Sunset at Haad Rin Nai

The ferry arrived at Haad Rin Nai Beach from Big Buddha at sunset. Legions of sybaritic party-lovers disembark three days before the first Full Moon Party of the year kicks off on Haad Rin Beach. If you’re looking for a party on one of the best tropical islands in the world this is the place to be. This is Koh Phangan, island oasis for hippie backpackers looking for a good time. I’ve met people who stay here for months, caught in an endless circle of lazy sunny days, good eats, cheap accommodations, and fellow party-lovers for company.  People do not come here as much for the adventure, nor the chance really to explore, although both can easily be found on this tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand. It’s the Full Moon beach parties, which are world-famous and attract DJ’s and free spirits from all over the world that draw people here. This big island packs a powerful punch, if you’re not just here for a party. There is a little magic here for everyone when you know where to look.

We make our way off the dock and pause for a minute on the beach to watch that splendid orange orb in the sky sink a little further into lavender oblivion. In the fading light of the afternoon, we ponder over our accommodations for the night. We have found ourselves in a peculiar predicament, since neither of us bothered to book our accommodations ahead of time. We set out to see if our regular bungalow on Haad Rin Sunrise beach was available. It wasn’t.

Unfortunately, as the evening progresses, we realize that it was going to take ages if we continue on foot. John stops at an Internet cafe to look up places with vacancies, and we end up booking a room for $25 US at the Drop Inn Club Resort and Spa . It is steep compared to our usual $500 Baht ($14 US), but we like the accommodations and we know we can move in a few days once the island starts emptying out again. Besides, it’s nice to indulge every once and awhile. And yes, $25 a night is expensive for backpackers in Asia.

We spend our first three days relaxing, dividing our time equally between the pool and the beach, devouring books and an assortment of fruit shakes and fresh fruit throughout the day. The beach parties, which we avoid, rock on every evening. We choose instead to fill our time with motorcycle excursions and balmy boat trips around the island. In the early morning hours, we rise and hit the beach for a few hours before the heat of the day sets in. By noon, we are sprawled on giant pillows in front of the television watching reruns of Friends and The Simpsons, chomping on whatever strikes our fancy.

By 10pm on the third night, we find ourselves down on the beach clasping matching candy red sand buckets filled to the brim with ice, Red Bull, and various hard liquers. These Island Buckets are a signature trademark of the island, along with island tattoos, which often occur the day after a long evening session of Buckets. The beats are thumping as we walk barefoot down the moonlit beach.

Along the way, we pass a collection of colorful buildings, each reverberating in turn with various styles of electronica: Hard House, Happy House, Jungle, Drum & Bass…. The Christmas lights twinkle merrily in the moonlight and several bonfires flicker in the distance. A warm sea wind resounds gently off the rolling waves, bathing everyone with a cool breeze that whispers.

The  fire dancers are out in force this evening. Inked and oiled bodies smoothly gleaming between the fiery licks of flames; they sway and rotate with casual indifference. Their simple gestures send fire drenched poles and chains into the air, sun-browned bodies twist, turn, and catch with one arm behind the back. Down and up again, the flames climb higher with each flick of the wrist. I could watch these guys forever. Self-indulgent partygoer’s pound the soft sand, moving deeper into the rhythms of the night under the bone white full moon. This is Ko Phangan.

Phang Nga Bay, Thailand. Tourists will recognize this as James Bond Island, but locals know it as Ko Ping Kan. You guessed it. This is the island where Roger Moore and Christopher Lee filmed “The Man With The Golden Gun.”

For more information, please visit Travel Thailand: James Bond Island in Phang Nga Bay.

Land border crossings are a pain in my butt. And the granddaddy of them all has got to be the Aranyaprathet/Poipet crossing between Thailand and Cambodia. Most people who cross at this border are heading to Siem Reap.

