The Full Moon Party - Mardi Gras in Thailand

Yesterday was the Full Moon Party here on Ko Phangan. This is no ordinary party - this is quite an event. The full moon was actually on the 29th, but because of a Buddhist holiday, it was held on the 31st.

The Buddhist holiday is called Asarnha Puja day, which marks Buddha's first sermon which he gave on the full moon day of the eighth lunar month. The day is named Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta day, which is the name of the sermon where Buddha talked about "The Middle Way", which means that if we wish to be successful in Spiritual life, we should avoid the two extremes: Trying too hard, such as not eating or not sleeping enough. and/or Not trying hard enough, such as eating and sleeping too much.

The Full Moon Party has no middle way - it is all about extremes. We left our resort in a Toyota Hilux pickup truck with 17 other party-goers crammed in. The drive to the Haad Rin beach is about 5 km of twisty turny narrow roads that climb and dive and climb some more. Combine that with hot, humid weather, and crazy drivers, and you wonder if you are going to make it there alive.

Once you get to one of the side roads that run along parallel to the beach, you find yourself passing creperies, bars, restaurants, and stores, all selling wares to get you in the spirit. Following the throngs of people winding their way through the streets, you make your way down to the beach.

Picture a wide open beach about 2 km in length, packed with about 20,000 people, and about a dozen bars lined up along the beach each blasting their own rhythms and music. International and Thai DJ's make the crowd go wild. The DJ's play all kinds of music; techno, trance, goa, drum n' bass, dub, reggae, "commercial hits", house etc on about 15 sound systems along the beach. For example, the Zoom specializes in Techo/Trance; the Cactus in Rock; the Drop In Bar was all about Hip Hop/Rap.

Everyone is drinking from the ubiquitous bucket - a plastic bucket more commonly used to build sand castles, filled to the brim with a mickey of your liquor of choice (vodka, sangsom/thai rum, whiskey), some pop or red bull, and ice. Add a couple of extra straws (for friends you might meet) and away you go. All for a mere 300 baht ($10). People were scantily clad in tight island/beach wear and sporting full moon party paint - neon pink, yellow, blue, and green paint that comes alive underneath a black light.

Dance floors were set up on tables. Mats were laid out in the sand for people to recline. There was even a station set up that was a designated sleep area, since the party is expected to last all night. Not to mention the After Party, which starts at 8am to go all day on the 1st.

There were jugglers and fire eaters. People walking around carrying iguanas the length of their arms, snakes, monkeys. There were people swimming in the ocean, and the shore line was dotted with longboats waiting to take people home after the party. There were even impromptu fireworks on display.

The whole party was all about letting go - of inhibitions, of barriers, of restraints - and just giving into the crowds, the people, the energy, and the music. A once in a lifetime event for sure!

enjoying the energy

Traveling here is absolutely good, to be honest. I've written about the length of time it takes, at length (pardon the pun), because I kind of felt it made for a good story. But, I really like it here. It's so different from any other place I've experienced. There's this energy and hustle and bustle that is so beautiful and so addictive. People are warm and friendly. Even in the red light district, you get the feeling that people are actually having fun! Thai people enjoy laughing and smiling and tossing around jokes. No one takes themselves too seriously. No one feels that they are above or beyond someone else. It feels like a very accepting place. And it's infectious and fun.

When we've walked the streets, we've seen a lot of stray dogs. Even they seem to exist in harmony, you don't see any fights, any struggles, no overt hierarchy or power structures. They each kind of mosey along and do their own thing. I've yet to see or hear someone chasing a dog away from a restaurant or store front or anything. It's like everyone understands that they can coexist easily. It feels quite remarkable.

