The Land of Injured White People (Thailand)

(picture is to display the Thai language, which, I am sure makes sense to them)

Jordan and I joke that most of the foreigners (mainly the gweilos) that wander Thailand are injured. Injuries range from broken legs, sprained ankles, and arms in casts to large scrapes and bleeding wounds covered in bandages. There are many possible causes for this, but really I think it is explained as "holiday callousness." Europeans love to holiday in Thailand because of the weather and rampant shenanigans. What they don't expect is that no one holds your hand in Thailand  - you have to watch out for that hole in the sidewalk! (or oncoming vehicle, or broken road, or rebar protruding from a building, or that wreck you were in because you decided to take a motorcycle taxi or rent a mo-ped even though you have never driven anything with less than three wheels). Yes, Thailand is pretty much anything goes, and you need to have what Jordan has termed "constant vigilance."

Going against our better judgement, we decided to tempt fate and ride a Tuk Tuk, an open-aired, three-wheel, death trap. Partly because it was convenient, but mostly because you HAVE to do it once in Thailand. Tuk Tuks have three wheels, so they are one notch safer than the motorcycle taxis as far as we are concerned. Here is evidence:

I think what people really go to Thailand for is CHEAP AMAZING FOOD. Well, cheap anything really. But as far as food goes we got spoiled by the end - if we paid more than $3 for anything we thought we were getting ripped off, and we were probably right. Take, for example, this coconut, which was 20 bat ($0.66). The boy behind the stand literally hacked off the top for Jordan in 4 swipes. I tried not to let it bother me that he could not possibly have been any older than 12.

Besides cheap food, Thailand also has cheap CRAP! Now, we are expert crap shoppers, having gallivanted through China last year. But this crap is different. It is cheaper, and surprisingly, it is NOT CRAP! Jordan and i went nuts at the world's largest outdoor market, Chatuchak Market. We walked out (both times) with shopping bags full of not-crap, not spending more than $20 per visit. Of course the place is swarmed and hot and miserable, but for some reason we were unphased. 

Here is one of the "inside" corridors. When I say inside, i mean it loosely - i think the roof is made of tin sheets. 

Here is one of the outside corridors. It is hard to appreciate the grandeur, but I assure you it is impressive. 

And, of course, Thailand's REAL claim to fame is their Buddhist temples. We only went to one - Pho Wat, but it was a doozey! Perhaps best known for its giant lazy buddah on his side, Pho Wat is impressive! 

These are for perspective. He is huge. If I had to guess, maybe 30 meters? 

Thai temples are unique because of their tiered, pointy... steeples? idk what they are technically called, but here they are.

The buildings all had beautiful detail. 

So grand, it inspired Jordan to meditate. 

There were so many little steeples they create a skyline!

All good things come in threes - Thailand can be summed up by: temples, markets, and night life! We won't go into the latter in detail here, but let's just say that until 1 AM, pretty much anything goes in Thailand - and they are not shy about it. For us, it was refreshing to be in a place where the gay scene is completely different from the straight scene and hidden away in a dark corner. No, here, all scenes are hidden away in a dark corner. But everyone knows they are there and no one cares. This street was excellent for people watching, which we did... for a few hours. 

Thailand - rich and poor in so many ways. The best part about it is that the people seem happy, and don't seem to be bothered by the millions of foreign tourists infesting their country in search of cheap meals, cheap goods, and cheap thrills. And, as one of them, I cannot blame them. Jordan and I decided we would welcome the opportunity to live in Thailand for a while, but we would surely live like kings and become completely spoiled. I dare you to spend more than $3 on any one dish at a restaurant! 

Four thumbs up. 

Obligatory picture of their "subway" or elevated railway called the BTS. It worked well enough. They have a fast airport train, too.