Advertisement
Published: January 18th 2011
Edit Blog Post
Saying good-bye to Bruce and our daughter Nicole in New Zealand was difficult but she will thankfully be coming home in 9 months and I will be back in the states soon enough.
Eleven hours of flying......what a flight from Auckland to Bangkok. Thai Airways was wonderful. The plane was spotless, the chairs were comfortable and the service outstanding. I did manage to obtain three seats together to stretch out which was a nothing but a miracle.
It is so difficult to describe our experience in Thailand so far, near impossible, but I will try.
The steamy Asian metropolis of Bangkok is overwhelming when you see it the first time.
Bangkok is a massive, hot, humid, dirty, exciting city. Taking a taxi from the airport to my cousins house was an experience in itself. I do not agree with the statement "most Thai people speak english". Maybe that is on the beach or somewhere else but I know our cab driver did not speak english. We had a photo copy of my cousins address in Thai and still had trouble getting there but we made it.
Staying with my cousin Robin after not seeing her for many years has
been a blast. We have also enjoyed meeting her husband Jonathan and child Win. They live in a house in Bangkok but you dont feel like you are right in the city since it is so quiet.
Our first day in Bangkok Saskia and I decided to see the the Royal Palace. Also known as the temple of the emerald Buddah. It is a compound that includes the former residence of the Thai monarch.It is one of Bangkoks biggest tourist attractions and a pilgrimage destination for devout Buddists. I will attach pictures because I cannot describe this place. All I can say is it was awe inspiring.....We then headed to Wat Pho which is another large temple. It had the largest reclining Buddah in Thailand...and it was massive, all gold. Before you enter the temple you have to take off your shoes. In these sacrad places visitors had to act and dress accordingly which included covering your legs, shoulders, etc etc.
The next day we headed to Chatuchak Market, one of the biggest markets in the world with Robin, Jonathan and Win. The market was crazy. You could find anything ..... fish, turtles, food, clothes, baby squirrels, chickens,
lizards, pots and pans, jewelry...I cant begin to list everything. You need a strong stomach to go here, I almost lost it when I saw the bin full of slugs. Ahh...
After that we headed to one of the nicest malls in Bancock. What a dramatic contrast from the Market. It was so clean and beautiful. The food court was amazing. Saskia had some difficulty ordering food.At one point she just gave up then Jonathan had to help her. The language barrier can be quite difficult sometimes.
Sunday was our 5 hour bus ride to the Island of Koh Chang. This is a tropical island with jungle covered peaks and white sand beaches. The water is amazingly warm and beautiful. The bus ride wasnt bad except for the bus stop with the squat toilets. That was a bit difficult. I have to learn to carry toilet paper wherever we got. Yes, the facilities can be quite different here.
Saskia reserved our guest house online. We knew it was on a river and had good reviews..thats it. We met Ian the owner at the dock and he brought us here. Ian was on a bicycle trip around the world 13
years ago. He ran out of money in Thailand and has been here ever since. The guest house is 1100 Baht which is about 40 dollars US. We have a bed, a cold shower, a wooden floor you can see through, below is the mangrove trees and water. It is quite primitive but also quite an amazing place. The river is quiet and calm, little houses, guest houses and restaurants across the way with kayaks and small boats. The air and breeze are beautiful. The plants and orchids are amazing. It is a short walk through a path to the beach. It is one of the nicest beaches I have ever been . Reminds me a bit of Peace Corps in Belize. You can buy a beer and a meal on the beach for about two dollars... wow.
Yesterday I ventured into town and had a thai massage to help my sore back. Thai massage is a type of massage where they put your arms and legs in all sorts of positions and massage the muscles. Its difficult not to laugh sometimes but it really is wonderful for the bod. I am totally hooked. Anyway, I came out of
Royal Palace
We had to take our shoes off my hour long, eight dollar massage sort of groggy. I bought myself a water next door and noticed a sign for rooms for 70 Baht which is about 3 dollars. I kept walking and passed 3 elephants tied to trees. Wasnt quite sure if I was seeing things or not..
Tomorrow we leave our little sanctuary here on the river. Not sure where we will go from here. Apparently we will have no trouble finding another place on this incredible island.
So my first impression of Thailand .... you have to go. It is truly an amazing place. I think what impresses me the most though are the people. They dont believe in shouting or getting angry. They are very soft spoken and very helpful. To immerse yourself in a completely different culture can be good for all of us. It may be a bit stressful at times but it is so worth it. Not to mention how reasonable it is to stay here. I look forward to coming back to the states to see family again, sleep in a comfy bed and have a warm shower but for now we are just having a blast.....How fortunate my daughter
Buddist monks
At the Royal Palace Saskia and I are to have such an amazing experience.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.153s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 7; qc: 46; dbt: 0.0415s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
MB Burrill
non-member comment
Where's Bruce?
Hi Diane, What an experience! So good to keep up with your adventures! When and where are you meeting up with Bruce again? We are all doing well. We're in FL right now. Bill is leaving tomorrow. Margaret and I on Fri. It has been bitter at home so it's a bit nicet here. Love to you, MB