If this isn’t the End of the World Then it is at Least Nice Enough to be Considered a Nomination

On our last long weekend Cheryl and I went to Koh Pangan. Why Koh Pangan you may ask? Because we had many wonderful friends with which to share the experience, that is why. Our wonderful friends Shawn and Sean have been traveling through various regions over the past several months. They stopped in to visit us in Bangkok some weeks ago. We met, talked, etc. and enjoyed the company. Then they took off to India, back to Thailand, off to Cambodia, and then once more to Thailand. They finally settled on a little piece of heaven called Koh Pangan; a little island in the south-eastern corner of the Bay of Thailand. From there they sent a message that they were staying and we were welcome to join them. Well now who are we to ignore an invite to join our friends on a sparsely populated tropical island?

We were also fortunate enough to have our two friends from our previous weekend on Koh Chang (Lainie and Heather) joining us as well as Lainie’s brother Evan. Althogether we were a motley Winnipeg crew of seven. It was wonderful having so many friends with nothing to do but laze about at a resort. Some of the pictures of the sunset are taken right from the porch of Shawn and Sean’s cabin whick was actually overhanging the rocks and the ocean.

Later on into Saturday night we began light-painting with Cheryl’s camera. This is a cool trick by using a timer on the shutter of the camera itself. We had a great time and came up with some pretty cool shots.

On the Sunday we traveled to a nearby beach and went snorkeling around a small island adjoining the larger one of Koh Pangan. The coral wasn’t as amazing as some I have heard about but it was very satisfying to see as it was my first time snorkeling in the ocean.

I hope the days of tropical islands will never end. I know that at some point Cheryl and I will be going back to Canada, but for now we go away every weekend and pretend there is no world beyond us, and no obligations come Monday. Although our futures may always encroach us, at least the present has a nice view.

*The picture of the sunset is taken by Cheryl Bates.

*The silhuette at sunset was taken by Jay Ewert.

*The light-painting shots were taken by Jay Ewert and buddy Sean on the beach (I’m so sorry Sean but your last name is escaping me. I hope you read this and leave it in the comments for this blog so you can get your proper creds).

Kanchanaburi - Erawin Falls, River Kwai, and Tiger Temple

One weekend Cheryl and I went with our fiend Amanda to Kanchanaburi where we had a great time. As usual we only had a two-day weekend within which to get there, enjoy ourselves, and then get back.

Our trip out there was an adventure in itself. We left immediately after school on Friday, ate some pizza at the Mall Bangkae, and then went to catch the bus on Petkassem Rd. We were told to catch an 81 bus to Kanchanaburi, but instead a different number of bus pulled up and claimed it was going to Kanchanaburi. Of course, you must note the particular use of the word “claimed”. After about 2 hours of riding around they dropped us off at a bus stop where we could catch the 81, which was of course the bus we had originally intended to catch. So there we were, having to pay yet another fare, and rather uncertain as to whether it was all necessary. Mai pen rai.

When we arrived we walked for a long time and found a pleasant little guesthouse that had a friendly staff, reasonable looking food, and a pleasant squirrel in a cage that did flips all day, how fun! The next morning we had a delicious “American Breakfast” which, as usual, consisted of toast etc. and some under-cooked eggs (for some reason food is not allowed to touch a frying pan for longer than 30 seconds in Thailand). Then we were off to Erawin falls.

Erawin falls was breathtaking and well worth the hike. The falls are contained in a national park, and so, are well taken care of and not overdeveloped like some parts of Thailand tend to get. The falls are about a 45 minute vertical hike up the seven steps of the falls and each step is beautiful. There were Thai families all around the pleasant areas sitting, eating, talking, and just enjoying nature with each other. It was great to see. In many of the falls people were even swimming, so on our way down the hike we chose a nice pool of clear water and jumped in for a very refreshing swim. It was fantastic!

That night we explored Kanchanaburi a little including the Bridge Over the River Kwai. It was very interesting to see the bridge that had carried people to their eventual fates during war-time. We took some pictures, milled with the other tourists, and then ate a floating restaurant beside the bridge. Unfortunately the food was almost all seafood, but the company was good.


The next day we went to the Tiger Temple. The trip there was similar to our travels to Kanchanaburi; we asked directions, were misdirected, then redirected, then overcharged, then confused, and finally, were dropped off on the side of the road without a paddle. Mai pen rai.

