Thailand

Me at Maya Beach

Well here I am in Bangkok, wrapping up my adventures in Thailand.  Little did I know when I made the plans originally that I would be extending my trip and continuing on to Cambodia!  I have caught the traveling bug and am ready to try traveling with minimal planning.  I have a ticket to the capital Phenom Phen (Sp?) and a hostel for two days.  That is it!  We will see what happens.

I feel as though I need to explain the last two blog posts.  Chiang Mai was the best leg of my trip, followed closely by Khao Yai National Park!  Chiang Mai was touristy but not overally, the food was cheap the trips were fairly economical.  The people were ridiculously helpful.  And the temples everywhere were gorgeous and a pleasure to see.  Just walking around town enjoying the temples was a joy, drinking a thai ice tea.  Feeling the sunshine, smelling the perfume of exotic flowers.  Most of the tourists were families, like little babies in strollers.  All speaking different languages.  Lots of college age students, but they were so busy doing zip line trips and elephant riding that drinking to excess was not on the menu.  The mountains around Chiang Mai were beautiful, they were tall but not too tall and the crowning glory of Doi Suteph was worth the Motorbike ride.

Pak Chong, the small city I stayed near while I went to Khao Yai national park was cute.  Not touristy at all, the only other foreigners I saw were at the train station.  Walking around the market I was struck by similarities to China.  Flattened pig faces on display and strange fruits I don't know the English name for.  The internet cafe was amazing, you paid by some sorta scale in thai.  All I know is I was online for about an hour researching Cambodia and I only paid 15 baht!  The Greenleaf guest house was nice, my own room and bathroom (no hot water) for 200 baht a night.  They had a very good restaurant there so I basically ate my weight in curry.  They knew how to make it spicy without killing me!  The tours were fantastic, Deow our tour guide for the full day in the park was hilarious.  I can still see him in my mind picking up giant turquoise scorpions and talking about Gibbons shitting on people.  Also hanging on the back of the truck looking up for Gibbons and Hornbills.  Jack our tour guide for the half day was informative and amusing in his own way.  He told us so much about the bats in the area and took us swimming in a fresh water spring!  It was worth it!  And a truly enjoyable part of my trip.

Phuket... words cannot describe.  Such natural beauty ruined by extreme tourism.  Tons of Eastern Europeans, whose culture clashes with mine.  Making them seem extremely rude!!  The pristine beaches are covered in umbrellas and chairs.  That you can rent for 100-200baht.  But the sand is white, the water is blue and warm.  Words cannot describe.  I decided to take a tour group and do a beach tour.  When I arrived at the dock swarming with tons of white people speaking different languages, I knew this was going to be painful.  And Oh it was.  The first beach we went to you had to pay for the bathroom, pay for the chairs.  There was a small area roped off for snorkeling but people had bought bread and were feeding the fish.  There were two white guys carrying monkeys and an exotic bird, offering them to people and a picture of them holding a monkey that was probably illegally poached.  That made me feel a bit sick.  I managed to see some fish and get away from the crowds but my mood was extremely irritated.  Our tour guide was a lady boy, whether he was a just a lady boy for the tourists or was really a lady boy I have no idea.  But he was nice, hungover and spoke with such a thick accent it was hard to understand.  Then we went to a beach with monkeys, no feeding no touching.  But everyone was feeding them and touching them.  The monkeys were bold as brass and were stealing things.  Then lunch, a disgusting buffet but free disgusting bathroom included.  Back on the boat, feelings of bile and anger rising.  Then we stopped in a cove and were allowed to jump off the boat and snorkel around.  That part I loved, I saw parrot fish, small fish, big fish, blue clams, blue sea stars.  It was paradise.  Finally we went to Maya beach where "The beach" and several other movies were filmed.  IT was over crowded but didn't have chairs.  Thank god.  Then back.  I was angry but slightly soothed by the wonderful snorkeling.  Then the best thing ever happened during my trip to Phuket.  Chacey met up with me and we rode around on a motorbike, we sat and ate.  She kindly listened to my rant!

Now I am in Bangkok.  I wonder what it will be like today!