Thailand from Trunk to Head

In rodamón mag #15, we finished in George Town, Malaysia. Now, you might be wondering which direction we chose for our next chapter. A handful of options were on the table: Malaysia's Langkawi island in the northwest, Thailand further north, the east coast of the Malay peninsula, or Borneo (Malaysia's second island close to the Philippines). While visiting Borneo to see orangutans was tempting, it wasn't the most logical travel route. After a Malaysian friend recommended Thailand's stunning beaches, and with Michelle excited by a fellow yogi's tales of Thailand, our decision was made.

Welcome to the kingdom of Thailand, home to nearly 5000 Asian elephants and shaped like an elephant's head if you squint and turn the map 30 degrees clockwise. Check out the drawing on the right/below to see what I mean. Let's buckle up and enjoy the ride through this elephant-shaped country.

Muay Thai

We started our journey at the bottom of the elephant's trunk: Our first stop was Hat Yai, the first major city on Thai soil, just a four-hour bus ride from George Town. It isn't a tourist hotspot itself but served as our gateway to the islands of the Gulf of Thailand. From Hat Yai, we flew to Ko Samui and then took a boat to our first island destination: Koh Phangan.

Ko Phangan is renowned for its monthly full moon party when up to 30'000 party-goers gather at Hat Rin Nok Beach to rave under the moonlight. Unfortunately or fortunately, we've just missed that legendary bash, so the island wasn't too crowded. We let down our hair, enjoyed the beach, snorkeled, discovered the island's largest waterfall, and joined a Muay Thai fight night (obviously as spectators from outside the ring). Muay Thai, also known as Thai Boxing, can be considered the country's national sport. In essence, it is boxing, where the fighters can use their legs to kick their opponent. The fight night, clearly organized for us tourists, included 7 fighter pairs. The first duel started very promisingly when two female girls banged each other's heads (in an entertaining yet quite aggressive manner). The following fights, all male constellations, became less and less thrilling so that the verdict was clear: Young and female Thai boxers make the best fight.

Another morning, we jumped out of our beds long before dawn for another Milky Way photo session. Technically, the stars were perfectly aligned, the Milky Way situated well above the palms, and the galactic center shone like a diamond. Practically, we were surprised to find out that the light pollution of the fishing boats would be that significant. Each boat's flood lights could easily illuminate the main hall of Zurich's main station. As a result, the Milky Way photos could have been more spectacular, but we used the location and time for a light painting session to make the best of it.

Although Ko Phangan is 9200 kilometers from Switzerland, Swiss politics weren’t far. When Michelle and I were relishing our glass noodles, we couldn't miss two Swiss retirees' joy over the recently accepted initiative for a 13th OASI pension payment. And I can't hold it against them; this additional payment certainly leaves a trace in one's pocket when a dinner (incl. drinks) only costs 200 Thai baht (or roughly 5 Swiss francs). Hurray!

Diver's paradise

After 5 nights, it was time to embark on another boat and float to Ko Phangan's northern sister island. Ko Tao is much smaller and famous in Southeast Asia for being a diver's paradise. I gave Michelle for her birthday an adventurous gift: the Open Water dive course. As you may remember from the last rodamón mag, I just recently got certified and thought it would be cool to explore the underwater world together. While Michelle was learning the ropes, I did the Advanced Adventurer training, where I learned how to use an underwater scooter or dive 30 meters deep. Overall, we stayed 12 nights in Ko Tao, were mesmerized by the vivid wildlife in the water, and enjoyed the laid-back vibe on the isle. We also took a trial session in Muay Thai and Acroyoga, both marvelous but exhausting activities.

A few days into island life, we noticed that every third visitor wore a bandage or patch. After an insightful conversation with our dive instructor, we learned that those bandages/patches are called Ko Tao Tattoos. Most visitors get it when they lose control over their scooters (the island's primary transport vehicle). Thanks to our hotel's central location, we didn't need a scooter, but we also got our first impression of Thailand's top-notch medical infrastructure.

The underwater explorers: Phoom (our dive instructor in the middle) and Arm (my dive buddy) - more mesmerizing photos in the gallery!

I had to fill out multiple online forms when I prepared for the Advanced Adventurer dive course. The Open Water training I did with PADI (the world's largest diving association). PADI requires a physician's opinion if you've had surgery during the last six months. For the Advanced Adventurer, I've enrolled under SSI, the number 2 after PADI; the requirement is a doctor's clearance if you've had an operation during the last 12 months. This was the case because my nose septum was fixed the previous year. I thought it was just diving formalities and was quite relaxed when visiting the Ocean Medical Clinic in Ko Tao. The septum surgery was briefly discussed, but things got suddenly complicated when the doc on duty noticed my low resting heart rate; she explained that because of this, I would need to see a cardiologist, and there wouldn't be one on this tiny island. Luckily, I was seeing a cardiologist last year and had a report of the examination; after a short translation with ChatGPT, the doctor had all she needed to sign off my diving ability. It wasn't a surprise for me as I didn't have any issues when diving just a month ago, but it was good that the local medical troops take their work seriously. Michelle also became a patient a few days later. While enjoying the sunset at the beach, we walked over boulders that were sharp like razorblades. Sadly, we noticed that too late, and Michelle got a deep cut on her foot from stepping on such a boulder. Hence, we became regular visitors at that clinic (keyword daily wound cleaning). She was lucky enough that the incident happened after the diving course, but she couldn't do much for the remaining 5 days, and I had to dive alone. Consequently, we took things easy in Bangkok, our next destination.

