Birding in South Thailand

Zosia spent a lot of time trying to find a birding guide in Phuket before we came. She found Games who along with Ian Dugdale owns South Thailand Birding. She arranged for Games to take us out for two days at a reasonable price. She came at our arranged time of 5:45 a.m. and we were off to our first stop. It actually took an hour and half to get to this rice paddy field where there were so many interesting birds that we didn't move for an hour. We started walking down the road and turned into a field where we were thrilled with seeing a Pigmy Hawk Owl eight feet off the road. For us this was so exciting.

We went through fields and saw many new and exciting birds. Games had a great scope so we could see fine details of the birds we don't usually see.

 Games is a very interesting woman who was born near Cambodia and grew up in a strict Buddhist community.  She talked about the conditions and expectations of growing up in such a culture.  

On the Move to Phuket

(Joseph) Day number I can't remember; as each day is so action packed that our new friends keep saying - I can't believe this is day two or three. Well anyway this is the day we transfer to Phuket. We are ready, the bags at the door at 7:30 and down to the fabulous breakfast. Checkout was to pay for laundry for two pairs of socks and a pair of slacks.  We're on the bus and everyone is high from the great Bangkok experience. The fabulous bus gets on rush hour traffic and we're off to the airport, but on the freeway we're crawling along, and then we stop, and then crank up the engine and we are back on the road at 20 miles per hour. And then we stop. And we sit, and it is getting hot. so we were told to get off the bus on the freeway. We all get off and they are taking the bags off. Noi is constantly on the phone, but everyone is cool and joking about our trip. Oh well, everything will turn out fine - the plane leaves in two hours and we were expecting a crowded airport. We're joking and waiting, but there is nothing we can do. 30 minutes later the bus that dropped the other people show up and we off to the airport - and we were only ten minutes away - what luck.

We check in, it's a nice flight for an hour and 10 minutes. We now have a new guide and he is cheerful and friendly and gives up great tips about our hotel and getting around. So he says we are going to stop at the Tesco (a British Walmart) and he suggests that those who want beer or liquor better hurry in because we have 15 minutes to buy alcohol. (they have a weird law that says you cannot buy alcohol during working hours midnight to 11:00 am and 2:00-5:00 pm) So this gang rushes in like locust grabbing bottles of booze and cases of beer as our guide says that drinks are expensive at the hotel. We have an hour there so everyone could get lunch. Zosia and I followed his advice and got the pad Thai, but it was a bad choice because it took 45 minutes to make and we were the last on the bus.

We got to the Novotel hotel 30 minutes later and it is once again hot. It is a very orderly check-in, no credit cards just grab your key and we came to the room. We put on our suits for a swim and went out to check out the beautiful hotel on the famous Kamala beach. It was famous from the movie the Impossible - where the tsunami struck and destroyed the resort village 10 years ago killing most of the people. Our hotel is new and it opened a year ago. It is beautiful and the staff is so nice and accommodating.

So we're having a rum and coke and both of us feel a little queasy, no, not a little, a lot. So we go up to the room and two hours to the minute after the lunch we both have a bathroom explosion. It was hard to believe.  Thank goodness our room was wonderful as we stayed there all day and night. We couldn't eat or drink anything but water as suggested by our guides earlier. But we were still in good spirits, but we couldn't go anywhere or else an explosion could happen at any moment. But we were together actually laughing about it.

The next day was our 36th anniversary and we spent the morning together in our room and on our deck watching birds in the vacant fields next door and saw 20 species, we were so pleased, I was a bit more mobile so I could get some medicine and some carbos to settle our stomach, but we were warned not to eat, drink, or have caffeine. It turned out to be a really nice anniversary together without any distractions, By afternoon we could go out lie on this big covered pad on the beach that was a large as a bed, we took a dip in the bay and then the pool, but we were very cautious. It was a wonderful way to spend our anniversary - together with no distractions (well almost none).

But tomorrow was going to be the first of our two day birding adventure so we were taking no chances.