Beware the Khao San Road Bus Scam! Khao San Road bus tickets are a complete rip-off. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you buy a cheap or expensive ticket, once you are out of Thailand and into Cambodia, the gloves are off and you are at the mercy of the bus driver and tour guide. This is a journey that should take independent travelers between 8 and 11 hours. Traveling with a bus company can take up to 18 hours if you get on the wrong bus and there’s no way of knowing whether you’re getting a good bus or a bad bus.

We departed at 8:20 am and had a relatively uneventful ride to the Cambodian border. Our only concern was being stuck with a load of other travelers who hadn’t arranged for visas.

The bus stopped 2km before the border. We were asked to collect our gear and walk the rest of the way. We actually crossed into Cambodia on foot. Our entry into Cambodia didn’t take long, but as we had feared, we had to wait for the rest of the passengers on our bus to secure their visas. Little did we know that our two hour wait at the border in Poipet would quickly descend into a long bus ride from hell. Once everyone was through, we progressed to the bus station, where we boarded an old, rickety bus. There were too many of us to sit comfortably. Everyone was jammed in and our luggage was thrown in the aisle. The exit to the door was completely blocked. We had to climb over luggage to get in and out of the bus.

Before we left, we were told our Thai baht wouldn’t be accepted in Cambodia and we were encouraged to switch our remaining baht for a ridiculously low exchange of 3400 riel to one American dollar. The actual rate is around 4000 riel to the dollar. This scam cheats you out of $15 and of course, it’s a complete lie. Baht is accepted in Siem Reap. However, we decided to keep our Baht for our return to Thailand. John was smart enough to change over $50 American to get us through to Siem Reap. We got a much better exchange rate when we arrived.

Our bus departed at 1pm. We were told the journey would take six hours. The road conditions were horrible despite the dry weather. The road was full of ruts the size of Texas and cloying red dust seemed to be seeping in the cracks and floorboards of the bus. The air-conditioning broke down after being on the road for an hour and a half. Pretty soon, every window was rolled down and the dust blew in and covered us within seconds. I wrapped my sarong around my head and put my sunglasses on to keep from choking. Other travelers followed suit. Everyone was absolutely miserable.

Our first bathroom break was on the side of the highway. Women were huddling behind sarongs and towels for privacy. When the guys wandered a bit off the road for privacy, they were warned about the possibility of stepping on unexploded bombs.

As day turned into night, we bumped slowly along. The road conditions were bad, but not so bad to warrant such slow progress. The driver was deliberately driving slow to prolong the trip. At 9pm, 8 hours into our “6 hour” journey, we still had another hour and a half before we would reach our destination.

We stopped at a ramshackle roadside restaurant for dinner. They served us fried beef jerky with several bugs mixed in for good measure. We also found out that the restaurant owner is the uncle of our tour guide. At this point, our guide drops by our table to give us a quick update and encourages us to stay at his guesthouse in Siem Reap. We tell him we have already booked accommodations and have arranged for a pick-up from the bus station in Siem Reap, which is where we are supposed to be dropped off. He tells us he has never heard of our hotel and offers to let us stay at his guesthouse for the special price of $5.

At 9:30pm, we are back on the road again on the last leg of the journey. Just as the city lights of Siem Reap’s airport come into view, the bus breaks down completely. The driver claims that the air brakes are gone. John protests and says that the bus isn’t equipped with air brakes. Actually, it didn’t really break down and John knows what he’s talking about as his family owns a trucking company. He offers to take a look and adds that in all likelihood, he can get the bus started. Of course, the driver and guide refuse. In the meantime, everyone has exited the bus and is waiting on the side of a dark Cambodian road which we can’t leave because there isn’t any light to see by. Again, we are warned not to venture too far in case of bombs.

We have to wait for the next bus to come. We end up getting into town shortly after 1am after being on the road for 17 hours. The bus drives directly to the guesthouse instead of going to the bus station. Most people are so tired they opt to stay at the guesthouse. A few of us decide to find our hotels.

