Thailand!

I realized that it has been forever since I updated my blog, because tonight I decided to throw up some pictures of Thailand and realized it has been almost a year since I went there! Anyway, in August 2007 my friend Ashley and I went to several places in Thailand for a little R&R. It was a really interesting experience; Thailand seems to be a place people have very strong opinions on and either love or hate. Although I didn't hate it, I don't know if I would go back. It was very hard to reconcile the beautiful scenery with the overwhelming poverty and rampant sex trade. I will say, however, that I am really happy Ashley asked me to go and I am very glad I went! Our first stop was a day trip from Bangkok to the Bridge over the River Kwai. On the way we stopped at a Foreign Soldier Cemetary, where most of those buried were Prisoner's of War who worked on the Burma Railroad:







If you can read the side of the train, you can see it was used by the Japanese to help expand the Burma Railway:


The Bridge:





As you can see from the picture, the sides of the bridge are completely open. It was pretty rickety too, and there were a lot of people walking from side to side. It was a little scary:


On the day trip we also took an elephant ride:


It was a once in a lifetime thing, I think. The elephants were sweet but some had chains of their legs and it was kind of sad. As I am writing this I am realizing that I am too soft-hearted for Thailand! I need to harden up if I ever want to go back!

The scenery from the elephant was pretty though:



We also took a VERY rickety raft down the river:


Our fearless leader Ashley would never lead us astray though!


I need to get this outfit for my brother:


And the train ride on the Burma Railroad:



Some beautiful beach scenes:







Gasoline is expensive even when it comes in water bottles!


And bringing in luggage is a bitch during low-tide.



The view from our bungalow:


This is the area where The Beach was filmed, and the area hardest hit by the tsunami. There are no cars on the island we stayed on (and many surrounding areas), but we took a taxi from the next island to the airport, and our taxi driver said he lost 6 siblings to the disaster. Sad and kind of overwhelming.








Monkey Island:







Hahaha, I am 12:


These people live on the cliffs (in a very unstable environment, I must say) and spend their lives protecting, and then harvesting, the nests for Bird's Nest Soup. Call me ignorant, but I had no idea that soup contained actual Bird's Nests! I thought it was just a weird name. It doesn't seem very appetizing to me!






Thailand to be continued.....