After spending two and a half months in Europe we made our way to warmer weather. I can honestly say that visiting Thailand (or southeast Asia in general) was not on my bucket list. I envisioned crowded and chaotic streets, hot and sweaty days, hot and sweaty nights, and a lot of food that our kids would NOT eat. However, Julie really wanted to visit, and it is a lot cheaper than Europe, so I was convinced.
Our first destination was Patong (a major tourist and party destination). We were drawn to the area because we had family that used to live there for several years. It took the Thai people about 5 minutes after our arrival to change my mind about visiting the area. The staff on the plane, at the airport, and at the taxi stand were amazingly happy, kind, and helpful. It certainly made being awake for 24 hours more bearable.
When we arrived at our condo we were greeted once more with smiles. As silly as it sounds, it really does make the experience much better. You feel like you are welcomed. Some places in Europe we actually felt like we were an inconvenience for the restaurant staff, or shopkeepers.
The adjustment to Thailand was easier than expected. We decided to rely on taxis, tuk-tuks, and shuttle buses in order to avoid driving. The traffic situation is a little more chaotic than North America. I would say that the painted lines on the roads are just suggestions, people pass whenever they want, and they can fit three times as many vehicles into the same space as we would at home….there is no such thing as tailgating in Thailand. That said, everyone is calm. You would think that road-rage would be in issue in the chaos, but I think the chaos is the antidote to road-rage. Nobody expects to be given space so they just roll with it. It is surprisingly well managed. Also, I didn’t see any accidents. The best comparison I could come up with is that it reminded me of the way we might navigate a jam-packed sidewalk in North America. It works. Sure, there are some people that don’t adhere to generally accepted rules of courtesy, but overall the “system” functions and people move from one place to another relatively easily.
Another pleasant surprise was the kids reaction to the food. They absolutely loved it. They wanted to eat Thai food all the time. We found that it was spicier than the Thai food at home, but if we ordered mild it was easier to handle (we aren’t used to such spicy food). Every meal we tried to make sure that one of us ordered something new, and we all took a little taste. This was fun. When you spend 24-7 together it is always nice to add a little something new to the day – even if it is a simple food tasting conversation.
In terms of the weather, well, it was as advertised. Hot, humid, and unrelenting. Luckily for us we has excellent air conditioning in our condo. The nights actually got a little cold in our small bedrooms. I’m not sure that I could ever adjust to hot and humid all the time. I love September….with highs of 23 degrees celsius and low humidity….too much.
We spent about 5 weeks in total in Thailand. We visited amazing beaches and temples, we spent a day with elephants, I got a traditional tattoo from a monk, we watched planes fly less than 100 metres over our heads coming in to land, we tried lots of new food, visited a ton of day and night markets (all of which we will write about in time), but the best part of Thailand was the amazingly humble, kind and friendly people.
Thanks a lot to the people of Thailand!! We will return.
Shawn