Sunday February 24th
Got up a bit later than planned, and went looking for a place for breakfast. It was very difficult. Nothing seemed to be open at 10 on a Sunday morning. Its a bit strange, this is supposed to be a backpacker location. Anyway I checked out of the hotel and headed down to get the ferry back to the main land. I kept looking for a place to pay the ferry, but it seems its effectively one of these places where you pay return one way and the return is free. So I got away with it.
The ferry leaves you at the bus terminal, where the challenge isn't to find a Kuala Lumpur bound bus, but the next one. I got on one but we sat around for a good 3/4s of an hour while we waited until we were full. Other buses may have left first if they filled up. They are all different companies, so there is no measure of co-operation. The bus itself was very comfotable, and the road is excellent, although the bus did struggle a bit as we went up through the Cameron Highlands, a mountain range with the same type of spectacular scenery I'd seem in Southern Thailand.
Eventually we got to KL, and the drop off point for the bus actually turned out, by luck, to be less than 5 minutes walk from the hotel. But when I got to the hotel, which I had booked because I was worried about availabity given it was 6pm when I was arriving, it turned out the internet company that I had booked with had never forwarded the details to the hotel. Luckily they had spare rooms so they booked me in, assuming that the confirmation would come within the next 24 hours.
That evening I decided not to go too far from the hotel. Anyway the hotel is in Chinatown, which is quite lively after dark. However no matter how I looked, I couldn't find a Sports bar (the Carling Cup final was on), or any real nightlife as such. The few Chinese restaurants around that also doubled as bars all closed about 11. So there wasn't much left to do at that stage but go back to the hotel, where I discovered that the Carling Cup wasn't on TV anyway, they think the Premiership is more important. I did get to see the goals though, and was happy enough with the result.
One mini rant coming up, brought about by the discovery that there is no need for a plug adapter here because, thanks to British Colonialism, they use the same plug as we do. The rant though is how come in this time of international standards, with us able to use our mobile phones all over the world (even in the US), we can't charge them all over the world without having to get adapters. Surely the world would be better off with a common electrical system (in order to ensure everyone bore the costs equally I guess a whole new one would have to be introduced rather than us all adapting the US one).
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Hello Malaysia
Saturday February 23rd
Today was the transfer from Ao Nang to Penang. The bus journey was OK, a bit slow, due to the fact that the driver seemed to be running a side line in package deliveries. There were 4 stunning Swedish girls on the trip, but they all slept the whole way. They must have been out partying at that venue I never found. Seriously, I wondered did they all have medical conditions because it was fairly bumpy and I don't know how anyone would sleep through it.
Crossing the border here was a lot easier than in Cambodia, mainly because our bus is allowed cross with us, so there is no transfer hassle at that point. And then it is onto the expressway, the main road that runs from the Thia border to Singapore through Malaysia. Its a pretty good road. So we made very good time at that point. When we got to Penang we crossed by ferry, even though there is a bridge, which is a bit strange, but apparently the tolls are excessive on the bridge.
When we got to Penang (the main town is Georgetown) the first thing to do was find an ATM. This was easier said than done, there weren't many. Which is odd compared to Thailand where they were on every corner. I eventually found one, and a hotel, and checked in for the night. As it was getting dark I did a quick run around town to take a few snaps. And I discovered that you could do this in about 30 minutes. There really wasn't much to see. The Rough Guide calls this the 'most interesting town in Malaysia' which is overstating it a bit. I was glad I had decided to only stay one night.
The only saving grace was that it had a fairly decent nightlife, and I was able to watch a fair amount of sport. I had given up on seeing the Ireland rugby though, but just as I was leaving the pub, on it came. So I had to stay and watch. I was the only person in the pub watching it, I think everyone else though I was mad when I was cheering the Irish tries. Man U was also on, so I got to see their goals when the cheers went up there.
Still it was a much later night than I planned, delayed futher by meeting a drunk English bloke on the street as I was going back to the hotel, and having to help him remember where he was staying.
Today was the transfer from Ao Nang to Penang. The bus journey was OK, a bit slow, due to the fact that the driver seemed to be running a side line in package deliveries. There were 4 stunning Swedish girls on the trip, but they all slept the whole way. They must have been out partying at that venue I never found. Seriously, I wondered did they all have medical conditions because it was fairly bumpy and I don't know how anyone would sleep through it.
Crossing the border here was a lot easier than in Cambodia, mainly because our bus is allowed cross with us, so there is no transfer hassle at that point. And then it is onto the expressway, the main road that runs from the Thia border to Singapore through Malaysia. Its a pretty good road. So we made very good time at that point. When we got to Penang we crossed by ferry, even though there is a bridge, which is a bit strange, but apparently the tolls are excessive on the bridge.
When we got to Penang (the main town is Georgetown) the first thing to do was find an ATM. This was easier said than done, there weren't many. Which is odd compared to Thailand where they were on every corner. I eventually found one, and a hotel, and checked in for the night. As it was getting dark I did a quick run around town to take a few snaps. And I discovered that you could do this in about 30 minutes. There really wasn't much to see. The Rough Guide calls this the 'most interesting town in Malaysia' which is overstating it a bit. I was glad I had decided to only stay one night.
The only saving grace was that it had a fairly decent nightlife, and I was able to watch a fair amount of sport. I had given up on seeing the Ireland rugby though, but just as I was leaving the pub, on it came. So I had to stay and watch. I was the only person in the pub watching it, I think everyone else though I was mad when I was cheering the Irish tries. Man U was also on, so I got to see their goals when the cheers went up there.
Still it was a much later night than I planned, delayed futher by meeting a drunk English bloke on the street as I was going back to the hotel, and having to help him remember where he was staying.
Recovery
Friday February 22nd
After yesterdays exertions I expected to have to do nothing but recover, but in fact I didn't really feel too much in my legs. I think as much of the exhaustion was due to the fact that we were going up at 2pm, which is probably the wrong time to go up. But I had drunk enough water and I guess that stopped me from having any cramps.
Still, all I did all day was just hung around the town, and went to a few bars. As it was my last night in Thailand, and I still had some Baht to spend, I splurged and went for a fairly decent meal, cost me just over 8 euro for a main course, a beer, and (I think for the first time on the trip) a dessert.
I was still trying to find a happening centre of town. There were a few lively bars, but as they had the names Lucky Bar and 69 Bar (and others like them) I was avoiding them as I guessed I'd be hassled in there (they looked pretty dodgy). So I went to the Long Bar, and wasn't 30 seconds in there before I had this Thai girl hassling me. I eventually drank up, made it clear to her that she wasn't leaving with me, and legged it to the relative safety of the Irish Bar.
The Irish bar was interesting because it truely was an Irish bar, they wouldn't allow some people to smoke in there. Which brings me to the subject of smoking (I promised a rant).
Over here about 80% of the backpackers appear to smoke. It really puts me off (girls, I don't care about the blokes who smoke). An English girl I was speaking to the previous night smoked about 5 in the time it took to drink one drink. To be honest I wasn't too disappointed when she left at that point. I can't understand it. Back in Europe smoking levels are not that high, so is it that only smokers come away backpacking, or is it that once out here, people start smoking. I have to think it is the latter, and if that is the case then it is a great ad for the effectiveness of high cigarette prices (I think 20 cost about 1.50 over here) and not allowing people smoke in bars. Although as a lot of the bars are outdoors a smoking ban like ours wouldn't really make much of a difference. The interesting thing will be to see how many of these people can give up the smoking when they go back, or are they hooked.
Anyway rant over, with the smokers banished the Irish pub was empty, and as I had a 6 am start the next day, I thought is best to leave at about 10.30. Still can't figure out where the nightlife is in this town (other than in the bars that I'm avoiding).
After yesterdays exertions I expected to have to do nothing but recover, but in fact I didn't really feel too much in my legs. I think as much of the exhaustion was due to the fact that we were going up at 2pm, which is probably the wrong time to go up. But I had drunk enough water and I guess that stopped me from having any cramps.
Still, all I did all day was just hung around the town, and went to a few bars. As it was my last night in Thailand, and I still had some Baht to spend, I splurged and went for a fairly decent meal, cost me just over 8 euro for a main course, a beer, and (I think for the first time on the trip) a dessert.
I was still trying to find a happening centre of town. There were a few lively bars, but as they had the names Lucky Bar and 69 Bar (and others like them) I was avoiding them as I guessed I'd be hassled in there (they looked pretty dodgy). So I went to the Long Bar, and wasn't 30 seconds in there before I had this Thai girl hassling me. I eventually drank up, made it clear to her that she wasn't leaving with me, and legged it to the relative safety of the Irish Bar.
The Irish bar was interesting because it truely was an Irish bar, they wouldn't allow some people to smoke in there. Which brings me to the subject of smoking (I promised a rant).
Over here about 80% of the backpackers appear to smoke. It really puts me off (girls, I don't care about the blokes who smoke). An English girl I was speaking to the previous night smoked about 5 in the time it took to drink one drink. To be honest I wasn't too disappointed when she left at that point. I can't understand it. Back in Europe smoking levels are not that high, so is it that only smokers come away backpacking, or is it that once out here, people start smoking. I have to think it is the latter, and if that is the case then it is a great ad for the effectiveness of high cigarette prices (I think 20 cost about 1.50 over here) and not allowing people smoke in bars. Although as a lot of the bars are outdoors a smoking ban like ours wouldn't really make much of a difference. The interesting thing will be to see how many of these people can give up the smoking when they go back, or are they hooked.
Anyway rant over, with the smokers banished the Irish pub was empty, and as I had a 6 am start the next day, I thought is best to leave at about 10.30. Still can't figure out where the nightlife is in this town (other than in the bars that I'm avoiding).
Welcome to the jungle/Stairway to heaven
Thursday February 21st
No I didn't go to a Guns n Roses or Led Zepplin tribute concert. Today was a jungle and caves trek. Explains the first part, the second part will have to wait. The day began with the usual pick up, not too early this time. On this trip were a Swedish couple and two Ukrainian women. They were actually doing an elephant trek as well, I didn't bother because I'd already been on an elephant.
Anyway the beginning of the day was pretty good, I got to go into a cave system while the others were on their elephants. It was a tight squeeze through the entrance, but one in it was fairly spacious. Of course taking photos was a bit tricky, only the guide had a torch (they should have said bring your own in the brochure - I never thought about it). Also I probably should have remembered to take off my sunglasses while underground.
Anyway as part of that, and then afterwards were a few jungle treks that I guess added up to about 7 or 8 K. The last one involved a fair amount of climbing as we went up alongside a series of waterfalls. We also saw some massive trees, over 1000 years old. Didn't see too much wildlife on the trek, but I did see a snake or lizard which got away before I could photo it.
As for my companions, the Swedish couple were a bit reserved, and I don't think it was what they were expecting. They seemed to have a complaint at the end. As for the Ukrainians, their English was as bad as my Ukrainian (almost) so conversation was hard. It turned out they were mother and daughter (I'd guessed) and that was about as much as I got. The younger one was pretty good looking, but smoked a hell of a lot. (At this point I think I'll raise a quick rant is coming at some point about the amount of backpackers that smoke. I'll leave it for tomorrow.) And it was the mother that was more interested in talking to me.
Anyway that was the jungle part, the last bit of the trip (after a massive lunch) was a trip to the Tiger Cave Temple. I was a bit skeptical about this, I've seen enough temples, and to be honest would have been happy without it, but that is before we got there. The highlight isn't the temple, its getting to one part of it. Our guide points us at a staircase and you see the sign 1237 steps to the top. Now I'm trying to do the math (15 stairs = 1 story, this is about 80 stories!) but I did come for a bit of trekking, and a big climb up stairs is better than hanging around a temple. So off I head.
After 400 steps I began to question the wisdom of this, after 650 I nearly decided to turn around. But at that point the Ukrainians caught up with me and stupid macho pride meant I wasn't giving up. I stayed with them until 850 steps, then I fell about 50 behind them, but I still made it up. I was impressed with their stamina, but they had had the sense to leave their bags in the bus, I stupidly was carrying an extra couple of kilos up there.
Overall it took 33 minutes to get up there. In comparison the Empire State building has 1860 steps, but they are all of even height, and probably average about 6 or 7 inches in height. These were of all different heights, some up to 18 inches high. I'd say it was slightly more than 80 stories, but I can't find any accurate details of what the height is.
Once up there the view was magnificent, although you need 5 minutes to recover. There is a full temple covering the top of the mountain (one of the limestone kaarsts that I've been seeing everywhere) but its the view that is awe inspiring. Hence Stairway to Heaven. I'll post some photos to show it.
After that it was going down. This took 16 1/2 minutes, and was more frightening than going up, although it was easier. By the time I got down my legs were like jelly. I am going to feel them tomorrow. I decided to stay an extra day in Ao Nang to recover.
Didn't do much in the evening, just met some people from Devon and had a chat with them.
No I didn't go to a Guns n Roses or Led Zepplin tribute concert. Today was a jungle and caves trek. Explains the first part, the second part will have to wait. The day began with the usual pick up, not too early this time. On this trip were a Swedish couple and two Ukrainian women. They were actually doing an elephant trek as well, I didn't bother because I'd already been on an elephant.
Anyway the beginning of the day was pretty good, I got to go into a cave system while the others were on their elephants. It was a tight squeeze through the entrance, but one in it was fairly spacious. Of course taking photos was a bit tricky, only the guide had a torch (they should have said bring your own in the brochure - I never thought about it). Also I probably should have remembered to take off my sunglasses while underground.
Anyway as part of that, and then afterwards were a few jungle treks that I guess added up to about 7 or 8 K. The last one involved a fair amount of climbing as we went up alongside a series of waterfalls. We also saw some massive trees, over 1000 years old. Didn't see too much wildlife on the trek, but I did see a snake or lizard which got away before I could photo it.
As for my companions, the Swedish couple were a bit reserved, and I don't think it was what they were expecting. They seemed to have a complaint at the end. As for the Ukrainians, their English was as bad as my Ukrainian (almost) so conversation was hard. It turned out they were mother and daughter (I'd guessed) and that was about as much as I got. The younger one was pretty good looking, but smoked a hell of a lot. (At this point I think I'll raise a quick rant is coming at some point about the amount of backpackers that smoke. I'll leave it for tomorrow.) And it was the mother that was more interested in talking to me.
Anyway that was the jungle part, the last bit of the trip (after a massive lunch) was a trip to the Tiger Cave Temple. I was a bit skeptical about this, I've seen enough temples, and to be honest would have been happy without it, but that is before we got there. The highlight isn't the temple, its getting to one part of it. Our guide points us at a staircase and you see the sign 1237 steps to the top. Now I'm trying to do the math (15 stairs = 1 story, this is about 80 stories!) but I did come for a bit of trekking, and a big climb up stairs is better than hanging around a temple. So off I head.
After 400 steps I began to question the wisdom of this, after 650 I nearly decided to turn around. But at that point the Ukrainians caught up with me and stupid macho pride meant I wasn't giving up. I stayed with them until 850 steps, then I fell about 50 behind them, but I still made it up. I was impressed with their stamina, but they had had the sense to leave their bags in the bus, I stupidly was carrying an extra couple of kilos up there.
