Nop

Our final days in Thailand went quickly and were without obligation. We returned to the Walking Market for the third week in a row to see if we could find anything else we couldn't live without. We managed to fill our backpack with things we never expected to buy, such as an original painting and wall hangings with elephants and camels. Shortly before leaving we met Nop, the owner of a small massage business who was running a booth at the market. He had a unique twist on Thai Massage. His process is called Tok Sen and involves the use of small wooden mallets. The masseur follows the body’s sen (energy) lines tapping on a wooden ‘chisel’ as they move up and down the arms, legs and back. Although noisy, the procedure is remarkably pleasant. Our new friend Nop filled our ears with his story and his dreams of opening a local holistic wellness retreat center where people can learn how to eat and live healthier. We were intrigued and impressed with his aspirations and zeal. Nop invited us to his place of business (at his home) for an all day spa treatment and we accepted.

Our final day in Chiang Mai turned out to be much more of a treat than we expected. We arose as usual, had our breakfast, and walked outside where a TukTuk was waiting to take us to Nop’s place. Our spa day began at a local swimming pool with watsu sessions; watsu being a form of therapeutic bodywork performed in warm water pools. We returned to Nop's place for an herbal sauna, followed by some kind of scrub bath and shower, and finally a full Thai massage using the Tok Sen method. Nop’s little business was more of a Bed & Breakfast Spa than a massage studio. He had a multi-level house with many rooms which he opened to his guests. Anyone stopping by for a massage was allowed to stay over and enjoy the facilities, including home prepared meals, at no additional charge. He was dedicated to helping people increase their health and happiness. The evening dinner (which we helped to prepare) was mostly vegetarian. The meal was shared with guests from Thailand, Spain, Germany, Holland and the USA (us!). After the meal, Nop arranged for everyone to be driven to the local night market and see a cabaret show. The entire day was relaxing yet rejuvenating and provided a firsthand glimpse of daily Thai life. What a wonderful way to conclude our trip.

Back at our guesthouse that evening, we reflected on Nop and his desire to provide a facility that caters to people’s need for physical and mental prosperity. It's a goal that may seem impossible for an average Thai citizen to accomplish on his own, yet we had already seen it in action on a much smaller scale. Nop’s dedication to his clients and selflessness in creating an atmosphere of health and well-being were quite evident. His house was so full of residents that he had given up his own bedroom so that others would have a place to stay. The bill for our all day spa visit with him was nothing. He never requested money but allowed his guests to pay him according to what they felt his service and hospitality was worth. We wondered if we could find a way to bring him to America so he could share his talents and hopefully earn some money to take home to help pursue his vision. We were humbled by his graciousness, and our time with him was a perfect ending for our journey. We were leaving a land rich in hospitality, goodness and genuine caring for one another, and returning to a land where such traits are often challenged by our fast paced and self-serving society. We were reminded of the words of Wan, our gracious and fluent English speaking TukTuk driver in Cambodia, "We are all the same, we have the same physical bodies and the same minds, yet some people are born into plenty and others are born into poverty. It’s not fair but it’s the way things are, so we shouldn't complain, but strive to make the best out of what we have." Words that we hope will ever be engraved in our hearts and minds.

Classes Conclude

The second week of Thai Massage classes seemed to go a little smoother than the first. Not sure if it was because we now had some of the basics down or if we were still numb from the previous week. Whatever the reason, we were now equipped to return some of the new torture techniques we had learned back on our teacher. The two of us were his only students this week so two former students returned from time to time to help us practice. Our teacher, Mos, was very preoccupied with trying to sell his truck and was constantly in and out of the room with phone calls and meetings regarding the sale. He did bring in some little sticky coconut rice treats that we enjoyed during our frequent breaks.

The second week of classes repeated many of the same moves and techniques we learned in the previous week, and also explored some new and very demanding moves that required us to pull the client up on top of and over us. It’s certainly a strange concept to think that hoisting someone backwards over your knees is supposed to be therapeutic and relaxing, but apparently it helps somehow.

One of the better parts of class was getting to meet and spend time talking with people from other countries. We found it particularly interesting that those who speak English as their second language understood each other’s English better than we could. We were often left scratching our heads as their conversation would continue forward in their highly accented and broken English.

Our final day of class was to be a run through of every technique we had learned during both weeks so of course we were nervously hoping we could remember everything. With the amount of material we had to cover we were sure we would run way past our allotted time. Enter the iPhone! Luckily for us, Mos was very curious about our iPhone. We showed him how to access the games and within a few moments he was completely oblivious to us the remainder of the day. His focus on the game allowed us to slip through our final practice session, complete with shortcuts and imperfections, and we ended well ahead of schedule. Mos, happily surprised and satisfied by a job well accomplished (or so he presumed), presented us with our graduation certificates and we were free at last!

After completing the course on Friday, we were invited back to Mos’ house that evening for a BBQ with his family and a few former students. Our introduction to this Thai style BBQ was quite interesting. A fire was started in what appeared to be a small flower pot which contained a small amount of previously burned wood. The wood was actually a form of charcoal which burns long and hot. A metal apparatus that looked like a large manual citrus juicer was placed on top of the pot. It had a center dome for cooking the meat, and a surrounding trough for catching the juices to make soup. Mos’ wife placed a large bamboo mat on the ground in front of their house right on the sidewalk, and the BBQ pot was placed in the center. Raw meat and vegetables were brought out in bowls, and we sat on the bamboo mat circling the ‘hot pot’. Using chop sticks, we placed the meat and vegetables on the large ‘juicer’. The heat was intense and quickly grilled the meat and veggies. A little water was added, and in no time we had a very tasty chicken and vegetable soup. The dinner was as much a social occasion as a meal, and we ended up visiting around that hot pot for over three hours. It was a delightful experience that further promoted our cross cultural awareness.

As we biked home, we reflected on the day’s events. No matter what troubles and challenges a day may hold, an iPhone and a BBQ can make it all better.

Final Hurrah

This was our last weekend in Thailand and our final organized tour. April, a dear friend, gave some money with the instructions to use it for something wild and crazy. This was it, and it made for an unforgettable final hurrah to the trip. An eleven passenger minivan picked us up from the guest house at 9:30 for a cozy 30 min drive to our first destination. The passengers consisted of a couple from France, two from Romania, a girl from Russia, a girl from South Korea, two other Asians and the two of us.

Our first stop turned out to be one we weren't expecting, yet it was quite a pleasant surprise. It was a butterfly and orchid farm. There weren't many butterflies visible, perhaps they were cocooning or whatever butterflies do, but there were plenty of orchids. Hundreds of orchids; Thousands of orchids! There were so many sizes, shapes, colors and smells that we quickly hit overload and headed back to the bus. It was something you couldn't experience properly in 'turdy minit'.

Back on the bus we started our journey towards the jungle. The trip began like our previous excursions, speeding down highways and racing through small towns and villages. The drive was a blur of road side vendors, small farms and pictures of the king (King Ping!). We watched with amazement as the landscape changed drastically. Mountains grew out of the fields and the highway narrowed to a single pothole infested dirt road that often required the driver to beep his horn before taking the blind curves. Thick gnarled trees lined the paths, and forests of banana trees, papayas and bamboo wove through the countryside in Jurassic proportions encompassing the numerous dwellings of local farmers. The ascent continued up the narrow path with the edge of the road invisible at times from inside the van. The only comfort was the thick lush valley below should the vehicle lose its grip. The terrain changed again as we crossed the peak of the mountain and began our descent. Fields of corn and sunflowers sprang up as did rural villages. People here resembled Peruvians with their darker skin and funny hats. We passed open-air classrooms and groves of trees with 'Monk' orange cloths tied around them, not sure why, but we wondered if it had something to do with the many temples in the area.

