Currently in Luang Prabang (Laos). Spent the last two days on a boat from Chang Khong to Luang Prabang. It's a great way to travel, and to meet people to do things with once you arrive. And the scenery was beautiful.
Luang Prabang is a great town so far. I can finally get some use out of the French I studied for years. I can't tell if Laos in general has a different feel to it, or if it is Luang Prabang itself, but I like it.
Today we did a 35k bike ride up and down hills to reach a series of beautiful waterfalls. It was a hell of a ride; a road bike would've been better than the mountain bikes we rented, but at least they had gears. There are about 7 different pools with waterfalls, some of which you can swim in. The most popular one had a 15 foot drop you could jump off and a tree with a rope to launch into the pool from. Good times.
Also: Beer Lao is better than the Thai beers I've tried so far (Singha, Chang, Leo, Archa).
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Trek to Karen villages
3/19-3/21
We went on a 3 day trek out of Chiang Mai. We had 3 guides to escort/cook for/entertain the 13 of us on the trip. The guides names were Poe (translation: baby), Nop (translation: beautiful), and Jackie Chan (translation: Jackie Chan). The pharang (foreigners) on the trip were from France, Holland, Russia, Ireland, England, and us from the US. Not only did I get to practice a lot of French in translating things for the Parisians (they spoke very little English), but I also gave the Russians English lessons in exchange for some Thai rum.
We rode out of Chiang Mai in the covered back of a pick-up truck, but we were over capacity, so a guide climbed up on the roof rack and I stood on the back gate. It would've been nicer had the air been fresher, but I had a better view and the thrill of almost being bounced off was worth it.
The first stop was an elephant ride. Somewhat depressing, fairly dirty, but also very exciting. Some of the elephants seemed worse for the wear, but considering they only have to wander up and down a river twice a day to be fairly well taken care of, it could be worse. Lauren was grinning so wide she swallowed more bugs than the FDA recommends for a month.
We then hiked for about 2 hours to reach a waterfall we could swim under and relax. The hike made it pretty obvious why they organize the groups by age, but even so there were pretty big differences in ability. We hiked another hour to the camp in time to catch our collective breath before the sun set over the mountains.
The next morning we hiked 1.5 hours to our lunch spot. After lunch and a nap, at Lauren and my request, we split in to two groups: she, Poe, and I took a 3 hour hard hike to the next waterfall/camp, while the others took an hour long easy hike. I can say much of their hike, other than they told us they were singing and joking the whole way. Lauren and I were out of breath and sweating hard for pretty much the whole 3 hours. When we weren't out of breath we were jogging along "flat/easy" parts of the trail, racing the sunset so we wouldn't be lost in the dark.
We did see some amazing things: traditional agriculture is a lot more beautiful (and probably less environmentally damaging) than modern techniques; if you plan well, irrigation is efficient and simple; jungles are amazing and full of reptiles, birds, and insects (and the local dog I befriended who kept us company). The number of ants alone that we saw was absurd.
About an hour before dusk, the path through the jungle we were supposed to take was blocked, so we had to veer off in another direction to try to hit it later. This meant following animal trails under bushes, over trees, around rocks, and through rivers, before we came to a swamp. Of course we were on the wrong side. Our guide slipped off his shoes and waded in, telling us to follow where he went, but not to fall through.
Fall through? We were walking on a woven mesh of the roots of the grasses and plants we were wading through. Right as he said this, my foot broke through and I was soaked up to my waist. We slowly made our way through, ignoring the spiders and insects and pretending he didn't just warn us about water snakes.
When we emerged on the dry land at the bottom of the hill on the other side, Lauren had several slashes on her legs around knee height from the sharp grasses, Poe had cuts on his thighs, and my shins had a mark or two. Leg hair seems to have at least one use.
Over a few more hills and down a few valleys later, we finally made our way to the camp, just as the sun was setting.
The next day we had a comparably easy hike, and then went bamboo rafting down the river. This was a lot of fun, like tubing down the Truckee or American river in California, only with some minor rapids and a lot of Thai spectators relaxing on the banks under bamboo shelters.
Three days wells spent.
