Day 13: Depart Bangkok

Yep, only a few more hours here. I arrived early yesterday morning in Bangkok. I took and over night train that took about ten hours from Surat Thani. I decided to stay not on Tho Khao San Road this time, but in Siam Square.

I like Siam Square better than Khao San. I'm right in the center of Bangkok where it's so easy to hop on a skytrain, boat, subway, bus, tuk-tuk, or taxi from here to go anywhere in the city. Not to mention that the MBK or the Mahboonkrong is within walking distance.

A little something about the MBK center: 7 floors of shopping, cinemas, food, massage parlors, hair parlors, tattoo parlors, video gaming, karokee music booths, photo booths, and did I mention SHOPPING? This place is enormous loaded with the Thai younger crowd. Lets start from the bottom floor. The bottom floor, is shoes, bags, clothes, jewelry, misc. The second floor is more the same of the first. The third floor is like one gigantic cell phone store. There are so many cell phone booths selling any kind of cell phone, and accessory that you could ever imagine. The 4th floor is bed and bath. The fifth floor is the food floor. The 6th floor is dedicated to video arcade games as well as rooms set up for several players to play against each other. There is also a movie theater on this floor that works it's way up to the 7th floor. On the 7th floor there is bowling, and karokee booths. You can book a sound proof room with your friends to sing. See what I mean, I practically spent all day there yesterday walking around.

So now just a couple of hours till I head to the airport. I have decided whole heartedly that I would very much love to come back here to Thailand. This place is extrodinary, and being that its my first trip to Asia, I can definately say that it won't be my last. This place has only sparked even more of an itch to visit all the other countries in Asia. Maybe someday I will. >>> JEN

Leia Mais…

Day 11 & 12: Spa, Seafood, and Sunburn

That pretty much sums up the last two days. Yesterday, I spent out in the sun for the first part of the day, then went to Eranda Herbal Spa. I can honestly say that it was the best spa that I have ever been to and yes, I have been to my fair share of luxury spas in Vegas. I spent about 4 hours there getting a massage, body scrub, steam bath, jacuzzi, and facial all in a private little hut surrounded by lush floral on a hillside that looks above the sea. The price of all this was so low, I had to look twice at the bill. Then I went to eat some seafood, lobster. Yum.

As for the sunburn part, that is due to the fact that I have been on a boat for the last 3 hours outside on deck which was much sunnier than expected. I neglected the sunscreen because for one, I never burn, and two because it was in my backpack which was amist all the luggage of all the other passengers. I now sit at a little internet cafe in Surat Thani on the mainland where I await to board a train to Bangkok.

Sigh, yep, trip is almost over.

Leia Mais…

Day 10: Stomping Grounds

It may seem so cruel for the Thai's to keep these elephants around for the purpose of elephant treking, but in actuality, they were originally trained as working elephants. When the king outlawed using elephants for working, such as hauling and lifting, the trainers did not know how to afford their up keep. Hence, the last of the Thai working elephants earn their own upkeep by hauling tourists through the thick mighty jungles.

Monkey's are used all over Thailand as a way to harvest coconuts. Ko Samui has 5 million coconut trees, which is how many of these islanders earn their living. Although it seems cruel to keep a monkey for picking coconuts, the farmers consider him to be a member of the family, dutifully treating the monkey with respect.

Here, I went for a refreshing swin at Namoug Waterfall.

Here is Kai, he is an artist (painter) that works across the street from my bungalow. We went out for drinks at the Reggae Pub last night.

Leia Mais…

Day 9: Shopping!

Lotus Flower

Seriously, I was going to go around the island today and look at stuff, but I woke up late, and ended up going to Hat Chaweng Beach instead where I went shopping. Of course everything here are brand name knock off's but the differance here is that there is no differance. I bought a Dior purse for 1200Baht which is about $35 dollars. Their immitation brand names are made with real leather and say Coach, Dior, Dolce & Cabanna, etc. without any fear of copyright laws. Hence, giving you a product that is so close to the real thing. The sunglasses, however, do show a very big differance in quality. So for all you shopaholics, come to Thailand if you want to do some shopping for cheap. With the beach withing hearsay, you can't ask for a better place to buy all your favorite things for nothing.

Merry Christmas!

