0
0
We LOVED Thailand. We were back on the road (after the miseries of India), and cycling was a joy, despite the heat. Straightaway we noticed the nice tarmac roads, courteous drivers, modern refreshment facilities, and cleanliness. Not to mention a BIG smile from almost everyone we met. We decided to take our time and enjoy everything the country had to offer – perfect tropical beaches, fantastic scenery, jungle trails, and a huge amount of history and culture. So we ended up covering over 2000 kms in Thailand in 6 weeks, zigzagging our way around and with a lot of detours and breaks – we could have gone straight through in three weeks tops! But, hey, what’s the rush?
Landscape – In one word: Beautiful. Typical scenes that you would see in most tourist brochures, lovely long white beaches and crystal green waters, beach huts, palms swinging in the breeze, amazing sunsets, dense tropical jungles, rocky stone outcrops jutting straight out of the sea, lush green paddy fields, etc. etc.
Cycling – Thailand is a prime cycling holiday destination – and rightly so. The roads are smooth and quiet, the drivers considerate, and it is pretty flat. There are also frequent shelters to have a rest under. Not to mention the landscape – which is wonderful. We encountered many Dutch and German cyclists whilst we were there.
People – Smiles, and everyone shouted hello from their porch as we cycled past, including babies just learning to talk! Thai people must be the nicest, most pleasant people in the world. They are respectful, have a very laid back approach to life, and smile all the time! Or perhaps they found our bicycles particularly amusing?!
Food – In Thailand food is a form of art – most dishes rely heavily on fresh ingredients such as coconut milk, lemon grass, and, of course, red and green chillies. Pad Thai and green and red curry were our favourites. Everytown has at least one night market with stalls cooking every variety of dish, including take-away curries in plastic bags – very clean and popular with the locals. The only problem we found was deciphering the Thai script menus! Fruits here are in abundance and really weird :). Half the stuff on fruit stalls we initially had no idea what they were – so we went crazy trying them all! Some were similar to English fruits (from the outside) though usually not in taste!
 |  |
Relaxation – Thai take relaxation and pampering very seriously – even in a small village you can often find someone to give you a Thai massage. There are a lot of reflexology treatments available as well. We did come across one treatment we had not heard of before – and still don’t know what it is for: what on earth is Ear Candle treatment??!! (see picture)
 |  |
Transport – The colourful buses we had so loved in Pakistan were back in Thailand, though of the modern air conditioned variety!! Also not adorned with ornaments but painted with all sorts of cartoon characters. We saw many different types of tuk-tuks – some where the passenger ride behind the driver and some where they sit beside! Almost like a combination motorcycle-sidecar. There are also several mobile stalls attached to a motorbike with an awning over the top. They scoot around major roads stopping at petrol stations selling fruit, food, drinks, and ice-creams. One sight that did come as a surprise was the lack of locals on bicycles, and the multitudes of kids (some as young as 7) on motorbikes. We would often come across school breaking up and would soon be surrounded by dozens of kids on their scooters heading home! Initially we were alarmed but soon realised that their level of road awareness and safety would put to shame most European drivers!!
What we didn’t enjoy – Heat and humidity, dogs (there were a lot of them), the bright yellow steep ascent warning signs, and sweating absolutely bucketloads. We learned that sweat itself actually has an odour – not the BO of smelly armpits, that is caused by bacteria. But the odour of pure bottled up sweat – not really a bad smell, just salty and tangy. It has a colour too (slightly yellowish)!
Thailand sounds wonderful! I think I should plan a trip there some day…
Ear candle treatment is an alternative to the q-tip. I think it’s some kind of hollow candle that creates a vacuum, thus removing the earwax from your ear. Kind of strange, but its even available here in Canada.