Sawadee ka's thrown at you left and right, displays of skewered meats of all shapes and sizes, coconuts and butcher knives, fresh juices and fruit shakes, tuk tuks and flocks of motorbikes... I spent only two weeks in Thailand but I found it to be a bustle of things that offer a variety of activities, smells, smiles, wonder. Here are some highlights!
Bangkok
With 3 nights spent at Saphaipae Hostel, in Thailand's capital, I was introduced to Thai culture in a very vibrant, commercial, tourist-oriented way. Traveling alone with the intention to find solitude, I never once found myself alone but I don't regret it. I made quick friends with my fellow hostel-mate, Zameen, an English with whom I rocked out with on some cheap massages, street bartering, consumption of mysterious street foods, and yoga classes back-to-back. I met with a student's very kind family and shared a meal that I previously wrote about here. A fellow dancer from New York also happened to be in Bangkok that weekend so we went out to the boisterously famous Khao Sarn Road and saw a Ping Pong show... (Go ahead and Google that.) Bangkok shook me with great food, colorful nights, and awesome people. On the fourth day I put on my backpack and Uber'd on a motorbike to the airport. I felt pretty cool.
Chiang Mai
Arriving at Chiang Mai's airport, I decided to take a very sweaty hour-long walk to my hostel in Old City (rather than figuring out how to take the red pickup trucks that act as taxis here). Chiang Mai offers a calmer city life, allowing one to better peek into the simpler lifestyles of the Thai people. With temples sitting with a backdrop of green and outlines of mountain peaks, Chiang Mai serves as a nice retreat from the Bangkok craze. Still, it is packed with tourists and the business is catered to provide organized activities and tours for tourists. I fell into that trap... But the trap's not so bad. It brought me to my first Muay Thai boxing Match at Thae Pae Stadium; whisked me away to a farm to learn how to cook Thai food with my entertaining instructor named Yummy, at Thai Farm Cooking School; and allowed me to hike up north, splash in a waterfall, learn to bathe an elephant, and bamboo raft down an extremely dry river (with Panda Tour.) I do wish I gave myself more time to freely explore Chiang Mai but, I certainly gained lots of new experiences!
Krabi
My 4 days in Krabi were spent swimming in warm, salty, turquoise waters; snorkeling at Chicken Island; testing my mental endurance with rock climbing at Railay Beach; sitting in luxury on the roof of longboats; and quickly browning my skin under the sun. But to be honest, my experience at Krabi became closely associated to my stay at Slumber Party Hostel. Yes, I felt a little trashy telling the bus driver that I was going to Slumber Party Hostel 1... But, this party hostel is the highest rated hostel on Hostelworld and I couldn't argue with the rave reviews. I came with little intention to party, imagining peace and solitude while island-hopping... But my 2-night stay turned into 4, for this place is addicting and full of heart. Slumber's attractive employees would come to our dorm rooms offering shots straight into our mouths, organize nightly gatherings to play beer pong, flip cup, bar crawls, and have a real magical ability to bring a group of strangers together. It was like college, on steroids. I had a significantly raging time of my life here and I regret nothing.
Pai And Motorbikes
Although Pai, like Chiang Mai, is in its hottest and smokiest season during the month of March, I'd heard too many amazing things about it from my fellow travelers not to visit Pai. Whirling up a mountain in a minibus that is notorious for motion sickness, I arrived in a hippie-central inhabited by western expats wearing dreads. A village equipped with bungalows, circus classes and yogis galore... It is truly a sight to see. A sight that is unbelievably set in the country of Thailand.
However, I spent most of my time here learning to ride a motorbike. I recruited a fellow Canadian named Cody to accompany me on my first ride to act as my safety net in case I fall off the mountain. I quickly found love and a sort of confidence in sitting on top of motored wheels, feeling the pressure of wind as I cut through space... We rode 2-hours downward to visit Tham Lod Cave (entered via bamboo rafting and felt like I was in The Phantom of the Opera) and rode back up the mountain in pitch dark (I took a fall on a sharp curve but luckily I did not fall off the cliff.) The next day I felt so ambitious that I suggested to Cody that we ride all the way back down to Chiang Mai instead of taking the sweaty minibus again. And so we did! Besides body-slamming particles of pollution/bugs and inhaling lots of dust, it was a smooth and beautiful ride. We got peeks into tiny villages and villagers, quick sniffs of what I'd like to think were blooming Jasmine flowers, serious curves into views of vast mountains and cabbage patches, stray dogs and run-down shacks... I felt invincible.
Thailand is a cheap, tropical paradise filled with kind people and tons of backpackers. It can be easily traveled and serves as a good leeway into traveling "alone." I miss it already and plan on being back ASAP. But onto my next adventure: Vietnam! Look out.