Showing posts with label Thai Massage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thai Massage. Show all posts
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Pai: Hippy Heaven
The next stop of my trip, after a horrendous bus ride on a "VIP" (cough) bus through some crazy Northern Laos "roads" (cough), was Pai - a lovely little hippy town way up in the mountains north of Chiang Mai. I had heard that there wasn't really much of anything to do in Pai, but that there were plenty of ways to relax, and that was exactly the case. The scenery was beautiful, the town was full of cute little cafes and gift shops, there were some great restaurants serving delish Northern food, and I had a pretty amazing massage. I stayed at a really cool hostel called SpicyPai, a little outside of the town area, but set back from the road literally in the middle of a rice paddy - felt like I was back in Suphan. The hostel itself was a bamboo hut with about 20 dorm beds, no windows or doors, and some handy mosquito nets. It was a bumping hostel and made it easy to meet people since I was traveling solo for this part of my journey.
I also of course made friends with pretty much every Thai person in town, impressing them with my (nidnoi) knowledge of Thai and one of the DJ's at the bar in town offered to take me around Pai in a motorbike - I could hardly say no since Pai is billed as the place in Thailand to explore by bike and there was no way I was going to drive myself around the mountains! We took about a 40 minute ride through some curved roads, beautiful coffee plantations, and some crazy fog and made it to a viewpoint at the top of the mountain. I was happy I was wearing pants and a light jacket because it was SO cold at the top of the mountain - my blood has definitely thinned out this past year and I cannot handle being cold, so I was glad to see the view but happy when we started our descent and were met with a blast of that hot Thailand air I love so much. I'm glad I was able to see outside of the town center and check out some of the amazing views from up top, Pai was a great little sleepy town and a really nice place to relax and chill chill.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Northeastern Thailand is so Random!
The first stop on my 5 week trip was to Bangkok to show off the main spots to Michaela who had just arrived from the US. We hit up the Grand Palace, the weekend market, and Khao San Road (with one if our rockstar friends, nbd).
From BKK we headed to the Northeast, or Isan region, first stop: Khon Kaen. We quickly realized that there isn't actually much to see or do in this city, but we did our best to explore it by foot and tuk-tuk. We took a walk around the town's giant lake and checked out the city's main wats. We stumbled upon a group of monks in school and Michaela wanted to take pictures, suddenly we were all being led to the front of the monks and asked to make a speech. I did the honors and introduced us all and the monks had a fun time trying to say our names "Sallllah", "Neil", and "Michaaalaaaah". It was really cute and they seemed very happy to meet us.
After Khon Kaen, our next stop was the border town of Nong Khai which is located on the banks of the Mekong River. We rode a packed local bus that was a bit chaotic to get there, but we made friends with some little girls along for the ride. Nong Khai was bustling with activity because of the upcoming dragon boat races, huge longtail boats with 57 people propelling it down the river, it was fun to watch and hear them yelling out "neung, song, sam" (1,2,3) as they raced. We also saw a beautiful sunset over the Mekong, got some Thai massages, and enjoyed some local food specialties like laab and som tom- delish!
While in Nong Khai we also checked out the giant sculpture park called Salakaewkoo. It features huge sculptures and a wheel of life that is slightly confusing but also very impressive. While we were there we ran into some primary kids on a field trip so of course a photo shoot took place, and it was funny to see how well Michaela fit in: short, small and long dark hair 555.
I'm glad I got to check out this area of Thailand, a lot of what there is to see and do is really random, but it was my last major unexplored section of the country and the food was just as good and the people just as friendly as the rest of Thailand. Up next: Laos!
From BKK we headed to the Northeast, or Isan region, first stop: Khon Kaen. We quickly realized that there isn't actually much to see or do in this city, but we did our best to explore it by foot and tuk-tuk. We took a walk around the town's giant lake and checked out the city's main wats. We stumbled upon a group of monks in school and Michaela wanted to take pictures, suddenly we were all being led to the front of the monks and asked to make a speech. I did the honors and introduced us all and the monks had a fun time trying to say our names "Sallllah", "Neil", and "Michaaalaaaah". It was really cute and they seemed very happy to meet us.
