Gang's All Here [Thailand Take 2]

A brief[ish] update on a brief stop in the Land of Smiles:

Last we all heard, Ali and I had ended our Malaysian adventure by boarding a harmless, albeit ridiculously long [read: 22 hours] sleeper train bound for [Bangkok, Thailand]. Both of us had already spent some quality time in Thailand and Bangkok in particular, so this leg of the trip was an effort to see a few things we missed the first time around, use the backpacker mecca as a pit stop to purchase anything we may have forgotten and, most importantly,  pick up our third travel companion, Matt. Mattchyu-teacher had also visited Bangkok over winter vacay and insisted/suggested that we stay at least a night in the city to experience the glory of The Atlanta, one of the oldest hotels in Bangkok.  While I'm usually not convinced to visit a city solely on the recommendation of a single hotel, after checking out The Atlanta's website, Ali and I were most definitely in for a night [or two].

Here I must give kudos to Matt, as the The Atlanta was one of the coolest places I have ever stayed. The facilities have remained largely unaltered since it opened as a luxury hotel in the 1950s, the exception being certain areas that were destroyed by floods. The initial attitude and services of the hotel are intact as well, along with a few new features (high-speed internet) tucked away in unobtrusive corners. You know those scenes in movies where the main character is sitting in an abandoned, dilapidated ballroom or mansion? The ones where music and chatter from an earlier, more prosperous era slowly build and a scene from some luxurious party or affair appears? I know that you know, think Titanic or something of that nature. Sitting at an antique writing desk, looking across the foyer in The Atlanta, it's like your just waiting for one of those scenes to overtake you. Its no stretch to imagine women in gowns and furs drifting past, chatting away with their tuxedoed companions, all while you sit there awed an under-dressed in those dirty cut-offs and sandals. I knew I should have brought my mink...

[ An important note to travelers: The Atlanta is NOT Khao San Road. It is, most unfortunately, located in what has become the center of sex tourism in Bangkok. That being said they maintain the following hilariously, unapologeticly blunt attitude towards "degenerates":   Visitors who object to any of The Atlanta's policies or  who intend to spend their time in Thailand whoring and indulging in alcohol abuse and illicit drugs should stay elsewhere. The Atlanta is not that kind of place. Tourism is not about going on a rampage through other people's country:  those who cannot travel abroad without behaving badly should stay home. On these policies, The Atlanta is not interested in dissenting public opinion or what the business world calls 'customer feedback'. The Atlanta caters to a certain kind of clientele and that is the end of the matter.  No discussion. No compromise. If it sounds like your kind of place, I would highly recommend The Atlanta as a place of calm in the madness that is Bangkok.]

Our stop in Bangkok was brief, as I mentioned, and only stretched an extra day due to our infatuation with the accommodations. Bangkok was crazy and sleazy and dirty and wonderful as always. Hours outside of the walls of the Atlanta were spent wandering through Khao San looking for replacement sandals and the like, glorying in the reunification of our bellies with delish Thai food, potentially emotionally scaring a few fellow Americans, and first time travelers, after bringing them out in one of the seedier areas I've ever been, and making absolutely sure Matt did not leave Bangkok for the second time without seeing mine and Ali's favorite temple Wat Arun. [above]

Two days, and an hour train ride North later, Ali, Matt and I, found ourselves far removed from the hustle and bustle and grim and gold of Bangkok. We dropped our bags, and traded tuk-tuks for bikes, grabbed some water and piled on the DEET. A few minutes of pedaling later, we were in the opposite of Bangkok; we were here...

 

อาณาจักรอยุธยา or [Ayutthaya, Thailand] What you don't speak Thai?? refers to both the Siamese kingdom existing from 1350-1776 and the capitol of said kingdom. By the end of the 14th century Ayutthaya was the strongest power in mainland South East Asia and, despite numerous aggressors, remained a stronghold of power until the Burmese-Siamese War. The capitol city was burned to ruins in 1767, and with the fall of the city Ayutthaya came the end of the kingdom Ayutthaya. All that remains is the Ayutthaya Historical Park, which is home to the ruins of the once glorious capital, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. [1] These days, the glorious capital looks a little something like this...

So, where does that leave us? Us being Ali, Matt and I, spent a lovely, sweaty, wonderful afternoon pedaling, wandering, and exploring our way around the various ruins in the historical park. Although I ended the day super sweaty and plastered in dust and grit, it was fantastic riding from one ruin to the next, and wandering around these beautiful temples and palaces from a time so far gone. Whenever I've visited ruins, in both Europe and Asia [South America and Egypt are on the to-do list...] I find myself thinking about how much was going on in the world before America was even on the radar. I think about how young we are as a country, and how different we may be a few centuries (or Millenia) from now. And then my brain explodes. I guess the world will have to wait and see, for now all we can do is marvel at those things left behind by others, and hope that these treasures are still around for our grandchildren to appreciate. The later, given current events (only a few weeks after our stopover) , is unfortunately less likely than I would like to admit.  But hey, they've lasted this long.

After climbing our way through the ruins for a few hours, and nearly being run off the [very small] road by a succession of mega tour buses, my friends and I rinsed off the grim ( Tony's Place was kind enough to let us store our bags for the afternoon and used their showers fo'free - Asahh!) and boarded yet another night train bound for Chiang Mai.

