One month in-depth travel in Thailand, from Hua Hin to Koh Chang to the City of Angels
On the way to Thailand, the captain received a temporary message that Bangkok Airport was temporarily closed due to the Yellow Shirt Group, and the plane was forced to change its flight and land in Phuket. I stayed overnight in a hotel in Phuket Town. I wanted to take the opportunity to visit the famous beach on the island, but I was blocked by heavy rain.The food in southern Thailand is spicier. That night, I tried several authentic side dishes in a simple shop in Phuket Town. I loved one of the mango salads. It was so spicy that I sweated and couldn't stop eating. The leisurely attitude of the local residents made people slow down their pace. There was a kind of lush vegetation in the humid air. The cicada sounds at night were very different. The same noise was more ambiguous.
Fortunately, my friends in Bangkok helped me the next day. I took a ride from south to north, from midday to high moon, and drove through the subtropical mountains and waters in remote villages. It took eleven or twelve hours to reach Bangkok. Under the moonlight, it was like a flower blooming in the plain, and the skyscrapers were brightly lit. It was suddenly very abrupt and surprising. I spent my first night in Bangkok in the guest room of a friend’s small house. The oriental atmosphere in the room reminded me of the 80s song One Night In Bangkok.
Week 1: Koh Chang, the Island of the Elephant King
Because of the distance to the art exhibition The date is still far away, so we started traveling first. The first stop is Koh Chang in eastern Thailand, not far from the border with Cambodia. Because it has not yet been occupied by tourist groups of various categories, the entire island still has a relatively natural and primitive style.
The seaside hut Bungalow we stayed in was located in the middle of the west coast, facing the bay, and was relatively quiet. Although the hut is simple, I can fall asleep to the sound of waves at night.
Koh Chang is very big, with mountains, water and forests. For the convenience of commuting, I rented a motorcycle. I can easily go to other white sandy beaches, red sandy beaches, lonely beaches, and spend another day there. We explored the rugged mountain roads on the east side of the island and encountered more primitive hippie villages and tourist villages.
The interior of the island is basically rainforest and mountains, with some small waterfalls and the like. Of course, there are also tame elephants available for rent. There is also a Chinese temple on Elephant Island, dedicated to the Elephant King. I wonder if it can be regarded as the land god on the island.
One day after dinner, I was walking under the night sky and saw two bright stars and a crescent moon forming a smiling face. It felt so magical. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a tripod, so I only took a blurry picture. photo. The next day I went across the street for a Thai massage. The massage grandma said that the smiling face of the star and moon was a good omen. Sure enough, the next day I heard the news that Bangkok Airport had reopened.
Week 2: Koh Samed, the Mermaid Island
It took some time to get from Koh Chang to Koh Samed, and we arrived at the booked resort in the afternoon. Koh Samed is much smaller in size, but has more undeveloped natural beauty than Koh Chang. The main roads in the center of the island are all uneven dirt roads, and there are only some asphalt roads in the town at the north end of the island. Walking around the island is also a kind of exercise.
Various mermaid statues are often seen on the island, which seems to be related to the mythological origin of the island, but without any information, it is just speculation.
The bungalow we stayed in this time obviously had much better facilities. Walking along the coast, the island was like a garden in the sea, extremely quiet and beautiful. Because the pace was so slow, I walked for half an hour every morning to the town in the north of the island for breakfast, and it didn't feel like a long time.
I continued my madness for Thai food on the island. Three meals a day were not enough, so I had to add a Thai papaya salad (Papaya Salat) with sticky rice in the afternoon.
There was no lighting on the dirt road at night, so we had a candlelight dinner under the night sky on the beach. The moon was bright and the stars were dense. The Raggae and Bossa Nova music, which was a bit outdated, was very enjoyable to listen to because it was suitable for the situation; there were children setting off fireworks not far away, and someone on the other side of the beach was setting off a sky lantern, which looked like a star flying far and high from a distance.
