Launching a new initiative!

Greetings and cheers to all from beautiful Singapore, where I’ve now lived for a year. I just returned from a month living in Metro Manila, Philippines. I’m planning to continue writing about my travels with a different eye — instead of insisting on my typical perfection, I’ll focus on the content you want to see! That’s simply going to be outlining key takeaways and experiences, ensuring concise but informative articles, and including a variety of countries/topics are covered.

While I work to bring this new structure to Debonair Globetrotter, I’ve launched a new initiative that I’m excited to share! Vege2Table will be a new focused site highlighting health benefits of various plant-based foods. Vege2Table will include reviews of foods and tools to help incorporate plant-based whole foods into your diet, as well as recipes and research. It’s focus will be on helping everyone — vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters alike — to incorporate more plant-based whole foods for better nutrition, energy, and perhaps even weight-loss.

I hope you’ll continue to enjoy my travel adventures as I recommit to this journal of my stories. So many have insisted I should write more about these experiences since I truly have a unique lens and try to take each for the value it adds to my life, in good times and bad times. And, I hope you’ll follow my new initiative, Vege2Table, to learn more about how you can live a healthier life with a diet rich in plant-based whole foods.

Getting settled at our all-inclusive resort in Puerto Plata

This is a guest post by Susan Frederickson
Part of a series

My previous blog post covered how we decided on Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic for our vacation destination and the journey there. I left off with our arrival at the Bluebay Villas Doradas.

Upon arrival, we were very pleased with the first impression of our resort. The lobby was just as it appeared on the website. Open air and modern with a lounge area and bar.

Photo: The lobby of our resort

There were three pools, including one with a swim up bar, and the beach was right behind the resort with a dining area. The resort itself was smaller than most all inclusives which gave it a nice, quaint feeling.

Our room was also pretty nice and clean with a lovely bathroom and shower. The smallest of the three pools, was right outside of our room. That was really convenient to have it there because it was quiet and relaxing. Most people were at the other two pools since they were larger and closer to the amenities. We ended up spending quite a bit of time at the smaller pool since it was so nice and close. There was also a spa right by our room. Neither Matt nor myself are big spa people so we didn’t utilize it during our stay but it seemed to be popular and it was good to have the option.

Photo: (Top) Our bedroom at Bluebay Villas Doradas. (Bottom) The smaller pool that was right outside of our room.

By the time we arrived and  got all settled into our room, it was mid afternoon and we were both hungry after a long day of travel. We were told we would have snacks provided and that the refrigerator would be stocked with soda and beer the first day but unfortunately they forgot to stock ours. So we changed and ventured out to find food and refreshments. As soon as we started walking back  toward the main lobby, we were immediately greeted by a staff member who was eager to give us an official tour.

We were hoping to eat at one of the three restaurants advertised. Unfortunately that did not happen the first day though because we learned that there is actually only one restaurant open each night. They rotate the three different menus. Also you had to make reservations very early in order to get a spot. That night, the seafood restaurant was featured but it was booked full by the time we arrived. The other option was a buffet but since we got there just between meal times that was not open yet either. Fortunately the staff lady showed us to the snack bar which was right by the beach.

The selection wasn’t great but I didn’t have super high expectations from what I’d heard about the food at all inclusives. I had salad, fried chicken, and a piece of sketchy looking pizza (at least I think it was pizza). That was enough to fill us up until the buffet opened for dinner. Once we had some food in our stomachs we settled into some beach chairs do a little R&R by the beach. The beach was gorgeous and I could not get over how clear and blue the water was!

Photo: Gorgeous view from the beach of the clear blue water

The only downside of the beach was that it was public which meant literally every five to ten minutes one of the locals would come over to try and sell us something and man, they were relentless! I was a bit surprised at how aggressive they were and how many different things they had to sell. Everything from bracelets, to windchimes, to t-shirts, to hair braiding, massages, manicures, etc. And saying no just once was not enough. They continued coming back multiple times and trying to pursue us to change our mind.

I admittedly was bothered by this a lot more than Matt. He’s great with people and did a good job of politely declining but still making conversation so we weren’t perceived as being rude. The poverty of the country was really eye opening to me and although it was irritating to constantly be approached while trying to relax, I had to remind myself that they were just trying to make a living. And they were all very friendly. One man even gave me a free ankle bracelet which I brought back for Matt’s daughter, Madeline.

Photo: Matt and I at the beach.

