Second to Nan

The semester teaching at Thawangphapittayakhom School has been slowly winding down, so I’ve made more of an effort to stay local in Nan on the weekends.  I know I’ve previously praised the village of Thawangpha, located eleven hours north of Bangkok in the province of Nan, but I really can’t emphasize enough how much I’ve enjoyed living here the past four months.  The people are distinguishably friendly, laid back, have a great sense of humor and embody the peacefulness of the landscapes and Buddhism.

Josh and I have cherished our daily routine of playing frisbee next to a temple by the Nan River, then going swimming in the river with many of the students.  Recently we’ve discovered a dam that channels the river around and in effect creates a stronger current that carries its passengers merrily downstream.  The water is a bit murky but refreshingly cool and perfect for play; it’s a pleasant place and a favorite of the Thai kids, who love to jump in and take ride after ride in the lazy river.

It’s been rewarding to live in a small and quiet area for an extended amount of time and make a connection with the locals, rather than just pass through quickly as a tourist.  The teachers and students are always excited to see us farangs (foreigners) outside of school, whether it’s playing sports with them or simply stopping to chat at the main local market.    Interacting with teachers and students in town helps create Thawangpha’s attractive sense of community and makes Josh and I, the only two farangs in town, feel like we belong. 

Anecdote: The other day I was talking in broken English and Thai with some students and a girl asked me where I went to get my hair curled (Thai people are unfamiliar with naturally curly hair), which reminded me of the scene from Knocked Up when Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) is asked which hair product he uses to make his hair so curly and he replies, “uh, ‘Jew’ it’s called.” 

Sukhothai

I’ve dropped the ball with blogging in February. Oh well, mai pen rai.

On the first weekend in February, Josh and I met up with Jill and the Chonburi crew in central Thailand at the UNESCO World Heritage historical park of Sukhothai. Thailand has witnessed waves of kingdoms rise and fall, including the Sukhothai Kingdom 700 years ago. 

We rode motorbikes around the ancient ruins and made frequent stops to explore the scattered Buddha statues and other carvings that had survived the test of time.  Some of the massive monuments were surrounded by a moat while others loomed behind a beautiful lake. Lotuses and lily pads in the lake served as the finishing touches to the photographer’s playground and we all enjoyed the peaceful premises.

Tham Sakoen National Park

For the first weekend in a while, I stayed local and enjoyed the natural beauty right in my backyard.  Instead of the routine overnight bus ride to Bangkok and beyond, I took a leisurely hour and a half motorbike ride with Josh near the Laos border to Tham Sakoen National Park, which we originally passed on our way to the northern most province of Chiang Rai two months ago.

The province of Nan doesn’t draw flocks of tourists because it lacks the razzle dazzle postcard sites and high energy of a Chiang Mai, which insures Nan’s fitting place as one of Thailand’s hidden gems.  It’s quietly rural but filled with incredible landscapes symbolic of authentic Southeast Asia.  Each motorbike ride in Nan provides the opportunity to stumble upon something unexpectedly awesome.  The roads are surrounded by electric lime green rice paddies, thick forests and rolling hills as far as the eye can see, with little wooden shacks sprinkled on top.  All you need is a motorbike; the rest is provided.

After frequent stops to enjoy the scenery, Josh and I arrived at Thom Sakoen National Park and marveled at the limestone mountains soaring through the jungle.  They reminded me of the limestone structures we saw in the beautiful island of Ko Phi Phi jutting out of the aqua water.  On the way to the campsite we spotted a small sign for a cave, so we hopped off the motorbikes and began a steep hike on an unmaintained trail.  Soon the immensity of the cave’s mouth caught us by surprise and we excitingly, yet cautiously entered the darkness.  Boulders became our stepping stones as we followed the sound of shrieking bats towards the cave’s belly.  We stood under the flying rodents’ hectic home and followed their shadowy figures on the cave walls.  Then we decided to investigate a ray of light coming from the back of the cave, which entailed passing through bat shit and stalactite tunnels.  The light from the cave’s ceiling gleamed through various crooks and crannies as we climbed up to the outside.  We explored at a methodical pace in case we encountered any dangerous critters (i.e. snakes, spiders or scorpions), although what ended up scaring me was a small decapitated doll, whose role it seemed was to scare off nosy travelers...

With plenty of daylight left to pitch a tent and gather wood for a campfire, Josh and I settled into the empty campgrounds.  The landscape had a land-before-time feel; it was the kind of place you could envision a pterodactyl swooping down from the mountains into the jungle.  The night was warm and clear and the innumerable stars illuminated the canopy, making it perfect to abandon the tent and sleep on the ground. 

We woke up the following morning with the sunrise and explored a river that ran through the national park.  The boulders that rested in the water were similar in size to the ones we encountered in the cave and we jumped from rock to rock until we came to a fork in the river.  Josh went left and I went right, although we each ultimately found a waterfall.  I was quite satisfied with the serene spot and promptly swam to the falls in the refreshingly cool water.  As I air-dried on a boulder in front of the waterfall pool, I observed the jungle downstream and absorbed the tranquility.

