I will now attempt to describe the events that occurred post Hanoi. I will have grave difficulty in doing so. The reason being largely due to our over stay in Hanoi, we had planned in the original itinerary to stay for 3 days, however as we all know that these plans are subject to change we stayed 10 days. Plan of action therefore was to shoot down to Saigon in a matter of days. We caught the train down to the historical capital of Hue. It would be a smash and grab touristic visit, see the old city and palace and get the hell out of there. Hue is an interesting town, more so in the old part. Similarly to the rest of Vietnam very rich in history which again mainly involves the Chinese. I didn’t see much evidence of the American war if any. In all honesty that is how I know Vietnam.
Hue as warned by the Lonely Planet was very quiet and chilled out during the night. We visited a bar called DMZ at night. Oh yes almost forgot we met some fellow backpackers in the old town. Jess and Rachael from Newcastle University, Weli and I realised that they were similar to us as they were not typical backpackers living it rough and surviving on a 50p daily budget. We had a few drinks that night and exchanged stories and future travel plans, it turned out they were going south as well and that we may cross paths again in Auz. The thing you must understand about Vietnam is that it is so narrow that you see similar faces from Hanoi in Hue, Hoian and Nah Trang. There is no avoiding it everyone is making their way south to Saigon.
In Hue we did the DMZ tour. The DMZ stands for Demilitarized Zone which was the area that divided the North and the South. It is ironic because the name certainly doesn’t reflect its past. During the American Imperialistic Attack on the People ....... ohhhhh my lord has the commy propaganda taken a hold of me already. Well during the Vietnam war this was the most heavily fortified regions. We say various old museums, a completely shot down Catholic Church and some hills where the Americans had their artillery. The following day we caught a bus down towards Hoian with Jess etc. I had heard a lot about Hoian from the one they call Massi Crea. This place is absolutely beautiful a colonial marvel. I will try to do it justice by describing how I saw it, ok here goes. It is like wrapping up all the best features of southern French architecture i.e. old French manor houses and placing it in Vietnam. The area is full of villaesque building very few having more than 2 stories all around a river/canal. It even looks better at night with great little features such as the Parisian street lamps. This is certainly a place i will come back to later on in life. I fully recommend it. There is something for everyone here beaches, food, architecture, museums (not that I saw any) and nightlife. We spent a total of 3 days in Hoian . Hoian is full to the brim with tailors so we decided to get ourselves suited and booted not with suits though but with smoking jackets for Hong Kong. Be on the lookout and let us know which jacket you prefer from the pics.
Even further south we went, the penultimate stop before Saigon the all acclaimed Nah Trang. This area is a beach resort party capital of Vietnam. Where the crème de la crème take holidays would I be bold enough to say “the Vietnamese St. Tropez”. Upon arrival after a 12 hour coach journey with a gang of stupid fat Irish girls I realised that the South was truly beautiful in a developed and less raw way as Hanoi and Sapa. Oh sorry the reason I use gang and not group is due to their sense of fashion (all wearing the same trainers with the tongues pocking out) and their constant loud and disturbing convos. The beaches were beautiful, white sand with palm trees separating the beach road. There are really nice bar stroke chill out zones along this particular stretch of coast, with nice food available at most places and good music. We checked into a hotel/apartment the type you would find on a shoe string budget in St Anton Ibiza. It had the basics, more importantly aircon, a contraption that I have become fond of especially now as I write this from the very humid Singapore. The nightlife of Nah Trang does not offer a wide variety of choice, what is does offer is one place known as the Sailing Club. This club is great, open air with good music along the beach. Everyone starts off relaxing by the beach on tables having colourful cocktails or the jam jar which is just as lethal as the infamous buckets from Koh Pagnan. As soberness turns to tipsiness the crowd shifts on to the dance floor to strut their stuff. Everyone makes a real effort to dress up and I must admit it makes the place look sexy and classy. To emphasise just how good this place is, of the three nights we spent in Nah Trang, we went there each and every night. It is just the thing to do, the alternatives that attempt to do something different will find themselves on their lonesome in a vacant bar. After Sailing Club everyone stumbles down to the bar I think called Now and Then, which doesn’t close. Here jam jars are sold at a fierce rate, they are absolutely horrible and I would recommend drinking them as late on as possible. The first night we met a group of Norwegian travellers who are travelling around the world in 2 months. Their names were Sarah, Line, Pendta, Elizabeth and Camilla (wow I got it right). We all got on really well and enjoyed three very drunken nights in Nah Trang. They had the missing energy we were desperately needed making sure we appreciated every night as if it were our last. So Nah Trang was pretty much a blurry image of beaches and nightclubs. From the people we have met we are picking up some great terminology I would like to make an addition to the british phrases. In Norway apparently when people meet up and have drinks before going out (mainly for economical purposes) they refer to this as FOREPLAY. All I can say to that phrase is ME LIKEYYY.
We made a conscious decision one night in Nah Trang that the following week of travel for both parties involved was identical and that we should not go it alone but unite and travel as one large Anglo-Norwegian posy. We made our way from Nah Trang to Saigon, our bus was little early so we had a whole day and night before the girls in Saigon to scope out the joint. We found some hotel near the busiest part of town aka back packer central and checked in. After all the partying in Nah Trang I was in no fit state to go out but Weli insisted I do a bit of Wing Man as he so eloquently put it. The next day the girls arrived Mark and I went site seeing with them as Mr Elmi lazed in bed until 4pm. We walked around for hours, going into every museum we passed, trying local dishes (one restaurant had a photo of Bill Clinton eating there) and shopping malls (girls of course haha). We stayed in Saigon, it is a nice enough place with some beautiful French style promenades and old hotels that must have been just as classy pre Hoh Chin Mihn. Like Bangkok it is the sort of place you pass through before delving deeper into the country and finding the real treats.
The shotgun backpacking commenced in Saigon and carried right on through Cambodia and Singapore. In one week our passports were stamped at over 6 authorities i.e. 4 countries. We caught a bus from Saigon to the capital of Cambodia Phnom Pehn the land of Happy Herbal Pizzas. We stayed in Phom Pehn around 50 hours, enough time to see the killing fields caused by the terrible Poll Potts thats Poll Potts not Paul Potts the Britain’s got talent winner who can sing operah. We then headed further north to Siem Reap to the land of Angkor Watt. I literally had only one reason to go to Cambodia and that was Angkor Watt. Cambodia is not terrible in fact it is rather a beautiful country full of untouched landscape but then again so is Vietnam and Thailand. Siem Reap is a backpacker colony, when the French were forced out there must have been a fully equipped army of backpackers ready to invade which they did in numbers. Everything in Siem Reap is about extracting money from the tourist. So much so that Atms in Cambodia issue dollars, thats right folks the crispest US notes money can buy. It ruined my dream of withdrawing US dollars in time square (f*ck). Cambodia is expensive, I was under the impression it was a forgotten country with some impressive temples at that everything could be bought for a six pence. Like all backpacker stories of how poor these countries are and how cheap everything I will only respond with the following BULLSHIT.
We had to say goodbye to the Norwegian girls who were great and I think I am speaking for Mark and Weli in that we would very much like to stay in touch. We had a flight to Singapore whereas they were going further afield to Sydney for 10 days. Off to Singapore.
Finally I am up to date, you guys who enjoy the above reads should show me some love in the form of pints when I get back in April, this is hard work. Ball please do the word count. Love to you all and peace on earth and harmony and .......................... will write about Singapore in due time next stop Hong Kong.
