Because of the continuing protests, my mother decided that it was time to pull me out of the country and bring me back to America. I fully disagree with her decision. Bangkok is perfectly safe as long as you are smart, just like most cities in the world.
For my last day in bangkok we went to the Pata Department store to go see the private zoo that is on the top floor and roof. it was surprisingly nice. I even got to see a bearcat. We then went to the restaurant Cabbages and Condoms to have dinner with Johnny and Louis. It was a safesex themed resturant, and gave out condoms instead of mints at the end of the meal. unfortunately the condoms were 'thai sized'. The meal, however, was delicious. We ate Thai-style (which is family style) and ordered a whole chicken, 2 whole fish, and a bowl of curry. It was fantastic.
After the delicious dinner we went to Emporium, a luxury mall, to get some supplies for the going away party that was to happen on the roof that night. Steve, Johnny and Louis bought fancy cigars, Steve going for a pricey Cuban, and i purchased a bottle of Johnny Walker Green Label to share. (i have no appreciation for the different tastes of the rum as it goes up in expense, but I knew other people would).
A good handful of people were out traveling but called us to wish us a farewell. We partyed into the night untill around 3am when Steve and I had to leave for the airport. It was a good and proper send off.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
Pai
Pai is a small town (2000 residents) in the mountains of norther Thailand. Being on the road about half way between Chaing Mai and Mae Hong Son it soon became a favorite waystation for backpackers, and now has grown so that the number of tourists there at any one time generally equal the population.
This lead to an aesthetic that I wasnt quite a fan off. Getting off the bus we saw mostly other tourist wandering the streets. Along the sides some thai people were setting up oil drums to be filled with water for the upcoming festivities while some little kids ran around with their waterguns. Many of the buildings were obviously constructed to appeal to tourists who want things to seem 'thai' but still have the needed comforts.
Luckily we found a guesthouse for a reasonable amount that was down a quiet soi off of the main road. It put us in walking distance from anything we might want, but still allowed retreat.
The town as a whole reminded me alot of the backpacker district of Chaing Mai's Old City. My issue with the town is thats all there seemed to be. We walked around taking note of where the bookstore was and the motorbike rental shops. Coming into town we had seen a Mexican restaurant. Being a rarity in Thailand, we hunted it down.
It turned out to be a Tex-Mex restaurant run by a gregarious, if odd, expat from Texas. The food was great and the owner talked to us about the issues of importing guac to a far flung region. If anyone goes to Pai I would have to say that this place is one of the highlights and is at least different from the usual nondescript backpacker bar and resturant with overpriced thai and international food. (I dont actually have anything against said establishments, they have just lost the original charm and novelty).
Our day consisted of some chilling in our rooms (We all had books at the ready) exploring the town (rather quick given the size of it) and trying a couple of resturants. The club sandwiches...not good. As it got dark we werent really in the party mood, so we tried to find a veiwpoint that Geoff had seen a sign for. After walking across the river and down an unlighted road for quite awhile we decided that it was probably further away than we had thought.
The town surprised us with how chill it seemed at night. There were plenty of bars that were obviously built for partying but although a couple places had a crowd there was nothing really going wild into the night. Fine for us as we were hitting the road the next morning.
This lead to an aesthetic that I wasnt quite a fan off. Getting off the bus we saw mostly other tourist wandering the streets. Along the sides some thai people were setting up oil drums to be filled with water for the upcoming festivities while some little kids ran around with their waterguns. Many of the buildings were obviously constructed to appeal to tourists who want things to seem 'thai' but still have the needed comforts.
Luckily we found a guesthouse for a reasonable amount that was down a quiet soi off of the main road. It put us in walking distance from anything we might want, but still allowed retreat.
The town as a whole reminded me alot of the backpacker district of Chaing Mai's Old City. My issue with the town is thats all there seemed to be. We walked around taking note of where the bookstore was and the motorbike rental shops. Coming into town we had seen a Mexican restaurant. Being a rarity in Thailand, we hunted it down.
It turned out to be a Tex-Mex restaurant run by a gregarious, if odd, expat from Texas. The food was great and the owner talked to us about the issues of importing guac to a far flung region. If anyone goes to Pai I would have to say that this place is one of the highlights and is at least different from the usual nondescript backpacker bar and resturant with overpriced thai and international food. (I dont actually have anything against said establishments, they have just lost the original charm and novelty).
