Sunday, December 11, 2016
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Day 13 – Sea and Country Biking Tour and Khao San Road
I think it is ironic that we spent the first hour of our
journey through Southeast Asia afraid to cross the road, and our last few hours
on the continent merged with the chaos – biking through the busy streets of
Bangkok!
We spent the day on Grasshopper Adventure’s “Sea and Country” mountain bike tour. Their website has a
very accurate description of what we did.
We traveled by bike, boat and train to a quiet part of Thailand
populated by the local fisherman and salt farmers. The ride painfully reminded me that I have
never been fond of mountain biking, and the scenery was not intoxicating. Faced with a mile of large muddy puddles
(even though it’s the dry season), I was as good as done; I wasn’t prepared to
be covered in staining red clay, and needed my shoes to be clean and dry for the
flight home. The mud lasted briefly, so
I refocused on enjoying the adventure.
Sea and Country bike tour with Grasshopper Adventures
Biking quickly through the streets of Bangkok, Greg commented that you'd be left in the dust if you weren't a capable biker!
Wat Arun, the iconic travel photo, is sadly covered in scaffolding
The monks are out in full force at 7am
Our train arriving into the station, about to take us an hour to the shore
Dragging 7 bikes onto and off of the train, with crowds of people coming from every direction, is a frantic experience
The train is squished between homes and bushes. Shreds of leaves fly in through open windows when the train speeds down the tracks.
We got off at the end of the line, Mahachai Station, which holds a morning fish market
The crematorium at the temple in the port of Tha Chin
All around this area there are fish laying out to dry
A peculiar mudskipper fish hops into and out of the water
A lot of the bike ride is on a dirty dusty path - which soon turns to mud
Harvesting salt is a big industry here
We stopped for a seafood lunch along the drab Gulf of
Thailand, and then headed back to the city.
After riding for 25 miles, the end of the tour was my favorite part: my
adrenaline was pumping as we rode on the streets of Bangkok weaving in and out
of the scooters, cars and buses. We
detoured through narrow alleyways with repeated tight turns, and oddly rode
through the bustling flower market. It
was pretty crazy! Then, within 500
meters of the finish line, I biffed it big time. Although I have never in my
life jumped a curb, our guide Andy made it look easy. Duped with unfounded confidence, I pretended
I knew what I was doing – and promptly crashed right into the curb. I fell in slow motion, laughing at my
stupidity – smack in the middle of Ratchadamnoen Klang Road, the biggest and
busiest road in Bangkok. I was
immediately surrounded by helpful people – all except Greg who was nowhere in
sight. Later he lovingly informed me I
should have had no problem jumping up the curb.
No matter, the bruises and gash were my proud souvenirs to our wild
adventure!
For dinner we chose a Bangkok institution called Thip Samai.
It is famous for pad thai, and we followed the crowds. What the pictures don’t convey is the crazy
volume, speed, and commotion of the busy restaurant.
Thip Samai wraps the pad thai up like a gift in a very thin layer of egg
Their specialty Pad Thai Haw Kai Goong Sot with prawns for 90 baht ($3.50 usd)
We celebrated our journey through Southeast Asia on Khao San Road. After sitting at a bar lining the street, people
watching while drinking our commemorative local Chang beer, I then sought out a
massage, pedicure, manicure, and facial.
Adamant he would not participate, Greg was convinced by a nearby man
from Colorado – and enjoyed the whole experience right next to me … all that for
the whopping price of $60 for the both of us!
Being pampered was the perfect way to end a physical day and a fantastic
journey!
There are plenty of things (both legal and illegal) to keep you busy on Khao San Road
Drinking Chang beer on Khao San Road
After two weeks, our adventure through Southeast Asia has
come to an end, and we board the plane for home in the morning. One of our tour guides in Vietnam asked,
surprised, “You think it is different here?
How?!” Nothing is the same. As you turn every corner, you are guaranteed
one thing: you will see something you have never seen before. Though I’ve never been so ready to leave,
the trip was the best of our long list of travels. I thought I’d be checking it off my bucket
list, but to my dismay, it left me already planning our return!
Friday, December 2, 2016
Day 12 - Thai Cooking Class
Today was a casual day with very little planned other than our early afternoon cooking class. Normally we choose not to take cooking classes when we travel but a Thai cooking class sounded appealing, particularly to Greg.
We took our time getting to the classroom in the middle of the city. Since we are staying along the river right at a boat stop, it was easiest to hop on a boat - for a mere 50 cents.
Our class started at a local produce market where we learned about and purchased our ingredients.
The cooking school was a cozy, eclectic space divided into four areas: the prepping area, an area to do messy work, a cooking area, and the dining area.
The class was a mix of prepping, cooking, and learning; some of the work was done for us. The reoccurring theme was that most Thai people do not cook like we were because either it requires too many costly ingredients or is too much work.
