Author: thelasthurrahsite

A slow start and a lazy few hours by the pool yesterday was just what Ollie needed before his long flight home. We went to the airport together where he waited for his flight to London and I climbed aboard  Sri Lanka’s finest to Colombo..

The huge contrast between Thailand and Sri Lanka was immediately apparent on landing. In Bangkok’s international airport there are designer shops a-plenty. Colombo airport has a duty free area immediately after de-planing where fridges, air con equipment,  cookers and washing machines are on sale!

The hotel transport was not waiting for me but the driver was finally located and had clearly been fast asleep rather than looking for me. Exiting the chaotic car park was the next challenge but, after a few 8 point turns ,we managed it and off we went only to stop after 10 minutes to get the driver a phone card! Had we been able to buy a driver’s guide to a Toyota Prius it would have been a help as my man clearly hadn’t a clue how to operate the thing.  It also transpired he hadn’t a clue where we were going despite me having emailed the full address to the car company. I think it was 2.30 am when we finally arrived at my curiously named hotel The Wunderbar.

So, it was ‘goodbye’ to the craziness of Bangkokand ‘hello’ to the unhurried, unspoilt and tranquil island of Sri Lanka.

My hotel is not right on the beach but close enough to make little difference.

The problem is though that, to get to this beach, you have to walk across a railway line  just in front of the hotel. Lovely! (I don’t recall reading any mention of this on Trip Advisor).

Sadly, it’s not a disused track either. I was proudly told by the man standing on the left of the picture whose sole job it is to escort guests over the line that 24 trains clatter past every day – the first one at 3.00am –

and I thought it was just a plane coming in to land last night. Oh dear!

When I did finally make it to the beach it was not quite what I was expecting. No beach bars or any kind of hostelry other than just a few chairs and a couple of tables for hotel guests.

The rest is just a wide open and mainly deserted space of, well, beach.

The pace of life here is slow to the point of being almost stationery. Sadly the same can be said for the speed of the internet which makes blogging more of a chore then a joy – especially when the mosquitos are winning .So I will accept defeat and continue tomorrow.

Phileas

 

At our tour ‘meeting’ last night, we agreed that a long tailed boat ride on the river and through the canals would be a good thing to do today. But something got a little lost in the translation. Our journey to the river by hotel tuk tuk was fine and relatively traffic free

and on arrival at the pier

I thought our driver had explained exactly what we wanted to the boat man who then immediately ushered us on to a boat full of Scandinavian tourists  (which was definitely not long tailed) and off we went,

following more or less the same course as we had on the ferry yesterday!

We did turn into one of the side canals  for a while, passing a few interesting buildings

and where we were inevitably approached by sellers of souvenirs and liquid refreshment.

The reason for our truncated canal journey became clear when we had to make an emergency stop for petrol

before heading back downstream to our base passing all manner of craft on the way.

OK, so it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind but city river trips are always interesting and the ever changing skyline is fascinating.

We just loved the new Lego HQ on the right of this photo!

River breezes (mainly of diesel fumes) tend to whet the appetite so some street food was the answer.

5 dishes and 5 drinks for under £12. Bargain!

This frenzy of activity was followed by a bit of afternoon sunbathing and catching up on the news where one headline worried me a lot!

Late tomorrow, Ollie goes back to UK, Andy travels to Malaysia and I trundle off to Sri Lanka. So we have some serious planning to do this evening about how we are to fill our remaining time here. Andy says he wants to karaoke. Deep Joy!

Phileas

 

I know I’ve said it before but once again it seemed that short haul flights can be more tiring than long haul, flying half way round the world. Our flight from Phuket to Bangkok was just over 1 hour. But door to door it took around 7 hours. So, another day spent travelling.

Sunday in Bangkok is really the only day of the week when the traffic is bearable as many Thais stay at home either just to relax, do a bit of DIY or gardening

or anything that doesn’t require them to climb into their cars. So, as an alternative to the more cultural of activities, we headed to Sea Life,

a huge aquarium in the basement of the impressive Siam Paragon shopping mall that houses hundreds and hundreds of different species of marine life.

Some of these are so small you could  hardly see them and some so big as to be a bit scary!

On the other hand, there were a few that seemed quite friendly and inquisitive – the penguins in particular.

