Thailand
Further way of our expedition goes through hot, bright and wet Thailand or, to be precise, that fifth of Thailand that lies in the Malay Peninsula and is covered with rainforests, typical for this climate. That is why, especially now, in the rainy period, this place is wet, bright and hot.
The oldest culture traces discovered in Thailand were these of Mon civilization in the central part of the country; it also has brought Buddhism and Indian traditions here. Part of Thai comes from Chinese Southeastern mountainous provinces, such as Yunnan and Guizhou. Around 12th century also Eastern Khmer culture and the one of kingdom Srivijaya have met here. This is also how local cuisine has been formed: by keeping, developing and mixing all the best from all the neighboring cultures. Mostly, it is Indian and Chinese cuisine based on the variety of Southeastern fruits and vegetables. This is also the reason why there is no dairy products in Thai cuisine. There are five mixed tastes in every dish: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and spicy, which is achieved by adding lot of fresh herbs that are usually being dried to become spices. Of course, there is rice in every meal and fresh fruits served after the main course. Fresh fruits plates might include also durian, which, with its wonderful taste and awful smell, deserves the name of the most exotic eatable plant in the Southeast.
All these goods are being grown both in these 30% of the country taken by agricultural lands with cultivated rice mostly and 60% taken by rainforests. There are 80 national parks and 32 natural sites in Thailand, all together they cover 13% of the territory. Cays and beaches of Thailand also have very fragile ecological balance that is now being destroyed by massive tourism; this is what also Alex Garland in his “Beach” was talking about. How ironic is that its filming took place at one of Thai islands, hence, actively participating in the mentioned destroying and even raising the piquet of local “greens”. However, wandering through the jungle, it is still possible to find some places, if not untouched by a human, then at last resort, places where the nature is ignoring him. At least in such small amounts. Tropical rainforests are full with plants and animals, most of which, four-legged, reptiles or birds are able not only to jump but also to fly and crawl since the threes here are located at several levels.
Thailand, comparing to two of the previous countries of our expedition transit, is completely civilized and modern. This also is the place every respectable tourist or even a backpacker has visited at least once during his trip to the East coast of the Pacifics. However, not only great beaches, perfect weather and well-developed nightclubs infrastructure, but also local culture: refined, fragile architecture, Buddhist temples and publicly available national celebrations, are responsible for its popularity. Nowadays, traveler’s attitude towards Thailand is mostly biased: it is either shallow consuming of its beauty or arrogant ignoring of it, due to the popularity and, thus, overcrowding reason.
Its capital city Bangkok with its eight millions of inhabitants, not to count the vast amount of visitors, is one of the highest and also most polluted cities of Asia. Bangkok is located on the east bank of Chao Phraya River, and is divided by the railway in two: old city, body of temples and historical monuments, and new city on the other side of the railway. Bangkok is the main hub of the country; hence, it is nearly impossible to pass by it. Our expedition is going to visit it, too. This city is also known as paradise for transvestites, transsexuals and prostitutes. On the other hand, Thailand is also a kingdom and a Buddhist land; that is why, irrespective of any kind of business, locals have two holy things: Royal family and religion. Abusing of anything entailed with these two sacred cows leads to severe punishments for anyone, including foreigners. As it is common in the East, some seemingly incompatible things are living along in very narrow frames. In a way, it comes from eastern ability to see the things about the man and mankind all in all, instead of embedding in details as it is habitual for a western person.
Elizabete Neimiseva for enduroadventure.lv