Thailand Part 2

Today was our last stop in Thailand, on the island of Phuket. Long a stop on the India to China trade route, the island’s tin was coveted by the French, Dutch, and English. Located just off the southwest coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea, it is a now a tourist beach paradise and a bit of a party place. Patong Beach was our home for the day. Instead of being informed, educated, or otherwise mentally engaged, we chose Beach Day. We tendered ashore, rented two recliners and an umbrella for the day for 200 Thai Baht ($5.86). Then we enjoyed relaxing, napping, swimming, walking on the beach, and having one more Thai meal. With our last bit of Thai money, we bought one more beer for 100 Thai Baht. Cheers!

Final thoughts on Thailand — Again, with the help of our extraordinary resident speakers, we’ve come to feel as if we know Thailand, even with just 2 brief stops along the long southern neck of the country. “The King & I” stage & movie productions were based on a supposed non-fiction book, “Anna & the King of Siam” that was written by Margaret Landon, a woman hired to teach the King’s

children English. Her book of lies, published in the early 1900s, was widely believed to be true and actually had an effect on US foreign policy towards Siam. The movie is still banned in Thailand & is highly offensive to them because of the untruthful way the author depicted the king. And in the “did you know” department, Thai people eat their rice with a fork & spoon, as decreed by their King once upon a time. They eat everything else with chop sticks, which we have just about (re)mastered ourselves. If we ever return to South Asia, Thailand will be at the top of our list.