Elephants emerged along the edge of a river, rumbling though the picturesque valley hauling passengers. We unloaded at an elephant camp but were detoured to the river where we were handed life preservers and paddles. An elderly man proceeded in broken English to give us a crash course in white water rafting. The key words to remember from the speech were 'forwar' and 'bacwar'. He invited several into the raft with him to help demonstrate the techniques. We were shown to shove our ankles under the front of the raft to help anchor ourselves and then row according to the captain’s directions. The Russian girl was obviously excited, her teeth shining through her enormous smile. The girl from the Ukraine was the exact opposite. She scowled and moaned agonizingly with each yell of 'forwar' and 'bacwar'.
We divided into two large rubber rafts, each with our own captain, and the race was on. The river immediately broke into a wild vortex of rocks and raging water, pulsing the bottom and sides of the raft like a homemade smoothie recipe compliments of Mother Nature. We paddled furiously to keep the raft upright. The Ukrainian girl not only made it in our raft but was seated in the front. She seemed particularly troubled but still managed to do a little paddling between the barked orders. We later found out that she had gotten a fresh ankle tattoo the night before and it was still very sore.
The water levels are low this time of the year, so the rapids subsided rather quickly. The majority of the time we floated calmly admiring the beauty of the valley. We passed many bamboo buildings and crudely fashioned homes alongside the river. Some had only partial walls; all were small and sparsely furnished with tables and cooking areas and mats for bedding. Our captain mentioned that he lived in one of them. I hoped it was the one we saw that had a satellite dish on the top. As we neared the end of our float trip we passed some local kids playing in the water. They called to our captain and then over they came splashing and laughing, clinging onto the side of our raft and some crawling in. We were one happy group of rafters and one particularly happy Ukrainian as we disembarked onto dry land.

A short van ride down the river took us to another elephant camp. Our first view of it was like watching a scene unfold on a movie screen. The river separated the parking area from the elephants, and a long rickety swinging bridge joined the two sides. Across the river there were several wooden towers with stairways which allowed passengers to easily mount the elephants. Little Thai people were scurrying between the mammoth beasts, hauling large bushels of sugarcane and hay on their backs and gathering elephant dung which they stacked into piles and set on fire. The rising smoke encased the camp in swirling white columns painting the entire scene in a surreal mist.

The bridge turned out to be more of a challenge than it first appeared. Rusty wire cables were supporting it, and new boards had been recently laid across the gaping holes left by the deteriorating older boards.
We successfully crossed the river and climbed onto one of the loading towers. Each elephant had their own trainer, which was consistently a very short and thin man that rode either right behind the creature's head or directly on top of it. A lady was on the platform selling bags of small bananas and sugar cane to feed the elephants, and of course we purchased some. The elephants wore saddles with baskets made to seat two people. We climbed on board, and the elephant began lumbering slowly down a well beaten path along the river bank. The path was full of large potholes which every elephant managed to miraculously avoid and still keep perfect cadence. The trail wound around deep curves and at times became very steep, which at one point proved to be very challenging for us to hold on and not slide out of the seat onto the neck of the animal or worse, onto the ground and underfoot. The elephants were overly cautious at these areas and took them very slowly, which prolonged the amount of time we spent clinging onto the back and sides of the seats. It added both suspense and excitement to the ride.

When we reached the end of the route, we stopped at a feeding area. The boy driving our elephant jumped onto a nearby platform, and right on cue the elephant curled his large trunk over his head toward us and exposed his two nostrils, which looked like large round eyes staring at us from the end of his trunk. We opened the bag of treats and placed one onto the end of his trunk. With the fruit firmly secured, the trunk swung back over his head and made its way directly into his mouth. The large appendage repeated the maneuver and again was staring at us from over his head. We also repeated our actions until the treats were depleted. The boy jumped back on his head, spoke a few words to the elephant in Thai, and in perfect obedience the elephant turned and lumbered down toward the river.
At an ideal spot where a steep incline made for an easy exit from the beast, the boy stepped off onto the bank and motioned for one of us to scoot out of the seat and take over driving. Once seated behind the elephant's neck, he pressed his leathery ears back to secure the legs of the new driver, and off he trekked towards the river. The bank was extremely steep and the elephant let out an uncomfortable growl as it maneuvered the near 45° angle descent. We could sympathize, for it was all we could do to hang on for dear life - one of us on the elephant's neck and the other desperately clinging to the seat which was thankfully strapped on securely. Once in the river, we rocked along like a fully loaded barge trudging steadily upstream. We made our way back to the loading platforms and disembarked. We gave our new friend some gentle rubs and pats and headed back across the bridge to our waiting lunch buffet.

After our meal, the group headed back to the river where we climbed onto rafts. These were not like the first inflatable ones, these were made of bamboo. Each raft was about 8' x 15' and flat, except for the natural curves in the bamboo poles. We sat on small wooden benches and enjoyed the calm and serene float down the gently flowing river. The craft was piloted by a young boy who stood on the back of the raft and steered us along using a single bamboo pole. We passed by small farms and hut homes along the banks, and watched locals herding their animals along the river paths. The afternoon was perfect, sunny and warm, but not too hot. We relaxed to the sounds of the gently swishing water and the playful calls of birds.

Back on shore we were taken to be suited up with harnesses and helmets. We crossed the familiar swinging bridge again and reentered the elephant area. The elephants' saddles were now removed as their work for the day was completed. Some elephants were at the river where their keepers bathed and played with them in the water. Others roamed unfettered on the hillsides and banks of the camp, free to wander and eat from the bundles of sugar cane, hay and other freshly cut vegetation. We were able to interact with them differently now, and it was refreshing to see them free and well cared for. We petted and fed corn to a baby standing in the shadow of its mother, and after a quick pose or two for some pictures we headed up the mountain to the zip lines.

The climb was short but steep and soon we reached the ladder to our first platform. It was only about 10 feet off the ground and supported by a thick and sturdy tree trunk. Our two caretakers for this adventure were Mike, who spoke fluent English, and Banc, who spoke no English, but was very good at pointing and laughing at our silly actions. We were given a brief demonstration of how things worked and quickly found ourselves flying from the first platform to the next, which was probably a good 30 feet from the ground.
After our first successful flight, we repeated the process another 18 times, each one gaining distance and height till we were well over 150 feet in the air and soaring such great expanses it was hard to make out the platform at the other end. Mike was an expert at keeping us calm and making us feel safe. Always full of good spirits and silly antics, he was able to keep us somewhat distracted from our moments of complete terror and abandonment as we whooshed alone along thin cables at deadly heights and breakneck speeds. A young elephant was wandering the hillside between a couple of the platforms pulling up fresh vegetation, completely unmoved by the two panic stricken white guys flailing out of control far overhead. We zipped over the river twice and saw groups of people paddling by on their bamboo rafts, and soon ended up back at the elephant camp. It was an amazing experience, and one that won't soon be forgotten although not likely soon repeated.

We then drove to a multilevel waterfall to pick up the members of our group that didn't want to tackle the challenge of the zip line. The waterfall was not large but quite beautiful as it cascaded through lush vegetation and past bamboo huts.

