Koh Samui

We enjoyed the craziness of Bangkok, adventured in Chiang Mai, and then it was time to relax and sit on our butts for as long as physically possible. Traveling by train or bus from Chiang Mai down to the southern islands would have taken 40+ hours, so we opted for the more expensive but much more efficient option of flying down in a quick 2 hour flight. We hopped on the plane (envelope 3 from Alex), and swiftly arrived in paradise. We stayed on Koh Samui, an island in the gulf of Thailand at a resort called Silver Beach in our own little bungalow just across from the beach.

Even the Samui Airport was pretty and relaxing

Getting into relax mode at the airport

View from our hotel restaurant

Our resort was in a little cove between the two major beaches in Koh Samui, and because our hotel had a restaurant we didn't find many reasons to leave our happy little haven. Every day we would rise super early and make it to the beach by about 7:30. At this time it was empty, and after eating breakfast facing the water we could enjoy the beach and water by ourselves. The water was half filled with coral reef which made the water super calm. Even when the water was up to our shoulders it was clear enough to see our toes on the bottom and the little fishies swimming between our legs. We could walk around the coral and check out the fish, crabs, and abundant sea cucumbers enjoying the sunshine with us. The water was so calm so it warmed quickly during the day, but in the morning is was still refreshing.

After lunch and a short break from the heat in our air conditioned bungalow, we would once again hit the beach and crack open a nice cold Chang beer while sitting in the shallow water. We then would spend all day drinking, swimming, reading, napping, and eating. There was a hut on the beach where you could get a massage while looking out into the waves. We generally were asleep by 11 and then woke up again to repeat the glory.

Chang Time!

Our restaurant and massage hut

Dogs hanging out with us on the beach

This man walked up and down the beach over and over again all day every day. He was a stud.

Rumble in the Jungle

After our day of relaxation in Chiang Mai, we woke up the next day ready for some jungle exploration. We were picked up by our tour guides and joined the rest of our group, a couple from Holland and two girls from the Czech Republic. We were loaded into the back of a truck and driven to a market to get supplies for the trip: a flashlight for late night bathroom trips, toilet paper, and tons of water to replace the sweat that was already pouring out of our bodies. We then headed towards the jungle, with one more pit stop at a temple in the mountains holding a giant Buddha overlooking the valley. At this stop we became acquainted with our guides for the next two days, two Thai guys from the area, Bang a mellow man in a straw cone farmers hat, and Tommy the unpredictable one.

We drove pretty far up into the mountains, something I realized later when much of the walking turned out to be downhill. The jungle was lush and green, and full of bird and bug sounds. Unfortunately because of hunting there are no longer any wild monkeys or other exotic animals living in the jungles around Chiang Mai. Nonetheless as we walked Bang would point out different plants and insects and tell us what they could be used for. This was generally followed by Tommy swooping them up and shoving them into his mouth. At one point he stopped me and Justin, grabbed a leaf and let a stream of red ants crawl over his arm. He then picked them off one by one, munching on them like I would enjoy a bag of pretzels. I also saw him eat a variety of plants, and he even let us taste a few more mild ones. After his snack he would fall back behind us in line and break into a jumbled rendition of one of his favorite songs like 'Don't Worry Be Happy'. The walk was broken up into pieces, usually with a break to swim in a refreshingly cool waterfall. The first waterfall was small but powerful and had a place you could slip through like a water slide. We saw the whole range of falls, from small ones like this to a giant one with a big swimming hole at the bottom. We even stopped in a stream at one point and swam right next to some of the local kids.

After our first day of walking we arrived at our camp for the night. It was a collection of straw huts sitting next to some rice paddies in the valley, no electricity, no running water. But there was beer somehow, and despite the ridiculous heat they still made a campfire. The guides cooked up a delicious dinner of veggies, rice, and chicken curry, and afterwards we all gathered around the fire over some beer and Thai moonshine. I could smell the moonshine from 10 feet away so I decided against trying it, but Justin had a few drinks. His face did not make it look delicious. Tommy brought out his guitar and continued to serenade us with his broken English mixed with moonshine induced giggles. Finally we all crawled into our mosquito nets and called it a night.

In the morning a herder had wandered into our camp with his cows, and when I went to pee the cows were surrounding the outhouse.

We ate a nice breakfast and then we set out for a morning of more waterfalls, jungles, and rice paddies. We ate lunch in a restaurant and then went for elephant rides. I always knew elephants were big, but you don't realize just how powerful you are until you are sitting on their backs. To get on the seat we had to climb up a big platform. Justin and I sat on a open seat with no form of seatbelt to hold us in place. Our guide was sitting on the elephants head, not really holding on to anything at all. Every step that the elephant took made us rock back and forth, and I had to hold on tight to stay in my seat. Before the ride we had bought some bananas to feed our elephant, who we dubbed Paul the Pachyderm. Paul would take a step, stop and reach his trunk around waiting patiently for food. We would hand him a banana, and with a flip of the trunk he would store it in a fold and wait for a second treat. If we didn't give him two, he would stubbornly wait. At this rate he quickly ate our entire stock of bananas, and then got mad we were no longer feeding him. He would snort up some dust from the ground, mix it in his snotty nose, and blow it all over us. Luckily at one point we were able to get some more bananas so Paul delivered us safely back to the ground.

