We had been planning it since August. We knew where we wanted to go, what we wanted to do, who we wanted to see, and how we were gonna do it all. Well sorta. We had known abut our 3 week vacation since the school year began almost 5 months ago. We had general ideas about locations and activities but for the most part we wanted to relax, have fun, and see Thailand and we managed to do just that.
Ko Chang (Elephant island, named apparently for it’s shape as seen from the mainland)
I started my vacation by taking the infamous 11 hour bus ride from Nan to Bangkok (this was by choice, there are 1 hour flights from Nan to Bangkok every other day, but I don’t mind the bus ride and they are about 1/6 the price of the plane ticket). In Bangkok I met up with Helena and her family. From Bangkok we took the 5 hour bus ride (though some evil human told us it would only be 2 hours) to the coastal town of Trat to catch a ferry to ko Chang. Ko Chang is a really special island. The entire interior is a beautiful forest. In the forest you can do everything from elephant trekking to hang gliding. We even saw monkeys on the winding roads that cut through the island. The beaches are nice, though certainly not the best I’ve ever seen (Panama has them beat, hands down). But during our stay we mostly walked around town and swam in the pool. We hung out by the beach and took an amazing snorkeling trip as well. The water was bit murky but there was a ton of stuff to see. Pictures below.
A parrotfish we saw snorkeling
Ko Samet
From Ko Chang we headed northwest to the island of Ko Samet. Ko Samet is nice because it is just two hours south of Bangkok and there are just as many Thai vacationers as foreign ones. The beaches are much nicer than in Ko Chang. They are cleaner, clearer, and deeper. But there is less to do. The shores are separated by rocky shores and each beach is fairly separated from the next. Ko Samet is designed for complete and total relaxation. Massages, comfy chairs, a few hammocks, the sun, the sky, and the beach really made for a relaxing time.
The gorgeous beaches of Ko Samet.
Bangkok We were only in Bangkok for 2 and a half days. We took this time to be especially Western. We were a little nervous about doing too nuch traveling because we had been hearing news of large protests and violence around the city. Thankfully none of it came near where we were. We walked around town, visited the malls and made a few foreign friends. I’ll likely go back to Bangkok to get a better experience in it.
Kanchanaburi From Bangkok we traveled west to Kanchanaburi. This city is famous for a few reasons. The first is the film The Bridge over the River Kwai. During WWII the Japanese forced hundreds of thousands of American, British, Malaysian, Australian, Indian, and other S.E Asian POWs to build a railroad to send supplies and troops into Myanmar. Thousands died due to the climate in Thailand and the horrible treatment in the camps. We visited the bridge that they died building, one of the cemeteries in town, and a museum. It was a very saddening experience but really educational. We also visited the floating market outside the city. It was once used as an efficient means of transporting food and other goods between families living on the river. People set up mini restaurants and markets in their boats. It has now become a large tourist spot but was still fun to see.
The other reason we visited Kanchanaburi was for the Tiger temple. About 10 years ago some monks living in a temple about 40 minutes out of the city adopted an injured tiger. Since then the monks have been taking care of many more tigers, wild boar, deer, water buffalo, peacocks, and even a leopard. It is now a huge tourist attraction as people can come and take pictures up close and personal with all these animals. It is truly wonderful to play with a tiger cub and touch a full grown tiger.
Me on the bridge over the river Kwai
With a very playful tiger cub
Close Up
Ayutthaya
From Kanchanaburi we traveled northeast to Ayutthaya, a city popular for its ruins. The former capital city has over 300 temples many of which were destroyed when Burmese soldiers attacked the city. The temples are marked by crumbling prangs and pagodas and statues of Buddha with the heads removed.
From Ayutthaya we took a day trip to a small city called Lopburi. Lopburi is also a city with famous ruins that was once an extremely important city. It also experience skirmishes with the Burmese. However, today it is most famous for its long tailed macaques (small monkeys) that live freely in the city and at the temples. They were so cool to see. It was a little disturbing for Kelly (who we met up with in Bangkok) because her sister had a rabies scare when a monkey bit her in China. But all in all it was just really amazing to see the monkeys willingly interacting with humans.
One of the most famous images in the Ruins. The roots of this tree grew around this Buddha head.
A family of macaques chillin at the temple
Chiang Mai From Ayutthaya and Lopburi we headed far north to our familiar Chiang Mai. There we took some time to relax, see a movie, and take an amazing tour.
We finally went to visit my people, the Karen tribes. They are famous because of their long necks. The women wear gold rings around their necks. They start wearing (with the option to decline) at the age of 5. The rings (based on research and X rays) actually push down their rib cages in order to create the image of a lengthened neck. It is said that they were originally used as protection in case they were bitten by tigers or to make themselves less attractive to males so that they wouldn’t be taken from their village. It was really interesting to see how tourism has become an important source of income for them while at the same time they are not the least bit interested in us when we come. In addition to visiting the Karen “long necks” we also visited two other tribes, a cave with Buddha images in it, an orchid and butterfly farm, and a factory where they make paper products from elephant dung. It was a really great time.
