I Have Wings

Pictures Have Been Added!

I've added about 20 pictures from our trip to northern Thailand (Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai). There are a ton more, but I didn't have time to write about all of them and I think these are the best of the lot. Plus, for those of you in and around Swampscott, I have a feeling my dad will have a few to show you when he returns (he's already taken over 500 pictures and we haven't even hit Cambodia yet!)

Cruising Down The Mae Kok...

(NOTE: This post is actually from February 16th, but unfortunately I couldn't get the hotel computer to submit it for some reason. I'm back in Bangkok now for the night and tomorrow we are off to Cambodia. I have an early flight so I'm not sure if I'll get any pictures up tonight, but I'll see what I can do.)

Today was definitely one of my top 5 favorite days in Thailand thus far. I'm currently sitting at a computer in the beautiful Anantara Resort & Spa in Chiang Rai. Chiang Rai is in the north west corner of Thailand, called the Golden Triangle because it borders Myanmar (Burma) and Laos. In fact, tomorrow we will be going over the border to Myanmar to check out some villages and markets.

Before I get to today's events, I have to tell you a bit about this hotel - it is set on a hill overlooking the jungles of Chiang Rai and Myanmar - the view is spectacular. The hotel itelf is only 2 stories tall, but the grounds are enormous and every aspect of the building is exquisitely detailed - lots of beautiful Thai and Burmese (is that what it is called?) art all over the place. My room is definitely one of the nicest I have ever stayed in (although considering that my travels consist mostly of Holiday Inn stays, that might not be saying much!) I have a huge bed, a patio with a crazy view, and an enormous bath tub that could comfortably sit 3 across (although admittedly, any more than two might be a bit weird...) The pool is one of those fancy deals that "falls off" at the edge and they have musicians playing live Thai music all over the place. And while the hotel is certainly expensive by Thai standards, it is all much less than an average hotel in NYC for the nigth ($116 per night!)

So how did we get here? Well, it took awhile, but the trip was well worth it. We woke up this morning in Chiang Mai which is about 8 hours to the east in a more central part of Thailand. Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand (and a former capital I believe). We had been there the previous two nights and had a very nice stay. It was a little more "city" than I think my parents and I were expecting, in the sense that its still pretty crowded with a decent amount of traffic and built up (although not really with tall buildings). We checked out some wats (I'll save the descriptions for when I upload the pictures) and did some shopping at some pretty cool shops where they actually make the goods we were buying. For example, we went to a silk shop and first stopped by a factory where we saw them actually producing the silk. We did the same for a wood carving shop, a ceramics shop, an amazing jade shop and a few others. It was nice to see some actual artisans at work vs. the people in the markets that just hawk the things from god knows where! We'll actually I guess I figured it out, they're from the workshops we visited!

But I digress... we started off in Chiang Mai and drove for three hours north. Normally I'm not a fan of 3 hour drives, but this one wasn't bad at all. There was lots of interesting things to see along the way and it was nice to finally get into some of the countryside of Thailand (vs. the cities and islands I've been spending most of my time in). When we reached the Mae Kok River, we boarded a long tail boat. The boat had four seats, one for the driver, one for our guide, one for my parents and one for me. It was kind of like a tuk tuk boat with a large outboard motor on the back. The boat rode very low in the water and went along at a pretty good clip. We rode the boat all the way to Chiang Rai - about 4 hours in total, stopping along the way to visit some hill tribes and an elephant camp. My dad made fast friends with the elephants, but my mom was not very amused. Apparently, her motherly instincts do not extend to enormous elephants!

The ride was a long one and I can't say the long tail boat is the most comfortable form of transportation in the world, but it was an amazing experience to fly down the river. The river was relatively narrow and the tide was low (because we are in the dry season). The driver weaved in and out of the rocks like he had the route memorized... he would come inches away from some of the rocks, but never hit them. The breeze felt wonderful (especially in the heat) and the stops along the way at the remote hill tribes only made the experience seem more remote and special. We saw a few other boats along the way, but for the most part we had the river to ourselves and I fully appreciated it after the hustle and bustle that was daily life in Bangkok. I think today is one of those days I'll remember for quite some time!

Tomorrow we will spend the day in the Golden Triangle (where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet) and at night we head back to Bangkok for a quick layover before heading over to Cambodia for the weekend - I'm hoping that I'll be able to upload some pictures tomorrow night at the hotel. I hope all is well!