After a few hours at the beach we went back to the hotel room to change for dinner. The buffet was definitely better than the snack bar. They had a large variety of food: Pasta, fresh fruit, chicken, soup, salad, potatoes, sandwiches, a wide selection of dessert, etc. It was pretty good overall. The only issue was the bread table had ants crawling on it. That grossed me out a bit 😦 Oh and the wine literally tasted like water mixed with grape juice. We quickly learned that it was worthwhile to purchase one of the branded bottles than drink the wine included in the all inclusive cost.

After dinner we were pretty exhausted from traveling and a long day. We went back to our hotel room to get some shut eye and recharge for Day 2.

Stay tuned to hear about Day 2 in my next blog post.

 

The Journey – How we decided on Puerto Plata and our first day of travel

This is a guest post by Susan Frederickson

My dear friend Tony was kind enough to let me do a series of guest posts about my recent trip to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. For those of you considering an upcoming trip, I hope you find this information useful, whether you are  thinking of vacationing in the Dominican Republic, or even if you have your mind set on somewhere else but have questions about staying at an all inclusive resort, booking excursions, visiting the Caribbean, etc.

For the past three years, at least, I have been saying “This year I am going on vacation!” but inevitably one thing or another comes up and I talk myself out of it.

In the meantime, I’ve watched Tony as he’s  been jet setting around the world and coming back from his trips with awesome stories and pictures. So finally I decided that this was it. I was not going to let any excuse get in my way this year. It was time to make time for my vacation.

My boyfriend, Matt, and I started doing some research on potential vacation destinations. My biggest criteria: somewhere Beachy (and yes beachy is in fact a word)

Although I am from Wisconsin, I still get a bad case of the winter blues each year so I had been dreaming of the beach for months.

Matt’s criteria on the other hand: somewhere adventurous. See Matt and I are pretty much complete opposite and for a lot of reasons that is why we work well together. As you can imagine though when it came to picking a vacation spot, our difference in opinion proved challenging.

We looked up places in Mexico, the Florida Keys, Virgin Islands, and Costa Rica but finally settled on the Dominican Republic for three reasons:

1. We found a really good deal on Living Social (4 nights at an all inclusive + Flight for under $750/person)
2. We’d heard good things about the DR from some of our friends who had been
3. It seemed to be a good middleground of both adventurous and beachy. Not too “commercial” for Matt and it was tropical for me.

We bought our voucher on the Living Social site and booked our travel through the corresponding travel agency, JetSet vacations. We quickly learned why the flight was so cheap: it required us to fly into the Santiago  airport which was two hours from Puerto Plata (and we also had a layover at the NY airport JFK on the way there).

Photo: A very tired looking Matt and I during our layover at JFK. This was at 7am and we had been up for several hours already.

For an extra $60 we were able to book a shuttle from Santiago to our resort through JetSet. This was the part that I was most anxious about to be honest but it turned out to be really easy – well at least on the way there.

Photo: Map of the Dominican Republic. Puerto Plata is North Central on the island. Santiago, where we flew into, is about 2 hours south of there. Lonely Planet

As soon as we walked out of the airport, there was a man with a JetSet sign waiting for us. We gave him our voucher and confirmation number and he led us to our shuttle. Before we got in however, he handed us another slip of paper and informed us that our reservation back from the resort to the airport was not confirmed until we met with our JetSet representative at 9:30am the following morning and got his signature on the ticket.

This was the first I had heard of that part of the deal it and it was a bit off putting considering we paid the $60 and were not told of the caveat ahead of time. Matt and I were both tired though at at that point and just eager to get to our resort so we figured we’d deal with it later. Two other couples were also in the shuttle with us and it had wifi and a/c so I was pretty comfortable.

Driving the two hours through the country was quite interesting. The scenery was GORGEOUS and I was in awe of the mountains, palm trees, and clear blue water. I also noticed they drive a lot of scooters (they even have taxi scooters!), speeding and winding between lanes and passing cars left and right. Our shuttle driver was speedy too, passing other cars via the opposite traffic lane and nearly causing me a heart attack on more than one occasion.

Photo: A picture of some of the beautiful landscape. This was actually taken from a boat ride at a later part of our trip but it illustrates some of the scenery like what we saw on our drive to the resort

Despite the chaotic driving, It all worked out and when we finally got to Puerto Plata (in one piece may I add)  thedriver took us to our destinations. All the resorts are in one gated area of town which was nice because it made me feel more secure. He dropped us off at our resort BlueBay Villas Doradas where our vacation officially began!

