TRAVEL TRAVEL TRAVEL!! That's all I seem to be doing with myself lately. Not that that's a bad thing, just doesn't bode well with blog updates. Here's the draft of an entry that I wrote before I left for Hong Kong, so I decided to share it even though it's not done.
I think I've given up trying to write about everything little thing that I do in this blog. It takes way too much time and I'm just doing too much cool stuff to write every day. The last month, though, has been as incredible as the first two. Danny came to visit, I went to an island called Ko Si Chang not too far from Bangkok, and I made another attempt at the full moon party (this time, successfully), and met Unger and Pogue there. We found some cool new places to go in Bangkok, one of which a girl from our school works at, so it's turned into a good, consistent spot for us. I've got a good couple weeks of traveling planned out, then back for exams. More travel in May, and then up to Isan for the next six weeks starting in June. Yeah, life's pretty good right now.
Danny coming here was awesome. It was the first familiar face that I'd seen in a while, and it's always good seeing my boys from home. Living all the way in Cali, I don't get to see everyone as much as I wish I did. Figures I'd see them across the world in Thailand. I showed Danny everything from the seediest to the nicest parts of Bangkok. The ping pong show, obviously, is the lowest. The Grand Palace and the nice clubs we went to are the highest. Bangkok is like that. There's entertainment for every mood, every occasion, and every price range.
The next weekend I went with my roommate Mat and this guy Joe to Sriracha and Ko Si Chang, a vacation spot for Thais that is close to Bangkok. It was cool being on an island with virtually no other farang. I'm used to going to an island and being surprised to see any Thais except the people who work the restaurants and bars. There wasn't all that much to do there, although I did have some of the best sea bass I've ever had. Less than $10 for a whole fish. During the day, we went ocean kayaking and two thai kids jumped on my kayak for a ride. Once we got around the point though, I think they got scared we were kidnapping them though so we went back.
Last weekend was the full moon party, and I met Unger and Pogue there. Once again, it was really good to see some of my boys from home. It had been almost a year since I'd seen Unger. The night before the party me and Abby had a pretty bad encounter with a taxi driver who couldn't find our place (we stayed at the same place as last time), and we ended up wandering through the jungle for a while at 3 or 4 in the morning. Finally we made it to a 7/11 and met a couple of Brazilian kids who took us back to the bungalows they were staying at. We ended up just crashing in one that was open and the owner only charged us 200 baht the next day. It was definitely an adventure and, although it was kind of fun in the end, it was a bad situation that I'd rather not be in again. Her latest blog has a more detailed description of the night if you want to check it out: http://semesterinthailand.blogspot.com .
The full moon party was a blast though. Unlike the scene I described last month, this time the beach was packed with thousands and thousands of people. It kind of reminded me of Halloween in santa barbara but in a more condensed area. Pogue and Unger got there in the afternoon, and we took a taxi up to a nicer beach and hung out there for a while.
That's as far as I've written in the last few weeks, so I'm posting it even though it's basically just description and maybe a little boring. The full moon party, in short, was awesome and everything that I expected out of a party like that. Some of the stuff in this entry already seems SO long ago, which sucks. It basically means that this leg of the adventure is starting to come to an end. I need to start preparing myself, both mentally and physically, for the next adventure: my stay in Isan this summer. More on that later as well.
I got back from Hong Kong last night (I was there for a week and had a blast) and I'm leaving this evening at 6:00PM for Chiang Mai for the Thai New Year, called Songkran, and then Laos later in the week for this thing called the Gibbon Experience. It's supposed to be amazing. Look forward to an extended post with pictures and everything later this month. I just need to find the time.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Man, it's been a while since I last posted. School has finally caught up to me a little bit, so I'm actually busy doing something other than having fun. I'm going to try to catch up a little bit, but I don't really have enough time to do all of it tonight.
Alright, so where I left off last time. I took the ferry from Ko Phangan to Ko Samui, a 45 minute ferry that is ridiculously overpriced, at least by Thai prices (I always have to justify that it's only expensive by Thai prices. The ferry cost me 200 baht, about $6, instead of a dollar like it would in less touristy areas). When I got off, I had no clue where I was going to go or where I was going to stay. Luckily I had a guidebook with me, so I decided to go to the beach closest to the airport since I had to be there at 5AM and just look around for a cheap bungalow. A motorcycle taxi took me to Big Buddha Beach and I started walking down the beach looking for a cheap place. I sat down with a couple Thai women who were trying to learn english for about 20 minutes, but their english was way worse than my thai (which is saying a lot) and the conversation quickly began to fade away.
I finally got up and told them I needed to find a place to stay, and continued walking down the beach. Everything seemed really expensive. It's a quieter beach, so most of the people staying there were older and could afford to spend 30 or 40 bucks a night for a hot shower, air conditioning, and a pool to read by. All I needed was a bed and some sort of shelter that locked. I finally walked up to the street and asked a motorcycle taxi driver if he knew of anything around 300 baht per night. After a couple places, he took me to the same place where the two Thai women were staying and, low and behold, they had a room for 300 baht per night.
So like I said in my last post, I thought that the night was going to be an early to bed night. I had been going out pretty hard the last few nights in Phangan and Danny was coming the next day, so I was kind of looking forward to it having to get up so early. I went and got some dinner, chilled in an internet cafe for an hour or so, and then headed back to the bungalow. Then, I had to break a 1000 baht bill to pay the motorcycle taxi to take me to the airport in the morning, so I walked down to a bar. It was probably 8:30 or 9:00 at this point.
On my way back to my bungalow, I passed a guy about 3 rooms down from mine sitting by himself on his porch. I had seen him a couple times already walking around, and I think we had acknowledged each other at least once. He was older, but he didn't really look old. He had long hair, and looked like the kind of guy that had spent his entire life traveling. I figured, what the hell, it's still early and I have nothing to do, so I decided to go up and introduce myself. Turned out I couldn't have been more right.
We quickly got into a conversation that seemed to go in every direction at once, but always seemed to come back around. He had spent most of his early life in England, so we talked about the differences between British and American culture, politics, economics, etc. I learned that he is 46 and has been living on either Samui or Phangan off and on for the last 20 years or so. He used to work for a big global marketing company and was making tons of money, but when he got demoted by a new boss, he decided that was it, quit, and has never looked back. He had a serious accident a couple years ago that, if it wasn't for a great Thai masseuse, would have put him in surgery and his leg may never have been the same again. We talked for maybe 45 minutes and then 2 other Brits joined us on the porch: a 41 year old guy all tattooed up who plays music for a living and a 29 year old woman who I think is just taking time off between school and work. None of them had met each other until they met at these bungalows a few days before.
