Au Revoir Thailand
Well, this is it. My last post in Thailand, assuming I don't miss my plane :) It's been quite a run here. Two and a half months or so, and it ends tomorrow. I'm at once sad, but excited and anxious of what awaits me in Australia. I've been thinking about what I wanted to put in this post, and was having a difficult time summing things up - until today. I was walking back from the post office, when I was approached by a news crew from some random European country (I can only tell you that because of their accents), and they asked me if I'd answer a few questions for them. Well, you know me - any time in front of a camera is good! I said yes, and they started asking me questions about my time in Thailand. "What do I like about Bangkok" - Well... It's so big and busy I haven't really gotten a handle on it yet, despite being here for over a week throughout my travels... I definitely like shopping here, everything's cheap...The smog sucks, but what can you do? "Where have you traveled in Thailand" - Jeez, let me think... Pretty much everywhere! Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chiang Khong, Nong Khai, Khorat, Phnom Rung, Aranya, Surat Thani, Ko Pha Ngan, Krabi, Ranong, Rai ley, Ao Nang, Ko Phi Phi... I guess that's about it. "Wow, that's quite a bit of traveling you've done... What was your favorite part?" without even hesitating, or thinking that he must have meant "what was my favorite place", I answered "The people". And that was the truth. The people are the best part of Thailand. Odd that it took a news crew for me to realize this, but nonetheless it rings true. Even besides the people, I can think of so many things that I loved about Thailand, and the rest of Southeast Asia that I've visited. The food - Green curry, Massaman Curry, Pad Thai, Sweet sticky rice, Amok, cheap fresh fruit... Never have I had such amazing, healthy, cheap food in my life. The temples - my favorites being Phnom Rung
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43911/P1010076.JPG , The Emerald Buddha
http://www.geocities.com/spiker4391/P1011412.JPG , And, of course, the unforgettable Angkor Wat
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43917/P1010153.JPG . My favorite places include Chiang Mai (by the way, take a look at how much I've changed since this picture... Scary)
http://www.geocities.com/spiker4393/P1011509.JPG , Ko Phi Phi
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43926/IMG_1265.JPG , Ko Pha Ngan
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43921/P1011446.JPG , and Rai Lei beach
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43923/IMG_1044.JPG . I've had some absolutely unforgettable experiences, including, to name a few, my pickup truck ride from Poipet to Siem Reap
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43913/P1010115.JPG , Riding Elephants in Doi Inthanon, Chiang Mai
http://www.geocities.com/spiker4393/P1011513.JPG , and seeing Bangkok for the first time, in all it's multicultural, fervently busy, breathtaking glory.
http://www.geocities.com/spiker4391/P1011425.JPG But the smog still sucks :) Thailand hasn't been perfect - there are a few things I miss from home, like my family, my friends, the ability to drink tap water, Kraft Dinner, Doritos, and my own comfy bed. There are things about Thailand that I won't have any problem forgetting about - The Bubonic Plague, the tuk tuk drivers in Bangkok, the people trying to sell you silk suits at EVERY corner (Hallo missa! What yo name? Whea you flom? You buy suit missa? ... No -.-), the language barrier, which was at times uncomfortable and loathsome, and the unbelievably hot nights. All in all, however, these few insecurities and challenges were overwhelmed by the sheer beauty, the cultural brilliance, and the supremely fantastic people of Thailand. I will never forget this place, the time I've spent here. The sadness I feel upon leaving Thailand is of the same nature as that which you feel at the departure of an old friend - I will miss this place until it returns, or rather, until I do :) Now, my sights are set on Australia. So much to explore there, so much to see, so many people to meet - I can't wait! I wish I was there already, but my flight leaves in about 24 hours - not soon enough by any stretch of the imagination. And so, I bid farewell to my good friend Thailand, and soon I shake hands with new, exciting Australia. By the way, you people still need to give me some ideas for books to read :) Spiker
Earthquake #2
