Phuket, Thailand

Guest Blogger: Ryan

It's guest blog time, with Erin and Geoff being so kind as to let me step in as I ready myself to head back to the States. They have done this only with the caveat that they retain full editorial control -- not sure why but, in Geoff's words one night in Bangkok "May Pan Rai". (Think "Que sera, sera").

Chang Mai, in a word: chill. And that is precisely what we needed
after the erratically stimulating/disturbing concrete jungle of
Bangkok. Geoff booked us into a solid little guest house, fronted by
The Nicest Man in the Universe. We have to call him that, because for
some reason, none of us ever got his name. Our first night was spent looking over local wares (silks, carvings, jewelry, clothing, other crafts, etc.) at the big Night Market, where Erin fueled her motherly thirst for ornaments with a nice elephant coaster purchase. She was bathed in a "happy purchase afterglow"f or hours. We had a bite at the Chang Mai Saloon then, which featured an absurd amount of freebies: popcorn, peanuts, air hockey, pool, and internet. The
saloon saw no imbibing, however, due to the previous night, which saw me alternately crying about Vietnam and space (yeah, that kind of night), and the room spinning at 3 am. So it was a good pace-setting night.

Three big Chang Mai highlights thereafter:

The first of these is what I will refer to as "Adventure Day". We started early in the morning with ELEPHANT RIDING. The three of us piled up on top of "Stampey", with Erin and Geoff in the seat on the animal's back, myself lodged, bare-back-like on this incredible creature's massive neck. What an experience...we particularly loved when Stampey would reach his trunk back for some food and blow Asian elephant snot all over us. In all seriousness, though, I couldn't help but wonder, while perched up there, what a parallel experience might be for the handlers that were so effortlessly slipping up and down on the animals. I had this elephant ride...what could they have? Motorcycle riding? I swear that Thailand is a motorcycle-based economy, everyone owns one. A Balloon ride? Eh. Maybe the Internet? Who knows. But my inability to seize on something here, more than the experience myself, makes someone like me wonder about his life in New York.

Oh. but adventure day wasn't over. We followed the ride with a trek
through the jungle, past massive fields of rice, to a hillside
village. Geoff and Erin may have had a flashback to India, what with
the children running up to hawk bracelets to the Westerners. For me,
being that close to that kind of life was a first, and I couldn't help
but ponder the inherent beauty in that simplicity, as cliched as that
sounds. From the village, we took a bamboo raft back down the river,
where we were met by our driver and carted home.

The day then gave way to Mexican food night, something Geoff was mildly excited for. If by "mildly" you mean "insanely". And "Miguel's from California" delivered , with a remarkably authentic take (given its production by three Thai women) grounded in very fresh ingredients. A great way to satiate the appetite that the day brought.

Highlight #2 was the Bann Thai Cooking School, at which Erin carefully selected a perfect 4-hour evening course for us. We shared the class with a couple from Paris, and agreed to make spring rolls, pad thai, a cashew nut chicken, and a panaeng curry. The class was incredibly hands-on, down to bashing chilies into paste for the curry. Overall, I have to say, the food was damn good. So, families of Erin and Geoff, coming soon to a kitchen near you: some tasty, tasty Thai food.

The final Chiang Mai highlight (yes, I really liked Chiang Mai) came
during our final night, were we headed to "La Brasserie", a very cool
riverside live music venue that would, later in the evening, feature a
man reputed to be Thailand's greatest guitar player. First, though,
we caught a remarkably quality set of Marley classics (Thailand loves
their Bob)...sweet, sweet dreads on the lead singer. Finally, that
aforementioned guitarist took the stage, going only, as any rock star
should, by a single pejoritive -- "Took". The man did not
disappoint, noticeably raising the bar with his performance. After 45
minutes or so, and your Thai local, no more than maybe 15 years,
jumped on stage, his request to join in granted by Took. And this kid
could PLAY. After getting over his shyness and receiving some very
literal hands-on instruction from Took, the kid really hit stride and
closed things down. For us, at least...the strains of Took's licks
were soon subsumed by the diesel-driven howl of our chartered Tuk Tuk home.