Our day consisted of some chilling in our rooms (We all had books at the ready) exploring the town (rather quick given the size of it) and trying a couple of resturants. The club sandwiches...not good. As it got dark we werent really in the party mood, so we tried to find a veiwpoint that Geoff had seen a sign for. After walking across the river and down an unlighted road for quite awhile we decided that it was probably further away than we had thought.
The town surprised us with how chill it seemed at night. There were plenty of bars that were obviously built for partying but although a couple places had a crowd there was nothing really going wild into the night. Fine for us as we were hitting the road the next morning.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Songkhran Holiday Part 2
The bus we got to Pai was a local bus, over filled to the point of people sitting and standing in the aisle. Luckily the ride was a scenic drive through the precarious twists and turns of the mountainous switchbacks. The bus wasn't air conditioned, so windows were down and the door was open. I was fortunate enough to have a seat right behind the open door so i both got an unobstructed view of the fantastic countryside, but I also got a continuous breeze.
At first i took no note of the little kids playing by the road with buckets of water. We were passing through a small village and it was nearing the songkhran holiday. Then I noticed the meniacal gleam in their eyes, and when you are close enough to see a gleam in someones eye, it is too late. Within a second I was drenched with water that flew through the open bus door. Suddenly I didnt seem so lucky to have gotten the seat that I did. Although the day was warm and the sun was bright, when the bus started getting up to speed the wind was cutting through my soaked clothes. The countryside, while beautiful, suddenly became oddly hostile as my eyes went from admiring the mountains and valleys to checked the upcoming road for kids with hoses and buckets.
The sound of closing windows. Thats my cue to brace myself. I close my window but theres nothing I can do about the gaping hole that is the open door.
Eventually the bus fills as we pick up more passengers and someone stands in the stairwell leading off the bus. After getting drenched a few times he starts shutting the door when he sees what I came to think of as 'songkhran checkpoints' as the kids often flanked the bus on both sides of the road. Nonetheless the water still sometimes made it through before the door was slammed shut.
At first i took no note of the little kids playing by the road with buckets of water. We were passing through a small village and it was nearing the songkhran holiday. Then I noticed the meniacal gleam in their eyes, and when you are close enough to see a gleam in someones eye, it is too late. Within a second I was drenched with water that flew through the open bus door. Suddenly I didnt seem so lucky to have gotten the seat that I did. Although the day was warm and the sun was bright, when the bus started getting up to speed the wind was cutting through my soaked clothes. The countryside, while beautiful, suddenly became oddly hostile as my eyes went from admiring the mountains and valleys to checked the upcoming road for kids with hoses and buckets.
The sound of closing windows. Thats my cue to brace myself. I close my window but theres nothing I can do about the gaping hole that is the open door.
Eventually the bus fills as we pick up more passengers and someone stands in the stairwell leading off the bus. After getting drenched a few times he starts shutting the door when he sees what I came to think of as 'songkhran checkpoints' as the kids often flanked the bus on both sides of the road. Nonetheless the water still sometimes made it through before the door was slammed shut.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Songkrahn Holiday Part 1
As the mercury rises in April, waterguns go on sale all over thailand. These are signs of the impending songkrahn holiday and more importantly a week long break from school.
Songkrahn started out as a holiday that involved sprinkling water as a blessing on the elderly. It has progressed into and all out country wide water battle.
Combined with the redshirt unrest, mass transit to the northern provinces was packed with people going north for the festivals and to return to thier hometowns. This forced the group I was heading north with to take the dreaded Khao San buses.
I usually go to bus depots to book my buses. You go there, tell someone where you want to go, they direct you to a ticket counter. usually in less than an hour the bus leaves ontime (within 20 minutes of schedule) and you have a reserved seat on the bus, and the bus arrives at the bus station in the city you are going to.
Khao San buses on the other hand are for transporting backpackers and tourists who dont do enough research to find where the bus depots go. In this case we were some of the stupid who didnt book in advance. A shame to end up like the backpacker hoards that I both am part of and resent.
The travel agency says 'the bus leaves at 6' that does not mean the bus leaves at six. haha. of course not. That means show up at the travel agency at 6. at 6:30 someone will direct the group of people to follow him. He will then go to a few other travel agencies on Khao San to pick up more backpackers. By 7 he has the whole group and walks everyone to a curbside waiting place. Hopefully at 8 the bus will arrive. Fearful that the bus is overbooked everyone rushes to get a seat and creates an annoyingly pointless bottleneck at the bus door.
