First Few Days in Kata
The periods of hard rain has aided in our recovery of jet lag after arriving to our guesthouse at 530 AM on the first "night". Our guesthouse owner, Terje, was to send us a taxi much cheaper than what is offered at the airport. But due to a misunderstanding from our side, our taxi never showed up thinking that we were not going to be there for another 24 hours. Somehow Dan was able to call Terje and he told us just to find the cheapest taxi we could. Yesterday morning we woke up at 5 AM (6PM North Carolina time) and grogged our way through the rest of the day, ending with a long nap before Dino Park mini-golf. The concoction of cheap rum, sprite, and pineapple juice we had the night before with some travelers we met through our guesthouse also did not help our jet lag. But it was really enjoyable. We snatched some chairs on the beach and talked about travels and their experiences as teachers in Korea until the high tide shooed us away.
Dan and I have decided that Kata is a decent introduction into Thailand. Truly a tourist destination, the streets are filled with overpriced foods of Italian, German, and Russian nationalities. Not exactly the Thai food mecca we had hoped for. Only one restaurant appeals to our budget. We have eaten there twice and our waitress asked us today if we work in Thailand. We are trying to speak Thai, so we can become more confident and better at it for our hopeful less touristy travels. But a couple of times now we have met people working in restaurants or info desks that do not even speak Thai. So, it is not quite Thailand just yet. The beautiful sunsets, the waves crashing on the soft beaches, some of the smiles we receive are hints of what is to come for us.
Kata has taught us what is not Thai, which is important to know. All of the bags, dresses, purses, wooden carved elephants are filled with bright colors and everything Thai cliche a tourist can hope for. A lesson I learned in Germany from the Bavarian clocks and Smoking Men was that the more colorfully painted (and probably made in China) items were for the tourists. True Bavarian work used more natural colors. Though not a ubiquitous lesson, everything in Thailand screams colors of life, it is still something to think about. What is Thai, and what is done-up for the tourists?
We are here to have a true Thai experience. I believe we will. But for now we are in tourist central and near some world class surfing apparently. And tasty fruits.
Dan and I have decided that Kata is a decent introduction into Thailand. Truly a tourist destination, the streets are filled with overpriced foods of Italian, German, and Russian nationalities. Not exactly the Thai food mecca we had hoped for. Only one restaurant appeals to our budget. We have eaten there twice and our waitress asked us today if we work in Thailand. We are trying to speak Thai, so we can become more confident and better at it for our hopeful less touristy travels. But a couple of times now we have met people working in restaurants or info desks that do not even speak Thai. So, it is not quite Thailand just yet. The beautiful sunsets, the waves crashing on the soft beaches, some of the smiles we receive are hints of what is to come for us.
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| Also, we found a Subway that serves curry dishes |
Kata has taught us what is not Thai, which is important to know. All of the bags, dresses, purses, wooden carved elephants are filled with bright colors and everything Thai cliche a tourist can hope for. A lesson I learned in Germany from the Bavarian clocks and Smoking Men was that the more colorfully painted (and probably made in China) items were for the tourists. True Bavarian work used more natural colors. Though not a ubiquitous lesson, everything in Thailand screams colors of life, it is still something to think about. What is Thai, and what is done-up for the tourists?
We are here to have a true Thai experience. I believe we will. But for now we are in tourist central and near some world class surfing apparently. And tasty fruits.
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