thailand, the wrap up

our comments and observations of thailand:

.thai people are kind and have a peaceful, calm demeanor. they also politely maintain queues, hold open doors, and similar to hawaiians - stop moving traffic to allow pedestrians to cross.
.thai people have national pride like no other. the people love their king, who's photo is displayed everywhere. long live the king!
.thailand is colorful. flowers, wats, tuk-tuks, taxis, buses, food…everything is alive and vibrant with color.
.double decker, ornately painted with coordinating interiors, with food, beverages, karaoke and bathrooms….thai buses are "pimped out" and the best in south east asia.
.thai people are a bit more "normal" in size and aren't quite as mini as the rest of south east asians.
.we love thai food! we both agree that it's our favorite cuisine of the trip so far.
.bangkok is choke full of western-style restaurants like mcdonalds, burger king, kfc, dunkin donuts, outback, and dairy queen. 7/11 convenient stores are literally on every city block.
.thailand's temples are amazing. they are the most colorful, ornate, and "shimmery" we've ever seen.
.thailand has lots of pretty boys...that look like girls…
.wifi services were a bit harder to come by than expected. we encountered a fair amount of difficulties locating wifi to download and post photos to the sites.
.we love thai massage! being fans of massage therapy, thai massage has been some of the best we've had.
.thailand is an excellent country for a holistic retreat - yoga, meditation, massage, cleansing - the options are endless.
.they say, "you look like thai people!" i say, "thank you!"
.with excellent tourism infrastructure and organized transportation systems, thailand is an easy country to travel.
.thailand is addictive. we extended our stay by 3 weeks, for a total of 6 fabulous weeks.
.your money goes far in thailand. offering an excellent value, it's a great country for budget travel. we now understand why hippies choose to stay for so long.

what things cost in thailand:

.an a/c, double ensuite room at baan sabai guesthouse in bangkok $14.00
.a fan-cooled bungalow at andaman beach resort on ko phi phi $45.00
.an order of pad thai from a street stall $1.00
.green papaya salad $0.80
.bottled water $0.21
.a large bottle of singa beer $2.00
.fresh squeezed orange juice $0.30
.12 oz can of diet coke $0.50
.fresh brewed coffee $0.60
.fresh coconut water $0.50
.an order of fresh fruit $0.60
.a bagged thai iced tea $0.30
.noodle soup from a stall $0.60
.six jumbo grilled prawns from a vendor $1.50
.anything to eat or drink in the southern islands…100% more…
.a city bus ride in bangkok $0.21
.a ride across town via sky train in bangkok $1.15
.a ride on the water taxi $0.50
.a 7 hour train ride in a third class compartment $2.00
.a 3 hour ferry ride to kho phangnan $9.00
.admission to an ayuthaya wat $1.00
.one hour thai massage $6.00
.5 day cleansing program at the sanctuary $350.00
.yoga pants $8.50
.bamboo earrings $3.50
.the thai mask $17.00
.a hand-embroidered ornament $3.00
.a cotton woven scarf $1.50
.artistic photography postcards $0.60 each
.postage to the usa $0.39

what's next?

we're currently in southern thailand, in the city of hat yai. tomorrow morning we'll board a 4 hour bus that will take us across the border and into malasia to the city of butterworth. from there, we'll take a short ferry ride to the island of penang - where we will settle in for the next few days. we'll see you in malaysia!

onward!

alina