Transitioning back into Korean society after two weeks frolicking around Thailand has been…challenging. From the land of smiles, we returned to a cold city where few strangers smile at you and old lady elbows are common in your side. A rude welcome home, for sure, but not without its surprising upsides. Honestly, I mostly missed the food. And my apartment. And hot water and electricity overall as a normal, daily, everywhere kinda thing. Unfortunately schools are still unheated. This did not change while we were away. Sigh.

Exploring a new place is one of my favorite things about life in general. And some of the greatest takeaways from these new experiences are the friendships we make and conversations we have. And while I did meet wonderful people from all over the world, I met some not so cool ones, too, and they made me think about traveling in a way I hadn’t really considered before.

I’m not sure if I’m becoming more observant or if I’m simply getting older, but travel snobs are everywhere.

I’m not talking about the people who go big and luxe, but those who brag about where they’ve been and how remote it is. Some will say places you’ve been are “lame” or “overrated.”

Overrated? Maybe. but these places were popularized for a reason. Shut up. You sound like an asshole.

Another thing my eyes were opened to in Tonsai Beach was how oblivious travelers can be. I was very happy to stay in Tonsai and briefly live in the jungle with the monkeys and the cockroaches, reveling at the limestone cliffs around us.

It was incredible. Truly breathtaking. However, at night, while sitting in a bar, maybe a little too happy, I looked over to the space the flood lights illuminated and saw an older woman washing dishes, going about her business. I saw the shanty half-built pavilion next to the bar.

I even watched one of the bartenders play on Facebook for what seemed like forever. And there I was, sipping on a drink, playing Jenga and chillin’ with my Korean BFF and travel buddy, Allison. I couldn’t help but feel like an asshole for being there. For exploiting this beautiful amazing place and spending my night eating and drinking what locals served me. Locals who also have big dreams and ambitions that reach beyond serving drugs, alcohol and food to backpackers.

Then I looked at the tourists around me, who seemed to be completely unaware of their contribution to the inevitable downfall of this beautiful natural wonder.

I am so grateful to have experienced Tonsai and Railay (Railay Beach is right next to Tonsai, separated by a limestone cliff) and to have enjoyed sunsets, sunrises and great conversation. But these are places that are completely inaccessible without a boat. Ferries and smaller Longtail boats are constantly hovering, beaching, and taxiing people from place to place. There are no cars and no roads. At low tide, you can see and feel the effect this is having on the beach when you look around and see white coral everywhere. Some people take this as a souvenir, but I only saw a graveyard. White, sand-washed coral is remnant of a dead or dying reef. And I felt like I was part of the problem. I took boats to and from Tonsai; I craved electricity and running water.

At Tonsai Beach, electricity only runs from 6pm to 6am…through generators. So we are polluting the air as well. The only relief for me in Tonsai was the people who had traveled from all over the world to climb the cliffs there. They appreciated this place as more than a backpacker settlement. They weren’t there for the lifestyle, they were there for the cliffs, and I appreciated talking to them.

I was in love with our small bungalow, even though we only had one outlet to charge our phones, and even though we needed (NEEDED) the mosquito net that encased our bed, and even though our open-air bathroom welcomed visitors, like the biggest cockroach I’ve ever seen.

As much as I seemed to have gotten in my head about all this, there were some really amazing moments here. We took a kayaking trip through a mangrove jungle. It was beautiful and full of curious primates…and other tourists.

However, for me, the highlight was hearing our tour guide, the skinniest man you’ve ever seen, recount the day of the 2004 tsunami. He told us that he was in a boat on the water and due to quick thinking by his smart and experienced father, he was out of harm’s way when the waves hit shore, though they were stuck on the boat for several days.

His father had warned the rest of their family and luckily, everyone was ok. He explained that once they returned, their boat was used to transport bodies back to Ao Nang for days, maybe weeks after it happened. Guys, THIS is the reason I travel. PEOPLE make you see the world differently. People make you care for a place that you never thought twice about on a real, emotional level.

We also had some great conversations with the guys that tended bar at our little bungalow village. They were Thai Rasta men who played with fire and messed with the stray cats. And they were awesome. They were my favorite people we met down there. They were just having a good time, talking to us and hanging out with us and serving us drinks. Really some very funny, chilled out people. Locals are where it’s at.

Unfortunately we did get kind of fucked over when we attempted to tour Ko Phi Phi. Our boat never came to get us, leaving Allison, me and another couple standing disappointed on Railay Beach. Not ones to stress and complain, we shook it off and set up shop on the beach to take in the gorgeous view and the luxurious (yes, luxurious) sand.

