Thailand – Page 4 – On the Loose Live

Photo Post 1: Little girl carrying her baby brother, Karen Hill Tribe

May 2, 2017May 5, 2017livevigorously

This might be my favorite photo of my entire Thailand trip. In one of my trek posts, I mentioned the big hill climb up to the Karen Hill Tribe village. The morning we departed, this 5-year old girl was walking up the steep, long hill with the umbrella in one hand shielding her 2-week old brother whom she was carrying in her other.

She wasn’t alone. Her mom was by her side.

Karen hill tribe girl carrying litte bro and Mom

Railay Rocks!

April 30, 2017October 6, 2017livevigorously

Spectacular scenery, iconic limestone crags of monolithic proportions rising out of the Andaman Sea – that’s Railay.

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When I arrived by longtail boat, I checked into my hotel and took a walkabout to stretch my legs after the taxi (half hour), ferry (2hr), bus (2 hr) minivan (half hour with1 hr delay) and longtail boat ride (20 minute) – phew!

Actually, it wasn’t bad at all. It’s extremely easy to get around in Thailand. My full day of travel was coordinated by 1 agency for $33. Travel agencies are almost as ubiquitous as 7-Eleven’s here. Tip: It can be worthwhile to check with different agencies if you are looking for a specific itinerary and time. Some offer more choices than others.

I’ve been touring up and down Thailand for 3 weeks and the only wild things I’ve seen so far are some unruly Americans and Australians, feral cats, bats and myna birds. Accessible only by water, this tiny peninsula is literally crawling with wild things. And I’m not just talking about the rock climbers who flock here from around the world. Here there are macaques running amok, water monitors skulking about, squirrels flying overhead, and apparently some dusky langors in hiding too. You just follow the boardwalk from the pier in East Railay and head for West Railay Beach. When you make that right, you are in what I call monkey alley.

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Tip: Pay close attention to your belongings (monkey’s steal) and keep an eye out for movement on the rocks. Monitor lizards blend in well, but you can detect them with a keen eye. They are a bit noisy going over brush, tree limbs or leaves so keep your ears open too.

Awesome, right? I know! And all within the first 20 minutes of my arrival. Next to a conspicuous “Danger” sign was a rope climb / hike to a vista point that beckoned to me. I’m a wee bit leery of heights and hence not the biggest fan of rock climbing though I’ve done it before. This looked a bit sketchy…To be continued…

Ayutthaya is for the bats

April 26, 2017livevigorously

From Sukhothai, Ayutthaya is an 8 hour bus ride. Feels like another déjà vu travel day, except this time I made the trip in the luxury of the VIP bus. (About $12 – AC, roomy seats with legroom, a stewardess and wifi.) Well wifi was the promise – it was spotty at best so I caught up on my photo sorting and editing. I was heading South so a stop in Ayutthaya was on the way.

Also, did I mention that the open air bus terminals are clean and quiet and don’t allow smoking? Very civilized indeed.

About Ayutthaya

The ancient city of Ayutthaya, or Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, is a former capital of Thailand and the ruins there are designated as an UNESCO world heritage historical park. Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 by King U-Thong when the Thais were forced southwards by northern neighbors. Over the next 417 years, 33 Kings of different dynasties ruled the kingdom until it was sacked by the Burmese in 1767.

Note: This is also a good place to rent a bike to tour around the park.

I must say, after the immaculate splendor of Sukhothai Historical Park, Ayutthaya was a big letdown. Felt like a déjà vu too with similar ruins as Sukhothai, but Ayutthaya Historical Park is in ruin itself. Unkempt grounds with overgrown weeds, graffiti and litter. Perhaps its close proximity to Bangkok has made it suffer or maybe the community has not made preserving it a priority, who knows?

Tip: Sukhothai is my pick if you have to choose between the 2 historical parks. That being said many of the ruins at Sukhothai have signs that they have been reconstructed so it may be that Ayutthaya is more authentic.

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Had a close encounter with some bats in the belfries of one of the temples – hence my post title.

Exploring Sukhothai Historical Park

April 23, 2017June 15, 2017livevigorously

Started the day with a 6am swim at the Imperial Chang Mai Sports Club Resort’s 55 meter pool. Perfect pool for triathletes and swimmers minus the poor air quality here. I’m told the air is only bad for 6-8 weeks of the year due to the slash and burn technique used by regional subsistence farmers. By clear cutting and burning plants, the soil is temporarily revitalized and made fertile for crops. Educational efforts are underway and there is growing momentum to switch to less eco-invasive terrace farming and rotating crops instead. Of course, old ways die hard and progress is slow.

Wanted to get a workout in before sitting on my butt for the seven hour bus trip from Chang Mai to Sukhothai. (Second class with AC is just ~$9. Great, easy, cheap transportation. I think the short taxi ride from the bus station to the hotel in Sukhothai was more…)

Anyway, the long trip was definitely worth it – Sukhothai Historical Park did not disappoint. And a public bus ride here is so much better than in the states. It’s clean and everyone keeps respectfully quiet, even the children. Cell phone use is kept to an absolute minimum. By the way, if you make it here, renting a bike is the way to go – only 90 cents. The ruins (some reconstructed) are amazing. The park is immaculate (fastidious workers around every corner) and there are shady trees and moats to offset the scorching heat. Go early to avoid crowds and higher temperatures.