First time checking email in about a week. Unlike some of my earlier travels, this portion has involved lots of moving around to more remote places. I will fill in the basic travels over the past week and add details as time permits.
Tues Oct 16
First full day on Ko Samui. This island is not going to make it to #1 in any category regarding Thailand. Except for monkeys. There is an abundance of domesticated monkeys here. They are fascinating, and I would like to take them all home. Is it legal to have a pet monkey in Austin? I probably wouldn't do it, but the idea is intriguing. A place with a yard would be perfect for a pet monkey to play with. To comb its downy soft fur, and to taunt with fruit. I would train it to make coffee using a french press in the morning. But since I already had co-ownership of a ball python once, and since that didn't work out well, I doubt I'm the best candidate for exotic pets. But there will be thrilling fotos. "Monkey Work Coconut. Play Baby." proclaims the shingle of wood along hi-way 2170. And it is all true.
THere is also a deluxe snake farm here on Ko Samui. This one is different from that described below (add jump) near Chiang Mai. What they lack in snake handling, they make amends for with the scorpions and centipede act. In this segment, a young Thai man jumps onto the stage with two yellow plastic buckets. One contains black scorpions, the other a poisonous and ill-tempered copper centipede. He procedes to put them all over his body and face, which is impressive but not too raw for the jaded among us. But when he puts one into his mouth for 15 minutes, it is worth the price of admission. The announcer explains how this handler has built up an immunity to the bugs. Sure enough, he has a road map of scars on his arms from previous chompings, and his thin head of hair is undoubtedly a side-effect of the venom. He allows the centipede to dig its jaw into his forearm until rivulets of blood drip onto the stage floor. He knows his audience well. For a finale, he drops about 10 scorpions and the centipede into his pants. Then for extra agitation, he does a hip gyration like a hula dance.
Monday Oct 15th
Morning completes the ride to Samui. Then a hut right on the beach, at a guesthouse called New Hut. Not much else today, other than exploration of the island and environs.
Sunday Oct 14th
Finish the safari at Khao Yai National Park. Transit occupies the day. From Pak Chang to Bangkok, then Bangkok to Surat Thani. It is a mere 10 hour bus ride. Massages at Wat Pho in Bangkok near the Royal palace. As the touts say "where you go?" Wat pho. "Oh, so sorry. Wat Pho closed." Yeah? And you think I would go when it's OPEN!? The Austrialian woman in line behind me professes her ill feelings for the fibbing lying tall-tale spinners of Bangkok. Train station. Your choice of bus or train. But train full. How about bus?
Saturday Oct 13th
Jiip and the safari through the Khao Yai NP. Leeches all over. See birds. Monkeys impossible to miss. Elephant. No wait. Elephant scorpion. Big brute too. Rains like crazy. Call off the night safari. Big pot barbeque instead. It is one of Thailand's best-kept secrets. Thanks to Paul and Jan, the Dutch odd couple.
Friday Oct 12th
Leave Siam Square. From Eastern Bus terminal to Pak Chong. Following a series of misadventures inaugurated by the placing of a bag of chilli bean sprouts on my bag by an old deranged woman. The cycle taxis apologize for her. Back finally for bat sighting. 2 million bats, on the same level as Austin.
Thursday Oct 11th
Wake up in filthy, horrible, vomitous Khaosan Road because someone with a Mediterranean accent is repeatedly screaming a vile fisherman song in the hallway. It is 8 in the morning, making this an inexplicably stupid thing to do. Except this is Khaosan Road, so it actually makes a perverse sense. Try to sleep, but someone has turned off the fan from the hallway. In a room where over 100 cigarettes have clearly been stubbed out on the dirty wall, nothing is too callous to be a surprise. I really don't like Khaosan road, and I vow never to sleep in this part of Bangkok again.