Overall it took 33 minutes to get up there. In comparison the Empire State building has 1860 steps, but they are all of even height, and probably average about 6 or 7 inches in height. These were of all different heights, some up to 18 inches high. I'd say it was slightly more than 80 stories, but I can't find any accurate details of what the height is.
Once up there the view was magnificent, although you need 5 minutes to recover. There is a full temple covering the top of the mountain (one of the limestone kaarsts that I've been seeing everywhere) but its the view that is awe inspiring. Hence Stairway to Heaven. I'll post some photos to show it.
After that it was going down. This took 16 1/2 minutes, and was more frightening than going up, although it was easier. By the time I got down my legs were like jelly. I am going to feel them tomorrow. I decided to stay an extra day in Ao Nang to recover.
Didn't do much in the evening, just met some people from Devon and had a chat with them.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Finally on a boat
Wednesday February 20th
Yesterday's disaster status was confirmed when I woke up this morning covered in mosquito bites and with sunburn. I'm not really sure how the mosquitos turned up last night to feast, I was in the same place as I had been the previous three nights with no problems. The sunburn appears to be in a crescent shape on my left shoulder, so my guess is that after applying suncream to the exposed part of my shoulder, me t-shirt moved slightly, and left a patch exposed.
I only noticed the sun burn when I lifted up my back pack to put it on this morning, and felt the sting. I was moving off Phuket today, back to the mainland and the town of Ao Nang. To get there is was a 2 hour journey on a ferry, a very pleasent ride, but not that exciting. Passed by some strange shpaed islands, so I got a picture or two of them, to make up for missing out on James Bond Island.
Ao Nang is more what I was expecting of a Thai beach resort than Patong, its a lot more low rise, and is really just a big row of shops and bars stretching along a big beach front. It still has all the usual facilities though, including Starbucks, BK and McD. But already I prefer it to Patong, although I fear the nightlife might be quieter.
Getting a room here was a lot easier and cheaper too. I was met off the boat by some guy touting his guest house, I went to have a look at it, and it was nice enough. All done in about 20 minutes. The only thing was he said it was 20 meters from McDonalds (and I was figuring they wouldn't be building miles out of the city centre - assuming its not a drive thru) but it is a bit further. Still its only 8 minutes from the beach so its close enough.
Spent the rest of the day wandering around and on the beach. Didn't sit for an hour like last time though, I know my limits.
Despite its size there are still two Irish bars in Ao Nang. We are back to better levels of representation although I think there are more Swedish bars here. As I was sitting wondering where to go out for the night, two Irish lads went past on the back of a van playing some Irish song. They were playing in one of the bars, so I decided to see what was happening there. It was deserted, only about 10 people, and I don't think any were Irish. I was talking to a Scottish couple, and there were some English as well.
Yesterday's disaster status was confirmed when I woke up this morning covered in mosquito bites and with sunburn. I'm not really sure how the mosquitos turned up last night to feast, I was in the same place as I had been the previous three nights with no problems. The sunburn appears to be in a crescent shape on my left shoulder, so my guess is that after applying suncream to the exposed part of my shoulder, me t-shirt moved slightly, and left a patch exposed.
I only noticed the sun burn when I lifted up my back pack to put it on this morning, and felt the sting. I was moving off Phuket today, back to the mainland and the town of Ao Nang. To get there is was a 2 hour journey on a ferry, a very pleasent ride, but not that exciting. Passed by some strange shpaed islands, so I got a picture or two of them, to make up for missing out on James Bond Island.
Ao Nang is more what I was expecting of a Thai beach resort than Patong, its a lot more low rise, and is really just a big row of shops and bars stretching along a big beach front. It still has all the usual facilities though, including Starbucks, BK and McD. But already I prefer it to Patong, although I fear the nightlife might be quieter.
Getting a room here was a lot easier and cheaper too. I was met off the boat by some guy touting his guest house, I went to have a look at it, and it was nice enough. All done in about 20 minutes. The only thing was he said it was 20 meters from McDonalds (and I was figuring they wouldn't be building miles out of the city centre - assuming its not a drive thru) but it is a bit further. Still its only 8 minutes from the beach so its close enough.
Spent the rest of the day wandering around and on the beach. Didn't sit for an hour like last time though, I know my limits.
Despite its size there are still two Irish bars in Ao Nang. We are back to better levels of representation although I think there are more Swedish bars here. As I was sitting wondering where to go out for the night, two Irish lads went past on the back of a van playing some Irish song. They were playing in one of the bars, so I decided to see what was happening there. It was deserted, only about 10 people, and I don't think any were Irish. I was talking to a Scottish couple, and there were some English as well.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
A tale of two trips
Tuesday February 19th
Sorry for reusing the title, but today was dominated by two trips, one that didn't happen and one that did.
Today was supposed to be a half day trip to the James Bond Island. I don't even know what its real name is because it is only referred to as James Bond Island now, its the one from 'The Man with the Golden Gun'.
Well the problem was that it didn't happen. I was sitting in my hotel's lobby waiting for the pick up (supposed to be at 11.15) from 11.00 till 12.15 and nobody came. I was not happy, so off I went down the road to the travel agent who booked it for me (this is why you always pick the closest one, my hotel must have been one of the few not to actually book tours for their guests). She phoned the actual tour company and they clamied they came and I wasn't there. There is no way that could have happened, and I even got the reception staff to confirm nobody came looking for me for a tour. They wanted to only reund me half as it was supposedly my fault and it took an hour and and threats of contacting the Tourist licencing agency before I managed to get 1000 baht back out of 1100 I paid.
The annoying thing wasn't really the 100 baht lost on this, it was the fact that I had stayed in Phuket an extra day to go on the trip. So in reality it cost me about 1000 baht (22 euro) because thats the difference between the daily cost here and elsewhere.
I still wrote a letter of complaint to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, but I'm not sure it will get any response.
As a result I didn't really do anything else that day, I just hung around the town. And to annoy me even further I was wandering around and I didn't see a broken pavement, tripped and caught my flip flop in it and ripped them, so I had to buy replacements, eating up most of the 1000 baht. At least I didn't do any damage to myself (I see a surprising number of tourists on crutches here).
So my last day in Phuket wasn't as good as it could have been. By taking the extra day I had decided to skip going back to the Easten cost of Thailand, and to the islands of Samui and PhaNgan. This means missing the famous Full Moon party, but its because of this that I can't really go. Its so popular now that most places only take week long bookings around it, and I can't afford a week. Anyway, much and all as I liked the trip through the mountains, I'm not doing it again. So tomorrow its off by Ferry to the mainland, and Ao Nang.
Sorry for reusing the title, but today was dominated by two trips, one that didn't happen and one that did.
Today was supposed to be a half day trip to the James Bond Island. I don't even know what its real name is because it is only referred to as James Bond Island now, its the one from 'The Man with the Golden Gun'.
Well the problem was that it didn't happen. I was sitting in my hotel's lobby waiting for the pick up (supposed to be at 11.15) from 11.00 till 12.15 and nobody came. I was not happy, so off I went down the road to the travel agent who booked it for me (this is why you always pick the closest one, my hotel must have been one of the few not to actually book tours for their guests). She phoned the actual tour company and they clamied they came and I wasn't there. There is no way that could have happened, and I even got the reception staff to confirm nobody came looking for me for a tour. They wanted to only reund me half as it was supposedly my fault and it took an hour and and threats of contacting the Tourist licencing agency before I managed to get 1000 baht back out of 1100 I paid.
The annoying thing wasn't really the 100 baht lost on this, it was the fact that I had stayed in Phuket an extra day to go on the trip. So in reality it cost me about 1000 baht (22 euro) because thats the difference between the daily cost here and elsewhere.
I still wrote a letter of complaint to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, but I'm not sure it will get any response.
As a result I didn't really do anything else that day, I just hung around the town. And to annoy me even further I was wandering around and I didn't see a broken pavement, tripped and caught my flip flop in it and ripped them, so I had to buy replacements, eating up most of the 1000 baht. At least I didn't do any damage to myself (I see a surprising number of tourists on crutches here).
So my last day in Phuket wasn't as good as it could have been. By taking the extra day I had decided to skip going back to the Easten cost of Thailand, and to the islands of Samui and PhaNgan. This means missing the famous Full Moon party, but its because of this that I can't really go. Its so popular now that most places only take week long bookings around it, and I can't afford a week. Anyway, much and all as I liked the trip through the mountains, I'm not doing it again. So tomorrow its off by Ferry to the mainland, and Ao Nang.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Walking to Paradise
Monday 18th February
Today was a day to relax. Originally I was going to go on another tour, this time out to see some other islands, but I was too late booking last night and they were all gone. So I slept late, and then just wandered around the town. For those who were wondering, via email, how my 'marine' haircut is going, it was begining to get a bit longer again, so I found a place to get it cut. I think the number 2 blade over here is a bit shorter than at home, or at least the hair looks even shorter now.
I got bored with wandering around the town, so I decided to go for a walk up into the hills to see if I could find some good viewpoints for some photos. I then remembered being recommended a beach outside Patong called Paradise beach, and I checked it was about 4k away so I decided to walk to it. (Mind you I did give myself an hour to get there, 4k should be doable, and if I didn't I'd turn around, it wouldn't be wise to walk too far in the heat). The roads there were some of the steepest road I've ever seen. The last 1. 4k is up and down a hill that is at least 250m high. And the Paradise beach side is steeper, I reckon it goes down 250m in about 600m.
I made it in 56 minutes, just inside my target time, and I'd say I was the only person to walk to it that day (probably the only person that week/month/ever). But I still felt safer walking than going on the back of a motorbike, which is the other option, because going down that last incline would be truely scary. No wonder there are so many road deaths in Phuket each year.
Anyway for the first time in 18 years I sat on a beach. I was bored after an hour so I had a quick look round. I think I saw the beach that I was actually looking for, based on a recommendation I was looking for the one just North of Paradise, but I couldn't see how to get to it. Anyway it was getting late, about 5.30, and I wanted to ensure I was back in Patong before sundown. I did the walk back in 42 minutes, so the heat does make a difference. (Also I wasn't stopping to take photos, which I was doing on the way out).
In the evening it was off to the Bang-La road area again. This time I was there to take some photos so I can share a sense of how weird it is, as I don't think my descriptions do it justice. You can see all the clothed 'girls' dancing on the bars like in the film Coyote Ugly, from the street, but it is off down the lanes before you get any of the 'shows'. So there are a few pictures from the main street.
(By the way I should point out that todays title, Walking to Paradise, refers to the beach, and not Soi Paradise, which according to the guide book, is the centre of gay nightlife in Patong)
Whether they were he or shes the simple fact is that I just don't see Thai women as being that attractive. Sure you get some really good looking ones on posters for products, but thats like assuming every German girl is going to look like Heidi Klum. Well actually a lot more of them do than the Thai women you see in the bars look like the ones in the posters. The main thing is I'm not seeing what other western blokes see. (By the way its not a racial thing as you do get good looking Japanese and Chinese tourists, and the Cambodians were a lot nicer as well).
This leads to my continuing quest to find where the western women go (or as I would call them the good looking women). I was contemplating the puzzle while sitting in a Dutch bar in Bang-La. I know, I thought Dutch bars only existed in the Netherlands, but they are here, as are bars from pretty much every one of the old 15 EU countries - however I didn't see any Polish or new EU countries represented here so maybe there is a market opening- and there an amazing number of Swiss bars - more per head of population back home than even Sweden or Finland. With three Irish bars (that I saw) we were seriously under represented.
As I said there I was in the Dutch bar when I noticed a bloke handing out flyers, but only to western girls. So off I was to ask him where he was sending them, and it was to a nightclub. So off I went, and the place was expensive, nearly as bad as home. They didn't serve beer, and the Smirnoff Ices were costing 4 euro.
I, of course, failed to chat up any of the girls there, so it really felt like a night club back home.
Today was a day to relax. Originally I was going to go on another tour, this time out to see some other islands, but I was too late booking last night and they were all gone. So I slept late, and then just wandered around the town. For those who were wondering, via email, how my 'marine' haircut is going, it was begining to get a bit longer again, so I found a place to get it cut. I think the number 2 blade over here is a bit shorter than at home, or at least the hair looks even shorter now.
I got bored with wandering around the town, so I decided to go for a walk up into the hills to see if I could find some good viewpoints for some photos. I then remembered being recommended a beach outside Patong called Paradise beach, and I checked it was about 4k away so I decided to walk to it. (Mind you I did give myself an hour to get there, 4k should be doable, and if I didn't I'd turn around, it wouldn't be wise to walk too far in the heat). The roads there were some of the steepest road I've ever seen. The last 1. 4k is up and down a hill that is at least 250m high. And the Paradise beach side is steeper, I reckon it goes down 250m in about 600m.
I made it in 56 minutes, just inside my target time, and I'd say I was the only person to walk to it that day (probably the only person that week/month/ever). But I still felt safer walking than going on the back of a motorbike, which is the other option, because going down that last incline would be truely scary. No wonder there are so many road deaths in Phuket each year.
Anyway for the first time in 18 years I sat on a beach. I was bored after an hour so I had a quick look round. I think I saw the beach that I was actually looking for, based on a recommendation I was looking for the one just North of Paradise, but I couldn't see how to get to it. Anyway it was getting late, about 5.30, and I wanted to ensure I was back in Patong before sundown. I did the walk back in 42 minutes, so the heat does make a difference. (Also I wasn't stopping to take photos, which I was doing on the way out).
In the evening it was off to the Bang-La road area again. This time I was there to take some photos so I can share a sense of how weird it is, as I don't think my descriptions do it justice. You can see all the clothed 'girls' dancing on the bars like in the film Coyote Ugly, from the street, but it is off down the lanes before you get any of the 'shows'. So there are a few pictures from the main street.
(By the way I should point out that todays title, Walking to Paradise, refers to the beach, and not Soi Paradise, which according to the guide book, is the centre of gay nightlife in Patong)
Whether they were he or shes the simple fact is that I just don't see Thai women as being that attractive. Sure you get some really good looking ones on posters for products, but thats like assuming every German girl is going to look like Heidi Klum. Well actually a lot more of them do than the Thai women you see in the bars look like the ones in the posters. The main thing is I'm not seeing what other western blokes see. (By the way its not a racial thing as you do get good looking Japanese and Chinese tourists, and the Cambodians were a lot nicer as well).
This leads to my continuing quest to find where the western women go (or as I would call them the good looking women). I was contemplating the puzzle while sitting in a Dutch bar in Bang-La. I know, I thought Dutch bars only existed in the Netherlands, but they are here, as are bars from pretty much every one of the old 15 EU countries - however I didn't see any Polish or new EU countries represented here so maybe there is a market opening- and there an amazing number of Swiss bars - more per head of population back home than even Sweden or Finland. With three Irish bars (that I saw) we were seriously under represented.
As I said there I was in the Dutch bar when I noticed a bloke handing out flyers, but only to western girls. So off I was to ask him where he was sending them, and it was to a nightclub. So off I went, and the place was expensive, nearly as bad as home. They didn't serve beer, and the Smirnoff Ices were costing 4 euro.
I, of course, failed to chat up any of the girls there, so it really felt like a night club back home.
