In case we didn't stand out enough as the only four Westerners, these uniforms were hand picked by the kind young man behind the snow suit rental desk:
Perhaps they sensed that Andrew has lived in Tennessee, since they selected this camo-inspired number for him.
Enough talking about the cold for now. It's time for our final installment of Laubers in Southeast Asia: Thailand. On day 15 of our vacation, we left our guesthouse in Siem Reap at 6:00 a.m. for the Cambodia/Thailand border. We'd read accounts of the border crossing in Thailand being the most difficult of the three, so we wanted to get an early start before the tour buses began to arrive. There were a couple of ways that we could cross into Thailand and continue to Bangkok, including by tour bus or personal taxi. In light of what we'd heard about the border, we opted for the latter. We took a 2-hour taxi ride from Siem Reap to Poipet, where we departed Cambodia and entered Thailand.
Leaving Cambodia was as simple as entering -- a few fingerprints and we were on our way. As expected, entering Thailand was not so easy. After walking a couple of blocks between the two borders, we entered a large room, where we joined upwards of 100 people already queuing in the hopes of having their passports stamped without any issues. I was less cavalier with regard to picture taking at this crossing, but you can probably imagine more than one hundred improperly caffeinated people waiting in the same line, longing to hear that beautiful sound of the stamp ushering them forward. Kind of like your local DMV, only with fewer pajama pants. Finally, around 10 a.m., our passports were stamped and we walked into Thailand.
Immediately, before we'd even left the secure area, we were greeted by a man who asked us where we were going and began to tell us why his company was the best one to get us there. We'd come to find out that this practice is common: many different companies aggressively competing for our business. We followed this man to his office, where we decided between a mini-bus or private car to our destination Ban Phe. We chose to ride in a private car for several reasons, including departure time, price, and comfort.
After four hours, we'd arrived at the Ban Phe boat terminal, where we'd hoped to easily catch a ferry to our final destination, Ko Samet, a small island off of the southeastern coast of Thailand, about 200 kilometers from Bangkok. Before we'd even stepped foot outside of the taxi, we were greeted by a young lady who whisked us away to the boat company that she represented. To our surprise, all of the ferries leading to Ko Samet were privately owned, so we were somewhat at the mercy of whomever our previous guides chose for us. While customer service wasn't her strong suit, one woman sold us tickets for transportation to the island by speedboat. The boat backed up to the shoreline, where we hopped out into the shallow water with all of our luggage, a potentially soggy experience. The 20-minute ride was beautiful, and we were looking forward to three days of relaxation on the beach.
After a short walk, we checked into Tok's Little Hut, our home for the next three nights. This was a very cute private bungalow very close to the beach.
Ko Samet is just under 7 kilometers long, with an area of about 13 kilometers. The island has one main road that runs from one end to the other. While there were many tourists there, the island felt cozy, especially once you were away from the main drag. This is becoming an increasingly popular destination because of its proximity to Bangkok.
Of course, the first thing I wanted in Thailand was food, so we headed straight for a beach-side restaurant I'd read about on Trip Advisor called Buddy Bar and Grill. These pictures were taken from our table:
We must have devoured the food before taking any pictures of it (gasp!), but it hit the spot. I recall having fried prawn (shrimp) and Thai green curry.
As usual, I had about a thirty minute window in which I needed to get some dessert into my system. Luckily, finding something sweet was not a problem. Here I am with a chocolate and banana filled crepe, a popular street food throughout Thailand.
Now that this need was met, we ventured down the beach to a local bar offering BOGO cocktails. The first time we turn that offer down will be...never. Andrew took a really cool picture of the tent that we sat under.
We reserved the next day for the beach. For the first time in two weeks, we had zero plans, and it was lovely. This picture encompasses our entire day's activities:
The next day, we rented a motorbike from a local vendor and toured the island. Andrew's the resident motorbike driver, as he's had practice in Korea. We took the motorbike to the other end of the island, which was rocky and isolated.
After a few hours of touring here and there, we made our way back to the beach for a final afternoon of people watching and sunning. Hat tip to the photog for catching this:
More selfie action:
Later on, we took the motorbike to another rocky area, on the west side of the island, to watch the sun set.
After sunset, we ate our last dinner in Ko Samet at another local restaurant. Here, I'm pictured with Pad Thai:
On day 18 of our trip, we departed Ko Samet for Bangkok. We were happy to have a couple of days of down time before the last few of our Southeast Asia vacation.
From Ko Samet, we took a ferry back to Ban Phe, then a minibus with 12 others to Bangkok. Bangkok is the largest city in Thailand with an estimated population of over 8 million people. The metropolitan area of Bangkok is over 14 million.
After a cozy 3.5 hour ride to Bangkok, we were dropped off in the center of the city by the Victory Monument. Erected in 1941, the Victory Monument commemorates the Thai victory in the Franco-Thai War.
From here, we took a taxi to our hotel. The traffic in Bangkok, as we'd heard, was very heavy. We arrived on a seemingly normal weekday afternoon, and to our surprise saw the definition of gridlocked traffic.
