Ayutthaya, Thailand (Mid January 2007)

Ayutthaya is the Place We Saw the Yellow Dog

(Eric's Favorite Ayutthaya Picture)

In Ayutthaya, we met up with Herve, a friend of a friend who was doing our tour in reverse: Vietnam > Cambodia > Laos > Thailand.

Herve and Friend

We spent a few days exploring the ruins. One day, we went to the elephant stalls, fed elephants, and watch the mahuts bathe their charges.

This little guy kept rolling the cane stalk around on the ground, trying to roll it up in his trunk like the grownups. He finally succeeded.

Ruins and Statues in Ayutthaya

Restaurant Owner's Son ~ I showed him his picture in the viewfinder and he smiled big, looked meaningfully into my eyes, and bowed deeply.

And if that's not enough Ayutthaya for you, you can see more pics from our visit two years ago, at

http://eegah.org/thailand_2005/index.html

To the bat cave, Robin! (1/2007, Khao Yai National Park, near Pak Chang, Thailand)

Around Pak Chang, we took a couple of day tours into Khao Yai National Park, then to a Buddhist meditation cave and a bat cave. The whole area reminded me a bit of home in autumn, with golden dry-grass hills and green deciduous trees. The days were hot and the sky clear blue.
As much as we prefer hiking on our own, it was a good thing we took the park tour (~7 people), as the trails were sometimes amorphous and not always well marked, and there were lotsa wild animals to find and find us. One such animal was a wild dog, who came careening down the hillside about twenty feet from me and another hiker, stopped and barked at us, then went tearing down the hill past the rest of the group. We also spotted gibbons, deer, and exotic birds such as the Great Hornbill (the fellow below), who is on the endangered species list.

We hunted for but did not find a king cobra (much to the relief of one of the tourists). Although it wasn't leech season, the tour guide gave us leech socks ~ canvas-type socks that tie just under the knee. I was happy to have this on as I stepped into a "dry" creek bed and my left foot, ankle, and half of my shin sunk into the muck, and stuck there as I tried to pull myself out. There was a tree root or something just over my foot and I couldn't pull out without leaving my shoe. So I finally did that, and thinking "Í don't believe in spooks, I don't believe in spooks" and chanting "there are no leeches, there are no leeches," I stuck my hand up to my forearm into the feral goo and finally drew out my shoe with a big sucking sound. No leeches to be found, but Eric did pull a tick out of his ear and something tick/flea-ish out of mine later on.

At the end of the hike, we were rewarded with a stop at a rushing waterfall (famous for its part in the movie The Beach). As we clambered along the top, I thought of the top of Vernal Falls in Yosemite. In Thailand, though, there are few guard rails and warning signs. You can get as close to/over the edge of any precipice you want.

The next day, we toured a Buddhist-Hindu meditation cave, exploring shrines, stalactites, and stalagmites, and finding bats, huge spiders, and a green viper snake.

The stalagmite below was a fortuitous find for Shiva lingam (phallus) worshippers.

That night, we went to a field to watch the entrance to a bat cave high on a hill; at sundown a bizillion bats came pouring out, like, well, bats out of hell, soaring and spiraling together in a long ribbon toward din din at the national park.

Bobo, Eric's Loverly (and I do mean loverly) Friend

Hey Hey We're the Monkeys (1/15/2007 Lopburi)

Lopburi is famous for three things ~ it was once the capital of Thailand, it has some ruins to that effect, and its citizens share their turf with a tribe of monkeys.

As the story goes, once upon a time, a faction from a large family of monkeys inhabiting a nearby country temple decided to head for the city, found Lopburi, and begat and begat and begat. They hang out and down from telephone wires and street signage, stroll the sidewalks, make off with tourists' cameras and bags, and inhabit some of the ruins.

They were particularly prolific at one ruin site and on the shop-lined street in front of it. In one coffee shop, an air rifle sat on a counter and another on a Nestle's ice cream freezer on either side of the front door; the same shop owner went out front to hand out pineapple cores and attracted even more monkeys and their antics. In the ruins, the monkeys made their rounds, slept, played, and cleaned themselves and each other, with little monkey dramas going on here and there. They approached us as tentatively as we approached them. As I was setting up a photograph, one little guy made his way to me on a brick ledge and swiped at my neck. I jumped and scared him as much as he had startled me. They were all so cute and fascinating; I could have spent all afternoon hanging out with them. But as the sign says: No touch monkey!

