Our goals in Bangkok was to eat as much as possible, take a bunch of different kinds of transportation and go to as many temples and markets as possible. Mission accomplished!
We took the Skytrain from the airport to downtown Bangkok, then grabbed a tuk tuk to take us to our very posh hotel. It seemed the only way to show up there! That day we had also been on a very wet speed boat ride to get to the airport from Koh Kood, so since we were already covered in dry sea salt and peeling sunburn, why not add a little city dirt on top of it! Besides that riding in tuk tuks are a blast and I kinda want to get one!
We took almost no time hitting the streets to get our bearings and start eating. That night we headed to Sukhumvit Soi 38, an area know for street food and did not disappoint! I could have eaten there all week! Being a vegetarian there would be incredibly hard. Options were mostly fish and pork, pork wrapped in pork, or pork topped with pork, so guess what we had for dinner-pork, oh and some duck! I could eat like this every night-a little bit of one dish here, at little bit of something else there with beers along the way.
The next morning, after a ridiculously amazing breakfast at the hotel-with options that included lamb ratatouille, sushi, chocolate croissants, and bacon-we were off to check out a few of the temples in Bangkok. The first stop was the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace is a huge complex of gorgeous royal buildings and temples. When you first walk into the courtyard, you're greeted by a statue of the Hermit Doctor-Keith had to take a picture!
Encircling part of the palace is a gallery wall painted with an enormous mural of the Ramakien, Thailand's nation epic story. The detail of the mural is amazing, even if we didn't really understand the story-a lot of people die and are beheaded that was obvious! Some of the monsters even kind of remind me of BJ, right after he bites me for no reason...
I was memorized by all the beautiful, colorful, incredibly detailed tile work. It was everywhere and so stunning it was hard to take in all at one time-so I took a million pictures of everything, as usual! Click on the Flickr stream for more pics-no way I could post them all here!
After spending a few hours at the Grand Palace it was time to grab some lunch. There was a market right in front of the Palace, so we stopped there and had our first Pad Thai of the trip! It was delicious, of course, and Keith's was full of fresh squid. I know we could never make anything this good at home!
Next stop was Wat Pho. It wasn't half as crowded as the Grand Palace, but still incredibly beautiful. The main attraction is the Reclining Buddha, which is 46 meters long and 15 meters hight. It represents Buddha about to enter parinirvana-during his last illness.
Hundreds of Buddha images (statues) that had been restored were on display in multiple galleries throughout the complex. I don't know if it was the lack of crowds or all the Buddhas, but Wat Pho was a very peaceful place to spend time.
Wat Arun is in the process of being renovated, but is still open, and Lonely Planet is incorrect when it says it is not possible to walk up to the top of the temple-it is and we did!
There were people actively working to restore the temple while we were there and it was obvious how far they had gotten and how much work was still left to do. The bright white spire in the front is almost finished, while the darker one in the back (the one we get to climb up!) is far from finished.
After climbing up the main spire and walking around a bit, we got to see just how blackened the tiles were up close. It will be stunning when all the spires are finished.
Also, a top the temple, we got to see great views of Bangkok. Wat Arun is on the other side of the river from both where we stayed and where all the other temples we went to are. Looking over the river you see the tops of Wat Pho with city behind it.
And just how did we get around to all these temples and palaces? By boat! We took a ferry down the Chao Phraya River to the Grand Palace, walked to Wat Pho, then took another boat across the river to Wat Arun. There are very few bridges across the river, so it's not just tourists on the boat going across the river and the ride only cost 3 baht (or about 10 cents).
Since we didn't have enough quiet enough of temples, we decided to watch the sunset over Wat Arun from a rooftop bar. Changs are great everywhere!
The next day we spent almost all day Sunday at the Chatuchak weekend market. It was such a fun place to get lost, eat snacks, buy random things, pretty much the perfect last full day in Bangkok. Oh! And they had puppies, and kittens there, you couldn't really pet them...but you could sneak a little in!
That evening we took advantage of the free 'cocktails and canapes' offered our hotel. We both wish we had taken advantage of this all the nights we were there!! We sat outside on the 32nd floor looking out a Bangkok, eating appetizers, and magically our wine glasses were never empty-I'm amazed we made it to dinner.
We made reservations at a fancy restaurant for 9:30 that night and we were looking at a map trying to figure out where we are going over drinks. We were approached by a concierge, who got us a better map, helped us figure out where we were actually going and helped us make plans for the our half a day we had the next day-I could get used to this!
