Jeff's world Travel

Penang to Chiang Mai

jeffbrad — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:13:00 GMT

Fri 23rd Oct - I was shocked this morning. Stopped for a chat with a couple of guys by the entrance to the Star Lodge, to find that one guy's daughter had her handbag stolen yesterday. It was snatched from her shoulder and the strap broken to get it off her. They were due to go back to Thailand where they live, and had to rush off to the Thai embassy to get a temporary passport. The other guy told a story that last night one of the residents was beaten up by a gang of youth's with knives and all they took was his bag with book in it. He ended up in hospital. Both events happened here in Muntri. Considering the warning I had received recently, it really does put a dampener on the beauty of this place that it is becoming so dangerous to be here for tourists. Apparently, the police had been patrolling the area, but the criminals just wait for them to go and catch the next unsuspecting person who walks past, and they come out of the alleys as a pack, so you don't actually see them hanging around as a group.

I had the runs this morning. Proving that the highly rich Indian diet had taken effect. What goes in must come out...sometimes with full force!

The minibus arrived early to take me to the bus station and had to wait there a little while until time to join the big bus to Ipoh. Chatted to an interesting couple from Melbourne who where antique dealers. They make a regular trip here to buy items to ship back to Australia. The cost of flying to KL from home was only AUD$99 all inclusive. That's a crazy price and making me think about the trip I want to make there next year. Getting there from Manila was US$586 at the last quote, and getting to KL is easy enough.

The Big bus set off at 9:30am and was a bit swish. Nice comfy armchair type soft reclining seats. Not many passengers and no video blasting away; Pleasant. It stopped at Sunghai Nibong Express bus terminal at 9:45am for 15 minutes to collect more passengers.

Arrived in Ipoh at about 12:15. First task was to check out the options to get to Jerantut. Only one bus company doing that trip. Stoneway, and charging RM40 leaving at 1am every day and taking 6hrs.

I had rung ahead to the Hotel Sun Golden Inn so took a taxi there for RM12. The book says 5 to 7 RM but they wave a fixed tariff sheet and refused to do a meter. Must be a tourist thing.

Well I have to say that this hotel is crap for the money. I think the standards are poor. Yes they have the functions, but with signs of neglect. RM38 for a room with aircon, warm shower etc, but could have been better.

Well it was early enough to do some sightseeing and find out what Ipoh has to offer. The main Jalan Sultan Iskandar road leads straight to the railway station. Locally called the 'Taj Mahal' due to its roof. It is a grand colonial building. Most of it seemed closed. The Majestic Hotel which forms part of it is running a promo rate, but it seemed dead. I checked out some travel options whilst I was there and made a decision to scrap my plan to do the Jungle railway from Jerantut. It is a lot of hassle, and looking at the timing, would take me 3 to 4 days to complete from now including stopovers so you cover it in daylight. The end point is also in an awkward spot for border troubles, so I decided to abandon. Little to gain from doing it. Instead I will return to Thailand on tonight's overnight train from here. I will only go as far as the Malaysian border and cross over, then see what happens from there, but should be able to catch a bus or minibus.

Having not had a meal today other than a light breakfast, I went in search. Found some nice old buildings and stopped at the nice 'Old Town White Coffee' restaurant. Free fast Wi-Fi and ok food. I mistakenly ordered a 'Rose float', which turned out to be a fluorescent pink colour. Garish and sweet.

Just as I was considering leaving, thunder and lightning started and the heavens opened. The rain was so heavy; I had to abandon any idea of leaving as I had nothing for cover. Time ticked by and no sign of it letting up, so I decided to make a run for it and see if I could spot a taxi. No luck as all that passed were occupied. So bit by bit I had to run from one cover to another until I had made it back. Chance to dry out and freshen up before having to head back to the station.

From what I could see earlier in the day, the station didn't have much in the way of food. Maybe it opens in the evening. Just in case it didn't I went on a search around the hotel area. Plenty to choose from with local restaurants, mainly Chinese. I ended up at the posh sounding 'Ritz Kowloon'. Well it was the nicest hotel in the area, and the restaurant was clean and with good range of food. Even a 7-11 across the road to get some bits for the train journey.

On the way back to the hotel, I noticed a few dodgy looking 'Massage Parlours', with even dodgier looking women standing in the doorways. It brought to mind a comment in the guidebook that many of the hotels around here charge the rooms by the hour. Where I am staying is a daily rate, so a safer option. The hourly ones, looking at the state of the women, must be beyond imagination...gives me the creeps just thinking of it. How many diseases would sir like this evening? Just one...for a special deal we can fix you up with a whole groin full of infections!

As the rain had stopped, and I had plenty of time, I thought I would walk to the train station instead of catching a taxi, but one passed and I weakened and went to the Old Town café instead. Snacked up and used the free internet whilst I was killing time. Only a few minutes walk to the station from there. Plenty of skateboarders had now come out to play around the area in front of the station. Massage service was open too for people stressed out waiting for their train. And without feeling surprised...when I got to the station, the train was delayed by 44 minutes and counting. So, having left the coziness of the café to the quiet of the station, I now had some time to kill. It is a clean station at least. The taxi driver earlier had given me an encapsulated business card so it would stay clean and asked me not to lose it. He wanted to be my personal guide and helper if I ever returned here. Good English and enthusiastic to extol the virtues of his country. You know, out of the many countries I have visited, Malaysia stands out at the one where the people openly want to promote living here. It doesn't take much and they will tell you how great they think it is, and why I should come and live here. The government must be doing a great job for its people to believe in it so much. It warms your heart. So many countries have its people wanting to leave in droves due to some disagreement they have, but not here. Stand up and sing the Malaysian national anthem now...now how does it go?...I have no idea!

A group of youngsters (makes me sound old that term...hmmm...) were dressed a bit oddly and taking photos of each other. Tried to ask them what they were up to, but they couldn't explain in English. Looked fun though. Malaysians are quiet and patient waiters....they just sit and contemplate, and look serene.

52 minutes and counting....

At this stage one begins to ask oneself why one chose this option. Maybe one was having a senior moment. Maybe one was deluded into thinking it would all run to plan. All I wanted was to sleep instead of using a bus, which by the way left at around 00:45 and would go straight to Hat Yai, but would get no sleep at all. The ticket aboard EL8 Lankgawi Express was only RM46 and cheap enough. Ironically I had paid RM38 for the room in the Sun Golden Inn and didn't even spend the night there. They wouldn't give me any money back for leaving early. But I didn't fancy spending another day in Ipoh, no matter what virtues it might have. At least I had a shower and a rest in the room. So did I make the right decision? When you travel on yiur won, it is easy to make some really poor decisions. But they seem ok at the time. 56 minutes delay and counting....

At 00:45 EL8 put in an appearance. 77 minutes later than the scheduled time. Nice that wasn't it. Of course, my carriage S3 went whizzing past, so I had to leggit to the far end of the platform to board. I wouldn't mind but I had asked a guard where to stand. So he wasn't much help. Anyway, off to sleep now...Zzzzzz.....

Sat 24th Oct - I managed to get some sleep during the night, even thought the train was very bumpy at times. From around 7am it was impossible to rest any more, so got up. By that time most of the passengers had left the train. The scenery was nice. Mainly paddy fields and palm trees and a misty morning as the heat haze was building up.

The train arrived in Pedang Besar at 10:15. Right outside the train, on the platform is the immigration section. Well, under ideal conditions it would be that simple. But the train from Padang Besar to Hat Yai wasn't running and so they had closed immigration. I walked in and it was deserted. Asked around and was told it was upstairs. Went upstairs to be told it was downstairs. Got fed up with that and went to the money changer at the bottom of the stairs to get rid of my ringgits. Got a rate of 9.7 Baht per ringgit. In Penang the rate had been 10.7 baht per ringgit. Lost a whole baht. Could have kept and changed in Hat Yai, but it was acceptable. Anyway, after some more advice, went back up stairs and out of the back of the building along the walkway and into the main immigration post. The signs aren't that obvious, until you get there. Not many people, so stamped out of Malaysia fairly quickly. Next, a few hundred metres in the sweltering heat through the no man's land duty free zone and into the Thailand immigration. By this time I was dripping sweat on my passport…yuk! Another quick passage and out the other side. Back into Thailand time now, so watches adjusted back 1hr.

I had expected buses, or minivans to be waiting to go to Hat Yai, but nothing. The few extreme charging taxis that there were, had departed by that time leaving nothing but to walk to the main road, dragging this damned trolley case, which is annoying me. There is a bus stop around 50 metres along the road, so sat and waited. No bus, but after a short while a car pulled up and wound the window down. The guy asked if I was going to Hat Yai, which I was. 200 Baht he said...150 Baht I replied...ok 100 Baht he then offered. I liked his bargaining skills..if I kept going he would be paying me! Turned out that he worked for the police in the town and was nice to chat with, in his limited English. At one point we stopped so that he could buy a new car DVD player from a scrap dealer. You don't get this on a bus or taxi. It is a fair journey to Hat Yai, and I asked to be dropped at the railway station, as I knew the way to my accommodation from there. When I came to pay him, he refused to accept anything no matter how I thrust some money at him. He was so kind, I got the journey for free. The adventures and pleasures of independent travel. Stayed at the Cathay Guest House again for 200 Baht. There will definitely be much better in the area, but they can at least organize the next section of my trip.

Thought I would lie down for a few moments as hadn't had much sleep during the night...and as if by magic....I lost 3 hours....time travel!

Out on the street to soo what was happening. Right now the 'Vegetarian festival' is on throughout Thailand. Now I would have thought that this meant just eating healthily and nice stuff. Well, I heard some firecrackers and loud bangs going off by the Central Mall, so followed to see what it was about. A group of youngsters, dressed in Chinese clothing, were doing all sorts of strange things to themselves, such as cutting their tongues and stomachs with sharp knives to the pounding beat of a drum. Trying to cause themselves some form of additional harm by dancing with large handfuls of crackers. The volume was deafening. I asked and was surprised that that this was to do with the Veggy festival. What are they doing this for? Seems a tenuous link to eating healthily.

Inside another mall a music company 'Perfect Pitch', had a stage set up with some awesome guitarists showing their skills. Incredible standard from one of the soloists. They were actually promoting the quality of their instruments and giving out brochures. So many kids in the audience could only dream of becoming that good, but it is amazing the skills that some players can achieve.

In the evening I fancied something a bit different for dinner. Went to a tabletop barbeque place in the middle of the entertainment area. Hotplate inset into the table and a pot to boil the veg and noodles. Really clean place and nice service. I had a pork set for 123 Baht, which was just enough. Everywhere here seemed to be playing big screen football. Popular with the expats as well as the visiting Malays. A normal sight at night is the wandering elephants and their mahouts inciting people by to buy bananas for them. Seen this in almost every town I have visited in Thailand. They say to not encourage it. But what will happen if people don't support them in some way. They will be retired out to pasture and eventually disappear, as there is no work for them anymore.

An evening listening to live music around the bars. Plenty of it, and good quality, and a majority sung in English. The occasional Thai song does prove popular with the locals though, and seems to lift them up a bit more as they can join in.

Sun 25th Oct - Have been dwelling on where to go next. Thought I would go back to Bangkok direct and went to the train station to find all trains were fully booked for today. Randomly decided to go Ranong, which is a hot spring/spa town on the Andaman coast north of Phuket. Only one bus goes direct from here, leaving here at 11am for 500 Baht, and should take around 8hrs journey time. A little expensive, but had to make a decision. The islands are all same same, and would be more expensive anyway. Thought I could grab a bit of beach time after Ranong if I felt like it.

I was dropped at the bus station in plenty of time, and was surprised that it was an ordinary bus. Nothing fancy, not even comfortable seats like in the big buses. I was also surprised to see the actual ticket price of 390 Baht. So they make 110 Baht profit just to take to the bus station! As expected, I was the only foreigner on board.

Fairly ordinary journey through Phettalung, stopping for a 20 minute lunch break just before 2pm on the way to Surat Thani. Onwards north and is noticeable how Thailand becomes more 'Thai'. The mosques have vanished. The pretty Thai temples are more common and no more Arabic signage. In fact no English either, apart from the small print on the major road signs. Everything else only in Thai. We had a spell of heavy rains and continued threatening grey skies as we progressed. Was hoping it wasn't going to be grim all the way.

The bus detoured from the main highway in to Lang Suan to Collect/drop some passengers. There are some places that aren't on the tourist trail for good reasons, and I have to say that this is one of them. Apart from its location surrounded by nice forest, the town certainly didn't seem to have any redeeming features. The sun was shining...and that didn't make any difference!

Darkness fell as we sped along route 4006 going westwards. The forest around here is lush and hilly with vast plantations of palm oil. Going north on the final leg to Ranong and it began to get built up once more. I asked the conductor if he knew the place I was due to get off and he denied. A girl in front said she knew and indicated to me when to get off. I had faith in her. That was a silly thing to do really. Having faith in a stranger, especially a non-English speaking stranger is always fraught with problems. I should have believed my instinct. As soon as we got off she indicated that I needed to get on a motorcycle taxi. Considering I have this lump of a trolley case to tow, I thought it was a bad idea, and they all vanished rather quickly. After a succession of asking folk along the way where the 'Spa Inn' was, I found my way there..around 2km from where I got off the bus. I passed it once, as the signs were in Thai. No English anywhere. After all that effort and sweat pouring out of me…It was disgusting. They had the cheek to want 490 Baht for a room that had walls that were peeling so badly. The stair carpets were worn right through. And the whole place was dead. No wonder it was empty. I refuse to stay and left in disgust. So, where to go now? The guidebook suggested only one other place and I couldn't contact it as the number in the book was wrong as usual...the normal flaw with the Lonely Planet. So many numbers change and you end up just having to take the risk of going there. A few people stopped as I was walking there. One young lad even followed me for a while and tried to help, but he gave up trying to explain to even a sawngthaew driver where I wanted to go, and that was with the aid of a map. It was the opposite end of town from where I started. So I gave up and had to walk. By the time I got to 'Casa Theresa', I must have walked around 4km lugging this now frustratingly annoying trolley case. Sure enough the telephone numbers had change. Also, the book suggested the prices began at 200 Baht. Not any more they don't...now the cheapest was 500 Baht! Worn out and hungry and now late, I had no choice but to accept it. It did mean that instead of stopping for a couple of nights, I would now only stop for 1 night at that price. This place was dead too. I was the only person staying here. What is going on? Maybe it is out of season, but thought there might be one other person at least. Walking through town, there isn't that much to offer really, so no wonder. It is a spa town as it is surrounded by hot springs. I thought that there must have been a special event on, as a majority of people were dressed in white. A small group at a Chinese shrine were beating drums. The main road through the town was alive with a ceremony. Back at Casa Theresa, the proprietor confirmed that it was all to do with the Vegetarian festival, and today was the last day.

I stopped at a nice outdoor food stall for a bowl of mixed meat/vegetable soup. I had not seen another foreigner all day...so Ranong is definitely not on the tourism trail. Firecrackers were going off in the distance as I ate. So after a little research, Ranong has a few functions…one as a gateway to Myanmar and a place where some foreigners will come to renew their visa if they cannot get somewhere more sensible. Many places in town offer the renewal service with a minibus to the border, but I guess many will just go it a lone there. An in/out stamp will still cost the Myanmar entrance fee ($5 I think), and only allow the 15-day extension unless a longer term Thai visa has already been secured in advance. It sounds to be a total pain to do here, considering that it involves getting out of Thailand at Victoria Point, followed by a boat ride to get in to Myanmar as a day visitor, and then going on the return leg with a round trip of a couple of hours plus I am sure some bargaining to do along the way. Easier to let an operator sort it out. The other purpose is as an access point to some of the outlying islands and also the local hot springs of course.

So my brief overnight stop in Ranong was a bit of a waste of time really. A long day getting here, and another long day tomorrow to get to somewhere more interesting. It is out of season of course, and next month onwards will see an increase in tourists so they tell me.

So where to next? Well I could go all the way back to Bangkok. Aircon buses leave here often (5am, 7am, 9am, 10:30, 13:30, 17:30, 19:30, 20:30 Bus station tel: 811548) taking 9 hours. I can also go to Chumpon leaving every 90 minutes starting at 8:30am (plus an early one at 6:30am) taking 3hrs. But that would only be of use to connect with the train north and there is only one sensible train during the day and the rest leave late. If I got there and could not get a seat on the train, then I would either have to get another bus or stay in Chumpon until late and waste almost half a day. What a pain of a decision. I think my best option is to get a Bangkok bound bus and ask to get off at Phetchaburi (aka Phetburi), as it supposed to be interesting.

Mon 26^th Oct – An early start so that I stand a chance of getting to my destination at a sensible time. Woke up before 6am and rather than stop for breakfast, I got a motorcycle taxi to the bus station to catch the first bus out. I was the only passenger on the 7am aircon bus. Booked to go to Phetchaburi, taking around 7 hrs hopefully, and costing 260 Baht.

Ordinary journey for most of the way. Really cold aircon and my toes were going numb!

First major stop was Chumpon at about 9:30am for 15 minutes. From there it was major highway north following the same route almost as the train. Pleasant enough, with a nice lunch stop along the way. I was supposed to be dropped at Petchaburi bus station, but the driver wanted to drop me on the highway, a few kilometers from town, with no taxis, or other passing public services. He thought it was most funny and kept chatting to the conductor and saying the word Falang every few words. They knew how difficult it was for me and so I refused to get off the bus. They wouldn't take me where I had paid to go, and so carried on to Bangkok. I had to change my plans as a result. Got so angry with the idiot for the attitude they had and a couple of passengers who could speak a little English sympathized, but nothing that could be done about it. It totally spoils what is a lovely country with that type of behavior, and not the first time it has happened. The driver stopped the bus further up the road and got the police. Between him, me and a cell phone with someone screaming at me in distorted English, I just told them how bad this was for Thailand tourism. They think it is a joke, but I bet the Thai government doesn't as they are trying to promote tourism. It all got settled eventually and I stayed on the bus to Bangkok. Cost me another 100 Baht, and then thought what effect this would have on my plan. I was a little stressed now, and not in the mood for thinking about what to do next.

Well as I didn't want to stay in Bangkok again just yet, I began to think I should just go to Hua Lumphong train station and get the next train to my favourite place of Chiang Mai? But on the other hand, that would mean a crazy day's travel with nothing of substance to it, just travel. Within a few minutes of arriving at the southern a bus terminal in Bangkok, I was in a metered taxi and whizzing off to Hua Lumphong. Traffic seemed easy and only cost me 160Baht, so I was pleased with that. Arrived at 17:58 to find 1 sleeper berth left on the 6pm train. Too late to get on it really, as I needed dinner and to freshen up. Took a later train at 17:35 instead (771 Baht for upper sleeper)...phew...sorted and time to eat. Anna Kitchen on the upper mezzanine does great food, so indulged in a lovely Thai green curry and rice. Calming down now as today has been crazy. I reckon I will sleep on the train tonight!

Things are going crazy back in the Philippines. Too much to go into, but can't wait to see what evolves. Shiera is juggling things about and nothing clear as to the outcome yet.

You wouldn’t believe it, but whilst I was walking through to the train platform, I bumped into a guy I know who owns the Soi 1 backpackers in the city. He had been away for a couple of months back in Australia. Great to catch up with him and his partner. We were on the same train to Chiang Mai, but in different carriages.

I was lucky this time to be sat with an American guy and his newlywed Thai partner. They were doing a family tour before they went back to the US. It was nice to chat about cultural issues and perspectives in the world’s opinion. She spoke almost no English, and he absolutely no Thai. So they had a mountain to climb in order to be able to understand each other and even communicate in a basic way. But they had now been married for 3 days!

The train was late in leaving by over an hour. It was a bit disappointing, but at least I availed myself of the free internet you can get form the ‘Green Bangkok’ network. A limited speed service, but better than nothing.

The magic bed fairies came around really late seeing as we were late departing. It has been a ridiculosly long travel day, with changes of plan along the way. It seems erratic at times, but I have been to Thailand many times and seen a cross section of places. It would have been nice to see Phetchaburi. I did see the palace on the mound as we raced past it on the bus. I almost waved at it. Sometimes it is nice to see new places, sometimes some familiar ground too. Chiang Mai is like that for me. Every time I come here, I always seem to manage a few days there somehow. Catch up with a few familiar faces. Hang out in places I know. Go and listen to music in my favourite hangouts.

I will be back in Bangkok on 4th November or earlier, as I am salsa dancing in the festival there from 5th to 8th November.

A bumpy ride on the train as usual. Never get a comfortable night's sleep on this particular journey, no matter how tired I am. Woke up when the train was stopped ad Den Chai station at about 6:30am. Plenty of activity by that time so no chance of sleeping any longer.

The train was running quite late. By the time we reached Nakhon Lampang, we were already 2hr 40min late. It didn't matter so much as I was having a nice chat with the guy from the US, so time was passing ok. It was lovely to see the photos from their recent wedding in her home village. Before that, she had never been outside of Udon Thani. Never been on a train even. So many new experienced for her. The main issue was language, as she could not get involved in any conversations yet. It will take time and patience on both their parts. One of the main problems was that she could not go to the US with him when he returns there soon. It will take maybe 6 months of paperwork before that can happen, and they will have to get married again in the US. This is always the case with Asian/foreigner marriages. It takes time for the passports and legal stuff to be resolved.

The train finally pulled into Chiang Mai 2hrs and 40min later than scheduled. From then on it was a well rehearsed routine, having been here many times. 20Baht for a shared Sawngthaew to Thae Pae gate area and then in to my favourite Guest House at Boonmee Mansions, and the very friendly Florence & Sam. It is like going home and the greeting is lovely. They have now opened up a noodles bar outside, which they had only started building when I was last here. A few other cosmetic changes, but still like coming home.

Wed 28th Oct - For many people in the media driven world, today is marked by the release of the Michael Jackson movie. Lots of hype about it. Well for me, today was marked by something even more dramatic...I decided to exchange my trolley case...which if you have followed my journals, has been a bit of a bad idea...for...yes folks...a backpack! Aahhh...I feel better already. So much lighter and more practical to travel with. I hope the two of us will grow to become good friends and I will be forgiven for that temporary relapse into the world of the trolley case brigade. One day, I might be ready again, but not just yet.

Another little coup was that, on my last visit to Chiang Mai I bought a book 'Colonel Ken's Hardship Postings' by Stuart Lloyd. Relating the stories of expat misadventures in Asia. Thought it was very funny and could relate to many of the stories. I went back to the original bookshop where I bought it, and exchanged it for volume 2. More fun reading to come. With all of this excitement, I had to stop for lunch before the afternoon's activities...whatever that may be?

All will be told in the next thrilling installment....bye for now folks.

Penang

jeffbrad — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:07:00 GMT

Mon 19th Oct - After the arrival and sorting stuff was out of the way, time to hit the streets of Chinatown whilst there is light. Need to pick up a new watch at some point, as my old one broke. Some street markets around as well as the Komplex mall. Muntri is home to a couple of lovely Chinese temples. The nearest is 175 years old according to the old guy who was sat inside. The main figure at the altar he referred to as the 'Ghost'. Not sure why, so I need to do some research into that?

I have this theme of 'doors and windows of the world'. I have got hundreds of photos of them. The old town here is door and window heaven, as there are so many beautiful designs in the Chinatown area alone. Every shophouse and business is different. I began in the 'Art & Cafe' which wasn't serving food for another hour, but I could look around at the building and art gallery upstairs. It is one of those places which wows you as soon as you step foot into the street.

I had a wonderful afternoon walking around this old town. The esplanade area on the water front is lovely, with a colonial town hall, and the Cornwallis fort, plus a restored lighthouse and ship's mast. Many historical monuments such as the clocktower and streets with quaint names beginning with either Lebuh (street) or Jalan (Main road). Figures from history are popular in the naming: Campbell, Kimberly, Hatton, McAlister, Farquhar etc the town's historical influences are all too present as you stroll from Chinatown, with its tightly packed vibrant shophouses and into Little India and the heady aromas of spices emanating from the numerous local restaurants and snack bars, all suffused with the thumping beat of Banghra music from oversized speakers on the pavements; shops selling pretty saris, and the Indian's penchant for all things sweet are catered for in many sweet shops. There is no doubting you are India here! A nice temple. October 25th is the annual Dewali (aka Deepavali) festival of light celebration. This is a perfect place to be for that. I stopped in the Kapitan Kelin Mosque on Lebuh Buckingham just as prayers were commencing. The haunting sound of the Muezzin sends tingles down your spine and as night fell, it took on a more dazzling form as the surrounding area lit up with street lights. It is taboo to take photographs during prayer sessions after 6pm, so just have to be content with taking it all in. They have some great tourist leaflets on everything to do with Islam in a stand by the entrance. I found the same leaflets in Singapore. Excellent idea, aimed at dispelling some of the misunderstandings about the Islamic faith for the outside world to understand the culture better.

In the evening I ventured into the entertainment area where the bars seemed empty until I found out that it was a National Holiday. Slippery Senoritas, Uptown bar, and many others were limbering up for live music later, but I was too early for that. There is a definite lively side to this town and also a feeling of quality. History has shaped it to be like going into Shanghai, catering for all tastes and cultures. There is a nice open food court in the Night market on Jalan Penang. Old couples were waltzing in between the table to some nice slow music. Pleasant and sweet to watch them.

Tue 20th Oct - Another day on foot exploring. First off was the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, which conducts narrated tours in English by a very knowledgeable Chinese lady, who kept leaping in the air when she said something amusing. She was entertaining, albeit with a facts and figures overdose! 12 ringgits (RM) entrance. No photographs allowed other than with prior arrangement. One of the most ornate buildings in the town, constructed by a man who dedicated himself to providing every service he could. His business was multi-national and multi-cultural. The mansion was very much a shrine to the principle of Feng Shui Chi design. Every element having a detailed explanation to its origin. Well worth taking the tour. He was a bit of a polygamist and had many wives spread around so it seemed. A bank of five low level buildings opposite the main house were constructed to house the kitchens and staff, and low enough to prevent anyone from ever building something that could block out the light into his house, thereby destroying the Feng Shui/ Ying & Yang business that is all so important in creating the flow of good through the property.

After that, a bit of light shopping walking down through Lebuh Campbell to the Komtar Complex shopping mall. Bought myself a new watch to replace the one that just broke, and purchased a Digi SIM card. 10 RM pre-loaded with 5RM credit (top-up at 7-11 stores) texts 15 Sen international, 10cents local. Passport details are required to buy a SIM. Also, have to wait 30 minutes before you can use it after it has been registered, so had lunch whilst waiting to try it out before leaving the building, in case there was a problem.

An afternoon of temples...the highlight being the Khoo Kongsi temple. A Hokkein style testament to everything it is possible to make ostentatious in a single building. The stonework, the lanterns, the gold leaf on the statues, the tiling work on the roofing, well worth the RM12 entrance fee. More walking, another temple. This time an Indian one at the 'Goddess of mercy' temple. Even more walking and then boarded the QE2 for coffee. Well it sounds posh doesn't it? It is actually a restaurant by the water’s edge and a nice one at that. 7 Ringgits for a coffee listening to sophisticated music from the classics. This felt so British of me I was content whilst watching the ferries come and go from the adjacent terminal. This is where I had come to Penang last year. I have no idea why we came that route instead of using the suspension bridge, which is obviously quicker.

Collected my passport with my Thai visa. 60 days free and can enter any time in the next 3 mths.

I had the most awesome Indian meal in the evening at the Maharaj restaurant on Penang road next to the Odean cinema. Dishes ranging from all over India, it was hard to choose. Indian music and authentic décor inside. There are plenty of local Indian restaurants in the area, but I wanted something special. And it sure was. Served on banana leaf for authenticity and eaten with fingers, I had a nice mix of Kashmiri and vegetable dishes. All the staff spoke English and were helpful. Highly recommended.

Got offered a few ladies on the short walk to the Uptown Bistro from some of the dodgiest looking characters I have seen in a while. Can't seem to escape this wherever I go. Dropped into a pub for a nice Kilkenny beer. Reminded me of being back in the UK, and the first 'Real Beer' I have had in ages. Tasted good...

Wed 21st Oct - A bit of an ambling day today. Didn't get to bed until around 3am, so wasn't surprised when I didn't get out of bed until after 11am. Half the day had gone by now, so got up and went for brunch at the Western Oriental Café. The idea was to work out the plan for the next few days, so went to get some advice on the jungle railway. Good that I did, as I had got some of the information wrong. What I also learnt was a bit disturbing. I had been walking around with my camera over my shoulder. They were shocked that I hadn't been mugged. They showed me a newspaper article highlighting the fact that almost every day, especially around Muntri street, someone gets their back snatched off their shoulder by a passing motorcycle that has been stalking them. One article was about a girl with her boyfriend who had lost their passports and money. Ruined their dream holiday of course. Also, part of my plan to return to Thailand via the risky area of Su Ngai Kolok, was dismissed as crazy, as there had been much trouble, and recently according to one agent. The problem is how you get hold of current information? Not always easy, even the government sites as they always play it too safe.

Another indulgent Indian meal in the evening. Really spoiling myself with good food here. With Indian TV playing whilst I dined.

Thu 22nd Oct - After another late start and breakfast, I thought I should do something different. I had plodded the streets enough over the past few days. Penang hill seemed a good idea, for a trip on the funicular railway and a panoramic view f the island. Bus 204 goes there for 2RM and can be picked up in a number of places. I went to the Komtar bus terminal and it arrived within a few minutes. Clean, air-conditioned and smooth. The buses are a great feature of this town, and so cheap to use. The lodgings give out slips of paper with the bus numbers and destinations. Slightly confusing, but not when you have a map, bus 204 is going to 'Air Itam' (aka Penang Hill). It drops right outside the entrance of the Funicular terminal.

The ride to the top costs RM4 return (RM3 one way if you are crazy enough to want to walk back down), and is in two stages taking about 25 minutes. Incredibly steep and an interesting history from its initial attempt at a steam driven version, followed by the present modern cable driven version. There are seats, but the carriages are filled with standing passengers too. The rains had begun just before I got to the terminal and finished soon after I arrived, so I was lucky that the whole time I was on the hill it didn't rain. The views are superb. The suspension bridge spanning the Malaccan strait and the town spread out below.

One of the highlights apart from the train is the Indian temple on top of the hill. Beautiful design with vibrant colours, and lucky that the Brahmin was conducting a sermon whilst I was there. The present building replaced an earlier design, which had been constructed for the use of the Indian migrant workers who labored on the railway and other buildings on the hill during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Many other things to see, such as a mosque, the Penang hotel, an aviary, a place to have your photo taken with a Python, and food court. I had a nice Indian chickpea, onion, chilli and daal snack for RM3.

A bit of a British institution in the form of the David Brown's restaurant at Strawberry Hill was a nice interlude to my trip back towards the train terminal. A typical British colonial building, with ornamental lily pond out front. What more could I do but have Cameronian tea and scone, considering it was mid-afternoon. Expensive, but a necessary treat. The scones are cooked fresh too. Well it sounded nice. They forgot my scone, and the tea was cold. When they delivered the scone I had no tea left. I wouldn't mind, but on the way in to the place a small group I had been on the train with said they had the worse meal in all their time in Penang, and the most expensive. My own experience seemed to corroborate that. The head waiter was Filipino and it was interesting to chat with him about places we both knew. He had been there for 13 years, with an annual visit back to the Philippines. Had a nice chat with a couple of British ladies before I left. One was teaching in a British school here, and the other a teacher in Ho Chi Ming city in Vietnam, visiting the other lady. Both had spent around 17 years in Asia and loved it. It isn't hard to understand why. Those of us who make the transition from west to east can see it clearly, like a magnet, it draws you in, and the magnetic pull is hard to resist, so you don't find it easy to pull free.

Apart from Indian visitors, I was surprised at the amount of retired Australians here today. Small groups of them everywhere. I have to say that they were enjoying the good life, and showing signs of it...not a skinny one amongst them!

The return trains run until around 9pm, so no hurry back, and the buses run until midnight. At the bottom of the hill, there were so many taxis waiting, but most of the people were on organized tours, with coaches waiting for them. I only had to sit for a few minutes and the 204 bus arrived to take me back to the town. A pretty sight which I love to see, is a group of young Indian girls getting on at a bus stop like a sea of colour in their Saris. At the next stop they were joined by a group of Muslim ladies in their attractive clothing and colourful headscarfs. It looks so lovely to see the cultures mixed together in a celebration of who they are in this mulit-cultural place. The west by comparison is a bit drab by comparison I have to say. We don't use colour in the way that Asian cultures do. Celebrate it, don't hide it. I know that climate has a lot to do with it, but it lifts your spirits to be surrounded by a tehnicolour carpet of clothing.

Time to move on tomorrow, and so I stopped at the 75 traveller’s lodge to book my ticket to Ipoh for 9am tomorrow morning. I really want to go to Jerantut for the Jungle railway, but have to go to Ipoh first and check out my options on arrival.

It has been a really satisfying day, and considering it had been a quick change of idea in the morning, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.

On the way there and back I saw a few other landmarks which may be interesting to visit someday such as the National Mosque and the Kek Lok Si Temple. But I have sort of had enough of temples for the moment, no matter how nice they seem.

Well in case I didn't get the opportunity for a while to eat Indian, for the third night on the run I ate Indian. Yep, my system will probably rebel tomorrow, but what the heck. Had spicy mix for lunch and this time went western Indian, but with extra spice to throw my stomach into overload. The Maharaj restaurant which I enjoyed the first time was my choice, and didn't disappoint. Will miss Penang for a number of reasons, especially the food. I am sure I will be back some day, as I have left things to do, rather than try to do it all in one go. Last time I was here was in the north west of the island, and as such a totally different experience. Penang has so much to offer, that it rates high on my list of favourite destinations now.

That's all for now....

Bangkok to Malaysia

jeffbrad — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:51:00 GMT

Sat 10th Oct - Usual Breakfast at the Elfin Café and got a shirt repaired at a street tailor. Then off to the MBK centre for some light shopping. Got lured into Swensens by the entrance to the MBK for an ice-cream sundae. Gotta have treats now and then. I have to psyche myself up for shopping, so something to soften the blow.

The rest of the day was just bar hopping and a visit to what is known as Soi Cowboy at Asok. One of those places to wander through to see the bright lights, and side attractions, for research purposes! Didn't stay long and walked back through the markets.

Sun 11th Oct - Late breakfast and the highlight of the weekend with salsa at the Elfin restaurant for a few hours. Not many people turned up, so a quiet time and left early.

Mon 12th OCT - Heading for the Royal beach town of Hua Hin for a few of days. Around 4 hours south of Bangkok on the train. Last time I was in Bangkok and had to go to the station, I had no trouble getting a taxi for 60 Baht. This time none were interested, wanting 200 baht. Made my own way by skytrain and metro for 43 baht. The 1pm train was fully booked, so I had to settle on the 3:10pm one. No sooner had I sat down and a nice lady from Chiang mai started chatting to me. Really nice and owner own beauty salon there. Having been to Chiang Mai many times, It made for some easy conversation, and got an invite to stay when I go there. Her husband was killed in a motorcycle accident 6 months ago, so that was sad. She had a young daughter to raise now. Had the thought that she might be eying up potential husband number two! The express train 37 had comfortable leather seats and fan cooling and spacious legroom. Being an express train and considering they do this every day, it never ceases to amaze me that a train can then be 40 minutes late? I have made this comment before, that I used to consider Thai trains to be punctual, but not any more. The last three trains I have been on were all late in arriving.

I had pre-booked a couple of nights at the Tong Mee House on Soi Raumpown (032-530-725) whilst I was in transit. Of course the tuk-tuk driver wanted a crazy 100 baht to get there. Wasn't far so I walked, and it only took a little over 10 minutes. Nice clean and cozy rooms, with aircon, TV, warm shower, massage available, and in a quiet location. Quick shower then out to eat. Hadn't really formed any pre-conceived ideas of what to expect here. It is very commercial and possesses a great range of eateries of every nationality. Night bazaar and lots of comfort stuff for the homesick expat....Irish bar, pubs, fish & chips etc plenty of bright shiny lights without being overpowering. As expected, it has a multinational feel with German, Scandinavian, and British visitors.

It seemed to also have a thriving go-go bar scene too, although not as brash as Bangkok. A Katoey/Ladyboy show at the Blue Angel seems popular, as the cast were on the street promoting it.

Tue 13th Oct - After a late night catching up on the net, I realized that this was the quietest place I had been in for some time. I had slept like a baby. Great shower and then felt alive and ready to attack the day. Well one thing seems very apparent when walking along the waterfront...you don't see much of it! It has been overtaken by pier-based restaurants pushing out into the sea, and obliterating the white sand beneath. One of the piers was interesting as the fishing boats were bringing in their catch. I walked the stretch to the north of the centre and it was deserted apart from a few fishermen. The remnants of the old fishing village are still in evidence. That was nice too see. The narrow pathways with old tumbledown shacks lining them; kids playing ball or simple games; fenced in from the narrow khlong that leads away from the sea. The resorts that line this section of beach were deserted too. Maybe out of season and I guess, would be alive at the weekends as the Bangkokians come to play. It was a nice time to walk on the white sand and reflect on life for a while.

I will be visiting the UK for Christmas and visiting a friend in Spain on the way there for a few days, managed to get the final leg of the flight sorted. The next task will be to sort out the return flight. Looking at options at present but haven't come to any firm conclusions yet.

Back out for a walk, this time to explore the southern area of the town. By the clock tower is the Hua Hin wat. A hall in the grounds was hosting a funeral at 5pm, but people were already arriving from the family. Some ladies in traditional Thai dress were obliging for photos, and one lady spoke some English, so explained to me what was happening. Lunch at the easy going Joy steak and music bar, which did me a nice chicken Penang.

The streets of Hua Hin are awash with Taylors selling 'original' Armani suits and are touting for business as you pass. So many of them it is ludicrous and amazing they can do enough business.

Getting onto the beach seems to be limited to either going through a resort or a path that leads between the two sections of the Sofitel hotel. At the end you are greeted by horses offered for a ride along the beach and to one side a mass of umbrellas and restaurants swallowing up the sand. The southern direction is a bit more open though, and it was comforting to at last get my flip-flops off and tread fine white sand. Plenty of stuff going on...beach volleyball, picnickers, a bar playing dodgy reggae music. Busy, but laid back. I can imagine what this place would be like at weekends. Well at least I could see the sand today!

Had a good evening. Started at a group of bars near the Hilton for some drinks and chat with a group of thai locals and then went to a Karaoke bar until almost 3am. Many foreigners in there who had obviously been a while, as they were singing the thai songs too...very impressive. One thing that got me, and sort of spoiled the evening in a way. I had been with a small group of thais. When we came to leave, they handed me the bill to pay...for all of them. So I had a discussion with them and left them. I hate this. Foreigner = free night out for everyone. They wanted to meet up again tomorrow, but I declined and told them to find another sucker to pay for it. It seems as though Hua Hin is full of retired expats just buying themselves a life with the locals. As long as you spend money on them, they are yours for the evening. This sounds bad to say, but I am getting so tainted these days by the foreigner abuse scam, that it is changing my opinion about this country; beautiful yes, but in this type of place anyway, full of users and abusers. Nice on the surface, but with a hidden agenda underneath. It is hard to find what I would call genuine people if you go to touristy places, as over 90% of the people you meet will be in the same mold I reckon. I have had endless conversations with expats about this on my travels. The conclusion is that it is a fact of life here. If you find someone who you think you can trust...don't let go of them as they are hard to find. Turn your back for 5 seconds and even they will probably be looking at the next guy to walk past. Anyway, enough of the rant for now....

Wed 14th Oct - 6 days to go until my visa runs out and have to think carefully what I want to do with it. I am missing Shiera very much, and the strain on us is growing with the separation. Things aren't going that well back in the Philippines after the typhoon Ondoy struck and caused chaos. Work is causing major headaches for Shiera, and poor communications make for difficulties.

After a great breakfast at what I think is the nicest and cheapest place in town at the Crepes & Cruises restaurant on the water front, I thought it would be nice to take a leisurely stroll to the far northern end of town and visit the kings palace. Took me ages in the sweltering heat and got there to find out that the public aren’t allowed in, and cannot see anything from the perimeter fence anyway. So feeling that I had wasted my time a bit, although a nice walk, I consoled myself with a gorgeous Gelato at Da Vinci’s a short walk back from the palace. The lady who runs it speaks great English and I was the only customer, so we chatted for ages about lots of things and I felt thoroughly relaxed and happy afterwards.

I had a wonderful steamed fish in lime and chili for dinner from a restaurant at the end of one of the piers. It was superb quality and washed down with a lovely glass of red wine. Aahhh….

