Talk about Tourism

You know how people say sometimes you don’t know what you have until it’s gone? Well in our case we didn’t realize how pure and untraveled Indonesia was until we left. Coming to Thailand was a bit of a shock after spending the majority of the first half of our trip in Indonesia and Malaysia; not to say that is a bad thing, just very different.

I knew Thailand was well traveled and more developed, but I did not know the extent of it. So far we have spent just under two weeks in southern Thailand checking out both the west and east coast islands and beaches. Railay has been my favorite so far, partly because it’s the only beach we had multiple sunny days and partly because of its beautiful beaches and rock formations. Phi Phi on the other hand was a different story. Just when I thought Railay was pretty well developed for its size I was proved very wrong. Phi Phi managed to develop every bit of land in order to accommodate multiple shops, 7-11’s, bars, and restaurants (western style). We actually had to make an effort to find authentic Thai food. Koh Tao off of the east coast is quite developed, but does not have that “spring break,” im just here to get drunk feel to it. Kevin and I managed to do some diving there as well which was enjoyable. The weather on the other hand had been rainy and not so enjoyable so we felt it was time to leave the beaches and head for the mainland.

Traveling in Thailand has also been the opposite of Indonesia and Malaysia in a sense that it is greatly focused and oriented to tourism. It is almost impossible not to use travel packages for transportation and activities. So far the majority of the transportation we have taken, the activities we have participated in, and the places we have eaten at have all been occupied by tourists only. We found ourselves having to adjust to this and missing the things we thought we would never miss in Indonesia.

Looking back on Indonesia I realize now how unspoiled it really is, especially Sulawesi. It is hard to find fast food chains, the prices of food and goods are not affected by tourism inflation, people are genuinely nice and there and few touts to be bothered by. In Indonesia you are also forced to be immersed in their culture, learn their language, and interact with locals. The unpredictability and the difficulty of traveling in a more remote area was frustrating at the time, but after leaving and beginning to travel in a country that makes everything accessible I’ve realized how great it was to let go of what I knew and was familiar with to experience something new and exciting.

I hope this all doesn’t come out the wrong way; I have enjoyed my time in Thailand so far and look forward to continuing our journey. It has been really nice to have access to some of the luxuries we were missing for the past couple of months. The new cuisine, with a variety of flavors and types of dishes has been more than wonderful; the staple “sup ayam” (chicken soup) and “nasi gorang” (fried rice) was beginning to get a bit old and jaded in our minds. Traveling and seeing the “backpacker” trail is also an experience in itself that should not, and I don’t think can be avoided. Southern Thailand has been relaxing and enjoyable, but I think I am ready for my next adventure as we head north.