Thailand - First Impressions and Second Thought...

A First Time Visit for Me

Thailand is a country where you can find it all and there’s something to suit every kind of person who visits; there’s the nightlife, outdoor activities, blue waters and white sandy beaches, water activities and historic things for those wanting to go back in time.

Overall, my stay in Thailand has been a memorable one and one with great experiences. As I look back at our 4 weeks here, I would have to say that Bangkok was my least favorite place in Thailand. I found it way too touristy for my liking. Perhaps it was the area we stayed in but the area in and around Khao San Road is pretty much like being back home. The number of farang (tourists) is amazing and the ratio of tourists to Thais is pretty much 10:1. Due to this overwhelming number of tourists, the locals here know they can up the prices on certain things (hotels, souvenirs) and I found the locals that work in the service industry to be rather rude. This was the case with our hotel in Bangkok – the Swasedee Hotel. Not only were the front desk receptionists rude to us but they were rude to each other and did not seem to understand the meaning of customer service. We would definitely NOT recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Bangkok as it can definitely add a sour note to your visit. Although Khao San Road is rather touristy, it is definitely one of those places that everyone who visits Bangkok MUST visit to experience the atmosphere and soak it all in but to stay here for more than 3 days would be a waste of valuable travelling time in my opinion.

There are many differences I have seen thus far between Thailand and any other country we have visited in Asia so far. It is much cleaner and easier to get around as many of the locals here have mastered the English language quite well. It makes travelling throughout the country that much easier. There is also no (or none that were visible to me) beggars here. Unlike in other countries, we weren’t hassled or bothered at every turn to buy something or take a tuk tuk (Bangkok is an exception). Locals here seemed to understand the meaning of personal limits and were happy to serve those who were interested and did not seem dependent on tourism for survival.

The rest of our time in Thailand has been amazing. From our elephant/bamboo rafting tour in Chiang Mai to the warm reception at Ban Thai in Sukhothai to the relaxation in Koh Tao, I have thoroughly enjoyed what these other parts of Thailand have to offer. There is so much to see and do in a country as vast as Thailand that it would be impossible to try and do it all. I found this concept rather hard to tackle when we first started our trip as I had this notion of wanting to see it “all” and slowly I have learned that it is better to take your time throughout a country and pick only a few places to visit and enjoy your time in them and allow yourself time to soak in everything they have to offer. To go through a country and check off as many places as you can that you have visited would be a shame and a waste. It’s when you allow yourself enough time in one place that you can really appreciate what that city has to offer and learn more not only about that place but about the people that live there.

Culture in Thailand is prevalent everywhere and being able to stay at Ban Thai and at Blue Wind for 8 days has allowed me to appreciate the Thai culture and appreciate the locals as we have been given an opportunity to get to know them and spend time with them. If you’re in a rush and go from one place to the next, you miss out on these kinds of interactions which most of the time makes the trip that much more rewarding and memorable. To visit a country for its tourist attractions only is a waste of money, you can see these things in photos and TV programs; you have to immerse yourself in its people and culture as well to fully appreciate the country and take something away with you which is invaluable and adds more to the photos and memories you take back home with you.

I look forward to coming back to Thailand one day and experiencing some other parts of the country we were not able to visit this time around. It would also be interesting to come back to places like Ban Thai and Blue Wind where we feel like we are at “home” and see how things have or hopefully have not changed. Whether Chris and I come alone next time or come with family and friends, it’s sure to be another memorable moment in our lives.

~Rav


The Real Thailand to Me

My second visit to this wonderful country was filled with a sense of discovery as well as nostalgia. Although the locations and street names in Bangkok were familiar to me, the activities there were all new. Gone are the small quaint and personable mom and pop guest houses that riddled the Khao San Road area swallowed up by larger, more hectic and impersonal hotels disguised as guest houses. The rooms are smaller, the beds softer, the sheets dirtier, the rooms seldom cleaned until one checks out, the simple things like towels and toilet paper are an extra cost, and the staff - rude and inhospitable. The Tuk Tuk drivers more aggressive and the bargaining that Thailand was know for is almost gone, as shopkeepers wouldn’t even give you the time of day.

This was not the Bangkok I remember from my first visit. Then the family run guest houses would bring you fruit in the afternoon, new towels everyday (free of charge) and stop and talk to you as a person and genuinely interested in your stay. Khao San Road has moved on to a different type of travelling - it would appear that tourism comes first before the culture of the Thai people.

On the other hand places like Chiang Mai and Sukhothai were a pleasant surprise as progress has not taken shape too abruptly here. The experiences we both had at these two cities were what I had so fondly recalled. Chiang Mai with its many, many wats and the people’s dedication to their faith was beyond belief. This city alone contained more than 300 wats all functional in the old part of town. In Sukhothai, the historical ties to the past are prevalent and can be seen in the way the locals speak of the historical park. It would appear that in places like these, the people and culture of Thailand come first in spite of the tourist. These are the true facets of Thailand and its people.

Despite some of the trying experiences we have had while traveling on buses throughout South East Asia, we continue to venture through most of Thailand by bus. Mostly by night to save a couple of dollars here and there on accommodations, and to spend as much time as possible in each of the places we visited.

It is during this bus trip from Sukhothai to Bangkok when our conversations subside to fatigue and daylight to twilight, when I find myself dreaming like a school boy staring out of a classroom window. Here I find myself in constant reflection as I drift in and out of consciousness, swinging back and forth with the bus’ perpetual motion. The ever changing and passing landscape as my background I contemplate. Thinking about my experiences here in Thailand, and the one image that comes to mind is none other than the “Buddha in the Box” with his enigmatic smile; so subtle, so effective, so patient and so contagious. How something as simple as a smile can have such an impact on a culture. It was more than just a smile, it is a way of life. Places like Chiang Mai and Sukhothai elucidates this through their persistence to embody this every trait of their belief. It is a beautiful thing to realize and I hope that Chiang Mai and Sukhothai will remain this way for centuries to come.

~Chris