Thailand

Motorbiking South of Bangkok

06.30.2007 - 07.13.2007 0 °F
View The Big Trip on tommydavis's travel map.

To view full size photos and captions click here:
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/users/tommydavis/

After staying the night is Chumphon, we caught an express boat to Koh Tao. The smallest of the three main islands in Thailand's East Coast, Koh Tao is known for its crystal clear waters for scuba diving. Well, Poseidon must have known we were coming and decided to whip up some storms and sediment, but the diving was still better than anything I have done, after Belize. Since, the price was so reasonable, Erin and I decided to get our PADI Advanced Open Water certification, which lets us do things like dive deeper, dive at night, etc. I know what you are thinking: but Tom, aren't you advanced open water certified already? Technically, I don't know, because SSI has their heads so far up their asses that their computer records only date back two years. Anyway, we went on seven dives in a few days and are now super-scuba-divers (I have pictures below to prove it.)

On Koh Tao, I also rediscovered the thrill of the motorbike. Remember Ben from Mexico/Belize/Guatemala? Well, he traveled throughout SE Asia several years ago and he is somewhat of a mentor for my current travels. Back in Isla Mujeres, he told me about the joys of renting motorbikes in these countries ($4-6 for 24 hours.) Unfortunately, the back roads of Koh Tao were too much for our poor bike and Erin had to get off and walk up a few steep hills to relieve our struggling motor. A guy at the dive shop told us a bit about motor biking in Koh Phangnan (our next destination): Apparently, it has the highest motorbike accident rate of any place on earth. The reasons are obvious once you get there: imagine countless foreigners going to the Full Moon Party (think international "Burning Man") that can only be reached by roads steeper than Divisidero in San Francisco, curvier than HWY1 North of San Fran, usually stuck behind a black-smoke spewing truck, and probably under the influence of one or more mind altering substances. Indeed, about a quarter of all "farang" here have thick white gauze over a limb or two. Luckily, Erin and I are not cool enough to go to the Full Moon Party, so we didn't have to worry as much about accidents. During my two day motorbike tour of Koh Phangnan I saw the following: thick jungles, secluded beaches, carved initials of a Thai king, a monkey on a motorbike, and an elephant spinning a hula-hoop while playing a harmonica (no joke, I will try to get a video of it posted.)

After Koh Phangnan, we made it to Krabi by boat/bus combo. This is the place you see in postcards where vertical limestone cliffs stick straight out of turquoise water. Apparently rock climbers from all over the world travel here for the views on the rock face. Walking along the cliffs, I got growled at by a monkey upon whom I stumbled. Erin and I fed him some hairy, lychee-looking fruit to appease him (see picture of beggar monkey below.)

We booked a trip to Koh Phi Phi (pronounced Koh Pee Pee), but it got cancelled because of rain and lightning, so we rented a DVD player and watched the first two Godfather movies. After returning from 200 Baht massages, we found a table at our hotel lobby half covered in empty Chang bottles and surrounded by Ashley and her friends. (Out of strange circumstance, Ashley was in Thailand at the same time as us and had a similar itinerary.) I took a shower to get the massage oil off (I insisted that I didn't need oil) and we drank some beers with them and together booked the Koh Phi Phi trip for the next day.

Ever see the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo DeCaprio? Well "the beach" is on Koh Phi Phi and the island and surrounding islands are spectacles of tropical beauty. We had a nice day of swimming, snorkeling and trying to avoid sea-sickness on a boat that was going way too fast.

In other news: in Thailand, the drink of choice for travelers comes in a bucket and is fittingly called a "bucket". The recipe is simple: mix a bottle of Sangsom Whiskey, a can of coke, and a bottle of Thai Red Bull (or M150 [see below]) in a bucket with ice. It is enough to get a water-buffalo drunk.

Now I am back in Bangkok, the same guy is trying to sell me a suit, and I am typing a blog entry on the fumes of an M150 energy drink (check it out!)

Devotion, Courage, Sacrifice... Exactly what I look for in an energy drink

Erin left this morning, which was quite sad, and I am starting all over again like Cancun on day one. I suppose in the next few days I will meet some people and head over to Cambodia, which I hear is crazier than Guatemala. We shall see...

-Tom

Fishing boats near Chomphun

Erin on the fa1ry to Koh Tao

Three dogs keeping cool under a truck

Great snorkelling on the east side of Koh Tao

I got a bad coral cut on my foot near the rock on the left

Nighttime in Koh Tao

Erin ducking out of the picture of the whiskey bucket

Fire twirlers on Koh Tao (taken from a makeshift tripod, using a 1.5 sec exposure)

One more fire twirler picture, just for kicks

Longtail boats and schools of fish on Koh Tao

Nangyuan Island

More of Nangyuan Island

Oceanside walkway

One last shot of Nangyuan Island

In the back of a pickup in the rain

Colorful sea fans near Koh Tao

Me underwater

Erin underwater

Coral and fish

Colorful fishies

More coral and fish

Best picture of me ever

Erin with a slightly foggy mask

Sea urchins and what not

Apparently we were pretty lucky to see a turtle

A table on the beach at night

Erin after a long day of motorbiking

Night shot at Koh Phangnon

Old sailboat out for repairs

Some people say these hills are impossible on a moped...

Green tree snake in the road on Koh Phangnan

East side of Koh Phangnan

Swimming hole on Koh Phangnan

Lone house in misty mountains

Monkey on a motorbike

Badass motorbike, $6 for 24 hours

Sand crab art

Not a good day for the beach

Limestone cliff in Krabi

Cliffs and beach in a hidden bay

Exclusive cliffside resort

Beggar monkey

Limestone cliffs and turquiose waters near Koh Phi Phi

Another nice view

Probably the most amazing place I have ever been swimming

Hey, where did Ashley come from?!

