Go West Young Man…Return & Party…Then head South.

Hello everyone! I know it has been a while since my last update, but I have been traveling and recovering from traveling over the last few weeks. This blog post will cover my trip to Kanchanaburi Province in the West, Songkran (Thai New Year), an EDM Festival, and a lengthy island trip to the Gulf of Thailand, and then a few other small things to wrap up at the end.

DISCLAIMER:
*I am not going to proofread the following. Please forgive any mistakes.
**This is my cultural experience, please don't judge.
Kanchanburi

One week after returning from Nepal, my Thai New Year break began. I took the first 5 days of the holiday traveling to the West. The night before departure was spent in Chinatown, Bangkok. We had dinner and walked around a bit. Looking back, I realized it was my first Chinatown experience anywhere in the world. The most remarkable thing of the evening was me eating an entire bowl of noodles with chopsticks.

We left early in the morning for the public train station. The train is older, slower, less comfortable, and not air conditioned, but it is cheap. For Thai people, it is free. For white people, it is 100 baht. Again, being a student didn't provide a discount. The train took 6 hours, but it went crossed the Bridge Over the River Kwae (Which many westerners know as the "Bridge Over the River Kwai" because of the 1952 World War II film). Approximately 13,000 Allied prisoners of war and between 80,000-100,000 civilians died constructing the infamous "Death Railway" connecting Thailand and Burma. The bridge was later bombed by the British and has since been reconstructed.

After the hot 6 hour train ride, we disembarked and then got on a bus for a four hour journey further West. The bus was nice. Imagine the nicest, most modern coach bus you have ever been on. Then imagine that same bus if it had been built in 1968. The 1968 version is the one we got. At leas the bus went faster than the train, which meant more airflow.

The first full day West of Kanchanaburi, we rented a motor-scooter and drove nearly to Burma (Myanmar) in search of a waterfall, only to discover we went the wrong way and that the waterfall was closed for safety reasons anyway. We visited a temple and a stupa and then made our way to a remote river that had bamboo huts. We sat in the water and enjoyed the music being played by families also enjoying the cool water.

We returned to the city of Kanchanaburi. We visited the bridge again, this time on foot. After, we got dinner at an Italian restaurant. I ordered pizza and ham & mozzarella spring rolls. I also had a few drinks. I'm still unsure of how it all unfolded, but the next thing I knew I was standing in front of a crowded restaurant singing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" with some English guy. My first Karaoke experience.

The final day of the Western trip we spent at Erawan National Park. The main attraction is a 7 tiered waterfall. We hiked all the way to the top, without shoes, and then back down. In all, I walked about 5,000 meters over rocks with no shoes on. The park was crowded as Thai families began celebrating their Songkran holiday.

While I was away exploring the rural areas to the West, Stenden 2.0 (other students from my building) moved from Thailand to Bali. I was sad I couldn't see them go, but I am excited for them as they have new adventures in Indonesia.

Songkran
The day after returning from the West, I prepared for Songkran, the Thai New Year. It is commonly known as the water festival. During the peak of the hot season, everyone gathers with family and friends to bring in the new year by rubbing clay all over each other and then participating in massive water fights. The idea is to wash away the bad and begin the new year clean. I spent one day at Khaosan Road also celebrating. I wish I could have gone to Songkran as a 10 year old because it is most definitely the biggest water fight in the world. Thousands of people pack the streets carrying buckets and huge super-soakers. All persons in the country are considered combatants for the multiple-day H2O battle.