Today I meet Julia at the airport for the second time. This time for real, hopefully. Spend the day at National Stadium, at the 8 story mega-mall. The ruins and temples of Thailand are breathtaking, so steeped in history and religion as they are. But my favorite place in Thailand is this mall. It is 8 unfathomably giant floors of shopping mayhem. Even better is the fact that the merchandise is mostly junk. Watches, alarm clocks, the same Diesel knockoff shirts (it's a Thailand thing...you wouldn't understand). Simply mahvelous, dahling.
Meet Chan, a most cultured Thai fellow. It is obvious that he has a different perspective. He admits to having lived in London for 9 years, and in spite of the joy of this fact, I try not to hug him too much. Finally, Chan, an emissary for the people, a rosetta stone for this inscrutiable culture. I ask him all about Thai music, and he offers to go over to the music store and give me some tips. All I've found out about Thai music is that it lacks distinction almost completely, and is just MTV pop dribble. Chan points out something at least slightly different. It is hip hop in Thai, not that different, but at least it's in Thai. Also, a mix cd where the artist has made techno beats out of traditional Thai music. Kind of like what Nortec made out of Norteno. Thanks to Chan, I have something to show for Thai music, and won't have to buy a China Dolls cd after all.
Evening, meet Julia at the Don Muang Airport. I enjoy seeing her reaction to the same things I also found unusual here. I have planned our itinerary based on fun things to do which I haven't done yet. Also, since Julia has a full 11 long glorious days here in Thailand, the destinations have to be close to Bangkok. I don't envy the whalloping jetlag caused by the flight. It turns your biorythmic clock upside down and stomps down with an iron-heeled boot.
Wed Oct 10th
Finish the wonderful rafting trip down the Pai River. This river borders Burma to the north, so it is about as far north as Thailand goes before entering the turf of socialist dictatorship. The rafting trip will go down as a perfect experience during my trip. The coffee colored rapids move at a crisp pace, there are moments of adrenaline as we almost get thrown from the raft. During the calm stretches, Chai encourages us to swim alongside the raft in the swiftly moving rapids, which we do. We also throw Chai in when he isn't looking. The terrain is rugged, green, lush, thoroughly unspoiled. And after it rains for a while, the sun comes out and bakes us all. This is a perfect experience paddling down the Pai river.
Tues Oct 9th
Wake up early to join the Pai River rafting trip. There were only 2 already on the list last night when I signed up. Now there are 13 of us, which will take 3 full rafts to accommodate. At first, everybody is loath to get the fun train rolling. By camping time at night, the experience has thrown us all together. I meet 4 delightful Dutch women travelling together, Annemieke, Karin, Rose, and Anne, and Peter, who is officially the first Luxemburger I can recall meeting. We play uno until we get too tired. The forest rangers across the dining area continue gambling late into the night.
Monday Oct 8th
Roll on out to Pai early in the morning with Aik (pron. ache), whom I have been getting to know in Chiang Mai. He owns and operates the internet cafe at Daret's Guesthouse there. He also has another internet cafe in Pai, and offers to take me along. The ride is a sickening winding mess through the hills, but looks like the scenery from MASH at least.
Sunday Oct 7th
Enter the brutal long-distance bus trek that is the Golden Triangle Trek. This one takes everyone way up north to the Thai border with Laos and Burma, where the long-standing tradition of poppy cultivation once reigned the local economy. It is a thing of the past, and only the tourism and museums keep the opiate days alive. Officially, at least. Personally, I believe there is still cultivation a'plenty up here. I don't plan on doing research, as these are dangerous parts, but considering how allegedly 70% of the world's opium comes from around the Golden Triangle, where is it coming from? They must be growing the cash crop up in Burma somewhere. In any case, the trip is gruelling, and covers about 575 km. round trip. Meet Betty, the American who is taking a hiatus from her volunteer work in New Delhi, India. Also meet a very unusual French Canadian named _____. Not worth mentioning, but I think I will have to live in a French country for a while to understand Les Francois. I'm sure they are tres Magnifique, but it just isn't coming through.
