Life on the Road: First stop Thailand

My last day in California was a blur. I finished cleaning the cabin and collected my deposit from the landlady. I then delivered a few boxes to my sister’s attic for storage. I sold my bike painfully cheap through a craigslist ad, then washed the car and delivered it to its new owner. I said goodbye to my closest friends and family and got whisked away by a friend to stay the night in San Francisco and delivered to the airport in the morning. Whew!

 

Me at the airport:

“I did it!  I did it!”  

“Oh my God, what have I done??”

” I did it!”  

“Oh no!”

“Yay!”

 

I’d been preparing for this for at least a year. Yet, I was never quite sure if I’d really go through with it. I just kept moving forward with the plan. And at some point, there was just no turning back, even though I was somewhat terrified. Once I got rid of my belongings, quit my job, and gave a month’s notice for my rental cabin, I had nowhere else to go but forward into the unknown.

I had a one-way ticket to Thailand for two weeks, and another one-way ticket to India after that. Beyond this, I’d been too busy dismantling my life in California to organize a travel itinerary. I literally had nothing arranged for my arrival in Asia. But Thailand is a familiar country for me. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve visited.

Upon my arrival, I found a hotel close to the airport and slept, something I hadn’t done for a while. The next day, I caught a ride into the city center and found a quiet hotel down a maze of small alleyways. In general, I’m not a city person but Bangkok has always been enjoyable for me. It was good to be back.

 

 

 

 

Thailand is a safe and friendly country with a huge tourist infrastructure, an easy place to get my travel legs back. But I was deeply exhausted and uninspired to navigate going far, so I chilled in Bangkok, ate green curry, got $6 massages, visited the sights and slept.

 

Ayutthaya

 

I took a few day trips out of the city. Ayutthaya, the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai, was my favorite. Founded in 1350, it’s now a UNESCO world heritage site.

 

 

 

 

 

Khwae Yai River

 

I also made it to the floating market in Bang Sai, and to the Khwae Yai River which the movie “Bridge over the River Kwai” was based.

 

 

Ko Chang

A week passed before I felt like venturing further out of the city, leaving only another week in Thailand before my flight to India for a yoga teacher training), I decided to head to Koh Chang (Elephant Island) near the Cambodian border.

I’d been there once before, over 20 years ago when its reputation for malaria gave me the place to myself.

I remembered coconut lined dirt roads and mellow locals with a Rastafarian-like culture. It was a forgotten corner of the world back then.

Fast forward 20 years …I arrived in the dark, after a very long bus ride and a ferry across from the mainland, to find myself in the middle of a tourist hub with 7-11 convenience stores, Pizza Hut, and “Cheap Thrills Bar” next to “Boob Bar.”

I was shocked.

Thailands relative affordability brings partiers from Europe, Oceania, and the USA looking to get crazy. It saddens me to see these changes.

The influx of foreign money is needed but comes at a high price culturally. Tourist areas feel like an adult amusement park.

 

My room was nice enough, but it was located right in the middle of the busiest street on the island. It was Friday night and pure madness, so I hid in my bungalow (a bit depressed) to consider my options.

I’d made the mistake of pre-booking the accommodation for an entire week. I considered blowing-off the money to find a more natural setting. Instead, I rented a motorbike for the week and used my room as a home base only.

 

 

 

This turned out pretty nice because I probably wouldn’t have done quite so much exploring otherwise. I’ve now seen every inch of Koh Chang.  Pssst …The far south still holds it’s innocence.

 

 

My riding skills were rusty and Thai drivers are, well, …nuts. The roads of this mountainous island are no joke. They’re narrow, steep and winding. Dogs, chickens, monkeys, and elephants on the road don’t help either. My hands became sore from gripping so tight. But by the end of the day, I’d regained my confidence and started to have fun and relax.

 

 

 

On the second morning, I discovered the quiet north end of White Sand Beach near my room. So I spent morning hours up there enjoying the breeze and sounds of lapping waves on the shore.

By noon, as temperatures rose, I’d hop on the motorbike and get the wind in my hair exploring the islands trails, waterfalls, beaches, elephants, friendly people, papaya salads, cold fruit shakes, monkeys, fresh coconut water, and amazing views.

The week flew by as one day blurred into the next. I returned the motorbike feeling relieved not to have harmed it or myself. Success! And the next morning I caught a truck taxi to the ferry dock, rode the ferry to the mainland, followed by a grueling full-day bus ride back to Bangkok.

I walked back to my hotel in the dark and retrieved the bag I’d left in storage there.

I was up late repacking and attempted to sleep a few sweaty hours under a ceiling fan before getting up at 5 a.m to catch a shuttle to the airport and a flight to India.

 

Bye-Bye Thailand. Thank you for your beauty once again. I love you.