Bangkok with Mom & Dad...

I should have posted a message sooner to say that my parents arrived in Thailand safe and sound, but between their arrival and finishing school, its been a busy couple of days. Mom and dad arrived late Friday night - I met them at their hotel, the Peninsula, on Saturday morning for brunch. The Peninsula is a beautiful hotel right on the river (I'm pretty sure it won some awards this year from the travel magazines for being one of the nicest hotels in the world) - definitely a part of Bangkok that I hadn't spent much time in before! Apparently when they arrived they no longer had rooms with king-sized beds, so they upgraded them to a suite for free... the room was ridiculous. My dad was quick to point out the toilet that looked out over the city from the 27th floor.

After breakfast I took my parents over to the Chatuchak Market to give them their first taste of Bangkok. We walked around for a few hours, but it was really hot, so we escaped around lunch time to one of the indoor markets. I guess I hadn't mentioned it before, but the weather has definitely gotten progressively warmer since I've been here. The afternoons are now almost unbearable - high 90s and pretty muggy. Speaking of hot, at lunch my dad went a little overboard on the spice in his soup and definitely paid for it. Welcome to Bangkok!

For dinner, Marc joined us and we went to a restaurant called Baan Khanita, that was recommended by some Thai friends and expats. It is known for having some of the best Thai food around, and it was definitely excellent, but I still think the best stuff is from the random places you find along the streets. After dinner, we took my parents to the State Tower where there is an open air bar, Sirocco, on the 64th floor. For those of you into views, its one of the better ones I've seen, although the drinks are expensive (NYC prices) and actually pretty bad.

On Sunday, my parents traveled around with a tour guide and I spent most of the day packing up my stuff and running some errands. Actually, I really spent most of the day sleeping since Marc and I were out quite late. We had some bottles left over at a few bars we attend regularly, so after dinner and drinks with my parents we went around to polish them off. Needless to say night quickly turned to morning which quickly turned to lunch time... "Fat, drunk and stupid" may be no way to go through life (at least according to Dean Wormer), but the drunk part is a pretty good way to say good-bye to Bangkok!

Sunday night, Marc joined us again and we went to a new restaurant called Mahanaga, which was serving up delicious Thai Fusion. (Marc and I were definitely enjoying eating dinner with the folks!) After dinner we took my dad to check out Bed Supperclub (the futuristic-looking night club I wrote about before). It wasn't very crowded, but we got a few drinks into my dad and he danced around a bit (yes, I have pictures, but you'll have to wait until I upload them.) Seeing my dad dance around, I realized I truly am my father's son. My parents left around 11 PM, but before they left my mom pointed out two girls that were checking Marc and I out. A little while after my mom left, the girls saunter over and one of them points to Marc and I and says "Gay?" and then points to herself and he friend and says "Lesbian." Turns out Bed on Sunday night is gay night. Good times.

Right now I am in Chiang Mai - my parents and I arrived here this morning. We are staying at a beautiful hotel right in the Old Quarter. This afternoon we went to check out some wats and a place where they made jade sculptures. I have a bunch of good pictures, but I don't have time to upload them all now, so you'll have to wait. I need to go get ready for dinner, but for those who were curious: Mike and Jill are safe and sound, staying away from the ice cubes and having a blast!

Fuqua Times Article

The Fuqua Times, our student newspaper, released an issue today with articles from a bunch of the people who are abroad. In addition to Thailand, there are students in Cape Town, South Africa, Chile, and number of other places. I wrote an article for the issue and I thought I'd repost it here. Not too much new for those who have been reading the site, but I thought it was a nice summary of how I would describe Bangkok without going into a ton of detail.

Bangkok: Hard on the Outside, Chewy on the Inside

When I first arrived in Bangkok, I have to admit I was a bit intimidated. The exterior is certainly rough. However, after a few days, I learned that lurking just beneath that tough outer shell, was a welcoming, safe and, most of all, friendly city.

