Thailand

JG: Thailand was a welcome break from the chaos of India. The people are hospitable, the street food is incredible, everything from lodging to souvenirs are incredibly cheap, and there's just enough to do without it being overwhelming. Oh - the beaches aren't too shabby either. We liked it so much that we had planned to stay a couple of weeks and were there almost a month. 

Bangkok is a lot more modern than I envisioned, and much like a lot of larger cities in SE Asia, it's got a bit of everything - the tourist areas with shops galore, a few street markets, and some temples and monuments spattered about. There was a politeness and courtesy from just about everyone, even down to the lack of horns clamoring at each other on the streets. There's also a strange sexual charge that's pretty pervasive, with ladies of the night constantly scanning for Westerners, sketchy massage shops, and 'intimate enhancements' sold by street vendors all over the city. (It was even worse on the islands later on, with bar girls and ladyboys around every corner.) We were good for a few days then flew down to Krabi to take in some island and great beach time. That was the beginning of a 3-week stretch of scooter commuting and island exploring. We also caught a Muay Thai fight, which was competitive once you got past the bouts involving the ten-year-olds (not an exaggeration). 

Bumpy ferry ride to Samui island, where Sandy's mom joined us for about 12 days. That still didn't stop the scooter adventures, I just had a riding partner. Sandy and I golfed on Christmas Day, and in the process met some Canadians who we spent the next few days with on the island. We rang in the new year by....taking a dip in the Gulf of Thailand. That was Dora's spontaneous idea (I know - huge surprise), but fun in the moment.  

Quick ferry to Ko Pha Ngan for a few days to enjoy some more lazy time. No full moon party for us (we left most of our shenanigans in Samui) but we stayed on the same beach where the monthly party takes place.

Quick flight back north to Pattaya to visit Sandy's cousin Doug, who has been living there for a few years with his girlfriend, Thanyapat. Both were outstanding hosts, and it was nice to mix in some family time on the tail end of this trip. Sad to move onward, but they dropped us off at the Bangkok airport, and it was off to Vietnam. 

SS: Ahhhh....Thailand!! I swear, John and I have a knack at booking the Westin at the most well deserved of times. The minute we got off the plane we soaked our 3 weeks of India dirt off in the tub and slipped into what seemed like the best bed and sheets in the world. Ahhhh....

Bangkok is still Bangkok. Although it is much cleaner than the last time I was there in 2005, it is still huge, bustling, diverse, and with hundreds of vendors selling every object, food and 'other' you can think of. Johnny even got a chance to make us dinner under the direction of the sweet pad thai vendor.  It's funny how roles are instantly reversed - in India, John couldn't leave me alone or I would get hassased and in Thailand I couldn't leave him alone or he had a swarm of "maaassaaage?, special maaassaaage?" attack him. Admittedly, I think he got the better end of the stick... 

Krabi is the perfect postcard of Thailand. The huge lush limestone rocks jetting out of the water, roadside, and rimming the edge of the beach creating a tranquil landscape like no other. We spent most of our time soaking up the sun, island relaxing, scooter adventuring and enjoying sunset beers. 

The ferry to Koh Samui was really rough. Shockingly, I didn't have to use the provided black puke bag, but about 20 minutes into the 2 hour ride people were running for the back of the boat, bag in hand. Samui is beautiful! The only unfortunate part is that it is so built up and commercialized that some of the charm has faded into resort and lady girl/boy bonanza. We stayed in Lamai Beach area, more laid back and less crowded than the popular Chewang Beach, a short scooter ride from almost deserted beaches, 80 meter waterfalls, 'creative rock' formations yet it still had everything one could want/need. We spent Christmas golfing in the hills and the New Year on the beach watching the fireworks and lanterns light up the sky. It was stunning - especially the view from the water where we were wading in our underwear! It was a treat having my Mom join us over the holidays, she is always game for anything and gave Johnny a few witty wisecrack zingers but for the most part it was playful tag-team gang up on me. My new favourite game...picking out the females at the lady bars! Johnny scored 3/5, my Mom 2/5 and I was the winner at 4/5 - it is seriously harder than you think. 

A huge hello and thank you to our new Canadian friends, Darren and Greg, who kept great company and good times during our visit. "50 Baht bar tonight?!"

I may have found the perfect dog to take home in Koh Pha Ngan. Not only was he adorable and playful, he was the perfect scooter riding partner! The minute I got on my bike he would steadily jump on and go for a ride! Too funny. 

Traveling on Thai time back to main land, we barely made our flight back to Bangkok (we arrived 15 minutes before departure time, talked our way on, and took off 3 minutes after we sat down), where my cousin kindly greeted us at the airport. Doug and Thanyapat are seriously doing something right! It was a full house with two friends of Doug and the three of us - poor Johnny completely surrounded by oil patch and hockey talking Canadians! All in all, it was great to catch up and send some time with familiar faces.  Pattaya is a beautiful city with a nice beach but the sex scene is on steroids here.