Thailand

After our visit to Siem Reap and Angkor we had intended to head straight to Trat, Thailand and catch a boat out to the islands to hang out on one of the less populated beaches in the Gulf of Thailand off of the east coast (most likely Ko Chang.) Catt wasn't feeling too hot, though, so we decided to extend our stay in Siemp Reap for an extra day so he could rest up and make the sojourn to Thailand the following day. Making use of our extra time, Kate and I got a tuk-tuk and made a trip out to some of the more remote temple locations, the temples of the Roluos group. Our tuk-tuk driver actually spent his childhood in that area, so after checking out the temples, he drove us through his old village and we got to briefly meet his family. We also made a stop at an awesome NGO that helps street kids earn money by carving and producing artistic creations out of tanned, dyed buffalo skin. The NGO gives the kids food, accommodation, and school, plus the proceeds of the sale of their creations. They make the carvings after school in the afternoons. Kate bought several of these as gifts for friends back home. Very cool organization. Once I get the name of it, I'll post it here.

The next day we made arrangements to take a bus from Siem Reap back to Bangkok. We had heard horror stories about the condition of buses and roads within rural Cambodia, but had been lucky so far in our journeys from and to Phnom Penh, so didn't worry too much.

It's safe to say that this was the worst bus we travelled on in our entire time in Asia. It was extremely cramped, dirty and small- like a miniature version of a school bus, with bench seats- and there was zero leg room (I sat sideways with my legs jutting out into the tiny aisle almost in the lap of the poor Japanese girl next to me.) A taller guy sitting in front of us would periodically turn around and moan "this is almost unbearable." On top of that, the roads are in pretty serious need of repair, and so you can only travel at maximum about 30 mph. The potholes are intense, and within about five minutes of travel, everyone in the bus, including the luggage, piled sky-high at the rear, is covered in a thin layer of red, dusty soot. This is really no fault of the bus driver or transport man, but just the reality of the situation when travelling within Cambodia. Due to the poor condition of the roads, the journey just from Siem Reap to the Cambodian border at Poi Pet took about six hours. Six, jarring hours during which I pondered the potential of getting a head concussion by simply being a passenger on a Cambodian bus. The countryside out the window was lifeless, flat, barren; the earth a reddish-brown hue, and nothing to interrupt the meeting point between sky and land but the children, oxen, carts, motorbikes, overturned vehicles, semi-collapsed and rebuilt bridges and general remnants of life-as-normal littering the road and fields. At times the bus would completely detour off of the road and into the fields to avoid massive, lake-sized puddles of mud, rocks and dirt. It is a grueling, sanity-testing, new-threshold-discovering journey that is probably best not be undertaken by non-adventurous, open-minded travellers. Oh, and don't forget your dramamine.

We were extremely relieved to arrive at the border, which is only, really, a reflection of how horrid the bus journey is. Poi Pet, Cambodia is rumored to be a pretty lawless, "wild west" sort of place, so we made haste passing through customs and getting the hell out of there to the Thai side and village of Aryanyaprathet. We encountered minimal hassle in Poi Pet, but according to just about every other traveler I've met, we should count ourselves lucky. Here's a small blurb from another traveller's blog I found online about the place:

For my bright and cheery outlook on travel, I cannot find one good thing to say about that abominable hellhole this side of the planet. Poipet is a crossing point that opened to foreigners in 1998, and it instantly built up around the opportunities that presented. It's described as a Wild West town, and the lawless atmosphere this implies is not exaggeration. Children cling to your sleeve and pursue handouts en masse, then kick your backpack as you walk away. Motorbike drivers crisscross insistently in front of you, undeterred by NO in Thai, Khmer, English. A growing mafia with the singular objective of scamming a deal aggressively harass travelers and are outright belligerent when refused. . . . And that is the tamer part of the scenario. Where normally I'd push positively onward, in this town my optimism reduced to irritation then alarm as darkness approached. I was actually disappointed to the brink of tears to see the last foreigner leave for Siem Riep and was tempted to talk my way again onto one of their groups.