Hey people. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm just fine, having gotten off of Phi Phi about 1 day before the second earthquake hit. For those of you who didn't know, it was about 8.5, I've heard, though reports are varying. Ray said he could feel the quake from Phi Phi, but there was no wave whatsoever - thank goodness... Well, as for me, didn't feel a thing here in Bangkok, in fact no one here even knows about it. I was talking to lots of people who hadn't yet heard of the other earthquake... The only reason I know is because my mom emailed me to make sure I was ok. Isn't she sweet? :D Sorry to say mom, I'm fine - you can't have all my stuff. Speaking of stuff, I bought a camera today, an Olympus something-or-other, with 3X zoom, 3.0 megapixels, a free 128 meg memory stick, rechargable batteries with charger, and a nice little case, with a worldwide 2 year warranty for - remember, this is Thailand, not future shop - about 270 dollars CAD. Saweeeeeet! The salesman tried to sell me this beast of a camera that had like 8 trillion billion zoom and could hold eight hundred google pictures, the thing was like a freaking electron microscope... I decided on the simpler, cheaper, world wide warranty model :) I mean, other than taking pictures of my PORES, what do I need that much zoom for... I also bought a few clothes, some fire dancing equipment - they're called Poys, it's basically a ball of flaming death attached to a string... I know mom, I know... - and some really cool lamps for home. I'll be mailing em back tomorrow. My first two packages have arrived safely, so I'm gonna just hope with all my little heart that this last one makes it a hatrick. It's hard to believe that these are my final days in Bangkok. I've spent most of my time buying things and reflecting on my time here, trying to piece it all together. Flying into Bangkok at the beginning of my trip, seems like a year ago... But at the same time I can't believe I've already been here for two and a half months! Kinda strange, but if you've ever traveled, I'm sure you know the feeling. Being in Bangkok reminds me that Thailand is not such a big country, especially for tourists - no matter where you're coming from or going, everyone passes through Kao Sahn road at least a few times. I've met up with five different people I've met along my travels here, just in the last two days, in Bangkok. Pretty crazy, but I did meet a ton of people. I've still got one more post to make before I go so I'll spare the weepy goodbye for now. Check for another post tomorrow :) Spiker
Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Leh, and The Toe
Hello everyone! Before I begin what will be a very long post, I'd like to apologize for not having posted sooner... I was, as most of you know, on Koh Phi Phi, a small island between Krabi and Phuket, in the middle of the ocean. Phi Phi got smoked by the tsunami, and when I arrived there, I saw some pretty amazing things... The internet there was very costly, and didn't always work very well, so I chose to simply check my email every few days, and wait until now to post! I could have put up a quick post on Phi Phi, but it would have cost me about a whole day's budget - kinda rough, but they just got the net back up recently. In fact, there were no working bank machines on Phi Phi until one day before I left. On arrival at Phi Phi, travelers are greeted with sights such as these
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The other thing you see right away is that there are people cleaning stuff up everywhere - a work force of a few hundred ex-pats (foreigners) manning shovels, wheelbarrows and sledge hammers, doing demolition work, cleanup, and then construction all over the island - and this work is urgently needed, as the Thais come back and try to put their lives back together. Some of the numbers are staggering. About 700 people were pulled from a large reservoir, that basically turned into a mass grave after the wave hit, with exactly one survivor amongst them. The more you hear about it, the higher the numbers seem to get. I volunteered for a few days there, about half the time I was on the island. There is nothing more satisfying than helping the people who need it most. The progress you see is almost immediate, especially since most projects involve more than 5 or 6 people. I worked on a few different things, including some cleanup and some demolition, and it was pretty hard work, especially since Phi Phi hits 35 or so every day - even at nights the island doesn't drop below 20. Speaking of nights... Guess what the volunteers do, every single night of the week, after putting in hours and hours of physical labor? I bet you already guessed it... They play connect four! Oh and they get really drunk as well. Never have I seen a group of people who work or party harder than the volunteers on Phi Phi. I've got the pics to prove it! What began as a normal night for us three travelers, Ray, Cal and Chris...
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Ended like so
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43924/IMG_1152.JPG That's right, a mosh pit. There was this band that played at once of the few open bars there, called the Rolling Stoned - a fantastic Thai Cover Band, to be exact. They played all sorts of Iron Maiden and ZZ Top and Pink Floyd, all the old classics, and when they played Rage Against The Machine, well... Everyone went crazy! I actually got to play some drums later on at this same bar. Now, I have for you a new and exciting story. On one of these not-so-sober nights, I met these girls.
