Thursday, March 11, 2010

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT

Reluctantly leaving the beautiful island of Koh Samui we once again boarded a ferry, this time for new adventures further down the coast of the Gulf of Thailand in the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Our disappointment was forgotten as we once again passed the incredible islands in the Gulf and, one-and-a-half hours later entered a magnificent mountain-surrounded harbor, protected by a glistening white statue of Buddha.

The welcoming committee, as always, was there to greet us with open arms. Although our itinerary called for us to be taken immediately to our new host families, the greeters told us that they had a special surprise for us -- a Thai massage. OK -- big deal. We've already had Thai massages and, as pleasant as they had been, we really didn't need another one at this very moment.

Only this one was really different. Instead of having our feet kneaded by Thai masseurs, this massage was to be administered by fish! We walked down a path, past trees loaded with the dreaded durrean fruit -- a spiked 12" ball that, when ripe (which these were not) supposedly has one of the worst aromas of any plant on earth. Finally we came to a gentle stream where a Buddhist monk sat serenely on a the stump of a tree with his feet firmly set on the creek's bottom.

As he invited us to join him, we rolled up our pant legs, and took our places on other tree stumps.

Within seconds our feet were attacked by hundreds of 4" fish that started to nibble dead skin cells from our feet. (I believe that one of the team members, not to be named, let out a screech that one might hear from a child being unexpectedly tickled.) As we got used to this unorthodox treatment it actually became quite pleasant and, in a strange way, sensuous. After about 20 minutes we once again put on our shoes, said "Sahwahtee krup" (or "Sahwahtee kah" to the monk, and proceeded on our journey.

Later in the evening, with our new hosts, we attended a reception for us given by all of the area's Rotary clubs. It was a festive affair and after much food and photographs, we settled in for a good night's rest.

heat

Let's start with the obvious: Thailand is hot.

Having said that, it's not that bad. It's rather like Florida or Texas in August; (just) bearable with some common-sense measures. Here are my observations on how the Thai people deal with the sun and heat, which despite what you might think, they are not that fond of either!

They stay out of the sun whenever possible. I suspect that their strong affinity for paleness* is a reflection of this - wealthier people don't have to be out in it, so the whiter the skin, the more this may reflect social status. We farang get many stares for our skin, and sometimes the occasional touch.

Women often use umbrellas, which at first I didn't really understand (I do now). Men carry small cloths to dab at sweaty brows. They seek shade whenever possible and wear long sleeves. Shorts are worn, but not nearly as much as you might imagine.

They carry bottled water with them, and it is also available virtually everywhere. Many beverages are served with ice ... including beer. Understandably, dark beers are not generally available here.

Fans are ubitiquous, and A/C is often used in bedrooms and other highly-utilized rooms. Homes use tile and concrete, and when possible are oriented to take best advantage of breezes.

Last but not least: they eat hot food. I don't mean spicy hot (that is a given), I mean to say steaming hot soup with virtually every meal, or hot tea, hot coffee, etc. Counterintuitive? Perhaps. Maybe it is meant to distract you from how hot it is outside if you are equally hot on the inside?



*for this reason if no other, I just might have to stay here forever. I could write a whole separate entry just on the plethora of whitening product advertisements here.

Tuesday and Wednesday, March 9 and 10, 2010

Koh Samui

Dear readers, I have combined two days in this posting, since these are supposed to be our days for a much needed rest and relaxation on the beautiful island of Koh Samui in the beautiful Gulf of Thailand.

Our two-hour ferry ride passed many irregularly shaped mountainous islands in the Gulf was lovely, although carrying all of our luggage (the weight is increasing with each stop we make) up to the passenger level of the ferry was a bit arduous. The team very graciously all pitched in to help me up the narrow staircase.

Upon arrival at the Koh Samui dock we were greeted by our host for the next two days by Phillip Parker, an Englishman who moved to Thailand six years presvious with his wife Mun, a native Thai whom he had met while they were both working in London. They live in a gracious h house, just a few hundred yards from the Gulf, which had separate bedroom and bathroom facilities fore each of the women on our team. Kip and I shared a lovely bungalow which Phillip had rented for us, just a short walk from his own house.

As soon as we unpacked, we all headed for the beach and its wonderfully warm waters. I apologize that the waterproof camera that I brought down to the beach was unable to transfer images to the Blog, so you'll just have to imagine a Gaughin-like setting with palm trees swaying, mountains in the background and small native fishing boats bobbing near the shore attached to their moorings. I can't begin to tell you how rough this was for all of us.

