Thailand (2005)

Of all the places to go in Asia, Thailand was at the top of the list… and what better way to experience the country and renowned beaches than on your very own chartered sailboat!  Or at least that is what I thought.  I convinced Dana and her high school friend Jenny to join me and we just needed to round up three others to join to make it economically feasible.  We put the deposit down on the boat, with tentative commits from five others and figured it would all work out.   And then the massive tsunami destroyed Thailand, killing thousands of people and friends got worried and everyone bailed.  Attempting to charter a sailboat without everyone fully on board and paid up would be the first, but definitely not the last, time I made a poor decision money-wise when traveling.

With the sailboat off the table and most beaches shut down due to the devastation of the tsunami, Dana, Jenny and I modified our plans… we were to spend some time in Bangkok, then Phuket and wrap up the trip with a short stay in Koh Samui.  

In Bangkok we checked out the massive outdoor market (buying clothes, jewelry and paper flowers), we took rides on the famous tuk tuks, we checked out the local Buddhist temple and wandered through the red light district (even taking in a ping pong show… leaving us confused, feeling a little dirty and genuinely impressed).

In Phuket we took a hike through the rain forest to a waterfall, saw a drag show and were amazed at how quickly the town had recovered after the tsunami.  Jenny and Dana also went out scuba diving while I went snorkeling… where even underwater you could see the impact that the tsunami had had on the ecosystem. 

Our time spent in Koh Samui was mostly on the beach… we had meals on the beach (including the best corn on the cob which was bbq-ed right in front of us), we laid out on the beach and we got Thai massages on the beach. 

The week flew by but my general impression was lasting.  The country was full of incredibly friendly people, who went out of their way to bring the tourism business back to life. Thai food in Thailand is unreal and has ruined any imitations that I could get in the US. And Thai ice tea is surprisingly not called Thai ice tea in Thailand, but rather milk tea, which is something I finally learned on the last day of the trip.