End of the southern swing.
If I remember right I was happily fishing (not catching) in a secluded bay sleeping in my own little hut and pretty damn content. Still needing to visit the must sees of the north, I begrudgingly hopped on Amo and made my way full circle passing the port where I took the ferry across to Koh Samui. My sleep stop was going to be at Surat Thani a three peat town as I had stayed there before and after my Samui trip. It was nice coming back to familiarity although I had to find a third place to stay as the first had jacked up their price after being given high marks in the guidebooks. My second stop was a friendly old Chinese hotel but as there was some sort of Hindi celebration, it was packed to the gills with local visitors. I finally settled on an old business hotel which featured satellite tv and wifi. Happy days. Surat Thani was worthwhile layover for a few days as it did have an extensive seafood oriented night market although it tends to be too condensed to make for a casual night of snacking. Having the tv and internet pretty much made eating in bed an easy solution.
As Surat Thani closed off my southern loop, I can say that of the South-East Asia travels thus far, it has definitely been my favorite section. Basically, it just fit my type of traveling style as well as personal likes. The south is a bit off the normal tourist trail as most rarely go further south than the popular islands on the east and west coasts. Being Muslim and therefore “dangerous”, the tourist numbers are even further reduced. I could count on two hands the number of other travelers that I had run into. Second, the food is absolutely fantastic. Thai food is great, but when you add the spices of the Muslim world as well as seafood which has just been plucked out of the sea, you have some world class food, and that is all coming out of little roadside carts. Third, it had the added benefit of a great hobby which is not often found while traveling. The fishing of course is what I was eluding to. Traveling itself is a wonderful thing, but getting to do something you really enjoy on top of that just takes it to another level. Fourth, being a biker, the south with its lack of traffic and recently renovated roads (with that added lane just for us bikers), makes it a great place to cruise around enjoying the sites (excluding road side bombs of course). Fifth, it blends the benefits of both oceans and rivers and their corresponding accoutrements. Sixth, Mangosteens and the other available local fruits makes candy unnecessary. And lastly, the pace of life is similar to the island life that I am used to. Out of the other countries and sections of Thailand that I have visited, the south would probably be the only place that I would want to return to unless I was needing some five star pampering.
CNN is currently doing a feature on the South with the unfortunate focus on the terrorist activities plaguing the area. Its teaser is of a reporter in full combat flack wear with a barbed wire mass behind him and a couple of armed soldiers standing guard. That is really going to help the people who are suffering in small part because of the insurgency but massively because of lack of economic support. Hopefully people will always remember that there is often two of more sides to a story. Foods great, people are more than hospitable (extreme lack of scammers and hasslers), fishing rules, photo opportunities everywhere (even cats), and a place which will definitely be a highlight of any visit to Thailand unless you only like to sit on a beach and drink or hookers.
Tags: Thailand
