The Magic of Thailand

As most of my Facebook friends know, my latest and greatest adventure was to Bangkok, Thailand and man was it amazing. Each place I go, I say to myself it can’t get better but it does each time!

Seeing as this was out last big trip, we (Daniel, myself, Ali and Phil) went on a long weekend after Easter. We arrived in Bangkok late and went straight to the hostel about 20 mins outside the city. Bangkok is different from Hong Kong in that it is not nearly as vertical and is more like Beijing in that is occupies a much larger land space. The weather was upwards of 90 degrees everyday so needless to say, hydration was a must. In terms of the “city” it was very developed with highways, office buildings and ancient temples gathered around the large river that ran through it.

Most of the people in Thailand spoke English although it was not as common as in the Philippines. We had no trouble getting to our hostel which ended up being more like a hotel. The owners were extremely nice in accommodating us so late and telling us about things to do, see, and avoid. 

The first morning we woke up extremely early for a day tour outside the city of Bangkok. Our tour guide, who we called our Thai “mom” greeted us at the hotel and told us the agenda of the day: first the train market, then the floating market, tiger temple, monkey park, elephant riding, then lunch. Seeing as it was 7:30 am and we had yet to eat, we stopped at a coffee shop before the train market to get our energy for they day.

The first stop was a tourist train market where mainly fresh foods were sold. There was everything from fruit and veggies to squid and cockroaches all spread along the length of these train tracks. At first I though this market was of historical significance of a famous passage or train throughway that was. Obviously, some of the vendor’s awnings were built over the tracks so it couldn’t be an active train system right? Well, I guess that’s why its famous in Thailand: because those tracks actually have a train come through every 20 minutes! We were lucky enough to see one go by during our visit. We watched as the temporary awnings were lifted and carts of food and goods were rolled away from the tracks. It was a very short train evidently carrying cargo and once it passed through, the awnings were lowered and business continued on as normal. Apparently, some tourists a few years back didn’t realize the train was still active and were unable to get out if the way in time. Thankfully, our “mom” ensured we were safely out of range.

After the train market we progressed a little further outside of Bangkok to the Floating Market, which is exactly what is sounds like. On a small river (more like a canal) vendors have built shops not  only on the banks but also on the water via long gondolas (or canoes) that take people to other good selling gondolas or different parts of the river to other bank vendors. Whenever you want to check a shop out, you stop the boat and take a look or even hop out if the vendor’s store provides the space. As you can imagine, all those long boats in such a small canal did cause a traffic jam and at times, we were playing bumper cars with the other boats rather than just floating on our own. There was one portion of the canal however where we got to see some wildlife. One section had a man selling pictures with a 10 ft snake and on another we saw two wild monitors (I thought they were Komodo dragons they scared me so much!).

From the floating market we ventured even further outside the city to the Tiger Temple. Originally a Buddhist temple, a few of the monks adopted 2 wild tigers and from there, the temple became known as a refuge and eventual breeding ground for endangered tigers and other animals. Although there is an actual temple, most of the grounds are a reservation for the animals to run freely. When we arrived, our mom told us “no sexy in the temple” so Ali and I put on long pants and covered our shoulders in order to maintain modesty in front of the monks. The first animal we encountered was a fat goat at the entrance that welcomed Dan’s touch affectionately. I was really surprised at first because many farm animals I have been around often shirk from human interaction. On the inside of the temple, we also saw others such as wild hogs, peacocks, an ostrich, deer and even water buffalo.

Eventually, we made our way to the tiger walk line where a line of visitors follow a monk walking a HUGE tiger and take turns walking beside and petting the tiger while a staff member takes pictures. We walked the tiger down through a gorge and from there proceeded to take pictures with even more tigers! Some things we noted: In all there are 92 tigers with 80% (if I remember correctly) being born at the temple. At first we thought they were drugged because they were so calm but eventually we learned that a majority are completely OK with human contact and we also happened to stop by during their typical nap time. Visitors should never bend down in front of a tiger because they can either view it as an invasion of their space of a playful gesture that entices the cat to play (aka knock you out). They would also not permit us to have anything hanging from our bodies (sunglasses, purses, cameras etc) because they are also viewed as play things. When petting a tiger, do not pet around its ears or head but rather, it prefers strong, firm strokes along its belly and side. The only accidents they have reported were from irresponsible visitors not abiding by the rules.

 

After the tiger temple, we loaded back up into the caravan and headed to the elephant site. On the way, out tour guide stopped at park where we saw small lemur like monkey gathered in a brush of trees. They were all different sizes and some of the bigger moms had little babies hanging under their bellies. So cute! We were able to feed them some corn and crackers and some even came close enough to grab it out of our hands. Unfortunately, my camera dies after the tiger temple so I   didn’t get any pictures of the little guys.

