back in Trat

(A pier on Ko Mak)....

I'm back in Trat, the little town (which now feels like the big city) that's basically the jumping off point for the Ko Chang islands, and where I was almost two weeks ago. I had a great time, got more than enough sun, did some snorkeling (although the conditions weren't perfect, it sounds like the water will be clearer later, since it's still transitioning from the monsoon season) did some hiking around, went swimming in a pool at a waterfall, had plenty of banana shakes (not with ice cream, I think it's just fruit, milk, ice and sugar put in a blender, but they're pretty good) and plenty of good Thai food. A couple of nights ago I mentioned to the waiter at the restaurant to make it plenty spicy, since previous dishes weren't quite spicy enough. "How spicy, Thai style?" Sure, I said. That was a mistake, it was so hot I could barely finish it, although it was still pretty good. He was a little apologetic and I couldn't quite tell if they'd accidentally made it even spicier than normal, or if that was just the norm. But now I know what Thai style is and for them to make it about half as spicy as that.

Anyway so I first went to the little island of Ko Mak. I was avoiding Ko Chang, which is the most popular island and also the biggest and most expensive. Ko Mak was great, pretty beaches, warm water and nice folks, etc., pretty much just what you'd expect of a tropical island. I met a Norwegian couple on the boat there and hung out with them a bit, as well as a woman from France who had lived on the island previously for 5 years, and had a great little wooden hut with private bathroom and a porch with a hammock (good thing I didn't haul that hammock all the way from home). After a few days I realized though that there wasn't a whole lot to do there activity-wise (especially trying to watch my budget, everything's pricier than normal there) and I was getting a little bored of just being a beach bum. I stayed there for a week though and then took another boat over to Ko Kood, which is bigger, almost the size of Ko Chang, but not nearly as popular mostly because it's farther away. That was a nice change, as there was a lot more to do, more beaches to check out, waterfalls, etc. and just a different vibe. The weather didn't cooperate completely though, it was hazy and overcast a lot, so I ended up getting started on an article about my recent trip to the Kalalau Valley in Hawaii, which I've almost finished (just writing in a notepad) and has turned out pretty well. So at some point I'll type it up and then start looking at who or where I could possibly sell it to, which is one of the plans for this trip. So we'll see how that goes. Also once I do get it written up then I'll go ahead and pass it along.

So the other wrinkle with Ko Kood was somewhat ironically that it wasn't quite touristy enough. I stayed there for five nights and there were at least a dozen rooms, but I was the only person in my guest house for all except one night, when another couple was there. There were other tourists on the island, but from what I gathered the real tourist rush starts next weekend. So I was thinking of hopping over to Ko Chang to perhaps find some other travelers to hang out with, or at least a little more sense of something happening, but it isn't easy to get from Ko Kood to Ko Chang. Basically it was cheaper to take a boat all the way back to Trat, and then go to Ko Chang from here. So, I'm still pondering maybe going over there from here, but instead I'm thinking I'll probably save the island thing for another time, and see some other parts of Thailand.

I was considering going from here into Cambodia to see the temples at Angkor Wat, but I don't really feel like leaving Thailand already and dealing with getting across the border, etc. So maybe I'll come back and do Cambodia at another time and check out Ko Chang then. Instead I'm planning to head north in the general direction of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is a small city of around 150,000 people, pretty far north, but it's said to have all the cultural benefits of Bangkok, without all the hassle. It's quite popular with travelers, the hotels are cheap (and I need to do cheap for a little while after the islands) and there's a lot going on, i.e. meditation courses, yoga, massage, etc. as well as dozens of temples to check out, plus there's trekking in the hills nearby. So it sounds like something completely different from laying around on a beach and I think is more what I'm up for right now. There are a few destinations I'll most likely hit along the way, particularly Ayuthaya and Sukhothai, which are both towns with tons of temples, as I think they were both the capital of Thailand (aka Siam) at one point. Also Chiang Mai is heading in the direction of Laos, which has been highly recommended, so I may end up going there while I'm in that area. Another possibility is to then make a loop and go down into Cambodia from there and then back here, but who knows.

So I'll probably hang out here in Trat for at least a day or two, it's a good place to get reoriented, do shopping, get a cheap massage and trade in some books, etc. I'm staying at the same guest house where I was before, the people there are nice and at least a few speak some English so that you can make onward travel arrangements easier. Plus they make a mean banana shake....anyway that's all for now...