Thailand- North, South, East and....

I'm back again after a staying unconnected- I have been busy and unable to find time to sit down and update you all, so here it is! First, before anything else- Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! I am missing everyone back home and wish all of you the best in this new year. I am back now in Bangkok, preparing to depart. I'm off to the land of Oz on the second. So, where to begin-

I got to Thailand about a week early, I cut my trip to Qatar short. I would like to visit the country but it is not an easy country for backpackers to navigate. There is only one hostel I was able to find, and that was only through a chance encounter with a German who had just come from the country. This, like Dubai, would be a great country to visit if you had money- and were looking for a true vacation... not just a romp through the country with your backpack. So, long story short, I have been in Thailand for five weeks now. There is only one problem with that; the Thai Visa is only good for thirty days... Visa Run!

Alright, the first five minutes in Bangkok can be a little overwhelming- 7 million people on the books, but the true figure could run well past 12 million- the constant bombardment from cabies, tuk tuk drivers, and people selling anything you could imagine... welcome to Bangkok. I arrived at the international air port and quickly got on a bus heading for... you guesses it- KhoSan road. The backpackers getto, I dont know what the draw is, but this is where every pasty-skinned new arrival ends up. It is interesting though, lots of food carts, everything in the world for sale- even the watch you thought was on your wrist! and lots of guest houses. Accommodation is cheap- five to ten dollars will get you a bed, fan and maybe your own bathroom. The food here is great- street vendors one after another - you can even find real Thai food if you get off the main streets. The majority of the food is directed at westerners... namely pad thai... but like I said, more variety is just around the corner.

I spend a few days exploring the city with a few people I met, we went to the Grand Palace and explored lots of Wats. the architecture here is beautiful, the wats (temples) have that classic asian image- high roof tops with ornate overhangs- there is a lot of marble used, every inch of it has some sort of painting or carving covering it. This is also the time I found out that some one had gotten my credit card information and took all my money... shit. So I called the bank and canceled my card and began the process of getting my money back. So, if I dont have access to my money that WAS in my account, that means I only have the money thats in my pocket- Thank Goodness for Travelers Checks!!! They saved my life, without them I wouldnt have had any money to my name. But thats why I always go prepared... just in case. Alright, now that I know all my money is gone- its time to enjoy Thailand....! Im gonna be honest, I had so much on my mind- knowing I had paper work to fill out (that I needed to be in the states to fill out... Thank you Mom!) and had to somehow get my new card in the mail- I didnt enjoy Thailand as much as I could have. Dont get me wrong, I had a great time- lots of adventures, but the ever present harsh fact that you are on the other side of the world and don't have any money weighs pretty heavy on your conscience.

Nonetheless, I had to get out and explore! So thats what I did. I booked an overnight train to Chiang Mai to see the Capital of the North. It is a beautiful city, with as many wats as Bangkok, and about fifty times smaller in population. It was a great train ride, you get such a view of the country side- and the freedom to walk around. Compare that with a bus which is cramped and you can only get up when it stops, and all you see is one town gas station after another.... I would take the train any day. From Chiang Mai I took another train south to Sukothai- the location of many ancient ruins. This was my first introduction into the realm of the temples- beautiful after hundreds of years and able to capture the amazement being something created simply by brute human strength. I wandered through the ruins, taking lots of photos of course, continuously reminding myself that I am truly on the other side of the world.