The final stop for the day was a visit to the Longneck people. The Longnecks are from the Karen tribe, and live in remote villages in huts made of crude bamboo and straw with no apparent modern conveniences. Their mark of fame is their women who wear long coiled brass rings around their necks which press their shoulders and collar bones down, giving them the appearance of having especially long necks. Girls start wearing the brass rings as early as 5 years old, and most will continue to wear them their whole life. Originally from Burma, the tribes migrated into Northern Thailand where they are now a prominent tourist attraction.
The village consisted of pathways lined with bamboo huts which were nothing but shops. The longneck ladies perch beside their merchandise calling tourists to come over to take a picture of them and buy a trinket or souvenir. Tourism is their primary source of income so they continue their awkward traditions. It felt uncomfortable to walk through their village and gawk at them as if walking through a zoo, and we couldn’t get back to the van fast enough.

We rode back to our guesthouse full of fond memories and experiences. The sun gracefully disappeared behind the trees heralding the end of the day, and shadows grew long on the open rice fields. This seemed to have a symbolic significance as we were ending our long adventure in Thailand. Our remaining time would be spent in preparation for returning home, but our hearts and minds had been forever changed.

Turty minit - Turty minit!!

After shopping around at several different travel agencies, we decided to make our Visa run (to extend our prematurely shortened visas) a little more exciting. For only 400 Baht (about $12) more we could add a few side trips.

Our Thai tour guide was an enthusiastic, rapid talking and heavily accented (as well as insanely funny) young girl named Star, and it was immediately apparent why she used that name. Star started her 'performance' explaining the highlights of our trip. Hanging over the front passenger seat, she kept the attention of her thirteen captive passengers with promises of great financial rewards if anyone knew the answers to a few Thai trivia questions. "One million baht to who know what is meaning of name 'Chiang Mai'", and then held her backpack up so we could feel the weight of the prize! Having recently written our blog entry on Chiang Mai, we knew the answer and 'won' the prize! Chiang Mai means 'New City'. She continued, "Another million baht to you if can tell me what mean Chiang Mai original name Lanna!" which we also knew, and we were again the winners of the unseen prize. The tour guide asked if we, having smarts like that, had a wife yet in Thailand. Not quite sure if she was fishing for a proposal...

We settled in for a two hour drive to our first destination of the White Temple in Chiang Rai. Our ebullient guide gave us another effervescent presentation on our upcoming temple visit, and made sure we knew to make a visit to the spectacular Golden Toilet. The what?!? Yes, the Golden Toilet.

As we exited the van, Star instructed us that we had exactly 'Turty Minit' to visit the White Temple, the local shops and food vendors, and the spectacular Golden Toilet. 'Turty Minit! Turty Minit' she exclaimed repeatedly! It turned out to be a fantastically gorgeous and interesting temple that was opened to the public only six years ago, and was constructed by a private individual at the cost of 400 million baht (about 14 million US dollars). We barely had time to walk through the temple itself (and take a quick look at the Golden Toilet) before the guide was rushing us back to the minivan. Not even time to grab a refreshing fruit drink or look at the myriad trinkets being sold by the numerous vendors. 'Turty Minit' goes by so fast!

Back on the minivan, we continued another couple of hours to our next destination - the Mae Khong River - where we boarded a rickety long neck boat for a short windy journey across the river to the country of Laos. The area here is referred to as "The Golden Triangle" and is actually the confluence of three rivers. The waterway provides a no man's land meeting point of three countries, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, and is infamous for opium trafficking. Arriving on the Laos shore, we were again advised of our 'Turty Minit' time limit. We were relieved to find that at this border there were no intimidating officials or long lines. In a matter of minutes we were walking on real Laos soil.

This was the fourth country we visited on our trip, and we were excited to see what new adventures would be waiting for us there. We crossed the high concrete river bank and got our first glimpse of the country - hoards of vendors waiting to sell us something. These shops were a little different than the ones in Chiang Mai and had a bountiful supply of name brand knockoffs as well as new oddities. One shop was gathering excessive attention so we joined the crowd. The attraction - local whiskey, complete with your choice of 'pickled' roots, cobras, or scorpions. What?!? They said (as clearly as we were able to understand) the root vintage was lighter for the ladies and would help transform them into butterflies. We weren't sure what they said the other ones would do but we could surely guess. Only one of us had the nerve to try some and we'll leave it up to you to guess who.
Vendors were plentiful with a seemingly unlimited supply of delights. We were a bit sad that only a few minutes after our libation detour our'Turty Minit' was up and we were being heralded back to the boat. Bye bye *hic* Laos!

After another minivan ride and a buffet lunch at an Asian restaurant, we finally arrived at the gateway to Myanmar (Burma). Previously under British rule, the military government officially changed the English translations of many colonial-era names in 1989; these changed included the name of the country from Burma to Myanmar. The renaming remains a contested issue. Many opposition groups and countries continue to use "Burma" because they do not recognise the legitimacy of the ruling military government or its authority to rename the country. "Burma" continues to be used by the governments of many countries, including the United States.

Our border crossing proved to be quite a different experience from our Cambodian border crossing, thanks to the help of our hyperactive tour guide. Her requested two million Baht fee unfortunately used up our winnings from the morning trivia contest but her help was well worth it. We were the only two from our tour who needed the passport run, so while we focused on that task our fellow travelers had the opportunity to visit the many shops and vendors along the Thailand side of the border.
Crossing the border back into Thailand we were again impressed by the uniformity and relatively professional process by Thai immigration. We were equally unimpressed by the lack thereof on the adjoining border. The immigration office for Mynamar looked like grandma kettle's kitchen with piles of dirty dishes lingering in the rust stained sink behind the officer. Even with a short delay by a woman that was rushed through ahead of us thanks to a small payoff on her part, we were processed in a reasonably short amount of time. However smooth the process, we unfortunately used up our allotted 'Turty Minit' stop and only glanced at the goods being sold as we sprinted back to the van. That may have been fortunate for us as the guide advised to beware the name brand 'knock-offs'. She had recently purchased a new watch at the border and said "Knock off cheaper but go to sleeping very soon. Not wake up again."
The streets near the border were again familiarly full of food vendors, and this group had some of the strangest items we'd seen yet. Their items even made the Bat-on-a-stick look good.

Back on the minivan, we headed to our final stop at a hot spring near Chiang Rai. We arrived after dark to what looked like a big parking lot full of shops and vendors with a steaming hole in the middle (which is exactly what it was). We were advised of our new and revised 'Fiteen Minit' time limit for this location and quickly perused the vendors for a small snack. At the steaming hole people were gathered and lowering eggs into the sulphuric smelling water. For only 20 baht (less then a dollar) they had a small sulphur scented snack cooked by nature itself. We decided to pass on the boiled egg. The pungent odor pushed us away from the hole and over to the banana chips.

Flower Festival

The Chiang Mai Flower Festival occurs every year in February and fortunately our stay coincided with this year's event. The flower beds around town are especially gorgeous and showcase many varieties of flowers, some of which are only found in Chiang Mai. The focus of this festival is the public garden of Suan Buak Haad on the southwest corner of the moat. The road next to the moat by the park is closed to traffic so vendors can set up their displays of plants, Thailand orchids and other flowers, garden decorations and endless varieties of food.

A main event of the Flower Festival is the Flower Parade. Similar to the Rose Parade, there are numerous floats with every inch covered in real flowers. Unlike most American parades, this parade lasted half the day. The parade route is quite long, which allows for many opportunities to see it. The parade is packed with people dressed in traditional and festive attire performing dances or musical numbers . At the end of the parade route the floats are moved to the festival area in the old city to allow the public to see them up close and even touch them. We examined the floats closely, admiring the creativity and appreciating the countless hours needed to create such works of art.