I am living off a main drag called Sukhomvit, where the city pulses night and day. Just walking down my street is an adventure. Vendors are everywhere, selling everything from t-shirts to knives to $1 DVDs of movies still in the theaters to all types of Thai food. Ahh, the food! The food is wonderful, but it takes some Pepto and the realization that you’re “not in Kansas anymore” to get comfortable with ordering it on the street. And as you order the food watch out, because weaving in and out of the throngs of people are motorbikes, cars, an occasional elephant, and more stray dogs than you can imagine. The smells alternate from wonderful to disgusting and there are random puddles every so often even though it hasn’t rained once since I’ve been here.

But the people are amazing. Always smiling and helpful, they are genuine and exude a friendliness that is unmatched (at least in my travels). The city is beautiful and eclectic, in a jumbled, busy, crazy kind of way. One moment you are walking through a section of seedy hostess bars with sketchy men older than your father cuddled up close to Thai beauties still working their way through their teens. The next you are exploring the lavish Grand Palace, the most decadent you have ever seen with a thousand colors sparkling in the sun. In between lies everything else. As you walk the streets and see the wats (i.e. temples) and skyscrapers rub against each other, you realize that Bangkok isn’t just a place where the ancient and modern have met, they have completely smashed into one another and the fascinating debris has been left for you to explore.

To be sure, you will curse the first time you are trapped in traffic at a light that literally hasn’t changed for 5 minutes. And the bizarro world that is a Thai club, where the women chase the men and the men can never really be sure if they are really talking to a woman will throw you for a loop. But at the end of the day, every turn brings a new sight, something you probably have never seen before, and every time you leave your room you can expect an adventure of some sort.

I couldn’t possibly fit all I have experienced and learned into the 500 hundred words the powers that be (in this case, the editors of the Fuqua Times) have allotted me. If the brief introduction above has left you intrigued, I invite you to check out my web site (www.ihavewings.com) where I have been chronicling my various adventures since I left the States in December. On it you will find tales of tigers and elephants, bamboo rafts down the River Kwai, bellies full of food and other food best left alone, all night parties on the beaches of Ko Pha-Ngan under the full moon, buddhas and waterfalls, fire throwers and crocodiles… and whatever else tomorrow brings.

Birthday In Bangkok

ihavew

For those who didn't know, my birthday was on February 7th. If you're keeping count at home, that makes 27 years. I don't real feel like 27 is a big milestone or anything, but Christine was kind enough to remind me that I've now graduated from my "mid-20's" to my "late-20's"... so I have that going for me.

No birthday would be complete without a birthday celebration, so on Tuesday night we decided to make our first foray into Pat Pong, one of the most notorious areas of Bangkok. (At this point, I think I should note that the MPAA is still reviewing the contents of this post. We were initially gunning for a PG-13 rating, but then realized we would pretty much have to stop writing here, so instead we're going full bore into R-rated territory. Only the lack of pictures is saving us from NC-17. If you happen to remember any of my birthdays prior to age 5, that probably means you are related to me somehow and you might want to consider reading something else. Might I suggest a book?)

Earlier in the day I received an email from a girl (Shannon) who is friends with some of my Stanford friends. She was traveling through Southeast Asia and was in Bangkok for a few days. I invited her out with us (what better way for her to meet me for the first time than to take her to sketchy sex clubs?). Everyone else was busy for dinner, so Shannon and I headed to this place called "Eat Me Art Restaurant" - while the name sounds pretty in line with the night's activities, it was actually an excellent restaurant that was in a house full of modern Thai art. The food was the same type of Asian fusion you find in the States, we had a risotto and a spicy roast chicken - both were excellent.

After dinner, we headed over to Pat Pong to meet everyone else. The night started innocently enough as we went to a place called Radio City for a few beers (or in my case several, since everyone was buying them for me). Pat Pong is half strip clubs and sex shows and half night market. So if you get tired in one of the clubs, you can go buy $8 jeans or some Thai silk. Genius.

Around 11 PM, a man came up to us holding the following card:

I have to admit we were curious! We started to follow him, but quickly realized that he was probably going to rip us off, so we consulted with one of the older British guys on the street and he pointed us in the right direction for one of the "really good clubs." I know I've spoken poorly about all the sketchy old guys with the young Thai ladies, but in Pat Pong its like consulting a sommelier in Napa - you know they are going to lead you to the good stuff!