Frankly, I am going to miss this energy. It's amazing to be able to walk outside from your hotel/room and feel the energy that is alive on the streets. People are moving and talking and laughing, there is always something going on. Yesterday, for example, at 6:45 am, when Jack & I went off to get some water before our excursion day, two women (more likely lady-boys), had just left the Cabaret and were singing "We are the Champions, my friend!" at the top of their lungs. Clearly coming home after a long and crazy night of dancing and partying. It's like jumping into a freezing cold lake - it leaves you breathless and laughing and wanting more. : )

Fun in the Sun

Yesterday was our excursion day - we decided to take a tour to do some snorkeling, kayaking, and sightseeing amongst the Angthong National Marine Park. The marine park is situated off the North of Ko Samui, about an hour boat ride. It is made up of about 42 little islands, all made out of limestone, and and surrounded by turquoise water and dotted with pure white strips of beach. It is absolutely breathtaking. The limestone juts from the ocean, in layers upon layers, and the part of the landmass closest to the ocean is gouged out from the rain and water.

We parked the boat in one spot and snorkeled amongst the coral - in brilliant shades of green and purple - and watched thousands of fish feed and swim circles around us. We swam around for an hour or so, and then hopped back into the boat, gulping down a crisp, ice cold Pepsi as a treat.

The next leg was a half hour drive around some lagoons to the actual Marine Park headquarters. We hit the beach and headed for picnic tables, where we dined on green vegetable curry and bananas that are so fragrant and sweet, they taste unbelievable.

After lunch, we piled into two person kayaks and cruised around a couple of islands, stopping briefly on a narrow beach for a swim and some ice cold bottled water. After the kayaks, it was time to get back on the boat, and head for the Emerald Lake. This lake was carved out between limestone cliffs, and is about 3 meters deep. To get there, you need to climb a very steep staircase, that winds itself up the face of the limestone, through a tiny crevice, and then falls back to the water. It was a fun and exhilarating hike, especially with crowds of people slipping and grasping onto railings and friends. It definitely got my adrenalin going! ; )

The hike was the last part of the excursion. The boat ride back to our minivan was quiet and hypnotic, nearly everyone fell asleep, as the boat jumped and crashed in the waves. The sun was quiet hot by then, and the wind felt good in my hair.

After showering and relaxing, Jack and I hit the town for some food. We found a delicious Italian restaurant, which seems quite funny and out of place here in Thailand, but it felt nice to have a change. And OMG, the food was fantastic. fresh pastas (spinach and ricotta ravioli, and spaghetti aglio & olio with chili oil), and washed down with a gorgeous glass of chilled red wine. Yum!

Today we head for Ko Phangan - the island of the Full Moon Party which will be held tomorrow night (the 31st!). More on that later.

Ciao for now.

Kicking back in Ko Samui

Just a little travel update from Ko Samui on July 28...

We've settled into a gorgeous room at the Chaweng Beach Villa in Ko Samui. We plan on spending a few days here. Our room is the nicest we've stayed at so far. There's even a real shower! ; )

The beach is right at our doorstep - fine white sand, turquoise water, and rows upon rows of beach bars and eateries. There are copious numbers of jet ski, kayak, long boat rentals. And the beach is packed with sun worshippers, frisbee players, and party-goers.

At the other end of the hotel is the main drag Chaweng Beach road. This road is teeming with shops and boutiques. You can buy everything here - from Diesel, Billabong, Nike, Adidas, Gucci, Versace - clothes, linens, knick-knacks, hats, bags, sarongs, souvenirs, etc. The street is lined with bars and clubs, and thousands of restaurants and eateries. Everything from the very expensive, to street vendors selling roasted corn on the cob or fresh fruit. There's even a Starbucks and a Burger King, for those craving some good old fashioned North American cuisine. Lots to see and do.

Last night, after a Thai massage on the beach and a long swim in the ocean, we walked along the road for about 30 minutes, crossed a little waterway, and headed for the Bob Marley Reggae Pub. Ya mon!

The pub was located at the end of one of the side streets, just past the local red light district. The roads were packed with scooters, motorbikes, and tuk tuks as people made their way to see the main event of the evening - a Thai boxing match at the Chaweng Stadium. As we walked along past the bars that were adorned with their red lights and provocative names such as The Sugar Bar, Honey, Lucky, and other forms of subtle advertising, the girls draped on bar stools and sashaying to the beat grinned and giggled at seeing Jack. "Hello!" they yelled. We even heard someone say "Don't worry, I don't take your man."