It's the epitome of traveling. Being in a situation like this is what traveling by yourself is all about. They said that they were going to go get some whiskey and asked if I wanted to join in on it. At first I declined, but they said they just wanted to have a chill night so I obliged. The band member told jokes, Jon (the first guy) told some of his crazy traveling stories, and a couple pints later it was pushing 3 in the morning. We all said our goodbyes and retired to our rooms. I exchanged numbers with Jon and said I would call him if I ever come back down to Phangan. Turns out I'm going back to the Phangan for the full moon this month too to meet Unger, Pogue, and Kramer.
I don't know if writing this really captured the night. It would obviously take a lot more than a few paragraphs to describe the whole night. But there's nothing quite like sitting out on the porch of a bungalow on the beach under the Thai moon with people I never knew and may never know again. Everyone is eager to tell their stories, not because of some loneliness or desperateness, but because they want to share their adventures with whoever will listen. It's hard to find people who will listen to endless stories back home where there's little cultural connection, but when everyone has that common goal of finding the next adventure and experience in the same place, the conversations open up. Some stories were personal, some were scary, others were fun, and still others seemed boring if you looked at them individually. But when you see them as a continuous life, as one long adventure, they are all stimulating and exciting. Our stories and experiences are what mold us into who we are, and I bet they know me as well as a lot of people who have known me for years. I feel like I know them pretty well, that's for sure.
Alright, so where I left off last time. I took the ferry from Ko Phangan to Ko Samui, a 45 minute ferry that is ridiculously overpriced, at least by Thai prices (I always have to justify that it's only expensive by Thai prices. The ferry cost me 200 baht, about $6, instead of a dollar like it would in less touristy areas). When I got off, I had no clue where I was going to go or where I was going to stay. Luckily I had a guidebook with me, so I decided to go to the beach closest to the airport since I had to be there at 5AM and just look around for a cheap bungalow. A motorcycle taxi took me to Big Buddha Beach and I started walking down the beach looking for a cheap place. I sat down with a couple Thai women who were trying to learn english for about 20 minutes, but their english was way worse than my thai (which is saying a lot) and the conversation quickly began to fade away.
I finally got up and told them I needed to find a place to stay, and continued walking down the beach. Everything seemed really expensive. It's a quieter beach, so most of the people staying there were older and could afford to spend 30 or 40 bucks a night for a hot shower, air conditioning, and a pool to read by. All I needed was a bed and some sort of shelter that locked. I finally walked up to the street and asked a motorcycle taxi driver if he knew of anything around 300 baht per night. After a couple places, he took me to the same place where the two Thai women were staying and, low and behold, they had a room for 300 baht per night.
So like I said in my last post, I thought that the night was going to be an early to bed night. I had been going out pretty hard the last few nights in Phangan and Danny was coming the next day, so I was kind of looking forward to it having to get up so early. I went and got some dinner, chilled in an internet cafe for an hour or so, and then headed back to the bungalow. Then, I had to break a 1000 baht bill to pay the motorcycle taxi to take me to the airport in the morning, so I walked down to a bar. It was probably 8:30 or 9:00 at this point.
On my way back to my bungalow, I passed a guy about 3 rooms down from mine sitting by himself on his porch. I had seen him a couple times already walking around, and I think we had acknowledged each other at least once. He was older, but he didn't really look old. He had long hair, and looked like the kind of guy that had spent his entire life traveling. I figured, what the hell, it's still early and I have nothing to do, so I decided to go up and introduce myself. Turned out I couldn't have been more right.
We quickly got into a conversation that seemed to go in every direction at once, but always seemed to come back around. He had spent most of his early life in England, so we talked about the differences between British and American culture, politics, economics, etc. I learned that he is 46 and has been living on either Samui or Phangan off and on for the last 20 years or so. He used to work for a big global marketing company and was making tons of money, but when he got demoted by a new boss, he decided that was it, quit, and has never looked back. He had a serious accident a couple years ago that, if it wasn't for a great Thai masseuse, would have put him in surgery and his leg may never have been the same again. We talked for maybe 45 minutes and then 2 other Brits joined us on the porch: a 41 year old guy all tattooed up who plays music for a living and a 29 year old woman who I think is just taking time off between school and work. None of them had met each other until they met at these bungalows a few days before.
It's the epitome of traveling. Being in a situation like this is what traveling by yourself is all about. They said that they were going to go get some whiskey and asked if I wanted to join in on it. At first I declined, but they said they just wanted to have a chill night so I obliged. The band member told jokes, Jon (the first guy) told some of his crazy traveling stories, and a couple pints later it was pushing 3 in the morning. We all said our goodbyes and retired to our rooms. I exchanged numbers with Jon and said I would call him if I ever come back down to Phangan. Turns out I'm going back to the Phangan for the full moon this month too to meet Unger, Pogue, and Kramer.
I don't know if writing this really captured the night. It would obviously take a lot more than a few paragraphs to describe the whole night. But there's nothing quite like sitting out on the porch of a bungalow on the beach under the Thai moon with people I never knew and may never know again. Everyone is eager to tell their stories, not because of some loneliness or desperateness, but because they want to share their adventures with whoever will listen. It's hard to find people who will listen to endless stories back home where there's little cultural connection, but when everyone has that common goal of finding the next adventure and experience in the same place, the conversations open up. Some stories were personal, some were scary, others were fun, and still others seemed boring if you looked at them individually. But when you see them as a continuous life, as one long adventure, they are all stimulating and exciting. Our stories and experiences are what mold us into who we are, and I bet they know me as well as a lot of people who have known me for years. I feel like I know them pretty well, that's for sure.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thaksin's back
The title is a reference to the fact that the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted 17 months ago by the military coup, has returned to Thailand. There is so much controversy over this man between the Bangkok elite and the other 55,000,000 people in this country that it makes Bush and Obama look like blood brothers. Thaksin, the billionaire owner of Manchester City Football Team and a man full of populist ideas for the rural Thai population, has gained him unprecedented support nationally. Not in Bangkok. Until Thaksin came around, the Thai government had been a competition between wealthy Bangkokians. Wives of politicians, with no political experience, would run for high ranking positions and would win. Thaksin came to power, used his incredible political machine and bottomless bank account to gain the trust of virtually the entire rural population (a population that I am grouping together for both simplicity and to prove how influential Thaksin became, as the many districts and sub-districts are in no way related). Since then, he has been accused of corruption by the wealthy Bangkokians, removed from power, and temporarily exiled from the country. Now he's back, and the country is just waiting to see what will happen.
Alright, on to what I've been up to since my last post. I feel like it's been forever since I've posted, partly because I've been so busy lately. I mentioned that I was going to Koh Phangan for the full moon party and then Danny was coming. So yeah, it's been a busy couple of weeks.
