Thailand

Unfortunately, we started our time in Thailand with an immense amount of stress. Before we ported in, some friends and had purchased flights from Bangkok down to Phuket, an island off the province of Krabi (where the 2000 movie The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed). It took forever for Thai immigration officials to clear the ship, so it left us rushing for the airport (which was about two hours away) to catch our 4:30 flight. Our taxi driver, knew of our circumstances, and maneuvered the nine person van in and out of traffic in a manner that would have made OJ look like a novice. We arrived at the airport in the final seconds, as the Thai woman was shutting down shop, I literally through my passport on the counter, and with some sweet talking (in which she probably didn’t understand) she smiled and let me through. The plane ride was smooth and very calm, aside from the fact that a similar plane had crashed there a few weeks ago killing over half of the passengers. Phuket is a huge island, so we made our residence in a little town called Kata. I had hoped to not see many tourists there, but unfortunately, I was witness to what I unknowingly would encounter for the rest of my stay in Thailand, prostitution. The mile long strip that the town encased was lined with bars of every kind, each containing a similar set of three things, pool tables, alcohol, and a group of prostitutes drawing in anyone with a pocket full of cash and a sex drive. The prostitutes were everywhere, and being taken full advantage of by many western men, most from Australia. I had read a little about the sex tourism and how it has blown into such proportion, but was rather nauseating to see first hand. The girls, often fleeing from neighboring countries of conflict such as Cambodia, Burma, and Laos, come to Thailand with a hitch from a local promising them jobs as waitresses, store clerks, etc. Many get trapped into the business unwillingly, having no family or resources to depend on, they continue with the work in order to survive. Our days in Phuket were well spent, island hoping and lounging in tranquil settings. In the night we would follow the live music and witnessed some of the best small bands I have ever seen, I could have sworn these guys were lip sinking, because no one can sound that much like Bon Scott or Lynyrd Skynyrd. A local who spoke English well, informed me that because Thai language has a five set pitch variation in their language, and have perfected it over the course of their lives, it allows singers to hit exact notes. I asked them why they don’t go to America to make money. He simply stated ‘’they don’t want to.’’ Phuket was a very nice island, with a laid back, ‘’reggae/ rasta’’ feel to it. After returning to Bangkok, we stayed in the Suhkumvit district the first night, but turned out to be to hectic and filled with smog. We paid a taxi driver six dollars to drive us around all night, to see the city. Red light districts and prostitutes were everywhere. The next day, we got up early to meet our guide for the day, who first took us first, about three and a half hours northwest into the jungle, almost to the border of Burma. Here, we trekked hopped on our elephant, and continued on with an hour trek through the jungle via elephant. We passed monkeys and birds, crossed rivers, and walked through small villages. It was really an incredible experience, something I had wanted to do since I was a child, had become a reality. After a lunch at a local restaurant, we drove to a Buddhist Sanctuary where a group of Monks have raised a group of about twenty tigers since cub hood, only feeding them chicken, to lesson the aggression levels of the animals. We got to pet the adults, and wrestle around with the cubs. The next day was spent touring the western section of Bangkok, the district in which the king lives and the dirtiest river I have ever seen runs through.
In summarization, the people of Thailand were generally nice, and the women gorgeous. The landscapes were incredible, and the local townspeople friendly. Thailand seemed to have been a beautiful country at one time, but I cannot give it the same accreditation perhaps it deserved before the explosion of the sex trade, and though it may seem like an intrasocietal issue, it is not, for it wouldn’t exist if it were not heavily exploited by Westerners.