Home at Last!

Although we've been home since Friday, it took me three days to get over jetlag. In the meantime, after eating at a birthday fiesta at our Mexican neighbors' on Saturday, I awoke on Sunday with the worse cramping in my stomach. We had just survived almost a month abroad, eating all manner of strange foods without a hint of sickness, and it took less than 24 hours upon our return to feel ill. At least I was home. Between that and the boys and the laundry and life, I have yet to add anything new to the blog. Be patient. I will.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Our four days of vacation in Railay has been filled with mostly good, some bad, and a very little ugly.
There are some of the most beautiful vistas here that I've seen anywhere. The rugged, nearly untouched landscape is incredible. The gray with black limestone karsts loom above us hundreds of feet up with bits of green where shrubbery has found a home in crags of the rock wall. To the west lies the Andaman Sea, calm for the most part. Disappearing into the horizon I see rocks that are small islands jutting out of the water. The sand is soft and the beach is deep, perfect for beach combing or taking a sunset stroll. The water is warm and comfortable to swim in. Tyler said Railay is his favorite beach.
But with all things in life, there must needs be opposition. On Tuesday, while returning from the other side of the peninsula, Isaac and I experienced some. It began to rain, which is normal for the rainy season, but the gentle rain soon turned to quite a storm. We had a large umbrella which we were trying hard to keep from collapsing in the gale-like winds. We finally took shelter on a kitchen porch and were beckoned in by the employees of the restaurant. We watched as it rained sideways for at least 20 minutes before braving the storm and moving around the corner to the next shelter. We went from one business to the next trying to stay safe as debris was blowing by. We saw a number of trees uprooted and branches blown down. I was glad we had not chosen to go kayaking as we had planned.
Now to the ugly. The mosquitos, as I have already mentioned, really love us. Nathan awoke one morning with his face used as a night buffet for those pesky critters. By the end of the day, his eye had nearly swollen shut and his ankle and foot were not looking any better. I could not find any antihistamine to reduce the swelling, but two days later he is looking back to normal. If we can just refrain from scratching we will look presentable on our return home.

Elephant Trekking

We have been looking forward for a long time to this day of elephant trekking. We had to walk across the peninsula to take a longtail boat to Krabi where we loaded into the back of a pickup truck rigged with seats along the sides which drove up the mountain so we could ride atop of elephants through the jungle. Although it had been sunny when we left the house we were caught in a downpour by the time we were in the truck. I don't even know why I bothered showering and putting on dry clothing this morning. We had umbrellas but they did little good.

There were four female elephants in our group. Nathan and Isaac and I rode on the largest of the sisters. I don't know if she had a skin rash or if red ants were climbing all over her, but she was constantly rubbing against the trees to relieve the itching, and when an elephant scratches it shakes the ground. Imagine the ride we got atop of her. As she climbed the muddy, rocky hillside, we definitely felt as if we were riding an all terrain vehicle.

We had a chance to feed the elephants afterwards. I'll bet most of you didn't know that they like cucumbers and raisins. Just like the rest of the Thai, they really like Nathan.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Our stay in Railay is a world of difference from our time in Bangkok even though it isn't that far away. Railay is located on a peninsula near Krabi, separated from civilization by dense forests and limestone karsts. You can only reach it by boat or by a long, difficult hike. It was developed in recent years after being discovered by some Americans in the 1980s. Don't you wish you were the one to find this place?
We are staying in a community of homes which are rented out by the owners for some part of the year. It is nestled between limestone cliffs lined with tropical flora and the beach of the Andaman Sea in Southern Thailand. If I walk either direction for more than a couple minutes I hit the wall, of either rock or water.
It is night and I can hear the sounds of the wind and the waves, singing cicadas and an occasional gecko which sounds like tapping on a window. We have to be careful to close the doors when we aren't around lest a curious monkey enters from its home in the nearby trees and wreaks havoc. No monkeys have entered, but I can't say the same about the mosquitos. These pesky insects are stealthy, coming without a sound and leaving large itchy welts for calling cards. Apparently Nathan and I are particularly tasty.
The running water here is not drinkable so we have pitchers of drinking water replenished each day. It is the currently the rainy season, so we have been wet most of our time here, either by choice or by default. It's best to walk barefoot or with sandals due to ground cover being mostly mud and sand and water. The temperature is an ideal 75 degrees. If you don't mind roughing it just a bit, this is the life.

