Advertisement
Published: November 22nd 2006
Edit Blog Post
Mae Nam Beach
Mandy and Griff enjoying the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand It’s been some time since Rebecca and I sent the party animals Michelle, Susan, Cynthia and Kelli packing from Koh Samui and back to record breaking rain in Washington. In the meantime we’ve been enjoying the warm and dry weather that comes with November in Thailand. Sorry girls.
Mandy and Griff joined us on Koh Samui the day before the girls departed and M&G commenced a week of island relaxation on Mae Nam beach. Despite recovering from an intestinal issue that she brought from India, Mandy was able to accomplish a considerable amount of island shopping and sight-seeing. Koh Samui offers up the fun and the four of us took advantage. We spent a fantastic day on a three dive trip near Koh Tao and Koh Pha Ngan. I taught Griff the finer points of throwing your passenger off a jet ski (or was it the other way around?). Mandy learned the benefits of beach massage (getting - not giving) and we introduced Mandy and Griff to “Poo”, our favorite chef at the fantastic Sunshine Bakery restaurant. Our planned exploration of nearby Koh Pha Ngan was thwarted when an out-of-date ferry schedule had us arriving ½ hour after the ferry
Boys Toy
Griff gets ready to gun it and toss the old guy off. had departed. Not to worry…we spent the day motorbiking around Koh Samui sampling beaches and beer. It wasn’t all go go go. Several books were read under the coconut palms or on the decks of our bungalows and our stay in Koh Samui was absolutely magical. Next stop Bangkok.
Rebecca and I flew to Bangkok a couple days ahead of Mandy and Griff where I decided that a tiny bit of spoiling was in order. We stayed a couple nights at the luxurious Majestic Grand in the Sukumvit area and then moved to the more modest guesthouse “Nap Inn” on Soi Nana when Mandy and Griff arrived. The Sukumvit area is a bit touristy but fabulous for people watching. Our guesthouse was just a couple blocks from the infamous Nana Plaza and we spent several hours perched on well positioned barstools watching the circus-like traffic coming to and from the plaza. Griff and I left the girls to people watching for an hour or so and wandered through Nana Plaza receiving and rejecting good natured lascivious propositions. The four of us spent an evening at Suan Lum night bazaar which has hundreds of shops and stalls surrounding a huge
Let's Dive
M&G prepare to dive Shark Island near Koh Tao beer garden with very hip, very cool live entertainment. The beer garden is the size of a couple football fields, lined with food stalls of every description and fortunately has a retractable roof which was put to good use on the evening of our visit. Stuffed ourselves! A river and canal cruise around and through Bangkok on a longtail boat wrapped up our short stay in Bangkok before chugging off to Chiang Mai.
Rebecca and I always feel like characters in a novel when taking the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. It’s one of our favorite things to do in Thailand and this time with Mandy and Griff was no exception. Although first class train accommodations are not much cheaper than an air ticket, the romance, sights and smells more than make up for the rapid arrival in Chiang Mai. We opened our compartments upon each other and chatted into the night. Concoctions involving Mekong whisky were invented and used for toasting long after the porter came along and made up our beds. We were greatly surprised to find the train arriving in Chiang Mai on time. A rare treat on the Bangkok-Chiang Mai line!
Rebecca
and I were more than happy to show Mandy and Griff around our home away from home - Chiang Mai. We spent our first four or five days at our favorite in-town guest house: Chiang Mai Thai House enjoying the pool and closeness to the night market and nightlife. Griff really enjoyed whipping the old man at eight ball. Motorbikes were rented and we putted about town dropping in on old friends and checking out new places. We surprised and pleased M&G with multiple visits to the best and cheapest sushi joint in town, possibly the world. After moving out of the deluxe (and somewhat pricey) Chiang Mai Thai House we moved to rooms at Flora House, Dan and Reb’s usual residence in Chiang Mai. Flora House is far from the tourist area, near Chiang Mai University and living there provides a much better perspective of “real” life in northern or “Lanna” Thailand.
Elephant riding is always a “must do” while in Chiang Mai and Mandy and Griff were anxious to straddle one of these magnificent animals. We rented two “big” motorcycles (Honda 400s) for a couple days and hit the road for Mae Sa elephant camp, about 25
Devilish Divers
Griff the Clownfish puts horns behind Dan and Reb's heads kilometers north of Chiang Mai where elephant riding dreams came true. After a great visit with the many pachyderms at Mae Sa we made the best use of our powerful machines by tackling the twisty mountain roads that lead to the village of Samoeng. Our return to Chiang Mai by a different winding mountainous route was both beautiful and exhilarating. Besides showing Mandy and Griff our favorite Chiang Mai haunts, we scooted up the mountain for a day visit at Thailand’s most sacred place…the temple of Doi Suthep. Every day thousands of Buddhists make their pilgrimage to this astoundingly beautiful mountaintop “Wat”.
Mandy and Griff were anxious to start exploring Vietnam and Cambodia so they left a few days before us while Rebecca and I stayed on to enjoy the festival of Loi Krathong (November 4-7) which we have missed on all of our earlier visits. We were not disappointed. We joined hundreds of thousands in floating our troubles away in our Krathongs (floating baskets with flowers, candles and incense) in the Ping river. Fireworks, parades, beauty pageants and dancing were all part of the celebrations. For three nights the skies were filled with hundreds and hundreds of blazing
Suan Lum Beer Garden
Enjoying suds and song at the Suan Lum night market in Bangkok paper lanterns that drifted slowly upwards.
On our last day in Chiang Mai Rebecca and I decided to trek into a Hmong hill tribe village. We rode our motorbike into the mountains until the trail became too rough to ride and then began a long trek through the mountain jungle to the village. We drew surprised looks from the villagers and children as we strolled into their village at midday. They clearly did not see many westerners. Pigs and dogs roamed the rough trail that passed by simple wood homes. Few men were present and almost all the women we saw were busy sewing things by hand. Most gave us curious stares as we walked by their simple homes. We smiled and waved hello. Small, shy children pointed at us and tittered among themselves. Some approached and we chatted with our limited Thai. We walked into a common area where we found the small village school which was constructed in part with funds from the Foundation for the Education of Rural Children, a group for which we have been raising money. A class was in session in the open air school and it was gratifying to witness the positive
Nana Plaza People Watching
Perched at the entrance to Nana Plaza. People watching doesn't get any better! things being done with the money our friends and family had so generously given.
Next stop… Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Advertisement
Tot: 0.273s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 9; qc: 61; dbt: 0.1528s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Ila
non-member comment
Magical!
Sounds like you are all having a wonderful time together exploring Thailand--I'm sure that Vietnam and Cambodia will prove to be equally, if not more, exotic. Continue to enjoy this precious time together. Certainly, you'll each have a lot to be thankful for at this traditional time to celebrate God's goodness. Blessings to all!