National Parks
After four months here (broken up by two months stateside), I'm finally getting around to checking out the parks in the area.

I've been missing a lot.

While there are several National Parks within striking distance for day trip or overnight, the easiest to reach is called Khao Sam Roi Yot, about an hour's drive South of Hua Hin. It means "Mountain of 300 Peaks", and the name is apt. The landscape is a fantasy land of jungly limestone peaks that back up directly against the sea, with gorgeous beaches and offshore islands thrown in. It reminds me of Pinnacles National Monument and Channel Islands Monument in California and Mount Desert Island NP in Maine, all rolled into one.

Sorry my camera stopped working, but here are a couple of links to view pictures of the park.

http://www.explorethailand.com/huahin-guide/khaosamroiyot.html

http://www.longbeach-thailand.com/sam.htm

To be honest, I don't think they do the place justice.

I rented a motorcycle and set out early to spend the day exploring the park. The drive down was easy enough, but more than a casual jaunt on a small bike. I stopped at Pranburi, about 2/3 way there and had breakfast.

At that point the road to the park diverges from the main North-South corridor. Heading East, I crossed a set of railroad tracks and started to get into the country. Before long, a fantastic mountain range appeared on my right, quickly growing larger and more detailed, a fantasyland of precipitous cliffs and spires. Maybe not 300, but quite a few.

As I got closer to mountains, I found myself riding beneath gorgeous limestone cliffs festooned with jungle plant life. Still not at the park's boundary, I came to a lovely wat (temple) on the right with a sanctuary that was all white, with remarkable carved teak doors and window shutters. Going inside, I found that the usual interior paintings of stories from the Buddha's life and Thai mythology had been replaced by a complete all-around mural of a natural forest scene, dotted with wildlife. I've never seen this before, in any wat I've visited. It's really nice. Let me know if you're going, and I'll give you directions.

After viewing the wat, I made a left turn here, where several signs pointed to various resorts. A half-mile down this road let me out onto the most beautiful white-sand beach I've seen yet in this area, with cliffs behind and three or four lovely islands set in a turquoise sea. A street runs along the beach here, and there are several small resort hotels with prices from 300 to 3000 baht. I spotted a nice set of bungalows at 500 baht (with air-con) and I'm planning to spend a few days there when I have the chance.

I strolled along the shore here for a while, checking out the motels and goofing with Thai holiday-goers. Finally, I pulled out and followed the beach road until it rejoined the main thoroughfare into the park. Stopping at the welcome gate, I paid 200 baht (5 bucks) to get in. This fee is levied on foreigners only. Thais, or foreigners in the company of Thais, get in free. But I don't mind. This place is fantastic.

The principal sights in Khao Sam Roi Yot include three well-known caves. Spotting a sign, I headed to the most famous of these, known as Phraya Nakon Cave. But it turned out to be more work to get to the cave than I had bargained on. First, I found myself at another lovely beach (although the water was rather far from shore when I got there at low tide). I parked the bike in a camping/parking area and followed signs point to the cave.

I was expecting to stroll over and find the cave entrance, but instead I found myself climbing a steep path that wound over the top of a limestone cliff that plunges into the see. After a moderately grueling hike, the path dropped back down onto another beach area, inaccessible by road but with camping, bungalows and a small restaurant where I paused for lunch and recuperation.

Getting up from my meal, I followed the signs to the cave, once again expecting to stroll right over to it. This time, though, I found signs explaining that it was a steep climb about 1/3-mile to the cave, ascending 500 feet. Well, I had come this far....

Sure enough, the path was very steep. I didn't help that it was now the hottest day of the year so far, but I persevered. After climbing up, the path dropped steeply into a fantastic setting.

Imagine a large cave with the roof opened up, so that sunlight spills in. All of the rock formations typical of caves are there, but surrounded by vegetation. The roof looms in, but a large hole at the top lets the light in, creating a lovely effect.

Not strictly a cave (anymore), Phraya Nakon consists of two large chambers where the roof collapsed long ago, creating this fantasy scene. In the middle of the larger chamber, a small but very elegant pavilion stands. This was build 130 years ago for a visit by the King, and it creates a delicate and beautiful centerpiece to this gorgeous and unique natural setting.

