Thailand: 7 lanes on a 3-laned highway

I suppose in my mind, I pictured Thailand as the mountains and muddied rivers with elephants frolicking about, but we found it as a much more urban country, with large sprawling cities, insane drivers through jammed streets, and indivduals selling just about anything and everything you can imagine. We visited the Grand Palace which is a huge contrast from the rest of the city with it's incredibly elaborate temples and intricate details throughout.

Bangkok

Grand Palace in Bangkok

enormous statue in Grand Palace

photo by Dave

 We were kindly hosted in Bangkok by my cousins, Charlie and Shannon and their family. We stayed with them for the first two nights before heading out on an overnight bus to Chiang Rai, where we got our shopping fix in at the local night bazaar. Chiang Rai had a very similar feel to Bangkok, but on a smaller scale. So, in hopes of finding this idealistic and rustic image of Thailand, we decided to take a boat the next day up the river to Thaton. Barely making the boat due to my love of sleeping and a faulty snooze button, we spent the next five hours speeding up rapids in a glorified Ventian gondola. It was exhilarating. We made a stop at an elephant camp where some took rides, and we fed a few gorgeous elephants. This mini trip was by far a highlight. We were surprised that Thaton was not in the Lonely Planet guide except for a small excerpt in the Chiang Rai section about the boat ride, because it was a great little town. We hiked up to the enormous Buddha statue overlooking the town and got a fantastic view of the countryside.

boat trip from Chaing Rai to Thaton

boat we took to Thaton





photo by Dave

 We decided to continue the in the next day to Pai, which on the map looked very close. So, language barriers and all, we got on the correct bus, got off at the correct transfer spot, found the right "bus stop", and proceeded to wait five hours for a bus that was too full when it finally arrived. So, after some debate, we decided to get on the next bus to Chiang Mai, and then catch the overnight into Bangkok... A full day of bus travel. To add to the excitement, our bus also broke down at 3am and we were pretty impressed when it only took an hour to get a replacement.

Buddah in Thaton

waiting for another bus

We spent the day today in Bangkok and went down to Kaoh San Road where all the backpackers congregate and stay. Because of this, there are also a number of vendors selling their goods, but not without a good barter first. Dave got refit for his new suit! We are off to Hanoi, Vietnam tomorrow.

at the tailor in Bangkok

I have to mention the food here... It is incredible, both in taste, and in the fact that you can have a bowl of chicken Pad Thai or the most delicious noodle soup for $1.33... If that. We have also gotten a number of massages, averaging $6.66 for an hour. My lifelong dream of having a personal masseuse is partially coming true here. Incredible.