...was breath-taking.
...was magnificent.
...was delicious.
...were fascinating.
...was interesting.
...were friendly.
I split my time between Bangkok and environs and the south of the country. 
me to try to get my business. My trusty Lonely Planet (LP) guidebook said the trip should cost 300 Baht (about $10). Every taxi driver started at 900 Baht then almost immediately dropped to 500. After a very frustrating 10 minutes or so of this, I went back into the airport, reread the LP and saw that I should look for the official metered taxi desk and sure enough, no yelling and a fixed 400 Baht fee. I got to my hostel and had a restless night.
When I got there I fell for a scheme I had specifically read in my LP (later I felt less stupid when I met someone else who had read of the scheme and fallen victim to it also).
was closed right now but there were other attractions nearby worth seeing which I should see and then return a few hours later when it would be open. He ushered me into a tuk-tuk (a common 3-wheeled motorized taxi) who was no doubt in on the scheme and off I went. I should also note that part of that harassment I received at the airport was continued by every tuk-tuk driver who drove past me over the next 9 days.
he part of the scheme where they try give a hard sell on a new suit and everyone gets a cut). I said I didn't want to go and he got very strange, dropped me off, and said that the ride was over. He originally was going to charge me 20 Baht (less than $1) but then said I owed him 2000 Baht ($65 or so) and we settled on 200. I was happy to just be done with him and only out $6.50, but I had to figure out where the heck I was.
wanted to serve as a guide and I just came out and asked him how much he wanted. Since it was a modest amount, I said ok, and we 
went around together for the rest of the afternoon, starting with the amazing Grand Palace.
Buriram, I got a tuk-tuk to the bus station and caught a bus to Ban Ta Pek. There I hired a motorcycle-taxi to take me to Phanom Rung and Prasat Meuang. He took me to the latter first.
d and Prasat Meuang was completely empty! I had the run of the place to myself.
place was just a bit too run down and grimy for my tastes. And just as a bonus, a Dutch couple next door argued at top volume between midnight and 3am denying me yet another good night of sleep.
This was definitely one of my favorite days. I had balked at the 1300 Baht fee ($43) for the day trip to Khao Yai National Park, especially given normal costs in Thailand (most of my amazing meals cost $1-2). I was pleasantly surprised that the trip exceeded 
my expectations and was a bargain for how great it was.
Dutch couple (not the one that argued), and a Belgian couple. Later we were joined by another car with a Swedish family of 6 traveling for 
6 months in Southeast Asia! Quite a family. The Dutch couple and Belgian couples were nice as well.
telescopes which they not only set up for us to see the more distant birds, but also used to take pictures with our cameras. It was really a fantastic, 
magical day. The only disappointment was that we were unable to see elephants in the wild. They are common in the park and the evidence was seen (and smelled) throughout the day. Apparently, they see elephants about 50% of the tours. Oh well, you can't win them all. We also went swimming at a gorgeous waterfall that was used as the setting for the Leonardo DiCaprio film, The Beach.
After yet another tasty 
Thai breakfast, I was generously given a lift to Ayuthaya by the Belgian couple, Michael and Ingrid. We left around 9am and arrived around 11am. I checked into my very nice hostel room (clean, nice bed, even a/c and a TV!). With only a bit more than 1/2 a day to see the sights, I opted for more pricey personal tours. The hostel helped me hire a tuk-tuk 
driver for 3 hours ($20) and a 1.5 hour boat ride around the city ($13).
driver took me to Wat Yai Chaya Monkol with a reclining Buddha, Wat Phri Si Samphet (chedi towers), Wihaan Mongkhon Bophit (giant Buddha), and Wat Ratburana (including the Buddha in the tree).
