THAILAND!

7/17-28 THAILAND! Sawatdikha! (that’s “hello,” to you) Oh, it’s so much more fun writing about travel than about English Village! There are 3 photo links—yes, I admit it, I took too many photos. It was impossible not to, as the sights are numerous, vast, and spectacular. Put on some tunes and grab your favorite beverage before you begin…

I escaped on the 17th for a flight to Bangkok and then a northbound train (1 ¼ hrs.) to Ayuthaya, home to the Unesco World Heritage Ayuthaya Historical Park (If you ever find yourself in Bangkok, a daytrip here is a MUST. If you stay overnight, backpacker central is on Soi 1 Th Naresuan—go and look at rooms before deciding). In addition to the introduction of the stray-dog phenomenon (they really are everywhere, on the streets, amongst the ruins, everywhere, in various degrees of scraggliness, more or less throughout the country), wats in various stages of ruin or repair abound. It was another situation in which I was glad not to have seen photos before the real thing, as the face-to-face experience was all the more stunning. On the night of my arrival, I shopped around for a guesthouse (accommodation, food, and land transport are all super cheap there…I’ll quote some converted prices—at about 40 Thai Bhat to the dollar), and found a room with shared bath for $4 (I upgraded to a vacated $7 room w/private bath the next day) in the neighborhood where I wanted to be. Went to sleep right away.

Let me throw in a couple of definitions from my Lonely Planet book, as it can get confusing. A wat is a temple-monastery, from a term meaning “monk’s dwelling,” and it was used for everything from the oldest, most ruined of ruins to the still-in-use, whether monk-inhabited or not, more modern, well-upkept joints. Regardless, there were always plenty of Buddhas of varying shapes, sizes, positions. Stupa and chedi are used interchangeably and refer to a “conical-shaped Buddhist monument used to inter sacred Buddhist objects.” You can’t miss them in the photos.

Okay, Tuesday, I moved my stuff to the new room, then had some Pad Thai (for breakfast! I love this place!) across the street at a guesthouse named “Tony’s,” where I later booked 2 tours. I set out on my own walking tour (I should have rented a bike, but it was raining when I started out…hindsight…) of all the sights, and covered serious territory. First was a Chinese shrine en route to Wat Suwannawas, which is smallish, but as it was my first, I was still blown away.

Down the street was Wat Ratchaburana, which was I don’t know how many times the size of Suwannawas, but it was darned big and on the astounding/breathtaking end of the spectrum. Endless bricks in various configurations. At first I was unsure whether I should climb the steps on the main chedi, but saw metal railings at the steep part, so up I went (I definitely saw other tourists around the park, but not tons). Inside at the top, I followed a steep and narrow stairwell with an uncertain end down to a small shrine with VERY faded murals on the walls. Super old.

The next wat down the road was 14th-century Wat Mahathat, which again, was enormous. This is where the oft-photographed Buddha-in-the-tree lives, and I took my obligatory shots…and many more. Wandered through, around, up and down the site, jaw at my knees. I made my way through the center of the pretty park past other ruins and on to Wat Thammikarat, another ruined temple, with nifty stone lions.

On the way to my next wat, I sampled some freshly-pressed sugar cane juice (20¢, and a little too sweet for my taste) and a coconut-sticky rice-tapioca treat, wrapped in banana leaves (5 for 20¢ and SO YUMMY). Soon I arrived at Wat Wa Phra Meru, a temple north of one of the three rivers that surround the old city. The main bot (sanctuary) dates to 1546 and boasts a carved wooden ceiling and a 6m-high Ayuthaya-era crowned seated Buddha. Supplicants burned incense held together with a lotus flower (which I haven’t seen in other countries, but seemed to be the norm in Thailand; also, the supplicants tend to sit with their knees tucked to the side, instead of underneath them). After praying, the flower was placed on a special plate.

There were also two smaller, gold, statues, and people seemed to be adding a small leaf of gold each in a ritual of some sort. A smaller room in another building housed a green stone Buddha in a setting that seemed rather European—complete with hunting trophies. Hmmmmmm.

Next was a walk past the old palace grounds to 14th-century Wat Phra Si Sanphet, another huge temple with three amazing stupas. Eerie weathered white stone against a blue sky with poofy clouds (cumulonimbus, if memory serves…). Took a few gazillion more photos, then moved next door to Wat Mongkhon Bophit, which looked more like a Chinese temple…I’ve gotta say, it’s all got me a little confused. But darned if they don’t all look cool. It’s a monastery, in use today, with a huge 15th-century bronze Buddha inside.

I walked back to my guesthouse via some other interesting places, also seeing some elephants with tourist passengers. I didn’t have time for the acclaimed museums or cultural center, alas…but I saw the real stuff, which is the important thing. Right?

Snacks picked up along the way were some fresh pineapple (they’ve got tons of fruit on their vendor carts, usually halved or quartered pineapple, melon, papaya, whatever, and they put it in a plastic bag and whack it into bite-sized pieces with the dull end of a knife, then put it in another plastic bag with a skewer. Most street food is served in the two-bag-n-skewer fashion) and some rice / bean muffiny things that came with little bags of honey (I think), sugar/salt/peanut/chili dipping stuff. Scrummy.

I got a little lost on the way back (some roads are labeled more than others, and Thais, like Koreans, seem to be daunted by maps) and overshot my destination, but got in just in time to catch my group for a 3pm 2-hour ($5) river tour. Seven of us squeezed into a tuk-tuk (or saamlaw: three-wheeled motor car with either two benches running the length of the little bed, or sometimes—although I only noticed it in Bangkok—one or two rows of two seats running the width. Either way, super stinky exhaust) and made the quick trip to the pier for the longtail boat cruises.

The river is a muddy brown, but it’s nice to be on the water in a breeze, and interesting to see some of the homes along the riverside—stilts are a key architectural feature in Thailand, because of flooding. The area under the home is used for utilitarian purposes…sort of reminded me of American garages that are used for anything but parking a car.