So we walk into this place, its sort of like a strip club with one big stage in the middle and 4 or 5 Thai girls dancing in various stages of undress. About 5 minutes after we were there, a white girl (who we later learned was from Seattle), got up on the stage and started dancing. The Thai girls soon managed to take off all of her clothes (including underwear) and she was just dancing on stage butt naked for about 4 songs. She was a much better dancer than the Thai girls and we later found out that she was, in fact, a stripper. Needless to say that was an interesting way to start the evening.

As the night progressed, the girls on the stage would perform "tricks" - much like the ones described on the card above. Since it was my birthday I was asked to catch the ping pong balls in a bucket - I think I caught 5 and dropped 2... I was standing about 10 feet back, so she, um, had some good range. Unfortunately... er FORTUNATELY!... we couldn't really take pictures, but I think its safe to say I saw some things I had never seen before.

We snuck the picture above and I know it isn't great, but it actually captures what I remember from the night quite well -- i.e. everything was a bit blurry! All in all, it was a memorable birthday and another new experience in Bangkok!

My time in Bangkok is quickly coming to a close. I had my last class today and tomorrow I have one final and then that's it! My parents arrive tomorrow (Friday) night and after spending a few days here we leave on Monday for Chiang Mai. I can't wait to introduce them to Bangkok (and especially see their reactions to everything!) - I imagine we'll steer clear of Pat Pong, but you never know!

Eating My Way Through Bangkok

All is quiet in Bangkok ... in preparation for the Super Bowl! Actually, today was election day and the government bans restaurants and bars from serving alcohol the night before the election. I wonder if voting while drunk was a big problem here?

I stayed in Bangkok this weekend to work on a paper and make sure I could watch the Super Bowl tomorrow morning. That's right, the Super Bowl is on bright and early at 6:30 AM! Instead of nachos and beers, I'll probably be ordering breakfast in bed. It definitely doesn't feel like the right way to watch the Super Bowl, but from what I'm reading about Jacksonville, its a strange place to be having it, so I guess its somehow appropriate.. Regardless, as long as the Pats win, all will be right!

I posted a bunch of new pictures from cooking class (see below) and some other food I've been eating. (Sorry, if the food pictures are annoying, but that's all you get this time around).

On Saturday, Marc and I took a cooking class from the Baipai Cooking School. The class was very professionally  run and was actually a decent deal (most of the other Bangkok cooking schools were at least twice the price). The school had an open air kitchen and we each had our own station. Similar to the other class I took, the teacher would demonstrate the dish, we would taste it and they we would make our own. Everything we made was different from what I did last time, so I'm developing quite a collection of Thai recipes. Could a restaurant be far behind? My favoriate this time around was learning how to make chicken satay, one of my favorites. Needless to say, we were both stuffed afterwards.

Last night, I went to dinner with the other Fuqua guys and a couple, Joseph and Elsa, that our classmate, Ken Nimitz, introduced us to. They took us to this amazing Italian restaurant called Antonio's Trattoria. One of the better Italian restaurants I have been to in awhile, in the States or otherwise. Joseph and Elsa were friendly with the owner, Antonio, and he took good care of us. Even though the alcohol ban was still in effect, he served us wine (bottle after bottle of it, in fact). Things got a little hairy toward the end of the meal when the Thai police walked into the restaurant. I had visions of the Bangkok Hilton, but luckily a little sweet talking and they left (perhaps some Baht was involved?).

Two other interesting things from the meal. First, wine is really expensive here. It is basically a luxury item that is taxed heavily and is expensive to buy in restaurants or otherwise. Its the one thing I've seen that is basically the same price (dollar-wise) as in the States.

Second, I had a really great conversation with Joseph about what it is like to be an expat working in Thailand (or really any other foreign country). He told me that people used to do it because it was a great way to make money (as you might imagine an American salary in Thailand could provide some wiggle room for savings), but that's not as true anymore. The experience, however, can't be beat - they've been all over the world and as I've learned just by being here for a couple months, you can be introduced to a place over a vacation, but you really need to strap in and live there to learn the intricacies. And of course, by Bangkok standards, they are living quite well, as I imagine most of the working expats do. With that said, they admitted to missing home at times and said the adjustment was severe (especially since they started living abroad right before 9/11). Definitely an interesting way of life (and work) to hear about.

Other than that, I've actually been doing a lot of school work this weekend (I know some of you had been wondering if I ever do that type of stuff)... I'm off to bed to mentally prepare for the Super Bowl! GO PATS!