The bar was huge and right against the water. We sat and sipped some rum and listened to the music. It must have been local talent night, because in between good reggae grooves, we'd hear someone belt out Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You" and Hoobastank's "The Reason is You." It was pretty hot out, and there wasn't much of a breeze. It didn't take much for the rum to go to my head, so after an hour or so, we made our way back to our bungalow.

We plan on soaking up some sun over the next few days - although it's raining pretty hard as I sit in this Internet cafe. Some of the things we'd like to enjoy are kayaking, snorkeling, taking in a tour of the Marine park nearby, submitted to more Thai massages on the beach, eating well, laughing a lot, and basically soaking in some rest and relaxation.

Hope all is well with you.
xo

Thai time

One of the things that Jack and I didn't think about much was the time it would take to travel around this country. Thailand is about the size of the state of Texas, and surprisingly, the roads and the infrastructure are remarkable. At least in the South, the roads are multi-laned and wide, and they seem to be in really good shape.

But man, oh man, it takes what feels like forever to travel even short distances. Part of it may be that the Thais are incredible generous and hospitable. They genuinely don't want you to feel uncomfortable or upset. They like to make you feel optimistic. And the refrain you are most likely to hear is "The bus come 10 minutes!" followed by a beautiful open smile.

Another factor to consider in, what I call, Thai time, is that there are so many methods of transportation. Each have their own set of strengths and weaknesses: the distances they cover, the number of people they can carry, and the time it takes to wait for them. Combined together, it can be a logistical nightmare.

Take, for instance, our travel from Krabi to Ko Samui. The actual distance covered was about 300 km. That's about the time it takes to drive to Kingston and back. Right? : )

We had booked a pickup at 10am. We arrived, optimistically, about 15 mins early. We were told by the smiling desk clerk that the bus was coming at 10am. At 10:05, we asked about the bus, and the same smiling guy told us "10:30!" OK, 10:30.

The car came around 10:40 and we hopped in. The A/C was broken, but 2 out of the 4 windows were working, so we cooled off with the breeze for the 20 minute drive from Ao Nang to Krabi.

When we arrived in a dusty, bus station in Krabi, it was almost 11. We were enthusiastically told that the minivan was due to arrive any moment. A Singha beer, a couple of liters of water, and many roasted cashew nuts later, the minivan arrived. It was 12. We piled in, to an already full van, and settled in for the bumpy 2.5 hour drive to Surat Thani (152 km away).

In Surat Thani, we checked in and got our bus/ferry tickets (little stickers on our t-shirts that said Sa mui). Departure time was leaving 3:30. We were told that we'd be able to catch the 5pm ferry and be in Ko Samui by 6:30! YAY! We grabbed some delicious veggie paenang at a restaurant called Lucky, and took ourselves and our full bellies back to the Island Ferry cafe depot.

Actually on time, we caught the rickshaw bus (two long benches in the back of a little tuk tuk) to the bus terminal. Excitedly, we saw our bus was waiting, and when we tried to get on, we were told that it wasn't quite ready. With big smiles and friendly gestures, we were offered a couple of benches to sit on to wait. We waited a few long hours until the bus was ready to take us the hour to the ferry terminal.

At the ferry terminal, we arrived just in time to see the ferry leave...the next one was at 6:30. We stood and stretched and chatted with some fellow weary travelers heading to the sun and sand. The ferry ride was gorgeous - the moon was almost full and lit the ocean with hypnotic strokes.The water was calm and it felt gorgeous to have the wind in our faces and hair.

We arrived at the Ra Ja pier at 8:30 and waited about a half hour or so for our taxi. It took us about 35 to cross the island and cruise the streets of Chaweng Beach road until we found our bungalow hotel!

A mere 12 hours later, we had arrived!

Crabby in Krabi?

I read this snippet in The Lonely Planet...

