Thailand 2007
Coming back to the Land of the Smiles
The first time that I went to Thailand was a very touching and life-changing experience for me. It was both useful for my profession, as I was a student in Chiang Mai, and also it gave me the chance to meet wonderful people in the so called Land of the Smiles. So, for the year that followed my coming back to Italy, I kept on missing that place.
It was summer again, when I decided to come back there. Actually, I knew that I’d come back to Thailand, but I was also considering other places like Malaysia, Viet Nam or Laos. The things that drove me to have one more journey to Thailand were that I still had to finish my course at the Chiang Mai TMC School, and also I wished to see some more places in this country.
This time it took me less to plan my trip down, but I still took my time to decide which islands to visit once I’d be there. After that, the time before the departure felt to flow slower as I couldn’t wait to be there again.
This is a Travel Diary about a journey that took me from to top North of Thailand to the deep South of the Andaman Sea. I still need to warn you about a thing. The description about Patong Beach (Phuket island) is absolutely inaccurate. In fact, I described this place after the “Pattaya experience”, and this town charmed me. But an year later, after having visited some even better places (like Koh Samui), I had a chance to describe it in a more reliable way. So, in this diary you’ll read the way that I’ve seen Patong that time, and in the next one, you’ll read how I definitely described that place.
This trip was very interesting for me, sometimes even challenging as some things didn’t go exactly smoothly, but it was still an experience worth to be done, and I hope that you’ll like this Travel Diary.
Have a good reading
Francesco
The first time that I went to Thailand was a very touching and life-changing experience for me. It was both useful for my profession, as I was a student in Chiang Mai, and also it gave me the chance to meet wonderful people in the so called Land of the Smiles. So, for the year that followed my coming back to Italy, I kept on missing that place.
It was summer again, when I decided to come back there. Actually, I knew that I’d come back to Thailand, but I was also considering other places like Malaysia, Viet Nam or Laos. The things that drove me to have one more journey to Thailand were that I still had to finish my course at the Chiang Mai TMC School, and also I wished to see some more places in this country.
This time it took me less to plan my trip down, but I still took my time to decide which islands to visit once I’d be there. After that, the time before the departure felt to flow slower as I couldn’t wait to be there again.
This is a Travel Diary about a journey that took me from to top North of Thailand to the deep South of the Andaman Sea. I still need to warn you about a thing. The description about Patong Beach (Phuket island) is absolutely inaccurate. In fact, I described this place after the “Pattaya experience”, and this town charmed me. But an year later, after having visited some even better places (like Koh Samui), I had a chance to describe it in a more reliable way. So, in this diary you’ll read the way that I’ve seen Patong that time, and in the next one, you’ll read how I definitely described that place.
This trip was very interesting for me, sometimes even challenging as some things didn’t go exactly smoothly, but it was still an experience worth to be done, and I hope that you’ll like this Travel Diary.
Have a good reading
Francesco
Day 1 - Coming Back to the Land of the Smiles
The first part of my travel was spent into the city of Chiang Mai. I already came there last year, and I liked that place so much that I decided to come back there again.
It was an October morning, when I landed in Bangkok. This time I arrived at the airport in Milan too late to pick a seat that I liked, and I was assigned a seat near a window of the plane, beyond two boring Italian people. The night flight went smoothly and I had a good chance to see the countries where we were flying above. To my surprise, when we flew over Turkmenistan, that was a “Turkmenistanish” night, I’ve seen so many cities from the sky. I believed that Turkmenistan should be a deserted land, but then, in that night, it was glittering of lights, from the streets, from houses and cities.
Much later, after an almost sleepless night spent crossing half of the planet, the sunrise broke with golden rays. The sky took away his pyjama of stars and wore his orange and blue morning dress. The sunrise meant that we were almost over Thailand, getting every minute closer and closer to Bangkok, where we were scheduled to land at 6.00 a.m.. Then, in perfect time, we approached the airport flying over a land of rice fields towered by sleepy palm trees.
After the landing I had a long time to spend for the immigration procedures, then I had to take my luggage back, do one more check-in and then to wait endless hours for the flight that would take me to Chiang Mai. While I was there, in that ocean of Duty-Free expensive shops offering any occasion to the passers by to spend all the Baht they had before leaving the country, I had one more of my “Black Coffees” at the “Black Canyon Coffee”. I sat at a table and I took a long Black coffee, the way I like it. I sipped it watching without attention at the people of the world passing by, feeling more the thrill of the beginning of my trip than the taste of my coffee. Shivers of the thrill, cold of the air-con and the warmth of the coffee. While I was sipping it I’ve read on the cup "The best coffee is as black as the devil, hot like hell, pure like angel, sweet as love!!..”. Ok, I don’t put much sugar in my coffee but I agree that my coffee was corresponding at the rest of the quote. Soon later, it was again time for one more flight, and then, in about an hour, I was again in Chiang Mai, the Capital of the North.
Once landed, I took my backpacks and then I went out of the airport. Like the previous year, I was welcomed by Thailand with her warm hug. The tropical breeze, warm and smelling of flowers felt like a real hug of a flowery beautiful girl, a welcome one.
In spite the previous year I took all the way on foot, this time I took a collective taxi (some kind of pick-up where you sit on the rear deck). The reason was that the taxi guy asked if I needed a ride and after a very short bargain, he gave up and told me “Ok, ok, come on!”. Probably I was one of his last customers of the shift. So, with some other guys, that loaded the collective taxi with bags of books and junk, we left heading to the city of Chiang Mai. We spent some time talking and they told me that they were Thai teachers coming back from a working experience in USA. The street looked much longer than the one that I walked the previous year, but I still could recognize some places. The round point near the airport, the narrow street with tree branches hanging from the sides. The small market (few brightly colored fresh fruit stalls). Then we reached the moat, and with that, we reached the center of the city. My memories of this city were still good, and even if some changes are happening, like the restoration of the famous Tha Phae Gate, it still looked like last year. It was the prelude of a good trip. Of course, this trip across Thailand wasn’t perfect. Especially because for experience I know that it’s extremely rare that all will go perfectly smoothly while traveling. But in spite that when I was there it felt like much went wrong, looking back I understand that I felt like that just because I was facing it all alone, but it wasn’t so bad at all. Counting back the good and the bad things, I guess that I’d be happy if any trip would go that good.
Traveling alone gave me the chance to live that trip at the best. Probably I didn’t have the luxury of an organized trip. But what I did, was all mine. I was the mastermind of my trip, I could praise myself as well as blame myself too. But all that I’ve done was with my own strength, and I’m proud of all that I did. I also guess that most that I’ve done was beyond the chances offered from many organized tours, and I hope, with this diary, to show that it takes just a little effort to plan a wonderful tour by our own.
In short the collective taxi took me at the hotel. It was the same of the previous year, the Royal Guest House. I’ve had the chance to take a small apartment for a cheap money, but then I decided to spend those 2-3 Euro in more per night to take a room in this place as I had good memories of this hotel. I remember the friendly staff, the clean room and the fact that I couldn’t sleep at night because there were no window panes (I can’t have all for such a cheap price). My memory was good, the reality was different. As soon as I entered the hotel I felt that the desk personnel wasn’t so friendly like the previous year. They even looked bothered of all those “Farangs” (Thai word for “foreigner”) coming to take a room in their place. Then the room wasn’t “Lanna Style” any-more, but should be “superior”. That means, a bed, a chair, a bedside table, a doorless wardrobe, a small desk, a phone-booth-sized bathroom, two windows without window panes and a small balcony. The sight of the balcony was opposite from the one of the previous year, that means, I couldn’t see the wall of the next building any-more and I was far away from the laundry. This time the panorama improved from a bare wall dirt of pigeons, into a gas station and the moat of the city. I was happy as I couldn’t hear at night the laundry guys any-more, but then, at night, I discovered how trafficked that street was, and how noisy can be a gas station. Beside this, the room cleaning service was nearly unexisting. The room was packed of bugs, and the day that I smashed a very huge tropical cockroach (I had to fight it hard throwing my shoes with extreme violence) on the floor, I left it to be shown at the cleaning guys. Of course, they didn’t remove the corpse until I did it. That means, that again nobody came to clean that place. The bathroom at the beginning was acceptable, in spite that the first day it smelled of mold, while days later it started smelling like something was rotting inside the water pipes (no, I didn’t hide the corpse of the huge tropical cockroach in the water pipes, but I threw it from the window). I tried to complain some times with the desk guys, but any time they answered “Yes, we’ll fix it, Sir”, but then they never did anything. Anyway, this was the only bad part of my staying in Chiang Mai. The rest of the staying in this city went quite smoothly.
When you are walking around the city, you'll find that you're constantly surrounded by temples and shrines. Many of them are very small, sometimes made of just a single stupa, while more often you can find wonderful big temples from which you can hear the monks singing prayers. When you enter the old city, walking through the Tha Phae Gate, you'll find yourself in one of the main streets. If you walk it all, it will take you straight to the main temples. Along the way, you can see some small temples at the sides of the street. Just after the second crossing, on your left, you'll see a long white wall. If you walk through the gate at half of it, you'll see that you entered the courtyard of a temple. This temple is called Wat Pun-On. The temple, on your left, is very beautiful, but what is a real surprise, is what you can see if you turn on your right again. On a sunny day, you'll see the golden shrine of this temple, with a smiling statue of lord Buddha that looks like welcoming you. Just a bit more far from this temple, after two more crossing, you can have the chance to see one of the oldest temples of the city. To see it, you have to take the street on your left, and just as you start, you can see the gate for it. Here you can see the Wat Chedi Luang. This is a very old temple, and now you can only see what is still remaining from the past. When I was there, many monks were working on it for the restoration. You can see it in the third, fourth and fifth pictures. I liked this temple very much, as it looked like a majestic relic from the ancient past. Anyway, walking around the city you can find many others worth a visit, like the Wat Bupparam that you can see in the sixth picture, that has many small bells hanging from the roof. Walking near to it, you can hear the voice of these bells that sound like singing into the wind. In the seventh and eighth pictures you can see some typical houses of this region. I found houses like the one in the seventh picture in many other places of Thailand, but the houses with roofs like the ones in the eighth picture were only in Chiang Mai.
It was an October morning, when I landed in Bangkok. This time I arrived at the airport in Milan too late to pick a seat that I liked, and I was assigned a seat near a window of the plane, beyond two boring Italian people. The night flight went smoothly and I had a good chance to see the countries where we were flying above. To my surprise, when we flew over Turkmenistan, that was a “Turkmenistanish” night, I’ve seen so many cities from the sky. I believed that Turkmenistan should be a deserted land, but then, in that night, it was glittering of lights, from the streets, from houses and cities.
Much later, after an almost sleepless night spent crossing half of the planet, the sunrise broke with golden rays. The sky took away his pyjama of stars and wore his orange and blue morning dress. The sunrise meant that we were almost over Thailand, getting every minute closer and closer to Bangkok, where we were scheduled to land at 6.00 a.m.. Then, in perfect time, we approached the airport flying over a land of rice fields towered by sleepy palm trees.
After the landing I had a long time to spend for the immigration procedures, then I had to take my luggage back, do one more check-in and then to wait endless hours for the flight that would take me to Chiang Mai. While I was there, in that ocean of Duty-Free expensive shops offering any occasion to the passers by to spend all the Baht they had before leaving the country, I had one more of my “Black Coffees” at the “Black Canyon Coffee”. I sat at a table and I took a long Black coffee, the way I like it. I sipped it watching without attention at the people of the world passing by, feeling more the thrill of the beginning of my trip than the taste of my coffee. Shivers of the thrill, cold of the air-con and the warmth of the coffee. While I was sipping it I’ve read on the cup "The best coffee is as black as the devil, hot like hell, pure like angel, sweet as love!!..”. Ok, I don’t put much sugar in my coffee but I agree that my coffee was corresponding at the rest of the quote. Soon later, it was again time for one more flight, and then, in about an hour, I was again in Chiang Mai, the Capital of the North.
Once landed, I took my backpacks and then I went out of the airport. Like the previous year, I was welcomed by Thailand with her warm hug. The tropical breeze, warm and smelling of flowers felt like a real hug of a flowery beautiful girl, a welcome one.
In spite the previous year I took all the way on foot, this time I took a collective taxi (some kind of pick-up where you sit on the rear deck). The reason was that the taxi guy asked if I needed a ride and after a very short bargain, he gave up and told me “Ok, ok, come on!”. Probably I was one of his last customers of the shift. So, with some other guys, that loaded the collective taxi with bags of books and junk, we left heading to the city of Chiang Mai. We spent some time talking and they told me that they were Thai teachers coming back from a working experience in USA. The street looked much longer than the one that I walked the previous year, but I still could recognize some places. The round point near the airport, the narrow street with tree branches hanging from the sides. The small market (few brightly colored fresh fruit stalls). Then we reached the moat, and with that, we reached the center of the city. My memories of this city were still good, and even if some changes are happening, like the restoration of the famous Tha Phae Gate, it still looked like last year. It was the prelude of a good trip. Of course, this trip across Thailand wasn’t perfect. Especially because for experience I know that it’s extremely rare that all will go perfectly smoothly while traveling. But in spite that when I was there it felt like much went wrong, looking back I understand that I felt like that just because I was facing it all alone, but it wasn’t so bad at all. Counting back the good and the bad things, I guess that I’d be happy if any trip would go that good.
Traveling alone gave me the chance to live that trip at the best. Probably I didn’t have the luxury of an organized trip. But what I did, was all mine. I was the mastermind of my trip, I could praise myself as well as blame myself too. But all that I’ve done was with my own strength, and I’m proud of all that I did. I also guess that most that I’ve done was beyond the chances offered from many organized tours, and I hope, with this diary, to show that it takes just a little effort to plan a wonderful tour by our own.
