Thailand

We were pretty bleary eyed when we arrived in the Bangkok.  We had flown all night from Helsinki with little sleep.  Aidan, who formerly was a rock solid sleeper on overnight flights, complained that the seats in economy class were really uncomfortable.  We quickly tamped his observation and discussion about the wider seats in business class.

Bangkok is a jungle with tall buildings forming the canopy layer.  Water seemed to be everywhere as the rain continued in one of the heaviest monsoon seasons in recent history.  Green and humid, crowded and loud, new and ancient, traditional and modern all at once; my head spun with every turn into a new alley  as our cab driver struggled to find our guest house.  But once we got our feet on the ground, we began to see through the layers that make up the city.  There were several challenges to deal with such as tuk-tuk (three wheeled taxis) drivers trying to lure us in for a ride, the multitude of alleys that defied tracing on a map, and the eternal (happy) choice of where to eat.  But in the end, thanks to an amazing night-time bicycle tour we came away with another view of Bangkok:  one of temples lit up at night with nary a person around, a cut flower market stretching blocks interspersed with vendors of delicious Thai treats, and quiet backways that could have been out in the country.  In our two short days, we saw a side of Bangkok that for me is well worth further exploration.

Our time in Bangkok was short because we wanted to get out of the big city to a quieter place.  We flew to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, located in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas.  We found what we were looking for in that Chiang Mai is mellower than the big city to the south.  The tuk-tuk drivers were content to let us walk where we wanted, and the surrounding hills were a welcomed view from the broad flatness of Bangkok.  We spent our days there touring by bicycle around the south of the city, mountain biking down monsoon slick mud double track, and touring an elephant nature park in the mountains.  The elephant nature park was really special.  It was developed by one woman who has made a safe and restorative home for damaged elephants.  Thailand has a very long relationship with the elephant:  it is both revered and used as a work animal.  While it is no longer legal to use elephant labor to perform such tasks as haul cut trees out of logged forests, elephants are still used in the tourist business as well as for other un-elephant like tasks as assisting begging in the cities.  The Elephant Nature Preserve rehabs elephants and allows folks like us to assist in feeding and bathing, as well as observing these giants.  It was especially fun to watch one of the bulls walk out into the monsoon swollen river, allow himself to be rolled over by the current, and pop his trunk out periodically for a breath while remaining otherwise completely submerged.  Standing aside them gave me a strong feeling for their intelligence and majesty.

Our time in Thailand was short.  It is hard to form an opinion of such a complex place in the time we had there but we experienced Buddhist culture, ate some very tasty food, and visited with some incredibly warm and generous people.  With those experiences in hand, I know there is a lot more to enjoy so I look forward to our return visit.   But like all the other places we have been so far, it was time to move on to our next stop - Bhutan.