After a leisurely start this morning and a bit of time to clean up some emails, we decided to make our way over to Chewang Beach – one of the busier beaches on Koh Samui.  The sun was out with just a little light cloud, so we decided to walk across from our spot on Big Buddha Beach.  The trip across the top corner of the island was about 6km so we figured it would be a nice walk to build up to a massage that would surely follow.  I think Erica was a bit skeptical at first, but she stayed with us and after about an hour we arrived at the other beach.

It was a bit hotter along the walk than I thought it would be as I figured we might catch a breeze as we crossed the ridge separating the two beaches, but there were enough buildings and trees that there was only us sweaty people.  So directly after arriving at the beach we dipped our feet in the surf, and then sat down at a beachside restaurant for a cold refreshment.

Conveniently located right next door to the beach restaurant was a bunch of ladies doing massage right on the beach.  Deciding that we had indeed well earned our turn, we popped over right after re-hydrating for a little pampering.  It is really hard to beat massage on the beach, with the open air sala, the sea air, and the sound of the surf it is very relaxing, and to top it off the massage ladies really knew their stuff – one of the best massages I have had in a while!

After all that we just walked down the beach enjoying the surroundings and doing a bit of people watching.  Towards the far end of the beach Erica and I decided that we had earned ourselves another refreshment, so we sat at a beach bar with bean-bag chairs on the beach and enjoyed a beer while gazing out at the ocean.

Finally it was time to head back, and Mrs. Columbus and I decided that because the sun was setting and the temperature had dropped a bit we were going to make the trek and walk back so Erica hopped onto a motorcycle taxi and zipped away – saving about an hour off her return trip 🙂

A bit of street food on the walk back and we are fed and watered for the evening.  We are taking a day trip to Ang Thong Marine Reserve tomorrow, so by the time we get back to the hotel it was perfect timing to get cleaned up and into bed in preparation for an early morning.

After a busy few days in and around Bangkok we have now made our way down to the islands in the Gulf of Thailand. In general it is the ‘rainy season’ here in Thailand, but the gulf coast on the east side of southern Thailand has a different weather pattern than the Andaman coast on the west side, and we expect to see some much more predictable good weather here on Koh Smaui and Koh Tao.

The flight from Bangkok is short and sweet and within a couple of hours of leaving the bustle of the city we are checked into our hotel room right across the road from the beach!  Apparently the economic downturn in Europe has meant that toursim has been off and one shop keeper that we talked to said it has not been overly busy here for at least a year.  That certainly explains why the hotel we are staying in is basically empty, and except for I think two other rooms we appear to have the place to ourselves – which is good I guess for us, but must be hard on the locals who typically hope to make enough during the busy season to keep the place open during the low season.

We have allotted more time for each of the rest of our stops on the trip, so we don’t have to try and cram a bunch of things in like we did in Bangkok, so our first day here has no fixed agenda.  After sleeping in a bit we decided to walk down to the beach and along the shore to the local temple with the big Buddha statue.

After looking around the temple and getting the requisite blessing from the monks (cause you can never have too many blessings) we stopped at a shop run by an expat from England for what was advertised as ‘the best banana milkshakes in Samui’.  The shakes were made with milk and ice cream (as they should be) vs the normal Thai style milkshake which is often made with condensed milk and ice, and they did indeed live up to their billing as the shake was very tasty.  We had a nice visit with the owner and learned a few things about the island and relaxed in the shop with a beautiful view of the ocean while chatting away.  Overall a nice way to spend an hour or two before we decided it was time to move on.

I am not sure why it always seems like the walk back is longer than the walk there, but our return trip to the hotel seems to take quite a bit longer.  By the time we get back we are all a bit drained and decide that some time by/in the pool will be very refreshing.  A few hours poolside and it is not hard to convince ourselves that we have earned a massage (no surprise that the vote was 3 to 0 in favor) so we round out the evening with a Thai massage and a late dinner.

Our first couple of days in Bangkok have been fairly busy as we were trying to get a lot accomplished, so the next day it was time to slow things down a little.  We don’t have anything scheduled for the day, so it is a chance to sleep in, catch up on a bit of work, do some blogging and hang out at the rooftop pool.

Later in the afternoon we start to wander in the streets and we do not get very far before I realize that the ladies are going to turn this into a shopping trip.  I would rather eat some deep-fried crickets than spend the rest of the afternoon looking at fans and bags, so we decide to split up and go separate ways for the rest of the afternoon.

