South East Asian Invasion, Part Three: Tantalizing Thailand

Gather 'round, kiddies, for I have still more daring tales from the sparkling orient with which to regale your little noggins.

Chava and I arrive at the Bangkok airport mid-morning and decide to take a taxi to the bus terminal where we will catch a bus to Khao Yai National Park, which is about 3.5 hours outside of Bangkok. We are pretty much the only Falangs (foreigners) anywhere at the terminal, and many a cab driver in the area immediately accosts us and inquires as to our destination, attempting to make us a "deal."

We do, what must be acknowledged on all accounts, as a bang-up job navigating the place, getting the correct tickets and finding the correct bus. It's once we leave the bus that we encounter the problem. There's a little discrepancy as to where we should disembark but we only have so much time for a decision, so we end up on the curb of a busy boulevard, near what appears to be a small bus station. The guidebook says we should flag a tuk-tuk to take us to the area near the park's entrance. There don't appear to be what you'd call a plethora of tuk-tuk's around and matters are complicated by the fact that every person who asks where we're going laughs when we say "Khao Yai." In short, things are not exactly looking amazing. We eventually make our way to a hotel, but not before multiple Thai people assist us and multiple phone calls (to our prospective hotels) are made. In the end, a tuk-tuk drives us part of the way up the road to a pick-up truck which then takes us the rest of the way to our hotel. After meeting the friendly manager, choosing a room and getting settled, we decide to explore our surroundings a bit.



We find some interesting things, such as this rooster in a tree (I'd never seen a rooster in a tree, have you?)



And these two dogs, doing things that dogs and all other animals do. It doesn't look as though they are exactly having fun, though who can blame them for their creativity? It is here that animals begin to emerge as a theme, and don't you worry, because we're just getting started.

We get a tasty dinner from the hotel down the road (we were told that it was booked solid, but this is not the case making this, perhaps our first instance this trip of being taken for a (n albeit small) ride? We then stop in at a bar near our hotel where a man had told us that there would be music.


Little did we know that by music he meant hookers singing karaoke. The way things seem to be working is that each lady takes the stage with a number pinned to her "outfit" and sings a song. Once she finishes, bar patrons can request her company at their table and/or who knows where else. Some of them prove to be decent singers and some of them are really, really not. The most interesting thing about our little foray into this very foreign situation (hey look, a pun!) is that the ladies are mostly preparing for their "performances" at tables in the bar. Thus we are privy to their constant make-up checking and interminable hair-straightening, which just make everything even more surreal. We attempt to make it an early night, because we have a jungle trek planned for the morning. The thing is, that my body has another idea.

Shortly after heading to bed, it becomes clear that I have become afflicted by what Uncle Chava kindly describes in an email to multiple family members as "the runs." Thanks for the discretion, Chav. This causes us to delay our jungle trek for the following day since I, apart from a short float in the pool and of course the obligatory trips to our lovely facilities, have been pretty much rendered bed-ridden. It's unfortunate to loose a full day of travel adventures, but this is the first time it's happened on any trip since moving to Korea, so I can't really complain.


The next morning we begin our exciting jungle trek bright and early, stopping by the visitors' center before we really get going. Our guide is knowledgeable and very friendly, the sort of person that you know is genuinely passionate about what they do. He gives us large, funny-looking socks to don for protection against leaches and tics.


We see this pretty impressive lizard not far from the center.


And we also see this hawk before actually entering into the jungle. Once we really start to trek, I am amazed by the height of the trees and the tremendous girth of some of the vines. Our guide has us gather around while he poke a stick into a hole in the ground, telling us that there is a big scorpion inside. Unfortunately it appears that said scorpion has had a few too many the night before and isn't interested in receiving guests.

We hike for about an hour and a half and are treated to a snack of Thai custard and sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf that our guide informs us was made by his mother that morning. It is downright tasty, even for a person whose stomach is not quite about its stance on food.


