Thailand

Wow so it’s already been more than 2 weeks since my last entry on here. I guess after awhile, I kind of just got in the zone of travelling, and you kind of just forget all about things like updating blogs, checking emails, etc etc.
Thailand was great. Maybe it was the 6 glasses of wine I had on the flight to Bangkok, but I found the whole airport and customs experience pretty easy. I got a “legitimate” taxi from the airport, which apparently represent only a small fraction of the potential drivers, who are practically pulling at your arms trying to convince you that they are giving you the best deal into town. My fare turned out to be 400 Baht, which is a little higher than usual, but that was because we spent 30 mins stuck in traffic jams. Still, around $14 Canadian is pretty cheap for one hour in a taxi. I got dropped off on Khao San Rd, and immediately realized I wouldn’t be getting any sleep if I stayed there. There were masses of tourists everywhere, and everywhere you turn, someone is trying to sell you something, with the most common opening line “Hey my friend!” I found a nice hotel close by Khao San, but far enough that I could still sleep.
That night, I decided to head back to Khao San Rd, and I came across a bar with some good live acoustic music. They were local guys playing, and man they were awesome. My favorite song they did was “Think Twice” by Phil Collins. I never pictured that song being played acoustically before, but they nailed it with the singer handling the rhythm, and the other guy playing the main melody of the song, which sounded really cool on the acoustic. I met a Scottish guy there, and after watching the rest of their set, we went to another bar, where I was issued a challenge by a local to play him in some pool. Good thing I didn’t put any money on it! I quickly remembered how much I suck at pool. I decided to sit the rest of the games out, and got to talking with a local girl, who was kind enough to offer me some insect “snacks”. I looked into her bag, and she had a nice assortment of deep fried grasshoppers, beetles, and maggots. Yummmm. At first I said no, but after a while, I could see she was genuinely upset that I would turn her offering down, so I elected to try out the maggot. Very tasty, by maggot standards at least. I gagged a little, but managed to get it down. I can’t say I’ll be eating any more insects….
The next day, I met up with Meghan, and we went up to Lopburi, which is a little town a couple hours north of Bangkok. Meghan used to teach English up there, but now she works at a local bar/guesthouse there. It was great because the owner was kind enough to hook me up with my own room, meals, and all the beer I wanted – all at no charge! So I found myself hanging out with some other English teachers, and Annette, who is a freelance travel writer. We had some great conversations that night. Sadly one of the teachers decided to play the role of ignorant and obnoxious American, so we had to diffuse her rather strong and uneducated opinions, all while trying to convince her that we are not “anti-American.” Other than that, it was a great night.
The next day, I went back to Bangkok, determined to have a nice and relaxed evening, especially because I was flying to Koh Phangan the next morning. My hopes of relaxation were quickly dashed when I checked into my hotel and met Kerry, who was sitting just outside her room, sipping some whiskey. She offered me some, and of course I accepted – it was Canada Day afterall! We met up with some other people (and some other Canadians celebrating Canada Day), and had another great night. The next morning, I woke up and realized I needed to be at the airport in 30 minutes, so I packed my stuff up faster than I’ve ever done, and hailed the first cab I saw. After a quick 30 minute nap in the back of the cab, I was at the airport. I was pretty hungry by the time I boarded the plane, but luckily I was smart enough to pre-order a chicken and rice meal to be served to me on the flight. What they didn’t tell me was that they like to throw in some random minnows into the mix….not what I wanted to see considering the state I was in. I managed to dodge the minnows and ate most of it. Luckily the flight was less than an hour.
Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan is an island of beauty and tranquility, or chaos and all-night partying, depending on where on the island you’re staying. On the ferry over to Koh Phangan, I met a really cool couple from Ottawa, and spent my first 3 days partying with them on the beach. The nightlife in Haad Rin, where all the partying happens, consists of a mass of people flocking to the beach around 11pm to commence the downing of whiskey buckets. The whiskey bucket is really a disgusting mix of red bull, a mickey of whiskey, and a can of coke. The first time I tried it, I nearly threw up. But after a few sips, you just get used to the taste. Every night, it’s the same idea, you have a DJ playing the same songs from the previous night, and fire dancers doing their well-practiced routines. After 3 nights of that, I managed to escape from Haad Rin on a scooter, and cruised all over the island. Cruising along the west coast with the sunset coming down over the beach, listening to tunes on my mp3 player, was absolutely fantastic. I had a couple chilled out nights, and then I was rejuvenated. I checked out some Muay Thai Boxing, which was really intense, and I met some Norwegian guys – apparently Norwegians are really fond of the drink, and we had a good night partying it up on the beach. On my last day in Koh Phangan, I signed up for the Snoop Dogg Boat Trip, which involved some island hopping, and snorkeling. It was a good day, even though the snorkeling was pretty weak (they didn’t even supply fins, and there wasn’t too much action where they dropped us off to snorkel). I met some other friends on the boat, and spent my last night hanging out with them on the beach. Koh Phangan was a cool place, but by then I was ready to move on. I like the party scene as much as the next guy, but after awhile it gets played out and I found myself looking for something more meaningful. I also realized that at 27, I’m quite a bit older than the average tourist there – mostly consisting of early 20’s British people. I’m getting old!
When I got back to Bangkok, I came down with a horrible fever from the deepest realms of hell. Not sure what I ate that spurred it, but I’m thinking it was from the various I food stalls that I ate from, where the food is sitting outside for hours at a time – but it tasted sooo good! I didn’t really sleep at all that night, between the constant sweating and shivering, and violent stomach pains. It took a couple days before I was over it, and by then it was time for Bali. But on my last night, I met up with my friend Annette who I’d met in Lopburi, and we spent the night at the Hard Rock Café Bangkok watching a really cool band. I went straight to the airport from there.