I could only bare fighting in the streets for a couple of hours and eventually made it back to my hotel, Buddy Lodge (probably the nicest hotel on Khaosan Road and I highly recommend staying there). I sat in the beer garden up front near the street where 3 cans of beer were $2.50. I was waiting to meet a friend to head across the city to see EDM DJ Afrojack. I had a few hours to kill so I found a nice place to sit and drink and watch the festivities. After about 20 minutes of sitting alone, a few ladyboys approached me to join them. At first I was apprehensive. I was a bit surprised and also embarrassed. But after a few minutes I realized I was being childish and I went to join them. Who cares what their gender is or what their sexual identity is. They are humans. I am a human. So I boldly went to join them. I can't remember their names, but they were a blast. I had so much fun. They were dancing and yelling and spraying water at people. They kept buying beers and insisting on paying. Anyone that offers me a beer is OK in my book. While I am being candid, I will also admit that ladyboys are much better dancers than most Thai girls I have seen here. People shouldn't be so quick to judge.

AFROJACK
I went with a Thai friend to see EDM DJ Afrojack. I am not a huge fan of EDM music, but I know those types of concerts are awesome (after seeing White Panda and Bassnectar). We got a bucket of vodka and red bull and prepared for an evening of water and bass. For the entirety of the concert, there were huge water cannons spraying the crowd. We got pretty close to the front. Maybe 10 meters from the front row. I could literally feel the bass inside of my body. It was spectacular. All of the Thai people around kept approaching me and asking me where I was from. Of course I proudly responded, "Amerikahhhh." To which they responded, "I love Amerikahhh," and then offered me drinks. I took shots from squirt guns, and participated in group chugs from buckets. I really think I want to bring the bucket fad back to the states…

We got back to the hotel around 3:00 am. I checked out of the hotel around 10:00 am. I got back to Rangsit at around noon. It took twice as long to get back to my apartment for two reasons. First, the busses were running less frequently because of the New Year. Second, I fell asleep on the bus and missed my stop, so I had to get off and then back track on foot. I had just showered and hung my wet clothes out to dry when I heard a knock at my door. I answered and found two of the Finnish exchange students waiting outside. They told me they were going to some Islands in the South and invited me because Rangsit was DEAD. The only stores open were 7-Elevens and I knew I couldn't survive eating toasties, chips, and slurpees for a week so I accepted the invite. We left 3 hours later.

Island Time
The journey from Rangsit to Koh Samui began by taxi to the bus station. It took about 40 minutes. We bought our tickets and had loads of time to kill at the bus station. We did some shopping and I bought a new fanny-pack to wear over my shoulder. I can't risk losing phones or wallets or anything else and all the Thai men carry shoulder bags so really it's just adopting the culture.

The bus took about 10 hours. They had on board entertainment, obviously dubbed in Thai with Thai subtitles. It was a movie called The Impossible. If you haven't seen it, I can wrap it up in a nutshell. It is based on a true story. It depicts the tragic Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004. Ironically, the movie focuses on a Thai island that was destroyed in the Tsunami's devastating wake. It was such a comforting movie as we were traveling to our Thai island for a vacation.

The ferry took about 2 hours and we were on the island around 9:00 am. I found a really nice beach front bungalow near the Finnish girls' hotel for 2 nights with breakfast included. It only cost $42. I will take this time to plug how amazing traveling in Thailand is in terms of cost and how has no one studied abroad here before me?

The islands were relaxed, as usual. We did some beachfront happy-hour hops and pub crawls. We mostly chilled out on the beach. We rented motor scooters one day and drove around. That was a blast.

I know for certain that I could spend the rest of my life living less than modestly on a tropical island and be more than content with my life. Some people come to Thailand for a few weeks and never leave for the same reason…

School
RIC hasn't changed much. Just the standard professors coming late to class or canceling. Information being spread via Facebook and bulletin boards, mostly in Thai. The gym still isn't open. I can't play basketball anymore because the university teams are beginning to practice so that means the "normal people" aren't allowed to use the court. I've resorted to push-ups and sit-ups in my room for physical activity.

We got midterm test results back. I got the highest grade on my only midterm exam. I think it is probably due in large to my English skills. Or the lack of English skills of my classmates. Whatever the case may be, I can still set the curve.