After gawking for a decent interval, I made my way back out of the cave and then over the hump to the beach (btw, you can also come to the cave by boat, although you can't get out of hiking the last piece).

I rode around in the park for another hour, and visited another wat set in a grotto of limestone peaks. Then it was time to hump it back to Hua Hin. I got back by 6:00, toasted but happy. I know I'll be going back to Sam Roi Yot very soon.

- posted by Gary @ 2:12 PM (0) comments

 
Course Correction
It seems that my blog is now being monitored by some of my Thai friends. This is bad, in that I can no longer promulgate the kind of bald-faced lies I've been telling you up to now. It doesn't seem fair. I mean, if the Bush administration can do it....

In any case, my buddy made me aware of some additional information regarding drinking water in Thailand:

1) Thailand does now treat its water, and the government has been engaged in a campaign, largely unsuccessful, to convince people that the water from the tap is safe to drink.

2) The urban underclass does drink the tap water, for lack of alternatives. So far, mass deaths have not occurred.

There you have it. btw, when I asked my friend whether he drinks the tap water or bottled, he said "What do you think?...."

- posted by Gary @ 12:12 AM (0) comments

 
Do/Don't Drink the Water
Here are two seemingly contradictory statements:

1) In Thailand, the tap water is not safe to drink

2) In Thailand, drinking water is very safe

How can both of these be true? It's simple. In Thailand, tap water and drinking water are quite distinct. They always have been. While the water from the taps is filtered, and is fine for showering, watering plants, washing dishes, etc., it isn't chemically treated to eliminate bacteria. You can use it for everything else, but don't pour yourself a glass and chug it.

On the other hand, you can trust the water (and ice) that you're served, even at the poorest street kitchen. There's is always a supply of pure water on hand, and it would never occur to the Thais to serve anything else.

Bottled drinking water is on sale everywhere, at pennies to the gallon. Urban Thai households generally have big jugs of water delivered, and the water truck is a familiar sight in the neighborhoods. Rural folk collect rain water in huge earthen jars and supply their needs from these. The culture of drinking water-versus-tap water is ingrained, and no one would ever make a mistake on this.

Someone in US asked me why the Thais didn't treat their tap water so they could drink it. I think there's a couple of answers. One is the historical. Thailand is a wet country, right? There's usually water around, in streams, rivers, ponds, etc. So Thais always had water to use for washing and plant watering. But this generally is not drinkable, due to animal and human wastes as well as mud and silt.

At the same time, Thailand gets lots of rain for about half the year. At least until urban pollution got established, rain water was inherently pure. So the Thais would just collect it when it came dumping (when it rains here, it really rains) and use the supply for drinking throughout the year. There was always been a separation between running (tap) water and water for drinking.

The other reason is logical. Think about it. Of the tap water used in your home, how much of it actually goes into your body. Not much. The rest goes down the drain from shower, sink, toilet, lawn watering, and so on. Why, exactly, does it make sense to chemically treat all the water? This costs money and renders the water less pure than is available from rain or other kinds of treatment.

Of course, in US more and more folks aren't drinking the tap water anyway. If you're going to get your drinking water from the store, chemical treatment of tap water doesn't make a lot of sense. The key, of course, is in the habits. The Thais are not going to forget and drink the wrong water. In US, a lot of folks would.
- posted by Gary @ 3:12 PM (0) comments

 
Food Safety
When traveling in a foreign country, it's prudent to pay attention to risks of illness from bad water or food. In many places one can get nasty intestinal bugs or parasites, and the risks vary widely from place to place. I've found that in Thailand eating and drinking is very safe so long as attention is paid to a couple of key points.

I had a visitor from US recently (my first, hopefully not my last. When are you coming?). She had not traveled in the region before, so was concerned not to take ill from food or drink. She flat refused to eat anything at all from any of the myriad of "mobile kitchens" that dot the streets and sidewalks of Thailand, even the vendors of fresh fruit. She absolutely would not touch anything not served in a restaurant of familiar form.

I understand this. The street kitchen thing is very unfamiliar to us. But it's a shame she went this way, for a couple of reasons. One is that she cut herself off from experiencing the best food in a country known for tasty eats. Another is that it totally blew my food budget for the period she was here, as I had to keep her company eating meals that cost 5 to 20 times what I normally pay!