Random Bits From Bangkok...

I actually have some work to do today, so therefore I procrastinate a bit:

I greased my first palm today in Bangkok. I went to the local travel agent Marc and I have been using to get my visa for Vietnam. The travel agent had previously told me that it would only take a week to get the visa - of course, like most things, weeks are counted differently here in Bangkok. Turns out since next week is the Chinese New Year, the Vietnam Embassy will be closed from February 8th - February 14th. I leave for Chiang Mai on February 14th, so that means I need my visa completed by February 7th - not quite the week that is required for processing. I pouted a bit. "Is there anything I can do?" I inquired. 200 Baht later, I'm good to go!

Taxi drivers in Bangkok are like spam email. There is a whole crew of taxi drivers that sit outside of my hotel and ask me if I want a ride. It's always the same 5-6 guys. They always refuse to use their meter and instead quote me ridiculously high rates to go anywhere. When Marc and I went to the Muay Thai a few weeks back they asked for 400 Baht - the ride ended up costing less than 100 in a cab with a meter. I always refuse to ride with them - if they won't use their meter, I won't go. At first, I thought they would eventually acquiesce, but they don't, they just go back and wait on the curb. Every guide book I read warns you NOT to get in a cab without a meter - so my question is who actually goes in these cabs? Someone must just like someone must be clicking the links in their spam email, otherwise how would either, the cabbies or the spam, stay in existence?

You can shoot a cow with a rocket launcher in Cambodia. Truth. I've now heard this from two separate sources, including an Australian couple we met up in Kanchanaburi this weekend. The Cambodians will provide the rocket launcher and the cow. (You can also shoot chickens with an AK-47...) After some googling around, I've found conflicting reports on cost (ranging from US $10 to US $200). Although I had never considered this particular scenario, I imagine I should be morally opposed to this sort of activity, but it does sound intriguing, no?

If every man walked through the Nana Hotel at midnight, sexual harassment of women would no longer be a problem. Last night, Marc and I met some friends over at the Nana Hotel at around 1 AM. The place is more club, than hotel and it is absolutely packed with working girls. The place is literally swarming, there must be a queen bee of prostitutes, the uber-pimp, in there somewhere (like the mother alien in Aliens). You walk in and techno music is blaring and there are old, sketchy white guys (mostly British and Australian) with 3 girls draped all over them. I could almost smell the disease permeating the air. In any event, you walk through and girls just start grabbing you and pinching your ass and saying "Oooh, sexy, sexy" - completely creepy and bizarre. I used to say that every man should be made to walk through the Castro on a Friday night to understand what it is like to be a girl. Well, the Nana Hotel is the new Castro.

More From Kanchanaburi...

I've added some more pictures that Julio took during our bamboo rafting trip, on the Death Railway, and at the Tiger Temple. Check out those tigers! Crazy!

Enchanted By Kanchanaburi

I'm back in Bangkok again after an incredible weekend in Kanchanaburi. Kanchanaburi is about 2 hours to the west of Bangkok and we (Jed, Eric, Julio and myself -- Marc stayed in Bangkok) headed out here to leave behind some of the debauchery of the city and find a little culture (although some would argue that debauchery is inherent in Thai culture - and to be sure, we found some even here in Kanchanaburi).

Once again, I took a ton of pictures - in fact, so many that my battery ran out and I had to rely on a friend to take pictures from the Tiger Temple and on our bamboo rafting trip down the River Kwai (more on both later). NOTE: I took a lot of pictures at the Thai market, if weird foods don't interest you, skip ahead, because some of the best pictures come afterwards.

Before I go further, I should mention that everything we did this weekend we planned through AS Mixed Travel. While I haven't been on many package tours, they really did an excellent job and it was quite reasonable (850 Baht each day, ~$21). As an added bonus, there is an excellent restaurant run by the guest house that had some of the best Thai food I've had since I've been here.

