Yumeko
Anthony Glover Joined: June 27th 2006
Logged in: August 11th 2006
Logged in: August 11th 2006
Travel Blog Posts
Cambodian Residence
Crossing the Boarder I unfortunately was running very late by the time I reached the border and got there just only an hour before dusk (6pm). But Siem Reap was only 200km further on so I was not concerned. I cannot enthasis too much just how poor Cambodia is. If Englands a first world country and Thailand a third world country then Cambodia is a 5th world country. That is how stark the differents between the Thailand and Cambodia is and you just have to walk 500m across the border to see it. It is shocking so say the least. How two neighbouring countries can be so much different in wealth is beyond me! Tax Evasion Cambodia Style To cross from Thailand into Cambodia first you have to exit Thailand by going through thier exit customs. ... read more
Rock Water Feature
Hello from a very hot and humid Hanoi. Traveling from the airport to the hotel quickly confirmed that Vietnam was exactly like in the movies. Endless paddy fields tended by bent backed people in reed hats, yes they really do still wear them and their not just for tourists! Run down French colonial era buildings and tight narrow streets overrun with bikes. The only nod to the modern world is that the pedal bikes of the movies have been replaced by mopeds. When I say the streets are overrun with bikes this statement should not be taken lightly. I have even seen the bikes soooo densely packed that they have been in gridlock at crossroads! Bikes caught in gridlock, can you believe it!!! To top it all there is little to no traffic lights in Hanoi ... read more
After Pattaya I returned to Bangkok for 3 nights before flighing out to Hanoi in Vietnam on the 16th July. I took the coach back to Bangkok from Pattaya. There was a lady-boy sitting next to me on the coach that looked like a horse and spent most of his/her time on the phone to various people. I chose to stay awake for the whole journey this time, something to do with making sure the Lady-boy did not get sleepy and decided he/she might try to cuddle up. Thankfully no drama occured. My manhood survived the experience intact. Once back in Bangkok I took the oportunity to do some more window shopping, especially in the 'Siam Dragon' shopping centre. On the 4th floor there is an area called 'Exotic Thailand' which is basically exactly what I ... read more
Converted Pickup
First the Journey Pattaya is some 2 hours car ride to the south of Bangkok. A taxi company quoted me 1500 baht, 22 pounds, for the journey. This seamed more of a western than an Asia price to me so I decided to try the experience of Thailand’s air-conditioned bus network. I hoped onto the sky-train to Bangkok's 'Eastern Bus terminal' All the ticket booths are each dedicated to a single destination with the destination and price written in a myriad of languages on the window, so very easy for a 'farong' (foreigner) to get the ticket they need. Buses to Pattaya are every 30 minutes until 9pm and every ticket has a seat pre-allocated to it, so no made scramble for the front seats. The bus took about an hour to fight its way clear ... read more
Pattaya, city of sin? Or miss understood playground? So I'm sure you are all begging to know by know, is Pattaya really as vice ridden as they say? Well no truth is no it is not, it is much more so! Walking down 'beach road' and the pedestrianised 'Walking Street' you begin to realize Pattaya is not a town overrun with vice. It is a vice that has grown into a full blown town! Every other shop front has beautiful young ladies hollering to you enticing you to spend money in their establishment. You try moving onto other streets and down back alleys for respite but there is none. Pattaya is one big adult playground, or should I say boys’ playground. Once the sun sets everything is for sale here. But if that was the full ... read more
Entrance to the Land of Sin
I feel that I would be doing my blog an injustice if I decided to self censor out any things I saw during my travels that may offend anyone. As such I shall here-in do a special blog entry dedicated to Pattaya's night life. Nan you will not like some of what I describe in this entry so please look away now. Wait! First let me reassure you that I behaved my whole time in Pattaya. Ok now you can look away.... There would appear to be 2 types of men sampling Pattaya's night life. First there are the sex tourists, boo! hiss! Then there are the boys out for a beer. The sex tourists take the ladies back to their rooms for the night, while the boys for beers drink away the night while trying ... read more
Orchids on the pillows
After the initial, laud, baptism of fire to Thailand, that was Khao San Road, I was looking forward to getting over to the other side of Bangkok to the shopping district and doing some chilling out on the malls. I went looking for a ride across town early afternoon. I had I motorbike taxi try to persuade me to hire him for 300 baht for the journey, just under 5 English pounds. Even if I was kamikaze enough to venture into Bangkok's crazy traffic jams on the back of a motorbike, the thought of doing so with a backpack and rucksack strapped to me with a combined weight of almost 30KG with the sun glaring down on me seemed just too extreme for a pampered guy like me, so I kept looking. Eventually I managed to ... read more
National Art Gallery Garden
3 Nights in and still alive, if a little tired.... That is right I have now survived 3 nights of my epic journey around SE Asia. And only a few hickups along the way so far. Reached Heathrow airport on a baking hot Sunday afternoon with plenty of time to spare found the check-in counter and did not even have to queue! So things going well. Then the first hickup: I am used to travelling in Europe where all the flights are just a few hours long and there is never any sunshine. SO of course it was not until after I checked my luggage in that it occured to me I was a little hot and there was no way my T-shirt was going to last another 16 hours without developing its own delightfull odour. ... read more
Well here we go! A grand epic 6 weeks solo touring adventure of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, all in the name of getting me a new hat! For those people that do not know me I'm known for liking hats. Every St. Patrick's day I'm out drinking for the latest hats to add to my growing collection. Sitting proudly alongside the Mickey Mouse magician hat (with the ears), the Czech police hat, the Ferrari racing cap and so on.... But, before we get too deeply into my one man journey around asia, I'm sure many of you are wondering why would me, Mr Lazy, be bothering with writing this blog at all, instead of just going down the nearest pub and downing a pint of Magners cider. Reasons: 1: It is the easiest and cheapest way ... read more