I had visited the jewel that is Chiang Mai on a previous solo adventure, but as neither Ali or Matt had a chance to venture further North than the capitol and I had such a wonderful experience in the city, I was happy to give it a second go. For a few days, we soaked in the city and enjoyed a few Thai massages. Ali and Matt took a cooking course and I was finally able to check out Wat Doi Suthep. Ali and I hunted down some some Korean food (by this time we were experiencing some serious withdrawal) and wandered the weekend market,  Matt got his teeth cleaned, and we spent a few hours reading books by the pool. What more could you ask for? Oh? Whats that? A visit an ultra modern, decidedly creepy, temple enroute to the next destination? Oh! I forgot to tell you! We did that too.

Enter Wat Rong Khun, or the White Temple, in Chiang Rai. This Wat slash ongoing contemporary art project, visited during a break on our ride to the border, is the creation of Thai artist Chaloemchai Khositphiphat ( I haven't the slightest idea how to say that name). The temple grounds are home to monstrous hanging heads, a sea of outstretched hands, and sharp, mirrored spires and are patrolled by a megaphone wielding guard ensuring no one touches the pristine white structure. The inside of the Wat remains unfinished. At the time of our visit, it was being painted with what seemed to be quasi religious murals including contemporary cartoon characters and depictions of current events alla 9/11. It was all very confusing. We weren't even sure it was a real Wat (or what it was at all?) and had to google "scarey white temple, Thailand" before we knew what we were dealing with. To be honest, I am still not quite sure what we were dealing with. What I can say is that Wat Rong Khun was the most thought provoking, unique temple I visited in Thailand. Maybe one day I'll figure out what's going on there.

So that's that on the Thailand-front my friends.  It was a glorious stop on the SEAsia trail, and one I was happy to revisit. At this point it was time to move on to the country I was most excited to visit (there's just something about Laos...) but, before we left, one member of our party of three decided to start a war that would last the remainder of our trip. We should have known nothing good could come of this...nothing good ever comes of it. But, for what it's worth, a good Ice war makes for some hilarious plotting, and ridiculous bumps along the way.

Next stop, Laos.
See you across the Mekong,
Emily

ALSOOOO.... you know the drill, check out my photos for sale HERE!
If, by chance, you are just tuning in and do not in fact know the drill. Feel free to read THIS and figure out what it is I am talking about. Once you've done that you can go HERE to check out some sweet original artwork from yours truly :) Show your friends, show your fam, show errrryone.
Kamsahamnida!

Thailand Travel Links:
http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm
www.theatlantahotelbangkok.com
http://www.travelfish.org/map_detail/thailand/bangkok_and_surrounds/ayutthaya/ayutthaya/32
http://www.chiangmaithaihouse.com/index.php

[Pad]ThaiLand: Bangkok

Bangkok is gold and incense and scams. It is sweet coffee in bags and suicidal tuk-tuks. Bangkok is old and new and shiny and dirty. Bangkok is Bangkok, and nothing less.

I arrived in the country's capitol after my final flight aboard Bangkok Airways.
American Airlines take note: any passenger with a Bangkok Airways ticket is welcomed into a pre-departure BA lounge, once they've cleared security. This cozy room is filled with comfy chairs, service-e internet stations, free snacks and coffee to boot. Once on board, you can expect to receive an in-flight meal, or barrage of snacks, even on a sub 60 min flight and, 30 min prior to landing, the TV screens begin broadcasting an instructional video, leading the passengers in guided meditation and pressure point massage, to relieve the ill effects of air travel. Nice-uh!

After arriving in Bangkok and collecting my things, I purchased a bus ticket to Th Khao San (Khao San Road) and headed off to the Backpackers Ghetto, situated in the Western part of Bangkok's Old City. Over the last 20 years or so, the former rice market has become the home base for nearly every [budget] traveller passing through Bangkok. Spanning a city block, the road brings out a bit of the best and just about all of the worst of traveling and travelers. Crowded between the hoards of people, ranging somewhere between clean, chipper and fresh faced (those at the beginning of their travels) and more than slightly disheveled, deliriously tired, some what unaffected, and distinctly travel worn (those on the tail ends of their Round The World tickets,) one can find quite the variety of attractions and distractions. Surely you will find everything you thought you needed (an abundance of guesthouses, restaurants, bars, cheap food and clothing, and travel agencies) right along side those things you never knew you needed (the same cheap clothes and souvenirs, Dr. Fish treatment, dreadlock-weave stations, and stands selling any sort of false identification or paperwork you could ever need) and, not to be forgotten, those select services that NO ONE, ANYWHERE, EVER, will need (bogus combination boat/bus/train tickets to anywhere in Asia, questionable Thai massages behind closed doors, and even more questionable Thai men pushing invitations to illegal "ping-pong" sex shows.)

Once my bus dropped me off in the above described circus that is Khao San, I preformed my now routine ritual of ignoring each and every tuktuk/taxi driver, and set off in search of Khao San Palace, as per Ali's instructions. An hour later, I had finished marveling at the long forgotten fixtures of an actual hotel, swapped my airplane leggings for a pair of comfy, ankle concealing, fisherman pants, scarfed a dollars worth of Pad Thai and was ready to roll. Ali and I stopped to grab a quick gallon of iced coffee each, which was delivered "to-go" in clear plastic bags with straws, and happily slurped down said deliciousness as we strolled towards the Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew.


