Thailand - Part One

We've finally had a chance to sit down and do some blogging. Sorry if it's a little long, but a lot has gone on since we talked to you last!

We got to Thailand in the afternoon and it was so warm and sunny! We went from 30 degrees and snow in Turkey to 90 degrees and sunny in Bangkok. We finally caught a bus to our hostel and thankfully Mike's insulin that he had shipped from home had made it to the hostel before us. After showering, we headed out into Bangkok to get some cooler clothes and shoes after our wintry attire from Europe. We had very little luck with this the first night. We did find some seriously spicy Thai food that had me wondering if I was going to be able to eat for the next three months. After a lot of panting and huge Thai iced coffees, we were able to eat most of our dinners. The next morning, we attempted to go to the Grand Palace. We decided to eat some yummy and cheap street vendor food on the way there. During lunch, some seemingly random guy came up and started chatting with us and welcoming us to Thailand. He also mentioned that the palace was closed due to a Buddhist holiday, but showed us a few sites on our map that were open and that we might like to check out. The guy even flagged down a tuk-tuk for us. It turned out to be a scam, we think. We did see some nice, not very touristy temples, but the tuk-tuk driver also took us to a jewelry shop and a suit shop, where we walked in and promptly walked out. He was obviously getting paid some commission to take us to these grossly over-priced shops. The next stop took us to a location that we could find on the map and we got out and paid the driver, leaving him open handed, waiting for a tip. Mike caught on to the scam right after we got into the tuk-tuk but we weren't positive and the driver was really nice and helpful. And we only lost a little bit of time and the equivalent of just over a dollar so we weren't out much, but may karma come after that first lying thief!

We saw another Wat, or Buddhist temple, and then decided to check out Th Khao San road, which is where most of the backpackers stay. During the day, it is filled with street vendors selling food, drinks, clothes, hair braiding, henna tattoos, and dreads. By night, it turns into a bar/party/other things scene. You name it and they sold it to the tourists and most of it was pretty cheap (we're talking daytime, not shady nighttime). Mike and I both found some clothes for a few dollars and then we sat and had a couple beers and enjoyed the chaos. To top it off, we ate dinner and a dessert of banana and chocolate crepes for around $2-3. We then found a bus stop and waited for the bus back to the hostel. After about 45 min. of waiting there was still no bus. Just as we had decided to walk, a man and his daughter came up and asked excitedly where we were from and where we were trying to go. He welcomed us to Thailand and told us of a different bus we could take. Their bus came and off they went laughing and waving and two minutes later, the bus he told us about came. At least there are some friendly and helpful people left in the world.

The next day, we were able to see the Grand Palace and it was beautiful. Very well kept with guards all around the outside wall. And, curiously enough, there were much stronger dress codes at the palace than at the temples. No shorts, no short pants, no capries, no tank tops or sleeveless shirts. However, if you did not remember to dress appropriately, they would lend you long sleeved shirts, long skirts, and long pants for free. Oh, and on the way in, another guy tried telling us that the palace was closed but we persevered past him. While at the Grand Palace, we also saw the Emerald Buddha, a beautiful and much revered Buddha of Thailand, which is actually made of Jasper. We also saw the Wat Pho where lives Thailand's largest reclining Buddha. He was impressive, a statue that measures 46 meters in length. That night, we ate Thai food from a street vendor. The ladies running the show made good food and they were very nice. On the walk back to the hostel, we passed the tiniest little shop on a little side street where two older ladies begged us to come in as we passed. We turned around, walked through their store, and bought ice creams from them; they were so happy and grateful. Back at the hostel, we sat on the back porch, listening to the fountain and drinking huge bottles of Thai beer. Ahhh.. quite nice. That is until I realized that my ankles were huge and swollen. It was really attractive, I almost had cankles. I couldn't even see the bones on my inner ankles, it was just flat. Don't worry though, because I seem to have gotten used to the weather and the climate and now have real ankles again.

Our endeavors the following day led us in search of a good tailor so Mike could get a suit or two. Rumor has it that hand tailored suits are really inexpensive in Thailand but there are so many tailors to choose from, it's no simple task. We turned to the internet for help and got very little so after a couple hours of searching and talking prices with different shops we just picked one. Then things got really difficult. We had to pick out the materials, the colors, how many suits, how many buttons, pleats or no pleats, shirts, matching ties??? After helping make the crucial decisions, I went across the street for a $5 Thai massage. The massage was very different from any I have gotten before. She started at my feet and worked her way up to my head, stretching and popping and pounding away at me. It was interesting and kind of fun to have someone else stretch you out. Upon leaving the massage place, Mike told me that it only took another 15 minutes to wrap things up at the tailors and he decided he would have a beer while he waited for me. He found a place, sat down, and was enjoying a tasty beverage when he felt a hand upon his shoulder asking him if he was there alone. Apparently, he had walked himself into a brothel and had this girl as a companion for the next few minutes while he sucked down the beer. Poor Mike! We took metro across town and walked through Lumphini park enjoying the night air. After the park, we walked to the other side of the street and found a night bazaar where we decided to eat. This turned out to be a complicated adventure as we had to buy coupons to pay for the food because the vendors wouldn't accept cash. We finally figured this out and ordered. We headed to a table and before we had sat down, we had three or four drink menus in our faces from different girls in short skirts. Interesting, but I am not sure that I would do it again.