The temple itself was rather different than we had anticipated. We had expected the tigers to be free-roaming within the small canyon in which they were kept. However, the tigers were bound with chains and were very slovenly due to the intense heat of the canyon. The falang tourists were asked to enter one at a time with a guide to show them through. This was obviously to limit the amount of silliness that might ensue should a bad tourist decide to behave badly around the irritable animals. We found out later that the tigers used to roam free in the canyon a few years ago. Apparently there were some questionable events involving tourists that made them change their policy (hmmmmm). All things considered, it was pretty cool to reach out and pet the tigers.

When we left the canyon we were lucky enough to come across a baby tiger awake and ready for attention and feeding. Cheryl was afforded the opportunity of feeding the cute little guy and I was lucky enough to get to hold him right in my lap. That was definitely the highlight of the tour.

Although it takes a lot of time to travel to many of the places around Bangkok I am not tired of seeing the sights, smelling the smells, and experiencing Thailand around us. Sometimes we say “Mai pen rai”, but sometimes we are photographing ruins, feeding baby tigers, or being hammock-heroes on a tropical beach. Dee mak mak (Thai for “good, a lot, a lot”).

*Editor's note: The picture of the falls is taken by Jay Ewert, and the menacing looking tiger shot was taken by Cheryl Bates.

*To view more pictures from this adventure go to Kanchanaburi, the Falls, the Bridge, the Tigers

From Deep Within the Paradise that is Koh Chang

Dear Reader...

I understand if you are about to hate me for what I am about to write but not only have we found paradise, but we will also return there during consecutive weekends. Several weeks ago Cheryl and I discovered the paradise of Koh Chang. It is an island off of the North Eastern shoulder of the bay that is Southern Thailand.

We took an overnight bus to get there and groggily dragged ourselves aboard the 6:30 a.m. ferry to the island, and it was worth the trip. Once aboard the ferry we were blessed with a sunrise off portside. Upon arrival we were called to ride a song tao to the far side of the island where our beach awaited us. As we rode the song tao I met a delightful Frenchman with whom I enjoyed conversation and breathtaking views as we stood on the back of our speeding tropical taxi. After many twists and turns in the road and a few breathtaking views we arrived at Siam Huts where we decided to stay. We rented a little woven shack of a place that cost only 150 Baht per night (roughly $5 Canadian). It wasn't impressive but it had plumbing and was about 20 yards from the ocean so it fit the bill. Not to mention that Siam Hut also had a massive deck upon which we could tan, read, listen to the waves, and eat very delicious green and yellow curry.

I won't bore you with the minute by minute details but I will tell you some of the highlights of paradise.

The beach we were staying on is called Lonely Beach and it is very aptly named for it is NOT one of those overcrowded tourist-ridden places that make you say things like "at least it's better than home." Instead, it is one of those sparse beaches with soft sand, few rocks, fewer tourists clogging up the waves, and a gentle breeze. Couple this with on-the-beach Thai massage, a hammock to lay in whilst eating breakfast, and nightly barbeque's on the beach for under 100 Baht and you have just about the most perfect place on planet earth.

Aside from the above-mentioned gluttonees we also enjoyed some other aspects of the island. One day we rented a motorcycle and sped our way around the winding, hilly, and vacation-slow-moving roads of the island. We stopped whenever it suited us to have lunch, look at the sites, or otherwise stop and just bask in the fact that we were there. Have you ever rubbed your eyes until they hurt because you just can't believe you're in paradise? Or at least decided not to pinch yourself because if you are indeed dreaming then you would rather not wake up? That's what you do when in such a place. You either disbelieve its existence or you accept it in all its fervor and glory. So that's what we did. By the end of the weekend we didn't even talk anymore, we just accepted the peace around us and every once in awhile we would comment something around the lines of "that's beautiful" or "wow", to which the other would reply "yeah" and then close their eyes again and listen to the surf.

This last weekend we returned there with two friends, Lainie and Heather. I think it's safe to say that they enjoyed themselves because they didn't return with us to Bangkok. We sadly left them there yesterday with our hearts full of jealousy. But we will visit paradise again soon.

Onward to Sin City - I Mean Pattaya

This weekend Cheryl and I wanted to go away. We only had two days however and so we were looking for someplace close. There is a coastal city close to Bangkok called Pattaya. It has a beach along with restaurants and hotels, so we thought this would be an adequate weekend stop for us to relax. But there were a few things about Pattaya we did not know.

*Song tao – a type of taxi that is a pick-up truck with benches in the back and a roof etc. It will usually run a set course similar to a bus. It carries up to as many passengers as college students can be squished into a phonebooth and is a very inexpensive and fun way to get around.