I could write a whole post about our fancy dinner at the Issaya Siamese Club. We gorged ourselves on the chefs tasting menu-a three course meal of classic Thai food with a modern twist. Delicious, amazing, beautiful....words don't really describe it! We had planned on going out after this fancy dinner to experience some Bangkok night life, but wow, we just couldn't make it! When did we get so old...granted our dinner didn't end until after midnight.
Monday we had to fly home, but we didn't have to be at the airport until 3pm, so we had time to check a few more things out! The concierge recommended checking out the Jim Thompson House. This was a great last place to visit. Jim Thompson was an American business man credited for revitalizing the Thai silk industry in the 1950s and 60s. We've all seen Thai silks that he designed-well all of us who have seen The King and I at least 10 times! His house is beautiful and our tour guide was so cute and funny BUT they just skim right over the most interesting part of the story! In 1967 at the age of 61, Jim Thompson disappeared Malaysia, never to be found-Did he plan his own disappearance? Did the CIA (whom he had pissed off) disappear him? There is no speculation on the tour what so ever!
I've always known that in Asian astrology that I was born in the year of the Goat, but at the Jim Thompson house they have an astrology section in their book store. If only I had always known my horoscope, maybe it wouldn't have taken so long to get where we are now...damn it was spot on!
As we walked back to the hotel with just a couple hours left, we knew what we had to do-eat as much as possible. So on the walk back, there was fresh guava juice, jack fruit, fried balls of chicken on a stick, fried pork, and an asian veggie dish I have no idea what it was, but Keith ate it anyway!
With our bellies full, we got to the airport and slowly but surely got home in one piece. Now, we're getting back into the old routines-Keith is busy working in the hospital and I am stalking the goats and sheep out in the pasture, trying to figure who was successfully breed and snuggling puppies, of course!
It's nice to be home, but I think Keith and I could have just kept traveling. While this option is impossible, maybe someday it won't be. We had such a great time in Thailand and could have spent so much more time there-I would recommend going to just about anyone!
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015
Relaxing on Koh Kood
After kayaking around islands in the Gulf of Thailand, we decided to stay there a little longer, but on an island we had not visited yet: Koh Kood. We booked a few nights at the Tinkerbell Resort that looked positively dreamy online. And when we got there, it did not disappoint in the looks department!
The resort is in the perfect place to watch gorgeous sunsets every night, the sand was white and soft, and the water was warm and perfect for swimming, the room was absolutely beautiful. Perfection, right?
It would be, had the place not been swarming with screaming and crying toddlers. Keith and I had not expected this for a couple reasons: the number of times on the website they use the words romantic and privacy AND this resort is one of a chain of resorts, all on the same island, some which are clearly geared towards families. Maybe I wouldn't be harping on it so much if the two loudest screaming banshees weren't right next to us and for four days straight we had to listen to their wails, something their parents seemed deaf to, and that all this screaming was a beacon to draw all the toddlers to the villa next to ours. So we got the hell out of there the best way you can in Thailand-on scooter.
We rented a scooter when we were on Koh Mak, so Keith pretty mush knew what he was doing and really, you can't really get too lost on an island, right? We got a little lost, but still found a few of the recommended sights. My favorite was the giant Buddha overlooking the ocean and, of course, the monkey.
The monks at the temple where the giant Buddha was located were kind enough to communicate (mostly through motioning and pointing at a sign) that there was a scenic bell tower to climb with a great view of the island. The stairs up the to the top of the tower were crazy steep, but the view was worth it!
And the monkey, well she was just someone's pet monkey that was right next to a place to grab fruit smoothies. So of course we had to stop and have mango smoothies and watch the monkey play-I'm guessing that's actually why they have the monkey, but still, she was pretty cute!
The food at the resort was great, but the best dinner we had on Koh Kood was at Masala Haat, an Indian restaurant that had only been open for a couple of months. After almost 2 weeks of nothing but Thai food, it was so nice to have a break, and the food was amazing. We'd never had poppadoms before, but now I need to figure out how to make them! The service was fantastic and they had an adorable cat! What wasn't too love.
We did find some time to relax on the beach. Keith did a little kayaking and I found time for a massage-I'm slightly disappointed in myself that I only got 3 Thai massages the whole time we were gone-I'll do better next time!
Up next, Bangkok, which will mostly be about temples and food!
The resort is in the perfect place to watch gorgeous sunsets every night, the sand was white and soft, and the water was warm and perfect for swimming, the room was absolutely beautiful. Perfection, right?
