A Thai Vacation

A couple weeks ago, I took some time off from work to visit the Southern Gulf of Thailand. My partner in crime for this venture was none other than the Lum to my Kat. The Mr. Callum Linton. You all remember him, no? The charming Londoner who courted me during my time in Chennai. Ah, yes...we spent the week doing some very Thai things (reinventing acceptable fashion trends) and non-Thai things (indulging in copious amounts of falafel). All in all, a great week. Featured activities include: "theater swine," briefing with Tokyo, full moons, dehydrated waterfalls, and sunsets. Please enjoy the following pictures from the series "Katlum's adventures: Part II."

Funky hatted duo spotted on Khaosan road in Bangkok.

Hmmm....cheeky.

Saying hello in the telephone booth.

Beautiful rooftop pool at Bangkok hotel. A splurge for these parts (1,300 baht) but totally worth it ($35!).

The city persona.

Stepped off the skytrain (Bangkok's above ground subway system) to discover that we had come at exactly the right time. Tis the season for Japan Festival '09!!!

Callum being interviewed by a Thai teenager regarding his thoughts on swine flu! Hilarious video commentary of this event as well.

Bienvenidos a la isla de Koh Phangan!

Beach smiles.

There's quite a bit of this to be found in the tropics.

View overlooking the island from our motorbike ride.

Matching Singha's.

A British pub on the island...I'll take it!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Hamming it up.

First night's no-frills bungalow, but it did have a hammock!

Just a Taste

It’s difficult to return back to something after it’s been abandoned for some time. As precious as it might have been, as familiar as it once may have appeared—over time, the details begin to blur and all I’m left with is a faint silhouette of what once was. A shadow beyond a doubt.
I suppose in part, this is how I feel when I think about returning to write here. A public domain of personal thoughts has to, or should rather, have a degree of credibility to go along with it. It’s all too easy to provide daily accounts of the mundane and routine, that which all of us in our lives experience, no matter where we are on the globe.
I’ll tell you something: it’s quite exhausting being on the move. It’s actually quite hard to believe I first left the U.S. just a month and a half after graduating- already 15 months ago! As always, my perception of time is distorted and I think I could be reborn a hundred times over (in my Hindu life), or reach my ninth life (as a cat) and still not feel comfortable assessing time. In some ways it feels like ages since I woke up to the contradictory smells of India...gentle jasmine pinned against the much fiercer scent of automobile exhaust. Then again, it feels like just yesterday that I was swinging on my hammock in Bali, catching a breeze and planning lessons for tomorrow’s kindergarten class.
With less than four weeks remaining of my time in Thailand, I haven’t even come close to seeing it all. I have spent the past few weekends in Mae Sot being low-key and relatively unadventurous. I have been keeping an eye out on the community, continuously absolved by each and every dynamic that exists in this small place. I don’t “explore” nearly as often as I feel I should. But I must admit, I feel a deep satisfaction each time I let my curiosity get the better of me.
Before I lose the detail of this place…
I ride my bike around the streets of Mae Sot, each section distinguishing itself from the next. The Muslim district is home to some of the best tea stalls in town-“chai” that is a heavenly mixture of freshly brewed tea, condensed milk, and an unforgiving amount of sugar. The enormous, bustling day market with its noises and smells- it never ceases to amaze me. There’s the unavoidable police check points: a constant identity check and re-check and way to remind those who have fled here illegally to ‘behave.’ Of course, it’s not all exotic. There are the farang, or foreigner hang-outs, where Westerners craving some sterile, air-conditioned, English-speaking, “me and my journal time” can temporarily retreat.
A crowded, dusty town encapsulated by a panoramic, green frontier Mae Sot is. A lovely and complicated place that I hope to one day return to.

Blog Recession

It seems as though my blog was hit even harder than my bank account during the recession. I have been very busy with loads of work (contract is up in less than four weeks!), bits of traveling, and have had very little time to write. I will do my best to post an update this weekend, complete with pictures!

Stay tuned...

Long live the Queen!

Yesterday marked the official birthday celebration of her Majesty, the Queen. The Queen's birthday falls on August 12th and is given the status of a national holiday here in Thailand. All week long, people have been celebrating and sharing in the glory that comes with having an official day off of work. Yesterday, Mae Sot was more lively than I have ever seen it before. Hundreds of people roamed the streets, shopped at the day market, and hit up the world's GREATEST carnival.
I was initially skeptical of the carnival, as a few people had remarked that it was "lame" and "for kids only." Fortunately, I decided to ignore such blasphemy and check it out myself. As it turned out, the carnival was loads of fun, and there was nothing (absolutely nothing) childish about elephant shaped carousels and inflatable Spider Man toys.
Enjoy the following pictures taken by both my friend Kelly Christie and me. (The better quality photos were taken by Kelly!)

