Drifting In Thailand

Day 62 :: Four, Four, 0 Seven

2007-04-30T06:01:00.000-07:00

Day 62 - Roigan
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On a warm LA night last October, six friends sat around a picnic table eating Thai food and making grand plans.

The dream was that we would all meet in Bangkok on April 4, 2007. We talked about laying on secluded beaches, trekking over waterfalls and sipping Century Changs until the sun came up. Kari and I left that night saying how amazing (and how unlikely) it would be to all meet on the other side of the world, seven months later.

On Wednesday, April 3, two friends boarded a plane in St. Louis with Bangkok as it's destination. A few hours later, another friend boarded a plane in Los Angeles. On the morning of the fourth, Kari and I hopped on a bus in Cambodia that would arrive in Bangkok 15 hours later. And waiting to pick us up was another who moved to Bangkok recently.

Today, the six of us walked across the street and jumped into eighty degree water. Cheers to making things happen...with your friends.

Day 72 :: Water Fights

2007-04-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

Day 72 - Bangkok
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[We've been traveling for over two months now. I know neither the date nor what day of the week it is. I think traveling has accomplished one of its purposes in us.]

Imagine the biggest water fight you've ever had, then times that by a thousand and you'll begin to understand the kind of water fight we've been in since we arrived in Chiang Mai for the Thai New Year. From morning to night everyone in the entire city is throwing water using whatever means available. I've never seen so many super soakers, squirt guns, ice water barrels, river water buckets, and hoses in my entire life.

So what this means for anyone in Thailand during Songkrat, the Thai New Year, is that you're soaked for three days straight. It doesn't matter whether you're eating meals, shopping, using the internet or sight-seeing, you do it all with water logged clothes on. Words can barely shed light on the experience we've had over the last week.

Day 75 :: Direct From Buddha

2007-04-28T22:59:00.000-07:00

Day 75 :: Krabi

"Don't believe anything only because it has always been believed or because the majority believes it or because it is said by a famous person. Not even blindly believe my teachings. What you have fully comprehended and experienced yourself - only that believe." -- Buddha

Day 77 :: Secluded Beaches

2007-04-25T02:50:00.000-07:00

Day 77 :: Koh Samui
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[For the record: We haven't worn socks since China.]

Only 28 hours by bus from Chiang Mai is a little place called Railay Beach. It sits along the west side of Thailand on the Adaman Sea. The only way to get to these beaches is by a long boat; no land entrance exists. The sand is white, the water is aqua and the cliffs are breathtaking. You can even walk between Islands when the tide is out.

This is where we've been for the last week.

We found a cabana for $4.50 a night. We spent one day snorkeling off uninhabited Islands. Another day was spent kayaking in and out of caves and finding secluded beaches. And this morning we hiked into a lagoon, which seemed out of this world. It was surrounded by five-hundred foot cliffs on all sides and the only way to get to it was by lowering yourself down the cliffs by ropes. The rest of our time was spent eating curries for $3 and laying around. It was absolutely perfect.

Our Beach:

The Lagoon:

A few more photos can be seen here.

Day 79 :: Pink Nipple Cream

2007-04-22T02:22:00.001-07:00

Day 79 - Koh Samui
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[Did I mention that after traveling through China, Vietnam and Cambodia, Thailand was pure luxury? The freeways have actual lanes and cars instead of cows. From city to country, the homes are made of concrete instead of wood and tin. You can even get little pieces of heaven like Reeces Pieces and nerds. It's like going from Tijuana to San Diego less the suburbs and the San Diego Chargers.]

Since our last post, we have moved on to Koh Samui, an Island off the Eastern Coast of Thailand. As we've done nothing but lay on the beach, we've been able to notice something quite fascinating:

All the westerners are trying to get darker while the Thai people are trying to get lighter.

The westerners on the beach are covering as little of themselves as humanly possible (some cover nothing at all, which is often much more disapointing than you would think). On the other hand, the Thai's are wearing long sleeve shirts and carrying umbrellas. The westerners are buying tanning lotion to speed up the process. The Thai people are buying whitening cream. They can even buy a product called pink nipple cream in order to enhance their whiteness.

Could this be because people everywhere always want to look different than they are? Or is it because in Thailand, the darker you are often means the poorer you are, while in the States it's usually the opposite? Or are there other reasons why pink nipple cream and dark tanning oils are sold on the same shelf?

Time To Move On

2007-04-15T00:58:00.000-07:00

This page is now finished, as we have officially left Thailand. Head back to the home page (or click on the right) to check out our journals from destination number four: Cambodia.