Pictures from Thailand

 This Buddha formed on it's own in the cave. The story was, he ate an elephant and could no longer move he was so full!

The beaches of Phuket

Danny on our hike through the villages.

 These Buddha statues were carved into the rocks.

 Our elephant ride after we just crossed the river. Very uncomfortable...really cool, but so uncomfortable.

 Danny with our raft guide!

 One of the beautiful temples in the Grand Palace.

 Tigers! Yes, they are real...

 The monkey untied me, but I wasn't allowed to look him in the eye.

 These elephants paint on paper made from their own elephant dung.

Feeding the elephants sugarcane and bananas.

Transportation (3rd try)

Oh the joys of transportation in Thailand.  This is the third time writing this blog entry (as a side note, the Google Blogger app has some serious issues) so by this time it will likely be much shorter than when it was previously written.  Upon our arrival into Bangkok and after a bit of confusion we were able to get direction from an information desk where to catch our hotel shuttle.  It would turn out this was the most straight forward transportation of our entire trip and would unfortunately learn far too many times that transportation came with frustration and scams. Our first morning in Bangkok we were able to get a ride back to the airport and it was surprisingly easy to catch the Bangkok Sky Train directly from the airport to the middle of downtown, granted we had quite a bit of unrequested help provied by people throughout the airport. Once again we looked like dumbfound tourists. That being said, it was great to know people were willing to help. We made it to our hotel and off we went into the city.

The following day, we toured the Grand Palace which was spectacular. Absolutely beautiful and unlike anything we have seen. When we left, we were stopped by another well dressed and well spoken man. He offered us a Tuk Tuk and to see things many tourists don't get to. First scam. Thankfully we wasted little time and little money but by the end of the hour, I had enough. I may have been a bit rude to the driver, but our respect had lasted long enough and when we politely asked that we be done and to take us to our final spot, he refused and instead took us to the second "silk shop". We paid, said goodbye, and called a taxi to take us to the Sky Train.

Our second scammer found us at the train station looking hopelessly clueless again. This time a uniformed man who at first appearance seemed to work for the train station approached us. He told us the same information we had known- the train to Chiang Mai was currently under construction and we couldn't go by train, we must take a bus. We knew there was some truth to this since prior to leaving the U.S we received an email telling us of an alternate route. We must take a train, then finish route with a bus. Yet when we told a travel agency (another stop of the tuk tuk mentioned above) of our plans he said no, not safe, and that we would be met by gangsters. Although common sense told us this was a bit of an exaggeration, we were beginning to believe there was some truth to the difficulty in our route.  Alas, we trusted the uniformed man. Until he took us down a dark ally and into another travel agency. Every instinct of unsafe, get out now hit us at once and we left immediately. For lack of a better description, the area was completely ghetto. And, to make matters worse as we left this travel agency the uniformed man who "helped" us was sneaking off into a trash filled ally. Oye ve. Yet another sign of the corruption in Thailand. We are certain this man would have been recieving some type of money from the agancy had we booked.

Back at our hotel, we booked flights and finally arrived safely in Chiang Mai. This city was a completely different experience. Prices were much cheaper, people could be trusted, we met our wonderful tour guide, and were greeted everywhere by welcoming locals. A teacher at a local Wat greeted us and although we were weary at first, he gave us information on where to go, how much to pay, and what to tell the Tuk Tuk without asking for anything in return. He was sincere and genuine and it was a welcomed experience.

In Chaing Mai, we were able to travel for half the day to see tigers, monkeys, and more (if we wished) for 300 Baht, round trip. In Phuket, this was very different. To travel one way, for fifteen minutes it was 400 Baht, no negotiations. Logic does not exist. We could walk half the distance and it would not reduce the price to 200 Baht, we still had to pay 400 because it was to a different city. Obviously my frustration and anger came to a tipping point- I let Danny handle this and stayed quiet.

