Two words – chaos and cheap. We’ve never seen anything like it. How can this country possibly function without it all falling apart and crumbling into a horrible mess? Scooters and Tuk-Tuks everywhere, no adherence to the most basic of traffic laws, and 5 foot holes in the middle of a "sidewalk" are common place. The only efficient thing the country has to offer is a pretty easy air travel system. But, the fact that it’s basically impossible to spend more than $5 on dinner for two makes it tolerable. The Thai people themselves are incredibly friendly, and find humor in everything they do. Phuket really reminded us a lot of Mexico, don’t spend more than a day in Bangkok, but Chiang Mai was an absolutely amazing place. We’re not in any rush to go back to Thailand, but it definitely has its strong points as well.
Highs/Best Moments : Limestone Adventures tour of the islands of Phuket, massage @ Legends Spa in Chiang Mai, street food in the wee hours of the night, steering a bamboo raft down the river,
Lows/Worst Moments : Getting bitten by sea lice while snorkeling, the feeling upon checking in at the Layalina, “free” Thai massage at the Layalina, walking down the main street of Patong Beach, impending feeling of death while riding in Tuk-Tuks, impending feeling of death flying out via a plane being held together by little more that duct tape and hope on Air India, throwing up after dinner at Rockfish, the hazy, unbreathable air in Chiang Mai.
Sights : Temples, four people on a scooter being common, tuk-tuks, monks, street vendors, garbage in the ocean, Scandinavian tourists with big guts, massage parlors, broken sidewalks, elephants, stray dogs, tailor shops, old white men with young thai girls, pharmacies, chaos in every form.
Food and Drink : Sticky rice w/ fruit, pad thai, crepes, jackfruit, noodles, Singha beer, chewy candy, fresh vegetables.
FAVORITES :
Towns : Chiang Mai
Accommodations: D2 Hotel, Chiang Mai
Food: Kabob @ D2 Hotel
Restaurants: All street food, particularly Mr. Pad Thai
Drink : Singha beer. But it has to be ice cold.
Activities : Riding elephants, Bamboo rafting, Bargaining, Thai massages
Internet Connection: Relatively fast wireless connections are the norm.
LEAST FAVORITES:
Towns : Phuket, specifically Putong Beach.
Food: Tuna @ Rockfish. I actually threw up!! Bubblegum snow cone with corn and potato.
Restaurants : Rockfish. Stay away from “fine dining” while in Thailand
Drink: Thai wine. They have a lot to figure out still.
Activities: Snorkeling with sea lice.
Internet Connections: Layalina Hotel. We almost had to leave because the wireless connection was so bad. But then I just plugged into the wall and used our own router and everything was fine.
Currency and Exchange Rate: $1 US was equal to 33 Thai Baht
