I am "on holiday" in Thailand presently. I left the U.S. on April 4, arriving to my friend Claire, in Surat Thani on April 7 mid-day. It's been an incredibly eventful and true look at Thai life/land.
In this entry:
- Arriving to Claire, bits of Thai culture
- Day at Khanom Beach
Tuesday, April 7: ARRIVED in Suratthani, Thailand. See map above and little red dot. Not a very touristy city, it's mainly a hub to visit the surrounding islands and renowned beaches. My high school friend Claire and her boyfriend, Brandon, are teaching English in Suratthani and will be here through February 2010. Claire's been here for 8 months, speaks functional Thai, and knows all the ins and outs. I have definitely had more of the insider's view because of her, and it's been grand. Tuesday I wandered around the city, noted the smells (not good), the open air meat markets (not appetizing), the ridiculously cheap orchids (amazing), the pace of Thai life in Suratthani, the weird items in corner stores, that everyone owns a motorbike, the lack of any chains (except 711), my love for fresh fruit shakes. Claire and Brandon took me to a woman's food stall/restaurant on the street and ordered a random dish of fish and chicken with sticky rice. So spicy. So good. I learned that if a plate of green vegetables accompany the dish, it signifies an incredible spicy dish. Yum.
Thai's go to bed early and rise early. I'm a fan.
April 8: I set out to KHANOM, a secluded beach about one hour from Suratthani. It's Claire's favorite place, and I wanted to avoid the touristy beaches of Phuket. I'm not a huge beach person, so I didn't mind skipping the tourist spots. I went to the bus station, used the only Thai I knew (Hi, "Go to Khanom", Thank you) to find a minibus (van) to take me. I got kinda lost, the Thai were so kind, and once in Khanom, a guy on a motorbike took me to the bungalows on the beach. It was breath-taking. I was the only tourist -- it was two Thai families and me. Loved it. I hung out on the beach, in the ocean, took long walks in the waves, took a long walk on the beach/climbed rocks to arrive at a restaurant about a mile down the beach. During one of my walks, I joined some Thai kids' soccer game on the beach, got stuck in a huge rainstorm, took cover in a random bar, and the English speaking owner had his driver take me back to my bungalow via motorbike. It was picturesque.
Thai's swim fully clothed and think sunning is silly - that pale white is beautiful - the kids thought I was the weirdest being they had ever seen.
The next morning I walked down the road to a restaurant on the beach for breakfast. The Thai owner who grew up in Khanom and has learned English from tourists, sat and chatted with me over my tea. I was in heaven.
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