Next day was spent buying more diabetes supplies and getting refitted for the suits. Mike has already promised to model them for everyone when we get home. The suits, not the diabetes supplies...

Photos from Bangkok.

The day after this we took a bus to Phitsanulok. The bus ride was really nice, air conditioned with lunch and a drink and lasted about 6 hours. We were then dumped on the side of the road with no map of the city and no inkling where we were. After an hour and a half of walking, we finally came across a guesthouse. It was really cheap, two nights for two people for $9.40 and really simple. Squat toilets, cold showers, and plastic pillows. And yes, we chose to stay here! There was another night market here too, so we ate really cheap Thai food and got purple sticky rice for dessert. We then found a little country bar with Thai guys singing Bob Dylan. I ordered a beer and Mike ordered a wine cooler ("Not knowing what it was and wanting to try something new!" - Mike's note), and I decided to mix the two, which turned out much better than it sounds. We played a couple games of chess and enjoyed the live music and then called it a night. The next morning, we found a great little breakfast spot with as close to a Western breakfast as we had come at that point, which just means that we didn't eat rice or noodles. We then hopped on a couple of buses to get out to the ancient ruins of Sukhothai, which used to be the capital city of Thailand. We rented bikes for less than $1 each and rode around the ruins for the day. That evening, we caught the bus back to town and again ate at the night market. This time, however, I looked up and saw a rat near our table outside. I told Mike not to look but he had already seen it. Then there came another and the first one shot under the table and both of us were on our feet super fast. We shooed them away and sat down again but the one just kept coming back. By this time, Mike was done sitting down so he stood and drank his soup while I sat and finished my meal. The locals started to notice and told us sit down. The rats came out again and Mike was able to point out why he wasn't sitting down. I am pretty sure the locals were seriously making fun of us, we must have looked pretty funny-stand up, sit down, stand up... We headed back to the same bar and the same people were there and greeted us like old friends. Good times.

Photos from Sukothai.

The next morning we were up early and on a bus headed to Chiang Mai. This bus was not at all like the other one. Everything squeaked and after 4 hours, we still had not taken a bathroom break. The bus then broke down and after 30 minutes, they loaded us onto another bus. 30 minutes later and we pulled into a bus station where we were told to change buses again. We finally got Chiang Mai around 5 pm and ended up talking to a couple from good old Boise, Idaho. The only Idahoans we've met; no one from NoDak thus far:( We found a room and walked the city streets, somehow finding ourselves in a red light type area.

We tried to take a Thai cooking class the next day but we were a little late so we rented a scooter instead. The little Thai lady asked Mike if he had ever ridden and he said yes but just as we were getting ready to take off she found out that we hadn't driven in Thailand yet, where they drive on the wrong side of the road. She kept yelling "stay left, stay left" as she shook her head and off we went. No faith. It turned out to be really fun. We rode up into the hills for views of the city, ate at some road side stands, and rode out to a Wat for a Monk chat. The monk chat was really, really neat. Just a chance for people to talk with some monks. We walked in and we were led to a table by a monk who was around our age. His English was pretty good and we talked for about 20 minutes before a couple more young monks joined in. We asked them why they had become monks. We learned that it is a choice, and there are monks of all ages. Most of the ones we spoke with became monks when they were 11 or 12. They were so nice and really seemed to enjoy talking, asking us questions and answering the questions we had for them. They eat two meals a day, are fed and clothed by the people and in return they relay the teachings of the Buddha. They don't participate in sports, dancing, drugs, sex, or alcohol and they aren't allowed to adorn their bodies with tattoos, piercings and such. They do watch TV and keep up with current events. One of them really enjoyed the show TV show "Lost", which we started to get into just before we left. He informed us that season 2 was good and that we will enjoy it. It was such a great and enlightening experience to sit and talk with them. After this, we decided to return the scooter as it was getting dark and we didn't need to add yet another element of danger.

The next morning we were off to Chiang Kong to cross the border into Laos.