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Published: February 25th 2007
Well at long last I’ve finally got around to getting this blog underway! Apologies it’s taken soooo long- just been too busy with the Asia tour that I haven’t had a chance! And when I did internet was either non-existent or chronically slow. Before I begin, a word of caution- blog will be viewed by parents and children alike so please keep any comments you post suitable for all…….!
I left on my travels from sunny Dumfries on 17/01/07 by train to Glasgow. After popping in to see my Grandpa, I hit the airport for my flight to Heathrow (plane really quiet so plenty of room) and then after a 3 hour or so wait flew onto Bangkok, Thailand. Flight was packed as was bound for Sydney. Found myself sitting next to a guy called Mark and his girlfriend Thea. Both from Southampton way, and transpired Mark also graduated with accounting and starts work with KPMG in September. Needless to say there was plenty to talk about- they were a really nice couple. Flight was nice and smooth- a couple of complimentary beers and a few films soon saw the time pass. On arrival in Bangkok (awesome airport) shared a
taxi with Mark and Thea into the city as hotels not too far apart. Arrived at my hotel- Grande Ville- around 1630, and after a quick walk of the local area and a shower crashed early after long day (s?!) of travel.
Hotel really nice- randomly the set up of standard rooms was a double and a single bed so plenty of room for just me! Had a couple of days to tour the city myself before my Intrepid trip began on the Sunday. Took a wander to the Chinatown region which was literally crawling with hundreds of open markets, all open to bartering- quite a sight. Then whilst on my way to see the Grand Palace- the most sacred place for Thais in Thailand- a local chap stopped me to ask me where I was going and went on to say that the Grand Palace was closed for a religious ceremony and would re-open later that afternoon. Seemed plausible enough… He turned out to be a Tuk-Tuk driver- a glorified open taxi (bit of a death trap!) and offered to take me on a tour of the city, finishing at the Grand Palace when it re-opened later that
afternoon. I though fair enough and proceeded to barter a fee. When he agreed at 15 Baht I was sceptical- as around 20p! However, I agreed and off we went on our mini- adventure. Being a passenger of the tuk-tuk was something you have to do once, and more importantly once only. They are uncomfortable, sides are open so the fuel smell from other vehicles is really strong, and the madness that prevails on the roads leads you to think that any second you are liable to crash!
First stop was the ‘lucky Buddha’ where I saw a couple of smaller temples, met a few monks and lit an incense candle (supposed to bring you luck). After another stop at an impressive temple which was still partially being constructed, the driver (whose banter was comical) asked me if I was interested in buying any souvenirs- and that suits were especially cheap in Thailand! After insisting on stopping at two tailors and a couple of other souvenir shops, it dawned on me that I was getting this tour so cheap as the driver would be on commission should I buy anything. Since I had absolutely no idea where in the
city we were, I decided it would be sensible to buy something so that I didn’t get left in the middle of no-where. I found a couple of Thai t-shirts which were reasonably priced and actually nice t-shirts, and this seemed to work as I wasn’t left anywhere! After a stop at the very impressive Big Buddha (literally a massive Buddha statue- size of a building) and insisting I wasn’t interested in any more souvenirs, the driver took me to the Grand Palace which had miraculously ‘re-opened!’ The Grand Palace was a truly awesome sight- the architecture of the buildings and the design of the Buddha images simply beautiful. As with all Buddha temples, it is customary to remove one’s footwear before entering. Further, the head is believed to be the holiest part of the body and as such is an insult to touch a Buddhist on the head. Conversely, the feet are the lowest and dirtiest point of the body- to point your feet at someone is an insult, and you should NEVER point your feet at a Buddha image. After touring the Grand Palace and its grounds, I came outside to find that my tuk-tuk driver has disappeared.
Hardly a surprise, but at least I knew where I was and that the hotel was within walking distance. The driver never did collect his 15 Baht fee! So all in all I reckon I did pretty well out of that afternoon!
Sunday evening arrived and it was time to meet the group whom I would be travelling with for the next two weeks. I booked a month trip which was a combination of two tours- Bangkok to Hanoi, and Hanoi to Hong Kong. I thought this was the best option due to the massive cultural barriers that exist and the language barrier. Further, Asia is notoriously bad for getting about by public transport, so if you don’t have the language you’re bound to struggle if you want to do any serious travelling. Most of the group were there on the first night. Our leader, Parichart Uppakit (aka Pauline) was a 29 yr old Thai girl. Then we had Alex and Monica (both 23), a couple from just outside Canberra, Aus. Will (19) from England; Lawrie (65) and Pat (64)- retired couple from England now living in Spain; Diana and Felicity (both 26)- mates from New Zealand both heading
for the UK after Asia trip to work for a few years. So 8 of us and Pauline at the first meeting which was basically a quick meet and greet, and sort out some admin stuff. Pauline told us there was to be 12 of us in all- that two people were catching up with us in a few days time seeing as they were just coming off another trip, and hoped that the other two had just been delayed! Two day rooms were required for the following day such that everyone else would check out first thing. I volunteered my room, which basically just meant folk would leave their bags at my room after breakfast just before 9.