I spent a little more time walking around Khaosan Road and the general area we are staying in, walking through a couple of Wats and generally doing a bit of people watching.  Some late dinner rounds out the evening and our nice relaxing day is complete.

Our last day in Bangkok is going to be another one of those long days.  We have a day trip planned and will also be flying out to Southern Thailand at 9pm, so we need to be up, checked out of the hotel and ready with all of our bags by 8pm when our driver is picking us up.

We have contacted Mr. Sawang, who we have used as a driver on previous stops in Bangkok and luckily he is available for our day’s adventure.  Our first stop is to see a floating market so we head out to Damnoen Saduak, one of the more well known floating markets near Bangkok.  We visited this market before when we came here a few years ago with the whole family, and it was quite interesting to see the chaotic dance of the boats with all the tourists and vendors.  For those looking for more detail, my original blog post about the floating market can be seen here.

Erica is amazed by the way that the people live and the huge array of different goods, spices, food, etc. that is offered by the people along the banks of the klong and also directly from their small boats.  It is still astounding to me to buy meals from people cooking them in boats, but we find a lady selling our favorite Mango with Sticky Rice (a huge plate for about half of what it costs in the city) and Erica and I get some Tom Yum soup from another boat vendor for a ‘snack’.

When we were planning the day we have tossed around a few different ideas on where to spend the rest of the day out east of Bangkok, and when Mrs. Columbus and I started talking about the various options our travel mate Erica perked up when we were talking about Kanchanaburi.  Apparently her dad is a bit of a war buff and when we talked about the River Kwai bridge and the rest of the war history out there she thought that she would really like to see it.  Mrs. Columbus and I quite like the area so it was not a hard sell for us to go back there.   In addition to the day trip we did with the kids, Mrs. Columbus and I spent a few days out here a couple of years ago so rather than cover all that detail again, my previous narrative of the area can be seen here, here, here, and here, and I will just cover the highlights.

Initially we did not think that we were going to be able to catch the train that goes over the river and up to Nam Tok because we started our day a little later than we should have, but the Thai trains are notoriously late and that works in our favor today.  Mr. Sawang’s ability to weave through the traffic and the late train work together and we arrive right at the Kwai Bridge station about 10 minutes before the train (now over an hour late).  We have a few minutes to look around and take some photos before getting on the train, riding across the bridge and heading towards Nam Tok where the end of the line is.

Mrs. Columbus is a bit antsy on the train because while only mildly interested in the history she does remember very clearly the fresh doughnuts that we got a couple of years ago on the train, and from her perspective the entire day trip will be worth it if she can get some hot doughnuts.  I remember them myself as a small bit of heaven all covered in sugary goodness, freshly cooked, and still hot – Uncle Si and the rest of the Duck Dynasty hunters would be happy, happy, happy with a plate full of these!

A few stops into the journey and Mrs. Columbus is starting to look a little long in the face because we have seen vendors for all sorts of food and trinkets, but no doughnuts.  I am sure by this point Erica thinks we are a bit crazy, but then hallelujah we see the doughnut guy wander into our railcar and the day is saved 🙂  The vendor has a good smile as we order enough doughnuts to feed a small tour group, and he probably thinks these silly farangs (foreigners) must not have eaten in days.  By now Mrs. Columbus is almost vibrating with anticipation, and if Erica did not think we were a little crazy before, this may seal the deal, until…… we watch her take her first bite of one of these golden pieces of heaven.  Let’s just say that from the look on her face if the circumstances had been different she might have needed a cigarette and a quiet room!

After our delicious snack we settle in with full stomaches for the rest of the trip, and as we have seen before the scenery does not disappoint.  It is hard to capture in just single pictures, but the views of the river and the rugged country side as we get farther north are quite amazing.

We get to the end of the line and Mr. Sawang is waiting for us for the short trip to Sai Yok to splash about in the waterfall.

We are heading straight to the airport at the end of the day, so at about 3pm Mr. Sawang tells us that we should get headed back.  It is  hours until our flight leaves, so I am a bit skeptical that we need to leave so early, but he informs us that the traffic in Bangkok will be bad.  We are making great time back to the city and I am starting to worry a bit that I am going to be 3 hours early for my flight and just sitting around the airport when we hit the traffic.  Just as he predicted the traffic is nuts and in many places I could easily outpace the car on foot, and after more than an hour we finally push our way through the traffic and get to the airport at about the right time to check in and get ready for our flight to Koh Samui.

The next item on our list of things to accomplish while we are in Bangkok is a day trip out to Ayutthaya to see the ruins of the previous capital from the 13th and 14th centuries.  We have done this day trip before, so to change things up a little we will be taking part of the trip on a boat along the Chao Phraya river.