Tuk Tuk sidebar: these things are SICK. Effectively three-wheeled go
carts, the drivers fearlessly careen around corners, between cars, and
down hills to the extent that, when you stop, you get the exact same
sensation as you do as the end of an amusement park ride. That
unsettled "aw, it's over" kind of feeling. I would have paid the 60
Baht ($2) just for the ride itself -- the fact that it also actually
provided transport home? Bonus. Fun+Practicality = Tuk Tuk. Oh, and
Erin tried to negotiate the guy down to 50 Baht before we got in. When the driver refused, she looked at Geoff and asked "So what do you want to do?" Deadpan, Geoff looked back at her and replied "It's $0.30 split three ways. Let's go." One of the most unintentionally funny moments of my time with these guys. So that marks Chiang Mai -- the Northern jewel in Thailand's crown, its second largest city, and my personal favorite part of the trip.

From there, our visit yet to be pockmarked by rain during this "end of the rainy season" period, we were beach-bound to Phuket. We had two nights there, and predictably, the rains came on day 1. And come did they ever. After exploring a few markets and the main shopping center, we retreated to our hotel with some bootlegged DVDs and score a DVD player at the front desk. Movie Night! A welcome break. However, our second day would also prove to be a washout, but we managed to explore the main restaurant/bar row (replete with their savory sets of characters), and were solicited to buy cheap souvenirs 8,965 times. Memo to Thailand: please adopt Geoff's "Golden Sticker" idea (where one could pay for a sticker that would bar one from being solicited) immediately. I would pay 500 Baht for this.

Overall, Patong Beach (our beach on Phuket Island) was a wash in more ways that one: the ridiculously strong expat presence, coupled with the pervasive reminders of the sex trade, lent nary a speck of identity to the place, It felt like Times Square by the beach, and I'm glad that it was little more than our weigh station as we eyed Ko Phi Phi.

My last leg of the journey, and I was ready to enter into as vegetative a state as possible. A ferry and a longtail boat ride from Phuket, and we float up into the PP Relax beach resort on the Eastern coast. We were greeted by the massive smile and outstretched arms of our Burmese host Andrew, and shown to our beach front bungalow. For a minimum of the next three days and nights, this 350 square foot wooden hut (including bathroom and porch) would be home for us -- the ocean on our ears and at our door (the latter quite literally at high tide). Weather would again have its way for a few days, so we caught up on reading, ravaged the large portions of meals dished out at the resort pavilion, and played some cards. There were windows where we could run out into the water to snorkel a bit, but just as quickly as we saw clearing, the clouds would roll back in. Except for on my last full day there...

Day 3, we were finally treated to some rather consistent sun, and it
was all I could do not to wake Erin and Geoff with a "Pssst -- they
are filming a Corona commerical outside." It reall was that idyllic,
everything one could ask for. White sand: check. Aqua-blue water:
check. Great company: check (I'll close by expanding on this one).
All I wanted was a single day like that, and I feel very lucky to have
gotten it.

The next day has me boun for Bangkok, and therefore marks the "goodbye" point for me to Erin and Geoff. Here's where and how I will (finally) close... coming into the trip, it had been quite a while since I had seen Erin and Geoff. And somewhat naturally, i think, I wondered how the three of us would "fall back in" after all that time. The answer, as equally natural, was: just as we always had (at least for Erin and I, we got back a bit longer).

it wasn't so much that had doubts -- it was just surprise how easy it was from second 1. But I suppose that's one of the things about great friends...each of you reading this knows just how special Erin and Geoff are, and I feel blessed to count them among mine. In a way, the "goodbye" was in more significant in it's complete lacking of the standard trappings -- we're not sure exactly when our paths will next cross, but that's really inconsequential. It was a just a "see you later", just the way I prefer it.

Erin and Geoff: my best wishes for the rest of your trip, and thanks
for inviting me to be a part of it. Two unforgettable weeks in
Thailand -- see you later!

Ryan