It has been another one of those days for various reasons, and didn’t really get my head around what I was going to do next until late in the day. Thought I may as well move on south tomorrow and try my chances of a visit to Khao Sok National Park. That meant getting to Surat Thani and then working it out from there. Off to the railway station to buy a ticket which cost me 460 Baht leaving at 11:14am aboard train 43 and hopefully arriving at 4:30pm. Only one class of seat (2nd) available.

With that sorted… another Gelato was in order. I usually don’t treat myself so much, but lately I need comfort food!

Thu 15th Oct - Breakfast at Crepes & cruises again and then off to the station. The train arrived 45 minutes late, but it didn't matter as whiled away the time chatting. Hua Hin station is a beautifuly restored traditional building, with original trains on display and surrounded by flowers. Had expected a big train to arrive, but it turned out to be only two carriages. A bit of a flurry of activity to get people off and new passengers on in the few minutes allocated for the stop. A meal service was brought around before the train had pulled away from the station.

On balance I liked Hua Hin. It has a mixed appeal, with enough to do for a short while, plenty of places to dine and drink, and good evening entertainment. A little more pricy that I exected. For anyone wanting some tailored clothing it is also an ideal place to come for the golfer, it has some world class courses from what I gather, and it is the lure for many foreigners here.

Pleasant enough journey, arriving in Surat Thani at 5:10pm. Well the stationis actually in Pun Phin, about 14km from the town. As expected and remembered from last time, a throng of touts descended on the train. Had some option and knew that there were many scams to expect. Hopped on a shared sawngthaew for 80 baht which of course dropped me off in Surat Thani town at an office offering services. After a bit of bartering I got a combined price of 650 baht for the aircon minibus leaving tonight plus a bamboo hut fan room in the park. The minibus left at 6pm. With such a rush of events I hadn't the time to sort out food. I was hungry now. It is easy to tell that they are used to this every day as they get stroppy really easily when you challenge anything. Best to not to get stressed with them. I could have stayed the night and gone tomorrow for cheaper. But by the time you add it up it isn't that much different and didn't want to stay in Surat Thani.

Luckily the driver stopped to pick something up and there was a chicken vendor nearby, so picked up half a chicken for 60 baht to munch on the bus. Felt much better after that.

Sometimes you just gotta have faith...

After dropping a few locals off along the way, it was just me and the non-English speaking driver. Arrived at the turning for Khao Sok National Park and his limited English asked where idi I wan to go? The voucher they gave me at the booking office which included the first night's stay, didn't say. All I could remember was that it was in a bamboo hut. With some persuation I got his to ring the office and we worked out it was the Jungle Huts Resort. So of we went with load sof people passing the slip of paper between them, shaking heads and having a discussion. Well I was pleasantly surprised when we got there, as I was to stay in a lovely little hut with fan and hot shower. Late and adrk by now, but all I could hear was the chirruping of the cicadas, croaking of frogs and plenty of jungle noises...really happy that it seems to be ok. Restaurant open until 10pm so able to have a warming curry to eat. The guy that runs it is really good with advice on transport options around the region. They have some tours on offer, but I wasn't sure about the 2,500 Baht price tag. Mountains, canoe rides, caves, large lake and bamboo floating rooms are part of their offerings. Chtted with some other travellers and came to a conclusion to go walkabout in the ourselves tomoro and see what happens.

Fri 16th Oct - Up at 8am for a day in the jungle. Breakfast choices weren't that great, so good that I had a few good days in Hua Hin. Had arranged to join withthree Dutch guys for the day and we would do our won thing in the park. Only 10 minutes walk from the Jungle Huts to the park Entrance. Was surprised that the main road is packed with Guest Houses, restaurants and massage places as well as travel agents.

100 baht entrance fee to the park. The visitir centre hands out a good enough map with descriptions of the main features and distances. Two routes covering mainly waterfalls. Due to this being wet season still, both roues came to an end part way with a barrier forbidding going any further until 14th December. The estimated times to these points must be for the extremely slow walker as we made them both inhalf the suggested time. On the first one we attempted to ignore the barrier and go further on and see what happened. Naughty but easy enough to turn back if it got difficult, which it did, so we got to a point and turned back. After 6 hours total walking including a stop for lunch back at the visitor centre, we had done all that was possible to do. The leeches were so annoying. At one point I must have had about 30 of them on me. Disgusting little critters. Had a really nice dip in the fast running river which was actually quite warm. Throught the whole day we didn't see any wildlife at all. Bad time of year for wildlife.

The prices asked for tours are extortionate. 2,500 baht for a couple day tour including food and a night stop on a bamboo raft plus some treks. For what you get, it is too expensive. For what we did today, which wasn't much and followed well organised routes, would have cost 1,200 baht each! For what?

Back at the huts, showered and fresh and time to plan what to do next. Fancied an Elephant trek (800 baht and 2.5hr round trip), but needed an extra person as minimum of 2.

Thought I would find out if any other place could do the elephant trek for me and failed. Seems as though you have to be part of a group to organise it, and nobody would sort it out to let me join, which seemed strange to me. Anyway, the Khao Sok Rainforest Resort, was the most helpful and organised. The Lonely Planet contact number is wrong, and I had tried to contact them previously. Correct numbers...0898276230 and 0772395135). The lady in charge sat with me and went through the detail of what they offered and it was not only better than where I was staying, but cheaper price too.

Interesting..on the way into the resort I spotted a tattoo guy doing a really intricate job on a guys back. Nothing clinical or sterile...just a long needle and the dyes. It was going to take 1 week with 2 hours each day to complete. Three heavily tattooed bikers looked on as the guy had to undergo this without showing any pain.

Whilst having dinner at the rainforest, the owner came and joined me. The business has been running now for 20 years and he was originally from Kho Samui. Not wanting any music to disturb the natural sound of the forest was a nice aim. Being out of season made everywhere very quiet with only nature as accompaniment and the few smiling attentive staff.

Had checked out their tours and found them more informative and better priced than the Jungle huts. Got a few other together and booked a night trek with them for 600 baht each, so rushed back, got changed and out again. The trek was mostly following one of the routes we had been on during the day, but at my request we broke off and went deep into the jungle. Saw a few snakes, plenty of Chameleons, frogs and toads, some nice birds including Kingfishers, bats, Civet cats, Scorpions, Stick insects, Massive Spiders and the usual Leeches that were determined to have a good feed. Lost some blood this evening.

Sat 17th Oct - After some thought I am going to change my plan for extending my Thai visa. I was going to attempt the route down the east coast through to Kota Bharu in Malaysia, but there have been warnings of safety problems down there. This is a long standing issue with the Muslim group and I don't need to take risks for the sake of getting a new visa. The easier and safer option is to go to Penang Island where there is a Thai Consulate in Georgetown. Have been before but don't mind that. It is better than going all the way down to Kuala Lumpur, and facing a big city again. Have been there and not too excited about going again.

That sorted, had a nice breakfast at the Thai Herb Restaurant. Lovely presentation of what I ordered, and a beautiful setting surrounded by flowers and with a lovely view of the karst limestone hills behind.

Checked on the travel options with the abundant operators here, and worked out that it should be just as easy to just do each section myself and get the next leg of the journey when I arrive. 200 Baht minivan back to Surat Thani at 9am tomorrow is the first stage.

Now for some serious pampering and a lovely 1hr's oil massage at the Thai Herb for 300 Baht. Nice technique and felt good afterwards. Some research on the net afterwards to prepare for the Malaysian section, and was lucky to catch up with Shiera for a brief time too.

Dinner at the Thai Herb restaurant again. The food here is superb. They do a great range of herbal drinks to sort any of your problems out, even sex! I did think of having six glasses of that one...mmm..

The problem when you only go somewhere for a few days is that you don't get to sample all the eateries and restos. In Khao Sok they are excellent and I will miss the range of food and the lovely environment. The sound of the cicadas and a little quiet music made for a perfect ambience...shame I was on my own. Better shared are these times :-(

Sun 18th Oct - After a scrumptious breakfast it was time to move on. I had booked a minibus connection through to Hat Yai but hadn't asked much about the detail. Turned out that it was to go through Krabi to drop of some passengers and I would change bus there. 600 Baht for the whole trip. Everyone with backpacks except me of course. This reinforces my feeling that I stand out even more now. I was also the oldest by 30 years too. The rest were all students on gap years.

The journey to Krabi is beautiful. Limestone karsts line the route giving it that pre-historic feeling. It also made me think that after my short stint in Malaysia, I might return to Thailand this way to spend a few days. Will think more nearer the time.

Got to Krabi minibus interchange at 10:30 and had lunch whilst waiting to leave. Only two of us on the next section going via Trang. They try to sell onward tickets through to Penang the same day, and I could have done it, but wouldn't get there until 9pm. Felt it worth stopping in Hat Yai for the night to break the journey up. Making for an easier and hopefully more casual trip tomorrow during daylight.

The further south you go in Thailand and the emergence of Muslim culture becomes more pronounced. Mosques, women in Muslim clothing, and even the Muslim language on signs, which are now given in three languages. The stopovers offer Muslim food, and prayer rooms. It is confusing to realize you are still in Thailand, although there are still some reminders with the occasional ornate temple.

Got the driver to drop me at the railway station and it was only a few minutes walk from there to the Cathay Guest House. 200 Baht per night for a double bed room with fan, squat toilet and friendly staff. Organized a minibus with them for the trip to Penang tomorrow. Cost 280 Baht and leaving often. I'm taking the 9:30am trip, getting to Penang early to mid afternoon. They also rang ahead and booked me some accommodation at the 75 Traveller's Lodge on Jalan Muntri. Hopefully they will be able to help with my new Thai visa.

Now 4pm and a little time to explore...

Well am I lucky with the timing or what. Walked outside the Cathay and heard something a short way away. Turned out to be a Chinese celebration with street dancers and a dragon snaking its way around the streets with firecrackers going off at random. A long trail of vans carrying people and statues hurtled past in another direction, not sure if that was something else or the same celebration. A short walk from here and spotted a nice Chinese building not on the map. This was a temple that was being used as an assembly hall for a dragon float and some other fancy stuff. The are also has a nice market, which is very different from elsewhere in Thailand. Full of sweet things and my favourite fruit Dates, which you don’t see here generally. I think this is the Muslim influence coming through, complete with a fetish for nuts in many varieties. Women bedecked in colourful scarves, and older ladies in black with only a slit to show off their dark eyes.

Spotted a few foreigners around as well as one who had become a Buddhist monk, in his Ochre robe and sandals. Some other things of note...part way along the Pethkasem road, there was a long stretch of pet fish vendors. Some interesting species in bags, bowls and bottles. The range of stuff available here is dazzling, and shows its cosmopolitan influences.

After all that walking it was time to eat. Only had a sandwich for lunch. ‘The Pubb’ was empty, but ok for a meal ahead of the live music at 9pm.

Went out later for a walk down Thamanoonvithee road, the road leading away from the railway station, and it surprised me how many music pubs and clubs there were. Really good quality. I stopped in a Western Saloon bar where the excellent band played English songs all night. Chatted with a Malaysian group who come over the border for their entertainment as there isn't any of this quality in Malaysia. They spoke really good English, and had their kids with them. One thing they mentioned was how good it was to go into places that weren't full of smoke. Ironic considering that in Malaysian culture, so many people still smoke. I think it will take a very long time before that changes. I have taken a liking to Hat Yai as a place where it would be easy to function for a short while. Plenty of good restaurants with international cuisine, good entertainment, and nice vibe going on, plus good connections to places. The street life was buzzin and felt great to just walk around. It is evident that a small sex industry exists here to cater for the Malay guys mainly, but I was followed a short while by some guys who were trying to sell me a woman for the night. She was stunning, but no thanks.

I noticed a few expats here who looked so miserable, they couldn't even raise a smile when I tried to chat to them. Not sure why, but maybe their life isn't what they wanted it to be as they seemed stuck in their own little world. Maybe it's the border town mentality? Everyone sees so many people passing through, just like a bus station. No time to get to know anyone, so they don't bother.

Mon 19th Oct - Off to Malaysia this morning. Got picked up by minivan at 9:15 and first stop was an office the check passports and provide a Malaysian immigration card, then off to the border about 50km away. I was the only non-Asian on the bus, others looked to all be Malaysian.

The Border post at Sadao was easy enough. Not much of a queue leaving Thailand with plenty of booths open. The Malaysian immigration was empty, and flew through there in about 5 minutes. The last time I was here last year, it was a little slower from what I remember. My 1-2-call SIM was still working at the border, but for how long I wasn't sure.

Malaysia is 1hr ahead of Thailand, so have to adjust watches at the border. Now the same as Philippine time. Had completed the border by noon.

A little fiasco about 100 metres after leaving the border when the army stop vehicles for a search. They get searched and baggage scanned at the border, so why do they do this so soon. I have no idea. We did nothing other than our driver handed over a slip of paper and we were on our way again.

Arriving in Penang and the first thing I noticed was that we came in over a suspension bridge. The last time I was here we came from the mainland by ferry? Has that gone now? When was the bridge completed?

For an hour the driver weaved his way through lots of little alleys to drop off the other passengers, and I was the last. Didn’t mind it as I got to see some of Georgetown in the process. I was to stay at the 75 Traveler’s Lodge on Muntri Street. Wow, this area is pretty. Full of character and history. As it turned out, the range of rooms available didn’t include one with a hot shower, and the wi-fi wouldn’t work in the rooms. I ended up in the Star Lodge a short way along the road for 35 ringgits a night and free Wi-Fi that was strong in the rooms.

Two big tasks to sort out straight away. Firstly, to change some Baht into Ringgits. A couple of money changers around the corner offering around 10:1 change, 3000Baht=303 Ringgits. So now I could pay my room bill and the next task, was to submit my passport for a visa extension. I could go to the Thai consulate in person, but for 20 Ringgits the 75 lodge would do it for me. Just filled in the form, gave them 2 photos and 20 Ringgits and would have it returned tomorrow after 4:30pm. So much easier than getting a taxi and having to do the trip twice. Would have cost me 20 Ringgits in taxi fares and the hassle of waiting in lines etc. So much easier this way.

This area looks to be a photographic pleasure land, so will be out and about over the next few days snapping a lot. But will report on that in my next posting...

Nong khai to Bangkok

jeffbrad — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:47:00 GMT

Sat 3rd Oct - Following on from my last posting, the evening turned out to be interesting. Like the forthcoming Loi Kratong in November, Nong Khai had its own version. An evening of fireworks and lanterns being lit to float the wishes of the person into the sky, and hopefully to be granted. It is pretty to see a mass of them floating away. And more due the fact that so many people on the ground are in their own dream world, hoping for the future; Mainly couples of course..but isn't that so sweet. Brings a lump to your throat just thinking about what they have wished for.

Well I was just ambling along and a got the impression that something was happening further along the promenade. Little did I know that I had missed another cultural show. Got there as they had finished and the crowds were on stage having photos taken with the cast. Damn, that was bad timing. Anyway. I at least got some nice photos. I guess it was a repeat of last night's show, but not sure.

Another thai band were on stage at the end of the promenade. They seem to be into Ska here, as all the bands are the same style. Good to listen to, but a bit same same.

Sun 4th Oct - Well this is the big day for Nong Khai. The Naga festival peaks today being the Full moon. I have booked onto a special trip to Pon Phisai aboard the Gaia boat, operated by the Mut Mee Guest House for 2,500 baht a head. Not the cheapest way of getting there, but today will be chaotic n the roads. Stories abound of the difficulties on the roads. Special buses have also been laid on and many guest houses are operating their own transport to get there. So why Pon Phisai?

Well, each year a natural phenomenon occurs in Pon Phisai that leaves many people in a quandary as to why. Science steps in with explanations of course, but nothing is 100%. One one night of the year only, balls of gas fly up into the sky from the surface of the Mekong. This only happens (with little exception) on the full moon of the 12th lunar month..tonight. Some years there are plenty, and occasionally none. A couple of years ago they happened the night after the full moon. But everyone had gone home and missed them. How frustrating would that be? Well I hope it doesn't happen this year of course.

There are many stories that they are a set-up as they have now made such a big tourist thing out of it, that they cannot let it fail.

Today is important in many ways for Nong Khai. Festivities was going on at the temple adjacent to Mut Mee. Elaborate carvings from bamboo were in progress when I passed, and a stage was set up with dancers and a singer entertaining a crowd under a gazebo. It was a hot one and everyone was wilting in the heat. The Mut Mee's garden is nice and shaded and overlooks the Mekong. Nice place to relax and still be able to hear the music.

The stage kept changing performers every few tunes and the gave it there all in the heat. The Nagarina set off at around 1pm and we soon got the first treat with a delicious lunch of local dishes and drinks. Pao, Julian's wife had put an enormous effort into providing a superb spread. A nice crowd of people on board, which made it all the better. The journey as it was going with the flow of the river didn't take that long and we arrived at the Pon Pisai jetty at about 4pm. The view on the way in was awesome. The crowd had already started to fill the banks of the river, with impromptu camp sites set up everywhere.

The walkway along the river bank was at a standstill. So many people in such a small space along with a myriad of food and merchandise stalls. Struggled for ages to get to the wat with the sitting buddha on top; similar to that in Nong Khai, but smaller I think. By the time I had got that far it was time to turn back and the struggle got worse. By that time everyone was trying to get their prime spot for the evening. Mats and anything to sit on was shoehorned into the tiniest of spaces. As darkness fell the lanterns and fireworks began making for a pretty scene. A continuous stream of illuminated boats flowed down river at the same time as hundreds of floating candles. Occasionally the crowd would surge up with ooohhs and aaahhs as folk thought they saw a fireball. To be honest, there was so many fireworks whizzing around and floating candles on the river, that it was impossible to tell what was what. Fireworks were also being fired from the Laos side, which made matters worse. The athmosphere though was lovely. Everyone just revelling in what was going on. Worked our way back to the boat to depart at 9pm, but some people had got lost and didn't make it back until late, so we were an hour late leaving. The boats aren't allowed to dock at the main jetty in Phon Phisai, so they have to moor along a stretch of rough ground out of town.

A superb banquet dinner on the boat with more sourses than my stomach could handle...just not used to big meals anymore. Plus some wine and piano music over the tannoy, made it very sophisticated.

The lack of fireballs might have been disappointing, but the rest of the cruise was an experience that made up for it. We all left with the theory that it was a tourism hoax. Too convenient for it to be believable. But of course there are plenty who would argue the reality of it all.

After the meal and thai deserts had been served, the tables and chairs were cleared to the end of the boat and comfortable mattresses rolled out on the floor to sleep on. Depends on how tired, but ok to rest at least. Going against the flow of the river means it will take upto 5 hours getting back. We arrived back in Nong Khai at 3:30am. Must have slept as some hours had vanished.

Mon 5th Oct - Was 4am when I climbed in to bed and out like a light. Slept until 10am and then felt I had to get up and have some breakfast and get on with the day. Over to Noi & Brendans For a light breakfast and a few hours vanished again chatting to some expats. The consensus was that the Naga fireballs would actually happen tonight seeing as it was poor last night. Had to consider stopping and giving it another try. Did some research with the Tourism office, bus stations and guest houses and came to the conclusion that only option was to go and stop overnight in Pon Phisai. Wasn't too bothered, so abandoned the idea.

Now that most folk have gone home, Nong Khai has assumed a much quieter atmosphere. Still plenty of riverside food vendors and some events like a boat race, but much quieter than recent times... Gone to sleep in a away. I have got to know a few expats and bar people over the past 5 days and it was nice to just wander in the evening and chat to folk along the way. Went further along the waterfront than I had done so far, and went as far as the stupa. There had been some celebration here over the festival, and the carved bamboo monuments were still on display. An intricate demonstration of their artistry and something they repeat every year. I think there is a competition for which is best, but hadn't witnessed it. Stopped a while in one quiet place for a beer and time to reflect on what Nong Khai had to offer. Well it is one of those places that makes what it can of its position flanking the Mekong. A slow paced gentle atmosphere and friendly people. I can understand why many arrive and never leave, as it offers most things you could want. I even found a live band playing in one of the restaurants and others where the band was due on later. Not sure if that is all year round, or just festival time?

Spent part of the evening with a guy I kept bumping into, a French girl I had chatted to on the boat and a group from Greenpeace, here on a mission regarding nuclear energy and solar energy. Interesting to hear the concerns they had. Thailand isn't up there with world leaders in alternative energy opportunities, but it is developing. You would think that solar energy usage would have widespread implementation in a country with so much sunshine, but funding has never taken off for such projects.

Tue 6th Oct - Time to move on today. I had considered stopping in Udon Thani, but instead have decided to push on to Khon Kaen. Tuk-tuk to bus station and the assistants for the bus companies run up to greet when you get there and take you to the right bus. Mine was due to leave in 1hr and cost 110 baht for the 3hr journey.

Nong khai has bean a lovely place to stop. Ok the fireballs didn't really happen, but that happens and nothing can be done about it. I would certainly like to come back some day.

An uneventful journey with a 30 minute break at Udon Thani bus station. Arrived just before 3pm and hopped a tuk-tuk for 30 Baht to take me to the sort of budget hotel area. After trying a real budget place which was frankly dire, I ended up at the much better Roma Hotel on Khlang Muang. 400 baht for an aircon room with hot shower and free Wi-Fi in the lobby. Almost no English speaking from the staff but got a room sorted eventually from a few different prices. 200 to 500. The Sorrento café is part of it and made a B-line there after check-in as I was starving by this time. A good glossy city map is provided which seems to be the case all over Thailand. Very well set up for tourism.

The Roma hotel is well placed for easy access to most things here. Thanon Khlang Muang is a straight road leading to the Kaen Nakorn Lake, probably a kilometer or so away. On the way there i dropped in briefly to Wat That. Noticeable higher than many temples I have seen recently, but closed so I couldn't see inside. Carried on to the lake and it is much larger than I expected and I think better to have a bicycle tomorrow to go around. For now I limited walking the top section. Met up with a traveler and some locals to go to one of the wats; the amazing Wat Nong Wang muang. A nine-tiered stunning Chedi shining golden in the sunshine. I later found out that there is a staircase to the top, but didn't see it. Will try and go back tomorrow for another look. It is testament to the beauty of traditional Thai ornamental design. The perimeter wall carries the usual Naga snake with its many heads acting as finials to the entrance steps. A little surprise in the garden of a dinosaur model with baby dino. Must have some relevance to the discovery of dinosaurs at the nearby Phu Wiang National Park.

At 6pm public aerobics started adjacent to the lake, reminiscent of those I have seen many times in Lumphini park. I think it is great that Thailand is encouraging health in this way. Soon after heavy rains started. I wasn't prepared as thought the rains were passed, so jumped into a Sawngthaew back to the Roma for 10 baht instead of walking back.

I had another meal at the Sorrento café later and they had live music playing as well as large screen sports. There were nine expats that arrived whilst I was there. I hadn't seen that many during the day, so they congregate here in the evening. I had also been for a short walk around the corner in search of wi-fi, as the service they promise here isn't working. I checked out the Khon Kaen hotel and they offer it free. It also has the interesting Harem Club with the girls dressed in rather sexy outfits parading around outside. The rooms there start at 650 baht. Not bad considering, but above my budget.

Went to explore the are where the entertainment was supposed to be, around Prachasamran road, otherwise loosely known as 'Disco street'. At the far end is the RAD Complex with a couple of rooms with different music styles; one was playing middle of the road Thai rock, and the other the ubiquitous ska style that I have come to recognize in this region. Other rooms have 'Coyote' girls...in other words pole dancers who, given the right incentive will go with someone giving them the come-on. An interesting little novelty here was the shower cubicle. It is hot work for there girls (joke), so they shower down and lather themselves up and then prance around the stage sexily before showering themselves down again. The final room was the 'Karaoke' room where I guess you could go and sing if you wanted to, but I reckon that most booths/rooms are used for more than testing your vocal chords!

On the same road was a really nice 'Top-West' playing some good live music. It was late so didn't stop long and will return tomorrow night for longer. Other bars offer KTV style with the sexy girls on stools outside beckoning passing clients. 150 to 200 baht per hour... plus extras of course!

An amusing thing happened as I was walking back...a foreign guy at an ATM was with couple of Katoeys. He almost ran over to me and said... How ya doin? 'Ok' I replied. He was so excited. 'i have no idea what these girls are going to with me', he announced. Well I was thinking to myself that he needed his eyes testing as they were obviously Katoeys (ladyboys), but I don't think he could tell...naive I guess. So I humored him for a bit, and he wanted me to join them...'no thanks'...gotta go. 'Well enjoy yourself then'...at least they made sure he got to an ATM before they both ripped him off and gave him the shock of his life!

Further along the road and another Katoey on motorbike started following me and kept stopping to get a conversation going. What is it about this place?

Wed 7th Oct - Breakfast at Sorrento. Set for 100 Baht. Three expats there and one with the DTs who couldn't seem to answer any questions or think straight. A shame that he had retired here and I think it must be destroying him. Does nothing but drink and cough his heart with smoking. So sad to see...all too often unfortunately.

Sawngthaew to the lake again and a steady but interesting walk around over a few hours. Empty as you can imagine it during the daytime. Some people just catching some shade and occasional quiet. Not marked on the map yet is a new chinese temple. Workers were laying the paving and finishing off painting the gates. Scaffolding around, but in the process of completion. It was nice and crisp being new. It seemed that parts of it had been there for a while, so it was being extended and refurbished. Had no idea what it was called as all signs were in Thai.

The rest of the walk was pleasant, with a few shady spots to take breaks from the heat. The temple I visited yesterday, I re-visited today, but this time a climed to the top for a lovely panoramic view of Khon Kaen. Apart from a school group it was quiet. Got chatting to one foreigner at the top, who was there with his new partner. At 63 years of age he was thrilled that after 17 years of being on his own, he had finally found someone he was happy with. Lovely to see him happy. Back down and on with my walk to complete the circuit, and bumped into the Swiss girl I had walked with for a while yesterday. We worked out that there must only be three foreign travelers here right now, and we are following each other!

Hungry now and wanting sustenance, I took a break in the chilled Kiwi Café opposite the lake. Nice choice of food, free wi-fi and excellent smoothies and cakes. I recommend the rum & raisin smoothie..delicious. Didn't want to leave.

Made a route back to the Roma via the markets. Same same but different as they say and the Fairy shopping mall. A fairly bustling place and made more chaotic that the schools had let out, so hundreds of kids were around too.

Checked at the air-con bus terminal for options for tomorrow. Everything in Thai. Not an English word in the place, and so it was confusing trying to find out what went were. Chatted to a Brazilian lady living and teaching in India, who was on tour with her young son and got some info for future travel there. Random contacts can always turn out to be useful.

After some on-line time and a nice meal opposite the Khon Kaen hotel, I returned to the Disco street, the other end of town. The highlight of this area is the city shrine. Lit up at night and beautifully decorated; It is an outstanding focal point to a traffic junction. Worshippers doing their rituals amid smoke from the incense sticks, and to top it all, a large outdoor movie screen thrashing out an action move with the audience spread around the grass and seats. It's all happening here!

Carried on down Disco street and found a nice band playing the the Top-West pub & restaurant. Ended up spending most of the evening there after I got chatting to a British guy working in Beijing, who had his two sons over from UK with him for a visit and his wife joined us later. A really nice acquaintance accompanied by great music. The girl who joined on stage later was awesome with a mesmerizing voice.

The place is popular with expats and no wonder why. Didn't eat there, but the food looks good too.

Was going to head back after that, but ended up doing videoke in a bar for an hour to exercise my voice. Now that was fun as the choice of English songs was a bit limited. Couldn't choose much and just had to sing what they had. A great evening overall, and made me think of extending my stay here just for the nightlife...mmm...will sleep on it and decide in the morning.

Thu 8th Oct - Decision time...stay another night or move on? Considering I had just found a great music venue last night and there are plenty of nice places to eat, I decided to stay another night. So today's plan changed, and thought I may as well check out the National Museum as advised in the guidebook. Really hot day so took a slow walk there. I usually don't go in for museums and so I was overdue visit. 100 Baht entrance fee for foreigners; it was worth an hour or so meandering around the two floors. English subtitles and guide leaflet at least meant I wasn't kept in the dark, as seems to happen here. One of the feature displays relates to the discovery of dinosaur bones in the area, but most are just chronicling the discovery of Isan artifacts. Was ok, but I have done my museum now for a while.

My feet were getting tired of walking in the heat, so jumped a Sawngthaew part way to the city shrine. Seen it a couple of times at night, and it is just as nice by day. Chinese totem pole style monolith adjacent to it with the usual ornamental dragon twirled around it. At night its eyes light up red.

Had a late lunch inThe Kit'z Kafe on disco street whilst pondering what to do tomorrow. This is close to the railway station should I decide to book a train ticket. Really nice choice of food in a lovely café environment, out of the heat and with English menus.

Had walked a lot today and was wiped out to so went back to Roma and slept a bit then got ready to go out and see a show at was called the 'Lyara' restaurant in the guidebook. Firstly, the tuk-tuk driver dropped me off at the wrong place and couldn't get the message through to him about where I wanted to go, and that was with the aid of a map, so gave up. Then spent the next hour trying to find it and gave up on that too. Should have been easy, but nobody speaks any English that I stopped and the name was alien to everyone. As it happened I found a public dance session going on down a side street, so joined and got some lovely dances with the best dancers there. A cloud with a silver lining I think is the term.

Happy now that I have danced, so I thought it was time to eat. Wandered around and didn't find anything to excite me, including walking through the night market street food area. Worked my way over to the Disco street and the launch party for the 'Full Moon' club. Got there just in time for the opening televised traditional dance. Got some free drinks from a promotions lady I chatted to at the Top-West last night and some snacks whilst wandering around that had been laid on for the media people.

The stage show was really good. Various sections including some comedian dressed in funny clothing and falling about the stage whilst he was singing. I suppose you have to be tuned into that one to appreciate it. Solo performances from I assume well known stars here as they got good response when they appeared on stage. I like the common Thai electric guitar, with its Naga shaped headstock. Plenty of bouncy dancers to liven up the show, complete with nice smoke and lighting effects.

It was heaving and reservations only for dining, so gave up with getting a proper meal there and adjourned across the road to the Didine International restaurant for a while. Sat at the city shrine for a while nd watched the elephants passing. I didn't expect so many elephants here, but they wander the streets all over town with their mahouts. The same plight everywhere in that there is no work for them anymore, so life has become a tourist attraction for them.

I the name of humanitarian research, I ventured into the Harem club at the Khon Kaen hotel. A full blooded experience with plenty of performance from the girls and a rock band. Foreigners get ignored as non one them speak English so don't want to lose face by trying to communicate as is normal with most Thai people. Got into a group of Thai local lads who were living it up and having fun and supplied me with tumblers of whisky. Not much English, but enough to get by with and were totally smashed but fun to be with. Well scientific research over and time for bed in the early hours of the morning. It has been a mixed day today, and I feel ready to move on tomorrow.

Fri 9th Oct - Returning to Bangkok today. Aircon buses leave regularly from the terminal a few minutes away. I used Chan Tours 329 Baht and should take 6hours departing 10:30am. The superb double-decker bus was very swish. The smart hostesses dressed in pink provided a good service from the start. Didn't realize it but they provided a meal, cake, snacks and drinks. I was lucky to get the front seat. Well I say lucky, but I suspect to be roasted...and sure was. They provide a flimsy curtain but it isn't enough. Anyway, the vantage point for an uninterrupted view was worth it. The seats were equipped with massaging for the lower back, which was a nice touch. The road was clear and well paved for most of the journey, and punctuated by the occasional flourish of kite sellers on the hard shoulder. Not sure how many people consider buying a kite whilst they are driving along? They played a thai rock concert video for the first part of the journey, after that they left the system off so the passengers could get some sleep. On with my iPod and continued the journey to some relaxing music. Got to Nakhon Ratchisima (aka Korat) after 3 hours. I had thought of stopping there to visit the historical park at Phimai, but was put off by the thought of a city that doesn't get a great write-up, so skipped it for another time.

The nearer we got to Bangkok the worse the weather got. Thunder and fork lightening and dark grey skies. Coupled with the nose to tail traffic, it was the usual welcome to the city. There had been a few accidents along the way to hinder the flow of traffic, which didn't help matters and meant that we arrived later than expected. Oh, and Shiera's been picking strawberries in Farmville back in the Philippines...now that's another world! To anyone who has no idea what Farmville is....get an on-line life and all will become clear!

Struggled with my trolley case across the city..up escalators, down stairs, hitting a few ankles and getting squashed on the BTS Skytrain with it. I am seriously considering ditching it already as it is a bit of a liability. Give my good old backpack any day!

So having got settled in to the Soi 1 backpackers guest house, time to eat at the outdoor centre around the corner, then off for some Salsa. A new place I hadn’t tried before. Called the ‘Flava’ bar at the Dream hotel in Soi 15, I had a wonderful evening to about 1am dancing with some excellent dancers. It was nice that after only my second visit to a salsa dance venue here, I got recognize and welcomed into a few groups of people. So friendly and something I miss when I don’t dance. The ladies are always interested in a new face as you do different things to the usual people they meet, so it literally keeps them on their toes.

Sat 10^th Oct – Breakfast at my usual haunt of the Elfin Café in Soi 1. Free Wi-Fi for an hour and nice music to enjoy a relaxed breakfast to. Now, on with the rest of the day as it is noon already. I have been getting disappointed with my clothes recently, and need a couple of new things, especially when I go dancing as it is important to look presentable…this is Bangkok and everyone dresses stylish on a night out. Some things are just getting worn anyway. I hate shopping, so not a task I relish that much.

Bangkok to Nong Khai in the north east of Thailand

jeffbrad — Sat, 3 Oct 2009 07:34:00 GMT

Sun 27th Sep - Got some bits to do today. Going for a bit of wildlife tomorrow to Khao Yai National Park. Went there at the beginning of 2008. It was really nice weather then, but this time of year it is a bit more risky. Rains can make conditions a bit more difficult and spottings aren't as guaranteed. But I think it is worth taking the risk as I am heading to the north east anyway. I have plenty of time but have reached a point where I need to escape from Bangkok now. The cost is too much and the traffic crazy.

Today though I got myself a nice light pair of enclosed waterproof sandals and then chiiled for a bit over a smoothie. One of the hopes I had by coming to Bangkok this time was to do some dancing. Not done any so far as been upto other stuff. The Elfin café where I have breakfast almost every day, hosts a salsa event every Sunday with free lesson from 3 to 4pm then a salsa party until 8pm. Wanted to give it a try and see if there are any good dancers there.

As it turned out the dance instructor couldn't make it until late, so the dancing didn't start until 4pm. The DJ was new, so a bit nervous. A terrific guy to talk to. I had the best time I have had in a long time. Excellent dancing, and really on form with some top quality beautiful dancers and so friendly. As it turned out, one of the girls there was an organizer for the Salsa Bangkok event I am going to attend in November. A nice and friendly crowd; small enough not to crowd the perfect wooden dance floor, but enough to challenge with different styles. I will be making it again I am sure. Apparently the Dream Hotel nearby hosts a good event on Friday evenings but I missed that one due to not knowing about it. There are a few serious dancers around who don't smile so much as others, but that happens everywhere. By the time we finished it was dark and the rain was pouring down. The Elfin café also does Milonga on Tuesdays…for those that don’t know what Milonga is….it is thought of as the predecessor to tango but was too difficult to adapt to slow music so it sort of fell out of fashion. The rest of the evening spent recovering and getting ready to move on tomorrow.

Mon 28th Sep - Quiet during the night so got a really nice sleep. Breakfast at the Elfin café as usual and then hopped in a taxi to Hua Lumphong station. If you ask the taxi for a price they will always say 200 Baht. But if you ask for metered then it cost me 63 Baht. If I had gone there by Sky train and Metro it would have taken me three separate trains and a lot of sweat and cost 43 Baht. For an extra 20, I arrived in comfort….Very befitting of someone with a trolley case now! Always go metered.

The Ordinary train to Pak Chong cost 36 Baht (11:40am to 15:22) and was the normal cushioned seat. Good value for money. Whilst waiting at the station I booked the next leg of my journey from Pak Chong to Nong Khai. Two trains to choose from, but one was fully booked apart from seating, no sleepers. No way was I doing an overnight sat up the whole way. The later train was ok so got an upper sleeper. The departure time is 00:01, so the ticket guy was really careful to make sure I had the right date as it could be mistaken.

There was a presentation at the station by who I assumed was the transport minister. According to one of the information people it was to do with terrorism on the trains, but it seemed more like a children’s program will small children doing a simulated ride on cardboard trains across the stage, and toy barriers lifting up and down. Yes I know...kids can be terrorizing some times!

With Thai efficiency the train departed on time, and plenty of food vendors passing through. I had eaten at the station and picked up some snacks, so wasn't in need.

Soon out of the northern areas of Bangkok and the first sight of the countryside. Leaned out of the window and take a breath of fresh air and the sight of birdlife. Many species wading in the fields and perching on wires. For someone like me interested in wildlife, I cannot begin to say how sad it is to be in places with no non-human life at all. Some places are totally devoid. But here in Thailand there is plenty of it, and hoping to see more over the next days and weeks.

As the train was an ordinary one, it stopped at every station along the way, and consequently arrived a full hour later than the scheduled time. Waiting for me was Nai from the Greenleaf Guest house. I stopped at this place early last year and remembered it as if it were yesterday. Really friendly folks. Oi is the girl on reception and Joe the main tour guy. Had a choice of bungalow for 300 Baht or standard room for 300 baht. Chose the bungalow for a change, now that I am trying to go a little up market...joke! No sooner had I got myself sorted than the Light started to fade and I found that the lights didn’t work. Ended up having to move rooms to a standard 200 Baht type. The same room I stayed in last time. No hot water here, but then again a cold shower can be nice sometimes.

The rest of the travelers here at the moment are German. Not sure of the timing in Germany for holidays but I looked in the guest book and the past few weeks were only German and Dutch.

Tue 29^th Sep – Early start to the day at 7am for breakfast at 7:30am. I am doing a full day tour leaving at 8am which is the same as I did last time (Early 2008). It doesn’t matter though, as no two tours are really the same due to the different time of year. Plus wildlife spotting is random anyway.

The park is 200 Baht entrance fee for adults, but that was included in the tour price of 1,300 Baht. After a stop to the visitor centre, which hadn't changed from the last time I was here...still fairly poor displays. The stuffed leopard is a bit of a joke, as is a tiny furless baby elephant, both with scary synthetic eyes.

A nice trek through the jungle for about 4 hours, stopping for lunch at one of the watch towers.

During the day we had spottings of: Rat snake, Barking deer (Muntjak), Couple of lizards, Rhinoceros beetle, Many varieties of Butterflies, Asian scorpion, Tractor centipede, Black and white Lemurs, a large pack of cheeky Macaques at the roadside, some with babies.

After another break for coffee, we then drove across the park to an area for Elephant spotting and saw nothing then was supposed to go to another place to watch bats come out of a cave and didn't make it before sunset as we should, so aborted that and went back to the Guest House for about 7:30pm. It had got fairly cold by then so had to put a fleece and hat on. A bit of a disappointing afternoon really, but animals don't perform to order. I wonder whether it is just a bad time for spotting as it has been raining and the wildlife has probably moved else where. No Hornbills which are fairly common here, and much of the documented animals nowhere to be seen. We heard some noises, but that was about it.

Arrived back at the Guest House and had to eat straight away as the kitchen closed at 9pm. Joe knew me from the last time I was here and just asked if I wanted something special for dinner...just leave it to me he said. Seemed a good idea and it turned out to be a lovely spiny fish, with chili, vegetables, pineapple and a nice sauce with some rice. Really tasty and wouldn't normally have chosen it on the menu, so glad I hadn't specifically chosen it. Really nice evening chatting to the other travelers, who were all German apart from one Dutch lady.

As I have a full day tomorrow before my train leaves, it had been suggested I go into the park again, but their time either on my own or with a private ranger. Will sleep on it, but it would be a nice use of the day. 200 Baht entry fee plus 500 Baht for the ranger. They would drop me off and collect for free as they go anyway.

Wed 30th Sep - I had a disturbed night's sleep, so got up early at 7:15am. It looked like it might rain and so abandoned the idea of going into the park as they would drop me off early, but I wouldn't get picked up until maybe 7pm. I didn't want to be stuck in the rain, so decided to just go for a local walk. Turned out to be a good idea. A couple of hours pleasant walk in the surrounding countryside photographing plants and bugs. A really pretty wild passion flower was common in the hedges. I always find when I go for a nature wander that you have to look closely or you miss things, so slow the pace down a bit. After about an hour it started to rain, so made my way back to the Guest House to keep an eye on the weather. It didn’t stop all afternoon. In fact it kept on getting heavier, so had to just wait and see what happened. I felt sorry for some new travelers who arrived in the pouring rain, who had a bleak prospect to look forward to. Time to just read and enjoy a couple of meals at a slow pace with nobody around.

