12/7/04: Thailand
Happy December!
Our Thailand trip was fascinating. First we went to Bangkok, where we met up with our adventure-cultural-enthusiast travel guides. They snaked us through the labyrinth of a city via sky train, tuk-tuk, motorcycle, canal boat and, of course, on foot. They educated us on Thailand's vast history as we visited the reclining budda, the emerald budda, temples and wats. The Grand Palace was absolutely stunning.
The next day we toured the countryside just north of the city via bicycle and long tail boat and explored ancient ruins and stone palaces. It was easy to picture what it all would've looked like in 1350.
No one in Thailand seems to cook because they can easily grab a great (and cheap!) meal at one of the many street venders. We walked through the markets where the vendors buy their raw ingredients. Not a good time for the battery in the camera to die! We'll never forget the sights, sounds and smells of foods we couldn't even begin to describe, much less name. Although I did recognize the mounds of curry and chili peppers which was the foundation of most of our meals. We all felt the food was a big highlight of the trip.
We finished our Bangkok visit at the city outskirts and wound our way along the elevated khlong walkways. These walkways are similar to sidewalks, only they are between one and two meters above the water. We dodged bicycles, motorcycles and other pedestrians while keeping our eye on the canal boat traffic. It was a great way to catch a glimpse of traditional Thai life -- we loved the hand-built, wooden houses on stilts that line the waterways and seeing the people at work and play.
We ended up at a Thai elementary school and totally disrupted their day. Bridget and Eric were a huge hit as the students had never seen Western children. In one class, the students were folding the paper cranes that would be used a week later when the Thai Air Force dropped millions of them on a corner of the south as a symbol of peace to their countrymen who are living through a spate of violence.
With five days left and guide-free, we took a flight to the Andaman coast and stayed at a resort that backed into mountains and was only accessible by boat. We were surrounded by limestone cliffs that rose hundreds of feet straight from the ocean. Although it was a rock climbers mecca, we were more focused on the water for swimming, kayaking and snorkeling.
Ah, back to reality. After enjoying how far the Thai-baht could stretch we are now in Japanese-yen sticker shock. Dave said we spent more on one meal in the Osaka airport than we did on all Thai meals combined, but I'm not sure I believe him.
I hope the next few weeks are not too busy for you. We are preparing for a maple sugar presentation to Eric's class next week (and next month for Bridget's class). We'll use an interpreter, lots of pictures and plenty of syrup in our demonstration. I'm writing my paper for my comparative management class (I'm presenting that next week, too --what was I thinking?!) and will have nothing else due until classes end in late February. Dave is busy planning our Christmas/New Years adventure to Kyoto and Tokyo.
Christmas in Japan is not a holiday. It's actually treated as a romantic evening to go to dinner with a date and then -ahem- visit one of Japan's many love hotels. Celebrating New Years is THE big event, so we're looking forward to being in Tokyo for the festivities.
-barbara
November Thailand photos at http://photos.yahoo.com/~iverlink
Our Thailand trip was fascinating. First we went to Bangkok, where we met up with our adventure-cultural-enthusiast travel guides. They snaked us through the labyrinth of a city via sky train, tuk-tuk, motorcycle, canal boat and, of course, on foot. They educated us on Thailand's vast history as we visited the reclining budda, the emerald budda, temples and wats. The Grand Palace was absolutely stunning.
The next day we toured the countryside just north of the city via bicycle and long tail boat and explored ancient ruins and stone palaces. It was easy to picture what it all would've looked like in 1350.
No one in Thailand seems to cook because they can easily grab a great (and cheap!) meal at one of the many street venders. We walked through the markets where the vendors buy their raw ingredients. Not a good time for the battery in the camera to die! We'll never forget the sights, sounds and smells of foods we couldn't even begin to describe, much less name. Although I did recognize the mounds of curry and chili peppers which was the foundation of most of our meals. We all felt the food was a big highlight of the trip.
We finished our Bangkok visit at the city outskirts and wound our way along the elevated khlong walkways. These walkways are similar to sidewalks, only they are between one and two meters above the water. We dodged bicycles, motorcycles and other pedestrians while keeping our eye on the canal boat traffic. It was a great way to catch a glimpse of traditional Thai life -- we loved the hand-built, wooden houses on stilts that line the waterways and seeing the people at work and play.
We ended up at a Thai elementary school and totally disrupted their day. Bridget and Eric were a huge hit as the students had never seen Western children. In one class, the students were folding the paper cranes that would be used a week later when the Thai Air Force dropped millions of them on a corner of the south as a symbol of peace to their countrymen who are living through a spate of violence.
With five days left and guide-free, we took a flight to the Andaman coast and stayed at a resort that backed into mountains and was only accessible by boat. We were surrounded by limestone cliffs that rose hundreds of feet straight from the ocean. Although it was a rock climbers mecca, we were more focused on the water for swimming, kayaking and snorkeling.
Ah, back to reality. After enjoying how far the Thai-baht could stretch we are now in Japanese-yen sticker shock. Dave said we spent more on one meal in the Osaka airport than we did on all Thai meals combined, but I'm not sure I believe him.
I hope the next few weeks are not too busy for you. We are preparing for a maple sugar presentation to Eric's class next week (and next month for Bridget's class). We'll use an interpreter, lots of pictures and plenty of syrup in our demonstration. I'm writing my paper for my comparative management class (I'm presenting that next week, too --what was I thinking?!) and will have nothing else due until classes end in late February. Dave is busy planning our Christmas/New Years adventure to Kyoto and Tokyo.
Christmas in Japan is not a holiday. It's actually treated as a romantic evening to go to dinner with a date and then -ahem- visit one of Japan's many love hotels. Celebrating New Years is THE big event, so we're looking forward to being in Tokyo for the festivities.
-barbara
November Thailand photos at http://photos.yahoo.com/~iverlink
posted by Barbara Meehan Iverson at 3:57 PM
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