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Happening HANOI by Filipe Martins
After saying goodbye to Thailand which we all loved and an airasia 1 hour or so flight we arrived in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in the north. The airport is reasonably small for a capital and a country of this size. The officials in Vietnam are dressed in a very typical communist way like an old soviet commissar. Except instead of having a brut 6ft4 Russian body builder it was a 5ft5 Vietnamese man. We left the airport and took the taxi to the old quarter where we had booked a hotel. I really cant put my finger on it exactly but I really like Hanoi, its got a great buzz and atmosphere. It has a greater Chinese influence than Thailand but at the same time it is heavily fused with French colonialism. I shall give you an example; the first morning in Hanoi we scoured the streets for a cafe, somewhere to have the amazing Vietnamese coffee that I heard so much about. We found a great cafe near the lake not too far from our hotel; it was on the 5th floor with an esplanade with a great view of the central lake. The menu was scattered with French delights, the last time I had a Croque Madame was when I was in Paris years ago. It was delicious, what really made my week was the expresso, how I miss a good expresso. I have to admit I really miss normal breakfasts i.e. non rice or noodle based.
That day we decided to walk around the city but four hours in we bought a lonely planet, sorry. Well it was a fake and we bartered down to 2£ a steal really. I have got so used to bartering that I think when I go back to London I will probably go into PC World and do the same. Every street in Hanoi is a high street, full of little shops and cafes. If I was to make a comparison it reminds me of old London high streets. I am sure if you think back far enough you will know exactly what I mean, the local high street with the local butchers, cafe, newsagents, sewing shop etc for those to young they are where you find Sainsburys local and Tesco expresses. The Vietnamese are both very skilful and very good with their hands. Completely different from other cities, everyone seems to have a trade i.e. metal polisher, mechanic, key cutter, polish shoes and other traditional trades. This was last Saturday and of course we had to find a place to watch Chelsea vs Aston Villa to satisfy Mr Elmi. This was of course an episode in itself, Weli was sure there was a great place to watch it, however when we got inside the Taxi these are the very words that came out of his month. “take us to Puntang Bar on Puntang Road”. Thats right folks he didn’t have a clue where we were going, not even the road. I suggested that we play it safe and go to a place called “le pub”, although anglais I knew it would show the footy. All this wasn’t helped with the fact that the taxi driver really didn’t know the difference between his arse and his elbow, he was useless. Well after various discussions, of course Weli fought to the death but was proved wrong we ended up in “le pub”, it had a projector , yeahhhhhh.
It seems like the opportune moment to talk about Vietnamese taxies. They are truly a joke, sitting in your chair at work, home or maybe you have decided to take the laptop and sit on the loo. They take the biscuit, not ordinary biscuits but the chocolate coated one dipped in diamonds. They have a button behind the steering wheel which speeds the distance meter at least 40 times the normal rate. An example would be travelling 10m but the taxi meter records 2km. Prices are so variable when it comes to Vietnamese taxis. They have no shame, when we confronted a taxi driver about this he wasn’t even embarrassed he accepted half and drove off with a big smile on his face. One taxi driver had a piece of fruit glued right in front of the distance meter. You can only laugh, I told Weli who was sitting on the front seat, he then tried to remove the apple and the taxi driver refused to do so, we walked out in the middle of the road. Now a days we tell Taxis and they seem not to rip us off (as much). The real hidden secret in Hanoi is the Bier Hoi, its fresh beer made daily. It’s really weak maybe 2-4 % but it’s lovely and refreshing. You can drink this in the old quarter on little plastic chairs and watch the world go by. The best is yet to come they cost 3000 VND thats about 4p guys. Me and Mark have gone there several times and have stumbled home in a happy state, I don’t think we have ever left more than 1£ sterling there.
The Old quarter has a very Parisian feel, the French definitely left some great buildings here. I didn’t see dog carcases like ducks in China town this is because of its a lunar year and they don’t eat dog for a while, ahhh what a shame (NOT). There is a lot of site seeing to do in Hanoi, such as the mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh has been embalmed, his museum and the grand palace, which was the previous palace for the governor of IndoChina when the French were here. We also visited the Hanoi Hilton, again a French building (prison) which was later used to house American POWs like the failed Presidential candidate John McCain. Oh yeah how could I forget the B52 lake, during the war in the 70s Vietnamese soldiers with the help of flying turtles brought down a B52. There is a wreck in a lake smack bang in the middle of a residential area. Well I don’t know about the flying turtles hypothesis hmmmmmm.
I guess that’s why I love Hanoi, it is so rich in culture and modern history. Its not the kind of history that is ancient (which they have to i.e. with the Chinese) but modern history which has had a direct impact on our lives today especially the way Americans go about doing things. They are very proud of their victory and rightly so. Propaganda is amazing in Vietnam they refer to America as the Imperialistic armies etc. The Vietnamese are super resilient, from the French and their various uprising under colossal suppression to the Yanks. I would think twice before confronting the Vietnamese.
Did I mention that their coffee is aromatic, tasty and just out right good. Everyday Mark and I have our daily coffee. So we have stayed in Hanoi for 5 days, mainly site seeing as well as having a taste of the Hanoi night social scene. We have heard from many backpackers that the south is even better, I really can’t wait.
So we decided to go to Sapa, a small town well concealed in the Vietnamese mountains in the north. It would be an overnight train, two days trekking and an overnight train back. Sapa is so beautiful that I will not even attempt to describe it........ ok here goes the town reminds me of an alpine ski resort situated in the middle of a valley. They mountain slopes are covered in terraces which the locals use for agricultural purposes mainly rice. The trek was a welcome break, it was so refreshing to walk amongst nature and to sample and see the life of the local tribes. The mountain range is overwhelming more so the terraces. It’s a geological dream and nightmare, landslides have occurred everywhere, I am really glad that we didn’t visit during the winter because heavy rainfall would make slopes run like a slurpy chocolate milkshake. We booked an organised tour guide, it was something we haven’t really done, it is something we will do more of. You get to see great places and more importantly meet people who 9 times out of 10 are in the same walk of life. We met a really nice guy from Watford called Ross, his travels were coming to a conclusion, he had travelled Australia and New Zealand and gave us a lot of vital information and tips.
I am currently typing this on the night train back to Hanoi. I am so glad we done the tour of Sapa somewhere I would love to return to in the future, it would be an ideal place to relax. The plan is to spend a few days in Hanoi and book a tour to Ha Long Bay where we will stay on a junk boat and sip gins and tonic from the deck as the sun goes down. Ahhh its a hard life out here people I am so jealous I am not stuck in an office staring at a computer screen, only kidding. We have been travelling now for 2 months, it has been great we are doing fine as a group just in case you are wondering. It works a tiny bit like this, Weli and I argue over everything, absolutely everything and Mark doesn’t say anything. In fact where is Mark I haven’t seen him since Bangkok ................ only kidding he is sleeping on the top bunk. Ross mad me really excited about Aus and NZ.
Well people hope all is well and that you are having successful careers.
That day we decided to walk around the city but four hours in we bought a lonely planet, sorry. Well it was a fake and we bartered down to 2£ a steal really. I have got so used to bartering that I think when I go back to London I will probably go into PC World and do the same. Every street in Hanoi is a high street, full of little shops and cafes. If I was to make a comparison it reminds me of old London high streets. I am sure if you think back far enough you will know exactly what I mean, the local high street with the local butchers, cafe, newsagents, sewing shop etc for those to young they are where you find Sainsburys local and Tesco expresses. The Vietnamese are both very skilful and very good with their hands. Completely different from other cities, everyone seems to have a trade i.e. metal polisher, mechanic, key cutter, polish shoes and other traditional trades. This was last Saturday and of course we had to find a place to watch Chelsea vs Aston Villa to satisfy Mr Elmi. This was of course an episode in itself, Weli was sure there was a great place to watch it, however when we got inside the Taxi these are the very words that came out of his month. “take us to Puntang Bar on Puntang Road”. Thats right folks he didn’t have a clue where we were going, not even the road. I suggested that we play it safe and go to a place called “le pub”, although anglais I knew it would show the footy. All this wasn’t helped with the fact that the taxi driver really didn’t know the difference between his arse and his elbow, he was useless. Well after various discussions, of course Weli fought to the death but was proved wrong we ended up in “le pub”, it had a projector , yeahhhhhh.
