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Published: July 30th 2008
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BSB, Brunei
It was with a very sad heart that I said goodbye to Jimmy. Charles: You had better take good care of him, and give him lots of off-road fun! Thailand to Hong Kong by Boat and Train: Why on earth?
-- I want to go the slow, smooth, old way. I’m bored with planes and buses.
But can it be done? When I imagined the journey the answer I gleaned from the guidebooks was: Yes, it can be done. But I’ve heard recently that the road between the Cambodian coast and Phnom Penh has been properly surfaced and the old railway line closed. So it seems the answer is: Not entirely.
Never mind! I’ll just have to do my best. My schedule - insofar as I have one - is this:
30th July: Fly
Brunei to
Bangkok (done!)
1st August: Get to the
Thai-Cambodian boarder crossing on the coastline, as much as possible by train (this is the second weakest link in the plan)
August: Enjoy the Cambodian sea coast and travel to
Battemburg by train (the first half of this being the weakest link)
12th August: by boat from Battemburg to
Siem Reap. Stop traveling alone and meet Ray from Mn.
17th August: by boat to
Phonom Penh.
21st August: by boat to
Chau Duc, just inside
Vietnam. Meet Andrew and Graham from HK.
BSB, Brunei
Diana and Olivia gave me a great evening at Escapade. 21st 24th August: explore the Mekong delta by boat.
24th August; arrive
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).
c26th August: Ray and Andrew fly home.
27th August: Graham and I board the Vietnam rail system and head north towards
Hanoi.
3rd September: leave Hanoi by train on Beijing line, crossing into
China and
4th September: detrain at
Nanning and spend some time exploring the Guangxi province and
Guilin.
c15th September: arrive
Guangzhou and take boat (if it still runs) or train to
Hong Kong.
30th September: fly back to
Brunei.
I am writing this in
Bangkok. No longer a wage-earner, I need to conserve my money. The Khao San Road is a backpackers’ Mecca. In one stop they can stay cheaply, eat food from home, buy everything from fake dreadlocks and fake student cards to tattoos (fake or real) cheap watches, fishermen’s trousers, T-shirts and tacky souvenirs. It’s a far cry from Bangkok of 1970, the last time I did it cheap and stayed in the Youth Hostel at Chulalongkorn University. The backbacking culture seems to be the same whatever the country it is in. Sometime I wonder if this sort of travel really broadens the mind, but then I
BSB, Brunei
Ayla brought Umshah to inspect me in my empty flat. remember that the backpacker culture does bring young people from different countries and encourage them to interact with each other as they pass through.
The advice to stay on the Khao San Road was excellent. The airport bus dropped me outside Bookazine, where I picked up the
Lonely Planet Guide to Cambodia. Across the Road I found the Rainbow Guesthouse and Indian Restaurant so I drank half-price Tiger beer and ate a paper dosa and felt that I could still be in the Popular Retaurant at Batu Satu. I took a tiny room upstairs for one night. It has a clean bed with only one hole in the sheet, a truly spotless bathroom, aircon that works, and while I’d have been happy to pay an extra TB50 for a window, new arrivals can’t always be choosers. I went out and booked a minibus ticket to Trat at the Israeli travel service next door and got a cheap alarm clock in the night market round the corner (with no window, I can’t be sure of waking with the dawn). Everything fell into place in just an hour and a half; my excursion into cheap travel seems to be working out!
BSB, Brunei
Some neighbours came to farewell me too. Travel Notes
The express bus from the airport to the four major hotel areas costs TB150 (US$4.50), less than half a taxi and with no added tolls; there are four routes, including Sukhamvit and Silom; each runs hourly. A local bus would be even cheaper.
The Rainbow Guesthouse, Khao San Road, is run by Nepalis - hence the excellent Indian food. It is friendly, clean and safe, but very basic. My room was TB300 (US$9.00). All travellers services are nearby and seem to keep late hours. Internet cafes vary a lot. I shopped around and found True around the corner at the beginning of the night market; it is not only the cheapest I found (US$1.50 an hour), but outstandingly the most comfortable. Of course their coffee is expensive! How I’ve been
When I was with Livie and Dee on Monday night they were talking about my Sarawak posts and commented that I never seemed to know where I was going to sleep that night. They asked how that felt; I said that this was something that excites me, 4pm arriving and wondering where I’ll lay my head each night. Tonight BKK,
BSB, Brunei
And the Prescotts spirited me out of the mess for an evening at Kota Batu. tomorrow Trat, and - I trust - after that in Cambodia. It is exciting, but - that apart - I wept buckets at the airport when they stamped my passport and I ceased being a Brunei expatriate.
I haven’t forgotten my “Back to Brunei” post, but I ran out of time and I’m afraid it will have to wait until I get back again ... I’m due to be in the Abode of Peace 1st - 6th October ... just in time for Raya, hey. I hope I get to lots of open houses! Then I’m officially flying off to Australia on Monday 6th on the mid morning flight to KL. I’m glad I’ll be back soon. I cried buckets at the airport. Now, was that because I was leaving Brunei or because I’d just watched Dr Khairul Anwar Charles drive away in Jimmy?
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Lady
non-member comment
Gillian the pictures are great and your post are so exciting. I was wondering....do you speak the language?....do most of these places have English speaking people to help you along? I envy you your experiences and I'm so happy you are sharing them with me as I am enjoying them so much. Can't wait to hear from ou again!