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Published: December 15th 2009
Here is the first account of the travels.
day 1 long long flight, stop in Dubai for 3 hours and nothing much to do there. Not slept on the plane either.
Left OK this morning, with plenty of time to wait at Heathrow, arriving a 5h30 for a flight at8h50. The taxi ride was fast. I went straight in, no queue, nothing. I had a small breakie and made my cup of tea last. Flight OK, food good, but not one interestingl on the plane, nor at Dubai airport either, nobody much fitting the backpacker's look. Watched a couple of movie, or three, nothing memorable.
Same from Dubai to Bangkok. 3 hours at Dubai airport, which is like most other airport, completely artificial and this one mainly empty. Airports are all the same. This one very quiet, with the occasional - probably - Japanese girls taking pictures of each other in front of a naff decor of cascade with plastic plants. Nothing interesting to watch.
But I felt serene and content, in a very chilled mood. Perhaps because I have not slept much last night, possibly because I took vitamins before going to sleep.
I left my mobile phone in London, on purpose. Otherwise I think I have taken everything I need. Future will tell.
Landed in Bangkok, picked my bag and took a airport bus to the neighhbourhood of the hotel, Sumkhumvit. The roads out of the airport were good, as the airport is relatively new. The bus itself didn't seem to change gear, stuck in 3rd but we made good progress. The traffic code a bit erratic, big vehicules, including us, seem to change lanes and swerve quite easily.
It was Reminiscent of Mexico in being backward and totally new. Bangkok was buzzing and people cut across traffic quite readily.
I found the hotel. The standard room had no window and really smelled of damp. So I took the de luxe, which is fine. In any case, I would just sleep there.
Then went to sukhumvit avenue, the main avenue at the end of my street, with little market stalls all along the way.
I had lunch in a court yard and spoke to Diane, an old English lady who lives there. We amused the waitresses by saying the common thai greeting phrases.
Then the missing card episode. I bought a phrase book, went to the ATM machine and left my card in it. I realise when I went back to the hotel. I called Nationwide, first call 15 mins, cut off and went nowhere. Second call 35 mins to tell me that they had to send the replacement to Julia's and she will have to send it to me. That means that I will Have to stay in Bangkok all this time. It also mean that I will have to make withdrawals from the credit card and that's why the call was long. If I take money with the credit card I won't be able to pay the card from here. A real nightmare. I thought it was all set up so that the credit card bill was paid direct. No. I went back to the place, the ATM machine, which was part of an exchange. Nobody was there but it was open so I had a drink at Landmark hotel next door, went back to the place and they had the card! Great and bummer at the same time. I called the bank and tried to get them to cancel the previous cancellation but it's procedures, they can't do anything about it. It's frustrating, nobody can't override any procedures, you can't beat the system. That really pissed me off because when I interviewed people who worked in call centres, they always gave examples of going overboard for customers but it never seems to happen in reality.
In England when you have done your transaction, the card comes first then the money. Here it is the opposite. So after practically 48h00 without sleep, automatism took over. Brain said money in the hand, go.
It was nightime, I went fo a walk in Nana street. It is the local night spot. Lots of bars with girls and middle age, western men. I didn't go anywhere. I walk a while and went back to another bar that the English lady had mentionned. Then back towards the Landmark hotel where in the basement they have a live music pub. It was good. I went back to the hotel to sleep.
Few points. I have seen 5 or 6 cats. They look quite malnourished and lethargic. One rat, quite healthy.
There is time to time, with a different degree, that smell in the air of sewage. Well several types of smell of sewage, and cooking, and fumes. I think Bangkok is on par with Mexico City on that level.
Other point: If they can put something on the pavement, they do. Most of the time you have to walk on the street to avoid obstacles: Telephone boxes, electric posts.
No mosquitoes.
It's difficult to see girls in the street and if they are not working not think they could be prostitutes . Apologies. I have the same though, having everybody thinking of me as a client.
Woke up at 5. Went on the internet and exchanged emails.
Everything seems to accumulate incredibly. It may be cheap currency but it goes very quickly and I have to think how I am going to manage the situation.
The lady yesterday talked about people doing exercise in a park and that it was quite worth it. I need to do lots of things today.
