Thailand Part 1: Khao Lak and Bangkok
I decided to post about our first 10 days in Thailand so as to avoid you all having to slog through a tome at the end of our 3 weeks here (instead you’ll get to slog through 2 half-tomes!).
Our first stop in Thailand was a beach resort in Khao Lak, about a 1-1/2 hour drive north of Phuket, which we chose due to its proximity to the best diving spots around the Similan and Surin Islands in the Andaman Sea on the western coast of Thailand. I was unaware that Khao Lak is also sadly famous because it was the hardest hit part of Thailand in the devastating 2004 tsunami, with over 4,000 confirmed deaths and the destruction of nearly 80% of the buildings in the immediate coastal area. Some of you may have seen the movie The Impossible, starring Tom Holland and Naomi Watts, which was set in Khao Lak, and which recounted the true and harrowing tale of one family caught in the tsunami, or may remember the account of the supermodel Petra Nemcova who lost her boyfriend in the tsunami and only survived herself by clinging to a palm tree in Khao Lak for nearly eight hours despite massive injuries.
The beaches in Khao Lak were beautiful (despite all the Russian tourists - not my favorite breed, to say the least….), and the diving was terrific - especially at Richelieu Rock, which is widely regarded as one of the top 10 dive sites on the planet, for good reason! Unlike an increasing number of coral reefs around the world that have suffered from extensive bleaching due to the rise in water temperature associated with climate change (yeah, I know, we’re supposed to believe that’s fake news….), the corals at Richelieu Rock are pretty spectacular, as is the density of the marine life (one of the dive masters on our boat relayed to us that one of his divers had complained that there were too many fish!)
While in Khao Lak we took the opportunity to attend a Muay Thai match - the Thai style of boxing, which includes punches, kicks, knees and elbows. Kind of like UFC, but all the fighting is done standing up. Pretty brutal. Of the 6 bouts we watched, the loser of 3 of them was knocked out cold
I could have used a few more days of napping on the beach, but as Melanie is wont to say, we can sleep when we’re dead…., so it was off to Bangkok for the start of a 12 day cultural trip across Thailand.
At this point in our Thailand trip and I can say with confidence that foreign languages just ain’t my thing - I’ve only picked up 2 Thai phrases: Muay Thai and Pad Thai - the local noodle dish (in fairness, I already knew that one), as well as the names of the 3 most popular local beers: Leo, Chang and Singha. I guess those 5 Malaysian phrases I mastered on the first leg of our trip used up whatever RAM I had remaining in my aging brain (as Melanie says, the reason we can’t remember anything new at our age is because our brains are still full of the lyrics of all those 1970’s songs we can sing by heart). Luckily you can get a Thai massage without speaking the local language!
A very quick lesson in Thai history because, with the exception of the Vietnam War, this part of the world was pretty much left out of my US education. The Thai monarchy is one of the 10 oldest monarchies still existing. Though it has been a constitutional monarchy for nearly 100 years - meaning the official powers of the King are largely symbolic, Thais take it very seriously, and anyone who defames or insults the royal family can face up to 15 years of imprisonment. The classic movie The King and I is banned in Thailand, as it is considered disparaging of the royal family. While there is much more I could write about this, as they say - discretion is the better part of valor, so I’ll move on and not write about any of the scandals that have been reported involving the royal family (or their dog, Fufu)…..
Some other interesting tidbits about Thailand (formerly known as Siam) which might come in handy at your next trivia night:
- it is the only Southeast Asian country that was not colonized by Europeans;
- in WWII, Thailand was officially allied with the Japanese and in 1942 declared war on the US and Great Britain;
- since 1932, Thailand has experienced at least 12 successful military coups, the most recent one in 2014, with the first post-coup election being held in 2019; and
- the last king of Thailand, Rama IX, was actually born at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA, while his father was studying at Harvard Medical School!
This past Monday we took a quick flight from Phuket to Bangkok, which we have quickly come to realize should really be called Gridlok, due to the ridiculous congestion (cars, motorbikes and tourists of all types).
We’ve spent the past few days visiting most of the iconic sites in and around Bangkok, including the opulent Grand Palace complex, built in 1782 when Bangkok became the capital of Thailand
Wat Pho, the site of the enormous Reclining Buddha (46 meters long and 15 meters high), also dating to 1782
The Floating Market, where vendors line the canal and sell their wares to passing boats (the canal was just as congested as the streets)
On the more contemporary side of things, the rooftop bar that appeared in Hangover 2
And because “When in Rome…..”, one of Bangkok’s famed Go Go Clubs (not one with a ping pong ball show - I won’t explain, but for those of you who have been to Bangkok you know I’m not talking about Marty Supreme 😜)
Yesterday we departed Bangkok to begin our journey toward northern Thailand, where we will spend the next 10 days or so. I’ll be back to you with highlights when that part of our trip is complete.
Happy Valentines Day and Go Red Sox!
Comments
Post a Comment