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Published: September 14th 2008
I LOVE Thailand! I am not being paid by the Thai Tourism Office when I say that everyone should visit Thailand--it is a beautiful country full of kind people, incredible temples & delicious food. Bangkok I had thought might be seedy, dirty & chaotic--however, I love to be proven wrong! What a wonderful city. It's clean, filled with nice people, a fast & efficient public transportation system (the cleanest subway I've ever seen) & beautiful, brightly colored & intricately decorated temples & palaces. Love it!
I've included pictures of some of the Temples I visited--they are gorgeous! Lots of red, green & gold--and they are everywhere! Plus they are filled with buddhas, not just one or two, but rows of them. I even saw a HUGE reclining buddha--roughly the size of a commuter plane--but much prettier.
I took a private tour of Bangkok & my guide's name was Chai (like the tea!)--he was super nice & informative. We also headed out to Ayutthya which was the former capital of Thailand that was sacked by the Burmese hundreds of years ago. There were beautiful temple ruins & another HUGE reclining buddha!
The food is incredible & cheap! You can eat well here
for less than $4/day. Lots of noodle soup, pad thai & meat on a stick. Plus, it's great because they have all these condiments on the table so you can make it as spicy (or fish sauce-y) as you like. I've made it a point to have noodles at least once every day--one of my better ideas in the last week.
I also spent a couple days getting my Vietnamese visa adjusted, getting my Chinese visa & making plans for the next month. I am currently on the beautiful island of Ko Samui. I am staying at a 5 star resort (did I mention that I've given up on the 'backpacking' part of the trip?) for a 3 star price! Woohoo!
I wanted to do 2 things here on Ko Samui--scuba diving & beach laying-next to-ing. Unfortunately, like I've found out in the other countries I visited--the time of year is crucial when traveling & this is not the time of year for scuba diving here. I signed up for a tour today, but it was canceled due to a storm. Tomorrow as well--I'm looking on the bright side--this means I'll have to come back again soon! =) Next time
I'll plan the trip around the correct season & bring friends--this traveling alone thing has it's advantages, yet I am missing human companionship. Those five minute conversations with the traveling agent or ordering a meal at a restaurant isn't cutting it for my desire for human interaction! This is why I'll be joining a tour for Vietnam! I'm excited! I think that I might be traveling with old people (like my parents' age or--gasp!--even older) but I am excited to be with people!
Yesterday I went Elephant trekking & got to ride an elephant for a half an hour. Although I was a little sad that I was contributing to the forced labor of the elephants--I got over it quickly & loved it! It was pretty scary though to think that I was at the mercy of this enormous, incredible animal. If he got annoyed with me--all he'd have to do is fling his head & I've be flying through the jungle. Scary & totally fun.
Well, I am wasting precious beach-laying-next-to time here in this internet cafe, so I'll update more later!
I leave for a whirlwind tour of Angkor Wat in Cambodia on Saturday morning. Then I head
thai iced tea!
with black jello stuff & tapioca pearls (i think)to Vietnam for my senior citizen tour =) I hope that you're all well. Have you called your travel agent yet to book your trip to Thailand? =)
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Alicia
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Elephant Rider You Are!
Reading your entries and seeing your photos brings a huge smile to my face - you're doing it! And riding an elephant no less!! Thailand looks beautiful and can't wait to visit it sooner or later. Keep up your traveling spirit and enjoy the human interaction with the group tour! :)