Tues Oct 16
First full day on Ko Samui. This island is not going to make it to #1 in any category regarding Thailand. Except for monkeys. There is an abundance of domesticated monkeys here. They are fascinating, and I would like to take them all home. Is it legal to have a pet monkey in Austin? I probably wouldn't do it, but the idea is intriguing. A place with a yard would be perfect for a pet monkey to play with. To comb its downy soft fur, and to taunt with fruit. I would train it to make coffee using a french press in the morning. But since I already had co-ownership of a ball python once, and since that didn't work out well, I doubt I'm the best candidate for exotic pets. But there will be thrilling fotos. "Monkey Work Coconut. Play Baby." proclaims the shingle of wood along hi-way 2170. And it is all true.
THere is also a deluxe snake farm here on Ko Samui. This one is different from that described below (add jump) near Chiang Mai. What they lack in snake handling, they make amends for with the scorpions and centipede act. In this segment, a young Thai man jumps onto the stage with two yellow plastic buckets. One contains black scorpions, the other a poisonous and ill-tempered copper centipede. He procedes to put them all over his body and face, which is impressive but not too raw for the jaded among us. But when he puts one into his mouth for 15 minutes, it is worth the price of admission. The announcer explains how this handler has built up an immunity to the bugs. Sure enough, he has a road map of scars on his arms from previous chompings, and his thin head of hair is undoubtedly a side-effect of the venom. He allows the centipede to dig its jaw into his forearm until rivulets of blood drip onto the stage floor. He knows his audience well. For a finale, he drops about 10 scorpions and the centipede into his pants. Then for extra agitation, he does a hip gyration like a hula dance.
Monday Oct 15th
Morning completes the ride to Samui. Then a hut right on the beach, at a guesthouse called New Hut. Not much else today, other than exploration of the island and environs.
Sunday Oct 14th
Finish the safari at Khao Yai National Park. Transit occupies the day. From Pak Chang to Bangkok, then Bangkok to Surat Thani. It is a mere 10 hour bus ride. Massages at Wat Pho in Bangkok near the Royal palace. As the touts say "where you go?" Wat pho. "Oh, so sorry. Wat Pho closed." Yeah? And you think I would go when it's OPEN!? The Austrialian woman in line behind me professes her ill feelings for the fibbing lying tall-tale spinners of Bangkok. Train station. Your choice of bus or train. But train full. How about bus?
Saturday Oct 13th
Jiip and the safari through the Khao Yai NP. Leeches all over. See birds. Monkeys impossible to miss. Elephant. No wait. Elephant scorpion. Big brute too. Rains like crazy. Call off the night safari. Big pot barbeque instead. It is one of Thailand's best-kept secrets. Thanks to Paul and Jan, the Dutch odd couple.
Friday Oct 12th
Leave Siam Square. From Eastern Bus terminal to Pak Chong. Following a series of misadventures inaugurated by the placing of a bag of chilli bean sprouts on my bag by an old deranged woman. The cycle taxis apologize for her. Back finally for bat sighting. 2 million bats, on the same level as Austin.
Thursday Oct 11th
Wake up in filthy, horrible, vomitous Khaosan Road because someone with a Mediterranean accent is repeatedly screaming a vile fisherman song in the hallway. It is 8 in the morning, making this an inexplicably stupid thing to do. Except this is Khaosan Road, so it actually makes a perverse sense. Try to sleep, but someone has turned off the fan from the hallway. In a room where over 100 cigarettes have clearly been stubbed out on the dirty wall, nothing is too callous to be a surprise. I really don't like Khaosan road, and I vow never to sleep in this part of Bangkok again.