The ride is no worse than a normal bus ride...expect there are no thai people. Please excuse this next rant on why i have grown to resent the average backpacker. Actually, ill do an impression.
"Oi, names Jim. I'm either from Australia or western Europe. Ive been traveling for about 5 months now. Yeah Ive been to lots of cool places and met tons of cool people. Oh yeah I met these Swedes in Cambodia, and some great Brits in Laos. Have you been to the Full Moon Party? oh you gotta check it out, its wild. Nah, I havent met any Thai people really. Oh, thailand? been here about 3 weeks now, but Ill be leaveing soon to go to Veitnam. yeah im going to meet more Europeans while im there and gawk out the bus window at real people. Oh I'm booking my trip through a group tour thing. its too hard to travel like the locals. I mean, i would have to think for myself and might encounter situations that arnt listed in my Lonely Planet. Thats just outside of my comfort zone. Oh hey, do you have 30 minutes. I want to tell you about all the things i did that ill use to impress people at home."
Now i know that ive not been the greatest traveler, but its no surprise that lots of locals laugh behind the backs of backpackers. (in fact some do it right in front of them, they just speak the local language). I know that my experience in a foreign country is more of an immersion type, that some people just cant do. But the whirlwind trips that so many people take while traveling and 'seeing the world' are just to collect stamps on the passport and find the best spots that other foreigners party. and if you only see the world with the people that you had at home, why the hell did you come? I understand that sometimes all someone has time to do in a country is see a few of the tourist attractions...but if all you ever do is see tourist attractions and not actually experience the country, then you shouldnt have wasted the money coming. There are great coffeetable books that have real nice pictures.
(i think its my greatest fear that next time i travel abroad ill end up like the hoards that i bemoan)
Some loud people who were apparently in med school sat behind us. They were proud that they had finished a bottle of Hong Thong (a thai whisky) in two hours. We laughed at them for being amateurs. (no, i dont drink that heavily, but we were pretty certain that it was the taste of rice whiskey that slowed them down). Also, when they talked medicine...well lets just say I really hope they never graduate med school because they sounded like malpractice suits waiting to happen. And when they talked about thailand...simply ignorant of anything that was going on or the culture. I never bothered correcting them. I doubted they had the intelegence capacity to remake the neural connections needed to change a thought.
The other problem with Khao San buses is that they dont go to the bus station. Our bus stopped in a gas station on the outskirts of Chaing Mai. There was of course an overpriced Songtau waiting for the backpackers to get out of the bus and need a ride into town. I dont play that game. its simple logic that the rates would be jacked up for a bunch of white people getting off a bus and needing a ride. So I didnt give a second glance to the driver trying to get me in his vehicle, and walked over to the road. There was a driver parked there. I asked him his rate and asked him to take ten baht off of it. Then I walked over and told my friends the rate i had got and they all came over and got in, but not before the rip-off driver tried lowering his price to match, but his truck was already crowded, so we went with the honest businessman and let all of the other backpackers realize that they were being taken for a ride. (Hey, i cant save everyone).
We had our driver take us to the bus station and then looked for tickets to the town of Pai. We found one that left in a few hours and bought tickets on that bus. We then were pretty hungry, having not had breakfast yet. in the mood for Khao phat gai (fried rice and chicken) we asked a nearby tuktuk driver where the best was and he directed us to a nearby restaurant. And it was quite yummy
Songkrahn started out as a holiday that involved sprinkling water as a blessing on the elderly. It has progressed into and all out country wide water battle.
Combined with the redshirt unrest, mass transit to the northern provinces was packed with people going north for the festivals and to return to thier hometowns. This forced the group I was heading north with to take the dreaded Khao San buses.
I usually go to bus depots to book my buses. You go there, tell someone where you want to go, they direct you to a ticket counter. usually in less than an hour the bus leaves ontime (within 20 minutes of schedule) and you have a reserved seat on the bus, and the bus arrives at the bus station in the city you are going to.
Khao San buses on the other hand are for transporting backpackers and tourists who dont do enough research to find where the bus depots go. In this case we were some of the stupid who didnt book in advance. A shame to end up like the backpacker hoards that I both am part of and resent.
The travel agency says 'the bus leaves at 6' that does not mean the bus leaves at six. haha. of course not. That means show up at the travel agency at 6. at 6:30 someone will direct the group of people to follow him. He will then go to a few other travel agencies on Khao San to pick up more backpackers. By 7 he has the whole group and walks everyone to a curbside waiting place. Hopefully at 8 the bus will arrive. Fearful that the bus is overbooked everyone rushes to get a seat and creates an annoyingly pointless bottleneck at the bus door.
