Category: Thailand V2

Howdy y’all,

Tina and I left our swanky hotel and headed for the airport to make our way to Krabi. After circling the drain in the air for a while, the plane finally landed. Then after a long luggage wait we were heading to the dock to get us to Railay. Railay is a stunning location, accessible only by long tail boat. It has no motorized vehicles, pristine beaches, and is a climbers paradise as the giant limestone karsts that dominate the landscape make for some solid routes.

We arrived just past dark, commandeered a long tail, and were treated to a thunder and lightning storm as we cruised into the east beach. It was a stunning display of nature.  We managed to make our way to our hotel and settle in for the night, looking forward to exploring the next day. I had been here two years ago, and was very excited to show Tina what a wonderful place it is.

The next morning we got our beach bum gear together and headed to Phra Nang beach. The area is divided into 4 main beach areas. Railay east and west where most of the accommodations are, Tonsai beach, where the hippies and climbers reside, and Phra Nang beach, where the lazy bask in the sun and swim.   It is quintessential Thailand. Light blue waters, white sand, and huge limestone cliffs. Absolute beauty in all regards. We chilled on the beach had some beers, and enjoyed each others company. It was with great excitement and relief that after so much chatting and build up, she had arrived, and we were getting along so well. The first day on the beach I also bumped into a couple from Israel I had met 6 weeks earlier in Luang Namtha, Laos. They were staring at me awkwardly until they realized who I was and said hello. It’s not unusual to bump into the same folks while traveling the same country, but a bit less common when you have ventured through so many places.

For the 9 days we basically did similar activities. We hiked to Tonsai Beach, kayaked, laid around together in the rain,  had drinks over looking the beautiful views. We randomly were there for the Songkran festival ( Thai New Year ), which entails a few days of people running around soaking each other with buckets of water and spraying each other with water guns.  On our last full day, we even did a day trip to Phi Phi, which is best seen in the day ( obnoxious at night… ).  It was paradise at its finest. I won’t go into too many personal details, but we have both been through hard days and have connected with each other at the least expected time. The days flew by as we had so much fun together. I honestly can’t imagine a more perfect 10 days with anybody. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. We had to head back to Bangkok and go our separate ways for now. However, it’s with great anticipation that I look forward to spending more time with her when I return to North America, and see what the real world holds.

For now I just have one more trip to make on my journey. I’ve decided to head home after the next adventure. I’m heading to Nepal to do the Everest base camp 3 passes trek. It will be a big change from the beach bum life I’ve been living and push my physical and mental boundaries for 17 days trekking in the Himalaya. After, well, it may be time to head home and see where life takes me.

See you in Nepal folks.

Hello y’all,

I have eluded to a surprise guest that is joining my trip for 10 days. Her name is Tina, she is from Texas, and she is quite amazing! The story goes like this… Last summer I met a girl in New Orleans while there on a bachelor party. She was from Dallas and we had some pretty solid chats over drinks, and got to learn alot about each other. The tough ordeal I had been going through with my grief and loss impacted her, and we stayed friends after the trip.  Fast forward to February while I’m traveling and she tags Tina on a facebook post, saying “Steve, meet Tina”. Ok, I’m always up for meeting new peeps. ( Especially really hot ones from Texas… ).

Tina had also had some severe loss in the last year. She lost her young husband tragically, and was also going through a tough period of grief. Our common friend filled me in, and I dropped her a line.  A few messages soon turned into something like 10,000 according to facebook. It started slow but soon we were talking alot. She threw out the idea of coming to visit me in Thailand. She wanted to travel as a healing process like me, and strongly identified with my situation. So, I said f&%$ it, come visit me. This all started quite platonic, as I was trying to respect where she was at in her grief, but, soon crossed a bit further.

So, Tina is joining the adventure for 10 days. We’ve talked twice on skype, only seen pictures of each other, so hence, “10 days of crazy!”. You only live once right!