The vendor area offered a plethora of flowers both on display and available for purchase. Similar to our county fairs, people brought their flowers and plants for judging, and the public was able to view and take pictures of the prize botanicals, which also included an impressive collection of Bonsai trees.

We made a few purchases of local goods and tried out some new cuisine. We passed up the octopus on a stick and squid cakes, and settled for more familiar tastes such as chicken and fruit.

Massage Class: Day 5

We did it, we survived the first week of Thai Massage Classes, but just barely. There was concern if we would make it through the day and still have enough energy to type this report. The massage school is located near a hospital. Now it makes sense. We should have just rented a room at the hospital instead of biking across town. We've been pulled, twisted and bent in ways we never thought possible. Next time we get the idea to try something like this we'll save a lot of money by rubbing ourselves down with meat tenderizer and jumping in the lion's den at the Little Rock zoo.

How much for the mango?

In preparation for our trip we were anticipating things to be relatively inexpensive and with an exchange rate of 30 Baht to the dollar, we were ready to do some shopping. We learned quickly that not only are the prices about the same as in the US, but the way things are marked can easily result in overspending.

For example: A regular pair of shorts that we were interested in buying was marked at 500 Baht. Five hundred anything sounds exorbitant until we do some fast calculating and find out its the equivalent of about $16, which is compatible with discount store pricing back home. However, certain amounts can be very deceptive. A small bag of cashews we saw were marked at 180 Baht. At first glance it translates to $1.80 which would be fine for the small bag of nuts, and as such we have frequently made such a purchase. But the price was not one dollar and eighty cents, it was one hundred and eighty Baht which actually equals $6, way too expensive for such a small snack. Similarly, we priced a box of cereal at $7, roughly twice the cost of the same box back home.

Many items we looked at purchasing cost almost the same as we would pay in the states. Sunscreen, toiletries, clothing and most gifts came at no savings at all. But there are two areas where there is quite a reduction in cost - food and housing - which can be two of the most expensive necessities. A full meal including drink can be purchased here for the equivalent of only a dollar or so. The exception would be big chains like McDonalds, KFC and Subway (all available here) where the pricing is practically identical to prices at home. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be purchased at open markets, which are plentiful around town, for a fraction of the price we are accustomed to paying.

As for housing, the Guest House where we are staying is first class in terms of comfort and amenities, and wrapped in a beautiful tropical setting. Looking online we found an equivalent guest house in Florida starting at $200 a night. We are paying $20 a night.

The conclusion: Leave your cereal at home, this is a heck of a great value for a vacation.

Massage Class: Day 4

We are convinced our massage teacher is trying to kill us. The days are getting progressively harder and not just in learning the techniques but also in pain and suffering. We never thought to ask if the price of admission included a life insurance policy. Our teacher Mos took over the school from his brother Mac, who reportedly moved to Italy. We are now questioning if Mac is 'on the lam'. Mos is married to a lady from France and they are planning to close the school in May and move to Paris. I think we arrived four months too early. I wonder how to say "Run while you still can!" in French?

Fresh fresh fresh

On just about every block around our guest house are any number of vendors of fresh fruit and other (often unidentifiable) food items. Rose apples, also called Jambu or Chom poo, are in season and readily available, as is watermelon, cantaloupe, papaya, coconut, pineapple, dragon fruit, mangosteen, the Thai orange, durian, pomelo, strawberry, mango and banana. It has been a delight to snack on fresh fruits as an alternative to drive-through and processed foods so ubiquitous in the US. Fortunately for us, there is a star fruit tree near our Thai massage school. The tree is loaded and every day there are newly ripened star fruit beckoning us to partake. They have been a delicious addition to our fruit consumption.

The majority of our meals (with the exception of one visit each to KFC and McDonalds) have all been loaded with an abundance of fresh vegetables. Even the one time we had pizza it had a vegetable topping combination which included fresh pineapple and whole kernel corn. What in the world? Corn on a pizza. Who would have guessed. And it was delicious.

It has been very rare to find desert items listed on any menu (that we can read, of course) so we've supplemented our meals with fresh fruit smoothies. Smoothie vendors also have a prominent presence in the city. Passion fruit and mango smoothies have become our favorites.

There is an elementary school close to where we are studying, and each afternoon as school is letting out we have noticed a vendor set up directly across from the school. His product of choice happens to be bags of freshly cooked 'fren frie potato', complete with ketchup and a skewer stick. He is conveniently accessible to the hungry children (and visiting Americans 'jonesing' for a fry fix). A single bag is only ten baht, or about 33¢. It isn't a large quantity, but just enough for a quick snack. Yum!

Another interesting thing to note is how portable and moveable the street food vendors are. Available electric plugs are located at nearly every light pole along the street so the vendors just pull up and plug in. Many of their carts are actually 'side cars' on motorcycles. When the business day is through, they just ride their 'shops' home and restock for the next day. What a concept.

(Notice the lady is sitting on her motorcycle seat)

Massage Class: Day 3

What have we gotten into? Is this really a form of massage? We need to look up the word 'massage' in the dictionary to make sure it doesn't refer to inquisition techniques. The best part of the day was lunch. We found a vegetarian restaurant near the school that we love. Everyday they have a different menu of new tasty dishes and noodle soups. We both can eat a good meal for a total of 50 Baht (less than $2).
Our trip back to the school usually entails stopping by one of a number of stands to get a fresh fruit smoothie. The Passion Fruit is particularly tasty. Then it's back to the studio where we once again are submitted to another 3 hours of Thai massage practice. The good thing about practicing on each other is that we don't have to really push, pull, crack and snap very hard, we just have to act like it.

Massage Class: Day 2

Our second day of class went relatively well. During the first hour Mos showed us a new group of postures and the rest of the day we practiced on each other. Classes only run from 9:00 to 4:00 with a one our lunch break. Six hours of class is certainly enough for one day. It's interesting to note how many of the new postures seem to resemble torture techniques. This is sure a different type of massage from the usual ones back home. At least we get to keep our clothes on. Still, several times we though how we would gladly trade an article or two of clothing for a little bit easier massage. Nevertheless, it is still engaging and we are learning a lot. We are taking copious notes and already making a list of people that we can't wait to try this out on - so beware, haha!

Massage Class: Day 1

We started our classes today at The Fine Art of Thai Massage. The school is located in a narrow 5 story building in the heart of the old city. Mos, our instructor, is a 30 yr. old Thai man who has been in and around Thai massage his entire life. He and his brother Mac learned early on from his parents who were also both Thai massage instructors. There are only four students in the class so there is a lot of personal attention. The two other students, Ainoa, a young lady from Spain, and Georges, a young man from Greece, are both in their third week and just practicing this week so Mos has more time to focus on us. Thai massage is not necessarily relaxing, and there are a lot of positions that use pressure points, bending, pushing, pulling and twisting, and they can be uncomfortable. After the first day we are still excited about the class but a little uncertain about all the positions to learn. It looks like it will be a lot of work but we are excited and ready for the challenge.

Night Bazaar

The priority for our first full day in Chiang Mai was to find a place to stay. We left the Peppermint House, moved to the Prince Hotel for one night, then visited the Santitham Guest House. The Santitham was the place we were hoping for, and we were excited to get moved in as quickly as possible.

