Advertisement
Published: March 4th 2015
The english phrase I have most commonly overheard when Thai people are talking to westerners is "Same same....but different!" Whether you are talking about food, taxi fares or anything as a matter of fact, you are guaranteed to hear this expression at least once per day.
My bicycle ride from the northern border town of Chiang Kong to Bangkok has certainly been different and whilst the scenery may be similar to that of Laos, my cycle touring experience has been far from easy to say the least! Thank goodness I have travel insurance!
My partner Noushin and I crossed the border into Thailand from the Laos town of Huay Xai. On arrival in Thailand we were welcomed into the country with a friendly smile from the Border Official and we immediately breathed a sigh of relief that we had managed to travel through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam without incurring any mishaps. Thailand is very modern in comparison to the 3 other countries and more used to dealing with Tourists, whether catering for the western appetite or simply providing up to date medical facilities. What could possibly go wrong?
As we set off towards the northern city of Chiang
Mai, we immediately noticed that traffic was driving on the left side of the road. This was the first time I had ridden on this side of the road since starting my cycle tour in March 2013.
We both made a conscious decision to revert to camping every night, now that we had left the bomb ridden countryside of Laos, as well as to save on the expense of accommodation.
Photos of the King and Queen of Thailand are visibly present everywhere. In Thailand, the King is idolised by his people with workers and school children singing the national anthem each morning before they go about their daily business.
As we stopped for food at street stalls or small town restaurants our taste buds came alive with the infusion of flavours which makes Thai food so delicious and popular around the world. In contrast to the UK , a rough looking joint with plastic chairs and table cloths can turn out to be one of the best places to eat, whereas a more expensive and upmarket restaurant can be exceedingly disappointing.
Some mutual cycling friends of ours had recommended us to stay with a Thai American
family in Chiang Mai and as we arrived there we were welcomed by the wonderful William, Tarntip and Jantra who allowed us to reside in their traditional Thai house. This in itself was a wonderful experience, but the family also took time out from their daily schedules to show us the wonderful city of Chiang Mai and visit many of the cafes, restaurants and night markets.
Our stay also allowed us to catch up with the lovely Nora and Miguel, two round the world cyclists whom I had previously met in Cappadocia, Turkey 1.5 years ago.
Taking advantage of the cookery courses on offer in the city, Noushin and I, together with 4 other participants knocked up a selection of 6 different Thai dishes using ingredients purchased from the local market.
Whilst staying in Chiang Mai, I soon noticed an unusual spot developing on my right shin which gradually became bigger and bigger and more and more painful by the day. Despite seeing a Doctor quite early on and being placed on antibiotics, the red spot developed into an abscess which I had to have drained in the local public/private hospital and was admitted into a private
single occupancy ward for 3 nights. The medical staff were absolutely superb with round the clock attention, either administering medicine, providing food, changing flowers or simply emptying the bin. In particular the Thai female nurses were fantastic, who made a painful dressing of the wound just feel so much better. Amazing how a small insect bite can turn into something so debilitating!
After being discharged from the hospital a $1000 dollars lighter courtesy of my travel insurance, it was time to recuperate. What initially was 4-5 nights accommodation with William's Family turned into 3 weeks and I am internally indebted to them for allowing us to stay with them for this lengthy period of time. This second enforced period of not cycling however enabled me to do things which I hadn't done since leaving England such as going to the cinema and indulging in western food.
Interestingly enough, the national anthem is also played before each cinema screening where the audience is expected to rise to the occasion. Apparently this used to happen back in the UK decades ago, however I cannot imagine it being reinstated.
And so finally after being given the green light by my
surgeon, we headed off on our bicycles to Sukhothai, one of the ancient capitals of Thailand.
Our journey took us on roads passing through jungle terrain and it was here where we saw our largest snake yet, 3-4 metres in length and a body so big that I wouldn't be able to clasp it with both my hands. Slithering in the undergrowth about 1 metre from the roadside I was taken by surprise to say the least and also quite shocked that a creature this big was so close to me by the side of the road. I quickly grasped my camera, but with daylight fading and a slight shake of the hand, the photo which is included in this blog is unfortunately slightly blurred.
On another evening's camp, a small white scorpion scurried past our legs as we were preparing our food. Fortunately Noushin saw the creature in time and we didn't come to any harm.
And so we arrived in Sukhothai, where we met up with a another dear friend of mine, Kit and his Thai partner Ngamnet. A full 1 hour Thai Body massage in the local temple set us back a staggering £2.40
and feeling fully revitalised we rented out some bicycles the following day and rode around the ancient ruins of this beautiful city.
This time it was my partner Noushin's turn to suffer and what started out as some small spots under her armpit developed into greater lumps and following advice from a Doctor in Sukhothai she elected to hitch a lift with my friend Kit and his 4 x 4 pick up to the next town of Kampheang Pet. I decided to cycle the 80 Km and meet her there.
