This is a really long post. I am sorry for that. I account for each day of the trip, so be prepared to read. Get comfy, grab a snack, and start reading. You may want to divide the post over a few days. At the end is a link to my photo album. There are also a lot of pictures and videos. When you access the link, you need to put in the password, which is also provided. Oh, and by the way, there are more pictures to come soon, but I have to get them from Amanda. ENJOY!!
This year, I spent Christmas and New Year's in Thailand. This is the first time I have not been at home for the holidays. It was kind of strange, but it never actually felt like Christmas. Thailand is Buddhist and Christmas is not celebrated. Not to mention, when you wake up and it is already sunny and 90 degrees outside, it takes away from the feeling of Christmas. Thailand has beautiful beaches and absolutely beautiful temples. The city of Bangkok, aside from its temples, is not all that impressive. The streets are dirty and lined with small shops and food carts. After visiting, I am quite sure that Thailand means 'land of stray dogs.' We were told that Buddhists do not believe in locking animals up, so tons of dogs just roam the streets. Some of them looked cared for, some of them did not.
Dec 23- I left school about 4pm and headed to the airport. Our flight departed at 9:20 pm. Just under 5 hours later, we landed in Bangkok, around 1 am(2 hours behind Seoul time) on Dec 24 and went to our hotel. The streets were filled with open markets even at this late hour. The drive was crazy, going 140 km/h, about 89 mph. We flew by many abandoned, half built buildings, and drove through crowded streets filled with scooters, motorcycles, tuk tuks, cars, and buses. We finally arrived at the hotel around 2:30 in the morning and went to bed.
Dec 24- We woke up and enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the hotel. It was buffet style, but they had eggs, bacon, french toast, fruit, juice, etc. After breakfast, we went to talk to a tour agent to find out about things to see in the city. We decided to hire a driver for the next day to take us to the main sights in Bangkok because we had no idea how the bus system worked, and from what we saw it was very crowded and very hot. To hire the driver for a day cost about $45 for two people. Not bad, I think. He also took us to another local travel agent to book some other tours. We decided to book a dinner cruise for Christmas. We felt like we were some what celebrating Christmas that way. We also booked a snorkeling trip to Koh Phi Phi once we got to Phuket.
After we booked the tours, we headed back to the hotel. The drive, although close, took a long time because there was sooo much traffic. At the hotel, we relaxed by the pool and got some food in the cafeteria that was below our hotel. Then, off to bed. The next day our driver was picking us up at 9 am.
Dec 25- We ate breakfast at the hotel again, then met the driver downstairs for our day of temples. We went to the Marble Temple first. For future reference, wat means temple in Thai.
-Marble Temple (Wat Benchamabophit)
"This temple is made of white Carrana marble, hence it is called The Marble Temple. Constructed by King Rama V in 1901, it employs European ecclesiastic details, such as stained-glass windows and contains a superb cloister collection of bronze Buddha images. These images, which are 33 originals and 20 reproductions, represent famous idols and styles from all over Asia and other Buddhist countries."
Next we went on a canal tour. For about an hour, we were taken down the main river in Bangkok. Many houses were built right on the edge of the canals. I saw people washing dishes and brushing their teeth in this not-so-clean water. It was interesting to see how they lived though.
After the canal tour, we went to Wat Pho. (pronounced like Poe)
"Wat Pho (วัดโพธิ์), or Wat Phra Chetuphon (วัดพระเชตุพน) as it is generally known to the Thais, is mainly famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses. At 20 acres large, it is the largest Wat in Bangkok, and is technically the oldest too, as it was built around 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand's capital. However, today the Wat today bears virtually no resemblance to that originally constructed, as it was almost entirely rebuilt by Rama I when the capital was moved to Bangkok. It holds the dual honors of having both Thailand's largest reclining Buddha image and the most number of Buddha images in Thailand."
The Reclining Buddha took up an entire huge room. It was impossible to get a picture of the entire structure, as you will see in the pictures. The temple had beautiful grounds, as all the temples do.
After Wat Pho, we went to the Grand Palace.
"The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings in Bangkok. It served as the official residence of the Kings of Thailand from the 18th century onwards. Construction of the Palace began in 1782, during the reign of King Rama I, when he moved the capital across the river from Thonburi to Bangkok. The Palace has been constantly expanded and many additional structures were added over time. The present King of Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, however, resides at the Chitralada Palace, not the Grand Palace.
