Bangkok, early evening. It's getting close to 18.00 h. and time for my appointment with Joy, Nong's daughter. We meet in front of the Lumpini Stadium, the famous Muay Thai boxing stadium. Through the crowd of locals and farangs I can see her well before reaching the place. It has been a year on the day since last I saw her, she looks even more beautifull now as she did then. She is happy and overjoyed to see me, we wai each other and while we walk down the busy Rama 4 road to our favourite food stall on Chilom Road, [View Full Entry]

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Bangkok, night time. After Joy is gone I take a motorbike taxi - risking my life in the crazy Bangkok travel - to Nana Plaza, I wanna be among people and where better to go in Bangkok at this time of the night but Nana Plaza. The bargirls do their job well yelling at me "hey you, sexy man, come inside please", "me love you too much", while I walk by and try to decide which bar to go to. I drink some beers and give a few beers to the girls but I'm too lost in memories of the past [View Full Entry]

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Bangkok, 12-03-2008. In the traveller's scene some bars,hotels and restaurants have a habit of becoming popular overnight, or disappaer in the blink of an eye. Either because of friendly staff, a good location and/or excelent food. The Gecko Bar is such a place. Being located on Soi Rambuttri and right behind the temple, the Gecko is great for people watching during the evenings. The many food stalls in front of the Gecko turn out tasty thai food as well as european dishes, and their beer is ice-cold. After six big Cheers beer and a long phylosophy converstaion with a german blok [View Full Entry]

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Bangkok, 13-03-2008. My hotel in Khao San road was badly chosen, I knew that from the start but arriving real early in the morning I had little choise due to a serious lack of free rooms at that time. I've stayed at the Lek before and remember vividly How they turn the TV on real loud at 08.00 o'clock in the morning to listen to the national anthem. King Bumibol himself wrote that anthem. Now, I've nada against the way the thais idolise their king - mon, they think that King Bumibol is some sort of God-King, a bit like a [View Full Entry]

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Vietianne, 14-03-2008. The inner Sanctum Sanctorum of Wat Si Saket has got nice murals but are, unfortunately, in a serious state of neglect. The Sanctum Sanctorum itself is dank and has this particular smell of bird poop gather over many years in an abandoned church spire. The bird poop smell is mixed with the smell of dirty unwashed socks - take off your shoes before entering - belonging to the members of the many organised, tour-guided groups of farangs that come in a-plenty. Most of them in their mid fifties and hung with heavy and expensive camara equipment. The ohs and [View Full Entry]

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Vang Vieng, 16-03-2008. Drinking a couple of big Beer Lao last night, sitting smack in the middle of Vietianne's tourist district I had no lack of local attention. Lady-boys marched up and down the street hassling any foreign male that looked drunk enough to believe that they are actually female. Makes me wonder how many farang males have woken up the next morning after a heavy night's drinking, finding a lady-boy in their bed? They ply their trade with determination and the clickety-clack of their platform shoes - high heels, you know - rings in my ears while I watch them [View Full Entry]

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Vang Vieng, same day. I leave Vietianne around 10.30 h. in the morning by - as a like to call it - a local chicken bus, no more VIP airco busses with built-in toilet and comfortable reclining seats as they are common these days in Thailand. Just an old rusty bus with the locals in ragged but clean clothes and often transporting their animals with them, hence the nickname "chicken bus". Slowly the bus winds it way up into the Lao hills passing small hilltribe villages, lush forests and great views of the plains below. It's only a 153 km. to [View Full Entry]

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Vietianne, 15-03-2008. Having a big Beer Lao in front of the Mekong river together with a frenchman - I sold him a game so the beer was on his bill - I got approached by a young local lady, Luna, 24 years old, who tried her best to chat me up, trying hard to get me horny enough to take her home. 500 hundert baht for a short time or, preferably, a long time for a mere 100 baht. This is familiar territory for me, I know this world inside out. Maybe not the Lao scene, but isn't this mad scene [View Full Entry]

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