Time for Thai?

The Story

Thailand has been so wonderful. I arrived in Bangkok on the 29th of January and spent a few days exploring the city, eating lots of wonderful food (I love thai food and its so cheap), visiting many temples, seeing the Grand Palace - which consists of a variety of grand and beautiful architecture, and meeting interesting thai people (as well other travelers). After a few days in Bangkok, I went out of the city to visit Kanchaniburi (west thailand near Burma) which was such a joy to get out of the bustling city. I visited the bridge over the river kwai and a variety of other war related museums and historicaly significant sites. The significance of the bridge, beyond a film being made of it, is that the Japanese forced the thai and war pow's to build this bridge in the 1940's for them to be able to bring supplies throughout the country and into Burma. The bridge was bombed several times and eventually finally destroyed, with many thai workers forced to stand on it to attempt to persuade the pilots to divert their course (in short, a lot of people died for this supply line). It was quite sad to hear about all the harsh treatment of the thai and pows working on the bridge and nearby railways.

I spent a few nights sleeping along the kwai river on some floating huts which was very relaxing to finally be in nature. One night I had a great time hanging out with some aussies, a french, and two germans who were also staying at the same place I was. We had some great conversations about life in a world so full of so many differences yet so many similarities along people, cultures, countries, etc. The next day I visited the Tiger Temple, which is a monastery where they have a variety of animals ranging from water buffalo, boar, peacocks, horses, tigers, and plenty of other animals. All the animals roam free, except for the tigers. But if you visit you can have a chance to go up and sit next to and pet the tigers. They are all chained down but it certainly wouldn't stop them from being able to pounce on you if they desired it. It is actually quite safe though, the tigers have been raised by the monks and so they are not hostile towards humans in the least bit. While in the area I had a chance to ride an elephant and go bamboo rafting down a river.

When returning to bangkok I took a trip to see the floating markets outside of the city. Set among multiple canals shooting off in every direction, there is specific canal that has markets set on the land as well as on a number of small boats selling everything from fruit, to poultry, clothes, a variety of Thai trinkets, etc. As the markets were a little overpopulated with tourists, I was happy to go exploring around several of the waterway neighborhoods near the markets. It was fascinating to see the way of life on the water. People drink the water, drive their boats in it, wash their dishes and clothes in it, bathe in it, some shit in it, but regardless of how dirty it may appear to a westerner, it is the source of life for these people. Later that day, as I was exploring Bangkok, I came across a temple where a monk was being ordained (I believe that is the right term); I sat in midway through the ceremony to see the last hour of his ordination, which was quite fascinating. The next day I took a ride up a more secluded neighborhood with a private boat to see some more of these unique neighborhoods built along the waterways. I joined a new york photographer, and fellow couchsurfer, who has been living in Bangkok for almost a year now. She is working on doing a photo exhibition of life on the waterways, so it was a treat to go with her and her usual boat driver and hear about life on the river.

The next day I took a bus and ferry to Ko Samet, an island off the coast of eastern Thailand. Before I got on the bus, I ran into a girl I met in Australia; its funny how there are usually at least a few travelers that have very similar routes and it is almost inevitable that you will run into a few that you have met somewhere along the way. I spent the three days I was there, in the company of an Australian girl I hung out with, relaxing on the beaches, reading, and exploring the island by motor scooter - which was quite the adventure as the roads there were terrible: filled with large rocks, potholes, sand, and loose gravel. It was a beautiful place that I will certainly miss.

After Ko Samet, I took a bus to Cambodia on the 11th of Feb., where I am currently traveling (updates to come hopefully soon).

The Reflection

Time is short, so I must be fast. Thai people are very friendly, usually always smiling and interested in foreigners. If you are in a larger tourist area, as usualy, they are always trying to rip you off, giving you overpriced quotes for their services. It can get annoying to walk down the street and constantly have people calling after you to buy this and that; but after being in Asia for over a month now, I am pretty used to it. Compared to china, SE Asia is so easy to travel in; so many people speak english and the culture is so much more laid back than china. It is nice to have so many cheap options for eating and sleeping yet as a foreigner, you pay the price of always having to be suspicious of the information you are given. It is fascinating to see the religious influence in Thailand as there is majority of Buddhists. There are beautiful temples all across the landscape which is interesting to see their unique style of architecture. When I end my trip in SE Asia, I will return to Thailand and see the northern portion of the country.

All is good, besides the occasional upset stomach with the food. And some great news, I just found out I was accepted to the grad school I applied to in Paris. So hopefully within the next few weeks I will hear from the other grad schools I applied to and make my decision, giving me some direction for the future.

ciao!
Karl