Getting into the palace was somewhat like an obstacle course, involving evading a seemingly endless stream of tuk-tuk/taxi drivers/scam artists, trying ever so helpfully to tell us: a.) They would love to give us a tour of Bangkok, and drive us to all of the temples for a meer 20 Baht, if we wanted to participate in a one day, tax free, shopping extravaganza. b.) "I am very sorry Miss, but this area of the city is closed today. I can give you a free tour of 'X' area AND take you on a one day, tax free, shopping extravaganza, or c.) "TUK-TUK, TUK-TUK, MISS, TUK-TUK, YOU NEED TUK-TUK!!!" Luckily Ali and I had both read up on tuk-tuk scams in Lonely Planet (don't want to go into it ..great description here) and Ali may or may not have gotten suckered into a scam by one Moon-Mi on her first pass through the city, so we knew to avoid such friendly offers outright. Thanks to my Seoulmate's previous expereinces, I learned early on that a confused "No hablo Inglés,"  or "Non parlo Inglese," depending on your faux-nationality of choice, was enough to scatter scammers by the masses. Seeing as a large portion of Bangkok is in cahoots over the great tuk-tuk scams, fending off a driver with the "I don't speak English" gem is enough to evade drivers for at least 100 meters or so. (Word to the wise, do not choose Hebrew for this clever ruse, as for some reason I was shouted at to "Yala! Yala!" almost as much as, "Come here, Let's go!")

After finally reaching the Palace, we purchased tickets, fashioned Ali a beautiful wool scarf/skirt (her lower ankles were a bit too provocative for the guards liking) and headed inside. Visiting the Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, is sort of like visiting the Colosseum or the Forum in Rome, or the Alhambra in Grenada (though not quite on the same scale as the latter). The Palace/Wat compound is enormous and simply filled to the brim with tour groups, travelers, and Thai field trips. While it was a bit overwhelming and stressful at times, the buildings and their respective embelishments were beautiful. We marveled at the gold spires, and glass mosaics adorning nearly every surface, read up on a little history from our handy pamphlets,  shot a friendly "Anyeong Haseyo" at some tourists we recognized as Korean, and snapped about a million photos. Basically, we were the world's biggest tourists; but, when in Bangkok...

 

Thoroughly exhausted and sweaty, we left the Palace and wandered towards to river, to see if we could figure out how to get to the famous floating market; but, after realizing it didn't really fit into our [lack of a]plan and hearing that it was really more of a show for the tourists these days, we decided it was not going to happen. Instead we jumped on the ferry and rode across the river to Wat Arun, or Temple of the Dawn. I realized later that, after reading through my LP, I had scrawled Wat Arun on the list of things I'd like to see, but couldn't quite remember why until we arrived. This was my absolute favorite Wat I saw in all of Thailand, and one of the cooler things I have ever seen. The entire structure is covered in semi-imperfect mosaics made from broken ceramic tiles and china, left over by Chinese traders. The effect is simply stunning, and gives the who structure a simultaneously earthy and other-worldly feel. As the sun began to set, Ali and I climbed a treacherous set of stairs, that literally required a rope support on the way down (yet later we saw a young monk practically sprint down) and took in a spectacular view from the upper levels of the largest spire. I found myself daydreaming of mosaics made by the students of MMSD, and outsider artists I learned about during my ArtEd coursework, and was immensely happy. Sometimes not having a plan can lead you to the most fantastic places you will ever encounter.  Wat Arun, you're pretty fab.

 

Post temple climbing, and an equally treacherous and terrifying descent, we headed back towards Khao San, managed to track down a somewhat hidden Israeli restaurant (much thanks and no thanks to LP, for the excellent recommendation and horrible map/description) where we proceeded to stuff our faces with the best falafel, pita and hummus I have had, outside the Land of Milk and Honey. The evening brought showers, a brief break with a dog named Hachi, and some nighttime shopping, before finding seats at the only bar on the street not playing club beats and grabing a few Changs. We had a lovely evening singing along to live, acoustic, English music, rubbed elbows with some new Thai friends, and called it a night.

The next day brought a trip to the weekend market, a modern day Buddhist hub, and a bit of lost wandering.  After obligatory gallons of morning coffee, we jumped in a cab (they actually have taxi cars in bangkok as opposed to the pickup trucks found elsewhere) and road off the the gargantuan clusterfriend that is จตุจักร (Chatuchak) Market. Chatuchak market is the largest market in Thailand, and one of the most famous markets in all of Asia. It covers 35 acres and has more than 5,000 stalls[1] selling everything imaginable. Food? Check. Clothes? Check. Furniture? Check. House wares? Check. Illegally traded animals? Double check. (I'll come back to this one) Ali and I spent the majority of the day roaming the market until were were totally and completely overwhelmed and felt ourselves fading into the crowd. We decided to hop on the skytram and head towards the Erwa shrine, which turned out to be one of the more interesting/currently relevant display's of religion  I saw in Thailand. The Hindu shrine, set amid Bangkok's highly developed, very westernized, swanky down town, receives thousands of visitors each day, stopping off between errands to make a quite offering. The popularity of the shrine, and hired dance troops preforming near by, can be attributed to the shrine's notoriety for bestowing good luck and answering prayers (the dancers are hired by worshipers, whose prayers have been answered, to show appreciation.)



After getting a bit lost on the return end, we spent the evening back on Khao San, getting our laundry done in a back ally, and purchasing beautiful handmade dresses from an adjacent shop. Ali packed up her belongings, as it was her last night in Thailand, and we headed out for one last night of good times, good music, and a few toasts to friends and adventures (not to mention some accidentally inferno Pad Thai... my bad.)

Ali left me early the next morning, but I still had one fabulous day left in the city of gold. I snagged some eggs, toast and coffee (obviously) and managed to get in contact with a long lost friend via the hotel phone. I was once more reminded that, solely based on my parents decision to send me to camp, I am very lucky to have friends in far reaching corners of the globe. Laura, a former Beber staff/boss/friend/loveee is living and teaching in Bangkok and we made plans to meet up that day.

