Journey to Thailand Part I

Dear Readers,

There I was high in the sky
Holding on for dear life as most riders do
Then the elephant stopped suddenly
And the driver explained-Poo Poo

It was not enough to be living on the island of Singapore. Last Friday my husband and I departed for another island, Phuket, in Thailand for our 29th wedding anniversary. I had been left to handle the details of our arrival and plans. As the day approached I became more and more anxious because every visa site gave a different amount, gave different requirements, told stories of encounters with the police. The day before we left, it rained so hard that all of Orchard road was flooded. The new Wendys I was going to visit that very night was completely destroyed by the water. Seems that the amount of rain Singapore receives in June fell that morning and a drain was backed up. Pocketbooks and mannequins floated down the street.

Anyway, I waded down there that night as the trucks were sucking up the water in order to change American money to Thai Baht. The man I was supposed to see had his establishment in the basement of Lucky Plaza now Soaky Plaza. I managed to change 300 dollars to 9600 Baht and got wet shoes for the effort. The next morning bright and early we headed out from Terminal 2 and in only an hour and a half, I was in a different country.

Now I was standing in front of a sour puss Thai policewoman asking for my passport. I hand it over and smile. I have my Singapore green card, picture for the visa (looks like I'm on crack), and my 1000 baht. She stamps the paper, shoves it into the passport, and gives me the get the hell out of here sign. I go, wondering if this country is aware of its own website or so called procedures for visa on arrival.

We collect our one bag and head out into the throng of taxi drivers to search for our David Best Tour guy who is supposed to have a sign. He is no where to be found. Now I am in panic mode. Steve asks a taxi driver where is David Best tour. Ah, they say, we know him. Everyone looks around and lo and behold and guy who obviously just woke up steps up with his sign. Whoo!
He addresses Steve as "Boss" and me as Madam. Boss I think in Thai means Western white SOB. I saw it later on a T shirt. Madam reminds me of grandma. Ah, but I wasn't in a position to complain. He led us to a van where he said it was ten o'clock and the hotel check in wasn't until 2 so his job was to keep us busy.

The first thing was to drive to a jewelry center. I encountered this before in Shanghai. It's a tourist trap and sure enough there were many Japanese/chinese tour buses there. I enjoyed the ride, however, because I got to see where the real people live (tin shacks) and all the Buddhist shrines outside each home and business. They take Buddhism very seriously there. In fact, it's the only SE Asia country where it stuck. We were in Southern Thailand, land that had previous belonged to Muslim Malays and so there were lots of Muslim people and Mosques. I understand that is strain on the society. The Muslims want to be part of Malaysia.

A lady was assigned to follow us and suggest this and that. There was a dazzling display of rubies, sapphires and pearls. I settled on a pearl necklace of black and pink pearls with a gold chain. An anniversary gift. Since we bought something, we got a free coke. Then our guy said lets ride an elephant. Okay I said. The elephant is really big here and they are out of work because of the bulldozers and etc. We drove a short ways to an farm of sorts. Here you got on an elephant named Honey and squeezed into the seat perched on its head. The driver (never got his name) was a 26 year old who had left the unemployment of the north for the south so he could send money back to his mummy and daddy. He showed us the farm-organic fertilizer (mounds of elephant "poo poo" (he called it), sugar cane for the elephants, corn for free range chickens (or just loose because the chicken house fell down), pineapples, and some rubber trees. Later Honey demonstrated the art of poo poo and we had to wait in the hot sun and mosquitoes while she enriched the farm.Then he took us on a tour of where he lived. In the back of the farm was a 'village" sort of made of metal doors, tin shacks, and litter. He pointed out which abode was his and how he lived simply so he could send his money back home. We gave him a big tip of course-for his mummy and daddy and I got to feed the elephant sugar cane. At last we were headed to our hotel.

Phuket Beach was not exactly like the postcards. The mountains come right up to the sea and our hotel was built into the side of a cliff. No joke. Our room was in the middle. It was 92 steps down to the lobby and 93 three steps straight up to breakfast and the main pool. You called the main desk and a truck took you from the lobby to the room and from the room to the breakfast restaurant on the top of the cliff. Thais don't believe in elevators. This was the rainy season and most of the hotel was empty. Almost deserted it seemed like. We had a whole pool to ourselves (just like home!). Our room was large and airy with marble floors, shower, and tub. There was a sign in English that said don't mess with the toilet and that rarity in Asia-toilet paper.

We walked (that's how I knew there were 93 steps) to the restaurant on the top floor and had our first meal in Thailand. The place is open to the air and next to the largest pool (they have three). While we were eating, a cat wandered in and begged food from another couple that was there. I soon found out that that cat was regular.In fact cats and dogs wandered in and out of all the places we went. The clouds and scenery was breath taking. Later we traveled down the hill and out on the road. Immediately we were assaulted by people wanting us to get a massage (hookers?) and buy something. We got away and across the road where the sea met a small beach. Alot of Thai families were sitting there enjoying the sun set. The beach was covered with trash-plastic cups, bags, plastic everything you could think of. That was disappointing. Still, I thought the first day in Thailand was a success. Donna