Andrew took care of most of our hotel reservations throughout the trip, which all turned out to be just what we were looking for at the time. Wanting to remain flexible, we typically stayed ahead of booking lodging one city or so. This worked out really well for us and allowed us to experience each country at our own pace.
In Bangkok, we stayed at a lovely hotel called Chatrium Hotel. Chatrium is situated on the Chao Phraya River and provided beautiful views of Bangkok. Our room was on the 34th floor that overlooked part of the city.
We found a great food stall near our hotel that we visited as soon as we dropped our bags. This stall specialized in Pad Thai, perhaps the best we'll ever have.
We spent our first night in Bangkok touring on foot. We began in Chinatown, a popular tourist attraction and food haven. When the sun sets, the street-food vendors assemble to provide delicious eats. This night, we sat at the folding metal table and chairs and tasted fried rice with pork.
Chinatown was a place we'd return throughout our three days in Bangkok. It wasn't a far walk from our hotel and there was always something new to see. It was also on the way to most places we wanted to visit. And each time, we tasted something new, most of which we were too hungry to take the time to photograph. The fresh pomegranate juice refreshed us and the different types of food fried to perfection sustained us until our next meal.
This was a pancake type treat with marshmallow filling and something that looked like cheese. I don't think it was cheese.
Wat Saket was our next destination, as we could see it from afar. Unfortunately, the main entrance was closed, but it was beautiful from down low.
This image is 15-feet high, made of 83% pure gold and weighs over five and a half tons. The statue was discovered about 40 years ago beneath a plaster exterior when it fell from a crane as it was being moved to a new building within the temple compound. Theories suggest that it was covered to prevent theft when the city was under siege in the late 15th century by the Burmese.
As Andrew mentioned previously, most temples had a dress code. If your shoulders are bare or you're wearing something above the knee, they'll kindly rent you a cover-up, as pictured below. This temple also requested that we remove our shoes, which was a little painful on a sweltering hot day.
The following day, we'd planned to travel by train to Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand, about 700 kilometers north of Bangkok. We hadn't booked tickets yet, so we made the short walk from Wat Traimit to Hua Lamphong Railway Station to do so.
The station was opened on June 25, 1916, after six years of construction. It was built in Italian Neo-Renaissance style, with decorated wooden roofs and stained glass windows. It was a beautiful building.
Upon stepping up to the station, a nice woman approached us as a customer service representative. She told us that she was only there to give us information about our journey and that she did not work for a private company. Come to find out, she did work for a private touring company. We were a bit frustrated with this way of doing things by this point, but we had no other choice with booking our train tickets. The train station stops selling tickets 6 days prior to departure, so tourists are forced to purchase them from private companies that have bought tickets in bulk. Fortunately, we were able to purchase tickets to and from Chiang Mai, so it worked out just fine. We could have done with less -- what felt like -- deceiving representatives. I think we'd have been far less frustrated if honesty were employed from the start.
Our last destination for this day was a very special gem store, Johny's Gems. Many moons ago, my father asked a friend visiting Thailand to pick up a very special ring for his mother, affectionately known as Gram-Gram to me. This pearl ring has always been very special to my dad, who kept the ring safe after Gram-Gram's death. My dad since passed the ring down to me, and I wore it on the day that Andrew and I were married.
Here it is in a couple of pictures:
Don't mind if I do sneak a wedding photo into this blog post.
So, when my dad told me that Johny's Gems was a store in Bangkok, I first thought he was pulling my leg. After a short Google search, I found out that was he said was true, and I wanted to get there, if possible.
Johny's Gems was located relatively close to our hotel in a part of the city called Old Siam. I was so happy to get there, especially because I knew that it would make my dad really happy.
Johny passed away in 2000, but his son runs the shop now. We were greeted by a few lovely women, who were excited to hear my story and see pictures of the ring. The shop played host to many soldiers during the Vietnam War who wanted to buy something special for someone at home. The walls were lined with pictures of these men, along with famous politicians and celebrities who were happy to purchase something nice from Johny.
You can see some of these pictures below, alongside Johny.
Unbeknownst to me, Andrew had intentions to purchase a gift for me while at Johny's. Morn showed us a vintage case with rings made prior to the Vietnam War. I chose a beautiful setting of emeralds. We picked the ring up the next day, after it was sized to fit my finger.
Andrew made a friend on our way back to the hotel:
Before cleaning up for dinner, we enjoyed our hotel's rooftop pool. We'd debated on if we should ever leave at all.
But we did in order to have a cocktail at Chatrium's rooftop restaurant. The views were fantastic, and the company was even better.
One popular attraction in Bangkok are the numerous so-called ladyboy shows. Transgendered women are widely accepted in Thailand, and gender reassignment procedures are readily accessible. These shows run the gamut from the rather obscene to the relatively tame. We went for the latter option, and enjoyed conversing and sharing drinks with two lovely young women, while watching the performers mostly stand on stage looking at their phones. We became such good friends that one of them left me with a kiss.
