Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Thai Lanterns
One night while in Khao Lak we had the opportunity to launch Thai paper lanterns off of the beach. We were told they are usually released to commemorate holidays or just for general celebrations.There were several in the air and it was beautiful.
Phang Nga Bay: Long Tail Boats and Kayaks
Here is what we read about long tail boats on Wikipedia:
"The long-tail boat, known as Ruea Hang Yao (เรือหางยาว) in the Thai language, is a type of watercraft native to Southeast Asia, which uses a common automotive engine as a readily available and maintainable powerplant. A craft designed to carry passengers on a river may include a lightweight long canoe hull, up to 30 metres, and a canopy. There is much variation among these boats, some have evolved from traditional craft types, while others have a more improvised look—the sole defining characteristic is a secondhand car or truck engine."
...lightweight...improvised....secondhand car or truck engine...all reasons why I wasn't planning on getting on one...... OK I'm kidding, when in Thailand, travel like a Thai.
In Phang Nga bay, there are small caves or passages that open up in the cliffs during low tide which you can take your canoe through. It's usually so tight you have to lie down in the canoe. This was something we were seriously not going to do, we didn't need to get trapped in there when high tide came in. But after we were half way out in the bay we realized the canoe tour is guided and we didn't have much choice. It turned out just fine and took us to some pretty amazing sites.
We also went to Ko Tapu, or as Westerners call it "James Bond Island" after it was featured in the 1974 spy thriller "The Man with the Golden Gun." It was fun to put together an iMovie to recap it.
"The long-tail boat, known as Ruea Hang Yao (เรือหางยาว) in the Thai language, is a type of watercraft native to Southeast Asia, which uses a common automotive engine as a readily available and maintainable powerplant. A craft designed to carry passengers on a river may include a lightweight long canoe hull, up to 30 metres, and a canopy. There is much variation among these boats, some have evolved from traditional craft types, while others have a more improvised look—the sole defining characteristic is a secondhand car or truck engine."
...lightweight...improvised....secondhand car or truck engine...all reasons why I wasn't planning on getting on one...... OK I'm kidding, when in Thailand, travel like a Thai.
In Phang Nga bay, there are small caves or passages that open up in the cliffs during low tide which you can take your canoe through. It's usually so tight you have to lie down in the canoe. This was something we were seriously not going to do, we didn't need to get trapped in there when high tide came in. But after we were half way out in the bay we realized the canoe tour is guided and we didn't have much choice. It turned out just fine and took us to some pretty amazing sites.
We also went to Ko Tapu, or as Westerners call it "James Bond Island" after it was featured in the 1974 spy thriller "The Man with the Golden Gun." It was fun to put together an iMovie to recap it.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Khao Lak, Thailand
After Bangkok we flew an hour south to Phuket and then drove an hour north to Khao Lak, a small village along an amazing coast line. Our hotel was incredible, it looks like it cost us a million bucks but it's in Thailand so we stayed for about the price of a Motel 6 in the US. It's a huge resort with a lazy river that winds past every room and connects to the main pools so you can come out of your room, jump in the pool, and swim anywhere. We had only a few days here.
The resort is new (built in 2009), sadly this is because the original was lost in the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. It's unimaginable to think how such a calm and pristine place turned to such disaster so quickly and without warning. In Khao Lak alone, 10,000 recorded lives were lost with 2,000 of them being tourists. We couldn't find much evidence left of the Tsunami, most things seem to have been rebuilt, and with all the rain in the region, the vegetation regrows quickly. There is a large police boat that was washed 2km inland and still sits where it originally landed. Lack of transportation and time prevented us from going to see it but there are a lot of pictures of it online. Today an advanced warning system is in place which will hopefully provide people time to get to higher ground should it ever happen again. Some of you might have seen a movie this past award season called, The Impossible based on a true story about a family that experienced the horrific disaster.
On a much much lighter note, an elephant visited the beach while we were there. What a contrast from the African elephants we saw earlier in the trip. Elephants in Thailand have been domesticated and form a strong bond with humans. African elephants are still wild and humans could get never get this close to them without being trampled (unless you're an elephant whisperer like author Lawrence Anthony).