We stopped to get out at three wats, the first of which was Wat Chai Wattanaram, where the ruins are partially restored. It’s a positively gorgeous site, with a lush green lawn and Buddhas large and small lining the inside perimeter. We had twenty minutes to check it out, and I easily could have stayed longer. These ruins all look the same in one sense, and yet they are all uniquely stunning.

The second stop was at Wat Phutthaisawan, which was upkept—under renovation, in fact—and diverse in its stupas and bots. Some pretty mosaic stupas, and bunches of, of course, Buddhas. Stop three was at Wat Phanan Choeng, an early 13th-century temple with a 19m high Buddha (behind scaffolding). People were organizing long saffron strips of cloth along one length of the temple for the pilgrims who come on the weekends to drape it over the Buddha (it reminded me of The Gates).

Some of my boatmates recommended the same company’s night van tour, which left 20 minutes after we got back. I joined that group after a quick shower and a stop to pick up a bottle of water and a bottle of beer (drank a whole lot of Sing Ha beer—they pronounce only the “Sing”). I hadn’t really looked into the tour before because I thought we’d just see the temples that I’d seen by day, only lit up…but we started by going to an elephant kraal (camp where they’re cared for, from what I could tell, pretty well, for tourist stuff. They had space and company and natural surroundings, at any rate). These elephants were pretty small, as elephants go (not sure what type), but still impressive in their elephantiness. They were almost black with stiff bristly hairs along their spines and heads, and playful with each other and with their trainers and the tourists. One started to undo Danish Casper’s velcro sandals with its trunk!

(Casper and his wife Anna, both teachers, have traveled lots, pregnant with first child, both nice, smart, and gorgeous. Also Conrad and Kate from Manchester who’d been on the boat trip; he just got a job with The Bangkok Post)

We walked to the river with the elephants, the Thai caretakers riding on their necks/heads/wherever—no whips, just canes for prodding and for balance in the water (!). We all sort of ambled down, chatting on the way. You’d never think that an elephant could sneak up on you without your noticing it, but it can happen! “Elephant back!”

They were playful washing in the river, came out and took their massive pees and poops, a baby elephant (“Peter,” of course) did a little song/sneeze /dance routine and photo session, then we walked over to where two adults were gearing up for another show. They started to do that front-feet-on-the-next-elephant’s-rump deal, but we soon realized we were going to see another trick altogether when the, um, BIG elephant penis sprang to life. Yes, kids, I have seen elephant sex. The she-elephant seemed pretty unfazed; we, not so much.

It certainly wasn’t violent, but I had mixed feelings of being upset that it was happening for show and yet awed at having seen something not many people get to see. The Danes were pretty sure that it was probably their ‘season,’ and that we were lucky, but I’m sure there was some element of tourist-timing that came into play. Still, they made me feel better about it all. So. That was new.

Our next stop was Phu Khao Thong Temple (Golden Mount Chedi) for a dusky view. It was a huge Burmese-Mon chedi that we could climb for a great 360-degree view (I saw a runner—a real one!). Unfortunately, it was a bit too hazy for a good sunset, but it was still a nifty place to be as night set in. Once it was dark, we went to three wats I’d seen during the day for the lit-up view, which was very pretty. Quick photo ops, mostly, which was fine.

We returned to the hostel and said our goodbyes, and I walked to the night market for dinner and browsing. I grazed for appetizers, and had a chicken kabob and yellow watermelon before sitting down by the river for chicken curry and rice (about $1.50). Midway through my meal, a guy and his elephant strolled through the market, to no one’s second thought. Natch. I went home, settled in, washed some clothes (it’s HUMID and pretty hot), took a shower and slept like a rock.

Day 2: Got up and took a tuk-tuk to the train station. It turned out that my schedule was wrong, but fortunately the train was half an hour later than I’d thought, and not earlier. I got some fresh fruit and a pastry-ish thing for breakfast and bought my ticket to Phitsanulok, 5 ½ hours away ($6). I was in a 2nd-class car, which meant slightly more comfy seats (reclining, with two positions: up or down) and fans. The trains are a bit dingy, but on time and safe. Vendors come through regularly with snacks and drinks (I tried rolls with minced pork—I think—and a mango with a salty condiment; they eat the mangoes unripe with it). There is a reserved section for “elderly, handicapped, monks.” I wrote in my journal and planned for my next day or so.

We arrived in Phitsanulok, and I went to see the major wats there, since they were within walking distance from the train station. Wat Ratburan and Wat Nang Phaya were no big deal, but Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat is home to the Chinnarat Buddha, which is famous and revered. He’s got a unique halo, after all. The murals in the bot were really cool, too. It was the first place I’d needed to borrow a shawl and sarong to cover my shoulders and legs before entering, so I know it was super holy. Strangely, most of these super holy places have souvenir stands in the sanctuary, in addition to the tents outside. Kinda tacky, if you ask me.

I shared a tuk-tuk with two Thais to the bus station, since the local bus we were all waiting for hadn’t come for a while. I caught a 1 ½ hour bus to my next destination, New Sukhothai, hopped a sawngthaew (a truck with benches—2 or 3—running the length of the bed) into the center of town and found a room for the night ($7.50 for a room w/ a/c, a sink in a separate room that was basically a little porch, a big, HARD, bed…and a great common porch and a very helpful owner. All of the guesthouses I saw during the trip had western toilets, but some had the Southeast Asian flush—pour a bucket of water in).

I went out for food and wandering, first at the neighborhood of food stalls. I ordered curry from one, and when nothing had happened within half an hour, I went to find out what was up, and the guy pointed me to another vendor. Which was pretty annoying. I had even noticed the woman from whom I’d ordered say something to him while pointing at me about 15 minutes earlier, so they knew I was waiting. Apparently they were out of food, or had decided to close or something. Thanks for telling me. Grrrrrr. Rude in any country.

