First, a last salute to Maldives and then a post about my wonderful vacation in Thailand – as promised to my Mum - with my one of my college roommates and best friends, Catherine McCarthy!
My last week in Maldives was a whirlwind of goodbyes and a few new acquaintances – Histo, an MP from Fuvumulah with an incredible life story rising from a butler in one of Maldives’ premier resorts to one of the youngest members of Parliament, Ahmed Easa, another MP and leader of the labor rights movement, Rysha, a left-footed, 4’9 player on the national women’s soccer squad (we made quite the pair sitting at coffee), and serendipitously – a brief meeting with President Nasheed of Maldives on my last night. Sadly my camera was stolen my last day, but true to the spirit of Maldives, I had many friends calling to the taxi companies and police station in an attempt to find it. No luck. A tearful goodbye in Vilingili and I was off to take the two ferries to the airport.I missed my connecting flight in Kuala Lumpur (rather embarrassingly browsing in the duty free) but got a connection later that day to Phuket, Thailand, and there to meet me at the gate was a more than forgiving Catherine!
Turns out staying a night in Phuket wasn’t so bad as our stay fell on the famed vegetarian festival – streets lined with Thais all dressed in white sampling vegetarian delicacies galore. Spices filled the air sending monks and passerby into spinning trances. When we left our last day in a taxi, we witnessed the darker side of the festival – ritual goring of the cheeks and head (including – swords, skewers, an airplane, a rattle) – turns out bloodletting wards off evil spirits.
We managed to lug all of my luggage into a taxi, a ferry, and finally a longtail boat, to reach the Phi Phi islands, where we stayed in a rickety little bungalow on stilts at the Viking Resort. Phi Phi was wonderful. Touristy, yes, but we felt somewhat secluded in our little honeymoon-esque villa complete with mosquito-netting. Steep, rust-colored limestone cliffs fell into a beautiful green lagoon. At lowtide we walked the sandy beaches to the town, maneuvering through longboats, flowers waving from their gilded prows.
Phi Phi was all I wanted: beach, Thai food, my first massage, snorkeling, muesli, long tail boats, free samples, golden sunsets, laughter, gin buckets, dancing, and morning hikes. It was such a blessing to decompress my Maldives experience with someone who knew me so well. Having taught in Thailand for several months now, Catherine is old-hat at getting around and speaking the language, and so it was nice to be passing through.
We flew to Bangkok after a few days, and I found I welcomed being in a whirring, frenetic, albeit smoggy, living city again. Turns out old Bangkok, where we were staying, was once it’s own island in a city navigated by boat through the canals. In 2009, we settled for tuk-tuks, though, my favorite moped-powered, neon-light-flashing carriage taxis. We met up with Mia, Catherine’s fellow ESL teacher, and in addition to some market prowling, incredible sightseeing - wat (temple)-hopping to see the Emerald Buddha and Reclining Buddha, a tour of the grand palace – we found ourselves schmoozing into the wee hours at a French ex-pat party, the Bangkok skyline hovering over the balcony.
After an all day reggae festival with Catherine’s friends in a beach town just south of Bangkok, we spent the entire Sunday traveling northward by taxi, train, bus and (kotao) pickup to the small city of Nan in the northeast corner of Thailand, where Catherine and Mia were slated to teach the following day. I slept most of the way, but what I did see was beautiful: yellowing fields of rice paddies, the occasional baboon, lush forests draped over purple mountains, and small villages, their hazy skylines strung with telephone wires.
Nan is a sleepy town, dropped in a warm valley with misty mountains ringing all round. A river runs through the valley, twisting lazily through the landscape. Few foreigners visit Nan, but it is known throughout Thailand for its famous river boat races. I missed them by a few weeks, but was lucky to see some men out practicing, whooping as they cut through the dark water.
The first thing we did was rent a bicycle for me ($5 for the week), and after Catherine finished her classes each day, we explored the city. Nan has many different temples, each stunning in its own way. All of its streets are curved, and as you round a corner to turn towards Catherine’s elementary school, hundreds of pigeons alight from droopy power lines into the streaky sky. On consecutive days, Mia, Catherine and I all got pooped on. “What luck!” said the smiling woman at the noodle stall just down the road.
Just within the town center, there are morning, afternoon, and night markets – stalls appear out of thin air festooning with all different types of vegetables and fruits, cuts of meat and fish, the occasional red squirrel, insects, juices, sticky rice.
One afternoon we went on a long bike ride out and across the river, winding through dusty streets of traditional teak houses set up on stilts, until we emerged in the rice fields. Clouds skimmed the mountains in the distance. Round a corner we spotted a Thai woman in a full body neon wind suit, performing a complex series of aerobics. We attempted to mimic her highly refined technique, and laughed as we sailed down hills, wind whipping over the bright green rice fields. We stopped at a temple just as the sun was nearing the horizon. Monks dressed in orange robes, some as young as twelve years, were busy cleaning the grounds. Inside the wat, hundreds of miniature golden Buddhas peered down from the white rafters. I took a fortune from another shrine, for which I have yet to receive translation. Following the gliding white serpents, (or nagas, which are sacred in Buddhism and protect the temple) down a hill and into the valley, we pedaled into the sunset.
I had a chance to visit some of the hill tribes outside of Nan, traveling in a jeep with an elderly couple. Our guide was a former monk, and bumping over dirt roads through the mountains, we visited traditional weavers, silversmiths, a very old wat, and even met an old shaman. Perhaps most enjoyable, however, was visiting Catherine's 2nd and 3rd grade classes. Her students were adorable - with names like Mind, Locket, and Farm who couldn't love them! Halloween was fast approaching so the students were buzzing with excitement, and Catherine, not surprisingly, was a wonderful and engaging teacher. Even I have learned so much from her! Catherine’s fellow teachers were very nice, and during my stay we enjoyed several tasty dinners on the river, watching as paper lanterns were cast up from the riverbed to fade into the night.
Leaving was difficult, I felt so comfortable and at home visiting Catherine, but as usual, she was full of wonderful advice, and I was ready for the next step of my journey. A flight out of Bangkok (no duty free this time) and a night in Taiwan, and I was off once again: this time to Koror, Palau.
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