The following day, Noushin was in greater pain and a visit to the local clinic which was markedly different to the private hospital in Chiang Mai saw her placed under the knife as an ex-military surgeon drained 4 abscesses on her armpit,under local anaesthetic, whilst muttering "No wollies, no wollies, lelax; some Thai people have difficulty pronouncing the letter 'r'!
Having been given some antibiotics and some painkillers, we were told to return to the clinic the following day to have the wounds redressed. The clinic resembled something more closely to the TV production 'Fawlty Towers' with the receptionist, as well as registering patients, also dressed wounds,
took money and administered drugs, but unfortunately this is the best you can expect in these small provincial towns.
As we returned to the clinic the next day, a previously small nick from shaving had also turned into an infectious abscess and this time it was my turn to go back under the knife. And so with the two of us being told it was ok to dress our own wounds we headed to Bangkok on the local bus and went to the emergency section of the local private hospital where we were told it would take me 2-3 weeks for my chin wound to fully recover and Noushin's condition would require further surgery to prevent her condition (hidradenitis supparutiva) worsening. Our cycling plans would have to be put on hold temporarily as we returned to the hospital each day to have our wounds attended to.
I was always told in a previous life that "A plan is a basis for change" and so we decided to make the most of seeing the capital.
Fortunately, in Bangkok we were welcomed and hosted by the lovely Headteacher Supaporn, a 'Warm Shower' host (similar to couch surfing) who allowed
us to stay in one of her residences in a local neighbourhood and who went to great lengths to assist us with hospital appointments.
Noushin and I were both invited to give a presentation at her school. We chose to stage a small presentation which would involve the children and addressed the issue of plastic bags which are handed out 'willy nilly' everytime you enter a 7/11 store no matter whether it's a single chocolate bar or anything else. And so we had the children reciting "no plastic, no plastic" everytime they handed me an item in my imaginary shop as I tried to put it into 1, 2 or even 3 plastic bags.
At the beginning of the lesson, the children were encouraged to practice their english by finding out our names and what we did in a previous life and when I marched up and down the classroom they soon guessed my previous occupation in the RN. And so after this short display, Supaporn asked me whether I would take the entire school for parade training lessons which I duly agreed to.
The following day as I stood in front of 200 plus school kids
ranging from 5 years upwards, the kids soon learned how to salute and in the end the entire school including teachers and school children fell in behind me as we marched to the music of "Oh when the Saints come marching in" being played by the school band. Incidentally, the Royal Thai Navy headquarters are literally situated 1 Km down the road, so I hope I'm not detained for teaching future Thai Naval personnel the wrong moves! (If you wish to see a video of me and the schoolchildren marching simply go to Supawan school on Facebook and locate the school with the pink cover photo, then simply scroll down until you see the video of me marching with the kids and teachers)
As well as seeing the touristy sites of Wat Pho with the 45 metre reclining Buddha, we decided to visit one of the main Thai Boxing stadiums in Bangkok where we witnessed small, yet extremely strong Thai men bash the living daylights out of one another. The bouts are always preceded by what appears to be a theatrical show with the fighters bowing, stretching and punching their fists into the air, but I believe this may
have greater meaning and could be related to the Buddhist religion.
More interesting than the fights themselves is the Thai audience. With money exchanging hands continuously as salaries are frittered away, the audience turns into a frenzy thrusting their hips and raising their legs as if they too were fighting in the ring.
The penultimate fight saw a British man covered from head to toe in tattoos take on a white african opponent in the ring. The Brit took no prisoners and the referee stopped the fight within the first round as the African opponent was annihilated. Noushin commented on how crazy British men are.
From the Thai Boxing arena we took the transport to the infamous Pat Pong red light area, where more tricks are done with ping pong balls than you'll ever see in a table tennis competition. Wandering up and down the streets, as you look through the open doors you'll see skimpily clad women and men on stage dancing around poles as well as some transgender men who are more attractive to the eye than many females.
For Noushin coming from Iran it was a whole new world, unimaginable in any shape
or form back in her home country and it was funny seeing her expression as we walked past an S & M show where the man beckoned her inside with the crack of a whip.
Bangkok also gave us the opportunity to meet up with our dear cycling friends Ivo and Sabine from the Pamir Highway and Barbara and Sebastian whom we cycled with in Vietnam. The 6 of us enjoyed a day of catching up, enjoying a foot massage as well as seeing more of the city.
And so with Noushin having to return to Iran to have her condition seen to by her own Doctors and with me having to remain in Bangkok to have my wounds attended to by the wonderful nurses, we wait with anticipation as to when we can continue our journey southwards to the beautiful islands of Thailand. The journey continues....
Advertisement
Tot: 0.106s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 12; qc: 65; dbt: 0.0474s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Angus Doe
non-member comment
Sturdmeister!!
good to keep reading about your travels :) I would love to meet up with you for a beer sometime if you are back in the UK. I've moved to a new house, plenty of room for both of you to stay:) anyway, glad to see you are still having a great time!! Angus