So, I was able to leave the glacier that is Seoul for the warmth of Thailand. My friend N is doing research there on solar energy so I thought I would drop by during the winter to explore Thailand. We didn't do many conventional tours, but it was a great opportunity to see life in Thailand. The trip was just too short to fully enjoy all that Thailand had to offer.
So... my two goals going into Thailand were:
1) Ride an elephant
2) Eat a ton of food
Mission Accomplished
Bangkok Proper
In Bangkok proper, N and I went to visit a few Wats, cross the rivers, and do some shopping. It was fun, but also very touristy. There are definitely more foreigners in Bangkok than in Seoul. I was surprised to see how spread out the city was. Honestly, I wanted to escape the busy city as soon as possible, so we did a very short day trip before going back to N's apartment in Bang Mot.
Kanchanaburi
Erawan:
We escaped the city and went up to Kanchanaburi. The area is famous for waterfalls and elephant camps. I also read something about monkeys that play basketball, but I'm out of practice and didn't want to get schooled. We decided to camp out instead of getting a hotel or going to a backpackers. The camping is very manufactured, as you can rent everything - sleeping bags, pillows, grills, tents, lanterns etc... It was cheap and nice to spend time outside. God knows I can't do that in Seoul now.
A few things that I noticed:
1. TONS of Russian tourists- I forgot that Russians don't really have beaches or summers, so they really descend en mass upon Thailand. They wear swimsuits and love to have fun in waterfalls. N and I camped out so we got to do the waterfalls in Erawan before the Russians took over.
2. A lot of younger tourists - There seem to be quite a number of people who want to get in touch with their inner selves (a la Carrboro) in Thailand. They seem, how do I put this... hippie?
3. I ran into J, another ETA in Korea. Hilarity ensued as the chances of running into somebody in a foreign country are not that high.
Huay Mae Kamin:
This seemed less touristy, as the only foreigners there were N and I. Huay Mae Kamin is a bit further north of Erawan and has no actual bus that goes there. The road there was insanely dusty. We camped again and enjoyed the trails and waterfalls. Huay Mae Kamin had bamboo forests which made it unique. The bamboo forest makes a lot of noise as things are bouncing around and bamboo is constantly making its hollow cracking noise. It was disturbing at first, but then very soothing. There was also a local show at night performed my school children. It was... a very good effort. Overall another great night out in the warm weather. N and I talked a bit about our high school experiences over bananas and sunflower seeds.
Elephants:
We went to an elephant camp. We rode elephants. We drove elephants. Enough said.
Food
I found the food so cheap yet delicious. You could easily eat a meal for about $1, but could really go all out for only $3. Needless to say, I ate too much and too frequently. I think all the Thai food was good, but I had a crab curry on my last day. It was regrettable that I only ate it for one day. It the most delicious thing I've had in a long, long time. Other than the cheap food, it was the fresh fruit! All kinds of new fruits to try and therefore all kinds of juices and smoothies. I think I had a smoothie every meal. It was just tooooooo good :)
People
I didn't really know what to make of Thailand and its people because I have no frame of reference. I know nothing really of the history and culture. Pad Thai and green curry was about as far as I got. In N's neighborhood away from central Bangkok, I found that the people were very accepting for foreigners. N could speak some Thai, so interactions were very easy. Again, I never really felt in danger or anything. The last day, I played some badminton with some graduate students near where N works. They take that very seriously, but it was all fun and games afterwards. Only good things to say about Thailand.
--The King--
The most surprising thing about Thailand I learned was about their reverence for their King. The dude is literally everywhere. I saw a movie my last day, and it started with a montage/pledge of allegiance to the King. He has his own flag and it is not appropriate to speak ills of the king. People cannot freely approach him either. He seemed like a mystical figure, but I couldn't place him in a good or bad category. I guess it is pretty unique to Thai society. All I can say is... Long live the King. :)
General Impression
Lastly, it was great to catch up with N about some experiences we had in the past, especially stories with mutual friends. I guess there are certain things only people you went to school with can understand, so it was refreshing to have that sort of time. All in all, I loved Thailand. I think before I go back again I should learn some Thai though.
Here are some of the videos I took while there. Descriptions should be self-explanatory.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheWCCho?feature=g-upl
Seoul the day before I left
Still the blizzard
You can see the snow...
So... my two goals going into Thailand were:
1) Ride an elephant
2) Eat a ton of food
Mission Accomplished
Bangkok Proper
In Bangkok proper, N and I went to visit a few Wats, cross the rivers, and do some shopping. It was fun, but also very touristy. There are definitely more foreigners in Bangkok than in Seoul. I was surprised to see how spread out the city was. Honestly, I wanted to escape the busy city as soon as possible, so we did a very short day trip before going back to N's apartment in Bang Mot.
What?
Outside N's apartment is a.... palm tree
Local transport
Breakfast
Remnants of Chinese New Year
I'm pretty sure this is where they filmed Mortal Combat. Just sayin.
SPREAD OUT BK
Other side of the river
A rooster?
Its pretty high up..
Monk bestowing blessings
Buddha taking wishes
A different wat
Big tree
Ex-pat life
Ferry me over!