In fact, on our first day we decided to take a cooking class through the restaurant. The class lasted about half the day and included a tour of a local market where our guide introduced us to all the various Thai vegetables, spices and curries. When we got back to the restaurant, we learned how to make:

• Tom Yum (spicy chicken soup)
• Tom Ka Kai (spicy chicken coconut soup)
• Massaman Curry
• Green Curry
• Pad Thai
• Fried Rice
• Red Curry
• Sweet & Sour Chicken
• Beef w/ Oyster Sauce

Thai food is actually surprisingly easy to make (although I should mention we used all premade curries from the local market). Everything is made using a wok over pretty high heat (in fact, I think the high heat might be the hardest part to reproduce when we get home). The best part about cooking was that we got to eat all day long - every dish we made, we ate, and then we had a huge feast at the end. By 3 PM, when the class ended, we were all exhausted and headed back to the hotel to slip into a food coma.

The next day we signed up for a day long tour that took us to the Erawan waterfalls, elephant back riding, on a bamboo raft down the River Kwai, on a train over the Death Railway Bridge and finally to the Tiger Temple.

Erawan Waterfalls
The falls were beautiful (see picture at the top) and luckily we got their early enough that we missed the crowds (who were arriving as we left). Apparently, it is a big destination for Thai tourists who like to swim in the many fresh water pools. The falls lie along a 2km trail with seven main "levels" - the trail was pretty basic, but rocky and a few areas where you had really climb up some boulders. It was made a little trickier because our guide recommended we wear sandles, but we all managed okay. The whole hike took about two and a half hours and it was nice to get out in nature after being in the concrete jungle that is Bangkok. We even saw some monkeys swinging around on the trees.

Elephant Riding
If you ever get the chance to ride an elephant, you should take it. They are big, hulking animals and it is amazing to be in their presence. Their leathery skin oozes oldness, but they also have all these black spiky hairs all over that I wasn't expecting. We rode them through a small village and then into the river where they cooled off and sprayed us with water.

Bamboo Rafting on the River Kwai
Bamboo is an amazing material - our raft was very simple, just a bunch of bamboo held together with a single board going across it. It lay very low in the water, but it was rock solid, I could stand and jump up and down and it didn't even wobble that much. Unfortunately, my camera had run out at this point, but it was beautiful floating down the river. The river actually moves quite fast and with the raft so low, I felt like I was walking on water!

Train Ride on the Death Railway Bridge
The story behind the bridge is much more interesting than the train ride. According to my Lonely Planet, 16,000 POWs died while building the Death Railway to Myanmar (Burma). The bridge hugs the mountainside and the opposite side of the track is a sheer cliff to the water below - unbelievable that it was built in the 1940s.

Tiger Temple
You will have to wait until tomorrow for pictures from the Tiger Temple, but this was an awesome way to end the day! The Tiger Temple is a Buddhist temple in the middle of the jungle where wild tigers roam in a canyon. The tigers were given to the monks to care for and now they raise them. They bring them to the canyon once a day and visitors pay 150 Baht to see them and take pictures with them (the money is supposedly going to construct a large habitat in an attempt to train future generations of the tigers to readapt to the wild.) Lonely Planet had this to say: "At last count the temple had eight tigers and at least one tourist had been seriously mauled ... More responsible operators confided to us that they didn't think playing with tigers was such a good idea. We agree... we don't recommend you visit."

Of course, we took this anti-recommendation about as seriously as we take Lonely Planet's hotel recommendations and headed on down to the Tiger canyon!

When you walk down into the canyon, it is surreal - there are just tigers lying about with no chains and intermingled with them are some monks and other workers. If you want, the workers will lead you about and you can take pictures with the tigers and pet them - when the tigers get a little frisky, the workers pull you away and hit the tigers or bang a stick near them.

I should mention at this point that I just finished reading Life of Pi - which is in part about an Indian boy stuck on a life raft with a bengal tiger - definitely made my interactions with the tigers more exciting! (BTW - if you haven't read Life of Pi yet, I highly recommend it - one of the best books I have read in quite some time.)

In any event, petting the tigers was intense - they feel like pure, pulsing muscle, but they are also beautiful creatures. I never really felt like I was in danger - the monks seemed to have control and I have a sneaking suspicion that the tigers were actually a bit sedated (i.e. I think Lonely Planet went a bit overboard).

All in all it was a full day of adventure and one that I won't soon forget! This week I'm staying around Bangkok and going to class (yes, I actually do have some studying to do and class to attend!) and I think I'm going to stay close this weekend so I can make sure I can catch the Super Bowl! I'll check in again soon with pictures from the Tiger Temple and anything else that happens...

