Sa-wat-dee ka! ("Hello!" in Thai)

I had an amazing time in Thailand! Delicious and cheap Thai food, inexpensive shopping, and the most incredible historical ruins I've ever seen! We mostly walked or rode tuk-tuks (3-wheeled motorized open-air taxis). Motorcycles seemed to be the normal mode of transportation for locals of all ages, both male and female. Surprisingly, we made it around Thailand even though we didn't know the Thai language. Most of drivers knew enough English to understand us and bargain prices with us.
I learned two very useful Thai phrases:
"Sa-wat-dee ka" = Hello!
"Khop khun ka" = Thank you!

Here are flashbacks and highlights from the trip...

* CHIANG MAI (4 days)

Chiang Mai was my favorite city. I liked how it was a big city with a small-town feel, and people were friendly. There were charming cafes, restaurants, bars, used bookstores, and wats (temples) throughout the streets. The weather was hot during the day, but it cooled down in the evenings. The first 3 days we stayed at a mid-range hotel, Montri Hotel, just inside the Old City gates. The 4th day, we splurged and stayed at D2, a very trendy and modern hotel that had just opened.
~ Highlights:
-Half-day cooking class at Kao Hom Cooking School (www.kaohom.com) - An awesome cooking class (I highly recommend it!) in a tranquil garden-home setting. We learned to make Fishcake, Glass Noodle Salad, and Beef Penang Curry, all for 1200 Bahts ($30 USD). We took a another class where we learned to make Pad Thai noodles.
-A 2-hour Thai massage at Oasis Spa - so nice...
-Sunday Street Market in Old City - We bought some nice decorations for our new home.
-Discovering a noodle dish called khao soi (chicken with soup noodles and noodle crisps in curry soup) at Si Phen Restaurant. A Chiang Mai specialty! Yum!
-Thai Boxing (Muay Thai) - I usually hate watching boxing (can't bear to watch people punch each other in the face until bloody to a pulp), so I was reluctant to watch it live in Thailand. Having watched Million Dollar Baby made me want to watch the live sport even less. But Julie really wanted to see it, so I said ok. I gotta say that I was surprised with Muay Thai (Thai Boxing), which is vastly different from U.S. boxing. Instead of turning it into a big punching-fest, Muay Thai boxers focus on using their legs, knees, and elbows to deliver swift kicks and jabs at their opponents, with only minimal punching with arms. Muay Thai is actually considered a form of martial arts. I also liked how the boxers seem more respectful of each other (winning boxers gave their opponents a hug at the end of their match, and during a K.O. the winning boxer immediately got down on his knees to kow-tow his fallen opponent who was knocked out on the ground). Overall, I really enjoyed watching Muay Thai. And to top off the evening, Julie and I took a picture with the winner of the final match! :)

* SUKHOTHAI (1 day, via a comfortable 3-hour bus ride from Chiang Mai)
The earliest capital of Thailand, Sukhothai is home to the Sukhothai Historical Park (a UNESCO World Heritage site) with a majestic spread of ruined temples and Buddha statues. We stayed in a guesthouse, which was a trying experience-- cold-water-only showers, flush-it-yourself toilets using water buckets, geckos unexpectedly visiting our room, and mosquitos biting us from underneath our blankets all night. Yikes! Hey, at only $5 USD a night, it was the cheapest place I've ever stayed at!
~ Highlights:
-Biking around Sukhothai Historical Park was one of my favorite experiences. So fun!! We rented bikes and spent 5 hours leisurely biking around the park from one historical site to the next. The sites were simply amazing to see upclose. Even though the wats (temples) and Buddha statues were in ruins, they were breathtaking, and it was easy to see how beautiful and grand they once were. I highly recommend going to see this if you have the chance. Pictures don't do it justice, but here are a few anyway...


* PHITSANULOK (1 day, via a 1-hour bus ride from Sukhothai)
Basically a stopover. We ate dinner on a floating restaurant and strolled through a street food market. The next morning, we flew to Bangkok, where Larry would stay the rest of the week to work, and Julie and I would continue onto Ayuthaya.

