Shutdown Backpacking, Restart Thailand

What just happened? Really, I'm clueless. I mean, one day we're roaming the windy and overcrowded streets of Kathmandu, sleeping in the cheapest beds we can find, and a couple of days later - whoosh - we find ourselves in a luxury apartment, on the 31st floor, by the Gulf of Thailand, with this flippin' view:

I can see my house from here!

If you wanna know how we got into this situation, sit tight and follow us as we describe our new beginning: Thailand!

Little did we know what adventures were in store for us when we arrived in Bangkok on Thursday afternoon. As we came out of the baggage claim area, we were a little confused. We were supposed to be picked up at the airport but we couldn't see anyone. Luckily, our doubts were soon extinguished as a beaming Thai lady magically appeared in front of Thomas and gave us a big welcoming hug! Dear blog-readers, meet Sarawanee Jinayon:

She's the one in the middle.

Sara is a close friend of Thomas' mother, they met while studying together in Portugal. Though we had never met her personally, she instantly took us under her wing, like we were old acquaintances, and we have been her very voluntary hostages ever since. She has been accommodating us in Bangkok, showing us ancient ruins, giving us a thorough introduction to Thai cuisine (with great consideration to my still weak stomach), and generally just made us feel incredibly at home in this totally new and strange place which is Thailand.

First things first - the ruins: Half an hour's ride from the city is Ayutthaya, a historical capital of an old Siamese empire. It is named after the domain of the fabled hero Rama from the epic story Ramayana. Sara took us there on our first day in Thailand so we could bask in the historical splendor of the old buildings, which are scattered around the now modern town. Conquered and razed by the Burmese in 1765, only ruins and rubble remain, leaving the imagination free to envision what it must have looked like in its heyday.

Thomas midst another ancient civilization.

After a lovely riverside lunch we hopped on a longtail boat and roamed the rivers and canals which tangle through the area. Though we did not encounter many ruins on the way, we got a good chance to see the locals' way of living - in harmony with the waterways. After this, more sightseeing followed, and we got to see a fully overgrown head of Buddha, underlining the mysteriousness and ancientness of this place.

Peekaboo! He even sits under (or inside) a Bodhi tree -
the same Buddha sat under to achieve enlightenment. 

As a contrast to the day's ancient sights, we decided to check out the bustling modern metropolis which is Bangkok that evening. After a reassurance from Sara that it was perfectly safe, we hopped on a metro to the city center. But we soon witnessed, as we emerged from underground, that Bangkok was not its usual self. The busy intersections of Siam square and Asok were now reduced to peaceful anarchy with the local protesters occupying the area. The main streets had become little communities themselves, with food stalls and tents lined up. This town within a city, sprinkled with T-shirt and trinket vendors (all effects carrying the slogan "Shutdown Bangkok, Restart Thailand"), gave us a true vision of good Thai sense of business - just because there is anarchy doesn't mean you can't earn some money off it.

With the Skytrain looming above it, the stalls in the main streets of
Bangkok did have kind of a post- (or pre-) apocalyptic feel to them. 

The speaker is one of the leaders of the protest.
"We are right in the middle of it!" Alex exclaimed. 

After seeing these peaceful demonstrations we can't help but feel the good intentions of the protesters. Even though we don't have a grasp of the entire picture it does seem like these good-willed people genuinely fight against corruption and inequality. Nevertheless, it sure was a unique experience seeing world news being made first hand.

On a non-stop-fun schedule, we were leaving Bangkok the next day (oh we'll be back I assure you, dear blog-reader). Sara offered to bring us to her friend's apartment were we could stay "as long as we want". We were told it was situated close to the beach near Ban Phe, a fishing village in the vicinity of Rayong, overlooking Samet island. After a three hour drive, sure enough, we arrived at the beach - which of course went on for miles with blue, crystal-clear water.

Looking for the apartment we saw a tall building emerging from the marshes. "Is it this one?" Sara said uncertainly. Sure enough, it wasn't! It was the even taller building a bit down the road. As we rolled onto the parking lot behind the enormous skyscraper Thomas and I exchanged glances, both thinking we must be on the wrong planet. But no, an elevator beamed us up to the top floor, and we were both dumbstruck as we glanced around on what would be our home for the coming week. We even have a piano!

Still in awe as we ate lunch on the beach under palm trees, we both pondered upon what we did to deserve this paradise. That was Saturday - we still don't have a clue. Sara has gone back to Bangkok after the weekend, but not before she took us snorkeling on the nearby idyllic island of Samet.

The sunset of course is beautiful too! 

Now we are living the good life for a couple of days and I have signed up for a diving course - only fitting that I get my diving license before my driving license. We both know this luxury won't last forever but we are enjoying it immensely as a break-away from the rustic backpacker life we've been living for the last month.

To finish: a little before and after, and a little project we've been working with today. Go ahead, laugh and enjoy :)

Skeptical bearded man, and unhappy but diving-ready clean shaved man.