My train to Nong Khai was due to depart at 00:01. Greenleaf had only one jeep going to town at 7:30 so had to take that, which meant sitting at the station for over 4 hours in the pouring rain. Pak Chong is a small station with only one small shop which closed at 8:30pm. Boredom soon sets in. Left my case in the ticket office whilst I went for a short walk into town, but almost everywhere was closed apart from one 24 hr mart. Time dragged a bit as it does on these occasions, and my train (69) was 40 minutes late. Left Pak Chong at 00:40.

Thu 1st Oct - I was so tired when I got on the train last night/this morning that my head hit the pillow and I must have been out within minutes. Problem was that a fair proportion of the passengers were getting off at Udon Thani and so the staff came around at 6:30am to wake them up. Could have slept another couple of hours. I normally don't sleep well on trains, but was so tired.

Despite being 40minutes late in setting off, we arrived in Nong Khai at 8:30am, only 5 minutes after the scheduled arrival. The weather was cool but dry. Right outside the building are awaiting Tuk-Tuks. Plenty of them all vying for business. I shared one with a couple of other locals into town, stoping at the bus station to drop one off on the way to the Ruan Thai Guest House. I had booked over the phone a few days ago. Apparently it is difficult to get accommodation right now, due to the forthcoming events. I got the impression on the way there that there is plenty available, so surprised it would be so difficult. Anyway, I had chosen well and got a nice aircon room, with free wi-fi, hot shower, TV and big bed for 400 Baht a night. The lovely Som speaks good English, and seemed friendly enough. I very quickly got the feeling that this place is a thriving expat community. They (we) are everywhere, and most are toting a lovely Thai or Laos girl on their arms with a smug proud smile that says...look at me...haven't I made it! And why not, they are lovely and will make their partners happy.

I didn’t want to waste any time and was feeling hungry, so went in search for breakfast. I didn’t have to look far and found the excellent Noi & Brendan’s Restaurant and bar for one of the best breakfasts I have had in a long while. For 180 baht, the works and a large mug of nice coffee, rather than some tiny weenie thimble you get at a lot of places. Refueled I set off west to explore the front and onwards to the Nong Thin Park. I nice laid back place is Nong Khai, and a place you can warm to easily. I certainly did. Flanking the Mekong river, makes for a nice setting anyway. Across the river is Laos, joined by the ‘Tai-Laos Friendship bridge’, not too far to the west of here. A couple of Wats along the Kaew Woravut road to see; stopped off at the Meechai wat to get a clear photo of the bridge, and then carried onwards. The main entrance to the park is joined with the entrance to the Mi Chai Thung Wat. A typical Thai style building with ornate exterior. The doors were closed so I couldn’t go inside. Instead I carried on walking around the park for an hour. The locals I met, which were very few, were all so friendly with a wave or a smile. I couldn’t believe how good the weather was today; really cool and calm, with no hint of rain at all. Ideal for walking around. On the way back into town I took a different route along the Mi Chai road, stopping at Chaiyaporn wat and bought some nice Chico fruit for a snack. Most of the wats here aren’t particularly outstanding once you have seen the major ones in Bangkok for example, but ok nonetheless. At the junction with Kaew Woravut road stands the Governor’s Mansion. Free to enter and totally deserted. I walked around the place for a little while and saw absolutely nobody. I think they were all at lunch and just leave the place open for visitors to wander in. It doesn’t take long to do the grand tour of Nong Khai. Most of it is functional shops, but liberally sprinkled with bars and restaurants. There are many German restaurants here. Which doesn’t surprise me, as I haven’t seen any other foreigners since I hit north east Thailand other than Germans. It is odd how some places attract certain countries to settle in large numbers. Following a burst of sightseeing, I thought it was time to find somewhere for a drink and a chat, so ended up in one of the many cafes along the promenade. This is a lovely place; really nicely done and will be great in the evening when it comes alive. During the day it is still active. I stopped at a German run café (surprise surprise) for a smoothie and got chatting to the waitress. She was pointing out all the Thai and Laos girls that passed by and had stories ab out them all, and how they rip off unsuspecting foreign guys with their beauty. One of the girls had even been on TV for her criminal activities, ripping off one Norwegian guy for a million baht recently. She was checking me out as she passed I felt, but after what I had been told about her, I made sure to look the other way! Another scam is that they stay with a guy long enough for him to let his guard down, make sure he has his own apartment and when he is not looking, taking a shower or such thing, they steal stuff and run. Nice girls aren’t they!

A useful conversation about many things, especially trying to organize some sightseeing whilst I am here. Many people I spoke to today have offered their motorbikes and even to take me on a tour themselves for free. Well, nothing comes free, but wary about that. The main event I am here for though is the ‘Naga Fireballs’ that I have previously mentioned….

The epi-centre of the Naga fireball event is down river to the east at a place called Pon Phisai, 45km from here. The pre-cursor to that though is a 2 day event in Nong Khai with promenade evening shows at the Wat along the front commencing on the 2^nd October. Tonight though the front has plenty going on with riverside barbeques set up on the pavement and also musical shows. The next few days look to be really nice to be here. The only thing that will determine the success or failure of it all, will be the weather. And with that thought….as I sit and write this journal, the rains have just begun…4:15pm to be precise. How’s that for timing?

Well back in the Philippines the recent typhoon Ondoy that has taken many lives and left many parts of Manila devastated is a bad reminder that it is still rainy season in Asia. Shiera is helping today in a relief project to distribute help to some of the victims of that typhoon…way to go Shiera…missing that girl a lot at the moment.

Having thought I could put my wet weather gear away and just wear dry weather clothes for a few days, I had to re-think my plan. Was it my fault that the rains started…maybe someone is watching and turned on the tap just to teach me a lesson that I shouldn’t make an assumption about anything?

After the rains stopped I had to go and eat so went for a walk along the promenade to see what the ‘cultural dance’ event was about. Tonight was the opening ceremony for the ‘Naga fireball’ season. A stage had been set up at the far end of the promenade. To get there was interesting as it passes the outstanding Wat Lamduan, with its large golden Buddha sitting facing out over the Mekong river. Illuminated of an evening and bristling with activity. A Buddhism even was under way with a guy chanting away and occasionally chuckling to himself about what he had said. The area flanking the Mekong comes alive at night with stalls selling food and drink. Picked up a really nice meal for 105 baht total; Full meal including a large alcoholic cocktail and a really nice banana pancake. Cheap and tasty stuff.

The stage was in practice for the opening when I got there, with a band playing traditional Thai instruments. The dancers that were due on were sitting eating dinner, so I got a close-up preview of their costumes. Just as the announcers came on for the televised opening, the rains started…couldn’t believe the timing…couldn’t have been worse. So they abandoned the opening for a short while. The rains stopped and then started again, and they played, then stopped again. I got a bit fed up and so aimed back along the promenade and could hear them start up again in the distance. I turned around to go back for another attempt at seeing them and the rains came again, so abandoned it for good and went into the Wat to see what was inside the Wat. A large seated Buddha and some ornate painted walls and looking like it had only recently been refurbished. Rehearsals were in progress for tomorrow night’s cultural show, but the rains had been so heavy, the ground was a muddy quagmire. Fortunately, the participants were only in normal clothes tonight. A couple of stops along the way for drinks and chats with the locals before deciding to go and check out the Mut Mee Guest House and found the owner Julian to chat with. I had a great evening chatting with him and then adjourning to their floating bar for a drink. A business that has now been running for many years and quite successful. Their boat The ‘Gaia’ I will be sailing on the 4^th Oct for the Pon Phisai trip. Had a little tour on it and looking forward to it. I very useful conversation too, with many insights into Thai mentality and how it can affect business. That is a book in itself.

Back to Nong’s bar close to the guest house and finished off the evening chatting with Som from the Ruan Thai and a Dutch guy who has been teaching English here for a while, before heading off to bed. It has been a long day, but a really enjoyable one. Met some very nice people who I hope to chat with more over the coming days. Went to bed with a nice feel that this place will be good to chill in for a few days or so.

Fri 2^nd Oct - The main event of today was a visit to the Sala Kaew Ku sculpture park and temple, a couple of kilometers to the east of the town. Billed as a surreal journey into the mystic mind of a Shaman, ‘Luang Pu’ Boun Leua Sourirat. Built over a period of about 20 years, he died in 1996. Believe it or not it is full of sculptures…with influences form Hinduism and Buddhism. He basically fell down a hole when he was a kid and came up thinking he should become a shaman. Something down the hole introduced him to the mysteries of the underworld. I personally think he hit his head on a rock and went nuts. The weird sculptures stand testament to the fact that he wasn’t a normal thinker…as I said he hit his head and went nuts! But who cares…It’s a nice day out around some interesting stimulating pieces of artwork. To get there I borrowed a bicycle from the Ruan Thai and set off after having another enormous breakfast across the road. With that in my belly I had to burn it off, and I surely did. It was so hot today that I sweated a few kilos by the time I got to the main highway. The roads are fairly level around here so it isn’t hard work and the park is well signposted from the highway, so you can’t get lost.

20 Baht admission fee for foreigners and well worth it I think. It is one of those places that hits you from the moment you arrive. I enjoyed it and thought that the diversity of the sculptures was good. One area is a circular compound accessed through a gaping mouth that you crouch down to get through. A central octopus like sculpture tells a story in stone as you go clockwise. I am sure there are differing interpretations but to me it looked like a tale of growing harmony between a man and a woman, that carried through until they were skeletons holding hands. But the last statue seemed as if they weren’t talking to each other and looked bored? Well isn’t that the truth for some people! New work is still being undertaken, so even though its instigator is no longer around, the work goes on.

The temple which is surrounded by carved pillars and statues that shares the site is unusual, but nothing too exciting inside.

The cycle back to town seemed easier than the outward journey as it was running downhill for most of it. There are a few large Wats on the journey, but to be honest I am watted out, so didn’t bother stopping to look. I am sure they are worth it if you are into wats though. Shower, fresh clothes and relax after that little work-out and the sun was shining.

Word from Shiera back in the Philippines that another typhoon..a ‘Super typhoon’, is on its way there, following on the tail of the recent disaster with typhoon Ondoy. Time to batten down the hatches and get food in just in case it gets bad and she is trapped for a while. I feel terrible that she is there on her own now and I am so far away.

The evening was full of stuff. Tonight was the main cultural performance of the Naga festival. The main stage on the promenade was the setting for a super show full of costume, music and storytelling about the Naga mythology and what all of this is about. The rains were kind and finished in time for the show to start at 7:30pm. The grandstand soon filled up and so I tried to get a position out front so that I could take some nice photos. As it turned out I got a great position almost in front of the stage where the dignitaries were. And they supplied me with a seat and some water too. So lovely of them and completely uninterrupted view. Not that great for photos though as the lighting was difficult. The show was narrated right at the beginning and the rest was just the show, but really nice to watch. Any announcements were all in Thai, so just had to guess what was going on.

After the show a soft rock band started up at the far end of the promenade, so joined some locals to listen for a while who wanted to practice their English. A lovely Pad Thai and a beer to stop my stomach from grumbling about being neglected, and all was good.

Sat 3^rd Oct – A day of doing nothing more than catching up today. Blogs, photos, chatting on-line etc. The rains top and start and I am sat in a cool undercover area outside of my room while it all happens. Nice for a change to not plan anywhere to go.

Thailand again! Can't get enough of this country at the moment

jeffbrad — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:31:00 GMT

Mon 21st Sep - Didn't seem that long since I was last on my way to Thailand. This time it has been surrounded with much emotion, as there are longer term issues underlying the situation. The day of heading off isn't pleasant as I know I am leaving Shiera behind again. All of the travel we have done is very disruptive to anyone trying to establish a career, so as with last time she has to stay behind to work on some prospects for teaching and maybe even in Korea. Unpalatable, but hopefully going to be worth it in the end.

This occasion is also very auspicious as it is marked by a major change in my travel style....now I don't want too many criticisms from you lot out there, but I have been persuaded to give up my backpack in favour of a suitcase on wheels. Yes it finally happened. I am no longer...well not on this occasion anyway...a backpacker! You wouldn't believe the stress this decision has caused me. I have been having recurring problems with my shoulder and so had to agree that it was silly to exacerbate the situation. New toiletries bag, because the old one was ripped...new suitcase...new day bag to hold my laptop, camera and everything you want to hand on a flight....damn, that was sooo difficult to do! And sorry if I have let anyone down by relinquishing the archetypal sign of a traveler. A sad day indeed.

First job after a tough day of decisions and parting company with my beautiful Shiera....going to miss her a lot, was to get a bus to Manila Ninoy Aquino Airport terminal 3 for the Cebupacific flight to Bangkok. Most buses full, so had to settle on a public, non air-conditioned wreck, squashed in with a smelly dog that kept sniffing my feet, my groin, and sticking his claws into my leg. Nearly threw the damned mutt out of the window! The usual pain of busy Manila traffic but got to the airport in good time, so that I had ample time to sit and admire my posh new trolley case, and watch some backpackers stroll by, thinking...I am not one of you guys anymore...boohooo.

Well sometimes a bad decision comes and kicks you when you’re down! Check-in opened really early and so I didn't have to wait long. You have 1,350 pesos excess baggage to pay sir! What! Your luggage is 18.8kg...what! It only weighed 17kg on the scales at home and I thought the limit was 20kg....nope, only 15kg limit...Bugger! Double whammy...suffering from aftershock from that, and feeling low about leaving my still ok, but slightly worn backpack behind, all for the sake of my shoulder! I then trundled off to pay the 750 pesos International Usage fee..or departure tax as others call it.

Mulled this predicament over a fat burger from Jollibee and decided that it would probably be worth me buying a new day bag in Bangkok to carry 4kg worth of 'carry on' luggage. That should cost less than the excess baggage fee and be of some use too. My laptop bag can be carried too and so I should get away with it. Phew... Well I got bitten there and should have known better.

The rest of the journey went by without any excitement. The flight was a little late taking off. Around 25 minutes after the allotted take-off, but still arrived 10 minutes before its due time. Must have been downhill then with something pushing it!

I have done this journey many times now and got it rehearsed. One little pain was that Manila didn't have any Thai Baht left, so had to change Peso into US dollars then change to Baht when I arrived. That conversion lost me some money, but not much alternative. And as I found last time, all ATMs in Thailand now charge a flat 150 Baht transaction fee, so worth getting out as much cash from an ATM as it will allow so you don't waste money on charges.

Staying in the Soi 1 Guesthouse as usual in Sukhumvit area. I am getting a bit fed up with this place now and need to look for somewhere better. At only 350 Baht a night for a dorm bed, it is cheap. But I think I have outgrown dorms now. I never get a good night's sleep and no privacy. On this occasion I am sharing the room with two guys, one of which was an insomniac who was up and down all night with his laptop, and switched the lights on twice, which pissed me off no end. Didn't get into bed until around 2am, and got woken up by him and also the creaking bed at about 3am and again at 4:15am. This is ironic as one of my major gripes about the house back in Silang are the yapping dogs that wake me up at the break of dawn along with the roosters. And here I am in Bangkok and getting disturbed even more. So I think I just have to suffer the increased cost and pay out for something dearer that is quiet. Oh my god...what is happening...first I go and get rid of my backpack, and now I am considering going more up market....is this the next phase of the mid-life crisis kicking in? I have done the economy sufferance, and now want quality of life. I need to take some medication and have a lie down...this is all too much!

After a sleepless night I felt like ticking off at least one thing of my list today, so went to Nai alert Park and the Lingam shrine. I rather strange location as you access it through the Swiss hotel and up a ramp then through an arch, down behind some restaurant and finally it is tucked away in the corner. The nice security guard from the hotel took me there, so made it easier.

Nai Lert was a local hero and the shrine is assumed to be dedicated to fertility, although nobody seems to be able to trace its history to prove it. Basically, carved phalluses in every shape and size. Some painted and some decorated, seems like a good guess that it is fertility related…or maybe just someone with a fixation? An old lady was at the shrine doing her prayer ritual…wasn’t sure how she fitted in with the fertility thing as she was so past it! Maybe just wishful thinking?

Heavy rain in the evening after a day in the 30's. Good in some ways, but not when you want to go out for a stroll to find somewhere to drink.

Well the past few days have gone past without much event. Been just sorting some stuff out and going out for the occasional walk in the park and such things. The evenings have been wet, so a bit limited. Got caught in heavy rain last night. It was so nice, I went out without my umbrella and it promptly chucked it down when I was as far away from base as I wanted to be, at the Londoner pub, a long way along Sukhumvit. A really superb band playing Pink Floyd, but the pub was so noisy it was impossible to appreciate them fully.

Thu 24th Sep - So after last night’s soaking I have been feeling ill, which has put a dampener on things. Might have been due to the rain and high temperatures? I need to escape Bangkok soon as this place, although ok as a city, does my head in after a while. Very expensive and a drain on my finances. I wanted to tick something off my list today, so went to the Snake Park, which is run by the Red Cross. It is a research establishment for the production of Anti-venom. Thailand is home to some fairly poisonous snakes, not the most poisonous in the world as one Australian in the audience later made sure they were aware of. Everything in Australia kills more than anywhere else...deadliest spider (funnel web I think), deadliest snake (Taipan), deadliest octopus (blue ringed), deadliest jellyfish (the big squishy thing). Basically, don't go to Australia unless you go clad in an armoured casing!

Entry to the park is on King Rama IV road and is easy enough to find. 200 Baht fee. Most of the live specimens are undercover outside and there is an interesting indoor exhibition in the swish building. All nicely presented and informative. At 11:3am there is a venom milking demonstration but I had missed that, but saw the snake handling demo at 2:30pm. A little theatrical as they get the keepers to taunt the poor things into lunging at them....then announce that they have all been bitten at least twice during the shows. But keep coming back because they enjoy it so much....silly buggers! When you see what the after effects of a highly poisonous snake bite can look like...best to be avoided as it isn't pleasant.

Part way through the demonstration and I was feeling terrible; bad head, odd stomach, legs not feeling too strong. So what best to decide to walk back to the Siam Paragon centre in the crazy heat, getting weaker along the way. I had this daft idea that there must be some good food along the way and somewhere cool to escape. Boy was I wrong! No shade and only the usual array of deep-fried street food, which I really couldn't stomach. After a longer than expected walk....don't you hate maps as they never show the true scale..I got to the Siam Paragon. Now here is one of those little gripes I have when they have a system that is designed to make you want to kill someone. Masses of sections in the food court offering everything under the sun, but to have it you are told to buy a 'Food Card' from the special booths. So how much do you buy then...100, 200, 300? No idea so have to trawl around the massive place to see what you want and how much it will cost, then traipse back to the booth to buy the card. Then try to remember where you were going to eat and all of this in a knackered state and starving, but not feeling good. So with card in hand I ordered and eat slowly, regaining some energy. Come to pay time and they slap 20 % tax on in the tiniest print you need a magnifying glass to read, and then say they don't take the card at this particular restaurant. But I asked you before I went to get the card? Did you...what they mean is the Thai's say yes to everything a foreigner asks, so wasted my time and had to pay cash and go back to the booth to refund the card. Feeling that I had made a little progress' I walked back to Soi 1 and went to bed feeling achy and burning up.

After some sleep I wandered along to the Elfin café where they were doing a Tango class that wasn't advertised. Really nice although there were only couples there and so nobody to dance with, so left and went for a curry and a beer. Well that should sort my system out...washed down a couple of Doxycycline anti-malarial for an anti-biotic being all the medicine I had left, and hope for the best.

Question??? Am I losing the independent traveler instinct, or is it the curse of the trolley case coming to punish me for abandoning my backpack?

Fri 25^th Sep – Having moved to a quieter dorm room it was a better night’s sleep, but marred by continual headaches and feeling a little nauseous. Made it out for breakfast just before mid-day and had something healthy then off to the pharmacy to get some antibiotics and ibuprofen. Didn't want to laze around too much, which is what I should have done as I wanted to get off my arse and do something interesting, so went to Oceanworld at thr Siam Paragon Centre. The full adult entrance is 950 Baht, which also included a short 'Glass bottom boat' trip, a Behind the scenes tour, a 4D film show, a 'Happy Feet' treatment, and free popcorn and a drink. The centre is really good with excellent quality displays considering where is located. The Happy Feet thing is a round bath full of those cleaner fish that nibble at your feet to eat away the skin cells. Tickles like crazy and your feet come out a little cleaner than they went in.

It is possible to go diving with the sharks, but the prices are a little high at 2,000 Baht a go.

Sat 26th Sep - As I am planning on moving on Monday, I thought it worth going to Hua Lumphong to buy a train ticket. Turned out that as it was an ordinary train I couldn't book in advance, so had wasted my time. One lives and learns!

Next on the agenda was some new walking shoes, so took a motorcycle taxi for 40 Baht to the MBK centre. Something I love about Bangkok is there is always something going on outdoors at weekends somewhere. This time outside the MBK centre was a 'Hello Korea audition'. Groups of youths dressed in funky trendy outfits danced for a panel of judges. I thought the standard was super although many were obviously nervous as they didn't smile. I always think the best competition winner is a happy face as if you are enjoying it. It going on all afternoon and didn't want to watch it all so carried on into the centre. Now I am always full of good intentions when I go shopping. But almost as soon as I enter a shopping mall I go into escape mode as they are too much. I ended up losing interest in looking for shoes and went to the cinema instead.

Now that was a treat. The film was called 'Pandorum' and I chose the 3pm show as it was in the VIP cinema. For 250 Baht you get a really plush reclining seat with a welcome cocktail and a soft blanket to cover your legs in case the air conditioning is too cold. I reckon they were the most comfortable cinema seats i have sat in in a long while. The auditorium was swish with draped curtains reminiscent of olde worlde cinemas. Empty as expected apart from me and two couples, bit that was ok. The film...well crap really. I thought it was a sci-fi movie, and it was of sorts. But it was all about some space probe ship that had gone to deliver its crew to a new planet with similar climate to earth, so they could colonize it once earth had ceased to exist following depletion of its natural resources. Well earth actually vanished some way into their journey and some of the crew mutated into creatures you wouldn't take home to mom. They tried to eat the rest of the crew generally were gross. So the film wasn't my sort of film after all, but at least the seats were nice.

It has been another one of those days today. Stuff going on and then I went out for a meal and thought it would be nice to try wild boar. Have had it before but my memory failed me as it is almost total fat and so had to leave most of it. I have this thing about countries that are prepared to indulge on plates of the most fatty of food instead of nice lean cut meat. The Philippines is like that, they will eat just raw fat as well as fat prepared in every other possible way, and so will the Vietnamese. Not into it myself.

Well I was just paying for my food when I saw this foreign guy grinning at me, so went and said hi. No idea why, just fancied a chat with someone. Turned out to be the most bigoted person I think I have met in a long time. Hated absolutely everyone. Had lived in Thailand for 5 years and didn't have a good word to say about the Thai people. Hated them all and was so loud about his opinions I had to ask him to keep his voice down as it was embarrassing. F'ing this, f'ing that. He did have a line of large beers lined up in front of him and had just had his visa screwed up, so wasn't in a good mood. I spent some time trying to reason with him, but he wasn't having any of it. Was glad when he left and I then had a beer to calm my nerves. All I wanted was a pleasant chat, not some hate campaign against this country. I think that people who come to live in a country where they are not native have to accept some cultural differences. What can be a problem though is your own attitude. That guy struck me as the sort that would attract hostility or resistance from whoever he met. I always try to believe that you need to be calm with people, and smile as much as you can, and they are more than likely going to treat you as a friend and not an enemy. Treat them with contempt and they will probably treat you as an idiot with contempt too. The main problem here as almost anywhere in Asia...once a Farang always a Farang. Girls will try to befriend you and want to offer you the promise land of your dreams come true. All packaged into the perfectly formed and smiling visage of a pretty thai or Filipino lady for example. But many horror stories will soon make you aware that many guys have had their dreamland shattered when they married the girl and reality then came home one day. Your life is shorter than theirs and they will have the opportunity to seek another after you have gone!

Anyway... Got a little distracted there, sorry. This place is also frequented by the many guys who have picked up their menu for the evening...aka street girl...and got hungry either before or after doing what they are paying the girl for. They sit there exchanging cell phone numbers and making promises for the future. Like the girl hasn't already got 200 other guys numbers in her phone! It is interesting to watch. Some of the girls are just wow...gimme her number... I'll be number 201...Joke!

Well there will more to follow soon, but I think that's enough for now. Enjoy folks

Tour of the north…Including Ilocos Norte & Cordilleras

jeffbrad — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Thu 27th Aug - Heading north for some sightseeing today. No desperate hurry as will break the journey in Baguio, a place I have been before. Easy connection to Manila Pasay EDSA area and first checked out the Partas bus company terminal, but that would leave too late. A short way down the road was the more favoured option of Victory liner. Got on a Deluxe bus for 700 pesos with toilet facilities on-board and no stops, taking around 5 hours. The normal non-aircon ordinary buses cost 440 pesos and take longer, but they do stop for breaks.

I booked the Red Lion Inn for the night whilst we were on the bus, as didn't want to waste time plodding the streets when we got there. Last time I was in Baguio I stayed at a 'Transient' house, which sounds like a rehab place for drug addicts, and it was a bit like that too. It was also expensive at 800 pesos no breakfast. A funny memory of the place was being chatted up by the owner’s two daughters who asked me to marry one of them.

This time we are at the Red Lion for 800 pesos a double including hot shower, breakfast and cable TV. Arrived shortly after 5pm to some rain. Approaching Baguio is a constant climb into the clouds, with the temperature dropping all the way. Sunshine gear replaced by heavy clothes and rainwear. The Red Lion pub/Inn is easy enough to get to and a bit on the rough side, but ok for a night's stop. Touted as being full of beer swilling expats and life, it lives up to its reputation. Some guys looked as though they came here in the war and never left. Re-telling the same stories day after day and got the beer belly to confirm it.

Could have eaten at the Red Lion as the menu is good, but decided to go next door to the 50's Diner. really cheap and excellent quality food in a retro environment.

Baguio in the rain is an exciting city...not. The focus is the SM shopping mall with its tent like roofs and just about everything a city needs. The rear view from the upper level is nice at night, with the lights dotted around the hillside and the main church in view. Retired for the evening to the red lion for drinks, play a few games of pool and some background music.

Fri 28th Aug - After a good night's sleep with no disturbing noises that I had expected, woke to a beautiful clear blue sky and fresh mountain air.

After a good breakfast went for a walk to escape the city. The big downside of Baguio is the traffic...choking for most of the city. Going south from where we stayed is more rural. Massive country club gold course set into the forest, plus the Baguio Botanical gardens, Camp John Hay, Wright park and the 'Mansion'. Summer capital home to the president of the Philippines. Spent around 4 hours walking. This area is famed for the Igorot tribal people, some of which can be seen around the tourist attractions selling their wares, and trying to get paid for photographs.

Bus to Vigan 294 pesos taking 5 hours with Partas leaving at 1pm. Arrived at around 6pm with a couple of stops en-route. Each of the main towns along the way had their tricycles colour coded...yellow in one town, pink, red, green etc

Arriving in Vigan is lovely. You approach the old city through an arch which highlights the fact you are entering a heritage village. We offloaded at the main Mestizo plaza where St. Paul's cathedral dominates, and then walked from there. I had booked some accommodation over the phone in the Mestizo or old town. After bouncing around a few places, ended up in Grandpa's Inn, which is a historical place full if character. Vigan is expensive, but that is to be expected given its environment. It is also the last city in the Philippines where Kalesa, are used for public transport. We did see some in Manila's Chinese quarter recently, but they are purely for tourists. Our room at Grandpa's Inn had Kalesa for beds, which was unusual.

The food at the Inn is excellent. There is a main restaurant and the adjoining Uno Café, serving local Ilocano specialties. For example, Frog is a favourite here, and in May to June/July you can have a tasty meal of 'Mountain Ants'. Now doesn't that sound delicious! We obviously had something less weird, but superb quality.

Out to see what Vigan had to offer by night after dinner. Actually...not very much as it dies after about 9pm. The cobbled streets of Mestizo and the restored buildings are pretty by night with the original coach style lanterns and wheeled carriage style bench seats lining the roads to take a rest in. Everything closed so ideal for some photos without the daytime bustle. It will be nice to see it come alive tomorrow.

Sat 29th Aug - Slept like a baby in my Kalesa bed. Awoken by the creaking of people walking around upstairs. To be expected in this old building, with its wooden floors. The included breakfast was all Ilocos local fayre, and even the menu was in Ilocano, so neither of us could understand it. The waitress interpreted, and I am sure she has to do this for everyone, as all travelers won't understand it. Would have thought it easier for them to provide a menu with English subtitles, but hey, that would be expecting too much.

Out to explore...

Picked up a Kalesa for 150 pesos an hour that covers all of the tourist sights in about 3 hours. We didn't want to do everything, so just had about half that time. On the way out of town there was a funeral service going on at St Paul's cathedral, so a brief stop off for some photos before heading for the first major stop, which was out of town at the old bell tower, which offers the best view of the area after climbing to the top.

The next stop was Burgos's house - Father of Vigan. As we got close to it, the two processions passed that were beginning when we stopped at the cathedral earlier, lead by uniformed brass band.

Finally, the Pottery works where clay pots are made in a long kiln. Just as we were leaving the pottery works, a black hearse passed, with an entourage of family and friends and lead by music.

Through the streets of Mestizo and some nice photos in fairly deserted streets (Calle) by the driver. Back to Grandpa's Inn for a break from the heat and breaking news about Michael Jackson's death verdict being Homicide due to drug overdose. Heads will roll on that one now.

Back out for lunch at café Leona, predominantly local specialty dishes and much what we wanted not available, but good value for money.

Some street snacks..local wine...Ginataan ( a mix of sago, banana, coconut etc and a tasty treat for 15 pesos a bowl. One shop had bought some live frogs for their dinner and had them hung up in a bunch outside their shop, throwing water over them to keep them alive for later.

A brief visit to the Crisologo Museum for a glimpse of one of the local hero’s history. Not much to write about it really. Lots of memorabilia and a beaten up old car plus the usual array of dated photos. Crisologo street is the one and only old street that has currently been renovated.

Wanted to see the sunset from the beach and had visited the tourist information office earlier in the day for advice. They tried to suggest we went to a place 45 minutes south of here by minivan, but couldn't be bothered with that, as too expensive and difficult to get back afterwards. A more practical option was Playa de Oro, about 4km from town by tricycle costing 60 pesos. Playa de Oro in strict translation means 'Beach of gold'. What they should do is rename it to something like 'Beach of grey black'. The main hotel here was dead...not one person. Some nice kubos along the water's edge but nothing in the village to attract anyone. Noticed some activity further along the beach so went to see what it was all about. Turned out that local fishermen had brought in a massive catch with their beach landing draw nets. The whole community was there to assist, and raid the catch for their own stocks. The owners were desperately trying to sell at 15 pesos per kilo whilst most of the catch was being 'filtered' by the locals for free. I guessed that the owners only netted about 10% of the catch for themselves. They were shouting furiously at the locals as they ran off with as much as they could carry in whatever they could find to carry it in. The kids had been enlisted to help in the operation. It was amazing to watch this free-for-all. They were really excited that we were there and happily posed for photos amidst the mayhem. Time was running out as the light faded. The sunset wasn't that great, but the action packed scene was worth the trip. So we sat having a beer on the black sand as the action buzzed around us....surreal. One guy even offered us a large bag of fish for free. Problem is that we had no means to do anything with it, so politely refused. It was all a small species used for drying and making fish sauce (Bagoong) out of. Nutritious and plentiful. There must have been many tonnes of it, and this scene is apparently repeated every couple of days or so.

As it was dark, the tricycles had stopped and so wasn't as easy as the tourist information suggested to get back. Luckily one guy agreed to take us back to town for 100 pesos, so not stranded.

The Leona café near to Burgos plaza was doing a street Thai food event, so that topped the evening off rather nicely, with a glass of red wine to wash it down with.

Once again the streets at night were fairly empty, so nice opportunity to take photos. A large group of Filipino students were on a tour and were running around the town taking photos, so that was amusing.

Sun 30th Aug - Moving on north to Laoag this morning. Got a tricycle outside of the hotel and he took me around the town to find an ATM with money, as most were out or off-line. The Partas bus station is next to a large market, so able to pick up some nice Rambutan and bananas for the journey. They have a rather cute little fruit in season now; looking like a miniature coconut, green outer that is peeled off with a knife to reveal an inner that even looks like a small Buko. Peel the next layer off with your fingers to reveal the inner ball of coconut. A little chewy but nice.

We had been told the bus would leave after 30 minutes. Got back to the bus station after 20 minutes to find it had already left. We were then loaded onto the next bus, which promptly reversed back into a parking space, and then forward again after about 5 minutes, to be then told to offload and transfer to another bus. A total mess, but eventually got underway. Only 121 pesos for the 2 hour trip to Laoag.

Reading the guidebook along the way it seemed a good idea to get off earlier than planned and head for Batac. From the highway the bus driver stopped right by a Jeepney for us, which only cost 10 pesos to get to Batac. The only reason to come here is the Ferdinand Marcos (1917 - 1989) Mausoleum. One of the Philippines most important leaders lies embalmed in a glass case on a mattress, with eerie music playing in the background. Free entrance. Apparently, many Filipinos suspect that it is a con and made of wax. To be honest I can see their point; it does look too waxy to be real. The adjacent Marcos ancestral house was closed so wasn't worth staying long. Lunch at the ubiquitous Chowking and then off to another famous site here, that of the UNESCO world heritage listed Paoay church. 40 pesos 4km tricycle ride, but could have waited longer and got a Jeepney. The church, finished in 1794 is still functional although the roof is a corrugated steel one now. The gothic design was intended to be earthquake proof, with thick walls and buttresses, finished with Stucco plastered walls.

Managed to get a Jeepney from outside the church to Laoag for 33 pesos, which dropped us across the road from St William's cathedral in the center of the city. One of the first things we noticed was that Kalesa are used here along with the usual Jeepneys and tricycles. The Kalesa are different than in Vigan as they have a box carriage which is a bit of a squeeze. The cathedral is an Italianesque design and a sermon was in progress. As time was pushing on we didn't stay long and jumped a Kalesa to the bus station for 15 pesos each. Normal public bus with bench seats and a better quality type were available, both leaving at the same time. A guy took my backpack and loaded it onto the ordinary public bus although I didn't know it as I was busy taking photos of the Kalesa. Went to get on the nice and shiny bus when I heard shouts. Then I saw the crappy ordinary bus where the luggage was. Oh well, why not, so got on it and got some natural air-conditioning as there were no windows and cramped bench seats. All part of the journey, and bringing today's total stages of transport to eight since we left Grandpa's in Vigan.

Arrived in Pagudbud around 6pm and got a tricycle to Saud beach, the most popular of the three beaches. This is where I get that déjà vu feeling that I am in a land of Hobbits. The average Filipino is quite small, and getting into a tricycle sidecar when you are tall is a feat of human manipulation. I jokingly call Shiera a Hobbit (she's only little at 5ft 2in)! Arrived at Saud as the sun was setting but could see that the beach was nice golden sand. Walked from one end to the other to check out the accommodation available, but ended up back at Jun & Carol's resort with aircon and a nice warm shower for 800 pesos in a nice spacious room. It is low season now and room rates are down by upto half of the peak rate. There seemed to be enough choice ranging up to 5,000 pesos a night in the fancy resorts.

It had been a long day and just wanted to eat and listen to the waves crashing on the beach. Next door is the lovely Terra Rika which does a great range of meals, each of them enough for 2 to 3 persons, so you only need to order 1 meal. The crazy thing, and maybe due to it being low season, is that they didn't have many of the items on the menu. Neither did the restaurant where we stayed. In a country abundant with awesome quality fruit, none of the restaurants could do any fruit shakes or even deserts with any other fruit than banana. A problem I guess in being so far north. When they run out of something, it is a long way to go for supplies, and fruit doesn't keep, so rather than waste it in low season, they just don't stock as much food.

Mon 31st Aug - Planned for a lazy day today just enjoying the beach. A breakfast at Emohruo Restobar (part of the Evangeline beach resort), which seems to offer the nicest choice of food and service. Had some nice French toast soaked in honey and cinnamon with fresh brewed coffee. Then walked westwards along the beach to view the famous 'Bangui windmills'. Twenty wind turbines are sited along a beach on an opposite headland as part of wind harnessing project. Had considered walking there around the bay, but were scuppered by a difficult stretch of coast with crashing waves that we couldn't pass, so turned back. Instead we went eastwards around the bay. The beach here is lovely golden gritty sand, with some white smooth sand in parts. The water is perfectly safe to swim in and shallow. When the sun came out it must have hit mid thirties, and the sea turned turquoise...very pretty. As there is no mass tourism here, it is easy to find an uninhabited stretch of beach to relax in. Not sure, but this place looks like it tried to make it in the tourism stakes, but gave up in some ways. Part of the restraint walls look to have disintegrated a long time ago, and no sign of them being rebuilt. The few eateries and accommodation places there are dead, but that does give it a more laid back atmosphere that you just don't get in Boracay. Pagudpud had once described itself as the Boracay of the north. But as already mentioned, it is too far north to even stand a chance of competing. We saw some Koreans and Taiwanese here, as they fly in to Laoag airport, an hours flight from Taiwan.

After wonderful walk along the beach and catching a long stretch occupied only by locals, we returned to Emohruo For lunch and got ready to go out to town. Had considered getting in some stuff to do a barbeque and so visited the Pagudpud market. Some nice Tuna and plenty of vegetables on offer although we were late in the day for the best choice. Were sat having some Pomelo under cover as it started raining again, so put a stop to that plan. Instead we decided to wait for the rain to stop and go to Bangui to get a close up of the windmills. Turned out to be a great decision.....

Got on a Loaog bound bus to get to Bangui and the driver dropped us off at a turning point for the windmills. Didn't charge us for the trip which was nice of him. We thought we were closer than we actually were. A local told us we were 2.5km away still. No tricycle in sight to take us there, and just then a couple of boys cycled up to us. We asked for some directions and they then offered us their bikes to use. So friendly and kind of them, so off we pedaled down a dirt track on mountain bikes with Shiera in a lovely dress and us both attracting attention from the locals we passed. I bet they hadn't seen this in their entire life! Easy enough track to follow, and signed to the Windmill power project. There is also a café near the beach but we didn't go there. The beach on this side is grey grit and empty and silent apart from the whooshing noise from the turbines. Have seen these type of turbines so many times back in the UK and other countries, but for Shiera this is a first...she calls them an 'Electric Fan', as that is what they look like...how sweet is that!

After pedaling back to the main highway, a small group had gathered waiting for us, and they were really sweet. Found a small sari-sari store for a drink whilst we waited for the return bus. The local rickety old thing as they all seem to be, arrived and only cost 10 pesos to get back to Pagudpud. Was dark when we got back and leapt straight into a tricycle to get back to Saud beach. This is one of those cases of the journey being the highlight of the trip, even though the destination was interesting too.

Seem to be stuck in eating at the same place, but it is good. Made a slight mistake this evening as had a Ginataang Alimasag, which is crab with squash, string beans in a coconut sauce. When I say mistake, it is really because I find crab a total fiddle and end up in a mess, so don't get much flesh out of it. There is an art to eating crab properly, and I don't have it. The desert made up for it, so much so that we had it twice....banana crepes with deadly chocolate sauce and mango ice cream...yummee.

Tue 1st Sep - Woken up at 5am by a group of students next door who decided to turn on their sound system and start to party. Thought it was a bit inconsiderate at that time and had to get them to turn it off, which they were ok about.

Decided to extend our stay here for another night. Another awesome breakfast at Emohrua's. The most hyped place in this area is 'Blue Lagoon'. The tricycle rivers are asking 300 each way, but as always there is a cheaper alternative. We picked up a tricycle for 40 pesos to the highway and then waited for a bus to Claveria for 15 pesos, which dropped us off at the access road to Blue lagoon. 40 pesos from there to Blue lagoon by tricycle, so 95 total each. About an hour's total journey.

One of the most prominent signs for the lagoon is Hannah's Resort, but there is more than that. It is a very pretty bay, with a few resorts, cottages for hire (400 to 1,500) and Kubo's too (200 to 400). 200 pesos a day seems an average, with no facilities, but you don't need much.

The Kapuluan Vista resort, which is at the far end of the dirt track following the beach, has a small pool (100 pesos a day for non-residents) and was a nice stop to break from the heat of the day. Afterwards we went beachcombing on the beach opposite, which faces the Dos Hermanos rocks. Not that much sea life, but managed to find a large sea slug and plenty of spider starfish.

