3-week trip to Vietnam and Thailand

[Bazza]

More fantastic photos and commentary....loving it all! Thank you @Bodhisattva !

 

[Bodhisattva]

Thanks, Bazza. This was an incredible trip. The natural beauty and the temples, shrines, and palaces. The incredible food and engaging people. Our wide variety of transportation from the most primitive to the ultra-modern. And, most importantly, the charity work we were able to do. That was the most amazing of experiences.

 

[Bodhisattva]

It was still very early morning, and we stopped at another market - this one on land.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Back on the boat. About a dozen customer-boats entered the mosh pit on the water to place orders with the soup-boat. Awesome experience!






Funny thing though. After finishing our soup, the bowls were handed back to the couple running the soup-boat. The bowls were rinsed out in the river, ready for use by the next customer. It didn't kill me, so I guess it made me stronger ... maybe even invincible!

We made landfall again to visit another "factory." This one made rice noodles.





Lan making herself useful:









After the rice "pancakes" dry, they are then processed into noodles - about the consistency of angel hair pasta - and coloring/flavoring is added.



A final product:

 

[Bodhisattva]

Next stop: cocoa farm and chocolate "factory"



Extract the cocoa beans



Dry them



Roast them



Grind them



Press them



Drink them



Before heading back up the river, we stopped for a pineapple snack ...





... and picked up a few more souvenirs.



We would leave the beautiful Mekong Delta after two-and-a-half days and make our way back to Saigon to have one last visit with our friends. Then it was off to the airport the next morning for our flight to Thailand.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Flying from Saigon to Phuket






View out the window as we are approaching Phuket. Reminds me of Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam. Lost world geography.

 

[Bodhisattva]

We started our time in Thailand at a boutique hotel in Phuket Old Town. We wandered the area, took a ride to the top of the hills to get a panoramic view of the city, then returned to wander some more.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Started our tour of several islands the next morning.



Lan, the crew of 5 Star Marine, and our Aussie guide, Joe.







Some of the small islands are like a doughnut. You can go through caves to get to the open-air center.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Another doughnut island. For this one, you reach the center by boat.










Turtle Rock:

 

[Bazza]

Thanks, @Bodhisattva - those are some really nice photos!!!

 

[Bodhisattva]

Thanks, @Bodhisattva - those are some really nice photos!!!

Thanks, @Bazza. I get lucky sometimes.

 

[Bodhisattva]

This scene from The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed in Phang Nga Bay in Thailand. The island's Thai name is Khao Phing Kan. But it is better known as James Bond Island.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Koh Panyee is a floating village in Phang Nga Bay that has been around for 200 years of so. It was built by Indonesian fisherman. The 1000+ residents still support themselves via fishing plus a good bit of tourism. The floating soccer field is pretty cool.

 

[Bodhisattva]

We made it across the bay to Railay Beach in Krabi late in the afternoon.









There are a few weed and mushroom shops, if that is your thing.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Phra Nang Beach:





It's a popular place to go rock climbing.



One of the peculiarities here is Phra Nang Cave. Legends vary on the story of Phra Nanag. One is that she was an extraordinarily fertile woman and a devout Hindu who would pray for the safe return of all the fishermen from the sea. Her prayers were answered and she became known for blessing children on the woman and prosperity on the men (because they would return safely from the sea with their catch.) When she died, a shrine was built to her and offerings would be given for continued fertility, safe travels, and prosperity. Offerings would be of flowers, incense ... and wooden phallic carvings. Phra Nang Cave is also known as Penis Cave.

Shrine:



Some of the offerings:

 

[Bodhisattva]

One of the best sunsets ever:

 

[Bodhisattva]

The next morning we traveled inland to Kho Sok National Park and traded the beach for a massive lake.



We would spend the night in a pod on the lake.



The view from our pod:



In the afternoon, we traveled to a different part of the lake and boarded a "Huk Finn" boat ...



,,, to trek through the jungle on the other side to explore Pakarang Cave.

 

[Bodhisattva]

After leaving the national part, we continued east to reach the Gulf of Thailand. We took a ferry (maybe our 20th form of transportation?) to Koh Samui, where we would stay for a few days.

Never a shortage of temples.



Roll Tide!









There is a mythology surrounding the creation of Koh Samui and its people. Not sure why this is called Grandfather Rock.



Mummified monk of Wat Kunaram.



An awesome visit to an elephant sanctuary.






On our last evening on the island, we met up with my Youtuber buddy Chris and his wife, Haelee. Hours of fun conversation, including the upcoming scholarship event in June.



Samui Airport is tiny but the coolest one I've ever been to. Every building looks like a beach hut. What a wonderful island to visit. Until next time ...



On to Bangkok ...

 

[Bodhisattva]

We set up base camp in the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown, a lively place normally and especially so during the Chinese New Year.

Our hotel was down the street from Wat Mangkon.






Out on the town with friends.





The Bangkok public transportation system is awesome - both the subway and the sky train. Extremely efficient and clean. Compared with what I've experienced in DC and NYC - with the garbage, broken escalators, urine smell, etc. - there's no comparison.

Underground subway station:

 

[Bodhisattva]

Took a klong (canal) tour in Thonburi, which is the part of Bangkok (and the original site of the capital) on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River.

The Big Buddha (about 225 feet tall) at Wat Paknam:









Artist community on the klong. A good place for unique souvenirs.



No, I don't know why:






Caught the making of a movie here. A lot of German being spoken. Speedboat pulls up, a dude with a gun jumps in, they take off, soon to be followed by another speedboat. This was not on the tour. Bonus!