Just been bitten on the arm. Don't know what though. Not sure if it's mosquito.
Day 2: I come back to this diary many days later, so the souvenirs are a bit hazy. Happily that's the day when I took many pictures. In the morning I left for Lumphini park. I fancied seeing a bit of quiet. They just had a running race for the king's birthday and what looked like nurses were giving away prizes. As I arrived well after the end of the race, they must have been giving consolation prizes. But it is always in a good atmosphere, kind people doing kind things. I walked around sucking in the sights of people having good time. Old people singing, playing board games, ladies doing martial arts movements with fans, others doing tai chi. I got a bit emotional in front of a statue of Buddha, for whatever reasons.
I took some pictures of very big lizards. The size of small crocodiles. It is always amazing emotion when you discover something like that for the first time. It was not like I was in a zoo. There I was, in a park along side a small lake and out came a monster! I asked 2 Thai ladies if it was going to run to us, attack and devour us but they seems to think that no, it was safe. Although most of the Thai people looked at those creatures - the monster was not alone - as something unusual.
Afterwards I went to the grand palace. The place was heaving. Thousands and thousands of people were packed there for the king's birthday. The king is not in good health and his son for whatever reason is not liked it seems. There is a princess but she can't get to the throne because it is not in the constitution. Everywhere there are lots of pictures of the king. One of them in particular, that I have seen several times, shows him sweaty, with a drop of sweat at the end of his nose. I thought that was a weird picture, but Omm at the Landmark hotel explained that it was to represent that the king was working hard for them.
A tuk tuk guy who spoke good English explained to me that the palace was closed today. I thought I would go with that because there were too many people. So he proposed to get me to other sights for the very minimal sum of 30 Bahts (50 to the pound). So there I went in a tuk tuk. That is a novel experience, partly being in a new vehicule, partly being part of the traffic. People with weak heart should avoid. He drove like he had priority over anyone else, cut across in coming traffic, switch lanes without a care in the world. We went to the first place, a small temple with Buddha statue. Then he took me to another one, where I saw one part. There was another part but he said it was for Thai people. Although I could see big white faces and arses there...
Then started the drop at every other shops, Nick nack, jewellery, taylored made suits. Must have seen a dozen. That is the trick that is in all of the guides. Tuk tuk tells where you want to go is closed. They proposed to take you somewhere else and take you to shops on the way.
I didn't buy anything anywhere, but he was getting coupons for petrol each time he pulled somewhere with a tourist. I thought I would get along with the scam as it was an experience in itself. I have seen a jewellery shop the size of a supermarket, incredible.
Finally, after a long while, tuk tuk man droped me at the temples, Wat Pho, with the big reclining Buddha. That was a nice place. I took a guide. We bargained a bit the prize and I got it half prize. Mind you it seems more like local retired people with a bit of English who show you around and tells you dates and sizes. At least I had the impression I was going to see everything. Basically it is lots of temples with Buddha in various forms, standing, sitting, lying, with the cobra above his head, etc. It was very nice, the monuments are very beautiful.
When I left I was in two minds, to stay or to go. Outside huge crowds were gathering, and although I, like most people wore a pink tee shirt for the king, it's the colour of the day of his birth, I was getting fed up and tired. The tuk tuk experience had taken its toll. So I stayed a little longer and eventually saw the royal car passing by in the middle of must of been at least a cortege of 20 cars plus motorbikes. Then I left and went back up the avenues and there parked on the side of the road were numerous groups of scouts, majorettes, brass bands, school uniformed kids, retired people in same uniform. All those people in their impeccable uniforms. It must have been from Marble Arch to tottenham court road. Unbeliveable.
Anyway I managed to find a bus going towards a metro station. Oh my!. what an experience. If the tuk tuk was careless and with a mission, this bus driver was something else altogether. I was scared. He drove like an absolut lunatic, like a testosterone fuelled teenager on a moped. Except he drove a bus. I am flabbergasted we didn't have an accident. On the way back in the metro I was falling asleep. I had not had breakie or lunch. When I arrived in Sukhumvit, I had a pad thai next to the hotel and went to sleep at 8. Although I walked up at midnight. Too late to go out.
