Going where I’ve never been

I’m not sure how much coverage it’s all getting back in the states, but there is quite a bit of political unrest in Thailand right now.  The general issue is that the PAD (People’s Alliance for Democracy, the government opposition group) is staging a massive protest in an attempt to overthrow the current government forcing Prime Minister Samak out of power. Everything has been coming to climax over the past few days…

The protests have been increasing in size, publicity, and effectiveness since May. The PAD is responsible for the last coup 2 years ago when they ousted the corrupt Prime Minister Thaskin. The PAD are saying that its still the same corrupt government but with a new face, which is PM Samak. The PAD have made it obvious they are not backing down or going home until the current government is gone.

It is apparent there are mixed emotions from Thai’s about the current situation. When you talk to the lower income bracket, blue collar workers, most state their support for the current government. Thaskin/Samak are well liked by the poor. They frequently offer handouts or incentives to the poor such as: supplement fuel, free bus transport, free trains, etc. The educated Thai’s state that the PAD are trying to empower a non-corrupt government that will help Thailand grow to its potential rather than hoard billions of Baht (thai currency) as Thaskin is charged with doing. The PAD claim they love Thailand, they love the King, and they are trying to make Thailand a better place.

As of Monday roughly 10,000 PAD assembled near the government compound in Bangkok. By Tuesday morning, the PAD had taken control of the local TV station forcing it off the air. They also stormed the government compound taking complete control. Throughout the entire week tension has been escalating and the PAD protesters are being bussed in, walked in, by the thousands. Friday morning, the tension broke as police used force to regain perimeter control of the government compound, locking inside at least 10,000 PAD.

Friday afternoon, I was feeling much better from my illness and decided to go check out the protest from afar. Upon getting down to the area it appeared the police had it under control and everything was “peaceful”. More PAD had arrived and their numbers were building by the hour outside of the compound area. I was able to keep my distance and still snap off a few pictures. I walked way around the “conflict” area to the back of the government compound where multiple streets and a bridge converge into the area. I could visibly see the protesters inside the compound talking on microphones to the protesters on the outside of the police barricade. The police inevitably sandwiched themselves between the protesters on the inside and the mass of protesters on the outside. I was still far enough away to feel safe but close enough for my heart to beat fast. A PAD woman who spoke a little english and asked what I thought about the situation. She explained her side of the story and showed me her friend who had a bloody head from the violence earlier in the morning when the police forced their way in closing off the perimeter. The chanting got louder and as I stood on a railing over the canal I got to watch it unfold. It appeared the PAD on the outside were about to force their way over the police to get in. Everyone was yelling and holding up their weapon of choice (bat, golf club, piece of metal, etc) as the police lined up behind each other outfitted in riot gear. Before any violence could take place, the police held up a little flag showing they surrendered. The police could not leave as they were sandwiched between the PAD inside the compound and those wanting to get in. Peacefully the PAD made an opening and allowed the police to march out single file.

As of Friday, we learned the PAD took control of at least 2 of the southern airports. Security was brought in to Bangkok Intl Airport to ensure it remained open. As of midnight Friday, all trains are shut down. School is canceled at least for Monday as of now.

We aren’t too sure what’s going to happen. While there has been no serious violence (yet), tensions are definitely high and there are tens of thousands of protesters on the Government grounds for the fourth straight day, all outfitted in helmets and armed with bamboo sticks, clubs and other weapons. Check the Bangkok Post for up-to-date info: www.bangkokpost.com

Here is a short video I shot showing hundreds of police surrendering to the PAD and filing out of the compound. Check it out:

 

I’ve discovered the secret to staying sane while living in Bangkok, and it’s called Ko Si Chang. Ko Si Chang is an island in the gulf that takes only 2 hours to reach by bus from Bangkok; by car it takes nearly half that time. I heard about it through a friend who was taken there by some of his Thai friends last month, and it sounded too good to be true – a quiet island in a weekend-trippable location?!?

In any case, the time had come for some REAL time away from the city – my recent excursions have been 80% travel and haven’t offered any real respite. A few other friends were planning to go as well, so the timing was great! We took it easy Friday night and headed out after my run on Saturday morning.

It was nearly painless to get there – we took a taxi to a bus station where we got onto an 8 a.m. bus that was headed straight for the pier in Siraicha. There was just a small hiccup in the form of the bus breaking down halfway there…luckily there was soon a second bus pulling up behind us, ready to take us the rest of the way. We took a 40 minute ferry ride to the island, memories of Bangkok fading with every minute that passed…

The island was beautiful and I found it hard to believe that it was so close! It’s largely a vacation spot for Bangkokians – very few foreigners or even Thais from other areas. This means that it is super quiet and has less traffic than any place else I’ve been in Thailand – in fact, we saw hardly any cars whatsoever, just motorbikes and bicycles.

