Thailand

The Second half of my vacation was spent in Thailand, and pretty much comprised of me relaxing on the beach and indulging in the glorious Thai cuisine. Thai seafood is amazing, i wish Korean Seafood compared to it because I'd eat it every day. I also wish I hadn't run out of money by the time I got to the beach, because I didn't get to enjoy the freshly-caught tiger prawns or lobsters which were on display at almost every restaurant in southern Thailand.

Bangkok was extremely dirty, and I didn't like it nearly was much as Ho Chi Minh City. I saw rats crawling in the streets, and roaches on the floors of our hostel. We stayed on Kho Sanh Road, which is the backpacker's area, and I wasn't too impressed with it. It was overly touristy, and crawling with seedy westerners, Thai pimps, and cheap knicknacks. It probably didn't help that I got food poisoning on the second day...I'm sure there are nicer parts of Bangkok, I just didn't get to see them. I did go to a nice Temple, however, and ate some great Pad Thai!

The beaches in Thailand were amazing, especially one called Ko Samud. Located 3 hours south of Bangkok, it was here that my friend and I retreated for a night while the rest of our group remained in Bangkok. It was extremely rustic, and our accomodations comprised of a small cement room with a nasty odor and uncleaned sheets. However, it was only 15 dollars for the night and it was right on one of the most amazing beaches I've ever seen. Lined with palm trees, white sand and crystal clear water that felt like a warm bath, the beach was a complete paradise. I spent the day sipping coconut milk, catching a tan, and playing with the stray puppies that littered the coastline. Their weren't too many westerners on this beach, and it lacked the seediness of Phuket and the excess tourism of Kho Sanh Road. It was a place where Southeast Asians vacation on weekends, and I met some native Thai, Cambodian and Burmese people. The beach was lined with bars and restaurants, and for dinner I sampled Red Thai Curry with chicken, as well as an extremely spicy Seafood Basil dish. After dinner, we went bar-hopping down the beach, watched a fire-twirling show while sipping buckets of Mai Tais, and eventually met a crew of Cambodian B-Boys who, shortly thereafter, put on a killer breakdancing performance. All in all, it was an amazing experience, and I wish we'd stayed there the whole week because...

Phuket (another beach located off the Southwest coast) is where we stayed at the end of our trip. The beach itself was glorious, but the island was extremely touristy, tacky and seedy. I had also run out of money so that didn't help things; I couldn't go on any tours or day trips to neighboring islands. At this point I was just relaxing at the beach and living off two helpings of fried rice a day! One night I went to the main strip of bars and restaurants near our beach, and it was at this point that I realized Phuket was a hotbed for the Thai "sex tourism" industry. There were "lady boy" hookers everywhere, soliciting themselves out in the open, and even right next door to the police station. There were also throngs of creepy old men accompanied by beautiful, young Thai women. I saw other things that are not fit to print, so if you want to know you can ask me in person, but they are extremely disturbing...

Anyway, I learned posthumously that there are better islands to venture to in Thailand, primarily those located off the Southeast Coast. If I ever go back, I won't go to Phuket or Bangkok. Either way, Thailand was still a great experience, and my night on Ko Samud will go down as one of my most memorable experiences in Asia.