the kingdom of Thailand. The city is completely closed off to cars, so it is really nice to rent a bike and cycle around to see the many temple ruins. Usually a large Buddha figure would be all that was restored in the middle of each of the temple ruins. It was a beautiful laid back place to spend a relaxing day casually cycling about and shooting lots of pictures.

On the second day, we all did a 2 hour bike trip up along the top of a river levy through thick bamboo forests and farms (full of tobacco and sweet corn) to see another Buddhist temple that is famous for its sculptures depicting the history of Buddhism. Our trip was part of a tour conducted by the owner of my German friends’ guesthouse (which I couldn’t get into because it was full). He took us through the grounds and showed us all the sculptures and explained the history of Buddhism for us.

I think it is interesting to note that our tour guide, a European expat, did not consider himself a to be a Buddhist (only an admirer). But then again, I haven’t found anyone around here who will call themselves Buddhist, even though this is a predominately Buddhist country. I guess the monks probably might. I just haven’t gotten around to asking them yet. Most Thai people seem to quickly distance themselves from the religion as a way of showing they are not nearly devout enough to be considered true Buddhists. It’s funny to think about that when so many Westerners seem quick to proclaim themselves Buddhist.

According to our European tour guide, even the majority of monks you see did not really become monks to pursue their religious convictions. Many are just taking refuge from the outside world because they’re either too poor and know the temples will support them, or they’re just wanting to get some support with room and board while they pursue personal projects. The artist who created the sculptures we looked, for example, served as a monk at the time, much to the dismay of the temple. It was also disclosed that a chinese/thai massuer who tagged along on our trip also served as a monk for ten years, but his real aim was to study the art of traditional Chinese and Thai massage, study psychology, meditation, and a few other things. Other examples were also given as well. It seems that the whole system in Thailand for supporting monks also serves as the social safety net for the country.