We were getting hungry and made the wrong assumption that it was best to aim back to the village to eat, as there must be plenty on offer. How wrong we were. There is almost nothing. Hannah's resort could only offer a quickly scribbled menu of three basic Filipino dishes, which neither of us fancied. No other food anywhere. All we could get was a packet of crisps from a sari-sari. Was amazed that this place was trying to sell itself as the 'Boracay of the North', and we couldn't even eat here….Pathetic! So we walked along the beach for a while and then got out of here back to Pagudpud. We did bump into one foreign guy whilst we walked along the beach, who had a Filipino family here. He said the only way you can eat here is to negotiate with whoever you are staying with to make you some food. They have to go to the market in Pagudpud especially to buy the food for you. This changed our opinion rapidly. We were thinking of moving here tomorrow to spend a night, and could have if we made an effort to sort out the food, but couldn't be bothered, so changed our mind.

Wed 2nd Sep - Time is moving on and today we start our journey back south. As mentioned, there are two ways. One is to retrace the road back to Manila along the coast via Laoag and Vigan. The other is to aim through the Central Cordilleras. Both would entail a stop overnight somewhere or a crazy long journey with no sleep. So we decided to go the Cordillera route figuring that we may never be back this way, so may as well see some new scenery. The tricycle dropped us on the main highway, and luckily we were waiting less than 5 minutes when the GMW bus to Tuguegaro arrived. Cost 232 pesos and informed that it would arrive at 5:30pm, much longer than we had expected and thereby using almost the whole day up. Not much we can do other than to sit back and soak up the scenery. A fairly basic bus with natural air-conditioning, that is....open windows. No legroom and feeling every bump in the road...Tom Jones singing on the sound system....my illusive dreams. How those words seem appropriate at the moment.

At 11:30 the bus stopped in Palisek for lunch at a roadside café. Wild boar and vegetables with rice was popular and stocked up with Puto Seko (locally made round sweets) for 7 pesos and a Pomelo the size of a football for 15 pesos.

The scenery was almost a continuous run of small village communities based around idyllic paddy field settings. Goats seemed to be popular here. A really pretty journey with not much variation to distract the attention. One little note was that there is a Bemo style tricycle in many of the villages, with a benched cage on the back.

Arrived in Tuguegaro at 4:30pm. The GMW bus station is in a small area where all of the bus stations are located (Victory, Baliwag, Florida etc) a mall nearby was ok for a quick meal before we crossed the road to catch the last van of the day to Tabuk at 5:30pm (70 pesos) taking 2 hours. I was impressed by how good the locals we met could speak English, even though we are still in an Ilocano speaking part of the country.

Arriving in Tabuk in the dark with little idea of where to stay, we had to rely on the driver and one of the passengers to suggest somewhere. 'Luckily' they dropped us off at the Mahseypahn Lodge, which was an interesting experience. A gay boy behind reception showed us a few rooms (and told Shiera how lucky she was to have me...thought that was hilarious), no lights, no water, stained beds, massive spiders, ceiling peeling etc...luxury...not! To top it off, the room rate card was interesting too. Could have the room for 12 hrs or 24hrs, with or without TV, with or without aircon and leave a cell phone (must have a camera), ATM card, or wrist watch as collateral. And you must pay even if you stay less than 10 minutes in the room.... I guess you might realize that this is one of those bonking lodges...frequented by the local whores for a quick one. Nice of them to drop us at such a salubrious place eh! Fortunately, we will be away as early as we can make it in the morning, so just booked in for the 12 hours for 400 pesos, as we will head for Bontoc and Banaue.

Thu 3rd Sep - What a night. Both of us woke up after a short sleep itching like crazy. Covered in bites from mosquitoes and possibly bedbugs. Had to shower and cover up. The fan was noisy that cooled the room and there was plenty of noise from some other rooms. Being the type of place it is, there were people checking in for a quickie at 2am or so. An impossible night and had to finally get up at 5:15am. No breakfast available at that time, so just left to find the bus station for Bontoc/Banaue. Fortunately, only a few minutes away. There was also a bus to Manila close by. On our way, I joking pointed to a dodgy looking old bus and said to Shiera...why don't we go on that old thing? So we walked past it...to be turned back further on...back to that dodgy old bus. Yep...that was our bus! A few guys were busy getting it going, and then had to push start it. Run by Immanuel Transport, it looked like it was going to be an experience. Departing at 5:40am, it stopped every few minutes to pick up more locals along with sacks of rice, boxes for delivery along the route and folk off to work. Some of the locals here have a different look to other parts - more tribal looking and hard skinned.

As the light was increasing the clouds over the Sierra Madre looked eerie as the peaks poked through. Piglets and boar were running across the road in places and even though early, school children on their way to school on the back of tractors and motor carts; these are the long farm engines with open pulley and belt wheels on the side and steered with handlebars. They look precarious, but are rugged and simple. Carabao are also a regular feature pulling carts or other forms of labour.

The food break was at 9am for 15 minutes at Belen's restaurant somewhere near to Santiago city. Typical Filipino place with food that to be honest you wouldn't feed to your worst enemy, so we just had coffee. The best we could do for something to eat was a packet of crisps and some biscuits and a cake. Bad breakfast but the alternatives were dire.

So onwards through Isabela province into Nueva Viscaya province and a slight change of scenery to a very pretty one, before heading northwards into Ifugao province, where the more mountainous scenery and winding roads make for a turbulent journey. The bus stopped for another break of 25 minute for food at noon in Lagawe before moving on to Banaue. It would subsequently carry on to Bontoc, but we would alight in Banaue. I would have like to come the direct route from Tabuk to Bontoc, but there wasn't any transport doing that route today that we could find. I am sure it would of dramatically reduced the journey time as it is only 104km instead of what must have been over 300km going the long way around. The problem in this region is that some of the roads are dire and buses cannot pass, or landslides can block a route for days.

It must have been in the 30's today, and waiting for the bus to set off was like being roasted alive.

Approaching Banaue and a few old folk were walking along stooped from working their lives in the rice terraces and now suffering from osteoporosis. This is a common sight here. Also seen along the roadside are some Ifugao houses, sturdy build with thatched roof.

We arrived at around 1:30pm. Just under 8 hours after we had set off, and all we ended up was 104km from the start. I had been to Banaue late last year when it was rainy season. Not much changes and in September it started raining again. Last time I stopped at the Sanafe Lodge near to the town plaza, so we went there for lunch as soon as we arrived to see if anything had changed. They are busy re-wiring the electrics, but apart from that the same....oh, the lady owner is pregnant now.

After a lovely lunch we decided to try and stay nearer to the rice terraces rather than in town. This is when the fun began....

The tourist information guy was helpful but got it wrong. We had decided to stay in an Ifugao hut at the Family Inn, which is after the Batad Junction, around 14km from Banaue going east. The discussion suggested that a landslide was still blocking the road, so we had to get a tricycle as far as we could, then clamber over the landslide with our luggage and meet a Jeepney the other side. So we set about negotiating a price and agreed on 130 pesos for the tricycle and 50 pesos each for the Jeepney. The Family Inn's phone line was out so we couldn't contact them, and just had to hope they would have space for us. This was no problem as there had been no tourists coming through at all. We were the only ones. So off we set in our tricycle. Got a short way out of town when the driver announced he didn't have enough gasoline to get us there, and for him to then get back. So he had to turn around and go back to town for fuel, much to the amusement of his mates. Setting off for the second time, I was reminded of how bad this road is from my last visit, when a landslide had blocked the road then also. Terrible conditions and constantly under repair. At one point we hit a big dip and I hit the tricycle roof with a thud and took some skin off my head. Ow.... Soldier on.... Further along, we passed a Jeepney and stopped it, to find that the landslide had been cleared. So much for tourist information being up to date! Anyway, as the tricycle was finding it hard work...and so were we, we decided to swap over to the Jeepney and pay off the tricycle driver. Now, the Jeepney was full to the gunnels with bags of cement, iron bars and stuff, destined for a house being built along the way. So we had to stop part way for it to be offloaded. Continuing on our way was a real rough ride, and littered with fallen rocks, collapsed walls and major holes in the surface, so very slow going. Got to the Family Inn in the rain and light mist at around 4:30pm, and....wow....what a location. So, worth the journey, and all its pain. The Ifugao hut we were to stay in cost 400 pesos for the night with an outdoor washroom and toilet and was beautiful, with a panoramic view of the Bangaan terraced below. The old guy who owns it was quick to supply us with fresh coffee so we could sit and stare out of the window at the pretty view and just relax. A bit muddy getting down to it though, as the road was churned up and thick with mud so we had to take our flip-flops off and wade in bare feet.

Taking a shower was not hat great an experience....fffrrrreeeezzzziiinnnggg!

A short walkabout before it got too dark. A group of guys were congregated at a local Ifugao hut cooking their dinner and smoking 'Mama'; a combination of Betel nut, paste, leaves and some other additives as a slight narcotic. A small parcel is made and put into the side of your mouth and then chewed. The effect of chewing it is to make their teeth go red as well as their lips. Most of the locals must be doing it as you can see their red mouths as you drive along.

Dinner was a choice of chicken or pork, curried or adobo. Simple enough choice. Whilst we were waiting for it to be cooked, a guy came over for a chat. Turned out that he, Nilo Manangan, represented an organization called 'Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement' (http://sitmo.ueuo.com), which is based in Kiangan and runs eco-tours for its participants to actually work in the rice fields and be integrated into the Ifugao culture. We had a great chat about tourism in the area and the way things are handled here.

Sitting at the window of the Balay (Ifugao hut) with a cup of coffee whilst the light faded was wonderful as a pretty cloud of Fireflies filling the sky, accompanied by the chirruping of cicadas and a couple of types of frog. Without much encouragement, we drifted off to sleep happy after a long and eventful day.

Fri 4th Sep - A gentle awakening with the distant sounds of the roosters and a beautiful view of the terraces. Mist like cotton buds was hanging in amongst the rolling hills making a pretty view. After a nice breakfast of omelet followed by banana pancakes, we set off down into the Bangaan village below. Stone steps for most of the way, it was an incredibly beautiful walk. You just have to stop at regular intervals and take it in. So idyllic. Down in the Ifugao village itself it is so friendly. The first person we met was Conchita, a pretty lady running a small business of tourist souvenirs and drinks. We had a fantastic time when she dressed us up in traditional Ifugao clothing so we could go off into the terraces and take photos for no charge. Both with spears and headgear topped with the skull of a monkey, and me with a wooden carved shield....just awesome! We spent a wonderful couple of hours wandering around the village and chatting with the old and young folk. The oldest lady of the village was 86 and very free with her toothless smile. Another 27 year old lady already had five children and others of her age had nine.... They need to get out more as they have nothing else to do but bonk!

The Ifugao huts (called Balay), are many hundreds of years old. The only thing that changes is the rof is periodically replaced. Some are carved with a mural around the outside that tells a hunting story. Another one had a door carved with a headhunter scene; a guy holding the severed head of his victim high as the body collapses. Geckos are carved climbing up the legs of the hut. One noticeable thing that differentiates these houses from those I had previously seen in Batad last year, was that kitchen in many was inside the house rather than underneath, making the inside black with the smoke. No obvious escape for the smoke and so it just filters its way out through the roof grasses. The other thing is that the apex of the rood was used as the grain (Palay) store. By the way....raw rice is Palay, whereas de-husked rice is Bigas.

A long time ago the deceased were buried in an area outside of the main village. In the past they used to be allowed to almost decompose before the bones were brought back to the village and buried within the walls of the village. This isn't done anymore.

Pomelo (known locally as Suhat) is everywhere and we were given one to have as a snack whilst we chatted with Conchita. One problem faced here is lack of space. The old Ifugao houses can only really accommodate a single family. As they all seem to have plenty of children, successive generations need housing, with no space left. So they are forced to build larger concrete dwelling which look totally out of character with the surroundings. Alternatively, they have to live elsewhere. A major film Mumbaki had been made here around 5 years or so ago, which was based on the life of these people. The caste stayed here for around 5 months, and caused a big impact as can be imagined. One of the important festivals is the Imbaya, held in April every 3 years, which contains the Pagan Mumbaki ritual, where chicken and pigs are sacrificed. Orpi is a less grand ritual held every year at around the same time.

On our way out of the village we spotted the oldest man in the village, aged 96. He was dressed in traditional clothing and posed for photos, for cash of course, but I didn't mind that as they have to make a living somehow. Headed back to the Family Inn for a wash and freshen up before checking out at noon.

Didn't have to wait long when a passing pick-up truck run by the health service came past, and took us back to Banaue for free. The driver told us a story about the lady who's baby was born premature at home and her husband had to carry her for 2 hours to the nearest road, so she could be taken to hospital. When the baby was born its umbilical chord was cut with bamboo and what they didn't know was that an infection had set in. After 11 days in hospital they were released to go home. The baby died in the healthcare truck on the way home, but neither of them knew that. They just thought it was asleep. Only when they got home did they realize it was dead!

The journey back was a bumpy one as there had been other landslides. They are fighting a losing battle with this road, as no sooner do they repair part of it when another landslide will block off another section. A thankless task and absorbing so much time, effort and money. But it has to be done or else many areas would be cut off without the road, which is a lifeline to many.

Back in town there was a thanksgiving celebration, where they serve boiled pork to all who attend. Baskets of rice grains still on their stalks are tied up in bunches and put in a mound are part of the display.

For a change we ate at the Peoples restaurant, also with a view of the Banaue terraces, and good food.

Talking to Jason in tourist information, he agreed to take us himself in his tricycle for 200 pesos total, so we decided to go to the viewpoint after booking our tickets back to Manila for tonight. Went to check out Autobus first and their bus which leaves at around 6:30pm was dire, and didn't fancy spending the night on it. Went back to the Florida Bus stand and booked with them instead for 450 pesos leaving at 8pm. I had used them the last time I was here, and apart from being really cold, was comfortable, with 2 stopovers. That sorted, we went to the Banaue terrace viewpoints. Three of them as you progress higher, and each with successively better views. At all three there are old ladies in traditional clothing asking for money to have photos taken with them. Some maybe in their 90's. As we had already indulged earlier in the day, we didn't bother, but 20 pesos is apparently enough. All of them were chewing mama, so had bright red mouths and discoloured teeth. Plenty of souvenir stalls at each location. One of the viewpoints is on the Philippines 1000 peso banknote.

On the way up the hill we noticed another major landslide. This one was the Banaue Museum. Half of it collapsed only last week after heavy rains, and occurred during the day when there would have been plenty of people around. Luckily, nobody was injured.

Back in town and time to stock up for tonight's bus journey. A reasonable market here with some nice fruit. Rambutan at 35 pesos a half kilo; tasty oranges at 20 pesos per kilo; Bananas at 10 pesos for 4. They have a local variety of snake fruit the size on Lanzones, which is really bitter, and has to be sweetened to eat it. A separate area has tobacco available. The tobacco leaves are brought in from Pangasinan; the Betel nuts locally; the Apog (white powder rubbed on tongue and gums) available locally, and is just ground shells.

With a couple of hours to kill, time for a coffee and dinner in another favourite hangout for travelers at the Uyami's Greenview Lodge. As with the last time I used this bus, it was mainly full of foreign backpackers. The main problem is that the seats don't lie down all the way, and so you are sat up for the journey. Being a very winding road means there is almost no chance of sleep. Unless you are very lucky. Also as usual the onboard DVD was a murder and mayhem movie, but even worse was that the audio was Japanese with tiny English subtitles. Being at the back of the bus was hopeless. Gunfire for the whole movie interleaved with Japanese shouting and grunts at full volume, whilst being tossed from side to side. I have no idea why I put myself through this nowadays. There must be an easier and more rewarding way to travel without flying?

Sat 5th Sep - The bus arrived at Cubao in Manila at 5am in the rain. Coming through Timog is the usual depressing sight in these conditions. Being Saturday morning there were a number of groups on their way home after a night out. We had about 1km walk to the MRT, which starts at 4am. Off at Taft Avenue then boarded a Nasugbu bus at 5:50 back to Silang…arriving in the rain…gimme sunshine any day!

Typhoon season hits the Philippines

jeffbrad — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:01:00 GMT

Mon 10th Aug - After a couple of days around the house just ambling along with stuff it was time to venture out somewhere. Didn't sound too exciting, but decided on Mahogany market in Tagaytay. On the way there dropped into the Taal Vista hotel, which overlooks the Taal volcano. The first hotel here with the most prestigious location, but to be honest a rather square and plain atmosphere. The food supposed to be the best in Tagaytay, so will try it one day when I feel like a splurge.

Was going to try out a horse riding centre near by, but it didn't do any more than a short run around a flat compound for 250 pesos and didn't think it was good value for money, so walked on to the market. Mahogany market is renouned locally for the quality of its Beef, and justifiably so. After a cheap lunch at one of the eateries there, we checked out each section. As usual, the meat section of the market has an overpowering aroma that could turn a sensitive stomach. Bits of animals hung up to become prey to the flies isn't something that makes you reach for your wallet to start buying. But it has a great choice of good quality and so I indulged in some great steaks at 200 pesos for about 4 meals worth of Beef. Now that is cheap.

The fruit section is excellent

Mon 17th Aug – Recent days have been a bit humdrum and blurred into one a bit. A bit of gardening, sleeping, and spending time sorting out my photographs and playing with Photoshop a lot, so not very exciting. Some great cooking though. Between Shiera and me we cook up some awesome spontaneous meals. She happens to be a super cook, especially the local dishes.

Had to go out to pala-pala on Saturday to visit a guitar shop. Crazy as expected with ten times the normal level of people around. The SM mall was hosting a musical event which sort of overpowered the place with noise. Took respite in the French Baker for a coffee and got chatting to a group of girls interested in speaking English. Turned out that one of them had married a Welsh guy a couple of months ago. He was back in the UK working and she was stuck here for many months until he returns. On the return trip to Silang in the Jeepney I got talking to a guy who was Filipino. He was nearing the end of a 1 month break from his work as a civil engineer in Western Australia. In his second year there, his company pays for him to come home once a year to visit his wife and family. That cannot be pleasant to be separated from your wife for so long. After 2 years he can become an Australian resident and bring his family over to stay for good. These two stories reflect a concern I have about Asia. The Philippines happens to be one of the most awkward countries for its residents to escape from. Trying to get a visa to visit some countries is a nightmare. For example, I will have a major job on my hands to take Shiera to the UK, even if we were married. As we are not it is even more hassle. The immigration bureau don't trust the situation and think they will disappear into the dark when they arrive, and never leave, so put them through a lengthy interrogation process taking months. I come across so many situations where the husband and wife spend so much time apart because the wife cannot travel with him. This is the reality though of a relationship between a foreigner and a Filipino.

It is back to raining heavily again after a couple of days or so break from it. I wanted desperately to go out last night for some entertainment, but that got scrapped due to the transport problem. After 10pm it is almost impossible to get home from some places as the Jeepneys stop. If you haven't got your own transport then you are stuffed. Of course, if you want entertainment then it is likely to be a late night, and so a catch 22 situation. I love to go out at night and watch live music but there isn't any at all here in Silang. Have to go at least to Tagaytay or even as far as Manila for that, so without our own transport we don't go out at all. It gets to me after a while and I begin to get that urge to move on, as this place is dead and boredom soon sets in. If you aren't the sort of person who needs a social life or any form of live entertainment then Silang would be ok, otherwise it is off the radar as far as an active life is concerned.

Nothing much happened over the next few days apart from just living, eating and domestics.

Thu 20th Aug - Went to Manila to see the 'Coconut Palace', but got the timing wrong as it closes at 3pm and arrived too late, so checked into a Sogo hotel and then went for a walk.

We learnt that tomorrow is a National Holiday and so plans would be affected due to many things being closed.

The evening was fun. I had read about a great transvestite show at www.Clubmwah.com In Mandaluyong, so bought tickets over the phone. Currently on discount until October at only 600 Pesos each. The show was to start at 9:30pm with doors open at 7:30pm. The traffic getting across Manila was chaotic as usual, and so abandoned the idea of getting a taxi there, and got a taxi to the LRT only. From there a quick trip on the LRT followed by the MRT got us close according to the map. What I hadn't realized was that it was going to be a further 2km walk from there....maps are so deceiving sometimes...and Shiera was in high heels..and complaining all the way! Anyway, the club is cool and the show really good. I have to say that it wasn't as good as the Calypso show in Bangkok. What was good was the finale, as the musical director and producer did a closing speech and the party began. Up with the dancers to boogie and have photos taken with them. They do constantly harass for tips, which was frustrating, but they were good sports.

Fri 21st Aug - Coconut palace was closed as national holiday 'Ninoy Aquino day'.

Folk music Competition at Cultural Centre of the Philippines (CCP Complex). 150 pesos for a 4 hour concert showcasing choral talent from around the country. This was superb. So many wonderful voices and pretty traditional costumes. No photography allowed during the contest, but a real buzz after the show as the groups vyed for attention to have their photos taken.

Sun 23rd Aug - Today was decision day for some future stuff. The reason as usual is visa related. Tomorrow my usual 21 day tourist visa expires and as part of the entry requirements into the Philippines, I had to buy an onward flight, which happens to be back to Thailand. I can extend as usual for 38 days to the maximum 59 days allowable, but I also have the house to consider. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that where I am living is totally wrong for what I want. Anyway, without going int further details, there are things to resolve.

Mon 24th Aug – Visa was due to expire today so had to make a trip to Intramuros in Manila to extend it at a cost of 3030 pesos. That will take me up to October 1^st and the 59 day limit as a normal tourist. After that I will have to apply for the usual Alien certificate of Registration, which costs nearly 5000 pesos. More on that another time.

Arrived at the Bureau of Immigration at shortly after 11am and it closes for lunch at noon, so rushed around getting the paperwork done..copy of passport pages and the extension form to fill in and then the cashier after having it entered on the system. Got it all done in around 15 minutes and then out the door, needing to return after 1:30pm to collect my passport. With a couple of hours to kill we decided on heading for Chinatown, across the Pasig river. That river always makes me puke as it gives off a nasty niff most of the time. China town is an interesting area, easily navigable on foot, although there are Calesa (horse-drawn carriage) and pedicabs available for the foot weary. The first thing I noticed when we went wandering down a market stall street was the quality of the fruit. Perfect plums (20 pesos each), kiwi fruit (20 pesos each), oranges, bananas, grapes (180 to 200 pesos per kilo), mangos, Atis (aka Custard apple), pears, apples etc. Plus some strange stuff as expected in a chinese area....the hair from sweetcorn, which is used as a medicine; sea slugs in three different varieties, some quite large; weird and wonderful mushrooms; lots of shrimps...although I wouldn't eat anything that came from the waters around here. A regular sight was some pale cream coloured grass-like stalks that were tied in bundles and used for making tea - like Ginseng I gather.

Bought some fruit for snacks as we walked.

There is a nice church in the centre which we had been in before, but revisited again and also had lunch at a Chinese soup restaurant. An interesting side note here…if you are in for a challenge in a bowl…ask for ‘Special soup No.5! No picture to explain what that is….now what happened to Specials soups no.1 to 4? Anyway, what you will get is Bull’s Penis soup! Why on earth would you want to eat that then? Well, it is mainly for men as it is supposed to give you extra virility. There was one old guy, maybe late 60’s into 70’s, eating a bowl of it…disgusting looking it was too as he spat some of the too chewy bits out onto the table next to his bowl. At his age, I wonder what he was hoping for? A miracle I think!

We stuck with something more traditional as we were hungry and didn’t fancy taking the risk. Suitably fed and back at the Immigration to collect my visa and then walked off along the waterfront road before aiming to catching the bus back to Silang. Well, we were queuing for the bus, my stomach decided to play up and I had to rush to a toilet. Bad timing and not sure what caused it, but it was sufficient unpleasant to not want to mention it any more.

Managed to make it home without too much trouble and kept near a toilet for the rest of the evening.

And that's it for now...Bye...

So it's back to Philippines then

jeffbrad — Wed, 5 Aug 2009 05:20:00 GMT

Sun 2nd Aug - After my last posting I got really hungry and went for a meal. Wow...superb choice of an Arabic restaurant. This area is one of my favourites for the range of restaurants available. Have to be a bit choosy though, but some really good ones. Didn't bother looking at the menu, just told them what I wanted and off they went. Didn't think to ask the price, so a bit of a shock when the bill turned up. Helps to not fly blind in restaurants sometimes. Fortunately, it was redeemed by being great food.

Whilst I was eating my delicious meal of chicken Byriani, popadums and naan bread washed down with lassi, I was thinking about a few things that occurred after I posted my last Journal. Firstly, at 6pm every day the national anthem is played and everyone stops at the railway station, metro and even the street aerobics in Lumpini park stop. In silence, the residents and any foreigner who does not want to offend, will stop until it has finished. Nice act of patriotism that isn't it? Along the same lines, last night at the theatre, the national anthem was played before the performance as everyone stands. Now, when was the last time I heard the National Anthem played in the UK, or any act of patriotism for that matter. Why not? The British should be proud of the monarchy. The anthem is played in the Philippines too. Some people even know the words!

And on a completely different subject...I am in the Arabic section of Bangkok right now...and one of those thoughts....with all of those women dressed from head to toe in black and only a slit where you can see their beautifully mysterious dark set eyes...how the hell do their husbands tell them apart in a crowd? Imagine a sea of black as I have seen when I visited the middle east. Now that is tricky. Don't take your eyes off her or you are stuffed mate! You might end up taking the wrong wife home!

Viagra. Well isn't that a great little pill. Got it thrust in my hands enough times here. Cialis is a similar drug for those weary after a hard day's bonking and cannot keep it up any longer, or for those who just want to have a hard day! Was tempted to buy, but I don't need it...say no more.

Well on that note, I think I shall move on...hhmmmm....

And there are those damned croaking frogs again. Mentioned them before and the street sellers here have them too. Is there anyone out there without one of those little wooden frogs whose back you scrape with a stick to make them croak? Well. I don't for one. Not actually seen anyone buy one yet. But I bet there are loads who would love to, but are too ashamed to admit it. Go on, you know you want to.

I will miss 7-Eleven when I leave. Make a pilgrimage every day to buy some nice drinks and cool down is the refrigerated box. The heat hits you when you leave.

Michael Jackson...King of Pop...T-Shirts and his music everywhere. So why was the world so ready to knock him off his royal pedestal so easily a year or so ago? The King has left the building for good now, and seems that he is now back to being left alone and adored again, whether he looked like Diana Ross or not, and whether they think his genes were not responsible for the three children he supposed to have had, or whether never never land was or was not where he was supposed to have single handed handled a few children in a not so handy way. Who really knows, and maybe tabloid sensationalism will be the ultimate hangman, he was a bit off the edge of normality, but then again he was in the public eye, so fair game for those with nothing better to do. I think he just missed his childhood as he was forced into a world of recording studios and the pressure of performance after performance by a work concsious family, and wanted to make up for it in his own little world, but the world wouldn't let him. It wanted him to be an example. Anyway...nice T-shirts.

More on-line time and catching up with Shiera at last, then thought I may as well head off to the airport early rather than sweat it out at the Guest House. Doesn't matter how many times you do this, they will always try to rip you off. The bartering begins at 320 Baht plus 50 baht plus 70 baht toll charges, and then he wanted more money to help fill his tank up with gasoline. Just laugh at them and tell them to get stuffed. Then tell them forcefully that it will be no more than 320 baht fully inclusive of everything. Took a while and a couple of different taxi drivers, before I got one to agree. Even on the way there, he was still trying to change the price, so I ignored him and didn't budge from my price. Flanking the expressway to the airport is the new Sky train extension, which I gather from a recent posting of mine will be open by the end of the year. Going to the airport will be fine if you have plenty of time and don't mind lugging your luggage around. Should be easy enough. It will save a dramatic amount in cost if you are on your own of course; maybe not if you are sharing with others. Coming from the airport though will depend on the time of your flight, as I gather that it will shut down at midnight.

So, arrived at the airport shortly after 8:15pm and found my Cebu Pacific check-in area, then waited for the counters to open, not until around 10pm. Time to twiddle thumbs and people watch. So, when this god person designed women...did he deliberately throw hormones into the male species to wreak havoc? Don't you just love airports for people watching...Joke (Shiera)!

Check-in actually opened much earlier than I expected and they did check that I had booked an onward flight from the Philippines in 21 days time. I mention this every time about the stupid immigration rule. Did I tell you that I contacted immigration? I think I did. Anyway, told them I rented a house in the Philippines and had been there as a tourist effectively since last December give or take a few weeks in Indonesia. Asked whether there was a way around this rule of having to by a flight for 21 days time and then cancel it when I extend my visa. Do you know what they said? Sir, it isn't a given right to stay in our country....totally true...couldn't agree more. And we suggest you either marry a Filipino, or employ at least 10 Filipinos and then we will let you stay for a year free of charge. How bloody nice of them I thought. So, in 21 days time if I stay, I will donate 2,530 pesos to their coffers for a further 38 days to bring the total to 59. After that I will donate another whopping 4,800 pesos for the next 2 months as I will have to register as a temporary resident alien. The next two months will cost 2,830 pesos. If you stay any longer than 6 months before going crazy, then it would cost 6,630 pesos. Anyway, as I will be going to the UK in December I will have to plan out the timing of the next few months. The point is that I will be donating money to them to stay, and be allowed to, whether I am married, employer or not. So it comes down to money. So why don't they just give you the option on entry to pay depending on how long you want to stay? I have no flippin idea. Just Beauracracy (Personal note: I must learn how to spell that word as I always have to guess it) I guess.

The Cebu pacific flight is a no-frills flight. Which means no food or drink provided at all. Very important to remember considering I buggered that one up on the way out, and ended up hungry. So even though I was still recovering from the superb and over-filling Arabian dish earlier in the day, and heading for the gastronomic wastelands of the Philippines, it had some fish and chips at the Mango Tree after immigration.

That reminds me of a conversation with a friend from China earlier in the day. First time in a very long time. Without prompting, she told me that her lasting memory of the brief few weeks she spent in the Philippines was...wait for it...crap food! Sorry Philippines...not know for being the Egon Ronay of the food world. The only way to get good food is to cook it yourself. Or pay for an expensive restaurant. Street food...no no no.

So why when a person walks through one of those security scanners at an airport, and it beeps, do they turn around and stare at it in disbelief; look it up and down again and with that frown..What is that going to do?

Why when you go through immigration and there are massive footprints on the floor that say 'Stand here' or 'stand behind the red line'. Do people ignore it and have to told to go back. I know we don't like rules, I certainly don't. But airports are one place where you know you just have to obey like it or not.

Have you ever wanted to lie on your back and go through the x-ray scanner with your bag, so you can pull faces at them and get your skeleton photo for your holiday album? No, well it must just be me then. I must be on one of those moods.

The flight boarded early and left early, less than a fifth full from what I could see. About the least passengers I have ever seen on this size of plane (airbus A320). Nothing much happened as they actually leave you alone on these flights. Late and people want to sleep. Tucked up with a good book that I acquired in Chiang Mai...'Hardship Posting...True tales of Expat misadventure in Asia' by Stuart Lloyd. Very appropriate book for me to read don't you think?

It is one of those laugh out loud books. With so many stories from contributor's true life happenings. I could add a few myself for the next volume, but not sure if it is till going as this book is quite old. Will check on that.

Mon 3rd Aug - Arrived in Manila ahead of schedule. 26 degrees and light rain. Felt colder than that. Being early the airport was empty. The taxis right outside of arrivals wanted 480 pesos to get to the Crow bus terminal in Pasay, but go left and it drops to 330 pesos. Nobody will do meter, well not for a foreigner anyway. I know if you are a local it is different. At the crow station straight onto a bus and hit the road south. Cold, grey and yuk is a fairly apt description of Manila this morning.

Driving along the Aguinaldo highway out of the city goes past the fish market where there was much activity as buyers and traders sorted out the day's catch. The thing about Manila, especially in the dank conditions as they are this morning, is that it is an unappetizing breakfast (figuratively speaking). The areas of Bacoor and then Imus do not whet your appetite for excitement, and make me instantly question why I am here and not in a more exotic place; just get me out of here...and I have only just arrived.

Arrived home in Silang after an uneventful journey, albeit a wet one. They actually had an English movie on the bus. Really funny as it seemed to have been made in the era when an acting credential was not required, just an ability to stare at anyone in a scary way. It was one of those king kong style movies with a really beautiful blond haired lady and lots of other ugly people, so she stood out even more.

Wonderful to see my Shiera gain. Straight to bed and didn't surface until around 1pm, so must have been tired.

They did it to me again! For those who have followed my exploits in the Philippines, you may recall I have had my ATM card frozen too many times that I have lost count. Needed cash today of course. Rent to pay, food to buy and all that stuff. And UK they did it again. Card blocked. Damn..sod it, buggers, pain the ass etc etc back onto the again to get it unblocked. For those that don't know about this...the Philippines is one of those countries that appears almost at the top of the fraudulent list. Any foreign ATM card used here is likely to attract suspicion, especially if you get out the maximum amount allowable in a transaction. So the rule is...don't. So I don't, but it still doesn't make a difference. I regularly have to make 2 trips to the ATM. Once when it is guaranteed it will get blocked, then return home and come back again later to get the money. It happened the day I left for Thailand, and it has happened again today on my return. So fed up with this now, that it is another one of those factors as to whether I could actually live here on a long term basis with this kind of frustration. Ok, so plenty of expats do, but that is a bigger story.

Tue 4th Aug - A Monsoon hit during the night and the gales and rain were so heavy we thought the roof would give in. Rises up, then calms down, then rises up again. Eased off a lot by morning and stayed in bed until it seemed safe to get up.

Off to town to get money and fortunately my call to the UK last night had worked, so managed to get some cash from the ATM. Phew....

Off to see Harry Potter tonight. Shiera was desperate to see it and waited until I got back. That was nice.

ok, Bye for now boys and girls

Chiang Mai...Back to Bangkok...Live long and prosper!

jeffbrad — Sun, 2 Aug 2009 06:08:00 GMT

Don't worry the title will all become clear near the end....Read on

Mon 27th Jul - Continuing on from my last posting from here....Need to get on with some activities or the days will just evaporate and will have achieved nothing. Not that that would be a problem, but I always feel I need to use my time well, gaining something from it. Two options are high up on my list that I didn't do last time I was here.

Option 1 is Zorbing or Zorb Ball is it is known here. This is where you climb into a large clear plastic ball and go whizzing down a hill side until you come to rest at the bottom. The potential for fun...and throwing up of course...is high. You can also have the options to have a couple of buckets of water thrown in there with you or even share the ball with another person. Now doesn't that sound hilarious fun!

Option 2 is less thrilling but advertised as Thailand's number 1 attraction....The 'Flight of the Gibbon'. A 3km course set up in the canopy of a forest, incorporating walkways, zipwires and abseils. Sounds similar to what I have done before, and a bit pricy at over 2,000 Baht including collection and drop-off from Chiang Mai, but might get to see some wildlife, mainly of the human variety.

Tue 28th Jul - Today started with good intentions. Well the intentions were inside my head as I overslept and got up at 10am. Late for me and lost half that day by the time I had breakfast at the Leprachaun Irish restaurant on Loi Kroh. Was gonna do this, do that, but ended up not doing much. Hadn't read a book in a while so checked out a couple of used book stores. Got a funny book about stories from expatriates in Asia. Tales of mayhem and dodgy situations guys get themselves into in this continent designed and developed to distort the mind, weaken the body, but enrich the soul with all things distracting to the focussing on the straight and narrow. For many never returning to their homeland after a dose of its intoxicating effect. And in that theme... had an oil massage, and that seem to lose up some more time. Hungry work this, so time for another meal at the Mayflower on Loi Kroh. Then got a nice call to meet with a friend from the last time I was here. Day turned into night over a drink, and conversation about how difficult it is to make certain things succeed here. Both of us keen dancers, but after many years of attempting every combination of dance teaching, none working. So with disappointment having to give up and quit the country, purely to find a place to dance with people who are interested and capable.

Read an interesting comment later about my last posting that said something about me being less like Peter Pan these day and more like a lost boy and minding the Crocodile. From someone I don't think I know, so that was interesting. Have I ever been like Peter Pan? And crocodiles are everywhere to bite a poor innocent boy like me. Anyway, cryptic messages over....

Another great night of music at the Guitar Man with a regular musician Tum, plus a blues / rock band. My first glass of red wine in a while and that mellowed the evening even more. Hence writing this journal stretched out on a raised cushion area, the beat going on and my mind wandering.

Got on-line earlier and managed to catch my Shiera on webcam. Looking lovey and happier than previously, it made me a bit homesick. Will be back with her soon.

Wed 29th Jul - A further comment on my journal referring to Peter Pan. Well for some reason my last posting seemed to have stimulated some comments about me rather than or in connection with my journey. Interesting timing as it is all going on, and to some who have been close in my past, has been going on for some time. My direction needs to be brought to some sort of focus, and it has to be done sooner rather than later. I supposedly got off the road in the Philippines to sort this out, and instead of doing that fell straight into a relationship with a very special lady, who captviated me, and so I never had time to really sort it out. My stock phrase I have used is...the right person, in the right place and at the right time. Well, the place is the issue at the moment and it doesn't tick the boxes for what I need out of life. But with the right person, we can move to the right place....as long as we both want the same things in life. I am reminded of a chance meeting with a traveller in Vientianne in Laos, who had been travelling for 21 years, with no idea why. He had no purpose, and had lost his way. He was much younger than me and I think in a worse position. It is more likley to happen as you get older and life seems to be moving on and you start to ask yourself what you have achieved in this phase of your life. I know many things about my needs and what is required of the future. The problem has been to be honest about it and get on and sort it out. Honest to myself as well as those I care about around me. One thing I definitely need is social stimulation of the visual and vocal kind (music and conversation that is), and I get absolutely non of that in the part of the Philippines where I currently live...totally dead as far as a social life with the right kind of people. No music whatsoever to just chill to and sing along with apart from Videoke of the painful kind, and absolutely no dancing unless you go to the dire mess of Manila and asphyxiate yourself with pollution in a conflicting aim to stay healthy, with a healthy mind and body. So that is that in a nutshell and major problem number 1 to resolve. I need to move somewhere else and hopefully before I go into self destruct mode and my head disappears up my own arse in a puff of smoke.

On a separate subject...have I mentioned the Jao Tee? Well if not then maybe I should. Almost every house in Thailand and many other properties, have outside what looks like a very ornate replica of a shrine or traditionally designed house. Offerings are left at this 'Shrine' to appease the 'house spirit'. This is the spirit that will make your property safe, protect it from evils and generally keep out the spooks. Do not respect it, and you could be in for some serious misfortune. Stories abound about what goes wrong when you do not understand and respect the spirit. Things magically fly off tables and strange things happen like your property is haunted. Get it right, and all calms down and becomes harmonious. Believe it or not, it is a way or fact of life here, and not just a superstition.

Breakfast at the Wild Boar Inn on Loi Kroh, so far the best English breakfast around as it is run by a native UK lad. A good hearty start to the day.

And so, as I watch the shops prepare themselves for a new day of business; the ice merchants deliver bags of it to bars and restaurants; novice monks resplendent in their orange robes striding past with their sack bag over their shoulder; an old lady with a zimmer frame slowly but purposefully make her way along; small groups of travellers with their copy of the Lonely Planet bible tucked under their arm; and many Sawngthaew on their way somewhere with travellers on board, I am now reminded that the day is moving on and need to get my ass in gear and do something with it.

So ran off to the 'Flight of the Gibbon' booking office opposite thr Boonmee Mansion Guest House, and luck would have it they had a promotion on, so only cost 1,900 Baht complete with pick-up, so booked it on the spot and only had an hour before I was due to be picked up. Quicly picked up a couple of snacks in case of dire hunger, as the girl in the office said there was no food provided' only water at the end of the course. Other drinks available at additional cost. So on with the walking boots and off for some activity for a change

Aircon minivan arrived and departed on time at 1pm then collected a few more passengers before setting off for proper into the countryside. Around an hour to get there from Chiang mai and a really nice journey too passing some pretty traditional thai houses.

A quick intro to the activity and on with a harness and helmet, then off we go. The 'Flight of the Gibbon' is an aerial course of zipwires, wooden rope bridges and a few abseils through the forest canopy. It is a bit tame by adrenalin junky standards and there was a ten year old girl in one of the other groups, so that tells you how difficult it is. The guides are very good and friendly. They do this three times each day and so play around a lot to alleviate the repetitiveness. Lucky for us the rain held off and started just as we finished. The zipwires vary from really short to long and bouncy. Fortune struck and we saw some real Gibbons swinging though the trees, so that made it worth it. It is almost impossible to take a good camera and so I left it all behind and just had a compact one, which are almost useles for taking good photgraphs under these conditions. Anyway, memories are better than photographs in most cases.

