Not that leaving Nepal was “problematic”, per se, but I will say that the journey out left us with one last bit of typical Nepal. Up before the sun (in an effort to meet our pre-arranged taxi before the day-long strike would officially start), we wandered down the road from our flea-infested hotel to wait for our ride. (Sidenote: the fleas acquired during trekking seemed to reappear again in Kathmandu. Bites covering the side of my face? A little unpleasant.) We waited for a few minutes, then a few more. The stray dogs in the neighborhood weren’t happy that we were in their territory and they were continuously creeping in closer and closer as their incessant barking increased in volume. Eventually, our taxi did finally arrive, and off to the airport we went.
The goodbyes continued. After saying bye to Junes, Amrit, Rama, and Karen back at the hotel, next it was Amita. A big bear hug and many goodwishes later, it was Jack and I – ready for the next adventure ahead.
Landing in Bangkok, it seemed that a bit of culture shock was already setting in. The airport here is huge. (At the very least, a huge difference from the two-wing airport setup in Kathmandu.) Stepping outside to get a taxi, a wall of heat hit us, announcing the arrival of pre-monsoon season in Southeast Asia. It’s hot.
We made it to our hotel successfully, and the next day involved some quality exploring time in the city. After figuring out the train system and crowding in with hoards of locals, we found our way to the Siam City Center – a huge mall that puts all the big ones I personally know of back in the States to shame. We arranged a busride down south for that evening, then the travels continued. We arrived back at the travel agent around seven that evening… then a tuk tuk, a long time sitting on a bus, a few vans, a ferry ride, and twenty-one hours later, we finally made it to our first stop: Ko Lanta. The travels were an adventure as always, with all of us tourists being directed here and there, from this bus to that bus, without much of a clue of what was really going on. (Funny, it’s interesting to see how little variation there is amongst the tourist culture in the area. Every single person traveling seemed to be white, and in their twenties. Still with enough energy to deal with the uncertainties and adventures of certain South Asian travels, I suppose.)
5/15
Ko Lanta was the least tourist-populated of any of the places we stayed, but it was beautiful nevertheless. On our first day, we wandered our way through a jungle a little ways inland (one that shared an uncanny resemblance with Jurassic park) until we found a waterfall and perfect water hole to jump in to find brief relief from the sticky heat. But most of our time was spent on a rented scooter that provided quick access up and down the coast, from “Old Town” to the beaches and back inland. We even met a local on the pier in Old Town with his pet otter. Seriously the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Handing his furry friend over to us, he explained her name is “Mec” and that he’s had her for a couple of years now. I want an otter.
5/17
After Ko Lanta, we spent a couple more hours on a boat ride to the island of Phi Phi (pronounced “pee pee”). Talk about a tropical paradise. We joined a half-day snorkeling trip where locals take you out on their “longtail” boats. (Big wooden vessels with motors that are clearly not made for life in the water.) We were driven around some of the smaller surrounding islands and let out to jump into the ocean as warm as bathwater. Between leisurely swimming and looking at some beautiful fish, we made a stop at Maya bay. It turns out it’s the same beach where DiCaprio’s The Beach was filmed – and after seeing just how picturesque the whole setting was, it made perfect sense that it was the site of a major Hollywood hit.
Also on Phi Phi, we got our first taste of Thailand rock climbing. Jack was stoked of course, and though I didn’t really have much of a clue of what to expect, I was excited to learn. The thing about climbing in Thailand? Besides the fact that there are perfect rock faces all over the place, when you get to the top, the view is incredible. You could see the entire main bay of Phi Phi and the tropical paradise below. That much more rewarding, for sure.
5/21
The last stop of our journey away from Bangkok brought us back to the coastal mainland to Krabi. After rock climbing the famous beach of Tonsai, more exploring via scooter, and plenty of beach and poolside lounging, it was suddenly time for another long busride back to the city.
Thailand was good.
Oh and something else I forgot to mention? Dherai, dherai phalphul paainchha aajabholi!! (Lots and lots of fruit available these days!) Arguably one of my favorite aspects of life in Thailand and on its islands is the seemingly never-ending abundance of mangoes, watermelon, and pineapple on virtually every street corner. In the more tourist-populated areas there are also fruit “shakes”. Literally just a coconut, pineapple, papaya, or some kind of fruit mixed with ice and water in order to make one authentically delicious smoothie. Of course, all of this is simply to top-off the Thai food just as readily available. Its incredible how we never managed to find a place with “bad” food. And conveniently, most often, the cheapest places along the road typically provided the absolute best noodles, curries, and Thai iced teas.
5/25
So that’s it. As suddenly as our Nepal program seemed to end, our journey to Thailand has come and gone as well. The whole trip was over so quickly, and here I am finding myself on the next leg of my journey. When Jack flew out last night, saying the last goodbye to a fellow SIT-er seemed to give me this “ah-hah” moment of, “oh yeah, I’m kind of on my own now”. It was time to sit in the airport for the night to wait for my flight early the next morning. Time for Bangladesh.
No comments:
Post a Comment