Fortunately, I got some curry super-quick from another stall. Later than I’d wanted, I headed out in search of the night market my host had told me about…but it was either already closed (what I saw that I think might have been it had closed long before) or, as another woman who I think understood my question said, it was only open in the morning…or, whatever. I never found it, but I had a good walk.

I bought some lychee fruit and got a lesson in eating it from the vendor. I had to ask her to halve the standard order, as 50¢ worth was gonna be WAY too much. I ate some of it with a beer at the guesthouse while writing some postcards and reading up on what I’d see the next day. I also chatted with an Irish guy and a Dutchman about our recent adventures. One had been to a bat cave (all appropriate jokes were made) and the other had been on a trek, but I won because I had seen elephant sex. I lamented that I was now doomed to a life of disappointment because no man could ever compare…

Day 3: Up and out by 7:30 to Sukhothai Old City Historical Park (Unesco World Heritage site, and Thailand’s first capital, at its height from the mid-13th to late-14th century, exemplifies classic Thai architectural style) via sawngthaew with a bunch of schoolkids. I stopped at a coffee house for breakfast: Thai omelet (chicken, onion, peppers, grease), coffee, and a mango-yogurt shake, which was off-the-charts delicious (all for about $2.50). I rented a bike for the day (50¢, and it didn’t come with a lock because you just didn’t need one) and went through the park and sites outside for five hours. Ruins, ruins, ruins. All really beautiful. It had poured rain all night and most of the early morning, but stopped during my trip over, after which it was overcast and then eventually sunny. Did I dig out my sunscreen from the bottom of my bag that was elaborately tied to the bike rack? No. Did I pay for that stupidity later? Yep. DOH.

Anyway, the park was absolutely gorgeous, with ponds and trees and bridges surrounding the ruins, along with the occasional herd of wildlife and its caretakers. Wat Mahathat covered a 206 x 200m area, with 198 stupas surrounded by walls and a moat. Wat Si Sawai had 3 Khmer-style towers and was originally a Hindu temple.

I meandered through a little neighborhood within the old city walls (as are some guesthouses, restaurants and markets) and saw a ‘museum,’ which was really a little shop…then went west to see some of the outlying ruins. Some of them were roadside, some involved a brief hike. I started off by checking out each and every one, then got real and limited myself to what the guidebook recommended or what I could see—otherwise I’d have been there forever. While there were certainly other tourists, I never saw crowds, and occasionally had sites to myself, which I looooove.

Wats: Sii Thon, Tak, Har Thewalat, Wa Pa Muang, Pa Sok, Phra Yuen, Mamuang, Chang Rop, Thom Lang, Thom Hip Ban, Chedi Ngam, Khoa Phra Bat Noi, Aronyik, Saphan Hin (up a slate path and staircase to the temple on a hill), Si Chum (15m brick/stucco Buddha in small square, spired building with a cool shrine next door), Phra Phai Luang (12th-c Khmer-style tower may have been center of Sukhothai…had to stop for a herd of spritely galumphing cattle-like critters), Mae Chon, Son Khoo, Tru Phang, Sa Si (“Sacred Pond Monastery”), Chana Songkram, Trapang Ngoen, Chang Lom (with stone elephants around the base), Trapang Thong…and I’m sure I’m missing a few!

I also visited Ta ha Doeng Shrine, King Ramkhamhaeng Monument, a market for a snack of fish balls in a fried wrapper with chili sauce, and an awesome accidental detour through a small village. It didn’t feel right to stop and take photos, but they clearly were not used to seeing tourists in their nook of traditional houses and people at their daily lives, and it was probably the only time I got to see a normal neighborhood.

I swung back through the park to see stuff I had missed the first time through and to deposit my bike (one-gear with a seat and footrests for a passenger, and I put it to the test, through mud and fields, over rocks and curbs, barely avoiding mishaps due to lack of traction), then caught a truck back into New Sukhothai to get my stuff, pick up some snacks and a roadie, and get on a bus (actually sort of pretty, in a kitchy kind of way; definitely comfortable) to Chiang Mai (5 ½ hours, $5). On the bus were 4 Spanish girls I’d taken a group photo of at the park, and an Englishwoman (Kate Cattell) from Devon (28, currently a teacher in Prague) whose stuff I’d kept an eye one at the bus station. She and I chatted several times during the ride.

Upon our arrival, I recruited Kate and the Spanish girls to share a ride into the center of town. Our driver, as is common, was hell-bent on bringing us to a particular guesthouse—Bamboo Hotel (where he’d surely get a commission)—but we FINALLY persuaded him to take us to the section of town we wanted to be in. Kate and I had decided to room together for at least the next night, if not two, so we sent one of us and one Spanish woman into a few places to scope them out before settling on one. It took much longer than I’d usually spend shopping for a room, but was pretty comical, especially with all the Spanish thrown in (I kept saying “Nae”—Korean—instead of “Si,” while otherwise speaking Spanish).

Kate and I took quick showers and then went to the nearby and very famous and very—exclusively—touristy Night Bazaar for dinner and browsing. We saw some traditional dancing while we ate, then wove among the massage tents and souvenir stalls that line the thoroughfare. We stopped at a travel agency to shop for treks (1-day for Kate, 2-day for me). The Bazaar started to shut down at about 11:30, so we called it a night and went back to the hotel to prepare ourselves for the next day.

For some reason I slept really poorly and woke up early, so I got up before Kate, who was going on her trek that day, and I hit the town, first researching other treks and flights to Ko Samui for some island time (you could certainly go by land, but it would have taken up too much of my limited time, so I bit the bullet and splurged). Then I had a delicious breakfast of Khao Sawy (a Shan-Yunnanese dish of curried broth, chicken, and wheat noodles) at a Muslim-Thai place before starting my temple touring of the day. I also checked out some other guesthouses for my third night in Chiang Mai, but ended up just moving next door to a cheaper place.