It seems like the opportune moment to talk about Vietnamese taxies. They are truly a joke, sitting in your chair at work, home or maybe you have decided to take the laptop and sit on the loo. They take the biscuit, not ordinary biscuits but the chocolate coated one dipped in diamonds. They have a button behind the steering wheel which speeds the distance meter at least 40 times the normal rate. An example would be travelling 10m but the taxi meter records 2km. Prices are so variable when it comes to Vietnamese taxis. They have no shame, when we confronted a taxi driver about this he wasn’t even embarrassed he accepted half and drove off with a big smile on his face. One taxi driver had a piece of fruit glued right in front of the distance meter. You can only laugh, I told Weli who was sitting on the front seat, he then tried to remove the apple and the taxi driver refused to do so, we walked out in the middle of the road. Now a days we tell Taxis and they seem not to rip us off (as much). The real hidden secret in Hanoi is the Bier Hoi, its fresh beer made daily. It’s really weak maybe 2-4 % but it’s lovely and refreshing. You can drink this in the old quarter on little plastic chairs and watch the world go by. The best is yet to come they cost 3000 VND thats about 4p guys. Me and Mark have gone there several times and have stumbled home in a happy state, I don’t think we have ever left more than 1£ sterling there.
The Old quarter has a very Parisian feel, the French definitely left some great buildings here. I didn’t see dog carcases like ducks in China town this is because of its a lunar year and they don’t eat dog for a while, ahhh what a shame (NOT). There is a lot of site seeing to do in Hanoi, such as the mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh has been embalmed, his museum and the grand palace, which was the previous palace for the governor of IndoChina when the French were here. We also visited the Hanoi Hilton, again a French building (prison) which was later used to house American POWs like the failed Presidential candidate John McCain. Oh yeah how could I forget the B52 lake, during the war in the 70s Vietnamese soldiers with the help of flying turtles brought down a B52. There is a wreck in a lake smack bang in the middle of a residential area. Well I don’t know about the flying turtles hypothesis hmmmmmm.
I guess that’s why I love Hanoi, it is so rich in culture and modern history. Its not the kind of history that is ancient (which they have to i.e. with the Chinese) but modern history which has had a direct impact on our lives today especially the way Americans go about doing things. They are very proud of their victory and rightly so. Propaganda is amazing in Vietnam they refer to America as the Imperialistic armies etc. The Vietnamese are super resilient, from the French and their various uprising under colossal suppression to the Yanks. I would think twice before confronting the Vietnamese.
Did I mention that their coffee is aromatic, tasty and just out right good. Everyday Mark and I have our daily coffee. So we have stayed in Hanoi for 5 days, mainly site seeing as well as having a taste of the Hanoi night social scene. We have heard from many backpackers that the south is even better, I really can’t wait.
So we decided to go to Sapa, a small town well concealed in the Vietnamese mountains in the north. It would be an overnight train, two days trekking and an overnight train back. Sapa is so beautiful that I will not even attempt to describe it........ ok here goes the town reminds me of an alpine ski resort situated in the middle of a valley. They mountain slopes are covered in terraces which the locals use for agricultural purposes mainly rice. The trek was a welcome break, it was so refreshing to walk amongst nature and to sample and see the life of the local tribes. The mountain range is overwhelming more so the terraces. It’s a geological dream and nightmare, landslides have occurred everywhere, I am really glad that we didn’t visit during the winter because heavy rainfall would make slopes run like a slurpy chocolate milkshake. We booked an organised tour guide, it was something we haven’t really done, it is something we will do more of. You get to see great places and more importantly meet people who 9 times out of 10 are in the same walk of life. We met a really nice guy from Watford called Ross, his travels were coming to a conclusion, he had travelled Australia and New Zealand and gave us a lot of vital information and tips.
I am currently typing this on the night train back to Hanoi. I am so glad we done the tour of Sapa somewhere I would love to return to in the future, it would be an ideal place to relax. The plan is to spend a few days in Hanoi and book a tour to Ha Long Bay where we will stay on a junk boat and sip gins and tonic from the deck as the sun goes down. Ahhh its a hard life out here people I am so jealous I am not stuck in an office staring at a computer screen, only kidding. We have been travelling now for 2 months, it has been great we are doing fine as a group just in case you are wondering. It works a tiny bit like this, Weli and I argue over everything, absolutely everything and Mark doesn’t say anything. In fact where is Mark I haven’t seen him since Bangkok ................ only kidding he is sleeping on the top bunk. Ross mad me really excited about Aus and NZ.
Well people hope all is well and that you are having successful careers.
Sunday, 22 February 2009
The Rest of Thailand in a Nutshell by Filipe Martins
The Rest of Thailand in a Nutshell
As self proclaimed Chief Editor of this blog I am writing to apologise for not having written anything sooner. There are many in and outs and what have you and so will not go into it. After Chiangmai we went to Ko Samui which is an island in the south about 10mins away from the Koh Pagnan where the full moon antics occur. The bus took a whole day and saturated my tolerance for bus transportation so now I am pretty limited as I do not want to see another train (due to India) or a bus. Flying is definitely the way forward maybe not according to green activists who maybe monitoring my carbon footprint. One message to you tree hugging crazy people kiss my kulu.
Upon arrival to Ko Samui we asked the taxi to take us to a hotel etc (cheap and cheerful). The taxi driver sounded desperate in taking us and lowered his rates astonishingly low. I realized on route why. He owed a considerable amount in petrol fees to the local “gas” station as he asked that we pay upfront as well as running on empty the entire journey. We ended up getting a bungalow beside the beach, it was really nice for the 12 GBP we paid. After catching a few well needed zzzzzzzz we set out on exploring the island. Ko Samui is strange the beaches are amazing, long white sandy beaches with turquoise water. However it has been ruined by all the concrete hotels that have been put up all in the name of commercial enterprise. Ah yes should I mention the fact that it is package holiday central. There is a huge strip something similar to San Anton, Cyprus and most probably the infamous Shangluff (magaluf). A strip of filth and sin being practiced upon the hour, lights everywhere. The amount of aussies would make a pub in Southfields look like a tiny gathering in comparison. Last but not least the prostitutes have an innovative way to catch their customers or should I say cliental. Whilst sitting in a bar having a cold Chang I was approached by a beautiful local, hmmm I say to myself this is strange. A “hello my name is Lisa” followed and out of nowhere she manages to produce a full size connect 4 set. I had not played connect 4 for soo long I decided to take her up on her challenge. Let me start by telling you that she must play a hell of a lot and that she should take this up as a career. If there are such a thing as professional connect 4 players. She was unbelievable taking a 6 to 0 lead on my dumbfounded ass. Ok I realised her game pretty quickly but my competitiveness prevailed I was only focused on reducing the deficit and to be victorious. I managed to go on a 4 win streak until we were rudely interrupted by a bar man asking me if I was thirsty. The young lady asked for a cocktail and I a beer. I suddenly realised I was being had, she ordered the most expensive drink in the bar, well it sounded bloody expensive. When the barman returned I saw on the tray the requested cold Chang and a very colourful drink with more umbrellas than a beach in peak season in the Algarve. Infact it looked more like a fruit salad to be honest. I told the barman I was married and that I simply wanted to play connect 4, he replied “ohhh hmmm ok just pay half” I saw this as a lucky escape and handed over the wad of cash.
