Thailand - Part 6: Koh Samed

Free breakfast.

That was one of the first things in my mind when I woke up the next morning. It was a groggy morning as we did end up having a few drinks in our hotel room the night prior, but we readily got up and prepared ourselves for the day's activities.

The free breakfast was indeed awesome. They served a wide range of items that we usually wouldn't eat for breakfast such as stir-fried veggies, coconut curry soup and pasta - but of course I didn't care. The 5 of us filled up our plates and took a seat on one of the tables of the patio to enjoy the sunshine.

Mmm, buffet breakfast.

Thailand - Part 5: Koh Samed

A riveting sunset; a calm, embracing sea; the echoes of laughter from the restaurant, bars and beach hoppers; a warm seabreeze caressing our hair. If I worked in a travel agency, this would probably be how I would describe Koh Samed. Except maybe with better words, but oh well.

The first step of our journey was to board a small boat and ride across the ocean to the island of Koh Samed. Thank goodness that numbers are internationally known as all of the words on the signs around the station were in Thai...but we understood enough to know that there was a sailing every hour or so. We nearly got lost while trying to find the station and were a bit confused as to which station we were supposed to go to, but eventually we knew we want to get from 'Bangkok' to 'Banphe'. Good enough.

The timetable for the ferries

Thailand - Part 4: Chiang Mai

The next morning was yet another early day; the four of us had to pack our bags, check out of the hotel, and get aboard the bus to take us to our first tour destination. The transportation was not exactly what I in mind - somehow, I thought there would be a cushy small tour van that would take us to place to place, but instead, we find ourselves in the back of a truck-like taxi vehicle, where we sat on benches along with 6 other people. I didn't mind it though (until one of the benches broke down...but we'll get to that later) :P

Our first stop was a butterfly/orchid farm. In my opinion, it was kind of disappointing. The orchids were indeed pretty and fragrant, but I didn't really know enough about orchids to tell the difference between this one and the other :S. The butterfly farm appeared to have only 1 butterfly. To our horror, the facility used heavy metal chains in the doorway to brutally stop (and kill) any butterfly that attempts to fly though through the "door". It really wasn't very pleasant stepping through the killer metal chains.

Jordan sniffing the orchids.

Another type of orchids

Jean and I posing with the beautiful flowers!

A nice lady took a picture for the two of us

Some of the tourists were more enthralled with the cat

Thailand - Part 3: Chiang Mai

- First Thailand post written by Melody! Pictures to come soon, since Jordan was the photographer and has all the pictures! :) -

We were all pretty tired from our adventures in our first day in Chiang Mai, so we headed back to the hotel and went to sleep promptly.
The next day was an early day; we woke at around 6am in order to get ready to meet with Jean's family, who was going to take us around the town. There were a few confusions however, and we didn't end up leaving until a couple hours later. But during that time, we decided to sign up for a day tour for tomorrow that consisted of elephant riding, river rafting, bamboo rafting and a hike to a waterfall! We were quite excited to get those plans set in stone and ready to go.

Jean's uncle arrive to pick us up, and we set off! The day plan was to visit the San Kamphaeng Hot Springs, and then the Tiger Kingdom. The drive out to the area with all the tourist attractions was quite long, so we felt quite uncomfortable to have to impose on Jean's uncle, but he seemed perfectly fine with driving us.

The San Kamphaeng Hot Springs park was a beautiful place, with many green areas and gardens for family and kids to hang out. It was another blistering hot day, and we walked along the path, following signs that point us to "Hot Springs". There were many other areas of the park including restaurant areas, a mineral pool, buildings for mineral baths, and more! I was quite excited to finally visit a hot springs, but as we got closer, we realized something was wrong. The hot springs were outside in plain view, and were very small. There was a sign indicating that the temperature of the water was 105 degrees Celcius. It also says "Boil egg".

Thailand - Part 2: Chiang Mai

After a long and bumpy ride, we arrive in a deserted little area on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. After freshening up in the small bathroom, we went off to meet Jean's family, north of Chiang Mai. An important note that this is Jean's extended family whom she's never actually met. So it was a first meeting for all of us. Upon meeting her grandfather, he embraces all of us warmly. Just as friends, yet we've never met. The road there is an interesting one for me, as I was sitting in the back of the pickup truck.

As we arrive at their property, we realize how rural the area is and how far we are from everything we know. We are in for an experience. As the truck pulls in, we see many shy children poking their heads out from doorways of the different houses, curious to see the strange visitors who have just arrived. With Jean's help translating, we are quickly introduced and shown the humble accommodations of Jean's family. Baby chickens are snooping around the yard, the wildness is literally on the doorstep - this is a cozy place. It is quiet and serene, but quickly heating up with the rising sun.

Her family graciously serves us a late breakfast and we go exploring around their backyard. We meet a few more relatives and then it is nearly time to return to Chiang Mai. Jean's uncle has found us a room for 300 baht / night  - 10CAD!

 Brushing teeth finally!

Thailand - Part 1: First day in Bangkok

While we have many other updates that we still need to publish, Thailand is by far one of our biggest and most exciting! In the ending days of midterms we quickly snuck away to Thailand for a 9 day trip around three cities, Chaing Mai, Koh Samed, and of course, Bangkok.

This was our first major trip out of Hong Kong (Macau had only been a day trip). We had no idea what would be in store. What we found was sunny heat, liveliness and the smiles of a humble people - the Thai.

To describe our exact summary of events is to write a small essay, so I will do my best to be more succinct but not just list the sequence of our travels.

Our trip began Mar 29th in the early morning with a off-meter taxi ride to Hong Kong airport. The off-meter rides are a discounted method of getting to the airport and back. You just need to phone a guy named Denis. Flight from the airport went well. We were all itching with excitement to get on out and exploring in Bangkok!

Our first location was Khaosan Road - a bustling little area that is informally dedicated to Thailand's backpacking community. It was a bit of a culture shock to see so many young white Europeans! The retro rock music playing on some unseen stereo made me think that I had be whisked away to a 70s hippie experience. The second sensation that literally hit us was the blistering heat: it was bright sun and 37C when we stepped out of our A/C taxi. I instantly regretted wearing two shirts and shoes. I quickly learned to wear a light coloured t-shirt and sandals.

Khaosan Road was our first experience with the food stands that really define Asia. Hong Kong's food stands are become scarce due to regulation, and most of them are larger and built into actual building stalls. The food stands of Thailand are so small (about the size of an ice-cream freezer you see in the corner store) that there is often only enough room on top for the wok and some sauces to the side.

 Khaosan Road!

 Padthai for 35 Baht - 1.1 CAD!

Melody is happy here :)