First off were wats Bupparam, Mahawan and Chetawan. I hunted for a bike to rent for the more spread-out sites, and had a surprisingly difficult time finding one. Eventually, though, I did, and went to wats Chedu Luang, Phan Tao, Phra Singh (a famous temple where they were setting up for some big extravaganza), the Three Kings Monument, Wat Prasat, Wat Suan Dok (amazing collection of whitewashed Lanna stupas), Wat U Mong (forest wat and meditaition center with brick-lined tunnels)…and a restaurant for papaya tom yam (spicy) salad with sticky rice. And, at one point, the skies opened up and poured down rain for an hour (which seems to be the norm), at which point I was able to hide out at a covered picnic table next to a handicrafts store (after checking out the merchandise, of course).

On the way to my next wat, I had wanted to go to a jewelry store that specialized in hill tribe silver, but wasn’t able to find it, despite several people being very sure that they were pointing me in the right direction. In the meantime, the bike had started acting up and the chain kept skipping on the ring, then missing altogether. The mechanism was encased so that I couldn’t easily get to it to fix the problem. Not so good when you’re trying to cross a busy intersection or merge with a lot of traffic. So, between the bike and the bad directions that got me into all kinds of weird locations, I missed out on the last few sights on my list and barely got back to the rental shop before it closed. And they really didn’t care that they’d given me a dangerous bike or that I’d gotten more or less stuck far away on it. “Are you finished?” Grrrrrr.

I walked back to the guesthouse, where Kate had recently returned from her day trek, which she’d enjoyed. We went out for shopping and food and drink, and decided that we were largely unimpressed by the Night Bazaar. The merchandise wasn’t very interesting, and the prices weren’t so cheap, even after bargaining. And the bargaining wasn’t very fun, because they jack up all the prices ridiculously high and then pester you to make another offer…and it’s exactly the same everywhere. Not very interesting and blatantly inauthentic. We did buy a few little things that we’d wanted, but otherwise emerged none the poorer.

Saturday morning she left for the airport and I left for my 2-day, 1-night trek to Doi Inthanon National Park. I was picked up by our sawngthaew at 9am, and by the time we had our complete group and had our passports logged with the tourism office, it was 10:45, which made me stir-crazy. We were a group of 10: me, two French (Adele and Phillipe), six Dutch (Willem, Pascale, Lonika, Susan, Andre, Bas), and our guide, Daeng (25, grew up in a local hilltribe village, started trekking 5 years ago when his wife left him—apparently quite common among Thai to separate—and his then-5-year-old-daughter whom he now sees about once a month. He learned all of his excellent English on the job and was clearly very bright, and he knew the mountains inside and out—paths, bugs, plants, animals, climate, customs. We learned how to make different leaves pop, shoot like arrows, change colors. He could spot a bug from far away while picking out a path and having a conversation in his third language or singing or whistling western pop songs, or imitating bird and animal calls, and used his slingshot to point things out or coax a bird/butterfly/whatever into the open. He was full of stories of growing up, hunting with his father, the daily life of his village, and of information on the current status of the tribes: that they are being forced to abandon their nomadic lifestyle, as the territory can’t take further deforestation, that they can no longer grow opium, that they have been given land to settle on and fertilizer so that they can reuse the fields, and the opportunity to profit from tourism).

We stopped at a market for people to pick up any rain gear, toilet paper, whatever that they might need (I got a snack of a coconut-stuffed pancake---YUM!) and then went to a temple on the way to the starting point for our hike. The drive was up, up, up, and bumpy, bumpy, bumpy…but only 2 people got sick (!). The temple was interesting enough; a cool chedi and neato stone carvings on the path up.

Then we went to a Muong tribe village for lunch (highly unimpressive fried rice from a roadside restaurant and some fruit). We took a quick hike to Nam Tok Mae Klang, a pretty waterfall where some people swam (in brown water) and a few jumped from what looked like too high for my comfort. Daeng scampered around easily, but the two guys following him were not so sure-footed and made me VERY nervous for their safety. One got pretty scraped up, but both survived in one piece (each).

We hiked for an hour or so, and I stuck close to Daeng for info, as did the two French—and also to keep a little distance from the incessant yammering of the Dutch—in Dutch. They barely ever used their impeccable English after the initial introductions unless they had a question for Daeng, which was pretty rude, on the whole. At least the French were even more annoyed than I was, and they made a point of sticking with me, so that we could communicate. Too bad, because the Dutch seemed, otherwise, like fun and interesting people…aside from a few other instances of inconsiderate behavior…

We arrived at another village, then drove to another spot whence we hiked to yet another village for the night. We were brought to a big A-frame bamboo bungalow with colorful bedding and mosquito nets, which was absolutely charming. No sooner than we had deposited our belongings inside, the littlest village kids (the real villagers actually live in a separate area…we’re really in the tourist camp) appeared with bracelets to sell us—and they pestered and pestered and pestered, as of course they are taught to do and must do. It’s hard to know how to react in such situations. We have the money, and they need the money, but do we really want to be known first and foremost as the face of money? I refrained from buying anything that night and instead spent time asking their names and how old they were, with a little tickling thrown in. A super old woman, whose wrinkles had wrinkles, in traditional dress (full-out costume), about 4 feet tall on her bare tippity toes, with three black teeth whose looseness she demonstrated as proof of her dire state, also tried to sell us beads… REALLY persistently, which is exactly the way NOT to get me to buy something. And of course later, when she was going about her daily life in camp, she was in much more plain and modern clothing. So the whole impact of tourism is huge, but sociologically interesting in and of itself, because it is a relatively new business and way of life to them.