Day 3: Having watched TV til 4 o'clock, I woke up at 13h30. didn't do much, checked emails. Not much to report. Except Pepe who I sent an email to, replied. He is a Thai doctor and we shared a flat in London, 15 y ago. He is in Honk Kong but not sure when he is back.
Then I went to lunch in a little cafe in the neighbourhood, followed by a walk.
Then I went to the salsa class. There was a German guy, now living in Singapore but had lived in Bangkok, an engineer, teaching at universities. Then Roland, a French African who was an lawyer, and organising the event. Some other guys arrived, Omar, a Canadian/French from Senegal and who was there to study the market and a french girl called Marine, doing a year here whilst doing a master in marketing. Both there because Europe is going down and Asia is on its way up.
There were some Thai People, altogether about a dozen. All of them really good dancers. I danced a bit.
I went back to the hotel to check emails and relax. Later I went out for a meal and a beer, two at the Landmark hotel where I was when I checked if my card was at the cash point.
I talked to the waitress at the bar and got a bit informed about Thai life. Then I went back to the hotel, trying to get a normal night sleep.
Day 4: this morning I went around the neighbourhood to check if I could find a cheaper hotel. If I have to stay a while in Bangkok, waiting for the bank card, I need to start looking after the money.
Then I went for lunch in one of the small restaurant. Everything was in Thai and I asked to have the same as the person at the next table. Not sure it was a good choice. Seemed like the meat was a cross between liver or kidney with a chewy texture. A bit like snail. Although I was told that it was not something Thais eat. Well maybe they kept it for me. In any case I went to a Italian cafe afterwards and had an expresso to wash it down.
Just killed a mosquito right now and it was full of blood. Now I am paranoid that it may not be alone and others lurk in the side ready to strike.
Later I made my way towards Ko San road to check hotels, the backpackers area. I met Martin, an Austrian guy on the bus. I went with Martin to his hotel and after seeing a room, booked it for the next day. Much cheaper than where I am, 500 against 1350, and seems OK, except no TV or safety box. The neighbourhood is completely different. Much happier and different trade. In my current one, they have stalls like over there, but lots of girls applying their trade on the street or massage places everywhere. Kao San is also close to all the historic places. Lots of young tourists, slightly like Portobello Road. So to celebrate my new episode I had some beers with Martin. Then went back to Sukhumvit.
Day 5: Moved to Kao San Road. Put my staff in my room and had a meal at the stand outside. 15 bahts. 50 bahts to the pound so that's 30p. My last beer yesterday in an English pub was 235!
It feels good here to me. Although the contrast of new and ancient is funny. As I was eating this old guy passed pushing his trolley, like many others have done for centuries. A phone tune rose and he took his nokia out of his pocket to take a call. Thais are becoming Americanised. The pop videos features Thai boys bands and girls who, when they sing make the same "i don't take no shit" gestures as Black American female singers. Apparently all the girls want to be like Maria Carey. The adverts in the metro are the same way. Ideal products stylised in a world of Thailand/California.
After lunch I met with Martin, the Austrian guy and we walked in the streets, had lunch for 20 bahts, for pad thai. Hot but not too hot.
Then we walked some more and had beers watching the world goes by in Kao san road. He was leaving at 8 so we had dinner, more beers and when he left I went back to my room and try to catch up with emails. I feel so sleepy. Sleep deprivation, the heat, the beer, the fumes and lack of oxygen, takes its toll.
Day whatever, I lose count.
I went to bed early and forced myself to stay in bed in the dark when I woke up, til 7. I felt happy today, I am getting into holiday mode. I made my way to the grand palace and took the tour. The Indian people in the group were prominent but it is because so much of the historical background of the Thai religious folklore is Indian. They were Hindu before Buddhist and all the paintings at the palace depicting the early history is all about man, monkey and monster, the ramayana.
I went to the Buddhist centre afterwards, wat maha that, where I met another Tuk Tuk who told me that it was closed and that he would take me somewhere else instead. Next time it happens I will tell them so much the better because what I really want is to see endless numbers of shops selling nick nack.