We made five dishes: shrimp in coconut milk (tom kah gai), pad thai, chicken salad (laab gai), green curry with chicken (kang khiao wan gai), and mango with sticky rice. I enjoyed doing something new, being exposed to new foods, and being able to control the taste of my own dishes.
After class we decided to walk an hour back so we could see more of Bangkok. We are staying near Khao San Road, known as the backpacker's street, which comes alive at night.
We took our time getting to the classroom in the middle of the city. Since we are staying along the river right at a boat stop, it was easiest to hop on a boat - for a mere 50 cents.
Our class started at a local produce market where we learned about and purchased our ingredients.
Our fresh ingredients from the market
The cooking school was a cozy, eclectic space divided into four areas: the prepping area, an area to do messy work, a cooking area, and the dining area.
The cooking area
The class was a mix of prepping, cooking, and learning; some of the work was done for us. The reoccurring theme was that most Thai people do not cook like we were because either it requires too many costly ingredients or is too much work.
Greg was the only guy in the class so she kept choosing him for the harder prepping. It is easier and cheaper to buy green curry paste.
We made five dishes: shrimp in coconut milk (tom kah gai), pad thai, chicken salad (laab gai), green curry with chicken (kang khiao wan gai), and mango with sticky rice. I enjoyed doing something new, being exposed to new foods, and being able to control the taste of my own dishes.
tom kah gai
"Make your pad thai look like 150 baht not 50 baht"
The main ingredients for green curry chicken
The mango with sticky rice was delicious!
After class we decided to walk an hour back so we could see more of Bangkok. We are staying near Khao San Road, known as the backpacker's street, which comes alive at night.
Chinatown was not terribly exciting yet very different than any we have been to before
Lively Khao San Road
Day 11 - Mahout for a Day
Fate brought me to discover K.T.T. - Kanchanaburi Transport Tours - K. E. P. Kanchanaburi Elephant Program.
In June, the government raided the Tiger Temple, permanently closing the controversial site - and forcing me to come up with Plan B.
Although Thailand was once populated with 100,000 elephants, now it is unlikely you will run into one of the 3,000 wild elephants. They are worth $50,000 dead. You are more likely to see one of the 3,000 kept safely "in captivity".
There are only five elephant organizations in Kanchanaburi, and K. E. P. is the smallest. It was the only one I could find that offered a day trip from Bangkok that also includes Erawan Falls - for a premium price. John Pierre runs the program. Tired of living the corporate lifestyle and jet-setting around the world, he has settled down with his Thai wife to live his dream life in Kanchanaburi. With no need to further line his pockets with gold, rather than exploit the cheap, local lifestyle, he has created a small-scale program for tourists to be exposed to the good Thai life, and gives all the profits to provide medical care for the locals.
Bordering the country of Myanmar (next on my bucket list), Kanchanaburi is a three hour drive from Bangkok. We were picked up by our private, luxury van on the dot at 6am to avoid Bangkok traffic. Upon arrival, I discovered that this was a completely private program; Greg and I would spend the morning alone with our guide, Bayetong the elephant, and her mahout (elephant trainer).
It's not easy to describe what it is like to spend a few hours in such close proximity with an elephant. Obviously they are enormous creatures with the ability to crush you in a matter of moments. To form a bond with Bayetong, we started by feeding her what seemed like an endless supply of bananas. She anxiously grabbed each bunch, cramming them into her mouth as if she were starving. Just like our dog Kiara, she was won-over by food, and let us climb up onto her back - the natural way to ride an elephant.
Riding an elephant bareback is unlike anything I've ever experienced. You feel like you are 15 feet high, which offers an incredible vantage point of the surrounding, heavenly scenery. Up close you realize their head is covered with coarse, thick, wiry hair. The sound of air rushing through her trunk, like a wind tunnel, sounds almost like a purr.
Bayetong kept grabbing food every chance she got
We spent the next hour riding to the river, unsure if our legs could hold on and if we could keep our delicate perch. Bayetong had one goal: to eat everything along the way. Her treat was a huge durian fruit (size of a large watermelon) - a gift from a local farmer. She took forever to eat it. Since it was on the ground, she had to slightly bend down for each piece; if she dipped a fraction further, surely we both would have toppled off. When she was finished, she twisted her trunk up to me, and sneezed chewed durian on me. If you've eaten durian before, then you know it smells like baby poop ... disgusting!
When you are sitting on an elephant and they bite into a papaya, you can feel and hear the explosion from their crushing teeth
The river is Bayetong's happy place, and she splashed around in it like a playful dolphin. She disappeared under the water, occasionally surfacing her trunk to breathe. We played with her for almost an hour: going under with her, toppling off of her, climbing back on, and jumping off.
Elephants live as long as humans
There is only one mahout for an elephant; there is only one elephant for a mahout
Playing in the river with Bayetong. Greg kept falling off!