We were having beer and snacks at the big, sheltered dinner table during the sales pleas, which of course makes you feel guilty. Ah, the strategy. Soon, though, the local tribe guys started a game, resembling a mix of volleyball and soccer, with a bamboo woven ball that they used their heads and feet and legs to hit over a net. One of our guys joined in with them, and another with a soccer game. I played tag with four boys, running and running and running for at least an hour. I had my running shoes on, but of course they were barefoot. And they knew the territory, and probably run through it every day, and there was one of me to chase the four of them, so I definitely was working. Not to mention the two beers I’d just had… They even tried the surprised point (as in “look at that bird!”) to distract me before sprinting in the opposite direction. Hilarious. Of course, I returned the ruse. We had fun pretending to be big squawking birds (I think), too. My trekmates probably thought I was out of my head, but I had tremendous fun and felt good about leaving a better, or at least different, impression on them than a wallet can.

Utterly pooped and warned that dinner time would be soonish, I made use of the latrine/shower combo, which was perfectly sufficient, then sat down to an amazing candlelit dinner of green curry, chicken, vegetables, rice and fruit, as prepared by one of the village men and Daeng. Let’s just say I had more than one helping.

Unfortunately, I was the last to the table after the fun and games, and was stranded at the opposite end from the French, so we all endured the Dutch din through the meal. It was truly unbelievable. After dinner, the French and I went over to a campfire where Daeng was preparing to grill bananas (SO GOOD) and marveled at their obnoxiousness. We hung out for a while, but I later left them (they were a couple and probably wanted a little alonetime under the stars) and went to get my journal. As the only light was at the dinner table, I returned there and wrote for a while—and wasn’t ever acknowledged. Sometimes people behave badly.

I slept decently—well, after the Dutch came in late and loudly—and got up for breakfast of toast, fruit, hardboiled eggs and coffee. We packed up our stuff, paid for our beers and snacks (I left extra money there…it was going straight to the tribe and seemed least conspicuous) the kids made a last round with the jewelry (I bought one bracelet from each), and we squeezed in one last round of tag and high-fived goodbye.

Off we went to another waterfall for a shower, then we continued our hike for another 1 ½-2 hours and ended at another village, where traditionally garbed women at their looms were awaiting us. Totally tourist-timed, but still cool. We all bought something.

Our truck picked us up and took us to our lunch stop, where we had bland noodles and rice and fruit. Then a quick drive brought us to the launch site for our bamboo rafting trip. We had perfect weather and a gorgeous view, and the French and I had a good ol’ time, except for the overly splashy Thais, who just thought they were HILARIOUS. It seemed like a place where Thais came on the weekends, as it was a Sunday and many were at the riverside shelters with picnics. Afterwards, we watched the raftsmen dismantle the rafts and load them on a truck to bring back to point A, while the photographers who had snapped photos of us on the river tried to sell us the pictures.

And off we went on another short ride to the elephant camp where we’d go for a ride. I was assigned to the lead elephant with Andre, who busted out his perfect English (he even used the term “I reckon”) for at least part of the journey. It was a fun ride in the jungle, although we weren’t at all convinced that our “guide” (on the elephant’s head) had much say in anything. The elephant certainly didn’t seem to be listening to him, which we found to be ironic, given the size of his ears. One quick start had us a little nervous (and you aren’t strapped in or anything, just sitting on a platform with a thin metal railing at hip-level to hold onto), but all went smoothly afterwards. Well, except for the torrential downpour. PROTECT THE CAMERAS! It was even silly that I had it, as all the shots are totally blurry thanks to mr. elephant on the move.

We dried off as best we could and got back in the truck for the ride home, during which time it stopped raining. We were VERY glad that it hadn’t rained during our hiking, as it would have been really slippery and muddy and far less pleasant than it was. Unfortunately, I was again separated from the French on the truck, so I sat in silence amidst the jabbering AGAIN. Fortunately, my thoughts are VERY interesting. Adele and Phillipe were dropped off first, and I got out to hug them goodbye and get a photo and thank them for using their English with me. I highly doubt that the Dutch ever clued in. And I think I’m the only one who tipped Daeng. (I was dropped off last.) Silly people.

I had a quick shower at the guesthouse and then went to the Sunday market, which I was very excited to learn was a night market, as I’d heard it was much better than the Night Bazaar but had thought that it happened during the day and that I’d miss it (on the way, I passed Andre and Bas in the street, and it didn’t register that I knew them until after they’d passed. I turned around and hollered their names twice, then they turned around, and we all exclaimed at how clean we were). And it was much better, in all regards. Less crowded, fewer tourists, more Thais, better food and merchandise, more genuine bargaining (without all the relentless hawking and identical from stall-to-stall “special for you, madam” bullshit), street entertainment, and even a parade for the 700th birthday of Wat Phra Singh (aha! That’s what they’d been setting up for on Friday), at the end of the long, pedestrian-only strip. Goldmine! I bought a bunch of souvenirs, some standard Thai tourist stuff, but some other fun things, like a pretty necklace, a few halter tops, and shoes. I sampled lots of noodly dishes and some desserty treats, too. I walked around from 6-12 without even noticing that I’d been on my feet the entire time…until I got to bed at one!

Don’t know why, but had another night of poor / little sleep. My plan was to see a couple of sights en route to the bus station, then to take a bus to Chiang Dao, where I would rent a bike and cycle through some nearby hilltribe villages. I had a heavenly breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt and muesli, saw wats Chiang Man and Chiang Yeun, shopped for watches a little, as mine had broken (expensive unless you want a crappy Casio…so I’m still wearing mine rubber-banded together), and got on a bus. The daily downpour started towards the end of the ride, but I was prepared to ride in any weather. Unfortunately, at the Chiang Dao stop, no one seemed to think I could rent a bicycle nearby. I asked two other tourists whom I hadn’t seen on the bus if they had been there for a while and knew anything about it, but they had just arrived. Their guesthouse, however, was sending a van for them and it rented bicycles, and they were sure I’d be welcome for the ride—they weren’t sure exactly where it was. Great!