They lied...just as we thought it was all over and headed towards the minivan to come back, they stopped us and asked us to go to the house for dinner. They had laid on a nice three course meal of curry soup and rice with spiced vegetables and some fruit. A pleasant trip back to town arriving around 7:30pm.

The evening didn't really evolve into much as i had been busy and was tired. Still, squeezed in some chat time with my Shiera back in the Philippines and then went out for a rather poor meal at a place I won't mention, but had passed a few times and thought it looked ok. Looks can be decieving. Then after walking in the cool evening air for a time, got dragged into a bar....honest...to play pool and drink coffee for a while and hey presto...it was 1am. Now where did that time go....I have no flippin idea?

Thu 30th Jul - Heading back to Bangkok tonight so had to pack up my stuff. Went for breakfast first with a lovely girl from Japan and chatted for a while about stuff. Then jumped in a Sawngthaew to the railway station to buy my ticket for tonight. All of the lower berths were full and so, yet again only managed to get the freezing top bunk. That means no sleep again I reckon.

To be honest I would stay the full 30 days in Thailand and it hasn't been 2 weeks yet, but things are a little strained back home and have to return. It is only fair, so will spend a few days in Bangkok and then fly back to Manila early next week. Later on in the day booked my cebupacific flight for Monday.

Another traveller arrived at the Boonmee from Switzerland, so spent a little time chatting then went for a superb meal at the Mayflower again.

The rains started and continued on and off for the rest of the day. Had a short rest back at the Boonmee and was about to fall asleep when I thought I would miss my train if I did, and so headed off to the station instead. The carriage I was in was the usual refrigerated type. You could feel your body temperature plummet on entry and the cryogenic freezing process commence.

Early on one of the noisiest familest on the planet boarded and sat opposite me. Oh sh1t...not one of those bunch who have no consideration for anyone. I have never understood why some people have never learnt the art of whispering, and communicating in a low calm voice. Everything shouted at full volume to someone a mere one meter away. The train hadn't even set off and I wanted to kill them.

It was an interesting combination of travellers I was sharing my section with. A pretty Korean student journalist on her first trip outside of Korea, who spoke some English and was a giggly sort. She looked like a typical advert for a korean selling mobile phones. Seen them on the billboards. Black hair and white fair skin, Plus a French girl who just stared at anyone who spoke to her. It became apparent that she was French although initially she did not respond to anyone. It was funny actually as the Korean girl wanted to talk with her, and the French girl just stared back. I though she was mute until she ordered her meal in English! Then I thought she was just a wierdo, who didn't like people. She kept looking at me and smiling and then across at the Korean girl and smile, but no words. It was like a three way conversation without a script and only eye contact. After a while I decided I would break the crazy atmosphere and just read my book. She took a little interest in what I was reading and we eventually exchanged a few words in French with some English thrown in for detail. She then coccooned herslef in a sleeping bag and went to sleep.

Dinner was served albeit in a very staggered order and then the beds were made up and time to hit the sack. That is when the ticket guards came around to check tickets for the second time. The French girl was in the wrong carriage and had been since leaving Chiang Mai. The previous guard punched her ticket and never made any comment, so she was moved, and replaced by somene else. After bed swapping was complete, off to bed. Yippee, this one was better than the last and not as cold.

Had a disturbed night mainly due to the rocking and jumping motion of the train. Arrived at Hua Lamphong station at 8:15am. Was suppoed to be 7am, but I guess it never makes that time.

Straight out to the Metro to Silon and then transfer to the BTS skytrain at sala Daeng and soon enough at the Soi 1 Backpacker Guest House. Check-in, and then straight to bed absolutely shattered.

Fri 31st Jul - After a brief rest followed by a great shower and freshen up, it was time to head out. It was late so had Breakfast / Lunch at the Elefin café a short way down Soi 1 and then headed out for a walk to Lumpini park via Erewan shrine Lumpini park. Spent most of the day there just relaxing, watching the public aerobics and then off to the Night Bazaar for a meal and listened to a live Thai rock band. Apart from that, not much happened today.

Sat 1st Aug - Caught a Khlong boat from the bottom of Soi 1 for 12 Baht going west to Wat Saket changing a Pratunam. I had been here before but it does offer a great view of Bangkok. The weather was clear and the view great. So many people as usual here doing their pilgrimage and worshipping rituals, so a good place for people watching. Then caught a moto taxi for 50 Baht to Vinanmek Mansion. Walk past the tuk-tuks as they want to rip-off at 200 Baht!

The mansion is actually part of a large complex with a single entrance fee of 100 Baht. If you have been to the Wat Phra Kew / Grand Palace then your ticket gets you in here for free. The mansion is the only part i actually wanted to see so walked briefly around the rest. Niccece buildings from the colonial era made from teak. The mansion is a well organised arrangement. No photography allowed inside and so have to surrender that before they let you in. Cover up so needed a shirt and trousers, no footwear. The entrance covers a 30 minute guided tour of the house in English. Lovely furnishings of such high quality and a nice rlaxed pace. After doing the tour, back to get my camera then you are allowed to photograph the outside of the building only. Plenty of eateries in the complex and so had a nice chicken sukiyaki and iced coffee before walking to flower market and then onto ferry station N15. This walk is a long one but interesting as it not only passes the very pretty flower market, but also a section of seafood sellers, a nice temple and a buddhist prayer bowl manufacturer.

Alongside the pier it teams with fish and yoou can buy bags of stale bread to feed them. Thousands of em. Dinner is free for the taking if you have a net!. 12 baht down to Central pier. Walk along Silom road and stopped for massage. Straight back to Soi 1 and quick change before going to Siam Niramit show. 1,500 Baht. Metro from Asok and shuttle service waiting. Traffic so heavy it took ages to get there and arrived 10 minutes before show begun. Told them I wanted to take photographs and they wouldn't allow it. They take your camera equipment during the show. Bastards!

Show started at 8pm and lasted for 90 minutes. This was the second time I had seen the show. The last time was January 2008. From what I recollect it is exactly the same as then not that that is a problem as it is a narrative about the history of Siam, know Thailand of course, and history doesn't change. The venue is the largest stage in Asia with a seating capacity of 2,000. Tonight it was about two-thirds full I reckon. Being such a rich and elaborate culture makes for a fantasia of costumes and music throughout. Beautiful sets and haunting melodic rhythms. For part of the performance the front of the stage opens into a river with a boat sailing down it, thunder and lightening overhead and a downpour of rain...yes, rain on stage. A pretty section has floating candles in ornate baskets floating down the river ceremoniously. Illuminated winged ladies fly around through the audience and stage. Elephants appear from the sidings into the audience area. Flashes of coloured steam from the ground in front of the upper audience. Flying deities across the stage. It has it all. There isn't much more they could add as it demonstrates perfectly the richness of the country's past and their belief system.

On this visit I have seen both this show and the Calypso show repeated from earlier visits. Both remind me of the reason why I love this country. I like culture, flamboyance, extrovertness and the fact that anybody can do anything and get away with it. Acceptance is all part of life here. The sheer stunning beauty of the ladies, and that includes the ladyboys (aka Gatoys or just 'Toys'), the gracious nature and wonderful architecture all make this country unique. And all shape it to be the dream destination for most who have never been here, and the magnet that keeps us coming back for those who have been drawn by its allure.

By the time the show finished and I had reclaimed my camera, the throngs of people clammering around the performers outside for a snapshot, made it impossible to take any of my own photographs. Crazier than the last time I was here, with people pushing and shoving to get their chance for a shot. Frustrating, so gave up and headed back on the free shuttle to the Metro station.

Was early still and ended up playing pool is a bar I have been to a few times and then hit the sack in the early hours of the morning.

Sun 2nd Aug - I fly back to Manila tonight, well 00:10, so actually Monday morning. It has been too short really as I intended it to be upto 1 month and will be going back after only 2 weeks. Some things need sorting out back there and it is prudent to go now.

I always miss Bangkok, and despite the number of times I have been, there is so much I still haven't done. Could spend another week just here this time. It is a workaholic metropolis that never sleeps. The hoardes of workers and shoppers during the day, taken over by the nightlife seekers. Sometimes it is nice to just walk and watch. You see it all here. Every few metres the approaches for 'Massage Sir', and 'I go with you', make for the usual battle of hormones versus how fast could you empty your wallet if you wanted to? The reality is that it is all very shallow, and these girls/ladyboys, might look like the best thing on the planet, but you wouldn't trust any of them one bit. They are programmed to lie and tell you what you want to hear. Make you feel like a king, and then empty your wallet with a smile and you would help them do it, and then realise the scam too late. But probably do it again another night thinking you are wiser and won't get caught again....but you will.

Walking through the market stall each night is like Deja Vu. The same banter going on...same same but different. They play the same script over and over again...first the price is too high, then they drop it a bit, then you walk away, so they drop it again. But they will remember your face for days and the next time they see you they will remember the clothing or item you were interested in and the price you wanted, and they will strike again. The reality is that it is the same process with every customer and normal life for them. Come midnight or 2am, they pack it all away and go home to repeat it all again tomorrow.

I do find that it is stimulating though and food for writing. For anyone like me who loves to observe life and culture, here is an overdose of it, in a manageable city. I really don't like cities as I have said so many times before. But If I had to live in one, this would be it I think. I know where is stand and can handle it, and don't go running for the escape hatch that quick. I have not looked at actually living here long term, as that is a much different scenario. Not working in a city like this means it could soon wear off, so not sure about that. Not being an avid shopper, and not interested in the hooker scene, it removes a major chunk of what this place is about. Ok in bursts but not long term. The 'City of Angels' is certainly that. Full of heavenly bodies of all persuasions, but if you are not part of that, just a hot seething mass of energy that drains your batteries after a while.

As an aside...I was sat on the Metro yesterday opposite two american white gay guys. Their body language to each other was so lovey and, you know...out in the open poncy touch feely flirtation, that it was amusing to watch. Sat to one side, an old lady reading her newspaper. In front a few students listening to music on their mobiles. The usual kids with a cellphone permanently on-line to their survival umbilical chord. A stunner of a girl wth another few bags of expensive looking clothes to swell her immaculate wardrobe....but, it is all a normal, everyday scene. Nobody bats an eyelid, or stares, or deliberately turns their attention away...because as I said...this is a place where acceptance is the byword. Live and let live.

So as I write this in the Elfin café on Soi 1, and think about what lies ahead, as seems usual in my life, it is full of uncertainty. I left the Philippines to come here for a while and do some things important to me, and going back ahead of schedule. To what? Well I miss the love and being with someone who cares for me, and I for her...Shiera. Yes I could play with lots of lovely ladies here if I wanted to. They fall over themselves sometimes when they see a foreigner. But you are only a walking dollar sign and as I said, it is very shallow and have this feeling of mistrust in their intentions. I do not want to go through life sceptical about everyone I meet as that is not fair to them. But the longer I stay in places like this I sense the feeling of mistrust and potential deceipt growing. All from talking with people who don't have a good word to say about their experiences. They have all been fleeced. But then again there are many many honorable ladies out their; those guys just haven't been shopping in the honorable shop! And you would possibly be wondering all your life, if you met an 'honorable' lady here, just how many guys she had been 'Honorable' with! You would probably be afraid to ask. I am lead to remember a lady in my past who I made the mistake of asking how many partners she had slept with. The answer turned my stomach. Not only was the number high, but she couldn't actually be accurate about it as there had been many. Needless to say, that was a very very short relationship!

Changing subject rapidly, I do need to be in a stimulating environment with kindred people who can talk and open up about life and anything that matters. So this is major hurdle number 1 that is sadly lacking back home. A loving partner has to be accompanied by a social life, and that is a big task for me to resolve. I just do not have a social life there. Being in a community with only one Australian expat as my only contact who speaks English leaves me feeling empty.

Having no career is the second and probably most important mountain to climb. You can gather I like to write openly, and I have some ideas for books I would like to write, so am thinking seriously about becoming a writer...tell me what you think out there. Travel writing is one thing, personal writing is another. Not into writing novels and fluffy stuff...just not me. Gotta be from the heart and soul.

The other thing I am trying to pursue is my Photography. Love it and want to be more professional about it. The two go together in some ways and separate in others, so can have my cake and eat it if I want. Time will tell I guess, but being in the right environment to stimulate my mind and not feel empty with no direction is the most destructive of situations that I must escape from. A story I have told for a long time and need to get on with it. I am 49 and they say you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. Well this dog isn't that old and wants to learn new tricks. Live long and prosper!

I think that is enough for now. Will mess around the rest of the day until ready to go to the airport and then back to another world.

Will try to post loads of photos when I am back in the Philippines as haven’t had the time here.

Bye for now

Thailand revisited…part 2...to Chiang Mai

jeffbrad — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:19:00 GMT

Did I tell you that there is some nice fruit in season at the moment? Well, on the previous visits I recollect that Thailand seems to have a permanent abundance of good fruit available for that healthy munch break. My personal favourites are Dragon fruit, which always looks the most exotic of fruits, Rambutan, always delicious at 10 baht a half kilo, Mangosteen and Longans. Mangoes and Bananas are everywhere and cheap.

Mon 20th Jul - The train surprised me by not leaving the station until 8:10pm. That's 35 minutes after the scheduled departure. Now I thought that they were more punctual than that? Before I got on the train I was sat on the balcony area having a coffee when the lovely Robyn passed by. She was the girl who joined me on the first day in Bangkok and had just returned from Kanchanaburi. She would be heading to Chiang Mai tonight with a possibility that we may overlap on our travels later on.

Aboard the train my carriage seemed rather empty but collected a few more passengers along the way. Once the journey got under way for proper, the beds were made up and the food service came around to take orders for dinner, which I didn't need as I had brought on enough snacks and drinks. Once everyone was tucked in bed, and frozen by the aircon, the guards come around and wash the floors and collect rubbush. It's all very thai and part of the excellent service.

I was freezing all night and hardly slept at all as a result. Why they have the aircon so cold escapes me. I don't think anyone likes to be that cold when they are trying to sleep. The view from the train window was pleasant. Out of the city and into the rambling greenery of the provinces is a stark contrast, and a nice scene to start the day. Train 13 Arrived at Lampang at 8:15am, over an hour later than the scheduled arrival. It did set off late, but cannot be that critical of timing as it is a long journey of around 600km I think. I was to stay at the 'Riverside Guest House' on Thanon Talat Kao, and overlooking the Mae Wang river. Outside the station the Sawngthaew wait and only charged 20 Baht to get to the guest house. Flexible route so you just say where you want to go and they drop you to the door. Greeted by the pleasant owner Lorenza. Had to wait a little while until my room was ready, but an ideal time to chill by the river. The location is lovely and peaceful, with nice garden and comfortable seating to kick back in. As with all places in Thailand and especially of this type (as opposed to sterile hotels), the atmosphere is friendly and the guests are happy to chat to each other. I paid 500 Baht for a large fan room.

On the bank of the river opposite where I sat, two fishermen were casting nets whilst stood in the water up to their waists. Fishing the traditional way.

This road is referred to as a 'Walking street'. Chiang Mai first coined this, and on weekends it is closed to traffic and fills with market stalls and street vendors. Thanon Talat is an interesting street full of old shop houses. Following on from a busy weekend, today the place is quiet, and most places were closed until later.

The sky was very overcast and looked possible for some rain later. Didn't hang around and set off for some sightseeing....

Lampang is small by comparison to its neighbor Chiang Mai at little over 50,000 population. Its main claim to fame is for being the only place in Thailand where horse drawn carts or Meung Rot are still used for public transport albeit mainly for tourism nowadays. I gather that a 1 hour trip around the sights should only cost about 300 Baht, but I decided to walk as I believe you see more that way. The town was built as a walled rectangle along the river Mae Wong. Back in history the British were here. They brought with them their expertise in the timber industry and favoured the use of local Teak for construction. They brought in Burmese companies who were experts in construction of temples and built some impressive buildings in the region.

First place I visited on the northern side of the river was Baan Sao Nak, In the old Wiang Neua (northern) section. Admission 50 Baht. Built in 1895 in traditional Lanna style. A huge teak house supported by 116 square teak pillars. Once owned by a local Khunying (equivalent to an English Lady). It is now a local museum. There has been much renovation over the years but most is still unadulterated.

Slightly further up the road is the sprawling Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao. Built 1436 to 1468. On the northern side of the Mae Wong river. In the past it housed the Emerald Buddha statue which is now located in the Bangkok Grand Palace.

The main Chedi apparently shows Hariphunchai influence, whatever that is? The Mondop which is a square, spire-topped shrine room, Is decorated in Burmese style with a Mandalay-style Buddha image. Filled with Lanna style artifacts.

Admission was supposed to be by donations, but I got charged a fixed 20 Baht. A lucky timing of my visit was that the main compound was filled with Buddhist students under instruction. The head Monk was teaching one group under a gazebo. Other groups were reading and copying the various signs around the site. I got chatting to some as they were excited to see a Farang!

On the way back I took a couple of diversions and had to backtrack. I am not usually put off by barking snarling dogs, but there were so many here that I didn't trust, so decided to avoid them instead as a few lunged at me even though I tried to do the best thing and ignore them.

Opposite the Ga-o-In coffee shop is a turning to another temple, which looked interesting from a distance. It was completely empty, except for one monk who made a line for me and started chatting in English. I was lucky as we spent a fair time talking about him, his family history and Buddhism in general. He was Burmese and was ordained when he was 10. He was now 30 and had occasional visits from his family who still reside in Burma. The crazy thing was that he learnt English from a family member who lived in Birmingham UK of all places. Small world really. Very gentle and elegant man who was a pleasure to chat with.

Time for a coffee break at the Ga-o-In and take in some quiet Thai music with the tinkling waterfall in the background. Time on-line to catch up with Shiera back home. It is putting a strain on things a little, as she is on her own back there. A big house can feel very empty when there is nobody to share the space with.

Walking back to the Riverside was pleasant as there are many temples, including a Chinese Taoist one and plenty of old Burmese style houses. Too many temples for one day I think.

A nice social break chatting to some other travellers staying, and then out for a meal at the Riverside restaurant about 150 metres away as darkness descended.

Tue 21st Jul - Headed out of town to visit Wat Phra That Lampang Luang. Hailed as the most beautiful wooden Lanna temple in northern Thailand. Located about 18km south west of Lampang in Ko Kha area. In town it is easy to get directions to where the tuk-tuk stop. I paid 60 Baht to get all the way there. Could have stopped in Kho Ka and got a motorcycle taxi from there, but no point. The driver offered to wait for an hour and bring me back, but wanted 300 Baht for that. Seemed too much, so took my chances on getting back easily, which proved to be a correct decision.

The temple complex is actually two separate temples in their own compounds. One is a dazzling gold and red monument to everything bold and is just one of those wow buildings. Another of my favourite temples in Thailand is Wat Rong Khun near to Chiang Rai. That one is a must visit place and I have been a couple of times already. The one here at Luang is the golden version, and I rate it as just stunning.

The main pull for tourists though is the old temple. Built in 1476, the main Wihaan is a triple-tiered wooden roof supported by teak pillars. The architecture is beautiful and has paintings from that era depicting the Buddha’s lives. Old and weathered, it is a lovely piece of history to preserve. The main building isn't what I would call spectacular compared to others I have seen, but it has great character. A 45m high Chedi behind the main building is currently under renovation, so is covered in scaffolding and netting, making it almost impossible to what is underneath.

The Thais are devout in their worship, and many Thai Lu weavings are left as offerings along with golden Buddha statues of various sizes and designs. It all makes for a tyical place to watch Thai people at their most devout, and get a little closer to their psyche.

A small white building at the rear corner of the site is a bit odd at first. Accessed by steps, it just seems to contain a white hanging sheet. What is less obvious is that it is displaying an inverted image of the Buddha that is projected via a hole in the wall. Missed that one completely and wondered why they would bother to hang a white sheet in this building!

Easy enough to work out how to get back to Lampang. The square in front of the temple is surrounded by eateries and souvenir stalls. Next to the road i picked up a motorcycle taxi for 40 Baht back to Ko-Kha. The driver dropped me at the tuk-tuk stop, which charged 30 Baht back to town. So, all-in-all a better option than 300 Bath the outgoing driver wanted as it only cost me 130 Baht round trip.

Back in town I was dropped at the bus station and walked the rest from there. At Thanon Duangrat, Horse carriages park under the double golden arch presenting the usual photo of the king. Dinner time, so they all had their heads down in bowls of fodder. It had begun raining earlier and I decided against taking the carriage back, preferring a break at the nearby Wawee coffee shop instead for some people watching. Coffee shops, especially the better quality ones, are always used as meeting places. People being interviewed for a job, others maybe meeting from a matchmaker type of agency, some just carrying out their business meetings over a relaxed up of coffee away from the office. An hour or more can just vanish.

Well the rain kept coming, and my stomach kept calling, and so it wandered the street to find some local food. Randomly picked a place for a bowl of noodle and chicken stuff. They always put in a couple of lumps of what I can only describe as slithering brown grunge. It is some part of an animal I think, but after my first try of it, I decided I didn't like it much and so leave it alone. It is probably the bit with the most protein, but the texture makes me want to puke, so it's off my list of desirables.

No umbrella, and only mid afternoon, so watched the rain and put my brain into neutral and drifted for a while. Then got bored and decided to rush back in the rain to the Guest House and spend the afternoon writing and rain watching from the verandah of my room instead.

Dinner at the Riverside restaurant again; this place seems to be about the only decent venue to eat at in town, and tonight had a very nice band performing easy listening music. The lead singer was a pretty lady with an equally pretty and capable voice. Combined with a nice meal I felt satisfied after a pleasant day.

Rather than go back to the Guest house I wandered around the town, to see whether it had a nightlife. Surprise... It does. Obviously predominated by local Thais, there are a few nice bars playing live music of an easy going style. A foreigner walking in brings giggles as they have no real idea how to communicate and you stick out from the crowd, especially if you are on your own. To be honest, I don't get on so well these days going out on my own in the evening. Much prefer to be with others and hope Chiang Mai to be better socially than here due to the increased numbers who are either foreign or can speak English. Whislt walkign I was stopped by three lads who pulled up by me and asked me to fill in a questionnaire. The amount of times I recently where I have been asked...what is your name, where are you from...what do you think of Thailand....and can I take your photo? It seems like the only questions the teachers can come up with. And they have no idea what you have written as an answer of course. To be honest, they won't learn much from most of the answers they have been given, especially mine. I was tempted to offload something that has been niggling me for days....when is Thailand going to destroy or at least enforce the muzzling and typing up of all of its dogs? My reasoning being that so many of the snarling little buggers have lept out of alleys, and between cars at me recently that I thought I must be wearing some of that 'I now hate Dogs' scent of mine. Having nearly changed sex and given birth at the shock (figuratively speaking of course), it has caused me to change direction on my walks so many times when a pack of them lay ahead. I have given advice to people in the past to just ignore the foaming beasts, which is sometimes easier said than done. One dog I passed ran down the owners pathway and launched itself at the meshed gate so hard, that I think it left a criss-crossed pattern imprinted on its nose. For some reason I now just want to poke them in the eyes and kick them in the nuts if they have them. It is one aspect I have come across in many places in Thailand, for which it gets a big black cross on the list of likes.

The nice owner of the Guest House informed me that if I had walked on further than I did, towards the market, then at night it isinteresting to see all the trucks coming down from the mountains loaded with stuff. Too tired to bother walking back again.

Wed 22^nd Jul – Seen enough of Lampang now, and rather than do some more sightseeing from here, thought I may as well move on to my favourite city in Thailand of Chiang Mai. On the way there, I could make a number of stops, but the one of most interest is the Thai Elephant centre, which is located around 28km North West of Lampang outside of Thung Kwian (at the 37km marker). The bus from Lampang to Chiang Mai goes past the road to the centre, and so a good opportunity to stop off with my luggage whilst I visit.

I had also heard there was an option to hire a blue sawngthaew for 300 Baht or jump on a Chiang Mai bound bus or Sawngthaew for 26 Baht from the main bus terminal. Obviously chose the latter. Was chatting with a girl at breakfast who had chartered a bus directly there with her mother, but didn't fancy paying the higher price although more convenient. Fortunately, Sawngthaew stop right outside of the Riverside Guest House in the morning, so no need to struggle to get to the station (20 Baht). Explain to the driver to tell me when to get off and then wait for the bus to gather more passengers. They leave about every 30 minutes, so not kept waiting for long. One point to make here is that most Thai public buses have no English signs whatsoever. English speaking people are also difficult to come by, but you work it out eventually, as long as you have done a bit of homework in advance.

One of the options at the centre is to take a Mahout (elephant caretaker) course. Can be from one day to a lifetime if you want.

A few of the Showtime displays are bathing at 9:45am and 1:15pm, and 'circus' shows at 10am, 11am and 1:30pm, where these gracious creatures can be seen playing oversized xylophones and painting! To be honest, whilst I have griped about this in the past, they are stuck. There is no more use of them for commercial logging anymore thanks to eco-development. Tourism nowadays is the saviour of the Elephant and government sponsorship along with tourism income. The same story is true elsewhere of course and there is little alternative.

What is nice about this place is that a high proportion of the show elephants are driven by trainee mahouts. Students mainly who are on either 1 or 3 day courses.

I arrived at the ticket booth (around 500 metres from the bus drop-off on the highway) and left my baggage in the booth whilst I visited. Entrance is 60 Baht which is 40 Baht for the centre plus 20Baht for the shuttle bus that loops the site. There is a visitor centre adjacent which shows the evolution of the elephant from mammoth days through until now.

The shuttle bus arrived at the showground area just as the first bathing session of the day was nearing its end. The trainee Mahouts were drenched through but having a great time. The elephants are all in wonderful condition and fed very well. In line they then exit the bathing lake and stroll to the showground. In typical children’s story like fashion where each elephants holds the tail of the one in front, it is a cute introduction.

The show itself is a tribute to the intelligence of these animals. Yes, we know they were historically used for logging and hunting, which is displayed to perfection. But, here they do amazing artwork with a small brush, the sales proceeds of which go back into the project (500 to 1,000 Baht a picture). As mentioned they ring bells, turn on and of taps to wash themselves, play xylophones, bow for applause, gently place a hat on someone's head and other little masterpieces of dexterity. What this all shows is the amazing maneuverability and power of their trunk. The concentration of muscles in the trunk allows them such precision to do almost anything with it.

Elephant dung...now there's a load of crap...big loads of it! Well if you have such vast quantities of it...heap big piles of crap every day..then you may as well make paper with it. Yep, paper. It is something that is common, but another way for the centre to get funds to plough back into the project.

Apparently there was an eclipse at 7am this morning. I only know that because the owner of the café I had lunch at was asking me all the technical terms for the event to expand his English. Giving a science lesson at an elephant centre, now there's something to write about that doesn't happen often!

Waited around 20 minutes and flagged down an aircon bus for 60 Baht to take me to Chiang Mai.

Well in typical tradition, got to the Arcade bus terminal and the usual gaggle of taxi drivers mobbed the bus. I have been here before so now the ropes. To get to Tha Pae gate where I stay is only around 20 Baht, but they ask 80 Baht or more. Stand fast and only pay the 20. They agree of course and onto the public Sawngthaew and off we go.

Soon after setting off, the heavens opened with full-on style and continued until I was dropped off. Fortunately, I always stop at the same place around the corner from the drop-off. The Boonmee Guest House is like a home from home and the owners Florence and Sam are always welcoming and recognize me now. Got my usual room for 300 Baht complete with free Wi-Fi and nice facilities. They have done some work on the place since I was last here, and built a swimming pool plus some redecorating of the rooms.

Nice to catch up with a few past acquaintances in the evening; a lady running a bar that hadn't changed at all, but her life was not going to plan and she had taken to regular meditation and giving up drinking as part of her healing process. Another friend who had only just opened up his own bar with his thai wife. She is still doing all the work and running around, whilst he does all the drinking and sorting out the hassles. Nothing much changed from last year. A few places under new management, others making alterations to their businesses. The usual come-on calls from the girls in the bars as you pass. All very tame and part of the night scene.

Thu 23rd Jul - After a reasonable night's sleep, off to find a place I had remembered for a good breakfast, to find it had been knocked down. Now that was a shock. Found somewhere else that happened to be in a good location to watch the fiasco of the police trapping motorcyclists for not wearing helmets. It wasn't surprising to see that a majority of those they stopped were very pretty girls, who they then got into long conversations with. A few foreigners who should know better got stopped too. On the spot fine for them and easy pickings. Within half an hour the two policemen must have netted around 30 offenders. Not bad work to swell their funds.

Off for some 'Watting'. Chiang Mai has the highest concentration of Wats in Thailand, and so for any budding and enthusiastic photographer, it is click click click heaven. I have my list of personal favourites, so drop down a gear as it is really hot today, and saunter around a circuit draining batteries, draining energy and people watching. Now I have a little moan, which is unlike me...I am one of those photographers that will always spot a couple or a group of people and ask if they want a group or couple shot with their cameras. They always say...oh thanks...that will be lovely. Guess how many times they ask if I would like one in return...Never! The selfish gits never think to return the favour. Not that I am too bothered, but isn't human nature selfish sometimes. So consequently, unless I specifically ask someone, I never appear in a photograph when I am travelling alone. Anyway, moan over and on with the watting.

Wat Singh is my favourite, but 'Wat This', ‘Wat Who’ and 'Wat That' are close favourites too!

Fri 24th Jul - Had a restless night with many trips to the toilet in the early hours. My system continues to be a mess these days. Got some advice to purchase some 'BioGen' from the pharmacist and try it twice a day for up to a week. It was like drinking sludge, but often things that supposed to you good don't taste good.

Yesterday I had a plan to do all sorts of things today, but it has evaporated as don't feel in the mood. The strain between Shiera and I is growing as each day passes. When you love someone, spending time apart is a difficult emotional situation. It puts things to the test. It hasn't even been 2 weeks yet, but this is the longest since we met. I can handle things and still function as being away from the people I love is a normal state of life. Had to clear my head so went for a walk to the Buak Haad park in the south western corner of the old city. A quiet place with a couple of small lakes and flowerbeds with plenty of people escaping from the heat and relaxing under a tree.

Had to visit the Dentist today as I had either dislodged a filling or chipped a back tooth a few days ago. Couldn't work out which. Good standards here, so ideal place to have it attended to. Cost me 1000 Baht, but that included the anesthetic, filling, x-ray and deep root desensitizer thingamajig. They were digging around in there for ages and came out with lock-jaw, but hopefully they have sorted it.

Sat 25th Jul - Felt like getting out of town somewhere today. Had read a little about the Handicraft village at Bo Sang, and thought that might offer some nice photographic opportunities. To get there is easy enough by getting a Sawngthaew from the flower market by the Mae Ping river. First though, was a stop at another favourite temple of mine on the Tha Pae road at Wat Buparam. This one is different than most in that it is fronted by a garden with models of animals and Donald duck. It is actually two temples on the one site, but the larger ornate one is more of a museum. The older one is of typical Lanna style and really quaint. Sat on the balcony area were a couple of friendly Buddhist monks, one of which was very chatty and nice to spend some time with. The normal initial questions of where I am from and what am I doing here, but it does get more interesting once you pass the initial stages. They are really nice people and love interaction with foreign people, as many like to practice their English.

The flower market is a pretty place, as the Thai's love their flowers. Some unusual ones that I wished I knew the name of. Will try to search on-line to find out.

The Sawngthaew was the white one and cost 20 Baht, shared with a group of ladies who had been doing their vegetable shopping, so it was crammed with bags and not much legroom. Arriving in Bo Sang wasn't what I expected. I did think it would be a traditional village. Well it is of sorts, but more like a busy major road with some side roads. Very quiet and most of the stock looked a bit jaded after sitting out in the sun for too long.

Bo Sang's main claim to fame is its nickname of the 'Umbrella Village'. Wandering off down a couple of alleys lead me to some production places where people were busy making and painting umbrellas. Made of bamboo and coloured material and spread out for display is an attractive image, so got some nice photographs. There was also a paper making factory, using the traditional technique of spreading dyed wood pulp onto mesh sheets, which are dried in the sun and then peeled off. Many nice designs of products. Would be nice to buy some of this stuff but it then comes down to having to carry it the rest of the journey.

Back to town and a walk through the area that becomes the night bazaar. Empty during the day other than by folk setting up their stalls ready for later. Time for a Thai I'll massage. Of course these are done fully naked and in a private booth. They inevitably ask whether sir would like a special massage? That happens almost everywhere, but they are ok when you tell them you just want the normal massage. Nice and relaxed, time for a meal. Seems odd but had another breakfast. One of the bar/restaurants is run by a guy originating from Macclesfield in the UK, and the cooked breakfast is one of the best in town. Got chatting to an American guy who buys one of their largest meals regularly, and it is humungous, but never finishes half of it. The sort of guy who, when you ask a question never seems to answer it. Goes the long winded way around what you have asked and says almost nothing in the process. I am sure you know the type. Another guy was from Hawaii and looking to do some English teaching here. A great chat about that as I had looked at doing it myself in the past. There is a Language Institute here plus some smaller ones, dedicated to teaching any language you want. The prices seem a bit high compared to other places, but it depends on how serious you are and the quality of tuition.

A great evening at the Guitar Man on Loi Kroh road. It was one of my favourite places when I was last here and it was good to see it still going strong. It is a jamming venue, so anyone can get up and join in, singing or playing and instrument. They have plenty of guitars there and drums so you don't need to bring your own. The lead singer tonight was a guy I had met last time and we had a mutual friend in common who now lives in Ireland, so it was nice to catch up. He was working on recording a CD of children's music and a really nice guy and superb musician with his own style. It also happened to be his 39th birthday and so a celebration was in order with a cake and free meal given out to everyone there. A wonderful evening with meeting nice people.

Whilst I think of it, the night bazaar is one of those places that always seems to be full of life at any time of year. Been here many times now, and it never changes. The most amusing point I think is that you get loads of tribal dressed women walking through the crowds selling amulets of a tribal nature, but what you actually remember is those sill frogs....you probably know the sort...made of wood and you scrape a stick down their back to make a frog sound. They are everywhere, and it seems to add a musical track to the hustle and bustle of the market. Just stop anywhere and you are almost certain to hear the sound. I wonder if everyone in the world has secretly got one of these frogs tucked away somewhere...go on you know you want one. I am seriously resisting, but have been tempted many times.

A late night of discussion with Shiera over the net. I miss her and it is putting a strain on things me being away. The annoying thing is interfering people who begin to sow doubts into a relationship just because you are upset when you apart. Why can't people just keep their noses out of your lives without ending up making things worse than they already are? A restless night as a result...

Sun 26th Jul - Today is market day in Rachedamnoen street; otherwise known as a 'walking street'. It usually begins at 2pm, but the vendors begin setting up early morning. I was out by 9pm and some were already there. No business yet as most people were out late last night and don't get out of bed until late.

Sat having breakfast and a van passed by advertising the 'Longan fair'. The Longan is in season now and everywhere, but they actually have a fair...why? I have no idea as they are just another fruit that happens to be available, so why celebrate it?

The market in full swing later and off to saunter and take photos. Not interested in buying anything, but it is very tempting as there is so much attractive stuff. Many musicians, including many blind manage to find their little niche amongst the crowded street, and are very proficient and nice to listen to. The main problem is the narrow street which is too crowded to listen for long. The street continues all the way through the Wat Phra Singh. At night a golden monument fronted by a shrine with many worshippers praying and clutching closed Lotus flowers.

Along Rachedamnoen is another of my favourite music venues called the ‘Garden Café’. They actually have a live webcam on the internet showing their performances. Music began as instrumental with traditional Thai instruments plus saxophone accompaniment, followed by a blues band. All of the members I had seen the last time I was here. All very high standard and time to kick back over a beer and listen. A surprise when a lady and daughter I had bumped into many times came by and joined me for a meal. Made for a nicer time with some catch-up conversation. Remember me commenting earlier about those frogs the tribal ladies sell. Well they flood the place on Sunday, and the croaky sounds of the frog chorus can be heard everywhere. They wander into the Garden café and try to sell to the captive audience and are very persistent. Which for me is a challenge on how long I can stand my ground. Tonight I did buy a bracelet. I had the same design a year ago and threw it away when it got worn out, so it was nice to get a new one…well two, for when the first one wears out again!

Plenty of side stalls selling great snacks so was kept fed all evening. Wasn’t that tired so had a night out around the bars and didn’t get to bed until 3am. Haven’t stayed up that late for a long time, so that made a change.

Mon 27^th Jul – Everywhere seemed quiet this morning as I went for breakfast. The sweepers were there cleaning the roads after the mess left by the Sunday market stalls. Had some duties today and ticked them all off my list, but had the most wonderful breakfast with an old Thai lady who had so much to talk about that we were there for over an hour chatting away. I miss that sort of breakfast when not travelling. You learn a lot about the cultures and also about people’s individual lives and issues. She had many passports gained through the many husbands she seemed to have collected over the years…Swiss, Dutch and Thai of course. Stories about each of her long marriages and the legacy of how her life had been affected following the break-up. Children mature now but still I contact. Financial issues when things went wrong. One big event when she lost some property to the Tsunami that almost wiped her out financially. But she recovered due to her persistence and need to work and change direction. A really interesting lady and full of knowledge and great communication of her thoughts.

On with the rest of the day….

I will leave this posting here for now. Haven’t had time to post any photographs yet, as I have taken so many it will take me ages to sort them out. Will try soon, so bye for now.

Thailand revisited...part 1

jeffbrad — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Wed 15th Jul - After a mad day yesterday spent mostly in my worst environment of a shopping mall, I decided to have a day out sightseeing. As I have been here many times before, I wanted to go somewhere I hadn't already been, so chose Wat Arun on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river. One of the girls travelling at the hostel hadn't used the transport system here, so joined me part way. Onto the BTS Sytrain to Saphan Taksin and noticed that since I last came, another two stations had been added on the west bank. I also subsequently heard that the BTS link through to the Airport from the present last station of On Nut will be completed soon. I can imagine the impact that will have on the taxi business that currently shares the route with the Airport Express buses. I can imagine they will be panicking about the loss of income from it.

Onto the river taxi for 15 Baht to get to station 8. One thing to mention here is that they offer arriving tourists a 'Tourist All-day ticket' at 150 Baht. It is on a nicer boat with some narration, but you pay a lot for it considering the normal single fare is 15 Baht! Wat Arun is on the other side of the river, so have to cross on another small boat for 3 Baht that leave every few minutes.

Wat Arun is awesome, and is really a complex of many temples punctuated by the dominant peak. The surrounding buildings house some beautiful Buddha statues and artifacts. Out front the girls can even dress up in traditional costume and have your photo taken. Ascending the steps up the Wat is a little challenging for some, as they are very steep. It is amusing to see the antics from people who are afraid of heights and take each step as if it were their last.

I trekked around a few other temples in the vicinity for a couple of hours and as always with this wonderful city, got blown away by the detail and craftsmanship. I never get tired of seeing it and each visit to Thailand is like a breath of fuel to the blood. I don't think any other country in the world that I have been to other than Japan, can compare to Thailand for the design of its temples. Not even Bali, and that's saying something. In one of the temples the monks were giving their chanting sermon, filling the chamber with a beautiful haunting melody. This was soon followed by their lunch being delivered and them sitting in groups in the main temple hall whilst they ate. Seeing the photographers scramble for that not so candid shot of a monk eating dinner made me chuckle to myself...like monkeys in a zoo at feeding time. So I left them to eat in peace….after taking a few photos myself of course.

On walkabout looking for new things to see, I aimed northwards around some blockages in the pathways and heard some activities ahead. Turned out to be graduation day at a college. The Thai girls as I have said before are amongst the most beautiful on the planet. Dressed in their graduation robes and pretty make-up, they looked gorgeous. Grrr.... As part of their celebrations they were carrying bouquets of flowers and brightly coloured cuddly toys, I couldn't believe my luck with spotting this event.

Further on towards a military academy and a dead end. The guards wouldn't let me in of course, but I spotted a small boat making its way across to the adjacent jetty so waited. Thought it was private at first as it was operated by naval dressed personnel, but they let me on and crossed free of charge to a jetty near to Wat Po, home of the reclining Buddha. Had been here before, but thought it worth another visit. At only 50 Baht entrance, it is excellent value for money.

In the Reclining Buddha temple, worshippers buy pots of 25 cent coins to put into a row of pots around the perimeter wall. In another temple, a Buddhist teacher was giving a talk to a group of school students. Time to sit, take a breath, watch and learn.