I have also begun playing Pokemon with the fancy cars at school. The parking lots are lined with Mercedes and BMW vehicles. Even the Toyota Hybrids are decked out. Thai Ford Ranger trucks are some of the most badass trucks I have ever seen (and I have lived my life in places where nice trucks are more common than front teeth). There are even some rare Ferrari's, Bentley's, and Ducati motorcycles. One day, I will walk around the parking lot and document all of the nice vehicles my fellow students drive to school.

Food
I love Thai food. It is some of the best food I have ever eaten. But it is getting very difficult to eat noodles or rice every day, three meals a day. I miss bread. I miss avocado. I miss spinach. I miss cheese. I miss good beer.

Photos

Chinatown, BKK

Not the Bridge Over River Kwai, but longest wooden bridge in Thailand

Temporary bamboo bridge, adjacent to above photo

At the river. This family was playing, bathing,  brushing teeth,
washing clothes, and doing dishes in the river. 

"Ultramodern 1960's Coach"

Bridge Over River Kwai (Kwae)

Karaoke with the English guy, Sam.
I randomly bumped into Sam two days later in the chaos at Khaosan Rd

Fishies eating dead skin off my feet = free pedicure

Everyone looks like this after 6 hours on the bus

View from bungalow on Koh Samui

Add caption

Koh Samui Sunrise

THIS ONE IS FOR MY GRANDFATHER, JAMES BALDWIN.
ALL OF THE BOATS REMINDED ME OF HIM.

Nice view found when riding scooters around Koh Tao

Koh Tao Sunset

Some amazing diving in the waters of Koh Tao

Koh Tao sunset

Average bus station (Excluding Bangkok stations)

Bulletin Boards at the International College disseminating important
 information in a language that everyone can read!

Rooftop party with Stenden 3.0

Yea…way better than apple.

Kathmandu

Hello. Again, it's been a while since my last blog entry. Aside from a trip to Nepal, I've been leading a pretty quiet life these last few weeks in Thailand.

Kathmandu, Nepal
My most recent adventure brought me to the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal nestled away in the Himalaya Mountains. While I did enjoy the seeing the country, the best part of the trip was visiting with my Aunt Liz.

The Journey There...
I began my journey at 4:30 am Thursday, March 26. A very good friend picked up from Sita Villa and brought me to the airport. I was flying AirAsia so I made sure to eat a big McDonald's breakfast at the airport. The flight boarded on time and I made my way to aisle seat 11C. I always choose 11C on AirAsia flights because it's the cheapest seat with the quickest access to an emergency access.

The flight wasn't very full. There were about 50 middle school girls. They were very well behaved and quiet. I fell asleep before the plane took off. When I woke up outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia I found a group of girls staring and laughing and taking pictures of me. The reason: the girl next to me, their friend, had fallen asleep and was passed out on my shoulder. It was adorable. When she woke up, she was very embarrassed. I tried to tell her that it was no big deal, but the language barrier just made her even more shy.

I only had a short layover in Malaysia before I was on my way to Nepal. The flight from Malaysia to Nepal was 4 hours long. As soon as I boarded the plane, I was taken aback by the smell. The plane was completely filled with Nepalese migrant workers on their way home. I'm sure they are all great people, but they definitely were not self-conscious about their BO. It was a mixture of curry and cheap cologne. Thankfully, the two guys I sat with were businessmen who didn't smell. They were really friendly. We all shared our food together. It was fun. The flight went pretty quick and it was painless for the most part.

Arriving in Nepal…
I got off the plane with the rest of the passengers and walked onto the tarmac to wait for a shuttle bus to pick us up. It was beginning to rain so I went to grab my rain jacket. As soon as I unzipped my bag I realized that I had failed to remember it. The bus finally came and drove us 200 meters to the terminal. I had met an American family from NC and we were all very confused as to why we couldn't just walk.

