Thailand in Pics_002
Sawatdee, cats!
Hey, let me start by apologizing for the negative remarks I made in the last blog entry. I was venting and exaggerating, at least a little. Nobody likes to feed on sour lemons! Now I serve you sweet lemon nyquil instead… mmm. But stay awake for a bit. To follow are a few photos and words through which I will share the second half of our trip with you. Or if you’d like to look at photos in sharper and larger format, and skip all the trip description here, go straight to: http://flickr.com/photos/stevenhorr/ and click the Thailand folder on the right side of the screen.
DOI SUTHEP
Doi Suthep was a real highlight for me, a very active and touristed temple complex on the top of a mountain overlooking Chiang Mai. Our trip up the mountain was also meaningful for me as it was my first real experience driving a scooter. I like!
The music these youngsters created added immeasurably to the temple ambience.
The above monks are gathered around a digital camera. The Buddha truly has gone digital!
SUKHOTHAI
Sukhothai has the coolest ruins in Thailand, from what we saw. This was our miniature Angkor Wat experience, I guess. There weren’t many people here, either, which was nice. We rented mountain bikes and burned around the ruins for most of the day.
LOPBURI
We went to Lopburi to see one thing: monkeys. They were fun! They attacked pedestrians, thieved bags of groceries from women, tossed garbage from their high perches, and shrieked and shat everywhere. A motley bunch!
Notice where the focus is in the above photo. But don’t worry, Nic. I love you, too!
AYUTHAYA
Next stop: Ayuthaya. It was cool, too. We could really feel that we were getting close to Bangkok again, as there were way more tourists hanging around in general. We bunked at a Guest House catering mostly to Koreans. Aside from one interesting old Korean Buddhist teacher and poet, the majority of Koreans at this hostel could mostly be seen hiding beneath gigantic sun hats, and behind sunglasses and make-up mirrors. I think they mostly stayed inside during the day to protect their lovely white skin from the wicked, evil Thai sun: Icky!
The first few pictures to follow were taken while on a sunset tuk-tuk tour of some of Ayuthaya’s main attractions.
Three dogs and the Buddha, having blissful dreams together.
The pic above features the old Grand Palace. Ayuthaya was once the capital of Thailand.
The next day, Nicole made me promise her: no more ruins! Well, I tricked her into going for a little walk to look for a restaurant and, low and behold, we found ourselves at some more ruins. Last one, I promise. I took many more photos, but you don’t really want to see more ruins, do ya?!
Nic, seconds after missing her mouth… babo!
KOH CHANG - HAAD KAIBAE
Ahhhh, Koh Chang. This was the best stop we made on the whole trip. Everything about it was perfect, save a little sunstroke and heartburn, here and there. We met some great folks, had some incredible seaside BBQs, did some snorkeling and kayaking, and just truly and totally relaxed. I have yet to recover from Koh Chang. The speeds and smells of Busan are just too much for me, now.
Arrival:
Our beach:
Our resort restaurant, where we ate barbequed snapper, drank a few beverages and watched a few sunsets:
I could have spent another month on Koh Chang. But alas, I’m back in the playroom, grinding song lyrics and speeches into my pupils’ young minds, to be regurgitated at the upcoming, overly wrought Kindergarten graduation show. Our tans fade, and new white hairs spring from my scalp hourly. But it’s all good! Our next adventure destination: Canada!
We love y’all,
suteebun
