Thailand Review

I finally get to write a bit of a Thailand review. I have held off as we have been in and out of Thailand a few different times in our travels. We did not spend enough time to go everywhere in Thailand. Perhaps that means that I should be writing a Thailand reflection?

Thailand is unique in our travels because of its location. It is the hub for travel in Southeast Asia. If you want to go somewhere different you pretty much have to go through Thailand to get there. From what I have been told the tourism industry is responsible for the same amount of income as agriculture but 70% of workers in Thailand work in agriculture while tourism employs only 10%. The cash flow from tourism is very visible with specific areas highly developed and others paid little attention. Thailand is a rapidly developing country with stark contrasts in culture and development.

Northern Thailand is predominantly Buddhist. It is mountainous, somewhat temperate, and agriculturally focused. Southern Thailand is predominantly Muslim. It is flat and coastal with scattered large limestone protrusions, beaches, and many islands. The islands are especially magnificent. Both of these regions are run at a charmingly laid back pace of life. In one small town Ashley and I found ourselves at a large park that was more active than any other park I've seen. In each corner of the park there were aerobics courses open to the public with hundreds of people attended. The center of the park was crammed with families walking, joggers, men playing a unique game, and of course people exercising on the outdoor workout equipment provided.

Bangkok is the center of Thailand but it thankfully does not represent the country and I would say contradicts the rest of the land. If I have not expressed before I will now, I did not like Bangkok at all. We visited, like Thailand itself, only a small portion of what we could have seen but what I saw I did not like. There were two main reasons for my dislike. The first reason is the busy, crowded, hot, heavily rubbished streets of the city. The second reason is that these streets reflect and magnify a very ugly truth; scams, sex, drugs, and all sorts of unacceptable behavior is glorified in these streets. Not that it is approved of or officially advertised but the signs of it and the unspoken knowledge of it is everywhere. The wanton destructive behavior both towards self and others affects me in a similar manner as the Cambodian Genocide museum. It all reminds me very much of a description of Tom and Daisy in The Great Gatsby "They were careless people, -- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made." This description is perfect for what we saw throughout our trip and, unfortunately for Thailand, is typified in Bangkok. Its not that anyone is bad, it is that they are careless and being away from their lives allows it.

I think Ashley and I spent more time on trains in Thailand than anything else. And why not? Thailand's trains are actually very nice, especially the overnight sleeper trains. It is fabulous to travel 9 or 10 hours in your sleep! The best part is that they are some of the most affordable trains that we came across. Usually trains were out of the question for us but in Thailand they were very accessible. Some advice for future travelers though is anticipate but do not expect the trains to be on time. They are regularly a few hours late. This can work in a traveler's favor though because you will regularly get one or two extra hours of sleep. So good!

 Chances are you will go through Thailand if you go to Southeast Asia. You can enjoy both short and long stays in Thailand; mountain getaways and bustling beaches are both easily accessible. Please though, travel responsibly.