Learning About Thai/Western Culture in the Airport Bookstore

After the chaos of Bangkok, I was really excited to escape south to the Thai beaches and islands.




We flew on Air Asia (Asia's low-cost carrier, similar to RyanAir or EasyJet) from Bangkok to Phuket. It was one of the easiest airport experiences ever (apart from Dana getting her second pocketknife confiscated. I'm surprised they haven't put us on a no-fly list yet).

We entertained ourselves in the airport at the bookstore by perusing books such as "So Many Girls! So Little Time! Your Guide to Romantic Adventures in Thailand". This book was a guide for Western men searching for Thai girlfriends and wives, and it included advice such as "make sure to learn Thai but prevent your wife from learning English at all costs because Western women could corrupt her and turn her against you".

Dana and I read through this book in disbelief, although later, on the small island called Koh Yao Noi, we found a book in our guesthouse's lending library that provided an interesting counterpoint. It was a book aimed towards women that contained love letter templates in English and Thai. It was mean to teach Thai women how to write letters to their Western boyfriends/husbands and included key phrases like "my hut was destroyed due to too much rainfall, please send money" and "Darling, when are you going to send me the French perfume you promised? I would very much like to experience its beautiful scent".

I think these two books highlight the fascinating interplay between Thai women and Western men. There is an enormous amount that could be written on this topic, but the existence of these books alone gave me a lot to think about.

Coming soon: Photos of our beautiful adventures at the beaches!

Vegetarian Paradise in Bangkok

Another Bangkok highlight: finding a "vegetarian alley" near our hostel. Tucked behind a main road is a little alley filled with vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Dana and I hit the jackpot when we found Ethos, an Aussie-owned restaurant with delicious and cheap healthy vegetarian food (including house-made kombucha tea and yogurt). The best.






Dana and I have already been here twice. The food here is delicious and it would rival any healthy cafe I've been to - anywhere.

Sights of Bangkok Market

Sometimes the best way to explore a new city is to wander around a neighborhood without any specific destination or goal. This can be a particularly good sightseeing option in a city like Bangkok, where street signs are almost nonexistent, and finding a specific address involves a great deal of guesswork and luck.

Yesterday we set off on just such a "wander tour". We walked by the Grand Palace toward the Chao Praya river and stumbled across an amazing marketplace. It wasn't a tourist market - it was a local market with tons of fresh produce. People were selling fruits, vegetables, and meat to local restaurants and food vendors. Here we found a vast array of produce and and one of the best pineapples I've ever eaten.

Sights of Bangkok: Wat Pho

This morning we visited Wat Pho: one of the largest and oldest wats (temples) in Bangkok.

It was also the birthplace of traditional Thai medicine and massage.

Today is the full moon, which coincides with rituals in Theravada Buddhism, which 95% of Thais practice. The wat wasn't very busy with tourists this morning, but there were a lot of Buddhist monks and Thais coming to the temple to pray.

It was absolutely beautiful. I'm glad I'm still a bit jetlagged because 8am is the perfect time to visit a famous temple in busy, muggy, hot Bangkok. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

I'll end on a delicious note: my best meal yet was green curry and vegetables at a small restaurant filled with locals in Siam Square.

You're American and you have a passport?!

Our first day in Bangkok was amazing!

Despite arriving around 3 am, we managed to get a few hours of sleep at a hotel by the airport before beginning our first day. We took a train from the airport to the center of the city, and then a taxi to Khao San Road, a famous "backpacker ghetto" that caters to travelers.

We got our first meal just down the street, at a little restaurant that had a big vegetarian menu.
I got vegetarian pad thai for 45baht, or $1.48.

We took the rest of the day pretty easy, wandering around the Khao San Road area and relaxing in the hostel. We are staying right next to a girl who also went to a small liberal arts school, and she knew some people who also went to Pomona! Small world!

The girl we talked to has been traveling in Southeast Asia for 5 months and she told us that she has seen fewer than 20 Americans during her entire trip. I was shocked! The banana pancake trail is packed with Western travelers/backpackers, but very few Americans. The majority of people at our hostel are German, British, and Canadian. We spoke to a German guy named Marcus and he joked with us, asking "You are American, and you have a passport? Crazy!" There's definitely a stereotype that Americans don't travel, and we like to stay in our own little bubble. Marcus also asked us if we really teach creationism in schools in the U.S. He was incredulous that such a "developed country" could do such a thing. I had no good response.

The highlight of our day was going to a big spa for traditional Thai massages. We paid 450 baht ($15) for a 2-hour massage at a really nice spa. You can get 1-hour massages for about $5 at cheaper places, but someone recommended Healthland to us and we decided to splurge since we wanted to relax after all the flights. It was definitely worth it.

Thai massage is unique because you change into loose-fitting Thai fisherman pants and a shirt, and the massage therapists move you into different stretches as part of the massage. It was amazing and a perfect way to get rid of tension from traveling and help with jet lag.

It was also hilarious because my massage therapist was no more than 4'8". She was one of the smallest people I have ever seen and I think she thought we were freakishly large. She and the other massage therapists kept giggling at us when we tried to move into the different poses for stretching, either because we didn't know what we were supposed to do, or because we're so large/goofy. It was really funny.

Overall, we had a great first day in Thailand and I can't wait to explore Bangkok more over the next 4 days!

And so the sojurn begins...

Up at 4:30 tomorrow morning!

Pack is PACKED and all set to meet Dana at LAX. Then we'll have a day to relax in LA, and fly to Bangkok on Sunday.

Let the adventure begin.

Countdown: 10 Days

The tasks related to planning the trip have largely been accomplished.
We quit our jobs.












We moved out of our apartment.












We bought plane tickets.











The stress of these major events is dissipating, and slowly being replaced with the realization that I am actually about to spend 3 months traveling in Asia. Thanks to having the Cadillac of health insurance, I am armed with 80 Malarone pills and various other remedies. I feel prepared for the trip, in an administrative sense. But I need to do a lot more reading/research on the places we'll be traveling. Not because I want to make specific plans-we're leaving our itinerary very flexible--but because I think I have a greater appreciation for a place and its culture if I understand the context.

Next tasks: read about the history of SE Asia and India. Oh, and pack.