Where The Wilds Things Are - Full Moon Wrap-Up

(Disclaimer: I was talking to my mom the other day and I mentioned that I couldn't wait to upload all my pictures from this crazy trip. She casually mentioned that I should "keep in mind that there are a lot of different people reading the site now." Well, I didn't really do anything that I'm ashamed of and I don't think any of us actually know any of the people I might have captured doing shameful things (well, except maybe Marc ;-), so I'm just going to post the pictures that I have. If you end up offended, I apologize in advance (but I really don't think there is anything all that bad in there.)

I am finally back in the comforts of Bangkok - who would've thought a month ago that this would feel like home. Instead of rehashing my whole trip, I'll just write a bit about the highlights (and lowlights as the case may be)... and I added a decent amount to the captions, so check out all the pictures I have posted.

1. Firestarters -- I could watch these guys (and girls) all night long. I managed to take some good shots by turning my flash off (see above). Next time you have a party, I highly recommend hiring some people to toss fire rings around - it really adds a whole other dimension to the festivities.

2. On Monday morning, I took off by myself and went for a little hike down the end of the beach. There were a bunch of rocks and I ended up climbing them and following them around the edge of the island a bit. I eventually found this pretty secluded rock looking out over the ocean - it reminded me a bit of my favorite spot in Swampscott (HMF for the guys). I hung out there for awhile and just enjoyed the scene. I didn't bring my camera - sometimes memories are best left in the head - but it was definitely one of my favorite parts of my trip.

3. I'd say the average age on the island was 21 - it definitely seemed like a lot of college kids. I can't imagine being at this party when I was in college. I'm pretty sure I would have survived it and everything, but I can think of at least 5 of my friends (without even really trying very hard) who would have never made it back.

4. "Buckets" -- The drink of choice on the islands is a small bucket filled with a ice, a pint of liquour (typically Thai whiskey or Vodka), and then two mixers (i.e. Coke, Red Bull, fruit juice, etc.) They serve it with straws, scorpion bowl-style, and it therefore goes down VERY quickly. All for 200 Baht ($5). Such a bad idea in the best possible way an idea can be bad.

5. We were out on Ko Pha-Ngan for 4 days and 3 nights. We didn't need to be out there for that long - 2 nights of the Full Moon Party is more than enough (one night to get your feet wet, one night to enjoy yourself). I enjoyed my time on Ko Samui much more - there is still a pretty good night life, but the beach is bigger and quieter. Course, I'm also apparently getting old and lame.

6. Marc and I had an amazing last dinner on the islands. All along the beach are restaurants that display their fresh fish and seafood in little rowboats. The seafood is sold by the pound, you pick out what you want, they weigh it, and then barbeque it for you right on the beach. We went to the nicest one we could find to splurge a little (ended up being 800 Baht per person - $20!). They even had two Thai singers serenading us on the beach with country music. About the only thing that sucked about the meal was that I was there with ... well, Marc. (Not that Marc is bad to eat with, he is actually quite pleasant... just I would've preferred a certain lady to have my romantic dinner on the beach with!)

7. On Samui we found this great massage stand on the beach - there were about 6 girls and they were a riot. Really chatty and gave damn good massages - Marc and I went everyday. Thai people can't pronounce R's so when they say Marc's name it sort of sounds like they have a Boston accent: "Maahhc." I'm "Maaht." For some reason these girls loved saying are names - and, of course, like all the Thai ladies they loved Marc's eyelashes.

8. On the beach there are beggar kids that run around and try to get you to buy cheap necklasses from them - though I should note, it is not nearly as oppressive as some places I've been. They also carry around Connect 4 (which is a HUGE game out here) and challenge you to games. I think if you win you only pay them 10 Baht, but if they win you owe them 100 Baht - something like that. In any event, they all have cute little catch phrases to try to get you to smile and open your wallet. My favorite was the kid who slammed the Connect 4 onto our table and said "bring it on byatch!"

9. On Ko Pha-Ngan most of the girls (and they really are "Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" in the Britney Spears-sense) walk around topless on the beaches. I had never really been to a nude beach environment before. Good times, but it makes it a bit harder to read your book.

I'll add more if I think of it, but for now I am going to bed. Tomorrow I think I am going to go to Kanchanaburi (where the River Kwai - yes from the movie - and some other things are) for a couple days. Have a great weekend!