S.E.A. allows all foreign teachers one week of vacation for Christmas and New Year’s. We were able to stretch a 10 day trip out of the vacation. So, here is a wrap-up of Thailand……
I travelled with my co-worker Ria. We left Seoul on Christmas day and arrived in Bangkok at about midnight. We immediately took a taxi to a hostel that a friend of Ria’s had recommended. We walked around a bit, had a drink, and went to bed because we were so tired.
On the 26th, we walked around the streets some more, got a massage, took a TukTuk ride Tuk Tuks are small open-aired taxis that zip all around Bangkok. They are typically cheaper than taxis, but are often the source of tourist scams and rip offs. We visited The Grand Palace where they the Emerald Buddha resides. The Grand Palace was an amazing site to see! Everything is extremely ornate and intricate. Although it was bustling with tourists it still had a very serene feel. That evening we went out on the town and hung out with some Brazilian guys we met. They were really drunk and crazy, but fun! At midnight (the start of my birthday), Ria surprised me with a dress I had been eying up all day!! On the way home, I bought a plate of Pad Thai from a Street vendor for about $1 USD.
The 27th ended up being a very long day! In an attempt to make it to Ko Chang (Elephant Island); we took about a 45 minute taxi ride to the bus station and then spent about 6 1/2 hours on a bus. About ½ way into our bus ride we discovered that by the time we got to Trat, it would be too late to catch a ferry to the island. Luckily his wife was Thai and helped us to find a place to stay in Trat (the small town where the ferry leaves from). Trat ended up being a charming little river town. The bungalow owner was very nice. Ria and I ate there, visited the night market, and got massages. The amazing part is that the cost of the bungalow was $15 USD per night, the meal might have cost about $3 USD, and the one hour-full body massage cost $5 USD!!
We caught the earliest ferry to Ko Chang on the 28th. There we found another cheap bungalow and then spent the entire day relaxing on the beach. Ria and I had a number of tropical drinks at a great Reggae bar on the beach. That evening at dinner we met a guy from Sweden and a guy from Mongolia who were travelling together. We had a fun evening and great conversations!
On the 29th, we woke up early and went on our elephant excursion. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done....You get to take about a 45 minute walk through the jungle, then they walk you through the river bed and you get to swim with the elephants. It was amazing!!!! We had a lot of fun. Our elephant’s was a 14 year old female named Hong Tong. She was so gentle and playful. I was on cloud 9 all day! On that day we also hung out at the beach, saw a fire show, and took it easy.
On the 30th we had planned to rent motorbikes (you can rent one for 24 hours for only $6 USD). However, because of the holidays there were none to rent so we went snorkeling instead. They took us by boat to an even smaller island and dropped us off for about 2 hours. We had a lot of fun there and I saw quite a few neat fish and stuff. At the end of the day we got on the ferry, where we met a French guy…..He was trying to ask Ria some questions, she recognized his accent-so she told him I speak French. He had been in Thailand for about a month and was so excited to be able to speak French!! He chatted me up!! He also asked if we would share a taxi to Bangkok . We told him that we were planning on taking a bus because it only costs 250 Baht (it also takes 6 ½ hours, whereas the taxi only takes 4 hours). He was so happy to speak French that he told us that we could each pay him 250 and he would pay for the rest of the taxi!! So I got a short, cheap ride back to Bangkok and was able to practice my French for about 4 hours!
On the 31st, we went to Wat Pho, which is a temple that has a Golden Reclining Buddha about 50 feet long. We also took a water taxi ride (They say Bangkok is the Venice of Asia), and then went to Chinatown, which was quite an experience. We took a swim at the hotel to relax and then hit the town for New Years. It was an odd New Year’s. We downed a bottle of whiskey, played Uno with some German guys at one bar, took a walk up and down the street (which was filled with thousands of people), and even hung out at 7-11. At midnight, there were fireworks, and an elephant walked through the crowd....there was a mix of Thai people and foreigners.
On the 1st I puked all day....It was so weird. I was sick as a dog. I’m pretty sure that it was food poisoning induced by the street food that I ate the night before…I’m pretty sure it was food poisoning. Ria was really good to me though-she made several trips to the pharmacy, 7-11, etc. trying to find any liquid or food that I could keep down....luckily there was an all-movie channel so we had some entertainment in the room. I feel horrible that she had to miss a day of vacation though.
On the 2nd, we signed up for a tour (which both of us hate, but it allowed us to see a lot of stuff for really cheap). We took a passenger van to the floating market which is about 2 hours outside of Bangkok . It is an entire marketplace conducted in boats...the vendors sell just about anything, if you want to buy - you pull your boat up alongside of the vendors and barter. After the market we went to a WWII museum/memorial. The museum is next to the "Death Bridge" which is the largest wooden bridge in Asia-it was made by POW's kidnapped by the Japanese and brought to Thailand....it was really interesting, and kind of eerie to be there. We also visited the tiger temple. It is a wildlife sanctuary and Buddhist temple where monks meditate and care for the tigers...that was pretty interesting as well. For our last night there, out of sheer curiosity we went to the red light district--you really couldn't believe all of the horrible stuff that goes on there, as well as how many people go there to see what it is all about......it was WILD!!! They have prostitutes there, but there is also a phenomenon called "lady boys"--which are petite boys who dress up in drag, pose as prostitutes, and then rip off the customers.........we had fun guessing which were male and female!!
On the third, I flew “home” to Seoul. It is kind of odd to go “home” when it isn’t actually your home….
All in all, Thailand was a very interesting country. It still amazes me to see how other people live, what is "normal" to them, and how they treat outsiders in their country. The people in Thailand were very kind. They are also extremely hard working and will not pass up the opportunity to make money; this portion of culture can become annoying. Thailand is a country of huge diversity. There are tourists with LV luggage amongst children selling roses in the streets. There are high-rise buildings next to food stands where ladies cook up to 15 hours a day. As much as I am glad to see other countries and other cultures it often makes me appreciate my own even more.
No comments:
Post a Comment