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Bangkok Skyway
Great streetscape at the end of our little Soi (lane) in Siam SquareDay 90
Our Government bus hurtles towards the mega City of Bangkok, wrapping us up in a cocoon of luxury and air conditioned comfort. Our “lady boy” hostess does a sterling job carrying complimentary cups of Fanta and Coke up and down the swaying aisle while I prey “she” does not end up in my lap, but she proves adept and the journey is a model of efficiency. I figure this is a good time to test Molly’s worldliness. She stares blankly at my question, has to take a close, hard look, and returns with an answer of “is that what you call a tranny“? We leave it there, assuming it’s of little interest to a 12 year old. Dad on the other hand, is appalled.
The trip is efficient, until we are unceremoniously dumped as usual, not at the bus station, but on the side of the road somewhere in this huge city. Finding reasonable accommodation in Bangkok proves tricky at 8.30 pm. The guide book leads us to some prison cell like rooms. We have chosen the Siam Square area, well away from the backpacker HQ of Th Khao San. Frances remains on the side of the
The Grand Palace
Scenes from the Grand Palace in Bangkok footpath, patrolling 4 bags, 1 stroller and 2 tired and irritable kids, while Bernard scouts out a bargain. Luck is with us and we come across a 2 bedroom apartment, almost new, with two bathrooms! I do the maths, its $3.00 less than our accommodation budget and its now 9.00 pm! Dinner at 9.15 is a welcome relief after having left our Chiang Mai hotel at 7.45 am.
Bangkok is not that alluring or particularly attractive for a family. Indeed for such a large city, it falls clearly in the Auckland basket as far as public transport and infrastructure is concerned. It sprawls, it’s ungainly and it’s hotly pursuing the future, with little regard for the past. Getting around is challenging as buses, trains, skyway and boats are all separately operated with no ticket, timetable or fare integration. The quite recent Skyway and underground train almost act in competition and, unbelievably, replicate each other on some sections. On the bright side taxis are surprisingly honest, cheap and always offer an air conditioned respite, albeit accompanied by an invitation to a massage if Bernard travels alone.
The Siam Square area took a pounding through the clean up operation of
The Grand Palace
Thai version of a Garuda the Red Shirts, but we see no evidence of the destruction. Indeed, arriving in a city of around 10 million people, (I am sure this is just a guess as Thailand is just now planning their first ever census) makes me realise again that these Asian cities are vast tracts of territory and humanity and staying away from any further Red Shirt activity would be very easy. In a place like this, it’s easy to hide. “Scale” is the bit that fascinates me. Everything is on such a different scale from our NZ induced internal gauges. Siam Square is a shopping district and 4 huge individual complexes make up a small corner of the area. Even after 5 days of concerted effort, we only scratch the surface of the shopping in this area. It ranges from street stalls that only start at 8.30 pm on the Skyway concourse, to a Maserati showroom on the third level of one of the complexes.
Our favourite is the MBK centre. Offering 5 levels of shopping, each level could swallow St Lukes and beg for more. There is a department store hidden inside, a massive cinema complex, (showing Eclipse every 15 minutes when
Dream World
What is in this massive splash I wonder?? it launches on 01 July), bowling, more food outlets than one could count, a fashion “market“, electronics galore, household accessories and anything imaginable that one would want to buy. At its simplest, MBK is just a huge outdoor market, transported indoors, with air conditioning and hygiene! The prices are as always, an indictment on us as NZ and reminders of the high prices we still pay for many things. I price up some Sony late model 32 inch LCD televisions, NZ$618. The lesser known brands much cheaper again. I spot a fabulous looking massive stainless fridge, with all the add on features, that in NZ might demand $5,000. It’s about $1200 here. And that’s well before any negotiation takes place!
I buy a pair of new glasses, complete with consultation, eye test and graduated lenses for NZ$200. Sadly, this is repeated everywhere, as we know branded consumer goods are priced to the market. Is this fair? Fair or not, you can’t help but feel, that there is only one way prices on all manner of goods in NZ can continue to move, with globalisation and entrepreneurship. I wonder about how far the Parallel importers in NZ can go and
Dream World 2
Ahh, a couple of very wet and cool customers why they have not moved into more white wear and home entertainment.
