ahh phuket!! let's just go to phi phi...

....so after our time in Ranong we travelled south to the Island (almost peninsula) of Phuket...more specifically Phuket town... We were surprised when we first arrived because, as we were walking down the street looking for a place to stay...an older asian man..(well older than us.....) stopped us and asked...


" where you going...??"


...my instinct since getting to Thailand has been to reply....'... it's ok we don't need a taxi...'... to any asian asking me this question...:) but I stopped myself when I realized that they weren't Thai at all. They were in fact, Japanese tourists...complete with typical tourist garb and dangling cameras...

They proceeded to inform us that there was a nice clean guesthouse just up the street from where we were standing that was very cheap....only 200 Baht....the equivalent of approx. $7 Canadian. Sairaa and I were quite surprised because up until that point everyone who tried to talk to us, was trying to take our money.... and these people were actually helping us find a decent place for really cheap....We thanked them and never saw them again..

Thank you GOD!!



We actually ended up staying quite a few days in Phuket Town.....one of Sairaa's friends from Van. Island was teaching English there....so we hung out with her and her friends...which was a cool experience because we ended up going to a restaurant that 'Farang' (that's us white people) don't normally go...........I find I actually enjoy the times when there aren't any tourist around...I feel like I'm experiencing something more legit....

Phuket turned out to be a cool little city...it had a lot of the comforts of home...( internet cafes and coffee houses with vanilla lattes) One night I even play a full music set at this little restaurant...they couldn't understand a word I was singing but they recognized a couple songs....and they liked my voice, so that was cool...

We spent an entire day (literally!!...no exaggeration) walking through this huge market....they were selling everything from t-shirts to pirated dvd's, pets, strange food and fruit, random electronics..(cheap electronics)...sunglasses, used shoes, old video game consoles, random handicrafts......everything and anything was at this market.........my feet hurt so bad that night. Sairaa loved every minute...;) Haha

Before we left Phuket Island we spent a day at Kata Beach which apparently is the only place in Thailand that has decent surf. It reminded me of Tofino. The waves broke the same way....I hate beach breaks... We spent the afternoon surfing and then ate at a restaurant on the beach.... It was a nice break from the city....and it was good to do something active...



Our next stop was the famous (or infamous) Koh Phi Phi. It's an island off the western coast of Thailand known mostly for being the location where they filmed "the Beach".

To get to the island we had to take a 1.5 hour boat ride from the pier just outisde of Phuket. When we arrived at the pier we were told that the boat was 600Baht for one person....now for those of you who can't figure out the conversion rate...that's approx. $20 each Canadian. Now I know what you're thinking, ' 20 bucks isn't a lot of money for a 1.5 hour ride....', and in Canada you'd be right.....but see, we're not in Canada, we're in Thailand, where an 8 hour bus ride is less than 10. We were in shock......' there is no way that we're going to pay that much to see the Beach that 'Leo' stood on....I don't like him that much.....'

So we sat there...on the benches at the pier and we waited. As we are sitting beside the ticket counter we notice how many Thai people are getting on the boat and paying considerably less for the same trip....I tried to bribe 3 different guys to get us on the boat for cheaper....none of them budged... We decided to call their bluff. We would pay no more than 800 Baht total for the two of us....that's a full 400baht less than they were asking....I told them that was our final offer...and when they refused, Sairaa and I picked up our packs and started for the parking lot to look for a taxi back to town......

All of a sudden this man in a suit comes running over...'Excuse me sir...' He proceeded to explain that if we had booked the ticket through a travel agency then we could have had it for the price we we're asking..blah, blah, bullshit, blah ....What he really means to say is ' We charge tourists this much because they're stupid and they will pay it, but because you are not stupid we will let you on for less '......then he says..."this i do for you...special price.." He discretely took my 800 baht and walked over to the girls at the counter, who did not look impressed by the situation, and practically wrenched the ticket book out of their hands....yelled at them in Thai and wrote up our tickets for us...Not sure who he was...but he was someone who had pull. We got on the boat with minutes to spare....