"If you find that everything suddenly and inexplicably sucks, take yourself to the nearest watering hole and have something to eat and drink..."

After

• a 12 hour train ride from Bangkok to Surat Thani, in a room the size of a small clothes closet, that had enough space to fit two backpacks lengthwise from head to toe, and enough room, barely, to squeeze two narrow cots (also known as our beds), where we managed to fit ourselves into various positions like a jigsaw puzzle of sorts...
  
• a 3 hour wait for a 40 min bus ride that took to the pier/bus stop where we would catch the next leg to Krabi
  
• another 2.5 hour wait at the pier where we situated ourselves, limbs askew, on linoleum tables and plastic chairs and munched on fresh bread rolls and hot Nescafe instant coffee, along with a couple dozen weary travelers from around the world
  
• a 3 hour bus ride to the town of Krabi, where we celebrated with a can of Singha beer and toasted being on the West coast
  
• a 20 minute sweltering hot walk into the town of Krabi to find a bus, tuk tuk, or taxi for hire that would take us to Ao Nang, the seaside town about 30 km away
  
• a 40 minute tuk tuk drive through the mountains to the ocean town of Krabi, on the Andaman Sea,

Jack and I were feeling very heavy. Everything seemed to suck - our exhorbitantly-priced room (by the standards we paid in Bangkok) was grungy, the water didn't work, we couldn't flush the toilet, all we wanted was to have a hot shower...

...we realized that we needed some sustenance!! It's easy to forget, in this intense heat, to drink enough water and to eat regularly. Something physically happens - you lose your appetite, and the idea of eating anything seems like such a bad idea, and things start to require a lot of effort. Your focus diminishes and your perspective changes.

Thankfully, at this point, we remembered the guidance of the Lonely Planet bible, and dragged our weary selves to a little eaterie along the main strip of Ao Nang. There seems to be a strong Italian presence in this village, and we ordered a huge bottle of water, gulping down glass after glass after glass, and two large pizzas. OMG, by the time we had finished the water and the food, the world suddenly seemed happier and brighter, and we were very happy to have arrived here!

It's the 25th today, and we are staying for another day. We woke up at 2:30 am, which seems to be our normal pattern at the moment. We read for awhile, then went for a walk along the beach at 4am. People were starting to wake up and the local 7-Eleven had hot Nescafe coffee. When the sun came up, we did yoga on the beach and went for a delicious and refreshing swim. (The water was still broken!)

Jack has spoiled us with a speed boat rental. It's a little 220 hp boat, that comes complete with 4 bottles of water and life jackets and snorkelling equipment. We plan on packing a picnic lunch and some beer, and driving the boat to some of the nearby islands. We will swim, sunbathe, snorkel, until we can't handle any more. Life is good!

Chohk dee for now! : )

tuk tuk adventures

Hello again!

It's day 2, we are still in Bangkok, and we had some fun adventures today! :)
We got up very early, around 6am, and the city was very much asleep. We wandered around for awhile, trying to find a place for a good cup of coffee to start the day.

On our quest, we found a shortcut alleyway, filled with the most amazing, eclectic collection. Street vendor carts parked alongside the walls, waiting for the days to begin. Some with food still on them, food that hadn't been sold, and would likely be sold today. Stray cats and dogs wandering around in search of scraps of food. Heaps of garbage, right next to little huts where people lived and slept. We stumbled across a Thai boxing gym, where you could pay for lessons, and where they held matches. The owner of the gym lived in a little room above the gym, that he accessed with a rope ladder. We saw pots and pots of lush, green, very healthy plants, and teak wood carved doors, that led into somewhat sketchy looking laneways. There were beautiful shrines, decked out with fresh offerings and burning insense. Quite a mixture.

After finding a place that served a delicious breakfast, we decided that we needed to book a train trip and some accomodations for the Full Moon party happening on the island of Ko Phangan on the 29th of July. It's a wild party, sometimes up to 4,000 people attend, and the available rooms on the island are hard to find. We met a man at the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) office named Ninja, and he helped us book our train ride to Krabi (the west coast of Southern Thailand) and some additional transport to and from islands, as well as for the Full Moon Party.