Adventure Tour
Sunday February 17th
The breakfasts here cost more than the dinners. Well come to think of it, it was that way in Bangkok as well, but the gap is more noticeable here. In fact in Phuket everything costs more. Most things seem to be about twice as expensive as in Bangkok, and apparently its still high season so accomodation is slightly higher again. I think 3 days here would cost the same as a week in Khao San road.
Anyway the reason for the breakfast was because today I was going on an island tour. I figured a tour would be the best way to see a large part of the island in a single go. When I went to book it the previous night the only one available was an adventure tour, so I went on it. I'm not really sure what was so adventurous about most of what we did, but it was still enjoyable.
The format of the tours seems to be slightly different here, they pick you up from your hotel, so the start is a lot better organised. And they only have one mini van load of passengers so they have 9 in total on the trip. In this case there were 3 French couples, a couple from Singapore and myself. The couple from Singapore were just here for the weekend, its only just over an hour by plane so its a nice weekend destination for them, and I think the French weren't backpackers, I think they were on a Phuket only holiday. It was a bit hard because they wouldn't talk to anyone in English, but myself and the guy from Singapore had a good chat. His wife didn't speak English either.
The adventure began with some All Terrain Vehicle driving. An advantage of being a single person on this tour was I got my own vehicle to drive while all the others had to double up. It was OK, but the track we went on had been driven on by so many at this stage that it wasn't really off-road any more. And I guess I was possibly breaking the law by driving it on the public road for the bit that we had to do, but nobody ever seemed to ask did I have a licence, so maybe these don't actually need a licence.
After the ATV driving we had some Elephant Trekking, which wasn't really that long, and some animal displays, monkeys and elephants playing basketball, although not against each other. To be honest they weren't that great, but the zoo type facility in which we were getting these had only opened 15 days ago so I think they were still working on their routines.
There was no lunch provided on the tour, hence the big breakfast, but there was a stop at a coffee shop for a free soft drink. Proving the adage there is no such thing as a free lunch we had to get to our free drink by negotiating our way through a giant duty free gift shop. Needless to say I didn't actually buy anything.
The final bits of our tour included doing some sea kayaking around a mangrove swamp, and then a jungle trek up to see a waterfall. These were pretty OK, like everything else they lasted about half an hour only. Its a bit short, but you are doing 6 things in a 5 hour tour, so its obvious really that these things are not going to be that long.
Or is it? Apparently not to the French who spent a large portion of the time complaining that things weren't long enough, or that they weren't stopping for lunch, as advertised. They also refused to follow saftey instructions, taking off their helmets, going past the markers in the canoes and so on. I guess they were about 30 or so, but our tour guide kept referring to them as teenagers, and it was an apt description.
Which brings me to a point made in an email by a reader who asked why don't I blog more about the interesting people I meet. The answer is I do mention the interesting ones, the problem is that a large portion of the ones I meet aren't very interesting. Some of the backpackers are quite young, mostly from England and Australia, and are to put it mildly, quite ignorant of where they are. You know the sort of thing, how come it takes so long to get to Phuket, they look so close on the map. Or I wonder if there is any way of knowing how hot it is going to be there (yes look at a weather forecast on the internet). Or my favourite, because I've seen it on every trip so far, I wonder how far it is until we get to xxx. Look out the window, there are signs, in English, pretty much every kilometer.
The Irish that I have met do tend to be a bit older, and have a bit more cop on. Also we tend to be more likely to do the round the world trip, I find a lot of the British and Australians are only coming to Thailand. The other nationalities seem to be fine though, but there are so many British and Aussies around that they do tend to be the ones you meet.
Speaking of Irish I did meet with some that evening while out drinking. 2 brothers and the girlfriend of one of them. Almost neighbours from home, being from North Dublin as well. I actually can't remember their names though. They were doing a round the world, but in the other direction, and were nearly at the end of it. They had just come from Vietnam, and skipped Cambodia, so we filled each other in on what was missed. Apparently they had found out that the Vietnamese hate the Cambodians, and when they mentioned it I did recall that my tuk-tuk driver over there had mentioned how he hated the Vietnamese. I guess you always hate your neighbours (see my comments about the British above).
Even though it is a sleazy mess, you still end up drinking here on BangLa road where all the strip clubs are. Most other parts of the resort seem to close by midnight, so its the only place really to go at that time. Luckily there are some bars where you don't get pestered by the Thai women so it is possible to relax there.
The breakfasts here cost more than the dinners. Well come to think of it, it was that way in Bangkok as well, but the gap is more noticeable here. In fact in Phuket everything costs more. Most things seem to be about twice as expensive as in Bangkok, and apparently its still high season so accomodation is slightly higher again. I think 3 days here would cost the same as a week in Khao San road.
Anyway the reason for the breakfast was because today I was going on an island tour. I figured a tour would be the best way to see a large part of the island in a single go. When I went to book it the previous night the only one available was an adventure tour, so I went on it. I'm not really sure what was so adventurous about most of what we did, but it was still enjoyable.
The format of the tours seems to be slightly different here, they pick you up from your hotel, so the start is a lot better organised. And they only have one mini van load of passengers so they have 9 in total on the trip. In this case there were 3 French couples, a couple from Singapore and myself. The couple from Singapore were just here for the weekend, its only just over an hour by plane so its a nice weekend destination for them, and I think the French weren't backpackers, I think they were on a Phuket only holiday. It was a bit hard because they wouldn't talk to anyone in English, but myself and the guy from Singapore had a good chat. His wife didn't speak English either.
The adventure began with some All Terrain Vehicle driving. An advantage of being a single person on this tour was I got my own vehicle to drive while all the others had to double up. It was OK, but the track we went on had been driven on by so many at this stage that it wasn't really off-road any more. And I guess I was possibly breaking the law by driving it on the public road for the bit that we had to do, but nobody ever seemed to ask did I have a licence, so maybe these don't actually need a licence.
After the ATV driving we had some Elephant Trekking, which wasn't really that long, and some animal displays, monkeys and elephants playing basketball, although not against each other. To be honest they weren't that great, but the zoo type facility in which we were getting these had only opened 15 days ago so I think they were still working on their routines.
There was no lunch provided on the tour, hence the big breakfast, but there was a stop at a coffee shop for a free soft drink. Proving the adage there is no such thing as a free lunch we had to get to our free drink by negotiating our way through a giant duty free gift shop. Needless to say I didn't actually buy anything.
The final bits of our tour included doing some sea kayaking around a mangrove swamp, and then a jungle trek up to see a waterfall. These were pretty OK, like everything else they lasted about half an hour only. Its a bit short, but you are doing 6 things in a 5 hour tour, so its obvious really that these things are not going to be that long.
Or is it? Apparently not to the French who spent a large portion of the time complaining that things weren't long enough, or that they weren't stopping for lunch, as advertised. They also refused to follow saftey instructions, taking off their helmets, going past the markers in the canoes and so on. I guess they were about 30 or so, but our tour guide kept referring to them as teenagers, and it was an apt description.
Which brings me to a point made in an email by a reader who asked why don't I blog more about the interesting people I meet. The answer is I do mention the interesting ones, the problem is that a large portion of the ones I meet aren't very interesting. Some of the backpackers are quite young, mostly from England and Australia, and are to put it mildly, quite ignorant of where they are. You know the sort of thing, how come it takes so long to get to Phuket, they look so close on the map. Or I wonder if there is any way of knowing how hot it is going to be there (yes look at a weather forecast on the internet). Or my favourite, because I've seen it on every trip so far, I wonder how far it is until we get to xxx. Look out the window, there are signs, in English, pretty much every kilometer.
The Irish that I have met do tend to be a bit older, and have a bit more cop on. Also we tend to be more likely to do the round the world trip, I find a lot of the British and Australians are only coming to Thailand. The other nationalities seem to be fine though, but there are so many British and Aussies around that they do tend to be the ones you meet.
Speaking of Irish I did meet with some that evening while out drinking. 2 brothers and the girlfriend of one of them. Almost neighbours from home, being from North Dublin as well. I actually can't remember their names though. They were doing a round the world, but in the other direction, and were nearly at the end of it. They had just come from Vietnam, and skipped Cambodia, so we filled each other in on what was missed. Apparently they had found out that the Vietnamese hate the Cambodians, and when they mentioned it I did recall that my tuk-tuk driver over there had mentioned how he hated the Vietnamese. I guess you always hate your neighbours (see my comments about the British above).
Even though it is a sleazy mess, you still end up drinking here on BangLa road where all the strip clubs are. Most other parts of the resort seem to close by midnight, so its the only place really to go at that time. Luckily there are some bars where you don't get pestered by the Thai women so it is possible to relax there.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Hello Phuket
Saturday February 16th
When we left our hero was somewhere in a service station in the middle of Thailand, and John McClane (isn't he running for President) was in a lift shaft. Well today we find out what happens to one of them, and not Det McClean, because they never put on the end of the film. I was a bit annoyed, but then we did have another 4 hours of sleep.
Now comes the messy bit. We arrived in a place called Surat Thani at about 4.30. Up until now there were people going to all parts of South Thailand on the bus. We had to be split up. The only problem, the buses to the other parts of weren't going until 7am. So they dumped us on the side of the road and left us there waiting. When 7 O'Clock did arrive we were transferred to the buses to take us on, and the Phuket bus wasn't a private coach (as advertised) but the normal local bus. At least I didn't have to pay (unlike one or two others who arrived on different coaches). I was a bit annoyed about not having the right type of transport (I guess this may explain why we don't get to keep the ticket), especially 6 and a half hours later when we pulled into Phuket. I had been told it would be about 11 when we arrived, it was about 1.30.
The reason for this is the route the bus takes. The central part of the Thai peninsula is quite mountainous, and the route was an up and over route, on a resonable road, but the bus still couldn't do more than about 50k for the journey, and it was about 250k. And of course there were frequent pick up and set down stops. In fact if I had known how long it would take, it would have been quite a pleasant journey, and if I had known how good the scenery was, I might have had my camera on me instead of locked in my backpack. Khao Sak national park does look like a cool place to visit, but I was heading for Phuket.
My original plan had been to stay in Phuket town rather than each of the resorts and go to a different on each day. However after an hour looking around the two I decided this was not a good idea, and instead went to Patong, the biggest resort on the island.
How to describe Patong, take the worst of all the spanish resorts and combine them. This still isn't bad enough, so replace 99% of the British bars with the girlie bars from Bangkok (you have to leave some, British bars do have one saving grace, they do great fry ups). Now you have the idea. Some may say this is better, I'll wait unil I try a brekkie in a girlie bar.
Anyway I know its wrong to say, but my first impression was maybe God was trying to send a message when he wiped this place out in a tsunami.
I didn't know whether or not to have a nap in the afternoon after the trip, and then stay up for the football, but in the end the decision was made for me as I fell asleep trying to decide. So I was able to stay up to see the late minute winner for Barnsley and Man United's demolition of Arsenal (briefly interupted by chatting to an Aussie bird). So my first night in Phuket wasn't too bad.
When we left our hero was somewhere in a service station in the middle of Thailand, and John McClane (isn't he running for President) was in a lift shaft. Well today we find out what happens to one of them, and not Det McClean, because they never put on the end of the film. I was a bit annoyed, but then we did have another 4 hours of sleep.
Now comes the messy bit. We arrived in a place called Surat Thani at about 4.30. Up until now there were people going to all parts of South Thailand on the bus. We had to be split up. The only problem, the buses to the other parts of weren't going until 7am. So they dumped us on the side of the road and left us there waiting. When 7 O'Clock did arrive we were transferred to the buses to take us on, and the Phuket bus wasn't a private coach (as advertised) but the normal local bus. At least I didn't have to pay (unlike one or two others who arrived on different coaches). I was a bit annoyed about not having the right type of transport (I guess this may explain why we don't get to keep the ticket), especially 6 and a half hours later when we pulled into Phuket. I had been told it would be about 11 when we arrived, it was about 1.30.
The reason for this is the route the bus takes. The central part of the Thai peninsula is quite mountainous, and the route was an up and over route, on a resonable road, but the bus still couldn't do more than about 50k for the journey, and it was about 250k. And of course there were frequent pick up and set down stops. In fact if I had known how long it would take, it would have been quite a pleasant journey, and if I had known how good the scenery was, I might have had my camera on me instead of locked in my backpack. Khao Sak national park does look like a cool place to visit, but I was heading for Phuket.
My original plan had been to stay in Phuket town rather than each of the resorts and go to a different on each day. However after an hour looking around the two I decided this was not a good idea, and instead went to Patong, the biggest resort on the island.
How to describe Patong, take the worst of all the spanish resorts and combine them. This still isn't bad enough, so replace 99% of the British bars with the girlie bars from Bangkok (you have to leave some, British bars do have one saving grace, they do great fry ups). Now you have the idea. Some may say this is better, I'll wait unil I try a brekkie in a girlie bar.
Anyway I know its wrong to say, but my first impression was maybe God was trying to send a message when he wiped this place out in a tsunami.
I didn't know whether or not to have a nap in the afternoon after the trip, and then stay up for the football, but in the end the decision was made for me as I fell asleep trying to decide. So I was able to stay up to see the late minute winner for Barnsley and Man United's demolition of Arsenal (briefly interupted by chatting to an Aussie bird). So my first night in Phuket wasn't too bad.
Bye bye Khao San Road
Friday February 15th
I guess this could be called bye bye Bangkok, but to be honest when you are in the KSR area it does sort of feel like you are not in the other Bangkok, the one with all the tourist attractions, all the big skyscrapers, and all the girlie bars.
Anyway today is the day to head down South, to Phuket. As the bus doesn't leave til 7, there is that usual awkward period of time to kill between checking out of the hotel, and getting the bus. So today was just a day to write some postcards (for those that are not internet enabled) doing some more internet browsing (at 66 cent per hour it is also the cheapest form of air conditioning available) and eating. I'm not sure what the procedure for stopping is on the overnight trip so I decided its best to fill up first, I can always eat less at any pitstops.
Once 6 O'Clock came and it was time for the bus it was the by now expected chaos. I think the real problem is that nobody really understands what is going on, but there is a method to the madness. Basically when you buy the ticket from one of about 100 travel agents in the area you get a receipt. This is also your ticket. So you turn up at the travel agent you bought the ticket from (hint pick one closest to your hotel, they all cost about the same so there is no point in shopping around). Anyway hat happens is someone comes around at 6 to collect you and takes your ticket from you. At that point you have no confirmation left that you have a ticket. This is what panics people. It could all be simplified by two-part tickers, where you retain the stub.
Anyway thats what I think should be done (if any travel agent from KSR is reading this).
The overnight bus journey was OK. I'll explain a bit more in tomorrows post, but for the rest of this day it was sleeping on the bus, and watching some movies, some rubbish with Kevin Costner and Die Hard 4.0. We pulled into our midnight service station stop with Bruce Willis hanging in a lift shaft...
Don't you hate it when things are left 'to be continued'.
I guess this could be called bye bye Bangkok, but to be honest when you are in the KSR area it does sort of feel like you are not in the other Bangkok, the one with all the tourist attractions, all the big skyscrapers, and all the girlie bars.