We went on a 3 day trek out of Chiang Mai. We had 3 guides to escort/cook for/entertain the 13 of us on the trip. The guides names were Poe (translation: baby), Nop (translation: beautiful), and Jackie Chan (translation: Jackie Chan). The pharang (foreigners) on the trip were from France, Holland, Russia, Ireland, England, and us from the US. Not only did I get to practice a lot of French in translating things for the Parisians (they spoke very little English), but I also gave the Russians English lessons in exchange for some Thai rum.
We rode out of Chiang Mai in the covered back of a pick-up truck, but we were over capacity, so a guide climbed up on the roof rack and I stood on the back gate. It would've been nicer had the air been fresher, but I had a better view and the thrill of almost being bounced off was worth it.
The first stop was an elephant ride. Somewhat depressing, fairly dirty, but also very exciting. Some of the elephants seemed worse for the wear, but considering they only have to wander up and down a river twice a day to be fairly well taken care of, it could be worse. Lauren was grinning so wide she swallowed more bugs than the FDA recommends for a month.
We then hiked for about 2 hours to reach a waterfall we could swim under and relax. The hike made it pretty obvious why they organize the groups by age, but even so there were pretty big differences in ability. We hiked another hour to the camp in time to catch our collective breath before the sun set over the mountains.
The next morning we hiked 1.5 hours to our lunch spot. After lunch and a nap, at Lauren and my request, we split in to two groups: she, Poe, and I took a 3 hour hard hike to the next waterfall/camp, while the others took an hour long easy hike. I can say much of their hike, other than they told us they were singing and joking the whole way. Lauren and I were out of breath and sweating hard for pretty much the whole 3 hours. When we weren't out of breath we were jogging along "flat/easy" parts of the trail, racing the sunset so we wouldn't be lost in the dark.
We did see some amazing things: traditional agriculture is a lot more beautiful (and probably less environmentally damaging) than modern techniques; if you plan well, irrigation is efficient and simple; jungles are amazing and full of reptiles, birds, and insects (and the local dog I befriended who kept us company). The number of ants alone that we saw was absurd.
About an hour before dusk, the path through the jungle we were supposed to take was blocked, so we had to veer off in another direction to try to hit it later. This meant following animal trails under bushes, over trees, around rocks, and through rivers, before we came to a swamp. Of course we were on the wrong side. Our guide slipped off his shoes and waded in, telling us to follow where he went, but not to fall through.
Fall through? We were walking on a woven mesh of the roots of the grasses and plants we were wading through. Right as he said this, my foot broke through and I was soaked up to my waist. We slowly made our way through, ignoring the spiders and insects and pretending he didn't just warn us about water snakes.
When we emerged on the dry land at the bottom of the hill on the other side, Lauren had several slashes on her legs around knee height from the sharp grasses, Poe had cuts on his thighs, and my shins had a mark or two. Leg hair seems to have at least one use.
Over a few more hills and down a few valleys later, we finally made our way to the camp, just as the sun was setting.
The next day we had a comparably easy hike, and then went bamboo rafting down the river. This was a lot of fun, like tubing down the Truckee or American river in California, only with some minor rapids and a lot of Thai spectators relaxing on the banks under bamboo shelters.
Three days wells spent.
Doi Suthep self-guided expedition on motorscooter.
3/18
I decided to rent a motorscooter (on Ben's advice) to explore some of the area around Chiang Mai. I bought a map made by an American biker group, and planned out a big route (about 6 hours, including stops). Unfortunately I ended up getting a later start than planned. I headed up towards the summit of Doi Suthep, passing by Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, a few waterfalls, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, Puphing palace, and then finally another national park with a trail up to the summit.
It was a windy, cloudy, wet morning as I rode up the mostly empty, winding, mountain road past the Chiang Mai Zoo into the lush jungle of the foothills. I turned off into a park (paid the entrance fee) and rode along a one lane road to the end, where I parked and walked to a waterfall. As it was wet and the middle of the week, I was the only tourist there. The narrow roads were as enjoyable as the waterfall itself.
