And now for something completely different: Thor and I made our first trip to Asia — the beautiful country of Thailand. Join us for a virtual vacation!
We were lucky to squeak through the pandemic flight closures this winter as we returned from our three-week trip. Since more travel has now become a distant prospect, we hope you’ll take a virtual vacation with us in the following weeks. Let’s dip our toes in with a glimpse of the sights from Bangkok to Koh Samui to the jungle wilderness of Khao Sok to Phuket and the Andaman Sea. Hold onto your hats!
The best way to get around bustling Bangkok is on a water “bus,” with many temples along the river (top photo). The heat and crowds and mind-boggling ornamented palaces and temples were a lot absorb in our jet-lagged state, but we bought shade umbrellas from a streetside vendor and went with the tourist flow. A must-see city!
Revered Buddha statues are everywhere.
Something really different was the venomous-snake park at the vaccination clinic. They milk the snakes for curative venom.
Then a flight to Koh Samui and boating to offshore islands.
More Buddhas on Koh Samui, including a rare plump, jolly one.
Other colorful figures at temple sites illustrate sacred stories.
A ferry and train and van trip delivered us to My Jungle House where we stayed in a tree-house, fed and washed a blind elephant, and swam with monkeys in the clear, cool river.
We delighted in snorkeling in Phuket, with fabulous coral and lots of shimmering fish.
Finally, the Andaman Sea and the famous sea stacks dripping with greenery. We hired local Med to take us in his long-tail boat to visit the stacks and swim the warm lagoons.
Med’s sweet smile is typical of the gracious and friendly Thai people we encountered.
Next week: Busy Bangkok!
*****
You will find the Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Cafe is available in print and ebook: The Ariadne Connection. It’s a near-future thriller set in the Greek islands. “Technology triggers a deadly new plague. Can a healer find the cure?” The novel has received the Chanticleer Global Thriller Grand Prize and the Cygnus Award for Speculative Fiction. Sara has recently returned from another research trip in Greece and is back at work on the sequel, The Ariadne Disconnect. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
1 thought on “The Rambling Writer Visits Thailand, part 1: Preview”