Letters from the PRC: Return from Thailand

Hello everyone! I have returned from Thailand--safe, sound and sun-browned. Actually, I got back last Friday, but in the interim, class has begun. So perhaps I can be excused for the delay in the travel report?

My itinerary took me through Bangkok for three days, then eight days on the island Koh Phangan on the west coast of Thailand, in the Gulf of Siam. One of Thailand's biggest industries (if not the biggest) is tourism, and it shows. Many of the locals speak English, or enough English to help a foreigner who is lost, confused, etc. Our time in Bangkok was most notable for the time we spent wandering through the cities open markets, and sampling their streetside snacks. We also toured the Royal Palace, which was stunning in it's exuberant ornamentation and myriad colors. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, and they have an amazing devotion to their king, Rama IX. Most businesses and several homes that we saw prominently displayed portraits of the king and queen. Some photos:

These boats are common in Thailand. Called "longtail boats" for the long pole the prop is attached to, they serve often as water transport vehicles. I think they formerly were fishing boats, also. We opted not to take a ride in them, as the motor is incredibly loud and the ride pretty rough. But I thought they were picturesque.

The palace

I was wearing a tank top in the heat that day, but the palace has a very strict dress code--women cannot show their shoulders or legs, and men can't either. Luckily, they lent me this cool shirt. Todd had to wear some equally silly pants. Next time, I'll read the guidebook more carefully...

The grounds were meticulously maintained. This man had the fun job of painting a thin red stripe on an already ornate railing. The upkeep really impressed me, as it is such a stark contrast to the unfortunate state many things in China are in.

Koh Phangan was definitely the highlight of the trip. Sunshine, clean air, blue skies and lovely white clouds, clear blue water and white sand, it had all the makings of the paradise I needed after seven months in China. Plus, we got to eat Thai food! We stayed at Haad Yao ("haad" means beach) on the western side of the island, so we were treated to a different spectacular sunset each night. It was a large beach with several resorts on it, but none of them were large or particularly posh, providing the perfect combination of quiet and action that we wanted. Our bungalow was right on the sand, about 50 feet from the water. There was a coral reef straight out from the beach, providing endless hours of discovery with the cheap snorkel gear we bought there. It was fabulous.

The only dark spot on an altogether lovely trip was a run-in with a jeep rental guy nearby our resort. We'd rented a jeep for 24 hours to see the whole island and traverse the sometimes very bumpy roads. After a whole day of bumping up and down on the passenger side of the vehicle (I was very happy to return the cursed thing) the owner came out and immediate asked, "what happened?" We weren't sure what he was talking about, until he pointed out a dented tow bar that he said appeared during our time with the jeep. We were pretty sure that we didn't cause the damage, but offered to pay for the repair anyhow. He refused that, wanting us to go get the thing fixed ourselves somewhere on the island, and pay another day's rental. A heated argument ensued, and our resort got involved, and in the end, we paid him 1000 baht (about $24 USD) to make the problem go away. We didn't have much choice. So let that be a lesson to you--if a place lets you tool merrily away in a vehicle, without insurance or so much as a look at your driver's license, maybe think twice about what you're getting yourself in to. I know I will next time.

Some photos...