The Tastes of Thailand

The tastes of Thailand

We spent almost a month exploring Thailand and have so many amazing experiences to show for it. Ian and Erin spent some time travelling here almost 15 years ago; it was nice to be back and to contemplate how things have changed although we chose mostly new locations to see more of the country we remember so fondly.

We hit the beaches first, opting to explore the south eastern Thai islands of Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao (Koh means Island). Each is accessible from the other via ferry, with most life oriented around the ocean and beauty of the Gulf of Thailand. We opted for the east side (instead of the western islands like Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi) as the seasonal monsoons had already arrived in the west. Although we had occasional bursts of torrential rains, we mostly enjoyed sunny and warm days from our beach huts. 

Koh Samui

Samui, of recent fame thanks to White Lotus season 3, boasts clear, turquoise warm water, dotted with stunning limestone islands and rock formations. We opted to stay in the Fisherman’s Village area - its main street transforms into a walking street and market each night so vibrant nightlife options were on our doorstep. It also gave the boys lots of independence to roam - Finlay made a friend at a hotel down the way and they could wander back and forth independently to swim, play pool and hang out. We found the best smoothies of our travels here (mango and strawberry), with daily walks to satisfy our cravings. 

A highlight on Samui was a day trip to Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park, a collection of islands where we could hike, get amazing aerial views of the islands, kayak and swim in the stunning waters. We also loved go karting, a cafe where we could cuddle and pet capybaras and meerkats, swimming at Crystal beach, a vibrant night market with delicious ribs, papaya salad and fresh coconut ice cream. We rented a car (with over 300,000 kms on it and no shocks to speak of!) here for a few days allowing us to explore the hills and beaches more fully.  We also got really into Thai massage here (just in time for Mother’s Day!!) - this very bendy but rejuvenating treatment can be found on the beach for only a few dollars. 

Meeting some capybaras

Climbing up the hill in Mu Ko Ang, we got stuck in a passing rain shower on the way up

Finlay & Liam practicing their pool skills

Hidden lagoon

Fisherman's village

Night food market

Revving his engine

Trying a cricket

Koh Pha Ngan

We opted to stay on the ‘quiet’ side of this island (as opposed to the side that hosts the infamous full moon parties). Our beach hut here was up a hill overlooking Cookies beach. We had a very quiet time here, catching up on homeschooling, reading and sleeping, wandering down the beach to find dinner or massages. The night market in nearby Chaloklum was a highlight for its delicious variety of street food stalls. The pool was a highlight as the beach here was less ideal - populated by lots of sea cucumbers, sea urchins and pesky sea lice, although we did venture out on kayaks and paddle boards. 

Koh Tao

We lucked out with a hut right on the beach here, and spent our time really enjoying the ocean. Here Ian, Finlay and Jasper filled a long held bucket list dream by going scuba diving - something Koh Tao is famous for. The boys signed up for a beginner class that teaches you the basics before throwing you literally in the deep end, approximately 10m down. We learned this is still considered very shallow by scuba standards but felt deep enough for a first exposure. We also spent a day snorkelling at Tenote Beach, a beach on the far side of the island that involved a very steep GRAB (taxi) ride down to this hidden gem. One bonus of this particular spot and the main reason it was chosen was the giant rock in the middle of the bay that has a hair-raising climb up the rock to jump into the crystal clear waters about 30’ below. Our last few days on Koh Tao were super fun thanks to some Torontonians (Blue Jays hat was again clutch for the intro) who moved into the hut next door - our kids had a blast playing together - and we all enjoyed exploring the sunset and delicious food at Sairee beach on our last night.

All in all, the Kohs treated the Sharps well. Our only complaint was the price of transportation on Pha Ngan and Tao. Apparently the ‘mob’ runs the monopoly on pick up truck taxis and no ride share apps are allowed, so we chose carefully when to head into town whereas elsewhere it has been so cheap it rarely merited a second thought.  

The view from our cabana

Jasper excited about his last page of his math workbook

The taxi 'mob' you ride in the back of pick up trucks

We named this guy Breakie, because he showed up every morning

Thai masssssage

Jumping rock

Getting ready to SCUBA

The boys did great! So natural underwater

Khao Sok

We travelled inland to Khao Sok National Park and area. For two nights we stayed in a jungle tree house where we visited with Asian elephants, hiked to a massive cave, and floated down a river both on bamboo rafts and then on inner tubes. From the river we saw monkeys and even a python in a tree! The following morning we drove to Cheow Lan Lake and travelled by long boat to our floating hotel. Here we went on two boat safaris to see the gibbon monkeys who are famous for their swinging abilities and swam in the emerald lake water. 

