Thailand--2011

Diane Smith

8 Nov: Sawaddee kha. We are having a great time, but it is very hot and sweaty. We spent three nights in Bangkok. Some of the trip events had to be rescheduled because of flood related problems. Other than that, the flooding reported isn't a big deal for us. We have seen no water, but there are lots of sandbags packed around buildings. Efforts are currently being made to divert the water around the business center of the city. All of the overpasses/bridges in the city are lined with parked cars and trucks that have been moved out of the flooded sections or projected flooded areas.

We have seen many amazing temples/Buddhas/palaces/etc. The artistry is just mind-blowing. Pictures can't even do justice to the detail, size, etc. The Emerald Buddha is actually made of jade and rather small--about two feet tall. It sits on a massive decorated base, very elaborate and is dressed in different outfits, depending on the season. The king normally climbs a ladder to do this but the current king is very ill in hospital so his son has the chore.

This has been a very good trip so far. Hopefully, our stay in Viet Nam and Cambodia will be just as good. There has been no rain at all since we arrived. Temps mid-day have been in the high 80s or 90s. Nights are very pleasant often with a cool breeze.That will probably change in VN.

We saw many markets throughout this trip, but the one at Maeklong was unique. The vendors set up shop along the railroad tracks through the town. When the trains come (several times a day), they must quickly clear away a path. When the train has passed, everything returns to business as usual. The Floating Market at Kanchanburi while not unique is also interesting:

Now we are in the Hintok River Camp on the River Kwai in central Thailand; it's.a very rural area, quite a change from the bustle in Bangkok. Earlier today, we saw and crossed the bridge they made the movie about. As usual the movie-makers took a lot of liberties with what really happened. We also went to the Hellfire Pass Museum and Memorial today and hiked through part of the right-of-way cut by hand for the rail lines. Putting the railroad through from Bangkok to Burma was a major undertaking that killed over 100, 000 people from many countries.

9 Nov: Our accommodations are excellent. Last night and tonight we are staying in a fully enclosed tent with a toilet and shower attached but outside the netting. It is also air conditioned. The food has been very different, but generally very good.

So far the weather has been good. Well, hot, but no rain. Before dinner each evening, we have to shower and change clothes. Tomorrow we head up the road again and will participate in the Loi Krathong festival at this unpronounceable village that involves making floating candle things (Krathongs) that we will place in the river and releasing small hot-air balloons.

Thai is difficult tospeak, even typical phrases, town or river names, etc. Their alphabet is much longer than ours and uses totally different letters. Many other cultures have impacted the Thai culture including the language. Indian, Chinese and Sanskrit all have made major contributions to the language, food, architectural styles, etc.

Nov 10: Overseas Adventure Travel really has lived up to its name the last couple of days. About an hour after we left the camp headed north the bus broke down. The driver nursed it to a partly constructed fuel stop. Our guide, Pe, got on the phone, then roared off on a scooter with some guy. After a while she was back with two passenger vans, loaded us and our luggage and away we went leaving the driver and his helper with the bus. The two vans went different directions running about 85 most of the time. Don't know what the other van did, but our driver got very lost, kept stopping for gas, directions, who knows what! Since none of us spoke Thai we couldn't even ask him any questions. About two hours later we finally got to the river and the boat waiting for us to cruise while we had lunch. By now it was 2:30 in the afternoon. We had a lovely cruise up and down the river for about 1 1/2 hrs. By the time we returned to the dock, our bus had been fixed and showed up to continue on to the hotel for the night.

Nov 11: While at a "learning and discovery" stop JT went back to the bus for something and discovered the driver's helper poking in the backpack of one of our group. He reported it to Pe, and after further checking it was discovered that the helper had previously stolen a credit card from another group member and had already charged purchases four times. Needless to say, the helper isn't with us any more. It's too bad. He was very pleasant, helpful, and assured we had plenty of cold water, etc. Unfortunately, he was also a thief.

At a "technical stop" [read potty break] later in the day, we stumbled across something really unique: a Latte artist. This young woman turned these tasty beverages into truly remarkable works of art. I almost felt guilty drinking mine.

Nov 12: We have seen lots of flooded fields and high water marks on buildings, but the roads were clear. Much of the rice crop for this year is ruined. It's harvest time, but the crop is under water. Very sad. We are currently right at the top of Thailand staying at a hotel right on the Mekong River in Chiang Rai. Two blocks up the street is the Golden Triangle where Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand meet. Several members of our group took a boat ride over to Laos just so they could add it the list of countries they had been in. JT and I decided that was a waste of time since there really wasn't anything on the shore worth seeing, just a small village and a casino.