In the historical museum, I saw a Buddha statue I might have seen from up front but hadn't seen from behind: Buddha seated on the curled tail of a naga (protective snake) , with the snake's body climbing up Buddha's spine and its hooded head hanging protectively over Buddha's. I wondered if there was a connection between Kundalini imagery and Buddhism, and a quick Google search found this:

"Psychologically, Naga energy can be associated with libido, Kundalini or life force. The whole process of enlightenment is determined by how wisely one handles his or her own Naga energy. The practice of Tantric Kriya Yoga is devoted to the safe awakening and use of Kundalini for higher consciousness. In Tantric Buddhism quite beyond any folkloristic beliefs, there are privileged esoteric levels for the advanced Tantrician. It is stated that the historical Buddha Shakyamuni took rebirth in the Naga realm just before his last incarnation on earth, and while sitting under the Bodhi Tree in India was magically protected by a Naga." (http://www.jeweledlotus.com/tantra_nagaraj.htm)

Leaving Lopburi, Eric and I took a seat on the outbound third-class train, the same as we had ridden in, with big open windows that let in the fresh countryside. As we waited to depart, a team of a few Thai folks relayed between the station and train with around 20 plastic bags filled with fresh-cut meat and chicken, which were set on the floor and steps just inside the train door. En route, the owner of the meat struck up a conversation with me, with the ritual "Where you from?" We chatted for a while, going back over what we said and gesturing a lot, from which I gathered that he owned a store where he sold the meat. I asked him if he did this every day (taking the train 30 minutes into Lopburi, picking up meat, hauling it back to his town) and he got this far-away look in his eyes and said, "yes, every day, for a long, long time." When we pulled up at his town for the one-minute stop, he scrambled, pulling bags of meat and chickens out of the train and handing them to the other small team who had met the train.

We just got to Ayutthaya from Khao Yai National Park; will report more when there's time. There's also a bunch more pics to post ~ these machines are sloooow!

1/11/2007 Ranong, Thailand and Kawthuang, Myanmar

Wistfully, we left our happy little enclave on Koh Lanta, heading north by ferry through Phuket, by bus to Champhon, and on to the border town of Ranong, on the Thailand side of the Myanmar/Burma border. In Ranong, we found Pon's Place, a homespun hub of travel activity including a restaurant, travel agency, bike and motorcycle rentals, taxi service, and visa assistance. We were there for the food and a visa run.

After brekkies, we showed up at Pon's and waited an hour past our appointed time for the boat to come in, then left for the dock in a minivan with Pon and a young German family. At the busy dock, we boarded one of many large, motorized longtail (canoe-like) boats: Eric on the back slat, me and the German mom in front of him, and the dad and two young kids in front of us. A captain steered us from behind, with a pre-adolescent Thai boy and another mate on board helping. The crossing to the Burmese city of Kawthuang reminded me of the movie Mists of Avalon, as we glided through the airy mist that clung to the metallic water and small dark islands. I was impressed with how the crew walked barefoot along the six-inch-thick sides of the boat. At one point, the mate and the boy sat on the sides of the boat on either side of Eric, and I was happy to hear a lot of chatter and laughing. Come to find out, the mate offered to help Eric procure some treats while in Myanmar: cigarettes (to which Eric said no), whiskey (to which Eric said no), and finally "boom-boom" (a prostitute, to which Eric said no, and has lived happily to tell about it).

The crossing, including a couple mid-channel stops at customs and immigration checkpoints, took about an hour, and our paperwork went off without a hitch. We had agreed with Pon and the family that we would take just a few minutes to check out the border town before coming back. We wanted to visit one big temple we had spied on the way in. Upon approaching it, though, it turned out to be Moby Dick Restaurant. That plus a swarm of hawkers hanging on to us from the border gate on was enough like India that we were happy to just call it a tour and return to Thailand.

1/3/2007 Bangkok and Koh Lanta, Krabi, Thailand

Note: I wrote most of the following before the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok. We were out of Bangkok well before 12/31/06 and while there, we were not in the areas that were bombed.



In happier news ~

After weeks of budget hotels and bamboo huts, (and especially given the travel prizie from my mama and stepdad, thanks Mom and Mel!) we decided to splash out a bit in Bangkok. So we stayed at our favorite Bangkok hotel, InterContinental Bangkok. This was a good idea especially since I had caught a cold and loved having someplace comfy to recuperate. They also have a fab-o breakfast buffet ~ comfort food including jook (rice/chicken porridge), char siu bao (steamed pork buns), miso soup, tamago, stir-fried veggies, all kinds of fruit and juices, and a perfect little chocolate croissant or donut, all in one meal. I'm sure I got better faster because of it.