The boat tour included 3 stops: the Chinese Wat Phanan Chong, Wat Phutthaisawan, and Wat Chai Wattanaram.
trains a day and I had to wait 1 1/2 hours until the 4:40pm departure. At this point it became apparent that I wouldn't be doing an real sight seeing and would have to just turn around and go straight back to Bangkok.
boat south to a stop near the Grand Palace. I walked around some markets and then to the Monk Bowl village where I saw how they used to make... 
well... bowls for Monks. They weld 8 strips of steel with copper solder. It involved hammering, too. In any case, I bought one as a souvenir and continued walking around. By 4:30pm I was back at the hostel collecting my bag and taking a shower before venturing to get the 12-hour overnight bus to Krabi.
bus station, but I didn't think it would actually happen. The money collector on the bus went and got someone who she thought might speak English to help me. As it turns out, she was right. Pairote and Dao are both graduate students (math and math education respectively) and happened to be going there themselves. They told me to follow them and we all got off that bus and got onto another bus for about 10 minutes. There they helped me buy my ticket for the 8:30pm bus. Then I bought dinner for all of us. Around 9pm, my 8:30pm bus took off. In the small world department, Pairote visited the United States once to see a couple of friends. Where did he go? Somewhere in New Hampshire and Carnegie Mellon!
people following me and yelling at me until I found a shop with someone not yelling at me. There I bought my ferry ticket for 10am. I was picked up and transported to the ferry terminal and we left about 10:30am, arriving at Ko Phi Phi (Don) around 12:30pm.
I schlepped my stuff to the guesthouse in the blazing sun (again) and checked in. Then I decided to take a tour to the uninhabited sister island, Ko Phi Phi (Leh) which is famous for being the setting for Leonardo DiCaprio's the Beach. Ko Phi Phi (Don) is one of the places devastated by the tsunami 3 years ago. I had a couple of hours before the 3pm tour left, so I hiked up to a view point which gave breathtaking views of the island.
tour of the island's beauty, including a beach inhabited by tame monkeys, and two great snorkeling opportunities. On the other hand, I felt completely out of place. I was surrounded by beautiful, superficial people. Muscular, shirtless guys with tattoos and tanned, bikini-clad women. It just all reminded me of one big frat party. And yes, many were drinking and smoking. Thankfully, I did find one couple to talk to. Shannon and his Mom, Naomi. 
He is an American 20-something from California and his Mom is a naturalized American citizen from Japan. After a nice sunset, the boat returned to the main island and we disembarked around 8pm.
the city center and wandered around looking for my hostel.
ng at that point was out of the question. So I decided to find a western-facing beach, Ao Nang, to watch the sunset, and I was not disappointed. It was the 3rd time I watched the sunset (something I only seem to do while on vacation) and was the most colorful. Then I returned to Krabi and had the best Pad Thai I think I've ever had. Mmmmm...
My last day was one of the best. I packed up and checked out at 9am and went for breakfast. I ran into Shannon and Naomi again and we chatted over breakfast for a while. By 10am, I was back on the moped headed toward Khao Phanom Bencha National Park (the correct way, this time). I stopped a few times along the way to admire the environs and got to the park around 11am. There I took the trail to the large waterfall. It was really spectacular (and unfortunately didn't show well in the pictures). It has many different cascades. Once again, I found myself with the run of the place for the most part and enjoyed the s
olitude. From there I took a path up above the waterfall and into the forest. It was actually quite a strenuous hike and after an hour or so, I was wondering where exactly I was and if I'd make it back in time to catch my 7pm flight. By a half an hour later, I emerged back near where I started, with a t-shirt drenched in sweat and sore feet and calves. But this was my last day, so onward ho.
always, it was hot and humid, so I passed many defeated tourists on the way up but I pushed on -- past the aggressive monkeys, to the top. It should be noted that on the way up, a monkey literally jumped on my back, took off my backpack, and stole my water bottle from the side pocket. What I had been considering cute little animals were now officially on my "Dead to Me" list, ala Stephen Colbert. Aside from a bit of shock, I was fine and made my way to the top. I didn't have much time left, so after a short respite, I climbed back down and rode back to my hostel where I returned the moped and showered and then caught a 5pm bus to the airport for my 6:50pm scheduled flight.