Prior to our date, I ventured off on my own to Wat Pho, home of the famous reclining Buddha. I marveled at one last fortress of moasic and gold spires, checked out the very popular, but very impressive reclining Buddha and headed back towards Chatuchack to meet Laura for another round with the beast.We had plenty of catching up and camp gossiping to do (it has be two years since we last saw eachother) so much so that we kept forgetting to look at the menu and actually decide what to order for lunch. After lunch we dove back into the market and, true to the notion that you cant see it all in a day, ended up in corners of the market Laura, who has lived in the city for over a year, has never seen. At one point we inadvertently wandered into the animals section, and were at once surrounded by puppies (way to young to be sold), birds (some were already dead), weird squirrels, something that may or may not have been a monkey, turtles, fish, skunks... you name it. The whole thing was really gross and really sad (def not PETA approved) but the more we tried to find our way to a new section, the more we found ourselves trapped by thousands of rodents. It was literally my worst nightmare. I wish I had photographic evidence, but I was far to traumatized to pull out the camera at this point.

  

[ Point of interest, after my return I stumbled on this news article, describing a man attempting to smuggle out of Thailand: 88 Indian star tortoises, 33 elongated tortoises,7 radiated tortoises, 6 mata mata turtles, 4 Southeast Asian narrow-headed softshell turtles,3 Aldabra tortoises, 1 pig-nosed turtle, 1 ploughshare tortoise (which Traffic described as the world's rarest tortoise) 34 ball... pythons, 2 boa constrictors, several milk snakes, corn snakes and king snakes and 1 hog-nosed snake. There also were 19 bearded dragon lizards, 4 spiny-tailed lizards, 2 Sudan plated lizards, 6 Argentine horned frogs, 18 baboon spiders, 22 common squirrels and 1 African grey parrot, all stuffed into 3 suitcases. The animals were suspected to be purchased at Chatuchak, and the man was caught during routine security screenings. So, there's that.]  

Laura and I retreated to her apartment to cool off and spent the rest of the evening chatting away and getting 3 dollar facials with a few of her friends. I got to see a bit of the non-touristy areas of the city, my face has never felt more wonderful, and my heart was extremely full and happy after catching up with an old friend.  It was the perfect ending to a spectacular adventure. 

After one more evening of street food, shopping and packing. And a quick breakfast in the morning. I was off and away back to the Land of the Morning Calm. My time in Thailand was absolutely phenomenal, and I would be incredibly depressed if I thought I would never see its shining skies and glittering Wats again. As is, I have a feeling that one day the countries allure will draw me back into the crowded Soi's I loved so much, perhaps on the way to other, less familiar destinations...

So, Thailand, I guess I will finally cave and admit that my vacation is [long] over.
Thanks for the ride, my friend. To you, I will always look with a smile.


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To see all my Bangkok photos, click on the button on the right side of the screen :) enjoy!

[1] https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Chatuchak_Weekend_Market

[Slightly] Solo Adventures: Chiang Mai

I believe when I left off I was speeding back up and around the hills of Koh Tao, mourning my immanent separation from the white sand beaches and, at the same time, buzzing with excitement and anticipation for the next leg of my journey.

Thailand Part 2 began with a ferry ride back to Koh Samui. I grabbed one last lunchtime rotee, purchased a joint ferry/van transfer ticket, and plastered myself with all the proper stickers designating both my person and my luggage as Koh Samui bound. I hopped up to the upper deck of the ferry, in an attempt to separate myself from a bit of the crowd  and enjoy a bit of fresh sea air; but, should have known better after a few of my fellow passengers started taking bets on how long it would be before people started throwing up.  Answer: 30 min.

Luckily, that joyous experience was not my own (though it was a close call) especially since I still had over an hour left on the ferry. [Un]fortunately, shortly after my neighbor started losing her breakfast. the torrential downpour that had plagued us on Koh Phangan finally caught up. I decided to escape to a lower deck, where I planted myself on the floor, popped a few Dramamine, and focused on calming my own internal rebellions for the remainder of the journey.

After a quick evening on Koh Samui, which included: realizing my last min guest house reservation had been made for the wrong night, the most delicious [street car] green curry I ate the entire trip, and a beautiful sunrise on the beach, I was back to the airport and on my way to Chiang Mai.

Before my departure to the Land of Smiles, almost everyone I spoke to had voiced the same advice, "You have to go to Chiang Mai!" So, while I wasn't quite sure what to expect, I was excited to see what the Northern city had to offer.

My first two days in Chiang Mai, I stayed on the West side of the Old City, in a hostel I selected upon arrival, from an airport internet kiosk. Even with the help of sites like hostelworld.com, you never quite know what to expect in a hostel/guesthouse; but, the Green Tulip did not disappoint. Situated a fair (yet walkable) distance from most tourist attractions, the guesthouse was remarkably clean, and offered both aircon single rooms and 6 bed dorms (as well as other options, I am sure) at only slightly above dirt cheap prices. After dropping off my pack, and rearranging my day bag, I decided to wander the area around the hostel and see what I could find.


As luck would have it, I wandered straight into Wat PhraSingh, one of the most beautiful and well known Buddhist temples in the city. This being my first Wat experience, I was awestruck by the sheer quantity of glittering gold and colored glass adorned surfaces, delighted by the ornamental dragons guarding the entrance to each building, and enchanted by the hoards of monks in blaze orange robes. I wandered in and out of buildings, large and small, and found that each contained some sort of Buddha altar, most often clad in gold and surrounded by a beautiful array of figurines and offerings. One rear chamber contained what became one of my favorite Buddha statues, a small but beautiful jade figure, seated in the lotus position, and adorned with a gold crown and dressings. I later discovered that this is actually a replica of the famous Emerald Buddha, which currently resides in Bangkok.