She arrived late to Bangkok around midnight after a very long flight, and I anxiously awaited her at the airport.  Would we be awkward? Would we not be what the other thought we would be? Who the hell knows, big gamble here.. It’s not often you get ready to meet a girl you’ve shared so much with, but never met.  She rolled in on time, and honestly, our chemistry was even greater in person. Yada yada yada, the next day we got up to explore a bit and have some fun.

We had a full day in Bangkok to let Tina acclimatize to the heat and time change. She was born in Laos, but moved to Texas as a 4 year old, and has never been back. She speaks Thai and Laos, so this would be fun to have her navigate our way through the city.  We had a great time chilling at our hotel pool first and then wandering our neighborhood. We were in the Patpong region on Bangkok ( sleazy red-light district ), so voyeuristic-ally took in the night, roaming around having some drinks. We even indulged in the crazy fish that eat all the dead skin off your feet.  We did not indulge in any ping pong shows…

After some Asian delights ( McDonalds ) we headed back to the hotel for the night.  The next day we were due to fly to Krabi, and spend the next 9 days around the fabulous Railay beach. The ice was broken and we were really happy to be with each other. I think the gamble was paying off.

So next up Railay Beach. Stay tuned for how it all played out.

Hello all,

Well, when you are on the road for a while, you start to miss some comforts of home and the ease of routine. I seem to have found some of them in the town of Khao Lak. This is my third journey to this quiet little beach town, and it really has started to feel like home.  Each time I came for some diving, but always stayed around to enjoy the beautiful beaches, easy going locals, great food and cheapo beach massages.

Once again, I had booked another 3 day diving trip with Sea Dragon. My dives in Sri Lanka were a bit of a bust, so I wanted to get back into the water on some great sites. I was very familiar with the routine, and as usual the team at Sea Dragon delivered a stellar experience.  I had some of my best dives in the Similan region, as this trip was focused on the southern islands in the area. On board, we had a bit more of a tame group, but we still managed to have some good times. My mood had gotten a bit reflective, and I started to think about what it might mean to go home again.

After the diving trip, I lingered around my home base, and soaked up what was now becoming some seriously hot weather in Thailand. Hitting highs of 38, it was sweltering. I had my usual motorbike, cruised around in peace, and had beers on the beach to the sunset. I had a special feeling one evening, watching another fantastic sunset, realizing  that this had now become my life. Relaxing with great people, drinking beers on the beach, and watching these spectacular views.

The days passed by, and I was getting a bit excited to go meet my latest guest on the tour. This one is gunna take some explaining to do, and may sound like I’ve gone a bit bonkers, but you will have to wait till the next post to read the details.  I finished up my days in Khao Lak in sunny bliss, and when I left, realized this may be the last time in a while I will see this place. Thanks for the great times Khao Lak, I’m sure I’ll see you again some day!

Up next, back to Bangkok….

Steve

Hello again,

Sara and I made our successful escape from Sri Lanka, after a tiring drive that took us too close to the heart of Colombo where traffic runs, or should I say crawls, quite slow. We stayed at a hotel near the airport, and early the next day we were off the Bangkok. We had just a night there to find some excitement before Sara departed for the great West the next day.

She booked us a swanky hotel, Le Meridien Bangkok, and we enjoyed the luxuries of a 5 star accommodation.  We sat by the pool, drank beers and basked in the sun, reflecting on our journey together. It was a nice day of decompression, and it felt good to be back in Thailand. That evening we went out to explore a bit, and found a good meal, and then a lively night market. Sara bartered her way to a couple items, and we wondered about.

Soon we would realize that this was no a regular neighborhood however. There were go-go bars everywhere, ping pong shows abound, and young costume laden prostitutes everywhere. Our voyeurism took over and we observed the craziness. It wasn’t until later that I looked up the area, and discovered it is the rather infamous Patpong region, Bangkok’s most famous red light district!

We didn’t partake in too much madness, and turned in early, as the next day we were both to fly out. It was sad to say good bye to Sara, but it was time to venture out on my own again for a bit. I had decided to head back to Khao Lak to do yet another diving trip, as I was killing 7 days before yet another visitor was set to join my adventures.

Stay tuned for more details.

Steve