West to Satun

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Feb 032006
 

Songkhla (Friday, February 3, 2006)

We hit the BP Samila’s Tonson buffet for a final breakfast, and the rice porridge with various mix-ins was fine. But there had been several snafus with laundry the evening before (not affecting me) which delayed our departure. Service seemed to be falling down in general: they forgot to bring my bags down from the hallway. Eventually we were underway to the South end of the town to visit a small fishing village and view boats painted in the style of the Southernmost provinces. The boats seemed rather worn out, and the garbage that washed up on this part of the beach did not provide an attractive background. Life here looked difficult; whether it was always thus, or was related to recent problems (drenching rains and flooding) we couldn’t tell. But it was time to move on. Continue reading »

South to Songkhla

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Feb 022006
 

Nakhon Si Thammarat (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)

“The Circus Comes to Town”

Along the road between Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla, they probably do not see a lot of foreigners (or farang as we are known here). So we spent the day inserting ourselves into situations in which our presence becomes as much of an event as the local attraction we have come to see. It’s fun, sort of. Continue reading »

East to the Gulf of Thailand

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Jan 302006
 

Khao Sok Park (Saturday, January 28, 2006)

Fifth cold shower in a row, but because the cabin had cooled well during the night, this definitely was the coldest. Fortunately, it should be the last one for a while. We gathered with our bags in the open-air dining room for rice porridge with a tray of toppings, including fried garlic, ground chillies, white pepper, and a strange peppery blend sold under the Tiger brand. Thus fortified, we returned to the lake for the journey back through the karsts. We didn’t spot any more langurs, and perhaps not coincidentally, the lake was very busy. It was Saturday morning and Chinese New Year, so crowds of people had come out to party. We stopped at the visitor center atop the dam for a scenic overview, remarkably clean restrooms, and some drinks and snacks (coffee for some, ice cream for me). Then we set out for the monkey training school. Continue reading »

From the Sublime to the Rustic

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Jan 272006
 

Khuraburi (Friday, January 27, 2006)

“No hot water.” I eyed the earnest young man from the hotel staff incredulously and repeated “No hot water today.” He gave me the wai — the partial bow with hands pressed together — and departed. Not wanting anyone to lose face, I let him go, my resort fantasy in ruins. As I typed out some notes Friday morning, the room appeared to be swaying. I didn’t have anything to drink Thursday night, so I thought it might have been the residual effect of our somewhat rough ocean voyages the past few days, like the odd feeling you have after returning from an ocean cruise. Maybe a cold shower would help? Continue reading »

Into the Lap of Luxury

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Jan 262006
 

Koh Surin (Thursday, January 26, 2006)

After a brisk shower of Surin spring water, and a breakfast of rice porridge with fish chunks, we went our separate ways. In my case, this involved packing and finding a protective container for the Moken boat: using a box from a case of canned sodas, a Swiss Army knife and some duct tape I borrowed from a fellow traveler, I was able to create something good enough to get back to the vans. With other gifts accumulated in my luggage, a more permanent box cannot be far down the road. Continue reading »

First Snorkel

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Jan 252006
 

Ranong (Monday, January 23, 2006)

The Palm Court opened early at our request. In addition to the usual eggs, toast, and rice porridge, the restaurant served the Southern staple of thin rice noodles with various sauces. One was a traditional mild peanut sauce (more like a soup than the peanut sauce served with satays) and the other a stronger flavored fish curry. Two small bowls of noodles and three cups of Lipton tea would have to be enough to hold me until lunch. We convoyed to the pier without incident and loaded onto our boat for the two hour journey West to the Surin islands. Continue reading »

The Journey South

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Jan 222006
 

Bangkok (Sunday, January 22, 2006)

I woke before 4:00, feeling a bit sore from the massage (or the bed?). Time to clean up and pack for a day of driving and snacking. I miscalculated the time needed to pack and ended up the last to check out — 10 minutes late. Kasma gave me her most disapproving look; I must do better from now on. Continue reading »

