JAZZY'S TRAVELS

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For the first time, in 3 visits, I actually wish I didn't have to leave Bangkok.

After a muggy morning trying to figure out train tickets and a crappy treadmill workout, Jared and I found ourselves sitting at a busy Khao San cafe trying to figure out how to spend our last day in Bangkok and our last day together.

We decided we would roam one of Bangkok's many malls, and after flipping through Timeout Bangkok for a few minutes I found what I was looking for and began to read outloud:

Siam Paragon will, by the end of 2005, have over 2500 luxury stores and boutiques. The front is a grand entrance of over 200 meters of cascading waterfalls. In addition to shopping, the complex contains a gymnasium, family bowling alley, IMAX Theater, a 15 screen "noble class" movie complex, an 1,800 seat opera theater, a Garden Walk, an Enchanting Lagoon, as well as Siam Ocean World. The food court features a variety of cuisines and is world class. There is also a gourmet market.

I looked up at Jared and in an instant, it was decided. Siam Paragon, here we come...

After an exhaust wrapped tuk tuk ride, we arrived at the largest mall area I have ever seen. With Siam Center, Old Siam, Bangkok Central Mall and Siam Paragon, this jam packed shopping district must have taken up more then 250 acres. We focused, and quickly made our way to Siam Paragon.

As we walked through the glass doors into the crisp savory air of the Siam Paragon Food Court, we did not realize that with one step we had climbed out of a smoggy noisey hell, and stepped into a sweet tantalizing food lovers heaven.

Annie's Pretzels, Swensens, Dairy Queen, 3 bakeries, 4 sweet shops, 5 delis, 3 coffee shops, 2 Japanese restaurants, a pita place, Mc Donalds, a spice shop, a tea shop, countless bistros and cafes, Thai specialty counters, East Meets West fusion restaurants, 2 buffets with Indian, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Mexican and Chinese; Italian cafes, French bistros, burger joints, a Subway, not to mention a gourmet grocery store the size of a small Walmart in the back. The place was absolutely amazing.

And, it wasn't just because of the scale, the place had class. It was nothing like the food courts at home. It was crisp and clean, with different styles for every seating area; with cool blues as the main color scheme and cascading waterfalls to serve as both dividers and visual pleasantries. And the food, the food was of gourmet quality. I wouldn't have been disappointed if any of the items I saw ended up on my plate at a "five star" restaurant.

Jared and I wanted everything...which was to be expected. If there is one thing you could say about the 2 of us is that we love good food. We've always been excited to enter a new city and spend an evening at one of it's best restaurants sipping wine while savouring 3-5 course meals, coffee, appertifs and all.

After roaming around for half an hour or so, we decided on sushi. We were seated by a walkie-talkie wielding hostess and quickly tackled the 20 page menu. We decided on three items before settling in to enjoy the view.

The restaurant was probably the size of a Walgreens drugstore but you'd never know it because each table was a well secluded booth that allowed privacy while also being bright and airy. The area was modest yet artfully decorated, with palm trees and a blue color scheme similar to that of the outside food court. The space was large and full of a chatting Saturday lunch crowd, yet it wasn't loud. The sushi was excellent and prepared at lightning speed. We were in awe.

This is something America has not achieved. If we produce things on a large scale they almost always tend to be crap, and if a restaurant is more then 30 tables and as fast as McDonalds, the food guaranteed tasteless. If the average American mall could accomplish this level of quality in it's food courts, everyone would frequent them for Saturday night dates, not just puberty stricken teenagers. Until today I didn't think it was possible for a mall food court to serve the same quality meal as the "five star" Zagat acclaimed restaurant up the street, but it can, and it is good.

After lunch Jared and I stocked up on goodies for our upcoming journey in the gourmet grocer. As I walked I tried to soak in the sights, smells and feel of the market. It's funny how a brand of soap can make you feel at home, or how a type of cheese can make you jump for joy.

So today, as I leave Bangkok for the 3rd time, I wish I was still there. Still there sitting in the Siam Paragon Food Court, which at this time would be dark and quiet with a few humming janitors buffing the 100,000 sq ft floor. There, in the quiet darkeness, I would sit and wait, in anxious anticipation, for it to open the next morning.



http://www.siamparagon.co.th/intro.htm

When I originally decided I needed to write a blog we had just agreed to go to Ko Chang. When I started writing this blog we were in Ko Chang. Now 10 days later as we leave Ko Chang I've finally finished.