Nov 13: Today we rode in two different open trucks up into the hills to see several tribes that are not Thais but groups who had settled in northern Thailand after war, etc. drove them out of Burma, Laos, and China. One group were the "long-neck" people. The women wore a dozen or more brass rings around their necks and often large earrings through 1 inch wide holes in their ears. Their homes were very simple with little furniture. Most of the places had a roof, but few if any walls. They had crafts available to sell to tourists, their principle source of income. They farmed on the steep hills for most of their food.

Nov 14: Basically, it was a travel day from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. We started the day with a visit to the White Temple. Quite a place. Think of a combination of Disneyland and wedding cake. The paintings, etc, inside included scenes of the World Trade Center blowing up, Michael Jackson, Nemo from "The Matrix" Darth Vader, George W. Bush. Very different from the other temples we've seen

Then attention turned to shopping. We went to an umbrella factory, the largest gem store in the world, and finished up with the night market. I didn't get anything at the gem store, but found a few interesting things at the other places. At the umbrella factory several of the artists would, for a nominal fee, paint pictures on just about anything you wanted. I chose my Kindle cover, fanny pack and shirt; J.T. had a dragon put on his OAT windbreaker.

Nov 15: Chiang Mai. Today was the best so far. We started the day with a trip to the elephant camp. We saw the elephants take a bath in the river, then show off their range of skills such as pushing logs, dragging logs, carrying banners, playing soccer, dancing, bowing. The final event was two of the elephants painting pictures. Suda did a self-portrait, the other painted a bird on a tree branch. After the show we mounted up two at a time and took an elephant ride around the trails. We rode for an hour going up and down hills. Two of the elephants had babies walking along with their moms. They provided plenty of laughs throwing up dust, pulling "snacks" off low tree branches, poking and shoving each other. One of them was only a year old.

After the elephant ride we rode a bamboo raft down the river for another hour. So beautiful and peaceful. There were only two of us per raft with two men from Burma controlling our path, one in front, the other in back. The front fellow pointed out the sights along the bank and told us a bit about himself (4 children, 4 trips down the river per day in good weather, stuff like that.) During the flood everything shut down including the elephant show/rides.

After a very good lunch at a private facility, we went up one of the mountains on a super curvy road to see the principal temple in the area. Then we went to our guide's home where she treated us to a dance/drum performance (she still teaches classes in the technique at local schools) Then she, her boyfriend, and several friends and neighbors gave us a great dinner followed by as good a sword dance by one of her neighbors as I have ever seen. Tina also provide a very funny commentary during the meal.

Nov 16: Our last full day in Chaing Mai. We had a presentation by a monk, followed by a stop at a cultural museum. Monks are not allowed to touch or stand beside a woman. When making a donation of food, flowers, money, a woman must be very careful not to touch him or the donation bowl. The heads of the people are not supposed to be above the monk, but since many of them are very short, that doesn't always happen. Then we attended a cooking class during which we prepared our own lunch. We ended the day with a home-hosted dinner. I could use a bit more down time, but we are seeing/doing lots of good stuff.

Nov 18: Yesterday we left Chaing Mai in Northern Thailand and flew back to Bangkok. Today we saw a couple more temples and the Grand Palace Museum, containing some spectacular examples of traditional Thai arts and crafts. We finished the day with a farewell dinner on a boat. Tomorrow we head for Hanoi, Viet Nam. Hopefully, there will be internet connections there.

Some final words on Thailand: This is a beautiful, lush country with very friendly, polite people. The food has been very good but too generous in the size servings. I know I've gained weight already. The standard of living here is well below ours. Monks and the King play a large role in the life of the people. The primary religion is Buddhism, but with lots of Hindu beliefs and traditions mixed in. In the south they speak what they call Bangkok Thai. Up north they speak Chiang Mai Thai, which is very different, And the monks and other religious types speak Pali, a third language. All very confusing. Our guide, Pe, is from the north. She doesn't speak Bangkok Thai well enough to escort Thai groups on tours. She gets the occasional word wrong.

This has been a very good trip so far. Hopefully, our stay in Viet Nam and Cambodia will be just as good. There has been no rain at all since we arrived. Temps mid-day have been in the high 80s or 90s. Nights are very pleasant often with a cool breeze.That will probably change in VN.