I reached the wat, parked and headed up the 300+ stairs into the center of the temple. It had an amazing courtyard with views off all four sides that would have been spectacular on a clear day. As they were they were still impressive; it seemed like the temple was above the clouds. This was the temple with the boys sweeping the tiles, the monk with the cat, etc.
I continued up the mountain road towards the summit. When I reached the palace, I was turned away because they were closed for lunch from 11:30 - 1:00 each day. I decided I'd check it out on the way back down from the summit.
The national park containing the summit had no other tourists, and I also had trouble finding anybody working the tourist facilities. I found the trail head and started jogging up the jungle path. I was constantly assaulted by bugs; the Great Australian Wave makes taking steady photos of the views pretty hard, but I'll post photos from this day later as well. Definitely glad I was taking my malaria pills. I lost the trail for a while and ended up jogging along a logging road for about a kilometer before I doubled back and found the trail again. After a while I reached what was the highest point I could see through the dense trees and undergrowth, so I dubbed it the New Summit of Doi Suthep and ran back down so I could get on the road for the main part of the expedition.
With my adrenaline pumping and the excitement of being back on the road I headed back down the steep, winding, gravely road. At every turn there were signs to blow the horn, and on the straights there were signs saying that it's a two lane street, even though my scooter took up half the width. The clouds had lifted somewhat, and the views heading down to the main road were a lot better than on the way up. A word of advice: pull over to look at them; don't gaze when you are coming up to a hairpin turn.
I slid out, laughed at myself, bandaged myself up, and decided I probably shouldn't do the 4-5 hour expedition I had planned to do after the mountain detour. I cruised back down to lick my wounds and have a beer.
I decided to rent a motorscooter (on Ben's advice) to explore some of the area around Chiang Mai. I bought a map made by an American biker group, and planned out a big route (about 6 hours, including stops). Unfortunately I ended up getting a later start than planned. I headed up towards the summit of Doi Suthep, passing by Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, a few waterfalls, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, Puphing palace, and then finally another national park with a trail up to the summit.
It was a windy, cloudy, wet morning as I rode up the mostly empty, winding, mountain road past the Chiang Mai Zoo into the lush jungle of the foothills. I turned off into a park (paid the entrance fee) and rode along a one lane road to the end, where I parked and walked to a waterfall. As it was wet and the middle of the week, I was the only tourist there. The narrow roads were as enjoyable as the waterfall itself.
I reached the wat, parked and headed up the 300+ stairs into the center of the temple. It had an amazing courtyard with views off all four sides that would have been spectacular on a clear day. As they were they were still impressive; it seemed like the temple was above the clouds. This was the temple with the boys sweeping the tiles, the monk with the cat, etc.
I continued up the mountain road towards the summit. When I reached the palace, I was turned away because they were closed for lunch from 11:30 - 1:00 each day. I decided I'd check it out on the way back down from the summit.
The national park containing the summit had no other tourists, and I also had trouble finding anybody working the tourist facilities. I found the trail head and started jogging up the jungle path. I was constantly assaulted by bugs; the Great Australian Wave makes taking steady photos of the views pretty hard, but I'll post photos from this day later as well. Definitely glad I was taking my malaria pills. I lost the trail for a while and ended up jogging along a logging road for about a kilometer before I doubled back and found the trail again. After a while I reached what was the highest point I could see through the dense trees and undergrowth, so I dubbed it the New Summit of Doi Suthep and ran back down so I could get on the road for the main part of the expedition.
With my adrenaline pumping and the excitement of being back on the road I headed back down the steep, winding, gravely road. At every turn there were signs to blow the horn, and on the straights there were signs saying that it's a two lane street, even though my scooter took up half the width. The clouds had lifted somewhat, and the views heading down to the main road were a lot better than on the way up. A word of advice: pull over to look at them; don't gaze when you are coming up to a hairpin turn.
I slid out, laughed at myself, bandaged myself up, and decided I probably shouldn't do the 4-5 hour expedition I had planned to do after the mountain detour. I cruised back down to lick my wounds and have a beer.
Monday, March 23, 2009
3/23/2552 (Thailand is very advanced)
Hi All.
I don't have my notepad with me, so I'll hold off on some of the "epic" story telling.
