Blissful Beach Time

There's something immediately likable about a place you can't get to without a boat. 

As soon as we got off our plane, into a bus, and were dropped off in Ao Nang, Krabi province, we were shuffled onto a longboat, feet in the water and all.  Something about licking saltwater from your lips and feeling the breeze on your face and the gentle waves bobbing just makes me smile... even just thinking back on it now. 

We were headed to Ton Sai beach, a backpacker and rock climber's paradise.  Due to it being the slow season, our bungalow was quite inexpensive (400 baht) but included only a fan (no A/C) and only had power from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.  Plus, the bathroom was rather stinky and monkeys would jump loudly on the tin roofs early in the morning. 

Walkway to our guesthouse

Needless to say, we didn't spend much time in our room during the day.  We didn't need to, however, as our days were filled to the brim with sand and sun. Our first day in Ton Sai consisted of sitting.  Lots and lots of sitting.  Throw in a pinch of reading and a dash of walking in the sand and call it a day.  Easy peasy.  Jon did a half-day climb and was able to complete 4 difficult routes with his climbing guide, Pon. 

Can you see Jon in this picture?

Hangin' with Pon

I was astonished to see him climbing so high and so fearlessly.  It's very different than climbing in the gym for sure. That night, we enjoyed drinks beach-side and watched fire breathers and poi, flaming balls on either end of a rope.

The next day we headed out for our "deep-water soloing" adventure.  This is the new and exciting thing in the world of climbing.  Find some rock over water, climb it, and jump in.  Sounds easy enough, right? That's what I thought, too, until we stopped in very choppy water with lots of large jellyfish and a big rock with a rope hanging from it.  You mean you want me to climb that rope, then climb that rock, then jump into jellyfish-infested water? No, thank you. I'll leave that to the boys and just enjoy the scenery thankyouverymuch. 

It was apparently quite a difficult climb seeing as how only one of the boys could even get onto the rock.  So our guide moved the longboat over to an easier section of rock.  I was even able to get onto this one, although it was quite a pathetic sight.  I was already tired just from making it up the ladder, then I crawled across the rock for maybe 3 feet and that was that.  I then stared down into the water and thought that perhaps I would just climb back down the ladder, since the 5 foot jump looked more like 20 from the top (and there were jellyfish, people... jellyfish!).  Jon was behind me and waited patiently for me to make the plunge (since I was apparently not climbing any futher).  So, after at least 5 minutes I finally worked up the nerve to jump, and then hastily retreated back to the boat, safe and sound.  I came, I saw, I conquered (kind of), I'm done. 

The boys continued to climb for a while and then our guide brought us to a tiny secluded beach for lunch, fried rice with chicken.  I accidentally dumped a load of fish sauce on mine. Yuck. That stuff makes me gag a bit.  We then spent some time swimming and snorkeling in the warm water.

Baby barracuda

It was a great day, and all of us had a bit of sunburn to prove it.  The evening consisted of heading over to Railay West to view the sunset, then to Railay East for dinner and drinks. 

Unfortunatley, the longboats weren't running when we were ready to head back, so we had to take the road connecting Railay East and Ton Sai.  I use the word "road" VERY loosely because it wasn't really a road at all. It was a trail. In the woods. Up and down a mountain. In the middle of the night. In the dark. In Thailand. What the heck was I doing in that situation? All I can say is thank goodness my husband is a planner and packed flashlights.

We didn't slow down at all the next day, and spent a good portion of it kayaking around the nearby islands.

We stopped at the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, with turqouise blue water and clean warm sand. 

Greg and I did a beginner's climb at this beach, which was fun and exhilirating but also quite uncomfortable
because I only had my cotton dress and with the harness it rode up on me like a diaper. Not pretty in the
pictures, either.

But I made it to the top of a real rock.  That means something, doesn't it? We spent some more time at the beach, swimming, climbing, visiting the "Penis Cave," watching monkeys go through the trash.

Princess Cave (AKA Penis Cave)

Cliff jumping near Princess Cave

Just the normal things you'd do on a Thursday afternoon.  In the evening, Jon was invited to play drums with
a local band and ended up playing reggae with them for almost two hours.  He's so different than me; I don't
think I could even get up there if I knew how to play something.

