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Thailand
Bangkok Barges, Boxing, and Beauty
We finished up our greasy KFC and headed upstairs for the movie theater. It took up a whole floor in the mall! We were watching Zootopia. The movie was really good! Even my parents, who had not been looking forward to it, liked it. It taught some crucial life lessons, from the evil of people who attempted to gain power by spreading fear to the importance of stealth. It also had some jokes, from simply having a carrot on the back of a cell phone, to “What… do you call… a… three-humped… camel?”.
The next day we went to the Grand Palace. Our time there felt perpetual, but we only spent about an hour and a half. There were a countless number of European style buildings with Thai style roofs where access was prohibited. It was a huge complex of multiple buildings that were each unique. Some were temples, others were museums, and others still were mysterious.
Later, we had some ice cream, and at night, we saw Muay Thai, without mom. The fighters were tiny, ranging 100 to 131 pounds! Despite their minute size, the fighters put up a good fight, always ending up with pinkish stomach areas waiting burst with blood. The fighters kicked and punched and even kneed each other, and occasionally someone got thrown on the ground.
On our last day, we saw the royal barges, and then took a tour through the canals, stopping by a temple dedicated to… scaffolding. Just kidding! It was covered in scaffolding, though. We also got some epic pictures to end our awesomeness in Bangkok. Awesome Man!
The Royal Barges
Watching Muay Thai
Khaosan Rd.
Canal Tour
Three Snakateers
All of the monkeys distracted us from the fairly obvious snake coiled up on the branch. It was black, with yellow spots. Good thing it was nocturnal! Since it was day, the snake was asleep. Whew! We saw another snake just like the other. Then we saw a baby python, and the man rowing our raft went right under it.
We had more fun in the lake nearby. One night, we went to find nocturnal animals. All we found was a civet and a kind of jungle deer. Still, we had a great time listening to music while gazing at the countless stars, talking, and letting our boat float with some young adults we made friends with.
Also, one day we went into a cave. It was full of bats, and in some places I had to swim! My bulky shoes and soaked socks were so heavy I was basically treading water. It was freezing cold, too. Brrr! We found spiders left and right! Some as big as your hand! Talk about breaking your face!
At the floating hostel, I jumped off the diving board. Once, I fell so long that I stopped holding my nose! I sure did regret that!
Lastly, we went to a hill on a faraway island. We swung from the rope and plunged into the water. It was so fun! It could have been one of my highlights of Southeast Asia!
Sunset View of the Lake
Jungle Trek
Jumping into the lake
Canoeing
Double Trouble
The lagoon was very shallow, and I could touch in some places. To our left, there was a cave with a submerged bottom, but the top was high above. Hanging from one of the stalactites was a rope with knots in some places, and an underwater loop at the end. Later we would realize that there was a big rock a couple feet below the loop, which was almost at the surface. We figured out how to climb up. I put my left heel in the loop, which acted as a stirrup. Then my right foot stepped on the first knot. Slowly, I lifted my left foot onto the first knot, and my right hand grabbed hold of the second knot. Then I fell right on my but and started sitting on the knot, both hands holding onto the rope. Then I fell backwards and splashed into the water, as if in slow motion. That was one of the best parts of our boat trip.
Another was when we went to a beach on the other side of the lagoon. It was white sand, and empty. It was short, but getting longer by the minute as the tide went out. Down a path that was overgrown on the sides, was a little cave, where the floor was perfect, powdery white sand. At the beach, the water was so clear that there was no need to snorkel. I saw a spiky arm, like an octopus’s, near a rock, but soon realized that it was a baby moray eel! We tried to get the goggles and told the driver what it was, but he didn’t speak much English, and he wanted to get a move on. We found two great places to snorkel that had fewer than five boats each. Through a piece of bread or pineapple in, and the fish, which we saw perfectly from the boat, attacked it like mad. We found that rice was the key. It was like their dessert. They went everywhere, and I tried to grab one. That action had a deleterious effect. My right thumb hit the spiky fins on its back, it seemed as if my thumb had been paralyzed. However, by the end of the day, my injuries were so minor that they seemed not to have happened. Lucky me!
Stabbed by a fish fin!
Feeding the fish
A Cave!
Round the World Kid 