The Seven-Tiered Waterfalls at Erawan National Park

Another weekend leaving Thawangpha by overnight bus,

They’re pretty comfortable though so no reason to fuss,

In Bangkok I met up with Jill and to Konchanaburi we took a minivan

Which ingeniously lacked a trunk so we held our bags and felt pretty crammed.

Upon arrival we rented a motorbike and found a suitable bungalow,

We drove to Erawan National Park which would have been a favorite of Thoreau,

That is if there weren’t so many obnoxious tourists posing by the waterfalls in speedos,

I wanted to say, “This is Thai culture, not the Jersey Shore with guidos,”

But even their blotchy sunburned blubber couldn’t stop us from enjoying the spectacular seven-tiered waterfalls,

A jungle oasis with waterfalls both wide and tall,

Each of the seven could have been its own main attraction,

Monkeys swung from trees and stole some of the action,

We enjoyed the show and took a seat,

Then fish in the pools pecked and tickled our feet,

The waterfall scenery seemed so unreal we were simply in awe,

Undoubtedly the most beautiful waterfalls I ever saw.

On our ride back we got caught in a hard rain,

This was an issue on the motorbike and much ground we could not gain,

It was cold, dark and slippery and we didn’t want to risk any fatalities,

So we made several stops at the scarce nearby houses and appreciated the typical Thai hospitality,

Finally got back and then marveled about Thailand and all its fun,

How the Erawan weekend was symbolic of each Thaiventure- second to none. 

Ko Chang

On the first full weekend of 2012, I took Monday off from school and went to the island of Ko Chang.  After another overnight bus from Thawangpha to Bangkok, followed by a shorter bus ride from Bangkok to Chonburi, I met up with Jill and two of her American friends, Jack and Alyssa, on vacation from teaching English in China. The four of us took a four hour bus ride to Trat, where we hopped on a ferry for an hour to Ko Chang and then spent another hour on a hilly taxi ride from the pier to our bungalows on the opposite side of the island.  With the 20 hours of traveling under my belt, I was ready to finally undue my belt and switch into a bathing suit.  Once I stepped onto the soft white sand and saw the plentiful palm trees gazing at the tropical waters and sunset, my senses were cleansed and the inherent hassles of traveling for a day seemed trivial.

We awoke moderately early the following morning because we felt the urge to make the most of our limited time and explore (one of the few reasons that I can justify waking up early on vacation or a weekend).  We rented two kayaks and paddled to one of the three islands that graced the beach view.  The sunshine, sea breeze and salt water insured a great day, but discovering that we essentially had the island to ourselves made it especially memorable.  My own paradise island?!  Thank you, Thailand, for completely exceeding my expectations.  We hiked through the jungle from one side of the short island to the other and swung from dangling vines.  Kayaking through rock formations without another soul in sight seemed like we were living our own Planet Earth episode (sure beats living your own Twilight Zone episode, as in last week’s Thaiventure).  It felt incredibly timeless. 

That night we celebrated at a full moon party on the beach.  Explore and chill all day, party at night.  Yeah, man!

The Ko Chang weekend gave us a greater appreciation for Thailand’s nickname- “Land of Smiles.”  Check out the corresponding Ko Chang video!

New Years in Ko Phi Phi

When it comes to the transportation aspect of traveling, no news is often good news- especially in Southeast Asia.  Alas, I had a rather draining experience schlepping from Chiang Mai to Ko Phi Phi for New Years.  While the traveling Thaiventure seemed to fit the plot of a Twilight Zone episode, my New Year’s weekend in Ko Phi Phi was unforgettably awesome.

Ko Phi Phi

The story begins at a travel agency in Chiang Mai.  Two experienced travelers (with awareness of various infamous Eastern scams) book two cheap overnight bus tickets from Chiang Mai to Bangkok.  The travelers think to themselves that the inexpensiveness should not be a cause for concern because the tickets are sold at an established travel agency with a permanent address, thus providing traceable contact information.  Furthermore, it should be noted that the same travel agency was successfully used to book the travelers’ minibus tickets from Chiang Mai to Pai and back, only a few days prior to the Bangkok trip.  Despite the knowledge that such logic often does not hold up in Southeast Asia, the travelers go forth.  First, they feel suspicious when dropped off at a random gas station, the supposed departing location, 20 minutes out of town by the travel agency’s taxi.  Two hours pass waiting for the bus.  Suspicion turns into frustration.  The Chiang Mai “tourist police” are at the scene and inform the travelers that the bus company is notorious for stealing from sleeping passengers.  The travelers wonder how such tourists could be so oblivious, until they hear a rumor that the bus driver is known to spray a sleeping gas into the ventilation system in order to facilitate the middle of the night thievery.  The police subsequently take out a man’s license and say if the bus shows up, they will promptly arrest the driver.  Frustration turns into confusions because the police should simply be able to investigate the travel agency after previous complaints so that the fiasco ceases to perpetuate.  Are the police in on the scam as well?  The two travelers feel slightly ashamed for getting themselves into this mess, but remain calm and collected.  The bus ultimately shows up, the police take photos of the license plates, the two travelers take sleeping shifts throughout the ten hour overnight ride and end up safely in Bangkok early the following morning… with all their belongings.