The ride is no worse than a normal bus ride...expect there are no thai people. Please excuse this next rant on why i have grown to resent the average backpacker. Actually, ill do an impression.
"Oi, names Jim. I'm either from Australia or western Europe. Ive been traveling for about 5 months now. Yeah Ive been to lots of cool places and met tons of cool people. Oh yeah I met these Swedes in Cambodia, and some great Brits in Laos. Have you been to the Full Moon Party? oh you gotta check it out, its wild. Nah, I havent met any Thai people really. Oh, thailand? been here about 3 weeks now, but Ill be leaveing soon to go to Veitnam. yeah im going to meet more Europeans while im there and gawk out the bus window at real people. Oh I'm booking my trip through a group tour thing. its too hard to travel like the locals. I mean, i would have to think for myself and might encounter situations that arnt listed in my Lonely Planet. Thats just outside of my comfort zone. Oh hey, do you have 30 minutes. I want to tell you about all the things i did that ill use to impress people at home."
Now i know that ive not been the greatest traveler, but its no surprise that lots of locals laugh behind the backs of backpackers. (in fact some do it right in front of them, they just speak the local language). I know that my experience in a foreign country is more of an immersion type, that some people just cant do. But the whirlwind trips that so many people take while traveling and 'seeing the world' are just to collect stamps on the passport and find the best spots that other foreigners party. and if you only see the world with the people that you had at home, why the hell did you come? I understand that sometimes all someone has time to do in a country is see a few of the tourist attractions...but if all you ever do is see tourist attractions and not actually experience the country, then you shouldnt have wasted the money coming. There are great coffeetable books that have real nice pictures.
(i think its my greatest fear that next time i travel abroad ill end up like the hoards that i bemoan)
Some loud people who were apparently in med school sat behind us. They were proud that they had finished a bottle of Hong Thong (a thai whisky) in two hours. We laughed at them for being amateurs. (no, i dont drink that heavily, but we were pretty certain that it was the taste of rice whiskey that slowed them down). Also, when they talked medicine...well lets just say I really hope they never graduate med school because they sounded like malpractice suits waiting to happen. And when they talked about thailand...simply ignorant of anything that was going on or the culture. I never bothered correcting them. I doubted they had the intelegence capacity to remake the neural connections needed to change a thought.
The other problem with Khao San buses is that they dont go to the bus station. Our bus stopped in a gas station on the outskirts of Chaing Mai. There was of course an overpriced Songtau waiting for the backpackers to get out of the bus and need a ride into town. I dont play that game. its simple logic that the rates would be jacked up for a bunch of white people getting off a bus and needing a ride. So I didnt give a second glance to the driver trying to get me in his vehicle, and walked over to the road. There was a driver parked there. I asked him his rate and asked him to take ten baht off of it. Then I walked over and told my friends the rate i had got and they all came over and got in, but not before the rip-off driver tried lowering his price to match, but his truck was already crowded, so we went with the honest businessman and let all of the other backpackers realize that they were being taken for a ride. (Hey, i cant save everyone).
We had our driver take us to the bus station and then looked for tickets to the town of Pai. We found one that left in a few hours and bought tickets on that bus. We then were pretty hungry, having not had breakfast yet. in the mood for Khao phat gai (fried rice and chicken) we asked a nearby tuktuk driver where the best was and he directed us to a nearby restaurant. And it was quite yummy
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Holiday in Cambodia Part 9
In the morning our tuktuk driver was there right on time. We told him everywhere we wanted to see and he started us on our way.
First stop of the day was the shooting range. A ways out of the city, down a few side streets and past some fields we entered an army compound and were directed towards the range. An army officer brought us out a 'menu' listing the weapons and the prices for them. The prices had gone up since the research i had done had been published, but i figure i dont often get a chance to fire weapons of this caliber. We decided to shoot an AK47 and an M-80. The M-80 especially on automatic mode was deafening. Also they both were very fun to shoot. We were offered a chicken to shoot for $15. we declined.
After that it was off to more somber destinations. the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia and created a genocide that was as bad, if not worse than the holocaust. We first visited the killing fields, where many Doctors, artists, lawyers, and anyone educated was taken to be killed brutally by the Khmer Rouge soldiers. There were pits where the mass graves had been dug out, and some areas that the graves were left undisturbed. It was an eerily peaceful place, with the centerpeice being a large pagoda with the bones of the deceased on display.