Meanwhile, John asks to use their phone to make a local call to our hotel to get a pick-up. He spends one minute on the phone and is assured that our ride is on the way. When he hangs up, the owners of the guesthouse try to charge him $5 US for the phone call. John’s temper finally gets the best of him and he starts yelling. We’re immediately surrounded by a dozen angry Cambodians with John in the center giving it right back.

Our ride shows up just in time and we jump into the back of the tuk-tuk and speed away with several Cambodians running after us. I’m terrified they are going to follow us back to our hotel, where our friendly host assures us that this happens all the time. He has been living in Cambodia for several years and was caught on the same scam bus several years ago. He wonders out loud what will happen to the guests that are supposed to be arriving at his hotel the next day.

As it turns out, we saw a few of the people we traveled with the next day. The guesthouse promised them clean rooms at $5. They were riddled with cockroaches. When they check out the next day in search of better accommodations, they’re charged $8. And as for the guests arriving later that evening at our hotel, they got in at 1pm on the same bus with the same tale.

I like a well-organized and informative tour. John and I aren’t afraid to do our own research and see a place on our own, but we’ve found we get a lot more out of the experience if we book a private tour to see the sights.

We’ve been in and out of Bangkok over a dozen times in the past four years, and have relied on our own sense of adventure to get around. Since John’s mother was coming to join us for a three week backpacking journey through South East Asia, we thought it would be nice to book a ‘proper tour.’ While we were picking her up at the new Suvarnabhumi Airport just outside of Bangkok, we stopped by one of the ‘professional’ tourist kiosks to book a city tour. Our booking agent assured us it would be money well spent. Our half-day tour included stops at the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, The Golden Buddha and the Marble Buddha. Our English-speaking guide would pick us up at our hotel. Best of all, we wouldn’t be taken to any shops and encouraged to buy. At $50 U.S, we certainly hoped the tour would be outstanding. That’s a steep price to pay for a tour in Bangkok.

The next morning, we waited for Miss Nancy to pick us up at our hotel. Instead, we were met by a man named Avi, who informed us, “Miss Nancy no come. I be your guide.” His English got worse as we headed towards Wat Po. John and I are somewhat accustomed to dealing with poor English. Moira could barely understand what Avi was saying. She responded by pulling out her travel guide and giving us her own personal tour. She was far better than Avi, and she has never been to Asia before.

We had three stops to make that day. The first stop brought us to Wat Po, also known as The Temple of the Reclining Buddha. We expected to be led around with glowing commentary on our journey. Instead, Avi dropped us at the doors to the temple and let us wander around on our own. Luckily, I had already done my research and Moira had her guide book, so we provided our own commentary.

At the Golden Buddha, the same thing happened again. Avi sat around and picked his teeth while we ran around in the heat of the day. Our last stop of the day was supposed to bring us to the Marble Buddha. Sadly, it was closed. No one had bothered to inform us there was a festival going on. By that time, we were more than a little peeved. The tour was not going well at all.

Avi quickly found an alternative for us by taking us to a tourist trap. We arrived at the gates of a jewelry shop and John just about blew a gasket. Avi begged us to go in and look since he was being paid to bring us there. We refused. He argued. Resignedly, Avi brought us to our last and unscheduled stop of the day.

The Standing Buddha was alright. I can’t tell you much about it because we weren’t given any information and we only spent fifteen minutes there. Avi was determined to end the tour early, yet he still begged us for a tip after he dropped us off at our hotel an hour earlier than planned. I managed to snap some nice pictures, but the day was shot.

We learned nothing on our tour except this: Don’t book a tour through the Bangkok airport and beware of non-English speaking guides demanding tips at the end of a completely useless tour.

Wat Intharawihan, also known as the Temple of the Standing Buddha is on Wisut Kasat Road on the northern edge of Banglamphu in Bangkok, Thailand.

This temple is known for a huge standing Buddha image called Luang Pho To. The gold Buddha image towers 100 feet in the air. It’s over 10 meters wide and was constructed in the reign of King Rama IV.