Since Danny was coming on Sunday, I left with Abby and few other girls on Tuesday night to make the 17 hour or so trip worth it. We decided to get a sleeper on the train instead of the bus, which can be a nightmare. It was about 200 baht more expensive (a whole $6). The train was incredible; taking it was one of the best decisions I've made since I got here. We each got our own bed with pillows, blankets, curtains, etc. The train took 11 hours, much of which I was able to sleep. Then we had an hour bus ride to the ferry, where we met up with some of the other guys who had left on an earlier train. The ferry took another 4-5 hours and was packed with farang excited for the festivities. Me and Abby chilled outside in the sun while everyone else slept inside. Going through all of the islands is amazing. Southern Thailand is beautiful. Small, barely inhabited jungle islands are everywhere. Small fishing longboats and floating fishing huts litter the water close to the shores before leaving it all behind for endless turquoise seas.
When we got to Koh Phangan, we found out that the bungalows we booked on Bottle Beach are secluded and difficult to get to. Although normally we all would have been more than happy to stay at a secluded beach away from dirty, tourist beaches, the point of the trip was the full moon party. So we abandoned those plans, and ended up meeting the owner of a place called J Seaview while waiting around near the ferry. Turns out we couldn't have made a better decision abandoning Bottle Beach. These bungalows are set way up in the jungle overlooking the mountain down to the beach. It's everything that I imagined that I would see in Thailand. The owner became our house mom for the weekend, and all she wanted was for us to be comfortable and make ourselves at home. For about 100 baht per day, they cooked us incredible food for dinner. We played poker with baht out on the terrace, Kyle sang and played his guitar, and on the full moon night we painted ourselves. Far away from the wildness that is Hat Rin, the site of the full moon party, we were in jungle paradise.
Transportation was ridiculously expensive on the island, especially by Thai standards. We would pack 12-14 of us into a songthaew and each pay 100 baht for just a few miles. That's about 40 bucks to go 4 or 5 miles. Much different than $3, 10 mile cab rides in Bangkok. Our place was really cheap though, about 10 bucks a night shared between 2 people, so the transportation wasn't too much of a problem. Wednesday night we went to a pool party near Hat Rin. That night, we learned that the king mandates that no alcohol can be served on election days here, which is actually one of the smartest ideas I've ever heard. Unfortunately for us, Friday was an election day, and thus the full moon party was postponed to Sunday night.
Everyone else came the next day, and they heard the bad news. Most of us had to leave either Saturday night or Sunday morning for school. I, of course, had to be back in time for Danny to get in Sunday afternoon and had already booked a plane ticket out of a nearby island, Koh Samui, leaving Sunday morning. We decided to make the best of it and have an amazing trip no matter what. There were enough of us there that even if there was nothing going on at the beach, we could just make our own party.
We tried to go to Bottle Beach both Thursday and Friday during the day, where we were originally going to stay. Both times the water was too choppy for the boat to take us, so we settled for the beach near the ferry around the point. We still had a great time there; played frisbee, football, volleyball, etc. It was just the kind of relaxation that we needed to get ready for the party at night.
We went out Thursday night to Hat Rin, and came upon thousands of people who had heard the same news and decided to do the same thing. It wasn't election day yet, so the bars were bumping and there was plenty of alcohol. It wasn't Halloween in Santa Barbara by any means, but there was a good 5,000-8,000 people there. The party supposedly gets up to 15,000 when everything goes to plan. The night was a blast. Most people there had absolutely no worries or responsibility and were just traveling around the region free from school and work. Everyone lets go on the beach, and it was like we were back in the hippy, sex love and rock'n'roll 60s, just with a few more laser lights and tighter drug laws. Despite the abundance of alcohol, destruction of a formally pristine beach community, and lack of Thais, the full moon party, even just what we got to see of it, truly is an amazing experience.
Friday night we went back for the actual full moon and, not surprisingly, the bars were all locked up with alcohol nowhere to be found. No big deal. There were plenty of people hanging out on the beach and in some bars near the outskirts of the beach. Even though these bars weren't selling alcohol, people were hanging out on couches and mats on the ground, listening to music. Although I'm sure it's much different than normal moon parties, being on the beach at night with that many people under the light of the full moon was incredible.
The next day, I left for Koh Samui by myself because I had to fly out early Sunday morning. Although my night in Samui started out looking like an early night in, it ended up being one of the best nights I've had in Thailand so far. I think I'll leave that story, and the week with Danny here in Bangkok, for the next post. This one has gone on long enough.
Part of the reason I came to this country was because of this political situation. I know that it's so far removed from life in America, especially during the primary season, that most of you don't have a clue what's going on here. I don't blame you. Thailand is somewhere in the 30s of the world's biggest countries in terms of GDP, and doesn't have too much of an impact of the rest of the world. That being said, the political situation here is remarkable and complex, with many more factors involved than two political parties with very similar policies as in the US.
Sunset on Koh Phangan
Alright, on to what I've been up to since my last post. I feel like it's been forever since I've posted, partly because I've been so busy lately. I mentioned that I was going to Koh Phangan for the full moon party and then Danny was coming. So yeah, it's been a busy couple of weeks.
Since Danny was coming on Sunday, I left with Abby and few other girls on Tuesday night to make the 17 hour or so trip worth it. We decided to get a sleeper on the train instead of the bus, which can be a nightmare. It was about 200 baht more expensive (a whole $6). The train was incredible; taking it was one of the best decisions I've made since I got here. We each got our own bed with pillows, blankets, curtains, etc. The train took 11 hours, much of which I was able to sleep. Then we had an hour bus ride to the ferry, where we met up with some of the other guys who had left on an earlier train. The ferry took another 4-5 hours and was packed with farang excited for the festivities. Me and Abby chilled outside in the sun while everyone else slept inside. Going through all of the islands is amazing. Southern Thailand is beautiful. Small, barely inhabited jungle islands are everywhere. Small fishing longboats and floating fishing huts litter the water close to the shores before leaving it all behind for endless turquoise seas.
With a Bunch of Farang Outside on the Ferry and a View of the Islands
When we got to Koh Phangan, we found out that the bungalows we booked on Bottle Beach are secluded and difficult to get to. Although normally we all would have been more than happy to stay at a secluded beach away from dirty, tourist beaches, the point of the trip was the full moon party. So we abandoned those plans, and ended up meeting the owner of a place called J Seaview while waiting around near the ferry. Turns out we couldn't have made a better decision abandoning Bottle Beach. These bungalows are set way up in the jungle overlooking the mountain down to the beach. It's everything that I imagined that I would see in Thailand. The owner became our house mom for the weekend, and all she wanted was for us to be comfortable and make ourselves at home. For about 100 baht per day, they cooked us incredible food for dinner. We played poker with baht out on the terrace, Kyle sang and played his guitar, and on the full moon night we painted ourselves. Far away from the wildness that is Hat Rin, the site of the full moon party, we were in jungle paradise.
