Don’t you think time has come for us to travel to Southeast Asia? I know I’ve told my story time and time again. You know the one where I had my bags all packed to go and three days before my flight in the tsunami’s worked a most wicked set of waves upon the coasts of several countries. Long story short, my flight along with my travel plans were re-routed to Costa Rica, devastation climbed to an unforgettable high, and while I was praying for others, counting my own blessings and placing Thailand back on the list of future destinations to visit my mind couldn’t help drifting towards the east. As my travel buddy and I sat on the ‘playa’ of Manuel Antonio, C.R. we kept imagining what the beaches we had long planned to frolic on in Krabi, Phuket, and Ko Samui would be like.
Today’s word is a Thai word:
hàat sai – beach
Several news reports state the current condition of Thailand post-tsunami as being ready and able to accommodate tourists in the same manner before hand. People are encouraged to visit for the opportunity at one of the most memorable and rewarding travel experiences of a lifetime and also to help restore the decline in tourism. Do your research, start by learning a few words and phrases. We’ve covered beach or ‘hàat sai’ today, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy during your stay.
Learning Thai dot com is a great starting point for some basic Thai words and referrals to additional resources. For a brief history of the language, Thai alphabet, and pronunciation guide go to Omniglot. (A pretty clean and simple site with good details.) Another good source would be the Pimsleur language audio CD’s. I used these to prepare for my trip and they worked great! Before making the purchase look into your local library. There are several libraries carrying these audio CD’s and many more.