April 26, 2012

Sticky Falls

When a friend asked if I wanted to join a group on a day trip to a place called Sticky Falls about an hour from Chiang Mai, all sorts of images popped in my head. Admittedly, none of them came close to the amazing place it turned out to be! In Thai, it is known as Bua Tong Waterfall but foreigners refer to it as Sticky Falls for obvious reasons. Not only was it a wonder to experience but it was a great place to cool down during this hottest month in Thailand.



In some ways it reminded me of a man-made attraction one would find at a place like Disneyland because the rocks and surrounding greenery look fabricated. But far from being man-made, I consider Bua Tong a miracle of God expressed in nature: a waterfall you can walk up and down without requiring any climbing gear!


Instead of sliding over slippery rocks covered with algae, this waterfall consists of limestone and the geyser that feeds it is rich in calcium carbonate which prevents algae from growing on the rocks. It is therefore possible for you to grip and easily move from rock to rock.




April 15, 2012

Soaking it with Songkran

Imagine the majority of a country’s population hopping in the back of a pickup truck or standing by the side of a road waiting to douse everyone who comes near. That is Thailand's New Year’s holiday of Songkran summed up: one big water fight, one big wet party.

Admittedly, I wondered why the Thai people look forward to Songkran so much? To me it seemed a lot of hassle to avoid walking the streets and getting wet. But these were my thoughts before I was asked by some Thai friends to join them cruising the streets of Chiang Mai one afternoon during the holiday weekend. I could sense the excitement and wanted to be part of it as Dang soaped up his black pickup (in anticipating of it being washed) and prepared a tank full of water for dousing purposes.



Bring along anything that carries water from buckets to water guns and don't forget to dress in your Songkran clothes. Shoot, even bring your elephant if you have one... now there's a volume of water that can effectively spray the crowds! Only in Thailand.


Riding in the back of the pickup during Songkran was truly one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in a crowd. Now I understand this is a time when a country comes together, from Bangkok to the remote villages, to share in some laughs with friends and strangers. You quickly make connections when you ‘eye’ someone in the next pickup or on an upcoming motorbike. Often they will smile at you at which point you commence with the dunking.




There is no way of remaining dry when going through the streets of Thailand on this holiday. It isn’t so bad when you’re expecting it or getting pummeled by warm water but the ICE water is another story. Wow, can that be a rude awakening! For days all you see is a maze of people milling about in good fun – some running around with HUGE blocks of ice to put in their supply of water and others just waiting for the next victim to step into their zone.

It took a couple days for me to dry out but boy was it worth it!

April 13, 2012

Southern Travels

For years now I’ve heard about southern Thailand as the vacation spot. Even when I was living and working in Korea a few years ago, many of my fellow staff members ventured to Thailand for their vacation. So when I learned that Ginny and friends were headed to the Krabi-Koh Lanta area of the country during the school spring break, it was incredibly tempting to join them. Since the cost of living (and vacationing) is minimal once you’re in country and I had a week before starting my new job in Bangkok, I decided it ‘needed to be’.

Little did I know the trip to the island of Koh Lanta from Chiang Mai would be so adventuresome. Including stops in Bangkok and Krabi, I recounted yesterday all the modes of transportation I’ve taken in the past four days to reach my final destination of cabin on the beach: starting with pickup truck, airplane, shuttle, airplane, taxi, wooden 'longtail' boat, riding sidecar in a tuk-tuk, back of a motorcycle, pickup, ferry, van, motorcycle, another tuk-tuk and then walking (can you imagine?) to my cabin.

Regardless if I was traveling by ferry and transferring to a smaller 'longtail boat' on the water (as shown in the above picture) or putting along through the narrow roads of remote villages, I certainly got to see a part of Thailand that is so different from the big cities. Where else would you have young village kids waiting for you to come along in your tuk-tuk before jumping off a bridge into the river below to impress you. Of course you let them know it was the best thing you’ve ever seen and they laugh all the more =) Cute kids everywhere.



The funny part is that I had some groceries I didn’t want to get rid of in Chiang Mai so I decided to bring them with me (along with some other luggage) to finish while on my trip. Over hill and dale I made sure the grocery bag stayed with me, even as it hung off the handlebar of a motorbike cruising down village roads. I'm sure the nationals thought I was crazy for carting this grocery bag from distant lands =) But rest assured, it is now safe and secure in the fridge in my cabin.

One of my first stops in southern Thailand was the Islanda Village Resort outside of the town of Krabi. What an amazingly secluded resort that I learned of on the internet – did I say secluded? Thank you Expedia for helping me locate this remarkable place to stay at half the price! Check out these accommodations including what some Thai call the outdoor ‘sexy shower’...








Typical of tropical environments, like I noticed during former stays in Malaysia, almost all buildings and rooms are open air from the front lobby to dining room to even the games room! I guess when the temperatures are in the 30 C range year round day and night, you really don’t need to think about enclosed spaces. This is the first time, though, I’ve seen a pool table and media center open to the elements.







The Islanda was a stopover on my way to Koh Lanta but now that I know it exists I hope to make it a destination next time if given the opportunity!

April 04, 2012

At the Banana

How great that the school I am volunteering at this spring has a break for two weeks in the middle of April. This is appropriately timed because I get a chance to chill and regain some needed energy... and what a better place to do this than at a place called The Banana Garden resort on the island of Lanta in the South Pacific.

In my previous post I mention the lengths it took for me to get to Koh Lanta but let me elaborate a little on the ferry experience in particular. Obviously, water transportation is incredibly important when getting people to and from these islands off the south coast of Thailand. While motorized ferryboats transport people from the mainland to large islands, small wooden longtail boats come along side to pick up passengers headed to the smaller islands. These waterways between islands get quite busy.





It took a good half day to get from the airport in Krabi to my destination in Lanta but it was well worth the time and effort! The rustic log cabin I’m in near the beach is a perfect place for quiet relaxation in the sun and near the surf.



Some of the most incredible scenery is here for the viewing throughout the day and evening. Then when the sun goes down, the locals come out to entertain visitors on the beach while we enjoy another great meal of Thai cuisine. I particularly enjoy the flame performers who are similar to drum majors back home who twirl and throw batons... only these guys use batons that are on fire! Put the ever-changing configuration of sunsets as a backdrop and you’ve got perfect ends to perfect days.





While some friends stayed on the beach watching crabs dig holes in fascinating patterns, I accepted a challenge to do something more on the daring side like sky-diving! AS IF. Actually thanks to Photoshop, I could prove to my friends that I took them up on their challenge without actually having to get in a plane... but I think they figured out my methods =)