 After quite an educational visit to this place, it felt right to head to the Chao Phraya river for some refreshment. We got only a bit lost on the way but our intrepid tour guide, Andy, eventually found a suitable hostelry (via an underground car park)

 which, somewhat bizarrely, allowed you to bring in your own wine for a modest ‘cockage’ charge.

Equally bizarrely, this same establishment appeared to be prohibited from selling alcohol at all

despite being advertised as a great craft beer pub!

We took a water taxi back to a pier close to our hotel

and disembarked by a splendid old colonial building which I think was part of the original Oriental hotel but now is clearly in need of some TLC.

Just down the road , I was amused to see this

on the wall of the ‘Assumption College’. So maybe it doesn’t!

And did we really pass a Muslim dress shop as we neared our residence?

Off to make a plan for tomorrow.

Phileas

When I first visited Patong, the tourist capital of Phuket, it was little more than one dirt street flanked by a few nice little restaurants. Now it seems to have outdone even the likes of Magaluf. I’ve been to both so I should know!

Depending on your point of view it’s either dynamic, glitzy, buzzing and vibrant or just truly awful! In the centre there is the ‘Walking Street’ (pedestrian only thoroughfare to you and me) of Soi Bangla,

full of clubs, go go bars, music venues and the like which puts even Nana Plaza in Bangkok to shame.

It’s brash, noisy and to a sensitive soul like Ollie, slightly overwhelming. So we soon climbed into a splendid local taxi

and ‘boom boomed’ our way back to the peace and quiet of our Kamala beach hotel.

This morning it was business as usual in the wedding photography department.

but this time, the rising tide didn’t seem to bother anyone.

They just kept on snapping whilst we went for a splendid snack lunch

and then finally got Ollie out into the sun (albeit at a strange angle!) and into the swimming pool!

The weather has been perfect today so it will be a pity to leave this surprisingly quiet and peaceful place tomorrow when we go back to Bangkok.

Hopefully,  though, Ollie’s cousin Andy will be joining us for a few fun and games.

Richard

Ollie was still suffering from jet lag so it was difficult to motivate him yesterday! Thus, another gentle day although by the evening he had woken up enough to enjoy a few beers directly on the beach

where we made a plan of action for the rest of our time here. Top of his ‘wish list’ was elephant trekking. I’m not sure how morally comfortable I am with this ‘sport’ but, once again, Dr Google came to the rescue as there’s a lot of information to be found about the pros and cons of this activity with a list of the good guys and the bad guys here in Phuket. Luckily, one of the preferred trekking companies was in the hills almost directly behind our hotel.

So, off we went,passing a Ninja Turtle on the way.

We declined swimming and washing with these magnificent animals (I’m not that fussy but the water did seem to be an interesting colour)

and opted for a wander up into the hills instead. Our Nellie was a very serene 23 years old

 

whose minder seemed content to let his charge just get on with it.

Elephant trekking is not exactly the most comfortable of pastimes

as we wobbled up and down the narrow paths. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty popular pastime, especially as an alternative wedding photo setting to the usual beach scene!

As an aside, I must say that this particular bridegroom looked as though he would have preferred the beach. He was terrified!

In a way, I can understand the endless wedding photo sessions we have seen, especially around Valentine’s Day time. But what I can’t get my head around is why so many couples want to dress up (in non wedding clothes) and have their photos taken by professional photographers either at elephant trekking camps

or just out on the singularly unimpressive streets.

Beats me but it’s clearly quite big business here.

Tonight we are off to Patong, Phuket’s Benidorm! It could well  be a shock to the system.

Phileas

The famous (or infamous) Patpong  has changed a lot over the years. When I first visited Bangkok, the market was small and the two streets were overwhelmed with bars (mostly ‘girly’) and a few restaurants. Now, the market itself is the dominant feature and many of the bars have been transformed into live band venues or reasonably up market shops. In short, it has become really quite middle class!  I was told that the old style Patpong could now be found in Nana Plaza, about 20 minutes away. So, for comparison’s sake, I just had to take a look.

I didn’t stay long!

