Thailand

Si Satchanalai Historical Park

Posted on December 19, 2016 by JimG

December 19th, 2016

I wasn’t done with my inner Indiana Jones, so I had a driver take me to Si Satchanalai Historical Park which is about an hour from the Sukhothai Historical Park. Si Satchanalai means “city of good people” and was founded in 1250 as the second kingdom of Sukhothai. Like the historical park in Sukhothai, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and since it is the lesser known of the two historical parks in Sukhothai there were hardly any people in the park.

To get around the large park, we could either take the park’s tram, rent a bike or walk.  There was no way to cover the entire park walking so we elected to take the bikes.  I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about riding a bike.  I found myself trying to figure out when the last time I rode a bike.  The bike at the gym doesn’t count since it doesn’t go anywhere which means I haven’t ridden a bike since I first moved to Los Angeles and learned that LA is not a bike friendly city.

I nervously got on the bike and began to pedal.   Just like the saying says, “like riding a bike – you never forget”.  What I forgot was how empowering riding a bike can feel. It was my main mode of transportation long before I learned to drive a car!  During the summers, I spent most my time riding my bike.  I wish I had rented a bike the day before, I had a lot of fun! Besides a close call with a school teacher with her students, there was no mishaps.   Continue reading →

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Sukhothai Light show

Posted on December 18, 2016 by JimG


December 18th, 2016

While researching my trip, I read that there is a sound and light show at the historic park on Saturdays and Sundays.  The author went on to add that it was one of the best kept secrets, it wasn’t advertised anywhere and when he went, the park was empty.  I intentionally went to Sukhothai on Sunday so that I could see the monuments lit up at night.  In honor of the late King, the park is free through December and it is not only lit up on the weekends but all week long as well.

After walking around the park late in the day, Sophon and I decided to get something to eat.  We found a row of food stalls in one corner of the park.  We purchased a few things and then sat on a bench to eat it.  Thai people love street food and there is no shortage of it.  As we sat, I realized that I was probably the only tourist in the entire group of people. I also realized that although I was the only non-thai in the bunch, nobody stared or made me feel out of place.  That says something both about the food and the people. Continue reading →

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Sukhothai

Posted on December 18, 2016 by JimG

Dec 18th, 2016

As much as I loved my luxurious stay at the JW Marriott in Phuket, it wasn’t much of a cultural experience.  My next stop was Sukhothai which I saw a picture of, in all places, a Microsoft Windows Desktop Theme.  After a little research, I found out the name of the place and discovered it was a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Sukhothai (means the dawn of happiness) was the first capital of Siam 800 years ago in the 13th Century.

It was a bit off the beaten path which made it even more enticing, better yet, there weren’t chains of hotels charging inflated prices.  My hotel was less that $35 per night and it included breakfast! A lot of history to see and it doesn’t cost a fortune!  Sukhothai seemed like a place I would like.

As I flew in, I could tell that there was a lot of agriculture in this area.  When I landed I was surprised to see that corn was being grown next to bananas, in fact, they seemed to be growing about everything including mangos, melon, rice, dragon fruit, sugar cane and morning-glory (with the greens used extensively in southeast Asian cooking). Continue reading →

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Big Buddha

Posted on December 17, 2016 by JimG

Big Buddha

December 17th, 2016

After seeing Wat Chalong, it was on to see the Big Buddha that sits on the highest peak in the area.   It is 45 meters high and made of white marble. It is massive and impressive.  Construction to build the Big Buddha started in 2004 and although the Buddha statue is complete, the area surrounding the Buddha is still under construction.   Funding for the project comes from donations.   More impressive than the Buddha is the 360 degree view.

On our way up to the Big Buddha as well as we can down the hill, I noticed that there were at least a dozen stops with animal being the main attraction.  Elephant rides, Cobra Shows, Bird Shows, Monkeys, snakes and I am sure there were others.   I don’t like seeing animals used as attractions and worst, made to perform.  I saw a handful of elephants, each chained up where people could buy bananas to feed the elephant or for an added fee, they could ride the elephant.  Sad!

 

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Watt Chalong

Posted on December 17, 2016 by JimG

December 17th, 2016

This morning it was off to see Wat Chalong, a Buddhist temple in Chalong on the Southern end of Phuket.  It took over an hour to get from the hotel which is in the North part of the Island to Chalong wich is in the south part of the Island.  Not sure why, but I thought Phuket would be about the same size as Ko Phi Ph, but it isn’t, Phuket is many times larger.