That was the night I was introduced to the famous Thai bucket. Ok it cannot be emphasized enough at this point (sorry for Z instead of S but this version of word in USA so suck it up guys) just how LETHAL these bad boys are. I went to the bar and asked for a whisky bucked the bar lady fetched a childs sand beach bucket and filled it with ice and cola. I then wondered if this whiskey cola drink actually took any whiskey she saw the expression on my face and told me in an assuring tone and a smile “don’t worry its coming”. A medium size bottle of Teachers whiskey appeared, at this point I was wondering how many shots of whiskey go into these famous buckets. Well the whole bottle was poured I was bamboozled. All this for 5 GBP, it is ridiculous. Well the next day hangover was just as lethal as the buckets. We were all in pain neither one braving the sunlight making sure we were deeply embedded into the duvets.
Full moon party just 48 hours to go. Hmmm we had a great idea lets take the short boat ride to koh pagnan and see where the party will be held etc get our bearings. OF course the plan was to have a quiet one. I was warned that the pre parties are better than the full moon party something that I actually agree with in all honestly. We arrived in Koh Pagnan around 10 pm I came up with an idea of getting a beach hut so as not to return to Koh Samui but to have somewhere on the island to catch some shut eye. At the port a man said he knew a place where they just might have a free hut available as everything was fully booked in the centre. We caught a small boat around the island as this beach is only accessible by boat. This for me was an incredible experience, the moon was out in its full force which produced just enough light allowing us to make out the cliff faces and various features along the island coast. The boat ride lasted 15 mins or so, there was water splashing into the boat and with the moon reflecting off the what seemed a never ending ocean I have to admit coming traveling seemed worth it if not for that view. The taxi driver was funny and whitty constantly talking. We met a really friendly guy traveling also, he was a racer (I think motorbikes) pretty famous I think. We got a great deal and a nice hut just as I had imagined. We set out to Hadrin beach where the full moon party would be held the following day, I noticed that there was no aircon unit in the hut but I simply was too excited to point out my observation and we caught the taxi boat back round. I forgot to mention that there were no ports, the boat simply rides up to the coast and you have to jump out into the shallow water and make your way inland. Hadrin beach looked like it was ready to house the predicted 15,000 people but there were considerably less on that premature night and “I likey” as it was more chilled. A great place to meet people from all over the world and a terrible place to meet all those bogan aussies. We were introduced to an even more lethal bucket on Koh Pagnan. If memory serves me right I believe it was called Samsong or Sumsong. The key ingredient in my opinion has to be the red bull (well a cheaper imitation) which is poured from a flask that looks like it should house poison (which it probably was). You need at least two buckets before this concoction was drinkable. I didn’t feel drunk I felt drugged it’s a weird feeling, I came to a conclusion that I would lay off this stuff and go onto more traditional drinks. We ended up making our way to the hut around 9 am I wasn’t the slightest bit tired it was that poisonous red bull equivalent. We all managed to sleep but were awakened by a serious heat wave which made the hut a microwave, I was absolutely roasting, as fast as I was taking in fluids I was sweating it out. Probably the worst place to house a hangover. In writing this I am realizing that the Full Moon party involved a lot of alcohol. We woke up at 6 pm and set out on a mission to have nice food before the festivities began. Well one very small pizza later we went towards the beach. We met these two guys that were traveling, really nice straight shooter type of people. We chilled at a bar and talked as the party heated up. I felt like shit so I decided to hit the samsong to get me going. One bucket later I was firing on all cylinders and was ready for one more night of excess. The beach was packed, absolutely rammed. As I looked around I appreciated just how great it is to be a male. Our toilet was simply the ocean you could see a row of around 1000 men every one time using the ocean as a urinal. I couldn’t believe it when I saw skinny dippers splashing around in the water really close by. Also I couldn’t believe the amount of shameless people who were having “sexual relations” Bill Clinton style on the beach in front of everyone, I was hoping the Sun Newspaper would be doing an undercover operation where all this would be documented and the people shammed. Apart from that which did have it humorous side the party was great. I had body paints splashed all over me as well as a carefully drawn out Portuguese flag. The music was great as the each bar had a different sound blaring out on to the sandy beach. When you stood between two you felt like you were literally in no mans land. People a meter apart where dancing completely different, what I mean is to different beats. Looking at all the psychedelic moves I was wondering how future generations will be dancing, I felt ridiculous how can this be dancing. Waving arms around, you know which dance moves I mean and we have all be criminally involved.
Knowing that the sweat box hut was waiting Mark and I decided to head back to Samui to the much nicer air conditioned room. We took the fast boat, it really was fast as the name suggested shaving 25 mins off the slow boat journey time. Off to Samui were we slept for 20 hours. Our diet took a turn for the worst we ate mainly shit from 7 – 11. Something I do not want to repeat especially as Thailand has amazing cuisine. Can I point out that I knew before traveling that Weli liked cake and milk and he could eat at all hours. But Mark is something else out so much so I can not watch anymore. Eating at all hours of the day crisps, biscuits and main meals. If there are 200 biscuits he will eat 200 biscuits if there are 10 he will eat 10. Its constant eating pot noodles, crisps, biscuits and general snacks. I always say Mark how can you do this but the kids in denial what can I say he says he has self control and can stop whenever he wants. I gave a clear Pringle case which occurred not too long ago. Once you pop you really cant stop, I would say that the pringle test is a great example of self control. 2 tubes in 2 hours, yeah Mark great self control.
The next day we took the coach upto Bangkok to meet Arts and his parents. We arrived pretty early so I decided to walk around Bangkok with Mark while Weli went to bed in the worst accommodation money couldn’t buy. We saw the monks doing their morning rounds for sustenance i.e. money and food from the people. We walked past the grand palace and kept going through markets and away from Koh Sahn Road. We then made our way to the hotel that Mark had stayed with his parents the last time he was here “Shangrila Hotel” for a breakfast. It was great, we ate along the river and enjoyed a buffet breakfast with all the food we could eat.
Art’s parents had planned a weekend in Pataya a beach resort an hour from Bangkok. Pataya was really nice, the beach was pretty small and I guess it is its close proximity to Bangkok which makes it a perfect weekend getaway. We stayed at an amazing 5 star called the Dusit Thai overlooking the beach. Its dangerous staying in 5 star hotels as we found out the hard way as it is very hard to return to normal housing and accommodation hahaha. Well not much to say about Pataya, it was a more relaxing weekend. We did go to a shooting range with Art’s father to shoot Berettas. That was one heck of an experience you cannot imagine the amount of recoil making films like double impact starring van dame very unreal. Of course I got a better score than Weli which we managed to argue about for hours on end. With Art’s parents they made sure we experienced the Thai cuisine and all its great flavours it had to offer. After Pataya we went back to Bangkok. Again Arts showed us around, on the Monday we visited the Grand Palace which in my opinion be included in the list of the wonders of the world. That night we went for a coffee at a really typical thai place as well as scouring yet another night bazaar. This one was a lot bigger than Chiangmai as to be expected. The following day we drove out of town to visit a floating market. I loved the floating market experience a must do when visiting Thailand. We ate and shopped at the same time, something very right and wrong at the same time. The old ladies would grab onto our boat and pull there boats closer. They would put fruits etc in our faces and give us an elevated price which we would try our best to barter down.