The elephant ride was hot, so thankfully afterwards it was time to head to the bamboo raft. The raft was about 8 long bamboo shoots tied together with a guide standing on the front using a long pole to maneuver it down the river. It was so relaxing, just sitting on this raft floating slowly through the water. When we got to the end there were little platforms lining either side of the river. Families were sitting at them having picnics and drinking. Some were playing in the water, and everyone waved and splashed us as we drifted through. Post bamboo raft it was time to return to Chiang Mai and say goodbye to our new friends.

Chiang Mai - The Land of a Billion Temples

After the chaos of Bangkok, arriving in Chiang Mai was a breath of fresh air. Everything was more mellow in Chiang Mai, even the tuk-tuk drivers left you alone after you said no for the first time. We arrived at the train station and were met by our driver and transported to our hotel in another form of tuk-tuk: a truck with a covered back and seats lining the bed. Our hotel was a cute place in the old city of Chiang Mai, which is a perfectly square area surrounded by a moat and remnants of the old city wall and packed with temple after temple. After a much needed shower, we proceeded to wander around the city, stopping for lunch and at all the temples we found along the way. The temples were all gorgeous, ranging from old wooden structures to ones dripping in gold and bright colors. One of my favorite temples had a path around the grounds lined with green signs containing life advice in both Thai and English.

So one thing I have not yet addressed is the heat in Thailand. The sun is hot, and the humidity is intense, and after walking about a block out of air conditioning I was consistently drenched in sweat. At one point we had to hide out in a convenience store to escape the sun and hit some much needed sweet sweet air conditioning. So after a few hours of this journey we were pretty exhausted and looking to relax.

Another wonder of Thailand is the super cheap massage. For 200 Baht (about 8 bucks) each, we had an hour long full body Thai massage. We were taken into a dimly lit room and sat on a couch to let our feet soak. We were then led up to a private room where we had beds next to each other, and were treated to an hour of paradise. I didn't know anything about Thai massage before this experience, but what I learned was that when they say full body they mean not only my entire body, but also theirs. It was the most complicated series of movements where my whole body was stretched and massaged until I didn't want to move ever again. I may have been violated a few times, but I didn't care one bit. At one point she was balancing with her knees digging into my butt and massaging my shoulders at the same time. Sometimes my legs were over her shoulders, sometimes she used her chin, sometimes I couldn't tell what the hell she was doing, but it was all amazing.

After we were thoroughly relaxed, we wandered into the big night market in Chiang Mai to get some dinner and check out the stands. One of my closest friends from when I studied abroad in Sydney, Michael, happened to be in Chiang Mai for a few months doing his PhD research on bees, and we were able to meet up with him to walk around and grab a few drinks. I am used to the night markets in Taiwan where often the smells make me lose my appetite and I'm turned off by the mystery animal products at the stands. But in Thailand every single stand had something that looked delicious and made my mouth water. My absolute favorite was a fried banana, some banana mush in what looked like an egg roll. The only thing I regret not sampling was the fried bugs that were also abundant. Along with the food were also tons of souvenir stands, and I was able to purchase a NorthFace back pack for our jungle trek for about 20 US dollars after I used my perfected bargaining skills.

Overnight Train To Chiang Mai

The most comfortable and cheapest mode of transportation in Thailand is the overnight train. Thailand is a very very long country with appealing sites ranging from the very north end all the way down to the south. To maximize your time there, the best plan is to hit an overnight train and knock out two birds with one stone: you pay for transport and lodging all at once. Although the trip is about 450 miles, it takes over 13 hours, so to prepare for the journey we stopped at a street cart and loaded up on pad thai and spring rolls, and hit the 7-11 for a bottle of wine and some snacks.

The trains here are pretty ingenious in terms of making efficient use of space. We had two seats across from each other, and when it got late a man came around to set up our bed. The seats folded down into a bed, and above the seats was what looked like a luggage compartment on an airplane. This folded down into a separate bed with a ladder to get up and little seat belt straps to ensure you do not roll out onto the floor. There were even little curtains that came out to give you your own private nook. I found this to be super comfortable, but unfortunately for Justin Asian countries were not built for people with taller than about 6 feet.

In the morning the man came back, took our linens away and folded our beds back into our nice little seats. We rolled into the Chiang Mai station, and opened envelope number two: involving our pickup, hotel, and jungle trekking information.

One Night In Bangkok And The World Was Our Oyster

Justin and I arrived at the Suvarnabhumi Airport (quite the mouthful) around 2am. We took a cab to Khao San Road, the main tourist area in Bangkok where we had a reservation at a place recommended to me by a fellow Gloria teacher. As Justin had just traveled for over 24 hours we promptly passed out.