Sometimes there's just too much to say.

For instance, the last time I wrote was January 6th, 20 days ago! Since then...

Joslyn and I went to two different cities, did a bit or rock climbing, got a bazillion bug bites, did a lot of partying, took a train ride, went back to Bangkok, then she left, Jared arrived, we spent 3 days in BKK, went to Chatuchuck for the 3rd time, watched some kickass Muai Thai, my camera was broken and repaired, we went to Ko Chang, Jared tried to kill me twice, we did 6 days of diving, we almost adopted a puppy, I got a skin rash, my bug bites finally disappeared, we ate a fabulous Italian dinner, we made some friends, saw some fish and now were on a bus back to the captial of Thailand and my own personal hell.

Whew, I guess that sums it up. I can probably stop writing...but I won't.

Like I said, there's too much to say.

We arrived in Ko Chang last Monday and found a nice backpacker beach called "lonely beach", although it's about 500 backpackers too many to be "lonely". Ko Chang is the second largest island in Thailand (after Phuket) that in my opinion is still remarkably relaxed and somewhat undiscovered inspite of it's rapid development. It's not undiscovered in the Leonardo DeCaprio "Beach" sense, but more in the sense that every beach has yet to hold an all-inclusive western catoring resort packed full of plump dads in speedos, moms in asian print dresses picked specifically for the next neighborhood cocktail party, and kids in matching jumpers poking at mangy thai mutts with well licked popcicle sticks.

As you can tell, although pleasantly surprised by the amount of traveling families, they're not my ideal travel companions.

When Jared first arrived, we decided Ko Chang would be a good place to get our diving licences, and it turned out to be a perfect choice. We spent four days doing our Padi Open Water course, and then two additional days getting our Advanced licence. The total cost was about 20,000 baht or $500 usd which is way more then my budget would allow but about 1/2 the price of getting certified at home, so I guess one could say it is well worth the 2 weeks I'll be cutting off the end of my trip as a result. I will not fail to make it known that by the 5th day/6th dive, it was starting to feel like a bit of a chore. Not to mention, the prospect of "studying" seemed a bit absurd.



















After our 4th day of diving we decided to take a day off to both enjoy the island and watch the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL playoffs (Jared's activity of choice, not mine). Unfortunately Jared (and I will say Jared because I thought about this specific detail as I was hurriedly getting dressed that morning in hopes of catching the 630am kickoff but thought better of questioning Jared's mathmatical skills regarding such an important event) failed to realize that a Sunday game at home is not a Sunday game in Thailand. Needless to say, we had an early start that day and would have another the next in order to finally watch the game. We spent our now 2 days off riding the steep jungle roads on a rented motorbike, as well as enjoying the beaches and restaurants the small island had to offer. Other than the two times Jared tried to kill me, it was a nice two days.

Okay, okay, I know I can't hint and not tell, but in an effort to save Jared from further guilty embarrassment I will say only this:

I arrived on Ko Chang without road rash, but today, as we leave, I have some.

It has been nice having him around, even if I have to watch some football (Go Seahawks!).


It's kind of odd when you find yourself far from home with someone from home. First Sheila, Tala and Jos, and now Jared. It makes things a little weird. For one, the frugal budget watching Jasmine tries to make a sly getaway, and it takes a great deal of effort to keep her from disappearing for good. When I'm at home with them, money isn't an issue. If I get dinner they'll get it next time. If I pay for a taxi, they'll buy my next drink. But here, here it's all different. Every penny counts, and it's weird to find myself asking for their 20 baht for the last taxi. Luckily here it just makes me a traveler, whereas at home I'd be a cheapskate.

Inspite of the increase in spending, it's nice to have them around. It was hard saying goodbye to Jos. We'd done a lot of bonding over the 3 weeks she was here, and even though I may not have shed a tear as I waved goodbye from that smog engulfed greasy corner in Bangkok, I was sad nonetheless.

Luckily Jared arrived 36 hours later.


We had originally planned to travel together until March when I leave for Australia, but there's been a slight change of plans...

Tomorrow we go our separate ways.