After taking my fill of pictures, I found a patch of floor space that I deemed the most out of the way, in the largest temple room. I sat eavesdropping (though I obviously understood nothing) on a Thai woman consulting a seated monk, and set to sketching the large altar before me. After fifteen minutes or so, my sketching and spying were interrupted by the sound of a band playing outside. Wondering if is was some kind of performance, I wrapped up my drawing, and walked outside in search of the source of the music. What I found, in my opinion, was even better. Beating drums and trumpets led me around the side of the temple complex, where I found myself in the side yard of an adjacent school. I stumbled right into what seemed to be a semi legit school soccer match. Organized in the sense that both sides wore uniforms (yellow and flamingo pink) and the blast of referee's whistle, form some unidentified source, could be heard regulating every few minutes. As far as I could tell, however, the only spectators besides myself and a few other curious tourists, were small groups of the players' peers clad in street clothes and monks' robes alike, intent on cheering on and enthusiastically heckling their peers.  I personally like to think the monks refrained from heckling; but, really, it's hard to say. I spent a lovely twenty minutes listening to short bursts of music, which turned out the be the product of high school band practice, watching the game, remembering my own years of school-side soccer games, and thinking the other side of the world is not so different after all.

Later in the evening, after returning to Green Tulip, organizing my next days adventure, and changing into some less travel/sweaty clothing, I stopped by the front desk and asked where I should walk around for the evening. My very helpful hostess pulled out a map, circled a destination and essentially forced me on a fellow traveler, who was headed in search of food in the same direction. Thus began my evening with Jesse, who was making a[n extended] stopover in Thailand, before diving into the Spice Islands and Borneo. Our destination turned out to be the world famous Night Bizarre, on the other side of the old city. The Night Bizarre, or Kad Luang (Royal Market), was historically the place to buy anything and everything in Thailand, and was once largely controlled my Chinese traders. Today the market is distinctly Thai, and has morphed into a square kilometer of shops and stalls dedicated to selling everything from clothing, to hand made crafts, to weird chatchkies. I am not talking Thai chatchkies either. As Jesse and I weaved through the crowded tables and stalls, attempting to take in the visual, auditory, and tangible stimulation from all sides, I couldn't believe the global span of market crap. Those weird stress ball face things that are shoved in your face every two seconds, while trying to enjoy the Trevi Fountain. Check. Those sand filled lizard things made out of patterned fabric, that were all the rage when you were nine. Check. Weird varieties of T-shirts having nothing to do with Thailand. Double Check. After deciding that neither of us really required a hat made out of PBR cans, or an electronic, light up t-shirt, we settled down in an outdoor seafood restaurant and, after an unnecessary amount of difficulty, ordered some delicious squid salad and TomYom Soup. 

Over the next few hours I learned the following: Spicy squid salad is delicious. Jesse is originally from Virginia. He has a graduate degree in biology (I think) and, while deciding whether or not to go back for a PhD, has been dividing his time between traveling, teaching semester university courses and specialized summer programs, riding produce trucks to hidden organic farming compounds, and dreaming up his current project. The first stage of the adventure will apparently involve rounding up some hipster, film maker friends from Brooklyn, and carting them off to Borneo. (On that note we spent more than a few minutes laughing and imagining a few skinny-jeaned, blackberry deprived, NY documentary film makers, trekking through uninhabited regions of Borneo. I invite you to do the same)  I learned more about evolutionary science than I thought I ever thought I would, on any given evening, and made a mental note to keep tabs on the blog and see how this writing/science/photography/documentary film/personal journey goes down. (It's actually amazing what a quick Google search of, "Jesse, Blog, Darwin, Borneo" will turn up.)  After finishing our dinner, we wandered back through the market and towards are guest house. I was glad to have a companion at this point, as the street we walked down to reach the market had, in a few short hours, transformed into the second most flagernt example to the wide spread sex industry, I came across in Thailand. (The first to be addressed in my Bangkok post) We walked quickly through the street, trying not to gawk in disgust at the bars teeming with pot-bellied, middle aged, creepy, white guys surrounded by scantily clad, young Thai girls, played a quick game of live Frogger across the large streets marking our return to the Old City, and made our way back to Green Tulip. I wished him luck on all the thinking, writing, and figuring out he was planning to do in the following week, briefly meditated on the figuring out my own life would soon require, and there we parted ways, bringing to an end one of those lovely evening friendships, that so often pepper a few weeks (or a lifetime) of travel.

The next morning I woke up excited, rolled out of bed, packed my day bag, and shot out the door for a quick cup of coffee. My stomach was grumbling and I was in desperate need of some toast; but, as I had been warned not to eat breakfast, I refrained. You may be asking (or maybe not, because you have seen my photos) "Why would I be given such horrible instructions?" The answer is this; on my second day in Chiang Mai, I signed up for an all day Thai cooking course, at the Siam Rice Thai Cookery School. For those who don't know me that well (if there are any of you actually reading this) I LOVE to cook, almost more than I love to eat. And I love to eat. And I REALLY LOVE to eat Thai food. So, this one was really a no-brainer. I was picked up from the guest house by my instructor, Pad .. or Pot ... or Pod... really unclear, and shuttled, with my classmates, to a local market, where Pot/Pod/Pad introduced us to some of the main ingredients in Thai cooking. My Mom, and Miss Perla, would have been very proud, as I was the only one who recognized Kaffir lime leaves by smell. 