I wanted OUT of Poipet ASAP, but the next means out to the part of the country I was bound for did not leave until morning. In my years of living in Harlem or traveling new cities, I'd never felt my sixth sense buzzing, not to be ignored, even in the dead of night, like it did in Poipet in broad daylight. I bought my bus ticket, hurried to my room, jammed the nightstand against the door, and rearranged the layout to maximize my advantage in case of intrusion. I lined up what belongings I could use as a weapon on the bed, near reach. It's the kind of place where you keep your clothes on and sleep alert with your hand wrapped around a sharp object ready to spring the commotion rather than wait for it to happen to you. Taken from http://kampucheacrossings.blogspot.com

The rain began to pour as we finally made it through customs and were rushed to a make-shift bus station where we would catch our onward transport to Bangkok. We ran like hell through the parking lot to get some of the last seats on that bus. I cannot tell you how modern, clean, and efficient Thailand seems after weeks in Cambodia. When our double-decker bus pulled up, tell-tale karaoke soundtrack pumping with colorful curtains bedecking the windows, I felt like I was home again. Everything in Thailand seemed new and wonderful, almost to an aseptic point. That's not to say I don't appreciate the organic grittiness of Cambodia, but it certainly does reinforce that central ideal of living and travelling: it's all relative. I've heard so many travellers bemoan the dirt and chaos of Bangkok, but I can't even begin to explain to them how orderly and manageable it is compared with some other parts of this planet we've explored.

Anyway. We dozed and rested through the uneventful journey back to Bangkok for a few hours. We arrived just after dark, and were pleased to find that we still knew our way around the Koh San Road area quite well. We hiked with our packs back to New Siam II guesthouse- we had stayed at New Siam I before- and got reacquainted with the joys of showering and air conditioning. We were anxious to take Kate out for a wander on the streets of Bangkok, and did a loop, getting more fisherman pants, delectable Thai street treats, jewelry from the "frog ladies," and so on. Pictures of our time in Bangkok with Kate to come...

The next day, Kate headed off to check out some of Bangkok's sights while Catt and I headed to the internet cafe to do some serious planning for the next big leg of our journey: Australia. We were flying to Brisbane on November 26, and had no accommodation, plans for onward travel, or anything else under our belts, plus we would be there during the peakest of peak seasons, Christmas and New Year's. After several bleary-eyed hours, we met up again and did some shopping and dinner on Ko San Road. We ate a meal of Western food (first in a while, which was actually really nice), which also as a bonus included live music performed by an older Thai guy in a cowboy hat. Pretty sweet.

The next morning Kate woke up early to catch her flight out of Asia. As we said our goodbyes, we felt a pretty solid pang of home-sicknesses. Kate was the first familiar face/reminder of home we had had in almost half a year, and despite the novelty of travel and new places, the process of constantly being on the go gets tiring and morale can get a bit apathetic after months without friends and family (and Chipotle). We decided we need a pick-me-up, which is how we came to meet a memorable guy named Joe, and discover a gem of a small island...

Originally we had thought about travelling to Ko Chang as our final island escape in Thailand, but after doing more research, decided that Ko Kut, an even smaller and less touristy island, might be just our thing. We grabbed a bus for the three hour journey to Trat, a lovely city perched on the gulf of Thailand, and stayed the night there at a wonderful, small guesthouse. Trat is very quiet, peaceful, and restful- miles away from the tourists and hawkers of South Thailand. We had a great dinner at a restaurant down the street, and stopped in for a visit to the home of a local Frenchman/travel agent who let us browse through his collection of brochures on the islands while his little girls played on the floor next to us. We decided on Ko Kut, rang up the boatman, and called Joe, a fantastic character who runs a great bungalow operation on a remoate, beautiful beach.

The next morning we grabbed a sawngthaw (pick-up truck taxi, very common in beach areas of Thailand) to the jetty. A motorboat sped us through emerald-green water out to the islands, and the sun beat down on us brilliantly. We made stops at the most random, tiny docks and jetties, dropping off supplies to Thai families, and picking up the odd boat-hitcher or tourist. When we finally got dropped off at our island, Ko Kut, we were met by a tiny Thai woman, who bade us to follow her. Somehow, despite the boat lacking a time-table (and the island having very unrealiable phone service) she lead us through a coconut grove, over a hill to Joe's place. We never really exchanged words, nor did she know our names, but somehow she knew who we were, and where to take us. We never cease to be amazed by the miracles of travel in SE Asia.

Joe's place was so relaxed and laid-back- I could have spent weeks there, decompressing from the hustle of life, a seeming million miles away back on the mainland. We got our own simple bungalow, with palm-frond hammock, clean, neat sleeping mat, mosquito net, and surprisingly nice private (cold) shower and toilet. Like every Thai bungalow operation, Joe had a restaurant and bar on the property (more like an extension of his kitchen) where he cooked up delicious fish that he would catch during fishing trips during the day. He was originally from Bangkok, but came to Ko Kut seeking the simpler pleasures. He had travelled very extensively, too- I think he had been to the States twice (Las Vegas and Florida). We spent three days here on a patch of white sand and an almost deserted beach, relaxing, sunning ourselves, and eating some great curries and noodles at the restaurant nextdoor. We also rented bikes one day and cycled around the island checking out waterfalls and local life. It was fantastic.