It also had an interesting consequence. I got a dose of diarrhea (not severe, thank you). Which led me to thinking. "Is it really inherently safer to eat in a restaurant than at a street vendor?"

I think not, at least in the Thai context. There are a couple of different kinds of street food here. Most prevalent is food cooked to order, in front of your very eyes. The ingredients are kept, on ice where appropriate, in clear plastic cases at eye level. You can see everything that goes into your meal. Thai folks will check out all the ingredient items carefully, and chat with the chef about what's good and fresh today. Then they'll watch as he cooks it up. (There's no menu, btw. It's all verbal and pointing). The only thing that isn't cooked in front of you is the rice, of which there's always a big pot, cooked within the last couple hours.

In a restaurant, on the other hand, you really have no idea what's being done with your food, how long it's been sitting around, etc. All you have to go on is a vaguely-worded description. For all you know, the kitchen is crawling with roaches (no mandatory inspections, btw), and the food's been sitting on the counter since last Thursday.

From this perspective, I can see why the Thais would put more trust in food from a street kitchen. My own experience is that the food from these is, by and large, clean, safe, and very, very delicious. And... a typical entree costs 50 to 75 cents!

Where you need to exercise some care (and common sense) is with the other style of food service you'll find on the street, where curries, casseroles, fried chicken, etc are prepared outside and brought to the service site in pots and trays.

These can be really good. But the time to get them is when they are fresh on the scene. If the stuff is piping hot off the stove, you can be sure it won't hurt you. But towards the end of the evening, these dishes have been out for quite a while, in a climate favorable to bacteria. As I look back on the couple of occasions that I've had diarrhea from street food, it's because I ate these precooked items when they were past their prime.

If you come to Thailand, I hope you won't be so totally paranoid that you shut out the experience of street dining. It is a wonderful way to enjoy the food culture of Thailand. It's not only delicious, but social and cheerful, not to mention a cultural experience.

And man, is it cheap. With just a touch of common-sense caution, you can enjoy the best foods the country has to offer, hang out with the real Thai folk, and save yourself a bundle.
- posted by Gary @ 12:21 AM (0) comments

 
...and the winner is.....
I promised to keep you up on my monthly budgeting, which is running from the 19th of the month (the day I arrived back) to the 18th of the following month. I'll be a little briefer than I was last month.

The punch line is that my "operational" expenses for the month totaled $690, a bit higher than the $578 I spent in the previous period.

The big hit here was in my utility costs. I got a large electric bill $50, basically because I ran the air conditioner on high all month. When I was here in October-November, I basically stayed in one room (the one with the air-con) and kept the door closed. Coming back, I started moving into the rest of the space, so I ended up basically trying to cool a whole large house on one little unit.

The next period should be better. I've hung some plastic sheets to block hot air from the other two floors, and I'm also not cooling it quite so low. Still, electricity is one thing that actually does not cost less here than in US, and I expect to spend some money on it.

I also bought a big tank of propane for my kitchen stove. This cost $75, including deposit. I split this between utilities and furnishings, since it includes a deposit. Also, I don't cook much here, so that gas may last me 2 years. Still, my total utility bill for the month is a little over $100. Ouch.

I also spent a bit more on food this month, and on transportation (mostly to go to Burma on my visa run).

For "capital" costs, I spent $400 this month, versus $352 last. This basically pays for furniture and decorations (potted plants, posters), and gear (I bought a DVD player and a printer this month). I can see an ongoing string of expenditures here for quite a while, as I re-acquire toys and furnishings I abandoned in California.

So, in total, I spent $690+400 = $1090, compared to $578+$352 = $930. But last month's language tuition was $173 (I'm now getting free lessons from the government), so actually I spent more. In any case, I'm still well within budgets. As long as I don't take any major hits....
- posted by Gary @ 7:09 PM (0) comments

 
Visa Run
My digital camera decided it was time to die on me, so there won't be any pictures for a while.

Yesterday, I got initiated into the ritual of the visa run. Almost all foreigners here are required to go out of the country periodically to keep their visas current. Most of the folks (and me, for the time being), are on tourist visas that require this every 30 days! I've met people who've been doing this every month for years.