After some time at the market, we climbed back into the truck and were whisked off to the outskirts of the city to Pad(as he will now be know)'s family home/school facility. We were each instructed to choose 6 items from a list of course options, before donning our aprons, washing are hands, and getting down to business. For the next six hours we chopped, pounded, sliced, fried, lit on fire, and boiled to our hearts content, pausing every two courses to feast on our creations. 

My menu included: Lab Kai (Spicy Chicken Salad with Mint), Pad Kra Prao (fried chicken and holy basil), Nam Phtik Kaeng Massaman (handmade massaman curry paste, later turned into delicious Massaman Curry) , TomYam (hot and sour soup), Pad See Eaw (Fried Jelly Noodles), and finally Khao Neeaw Ma Muang (Sticky ride and mango --yumyumyum). While I can never fully describe in words the sounds and smells of the kitchen, please feel free to feast your eyes, and try not to get too jealous. 

Siam Rice was a wonderful, and highly recommended, experience, that was capped off with an evening of Thai feast induced food comma spent reading and relaxing on an outdoor patio. 
On CM Day 3, I woke up and wandered down the street in search of coffee and eggs, eventually finding a cafe ready to brew me up a delicious latte. This outdoor coffee shop was located precisely across the street from Wat Dubphai, a small temple down the street from my guesthouse. I spent a lovely hour sketching and taking in the scene, along with two enormous cups of coffee, before heading back to GT to grab my bag. I had (very)tentative plan to meet up with Amanda during my time in ChiangMai, and had found a different guesthouse with availability in another part of the city. We had communicated mostly through a series of wishful brain waves and a few chaotic facebook messages; so, after a quick tuktuk ride to the Eastern part of the old city, I spent the day exploring the near by market, having my plans to visit Wat Doi Sutep thwarted by a group of seemingly helpful travelers, and playing hostel tag with Miss Win. 

My adventures to Wat Doi Sutep, or lack there of, are a small yet annoying blemish in my travel record in The Land of Smiles (or in this case land of scrunch-browed frustration). Wat Doi Sutep is located a little ways outside of the city, atop a mountain with what I am told are beautiful views looking both out towards the city, and inward at the Wat. I was pretty set on going, however, getting there proved a far greater challenge than I anticipated. On my first attempt, I headed over to a long row of read pickups turned taxis, which advertised round trip rates to a variety of locations. While I knew traveling solo I would likely have to pay a much higher fee slash get ripped off (as it is usually split a few ways), I didn't really see a way around this obstacle. I was just about to hop into one of these overprices taxis, who had actually agreed to drop 200 Baht off the horrifically inflated price, when two other girls came by and asked about the price to the same location. After receiving their answer, these two girls proceeded to totally freak out and say that you could ride from the university for a tenth of the price, and set off in the opposite direction. Now weary that I was being ripped off beyond the usual level, I decided to head towards the university myself. Only problem was, once I got there this secret location you can get Doi Sutep rides from was nowhere to be found (and I had forgotten to grab my lonley planet). To make maters worse, any taxi I found told me it was going to be MORE expensive than the original ride, even though I was already a third of the way to my desired destination. Pissed off, annoyed, grumpy, and sweaty, I said, "the hell with it!" grabbed some dried mango from a local market, and wander back towards the city center. While my DST failure was frustrating, I ended up wandering to a nearly deserted Wat Saundak, where I spent an hour or so, sketching, taking in the visions of beautiful gold and white stuppas set against a brilliant blue sky, a field of white concrete spires and memorials, and the blazing Thai sun dipping low in the sky. 

Upon returning to my new, slightly less well kept (yet not with want of character) guesthouse, I found that my early morning game of guest house tag with Amanda had payed off. I read through the note left for me at the front desk, signed up for a one day trek for the following day, and settled in to wait for her with a Chang and my book. (as highly recommended as its predecessor)

Once my flaky, yet wonderful, friend arrived, we filled each other in on our previous weeks adventures over a delicious Thai dinner (both happy to once again have someone to play sharsies with) and set off for an evening of exploring, shopping, and gawking and the Night Bizarre. Amanda, as it turns out, is excellent at bartering, though I think this is largely by accident. Believing her to be playing hard ball, the merchants would lower their price over and over and over again, far lower than you would ever expect. What they didn't realize, of course,  is that Amanda cannot make a quick committed decision to save her life (all said out of love, obvi) and was most often just wavering as the whether she actually wanted to buy the item in question. End result, however, is the same. We had an excellent evening roaming the market, window[less] shopping, actually shopping, haggling, giggling, and enjoying ourselves immensely. 

Amanda and I parted ways early the next morning to, once again, set off on our own adventures. She had two days left in the city and had signed up for a 2 day trek (jealous), while I myself could afford only one. Trekking trips have become a booming tourist attraction in Northern Thailand, and range from 1 to several days. Most include some portion of hiking, mixed with various combinations of attractions. I spent my last full day in Chiang Mai, hiking in the hills, riding in both whitewater and bamboo rafts, and rambling through open fields perched atop an Elephant with an English dude. Sounds great right? The Elephant riding was really cool and I was happy to be somewhere where they didn't chain up the animals, or tie their feet together. The hiking was sub par, although it was nice to get some fresh air. The rafting, in both cases, was like rafting lite, and unnecessary in my life. Overall, I would not recommend those traveling to ChiangMai to sign up for a trek, if you have only one day to spare. I could have used a bit less rafting riding, a bit more hiking, and  a chance to visit one of the hill tribe villages, which seems to be the experience on the longer treks. As always, you live and learn and, incidentally, I learned from my short term English BFF, that there is phenomenal trekking in Laos. So, perhaps a bit more trekking lies in my traveling future. 