In short the collective taxi took me at the hotel. It was the same of the previous year, the Royal Guest House. I’ve had the chance to take a small apartment for a cheap money, but then I decided to spend those 2-3 Euro in more per night to take a room in this place as I had good memories of this hotel. I remember the friendly staff, the clean room and the fact that I couldn’t sleep at night because there were no window panes (I can’t have all for such a cheap price). My memory was good, the reality was different. As soon as I entered the hotel I felt that the desk personnel wasn’t so friendly like the previous year. They even looked bothered of all those “Farangs” (Thai word for “foreigner”) coming to take a room in their place. Then the room wasn’t “Lanna Style” any-more, but should be “superior”. That means, a bed, a chair, a bedside table, a doorless wardrobe, a small desk, a phone-booth-sized bathroom, two windows without window panes and a small balcony. The sight of the balcony was opposite from the one of the previous year, that means, I couldn’t see the wall of the next building any-more and I was far away from the laundry. This time the panorama improved from a bare wall dirt of pigeons, into a gas station and the moat of the city. I was happy as I couldn’t hear at night the laundry guys any-more, but then, at night, I discovered how trafficked that street was, and how noisy can be a gas station. Beside this, the room cleaning service was nearly unexisting. The room was packed of bugs, and the day that I smashed a very huge tropical cockroach (I had to fight it hard throwing my shoes with extreme violence) on the floor, I left it to be shown at the cleaning guys. Of course, they didn’t remove the corpse until I did it. That means, that again nobody came to clean that place. The bathroom at the beginning was acceptable, in spite that the first day it smelled of mold, while days later it started smelling like something was rotting inside the water pipes (no, I didn’t hide the corpse of the huge tropical cockroach in the water pipes, but I threw it from the window). I tried to complain some times with the desk guys, but any time they answered “Yes, we’ll fix it, Sir”, but then they never did anything. Anyway, this was the only bad part of my staying in Chiang Mai. The rest of the staying in this city went quite smoothly.
When you are walking around the city, you'll find that you're constantly surrounded by temples and shrines. Many of them are very small, sometimes made of just a single stupa, while more often you can find wonderful big temples from which you can hear the monks singing prayers. When you enter the old city, walking through the Tha Phae Gate, you'll find yourself in one of the main streets. If you walk it all, it will take you straight to the main temples. Along the way, you can see some small temples at the sides of the street. Just after the second crossing, on your left, you'll see a long white wall. If you walk through the gate at half of it, you'll see that you entered the courtyard of a temple. This temple is called Wat Pun-On. The temple, on your left, is very beautiful, but what is a real surprise, is what you can see if you turn on your right again. On a sunny day, you'll see the golden shrine of this temple, with a smiling statue of lord Buddha that looks like welcoming you. Just a bit more far from this temple, after two more crossing, you can have the chance to see one of the oldest temples of the city. To see it, you have to take the street on your left, and just as you start, you can see the gate for it. Here you can see the Wat Chedi Luang. This is a very old temple, and now you can only see what is still remaining from the past. When I was there, many monks were working on it for the restoration. You can see it in the third, fourth and fifth pictures. I liked this temple very much, as it looked like a majestic relic from the ancient past. Anyway, walking around the city you can find many others worth a visit, like the Wat Bupparam that you can see in the sixth picture, that has many small bells hanging from the roof. Walking near to it, you can hear the voice of these bells that sound like singing into the wind. In the seventh and eighth pictures you can see some typical houses of this region. I found houses like the one in the seventh picture in many other places of Thailand, but the houses with roofs like the ones in the eighth picture were only in Chiang Mai.
Day 2 - Chiang Mai - Starting school and Charoen Muang Road - The Handicraft Project Raod
After my arrival in Thailand, this year I hadn’t much time to visit the county, as I started to go at the school from my second day in Chiang Mai. In fact, I arrived that was Friday, and Saturday morning I started a weekend course of “Thai Foot Massage and Foot Reflexology”. Then on Monday I started the regular massage course. Every day I started school in the morning and then I went out of it in the late afternoon. Seen that we were at the end of the rainy season, the gentle Thailand, fearing that I forgot how a tropical storm feels like, decided to give me a taste of the Monsoon again. So, during my staying in Chiang Mai this year I’ve got heavy storms almost every day. Then, after a few days I started to feel sick and I had to start taking antibiotic too as my sore throat started to get worst every day. Thanks to the antibiotic in few days I came back to be good again.
After some days of quiet living, that means, going to school and not doing “too crazy” things after school, I decided to visit a part of the city that I didn’t visit yet, the famous “Handicraft Road”.
Many years ago, her Majesty the Queen of Thailand, in a way to contrast the mass production of goods, started a project to keep alive the handicraft abilities of Thai people. So, in some cities were made up some areas with facilities that were working both as schools and as factories. In Chiang Mai this area is Charoen Muang Road. In this street you can find many places that are focused on the production of some different kinds of handicrafts. If you think that you're very curious to know how they make these things up, then you have to go there, because in each one of these facilities you can have free tours to see the different production processes. To reach this interesting place, there are three different ways. The first is on foot, but the street is very long, far from the center of the city, and the facilities are very far from each other. The second way is to pick up a tour with a guide that will take you there, with many other tourists, and the price is quite high for such a shopping tour. The third way is to pick a Tuk-Tuk up. The Tuk-Tuk is a kind of taxi, a motorized rickshaw, quite popular in these areas. I've to say three things about this way of transport. The first is that they are dangerous. The second is that the drivers are crazy. The third is that these vehicles are so cute! The drivers work hard to make their own Tuk-Tuk as much customized as they can. They add Christmas lights, stickers, paintings and many other things. The first two pictures were taken on a Tuk Tuk. Beside what I just wrote I should also say that they are expensive, but there's something that only few know. In fact, the "Handicraft Project" involves that you have discount to go to see the facilities, because the Tuk-Tuk drivers will get some money from the "Project" too. So, if you are good on bargaining, you can have the ride almost for nothing. That's good that I searched for information about this project before going to Thailand, so I could bargain with that driver even better. The driver that I picked up, was nothing else that a creepy old skinny guy, missing most of his teeth and having the few left stained of years of dirt and tons of cigarettes. The Creepy Old Skinny Guy bothered me almost all the time wanting to introduce me “his girls”. He had an accurate pamphlet covered with pictures of girls laying in bathtubs with the corresponding prices. A real rip-off. He also told me that he could provide me any kind of weed that I’d need. I felt quite uncomfortable with him, as I kept on thinking “Damn, if it’s so easy for him to tell that he has weed or girls, I wonder what other creepy things he can do or provide”. Of course, when he asked the name of my hotel, I told him the name of another one. I didn’t want to risk of meeting him outside of my hotel.
In this commercial road I've had the chance to see many factories and to enter them to see how they worked. These factories were about Woodcrafting, Silk Clothings, Laquewares, Silverware, Gemstones and Jewellery. The three that I liked the most were the Silk factory, the Lacqueware factory and the Gemstones Company. In the last one was forbidden taking pictures, so I can only show some pictures from the first two. In the third and fourth pictures you can see the Lacqueware factory. The tradition of the lacqueware crafting is very important in this area. It's known that the Burmese people started to craft Lacquewares around the 1500 A.D., after that the tradition was taken to Burma by people from the tribes Yun and Laos Shan. These tribes are from the Chiang Mai area, and this means that in Chiang Mai, the Lacqueware crafting begun much before the year 1500 A.D.. Outside the factory you can see that very beautiful dragon-bench shown in the third picture, and inside you can walk freely between the tables where these people are working to make new lacquewares. My favorite was the "Eggshell" style. In fact, if you watch it carefully it looks like a cracked eggshell. In the fourth picture of this group, you can see some of these "Eggshell" vases. Later I went to a Silk factory. Let me say that I loved this place very much. In fact, it was both great to learn about the silk production and woving, and also it was great for shopping too! You can see this factory in the fifth, sixth and seventh pictures. In the fifth picture you can see the Silk Worms and their cocoons. In the sixth picture you can see the real production of the silk thread. In fact, the cocoons are boiled and with that equipment they produce the first silk threads. After it, the threads can be dyed with some color. In the seventh picture you can see both the guide form the factory that was explaining us about the silk processing, next to her you can see an hand woven to make silk fabric. Before going to Thailand I decided to learn something about silk. So, when I was there, I was really amazed to have the chance to see how is crafted the legendary Thai silk.
After some days of quiet living, that means, going to school and not doing “too crazy” things after school, I decided to visit a part of the city that I didn’t visit yet, the famous “Handicraft Road”.
Many years ago, her Majesty the Queen of Thailand, in a way to contrast the mass production of goods, started a project to keep alive the handicraft abilities of Thai people. So, in some cities were made up some areas with facilities that were working both as schools and as factories. In Chiang Mai this area is Charoen Muang Road. In this street you can find many places that are focused on the production of some different kinds of handicrafts. If you think that you're very curious to know how they make these things up, then you have to go there, because in each one of these facilities you can have free tours to see the different production processes. To reach this interesting place, there are three different ways. The first is on foot, but the street is very long, far from the center of the city, and the facilities are very far from each other. The second way is to pick up a tour with a guide that will take you there, with many other tourists, and the price is quite high for such a shopping tour. The third way is to pick a Tuk-Tuk up. The Tuk-Tuk is a kind of taxi, a motorized rickshaw, quite popular in these areas. I've to say three things about this way of transport. The first is that they are dangerous. The second is that the drivers are crazy. The third is that these vehicles are so cute! The drivers work hard to make their own Tuk-Tuk as much customized as they can. They add Christmas lights, stickers, paintings and many other things. The first two pictures were taken on a Tuk Tuk. Beside what I just wrote I should also say that they are expensive, but there's something that only few know. In fact, the "Handicraft Project" involves that you have discount to go to see the facilities, because the Tuk-Tuk drivers will get some money from the "Project" too. So, if you are good on bargaining, you can have the ride almost for nothing. That's good that I searched for information about this project before going to Thailand, so I could bargain with that driver even better. The driver that I picked up, was nothing else that a creepy old skinny guy, missing most of his teeth and having the few left stained of years of dirt and tons of cigarettes. The Creepy Old Skinny Guy bothered me almost all the time wanting to introduce me “his girls”. He had an accurate pamphlet covered with pictures of girls laying in bathtubs with the corresponding prices. A real rip-off. He also told me that he could provide me any kind of weed that I’d need. I felt quite uncomfortable with him, as I kept on thinking “Damn, if it’s so easy for him to tell that he has weed or girls, I wonder what other creepy things he can do or provide”. Of course, when he asked the name of my hotel, I told him the name of another one. I didn’t want to risk of meeting him outside of my hotel.
In this commercial road I've had the chance to see many factories and to enter them to see how they worked. These factories were about Woodcrafting, Silk Clothings, Laquewares, Silverware, Gemstones and Jewellery. The three that I liked the most were the Silk factory, the Lacqueware factory and the Gemstones Company. In the last one was forbidden taking pictures, so I can only show some pictures from the first two. In the third and fourth pictures you can see the Lacqueware factory. The tradition of the lacqueware crafting is very important in this area. It's known that the Burmese people started to craft Lacquewares around the 1500 A.D., after that the tradition was taken to Burma by people from the tribes Yun and Laos Shan. These tribes are from the Chiang Mai area, and this means that in Chiang Mai, the Lacqueware crafting begun much before the year 1500 A.D.. Outside the factory you can see that very beautiful dragon-bench shown in the third picture, and inside you can walk freely between the tables where these people are working to make new lacquewares. My favorite was the "Eggshell" style. In fact, if you watch it carefully it looks like a cracked eggshell. In the fourth picture of this group, you can see some of these "Eggshell" vases. Later I went to a Silk factory. Let me say that I loved this place very much. In fact, it was both great to learn about the silk production and woving, and also it was great for shopping too! You can see this factory in the fifth, sixth and seventh pictures. In the fifth picture you can see the Silk Worms and their cocoons. In the sixth picture you can see the real production of the silk thread. In fact, the cocoons are boiled and with that equipment they produce the first silk threads. After it, the threads can be dyed with some color. In the seventh picture you can see both the guide form the factory that was explaining us about the silk processing, next to her you can see an hand woven to make silk fabric. Before going to Thailand I decided to learn something about silk. So, when I was there, I was really amazed to have the chance to see how is crafted the legendary Thai silk.
Silk Facts
- A silkworm multiplies it weight 10,000 times from time it is hatched until about 1 month later when it has enough energy stored to start spinning its cocoon.
- The fluffy white cocoon spun by a silkworm is one long continuous silk filament that when unwound is usually between 600 and 900 meters long or as long as 1,600 yards.
- Four to eight of the silk filaments are twisted together to obtain one strand of silk thread.
- Sericulture, or production of silk, has been practiced in Thailand for more than 3000 years.
- The finest silk comes from the silkworms produced by the Bombyx mori moth. One moth will lay approximately 500 eggs over a 4-6 day period.
- The silkworms from the Bombyx mori moth, which produces the finest and purest silk, are fed a diet that consists only of chopped mulberry leaves. The silkworms are fed every half hour around the clock.
- Sleeping on a silk pillowcase is said to cause a delay in a person getting wrinkles because of the essential amino acids in silk bedding.
- The essential amino acids in silk bedding are why sleeping on silk is good for your hair.
- Some experts say the best way to get dried blood out of silk is by using human saliva. The saliva breaks down the proteins in the blood thereby releasing them from the silk fabric.
- The "burn test" will indicate whether not a piece of fabric is silk. Silk will curl away from the flame and leaves a brittle and crushable black bead after burning. It will almost always extinguish itself when the flame is removed from it.
- It can take up to 12 hours to hand-reel only 0.25 kg of silk thread
- It takes about 5500 silkworms or 8kg of cocoons to produce 1kg of raw silk
- A silk thread is stronger than a steel wire of the same size.