Maybe it’s an age thing but I thought it was truly ghastly. Around 50 or so bars and go go dancing venues all crammed on to 3 floors in a horseshoe shaped cul de sac.  And the noise from the music (?)  was deafening as each bar tried to outdo the other in an attempt to extract money from the few customers that had dared to enter into this bear pit. Admittedly, some of the girls were very pretty but the sad eyes of many betrayed a desire to be somewhere else. And, oh boy, they smoked a lot! The whole place could well have been a set from a Sodom and Gomorrah movie. So, like the News of the World reporter of old, I made an excuse and left!

Later yesterday afternoon I met Ollie at Bangkok airport where we caught a plane together to Phuket. He looked in pretty good shape considering his long flight and was still going reasonably strongly when we finally (and it seemed to take forever) arrived at Kamala Beach. I must confess to being underwhelmed at the approach to our hotel located slap bang in the middle of the main tourist ‘strip’

but once inside the building my thoughts changed. It’s quite a sweet little boutique residence with very large rooms and a beautiful view that greeted me this morning.

We have a choice of either having breakfast in the small dining room or, in some style, on our personal terrace overlooking the Andaman sea.

It’s always a bit hit and miss when you use the internet for hotel bookings but I think this will do!

As I waited for Ollie’s even slower than usual preparation for the day ahead, I watched a wedding photo session in a very romantic location,

except the tide was coming in rather quickly. The photography was halted and to preserve his dignity and his finery, the groom was carried off piggy back style

while the poor bride was left to fend for herself!

Phuket island is just one giant beach resort – and a mass tourism one at that. So, whereas Koh Chang was peaceful and singularly lacking in any of the modern tools of the tourist trade (jet skis, banana boats, paragliders etc), this place has got the lot!

Having said that, it’s not that rammed with people, especially at ‘our end’ which seems more popular as a wedding photo venue!

Today is, clearly, a popular day for getting married.

Apart from late this morning, I haven’t seen much of Ollie so far as he has been cocooned in his bedroom for most of the afternoon suffering from a combination of jet lag, the huge contrast in temperature between here and the UK and, if I’m honest, a bit of his normal lethargy! Anyway, he promises tomorrow he will be raring to go. We shall see!

Richard

A marginally excessive intake of beverage on Friday evening led to a quiet start yesterday which then developed into a very quiet day indeed. Macha Bucha which falls on the day of the full moon in the 3rd lunar month is a public holiday in Thailand. It’s the day when Buddha is ‘venerated’ although I’m not sure why he isn’t venerated  on other days. Anyway, on this particular day his followers are supposed only to do good things for 24 hours including no buying, selling or drinking of alcohol! It really was quite amusing to see pubs, bars and restaurants  desparately trying to drum up trade without the usual lure of Happy Hour etc. Inevitably many establishments, knowing that business was going to be slow, didn’t bother to open at all.

Today though, I was off to the Chatachuck weekend market, located about 10 miles to the north of central Bangkok. It’s the largest market in the whole of Thailand and it’s massive with more than 8,000 stalls selling everything from plants to porcelain, furniture to food and antiques to animals! There is, of course, the same stuff you see on all market stalls in Thailandplus the ubiquitous food stalls.

but every once in a while, even among all the usual stuff I came across one or two bits of amusement.

The really interesting – and almost overwhelming – part was in the covered area. A souk-like warren of stalls and shops selling an astonishing array of antiques and Thai artefacts,

home decor – perhaps not to everyone’s taste

larger than life wood carvings

and even a stuffed tiger that I wasn’t allowed to photograph for reasons I can only guess.

There were dozens of silk flower sellers,

There were paintings – some not yet finished.

There were toy shops and hobby stalls

but probably the biggest area was reserved for live offerings be they of the strange looking swimming variety,

those with feathers

or those that just looked cute

either by themselves or playing together.

Although most of the animals seemed well looked after you never know what goes on behind the scenes. I have subsequently read there have been a number of convictions recently for selling endangered species – mainly birds – at this market.

For a non shopaholic, I  surprised myself by spending close to 4 hours at this place (admittedly, almost half an hour was spent trying to find the exit). I know people who would have happily spent the entire weekend in paradise here. There is so much to see and, if you are that sort of person, there is so much to buy. For me, though, I was content with my one purchase

a loofah back scrubber!