Reclining Buddha and me
Gold nipples
Big dude
Big feet
Me and N
Eastern paintings!
Murals were legit
Buddha has a spiky hair cut and some hard pillows
MORTAL KOMBAT
Like a Sir
Threads of wisdom
Buddha wanted a high five
Too many high fives to give
Gingers in Thailand
Just a street
To the Golden Mount
Fortune telling
My fortune
This thing is the Golden Mount
What lies beyond... probably hookers somewhere
Bangkok's actual full name
School's out!
Another Wat
Long live the king
Thinking... about how to take a cool pic
Grand palace at night! It glows~
Kanchanaburi
Erawan:
We escaped the city and went up to Kanchanaburi. The area is famous for waterfalls and elephant camps. I also read something about monkeys that play basketball, but I'm out of practice and didn't want to get schooled. We decided to camp out instead of getting a hotel or going to a backpackers. The camping is very manufactured, as you can rent everything - sleeping bags, pillows, grills, tents, lanterns etc... It was cheap and nice to spend time outside. God knows I can't do that in Seoul now.
A few things that I noticed:
1. TONS of Russian tourists- I forgot that Russians don't really have beaches or summers, so they really descend en mass upon Thailand. They wear swimsuits and love to have fun in waterfalls. N and I camped out so we got to do the waterfalls in Erawan before the Russians took over.
2. A lot of younger tourists - There seem to be quite a number of people who want to get in touch with their inner selves (a la Carrboro) in Thailand. They seem, how do I put this... hippie?
3. I ran into J, another ETA in Korea. Hilarity ensued as the chances of running into somebody in a foreign country are not that high.
The bus to Erawan
Camping
Probably never
Its a hippie trap!
The fish await our dead skin cels
Good Feng Sui
N
On top of a tree
Goddang monkeys
Worst waterslide ever.
Simply majestic
Come at me waterfall
N doing the same
Overall a good time
Sunlight shot
More on this pic later
The Russians Commeth
It went even higher
Looks like?
Use your imagination
Maybe this view helps
We done
Randomly met J
Huay Mae Kamin:
This seemed less touristy, as the only foreigners there were N and I. Huay Mae Kamin is a bit further north of Erawan and has no actual bus that goes there. The road there was insanely dusty. We camped again and enjoyed the trails and waterfalls. Huay Mae Kamin had bamboo forests which made it unique. The bamboo forest makes a lot of noise as things are bouncing around and bamboo is constantly making its hollow cracking noise. It was disturbing at first, but then very soothing. There was also a local show at night performed my school children. It was... a very good effort. Overall another great night out in the warm weather. N and I talked a bit about our high school experiences over bananas and sunflower seeds.
Scary sign
How we got to HMK
Bamboo
More waterfalls
Look! No Russians
N going for it
Local show
Looks like 'Nam
Field research
Sign the guestbook
Elephants:
We went to an elephant camp. We rode elephants. We drove elephants. Enough said.
Hi
Lil kids
Docked
We rollin
Flowerin
Where we taking this thing?
Awww yeah
Um... the trainer insisted on taking this picture
Switching drivers
We cruisin
Side shot
Getting the hang of this
You may not be able to tell, but this is very high off the ground
HUGE TUSKS
Food
I found the food so cheap yet delicious. You could easily eat a meal for about $1, but could really go all out for only $3. Needless to say, I ate too much and too frequently. I think all the Thai food was good, but I had a crab curry on my last day. It was regrettable that I only ate it for one day. It the most delicious thing I've had in a long, long time. Other than the cheap food, it was the fresh fruit! All kinds of new fruits to try and therefore all kinds of juices and smoothies. I think I had a smoothie every meal. It was just tooooooo good :)
Dinner courtesy of Jeju Air
Beef Noodle Soup
Street stick vendor
Noodles
If heaven were made of up oranges, this is it.
Pad Thai in Thailand
Curry & Crab
Northern food?
Why hello there slightly unnerving Ronald McDonald
People
I didn't really know what to make of Thailand and its people because I have no frame of reference. I know nothing really of the history and culture. Pad Thai and green curry was about as far as I got. In N's neighborhood away from central Bangkok, I found that the people were very accepting for foreigners. N could speak some Thai, so interactions were very easy. Again, I never really felt in danger or anything. The last day, I played some badminton with some graduate students near where N works. They take that very seriously, but it was all fun and games afterwards. Only good things to say about Thailand.
--The King--
The most surprising thing about Thailand I learned was about their reverence for their King. The dude is literally everywhere. I saw a movie my last day, and it started with a montage/pledge of allegiance to the King. He has his own flag and it is not appropriate to speak ills of the king. People cannot freely approach him either. He seemed like a mystical figure, but I couldn't place him in a good or bad category. I guess it is pretty unique to Thai society. All I can say is... Long live the King. :)
General Impression
Lastly, it was great to catch up with N about some experiences we had in the past, especially stories with mutual friends. I guess there are certain things only people you went to school with can understand, so it was refreshing to have that sort of time. All in all, I loved Thailand. I think before I go back again I should learn some Thai though.
Here are some of the videos I took while there. Descriptions should be self-explanatory.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheWCCho?feature=g-upl
Welcome back says Seoul...
Goddangit...