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!