BID no. 36 - Visit every continent

a) Asia

- check!

Between the 16:th-23:rd of janary 2011, I spent a wonderful week in Thailand. Our hotel was situated in the province of Phuket just outside Patong, on Tri Trang Beach and had all the luxuries we could ever want for our vacation. Most of all I wished for sun and solitude, and got plenty of it!

At the wonderful beach close to our hotel we spend many hours just relaxing and reading our books, when not taking a bath in the perfectly tempered waters of Andaman Sea.

We also got our fair share of shopping while visiting Thailand. Patong offered an enormous smorgasbord of "all you can want, as cheap as you can knock it down". To go with all the shopping, there was also motors-bikes and tuk-tuks everywhere, and all the noice this mess of different sounds made! It sure felt good to return to the hotel at night.

I learned that the thai-people are very friendly and very caring, but also that the business of tourism and the wish to reach the "american standard" (this standard you can read about just about anywhere in any kind of commercial or ad) is about to create a problem for the people, as new way of life is so contradictory to their main religion (95% buddhism in Thailand) that states that "the less you have, the richer you are". This contradiction is starting to show already in behaviour created by the tip for service, which is soon to be mandatory if you are to get any service at all in the end.

Buddhism for me is the only way to maintain this world, so it made me a bit anxious about the future. I fear that (at least the south of) Thailand is already over exploited and due to be left by the tourists (their greatest soruce of income) if this carousel isn't to be stopped and reversed.

The wonderful hotel Merlin Beach Resort and its beautiful surroundings

 

101 Things Before You Die

6 februari 2011 19:14

I've had friends visit Thailand and say similar things to you. That its a beautiful country but very crowded and congested by the Tuk-tuks. Interesting about how the tip is pretty much "required" to get service, rather than given after based on the quality of service.

http://101thingsbeforeyoudie.com

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