 

We had to wait for low tide to hike back to Tonsai anyway…unless we wanted to wade in hip-deep water just to get to the path. It was gorgeous, the water was warm, and we just chilled. Not a terrible alternative. Tonsai and Railay were actually the last places we visited. Before this we went to Ko Lanta, Chiang Mai and, of course, Bangkok.

Ko Lanta felt like a honeymoon. We splurged, paying about $35 each per night in a gorgeous bungalow just a short walk from the sand. The beach went on forever and we took this time to chill out. After Chiang Mai we needed a break…you’ll understand why in a minute. The people here were very friendly, and it was the first time I ever had to wait somewhere for prayer time to be over so I could pay a bill. I liked it, though. The whole island felt like a family.

Chiang Mai was a whole different story. I absolutely loved Chiang Mai. The food, the people, the city, the outskirts, all of it. We had an amazing adventure, from meeting some amazing ladies (Page and Sarah, I’m lookin’ at you) and staying at a really cool, friendly hostel (called Mojito Garden, if you’re interested) in a conveniently located part of town, to partying, to jungle excursions. Here, we got into the party scene and had some drinks and dancing.

We also rode elephants, trekked through the jungle, swam in a (freezing) waterfall, and begrudgingly lowered ourselves into a pitch black cave filled with hundreds of bats.

Oh, we also met and hung out with the actor who played Cato in the Hunger Games. Pretty cool guy, actually. His cousin was pretty cool, as well. There are too many stories to tell about Chiang Mai. Too many stories and too many people to mention because it’s an amazing place…and I just might find myself back there to teach because I loved it so much.

One story I will tell is not one I’ll soon forget. Following our drunken night with Cato, Allison and I didn’t wake up for our elephant excursion until the driver was there to pick us up in the morning. So we woke up, panicked, packed, and got moving as quick as our still-drunk selves could. We were the saddest, most hungover humans at the elephant sanctuary (Yes, sanctuary. Never go to a place that is not a rescue center as elephant abuse and neglect is rampant in the tourism industry throughout Thailand).

We were so hungover, in fact, that at one point I lost my pants. Hips to ankle. Separately, Allison came within seconds of puking on the elephant. Riding an elephant is not as leisurely as it seems. You’re either sitting on its shoulder blades…so when it walks, your hips rock side to side—especially uphill, or you’re sitting with a tall spine between your legs. After Allison dismounted to vomit, I flew solo on our elephant…like really solo because it decided to start walking back up the mountain when the guide wasn’t looking. He came running after me as I kept looking back with an “Oh fuck, how do I make this thing stop?” look on my face. Overall though, it was a great day and an incredible experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of this differed greatly from our time in Bangkok. Because my Mom is incredible, she put us up in an amazing hotel as a Christmas gift. We had a bedroom, living room, dining and kitchen space, and our own balcony…amazing. The first night in Thailand we headed to Khao San Road to see what this party place was all about.

While chillin’ drinking some beers at a bar, we started chatting with the guy sitting alone next to us. Ali is from Pakistan and he, along with his friend Faisal, were a couple of the best people we met throughout the whole trip. After sightseeing at the palace the next day, we met up with the two of them for an incredible dinner (thank you again), and afterward they took us to a Sky Bar that overlooked the city. Here, we had some drinks and an amazing conversation.

Again, people are what open your eyes to the world. As an American, I’m kind of afraid of Pakistan. But these two, producers, changed my perception of what Pakistan is and who Pakistani people are. I will never forget the stories they told me about Islam, extremism and phone snatchers. Some of it was funny, like phone snatching at gunpoint, and some of it was intense and scary, like when we discussed the mass murder of school children just a few months ago. I’m truly grateful to have had such wonderful conversationalists, open to talk about the world and their country in a way I would normally be afraid to discuss.

For all of this, I consider myself luckier than most. For the people I’ve met and the places I’ve been and the things I’ve experienced. Though I became somewhat unimpressed with the kinds of people I was meeting at points, I’m happy to have seen it all with a fresh perspective. I’m not sure it would have meant as much had I not. So, I don’t think I need to say this, but I fell in love with Thailand. It isn’t perfect, but no place is perfect. I’m seriously considering going back to teach, so who knows, maybe there are more stories yet to come. Until then…there’s some food for thought. Enjoy the pictures!