We arrived late in the evening. Our first order of business when arriving at the bus station was to find a song tao to the beach strip where we were sure to find restaurants, bars, and hotels for us to stay. We were soon sitting in the back of a song tao and sailing through the streets and on our way. When we arrived on the beach strip, however, there seemed to be a lot more bars than restaurants. It also seemed that the patrons consisted of mainly older falang men with Thai women, many of which were rather underdressed to be considered fashionable.

We soon found a very nice looking hotel with a pool and reasonably clean rooms for a very affordable price. So, we booked in and went on a walk to see some of the local establishments. As we walked we noticed a definite forming theme in the businesses of Pattaya. It appeared that although there were many drink specials advertised it wasn't the drinks that were the chief thing being sold. I was very happy and relieved to have my wife on my arm as a form of protection. In fact, I was very lucky to have been under the protection of my wife. At one point I left Cheryl for a few minutes in order to walk down the street and obtain change from the nearest 7-11. This required me to walk roughly two-hundred yards down the street fully exposed to the local 'elements'. I now feel I understand the negative feeling expressed by women when they are cat-called by piggish men. Surrounded as I was by all the women of questionable morality, I was verbally accosted from all sides. I felt as though I were a raw sirloin steak floating through a crocodile pit.

Okay, enough of the politeness. I will come right out and say it. Pattaya had a shocking number of women for sale; more than I ever could have thought possible not only in one place but throughout the known universe. I now see why Thailand is considered the prostitution capital of planet Earth. I said before that the pigs are marching in Thailand, well Pattaya is a thunderous stampede of swine.

All that aside though. Cheryl and I did have a nice weekend in Pattaya. We spent the remainder of the weekend swimming in the hotel pool, eating delicious pizza in an Italian restaurant whilst listening to an extremely talented opera singer, and ordering copious amounts of room-service for $3 and under per meal. In essence, Thailand, like any place, will be what you make it. I am happy that Cheryl and I are able to enjoy each other and the places we are in despite what may be around us in the darker corners. I have chosen a good partner to keep a light with, and I’d like to think she respects me more than a crocodile does it’s meat.

Mai Penn Rai

Mai penn rai is a term used by all Thai people. Loosely translated it means "so it goes" or "no worries". If there wasn't already a national anthem I would suggest it to become the informal mantra-anthem of the nation.

It seems like a nice concept; no worries about what is in front of you. I originally took this as a layed back approach to all things and thought this was perhaps a projection of a zen-like affluence within the hearts and minds of the Thai people.

Since arriving in Thailand I have seen a staggering amount of people all crammed into small spaces with limited room, economy, and resources to accomodate them. As I look around I begin to wonder at which time in history did this term Mai Penn Rai originate. Is it a historical reference stemming directly from Buddha denoting the taoism of ancient times, or it a contemporary composite of indifference towards the surrounding madness?

*Soi cart – In Thailand many people make their daily bread by selling food on carts. They often position these carts throughout the streets which are called “soi”.

I was once told that the definition of madness was doing the same thing again and again yet expecting a different result. In a city like Bangkok there are about 12 million people with almost no money with which to fund extravagance. Each person has to get together whatever they can to survive whether it is setting up a soi cart to sell various fish parts fried in oils, drive a taxi, or open a small store either under or within their home. With such a competitive working class there are, of course, many people doing similar things in very similar ways. One cannot expect to rise to greatness through the impetus of a soi cart business that is much like those on every street, however, they can say "mai penn rai", shrug their shoulders (yes, people in Thailand do that too), and accept the situation at face value. No worries.

Whenever something happens that a Thai person wishes to disregard for any fashion they say Mai Penn Rai. People do not get angry, they just accept their lot.

When I think of mai penn rai I don't think of a meditating monk forgiving a tiger for biting him, I think of the old woman at the seven-eleven that was just cut in line by the person that moved faster and chose to accept it rather than get angry. Mai penn rai is not just a way of "no worries", it is a way of silent vengeful salvation against the clammer of people around you. I think mai penn rai is a means of living amidst the many and somehow maintaining a smile.

You may read this blog entry and think me a determinist, however, I think that mai penn rai exists because people, no matter what environment they find themselves in, are simply determined to survive. Sometimes "no worries" is the only way to deal with overwhelming odds. Hats off to the Thai people for finding a way to find shelter in humility when pride is not required, nor part of the answer.