Our afternoon task was to locate the Thai Massage school. It was smack dab in the middle of the old city on Rachamanka Road, which is one of the primary streets in that area. Still having a little trouble with the language, we started giving things our own names and using mnemonics to help us remember important words and phrases. Rachamanka Road we fondly renamed Rachmaninoff. Hello in Thai is 'Sawadee Khrap', or our much easier Americanized version 'sweaty cup'. Useful to know here in this laid back culture is the phrase for 'never mind', 'Mai Pan Wri', or our simpler version, 'my pen writes'. We have finally learned Thai for 'Thank You' well enough to be understood but still foreign sounding enough to get a few laughs, although we fail to see what's so funny about our version, 'cop's coon crap'.

The evening turned out to be rather bizarre, a night bazaar in fact. Every Sunday night a portion of the old city streets are closed to vehicles and come alive with hundreds of food and merchandise vendors. The market is popular with both the tourists and the locals because of the good quality products and food sold at very low prices. The 'walking market' as it is also called, is promoted by the city as a way for locals to sell their handcrafted products, and as a way to showcase the area's culture, food and entertainment. We found the prices to be lower and the selection of goods larger than most of the other shopping areas we've seen, and the food was amazing, although much of it unrecognizable. Our recurring dialogue went something along the lines of "What in the World is that? We'll take two."

The walking market is hard to describe, and something that must be experienced. Huge masses of people visit the market, and they are often shoulder to shoulder - or stomach to back - and all trying to maneuver around each other. The best thing to relate it to is a weekend at Times Square, Burbon Street on Fat Tuesday, or when the doors open at WalMart on Black Friday. It is interesting to note that in spite of the mobs of people, everyone flows through the streets in an orderly and polite fashion. The people seem to follow similar patters when they drive. Watching the traffic here for the first time is almost terrifying, but after some experience we found that drivers are quite orderly and much more aware of what's going on around them than Americans driving at home while on their cell phones.

Most of the entertainment at the Walking Market is provided by underprivileged groups such as blind singers, crippled or elderly musicians, and also performances by local school kids and small children performing in traditional Thai costumes. We observed a demonstration by Thai monks, although we never did figure out what they were doing.

Our favorite part has to be the food. We had a plate of ten pieces of assorted sushi for about $3, real fruit smoothies for less than a $1 each, and bowls of noodles with 'mystery stuff' in them for less than 50¢. Not to mention lots of other things that we shouldn't mention because we wouldn't know how to mention them, such as the green squishy things with the white goopy stuff on top. The one thing we do know is that the prices are very low and the selection is enormous. We are already looking forward to returning next weekend.

Hotel Hop

The Peppermint Guest House is in a prime location in the old city and close to all 'the action' (whatever that is), and for $14 a night we couldn't go wrong, right?
Our room was on the third floor of the narrow building and was about the size of a small bedroom with a tiny adjoining bathroom. The bathroom was a 'onesey' like our last hotel in Bangkok where the whole area was basically a shower with a sink and toilet in it. The room was so small we couldn't shower without rubbing against the toilet, which was a very unpleasant feeling, plus the entire room was wet afterwards. There is no good way to explain the room. There was only one very old lumpy bed with only a bottom fitted sheet and a thin comforter, and nothing in between. The pillows were about 6 inches high and felt like sandbags that wouldn't bend or form to the head. We figured they were probably acquired cheaply after all the recent flooding receded. There was a large window with very thin drapes that did a disastrous job of blocking out the city lights (which happened to be shining directly at our window) making it bright enough to read all through the night. The concrete floor was sticky, there was only one electric socket, and an army of ants had already staked their claim for most of the room. We slept in our clothes. Not surprisingly, the little bit we did sleep we both had bizarre dreams concerning things such as prison camps and tar babies. Needless to say we were checked out as soon as we could get our stuff together in the morning. Lesson learned: for $14 a night, you can't go right.

Having just cancelled our two weeks of respite at the Peppermint, we were officially homeless once again. Looking online earlier we had seen a hotel which fit our budget, and with a name like Prince Hotel we couldn't go wrong, right?
The room at the Prince was definitely an improvement, and was more than twice the size of the previous place. The bathroom was larger and with more of a western feel and had a real bathtub. The bedding was softer with bottom AND top sheets. The sandbag pillows were back but only about 3 inches high this time, so they were a little easier on the neck. However improved, it still didn't feel clean. The carpet felt dirty so we hated to remove our shoes, and the bathroom looked like it was host to a middle school biology project and in dire need of remodeling. A night or two was no problem but two weeks wasn't going to work. The Prince hotel turned out to be more of a Pauper place so we were back in the market for lodging.

Next on our list was the Santitham Guest House, located just outside the old city. We stumbled upon it by running searches on the Internet. It turned out to be by far the nicest and homiest place we've stayed in the entire trip. The guest house is actually a complex of small rooms and apartments in several buildings. The whole place is surrounded by a wall which separates it from the havoc and confusion of the surrounding city. The grounds are exquisite and covered with lush vegetation, flowers, trees and water features, and has many beautiful and serene areas for reflection and relaxation. It is an oasis to say the least, and is reminiscent of an upscale home in the Santa Barbara hills.
The other guests we've met so far are quite pleasant, and what is even more delightful is that everyone (for the most part) speaks English. Getting by on smiling and pointing is fine for a while, but some of that down home talk sho' is refreshin'. The owner, Noland, is a North Carolina native and has been quite cordial and available to help us get acquainted with the city. He even keeps bicycles on the premises at no charge for those bold and/or crazy enough to brave the streets. The rooms are comfortable, the beds and pillows are clean and soft, and the entire facility is impeccably clean. The room also includes a breakfast of fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, rolls and granola. For a weekly rate of only $23 a night, we finally found our home, and home sweet home it is!

My My Chiang Mai

Air was not our first choice in travel. We originally thought we would take a train from Phuket (in the South) to Chiang Mai (in the North) but a travel agent convinced us otherwise. The distance turned out to be 970 miles, but it looked so close on the map!
Air travel turned out to be similar to flying in the US. The airport was clean and modern, the flight was fast and easy and the price was reasonable for the distance covered. It was certainly a good bargain saving us two days of travel.

Chiang Mai’s rich history stretches back 700 years to the time of King Mengrai - the founder of the royal capital of the Lanna Kingdom (millions of rice fields). Chiang Mai means the “new city” and is located in Northern Thailand, about 720 km from Bangkok. Although "new" it has a small old city that is surrounded entirely by a moat. It also used to have a massive wall that surrounded it but most of the wall is now gone. The old city is a landmark packed full of shopping, temples and restaurants. Chiang Mai is blessed with magnificent mountains and a pristine landscape, covering an area of approximately 20,000 square km and is home to over 1.5 million people.
Although there is a large population here, it feels completely different than Bangkok. Describing Bangkok in terms of cooking it is like a pressure cooker. Chiang Mai is more like a campfire.

We arrived at the Chiang Mai airport and easily found a taxi to take us to our accommodations for the next two weeks. We had confirmed reservations to take classes at a local Thai Massage school, and it was refreshing knowing that we were not going to be moving again for the next two weeks.

Foot Massage

Our last day in Phuket was quiet and relatively uneventful. Moving slowly as not to aggravate our sunburns, we were out of the hotel by noon. We planned to fly to our final destination of Chaing Mai from Phuket since it would have been a two day trip by train. Our ride to the airport wasn't scheduled to arrive till 5:00 pm, so we had a few hours left for last minute sightseeing.