The Grand Palace is famous for housing the Emerald Buddha, which is actually made of a piece of green jade. It is clothed in gold and is about 45 cm tall. The statue has 3 different outfits depending on the season."
The Grand Palace was absolutely huge. It consisted of many, many buildings that are mostly used for
government things or ceremonial events. The detail of the buildings was very impressive.
After the Grand Palace our driver said he was taking us to a "souvenir factory," which actually turned out to be a jewelery outlet. I did, however, buy 3 rings. They came in a set and were only $120 for all three. The salesman swears they are real stones set in silver, but for so cheap, I don't believe him. He said because the band is silver, they are not as expensive, but I don't know enough about jewelery to know. They are pretty none the less. I also spent some time in the souvenir shop and got
sooo many souvenirs for only about $70.
After the jewelery store, we had to go home and get ready for our dinner cruise. We got picked up at 6:30 pm and had to drive around picking up other people. When we got the pier, we were ushered onto a huge boat that looked like a small cruise ship. Amanda and I were lucky enough to get our own table for 2! The boat had a live singer and a HUGE buffet for dinner. We sailed down the river for about an hour and half. We passed more beautiful temples that were lit up at night. It was fun. After dinner, we went back to the hotel.
Dec 26- We woke up, enjoyed breakfast, and went to the hotel's spa for a nice Thai massage. I had heard it was painful, but I didn't think it was so bad. We checked out of the hotel and got a cab to the airport. We were flying to Phuket today. We got to Phuket around 5pm, and it was about an hour drive to our hotel. We drove through a lot of small 'towns' and got to see how more people live. Some of the houses kind of made me sad. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we put down our things in the room and went straight to the beach. The water was so nice. We walked around the shops by the beach and found a place to eat dinner. Dinner averaged about $4 each night at the beach for some kind of Thai dish, or even a chicken sandwich with fries.
Dec 27- We spent the entire day, from about 10 am to 5 or 6 pm, relaxing on the beach. The weather was absolutely perfect. It cost 100 baht, about $3, to rent a chair for the day. We ate chicken sandwiches for lunch on the beach, which were also about $4. After our full day of relaxing, we went back to the room to get showered and changed to go eat dinner. We walked around a bit to find a place to eat. Someone is standing out front of every single restaurant ushering you to come inside. They all have the menus out front, also. After looking several of them over, we discovered they all serve the exact same dishes. Lots of Thai food, some western sandwiches, some European food, and the same fruit shakes and smoothies. The only difference was the price. That night, we decided to try out the fish foot massage. For 150 baht, about $4.50, we got to stick our feet into a giant tank of small fish for 15 minutes. The fish eat the dead skin off your feet. It tickled more than I can describe, and I'm not so sure I noticed a difference on my feet afterwards, but the experience was fun. There is a video of this also.
Dec 28- 7am pick up for
snorkeling trip. Except, at 7:25 when they still had not shown up, I decided to call. The guy I was told to contact had no record of my trip. After a fiasco of sharing information, he said our ride would be there at 8am. We drove about 20 minutes to the pier and boarded our speed boat to
Koh Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee, no joke. Also,
Koh means island.) It was about an hour and half boat ride the islands, but well worth it. The islands were beautiful. We visited a few snorkeling places, and also a beach called 'Monkey Beach.' Monkeys live on the beach and you can even feed them. They were pretty cute. After a long day on the boat, we returned back to the pier around 6pm and were taken back to our hotel. Amanda and I got some food and went to bed. We had another big day coming up.
Dec 29- We were picked up at 7 am and drove for around for about an hour picking people up, then drove for two hours to reach Khao Sok National Park for elephant trekking and a canoe ride through the jungle. I did some research before I decided to do elephant trekking because I had read and heard many horrible stories about the treatment of the elephants. The company I decided to go with does conservation work with the elephants and the surrounding jungle, they also are endorsed by the Thai government for their work. I still felt iffy about the whole thing, but they seemed legitimate, and I really wanted to ride an elephant. After three hours on the bus, we finally reached the park and they gave us a buffet lunch. After lunch, the trek began. We boarded the elephant and off we went. I felt like we were going to fall off the elephant because you kind of sway back and forth as it walks, but I was assured that we were stable. We were in a group of about 7 other elephants and went through the jungle on a trail. The area was beautiful, surrounded by limestone mountains and beautiful trees. The elephant would periodically stop to eat a branch or drink some water, and then we were on our way again. It was a lot of fun.
