Thailand

Thailand is an incredible place. It was everything I had pictured about Southeast Asia, and so much more. We docked in the Port of Laem Chabang, since the port of Bangkok is too shallow to accommodate newer, larger ships. On Sunday, the first day in Thailand, I went to the Pattaya Elephant Village, a sanctuary for former working elephants. They now operate various tourist shows, but the elephants are better off. We got to feed them, and then ride them by sitting directly on the elephant’s neck. After that, there was a presentation about how elephants were used in the logging industry in the past. The last thing we saw was the war elephant show. The staff was dressed in traditional Thai military clothing, and the elephants had seats mounted on top. The men carried old style swords and spears, and the entire group was accompanied by war drums. Afterwards, we rode the elephants again, this time in the seats. We went out for dinner at a nearby mall, and then headed back to the ship, as the town pretty much shuts down at ten. The next day, we went to the Tiger Zoo, which was very disappointing. On the way there, our guide explained it as a sanctuary, but it was pretty much a cheap circus. The tigers live in plain concrete enclosures, maybe twenty by thirty feet. Some had as many as four tigers living in them. They have an opportunity to hold a baby tiger, but these are also kept in some ridiculously small cages. Once we left, I volunteered to fill out one of the trip evaluations, and I felt better once I wrote a pretty scathing review. I think the general consensus was that no one really liked the place, and Semester at Sea should probably think twice about taking trips back there. The second part of that trip was a place called “Mini Siam.” This was described in the trip description as being a showcase of the culture of Thailand, on a miniature scale. We walked around models of temples and palaces about ten feet high. It was basically putt putt without the golf.
On the third morning in Thailand, I took a bus to Bangkok. We were dropped off at Central World Plaza, a modern complex of malls, hotels, skyscrapers, etc. From there we took the skytrain to a hostel that we had heard about. We got beds there, and then headed to the older part of Bangkok, to see the main attractions. To get there, we took a tuk-tuk to the river, and then got on the river taxi, a boat that runs between about a dozen stops along the river. Transportation in Bangkok is very cheap and very easy to use. We then went into the Grand Palace, and spent several hours there. The entire area is incredibly ornate, with the most intricate details on dozens of temples, halls, and palaces. The highlight was the Emerald Buddha, enshrined on a golden throne, high above the onlookers. From the palace, we went to a nearby market for lunch. We ate a street vendor’s makeshift restaurant, and then I finally got my chance to buy some foreign fruits. I went to a fruit vendor, and pointed to some spiky red fruit, and something else that looked like a plum, but had to be peeled like an orange. Each of these were good, but the purple fruit was incredible. After that, we went to see Wat Po, the temple of the reclining Buddha. I had heard that it was large, but the sheer size of it is hard to comprehend. It completely fills its temple, and my photographs do not do it justice. After this temple, we took a cab back to our hostel, and then walked around that area for dinner. We ate at “Tasty Thai” a Thai fast food chain. The cashew chicken I had was probably the best meal in that country. From there we went to a small night market, and then walked to Lumphini Park. Next to the park is the Suan Lum Night Bazaar, an absolutely gigantic market. Everything you can possibly imagine is for sale there. We spent several hours, going up and down the rows. Then we came across a pedestrian street, and looking across it, realized that we were only about one-forth of the way through the place. By this time, we had been up since seven in the morning, were running short on cash, and decided to call it a night.
The next day, we got up and headed into the older part of town via the water taxi again. We had to go to a stop farther up the river, so we passed the Grand Palace from the water. Our first stop of the day was the National Museum. I was supposed to go there for one of my classes, but it was worth seeing even if I did not have to go. It is housed in an old palace, so the building itself is beautiful, and then it is filled with some incredible objects. The museum covers everything from Thailand, but is predominantly about the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, Thailand’s wars with Burma, and the current ruling dynasty. We spent the morning there, and then headed out for lunch. Our plan was to walk to the Democracy Monument, and find a place to eat along the way. The restaurant we went in was absolutely hilarious. Picture every cheesy stereotype about Southeast Asia, and this place had it. The walls were covered with shiny curtains and sparkling garland. Gaudy lights, fake flowers, and a New Year’s banner covered the ceiling. People sang karaoke the entire time, but they take it pretty seriously. Everyone in the restaurant was fairly old. They would eat, get up to sing their song, and then go back to eating. No one was drinking, or singing while drunk like you would think. Our waiter kept asking us to sing, so we did. The people loved us when we sang, even though I butchered “Live and Let Die.” While in the restaurant, we looked at the map, and decided to add a stop at the Golden Mount to our day. So, we left, walked down to the Democracy Monument, which is cool to see but there is nothing really to do there. Then we continued down the same street to the Golden Mount. It is a temple built on the top of a hill, which contains some relics from Buddha. We climbed the stairs that spiral around the base, to the temple itself. The relic chamber was closed for cleaning and restoration, but consequently they were not charging admission. We went up on the roof, for good views of Bangkok. It has one of the coolest skylines I’ve seen so far. Lots of very modern buildings, but giant palaces and temples stick up every so often, giving the city both a very old and very new look to it. After leaving the Golden Mount, we planned on taking a cab to Wat Traimit, but a tuk-tuk driver said he would take us for only ten baht, it we agreed to stop at his sponsor. So, he took us to a jewelry store, we stayed for ten minutes, and then left. He didn’t pressure us; the store gives him a gas coupon whether or not we buy anything, as long as he brought us there. We went to Wat Traimit, which is famous for its five and a half ton, solid gold Buddha. Next to it is a larger temple that is under construction, and is supposed to be finished in time for an important anniversary of the king’s reign. From there, we went back to our hostel, and ended up getting our entire ride for free, since the driver took us to another shop. He was very happy, now that he got two gas coupons, and was one of the friendliest people we met in Thailand. We stopped at the hostel to drop our things off, and then went out to dinner. That night was Amber’s 21st birthday, so people met at her hotel and we went out that night.
The last day in Thailand, everyone else wanted to get massages, but I didn’t. I wrote postcards, and then took a walk in the area around the hostel. I found a little market, and then was supposed to meet everyone back at our hostel before lunch. I did not want to wait, so I wrote them a note, checked out myself, and went out into the city. I wanted to do some exploring on my own, and this was the first good chance I got. It’s a good change from being with other people. You really notice the city when no one is talking to you. I took the skytrain again to Central World, where the bus would pick us up. I ran into a different group of friends, ate lunch with them, and then I went to the grocery store and bought a watermelon. After the bus ride to Laem Chabang, we sat on the pier and ate it, before finally getting back on the ship.
Overall, I liked Thailand, and loved Bangkok. I can see why it is a major stop for world backpackers. It is probably the easiest city to get around in, and has so much to do. At night, the markets are incredible, and if you’re into it, Bangkok’s seedy underworld is about as seedy as it gets. I would recommend Thailand to anyone in a heartbeat.