Off to the King's Palace and a Water Tour of the City

Today we need to dress up - in Thailand that means lang pants and have your shoulders covered as we are going to the King's Palace. It is the Palace of Rama Nine, the ninth King of Siam. He is also 90 years old as is his queen. They don't really live at the palace, but at the hospital on the 15th floor. The Royal family is revered throughout the kingdom and it is against the law to say anything bad about the king or his family. The movie The King and I is banned and no one has seen it as it would be disrepectful to the king. But what a palace it is.

It is hard to try to describe how ornate it is. First of all our guides have us close at hand because of all the crowds, of which they say are mostly Chinese. I will post a few pictures so you get a feel for the glitter and detail that is found here.

It is a combination of Thai, Cambodian, Chinese, Indian, and Western styles. It is in such detail that it hard to believe. Lotus flowers are everywhere and when we enter the temple of the jade Buddha we buy a lotus flower, scented oil, and incense. We  pay honor to the Buddha and enter an incredibly steamy and crowded temple.
It is guarded by these interesting statues, We are told that much of the details actually were from these ornate decorations were from plates made in China that were broken on the way to Thailand.

This whole environment is so exotic it is hard to adjust one's eyes that is saturated in sweat much of the time. It is just plain hot and humid here, but none of us care. The people we are with are wonderful and our guide is so full of information she astounds us.

There is so much gold everywhere, much of it is real and much of it painted like the tower behind Zosia. They are constantly gold leafing statues and some of the spires.
We spent several hours in the Palace and was amazed at each turn with the exotic nature of statues. Before it was all Buddha, but now it is warriors that protect the crown.

To us westerners we keep flashing on the King and I. He was the fourth Raman of Siam around 1865 and introduced education to his subjects and invited Western studies. He sent his son and all of the royal family since then to educated in the West, but the Siam traditions still hold true and the kingdom is unchallenged.

But in 1932 foreign educated leaders force the king, Ramen VII to create a Constitutional Monarchy and now the people have something they are allowed to complain about - the government, but never the king.



From the palace we wondered the streets with our guide and buying trinkets, clothing, food, and salves from street vendors until we found the bus which took us for coffee and the boat tour of the Bangkok River.. It was interesting to see the modern city right next to deteriorating house falling into the river. The salt water intruding here so the land that was once fertile is no longer and small farms are being abandoned, replaced by high rises. But still everywhere there is Buddha and shrines. We stopped at the museum of the royal barge. Incredible how ornate these are. It was a lost art but for the 50th anniversary of the king on the throne they created his new barge which took years to build.  It like everything here was way over the top.

After the museum, you bet we had a big lunch on a floating barge and the returned to the hotel. Tonight was going to be special. Zosia and I were both scheduled for Thai massages in our hotel room. It was 1000 baht ($30) for two hours. Promptly at 7:00 the two woman called up and brought them up and stated  to work. They were both great but they get a lot more involved than American Massages. They use their feet, knees, legs, the whole works. We were taught by out guide tow words - Bow wow (softer) knock knock (harder).  Zosia felt she was bruised up after the experience - I guess she forgot Bow-wow,  I don't bruise, but my body sure remembered it.

It is hard to believe this is only the second day

Today we start early at 6:30 am as we are leaving the city for exciting active tours. The hotel starts their extensive breakfast at 5:30 for us and they do have about everything. The whole group is going to be sorry as we dive in with full plates each morning. On the bus rush hour is very mild as this the the Thai New Year celebration and the city empties out so people can go home to celebrate. We drive along the roads and see the Buddhist monks out getting their morning offerings.

Our first stop after an hour is to the long-tailed speed boats that take us through the canals to the floating markets. These boats hold eight passengers and are driven by a 10-foot shaft with a propeller on the end. It has an open car engine driving the shaft. And, no muffler so they are loud.

We take off and wind around the canals that are lined with homes each with a spirit house and many temples. We go for about a half an hour until we come to the floating markets that are filled with food vendors cooking from boats and vendors of tourist and household items.