After Khon Kaen, our next stop was the border town of Nong Khai which is located on the banks of the Mekong River. We rode a packed local bus that was a bit chaotic to get there, but we made friends with some little girls along for the ride. Nong Khai was bustling with activity because of the upcoming dragon boat races, huge longtail boats with 57 people propelling it down the river, it was fun to watch and hear them yelling out "neung, song, sam" (1,2,3) as they raced. We also saw a beautiful sunset over the Mekong, got some Thai massages, and enjoyed some local food specialties like laab and som tom- delish!
While in Nong Khai we also checked out the giant sculpture park called Salakaewkoo. It features huge sculptures and a wheel of life that is slightly confusing but also very impressive. While we were there we ran into some primary kids on a field trip so of course a photo shoot took place, and it was funny to see how well Michaela fit in: short, small and long dark hair 555.
I'm glad I got to check out this area of Thailand, a lot of what there is to see and do is really random, but it was my last major unexplored section of the country and the food was just as good and the people just as friendly as the rest of Thailand. Up next: Laos!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Back to Kanch
This semester seems to be flying by - I just started my 6th week of teaching - which is terrifying considering there are only 18 weeks of teaching this semester. I'm already 1/3 of the way through my final semester here!
This weekend I wanted to take a little trip to get the heck out of dodge... I mean Suphan. Since islands tend to be too far for the weekend and Bangkok can get old, it was back to my stomping grounds in Kanchanaburi, just a short, hot, crowded bus ride away. I've probably been to this small hangout 5 or 6 times since my arrival in Thailand, but there's good reasons I keep coming back - namely pizza, massage treatments and hammocks. In 24 hours I managed to satisfy all of those cravings and was able to hang out with some of my fellow teachers here and some friends from orientation way back when. I had some amazing pizza at a restaurant owned by a Swiss man, which implies delicious imported cheese. I was also able to enjoy an oil massage followed by a Thai herbal compress and hot stone massage - which basically involved a Thai woman sitting on me while simultaneously beating my back with a small bag of rocks. It still somehow felt pretty good, and although I was a little sore the next day, it was a sufficiently relaxing experience. Since I was feeling particularly indulgent this weekend, I managed to go back to the shop the next morning before I left town for an hour long facial that involved a scrub, a mask and a massage - it was heavenly and at one point I'm pretty sure I melted into the chair in a state of pure bliss. After a little more time lounging in the hammocks on the riverfront at the Jolly Frog hostel it was back to life, back to reality.
Why I love Kanchanaburi... in photos:
This weekend I wanted to take a little trip to get the heck out of dodge... I mean Suphan. Since islands tend to be too far for the weekend and Bangkok can get old, it was back to my stomping grounds in Kanchanaburi, just a short, hot, crowded bus ride away. I've probably been to this small hangout 5 or 6 times since my arrival in Thailand, but there's good reasons I keep coming back - namely pizza, massage treatments and hammocks. In 24 hours I managed to satisfy all of those cravings and was able to hang out with some of my fellow teachers here and some friends from orientation way back when. I had some amazing pizza at a restaurant owned by a Swiss man, which implies delicious imported cheese. I was also able to enjoy an oil massage followed by a Thai herbal compress and hot stone massage - which basically involved a Thai woman sitting on me while simultaneously beating my back with a small bag of rocks. It still somehow felt pretty good, and although I was a little sore the next day, it was a sufficiently relaxing experience. Since I was feeling particularly indulgent this weekend, I managed to go back to the shop the next morning before I left town for an hour long facial that involved a scrub, a mask and a massage - it was heavenly and at one point I'm pretty sure I melted into the chair in a state of pure bliss. After a little more time lounging in the hammocks on the riverfront at the Jolly Frog hostel it was back to life, back to reality.
Why I love Kanchanaburi... in photos:
 |
| Hammock time: booyeah! |
 |
| Delicious Pizza! |
 |
| Relaxing Aroma Oil Massage - 'nuff said! |
 |
| Peace and Quiet with friends. |
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
An Unexpected Visitor
Last month I received an email from my sister-in-law in Switzerland asking if she and my brother could surprise my sister Kathleen with a trip to Bangkok... obviously I said yes! Last week on Friday, Kathleen thought she was heading to the Zurich airport for a browse through some of its still-open shops and instead was handed a plane ticket to Bangkok and told she was boarding in 45 minutes. Luckily, my bro and sis did a great job packing her bags and she arrived with a suitcase full of necessities for the week and tons of Swiss choco for me - bonus! My sister-in-law Maureen joined us in Bangkok for the weekend to help a friend with some apartment searching and it was really fun to have a few members of the Rall fam in town to spend time together while enjoying the local flavor.