We started the afternoon being a little adventurous and decided to try our luck at true local cuisine. We found a little place that had a long table paralleling the sidewalk with several large pots of unidentifiable items cooking inside them. The lady tending the table knew no English, but pointed at the pots as if we were supposed to figure out the contents by the number of wags her finger made over each pot. After giving us a good looking over, she pointed at two different pots and then pointed at each of us as if to say "You take this one and you take this one". We just smiled and nodded in agreement.
We found our way to a little table and in a moment we were served two plates of rice and two bowls with the contents of the pots she had recommended. We identified our respective dish and started eating.
As we were wrapping up our meal some local workers came in to eat and it was by watching them that we discovered what we should have done. They also were given large bowls of different items, but they ate 'family style'. Each scooped what they wanted out of the different bowls. Oh well, whatever it was we enjoyed it.

Our next stop for the day was the spa. We planned to take Thai Massage classes once in Chiang Mai, but neither of us had really ever had a real Thai massage. We thought it would be good to know what we were getting into. Here in Thailand there are more massage parlors than gas stations and churches combined back home. Literally every block has at least one and sometimes two or three. A full body massage here averages about $10-$12 an hour, and a foot massage is even less. We opted for just a foot massage.

The setting was serene and calming with soft music, and the two lady therapists seemed friendly and professional. One thing to note for those not familiar with Thai Massage Therapists, they are first cousins to Chiropractors. They do great work and can often do miracles, but they get there through pain and torture. The youngest of the two therapists would pull, push and crack something in my foot and then laugh as I would writhe in pain. The more I groaned the harder she pushed and the deeper she laughed. She twisted, yanked and pried and with every little whimper she became more tickled. As my feet turned numb and were no longer any fun to work on, she decided to abandon them and work her way up. Next thing I knew she was twisting my arms over my head and cracking my back. This was the oddest foot massage ever. When the hour was up we paid the bill and went back to the hotel. We still had time left before our ride to the airport so I curled up on a bench to try and recover.

Simon Cabaret

"Since opening in October 18, 1991, Phuket Simon Cabaret has established itself as a market leader of professional entertainment venue. For sheer entertainment, Our set designs are outstanding, costume extravagant and the performers glamorous! In the exclusive , luxurious and intimate theatre with hi-tech sound and lighting equipment." - Simon Cabaret Website

We heard about Simon Cabaret many times in route to and around Phuket. It was apparently THE show in town to see. It had a pretty heavy reputation to uphold and it held to every bit of it and more. The show was stunning, absolutely spectacular.

So why a Cabaret? That was our question too. The only thing we knew of a cabaret was the musical by the same name which mostly included scantily clad women singing risqué numbers in dark smokey rooms. But the Simon Cabaret was certainly not that, in fact it is a family oriented Las Vegas style show. While certain numbers may show a little extra skin, most numbers are full of dazzling costumes, fantastic sets and breathtaking pageantry, along with great music and comedy.

We were lucky enough to get third row seats and there wasn't an empty chair in the place. There are two and sometimes three nightly shows. Since they opened in 1991, there have only been two nights without a show, the day the queen died and the day the tsunami hit in 2004.

Why blog about the Simon Cabaret? I guess it was just for our sake since we couldn't stop talking about it after it was over. We were trying to summarize the show in a word or two and we gave up. It can't be done. It's like viewing an amazing outdoor nature scene of breathtaking beauty and then trying to capture the same feeling in word or picture.

A slide show of some of the numbers can be seen on their website at:
http://www.phuket-simoncabaret.com/show_list.php.

Gender Identity

Many languages include different forms for words based on the gender of the object referred to or who is speaking to whom. Most familiar to us is Spanish where even inanimate objects, such as a door or a book, are assigned a gender and words referring to it are translated as either male or female. English is probably in the minority of languages that don't change forms of words depending on gender. Thai also has different forms of words based on gender but in Thai the form is changed based on the speaker, not who is being spoken to. For example, 'thank you' in Thai ends with 'krup' if a male is speaking and ends with 'ka' if a female is speaking, regardless of who is being spoken to.

The point of the little language lesson is because here in Thailand they have a third gender of sorts, the 'ladyboy'. The 'ladyboy' is a transgender, or a person that started out as a male but has become a female with the assistance of surgery and/or hormones. In the USA, transgender people are still rather rare although we know they exist. In Thailand they are well known and while still somewhat of an entertainment to many, they are well accepted and integrated into society. In fact, the captain from the boat trip we took in Phuket told us that they even have their own gender ending for words. For example, when using the Thai word for 'thank you' a transgender would not use the male ending 'krup' or the female ending 'ka' but they end the word saying 'ha'. The boat captain said the reason is not to create a third gender but because they often look so convincing as as woman, it lets people know otherwise.

King Ping

Ever play Slug Bug when you were a kid? If you aren't familiar, it's a driving game - the first one to spot a Volkswagen Beetle says 'Slug Bug' and punches the other players on the arm.

In Thailand, there is a great national appreciation for their king. There are shrines and images of him everywhere, and on many are the words in English "Long Live the King". We created our own version of Slug Bug and call it King Ping. Every time we see an image of the king, we 'ping' each other on the arm, hence 'King Ping'! We started this little game while on a short road trip but when we got back inside Bangkok was had to stop. There were pictures of the king everywhere: on bridges, on buildings, in the mediums, on poles and at intersections. Had we not stopped our arms would have been bleeding by sundown.

Another interesting note about their patriotism - every day at 8:00am and 6:00pm their national anthem (the Phleng Chat Thai) is played on all TV and radio stations, all public places such as bus stations, sky train stations, schools and public markets. The Thai people all stop what they are doing and face the flag if near one, and all business stops until the song is through playing. Its not like in the USA when the National Anthem plays. While many people face the flag with hand over heart, many do not and to others its still business as usual. But in Thailand its almost like someone hits a giant pause button and literally everyone and everything stops. Immediately after the song finishes, it's back to business as usual. It is quite a moving experience to behold.

Pink Phuket

We woke early and were the first to the breakfast area. Keeping with our other experiences so far, the breakfast did not disappoint. The minivan ride to the beach was a true cultural experience in itself. The first group was an older trio from Italy. The next group consisted of four young Israeli guys. The third group was a couple of scroungy looking Americans from Arkansas. The fourth group was a French couple and the last group to board was a Japanese couple with their young son. The multicultural trip lasted about an hour and resembled a tour bus in New York City.

We unloaded and merged with other groups, each with even more countries represented, at the tour office for Amazing Canoe Trips. The name instilled immediate concern. The tour guide suggested that we use the restroom before departing so we followed the arrows on the signs for "Amazing Toilets" and the name didn't disappoint either. We were amazed that we would be directed to the 'Amazing Toilets' only to find that all four stalls had "Out of Order" signs.
Thankfully we did not spend the 5 hr tour in canoes. The passengers were divided onto several large two level sightseeing boats. Our female captain was friendly and informative but spoke English with such a thick Thai accent it was difficult to understand her. Still, her voice sounded familiar - I was certain I had talked to her before on an AT&T technical support call.

Our first stop was James Bond Island. This spot was made famous when James Bond (Roger Moore) faced off with his enemy 'The man with the golden gun' (Christopher Lee). This tiny Island is marked with a highly recognizable landmark, a round stone jutting out of the water not far from the shoreline. It stands approximately 66 ft tall with a diameter of 13 feet at water level and 26 feet at the top. The island is perhaps more recognizable now by the abundance of booths and vendors selling James Bond Island and other local merchandise. Without deviation to the rule: A captive audience = sales.

