Stay in Udon Thani:
We had to spend a day in Udon Thani waiting to catch a train back to Bangkok so we did our usual stroll around looking for whatever. What we found was lots of bars and even more western men with young Thai girls. It made me angry. So many of the men were old or fat or just ugly or a combination. Udon was a US military base in the 60's and our guide book said that's when Udon became much more westernized. Another casualty of war. On the lighter side, we did have the opportunity to buy some fried crispy & crunchy variety of bugs including caterpillars, locust & grasshoppers...right outside a most plush five story mall. And right around the corner was a McDonald's--can you guess what I choose to eat???? Speaking of eating, since it was very difficult finding food we could eat in Nong Ban Lampu, we had eaten up most of the supply of food we'd brought from USA. Luckily, we found a large grocery store (very rare) and found Jiffy peanut butter & granola bars--first time we'd seen either of these in Thai. They also had cheese--but at about $10 for a 1/2 lb I figured I could wait until I got home to indulge.
Train ride from Udon to Bangkok:
We were sure ready to leave Udon...and anxious to see the country side. We'd purchased a 2nd class ticket (air cond) but after discovering the windows were dirty...we headed back to the 3rd class seats where the open windows kept you cool & we could clearly see the rice paddies, water buffalos, farmers, groves of banana, coconut, pineapple and rubber trees, small towns, mountains and rivers. Soon we saw a pattern...open farm fields, shacky houses, less shacky houses, a few nice homes, village, a few nice homes, shacky houses, more shacky house, open farm fields...etc. Though we had thought we'd see more during the 12 hour train ride...we sure felt like we'd seen lots of Thailand and after about 7 hours as 3rd class got crowded & hot...we gladly went back to our 2nd class air cond seats to eat our PB sandwiches.
Back in Bangkok...only to catch ride to Ko Sumet:
Somewhere along the line, someone recommended a hotel in Bangkok so when we arrived late & tired, we just showed the name to a taxi driver and soon found ourselves in gorgeous hotel. At $85, it was the most we'd paid since Pucket but...it was nice to be in a luxury with a great view of the city lights! After asking for info about getting to Ko Sumet, they quickly lined us up with a mini bus ride the next morning complete with ferry ride to the island--and they'd handle the luggage (which we were tired of hauling around & which we have promised ourselves never travel with so much luggage again!!!) On the ferry ride there, we heard there were no rooms available on the island as it was Music Festival weekend (Thais have many festivals) but we'd already adopted the India & Thai motto: No problem...and there wasn't as the ferry dropped us at a hotel with available bungalows...and handled our luggage so by noon...we were sitting a tropical island beach.
Ko Sumet:
Now I won't go into much detail as I certainly don't want to make anyone too jealous...let's just say it was everything you dream of...emerald green warm water, white powdery sand, lush shade trees, 80 degree sunny weather, fresh fruits, cold diet coke, bungalow with air, western bathroom & frig...in other words, paradise...for $50 a night...though we could have just rented a tent & slept on the beach for much cheaper. We hunkered down from 3 days on a pineapple diet. Pineapple pancakes, smoothies, in fresh salads with pineapple dressing and grilled on kabobs with meats/onion/tomatoes/potatoes/corn. MMMMM. I'm addicted.
Though I must admit, fresh coconut smoothies come in a close second!!! Lots of Thai families were there also. It was a joy watching them frolic in the water...usually with their clothes on... and enjoying all the food cooked & sold on the beach. We also saw lots of western men with young Thai girls. Grrrr. We took a cruise of the smaller islands around, snorkeling a bit. Though we saw lots of fish & coral, we only caught glimpses of the radiant color that reminded us of our best snorkeling at St. John's. We also visited a fish & turtle farm where we were a bit nervous walking the ancient planks with no guard rails next to pools of huge sharks, groupers & giant turtles. We discovered a trail that led to a cliff where we could watch the sunset...and reflect on just how fortunate we are.
Shame on me...
I have to admit, I was feeling a bit bummed about not having a beach front bungalow... but God has a way of opening my eyes. We took a walk on the dirt road that ran through the center of the island and there we saw where the smiling & eager to please waiters & vendors live. Back in the mosquito invested jungle without the cool ocean breeze or view and far, far from the beach...and without the time to lounge there anyways. Shame on me.