I wasn’t overly impressed with the Standing Buddha. There are far more beautiful temples to visit in Bangkok. This temple is nice because you don’t have to deal with crowds, but you’ll want to make sure you go in the morning. We went in the afternoon and we could barely look at it because the sun was at its highest.

Offerings of jasmine can be purchased from local vendors within the temple grounds.

Garlic and pepper shrimp is one of my favorite Thai dishes. This super easy dish takes about ten minutes to prepare. I like serving it on a bed of grated cabbage with a bowl of rice.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon soy sauce
DIRECTIONS
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over high heat. Add cabbage and 1 tablespoon water stir-fry for 30 seconds. Remove cabbage from skillet and place on a serving platter.
Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in the skillet over high heat. Place the garlic and shrimp in the skillet and stir until garlic is lightly browned and shrimp turns pink. Add pepper, onion, cilantro, soy sauce and remaining water to the skillet. Stir-fry for 10 seconds. Pour the hot mixture onto the cabbage.

As I’ve mentioned before, Thailand has something to offer everyone. This includes their beer. Singha beer is the perfect compliment to any meal in Thailand, especially Thai Garlic and Pepper Shrimp. I like washing most of my meals with a cold bottle or two.

Stepping into the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok is like stepping into another realm. Strange and beautiful mythical creatures and demons seem to jump from every corner. The air sparkles and shimmers with heat, humidity and fragrant incense. Every surface is encrusted with jewels and mosaic inlay. Treasures of indescribable nature are housed on these grounds, including the legendary Emerald Buddha, which finds shelter in this immense complex. Millions of worshippers and visitors from far away lands make the pilgrimage to this fabled palace to pay their respects and say their prayers.

Bronze image of a half-human and half-deer in front of the Royal Pantheon.

The Grand Palace grounds are so complex and intricate that it’s best to hire a private tour guide to show you around for a few hours. We spent the better part of a day at the Grand Palace. We started our tour by hiring a private guide for 100 Baht for a few hours. We found ourselves with an elderly gentleman by the name of Daeng. He immediately put us at ease with all his silly jokes and was an absolute fountain of information. He gave us facts and figures. He told his fables and stories and was quick to point out intricate and small details that we would have missed otherwise. We tried to trick him up with some hard questions and he sailed through everything with ease. We were mightily impressed and after finishing our tour, we had to admit he had done a fine job. We gave him a hefty tip and continued on our own.

The Grand Palace of the King was built in 1782 and features more than two centuries of history and splendor. In addition to being a royal house of the monarchy, the Palace complex also houses the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) and several government offices. The Grand Palace complex and the enclosed Temple of the Emerald Buddha are architectural delights which are guaranteed to dazzle even the most hardened of travelers. Gleaming gold, shimmering green and orange tiles and gold tipped spires draw the eyes upward. Stupas and pillars are richly inlaid with colorful bits of mosaic tiles. The riot of glistening colors all pay homage to the Emerald Buddha and the monarchy.

Demon and monkey caryatides of one of the two gilt stupas.

This monument was inlaid with colorful mosaic tile and gilded paint in honor of Kings Rama I, II and III.

The Palace Complex is built on 94.5 hectares with more than 100 buildings. Today, these buildings are only used for ceremonies. The royal family lives in northern part of city.

The Emerald Buddha.

The 75cm Emerald Buddha sits on a high platform in a richly decorated bòt. It s guarded by mythical giants called yaksha. The Buddha is always dressed in different robes for each season. It was discovered in 1434 A.D. when lightning struck a stupa in Changrai in Northern Thailand. A Buddha statue was found inside and was brought to an abbot’s residence. Shortly after, the stucco on the nose flaked off to reveal its green surface. Interestingly enough, the Emerald Buddha isn’t made of emerald. It’s thought to be jade. People flocked from all over the country to worship the beautiful statue.

This photo is one of my favorites. Can you guess what it’s for? Back in the day, elephants were used as a primary means of getting around. This was where the elephant’s were ‘parked.’