The place is packed with tourists to see the wild variety of activities. Some vendors have large Boa snakes or monkeys with which to have your pictures taken. We are told the delicacies are the sticky rice with mango and the coconut ice cream which has soft coconut under the ice cream. Of course we also had to have the coconut pancakes with were great. But, as you can expect it is hot - 38c or 100f. And very humid, so we are consuming liters of water by 11:00. Everyone is buying the very thin cotton clothing and taking off any western clothing. If you are going to be soaked all day, it is best to have something that will dry out quickly.  So back on the bus to go to the River Kwai for lunch.

We got the whole story of Thai involvement with the Japanese during World War II. The Japanese had already conquered much of SE Asia by 1943 and wasn't really interested in spending more troops to try to control more area so they came to a neutral agreement with Thailand that allowed the Japanese access to various areas for development, in particularly Burmese Railroad that would run from Thailand, through Burma and into China. One obstacle was the crossing or the river Kwai which is strong flowing in the dry season, but uncontrollable during the wet season from June to December. The Japanese had lots of forced labor from 180,000 local civilians and 12,000 Allied  prisoners of war. They forced the laborers and POWs to work 18 hours a day in horrible heat and 100,000 of them died from exhaustion and dysentery.  We visited a cemetery with 7,000 British no-name graves.

Then off a floating restaurant with way too much local food, and here we are again loading up our plates high, eating in hot and humid  open air overlooking the new metal bridge that replaced the bombed out wooden one. Movie at 7:00. Now it is really getting hot, so back on the bus to the Elephant camp.

Elephants used to be the primary large construction and production machine in these parts, but today with motorized bulldozers and tractors they have no real use for elephants and they just become a burden as they need care and feeding, or in the wild they conflict with development. There are still about 10,000 elephants here, but thgose not in the National Parks mainly serve the tourist population.
And they serve us well. They start off with an elephant show where the young elephants do disco dancing, feeling up the girls in the crowd, and massages on the tourist lying on mats on the ground. It was cute and the croud enjoyed it, nothing as cool as the rides.

A Burmese driver took a pair of us for a 30 minute ride including a dip in the river. You had to not mind getting elephant juices squirted at you as the elephants have personalities and are playful. Our driver jumped off and told me to drive which was fun for about 10 minutes but then I realized it takes a lot of effort not to fall off. Zosia and I loved it.

Since we are really sweaty and grimy from our trek, its time for a bamboo raft trip down the Kwai River. We pile on the raft but few can resist jumping overboard and drifting down the swift current. Both Zosia and I had wonderful time being hot, then cool, then hot again.

Waiting for the pickup trucks to shuttle us back to the bus, we are getting to know all the others on this Affordable Asia trip - there are 70 of us all together and everyone seems to be having a great time. We keep kidding that we are grand-pa and grand-ma with these 20;s and 30-year olds.   Back to the city on our luxury buses and back to the hotel.

At the hotel we go to the adjoining shopping mall for buy and new suitcase as mine was cracking badly from the flight over - it was unlikely to survive two more baggage carriers.  We bought some carry out food and just flopped down in the room. We had already eaten too much this day to go out to dinner. Good night.

First take on Thai Buddhism

(Joseph) After my nap I had time to think about the Buddhist experience here. I was overwhelmed by the idolatry and ritual that the Thai form of Buddhism has taken. This is in stark contrast to my studies of it through mindfulness training. I have been following the concept of Buddhism that felt that it was an inward experience of viewing the world without judging, and experiencing everything as just happenings - not good or bad. Here Buddhism is like on steroids with pomp and glitter to the extreme. The monks have 227 commandments they must follow. People buy offerings everywhere. There is holy water, hold scripts, lotteries, and trinkets for Buddha everywhere.  Our guide here tells us that people do these rituals so that they will closer to god and that it is like a lottery and if you perform these things reincarnation will be much better. I have never even encountered the concept of reincarnation in my studies, and very little or no reference to God. Everywhere here the Buddha is an image of adornment and very sacred. My studies have Buddha resisting any such treatment. His enlightenment came from the realization that there is no self and we are all part of the whole. The elimination of the self or ego is the path to enlightenment and relief from suffering. I am finding it hard to reconcile what I have learned to what I see here.


