5 Bangkok, Thailand

It was a very long, not very fantastic voyage from Siem Reap to Bangkok. We took a bus to the Cambodian border, waited for a smaller shuttle bus through passport control, and after some more waiting a van picked us up on the Thailand side to deposit us at a nearby roadside restaurant for almost two hours to finally be reshuffled with other travelers into the same vans that then transported us to Bangkok. It was a relief to arrive in town, but the journey was not yet over. We'd made a reservation at the Budget Travel Magazine-recommended JL Bangkok Hotel and finding it was no easy feat. Once we figured out we needed to take the 60 bus east, it took us over an hour to get to the estimated intersection, and then another hour of wandering the streets before we found the hotel at the end of a dark side street. On the glass half full side, the fact that hardly anyone we asked for directions spoke English indicated that we were staying in a more authentic neighborhood, right?
Luckily finding our way back downtown the next morning was much easier now that we knew what we were doing. We noticed right away that a disproportionate number of passengers were wearing the color pink. It was the King's birthday and there is something of a dress code; the rose-hued crested polo was a particularly popular option. The streets were decked out in flags and huge portraits of King Bhumibol Adulyadej were everywhere. Festivities didn't get going until the evening, so we spent the day wandering Bangkok's temples, which were distinctly flashier and more bejeweled--nay bedazzled--than those of Thailand's neighboring countries. Our favorite was Wat Pho with its gigantic, gold reclining Buddha. After two months in Asia we've seen a lot of Buddhas, so the luster had started to fade, but this one managed to rekindle the temple sightseeing flame within.

While in search of a dock to hop on the water taxi down the river, we were approached by an enthusiastic Thai man eager to give advice on what sights to visit. Yes, we have been traveling for five months and yes, some alarms did go off. But we decided to give this man the benefit of the doubt--the fact that it was the King's birthday seemed to be putting everyone in a jovial mood and made his claim of a special one day government-subsidized tuk tuk program seem somehow plausible. No sooner had he imparted this information, we thanked him, and started on our way did one such yellow-lighted tuk tuk pull up and confirm that indeed he was partaking in the "promotion". Our first stop was a temple with some apparent famous Buddha statue, but on the grounds we met a man (who coincidentally had lived in the US where he worked for the Malaysian consulate) who explained that the temple was closed at the moment for some ceremony but was eager to chat us up about the special expo in town, that our first helper had also mentioned. And what do you know but the next stop on our tuk tuk ride was the expo...which looked strangely unlike an expo and much more like a jewelry shop. To our credit we took this as our cue to exit and find our way back to the dock to which we'd originally been headed. We later read in our Lonely Planet guide that we'd been the targets of what's popularly known as "The Gem Scam", special King's Birthday edition. Those hoping for fake emeralds this Christmas will have to wait until next year.

The real birthday events were centered around Bangkok's Democracy Monument. We joined a sea of pink polos sitting on the street waiting for some sort of parade. Police were out in force and very busily arranging and rearranging the crowd. After a painful hour of crossed legs on hard pavement, a few nondescript cars passed by, a communal "oooooh" was let out around us, and then everyone rose to go their separate ways, befuddlingly content with what just transpired. Apparently that was the King's "exhibition". Sadly King Bhumibol Adulyadej is not in good health (he is the longest ruling monarch in the world so that gives you a clue to his age) so that drive-by was the extent of his participation in his birthday party. Lucky for us the celebrations continued without the guest of honor. The Democracy Monument was turned into a stage and we sat--again, uncomfortably on the street--with the masses to watch a video montage of the King, a live presentation, and ultimately an awesome show of fireworks. Our favorite part was when they handed out thousands of candles to everyone in the crowd and we passed along a flame that lit up the city as far as the eye could see. There was even live video of similar ceremonies going on in Thai communities all around the world! Happy birthday, King Bhumibol Adulyadej...and many more!View more pictures from Bangkok here.

7 Krabi, Thailand

As our ferry from Phi Phi pulled up to Railay Beach, a longtail boat came out to meet us and bring us ashore. Or as far in as low tide would allow--we were left to wade in the rest of the way with our luggage on our backs. The empty beach that greeted us set a new relaxed tone for this Thailand stop.