- This was already known before the year 1100. In fact, when Gengis Khan set battle against the Chinese Empire, he ordered to all his soldiers to wear a silk shirt under their armors (ok, those were just "kind of" armors). This wasn't because Gengis Khan was a "fashion victim", but because he knew that, when they'd move the charge against the "Big Wall", there'd be a massacre for the Chinese arrows. Wearing the silk shirts, the Khan soldiers had minor injuries and the arrows could be taken out from the injuries more easily.
Anyway, in our days, in spite all the story and philosophy behind the history of silk, we're buying silk mostly because it's very beautiful and soft, and I can say that Thai silk is the best I've ever touched.
After the silk factory I told the Old Creepy Skinny Guy to take me back to Chiang Mai. He told me that he’d take me to his friend that was a tailor “Me dhive yu... Ma’ffiend tail’r!” he said. I told him to take me to Starbucks as I didn’t want to go to his friends (or to let him drive me to an hotel that wasn’t mine). So, he replied “Me wait ushide (me wait outside)! Theh we go ma’ffiend (then we go to my friend)!”. I told him that I didn’t need more silk, and I wished just to go to Starbucks and then he was free to go (to bug) with some other client. He said something ununderstandable, but sounded quite upset of my answer. So, he took me at the Starbucks in front of Ta Phae Gate, he took his money and waited for me outside, hoping that I’d take him again. When I went out of Starbucks he started to bug me again, but then I started to walk up a street in which he couldn’t enter with his Tuk Tuk and he left me. Sometimes those Tuk-Tuk drivers can be so annoying. But it’s always a good advice to treat them kindly, and if their service are unrequired, to decline their offers politely. They are in their country and they know how are the things around. So, it’s always better to have as less enemies as possible.
After the silk factory I told the Old Creepy Skinny Guy to take me back to Chiang Mai. He told me that he’d take me to his friend that was a tailor “Me dhive yu... Ma’ffiend tail’r!” he said. I told him to take me to Starbucks as I didn’t want to go to his friends (or to let him drive me to an hotel that wasn’t mine). So, he replied “Me wait ushide (me wait outside)! Theh we go ma’ffiend (then we go to my friend)!”. I told him that I didn’t need more silk, and I wished just to go to Starbucks and then he was free to go (to bug) with some other client. He said something ununderstandable, but sounded quite upset of my answer. So, he took me at the Starbucks in front of Ta Phae Gate, he took his money and waited for me outside, hoping that I’d take him again. When I went out of Starbucks he started to bug me again, but then I started to walk up a street in which he couldn’t enter with his Tuk Tuk and he left me. Sometimes those Tuk-Tuk drivers can be so annoying. But it’s always a good advice to treat them kindly, and if their service are unrequired, to decline their offers politely. They are in their country and they know how are the things around. So, it’s always better to have as less enemies as possible.
Superstitions of Thai Drivers
In major towns and cities, especially Bangkok, it’s easy to spot the vendors selling jasmine garlands on traffic intersections. They usually walk up and down the lines of traffic trying to sell their 20 Baht garlands. Drivers hang these from their mirror as an offering to the spirit guardian who is believed to protect the vehicle and its inhabitants. The garlands can be seen in many taxi cabs and ordinary buses. It is also common for drivers to wai as they go past certain shrines as they drive along. This can be disconcerting if you are the passenger in a cab or bus when the driver suddenly takes both hands off the wheel to offer a wai to the shrine he is whizzing past!
Buying a new car in Thailand can be a complicated affair for those Thais who are superstitious. Attention must be given to ensure the date of purchase is auspicious, the color is lucky and the number plate should also contain some auspicious number (3 and 9 are good).Once purchased, a monk may preside over a ceremony to bless the car.
In major towns and cities, especially Bangkok, it’s easy to spot the vendors selling jasmine garlands on traffic intersections. They usually walk up and down the lines of traffic trying to sell their 20 Baht garlands. Drivers hang these from their mirror as an offering to the spirit guardian who is believed to protect the vehicle and its inhabitants. The garlands can be seen in many taxi cabs and ordinary buses. It is also common for drivers to wai as they go past certain shrines as they drive along. This can be disconcerting if you are the passenger in a cab or bus when the driver suddenly takes both hands off the wheel to offer a wai to the shrine he is whizzing past!
Buying a new car in Thailand can be a complicated affair for those Thais who are superstitious. Attention must be given to ensure the date of purchase is auspicious, the color is lucky and the number plate should also contain some auspicious number (3 and 9 are good).Once purchased, a monk may preside over a ceremony to bless the car.
Chiang Mai - Night Markets
When you're in Chiang Mai, you aren't just soaked into a spiritual area. In fact, in spite the strong spirituality of this place, you can find many other ways to spend you time beside watching temples. The city, especially the part outside the walls, and on the side where was my hotel, is really packed with clubs and pubs. So, while in the day time there are many nice places to visit (for example: Chiang Dao, Hilltribe villages, Golden Triangle, etc...), sports to do (for example: trips with mountain bikes, hiking, rafting, etc...), the night main attractions are the night markets. In the first picture of this group, you can see the bigger Night Market. It is very huge, and a lot of people come here every night. The reason is that there are many good and cheap restaurants, and many ways to have shopping. This is the best place where to buy things at a really cheap price, and you can see people loaded with bags of things that they just bought. In the second and third pictures you can see two spots of the "Sunday Night Market". While the first Night Market is held in a street outside the old city on the East side (near my hotel), this one is held into the old city. Here you can buy things for much cheaper price than into the Night Market, and it looks more like a party than just a market. There are many places where to buy food, there's a lot of music and shows in the middle of the streets. In the second and third pictures of this group you can see some girls dressed in typical clothing, while were doing some typical Thai dances. I like this market very much and even if I was already there last year, this time I had to come back to enjoy it again.
Chiang Mai - The Thai Massage School (TMC School)
This year, even before planning all the travel, I decided to come back to the massage school again. Last year I learn much in this school, and I was missing it in many ways. I was missing the skilful teachers as much as their kindness, the politeness of these people and even the clean place. I loved it. Unluckily, about a month before my leaving to Thailand, I received a letter from the Headmistress. This letter was for all the students. In this letter, she told us that the school was going to be closed forever. They decided to act like this after having had problems with some students, and in order to keep the name of the school as bright as they could, they decided to close it. Later I learnt that the decision was made after some happenings. In particular:
Like the previous year, the school days were scheduled with an early morning pick-up service (8.30), arrival at school with a short breakfast, Lesson, Dinner, Relax, Lesson, Break, Lesson, coming back to the hotel via the same Pick-Up service. While I was there I’ve been quite friend with some other people, among them Jessica and Anthoulla. Jassica is an English globetrotter girl, while Anthoulla is a Greek woman that was in Thailand with her family. She said that just after a few days, she felt like she knew me forever, she said that probably it's because we were quite similar, both Mediterranean!
My course started with the first weekend of “Thai Foot Massage and Foot Reflexology”. Let me say that it was the best thing. It's not common to have such a pleasant Foot Massage for such long time (two days)! Then started the harder part of the course and I took it very seriously, except when I was joking with my friends, to learn the most from it.
The course went by so fast that the last day I felt like that the school just started the previous day. Like the previous year, we had the graduation ceremony. Before giving us our diplomas our Dean asked to speak us a bit. She told us that, after that she had received so many letters and calls from her students, both new and old (I wrote her too), with her colleagues, she decided to keep the school open. That was such a good news that most of us, from the higher courses, clapped our hands and cheered at the news. It was great! That meant that our home in Thailand was keeping open! We were so happy to hear that news.
- Some students came there and wanted, in some sort of way, to buy their diplomas. As they were “paying students”, they wanted to graduate without studying or not taking the final exam.
- Some students, always more frequently made advances on the teachers, and the Dean was afraid that it could spread the voice that her school turned into some sort of brothel.
- Some students (over 18 y.o.) were busted while having sex with the teachers into the school grounds. So, even more seriously, the teacher became afraid of the voices about these things.
Like the previous year, the school days were scheduled with an early morning pick-up service (8.30), arrival at school with a short breakfast, Lesson, Dinner, Relax, Lesson, Break, Lesson, coming back to the hotel via the same Pick-Up service. While I was there I’ve been quite friend with some other people, among them Jessica and Anthoulla. Jassica is an English globetrotter girl, while Anthoulla is a Greek woman that was in Thailand with her family. She said that just after a few days, she felt like she knew me forever, she said that probably it's because we were quite similar, both Mediterranean!
My course started with the first weekend of “Thai Foot Massage and Foot Reflexology”. Let me say that it was the best thing. It's not common to have such a pleasant Foot Massage for such long time (two days)! Then started the harder part of the course and I took it very seriously, except when I was joking with my friends, to learn the most from it.
The course went by so fast that the last day I felt like that the school just started the previous day. Like the previous year, we had the graduation ceremony. Before giving us our diplomas our Dean asked to speak us a bit. She told us that, after that she had received so many letters and calls from her students, both new and old (I wrote her too), with her colleagues, she decided to keep the school open. That was such a good news that most of us, from the higher courses, clapped our hands and cheered at the news. It was great! That meant that our home in Thailand was keeping open! We were so happy to hear that news.
Partying after school, when my inner GPS saved my night.
The same evening of the last school day, I had some partying with my friends. We went out eating in the night market area, and then, after some boozing and laughing, we parted our ways, hoping to meet again, one day, somewhere in the World, to share more laughter again.
We spent our night in the night market and when we left each other we were at a crossroad. It looked like fate, but any of us took a different direction. I went up Loy Khor Road, toward my hotel. While going up my way, I noticed the Chiang Mai Saloon pub, one of my favorite. So, I thought “Ok, one more beer, and let's see which football match is on TV” there was Liverpool, and that meant that I had to stop and watch it. The match was great, and at a certain point, after that I emptied the second peanuts bucket I understood that I was going too far with the beer... Sometimes, I notice details when it's too late... Far too late...
The match ended with a victory of my dear Liverpool, and it was time to come back at the hotel. Easy to say... The barman was so drunk that couldn't even count how much I had to pay, so we did it together “Hey, I should be the drunk customer!” and he laughing “I'm a drunk barman!!!” and both “Ah-ah-ah!”. I fixed my bill (after 10 minutes spent arguing on the cocktails that I didn't drink and were showing in my bill...) and I left the place. In the meanwhile an heavy storm started to fall down. All of a sudden, I reminded that I didn't buy food for my next day breakfast! So, I headed toward the door, toward the storm. An old American guy turned at me and said “Hey man! Be careful, it's raining!”. I answered “Never mind, I can swim!”, and headed sure into the rain! Rule number three “Never exaggerate with alcohol when you're far and alone” tonight I was giving hard time to this rule. I went down the street, coming back in the direction of the Night Market. Somehow, I was still remembering the position of the closer Seven Eleven. Sometimes I can even surprise myself... I crossed a small bridge and I arrived. I entered the Seven Eleven that I was drenched. I bought some food and sweets. Days later I discovered that the sweets were out of date of one and half year (I didn't notice that the Best Before Date was written according the Buddhist calendar that shown as expiration date something like year 2500, I even didn't notice that if it was according the Gregorian calendar there would be enough preservatives to make it last 500 years). After my purchase I made my way back to the hotel, with the alcohol effects that were worsening every minute. The rain got harder, the wind stronger and the pavement more slippery. Then, seen that it wasn't enough difficult so far, the whole city started to swing, spin, contracting and expanding. The noise got louder in my hears and the rain smelled of alcohol. I was drenched and I had a far perception of the direction that I was taking. Somebody, on the opposite side of the street, sitting on a motorbike, miserably under the rain, kept calling me. Was a ladyboy. She was sitting on that motorbike. A tight black dress, crossed wet legs. Her pale face barely lit in the dim light. Wet hair stuck to her face stained of molten make up. Her dark lips, her fake voice. It reminded me some character from a Sci-Fi movie. A temple was behind of her, like guarding her from some evil. Or maybe the temple was guarding me from some evil in disguise. The last piece of my mind, before being overwhelmed by the mix of alcohol tiredness and cold rain told me to go for my street. Rule number 4.2 “Never go along with somebody suspicious when you're about to collapse”. In the end, I arrived, across some narrow muddy streets, to my hotel. I woke up the next morning in my bed. Alone. My drenched clothes were perfectly folded and piled on a chair while my door was locked from inside, the wardrobe and room table had been pushed agianst it. "Folding clothes leaves such an hangover? That's why I always leave my room a mess." I felt terribly nauseated from the night before, and the world was spinning around me, but it was time to go again. Pushed the things back in their own place I checkd if the room was looking like the day beore. More or less, yes. I finished packing my bags. The day was breaking, but the thick clouds didn't let the sun rays going through. I took my bag and I left. I wondered if the clouds were hiding the sun to keep me for a longer night in Chiang Mai. That was the thought. To stay longer. I went toward the airport and the city shown herself one more time. And it was there, in those moments, exactly on that Tuk-Tuk that I felt like I was really leaving my home for good. And I knew that it'd take long before seeing her again. I missed that school so much, and I left her with the promise that, in future, I don't know when, I'll be back to my home in Thailand.
We spent our night in the night market and when we left each other we were at a crossroad. It looked like fate, but any of us took a different direction. I went up Loy Khor Road, toward my hotel. While going up my way, I noticed the Chiang Mai Saloon pub, one of my favorite. So, I thought “Ok, one more beer, and let's see which football match is on TV” there was Liverpool, and that meant that I had to stop and watch it. The match was great, and at a certain point, after that I emptied the second peanuts bucket I understood that I was going too far with the beer... Sometimes, I notice details when it's too late... Far too late...
