Tigheland

So I got back from Thailand around 11:00 PM Saturday night. The girl who I went with, Shannon, and I had been up since 5 AM and three flights later made it back to Seoul. It was a great time.

We got to Bangkok via Guangzhou, China. I swore I would never again set foot in Commie China, but, alas, it was the only real way to get to Bangkok. We had a 7 hour layover there...it was miserable. For some reason there as was no currency exchange inside the international terminal, like there is at every other international terminal around the world. We really had to get some food, so we got some sandwiches at the downstairs restaurant. But when we finished they told us they didn't take cards, only cash. We explained that there was no way for us to get cash. So they had to go find some Koreans with Chinese currency who would give us Chinese Yuan in exchange for our Korean Won. How they were ever able to track down a Korean in a Chinese airport is beside me. But they did it, and we eventually paid.

So we finally got to Bangkok. We got into a cab and headed to our hotel, the Baiyoke Sky Hotel. We knew it was going to be a different world in Thailand when we saw three motorcyclists driving the wrong way and swerving ON THE HIGHWAY. Good thing there was no traffic. But at the hotel the rooms were pretty cheap, especially for a decent hotel. It is by far the tallest building in Thailand at like 87 floors or something. The room was nice and the service was better.

We hadn't really planned out what we would do in Bangkok prior to the trip but had heard there was plenty to do so we weren't worried. After waking up late we browsed through some tourist packets and saw a shooting range opportunity. We go downstairs and the designated travel clerk explains that a driver will take us there. But we wouldn't go to the one in the packet...there was a better one provided by the army where we could go. So our driver takes us to get some Pad Thay and Tom Yun soup, which were amazing, and then we headed to the range. When we get there, this is literally what happened. Tell me if there is something fishy about this:

I walk in first, and the chain-smoking mini Thai man pulls a bunch of hand guns out of the glass case. He points to a large silver one and tells Shannon she will shoot that. He points a smaller black one and says thats mine. He gives us the ammunition, 50 shots each. One person (who doesn't speak any English) leads us downrange. He shows me where my hands go. And then I begin shooting this extremely powerful .45 downrange. I've never shot a handgun before...but this thing was badass. I was reeling off rounds so quick and everything. It was awesome having that power. My gun had a pretty big kick to it, unlike Shannons. I shot hers a couple times and it was nothing. Her shots made perfect little holes in the target, whereas mine literally ripped across the paper in 2 inch shots. All of this happened in about 25 minutes. So we leave, and realize that not once did we have any introduction. There were no wavers to sign, no formal contracts, not even a tutorial on how to shoot the thing. I could have just as easily turned around and capped all these guys. It was a lot of fun.

After that we took a boat ride down the main river and into some canals west of the river which lies on the western side of downtown Bangkok. While in the canals we came across a "snake show". Yeah we decided to get out and check it out. This place was basically a zoo, with all sorts of animals. We played with pythons and eventually went to the snake show, where these nutcases would mess with the snake and piss him off and get them to spit venom and hiss at us, since we were the only ones there. Real cool.

After that we each got a 2 hour traditional Thai massage and then went to meet up with Chris Migely's friend Sean Olvany, who lives in Bangkok. This whole time we were being driven around by Moon, who was a great great tour guide and actually did more than he was supposed to for us. The next morning we flew from Bangkok to Surat Thani provincial airport. That's not very accurate....I would call it a shack with a landing strip. We get in at 8 AM and then buy a joint bus/ferry ticket to Koh Phangan, an island on the Eastern side of the strait that separates the Gulf of Thailand from the Andaman Sea (east of the Indian coast).

There was quite a bit to do in Koh Phangan (pronounced ko pang-on). One day we rode elephants, hiked up this mountain, and saw some waterfalls. Another day we rented a boat and had a driver take us around the northern part of Koh Phangan to different snorkeling spots. It was really cool to snorkel, but we both burned the shit out of our backs and bodies. A lot of times we spent just cruising around the island on our motorbike. Everybody all across Thailand drives these little things around the island. I had a ton of fun driving this thing. Probably more than the Europeans who do that sort of thing in their home country. Most of the people were from Europe...saw almost no Americans at all. But its ok, because they have to speak OUR language to travel. One night we went to the Full Moon Party. Its this crazy party that only happens on Koh Phangan every month; the night of the full moon. This whole beach is covered with people from end to end. There are tons of bars blasting every kind of music all up and down the beach, its really a pretty cool time. If you are ever in Thailand near the full moon, you should check it out. Additionally, there are other designated beaches for the Black Moon and the Half Moon and their subsequent parties, but nothing is like the Full Moon Party I guess.

Another night we went to a Muay Thai boxing match. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but were pretty satisfied with the results. There were 7 rounds of feet to the face, hardcore knockouts, and 12 year-olds fighting for God knows what. It was kind of awkward to cheer for one 12 year old or another, but we quickly got over it when one destroyed another one with a right kick to the neck, knocking him out cold. Things in Thailand are different.

After having traveled around Asia now, I've become really thankful for a number of things. For starters, being a native English speaker is taken for granted by every single person who speaks it. Every country in the world has English education at some level. You cannot say that about any other language. Every person who travels internationally is exposed to English signs and text in English. Every airport that I have been to has not only that country's native language posted on signs, but also English. Could you imagine the effect/outrage if highway signs in the US started displaying words in Spanish or Chinese, the only languages more spoken than English? It wouldn't happen. It is essential for people who travel to know English. So be thankful for knowing English. Also, being American. We met these really cool German kids who were staying at our hotel. Obviously their English was fluent, as they had been exposed to it for 9 years in school. But they loved the fact that I had played American football for a time. Maybe being surrounded by Europeans created a little more focus on us, but I don't know. But just about every Thai person whom I met (the Thai people are as nice as any I have ever met), was really excited to meet an American. Even our driver Moon, who had practiced English with his wife for the past 5 years, talked about how much better life could be. He was upset that Thai people live a lifestyle where bribing the cops is just another illicit part of their lives. I really didn't know how to respond to him, so I just casually nodded...uh huh...