Instead, a random observation:
While at one of the temples outside Chiang Mai, I was lucky enough to observe a monk performing a service/giving a blessing to a patron. It reminded me of the little I've seen in mosques and churches, in that the monk was praying over him, and occasionally flicked water onto the man with a brush of reeds. I enjoyed seeing this common thread of all religions and cultures.
Also, while the monk was performing the service, a cat was climbing all over him trying to get attention, rubbing against his hands.
At the same temple I saw young boys (not in monks' robes) sweeping the water around on the tiles, trying to keep it somewhat dry. While it was still raining. I did slip and almost fall because of my bare feet. Can an ancient buddha image grin? I think so. Can an ancient buddha image make it stop raining after? Probably not, but the rain did end.
I am alive and mostly uninjured: my abrasions are mostly healed (yes, I had a spill off the scooter on a wet dirt road near the summit of Doi Suthep; yes, it was worth it; yes, I'd do it again), the grass cuts are fading, and the insect bites are clearing up as new ones replace them. I'm also not having the bizarre dreams many people taking Malarone (to prevent malaria) experience.
Currently in Chiang Rai, a smaller, more northern version of Chiang Mai. It used to be a popular destination for Thai tourists. It's a lot cleaner and nicer, but also seems to be more laid back/boring. Bangkok is still where I'd like to live in Thailand. Headed in to Laos in the next few days for about a week. We'll be taking a boat for 2 days down the river to get to Luang Prabang from Chang Khong.
I don't have my notepad with me, so I'll hold off on some of the "epic" story telling.
Instead, a random observation:
While at one of the temples outside Chiang Mai, I was lucky enough to observe a monk performing a service/giving a blessing to a patron. It reminded me of the little I've seen in mosques and churches, in that the monk was praying over him, and occasionally flicked water onto the man with a brush of reeds. I enjoyed seeing this common thread of all religions and cultures.
Also, while the monk was performing the service, a cat was climbing all over him trying to get attention, rubbing against his hands.
At the same temple I saw young boys (not in monks' robes) sweeping the water around on the tiles, trying to keep it somewhat dry. While it was still raining. I did slip and almost fall because of my bare feet. Can an ancient buddha image grin? I think so. Can an ancient buddha image make it stop raining after? Probably not, but the rain did end.
I am alive and mostly uninjured: my abrasions are mostly healed (yes, I had a spill off the scooter on a wet dirt road near the summit of Doi Suthep; yes, it was worth it; yes, I'd do it again), the grass cuts are fading, and the insect bites are clearing up as new ones replace them. I'm also not having the bizarre dreams many people taking Malarone (to prevent malaria) experience.
Currently in Chiang Rai, a smaller, more northern version of Chiang Mai. It used to be a popular destination for Thai tourists. It's a lot cleaner and nicer, but also seems to be more laid back/boring. Bangkok is still where I'd like to live in Thailand. Headed in to Laos in the next few days for about a week. We'll be taking a boat for 2 days down the river to get to Luang Prabang from Chang Khong.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Teaser!
Had a crazy awesome day today. Went off exploring on a scooter/motorbike by myself. Details to follow but:
- I named a new peak.
- I'm glad I started my malaria pills a few days ago.
- I'm glad I brought (and had with me) my first aid kit, even if my EMT certification expired a few days ago.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Got in to Chiang Mai today. I love it despite the perpetually grey sky. I guess being by the ocean helps Bangkok.
Picking up from last time: Monk Bowl Village is where a half dozen families make bowls that monks traditionally use for collections the original way: 8 strips of metal hammered together with melted copper at the joints. Each bowl takes about a day to make. Some look very plain, others are more decorated, and they range from normal rice bowl size to serving bowl size.
We walked around the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew and a few other local wats. Amazingly elaborate and ornate temples and shrines. (Pictures will most likely be uploaded once I get back to the states.)
Around sunset we took a ferry along a canal to get back to the skytrain/our hostel. It sounds picturesque. However, the water was filthy, and there was a tarp on ropes that the passengers could raise or lower, and most had it up high to keep any splashes from getting on them. It was good to catch the little glimpses that I did of the slums along the canal to compare to other parts of Bangkok.