The second stop on the trip we did use canoes. Passengers were divided into groups of two or three and assigned a 'canoe captain'. Later we found out that 'canoe captain' is a native Thai term which translates to 'Local among foreigners that collects tips'. The 'canoe captain' paddled us around a cove and through a short tunnel and then back around to the main boat.

Our next stop was yet another canoe ride with our same 'canoe captain' from the prior island. This time the destination was a bit more exciting. We were transported to the shoreline and let out at the mouth of a small cave which wasn't visible from the main boat. We were led though a winding passageway by our guide with flashlight in hand. He made sure to point out several 'features' of the cave, such as bats waiting to attach themselves to the young Chinese women in the group, or so these ladies thought based on their reactions. Water in the cave was knee hight at one point and at times the ceiling was too low to walk upright. The passage gave way to a hidden courtyard in the mountain, only accessible though the obscure path in which we came. The place looked like a scene from 'Land of the Lost' with tropical trees and odd protruding rock formations and made a memorable impression. Sunlight filtered down between gnarled vines and leaves from tree tops high above, and eerie sounds of birds echoed between the narrow walls. At high tide the entire area would be submerged, but for now it was an adventure. The only thing this secluded area was missing was a few vendors.

Back on the boat we had a very nice lunch and an afternoon swim in the Indian Ocean. After the swim, onboard dancing commenced among some of the passengers, and then we were given a short show by one of the local 'ladyboys' (a transgender person for which Thailand is well known). After returning to the dock, we headed back to our hotel to end an enjoyable day at sea. And if there is any curiosity as to why this entry is titled "Pink Phuket", it's because that's the way we looked at the end of the day.

Phuket by Bus

Several busses were lined up beside the train station. One of the train conductors pointed us in the direction of the last bus where we joined in the long line of tourists waiting to board. While the driver took his time loading bags belonging to waiting passengers we decided to satisfy our uncertainty by verifying our destination with a different driver. Turns out we were in the wrong line and the bus we were supposed to take had just pulled away. The man hollered down the road for someone to stop the bus and via relay it reached someone close enough to flag the bus to a stop. We ran and jumped on, wiping sweat from our brows, and away we went.

The drive to Phuket was another four hours. The bus was completely packed and for a short time we weren't seated together. I claimed the window seat next to a young woman from Europe. This was not the kind of woman you find modeling in classy Victoria Secret advertisements, this was one of the long lost European-Amazon women from the bush country, the kind that refrains from bathing and using those 'awful chemicals' such as deodorants and perfumes that they claim are bad for the body. Well they aren't bad for MY body, in fact my body was craving a healthy dose of chemicals right then, something more along the lines of Pine-Sol or perhaps a few refreshing cups of ammonia. I squeezed ever closer to the window, searching in vain for even the slightest crack in the glass that might grant me a wisp of fresh air and a short reprieve. I started digging furiously in my backpack for a more pleasant scent to mask the pervasive fumes. Old squished bananas, dirty crusty socks and even four day old underpants didn't do the trick. The bus stopped, a couple people exited, and I politely slipped out of my seat to claim one of the newly vacated ones. The young girl remarked as I slipped past, "Leaving so soon?" I was secretly wishing I had left my old underwear on the seat beside her.

The scenery started out like the other areas we've seen before, and slowly the mountains started poking their way out of the landscape. On the final hour of the bus ride, towering rock formations were lingering overhead. Phuket is Thailand's largest island and a favorite vacation destination. Its famed cliffs and unique rock formations gained international attention in the 1974 Bond film "The Man with the Golden Gun". These famed formations remain a favorite spot on Asian travel calendars and promotional materials.

We had one final transition from bus to taxi before arriving at our hotel for the next two nights: the Seeka Boutique Resort on Patong beach. The facilities were beautiful and included a nice restaurant and pool. Our room was exceptional and the decor added to the beach island theme. We walked through town, had a nice but simple Thai dinner, and booked our following days' tour of the world renowned islands.

Traveling by Train

When we boarded our train we were expecting a sleeper car but there were no beds visible. We staked our claim on a couple seats and hoped we were in the right place. Soon every seat was taken by other travelers from all over the World; The US, Israel, France, the UK, Germany... the list goes on. The train departed exactly at the time scheduled and we slowly made our way through Bangkok. Looking out the windows we could peer into the homes of some of the poorest locals we've seen yet; those who can only afford to live next to busy train tracks. These were truly shacks, obviously pieced together by what could be salvaged and standing due to being precariously affixed to the adjoining shanties. Whole families could be seen together inside their small room sharing an evening meal, talking or working on crafts to be peddled on the street the following day.

One of our biggest concerns about such a long trip was the bathroom facilities. It's not unlike a single toilet among throngs of tourists to become stopped up and unusable thus making the trip uncomfortable. We were in luck as these toilets used fail safe plumbing- a large hole. Unlike the previous squatty-potties which also employed a hole, this potty provided in use entertainment watching the tracks pass by underneath. The hole was large enought not to miss, and we couldn't help but wonder what animals may have made their way onto the train from here and even worse how many small children may have slipped through during use.

As is the custom with any captive audience, vendors made their way back and forth through the aisles selling food and drink. While we declined immediate snacks, we did prepay for a breakfast.
Soon the lights of the city faded and glassy eyes and yawns started appearing on weary travelers. An attendant also appeared and started the rapid transformation of the seating area into two full sized twin beds which included clean sheets and pillow. We nestled into our respective compartments and awoke the next day as dawn began carving the landscape from the darkness.

Passport problems

We overnighted at the Swan Hotel near the river in Bangkok. The room was standard but offered a perfect view of the Sirocco tower, a skyscraper that received worldwide attention in the movie 'Hangover II'. The bathroom in our latest room only needed one visit for all your hygiene needs. It was basically a large shower with toilet and sink in it. It gave new meaning to shaving in the shower. Two things we haven't quite figured out: First, how to keep the toilet paper dry when showering (maybe that's not a problem if we stick to the butt washer) and secondly, once showered and dressed, how do we re-enter the bathroom without getting our feet wet. If barefoot then we track water through the room, if in socks then they need to be changed and if wearing shoes it tracks dirt from the soles all over the room.
Breakfast here was complimentary with the room and was the best yet with eggs prepared to your choice, fresh fruit, juices, toast and several dishes like noodles, chicken pasta and salads.

Tonight we catch the sleeper train to Phuket in the south of Thailand. Until then we have to try and resolve a problem with our visas. When we flew into the country we were given a 30 day maximum stay and we planned to fly out on the day our visas were to expire. What we didn't realize is that when a tourist enters the country by air they get a 30 day stay but when they enter by land, as we did yesterday from Cambodia, they are only given a 15 day stay. Our flight is still 8 days after that.

We checked out of the hotel and caught a cab to the government complex. The stop where the cab dropped us off was across the street from the government complex so we needed to cross the highway on a walking bridge. Each entrance to the bridge had two armed soldiers. When they saw us they held us back for a moment and then told us to run. They spoke Thai of course so we really didn't know what they said, but they were waving and flailing their arms letting us know to hurry. When we reached the top of the stairs I only thought it appropriate to stop and take a picture, but much to my dismay it set off the guards at all four places, yelling and screaming and jumping and waving? They were moving their arms furiously and yelling, the ones behind us were waving GO GO GO and the ones in front of us were signaling COME COME COME. They way they were carrying on we were apprehensive about coming out the other side expecting a chewing out, but the soldiers looked happy and relieved when we exited the bridge and waved us on. Last week there was a travel alert issued by the US dept of defense concerning tourists in Bangkok due to some kind of terrorist threat. Travelers were encouraged to avoid public areas and apparently us meandering on a walkway way up high in the open was making us a target. We decided to find another way back to the hotel.