J. Seaview Bungalows and the Terrace
Transportation was ridiculously expensive on the island, especially by Thai standards. We would pack 12-14 of us into a songthaew and each pay 100 baht for just a few miles. That's about 40 bucks to go 4 or 5 miles. Much different than $3, 10 mile cab rides in Bangkok. Our place was really cheap though, about 10 bucks a night shared between 2 people, so the transportation wasn't too much of a problem. Wednesday night we went to a pool party near Hat Rin. That night, we learned that the king mandates that no alcohol can be served on election days here, which is actually one of the smartest ideas I've ever heard. Unfortunately for us, Friday was an election day, and thus the full moon party was postponed to Sunday night.
Everyone else came the next day, and they heard the bad news. Most of us had to leave either Saturday night or Sunday morning for school. I, of course, had to be back in time for Danny to get in Sunday afternoon and had already booked a plane ticket out of a nearby island, Koh Samui, leaving Sunday morning. We decided to make the best of it and have an amazing trip no matter what. There were enough of us there that even if there was nothing going on at the beach, we could just make our own party.
We tried to go to Bottle Beach both Thursday and Friday during the day, where we were originally going to stay. Both times the water was too choppy for the boat to take us, so we settled for the beach near the ferry around the point. We still had a great time there; played frisbee, football, volleyball, etc. It was just the kind of relaxation that we needed to get ready for the party at night.
We went out Thursday night to Hat Rin, and came upon thousands of people who had heard the same news and decided to do the same thing. It wasn't election day yet, so the bars were bumping and there was plenty of alcohol. It wasn't Halloween in Santa Barbara by any means, but there was a good 5,000-8,000 people there. The party supposedly gets up to 15,000 when everything goes to plan. The night was a blast. Most people there had absolutely no worries or responsibility and were just traveling around the region free from school and work. Everyone lets go on the beach, and it was like we were back in the hippy, sex love and rock'n'roll 60s, just with a few more laser lights and tighter drug laws. Despite the abundance of alcohol, destruction of a formally pristine beach community, and lack of Thais, the full moon party, even just what we got to see of it, truly is an amazing experience.
Friday night we went back for the actual full moon and, not surprisingly, the bars were all locked up with alcohol nowhere to be found. No big deal. There were plenty of people hanging out on the beach and in some bars near the outskirts of the beach. Even though these bars weren't selling alcohol, people were hanging out on couches and mats on the ground, listening to music. Although I'm sure it's much different than normal moon parties, being on the beach at night with that many people under the light of the full moon was incredible.
The next day, I left for Koh Samui by myself because I had to fly out early Sunday morning. Although my night in Samui started out looking like an early night in, it ended up being one of the best nights I've had in Thailand so far. I think I'll leave that story, and the week with Danny here in Bangkok, for the next post. This one has gone on long enough.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Tiger Temple and Thammasat
WHODEYY. Yep, I'm crouching next to a tiger. And yes, he is enormous. Last Saturday we went to the Tiger Temple in Konchanaburi, about 2 1/2 hours outside of Bangkok. There were tons of tigers, deer, peacocks, warthogs, etc. everywhere in the park. It was really really cool. At first it seems kind of sad because the tigers are chained up with hundreds of tourists there to pet them, but many of them are rescued tigers and their offspring are going to be released into the wild and taught how to live by themselves. It actually seems like a pretty good project, and it's so cool to be that close to something that could easily tear me apart. We got to pet baby tigers too, and they were much more playful and they weren't chained up.
That day, we also went to the floating market, which was kind of a waste of time. It's not nearly as cool as it looks because it's allll farang and everyone is just trying to rip you off. The river is packed with paddle boats and sometimes we wouldn't move for 5 minutes or more. I did get a packet of thai spices for a few bucks though, so I guess it wasn't a total waste.
It's been forever since I've posted, and I guess a lot has gone on since then. I'm getting into the motions of Thai life and settling down. For the first time, Thailand is starting to feel more like home and less like a vacation. I'm learning the streets, neighborhoods, and favorite places to go. I'm meeting more Thais and getting more into school and a regular life. Not that I don't appreciate where I am and what I'm doing. I see it as a good thing. I still have a ton of stuff I want to do and see in Bangkok, and I know I'll do it eventually.
So now that I'm settling into life here in Bangkok, I'm taking off to Koh Phangan for about 5 days for the Full Moon Party. Thousands of people (unfortunately, mostly farang) come to this island every full moon for a big party that lasts all night. This month it's on Friday. Me and a few people are leaving tuesday night, the rest of the people are leaving on wednesday. It's a looong way, but me and my friend Abby decided to spend the extra 5 or 6 bucks to get a sleeper on the train, so hopefully I can just knock out and wake up when we get there. The beach we're staying at is supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Thailand, and it's away from the touristy area where the party will be. I'm looking forward to this weekend so much because it's going to have everything from total relaxation to all-night partying. Sounds like a good definition of Thailand in general.
It's probably time I talk about school. I'm sure my family members who reads this are wondering when the hell I'm going to talk about classes and school, and my friends who read this are probably wondering why the hell I need to tell everyone about my classes. But school is definitely a major part of what I do here in Thailand, and of course is important. Maybe not the most important part as my EAP program at UCSB wants to believe, but important nonetheless.
My school is Thammasat University, and is considered the #2 university in Thailand. It's awesome that the UC abroad program has hooked up with them and created this program. Historically, it's been the site of a lot of radical activity, and it was there that the military killed a bunch of students during a protest in the early '70s. Some of the professors relate the school to the Berkeley of Thailand.
I'm taking 5 classes while I'm here. Political Economics, Economics and Law, Thai Rural Development, Thai Economy, and Thai Language. As some of you may know, and most probably don't, I recently decided to add on Business Economics as a second major, so it's incredibly important that I take these economics classes and do well in them. Also, I am focusing on Southeast Asia in my Global Studies major, so hopefully some of these classes will transfer for both majors.
Some of the classes are really good, others are not. My economics and law class and my political economics class are my two favorite economics classes. They are both upper division classes, so they are more serious and the students care more. They aren't too much work, but it's hard to figure out what to study because it's really difficult to find the books that the teachers want us to read. And then, once I do open up a book, the material either isn't really relevant or isn't necessary to understand the subject. I think people in all majors are confused as to what to expect on the midterm.
