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Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai	Thailand, Bangkok - 12 March 2003 First Impressions & First Days Driving into Bangkok somewhat reminded me of Yogyakarta Indonesia with the main difference being Bangkok’s higher quality vehicles. That comparison stopped as I exited the taxi and found myself surrounded by fellow tourists. After bargaining for a good few minutes with the friendly taxi driver, I was dropped off at the end of Khaosan Road, since it is blocked off to vehicles every evening. Surprisingly, not one person came up to me asking if I needed a room or wanted to buy anything from the moment I hopped out of the cab to the moment where I entered the lobby of my hotel. The moment I entered my room I dropped my bags, brushed my teeth and flopped into bed. The trip from Toronto to Bangkok had taken about twenty hours, and it was now noon at home. When I checked it, the flirtatious and feminine-mannered desk clerk told me that my room would be ready in a few minutes, so I took a seat and relaxed for the first time since leaving the plane in Bangkok. Though I had a lovely room with A/C, a shower, a toilet, satellite television and hot Water, the one aspect that I had no control over was the noise! I kept waking up to constant yoo-hoos, yippees and pumping tunes at the nearby bars, but I really didn’t care. I had found my way and was in a bed. With my flight for Singapore now booked, I decided to explore the city by foot. I had to meet a friend at 17:30 on the other side of town, so I decided to slowly head that way. I figured I could use a little exercise after sitting on my buttocks for so long. I think the exercise I got from the walk was probably offset by all the pollution that I inhaled though. I didn’t realize just how big the city was, though! Along my two and a half hour journey, I encountered a wide range of interesting sites. The first had to be Wat Ratchabouhit. Wat means temple, and there are approximately four hundred of them in Bangkok! So, what originally fascinated me with wonderful architecture, bright colours and Buddhist monks will most likely become just another site much like churches have become to me in Europe! With every step I took, I seemed to find myself further away from tourist-central (Khaosan Road) and closer to the middle of a noisy and chaotic local jungle. Bangkok has one of the worst traffic congestion and pollution problems in Asia. This became quite obvious early on, as many locals wear masks in order to protect their precious lungs. After walking for a good hour and figuring out where I was on the map, it seemed like the road was never going to end. Of course, my map was not even close to scale, so the equivalent distance that it required me to get to the Wat in fifteen minutes took about one hour heading eastward! When I finally arrived to the Siam Square area, I kind of felt like I was back in the West. You could see all of the major shops from back home and plenty of modern skyscrapers. The attire of the locals had also become quite a bit more fashionable and trendy, much like you’d see in New York or Paris. Even though I was now in the heart of the shopping district, prices were still very reasonable. We then hopped on the ultra-modern Skytrain and headed to the Patpong Road area. It is basically a huge market where you can buy anything you want – from fake student IDs to lap dances to knock-off clothing brands. The area was packed with tourists, and people trying to sell us a wide variety of products and services were constantly approaching us. It wasn’t that big of a hassle though, as they left us alone if you said no thank you or ignored them. Sexed-Up City Bangkok, Thailand’s modern capital, oddly enough means “city of wild plums.” The full-length name of the city is actually the longest in the world at 167 letters. Try putting “Krungthep Maha Nakorn, Amarn Rattanakosindra, Mahindrayudhya, Mahadilokpop Noparatana Rajdhani Mahasathan, Amorn Piman Avatarn Satit, Sakkatultiya Vishnukarn Prasit” on a map! In English, this translates to “The City of Angels, the Great City, the Residence of the Emerald Buddha, the Impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the Grand Capital of the world endowed with Nine Precious Gems, the Happy City, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.” There is, however, a word that is missing in that definition - sex. Wandering the streets of Khaosan Road, as well as the Patpong Road area, there are plenty of western guys walking, or stumbling, arm in arm with Thai women. If you also happen to be at a cheap hotel with thin walls, you might not get a good night’s sleep due to the frequent lovers symphonies. For those of you who want to read some funny stories on the subject, I suggest checking out “Hello My Big Honey”, which is a hilarious compilation of love letters written by foreign men to Thai prostitutes upon their return to their homeland. If you’re planning on spending a significant amount of time looking for love, here are a few words that you should probably learn: Butterfly: slang for person who sleeps around Cheap Charlie: cheapskate Chuk wa or Tchak waho: literally “pull the kite,” slang for masturbate Farang: foreigner Kuay: slang for penis Mekong: Popular Thai whiskey, named after the river Noy: common Thai girl's name Singha: Popular Thai beer So what can I make of my first taste of Thailand? I found the vast number of rip-off items (copies) such as CDs, DVDs, IDs (student cards), TOEFL (English language test certificates), clothing