We decided it was time to head out on the following day, and although it was difficult to say goodbye to the sun and sand, it was time to move on to more adventure.

We took a longboat, which brought us right up to the ferry (never done that before) that brought us to Phuket.  We stayed on Kamala beach for the night in a  beautiful room (especially after the last one), grabbed some dinner, and caught up on some Fox News (only sad news, unfortunately).  We had flights booked for the next evening, so we spent the day relaxing at the restaurant next to the hotel, listening to the waves, watching the surfers. We visited the nearby Tsunami Memorial as this was where the 2004 tsunami hit the hardest.

Jon and Greg rented motorbikes for a couple of hours to head to a nearby waterfall (which they never actually made it to).  Then we headed to the airport. Next up, Chiang Mai!

Kanchanaburi

We were taking the 1:55 train from Bangkok west to Kanchanaburi.  When we arrived at the train station,

we were under the impression that we would have the choice between 3 classes, and with first class priced at only 100 baht (around $3) we had an easy decision to make.  Well, there was only 1 class going to Kanchanaburi, and needless to say it wasn't first. Even still, we had to pay 100 baht, because the normal going rate of only 25 baht is only forThai residents. 

  

Hmph.  Anyways, we boarded the steamy train around 1:45 and proceeded to wait for about 1 hour and

15 minutes for an engine. We were definitely warned that transportation in SE Asia is not what it is in Europe, so we ate some snacks (salad in a bag for me) and chatted until it was time to head out (around 3:15). 

I wouldn't say that I was upset about this situation, but it was slightly frustrating.  Didn't these people know that I had places to be?  That this is my vacation and I didn't want to waste an entire afternoon on a train? That it's really hot on this thing?

It seems that just when I start to feel entitled or that I deserve (or even need) something "better," our amazing God humbles me so quickly I feel like the air is knocked out of me.  Pulling out of Bangkok, we were surrounded by some of the most poverty-stricken areas I've ever seen (and I've seen some poverty in my day).  People living in makeshift homes, built solely of 2X4s, metal sheeting, even advertisement signs.  Some people were even residing in abandoned boxcars.  The homes were all built together, like apartments, and were so close to the tracks that we couldn't put our fingers out the open train windows.

When we finally made it to Kanchanaburi after many stops, we headed out to find a guest house and came across the quaintest little guesthouse on the River Kwai.  The rooms we would be staying in were actually floating on the river with a spectacular view and the light, calming movement of the water to drift us off to sleep.  Jon and I were lucky enough to get a corner room with 2 windows and a small balcony on the water. 

View from our balcony in the morning

The guesthouse had a great open-air restaurant overlooking the river where we would spend quite a bit of time over the next couple of days. 

That night, we walked to grab some dinner, had a couple drinks, and then it was off to bed for a busy day of sightseeing the next day.  We only had one incident regarding sleeping on the water; Jon dreamt that we were floating away at one point in the night!

The next day, we rented motorbikes to drive out to Erawan Falls, supposedly the most popular waterfalls in Thailand.

The ride was great and we were able to see some beautiful scenery on our way out.  The falls reside in a national park, which was quite busy as it was a weekend and filled with tourists and residents alike. 

The falls have 7 steps, so we got climbing right away.  Jon was able to snap some great photos, we got a great workout, and were able to swim in some cool and refreshing pools beneath the falls (with complimentary fish that eat your dead skin I may add- people pay good money for that!). 

The storms that had threatened stayed away just for us.  There was even one level at which the water had created a perfect "waterslide" that Jon and Greg enjoyed.  Unfortunately, the GoPro camera that Jon was wearing on his head did not remain on his head during that wild ride, but we were thankfully able to recover it. After making it up 5 of the 7 steps, we were tired and hungry and had heard that the last 2 steps were "nothing spectacular."  There is such a thing as being "waterfalled out," so we decided to head out of the park.  We stopped on our way back to town (about an hour ride) for a delicious lunch at a roadside restaurant and then went to see the famed "Bridge over the River Kwai." 

It of course is a remake of the original as the Allies bombed the bridge near the end of WWII, but it was lovely and has been made into quite the tourist attraction, complete with a tacky museum and loads of street vendors.  The rest of the evening was spent on the deck of the guesthouse restaurant with a cool breeze, a refreshing drink, and good company.