And why are there so many Buddhist monks? Today it was explained to us by our excellent guide, Noi. She says that 95% of the Thai people are Buddhist and that becoming a monk has many benefits and is easy to do. This most important one is that it allows your parents to go to heaven. It also is a path to better education and greater statue in society. To become a monk you must be 20 years old and need to follow the path of the monks including adhering to the 227 commandments that include not touching women. You can only eat twice a day; once before sun up and then again before noon. A monk does not prepare his own food but it is provided by the general population. The monks wander the streets and people come out and give them food in plastic bags, They take it back to the temple or shrine and will pray for the needs or desire of the person who gave them food. The food is thought to nourish their ancestors in heaven. Monks are expected to meditate or pray for the rest of the day.

You don't need to be a monk long, some as short as two weeks, but that can really help in life and particularly one's ancestors and parents.  Noi says that situations like when you are on a bad path, don't have a job, you have disgraced your family, done wrong things, the life of a monk is a big attraction. Or if you win the lottery and have been the recipient of good fortune, it is also a way to give thanks.

We see monks on the streets early in teh morning with their saffron robes. This form of buddhism seems to  be heavily influenced by Hinduism. In many of the properties we see the spirit houses, small shrines adorned with Buddha statues and surrounded by adornments. Apparently Thais believe that vacent lots are possessed by spirits and that when you build on them, one should provide houses for the spirits. They are everywhere.

Our First day in Bangkok

Religion is much in evidence here and at the actual temple there are worshipers as well as gawkers.  And there is much to look at.  Then we head to stop number two.  Noi our guide is very experienced and does her job extremely well and with a sense of humor.  Her English is very good.   The flower market on the way to Wat Pho (Temple of Reclining Buddha) is now limited to vendors just outside their shops - street stalls are illegal in April - who knows why and Noi claims it is ignored.   Apparently the Thais (meaning the Free People) are used to disregarding laws that are inconvenient.   At Wat Pho a river of tourists meanders through the compound.  and it is a compound -  dozens of minor temples and shrines.  One is the original hospital where Thai people study medicine and first aid.  Another section houses 500 small (10 foot) Buddhas which hold ashes of important and rich families.   Here temples are built through donations and it takes years to complete any one project.   We save the temple of the 150-foot long Reclining Buddha for last.  And here happens our first incident of missing passengers.  Noi keeps counting noses and coming up short.  I must say directions were not clear as to where to meet, but we find the stray lamb (Arinee) on the outside of the compound.  A few words about this group.  There are 75 of us and two full busses.  People are from all over the states and we have met a few more beside the honeymooners.  An interesting group is a Hispanic family of about 7 -  a petite mother and four strapping twenty-year old sons and daughters with mates/spouses.

4/14/16  (Zosia writing, Joseph napping)

Our first full day in Bangkok was a bus tour around town focusing on two spectacular temples. But first we had buffet breakfast with food to please every palate -  European (all those cold cuts and cheeses),  American (eggs, bacon etc.) and Thai which we missed but may look over tomorrow.  Lots and lots of fruit, juices and pastries.   It is the New Year in Thailand and all the people celebrate for three days - April 12, 13, and 14 - by closing shops, services and heading to their homes in the provinces.   There is hardly any traffic (what a boon!)  and few tuk-tuks operate.   However the masses of tourists make visiting the temples a true experience - crowded as can be.  On way to first temple, that of the Golden Buddha we see much construction going on and tucked in here and everywhere are small shrines to the various god/apostles.

Our last stop was at the Gem Factory and Thai silk.  Poor Joseph just kept shaking his head.  This is not what Buddha is about.   The consumption of non-essentials!  It's a good thing he had his journal with him.   And we are melting.  Sweat runs down from tip of head to neck and all garments, creating its own climate system, which surprisingly has a cooling effect on the body as the cycle is in motion.  You would understand if you were here.  Makes perfect sense.  There is a either one gigantic cloud over the entire city or smog which greeted us at sunrise and now at 4pm still enfolds us.  A train just passed in view from our room window.  We have a fairly interesting view from room 1302.  My knees are holding up very well and Joseph has commented about how fast I am walking.  I have decided not to read my email today.