It would be, had the place not been swarming with screaming and crying toddlers. Keith and I had not expected this for a couple reasons: the number of times on the website they use the words romantic and privacy AND this resort is one of a chain of resorts, all on the same island, some which are clearly geared towards families. Maybe I wouldn't be harping on it so much if the two loudest screaming banshees weren't right next to us and for four days straight we had to listen to their wails, something their parents seemed deaf to, and that all this screaming was a beacon to draw all the toddlers to the villa next to ours. So we got the hell out of there the best way you can in Thailand-on scooter.
We rented a scooter when we were on Koh Mak, so Keith pretty mush knew what he was doing and really, you can't really get too lost on an island, right? We got a little lost, but still found a few of the recommended sights. My favorite was the giant Buddha overlooking the ocean and, of course, the monkey.
The monks at the temple where the giant Buddha was located were kind enough to communicate (mostly through motioning and pointing at a sign) that there was a scenic bell tower to climb with a great view of the island. The stairs up the to the top of the tower were crazy steep, but the view was worth it!
And the monkey, well she was just someone's pet monkey that was right next to a place to grab fruit smoothies. So of course we had to stop and have mango smoothies and watch the monkey play-I'm guessing that's actually why they have the monkey, but still, she was pretty cute!
The food at the resort was great, but the best dinner we had on Koh Kood was at Masala Haat, an Indian restaurant that had only been open for a couple of months. After almost 2 weeks of nothing but Thai food, it was so nice to have a break, and the food was amazing. We'd never had poppadoms before, but now I need to figure out how to make them! The service was fantastic and they had an adorable cat! What wasn't too love.
We did find some time to relax on the beach. Keith did a little kayaking and I found time for a massage-I'm slightly disappointed in myself that I only got 3 Thai massages the whole time we were gone-I'll do better next time!
Up next, Bangkok, which will mostly be about temples and food!
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Life's a beach with Kayak Chang
After months of planning and talking about it almost constantly, the time for our trip to Thailand was finally here! So let's dive right in shall we?
The route there was Portland-Taipei-Bangkok-Trat. This took 30ish hours and we lost January 2nd in the time change, but who needs it! We arrived in Trat in the evening, with our guest house booked and plans to take the ferry to Koh Chang the next morning. When we got off the plane there, where found out two things: 1) that we could take the ferry right then 2) the guest house we booked was terrible. We decided not to take the ferry that night mostly because we had been traveling for so long and needed a break and our guest house sounded nice.
As the taxi that dropped us sped of we realized, no, this was not going to work. Keith had booked us in Ban Jaidee Guest House, a place that Lonely Planet recommends-but I don't. After traveling for such a long time all we wanted was a nice shower and a quiet room to pass out in. Since there was no one working the desk, we couldn't ask why they did not have a room booked for us, but we did look at the one room that was still available-it was right over the busy street w/no a/c so we'd have to keep the windows open-it was so loud and hot you may as well sleep on the street-aka a room worth the $6 they were charging. Should we have just taken the ferry? Keith went out to try to find anything better and he did!
All the guide books talk about how wonderful Thai hospitality is-we found out our first night! Keith stopped at the Rimklong Boutique Hotel just up the road from the guest house to see if they had any rooms. No, they didn't...but they knew someplace that might. A few minutes later we are being picked and taken to the Baanrimnam Resort-a beautiful place right on the river where we hung out drinking Singha beers (we didn't know Chang beer was a superior beer at this point) and being incredibly grateful for the kindness of strangers that got us to the quiet room and hot shower I had been dreaming of!
The next morning we had to be in Koh Chang by noon. Two taxis, a ferry, and another taxi, we were at the Amari Emerald Cove, the location of Kayak Chang's office. We met the 4 German ladies we would be spending the week with (who were lovely and hilarious) and Andy, our fearless leader for the kayaking trip.
Before I knew it, we were in the water, getting comfortable paddling around in our kayaks. At this point, there is a change worth noting: we were in our own kayaks....not the tandem that we booked and I hoped for. Andy was pretty insistent that I paddle my own kayak. And maybe he was right, maybe I was just being soft, or maybe I just have serious trust issues with my right shoulder, whatever the case is, I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy the trip if my stupid shoulder hurt the whole time. Andy was certain I would be fine, while I was far from sure I would be fine, I did it any way-paddled my own boat the whole time.
With kayaks loaded on the tops of taxis, we were off to start out on our first full day on the water. We couldn't have asked for better weather that first day and really for the whole trip-if you're wondering it was mid 80s-low 90s the whole time.
Views of the islands on the first day.
Andy described the trip as a beach hopping trip and he did not disappoint. Each beach seemed to be more beautiful than the last.