After the elephant ride, we got into an inflatable canoe and were taken down a river. Again, the scenery was beautiful. I thought we would see some wildlife, but besides a frog on a branch, a big lizard on the edge, and a snake up in a tree, we didn't see much else. It was still quite nice to float down the river. This ride took about an hour and then we were taken back to the bus around 4pm. Another three hours on the bus, and we home at about 7 pm. We ate dinner and then to bed.
Dec 30- Today was a 6am pickup for snorkeling at the Similan Islands. These islands are open only 6 months a year because they are protected due to sea turtle hatching, among other animals that live here. We were told this is some of the best snorkeling in Thailand. We woke up at 5 to get dressed and ready to go. We were picked up, drove around to pick up the others, then drove to pier. We arrived to the pier at about 8am. Around 8:30 we boarded the boat and departed for the islands. It takes almost 2 hours to reach the islands by speedboat. The Similan Islands is a group of 9 islands. Some of them are closed to the public altogether. We visited 4 of the nine. They were absolutely beautiful. The water was an amazing shade of blue and so clear. We were able to spend time relaxing on the beach at two islands, and then snorkeled at two other islands. It was really nice. At about 3:30pm we headed back to the pier, which took about an hour, and then were taken back home. We got home around 6 pm. Amanda and I ate dinner, walked around a bit and then went to bed. We were exhausted after 3 busy days!!
Dec 31- We spent the day relaxing on the beach. Around 5 pm, we went back to the hotel to get dressed and ready to go out; it was New Year's Eve after all. We ate dinner and then decided to get a back and shoulder massage. An hour massage was only 300 baht, about $15. That's pretty cheap! After the massage, we walked around the shops and then headed to the beach. We just walked around the beach for a while and then decided to camp out and wait for midnight. There were sooo many people on the beach. Lots of people were selling lanterns, which were supposedly for good luck in the new year, but we will see. The lantern had a piece of wood inside that you light. The lantern fills with hot air and then floats up into the sky. They sky was filled with hundreds of these lanterns. It was amazing. We were ripped off though. A lady sold us lanterns for 200 baht each, about $6, then a moment later, another women sold lanterns to other people for only 100 baht. I couldn't believe it. Oh well. The problem, though, is that they sell you the lantern and it is up to you to light it. We were left without a way to light them, so we walked along the beach looking for someone who we thought may have a lighter. I found a nice group of about 5 young Thai boys, by young, they were probably my age. I asked if they had a lighter, and I swear I have never seen someone move so fast. They all jumped up to help us light the lanterns. At one point, and I have a picture of this, I think I had three of them holding my lantern trying to light it. It was really pretty funny. We lit our lanterns, let them go, and watched them disappear into the sky. We walked back down the beach to where we sitting before and waited. So many people were flocking to the beach. It was nice. Finally, it was midnight. There were soooo many fireworks in the sky in every direction. I have never in my life seen so many fireworks at once. They went on for about 15 minutes and then started dieing down. Amanda and I walked back down the beach for about 20 minutes to our hotel. The beach was so littered with firework debris. It was kind of gross actually because I'm sure most of that got washed into the ocean, which is sad. We got to the hotel and went to bed around 1 am.
Jan 1- We woke up, ate breakfast at the hotel, and then checked out. We were flying back to Bangkok today. Check out was quite the fiasco. Apparently, when I booked my hotel and hotel pick-up through a travel company, the travel company was arranging my ride, not the hotel. So when I called the hotel the night before we arrived to confirm my hotel pick up, they sent their own driver and wanted to charge me for it. I had to argue with the desk lady and tell her I was confirming my ride, not asking to book one when I called. She said I asked for a ride and she is not connected to the travel company I booked through. I told her she needed to call the travel company because I paid them for my round trip ride to the hotel and airport, and I was not going to pay her also. The travel company told me that they sent a driver, but because I called the hotel and asked for a ride, they sent a driver too. I told them NOOOO, I did not call the hotel and ask for a ride, I called to confirm my ride. There was clearly a miscommunication because of the language barrier. The travel company should have told me that they send their own driver and I should not call the hotel. They didn't tell me anything. Anyway, in the end, I did not have to pay the hotel for their ride. But the best part is that when I hung up the phone after both of us had talked to the travel company, she wanted to charge me 20 baht for the phone call. I couldn't believe it. I hang up and she says, "Ok, you don't pay for the ride. And the phone call is 20baht." I just started laughing and said, "you really want to charge me for that call when there was a misunderstanding? no way." She changed her mind. 20 baht is only about 75 cents, but it's the principle. In the end, the travel company sent their driver to come get us, and we headed back to the Phuket airport, about an hour drive. Our flight departed around 3pm and we landed back in Bangkok at about 4:30. It was about a 40 minute taxi ride to our hotel. There was a mall across the street where we ate KFC for dinner, walked around a bit, then went back to the hotel for bed. Tomorrow was yet another early day.
