the flip side

...if you are wise and know the art of travel, let yourself go on the stream of the unknown and accept whatever comes in the spirit in which the gods may offer it. - Freya Stark


We're on Koh Pha Gnan. It's busy here at the moment as the full moon approaches on the 29th. Haad Rin is famous for hosting full moon parties every month, so we're here to check it out. We have some preconceived judgments about what it's going to be like, but I figure that it's best to experience it first before completely writing it off. For one, I love to dance, and the thought of being on a beautiful sandy beach surrounded by ocean and palm trees, while listening to funky music and dancing my heart out under a full moon... well, it sounds pretty awesome.On the other hand, parties like these tend to involve heavy drinking and indulging in other things that just don't appeal to me. I guess I'm different than most people my age, or at least that's how I feel. Often I find myself wondering where I fit in in the world... where are the people who just want to connect on a deeper level and have a mind-altering conversation? I'm sorry to point it out, but most of the people congregating here fit the stereotypical Abercrombie & Fitch asthetic: blonde, fit, and tanned.

We spent a couple days on Koh Samui, another island just south of Pha Gnan and Tao. We didn't know what to expect when we arrived, though we soon discovered that Koh Samui is a retreat island for Europeans on vacation. The comforts of home are easily accessible, which is apparent when walking down the streets. Subway, KFC, McDonalds, 7 Elevens on every block, and other chain restaurants are littered everywhere.

Another disturbing occcurence in Samui was the evident objectification of the Thai people, not just women, but young girls, and what Thailand is infamous for: the exotic lady boy. We noticed an abundance of older white men with young Thai girls hanging off their arms. From where we were sitting, the exchange almost seemed like more of a transaction than a relationship. Perhaps it was a mutual agreement, in that the women were getting money for their services, but I can't help but think about our (Canadian) society where women are more liberated in excercising their right to choose...
I remember back when I was in university taking a Sociology of Gender course and reading several articles on the seedy underground of the sex slave market in Thailand (among other third world countries). So much goes on the world that we turn a blind eye to, and in some cases, I can understand not wanting to hear about these evils. At the same time, as long as no one addresses these issues seriously, they will continue to occur. Thailand will continue to make money off of it's people as long as the demand exists. Even Canada (and the rest of North America) contains it's own sex slave market, but what isn't publicized doesn't exist, as in ignorance is bliss.

There are also tons of tattoo shops everywhere in Thailand that we've been so far. It kind of cheapens tattoos and makes it seem like anyone can be a tattoo artist. It gives me the impression that tattoos are the latest trend in souvenirs.... tourists come here and get a novelty tattoo to take home with them. Though, with all that said, we have met a couple of really talented artists and they've both seemed pretty laid back compared to other artists who try to sell you a tattoo like any other vendor selling trinkets. "I make tattoo for you. Maybe you pick something off wall?" 

On May 24th we rented a motor bike and drove up a mountain close to our bungalow on Samui. Chris dropped the bike on it's side and I went flying, scraping up my hands and knee. Luckily I'm healing up pretty quickly, though now I'm afraid of getting on a bike again... 

We did wind up trekking through some jungle to a waterfall, which was pretty cool.

 

On a lighter note, we've encounted some wildlife: frogs, lizards, big spiders, ANTS!!, buuuugs, water buffalo, and dogs (yes they are wild here and have large testicles that dangle). We even had an unexpected visitor last night. Just before bed, as Chris was reading "Life of Pi' out loud, I noticed a dark shadow dart across our wall. Through our open window, a large (the largest we've seen yet at over a foot long) lizard made it's way into our room. It was awesome.

--

Travel tip of the day:

Don't bring a lot of stuff!! You might think you need it, but you don't. This is coming from someone who collected tons of stuff for most of her life.... now is the time to minimize and simplify. Also, you can buy pretty much everything you need here. That fear of not being able to get the things that we might need here in Thailand was quickly demystified after walking into a 7 Eleven and seeing all the neccessary toiletries that any Westerner could ever want. They say that you should pack your 50 litre backpack and then half everything winding up with all you should bring. It's hard to do this, but I've realized that it's neccessary. I wound up cutting out a lot of stuff from my pack before leaving Canada and have found that I havn't missed any of it. In fact, I'm finding that I can get rid of more stuff now that I'm here.