After negotiating and booking, we tuk tuked our way back to the road we've been staying on, called Soi Rambuttri. We found a slightly better room for tonight, and moved our gear to there. Then we decided that we wanted to experience what is known as the Weekend Market (Chatachuka). We had no idea where this market was. We hired a tuk tuk for 150 Baht (approx 5 dollars) which weaved us through the city for about 30-40 minutes. These tuk tuks can MOVE quickly, and the drivers think nothing of squishing themselves in between cars and trucks and other vehicles - even oncoming traffic! - to go as fast as they can to get to the destination.

The market is HUGE! It's like the size of a couple of football fields, packed with every kind of thing you could ever possibly imagine. There were rows and rows and alleyways filled with stalls. Food, drinks, wood carvings, clothing, silk, lingerie, jewelry and beads, purses and bags, hats, sunglasses, art work, those were just some of the things we saw. We wandered around for about an hour. I found a few sundresses to help keep me cool and Jack bought himself a pair of ganja shorts (Bob Marley inspired with the Jamacian flag colors of red, green, and yellow!). We sipped some lemonade, found ourselves getting very sleepy in the heat and the hustle and bustle, so we decided to head back to Rambuttri.

We found a tuk tuk willing to take us the distance, and settled in for the bumpy and harrowing ride back. The skies decided to open and we were immersed in a downpour. It felt refreshing, and we quickly got very wet. We hit some major traffic jams which left our driver increasingly aggitated, and it wasn't long before he was holding his head in frustration. As it turned out, there was a demonstration going on, which blocked all access to Khao San road. He got us as close as he could, and with a lot of grace and weary smile, he shook Jack's hand as we paid him and said thank you. So we hoofed it in the general direction, getting absolutely drenched, hoping that we were going in the right way, and not recognizing anything that we saw. We finally passed through the demonstration, across a bridge, and hailed another tuk tuk driver to take us what ended up being 5 blocks to our road. Wet and sleepy, we decided to have a quick shower and take a snooze.

We ended up sleeping for 6 hours straight. With only a couple of grumbling bellies to rouse us out of bed!

Tomorrow, we plan on taking in some other Bangkok sites - the grand palace, the Chao Praya river, maybe a longboat ride to see a floating market, and a Thai massage (or two). We catch our train at 5pm. It's an overnight train, 14 hour trip, to Krabi. And we will get to see some of the Thai countryside.

Until then! : )

Bangkok, baby!

It's almost 1am here in Bangkok. Jack and I have arrived, found ourselves a very inexpensive room on the San Rambuttri lane in the Khao San area of town. A part of town known for catering to backpackers with cheap accomodations (we are paying about $10 for our room tonight) and copious numbers of watering holes.

We dropped off our packs, freshened up as best as we could in the tiny sink in the room. The toilet is in a small closet in our bedroom, which also serves as the shower. Should be fun experiencing that tomorrow! ; ) Then we hit the town.

Talk about a stimulation of the senses. Tantilizing food smells from street vendors compete with diesel exhaust from motorbikes and tuk tuks. Loud trance music spills out from clubs called Lava and The Cave, while street musicians pund out rhythms with bongo drums and digeridoos. The streets are teeming with people - drunk, sober, people dressed to the hilt, and people like me in grubby hiking clothes. The signs are a mix of neon, English and Thai.

And it's hot and humid. My favorite kind of weather. The kind that makes your clothes stick to you when you do nothing more than engage in a conversation with someone.

Our bellies are now full of tofu, garlic, green curry, rice and lots of Singha beer. We stopped in to this little internet cafe to let you all know that we are well and happy.

Chat more soon!

Chohk Dee (cheers and good luck!)

...and we are off! : )

tongue Thai-ed

I keep stumbling over the Thai language. I find it challenging to phonetically sound out the words. I trip over how to pronounce sounds like "ng" and "phr." Even the simple phrase Thank you ("Kap Kun Ka") gets muddled in my head.