In the morning, we woke up surprisingly early and set out for a day of Bangkok exploration. Khao San road is a tourist center, so the area is full of restaurants, food stands, and shops selling anything you can imagine, from t-shirts to brass knuckles and tasers. You can buy knock offs of almost any brand you love, especially northface camping backpacks and brand clothing. Everyone says even if they aren't real, they are probably made in the factory next door to the real thing so they are probably just as good quality. We wandered through the shops for a while, stopping at a stand to buy a pineapple. The woman took out a big knife, hacked it to pieces, and handed us our entire fruit for about 25 US cents. At this moment I knew I was going to love Thailand and all it had to offer.

We continued to wander down the street and found a temple very close to our hotel. Now I've seen persistent salespeople before, but it was nothing compared to the drive these people had to usher us into their tuk-tuks. People would approach us every two minutes, starting with a simple 'where are you from?' I find that I am often naive and hope that people are just being friendly, so I always responded, which in turn always got a round of 'ohhhh Barack Obama!' This seemed to me like a friendly exchange until each person would then proceed to talk FOREVER about what we should see, ending with 'I take you in my tuk-tuk. Cheap-cheap!' Pre Thailand I had read of the scams that people pull, one being they offer you a cheap tuk-tuk ride and then take you to a gem shop and refuse to leave until you buy something. So at that point we would walk away, just to be followed down the road. At this point we were a little reluctant to listen to any advice, and we were set on visiting the grand palace which was just about a 15 minute walk down the road, so we set on our way. At one point we stopped in a police station we saw (so Justin could feel at home), and the friendly man at the desk circled the protest spots on our maps and told us where to avoid. We continued walking in the right direction, only to be confronted by more and more drivers. We were told by a few that the grand palace was closed to foreigners until the afternoon, but chose not to believe any stories. Unfortunately, this little tidbit ended up being the truth, so after we eventually found the palace and were unable to enter in an act of desperation we allowed ourselves to be ushered into a tuk-tuk.

Signs like this were all over the country, warning you of potential scams

There are also tributes to the king found everywhere

Statue at the temple near our hotel

Our driver, a pretty young girl, was fierce on the road. A tuk-tuk a kind of scooter with a backseat attached, riding on three wheels but it often feels like you are swinging over on two as the drivers cut through traffic at the speed of light. She took us to a 100 foot tall standing Buddha, and then eventually to a travel agent so we could figure out the rest of our trip. On the way there we drove by some government buildings where we saw a few soldiers on the streets, the only sign of any protests apparent during our entire trip. I think the protests were really isolated to a specific area, and as long as those parts were avoided, it is still a really safe place.

We had come to Thailand with zero plan, only the dates we would arrive and the sad date we would have to leave. The city is speckled with travel agents, but we were repeatedly told to go to a special governmental one. At this point we had hit information overload from every person talking to us, so we resigned to listen to the advice and figure out our trip. The agent planned our entire trip as a package, figuring out every detail and delivering them to us in a packet of numbered envelopes that I could open one by one to determine where we should be and when. It was a very simple solution that then required no thought from us for the rest of the time in Thailand.

This was also my first experience with bargaining. In Thailand you can bargain for anything. The strategy seemed to be they offer a price, you feign non-interest and begin to walk away at which point they say 'well for you, special deal. what you pay?' You then offer a ridiculously low price which makes them laugh, and then you go back and forth until you reach the middle point where everyone is happy. I hated doing it at first, but by the end it became a fun game of how low can I go. This was effective when buying anything, from our tour package to clothes to a taxi ride.

We spent a long time negotiating the deal, and afterwards our tuk-tuk driver was still waiting patiently outside for us. We decided it was time to head back to the grand palace, but she asked if first we could stop at a shopping mall where they would give her a gas voucher. I had been a little freaked out all day that we were going to get scammed, but as she had been with us for over two hours we were hopeful and agreed. She dropped us off at a suit store, another common site in Bangkok. They are EVERYWHERE with men outside trying entice you in. We wandered around for a minute, and then left, and luckily she was happy. Back at the grand palace, we asked how much she wanted and she told us to pay whatever we felt like. Here is where we learned the next lesson - always negotiate the fare before getting in the car. It was our first ride so we had no standard of how much it should cost, so I handed over a few bills and she didn't complain so we headed on our way.

The grand palace is an impressive site (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Palace). It used to be the residence of the Kings of Thailand, and it is a big compound of temples and elaborate gold-plated buildings. To enter, you have to be properly attired, so Justin and I both had to borrow clothes to cover our legs. We wandered through from one gorgeous building to the next, memorized by the elaborate decorations.

Thailand has a monarchy, and although the king does not run the country he is thought to be a demi-god and is revered throughout the country. It is against the law to say bad things about him, and it's illegal to step on any money there because it all has pictures of his face.

After we were happy with our tour of the palace, we headed back to Khao San road for some dinner, and to get ready for our overnight train to Chiang Mai (envelope number one from travel agent Alex).