The king of the region - Thailand

Thailand has an actual king called Rama IX and people love and respect him a lot. The title of this post, of course, is not referring to this king. 

Reclining Buddha in Wat pho temple

Thailand seems like the king of the peninsula. Major producer and exporter of goods to the surrounding countries especially Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. A huge capital city full of skyscrapers, rural areas on the north of the country, amazing beaches on the south, islands and the list go on. No wonder why it receives the most tourists.

Brother Eli in Wat Pho

Bangkok wasn't the place for me but i went there from Cambodia on 31 March to meet Eli and play some music. Just before i arrived i found out that busking is illegal and we would have to find some places to play.

Eli was waiting me at Tsahi's apartment where i was welcome to stay as well. Those were the good news. The bad news were that the area was quite developed with many westerns working and living around.  Even though i was enjoying Eli's and Tsahi's (whenever he wasn't working) company, Bangkok is really  not a place for me. 

View from 26th floor of  Tsahi's apartment

We were thinking to leave soon and go to the north when my ex-flatmate Ennio advised me to do an one-week thai massage course as i m there. I didn't have money to do it but Ennio wanted to offer it to me. After little thinking i decided to do it. Learning is always welcome. I had to stay one more week alone in Bangkok but i thought it would be ok as most of my day would be full of learning.

The course started and I made a nice new friend from Japan called Shin. Japanese people are so nice and interesting. The teachers and the rest of classmates were also very nice.

Wat pho graduates

Thai massage is quite interesting actually and once you start you realize that it is not used for relaxation. Rather for pain relief, flexibility, release of blocked energy and the list goes on. It looks to me like yoga where the masseur does everything for you. One week after i finished i can say that i can give some good massage and i kept practicing the last 20 days giving massages every 3-4 days. 

My first "customer" after the massage course, in Mercy hostel, Chiang Rai

Thank you Ennio for this amazing gift. 

The last day in Bangkok i met with Xia a young and crazy Chinese that came recently for holidays in Greece and we spent a nice half day together talking and joking together with a thai girl that would  host her.

I took a night bus to Chiang Mai  hoping i will catch another bus to Pai. It was new year coming in Thailand and all the buses were full so for Pai i had to wait 3-4 hours. I decided to stay in Chiang Mai but i only stood it for 2 hours as it is quite touristic and westernized  I went back to bus station and asked about Pai but the next bus would be at night. The next best option was Chiang Rai so i just took the bus to there thinking to relax there 3 days and move to Laos afterwards. Chiang Rai looked quite ok and the new hostel i stayed at could claim to be the best hostel i have ever stayed in (and trust i ve been in many - only some in Portugal could compare with it).

Mercy hostel - I put my stamp on the wall

First day in Chiang Rai i visited the Chiang Rai "beach". It is nice riverfront were locals go to swim, eat and relax.

Chiang Rai beach

The day finished with a visit in the Saturday market where while walking i heard this amazing music and i rushed to check it out... An Instrument made of  bamboos called Angklung. I was just sitting and watching with my mouth open for 20 minutes before the guy proposed me to give it a try :).

Amazing Angklung 

There was live music to celebrate the new year. Thai people dance a lot.... a lot. Funny dancing moves usually in a moving circle and I stayed there dancing for 3 hours with them while calling in the dance every foreigner ... Big party...

Danceeeeee

The next day i relaxed in the city and didn't visit the white temple as I was thinking the previous day as it was 15 km away... The same night I was in the night market were some guys were playing some traditional music... It reminded me a lot of Ross Daly's music creations and after they finished we had a conversation that led to a beautiful night playing music and eating in the music school they teach. Very talented musicians all of them.

Art with his sueng and Wasin with my mandolin

That night back in the hostel, I had a new roommate Adeline and I told her i would go next day to visit the White temple if she wanted to join. Next morning we hope in the bus that was late already 20 minutes and while it was having another stop for 5 minutes we funnily decided to rent a moto and do it faster and go around in other places too. We went down the bus while the driver was not understanding what we do and in 15 minutes we were in the white temple.

I have seen many temples in my life and in this trip even more (probably more than a hundred) but this temple is something you must see. It is not really a temple. I would rather describe it an art exhinition inspired and financed by a genious called Chalermchai Kositpipat.

Chalermchai Kositpipat and me

It is one of the most beautiful artistic things i have ever seen and it is even free (we even had four types of teas for free). I dont want to say much as the pictures talk. I will just say that inside the temple where we couldn't take photos it was also incredible and you should google it to see.

After this excitement early in the morning, the day was expected to be a great one. And it was :)

We got wet and dry at least 10 times when driving as the tradition for new year is to splash gallons of water to everybody on the street but it was fun.

The dreamhouse.... (I don't want your luxury)

Adeline with some village women. I actually bought this colorful bottle cover

Fishing time

And the living is easy

The most happy elephant i saw so far. He was let free of his duties to enloy some food

Rice rice rice

The next day 14th of April was the day i had to leave Thailand so I crossed the borders to Huay Xai in Laos where I arrived totally wet as the water thing there is much more hardcore.