We got a ride to the place where my friends were at, thinking that we’d put our bags down and scope out other options. As soon as we walked up and saw them eating lunch at a table overlooking a gorgeous rocky coastline and a wide selection of empty bungalows with views of the same, we decided to stay put. The son of the family showed me a bungalow with a balcony and an amazing view of the sea – we moved in, paid for a motorbike rental and then all six of us took off to go swimming.

My friends had found a quiet, rocky little swimming area off of a dirt path – I couldn’t believe how clear the water was! There was no one around and we enjoyed it for a bit before moving on to a sandy beach.  We all had a few beers, hung out, then left when some storm clouds moved in, stopping along the way to buy dinner and bottles of whiskey.

The evening was wonderful; the storms never materialized but we had an incredible ocean breeze as we all enjoyed drinks and conversation on the balcony. I decided that I would definitely be calling in sick on Monday! One night couldn’t possibly be enough…

Once I made that decision, karma struck – I woke up Sunday morning with a high fever and heavy cough. It took me all morning to get out of bed, but eventually I made it up and we joined everyone for breakfast on the other side of island. I never hit a point of feeling great that day, but I sucked it up and enjoyed myself anyways. The others were going back to Bangkok that afternoon, so Gabe and I struck out alone. We drove our motorbike to the ancient palace, beautiful grounds containing tons of old royal ruins. Gabe had heard mention of a ‘secret’ beach that could be reached from this area and he was determined to find it!

It actually didn’t take that long and thanks to his hand-drawn map and superb navigation skills (I wasn’t much help considering the fever and sweltering day) we headed down an overgrown path that eventually spilled out onto a completely secluded little beach! It wasn’t exactly pristine – the proximity to Bangkok results in a significant amount of garbage washup – but the water was beautiful and there was no one else in sight. We spent several hours there and I couldn’t get over the seclusion of it all!

Eventually hunger and thirst got the best of us, so we hiked our way out. We made a detour along the way, as we had also read of a huge cave that could be reached from somewhere along this little-used path. We were rewarded twice; first with a gorgeous rocky overlook high above “our” beach and then with the actual cave entrance, which was quite big at the opening. Supposedly this cave extends all the way to the opposite side of the island, but it quickly narrowed off and we didn’t go too far.

It had been a great day with some neat discoveries, and I was feeling much better by that point. We showered then went to a cape on the island, reputedly a great sunset spot. It was another short hike out over a surprisingly overgrown path; there were a few fisherman around, but no one else. We settled on the rocks at the very end, with waves crashing below, and enjoyed a brilliant sunset and complete solitude.

Once darkness set, we decided to try the little restaurant at the top of the cape. We expected it to be a bit pricey, but we were pleasantly surprised! We had a table set out over the water, again completely to ourselves, and ordered incredibly fresh seafood from the incredibly inexpensive menu. On the way home, our motorbike ran out of gas right in front of a minimart, stocked with bottles of petrol. It was, without a doubt, a near-perfect day.

I woke early on Monday to take care of a few chores (ie calling in sick), then decided to spend the beautiful morning playing with my camera. Eventually my batteries died and Gabe was out on our balcony, so I climbed back up the steep staircase and we started our day. After breakfast we packed our things and made sure that the bungalow owner didn’t mind us staying until late afternoon (of course she didn’t – she also didn’t care if we turned in our motorbike at 3 instead of at the noon ‘deadline’).

We then drove to the main beach to rent a sea kayak. For $12 we got a kayak, two snorkel/masks and three hours of play time. It was my first time paddling anything, and although Gabe was very encouraging (and I’m very sore), I’m sure that he did most of the useful work! It took about an hour to get to Bat Island, and it was a great hour! The coastline was rugged, the sky was bright blue and the water was wonderful. Bat Island has a few bungalows, but there was no one there; we pulled our boat in and spent the next hour exploring the water off of the beach.

It was crystal clear and lots of neat stuff to see – innumerable fish, sea urchins, crabs, coral, neat shells and other crazy sea life. We headed back around noon and had a much easier return trip, as we were no longer fighting against the waves. There was a storm brewing, however, and I prayed we’d beat it in – I’m sure they were unfounded fears, but I couldn’t erase mental pictures of our kayak getting pushed into the rocky sea cliffs! Luckily the rain gods smiled on us once again and we made it back smoothly. We stopped for more seafood then ran out of gas yet again (not in front of a minimart this time). Once that problem had been solved (thanks, Gabe!), we showered, dropped our bike at the pier and took a ferry back to the mainland, where we reluctantly boarded a Bangkok-bound bus.

It was so refreshing to find a place where one can actually be alone (such a rarity in this part of the world!) and to discover that there really are secret beaches and secret caves and secluded islands, all within reach. We are back in Bangkok now, but have less than four weeks to go – I can’t wait for all of the secrets yet to be discovered!

 note: I recovered from my brief illness, but passed it along to Gabe, who was hit twice as hard. Luckily it is possible to find Campbell’s soup in Bangkok and luckily I’m a good enough girlfriend to make the journey and find it 😉 He’s doing quite well now!

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