Day 13:
We set out our luggage at 7:30 this morning, ready to be loaded on the bus for our ride to the Chiang Mai airport and our flight back to Bangkok. Our usual fantastic buffet hotel breakfast, then, farewell to northern Thailand as we boarded our flight.
I think, of what I saw of Chiang Mai, that it was my favorite city during this adventure. The city was bedecked with flowers that lined the boulevards, surrounded by a moat in front of the remnants of the 13th century city wall. The markets, the attractions, the more temperate climate all made Chiang Mai a very special place.
After a quick ride to the airport we boarded our Bangkok Airlines flight which lasted all of 55 minutes. It was long enough for a Thai-style lunch service. Stepping out of the airport we were quickly reminded what we hadn't been missing about Bangkok. The heat and humidity hit us over the head like a ton of bricks. Welcome back!
The ride back to the hotel took longer than the flight. It was kind of comforting to be back in the same hotel where our adventure had begun two weeks ago. Our group gathered around Anil one last time as we each received our room keys from him for the final time. Each couple handed him an envelope with his tip in it and he thanked us placing his hands together and touching them to his head, in the Thai way of saying thank you. We were all effusive in our praise to him with regards to his performance as our guide. I assured him he was THEE best guide we had ever had. The moment was kind of anticlimactic really. He was grateful but there was no group hug thing or kisses on both cheeks like the French would do. We all just said thank you and then went our separate ways.
Leslie and I headed off to visit the home of Jim Thompson, the American ex-pat who fell in love with this country and it's people after World War II and decided not only to stay but to make it a better place. He was instrumental in restarting the Thai silk industry that had almost disappeared. He gathered several old traditional Thai-style buildings on property he had purchased and then after lovingly restoring them, filled them with stunning antiquities from all over Asia. He finished it by landscaping the grounds with lush plants and trees and placed cooling ponds around the grounds stocked with exotic fish. Sadly, Mr. Thompson mysteriously disappeared in 1967 without a trace. But he left behind a beautiful legacy.
Back at the hotel, I headed for the pool in the 8th floor outdoor garden. It felt great to feel the heat of Bangkok just slip away.
Day 14:
It has come down to the final day of our Thailand Adventure and I must admit to feeling a bit melancholy. We'd said our goodbyes yesterday afternoon, but when we went down to breakfast this morning, there sat Anil and a few other hangers on. So goodbyes had to be expressed all over again. It might have been better to have just been dropped off at the airport when we arrived back in Bangkok yesterday, boarded our flight home and been done with it. Sigh.
We look forward to sharing photos with the folks on our tour. We passed around a copy of all our e-mail addresses so we could do that.
Our last day in Bangkok before heading off to the airport in the afternoon was all just about repacking our suitcases as efficiently as when we prepared to leave on the trip, taking a final swim in the hotel pool and then sitting around waiting for the appointed hour to head to the lobby and catch our shuttle to the airport.
So, let me finish with a few thoughts about this trip.
My initial feeling about Bangkok hasn't changed much since my arrival. It is big, very hot and humid, the traffic is an absolute nightmare most of the day. It is a pedestrian beware city. The sidewalks are uneven and difficult to walk on in many places, made even more difficult since pedestrians are fair game to any motor scooter driver that finds it an easier route to get where they want to go. Seldom does anyone stop for a pedestrian, unless they are lying in the street.
We finally found out that, at least in the area where our hotel was located and where most tourists stay, that keeping above the traffic is the best way to get around. Heads up! The Sky Train will whisk you along to most of the tourist hot spots in air conditioned, if not crowded, comfort. And the elevated walkways adjacent to the stations allow you to stay above the traffic and walk right into most of the major shopping centers. Come down from the elevated Sky Train walkways when you need to go to a street level shop or up a side street to your hotel or a restaurant.
Do your outside activities early in the day or as late in the day as you can. The earlier morning hours can be comfortable but by around noon it gets pretty intolerable. By early evening though, when the sun has set, the temperature begins to drop a bit, the sun is no longer bearing down and, if you're lucky, a soft breeze will come up. Then eating al fresco or walking the night markets becomes fun. There is a practical reason for these night markets being--at night!