It is not just consumer goods. The prices for staple food goods is incredibly low. Fonterra are noticeable by their absence, but it’s obvious why: even the cost of dairy produce in Thailand is very low. And as for a good bog standard Pad Thai, it’s hard to go past a local café/restaurant that churns it out for NZ$2.
Molly ferrets out a theme park, and we spend a great day at “Dream World”. It’s great midweek. Its cheap, it’s not crowded and food and beverage is not at the Farang price. The girls wear themselves out and decree it a better day than Ocean Park in HK.
We tick off a few of the main sights, eat some great market food, swelter in the heat and battle with the traffic. It’s time to move on, so off to the Southern Gulf Coast we head. We have the choice of the Gulf of Thailand or Andaman Coast, as both are in off season. We decide there is less chance of monsoon rain on Koh Tao, the northern-most of three populated Islands in the Gulf that
Dream World 3
A fun day out for all form the nucleus of the laid-back beach and sun holiday that Southern Thailand is famous for.
Molly and Bernard enrol in a 4 day SSI (think PADI) diving course in a world renowned location. Bernard gets the opportunity to tick off another challenge that has sat on the wish list for too long.
The island has gone from desolate coconut plantation to tropical resort island in a few short decades. In doing so, it’s never really had a “Thai” feel, and we quickly establish that most of the “Thais” are actually migrant Burmese. The Thai’s control the island, the Burmese work - mostly illegally from what I gather in the press.
The out of control development is unbelievable. The evidence firmly implies there are no such things as building codes, plumbing regulations, electrical certification, environmental impact reports, neighbouring party consent, height to boundary ratio, permeability ratio, run off rules, glazing standards, car parking ratios, roofing standards, leaky home reconciliation committees, floor covering rules, fire ratings, or any such thing. If any rules do exist, surely they are only there to allow local officials to extract a living off the bribes? Taking a moral stand on anything we
Only a little bit wet!
The results of a nice, sedate plunge through a wall of water. Great on a hot day. encounter would have long ago seen us pack our bags and head home, so we just ignore the destruction, ignore the pollution, ignore the power station that consists of five un-muffled generator trucks parked on the side of the road, ignore the roadside recycling squalor, ignore the irretrievable change to the fragile coastal marine life and go with the flow. It’s frustrating to see, and frustrating to think that our presence only contributes to the problem, but worrying about it is a bit like NZ’s response to Global warming - good on you Nick, you will really make a difference to the world!
We spend the last few days in a little sandy bay (Aow Leuk for those who are keen to find it on the net), with about 20 bungalows, 3 restaurants and 10 other people each day. It’s gorgeous, with great swimming and Frances spends hours snorkelling, while Bernard tries to rebalance the “looking after Lauren” ledger. Our biggest decision each day is what cocktail to indulge in after the Mai Tai recipe has us both asleep by 9.00 pm one night! Now this is what we call a holiday!!!
Travelling as we are presents a
Snapped on the road
I guess this is a third class seat. Then again, he gets to sleep. Maybe its hard sleeper class. few challenges. Among the least of our concerns have been food and accommodation. Generally, you get what you pay for, down to the option of paying for hot water, or an air conditioning remote control if you want the air con to work. Almost universally at hotels and restaurants we have been looked after, treated with respect and dignity, invariably paid the agreed rate, and generally felt that honesty and integrity were alive and well. Moving further down the honesty scale, dealing with sightseeing entry fees has been more difficult than food & beverage but generally good. Next in the more difficult stakes is package tour arrangements, where it really is a lottery as to how much you pay, compared to the person sitting next to you. Sadly, at the bottom of the pile, in all respects, are public bus/minibus/taxi/tuk-tuk trips. It’s like there is a little sign around us saying “See this family? They think they know a thing or two about buses and public transport. Let’s prove them wrong!”. The moment these scum bag transport people see that halo, they know exactly how to stick the boot in and extract as much as they can from us. If
you (the reader) are bored with our bus stories, skip the next few paragraphs. Otherwise, for another laugh at our expense, read on!