Leia Mais…

Day 8: Christmas in Thailand

I left Ko Tao this morning by boat and now I find myself in Ko Sumai. One way to really figure out if you are considered to be in a remote location is if the place that you are at has a McDonald's. Well, lets just say that there couldn't have been a McDonald's further away from Ko Tao. I didn't realize how secluded I was on the island untill I left and came here to Ko Samui. This is a bustling little island with all kinds of shops and modernazation. What do you know, this time I have a beach bungalow with a toilet that flushes and TV!

So I really don't think that the Thailand people know what Christmas is all about. It makes me giggle when I see a Thai person riding down the street on their motor bike wearing a santa hat. They cater so much to the tourists that they have conformed just a little to the Christmas spirit, although in vain because they have no idea about the holiday except that there is Santa Clause, the colors, lights, and best of all good food. I was invited to go to a free BBQ tonight at the JAH Peace Beach Bar by the bar tender who seemed to be wildly amused by the fact that I look Thai but am American.

Here's a picture of the Thai's cooking up the Christmas Spirit!

Leia Mais…

Day 7: Remote Locations

Last night as I mentioned, I went to a BBQ with my new German friends from my dive team. Well, I ended up stumbling home early in the morning. We had such a good time! This is a picture of Andi, Nadine, Katrine, and me during dinner.

A little later we girls found ourselves dancing the night away to techno music at Up To You Bar.

Since I wasn't feeling too great today, I had to just relax. I hung out with my new friends. We rented scooters and went to Sairee Village where we ate dinner by candlelight on the beach while sipping on mango shakes. I totally have the windblown look in the pictures. Also, I'm fat from our dinner of Red Snapper, Pad Thai, and beef Kabobs.

Leia Mais…

Day 6: I saw a mermaid!

Shark island, not Snake Island as I called it yesterday, was pretty much a bunch of big rocks sticking out of the ocean. Diving today, I came into contact with my first real danger. It was some sort of big fish thing, that my instructor pointed out as we were floating along. I didn't get a good look, but I remember it being big. All I know is that I haven't been eaten alive.

We also dived at a site called Rocky Point. It was by far my favorite dive since I've been here. We actually ran into some wreckage on the bottom of the ocean, and there was a mermaid statue. The water was so much better than it was yesterday. Much more clear, and at least the sun was out.

Okay, well now I'm off to meet with some of the instructors for a BBQ on Sairee Beach that they invited me to. Tomorrow is my last day on this island. Although, there could be the chance that I am stuck here for a few days because all boats have been grounded. There is a hurricane off the coast of China that has caused some big waves.

Leia Mais…

Day 5: s c u b a

Yep. Still here. Ko Tao. The weather was shitty today. Nevertheless, we went out on the boat. Again, I practiced more scuba skills, and saw some fish. I actually have a tan line from my wet suit. How funny that looks.

Tonight, I walked along the beach and found a nice resturant to eat at. I choose one in which you eat on the floor. Its oh so relaxing. You take your shoes off, and lounge on a comfy pillow while listening to the sound of the waves and reggae music from a bar near by. It really can't get any better. But then it did. I went for a Thai massage after dinner. The massage hut was open-aired right on the beach.

Okay, well it's off it bed for me. I have to get up early tomorrow because we are going to dive at Snake Island tomorrow, and we are leaving at 7:30am. Finally, I take my final exam tomorrow, and graduate!

Leia Mais…

Day 3 & 4: Scuba Shack

So here I am in Ko Tao still. I'm taking a 4 day diving course. My first day, yesterday wasn't too exciting. I just relaxed by the beach. Drank some beer with fellow travelers in the near by bars. I also watched a video on scuba diving.

Today, I had to watch more videos on scuba diving. Then we went out on the boat for my very first dive ever. The water isn't exactly crystal clear, but at least it's warm.

Breathing while underwater was something that takes some getting used to. The first time I went under, you kinda have to tell your brain to tell your lungs to fill with air. After awhile it becomes second nature and you adapt. We headed for some deeper waters for a second dive. It's really amazing how big those corals are. They are huge. Much different than seeing them in a picture.

More diving tomorrow...

Leia Mais…

Day 2: And they were all yellow...

The first full day in Bangkok. I decided to do some sightseeing. Tuk-Tuk drivers are everywhere. These are three wheeled open air taxi's. They follow you as you walk down the street wanting you to take a tour of the city for only 20Baht (like 75 cents). The real deal is that they drive you around, not only so that they can take you to the major tourist attractions, but so that they can make stops at little shops in the hopes of you purchasing something so that they make a commission.