Getting my visa was painless and I was on my out of the airport in less than 30 minutes. I got a taxi and started off to Hotel Bliss International. It took a while to get to there because my driver had no idea where it was, although he said he did. Then he asked for a tip. I gave him 20 Thai Baht. At this point, Kathmandu was being treated to near torrential downpours and severe lightning. I decided I would wait out the weather. It persisted all day so I just stayed at the hotel and read, drank beers, and ate delicious Indian food. The staff at the hotel were amazing. They were friendly and more than willing to help. I really enjoyed my stay and looked forward to the next three days...

Day 2
I woke up at 8 and had a full American breakfast included with the room. It was fantastic. Then, I showered and decided to walk around the city. I really enjoy walking around cities when I travel because I find it's the best way to really experience the city. I started out of the hotel with no real destination in mind. I just needed to kill time until I could meet up with Aunt Liz. I walked around for about four hours and that was about all I could handle.

Observations:
Everything is dirty. The air is polluted. The streets are dusty or muddy. There was a lot of garbage. There are a lot of poor people (the avg. income is $2200 a year). There were a lot of beggars and destitute people. This was a big difference from what I was used to in Bangkok. I felt so bad, but I don't have the means to help everyone at this point in my life. I was riddled with guilt as I walked past. Worse than beggars were the aggressive street peddlers. I hate being approached and followed while some guy tries to sell me a fake watch. First, I'm already wearing a watch. Second, I don't want some cheap secondhand piece of junk. Third, I am also broke because I am student.

Kathmandu is a bustling city with tons of cars and motorcycles on the street. The roads are anarchy. Everyone is constantly honking their horns. I couldn't handle it. I was overwhelmed and upset and annoyed so I went back to my hotel for a nap.

It got chilly in the evening and started to rain a bit. I bought a really nice wool sweater to keep warm. I never thought 60 degrees could feel so cold.

I met up with Aunt Liz around 5 pm and she informed me that my hotel booking was only for one night, despite what the reception had told me. So I had to hustle back and check out. The Bliss staff were very apologetic about the communication breakdown and didn't charge me for a late checkout. I then moved into the Shangri La Hotel where my aunt was staying. That evening went to a cultural dinner. The Nepali beer was amazing. The rice wine was stout. The food was amazing. There were even different cultural dances.

Day 3
I woke up at 5:30 am. My excitement was through the roof. My aunt was treating me to a mountain flight. We got to the airport and walked through the first terminal, which was a construction site consisting of dirt floors and numerous piles of bricks and rubble. Welcoming…

We boarded the small 20 passenger plane and took off on our one hour flight. Everyone had a window seat. We saw a big part of the Himalaya range. I saw Mt. Everest. It was breathtaking. Although I only saw the mountains from a plane window, it was indescribably beautiful.

We got back to the hotel around 8:30 am and had continental breakfast. The buffet was amazing. I ate so much food and had 4 cups of coffee. I was in Heaven.

We did some site-seeing with a guide. First, we went to a temple complex called "Budanilkantha." We saw a Hindu living goddess. She was about 12 years old and had been a living goddess since she was 5. Her tenure as goddess will soon end as she enters puberty. Apparently she lives in this temple for the whole year and only goes outside 13 times a year. Her life consists of coming to the window for people to see her. My question is, how does a hormonal 13 year old girl return to the real world after having been a living goddess. I guess it looks good on a resume? "If you see here, I was a living goddess for about 8 years…"

The second temple we went to was a Buddhist temple called "Bhouda Stupa." It is the second largest dome stupa in the world. We had lunch and looking over the stupa. It was beautiful and the square where it was located was very nice. While eating at a rooftop restaurant we observed a mother beating her child on the stupa. That was a bit unpleasant. 

The final temple we visited was a Hindu temple called "Pashupatinath Temple." This is where public cremations take place. The bodies are cremated on open-air concrete slabs and then the ashes are washed into the river below. We saw a body being cremated. We also saw a handful of poor children wading around the river, dragging a magnet behind them. I imagine they were sifting through the river in hopes of finding jewelry and gold teeth. It was saddening to see. The temple was disturbing but also intriguing. I was glad when we left.

