Thailand Part 2

Summary recap of June 16^th – July 1^st

My apologies for having to post with such a delay but the time seems to have slipped past me with little regard for my readers. I’ll do my best to recount the past couple of weeks…

After having spent more than adequate time within Bangkok and having walked or toured nearly every temple and market I was more than anxious for Sarah’s arrival. With the help of a friend she had received a buddy pass to fly at a discounted rate and visit for two weeks. The unfortunate part however is that the flight is booked as standby and she was twice delayed in different cities leaving us anxiously waiting another 48 hours, only delaying our reuniting.

Her arrival was just as great as expected having now been apart for almost two months. Large smiles could not be hidden on either face as we made our way back into the city. We stayed only one day in Bangkok and I did my best to guide her around with an abbreviated venture of all I had seen in the past week. We had already booked a night train down south to visit the islands on the Andaman Sea in the Gulf of Thailand and were in a rush to be on our way.

The train ride was an experience unto itself. Our journey from Bangkok to our destination of Koh Phagnan, the middle of the 3 islands that most visit, was set to to take an entire day as we would constantly be changing vehicles; a cab to the train station to take a bus to the pier to catch a ferry to the get a taxi to our hotel. But it was the train that was of most interest. Thailand like other countries offers different classes that one can book, with 3^rd being the worst and 1^st the clear champion. The train is by no means awful but it is old and not something you would likely see in the USA. While Amtrak is a poor display on how to run a business, the equipment it uses is definitely better. To picture our train think of something that Russia might have used during WWII.

Anyway we had chosen 2^nd class sleeper with fan. In a desire to save money we elected to go without air conditioning but hoped we could at least catch some shuteye on the 14 hour train ride south. The sleepers are set up as just normal seats facing each other that will then pull out to form a bed (like in a camper) with another bed in a folded up position above our heads. We both got stuck with upper bunks and will forever regret it. A mere 2 hours into the journey at 7 o’clock the attendant came by to make the beds, forcing us into our upper bunks as an elderly couple had booked both lower beds. These bunks were hot, tiny and hot. We had no windows and both found ourselves focusing on the fan above our heads. This is not a ceiling fan, rather the head of one you might have in your office that rotates from side to side within its little metal case. Six seconds away, four seconds on. That was the time breakdown we each got for our little gusts of breezy salvation. Stuffed into a human breadbox on a dilapidated creaky train we each sweat ourselves to sleep, careful not to raise our head more than 6 inches lest we have a sweaty headache too.

Arriving at our stop only an hour late we were relieved to stretch our legs and see if we couldn’t find a ride to the pier. Traveling is constantly a battle of determining how to get to where you want to go without getting ripped off doing it. The only problem is you usually won’t know if either is correct until it’s too late. There simply isn’t enough information available to a traveler to have complete confidence he is making the right decision. Your best solution is to ask other travelers how they did it. When we got to the train station we were the only Westerners so we took a chance and boarded some bus to somewhere promising us it was our best option. We bit and climbed aboard realizing that it also appeared to be our only option.

Although the ferry ride was less than 3 hours I was growing impatient and wanted nothing but to arrive instantly. As is always the case when ending your vacation though, on our return I desired the exact opposite and was certain the captain was intent on ending our vacations as quickly as he could. At the landing pier we hopped into a taxi truck and made our way to our reserved basic room at the Haadyao Bayview Resort. Having scoured what seemed like every resort, bungalow, hotel, and straw hut available online I had selected the Bayview earlier that week. Our room was a major upgrade from anything I had been staying in before, including a TV, shower with hot water, air conditioning (a first!) and sizable living space. It was perfect. We were on the northern tip of our beach Haad Yao and could see all around its small loop from our hotel pool. Koh Phag Nan and the other two islands consists of multiple small beaches that are all accessible by boat or by road only (you can’t walk the whole island), making them their own secluded paradises. And since it was still low season our room, although expensive for traveling, was a mere $30. I’d say given what we had you’d expect to pay about $200 back in the US given the location.

In all honesty there is not too much to do on the islands outside of eating, drinking and repeating. Food costs are about triple Bangkok and even then a dinner for two can easily be had for $10. The food is good but lacked the variety that I had been indulging in back North as we were forced to consume many coconut curries, grilled seafood, fresh salads and assorted beverages served out of coconut shells. As the beaches are only accessible from the road you quickly find yourself sampling every restaurant in a matter of days and discovering a growing similarity with dishes. I finally broke down and gave into a craving for Western food and was pleasantly surprised to be treated to the best bacon mushroom sandwich I had eaten. Thick pieces of peppered bacon were piled with giant sautéed mushrooms on gourmet bread. There are a few foods I miss while traveling Asia but few are as important as delicious bacon.

Our first day on the island we decided to visit the beaches further north via the road to see if there would be a better place to stay in the coming nights. It is well understood that you should maybe book 1 or 2 nights at your first location and then go search for a new place in person, ultimately yielding you a better deal. Well the day began to wear on as we walked farther than anticipated and when returning discovered our path no longer looked familiar. I was certain we had missed a turn and yet neither of us remembered there ever having been another road to turn on and after another sweaty hour we stumbled out a couple miles in the opposite direction from everywhere. After that we stayed on the beaches.

When we weren’t eating or sitting on the beach we tried snorkeling off the beach by our resort. It was not the best attempt as getting to the reef required a fair distance of walking through shallow water careful to avoid giant sea cucumbers that littered the ocean floor. But we gave it a go anyway and I got to try out my waterproof camera which was great at proving I am not destined to be an underwater photographer. The few fish we did see swam away faster than I could click, leaving me with a handful of blurry pictures of the reef. The water was pleasant though, reminiscent of a bath of sorts and we would sometimes just sit in the shallows or swim out to a sandbar and wade around, slowly turning into salty prunes.

