Thailand- the jump off point in South East Asia

Susan at the airport
My Bungalow in Ko Chang
Ko Chang Pier
Visiting a bar in Ko Chang
Ko Chang Sunset

BTS Skytrain took me everywhere
Wat Arun
The Floating Market
Ko-San Road
Ganesh



Canals are still used for transport

Sukhimvit- The area my hostel was in is mostly a business and residential area for the uppermiddle class

Emerald Buddha Wat
Lotus
My Lunch- Noodle Soup from a boat


On the way to Thailand I was on a flight to transfer planes in Bahrain. On my flight coincidentally I was seated next to an American girl, Susan. It was quite funny that we sat next together since we were 2 out of 3 foreign women on the whole plane. Susan had been working for a Christian group in Egypt and was on her way to India. We exchanged stories and experiences. She told me how hard it was for her to make the decision to travel and how she left her job and everything. Previously she had spent time in Ethiopia as well doing work with her Uncle and Aunt who lived there. It was so refreshing meeting an American that had the same desire to be in the world . To feel as if she was a part of it. We got to spend 6 or 7 hours chatting until our planes boarded. Susan if you are reading this I hope the rest of your trip and time in India at the orphanage was great. Please keep in touch and give me an update.

Arriving in Bangkok I was determined to make the most out of my independence and use my skills to do the most I could alone. I took an airport bus to my hostel for about 5$ which saved me 10$. My hostel was clean and organized and the food in the neighborhood was cheap and delicious.

Thailand is an extremely easy place to travel because it receives sooo much tourism. Most people start in Bangkok and then head off from there. It's a convenient starting point because you don't need a visa but you can obtain your visa for the bordering countries if your going to Laos and Cambodia and then Vietnam quiet easily. Bangkok is a verrrry developed city. Among all it's fancy stores and high rises, there is still rich history of Thai culture. Thailand is a kingdom. You are reminded of this like in any other Kingdom when you see pictures of the king everywhere. I didn't do enough research or interviewing to find out what Thai's think about the king, but it's also a bit of a touchy subject. Most Thai's like him. He seemed to help make some legislation's for the working people so I can't argue with that. The new BTS skytrain boasts flat screens, and there are about a dozen HUGE MEGA malls where you can find bootlegs to brand names. People love to shop in Bangkok because the exchange of the Euro/ dollar, etc.. is still very high.

If you are a backpacker and you get to Bangkok, most people are swayed to staying on Ko-San road or Rice Ave. Ko- San road is the meeting ground for travelers and backpackers starting their travels. From their they go North to Chang Mai or Loas , East to Cambodia or South to the tropical islands.

I got to my hostel on Sukhimvit by taking an express bus. It was close to the airport by far from all the Bangkok sites and Ko-San scene. In the hostel i met a few travel buddies. One which was from my stomping grounds Queens, NYC. We spent a few days hanging out checking out the Ko-San scene and booked a few budget tours. I checked out a war museum, went to Tiger Temple, a few Watts or temples , saw the Royal Palace, the usual stuff. I also met a travel buddy that I met up with in Cambodia and which i will probably meet again in Hong Kong. Hill is Chinese but has spent allot of time in Australia. She is a little spunky rebel that likes to travel alone and learn and grow and challenger herself like me. Hill if you read this I will never forget that you biked that really hot day in Siem Riep to see all the Angkor Watt sites and ate steamed beef heart. LOL Can't wait to hang out in Hong Kong.

After being in Bangkok for a few days, I wanted to get away from the fast pace. Too much sensory stimulation and I wasn't feeling the party scene. I did want to go to Chang Mai where all the more traditional and cultural sites of Thailand as well as organizations are, but I didn't have that long in Thailand and I was feeling very drained. I took a bus and ferry for about 16$ round trip to Ko-Chang Island. There I stayed in a bungalow where I had the privacy i needed to get some R and R. The bungalow was in Lonely Beach. Which is the south side of the Island and less developed than the other beaches. There is only one paved road and you take pick up trucks that act as taxi's or motorcycles to get around. The little town that I was in had a bunch of bungalow/restaurants , cooking school, clothing shops, a 7/11 type place with an Atm, a convenience store , some thai massage spots and Thai tattoo shops. For the most part, that was it and for most people that was all you needed. I loved this town. I met allot of people that had ended up falling in love with this place and learning thai. At night there are parties, but if you are not into the party scene you can just go for a short walk to the beach, get a thai massage, a meal for about 3$ and watch movies in the communal spot of many outdoor bungalow houses.
I am sad to report that there was still allot of prostitution in Ko Chang. I didn't go to the red-light district in Thailand and didn't want to. I met a few people that wanted to check it out for observation purposes. The thought of it was uncomfortable so i decided against it.

I had many interesting conversations with different travelers from all over the world here in Ko Chang . One was an Israeli couple . They said they seldom saw Americans traveling, as tourists or as backpackers or volunteers. My theory was that American media is very fear based and Americans are too afraid to leave the security of their monotonous lives. The Military industrial complex needs to promote fear and war to get money for arms and military so we watch only disasters and sensationalism. I think that people are attracted to the thought of visiting certain destinations for very particular reasons. People go to Thailand to relax and sit on the beach , get a tan , have a drink and party for a very little sum of money. Many go to Phuket and many do very little to make any intimate connections with Thai people. I found that many Thai people if you tried to talk to them were warm and friendly, but their immediate reaction to you was skeptical. I also noticed allot fewer people spoke English. They really didn't need to. They can get by without it, as in Cambodia which was allllot less developed everyone that worked with people spoke English because their pay depended on it. They were dependent on tourism

I met another man from Cyprus that was also very surprised as to why he never saw Americans traveling. He had been to 50 countries, most of them in Europe and Asia.

I met one English guy who had a friend that was living in Thailand for 7 years and had a Thai girlfriend said Thai people lived for the day. They do not overplan and worry about the future but they live for the moment and get by but also know how to relax , eat and enjoy their time with family.

I was given a few contacts to organizations in Thailand. None of them gave me any response so i made the most out of my time their, still had a ball and soaked up as much as I could. I would go back , but it wasn't the highlight of my trip. It was almost too easy. I didn't feel myself being challenged and I was sick of being around tourists and people that were not accustomed to try to be cultural sensitive.

Thailand's beauty and splendor is quite vast, but you can't understand it right away. It's definitely a place you have to take your time in and really try to learn to language and get over barriers to form connections. When you do, its very rewarding.