We leave Koh Tao reluctantly, having to almost tow Frances away from the beachfront bungalow. We have had 10 nights, yet it feels like 4. We know we can stay as long as our visas allow, but we have more of Thailand to see. We know we promised ourselves plenty of R & R on the trip, but surely 10 days is enough? We know the kids are really happy, but won’t they be just as happy at the next experience? So it’s with sad hearts we arrive at the little rattly pier in Koh Tao, tickets to Surat Thani in our hand.
We stop at Koh Phangan, scene of the legendary “full moon party” and change boats and load up with a hundred or so backpackers, nursing either physical scars, or deep hangovers from the all night affair that transforms one of the beaches into a massive “dance party” for a full night. Think around 8,000 to 10,000 European backpackers, all drugged or drunk, having an all nighter. Then, having all rented scooters, they
A close up
OK, so why would this get built into the tiles at a transport centre I cannot guess.. decide to go home at sunrise. The scars were evident. One can only imagine the first aid facilities are a profitable sideline for someone. Even those with no physical scars, were tired and wrung out, looking to use a 4 hour boat trip as recovery time.
A quick stop in Koh Samui and the boat has its compliment of 200 people, and we head to Surat Thani. We expect to arrive at around 4.00 pm. We pull into a large and deserted pier at 3.00 pm. There are 4 large buses on the pier, all operated by the ferry company. Noticeable in their absence are the hotel touts, the tuk tuk drivers, the shuttle bus drivers and the general mayhem that always presents at a Farang meeting point. I realise afterwards that this is all part of the scam - an exclusion zone all designed to defraud and deceive us farang and provide us with Hobson’s choice. I have an inkling, back in the memory banks, that I have read that 1 of the 3 piers used here, is 65 km’s from town. This looks like it. Most passengers have “through tickets” to Phuket, Bangkok or Krabi sold as
Aow Leuk beach, Koh Tao Is.
Our little slice of paradise part of the ferry ticket package. Ours just goes to the town and we have paid for a bus transfer. Everyone is herded around, and a man with a megaphone makes occasional gestures to indicate which bus is going where. Our destination is actually Khao Sok National Park. An official nods knowingly and tells us to wait. So we wait, the numbers thin, and all I see are people waiting for the Bangkok connection. I approach the official again, remind him we want to get to either Surat Thani or Khao Sok. A look of concern crosses his face, and then, the trap is set. “Rush, quick, hurry, grab your bags, no time to lose, this is only bus……. “His thieving companion appears, and presents an ultimatum, pay 300 baht to me, now or you miss the bus. We have teamed up with a South African family so we number 8. It’s either pay the 1800 baht, or risk getting left here, or having to spend a night in dull and grimy Surat Thani. Every intelligent molecule in my body is screaming at me to not hand over our share of 1800 baht ($90), telling me that this IS THE
Aow Leuk beach
Spot the 3 Kiwis enjoying the crystal clear, fabulously warm water. WRONG THING TO DO, THIS IS ANOTHER SCAM, YOU HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE. I look at the desolate location, consider the 60 kms between here and town, look at the only bus still left waiting and hand over the money. My feeble request for a receipt is met with an assurance “that the office will have ready for you in town”. It’s 3.30 pm.