That evening we went to the house of of the guys who organized my aunt's trek. Their house was lovely and overlooked the city in the valley below. They were extremely hospitable. The beer was cold and the food was phenomenal. There was a girl from Vancouver who also attended. She had just arrived in Kathmandu. She is barely 18 and was beginning a 1+ month stay in a remote part of Nepal where she would volunteer her time to teach English to monks at a monastery. She was by herself. How brave. 
Day 4
On Sunday, we went to Thamel. Which is an area of Kathmandu common among backpackers and travelers to go shopping. I bought a backpack, some shirts, and a bunch of bracelets. Then we settled into a bar to watch the Australia v. New Zealand cricket final with our Australian friends that Aunt Liz is doing her trek with. Australia won handedly. That evening we went to a vegetarian restaurant. I had an amazing pizza. I stayed up with Aunt Liz for a night cap. They had an early morning the next day.

Day 5
I woke up early to have breakfast and say goodbye to the group, and Aunt Liz. It had been a wonderful trip.  I went back to sleep when they left for their trek. When I woke 2 hours later, it was storming outside. I turned on the tv and was pleased to see the WWE Wresltemania Heavy Weight Title Match between Roman Reins and Brock Lesner! I wanted to Roman to win. Things weren't going well and looked as though Lesner was going to win. Then, out of nowhere Roman went on the offense. But, Seth Rollins rolled in and cashed in his "money in the bank". He got lucky and pinned Roman, and by 3-way rules won the Title. Boo. 

I spent the rest of the day hanging at the hotel having beer, coffee, food, and reading. 

Returning to Thailand…
I was more than ready to return to Thailand by Monday evening. My flight was at 9 pm. When I got my boarding pass, I realized that I had been bumped to a later flight in Kuala Lumpur. I now had a layover from 4:00 am until 2:00 pm. 

I boarded the plane in Kathmandu and got to my window seat. It was occupied. I told the guy he was in my seat because I will be damned if I sit in the middle. He argued with me and eventually a flight attendant came and fixed the issue. He moved into the middle seat. This plane was smellier than the plan coming to Kathmandu. I didn't even hide my discomfort and put a bandanna over my face. The guy next to me reeked and he wouldn't stop moving around and bumping me with his elbow. I had given him the arm rest because he was entitled both arm-rests in the middle as per airplane etiquette. Eventually I got so pissed I pinned his arm with my elbow and told him to settle down. He really pushed me over the edge. 

Once I got to Malaysia, I found a nice chair and went to sleep. I woke up around 8:00 and went to exchange the rest of my rupees. As it turns out, no currency exchange in Malaysia will purchase rupees. No big deal, I told myself, I will just pay with my card! WRONG. Almost every restaurant, even McDONALD's, was cash only. I was now tired, grumpy, and hungry. Luckily, I found a Burger King that accepted cards. 

I got back to Thailand around 4:00 pm. I had plans to go out for a friend's birthday, but I was too tired. I was asleep by 8:30 and slept for 12 hours. I didn't wake up once. 

WEDNESDAY
The day after returning, the Stenden students had their going away party. It's crazy that they have already been here for 10 weeks. They invited other exchange students and me. It was a really nice evening. After, we went to the club near the University. 

Tragedy struck. 

I lost my cellphone sometime during the evening. Most likely in the taxi. I now have no phone. Which means no pictures. I am still working out what I should do. 

Currently, I am too poor to buy a replacement phone. I am considering going Thoreau and disconnected from the world. Well, aside from my computer. 

I hate to ask, but if anyone is willing to sponsor the purchase of a new phone, please contact me on Facebook. I found a refurbished iPhone 4 for $120. 

Much love and thanks for reading.