The next morning we took a regional train to Ayutthaya, the second capitol of Thailand. It was a huge area around 1700, and the ruins do give an idea of its past grandeur, but the town itself is possibly even more depressing. We got around by bike (pretty dangerous from where we were staying, apparently), and thought it would be a good idea to stop by the Ayutthaya Historical Study Center to get some perspective before viewing the ruins. The Japanese built the center, and apparently promptly abandoned it. We left pretty quickly too. We somehow navigated to the main attraction of the town: Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (the actual ruins).
They were very impressive, and it was mind boggling to compare these ruins and buddha images to what we'd seen in Bangkok. They are what you see in movies or video games, but they don't do the scale justice.
The next day we went to Sukhothai, the original capitol of Thailand, before Ayutthaya. Old Sukhothai (where we were staying) is literally a one road town. Not only that, it is mostly one side of a road, as the other side is predominantly ruins and an active temple.
The Sukhothai Historical Park is incredible (I think I'm running out of synonyms). It covers a huge area, and while some parts are spread out, the ruins themselves convey more of an anciety city feel than Ayutthaya. One gets a much better perspective of what it would be like in its heyday. It was originally a walled town, and some remnants of the walls are still visible, but they mostly look like hills. Along one of the rural roads around the less dense parts we hit a rural traffic jam: about 20 head of cattle were being herded across the road.
The active monastery was interesting: it's surround by a moat thick with catfish and other fish. The monks sell fish food pellets to tourists, and it is disgusting how many writhe to the surface, sliding over each other, mouths gaping for food. As you can probable guess, nobody is allowed to fish from the moat. The fish must live a fat and happy life: many of them were at least 4 feet long.
The food in Old Sukhothai was pretty good and amazingly cheap. We had some incredible soup from a street vendor for 20 baht, and noddles for 10 baht ($1 USD = 35 baht).
As we bused from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai (this morning) the sky ominously turned grey and heavy. It is common to burn off trash, and the air feels thick with it, along with pollution from the buses, trucks, trains, cars, and motorbikes.
We have about 4 or 5 days in Chiang Mai, then we head to Chiang Rei and in to Laos.
Picking up from last time: Monk Bowl Village is where a half dozen families make bowls that monks traditionally use for collections the original way: 8 strips of metal hammered together with melted copper at the joints. Each bowl takes about a day to make. Some look very plain, others are more decorated, and they range from normal rice bowl size to serving bowl size.
We walked around the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew and a few other local wats. Amazingly elaborate and ornate temples and shrines. (Pictures will most likely be uploaded once I get back to the states.)
Around sunset we took a ferry along a canal to get back to the skytrain/our hostel. It sounds picturesque. However, the water was filthy, and there was a tarp on ropes that the passengers could raise or lower, and most had it up high to keep any splashes from getting on them. It was good to catch the little glimpses that I did of the slums along the canal to compare to other parts of Bangkok.
The next morning we took a regional train to Ayutthaya, the second capitol of Thailand. It was a huge area around 1700, and the ruins do give an idea of its past grandeur, but the town itself is possibly even more depressing. We got around by bike (pretty dangerous from where we were staying, apparently), and thought it would be a good idea to stop by the Ayutthaya Historical Study Center to get some perspective before viewing the ruins. The Japanese built the center, and apparently promptly abandoned it. We left pretty quickly too. We somehow navigated to the main attraction of the town: Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (the actual ruins).
They were very impressive, and it was mind boggling to compare these ruins and buddha images to what we'd seen in Bangkok. They are what you see in movies or video games, but they don't do the scale justice.
The next day we went to Sukhothai, the original capitol of Thailand, before Ayutthaya. Old Sukhothai (where we were staying) is literally a one road town. Not only that, it is mostly one side of a road, as the other side is predominantly ruins and an active temple.
The Sukhothai Historical Park is incredible (I think I'm running out of synonyms). It covers a huge area, and while some parts are spread out, the ruins themselves convey more of an anciety city feel than Ayutthaya. One gets a much better perspective of what it would be like in its heyday. It was originally a walled town, and some remnants of the walls are still visible, but they mostly look like hills. Along one of the rural roads around the less dense parts we hit a rural traffic jam: about 20 head of cattle were being herded across the road.