We are bussed to the ferry company’s grimy bus depot, unloaded and grunted at “to wait”. We wait 45 minutes, along with others who are heading to a myriad of destinations. We spend money in the little bus depot food shop, further lining the company’s pocket. After an indeterminable delay, a truck taxi appears. These are utes, with two bench seats down each side of the rear tray. They are open sided, uncomfortable and hideously unsafe. They seem to constitute about half the vehicles on the road, so why it took 45 minutes to conjure this thing up is a mystery. “Transfer to bus station” we are told in response to our puzzled looks. Off we go, all 8 of us, abandoning the ferry company, and now in the hands of PP Transfers Ltd! The
Long tail boat
These are everywhere in coastal Thailand “bus station” is only 10 minutes away, and it’s just a restaurant and travel booking office. There are no vans or buses in sight. Just tired and hungry passengers off the same boat, all having arrived on various forms of transport, being herded around outer Surit Thani, spending money in the company controlled outlets. We are assailed to book some accommodation for tonight. Our man knows just the place and has already made a phone call to make sure they can take 2 families. “Only 2000 baht Sir“. We loiter, kicking dust and being told lies. 5.30 pm becomes 6.30 pm. Bernard gets fidgety and starts asking tougher questions. Suddenly, we are off again, KHAO SOK, KHAO SOK is cried out, accompanied with arm waving towards another Ute. After nearly 3 months away, I have read so many times the rules of engagement in Asia. Do not lose your temper, do not shout, do not allow loss of face, more will be achieved with a quiet polite approach. Bugger that. Bernard loses it completely and demands answers. Where is our minibus, what time are we leaving? No we are not getting into that Ute and moving our bags again, just
Aow Leuk again
Another view across the bay from our restaurant on the cliff. give us our money back… The “boss” starts at us “minibus has a problem and very late, you only have 8 people, we give private car”. “Lets go, driver need to hurry, take 2 1/2 hours to Khao Sok” and on it goes. They seriously want us to get into a Ute, for a 2 hour 100 km plus journey on open roads. Loss of face, yeah right. I shout, threaten and gesticulate like an Italian. I ask for a phone to call the Tourist Police, I ask for a ride back to the ferry company to get a refund, I involve the other travellers, still all standing around waiting like uninformed zombies. I get my message across. Within 30 minutes, we are in air conditioned luxury of an exclusive Thai minibus and on our way - despite another change of vehicle at the “real minibus station” and another test of our patience! We arrive at 9.00 pm, having only travelled around 160 kms in 6 hours. Our sorry little tale does not end there. We decline another “kind offer” of accommodation from the driver and move on to one of our choice. Bernard and Richard then disappear down a
Tropical sunset
Sunset at Aow Leuk dark driveway to investigate the place and leave 2 women and 4 kids and all the bags in the safe care of the driver on the dark and unlit main road. The driver chooses this time to put the final knife in. He un-obligingly unloads all the bags, and shouts abuse at the women when they refuse to get out. He stares at Frances and curses in Thai. His facial expression quite clearly says “If you were my Thai woman I‘d be putting you in your place!”. Arriving back, Frances has to almost restrain Bernard, assuring him that it’s over now, don’t worry. Sadly, it’s reflective of being on the “tourist trail” in Thailand. In transport we are a commodity and treated, not with respect and dignity, but as a means to an end. It really pisses me off, and I spend the night dreaming of cunning and devious ways to get back at these Thai people when they visit NZ. One thing is for sure, we have a lot to learn in NZ about maximising value out of visitors!!
It pours with rain through the night & much of the following day, so the National Park remains unexplored,
though a paddle down the river complete with a soaking in the tropical rain do provide suitable amusement. In addition, it is nice to find some agreeable company, find playmates for the kids and share some travel stories with Richard and Jeanine.
We roll down the Andaman coast, expecting more rain, and arrive in Krabi to dull, wet and humid airs. But we luck in for two glorious days, and complete Thailand, sitting on a gorgeous beach near Railay (named Pharnang if you‘re planning to go). It breaks our trip and proves enjoyable.
Thailand. 60 million people. A land of extreme haves, and have nots. I read in the Bangkok Post that Thailand needs to start a debate about the prospects of introducing a welfare system. This is the basis of the platform for the Red Shirts and the Montenegro-based, fugitive ex Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawarta. Generally there is no welfare in SE Asia and Thaksin’s legacy is some subsidised transport and gas supplies to the poor. But the article was simple. In black and white, it roughly stated, “the debate cannot take place, until the elite in this country are prepared to give up their status.” It
Sairee Beach, Koh Tao
The main beach is pretty tidal, and busy with backpackers. This tree caught our eye! was a staggering admission and, take it as given, they are not ready to give up anything. So while I can rant on about farang prices and frustrations with transport and other irritations, they pale into insignificance in a country where you reap what you sow. There is no safety net or opting for a life of social welfare. There is only full, red blooded capitalism, and it’s great. It hones the senses, it fires the imagination and it creates boundless opportunity. They don’t have it right in Thailand, but then nobody else does either. What they do have is a vibrant country. It might struggle to understand what to do with growing wealth, it might have political issues that dwarf NZs, it might suffer from tropical lethargy at times, but I can’t help but feel, overall, that it’s heading the right way. It’s fun to visit, if a little trying on your patience, but hey, it’s a place we could all add to the list of paradise’s we aspire to retire at one day.
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