Here are some pictures of paradise Ko Kut:

our bungalow's hammock, with Megan's Balinese sarong drying in the background

Our bungalow at Joe's place on Ko Kut

Ko Kut beach

Catt at Ko Kut

Megan on Ko Kut... if I ever publish a Danielle Steel-esque trashy novel, this pic can go on the back inside flap...

Swimming in the clear, warm water at Ko Kut

After all that relaxation, we caught a boat back to Trat for our journey to Bangkok, and finally, Australia. The boat trip back to shore was extremely choppy- almost scarily so. It's amazing how a bright, sunny day can completely bely the reality of rough surf and the condition of the water. One girl on our boat started having a nervous breakdown out of fear (I guess of capsize?) and was inconsolably sobbing and wringing her hands for the hour and a half journey. I'm not going to lie; it was pretty harrowing.

All was well once we were back on solid ground, though, and we took another pick-up truck back to town and grabbed a bus to Bangkok. In just two short days we would be back in a "Western" country more similar to our own country than any other place we had ever been before...bring on Australia.

When were we going to get around to writing an entry on beloved Elephant Nature Park, the animal highlight of our trip to Thailand? Many fellow travelers and friends, too, have been subjected to Megan's teary-eyed testimonial on the gentle giants that live up in a the hills 40 minutes outside of Chiang Mai. The story of Elephant Nature Park is as inspiring as the histories of these great animals are chilling. The following is some background quoted from the ENP website, www.elephantnaturepark.org:

Elephant Nature Park is a unique project set in Northern Thailand. Established in the 1990's our aim has always been to provide a sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants. The park is set in Chiang Mai province, some 60km from the city, and has provided a sanctuary for over 30 distressed elephants from all over Thailand. Set in a natural valley, bordered by a river, and surrounded by forested mountains the area offers a timeless glimpse of rural life.

The founder, Lek, a small, energetic woman filled with almost tangibly-radiant energy, was recognized for her humane work with the elephants as Time Magazine Asia Hero 2005, among other accolades. She was able to fund the park's creation with an anonymous donation from a wealthy Texas businessman. She has since worked passionately to rescue Thailand's retired, abused and downtrodden working elephants and provides them a place to live with dignity at the park. A visit to the park is just as much about educating visitors as it is about playing with the elephants and seeing them up close- we learned about the background stories of many elephants while feeding them their breakfast and washing them in the river. The great thing about the nature park is that it allows visitors to see elephants just being elephants... no "treks" atop exhausted animals, no having to watch them paint and play ball with one another (which may seems harmless enough, but they are actually tortured into learning to submit to their mahouts when requested to do things such as pick up a paint brush, step into a harness for carrying trekkers, etc). Whether or not the average tourist realizes it, a typical visit to see elephants in Thailand usually involves a fair amount of elephant exploitation. At Elephant Nature Park, the elephants reap the benefit.

Us with Lek, founder of Elephant Nature Park

Lek with the elephants

The work Lek is doing to awaken awareness about the ancient training practice of the "phajaan" was featured in a National Geographic documentary, which was shown at the end of our visit. It is incredibly painful and difficult to watch, but serves as an important educational tool. The phajaan (which literally means "crush" in Thai), is a "violent, ritualized separation and breaking ceremony dating back hundreds of years" (nat geo) in which young elephants' spirits are broken in a physical torture lasting three to seven days. They are separated from their mothers and clan, forced into a tiny pen, and brutalized by taunting, stabbing, sleep and food deprivation and other sorts of torture at the hands of villagers and mahouts. The purpose of this ceremony is to train the elephants to always submit to their human handlers (mahouts) and obey when given an order from a human (for when they work in the logging, trekking, or street begging industries, later on in life). It is believed that so badly are their spirits distorted during this process, that afterwards no elephants that knew them before (including their mothers) will ever recognize them again. As horrendous as this all sounds, the documentary and Lek go to great efforts to present it in an unbiased, culturally-sensitive context. She is desperate to change opinion on the phajaan by showing that elephants can be trained more effectively through positive reinforcement, instead. She is experimenting on the babies at the nature park with this new method, and we were able to witness some of their tricks through positive reinforcement training during our visit. The concept is simple enough- instead of training them through torture and intimidation, they are rewarded with a snack or a pat after obeying their mahouts. If anything, the technique works too well- babies eager to get another banana kiss anyone's cheek in sight. Even those of us who are unsuspecting:

mmmm...

the trunk trick...