My Thai Language class is awesome and, as I mentioned before, I'm constantly learning more and more Thai. It's way way easier to learn a language while living in the country than living in the states. Plus, Thai isn't a very difficult language. The tones can be hard to understand, but most things can be figured out by the context. I couldn't imagine being in this country and not taking the language. It's significantly easier for me to get around now than when I first got here, and Thais love it if you can say a few words in Thai. There are some people who aren't taking language, and I always wonder how much more difficult it is for them every day. A lot of people here speak no english, especially the taxi drivers.
Classes here seem easy in general. People who studied here last semester always talk about how easy it is, and it just doesn't seem really challenging. Even though I don't like being in an atmosphere where I'm not challenged academically, it allows me to do a lot of stuff that I might not be able to do if I was busier with school. Not to downplay the school too much though. It's amazing to me that the Thai students are able to take these kinds of classes in their second language, and it's definitely not a walk in the park. There just isn't that cutthroat attitude from the teachers here that you see in America. The teachers here want to see their students succeed, and will do everything they can short of handing out As to see that happens. If the students are willing to put in the effort, they're rewarded.
Well I thought this was going to be a short message, but turns out I had more to say than I expected. Once I get back from Koh Pangnan, I'm going to set up a website for my pictures so you can see more than the few I've put into these entries. Danny's coming in the day I get back, and maybe danshott from webshots can do it for me and help me get thousands of hits. If you don't understand that last sentence, don't worry about it.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Pattaya and Super Bowl
It poured rain today in Bangkok. Big shock. It's barely even drizzled since I got here, and this just came out of nowhere. It didn't rain for very long, but in the cab back from Thammasat we were driving through about a foot of water on the roads. Thailand doesn't quite have the sewer system that the US does, even though it does rain a lot in the monsoon season. It's refreshing though. The little wildlife around Bangkok turns greener, and the smell of smog and pollution is washed away.
Last weekend I didn't go to Ko Samui or Chiang Mai. I went to Pattaya on a boat trip around the islands for a couple of days. A bunch of people are getting SCUBA certified, and this was their open-water dive weekend. A few of us just paid less and went along for snorkeling. The first day was pretty cool. We got to snorkel around the islands; saw coral, fish, etc. But it's such a touristy place that the water's dirty and the beaches are polluted, so it wasn't all that amazing. It was more fun just relaxing on the boat out in the sun, jumping off the top of the boat (maybe 15-20 feet high), and just being out on the water. When we got off the water, the woman who put the trip together, Oolie, had made reservations at a restaurant outside Pattaya, and the van drivers promptly got lost. We spent the next couple hours driving through shipping yards and oil refineries trying to find this place. When we got there, everyone was hungry, a little upset, and wondering why the hell we were at some random restaurant no one could find. The food was cold because they had set out a buffet for our group. It's probably the last time any of us go on a trip organized by Oolie. She and her mom manage the apartment building that some of the other people are staying at.
The next morning we were supposed to go to a turtle farm to SCUBA and snorkel, but the hotel we were staying at was an hour and a half from Pattaya, so me, my roommate, and a girl named Alex stayed behind so we could
go out in Pattaya. It proved to be...an interesting night. A quick history lesson. Before the Vietnam war, Pattaya was barely even on the map. During the Vietnam War, US soldiers started go for a little R&R because it's the closest beach town to Bangkok. Prostitution during the war quickly became one of Thailand's largest industries. 50 years later, Pattaya is the sex capital of Thailand, and quite possibly the sex capital of the world. It's the most touristy place I have ever been. There are more McDonalds', KFCs, and Burger Kings than in any city in America, and the only Thais are the ones hustling you to go on a ridiculously overpriced boat tour and the prostitutes. Walking Street is the main, well, walking street at night, and there are old white men with young Thai girls everywhere. There are endless go-go bars and strip clubs, and I think the three of us were the youngest farang in the entire city. It's a disgusting, dirty, sinful place that I'm ecstatic I saw once, and probably will never see again.
We stayed in some random hotel for about 5 bucks each, and it was actually pretty nice. We got up in the morning, checked out, and tried to figure out what to do. We had heard of a bungee jump somewhere close, so we went to an internet cafe and found it online. They came and picked us up in Pattaya, and we drove about 15 minutes outside of town to a lake with a crane-like thing over it. It was a 50 meter jump, about 165 feet, for about 5o bucks. The jump was really cool, but I think the only thing it did for me was fuel my desire to do a real jump off a bridge. 165 feet looked pretty high when I was up there, and I can't imagine what 800 feet over a gorge would be like. Exhilarating is the first word that comes to mind. Maybe I'll make my way down to New Zealand or something before I come home.
We met back up with the group that afternoon and took the bus back with them. Everyone was exhausted, and the Super Bowl was at 6 AM the next morning, so everyone
just kind of crashed when we got home. 11 of us got up early to watch the super bowl the next day. I found a place downtown and made reservations. The place was pretty crowded, and it was kind of a culture shock being back in a place with so many Americans at the same time. Americans really can be an obnoxious group of people sometimes. There was a group of older men sitting behind us that thought they were John Madden, but we just ignored them and watched the game. What an unbelievably amazing game. Even though I wanted to see the perfect season, the Giants played so much harder and with so much more passion, they completely deserved it. I hate the Pats anyways, so it's fine with me they lost.
Today is the Chinese New Year as well as my roommate Mat's birthday. We went out to Chinatown last night, but it's more of a Christmas-like celebration with family and gifts, so it was pretty dead. Today and the next few days will be more of a celebration, so we're going to head over there again once the rain stops. Apparently Bangkok has one of the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations in Southeast Asia because of the huge Chinese population here, with lion and dragon dances, firecrackers, and whatever else. I'm excited to see it.
I still have a lot of sightseeing stuff to do in Bangkok, so since I'm staying here this weekend, it might be about time to do it. The floating market, Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and the Emerald Buddha are all on the list. We might go to a Muay Thai boxing match tonight for Mat's birthday. We've been meaning to do it forever, and I've heard it's a lot of fun.
Last weekend I didn't go to Ko Samui or Chiang Mai. I went to Pattaya on a boat trip around the islands for a couple of days. A bunch of people are getting SCUBA certified, and this was their open-water dive weekend. A few of us just paid less and went along for snorkeling. The first day was pretty cool. We got to snorkel around the islands; saw coral, fish, etc. But it's such a touristy place that the water's dirty and the beaches are polluted, so it wasn't all that amazing. It was more fun just relaxing on the boat out in the sun, jumping off the top of the boat (maybe 15-20 feet high), and just being out on the water. When we got off the water, the woman who put the trip together, Oolie, had made reservations at a restaurant outside Pattaya, and the van drivers promptly got lost. We spent the next couple hours driving through shipping yards and oil refineries trying to find this place. When we got there, everyone was hungry, a little upset, and wondering why the hell we were at some random restaurant no one could find. The food was cold because they had set out a buffet for our group. It's probably the last time any of us go on a trip organized by Oolie. She and her mom manage the apartment building that some of the other people are staying at.