The match ended with a victory of my dear Liverpool, and it was time to come back at the hotel. Easy to say... The barman was so drunk that couldn't even count how much I had to pay, so we did it together “Hey, I should be the drunk customer!” and he laughing “I'm a drunk barman!!!” and both “Ah-ah-ah!”. I fixed my bill (after 10 minutes spent arguing on the cocktails that I didn't drink and were showing in my bill...) and I left the place. In the meanwhile an heavy storm started to fall down. All of a sudden, I reminded that I didn't buy food for my next day breakfast! So, I headed toward the door, toward the storm. An old American guy turned at me and said “Hey man! Be careful, it's raining!”. I answered “Never mind, I can swim!”, and headed sure into the rain! Rule number three “Never exaggerate with alcohol when you're far and alone” tonight I was giving hard time to this rule. I went down the street, coming back in the direction of the Night Market. Somehow, I was still remembering the position of the closer Seven Eleven. Sometimes I can even surprise myself... I crossed a small bridge and I arrived. I entered the Seven Eleven that I was drenched. I bought some food and sweets. Days later I discovered that the sweets were out of date of one and half year (I didn't notice that the Best Before Date was written according the Buddhist calendar that shown as expiration date something like year 2500, I even didn't notice that if it was according the Gregorian calendar there would be enough preservatives to make it last 500 years). After my purchase I made my way back to the hotel, with the alcohol effects that were worsening every minute. The rain got harder, the wind stronger and the pavement more slippery. Then, seen that it wasn't enough difficult so far, the whole city started to swing, spin, contracting and expanding. The noise got louder in my hears and the rain smelled of alcohol. I was drenched and I had a far perception of the direction that I was taking. Somebody, on the opposite side of the street, sitting on a motorbike, miserably under the rain, kept calling me. Was a ladyboy. She was sitting on that motorbike. A tight black dress, crossed wet legs. Her pale face barely lit in the dim light. Wet hair stuck to her face stained of molten make up. Her dark lips, her fake voice. It reminded me some character from a Sci-Fi movie. A temple was behind of her, like guarding her from some evil. Or maybe the temple was guarding me from some evil in disguise. The last piece of my mind, before being overwhelmed by the mix of alcohol tiredness and cold rain told me to go for my street. Rule number 4.2 “Never go along with somebody suspicious when you're about to collapse”. In the end, I arrived, across some narrow muddy streets, to my hotel. I woke up the next morning in my bed. Alone. My drenched clothes were perfectly folded and piled on a chair while my door was locked from inside, the wardrobe and room table had been pushed agianst it. "Folding clothes leaves such an hangover? That's why I always leave my room a mess." I felt terribly nauseated from the night before, and the world was spinning around me, but it was time to go again. Pushed the things back in their own place I checkd if the room was looking like the day beore. More or less, yes. I finished packing my bags. The day was breaking, but the thick clouds didn't let the sun rays going through. I took my bag and I left. I wondered if the clouds were hiding the sun to keep me for a longer night in Chiang Mai. That was the thought. To stay longer. I went toward the airport and the city shown herself one more time. And it was there, in those moments, exactly on that Tuk-Tuk that I felt like I was really leaving my home for good. And I knew that it'd take long before seeing her again. I missed that school so much, and I left her with the promise that, in future, I don't know when, I'll be back to my home in Thailand.
After School - Day 1
With this part I'm going to show you the South of Thailand. After spending some nice and relaxing time in Chiang Mai, I moved to the South and I started to explore the Andaman Sea. When you're in Thailand, and you decide to go to the South, you can decide to go and see the Eastern coast with its islands or the Western Coast on the Andaman Sea. Seeing that I only had a bit more than a week, I decided to go to the Western Coast to have the chance to see some of the most beautiful landscapes of Thailand.
Phuket - Patong Beach
In Thailand there are many good places to visit, anyone of them is worth to be seen at least for a couple of days. Some of them, are able to charm you and will stay inside your heart forever, some others, are just good places that will just turn into, hopefully, a pleasant memory. After having spent over a week in the North of Thailand, I moved, for my first time, to the deep South. The schedule that I planned would take me from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and then to Phuket. Then, once in Phuket, I'd find a way to reach Patong Beach.
Patong Beach is mainly based on its beach activities and night life. Unluckily, when I went there, came some problems too. The day that I left Chiang Mai was raining very hard. I woke up that it was around 5.00 a.m. as I had an early morning flight. I went to the lobby of the hotel, and I asked to the hotel-lobby guy if he could call a Tuk-Tuk to go to the airport. He answered “Hmmrrmmm”, “So, can you?” I answered him. He looked at me with his sleepy eye for 4-5 seconds and then he decided that I looked enough naive to try to cheat me. I knew the average prices of the Tuk-Tuks, and the price that he told me was above three times more expensive as it should be! I told him I'd rather walk to the airport by my own under the rain than to accept that price. He just laid his head down on his crossed arms and fell back instantly to sleep. So, I left into the rain. It was a monsoon storm. Heavy, huge fat drops, so hard that I could barely see the nightly city in the rain, and very warm. Just near the hotel I was called by a Tuk-Tuk, I stopped next to him, I bargained and I had my ride for the right money. My flight to Bangkok was just in time. A nice and warm morning breakfast on a comfortable seat watching the mostly cloudy Thailand from above. In Bangkok there was a really bright and nice sunrise. Soon later I should take my flight to Phuket, but it was late. When I reached the island the weather turned into a real monsoon storm. When we landed, under that storm, we were already late, and I was about to miss my connection to Patong Beach. Here it happened again something. My luggage was missing! I waited long time but it didn't come. So, I took my small backpack and I went to the "lost and found" office to claim for my lost luggage. Here they told me to go to the other side of the airport and to look if my luggage was delivered to the "International Arrivals". I just run there, and I found my luggage, standing there alone where many people were just walking! Anybody could pick it up! For good luck it was still there and I've got it. All the waiting made me lose the early morning collective connections to Patong Beach, so in order to not waste more time,I took a private transportation in spite of wait a long time and reach the city in the late afternoon. While going the way to Patong Beach, that lasts about 1 hour, the driver kept on talking and talking. Then he asked me if I wished to have some trip around and I said "I came to Thailand to do it" and he said "Oh, I've a friend into a travel agency, may I introduce her to you? She's in Patong", "I answered, if she's in Patong, ok". The all of a sudden, he stopped and drove to the side of the street. He went outside into the storm and soon later a fat lady hopped into the car. She was his friend. She kept on talking about her trips and I seen for her pamphlets that were about double price that I've read before coming to Thailand. I told her that I wasn't interested in it, but then, she turned angry and asked me if I knew where to sleep. I said "Of course I do, it's the Lamai Inn, Patong Beach", she answered "It's full, no room for you", my answer was "Good for you to know all the booking of the Island by heart, but two months ago, when I booked it, there was a room for me, and yesterday, when I called, there was still a room at my name, I've a place to go". She went out, slammed the door, and came back the driver. He didn't speak to me anymore until I reached the hotel. The city, even if under the storm, looked quite pretty. Many people say that it looks like Pattaya, but they say this because they never went to Pattaya. Even if it's not a "dream city", it's still an heaven against Pattaya! My hotel, the Lamai Hotel was really good. I loved it so much. People working there inside were very friendly, professional and kind. I've got quite friend with the counter girls. That was a really nice place from where to start my exploration of the South of Thailand.
Patong Beach is mainly based on its beach activities and night life. Unluckily, when I went there, came some problems too. The day that I left Chiang Mai was raining very hard. I woke up that it was around 5.00 a.m. as I had an early morning flight. I went to the lobby of the hotel, and I asked to the hotel-lobby guy if he could call a Tuk-Tuk to go to the airport. He answered “Hmmrrmmm”, “So, can you?” I answered him. He looked at me with his sleepy eye for 4-5 seconds and then he decided that I looked enough naive to try to cheat me. I knew the average prices of the Tuk-Tuks, and the price that he told me was above three times more expensive as it should be! I told him I'd rather walk to the airport by my own under the rain than to accept that price. He just laid his head down on his crossed arms and fell back instantly to sleep. So, I left into the rain. It was a monsoon storm. Heavy, huge fat drops, so hard that I could barely see the nightly city in the rain, and very warm. Just near the hotel I was called by a Tuk-Tuk, I stopped next to him, I bargained and I had my ride for the right money. My flight to Bangkok was just in time. A nice and warm morning breakfast on a comfortable seat watching the mostly cloudy Thailand from above. In Bangkok there was a really bright and nice sunrise. Soon later I should take my flight to Phuket, but it was late. When I reached the island the weather turned into a real monsoon storm. When we landed, under that storm, we were already late, and I was about to miss my connection to Patong Beach. Here it happened again something. My luggage was missing! I waited long time but it didn't come. So, I took my small backpack and I went to the "lost and found" office to claim for my lost luggage. Here they told me to go to the other side of the airport and to look if my luggage was delivered to the "International Arrivals". I just run there, and I found my luggage, standing there alone where many people were just walking! Anybody could pick it up! For good luck it was still there and I've got it. All the waiting made me lose the early morning collective connections to Patong Beach, so in order to not waste more time,I took a private transportation in spite of wait a long time and reach the city in the late afternoon. While going the way to Patong Beach, that lasts about 1 hour, the driver kept on talking and talking. Then he asked me if I wished to have some trip around and I said "I came to Thailand to do it" and he said "Oh, I've a friend into a travel agency, may I introduce her to you? She's in Patong", "I answered, if she's in Patong, ok". The all of a sudden, he stopped and drove to the side of the street. He went outside into the storm and soon later a fat lady hopped into the car. She was his friend. She kept on talking about her trips and I seen for her pamphlets that were about double price that I've read before coming to Thailand. I told her that I wasn't interested in it, but then, she turned angry and asked me if I knew where to sleep. I said "Of course I do, it's the Lamai Inn, Patong Beach", she answered "It's full, no room for you", my answer was "Good for you to know all the booking of the Island by heart, but two months ago, when I booked it, there was a room for me, and yesterday, when I called, there was still a room at my name, I've a place to go". She went out, slammed the door, and came back the driver. He didn't speak to me anymore until I reached the hotel. The city, even if under the storm, looked quite pretty. Many people say that it looks like Pattaya, but they say this because they never went to Pattaya. Even if it's not a "dream city", it's still an heaven against Pattaya! My hotel, the Lamai Hotel was really good. I loved it so much. People working there inside were very friendly, professional and kind. I've got quite friend with the counter girls. That was a really nice place from where to start my exploration of the South of Thailand.
Phang-Nga Province - Suwan Khuna - The Monkey Temple
The island of Phuket is in a really good place in the Andaman sea, and it allows you both to explore the islands of the Phuket and Krabi regions and also to explore many interesting places in the mainland. One of the most beautiful places that you can see, is the Phang-Nga province. This land is made of many hills with limestone cliffs separated by forest and snake-like rivers that slowly flow toward the sea. Quite often, while looking for pictures and information about Thailand, you can see this land and its famous limestone islands. So, on the first day that I was in Patong, just after my arrival, I decided to do an afternoon trip to see the Phang-Nga Bay. I went and bought a ticket at a local travel agency and they explained me that the bus would be at 13.30 and it'd stop before the Mc Donald's next to the sea. So, I took all my stuff and I went to take this coach. I waited a little bit and then a bus came. I asked to the guy at the door if it was the bus to Tapoo Island (a famous island that I wanted to go and see in Phang-Nga Bay), and the guy answered "Ok, Ok". So, I jumped over and I took a seat. I've seen that mainly were Western guys and some Asians. But something weird happened. The bus stopped again and some guys asked something to the guy and he answered again "Ok, Ok" and they got in. Again, soon later, the bus stopped and some people wanted to get over, and the bus guy, seeing that the bus was already packed, screamed "Ok, Ok!" showing with the hands to push the other people to make room the the new people (in this case, with "Ok, OK" he meant to say "Move forward!")! That meant that this guy could only say "Ok, Ok"! This also meant that I was on the wrong bus. I started to look for clues, and I found a small writing over that was, in Thai, that something was costing 20 Bath. Again, this was one more proof that I was on the wrong bus. That wasn't "Ok, Ok" at all! At the next stop, I jumped down and I started to walk all the way back, hoping to find another coach that looked like one going to the Phang-Nga Bay. Then all of a sudden, I've seen a coach with written "Simon's Tours", that looked like one that could be mine. I started to call their attention and to scream from the pavement. The coach stopped and a guy came down. He looked at me and said "Are you Francesco, right?" I said "Yeah! That's me!". In fact, he had a seat reserved at my name. He asked me what happened, and I told him all my story. All the coach had big fun of what happened, even if, to me, it was really thrilling. I sat down at half of the couch, just opposite of “Mr. Black Heavy Metal T-Shirt Wearer”. This guy, in spite his serious look, was quite a chatterbox and was quite fun too. Later the guide told me that, probably I was taken by the coach that connects Patong Beach to Phuket Town. On that day, this looked like I just overcome a problem, but in the end, in this way, I've got many information that came very helpful some days later. While we were all on board of the bus, we were told the schedule. We'd first stop to a place called Suwan Khuna, then we'd reach the Phang-Nga Bay. The main part of the travel, would be Koh Tapoo, also known as James Bond Island. The reason for which this island has this name is because there was recorded the "James Bond and the man with the golden gun" movie. While we were on the coach, we were shown almost all the movie, just to make us wish even more to go on that island. As scheduled, the first stop was in Suwan Khuna. This place is a sacred limestone mountain surrounded by rivers, rain forest and springs. On the way to reach this small mountain, you can see many "Rubber tree" plantations. In fact, this region is one of the main ones of Thailand for the production of natural Latex. The mountain itself, is not very tall, but its limestone cliffs are very suggestive. You can see it in the first picture of this group. There, at the feet of the mountain, there's the Suwan Khuna temple, also called "The Monkey Temple". The temple itself, is inside a cave in the mountain, but many other temples were built outside. The reason of the name "The Monkey Temple", is that outside the temple there are hundreds or even more monkeys! That's unbelievable. You can see them swarming from the trees of the mountain and coming down to ask you for food. It felt both interesting and somehow scary too. So many hungry four armed, twenty-clawed grey little things, screaming, biting and jumping all around. I didn't like much these monkeys used too much to the human presence, that they became addicted to the people offering them some food. Anyway, it was a good chance to take some good pictures at them. The best thing of all, on this place, is the temple into the cave. In fact, inside of the mountain there are two caves. They are connected and there are two gates. One lower, the temple one, is the one that you can see in the second picture of this group, while the second gate, is the one that you can see in the fifth picture of this group. This second one is placed in the rain forest side. Inside, as soon as you enter, you'll find yourself into the so called "Light Cave", that is also the real temple. Inside there's an huge golden statue of Lord Buddah. You can see this statue in the third picture. In the end of this short cave, there's a stairway that leads to the higher cave. This second cave is the so called "Dark Cave". This one is a real cave, and you can explore it as you wish. It was really beautiful to see it, and the darkness, with the warm temperature and humidity, made it feel like to be into an enchanted place. The scheduled stop was quite short. So, I had to explore this cave quickly and then to go outside of the temple. A big "See you again" to the beautiful golden statue of Lord Buddha, and we were moving to Phang-Nga Bay.
