Day 71 - East Thailand
After almost a week of traffic jams in Bangkok, it was time to leave for the countryside. A 3 hour drive took us to my dad's house in Klaeng, just outside of Rayong. Em and I had expected a little shack in the jungle, but we were taken to a big and beautiful newly built house in an extremely green area. The house is surrounded by a pretty big yard where my dad grows all kinds of fruit including pineapple, mango, papaya, star fruit, bananas, the fruit where cashew nuts come from and a number of other ones that we do not know the Western names for. It felt like a great place to recharge our batteries after a few exhausting days in the big city.
Aside from resting, we did do some activities in the area. We went to a national park that had several waterfalls we were able to swim in. The waters where filled with different sized fish that started nibbling on you if you stopped moving. Everyone that has tried "doctor fish" knows the feeling except for that it is in the wild and the fish are a lot bigger.
On our way home from the waterfalls we drove by a gorgeous area that had a big natural pond in it. The setting sun made it quite the postcard view. The area that in some parts is basically a swamp made it difficult to drive, and of course my dad (who is not the best driver) got stuck in the mud and had to get help from a dozens of people. In the end the truck was pulled out of the mud.
The next day we went to Rayong and to the extremely long beach they have there. With the view of Koh Samet and the lack of tourists it made it a very nice place to spend the day. My dad's friend Anders also came with us, and he brought his kite and made us try kite surfing. It is much harder than it looks and we never tried to go out on the water. Although after an hour of practice we could fly the kite used for surfing.
After another day of rest we were on our way again. We left Klaeng for Aranya Prathet that is a town right on the border to Cambodia. It is the home of my grandmother and my uncle Chin, who looks so much like Jackie Chan that even his kids think so. I had not been in the city and seen my grandmother for about 12 years, and it was very overwhelming to revisit everyone and the city again. We spent the day with my two cousins, Gataj (Rabbit) and Gatok (the sound a chicken makes). They took us to a huge market right on the border and then to Gataj's workplace, a radio station. Her boyfriend is the DJ there and Emily requested a Jack Johnson song for her brother Nathan who is turning 21. Happy birthday!
The last few days have brought back a lot of memories and emotions which our next destination undoubtedly will as well. The second of my "home countries," Cambodia.
Haha, awesome journey! I've been reading everything, just haven't commented for a while. We're in Paris now at your other grandmother's home. Seems like the Thai grandmother is in better shape than our Cambodian grandmother. Which cousin is the rabbit?