The next morning we were supposed to go to a turtle farm to SCUBA and snorkel, but the hotel we were staying at was an hour and a half from Pattaya, so me, my roommate, and a girl named Alex stayed behind so we could
go out in Pattaya. It proved to be...an interesting night. A quick history lesson. Before the Vietnam war, Pattaya was barely even on the map. During the Vietnam War, US soldiers started go for a little R&R because it's the closest beach town to Bangkok. Prostitution during the war quickly became one of Thailand's largest industries. 50 years later, Pattaya is the sex capital of Thailand, and quite possibly the sex capital of the world. It's the most touristy place I have ever been. There are more McDonalds', KFCs, and Burger Kings than in any city in America, and the only Thais are the ones hustling you to go on a ridiculously overpriced boat tour and the prostitutes. Walking Street is the main, well, walking street at night, and there are old white men with young Thai girls everywhere. There are endless go-go bars and strip clubs, and I think the three of us were the youngest farang in the entire city. It's a disgusting, dirty, sinful place that I'm ecstatic I saw once, and probably will never see again.We stayed in some random hotel for about 5 bucks each, and it was actually pretty nice. We got up in the morning, checked out, and tried to figure out what to do. We had heard of a bungee jump somewhere close, so we went to an internet cafe and found it online. They came and picked us up in Pattaya, and we drove about 15 minutes outside of town to a lake with a crane-like thing over it. It was a 50 meter jump, about 165 feet, for about 5o bucks. The jump was really cool, but I think the only thing it did for me was fuel my desire to do a real jump off a bridge. 165 feet looked pretty high when I was up there, and I can't imagine what 800 feet over a gorge would be like. Exhilarating is the first word that comes to mind. Maybe I'll make my way down to New Zealand or something before I come home.
We met back up with the group that afternoon and took the bus back with them. Everyone was exhausted, and the Super Bowl was at 6 AM the next morning, so everyone
just kind of crashed when we got home. 11 of us got up early to watch the super bowl the next day. I found a place downtown and made reservations. The place was pretty crowded, and it was kind of a culture shock being back in a place with so many Americans at the same time. Americans really can be an obnoxious group of people sometimes. There was a group of older men sitting behind us that thought they were John Madden, but we just ignored them and watched the game. What an unbelievably amazing game. Even though I wanted to see the perfect season, the Giants played so much harder and with so much more passion, they completely deserved it. I hate the Pats anyways, so it's fine with me they lost.Today is the Chinese New Year as well as my roommate Mat's birthday. We went out to Chinatown last night, but it's more of a Christmas-like celebration with family and gifts, so it was pretty dead. Today and the next few days will be more of a celebration, so we're going to head over there again once the rain stops. Apparently Bangkok has one of the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations in Southeast Asia because of the huge Chinese population here, with lion and dragon dances, firecrackers, and whatever else. I'm excited to see it.
I still have a lot of sightseeing stuff to do in Bangkok, so since I'm staying here this weekend, it might be about time to do it. The floating market, Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and the Emerald Buddha are all on the list. We might go to a Muay Thai boxing match tonight for Mat's birthday. We've been meaning to do it forever, and I've heard it's a lot of fun.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Let's see if I can talk about everything in one post
I'm going to attempt to explain to all of you just why I think Thailand is so great. It's going to be a mixture of things I've done, things I've seen, and Thai culture. I don't really know where this is going to go, I might have to ramble a little bit. But as the Thais say, mai-ben-rai; no big deal. Hopefully you'll get the picture.
Thai society is way different than western/American society. Although there are a lot of people trying to rip off us farang (the Thai word for white foreigners), for the most part everyone is very very relaxed. Thais will never get angry or raise their voice, will never be stingy with their money or time, will cook for you and mix drinks for you, and will do it all with a big smile on their face. Time isn't really an issue here, and punctuality is looked down upon. Classes here start whenever the professor and students finally make it to class. Could be 5 minutes after the hour, could be 45 minutes after the hour. One thing is for sure though, it's never on time. It takes a lot of getting used to being from such a punctual place as America, and I'll probably never be on time for anything again.
The traffic and the traffic laws here are ridiculous. There are lane lines, but they might as well be for decoration. Cars weave in and out of oncoming traffic, cut each other off constantly, and motorcycles weave in and out of cars at high speeds. One of my professors told us that this is because Thailand was recently a heavily rural country, and people just haven't adjusted to structure and law in an urban environment like western countries. There are these things called tuk-tuks that are basically huge tricycles that are really loud and spit out thick black smoke. They're really annoying, and sometimes more expensive than nice, air-conditioned taxis, but you can fit a ton of people in them so it's a good way to go short distances at night.
Alright, onto the food. I'm sure everyone wonders about the food. The food here is incredible. And ridiculously cheap. For the most part, I never spend more than a dollar or 2 per plate. The portions are small, so sometimes I have to get 2 (or 3), but spending 3 or 4 bucks for chicken curry with rice, paad thai, and pork/rice soup isn't too bad. Don't get me wrong, there are things I've gotten here that I haven't been able to eat. Some of the street food is as dirty as they warn us about, and I've had to spit out or just throw away more cold food than I care to remember. But I've also been pleasantly surprised by some food. Pig blood is in a lot of soups; somehow they form it into blocks so it looks like dark tofu. Apparently it's really good for you. Chicken knuckles and heart are a few of the other things I've eaten. Drinking and eating are institutions here. Meals are events, and if you go out to eat with Thais, everyone orders something and then passes their plates around. Beer is plentiful, and if it isn't beer, it's whiskey.
Thais love their whiskey; I rarely see a Thai drinking anything at a bar or club that isn't whiskey or beer. The usual is to get a table with friends at a club and order a bottle of whiskey that everyone splits, and then order mixers and ice to go along with it. It saves people money, and it definitely saves time going back and forth to the bar to order. Once the bottles are gone, people move from their tables to the dance floor. Usually there is either a DJ (or multiple DJs in multiple rooms at the bigger clubs) or a live band. The DJs are often really good. The big clubs have different rooms for techno and hip-hop. And the live bands are hilarious. Usually they're cover bands, and they cover American songs in Thai accents. It's great, everyone loves it.
Just sitting here thinking about the last month, I know I'm leaving a ton of stuff out. My trip to Ko Samet, an island about 3 1/2 hours south of Bangkok. Beautiful beaches and an all night party scene. There are fire shows outside the clubs and restaurants at night, and one of the guys let me and my friends spin the sticks lit on fire for as long as we wanted. Once again, that's how Thais are. Mai-ben-rai. He didn't watch us to make sure we didn't mess his stuff up. He left to go somewhere, and we never saw him again. We played with his fire sticks for over an hour, finally got bored, and went off to do something else. That was just one little part of an amazing weekend at the beach.