Now the world is very small but when you are in a floating market an hour away from Bamgkok and you come across people you met in Dubai. Did I mention this was not arranged, this was pure chance we met Ahmed Habib, one of Habib Jihad school friends. How weird is that! The last days in Bangkok were creeping up on us. The last day involved plenty of packing and checking out. I made a mistake about the flight to Hanoi for some reason we decided to go to the airport 4 hours early, we just made the flight. Off to Vietnam.
Hope this keeps many of you hard working people busy.
As self proclaimed Chief Editor of this blog I am writing to apologise for not having written anything sooner. There are many in and outs and what have you and so will not go into it. After Chiangmai we went to Ko Samui which is an island in the south about 10mins away from the Koh Pagnan where the full moon antics occur. The bus took a whole day and saturated my tolerance for bus transportation so now I am pretty limited as I do not want to see another train (due to India) or a bus. Flying is definitely the way forward maybe not according to green activists who maybe monitoring my carbon footprint. One message to you tree hugging crazy people kiss my kulu.
Upon arrival to Ko Samui we asked the taxi to take us to a hotel etc (cheap and cheerful). The taxi driver sounded desperate in taking us and lowered his rates astonishingly low. I realized on route why. He owed a considerable amount in petrol fees to the local “gas” station as he asked that we pay upfront as well as running on empty the entire journey. We ended up getting a bungalow beside the beach, it was really nice for the 12 GBP we paid. After catching a few well needed zzzzzzzz we set out on exploring the island. Ko Samui is strange the beaches are amazing, long white sandy beaches with turquoise water. However it has been ruined by all the concrete hotels that have been put up all in the name of commercial enterprise. Ah yes should I mention the fact that it is package holiday central. There is a huge strip something similar to San Anton, Cyprus and most probably the infamous Shangluff (magaluf). A strip of filth and sin being practiced upon the hour, lights everywhere. The amount of aussies would make a pub in Southfields look like a tiny gathering in comparison. Last but not least the prostitutes have an innovative way to catch their customers or should I say cliental. Whilst sitting in a bar having a cold Chang I was approached by a beautiful local, hmmm I say to myself this is strange. A “hello my name is Lisa” followed and out of nowhere she manages to produce a full size connect 4 set. I had not played connect 4 for soo long I decided to take her up on her challenge. Let me start by telling you that she must play a hell of a lot and that she should take this up as a career. If there are such a thing as professional connect 4 players. She was unbelievable taking a 6 to 0 lead on my dumbfounded ass. Ok I realised her game pretty quickly but my competitiveness prevailed I was only focused on reducing the deficit and to be victorious. I managed to go on a 4 win streak until we were rudely interrupted by a bar man asking me if I was thirsty. The young lady asked for a cocktail and I a beer. I suddenly realised I was being had, she ordered the most expensive drink in the bar, well it sounded bloody expensive. When the barman returned I saw on the tray the requested cold Chang and a very colourful drink with more umbrellas than a beach in peak season in the Algarve. Infact it looked more like a fruit salad to be honest. I told the barman I was married and that I simply wanted to play connect 4, he replied “ohhh hmmm ok just pay half” I saw this as a lucky escape and handed over the wad of cash.
That was the night I was introduced to the famous Thai bucket. Ok it cannot be emphasized enough at this point (sorry for Z instead of S but this version of word in USA so suck it up guys) just how LETHAL these bad boys are. I went to the bar and asked for a whisky bucked the bar lady fetched a childs sand beach bucket and filled it with ice and cola. I then wondered if this whiskey cola drink actually took any whiskey she saw the expression on my face and told me in an assuring tone and a smile “don’t worry its coming”. A medium size bottle of Teachers whiskey appeared, at this point I was wondering how many shots of whiskey go into these famous buckets. Well the whole bottle was poured I was bamboozled. All this for 5 GBP, it is ridiculous. Well the next day hangover was just as lethal as the buckets. We were all in pain neither one braving the sunlight making sure we were deeply embedded into the duvets.
Full moon party just 48 hours to go. Hmmm we had a great idea lets take the short boat ride to koh pagnan and see where the party will be held etc get our bearings. OF course the plan was to have a quiet one. I was warned that the pre parties are better than the full moon party something that I actually agree with in all honestly. We arrived in Koh Pagnan around 10 pm I came up with an idea of getting a beach hut so as not to return to Koh Samui but to have somewhere on the island to catch some shut eye. At the port a man said he knew a place where they just might have a free hut available as everything was fully booked in the centre. We caught a small boat around the island as this beach is only accessible by boat. This for me was an incredible experience, the moon was out in its full force which produced just enough light allowing us to make out the cliff faces and various features along the island coast. The boat ride lasted 15 mins or so, there was water splashing into the boat and with the moon reflecting off the what seemed a never ending ocean I have to admit coming traveling seemed worth it if not for that view. The taxi driver was funny and whitty constantly talking. We met a really friendly guy traveling also, he was a racer (I think motorbikes) pretty famous I think. We got a great deal and a nice hut just as I had imagined. We set out to Hadrin beach where the full moon party would be held the following day, I noticed that there was no aircon unit in the hut but I simply was too excited to point out my observation and we caught the taxi boat back round. I forgot to mention that there were no ports, the boat simply rides up to the coast and you have to jump out into the shallow water and make your way inland. Hadrin beach looked like it was ready to house the predicted 15,000 people but there were considerably less on that premature night and “I likey” as it was more chilled. A great place to meet people from all over the world and a terrible place to meet all those bogan aussies. We were introduced to an even more lethal bucket on Koh Pagnan. If memory serves me right I believe it was called Samsong or Sumsong. The key ingredient in my opinion has to be the red bull (well a cheaper imitation) which is poured from a flask that looks like it should house poison (which it probably was). You need at least two buckets before this concoction was drinkable. I didn’t feel drunk I felt drugged it’s a weird feeling, I came to a conclusion that I would lay off this stuff and go onto more traditional drinks. We ended up making our way to the hut around 9 am I wasn’t the slightest bit tired it was that poisonous red bull equivalent. We all managed to sleep but were awakened by a serious heat wave which made the hut a microwave, I was absolutely roasting, as fast as I was taking in fluids I was sweating it out. Probably the worst place to house a hangover. In writing this I am realizing that the Full Moon party involved a lot of alcohol. We woke up at 6 pm and set out on a mission to have nice food before the festivities began. Well one very small pizza later we went towards the beach. We met these two guys that were traveling, really nice straight shooter type of people. We chilled at a bar and talked as the party heated up. I felt like shit so I decided to hit the samsong to get me going. One bucket later I was firing on all cylinders and was ready for one more night of excess. The beach was packed, absolutely rammed. As I looked around I appreciated just how great it is to be a male. Our toilet was simply the ocean you could see a row of around 1000 men every one time using the ocean as a urinal. I couldn’t believe it when I saw skinny dippers splashing around in the water really close by. Also I couldn’t believe the amount of shameless people who were having “sexual relations” Bill Clinton style on the beach in front of everyone, I was hoping the Sun Newspaper would be doing an undercover operation where all this would be documented and the people shammed. Apart from that which did have it humorous side the party was great. I had body paints splashed all over me as well as a carefully drawn out Portuguese flag. The music was great as the each bar had a different sound blaring out on to the sandy beach. When you stood between two you felt like you were literally in no mans land. People a meter apart where dancing completely different, what I mean is to different beats. Looking at all the psychedelic moves I was wondering how future generations will be dancing, I felt ridiculous how can this be dancing. Waving arms around, you know which dance moves I mean and we have all be criminally involved.