Because there was still some preparation work to be completed before the art exhibition in Bangkok, I stayed on the island for five days and then returned to Bangkok. The Mumu Gallery had just taken in a young painter from a down-and-out aristocratic family, and everyone went to a nearby framing shop to order frames for the paintings. That night we had dinner together at the gallery and talked until late at night. I talked with the boy about the cultural history of China and Thailand. I didn't expect that a 16-year-old boy would be more knowledgeable than me. I couldn't help but sigh that my mind was not so profound when I was 16 years old. I also thought of an article written by Grandma Ailing describing a smart boy as "a straight and spiritual child like a daffodil. It is really hard to imagine what kind of person he will be when he grows up."
Week 3: Hua Hin, the City of Stone
In Hua Hin, I stayed in the guest room of a friend's private house, but it was a wooden antique Thai-style cottage with an oriental atmosphere, which was surprising.
Hua Hin was originally prosperous as the palace of the Thai royal family, and is also famous for the gathering of the country's rich and nobles, so it is called "Royal". There are luxury resort hotels one after another on the highway into the city. But after settling in, I found that the attractions are very scattered. The house I live in is on the bay between two hills. Although it is quiet, it is a bit far from the city center. So I rented a motorcycle, which is cheaper than on Koh Chang, and it is much more convenient to drive around every day.
There are horses for rent on the beach in Hua Hin, but there are too many tourist vendors, the sea breeze is strong, and the beach is narrow. It can't be compared with the beaches of Koh Chang and Koh Samet, so I saved the swimming activity.
The "Mrigadayavan Palace" (Mrigadayavan Palace) is located on the outskirts of the city by the sea. It has an elevated corridor of sand yellow and sky blue, and there is no trace of gold or silver in it. This shows the people-friendly style of King Rama VI of Thailand. There are even a few cows grazing on the morning ground outside the palace, and there is also a pond botanical garden built to transform the environment. There is a romance of pastoral seclusion everywhere.
The other Khao Wang is located in the next town, so I experienced taking a Thai bus and leisurely listening to Thai pop music that was similar to old Fujian songs, which was quite appropriate.
There are many temples in Thailand, and Hua Hin alone has too many to see. There are also several on the hill near where we live, and even Buddha's footprints and Chinese Guanyin Maitreya, but just like European churches, after visiting too many times, it is inevitable that they feel the same.
Week 4: Bangkok, City of Angels
After returning to Bangkok from Hua Hin, I started to get busy. On the night of the opening of the exhibition, a passing baby elephant joined in the fun, and I bought some sugar cane-like things sold by the elephant trainer to feed the baby elephant. I also met a variety of people through the exhibition, such as a Leo pop artist and his agent and partner, and a retired uncle who used to work in the US Embassy in Beijing, etc.
When I first arrived in Bangkok, I only saw the high-rise buildings in the city center, which were prosperous. It was not until I stayed there for some time that I realized the disparity between the rich and the poor behind the prosperity. The high-end department stores such as Siam Center and World Center on the commercial street are very luxurious, while in other neighborhoods, there are beggars sleeping on the overpass.
Recommended by a friend in Bangkok, I went to see the traditional Thai puppet show that won the gold medal at this year's World Puppet Festival. It takes three people to control a puppet, and the puppets are on the same stage. Under the graceful tunes of traditional Thai instruments and the weird Thai opera singing, the puppets are like one body, doing Thai dance postures. The story is about the birth of Ganesha, the god of art with an elephant head and a child body in Indian mythology.
I also went to the famous gay club to experience the ambiguous atmosphere; I also went to the red light district to see the vulgar and bold performances; in Bangkok's China Town, I felt like I was in Hong Kong, and the streets had a colonial legacy.
The Grand Palace in Bangkok is a must-see attraction. The colorful and magnificent scenery finally makes people see the dream Thailand they imagined. However, the tourist vendors near the palace are too arrogant. Some even pretend to be palace staff to deceive tourists and say that the palace is temporarily closed, just to introduce the low agency fee of motorcycle tricycles.
