James Holst: 2013

Has it really been that long? Ten years? That is the question I kept asking myself. My memories of the two months I spend in Thailand in 2003 are vivid. It was a special trip for me, as it was my first experience traveling alone. So many good memories.

So why go back? Thailand has been on Sabrina’s travel list for a while and so it seemed to be a good choice for getting started. It’s an easy place to build a little forward momentum for what is sure to be a long journey. The whole country seems to be something of an amusement park for the backpacking culture. It’s almost too much in some places.

People love Thailand for good reasons. According to the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index, Bangkok is the 2013 most visited city in the world. According to Gallup, Thais are the happiest people on the planet. The infrastructure for travel is cheap and reliable, the streets are free of trash and litter, prices are consistent and rarely over-quoted, and Thais are polite and helpful to even the most obnoxious of travelers.

I’ve found myself wondering if beneath the veneer of Thai smiles there is a river of contempt for the western backpacker. Behind the dirt-cheap food and accommodations are some very long work hours and very little money. It’s hard to imagine that the average Thai worker, who is likely older and much poorer than the average twenty-something backpacker, would have a fountain of positive feelings for the many foreigners crisscrossing the country. But then again, the graciousness seems impossible to fake.

So here we (Sabrina and I) are, under the graces of Thailand. It always takes a few days to get back into the swing of travel, when the simplest tasks can teeter on the edge of predictability.Kind of like being a kid again, smart enough to know how things work, but only most of the time.

Bangkok suffers from all the traffic congestion you would expect of a city of 8 million people and river taxis are a convenient way to beat the traffic. Well, they’re called river taxis, but really they’re river buses. They hold a lot of people and only stop in designated areas. An all-day tourist pass lets you ride up and down the river and maximize your sightseeing potential. They even have special tourist boats that are bigger and come with an almost-English tour narration. The Thai people cram themselves into the smaller and cheaper commuter boats.

Each taxi stand (ahem, bus station) has a concrete platform, planted firmly in the ground, and an adjacent metal dock, which bobs relentlessly up and down and squeals awfully against the metal guideposts. Boats come zipping up to the dock and stay for only a few seconds before continuing on their way.

Sabrina and I took the river taxi into the heart of Bangkok to visit the Grand Palace, where the royal family has held state affairs for the past 200 hundred years. Also, everything is very shiny. The man in charge of handing out brochures as people file in past the ticket-taker gave me the English version. With his hand still resting on the pile, he paused, looked at Sabrina, and then turned around to retrieve the Chinese translation. I kept asking Sabrina to explain to me the significance of each building, but her explanations were always a little suspect.

Grand Palace, Bangkok - Thailand 2013

Grand Palace, Bangkok - Thailand 2013

We returned to the river taxi with our all-day-tourist-special pass ready to go. We got there just in time to see our big tourist boat pulling away. The dock attendant, an older, no-nonsense woman looked at us with disappointment. We showed her where we wanted to go next and figured we’d just have to wait a half hour for the next tourist boat. This wasn’t exactly true though, because technically we could take any boat, we just didn’t understand the colored flag system used to denote the route of each boat. When we ignored the next commuter boat, the attendant was very unhappy. She took her job seriously, and getting us on the right boat was part of her job. She then shooed us off the bench and out onto the floating dock. We were not going to miss the next boat. I should point out that waiting on the dock is not where you want to be. It moves up and down in an unpredictable way. It’s loud. It’s a stepping-stone. People don’t wait on the dock.

By now, I had unfolded the paper schedule and could plainly see that the next boat, our boat, was coming in 15 minutes. This meant we had to stand out on the dock, clutching the rail, for 15 minutes. In a normal state of mind, I would have gone back to the bench on solid ground, and waited there. But I was in that funny state of mind where the world is unpredictable and stern attendants of the river taxi authority are not to be defied. So we just stood out there for 15 minutes, like a couple of assholes.

But the world is unpredictable. Just a few days later we heading to northern Thailand on a comfortable but aging bus. Seats were limited, so Sabrina and I sat across the aisle from each other for a few hours. When the seat next to Sabrina opened up, I moved over. I had my laptop out and was catching up on The Daily Show when out of nowhere the bus came to a hard stop and a half gallon of water came pouring down on the person sitting in my old seat. I think it was a build-up of A/C condensation that got sent through the vent when the bus lurched. It could have easily been the end of my laptop. At least I didn't have to get mad at the universe and could instead laugh at someone else's misfortune, which is definitely better.

The historic city of Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 and by 1700 was one of the largest cities in the world with a population of one million people. In 1767 it was destroyed by the Burmese army, prompting the rise of Bangkok.

Ayutthaya - Thailand 2013

Ayutthaya - Thailand 2013

Sukhothai, founded in 1238 was the capital of the Thai Kingdom for 150 years.