Anyway today is the day to head down South, to Phuket. As the bus doesn't leave til 7, there is that usual awkward period of time to kill between checking out of the hotel, and getting the bus. So today was just a day to write some postcards (for those that are not internet enabled) doing some more internet browsing (at 66 cent per hour it is also the cheapest form of air conditioning available) and eating. I'm not sure what the procedure for stopping is on the overnight trip so I decided its best to fill up first, I can always eat less at any pitstops.
Once 6 O'Clock came and it was time for the bus it was the by now expected chaos. I think the real problem is that nobody really understands what is going on, but there is a method to the madness. Basically when you buy the ticket from one of about 100 travel agents in the area you get a receipt. This is also your ticket. So you turn up at the travel agent you bought the ticket from (hint pick one closest to your hotel, they all cost about the same so there is no point in shopping around). Anyway hat happens is someone comes around at 6 to collect you and takes your ticket from you. At that point you have no confirmation left that you have a ticket. This is what panics people. It could all be simplified by two-part tickers, where you retain the stub.
Anyway thats what I think should be done (if any travel agent from KSR is reading this).
The overnight bus journey was OK. I'll explain a bit more in tomorrows post, but for the rest of this day it was sleeping on the bus, and watching some movies, some rubbish with Kevin Costner and Die Hard 4.0. We pulled into our midnight service station stop with Bruce Willis hanging in a lift shaft...
Don't you hate it when things are left 'to be continued'.
Friday, February 15, 2008
A tale of two rivers
Thursday February 14th
Today was another early start, for the trip to Kanchanburi, the site of the famous bridge over the river Kwai. As usual the trip begins in chaos, but by now I'm used to it, and I'm actually beginning to understand the method behind their madness. Its all got to do with options, they actually give so many options that even they don't know how many people are doing which bits of the tour. So they stick different colored stickers on you to show which bits you are doing (they also have different shapes, but I'm not sure if the shapes play a part). The analyst side of me kept thinking a simple spreadsheet might help sort things out but they seem to cope.
Whats really funny is watching the attitude of the various toursts waiting amidst the chaos. A German man went a bit nuts expecting some sort of efficient operation, the French wander up late (maybe they had experienced this before and knew about the delays, but of course they did end up making it worse) and the English are polite to the face of the Thais, but the minute the Thai person turns away they start slagging them in a mildly offensive fashion. The Japanese on the other hand seem to be fine with this, its probably just more familiar to them.
I know these are stereotypes but they are exactly reactions I saw while waiting. Myself and another Irish chap, who was actually doing a different tour, had a bit of a laugh at it all.
Anyway I now know my place as a lone traveller, I get to be last in to fill up whatever van still has a space. Its nice to be useful. As before this meant squashing into the front seat, however not with such good results as last time. This time I was sitting beside a French bloke who looked like a prop forward. It was a bit more of a squeeze.
Once we got going we sped along, trying to make up for lost time. This was a bit more nerve wracking and I was defintiely more aware of not having a seatbelt, but actually what was more worrying was the noise coming from the wheel arch when we sped over bridges. Each time I thought it was going to blow a tyre. Also the driver seemed not to like using his horn, so the way wasn't always clear for us.
It turns out the need for speed is of course to meet the train at the right time later, and so all the drivers were at it. In fact from talking to a few others, our journey may have been relatively safe. One van broke lights and nearly got smacked.
Anyway we got to Kanchanburi and it is actually a much bigger town than the Rough Guide had lead me to believe. They made it sound like there were only a few places to stay, a few restaurants etc. There are hundreds. Its probably about the size of Belfast.
Anyway our first stop was the war cemetary (well actually our second stop - after a quick service station toilet break). The cemetary was very nicely laid out, and I went looking for any Irish, but couldn't find any. Most of the British were from English regiments, I guess the Irish Guards didn't make it out this way. Didn't see any Irish in the large Dutch section either. The Aussie section did have quite a few Irish names.
We didn't actually have much time here, and I almost got dragged out by the driver. I didn't really appreciate the tut-tuts from the French as they were the ones who took 12 minutes at a 5 minute toilet break. I sometimes wonder do these people actually care what they are seeing on the trips, or are they just on a day out to fill some time.
After that we went to a war museum. It was rubbish, very tacky and not really that much there. I discovered after its not the main war museum in the town, but a private one, so I wonder if there is a little cut for the tour operator, because the one thing in the museum that was impressive was the shop.
At this point however you do get to see the bridge, and even walk over it. It was more impressive than I thought, the river is certainly quite wide and fast flowing (more so than the one they used in the film) so I can see it would have been a struggle to build. For me this was the highlight of the day, but some people didn't walk across it. I'm not sure what the point of coming all this way is if you don't do that.
Anyway after that it was another speeding convoy, again to beat the train to the 'Death Railway' section. This is actually where most prisoners died. It is a deep gorge where the rail hugs the side of the cliff. The train was very bumpy though so most pictures I took turned out to be useless. We were on the train for an hour, I actually spent most of the time talking to a nice older couple from New Zealand who gave me a few tips on my upcoming visit to their homeland.
The rest of the trip involved lunch on a raft on the river, which is very fast flowing, and then a trip to a waterfall cave system. It was nice enough, but from photos I've seen there are other more spectacular ones around, not very far away. Still I wasn't on the waterfall tour (which I guess there is). Most people just sat at the base looking at the waterfall, I climbed up to the top. Again I'm not really sure why some people go on these trips.
And once again the long journey back to Bangkok seemed to have a deliberate, unannounced pitstop once it looked like we might be early. I guess if people really are using these trips to fill their days then maybe the tour company are giving the customer what they want.
As it was my last night on Khao San I decided to go out for a few drinks. Met a Dutch guy, Peter, who agreed with a lot of my views on our fellow backpackers, what are they actually here for. If it is just for the parties, then why don't they just do Ibiza like they used to. And his biggest complaint, which I had to say I had noticed, where do the western girls go at night. All the bars are full of all the male backpackers, and some have Thai customers, but compared to how many there are around during the day, there aren't many out at night.
Rather than do a pub crawl we did a crawl around the one pub. We actually sat at 4 different tables over the course of the night. We started off on the street as usual, but the cops forced the bar to move back onto the path (interestingly since I came back I've noticed the cops are a much heavier presence on KSR that before - I wonder if something happened while I was away). Then later the pub itself was moving indoors so we had to move off the path to just inside.
At this point the observant amongst you will note that is only three tables, and are also probably wondering where is the second river from the title. Well here it is. At about 1 am the heavens opened and a deluge began. I would say within 5 minutes there was a river flowing through the pub, and under our seats. So we had to move again. It was so heavy that there was no way you could go out in it, and all the taxis and tuk-tuks disappeared to start picking up fares. So we had no choice except to wait it out. But it never stopped. Eventually at 3.30 myself and Peter gave up and made a run for it. At this stage it turned out the river in our pub was only one of dozens of tributaries to the new Khao San River. The whole road was under 4-6 inches of water. Every pub was pumping out water. The place was quite a disaster area. Even running from shelter to shelter it soon became apparent that there was no way home without a tuk-tuk, who charged a rip off price but its better than a cold.
Today was another early start, for the trip to Kanchanburi, the site of the famous bridge over the river Kwai. As usual the trip begins in chaos, but by now I'm used to it, and I'm actually beginning to understand the method behind their madness. Its all got to do with options, they actually give so many options that even they don't know how many people are doing which bits of the tour. So they stick different colored stickers on you to show which bits you are doing (they also have different shapes, but I'm not sure if the shapes play a part). The analyst side of me kept thinking a simple spreadsheet might help sort things out but they seem to cope.
Whats really funny is watching the attitude of the various toursts waiting amidst the chaos. A German man went a bit nuts expecting some sort of efficient operation, the French wander up late (maybe they had experienced this before and knew about the delays, but of course they did end up making it worse) and the English are polite to the face of the Thais, but the minute the Thai person turns away they start slagging them in a mildly offensive fashion. The Japanese on the other hand seem to be fine with this, its probably just more familiar to them.
I know these are stereotypes but they are exactly reactions I saw while waiting. Myself and another Irish chap, who was actually doing a different tour, had a bit of a laugh at it all.
Anyway I now know my place as a lone traveller, I get to be last in to fill up whatever van still has a space. Its nice to be useful. As before this meant squashing into the front seat, however not with such good results as last time. This time I was sitting beside a French bloke who looked like a prop forward. It was a bit more of a squeeze.
Once we got going we sped along, trying to make up for lost time. This was a bit more nerve wracking and I was defintiely more aware of not having a seatbelt, but actually what was more worrying was the noise coming from the wheel arch when we sped over bridges. Each time I thought it was going to blow a tyre. Also the driver seemed not to like using his horn, so the way wasn't always clear for us.
It turns out the need for speed is of course to meet the train at the right time later, and so all the drivers were at it. In fact from talking to a few others, our journey may have been relatively safe. One van broke lights and nearly got smacked.
Anyway we got to Kanchanburi and it is actually a much bigger town than the Rough Guide had lead me to believe. They made it sound like there were only a few places to stay, a few restaurants etc. There are hundreds. Its probably about the size of Belfast.
Anyway our first stop was the war cemetary (well actually our second stop - after a quick service station toilet break). The cemetary was very nicely laid out, and I went looking for any Irish, but couldn't find any. Most of the British were from English regiments, I guess the Irish Guards didn't make it out this way. Didn't see any Irish in the large Dutch section either. The Aussie section did have quite a few Irish names.
We didn't actually have much time here, and I almost got dragged out by the driver. I didn't really appreciate the tut-tuts from the French as they were the ones who took 12 minutes at a 5 minute toilet break. I sometimes wonder do these people actually care what they are seeing on the trips, or are they just on a day out to fill some time.
After that we went to a war museum. It was rubbish, very tacky and not really that much there. I discovered after its not the main war museum in the town, but a private one, so I wonder if there is a little cut for the tour operator, because the one thing in the museum that was impressive was the shop.
At this point however you do get to see the bridge, and even walk over it. It was more impressive than I thought, the river is certainly quite wide and fast flowing (more so than the one they used in the film) so I can see it would have been a struggle to build. For me this was the highlight of the day, but some people didn't walk across it. I'm not sure what the point of coming all this way is if you don't do that.
Anyway after that it was another speeding convoy, again to beat the train to the 'Death Railway' section. This is actually where most prisoners died. It is a deep gorge where the rail hugs the side of the cliff. The train was very bumpy though so most pictures I took turned out to be useless. We were on the train for an hour, I actually spent most of the time talking to a nice older couple from New Zealand who gave me a few tips on my upcoming visit to their homeland.
The rest of the trip involved lunch on a raft on the river, which is very fast flowing, and then a trip to a waterfall cave system. It was nice enough, but from photos I've seen there are other more spectacular ones around, not very far away. Still I wasn't on the waterfall tour (which I guess there is). Most people just sat at the base looking at the waterfall, I climbed up to the top. Again I'm not really sure why some people go on these trips.
And once again the long journey back to Bangkok seemed to have a deliberate, unannounced pitstop once it looked like we might be early. I guess if people really are using these trips to fill their days then maybe the tour company are giving the customer what they want.
As it was my last night on Khao San I decided to go out for a few drinks. Met a Dutch guy, Peter, who agreed with a lot of my views on our fellow backpackers, what are they actually here for. If it is just for the parties, then why don't they just do Ibiza like they used to. And his biggest complaint, which I had to say I had noticed, where do the western girls go at night. All the bars are full of all the male backpackers, and some have Thai customers, but compared to how many there are around during the day, there aren't many out at night.
Rather than do a pub crawl we did a crawl around the one pub. We actually sat at 4 different tables over the course of the night. We started off on the street as usual, but the cops forced the bar to move back onto the path (interestingly since I came back I've noticed the cops are a much heavier presence on KSR that before - I wonder if something happened while I was away). Then later the pub itself was moving indoors so we had to move off the path to just inside.
At this point the observant amongst you will note that is only three tables, and are also probably wondering where is the second river from the title. Well here it is. At about 1 am the heavens opened and a deluge began. I would say within 5 minutes there was a river flowing through the pub, and under our seats. So we had to move again. It was so heavy that there was no way you could go out in it, and all the taxis and tuk-tuks disappeared to start picking up fares. So we had no choice except to wait it out. But it never stopped. Eventually at 3.30 myself and Peter gave up and made a run for it. At this stage it turned out the river in our pub was only one of dozens of tributaries to the new Khao San River. The whole road was under 4-6 inches of water. Every pub was pumping out water. The place was quite a disaster area. Even running from shelter to shelter it soon became apparent that there was no way home without a tuk-tuk, who charged a rip off price but its better than a cold.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Rest Day
Wednesday February 13th
Today was a rest day, as I was still recuperatng from my Cambodian experiences, and also because I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do in Bangkok (except go to the Thai boxing, but I've sort of given up on that for now - next time).
Anyway all I really did was update the blog for Cambodia, now that the internet is a little more reliable. And a load of other admin tasks, organising tickets for a day trip to Kanchanburi tomorrow and my transfer down to the islands (starting in Phuket) on Friday.
And thats really it. I decided to test the digestion with the local Thai delicacy, hot spicy soup. I nearly finished it, but I had to admit defeat and leave about 20% in the bowl. Still other than a burnt mouth, which did calm down after about an hour, there were no effects on the digestion so I guess I'm back to normal. Had a few beers to celebrate, but the day trip is an early start so nothing major.
Today was a rest day, as I was still recuperatng from my Cambodian experiences, and also because I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do in Bangkok (except go to the Thai boxing, but I've sort of given up on that for now - next time).
Anyway all I really did was update the blog for Cambodia, now that the internet is a little more reliable. And a load of other admin tasks, organising tickets for a day trip to Kanchanburi tomorrow and my transfer down to the islands (starting in Phuket) on Friday.
And thats really it. I decided to test the digestion with the local Thai delicacy, hot spicy soup. I nearly finished it, but I had to admit defeat and leave about 20% in the bowl. Still other than a burnt mouth, which did calm down after about an hour, there were no effects on the digestion so I guess I'm back to normal. Had a few beers to celebrate, but the day trip is an early start so nothing major.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Goodbye Cambodia
Tuesday Februray 12th
Actual transfer to Bangkok today. It follows the standard pattern, chaotic start, with many more people involved than is necessary (too many cooks...) followed by an efficient middle, followed by chaos at the border, followed by a journey that could have been done quicker but is deliberately slowed so that the arrival is later than it could be. (In this case our advertised non-stop trip from the border to Bangkok had a 20 minute stop at a motorway service station just because we were making good time). I think in Thailand at least, the buses tacographs are checked to make sure they don't speed, but even so we were being overtake by motor scooters on dual carriageways. At least the Thailand leg of the trip passed quickly by playing word games with a few girls from Munster and an Israeli chap.
As Cambodia is the first country I have fully visited I'll finish today with a few comments. It may be the poorest country in SE Asia, but its moving fast. To be honest I reckon its a bit like Ireland in the 70s. OK we didn't have people starving in the streets, or a load of landmine victims (and these were noticable), but it is a long way behind their neighbours. However with the proper application of external money, which it looks like they are getting, they could catch up quite quickly. They seem to be spending a fortune on education, which ultimately is how we solved our problems. Most kids seem to go to school. There were large schools everywhere we went. Even the older people like Li the tuk-tuk driver are learning new stuff all the time. If anything they seem to be more focussed on the tourist than Thailand. They know where their money is coming from (they were very proud that they passed 2 million international visitors last year).