...a stream of thought....

it's surreal.......and it's ironic, but sairaa and I just finished watching "The Beach" while sitting in a restaurant on Koh Phangan. We are currently staying on a little bungalow resort about a fifteen minute walk from Haad Rin...the famous beach that hosts the monthly "world famous" Full Moon Party...I mean the idea is pretty interesting...but I have to say that the more I'm here...(on the island and in Thailand) ...the more I feel bad.... If you've ever been here you may understand what I'm saying. It seems that the islands (Tao, Phangan and Samui-especially) have become overrun by westerners...and europeans(what's the difference anymore) .......and because of this....it seems that Thailand has lost most of it's culture...or most of the culture that isn't sellable....

We saw it when we hit Bangkok. When you arrive in Bangkok for the first time...like most you head straight for Khao San Road...(it's like a corral for backpackers)...and like most you are asked every five steps..."where you from...?" ..."come in..jus looking.....we make suit fo' you.. bery cheep.." In particular, I was told I had a really cool tattoo by every man in a suit.....my response was to ask them if I looked like the kinda guy who wears a suit?? and of course they had a response for everything...."ahhh maybe you get married...." I'm convinced that they knew i wasn't going to buy....I'm assuming they work on percentages......out of every 20 guys they pester....one is bound to buy something from them. They do their thing and I politely decline....and I continue on.... .......and so it goes with every other street vendor....and they are ALL street vendors....even the ones with shops....

The Islands aren't quite the same but the same mentality seems to be very present.....everything here is geared towards us......everything is in english, almost every restaurant sells western food or italian food...(alongside thai staples) ..... and there are 7 elevens on every corner...complete with ice cold AC. It's geared towards a consumeristic society....even more so than in North America.....because in N. America we at least have to dedicate some time to work. Over here it's just spend, spend, spend, consume, drink, party consume.....sleep..maybe... like I said...it's surreal....
Of the three islands we've been on so far...I like Koh Tao the best because it's small and most of the people(...most...) are there to dive...and the majority of the divers we met were rad people...but even the idea of diving seemed like another thing to be exlpoited. Samui seemed to be the place for overweight balding white men to hook up with young(or not so young) thai women ( really revolting..)...or people that want to go on a vacation and never leave the resort, and if they do...it's to go to an irish pub that reminds them of home...( inside joke...we went to an irish pub...haha we had to try it...) Phangan is ....well...it's what you'd expect...the majority of what we've seen is ....one big frat party ....or I guess it would be Europe's version of Daytona Beach during spring break..... same, same!!


Don't get me wrong...it's not all negative. We've seen some cool things...and we've met some cool people in all of these places....It's just that I'm feeling a little conflicted about being another westerner here to consume.....I would really like for my travels to have a little more substance than this... Sairaa keeps reminding me that we need to experience something before we can judge it....which I agree with....I'm just hoping we get to the good stuff soon...;)

"I just feel like everyone tries to do something different, but you always wind up doing the same damn thing...." - the beach

Island Style

Chris and I have been residing in a small resort called Sunshine on Koh Tao for the past few days. Chris has completed both his Open Water dive course and his Advanced Open Water dive course with PADI: http://www.padi.com/scuba/default.aspx

I went along for a few (fun) dives with him while he was training, as I had already completed my training in the frigid waters of Canada's west coast. Last night we went for a night dive, which was my first time under the ocean in the dark. It was pretty cool. We each had a torch (flashlight) which we used to light our way. At one point during the dive we all turned off our lights and moved our hands about in front of our faces. The plankton lit up and sparkled with bioluminescence. Pretty magical.