 

The Monkey and Sun Temples

Jaipur, the pink city and capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan, was the third stop on my tour of Northern India. Nick and I had already spent considerable time in Delhi and a day in Agra where we saw the Taj Mahal and Fort Agra. Nick became very ill from the water while in Agra, making the car transfer to Jaipur painful for all of us. That Ride could be a post of its own and likely will be one day, videos and all.

We arrived in Jaipur late in the evening of January 29th, 2015. I handled paying the driver and checking into the hotel, considering Nick’s health, and we promptly went to the room for rest. Luckily Nick was able to muster some stamina the next day. Our hotel was just a few blocks from the train station where we walked after eating some breakfast. Our transfers between Delhi and Agra and then Agra and Jaipur were ripe with troubles and we wanted to make sure we didn’t have a repeat on our way back to Delhi, from where we needed to fly out to London that Sunday.

With our tickets secure and the glee of a new city to explore, we negotiated a day around town with an auto rickshaw. He agreed to take us to the Monkey Temple, some local markets, a popular mosque, and a couple of small local attractions we were interested to see. The Monkey Temple, and the Sun Temple we continued onto, ended up being one of our favorite experiences of the entire trip.

We were off from the train station. The auto rickshaw stopped and we bought some gas as a down payment and to ensure the rickshaw actually made it to our destinations. To many, the fact this driver was sitting with a vehicle that had nearly no fuel and had no money on hand seems far fetched but it’s a way of life for many in India. It was yet another reminder of how jaded and disconnected from realities of life many in America can be from time to time, and some perhaps often.

Off we were after the pitstop for the typical crazy, slightly gut-wrenching even for an adventurer like me, transport across an Indian city. Along the way we saw another rickshaw carrying nine (yes, nine!) grade school children. A sight I could only compare to the families riding Vespas in Hanoi. The children were adorable, huddled in the “trunk” and two-seater passenger compartment. I couldn’t help but find myself waving and smiling.

Some time later, the rickshaw finally rolled up to the entrance of the path that led to the Monkey Temple, and the Sun Temple beyond. We were immediately taken back by the quantity and variety of animals “hanging out”. This is pretty typical throughout India, even in major cities like Delhi, but in Jaipur and especially near the path to the temples, a whole new norm formed. Goats, cows, pigs, monkeys, birds, and more. We stopped at a street vendor to purchase some peanuts after taking a few sets of photos.

We hiked the entire trail visiting with hundreds, if not thousands of monkeys, handing out treats all along the way. It was amazing but not completely unexpected that each monkey had its own completely unique personality. There were patterns though. The males were quite aggressive and favored ripping peanuts from one’s hand and running, even if it involved them fighting through other monkeys. The females were timid and calm and almost appreciative as you handed them a peanut. They were more trusting and would sit nearby enjoying the snack. The baby monkeys were shy but would run up unabashedly before deciding they had made the wrong decision, grabbing the peanut and slinking back to safety.

My favorite experience was the point when one of the younger adult females decided she wanted to walk part of the path with me. She grabbed my left pant leg and just walked as though she were accompanying me to a ball or a picnic. A close second was when one of the males outwitted Nick, ran up behind him, and pushed his bag of peanuts to the ground sending them scattering across the path.

We continued forward to the Monkey Temple and then decided to go all the way to the summit of the mountain that the temples peppered. At the top was the Sun Temple. A priestess greeted us, asked us to remove our shoes, performed a few rituals and said a prayer while we ate puffed rice. She then showed us the various shrines, said another prayer, gave us our third eye, and tied a kalava on each of our wrists. We were then welcomed to explore and enjoy the views from the top of the mountain.

As we walked back down the mountainous path I reflected on the experience I had just lived. It was so unique, so other-worldly, so different than anything in the USA, or anywhere in the world I had been (or have been to this day even). It made me understand why so many find India to be a spiritual experience. It wasn’t the only time in India that I had this thought, but it was by far my favorite.

This is how I met the monkeys, hiked the path to the Monkey Temple, continued to the Sun Temple, and received my third eye. It’s an experience I’ll never forget. And, when my kalava fell off some months later, my heart sunk a little as I lost the last physical remnant of the moments I still hold dear.