Next port of call was Hua Lampong railway station to pick up a set of train timetables for when I move on. It looks ok to walk from Wat Po on a map, but distances are deceptive here, and it was baking hot, so jumped a Samlor (3-wheeler) for 50 baht. Had tried to barter with a motorcycle taxi first but he wanted 60 Baht and lost. They can be found all over. They wear bright vests and can be haggled with for price.

After quenching my thirst at the railway and armed with the train timetables, now off to my favourite place in Bangkok (well 2nd favourite place I think), the peaceful and much needed Lumphini Park. Only 2 stops on the Metro from Hua Lampong, costing 18 Baht. The Metro issues a plastic disc to wave at the entrance barrier. All very simple and quick. Arriving in Lumphini is like switching to a different channel, with the sound turned down. Quiet today at nearly 4pm now. Time to sit and write and watch the birds, the Terrapins, spot some common water monitor lizards, have your toes sniffed and licked by the cats, and people watch. Grrrowl... Again...sorry!

A highlight of people watching begins at 5:30pm when the free aerobics session starts and music pumps out of the loudspeakers. The peace and quiet is broken, but it is good to see the crowd swell as people join after a day at work before they go home. There must have been a couple of hundred in the group. Large groups of folk take to the road around the park to jog. Some use it as a cycle or roller-skating track, and others do more laid back exercise in groups under the palm trees. A majority are women, young and old in a pursuit of staying healthy.

Walked back to Soi 1 as there isn't a sensible alternative at this time of day. The traffic is gridlocked at times and not worth struggling to get to the Sky train with the hoards of people on their way home from work. Passed the Erawan shrine yet again and paused for a while. Took a shower before heading out for the evening, which lasts all of 5 seconds once outside and sticky again. Treated myself to a Thai oil massage as hadn’t had one for so long, and enjoyed it after a lot of walking today. The problem here of course is what they offer...guys pay attention! It is almost impossible I guess to avoid the inevitable offers of more than just a massage. Ask around for recommendations of a genuine 'no additional service' place to avoid embarrassment, unless you want extras on top of course! Having been here a few times you sort of know the good ones from the average to the definitely 'bad'. Prices are reasonable and a 1hour oil massage costs an average of 400 Baht at present. 200 for a foot massage and 300 for an ordinary thai massage.

At night all sorts of desirables and 'undesirables' come out of their hiding places. Bangkok is known for its overdose of Ladyboys. Here as mentioned, it is very...very...difficult to tell some of them from the girls. The money and effort they have spent on surgery is astonishing, but the results incredible. The show I will see tomorrow is the epitome of this. Walking a few hundred metres is an ordeal, although an amusing one, of approaches and come-ons from all sorts of shapes and sizes. Many are a double-take with a questioning stare of 'are you male or female'?

Another, less fortunate side of the nightly street scene is the beggars. Limbless guys crawl along the pavements pushing bowls ahead of them to collect donations. Kids no more than a few years old are pushed by their mothers to rush at you and beg for dollar. All very disturbing and a non-changing part of this city I see every time I come here.

Oh, and there's the Elephants. Yes, there are a few of them around herded by their mahouts and aimed at getting paid to feed them bananas. So what if nobody buys them bananas? They will still eat as their owners feed them anyway. Why people insist on aiding these people I don't know. Novelty I guess. Not something you expect to see in a busy workaholic metropolitan city like this.

Thu 16th Jul - Today is marked by the launch of the Harry Potter latest movie. Seems like everyone is talking about it. The already colourful buses in Bangkok have been sign-written with adverts for it; everyone around the hostel is talking about it. It's just a movie, but what a lot of hype is being attached to it!

I booked online for the Calypso show tonight at the Asia Hotel on Ratchedewi. Thought it worth going to collect my ticket and then go for some more retail therapy at the MBK. Will tell more about the show later. Got some nice Thai style clothing that I specifically wanted, so happy about that. It is ironic with most countries nowadays how difficult it is to get the very practical and stylish traditional stuff. Everyone favours the westernised styles as I have commented in many countries in Asia. Bangkok is a very stylish city. Workers and shoppers alike, are very style conscious. Girls are aiming to impress with their impeccable couture. It does make for an attractive place to visit as the people are what make a country. And here they are beautiful.

One thing I haven't mentioned so far is the scare going on here about the H1N1 virus outbreak. There have been many recent cases and some schools and colleges have closed following advice from the BMA medical authority. A high proportion of people in the streets, trains, buses and shops are wearing face masks as a precaution.

Dressed up in my new thai clothing...off to the show. Calypso is an institution. And since the timely and inevitable demise of the 'Mambo' show, it is the only one of its kind here. This is my second time to see it and an absolute must I think. Lady boys (or Toys as they are called here) at their finest state of transformation into ....i really cannot tell what you are...male / female...I dunno!

It is a fast paced razzamatazz of vaudeville and kitsch costumes and music. The highlight for the show must be the tune ‘I am what I am’, which culminates in them all being naked, well appears to be but they are wearing body-stockings although bare-breasted. A thoroughly excellent show that only lasts about an hour, but is well worth it.

Fri 17th Jul – The Zen centre is another shopping mall close by, with its stylish architecture, pristine shops with no shoppers as usual. Lots of people window shopping, but nobody buying. A rather funky twisting lattice ribbon descending from the top of the atrium. They are presently hosting an outdoor Ocean Planet display of the most awesome underwater photographs I think I have ever seen. They all aim to make a statement about the ecology of the deep, and the effect that mankind is having on it.

At the end of the pedestrianised fountain strip is another open air shrine with an elephant theme but not so busy as at Erawan.

Visited the Pantip centre which I remembered as good for technology, and bought a new camera lens. A few thousand Baht cheaper than MBK and only 2% credit card charge as opposed to 3% at MBK. Happy that I had now sorted this out, off to take some photos to try out my new lens. Very pleased with the results and worth the money.

Diverted into the Siam Paragon centre to check out the prices for Oceanworld. Got accosted by a tourist survey and spent 15 minutes answering questions. Ended up with not much time left so picked up the information leaflets and moved on, to return another day. I was due to meet up with a mate from the UK who was on vacation with his wife. Met at the 'Huntsman Basement' by the Landmark hotel for a couple of beers and some catching up, then a meal in a bar on one of the soi's. After an aborted attempt to find a karaoke bar we ended up in the 'Londoner' pub. Took the urge and had a dance with the lead singer of the band. Very cute lady. Sorry, I have to growwwlll…again.

Sat Jul 18th - Dropped into Lumpini park for some more photography with my new lens and saw the usual water monitor lizards and a few water snakes. A group of older folk doing Tai Chi under one of the gazebos is all of what makes Lumpini a treasure trove for me.

Late lunch at a restaurant in the Night Bazaar area and then jumped on the Metro to Hua Lamphong to buy my ticket to Lampang for tomorrow night.

That sorted, on the way back to Ploen Chit I spotted something going on at the Siam centre, so exited rather than carrying on the train. It turned out to be a bizarre event. Coca-cola were sponsoring a record for the longest chain of bowls of noodles, with each bowl, 1000 in total, was a glass of coke of course. The bizarre thing was that after the record had been filmed and officially recorded, they threw it all away. All was not lost though as everyone who queued up got a few free glasses of coke and plenty of free food. The TV crews were there as a stage had been set up for a nationally acclaimed pop band to perform. They were promoting the brand of course, not the noodle record!

What were also great apart from the stunning babes in red posing for the cameras, and lovely announcers, were the street performers. Conjurers, plate twirlers, magicians and mime artists were intermingling with the crowd creating a lively buzz. Great photo opportunities now that I had my new lens and flashgun to play with.

Back to the hostel for a catch-up on the net and then out for the little of the evening that was left. While I was having a meal in an open air eatery, I could hear a good quality band playing overhead, so went to investigate. The Gazebo bar is accessible by lift and there was a super band playing with a bouncy lead vocalist and talented instrumentalists. It was a lucky find, and a nice finish to the day.

Sun 19th Jul - With my train leaving Hua Lamphong at 19:30pm and feeling tired from doing too much recently, I stayed in bed until 10am, with only a few disturbances during the night. The cook was having a day off and so I went out for breakfast to a nice little restaurant in the Nana Entertainment area. A widescreen TV was showing my favourite programme ‘Animal Planet’. A silly guy taking a mud bath decided to try and eat some and promptly threw up. So what did he expect?

Will write again from somewhere in northern Thailand.

Bye for now folks

What’s been happening then?

jeffbrad — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:21:00 GMT

Sun 7th Jul - Since my last posting on return from Indonesia life has really been in the slow lane. Shiera was ill with all of the symptoms of swine flu (aka H1N1). The alerts all said to watch out for a list of symptoms in the first few days of returning and sure enough we ticked the list, but she refused to get medical treatment and sweated it out in quarantine for a few days or more. It went eventually and we assume eliminating the idea of it being swine flu. Was very worried there.

Today being Sunday, was market day and we joined the throng of folk cramming the aisles for the weekly produce. Some new seasonal things appeared today such as ‘White corn’ and the fruit ‘Santol’. Bought some of each to give them a try. White corn differs to normal yellow sweet corn in lacking in the same flavour and being mainly used in soups. Santol is a yellowish dry surfaced fruit that has a similar pulpy inner surrounding dark brown seeds o some other fruits such as Mangosteen, and doesn’t taste as sweet. At only 5 pesos each they are worth a try although you need a knife to open them.

I find that Silang town proper on Sundays is choking, with a big increase in the volume of diesel puffing Jeepneys and tricycles. The air on the approach road was grey with the smog. It surprises me that the folk here haven’t resorted to wearing face masks as has happened in other highly polluted areas. I feel my chest tighten if there for too long.

A few notable sights from the market…..

An old lady was selling ‘Chewing gum for the oldies’. Small green leaves to which Apple powder is applied and then wrapped around a block of flavoured tobacco. Similar to other countries I have been to such as in India where they wrap a concoction of Betel nuts and additives that are actually toxic. They were classed as a social nuisance there and they tried to ban it.

In this hyper-sterilised world we sometimes live in, it is intersting to see babies reared in what can only be described as squalor. One baby, sat in a bucket full of dirt, with its feeding bottle on the floor next to it; right beneath a meet stall with off cuts falling on the floor and the smell of dubious meat lacing the air; hair matted with dirt and not looking as though it had been bathed since birth. I bet that baby will grow up to be strong and resilient to all known germs!

Some older versions of those childre are weaving their way through the crowds begging for handouts. Being a foreigner means a direct target for their outstretched hands, parents included. Sometimes they are persistent and follow until they get the idea that you aren’t going to give in.

One of the main pastimes recently has been the garden. Borrowed some gardening tools from a nice neighbor and got digging. Managed to get some freebie plants to start off a collection of herbs and fruit. Now got some pineapple and coconuts growing. Being a rented house we don’t want to spend any money on it, but it becomes a challenge to see what can be got for nothing. Going out for a walk is now a foraging expedition for wild plants. Edible leaves are common here and it proves how adapted Shiera is to her environment, as she can identify so many plants and what to do with them that it is an education going for a walk. I am getting to know some of them slowly. Also, when visiting to the market we try to get root vegetables with the roots still attached for planting.

I never used to be much of a movie addict, but have got into going to the cinema again over recent months and buying DVDs from the various cheap stalls. Here you can buy a 24 or more film compilation DVD…not fantastic quality, but acceptable, for 40 to 60 pesos. The top movies that are only just in the cinemas now, are all there. We saw Ice Age 3 a few days ago, and it was on the market today! Admittedly, I always prefer to see it on the cinema first as the quality is infinitely better, and the cinema is only 120 pesos on average.

I have also been trying to catch up with friends and family recently. I have been very negligent for a long while, due to being busy doing other stuff away from the computer. The internet connection at the house continues to be an issue. After months now we still haven’t got a connection that is good enough for Shiera to use for on-line teaching. It just isn’t reliable enough and it might even spell the end to that aspect of her teaching career. Ironic considering the choice of location was based on the ability to gather sufficient work. Not sure what the best way forward is now. It is ok for general internet use, but nothing demanding.

Back out on the hunt for some more garden plants. Bougainvillea grows like a weed here as do many lovely plants, so the garden is now looking full and all that now waits is for it to establish. Okra is a common vegetable too and one interesting thing is that it seems to attract a rather strange form of bug. Pairs of red spotted with black and white bugs are mating at the moment. They cover the okra plants en-masse in a push-me pull-you formation, joined at the rear. The larger male pulls the smaller female along and then the female seems to take over. They wander around the plant in a fascinating dance ritual. The rather cute baby bugs can be found huddled together on dead leaves and feeding on some succulent parts of the plant. What is surprising is that it doesn’t seem to frequent any other plant.

Nice Milkfish for dinner accompanied by all free vegetables and served on banana leaves. Yummee…

The days blur into one at the moment mainly gardening and domestics. The garden is coming on. We now have some Aloe Vera, which you will know as one of those extremely useful succulent plants. Don’t use it much myself other than to rub into cuts, but it is useful for all sorts of skin complaints and beauty treatments. Easy enough to prepare by slicing open the soft stems and slicing/squeezing out the colourless gooey inside. Shiera made a concoction with some cucumber to put in the bath. Good for rubbing on the skin for making it smooth too. We’ve added some Tomato plants, Okra and Chili bushes…all for nothing as castoffs from other places.

There are so many interesting bugs around where we live, that my camera is always close to hand. I have been working through my portfolio of over 26,000 photographs taken over the past couple of years of travel. The aim will be to try and sell some commercially to get some income from it. It would be a waste otherwise, as I have amassed some awesome photographs covering the whole gamut of subjects.

Occasionally a monsoon comes across with such force as it obliterates everything from view. There is a house being built opposite us and a guy dressed like a ninja was sitting on the roof, really high up when the sky opened. The guy looked stranded. It is odd to see Filipino workers building a house, especially when compared with western standards. The bodges (short-cuts) are interesting to watch. Hardly any professional tools used. Of course, when it comes to painting time, no scaffold, just a few bamboo poles strapped together and make like a monkey! The order in which things are done sometimes defies logic, but it comes together eventually. Things have been speeding up lately and every day sees a major step forward towards completion.

And so a few days pass as a blur.....

When we returned from Indonesia I was only given the statutory 21 days tourist visa again. This poses a problem again as it costs 2,530 pesos to extend it to the initial 59 day period allowable, and then I’m back into the two-monthly extension fees. I have to accept this of course if I was to make the Philippines my home base. There are some things I want to do in Thailand and decided to head over there on 13^th July when my visa expires. Not sure how long for, but will return to the Philippines after I have finished. Shiera won’t be coming with me this time as there is a pressing need for her to get back into finding work. The distraction of further travel will just delay this. Not a happy situation, but it is a necessity for the moment. It will be unsettling to be apart as we have been together without much of a break for such a long time now.

Of course, when I return from Thailand I will only be given a 21 day visa again, but will have to pay the extension fees then. I will mention one piece of red-tape here that frustrates me to the point of wanting to take on the whole Philippine visa system. When I return here, as mentioned, I will only be given a 21 day visa and be expected to produce a flight voucher for 'onward travel'. In other words, to prove I am going to leave the country. Now...after 21 days I am not going to leave as I live here and rent a house. So I have to buy a flight and then cancel it when I get home....just to shut immigration up! This wastes my time and costs me money of course. After 21 days I then go to immigration and extend to the initial maximum of 59 days and then renew every 2 months. Nobody asks for any proof of me leaving at any of these renewals as long as I have a sponsor whilst I am here....which is Shiera of course! So, why the hell do they ask for it when I arrive? I have the documentation showing I have a house and all else they would require....but no, they need a stupid superfluous flight ticket! Wake up immigration...time to calm down now!

Mon 13th Jul - And so the day of departure to Thailand has arrived. Far too quickly for Shiera's liking unfortunately. In typical fashion last night and today have been torrential. Lashed it down all night and accompanied by hefty gales for part of it. I am booked onto Cebupacific airlines flight 5J931 to Bangkok leaving from the International Terminal 3 at 9:15pm. Planned to head off at 4pm from home to give plenty of time allowing for any delays due to bad weather. This gave most of the day for sorting stuff out around the house and spending some time with Shiera. One distraction though....you might have read from past journals about my occasional troubles with my ATM card getting blocked. Well guess what, it happened again. Couldn't get money yesterday. Tried again this morning and still nothing. Contacted the bank in the UK to find security had blocked my card again. The Philippines is classified as such a high fraud risk country, that on a regular basis they freeze or'ice' the card. To get it de-iced is a ritual I have now repeated so many times to be totally fed up with it. Meant a return trip back into town once I had sorted it out, wasting valuable time. The bank refuse to stop it happening again, claiming it is for my own benefit. I do agree of course in security, but it always happens to me at the worse time, when I am in a hurry.

Anyway, the rest of the day until departure time dragged as was expected. But sure enough 4pm arrived and the sad parting left a lump in both of us. A rainy trip on the tricycle to catch the Manila bus, and pouring rain the whole way; just like when we recently went to Jakarta. Arrived at the airport cold and wet with a yucky mist forming in the sky as the rain relentlesly drifted into the darkness of night.

Not too long to wait until check-in opened, but another of life's questions. Why do I manage to get into a queue when the person in front of me has a problem that freezes the queue? In this case, the guy was going to Saigon and didn't have a visa to enter Vietnam. Silly sod. He was a bit embarrassed and was trying to blame everyone else for his own mistake.

Departure tax or 'Airport user's charge' as they call it here is 750 pesos. Time to change some pesos into thai Baht as there is no currency exchange after immigration. (Currently a rate of 1.7 pesos to the baht). And then a relaxing coffee whilst waiting for boarding. I noticed on the receipt for my coffee that I had been served in 21 seconds. Wow...that's quick! I wonder what their target is and what happens if they take too long? And also why it is that important. Anyone who sits for a coffee at an airport usually has plenty of time and seconds don't matter. But it is all part of that hyper-efficient service we all expect.

The flight went well with the only niggle being no included food or drink at all. I had exchanged all of my pesos to Thai Baht and they gave a diabolical exchange rate of 1Baht to 1 Peso on the place, which made even a snack a crazy price, but was hungry, so had so suffer the price.

I have been through Bangkok airport a few times before and it is all very quick and efficient. No hiccups on the way out and straight to the departures metered taxi bay, rather than arrivals where they charge far too much.

Getting into the city passes along the toll highway costing 70 Baht on top of the taxi fare, which is 50 Baht in addition to what is on the meter. Cost me 320 Baht total to get to Sukhumvit road Soi 1 Backpackers. Didn't hang around much and went to bed and crashed out after a very long day.

Zzzz......

Tue 14th Jul - My body was still in getting early mode and was awake at 7am. Got on with the day and had a nice breakfast whilst chatting to some travellers. The main aim today was to get some bits for my camera and look for some thai style clothing. The MBK centre had proven to be the best place to aim and so went west along Sukhumvit road. Part way along is the lovely Erewan Shrine, which I had seen before. It always strikes me as a real conflicting experience. Located at a busy traffic junction with skytrain lines running overhead. Traditionally dressed Thai performers and musicians provide a chorus to worshippers making there offerings to the gold buddha statue, set amidst an ornate shrine. A cloud of incence from the numerous burning sticks can be a little choking, but it is an unmissable experience. Peace birds in painted cages can be bought, as can be food offerings and scented garlands. People watching is the main event here, as well as photographing of course. A normal everyday experience here for the workers taking a break or off to lunch or on their way home.

Onwards est and before entering the MBK centre on the opposite corner is the Bangkok Arts and Culture centre. A massive artistically designed building full of, well, very little. Several art galleries and displays of almost nothing add poignant messages in this edifice of curves and arty formations.

It did serve as a break from the heat as the refridgerated air hits you at the entrance.

Shopping at the MBK can be a bewildering experience for a non-shopper. Floor after floor of too much choice. Finding camera shops is tiring as they are spread all over and I had soon had enough and retired to the 5th Avenue foor court where every nationality is respresented in a superb system. You get a swipe card on the way in. Ask for what you want at each section and ay for it all when you exit. All very easy, with plastic display models of all of the meals available to avoid any language issues.

Back at the Guest house and a freshen up before hitting the town for a little of what central Bangkok is known for....great street food and entertainment to suit. Market stalls offering everything fake that can be faked. Ladyboys on parade for business touch you as you pass and follow on the hunt when you ignore them. Many are so stunning that you really cannot tell them apart from model females. No surprise of course as they have to compete in a boy eat boy world, where those that don't have it stand no chance and can only end up as hairdressers or flowershop workers and the like. Those that have got it, probably get to surprise a few guys who really cannot tell the difference until it is too late. Leave this bit to your imagination! The real girls amongst them play the same game every night of their lives....Hello sir...does sir want a drink...etc etc it all gets tiring and after a while you either pay stupid money in the false belief that they really do find you attractive and want to have your babies, or you wake up and realise they are actresses earning a living and selling themselves as the product. They have the looks, they have the body, you have the money and the dream. Stay safe...keep your money in your pocket and find a real woman not an imaginary one! I do have to say that they are nice eye candy though....down boy!

Free wi-fi where i'm staying, so able to stay in contact with Shiera back in the Philippines. Day one of us being apart and a sensitive situation, but have to adjust although not easy.

I will post another blog soon about Thailand.

Bye for now

Trip to Indonesia - Java, Bali & Lombok

jeffbrad — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:20:00 GMT

This is a long journal. Grab a cup of coffee, a packet of your favourite biscuits, switch off the TV and read on….

Sun 31st May – We are heading off on a trip to Indonesia later today, but the flight isn’t until late and have some time to kill until then. The day started nice and sunny and everyone in the neighbourhood seemed to be out in the street gardening and cleaning up. I later learnt that twice a year in summer they do this. Clean the pavements of weeds, plant trees etc, as part of the housing association involvement.

Had to go to the ATM again before leaving and then went home to check my bank account statement on-line, to find that following the hassle I had recently with my account, it wasn't over. There had been two cancelled transactions that had actually withdrawn money from my account. Too late to do anything about it now, but will have to do something about it when I get back; another pain that I could do without.

We had planned to leave for the airport at about 3pm. At 5 minutes to 3pm the sun went in and the rain started, at first it was light, but then turned rapidly into a deluge. Typical timing, and had to run for a tricycle in the rain. It chucked it down all the way to Manila. By the time we reached the drop-off point where we had to get a taxi, it was like a river, and got soaked. So much for arriving at the airport clean and composed!

Then the frustration increased; had to pay 1,620 pesos 'Travel Tax' for Shiera; nothing for me - A ridiculous amount. On top of that it cost 750 pesos each for the 'Airport Tax'. At a currentl exchange rate of £1=76 pesos, that is a lot. It has never cost so much to leave a country! In normal fashion there then followed the farcical baggage search, as they never seem that thorough to me. I am happy that they have baggage search for obvious reasons, but in this particular case, they just touched my bag with a wooden stick, didn’t even look inside and then waved me through. So what is the point of employing people to do that…sympathy for the out of work?

With loads of time to spare until the flight departed at 21:10 (Philippine Air PR535), more time to people watch. Philippine ladies are beautiful, and so always a chore...heehee! I was watching one of the female security people searching the girls as they walked through the usual security scanner - Now there's a nice job! She was having a good rummage around every female's bottom and a few close boob fondles with a smile on her face. She seemed to be enjoying her job a bit too much... Envied her really!

On board the Airbus A320-200 and a very swish service from the staff and the very amusingly named Captain 'Superficial' – I wonder if they employed him because of his name? The plane was immaculate along with the impeccably manicured smiling staff, with nice in-flight entertainment and a delicious meal washed down with some red wine – That’s the recipe for getting into holiday mood. Now, how is it that they seem to believe that human beings are born jugglers and contortionists? First comes one person with a set of earphones for the entertainment system, swiftly followed by a newspaper, immediately followed by a glass of wine, then the health department card to fill in, and the immigration card, then the meal, and the cup of scalding coffee, and the blanket....all in an itty bitty little space the size of a gnat's fart....and all with the dexterity of a pair of hands and circus skills. Before you have time to break wind, they send around the duty free cart and the...do you want more drinks cart, and then the collection of leftovers, before you have even drawn breath and unleashed the pen from your nose, cos it got wedged there cos you had nowhere else to stick it when your hands where grappling with the fifty sections of the Philippine star forest killer newspaper....and at the same time trying to figure out which of the channels to get the film sound on. Too late, you missed the important funny line in the script...cos you were still extricating the pen and trying to make a paper hat from one of the newspaper sections. Now for a game of Sudoku...

Why is it that at that critical moment when you have just made your paper hat, worked out the audio, got rid of the rubbish and felt that you had it organized.....the person next to you wants to pee! So pack it all away and here we go juggling the bits so they can extract themselves through the narrow leg-space whilst you balance everything in mid air…the joys of the in-flight entertainment!

The flight was generally a good one, with only a little turbulence. Arrived in Jakarta on time, and had a little confusion about the visa system. For me, Visa-on-arrival cost $25, which you get at a booth on the left hand side on the way to the passport checking booths. No fee for Shiera, both for 30 days non-extendable. Then seemed to be ages in the immigration queue for the all important full page visa to be stamped. The wait had been so long that our baggage was sat there on the conveyor belt when we arrived in baggage reclaim, so no waiting around. Another little farce then, as hand luggage was scanned on the way out of the airport! No idea why. Also the health card we had been given to fill in, accompanied by large signs of 1.5million Rupiah fines and 3 years imprisonment wasn't even asked for. So why did they bother?

Plenty of ATMs and money changers outside of the main building. Got a rate of 180 times the value in Peso. That is, 1000 pesos = 180,000 Rp. Lots of zeros with this currency! Was carrying nearly 2 million Rupiah. (1 pound = 16,300 Rp at the moment), so I was a millionaire at last....Feels good!

I had been told about the scam run by the taksi drivers to charge inflated prices to tourists. Expected a maximum of 250,000 Rupiah for the 40km or so journey. They approached us and followed, but I shook them off and went to the taksi rank, where loads of companies were waiting. They are independent and can be haggled with. Got the journey for 150,000 Rupiah with Silver Star. The biggest and most prolific of taksi companies is ‘Blue bird’, who wanted 180,000Rp.

The journey to the 'Jakarta B&B' was an eventful one as we had to stop four times for directions, but it also confirmed the enormous scale of this city. Got there at 2am and the place was locked up with no obvious way to raise the owners attention. Eventually found a bell and got the owner's nephew out of bed, who then had to raise the owner Clara. Got into bed at 2:30am absolutely shattered. Asleep in seconds...zzzzz....

Mon 1st June - Awoken at around 5am by the eerie sound of the Muezzin calling from the local mosque. Didn't mind this as it was a warm welcome to Jakarta by daylight, and a reminder that the dominant religion here is Muslim. And what a welcome, this place is awesome. One of the most beautiful B&Bs I have stayed in. Nice pool, beautiful furniture, plenty of helpers around to satisfy your every need. It is a home after all, and not run like a hotel. Clara and Anton are the perfect hosts with her sister Elizabeth, and are really helpful with information. Clara took me to a local shop to buy a Simpati SIM card - only 20,000Rp with 5,000Rp of credit and really cheap rates, and then dropped us off at the local Ragunan zoo, after explaining the transport system for getting around.

Cost 4,000 Rp entry to the zoo, and well worth it. Had been contemplating a visit to Komodo Island from Bali, but at $350 each ($170 for the cheaper and more arduous option), there is no way I can afford it. The next best thing is to see the Komodo dragon here at the Ragunan zoo. Plenty of them, and maybe 4 metres in length. Also saw Sun bears, Arctic bears, camels, Elephants, White Tigers and Sumatran tigers. Lots of bird species, with a lovely display from a courting Peacock. Spent a half day, but the heat and tiredness got the better of us, and decided to head back. Right outside of the zoo we jumped on an 'Angkot'; Should pay 3,000 Rupiah the first time you use it in one direction, and no extra to pay for any further sections. They are locally called M.20's or 'Blue lights' or just Bemo. There is a smaller form of transport in the main city, which is a 3-wheeler auto-rickshaw. The drivers wouldn't accept any money from me, so we got back for free!

Stopped at the local mosque we had heard this morning for a quick look. A fairly plain design, so not much time spent and carried on back.

Superb lunch back at the house and a photo session around the house before a swim. They have been avid travelers and collectors of antiques and fine furniture over the years, so the house is worth exploring. Could stay in this B&B for a while as it is great to relax. So hospitable - coffee and cake whenever you want, as well as cold drinks.

The plan was to have dinner at the B&B in the evening, so decided to take a 'short' rest after the swim. You wouldn't believe it that we woke up just before 6am! Looked out of the window and saw some light. Thought it a bit strange as it was light when we went for the rest. Looked at my watch and couldn't believe it. Clara had thought of waking us for dinner but decided to leave us alone. So, we were a bit hungry and had lost an entire evening!

Tue 2nd Jun - After the shock of waking up and missing last night completely, we aimed for breakfast. Since we were now very hungry, Clara made us the infamous Nasi Goreng for breakfast plus plenty of toast and jam, orange juice and Cappuccino. The service is wonderful and all done with a smile.

The plan today was to visit the old Jakarta plus the area around the Monas or 'Freedom Square'. Getting there could have been by expensive taxi (100,000 Rp minimum), but I decided to use public transport. Jakarta is covered by lots of Angkot routes that interlink. The one we began on was the M.20 route to SMK-57...a bit of Bahasa required here...S M Ka Lima Tujuh. 3000 Rp but I only had change to give them 2000 Rp, but that was ok. Next onto the 'Busway' system to 'Dukuh Atas', which only cost 3,500Rp each. There we changed to the Kota bound Khusus Bus and alighted at the Bank of Indonesia station. A little about this system....

The Busway system covers a lot of Jakarta and was inaugurated around 4 years ago. When you board you pay only once and don't have to show any ticket when you change. They use special bus lanes which are only supposed to be for the buses, but everyone uses them and ignore the rules. The stations are also raised to match the high entrance doors of the buses, which stop to line up at the right point. It is like being on a mixture of a bus and a metro train. Very comfortable, with electronic display and audible announcement. One amusing phrase they use is ...'please checks your belongings and step forward', as you get off. The reason I say amusing is that three of us interpreted what the lady was saying and we all differed! Met a guy on the bus who was a teacher at the tourism college, with a name that sounded like 'Goodeye'. He was full of information and pleased to use what English he knew to help us along the way.

After getting off, the amazing water sculpture of galloping horses lies in front of the Bank of Indonesia buildings with the Famous 'Monas' column in the distance and its flame top, which is illuminated at night. Shame we won’t have an opportunity to see it alight.

Distances are deceiving and it took a while to get to the Monas and even trickier to find the way in. There is a basic ticket for 4,500 Rp and a ‘Continuous’ ticket for 7,500 Rp, which allows access up the column from the museum level, which we weren't too bothered about, so skipped it as we had lots to do today. A large group of school children to add a boisterous soundtrack to the event. There was also a rehearsal in progress by the military cadets who were about to celebrate their graduation parade. Joined in a march with them for fun, and had a few photos taken. Great spirit, and a nice addition to the location, with their coloured flags waving in the gentle breeze, choir singing in the background and the constant beat of drums.

A short wait to get the lift to the top (only 11 people per time). The view from the top of the 132m column is really nice. Display boards around the perimeter give names to the numerous high-rise buildings and some smaller ones lost in between. It also gives a perspective on the scale of the immediate area, and what walking lay ahead of us, in the now sweltering heat of mid day.

Next stop was the Masjid Istiqlal mosque - a massive site, but not too difficult to find the way in, albeit a long walk. Met by a military looking officer at the entrance, and showed to the 'Information room', where I had to change into a long grey smock looking like the Matrix and picked up an English leaflet about the history. Shiera was ok and allowed into the viewing area, unlike some mosques, where women are very segregated. It had been opened on 22nd February 1978 by president Soehartto. The largest mosque in Asia apparently, holding 200,000 worshippers at peak time. Five levels, plus an outside overflow area. Left a donation after the lady had shown us around.

Walked past the Presidential palace with the immaculately presented nervous armed guards, who wouldn't let us pass. Sat on the pavement to look at the book some way from the entrance and he moved us on from there too. Seemed a bit pedantic, but that was his job. Watched us all the time we were within his view.

Was getting close to lunch time and wanted to visit a bit of an institution in KotaJakarta - the decadent Café Batavia. Could have walked there, but thought it nice to try out a Bemo to Kota Tua area. The driver wanted 40,000Rp, but only gave him 20,000. He didn't take the direct route and messed us around deliberately I think. I knew which way he should have gone. Lucky he got anything as I was annoyed with him.

The café was opened in 1993 and hosts many grand functions. Lined with historic photos of famous faces and music being played from the 1930's era onwards, it has an ambiance of quality and Noel Coward about it. The price is expectedly high, but this is a treat. I had breakfast muesli - very prettily presented, but a bit low on content, plus a lovely non-alcoholic Batavia cocktail and a coffee. All prices plus 10% service charge and another 10% government tax.

Popped into the KotaJakarta railway station to check on details for tomorrow as will move on to Yogyakarta (or Jogjakarta as it is pronounced, or just Jogja for short). Plenty of options and don't have to book in advance.

Faced a death defying trip to get to the Kota busway station, but made it in one piece. Got the bus system sorted now, and so it was an easy trip back. The junction where we had to change from the bus to the M.20 Angkot was hectic as it was now peak time. Jam packed with every form of transport Jakarta has to offer. Back at 5:30p and it was getting dark already. Thought of having a swim but the sky had other ideas. It threw it down with a fair force, accompanied by dynamic lightening. Waited a while, but it didn't let up. The lady of the house hadn't arrived home and so we decided to go out for dinner, and see what was on offer locally. That turned out to be a good idea, as almost across the main road was a small eatery selling kebabs, soups and drinks, plus Shisha pipe (aka Hookah pipe in some countries). Treated us to an Apple Shisha (20,000 Rp) and some nice food and drinks. Very cheap and good quality. (Later note that Bali costs 100,000Rp for a Shisha!)

Wed 3rd Jun - Had to rise at 4:30am to move on. As it turned out, I had the diahorroea again. Had it too much recently and not sure what is up with my system. I was up three times during the night, so really tired this morning. Not much time for breakfast, only one piece of toast and a coffee. Had a bit of an issue when it came to paying the bill as all the little extras which they so willingly provide are charged for, and then they add 10% service charge on top of everything. The room had been charged at $40 a night and wouldn't accept a reduced rate for the night of arrival, which I had talked to them about. So it worked out far more expensive to stay here than I had envisaged. I do have to say though, that the service is wonderful, so you get what you pay for.

We were to board the 06:32 FajarutJogja train at Jatinegara station. Clara and Anton took us there as it was too early for their normal driver, who doesn't start work until 8am. Took about 30 minutes and 3 toll charges on the way (they still pay an annual road tax, but all major roads are tolled too). At the station it only took a couple of minutes to buy the ticket. The window had the name of the destination, and the fare rate is a standard. When the train arrived at 6:32, there is no way you can be confident that you are on the right train, as they are not marked, other than by asking and very few people speak any English. The announcements are all in Bahasa, in the normal garbled tones that make it impossible to hear what they are saying. Also, we were in coach 5. There was no such thing as they were all marked with the number 2. It was supposed to be Bisnis class. The whole train was 'Bisnis', but we didn't know that at first, and got bounced from one carriage to another before learning that they were all poor quality. Bisnis here seemed to equate to economy class in many countries. I would hate to see what their actual 'Economy' class is like. Some trains do have an 'Eksekutif' class, which I assume must be better? 110,000 Rp for Bisnis, 39,000 for Economy on this train. For a 10hr journey it would be hell I reckon. You don't have much time to get sorted as the train pulled out within a couple of minutes of arrival.

From the minute the train left the station, sellers come around with hot and cold drinks, meals from the restaurant car, snacks, torches, newspapers and cushions. All at a price of course, but reasonable. I wasn’t long before we were out into the countryside and surrounded by verdant green rice paddies and the familiar palms and plantations. Fun when they come along with a menu and you have no idea what any of it is; always go for Nasi Goreng as it is the only thing we know at the moment.

A continuous stream of sellers at one stage, with sweet bananas, deep fried bananas, noodles wrapped in paper, dried fish, pork balls, small prawn crackers (i think?).. incessant and persistent at one point. At least you don't have to buy snacks for the trip before you board.

Have I mentioned yet about the religion here? Well, predominantly Muslim, and of many sects. So, you get to see them all on a train - every form of dress code. Nowadays many women have dropped the head scarf and are just westernized. The older women still seem to adhere to the very elegant form of clothing. They always look very respectable as is the intention. For the men, it is mainly normal clothing, with few wearing the cap, other than when they are on their way for prayer. There is a Musholla (prayer area) on the train if they need to pray during the journey.

With no aircon other than a small slit at the top of the window, it was a hot journey. The seats on the shaded side of the train got filled soon after leaving the station, so I guess the locals know which side to ask for a ticket on!

Arrived in Jogja at about 3pm. Tourist maps available at the station along with a gaggle of touts promoting specific hotels and offering free transport there or 20,000 if you go anywhere else. Ended up at the Metro Guest House with a pool but not too great room for 75,000 Rp. Chose the area close to the 'Kraton' as will be more convenient for sightseeing over the next couple of days.

'Bamboo House' close to the Metro for evening meal. This area is tourist central, with so many attractive places to eat and drink. The only issue is that we are constantly hounded by pedicab (Becak)drivers. These are pedal carriages with the carriage on the front facing forward and a hood that can be lowered. The price is negotiable as always. Another form of transport here is the 'Andong', or horse drawn carriage plus a 'Bendi', which is a two-Seater version. A 'Public' Andong is the same but shared with other people to cut the cost. They charge by distance.

Thu 4th Jun - Didn't like the room at the Metro, so moved to the Mercury Hotel a 100 metres or so along the road. 100,000 Rp per night (fan only), but well worth it, with much nicer surroundings and a good restaurant and also with swimming pool. Moved our luggage over straight after breakfast and then set off for a day's sightseeing.

Within a short walk of the hotel is a lovely market; a first glimpse of some local produce and new ways of selling common items. They like their deep fried crisps here, in many varieties. 'Snake Fruit' is in season now. I first tried this in Sabah. Can vary in flavour quite a bit, but interesting flavour when you get a nice one. When I last bought some, I got five and threw three away, so was wary of trying them again.

First stop was to be the Tanam Sari or 'Water Palace'. Got chatting to a Balinese guy on the way there and we stopped for some freshly squeezed sugar cane juice (3000 Rp). They had a couple of Elephants to one side of the entrance square that looked rather bored. You know that head swinging motion that elephants do when they are chained up and fed up! Hate to see it and seems unfair. Occasionally they bring them out for public rides.

The water palace (Entrance 7,000 Rp plus 1000 camera fee!), was built within the Kraton in the mid 1700's and still seems to exude its ancient character with the tiled roofs and meandering alleyways. Some of it has been restored, although the water has turned a murky and slightly phosphorescent green. A tunnel complex had been built by its Portuguese architect along with some secret 'pleasure' rooms, for which he was supposedly later executed by the Sultan to maintain their secrecy.

Going north out of the Tanam Sari towards Jalan Ngasem is the fascinating Pasa Ngasem, or 'Bird Market. This place is an incredible warren of olde worlde stalls selling many designs of cages complete with colourful native birds. Also on sale are snakes, owls, Geckos, dogs, Civet cats, Multi-Coloured frogs, lizards, turtles and much more, such as an albino hedgehog! A wonderful pot-purri of sounds, sights and aromas that is a 'Must-See'. Got to hold a snake that some guys had brought in a sack to sell to one of the vendors. It had a bag on its head, so safe enough. Many that they had for sale were highly poisonous species.

Also stopped at a few antique shops around the town which had a superb collection of wooden puppets (50,000 to 100,000Rp). Also, the traditional game of 'Dakon' - a long boat-shaped game with ornate heads either end, and containing receptacles for small shells. Could pick one of these up for 100 to 200,000Rp depending on age. Another popular item here are shadow puppets made from Buffalo hide; engraved with amazingly intricate designs and subsequently painted, they take up to 2 months to make and fetch upto 600,000Rp. Superb to watch the skill of the guys carving them, and well worth the price I think.

The major attraction of the 'Kraton' next. This was the Sultan's palace and is effectively a small walled city. It only opens 8am to 2pm most days (1pm on Friday's). Arrived late and didn't have much time. Shoulders need to be covered for guys. Oddly they didn't mind ladies bare shoulders? I went and bought a nice top to wear as what I was wearing wasn't adequate for them. You can 'rent' a t-shirt for 5,000Rp but it was tatty and I fancied something new. Entry is 7,500Rp plus 1,000Rp camera fee.