We went out for our first group dinner and instantly conversation amongst the group wasn’t a problem at all. Pat remarked that she knew someone in Dumfries, and knowing that it’s not exactly a huge place, asked who it was. Turns out Pat is the cousin of Patrick Cook, father of Amy and Claire whom I went through school with! So there was much hilarity at that as you can imagine! Rounded the day off with a few beers with Will, Alex and Monica whilst some of the other guys did a bit of shopping at the local night market.
The next morning, someone knocked on my door just after I got out the shower at 8. I thought it seemed a bit strange as the other guys weren’t meant to be dropping their bags in until 9. Opened the door to be met by Sally, another member of the group- and one of the two that didn’t show up last night. Another Aussie (26) from the East Coast not too far from Brisbane. Turned out her flight was delayed hence why she missed the meeting and meal the night before. Made my way to the hotel restaurant for breakfast, and was nice to see that the group were instantly sitting together and getting to know each other. After breakfast and a few more bags being left at my room we made our way by foot to Sa Pan Put Pier. En route Pauline told us she’d had a call saying that the other ‘missing person’ had been in touch and was also coming off the back of another tour so would meet us in Chiang Mai the following day. Once at the pier, we took a Klong (Canal) Tour which essentially showed us the other side of Bangkok- how people live in wooden shelters upon the riverbanks. A lot of trading is done along the river, and we witnessed some first hand when a lady rowed to our boat in a small rowing boat offering to sell us drinks, snacks and souvenirs. The journey was nice and relaxed with ample photo opportunities and talking points.
Following the Klong tour, we headed for Wat Po- former residence of the royal family of Thailand and current home to the second largest reclining Buddha in Thailand. Pauline gave us a guided tour of the Wat Po which was really good as she is very passionate about her country and its history. We gained further insights into the countries culture and a Buddha’s way of life. The reclining Buddha was an amazing sight- absolutely huge. A torrential bout of rain then followed and everyone decided to take refuge indoors at the first Thai Massage School, and naturally indulge in a massage whilst there- it would have been rude not to. I had a half hour Thai traditional massage and I can tell you it was absolutely awesome- could do with one every morning! Was so relaxing and straightened out all tightness from the long flight leaving me feeling brilliant. The only slight pain was when the lady was massaging my shoulders- which were obviously quite tight as one of them let out a pretty loud cracking noise!
Alex, Monica, Will and I then headed back to Khao San Road (where we were the night before) for some lunch and a better look around the local markets. After a quick turn around at the hotel for a shower and to grab bags, we took taxis to the train station where we boarded our overnight train to Chaing Mai. Really wasn’t looking forward to this- as train left at 6pm and wasn’t due to arrive in Chiang Mai until 730 the following morning! Will and Alex were obviously having the same thought, so we stocked up on beer and rum for the ensuing journey…. (both of which really cheap). The layout of the train was pretty traditional- a central isle which on both sides had two seats facing two seats with a small table in the middle. Luckily, all our seats were together so no one was stuck at the opposite end of the train (which was really long- at least 25 carriages). Alex, Will and I got the beers cracked open and dinner arrived not long after. It wasn’t too bad but not a great deal of it. Following dinner (830 or so), Pauline announced that what was the restaurant carriage turns into a ‘party carriage’ at this time. The majority of us thought this sounded like a laugh so made our way to it. It was a novelty concept- basically it was your standard train carriage with a glorified disco ball and some tunes being blared out through their sound system- quite a sight let me tell you. Was really busy and soon got talking to another tour group. Pauline (a strict non-drinker) was mortified by her fellow leader who was absolutely wrecked! We got the rum fired open and the party really got going. Sadly it had to end at 11, but was great banter whilst it lasted. We returned to our carriage to find that all the beds had been made up- it was a pretty clever set up with the set of four seats folding down to form a bed, and another bed folding down from where overhead luggage would normally be to form a bunk bed. I was on a top bunk and just had room to lie down fully stretched out. The beers and rum definitely helped me sleep- as I normally wouldn’t on a jolting train. However, at 530am we were rudely awoken by train staff trying to sell us orange juice! Unfortunately I couldn’t get back to sleep, and we rolled into Chiang Mai around 8am, from which we took a minibus to our guest house. I was to share a room with Will for the trip- which suited me fine as he’s a laid back guy also prone to a beer or two. We dumped our bags, had breakfast at the guesthouse, and soon met the three people who were coming off the back of another trip. Their trip had finished in Chiang Mai, so naturally there was no point in them transferring to Bangkok just to transfer more or less straight back to Chiang Mai. Adam (31) from Long Island, US and a mother and son- Adam (19) and Jan (50s), another two Aussies from the East Coast- nearest point of reference being Brisbane.