We finally reached the elephant site in the late afternoon. It was actually two small families that had 3-4 elephants in total. When we arrived, we walked behind the house to a small cliff with a bamboo landing that dropped off into where the elephants were standing. Of course I expected them to be big but they were so much better seeing them in person! We had 1 elephant for two people. The trainer (master? keeper?) called the older one (mid 50s) over to the landing. Her back was flush with the bamboo ground and Ali and I boarded very carefully. Dan and Phil got the younger (and more rambunctious) elephant that was in her 30s. Once we were situated, we walked along a path and down a hill over to the water. The ride was actually really scary for me because I was situated on the elephant’s shoulders (between the trainers and Ali) and had a difficult time balancing, especially when she was going down the hill. I’m pretty sure I suffocated the trainer I was holding on so tight.

Being in the water with them was amazing. At first they sprayed and splashed us with water then dunked their heads under water on command. The older one was so cute in that she would dunk her head and only come up when we yanked her ear as a sign. The boys had a tougher time with the younger one who would dunk her head under and attempt to throw the guys off by shaking her head. Phil looked like he was riding a bull at some points. After we played, the younger one lifted some of us on her trunk and face and then dropped us back in (some  gently and others bluntly). We mounted the girls again and trekked out of the water and back to the landing. This time I was on the back so it was much easier to maintain balance.

The elephant ride concluded the activities portion of the tour and after we drove a little further out for some Thai dinner. It was the first meal we had since breakfast and we were eager to get home to we grabbed it to go and hopped back in the car for the long ride home. It eventually started raining which was a sleeping rhythm we enjoyed with exhausted bodies and full bellies.

The next day we had our own schedule. We woke up a little later and left the hostel heading toward the canal ferry that would take us into town. The port was about a 10 minute walk from the hostel and once we found it, we boarded the small ferry and rode it until it dead ended in the heart of Bangkok. Our goal for the day was to sight see and temple visit so we walked around until we saw one in particular called the Golden Mount. We climbed to the top and overlooking the city we realized how may temples are in Bangkok. From there we narrowed our search of temples to two of the most famous: The Grand Palace, and Wat Pho, or Sleeping Buddha. We first went to the Sleeping Buddha which was enormous. The statue plated in gold was a young Buddha laying sideways, head resting on his arm. We took our shoes off out of respect and snapped a few pictures before heading over to the Grand Palace.

It was a few blocks away form Wat Pho was the Grand Palace where the King of Thailand once lived. The heat was getting to us after walking in the heat so the boys decided to stay outside the complex (avoiding the entry fee) while Ali and I put on our long pants and sweaters to enter the palace. The actual palace looked like a more ornate White House only with surrounding temples serving to almost protect it. We ate lunch at a small café near the exit then headed back to the hotel to rest up before a night on the town at Koa Sahn Road.

After seeing and traveling so much, our group spent the next day shopping. On the weekends in Thailand, there is a massive market north of Bangkok where vendors come to sell anything and everything imaginable. We took a cab to the summit and entered in at a corner of the arena. The entire area had to have been acres big and each vendor’s shop was maybe a 12x12 ft space. There were thousands of shops and it only took a few minutes for us to be completely overwhelmed. It was a maze of stores and stuff. Just so. much. stuff. Anything you could think was sold here. You could come here to buy a wardrobe, decorate your home and even pick up a pet or two.

Dan and I separated from Philip and Ali in order to shop for things on our list. We got really brave while getting ready to go home and decided to take the metro home. It was much like the Hong Kong MTR but we had a long walk once we finally got off. After an exhausting day of shopping, we headed to a wonderful dinner outdoors and then went bowling at the nearby lanes. It was a great cap to the vacation with Ali and Phil. They left the next morning while Daniel and I stayed a few days later.

After they departed, Daniel and I traveled to the Rambuttri Inn on Koa Sahn Road. The atmosphere on this road is amazing. It’s a path through Bangkok where many backpackers travel and it’s full of vendors and awesome restaurants. Our first night there, Daniel and I explored the road and had street food for dinner (the best kabob ever!). The next morning, we have ice cream for breakfast and spend the day lounging around the rooftop pool and going to a mall market for some bargaining. When the evening arrives, we venture through the road again, having dinner at an outdoor café and finishing our shopping. On the way in, we stop by an internet café and check in with the outside world only to hear that the United States has captured and killed Osama Bin Laden. Good news to cap off an awesome trip.

Overall, Thailand has been my favorite vacation trip. The palaces, markets, and animals make this country such a magical place that is honestly a once in a lifetime experience. Koa Sahn Road embodies the Thai spirit and the people are so welcoming it is hard not to talk to them and get to know who they are. Everything we saw was increasingly beautiful and I only wish I had more time to travel to other parts of the country. It is definitely on my ‘revisit list’ and I cannot wait to go back!