Exotic Thailand

Before we get to all the unusual and exciting details of Thailand, we first had to overnight in both Manila and Singapore. There are no direct (or simple) routes from Palau to Thailand, so our first leg left us in Manila for the one night. What we saw briefly was a dirty overcrowded city. And you cannot imagine what I mean by overcrowded unless you've witnessed it yourself. There is nothing like it I have ever seen in the states (or our other world travels so far). Basically every inch along the street is occupied somehow – by people, bikes, carts, or possessions. In fact, much of it seems to spill into the street and the cars squeeze thru. And strangely, the lines on the street are completely ignored - often just driving down the road straddling the line. Here's a quiz for you: how many people can ride on a motorcycle? Now add a sidecar to it? I was amazed to see SEVEN people on one small 100cc motor bike. The driver, and two people on the seat behind him (sitting side-saddle), and then four people in the sidecar - two facing forward and two facing back! Then at night, these "motor-bike taxi" drivers appear to sleep for the night laying down horizontally on the normal sized bike seat.

The next morning our journey continued through Singapore, and we decided to see the city for a couple of days while we were there before continuing to Thailand. Quite coincidentally, my Mom was actually in Singapore herself - for a cruise with friends that left the day after we arrive. So we got to meet up with her for a few hours to see all the things she enjoyed most in the few days prior. It was great to connect with friends and family halfway around the world from home. Singapore seems like a really great city - extremely clean, free flowing traffic, and reportedly very very safe – kind of a utopia, at least from the outside looking in briefly. And lot's of good multi-cultural cuisine: We enjoyed the "hawker's markets," where dozens of food stands offer everything from dim sum to stir fry to pig organ soup (which we did not sample). Our walking tour of the city also included many extraordinary buildings - very interesting architecture seems to be the norm. Trekking around the streets of Singapore for suitcase wheels (melted towing the case behind the bike in Palau) we found that some things are amazingly cheap ( $1.40 for silk pillowcases), and some things are outrageously expensive ($400 for a replacement Samsonite suitcase that cost me just $100 on the Internet back at home).

Eventually, we reach Thailand, and it is a bit more difficult so far. I am sure it will get easier, but I thought I'd write my initial thoughts before we accommodate to the new environment. First of all, almost nothing is written in English (or even with recognizable letters for that matter). And very few people speak English, so getting help isn't easy either. That's not to say it isn't worth it. We had a wonderful Thai dinner this evening (Pad Thai and a yellow curry) for less than $8 including drinks. Our hotel room was $18. And after struggling with a pay phone for 20 minutes trying to figure out why our local calls wouldn't go through, we just purchased a SIM card for our existing cell phone for $1.50 and loaded it with 100 minutes for another $3! Later we would enjoy hour-long Thai massages for $8 - I think I'll do that every day it is available at that price!

Our first day here was an excursion out into the beautiful Phang Na Bay on a local “long-tail" boat. The entire bay is filled with islands: If the Rock islands of Palau were shaped like giant mushrooms, these islands are like tall gumdrops. They are scattered randomly around the bay, and rise straight up to one thousand feet high above the water, with vertical limestone walls. Everywhere there were natural arches and sea caves, with impossibly contorted stalactites hanging down.

We were surprised to learn that the kayaking portion of our day trip would be powered by a local... in the kayak with us. So instead of getting some exercise, we had a “ride” around some of the sea caves – while listening to our paddler proudly repeating the phrase “Barak Obama, Barack Obama” - perhaps the only English he knew. Speaking of Obama, most all the locals we meet (Palau, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand) mention him with great enthusiasm. The world seems very optimistic about a new posture of diplomacy and cooperation from the United States. We got to watch the inauguration speech on a stuttering video stream by the pool here in Khao Lak, Thailand. Inspirational, as always.

In case you have this romantic image of folks in Asia all riding around on bicycles, let me tell you that progress has arrived - and they all ride motor-scooters. Everyone. Young school girls, old ladies, even parents taking their children somewhere. They far outnumber automobiles (>10:1), and the only bicycles we've seen were tourists (almost). Some of the scooters have sidecars – some have sidecars with charcoal grills and ice chests built in to serve as a food service cart.

Walking back from dinner one night in the beach town of Khao Lak, there appeared a line of lights burning bright orange high in the sky above us. They obviously weren't planes or helicopters, but what else could they be? Was this the beginning of a massive UFO invasion? Or a battery of military rockets being launched? After a few puzzled minutes (with just a hint of apocalyptic uneasiness), a local told us they were rice paper lanterns lifted by the hot air of onboard wax candles – to carry people's wishes aloft - very beautiful once you understand it.

90 butt-numbing minutes on a rental moped ($8 for the day) took us to Khao Sok National Park. There we met “Too-Too,” the elephant who would carry us on a jungle walk. It was remarkable how large and powerful he was, carrying us through the jungle, up and down meter-high ledges in a very rough "trail" that no 4wd or horse could ever navigate. Riding the elephant is odd: First, there's the sensation of your bare feat are on his leathery skin with coarse hair, and you find yourself rocked back and forth quite a bit with each step he takes, and finally, when you sit on his neck (a truly special privilege), you find his head is oddly spongy. All very cool! There is a tight bond between the elephant and his handler, who carries only a long sharp stick (which we never saw him use). After years of "relationship-building," the handler can encourage the elephant to do what he wants, and rewards him with food and by washing him.

Next up, scuba diving from a live-aboard off the Similan islands...