Our trip starts at 6:30am with a pick-up from our hotel, and they will take us to a central collection point where we will transfer to a air-conditioned bus for the outward part of the trip.  We are still adjusting to the time difference a bit so the good news is that we are awake at about 4:30am without the aid of an alarm, of course the bad news is that we are likely in for a looong day.

The bus makes it’s way through the city and we can see the inbound rush-hour traffic.  The tour guide informs us that the rush hour goes from about 6am to 9am and if you are unable to make your commute either before or after the rush, it can add as much as 2 hours to your trip!

Our first stop is at the summer palace at Bang Pa-In.  Built and expanded by previous monarchs of Thailand the summer palace is now only occasionally used for special occasions and ceremonies, but it is open daily for tourists. The grounds are immaculately maintained and the buildings are inspired by various other cultures – Chinese, Italian Renaissance, Colonial, etc.

Having been here before we know most of the narrative and so we separate ourselves from the tour group to wander about on our own, and take in the peacefulness of the area while avoiding the large tour groups – with good timing we are able feel like we mostly have the place to ourselves.

From there it is off to the city of Ayutthaya to see some of the ruins from centuries past.  The area has dozens of sites and temples that co-exist within the city that has grown around them and there is a stark contrast between the new and the old, often right across the street from each other.  We only have time to see three of the sites, and as luck would have it there is only one spot that overlaps with out last trip here, so it is nice to be able to take in the tour without it feeling like just going back for a repeat.

Our first stop is at Wat Mahathat, a collection of temple runis that dates back to around 1374.  In 1767 the capital was sacked by the Burmese and upon gaining victory they defaced the local Buddha statues by removing their heads – sort of a 13th century ‘in your face!’  One of the Buddha heads was left by a tree and in the centuries that followed the roots of the tree have grown around the head and it is now one of the distinct features of this site (and why it is a stop on almost every tour of the area).

Next up is Wat Na Phra Mane.  During the final conflict with the Burmese the city of Ayutthaya was one of the last hold-out and was finally taken by siege.  The city was surrounded by Burmese forces and finally after about 18 months of being shut off from supplies and under attack the city was taken.  The temple at Wat Na Phra Mane is a very solidly constructed building and it was from here that the Burmese forces headquartered their siege of the city.  In addition to it’s military significance, the large temple building houses an elaborate Buddha statue and shrine, and the monastery on the grounds houses a Buddha figure carved from stone that is estimated to be over 1000 years old.

Our final temple stop is at Wat Lokayasutharam to see a reclining Buddha statue. The statue is quite large and impressive – similar in size to the one at Wat Pho in Bangkok we saw the day before, but this one is outside on a plain along with some other temple ruins.  Of particular interest to me is to see the statue directly and compare it to the photos I had seen of the same statue during the massive floods of central Thailand in 2011.  There was about 2 meters (about 6-7 feet) of water in this area and it was over a month before all the flood water receded.

After the last stop it is back on the bus where we are driven back towards Bangkok to a pier on the Chao Phraya river for the final leg of our journey.  For the rest of our trip we load onto a large boat for a late buffet lunch and a 2 hour trip down the river back to the heart of Bangkok where we started the day.

The trip along the river is a nice change, and after a big lunch we secure some chairs out on the back deck and watch the sites along the banks of the river.

Overall it has been a long day, but a good bit of sightseeing and we are all once again fairly beat.  It is still too early to turn in though so after a bit of freshening up we head out for a massage (’cause we can) and then a bit of wandering around for some street snacks (banana pancake, woot!) before calling it a night.

Bangkok – known to the Thais as Krung Theep or the City of Angels, and home to over 12 million people.

People should not come to Bangkok expecting to unwind, and we are no exception.  Mrs. Columbus and I have been here before and typically just skip the city all together, but our travel buddy Erica is a first-timer so it gives us an excuse to come back and see a few things that we did not have time to see beofre, but on their own would probably not have brought us back.

Our flight over was very uneventful and everything was on time and according to plan!  We arrived in Bangkok at about 11am local time and Erica was waiting for us at the airport (she arrived the night before on a different flight) right where we expected, and after getting some local SIM cards for our phones we hopped a taxi into the city.  My experience with taxis at the Bangkok airport has been mostly a miss, usually getting over charged a flat rate, but this time we finally got things figured out on how to get the driver to use the meter!