With that absurd ordeal behind us, Josh and I passed out in a Bangkok hostel.  All of the decent accommodations were booked because of New Year’s weekend, so we made due in a room with holes in the walls, cats coming out of the hallway windows and apparent shit stains on the sheets.  Mai pen rai.  Josh and I cleared our minds and escaped the cacophonous city by playing frisbee on a green in front of the Grand Palace.  Buddhist monks were watching from nearby benches, perhaps meditating on how to incorporate such a chill activity into their Zen practice.  Jill met us that afternoon and the three of us hopped on a plane the next morning to Ko Phi Phi.

Maya Beach

After the hour plane ride and ferry from the mainland, we met up with a handful of other friends from our teach abroad program and finally arrived on the world class island of Ko Phi Phi!  I had been drooling over Google images for the past year and was ecstatic to finally see the stunning Ko Phi Phi beaches in person.  We approached the Phi Phi pier and stood speechless as we gazed at the aqua water and jutting mountains.  Yeaaaaaaaaaah!  Tired from the travels but excited to celebrate New Year’s on the world class island, we hiked up to our hostel.  On the way we picked up the ingredients to make the popular Thai “bucket,” which includes a flask of whiskey, a bottle of Red Bull, a can of Coke, a bottle of seltzer and a bucket to mix the delicious poison.  We found our hostel and handed the British owner our reservation email… and the unexpected ending of our Thaiventure Twilight Zone episode unfolded.  The hostel manager had CANCELLED our reservation for the night and sold our room to other visitors who had arrived on an earlier ferry.  WHAT THE FUCK?!  It was New Year’s Eve and every place on the island was going to be booked!  It was the only time I remember losing my temper in two months in Thailand and it’s not a coincidence the conflict pertained to foreigners rather than Thais.  After arguing with the stubborn British owner and getting only more perplexed and frustrated over his cryptic cancellation policy, Jill and I somehow figured out alternate plans for the night at another hotel.  These things have a way of working out in Thailand.

The New Year’s Eve beach party and following few days of snorkeling, cliff jumping and exploring were incredible.  Maya Beach, the crown jewel beach of Ko Phi Phi and paradise location in the movie, “The Beach,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was particularly epic.  We were repeatedly awed by the lagoons and overall splendor of the island.  Ko Phi Phi was a great way to start the new year and a top highlight of my Thaiventure.

The trip back to Thawangpha was smoother than getting to Ko Phi Phi; nonetheless, it still included a ride on a ferry, taxi, airplane, tuk-tuk (rickshaw), bus and motorbike.  Josh and I arrived back in Thawangpha at 4:30 in the morning with school three hours later.  “Good morning, students!”

             

Chiang Mai and Pai

Josh and I kicked off our midterm vacation in two of Thailand’s hippest places- Chiang Mai and Pai.

Chiang Mai is exactly east of our Nan Province, but mountainous landscapes prohibit a direct route, so a 6 hour southern loop by bus was how our journey began.  During my second time in Chiang Mai, I went on an urban walking tour to famous Buddhist temples with Jill (who flew up for the weekend), found a delicious Jewish restaurant, explored an exotic forest temple and its surroundings, ran a half marathon and naturally celebrated in the evenings, including a memorable night that started at “THC Bar,” continued at a Thai club, and shamefully ended at McDonalds.  Luckily I had a full day to recover before the half marathon, which started a day later at 5 in the morning.  Due to the early starting time, I passed an amusing combination of drunken partiers stumbling on their way back from the night out, as well as a wave of Buddhist monks making their early rounds for food in exchange for blessings.  There were a handful of stops along the road with water and bananas for the runners, but at one point I mistook offerings for the monks as one of the hydrating stations.

The three hour minibus ride north from Chiang Mai to Pai is notoriously twisty, with supposedly 762 curves along the way.  After the nausea, Josh and I checked into a hostel, rented motorbikes and started to explore.  Pai has a fitting reputation as a hippie town and the foreigners there seemed much more like real travelers than tourists (a much appreciated distinction from Khao San Road in Bangkok).  It was a great place to relax and enjoy the wealth of nearby nature attractions.  We found a tranquil river and waterfall, some pretty tight stalactites and mighty stalagmites in a massive cave and inviting canyon trails overlooking misty mountains disappearing into the morning clouds.  Pai was charmingly chill and we were reluctant to leave.

However, the fact that we were leaving Pai to spend New Year’s on Ko Phi Phi, arguably Thailand’s most beautiful island, helped us say “lagorn” (goodbye) to the northern haven.  Time to get out the bathing suit!