Phuket was expensive and unsafe. On our shuttle ride from the airport, we met a couple from the Netherlands. They were traveling very much the same as we were, backpacking from place to place, not knowing where they were staying and going where they wanted. It was (oddly) a relief to hear they had experienced the same scams and issues we had.

Another man on this shuttle told DAnny that phuket was very unsafe, even more unsafe than BAngkok. He warned that I never go out alone, but Danny as well. He has seen many men get beat and told us to stay safe and smart. Fortunately, we never experienced any of this and felt quite safe the entire time. We stayed on well lit streets and followed other tourists and took advice from nobody but the hotel.

Now we are at the airport once again, waiting to get to Bangkok, and eventualy home. I couldn't be more ready for the conforts and conveniences of home, our house, our dog, and trust. Danny will be in Japan for two more weeks but fortunately Boeing will take care of him. After this experience, Japan seems like an entirely different world.

Safe Travels!

Thailand hike, day two

Our guide Lin has provided a wealth of information and it is unfortunate that I cannot remember it all. I am also writing these blogs out of order and when I have access to internet, so they may not be the easiest to follow. Internet here is okay, but many places limit the time and I am unable to edit.

On our second day, we walked through a tribe where women hold all the power. In this tribe, it is never the man who asks for a woman's  hand in marriage, rather the other way around. Danny was warned he must keep his hands in his pockets for if he touches a woman wearing white, he must marry her. Fortunately, this was of little issue since we did not see many people. Most likely it was too early. However, in the mountain tribes nobody marries outside their tribe for fear that they will make their ancestors angry. This tribe has raised houses with stairs leading to the door that are not permanent. When someone passes away, they turn the stairs around in fear that if they do not, they will invite the spirits inside their home. Typically, they will cook under their houses and keep chickens under them as well. When there are heavy rains and flooding, their houses stay dry.

On to the next village. There were few houses, if any, but there was a cemetery where the village leader lived and looked after his people. In the cemetery, people must be buried with their feet facing away- the tribe does not want the spirits walking back to their village. Instead, they point them to other tribes! In this village we picked fruit off of one of the trees and shared it amongst the three of us. SO delicious. I cannot remember the name, but it resembled a bumpy apple. Inside, the fruit was very soft with large black seeds. I will be sure to Google this and hope to eat more in Phuket.

On we walked as Lin described more of the farming methods and pointed out various plants. Pesticides and weed killers are rarely used. Those who do use them are lazy! Weed killer kills all nutrients in the soil and makes it difficult to farm and pesticides ruin the fruit and their natural abilities to adapt and fight off disease. A lot of work is done by hand, but ox and elephants are used as well for the harder work and if the tribe can afford them.

As we walked, we entered our final tribe. The dogs here were not friendly and very protective. We were warned to stay away and not look at them. About twenty years ago, this tribe was moved down from the mountains where they originally planted and watched over opium fields. Opium is very tricky and must be grown at an even twenty degrees celsius year round. Many of the areas we walked through were once opium fields but it is now too hot to grow and farms were forced to move higher. However, in recent years, the monarchy of Thailand has sent soldiers into the hills to stop the opium business in an effort to clean up the trade. They do not want to be  involved with the drug (or any drug) and in an attempt to stop this, moved the farms down and gave them incentive to sell other things in which could help the country. The King would provide money for this while making a very small profit for himself (one to two baht in most cases). He would not provide, nor make profit on opium.

With that said, this tribe, although they were growing corn and other things, most likely stayed in the business and became middle men helping to move drugs and possibly help make it into heroin and meth. Cocaine as we learned is a drug that is mostly down south and meant for the rich since it is very expensive. This tribe was building a house made of teak wood- very expensive and rare, even by American standards. It was a beautiful home, two stories. Gorgeous, even if it were in the U.S. Other homes were simply made from bamboo. Our guide said there is no way they are making enough money for such a house selling corn...very questionable. Overall, the drug trade still exists in Thailand. Every vehicle is checked coming out of Chang Dao because a neighboring country, Burma, is very involved in the business. If you look Burmese, you are always stopped and searched.

