Getting Wet and Dirty..
Steph and I had so much fun in Chiang Mai, from getting wet on our white water rafting trip, to us getting our bums dirty on the elephants. Today, my blog will feature guest blogger Stephanie Fung... :) Read, and enjoy!
Before I spent a week in this country I thought of Thailand as nothing more than a tropical country known for spicy food and transvestite cabaret shows. Little did I know after spending a week with Nhung in Bangkok and Chiang Mai that this country is so much more than lady boys and fiery cuisine. the first thing that surprised me was how cheap the food and transportation was. my hard-earned Japanese yen goes about 10 times as far in this country. In Japan I use a cab as an absolute last resort to get home if I miss the last train home, forking over about $45 for a 20 minute cab ride home. The 30 minute ride to Nhung’s place from the airport cost us a mere $8!! this country is a paradise compared to my my poor-ass lifestyle in Japan where I walk 20 minutes to train stations, then easily spend $25 on trains to get to and from Tokyo on the weekend.
Not only do I spend a lot less time commuting, but I’ve also ended my 7 month fruit deprivation. While I’m here I’m trying to get my fruit fix by stuffing my face with pineapple, watermelon, and papaya that I’ve been deprived of in a country where a single cantaloupe sells for $30. aside from the insane fruit prices, Japan’s not at all bad though. Thailand’s not paradise till their toilets have butt-warming and water-squirting capabilities :p
Anyway before this gets too long winded and boring, I’ll list a bunch of highlights and observations that amazed me about Thailand:
- Everyone speaks English, at least to the degree that their jobs require. I mean the hilltribe grandmas can even bargain with you in English when Japanese university students struggle to put together a coherent sentence.
- I saw real straw huts! And rickety old footbridges that were kept together by haphazardly yet strategically placed of reinforcement planks. Straight off the set of survivor! And if you’ve been to Disneyland, traveling in the rural areas is like like having the jungle boat cruise come to life in front of your eyes… it bugs nhung so much when I point out how the palm trees, straw huts, and random elephant sightings are SO Disneyland…
- I saw a guy riding an elephant down the sidewalk in Bangkok. An ELEPHANT! Just strolling down the street in the middle of the city.
- I took more modes of transportation in one week than I have in my life: plane, taxi, skytrain, motorbike, tuk-tuk, boat, river raft, whitewater raft, ox-cart and elephant. Discovered the fun of whitewater rafting and being driven around on a motorbike.
Oh and Bangkok has crazy good shopping. Nhung, who’s usually the one to stop me from buying frivolous and unnecessary things, has been of no help with her “buy everything you need for the next 10 years!” motto :P The damage so far: something like 4 pairs of pants, 6 pairs of shoes, 6 shirts, a laptop bag, souvenirs, and a thai pop cd for less than $200. hey, if not 10 years worth of stuff, I have to do enough shopping to last me till my next trip to Thailand….
- Steph
P.s. Yes, Nhung is an awesome best friend.. and she's really nice!
posted by knee-ohm @ 9:29 PM
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