The resort is new (built in 2009), sadly this is because the original was lost in the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. It's unimaginable to think how such a calm and pristine place turned to such disaster so quickly and without warning. In Khao Lak alone, 10,000 recorded lives were lost with 2,000 of them being tourists. We couldn't find much evidence left of the Tsunami, most things seem to have been rebuilt, and with all the rain in the region, the vegetation regrows quickly. There is a large police boat that was washed 2km inland and still sits where it originally landed. Lack of transportation and time prevented us from going to see it but there are a lot of pictures of it online. Today an advanced warning system is in place which will hopefully provide people time to get to higher ground should it ever happen again. Some of you might have seen a movie this past award season called, The Impossible based on a true story about a family that experienced the horrific disaster.
On a much much lighter note, an elephant visited the beach while we were there. What a contrast from the African elephants we saw earlier in the trip. Elephants in Thailand have been domesticated and form a strong bond with humans. African elephants are still wild and humans could get never get this close to them without being trampled (unless you're an elephant whisperer like author Lawrence Anthony).
A Toast to My Team!
A fresh coconut was sliced open for a refreshing drink by the pool when we made it to our only 'beach' destination on the trip, Khao Lak, Thailand. The straw is courtesy of my boss and teammates.
"Blogger" is Banned in China
I have been back logged on my posts because we were in China where the website is banned. Now that we've left there will be a slight blog overload! YouTube is also banned so I wasn't able to upload any videos.
They also ban international television in public places as shown by the sticker on the hotel treadmill.
They also ban international television in public places as shown by the sticker on the hotel treadmill.
Riding the Chao Phraya Express
In Bangkok an easy way to get around is by boat on the Chao Phraya River. The express boats run all the time and can move faster than road traffic. When the boat pulls up to the pier you have to be ready to jump on or jump off quickly. The boat never really docks, it drifts back and forth as the driver tries to keep it close by reversing into the peir, while people jump the gap. Here's a scene I captured as people were boarding after we were already on the boat. The guy in orange staring aimlessly actually works for the Chao Phraya Express company, while the guy in grey is a passenger who apparently likes to take things into his own hands...and travels with a handy-dandy whistle. My Thai isn't very good, but I think what he's saying is, "This isn't that hard people, get on the boat so we can go!"
Bangkok, Thailand
The temples are beautiful, the markets are busy (and smelly), the mode of transportation is taxi, boat, or train, and the Pad Thai is delicious. It's hot and humid and we experienced some of their "cooler" days.
Our first full day there turned out to be the major Buddhist holiday Vesak Day. There were many more Monks in the city than usual (I don't really have a reference to base this on) and they aren't allowed to have physical contact with women so moving through the city was a bit slow because I was constantly trying my best to avoid running into them. With how crowded the streets were, it proved to be slow going. The holiday gave us the opportunity to watch some of the Buddhist ceremonies first hand as the temples stayed open late to host special events. We were allowed to climb Wat Arun which was beautiful once I was up, however I was terrified as you might be able to see. I was holding on to the rail like it was my job.
I chose to take a picture of the girl in the green robe because I found it humorous. I realize it was HOT however she chose to show up to a house of worship in less than "temple appropriate" attire so the temple made her put a robe on.
We rode in a Tuk- Tuk which was also quite fun (and kind of scary because we were weaving in and out of traffic :) ).
Our first full day there turned out to be the major Buddhist holiday Vesak Day. There were many more Monks in the city than usual (I don't really have a reference to base this on) and they aren't allowed to have physical contact with women so moving through the city was a bit slow because I was constantly trying my best to avoid running into them. With how crowded the streets were, it proved to be slow going. The holiday gave us the opportunity to watch some of the Buddhist ceremonies first hand as the temples stayed open late to host special events. We were allowed to climb Wat Arun which was beautiful once I was up, however I was terrified as you might be able to see. I was holding on to the rail like it was my job.
I chose to take a picture of the girl in the green robe because I found it humorous. I realize it was HOT however she chose to show up to a house of worship in less than "temple appropriate" attire so the temple made her put a robe on.
We rode in a Tuk- Tuk which was also quite fun (and kind of scary because we were weaving in and out of traffic :) ).
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