We ended the night at a dinner at the Peacock Rooftop Restaurant of the infamous Hotel Pearl Palace. The story of the rickshaw driver that took us to the restaurant, waited while we ate (without that being our expectation by any means), and then offered us marijuana is for another day… until then, I’ll always speak highly of Jaipur and especially the day I had hiking to the temples and gaining a little more insight into the essence of humanity.

The Bat of Arenal

Costa Rica was the first Spanish-speaking country I visited. In addition to the gorgeous landscapes and vibrant wildlife, I was looking forward to practicing a bit of my Spanish. I had taken classes for a total of three years. However, because I never had a regular use for speaking, my skills were (and still are) underdeveloped. Landing at the airport and catching a cab, I quickly embraced the slogan of Costa Rica: Pura Vida. Pura Vida literally translates to “pure life” but casually it means “don’t worry about the little thing”.

Our first destination after arriving in Costa Rica was the capital and largest city, San Jose. A later blog can go into the adventures Nick and I had there, and how I learned not every country has the same concept of pedestrian right away. Having spent two nights and one and a half days in San Jose, we were up bright and early on 15 August 2011 to river raft our way to Arenal, an active volcano to the Northwest of San Jose. Breakfast was at 6 am, beans and rice with fruit and eggs, and our van to the river rafting launch location was shortly after.

A fairly quick van ride with out Spanish-speaking driver gave me time to try out some Spanish. We arrived in plenty of time to catch our boat, minus our luggage that needed to be dropped off directly to the Arenal Paraiso Resort & Spa, where we were staying that night. Rafting was the time of our lives, as were many other adventures in Costa Rica. We rafted for hours down rapids that varied in complexity, but all were more rough than the strongest I’d tackled elsewhere. Nick and I only got stuck against a wall or in a downed tree a few times before our entire group of several boats stopped at an island tucked between two branches of the river. We enjoyed a very typical Costa Rican snack—fresh cut pineapple. We chatted with some of the other tourist from places all over the world, but mostly Europe and the United States. Before long we were back in the water for more rafting.

We finished our five hour excursion and, before transferring to our next hotel, again loaded into a van for a ride to late lunch. It was a typical Costa Rican lunch, beans and rice with fruit. We had burned a great bit of energy on the trail, so despite the repeat of breakfast (and snack) we were satisfied. We were then on our way to our next overnight stay.

Finally arriving at Arenal Paraiso, we settled into our private cabin facing the volcano, just steps from natural hot spring pools as well as the not-so-natural pool for swimming. The tropical gardens created a pleasant and calming vibe throughout the campus. After walking the grounds and checking out the amenities, we decided to take the shuttle into La Fortuna, the nearest town, for some dinner and local exploration. A quick massage at one of the local shops reinvigorated us as we headed out to shop around for souvenirs, for activities to do while in the area, and for restaurants that night. We found a bit of everything we were looking to find before shuttling back to the cabin.

By now, we were quite tired and ready for rest. Laying in bed listening to the natural sounds of insects, amphibians, and the breeze was quaint and tranquil. Being the insomniac I am, I was in bed still awake while Nick was fast asleep. The city-dweller I am wasn’t quite ready for the relative silence and complete black that is rural Costa Rica. Then, I saw something flutter about above me. At first I thought it just a hallucination. Then I saw it again, closer this time, just above the bed within which I nestled. My heart began beating aggressively. Suddenly, the creature stirring about above took flight and flew back and forth. I screeched, “There’s a bird in here!” as I pulled the covers over my head and jabbed Nick in one smooth swoop. He jumped up exclaiming, “What!?! What’s going on?”

I pointed in the dark to the creature in the air, barely visible in the near absolute darkness, though the ruffling sounds made it impossible to ignore there was something else in the room. Hopping out of bed, Nick turned on the lights as whatever had flown about apparently landed on a window treatment. Searching the room we discovered the not well hidden location where the creature brought her dramatic dance to a finale. We discovered it was a bat. Not knowing what to do, we grabbed the phone frantically and called the desk thinking they’d send someone over with a net to capture it and take it out of the cabin.

A few minutes later, a guy shows up with nothing but a t-shirt in hand. I thought to myself it might be difficult to catch a bat with a t-shirt, but bats are relatively small, after all, so I ignored this inkling. The hotel employee didn’t speak English but we could tell he wanted to know where the bat was located. We pointed eagerly, ready to be rid of our unwelcome guest. The employee looked, balled up the end of the t-shirt, swung it clobbering the bat and sending it to the ground. Then came two swift stomps.