Erin delighted in giving this elephant a mud bath

We then help them rinse off in the nearby river

River cruise

Jumping off the porch

We got DRENCHED on the boat to the floating hotel

Bangkok

Known as the Big Mango (in response to the Big Apple), Bangkok has become so modern since our last visit! We stayed downtown in a modern aparthotel that was a nice change from beach huts and were connected to every part of the city with the skytrain, grab (uber) taxis and modern infrastructure. 

We attended a Muay Thai fight at Rajadamnern stadium, the first home of muay thai. This was a rowdy great time, with Ian (inadvertently??) booking us tickets in the all-you-can-drink section. Muay Thai is known as the Art of Eight Limbs as fighters use fists, elbows, knees, and shins in a variety of techniques. Most fights ended in a knock out - the elbows appear especially hard to defend against! The champion fight was in the mini-flyweight division that maxes out at 105 lbs - Jasper could relate to their small size, got to meet the champion and is now planning kick boxing classes back home. 

Enjoying the games on the jumbo-tron between matches

Jasper meeting the night's Champ!

We took a boat down the river to visit the buddhist temple of Wat Pho, with a highlight of the Reclining Buddha. Built by King Rama III in 1832, this massive gold-plated statue measures 46 meters long and 15 meters high, representing the Buddha's entry into nirvana. During our stay we experienced Visakha Bucha Day - a major buddhist holiday. Our tour of cheesy tourist hot spot Khao San Road was decidedly less insane than our visit 15 years ago thanks to the ban on alcohol sales across the city for the holiday. 

We took a Thai cooking class in Bangkok that was fantastic - the level of instruction and attention to detail were a highlight for us - and let the boys participate as full chefs in their own creations. We learned how to make Tom Yum Goong soup, papaya salad, pad thai, red curry and mango sticky rice, and were able to enjoy all of our creations on the spot. We are excited to try our best to recreate the magic back home! We enjoyed the food on offer in Bangkok throughout our time, finding lovely restaurants and street food options in so many different parts of the city.  

Reclining Budha

Making mango sticky rice

Exploring Bangkok

We have done very little shopping given our limited luggage space - that is until we hit Bangkok. We took advantage of the outdoor Chatuchak Weekend Market (the biggest one in the world!!) to do some much needed back to school shopping for the boys. We now have one extra duffle bag in tow to take advantage of the deals we found. We wound down with a visit to Lumphini Park (known as the lung of Bangkok) for its lush green spaces, walking trails, paddle boats and free roaming Asian water monitor lizards. 

Thai Reflections

After our travels around the world, we really notice when places feel over touristed (and yes we must admit we can sometimes be part of the problem). Tell tale signs include high prices, service staff who seem less engaged (not that we can blame them), and offerings more oriented to westerners than locals (think expensive avocado toast advertised everywhere). We really felt this in southern Thailand - both on the islands and in the National Park. We are hopeful that more Thai culture, traditions, natural wonders and their own approach to modernity gets emphasized and protected moving forward - when we were there the government had just taken steps to introduce a tourist tax (something we have happily paid in many other countries) and greater restrictions in response to this well understood problem. 

Jasper and a new friend from Toronto

We went to see a movie at a GIANT mall in Bangkok

---

Jasper

My favourite part of Thailand was the cliff jumping and the scuba diving. It was like a whole new world under water with my dad and my brother but my mom stayed dry. I did a cooking class in Bangkok that I loved - my favourite dish was learning how to make Tom Yum soup. I also got interested in Muay Thai boxing when we went to see a fight.   

Finlay

I loved everything about Thailand. But the food, in my opinion, was a little bit of a let down because I didn’t like the flavours as much as I thought I would. One of my favourite parts of Thailand was meeting a new friend on Koh Samui. He is from Australia. I also loved scuba diving and cliff jumping. I liked our trip on the Lake in Khao Sok; it was a bit rainy though. While we were in Bangkok I really enjoyed going to the cooking class. My favourite dish was pad thai. It was really cool to learn how to make it.