The active monastery was interesting: it's surround by a moat thick with catfish and other fish. The monks sell fish food pellets to tourists, and it is disgusting how many writhe to the surface, sliding over each other, mouths gaping for food. As you can probable guess, nobody is allowed to fish from the moat. The fish must live a fat and happy life: many of them were at least 4 feet long.
The food in Old Sukhothai was pretty good and amazingly cheap. We had some incredible soup from a street vendor for 20 baht, and noddles for 10 baht ($1 USD = 35 baht).
As we bused from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai (this morning) the sky ominously turned grey and heavy. It is common to burn off trash, and the air feels thick with it, along with pollution from the buses, trucks, trains, cars, and motorbikes.
We have about 4 or 5 days in Chiang Mai, then we head to Chiang Rei and in to Laos.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Hi all. Second time at a computer since I've been here, but the first place kept crashing on me so no post then. I'll post some old stuff first:
The first leg of getting to Bangkok was a 12 hour flight. Asiana Airlines was voted the best airline in 2009. A little premature maybe, but it was a very nice flight. I had a row to myself, so I took a nap and brushed up on my Thai a little.
After 7 hours, 3 embarassed hostesses asked me to move for a passenger complaining of back problems. I've been there myself and figured I could do with some good kharma before visiting a largely Buddhist country, so I moved and got an aisle seat with extra leg room and an empty middle seat next to me. I was thanked by entire flight crew, and was given a rum and coke that probably took the enamel off my teeth. I don't think the passenger who woke up with me invading his row was as well compensated.
I spent 2 hours walking around Incheon airport (South Korea), and then slept for most of the 6 hour flight to Bangkok.
2am: I got in after public transport was closed, so I had to take a cab. Instead of lining up for a disgruntled cab driver like in the US, in Suvarnabhumi Airport they line up to smile and rip you off. The "system" the airport provides just facilitates the extorsion with a smile, since they pair you up with a cab driver. He offered me a flat fee, but when I asked for the meter he said it was broken. Apparently hiding it under a wash cloth breaks it.
2:20am: Lanes are about as relevant as speed limits. If there was a car next to the cab, he got closer to it despite the four lane freeway being almost empty. If there was a car in front, he sped up (up to 140 k/hr), but if there was no one in front he slowed down to 60 k/hr. Fun.
2:45am: Met up with Lauren at Suk11 hostel.
6:14am: After a light nap, I took a stroll around the neighborhood. We are wedged between a "quiet" red light district & an expat/ambassador neighborhood. They both see a lot of activity, though of different kinds and at different times. Seeing the Thai locals start their day before the tourists began to stir was a great intro to Bangkok though.
Despite the almost complete lack of trash cans, the streets are free of trash save for the food waste the street vendors sweep into the gutters and toss into the canals. The fish seem to love it.
Getting around Bangkok is fairly convenient. We are staying close to the skytrain, which is an elevated metro system that was completed in the new millenium. Clean, airconditioned, and cheap. We can easily get to the river from the hostel on it, and from there we can take longboat ferries to get to other parts of the city.
We took the ferry up to Khao San Road, a backpacker "ghetto" or "haven," depending on your perspective, and then were offered a very cheap tuk-tuk ride. Lauren's new friend "Dan" was very friendly and lucky us! Because of the recent turmoil, today was a free gas day! Only 50 baht for a tour of the temples!
Of course it included low-key non-tourist temples, but also a travel agent, a tailor, etc that we finally convinced the driver Kob not to take us to anymore. Either way it was fun and cheap.
For an airconditioned break we checked out a huge mall just off the sky train, MDK. This place has an incredible food court with prices comparable to the street vendors. Awesome.
That night we went to a night market. We explored for about 45 minutes, going up and down each row methodically, before we realized we'd only seen about 1/6th of the place. It also has a huge beer garden with a food court. It's like an overblown Paddington Market in Sydney. Great deals on clothes, souvenirs, bags, and anything else. And the less you want it and the later in the night it is, the cheaper it becomes as the vendors slash the prices if you just stop and look.