A young girl from the Karen 'Long neck' tribe
We arrived in Nan on Saturday evening and we are very excited to get back to teaching.
Ko Chang (Elephant island, named apparently for it’s shape as seen from the mainland)
I started my vacation by taking the infamous 11 hour bus ride from Nan to Bangkok (this was by choice, there are 1 hour flights from Nan to Bangkok every other day, but I don’t mind the bus ride and they are about 1/6 the price of the plane ticket). In Bangkok I met up with Helena and her family. From Bangkok we took the 5 hour bus ride (though some evil human told us it would only be 2 hours) to the coastal town of Trat to catch a ferry to ko Chang. Ko Chang is a really special island. The entire interior is a beautiful forest. In the forest you can do everything from elephant trekking to hang gliding. We even saw monkeys on the winding roads that cut through the island. The beaches are nice, though certainly not the best I’ve ever seen (Panama has them beat, hands down). But during our stay we mostly walked around town and swam in the pool. We hung out by the beach and took an amazing snorkeling trip as well. The water was bit murky but there was a ton of stuff to see. Pictures below.
Ko Samet
From Ko Chang we headed northwest to the island of Ko Samet. Ko Samet is nice because it is just two hours south of Bangkok and there are just as many Thai vacationers as foreign ones. The beaches are much nicer than in Ko Chang. They are cleaner, clearer, and deeper. But there is less to do. The shores are separated by rocky shores and each beach is fairly separated from the next. Ko Samet is designed for complete and total relaxation. Massages, comfy chairs, a few hammocks, the sun, the sky, and the beach really made for a relaxing time.
Bangkok We were only in Bangkok for 2 and a half days. We took this time to be especially Western. We were a little nervous about doing too nuch traveling because we had been hearing news of large protests and violence around the city. Thankfully none of it came near where we were. We walked around town, visited the malls and made a few foreign friends. I’ll likely go back to Bangkok to get a better experience in it.
Kanchanaburi From Bangkok we traveled west to Kanchanaburi. This city is famous for a few reasons. The first is the film The Bridge over the River Kwai. During WWII the Japanese forced hundreds of thousands of American, British, Malaysian, Australian, Indian, and other S.E Asian POWs to build a railroad to send supplies and troops into Myanmar. Thousands died due to the climate in Thailand and the horrible treatment in the camps. We visited the bridge that they died building, one of the cemeteries in town, and a museum. It was a very saddening experience but really educational. We also visited the floating market outside the city. It was once used as an efficient means of transporting food and other goods between families living on the river. People set up mini restaurants and markets in their boats. It has now become a large tourist spot but was still fun to see.
The other reason we visited Kanchanaburi was for the Tiger temple. About 10 years ago some monks living in a temple about 40 minutes out of the city adopted an injured tiger. Since then the monks have been taking care of many more tigers, wild boar, deer, water buffalo, peacocks, and even a leopard. It is now a huge tourist attraction as people can come and take pictures up close and personal with all these animals. It is truly wonderful to play with a tiger cub and touch a full grown tiger.
Ayutthaya
From Kanchanaburi we traveled northeast to Ayutthaya, a city popular for its ruins. The former capital city has over 300 temples many of which were destroyed when Burmese soldiers attacked the city. The temples are marked by crumbling prangs and pagodas and statues of Buddha with the heads removed.
From Ayutthaya we took a day trip to a small city called Lopburi. Lopburi is also a city with famous ruins that was once an extremely important city. It also experience skirmishes with the Burmese. However, today it is most famous for its long tailed macaques (small monkeys) that live freely in the city and at the temples. They were so cool to see. It was a little disturbing for Kelly (who we met up with in Bangkok) because her sister had a rabies scare when a monkey bit her in China. But all in all it was just really amazing to see the monkeys willingly interacting with humans.
One of the most famous images in the Ruins. The roots of this tree grew around this Buddha head.
A family of macaques chillin at the temple
Chiang Mai From Ayutthaya and Lopburi we headed far north to our familiar Chiang Mai. There we took some time to relax, see a movie, and take an amazing tour.
We finally went to visit my people, the Karen tribes. They are famous because of their long necks. The women wear gold rings around their necks. They start wearing (with the option to decline) at the age of 5. The rings (based on research and X rays) actually push down their rib cages in order to create the image of a lengthened neck. It is said that they were originally used as protection in case they were bitten by tigers or to make themselves less attractive to males so that they wouldn’t be taken from their village. It was really interesting to see how tourism has become an important source of income for them while at the same time they are not the least bit interested in us when we come. In addition to visiting the Karen “long necks” we also visited two other tribes, a cave with Buddha images in it, an orchid and butterfly farm, and a factory where they make paper products from elephant dung. It was a really great time.
A young girl from the Karen 'Long neck' tribe
We arrived in Nan on Saturday evening and we are very excited to get back to teaching.
