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The Sandal Scandal, Boats Barely Afloat, and Other Tales from Thailand..
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Seth Familian
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Mar 06, 2002 22:17 PST
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Hello once again!
Before I get started, I just want to thank each and every one of you who
took the time to check out my web site and send feedback. Your words of
encouragement and even constructive criticism were invaluable, and I
thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing! I realize that there
are some errors already on the site (such as typos or buttons that don't
work) so thanks for your understanding on that. Unfortunately I can't
post any photographs to the site while on the road (long story on that
one), but I do intend to post all of the SE Asia photos (which are
coming along really well) as well as fix all of the errors as soon as I
return to Los Angeles (which should be sometime in June). So thanks
once again, and now onto the rest of the e-mail!
I write to you all from wondeful Thailand, where in just two weeks I've
found myself amdist a country and culture truly new and exotic, weird
and wonderful. Thailand is a place where tuk-tuks (small three wheeled
open-air taxis powered by converted mopeds) terrify passengers and
pedestrians alike as they race down the traffic-ridden streets of
Bangkok, just barely avoiding enormous collisions; a place where you can
always nosh on steaming Padh Thai sizzling to order at every street
corner; a place where the overwhelming gold leaf and calm elegance of
hundreds of Buddhist temples (Wats) so strikingly contrast the dingy
life-filled streets that they adjoin; a place so robust and convenient
that you can easily escape the bustle of the city and in just one day
find yourself swinging in a hammock amidst coconut-filled palm trees,
white sand beaches, and turquoise blue water teeming with life; a place
where time passes unwittingly, where travelers find themselves
comfortably caught in a sort of sublime stasis, enraptured by everything
this land has to offer. This was my Thailand of the past two weeks; a
journey through the crowded streets of Bangkok and down south to the
islands that lie just off the west coast of the Gulf of Thailand.
My first few days in Bangkok were somewhat disorienting, as I was
overcoming jetlag and also trying to mentally acclimatize to an Eastern
city, but thanks to a friend's wonderful reccomendation on a place to
stay, I was able to easily meet people almost immediately, which made
for an especially smooth introduction to the city. I spent those first
few days taking in a few of the sights (the Wats that line the river and
adorn nearly all the hills of Bangkok are truly remarkable places, and
many of them contain giant Buddha statues covered in gold) as well as a
bit of the quirkiness of the city, from its myriad of markets (that seem
to spring up almost everywhere and boast live fish and eels sold right
out of the barrel) to the tireless jewelery export scams that tuk-tuk
drivers are always trying to sucker you into. And of course (I say this
for all the travelers out there who have made it to Bankok) I made my
way down Koh San Road many a time--often stopping myself to wonder if I
was still in Bangkok, let alone the East, as there are more westerners
per capita there than any other foreign city street I've EVER seen!
Having spent a bit of time in Bangkok, I decided to head south and
explore the islands of Koh Pan-ngan and Koh Tao that all travelers in
Bangkok (and almost every traveler I had previously met who'd been to
Thailand) couldn't seem to stop talking about. The islands are two of
three in a chain (the third being Koh Samui) that line the Western coast
of the Gulf of Thailand about a day's drive south from Bangkok. Koh
Pan-ngan is especially well-known for its full moon parties (giant
raucous beach blow-outs that last for almost 20 hours and take place, as
the name conveniently implies, once every full moon), and since the next
full moon party was only two days away from when I chose to travel to
the islands, things got interesting to say the least.
Thailand is a wonderful country--don't get me wrong--but when it comes
to the transport of westerners, especially, Thais have no qualms
whatsoever about totally overloading busses, trucks, taxis, tuk-tuks,
boats, etc., etc. The overloaded bus ride actually made for a really
fun experience, as I and four other soon to be really good friends spent
the entire ride hanging out with each other and all the bus's luggage,
which was piled into what usually is the lower 'lounge' level of the
double-decker bus we were riding. I was at first a bit wary about
riding with luggage, but we all soon realized that it was probably one
of the most comfortable rides around, as we could sprawl out on bags or
use them as footrests, cushions and pillows (a lesson to pack durable
things when traveling!). The boatride, however, was another story
entirely, as our bus and about three others all arrived at the same boat
bound first for Koh Samui and then Koh Pan-ngag, and based upon the
number of people on that boat, I'm actually surprised it even made it
out to the islands, let alone the port!
Once in Koh Pan-ngan, though, we forgot all about our cramped journey
and found a brilliant little set of bungalows halfway between the main
town and the 'party beach' for the full moon. There I ended up meeting
even more fun travelers, and we all spent the days leading up to the
full moon together--which is, to say, on the beach and taking in a bit
of sun, sea, and well-deserved relaxation. The night of the full moon
was quite an amazing experience, as thousands of people flocked from all
around Koh Pan-ngan and even the neighboring Koh Samui and Koh Tao (via
speedboat) to Hat Rin beach. The giant full moon blazed in the sky,
illuminating the sea, sand, and nearly 8,000 partiers who danced not
just till dawn, but well past it (I met one guy who said he spent almost
40 hours partying on Koh Pan-ngan before taking a late boat back to Koh
Tao, where he had originally come to the party from).
After the full moon I headed to Koh Tao, a smaller island known for its
slightly more laid back atmosphere and excellent scuba diving and
snorkelling. Though I didn't have a chance to get PADI certified while
in Koh Tao (a very popular thing to do since it is EXTREMELY cheap to
get a certification there and the quality of instruction is still the
same, as it's all run by PADI), I did spend a few days snorkelling in
some of the best reefs I've ever seen. In just 2 meters of water only
50 meters off the shore I could swim with giant schools of brilliantly
colored fish, marvel at coral and all the sea creatures it provides a
home for, and even see really big baracuda and reef sharks.
Koh Tao was for the most part an amazingly relaxing and fun place, with
people just as good as Koh Pan-ngan (the one difference being that the
people I met on Koh Tao couldn't seem to leave the place, and had been
there for one month, three months, six months--some even upwards of two
years!!). However, I did manage to encounter one setback there, as my
sandals were stolen from the front door of a bar/club (it's customary to
take off your shoes before entering any building in Thailand, and how I
loved those sandals!!). I am convinced it was a bit of a sandal
scandal, as my sandals were pretty nice and comfortable and amidst a
very large pile of sandals, so I'm fairly certain that someone didn't
just 'accidentally' take them home but saw how good they were and ripped
them off. doh. However, they were just a pair of sandals, and having
lost them has introduced me to the wonderful world of Thai footwear!
I'll keep you posted...
In any case, I'm now back in Bangkok, sorting out a few logistics here
before moving onto Northern Thailand and eventually into Laos, Vietnam
and Cambodia. It's quite an ambitious trip but I'm really looking
forward to it, as well as sharing what I've experienced with all of you!
So until then, I hope you're all doing well, and I'll be in touch again
soon!
Much love from afar,
Seth
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