Long, white sand beaches. Calm, clear, blue ocean water. Restaurants lining the shore. Palm trees stretching out over the sand. Sunbathers reading and soaking all the vitamin A the sun has to offer.
Quick! What comes to your mind?
You could be thinking about a beach on the Yucatan peninsula. Or the Maldives. Or the South of France. Or the coast of Zanzibar, for that matter.
In each instance, you would be completely correct.
Apart from it's physical location in Thailand or it's prevalence of Thai food on the menu, there's not much about being on Koh Phangan that's particularly Thai. If you were kidnapped, blindfolded, and dropped here without knowing anything, you could very well think that you were in Brazil, or Vietnam, or Greece. This could very well be anywhere in the world - it just happens that the Thai people inhabit this sliver of gorgeous earth.
It's not that we don't appreciate our surroundings or that we're taking the beauty for granted. Far from it. We enjoy waking up every day to a warm sun and an ocean that feels better than taking a bath. We still stare at the palm trees and the waves as they languidly roll into the baby powder sand. There's something to be said about being able to enjoy the scenes like these; in fact, I highly recommend it to anyone.
But as we prepare to move on, I want to be clear that we are still highly ignorant of Thailand. We've had a blissful time on the beach, but we know that Thailand is not that same as its beautiful beaches or it's capital city.
So, if you ask us now "Have you been to Thailand?", we will happily answer, "Yes.". But if you ask us "What is Thailand like?", we're going to have to tell you "I don't know."
We're silly and adventurous, computer geeks and yoga peeps.
April 24, 2010
Asa
April 26, 2010
Kyle
April 25, 2010
mumsie
April 26, 2010
Earl
It's the same as reading one book on a subject or reading as many books as you can find. The more you read, the better understanding you'll have.
April 26, 2010
Kyle
April 27, 2010
Earl
And for those who claim to 'know it all' after a short visit to a particular country, sadly, those travelers arrive home just as ignorant as they were when they left for their trip.
April 27, 2010
Juno
There's always 'one of a kind' but like you said, something is just everywhere in the world.
I think it's quite their charm though. Everywhere in the world, there's a white long beach, so Tailand can join the cool gang, right? Korea certainly can't join. haha
That is why I don't like just 'visit' places. I want to get to know them deeply.
Thanks for nice article Kyle!
April 27, 2010
WWTCD
Buen Viajes!
April 28, 2010
Kyle
April 27, 2010
Erika Liodice
At first glance, I thought this was St. John (in the US Virgin Islands), which further proves your point about its lacking uniquity. After having visited numerous islands (as well as many countries around the world), I can appreciate what you're saying about not really knowing what Thailand is like based on your experience thus far. My travels have taught me that every place has it's own soul, which is understood through interactions with the natives, tasting the food, seeing some of the not-so-nice places, hearing the local dialect, listening to the music, etc.
Good assessment. Looking forward to seeing where your adventures take you next.
April 28, 2010
Kyle
We're looking forward to where our adventures are going to take us next, too, because we are still going by the seat of our pants.
May 03, 2010
Linda
May 04, 2010
marta