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43925/IMG_1222.JPG They might seem like ordinary girls, but they are evil! Especially the one at the top of the picture - she is especially evil. Her name is Laura. We were playing a game of half inebriated soccer on the beach, and she kicked the crap out of my foot... Which made a very loud cracking sound after said contact. While I have no pictures of my toe Pre-Laura, I do have one picture of my toe Post-Laura
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43926/IMG_1229.JPG Kinda nasty. Don't get me wrong, I have ugly hobbit feet anyway - but that toe, in this picture, happens to be broken and dislocated. I've also got a picture of the medic who set my toe, a really nice guy named James, from the States somewhere.
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43927/IMG_1306.JPG He yanked on that tiny toe with all his might, popping it back into place, though it was - and is - still broken. Sounds crappy, but of all the bones to break, on my entire body... Could I have picked a better one? Doubtful. And here's the proof - look how happy I was with my newly broken toe!
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43925/IMG_1223.JPG And it definitely didn't stop me from going to Phi Phi Leh the very next day! Phi Phi Don is where most of the population resides, the northern island, split into two bays with a big beach in the middle. Leh is another island just south of Don, and happens to be where they filmed most of the movie "The Beach", starring Leo Dicaprio. The exact location is called Maya Bay - What a gorgeous place.
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Apparently they digitally added mountains into the middle of the landscape to make it the secluded lagoon you've all seen in the movie. Not only was the beach absolutely stunning, but the marine life in the water was ridiculous - I've never seen so many fish in my life. Just ask Ray, who looks like he's being drowned by fish in this picture
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43927/IMG_1278.JPG Callahan managed to get some underwater shots with his waterproof camera bag
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43924/100_2170.JPG The fish looked nice, but our boat driver would throw rice at us while we were in the water, so the fish would swarm us and eat all the rice, while taking little bites of skin all the while - they didn't ever draw blood, it just hurt a little. All they wanted was the rice. In fact, when Ray decided to shove rice
down my pants, the fish decided to swim
up my pants to get the rice. What a wonderful friend! On the way back from Phi Phi Leh we encountered some large stormclouds, which of course did not raise any alarms with our fearless Thai captain.
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43927/IMG_1285.JPG In fact, we stopped at another little beach on the way back to Phi Phi Don, where Cal, Reed, Jesse and Ray (All travelers I'd met earlier on in Thailand) were met by about 25 monkeys who were not pleased to have intruders on their beach. I don't really have any pictures of this occurrence, since I was resting in the boat, broken foot and all, and they were all running away from the monkeys. They also had a lot of fire dancing on Phi Phi, and it was the best I've seen, even better than Koh Pha-Ngan.
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43925/IMG_1209.JPG
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43925/IMG_1213.JPG On the same night I took these pictures, I encountered one of the strangest occurrences I've ever experienced. It can be described using two beautiful words - free alcohol. Folks, let me first tell you that this story is not a joke, and I'm not kidding. The British Embassy, upon hearing about all the volunteering in Phi Phi, decided that the best way to help out - seriously - was to donate 5 thousand baht in free booze. Only the Brits... The thing is, Thailand refused foreign aid, and so this was basically the only way that they could help out. Besides, who doesn't like a bit of free alcohol here and there :) Well, after leaving Phi Phi, I took an all night bus to Bangkok, where I am now. I would have gone to Phuket a few days ago, but I was just enjoying Phi Phi too much to leave. So many fantastic people all in one place. I started this post at 6 in the morning, though I'm not exactly sure what time it is right now - the computer clocks in this country are consistently inconsistent. Here in Bangkok I plan on doing some major shopping before I hit Australia, since everything is so cheap here, and I'll send another package home which will probably arrive after I do. I need to buy a book or two for the plane - that's right, I've actually started READING BOOKS. If this doesn't confirm a complete change in my life, I don't know what would! I've read the Davinci Code, The Alchemist, Life Of Pi, and The Celestine Prophecies, as well as a couple beginner books about Buddhism. If any of you can recommend some good books that I should check out, it would be greatly appreciated! I also need to buy me a digital camera, since I'm not sure who I'll be traveling with in Australia. I'm meeting my friend Vanessa in Brisbane, but I'm not sure how long we'll be together, or what her plans are. I plan on making one last post before I leave Thailand, so there's no point in getting mushy quite yet - but I will surely miss this wonderful country when I am gone. The good thing is... I fly to Brisbane in three days!!! Spiker