I think the security situation here is not as bad as it is painted. I guess it is probably improving year on year, so when you read reports they are already out of date. Every year more of the country opens up to tourists, and as I said they do know where their bread is buttered (although the bread usually isn't) so the authorities, and the locals, are all co-operating to make things safer. Still I was slightly more wary here about being on my own, it was harder to leave your bag somewhere for the day, or even on the bus while you got off at the toilet stop. Its easier when there are two or more to take turns.
My only complaint, and its not really a complaint, is that the prices were higher than I expected. But they have to make money I guess. Interestingly it is the first time I've ever been penalised for being a Diet Coke drinker. I guess sugar cane is cheap here, artifical additives aren't.
If I were going back though I'd do things slightly differently. I'd probably go in November, when the water levels are higher, as Angkor will be more spectacular. I'd hire bikes to see it at my own pace, and I'd do a 7 day ticket, but take a day or two off in the middle. If I were going for the first time again (which I can't do - but some of you might) I'd save Angkor Wat for day 2 and allow a build up. I'd spend less time in Phnom Penh, you could do the 4 main sights in a day if you timed it right, and I'd probably fly in or out of the country, to save some time.
Actual transfer to Bangkok today. It follows the standard pattern, chaotic start, with many more people involved than is necessary (too many cooks...) followed by an efficient middle, followed by chaos at the border, followed by a journey that could have been done quicker but is deliberately slowed so that the arrival is later than it could be. (In this case our advertised non-stop trip from the border to Bangkok had a 20 minute stop at a motorway service station just because we were making good time). I think in Thailand at least, the buses tacographs are checked to make sure they don't speed, but even so we were being overtake by motor scooters on dual carriageways. At least the Thailand leg of the trip passed quickly by playing word games with a few girls from Munster and an Israeli chap.
As Cambodia is the first country I have fully visited I'll finish today with a few comments. It may be the poorest country in SE Asia, but its moving fast. To be honest I reckon its a bit like Ireland in the 70s. OK we didn't have people starving in the streets, or a load of landmine victims (and these were noticable), but it is a long way behind their neighbours. However with the proper application of external money, which it looks like they are getting, they could catch up quite quickly. They seem to be spending a fortune on education, which ultimately is how we solved our problems. Most kids seem to go to school. There were large schools everywhere we went. Even the older people like Li the tuk-tuk driver are learning new stuff all the time. If anything they seem to be more focussed on the tourist than Thailand. They know where their money is coming from (they were very proud that they passed 2 million international visitors last year).
I think the security situation here is not as bad as it is painted. I guess it is probably improving year on year, so when you read reports they are already out of date. Every year more of the country opens up to tourists, and as I said they do know where their bread is buttered (although the bread usually isn't) so the authorities, and the locals, are all co-operating to make things safer. Still I was slightly more wary here about being on my own, it was harder to leave your bag somewhere for the day, or even on the bus while you got off at the toilet stop. Its easier when there are two or more to take turns.
My only complaint, and its not really a complaint, is that the prices were higher than I expected. But they have to make money I guess. Interestingly it is the first time I've ever been penalised for being a Diet Coke drinker. I guess sugar cane is cheap here, artifical additives aren't.
If I were going back though I'd do things slightly differently. I'd probably go in November, when the water levels are higher, as Angkor will be more spectacular. I'd hire bikes to see it at my own pace, and I'd do a 7 day ticket, but take a day or two off in the middle. If I were going for the first time again (which I can't do - but some of you might) I'd save Angkor Wat for day 2 and allow a build up. I'd spend less time in Phnom Penh, you could do the 4 main sights in a day if you timed it right, and I'd probably fly in or out of the country, to save some time.
Extra day in Cambodia
Monday February 11th
The guesthouse messed up on the bus booking (they claim it was the bus company) so when I woke up I found out (at 6.15 am) that I was going to have to stay another day in Phnom Penh.
This was just as well because there was no way I was going to be able to go, and I'd have lost my money on the ticket, this way I didn't pay. I had developed really bad stomach problems. I am 99% certain it was from the meal in the guesthouse itself the previous night (it was all I had eaten in the previous 12 hours). I'm guessing the salad was washed in tap water, or not washed at all.
Given these twin issues when the bloke said I should stay an extra night, and still travel through him, I laughed in his face. I paid the bill and got out of there quickly. I headed back to the centre of town, and found myself a quiet place with a TV in the room and A/C (and a decent toilet), and then lay on the bed watching TV (including Trading Places, one of my favourite films) for most of the rest of the day. I only went out to organise a bus ticket myself, and to eat (which didn't really work). Luckily I had all the necessary meds so it should be a 24 hour thing.
And that's it for the day, I was in the new hotel for 22 hours, and spent 21 in my room.
The guesthouse messed up on the bus booking (they claim it was the bus company) so when I woke up I found out (at 6.15 am) that I was going to have to stay another day in Phnom Penh.
This was just as well because there was no way I was going to be able to go, and I'd have lost my money on the ticket, this way I didn't pay. I had developed really bad stomach problems. I am 99% certain it was from the meal in the guesthouse itself the previous night (it was all I had eaten in the previous 12 hours). I'm guessing the salad was washed in tap water, or not washed at all.
Given these twin issues when the bloke said I should stay an extra night, and still travel through him, I laughed in his face. I paid the bill and got out of there quickly. I headed back to the centre of town, and found myself a quiet place with a TV in the room and A/C (and a decent toilet), and then lay on the bed watching TV (including Trading Places, one of my favourite films) for most of the rest of the day. I only went out to organise a bus ticket myself, and to eat (which didn't really work). Luckily I had all the necessary meds so it should be a 24 hour thing.
And that's it for the day, I was in the new hotel for 22 hours, and spent 21 in my room.
Lakeside
Sunday February 10th
As the Aussie hotel was booked out today. This is unusual but as far as I can gather there are a lot of Aussies who turn up for a week working here, then going home for a week etc, and they all stay in this place - Tonle Sap Guesthouse in case anyone is ever in town. From what I can gather the Aussies and the Japanese are in some sort of battle to turn this country into their little colony. All the roads are funded by Japan (like ours were by the Germans I guess) and a lot of businesses seem to be Aussie run. We'll see who wins (unusually it looks like for once it won't be the Chinese).
Anyway as I had to move I decided to move to Boeung Lak, the lake. This is the big backpacker hangout in Phnom Penh, its version of Khao San Road. Actually its an insult to KSR to even compare them. The cheapest guesthouses are found here because its a kip. The lake isn't very imprssive, and the road out front is the type of road you would expect in Cambodia, even if the rest are actually relatively clean. More about how bad lakeside is tomorrow (or at least the place I stayed).
From here I decided to do the remaining sights in town. To do this I needed to hire a motorbike driver and away we went. First up was S21, or to give it its proper name, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. I was slightly wary of going to this, in case it depressed me too much, but to be honest it didn't, which can only say how used we are to this sort of thing in this world. S21 was a school that was turned into a prison during the Khmer Rouge rule. Most prisoners didn't actually die here, they were sent to the famous Killing Fields, but most that past through here never survived. It is left as close to how it was found when liberated.
It takes a while to go round because they have individual stories on the walls, and you do feel you have to look at them. They also have photos of thousands of the victims, and you do feel you have to look at all of these as well.
I think the problems in Cambodia may mean more to me than some of the others because they were the first I remember, I think I saw it on Blue Peter. Even though I had probably heard of the Second World War, although maybe not the Holocaust, I was only 8 or 9 at the time, it was probably the first time I realised what people can do to each other. Of course the most annoying thing is that it didn't stop it happening again in Rwanda, Bosnia, even Darfur today.
After that it was onto the Silver Pagoda and Royal Palace (as in Bangkok the holiest shrine and main palace share the same grounds). In some ways this was nicer than the one in Thailand, it seemed more colourful, due to the flowers in the grounds, and it was smaller and easier to get around. Because it was smaller, it also seemed more packed, again with a lot of locals, as it was a weekend. Interestingly there are signs of a large Cambodian middle class who can afford to do touristy things.
Back to the guesthouse and eat, drink and watch a dismal performance by Man United against City, before an early night as I had booked a bus back to Bangkok through the guesthouse. I didn't feel like staying up to watch the Chelsea v Liverpool match, although from what I had heard it would have been better at putting me to sleep than my room, where I was playing a game of guess whether the creatures in the walls were lizards, rats or birds.
As the Aussie hotel was booked out today. This is unusual but as far as I can gather there are a lot of Aussies who turn up for a week working here, then going home for a week etc, and they all stay in this place - Tonle Sap Guesthouse in case anyone is ever in town. From what I can gather the Aussies and the Japanese are in some sort of battle to turn this country into their little colony. All the roads are funded by Japan (like ours were by the Germans I guess) and a lot of businesses seem to be Aussie run. We'll see who wins (unusually it looks like for once it won't be the Chinese).
Anyway as I had to move I decided to move to Boeung Lak, the lake. This is the big backpacker hangout in Phnom Penh, its version of Khao San Road. Actually its an insult to KSR to even compare them. The cheapest guesthouses are found here because its a kip. The lake isn't very imprssive, and the road out front is the type of road you would expect in Cambodia, even if the rest are actually relatively clean. More about how bad lakeside is tomorrow (or at least the place I stayed).
From here I decided to do the remaining sights in town. To do this I needed to hire a motorbike driver and away we went. First up was S21, or to give it its proper name, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. I was slightly wary of going to this, in case it depressed me too much, but to be honest it didn't, which can only say how used we are to this sort of thing in this world. S21 was a school that was turned into a prison during the Khmer Rouge rule. Most prisoners didn't actually die here, they were sent to the famous Killing Fields, but most that past through here never survived. It is left as close to how it was found when liberated.
It takes a while to go round because they have individual stories on the walls, and you do feel you have to look at them. They also have photos of thousands of the victims, and you do feel you have to look at all of these as well.
I think the problems in Cambodia may mean more to me than some of the others because they were the first I remember, I think I saw it on Blue Peter. Even though I had probably heard of the Second World War, although maybe not the Holocaust, I was only 8 or 9 at the time, it was probably the first time I realised what people can do to each other. Of course the most annoying thing is that it didn't stop it happening again in Rwanda, Bosnia, even Darfur today.
After that it was onto the Silver Pagoda and Royal Palace (as in Bangkok the holiest shrine and main palace share the same grounds). In some ways this was nicer than the one in Thailand, it seemed more colourful, due to the flowers in the grounds, and it was smaller and easier to get around. Because it was smaller, it also seemed more packed, again with a lot of locals, as it was a weekend. Interestingly there are signs of a large Cambodian middle class who can afford to do touristy things.
Back to the guesthouse and eat, drink and watch a dismal performance by Man United against City, before an early night as I had booked a bus back to Bangkok through the guesthouse. I didn't feel like staying up to watch the Chelsea v Liverpool match, although from what I had heard it would have been better at putting me to sleep than my room, where I was playing a game of guess whether the creatures in the walls were lizards, rats or birds.
Not liking the French
Saturday February 9th
I praised the French the other day for some of their influences on Cambodia, but that was before I had to watch the France Ireland rugby match surrounded by them.
The day started late, so it was very hot by the time I got out to the first sight, Wat Phnom, the temple that gives the city its name. Its not that impressive to tell the truth, and also it was full of locals as it was the weekend. As with lots of sights, pale skins get charged an entrance fee, locals don't. Can't really blame them for it, but for some reason it was much more blatant here than in other places.
Seeing that didn't last long, and in Phnom Penh everyone seems to have a siesta, so by the time I got to the national museum it was closed. So I had to spend an hour and a half hanging around in a nearby pub, which happened to be an Irish bar. It was the most dead place I've ever been to. Nobody goes out in the midday sun here.
After that it was onto the museum. Its not that great, all it really has is all the stuff that they resuced from Angkor before they opened it to the public. Lots of stuff was looted in the wars and so on. Still it takes a while to get around, and as usual there are more Buddhas than you ever want to see. Also the rest of the Hindu crowd as well.
What annoyed me slightly about the museum is that it had a no photographs sign on the door. So I checked my bag in with my camera in it. I was the only one who did, as there were loads of people taking photos of the bits you were allowed to (the no photos rule only applied in certain rooms). It was annoying because the setting of the museum itself was quite nice, and made for some nice photos.
After that it had cooled to the point where I was able to walk back to the hotel before it got dark. I then had my first real case of indigestion after a meal. The only problem was that the meal in question was pizza. Shows you should stick to what the locals eat. But pizza seems to be on every menu, maybe the French brought it as well.
The whole idea of staying in the hotel I was in was so I could watch the rugby this weekend, having missed the previous weekends action. When I got back there were loads of Aussies in the bar, so there was a bit of banter. But they all left after the Wales v Scotland match, and I was left with a group of French guys (who came in at kick off, drank only water, and left at the end) so it was not pleasent. Still it was fun to see the concern on their faces right at the end.
I praised the French the other day for some of their influences on Cambodia, but that was before I had to watch the France Ireland rugby match surrounded by them.
The day started late, so it was very hot by the time I got out to the first sight, Wat Phnom, the temple that gives the city its name. Its not that impressive to tell the truth, and also it was full of locals as it was the weekend. As with lots of sights, pale skins get charged an entrance fee, locals don't. Can't really blame them for it, but for some reason it was much more blatant here than in other places.
Seeing that didn't last long, and in Phnom Penh everyone seems to have a siesta, so by the time I got to the national museum it was closed. So I had to spend an hour and a half hanging around in a nearby pub, which happened to be an Irish bar. It was the most dead place I've ever been to. Nobody goes out in the midday sun here.
After that it was onto the museum. Its not that great, all it really has is all the stuff that they resuced from Angkor before they opened it to the public. Lots of stuff was looted in the wars and so on. Still it takes a while to get around, and as usual there are more Buddhas than you ever want to see. Also the rest of the Hindu crowd as well.
What annoyed me slightly about the museum is that it had a no photographs sign on the door. So I checked my bag in with my camera in it. I was the only one who did, as there were loads of people taking photos of the bits you were allowed to (the no photos rule only applied in certain rooms). It was annoying because the setting of the museum itself was quite nice, and made for some nice photos.
After that it had cooled to the point where I was able to walk back to the hotel before it got dark. I then had my first real case of indigestion after a meal. The only problem was that the meal in question was pizza. Shows you should stick to what the locals eat. But pizza seems to be on every menu, maybe the French brought it as well.
The whole idea of staying in the hotel I was in was so I could watch the rugby this weekend, having missed the previous weekends action. When I got back there were loads of Aussies in the bar, so there was a bit of banter. But they all left after the Wales v Scotland match, and I was left with a group of French guys (who came in at kick off, drank only water, and left at the end) so it was not pleasent. Still it was fun to see the concern on their faces right at the end.
Angkor's Away
Friday February 8th
Sorry, bad pun I know. Transferred to Phnom Penh. This was a much more efficient operation. They said the journey would take 6 hours and it took exactly 6 hours. Because it is a better road than the one into Siem Reap they can put on better coaches so all in all the trip was quite comforatable.