So when the van arrived we all piled in, and we drove…and drove…and drove…to the resort/spa. And I knew that I wanted to be in the center of town, near the bus stop. Oy. At first the manager thought I’d be able to ride to villages closer to them, but for some reason became skeptical about it later. After seeing the women’s choices of rooms and walking around with them, I found out that I could get a 2-hour traditional Thai massage (something I wanted to do at some point) for about $10. Since it was a spa/resort, I figured I’d be getting a decent-quality massage, too. The bus back to the center of town supposedly came to the end of their road, so I decided to have a massage while waiting for the rain to pass, then catch a bus back to the center of town, scoping for bikes en route (I hadn’t seen any on the way out) and just have a lot less time to ride. But I was already hungry, so I went to the restaurant to order a snack, and found Muriel, one of the two women I’d ridden over with (her friend was resting). We were the only two there, so we chatted and waited for our food. And waited. And WAITED. The manager and another woman finally appeared, coming from a path from the rest of the resort, not another part of the restaurant, with our soup—all I’d ordered. And it wasn’t even the kind I’d ordered. So, what was going to be a 15-minute snack was really an hour and 15 ordeal (and Muriel was not. so. interesting.).

But I’d committed to the massage already, so I was going to have to abandon the purpose of my trip out (3 hrs round-trip). Not that I was upset to have a massage, but it was beautiful out at this point, and I’d had my heart set on the biking deal. So…I let that go and had the massage, and the spa was gorgeous and the massage was super relaxing. I showered and changed into their fisherman’s pants and shirt and lay down on my back on one of three mattresses in a special bambooey, herbily scented room (I was the only client—it was a Monday, after all; I bet they do big business with Thais on weekends). I lay on my back and she did a general loosen-up thing, then she worked on each limb for about 15 minutes, using her whole body for leverage and support. I sleepily rolled over when told to, and she propped me up on her knees, sitting behind me, and did some crazy, lifting-me-on-her-knees extreme stretching (which seemed awfully severe, especially given how gentle the rest of the massage had been), then spent some time working on my head and neck with my head in her lap. I was surprised that she didn’t work at all in conjunction with my breath, but she certainly seemed to know what she was doing. Whew!

After the session, I was presented with a rich, delicious, purple, fruity tea (for blood circulation, and which I was unable to find anywhere later—they wrote the name down for me) and drank that and took photos with my masseuse before the spa manager gave me a ride on her motorbike to the end of the road (a fair distance) to the bus stop. At that point, it was 6:30 and way too late for anything but going home…and I’d miss the river dinner cruise I’d hoped to catch, too. Sigh. So, I waited for the bus, sipping my water, and I saw a runner—a real, running-attired runner—coming down the main road. So I give him the thumbs up, “nice pace!” and he reaches for my water bottle. So of course I hand it off to him…and he ran away with it! I was so surprised and amused that it didn’t even occur to me that I should have run after him (I was in my running shoes) and offered him the gel that I had in my bag, as he’d probably never seen one (I haven’t been able to find any Asians who know what they are) and it would have been pretty funny. But it was just hilarious that he took the water with no real acknowledgement…maybe he was at the end of a long training session.

So I bought another bottle of water at the roadside stand and waited (half an hour) for the bus. These local (ish) buses have lights and fans and decently comfortable seating, but they don’t seem to use the lights or the fans, which is annoying when you’re hot and want to read at night. The ride was uneventful, and I hopped a sawngthaew back to the hotel area, changed and hit the Bazaar for dinner (chicken curry while watching staged Thai boxing and traditional dance) and to buy a backpack, as I’d seen many in our previous visit (I left my big one in the USA and was borrowing a friend’s for this trip). I ended up with a Lowe knockoff for about $20 (a third of the initial asking price). Not a bargain, but it fit my needs and is a souvenir of sorts, I guess. (lots of knockoffs: Lowe, North Face, 150% Rolex watches, sunglasses of all brands, Tevas, Birkenstocks, Louis Vuitton, Diesel, etc, etc, etc)

I packed up at the hotel and slept much better before leaving for the airport for my flight to Ko Samui, in the southern gulf area. I had a one-hour flight to Bangkok, a one-hour layover, which I needed to transfer my baggage and deal with other stuff, then a one-hour flight to Ko Samui…and an almost-hour trip via other sites to the beach (Lamai) I’d decided to stay on (and it turned out that there was no such thing as cheap transportation on the island). And when we got there, my bag was no longer in the back of the van (and I’d been watching as other people got off; I don’t know how it happened). I was greatly dismayed, as a) it was all my (non-valuable) stuff, and b) I had a day and a half on this island…and my bikini was in that bag! Fortunately, the driver, the tourist police, and the guesthouse we’d stopped at worked together, and I had my bag (padlocked and with my name on it) in about an hour, and it had taken me almost that long to find a place to rent a bike and a bungalow at an acceptable price ($7.50, plus half for most of the next day). It was my mission to stay in a bungalow on the beach :>) It wasn’t exactly spotless, but I certainly brought my own share of sand in, too.

Of course, the first thing I did was hit said beach, with gorgeously turquoise water lapping pretty white sands. I’d picked it because it seemed convenient to the airport (hah!), and was supposed to be pretty and good for swimming and, while very popular, not as crazy as the most popular beach. Since it was mid-week and not peak-season, I was hopeful that I’d find some quiet (no shopping and no wats allowed on these two days). And this island was supposed to be a better bet, weather-wise, at this time of year (rainy season). And I got lucky!

I took a swim first thing, and the water was cool enough to be refreshing without being cold. I lay out for a while (late afternoon at this point), took note of all the stuff the wandering vendors were selling, and eventually got up to go rent a bike. I did an hour loop on dirt roads (and the bike just sucked, but I didn’t really have other options…I chalked it up to a bigger workout) and got a little lost in the maze between the loop and my hotel on the way home, but made it back. Fortunately, I had a light, as it gets dark there at 7pm, which I wasn’t expecting (it’s light until 8 in Korea, and I hadn’t noticed differently in my first days in Thailand, but I probably just never looked at the time). I bought some more suntan lotion at a pharmacy ($7.50 for a medium-sized bottle! Same as my hotel rooms! And I’d checked prices in Chiang Mai, too—even more expensive), came home and showered before looking for dinner.

