The Beauty of Thailand: Outside Bangkok
Written by Stephie Melina Kabre
Photographed by Don Tajaroensuk and Stephie Melina Kabre
I gave a final look at the wonderful house we had been living in for almost one month. I felt a bit depressed to close its door, yet eager to go back to South Korea and carry on with my academic duties. It is worth mentioning that my feeling at that particular time was the antithesis of what I had felt when landing in Thailand 39 days earlier.
I was quite excited to travel to the “Land of Smiles” and escape the cold weather of South Korea, even just for one month. My classmates and I traveled to Thailand to take part in the May 18 Memorial Foundation Winter School Program for young human rights activists but also to do fieldwork related to our GNMP (Global NGO Master Program) studies. From December 9 to January 16, we traveled across Thailand to visit local organizations working on human rights and development-related issues. We also tried to kill two birds with one stone and enjoy the beauty of Thailand. Traveling throughout Thailand outside of the regular touristic context was indeed a wonderful experience.
As alluded to above, landing in Thailand was not such a good experience, not only due to my air sickness but also to problems I encountered with immigration at the airport. Luckily, I was well prepared as I had my international certificate of vaccination and all the other necessary documents. Being from a tropical country comes with its burdens.
Our rental house was a five-room traditional Thai wooden house, cozily furnished and located in the middle of Bangkok just a ten-minute walk from Siam Center (one of the biggest shopping areas in Bangkok) and the BTS Station (or Skytrain). The welcoming nature of the Thai people makes one feel at home immediately. From our neighbor who gave us free access to his Wi-Fi to the landlady who gave us some goodies, everything was put together for us to enjoy our stay.
Thailand is already popular for its street food, but I need to emphasize just how good Thai street-food dishes really are: those delicious deep-fried pork balls, tasty grilled chicken with some sticky rice, and refreshing Thai tea, to name a few. In case you are scared of getting the “Bangkok Belly” and need some more hygienic food, the Thai food court system is great. In all the malls and department stores, you can find a food court. My favorite was in Lotus, which offers cheap food of the best kind; with 100 baht (around 3,000 won) on your card, you can have two dishes of your choice. I personally preferred the tom yum goong soup and pad krapow moo saap (fried basil and pork.)
Bangkok is quite an exciting city crowded with tourists and all the facilities needed to make the stay productive for shopping tourism. The Siam Center area and its concentration of super fancy malls is a paradise for shopaholics, with a skywalk directly connecting BTS Siam Station to all the different malls in the area and Central World. For people like me who are not much attracted to brand names, Platinum is the mall of choice with its many made-in-Thailand products at affordable prices. Also, local markets like the Chatuchak Weekend Market are the best places to find cheap and excellent souvenirs.
To evade the noise, traffic, and pollution of the capital, we went to Ko Larn Island, which is less than an hour away from Pattaya by ferry. We were all astonished by its beauty not only for its white sand beaches but also for every detail that made up the island, like the mountains, the clear sea, and the small seafood market. Riding motorbikes along its slopes to access the highest viewpoint of the island was unforgettable; I have never been so scared and excited at once. But it was worth it as the sunrise was awesome, and from this spot, we could see Pattaya in the distance. We silently sat there for a few minutes, trying to memorize all the details of the breathtaking scenery. The island was so captivating that our few-hour escape became a two-day stay.
We also visited Mea Sot located in Tak Province in western Thailand, which is approximately a two-hour flight from Bangkok. The city is near the Thai-Myanmar border and has a local market where you can get jade jewelry at cheap prices. The border goes along the Moei River and is surrounded by mountains on both sides. Our trip was in the back of a truck rented by one local organization with two friends to guide us from Mae Sot to Mae Sam Laep (a crossing point to enter Myanmar’s Kayah State). We visited Tham Mae Usu (Mae Usu Cave), which is considered the longest cave in Thailand. The cave has a high ceiling and a small stream that goes through it, making it mysteriously attracting. On our way to Myanmar, we also stopped to say hi to the Thai-Karen people famously known for their long necks in their beautiful village on top of the mountain. Later, crossing the Moei River by speedboat, we entered Karin State (also known as Kayin or Kariang) in Myanmar for a few hours at Ei Htu Hta IDP (internally displaced people) camp.
The small city of Mae Sariang in the Mae Hong Son region was full of bikers traveling throughout the area. We discovered that this part of Thailand is famous among bikers from all over the world for its mountain roads – a wonderland for them.
In addition to our group trip, we also had some separate excursions: Mountain-lovers traveled to Chiang Mai while sea-lovers went down to Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. Coming from a landlocked country, I think you can easily guess which team I was on.
For me, the most memorable part of this trip could not be captured by our cameras. It was not just a trip to visit Thailand but a trip of love and care. We visited so many organizations working on various human rights issues not only in Bangkok but outside the capital city as well. We met awesome people who made our trip memorable. Outside the regular tourist hotspots, we discovered an unknown face of Thailand. Being guided by local people to places they thought were important to visit gave this trip its true beauty. We were welcomed into people’s homes to share meals, which made me feel at home. For a few days, I forgot that I was a foreigner; instead, I felt like a member of the Thai community.
THE AUTHOR
Stephie Melina Kabre is a human rights activist from Burkina Faso, West Africa. She is a senior Global NGO Master student at Chonnam National University.