Saturday, October 23, 2010

Tales from Thailand

I usually reserve this blog for work-related thoughts as Social Media Coordinator for A Sante Lakeside Fitness, but seeing as I'm in Thailand and my immediate and not-so-immediate family members are expecting detailed feedback from my trip, I'm going to sway from my typical fitness and health blogging to do some travel writing.

After nearly 30 hours of planes and layovers, Rachel and I finally made it to our first of many destinations: Bangkok, Thailand. The city is more Westernized than I had expected. Roads are complete with traffic lights, lane changes and actual vehicles. Skyscrapers line the panoramic view and Starbucks, 7 eleven and KFC are poking out amongst motorbike shops and massage parlors (ugh). Much different from some of the 3rd-world travel I have done before such as in Chennai, India where you share the unpaved road with virtually every moveable object from camels and cows to rickshaws and town cars.

We spent an evening at Rachel's family friend's house in a more remote part of the city. On our second day in Bangkok, we sorted out travel plans and visited some landmarks including the Grand Palace, where the King formerly lived from the 18th century until recently. We also took a boat ride down the Chao Phraya River, which offered a fascinating perspective on Thai river settlements. We graciously left Bangkok that evening on an overnight bus for Chiang Mai. The bus was quite comfortable and a sexy Thai tranny with false eyelashes and bright pink lipstick served us food and drinks along the way.

We arrived in Chiang Mai (northern Thailand) early the next morning and headed straight to a guesthouse in the city to catch a few more hours of sleep before waking up to explore. We hired a driver for the day and went first to an elephant camp where we rode on an elephant named Boonmba through the mountainous jungle on the outskirts of the city. Now I can scratch elephant riding off my list of things to do in life! Next we headed down the mountain to a tiger park where we were escorted into a cage with 3 tigers - imminent death it seemed - but the tigers appeared more interested in sleep than eating us so we were able to pet them and lie on the ground with them (not my idea) which made for some great photos. I was definitely weary of supporting this particular tourist trap seeing as the reason I became a vegetarian was to support animal rights and I felt I was going against my ideals by participating, but then again, what the hell? Petting a tiger was pretty fucking awesome and when would I have that opportunity again?

Next we headed up another steep mountain pass for Doi Suthep - one of the most venerated temples in all of Thailand which sits upon a mountain top gazing down at the dense rainforest and city below. We sat infront of a glowing, golden Buddha for a while and although I haven't quite reached enlightenment :), it does feel spiritual and meditative to bask in the radiance such a divine symbol of happiness, love and peace.

The next day, we departed for Pai (pronounced BYE) in the morning, which is where we currently reside. I don't think I would ever leave this quaint, bohemian village if it weren't for Ted. Pai lies in an isolated region of northern Thailand near the border of Myanmar, nestled in a valley surrounded by a lush jungle that blankets the mountains. The town has a Berkeley meets Burlington meets the Shire (hobbit town) from Lord of the Rings feel. The roads are mini-sized and made for mostly pedestrians and mopeds though there are some vehicles. Rasta flags adorn many restaurants and bars and the smell of incense lingers around the tattoo and massage parlors.

Yesterday we checked into a charming guesthouse near the river and immediately rented a moped to tour the town and surrounding jungle. I'm not sure if I was feeling an elevation high from the 3-hour winding road it took to get to Pai or if I had perhaps been a professional moped driver in a past life, but I hopped on that thing, gunned the accelerator and headed for the hills. We immediately got caught in a rainstorm and were forced to pull over for a Singha brewski before getting back on the moped and checking out a waterfall. After too many Thai meals, we decided on pizza for dinner and called it an early night as Rachel was still recovering from a bout with food poisoning.

Today we woke up early and set out on a trek through the jungle. We were notified of a hike alongside a river by a very unofficial information booth, but we listened to the sketchy directions and fortunately did not get lost. The forest was dense and full of diverse foliage and wildlife. Upon driving the moped back to town, we (or rather I) may have possibly sped through a patch of mud a little too quickly causing the bike to veer off the unpaved road and into the brush...oops. No harm done, no injuries sustained...sigh of relief!

After our jungle trek we decided massages were in order so we headed to the nearest open-aired avant-garde massage place we could find and paid a heaping 200 Baht or approximately US$7.30 for an hour-long massage. I'm feeling pretty relaxed in Pai to say the least.

We are reluctantly leaving this hippie oasis tomorrow for Chaing Mai where we will catch a flight to Phuket in southern Thailand. But first - a savory Thai meal for dinner and live reggae music under the full moon tonight!

Hope everyone is well back in the US! If you actually give a crap what I'm doing over here, stay tuned for more blogging, if not, well, screw you too. :) Miss you all! Behms - give Ted a hug for me! Tom - still looking for a sword.... Lois - would love it if you were here! Dad - you would hate Thailand, I have yet to see a golf course. Peace and much love.