One of the more challenging aspects to the language is that often the English spelling of Thai words differs depending on what map or book you are looking at. For example, I've seen Ko ("island") spelled Koh, Kho, Khoh, and Ko.

I did find a sampling of some common words and phrases and thought I'd share them with you all. I love the distinctly Buddhist sentiment behind these words. The way the general approach to life seems to be to smile, have fun, don't worry/take it easy, enjoy feeling and finding peace, and let's wish everyone good luck!

It seems that my spirit "gets" these sentiments quite naturally. I hope my tongue can figure how to express them too! ; )

mai ben rai, mai mee bunhaa - "it doesn't matter, no problem"

The first phrase roughly translates to "it doesn't matter", the second to "no problem." Together, they typify the Thai approach to life: don't get bogged down by small obstacles, don't worry, take it easy.

sabai - "comfortable, relaxed, well"

This word is usually translated as "happy", but its use is often closer to "comfortable", "relaxed", or "well." To Thais, happiness is not a state opposite that of sorrow. Rather, it is more akin to tranquillity. Sitting by the seaside with the wind blowing your hair is sabai. Winning the lottery is not. Suffix the word dee, or "good", to sabai, and you get the standard Thai greeting: sabai dee mai?, or "Are you well?"

jai - "heart"

The close etymological connection between Thai words meaning "heart" and "mind". Jai, "mind", spawns the word hua jai, "heart". The word jai forms a number of compounds that describe human emotions.

jai rorn -- hot-tempered (hot mind) jai yen -- calm (cold mind) jai lai -- cruel (bad mind) jai dee -- kind (good mind) kao jai -- to understand (enter mind) korp jai -- thank you (edge mind)

gin - "eating"

Thais take eating very seriously, no doubt in part because of the strong Chinese influence on their culture. I know a Thai woman of Chinese ancestry who, rather than asking me "How are you", asks me "Have you eaten yet".

aroy - "tasty"

Deriving from this preoccupation with food is aroy, which means "tasty". Thus does aroy appear in the names of many a Thai restaurant. A common experience among newcomers to the kingdom is to be offered a food they have never seen before, together with the pronouncement aroy. Thais are very proud of their cuisine, so the follow-up question aroy mai? ("tasty?") is usually not far behind. (Suggested answer: aroy dee -- "yummy"? -- accompanied by a thumbs-up gesture.)

ba - "crazy, mad"

Westerners often receive - and deserve - the charge of ba!, meaning "crazy" or "mad". You are ba if you do anything stupid or unexpected, like driving poorly or dancing spontaneously.

pai - "go"

We have already seen two forms of Thai greeting, "Are you well" and "Have you eaten". A third employs the word pai, or "go": pai nai mah, or "Where have you been". It is really little different in intent from "What's going on?".

Pai is also the source of pa, which ostensibly means "let's go", or "get a move on", although a Thai will often say pa a hundred times over the course of an hour preceding actual departure.

sawatdee, chohk dee - "Hello, good luck"

No collection of essential Thai phrases would be complete without sawatdee, the all-purpose Thai salutation. Chohk dee, meaning "good luck". Chohk dee also serves as a fair substitute for "cheers", not in the evolved British sense of "thanks", but in the old-fashioned sense of "may the road rise to meet you, may the wind always be at your back."

Massage

I think the first place Jack & I want to do in Thailand is get a massage. You know, something to work out the knots and fatigue and aches from sitting and flying for 25 hours.

Surely, there must be a late night massage parlor available in Bangkok? ; )

Sanuk!

Sanuk is a wonderful Thai word! It's pronounced like "sa-nook" with a short "oo" sound.

The word "sanuk" describes a quality that all wish to find in themselves and search for in others.
It is a simple yet complex word that can mean joy or pleasure, and an all pervasive sense of "well-being."

I've also seen these descriptions of the word

• a sense that anything worth doing ought to be done pleasurably.
• comfortable physically,
• relaxed and at ease mentally
• to have a good time
  
• to enjoy oneself
  
• to derive pleasure and joy from something…

It is almost a rule of living for Thai people, that whatever they do has to be “sanuk.”