Thai Culture

Today began our adventure into the mountain region of Thailand, Chaing Dao. We began by visiting an elephant camp where we rode, fed, and watched the elephants. Elephants are amazing. They can learn many different languages although their official language is Kum. This is the universal language and from here, they learn many others including sign language and English. We were provided a wonderful buffet lunch followed by a bamboo raft ride. From here, Danny and I were taken to the hills and continued on our way. Our guide, Lin, spoke very good English. Along with this, she can speak Russian, Thai, and the official language of Chang Mai which I cannot pronounce or type. In Bangkok, people speak Thai, but not up north. It is a completely different language and has it's own alphabet. The tribes up north each have different dialects of which are hard to understand, even between those that neighbor each region. One of the most frustrating professions is a teacher because if you are a school that hosts many tribes, you must learn all the languages of the tribes, or teach the children Thai. We later learned that in many villages teachers must also be midwives because if a woman cannot make it to the hospital soon enough, she must call upon a midwife.

In Thailand, Bhudism is the main religion although Christianity is studied and practiced as well. Many study the Bhuddist teachings and will pray to be set free from material things. They wish to be free of hate, jealousy, and anger amongst other things. Reaching enlightenment does not happen for many, in fact it is incredibly difficult. Even monks who devote their lives to the study may not reach enlightenment. Meditation is also a difficult practice and for many can takes years of perfecting, if perfected at all.

Along the way to our hike, we picked up a man that we came to know as Uncle Komp. He was our leader in the hills as our guide joked she always gets lost. The two led us up a hill, through brush and streams and stopped to pick mushrooms along the way- dinner for later. They knew the mountains and the plants and would point out poisonous mushrooms. The logic is simple- if you see the ants dying after they eat the mushroom, it is no good. Or, if the mushroom is too old, do not eat it. Plants have amazing ways of healing including one that can rid the body of kidney stones and get rid of Malaria. Their way to kill cancer is simple as well, two lemons to one can of soda. I am not certain this would be the best route for myself, but it is much less painful than our western method of chemotherapy and carries far less side affects.

As we hiked further, we entered into a village tribe. This tribe tend to their farms together and help each other as a community. In the some tribes of the Thai culture, it is opposite of western thinking in that men come first. The term ladies first is non-existent. Women stay home to take care of the children (although they can work if they want) and their husband brings home money. When he comes home, his wife is expected to make him dinner, however she is not allowed to eat until he has began to eat. In a neighboring tribe, it is very different. Men stay home and they can have as many wives as they wish. The women go out to work and send home the money. They are also expected to serve their husbands and provide food along with other things.

After visiting the tribe, we came to our place of rest for the night. A small village-like cottage that hosts many people, often children in the nearby school. The rooms were nice and after a long day, the perfect place to rest. We ate hand picked wild mushrooms and crickets for dinner, which is enough to make anyone jealous. Paired with beer and other good food, the crickets were surprisingly good. Lin informed us that we were one of the few westerners to eat crickets. But, as we say, when in Thailand...do as the Thai's do. Within reason.

The government in Thailand is very corrupt and cannot be trusted, even by its own people. Lin had originally gone to university to become a police officer but after realizing how corrupt the system was, decided to become a tour guide. One of the issues of a third world country is the rich are very rich, and the poor are very poor. There is hardly a middle class. Lawyers and doctors, who make very good money in the U.S, only make okay money in Thailand. It is those who work in government that are rich thus leading to corruption. If they can make more money by doing something that may not be right, they will take the opportunity. Sadly, there is little that can be done however Thailand is a monarchy, known by its people as the Kingdom of Thailand. The people love their King and Queen. Whatever they say, the people will follow. They are good to their citizens and provide them land, means to sell their goods, access to schools and scholarships and ask for little in return. The Royal Project is a program which provides many things for its citizens and people can apply to become a part of this and receive money for school, help for their farms and more. The monarchy has no control over what is done, that is controlled by the government, however I did hear an add at one point claiming because of the King and Queen‘s graciousness, people within Thailand are allowed to study any religion they wish. Unfortunately, I did not ask why the monarchy would have say of this, when they have very little control or power over anything.