As I was ill and we have been to Bangkok a couple times before, we didn't tour much there; we mostly took care of errands. Imagine our joy when, for the first time in a month, we bought a SIM card and our phones just worked, with no photo IDs or letters from police commissioners required! We saw Happy Feet at the IMAX theater; it was very funny and sweet, a well-done mix of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Madagascar, and Over the Hedge. Bangkok had its Christmas decor up and music playing. I missed my family, so much, and was glad that before the trip I got to spend time in WA with Mom and Mel and I had a faux Thanksgiving dinner with SF Bay Area family. I'm also making extensive use of my cell phone.

Surprisingly, there was good food to be found in the Bangkok mall food court ~ a more hygienic and comprehensive version of the street stall foods (not that they should be missed either). You are given a card upon entering, and can eat from any number of cuisines, all cooked up fresh and delish as you order, and pay just one bill on the way out. We also dined at our favorite Bangkok restaurant, Le Lys, which is owned by a French/Thai couple, major yum.

We flew from Bangkok to Krabi province on the west coast, then took a taxi/ferry to the island of Koh Lanta in the Andaman Sea. Ban Saladan is the major "town," on Lanta, consisting of a few streets; we had the taxi drop us at the major intersection and went in search of Eric's German friends' dive shop, Lanta Fun Divers, which turned out to be about two doors down from the intersection. Ulli and Louise were both there, Ulli gave us a ride to his friend's resort on the beach, and Ulli and Louise joined us for drinks the first couple nights. Then Ja-el (my transliteration), owner of Where Else! resort picked us up in her vintage cream-colored Mercedes, and we have parked ourselves in sanctuary there for the duration of the holidays.

In Thailand, most businesses are owned by women, and women usually control the finances. There is also a law stating that a woman's underwear must hang on the line below her husband's. I think I could live with this, as long as I got to pick my own underwear. Who regulates these things?!

Where Else! has got da funk:
http://www.thai-tour.com/thai-tour/South/Krabi/hotel/where-else/index.html

and the folks who run it are laid back and friendly. Our simple, happy bamboo hut is our home, and comes complete with my favorite type of bathroom: outdoor (private), surrounded by a bamboo fence. Festooned with shells and coral, it is the first bathroom I've had with a palm tree growing in the middle of it. Showering in the sunshine or under the stars is bliss. Too, resident hermit crabs, geckos, frogs, and lizards make for great company.

We spend our days on Lanta getting up late (heat + humidity + activity + music playing somewhere on the beach/noisy neighbors/bleating goat herd invading restaurant in the middle of the night = us conked out early a.m.), reading/sleeping in hammocks, hiking/rock scrambling/wading to other beaches, and snorkeling, and Eric goes scuba diving.

Yesterday we took a tour to a waterfall and cave, riding on the back of an elephant. Usually I don't like attractions that exploit animals, but the story on this is that due to anti-deforestation laws invoked a couple years ago, a large number of domesticated elephants were without work/upkeep, so it was decided to use them for tourist rides. The elephants seemed well cared for. I fed mine a pineapple, which she took with her trunk and chewed whole. It was fun and I got to see part of the island I hadn't seen before. Still, the trail was tough and it seemed pretty laborious for the elephant; next time I think I'll hike it.

The gorgeous tourist beaches here are surprisingly quiet, considering that this is the busiest time of the year. Louise said that business is still slow post-tsunami/SARs/Avian flu scares. Additionally, most of the resorts here are small with around 20 or so rooms, so they don't fill up beach blanket-to- beach blanket like some tourist beaches. Also, we have found that if you go past the tourist beach, there are often undeveloped beaches and coves with fewer or no people. The undeveloped areas also still have some artifacts of the tsunami, mostly felled coconut and other trees, rusty cans, bottles, Styrofoam, and shoes--mostly flip/flops. The shoes bother me the most; I hope the owners dropped them to run better to high ground.

The hotel has nightly music; usually a DJ, with live bands on Fridays. One big party "for remembering and forgetting the tsunami" (two years ago)
featured a reggae band we enjoyed, called JOB2DO. The party was a benefit for Lanta elementary school; they raised ~13k baht, which Ja-el said was good. Locals and tourists filled the outdoor restaurant, bar, and other gathering areas. A fire spinner named Wen, friendly and lit up from the inside as well as with her spinning poi, entertained the crowd before the show.

We also had a probable, (what we call) LoveYouLongtime couple sighting at the party: a (usually) older western guy with a young Thai woman, she presumably a paid escort, although you can't always tell. She was quite bubbly, obviously intimate with him, and giggled and whispered to her Thai girlfriend while rolling her eyes in his direction. (Statistically, 90-something percent of all johns in Thailand are Thai; most prostitution is centered in only a couple of tourist areas in Thailand.)

The Thai actually have a word for middle-aged farang (foreign) women who are bitter because middle-aged western men are only interested in Thai girlfriends (have to look up that word). There's also a word for middle-aged western boyfriends who dye their hair bright red to cover up their gray while visiting their Thai GF's relatives in the provinces: Ronald McBoyfriend.