Normally we have stayed in one of the more mid-range tourist areas but this year Mrs. Columbus got a little more adventurous and we are staying just off of Khaosan Road.  More commonly known as Bangkok’s ‘backpacker ghetto’ the 3 or 4 square blocks around Khaosan is where all the young gap-year travelers and backpackers converge for the cheap guesthouses, street food, and bars.  Soi Rambuttri is a couple of blocks over from Khaosan so it is not quite as busy, but there is still lots of nightlife and backpackers around, although even with my rouge-like ability to blend in there is very little chance of anyone confusing me for a backpacker 🙂  Our hotel is a pleasant surprise as I was a little worried what we might get for $20/night in Bangkok (our last trip here we spent double that for a Holiday Inn and Mrs. Columbus was very unhappy) but the place is clean, well located, and so far looking very promising.

Given that we don’t plan to be in Bankgok for long we have set out a fairly busy agenda, so on arrival to our hotel we get our packs stowed away and hit the street.  We have decided to see if we can find a couple of the more famous temples in downtown Bangkok and head off towards the Grand Palace in search of Wat Pho and Wat Arun.

Rather than take a taxi or fall for any of the tuk-tuk scams we decide the walk will be nice and allow us to explore some things along the way.  By the time we get near the Grand Palace it is about mid-afternoon and the palace closes at 3:30, so we decide to maybe save that for another day.  Wat Pho and Wat Arun are right nearby though and have longer hours so we will be able to get both of those in before dinner time!

Our first stop is at Wat Pho.  Known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, the grounds house a variety of temples, Buddha statues and shrines but the highlight is the reclining Buddha.  Images of the Buddha in reclining position are not overly common and that coupled with the sheer size of this one contributes to it’s landmark status.  At over 50 feet high and about 160 feet long it is one of the largest Buddha statues I have seen, and a bit awe-inspiring to stand beside it.

Like most of the temples in Thailand, inside the Wat it is considered offensive for people to wear short pants and for the ladies additionally offensive to have their shoulders and upper arms exposed so for my traveling companions the requisite cover garb is kindly provided by the temple staff 🙂

We were told that Kim made Erica promise to not adopt or smuggle any stray children home from the trip, but it seems that she stops for every stray cat we see, and being clever animals that they are I am sure they see the weakness and head straight to her!  I am pretty sure that declaring pets at customs would prove to be an issue.

Next it is off to Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of the Dawn.  This temple dates from the early 1600s and is across the Chao Phraya river from the Grand Palace and Wat Pho.  Thankfully there is a pier just down the street and a ferry that crosses the river and back for a paltry 3 baht (about $0.10) and runs about every 5 minutes.

Wat Arun is built more in the Khmer style (tall spires) instead of the traditional Thai style (buildings with tall peaked roofs and ornate carvings) and stands out as quite unique.  It’s position right along side the river adds to the scenery and the views are impressive.  There are a couple of flights of very steep stairs going up the outside and the climb up is a little intimidating, but the views from the temple are spectacular.

With every climb up however there is a climb down however, and from the top the very steep flights of stairs look like a good chance for a foreigner to test out their hospital insurance!

After wandering around the temple grounds and a stop inside to get a blessing from a monk we return to the ferry to get back across the river.  We had planned on going to Chinatown to look around and get some dinner but I had not really done much research on where to go there and in hindsight it turns out that a little bit of internet time up front would have been a good idea.  It seems that the landscape in Chinatown changes depending on what time of day it is, with the shops and retail vendors being the main focus in the daytime and then in the evening when the shops close the street vendors and food carts all roll out.  As luck would have it we arrive at about the same time as the transition is occurring, and so it appears to us as we have missed it all.

It was getting late in the day anyway and by now we had walked about 5 miles in the hot tropical sun, so rather than wandering about hoping to stumble on something we decided to walk back down by the river and take the river boat back to the area where we were staying. The river boat is a great bargain – it is basically bus service that runs along the river and you hop on and pay your fee, 15 baht (about $0.50), and then hop off at whatever stop you like.  You need to stay sharp and be ready though because the whole stop takes about 30 seconds or so and if you are not ready to get on or off when it’s time, then they just move on without you.  We watched at one stop as a couple of foreigners lazily wandered their way to the back of the boat and by the time they had gotten there the captain had already pushed on, and there is no backing up!.

The trip along the river is interesting and the views are quite impressive.  We even lucked out as we happened to go by Wat Arun as the sun was setting for a postcard moment!

By the end of the day we are totally wiped out, and by the time we stopped for a foot massage after dinner not a single one of us managed to stay awake while during our end of the day reward.