As some of you may know, and most of you do not, Jared and I have a long complicated past. We met around 6 years ago and after a year and a half our friendship transformed into a relationship which we have spent the last 4 years trying to perfect. We have yet to succeed, and at this point have abandoned the endevor, and decided to become "friends" once again. As a result, following the path of brutal honesty I unfailingly (although sometimes detrimentally) follow, we've addmitted that traveling together for the next 2 months may not be the best idea. In order to travel freely and be open to change, one must be free of all bonds holding them to their previous self blah blah blah (insert philosophical crap here). These are our lives, and we want to make the best of them. I would like to make an amendment to the phrase "best friends make the best couples" though...

Best friends make the best couples if it happens at the best possible time.

So, today's our last day together at least until Africa, unless of couse I stay in Australia longer, but that's another issue for another blog. Tonight we're meeting up with our good friend Allison and her friend Lindsay who I think are planning to accompany me to Laos. Jared's planning to head south until his dad arrives at the end of February...which now that I think about it is probably the next time I'll see him because I can't not say hello to John, and... I mean come on... is it really possible for Jared and I to travel in the same country on the far side of the world and not overlap?

So, until the next blog (which hopefully won't be 20 days from now) I must go and prepare myself for the noisy, sour, hazy, neon streets of Bangkok.

Deep breaths Jasmine, there own't be fresh air for a few days yet...

Today I did a visa run. This is the process many a traveler will experience when they find Thailand takes longer than 30 days.

It's a fairly simple process.
First you go to the Thai immigration office, then you get on a boat which takes you to 3 more offices, 2 of which you never need step foot in. The 3rd office is on Myanmar soil (the other 2 were on water/islands) where it takes all of 2 minutes for them to take your passport, stamp it and hand it back with a smile*.

Given the speedy service, I had 10 minutes to occupy and did such by roaming around the market with a little boy who felt I needed an escort until the moment at which he was required to ask for food or money. I responded with the usual "I don't have any...but I have gum", which he laughed off before returning to his group of friends. I was glad he found it humorous.

So, now I can say I've been to Burma...but I won't.

In my opinion Burma/Myanmar has got a crap of a deal. It's tourist industry is in no way booming, yet it's immigration offices are probably some of the busiest in South East Asia. Then again they do get $5 usd/stamp, so it definitely has it's financial benefits.

And so once again I find myself writing from a boat returning to mainland Thailand.

Since I wrote last, Jos and I have been to 2 different cities. Khao Sok and Khao Lak. Khao Sok was an absolutely beautiful national park with hardly any tourists where we stayed in tree houses, went on an elephant trek, and had the best Thai meal so far in a beautiful little stilt cafe surrounded by jungle and karsts during a light rain. It reignited my excitement for travel to say the least.

Unfortunately we only had time to stay one night because we planned to meet up with friends in Khao Lak. Friends we found had left Kho Lak only hours before we arrived.

Khao Lak was a single strip of buildings along a divers mecca coast which housed mostly diving companies and guesthouses which charged way too much for a double room. To make the most of it we bit the bullet, threw our budgets out the window, and booked a snorkling trip to the Similian Islands. It was worth every penny.

My lame broken camera was unable to do anything but take this one picture (and yes this is how the camera took it)


Although it may not have captured the beach paradise as we saw it, I believe it managed to capture a paradise none-the-less.

So, today after my short yet productive trip to Myanmar (Joslyn's still sleeping in the hotel) we'll head down to Phuket where we'll hopefully finally catch up with some friends and find another paradise for Joslyn's final 5 days in Thailand. Once again, wish us luck...

*They will not smile if you hand them an old $5 bill. So make sure to get a crisp one*

Right now Joslyn and I are on a ferry plodding it's way back towards the mainland. Our plan at the moment is to catch a bus from Surai Thani to Khao Lak...if God and bus schedules permit. About an hour ago we said our final goodbyes to Sheila and Natala as they set off for a day at the spa, and a flight back home; and to be honest, in some ways I wish I was going with them.

But, before I tell you why, let me tell you about the past 10 days...