One day we went snorkeling at Koh Ha (translation: five islands) with Ulli and Louise's crew, other snorkelers, and a few scuba divers. The first dive was close to a beach, where we saw coral, sea cucumber, barracuda, parrot fish (so colorful and pretty!), rabbit fish, purple star fish, and jellyfish, among others. Also cool was swimming over the scuba divers, watching them walk like moon men on the ocean floor, and me swimming through their air bubbles, which floated up like mushroom-shaped jellyfish.

On the second dive, we parked the boat on the other side of the island, with no beach. One of the dive masters told me and Eric that there was a lot to see at the far point of the island, so Eric and I made our way there, enjoying the view as the current carried us to the point. After a while, the current got stronger and choppier, and visibility became poor. We decided to make our way back toward the boat, turned onto our backs, and started kicking our flippered feet against the now quite forceful current. I kicked and kicked, but didn't feel like I was getting anywhere; using a big indentation in the rockface as a marker confirmed this as I kept swimming as hard as I could, checking the marker every few minutes. After some time, I became fatigued and discouraged as I realized I had been moving farther out away from the island and Eric, but no closer to the boat. Eric was farther along than I and said that I was making some progress, it was just slow. So I kept kicking and stroking, hard as I could. I started feeling like I couldn't keep it up, but if I stopped the current would take me farther out or swallow me altogether. I could see how people could panic, or lose all strength and drown. I wondered if there was some point where they just gave up or if the waves made that decision for them. I knew I couldn't make it all the way to the boat. I called to Eric (who has taken dive master emergency lessons and has helped save one person) to wait for me and asked him if he could help tow me. I finally made my way to him and we linked arms, kicking together. Still it seemed we weren't getting anywhere. Finally the boat started up, picking us up and then rounding the bend to pick up other divers.

In the last year, a National Parks tax was instituted for all divers, to be collected by the dive shops and turned over to roaming tax collectors. The tax started at 20 baht and is now 400 baht. The dive shops have not liked having to handle this because it made them less competitive than some who were not collecting; additionally, no receipts are given for taxes collected. Many dive shops have chosen not to participate. So today, we heard that the government is sending armed boats out to dive sites, to collect the tax before anyone dives, at gunpoint if necessary. Just one reason our little fantasy of opening our own island resort remains a fantasy.

One day we walked, rock scrambled, and waded along several beaches to find Otto, proprietor of Otto's Bar and restaurant. Otto's Bar had been demolished in the tsunami, and Otto rebuilt a few beaches down. Otto and his bar have both been upgraded; his bar/restaurant is now much larger (funk retained) and Otto is married with child. Sad note: Eric remembers when Otto used to sew coffee filters by hand; now Otto has switched to Nescafe! Happy note: the tamarind prawns still rock.

On New Year's Eve, we took a nap from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., then sat on the beach as people shot off fireworks. Up and down the coast, people lit and let fly Chinese lanterns. These are papery rectangles with a fire lit underneath; as with hot air balloons, the heat from the fire makes the lantern fly. They ascended like graceful ghosts from along the expanse of the beach, and caught an air current that brought them all together at one point in the sky.

Here's our (subject to inevitable change) schedule for January and February:

Thailand:
Jan 4: Leave Lanta, arrive on Phuket
Jan 5: Leave Phuket, arrive in Ranong
Jan 6: Visa run (to extend our Thai visas) from Ranong Thailand to Myanmar and back
Jan 7: Leave Ranong, arrive Champhon
Jan 8: Leave Champhon, arrive Phetchuburi
Jan 9-11: Phetchuburi -- cool temples and stuff
Jan 12: Leave Phatchuburi, arrive Ayuttaya
Jan 13-24 Ayuttaya --ruins, _____?___ National Park
Jan 25: Leave Ayuttaya, arrive Aranya
Jan 26: Leave Aranya

Cambodia
Jan 26: Arrive Siem Reap
Jan 27-Feb 1: Explore Ankor (temples/ruins)
Feb 2: Leave Siem Reap, arrive Phnom Penh
Feb 3: Leave Phnom Penh (Or stay a day or so more; Eric's friend has an apartment there)

Vietnam
Feb 3: Leave Phnom Penh, arrive Ho Chi Min City/Saigon (HCMC)
Feb 4: Visit HCMC
Feb 5: Leave HCMC
Feb 7: Arrive Hoi An
Feb 8-20: Explore Hoi An, daytrips, FEB 10 DRINKIES!!!
Feb 21 Leave Hoi An for other Vietnam destinations, TBD