They look excited now, but those expressions will turn to outright fear once the ride begins.

The ride!

Carnival bingo. Would have loved to try but I still don't know all my numbers in Thai!

Whether or not you know it Ms. Queen, Mae Sot really throws down on your birthday.

Liz, David and I (Small world moment: the second time that I have worked and made friends with people David grew up with)

Grab your rifle and shoot a balloon!

Rambutan woman! I am obsessed with these tasty little treats. One kilo for 20 baht (75 cents roughly) Peel and be merry.

Thawa, me, Geoff. This was from my first visit to the carnival, where I thought it would be a good idea to ride this thing. Expecting it to be slow and creaky, we got much more than we paid for. Strict safety regulations on Thai roller coasters? In your dreams...

Big kids, little boats. (One of them almost sunk his boat-- he was pushing the "big")

Hungry? There's always enough sticks o' meat to go around. Including fish on a stick that is shaped like a panda/rabbit. (???)

**Other highlights included the "nothing scary about it" haunted house and the 30 cent ice cream cones.**

Check it...

I spent the weekend in Bangkok after my visit to Sangkhlaburi. Was great to finally spend some time in the capital city that I initially bussed right through—enjoy some pics from the trip!




Khao San Road.
A backpackers’ haven. This road is notorious in Bangkok for being a transit point for backpackers traveling in and around Thailand. Situated about 30 kilometers away from Mo Chit bus station, it was a relatively convenient place to check in for my few day stay. The place was more or less what I had imagined—full of dreadlocked hippies and tattooed 20-somethings, Khao San is a dream come true for many wear travelers. For me, it was a chance to unwind, let loose, and indulge in endless people watching. There are several noteworthy bookstores in the area, as well as loads of cheap eats.

Keepin’ it fresh.
For as long as I’m living on this continent, I will continue to give praise to the amazing selection of fresh fruit available here. From the spiky dragonfruits and their sexy shade of pink, to the mangoes so perfect you think they came from Eden itself…the fruit stalls burst with color, texture, and an unbeatable fresh taste.

Ladies Night Out
Going to Bangkok felt like my first time really traveling alone. It was Friday night and the town was hopping. I felt eager to go out and enjoy a different side of the town as nighttime fell, so I ventured off to the first logical place I could think of to do so: the bar. It wasn’t long after I ordered a beer that I meet these girls, Katie and Hannah, both seniors at Manchester University in the UK. We hit it off, and proceeded to experience our Friday night in Khao San as it was meant to be—namely, this included unlimited Song Saem buckets and spring rolls.

Ferry… Bring me to shore!
This was one of the more exciting parts of my trip to Bangkok. On my last day, I took the ferry eastward to check out some of the most famous tourist attractions in the city. For 10 baht (35 cents), this is actually a really good deal and a logical means for transportation. First stop: the Grand Palace!

The following pictures were all taken at the Grand Palace, a complex of several historically significant buildings and temples. The palace was originally built in 1782 for King Rama I. From the 18th century on, it served as the official residency for all of Thailand’s kings. The complex sees thousands of tourists a day, and really is an impressive sight. It’s home to the Emerald Buddha (held inside Wat Phra Kaew) and contains several intricately carved golden towers. It felt really strange for me to be there by myself- nearly everyone seemed to be either on a tour group or with family. As a result, there are several goofy pictures of me standing and posing by myself, taken by one sympathetic, sunburned tourist or another.










Reclining Buddha, or as I prefer to call it, the Lazy Buddha.
My second sightseeing stop involved paying a visit to the infamous Reclining Buddha, house in the Wat Pho temple. The gold plated Buddha is an impressive 46 meters long and 15 meters high. It’s pretty interesting to walk around the entire Buddha, although securing a good viewing point is a challenge. The rest of the temple complex is almost equally noteworthy, having been constructed over 200 years ago and containing more than 1,000 Buddha images in total.

Sangkhlaburi!

View of Sangkhlaburi!

David and I. Goofy..

Relaxing at P's on the day we arrived. Tired after 16 hour bus ride (and only two hours of sleep)

Outdoor patio furniture carved out of marble. Nice indeed


Working from an outdoor cafe- break for a photo-op.

Observing an English class with the Mon Women's Organization.

Cottages at our guest house.

P's Guest House! The beautiful, rodeo-style guest house David and I stayed in. All was lovely, minus the shared, squat toilets!

View down to the lake from P's Guest house.