We spent a day at Aow Leuk, a small bay with a nice white sandy beach. We snorkeled in the warm turqoise water, which had the best underwater scenery I've seen. There are so many different varieties of coral and fish. I felt like I was in the movie Finding Nemo. Chris didn't listen to my advice and got severely sunburnt from not wearing any sun protection. "I never get sunburned", he made a point of saying. I think he's learned his lesson, since his back is now blistering and I imagine that his skin will start to peel soon. Poor guy, he had to wear his BCD and heavy dive tank on his back while diving, which apparently was very painful.
The sun down here is much stronger than what we're used to! I think that my Fabutan base tan is actually helpful now that I see how badly Chris was burnt, and I not nearly as much. My skin is much fairer than his, so it's a little shocking to see his tomato coloured skin. We went to the local pharmacy and bought some aloe vera 'after-sun' gel and noticed that they were also selling "Beer & Egg" shampoo....

Mangosteen is aboslutely the best tasting fruit EVER!! I have a thing for fruit... if there was only one thing I could eat for the rest of my life it would be fruit! Some other fuits that are common here are mango, rombutan, lansones, durian, banana, pinapple, coconut, watermelon, and dragonfruit. YUM! You can order fruit shakes from street vendors, as well as the most delicious pancakes, pad thai, and other such treats. I haven't gotten sick of Thai food yet. It's always been a favorite of mine and now I get to eat it every day.


Traveling has a desirable allure, but so do most things when you see them from an outside perspective. "The grass is always greener on the other side" is a common belief, but once you attain what you desire you sometimes realize that the fantasy was just that: fanstasy. What I'm getting at is that since we've arrived in Thailand, we've noticed some of the seedy underground below the surface of what most people are aware of.... I'll elaborate on this another time as I think it's important to emphasize that there are always two sides of the coin, so to speak.




--
Travel tip of the day:
Consider traveling during the low season. Companies are competing for your business and so you might be able to find cheaper rates and may also be able to barter for better deals.

Expect the unexpected

Apparently this has been the hottest weather in Thailand in about 20 years...

The last couple of days have been a bit of a blur. Friday, Chris and I decided that we had had enough of the city and that it was time to head down south. Also, we heard that the political unrest in Bangkok was worsening and that it would be a good idea to leave. We didn't see any of this ourselves and we felt pretty safe there for the most part. The Thai people seem pretty chill and friendly.

We grabbed a ride on a Tuk Tuk and our driver, ChaLee, drove us around Bangkok to see some of the temples in the city. As we were seeing the sights I felt like a tourist and wasn't really enjoying the experience. I thought to myself that the locals must think it's funny that people from other countries come here to admire things that are completely normal and taken for granted here. I was questioning why I am here and talking to Chris later on about it, I remembered something a Buddhist man once told me: "PLD".
"What's does that mean?" I asked him.
"It stands for Practice Looking Deeply." He replied. "In each passing day, practice looking deeply to find meaning in everything and you will discover things that you didn't realize were there."
I think I need to remind myself to do this on a regular basis.

We took another quick jaunt down Khao San Road and I bought a rayon dress and a pair of rayon thai pants, both super comfortable and will be great for traveling. I want to buy these Thai pants in every colour, length, and print as I love them so much! The clothes are relatively cheap here and bartering for a lower price is common. I got the dress and the pants for 200 baht each, which is around $7 a piece. There are tons of trendy clothes for sale and all the market vendors tend to sell similar styles, so it's easy to compare prices and choose the best deal. I'm more of a fan of buying traditional style clothing that reflects the country that I'm in, though if I wanted a silk screened t-shirt, there are tons to choose from.

We met up with Sylvia, another backpacker from Germany, and bought tickets for a bus going south to Koh Tao. We were told to wait for the bus at 5:30pm. I wondered if Thailand is on Tofino Time... sure enough the bus didn't come until around 7pm. It was a comfortable ride, with air conditioning, reclining seats, blankets, and even a movie. All the same, I couldn't fall asleep. After about 9 hours the bus stopped on the side of the highway and a scrawny man yelled out "Koh Tao". No one moved. "Koh Tao!?" he yelled again. "Koh Tao?" I repeated. Then we realized that this was our stop. Six of us got off the bus to find that we were not in Koh Tao, but that we had to wait for a smaller connecting bus. It was 3:30am and none of us knew where we were. I wondered if someone was going to pick us up or if we were just left here to fend for ourselves. It was a dusty highway with tons of big, loud transport vehicles driving by. Finally at around 6am, just as the sun was rising, a smaller bus came to pick us up. It dropped us off at another open-cocept style bus and this one took us to the boat dock. The ferry to Koh Tao left at around 8am and we arrived at the island close to 11am. I got sunburnt from sitting out on the deck of the boat. The sun is much stronger here and my base tan from Canada hasn't seemed to help all that much.
We hopped into the back of a pickup truck with some other people and a bunch of backpacks. I felt like I was going to slip off the back, along with the backpacks, as we drove up a steep incline. Chris held on to me and saved me from falling out.