Because I came to Thailand early, and would be here for five weeks, I needed to extend my visa- which meant leaving the country. What better opportunity to head to Cambodia and visit Angkor Wat. So I got on another train and made the journey to the Thai-Cambodia boarder. Now, through my travels I have had a general idea of what my next move was, but heading to Cambodia was not in my thoughts and I had no idea what to expect. When I reached the boarder I met up with a Canadian and an English chap who were heading in the same direction so I tagged along. We hired a taxi to take us the four hour journey to Siam Reap- the city just outside of Angkor. This journey reminded me of being in Ethiopia- The roads were bad, not as bad as Ethiopia's crater ridden "roads", but bad enough to keep you from sleeping for fear of ending up with your head through the window. The travel was great- beautiful country side just as the sun was setting, rural areas- farmers working the fields, live stock on the roads... then it hit me, just as we got into town... one after another- Five Star hotels lining the street, shining and well lit, expensive cars in the parking lots, people (white people) with money. None of it fit with the images I had just seen... but I guess with a tourists destination like Angkor Wat the city was destined to explode sooner or later. Being here really put into perspective how cheap it is to travel through Southeast Asia- they much preferred the American Dollar over their national currency, so all prices were posted in dollars. A full meal for two dollars- including drinks. And the food was good as well- I ventured to try a hamburger with the guys I was traveling with... not too bad if you haven't had a true burger in almost three months, but nothing like home. And that, with drink and french fries (if you can really call them that...), two dollars.

The next day we ventured out to see the ruins. All that I have to say is that Angkor Wat is impressive. One million people and forty thousand elephants to construct. Acres and acres of ruins, each covered in marble and every square inch of it hand carved images depicting Buddha, animals, battle scenes... just amazing. We spent the whole day exploring the area, and trying to avoid the tourist hot spots. This was very interesting, the main entrance to the temple was just packed with people, but once inside or just off the beaten path, you could avoid all the crowd. I will never understand people and why they always group together. Though we saw a fair bit of the wat, there is still much to be explored, there are many smaller sections that havent made the cut for being the tourist attraction. So there is something to come back for, because you cant see everything in one trip- right?

From Cambodia it was back to Bangkok for me- to straighten out this whole mess with my money. Little did I know that trying to sort this out would give me such a tour of the city. In order for the papers that I had received to be considered I needed to find a notary public and get them notarized... simple right? I thought I could go to any bank and they would be able to help me... nope. I ended up going to the US embassy and getting it notarized. This required a little exploration of the public transport system of Bangkok, and it worked perfect- cheap and the people on the bus will direct you to your stop in what little English they know. Now all I have to do is deal with the US... while out side the US. No easy task. I got my number, waited in line, filled out the correct paper work, payed my dues, waited in line some more, and finally got my papers taken from me and told to sit down and wait- again. Ummm. After another waiting period I was finally called back to the window and had all my paper work signed, dated, stamped, authorized and finally given back to me. What an ordeal. But things had to be done, and I got everything faxed out in time. Alright, now seems like a good time to head south to the islands and take it easy for a while!

I took a bus to Chompon and a boat to get to Koh Tao, a small island on the east coast in the Gulf of Thailand. Beautiful. I took a scuba diving course here, the open water diver- certified to dive up to 18 meters (54 feet). This was a great experience and there is nothing like breathing under water- What a trip! This is a beautiful place to dive, and probably the cheapest you'll find in the world; lots of hard and soft corals and tons of fish... and the water is warm, so no complaints. I spend Christmas here... actually I spent Christmas sick in bed with food poisoning... bummer. This was one of the strangest holidays for me- its hot, Im on the beach, and Im sick.... not like the holidays when its cold and stormy outside. But I enjoyed it, especially after I was feeling better! I didnt get to travel the south like I had planed, I stayed on Koh Tao for 12 days total, Im not complaining at all, it is beautiful and I couldnt have picked a better place to stay. I rented a dirt bike and toured the island- basically if you get away from the main port you need a dirt bike or four wheel drive to get any where; all the dirt roads have been washed out by the monsoon's and are not being maintained any time soon. I was able to get some great views of the island from these roads, looking down on every side. It is a great island, lots of great people there, but I just dont think island life if for me- I would get stir-crazy after a while. And again, because I didnt get to the west coast, I will need to come back someday... ah the curse of traveling- once you get your feet wet you just want to jump in!

So, as I said I am back in bangkok writing this on New Years Eve. I dont know what my plans are for tonight, but Im sure there will be something happening in Bangkok- there always is. I am off to get some dinner now, so I wish everyone a happy new year- and hope everyone is doing well.

Until next time-

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