Thailand

We arrive on the other side of the world after a rather long trip—4 hour drive, 8.5 hour plane ride back north of the Equator, 3 hour layover in Abu Dhabi (I bought Siena a cinnamon roll for 11 of whatever the currency is there. I have no idea if this was expensive or a deal, as I neither learned what currency they use nor what the exchange rate was—hey, I was jet lagged!), 5 hour plane ride. During our walk to customs, we notice a distinctive aroma in the airport: Thai food. Our “hotel”
that I booked online ends up a bit lower than low budget in the heart of the hippy, backpacker world. It is like a combination of Mardi Gras in New Orleans and spring break week at Daytona.

Our first day in the city, we make our way to a floating market.
It’s more like a floating food court, as all the boats sell cooked foods. There are no tourists here and the prices and food are remarkable. There are small tables and we sit cross-legged on the ground. We gorged on barbequed fish with green chili sauce, chicken satay, and some bizarre but delicious noodle dish, washing it down with several beers and waters for a whopping $6. Although early yet in our time here, the Beattie Beer Index reports exceptional levels in Thailand. We have tried Chang (aka Elephant) Beer, Singha, and Leo. Interestingly, Singha is our least favorite, and the only one I’ve seen imported to the US. It is a bit bitter for me, but the other two are wonderful, and, at $1.70 at a restaurant for half liter, even better.

There is food everywhere you turn. Pushcarts are set up on either side of the street, selling noodles, pancakes, odd soups, barbequed frog, bugs (grasshoppers, grubs, crickets, etc), stirfry pots of vegetables and meats. You could literally eat on a single street for weeks without ever actually entering a restaurant.

Where in the world are Ethan and Siena? This is the spiritual heart of the country, and in the absolute heart of the capitol of Thailand: Bangkok. The complex was initially built at the beginning of the reign of the current dynasty. This is the Grand Palace. The chedi (tall, hat shaped structures) and the Wats (Buddhist houses of worship) are unbelievable. The colors are so vibrant, all jewel tones of red and blue and gold. The buildings literally sparkle in the sunlight. This seems like a very religious country. We see shrines everywhere, with people on street corners lighting candles and praying. The smell of incense is as prevalent as that of garlic and coconut milk. The orange robes of the monks not only pervade the wats, but accompany us on buses and boats. While we sightsee at these shrines, it is evident that these are very much still places of worship. We are trying to work meditation and enlightenment into our daily lives, too.

Today is the start of the Lunar New Year so we take a tuk-tuk to Chinatown. A tuk-tuk is a three-wheeled cross between a scooter and a motorcycle with a surrey attached behind the driver. It is a bit cramped with the four of us, but fun to be outside, zipping through traffic and through tight spots (sometimes on the wrong side of the road). Chinatown is wild. There are thousands of people, all milling around, with firecrackers, and noise makers all contributing to the din. We even see our first Asian elephants at the celebrations. Asian elephants, if you didn’t know, differ from African elephants both by having smaller ears and by being much larger. The elephants were trained, and we were treated to seeing them dance, demonstrating better rhythm than some people I know. Remarkable how light on their feet these behemoths are. We pet the elephant’s trunk and marveled at the dexterity of this appendage as it received money, which it deftly swung up to the man riding on back, or bananas, which quickly disappeared down the hatch.

Today, we train up to the north of Thailand, to visit a friend of the family who recently moved to Chang Mai.

Shun! (cheers, in Thai)
The Beatties