Beach at Koh Phi Phi

Bamboo Island

About to wrestle on Bamboo Island

Can you see why this is called Chicken Island?

Resort at Railay Beach

Volleyball anyone?

Railay Beach East

If you look very closely, you can see me on my own private island

Ocean view from a cave

Railay Beach West from a cave

Posted by tommydavis 07.13.2007 16:31 Archived in Thailand Comments (1)

Where you go? Bangkok? Chiang Mai? 50 baht!

06.21.2007 - 06.27.2007 0 °F
View The Big Trip on tommydavis's travel map.

To view full size photos and captions click here:
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/users/tommydavis/

We arrived in Bangkok on a delayed flight at 3:30 in the morning. Trying to find a ride from the airport with no sleep and zero knowledge of the local language turned out to be quite stressful. I guess I took for granted the fact that I could basically speak Spanish on my previous trip, and not being able to say a single word to people here makes me feel like a bit of an ass.

Luckily, Bangkok is such a gringo ("farang" in Thai) town, that everyone seems to know a bit of English. Also, I have found that common sense and use of pantomime (all with a shit-eating grin on my face) can accomplish most tasks. Here is an example: I walk into a barber shop, so the guy automatically assumes that I probably want a haircut. I point to different parts of my head and indicate a length with my other hand. Now he knows basically how I want it cut. (He is wondering why I have such a shit-eating grin on my face) He proceeds to give me a terrible haircut, shave my face, cut my wild nose hair, and give me a shoulder massage. This cost me 150 baht ($4-5 or $1-2 cheaper than the "Happy Barber" in San Diego.) I would consider this a success.

In Bangkok, we stayed in farang district of Khao San, which is absolutely loaded with tourists. Signs are in English, accommodation and drinks are cheap, and food is very foreigner-friendly. (Think phad thai or curry from carts for about 75 cents for a meal) We were especially amused by the night-time street bars that offer ("very strong") whiskey buckets and advertise the fact that they don't check ID. Erin spotted the first ladyboy. He made our red curry and rice dinner. I commented that the she had a deep voice, but it took Erin's keen eye to spot that she was actually a he.

The first full day in Bangkok left me a bit disappointed with the Thai people. It seemed everyone who approached us tried to lie to us, telling us that certain temples were closed that day and we should instead go on their tuk tuk tour. A "tuk tuk" is basically a three-wheeler with a back seat that people use to weave quickly in and out of car and motorbike traffic. (Note that three-wheelers have been illegal in the US for several years because of their penchant for flipping during quick turns.)

Anyway, the temples and palaces in Bangkok were beautiful (much more so than Bangkok's river, which is the nastiest thing I have ever seen.) To enter them, you must take off your shoes. If you are wearing shorts, you sometimes have to borrow long pants, which is not cool, literally. Bangkok is as hot and humid as Houston, or for some of you guys, San Felipe in August. By the second night in Bangkok, we gladly spent an extra 200 baht for a room with air-conditioning, which feels magical after walking around in such ridiculous heat.

Typical conversation that sums up our stay in Bangkok:
Tom: Why are you so slow?
Erin: My legs are short and it's hot.
Tuk tuk driver: Where you go? You take tuk tuk, 50 baht, all day.

After taking the train north to Chiang Mai, we got a totally new and refreshing view of the Thai people. Just about everyone we have met since Bangkok have been very kind and honest. For instance, a woman started talking to us about Erin's Asianness: "You half something? You look like my son.", which started a wonderful conversation about her half-Asian children and how she lived in Holland for a while. She also happed to be a tuk tuk driver, so we hired her services for the day to see multiple temples. We then agreed to go to silver, jade, and silk shops for a little while for an extra 50 baht. (Tuk tuk drivers make mad commission from places like these and we had a lot of fun weaving in and out of traffic all day for $3.)

In Chiang Mai, we signed up for a three day, two night trek through the jungle. The deciding factor in choosing the trek was the fact that five Irish guys were already signed up for it: sure to be non-stop fun.

Day 1: We packed 14 people into a pickup and went to a waterfall to swim about. We ate some lunch and hiked through hot jungle to a village of the Karen people. We played with farm animals and a monkey who mainly wanted our food. One of the Irish guys got a leech and bled like a stuck pig when it was removed. We took bucket showers and ate some dinner. One of our guys, Vihk, exclaimed "Oh my Buddha" each time he had to drink during the numerous warm beer drinking games.

Day 2: More hot hiking through jungle and rice fields until lunch, and then it was onto the elephants for about two hours. The elephants seem to know the route and ours kept stopping along the way to eat bamboo. It was funny to see that most of the bamboo within trunk distance of the path was gone. Night two was much like night one, but with better drinking games, and we slept above a stable with pigs, cows and chickens.

Day 3: We helped build bamboo rafts traveled the river on them for about four hours. On our raft was Vihk, Erin and I, and an American guy named Jim who had the mullet of the century. The Irish guys were not so good at steering and ended up with their raft broken in half around a rock. I helped them free it and we all celebrated. On the way back to Chiang Mai, we somehow fit an additional three people in the pickup. Now we were truly riding Guatemala-style (See earlier update.) The trek was one of the best times of our lives and it cost us $45 each.

After Chiang Mai we bussed all night and day to get down to the south. In the next update, expect to see beaches and what not. I guess that is it for now. Oh yeah, Erin got hit by a taxi in Bangkok, but she's okay.

Tom

Exactly what I thought Bangkok would look like