Instead of hitting the strip of bars (many and touristy and loud and exactly what I didn’t want), I walked on the beach under the stars in the cool water and had blessedly little company. A few of the beachside bars and restaurants had music playing, but none were very loud or at all busy. It was so quiet that the one restaurant with a line of tables out to the water’s edge was empty, and I sat at the little lamplit table with a pretty sarongy table cloth just inches from the water. I had a leisurely dinner of chicken and thai chili with rice and a couple of beers (just to draw it out…), breathed in the air and enjoyed the stars and waves. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

I finally tore myself away and walked back up the beach, stopping two or three times to lie in a beach chair and look at the stars some more, passed my hotel and walked farther up the beach, then walked back via the strip to buy water and snacks—and got the heck away from the noise as soon as possible. Happily, my bungalow (did I mention that I had a bungalow? Bungalow!) was far enough from the road (and close enough to the water) that it was quiet. I sat on my little porch with the little light and red for a few minutes before going to sleep.

And I slept really well, until the courtyard rooster on duty began his noisemaking at his appointed hour of 5:30 am. Oy. He kept it up for a full half hour. Oh well. Kindof funny.

I got up and ran on the beach for an hour (which was also part rock-climbing, part bush-whacking), showered and had breakfast at the guesthouse porch restaurant overlooking the water, then hit the beach for swim and sun. After a while I put my stuff back in the bungalow (bungalow!) and went for a walk up the beach to see a notorious rock formation and find a snack. I had a chat with four women working at a beachfront massage shelter (they, like everyone else in Thailand, were very concerned that I was traveling alone—not for reasons of safety, but of happiness. I assured them that there were plenty of men out there for when we wanted to be bothered with them…and they laughingly agreed. And, while the Korean generic compliment is “beautiful,” the Thai people always tell you that you’re “sexy.” Either way, I can live with it), who insisted that I have my picture taken with them.

I got to the “Grandmother and Grandfather” rocks, and was trying to figure out the female half, when a Thai couple asked me if I knew where it was. I guessed it might be the formation next to what was CLEARLY the male rock, but the guy was certain that it would look “more like pussy.” Ah, yes. I was going to explain that he might not want to use that term in polite conversation…but we had been directed to the rocks we’d been looking for and he got really involved in taking photos and didn’t look like he was gonna quit anytime soon. So I left that for someone else to point out.

Had a delicious Thai beef salad lunch on the beach on the way back to my bungalow (!). Of course, you pay double for anything you consume on the beach, but when it’s $3 instead of $1.50, it’s easier to swallow.

I set out on my crappy bike for some island waterfalls, one of which was really disappointing—and had an admission fee, no less! The other was okay but still no big deal. Saw some elephants. Noted again all the tourists on motorbikes driving badly because a) they don’t know how to drive motorbikes, b) they’re not used to driving on the left side of the road, and c) plenty of them probably have fruity alcoholic drinks in them. I didn’t see any other bicycles, and mine was the only helmet on the island, as far as I could tell. Aren’t you proud of me?

I returned the bike and took one last dip before leaving for the airport ($10 taxi—ouch!—apparently their gas prices have tripled). Sigh. Drank a coconut (yep) at the airport, as I’d not had one on the beach, and flew to Bangkok for the last leg of my trip.

At the Bangkok airport, I was careful to get a cab with a meter, as they are notorious for scamming tourists. I asked the driver who flagged me down (once I was out to the street where the regular cabs are supposed to be) if he had a meter and told him where I was going (Banglamphu, the neighborhood where 99% of people with backpacks go). He tried to not use his meter and assure me that the ride would be ‘cheap,’ and I told him that I wanted to see his meter on. He then started complaining about how far away I wanted to go and told me that I must be unhappy because I was “one person,” and drove me back to the airport! I told him that we had a word for cabbies like him in New York, and that it wasn’t a nice word.

As luck would have it, back at the airport I found out that the bus my book had said didn’t run at that hour was indeed running (and even completed the loop back to the airport so I’d be able to take it on my way out, too), so I got a ticket for that and was dropped off in the neighborhood of backpackers’ guesthouses. After looking at a lot of rooms (I’ve decided that I’m too old to share a bathroom, especially if it’s a $2 upgrade to have a private one, even if it kills the thrifty thrill-seeker in me), perseverance paid off and I found a good room in a great guesthouse (comfy restaurant, internet, secure luggage storage, quiet rooms) for a reasonable price ($10; not bad for what I got, and in Bangkok).

I slept in a little, as it’d been a late night, had breakfast at my guesthouse and did a little internet research on theatre for that evening, then took a tour of the ancient royal district, Ko Ratanakosin. I browsed the amulet market (zillions of little rectangular stones with Buddhas on them, and other trinkety-amulety things) and tried to find the tea I’d had at the spa at some herb stalls (no luck—in fact, they all reacted a little strangely to what I had written on the paper…I wondered if maybe there were another form of the herb that was more potent, maybe even injected…) before tackling the monster sights of Wat Phra Krew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) and the Grand Palace. WOW! Really astounding. A cornucopia of murals, mosaics and marble. The colors, the shapes, the time and work it must have taken…I spent a ton of time there and took a zillion more photos. Every corner turned opened up a new breathtaking view.

On a side note, they had a really complex system of clothing rental set up to cover people’s legs and shoulders. I had on a knee-length skirt that was deemed appropriate, but people with Capri pants had to wear a sarong or long pants. You either left ID or $5 with a receipt for the items you’d borrowed, and had to go through about three steps to return them, get a chit and redeem it for your goods. Egad.

After that extravaganza, I went down the street to see Lak Meuang, the city pillar. This pillar, in a sanctuary, supposedly embodies the city’s guardian spirit. Lots of people were praying at that and another altar, and there was a cheesy stage with women past a certain age doing some traditional dance.

