So it is a week into being in Thailand. Lets see if I can summarise my thoughts. It is really hard, because there is soo much. I have true flight of ideas. Ok lets try starting at the beginning. It still feels like a holiday. It has not sunk in that I am traveling or that I am away for months. Think that will kick in after bout week two.
Thailand is beautiful. Truly is. I would love to say it is unspoilt but sadly it is not. Bangkok was not for me, as I am sure you would of gathered from the previous posts. It is great to escape, yeah it really feels like you escape, to the south of Thailand. We found a great deal at this place. I am enjoying myself, taking in loads, embracing the change. It still feels a hassle to have to get up and apply the sun protection before going for breakfast, thats going to be the case till I come home. Only a fool would go out in this sun without sun protection. The other hassle is moisturising, but has to be done. Oh and don't forget the insect repellent, and for bites Tiger Balm. I'll come back to Tiger Balm later on.
The weather is lovely. It is rainy season in Thailand but we have experienced very little. It is low season on Koh Phagnan at present, so the island is pretty much deserted. But I don't mind. It is hot and sweating is just a part of life now. There is no dignity and no one is spared. Going for a quick dip in the sea help camouflage as well as cool you down.
I have developed a totally new respect for water. Yes water. You will not find me without a bottle either in my hand or close to hand. I am constantly drinking, to help keep me cool and to replace the fluid lost through the sweating. I can appreciate how easy it would be to become ill out here. A little sunburn or diarrohoea and combined with the heat and sweating you could easily become dehydrated and poorly. Hence I am being very careful and making sure I don't burn.
Thai People. The Thai's are lovely. It is obvious that they hold deep religious beliefs. From what I can see there are Christians, Buddhists and I think some Muslim's as the three main branches. The Thai's are a crazy bunch. They drive like maniacs and there seems to be little in the way of road rules. I've seen school children in uniform driving scooters! Lol. It is the total opposite to England and our culture. You have to accept that and go with it.
Going out for meals is an experience. You may all order at the same time, and even order the same thing. But, your food arrives independently of each other regardless. In Bangkok I was still waiting for mine for about ½ an hour after everyone had finished theres. And you might not get what you ordered. But it seems thats the Thai way, and hey whats it really matter. I really enjoy the food here, and try and eat the Thai dishes. We have all been lucky and not developed a 'dodgy belly' really.
From the places I have seen the main source of income is from tourists. Down on the islands their business is also their home. So when you enter a shop, resteraunt or even internet place, you remove your shoes. Half of the ground space is dedicated to their business, then they live in the other part. But there are no walls to separate. There are no separate toilets. So you goto a resteraunt and use the toilet and it has a shower in it and the family's toothbrushes are there. Bizarre, but comforting. It is like they welcome you into their house and their life.
The toilets. Well they have a wide range of toilets in Thailand. I've come across three so far. The first is the 'normal' toilet, or the 'human' toilet as Becky likes to call it. This is the toilet you all have at home. You sit on it and flush the toilet. The second is a similar system, but with no flush. Yeah no flush. You have to pour water from jugs into the toilet to flush it. These toilets don't take toilet paper! The third kind, and I have only seen one of these, is a 'squat' toilet. It is a porcelain bowl in the ground and you literally squat. Enough said. n
So the plan so far is to go across the peninsula of Thailand to Krabi. See some islands there and then goto Phuket. Rachel the F-A-B American, who keeps entertaining us with her stories and her infectious laughter is coming with us. Rachel and Jo are also coming to Krabi with us, but then they are heading north.
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