Anyway, we finally wound up at a little resort on Chalok Baan Kao Bay called Sunshine. It's quiet and we're in a cottage style place with a ceiling fan. It's still hot here even though we're next to the ocean.

So today is relaxing day. Chris is starting the Open Water Dive course, which I've already done in Canada. He's going to catch up to me and then we might do the Rescue Diver course together. It would be cool to get the certifications to be able to work as Divemaster... so we're pondering that idea.

Travel tip of the day: Always bring your own toilet paper with you when you're out and about. Some countries don't stock public washrooms with toilet paper because it is a luxury and is often stolen, so bring your own! Also, some countries have different customs when it comes to bathroom practices. I.E. in India your left hand is for wiping and you right is for eating.

SWEAT

After about 12 hours of flight we arrived in Abu Dhabi via Etihad Airways. I must say that their service was awesome, infact the best I've ever experienced. We were served decent food and free drinks throughout the entire flight and had access to tons of movies and TV shows, so the time went by quicker. All the same I don't really like being stuck in a small space for hours on end, not being able to move much, and breathing in recycled air that dries out my skin.

Abu Dhabi was a short stop and then we hopped on our connecting flight to Bangkok, which was another 6 hours of flight. We arrived at 7am, 11 hours ahead of the time we're accustomed to.

Stepping out of the airport we felt the hot humid blanket of air wrap itself around us. A rush of nostalgic emotion hit me as that familiar feeling of being in another country came back. I had forgotten what it felt like to be in the Philippines or India... I forgot that the rest of the world exists outside of Canada.

I think it's just starting to hit me now that we're in Thailand. We're really here. And we don't really have a plan. And that's cool because I actually feel more relaxed without having to worry about time restraints or deadlines.

We met some fellow backpackers on our bus ride from the airport to Khao San Road. They had just come from India and had some cool stories to tell. We spent our first day hanging out with them, walking down the streets, shopping in the market (resisting the urge to buy everything), eating lunch, and just chilling.

Chris and I got a traditional Thai massage near the end of the day for about 180 baht each, which is around $6 canadian. The women used their bodies to manipulate ours in odd ways. It was painful at times, though very relaxing and afterwards we were ready to crash.

We stayed in a hostel called the Merry V, not sure what the V stands for... We basically slept on top of the bed without any sheets because it is soooo incredibly hot here! Sweat has literally been pouring out of me and I can't keep up with drinking enough water to replace my fluids. Feeling this hot and sweaty is really uncomfortable and it kind of makes you feel like you don't want to move or go outside. But, there is so much to see and discover...

on the way...

so we had a 12?? hour flight starting in Toronto and connecting in Abhu Dhabi...from Abhu Dhabi...it was another 8 hours?? i think, to Bangkok... we arrived in Bangkok at 7 in the morning and preceeded to continue going for the rest of the day......it felt like being awake for 3 days and only having quick naps 5 min. at a time...

so we just had the longest flight ever....
and on that flight I decided it would be a great idea to spill Sairaa's tomato juice all over our seats and all over her...and all over my bag....it was dark and I was tired...........who drinks tomato juice anyway...?? ;)

and then once we got onto the bus in Bangkok, we met some peeps.....Chris (UK) and Sylvia (Germany) and Lisa (Holland)...super nice people....really chill and they were our first friends we made here...

we had a couple stops throughout the day to have some drinks....

this is only the beginning...

In preparation for our journey we've gotten rid of everything...

and we mean....everything....

here's us, cutting down on wind resistance...:)

TRANSFORMER OWL = amazing!