The next day we saw a very red sunrise over part of the skyline from the sky train as we headed out to explore chinatown. After squeezing up through the stalls of pungent foods, we walked through a very non-tourist area full of auto-part shops etc. We were 2 of 10 white people in the market, but we were on our own out here. We finally stumbled on the alley we were looking for: The Monk Bowl Village.
I'll have to pick up from here later. We're currently somewhere between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, in Sukhothai, but my time on this computer is about to run out.
The first leg of getting to Bangkok was a 12 hour flight. Asiana Airlines was voted the best airline in 2009. A little premature maybe, but it was a very nice flight. I had a row to myself, so I took a nap and brushed up on my Thai a little.
After 7 hours, 3 embarassed hostesses asked me to move for a passenger complaining of back problems. I've been there myself and figured I could do with some good kharma before visiting a largely Buddhist country, so I moved and got an aisle seat with extra leg room and an empty middle seat next to me. I was thanked by entire flight crew, and was given a rum and coke that probably took the enamel off my teeth. I don't think the passenger who woke up with me invading his row was as well compensated.
I spent 2 hours walking around Incheon airport (South Korea), and then slept for most of the 6 hour flight to Bangkok.
2am: I got in after public transport was closed, so I had to take a cab. Instead of lining up for a disgruntled cab driver like in the US, in Suvarnabhumi Airport they line up to smile and rip you off. The "system" the airport provides just facilitates the extorsion with a smile, since they pair you up with a cab driver. He offered me a flat fee, but when I asked for the meter he said it was broken. Apparently hiding it under a wash cloth breaks it.
2:20am: Lanes are about as relevant as speed limits. If there was a car next to the cab, he got closer to it despite the four lane freeway being almost empty. If there was a car in front, he sped up (up to 140 k/hr), but if there was no one in front he slowed down to 60 k/hr. Fun.
2:45am: Met up with Lauren at Suk11 hostel.
6:14am: After a light nap, I took a stroll around the neighborhood. We are wedged between a "quiet" red light district & an expat/ambassador neighborhood. They both see a lot of activity, though of different kinds and at different times. Seeing the Thai locals start their day before the tourists began to stir was a great intro to Bangkok though.
Despite the almost complete lack of trash cans, the streets are free of trash save for the food waste the street vendors sweep into the gutters and toss into the canals. The fish seem to love it.
Getting around Bangkok is fairly convenient. We are staying close to the skytrain, which is an elevated metro system that was completed in the new millenium. Clean, airconditioned, and cheap. We can easily get to the river from the hostel on it, and from there we can take longboat ferries to get to other parts of the city.
We took the ferry up to Khao San Road, a backpacker "ghetto" or "haven," depending on your perspective, and then were offered a very cheap tuk-tuk ride. Lauren's new friend "Dan" was very friendly and lucky us! Because of the recent turmoil, today was a free gas day! Only 50 baht for a tour of the temples!
Of course it included low-key non-tourist temples, but also a travel agent, a tailor, etc that we finally convinced the driver Kob not to take us to anymore. Either way it was fun and cheap.
For an airconditioned break we checked out a huge mall just off the sky train, MDK. This place has an incredible food court with prices comparable to the street vendors. Awesome.
That night we went to a night market. We explored for about 45 minutes, going up and down each row methodically, before we realized we'd only seen about 1/6th of the place. It also has a huge beer garden with a food court. It's like an overblown Paddington Market in Sydney. Great deals on clothes, souvenirs, bags, and anything else. And the less you want it and the later in the night it is, the cheaper it becomes as the vendors slash the prices if you just stop and look.
The next day we saw a very red sunrise over part of the skyline from the sky train as we headed out to explore chinatown. After squeezing up through the stalls of pungent foods, we walked through a very non-tourist area full of auto-part shops etc. We were 2 of 10 white people in the market, but we were on our own out here. We finally stumbled on the alley we were looking for: The Monk Bowl Village.
I'll have to pick up from here later. We're currently somewhere between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, in Sukhothai, but my time on this computer is about to run out.
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