The place itself didn't quite see the real thing. There was a small temple and I meditated for half an hour. What's bizarre , there was a Buddhist monk and he was talking and laughing loudly with the ladies at the door. Can't quite get the monks here. There are numerous around here but seems to be more free than in England. Outside of the temple, along the road, there were stalls after stalls of amulets and pendants of Buddha or Bhuddists teachers, and dildos. I won't even try to make sense of it. Surely there is a good explanations. Maybe the Buddhist symbol of rise and fall.
In another place, near the hotel, I took some pics of young ladies on a building site. It's now been several times that I see females builders. With Martin yesterday, where we had lunch, the house next door was being worked on by women. One of them came to get coffees for the others at our stall.
Later, I had my feet massaged by little fishes. Quite a thing. Starts a bit like pins and needles but becomes nice. People's reactions are quite different as well. I arrived at the same time as Da, an interesting Thai girl, who has visited London, backpacked Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, on her own. With the fishes an English girl didn't bat a lid, her boyfriend was about at the same level as me in terms of reactions, but there was another Western girl who kept saying oh god, oh god and rolling her eyes... it really did something for her.
Back to the hotel. I went out, later, had a nice soup, noodles and chicken, a beer in Kao san road and went to the festival near democracy monument. It's the 5th day of the King's birthday celebration. There were stalls everywhere of pictures of the King and his family. People get their picture taken in front of those pictures. It is impossible to describe the devotion that people here have for their king. There is the Thai flag, and their is the King's flag. Yellow because of the colour of his birth day, whereas everybody wears pink because that is the colour of his birth day in astrology...
At the main stage I saw the local singer celebrity, apparently called Singa, or maybe that's what she is. She sang a few Abba songs. It's funny how Abba works well in Asian, if never hear before they could be Thai song, if sung in Thai of course. Fireworks, Karaoke, Mai thai demonstrations. Went back to the hotel. Stopped in Kao san road for a beer. The crowd by now is young and full of energy whereas I am falling asleep. Time to go to bed.
Thursday: Took the bus to go to a museum, straight line from where I was. Showed the conductor the picture of the museum I want to go to on the map. Looked pretty straightforwad. Nope, we overshoot about 2 miles before I realised something was not quite right when we turned right and I had not seen the building which was supposed to be on the side of the road. Got off, fuming. I asked some local people outside an office building.The first one points to his colleague over there with enthusiasm. I may have discovered the one who can give directions. I show him on the map where I want to go, which should be nearby anyway. He takes the map, turn it this way and that, open the folded sides to check them, which by then let me know that our map specialist is probably not the finished article as I have absolute certainty that did not go 10 miles to the right. Eventually he points where we are. I thought forget it, I will walk. It took a while but I did get there, for the museum/palace to be closed. Fine, I sat down, smoked an Hamlet and checked where I could go. Omm at the Landmark hotel recommended the Jim Thompson's museum. An American who stayed after the war and revived the silk trade in Thailand. He had a big house with antiques. At first, the idea did not quite interest me, but I was not to far from that and so it was. I actually really liked it. It was very well presented. Lots of pretty, elegant guides who were very knowledgeable. I took the French speaking tour as I thought there would be less people on it. The guide spoke impeccably. She stayed behind at the end to answer my questions. The other tourists fled as soon as it was finished, as I was looking in my wallet for a tip. The thight so and sos. They caught me off guard otherwise I would have called them back and put them to shame. You can't do that to Thais, it is not the thing to do to embarass them, but the French, oh oui. THis girl, the guide, only learnt French at school and she was excellent, even in answering the questions of people. I stayed in this place revisiting on my own. It was a little haven of peace.
There was a place we didn't visit with the guide and it was a room full of paintings and drawings of life in Thailand and of the stories of Buddha. I went to grab another guide and she was the smallest thing but with big lively eyes and full of nice energy. She explained everything. It was interesting. She refused a tip at the end, explaining that she enjoyed it. Later I went to a room/exhibition based on the Thai astrology, which is very similar to the Chinese one. I am a rabbit and would get on well with goats and pigs.
The house had been built in harmony with the timing of the stars. Well it had seemed to work. The souvenir shop there was very good too. I didn't buy anything but there really beautiful items made of silk, tee shirt, scarves etc.