Railay is a small peninsula jutting out from Thailand's west coast, its towering limestone cliffs completely cutting it off from the rest of Krabi and making it feel more like a remote island. West Railay, where we first landed, is a long, welcoming strip of sand studded with a handful of unobtrusive waterfront resorts. Less than a ten minute walk along a paved pathway takes you to East Railay; the mangrove-dominated shore is murky, which matches the vibe of this very chill, almost too hip little outpost where the shrines were not to Krishna or Buddha but Marley. Restaurants with pillowed patios for reclining, bars built on stilts so when the tide dramatically came in we found ourselves lounging on top of the sea. And it was easy to relax with everything on the menu--from dinners to frilly cocktails--costing around $2-3 USD.

At the very tip of the peninsula was our favorite beach: Phra Nang. With protective limestone citadels jutting out on one side and the sea flowing into the mouth of a cave on the other, the setting was spectacular. And the women selling fresh fruit, grilled corn, and the best chicken satay in Thailand from their personal barbecues made it an easy place to want to stay. Unfortunately the water was a bit prickly, full of some invisible jellyfish-like things that insisted on stinging us whenever we needed to cool down. This turned from nuisance to pretty unbearable as we drifted into the ovenesque temperatures of high noon, so we spent the rest of the day back at our hotel.

Diamond Private Resort is a sprawling collection of bungalows up just about a million steps from East Railay. At the top of the towering, rickety staircase is their real gem: a delicious swimming pool that overlooks the ocean. We had it almost to ourselves the afternoon we were escaping the heat and sea life--and we were very appreciative to be able to park ourselves in water that didn't sting us. Our bungalow was far to the back of the resort, behind the newer, more elegant looking facilities, but we got a great deal paying $24 USD/night for a huge if simply furnished room and access to that pool.

Our stay in Railay happily coincided with Loy Krathong, a holiday celebrating the full moon of the 12th month of the lunar year. Like Diwali in India, the festivities were all about lights. Every restaurant in town was doing something to celebrate and we chose to spend the evening at our new favorite: The Last Bar (named so because it is literally the last bar at the end of East Railay). There were fire twirlers, a band--though we use that term loosely, and all the materials to make our own krathongs: small rafts of banana tree trunk adorned with stylized banana leaves, flowers, candles, and incense sticks. Katrina was shocked to see the heaps of orchids and other exotic flowers free for the taking like tortilla chips at a cantina (anyone else who has recently planned a wedding will understand). It was clear that everyone else, like us, was very proud of their personal creations, and tenderly displayed them on their tables throughout the evening. Just after midnight we all lined up to light the candles and incense, make a wish, and set our krathongs asea. It was really special to watch everyone's glowing, flower-laden wishes light up the ocean.
It was a little sadder the next morning seeing the dilapidated, wave-beaten remnants bobbing around on our longtail boat ride to the mainland. Krabi Town is not much to speak of on its own, with a small city center whose highlight for us was the Italian-owned Pizzeria Firenze. There is a small night market that closes down around 9pm, probably so that they can rest up and get ready for what is supposedly the largest morning market in the region--unfortunately for us we did not manage to tear ourselves out of bed before 8am. We were completing our non-AC experiment with a fan only room at Good Dreams Guesthouse. Verdict: what were we thinking?

View more pictures from Krabi here.

5 Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

Every other storefront on Kata's main drag advertised trips to Phi Phi Island--from all-inclusive getaways to simple ferry transfers. It's obviously THE destination. So we were delighted when Katrina's stepbrother and girlfriend sent us an email with the details of their wedding gift to us: a luxurious stay on Phi Phi Island with itinerary recommendations from their 2006 trip. (Thanks Josh and Nicole!) Three and a half months into our trip, it was a lovely reminder that this is not only a fantastic adventure but also our honeymoon, and some pampering is definitely allowed.We figured we'd start out frugally by getting to Phuket's pier on our own and buying ferry tickets there directly instead of paying for an agent in Kata to reserve our tickets and arrange a transfer. Big mistake. A sawngthaew (pickup truck turned public bus) took us to Phuket Town, and from there a taxi driver informed us that the pier was several kilometers away and he would take us there for a small fee. Once deposited at the in-the-middle-of-nowhere pier, we were appalled to learn that tickets go for twice as much as the travel agents were asking--and the agents were offering free, air conditioned, direct transfers to boot! We sulkily forked over the cash, since at that point we had no other option, and boarded the crowded, stuffy boat.