Since I still had to teach, I had to squeeze everything that I deem to be "The Best of Thailand" into 1 week. We managed to check out Suphan, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi and Ayutthaya and made the most of our time in each place.
HEAT: I'm not sure this would be "best of Thailand" but it's definitely a big part of any trip to this country. I don't think Kathleen's body was quite prepared for the shock of coming from the Swiss Alps to the sauna that is Thailand. Kathleen insisted I sleep with the air conditioning on every night and of course I came down with a cold because of it - maybe I've finally adjusted to the heat?
FOOD: I had to show off all of my favorite spots - so we hit up Banya's coffee shop almost every day for some of her legendary Thai-style iced coffees. We made it to "Pad Thai Lady" twice and Kathleen agreed it's the best she's ever tasted. We then spent one evening out at my friend Dton's restaurant so Kathleen could try Thailand's salad: som tom! Dton made it extra spicy for us and although our mouths were on fire, it was delish! Kathleen was also a major fan of the in-season mangoes so we had to try it in some form every day - mango shakes, fresh mango, mango with sticky rice and coconut milk, etc.
SIGHTS: With little time to spare, we managed a few out of town trips, first to hike Erawan Falls 7 tiers in Kanchanaburi where we had some fun with the fish that eat the dead skin off of your feet - weird but also oddly satisfying! One day I got permission to leave school early and we made it to Ayutthaya to rent a tuk-tuk and tour the city's ancient ruins for the afternoon. I couldn't remember much of my Thai history but I think Kathleen got the drift from the Thaienglish signs posted around the temples. Kathleen also made it into Bangkok to tour the Grand Palace one day while I finished up my week teaching.
SHOPPING: Thais love to shop, so when in Thailand... why not go to all the markets and try to buy as much as your suitcase will hold? Kathleen and I had fun perusing the local markets and managed to pick up some pretty clutch gifts for our family members back home - including some of the ever-present and frequently worn "Couples Shirts" spelling out L-O-V-E for my bro and sister-in-law. (Hope they will rock those in Zurich, super fashionable!)
LUXURY: Ok, so maybe this isn't normally associated with Thailand, but we did manage to squeeze in several massages and a pedicure during her short time here. And, on our last night in Bangkok my brother hooked us up with a stay in the Grand Hyatt downtown - it was ah-ma-zing. I don't think you realize how dirty and dusty and sweaty you are while living in Thailand until you surround yourself with luxury and get to take an actual shower and relax on a real mattress. I was all about the hotel robe and didn't do much besides move from the comfy bed to the executive lounge for some free drinks and cookies to the pool and hot tub outside. I could get used to that life... but for now it's back to Suphan and back to teaching! Thanks to my bro Matt for sending Kathleen and Maureen my way and letting me show off my corner of the globe!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Beach Club Asia
Back from yet another weekend of traveling - this time to the Deep South - in Thailand that means...Phuket!! This was no ordinary trip, it was also a Studio 911/ Kairos 67/ Beach Club reunion!
Nell and I were giddy all week looking forward to the arrival of our BFF Lauren or "Seyf" as we know her. Seyf is studying in Singapore this semester as she finishes up her Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown (she's a smart one!), and after her final exams she decided to come visit us. On Thursday, we picked her up from the airport and brought her back to the Soup to show off our hometown. I think Seyf was surprised how remote our city is - I'm not lying when I say we live amidst the rice paddies! Seyf was able to come to school with us on Friday, meet the kids, enjoy our favorite lunch spot, and sample the best iced coffee before a mad rush back to Bangkok to catch the overnight bus to Phuket. (Side note: the overnight bus services have vastly improved since my previous experience with my brothers in 2004, aside from the ridiculous Thai movie they showed- as Seyf said "Why is this happening to us?", it was a smooth ride.)
