Road to Bangkok
Trip Start
Aug 25, 2003
1
7
38
Trip End
Jul 23, 2004
Bangkok,
Thailand
Thursday, October 16, 2003
And ended up in the travel hub for border traffic, Hat Yai, just long enough to catch a bus to Trang. We had originally decided to go to Trang when we thought we would catch the last few days of the Vegetarian Festival, characterized by not only feasts and celebrations of vegetarian food, but also acts of self-mutilation, usually the piercing of one's own cheeks. Since I had never considered this a coordinating part of the vegetarian lifestyle, I was intrigued, but we didn't arrive in time. However, Trang is a very pleasant town, with a busy night market (yummmm.....crepes...) and a bus station within walking distance to town. Not to mention a very helpful expat, Han, owner of Ani's Second Hand Books, who pointed us in the right direction to a hotel and the night market, and offered to tell us where we could hear a band if we were staying in Trang
Flowerpot fish
. It was a shame that we couldn't stay, because the hotel he recommended and the night market were both great. Instead, we headed to Krabi by bus, and stayed in the Star Hotel, just across the street from the boat launch (do not stay there; the rooms smell like pee, but not until night when you are snuggled into bed, totally unsuspecting, and then wham! pee-smell from some unknown origin on the ground floor), and took the boat to Ko Phi Phi in the morning. I have to say, there were people who we met who really recommended Ko Phi Phi. It is a lot more commercial than I naively thought, and it seems that every inch of Phi Phi Don (the larger island) is dive shops and Thai massage places and bars. We took a boat with a guide and a driver to the highlights: Maya Bay (location of "The Beach"), Loh Saman, and saw Viking Cave. The snorkelling was okay; visibility is low as it is the rainy season, and everywhere we stopped there were huge tour boats from Phuket. We kayaked around part of the island, which was cool because we got away from the crowds and saw some jumping fish, but it was a really touristy place. How can I complain? I was out there, too. We'll probably avoid the more popular places from now on, if possible, though.
Next was Phang Nga, north of Krabi and the town closest to Phang Nga Bay, which has these incredible limestone karsts coming up from the water. There is a really touristy one, at James Bond Island, where "Man with the Golden Gun" was filmed, but everywhere else was much more laid back
Grand Palace
. I wish that our pictures did Phang Nga any justice at all, but they only suggest how amazing the landscape is. We left Phang Nga for Surat Thani by bus, and by lucky mistake, got dropped off at the train station instead of the bus station, so we could hop the train to Chaiya. I think that train is my favorite way to travel, even third class "hard seat". It is more expensive than the bus, but we can keep our bags close (having heard that theft from backpacks is rife on buses), there is a little more knee-room provided, and they all have toilets (not a universal truth on the buses). Chaiya was a treasure, my favorite place in Thailand so far. There is only one hotel, and it is clean and has character and we got a room with two fans (!!) and a balcony for 250 baht (US$6.30). We had a great dinner at a noodle stand; they didn't understand my Thai pronunciation of "I am a vegetarian" but Phil ate the chicken bits from mine, and the noodles were perfect. There was a festival in town that night, and we saw some really young Thai boxers (5-7 years old) and there was a monk-built float competition between the monasteries in the area. We got an impromptu tour from a young monk, Thawon, from Wat Wiang who spoke some English, and he showed us the first place float. We were unable to find out what made that float a winner; at this point, our Thai language skills are good enough to get us from one place to another and keep us fed, but we are stuck there
Kho San Road
. Fortunately, the Thai people are almost universally incredibly friendly and patient, so they are infinitely kind when faced with our linguistic struggles. The next day, we walked out from Chaiya to explore two temple ruins (very cool! highly recommended) and visit two active wats (temples). I really liked the atmosphere of the town, and I could've stayed longer, but we had to head to Bangkok. We took sleeper berths on the night train (beware if you opt for the top bunk, as they leave the lights on all night) and got into the city at 5:30 am, which helped us to miss the horrendous traffic that lasts all day on nearly every road. Yesterday was a limited exploration day, but today we hit three of the "main sights" of Bangkok: the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaeo, and Wat Pho. The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho is enormous. I hope we can post the partial picture (it wouldn't fit in one frame), it is absolutely incredible. But the best part happened tonight, by the river. The Royal Barges, all 52 of them, have been readied for a big show for the APEC summit members on Monday, and tonight they had a rehearsal. I can't adequately describe the singing/chanting which echoed from boat to boat as they passed, or the perfectly synchronized rowing, or the way the oars made no sound as the boats slipped past. It was so beautiful and powerful and emotionally stirring. I wish I could describe it, but not only do I lack the words to make the scene for you, but if we don't get back to our hotel before 1 am, they will lock us out, and I don't relish a night on the streets of Bangkok...
