The week we were traveling in Bangkok just happened to be the week of Hanukkah, but none of us were getting in the holiday spirit. We had no candles to light, and no one to celebrate with. We also didn’t have a kitchen to prepare latkes in. So, my Mom searched online to see if there was any Jewish community having a Chanukah party nearby. It just so happened that there was a Chanukah Party hosted by the Chabad community in Bangkok. So we went, all dressed up in our nice clothes, and were warmly greeted by many Israeli expats. The party certainly got us in the holiday mood. We feasted on Israeli and Thai food, and chatted away with the friendly people that surrounded us. It was a great night and we got a free Menorah and enough candles to last us the week. Starting then I would go up to the balcony every day and light the candles.
On our, (I think), third day in Bangkok, it was bike for dad day. Everybody wore lemon yellow and light blue shirts, that said ‘Bike for Dad’ on them, and lot’s of roads were closed of to let the myriad of bikers pass through in the evening. Now you might think that bike for Dad is a sort of fathers day celebration, that’s what we thought. But it’s not. People weren’t biking for there actual fathers, they were biking for the King, whom they call ‘Dad’. I laughed a bit when I wondered what it would be like to call our President dad. Thai people love their King. At shows and movie theaters, you have to stand and listen to a song about the king before the show starts, and my dad said that someone is facing a jail sentence for disrespecting the King’s dog! Freedom of speech sure doesn’t exist in Thailand! A quick fun fact about the King of Thailand: He is the longest reigning monarch, having ruled since June 9,1946.
Early on in our week in Bangkok, we went to visit the Jaded Buddha at a big temple. It was breathtaking, intricate glass mosaic covered almost every surface of the buildings, and everything else was painted gold. I was almost blinded by the brilliant light reflecting off the buildings. Yanai and I entered the main praying building, and tried to meditate next to the Jaded Buddha. When you go to pray next to the Buddha, you have to point your toes away from the statue, because the toes are considered the lowliest part of the body, and should not be pointed towards the Buddha. Statues of different gods were everywhere, which is a big difference from Judaism, where your not aloud to make a statue of god. We very ‘smartly’ decided to go to the temple in the heat of the day, and after an hour of admiring the buildings we were all drenched with sweat. So we exited the temple, and headed to Kawassan. A haven for Israeli travelers and expats. I felt like I had been teleported to Israel as soon as we arrived. A majority of the signs were in hebrew, and Mediterranean restaurants surrounded us on every side of the street. We sat down in a nice cafe for a good Israeli launch, before my Mom, and brothers left to Kidzania. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but it is basically a utopia for kids, where you can get fake money, fake jobs, and so forth. While my dad and I toured the rest of Kawassan. Food and merchandise stalls littered the streets, and there were so many massage shops it was overwhelming. But the mood was happy and cheerful, and everyone there had a smile on there face. I highly recommend visiting Kawassan, it is a great place to visit in the afternoon. But it becomes a party central at night… It is also a great place to by cheap backpackers gear!
We left Bangkok, and flew into Phuket. A beautiful vacation island. We were immediately taken back by the calmness of the island. After just becoming accustomed to the chaotic city. We spent a week lounging on the beach, and next to the pool with our friends, the Cohen's, who are also traveling the world. The luxurious ended as quickly as a summer breeze, and we were soon whisked of again of Krabi. Krabi is a much more lively place than Phuket and is one of my favorite places in Thailand. We stayed just outside the town, in Aonang, in a lovely little hotel. It had a multitude of cottages and a big pool to swim in. We met two different lovely families there, one from the Netherlands visiting Thailand on winter break, and another family from California, who also happened to be traveling for the year. It was lot’s of fun playing with them, and I was glad to put my social skills to work. Our favorite spot in Krabi was Railley beach. This beach had white sands and clear water. We spent two whole days there, and never got bored. One side of the beach is beautiful, and perfect for swimming. The other side is not so good for swimming, the water is muddy and dirty. But the rocks there are perfect for rock climbing! Which we did on our second visit to the beach. We came just at the ended of the day, so we only had time for 3-4 climbs before the tide came up too high. But I don’t think we would have managed more anyway. After my fourth climb my fingers were twitching and my muscles were cramped. Climbing on real rocks is a lot harder than climbing on man made climbing walls! We also went fishing of the coast of Railley, my brothers caught three huge fish. The were long like spears, with strong jaws and teeth like daggers. I was a bit more hesitant to go swimming after that, knowing those fish were lurking somewhere nearby. These activities were all fun, but the icing on the cake was definitely scuba diving. On one of our last days in Krabi, we all piled into a boat, with a group of other people and went to two different doing spots. My dad and I, and all the other people on the boat were going diving, while my mom and brothers were gong to snorkel. I was scared to go diving, because I had done it before in a swimming pool and I remembered the experience as uncomfortable and extremely frightening. But I was pleasantly surprised. Diving wasn’t at all as I remembered it, half the time I even forgot I was underwater. Only to be reminded by the stinging of floating plankton. I marveled the wonderful sights under water. Huge schools of fish, coral in every color of the rainbow and Nemo (clown fish) swimming in the sea anemone. The only thing I saw that really frightened me was a huge moray eel with an angry look on his face. I swam in the opposite direction, pulling my instructor with me. Diving was a very enjoyable experience, and I am excited to go diving again sometime soon, maybe even get a license!