Please keep in mind that I am not a lover of heat or especially heat when accompanied by high humidity. If you don't mind those conditions, then you'll love Bangkok.
My only other criticism of Bangkok is the noise. Traffic, hordes of people, I am just not a big fan.
Now, having said all that, Bangkok is a hopping, happening place. If you want an exotic, lively, urban vacation spot you should see Bangkok. Like most capital cities, Bangkok is the place to go to see the country's culture concentrated. It's music, dance, art, politics, night life are all at a fine focus here. It is also a safe (at least we felt that way) place. We never once felt uncomfortable anywhere we went. While people occasionally did want to sell or offer you something to buy (nothing illegal although I'm sure it can be found easily enough) we never felt harassed. The Thai people are warm and friendly, quick to smile and so polite.
Personally, I found the countryside the best place to find the real Thailand. Staying in a thatched roof cottage on the Kwai River, cruising the Mekong in a long tailed boat, the Floating Market and the Train Market, visiting the hill tribe villages, the elephant camp, were the high points of the trip for me. Don't come to Thailand without a visit to these places. And as you travel further north the temperature falls to a much more tolerable level. Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai were both much more comfortable places than Bangkok even during the hottest times of the day.
I am glad we traveled here on a guided tour though people do it all the time on their own. College students and young adults back packing their way across Southeast Asia is a common sight. But we found few with english language skills enough to be able to answer our questions or give directions. Even in the bigger hotels it was often a challenge. I am sure it is our demographic that drives these tour companies to a great extent. We like our creature comforts and it was nice not to have to haul our luggage through the hot streets of Bangkok trying to locate our hotel. The success of our trip was helped immensely by the fact that we had a small group that got along well. It was especially great because our guide, Anil, was so amazingly competent. I can't say enough about the fantastic job he did. He understood, not only the Thai culture, had flawless english down to the correct use of idioms, had a great sense of humor, and used his knowledge of our culture to help us understand his. He went over and above the call in finding little experiences, not on the itinerary to add even more special moments to our trip. Stops at the bamboo rice hut and the star (rats) meat hut, the temple celebration and parade, the rice paddies, the salt processing fields, even the little exotic candies he'd pass around the bus, sharing his family photos, all added to the specialness of our Thailand adventure.
Oh, one more thing. About our flight. We traveled to Thailand in two legs as I mentioned early in this series. LAX to Taipei and Taipei to Bangkok. The first leg took us 13 hours aboard a 747. The second required a transfer to another 747 and took about 2 hours. I was genuinely hopping for even a modicum of civility with China Airlines. I must say I was very disappointed. The seating, which should have been a little roomier considering the duration of the flight, was no better than any American domestic airline and I believe I have mentioned my disdain for American airlines many times in blogs past.
The food? Well, drum roll please! We have a new winner for thee worst airline food in the industry. The award goes to......China Airlines. Awful! Inedible! If this Chinese airline were owned by the People's Republic of China, the chef in charge of the cuisine would be tried and then shot! Unfortunately it is not and we are the sad beneficiaries of it.
So, My suggestion is to choose another air carrier when traveling in Asia. Do I have any suggestions? Sorry, no. The current state of affairs in the airline industry where economy travel is concerned is abysmal. It is little more than a Greyhound bus with wings. So, pick your poison. Good luck.
I hope my Thai Adventure blog entries have been helpful whether you are planning a trip to Thailand or living it vicariously by reading my blog and viewing my trip slideshow. This was an amazing adventure and Thailand is a special place. For now, with apologies to my Thai speaking friends--
Tieow hai sa nuk, good bye for now.
Watch for my upcoming blog series when I travel to Spain and Portugal. A little later I will write about our adventure in traveling to the major eastern Canadian cities or Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa. Then we will swing down into Vermont and upstate New York. Lots more exciting travel adventures in the weeks ahead.
I look forward to your comments about any of my blog entries and if you'd like to receive my blog automatically, sign up for it on the side bar on the right.
Bon voyage!
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