Knowing that the sweat box hut was waiting Mark and I decided to head back to Samui to the much nicer air conditioned room. We took the fast boat, it really was fast as the name suggested shaving 25 mins off the slow boat journey time. Off to Samui were we slept for 20 hours. Our diet took a turn for the worst we ate mainly shit from 7 – 11. Something I do not want to repeat especially as Thailand has amazing cuisine. Can I point out that I knew before traveling that Weli liked cake and milk and he could eat at all hours. But Mark is something else out so much so I can not watch anymore. Eating at all hours of the day crisps, biscuits and main meals. If there are 200 biscuits he will eat 200 biscuits if there are 10 he will eat 10. Its constant eating pot noodles, crisps, biscuits and general snacks. I always say Mark how can you do this but the kids in denial what can I say he says he has self control and can stop whenever he wants. I gave a clear Pringle case which occurred not too long ago. Once you pop you really cant stop, I would say that the pringle test is a great example of self control. 2 tubes in 2 hours, yeah Mark great self control.
The next day we took the coach upto Bangkok to meet Arts and his parents. We arrived pretty early so I decided to walk around Bangkok with Mark while Weli went to bed in the worst accommodation money couldn’t buy. We saw the monks doing their morning rounds for sustenance i.e. money and food from the people. We walked past the grand palace and kept going through markets and away from Koh Sahn Road. We then made our way to the hotel that Mark had stayed with his parents the last time he was here “Shangrila Hotel” for a breakfast. It was great, we ate along the river and enjoyed a buffet breakfast with all the food we could eat.
Art’s parents had planned a weekend in Pataya a beach resort an hour from Bangkok. Pataya was really nice, the beach was pretty small and I guess it is its close proximity to Bangkok which makes it a perfect weekend getaway. We stayed at an amazing 5 star called the Dusit Thai overlooking the beach. Its dangerous staying in 5 star hotels as we found out the hard way as it is very hard to return to normal housing and accommodation hahaha. Well not much to say about Pataya, it was a more relaxing weekend. We did go to a shooting range with Art’s father to shoot Berettas. That was one heck of an experience you cannot imagine the amount of recoil making films like double impact starring van dame very unreal. Of course I got a better score than Weli which we managed to argue about for hours on end. With Art’s parents they made sure we experienced the Thai cuisine and all its great flavours it had to offer. After Pataya we went back to Bangkok. Again Arts showed us around, on the Monday we visited the Grand Palace which in my opinion be included in the list of the wonders of the world. That night we went for a coffee at a really typical thai place as well as scouring yet another night bazaar. This one was a lot bigger than Chiangmai as to be expected. The following day we drove out of town to visit a floating market. I loved the floating market experience a must do when visiting Thailand. We ate and shopped at the same time, something very right and wrong at the same time. The old ladies would grab onto our boat and pull there boats closer. They would put fruits etc in our faces and give us an elevated price which we would try our best to barter down.
Now the world is very small but when you are in a floating market an hour away from Bamgkok and you come across people you met in Dubai. Did I mention this was not arranged, this was pure chance we met Ahmed Habib, one of Habib Jihad school friends. How weird is that! The last days in Bangkok were creeping up on us. The last day involved plenty of packing and checking out. I made a mistake about the flight to Hanoi for some reason we decided to go to the airport 4 hours early, we just made the flight. Off to Vietnam.
Hope this keeps many of you hard working people busy.
Monday, 16 February 2009
The Thailand Experience So Far
The last few days in the more luxurious accommodation at Dona Paula Beach in Goa along with a Cathay Pacific flight was a welcome transition to the Thai experience. Landing in Bangkok International airport immediately we noticed the difference in class, order and structure in comparison to Mumbai airport. Infact Bangkok airport made Dubai International look nothing more than mediocre. After obtaining the Thai stamp on our passports our main aim was to find a place to stay. It was yet another all night travel experience. We all agreed that as we were returning to Bangkok after a week in Chiang Mai and the islands in the south we would just party the whole weekend and make visiting tourist attractions a low priority. Well Party is what we did. As far as budgeting is concerned that weekend blew any sort of projected financial plans we may of had for this trip. What happened to the 50p beers I have been told so much of in the UK or the buckets that cost all most next to nothing. Is everything I hear from my friends bullshit? I heard the same about Latvia. Maybe an explanation is time and things always sound a lot better when your telling the story 6 months down the line. This blog will act as my testament, if any of you find me in a pub talking about 50p beers in Thailand you are officially allowed to give me a friendly slap.
Bangkok is great, definitely a passing city, a fantastic place to spend a long weekend. We decided in the Taxi from the airport to go to the Backpacker central area the infamous Koh Sahn Road. We were told by an Australian backpacker on the internal flight from Delhi to Mumbai about a great place to stay behind the Burger King. Hmmm armed with these instructions we attempted to find the place. Surprisingly we found said hostel with relative ease only to find out that it was fully booked. Luckily we ended up staying at a place called “@ Home” right next door. I would have to say that the 5£ per night fee was money well spent. The place was really clean and had air con. I hear there has been lost of snow in London, well in Thailand it averages around 32 degrees. After copping some well needed zzzzzzzz we walked to the crazy Koh Sahn Road. The place is full of lights and food stalls. As you walk from one end to the other you are enticed by all the various foods on show, I find myself constantly eating in Thailand. There are so many distractions on this road that you find 100m takes 1 hour to walk. This place is an obvious tourist trap, no one can deny that but it’s still great fun. We pretty much stayed local the first night enjoying the great variety of Thai beers. We met loads of people mostly backpackers as you do in Thailand everyone sharing their experiences so far giving advice wherever possible. I would say a great way to get intel on various places instead of using the booby-trap that is lonely planet. The following day we definitely dealt with treating our bodies like temples. I would say that we had a typical Paris Hilton day. We woke up very late around 2pm roughly. We then walked to a Spa with the intention of having a Thai Massage. Upon arriving we changed our minds and went for the full treatment this included a facial. I would have to say in the manliest possible way that it was a great hangover cure and definitely something I would do again not just because my skin was silky smooth (hahah) but because of the level of comfort and relaxation I was in., We all came out glowing and fresh and we stumbled across a very interesting food stand. Not like your touristic food stand in Koh Sahn Road where prices are more variable than an oscillating wave. It was a massive food stand with a variety of food being cooked, I wanted to eat everything. The guy working knocked us up a plate each we paid a grand total of 90 Thai Baht thats around 2£ for all three of us. Right next to the stand we helped ourselves to fresh fruit juices. We have been having drinks with ice your perfectly all right in Bangkok.
We had one more night in Bangkok, a Saturday night in Bangkok. We booked coach tickets for Chiang Mai for the following day and we proceeded to focus on the good times. We chilled in Koh Sahn Road for a few drinks ( 3L towers of Chang drop like warm honey) at the Koh Sahn Centre Pub, a really chilled place always packed. We then went to a nightclub nearby, it was really expensive and closed at 1am. We couldn’t accept that it was our time to sleep so we got a Tuk Tuk to a late license place called Sin. We didn’t realise that it was so far and we were 6 in a Tuk Tuk on highway we definitely turned heads. Sin was full of locals and the paranoia starts to kick in “are they really women? ”. We met some cool locals (girls and boys) and they showed us where to go for some local food in Nana. On the way there I couldn’t believe how many old men had Thai young girls on their side hmmmm. The food in Nana was great, it was outdoors under the skyrail, very local as we were the only foreigners there. After eating for the 5th time in 24 hours we called it a night.