The first night we rolled in to Koh Wai Beach Resort after watching the sunset on behind the island. After doing 18k, a hot shower, delicious family style Thai dinner, and many Chang's was the best way to finish the day!
At Koh Wai Resort
The next morning was overcast and still. For a long stretch we had no breeze, but desperately needed one! While it was incredibly hot, the pictures of the glassy waters are pretty cool!
We stopped for lunch at yet another beautiful beach. According to Keith this beach had the best snorkeling of anywhere we stopped, but me, and a couple of the other ladies opted for a short nap in the shade and watch Russians pose for goofy pictures on the beach.
We spent the rest of the day skirting around the coast of Koh Rang, going in and out of caves. I was freaking out a little bit because of my total lack of knowing what the hell I was doing, but eventually I chilled out-most of the way. The highlight of the day for me was seeing a sea turtle swimming next to my boat-he helped calm me down a little.
We stopped at my favorite beach of the whole trip before we stopped to camp that night on Koh Rang. I know this beach has an official name, but to me it's Cock's Beach thanks to the array of decor at the temple on the corner of the beach. Also it was a completely stunning beach.
That night we camped on Koh Rang. The Thai Navy is based where we camped and they set up our tents and provided us with sleeping pads and all. It was a beautiful place to camp-at the end of the pier, the water was full of algae that was bioluminesce. A bunch of Changs, with the German ladies singing, while playing with bioluminesce algae in the water, made it the most magical evening.
The next morning was my favorite snorkeling spot of the trip. We lashed our boats together and jumped into the water and circumnavigated a tiny island. A great way to start the morning! We left as the boats full of tourists arrived-perfect!
This was a pretty short day that day as we roll into Koh Mak. We had a day and half at the Makathanee Resort. It was a beautiful place to recharge for the 25k day that was coming up (and I was most nervous about!) We ate some amazing food there-including fresh crabs for $6! We had some time to rent a scooter and check out the island and found some strange sights around! If you're ever there-have a cocktail at the Banana Sunset Bar!!
The next day was the long 25k day, but it had a great reward at the end, so like anything, was worth the work. But it wasn't a straight shot-there were many beaches that needed visiting along the way! The beach at Koh Ham is beautiful, but strange. Behind the beach is the partially completed resort that has been left for so long it looks like the jungle is taking it back. Rumor has it the place has been purchased and will be finished soon-but it certainly doesn't look like it!
The reward that night was staying a Tantawan Resort. Beautiful, secluded, peaceful, perfect after a hard day on the ocean...okm not really that hard a hard day!
It was also the location of Keith's first Thai massage!
The final stop was Bang Boa fishing village-a village along a a fishing pier-everything built just above water. It's less about fishing and more about tourists now, but is still an interesting place to stop.
That night we all had our last dinner together at the Buddha View restaurant. So here is everyone: Ulli, Susie, Annett, Ursula, and Andy and me.
And we saw an elephant! Chang is the Thai word for elephant and it only took til the last time on Koh Chang to see one!
So there ya go: the 7 day expedition with Kayak Chang! I did it, I was sore-maybe a little bit more than sore-but still I would do it again in a minute and maybe be less of a scaredy cat next time!
Up next: Koh Kood and Bangkok!
The route there was Portland-Taipei-Bangkok-Trat. This took 30ish hours and we lost January 2nd in the time change, but who needs it! We arrived in Trat in the evening, with our guest house booked and plans to take the ferry to Koh Chang the next morning. When we got off the plane there, where found out two things: 1) that we could take the ferry right then 2) the guest house we booked was terrible. We decided not to take the ferry that night mostly because we had been traveling for so long and needed a break and our guest house sounded nice.
As the taxi that dropped us sped of we realized, no, this was not going to work. Keith had booked us in Ban Jaidee Guest House, a place that Lonely Planet recommends-but I don't. After traveling for such a long time all we wanted was a nice shower and a quiet room to pass out in. Since there was no one working the desk, we couldn't ask why they did not have a room booked for us, but we did look at the one room that was still available-it was right over the busy street w/no a/c so we'd have to keep the windows open-it was so loud and hot you may as well sleep on the street-aka a room worth the $6 they were charging. Should we have just taken the ferry? Keith went out to try to find anything better and he did!
All the guide books talk about how wonderful Thai hospitality is-we found out our first night! Keith stopped at the Rimklong Boutique Hotel just up the road from the guest house to see if they had any rooms. No, they didn't...but they knew someplace that might. A few minutes later we are being picked and taken to the Baanrimnam Resort-a beautiful place right on the river where we hung out drinking Singha beers (we didn't know Chang beer was a superior beer at this point) and being incredibly grateful for the kindness of strangers that got us to the quiet room and hot shower I had been dreaming of!