In a few hours time, Ollie will be on his way here and we’ll be off to Phuket. Hoorah!

Phileas

Buddhist temples are extraordinary places. Whereas in the Christian religion the focus of worship is usually only on one building (Cathedral, church etc), depending on their size Buddhist temples (Wats) can incorporate numerous buildings for different activities, be it education, prayer or, as I found out today, massage!

Wat Pho is one of the oldest temples in Thailand and also one of the biggest.

It’s major claim to fame is that it houses more than 1,000 Buddha images, the largest collection in Thailand.

amongst which is, possibly, the most famous image of them all, the 46 metre long, gold leaf statue of the reclining Buddah

which, apparently, represents Buddha’s emergence from a state of nirvana. It’s huge.

And just around the corner there’s a facility that teaches the ancient art of traditional Thai massage. It’s a funny old world.

Across the very busy Chao Phraya river from Wat Pho is Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn as featured in most of Bangkok’s publicity material. Dating back to the 17th century it was once part of the Royal Palace until this was moved to the other side of the river for some reason or another.

The main building (now being renovated) catches the sunrise spectacularly – hence it’s English name – which, after my early starts of late, I was never going to see this morning.

Once again I was struck by the number of seemingly non religious activities that carry on inside the confines of the Wat including tourist shops, a Thai dancing show

and perhaps not surprisingly a memorial to the late king.

On the one hand, Buddhism often seems to be a very relaxed religion, however on the other it would appear to be quite strict certainly when it comes to matters of the Royal family and Buddha himself.

The Chao Prahya is very much a working river. Thousands of Thais use it every day to get to  and from work as an alternative to the horrendous Bangkok road traffic. There are many, many ferries  and long tailed boats plying up and down these choppy waters and they’re cheap too. So I hopped on one

and two stops plus £0.90 later  disembarked not so far from my hotel

in the same time it would probably have taken me to travel 100 metres on the road!

A short tuk tuk drive later, narrowly avoiding a lady carrying a chicken shed full of eggs

and I was back at my hotel.

Not quite the beach laziness I have been used to but a fascinating excursion nevertheless.

Phileas

I forgot to close the curtains last night so was woken up by the most beautiful sunrise.

Therefore, I was up early enough to have a leisurely breakfast and enjoy the lovely hotel environment for the last time before setting off for Bangkok.

At first I didn’t think we were going to get off the island. Having come from the mainland, the car was obviously not used to any hilly terrain. I seriously thought I was going to have to get out and push at one stage. It really struggled but seemed to cheer up a lot once we were on the ferry. Most of the rest of the journey was uneventful enough and actually quite enjoyable as we passed through some reasonably attractive countryside. Clearly we were following a different route from the way we travelled to Koh Chang which, for the first few hours seemed as if we were motoring through some rather nasty industrial zone.

At one of our comfort breaks the driver picked and ate some berries off a tree.

As he didn’t speak any English I couldn’t ask what they were but gathered they helped to keep him awake and make him strong! He insisted I tried one. Very sour. Very bitter.

So, all was going along swimmingly until we hit the inevitable Bangkok traffic.

It’s shocking and it wasn’t even quite rush hour yet. It took us close to 1.5 hours to travel the last 4 kilometres which added up to an 8 hour journey door to door!

Why ever did you want to come back to Bangkok, I hear you ask? Looking at the photo at the top of this blog I have concluded that I must be mad. I have also concluded it must surely be beer o’clock. It’s been a long day!

Richard

If I were to opt for the simple life and become a beach bum (and it’s sometimes quite tempting!) I could do worse than become one in Koh Chang – or at least in this part of the island. The pace of life is serene, the scenery  beautiful, the beaches uncrowded

and the small community of Bangbao

full of enough restaurants, bars and shops to satisfy most of one’s needs.

But… I’ve now got itchy feet. I’ve had my R&R. My batteries are fully recharged. So, with  a degree of reluctance at leaving this lovely place, it’s time to move on. Scott the scooter has been returned (I must say, whizzing around has been such fun), 4 wheeled transport has been arranged and tomorrow I will make the long trek back to Bangkok for the weekend to do some more exploring and to await Ollie’s arrival on Monday.

I would like to think I might return here one day. It ticks a lot of boxes for me.

Richard