But things got back on track two hours later when we arrived in Phi Phi. We were whisked from the boat to the tourist information center at the end of the pier, where an employee personally escorted us to the hotel of our choice to check out the rooms. The first attempt was a winner: our bungalow at Phi Phi Bayview had an elegantly outfitted room and a private deck with cushy lounge chairs from which we enjoyed uninhibited postcard views and the soundtrack of soft lapping waves against the shore mixed with the hum of longtail boats as they crisscrossed the bay. It screamed honeymoon.

The ideal thing about Bayview's location is that it's on the far end of town from the pier, just beyond where the paved sidewalk ends and the remote beach hideaway feel begins. Bungalow B114 was just steps down to a small cove with a patch of sand, some shade trees, a wooden swing, and a handful of beach chairs. The water was crystal blue and just cool enough to be refreshing. We never had to share the beach with more than ten other people. And it definitely ranked as one of the most amazing beaches we've ever visited.

Phi Phi is actually a collection of islands, with Phi Phi Don the largest and only inhabited one. Neighboring Phi Phi Leh was an impressive silhouette from our balcony, and we hired a longtail boat to take us there for an afternoon trip. The snorkeling around the boulder-like island was fantastic: fish in cartoonlike colors against a lattice of dramatic coral. The fame of Phi Phi Leh, however, is the beach from the movie "The Beach" tucked into a fold of the island's cliffs. Leonardo, as the locals refer to him, doesn't know what he did to the reputedly idyllic hideaway: while the setting is dramatic, the crowds coming through make it noisy and littered. It doesn't help that it's the last stop for day trips before boating out to a sunset viewing spot; visitors seem mostly to be killing time. Our boat driver was surprised when we asked to leave earlier than he planned. "But too long until sunset!," he protested. We said that was OK, we were happy to watch the uncut version. And thus we closed out our Phi Phi adventure with the sun slowly settling on the horizon with a show of pinks, purples and blues, and a similarly hued moonrise lighting up the Halloween sky.View more pictures from Ko Phi Phi here.

3 Phuket, Thailand

Flying to Thailand was a much needed fresh start for us, leaving the stress and surgeons behind us with the dirt and relentless din of India. We wanted a calmer, more relaxed environment to fully recuperate, so once we landed in Bangkok we made a bee-line to the airport ticket sales desks to find the cheapest flight to a sandy spot on the ocean. Air Asia obliged with a 1:30 flight to Phuket. Perfect. We'd be on the beach before dark.
The flight to southern Thailand was beautiful, with emerald waters surrounding stoic cliffs and islands. Once in Phuket we hopped a minibus to the beaches--surprisingly still an hour ride from the airport--where there are three main stretches of sand to choose from. Patong is the most famous, known for its long beach, nightlife, and large resorts, with Karon to its south and Kata even further south nearing the bottom of the island. We chose Kata for its reputation of being more quiet--and particularly more affordable. We thought we could avoid the touristy side of Phuket.

But to no avail. Kata's main drag is standard beach town, with shops selling the same sarongs and sunglasses you find on Myrtle Beach. We were particularly frustrated on Kata Noi (Little Kata) Beach when we found only one food stall that served curries and noodles in addition to the usual hamburgers, hot dogs, and club sandwiches. The beauty of the beaches, however, more than did their part to make up for the hammock hawking hangover created by their supporting towns. Smooth white sand, sparkling turquoise water that warmly welcomed you in whenever the sun got too intense. There's a reason Phuket is a tourist destination.

Luckily there was a bit of Thai flair to flavor the beach. We ate some delicious Thai food full of fresh shrimp from the ocean and Katrina learned to order her curries "Thai style" to get it really spicy; and boy (or girl), they don't mess around. As an accompaniment the locally popular Chang beer became very popular with us.

One of the best things about our stay in Kata was our very large, extremely comfortable bungalow. Two Chefs, one of the fancier restaurants in town, owns a handful of stand-alone bungalows on the hill behind its dining room. The layout is very well designed so that you can't see into the other bungalows or even onto their decks, so it would have felt completely private even if we hadn't been the only guests at the time. From our front porch we had a lovely ocean view and we spent many enjoyable hours there eating and drinking the aforementioned curries and Chang-- which sounds like a great name for a Thai food cart that we can add to our growing list entitled "Potential profitable food and/or drink items to sell on Newbury Street upon return home" which already includes: sucos, empanadas, crepes, and focaccia. Our better yet maybe will just open a store called "Delicious Snacks of the World...Mmmmm, Snacks".

View more pictures from Phuket here.