Safe after crossing the highway we found out we were not at the correct building and two motorbike drivers offered to take us to the correct place. There are four primary forms of transportation here; public (sky train, subway and bus), automobile, tuktuk and motorbike and perhaps there are more of the latter than anything else. They are small and cheap and fast and maneuver easily in and out of the harrowing traffic. Imagine a wild and crazy tuktuk running on granny's moonshine only on 2 wheels instead of 3. We held on for dear life zooming in and around cars like characters in a 3D movie. Parked car in road? No problem, WHOOSH! Cars too slow? No problem again, WHOOSH! No room between cars? No problem, sidewalk free, WHOOSH! All of a sudden we found ourselves praying for a TukTuk. Thankfully we didn't have far to go which was fortunate, much longer and we both our seats would have been wet.

The government building was massive and looked like it could easily house a football field in the interior courtyard. It was 8 stories up and at least one visible court below full of restaurants and stores. We went through a lengthy and frustrating series of different offices and lines before finally being told that since we will be staying in Chaing Mai for the next two weeks we would need to file the papers at the Chaing Mai office.

We caught a cab directly to the train station, safely avoiding the walking bridge, where we stowed our bags and went to see the river. We sat at a restaurant, had a drink and watched the boats going back and forth up and down the waterway. After returning to the train station we ate a quick meal at KFC and boarded our train to the South.

Back to Bangkok

Awaking early, we cleaned, blogged and packed for our return to Bangkok. We were ahead of schedule and had a full 30 min wait before our ride was scheduled to pick us up, so we decided to indulge on our free American Breakfast. Not so. Immediately after finding a place to sit between motorbikes, our driver showed up. We left our final remaining Riel to tip the hotel staff and were on our way ... or so we thought. We were dropped off at a pickup spot packed with travelers heading to Thailand. When the place could hold no more, we were corralled to a large bus and then just before getting on we were directed into a waiting cab. We picked up one other passenger at an upscale looking hotel (no motorbikes in dining room) and at last we were back on the road.

Two hours later we arrived at the border. The process back to Thailand was much easier and faster than when we crossed into Cambodia, and we found ourselves an hour ahead of schedule. We passed the time at a small restaurant between the two borders watching people pull their carts back and forth in front of the casinos. Sitting outside, we ordered a light meal and had a delightful visit with the young lady that rode with us in the cab from Siem Reap. Julie was returning to Bangkok where she currently lives with her family. Being an ex-flight attendant, she spoke Thai, Hindi and nearly perfect English with only a slight Indian accent which grew noticeably thicker as she spoke to her Indian friends and family over the phone. Julie was a charming young lady and talk flowed easily on a variety of topics. Once in Bangkok she directed us to the proper train, instructed us where to get off and even paid our fare. Our meeting was truly one of those serendipitous connections to remind us that even people halfway across the world can share the common bond of humanity and goodwill.

We found our hotel with little effort, had chicken teriyaki and a corn pie at McDonalds and had an early night's sleep after a long day of travel.

People sure drive fast here!

Timeless Temples

Angkor Wat was still waiting for us when we returned this morning. This time the grounds were filled with tourists walking through the ruins; a completely different experience from the night before, yet the ruins and the fascination remained. Built in the early 12th century over a period of 40 years, it is the world's largest religious building. The temple has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat is completely surrounded by a moat and covers over 200 sq. acres. The outer wall is 2.2 miles long. Uncle Joe had mentioned that a picture of a stegosaurus was reportedly carved on one of the walls. We walked thought what seemed like endless passageways and corridors and just about every square inch was carved with images. We never found the dinosaur but did notice that there were thousands of identically carved images from one end to the other. The meticulous uniformity of so many carvings in such a massive complex was astounding considering the many different people that were necessary to create them.

Our next temple was Bayon, the temple of four faces, named so because the center spire has a face on each side facing the four directions. This temple is much less intact than Angkor, and piles of stones sometimes 15 ft high encase the perimeter. These stone blocks are from collapsed areas that have yet to be reconstructed - if that is even possible. The part of the temple that remains erect resembles a giant ant hill made of stone. Passageways wind in and around multiple levels; every turn revealing yet more tunnels and stairways. Add a little suspenseful music and Angelina Jolie and you have a scene from the movie Tomb Raider. We learned later that part of the movie was in fact filmed there, although what part of which temple we aren't sure.

Our third and final temple for the day was Thomamnomm. While the previous temple looked like a scene from Tomb Raider, this one was straight out of The Jungle Book. Giant gnarled trees wound their way through and around the crumbling structures. This temple is a true testimony of the power the jungle has to reclaim its own. Massive tree trunks could be seen perched on top of roofs, their large roots like tentacles enveloping entire walls. Fallen archways and leaning spires show decades of neglect, and narrow tunnels snake in and out between tree roots that matured when only wild animals were left to tend the once majestic structures.

Our evening consisted of a meal in a local restaurant and packing for the return trip to Thailand. Our entry to this country was marked with stress and trepidation, but our exit was with a new awareness of our insignificance. We consider ourselves advanced because of our modern conveniences and technology; but here was an ancient race of people that with nothing but their own hands, ingenuity and willpower, were able to accomplish unspeakable feats that still astound the world today.

Sundown in Siem Reap

Our second evening in Siem Reap was much more pleasant than the first.
Having an English speaking tour guide and having gained a grasp of the Cambodian currency, we felt like we could function again.
Wan took us to get tickets for the next day at the temple area and we caught our first glance at the ominous Angkor Wat.

Having arrived shortly before sundown the tourists were thinning out fast which gave us a clear run through of the enormous temple. The temple area covered many acres and at one time was the center of a community of about a million people. For some unknown reason the area vacated and the city was reclaimed by the jungle; the magnificent temples became the playground of wild animals and monkeys.
We climbed as high as we could and watched the sun set beyond the ancient spires of the famed temple. The grounds were empty now and almost deathly silent as darkness crept in. Shadows from the pointed towers grew increasingly long and the only sounds were the eerie chirping of bats stirring within the crumbling ruins of the temple peaks. A thick feeling of reverence descended as if the massive stone walls were releasing the mystical chants of ancient monks busy with their evening prayers from a time long forgotten. We sat in silence overwhelmed with a feeling of gratefulness and wonder, thankful that we endured the trials of the Cambodian border to witness this amazing event.

Wan took us on a tour of the town before returning us to our hotel. The night was alive with activity and street vendors were plentiful pleading with weary travelers to buy their wares. We did buy a couple of T-shirts which only attracted more vendors. Children surrounded us showing us magnets, books, trinkets and many other souvenirs. One kept putting a small flute in my pocket and then thanked me for the $1 purchase. To them it was a game and we played along with them for awhile before moving on.

We smelled cannabis driving through the downtown market area and asked the TukTuk driver about it. He said its illegal here but they don't usually bother the tourists that have it. He also told us about a place called "Happy Pizza" that puts it in the pizza but said it can make you crazy for days. We decided to stick to our boring rat sandwiches.

We ate dinner at the night market and returned to our room excited about the next day's return to the temples.