Jan 2- We were picked up at 8 am for a tour of the Floating Market. It was about an hour drive to the place where we got the boat. When we booked the tour, we paid for a one hour trip down the market. When we got there, they told us that it was a busy day and we wouldn't be able to get through the market and back in an hour, so we each needed to pay 600 baht for an extra hour and a half. I was blown away. The tour is sold as a one hour trip and then we are forced to pay an extra 600 baht??? I was mad. The tour company had called the night before to confirm the trip and told us that IF we wanted extra time, we could pay 400 baht total for an extra hour. Now the boat people wanted 600 each. That's almost $20 each. I told them I couldn't pay that because I didn't have that much cash, which was mostly true. It was the last day of the trip and I did not budget to have to pay an extra 600 baht for something. I told them we could each pay 200 because that's what we were told it would cost IF we wanted extra time. No one told us that we HAD to pay for more time. They told us the tour companies don't know and we were getting a private boat, so it costs more. I told them I did not ask for a private boat and I was never told I had to pay more, and I simply didn't have the money. They finally agreed to the 200 each and we were on our way. We were taken through some canals that were lined with small houses. The water was quite dirty and had some trash floating in it. Regardless, we saw people washing their dishes and brushing their teeth in this water. A different way of living I suppose. The canals had an area of stores that you float up to and you can buy their things. However, when you research the floating market, you see pictures of Thai food and produce and Thai things. These stores were filled with souvenirs. Amanda and I thought we must be getting to the real market soon. After about an hour floating down the canals, we stopped at a temple and were told to get out of the boat. Here, we could buy fish food to feed the fish. They said it was good luck..... I am starting to think that's a scam they tell the tourists so we will buy stuff. We were getting mad because we had yet to see boats selling real Thai things and not just souvenirs. I asked the boat driver why we were there and where was the market. He didn't speak English, so he got another guy to come over and he said, "you aren't happy?" I told him that I didn't see a market, I only saw souvenirs and I have bought plenty of those already. I want to see a market, not feed fish. He made a phone call and then told us we were going to the market. We back tracked back through the canal and then finally came to a narrow canal that was jam packed full of long tail boats. This must finally be it!! But why didn't they take us here in the first place? The canal was so packed with boats, that everyone ws hardly moving. The boats were still mostly selling souvenirs (seems to be big business here), but some had Thai fruits, and food, and drinks. I could not believe how many boats were packed in here. We made our way through and then headed back. The trip took about 2 hours, longer than it was supposed to because we had to backtrack to see the market. I really don't understand why we skipped that way in the first place. Oh well, we got back in the car and drove back to the hotel around 2 pm. Check out was at noon, so we had checked out before we even left for the market. Now we had 7 hours until our car was coming to get us to take us to the airport. I decided to call and see if they could come earlier because we were just sitting in the hotel lobby. The lobby was hot and humid because it was open to the outside. They said the driver could come at 4. While we waited, we went to the grocery store to get things to make sandwiches for our long wait at the airport. We got to the airport around 5 and our flight was not until 1am. We had a long time to sit and it was spent playing cards. About two hours before the flight, I decided I needed to spend the last of my money. I calculated it just perfectly and spent every last baht I had. Here is what I bought: one doughnut, one soft pretzal, one pretzal sandwich, one muffin, and one bottle of water. Don't worry, I did not eat it all then. I took the pretzal, doughnut, and muffin home with me. I was proud of finding the perfect combination of things to use every penny. After 7 hours in the airport, we finally boarded our flight and headed home. We arrived back in Seoul at 8:15 am Jan 3. We took a shuttle bus back to our neighborhood, which took just under an hour, and then I took a taxi home, about 6 minutes.
It felt good to be home, except that we left 100 degree weather for 20 degree weather and 7 inches of snow. Seoul received record snowfall that day- unbelievable.
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