* AYUTHAYA (1 day, via a 1-hour train ride from Bangkok)
The former capital of Thailand (1350-1767) after Sukhothai, Ayuthaya was destroyed during a seige by the Burmese. Some restored, the crumbling remains of temples can be seen throughout the city. Thailand was much more HOT AND HUMID than in Northern Thailand, and it got unbearably hot and sticky while walking outside. We went for a 1-hour Thai massage for only 100 Bahts ($2.50 USD)! Though dirt-cheap in price, the massage parlor itself was very clean and professional. Although Julie loved her massage, I couldn't say the same. It was just my luck that my masseuse was a big, strong lady... I winced in pain each time she applied pressure with her thumbs, which was every 2 seconds. I swear, the lady had thumbs of steel! I couldn't even tell her to be more gentle because she didn't understand English! I had just experienced the most painful massage of my life!
~ Highlights:
-Ayuthaya Historical Park, another World Heritage site, where the wats were scattered throughout the city. Wat Chai Watthanaram, whose architecture was said to be similar to that of Angkor Wat, was breathtaking! Another impressing ruin was Chedi of Wat Phra Si Sanphet, with its three identical chedis (spires).

-Chillin' at a local bar restaurant while listening to a live band perform Thai songs and covers of American songs by Coldplay and Maroon 5.

* BANGKOK (3 days, via 1 hour train from Ayuthaya)
It was a bit surreal to see what a huge, metropolitan city Bangkok was, since we had just spent the previous week in smaller, less developed cities and towns. At first glance, Bangkok could've easily passed for some big city in the U.S., especially with all the traffic and modern buildings.

~ Highlights:
-The Grand Palace - Very grande and beautiful, with many ornate decorations and statues adorning the exterior walls of the wats and buildings.

-Suan Lum Night Market - Located near from our hotel. I bought a peasant skirt, capri cargo pants, and a pair of sandals there for a nice, low price.
-Chatuchuk Weekend Market - The largest outdoor street market ever, it'll take a few days to browse through it all! We got lost for an hour looking for one store, NOT fun with the humidity and heat. There were many beautiful decorative home accessories and clothing at incredible prices. A must-go! They also had "street food" vendors -- I bought a bag of spicy fishcake and a sweet pineapple shake for a total of $1.50 USD. Unlike Julie and Larry, I wasn't adventurous enough to try the "mystery meat" skewers (pictured left) though.
-Bars/Clubs - RCA (Royal City Avenue) is a stretch of bar/clubs with tables and seats spilling out onto the street. Many of the clubs played great hip hop music (which I love), but the problem was there were NO dancefloors, and we wanted to dance! Instead, there were tables (without chairs) everywhere and people stood around drinking and only a few people danced in the space between tables. After several club-hops (all overcrowded, none with dancefloors), we ended up at a club with a local Thai band doing an awesome rendition of Linkin Park.

*SIDE STORY: During our trip, many locals mistook me for being Thai. Many locals spoke to me in Thai and were surprised when I told them I wasn't Thai. The real kicker was when I was mistaken for being a Thai prostitute... two nights in a row in Bangkok!! The first night, a hotel staff stopped me, Julie, and her friend Thomas (who's Caucasian) as we were walking back into our hotel, and spoke to me in Thai. Apparently they took down the ID's of "working girls" who are brought into the hotel, so he probably just asked for my ID. Thinking he wanted proof of being hotel guests, I showed him my room card key. When he saw the card key, he apologized that he didn't know I was a guest. Um, if not a guest, what did he think I was!? The next night when we strolled into the hotel, I was next to Larry. A hotel staff stopped us and spoke to Larry in English, something about ID's. He then turned and spoke to me in Thai. I didn't say anything, expecting him to translate in English... but he didn't. When Larry said, "She doesn't speak Thai", the guy gave me a confused look. Larry then said to him, "She's my wife!". At that point, the guy started apologizing profusely to me and later told me that he thought I looked Thai. What, all Thai girls are hookers??! I didn't think I was dressed like I could be mistaken for one... hell, I was wearing a long skirt and flip-flops! I was definitely NOT hoochied up or anything! Maybe because we stayed in a business hotel and they saw working girls being brought in a lot. I'm not taking it personal, but just shocked at being mistaken as a working girl twice ,and found it disturbing that in Bangkok, when someone sees a young Asian woman (who they think looks vaguely Thai) walking with a guy, they automatically assume that she's a hooker. And the sad thing is that in many cases, that's probably true.

Anyways, I still had a blast in Thailand, and I can't wait to go back again! :)