Thailand
(Land of a Thousand Smiles)
(Land of a Thousand Smiles)
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| Phuket Photo Gallery (Tsunami and the Rebuilding) |
| Thailand is one of the most special and magical places on the planet. Due to it's stunning natural beauty, sumptuous cuisine, and warm, welcoming people, Thailand has become a top vacation destination for people throughout the world. Most visitors spend their time on the dreamlike beach areas of southern Thailand, but many are also attracted to the northern areas of Chang Mai and Chang Rai where one can experience traditional rural life and visit some of the best ancient Siamese sites. The capitol, Bangkok, also provides a plethora of sites and sounds that will fascinate any visitor. Yes, many make Bangkok their destination because of the famous access to sex shows and cheap prostitutes, but it would be a shame to have that be the only thing one thinks of when thinking of Bangkok. It's a big, dirty, noisy city, but also has an amazing history and a great number of cultural attractions. Thailand, and Bangkok specifically, has seen incredible economic growth and maturity over the past 25 years or so, and serves as a stable, productive, and business friendly base in Southeast Asia. I was fortunate to have been introduced to Thailand back in 1987. Many things have changed since then, and I feel it truly is a gift to have been given the opportunity to experience Thailand prior to so many of those changes. When I first visited Thailand I spent several days in Bangkok initially, staying on the famous (now somewhat infamous) Khao San Road. At the time this area served as a central gathering place for all manner of traveler, backpacker, pilgrim, student, hippy, and heathen making their way through Southeast Asia. It was a lot of fun, and a real eye opener (ask me sometime about my overly sexed neighbors), but I've never been tempted to stay in this area again. After taking in much of what Bangkok had to offer (no, I'm not talking about the sex and drugs), I made my way to Koh Samui, a paradise of a tropical island off the southeastern coast. I'll never forget my first day on Koh Samui. It will remain one of the most special memories in my life. Not only was it one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, but it was unspoiled, warm, friendly, and CHEAP! We (my friend Rick Myers, his girlfriend, and I) checked into our bungalows (at $1/night) and I headed straight to the water. I literally had to pinch myself because I couldn't believe this place was real! The water was warm, and even with the water chest deep I was able to look down to clearly see individual grains of sand swirling through my toes. My head was now spinning. Later that night we spent a couple of hours gorging on a feast of exotic tropical fruits, fish, and various Thai delicacies at a small, family run place (merely a shack) on the beach. We felt like kings. When the bill came (and this is not a joke) it totalled ONE U.S. DOLLAR!! I had officially fallen head over heals in love with Thailand! Well, those days are sadly long gone. The island of Koh Samui at that time had but ONE brick building. It now has many major hotels, and even an airport! However, you can still probably stuff yourself with all that amazing Thai food for the princely sum of about $5. In more recent times I've become familiar with the island of Phuket, Phi Phi, and the areas in and around Krabi. While these are now full-fledged tourist destinations, they only served to enhance my love and understanding of the kingdom. Our hearts were broken last year when many of these areas, including very specific places with which I'm familiar, were at the heart of the devastation brought by the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004. To this day I have a hard time even thinking about that tragic day and the pain and suffering it brought to the tourists and people of those special places. I would encourage any of you who plan to visit Thailand to specifically look to travel to the areas affected. Tourism is at the heart of the economy there, and it's only through the continued influx of tourist dollars that these places can fully recover. |