Cobras and Beaches
Hello faithful readers! Well you'll all be happy to know that I've actually done something new and interesting in the last few days - a change is a good as a rest, I suppose, and I've been surprisingly reunited with a couple of my favorite world travelers. While I was in Ao Nang, a small town just outside of Krabi, talking to Calahan, one of the Canadian fellows I met in Laos, I discovered that he was also in Ao Nang. Amazingly, he was about one city block from where I was sitting, in a different internet cafe. We met up, and he informed me that Ray, one of my Full Moon party buddies, was on his way to the very place we then stood. What ensued can only be described as a massive gong show - we get along amazingly well, and... How shall I put this... Together, we are possibly the three most immature men on the planet. I'm talking fart jokes, followed by mom jokes, followed by strange sounds and inexplicably random movements... Complete lunacy. I've not laughed this hard in a long, long time. Normal people just shake their heads in disbelief. My brother would fit in quite nicely I think... At any rate, we the three-strong-gong-show ventured out to Rai Ley, a set of four beaches that are supposedly some of the most beautiful in the world. Before I show you some beach pictures (A special thanks to Ray and Cal for giving me access to their cameras!), let me show you the bungalow we stayed in, for about 3 dollars each, per night.
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43922/IMG_0921.JPG Pretty awesome location. The beaches at Rai Ley are amazing mostly because of the huge limestone cliffs that jutt out of the sand just behind the treeline. Some of the best climbing in the world can be done here, although it's quite expensive and didn't fit into my budget. Plus I'm still not done working on my tan :)
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43922/IMG_0924.JPG http://www.geocities.com/spiker43922/IMG_0936.JPG Here are some pictures of me & the boys, and some Swedes we met up with at the beach. I should explain that the reason Ray is perched on the wall while holding a pellet gun in one of these pictures is that he was trying to shoot me while I was in the shower. No, really...
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While on the beach, we went and saw a cobra show. I wasn't really sure what a cobra show entailed and, as it turns out, it's just an absolutely crazy man who gets in an enclosed space with huge cobras, mostly for fun. He had obviously had years of training, he was one step ahead of the snake at all times, and always distracting it - most of the time with his HEAD, by moving it from side to side just enough to keep the cobra busy... I guess? He never faltered, always staring at the cobra intensely to make sure it didn't... uhh.. Kill him, as it were. Of course, the cobra was not a happy camper, and it lunged at the man many times, though in the end they were all unsuccessful. The man actually bent down and kissed the snake at one point, right on it's head, using his hands as distractions. Why one would want to kiss a snake is beyond me, but the man was quite obviously a lunatic, so I didn't ask. All in all, one of the craziest things I have ever seen.
http://www.geocities.com/spiker43923/IMG_0996.JPG That cobra was about 12 feet long, by the way. Amazingly though, the cobra show is not the coolest thing I've seen these past few days. It was overshadowed completely by my experience at MacDonalds. Having not been to MacDonalds in I don't even know how long, we decided to take a trip to our friendly neighbourhood Thai franchise. What we found there was undeniably awesome. You have not truly indulged in the greatness of MacDonalds until you've had a "Samurai Pork Sandwich". Couple that with the ever tantalizing "Chicken Prosperity", a tried and tested tastebud pleaser, and you've got the best thing since sliced McBread. And what goes better with the Samurai and Prosperity combo than MacDonalds' own house made sweet chili sauce. Simply amazing. Well, that's all I've done in the past few days, and next we're off to Ko Phi Phi, one of the areas hardest hit by the tsunami. Ray, Cal and I are hoping to do some volunteer work over there, cleaning up beaches and picking boats out of trees, that kind of thing - I feel I owe it to Thailand to help at least help a little bit. I've really enjoyed being here, and I guess this is the best way I can say thanks. Keep those emails coming, I don't want to get lonely over here :) Spiker
Krabi
