Everything in Transit

I feel like I've spent the majority of the past two weeks traveling from one place to another - sitting on a bus or at a bus station or on a boat, zipping around Bangkok on the skytrain and the subway, or frantically flagging down motorcycle taxis trying to get all of my errands done before leaving Salaya.

The past two weekends (before I moved out of Chaiyapruk), I traveled around Thailand with my friend Juliana, who is studying abroad in Australia and came to visit for her fall break. We did a pretty good job covering Thailand in 11 days, especially considering that I had exams at the middle of her visit.

The first weekend we hit the southern beaches for a couple days. We went to a really small, less-developed island called Ko Chang, which was really simple and pretty. Then, since I wanted her to see Thailand’s trademark aqua blue, white sand beaches, we headed to the island province of Phuket, which is the only major beach that can be reached without a boat. Phuket is likely the most popular tourist destination in Thailand, and after never really wanting to go there for that very reason, I found myself excited to see what all the talk was about.

I wound up liking Phuket, especially compared to Ko Phi Phi. If you take it at face value – a tourist destination full of farangs and (as a result) western influences – it’s quite nice. What made it preferable to Ko Phi Phi was the strong Thai presence on the island. There were public buses, sawngthaw, and little street eateries geared at locals. Phuket Town was very similar to many of the small Thai towns I’ve visited. We stayed at a smaller beach, called Kata, which was beautiful and relatively calm. The day we left, we took a taxi to Patong, the crazy tourist beach-town on Phuket, just to see the contrast first-hand. It was well worth the trip. I’ll just say that it’s best described as “out of control.” Pictures to follow.

The 2^nd weekend we went to Chiang Mai, a city I’d been wanting to return to since my first trip was tainted by food poisoning. We opted for a one-day trek, which was basically a condensed version of my first trek with less hiking and more driving from place to place, and replacing the overnights in villages with visits to “villages” (by which I mean their authenticity was questionable). The rest of our trip, we wandered around the city, visited several temples, including one on a mountaintop outside the city (called Doi Suthep), spent a wad at the amazing night market, and ate great food. I’m glad I was able to go back to Chiang Mai, and I’m also glad I got to ride an elephant without being worried about getting sick off the side of it.

For the days surrounding exams, we hung around Salaya and Bangkok and visited the Grand Palace and famous wats (which were still amazing the 2^nd time around), our favorite spa, and most of the huge malls in Bangkok. After we got back from Chiang Mai, we had an extra day in Bangkok, and that night we hit the night market and a nearby rooftop bar. It was my first rooftop bar experience – a 59 story elevator ride followed by two flights of stairs. The drinks were pricey, the atmosphere was classy, and the view was incredible. I’ll post a picture or two as soon as I can.

Right now, I’m in Luang Prabang, Laos, hanging out at an internet café. Another post about this trip will follow eventually, because it’s been quite adventure-packed. After we return to Thailand, my friend and I are going straight to Khon Kaen to stay with a Thai friend and her family for a few days. We’ll be there for most of Songkran, the Thai water festival, and I’m excited about being able to see it in a more authentic environment (as opposed to the popular tourist destinations).

In other news, I missed the final four game but just saw the score (yikes). For my boat and bus ride entertainment, I’m currently reading Barack Obama’s book, which is amazing and highly recommended. And I’m following baseball season closely (at least under the circumstances) and am very excited about it!!