Thailand- First Round.

Adventure is what we wanted and adventure is what we have experienced. Only three days in and so much to share! As we arrived in Bangkok, there was a storm that had just moved in. Rain was pouring down and from our plane, we had to be shuttled to customs. No problem here, we got through just fine and with no wait. Next stop, finding how to get to our hotel. After some searching and looking like lost Americans, we found our way to the shuttle and made it safe.

We arrived about 11:30PM and not having adjusted, were really hungry. We thought to try the random place right next to our hotel since it was the only place we could walk and not get sopping wet. And conveniently was still open and serving food despite the time. We hopped in grabbed a table and ate some delicious food. Welcome to Thailand.

The next morning, we transfered to a hotel further from the airport. We  have learned there is no true downtown to Bangkok, just different neighborhoods that offer different atmospheres. There was nothing crazy where we were just great hospitality and wonderful service. The jet-lag finally caught us and at about 6pm, we were exhausted and fell asleep. All plans for the night fell through and we woke up later, ate food and fell back asleep. Fun times.

Waking up the next morning, we went on the hunt for food and coffee. We stopped at a street food vendor and having no idea what the menu was, pointed to whatever was listed at the top and said we would have two. Delicious again. It was some type of omelet thing with pork? on a bed of rice with chili sauce. so simple and wonderful. From here, we jumped on the skytrain (similar to the link light rail back home) in search of a market. We have realized this is the easiest and safest way to get around....more on this later.

The markets here are incredible, gross from an American perspective, although a great representation of Thai culture. I am not admitting the Thai culture is gross, but as Americans, we are all about cleanliness, health codes, standards, etc.. Restaurants, hotels, vendors, etc. must meet standards and at Starbucks, they are not allowed to give your coffee with the lid off for fear of contamination. Well, we really haven't gotten that impression here.

Danny and I have not been shy about eating street food. We use common sense, but we came here to experience everything we can, not to hide on a beautiful semi-Thai but really more American resort. The markets here are not like the farmers markets back home. They are huge and much more permanent. They stink. Most likely because of the huge piles of various meats and fish standing about. The Thai people butcher their meat and clean their fish right in front of you. Typically, water is on the ground, likely from the heavy tropical rainfall and the occasional cleaning of their areas. Oh, and there are plenty of stray (or owned, its hard to tell) cats and dogs lying about. There are also piles upon piles of beautiful fruits and vegetables, spices, candies, and random...well stuff. You would think after all this Danny and I would never feel safe eating again, but we keep on trucking. We think we will take the out of site out of mind approach.

We were told by some friends to try dragon fruit. Lots and lots. But of course like any good traveler we never looked up what this fruit looks like and in the market, there are no signs in English and very little English is spoken. So naturally, we chose a fruit that if we were in the fruit naming business, would look like a dragon. We fumbled through ordering, most likely paid way too much money, had our fruit sliced and excitedly found our way to a park to enjoy this dragon fruit. It was...disgusting. Smelly. It was similar to a pudding texture and I really don't know how to describe the taste. We were also not allowed on the train with this fruit in hand. After googling this (thank you modern technology) we found it was named Durian, the treasured fruit of Thailand, described as "the king of fruits, distinctive for it's large size, strong odor, and thorn covered husk". The fruit is also banned from certain hotels and public transportation. Clearly we are making progress as official American tourists who are simply trying to understand another way of life and culture. You win this round, Thailand.