etc. quite amazing. I wonder what the next big copy-item will be! The size of the city can also be overwhelming until you figure out how to make your way around the city using public transportation. I have this feeling that many farang never do figure this out, as they are all too happy just to sit, relax and shop in the area. Overall, however, I must say that the city did not provide all that many surprises or shocks. I never really felt any culture shock here. Thailand, Krabi - 27 March 2003 Time to Chill When you visit the beaches of Thailand, you basically have two choices – either you visit the beaches to party, or you visit them to relax. Ko Samui and Ko Pha-Ngan are known crazy party stops, while Krabi is much more on the relaxing end of the spectrum. It is in this area of Thailand that many of the scenes from the movie “The Beach” were filmed. The jagged limestone cliffs towering out of the clear blue sea help make Krabi’s beaches rank right at the top of my list, as they offer something for everybody – whether it be lying on the beach, exploring the nearby caves, scuba diving or climbing the cliffs. The journey to reach the beaches can also be an adventure. I would say, however, that the vast majority of people spend their day lying on the beach and their evening Watching English movies, eating and drinking at one of the many restaurants down by the Water. From the small town of Krabi, you have to take a boat to the beaches. I stayed near Raileh East, which is a good hour’s ride from town. The port where the over-used and under-repaired wooden boats with rusted motors leave from is swarmed with touts and boat drivers. At the sign of a huge backpack, which was quite rare when I arrived, heads turned, conversations stopped and all the drivers’ attention focused on the new arrivals. The good news is that it is quite obvious that you are at the right spot to catch a boat, and the bad news is that these drivers can be slightly annoying – especially if you have just arrived in town after fourteen hours of bus travel! Not only do they try to get you to take their boat by yourself, at a cost of 300 baht versus the standard fee of 70 baht to Raileh, but they can also try to sell you on certain hotels in the area. The typical line I heard was “Where you go my friend? Raileh? Raileh busy. All the cheap place are full. Stay here, only 600 baht. Just for one night, then cheap okay.” Uh huh! I have never heard that one before! Slowly, travelers showed up and there were enough of us to fill a boat. Sure enough, as soon as we arrived at Raileh, after a very rocky ride, hotel and bungalow owners were waiting to greet us and show us pictures of their place. One of the places I was shown, Park Life Bungalows, seemed quite nice and I managed to bargain my way down to the price I expected to pay. Not only did my bungalow turn out to be super nice and peaceful, but the associated restaurant was yummy and the service always came with a smile. A family run business, it was obvious that the bungalows had only recently been built – hence the lack of residents and the wonderful service. I think the first meal I had there was my first real taste of Thai food. It felt like I was going to burn a hole in my throat, which was great! The lady that prepared the dish was slightly embarrassed, but I assured her that it was great and just what I wanted. I hope they never change their dishes to adapt to western palates. Watch Your Step & Your Jump Warning! Watch out for barb-wired fences! It seems that around every building and every walkway there is barb-wired fence hidden in the bushes. As I made my way into town on my second night, I was looking forward to relaxing, having a good meal and Watching a movie. As I approached the restaurant from a path that leads to my bungalow, I noticed another path that led to the restaurant’s entrance. As I leaped through what looking like an empty space, I suddenly found myself suspended in mid-air entangled in a hidden barb-wired fence. Lucky for me, as far as I can see from the healing of my wounds, I did not damage my clothes and only suffered minor cuts on my shin and hip. As a result, instead of enjoying a meal and Watching a movie, I found myself nursing my wounds and limiting my movement back at my bungalow since my previous experience with wounds in Indonesia taught me that they don’t like to heel very well on their own thanks to the high heat. Weather & Time Force My Hand Given the horrible weather that did not seem to want to leave, I decided to leave town and head up to Bangkok to start my visa process for Myanmar. I actually didn’t mind this cold spell, as it was a nice change from the constant heat I had encountered at every other stop on my trip. As the rain was coming down quite heavily, not too many boats looked keen on making the trip back to the town of Krabi. This, of course, meant that when a boat did leave, it was sure to be packed, as there were quite a few visitors ready to move on to new destinations. When we finally left, there were eighteen of us crammed like sardines into a twenty-foot wooden boat! It actually made for a pleasant, yet slow and crowded ride, as the boat’s weight slightly reduced the effect that the waves had on the boat! It even stopped raining for the second half of the journey, so I managed to arrive in Krabi relatively dry. Sixteen hours later I arrived in Bangkok very much craving some sleep and a nice shower! Here’s a quick tip: if you are taking a long journey on a bus with a “washroom”, try to sit as far away from it as possible! I was half a bus length