Thailand

(Originally posted October 2016)

Day 26 – Mekong River, Laos to Chiang Khong, Thailand   

We awoke to the sounds of our group talking and packing up, even though we were in different buildings. By 5:00am with headlamps on, we were returning down to the sandy shore to another day on the long boat. Even before dawn, the village was rousing; morning fires stoked, men walking to the fields and a fishing canoe pushed in to the river.

In the early morning, the mountains were cloaked in a foggy mist, slowly lifting with morning light revealing their foliage. By mid-morning the sun was fully out and the green jungle and rolling hills guided the river on its course. The day slowly passed with more reading, relaxing and taking in the scenery.  

In the midafternoon we docked in Huay Xai, the border crossing between Laos and Thailand. No line at with the Lao officials. Although if you arrive after 4:00pm, you must pay $1 for late service, which half the group needed to do to receive their exit stamp. Once we all cleared, it was just a fifteen-minute shuttle over to the Thai officials on the other side of the border.

Our group arrived in Chiang Khong, with enough time to enjoy some sun by the hotel pool. For dinner, we walked ten minutes down the road to a restaurant overlooking the Mekong. I had some delicious green curry with chicken and two cuba libres. Yum.  

Day 27 – Chiang Khong, Thailand to Chiang Mai, Thailand

Early this morning we loaded into spacious vans for the ride to Chiang Mai. Two hours into the ride we paused at the White Temple, or Wat Rong Khun. This is not a religious temple, but rather a work of art in the form of a temple. Visitors walk over the bridge to the main building, over the lake of statues of outstretched hands. Inside the temple, pop culture murals are painted on the wall. From orange flames and demons, to Harry Potter, Superman and Hello Kitty.

Early afternoon we arrived in Chiang Mai. The city felt much larger than the towns we visited in Laos. Our hotel was in the old quarter of the city so we set off to see the sites. We stopped at the Wat Chedi Luang, built in the 14th century. The complex was unique with a small men’s only temple, a beautifully decorated temple similar to others we’ve seen and a massive 82 meter temple with elephant statues on an upper level, although the structure had significant earthquake damage from the 1500s.  Also memorable about this temple, given its location in a tourist area, the monks set up a table outside their monastery and engage in conversations with visitors. They bring people together to share language, culture, religions and traditions.

In the late afternoon, we took a tuktuk across town to a local market where we met the instructor for our cooking class. She showed us around the counters of fruits, veggies, meats, noodles, salsas and curries prepared and ready for sale in plastic bags. Her kitchen was designed for cooking classes with huge prep stations and a horseshoe of wok stations to teach the foreigners a little something about Thai cuisine. We each prepared bowls of pad Thai, panaeng curry with rice, and chicken in coconut milk (Tom Kha Gai). Together we made deep fried spring rolls. Then, we feasted. The class was great: fun, delicious, very organized and no dishes.

That night we attended a Muay Thai fight. The event was held in a ring under a tent in the back of the night market. In Muay Thai, fighters are considered to use eight limbs: fists, elbows, knees, shins and the contest continues for several rounds. We watched six rounds, of beginners, lady fights and the main event, an international fight between a Thai and Spanish fighter. It was fascinating to learn about the sport, especially as our guide, Joey, was a former Muay Thai boxer.

Day 28 – Chiang Mai, Thailand   

After breakfast we took the van to an elephant sanctuary an hour outside of Chiang Mai. I hadn’t planned on an elephant activity on this trip because of the known animal cruelty involved with elephants with tourists. It was important to research the sanctuary to ensure that the animals are treated well and aren’t ridden.  We found an excellent place to spend the day with these amazing animals.

We learned the history of elephants from work to transport to their eating habits from our mahout, the elephant keeper, for the day. First we changed into mahout garbs so the elephants recognize the visitors and to avoid getting really wet and dirty. We prepared buckets of food with bananas and tamarind and walked into the jungle. All of a sudden, the huge beasts came strolling down the path. They were so amazing. They reached their trunks into buckets and sucked pellets from the palms of our hands. The enormous creatures lumbered through the bamboo, breaking it apart with their feet and trunks. Did you know that they eat hundreds of pounds of plants each day?  

One question that I was very eager to ask the mahout involved “bathing” the elephants. All of the tourist brochures talk about people signing up to give baths to these wild animals that I assume are capable of taking care of their own cleaning needs. He laughed, as many people seem not to know much about animals living in nature, but added that really the elephants love the tickle of the bristles on their thick skin. My favorite part of the day was taking the elephants down to the river. They slid right down the embankment and splashed into the water. The elephants sprayed water at us and we splashed them back. They seemed so happy, just rolling in the muddy water, getting tickled by the brushes and playing around.

Changing out of our mahout-for-a-day clothes, we feasted on pad Thai, fruit and chicken stir-fry. Back to the hotel, we snuck in a last hour-long massage, grabbed the laundry and took a small herd of tuktuks to the train station. This was our also our last overnight train ride and by far the most fancy service. The bedding was improved, hot food was served and the air conditioning was blasting.  

Day 29 – Bangkok, Thailand    

Our train rolled in around 5:00am and coffee service came through. We climbed out of the train station and right in front of the Bangkok Centre Hotel, a month after we first departed.

For our last day to explore the city, we rode by tuktuk to a few major sites. First to the Golden Mount and we climbed the 400 steps up to the view of the city. Then we went back to the central tourist area of the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. Many of the drivers and pretend guides were attempting to steer tourists to other sites of the city, hoping for longer fares, but we persisted in our original plan.

The Grand Palace was packed with visitors from around the world; thousands of people visit each day. We followed the herd through the gates and toured around. The place is certainly impressive, but after a month of touring temples and palaces, the crowds were too much. I ended the afternoon with a rest and packing my bag for the journey home.

Our group met for our final dinner together and rode tuktuks with blaring music and flashing lights to a restaurant on the eighth floor of a hotel with a rainy view looking over the river and the city. For the last meal of the trip, I enjoyed a green chicken curry and a Chang beer. The group walked back to the hotel together through the drizzles, one on crutches. Being the first to leave, I hugged everyone in the hotel lobby and took a taxi to the airport.

Reading the note from Will as the taxi speed down the highway, I smiled at spending the last month, nonstop with everyone on this trip. We were a great mix of backgrounds, humors, knowledge and opinions.

Day 30 – Bangkok, Thailand to Chicago, United States   

I arrived way early for my flight. So early the ticket counter didn’t even exist yet. Eventually I made it through check-in, security and passport check. My first flight was four hours to Shanghai. There I had a long layover waiting for the next leg.   The second flight was about fourteen hours from Shanghai to Chicago. Sitting still for that long is a challenge. I took a few naps, watched some movies and played endless rounds of Tetris on the seatback screen.

Finally I made it to Chicago, cleared immigration and customs and grabbed my bag. My parents came to pick me up and I had a lovely day in Madison with them before returning to Guadalajara to start the next school year.  

This trip has been amazing. I saw incredible cultural sites, ate delicious food, met unique individuals and learned local history. I am so appreciative to have the opportunity to explore these four countries this summer.