Horrified by these actions all taking place in such quick succession, I ran into the bathroom and stood in the shower. Nick watched as the bat was thrown to the grass outside the cabin. The man kept asking Nick, “No mas?”, to which Nick had no response, having never learned to speak Spanish. The employee, clearly frustrated by a lack of response, came into the bathroom where I was recovering from not only the trauma of the bat experience but also the horrific treatment the bat received. He asked me, “No mas?”. I quickly acknowledged, “No, no mas!” several times. The man left taking his t-shirt with him. For quite some time, Nick and I sat stunned by the entire ordeal. Finally, we went back to bed.

The next morning, we looked for the bat in the grass where it had been thrown. It was no where to be found. To this day, I don’t know what actually happened to the bat after the assault.

How We Ended Up @ Wat Arun

Nick and I arrived in Bangkok on the evening of 4 July, 2014, with much excitement seeing it was our first trip to Asia. We booked tickets in and two weeks later out of Bangkok but nothing more since we wanted our plans to be fluid. I knew what types of things I wanted to do during this trip: several cities in Thailand, perhaps Cambodia, perhaps a few cities in Vietnam. Needless to say the itinerary was too full for the 15 days we had. I was bound to make the most of our time and I figured we could do that best by showing up with nothing but our computers, an over-sized backpack, and a lot of ambition. Little did we know we’d be thrown a fast curve ball our very first day.

We arrived at Suvarnabhumi (pronounced Sa-wan-a-poom I learned, for those that don’t speak Thai) International Airport as expected but exhausted after 32 hours on planes. We had just flown from Washington, DC to Detroit, MI to Tokyo, Japan, to Bangkok, Thailand. The last leg from Japan to Thailand was the hardest, another 9 hours after just having spent over 14 non-stop hours to get to Japan. That night we wondered the street a bit, jet lagged is an understatement, looking (unsuccessfully) for a bar to grab a drink. We were relatively delirious since neither of us really sleeps on planes and instead ended up crashing at our hotel, the Urbana Sathorn Bangkok, in favor of waking up bright and early for a full day in the light. After all, we weren’t certain how safe the neighborhoods were or who would try to take advantage of us as the new tourists in town. It was also just after the military coup, curfew, and marshal law that had shaken the country just weeks before.

Finally, the 5 July comes and we head out of our hotel room on top of the world, excited to tackle Bangkok after some well deserved sleep. We asked our hotel for advice on sites to see and things to do. We quickly found the reports of the Thai people’s friendliness to be true. They graciously helped us by circling a number of attractions they figured most American/Western tourist would like. Now, I’m not so similar to most American tourists. I prefer to see the culture and people when I travel not the fancy malls and luxury resorts. That’s how I ended up at the JJ Market Bangkok, the locals only mall, that I’ll cover in another post. But the hotel thought we’d enjoy shopping and lunch later at the Siam Center.

After talking to the staff we headed out on foot, crossing many foot bridges that we learned are ubiquitous with Bangkok and it’s highways. We were immediately taken back by the telecom system and how what seemed to be dangerous wires were hung in a haphazard way that could easily result in injury. We pushed forward to the Sky Train since I prefer to use mass transit when available and, beside, these Sky Trains were pretty cool! Arriving at the Siam Center we immediately realized what it was—a massive Western-style luxury mall with all the expected brands. It was beautiful, it was air conditioned (which was nice considering the heat was nearly intolerable even for me), and it had Starbucks. There was a great deal of comfort that it was so similar to much of what you would see in the United States but it wasn’t the experience I was there to seek. We had to go—and we did after wandering a short time and eating some lunch.

By now we were a little antsy and looking to experience Thailand. I noticed a nearby temple, Wat Pathumwanaram Ratchaworawihan, that I wanted to see. Thailand is known for their beautiful Buddhist Temples (or Wat) that date back hundreds and even thousands of years. It was a must-see in my mind and we were off to see it with my usual determination. After dodging some traffic and getting lost in the alleys a few times, that is.

Upon entering the campus of the Wat, we were approached by a man wearing what appeared to be a formal security uniform. He informed us that the Wat was closed for a holiday. We later learned every day in Thailand was a holiday, and the site wasn’t even closed. We’ll get to that…

Luckily for us, he had an alternate plan. We could take a river and canal tour on a private long boat and stop at Wat Arun, one of the oldest and most impressive in the city. We were delighted to be helped by this guard who just sparred us so much planning. We agreed to the plan: tuk tuk to the pier, long boat up the Chao Phraya into the old city canals through “real” Bangkok, stop at the floating market, spend an hour at Wat Arun, then long boat back to the pier. All for just 2,000 baht (about $60) each. Before we knew it we were in a tuk tuk the guard had flagged down and provided instructions in Thai. The tuk tuk sped off with vigor and a bit too much confidence considering the vehicle size.