On my last morning in Chiang Mai, I woke up before the sun, determined as I was to watch the sunrise from Doi Suthep. After coffee and toast, however, I was once again thwarted, this time by my own doubts. I had a plane to catch at 10 and was concerned that  I A. would have to head back down before the sun even rose, effectively seeing nothing for my troubles or B. would not make it down in time for my required 8:10 am departure to the airport. Alas, I chalked this one up to fate, and put Doi Sutep at the top of my list for the day I inevitably return to this wonderful city. I instead walked out to the canal to enjoy a sunrise over the city, and weaved through the rows of stalls preparing themselves for the days Flower Festival.



With one last whiff of flowers and incense, and bag of pineapple from the market, I was on my way to Bangkok, for one last adventure. 

Anyeong[hikheseyo].
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To view all my photos from Chiang Mai (and Thailand) click the button on the right side of the screen. :) Enjoy 

ราชอาณาจักรไทย Land of Smiles [1]

Back in Korea. Back in action.

 

My 17 glorious days in Thailand have unfortunately come to a close; but, what a truly wonderful adventure they were. Monday evening found yours truly in China, frantically checking my watch and sprinting through Guangzhou International Airport, trying to make my connecting flight. Said flight was scheduled to board in 1 minute but, unknown to me, was running a bit late.  Slightly frazzled, and more than slightly out of breath, I made it to my gate with time to spare. I even had a few minutes to rifle through my bulging messenger bag for some Yen I knew I had stuffed in some pocket, of some bag, somewhere. Sadly, I have yet to find those elusive eight dollars, which will probably surface sometime 3 years down the road, in an utterly perplexing fashion. For the present,  my coffee fix went unanswered; but, more importantly, I made it onto my flight.  At about 5:50pm China time, I settled into my go-to airplane fetal position and fell into a deep sleep, intent on dreaming my way back to Seoul.

Rewind 17 days.
My bags are slightly lighter and significantly less bulgy. I am exhausted (as made clear by the canyon like bags under my eyes), a little unkempt, and buzzing with excitement. Moments earlier I touched down in Guangzhou International Airport and checked my watch. I am now sprinting through the terminal and security rechecks, trying to catch my connecting flight. I am one member of a small, hastily formed, possy including a middle aged Australian man and a young Canadian/American couple. We are all English teacher's in Korea headed to The Land of Smiles for a few weeks respite. We have never met before and will likely never meet again; but, for thirty minutes in China, we are united in our drive and determination to make it to Bangkok without delay.

Fast forward 10 hours.
It's been 5 hours since I landed in Bangkok and collected my pack. There is still about an hour until I can check in for my early morning flight to Koh Samui. I have wedged my bag in the smallest, and what I deemed safest, space possible (between the fire extinguisher box and glass balcony overlooking the lower floors.) My passport is around my neck and under my shirt, I am laying on top of my purse, and there is about 1000 dollars in Thai Baht in my bra. I have been snoozing under my sarong for the past few hours, along side countless other backpack toting travelers. The sheer number of people napping in the airport between late night and early morning flights is my first reminder that Thailand has become somewhat of a backpacker Mecca. I survey my fellow travelers for a few moments and register that, short of a few amused passers by, the airport seems to have finally fallen asleep. I take this as my cue to collect my things and begin my search for Amanda, who has arrived on a later flight.



Five more hours, a plane, bus, and ferry later. Miss Win and I hopped off the boat and planted our feet on Koh Phangan, an island off the East coast of Thailand. The sun is shining, there is a rainbow of fishing and longboats floating on crystal turquoise water, and there are Thai taxi drivers basically screaming at us from all directions. We push our way past these drivers and find the correct van taxi to bring us to our guest house. We are informed that we can leave right away because the rain will come, but it will be more expensive because we wont wait for a full car. While that sounds like an offer we can refuse, it was really more like, "We are leaving now because I don't want to stand in the rain and I will be charging you three times the price." At this point we are so antsy we don't care. Emily - 0 Thailand - 1. This is the first of many times I will get ripped off by taxi drivers over the next 17 days.



After a probably the safest taxi ride I had in Thailand (seriously) Amanda and I arrived at our guest house and found our suntanned friends relaxing in the common area/reasturant/bar bungalow on the beach. Despite Asian airlines outstanding service and practice of providing it's travelers a meal even on 50 minute, non-meal time flights, at this point we hadn't eaten in hours and were about ready to eat one of our friends. No problem. Gay, our spectacular guesthouse operator, whipped up some of the best masaman curry and padseaeuw I had the whole trip, which we proceeded to scarf down, while lazing on floor mats, catching up on our friends adventures, and appreciating the general warmth.  After satisfying our hunger, and fending off a bit of food coma, we were informed the preferred method of transportation and the best way to really see the island was by scooter, which Ali, Mike, Gerri and Whitney had rented days prior. Amanda and I changed into some lighter clothes, called up the scooter rental guy and, in 20 minutes, were the proud owners of two shiny scooters and helmets (safety first) all for about 6 dollars a day.  After a bit of practice, we grabbed our bags and were off. We made a quick pit stop at a roadside stand, to fill up our tanks with gasoline sold out of recycled liquor bottles, and were ready to go.

Anndddd cue torrential downpour.



With initial plans to ride up the coast to a Northern beach, we made it as far as the next largest town, Surrat Tani, before being forced indoors by the rain. Said rain proceeded to fall for a large portion of the next four days, during which time we ate inappropriate amounts of Thai food, drank gallons of Thai iced coffee (after our third time to the same place, the guy would see us and just say, "Ice coffee?) shopped more than was really necessary, and indulged in daily amazing Thai massages (again... 8 dollars... love.) I'd say I've had worse problems in my life.