Here's to experiencing "sanuk" in my travels and my living! : )

traveling with no agenda...

Jack and I booked our flight to Thailand!

We fly from Ottawa to Toronto to Tokyo and we land, approximately 25 hours later, in the city of Bangkok.

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand. Supposedly it's a hectic, bustling, crazy city called Krung Thep Maha Nakhon by native Thais and is considered the gateway to the East. The English attempted to translate Bang khoh ("Island") and the city was dubbed "Bangkok".

We know we arrive in Bangkok and beyond that we have no plans. No booked hotels, no reservations, no expectations. :) We are open to discovering this magical land and seeing where our feet and our impulses and our fancy takes us.

I did buy a Lonely Planet, and have been gulping down pages and pages of excitement in the evenings before falling asleep.

• I've read that Thailand is a country in South-East Asia with coasts on the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. It borders Myanmar (Burma) to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Cambodia to the southeast and Malaysia to the south.
  
  
• I've read about the great beaches along the Andaman Sea, pristine white sand and blue water and the pleasure islands in the South where ever little bit of hedonism you can imagine is yours for the taking. Where there are excellent surfing spots and scuba diving locations. And full moon parties that take place in the dead of night.
  
  
• Ko Chang - once quiet island undergoing major tourism development
• Ko Pha Ngan site of the famous Full Moon Party : )
  
• Ko Phi Phi - backpacker favorite where The Beach was filmed
• Ko Samet - the nearest island beach escape from Bangkok
• Ko Samui - hippie mecca gone upmarket
• Ko Tao - where the world learns to scuba dive
• Phuket - the original Thai paradise island
• Rai Leh - stunning beach by the limestone cliffs of Krabi
  
  
• I've read about elephant rides and jungle treks in the Northern part of the country.
  
  
• I've read that you can travel by tuk-tuk, songthaew, as well as buses, cars, taxis, boats, and motorbikes.
  
  
• I've read about the incredible Thai cuisine. That the basic flavors of Thai food are the five fundamental tastes: sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and salty. That the common ingredients used in Thai cuisine include garlic, chillies, lime juice, lemon grass, coriander, and fish sauce; and that the staple food in Thailand is rice. I read that Bangkok is filled with so many street vendors that you never have to set foot in a restaurant if you don't want to. That you can take cooking classes on the beach.
  
  
• I've scoured pages of descriptions of wats (temples) to experience the Theravada Buddhism religion, the predominant religion in Thailand, of which 95% of the population follow. Theravada promotes the concept of literally "Teaching of Analysis." This doctrine says that insight must come from the aspirant's experience, critical investigation, and reasoning instead of by blind faith; however, the scriptures also emphasize heeding the advice of the wise, considering such advice and evaluation of one's own experiences to be the two tests by which practices should be judged.
  
  
• I read that a typical Wat Thai (loosely translated as "monastery" or "temple") has two enclosing walls that divide it from the secular world. The monks' or nuns' quarters are situated between the outer and inner walls. In larger temples, the inner wall may be lined with Buddha images and serve as places for meditation.
  
  
• I've read that Thai boxing (Muay Thai) is the national sport.
  
  
• I've read that you can have Thai massages, where the person getting the massage is put into yoga-like positions during the course of the massage. In the northern style there are a lot of stretching movements whereas the southern style emphasis is given to acupressure
  

• I've read that the traditional greeting known as the wai, where you press your hands together as is in prayer and bow slightly, is unique to Thailand and still widely practised. As a foreign visitor, you are not expected to know how to wai, nor to reciprocate when wai'd to; while you're unlikely to cause offense if you do, you may well look slightly ridiculous. If somebody makes a wai to you, a slight bow alone is more than sufficient for ordinary occasions.

OK, I am sure there is more, much much more to experience and share with you. These are some of the things that I am excited to experience. If that's how it all works out! : )

Bye for now. 6 sleeps to go!