One Night in Bangkok

Well, we've just finished our time in Bangkok and are now heading down to Krabi province for a short stay at Railei Beach on the Andaman Sea (more on this once we get there and spend some time).

And while Bangkok is not a city where I'd choose to live (at least not right downtown), it's always a fascinating place to visit. You probably know by now that Margaret did not like Bangkok, and would probably never choose to go back (I haven't told her yet that we have to spend one more night there before we fly home to Salt Lake). And yet, I really enjoy the city.

I saw a lot of the same things she did, and the standard of living was depressing, but the city and its culture are so different from what we're used in the US it's captivating in a way.

First of all, the people were so friendly and helpful. They were constantly smiling at us (it's amazing how far a little Baht will go), constantly asking the boys if one of them would stay with them in Thailand (we almost ended up Nathan-less a couple of times), waving to us on the street, and always trying to speak a little English to us. Then you add in a culture of polite and respectful practices, and you feel very welcomed.

I was also impressed by all the small businesses (some of which were very clever, and some not so clever) that had people working hard throughout the city. There were people cooking, selling, making, providing, etc. all to have a Baht-er experience. Of the many different types of enterprise transportation was my favorite.

We found that the way to travel is by Tuk Tuk. A Tuk Tuk is a motorcycle taxi. It's fast enough to get places, small enough to fit through the tight places (ie in between cars at a stop light), and big enough to carry a group of people. Plus, it can do a pop-a-wheely if you have a good driver. After one ride, all three boys realized it was the best way to travel and begged for the Tuk Tuk. In fact if you look really closely at the picture you'll see the Tuk Tuk lust burning in our eyes. Or maybe that's just what happens when you stay in Bangkok too long--Hmmm?

The Two Faces of Bangkok

Now that our stay in Bangkok has come to an end I feel that I can express my opinion freely. I've been asked many times by those hosting us and helping us in Bangkok, "So, how do you like Thailand?" I had to lie so as not to offend. I did not enjoy the city of Bangkok at all. In the heart of the city, where we were staying, I saw so much filth and deprivation that it was impossible for me to overlook. A positive thing I can say is that there is great diversity. I met people from Conga, Sri Lanka, Australia, the UK, Japan, the US and Canada, for starters. Although the dominant religion is Buddhism, it was obvious to me that there were many who were Hindi, Muslim and Christian, as well. I admire the beautiful Buddhist temples which were built with such magnificent Thai craftsmanship and maintained with such great care, but was saddened by the sight of such obvious poverty and property neglect. After being in Singapore, where image is everything, it is hard to be in Bangkok where garbage and rubble and refuse is the norm. As we were transported throughout the city, we passed alley after alleyway lined with rows of tin shacks, making trailer parks look like Beverly Hills. We were fortunate to be staying in the Marriott hotel, where the conscientious staff knew our names and our preferences and treated us with such great kindness and respect. When we went out walking along the city streets we saw many people missing hands or legs or fingers, most of them begging for a few Baht. I watched from the taxi window this young girl of, maybe, five years, sitting cross-legged against a wall, fidgeting with a piece of plastic for a plaything, glancing towards a beggar woman thirty feet away, whom I guessed was her mother. It made my heart ache to realize that this beautiful girl will never know anything other than life on the street.
It made me sad, sad and grateful, grateful for my neat little house and a clean, safe neighborhood. I am truly blessed.

All That Remains

The boys and I went with a tour guide to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand for over 400 years, that was razed by the Burmese in 1767. Ayutthaya was created to be an island city, with the Chao Phraya River encircling the entire community.
Today, the ruins are nestled amidst a small modern city about an hour outside of Bangkok. The ruins of the temple site and its multiple chedis (spire shaped structures memorializing those who have died) are well preserved and can be observed up close and personal. Like all Buddhist sites, there is evidence of many images of Buddha himself, although when the Burmese attacked, they beheaded all the statues in the city. The most well known of the ruins is where the roots of a tree have grown around a decapitated head of Buddha, lifting it up from the ground where it must have been discarded hundreds of years earlier. It was quite interesting to see all that remains of the once powerful city of Ayutthaya.