For me Thailand is a country with a strong culture, religion, open and friendly people and beautiful and totally different landscape. Bangkok is international, noisy, smells, friendly, touristic on some parts, crowded, full of pollution, but just wonderful and definitely worth to see. Here I try to resume most of my impressions:

Food

People are out of the streets, selling food, flowers and merchandising. I guess 50℅ of the Thais are cooking and the other half part is eating. They don't have the fixed meal time that we have, they're eating the hole day small portions. In the morning they eat a meal we would eat at lunchtime (noodle soup or rice and chicken) but always very spicy. Thank my forgetfulness of explaining to get a less spiciy meal, I mostly eat the same degree of spiciness then they eat - good exercise for India :-)

The back alleys were most interesting for me, because here I saw how different, simple and open people live. When they saw me, they mostly smiled or were curious. It seems as the time has stopped, rough and rotten, but still had a row charme. Once in the evening I passed some elder Thai people who had a guitar and sang songs and invited me. I can really tell, they are so open minded and overwhelming friendly.

Ideal of beauty

The Thai people love colours and cheerful and more feminine things. I often thought of Sailor Moon or other Comic programms we know in Europe. Also in advertising the men, so the ideal of beauty, looks quite feminine and soft. The ideal of Thai women is definetely young, cheerful and a bit lolita. Having a fair skin is pretty. Once I asked the worker of the hostel (a young women from Burma) about that issue and she took me right a away into that bathroom to show me on my face how the white colouring works. She also said it protect the skin from spots. In the end she gave it to me as a present. Really nice, even though I was only interested in the way and don't want to colour my face into white up to now :-D

King, relgion and behaviour

The King in Thailand is very important for them, they admire him and put a picture in almost every place. He is the voice of the society, take effort into the poor people. Thais talk of their love for him as though he were a cherished member of the family.

Most of the Thais are Buddhist and pray every day. Once I was on a trainstation a couple of monks saw me alone wating for the train and were curious. They tried to speak with me severial times but I can not understand Burmese. But I found it nice they were so interested in a foreign person.

Fortunately the education of a lot Thais isn't so advanced and they speak not or only very less english. Nevertheless, I tried to communicate and find out more about them, which they liked.

Politics

Currently Thailand is politically very interesting, because the democrats are outraged of a new corrupt law which possibly affect the corrupt priminster of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra who is at the moment in exile.

So I saw them protesting, listend to conversation and saw news so I can tell that a lot of Thais are interested in politics. People from a all around the country came to Bangkok to demonstrate for the "anti-government protest" against the corruption of the current government. I was impressed by this well organised demonstration within sleeping option, free food for every one, a lot of volunteers and especially of the massiv number of politic active people in every age.

Toilet

Actually there is one issue I haven't written about so far but deserve an own entry basically. And its about the Asia toilet. There are different steps: one is an quite europe toilette plus a shower head. They don't use toilet paper. If you use it, don't throw it in the toilet, otherwise it will back up! By the way, toilet and shower isn't seperated.

Then there are these funny kind of toilet where you squat on a pedestal. The worst thing what can happen to you is when you only have an hole and a bucket with water.

Traveling

It is so great to organise your trip by yourself instead of walking to this booking agencies which you have a plenty of. Take the local bus, train or ferry to understand, watch and get in contact with the locals. It is so much fun and an adventure.

My way from Chumpon to Bangkok took me 5h Ferry+ 8h train + 9h waiting time which you can archieve in a couple of hours but it was worth it. I saw beautiful Coconut and banana plantation, little tribes, cows on the tracks and had an train accident and met a very nice Thai women. Of course it takes more time, but if you have it, then go for that option!

Travelling alone made me open to meet totally different kind of people from all around the world. Starting from a Thai men who explained me the system and the vegetarian activism, a very nice young german women who will first run the BKK marathon and then run 200km through Cambodia with a small backpack until to a crazy Australian surviver, dreamer and ex junkee (if you read this, please be not mad with me) and of course my Russian kite surf instructor friend, who is just great :-)

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These are most of my impressions of my 16 day trip. So probably I wrote something wrong or got an uncorrect opinion. The time was just too short and I definitely want to come back to see the north of Thailand.

The south part was just amazing beautiful but Bangkok hit me. What's more interesting for me is a different culture, than typically touristic or holiday places. I mean seeing the underwaterwolrd also broaden my horizons and I want to know more about the animals, water seasons and influences.

In fact I would love to do a south east Asia trip now. But I will stick to my Australia plan :-) Life is long enough!

Spend out money: 18000 Baht/420€

Time of stay: 16 days

Places: Bangkok, Hua Hin, (Chumpon), Ko Tao

Accommodation: guesthouse, hostel, bungalow, nightferry

Activies: klongtour, motor bike tour, mountain bike trip, snorkel, Temple, demonstration of the democrats, lots of Thai massage and fish spa, experience in special Thai food

Next: Australia, Brisbane