away and could still smell the not-so-pleasant natural aromas. The bus driver’s associate tried to crush the smell with perfume, but all that did was make people feel nauseous for quite a while. Thailand, Chiang Mai - 2 April 2003 Wat-ever… Wat a city! Seven hundred kilometres north of Bangkok, Thailand’s second city is slightly cooler, less congested and very tourist-friendly – meaning it is very difficult to get lost, given the city’s design and size. It is also quite cheap relative to Bangkok, which theoretically makes it a fine bargain among bargains. Various styles of Buddhist temples, Wats, are found all over the city, as a result of influence from many groups including Lanna Thai, Burmese, Sri Lankan and Mon. There are about as many temples here as there are in Bangkok. Given the smaller area of the city, it makes finding a Wat about as easy as finding a your toes. I am not going to give specific details about too many of the Wats, rather I will highlight what should not be missed and what I enjoyed visiting. Within the city, Wat Chedi Liam, completed in 1288, and Wat Chedi Luang, destroyed in the earthquake of 1534, should not be missed. If you spend a day wandering around, you’ll no doubt see many more that all have slightly unique and different architecture. In the tourists area, which is also referred to as the night market area, you’ll find a mix of restaurants, travel shops and craft boutiques. Every Sunday, Thanon Tha Phae, which runs east-west and is located north of the night market, shuts down to motorists and becomes a giant street market. If you’re planning on heading out of town for a few days to do some trekking and see the sites, try to be in Chiang Mai on a Sunday. Plenty of locals set up shop selling everything from paintings to crafts. There were also a visible number of people from various tribes selling their homemade goods. I actually enjoyed this market better than the night market, as I was able to find all kinds of unique items that I couldn’t find at the night market. It was also quite relaxing, as you often dealt with the artists, or people from that tribe, as opposed to the sales people in the other markets. Walk for about fifteen minutes in any direction from this location and the number of tourists dwindles to the point where you might be the only foreigner around, which by itself makes for a fascinating side trip. Chiang Mai is a great city, but outside the city limits is where you’ll find many of the region’s treasures. The most spectacular of these is by far Wat Phra That Doi Suthep up in the hills overlooking the city. Apparently the site for building the temple was selected by an elephant. When the special elephant stopped wandering around, circled, trumpeted and knelt down, he or she had selected the site. You’ll have to tackle about ten kilometres of winding roads, followed by three hundred and some odd steps to reach the temple. It’s quite a straightforward trip, and quite fun on a motorbike. I think the best time to visit the area is in the late afternoon, when the bright gold and other colours of the temple are most vivid and when the sun is behind you, making the view of the city that much clearer. When you enter the temple, or any temple for that matter, there are a few rules that you should follow. Here are the rules that were listed on the Doi Suthep information pamphlet: Do’s and Don’ts in the temples •Dress politely, do not wear shorts •Show respect in the temple and shrine •Take off your shoes before entering the platform around the Golden Chedi •Keep your head lower than Buddha images and monks •Don’t touch the Buddha images •Always keep clean In the hours preceding my visit to Doi Suthep, I visited all a wide variety of craft villages and factories. There are twelve designated handicraft villages around Chiang Mai, most of which specialize in one or two crafts. I visited lacquerware, jade, silver, bronze, woodcarving, fabric, cotton, silk and umbrella specialists. If you’re planning on making any craft purchases, I would check out the prices in Chiang Mai around the night market before venturing out of the city. I found that in some places prices were ½ of what they were in town, while other more tourist-oriented places charged on average twice to four times the price! At each stop, however, I was greeted by friendly staff who showed me around the grounds and explained how the crafts were created from start to finish. Once the tour of the factory was over, they always left me alone to wander and never hassled me. The major museums are also located slightly outside the city. The Tribal Museum was well worth the visit, as it gave a great amount of insight into the lifestyles and cultures of the various tribes that inhabit Northern Thailand. That said, the picture painted of their lives seems quite rosy, and I got the impression from many people that life was not that rosy. The King & Religion There are two things in Thailand that you should avoid criticizing in public – royalty and religion (Buddhism). Wandering around Bangkok, you can’t miss the large pictures of King Bhumibol Adulyadej all over the city. In many of these pictures he is seen with a camera around his neck, which represents both the view that the monarchy is quite modern and also his passion for photography. I saw a couple of movies in Chiang Mai, and before they both began, you had to stand and watch a brief picture show of the King. Every night all television stations also show footage of the royal family attending official functions. One of the three floors of the Tribal museum is also