Today I meet Julia at the airport for the second time. This time for real, hopefully. Spend the day at National Stadium, at the 8 story mega-mall. The ruins and temples of Thailand are breathtaking, so steeped in history and religion as they are. But my favorite place in Thailand is this mall. It is 8 unfathomably giant floors of shopping mayhem. Even better is the fact that the merchandise is mostly junk. Watches, alarm clocks, the same Diesel knockoff shirts (it's a Thailand thing...you wouldn't understand). Simply mahvelous, dahling.
Meet Chan, a most cultured Thai fellow. It is obvious that he has a different perspective. He admits to having lived in London for 9 years, and in spite of the joy of this fact, I try not to hug him too much. Finally, Chan, an emissary for the people, a rosetta stone for this inscrutiable culture. I ask him all about Thai music, and he offers to go over to the music store and give me some tips. All I've found out about Thai music is that it lacks distinction almost completely, and is just MTV pop dribble. Chan points out something at least slightly different. It is hip hop in Thai, not that different, but at least it's in Thai. Also, a mix cd where the artist has made techno beats out of traditional Thai music. Kind of like what Nortec made out of Norteno. Thanks to Chan, I have something to show for Thai music, and won't have to buy a China Dolls cd after all.
Evening, meet Julia at the Don Muang Airport. I enjoy seeing her reaction to the same things I also found unusual here. I have planned our itinerary based on fun things to do which I haven't done yet. Also, since Julia has a full 11 long glorious days here in Thailand, the destinations have to be close to Bangkok. I don't envy the whalloping jetlag caused by the flight. It turns your biorythmic clock upside down and stomps down with an iron-heeled boot.
Wed Oct 10th
Finish the wonderful rafting trip down the Pai River. This river borders Burma to the north, so it is about as far north as Thailand goes before entering the turf of socialist dictatorship. The rafting trip will go down as a perfect experience during my trip. The coffee colored rapids move at a crisp pace, there are moments of adrenaline as we almost get thrown from the raft. During the calm stretches, Chai encourages us to swim alongside the raft in the swiftly moving rapids, which we do. We also throw Chai in when he isn't looking. The terrain is rugged, green, lush, thoroughly unspoiled. And after it rains for a while, the sun comes out and bakes us all. This is a perfect experience paddling down the Pai river.
Tues Oct 9th
Wake up early to join the Pai River rafting trip. There were only 2 already on the list last night when I signed up. Now there are 13 of us, which will take 3 full rafts to accommodate. At first, everybody is loath to get the fun train rolling. By camping time at night, the experience has thrown us all together. I meet 4 delightful Dutch women travelling together, Annemieke, Karin, Rose, and Anne, and Peter, who is officially the first Luxemburger I can recall meeting. We play uno until we get too tired. The forest rangers across the dining area continue gambling late into the night.
Monday Oct 8th
Roll on out to Pai early in the morning with Aik (pron. ache), whom I have been getting to know in Chiang Mai. He owns and operates the internet cafe at Daret's Guesthouse there. He also has another internet cafe in Pai, and offers to take me along. The ride is a sickening winding mess through the hills, but looks like the scenery from MASH at least.
Sunday Oct 7th
Enter the brutal long-distance bus trek that is the Golden Triangle Trek. This one takes everyone way up north to the Thai border with Laos and Burma, where the long-standing tradition of poppy cultivation once reigned the local economy. It is a thing of the past, and only the tourism and museums keep the opiate days alive. Officially, at least. Personally, I believe there is still cultivation a'plenty up here. I don't plan on doing research, as these are dangerous parts, but considering how allegedly 70% of the world's opium comes from around the Golden Triangle, where is it coming from? They must be growing the cash crop up in Burma somewhere. In any case, the trip is gruelling, and covers about 575 km. round trip. Meet Betty, the American who is taking a hiatus from her volunteer work in New Delhi, India. Also meet a very unusual French Canadian named _____. Not worth mentioning, but I think I will have to live in a French country for a while to understand Les Francois. I'm sure they are tres Magnifique, but it just isn't coming through.
posted by jasonthewolf at
8:07 AM