I moved on to Wat Pho, home to a 46m-long and 15m-high reclining Buddha, finished in gold leaf and mother-of-pearl inlay. Not bad. This wat also houses the largest collection of Buddhist images in Thailand (394 gilded Buddhas). Lots of nifty stupas, too.

I was near starving at this point, so I had some roadside soup before my next wat, then hopped the cross-river ferry to Wat Arun. Big. Impressive. Photos.

I took the return ferry, and then another local one going upriver to Banglamphu, where I checked out the local market scene ($1.50 for a small package of emery boards) before going to a Thai-Muslim restaurant for a curry and rotti dinner (have I mentioned that I like curry?). I walked through the touristy section of Banglamphu (it’s like international shopping and eating summer camp) on the way to my guesthouse for freshening up before going to a performance of Khon, or traditional Thai Masked Dance.

I passed by the Democracy Monument and another wat or two on the way to the theatre, then took in the performance ($25, supertitled, sometimes quite funnily; my favorite was “Thotsakan leaves the stage to perish.” If only he’d been pursued by a bear—elephant?--too…), which was beautiful. The costumes were elaborate and colorful, the performance was stylized and both athletic and subtle, and it was great to hear a concentrated dose of traditional music. And the theatre seats were comfortable with lots of legroom—imagine that!

Took a long walk home in the lovely night air, passing through Sanam Luang park, where a lot of people were hanging out and/or sleeping. It seemed as if they were camping out before an event, but something about the spacing of the parked cars and a couple of tents that looked like they were packing up, not setting up, made it seem post-eventy. I didn’t know what to make of the scene, and never saw anyone I could ask. Very odd.

I went to a guesthouse near mine, with big wooden chairs and tables and great classic rock tunes, and ordered pad thai and beer to enjoy while planning my next day. Mmmmmm. The plate was huge and I ate it all. Mmmmmmmmm.

The next morning (my last day) I took the ferry north to the Dusit area, where (after some curry for breakfast) I took a much-longer-than-expected walk to Wat Benchamabophit, made of beautiful white marble. I backtracked to Dusit park to take in the Royal Elephant Museum (no big deal, although you haven’t really lived until you’ve seen pickled white elephant leather), Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall (cool if you’re into exhibits of regional handiwork) and the Vimanmek Teak Mansion (magnificent, although the mandatory tour was tedious).

Not wanting to waste time, I hailed a cab to Pratunam market, which was apparently the next best thing to the weekend market I wouldn’t catch. I bought a knockoff Diesel watch, knockoff Oakley sunglasses, a few gifts and lots of tastes of street foods. I took another cab to Wat Saket and the Golden Mount for a quick climb and 360-degree view of the city, then walked past Wat Rajanadda and on back to Banglamphu to do my last Thai shopping in the international camp district. I had a successful couple of hours there, then checked my work schedule for the next day on the internet before getting my stuff and preparing to go to the bus stop...

Except that my trustworthy front deskers said that no airport bus picked people up there that they knew of. And that I should have made a reservation with the van that was about to pick people up outside the guesthouse, but that was full. Well, I WOULD HAVE made the reservation if two official people hadn’t told me that I could take the bus back. ARGH. So, I decided to go to the nearby bus stop, see if I could get info out of anyone there, and if not, take a cab. I took a cab. I got there in plenty of time. The plane was the driest box of air in which I have ever had the displeasure of being encased for an extended period of time. I got back to EV via 2 buses without incident, showered and took a ½ hour power nap, and went to work.

All in all, a great trip! The country is beautiful, the people are warm (when you get out of the really hellacious tourist areas), the food is out of this world, the history is staggering, and I wanna go back! Also, they really, REALLY dig Buddha. Big time. They like the guy. A lot. Bangkok has its exhaust problems, but otherwise wasn’t particularly seedy (I didn’t go to the red light district, as I figured it would just be a scene of tourists behaving badly. And I'd already seen plenty of trannies in Chaing Mai and Bangkok anyway. And I've, uh, been to New York). Actually, it was pretty darn clean. Languages heard throughout the trip: Korean, French, Danish, Dutch (a lot, and not just on the trek), Russian, Spanish, German, and all brands of English.

Khap khun kha (thank you), Thailand!

Of course I was wiped out upon return, and felt more awful than I should have on Sunday, so I took a sick day (labeled all the photos, though). I'm on the upswing, though, so I should be back on my bike in no time.

In better news, I’ve sorted out all my paid and unpaid leave days and handed in my letter of resignation. My last day is September 1st! Travel plans TBA. Hooray!

Okay, gonna go take care of the stomach and the carpal tunnel deal from all this typing…
:>)
Hotel and other info for anyone who’s planning a trip:
Ayuthaya: go and look and take whatever you like
Sukhothai: I stayed in New Sukhothai at the TR Guesthouse (tr_guesthouse@thaimail.com), Ban Thai looked great, too. Also plenty of options in Old Sukhothai, which puts you nearer the sights, but I suspect there isn’t much nightlife.
Chiang Mai: LannaThai Guesthouse (41/8 Soi 6 Loikroh Rd, Lannathai_GH@hotmail.com). It’s another city with tons of options…look around. I booked my trek through a reputable-seeming office on the main drag of the Night Bazaar; many of my trekmates booked through their hotels, but we were all ultimately on a “Buddy Tour,” so you’d probably get the best price directly through the company (I paid about $35).
Chiang Dao: I didn’t stay there, but the spa/resort was Marisa Resort (marisaresort.com) and it seemed like a beautiful, quiet town with many cheaper options.
Ko Samui: Guesthouse Mira Mare on Lamai Beach, between Sea Breeze and Galaxy.
Bangkok: 4 Sons Village on Soi Rambutri in Banglamphu (I think there are a few branches). (http://www.fs-hotel.com/) Airport bus #2 to Phra Arthit Pier.