Was empty when we arrived so peaceful to stroll its grounds. We were the last out of the gate. Managed a quick lunch in the beautiful 'Balé Raos' Royal Cuisine restaurant inside the grounds, backed by nice soothing Gamelan music and attended by the staff in smart traditional dress.

Got a Becak back to the hotel after quite a bit of haggling. They started with 40,000Rp and I ended up with 5,000Rp. It pays to be hard with haggling as they really try to rip off the tourists here.

Back at the hotel and a refreshing dip in the pool followed by some nice food to sample what the hotel had on offer. It is low season at the moment, and so everywhere is quieter than it will be next month onwards.

Out for a spot of culture in the evening at the 'Ramayana Outdoor theatre' at Purawisata, with free pick-up and drop off from the hotel (www.purawisatajogja.com). Classed as a traditional ballet based on Hindu culture, but in this case performed to a Japanese Gamelan orchestra with Japanese singers. It seems an odd combination, but this has been performed for nearly 30 years like this. The singing is a bit dreary for most of the time, in dissonant tones and more like a wailing sound than singing. The main feature though is the Gamelan orchestra. A girl introduced each instrument before the show and most are a gentle haunting sound.

The venue was large and there was an option to combine the show with a dinner (110,000Rp for the meal, 140,000Rp for the show). To be honest, there is no real control over seating and you could sit where you like. A group from Kuoni travel had almost taken over the first few rows but that didn't matter as we still got front seats. The show lasted for 90 minutes and was an elaborate love story, with the characters make-up being extreme, as is normal in Hindu performance. A fair amount of acrobatics from a few of the characters and some cute scenes from a group of children acting as little monkeys, made for a nice show and worth the money. Depending on when you go, the same story is performed as either the 'short version' or the 'full version'. Most people will have died of old age by the end of the full version. The short version was enough I think! After the show an opportunity for a photo shoot with some of the characters was nice before being delivered back to the hotel.

Fri 5th Jun - Decided to have a day's break today and do very little. Catch up with laundry, photos, mail and a little local stuff. Not much chance of sleeping in as the Muezzin call from the local mosque was somewhere before 5am, and that was enough to mean not going back to sleep afterwards.

Breakfast here is a simple affair; fried spicy garlic rice, toast and jam, papaya and tea/coffee plus fried crackers. I noticed yesterday how much they love their fried crackers. The markets are full of them, in a wide range of flavours and shapes. Eaten as a snack any time of day and always accompanying a meal.

After getting laundry sorted out (an average of 2,500Rp per kilo), a little walk around the area followed by a meal at the 'Civet Cat' coffee shop. The main point of interest here, apart from really good food, is its claim to sell the world's most expensive and rarest coffee - Coffee Luwak. They are correct, but it needs some explanation....some rather strange minded person, many moons ago, found that a small breed of cat had been eating all the best and ripest coffee beans. Upon passing through its gut, it had gathered a binding goo that added a certain Je ne sais quio. He then roasted the coffee beans to find that the cat poo had done something to the beans. Being an entrepreneur, he realizes a good thing when he saw it, and it is now the rarest coffee on the planet. It doesn't look that great when you see the beans in lumpy form, but at 95,000Rp a cup compared with say 3,000Rp for normal coffee, it is a bit expensive to try, even for curiosity's sake. A small pack of it for sale was 300,000Rp ! Another thing already mentioned is the abundance of antique shops. Excellent quality stuff if you can arrange to get it home.

Had some time to spare so hired a Becak for an hour for 5,000Rp to take a leisurely ride around the streets. Of course, he took the opportunity to take us to Batik shop, a leather shop, a puppet shop or three. Even though it is a bit tiresome, the work is awesome to see. The hide they use for the engraving comes from Sulawesi, one of the major islands in the Indonesian group. Javan hide is different as they do not rear them for the hide. One of the pieces we were shown was incredible. The artistry involved in nearly 2 months of work was beautiful. Fetching 3 million Rupiah, it is good value although it seems a high price.

Later in the evening, a nice treat at the 'Ministry of Coffee' a place with free Wi-Fi for customers and superb apple and pear crumble...yummm!

Up early tomorrow as we are to visit the world renowned Borobudur and Prambanan historical sites. More of that tomorrow.

Sat 6th Jun - Took an organised tour to Borobudur and Prambanan (60,000Rp plus entry tickets). Could have done it by public transport or hired a motorbike, but it wouldn't have saved much in cost; would have had to get up even earlier and had more hassles in fathoming out how to get there too. Got up early as the best time to see Borobudur is at sunrise. Was picked up at 5am. On the way, there was a good view of Mount Merapi, the active volcano that was responsible for 69 deaths when it erupted in 2004. It is apparently the most active volcano in Asia? It is possible to get to a near viewpoint, but maybe another time when they deem it safe enough.

Arrived at Borobudur and guided into an 'International Visitor Centre', where we were given tea or coffee. The ticket price is $12 or 120,000Rp. I subsequently learnt that locals pay 15,000Rp! Borobudur is an iconic site, and ranks as one of the world's greatest heritage sites, along with Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and Bagan in Myanmar. It is a superb place, and was fairly busy even at this time in the morning, mainly with student groups. As the sun rises, the lighting effect on both the site and the surrounding terrain is lovely and minutes make the difference as the light changes fast. Many of the students were keen to practice their English as they were about to take their exams. We had to fill in score and comment cards for them.

Next destination was Prambanan, also known for its Ramayana theatre show. We recently saw the same show in Jogja, but the same is performed here, in a more dynamic setting. Ticket price is $11 or 110,000Rp (student $6) and once again tea and coffee are provided for international visitors.

The three main temples (candi) were constructed around 856AD to commemorate the return to power of the Sanjaya dynasty, and are dedicated to Shiva (main 47m central temple), Vishnu and Brahma. A century later they were abandoned and a major earthquake in the 16th century cause a severe collapse. Prambanan suffered badly during the earthquake and much of it is undergoing reconstruction, so is covered in scaffolding. A shame, but plenty of it still uninterrupted for photographs. A free open bus trundles around the site with stops for photos, other parts being mainly piles of rubble.

Got back to the Mercury at 12:15 but was so tired we decided to have a quick meal and then go to bed, as we hadn't had any breakfast. The afternoon vanished as we slept until late. Got up and had another meal at the Bamboo house then back to bed. Something I have noticed in the local stores is the strong smell of cloves. They make cigarettes from a mix of it and another spice. It is quite overpowering at times.

Sun 7th Jun - Up at 7:30 for a trip to Mount Bromo. It is possible to do it alone by public transport but the organised minibuses are more convenient and the prices ok. Cost 330,000Rp including accommodation for one night and subsequent dropping off in Denpasar in Bali.

Enough time before being picked up to visit the local market again. Many snacks on offer based on rice and coconut and free tastings in many cases. It was also interesting to watch the guys preparing catfish and eels at speed for sale. The poor things are wriggling around and have their neck sliced, innards ripped out and thrown into a bucket whilst they are still wriggling around; not a great sight before breakfast! What is also interesting, having lived in the Philippines for 6 months now, is the many ways things are done different. For example, when you buy coconut milk in the Philippines, they use a grinding wheel to get the coconut ut of its shell. Here they lever it out, then scrape the outer remaining coconut fibre away, then break it up and finally put it into a grinder; one process replaced by three, but a purer result.

I am always amazed at how many combinations the different countries manage to come up with using rice and coconut and basic additions. Hundreds of different tasty snacks and meal accompaniments.

Got picked up from the Mercury hotel at 8:30am.

Most of today was spent travelling; supposedly around 10 hours to get to the town of Cemoro Lawang, the nearest to Mount Bromo massif. The journey was a hair-raising white knuckle ride. The driving here is crazy, with what seems to be no road discipline...a free for all! Have I mentioned yet that they drive on the left here? Same as the UK. Much of the route passes through rice or sugar cane plantation intermingled with busy but fairly non-descript towns. About three quarters of the way we passed the dominant Mount Arjuna; at over 3,500m, it is higher than Bromo, but isn't active.

We first went to a travel agent in Probolinggo to get a low down on what the rest of the plan was. Another little scam here. The ticket we had all booked only gets you to the Bromo peak. The highest peak is another 470m and needs a 4-wheel drive jeep to get there at an additional cost of 100,000Rp each. Of course, when confronted with the option, you are going to hand over the extra money for the full experience, so they have you!

It also takes an hour extra to get there with a change in timing so as not to miss the sunrise at 5:30am.

Following the briefing we changed to another minibus for an hour or so climb to the village of Cemoro Lawang. A constant climb all the way, with almost nothing to see as it was now dark. One noticeable thing was the drop in temperature. Refreshing after a long period in the heat of the lowlands.

Had booked to stay at the Café Lava hotel, but were taken to the Cemara Indah Hotel instead. No real choice as we arrived at 7:45pm with little chance to do anything about it. It turned out to be a nice place with a good range of food, although we were so tired that we just ate then went to bed...fully clothed against the cold!

Mon 8th Jun - Woken up at 3:30am for the 1 hour jeep ride to the Penanjakan Peak. Many guys hassling to rent thick jackets or buy woolly hats. To be honest you don't need them as is didn't get that cold. Couldn't see much on the way there, as the mountain was shrouded in mist. Arrived about an hour before sunrise, so had a coffee whilst waiting. I think it is all part of the business plan to do this. Java coffee is a bit sludgy and generally served black. Leaves a thick layer of sediment in the bottom of the cup and around the edge.

The view as the sun arose was stunning. The craters in the distance emerging out of the misty bed in an eerie way. Fortunately, it wasn't too busy and everyone managed to get their photos amicably, with everyone obliging to take photos for others. Once the light was up and we had done enough it was back in the jeep to go to Bromo itself. As soon as we arrived, the throng of touts running towards the jeeps with their horses was amusing. They wanted 75,000Rp to deliver as far as you could go and bring you back. We walked most of the way and got on a horse for 9,000Rp for the last bit. Still have to climb a flight of steps to get to the rim of the crater, which was smoking dramatically in the bowels of the volcano. No lava visible here, only smoke. Took a walk to the very top of the ridge, with the choking Sulphur fumes making it hard work on top of the heat, but worth it for the extra views.

Return to hotel for a hot shower and breakfast then left at 9:30am for 1 hour drive back to Probolinggo. Now that it was full daylight, the journey down was beautiful. Pretty farming terraced into the hillsides, colourful flowers and plenty of interesting people going about their daily activities. It would be worth spending an extra day here just for walks around the village itself.

The itinerary stated that we were to leave from Probolinggo at 11am for Denpasar, but when we got there it had changed to sometime after noon, meaning a long wait and an arrival even later than hoped for. The bus didn't arrive until 12:20, but at least it was a good quality one, with comfortable seats and aircon. One unfortunate guy had his credit card swallowed by an ATM and was having an argument with the travel agent over something, so we felt sorry for him.

The journey to Denpasar was supposed to be around 9 hours including the ferry transfer at Ketapang.

Fairly uneventful journey; the scenery in eastern Java is nice, but nothing spectacular. One little comment is that the food here isn't that great. After having Nasi Goreng a few times it wears off and you cannot find much alternative that grabs your gastronomic interests. Eating healthily is really only limited to various versions of Bakso, a form of soup. Can have it with meatballs or chicken or just vegetables. A bowl costs around 5,000Rp. On both occasions that the buses stopped for a meal, the food was abysmal. In fact we felt insulted in one place as we had to get them to change it three times to even get some meat on the bowl of bones. Totally uninspiring gunk! The only way to stand a chance is to go to a good restaurant. Hoping for much better in Bali.

A half hour or so wait at the Ketapang ferry port waiting for boarding and away. The ferry wasn't that great; a strong smell of diesel mixed with overpowering urine from the toilets (Wanitas (women) worse than the Pria (men)). Shiera almost vomited after being desperate enough to be forced to go. No matter how desperate I wouldn't go to the toilet on one of these ferries. Badly mimed videoke to accompany the journey plus a large group of boisterous Moslem student girls. The 40 minutes trip passed quickly, but my advice would be that if you can afford it, fly!

Touched down in Bali at 7:15pm in the dark and heavy rain. A little scam seemed to be going on with some locals getting a free trip across on our bus, but couldn't fully work out the details. They had to get off and on either side of some checking posts, with a nervous driver keeping a close eye on them.

Hadn't booked any accommodation due to lack of opportunity, so chose to go to the main hub of culture Ubud. The bus terminated at the main terminal in Ubung, north of Denpasar, but being late there were plenty of taxis waiting. We shared a taxi to Ubud with couple of other travelers for a fixed price of 150,000Rp, taking around 30 minutes.

Ended up at the beautiful 'Hibiscus cottages', set amongst rice paddies for 150,000Rp including breakfast. Straight to bed and asleep in seconds to the lovely sound of croaking frogs and gently rasping insects.

Tue 9th Jun - woke up this morning to a wonderful view of the paddies, and a really pretty place we had chosen in the dark. They decorate everywhere with Hibiscus flowers, the windows, the bathtub, the tables. The breakfast was excellent. The best pancake I have had in a long time; green pancake with banana, coconut and palm sugar, with mixed fresh fruit and a lovely mixed fruit shake. Friendly owner and staff with a peaceful atmosphere.

Wanted to check around a few other places to compare facilities and prices. The architecture here is gorgeous, as expected of Bali. As usual, no place has it all at the right price, so decided to stay where we are.

That sorted…off on walkabout around town. There are so many superlatives that you can use to describe Ubud, but they don't do it justice. This town is lovely; crammed with history, awesome restaurants, great shopping, friendly people and traditional music and dance every night somewhere around the town. It is a place you fall in love with in an instant.

Along the main road to the junction with the Monkey Forest road and the amazing market. For any shopaholic and culture vulture, this is fascinating. Having been to every country in Asia almost, this wowed even me. The use of decorative grained local woods in craftwork, ornate materials in Sarongs, wonderful fruits, the list goes on. Bought a nice sarong to use at temple visits for only 30,000Rp, and a Salowar. We had to escape before we got into serious spending mode! Bought some local fruit that were like passion fruit but larger and yellow, with a woolly inner layer; they were nice and only 10,000Rp for six.

On the opposite corner to the market is the Ubud palace, another beautiful example of Balinese architecture. A shrine in front of the market was busy. Ladies with incense sticks in prayer; stacks of woven baskets full of scented flowers on offer for people entering, plenty of gold leaf and painted ornamentation on the shrine...just magic.

Down the Monkey forest road to the Monkey forest Sanctuary (15,000Rp entry). At the entrance you can buy 'The Official Monkey Forest bananas'. Seems a funny concept. I wonder if the monkeys know they are eating the official ones? The forest is lovely. Winding its way around hills and a pretty valley, with many temples and ancient stone monuments that have gathered a covering of moss for sublime effect. The monkeys are everywhere - seemed like thousands of them. The phrase 'cheeky monkey' couldn't be more appropriate than here. They are funny and playful. After anything that seems like food, and will climb all over you if you stand still and have food. Wardens are on hand if there are any problems, so it is safe enough.

At 7:30pm we went to see the Chandra Wati 'Ladies Orchestra & Dance Troupe' at the Café Lotus on the main Ubud road. 80,000Rp ticket price with the most awesome setting of an ornate temple as a backdrop. The meal we had at the Lotus was excellent too. Called a Mini-Rijstafel, it is a combination meal of many Bali favourites on a large platter with a cone of rice in the centre, served on banana leaves. Couldn't help it but had to have dessert and a Bali Jamu, which is a hot spicy drink. Fantastic meal in a great setting at a reasonable price. I don't find the food prices too bad here. Cheaper than I expected given its location.

Wed 10th Jun - A relaxing day in store for today. Some laundry to do, plus a little wandering around. Another great breakfast then on with my Sarong for that local feel, and out for a walk. Checked out another few hotels as they are part of the culture. Their gardens are all so pretty, and worth photographing. Back at the Hibiscus, the staff going around with trays of flowers to decorate. The Balinese Hindu cuture in operation.

Most of the day spent exploring other areas of the town. One of the most interesting is north of the centre along Jalan Kajeng, which leads out to the lovely rice paddies. The road is inset with personalised stones. You can have your own for 150,000Rp. The same idea is used on other roads around town. Had thought of going to see another show tonight but fell asleep again after a long day's walking and missed the start. Doesn't matter as there are shows every night. Had a lovely Indian meal at the Bumbi restaurant across the road from the UBud palace. Could hear the music from the Kecak dance performance that was in full flow.

Thu 11th Jun - Hired a motor bike today for 40,000Rp. The main aim was to visit the Besakih temple or 'Mother temple'. The largest and most famous in Indonesia, it lies around 45km from Ubud. The roads of Bali must rate as the easiest to drive on for a foreigner. Very easy to work out directions, and very good surfaces.

On the way we came to realise that the beauty of Bali doesn't just lay in Ubud, but everywhere. This is a stunning country. Temples everywhere, flowering trees and pretty gardens are a fact of Balinese life. Today is also a special day in that there are many family worship ceremonies goes on. The roads were punctuated regularly with pretty women in their colourful sarongs carrying baskets on their heads, full of fruit and various decorations. It was a wonderful photographic experience. And then you reach Besakih itself....wow...!

Set in an awesome location in the shadow of Mount Anung, it is a vast complex of temples (admission 15,000Rp) having a motorbike was excellent as we could ride right upto the entrance steps, around 1km after the ticket office. A scam then happens when the numerous guides tell you that you must be accompanied by them, and that you can 'negotiate' your donation with them for their services. The reality is that you do not need them unless you want them to offer information as you go around. We went around on our own. Today is Kajeng Kliwon, an important day for family worship. Part of the temple was off limits to non-worshippers today, but that didn't matter as there is so much to see anyway. Plenty of really nice craft stalls at the site and not pushy at all.

On the way back, although it was a bit late, we thought it nice to go to the Botanical gardens in Ubud, but they wanted 50,000Rp entrance for possibly under an hour before they closed, so we didn't bother going in. Instead, we headed back to town, which was a lucky decision as we spotted some Cockfighting taking place in an outdoor arena, so stopped to watch. The second fight was a bit gruesome as the losing gamecock was still alive as the guy was cutting its legs off. At was horrible to see its feathers being plucked, blood running from its body and legs and it still alive...but not for long...saw its eyes close for the last time...then we left!

It was a complex situation with the fighting going on at one side of the road, and passing by, a long stream of beautifully dressed ladies carrying produce on their heads on their way to worship. Bali is amazing to the senses!

Had dinner at the lovely Casa Luna restaurant and cooking school on the main road, one of the first restaurant owners to exist in Ubud. The food is awesome and had one of the best lassies in a long time. A bit of a rush though as I had bought tickets to a Kecak Fire &Trance Dance show, performed by Desa Adat Sambahan. It was held at the 'Pura Batu Karu' temple on Jalan Suweta (50,000Rp). I rate it as one of the best shows I have seen here. The haunting rhythms throughout the show are provided by the men of the Sambahan village. Almost the whole of the village are involved in the show, and the money goes to the maintenance of the temple. Towards the end of the story a crazy mythical horse was kicking burning coconut shells around the arena. Many ended up around the feet of the audience to a few shrieks! Well worth it.

Back at the cottage, our pet gecko in the roof was awake again, along with numerous frogs to lull us to sleep. I should record it and play it back at home as a lullaby, so pretty a sound.

Fri 12th Jun - Moving on today to Sanur beach, south east of Denpasar. There used to be many Bemo around town, but not any more, only a few. The main way of getting out of here is either taxi or shuttle buses that collect from the hotels or pick-up points. 45,000Rp to get to Sanur from here. Left us plenty of time this morning for another great breakfast and also time to just wander and take photos. I am starting to feel as if I have had an overdose of great food already. Crazy thought really, but want something simple for a change! Is that possible here?

The shuttle bus wasn't anything special, other than a few other travelers, one chatty girl from New York and the others were quiet. The shuttle wanted to drop us off at a point far north of Sanur, claiming that it was the official drop-off point. I refused and wanted to go nearer to our hotel. That turned out to be another few kilometers at least. He wanted more money but I refused and he drove off in a huff.

Staying at the Ari Putri hotel. A lovely traditional Bali hotel with a nice pool, opposite the original enormous Sanur Beach hotel. Went out for a walk down to the beach later and a tour of the big hotels. They are another league hear; really swanky and top price. As normal, beach prices for food is dramatically higher than way from the beach and so we returned to the main road through one of the posh hotels and had a nice meal for a fraction of the price. First impressions of Sanur...over-priced for what it is, and not impressed by the quality of the surrounding shops. The restaurants are good though. Plenty of tour vendors, but the prices are way too high. This is what I expected of the beach areas.

Sat 13th Jun - The main reason for the timing of our trip was the 'Bali Arts Festival', which began today in Denpasar at 3pm with the opening ceremony supposedly in Renon Square. The taxi drivers disagreed and said we had to go to the Arts Centre, which we did. The festival will go on for almost a full month and have a full itinerary of events. I had thought of spending a few days here but in retrospect decided to just visit for the main opening day, so that we could make full use of our time to do other stuff.

We had some time to kill before the start of the street procession, and so went around the Arts park and its many lovely buildings and gardens. The theater for tonight's show was being prepared and we got to sit in the ornate chairs that would later be occupied by the President of Bali and his wife. The full red carpet treatment minus the film crews… Special!

Turned out that the procession did start from Renon square, but it didn't matter, as there was a grandstand where we were, although the road was a bit narrow, making it a bit squashed to get in place. The ceremony and carnival was beautiful. Typical traditional costumes from all over Indonesia, as well as the only outside participant Japan. The procession lasted over an hour of mass colour, cheery people and traditional music. Overhead, the sky was filled with colourful kites. The VIP area was full of beautifully dressed notaries, and someone that looked to me like a famous journalist, but cannot think of his name right now.

The main opening event was in the evening at the 'Arda Candra'. A wonderful open arena and amphitheatre with a beautiful temple behind. The President of Bali opened the event after over an hour of the dignitaries entering and some very long speeches. It went on so long that we were so tired and couldn't last out the full show. Left early and stopped for a Bakso in the market before catching a taxi back to Sanur.

Sun 14th Jun - Even though I had a good night's sleep, felt tired today. Been doing to much and need to take it easy. A beach day in order. Sanur beach is a mixture of experiences. Our hotel is less than 5 minutes walk to the beach, past the vast Sanur beach hotel. The beach going past it is manicured as expected, and complete with attendants. Going the other way is more down to earth. The Hyatt is a very posh stretch, but a really lovely view awaits with a stretch of beach full of Jekungs, a local outrigger boat - a trip on one can cost $20 upwards. Painted in the most dazzling of colours inside and out, they are stunning against the pristine blue sky and clean golden beach, especially with the view of mountains and volcano in the distant.

A nice swim in the warm sea and a lovely stroll back. On the way back a wedding was being prepared at the Hyatt as well as a 'Romantic dinner for two' on the beach. A pair of ornate high-backed chairs around a prettily decorated table on a manicured area of beach, which must have cost someone a small fortune to organise.

Further along the beach and some other sights; a kite seller with some techni-coloured galleons floating in the sky as well as flapping birds, many massage ladies offering their services, and then a stretch which showed that the locals had taken to the beach for the afternoon...in their hundreds. Tickets were being charged for them to enter the beach. Luckily, we escaped before it got too rowdy.

The evening was nice, if not a bit bizarre. After checking out a few options for dining, we ended up at the 'Cat & Fiddle' Irish pub, with a performance by the 'Leprachauns'. A Balinese band playing traditional Irish songs, to a foreign audience seemed a weird thing but they were really good. I got up on stage to do a song and play guitar for the crowd, which I enjoyed.

A slight frustration later. I had been desperate to find somewhere to dance for such a long time with no success. Found one doing Salsa close to our hotel, but too late to make any use of it before closing time...damn!

Mon 15th June - Made the choice to move on today towards Lombok. Had booked a taxi driver to take us to Padang Bai ferry port and stop off at the 'Bali Bird and reptile' parks on the way. What a great decision...awesome! A little expensive to get in at $21.5 each plus 10% Government tax (+3% credit card charge as normal). The bird park is amazing. Laid out in the different zones of Sumatra, Papua, Borneo, Bali etc. The range of birds are stunning and the environment perfect. Park rangers are on hand to let you have an interactive experience with some of them. Having maybe eight of these wonderfully coloured birds perched on you is a lovely experience. Macaws, Parrots, Hornbills, Cockatoos to name a few. Some bird of Paradise also. An area of Komodo dragons is really nice. They also do feeding demonstrations and we were able to get involved too. The reptile park is superb. Massive Iguanas, Lizards and Skinks to play with and have them climb over you...I was so excited by this, we loved every second…Magic stuff.

After a couple of hours at the parks we decided to aim for Padang Bai; a pleasant journey through many traditional towns. Stopped at an umbrella maker as well as an amazing woodcarving workshop on the way there. The prices are really good although a bit tricky to get some of this stuff home.

Arriving at Padang Bai is a pleasant surprise; a pretty bay centered mainly on the ferry harbour for the boats to Lombok. The accommodation is the full range and it didn't take us long to find a budget room at the 'Kembar Inn' for 100,000Rp including breakfast. Out to explore the village; three beaches - the Blue Lagoon, small with strong waves not really good for swimming, another black sand beach and a white sand beach. Ok for a night's stop. Loads of dive shops and restaurants. A good meal at the Puri Rai resort and restaurant on the beach, one of the more popular places.

Tue 16th Jun - The plan this morning was to hire a motorbike for a few hours and see if we could find a ceremony at a temple. The guide yesterday had said that this was one of the most important days here, and there would be ceremonies at all of the big temples plus many smaller family temples. Asked around last night for more information and got nothing conclusive. Blank looks from some of the locals. Also, the cost of hiring a motorbike was going to be upto 60,000Rp for a couple of hours compared with 40,000Rp for the whole day in Ubud. The Inn owners didn't know anything about the ceremonies and the conclusion was that, if anything was going to happen, it would be this afternoon or tonight and tomorrow. As we wanted to move on to Lombok and the Gili Islands today, we decided to not spend any more time here. No ATMs here that take visa and had to get a motorbike to/from the local city of Kungklung to get stocked up with cash whilst Shiera waited back in Padang Bai. Bemos run the route but are much slower. On the way there I noticed some small family preparations going on. On the way back the big Goa Lawah temple on the coastal road seemed busy, so asked the driver to stop briefly. Was frustrated to find a big ceremony going on, but couldn't go in as I didn't have a Sarong with me, so could only watch from the entrance. Why is it that it is such struggle to get accurate information, and especially from the locals? Messed up a whole morning and didn't achieve what we stopped here for. Rather than waste any more time, we packed up and decided to aim for the Gili's. Here is where more mis-information is in abundance. We were in the process of buying a ticket 'direct' to one of the Gili Islands, when just as I was about to hand over the cash, the guy said we would have to overnight in Senggigi in Lombok as we had missed the ferry. I reckoned this was al a scam. Was rather fed up by this stage and just picked up our luggage and walked away towards the ferry terminal. Many touts approach on the way there offering discounted tickets all the way through. 25,000Rp cheaper than what we were about to pay earlier and leaving immediately so grabbed a couple and were whisked off to the ferry. The normal passenger ferry that goes to the Lombok port of Lebuan costs 31,000Rp, double what it cost a few years ago. The ticket we had been sold, didn't go direct to the Gili's, but entailed a bus section from Lebuan and another boat.

There are three options to get to the Gili's. The direct speed ferries currently cost an average of 660,000Rp - that's a lot! The next are slower ferries for 300,000Rp, the final is via Lebuan for 125,000Rp average. All seem to be negotiable and almost everyone here can sort out a ticket, even the kids.

The ferry departed at around 10:20am and a gentle breeze was pleasant to calm down the stress of the morning. A fair proportion of backpackers on board, and got a little worried that we might not find the peace and quiet that I was hoping for in Lombok? The Gili's sound to have become a party-goers destination. They say there is no motorised traffic at all, so that's something....will see.

In a way we were sad to be leaving Bali, as it is a magic place; will definitely be going back some day. Favourite place would definitely have to be Ubud.

The ferry arrived at Lebuan port at 3:15pm and it didn't take long to meet up with the tour company who we got the ticket with. Plenty of companies are waiting to get business with sign cards. A small van took us to their office in Mataram (the capital of Lombok), via an ATM for anyone who needed it, where we were given the ferry tickets for the final leg of the journey to the Gili islands. Of course, this is also an opportunity for them to try and sell tours, and anything else they can con you out of. They try to tell you that it is essential you book your return ticket with them or you may not get off the island...absolute rubbish as there are plenty of operators to get you off. Many people succumb of course and hastily buy tours and tickets. A couple of things to note...firstly. Bali was predominantly Hindu (around 90%), and that that reflected in its ornate temples everywhere and the way they dress. Lombok is 85% Muslim, so most of the nice temples are gone, and most of its occupants seem back to westernized dress. They say that Lombok is Bali without the tourism and traffic. Not really so as a first impression, as there are more fundamental differences that make the two neighbouring islands different. Within Mataram a common sight, apart from masses of motorbikes, is the horse drawn passenger cart or Cidomo. Used for upto 3km journeys and charged 1,000Rp to 2,000Rp depending on distance, they are an attractive means of transport.

Back onto another minivan and off to the port of Bangsal. Well, here came another scam. They stopped short of the port by 250 metres at the 'Bunga Bunga cafe' at around 5:15pm, where there was another attempt to sell tours and tickets and delay matters. With a few dozen people gathered in successive drop-offs, they must get used to the atmosphere of hassled responses. We had to walk then to the port where the small boats await for the three islands. We were kept waiting around for a while and despite being told which boat we were to board, we then got on a different one. No jetty, so you have to wade to the boat which was bobbing up and down in the strong waves. One guy slipped getting on and cut both of his knees. By this time the sun was setting, and what a beautiful view is was. The mountains in the distance and the golden colours over our awaiting islands where lovely. Around 45 minute crossing on a choppy sea and we arrived in the dark at the island of Tragawan, the largest of the three Gili's. Once again, no jetty so have to get off into the sea with your luggage. The throng of accommodation then approach...head down, ignore them all and aim left from the boat. There are so many places to stay here, of all caliber, that it isn't difficult to just wander around and find something. Being a really long day we were so tired and also hungry, we didn't want to spend long finding somewhere. Fairly basic for 150,000Rp a night, but many go up to 1 million!

Straight out to eat at the rather chilled Ricchi's restaurant and then a walk to finish off the evening. As mentioned, there isn't supposed to be any motorised transport here. There is, with motorbikes, but the main way of getting around is bicycle or Cidomo along a flat track that runs along the eastern coast.

Plenty of Lovely restaurants and the very flash Obarak resort at the southern end with an ATM!..yes, there is now an ATM here, contradictory to what everyone including the guide books tells you. It is new, so maybe the news hasn't filtered through yet? It has been here 6 months apparently. Don’t rely on it as it often runs out of money.

Wed 17th Jun - Didn't like the place we chose in the dark last night, with a really basic breakfast, so decided to move to somewhere nicer we had seen. Slightly dearer at 225,000Rp but a traditional 'Sasak' design, and a lovely outdoor toilet and shower room with Tamarind, coconut and Papaya trees overhead. To the beach.....

White sugary sand and turquoise water as widely publicized. The waves were a bit strong but the water was like stepping into a warm bath. Just what we needed. Spent a few hours walking through the inner forest area and checking out other areas of beach. So hot today but plenty of shady areas with platforms to relax on. There is so much construction going on here. Won't be long before the whole waterfront has been absorbed into a continuous stretch of businesses without a gap. This seems to happen everywhere when tourism takes hold.

There is a viewing area at the southern end of the island and what better way to get there other than by Cidomo, the horse drawn carriage. They are expensive here at 40,000Rp return including the driver waiting while the sun sets. I bet the locals would pay less than 4,000Rp! Was pretty, although not the most dramatic sunset we've seen.

The busy end of the town is full of buffet stands selling fish and meat to barbeque, so had a fish meal, which turned out to be the most tasteless meal we have had in a long while, and the most expensive - Just unfortunate luck I guess.

Thu 18th Jun - A single dive with 'Blue Marlin Dive' to Sunset reef ( all shops charge $35 + 40,000Rp Marine fee + 3% credit card fee). Nice and easy dive with plenty of Turtles, Moray Eels, enormous Cuttlefish, Box fish plus others. Whenever I go diving and see the common sea creatures such as Lobster or Cuttlefish swimming - they look stunning. I hate to see them laid out on a fish stall ready to eat, it seems a criminal waste of such beauty.

Had a fiery Indian meal at the Pesona resort & restaurant overlooking the beach at sunset. An expensive place with a knockout jug of rum & coke that was a good alternative (i.e. Potent mix) to the Magic mushrooms that are on offer everywhere...in food, as a shake or however else you want them. Takeaway or free delivery! As you stroll the pathway around the island, you get approached regularly for drugs, marijuana being a common one. As I say, every restaurant, even the posh ones offer magic mushrooms!

Fri 19th Jun - Heading back to Lombok today. Had booked a combined ticket yesterday for the rip to Senggigi, the main beach area on the west coast. The tickets cost 75,000Rp wherever you buy them. The crazy thing is that you could probably do the same journey for 25,000Rp by public transport. Got to the harbour at 8am as instructed. The 'Public' boat was almost full at that stage and ready to leave. That only costs 10,000Rp to Bangsal and needs 25 people before it leaves. Ours had 22 and left at 8:15 albeit a slightly larger boat. I don't think it is worth paying the extra price as I bet that at Bangsal it would only cost maybe 15,000Rp to get to Senggigi.

On arriving at Bangsal, the expected scams began again. Firstly, the Cidomos are there, asking 10,000Rp each to take you to the bus pick-up point, which happens to be at the Bunga Bunga café where we stopped on the way out; 250 metres down the road, so we walked. Also, they ask you to go to the café to have your ticket checked and of course you are approached again for tours etc. The actual bus pick-up point is across the road in a compound. The trip to Senggigi is pretty, along the coastal road, with many sweeping bays. Asked to be dropped in Senggigi Square by the Mosque as a place to start looking from. For 10,000Rp we had a guy in a nice car drive us around all of the accommodation in the area before settling on the Puri Bunga Resort for 300,000Rp fully inclusive and a swimming pool. Pretty rooms, nice views, lovely location and friendly staff.

Off to look around the area and something to eat. Plenty of choice here. I notice something about Bali and Lombok...most restaurants charge 10% Government tax on top of the prices on their menu, some then add 10% service charge. Some however add 21% Government tax and service charge, some just tell you the all inclusive price. It is a pain really as we have had a bill arrive with 30% in extras added! Now that can hurt!

The Sentosa villas in Senggigi is hosting an International dance competition this weekend. The candidates arrive tomorrow, but the competition isn't until Sunday, the day we have to leave to go back to Jakarta. Bad timing considering my passion for dancing. I had looked into dance opportunities before I set off here, but this one didn't come up on the search, so very frustrated by that as could have chose a different return date for the flights...Que sera sera!

Was going to hire a motorbike for the day tomorrow, but instead opted for a new local company with a 1month old plush vehicle and driver for the whole day at 300,000Rp to go where we wanted. A bit of a luxury, but a nice way to finish our trip. More on that tomorrow.

Across the road from the Pura Bunga is the Pasar Seni Arts Market. A really attractive market, with super quality Lombok goods. Tempted to buy loads with their prices being so cheap....but resisted....phew!

Not much of a sunset this evening but had a nice relax at our room whilst the sun went down, then had a refreshing swim before dinner. A really odd situation here. The waiter at our hotel delivered two menus. The one he gave to me was for a 'Cafe Loco' and I noticed it had a note stating 10% tax to be added to all prices. The menu he handed to Shiera was for our hotel and stated 21% tax to be added. The menus were identical! I asked what the difference was. Café-loco is across the road, and both were supposedly had the same owner. So why eat at the hotel and pay 11% more instead of walking across the road and paying less for the same meal? So we went across the road. I mentioned to the waiter at café-loco that I didn't want to pay any tax and without arguing, agreed to not charge us any and to throw in dessert free. Bizarre isn't it!

Dust as we were finishing our meal a guy ran in and shouted...'We have a Turtle'. Intrigued, we ran after him onto the beach. Sure enough, we were about to witness one of those rare privileges of a Leatherback Turtle laying its eggs on the beach. I had seen this on Turtle Island off the coast of Malaysian Sabah last year. Now we were getting this for free. For about an hour the 2 year old excavated its pit in the sand and then lay over a hundred eggs, followed by filling it in again. The rangers who were monitoring this were really careful, and would relocate the eggs to a hatchery at the Sheraton hotel up the beach.

So we were thankful in many ways for observing the cost saving to be made on walking across the road in ending up with a beautiful and priceless experience!

Sat 20th Jun - Had booked a car and driver/guide flr today. A nice continental style breakfast at the Puri Bunga before heading off with our driver Jimmy for the day.

The idea was to visit the cultural sites of Lombok and avoid the touristy places as much as possible. About half way to Mataram is a sprawling Chinese cemetery, which highlights the varied nature of Lombok's history. In typical Chinese style, the graves are ornate and different in design to ech other. It might seem an odd way to start the day, but cemeteries can be really interesting places. An ideal start to a history tour!

There are many essential places to visit though. Driving south out of Senggigi towards the capital Mataram and we reached Ampanan, the old port of Lombok before Lebuan took over. In its heyday it was built by the Arabs and the Chinese, and their shops and store houses are still visible today, although in a dilapidated state. Most of the old port is no more. The waterfront is a stretch of black sand littered with refuse and an oil tanker moored a short way off shore. Signs of the past are only a vestige of what is was. Who knows, it might one day be resurrected?

Heading west to Lingsar and we exited the busy city and entered the green and peace of the countryside. Today is graduation day and the schools (Sekolah) were busy with students and parents buzzing around, and teachers trying to maintain some sanity amongst the chaos. For most, they have to pay for education as it is not free here.

One obvious thing about this country...they are aiming at the highest number of Mosques per square kilometer of any country I have visited; around one every 200 metres, and every half kilometer outside of the villages.

Lingsar is the only temple in Lombok where Hindu and Moslem can prey at the same temple. Entry is by donation to the guide who greets you on arrival. There is also a donation box in both the Hindu and Moslem sections of the temple complex. The temple has been built facing mount Rinjani, which was and still is believed to be a holy mountain. The water from it is treated as holy.

At the entrance have to sign the visitor book and get a yellow sash (Temben Dodot) for respect. A donation is expected - you have to write in the book how much you have given. Adjacent to the donation box is a tray of hard boiled eggs for feeding the eels in the lake, and Dragon nuts for itchy skin. The only reason they are selling the nuts is because there are plenty of these trees here. Mixed with oil you rub the nut on your skin to stop it itching apparently.

Next was 'Narmada Park' - 10,000Rp for foreigner (used to be 1,000Rp a few years ago), 4,000Rp for locals. Shiera has been continually taken as Indonesian here, as long as she doesn't respond when they talk to her in Bahasa, so she got in at the local price. Basically it is a Water park, but there is a temple at the top of the site that supposed to emulate the temple at the foot of mount Rinjani. The place was full of locals swimming and a group of Hindu worshippers at the font of holy water; this is supposed to make you younger...if you believe in it that is!

Taking a back route south we passed through the traditional weaving village of Sukarara. The material they produce is called Ikat, and comes is designs standard across the village. They buy the thread white and dye it using locally grown vegetable dyes. One of the elders showed us around the weaving ladies and then around the village. The whole village operates as a cooperative. Everything they make goes into the shop for local sale. The men work in the rice paddies a few hundred metres away.

Next to a traditional Sasak village. There are two touristy villages at Sade And Rembutin, but we wanted a less touristy place so went somewhere else. I have no idea what it was called, but it was quiet and we got a personal Sasak guide to show us around. The Sasak house was originally shaped to replicate the contour of Lombok island. Floors and access steps are fashioned from local clay and manure. The main house from bamboo and dried grasses.

On the way further south we were lucky to see a Sasak wedding taking place. The host representing the bride and groom, who were dressed in traditional costume invited us to stay for lunch, which was lovely and I guess made their day, as most people had their cameras and camcorders pointing at us for the whole time we were there. The food was all traditional fare with Buffalo meat and some really tasty mixed vegetable that I cannot describe. In the outdoor kitchen, the cooks were preparing the food in big pots for the evening party. Surprised to see my favourite food of spicy Jackfruit and Laing being cooked. Shame we didn't have time to stay as I would have liked to taste their version.