The next day, we booked our flights to fly south and got all of our transportation arranged.  Then we headed out on the motorbikes again to the WWII museum.  Unfortunately, pictures weren't allowed in this well done museum and Jon actually decided to follow the rules on that particular day.  The museum told the story of the Death Railway that was constructed by POWs under the rule of the Japanese in order to open routes between China and Burma.  I found it interesting that so much of our travels last summer led us to WWII history, and there we were learning about another aspect of the war in a completely different part of the world.  The war was so huge and had effects in so many places that it's astounding to me. After the museum, we grabbed some lunch at a recommended place on a quiet spot on the river and decided to take a ride on the motorbikes.  We explored lots of the backroads, and ended up finding a quiet monastery and a dirt road (very bumpy, very uncomfortable on the back of a motorbike) to explore. 

After that ride, I was ready to get off of that thing and head back to the guesthouse; so we relaxed and read a bit at the restaurant, went out to grab a bite to eat, then found a great local bar with live music.  The boys stayed out late (too late for me), so Jon brought me back early to rest up for our travels the next day.

Kanchanaburi provided us a restful few days, but was still filled with fun things to do and beautiful, peaceful scenery.  It's a place I would definitely visit again... but for now it was on to the beach!

Bangkok (part 2)

The next morning we met up with the two friends we'd be traveling with, Greg and Shane, and also met Jonas, our new friend from yesterday.  After a quick and yummy breakfast (including the Thai iced coffee I'm becoming slightly obsessed with), we caught a water taxi (who knew that was there? It would have saved us a lot of time and walking yesterday...) and headed to the Temple of the Dawn.  Has anyone noticed the temple theme they've got going on here?

This temple is right next to the river and is quite beautfiul.

We were able to climb almost to the top via some verrryy steep steps. 

Going up was ok, but coming down had me a bit on edge.  I kept thinking about how the stairs were "not up to code" (thanks Dad). 

After the temple, we decided to head to Chinatown on our first tuk-tuk ride. 

They are fun, but in the smog-filled and heat-baked city, it can be quite difficult to breathe when you're in one.  Chinatown had some great street markets and a lively and busy atmosphere.  We tried some interesting street food:  fried doughnuts (yum), chewy grilled squid (yum), and some weird gelatinous seaweedy type thing (ok, but one piece was enough).

We then hopped on the metro and train to get us to downtown Bangkok, where we would spend the rest of our day.

We did some shopping at the IT Superstore, a 5 level mall devoted only to electronics stores and stalls. 

We refueled with a quick lunch of BBQ pork and rice here, then wandered the city a bit.  We were able to visit the Middle Eastern area of town and then got another (much needed) foot massage.  This time it was for a whole hour!  And it was in air-conditioning.   Bonus.

After the massage, we headed down to Soi Cowboy, which is Bangkok's red-light district. 

Not my cup of tea, but we were able to eat dinner here and then walk the street.  It was interesting to compare the red-light district in Amsterdam to the one here, but it did not take long for me to be ready to head back to our side of town.  Once near our hotel, we checked out late-night Khao San road, tried some fried silkworms (they are actually quite nutty, but one was more than enough for me), and then stopped for a drink on a quiet side street. 

Our German friend Jonas eating a  silkworm

Afterwards, we were very ready for a good night's sleep.  Tomorrow, moving on to Kanchanaburi!

One Night in Bangkok (or maybe two...)

I know many of you have been eagerly awaiting a post about our adventures thus far, and I've been eager to write one; this is, however, the first free moments I've had in which I'm not falling asleep.  We are busy with a capital B, and loving every second!  After a LONG 27-hour trip, we arrived at our guesthouse in Bangkok, The Thara House, around 1a.m. on Wednesday.  Not being one to let some exploring wait until morning, Jon wanted to go check out what there was to check out.  So we found a small little soi (a street off the main road) near our hotel and wandered a bit.  Surprisingly, many of the small food stands, carts, and restaurants were still open. 

We found some tasty snacks, a beer, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of late-night Bangkok.  Some of the sights included a ladyboy (do some research if you don't know what that is... I'd rather not explain), rats the size of cats, and me about dying over a chile pepper eaten off a stick.  We were also able to witness a rat being bludgeoned to death by the restaurant employee because it had gotten into the trash can.  That was disturbing, but more disturbing was the thought that this rat may be skewered and grilled up for our snack the next day.  Sheesh... and this within the first couple hours of arriving.  Trying to adjust to the time change, we decided to head to bed and get a somewhat early start the next day.