The trip to Chiang Mai was ok, we took a coach as I couldn’t take another train after India. It took 12 hours and set us back around 10£. We stopped in a few places to eat and for the smokers to get their fix. We finally got to Chian Mai on Monday morning with Arts ready to pick us up. I would have to say that our time in the north was the best time I have had this holiday and that Arts and his family are the definition of hospitality. He let Weli and Mark stay who he doesn’t know at all. His house was beautiful and very big just outside of central Chiang Mai. The 5 days in the North were jammed packed of things to do. We finally got to a routine of waking up early which has been the vane of the trip so far. Weli is the antichrist of waking up encouraging everyone to lie in and waste away. Always being the last one in the shower so as to catch those valuable 10 mins of sleep. I have started throwing water on him as words are wasted. We stayed in Chiang Mai for a day eating in great places and seeing the sites. Chiang Mai is completely different to Bangkok with very few similarities. Where Bangkok is a perfect city to pass by for a few days, Chiang Mai is the sort of place I would recommend staying if you have the time. We visited on the most famous temples in Chiang Mai as well as passing through the Chiang Mai palace or Kings Residence. I think Alan Titchmarsh would have passed out in a state of extreme pleasure had he seen their gardens. We also saw Chiang Mai university where Arts studied before meeting me at Imperial College last year. The university reminded me more of a Portuguese University more campus based than say UCL, plus they wear uniform. We ate that afternoon near the uni where all the students go.
Arts organised a trip to Pai, which is even further north than Chiang Mai pretty close to the boarder with Burma. The road was old and went around every possible mountain range in Northern Thailand, a hassle to get there but well well worth it. Pai is my favourite place so far on my travels and I will definitely come back in the future. It is a hidden village right in the middle of a valley completely isolated and surrounded by jungle. Our hotel was amazing with a great view of the crystal clean Pai river and an untouched hill side. Absolutely breathtaking. Arts showed me around the site of his new hotel that he is building in Pai. The website is www.montisresort.com i think, it will be opened in Oct 2009, having seen the plans it will be the perfect place to stay and relax. Pai almost reminds me of a village in the alpes minus the snow if that makes sense. That afternoon Arts arranged an elephant ride for all of us at his cousins Elephant farm. I have always wanted to ride an elephant, they are wonderful creatures and very slow. We went for a couple of hours through the jungle bareback, which led to a sore arse for the next few days. That afternoon we managed to also go down Pai river on a bambo raft. Personally that was my favourite experience as the nature was even more untouched and along the river we could see locals and old farming techniques being employed. Of course we made it a race, Art and I on one raft and Weli and Mark on the other. There were some foreigners in Pai, I reckon that in 10 years that will be a definite on backpackers itineraries. The following day we visited one of many waterfalls in the north. It was so big but very picturesque, of course I swam at the bottom, check the pics.
When we returned to Chiang Mai we ate at a great restaurant with Arts Parents, again the food was top quality. The next and final day in Chiang Mai we went for Thai fast food for breakfast right in the centre of the city, behind the historical old walls and moat. I was expecting a McDonalds type restaurant but when Arts said fast food he literally meant it. Upon ordering 4 ladies managed to put the food down in seconds. The food again was really nice and tasty however all this rice is making us all constipated. I need fibre, as soon as I lay my eyes on a pack of All Bran I will not hesitate to over dose my body in the stuff. We spent all day site seeing around the city as well as attending the infamous night Bazaar, where Weli went out of control and bought everything he laid his eyes on. Anyway folks I finally managed to get up-to-date with this blog I have 16 hours ahead of me on this god forsaken trip to the south for the full moon party in Koh Pangan.
Until the next and remember you stay classy San Diego (Ron Burgundy from Anchorman).
Bangkok is great, definitely a passing city, a fantastic place to spend a long weekend. We decided in the Taxi from the airport to go to the Backpacker central area the infamous Koh Sahn Road. We were told by an Australian backpacker on the internal flight from Delhi to Mumbai about a great place to stay behind the Burger King. Hmmm armed with these instructions we attempted to find the place. Surprisingly we found said hostel with relative ease only to find out that it was fully booked. Luckily we ended up staying at a place called “@ Home” right next door. I would have to say that the 5£ per night fee was money well spent. The place was really clean and had air con. I hear there has been lost of snow in London, well in Thailand it averages around 32 degrees. After copping some well needed zzzzzzzz we walked to the crazy Koh Sahn Road. The place is full of lights and food stalls. As you walk from one end to the other you are enticed by all the various foods on show, I find myself constantly eating in Thailand. There are so many distractions on this road that you find 100m takes 1 hour to walk. This place is an obvious tourist trap, no one can deny that but it’s still great fun. We pretty much stayed local the first night enjoying the great variety of Thai beers. We met loads of people mostly backpackers as you do in Thailand everyone sharing their experiences so far giving advice wherever possible. I would say a great way to get intel on various places instead of using the booby-trap that is lonely planet. The following day we definitely dealt with treating our bodies like temples. I would say that we had a typical Paris Hilton day. We woke up very late around 2pm roughly. We then walked to a Spa with the intention of having a Thai Massage. Upon arriving we changed our minds and went for the full treatment this included a facial. I would have to say in the manliest possible way that it was a great hangover cure and definitely something I would do again not just because my skin was silky smooth (hahah) but because of the level of comfort and relaxation I was in., We all came out glowing and fresh and we stumbled across a very interesting food stand. Not like your touristic food stand in Koh Sahn Road where prices are more variable than an oscillating wave. It was a massive food stand with a variety of food being cooked, I wanted to eat everything. The guy working knocked us up a plate each we paid a grand total of 90 Thai Baht thats around 2£ for all three of us. Right next to the stand we helped ourselves to fresh fruit juices. We have been having drinks with ice your perfectly all right in Bangkok.
We had one more night in Bangkok, a Saturday night in Bangkok. We booked coach tickets for Chiang Mai for the following day and we proceeded to focus on the good times. We chilled in Koh Sahn Road for a few drinks ( 3L towers of Chang drop like warm honey) at the Koh Sahn Centre Pub, a really chilled place always packed. We then went to a nightclub nearby, it was really expensive and closed at 1am. We couldn’t accept that it was our time to sleep so we got a Tuk Tuk to a late license place called Sin. We didn’t realise that it was so far and we were 6 in a Tuk Tuk on highway we definitely turned heads. Sin was full of locals and the paranoia starts to kick in “are they really women? ”. We met some cool locals (girls and boys) and they showed us where to go for some local food in Nana. On the way there I couldn’t believe how many old men had Thai young girls on their side hmmmm. The food in Nana was great, it was outdoors under the skyrail, very local as we were the only foreigners there. After eating for the 5th time in 24 hours we called it a night.
The trip to Chiang Mai was ok, we took a coach as I couldn’t take another train after India. It took 12 hours and set us back around 10£. We stopped in a few places to eat and for the smokers to get their fix. We finally got to Chian Mai on Monday morning with Arts ready to pick us up. I would have to say that our time in the north was the best time I have had this holiday and that Arts and his family are the definition of hospitality. He let Weli and Mark stay who he doesn’t know at all. His house was beautiful and very big just outside of central Chiang Mai. The 5 days in the North were jammed packed of things to do. We finally got to a routine of waking up early which has been the vane of the trip so far. Weli is the antichrist of waking up encouraging everyone to lie in and waste away. Always being the last one in the shower so as to catch those valuable 10 mins of sleep. I have started throwing water on him as words are wasted. We stayed in Chiang Mai for a day eating in great places and seeing the sites. Chiang Mai is completely different to Bangkok with very few similarities. Where Bangkok is a perfect city to pass by for a few days, Chiang Mai is the sort of place I would recommend staying if you have the time. We visited on the most famous temples in Chiang Mai as well as passing through the Chiang Mai palace or Kings Residence. I think Alan Titchmarsh would have passed out in a state of extreme pleasure had he seen their gardens. We also saw Chiang Mai university where Arts studied before meeting me at Imperial College last year. The university reminded me more of a Portuguese University more campus based than say UCL, plus they wear uniform. We ate that afternoon near the uni where all the students go.