After dinner we rode with Phillip and Colan, another English-born Rotarian into town to a restaurant owned by a Swiss-born ex-Rotarian who was having a gala buffet dinner to celebrate the twelfth anniversary of the restaurant's opening. There we met several other Rotarians -- none of whom were Thai. As a matter of fact, it was almost as if we had suddenly been moved to another country altogether, as we found out that there are NO Thais in the all-English speaking Rotary Club of Koh Samui. Phillip assured me that this was not for a lack of trying to recruit Thai members, but it certainly felt a bit strange. (Then again, how many of our clubs have Native American members?)

Nonetheless, Phillip was a wonderful host and he and his lovely wife extended us every courtesy and comfort.

We went to a local market and bought fruit for Wednesday's breakfast, including a wonderful looking green fruit with redish leaves called "dragon fruit". When we cut it open we found that it had bright white flesh, with tiny black specks that resembled poppy seeds. It had a slightly sweet but mild taste and was quite delicious.

The next day the team broke up into a true "free day". The women chose to go to the beach and then do some shopping, Kip went jogging and after resting up for most of the morning, I went sightseeing with Phillip and, despite a monsoon-like downpour, enjoyed seeing rock formations, panoramic views and a huge statue, known simply as "Big Buddha".

Tomorrow we head to Nakhon Si Thammarat, as we start out journey to the southern-most parts of Thailand.

Monday, March 8, 2010

SURATTHANI

Our day started by taking a small motor boat through a mangrove jungle, about 1/2 hour outside of Suratthani. It was like entering another world as the boat worked its way through a labyrinth of small creeks and inlets. I only hoped that the boatman knew where he was going, as it would have been easy to become hopelessly lost. (Since I am posting this, you know that we made it out safely.)

We passed dense forests of mangroves and tree-sized ferns. We saw largle flocks of herons and many, many species that a couldn't identify. Fish jumped out of the water around the boat, seemingly laughing at us since, of course, we had no fishing rods. It was truly a beautiful experience in an untamed jungle.

From the mangrove jungle we went to a shrimp farming operation - huge ponds where laborers wade in up to their shoulders, hauling in nets, channeling the entrappd shrimp into narrower and narrower enclosures, until they are dumped into large buckets. They are then iced down to slow down their thrashing and taken to trucks for marketing. Amazingly, each day the farm that we visited manually hauled in 5,000 pounds of shrimp per day.

Some of the shrimp that were too small to market profitably were dried in the sun for two hours, then mashed into a paste that the Thais consider a condiment -- although none of us tasted it. We did, however, get to drink coconut milk from freshly cut coconuts -- cool and refreshing.

Fittingly enough, our next stop took us to a "school" where monkeys are trained to climb tall palm trees and pick the coconuts. The process was quite interesting, with young monkeys being taught to spin coconuts that are tied to low branches until the stem breaks. Gradually, the heights is increased and after several weeks of training the monkeys learn to climb to the tops of palm trees that are 50 to 60 feet high and perform the same procedure. A trained monket can pick as many as 500 coconuts every day, approximately five times as much as a man.

Although the monkeys were not mistreated, they are kept on leashes throughout the training and might even be considered by some as a form of "slave labor." The entire concept left the team feeling slightly uncomfortable. It definiterly would not be condoned by PETA.

After dinner at the Home Stay the team was taken on a walk (in the dark, using flashlights) to a spot on the banks of the jungle where we watched thousands of fireflies as they lit up trees and bushes as if in a giant Christmas display.

Back at the Home Stay we were treated to a remarkable exhibit of Thai dancing by a group of local school children, accompanied by a "band" of mainly percussion instruments that were enthusiastically banged. The Thai girls then asked our team to join them in the dancing and Jennifer, a former dancer, wowed everyone with not only her grace, but also her incredible dexterity.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Suratthani

My apologies for falling behind with my daily postings, but we've had some duifficulty establishing Internet connection in some parts of Thailand.

Our train ride to Suratthani from Ratchaburi was extremely long, almost 9 hours (arriving at 5:30 in the morning) was quite arduous, considering that the train must have had square wheels and frequently seemed be in iminent danger of derailing. Nevertheless we arrived, sleepless, but no worse for the wear. We were greeted at train station by a small but enthusiastic reception committee. Apparently we surprised the rest of the greeters, who were unprepared for an "on time" arrival by the train -- which apparently is an unusual occurance.

After being whisked off to a local hotel for breakfast we met our new hosts andd were taken to their homes for some rest and relaxation. My host, a delightful Thai woman, had been the first female District Governor in all of Thailand. Quite an accomplishment in this very male dominated country! There are only two Rotary clubs in Suratthani -- a men's club and a women's club, and apparently they hardly ever mix. Her husband, who arrived a bit later in the morning (he had been at a meeting in Bangkok) was the Past President of the local men's club.