Our Next stop was S21. Formerly a school, S21 was turned into a prison and one of the most notorious torture centers in Cambodia. Some classrooms were subdivided with simple brick and mortar into cells smaller than a twin bed. The Khemr Rouge made many records of thier prisoners, so rooms were filled with the mugshots of the prisoners who went through the prison, the majority of whom were then killed at the killing fields.
First stop of the day was the shooting range. A ways out of the city, down a few side streets and past some fields we entered an army compound and were directed towards the range. An army officer brought us out a 'menu' listing the weapons and the prices for them. The prices had gone up since the research i had done had been published, but i figure i dont often get a chance to fire weapons of this caliber. We decided to shoot an AK47 and an M-80. The M-80 especially on automatic mode was deafening. Also they both were very fun to shoot. We were offered a chicken to shoot for $15. we declined.
After that it was off to more somber destinations. the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia and created a genocide that was as bad, if not worse than the holocaust. We first visited the killing fields, where many Doctors, artists, lawyers, and anyone educated was taken to be killed brutally by the Khmer Rouge soldiers. There were pits where the mass graves had been dug out, and some areas that the graves were left undisturbed. It was an eerily peaceful place, with the centerpeice being a large pagoda with the bones of the deceased on display.
Our Next stop was S21. Formerly a school, S21 was turned into a prison and one of the most notorious torture centers in Cambodia. Some classrooms were subdivided with simple brick and mortar into cells smaller than a twin bed. The Khemr Rouge made many records of thier prisoners, so rooms were filled with the mugshots of the prisoners who went through the prison, the majority of whom were then killed at the killing fields.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Jennifer
Those of you who follow the blog alot will no doubt notice the absence of Niffer from my blog posts, as she has been my travel companion for much of my trip. Due to circumstances that im not at liberty to post on my blog she had to return home a bit early. Worry not, she is fine, other than currently getting her ass kicked by allergies.
Holiday in Cambodia Part 8
The lady at our guesthouse was a bitch as we were checking out to go to Phenom Pehn. She was telling us lies about the buses so that she could get us on a bus that got her commission. Eventually we got a tuktuk to the train station (not much more than an empty lot with buses) and onto a bus headed to Phenom Pehn. The entire ride the TV on the bus was playing Khemer Karaoke Music videos. They were horrible.
When we got to Phenom Pehn we stopped in what just seemed like a random street, no bus station. We were immediately hounded by tuk tuk drivers (which is how it is getting off of any bus in Southeast Asia) We told them all that we had a guesthouse and that it was a short walk. We walked around the corner and had no one harassing us, it was awesome. There was a guy taking a nap in his tuk tuk, and we woke him up. He asked us where we wanted to go, we told him to take us to a cheap guesthouse.
5 minutes later we arrived at the 'okay guesthouse' It was alot more than okay when compared with the last guesthouse we stayed at--this one wasnt run by scum. We had an air conditioned room with 3 beds and a TV. (the beds were jammed in tight so it was as if it was one really wide bed)
However, whenever we left the guesthouse we were assaulted with offers for tuktuk rides. Steve went to go find an ATM (few and far between in the town) and was able to find a driver that spoke passable english. He also wasnt a brute about getting passengers, so we took a liking to him. He offered to drive us the next day and said "then you can tell everyone you have a driver" We thought that was a wonderful idea and told him to pick us up at 10 the next day.
When we got to Phenom Pehn we stopped in what just seemed like a random street, no bus station. We were immediately hounded by tuk tuk drivers (which is how it is getting off of any bus in Southeast Asia) We told them all that we had a guesthouse and that it was a short walk. We walked around the corner and had no one harassing us, it was awesome. There was a guy taking a nap in his tuk tuk, and we woke him up. He asked us where we wanted to go, we told him to take us to a cheap guesthouse.
5 minutes later we arrived at the 'okay guesthouse' It was alot more than okay when compared with the last guesthouse we stayed at--this one wasnt run by scum. We had an air conditioned room with 3 beds and a TV. (the beds were jammed in tight so it was as if it was one really wide bed)
However, whenever we left the guesthouse we were assaulted with offers for tuktuk rides. Steve went to go find an ATM (few and far between in the town) and was able to find a driver that spoke passable english. He also wasnt a brute about getting passengers, so we took a liking to him. He offered to drive us the next day and said "then you can tell everyone you have a driver" We thought that was a wonderful idea and told him to pick us up at 10 the next day.
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