So I figured I should type my recount of Thailand since tomorrow is the last day of vacation. There were a lot of similarities and a lot of differences between China and Thailand. Thailand has a big tourist industry so Bangkok is particular featured a nice international atmosphere and nearly everyone spoke basic English, unlike in China. There were a number of Irish pubs, French and German restaurants, Indian restaurants, and various Asian restaurants. Naturally I ate a lot of Thai food including two different versions of my favorite spicy seafood salad, but I also ate at a French restaurant/wine bar, and an Irish Pub since these things are equally impossible to find in Taiyuan. Bangkok also features a China town. One Thai habit I noticed was that they order a whole bottle of whiskey to share between two or more of them. Apparently, Thais really like whiskey. The Chinese do too, but one cannot find such western things in Taiyuan so the local Chinese drink Fen Jiu (a horrible clear wine that is 40% alcohol), Bai-jiu which is a sweet version of the same, or bamboo wine which is also the strength of whiskey, but is yellowish and sweet. The Thais are very religious and shrines can be found everywhere. I often saw people stopping to light incense and say prayers. This is something not found in China except at the famous places such as Mt. Wutai or Jinci Temple. Most Chinese have no religion, but many recall stories from elders and retain some of the beliefs of their ancestors and thus, may light incense and pray on special occasions when they visit these places.
On my first day I went out to what was a shopping district to just look around and as fortune would have it was met a taxi driver who wanted to solicit my business by offering his personal services as a tour guide. I was reluctant at first figuring he was out to cheat me as a naïve foreigner, but it turned out to be a stroke of good luck. Naturally these drivers want to take tourists to places where they will get kickbacks for bringing them. Thus with my permission I was first taken to a Gem store and then a silk shop where they custom make outfits within 24 hours. I bought a silk pantsuit and had it delivered to my hotel. That cost me about $150, a good deal for cashmere-silk pants and a thick, good-quality blouse. After that he took me to see the Golden Buddha Temple which featured a giant gold Buddha worth 18 million pounds sterling. After I paid my respects and took some photos he took me to a tour agency at his insistence. He told me about several places I should go. I ended up booking 3 full-day tours all of which cost me about $165. I am really glad I did it since finding things on my own would have been difficult and going to these places impossible. Each place was over an hour’s drive or more. I had tried to find a tour online, but all of them required a minimum of two people.
On the first day I went to 3 different places: the floating market, a WWII museum near the “railroad of death” on the River Kwai, and the tiger temple where I was able to pet live tigers. The second day I went to Pattaya, a beach resort. There we took a boat to the island and spent the afternoon swimming, shopping and whatever else we wanted to do. The third day I went to Ayutthaya, the second capital of Thailand where several ancient temples were located. It was there I was able to buy two wooden Buddhas.
The floating market is literally a market of boats. A guide took us out on traditional wooden boats where we stopped at various other boats selling various goods. It was a novel experience. The best part was seeing a coconut fall from a tree into the water nearly hitting our boat on the way in. I bought some mangosteens, a red Asian fruit with sweet, juicy white seeds in the center. The tiger temple is actually an animal rescue center. Tigers were almost extinct from people hunting them, but the population is now around 1,000. The monks take care of them, feeding them a vegetarian diet, because if they were to get a taste of red meat, they would become killers. The tigers were amazingly calm as guides took us around to pet them and take pictures. In order to pet the tigers we had to leave all hats, sunglasses, strings, and purses behind because these things are “tiger toys” and might lead to an attack. I will post pictures on facebook for those of you on that social network, as soon as I get the usb cord from my husband that fits his camera. It should be in the next week.
The ocean in Thailand is similar to western tropical seas and the Mediterranean in that it is unusually clear, light blue and green, and remarkably easy to float in. The tour took us out to a barge where people could go parasailing for an extra 450 Baht, but I did not do that. There was also an option to walk under water (similar to scuba diving maybe) for $1000 Baht, but no one in the group did that. We did go on a glass-bottom boat tour to see the coral reefs. I think the reef is quite small or maybe it’s spread out because the tour was brief and covered a very small area offshore. After Cozumel, it didn’t seem like much. All the beaches were covered with chairs and umbrellas for which one paid a small fee. I rather like the system as it saves one from lugging around beach chairs or having to rent umbrellas for $10-$15 a pop like we do in the States. A towel was about as much as anyone on a tour could bring since we had to walk with all our stuff and climb in and out of boats. I rented a chair and was immediately accosted by a Thai lady wanting to do my nails or hair or at least my cuticles to help feed her babies. I acquiesced after lunch and let her trim the skin on my fingers and toes for $300 Baht, which is maybe $10. She was nice and pleasant to talk to. It felt good to be pampered and my nails did look nicer after.
The people on the tours came from all over. That day they were mostly Eastern European, French, and German, with a couple from Malaysia who were quite nice and some Indonesian folk. On the other tour I was with all Koreans (it was also their New Year) and some Chinese people. At the first beach I sat by an older German man who introduced me to several other people nearby. I had the feeling that if I stayed there I would have had a nice group of friends to hang out with, but we were only at that beach for 45 minutes before going to the island. Our last stop was at a gem museum which demonstrated how gems are mined and made into jewelry. Of course a large shop followed. I bought a multi-stone bracelet of jade, tiger’s eye, onyx, and agate, all of which are mined in Thailand for less than $20. I also bought my husband’s birthday gift, but since he is reading this too, I can’t say what it is.
The third day involved a lot of walking in the hot sun. The first temple site was a 13th century temple and the other two big ones were 15th century. We saw many Buddhas, including those without arms or heads. The Burmese cut the heads and arms off most of the Buddhas when the plundered the temple of all of its gold. At the WWII Museum we were actually only one mountain from Burma. If one could see over the mountain one would have been able to see into that nation. I think the presence of many colorful cocks running about and crowing was one of the more interesting sites. I spent a lot of time trying to get good photos of these feathered fowl. One, whom I was unable to get a good photo of because he kept moving, puffed himself up and crowed right in front of me. I thought that was great! I just wished I could have captured that moment on film! Cats, dogs, and cows abounded everywhere as well. I caught a great photo of two twin calicos playing in front of one temple. The flowers were amazing as well. Trees, bushes, lily ponds, and other colorful flowers adorned many of the sites. I got some nice photos of those. Our last stop of the day was the Summer Palace where the bushes were all trimmed into various animal shapes. I happened to catch a couple of big iguana- like creatures in the river hissing at each other as well. I only got the full body of one on film who had wandered onto land, but after he saw me ran into the water and watched me with his head poking out of the water. I would have tried to get closer for better photos, but I wasn’t sure what the creatures would do after witnessing the little skirmish between two them.
I wish I had booked the tour for another day or two since there was still a lot to see that I didn’t have time for, but what are you going to do? I was also blessed by seeing two pink butterflies (or months), not sure which, mating. According to some experts pink butterflies don’t really exist, but I saw them with my own eyes. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a photo. Many species are still being discovered. Maybe I could have become famous if I had been able to photograph them.
Sasha