The next morning we had to be in Koh Chang by noon. Two taxis, a ferry, and another taxi, we were at the Amari Emerald Cove, the location of Kayak Chang's office. We met the 4 German ladies we would be spending the week with (who were lovely and hilarious) and Andy, our fearless leader for the kayaking trip.
Before I knew it, we were in the water, getting comfortable paddling around in our kayaks. At this point, there is a change worth noting: we were in our own kayaks....not the tandem that we booked and I hoped for. Andy was pretty insistent that I paddle my own kayak. And maybe he was right, maybe I was just being soft, or maybe I just have serious trust issues with my right shoulder, whatever the case is, I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy the trip if my stupid shoulder hurt the whole time. Andy was certain I would be fine, while I was far from sure I would be fine, I did it any way-paddled my own boat the whole time.
With kayaks loaded on the tops of taxis, we were off to start out on our first full day on the water. We couldn't have asked for better weather that first day and really for the whole trip-if you're wondering it was mid 80s-low 90s the whole time.
Views of the islands on the first day.
Andy described the trip as a beach hopping trip and he did not disappoint. Each beach seemed to be more beautiful than the last.
The first night we rolled in to Koh Wai Beach Resort after watching the sunset on behind the island. After doing 18k, a hot shower, delicious family style Thai dinner, and many Chang's was the best way to finish the day!
At Koh Wai Resort
The next morning was overcast and still. For a long stretch we had no breeze, but desperately needed one! While it was incredibly hot, the pictures of the glassy waters are pretty cool!
We stopped for lunch at yet another beautiful beach. According to Keith this beach had the best snorkeling of anywhere we stopped, but me, and a couple of the other ladies opted for a short nap in the shade and watch Russians pose for goofy pictures on the beach.
We spent the rest of the day skirting around the coast of Koh Rang, going in and out of caves. I was freaking out a little bit because of my total lack of knowing what the hell I was doing, but eventually I chilled out-most of the way. The highlight of the day for me was seeing a sea turtle swimming next to my boat-he helped calm me down a little.
We stopped at my favorite beach of the whole trip before we stopped to camp that night on Koh Rang. I know this beach has an official name, but to me it's Cock's Beach thanks to the array of decor at the temple on the corner of the beach. Also it was a completely stunning beach.
That night we camped on Koh Rang. The Thai Navy is based where we camped and they set up our tents and provided us with sleeping pads and all. It was a beautiful place to camp-at the end of the pier, the water was full of algae that was bioluminesce. A bunch of Changs, with the German ladies singing, while playing with bioluminesce algae in the water, made it the most magical evening.
The next morning was my favorite snorkeling spot of the trip. We lashed our boats together and jumped into the water and circumnavigated a tiny island. A great way to start the morning! We left as the boats full of tourists arrived-perfect!
This was a pretty short day that day as we roll into Koh Mak. We had a day and half at the Makathanee Resort. It was a beautiful place to recharge for the 25k day that was coming up (and I was most nervous about!) We ate some amazing food there-including fresh crabs for $6! We had some time to rent a scooter and check out the island and found some strange sights around! If you're ever there-have a cocktail at the Banana Sunset Bar!!
The next day was the long 25k day, but it had a great reward at the end, so like anything, was worth the work. But it wasn't a straight shot-there were many beaches that needed visiting along the way! The beach at Koh Ham is beautiful, but strange. Behind the beach is the partially completed resort that has been left for so long it looks like the jungle is taking it back. Rumor has it the place has been purchased and will be finished soon-but it certainly doesn't look like it!
The reward that night was staying a Tantawan Resort. Beautiful, secluded, peaceful, perfect after a hard day on the ocean...okm not really that hard a hard day!
It was also the location of Keith's first Thai massage!
The final stop was Bang Boa fishing village-a village along a a fishing pier-everything built just above water. It's less about fishing and more about tourists now, but is still an interesting place to stop.
That night we all had our last dinner together at the Buddha View restaurant. So here is everyone: Ulli, Susie, Annett, Ursula, and Andy and me.
And we saw an elephant! Chang is the Thai word for elephant and it only took til the last time on Koh Chang to see one!
So there ya go: the 7 day expedition with Kayak Chang! I did it, I was sore-maybe a little bit more than sore-but still I would do it again in a minute and maybe be less of a scaredy cat next time!
Up next: Koh Kood and Bangkok!
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