We pressed forward from Phetchaburi to Hua Hin by rail which had no A/C, open windows, and vendors power walking back and forth through the train yelling to sell their goods to the locals. We grabbed a boat to Koh Tao where we experienced bad weather but persevered to make the best of the beaches. Here we snorkeled and chilled out at bars and enjoyed the beach sunsets. We went to another island Haad Rin, which is known for full moon parties. It was not a full moon but we thought the town would be somewhat entertaining, we were wrong. The town felt like it was in a constant state of a hangover. It held a small amount of tourist at this time, all in pursuit of getting fucked up and recovery at the same time. After an escape from the plastic littered beach of Haad Rin, we went to the large island Kho Samui and stayed at Chaweng Beach. This was a great area for the tourists but also providing nice market spots to escape the Hard Rock Cafe and Hooters. The Cabaret Paris was our favorite, where Lady Boys danced, lip synced, and pulled me on stage. Yeah, it happened, i danced with lady boys to Celebration by Kool & the Gang. After the shenanigans we all ran away from the ladies as they were asking for tips and being quite handsy with me and Maurin. We finished our time by heading to a beach club to drink, laugh, and watch fire dancers.
We flew up to Chiang Mai to escape the bad weather that the islands were having and to get a different view of the northern parts. Chiang Mai was a large city but not like Bangkok. The middle of the city is a crumbling fortified square with a moat that now has fountains shooting water into the air. Our first hotel was in the middle of a super busy bar scene that hosted "bar girls" luring in men to drink and take advantage of the prostitution services. This was not as annoying as their clientele. Old European, Canadian, and American men in every bar sitting in the company of young Thai women. This was hard to watch, but hard to handle too. We would have men approach me and Maurin for games of pool and camaraderie. And even worse, men approaching Claire and Carolyn for conversations where they would touch their shoulders as they talked. Super weird but not all places were bad, many bars were great, the Madams, pimps, and girls were happy to see married couples and treated us with respect. We adventured around the city checking out temples, markets, and bars. Carolyn found a great tattoo artist who does bamboo tattoos and she went for it. It turned out great and she was sore, but had next to no recovery problems from it.
During our trip in Chiang Mai, we went on a day excursion to Doi Inthanon which is the tallest peak in Thailand (8,415 feet). The first stop was the largest waterfall in Thailand, which was super awesome and powerful. Unfortunately the weather was not as good as we ascended the mountain and we were in the clouds for Naphamethinidon and Naphaphonphumisiri temples and the peak. It was part of the experience though, and we had a great time looking around with a short hike through the jungle to the tallest point of Thailand. Our driver was awesome and felt bad for us and the weather, he took us to a great place for super local food where we ate a chicken and noodle bowl with some amazing spice. He then took us to a Elephant Sanctuary where we washed and made some food for rescue elephants. We went and swam with them which was a super scary adventure. The guys were super nice and educated us about the elephants because they really had a love for them.
Leaving Chiang Mai, we took the night train to Bangkok. This train transformed into bunk beds, and we kind of slept through the night waking with the train speeding through rough tracks and lights from passing towns. Back in Bangkok we shopped for souvenirs for our loved ones and went to some bars to drink to the successful trip. The morning was rough for me and Claire, we left our hotel at 4am to catch our first flight starting twenty six hours of travel home to Phoenix. We Left on a plane Sunday at 6am and walked through our door at 6pm the same day.
Reflecting on the trip, it was super exciting to see the motorcycle culture. Walking is not something you see often, everyone is jumping on a motorbike to weave through traffic to their next destination. I'm a huge motorcycle fan and loved watching a country live by zipping around, sometimes with the whole family on the same bike. Actually, Ordering a drink from the bar sometimes you'll see a scooter break away and minutes later arrive with a bag of beer from the local 7-Eleven to give to the server. It was humorous to see, but that's just the method of operation some of these places have. It's interesting that every place you go to the king's portrait is displayed, it's the easiest game of "I Spy" you'll ever play. I loved the markets and how many small businesses there were. The vendors on the streets and markets were awesome! Coming back to Phoenix, a mecca of fast food and chains, I really miss grabbing something small and easy from these joints. I do feel bad about the parts of tourism that attract destruction to places that are really beautiful like Haad Rin Beach. I understand that party tourism is a large market, but I hope to see a change in that before the environmental damage is irreversible. That being said, I feel like Thailand has such a beauty within its geography and its community. Almost all of the locals we encountered were so nice to us and just all around awesome people. I hope I can make it back and see some more of this fascinating country, it is truly a must-experience place.