Bangkok Revisited

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Jan 212006
 

Bangkok (Friday, January 20, 2006)

I kept waking up. Was it jet lag? The huge sticky rice and mango dessert I wolfed down the night before? Random worries left over from work? The rock-hard bed? Or just the nervous anticipation of hooking up with a new group, 12 people I have never met with whom I am about to spend 28 days in very close quarters. I distracted myself with the computer and occasional glances at the city lit by sunrise. The relatively clear sky above the smog layer promises another hot day (we don’t get forecasts in Fahrenheit here, but I suspect it will be in the 92-95 range). Continue reading »

The Getaway

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Jan 192006
 

San Francisco (Tuesday, January 17, 2006)

Breathe, breathe, I had to remind myself while rushing through last minute details at the office, running through Long’s for Pepto and bottled water, and packing too much stuff into too little space. The stress was intense, but the effort was repaid with a leisurely 2 hours at the airport before boarding our red-eye flight. (Note: I don’t recommend the chicken salad at the Andalé Mexican Restaurant and Bar.) Continue reading »

Afterburn — Back in the Bay Area

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Feb 212005
 

Home (Monday, February 21, 2005)

I’ve been back in California for ten days and my tan is starting to fade. But Thailand — its people, places, and food — remains on my mind. Not least because I’ve been poring over 2,700+ digital photos, picking out the ones that are the least blurred and (in my opinion) most evocative of my trip. It probably will be several weeks before they can be edited and resized and posted for viewing. I never imagined it would be such a big project. Continue reading »

Bangkok Finale

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Feb 102005
 

Krabi (Wednesday February 9, 2005)

I had trouble sleeping after I realized that I had packed my passport in my other suitcase and forwarded it on ahead to Bangkok. Would I be able to fly? How long did the bus to Bangkok take? Fortunately, the photocopy stashed in my wallet was sufficient and after a brief stop at the breakfast buffet, and a few hours in transit, we arrived in Bangkok and met up with our drivers. Continue reading »

Krabi Take 3

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Feb 082005
 

Khuraburi (Monday, February 7, 2005)

Who won the election? Apparently it was a subject that engendered great passions: as we drove from Khuraburi through the heavily impacted Khao Lak area, we saw a person stomping on one of the candidates’ signs on the side of the road. He flashed us a big grin when he noticed us watching. We were in Khao Lak with the idea to distribute some additional contributions, but there was not an organized place to do so, except in temporary housing centers which were much too large for the amount of cash we were carrying. But let’s get back in sequence. Continue reading »

Koh Surin National Park

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Feb 062005
 

Khuraburi (Thursday February 3, 2005)

Koh Surin National Park is Thailand’s premier snorkeling destination, with numerous reefs teeming with fish and unparalleled corals. At least, it was before the tsunami. With only tent camping available, it was not the destination one would have hoped for, but at least it was open. Having already spent six days on the water, we would see whether Surin remained #1. Continue reading »

To Khuraburi and Beyond

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Feb 022005
 

Krabi (Wednesday, February 2, 2005)

After another run through the hotel buffet, we packed into our vans for the next leg of our journey. The morning began with a number of phone calls to Sabina Tours and various park officials while Kasma coordinated the camping arrangements for Koh Surin. During this time, we were released into the market in Krabi, which featured stall after stall of seafood vendors, dessert vendors, meat vendors, vegetable vendors, and so on. Many of us purchased snack items for the road. Continue reading »

Krabi Take 2

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Feb 012005
 

Koh Poda (Tuesday, February 1, 2005)

We had a late breakfast of fried rice noodles on Koh Poda and boarded our longtails for Krabi around 10:15. An hour later (and a bit wetter), we were on shore and headed into Krabi town for some shopping and Internet access before lunch. (Exciting description of checking e-mail omitted.) Continue reading »

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