My passion for Thai food continues to rise. Bangkok is full of all kinds of roadside stalls, and there are clean and hygienic fast food in big shopping malls. I am not very fond of the Thai national dish "Tom Yum Goong" soup that everyone recommends, but the Tom Yum fried rice I tried by chance is delicious, with a typical Thai spicy and sour taste. The cheap and simple popular cold dish Papaya Salat is still my favorite, but I always have to promise not to use more than three chilies, otherwise it will be so spicy that my tongue will be numb. Of course, there are also various curries, rice noodles, etc. I have eaten a kind of rice dumpling with meat filling, pickled egg yolk, bean paste and small bananas. It tastes weird but also delicious. I also like all kinds of fresh tropical fruits. I always drink a kind of ice smoothie made of ice mud and fresh fruits, which is fresh and refreshing.
Christmas Eve was spent at a friend's house. There was a delicious European dinner. In the summer temperature with swaying palm trees, it felt like the weirdest Christmas experience so far.
On the last evening in Bangkok, many shops were closed for Christmas, and the restaurant we were originally going to was also closed, so we temporarily changed to an old Indian restaurant on the corner. It was surprisingly good, and many times more authentic than the Indian restaurant in Berlin. After dinner, we went to the Chao Phraya River nearby to see the night view. At first glance, it felt like the Bund in Shanghai. I heard that on New Year's Eve, the major hotels on the riverside would have a fireworks display, but unfortunately we had returned to Berlin by then and missed the opportunity to enjoy it.
Ladyboys of self-selected gender
Thailand gives people the impression that the people are simple and honest, and the attitude towards sex is more natural. In comparison, Europeans can only be regarded as casual rather than natural, because there are still too many frames. Of course, in the eyes of Chinese people, Thailand is still famous for "ladyboys", but in fact, you can often meet so-called ladyboys on the streets of Thailand, and you don't need to go to see any ladyboy shows.
The first ladyboy I met was in a cafe where I went to eat breakfast every day on Koh Chang. He went in and out with two ordinary-looking girls, just like sisters, but he was more beautiful. Maybe because the island is remote, he can only use cheap cosmetics, so his skin color is very unnatural and he has a lot of acne. But he is shy and simple, and very petite. His shyness is more feminine than that of girls. He doesn't look weird. The locals are used to it, so I am embarrassed to pay too much attention.
The second ladyboy was a waiter who took our order at an open-air beach restaurant on Koh Samet. He was taller and thinner. Because the light was not strong at night, I couldn't recognize him from a distance. I thought he was a flat-chested girl. She was calm and elegant. She was used to being looked at strangely, and she had developed a ladylike quietness. But her voice was still low and hoarse, which sounded quite special.
It was easier to meet her in Bangkok. For example, a cashier in a supermarket was dressed in a Japanese cartoon style. When counting money, her long and thin nails were also colorful. However, she was obviously offended by my overly focused gaze. She looked back and stared at me fiercely. It seemed that she was a delicate and hot type.
When I finally left Thailand, I was choosing souvenirs at the airport in Bangkok. The salesperson was a ladyboy again. She was slightly fat and fair. Although her appearance was not very good, her delicate makeup and behavior made me not recognize her until she opened her mouth. Even her voice was softer than the previous ones. I think it was assisted by some hormones, because she was particularly polite and attentive, and I bought a few more souvenirs.
I didn't ask, but it seems that they are not completely transgender (such expensive surgery is not affordable for ordinary people), and they are also different from those exaggeratedly dressed Drag Queens in Europe and the United States. So it is hard to imagine that in China or Germany, there are so many transvestites who can dress up as women in their daily lives. This kind of sexual tolerance that is almost unbelievable to us is completely normal in the eyes of Thais. Chatting with the locals, it seems that their straight men can accept the existence of "shemales" or ladyboys because "they" recognize their female roles; but they cannot accept macho gays, thinking that is the real homosexual behavior. In such an environment, some passive young gays simply cross-dress and act feminine to be loved. It is a very interesting phenomenon.
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