That is how it's done in Thailand.........;)

VISA run to Myanmar

I gave him my biggest, most friendliest smile. He just stared back, with an unimpressed expression on his face. His eyes were dark and yellowed slits, peering out like a menacing snake. His skin had patches of discolouration, I imagine from being under the sun for most of his life. His hair was grey, what little of it he had. He was short and frail and his clothes were worn and frayed. Unassuming for a man of his power.


It's been a long day. We got up early and said goodbye to the wonderful family that we were staying with in Khao Sok. Genuine people seem hard to come by here in Thailand. Bao, Oi, and their five year old daughter, Jasmin, were a breath of fresh air after encountering so many people just trying to take our money.
We got on a bus to Takua Pa then transferred to another bus to Ranong. After riding the bus for a few hours Chris and I both had to pee really bad. Luckily someone pointed across the street and informed us that we could pee at the Esso gas station for free. Armed with a fist full of toilet paper, I did the pee dance across the street and found myself hovering over a squat toilet. "Ahhhh" much better.
Walking down the street with our heavy packs, a Thai man lying on a street bench yelled "You!" and pointed at the sky. We looked up to find that the skys had darkened. Sure enough a monsoon hit shortly afterwards. We hopped into a taxi truck to the pier and by the time we arrived, the heavy rains had ceased.
Just as soon as we stepped out the back of the truck, an older Thai man spotted us in the crowd of people. We were clearly the only white people around at the moment, something that we can't hide. He pointed at us and made the motion of stamping paper with his fists. We nodded 'yes'. We were here to cross over to Myanmar then return to Thailand in order to renew our VISAs, which were expiring in a few days. All we needed was our passports stamped.
He motioned for us to follow him. A few other men crowded around and informed us that we needed to give him our passports. We hesitated and declined. You just can't be certain in situations like these that you're dealing with honest people. Frustrated, the older man dropped his fists to his sides and proceeded to guide us to the immigration office. He pointed at the counter where we were to get our passports stamped so that we could officially 'depart' the country. I looked back him and smiled, "Khap Khun Ka" I said to thank him for his help. He was leaning against a post and didn't aknowledge me.
After getting our passports stamped to leave the country, we turned around to find that the old man was waiting for us. We had to catch a longtail boat to Myanmar. "500 baht" he said and motioned for us to follow him to his boat. "What!" we bawked at the price. There's no way it could be that much. We stood in silence for a few moments trying to figure out what we should do. A few other men and younger boys had gathered around the older man, resembling his entourage. "You have to pay" one of them said in English. "500 baht. 250 there and 250 back". I looked directly at the old man and said "how about 250 total?". He ignored me. Chris offered 300 and the old man started yelling at us in Thai, waving his arms around in anger. He was intimidating and shamed us in our offer. We thought that maybe we were low-balling him and had no idea how much a boat trip like this should cost. A few people from his entourage tried to explain to us in broken english that we had to pay the full price. We stood there not saying anything. The old man continued to yell. We didn't understand anything he was saying, but everyone else could. I kept a smile on my face, hoping to charm him into calming down. Wasn't happening. Something more was going on here and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. There were a dozen or so boats floating in the water waiting for passengers. No other boat drivers were stepping in to offer us a better deal. Strange. Everywhere else we've gone, we've observed people fighting with each other for our business. It seemed as if this old Thai man intimidated the rest of the boat drivers... maybe it was a seniority thing?
He noticed that we weren't biting, so after some time he said "400 baht. 200. 200." He pointed at each of us. He quickly walked off. End of discussion. The other men pointed at him "Go!". We didn't follow him. Instead, we looked beyond the circle of men and wondered who else we could approach for a ride. Maybe someone else will offer us a better deal?
The old man reappeared, obviously frustrated with our lack of compliance. "How about 350?" Chris made an offer. "Ha" .. some more yelling in Thai. He was not impressed.
After much debate, we paid 350 baht. We were happy that we got him down from 500, but found out later that we still got ripped off.
After the agreement was made, things happened quickly, and before we knew it we had been herded onto a boat and cash was subsequently delivered. I suggested that maybe it was a smart idea to pay half now and half later, upon safe arrival back to the pier, but Chris had already handed off the money. "Well... let's just hope this works out." I thought to myself.
Our boat left the pier, except our driver was a much yonger Thai man. The old man had disappeared. Our driver tried to explain to us that the old man just pocketed 200 baht of what we paid him, and only gave him 150. He pointed across the river. I could see the old man sitting in the middle of a boat all to himself, being chauffeured to one of the floating houses. "WHAT!!" I was angry! "We just got hustled by that dirty, grumpy, old man!"
Turns out, he's basically like a pimp. He preys on foreigners, gets them to pay inflated prices for the boat ride for a VISA run, then only pays the drivers a small portion of what he makes. No wonder no one would overstep him... they're all intimidated by him. He's controlling them all.
I felt betrayed and also as if we had let our driver down. We had paid less than the asking price, which meant our driver was paid less. I was dissapointed that I had second-guessed myself when my intuition told me that something wasn't quite right with that whole situation.
The rest of the trip proved to be a shady operation. We were hustled again in Myanmar by a kid named Ali.
Thankfully we made it back safely, though, I couldn't sleep that night. The grumpy old Thai man haunted me.