Over a two day period, starting December 23rd, the Chase family arrived in Bangkok. Over the next two days we spent 6 hours in Chatuchuck Market and the other 42 sitting in taxis on the smoggy dingy streets of BKK...well at least it felt like that. We stayed at The Davis, a nice yet simplified boutique hotel which luckily had a gym for me and in-room internet for Sheila and Natala. These things were vital for 2 reasons:

1) So my fat ass could run
2) So Sheila and Natala could figure out the hotel situation (insert fatalistic "dun dun duune" music here)

This was the start of the ChaOse...(and no, I'm not spelling chaos incorrectly). Allow me to digress for a moment to explain...

ChaOse is a term I coined over the past year which basically describes our family relations. It's a combination of the word "chaos" and our family name on my mother's side "Chase". Thus we arrive at ChaOse.

To sum up the hotel related ChaOse that continued over the next 10 days:
Natala wanted to fly by the seat of her pants but stay in hotels which would dry clean them.
Sheila wanted to plan ahead so we could stay in places with dry cleaning but be in her swimsuit all day and not worry about pants.
Joslyn couldn't afford the places with dry cleaning, yet wanted to buy more pants.
I couldn't afford the resorts, was afraid they wouldn't let me in with my backpacker pants, and just wanted to make sure no one went naked.

I believe we all learned the following things about hotels in Thailand:

• Thailand is a popular place during Christmas and New Years
• If a hotel is booked online, it doesn't mean it's actually full
• Hot showers are a novelty, even at expensive resorts
• It's hard to get "western" quality service when you're not in the "west"

Inspite of these things, it all worked out for the best. We left BKK (Bangkok) on the 26th, spent 4 days in Kho Phangan on a nice beach on the eastern side of the island (Ao Thong Nai Pan Yai. For a map of the island click here...I'm all about the "click here"'s this entry), and then went on to Ko Samui for 2 nights including New Year's Eve, where we stayed at the Coral Bay Resort (it's nice, but crap...no time to explain).

Sawadee Pi Mai by the way (it means "Happy New Year" in Thai).

The past 10 days together have been amazing inspite of the ChaOse. New Year's Eve was a blast, the hotels have been beautiful, and the conversation has been stimulating. It's been wonderful to have family around and I truely believe we all bonded and learned things about each other that we never could have learned at home. So, even though I still have Joslyn for another 10 days I was really sad to see Tala and Sheila go. Which brings me back to why I kinda wish I was going with them.

On our 4th day in Kho Phangan I had a morning I believe relieved Pat Pong of it's champion title "Lowest Low". My camera ceased to work and I broke out like a 16 year old with overactive oil glands (no, it wasn't that bad, but it felt like it). I know you may laugh off the breakout but it's honestly the worst I had ever looked and to experience this for the first time at the age of 24 was a bit unsettling. As I stood looking in the mirror that morning I found myself understanding why so many kids with facial issues don't look people in the eyes and have low self confidence. All I wanted to do was put on a hat and crawl into a hole, a hole which would hopefully fit both me and my hat comfortably. Luckily the air conditioning at the resort in Samui helped considerably, but I'm still considering starting a support group at the local high school...

As for my camera... it's basically useless. When it's on, the screen is staticy, changes colors and blurs.

An obvious improvement from it's previous ability.

So here I am a filmographer without a camera in the middle of a trip of a lifetime. Hopefully I'll be able to get it fixed in Bangkok for less than the price of the camera. If not I'm faced with the new dilemma of mailing it back to the company to be repaired under warrenty, and then sent to find it's way back to me somewhere on my travels.

Add to this my lack of excitement for Thailand because of the amount of "western" tourists which trod all over it's surface.

Plus the anguish caused by always having to eat at restaurants when all I want is a fridge I can open at will without a financial transaction.

Mix in the frustration of having an American Express Traveler's Check Card that for some unknown reason has decided not to work.

Top it all off with the mild depression which results from not being able to workout on a daily basis...

And you have met a backpacker who doesn't want to be backpacking.

It's not that I want to go home, it's just that I don't want to be here, and where exactly "here" is, I'm not sure. Thailand, the tourist track, my head...who knows. I guess I'm just a little homesick, and I need to get back into travel mode. I haven't had to "travel think" since before Chiang Mai (almost 21 days!), and I've been feeling really unproductive as a result. I figure I'm gonna take the next 10 days with Jos to get us both excited about travel. Wish me luck...