The only unusual thing about the trip was that as I am sitting there reading, I hear some familiar voices and look up to see a group of lads playing GAA on the TV. Turns out it was a Westlife video. They subjected us to 5 Westlife videos in a row. Still overall it was a better journey than the previous one.
When we got to PP I wandered along about 2 blocks until I saw a guesthouse with a chalkboard outside saying France v Ireland on Saturday night. So I chanced my arm, went in, and enquired about rooms, and they had one (but only for 2 days, not the 3 I wanted). Anyway I took it, and although it was dear, $18, it was very good. Turns out the whole operation is run by an Aussie, hence the cricket and ruby on TV not soccer, and there are a few extra touches that actually make the $18 worthwhile, like the free bottled water, and its proximity to the city centre, which all in all saves about $6.
One added 'attraction' I soon discovered was the troop of monkeys outside the window. After struggling to see them in Siem Reap, they decided to visit me, coming right up to the window to see the new arrival. Needless to say it was obvious that you don't open your window here.
I went down to Sisowath Quay, which is the main tourist strip in PP. I wasn't that impressed, and couldn't really see what the deal was. I guess its just in comparison to the rest of the city it seems hopping. Even on the quay there are a few points where there are gaps between the bars. As there is no street lighting, only that which comes from the bars, you can find yourself walking in the dark if not careful. Overall there is more of an edge to the city than in Siem Reap which seemed quite safe.
After having dinner in a local bar that played a lot of U2 (they seem to play albums right through in pubs rather than mixing music) I headed back to the hotel with the intent of just having a few drinks there before heading to bed. However I ran into a few English lads who were about to hit the town and persuaded me to join them.
Lets just say a lot of drink was had, and I didn't get back to the hotel until 3. We visited all the famous PP bars (well the two most famous of them anyway, plus another couple) covering the great distances on the back of motorbikes (thankfully at that hour the streets are empty). Unlike in Bangkok where all the dodgy bars are concentrated in 3 spots, in PP they are all mixed in, so you could be in a decent bar one minute, go next door and be in a bar with a load of 'hostesses'. Anyway two of the other lads didn't last the night and were spirited away by hostesses, but I made it home intact.
Sorry, bad pun I know. Transferred to Phnom Penh. This was a much more efficient operation. They said the journey would take 6 hours and it took exactly 6 hours. Because it is a better road than the one into Siem Reap they can put on better coaches so all in all the trip was quite comforatable.
The only unusual thing about the trip was that as I am sitting there reading, I hear some familiar voices and look up to see a group of lads playing GAA on the TV. Turns out it was a Westlife video. They subjected us to 5 Westlife videos in a row. Still overall it was a better journey than the previous one.
When we got to PP I wandered along about 2 blocks until I saw a guesthouse with a chalkboard outside saying France v Ireland on Saturday night. So I chanced my arm, went in, and enquired about rooms, and they had one (but only for 2 days, not the 3 I wanted). Anyway I took it, and although it was dear, $18, it was very good. Turns out the whole operation is run by an Aussie, hence the cricket and ruby on TV not soccer, and there are a few extra touches that actually make the $18 worthwhile, like the free bottled water, and its proximity to the city centre, which all in all saves about $6.
One added 'attraction' I soon discovered was the troop of monkeys outside the window. After struggling to see them in Siem Reap, they decided to visit me, coming right up to the window to see the new arrival. Needless to say it was obvious that you don't open your window here.
I went down to Sisowath Quay, which is the main tourist strip in PP. I wasn't that impressed, and couldn't really see what the deal was. I guess its just in comparison to the rest of the city it seems hopping. Even on the quay there are a few points where there are gaps between the bars. As there is no street lighting, only that which comes from the bars, you can find yourself walking in the dark if not careful. Overall there is more of an edge to the city than in Siem Reap which seemed quite safe.
After having dinner in a local bar that played a lot of U2 (they seem to play albums right through in pubs rather than mixing music) I headed back to the hotel with the intent of just having a few drinks there before heading to bed. However I ran into a few English lads who were about to hit the town and persuaded me to join them.
Lets just say a lot of drink was had, and I didn't get back to the hotel until 3. We visited all the famous PP bars (well the two most famous of them anyway, plus another couple) covering the great distances on the back of motorbikes (thankfully at that hour the streets are empty). Unlike in Bangkok where all the dodgy bars are concentrated in 3 spots, in PP they are all mixed in, so you could be in a decent bar one minute, go next door and be in a bar with a load of 'hostesses'. Anyway two of the other lads didn't last the night and were spirited away by hostesses, but I made it home intact.
Tired of Temples Thursday
If Tuesday was Super, by Thursday the temples were becoming same old. Today we were on a motor bike (I didn't ask Li what happened to the tuk-tuk) and its even more hairraising (literally as no helmets). As with the previous day the ruins were great, but paled into comparison with the first days.
I had already decided today would only be a half-day, with Li, so he only got $10. Still he got $55 from me for 3 days work, which is fairly good money. Although I talked to 2 dutch girls who had hired bikes for a fiver for 3 days and I think if I was going again I'd maybe try that. Except for the main road in and out of the hotel (which is chaos), its all fairly safe.
From talking to Li he claims the money is going on his education. He said he was learning Korean, so he can become an official tour guide. They earn 30-50 a day. Apparently there is a shortage of Korean guides so thats what he is going for. Fair play to him. Interestingly enough the one thing I noticed was the tours were being done in a lot more languages than just English, which is all you can get in Bangkok. I'm not sure if its all the UN influence on Cambodia, but they seem to be more aware of languages.
Interestingly enough I had noticed that for lunch on both of the previous days Li brought me to specific places within the park. His commission for this, a free soft drink and a hammock to lie in while I was looking at ruins. Not really much of a commission.
As I still had half a day left I decided just to have a wander about the town of Siem Reap itself. (I did think about going back to Angkor Wat but I'd had 2 1/2 days at that stage). There isn't much to see, although a few parts are quite nice. You can tell some of the international hotel chains have paid a few dollars for some of the parks.
Had dinner in a Mexican restaurant of all places. There were actually a few of them, so I thought why not. The enchilladas were pretty good as well. Followed it up with a very nice ice cream cone from another bar. There are a few good things to be said for the French colonisation of Cambodia, the Ice Cream and the French Fries are very good, and the bread, and in particular the baguettes, are excellent.
Today was also the Chinese New Year (which for some reason I incorrectly thought was on Monday). It is the year of the Rat, and I am a Rat (star sign) so apparently this is a lucky year for me. It did explain why there were so many more kids about today, it was a day off school.
As it was moving day again tomorrow I didn't stay in Bar St as late. Amazingly I had the same tuk-tuk drive who charged me loads last night, and he wanted to do it again, but it wasn't as late (and I wasn't as drunk) so I negotiated him down.
I had already decided today would only be a half-day, with Li, so he only got $10. Still he got $55 from me for 3 days work, which is fairly good money. Although I talked to 2 dutch girls who had hired bikes for a fiver for 3 days and I think if I was going again I'd maybe try that. Except for the main road in and out of the hotel (which is chaos), its all fairly safe.
From talking to Li he claims the money is going on his education. He said he was learning Korean, so he can become an official tour guide. They earn 30-50 a day. Apparently there is a shortage of Korean guides so thats what he is going for. Fair play to him. Interestingly enough the one thing I noticed was the tours were being done in a lot more languages than just English, which is all you can get in Bangkok. I'm not sure if its all the UN influence on Cambodia, but they seem to be more aware of languages.
Interestingly enough I had noticed that for lunch on both of the previous days Li brought me to specific places within the park. His commission for this, a free soft drink and a hammock to lie in while I was looking at ruins. Not really much of a commission.
As I still had half a day left I decided just to have a wander about the town of Siem Reap itself. (I did think about going back to Angkor Wat but I'd had 2 1/2 days at that stage). There isn't much to see, although a few parts are quite nice. You can tell some of the international hotel chains have paid a few dollars for some of the parks.
Had dinner in a Mexican restaurant of all places. There were actually a few of them, so I thought why not. The enchilladas were pretty good as well. Followed it up with a very nice ice cream cone from another bar. There are a few good things to be said for the French colonisation of Cambodia, the Ice Cream and the French Fries are very good, and the bread, and in particular the baguettes, are excellent.
Today was also the Chinese New Year (which for some reason I incorrectly thought was on Monday). It is the year of the Rat, and I am a Rat (star sign) so apparently this is a lucky year for me. It did explain why there were so many more kids about today, it was a day off school.
As it was moving day again tomorrow I didn't stay in Bar St as late. Amazingly I had the same tuk-tuk drive who charged me loads last night, and he wanted to do it again, but it wasn't as late (and I wasn't as drunk) so I negotiated him down.
100k in a tuk-tuk
Wednesday February 6th
Today was the long outer tour of the temples. It involves a lot more time in a tuk-tuk, about 100k I reckon. On any other day this would have been an amazing day, with an absolutely fabulous set of ruins, but after Ankor Wat and Thom yesterday, it was a bit of an anti climax.
Interestingly Li, the tuk-tuk driver (same as yesterday - its just easier to keep using the same guy) was wearing a helmet, not sure if it was a response to the near miss yesterday, or to keep his face from being recognised by the stall holders who witnessed the motorbike go over, or just because we were doing a longer journey. He was also more moody, probably because I negotiated him down $5 on the price for the day (from $35 to $30).
Most of the temples today were really just smaller versions of the ones from yesterday. The only really different one was a temple on top of a small hill, Bakheng. From up the hill (which isn't too high but was still a 20 minute trek up) you are supposed to get great views of the other temples, especially at sunrise and sunset, but Li said, and I tend to agree with him, that it was better to go at another time to avoid the crowds. Because all the temples today were smaller they all felt more crowded (especially the first one Banteay Srei).
One other interesting thing about Bakheng, most temples are co-sponsored by some other country to aid in restoration, a few different Japanese universities, France, UK, India, but this one had the flag of that great country American Express. Fair play to them for doing something.
A mini highlight of the day was seeing a wild monkey for the first time in the jungle. I'd heard some the previous day but not seen any, although others in the hotel had. So I saw the little chap and was able to get quite close to him (he may be wild but I guess he's fairly used to tourists).
Rather than stay in the hotel bar I decided to head into Bar St, the main action spot of Siem Reap. Its not actually that long a road, no more than 100m, and probably only has about 20 bars on it, but it is pretty cool nonetheless. Had a few drinks with a guy called Ian from Scotland, and then some Swedish guys. Ian had been looking for cider all night and couldn't find any, and when he left to go back to his hotel, and we went on to one more bar, we found some. I hope he found it the next night.
At the end of the night I discovered one disadvantage to the cheap hotel, it is quite far out of the centtre of the city and that late at night the tuk-tuk price more than doubles, so its not as cheap a spot as it looks.
Today was the long outer tour of the temples. It involves a lot more time in a tuk-tuk, about 100k I reckon. On any other day this would have been an amazing day, with an absolutely fabulous set of ruins, but after Ankor Wat and Thom yesterday, it was a bit of an anti climax.
Interestingly Li, the tuk-tuk driver (same as yesterday - its just easier to keep using the same guy) was wearing a helmet, not sure if it was a response to the near miss yesterday, or to keep his face from being recognised by the stall holders who witnessed the motorbike go over, or just because we were doing a longer journey. He was also more moody, probably because I negotiated him down $5 on the price for the day (from $35 to $30).
Most of the temples today were really just smaller versions of the ones from yesterday. The only really different one was a temple on top of a small hill, Bakheng. From up the hill (which isn't too high but was still a 20 minute trek up) you are supposed to get great views of the other temples, especially at sunrise and sunset, but Li said, and I tend to agree with him, that it was better to go at another time to avoid the crowds. Because all the temples today were smaller they all felt more crowded (especially the first one Banteay Srei).
One other interesting thing about Bakheng, most temples are co-sponsored by some other country to aid in restoration, a few different Japanese universities, France, UK, India, but this one had the flag of that great country American Express. Fair play to them for doing something.
A mini highlight of the day was seeing a wild monkey for the first time in the jungle. I'd heard some the previous day but not seen any, although others in the hotel had. So I saw the little chap and was able to get quite close to him (he may be wild but I guess he's fairly used to tourists).
Rather than stay in the hotel bar I decided to head into Bar St, the main action spot of Siem Reap. Its not actually that long a road, no more than 100m, and probably only has about 20 bars on it, but it is pretty cool nonetheless. Had a few drinks with a guy called Ian from Scotland, and then some Swedish guys. Ian had been looking for cider all night and couldn't find any, and when he left to go back to his hotel, and we went on to one more bar, we found some. I hope he found it the next night.
At the end of the night I discovered one disadvantage to the cheap hotel, it is quite far out of the centtre of the city and that late at night the tuk-tuk price more than doubles, so its not as cheap a spot as it looks.
Super Tuesday
Tuesday February 5th
Today was the big day to tour Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and a couple of other sites within the whole Angkor park.
It started off with me being accosted by a tuk-tuk driver about 2 seconds after leaving the hotel. He wanted me to hire him for the day for $15 to take me to the main sights. I argued with him that it would be better if I had was on my own time and got my own transport from site to site but he said it would be dearer. In fact I'd already knew this to be the case, and had heard one couple last night negotiate a day for $20, so I figured this guy was on the level and decided to hire him.
So it was off to Angkor Wat, via the ticket booth. This is impressive in itself. You are told to bring two passport photos for you ID, but no longer, webcams are everywhere, your picture is laminated straight onto the tickets. Its pretty impressive for a 3rd world country. However you soon realise that the Cambodians have had a fair amount of outside assistance at ensuring they get the best benefit from this natural resource.
As for the temples themselves, to be honest, even a week later I still can't really find the words to describe how big they are. The whole set of temples is spread over an area that is the size of a small county, you really need the tuk-tuk. I'd say we covered about 25k today, and that was the 'petit tour'.
The most amazing thing about Angkor Wat other than its size, is its layered construction. There are about 5 or 6 concentric layers, each of which is higher than the other. But whats amazing is as you go in, because each layer is so big, you sort of forget, and therefore its only when coming out that you realise how far up you went.
Disappointingly the central towers were under repair and you couldn't climb them, but there was so much to do that the 2 1/2 hours I spent there wasn't really enough, but there was so much more to do I had to press on.
To Angkor Thom. If Angkor Wat impressed with its size, Angkor Thom is so big, you can't really think of it as a single ruin. It is a square city 3km by 3km. You drive into it through the gates, and its still about 5 minutes before you reach the main drop off point. There are a load of different ruins in it, but all part of one complex. The most famous of these is the Bayoun with its many heads, but the palace, and the elephant terrace were particular favourites of mine. Its an amazing place, not least because at one point 1 million people lived there, when Europe had no cities half that size. And yet only a few temples, and part of the palace, survived the jungle. No ordinary houses survived.
And still there was more to come. On we went to Ta Phrom, a temple that really is in the jungle (as opposed to Angkor Wat, which by being on an island seems to have suvived the ravages of jungle takeover a lot better). This temple is amazing because of the way in which the tress grow in between, on top of, and around the ruins. It is famous because some scenes of Tomb Raider were shot there (Angelina Jolie is a bit star in Cambodia, every other bar, restaurant and hotel claims she was a customer at some point).