Sukhothai - Thailand 2013

Sukhothai - Thailand 2013

The night market in Chiang Mai has an impressive collection of vendors selling all manner of items. Food stalls line the streets for blocks on end. After pushing our way through the crowded streets for a few hours and sampling small bites of food it was time to eat something more substantial, like a grilled half-chicken. We bought the chicken before thinking about how we would eat it, or where we would sit, as space was at a premium. Off in the corner were picnic-style tables, but as we sat down, I realized they were reserved for the customers of another vendor. The server came to us expecting us to order food although we already had our styrofoam containers opened full of chicken. I made a hasty decision and picked something off the menu, which turned out to be something awful. I would describe it as a giant plate of cole slaw mixed with rotten fish. I tried not to make a face after taking the first bite, hoping I could coerce Sabrina into eating it, but no such luck there. What to do with this food became a bit of dilemma. Obviously the first thing we did was finish the delicious, smuggled chicken. But then what? Do we get up and pay for the uneaten dish (which was only ordered out of obligation)? Is that rude or insulting? I don’t know. What I do know is that instead of acting like adults, we did something else. While carefully monitoring both the cook and the server, Sabrina and I frantically shoveled the food from the plate into the now empty styrofoam containers with a very tiny plastic fork, like a couple of assholes.

Night Market, Chiang Mai - Thailand 2013

Chiang Mai - Thailand 2013

One of my favorite stops in 2003 was Pai, nestled in the green mountains, situated on an idyllic river. It was an unexpected surprise, when someone at my guesthouse said they were going there because they “heard it was cool”. It was a low-key place, surrounded by natural beauty. I spent a few days motorbiking around and being very happy. In 2010 I was in Chile, hiking in Patagonia, where I met a few guys who had just been to Thailand. When I mentioned Pai to them, they looked at each other and slowly said that Pai was the only place the didn’t like! What?! Now I see why. It has exploded in popularity with foreigners and Thais alike. Over 500 resorts/guesthouses now surround the area. The $2/night bungalows were washed away in a 2005 flood and everything has been rebuilt. It is not quite the same place. But still, the attraction of the mountain valley has not changed. Rice fields, rivers, waterfalls,mountains, these are all good things.

Pai - Thailand 2013

Pai - Thailand 2013

Situated ten miles from the Myanmar border, in a deep mountain valley is Mae Hong Son, an area associated with the Padaung people, Myanmar refugees known for their “long-neck” traditions. Their presence as a tourist attraction is controversial. The tradition of using metal coils to gradually push down their collar bone structure (hence the appearance of the long neck) was on the decline, but it then became a way to earn money. They live in tightly controlled villages where foreigners pay to visit, take pictures and buy trinkets. On one hand, it is a bit of a “human zoo”. On the other hand, as refugees, they don’t have many options for making money. Some people argue that the tourist appeal keeps the Thai government from properly integrating them into society. Other people say that the villages help preserve traditions. It’s a tricky situation.

The villages are tucked back into the mountain forests, far away from any towns. The women spend their days making scarves and other handicrafts, which they sell in little kiosks which line the main street. Walking down the street was slightly awkward, especially when we had no desire to buy anything and everyone is so eager to sell you something. In retrospect, we should have made more of an effort to just have a chat with a few of the women. It's hard though, what do you say? Do they even want to talk, or do they just want to sell you something so that you will leave? Their demeanor was very friendly, and they are happy to smile for the camera, but it must get old, day after day.

Mae Hong Son - Thailand 2013

Mae Hong Son - Thailand 2013

One of the great party beaches of the world is on the island of Koh Phangan, home to the Full Moon Party. The party origins go back to 1985, when it was a relatively small affair. Now, every month, twenty thousand people (or more) show up for the party, which lasts until sunrise. It’s difficult to describe the scale of the operation. Nightly,drinks are sold by the bucket at dozens of kiosks that line the streets and beach. There is also an alarming concentration of emergency medical clinics, followed by lots of bandaged arms and legs. Between the careless motorbiking and the flaming jump ropes, there is ample opportunity to injure yourself. Great stories could be had by just camping out at one of the clinics and interviewing the people that showed up. One night we noticed large drops of blood, leading a clear trail down the middle of the street for two city blocks.

We arrived a few days early in order to lock down accommodations. As more and more people filled up the tiny beach town, all I could think about was that this event, which feels like a millenium party, happens like clockwork every single month. It's international spring break times ten. And everyone seems happy to be a part of it. The clean-up crews do a hell of job, keeping the beach almost litter free. The party is not without controversy though. It is obviously a fertile ground to breed bad behavior, and there is no doubt some negative impact on the environment and culture. Given all this, it says something that it even exists at all after all these years. To sustain the unsustainable is definitely a feat.

A great aspect of the party is that it is truly a beach-wide free for all. Each bar has it's own DJ, mixing their own blend of music, but there are no tickets to buy or restrictions on carrying drinks. Skilled fire dancers attract crowds to some bars while fiery limbo contests happen next door. Say what you will about the obnoxious crowd, at least they are having fun.