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Published: January 30th 2011
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We decided to stay in Ko Chang for a total of 11 nights. We didn't want to leave. We searched for a new place to stay after our first 3 nights staying in our room on the river. There was quite a range of places to stay from luxurious hotels running hundreds of dollars a night to the little bungalow we chose for 600 Baht a night which is about 20 US dollars. You can imagine it was very basic. We had a bed, a very hard uncomfortable bed, a cold shower, a sink and toilet. The good thing is we were about 10 steps away from the sea depending on the tide. It was called Tiger Huts. There was a restaurant steps away as well. They were nice enough to give us a small broom on the porch so we could attempt to keep the sand away. We had a great time staying in our little bungalow. Makes you appreciate the comforts of home for sure. We loved meeting people from all over the world in the neighborhood huts steps away. Susie from England was staying with her two small children by herself. And I thought Saskia and I were
adventurous!
Snorkeling in Ko Chang was amazing. Ko Chang is part of the Mu Ko Change National Marine park. All day snorkeling trip with equipment and lunch for US40, not bad. Touring around the many islands on the boat was quite beautiful. Jumping into the water and looking at those colorful tropical fish swimmng inches away takes you off guard. Its another world under there.
Elephant trekking at Ban Kwan Chang Elephant camp was quite an experience. Riding an elephant....wow. I really wasn't sure I was going to be able to do this but they made it easy with an elevated platform where you climb on the elephant. Saskia was swimming with the Elephants. They squirted her in the face with their truncks. Then we rode in the jungle for about an hour. Saskia rode on the neck and I was on a chair like the "Queen of Sheeba" as my mom sais. They are such massive, amazing animals. I am still getting over this experience. I think it was a dream. Who rides elephants?
The other cool thing I did was take a Thai cooking class at the KaTi cooking school. All
I can say is my back was so sore the next day from standing in that kitchen all day long and grinding spices with a mortar and pestal. I have new respect for the work that goes into Thai cooking. The spices are amazing. I made Pad Thai, yellow currie and spring rolls . The class had 8 people in it along with the 3 instructors . The food at the end was a new experience. I just love Thai food. What really amazes me is the average weight of the Thai people. There are so few overweight people. Really makes you wonder if all that meat, potatoes and bread is so good for you. I have been trying to follow the vegetarian diet my daughter so strictly adheres too. Its not easy but I am trying.
So it was a bit sad saying goodbye to Ko Chang. What a place..... Back to Bangkok on that 5 hour bus ride. The taxi from Tiger huts to the ferry was quite a trip. It started out with the 2 of us in the back of a pick up truck. The dust is everywhere. The heat intense. Four more people get on.
Bags on top of the roof. Then 4 more. We were like sardines. It was cheap though so what are you gonna do?
The smell of the city of Bangkok hits you as soon as you arrive. I'm still not exactly sure what the smell is. Jonathan tells me it is the sewer water under the streets. We are now back staying in the safe haven of my cousin Robin, her husband and son. It is so nice to be in a house with 4 concrete walls again and a hot shower. They have been showing us around Bangkok. Today we went to a Hindu shrine in the middle of the city. We also went to Lumphini park which is named after the Buddha's place of birth in Nepal. Watching the people practice T'ai Chi was interesting. So was seeing the monitor lizards crawling on the walls. The lizards were about the length of my arm and nobody seemed to care about them too much. After that Robin and I went for an hour long foot reflexology session. We both nearly fell asleep right there in the chairs in the middle of an air conditioned mega mall.
It has been
nice having time to read.
There is an interesting book called "No Way Out" by Chart Korbjitti. It is a story about a family living in the slums in Bangkok. Pretty sad story but interesting read especially since we are here. Driving along the roads you are well aware of the slums in Bangkok. It is actually the extremes of the rich and poor that is most striking. I have also been reading on the subject of Buddism. Ninety some percent of the people here on Thailand are Buddists. There are temples or what they call Wats everywhere. Reading about Buddism helps to understand the people here. I have never seen a Thai person get angry. Even the cab drivers with this horrible traffic. Amazing.
So thats it for now. Louise, one of my friends at home commented on my last blog that Saskia and I have got to be two of the luckiest people in the world to be on this adventure. She is right for sure. My hope is that many of our readers will make it to this beautiful country one day.
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Mary Beth
non-member comment
Wpw!
OK, that was my favorite update. Sounds like it's has been an amazing experience! Those views! Did you go swimming? Love, MB