On our, (I think), third day in Bangkok, it was bike for dad day. Everybody wore lemon yellow and light blue shirts, that said ‘Bike for Dad’ on them, and lot’s of roads were closed of to let the myriad of bikers pass through in the evening. Now you might think that bike for Dad is a sort of fathers day celebration, that’s what we thought. But it’s not. People weren’t biking for there actual fathers, they were biking for the King, whom they call ‘Dad’. I laughed a bit when I wondered what it would be like to call our President dad. Thai people love their King. At shows and movie theaters, you have to stand and listen to a song about the king before the show starts, and my dad said that someone is facing a jail sentence for disrespecting the King’s dog! Freedom of speech sure doesn’t exist in Thailand! A quick fun fact about the King of Thailand: He is the longest reigning monarch, having ruled since June 9,1946.
Early on in our week in Bangkok, we went to visit the Jaded Buddha at a big temple. It was breathtaking, intricate glass mosaic covered almost every surface of the buildings, and everything else was painted gold. I was almost blinded by the brilliant light reflecting off the buildings. Yanai and I entered the main praying building, and tried to meditate next to the Jaded Buddha. When you go to pray next to the Buddha, you have to point your toes away from the statue, because the toes are considered the lowliest part of the body, and should not be pointed towards the Buddha. Statues of different gods were everywhere, which is a big difference from Judaism, where your not aloud to make a statue of god. We very ‘smartly’ decided to go to the temple in the heat of the day, and after an hour of admiring the buildings we were all drenched with sweat. So we exited the temple, and headed to Kawassan. A haven for Israeli travelers and expats. I felt like I had been teleported to Israel as soon as we arrived. A majority of the signs were in hebrew, and Mediterranean restaurants surrounded us on every side of the street. We sat down in a nice cafe for a good Israeli launch, before my Mom, and brothers left to Kidzania. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but it is basically a utopia for kids, where you can get fake money, fake jobs, and so forth. While my dad and I toured the rest of Kawassan. Food and merchandise stalls littered the streets, and there were so many massage shops it was overwhelming. But the mood was happy and cheerful, and everyone there had a smile on there face. I highly recommend visiting Kawassan, it is a great place to visit in the afternoon. But it becomes a party central at night… It is also a great place to by cheap backpackers gear!
We left Bangkok, and flew into Phuket. A beautiful vacation island. We were immediately taken back by the calmness of the island. After just becoming accustomed to the chaotic city. We spent a week lounging on the beach, and next to the pool with our friends, the Cohen's, who are also traveling the world. The luxurious ended as quickly as a summer breeze, and we were soon whisked of again of Krabi. Krabi is a much more lively place than Phuket and is one of my favorite places in Thailand. We stayed just outside the town, in Aonang, in a lovely little hotel. It had a multitude of cottages and a big pool to swim in. We met two different lovely families there, one from the Netherlands visiting Thailand on winter break, and another family from California, who also happened to be traveling for the year. It was lot’s of fun playing with them, and I was glad to put my social skills to work. Our favorite spot in Krabi was Railley beach. This beach had white sands and clear water. We spent two whole days there, and never got bored. One side of the beach is beautiful, and perfect for swimming. The other side is not so good for swimming, the water is muddy and dirty. But the rocks there are perfect for rock climbing! Which we did on our second visit to the beach. We came just at the ended of the day, so we only had time for 3-4 climbs before the tide came up too high. But I don’t think we would have managed more anyway. After my fourth climb my fingers were twitching and my muscles were cramped. Climbing on real rocks is a lot harder than climbing on man made climbing walls! We also went fishing of the coast of Railley, my brothers caught three huge fish. The were long like spears, with strong jaws and teeth like daggers. I was a bit more hesitant to go swimming after that, knowing those fish were lurking somewhere nearby. These activities were all fun, but the icing on the cake was definitely scuba diving. On one of our last days in Krabi, we all piled into a boat, with a group of other people and went to two different doing spots. My dad and I, and all the other people on the boat were going diving, while my mom and brothers were gong to snorkel. I was scared to go diving, because I had done it before in a swimming pool and I remembered the experience as uncomfortable and extremely frightening. But I was pleasantly surprised. Diving wasn’t at all as I remembered it, half the time I even forgot I was underwater. Only to be reminded by the stinging of floating plankton. I marveled the wonderful sights under water. Huge schools of fish, coral in every color of the rainbow and Nemo (clown fish) swimming in the sea anemone. The only thing I saw that really frightened me was a huge moray eel with an angry look on his face. I swam in the opposite direction, pulling my instructor with me. Diving was a very enjoyable experience, and I am excited to go diving again sometime soon, maybe even get a license!