Hello from me

---

Hello there. Please be gentle with me, this is my first blog. My name is Michael and as you may have guessed from my nickname I'm 49. I've got onto this website from the travelfish.org website where I noticed a blog by Reet. If you see this Reet, thanks for showing me the way to this site. I've had a look at some of your blogs and there seems to be just about nowhere you haven't been. I consider myself lucky to have had the amount of travel I've had but I'm nowhere near as well travelled as you.
My first trip was in 1978 to England. Being English I was able to stay with relatives most of the time and expenses were low. I managed to get a low-cost airfare from Freddie Laker before the big airlines sent him bust.
Next I went to Bali in 1981. This was a package tour. Fortunately it was not one of those where you are herded into the tour guides shops, more one where you just went over with a load of other people and the only thing that was organised for you was accomodation. The rest was up to you. If it is possible to believe it for anyone who has been to Bali, Legian Beach Road and the rest of Kuta were almost devoid of restaurants, bars and sidewalk vendors. I went on a bike ride into the country and for a few miles was actually away from any people.
In 1984 I went for a holiday on the east coast and up the centre of Australia. This ended up being the most expensive holiday I have ever taken, although it was also the shortest. Well, costs of accomodation would have been higher than any other I have had. And food wasn't the cheapest. I also went to Dreamworld which put a bit of a dent in the budget. But I would have to say it was worth it.
1997 I had 9 weeks holiday, this had accrued over the years in that when I took my usual 4 weeks there would be a public holiday here and there, and over the years that extra day had added up. Before I went on that holiday I talked to my brother-in-law's sister who was pretty well travelled. She gave me a bit of sound advice which saved me squillions(well, probably at least a thousand dollars). BOOK AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE IN AUSTRALIA. Guesthouse charges are a pittance and transport is the easiest thing to arrange in any southeast Asian city.
The first place I stayed at in Bali was not in fact Kuta but a place in the north called Candida Beach. I stayed in a guesthouse which had a large number of bungalows with their own bathroom with an open-roofed shower. There were a good number of dolphins there and the place was very peaceful and a good start to a holiday.
When I got to Kuta the guesthouse I was staying at was able to arrange a trip for me to Lombok for something like $20 and the guesthouse in Lombok was able to arrange a trip to Komodo for @USD110. Not only that but we did it on a Balinese fishing vessel where we caught our own meals. Komodo was not the greatest, the dragons were interesting to see but there wa not much to do once we'd seen them. The best part was getting there, though.
Next was Sumatra. First the plane went to Medan after we were delayed a day in Djakarta because of the fires and the smogs caused by El Ninio. At Medan airport the people leaving the plane were greeted by a mob of wild-eyed motorbike riders offering to take us to our place of destination. I decided that a ride through Medan with my backpack on may be a bit more exciting than a taxi ride, so I flagged down one of these riders and asked him to take me to the correct bus terminal for Bukit Lawang. Have you ever ridden on the back of a motorbike through an Indonesian town? It's not one of those things you'd want to do every day. Bukit Lawang is the nearest town to the Bohorok orang-utan rehabilitation centre. After a few days there, including one trek where I discovered how unfit I really am, I went back to Medan so that I could go to Parapat and Danau Toba. Danau Toba is an inland lake which houses Pulau Samosir, which would be the largest island within an island in the world if it weren't for a very small isthmus which prevents it from being a real island. My time spent on Pulau Samosir was some of the most enjoyable on my trip.
Next stop was to be Bangkok. I first went to Kuala Lumpur but only stayed one night there. The only thing of note I did was debate Australian politics with a retired Malaysian judge. Then a bus ride to Hat Yai on a bus which had seats that were much too small for my farang bottom. I met a four-fingered German there who seemed to know an inordinate amount about where to get laid. He showed me his passport, he was quite proud of the number of visas on it. It was full. Hat Yai was only a stopover, though and the next day I was off something I'll never know, as the bus trip was the most uncomfortable I've ever been on.
One thing about Bangkok that I found, there's a lot to see but unless you're prepared to venture into the unknown you won't see it. I was staying near Sukhumvit Rd, and I really only saw thins around that area. That was enough, Wat Phra Kaew, Jim Thompson's house, Patong Rd, Nana Plaza and Pahurat. Met a gem-scammer at Wat Phra Kaew. You know the type, a well-dressed uni student who says you can take some sapphires overseas and sell them for more back home than you buy them for in Thailand. Lonely Planet came through on that one, I listened to him but walked away when the gem talk started.
I had decided to go to Koh Chang before I left. A "Peregrine Tours" in Adelaide had mentioned Koh Chang as a side tour. Again I did not book from Adelaide(thank you, Jenny!) but went to a tour place down the road and booked a bus to Trat. After this ride I got a sangthaew to Laem Ngop and then a ferry to Koh Chang. Not sure where I stayed but I got a beachfront hut and stayed a fortnight where I initially expected to stay a few days at most. The cost of the beachfront hut was about $4 per night and the food was sublime(mostly seafood and 100% fresh). The exchange was appalling though, I should have cashed up before coming out and paid my accomodation in advance. Oh well, we live and learn.
When I left Koh Chang I stayed a night in Trat. At the time Trat had very little to recommend it but I liked the markets and meeting the people there. I met three old Thai men playing a game like dominoes and drinking tea. They invited me to join them and although none of us understood a word the other was saying we had a great time.
Finally I went back to Kuta. This time was spent just winding down and walking along beaches.
Well, that's pretty much what I've done in travelling in and out of Australia. My next trip is to be Thailand, but Thailand only in October 2008. I've got 6 weeks and I'll pretty much do as I did the last time which is go there with some preconceived ideas of what to do, but to more or less wing it when I get there. I'm certainly intending to take in Chiang Mai, and on top of that I'm considering Tham Lot, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi, Cha-Am, Trat, Koh Chang, Hua Hin and maybe some other areas around the south. I doubt if I'll go to all of them or maybe I'll go to some for a day trip only. I don't want this to be a "If this is Tuesday, this must be Belgium" type of trip.

---