devoted to the King and his visits with various tribes. If you ever see a Thai bill on the ground, don’t step on it, as each bill has a picture of the King on it. This action is, believe it or not, illegal and you could wind up in jail! Why is it that this king is so popular while other monarchies struggle for approval? He represents stability in changing times and has earned the admiration of his people in a way that foreigners cannot full understand, according to former premier Arnand Panyarachun. Disturbing Accident Bus travel in Thailand is relatively safe compared to bus travel in many other Southeast Asian countries. That said, it is still quite a ways off from the safety standards we have in the West. You often see tiny cars packed with people and trucks with a load of travelers squished in the back. As I stepped off the bus at a rest area for the first time on my overnight trip from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, I heard a loud bang. The area was very dark, and you couldn’t really see anything, nor were there any screams. Plenty of other people heard the noise as well and were also wondering where it came from. Eventually, people figured out that an accident had taken place on the other side of the street. A bus had collided head-on with a car. What is crazy is that the bus actually backed up a bit and then left the scene. The result of this collision looked like a huge pile of scrap metal that you’d see in drinking and driving commercials. Eventually the police and an ambulance (station wagon) arrived on the scene. Even at this point there was still the possibility that someone else would get hurt, as the police officer had to stand on the dark road waving a flashlight. A fast-moving vehicle could easily have hit him, but luckily that did not happen. The two people sitting in the front of the vehicle died on impact, and the two passengers in the back were still alive, but seriously injured. I still can’t believe how the bus just pulled away from the scene and kept going. I’m sure the police must have caught up with them, as it must be hard to hide damage from that kind of an accident, especially with a busload of travellers. Who was at fault, that I don’t know, but what I am certain of is that events of that nature sure shake you up – being so far from home and from a hospital. Thailand, Bangkok - 4 May 2003 Final Days Somehow, over the course of my stay in Lao, Vietnam and Cambodia, I had grown to enjoy the unexpected, the slow pace of life, the lack of western influence and the company of the local people. Thailand, all of a sudden, became a giant Western fast-paced city, with its McDonalds, Burger Kings, Starbucks and modern shopping malls. I was craving a good greasy burger by this point, so I didn’t mind the change. That evening I had Burger King, watched a Formula One race and followed that up with an English Premiership soccer match. It was as if my trip to Southeast Asia was over before I had left. After a good night’s sleep and my cravings now satisfied, I woke up as a tourist, visiting all the sites on my list that I hadn’t seen. I basically hopped from one place to another, missing out on what I enjoy so much – what’s hidden and in between. Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) and the Grand Palace were first on my agenda. I wanted to get these places over with as early as possible, as it was extremely hot out, and you could not see these sites in shorts or any other revealing items of clothing. The Emerald Buddha has probably travelled more than most Thais. It was discovered in Chiang Rai Thailand, moved to Lampang, then Chiang Mai, brought to Luang Prabang and Vientiane by the Lao before making its way to Bangkok. Knowing how much the Thais love their royalty, I expected nothing less than a spectacular site. I was not disappointed. Right around the corner from the Palace stands Wat Pho (Temple of the Bodhi Tree), home of the 46 metre reclining Buddha. The reclining Buddha is just huge! No other way to describe it. After spending some time wandering around the Wat Pho grounds, I jetted off by taxi to the Jim Thompson House. Jim Thompson was an American Thai silk entrepreneur who fell in love with Thailand and built a magnificent house in Bangkok. The house is made up of many traditional Thai houses fused together that were transported from various regions in the country. Taking a tour is a great way to get some insight into the traditional way of life, and it also demonstrates the great creativity that Jim possessed. Following a brief trip into the heart of modern Bangkok, I headed back to Khaosan Road by tuk-tuk. As my flight left very early in the morning and I would have to leave my hotel at around 3:00, I decided to store my luggage in a safe room at a nice hotel for the day and find a cheap place to stay for my final night. The place I found, at 80 baht, or two dollars, had to be one of the most disgusting places in town. I didn’t care though, as I only wanted it to rest for a couple of hours before heading off to the airport. The inscription on the wall near my bed read “Attention: When you leave make sure you shut the window – otherwise the sneaky fuck next door might come across the ledge and steal your shit like he did to me.” When it came time to get up and leave, I decided to take a quick shower. I tried the shower on my floor, but there was no water. I went down one level, still no water. Down another, nothing. Finally, I found one that trickled, and I somehow managed get cleaned up.
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