So, the next morning (okay, about 3 hours later), we hopped (more like crawled) out of bed and got moving.  We experienced our first shower without doors or curtains.  The showerhead is just on a wall in the bathroom, and the door to the bathroom has a small lip to keep the water in.  We headed out the door to a comfortable morning, although this would not last long.  It is about 20 kinds of hot in Thailand.  We thought that being Floridians would make it easier to adjust, but we spend a lot more time in A/C at home.  I am just going to have to get used to being consistently sweaty, greasy, and smelly (and I am going to have to wash a lot more than in Europe).  Oh, and please be prepared for all those things in our photos (except the smelly part, lucky you), because we have not had one in which our foreheads do not reflect the cameraman.  But I digress...

We decided to walk to the Grand Palace, which is where the king lived up until recently.  A luxurious complex of buildings and sculptures, it was built in the 1780s when the capital of Thailand moved south, and includes magnificent Thai, Cambodian, and Chinese architectural styles.  I particularly enjoyed the paintings around the entire palace wall, which tells the traditional story of the Buddha and his travels through Thailand, called "Ramayana."  It is the longest wall painting in the world, and incredibly ornate and detailed. 

The highlight of the palace is Wat Phra Kaeo, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  This Buddhist temple is regarded as the most beautiful and important in all of Thailand, housing the most revered Thai Buddha statue which is carved from a single piece of jade.  Although it is beautiful, it is barely visible from its high perch in the temple, and is almost buried amongst all the other offerings and gold statues around it.  The Buddha wears three different robes throughout the year to depict the three seasons: summer, rainy, and winter.  Most of the buildings in the Grand Palace are still used for official kingdom business and are not open to the public but for one day a year. 

After visiting the Grand Palace, we decided to walk around the walls to another wat (temple), and on the way found a lively market filled with locals and tourists alike.  We tried some yummy bamboo chicken and some yucky durian fruit, which resembled rotting mango in taste and texture.  This is the infamous "smelly fruit" that is banned from most public transportation here. 

There were vendors selling everything from souvenirs to used shoes.  Tuk-tuk drivers hollered at us from the street, and we were even approached by a man wearing an "Official Tourist Police" shirt (there is no such thing).  Just like in any tourist city, Bangkok has its fair share of scams.  One of the more prevalent scams is when locals tell you that a particular place is not open that day or will not open until later, but he will bring you to a list of places for a "good price." Most of the places they bring you are not even authentic (they build fake temples just for this purpose).  We learned quickly the phrase "no tuk-tuk," and kept walking.  When we reached the Wat Pho, we were impressed by the size of the temple.  The largest temple was for the Reclining Buddha, who barely fit inside his appointed home.

We wandered the grounds and explored a bit.  This temple is home to more images of Buddha than any other in Thailand, and we definitely found this to be true.  

After exploring for a good while, we decided to start walking back near the hotel, where Khao San road awaited.  Khao San road is an area that is popular with tourists, filled with bars, restaurants, and shops. 

This is where the nightly novelty vendors sell fried bugs, scorpions, and frogs.  Where the restaurants have names such as the following:

Think Beale Street in Memphis or Bourbon Street in New Orleans and you've got the Thai equivalent in Khao San road.  We stopped for a quick drink and some people watching with a friend we met at the Grand Palace, and then decided to try out a famous Thai foot massage.  We were also interested in getting a fish spa treatment, in which all the little fish come and eat away at the dead skin on your feet.  We bartered a price of 200 baht for 15 minutes in the fish spa and a 30 minute foot massage (about $6). 

The fish spa felt totally unexpected, almost painful but more of a hard tickle.  It was hard to keep our feet in the water at first, and we were just about laughing our heads off (mostly to show that we thought it was funny and not actually quite creepy). After the fish we got our foot massages, which are FANTASTIC after a long day of walking in the heat.  After a quick street stall dinner, we headed straight back to the hotel.  Bangkok had done worn us out on our first day, but we were excited to see what else it had in store for us on the next.