There are night bazaars with huge beer gardens, so you can go have dinner, drink some beer with friends, and then go out into the market and bargain for anything in the world you could possibly want. Well, except clothes my size. The only place I can shop for clothes is at the touristy malls where they expect to sell to big, tall farang. Khao San Road is considered backpackers paradise. Every night there are thousands of foreigners on this street, although there are a decent amount of Thais too. It's the first place everyone wants to go here, and pretty quickly everyone gets sick of it. There are some pretty cool restaurants, shops, and bars, but stuff is overpriced and everyone is trying to rip you off.
The temples around the city are beautiful, especially Wat Pho with the reclining Buddha. I've yet to go into the Grand Palace, but it's so close to where I live I know I'll go soon. It amazing to see big buildings next to ancient temples. Monks are everywhere in the city and, while everyone does pay them respect, they're so much a part of the culture that the respect is just understood and not displayed as much as I expected.
This place is huge, and I have yet to discover even a fraction of the city in which I live. I see and experience new things every day, and I hope to share more and more with everyone as it all unfolds. I may be going to Chiang Mai this weekend, I may be going to Ko Samui, an island further south than Ko Samet. Whatever I decide to do, I'm sure I'll return with more stories and more adventures.
Thai society is way different than western/American society. Although there are a lot of people trying to rip off us farang (the Thai word for white foreigners), for the most part everyone is very very relaxed. Thais will never get angry or raise their voice, will never be stingy with their money or time, will cook for you and mix drinks for you, and will do it all with a big smile on their face. Time isn't really an issue here, and punctuality is looked down upon. Classes here start whenever the professor and students finally make it to class. Could be 5 minutes after the hour, could be 45 minutes after the hour. One thing is for sure though, it's never on time. It takes a lot of getting used to being from such a punctual place as America, and I'll probably never be on time for anything again.
The traffic and the traffic laws here are ridiculous. There are lane lines, but they might as well be for decoration. Cars weave in and out of oncoming traffic, cut each other off constantly, and motorcycles weave in and out of cars at high speeds. One of my professors told us that this is because Thailand was recently a heavily rural country, and people just haven't adjusted to structure and law in an urban environment like western countries. There are these things called tuk-tuks that are basically huge tricycles that are really loud and spit out thick black smoke. They're really annoying, and sometimes more expensive than nice, air-conditioned taxis, but you can fit a ton of people in them so it's a good way to go short distances at night.
Alright, onto the food. I'm sure everyone wonders about the food. The food here is incredible. And ridiculously cheap. For the most part, I never spend more than a dollar or 2 per plate. The portions are small, so sometimes I have to get 2 (or 3), but spending 3 or 4 bucks for chicken curry with rice, paad thai, and pork/rice soup isn't too bad. Don't get me wrong, there are things I've gotten here that I haven't been able to eat. Some of the street food is as dirty as they warn us about, and I've had to spit out or just throw away more cold food than I care to remember. But I've also been pleasantly surprised by some food. Pig blood is in a lot of soups; somehow they form it into blocks so it looks like dark tofu. Apparently it's really good for you. Chicken knuckles and heart are a few of the other things I've eaten. Drinking and eating are institutions here. Meals are events, and if you go out to eat with Thais, everyone orders something and then passes their plates around. Beer is plentiful, and if it isn't beer, it's whiskey.
Thais love their whiskey; I rarely see a Thai drinking anything at a bar or club that isn't whiskey or beer. The usual is to get a table with friends at a club and order a bottle of whiskey that everyone splits, and then order mixers and ice to go along with it. It saves people money, and it definitely saves time going back and forth to the bar to order. Once the bottles are gone, people move from their tables to the dance floor. Usually there is either a DJ (or multiple DJs in multiple rooms at the bigger clubs) or a live band. The DJs are often really good. The big clubs have different rooms for techno and hip-hop. And the live bands are hilarious. Usually they're cover bands, and they cover American songs in Thai accents. It's great, everyone loves it.
Just sitting here thinking about the last month, I know I'm leaving a ton of stuff out. My trip to Ko Samet, an island about 3 1/2 hours south of Bangkok. Beautiful beaches and an all night party scene. There are fire shows outside the clubs and restaurants at night, and one of the guys let me and my friends spin the sticks lit on fire for as long as we wanted. Once again, that's how Thais are. Mai-ben-rai. He didn't watch us to make sure we didn't mess his stuff up. He left to go somewhere, and we never saw him again. We played with his fire sticks for over an hour, finally got bored, and went off to do something else. That was just one little part of an amazing weekend at the beach.
There are night bazaars with huge beer gardens, so you can go have dinner, drink some beer with friends, and then go out into the market and bargain for anything in the world you could possibly want. Well, except clothes my size. The only place I can shop for clothes is at the touristy malls where they expect to sell to big, tall farang. Khao San Road is considered backpackers paradise. Every night there are thousands of foreigners on this street, although there are a decent amount of Thais too. It's the first place everyone wants to go here, and pretty quickly everyone gets sick of it. There are some pretty cool restaurants, shops, and bars, but stuff is overpriced and everyone is trying to rip you off.
The temples around the city are beautiful, especially Wat Pho with the reclining Buddha. I've yet to go into the Grand Palace, but it's so close to where I live I know I'll go soon. It amazing to see big buildings next to ancient temples. Monks are everywhere in the city and, while everyone does pay them respect, they're so much a part of the culture that the respect is just understood and not displayed as much as I expected.
This place is huge, and I have yet to discover even a fraction of the city in which I live. I see and experience new things every day, and I hope to share more and more with everyone as it all unfolds. I may be going to Chiang Mai this weekend, I may be going to Ko Samui, an island further south than Ko Samet. Whatever I decide to do, I'm sure I'll return with more stories and more adventures.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Finally decided to do a blog
Well I've been here almost a month now, and it's everything and more than I could have imagined. I just got back from a national park called Khao Yai for the weekend, about 3 hours northeast of Bangkok, and realized there's too much awesome and amazing stuff that I'm doing to not share it and then just forget about it all.