We decided to visit the park for a full day. Although it was very expensive compared with other activites in northern Thailand, it was definitely very much worth it. In the morning we were taken by van from Chiang Mai out into the countryside. The elephants are free to roam on a rather sizeable piece of land, and you can see them as you drive in (there are no fences) all about. We were first briefed on the history and background of the park before being taken outside to feed them, bathe them, and just generally watch them hang out as we listened to stories from our guide. One of the greatest aspects of the visit is hearing the stories of the different elephants while simultaneously observing them. One elephant is blind as a result of abuse she suffered as a logging elephant. She has befriended another older female at the park who acts as her "eyes", taking care that she is okay during bathing time and in social settings. Hearing this story while watching the two friends bathe together in the river together was unforgettable for us. Also interestingly, even though none of the animals are blood-related, they naturally form family groups and hierarchies, to which they adhere in eating, sleeping, and everything in between.

Visitors are only allowed to come into physical contact with the animals twice- during bathing time in the river, and during feeding time. Our guide, Nadia, showed us how to feed the elephants bananas and watermelons by handing the fruit to them, via their trunks. Amazing feeling to hand-feed an elephant!

hungry!

...and during bath-time, as well:

All in all, it was an amazing visit. Here are some of the many pictures we took, for you to enjoy.

one of them was apparently feeling a little frisky the day we were there...

If you are interested in learning more about Elephant Nature Park and the great work they do for Thailand's elephants, check out their website:

www.elephantnaturepark.org

And in the meantime, be a responsible traveller- say no to elephant treks, shows, and the like.

We flew into Chiang Mai ready for relaxation, culture, and cooking school. From the moment we were picked up from the airport by our friendly (female!) cabbie, we knew this would be a great place to hang our backpacks for a few days.

We ended up staying at Julie's Guesthouse, a mainstay in the CM backpacker scene. For the first time... well, almost ever, we found ourselves in a mostly singles, buzzing backpacker scene. Probably a good thing for us, as we'd been getting a little lazy about the nightlife lately. Julie's has lots of funky decor- hammocks and multi-colored cushions, bright, flowery wall-murals, golden and bronze Buddha images, and a "help yourself!" beer cooler. We spent our first few days hanging out in the common area playing Gin Rummy, and scouting new traveler friends. We sure enough found them our third night, when Ricky (another American guy) introduced us to a whole international crew of fellow travelers from Poland to Brazil. Enter Gabriela Werner, or Gabi, from southern Brazil, who would become our travel buddy and adventure confidante for the next few weeks. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

We started out by taking a leisurely stroll through Chiang Mai to check out some of the temples and architecture. Chiang Mai is famous as the most culturally significant city in northern Thailand, and the temples did not disappoint. Here are some pictures:

Wat Phan Tao

in front of the Chiang Mai Arts and Cultural Center

Wat Chiang Man

sometimes it's "no" to the ladies at the wats...

Wat Chiang Man Interior

As usual in Thailand, many of the wats are home to a menagerie of dogs, cats, monkeys, etc. The monks take care of all.

One of our other favorite things about Chiang Mai was the food. Street food in Thailand is great to begin with; in Chiang Mai it's so good that it's almost other-worldly. Green curry, pad thai, satay, anything you want is available cheaply, freshly, and most importantly, conveniently.

eating at the night market

satay skewers at the night markets of Chiang Mai

hungry for some fried insects, anyone?

random sign

All of the street food prepared us for the ultimate culinary adventure, cooking school! Ever since Catt's cousin, Jenni, raved to us about her culinary experience in Chiang Mai, we couldn't wait to take a country-side cooking course. Our explosively cheerful, pint-sized, encouraging teacher took us to markets first, and then to the countryside to explore her farm's organic garden and roll up our sleeves. We spent the afternoon up to our elbows in green curry, tom yam soup, spring rolls, coconut milk with bananas, and other delicious dishes. When we finished, we enjoyed our creations on the farm. Bonus? Opportunity to take pictures of Catt in a sombrero-like chef's hat.

Pictures:

at the Chiang Mai market

raw chickens at the market

different kinds of rice for sale

learning about the differences between different kinds of curry paste

learning about string beans in the cooking school garden

Megan rocking the cooking school couture

Catt in the hat

Here are some pictures of us attempting to re-create some Thai classics:

the victim

afterwards... on the way to becoming green curry

finished product

slicing and dicing

we could almost be on food network...

tom yam soup

frying up spring rolls

Catt with his completed meal

our group, eating

During our time at the cooking school, we got to meet Washington state-cum-Hawaiian couple, Josh and Irena. Irena was six months pregnant and travelling through Thailand like an old pro! Congrats on the soon arrival, guys! Josh and Irena also referred us to Elephant Nature Park (more to come on that), which turned out to be one of our favorite experiences in all of Thailand. See next entry.