Getting kissed by an elephant - it's more like a hickey
After our time with Bayetong came to an end, we spent the next hour floating down the river, where we ended with lunch.
As soon as the raft brought us to the center, we jumped in
We floated and laughed down the river on our backs, just the two of us
Our chosen afternoon activity was a trip to nearby Erawan Falls. Although there are officially seven tiers of falls, we discovered there to be many more and decided they just chose to identify an odd, lucky number. Although I keep claiming each country so far is even more lush and beautiful, this remarkable landscape surely wins the award. Since we started at 2pm, it wasn't very crowded - except for the "Russian explosion" JP warned us about. Oddly, in the middle of Asia, you don't expect to run into a sea of Russians - who disregard the signed, modest bathing customs and stomp around flaunting skin in every direction.
Tier 2 of Erawan Falls is the prettiest, and has the biggest pool to swim in
There are many mini falls all the way up
Simply beautiful
After the 3rd or 4th tier, the concrete trail disappears and the rock climbing begins. They don't allow any food past that point, and if you want to bring your water, you have to pay a deposit. (We didn't bring any money so couldn't bring any water.)
Thai people believe that spirits live in old, big trees and therefore surround them with great offerings
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Day 10 – Bangkok, Thailand
As we were landing in Bangkok the pilot warned that
importing pornography, fire arms, and narcotics is illegal. Signs in immigration control reminded that
Buddha is for respect, not decoration.
Our tour guide warned us that Bangkok is a “fantastic organized chaos”
and the new #1 tourist destination in the world, beating out London. We have four days to discover the unfamiliar
culture of Bangkok and its surrounding areas!
At the top of every tourist’s list is a visit to the Grand
Palace. If you have read anything about
it, then you have seen the warnings telling you to ignore the locals who hang
out on your way to the palace and tell you it is closed – they want to take you
to a “better” place (that involves a payoff for them). There are even signs around the palace
telling you to beware of these unlicensed guides – “they are lying” – the
palace is open every day. Ironically,
the palace is closed for our visit. It
is actually closed under tragic circumstances: their beloved King Bhumibol
passed away mid-October after ruling amicably for 70 years. Our guide contacted us a day ago to inform us
that the palace would be closed for the 50th day ceremony of his death. Fortunately we had an ounce of flexibility in
our itinerary that allowed us to instead tour the palace immediately when we
arrived – right before it closed for a few days.
All over Thailand are huge impromptu shrines honoring the deceased king
The Grand Palace is an enclosure of amazingly ornate,
oversized temples crammed into a ridiculously small area overcrowded with
thousands of tourists. However, I think
I might have been more fascinated with the sheer volume of Thai people, all
dressed in black, there to pay respect to the king. Each day since his death, 40,000 citizens
visit and wait in the seemingly infinte line for 10 hours!
Free water, food and even gifts are offered to the people while they
wait. What an orchestration it was! “We are like this every day,” said our guide
Ms. Pookie.
Thailand's Grand Palace - even though royalty doesn't live here, much of the palace is closed to the public
The temple Wat Phra Kaew contains the greatly revered Emerald Buddha
The building where the king's body is on display. Thai people can only be dressed in all black or a school uniform.
Next Pookie took us on a private long tail boat ride through
Bangkok’s quiet canals (called klongs).
I enjoyed passing picturesque scenes of Thai river life; nearly everyone
we passed smiled and waved!
The choppy water of the Chao Phraya River, running through the center of Bangkok, makes getting on the long tail boat challenging.
"Get a picture of the engine; it's bigger than most car engines!" -- Greg
After sitting at a standstill in traffic for an hour, I was amazed these peaceful klongs exist in the center of Bangkok
The klongs are lined with homes
Careful of monitor lizards if you decide to swim in the canal - they are in the Komodo dragon species and are bigger than me!
We stopped at a temple to buy food for the fish
As a single unimpressive catfish surfaced to eat the bread, Pookie kept repeating, "Did you get it?" Suddenly the water erupted!
The boat dropped us off at the flower and vegetable
market. Since it is known mostly as a
wholesale market, I was glad we had Pookie with us or I would’ve felt very
out-of-place.
Something tells me they eat a lot of ginger in Thailand
The market mostly had flowers for offering
The before and after of a lotus flower: they twist back the petals resulting in a blooming flower that appears to be made of silk.
Our last stop was Wat Pho, particularly known for an
enormous reclining Buddha (151 feet long and 49 feet high).
Wat Pho
The temple is lined with 394 Buddha
The reclining Buddha represents the dying Buddha in the position he adopted to attain nirvana (release from the cycle of rebirth)
The illuminated stupas at Wat Pho
Bangkok tuk tuks are notoriously difficult to bargain; fortunately we had Pookie
Utterly exhausted, we could barely keep our eyes open long
enough to finish a small bag of chips for dinner.
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