Best I can do to try to convey the day is to post photos. This will give some idea of the size of the place, and the imact of the jungle, but the one thing you won't get is the background jungle noise, which make these ruins unlike others.
On the way back we were involved in a crash, sort of. As we were turning right into the hotel (across traffic, they drive on the right over here) a motorbike swerved to avoid us and went over. We didn't stop, and I didn't ask the driver should he have. He knows the rules of the road. In Ireland it was definitely leaving the scene of an accident (as we were the cause of the swerve).
Finished the evening off in the bar talking to an English/Slovakian couple who were doing Siem Reap as a single day visit. I'm not sure how you would do it in a day.
Today was the big day to tour Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and a couple of other sites within the whole Angkor park.
It started off with me being accosted by a tuk-tuk driver about 2 seconds after leaving the hotel. He wanted me to hire him for the day for $15 to take me to the main sights. I argued with him that it would be better if I had was on my own time and got my own transport from site to site but he said it would be dearer. In fact I'd already knew this to be the case, and had heard one couple last night negotiate a day for $20, so I figured this guy was on the level and decided to hire him.
So it was off to Angkor Wat, via the ticket booth. This is impressive in itself. You are told to bring two passport photos for you ID, but no longer, webcams are everywhere, your picture is laminated straight onto the tickets. Its pretty impressive for a 3rd world country. However you soon realise that the Cambodians have had a fair amount of outside assistance at ensuring they get the best benefit from this natural resource.
As for the temples themselves, to be honest, even a week later I still can't really find the words to describe how big they are. The whole set of temples is spread over an area that is the size of a small county, you really need the tuk-tuk. I'd say we covered about 25k today, and that was the 'petit tour'.
The most amazing thing about Angkor Wat other than its size, is its layered construction. There are about 5 or 6 concentric layers, each of which is higher than the other. But whats amazing is as you go in, because each layer is so big, you sort of forget, and therefore its only when coming out that you realise how far up you went.
Disappointingly the central towers were under repair and you couldn't climb them, but there was so much to do that the 2 1/2 hours I spent there wasn't really enough, but there was so much more to do I had to press on.
To Angkor Thom. If Angkor Wat impressed with its size, Angkor Thom is so big, you can't really think of it as a single ruin. It is a square city 3km by 3km. You drive into it through the gates, and its still about 5 minutes before you reach the main drop off point. There are a load of different ruins in it, but all part of one complex. The most famous of these is the Bayoun with its many heads, but the palace, and the elephant terrace were particular favourites of mine. Its an amazing place, not least because at one point 1 million people lived there, when Europe had no cities half that size. And yet only a few temples, and part of the palace, survived the jungle. No ordinary houses survived.
And still there was more to come. On we went to Ta Phrom, a temple that really is in the jungle (as opposed to Angkor Wat, which by being on an island seems to have suvived the ravages of jungle takeover a lot better). This temple is amazing because of the way in which the tress grow in between, on top of, and around the ruins. It is famous because some scenes of Tomb Raider were shot there (Angelina Jolie is a bit star in Cambodia, every other bar, restaurant and hotel claims she was a customer at some point).
Best I can do to try to convey the day is to post photos. This will give some idea of the size of the place, and the imact of the jungle, but the one thing you won't get is the background jungle noise, which make these ruins unlike others.
On the way back we were involved in a crash, sort of. As we were turning right into the hotel (across traffic, they drive on the right over here) a motorbike swerved to avoid us and went over. We didn't stop, and I didn't ask the driver should he have. He knows the rules of the road. In Ireland it was definitely leaving the scene of an accident (as we were the cause of the swerve).
Finished the evening off in the bar talking to an English/Slovakian couple who were doing Siem Reap as a single day visit. I'm not sure how you would do it in a day.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Journey through hell
Monday FEbruary 4th
To be honest after everything I had heard about the trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap, the overall journey was not too bad.
The day started off with the usual Thai mess about organising the trip. It took them ages to sort out who was on the bus, how far they were going and so on. So by the time we left Bangkok it was already 8.30 and it was supposed to be a 7.00 bus.
But to be honest I think a lot of the delays are actually planned, as the whole point of the trip is to get you to arrive late in Siem Reap so you end up checking into the hotel they want. What amazed me most was the amount of Thai it took to get us all moving. There seemed to be about 10 people involved in getting the bus going and there were only 15 of us on board. A couple more on the Cambodia side and it is almost 1 person for every one person moved.
It took about 4 hours to get from Bangkok to the border. Amazingly the road was not good, and not even direct, I guess its not really a priority route for the Thai government to deal with. When we got to the border the bus pulled into a local restaurant where we had lunch. If there was a rip off I couldn't find it as the meal was cheaper than anything I had in Bangkok. People who had no visas for Cambodia got theirs processed then. It hardly seemed worth having arranged it in Khao San.
The border crossing was an amazing experience. You have to walk through, its about 2 km. And its like walking down the strip in Las Vegas. There are Casinos everywhere in no man's land. although we got loads of warnings from our guides about pickpockets it didn't seem too unsafe. The queue at the Cambodian border was a bit long, because all the buses arrive at the same time.
When you get over the border there was a bit of messing about with bus tranfers. Our guide said it was because of the police, but everyone on board thought here comes some scam. But to be honest we ended up on a fairly nice bus (we thought we were going to be put in pickups or something) and I think they may actually have been right. The police at the border did appear to be in on some scams, and our company was protecting us.
From the lunch stop to getting on the actual bus that took us to Siem Reap it took about 4 hours to cross the border. Then we were off on a road trip that never really got above 35 kmph. It was fun. The road was unsealed so had potholes all over the place. And the governemnt is relpacing all the bridges on the route so we had to go across temporary embankments all the time. It took over 5 hours to travel the 150 km to Siem Reap, with a dinner stop, that again was not a rip off.
Here we met another bus and from talking to them it seems we had a good journey. Our bus had empty seats, they had to put baggage in the aisles. An American from that bus who has done this journey 10 times said the whole reason for the fact that the road is taking so long to complete is that the airline that flies from Bangkok to Siem Reap is bunging the officials. Makes sense. Its apparently the last major route in Cambodia not to be tarmac'd.
If we thought the journey was bad in the day, when it got dark it got really hairy. It was pitch black outside, so you couldn't see where the road was. But interestingly most of the roadworks we saw were continuing on under floodlight. The funny part was when we arrived at Siem Reap. On minute we were in pitch dark, the next minute neon madness of another Las Vegas like strip. All the big hotels were on the airport side of the town, but our destination was on the other side of town.
Eventually, at 9.30 pm, we got to our hotel. I say our hotel, the bus drops you at one and you don't really have much option. But it is cheap, $6 a night, and seems clean and secure (safety deposit box in the room), so I'll stay there.
Finished the night off with a few beers in the hotel with some fellow survivors of our 14 hour journey.
To be honest after everything I had heard about the trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap, the overall journey was not too bad.
The day started off with the usual Thai mess about organising the trip. It took them ages to sort out who was on the bus, how far they were going and so on. So by the time we left Bangkok it was already 8.30 and it was supposed to be a 7.00 bus.
But to be honest I think a lot of the delays are actually planned, as the whole point of the trip is to get you to arrive late in Siem Reap so you end up checking into the hotel they want. What amazed me most was the amount of Thai it took to get us all moving. There seemed to be about 10 people involved in getting the bus going and there were only 15 of us on board. A couple more on the Cambodia side and it is almost 1 person for every one person moved.
It took about 4 hours to get from Bangkok to the border. Amazingly the road was not good, and not even direct, I guess its not really a priority route for the Thai government to deal with. When we got to the border the bus pulled into a local restaurant where we had lunch. If there was a rip off I couldn't find it as the meal was cheaper than anything I had in Bangkok. People who had no visas for Cambodia got theirs processed then. It hardly seemed worth having arranged it in Khao San.
The border crossing was an amazing experience. You have to walk through, its about 2 km. And its like walking down the strip in Las Vegas. There are Casinos everywhere in no man's land. although we got loads of warnings from our guides about pickpockets it didn't seem too unsafe. The queue at the Cambodian border was a bit long, because all the buses arrive at the same time.
When you get over the border there was a bit of messing about with bus tranfers. Our guide said it was because of the police, but everyone on board thought here comes some scam. But to be honest we ended up on a fairly nice bus (we thought we were going to be put in pickups or something) and I think they may actually have been right. The police at the border did appear to be in on some scams, and our company was protecting us.
From the lunch stop to getting on the actual bus that took us to Siem Reap it took about 4 hours to cross the border. Then we were off on a road trip that never really got above 35 kmph. It was fun. The road was unsealed so had potholes all over the place. And the governemnt is relpacing all the bridges on the route so we had to go across temporary embankments all the time. It took over 5 hours to travel the 150 km to Siem Reap, with a dinner stop, that again was not a rip off.
Here we met another bus and from talking to them it seems we had a good journey. Our bus had empty seats, they had to put baggage in the aisles. An American from that bus who has done this journey 10 times said the whole reason for the fact that the road is taking so long to complete is that the airline that flies from Bangkok to Siem Reap is bunging the officials. Makes sense. Its apparently the last major route in Cambodia not to be tarmac'd.
If we thought the journey was bad in the day, when it got dark it got really hairy. It was pitch black outside, so you couldn't see where the road was. But interestingly most of the roadworks we saw were continuing on under floodlight. The funny part was when we arrived at Siem Reap. On minute we were in pitch dark, the next minute neon madness of another Las Vegas like strip. All the big hotels were on the airport side of the town, but our destination was on the other side of town.
Eventually, at 9.30 pm, we got to our hotel. I say our hotel, the bus drops you at one and you don't really have much option. But it is cheap, $6 a night, and seems clean and secure (safety deposit box in the room), so I'll stay there.
Finished the night off with a few beers in the hotel with some fellow survivors of our 14 hour journey.
A day too far
Sunday February 3rd
It rained quite heavily first thing this morning. As such I didn't really bother getting out of bed for a while. As it was my last day in Bangkok I decided to have a fairly lazy day and not do too much. In fact I think I had overstayed my time in Bangkok, I originally didn't book the Siem Reap trip for today because I didn't want to be travelling after a night out watching the football, but in the end I could have travelled today.
As I still had a ticket for the Viamanmek Mansion from a bundle you get when you buy the Grand Palace tickets I decided to go up there and look at it. I walked, as usual, but made the mistake of following the signs instead of following my own sense of direction. The result was a 45 minute detour around 3 sides of a very large block, instead of going the way I wanted. On the other hand I did get to see a few other sights, including the old and new parliments and the zoo. For some reason it amused me that the zoo and the new parliment are across the road from each other.
Eventually I got to the mansion. It is a massive 72 room mansion all made out of teak wood. It is totally Victorian in style, and was built around 1900 after one of the Kings trips to Europe. It was beautiful, and they had all the gifts he receieved on these trips displayed as well. The only problem was you had to go on a guided tour, and the guides rushed around too quickly. It was 45 minutes, you could have used an extra 15 or even 30 minutes. I think everyone else on the tour felt it.
Of course no photos were allowed, so I had to content myself with some photos of the Kings carriages, and the royal tuk-tuk. I wouldn't have believed it but there is one, and I'll post a photo of it at some time.
After that it was just back to the hotel to pack for the next big part of the trip.
It rained quite heavily first thing this morning. As such I didn't really bother getting out of bed for a while. As it was my last day in Bangkok I decided to have a fairly lazy day and not do too much. In fact I think I had overstayed my time in Bangkok, I originally didn't book the Siem Reap trip for today because I didn't want to be travelling after a night out watching the football, but in the end I could have travelled today.
As I still had a ticket for the Viamanmek Mansion from a bundle you get when you buy the Grand Palace tickets I decided to go up there and look at it. I walked, as usual, but made the mistake of following the signs instead of following my own sense of direction. The result was a 45 minute detour around 3 sides of a very large block, instead of going the way I wanted. On the other hand I did get to see a few other sights, including the old and new parliments and the zoo. For some reason it amused me that the zoo and the new parliment are across the road from each other.
Eventually I got to the mansion. It is a massive 72 room mansion all made out of teak wood. It is totally Victorian in style, and was built around 1900 after one of the Kings trips to Europe. It was beautiful, and they had all the gifts he receieved on these trips displayed as well. The only problem was you had to go on a guided tour, and the guides rushed around too quickly. It was 45 minutes, you could have used an extra 15 or even 30 minutes. I think everyone else on the tour felt it.
Of course no photos were allowed, so I had to content myself with some photos of the Kings carriages, and the royal tuk-tuk. I wouldn't have believed it but there is one, and I'll post a photo of it at some time.
After that it was just back to the hotel to pack for the next big part of the trip.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Wat a day
Saturday 2nd February
The move to Rambuttri was supposed to be for a quieter sleep. And although the road is a lot quieter, a bloody cockeral (or to be honest about 10 of them) seem to live across the road. So you get woken up at dawn whether you want it or not.
Anyway today I did want it, because it was the day trip to Ayutthaya (or something like that, place name translation spelling is a variable concept over here - although us Irish can't complain as we have our own problems to worry tourists - Dingle anyone).
The trip didn't look like it was going to get off to a great start as there was a typically Thai amount of confusion at the start trying to sort out who goes where. But to be honest this was as much the fault of foreigners who thought they could book a trip for one day and turn up on another, or not have a trip booked at all. But then again the Thai seem to have this idea for maximising revenue, so they have no problem in altering our paid for plans so they can get another few hundred baht. We got dealyed by about 40 minutes or so, but it didn't really affect us in the long run.
The upshot of the problem was that they wanted to ensure the minibus for the tour was as full as possible. This meant that I had to squash into the front seat with the lovely Christiane from Austria, who I hope wasn't too inconvenienced by the whole experience. It was a bit disconcerting as we were in the front without seat belts, never a good idea, but the driver did seem to be taking care not to break the speed limits.
The trip itself turned out to be very well organised (again a pleasent surprise as I expected it to not work). In fact so much so I'll recommend Mama Tours to anyone who wants to do this trip from Khao San. The trip involved visiting the old ancient palace of Ayutthaya, the former capital of Thailand, and a number of Wats. All of these lie within a World Heritage site. Most of it was destroyed in a war with Burma and all were of a totally different style to the more modern Wats in Bangkok. What surprised me is that they were all built of brick, and if you zoomed right in on the bricks and ignored the overall design, the ruins could have been of something from 18th century England.
The only problem with the tour is that Ayutthaya has 100s of great places to visit (its actually quite big) and we only got to do 5. Although Christiane and I did visit one extra one that looked more interesting than one on the tour. But what can the organisers do when you are on limited time. The trip could have been slightly better organised in terms of ensuring that people knew the schedule and turned up at the meeting points on time, but overall it was a good trip.
After we got back, in a lot more comfort as a few one way trippers meant that we were in more comfortable seats. One thing I cannot fault is the roads in Thailand, far better than our own.