Without the Adam’s and Jan, the rest of us headed for some elephant riding. After an hour or so minibus journey, we came across the elephants. We bought bananas with which to feed them. To ‘board’ the elephants, we had to climb a fixed platform. Will and I were last to board, and landed with the biggest elephant on show- a magnificent sight. Whilst climbing the platform, our elephant prodded me with his trunk in search of a banana. As I picked one from the bunch, the elephant took advantage of me being off guard and cheekily whisked the whole bunch including the plastic bag out my hand and stuffed it into his mouth- a first class effort! We soon found out that this was by no means the first trick our elephant had ever indulged in- he was quite a player. After man-handling Will with his trunk in search of his bananas, he soon caught up with the other elephants and began pestering our fellow travellers for their bananas. Our rider found the whole thing really amusing- but Will and I didn’t find it particularly funny when he got off to speak to a mate on one of the platforms and the elephant duly decided it was time to about turn and head back down the hill! Thankfully it didn’t take too long before our rider (literally running behind at this stage) caught up with us. The ground coverage of the elephants was truly amazing- up steep slopes with narrow passages with the minimum of fuss- very mobile for such large creatures. After being sprayed with water by Lawrie and Pat’s elephant (refreshing as pretty warm) we ‘parked’ our elephants and left the area with everyone commenting on what a brilliant experience it had been.
We then went bamboo rafting on a really picturesque river. The rafts were long and thin- just wide enough for two people to sit side by side on a slightly raised section in the middle. As there was an odd number (9 of us), one of us was to stand at the back of one of the rafts- and naturally that ended up being me. This of course meant that along with the ‘driver’ (local guy) at the front, I also had a long piece of bamboo to help us steer. Plenty of banter was had between the rafts- our driver was especially keen to partially sink Diana and Felicity’s raft by pushing his weight down on the back of their raft. Then he obviously decided it was my turn- as we approached a section with some mild rapids, he left it to the last minute to swing the front end round a corner, and with the back end slow to follow- myself and the back end duly crashed into the riverbank, and try as I did I couldn’t keep my balance and into the water I fell! Lovely and cool against the warm sun- and was lucky to find my sandals, sunnies and bamboo oar before clambering back aboard. Everyone else naturally found this hilarious- which indeed it was- but I had the last laugh when round the next bend everyone else (since sitting down) got pretty soaked at the next set of rapids.
After drying off, we made our way back to the hotel in the minibus. Following a quick shower and change it was off again this time in two minivans (seeing as the Adam’s and Jan now with us) up to the highest point in Chiang Mai- the Wat PhraThat Doi Suthep (temple). There was a steep climb to the top of the temple, and the trip had obviously been timed such that we could see the monks chanting in front of the main Buddha image- quite a sight although I couldn’t help feeling I was intruding on their religious ceremony. Pauline, a practicing Buddhist, was naturally bowing before the senior monks but this did little to ease my concerns. Following a tour of the temple, we looked at the lovely views of the city below us, and marvelled at the peaceness of the temple secluded at the top of the mountain.
It was then time to head back into town for dinner at an outdoor food market. Thai curry for me tonight, which was really good. Shame the same couldn’t be said for the poor guy performing an acoustic set on the stage- horribly out of tune at times and diction comical at times given he was a local singing in English, but blatantly couldn’t speak any English! Once again the rest of the group indulged in some late night shopping at the outdoor night markets following dinner, but seeing that a) it’s the same stuff as at all the other markets and b) not my cup of tea anyway, Will and I indulged in a few beers. Like I said, we were paired up well!
The next morning, I went to a local bakery for breakfast with Diana, Felicity, Monica and Alex. They just pretty much anything imaginable- I had pancakes which were really good. (Can’t have rice for breakfast every morning- even if in Asia!) We left Chiang Mai by minivan at 900am. There was roughly a five hour drive ahead of us. En route, we stopped at Wat Rong Khun, also known as the White Palace.
Phew, that turned into a pretty long post. Will finish off next time by describing Wat Rong Khun, and our journey to the border town of Chiang Khong before crossing the border into Laos the following morning the nice time I write. Hope you’re all still awake after reading that (if you managed!) A fair bit to catch up with- still a month behind where I am now and the photos are well ahead of my writing but ah well, not to worry! Leave Darwin, Aus tomorrow morning boarding the Ghan heading south to Alice Springs via Katherine. I know it’s a cliché but really am having the time of my life! Hope everyone is well, let me know of your news, and feel free to leave any comments on this site.
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Iain
non-member comment
hey
Love the facial hair! Good to hear the trip is going so well and these blogs...my dissertation was shorter.