I choose a driver to take me around, and he actually proved to be very useful. He took me the the "Big Budda", this amazing tall gold standing Buddha. Next was the Lucky Buddha which sat in a small temple in the middle of a school grounds. The Thailand kids are so cute wearing a blue and white school uniform. As I was leaving the temple, about twenty or so children came up to me and wanted me to sign my name on a piece of paper. They were asking me where I was from. I felt like a celebrity.

After a few stops to a tailor shop, a silk store, and then a travel agency, I went to see the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha, which is supposed to be 1,000 years old. I paid the driver 200Baht just because I didn't buy anything in these shops, and he was in fact, very helpful.

Well, the pictures speak for themselves. All the buildings of the Grand Palace were made of colored mirrors, porcelin from China, and gold leaf.

Truely, the Emerald Buddha was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen. He is only about one foot tall and rests on a golden shrine. He is the only green in the sea of gold that he surrounds. It was so beautiful!

Throughout the day I noticed that almost everyone in the city was wearing yellow. Not just yellow, but they all had on the same yellow polo with some sort of symbol on the right hand side pocket. My Tuk-Tuk driver had told me that it was to honor the King. Worn on Monday's. So, today, they were all yellow.

Dinner last night was Pad Thai bought from a food vendor on Tho Khao San Road for a mere 20 Baht. The Thai's best food so far has been from what I have bought outside on the street.

So now, here I am in Ko Tao. It's a little island in the Gulf of Thailand. The trip over here included an overnight train, which I slept like a rock, and a rocky sea sickening boat ride. Tomorrow I'm going to start day one of my scuba diving adventure.

P.S: Here is a picture of what I call the Toilet of Death. It was the toilet on the train.

Leia Mais…

Day 1: Arrive Bangkok

Arrive Bangkok. I finally got here today (Sunday) at 1 in the afternoon. By finally, I mean I had no idea how long the travel time would be.

Started in Las Vegas.

Delayed leaving by 1 hour. (US Airways. I swear if anyone attempts to fly with them, I would advise otherwise.)

Arrive LAX.

Missed flight with China Air due to delay.

Fight with US Airways to rebook my flight without luck.

Fight with China Air to get me on the next one which was overbooked as it is.

Fight with China Air to rebook me on another airline without any luck.

Angry, frustrated, almost in tears.

Agree to go on standby with China Air on next flight.

Made new friend Gwen.

Took nap in airport at LAX for two hours.

Stood around in line waiting.

More waiting.

7 hours later...

I was awarded a seat on stand by to go to Tapei!

Leave LAX.

Arrive Anchorage 4 hours later.

Leave Ancorage 1 hour later after the refueling.

Arrive Tapei, Taiwan 11 hours later.

Leave Tapei 2 hours later.

Arrive Bangkok.

One hour taxi ride into town.

Arrive hotel, EXHAUSTED!

So I'm staying at this Inn called " Khaosan Palace Inn". They don't provide toilet paper for their guests. Good thing Joe told me to bring some. The shower stall and bathroom are one in the same. Seriously, there is no tub or shower door, you take a shower over the toilet.

The great thing about where I'm staying is that it's on Khao San Road. What a backpacker's haven! I don't feel so alone here. There are so many people here just as I. Travelers from everywhere. Also, so many stalls and shops to which you can buy anything that you could ever dream of. I bought clothes for tomorrow, a pair of slippers, and a shirt all for 15 bucks. I got a 1/2 hour Thai massage for 3 dollars. I can't even explain it in this short blog what their technique was. All I can say is that they take off your shoes, scrub your feet, and take you to a large room where there are mats on the floor. You lay down and the massager gets to work. It felt great after the long flight.

I bought a train ticket for tomorrow night to go to Chumphon. I leave at 7:30pm and arrive at 4am. I'm planning on taking the ferry over to Ko Pho Island where I hear that the beaches are georgeous and scuba diving is cheep.

Before I end this...two funny things that happened:

1. a Thai bartender asked if he could be my boyfriend.

2. A British couple asked me for the price of a pair of shoes as I was standing there waiting for the sales lady to come back with my change. I thought that it would be obvious that I'm not Thai! I guess I fit in as a local. haha.

Leia Mais…