Phang-Nga Bay - Limestone Islands and Sea Gipsy Village
Phang-Nga Bay - Limestone Islands and Sea Gipsy Village - One of the most suggestive landscapes that you can see in Thailand, is the Phang-Nga Bay. Not many people, when they think about Thailand, imagine Mangrove forests and limestone islands with cliffs that fall straight into the sea. This part of Thailand, that still keeps its savage charm, is into the Phang-Nga Province, and it takes the same name. That's the famous Phang-Nga Bay. The bay is just the end of a river, that in the end, shatters into many smaller ones and its waters blend with the sea water. When you're going through the bay, the best idea is to go on late afternoon, when the tourists already went away. As soon as we arrived, we were asked to go on-board of a big "longtail" boat, and we started to sail across the Mangrove forest, through the many channels, until we reached the sea. You can see a piece of the Mangrove forest in the first picture of this group. When we were almost there, we found ourselves before the charming sight of the limestone islands. These limestone cliffs, falling straight down, like a petrified waterfall, toward the mangrove forest and the sea are a very captivating landscape. While I was there, I thought that I’ve seen many pictures of this place and then, in that moments, I was sailing exactly there. The air was humid as it was just after a storm. The ray of lights kept on coming for short appearances through the clouds, like small moving silvery spots on the water while the cliffs were set aflame by the late afternoon light. You can see some of these islands in the second and third picture. While sailing through these islands, we reached Koh Panyi. This island is just a really huge limestone rock getting out from the sea, with some trees on the top of it. But the main thing, is that on its base, there's a village fully built on the water. This is the Koh Panyi Sea Gipsy Village. In fact, in this side of the world, between Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and many other countries, there's an ethnic group called "The sea gypsies", that live in villages like this. You can see some places of the Sea Gypsy Village in the fourth, fifth and sixth picture of this group (all the houses are built on the water, except the few that are touching the island cliffs). In the daytime, thousands of tourists come to this village, and it just turn into a place of restaurants and trinkets market. But luckily we came later, when there were no more tourists, and we seen these people coming back to their life, and the village turning into a very quiet fishermen village. It was one of the most relaxing places that I've seen in this travel.
After a short walk across the trinkets market I decided to come back at the pier and to relax a bit. The day had been so fast, and I sat there on the wooden pier, thinking that the same morning I was in Chiang Mai, then I had my lost luggage adventure, the possible scam with the overpriced-tours selling lady, then again the wrong coach in Patong, while in that moment I was in the deep south of Thailand, far from everywhere. The water was flowing slowly under the pier. The sight before me, was a broad river with a limestone cliff just behind. Some boats carrying coconuts were descending the slow streams. Some longtail with some tourist on board was sailing upstream, on a river which waves were shining of golden sunset sparks and the landscape all around of us was starting to glow in warm orange sunset light.
After a short walk across the trinkets market I decided to come back at the pier and to relax a bit. The day had been so fast, and I sat there on the wooden pier, thinking that the same morning I was in Chiang Mai, then I had my lost luggage adventure, the possible scam with the overpriced-tours selling lady, then again the wrong coach in Patong, while in that moment I was in the deep south of Thailand, far from everywhere. The water was flowing slowly under the pier. The sight before me, was a broad river with a limestone cliff just behind. Some boats carrying coconuts were descending the slow streams. Some longtail with some tourist on board was sailing upstream, on a river which waves were shining of golden sunset sparks and the landscape all around of us was starting to glow in warm orange sunset light.
The Sea Gypsies
The Moken (also spelled Mawken or Morgan; Thai: Chao Le "sea people"), are an Austronesian ethnic group with about 2,000 to 3,000 members who maintain a nomadic, sea-based culture. They speak their own language which belongs to the Austronesian language family.
They refer to themselves as Moken. The name is used for all of the proto-Malayan speaking tribes who inhabit the coast and islands in the Andaman Sea on the west coast of Thailand, the provinces of Satun, Trang, Krabi, Phuket, Phang Nga, and Ranong, up through the Mergui Archipelago of Burma (Myanmar). In Thailand, acculturated Moken are called Thai Mai (new Thais).
The Moken are also called Sea Gypsies, a generic term that applies to a number of peoples in southeast Asia. The Urak Lawoi are sometimes classified with the Moken, but they are linguistically and ethnologically distinct, being much more closely related to the Malay people.
Their knowledge of the sea enables them to live off its fauna and flora by using simple tools such as nets and spears to forage for food. What is not consumed is dried atop their boats, then used to barter for other necessities at local markets. During the monsoon season, they build additional boats while occupying temporary huts. Because of the amount of time they spend diving for food, Moken children are able to see better underwater due to accommodation of their visual focus.
Some of the Burmese Moken are still nomadic people who roam the sea most of their lives in small hand-crafted wooden boats called kabang, which serve not just as transportation, but also as kitchen, bedroom, and living area. However, much of their traditional life, which is built on the premise of life as outsiders, is under threat and appears to be diminishing.
Source: Wikipedia
Phang-Nga Bay - Koh Tapoo - James Bond Island
After we left the Sea Gipsy village behind our shoulders, when our memory of the calm waters flowing into the sunset were blending with the feeling of amazement among those limestone islands, we reached Koh Tapoo. This is a small island, that from far couldn't be picked out from the others. But this place is the most famous of all the Phang-Nga Bay. Here was recorded the end of the “James Bond and the man with the golden gun” movie. Of course, this place was chosen as the location for the James Bond movie, that for it's extraordinary beauty. When you reach the island, you can land on two different places. The first is a pier for bigger boats, while the second spot is a rocky beach where can only land "longtail boats", like the one I used to get there. When I reached there, was already late afternoon and the sun was already going down. An heavy storm was coming and the sound of far thunders made it feel, somehow, more natural. In fact, now this place is a tourist trap, and many small shops are there. For good luck, when you get there so late, they are already closed, and you can find yourself alone (with few other tourists) in this beautiful place. As soon as I left the longtail boat, I had a small walk, and then I reached the most famous place of the island. It's a small bay with a natural limestone tower in the middle. The beach is made of sand mixed with sea shells and I wondered how could it be beautiful without all those people around. The tour guide suggested me to take the walkway on the left of the beach, and I did it. Soon I reached another beach. This one is absolutely gorgeous. The beach looks like made of white sea shells and the same limestone cliffs offers a shelter for both rain or heavy sun. This island is an unforgettable place.
The sun went down fast and we were called back to our longtail boat. We made the way back up the river and then we were carried on our bus. We left this area when the storm reached us. We made our way back to Patong Beach under the rain, and we reached the city that it had just stopped raining.
The trip was really impressive and I’m happy that I did it. Then it was time to be back at my hotel, get showered and then I’d be back in the town to have some partying and to plan the next day trip.
The sun went down fast and we were called back to our longtail boat. We made the way back up the river and then we were carried on our bus. We left this area when the storm reached us. We made our way back to Patong Beach under the rain, and we reached the city that it had just stopped raining.
The trip was really impressive and I’m happy that I did it. Then it was time to be back at my hotel, get showered and then I’d be back in the town to have some partying and to plan the next day trip.
Hom - The Thai Kiss
The Thai version of a kiss, is called Hom (pronounced like “Hom?”) and is more of a sniff-kiss on the cheek (or a long slow smell near the nape of the neck). When it happened to me, I asked about it, and I was answered “It’s my way to wish you good luck”.
The Thai version of a kiss, is called Hom (pronounced like “Hom?”) and is more of a sniff-kiss on the cheek (or a long slow smell near the nape of the neck). When it happened to me, I asked about it, and I was answered “It’s my way to wish you good luck”.
After School Day 2 - Phang-Nga Province - The Rafting Trip
It was the evening of my first day in Patong Beach. The cloudy sky decided that for that day we took enough rain and decided to keep the rest of it for the night. Flashes came from the pitch black sea followed by the low roar of a far storm.
I strolled along the beach street still twisted after such a long day and the lack of real sleeping. The storm unleashed thunders on the sea, and the far flashes, followed by a low roar felt like I was witnessing a far naval battle, or maybe a clash of mighty titans. Bars and restaurants were there too, in line along the street, witnessing at the same thing, but people looked more interested into their food. The more I approached to Bangla street, more the thunders started to mix with the rhythm of the music coming from the clubs in the very Bangla street. For a moment the mighty Titans danced at the sound of a battle of Hip Hop against some Techno. Then, the music was louder and Bangla street was there. A kaleidoscope of lights, music, people of every kind and of all the genders known and unknown at the most. Smell of food, flashes of cameras, chest hammering loud music, colors, and people, much people. All the humanity looked like flowing there in an endless stream. At least all the humanity that chosen Patong beach as their holiday place. All living Bangla street in a different way. Some buying stuff, other eating, other drinking at the stalls, many looking for one night stand, others just peering what was happening all around them. Those people with broad eyes looking all around of them, just to witness all that, but without taking part of it, and a day, they could say “I was there too”, without mentioning that they were there just looking like “Peeping-Toms” and didn’t take part of it. I was in the middle of the crowd. I liked that place, but I hadn't time for it, at least, not yet. Soi Sea Dragon called me, I didn't listen. Soi Eric was trying to charm me, but I endured it, like a modern Ulysses resisting at the call of Asian sirens. I didn't have wax in my hears, I didn't have some special moral rectitude. No, not of all that. I had an human urge that overwhelmed all. I was hungry, very hungry. Then, all of a sudden, I found what I was looking for. A strange looking restaurant with plastic tables and chairs. The treasure I was looking for was under the flag “Tonight seafood 50% off”. I ordered an huge grilled White Snapper with an ice-cold big Singha beer, then pan-fried Morning Glory and fruit. While I was there I reminded that I didn't book a trip yet for the next day. I tried to remember what I've seen the previous morning at the travel agency. No way to remember. So, I thought that, what I needed was something cheap and not at sea. That storm worried me a bit.
After having paid my “seafood 50% off”, I headed to the same travel agency where I bought the tickets of that day trip. I spoke with the guy and he shown me a rafting trip. That was what I was looking for. At least, with rain or sun, the result would be the same, I mean, being drenched wet. Then, it was time to forget about tiredness and to vanish into the nightlife. Discos were waiting for me, down there, half way down Bangla street. To be part of Bangla street me too.
I was there too.
The next morning I woke up that it felt like I just laid in bed. The sun looked like shining through the curtains. I jumped down the bed and I opened them. No, it was just day. A cloudy day. I went downstairs to have breakfast. After all that time in Chiang Mai where I had to leave my hotel any morning to have a coffee at Starbucks before going at school, it felt like a real holiday to not have to start a morning in a rush. The breakfast was Coffee, Toasted Bread, Jam and Juice. All for 120 Baht.
Soon later came a gray minivan filled with people. A Thai girl came down from it and came to me “Are you Flhan-esko?”, “Yes, it's me, Francesco” I answered “Hi! I'm Pui! Let's go!”. I went to the minivan but it was packed with what looked an herd of sleeping people. I entered the minivan to sit next to Pui and I said “Good morning!” to the guys. A blond girl said “Hi!”, two MP3-Player wearers just rose their eyes and looked at me for a second, while the others, said at the unison “Hello Mr. Francesco, our hero, emperor of the travellers, you're our model, the person we're looking to become alike...”, but they did it only in their dreams and nobody heard it. But I'm sure that they said so.
The travel toward the rafting camp took about two hours or more. At half way we stopped again a the Monkey Temple, where, while walking around I knew better Sarah, the “Hi!” saying girl and Pui too. Sarah was another crazy English globetrotter, even if, not as fun as Jessica. She lived in pair with her Blackberry mobile phone, but most of the time she used to say jokes too. A lonely traveler, just like me, Jessica and many others. Pui told me that she did two works, she alternated the Taxi driver job with the Tour Guide one. That day she was in the “Tour Guide” version.
After the Monkey Temple, we went to the rafting camp. Here we were asked if we wished to have some “Elephant Trekking” and we all had to go to the “Elephant Trekking Camp”. I still reminded of my previous year one, and when I decided to not do it again. So, I spent some time with Jessica as she refused that thing too. Pui was with us as, being a tour guide, she hadn't the chance of doing it. After an endless waiting, our tour friends came back and we went to the “Rafting Camp” again. Here we had our instructions. They were:
We were called around two rafts and we were split in two groups “You here, you here, you there”, then Mr. Captain came close to my group and said “Who had rafting before?”, I rose my hand and her answered “Ok, you here”. I was given a seat in the first row. Then he came to me and said “If I paddle, you do as I do, ok?”. Ok, it was clear. I was sitting next to Mr. Captain and I had to pretend to copy what he was doing. In the last seat of the raft there was also the reassuring presence of Mr. Personnel that should help people to not fall off.