In the evening I went to watch some sport. I had planned to watch some rugby, but by the sounds of it I was probably better off watching the soccer. I watched Spurs v ManU in the company of two Spurs supporters from Minnesota, Ben and Paul (yes Ryan, I am serious). We couldn't decide which was more unusual, Spurs fans from St Paul, or a Twins fan from Ireland (although I later confessed I'm really a Yankees fan). I refused to celebrate a 1-1 draw with Spurs, especially as Spurs were the better team.
The move to Rambuttri was supposed to be for a quieter sleep. And although the road is a lot quieter, a bloody cockeral (or to be honest about 10 of them) seem to live across the road. So you get woken up at dawn whether you want it or not.
Anyway today I did want it, because it was the day trip to Ayutthaya (or something like that, place name translation spelling is a variable concept over here - although us Irish can't complain as we have our own problems to worry tourists - Dingle anyone).
The trip didn't look like it was going to get off to a great start as there was a typically Thai amount of confusion at the start trying to sort out who goes where. But to be honest this was as much the fault of foreigners who thought they could book a trip for one day and turn up on another, or not have a trip booked at all. But then again the Thai seem to have this idea for maximising revenue, so they have no problem in altering our paid for plans so they can get another few hundred baht. We got dealyed by about 40 minutes or so, but it didn't really affect us in the long run.
The upshot of the problem was that they wanted to ensure the minibus for the tour was as full as possible. This meant that I had to squash into the front seat with the lovely Christiane from Austria, who I hope wasn't too inconvenienced by the whole experience. It was a bit disconcerting as we were in the front without seat belts, never a good idea, but the driver did seem to be taking care not to break the speed limits.
The trip itself turned out to be very well organised (again a pleasent surprise as I expected it to not work). In fact so much so I'll recommend Mama Tours to anyone who wants to do this trip from Khao San. The trip involved visiting the old ancient palace of Ayutthaya, the former capital of Thailand, and a number of Wats. All of these lie within a World Heritage site. Most of it was destroyed in a war with Burma and all were of a totally different style to the more modern Wats in Bangkok. What surprised me is that they were all built of brick, and if you zoomed right in on the bricks and ignored the overall design, the ruins could have been of something from 18th century England.
The only problem with the tour is that Ayutthaya has 100s of great places to visit (its actually quite big) and we only got to do 5. Although Christiane and I did visit one extra one that looked more interesting than one on the tour. But what can the organisers do when you are on limited time. The trip could have been slightly better organised in terms of ensuring that people knew the schedule and turned up at the meeting points on time, but overall it was a good trip.
After we got back, in a lot more comfort as a few one way trippers meant that we were in more comfortable seats. One thing I cannot fault is the roads in Thailand, far better than our own.
In the evening I went to watch some sport. I had planned to watch some rugby, but by the sounds of it I was probably better off watching the soccer. I watched Spurs v ManU in the company of two Spurs supporters from Minnesota, Ben and Paul (yes Ryan, I am serious). We couldn't decide which was more unusual, Spurs fans from St Paul, or a Twins fan from Ireland (although I later confessed I'm really a Yankees fan). I refused to celebrate a 1-1 draw with Spurs, especially as Spurs were the better team.
Museum Musings
Friday 1st February
Today I moved from my lodgins on Khao San to Ram Buttri. This is only 3 minutes away, but it is a much quiter place. I'm paying slightly more for a slightly better room, but it is still less than 13 euro a night.
After moving I went off to the National Museum. I think I enjoyed this more than the Grand Palace or any of the Wats. The museum was like all others, loads of artefacts etc, and some good information on the history of Thailand. It didn't allow any photos though, which is annoying but understandable.
The history of Thailand is very unusual. There are some interesting early conflicts with all their neighbours and some great tales of battles. If half of what they say about Prince Narsuan is true, he is the original Rambo (he used to literally lead from the front, taking out enemy elephants single handed).
Then came contact with Europe. Somehow they managed to avoid colonisation from Europe and had good trading links with them. As they got on, they modernised at a pace almost matching Europe. By the time of Rama V (I think he is The King and I one), which was at the same time as Victoria in England, he had toured Europe and brought back all sorts of ideas with him. They had telegraphs and trams almost at the same time as we did. They were quite advanced at the time. No idea what happened to set it back, but there is a big gap in the history from 1932-1946 (literally I saw no mention of it in the museum) so I guess this era set them back. The current king came to the throne then and he too was instrumental in modernising the place.
Its easy to see why the Thai love their royal family so much. He, unlike at lot of leaders, actually took the trouble of learning everything he needed to know about running a country. There probably isn't as qualified a leader in the world. He has multiple degrees in politics, law etc, and he seems to be an expert in a load of things. And he does get involved when he thinks its necessary. For example, he set up some of the school curriculum to ensure they were all well educated.
Anyway after the history exhibits I had to rush a bit around the rest of the artefacts, this wasn't a problem, there are only so many Buddhas you want to see. But there were also some good Hindu exhibits, a lot of Vushnus and Sivas, but not enough Ganesha. The museum was closing at 4 and therefore I only had 2 1/2 hours in it, 3 would have been better.
That evening my drinks were with some local Thai computer programmers on their weekly Friday night drinks. I know, it sounds like I miss this ritual so much I had to crash one but they just happened to be sitting next to me. I was planning an early night with a trip early in the morning but it didn't quite work out that way (again).
The guys worked for a telecoms company and were all interested in what languages we used in Ireland etc. They were right up to date using VB.Net and Windows XP. We had a wide ranging discussion about the differences between our countries in religion, politics and social conditions (you know - all the topics you really shouldn't talk about in the pub). The guys were not a fan of the new government, puppets for the old one, and we had a good laugh about who has the most corrupt Prime Minister. They win by a mile (Thaskin Shiniwatra took billions from the country, Bertie ain't is his league).
One of the guys (can't spell or pronouce his name for the life of me) I was talking to seemed to be involved in some sort of opposition political party. His goal is to increse social welfare. They do have some, deaf and blind people get special education, and the army veterans get full medical cover like in the States, but he said it was all thanks to the King. What he wants to do is extend it to sick pay and maternity leave etc. So I told hime how long people get in Ireland and they were very surprised. I told him to meet a few Swedes and talk to them, he'll be even mor surprised.
The most interesting thing was how well these guys are paid, 2-3000 dollars per month. When we compared beer and other prices we decided that their salary was probably better than mine! And that is why at the end of the night they would not let me pay my share of the bill. Probably only about 4 euro but they insisted on paying. Definitely raises my opinion of Thai people.
Today I moved from my lodgins on Khao San to Ram Buttri. This is only 3 minutes away, but it is a much quiter place. I'm paying slightly more for a slightly better room, but it is still less than 13 euro a night.
After moving I went off to the National Museum. I think I enjoyed this more than the Grand Palace or any of the Wats. The museum was like all others, loads of artefacts etc, and some good information on the history of Thailand. It didn't allow any photos though, which is annoying but understandable.
The history of Thailand is very unusual. There are some interesting early conflicts with all their neighbours and some great tales of battles. If half of what they say about Prince Narsuan is true, he is the original Rambo (he used to literally lead from the front, taking out enemy elephants single handed).
Then came contact with Europe. Somehow they managed to avoid colonisation from Europe and had good trading links with them. As they got on, they modernised at a pace almost matching Europe. By the time of Rama V (I think he is The King and I one), which was at the same time as Victoria in England, he had toured Europe and brought back all sorts of ideas with him. They had telegraphs and trams almost at the same time as we did. They were quite advanced at the time. No idea what happened to set it back, but there is a big gap in the history from 1932-1946 (literally I saw no mention of it in the museum) so I guess this era set them back. The current king came to the throne then and he too was instrumental in modernising the place.
Its easy to see why the Thai love their royal family so much. He, unlike at lot of leaders, actually took the trouble of learning everything he needed to know about running a country. There probably isn't as qualified a leader in the world. He has multiple degrees in politics, law etc, and he seems to be an expert in a load of things. And he does get involved when he thinks its necessary. For example, he set up some of the school curriculum to ensure they were all well educated.
Anyway after the history exhibits I had to rush a bit around the rest of the artefacts, this wasn't a problem, there are only so many Buddhas you want to see. But there were also some good Hindu exhibits, a lot of Vushnus and Sivas, but not enough Ganesha. The museum was closing at 4 and therefore I only had 2 1/2 hours in it, 3 would have been better.
That evening my drinks were with some local Thai computer programmers on their weekly Friday night drinks. I know, it sounds like I miss this ritual so much I had to crash one but they just happened to be sitting next to me. I was planning an early night with a trip early in the morning but it didn't quite work out that way (again).
The guys worked for a telecoms company and were all interested in what languages we used in Ireland etc. They were right up to date using VB.Net and Windows XP. We had a wide ranging discussion about the differences between our countries in religion, politics and social conditions (you know - all the topics you really shouldn't talk about in the pub). The guys were not a fan of the new government, puppets for the old one, and we had a good laugh about who has the most corrupt Prime Minister. They win by a mile (Thaskin Shiniwatra took billions from the country, Bertie ain't is his league).
One of the guys (can't spell or pronouce his name for the life of me) I was talking to seemed to be involved in some sort of opposition political party. His goal is to increse social welfare. They do have some, deaf and blind people get special education, and the army veterans get full medical cover like in the States, but he said it was all thanks to the King. What he wants to do is extend it to sick pay and maternity leave etc. So I told hime how long people get in Ireland and they were very surprised. I told him to meet a few Swedes and talk to them, he'll be even mor surprised.
The most interesting thing was how well these guys are paid, 2-3000 dollars per month. When we compared beer and other prices we decided that their salary was probably better than mine! And that is why at the end of the night they would not let me pay my share of the bill. Probably only about 4 euro but they insisted on paying. Definitely raises my opinion of Thai people.
Bloody Foreigners
Thursday 31st January
Slightly later up today (not a hangover I swear) and decided to go down to Chinatown and wander around there for a while. The quickest and cheapest way is back on the boat, and soon I was wnadering around the Chinese market. As it is Chinese New Year on Feb 4th, the place was mental, like Grafton Street a week before Christmas (multiplied by 10). For some reason the Irish Embassy is located amongst this madness, not in the more upmarket areas like the other countries. Although I didn't pass it by.
I think I liked this market more than others, probably because there was less hassling from traders, the products on sales were more like what we would get at home (well all our stuff is made in China these days) and I guess it did remind me a bit of Parnell St.
Chinatown is also the home of Wat Trimit, and the Golden Buddha. This is not the biggest Buddha you will ever see (and by now I've seen a fair few), but it is solid gold. And for some reason it refused to take a picture.
The most annoying thing about this part of the visit was looking at the other tourists. There are three rules for entering a temple, no shoes, don't step on the raised lintel in the doors, and don't point the soles of your feet towards the Buddha. I saw all three broken by tourists here, although by different ones for each of the three. In some respects its no wonder the Thai try to fleece all the tourists.
I really have begun to get the hang of the scammers. I caught two wrong changes today, and heard the best line ever from a tuk-tuk driver. Normally they ask where you are going, you say the Grand Palace, they say its closed, and then take you to their friend's shop to get you to buy something. Anyway today one asked me where I'm going and I said by river to Chinatown. His reply was that the river was closed for low tides. Its an insult to think I'd fall for that, but I could imagine a lot of foreigners would (I won't mention which countries I think are more susceptible).
After Chinatown I decided as I was on the river to go to the Barge museum. However the ferry back up broke down and we had to transfer to another boat, which then wasn't going to stop there. So I had to get off and approach it on foot through totally untouristy areas. There is a reason why everyone goes by boat, the approach on foot literally takes you through peoples back gardens. This was real shantytown like conditions, although everyone was very helpfull in pointing me in the right direction. When I got to the barge museum they didn't allow photos, there were only 6 barges, and to be honest it wasn't really worth the trek. The best part of the trek was seeing how real Thai people live.
After that it was back to the madness of Khao San. I was going to go to Thai boxing that evening, but I had to collect my passport so couldn't. Had dinner in a place that played a lot of Corrs music. They seem to be big out here, maybe the most known Irish band, even over U2, although Bono is known. But he ain't the favourite Irishman, that title goes to Roy Keane. Every tuk-tuk driver asks where you from, and when you answer Ireland, its always oh Roy Keane.
I like my spicy food, but the meal I had tonight did catch me out, almost burnt my mouth off. Its the first time I've been caught, although I haven't yet tried the famous Tom Yung Kung soup.
Drinks that evening were in the company of Glenn from England, who was in Thailand the same lenght of time as me but already had a girlfriend and was planning on moving there. Foreigners are weird.
Slightly later up today (not a hangover I swear) and decided to go down to Chinatown and wander around there for a while. The quickest and cheapest way is back on the boat, and soon I was wnadering around the Chinese market. As it is Chinese New Year on Feb 4th, the place was mental, like Grafton Street a week before Christmas (multiplied by 10). For some reason the Irish Embassy is located amongst this madness, not in the more upmarket areas like the other countries. Although I didn't pass it by.
I think I liked this market more than others, probably because there was less hassling from traders, the products on sales were more like what we would get at home (well all our stuff is made in China these days) and I guess it did remind me a bit of Parnell St.
Chinatown is also the home of Wat Trimit, and the Golden Buddha. This is not the biggest Buddha you will ever see (and by now I've seen a fair few), but it is solid gold. And for some reason it refused to take a picture.
The most annoying thing about this part of the visit was looking at the other tourists. There are three rules for entering a temple, no shoes, don't step on the raised lintel in the doors, and don't point the soles of your feet towards the Buddha. I saw all three broken by tourists here, although by different ones for each of the three. In some respects its no wonder the Thai try to fleece all the tourists.
I really have begun to get the hang of the scammers. I caught two wrong changes today, and heard the best line ever from a tuk-tuk driver. Normally they ask where you are going, you say the Grand Palace, they say its closed, and then take you to their friend's shop to get you to buy something. Anyway today one asked me where I'm going and I said by river to Chinatown. His reply was that the river was closed for low tides. Its an insult to think I'd fall for that, but I could imagine a lot of foreigners would (I won't mention which countries I think are more susceptible).
After Chinatown I decided as I was on the river to go to the Barge museum. However the ferry back up broke down and we had to transfer to another boat, which then wasn't going to stop there. So I had to get off and approach it on foot through totally untouristy areas. There is a reason why everyone goes by boat, the approach on foot literally takes you through peoples back gardens. This was real shantytown like conditions, although everyone was very helpfull in pointing me in the right direction. When I got to the barge museum they didn't allow photos, there were only 6 barges, and to be honest it wasn't really worth the trek. The best part of the trek was seeing how real Thai people live.
After that it was back to the madness of Khao San. I was going to go to Thai boxing that evening, but I had to collect my passport so couldn't. Had dinner in a place that played a lot of Corrs music. They seem to be big out here, maybe the most known Irish band, even over U2, although Bono is known. But he ain't the favourite Irishman, that title goes to Roy Keane. Every tuk-tuk driver asks where you from, and when you answer Ireland, its always oh Roy Keane.
I like my spicy food, but the meal I had tonight did catch me out, almost burnt my mouth off. Its the first time I've been caught, although I haven't yet tried the famous Tom Yung Kung soup.
Drinks that evening were in the company of Glenn from England, who was in Thailand the same lenght of time as me but already had a girlfriend and was planning on moving there. Foreigners are weird.
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