In the afternoon, my hosts took me shopping for some needed supplies. We went to a store that resembled a Wal-mart on Black Friday. Unbelievable crowds! I wondered what the store might look like on a truly busy shopping day.

For dinner, my hosts asked me if I enjoyed fish, whicj I do. I wasn't quite prepared for the huge, sliced raw fish that was put before me. Although I enjoy sushi, I wasn't quite sure what I would do with this one, and was much relieved to learn that you placed the slices, along with vegetables into a boiling broth before eating it. It was quite delicious.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

RATCHABURI

Early this morning we set out for the famous "floating market" at Dammernsaduek, about 90 minutes outside of Ratchaburi. The market, and others like it, was built on a series of canals, and once was the main source of purchasing everyday needs in Thailand, since there were no roads.

Now, with supermarkets built in cities throughout Thailand, the floating markets serve mainly as tourist attractions, although some serious local purchasing goes on there as well.

My preconception of a floating market was that you stood on the shore or ona bridge, as boats passed by selling their wares. WRONG! In this floating market the purchaser is also a participant.

We boarded traditional Thai "longboats" and traveled down the equivalent of I-66 in the morning rush hour. Longboats crowded into the narrow canals, traffic moving in both directions, but without the benefit of lanes, as prospective purchasers mixed with the longboats of vendors between rows of structures (actually the back porches of homes) that were competing for business. Absolute chaos, but lots of fun!

From the madness of the floating market, we next went to the tranquility of the Siam Cultural Park. Here in a serene setting of paths, trees and ponds we experienced replicas of Thai houses throughtout various periods of Thailand's history, exhibits showing a variety of Buddhas, a wax museum, tastefully depicting import figures, not only Thai, but persons ranging from Ho Chi Minh to Mao Zedong to Mother Theresa, in settings so realistic that you could almost shake their hand.

Our final museum stop of the day displayed huge shadow puppets, made from cowhide, that were incredibly intricate. Once a week, unfortunately not coinciding with out schedule, the museum presents a show incorporating these six-foot tall creations of extreme beauty and considerable artistic talent.

In the early evening, before catching our overnight train to Surrathani, we enjoyed a farewell party and dinner at the palatial home of a Past District Governor. The PDG and his wife had been Brooke's hosts and she had been telling us all week about her incredible lodgings. Just entering the home, you felt like you were walking into a five-star hotel, yet its owners could not have been more down-to-earth and charming. It was a delightful send off.

Friday, March 5, 2010

RATCHABURI

For today's Vocational Day the local Rotarians decided to pursue my expressed interest in Thai musical traditions by taking me to a local school for a concert given in my honor by the students.

The school, although a public school (the rough equivalent of one of our middle schools), was actually part of a wat complex, the contemporary architecture of the school in sharp contrast to the traditional structure of the wat immediately adjacent to it. A four-story structure, the school was erected on three sides of a courtyard. The rooms, although completely covered, had open siding to allow air circulation. This also allowed the sounds of each classroom circulate around the courtyard, creating somewhat of a din.

About 30 students played on a great variety of musical instruments, ranging from ancient percission instruments percussion instruments to modern electric guitars (albeit with dragon's heads adorning the end of the guitar that had the tuning pegs.) One instrument that particurly intreagued me was one that looked very similar to our hammered dulcimer, although smaller and with a different tuning pattern.

The children performed exceedingly well, with great gusto and, after their performance encouraged me to try out the instruments. I surprised them with my ability to play the Asian flute (which, as it turned out, was very closely related to a penny whistle that I had purchased in Ireland.)

After visiting the school I was taken to a large local hospital which, I assumed was to catch up with Amanda, who was there for her Vocational Day. As we walked down the corridors, I saw a wing labled "alternative medicine" and thought to myself how nice it would be to have Thai massage. Lo and behold, that what I was there for, together with the entire GSE team. Since Kip and I had arrived earlier than the rest of the team, we were treated to full body massages, from our toes up to our scalps, whereas the rest of the team had to settle for foot and leg massages.

This was a far different experience than the one I had the previous weel at the Kanchanbury hot spring. Here at the hospital the massage therapists were fully trained and licensed professionals who, though kneading every muscle in my body, did so with lots of pressure but no pain. This was a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing experience. The inexpensive Thai massage experience is so ingrained into their lives , that many Thais can afford to receive them on a frequent basis.

In the evening we gave our formal presentation at a gathering of three Ratchaburi Rotary clubs, who went all out to present an event featuring traditional Thai dancers, karaoke, good food (lots of it) and an entire evening filled with an excellent exchange of friendship and goodwill.