On another note: today is the three year anniversary of my mother's passing. Published in the Toronto Star is an article about Photosensitive's Cancer Connections project, which I contributed a photograph to when it first started a couple of years ago. The project has grown immensely and has toured across Canada.
http://www.healthzone.ca/health/yourhealth/article/816228--cancer-a-thousand-perspectives


--

Travel tip of the day:

Try to find out what things are supposed to cost before agreeing to a price for something. Everything is negotiable in Thailand. It seems there are no regulated prices for things and locals pay a different price than foreigners. A suggestion is to barter by offerring to pay half of what the asking price is (or even 1/3), then go up from there, but don't exceed 3/4 of the asking price. Whatever you pay, you're probably still getting ripped off.

party hardy

The night before the Full Moon Party on Koh PhaGnan, we went to a Muay Thai fight. I used to train, so it was cool to see professional fighters doing their thing and recognize some of the moves. The first fight was between two young boys. They looked to be around 10 years old. At first it was cute, but then one kid knocked the other out and when the crowd started cheering, I thought about how strange this seems.

The gym was packed out with a mostly white audience. I think there were about 6 fights in all and the last fight was between an Enlish guy and a Thai, which of course the crowd went crazy for. The Thai man won.

The full moon party was crazy. Chris and I met up with our friend Will and a bunch of people that he had met on his travels. A group of us went our for dinner then joined in on the body painting festivities. After much reluctance I let Chris paint a neon yellow star on my back and I painted a tribal moon on his back. 

The beach was packed! Apparently in high season these parties can attract up to 30,000 people! I have no idea how many people were there this time, but the beach was too crowded for my liking and so dancing seemed out of the question. Most people were just walking around, drinking and doing stupid things. Vendors were lined up down the beach selling "buckets", which are basically sand pails filled with alcohol, pop, Red Bull, and roughly five straws. Apparently the Red Bull here contains amphetamines...

It was like a big frat party, like the kind you hear about during spring break. What I found most disgusting was the line up of guys along the shore pissing into the ocean. Girls would walk out waist deep and do the same. There was also a "sleeping area" where all the comatose people were piled up on a tarp, fenced in from the crowd. I heard stories of cops who come to these parties and make tons of money off of unsuspecting tourists. They pretend to sell drugs and whoever offers to buy, they bust and ask for a rather large sum of money. If the person doesn't pay, they are arrested. And no one wants to be arrested in Thailand! 

We left the party after a couple of hours then went to 7 Eleven and bought some chocolate to make up for the disappointment.

We checked out the beach at around 5pm the following day. Most of the rubbish had already been cleaned up, except for the straws. There were straws littering the beach as far as the eye could see. And cigarette butts.

We headed up to Bottle Beach after all the madness in Haad Rin. It was a nice getaway from it all as the beach is only accessible by boat.

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.