Hey y'all! Just wanted to let you know that I've made it through Burma alive, and the journey was quite interesting. We took the night boat, at 10 pm, from Ko Pha-Ngan to Surat Thani (on the mainland). The night boat is basically just a floating mattress, though sleep is difficult to come by due to the always loud Thai women. Also, something peculiar I noticed on the boat - a man sleeping under a mosquito net... In the middle of the ocean?... I'm not entirely sure how much range mosquitoes have, but I think 50 miles is stretching it a bit. Come to think of it, I don't think a mosquito could have stung that man even if it was strapped to a laser guided missile and fired at our boat. At least he was well prepared in case of surprise attack, I suppose. At any rate, we then went up to Ranong, then took the boat over to Burma, where I was simultaneously accosted by 5 tiny money grabbing monks, four young men trying to sell me cigarettes and whiskey, three giggling ladyboys, two strange old men trying to sell me
VIAGRA (Seriously)
, and ... A partridge in a pear tree. I returned to the boat with all speed, then came back to Thailand and bussed all the way down here to Krabi, where I am now. So far I really like Krabi, it's just like the east coast, and the islands, except it's literally half price - should help me stay on budget! And of course it will help me continue on the road towards skin cancer, and a good tan :) Lately though, I've been starting to miss Canada a little bit - the only thing is, it's not what you'd expect to be missing. Yesterday I had the craziest craving for Kraft Dinner all day long... Today I was feeling the need to eat some Doritos. It's only the things that you've really become accustomed to and taken for granted that you start to miss. Oh and I miss my family too! ... And my friends!... (Yes, I have friends) But I think I'd trade my little brother in for a box of KD and a bag of Doritos at this point. Hope you understand Jason! Much love to everyone, and I SWEAR I'll have some pictures up before April, I promise! In the meantime, I guess I'll work on making friends with some people with cameras, so I can steal their pictures! Keep writing and, if possible, can anyone organize a Kraft Dinner airdrop to my current position?... Spiker
A Change of Scenery
So, I'm finally moving off of Ko Pha-Ngan, although in truth I don't have much of a choice - my visa runs out on the 12th, so I need to get a new one before they send me to jail or make me pay obscene amounts of money to get out of the country. I'll not be heading down to Malaysia, however, I'll be going north instead, to Burma (Myanmar, same same). Burma is... well... a less than friendly place, but since I won't be spending any nights there, and a 24 hour visa is free, and it's much closer to Krabbi (My next stop) and Phuket than Malaysia is... well, it has it's perks. And hey, if all goes well, I won't die there! At any rate, I have nothing new to report, I just thought I'd let you all know that, basically, even though I'm going all the way to another ocean... I'll be doing exactly the same thing I've done here - sit on my butt, suntan, indulge in the occasional bucket or Thai beer, and just enjoy being in such beautiful place. And don't worry, I'll have some pictures to show you guys before the end of the month - I just have to get to Bangkok to buy myself a digital camera! Keep those emails and comments coming, I enjoy reading them, even though I don't have the time to reply to most. I even like the really retarded ones from Jason :) Cheers! Spiker
I'm Not Dead! :D
Greetings from Thailand, people! For a third consecutive time, I apologize profusely for not posting more often - it's just that I have done nothing but suntan and lounge around for like 2 weeks :) I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm not dead or anything, although I am a bit hungover after last night's festivities at the "Half Moon Party". Basically, whatever shape the moon happens to be, means it's a good idea to get massively drunk, etc. I love this country. I'm sure that most of you know by now that Kailyn and I have stopped traveling together - She decided that the best thing for her is to head back home. I'm not entirely sure when she leaves/arrives, or if she's heading to Australia first... Only time will tell. At any rate, we did have a lot of fun together, and I'm definitely glad that I came over here with her - she helped me through a couple rough patches. Best of luck to you Kailyn, I'm sure you'll make it back safe and sound. I will be continuing my trip, as planned, and actually I have some new flight dates, having extended my trip to last until mid June, theoretically, though it depends a great deal on money, my summer job, etc. Just read the new heading I put up today, at the top of the site. My main problem right now is that I have no digital camera, since that was one of Kailyn's contributions to the trip. I'm thinking I will just buy one in Bangkok for super cheap, and pray it doesn't break! I've made lots of friends here on Haad Yao, where I've been for about a week or so, and I'm having a great time just soaking up the island atmosphere. I think it's gonna be kinda hard to leave this little place, but I have a few stops left in Thailand - first I head south to Malaysia for a visa renewal, and then North up the coast where I stop in Krabi and Phuket. I'm gonna have the nicest freakin tan when I get home... Spiker
