We’re completely changing provinces and environments.
Our good luck lets us quickly find a taxi driver who turns out to be unforgettable.
Phason is quite the character: a Christian among Buddhists, a deadpan joker among the ever-smiling, and someone who doesn’t forget you once your back is turned.
He called us half a dozen times after we parted ways, just to check in. There was definitely a mutual connection—no doubt about it. Without going into all the details, you could say fate sometimes brings you especially heartwarming people.
We also got lucky with our hotel, with its stunning pool, tropical garden setting, and absolutely exceptional breakfast for the country. Sometimes, the choice isn’t so fortunate.
We mostly run into American and Spanish tourists. Almost all Westerners, especially those aged 18–25, are noticeably overweight and oversized—there’s clearly both a public health and behavioral issue here. What we saw was striking and concerning.
It’s one of our conversation topics as we lounge under the palm trees, enjoying a well-deserved break after a year of work and this long trip.
One morning, Phason picks us up in front of the hotel.
We’re completely surprised when, after asking his rate for the day’s program, he replies: "Up to you."
Okay, it’s the low season, and he knows it’ll be more profitable than a typical day of errands, but letting us set the price? Especially since we can’t estimate how long the tour will take.
We settle on the lower end of 1000 baht, which doesn’t raise any objections.
Now that we’re well-adjusted to the country, we finally have a good sense of reasonable prices for services, which helps keep our budget from disappearing unnecessarily.
Of course, sticking to fair prices is easier in the off-season...
We start, of course, with a morning homage to Buddha, discovering a temple nearing completion.
Temple renovations and constructions are everywhere in Thailand.
Sometimes a color theme is chosen—here, it’s blue.
The whole thing has some obvious psychedelic vibes, though you might question this shift toward the spectacular.
It’s very human: in trying too hard to honor one’s god or prophet, we build grand monuments they likely wouldn’t have wanted, since their message was elsewhere.
We also notice that while some structures are still in their early stages, others that are finished are already showing early signs of wear.
But the interior, with the large white Buddha, the background music, and the paintings reminiscent of 1970s rock album covers, is very aesthetic.
It’s lovely in the Kingdom of Siam to wander through the countryside and lush green hills. Our beautiful day unfolds with Phason’s humor as our guide.
With views of statues carved into rock, the river, villages
populated by ethnic minorities, a hot spring, and a forest stream.
It’s far less pleasant to see elephants spending yet another day with their baskets and short chains. Here’s hoping there’s further progress in raising awareness. And may the villagers managing this find another source of income. Either way, no photos of that.
After enjoying a good locally produced coffee mixed with milk and honey, we visit a Chinese temple built atop a hill. On a clear day, it has real charm.
Nice touch: free pineapple distribution—you can even pick yours, and they’ll cut it for you. Thais are really something!
The day’s program took longer than expected, so we increase Phason’s pay to avoid taking shameless advantage of him, and he leaves satisfied.
All that’s left is to recharge with some vitamins—a green curry that’ll make the gentleman sweat and cashew chicken that’ll delight the lady.
