Thailand - Bangkok and Phuket

Our trip to Thailand was probably a little to soon after the trip to China, we were only home for 4 days in-between. We were sort of worn out but we still had a really good time! Bangkok is an incredibly vibrant city. It pulses with life! The temperature was in the mid-90's and the humidity was  100%! Looking out from the windows from our hotel we could see skyscrapers stretching out as far as the eye could see, punctuated by swaths of greenery. Traffic was constantly congested. Bright pink cabs blew their horns at the motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic with white faced tourists clinging to the back. Tuk-tuks (three-wheeled, open sided cabs) rode underneath the utra-modern Skytrain tracks. Bangkok is riddled with rivers and canals, so boats are everywhere too.

Tuk Tuks waiting for passengers.

The country is rapidly developing and the contrasts between the rich and poor are very stark. 5 star hotels are next to tin roofed dwellings. Designer stores are on streets lined with food vendors. Pedestrian malls full of every kind of item you can imagine are staffed by barefoot young girls.

Food vendors line the streets. These vendors were in front of our hotel at 6:30 a.m.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and the king is revered. We saw huge portraits of the king, framed in gold leaf  displayed every few blocks. This one was billboard size.

Thailand is also a very religious country. About 85% of the people are Buddist.The temples and palaces are decorated in intricate mosaics and gilt. Enormous golden statues of Buddah are major tourist attractions, but small spirit shrines are found on every block. These are intricately carved and decorated. People stop at them to leave offerings and ask for favors, providing gifts such as bananas or bottles of orange soda as offerings. Often the gilt of the shrines is in stark contrast to the surroundings. However, all of them, even in the poorest areas are extremely well cared for and maintained.

That being said, after our adventures in China, we made no attempt to see the cultural or historical sights of Thailand. We just didn't have enough time and demonstrations against the current Prime Minister were ongoing, so we didn't want to spend a lot of time in the city. Instead we took the kids to the Samphran Elephant Grounds and Zoo, about an hour drive away. I had read several reviews praising its cleanliness and care of the animals and the elephant show was supposed to be a highlight. The kids loved it but Matt and I found it kind of depressing. It was clean, but the cages were just that, small cages with no attempt at a natural habitat. Maybe in the States we're just kidding ourselves, but watching the monkeys in those tiny cages made me want to break them all out!

However, the elephants did seem well cared for and Laura, Katie and Matt got to go on a 20 minute elephant ride! Getting on was the scariest part for them. For me, it was the lack of any sort of safety belt! Being terrified of heights, I decided not to go. Nate thought about it, but changed his mind at the last minute.

The alligator show, the magic show and the elephant show were really good! The elephant show was my favorite part. Not only did they show off the elephants' physical abilities, but they also showed the ways that elephants have been used in Thai culture. In the past they were used in warfare and for transportation. More recently they've been used in logging. Today, tourism is their primary occupation. None of the kids approved of warring with elephants. We had to reassure them that it wasn't very common any more!

Our absolute favorite thing about Bangkok was our hotel pool! I've never seen such a pretty pool. The pictures don't really do it justice. It was a cool oasis in the middle of the heat, grime and energy of Bangkok.

After 2 nights in Bangkok, we headed further south to the beach. We went to Phuket, an island that is one of the most popular tourist beach areas in Thailand. Our resort was on one of the less crowded beaches and set in an area that had been a banana plantation. Walking to our cabin involved walking over wooden bridges through the jungle. The resort was decorated in traditional Thai style with lots of dark carved wood and subtle  gilt.

The plants were incredibly lush and gorgeous!

The pool area was fairly small and plain compared to some of the resorts we've seen, but the jungle setting was beautiful! The kids loved it, even though it didn't have any slides or play areas. It also didn't have any life guards, so Matt and I didn't get much lounge chair time.

The restaurant facing the pool where we had most of our meals.

We spent most of our time at the beach. Thailand's beaches are justifiably famous. The sand is powdery soft and make a perfect gradual descent into deeper waters. We also had several rock formations nearby. Nathan has discovered snorkeling and LOVES it. He's planning a career in marine biology so that he can snorkel all over the world.

The girls loved body surfing near the shore and digging in the sand.

We accidentally ended up at a resort frequented mostly by Europeans. That meant that despite Thai customs forbidding it, the beach goers were often topless or sporting Speedos! I was a little worried about Nathan's reaction. He never mentioned it and one day Laura asked me "Mommy, are girls supposed to wear tops to their bathing suits?" Nathan immediately responded "Of course Laura, that is a private area and girls always cover it up!" This was after two days at the beach....he really didn't notice! Matt claims that it was because there wasn't much to see!

There was a 2 year old elephant named Nadia that came to visit us at the resort. She was very cute and loved the bananas that the kids fed her. Nadia was trained to take money for the bananas in her trunk and hand it to her trainer. The trainer handed the kids a bag of bananas. Once it was empty, Nadia would pluck it out of their hands and give it back to the trainer. She was a very tidy elephant!

We really enjoyed our trip to Thailand, even though we didn't really see all of the things I would have liked to. The heat and humidity were intense after our snowy trip to China but it was really nice to spend some time in the sun!