Thailand

Our days in the southern part of Thailand have been fairly uneventful and mostly characterized by a lot of lying around on the beach - which is really all there is to do in this part of the country. After our stay in Bangkok, we flew to Krabi (inter-Asia flights are much cheaper than domestic US flights so we opted to fly for $50 instead of spending 12 hours on a bumpy bus). Krabi was nothing special, and we merely used its convenient location as a starting point for our 10-day beach-hopping journey.

First on our list was Railay beach. Its still on the mainland, but there are no roads there so we had our first experience on a long tail boat, which i think really adds to the experience. We pulled into the mangrove tree lined beach of Railay East and quickly packed over to Railay West where the fie white sand and clear green waters create a picture perfect scene. We actually ended up staying on Tonsai Beach, a secluded backpacker haven north of Railay that is only accessible by scrambling over coral at low tide (a treacherous journey that I have the scars to prove) or by a 30-minute swim around the point (another dangerous trip on which Brody’s lack of swimming skills nearly caused him to succumb to the gods of the sea). We mainly came to this beach because the boys were interested in seeing the limestone cliffs that flank the beaches where rock climbers from around the world come to climb in paradise. We didn’t do any climbing ourselves, but we watched while we ate and played in the water.

Speaking of eating...I'm saddened to share that I won the competition for the first bout of traveler’s tummy. We all had our money on Adam because he has no qualms about eating anything from anywhere. But alas, the nasty bug found its way into my unsuspecting system. My newfound taste for Thai curries quickly disappeared as a result.

On to less disgusting travel stories, we left Railay for Koh Jam. This island is a bit more low key, although most of the beaches are currently low key since it is the shoulder season. We lounged in hammocks. A lot. From Koh Jam, we took a bigger boat to a bigger island called Koh Lanta. This place is much more touristy and I was excited to finally do a bit of shopping. But the boys successfully found a hotel well out of town. I did, however, win my plea to score an elephant trekking trip while we were on Koh Lanta. There are several tour companies around the country that employ old logging elephants to take tourists on treks through the jungle. I was a little wary of the idea since I know many of these animals don’t always get the treatment they deserve in countries like Thailand, or anywhere for that matter. I was that while the "monkey shows" we're something an animal lover should not attend, the elephant shows were all right. From what I could tell, that’s the truth. I wish we would have gotten to interact with the animals a bit more, but it was a memorable experience to be able to get as close as we did.

We spent a few days inland in Trang. The only good thing i can say about this places is that there are some delicious late night food stalls there. From Trang, we took a bumbling bys with poor air conditioning (and sealed windows) to PakBara where we met a ferry to Tarutao, one of Thailand’s national parks. This place is supposed to have clean, pristine beaches since its on protected land, but someone, somewhere isn’t doing their job because the beaches on the island turned out to be just as trash ridden as others we'd seen around the country. This lack of a beach clean up crew was something that surprised all of us. Many of Thailand's beaches, both on land and in the water, are very dirty. Snorkeling off the coast will show you just as many beer cans and lost sandals as it will brilliantly colored fish. Its difficult to believe that a country that relies so heavily on tourism would treat their money maker so carelessly. On Koh Lipe, our final Thai island, I actually found a needle and syringe in the sand. Its so sad and discouraging for what’s to come. But don’t think we didn’t enjoy the beaches of Thailand. If you are willing to hike a bit, you can find some more secluded and absolutely amazing beaches on which to while away the afternoon. We were simply taken aback by how the majority of these places are being maintained.

For now, Adam and Soderberg are still out enjoying the sand and sun on Koh Lipe while Brody and I headed inland to take in a bit more culture. We also hope to get a start on some sights in Malaysia since my departure for home is fast approaching. I had originally planned to stay until the end of May, but the longer I'm gone, the less I want to be here. My heart isn’t where it should be considering I'm traveling around some amazing places and doing things others only dream about. The boys indent to stick it out (although I think they are both a bit homesick as well), but I'll be home on the 9th. You'll be able to find me at the Rio!

Ok, off to enjoy paradise while I still can!