Holiday in Thailand

Carrie: Tuesday the 12th was a day of travel. First was a fancy AC bus to Bangkok that included blankets, a snack, and lunch at a roadside cafeteria. It also gave us a few hours to get to know popular Thai music, which was strangely reminiscent of Mexican ranchero music that Jesse and I heard so much of in Chicago. The songs had simple, catchy tunes and used some folk instruments like a wood reed flute that sounds like a harmonica. Their bouncy beats kept the music video girls dancing like aerobics instructors. In every video, there were 6-8 girls in belly baring halter tops and mini-shorts covered in sequins. They looked like trashy girls at the club except they all had on shiny new tennis shoes with rolled socks, which they needed since they bounced on every beat as they danced. It was very weird and difficult to explain; I’d find you a video but Youtube takes forever here so try a search yourself.

From Bangkok we had to take a taxi all the way across town to the south bus station to catch a bus to the upper southern gulf town of Cha-Am. Jesse, Aaron and I all knew that we wanted some time at the beach, but we were concerned about the time and money we would have to spend to get to the far south. We decided on less travel and more fun, choosing a beach only 3 hours from Bangkok. (The bus to Krabi, where I really wanted to go, is 12 hours and 5 times more expensive). Perhaps we missed some rocking island parties and seeing karst mountains coming out of the sea, but we had a great time. Cha-Am is a popular spot for Thai tourists, especially Bangkok residents who come down on the weekend. It is a great value – we found the cheapest guesthouse we could at 200 baht a night for a fan room and 300 for AC (private bathrooms, towels, soap, TP, and a daily bottle of water included. Cable TV and fridge available for extra.) I would definitely recommend Prathanchok House to travelers like us who want to save our money for drinking in the sand. The best thing about Cha-Am is that there are no buildings on the narrow beach but everything you need (guesthouse, bathroom, restaurant, 7-11) is right across the street. You never have to walk around a big private resort to get where you want to go. Every day (after our first, when it rained in the morning) tables, chairs, and sun umbrellas were set up all down the beach for rental. The quoted price varied but it was usually about 60 baht for all 3 of us for the day (that’s less than 2 dollars!). Vendors walked around with a variety of tasty sea snacks and beach toys but they didn’t hassle you if you weren’t interested. We rented inner tubes and got beat up by the waves.

A typical day began at the German Food House, which in our humble opinion is a good enough reason to go to Cha-Am, even if the city had nothing else to offer. I think we ate here 5 times in 6 days. It’s owned by two friendly German guys with friendly Thai wives. One of them was trained as a butcher in Germany and they sell fresh homemade sausages and meats in the restaurant and over the internet. The Germans sure know how to make a tasty meal that stays with you all day, and we gorged on potatoes, sauerkraut, cheese, and insane amounts of meat. (See photos) It’s also very reasonably priced; main dishes were 100-295 baht, with many under 130 (less than $5). One night we went to a promotion party for San Miguel beer (they also carry great German beers) where Aaron got a free t-shirt and Jesse got the first baseball cap I think he has ever owned.

After stuffing ourselves the sun was high in the sky so we would retreat to an internet bar where the boys played games and I tried to convince Jesse to help me with the blog. In the afternoon we hung out on the beach, sheltered from the blazing sun by trees, and evenings we listened to music from our iPod and drank delicious Sangsom whiskey (I don’t know why they call it whiskey, it’s totally rum) on the warm sand. I love Sangsom. We’d get a bottle and some Coke, soda water, and ice from the 7-11 across the street, drink all night, and feel great the next day. Never a hangover. Paradise.

We took a day trip to Hua Hin, a larger city only a half hour south. It’s much more popular than Cha-Am with foreign tourists, and we wanted to see what the fuss was about. Basically, if you have Western money to blow on a fancy beachside resort, especially if you have little kids, go to Hua Hin. The beach is a little cleaner and nicer and they’ll take good care of you (for a price). If you’re young and cheap and don’t crave 4 star amenities, stick with Cha-Am. If you stay in a budget guesthouse in Hua Hin you’ll be a long walk from the beach, and when you get there you’ll be a long walk from a toilet.

We got a lot of reading done on our trip, especially chilling on the beach. In addition to magazines, I read Iron Council by China Mieville (awesome dark fantasy with lots of politics, but read his Perdido Street Station first), World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks (how would the individuals and nations of the world react to a zombie outbreak? From Mel Brooks’ brother you would expect humor but this is dead serious. Or should I say “undead”? haha. Seriously, this book blows my mind), Papillion by Henri Charriere (follows his true escapes from the penal colonies of French Guiana), and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (very dark, very good. But the movie sucked big time).