One group left for Khao Yai Thursday afternoon, but some of us had stuff to do Friday so we couldn't leave until then. I left with my roommate Mat, a girl from my program Katie, and her friend who will be studying in Korea this semester Friday afternoon on a bus to Pak Chong, which took about 3 hours. From there, we took a songthaew up to the park. Actually, it was more like a big tuk-tuk because it was a tricycle and could barely make it up hills that weren't really that steep. Transportation in Thailand is often sketchy and even seems downright dangerous sometimes, but there really isn't any other way to get around some places. It's fun, cheap, and part of adjusting to the culture. When we got to the entrance of the park, the other group was at a camp site about 10 miles in, so we took another songthaew and met them at the visitor's center. From there, we just hitchhiked around the park. We were cramming 10 of us into the beds of pickup trucks and would just bang on the roof of the truck when we wanted to get off. No one ever asked for money, and most seemed used to doing this kind of thing for foreigners.
We got to our campsite, got tents, and then set out on a hike. We hiked along a river, which is really really low because it isn't the rainy season. So we eventually abandoned the trail to walk along the rocks that usually make up the river floor. We found a couple waterfalls that are probably pretty big during the rainy season but are little more than big cliffs with water trickling down now. At one of the falls, there was a rock that was perfect for cliff jumping, only about 10-15 feet high, but hanging out over the pool so it was easy to clear the cliff. We jumped into the pool to test the water depth. After swimming at least 15 feet down and not touching the bottom of the pool, about 5 of us climbed up and jumped off the rock. It wasn't a huge jump, but it was nice to get in the water because it was getting really hot.
We eventually got back to the trail and came out of the forest at Haew Sanuk, a more touristy waterfall. This one was much bigger, maybe 75 feet, and there was a decent amount of water coming down. Once again, nothing like it is in the rainy season, but still beautiful.
When we got back to the campsite, we went and got food and just kind of relaxed. Once it started to get dark, the campsite came alive with Thais cooking food and drinking whiskey. Some camps had cooked up what most of us would consider feasts. We started talking to a group of Thais that spoke very little English next to us, and before we knew it, we were in their circle eating with them and drinking with them. We ended up staying up pretty late just hanging out with them. Us practicing our Thai, them practicing their English. Most of us are taking Thai at school, so it was really cool to hang out and try to communicate with the little Thai we know. I feel like my Thai is coming on much faster than I expected, and I try to use it whenever possible.
We went with the Thais the next day to the biggest waterfall in the park, Haew Narok, but once again it was barely more than a trickle of water with a big pool at the bottom. There are pictures of the waterfall during the rainy season, and it looks incredible. If you google it you can see just how beautiful it is in the summer and fall. Maybe I'll try to make it back there in August.
After the waterfall, they drove us all the way back out of the park and to Pak Chong, maybe a 40 minute drive. Thais are so nice, hospitable, and friendly it's impossible not to feel like we're part of something great when we're here. Never once did I feel unsafe hitchhiking, and countless times strangers have gone out of their way to do something for me while I've been here.
Well, since I've already been here a month and am just now starting this blog, I obviously have tons of stories that I need to share with everyone. Many of them even my parents haven't heard because communication is difficult and I'm often busy both in the mornings and at night. I'll fill all of you in on those another day, and probably not in as much detail. Just know that everything is better even than I could have imagined. The culture shock has been existent, but I've dealt with it really well. It makes me realize that I don't crave the conveniences that America offers as much as maybe I thought. I really could see myself moving to Thailand in the future. The people, the culture, the nightlife, the location, everything that Thailand has to offer.
One group left for Khao Yai Thursday afternoon, but some of us had stuff to do Friday so we couldn't leave until then. I left with my roommate Mat, a girl from my program Katie, and her friend who will be studying in Korea this semester Friday afternoon on a bus to Pak Chong, which took about 3 hours. From there, we took a songthaew up to the park. Actually, it was more like a big tuk-tuk because it was a tricycle and could barely make it up hills that weren't really that steep. Transportation in Thailand is often sketchy and even seems downright dangerous sometimes, but there really isn't any other way to get around some places. It's fun, cheap, and part of adjusting to the culture. When we got to the entrance of the park, the other group was at a camp site about 10 miles in, so we took another songthaew and met them at the visitor's center. From there, we just hitchhiked around the park. We were cramming 10 of us into the beds of pickup trucks and would just bang on the roof of the truck when we wanted to get off. No one ever asked for money, and most seemed used to doing this kind of thing for foreigners.
We got to our campsite, got tents, and then set out on a hike. We hiked along a river, which is really really low because it isn't the rainy season. So we eventually abandoned the trail to walk along the rocks that usually make up the river floor. We found a couple waterfalls that are probably pretty big during the rainy season but are little more than big cliffs with water trickling down now. At one of the falls, there was a rock that was perfect for cliff jumping, only about 10-15 feet high, but hanging out over the pool so it was easy to clear the cliff. We jumped into the pool to test the water depth. After swimming at least 15 feet down and not touching the bottom of the pool, about 5 of us climbed up and jumped off the rock. It wasn't a huge jump, but it was nice to get in the water because it was getting really hot.
We eventually got back to the trail and came out of the forest at Haew Sanuk, a more touristy waterfall. This one was much bigger, maybe 75 feet, and there was a decent amount of water coming down. Once again, nothing like it is in the rainy season, but still beautiful.
When we got back to the campsite, we went and got food and just kind of relaxed. Once it started to get dark, the campsite came alive with Thais cooking food and drinking whiskey. Some camps had cooked up what most of us would consider feasts. We started talking to a group of Thais that spoke very little English next to us, and before we knew it, we were in their circle eating with them and drinking with them. We ended up staying up pretty late just hanging out with them. Us practicing our Thai, them practicing their English. Most of us are taking Thai at school, so it was really cool to hang out and try to communicate with the little Thai we know. I feel like my Thai is coming on much faster than I expected, and I try to use it whenever possible.
We went with the Thais the next day to the biggest waterfall in the park, Haew Narok, but once again it was barely more than a trickle of water with a big pool at the bottom. There are pictures of the waterfall during the rainy season, and it looks incredible. If you google it you can see just how beautiful it is in the summer and fall. Maybe I'll try to make it back there in August.
After the waterfall, they drove us all the way back out of the park and to Pak Chong, maybe a 40 minute drive. Thais are so nice, hospitable, and friendly it's impossible not to feel like we're part of something great when we're here. Never once did I feel unsafe hitchhiking, and countless times strangers have gone out of their way to do something for me while I've been here.
Well, since I've already been here a month and am just now starting this blog, I obviously have tons of stories that I need to share with everyone. Many of them even my parents haven't heard because communication is difficult and I'm often busy both in the mornings and at night. I'll fill all of you in on those another day, and probably not in as much detail. Just know that everything is better even than I could have imagined. The culture shock has been existent, but I've dealt with it really well. It makes me realize that I don't crave the conveniences that America offers as much as maybe I thought. I really could see myself moving to Thailand in the future. The people, the culture, the nightlife, the location, everything that Thailand has to offer.
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