Once we found a nice hostel in Patong, we hit up the beach where we lounged for the afternoon (hello, sunburn!) before checking out the market in town, relaxing with a 1 hour Thai massage ($6, NBD), and enjoying some Pad Thai for dinner. The next morning we had an early wake up call for a full day tour of the Phi Phi islands by speedboat. The islands are stunning with limestone cliffs, white sand beaches, and water that is a ridiculous turquoise/teal blue too beautiful to be real. We were able to swim at a few points, take some jumping shots on the beach, and check out the underwater life while snorkeling. It was an awesome adventure with 2 of my favorite people in the world - who else wants to come visit?!?
We finished off the trip with a delish breakfast on the beach that consisted of Thai iced coffee, fresh pineapple and mango, and warm muffins and croissants. We then said a teary good-bye at the airport as we flew back to Bangkok and Seyf took off for a week in Cambodia - jealous!
As a footnote, I was curious to see what the lasting effects of the 2004 Tsunami would be, especially since the last time I visited the Phi Phi islands was in April of '04 before it happened, but beyond a few signs noting a tsunami evacuation route, I really didn't see any evidence of the tragedy that had occurred. I always expect a place to be deeply marked by a disaster like that, and while I'm certain the people all have stories to tell, I was surprised not to see any physical remnants. Thailand really invested in getting this tourist hot-spot back in order - apparently with help from European governments donating to the cause as a thanks for the Thai response towards European citizens on the ground in the immediate aftermath. It's especially impressive to me since my favorite US city, New Orleans, is still so far from the finish line in its own rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina.
New pics on Facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2315102&id=1606236&l=49f96f8d3f
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2315103&id=1606236&l=5f7bd6a3e0
Nell and I were giddy all week looking forward to the arrival of our BFF Lauren or "Seyf" as we know her. Seyf is studying in Singapore this semester as she finishes up her Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown (she's a smart one!), and after her final exams she decided to come visit us. On Thursday, we picked her up from the airport and brought her back to the Soup to show off our hometown. I think Seyf was surprised how remote our city is - I'm not lying when I say we live amidst the rice paddies! Seyf was able to come to school with us on Friday, meet the kids, enjoy our favorite lunch spot, and sample the best iced coffee before a mad rush back to Bangkok to catch the overnight bus to Phuket. (Side note: the overnight bus services have vastly improved since my previous experience with my brothers in 2004, aside from the ridiculous Thai movie they showed- as Seyf said "Why is this happening to us?", it was a smooth ride.)
Once we found a nice hostel in Patong, we hit up the beach where we lounged for the afternoon (hello, sunburn!) before checking out the market in town, relaxing with a 1 hour Thai massage ($6, NBD), and enjoying some Pad Thai for dinner. The next morning we had an early wake up call for a full day tour of the Phi Phi islands by speedboat. The islands are stunning with limestone cliffs, white sand beaches, and water that is a ridiculous turquoise/teal blue too beautiful to be real. We were able to swim at a few points, take some jumping shots on the beach, and check out the underwater life while snorkeling. It was an awesome adventure with 2 of my favorite people in the world - who else wants to come visit?!?
We finished off the trip with a delish breakfast on the beach that consisted of Thai iced coffee, fresh pineapple and mango, and warm muffins and croissants. We then said a teary good-bye at the airport as we flew back to Bangkok and Seyf took off for a week in Cambodia - jealous!
As a footnote, I was curious to see what the lasting effects of the 2004 Tsunami would be, especially since the last time I visited the Phi Phi islands was in April of '04 before it happened, but beyond a few signs noting a tsunami evacuation route, I really didn't see any evidence of the tragedy that had occurred. I always expect a place to be deeply marked by a disaster like that, and while I'm certain the people all have stories to tell, I was surprised not to see any physical remnants. Thailand really invested in getting this tourist hot-spot back in order - apparently with help from European governments donating to the cause as a thanks for the Thai response towards European citizens on the ground in the immediate aftermath. It's especially impressive to me since my favorite US city, New Orleans, is still so far from the finish line in its own rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina.
New pics on Facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2315102&id=1606236&l=49f96f8d3f
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2315103&id=1606236&l=5f7bd6a3e0
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