Stumbling over reptiles

Bangkok, Thailand's capital, is a miracle on its own. It's one of the most visited cities in the world, having +20m visitors annually. While there's a fair number of sights, superb nightlife, and a fantastic choice of affordable gourmet food, it was primarily a big concrete jungle for me. I'm not sure whether Bangkok gets so many visitors because of the city itself or rather as a transit destination to other places in Thailand, but yes, when forced to visit a megacity with high air humidity, I'd opt for Kuala Lumpur (a concrete jungle in the jungle). Don't get me wrong, we also enjoyed the temple sightseeing and the culinary scene, and on my birthday, we clinked glasses on a rooftop overseeing the city. I even made it for a short birthday run on that very day. There are two crucial things to consider when going for a morning run in Bangkok's biggest park:

Keep your eyes open - the Lumphini Park is home to roughly 400 water monitor lizards (reptiles as big as crocodiles). They cross the park roads slowly and majestically while leaving little doubt that you want to get close.
Keep an eye on your watch - at 8:00 am, I noticed that the people in the park suddenly slowed down and ceased whatever they were doing. That's when I realized that the national anthem was played. It's a daily ritual where Thai people pay respect to the national anthem (or, let's say, the nation). I also stood still and wasn't unhappy about the short break in the morning heat.

Back in the pink - Thailand's world-class health system

Our next destination was Chiang Mai, located further north in Thailand’s „elephant head“ (if we continue to use this illustrative approach). The city is much more laid back than Bangkok, and I reckon it has zero skyscrapers (not that we would have seen far enough because of the smog). Indeed, air quality is terrible, and it's also hot as hell (up to 40 degrees Celsius), but at least air humidity is much lower than in the south. Chiang Mai is an excellent base for visiting various temples and outdoor activities. From Michelle, I got a fantastic gift for my birthday: Thai cooking classes. So, on our first day in the city, we hit with our teachers at the local market, bought some ingredients, and learned to prepare and cook yummy local dishes like green Thai curry, spring rolls, a papaya salad, or sticky rice with mango. All from scratch, only with natural ingredients and a brave spiciness level. What a feast.

Spring roll (still to be fried) and a freshly prepared papaya salad - yummy!

The next day, I got knocked out by a cold; it's not entirely clear whether it was because of the air conditioning or the abundance of chilies in my dishes. Anyway, I was recovering for two days, and when we were ready for a day excursion to Chiang Mai's surroundings, Michelle took over as the sick person in our hotel room. Her words were clear: Chris, go on that trip, I want the photos. So I did, and my lungs were also happy to get some fresh air as we visited Thailand's highest point at 2565 AMSL, where the city's smog was far away.

We had much more planned for our time in Chiang Mai, but when you get sick, you better take the time to recover while you are in one and the same place. After we'd both recovered, our time in Thailand was almost up, and we had to pack our bags for our flight to Vietnam, where we would spend the following three weeks.

Before leaving Chiang Mai, I had to complete the self-set mission of running around the city's old walls. As my last run was a while ago, I completed three laps. Later that night, I didn't feel well, started sweating like during the run, and suddenly knew I'd have to get out of bed and steer toward the bathroom. I saw my dinner twice that night, and I'll leave the rest for your imagination. The following day, when I still didn't feel much better, we were in a quandary as we had our flight around lunchtime. Was I fit enough to fly first to Bangkok and then to Hanoi? Our visa would expire the next day, so could we extend it if we need to stay in Thailand? The first question was answered quickly; after a sip of water, I returned to the bathroom. We decided to skip the flight, get a visa extension, and fix myself in the hospital. In those moments when you can barely function, it's terrific to have a travel mate like Michelle. We first took a cab to the immigration office. To get the visa extension, we would have to wait 2-3 hours in an outside hall, where the temperature was around 40 degrees. So, for Michelle, the decision was clear: let's go to the hospital and get Chris fixed; if necessary, we could still get the visa extension the next day. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, the magic of medical care happened: I was escorted to a doctor, who examined me and gave the nurses a few instructions. I received antibiotics, IPVs, and a bunch of medication for the next few days. 4 hours later, I left the hospital like a human being (as opposed to something Zombie-like when I entered). We boarded the plane the next day and were happy to continue our journey.

A strong culture (almost) free of European influences

Please make no mistake, despite our medical issues, we did like our time in Thailand. Although tourism is a big thing in this country, locals are still super friendly and dedicated to making your time great. Food stalls are ubiquitous, so it's impossible to starve (as long as you have some Baht in your pocket). It was fascinating to see various regions of the country, although there's much more to discover. Long-time travelers know that one travels more relaxed when not aiming to see everything.

In addition to the adorable people, what struck me is that Thailand was never colonized. It's been a combination of geographical factors, political reforms, and diplomatic strategies. Or, as one of our tour guides explained in more simple terms: The king of Thailand was a smart dude; when the Europeans came, he wanted to give them the impression that a progressive and reasonable leader was sitting with them at the table. Instead of fighting over his land, which would result in carnage and bloodshed, he "voluntarily" gave away some territories to satisfy the European intruders. While his kingdom became more minor, he could keep large parts of it, and the country could preserve its unique culture. Something that makes a visit to Thailand genuinely intriguing. Bear in mind that Malaysia and Singapore have their (predominantly) British influence, whereas Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam were occupied by the French. While the demanded respect for the king and the potential repercussions in case of non-compliance seems odd or overdone to us Westerners, the nation's unique culture also has its more fun sides: They have a national water fight festival (known as Songkran). In a nutshell, It is another country worth visiting (as long as you are willing to have dinner next to your compatriots talking about their pensions).

That's it for today. I'm curious to hear where you've had your worst medical travel incident. While those moments haven't been fun, they usually make funny stories to tell fellow travelers.

Until next time

Chris

P.S. Yes I do love to read guestbook comments and although I can't directly reply to them, be sure that we'll be talking about it when I'm back home.