Bahala na: What's the capital of Thailand?

By the time I had arrived in Bangkok, David and Rob (although really just Rob) had already been playing the “What’s the capital of Bangkok?” game for a seemingly long time. I knew it was going to be a long but wonderful 12 days in Thailand.

Just to rewind a bit, for those few of you who don’t know, David and Rob are two of my best friends from home. I planned a trip to meet David for a trip around Thailand. Thanks to a glorious surprise, Rob was there too. I was already at a maximum level of excitement seeing David, so having Rob pop out of the bathroom when I arrived was the icing on the cake.

The trip was incredible, simply beyond words. You can definitely get a gist of the whole trip's activities from Rob's Facebook album, with a particular emphasis on the bromance. I’ve included a handful of those pictures below (thanks Rob, btw). Seeing and hanging out with Rob and David was unbelievable. Nothing about it felt different, and I couldn't have been happier to spend some quality time with two of my best friends. It was so great to catch up on what's been going on with them and also to hear about what everyone back has home has been up to, particularly from David, who went to both HM and Dartmouth with me. It was all very refreshing. And then Thailand - how could I not mention Thailand? I had finally experience my first country outside of the Philippines in Southeast Asia.

The trip began in Bangkok, where we spent two days and one night exploring the city. I knew the trip was going to be much different from what I had been accustomed to before I even got out of the cab. Coming from the airport, my taxi turned onto the street where my hotel was located. I looked out the window, and all I saw foreigners. Sitting at the restaurants, walking around. I hadn’t seen anything to that degree anywhere in the Philippines, including Manila, Boracay, or traveling around with my family. Where were all the Thais?

There was much of Bangkok to be explored outside this street of all foreigners. David, Rob and I had an adventure traveling around Bangkok, eating some local (i.e. spicy) Thai food, riding around the air-train, wandering the streets of China town (your welcome Rob), seeing the Grand Palace, and, the obvious highlight: the canal tour. To image a Bangkok canal tour, think of a Venice gondola ride, then imagine how possibly different a canal tour of a developed city could be, and then you’re on track. The pouring rain was appropriate.

After Bangkok, we traveled to three islands in the Gulf of Thailand: Koh Samui, Koh Phagnan, and Koh Tao. My favorite activity in the islands was SCUBA diving off the island of Koh Tao (even if that wasn't with the guys). It was my first time diving completely on my own. I had never gone diving without either my family or on a program, and I didn’t have any of my own gear (including the mask – a big mistake). I wasn’t sure if I should be nervous being on my own, but I was definitely not. If anything, this trip made me realize how much diving experience I’m fortunate to have had. Most of the people on the dive boats were just learning; in fact, Koh Tao certifies more people than any other place in the world. I even had more experience than most of the dive masters. It was definitely a shock to learn I was 3 years older than my instructor. That I’d never experienced before.

The dive operators were very friendly and accommodating, and I had a really great time just hanging out the boat with the other divers, the vast majority of whom were around my age. The diving itself was great, although not amazing, as I had been told. We did see a turtle, some cool coral formations, and tons and tons of fish. I think Koh Tao might be a little overrated, but I definitely enjoyed being underwater and exploring the sites of Koh Tao. Spending time as a CRM volunteer in the Philippines is sort of tease when it comes to diving, so it was really nice to be able to get to go.

I definitely had a little culture shock traveling around those islands. I was not expecting to go to massive parties and see only foreigners. I was shocked to see the sheer size of the tourism industry in Thailand. Koh Tao, which was clearly the smallest, most isolated, and least developed of the three islands, which aren’t even the most popular tourist spots in Thailand, still had at least 10 times the amount of foreigners that I saw in Boracay, which is the tourism "hotspot" in the Philippines. The Philippines is much harder to get to and just isn't on the traditional backpacker route of Europeans, Israelis, Australians, etc. At least for now. That's not to say I didn't embrace it fully. I loved partying with David and Rob and meeting tons of other travels. Of course we all have lots in common, and we had a particularly good time with the Israelis. Guess we can't help it.

What threw me off even more was not only the large number of foreigners but also the small number of Thai people to the places we went to. The most glaring example was the sign outside our hostel in Koh Phagnan, which hosts pool parties. The sign read: "Dear guests, For your convenience and safety, no Thais are allowed inside for the pool party." I wasn't particularly shocked, and I didn’t necessarily take offense to it. With tourism comes lots of theft and lots of prostitution – and Thailand is the epicenter of that. But for the past year, even when I go to the city to bars and clubs that look like they could be almost anywhere in America, it's me that stands out, not the locals. I could imagine being at parties just like those in Thailand but with my Filipino friends. They would be doing the same thing as everyone else, so imagining a place where locals were not even allowed inside is just far to what I've become accustomed.

Saying goodbye to David and Rob was tough, but I got back into my routine at site in no time. I really did miss my friends at site, my other volunteer friends, and even my nipa hut. But not the food. That is the one area, I’m sorry to say, that the Philippines can’t compete.

Here are some pictures of the trip:

The magical canal tour of Bangkok. Yes, that's T5, straight from the Philippines. I brought other Filipino treats, including pastries, magic sarap (i.e. msg flavoring), 3 in 1 (Filipino-style instant "coffee"), tomato sarsa, and pickled seaweed.

Rob, David, and I showing off our moves (and new wardrobes)

David just chilling with a gibbon. Nice to know the Philippines isn't the only place in Asia with disturbingly unkempt zoos.

The long awaited "floating market" was this single, joyful lady selling all types of plastic-wrapped souvenirs. All "home-made."

Yes, she even sells beer. An indescribably happy lady. Our brief encounter lifted our spirits to an even high level, for the rest of the trip.

The rare sleeping Buddha. And the even rarer, three-assed elephant.

Monks walking into the Grand Palace. That's one thing we don't have in the Philippines - Buddhism. These monks were wearing sandals, carrying shopping bags, and some had cell phones.

My friends. Hard guys.

Me and Friedman on the beach at Koh Samui. I'm yet to see a beach this sprawling in the Philippines.

Waiting for our boat to Koh Phagnan.

Rob and David, traveling around Koh Phagnan.

Partying at Koh Phagnan - home of the legendary full-moon beach parties. We didn't time that right.

Buckets!! Full of a small bottle of liquor, a can of soda, and a small bottle of Red Bull (which, to my surprise was invented in Thailand). Pure joy. Plus they're cheap - Red Bulls costs about 50 cents in USD.