During a few dry moments, and more than a few requiring the use of the emergency poncho my dad gave me before I went to Europe which has remained folded in my backpack for the last four years, we were able to scoot our way around the island to various beautiful beaches and sandbars. We spent a few hours lying on warm beaches, soaked up what precious vitamin D was available, and obviously sampled more of what Thailand had to offer in terms of cuisine and beach-side massages. There were seashells to collect, guesthouse puppies and small children to play with, photos to be taken, and books to be read. During those precious dry moments, life was good. And, even when it was raining, it wasn't so bad.

After an often soggy scooter ride bake to our guesthouse, one of which included riding straight into a flash flood, having to ditch our scooters at a higher altitude guesthouse and hike down the beach to our powerless bungalows, the early evenings brought delicious guesthouse dinners and a few Changs. Full bellies, and sometimes clean hair, were followed up with alternating low key nights of movies and Bananagrams, and the fire spitting, flame jump roping, dayglow painted, black light lit trans music fest that is the Koh Phangan night scene. On our first clear night, my friends and I decided to hop in a taxi (by which I mean red pickup truck with benches in the back, obviously) and head to Haad Rin, the party beach home to the famous Full Moon Party. While I'm told we showed up on a pretty low key night for Haad Rin, the beach was full of people ready to play with fire, drink out of buckets, and dance their face off to 4x4 beats. It was at this point, I think, that we realized the perpetual soundtrack to our adventures would be a remix of this song. Needless to say, it made for an interesting vacation. The next night out brought us to Full Moon's little sister, the Half Moon party. Imaging hearing, living, and breathing that lovely 4x4 beat, in the middle of the jungle, in a open air club of sorts, where 80% of people (ourselves included) look like Miami Ink threw up dayglow all over their bodies, and you're basically at Half Moon. I will say it was not the kind of place I never expected to find myself, and a place I am not sure I ever need to return; but, it was a damn good time while it lasted.



After four days of rainy rain, we were really ready for some significant sunshine and beach time; so, the morning after Half Moon, Ali, Whitney, Amanda and I stuffed everything back into our packs, returned our scooters, and hopped on a ferry to the next island North, Koh Tao.

Upon docking on Koh Tao, I was for a moment transferred through time and space to my first few moments in Cinque Terre, Italy. Maybe it was the mish-mosh of brightly painted shops, restaurants and family homes all piled together right up against the coast. Maybe it was all the happy, rottee eating tourists, clad in sunglasses and sundresses, or maybe it was the ultra saturated fishing boats lined up along the shore. One thing is certain, it was definitely NOT the screaming, guesthouse hawking taxi drivers, that assaulted our senses the moment we stepped off the dock. Ali, Amanda, Whitney and I, once again shoved our way past any taxi driver trying to take us to a guesthouse, from which they would most certainly receive a kick back, and found someone to take us to our next bungalow for a seemingly reasonable price. For the second time that day, we tossed our bags into the back of an old truck, and sped off up and over the hill to Sariee Beach. We checked into our slightly less rustic new home, dropped our bags, and headed to the beach.

Some of our teacher karma must have finally registered because Koh Tao was absolutely beautiful. The crystal clear water and white sand beaches were like nothing I have seen before and a 3 dollar mask rental allowed you to snorkel right off the shore, in some of the best diving waters in the world. Koh Tao actually SCUBA certifies more people than anywhere in the world besides the Great Barrier Reef. Each day we grabbed a quick breakfast (eggs and toast actually exist in Thailand!) and made the all important decision of which section of the beach to plant ourselves on. We explored up and down Sariee beach, snorkeled to our hearts content, and one afternoon took a longboat out to Koh Ma, an even smaller island, and enjoyed a few hours of brilliant sun, on a practically private slice of heaven. Said paradise was only interrupted by another foreigner, who seemed to be staying in one of the few huts situated on the even tinier island we had waded to form Koh Ma and who, after wading his way across the sand bar, proceeded to throw a cat at Ali and I and yell (while running back into the ocean) "Hey, can you guys watch my cat for a second?!" As if we could actually say no at that point? Apparently this waygook and his wife/girlfriend/female life partner were attempting to cross the sand bar (tide in) with their cat and two small dogs, one of which didn't quite seem to grasp the finer points of swimming. Why this was a good idea? I'll never know. What I do know is when, 30 minutes or so later, we made our way back across to Koh Ma to catch our longboat, the two dogs burst out of nowhere and followed us back to the other island, their owners nowhere in sight. We did what we could to get them to head back to the other side, but when a dog is determined, your best only goes so far... As you read this, those little doggies may or may not still be running free on Koh Ma, adopted into one of the packs of puppies patrolling the island beaches.


After three and a half days of sunshine, snorkeling, and tasty Thai barbeque, it was time for me to leave Koh Tao and the islands behind. While I would surely miss the sunshine and the guilt free laziness the islands were made for, I knew it was time to see a bit more of what Thailand had to offer. The beaches were beautiful, and a week of relaxation was just what the doctor ordered; but, I'd be lying if I said I had thus far been immersing myself in true Thai culture. Koh Phangan and Koh Tao were more of a tourist/resort destination than anything else and while, as American's we were somewhat of a novelty, there were far more foreign faces and tongues than Thai. I was relaxed, recharged, and ready for a new adventure; which meant it was again time to snap the buckles on my pack, hop in the back of a rusty truck, and set off in a new direction.

This time my journey would be made solo and, for my solo adventures in Chaing Mai, you will just have to wait.

Anyeong[hikheseyo].
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To see all my photos from Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, click the button on the right hand side of the screen, enjoy :)