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Phuket. We somehow tore ourselves away from these paradises to visit
Ayutthaya, and then took an overnight bus to Chiang Mai, where I am
presently enjoying a delicious latte in an air-conditioned, wireless-enabled
Starbucks. We're off to Vientiane, Laos, tomorrow, and then it's up the
Mekong to Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, before heading over to Vietnam
(Hanoi, Halong Bay, then down the coast to Saigon and the Mekong Delta)
and Cambodia (Phnom Penh and Sihoukaville). Then we'll probably fly from
Bangkok to Columbo, Sri Lanka, and then go up through India, Nepal, and
then China. Anyhoo,click on the photos below, or on the navigation bar
at the top of the page to be connected to each topic's webpage.
centered around a Muay-Thai boxing ring, order a
$1.50 beer, and you have a front row seat at an
incredibly exciting show. These guys go at it,
thrashing and taunting each other, with never a dull
moment. You could never count anyone out. . . .
Samui, is home to world-class scuba diving. I'm no
world-class underwater photographer, though, and
my meager photos don't do it justice.
party on Hat Rin beach. It's a 25 minute speedboat ride
from Koh Samui, and between 4000 to 12000 people
make it to the party. This month's full moon party was on
January 24th, which was also my 30th birthday.
absolutely gorgeous, and it's a blast both during the
day and the night. We toured some of the
tsunami-damaged areas, met some expats, fed some
dogs, drove on the wrong side of the road, and had
an all-around great time. It was tough to leave . . .
Siamese royal capital from 1350 to 1767. It also
marks the spot where we stopped vacationing and
started traveling. . . .
Chiang Mai is a charming, fun city. Wandering its
cobblestone streets, we found great restaurants,
fun bars, interesting night bazaars, and, of
course, numerous Wats. We also experienced
the annual Flower Festival, met up with one of
Keith’s friends, suffered through Thailand’s
draconian election-day law, ate bugs and watched
the Superbowl at 6:30 a.m.
Area: 517,000 sq km
Population: 62 million
Capital City: Bangkok
People: 75% Thai, 11% Chinese, 3.5% Malay;
also Mon, Khmer, Phuan and Karen minorities
Language: Thai
Religion: 95% Buddhism, 4% Muslim
Government: constitutional monarchy
Head of State: King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra
GDP: US$166 billion
GDP per capita: US$2,168
Annual Growth: 3.5%
Inflation: 2%
Major Industries: Computers, garments, integrated
circuits, gems, jewellery
Major Trading Partners: ASEAN, USA, European
Union