The trip started. The water was warm and rough, but not as rough as the previous year. The rafting was good, but Mr. Captain shown that he didn't know how to drive a raft. Many times Pui, that was sitting behind of me, asked me “What I have to do?” and I kept on answering “Do the same of me”. The forest and fields at the sides of the river were passing by, sometime slowing and sometimes speeding away. The nature was so beautiful and it felt, finally, like being far from civilization. Then we reached a large turn of the river and we had time to relax. Pui told me that she was happy of the rafting. I'm happy that it was all well! Then, we started again and soon we reached the second “Rafting Camp”. We were taken back at the first one, where we had time to change our wet clothes and to eat something. Pui came to me and Sarah and told us “Don't Chan, let we sweem, beeg fall!”. This sentence was a bit hard to understand, but she meant “Don't change your clothes as later we'll swim again, we'll go to a big waterfall!”. For the rest of the day, Pui kept close to me and Sarah as she said that she found us more funny than the other boring guys.
I strolled along the beach street still twisted after such a long day and the lack of real sleeping. The storm unleashed thunders on the sea, and the far flashes, followed by a low roar felt like I was witnessing a far naval battle, or maybe a clash of mighty titans. Bars and restaurants were there too, in line along the street, witnessing at the same thing, but people looked more interested into their food. The more I approached to Bangla street, more the thunders started to mix with the rhythm of the music coming from the clubs in the very Bangla street. For a moment the mighty Titans danced at the sound of a battle of Hip Hop against some Techno. Then, the music was louder and Bangla street was there. A kaleidoscope of lights, music, people of every kind and of all the genders known and unknown at the most. Smell of food, flashes of cameras, chest hammering loud music, colors, and people, much people. All the humanity looked like flowing there in an endless stream. At least all the humanity that chosen Patong beach as their holiday place. All living Bangla street in a different way. Some buying stuff, other eating, other drinking at the stalls, many looking for one night stand, others just peering what was happening all around them. Those people with broad eyes looking all around of them, just to witness all that, but without taking part of it, and a day, they could say “I was there too”, without mentioning that they were there just looking like “Peeping-Toms” and didn’t take part of it. I was in the middle of the crowd. I liked that place, but I hadn't time for it, at least, not yet. Soi Sea Dragon called me, I didn't listen. Soi Eric was trying to charm me, but I endured it, like a modern Ulysses resisting at the call of Asian sirens. I didn't have wax in my hears, I didn't have some special moral rectitude. No, not of all that. I had an human urge that overwhelmed all. I was hungry, very hungry. Then, all of a sudden, I found what I was looking for. A strange looking restaurant with plastic tables and chairs. The treasure I was looking for was under the flag “Tonight seafood 50% off”. I ordered an huge grilled White Snapper with an ice-cold big Singha beer, then pan-fried Morning Glory and fruit. While I was there I reminded that I didn't book a trip yet for the next day. I tried to remember what I've seen the previous morning at the travel agency. No way to remember. So, I thought that, what I needed was something cheap and not at sea. That storm worried me a bit.
After having paid my “seafood 50% off”, I headed to the same travel agency where I bought the tickets of that day trip. I spoke with the guy and he shown me a rafting trip. That was what I was looking for. At least, with rain or sun, the result would be the same, I mean, being drenched wet. Then, it was time to forget about tiredness and to vanish into the nightlife. Discos were waiting for me, down there, half way down Bangla street. To be part of Bangla street me too.
I was there too.
The next morning I woke up that it felt like I just laid in bed. The sun looked like shining through the curtains. I jumped down the bed and I opened them. No, it was just day. A cloudy day. I went downstairs to have breakfast. After all that time in Chiang Mai where I had to leave my hotel any morning to have a coffee at Starbucks before going at school, it felt like a real holiday to not have to start a morning in a rush. The breakfast was Coffee, Toasted Bread, Jam and Juice. All for 120 Baht.
Soon later came a gray minivan filled with people. A Thai girl came down from it and came to me “Are you Flhan-esko?”, “Yes, it's me, Francesco” I answered “Hi! I'm Pui! Let's go!”. I went to the minivan but it was packed with what looked an herd of sleeping people. I entered the minivan to sit next to Pui and I said “Good morning!” to the guys. A blond girl said “Hi!”, two MP3-Player wearers just rose their eyes and looked at me for a second, while the others, said at the unison “Hello Mr. Francesco, our hero, emperor of the travellers, you're our model, the person we're looking to become alike...”, but they did it only in their dreams and nobody heard it. But I'm sure that they said so.
The travel toward the rafting camp took about two hours or more. At half way we stopped again a the Monkey Temple, where, while walking around I knew better Sarah, the “Hi!” saying girl and Pui too. Sarah was another crazy English globetrotter, even if, not as fun as Jessica. She lived in pair with her Blackberry mobile phone, but most of the time she used to say jokes too. A lonely traveler, just like me, Jessica and many others. Pui told me that she did two works, she alternated the Taxi driver job with the Tour Guide one. That day she was in the “Tour Guide” version.
After the Monkey Temple, we went to the rafting camp. Here we were asked if we wished to have some “Elephant Trekking” and we all had to go to the “Elephant Trekking Camp”. I still reminded of my previous year one, and when I decided to not do it again. So, I spent some time with Jessica as she refused that thing too. Pui was with us as, being a tour guide, she hadn't the chance of doing it. After an endless waiting, our tour friends came back and we went to the “Rafting Camp” again. Here we had our instructions. They were:
- Mr. Captain “If I paddle forward, do as I do” the crew nodded
- Mr. Captain “If I paddle backward, do as I do” the crew nodded
- Mr. Captain “If I say right, people in the right will paddle, the others no” the crew nodded
- Mr. Captain “If I say left, people in right will paddle, the others no” the crew nodded. Somebody said “Hei, shouldn't paddle those in the left?” the crew looked at the guy bad. The captain answered “If I paddle forward, do as I do!”. The crew nodded. Now all was clear. More or less.
- Mr. Captain “If I say Paddle In, you put the paddles in!” the crew nodded
- Mr. Captain “If you fall... Out... No panic, you have life jackets!” the crew nodded, somebody “what we should do?”, the crew turned puzzled and Mr. Captain “No panic, you have life jackets!”. The crew nodded.
We were called around two rafts and we were split in two groups “You here, you here, you there”, then Mr. Captain came close to my group and said “Who had rafting before?”, I rose my hand and her answered “Ok, you here”. I was given a seat in the first row. Then he came to me and said “If I paddle, you do as I do, ok?”. Ok, it was clear. I was sitting next to Mr. Captain and I had to pretend to copy what he was doing. In the last seat of the raft there was also the reassuring presence of Mr. Personnel that should help people to not fall off.
The trip started. The water was warm and rough, but not as rough as the previous year. The rafting was good, but Mr. Captain shown that he didn't know how to drive a raft. Many times Pui, that was sitting behind of me, asked me “What I have to do?” and I kept on answering “Do the same of me”. The forest and fields at the sides of the river were passing by, sometime slowing and sometimes speeding away. The nature was so beautiful and it felt, finally, like being far from civilization. Then we reached a large turn of the river and we had time to relax. Pui told me that she was happy of the rafting. I'm happy that it was all well! Then, we started again and soon we reached the second “Rafting Camp”. We were taken back at the first one, where we had time to change our wet clothes and to eat something. Pui came to me and Sarah and told us “Don't Chan, let we sweem, beeg fall!”. This sentence was a bit hard to understand, but she meant “Don't change your clothes as later we'll swim again, we'll go to a big waterfall!”. For the rest of the day, Pui kept close to me and Sarah as she said that she found us more funny than the other boring guys.
Phang-Nga Province - The Waterfall in the forest
After the lunch break our guide, Miss Pui, leaded us into the forest to a waterfall. We left the “Rafting Camp” on foot and we followed, first a street, and then we entered the forest. The way in the forest was very easy and the path was broad. For good luck I didn’t have to regret that I was wearing sandals in spite of my dear trekking boots.
The broad pathway was muddy from the previous day rain. The nature all around was luxuriant, strong and vivid. Like willing to impress and be remembered. Huge leaves of some plant, tall trees hugged tightly by some vines. Colorful flowers, along with white Orchids, appearing from everywhere and the smell of them mixed with the one of wood and humidity. That was the scent of that corner of Thailand. It was flowers (like most of the places), humidity, and wood. The sun, that shortly appeared from the clouds, was drawing light lines through the tree fronds. Light beams that were showing glowing spots all around of us. Then came again the clouds and the shining dots disappeared again into the deep of the forest.
Soon later we arrived to the waterfall. It was high and narrow. The noise was like a continuous thunder and close to it both the stream and wind were very strong. I took bath there and I loved it! Then, Pui told me that I had the chance to jump off the cliff, straight into the water. First I watched some Thai guys doing it, and then, I decided to try it too. I gave my camera to Jessica and I told her to picture me. So, I did the jump. In a matter of a second I left the cliff and then, the acceleration, the splash, like an explosion, and then I found myself underwater. I swam back to the surface and I left the stream to take me far from the waterfall, where I swam back to the shore.
Soon later, Pui called us back. We walked the way back to the “Rafting Camp” where I changed my wet stuff, I wore some dry clothes, and we left to go back to Patong. Many Rubber-Tree plantations were there around. Then, back into the flat land toward Phuket island.
The broad pathway was muddy from the previous day rain. The nature all around was luxuriant, strong and vivid. Like willing to impress and be remembered. Huge leaves of some plant, tall trees hugged tightly by some vines. Colorful flowers, along with white Orchids, appearing from everywhere and the smell of them mixed with the one of wood and humidity. That was the scent of that corner of Thailand. It was flowers (like most of the places), humidity, and wood. The sun, that shortly appeared from the clouds, was drawing light lines through the tree fronds. Light beams that were showing glowing spots all around of us. Then came again the clouds and the shining dots disappeared again into the deep of the forest.
Soon later we arrived to the waterfall. It was high and narrow. The noise was like a continuous thunder and close to it both the stream and wind were very strong. I took bath there and I loved it! Then, Pui told me that I had the chance to jump off the cliff, straight into the water. First I watched some Thai guys doing it, and then, I decided to try it too. I gave my camera to Jessica and I told her to picture me. So, I did the jump. In a matter of a second I left the cliff and then, the acceleration, the splash, like an explosion, and then I found myself underwater. I swam back to the surface and I left the stream to take me far from the waterfall, where I swam back to the shore.
Soon later, Pui called us back. We walked the way back to the “Rafting Camp” where I changed my wet stuff, I wore some dry clothes, and we left to go back to Patong. Many Rubber-Tree plantations were there around. Then, back into the flat land toward Phuket island.
Thai Nicknames
One of the most obvious examples that visitors to Thailand will come across is the use of Thai nicknames. When a Thai child is born, he or she will be given an official name. This is normally Sanskrit in origin, will consist of two or more syllables and will invariably mean something positive such as long life or happiness. This name will then be used on all legal and official documents. However, the majority of Thais will also be given a nickname. The reason behind this is to confuse the bad spirits and stop them from being attracted to the baby. The nicknames are often short one syllable names such as Lek (small), Fon (rain), Fah (sky). The names aren’t always flattering such as Gob (frog), Gai (chicken) or Ouan (fat). These nicknames given at birth are then carried through the rest of that person’s life. So, Lek (small) can turn out to be big and Ouan (fat) can end up as a pencil-slim catwalk model. It’s also believed that spirits are attracted to the beautiful and some Thai people, particularly the older generation, may ‘compliment’ a new-born baby by referring to it as Nakliat (ugly) or Ouan (fat).
One of the most obvious examples that visitors to Thailand will come across is the use of Thai nicknames. When a Thai child is born, he or she will be given an official name. This is normally Sanskrit in origin, will consist of two or more syllables and will invariably mean something positive such as long life or happiness. This name will then be used on all legal and official documents. However, the majority of Thais will also be given a nickname. The reason behind this is to confuse the bad spirits and stop them from being attracted to the baby. The nicknames are often short one syllable names such as Lek (small), Fon (rain), Fah (sky). The names aren’t always flattering such as Gob (frog), Gai (chicken) or Ouan (fat). These nicknames given at birth are then carried through the rest of that person’s life. So, Lek (small) can turn out to be big and Ouan (fat) can end up as a pencil-slim catwalk model. It’s also believed that spirits are attracted to the beautiful and some Thai people, particularly the older generation, may ‘compliment’ a new-born baby by referring to it as Nakliat (ugly) or Ouan (fat).
After School Day 3 - Phuket Town Pier - The Gate to the Andaman Sea
Just after my exploration of the Phang Nga Region, I decided to head more south and to go and see the best islands of the Andaman Sea. Thanks to my new friend Pui, I had a chance to get many big discounts for the transportation. In fact, seen that she's a guide, she helped me to have 50% of discount on almost every trip. That was really nice having her as a new friend, or as the song say “That’s what friends are for (to have good discounts)”. So, I decided to go and see some very famous islands, and some less famous but still very attractive ones. The fist islands were the Phi Phi Islands, while the second ones were the Khai Islands. The day that I left Patong Beach to go to the Phi Phi Islands, I decided that I needed some laundry. In fact, I planned to leave in the early morning and to be back on the evening to Patong, but doing so, I’d have low chance to find some open laundry service in the evening. So, I went to the cheapest laundry store that I found (in Patong the laundry prices were 2-3 times higher than in Chiang Mai). I left my stuff there and the lady told me "See you tomorrow". I said "Excuse me, but you forgot the recipe", she said "I don't need, I remember of you", so I answered "Sorry, give me my stuff back, I wonder how you can recognize my stuff... I already had stuff gone lost on this way (I lied)", so she angrily made me a recipe. From that time, any time I walked before the store, she and her workers were always saying "Hello" to me! So, I ensured that she can’t forget about me.