The nearest metro was a huge shopping centre where I meandered for a while before setting to the cinema, where i found a nice place in the foyer, quiet, very comfortable and I read my guide book. In the cinema, you have a choice of comfortable seat, seat for couple, or luxury seat, which is a reclining armchair with all the mod cons you can think off.
On the way back I talked to this Dutch girl, tall blonde, who sounded exactly like a friend of mine, Annedoor. The bus was blocked by a big manifestation for political democratic rights. For 5 days of the king birthday everyone was dressed in pink and there, everyone was in red. Very colour coordinated.
I had diner with the Dutch girl, who was in HR, recruitment, in public sector. I don't think we asked each others' name. She was leaving that night, back to the place where winter exists.
Something puzzles me here. Shops, department stores sell winter clothes, wooly hats, big gloves.... Nobody has been able to explain me why.
Friday: That's the day where my bad luck with buses continued. An hour in the morning to get to a metro station of any kind. You get on the bus you ask the conductor if they go to National Stadium and you end up going around and around. When you ask other people in the bus, they are helpful but often wrong. Like the girl who told me when I went back to KaoSan that the 40 bus was going there and I ended up in China town. To be fair so did she and she did her best to ask locals for directions. That always seems to be a matter of long diatribes. Probably telling her that she should have started from somewhere else. I changed bus and once again, it's the passengers that tell you to get off instead of the conductor when they have overheard the information you gave him. One bus stopped and the driver open a big trap door and reved up the engine from inside the bus, smoke filled the bus and 2 mins later we were told to leave the bus. Anyway I eventually got off the 3rd bus again because of passengers telling me to. One guy took me back to Kao San explaining that Tuk tuks were no good and he was very happy that I could speak a bit of Thai. We walked for at least 2 miles, crossing the equivalent of motorways. But eventually we got there and the guy went back in the opposite direction. They are very helpful but there is something bizarre about travelling. Don't show a map either, most of them look incapable of reconciling map and territory. If you ask them were we are on the map, they give you incredulous looks. I arrive at the hotel at 1h30 in the morning. I stopped on the way for a beer as I thought it was highly merited. I think this bus thing it is a test from the heavens for my keeping it cool. Earlier today I had this little old lady getting off the bus who kept speaking to me in Thai. It's always a weird experience when one can not make oneself understood, not quite similar to anything else, a mixture of sense of pride for trying, sorry for not succeeding, adnd something else.
Day after, whatever day it is:
I went to a French fair exhibition, particularly, agricultural products from the region in south of France. It was not such a thing, nobody from the region was there, only some importers of wine and French products. The French equivalent of Tesco, Carrefour, was there selling some cheap stuff as if it was quality. The best though was 4 dancers Thai, dressed in a mixtutures of the movie Moulin Rouge and Versailles, Louix XiV, attires, with fans and dancing on French music.
Next to that exhibition were floors and floors of fashion and home products. Something akin to a big department store and the ideal home exhibition. I bought some good sandals, from Clarks. Paid a fortune but my feet are in deep need. I have big blisters, cracks because of the plastic crocs. I can't go anywhere without my feet.
Went to the Landmark hotel, drunk a couple of Coca colas, spoke a bit with Omm, got extra serving of tapas, watched half of Chelsea Everton and most of Juventus Inter. They are showing football matches everywhere here and all the guys I speak to know English football very well. The guy who walked me back home to Kao San Road knew Montpellier football club and didn't like Man U!
When I left there I had a beer near the metro station and there were girls who await customers, at tables on the terrace. I had managed to avoid them that far but I was on my way to the other side of town so I thought I'll have the experience. I bought one girl a drink, she was fluent in English, was very happy to practice French and could speak Spanish and German. Actually it was very sweet. The girls were very friendly and kind towards each other, relaxed and considerate, and more than that, happy. They asked to play pool, we went inside (everybody seat outside) to play pool. It was very friendly. One girl who was quite good looking and with perfect legs was very good at pool. One girl ordered chips and sandwiches and shared with others. We went back outside and chatted. They are lovely girls. I had really struggled to put aside my concepts of prostitution in order to experience the situation, the reality, as it is rather than through my interpretation of preconceptions. I had a good experience, these girls were really friendly, easy going, not pushy and great for a game of pool.