The beaches are all lined with hotels, restaurants and little thatch huts with Thai women yelling out for you to come get a massage. Since Thai is a very tonal language this apparently carries over to their English, for despite them speaking our native tongue we were certain they were yelling random Thai words as we walked by. Luckily the mats were a sign enough of what is being offered and on a couple of occasions we laid down for a one hour massage costing us only $10. They definitely aren’t trained masseurs but there is no way you can beat it for what you pay. If you get a Thai style massage you’ll end up having you body contorted in seemingly unnatural positions by a woman half your size. Even when getting a normal oil massage you’d think she had something to prove when she buries her elbows into your back. I recommend it to anyone.

After a few days we decided to relocate and settled on a more remote beach on the upper NE corner of the same island. We hailed a taxi and after a 45 minute bumpy and dusty ride arrived at what appeared to be a superior beach. We found a bungalow near the sand and settled in for what would likely be a repeat performance of the previous few days. We no longer had a pool but the ocean access was very good and we found ourselves slowly swimming in the warm water with little disregard. It wasn’t until I realized my camera had fallen out of my pocket one day in chest deep water that there was cause for excitement. It didn’t help matters that I had tied our room key to the camera and slight panic quickly set in recalling the price of the key deposit and of my new camera. Luckily (and depending on who you ask) it was Sarah who finally found it after a frantic half hour of stomping feet and peering into the swirling seafloor. I decided to leave it on the beach for the rest of the trip.

Our next days followed as expected as we moved to a new hotel yet again that boasted an infinity pool. The pool is set in front of the beach and the wall facing the sea is shorter, allowing the pool to flow over into a lower piece of the pool and recycle the water back into the main part. This effect makes it look like the pool continues endlessly (hence the name) and at our location the ocean matched up with the pool to truly give it a genuine feel of infinity.

One night we stayed at a bar that had great entertainment of fire twirlers. Igniting ends of sticks and short ropes with a knot at the end, these young men would twirl them seemingly effortlessly into the sky and catch them again. Contrasted with the dark night sky and glistening sea behind them it was a vivid show and even more impressive when you would catch a glimpse of their faces and realize how young they must be. Although I saw some westerners practicing (without fire) in the daylight I think I’ll leave this spectacle up to those who do it best.

And so our days quickly came and went until we had exhausted them all and found ourselves wishing for just one more so that we might continue to tan, swim and make just one more run to the 711 for snacks and beer. Having been together for those days it was not just the beach we knew we were sorry to see go. We repeated our transport back to Bangkok, but in reverse, and found ourselves arriving Monday morning with less than a day to enjoy. A few more delicious meals and a small walk through the city was all we could manage in our final hours. Cabs were unfortunately plentiful at 2 am stealing any chance of extending our final embrace if only for a few minutes. Saying goodbye is never easy especially knowing we would be apart for many months to come as Sarah will be studying in South America leading up to Christmas while I continue my meandering adventure through the countryside of SE Asia.

Saturday July 2, 2011

I have been back in Bangkok for a few days after having a wonderful time down on the island of Koh Phagnan on the SE gulf of Thailand. Being back here is bittersweet for me as it was the last place that I was with Sarah. Fortunately I feel that I now have a decently firm grasp on this city and feel comfortable to the point where I am living here now more so than still traveling through. So at least I can find some solace in the ease of living for a few days.

I have returned to my same temporary residency, The Riverline Guest House, and have come to enjoy its simplicity and cleanliness (an underrated feature). It is about as cheap as one can stay, for $6 a night I get my own little room with a fan. It has a shared bathroom and lacks character, space and a/c but I am willing to sacrifice. WiFi is streamed here for free and that is by far more important than any of those other options. Having brought my Netbook with me the internet is a cheap way to pass time if I am not interested in walking around a city or spending money at a bar or restaurant. There is much down time while traveling and when you don’t have you TV or usual means of entertainment the ability to plop down and read the news or update Facebook is sure better than doing neither in an air conditioned room.

I have even spent enough time in one place to have formed a relationship of sorts with a local couple down the street. They have one of many open food stands that serve great traditional dishes on the streets of Thailand. But since my guesthouse is located down a little alley their location is quiet and cheap and I can’t but frequent it at least once a day. They have only two small plastic tables and over my time here I believe I have tried nearly everything on the menu. They are middle aged and I gather they have children but I don’t believe I have seen them. It’s hard to be certain as the youth that pass through share as much resemblance to the owners as to everyone else. Her English is better than his and we exchange a few words each time although he attempts a longer conversation with me that only leads us both to smiling as we fail to understand each other. As I was returning home today I saw them cleaning and closing up for the day so I stopped and asked if they will be open tomorrow as I will be leaving for Laos in the evening. She says they are closed and asks why I am interested and upon hearing the news she is actually a little sad. She says she is very sorry to have to close as she would love to cook for me again before I leave. It was a genuine response and although we shared few words there has been much more communication among us during my stay in Bangkok and I am happy to have met them.

But now it is time I pack up my stuff and move to a new adventure; for that I have selected the Northern region of Laos. I will go by rail tomorrow on an overnight train up to Nong Kaih where I may stay for a night and then cross the border via the Friendship Bridge the following day. I am excited to be on the move again as I will have to repeat the process I began in Thailand nearly a month before.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4^th of July weekend. I will miss the BBQ’d meats and the fireworks and the beers with friends as my day will blend in like any other.

I will be posting pictures from Thailand soon!