For your information:

Admission: 200 baht to see the Temple and Grand Palace

A 2 hour guided tour is available for 100 baht

Hours of Operation: 8:30am to 3:30 pm

How to get there: Bus 508 and 512. River ferry: Tha Chang

The temple of the Golden Buddha, also known as Wat Traimit, shelters the world’s largest gold Buddha image.  It is thought to be over 800 years old and weighs over 5,500 kg.

One of the best ways to see the city of Bangkok is by river express or river taxi on the beautiful river, Mae Nam Chao Phraya, which flows from the central plains of Bangkok to the Gulf of Thailand.    Fares run between 9 and 32 Baht with the Chao Phraya Express Boat Company.  Boats arrive fifteen to twenty minutes.  It’s cheap, fast and incredibly scenic.  Traveling up and down the river by river express or river taxi are a main means of transportation for locals and tourists alike.

Chao Phraya River Express

Longtail boats and dinner cruises can also be booked for private tours of the river.

One of the main attractions and, quite possibly the most famous, is beautiful Wat Arun and its 82m-high prang (a Khmer-style tower).   Early morning visits to Wat Arun, Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Po are recommended for avoiding the heat, but afternoon jaunts are just as nice and not as crowded.  The best time to see Wat Arun is in the evening at sunset with the sun sinking slowly behind the temple.  Sunset in Bangkok is the same throughout the year, between the hours of 6pm and 7pm.  There are many other attractions within the area.  Wat Po, Wat Phra Kae and The Grand Palace are all easily accessible by river taxi.

Wat Arun was named after the Indian god of dawn, Aruna.

Photo:  John Kellenberger

Useful Information

Admission: 20 Baht

Open:  9am – 5pm

How to get there:  Take the cross-river ferry from Tha Tien

Pier and Attractions

Chao Phraya Express Boat
      78/24-29 Maharaj Rd., Phranakorn, Bangkok 10200
      Tel: +66(0) 2623-6001-3, +66(0) 2225-3003, +66(0) 2222-5330
      Fax: +66(0) 2225-3002
      info@chaophrayaboat.co.th

Reclining Buddha in Wat Po

Wat Phra Chetuphon (Wat Po) was founded in the 16th century.  It is the oldest and biggest temple in the city.  It also has the largest number of pagodas (95) in city.  Wat Po was one of the first universities in Thailand.  The university is best known for its school of traditional Thai medecine and massage.  It also offers courses in astrology, medicine, literature and archaeology. 

Wat Po, also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, houses the largest reclining Buddha and the largest collection of Buddha images (394 gilded images of Buddha) in Thailand.  The reclining Buddha is enormous at 46 meters in length and 15 meters high. 

The reclining Buddha represents the passing of Buddha into nirvana.

The image’s feet are over ten meters high.

The bottoms of the image’s feet are inlaid with mother-of-pearl.  They display 108 different láksànà (characteristics of a Buddha).

A close-up of a láksànà inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

There are several tiled stupas within the temple grounds.  The larger stupas were built in honor of the Chakri kings.  There are also 91 smaller stupas. 

Important Facts:

Admission: 20 Baht

Open: 8am to 5pm

How to get there:  Take bus 508 or 512.  You can also get to Wat Po by river express taxi.  It’s a lovely way to see the city.  Take the river taxi to Tha Tien.  Walk through the market and across the road.  You can’t miss it.

Remember:  Temples are sacred places.  Visitors must wear appropriate clothing and shoes when visiting.  Bare arms must be covered.  Long sleeved shirts and long pants should be worn.  Skirts can also be worn.  Open-toed shoes are not acceptable.  You can buy or rent pants and sarongs at the entrance to the temple.  Always remove your shoes when entering chapels and sanctuaries.  When sitting in front of a Buddha image, do not point your feet at the image.  Donations are greatly appreciated. 

Useful websites:

 Thailand for Visitors

Sacred Destinations