Arts organised a trip to Pai, which is even further north than Chiang Mai pretty close to the boarder with Burma. The road was old and went around every possible mountain range in Northern Thailand, a hassle to get there but well well worth it. Pai is my favourite place so far on my travels and I will definitely come back in the future. It is a hidden village right in the middle of a valley completely isolated and surrounded by jungle. Our hotel was amazing with a great view of the crystal clean Pai river and an untouched hill side. Absolutely breathtaking. Arts showed me around the site of his new hotel that he is building in Pai. The website is www.montisresort.com i think, it will be opened in Oct 2009, having seen the plans it will be the perfect place to stay and relax. Pai almost reminds me of a village in the alpes minus the snow if that makes sense. That afternoon Arts arranged an elephant ride for all of us at his cousins Elephant farm. I have always wanted to ride an elephant, they are wonderful creatures and very slow. We went for a couple of hours through the jungle bareback, which led to a sore arse for the next few days. That afternoon we managed to also go down Pai river on a bambo raft. Personally that was my favourite experience as the nature was even more untouched and along the river we could see locals and old farming techniques being employed. Of course we made it a race, Art and I on one raft and Weli and Mark on the other. There were some foreigners in Pai, I reckon that in 10 years that will be a definite on backpackers itineraries. The following day we visited one of many waterfalls in the north. It was so big but very picturesque, of course I swam at the bottom, check the pics.
When we returned to Chiang Mai we ate at a great restaurant with Arts Parents, again the food was top quality. The next and final day in Chiang Mai we went for Thai fast food for breakfast right in the centre of the city, behind the historical old walls and moat. I was expecting a McDonalds type restaurant but when Arts said fast food he literally meant it. Upon ordering 4 ladies managed to put the food down in seconds. The food again was really nice and tasty however all this rice is making us all constipated. I need fibre, as soon as I lay my eyes on a pack of All Bran I will not hesitate to over dose my body in the stuff. We spent all day site seeing around the city as well as attending the infamous night Bazaar, where Weli went out of control and bought everything he laid his eyes on. Anyway folks I finally managed to get up-to-date with this blog I have 16 hours ahead of me on this god forsaken trip to the south for the full moon party in Koh Pangan.
Until the next and remember you stay classy San Diego (Ron Burgundy from Anchorman).
Monday, 2 February 2009
Goa by Filipe
The idea of catching a 27 hour train from the infamous Delhi central station to Goa after the chaotic experience of the 17 hour Mumbai to Delhi fiasco made me at least feel physically sick. I decided to unleash a wave of manipulative persuasion on the guys to avoid catching the train not realising that very little was necessary to sway them into catching an internal flight. The decesion was unanimous to go by plane Ahhh the tickets were booked we would be there in 2 hours on Indigo Air for £60.
On arriving to Vasco da Gama I immediately noticed that the aromatic Delhi city smell had been left behind somewhere near the Delhi Central Station area I would imagine. Goa is beautiful and a complete contrast to Mumbai and Delhi. The clean air inflowing into my lungs cleansing my contaminated aveoli and the well preserved architecture from the Portuguese colonial days made me feel just fine and dandy. I didn’t feel that I was in mainland India but more on an island. We decided at the airport that we would go to Arambol beach in the north to live on a beach shack in true hippie fashion. A 1250 rupee taxi ride later we arrived. We had officially arrived in hippie land, dread locks, tattoos covering 90% of all body parts, bob Marley music, musicians, marijuana and all the stereotypical clichés that they are associated with. Everyone was walking around the market stalls in bare foot I could only think of the hygiene risks associated.
On walking onto the sandy beach with the heavy rucksacks that will explain spinal problems when we are all old and grey as we definitely over packed as we seem to be leaving clothes everywhere in an aim of reducing net weight. Mark is definitely the worst of the group having started this epic journey with an astonishing 30 kg on a wheely bag.
In writing this a week later what happened in Goa is pretty cloudy because we pretty much over relaxed and I can’t differentiate between the days and so I will attempt in being as vague as possible with dates. Goa involved a lot of sleeping, drinking, some site seeing and clubbing. We would relax on the beach almost every night and watch the sun set, which is a breathtaking experience and something I never got tired of. We continued the trend of eating local food, having thought we had avoided the dreaded Delhi Belly. Goan food is pretty amazing, the curry is completely different containing a lot less cream etc. One of the days we had fresh fish, Mark and I choose a variety including lobster yummy. What I am about to say might come as an absolute shock to many so brace yourselves for the unveiling of the true Goan experience.
In going to Goa I was expecting on a social and nightlife level crazy psychedelic trance parties on the beaches till the early hours of the following afternoon. I was expecting hippie gatherings around bomb fires on the beach with live music and crazy dancing. Ohh we did scour the beaches for these famous parties (mostly rumours) to no avail. I felt we had to chase the night a bit too hard in Goa, I guess one comparison would be going to Ibiza and spending 4 hours looking for a crowd of people. Ohhh and can I say that the Russians have completely invaded Goa, I found myself picking up a few words in Sputnik.
Goa has beautiful villas left behind by the Portuguese but even more impressive are the various churches scattered around the state. It ponged of typical colonial architecture, having lived in Portugal I could definitely see influences from churches back home. For the last two days we decided to change beach and go to Dona Paula beach near Paniji the capital, we stomped up the cash and stayed in a very nice beach hotel resort. We took advantage of the laundry service provided, which we duly reciprocated with 15kg of laundry. Fresh clothing finally, no fabreeze abuse on the clothes.
The last days in Goa we found ourselves talking about the following destination “Thailand”.
From comments being left, some may think I hate India. I don’t hate India, I just find it unbelievable how they can be so far behind with respect to poverty and service but seem to have one of the fastest growing economies. On leaving Mumbai you have to pass the immigration desk. Now is this coincidence or do these people have absolute power and demonstrate this by not giving a flying f*ck about their jobs. She kept me waiting behind the yellow line for 5 mins whilst she attended to a personal call on her mobile. Ok it could be a family emergency, give her the benefit of the doubt, what about when I was summoned to her desk for her to progress on having another phone conversation. A joke in my opinion.
Saturday, 31 January 2009
NONDAS is getting married
I have it on good authority that Nondas is to be wed by next summer to a russian beauty. I think you will all agree in wishing him the best of luck and raising your glass "nastarovia"
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
CATHAY PACIFIC RATING by Filipe
Many will know from the previous rating of British Airways how the rating system works, for new comers I have shown the various areas that effect us consumers on a flight. BA scored pretty low and generally we were unimpressed. WE will be catching two more BA flights so I am hoping they buckle up their ideas.
Service – Air hostess women ratio and how they served their customers.
Drinks – How free flowing the gins and tonic are i.e. number
Food – How tasty and delicious
Entertainment – The level of entertainment i.e. the system used and films available
Plane – Quality of the plane i.e. how old and finishings
Everything will be out of 5.
Service 5
Drinks 3
Food 4
Plane 3
Entertainment 5
Giving a grand total of 20 out of 25. It was a really pleasant flight with nice air hostesses.
This leaves the scoreboard as:
Cathay Pacific 21
British Airways 14
We all agreed that BA has a long way to go to meet the quality and service and of Cathay Pacific.
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