Ten Days in the Land of Smile: A Thailand Travelogue

By Diane Sontag

Join the author as she takes a vacation from being a 'gaijin' in Japan to enjoy a visit as a 'falang' in rural Thailand. Diane and her Japanese friend, Naomi, have adventures in Thailand that are not the usual fare. Laugh as Naomi sends an entire train car full of people into an uproar with one small action. Follow along as Diane tells a monk just what he can do with his unwanted advances. Meet Joe and Mr. Asparagus at the Youth Hostel from Hell. Watch as Diane and Naomi get ripped off, not once, but twice – first by a scam in Bangkok and later a tourist trap in Chiang Mai. Be amazed as they are nearly taken in by the ruse of a couple of teenage sharks looking for sponsors for their 'scholarships.' Discover the 'Buddha Way' of treating guests. Visit the "We Don't Know Travel Agency!" Catch their carefree spirit as they travel by train, bus and plane, on a serendipitous trip with no advanced room reservations or set itinerary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diane Sontag
• Release date: May 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458142399

Diane Sontag

Many friends urged me to publish my travel journals after reading excerpts in letters sent home as I worked and traveled in Asia. Now that ereaders are making it affordable, I am finally publishing.I am also an adoptive parent who loves sewing, hiking, and basketry. I have been a homeschool mom and am now a school parent.

Book preview

Ten Days in the Land of Smile - A Thailand Travelogue

by Diane Sontag

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Diane Sontag

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Chapter 1

No Reservation

Arrival in Bangkok December 20

Today I gain an appreciation of the efficiency at which Japan can transport large numbers of people swiftly and safely from one city to another. After looking at what awaited us upon arrival in Tokyo (a nine-hour flight to Bangkok, followed by a taxi ride into downtown Bangkok to some as-yet-unreserved room in a guesthouse), Naomi and I opt for the fastest and most comfortable mode of travel from Kakegawa to Tokyo. We gladly relinquish our 10,000-yen notes ($100 US) for a smooth and swift shinkansen (bullet train) ride to Tokyo, followed by an equally peaceful ride on the special express train to Narita Airport. We arrive in Narita relaxed and ready to begin our Thai adventures.

Our Pakistan International Airlines flight is the antithesis of our trip to the airport! The flight leaves late, is bumpy, noisy and crowded, and there is minimal service given to we economy class customers. The plane is old, dirty, and noisy. Earplugs should have been issued with the boarding passes, so loud is the engine noise inside the cabin. The in-flight movie’s soundtrack can not be heard, even with the headphone volume turned to maximum. We rock and roll our way to Manila while I try to follow the movie dialogue by reading Richard Gere’s lips on the screen. By the end of the flight, I have created my own PIA slogan: We’re Pakistan Air, and We Don’t Care!

We arrive in Bangkok at about 11:30 PM, quite tired from our PIA flight. We change some money ($1 US = 25 Baht = 100 yen), pass swiftly through Immigration, and enter the busy airport lobby, where we have our first monk sightings. Their bright orange robes and bald heads are a stark contrast between us and them. 95% of Thailand’s people are Buddhist; their particular brand of Buddhism is called Theravada. There are about 32,000 monasteries and 200,000 monks in Thailand. Many monks ordain for a lifetime. Every Thai male is expected to don the orange robes for at least a short period, ideally between finishing school and starting career or marriage. Traditionally the time spent in the wat (temple) was three months, but modernity has whittled that down to as little as a week.

At that point, in the Bangkok Airport lobby, we don’t realize just how many orange, white and brown robes we will see in Thailand, so our first monk sighting is pretty exciting. We cannot count all the monks we see during our ten-day trip. And it isn’t even peak season. I can hardly imagine how many monks we would see had it been July, August, or September when the monk population swells to 400,000.

But I never grow tired of seeing the saffron-robed ones, who seem so frail, as if a sudden gust of wind could send them sailing. They dot each crowd, their robes seemingly painted by the same brushstrokes which so colorfully decorate each temple roof. What makes a person choose such a separate existence? I am intrigued by their curious lifestyles and esoteric beliefs. As Naomi and I travel through central and northern Thailand, their presence becomes, for me, a daily reminder of life’s spiritual dimension. I wonder what truths they learn through meditation. Are their insights similar to what the rest of us eventually stumble upon in the course of living our lives?

Images of bald monks in orange robes and overweight European and North American tourists in blue jeans and T-shirts swirl before our tired eyes as we emerge from the arrival gate, baggage cart in tow. Before we have a chance to think about what to do first, a grinning, blue-suited man points to his plastic ID badge, and sweeps us over to his Tour Services and Hotel Information kiosk, all the while repeatedly assuring us that he is upfront and legitimate. Two blue-suited women smile and point to the aging photo album of blurred images of hotel rooms. Ahhh…they all look so comfortable!