Then it was the not straightforward way home, as it involved buses....
Saturday: message from Julia that she has sent the bank card. Great.
I went early for a breakie. I did that yesterday. About 6h30, the little market around the corner. Got some pineapple, little bananas and fritters, plus a little necklace of flowers for the receptionist and the hotel That's the kind that they put everywhere for gift to Buddha. It smelled gorgeous. I shared my stuff with the receptionist and a guy from Lancashire who had done the same thing that I did, going to the market early, but didn't have bananas. Talking about Lancashire. The big thing here and you see them everywhere is fisherman's friends.
Today, I sat down at a stall, had a tea, fritters and later bought a bag of pineapple. I spent the rest of the morning catching up on the diary and resting my feet.
I can't remember what happened the rest of the day, as I am resuming my writing few days later. But going down a street I arrived at a Mai Thai, thai boxing, training place and watched guys being put through their paces. I met Tina, a Chinese girl who works here, as a buyer for the telephone industry. We had a meal and arranged to go to the market tomorrow.
13th December, Sunday. I met with Tina and we went to the week end market by a park, in the north of Bangkok. First we took a tuk tuk to China Town and she explained a bit what was around. We took the metro to the week end market, it's a bit like Camden but many times bigger and with Asian paraphernalia and food. It was nice and good not to be temped. Tina left a 2. It was fine as she doesn't speak English much and it's difficult to understand what she was saying. I stayed a bit longer and went back to the hotel after a stop at a bar for a soup and a beer. I watched footaball with Dan, the English backpacker guy who I met at the hotel earlier with Simone, a German girl. We had good chats about travelling.
14th of December, Monday. I woke up early to get on an organised day trip,to Bang Pa In, which is the countryside royal residence. Apparently Elizabeth II stayed there and liked it. She played music with the King and Queen here. Or maybe the Royal Thais played, queen piano and the king saxo and Elizabeth listened. Then we went to Ayathaya, the old capital which was destroyed by the Khmers. I thought that it was interesting that even here people who believe and worship the same god, still destroy each others temples and Buddha statues. Then we went back by boat down the Chao Praya. I sat with 2 Vietnamese Californians and a Malaysian lady.
It was nice to speak about the various countries and what is happening. Back in Kao San I met Simone who stays at the hotel and was leaving for somewhere in the south. I stayed with her whilst she waited for the bus. We had a beer and a chat. She was quite interesting, an oenologue (wine scientist) who studied that in Spain and because the market is very down for the wine industry, she took a break in Thailand.
When I got back to the hotel, I had a shower. Funny as you start to sweat after the shower. Whereas before I was fine. I then went for an oil massage and that was good. I was feeling very good for an hour afterwards, and full of energy. The lady, who was called Pat and spoke little English said she was free the day after. So we arranged to go to a shopping centre.
15th of December: I woke up after a good night sleep. 23h00 to 8h00. A personal local best. Responding to emails and going to see Pat, the masseuse for the day out. She arrived late. We went to the temple, then took a taxi to a shopping centre. She went to the hairdresser, I paid, then to the restaurant, I paid, then she would stop at every shop and wanted me to buy her stuff. I cut my losses short and said I wanted to go back to Kao San. I was a bit upset as she was taking me for a sugar daddy. She had this notion that I was rich and therefore should buy her what she wanted. I have met people who were fine, but a guy warned me that having a girlfriend here she would never put her hand in her pocket. Well she wasn't even a girlfriend. I thought it would be interesting to spend some time with a local. I think the most difficult was the language barrier as well as diverging expectations.
I kind of knew it may be the case as we started but I still had idealistic notions that it would not be the case. I was aware of how it could ensue and see my options. I was aware that I needed to look at what I wanted and how I wanted it.
It is interesting for me to be in a country where people are not reactive and emotional. That's my big learning point. I can see options but it takes a while not to respond from an emotional perspective, frustration, upset, etc
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Benedicte
non-member comment
Salut Patrick, You seemed to be so far enjoying your time in Thailand (apart from the credit card episode and the blisters!!!!!). Good luck for the rest of your journey. Wishing you some merry New Year Celebrations there....with all you new friends. A Bientot. Benedicte