On our last day in Bangkok, we crossed the river to visit Wat Arun, a Buddhist temple dating back to the mid 1600s. From afar, Wat Arun looked grimy but closer proximity revealed very beautifully detailed colored porcelain.
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The climb to the top was very steep but offered better views of the delicate handy work.
We had one last meal in Bangkok, which really hit the spot. Throughout our vacation, Andrew and I would order different items, then share when they came to the table. This has become my new favorite way to eat.
We passed an after school band practice on our walk to the train station, conjuring brassy memories for both of us.
We departed Bangkok for Chiang Mai at 6:00 p.m., expecting to arrive at the Chiang Mai Railway Station at 8:00 a.m. the following day.
We had a private cabin on the train, which consisted of a small sink and bunk beds. The ride was comfortable and we slept very well. We woke around 7:00 a.m. for breakfast and arrived in Chiang Mai on time.
From the railway station, we took a taxi to Jira Luxury Boutique Hotel, where we'd be staying for one night. The staff at Jira were so helpful and friendly, and we had a great stay.
Arriving in Chiang Mai early allowed us to hit the pavement at a good time. We rented a motorbike from our hotel and drove about 35 kilometers north to the town of Mae Rim. While all of the temples that we toured were beautiful and unique, we were ready for a different experience. Chiang Mai has many opportunities to get out into the countryside and visit with exotic animals, like elephants and tigers. Most of these animals have been removed from situations that were harmful to them and brought to a place where tourists can ethically spend time with them. Tiger Kingdom was highly recommended as a place to go to spend some personal time with the big cats. The staff reiterated that the tigers are not drugged in any way.
We had the choice to play with baby tigers, small tigers, medium tigers, big tigers, and biggest tigers. We chose the biggest tigers. I figured that these guys had the most experience being around humans, so it was less likely I'd do something to make them hiss.
This is a newborn who hadn't learned it wasn't polite to nip at the tourists.
We were instructed to approach them only from behind and pet very firmly. Apparently they're very ticklish.
What was it like to lay with a tiger? Really cuddly, actually! The trainer thought it was funny to mess with the tigers while we were close. He and I didn't share an appreciation for the same type of humor.
Andrew bravely holding the tail of one. I have bad memories of doing that to my poor cat growing up.
Tiger Kingdom was fun, and it was the break that we needed from the typical tourist attraction.
On the final night of our vacation, we visited one last street market and grabbed a traditional dessert of sticky mango coconut rice. Earlier in the day, we'd bought tickets for a Muay Thai match at the Chiang Mai Night Bizarre.
Muay Thai is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. Muay Thai is referred to as "the art of eight limbs", because it makes use of punches, kicks, elbows, and knee strikes, thus using "eight points of contact". Muay Thai became widespread in the 20th century, when fighters defeated notable practitioners of other martial arts.
We saw 7 fights, including two between women. Most of the fights were between two Thai fighters, who'd obviously been practicing Muay Thai since a young age. There were a few foreigners, including one American woman, one French man, and one Irish man.
Most of the crowd were local Thai people enjoying a Friday night sporting event.
I've never been one to enjoy a MMA fight, but this was very different. It wasn't gory or over-dramatic, and the cultural significance could be felt. Eerie music plays throughout each round, accelerating towards the end of it.
Before each match, the fighters engaged in a 4-5 minute dance called the Wai Kru. The Wai Kru is performed by fighters in order to pay homage to their teacher and family and to bless themselves with victory in the ring. Before the Wai Kru, each fighter is adorned with a headpiece and armbands that have been blessed by Buddhist monks and are said to bestow the wearer with victory and protection in the ring.
It's said that many families encourage children growing up in Thailand get into the sport because they feel that success with Muay Thai is their only way out of the poverty they're currently experiencing.
He looks good on a motorbike. Even with cheap, tourist sunglasses.
Across the street stood the Lanna Folklife Museum. The Lanna People, or Northern Thai people, were "people of the land", mostly situated in the former kingdom of Lanna. The museum exhibitions were a series of aspects of Lanna everyday life: religion, culture, history, dress, and so on, interspersed with sample relics. It was very informative and encouraged a better understanding of Lanna history.
Some views from inside:
Looking out onto the Three Kings Monument.
A festival happening below.
Outside, some type of festival was going on, where we enjoyed a few snacks and interaction with groups whose focus is to teach young individuals skills for success in traditional cooking and craft.
That evening, we boarded a double-decker bus and officially ended our Southeast Asia vacation. The bus was not technically a sleeper bus but had seats that reclined most of the way, so we managed to get a few hours of sleep here and there before we arrived in Bangkok around 5:00 a.m. Then, we made our way to the airport for our return flight to Incheon Airport.
Andrew caught this picture of sunrise from the airport window.
Flying over the hills of southeastern China, back towards our Korean home:
Thank you for keeping up with our travels and for all of the kind comments that you've left. We are blessed to have such wonderful family and friends whose love and support is felt overwhelmingly, even on the other side of the earth.
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