Issan Part 2.
Khao Yai National Park
Thailand
November 25, 2004
Dear Family and Friends,
Yesterday I was in the jungle.
I left the Isaan Plateau and headed southwest to the mountain chain which forms the border between Thailand and Cambodia. 05:15 - 05:30...Motorbike taxi to bus station. 06:00 - 07:00...Bus to Pak Chong. 07:15 - 07:30...Khao Yai Garden Lodge picked me up.
Nang Rong, Buriram
Thailand
November 30, 2004
Dear Family and Friends,
When I mention to Thai people that I plan to visit Isaan, they all smile. Now the Thai smile can have many meanings: Genuine friendship, well-mannered politeness, slightly restrained affection, short-lived tolerance, and perhaps, "I smile because I know what you don't know." Take your pick.
Kanchanaburi
Thailand
December 5, 2004
Dear Family and Friends,
I am resting on a chaise lounge, on a raft, after a brief and breathless swim in the swift, churning currents of The River Kwai. Life vests courtesy of the hotel.
To my right the sun is disappearing behind the hills across The River.
At this point on its journey from Burma to The Gulf of Siam, the narrow River Kwai is slicing through the steep green and brown hillsides (it's winter now), exposing several black and gold vertical stone outcrops.
So, if the hills are so steep, where exactly is this hotel? On The River, my friends, on...the...river.
Koh Chang
Trat Province
Thailand
December 14, 2004
Dear Family and Friends
I am sitting on the restaurant deck that overlooks a small private beach. I am watching the sun disappear into the Gulf of Siam. I am on Koh Chang, (Elephant Island), the second largest in Thailand, off the eastern peninsula close to the border with Cambodia.
The sea is calm, only a few gentle ripples tickle the sand; the bright red sun seems to be resting against a misty white screen.
Bangkok
Thailand
January 5, 2005
Dear Family and Friends,
Every Lonely Planet guidebook has a tag line on the front cover:
The Thailand book has "What to Do in the Land of Wats."
The Austria book has "The Hills Are Alive."
The Southwest France book - "From Hot Springs to Holy Shrines."
The Los Angeles book - “From Collagen to Celluloid.”
The tag line for the Myanmar (Burma) book is “Should you go? See inside for details.”
January 12, 2005
Yangon. A cacophony of traditional markets - chicken butchers at the ready; Christian churches - "Merry Christmas" banners flying; Mosques - young boys give me a tour; Hindu temples - colorful ornate sculptures; British colonial buildings - gazing lions atop imposing brick walls; shops, stalls, sidewalk vendors.
Sule Paya. In the center of Yangon, its 46m high golden zedi (gently tapering cylindrical cone) serving as my orientation point whenever I got lost.
In and around Yangon, I found many other excellent Buddhist sights:
One of my favorites is the Botataung Paya:
