Sawadee Ka!

-pronounced so-wa-dee-ka, means "hello" in Thai.  During obon, Japan's two week summer holiday, we grew accusomted to the round, friendly ka's and wa's of the Thai language.  After a while, the open syllables start to taste like mango sticky rice.  Thailand is a rich, wonderfully tactile country with golden temples, buzzing motorbikes, open-air taxis (tuk-tuks), and clean, white sand.  Vendors run fold-up restaurants parked behind their counters so you can enjoy your street food protected from the rain.  Smells of coconut and red curry follow you everywhere and golden Buddha statues greet you in unexpected places. Our experience with Thai people was very positive overall, and we were welcomed with sweeping smiles, hospitality and genuine kindness.  When you're handed the keys of a shiny motorbike for twenty-four hours for the equivalent of five dollars (never mind one helmet is broken) or a heaping plate of spicy papaya salad for a dollar, or a pint of Singha beer for less than one hundred yen, kop khun kha (thank you) feels inadequate.

Water taxi to Bangkok's Royal Disctrict

Always step over the temple's entranceway

Long earlobes= good listening

The overall amicability of Thai people causes you to excuse the few incidents of feeling accosted by persistent men pushing cheap wooden elephant paraphernalia, or being overcharged by aggressive tuk-tuk drivers, or finding yourself stranded at someone's friend's shady business with overpriced bus tickets instead of the real bus station.  As Westerners, two weeks in Thailand allowed us, mostly, to escape the psychological effects of finances.  When you can hypothetically buy five twenty oz lattes for less than the price of one beer from a bar in Japan, you begin to experience a startling, inconsequential outlook on money.  When you can have everything, what do you do?  Understanding why some people demand that you pay more because they know you can do so (strikingly reminiscent of other topics) is a good start.  We sampled Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, and finally the south-western island of Koh Liphe over our thirteen day stay. 

Dinner in Bangkok

Fresh grapes

Weekend market, Bangkok

Water taxi ride, Bangkok

    

We took a bus from Bangkok to the old capital, Ayutthaya, for a day trip before taking the twelve hour sleeper train to Chiang Mai.

The historic city, and its ruins, are preserved as a World Heritage site

Famous reclining Buddha (29 m long)

Wat Phra Si Sanphet

Wat Phra Mahatha

Our favorite city was Chiang Mai, where temples and shrines stand on every corner, dotting the map as thickly as Starbucks in Seattle.  There we attended a "Monk Chat" while visiting Mahachulalongkornrajvidalaya (wow!!) Buddhist University and the adjacent Wat Suan Dok.  This program allows monks to practice their English and visitors to learn about basic principles of Buddhism. We talked privately with a young monk for over an hour.  Chiang Mai and its verdurous countryside are easily accessible by bicycle and motorbike- our primary transportation during our three days there.

The rain didn't stop us 

Hiking to famous Mt. temple, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep

Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep

                       

A particularly memorable day on the outskirts of the city included an all inclusive hiking, elephant riding, white water rafting, waterfall swimming and bamboo raft floating trip.  We were accompanied by three other Americans, our age, and a hilarious Thai guide named Mu who provided unforgettable entertainment.  Our hike through rice fields, lush landscapes and across rivers was beautiful.  We even saw little children in their uniforms walking home from school through the valleys.

 

Planting rice patties

On the hike

School kids in the distance

Our friends during the elephant trek

Zip-lining at lake Huay Teung Tao, Chiang Mai

From Chiang Mai we flew southeast to Hat Yai and then took a minibus to the port town, Pakbara. Thailand's south is eighty percent Muslim so mosques spot the streets and the atmosphere and lifestyle, not promoted economically by a strong tourist industry, is strikingly different.  While Pakbara wasn't too exciting, our guesthouse was charming, settled on a small pond, and served delicious pineapple and banana pancakes for breakfast.

The following morning we boarded the speed boat to Koh Liphe.  Our five night stay at Serendipity resort was unforgettable and best explained with pictures.

Speed boat to the island with mostly Thai people

The view from our balcony

Sunrise from our balcony

Room service one call away

 

The kitty who showed up and stayed for four days

Breakfast every morning

 

Overall, our trip was cheap as tofu (did you know that you can buy around 600 grams of tofu for about 45 cents in Japan?) but bursting with activities that would usually deplete our yen.  Our stay with Serendipity included a private snorkeling and island-hopping trip which was a lot of fun.  We also went on a night safari (during which I was licked by a giraffe) in Chiang Mai.  I drank too many lattes and Stephen once ate coconut mango sticky rice three times in one afternoon.  We had a total of four massages each and went shopping for leather products that cost five times the price anywhere else we've been. From one haze of delicious, spicy phad thai to the next it was tempting to quit our jobs and stay forever.  We realized, though, that this kind of absurdly lavish living is best in controlled doses.... but we'll be back!