We twist and turned down highways and then eventually what would be consider alleys, though it was more of mixed pedestrian and motor bike traffic sidewalk. By the time we were in the older part of Bangkok, we were a bit concerned because we had made so many turns and we now appeared to be in a very chaotic area. But to our pleasure we landed right where we had been told by the guard.  A strange pier that had been described as the “local’s pier”, and it definitely just that. The pier was worn but appears safe enough. We paid our 2,000 baht each to a lady behind a tattered folding table. We then boarded a faded long boat that seemed to be once vibrant and colorful. We had two attendants for just us two, a one to one ratio that seemed a bit excessive considering the boat could hold many more.

Nick had brought his professional camera along for the trip and was able to take many amazing photographs as we trekked the river and then local canals. It was amazing in the old city canals the diversity of housing that peppered the waterways. Some of the houses were gorgeous and could be described as complexes or estates. Others were literally not even standing, clearly the shambled remains from what was once a great structure. Yet others were somewhere in between and were a patchwork of makeshift solutions for everyday living. Some of these appeared to house multiple or extend families. Children played along the banks of the canals on outdoor patios overlooking.

Halfway through the boat ride, we stopped at a floating market. Other long boats, plain and without the decor our longboat once touted, pulled up next to us with a variety of wears. Many were similar to what could be found in the night markets on the streets or in shops around town. Since I don’t place much value in items and the prices were steep compared to what could be found elsewhere we passed on buying any trinkets. We did however buy for ourselves and our boat captain a Chang beer that brought a little relaxation as we continued down our route.

Eventually we made it to the renowned Wat Arun. This Buddhist temple has existed in some variation since the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the early kingdom that predates the Siam Kingdom and eventually evolved into modern-day central Thailand. The Wat was gorgeous from afar and reflected the hundreds of years of wear and tear that made it delightfully unique. I was taken back by the gold-roofed buildings surrounding and the statues that peppered the grounds, many of the iconic Buddha. We slowly worked our way to the central spire where we planned to hike up the steep stars to the top for a view the the site and central Bangkok.

Once gaining access to the central spire and upon closer examination, the architecture came to life. The ornate decoration revealed itself to be a cement like product with embedded porcelain. It appeared as though thousand and thousands of vases had been broken into small pieces and each individually selected and inset. Being terribly afraid of heights, I took a deep breathe and began the half hour journey to the top that had at one point bad voyaged daily by monks seeking enlightenment. Several times Nick captured my expression as we pushed forward, each starway more narrow and steep than the last. I grasped the modern handrails that had been installed more recently for safety as I began to worry about the journey down. As difficult as it was to get to the top, I could imagine the way down being even more treacherous.

Having made it this far on our first day in this gorgeous city I wasn’t looking back. We eventually made it to the top and the spectacular views made it worth every moment, reassuring me that I was right to ignore each doubt. The gorgeous roofs that glowed from afar were even more breathe-taking from above. We spent nearly an hour gazing from every vantage point and then wandered around on the main campus below. As scary as the trek to the top of the temple was, heading back down was definitely more daunting. Several times on the steepest of the stairs I basically sat down and scooted to the next stair gripping the railing all along.

Once we were finished touring the site, we loaded back into our long boat. We jetted down the Chao Phraya to the dock where we had originally loaded. Pleased with our tour, we tipped a small amount but much more than what is customary in Thailand where tipping is uncommon. We walked towards the nearest Sky Train station coming across similar tours for just 1,000 baht or less per person. We thought this was odd and perhaps we had received a better tour. A little out of sorts as any tourist of a foreign land would be, we got on the train and were on our way back to our host neighborhood for some food.

That night, I pulled out the Lonely Planet book lent to me by a coworker. I had studied it inside and out for a week and especially during the 32 hour plane ride. There was a notable section on touts and scams, as they are quite common in Bangkok, that enticed my eyes once again. As I read through it I realized it was abundantly clear: a common scam in Bangkok is for an “official” or “guard” to approach claiming the temple is closed while offering an elaborate adventure instead. These adventures, of course, come in at the very high end of the price range for services.

We had been had. But it was worth every baht.