It was my second morning in Patong. Again, I woke up with the cloudy weather. I went downstairs and I took a breakfast, but without juice as the previous day I didn't like it much. I went at the desk and the girl told me “120 Baht”, I answered “Same price as yesterday?”, she said “Same!”, “But yesterday it was a different breakfast”, “Same, same but different!” she answered, so I kept “But if I take also the juice? Same-Same?”, “No, different...”, “What different?”, “With juice 150 Baht”! Ok, the previous day she made a mistake. So, I came back to my room without any further thrilling breakfast prices investigations.
The pick up service came to take me in time, and we were taken first to Phuket town and then to the pier where we took the speed boat that would take us to the Phi-Phi Islands. The open sea was flat, but as much as we got closer to the Phi-Phi islands started to appear some wave too. The sky was cloudy and sometimes I felt drops. I didn't know if they were from the sky or from the sea. The boat itself was looking quite bad. The fabric of the seats was torn, some seats were falling off their fittings and sometimes we heard the boat itself to creak loudly after we were falling after a jump over a wave. This was both worrying and exciting as it rose the taste of adventure.
It was my second morning in Patong. Again, I woke up with the cloudy weather. I went downstairs and I took a breakfast, but without juice as the previous day I didn't like it much. I went at the desk and the girl told me “120 Baht”, I answered “Same price as yesterday?”, she said “Same!”, “But yesterday it was a different breakfast”, “Same, same but different!” she answered, so I kept “But if I take also the juice? Same-Same?”, “No, different...”, “What different?”, “With juice 150 Baht”! Ok, the previous day she made a mistake. So, I came back to my room without any further thrilling breakfast prices investigations.
The pick up service came to take me in time, and we were taken first to Phuket town and then to the pier where we took the speed boat that would take us to the Phi-Phi Islands. The open sea was flat, but as much as we got closer to the Phi-Phi islands started to appear some wave too. The sky was cloudy and sometimes I felt drops. I didn't know if they were from the sky or from the sea. The boat itself was looking quite bad. The fabric of the seats was torn, some seats were falling off their fittings and sometimes we heard the boat itself to creak loudly after we were falling after a jump over a wave. This was both worrying and exciting as it rose the taste of adventure.
Phi Phi Islands - Two Jewels into an Emerald Sea
The Phi Phi Islands are quite far from Phuket Island. It takes about an hour with a speed boat to get there. These islands are quite small and there's not much place for resorts and hotels. So, you can find almost all the tourist facilities packed in few small places. Few years ago on the 26th December 2004, here was theater of the Tsunami Disaster. On these islands were some of the most heavy damages. In fact, seen that all the villages and resorts are on small places, the Tsunami hit bad there and killed many people. While talking to Thai people living here, after a short while you discover that many of them are survivors form the Tsunami and everyone has his/her story to tell. Later I'll tell you what happened on Phi Phi Islands. Our first stop was in the wonderful Maya Bay in the Phi Phi Leh island. You can see this bay in the first, second and third picture of this group. The name "Maya", in Thai means "Room" and it's from the shape of the bay itself, that it's almost closed from the open sea by really high limestone cliffs. Here, if you don't care much at the many speed boats that take here so many tourists, the nature is still quite wild. On this island there's not much place to build and this saves the island from people. In past, on this bay there was a really beautiful coral reef. Unluckily, the Tsunami destroyed the reef from half of the bay to the beach. This place is also the same where was recoded the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo Di Caprio. The beach, with it's silk soft white sand, would be really an heavenly place, but now it's too much of a tourist attraction, and too many tourists are taken here every day. After we left Maya Bay, we followed the coastline and we reached the "Viking Cave". This cave is forbidden to the access of people, because, it looks like historical researches are going on. In fact, in this cave were found some wall paintings left from ancient sea travelers. Of course, it's unlikely that were really Vikings, but I like to think these Vikings that left their freezing lands and came to this small piece of tropical heaven. You can see the Viking cave in the fourth picture. The stop before the cave lasts only few minutes, and then it's time to go to the next island, the bigger Phi Phi Don. While going to the Tonsai Bay, we stopped for a few minutes into the "Monkey Beach". In fact, on this small beach lives a colony of monkeys, that now are accustomed to live with the food given by the tourists. As it happened into the "Monkey Temple", I didn't notice a real "Alpha Male" among those monkeys. Probably this is for the high food resources that they have, and they don't need to fight anymore to have food. The beach itself is very beautiful, the white sand is gently caressed by the emerald sea. You can see this beach in the fifth and sixth pictures. The next stop was into the Tonsai Bay. This place is the most famous of the Phi Phi Islands. In fact, Phi Phi Don island is like two small mountains connected by a really thin sandy line. This sandy line is large about 200-300 meters and separates Tonsai Bay and Loh Dalum Bay. This place is really full of shops and resorts and people enjoys the sea activities. Here, when there was the Tsunami, were also the worst damages, as the waves stroke on this place from both sides. Now just a few years later, all the hotels and venues were rebuilt and you can't see anymore traces of what happened here, except some boards that warn you on what to do in case of another Tsunami. You can see this place in the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth pictures.
While I was there, I had time to talk with Mr. Tour Guide. I was there, sitting on the beach and he came close to me. He told me if I had a walk around and I told him yes, that I was also on the opposite side. Then, looking at the sea, with melancholy in his voice and eyes, like looking at what happened just few years before, told me “You don't know... The other side, if you go there at sunset, when it's low tide, you can see rocks and pieces of buildings coming out of the water, were taken there by the Tsunami”. I imagined the picture that he described, with that bay in a red glowing sunset with the stones and walls scattered around by the Tsunami emerging from the water. It was scary to think back at such a destruction, and to see how it looks now. Like nothing happened. It was surreal. And I couldn't decide if in a good or bad way. Good for the reaction of Thai people, or bad of the extreme presence of people on these islands too.
Anyway, these islands are very famous, and after being there, I can say that now I understand that all these good words are worth for these islands.
While I was there, I had time to talk with Mr. Tour Guide. I was there, sitting on the beach and he came close to me. He told me if I had a walk around and I told him yes, that I was also on the opposite side. Then, looking at the sea, with melancholy in his voice and eyes, like looking at what happened just few years before, told me “You don't know... The other side, if you go there at sunset, when it's low tide, you can see rocks and pieces of buildings coming out of the water, were taken there by the Tsunami”. I imagined the picture that he described, with that bay in a red glowing sunset with the stones and walls scattered around by the Tsunami emerging from the water. It was scary to think back at such a destruction, and to see how it looks now. Like nothing happened. It was surreal. And I couldn't decide if in a good or bad way. Good for the reaction of Thai people, or bad of the extreme presence of people on these islands too.
Anyway, these islands are very famous, and after being there, I can say that now I understand that all these good words are worth for these islands.
After School Day 4 - Khai Islands - The Snorkeller Heaven
On the same side of Phuket Island, in the Andaman Sea, much closer than the Phi Phi Islands, there are three small islands called Khai Islands. This is the place that I visited the day after my trip to the Phi Phi islands. Actually, we already stopped there while coming back from the Phi Phi Islands, but I liked them so much that I wanted to come back to have a full day trip there. The trip involves the visit of all the three islands with stops for snorkelling in each of them. These islands are too small to let people living there, and you can find only some bars and a restaurant in the bigger one. The islands are called Khai Nok, Khai Nui and Khai Nai. The most wonderful thing is that here you can have snorkelling in some of the most gorgeous coral reefs of Thailand. In this group of pictures you can have some sights of the coral reef. I took them myself while having snorkelling there. I want also introduce you to the one that I called "Supermodel Fish". It is in the tenth picture of this group. I called it so, because when I wanted to take a picture, it stopped and looked like waited me to take a good picture! Yeah, he's a real Supermodel! In the late afternoon we were called back to our speed boat. I had to meet again my trip friends and then head back to Phuket island across a sea that was looking like warning us of an upcoming storm.
After School Day 5 - Phuket Town - The Colonial City
When you reach Phuket Island, you can chose from many places where to go. You can pick your place in Patong Beach, Kata, Karon and other places too. When I was planning my trip, I decided to take my place in Patong Beach. Both Patong Beach and Phuket Town are very close to each-other. In fact, they are on the two sides of the thinner part of the island. This means that, with a car, it just takes you about 15 minutes to go to one place to the other. The only thing that you've to do is to climb an hill and to go down the other side. So, seeing that I stayed so close to Phuket Town, I decided to use a rainy day to go and see the capital of this region. Some days before, when I decided to go to the Phang Nga region, it happened to me that I was carried on the wrong bus. So, that day I learnt something from that adventure, and I still remembered where I picked that bus, and that the price (that I didn't pay the first time) was of 20 Baht. So, when I was on the way to the bus stop I was asked by a taxi driver if I needed a ride, and when I said that I was going to Phuket Town, he answered that it'd cost to me about 400 Baht! So, I said “You must be joking! Tell me a good price!”. He answered “Yes, 400 Baht!”. I replied “The bus is 20 and you 400?”, “Yes, Sir!” was his answer. So, I kindly replied “Ok, you can stay here dreaming of your 400 while I’ll travel there with 20 Baht”. I went away and he didn’t reply. Too many heavy-cash-bringer tourists spoil the bargain. That’s what I thought. It took about half of an hour before that bus reached the centre of Phuket Town. The journey with that bus, that you can see in the first picture of this group, was really nice. People were friendly and the landscape was very beautiful. In fact, the top of the mountains around the city were hidden behind the fog, and the fresh wet air was smelling good. Then we entered the city, old houses along with the smell of exhausted gas from the cars took the place of the mountains, the forest and of the smell of flowers after a storm. The bus stopped in the centre of the city, in Suryiadate Square, with its famous fountain. You can see Suryiadate Square in the second picture of this group. This square was a landmark for my travelling through Phuket Town. From this square start the main streets of the city.
Phuket town is a small city that could tempt the writer of a travel journal to use so many cliches such as “cosy”, “impressive”, “a town where the contrast among present and past blends”, “a touching step in past times”, that more a description of the place, could become a cliches list. The truth is that as a wise cliche says “the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”, and there, in Phuket town, anybody can find a spot of interest (going on with my cliches).
The city of Phuket has an history of a little more than a century. In past, the soil all there around was found rich in Tin, and this called for an extreme exploitation of the surrounding area. While the city was the core of the Tin digging, it was also populate by some “Tin Barons”, the owners of the mines. These people left as witness of their presence many beautiful Sino-Portoguese (it means Chinese-Portuguese style) colonial house scattered all around the old town.
The identity of the city kept preserved as only for a few decades now it has a good land connection with the Thai capital Bangkok. So, the city had some kind of a cultural indipendence. In our days a traveller strolling along the street will have the chance to see a decadent town showing the bad preserved vestiges of its “colonial town” golden ages.
Phuket town, although it’s in Thailand and is the capital of its province, doens’t look like most of the other Thai cities. Here the influece of Europe along with the heavy precence of the Chinese community (not happily accepted by many Thais) make it look more like a cultural mix, a weird decadent cosmopolitan little town fighting hard to gain again some bright. If I were a writer, I’d write some novel in such a place. But I’d chose the 1950s, than our days. The sides of the street, behind craked and tiles-missing pavements, are packed of the “shop houses”, typical Chinese abitation, where families live in the upper floors of their family shop. Then, many temples, from the more stern Thai style to the more colourful of the Chinese ones. Food stalls with their not-so-clean looking pans and food. Restaurants, pizza shops, pubs are all along the way. And then, wedding dresses shops. I’ve seen so many of them, that Phuket Town started to look like it were the Asian capital of the Christian weddings. I wonder how comes that they had so many wedding dresses shops there.
To help me in my stroll across the town, along those streets just wetted by the rain, in the heat of the day, along all those shop houses, across clouds of bad smelling smoke from frying pans of the Chinese food stalls, and below dangerously buzzing power poles, I had my map. I found it in my hotel and it had a suggested path. I’m grateful to the guys that made that map as it was very helpful. This map, that just few minutes from the starting of my trip was already wet with the raindrops, sweat, all scribbled over and bad folded, shown clearly that the most important part of the town is all around Suryiadate Square and the track of the suggested route follows these streets: Rasada Rd, Phang Nga Rd, Thalang Rd, Dibuk Rd, and Krabi Rd.. The same map shown clearly where to spot hidden temples, particular shops (like those of traditional Chinese medicine), printing services and old houses worth a visit. At the end of the journey I felt satisfied of all the things that I visited and still many were left to be visited. My suggestion is to visit it in the early morning when it’s not much hot, or in the evening when many bars open. I wonder if this small town could be of interest for anybody, but I think that it’d be worth, at least, a short visit, but surely to not stay there. I think that people coming to Phuket Island are more interested into the sea, and I suggest to take hotel in the neighbouring locations such as Patong Beach for fun, or Kata and Karon Beach for relax.
Phuket town is a small city that could tempt the writer of a travel journal to use so many cliches such as “cosy”, “impressive”, “a town where the contrast among present and past blends”, “a touching step in past times”, that more a description of the place, could become a cliches list. The truth is that as a wise cliche says “the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”, and there, in Phuket town, anybody can find a spot of interest (going on with my cliches).
The city of Phuket has an history of a little more than a century. In past, the soil all there around was found rich in Tin, and this called for an extreme exploitation of the surrounding area. While the city was the core of the Tin digging, it was also populate by some “Tin Barons”, the owners of the mines. These people left as witness of their presence many beautiful Sino-Portoguese (it means Chinese-Portuguese style) colonial house scattered all around the old town.
The identity of the city kept preserved as only for a few decades now it has a good land connection with the Thai capital Bangkok. So, the city had some kind of a cultural indipendence. In our days a traveller strolling along the street will have the chance to see a decadent town showing the bad preserved vestiges of its “colonial town” golden ages.
