Picture-perfect Thailand

Thailand was much nicer than I expected. It was never on the top of my list of places to see because I just assumed that it would not look as good as its photos, but I was wrong. It actually looks just as nice, sometimes even better than the photos. 

Bob and I traveled with Christina and Philip this year and spent the first four days in Bangkok, which was loud and smelled of diesel because of the motor scooters and tuk tuks, one of which we took with all of our luggage, but regarding trash, it was much cleaner than I thought it would be. 

We did the usual touristy stuff in Bangkok - the Grand Palace, the temples, boat tour of canals, etc. and, of course, eat Thai food!

Then, we moved on to Khao Sok National Park. It was here that we experienced monsoon season. It rained everyday for four days. But, that did not stop us from canoeing, hiking and visiting Cheow Lan Lake, where we saw Great Hornbills and climbed a waterfall. We were hoping to see gibbons there too, but as one of our guides put it, "When it rains, they like to stay home and watch TV."

The second part of the trip was spent on the islands of Koh Tao and Koh Samui. Although more touristy, especially Koh Tao, we enjoyed the island atmosphere. For one thing, it was drier, and there was plenty to do, like snorkeling and diving (the divers saw whale sharks, not once but twice), birding and visiting Samui Elephant Sanctuary. We did our research and found an ethical sanctuary, meaning no riding or washing the elephants. We did, though, get to feed them and pet their trunks, but only if the elephants let us.

We may have not seen gibbons, but we did see Dusky Langurs at Mu Koh Ang Thong National Marine Park.

Last year in Borneo, I was disappointed that we didn't see any Orangutans in the wild. This year in Thailand, I went with the attitude that it would not live up to its picture-perfect reputation. Maybe expecting less of Thailand made me enjoy it more. 

And, yes, Thailand actually is as beautiful as all those photos claim.