We arrived at Wat Chalong to hear a lot of loud pops and sea of smoke.  Many Thai locals as well as tourists light firecrackers inside large beehive shaped clay ovens whenever a prayer is answered as a way of celebrating good fortune.  It is very loud and a little bit startling.  I think I heard it four or five times in the 45 minutes I was there.

The main temple is quite beautiful with three floors that you can go up inside. The inside is colorfully decorated with different religious themes. On the top level there is a sacred relic of a fragment of a bone of the Buddha. Continue reading →

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JW Marriott in Phuket Thailand

Posted on December 16, 2016 by JimG

December 16, 2016

It is raining outside so thought I would finally post some pictures of Phuket.  I arrived in Phuket on December 13 after spending a day in Bangkok. I flew to Phuket which is a large Island at the very southern end of Thailand where I checked into the JW Marriott.  It is a really nice hotel and I find myself not doing a whole lot.  I am perfectly content sitting by pool and walking around the resort and beach.

This place is huge!  Several swimming pools, almost a dozen restaurants and plenty of activities.  My room is on the first floor and just outside my door is the adult pool.  I have nothing against children but am enjoying the quiet.

The restaurants have been very good and the staff has been outstanding.  I don’t have a single complaint and although hanging out in a tropical resort doesn’t necessarily feel like the cold snowy Christmases that I grew up with, I could get used to this!

Continue reading →

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Phuket Town

Posted on December 15, 2016 by JimG

December 15, 2016

I had read in a travel guide that transportation in Phuket is terrible with a limited amount of metered taxis and bunch of overpriced chartered cars.  Normally, transportation in Thailand is relatively cheap with a variety of options including Tuk-Tuk, taxi, van, or boat.   I quickly learned that the travel-guide was right, to get anywhere, we had to arrange transportation through the hotel which came at a price.

I also learned that there is Phuket the Island and Phuket the Town.  The Island is quite large and it took about 45 minutes from the resort to get to Phuket Town aka The Town.  Sophon and I headed into Town for a few hours to check out “old town”.   On our way we went through a few cities as well as a few rubber tree plantations.  As we wandered around looking at the colorful Sino-Portuguese architecture looking for  an air-conditioned restaurant serving local food, I couldn’t help but admire the old buildings that housed hip and modern establishments. I hadn’t seen anything like this before in Thailand. Continue reading →

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Bangkok Chinatown

Posted on January 9, 2016 by JimG

IMG_2639January 9th, 2016

Last night before going home.  Instead of sitting around the hotel, we headed to Bangkok’s Chinatown.  I had been there on a previous trip but during the day as opposed to the night.  It took on a very different ambiance.  It wasn’t just the lights, during the day there were a lot of gold shops along with food markets.  Although crowded during the day, it was busier at night and there was a lot of street side dining.

As before, I noticed things such as bird’s nest soup (with actual bird nests) and shark fin soup.  Not sure I would have tried either of those but there was plenty to choose from.

 

Continue reading →

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Monkey Beach

Posted on January 8, 2016 by JimG

IMG_2597January 8th, 2016

Monkey Beach was the last stop on the Mr Mote boat tour.  Needless to say, Monkey beach is named because there are monkeys on the beach.  I always find it interesting to watch monkeys because they amazingly human-like.  I almost find it eerie.

Although the monkeys are cute, looks can be deceiving.  Monkeys are smart and they can be devious.  I have seen where they grab food from people.  I have also seen them grab and steal things in an effort to coax people to give them food in exchange for the item they stole.

Fortunately, these monkeys were pretty well-behaved spending their time eating the fruit and nuts that had fallen to the ground along with the some of the fruit some of the tourists brought. They didn’t seem to be fazed by the people who were approaching them and hardly paid any attention to them. Continue reading →

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Pileh Lagoon

Posted on January 8, 2016 by JimG

January 8th, 2016IMG_2528

The next stop on our tour around Ko Phi Phi was Pileh Lagoon.  As we entered the lagoon, there was a stream of boats going in and out, Mr Mote told us that we would have lunch first as the tide would go out preventing the larger boats from going in.  It was tough finding shade on the beach, but I managed.  As we ate, the stream of boats slowed and by the time we parked in the middle of the lagoon, the number of boats had dropped.  We spent an hour taking in the scenery while other people posed for pictures while jumping off the boat.

Between this tour and the tour we took in Krabi, we saw a lot of beautiful beaches.  I found myself saying over and over again, this is what is meant when someone says tropical paradise.  Continue reading →

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