Phuket town, although it’s in Thailand and is the capital of its province, doens’t look like most of the other Thai cities. Here the influece of Europe along with the heavy precence of the Chinese community (not happily accepted by many Thais) make it look more like a cultural mix, a weird decadent cosmopolitan little town fighting hard to gain again some bright. If I were a writer, I’d write some novel in such a place. But I’d chose the 1950s, than our days. The sides of the street, behind craked and tiles-missing pavements, are packed of the “shop houses”, typical Chinese abitation, where families live in the upper floors of their family shop. Then, many temples, from the more stern Thai style to the more colourful of the Chinese ones. Food stalls with their not-so-clean looking pans and food. Restaurants, pizza shops, pubs are all along the way. And then, wedding dresses shops. I’ve seen so many of them, that Phuket Town started to look like it were the Asian capital of the Christian weddings. I wonder how comes that they had so many wedding dresses shops there.
To help me in my stroll across the town, along those streets just wetted by the rain, in the heat of the day, along all those shop houses, across clouds of bad smelling smoke from frying pans of the Chinese food stalls, and below dangerously buzzing power poles, I had my map. I found it in my hotel and it had a suggested path. I’m grateful to the guys that made that map as it was very helpful. This map, that just few minutes from the starting of my trip was already wet with the raindrops, sweat, all scribbled over and bad folded, shown clearly that the most important part of the town is all around Suryiadate Square and the track of the suggested route follows these streets: Rasada Rd, Phang Nga Rd, Thalang Rd, Dibuk Rd, and Krabi Rd.. The same map shown clearly where to spot hidden temples, particular shops (like those of traditional Chinese medicine), printing services and old houses worth a visit. At the end of the journey I felt satisfied of all the things that I visited and still many were left to be visited. My suggestion is to visit it in the early morning when it’s not much hot, or in the evening when many bars open. I wonder if this small town could be of interest for anybody, but I think that it’d be worth, at least, a short visit, but surely to not stay there. I think that people coming to Phuket Island are more interested into the sea, and I suggest to take hotel in the neighbouring locations such as Patong Beach for fun, or Kata and Karon Beach for relax.
After School Day 6 - The Coral Island
The same afternoon after my trip to Phuket town, I heard Pui by phone. So, after a short talk, we decided to meet in the evening for a dinner and clubbing. While we were together, we decided to take a day trip for the following day. She took me at her friend’s travel agency and she told us that, for a ridiculously low price, would let us go to Koh He, also known as “Coral Island”. I reminded the beautiful Koh Larn that I’ve seen the previous year when I was in Pattaya, so I decided to take this trip.
The following day Pui reached me at my hotel, and soon later came a minivan to take us. It was loaded with other tourists, but we found two seats over. The trip was short and soon reached a beach. Here a long-tail boat was waiting for us. Once we went over, it took short for us to reach the island.
The island itself is quite small and looks like most of the other islands around. After having being on places like Phi-Phi islands, this looked just plain. I mean, it was nice, but the only thing that we seen was the coarse sand beach. In spite the same nickname of the island of the previous year, it felt more different. The things that surprised me, maybe in negative way, was that the place felt like an huge tourist trap. On the beach there were many stalls offering overpriced sea activities that lasted only matter of seconds. For example, the “banana boat ride” was very expensive and it lasted, I checked it, about 30 seconds. The same with the scuba diving (about 5 minutes) or the very expensive jet-skis.
At half afternoon we made our way back to Patong Beach. While on the way back, Pui asked me if I wished to go with her, for dinner in a place that she knew, and I agreed.
That evening she came to take me with her car and she trove me away from Patong Beach. Again I didn’t respect the “Rule n. 2 of the perfect traveller” that says “Never trust unknown people offering something for free in some place that you don’t know”. The night fell. We were driving along a dark all-turns street. We were going up a mountain toward what looked to me like nowhere. Then after a long ride, we reached a small wood-walled restaurant. Some music was coming from inside. We entered the restaurant and I discovered that was a fantastic place. It was made of a wooden balcony going out the side of the mountain. A reggae group was playing some live music and a wonderful food smell was coming from the kitchen. We sat on the balcony, with our feet hanging out of it. We took two dishes of a very tasty Pad-Thai, two beers and we ate there, chatting, listening at the music and watching the panorama. It was long after the sunset, but we could still see some light at the horizon on my right hand side. The lights of the small city of Karon were shimmering below us, on the coastline. Some boats were at sea, and far, huge storm clouds were looking like approaching. The dark under the clouds was only brightened by some rare lightning. Dancers with light speed moves were surprising us at each of their appearance. Shows that lasted only the blink of an eye. Pui was talking about her sister and how she was at school. I was concentrating on the panorama with some break when I came back to my Pad-Thai “You know, my sister... Very good! She come to Italy... Study!”, “Is she coming to Italy? When?”, “No, she doesn’t come... She... Want to come!”, “What is she studying?” and she “Art! Very good! Genius!”, “Really? So a Thai girl is coming to Italy?”, “Noooo, my sister, is a boy! What you understand?”, “Is she a ladyboy?”, “Nooooooo! A boy!”. Ok, she didn’t know that the male version of “sister” was “brother”. I wonder how many things she told while she was meaning something different.
Later we left the restaurant and we came back to Patong Beach. At this point Pui asked me if I could take her to a club that she wanted to visit, but she never wanted to go there alone. It was called “My Way”. I said “Ok, let’s go!”. I didn’t expect what it could be. We walked along the main street in Patong Beach. It was late, but still crammed of people. Then we reached the “Soi Paradise” that is a street that marks the gay district. There, there is this club called “My Way”. This club has the peculiarity to offer Ladyboy Cabaret. I suspected that it was something “hot” or even a possible scam, but then it was ok. The cabaret was good and it had no erotic content. So, even this shown to be a pleasant way to end the evening.
The following day Pui reached me at my hotel, and soon later came a minivan to take us. It was loaded with other tourists, but we found two seats over. The trip was short and soon reached a beach. Here a long-tail boat was waiting for us. Once we went over, it took short for us to reach the island.
The island itself is quite small and looks like most of the other islands around. After having being on places like Phi-Phi islands, this looked just plain. I mean, it was nice, but the only thing that we seen was the coarse sand beach. In spite the same nickname of the island of the previous year, it felt more different. The things that surprised me, maybe in negative way, was that the place felt like an huge tourist trap. On the beach there were many stalls offering overpriced sea activities that lasted only matter of seconds. For example, the “banana boat ride” was very expensive and it lasted, I checked it, about 30 seconds. The same with the scuba diving (about 5 minutes) or the very expensive jet-skis.
At half afternoon we made our way back to Patong Beach. While on the way back, Pui asked me if I wished to go with her, for dinner in a place that she knew, and I agreed.
That evening she came to take me with her car and she trove me away from Patong Beach. Again I didn’t respect the “Rule n. 2 of the perfect traveller” that says “Never trust unknown people offering something for free in some place that you don’t know”. The night fell. We were driving along a dark all-turns street. We were going up a mountain toward what looked to me like nowhere. Then after a long ride, we reached a small wood-walled restaurant. Some music was coming from inside. We entered the restaurant and I discovered that was a fantastic place. It was made of a wooden balcony going out the side of the mountain. A reggae group was playing some live music and a wonderful food smell was coming from the kitchen. We sat on the balcony, with our feet hanging out of it. We took two dishes of a very tasty Pad-Thai, two beers and we ate there, chatting, listening at the music and watching the panorama. It was long after the sunset, but we could still see some light at the horizon on my right hand side. The lights of the small city of Karon were shimmering below us, on the coastline. Some boats were at sea, and far, huge storm clouds were looking like approaching. The dark under the clouds was only brightened by some rare lightning. Dancers with light speed moves were surprising us at each of their appearance. Shows that lasted only the blink of an eye. Pui was talking about her sister and how she was at school. I was concentrating on the panorama with some break when I came back to my Pad-Thai “You know, my sister... Very good! She come to Italy... Study!”, “Is she coming to Italy? When?”, “No, she doesn’t come... She... Want to come!”, “What is she studying?” and she “Art! Very good! Genius!”, “Really? So a Thai girl is coming to Italy?”, “Noooo, my sister, is a boy! What you understand?”, “Is she a ladyboy?”, “Nooooooo! A boy!”. Ok, she didn’t know that the male version of “sister” was “brother”. I wonder how many things she told while she was meaning something different.
Later we left the restaurant and we came back to Patong Beach. At this point Pui asked me if I could take her to a club that she wanted to visit, but she never wanted to go there alone. It was called “My Way”. I said “Ok, let’s go!”. I didn’t expect what it could be. We walked along the main street in Patong Beach. It was late, but still crammed of people. Then we reached the “Soi Paradise” that is a street that marks the gay district. There, there is this club called “My Way”. This club has the peculiarity to offer Ladyboy Cabaret. I suspected that it was something “hot” or even a possible scam, but then it was ok. The cabaret was good and it had no erotic content. So, even this shown to be a pleasant way to end the evening.
Pregnancy Scam
Lately in the Expat forums has been reported that the “Pregnancy Scam” have been enhanced by the Thai girls. The old “Pregnancy Scam” was that after an encounter with a Thai girl, she'd claim to be pregnant and she'd ask for money. In case of visit of the possible father, she'd claim that she had abortion and she'd need some money for the Buddhist funeral.
Lately the scam improved. In fact, there were news about the side effects of a stomach medication. In fact, people, while taking this drug, experienced that their belly swelled abnormally. So, if a girl that just scammed her customer saying that she needs cash as she got pregnant, and the customer come back to her to verify the situation, she'll take that drug and Mr. Customer will see her with an huge belly. In this case, the solution might be to take her to have an ecography. Or maybe, first of all, to avoid to fall in this situation.
Lately in the Expat forums has been reported that the “Pregnancy Scam” have been enhanced by the Thai girls. The old “Pregnancy Scam” was that after an encounter with a Thai girl, she'd claim to be pregnant and she'd ask for money. In case of visit of the possible father, she'd claim that she had abortion and she'd need some money for the Buddhist funeral.
Lately the scam improved. In fact, there were news about the side effects of a stomach medication. In fact, people, while taking this drug, experienced that their belly swelled abnormally. So, if a girl that just scammed her customer saying that she needs cash as she got pregnant, and the customer come back to her to verify the situation, she'll take that drug and Mr. Customer will see her with an huge belly. In this case, the solution might be to take her to have an ecography. Or maybe, first of all, to avoid to fall in this situation.
After School Day 7 - Patong Beach - Overview of Patong Beach and coming back to Italy
If you like tropical places, good sea activities and party at night, then Patong Beach could be a good place for you. Here in the daytime you can take bath from the sandy beach and enjoy sea activities. You can have lunch into one of the many restaurants on the seaside and back to the beach for the afternoon, relaxing and getting ready for partying at night. Of course, here you'll find no architecture or historical things, but it's a fun city. I liked this place, even if it's not much cheap. This town is nice in the daytime, but it does its best on the night-time. Here, as the sun goes down, many pubs and discos open their doors, and you can listen music from almost everywhere. The main place where you can have fun, is the so called "Bangla Road". You can see this street in the fourth picture of this group. It's a crowded street with lots of people walking there listening to the music from the clubs under the many colourful lights over the street. As any coin, it has two faces. On a side you can find pubs with cheap drinks, free music to dance and many discos. On the other, there's also a high rate of prostitution. Of course, it's nothing against Pattaya. I'm still telling to people to never go to Pattaya, while I could suggest Patong Beach. Once a guy said "Pattaya and Patong looks like born from the same insane mind", and I answered "Yeah, you think so because you never been in Pattaya". Actually, the only thing that they may have in common is that they grown up very quickly, but Patong was built a little more carefully. Moreover, the thing that shows that difference is a little more relaxed environment. For example, in "Bangla Road" that is the centre of nightlife, you can see any kind of people, from the young and old guys, to the families with babies and even elderly people. Anyway, if you're interested to different attractions than girls calling you from the bars stalls, you can have some good time at the discos, or at the Thai Boxing stadium. Another attraction of Bangla Road, I mean, where lots of people stopped there, is a side street called "Soi Crocodile". You can see this street in the sixth picture. The thing that attracts so many people here is that here the girls aren't girls. In fact, here you can see many young transsexuals dancing to the disco music on a stage. My friend Pui explained me that in Thailand they are respected (while in India it’s believed that they bring good luck), in fact, in Buddhist religion, they are people that are paying for a very naughty thing that they did in their previous life.
As I wrote, Patong Beach is a nice place and it's also a really good place where to start the exploration of the Andaman sea. I did so, and I'm very happy of my choice. So, anytime that I hear somebody asking me where to go in Thailand, this is one of the places that I could suggest. This city was also the last place that I visited in this travel. I'm very happy about this travel, as I feel that I found in this heavenly place called Thailand many more places that gave me strong emotions as much as those of the previous year. Even if I feel that I've seen much of this country, now I already miss it. I miss the smell of flowers, I miss the clear sea water, the coral reefs and colourful fish. I miss my beloved massage school. I miss the smiles of people. Just a word to gather all these beautiful things, and the word would be Thailand, a corner of Heaven that stole my heart.
As I wrote, Patong Beach is a nice place and it's also a really good place where to start the exploration of the Andaman sea. I did so, and I'm very happy of my choice. So, anytime that I hear somebody asking me where to go in Thailand, this is one of the places that I could suggest. This city was also the last place that I visited in this travel. I'm very happy about this travel, as I feel that I found in this heavenly place called Thailand many more places that gave me strong emotions as much as those of the previous year. Even if I feel that I've seen much of this country, now I already miss it. I miss the smell of flowers, I miss the clear sea water, the coral reefs and colourful fish. I miss my beloved massage school. I miss the smiles of people. Just a word to gather all these beautiful things, and the word would be Thailand, a corner of Heaven that stole my heart.