We continue on and encouter some gibbons:




The furry fellows pictured above. Our guide describes them as differing from monkeys only in that they never come out of the trees and have no tails. As you can see, they are also super cute.


Whenever we travel by truck, we encounter large groups of Macaques like the one seen here. Our guide warns us not to feed them because they like begging food from people and can get very aggressive.


Our adventure also includes spending some time at the waterfall above, which is nice and relaxing.


On one of our driving stretches, we see this young male elephant, which is a real treat. It's relatively rare for trekkers to see elephants, so we are pretty excited about this. Our omniscient guide explains that female elephants stick together for their whole lives, but that male elephants become loners after puberty.

The real highlight of our trek comes when we are on our way out of the park. We are driving down a dark road when we encounter a group of eight elephants, some of whom are babies, on their way to a salt lick. It is magical to be so close to such awesome animals, and even our driver and guide go nuts trying to get the best photos possible. I took several photos, but sadly none of them came out because it was so dark. Luckily, I'm not too worried about remembering the details.

We arrive back at the hotel famished, exhilarated and exhausted. After a nice meal with some of our fellow-trekkers, we get some serious sleep.

The next morning we get going early. We are heading back to Bangkok because it is Uncle Chava's last day. To be honest, I've been feeling a little templed-out (if you've ever toured Europe and seen lots of beautiful cathedrals, then you pretty much know what I mean by that) and not looking forward to more temples...



but boy does my attitude change when I see the amazing structures that Bangkok has to offer. The colors and detail are simply beautiful. It is readily apparent that we have saved the best for last, temple-wise.


There are intricate carvings and little statues, like the dude above, all over the place.


We also get to check out the Presidential Palace with it's funky gardening and interesting architecture, which seems distinctly non-Thai until you get to the roof.

We spend a lot of time at the temple of the reclining Buddha, which, apart from the reclining Buddha itself, has lots of interesting structures and sub-temples.

Some of the little statues seem like they could use some restoration, but their drab gray, decrepit appearances lend them a sense of the macabre exactly to my taste.


This fellow looks strangely more like a 19th-century, Dickensian villain to me than a Thai aristocrat, but who am I to judge?


Above is one of the temples from the reclining Buddha compound, decorated with beautiful mosaic.

Once the sun goes down, we have dinner at a nearby market and then decide to explore China Town. Uncle Chava offers a tuk-tuk driver an exorbitant amount to drive us there, and the driver laughs with glee.


China Town has all the hustle and bustle one would expect, along with great people-watching. After strolling around for a couple of hours, we head back to my hotel room and get Chava ready for his flight back to L.A. via Seoul. I send him off and get some rest to prepare for my final day in Asia after almost two years.


For my last day in Thailand I decide to start with a boat ride on the river and through an old canal.


I get to see some pretty neat stilted houses


and the inhabitants thereof.

I then decide to go see Wat Arun, a temple on the west bank of the river. I am approached by a very friendly man who tells me that the temple is closed until after the lunch hour and that his friend, a tuk-tuk driver can take me to another temple. Not long into the ride, I realize that I am being taken for a ride in the figurative sense, and that the tuk-tuk driver is being paid by store owners to take me to their shops, instead of to the temple. I bid the driver adieu without wasting too much of my time, but I do decide to do a little shopping since I'm in a shopping district and I end up ordering some tailor-made shirts and a jacket.


Eventually I do finally make it to Wat Arun, which requires a short ferry ride. From afar it appears to have been carved from granate...


but it is actually covered in porcelin mosaic.


Climbing the temple affords a great view of the city


and involves some seriously steep steps. Once I've seen all there is to see there, I head back across the river to pick up a few last gifts for my friends, relatives and other significant folk, and to eat my last green curry before catching a few Z's and then heading to the airport for my super-early filght to Detroit.

It was, in short, a magnificant trip and a wonderful end to my Asian adventure. It felt sad and a little strange to be leaving, but at the same time I was looking forward to seeing family and having a little down-time before preparing for the next phase of what I'm proud and lucky to say has been a pretty dynamic existance thus far.