Up until recently, the option existed of paying about $300 each year to "Joe's Visa Service" (or whatever) and getting your passport back with 1-year visa that required leaving only every 90 days. But last year, the government decided to tighen up and now it's a lot harder to get any kind of extended status (there are some options, which I'm looking into). But it's still feasible to stay for a long time by renewing your visa at the border each moth. I'm going to be doing that for the next few months, anyway.

From Hua Hin, the closest place to cross out of the country is the border with Myanmar (the country formerly known as Burma) near the Thai city of Ranong, about a 6-hour drive from here. Some folks have organized van trips to the border, which makes it convenient. For 1300 baht ($33), they pick you up, bring to you to the border and shepherd you over and back.

If you look at a map, you'll see that both Thailand and Burma/Myanmar have a large "body" in the North and a long "tail" that goes down the Malay peninsula toward Malaysia and Singapore. But where the southern peninsula of Thailand is a bustling corridor with high-speed roads and train lines going all the way to Singapore (plus major resortsl, industry, and agriculture), the south of Myanmar is almost completely undeveloped and isolated from the rest of the country. Much of it is occupied by Karen tribal people who are at odds with the central government.

The place where you can cross into Myanmar for visa purposes is at the very far end, almost completely isolated from the rest of the country. It's easy to get into the country there, but you can't actually go anywhere else!

From Ranong, you cross a couple of miles of water in a long-tail boat to reach the Burmese town of Kawthaung (the Thais call it Victoria Point, the name the British gave it). There's a small town here with a couple of hotels and restaurants, plus a few Burmese-style temples. Kind of like a little Burma theme park.

I toured Myanmar year before last and loved it. (Yes, it is very safe). I enjoyed being back in the country, even if only for an hour. And even if only in this "pocket Myanmar".

One of the things I found when I visited before is that for the most part, people in Myanmar don't have the concept of hustling tourists for their money, which I found charming. However, in a few highly visited spots, they have discovered this idea and it can be troublesome. Not that they'll mug you, but they can be very persistent.

Kawthaung is one of those places. When you get off the boat, you won't go far without acquiring one or more attendants, generally boys and young men anxious to sell you good and services. They're not threatening or anything, but you won't walk alone, at least not without being really insistent about it.

It turns out the major trade item that these fellows have to offer is ...Viagra! In Thailand, Viagra is freely available over the counter, wihout a prescription. But it's cheaper in Myanmar. (Cigarettes and booze are also *really* cheap, but you just pick those up at the corner store). So as you (at least a male you) walk around in Kawthaung, you keep getting offers of "packets" (4 to a packet), typical price 180 baht.

When my group got off the boat, the first order of business was to go to the restaurant/bar where we'd meet to go back. As we sat down at our table, my companions leapt into negotiations with our new entourage (2 cheerful young Burmese fellows) about the price and quality of Viagra to be had. A bit of a surreal scene. In case you're wondering, yes, I did pick up a 4-pack. What the hey.

After that, I walked around and ended up buying a few Video CDs of Burmese music. In Myanmar, every music release has karaoke Video CD version. I've found it helps me to be able to see some video reference of who's playing. They're really cheap, too. I paid 30 baht (75 cents) per disc.

Once we got back in the boat, it was about a 40 minute trip across the water. Quite a pretty ride, actually, with mountains, hills, and gleaming temples on both sides. We had to stop briefly at an islet along the way where Thai police conducted a cursory drug search (I hear they're much harder on Burmese and Thai)

After we got on land, we went to the Thai immigration and picked up our visa stamps, the whole point of the venture. Then a 6-hour ride back, plus a 45-minute stop for dinner. I got home around 11 pm, having left at 6 am. A long day, but good. I'm sure the trip will get tedious, though. Evey month. Sheesh. I definitely have to see what I can arrange so I don't have to do it so often.
- posted by Gary @ 1:03 PM (0) comments

 
House for Rent
My good friends Wisut and Atya asked me to let you know that there's an attractive 4-bedroom house with a garden available for rent in my (very nice) neighborhood. Close to the beach and quiet here, it really is a choice part of the area. The rent asking is 10,000 baht/month, which works out to just over $250.

So what are you waiting for? If you're interested, send me email (garyshall@aol.com) or phone Wisut Traimonathon at 06 897 9008 (Thailand) or 66 6 897 9008 from overseas. Your home in paradise is waiting.
- posted by Gary @ 8:29 PM (0) comments