the last two days of thailand

better late than never? i'm getting better at multi-tasking. blogging & watching gossip girl at the same time? why hadn't i thought of that before!?

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day four
18 march 2009
erawan national park

a hot and sticky night's sleep left me feeling drowsy. we woke up and grabbed breakfast at the jolly frog: eggs, toast & coffee. perfect! after gathering our belongings, checking out of our hotel (3 usd each!) and, making a stop at 7-11 for some snacks and waters, we made our way to the bus terminal.

we rode a nifty motorbike: it was a scooter with a sidecar, which looked more like a cage than seats. the three girls rode on the bench and i sat side-saddle, with my feet in the sidecar, on the back of the scooter. it was a fun ride and our driver even took a photo for us at a red light.

the bus station was a hub of activity; buses are a very popular mode of transportation. each bus was ornately decorated and colorful, with curtains in the windows. they look like ken kesey's bus; or what i imagine it would have looked like.

we sat in our bus, becoming increasingly hot and somewhat low on patience as we waited to leave. we did not dare venture too far, to the shops along the street or to the snack shops for fear that the bus would leave without us. it would have helped if we could read thai and could have deciphered the timetable, but oh well. and so we waited.

eventually locals began to pile on and we knew we'd leave soon. rennika hopped off for a 'pop in a sack.' most soda here is still served in glass bottles, which are then returned to their respective distributors and refilled. therefore, vendors like to ensure that they will get their returns. hence, pop in a sack. vendors fill a plastic bag with ice, add your soda and keep the bottle to be returned. add a straw and you're ready to go. this was common all over thailand. it was fun to drink sprite out of a bag!

finally, nearly an hour after we'd arrived at the station, the bus left. and so began our bumpy ride. we again experienced the two sided pricing; foreigners paid 50 baht and locals paid 30. all in all, a difference of about 50 cents. i won't lose sleep over it. we all dozed, stared out the windows, watched other passengers and ate mentos, our favorite snack during our time in thailand.

after driving nearly 2 hours through the countryside, we made it to erawan national park.  we found the information center, hit up the restrooms and began the walk to the falls.

erawan national park is comprised of 7 waterfalls and several caves. the highest waterfall, level seven is said to resemble the hindu god, erawan, an elephant with 3 heads.

we soon arrived at the first level, a popular picnic spot. the aqua blue shallows were teeming with young children and fish. there were rock caves, under the falls, where a large group of girls were smiling for photos. hot and sweaty, the waters were enchanting; we needed to get in as quickly as possible!

leaving our bags against a tree, we were soon climbing down to the water, over rocks and tree roots. slowing making our way out into the water via a log, ren slipped in and splashed us with the frigid water. i jumped in and immediately felt fish nibbling at my legs; kicking them away, i made my way into the lagoon. the water was so fresh and cold, it felt wonderful.

we made our way to the caves, screeching about fish and splashing around. i'm sure we made a scene; americans tend to do so, without even trying. climbing and slipping around on the rocks, i felt so clean! lord knows what sort of micro-organisms were floating in the water, i didn't care. it was the most clean i'd felt the entire time in thailand.

we had fun swimming around, but wanted to see more of the falls. we left our food in cubbies and began the hike up to the next set of falls. we were not prepared for hiking, we missed that memo. so our hiking attire-- bathing suits, flip flops and big purses-- just had to do.

we climbed to the fourth level, up stairs and over bridges, often stopping for more photos. we came up to the fourth level, which was easily my favorite. there was a rock slide!

i was nervous to climb on the rocks, but i was somewhat reassured by the lifeguard-esque park ranger and his inner tube.

mckendree and rennika went first, and i was poised with my camera to capture the splashes. i took the photos on sports mode, so each picture is like slow motion. after the girls returned and i passed my camera off to mckendree, kelsey and i were up.

it was so much fun! just like a water slide. except for the fishes!

lots of photos and more hiking, led us to our last waterfall. we were on a time limit, the last bus back to kanchanaburi was at 4 and we had to climb back down the mountain.

overall, the waterfalls were perfect. it was a great escape from the city, and we were all glad to be surrounded by greenery.

we hiked back down and stopped for a late lunch at a small cafe near the bus stop. a change into dry clothes and an ice cream later, we were back on the bus. packed with other foreigners and some locals. i was perched in the front of the bus and was lucky to fall asleep. the ride was slow, and it soon began to pour. there was a crack in the window, so i got a little wet. but the cool rain helped to dissipate the heat from the engine, which i was nearly on top of, and the lack of air conditioning.

the bus returned to kanchanaburi after five, and we purchased tickets back to bangkok. after paying to use the restroom and purchasing some random snacks, i was back on a bus. i think we ended up taking the local, least-direct route, which took over three hours.

we arrived back in bangkok around 930 and took a taxi to the city center, attempting to find some proper food. the city center malls were all closed, leaving us hungry, hot and frustrated.

a sky train back to the hostel and a trip to kfc (it was the only place that was open!) and we headed to bed. there were plans for skyping in the morning & we were excited to talk to our families and friends. we also had to be in the city center to meet our bus back to the ship.


day five
19 march 2009

our final day in bangkok was a laundry list of things to do. we got ourselved organized and left our bags in our room; which we'd had to ourselves.

starting with our last breakfast at elefin; the little cafe close to the hostel. one last perfect cappuccino and amazing oatmeal, a perfect start.

we then headed to the internet cafe, for our skype dates. i didn't know what time the cafe opened and we were early. i got some snacks and a magazine at the 7-11 next door and waited until the doors were opened. we were the first ones there, clearly anxious to get on the computers.

i then skyped with mom and dad (and andrew, rebecca, allison & lane). it was so wonderful to see their faces! and to catch up, not worrying about phone bills or anything.   i was on for over an hour, until the east coast was falling asleep and we were due back at the hostel to check out.

after checking out of the hotel we took our last skytrain ride back to the city center, where we checked our bags and soaked up the air conditioning. a quick bite of pizza and a stop at the bookstore, and it was time to get on the semester at sea bus back to laem chabang.

we arrived back a the ship, waited in a ridiculously long line to get back on the ship and fell asleep shortly after returning to my room.


overall, i loved thailand. i had a wonderful time traveling with such a small group and felt so relaxed upon return to the ship. the thai people were so kind, and i appreciated not being hounded by vendors when walking down the street. i love cities, and bangkok was no exception. our short escape from the concrete, to kanchanaburi was also refreshing. i suppose the ability to completely navigate on our own was inspiring! especially not knowing the language