Our driver convinced us that we must visit the southern coastal area of Kuta. On the way we past the construction site of Lombok's new International airport, due for completion in 2011 I gather. It is bringing a vast amount of work to the area and will mean radical change to the island I think. The roads leading to it from all directions are being upgraded, and will mean fast transit to the major tourism areas. Kuta is stunning. Very pretty with colourful sea and golden fine gravelly sand...almost like walking on tiny polystyrene balls of sand; like having your feet gently massaged whilst walking. There are a few real estate companies selling of lots at the moment for what seems like give away prices. I think this area has some great investment potential, with one problem I can foresee. The water on Kuta beach is too shallow for swimming I think. Snorkeling and diving in another area close by. It is really quiet now, and I think it will be a shame if that gets ruined. Plenty of local children buzz around selling bracelets they have made. Women in sarongs plod from one place to another carrying stacks of colourful Sarongs on their heads, in search of business. When we were there a fair gust was blowing and there looked to be a strong surf out across the bay. Didn't spend to long in the area before heading back to Senggigi.

Dinner at a nice restaurant. Only mention this as almost all restaurants here are desperate for business, so much so that they agree to not charge tax, and give a 10% discount and a free dessert. You get stopped by guys on motorbikes offering similar deals and free transport to their place. This place isn't quite developed yet and everyone is hungry for business. You cannot sit down for a meal without sellers approaching you with various merchandise at cheap prices. We don't sit at the front of a restaurant because of this.

Marimbu beach viewpoint for the sunset, about 5km north of Senggigi by taxi as the Bemos stop around 5pm, so might have got there but not got back. Cost 60,000Rp return including waiting time.

Not much quality nightlife here. The tacky sounding 69 discotheque. The International Dance competition isn't until tomorrow after we have gone, so fairly sad about that.

Sun 21st Jun - Time to go back to the Philippines today. After a lazy morning, checked out of the lovely Puri Bunga and headed to the airport (Selaparang: aka Ampenan), only 25 minutes away by taxi. Only cost 35,000Rp compared with 75,000Rp that the hotels and agencies along the street want to charge. Crazy eh.

Mataram airport is small but with plenty to occupy the mind whilst waiting. Free Wi-Fi too, and a pretty view of mount Rinjani. There is a departure tax of 20,000Rp to pay after check-in. Lion Air flight JT653 departed at 14:40 on a pristine clear sunny day. The journey to Jakarta of 669 miles is one of those wow flights. Every mountain and volcano was visible today, with most poking their heads above a nice layer of wispy cloud for effect. Bali is so close that the first sight after takeoff is Mount Agung, the dominant feature of the island, followed by Gunung Catur and Gunung Batukaru. Going west it is clear that the string of around ten mountains and volcanos are almost in a perfect line - Including Gunung Ijen, Gunung Bromo, Batok and Kursi, Gunung Semeru, Gunung Merapi, to name a few of them. What it reminds me of is the overwhelming scale of the world. What we think of as massive buildings are dwarfed by these natural creations. We are a mere speck of dust when viewed from an airplane. As for insects...we are like a mountain. To a grain of sand an insect is a mountain!

Arrived in Jakarta at 3:15pm with a shift back in time of 1 hour. A free yellow shuttle bus does the interconnecting trip between domestic and International terminals, so takes the legwork out of it. Now comes the painful bit. Our flight back to Manila doesn't leave until 00:55, so we have over 7 hours to lose before we can check in. Fortunately, this airport is full to the brim with places to eat and shop to kill some time. With the constant annoyance of departure announcements and sellers, there is no way you can sleep....gonna be a long long wait. Had thought of trying to store the luggage and zip off into Jakarta for a few hours, but had seen enough on the first time here and don't need to see anymore. The only option is to pass the time. Good time to do some writing then!

So, what is my impression of Lombok? I wonder if it feels like it is running in the shadow of Bali. As such it is desperate to promote what it has, and do whatever it can to get tourists to come. It is a completely different country in reality, differing in religious past and present as well as cultural influences. Given a finite amount of holiday time, where will people choose to go? Bali with its obvious attractions of beautiful culture, great food, super beaches etc compared with Lombok's current lesser attractions. Most people enter via Bali and go straight to the jewel in Lombok's crown at the Gili's, like we did and probably don't even see any more of Lombok. This I think is a shame. But they need to get their tourism hat on and adopt a policy of sensible pricing. Reduce the cost of seeing the country, which is currently far too high, and put a stop to the greedy touts who only know how to manipulate and annoy the tourists. At 660,000Rp to get from Bali to Lombok by fast boat as opposed to the slower public ferry, when you immediately run the gauntlet of the tourism sharks as your first sight of the country, it is cheaper to fly in and more tourist friendly on arrival. Tax - I hate the word! Staring at a menu or receipt to find they have stuffed you for a further 21% addition is annoying. Some places think they are smart and say they don't charge tax and service charge and will give you a discount, to find that they have lumped it into the pricing anyway, so you are still paying too much.

What I have experienced in a number of countries who become thirsty for the tourist dollar, is that they forget about the value of providing a fairly priced good service and just go for the jugular until they have squeezed you dry.

The time until we could check in dragged a bit, with not much to do other than people watch, write and catch whatever rest was possible. A bit of a fiasco at check-in that I hadn't anticipated. I left the Philippines no problem, and had an outgoing flight from Jakarta back to the Philippines in case the Indonesian immigration asked for proof of onward journey. What I hadn't expected was the check-in asking me for an onward flight from the Philippines... Uhhh! Even though I had been there for six months before entering Indonesia, and being with Shiera, they weren't going to let me take the flight without proof of onward travel from the Philippines. That got a bit tricky, and I had to go and see the manager. With some coercion he faked an onward flight back to Jakarta to show immigration if they asked for some proof. It was all very embarrassing and as we were both very tired, not taken with any humour! It does raise many problems for the future if I want to exit the Philippines again. A big subject that I will not go into right now.

Another thing is the 150,000Rp departure tax that you have to pay at check-in. They certainly aim to rip you off. 100,000Rp to get into the country and 150,000Rp to leave. That's fair isn't it!

Into the departure gate area and a shop specializing in Shark's fin and stag horn beetles and such obscure things as what looked like fossilized dog's turd. Not the sort of item you would expect to find or buy at an airport!

It's been a very long day...

A repeat of the human juggling act on board the plane with the immigration card, the health card, the drink, the meal and the coffee and then the exit to the toilet. Ahhh...the joys of in-flight entertainment again!

Forward 1 hour to the Philippines after a 3hr and 45min flight.

Arriving back in Manila after the break is like diving into chaos. The arrivals hall was chaos; the area outside the arrivals was chaos. The currency exchange wouldn’t take my leftover Rupiahs, but luckily there was a guy who goes to/from Jakarta regularly who exchanged them for me. Straight into a metered taxi to Pasay to catch the bus home. Just as the taxi arrived at the bus station, the bus was pulling out, so we jumped onto it without a second to breathe. At this stage we were shattered and ready to fall asleep… which we did…not good…we missed our stop, ending up almost in Tagaytay and had to catch a Jeepney back to Silang.

Arrived back home to long grass and the sweltering heat - not much fun. Straight to bed to finish off the sleep….zzzzz…..

Oh, and then we had an adult Praying Mantis visit the house…so I now have another pet. Promise to take care of this one. The last one was a baby and didn’t survive very long.

Hope you managed to stay awake long enough to reach the end.

Bye for now….

Silang & Indonesia here we come

jeffbrad — Sun, 31 May 2009 02:26:00 GMT

Tue 26th May - Remember me saying that I had a dose of the Diarrhoea? Well I sure did. The worse that I think I have ever had. I started yesterday at 138 pounds, which is already under what I should weigh for my height of 5ft 10in. By the end of the day, I was down to 134 pounds. I must have been on the toilet the whole day and couldn't hold anything in my system. Sorry for the detail. Not a good day!

Wed 27th May - Well, lost another 2 pounds and at 132 pounds am now off the bottom of the scales for the height/weight charts. Fortunately, things started to improve a little throughout the day. Another visit by Smartbro to waste even more time trying to improve their internet service...failed, so have given up now with expecting anything better from them. Totally random and unreliable service.

In a moment of clarity and a break from the pan, I managed to book flights to Jakarta in Java for this coming Sunday 31st, returning on 22nd June. Yippeee...3 weeks in Java and Bali. It always amuses me that a flight can be only $63 one way for such a journey, but the taxes are another $60! Still, a good price though.

The 'Bali Arts Festival' begins on 13th June and lasts for a whole month, so booked some time in Denpasar (capital of Bali), where it opens, to avoid getting stuck without somewhere nice to stay. Will be first time out of the country since last December...six months ago. For Shiera, many firsts; First time out of the country ever, first time in a country with different language, different currency, the southern hemisphere, time zone changes, as well as different culture and food. Exciting time eh!

Have to come back on 22nd as there is some potential work with a Korean teaching company that should commence on 25th June. More on that another time.

It also highlights an issue which causes me a little concern. When I took on the contract for the house I am living in here, I knew I would have that commitment whether I was here or not. Having to pay rent for almost the whole month without being here, is something I haven't had to do before and seems such a waste of money. Real life of course, and have to put up with it for the time being.

Dynamic thunder and lightning outside later as we happened to be watching 'Tomb Raider' with the amazing Angelina Jolie in full pouting mode with spray-on clothes, whilst being attacked by what seems like the whole universe at times - the female equivalent of James Bond. Great make believe action movie.

Thu 28th May - With a mission to get ready for going away on Sunday, had to get some things sorted out, mainly financial. Imagine my frustration then after visiting three banks and not getting any money as my card had been frozen...again! The Philippines is on the high security risk list, and periodically my ATM card gets blocked by the bank. I have to go through the rigmarole of phoning the UK to get it unblocked. A pain when in a hurry but sorted it successfully.

Got my head shaved in a local barber's. Only costs 50 pesos for the full job and easier than struggling myself at home. Like to begin a new adventure looking my best.

Was sat on-line at home and glanced out towards the town to witness a modern miracle...well, for us anyway. The path for internet signal had a big tree in its way...the tree was coming down. Not sure if Smartbro had a word with its owner, or it is just coincidence. We can now have an uninterrupted view of the transmitter, so hope that should improve things.

Fri 29^th May – Nothing exciting other than starting to feel much better now. That was until I noticed some silver paint on the sink unit outside the back door. Thought it odd at first and asked Shiera if she knew anything about it, which she didn’t. Then noticed some silver graffiti sprayed on the side wall of the house and some other marks around the outside of the house. Luckily, next door’s gardener had seen two young boys at around 10am doing it; didn’t stop them of course! Anyway, he knew that another house around the corner had been sprayed also, so we went to see them. The lady had spotted them in the morning when she and her husband returned from shopping; they dropped the spray can and ran. Fortunately, she recognized them as they were only young kids, but hadn’t done anything about it. Why, I have no idea? Anyway, off we went to confront the parent, who we knew, and her son. Got it all sorted eventually as to whom it was and they will have to put right the damage. They were just silly little kids with a couple of brain cells to share between them, but it is their parents who have got the worse problem to sort.

Feeling much better now after the bout of Diahorroea earlier in the week, so glad about that as getting close to going away. Off to the cinema in the evening to see ‘Night at the Museum 2’. A great hoot of a movie, and as good as the first one - Best seen on the big screen as much would be lost on a small screen.

Sat 30^th May – Rainy season is now in full throw, and it now rains every day, and will do so for most of June. Does make going out a bit more of a planning mission as no way other than to walk. Off to Jakarta tomorrow and looking at the weather forecast for there, it isn’t that much better – 50% chance of rain instead of 100%! Packing, cleaning and last minute stuff.

Sun 31^st May – Fly to Jakarta this evening with Philippines Airlines. Will arrive there at 23:55, and so will roll into our accommodation at the ‘Jakarta B&B’ in the early hours of the morning. Also go back 1hr. More of that next time.

Bye for now folks

Back in Silang after Pahiyas

jeffbrad — Mon, 25 May 2009 06:04:00 GMT

Sun 17^th May – After a fairly tiring trip away without much sleep, a catching up day today with not much happening

Mon 18th May – It vanished into a haze of insignificance. Must have done something, but cannot remember?

Tue 19th May – The most memorable part of the day was Shiera cooking Fish & Chips. She is a super cook and got it spot on, just the way I like it. No mushy peas though, although you can buy them if you know where to go.

Wed 20th May – We had talked for a while about paying a visit to Alabang in Muntinlupa, and the ‘Festival mall’. Only one reason for the visit and that is to visit the ‘Union Jack’ shope and tavern. For british expats this is a pilgrimage site for comfort foods and British atmosphere. Get there by Jeepney (14 pesos) and FX van (45 pesos) from pala-pala. Within the same mall is the other foreigner goody shop ‘Santi’s, but we have one of those nearby in Olivarez, so not too bothered about that one. It felt like a nostalgia trip walking through its door and within seconds spotting a shelf of HP brown sauce; the very thing I had been looking for since I left the UK two years ago! Branston pickle, Colman’s mustard, Cadbury’s cream eggs, Mint sauce. Canned beers….John Smiths, Tangle Foot, Ruddles, Guinness, Old Speckled Hen, the list goes on. In the kitchens they make meat pies the way the British like them, and I was lucky to catch a chef walking into the shop with two trays of freshly cooked pies ready for the shelf. Cheddar cheese, Wheetabix, Horlicks, British favourite teas and coffees. There was hardly anything missing that a Brit could want. The downside, and there had to be one…..the price! Wow…what a price. Some items were ten times the UK price! Fearing that I would break my bank account in a single visit, I had to restrain my spending to a few favoured goodies and be satisfied that I had found somewhere to buy them at last, albeit nearly a couple of hours journey from Silang.

Through the shop and entering the Tavern, is like going into a typical British pub environment. Serving Roast Lamb and mashed potatoes, Fish & chips from imported potatoes, Chili con carne, Curries the way many Brits like them, it was a relaxing place to spend lunch. Whilst there, David walked in, the famous British guy who owns a chain of Hairdressing salons, including one in this mall. Meals are served on a paper newspaper mat (The Daily News…Sunday, December 25, 2007. Sunday Lifestyle section. 5 sections. Vol.3 No.15….Union Jack Tavern: The Best Fish ‘n’ Chips in Town). The article uses that favourite British word ‘Scrumptious’ to describe its food, a word you don’t hear anywhere else. Apparently the place used to be called the ‘Athena Delicatessen’.

Recharged after my pilgrimage, we went walkabout around the mall to look for some bargains…and devour a couple of Cadbury’s cream eggs on the way…ahhhhh! Found a store who were promoting massage chairs and spent what seemed like an hour relaxing and getting pummeled all over. Those things are excellent. Ranging from around 95,000 Pesos to 170,000 pesos, they are quite an investment, but we got ours for free. Straight out of there and hey presto! A free massage service out on one of the levels, using Thai oils. This place certainly knows how to score a hit!

Shiera had a friend who works in the HR department of the entertainment complex here, so we went for a visit and got supplied with free tokens to use the facilities for a while. Turned out to be a good decision to pay this place a visit.

Thur 21^st May – Have no idea what we did today. It vanished, so must have drifted through the day in a haze! I know, we ate all of the bad things that I hadn’t had in a long time….sausage sandwiches with HP sauce on for breakfast…yummee!

Fri 22^nd May – The aim was to have a sauna today, but after checking out a couple of places the rates were crazy and so decided against it. This didn’t matter, as we visited a couple of nice coffee shops and an art gallery instead. This region is famed for producing coffee, especially around the Amadeo area, which is close to here. A kilo of local coffee is around 300 pesos. Got the coffee machine on later and filled the house with fresh aroma…mmm…

Another eating day. One of my favourite dishes of Curried Jackfruit and a deadly killer desert of Buko salad. The Buko is ok, the fruit salad is ok, it’s the tin of condensed milk and a carton of cream that goes in it that is the killer! Stop counting those calories and just eat….heaven on a plate!

Sat 23^rd May – Sabbath is here again, and so peace descends on R Square for another Saturday. I wished that the dogs knew that. Every house here has dogs and they continually trigger each other off into a cacophony of barking through the night, to the point of annoyance. I hate having my sleep disturbed and they do so every night. This is the only thing I don’t like about living here. I have to use ear plugs, to minimize the noise. Also, everyone gets up at 6am or earlier and go running or walking which triggers the dogs off barking again. Most people’s routine will be to go to bed early and get up early. Being Sabbath, no work is allowed on the estate, so the houses being built opposite fall into silence for a change.

Needed to get out later and so went food shopping in Tagaytay then went on the hunt for some live entertainment. Not as easy as you might expect here. Wall-to-wall restaurants and heaving with people, but not much live entertainment. Many places seemed dead with the bar staff sat around waiting for people to come in. Ended up at Knuckles bar and a nice local band called ‘Illusions’.

Sun 24^th May – Sunday market is here again and this time decided to get up early to see what it was like. Normally only see it later in the day when most of the activity has died down. Set the alarm for 5am and quick breakfast and a tricycle into the market.

Alive and kicking is one way to describe it. People arriving from all directions for bulk buying. The fruit area is always a great place to start, with truck loads of pineapples, bananas and coconut filling the roads. Buyers were filling their Jeepneys and tricycles to overflowing. The meat market was the liveliest I have ever seen it. Every type of meat and good quality too. I was only really there for photographs and so they obliged with some nice poses. Vegetables is always a great place to spend some time as it is fantastic quality and the diversity of what is on offer is wonderful. As a treat for lunch we bought some Oysters. At 40 pesos per kilo, they are ridiculously cheap compared to prices back west. For the traders this is the peak time of the week, and when they will work their hardest, employing helpers to cope with the volume of business. Forging relationships with high paying customers, generally Korean, is the main aim of the game. Maintaining that relationship is also important as losing one high payer can spell disaster for a small business. Some businesses only appear on a Sunday, and I wanted to try some ‘Duhat’; a red grape looking fruit which can be sweet, but also a slightly dry after taste. Decided not to buy any after sampling some from a lady that only appears today.

Lunch back at home was a superb combination of Oysters dressed with Calamansi and Tabasco sauce, accompanied by curried Jackfruit, Banana flower heart (with coconut milk and Chili) and rice, followed by fresh Lychees, Pineapple and Banana, all washed down with a handsome glass of red wine. Tasty and fit for a king!

After that little lot, nothing else to do but to recover…..and do some dancing back at the house in the evening.

Mon 25^th May – My visa runs out on 2^nd June, at which point I will have been here for 6 months. Contacted the immigration bureau in Manila to confirm my options. The crazy thing is that, after 6 months of stay it gets ridiculously expensive to stay. I can stay for upto 2 years on a tourist visa, extending in 2 month increments. The main problem is that, If I leave at all to go travelling in another country, on return, I go back to a standard 21 day tourist visa (or extend at the airport as usual to the max of 59 days after paying the visa waiver fees). And then rep[eat the 2-monthly extensions upto 6 months again, and then leave again. The other options they offer are firstly, to apply for a temporary residency, which can only be applied for after marrying a Filipino, and then come and go as long as I want when travelling with her. Secondly, is the Standard Retirement Visa, where you have to deposit a large sum of money into a Philippines bank account and take a medical. Still have to pay a high application fee for that one and can only stay for a year and then have to reapply to renew it again following a re-assessment of finances and medical health. There are other quirks of the system, but basically the conclusion I have come to is that I have to leave on or before the 2^nd July. This doesn’t give much time to sort out a flight somewhere nice. Java (Jakarta) is currently coming out as the favored option, based on price and also being somewhere I haven’t been yet. Can get a 30 day visa on arrival and be able to tour to some nice places including Bali, Lombok, Java itself and Komodo Island, plus wherever else fits in. Will keep you posted on that one.

To make matters worse today, I have the diarrhoea. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a by-product of the tasty lunch of Oysters yesterday! Life on the run....gotta go….honestly!

Pahiyas 2009

jeffbrad — Sun, 17 May 2009 10:46:00 GMT

Thu 14^thMay – Set off to Lucban in Quezon region of South Luzon province this morning. Every year Lucban hosts the ‘Pahiyas’ festival, where hundreds of houses are decorated in the most elaborate way to celebrate a bountiful harvest. Being one of the areas with the highest rainfall in the Philippines, guarantees it to be a fertile land.

Getting there was a combination of Jeepney to Pala-Pala in Dasmarinas followed by an FX van to Pagsanjan, then another Jeepney to Lucban.

Even though the festival was to have begun on 11^th May, heavy rains had made preparations difficult, so when we arrived the day before the main event, the roads were chaos with activity buzzing everywhere, as teams of people were busy decorating their houses. In some ways, this was a stroke of luck for us as it meant seeing the interesting bit in full flow.

A brief chat with a local yielded a surprising fact….one day to prepare for the competition, one day for the event itself and then the following day it would all come down again! This seems an incredible amount of work for such a short span of time. We felt that it should be on for many days and a waste to be removing the decorations in such a short time, but that is their policy. The houses are competing for a substantial cash prize and so make a lot of effort in their artistic use of fruit, vegetables and any naturally occurring materials at their disposal. Most will be using stuff only from their own farms. One of the houses was being used by the network television channel GMA for a news article, and so the streets surrounding it were crowded with folk desperate for a glance at familiar faces.

Lucban itself is a pleasant small town. As normal, the dominating feature is a lovely old church from the 18^th century. The site was previously occupied by a succession of churches; the first in 1595 was ruined in 1629. The next was completed in 1640 and destroyed by fire in 1733. The present church was built in 1738 and had a convent added in 1743. The nuns from there were a regular feature walking around the town.

A surprising number of beggars swarm around the town, mainly in the church and street stall area. Sleeping in doorways of a night, they are a sorry sight of a group of people who float from one festival to another in this region. The babies seem to be born with their hands held out asking for money. They walk up to you and poke you and moan. After a while it gets annoying and intrusive, but not to be condoned by giving in to them. The kids are also pick-pocketers and you have to be well aware of everything you carry.

Along with the event come the sideshows. The sponsors for the event were ‘Smart’ the internet provider, Jollibee and a number of drinks companies, so banners were plentiful around the town along with free samples where appropriate. The best one for us was an infinite supply of fresh coffee, which we availed ourselves of regularly.

Fri 15^th May – The day starts with a church ceremony which we didn’t attend, but of more interest was the street parade which began at 7am. We were staying at the ‘Summer City Inn’ (800 pesos for basic and noisy room), one of only two accommodation options in the town and located behind the church where the parade was to start. The other place is the ‘Patio Rizal Hotel’ (2100 pesos upwards) in the pain town plaza, where Smart had set up an events stage for live bands. The parade was complete with some nice floats, mainly based around covered Jeepneys. Every year they choose a different route so that different houses get the chance to decorate. A good idea to prevent the same houses monopolizing the show every year.

Lucban, like most places in the Philippines is famed for some form of specialty food. Here it is Hab-Hab, a meal of noodles and vegetables. They serve it as a snack on banana leaves and in every restaurant. They even had a competition for the best hab-hab. The ladies who made their own special version dressed in long gowns adorned with various décor, such as mini hats. One guy dressed in an outfit made of bamboo shreds. The town is also famed for other things, another being Longganisa sausages, which you can see being made in their thousands along the streets. To be honest, they aren’t my favourite as I think they are too fatty, but the locals flock to buy them in vast numbers. Another food is Kipin. This is made from rice and for anyone who knows what Indian popadums are like, this is a form of equivalent. The difference is that they come in many bright colours and are used as decoration on the houses. Very brittle to use, but can be modeled when soft into lots of interesting shapes. They make lanterns, flowers and all sorts of things from them. It is interesting to see them being cooked. One stand had a box of broken up kiping which they cooked in a wok of hot oil. Seeing a pan full of colour burst into life as it swelled, twisted and spat oil as it cooked is an interesting sight. Very bland in taste as it is really only rice and a dye, but can have a little salt added for flavor if wanted.

Stalls are everywhere selling typical Filipino sweet treats such as Yame (soft fudge like cone sweet in coloured cellophane wrapper), Tikoy (a soft toffee made from rice), Broas (long biscuits), Otap (another flaky biscuit), plus many others aimed at fattening up and rotting the teeth of this nation that seems totally disinterested in counting calories!

After a day of walking the parade route a number of times, on each occasion seeing different things, and indulging in hab-hab, volumes of coffee, and free alcoholic beverages, it was a shattering time. No time to rest, as the night brought another treat as many of the houses lit up fairytale fashion, many with moving characters. An area of the town adjacent to the market had an outdoor stage set up by St Miguel beer and a live band. But in true tradition, the sky opened and deluged the event with rain. The cover that had been provided wasn’t sufficient for the number of people there, and so we had to escape eventually for somewhere under cover. The fireworks that had been laid on were washed out by the rain too.

Later in the evening whilst sitting in the Patio Rizal hotel having a meal, Pakistan’s tallest man was sat outside having his photograph taken with a mob of folks vying for a closer look. He had a side-kick who was asking 50 pesos for a photo with him. I actually felt very sorry for him as he looked to be in agony every time he was asked to stand up for the photo. When he walked he really struggled, looking crippled with arthritis. I later learned a bit more about him. At 26 years old he is still growing and is expected to put on another 3 or 4 inches, possibly making him the tallest man alive today. He had a car accident a while ago which left him with a foot injury that will cost maybe 50,000 dollars to operate on. To cover the cost of his operation he set off on a fund raising tour and has been in the Philippines since early May.

Sat 16^th May – Before heading out of town we decided to make one last loop of the town to see what stuff was being given away. Collected a load of kiping, shaped into leaves of many colours for free plus some really nice ornamental flowers to put into a vase as well as some garden plants. If you have your own transport, there are mounds of stuff being given away.

Before going back to Silang we decided to go to another town not far from here called Paete. Famed for its artistry in woodcarving. A couple of Jeepneys away on the eastern side of the Laguna lake via Pagsanjan, where we had been earlier in the year to visit the falls. It doesn’t get many visitors but there seemed to be a disproportionate amount of shops selling locally made articles. Really good quality, much of it of a religious kind, and not sure how they all survive. It was a great place to break for lunch too as we found the lovely Capati café to get out of the scorching heat. Artistically presented by its owner who was happy for us to leave our luggage there whilst we toured the town. There is even a tourist office by the health centre. It was amusing when we went in and asked what there was to see here…”well what do you want to see”, the man said. “How do we know….what is there to see here”, we replied. Well, not much…as it turned out. There are three crosses on a nearby hill, and a couple of churches, but it was worth a couple of hours break.

What we hadn’t realized or given much thought to, was it being Saturday. The journey home was ridiculous. The volume of traffic was horrendous, and instead of a couple of hours, it took is 6 hours; mostly sat in queues of horn honking, diesel spewing traffic! By the time we reached Pala-pala we were ready to fall asleep and hungry. Jumped into a nearby Korean restaurant for a great meal before heading for home and collapse into bed.

That's all for now folks....

Back in Silang and moved house.

jeffbrad — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:31:00 GMT

Wed 22nd Apr - A domestics day today. Spotted a bit of old culture yesterday in a small store on the way in to town. When I was in Cebu, a made a comment about seeing Gugo drying out along the roadside. The bark of the Gugo tree, it is used as a shampoo as well as for general washing up. This was the first time I had seen it for sale since then, so had to buy some. 10 pesos for two pieces of it. To prepare it, cut it into 10cm pieces and soak it in water. As it soaks the 'soap' is released. After about 5 minutes it is ready to use. Glass sparkles afterwards, and its slight abrasive quality makes washing with it very easy. I was sold on it and will use it again. Would have tried its shampoo qualities if I had hair! Always willing to try out traditional stuff, but not going to grow hair just to give this a try!

Thu 23rd Apr - Woke up this morning with sore eyes. No idea why other than eye strain. I had my eyes lasered in early 2007 and since then have enjoyed great vision. There is always that possibility that it won't last and have to expect it some time. A bit of a stressed day today but won't go into details. Have to move out of the present house at the weekend as the contract ends, and the only viable option wants a 12 month contract, and is more than double the cost of the present place. The problem is that I have plans for the next year to visit some other countries to see family and this means not being in the Philippines for most of it; this would also mean Shiera not being able to work for long periods of time. Signing a long contract to then leave the house empty seems ridiculous unless we could get somone to rent it from us whilst we were away, but that seems difficult to arrange or guarantee. Cannot afford anymore to be wasting money on empty property, so it creates a big dilemma.

Fri 24th Apr - After beginning the day with many possibilities, ended up making the decision to go to, of all places... The Enchanted Kingdom in Santa Rosa. Really aimed at kids, and no real idea why we agreed on this one, but a fun day. After a long journey to get there; the usual combination of Jeepney plus FX plus tricycle and near asphyxiation with Carbon Monoxide poisoning. 400 pesos to get in and didn't open until 2pm being a weekday; opens earlier on a weekend.

A few fun rides like a log flume and rollersoaster but nothing too shocking. Staff wandering around in character dress for photos and dancing throughout the day at various locations. All in all, a nice place for an afternoon out.

Heard on the radio on the bus home about the Aliwan 2009 fiesta being held in Manila right now and kicked ourselves for not going there today instead of the theme park. Had thought it was next weekend, so rapid change of plan to go tomorrow for the main street parade.

Sat 25th Apr - Off to the Aliwan fiesta in Manila, which started at 4pm outside of the Aliwan theatre in Star city complex on Roxas Boulevard. Not a great day for weather, as it rained early. This fiesta is referred to as the 'Grand Fiesta', as it is the culmination of many other fiestas held around the Philippines, with a finale at the Quiriño Grandstand at 9pm for the competition awards and the beauty pageant. The Filipinos certainly know how to do street parades, and the floats were awesome. Managed to get into the photographer's area at both of the venues although it was a bit of a scramble for position and constantly being pushed. In some cases the views were better out of the main areas as I could move around. I always feel sorry for the participants as it is a gruelling day for them. When the sun came out, the colours of their costumkes is a lot more vibrant, but they must get roasted in the heat. Then it rained and they get cold and wet, but still have to keep on smiling and bouncing around. The bird costumes of one group loast their feathers in the rain and looked like they were covered in spikes, but still great.

The real highlight though came before the actual parade, as most groups did a rehearsal. Being part of the great buzz of the warm-up atmosphere was exciting, as the participants were all eager to pose and smile for the photographers, and we could get right into the groups for shots with them. The exhuberance and energy was infection as they were all fresh and ready to go. This was also when the best photos could be achieved for the competition they had set up. A cash prize for the best photos, closing on 15th May for entries. Snap...snap...snap...

In true tradition, as the show neared its end and the last float came through, the skies opened again and the beautiful pageant queen contestants were drowned in their float, but still had to keep on smiling for the cameras. The whole event was being televised for national transmission and so no time for them to show signs of wilting after a long day.

Had come prepared for an overnight stay in Manila, but couldn't be bothered to struggle finding somewhere to stay and got the bus home instead. Skin worn of part of my right foot and Shiera with skin off one of her toes after a slip, an uncomfortable trip back to Silang.

Sun 26th Apr - After a late start due to not getting to bed until 2am, woke up with a weird daydream for all of the simple foods I was missing...wanted a wholemeal sandwich with cheddar cheese, nice ham etc followed by a nice steak followed by treacle sponge and custard followed by flapjack and a nice glass of my favourite Dumisani red wine. I think I am cracking up! Now, in the UK that would be an ultra simple request. Here though it isn't that simple as good cheese for example is hard to come by, and good bread is scarce. Good quality steak is hard to find as most shrinks to a quarter of its size when cooked, or is ridiculously priced. The Filipinos to be honest, have no idea what good bread tastes like, and so most bakeries sell rubbish bread. Ended up in a new favourite shop Santi's near to Olivarez, which is aimed at homesick expats longing for good quality merchandise. Pay through the nose for it of course, as it is all imported or specially made. An extra treat of a bar of Swiss white chocolate with hazelnuts and some venison paté. With much deliberation, we decided on having a picnic somewhere nice. Went to 'The People's Park in the Sky' in Tagaytay. Shiera hadn't been here and didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't what either of us had hoped for. Left to go to ruin from what must have been a nice palace in its heyday. It has a beautiful dominant position with a superb view over the surrounding area. In the murky distant you can see the southern part of Manila's Alabang district, as well as the sea to the west. A bit rainy and overcast today and so not the clearest of views.

Mon 27th Apr - A rather boring day of clothes shopping to replace worn out stuff. I am a terrible shopper. Hate it really. Struggle to find what I am looking for as they don't have the styles a want in the local malls, and don't care to go to Manila just for some clothes. For the past couple of years I have spontaneously bought things I have liked when I needed them, and avoided shops otherwise.

Fortunate that the 'French Baker' is in Dasmariñas and so respite is at hand to relieve the stress with some nice cakes and good coffee!

Tue 28th Apr - Another one of those messy days with nothing exciting to get stuck into. Real life is a bit soul detroying when it happens, and my mind starts to wander back to travel. Seems to happen a lot lately; wanted to take the break from travel and just live. But when it comes to just living in one place, the urge to travel comes rushing back. A pain in the neck really.

So with nothing much happening, wanted to see if my pet beetle that I picked up in Manila could fly. It is only young but tying a piece of cotton around its body to keep hold of was fun. Even funnier was taking it for a fly out in the dark. Walking along with a piece of cotton attached to my finger and waving around in the air looks crazy. Couldn't see the little thing most of the time. By the way, its name is Paul...after Paul McCartney...one of the beetles...hee hee!

Spotted a baby Gecko running around the house and managed to catch it to join Paul in the little glass house. Named it Ringo...Ringo the gecko! Just need another couple of creatures for the full band....need a John and George. Isn't life exciting!

Wed 29th Apr - A day of final decisions regarding the housing situation. Nothing is simple though. Went out for a walk later and noticed a banner in the town plaza advertising the forthcoming Gay sports festival in Silang early next month. Everything the up and coming Gay person would want, from a Gay parade through to gay Volleyball, gay boxing and gay basketball. Can imagine these people dressed in pink fluffy training shoes and leotards stopping to scrutinise themselves in every mirrored surface they come across. Whenever you see a gay person walking, it is with one of those identifyable swaggers. Imagine a bunch of them playing basketball! Ooohh you scratched me you bitch, well I don't like your eye shadow..well your lipstick is disgusting and I want to scratch your eyes out. What about Gay boxing....you hit me and smudged my Mascara...I hate you....but let's hold hands and skip around the ring together!

To prove that I have now slipped down lower in life, I treated us to a 'Steak Burger A La Pobre', which interprets as 'Poor person Burger Steak'. Later in the day went to the SM Mall in Dasmarinas to order an internet connection, to find the shop couldn't serve us... because their internet connection was down! Reliable service then! Didn't give up and went to another shop to enquire about a special promotional offer that is spread around the streets on massive banners, to find that they had no idea about the offer. Another treat ensued as I treated us to a kiddie meal lasagne. Well they say they are grown up meals, but they are designed for tiny Filipinos and are about enough to satisfy a mosquito's appetite.

To prove how bizarre things are in the Philipppines, went to the French Baker to get some bread, to find nobody buying anything, but a long queue outside. The reason was that at 9pm all bread drops to half price, so everyone waits until then!

My Pet bug has buggered off.....bye bye Paul....Ringo the Gecko is on his own now :-(

Thu 30th Apr - Poured with rain all day. As we had been looking at a place to move to in a couple of days time, we had to get an internet connection sorted out. Supposed to meet a guy at the new house who was going to test for options. He couldn't come but sent someone else instead who wasn't equipped properly. He also plugged a device into my laptop that killed it within seconds. So not only did we not have the answer that we wanted, but I now have a dead laptop to sort out. Something is trying to tell me something!

One positive thing happened...as it was raining, the Salagubong beetles were out, and found a teenage stage one at the new house. Took it home as a replacement for Paul. Called him John (after John Lennon). Later on back at the house Paul reappeared, and so I now have two bugs and a Gecko as pets...Paul, John and Ringo. Just had to find a George now...well, a pseudo George appeared, in the form of a massive queen ant, so it got to join the rest of the band in a newly furnished tupperware container house full of vegetation and a mini pond....I am cracking up...sure of it! To top it off, I now had two Salagubong beetles with strings attached flying around the house on a lead; crazy or what!

Tried a local laptop repair shop to no avail, and will have to get it to the manufacturer's agents in Manila to have it checked.

Started writing a separate article about how I feel the east and west are progressively migrating into each other's territories and taking over. There are many aspects to this that I feel contribute to the situation, but that is part of a big subject I want to write about another time. Right now stress is weighing my brain down and clouding the thoughts.

Not been a good day for eating peoperly, so treated us to a nice meal out at Balinsasayaw, my favurite local nipa hut restaurant. Always feel revitalised after a meal there.

Fri 1st May - Today is 'Labour' day and a public holiday in the Philippines. Most businesses outside of the shoping malls are closed but transport is running. The main mall was hosting a career and job finder day, and was crammed with hopefulls after employment. Meant that the place was manic and overbearing for a shopaphobic like me.

A day of organising ready for moving house tomorrow. Collected the keys...yippee...seems strange moving house in another country. Without furniture yet, it was a large bright open space. A nice large house with plenty of light, located on a 7th day Adventist Estate, so very quiet. Got a few things over in the evening so that we could spend the night ahead of the main move tomorrow.

Sat 2nd May - The main moving day and a chaotic one. After a bit of a messy start, we resorted to the standard Filipino moving technique (Lipat Bahai) of hailing down a Jeepney and negotiation a rate. Got one for 400 pesos, but we provided our own labour. This consisted of us plus Shiera's brother and his mates, all for the cost of a bottle of Tanduay rum at 50 pesos!

Got most of it shifted with stuff on the roof and everyone having plenty of fun and a bit of stress, to then have our first complaint of the day. This is Sabbath and, according to the 7th day Adventist rules, nobody should be working. The president had seen us moving and complained, so we were asked to stop until after dark. A bit annoying, but should have realised it would be a problem. Anyway, the caretaker for the house agreed to help us move the remaining stuff in the evening, so we had some time to get what we had already moved organised.

The second complaint came after the boys, being teenagers and a bit boisterous, had caused some disturbance and again being Sabbath, should be quiet today. The irony of it was that the sound of videoke could be heard from the town until after 2am. They can try to silence their own close environment, but they can do nothing about the rest of the town outside of the estate gates!

Despite a few niggles during the day, all finished by late evening and time for a shower before going out for a meal and do some provisions shopping in Tagayatay. Shattered after a crazy day, slept like a baby....zzzzzz....

Sun 3th May - A sorting day, mainly outside. The new house has an outbuilding that was originally built as a sauna. It hasn't been used in a long time and was used as a junk store instead. Didn't expect it to be such an ordeal to clear out. I have never seen so many gigantic biting ants in one place...thousands of them. Coupled with that, a nest of cockroaches and maggots were festering amongst corroded metalwork, old paint and oil cans. It was disgusting and should have just left it for someone else to sort, but we decided to get stuck in and do it ourselves. One technique for the ants is to set fire to them. Wrap some old cloth to a stick and use the oil as a torch to incinerate the buggers.

Working against horrible conditions we managed to resurrect the place, to find the burner box had corroded and would need some welding and repair work to make it useable. At least we cleared the major infestation and cleared the rubbish.

Another day of enhancing my collection of bugs with a few critters found whilst clearing out; a 'Shield' bug, plus a long armoured orange beetle. Caught a small lizard too. Have a nice little collection going now, and will soon have a large tank for them. Made contact with one of the neighbours who owns the allotment adjacent to us. Will be a nice community here, full of friendly and helpful people. Later learnt from the contract that the sauna building was excluded from the contract and should have left it alone. Considering what we had managed to achieve with it, they agreed we could continue with using it, so we have gained a sauna once I sort it out…yippee!

Mon 4th May - Main task for today was to get my laptop sorted, which unfortunately entailed a trip into Manila. As it turned out, things went well and they got it sorted quickly; so a deep sigh of relief that it wasn’t a more serious problem. As a bonus, the walk from the LRT station to the Service centre went through an Indian quarter, and so we got stocked up on Indian goodies from one of the suppliers. Basmati rice is one of my favourites and haven’t been able to get hold of it for longer than I can remember.

Tue 5^th May – It seems strange after so long travelling to be doing ‘domestics’. Organising and completely unpacking my backpack for the first time in a year. I guess that living out of a pack gets too much after a while and some stability is craved for. Whilst I haven’t yet made plans for what happens next, for the time being it is nice to have a home and base to work from, and to not have to think constantly of travel plans and details.

Wed 6^th May – Getting closer to being able to relax for a while now. Last major job is to sort out the internet connection to the house. Now, you would think this to be an easy task. Had visited the various providers before deciding to rent this new house and eliminated the less viable ones. Went to the customer centre recently to get all of the requirements and check on the best package to opt for. So, armed with all of the relevant info went back to order the connection. Now, being a foreigner means I do stand out amongst the Filipinos and cannot be mistaken for being a foreigner. So, imagine how annoying it was to be told that I couldn’t apply for the connection until I presented my ‘i-card’. What is that then? Have the house contract, bills, passport, money…no, I need another piece of plastic to very who I am! For that, I have to make another visit to Manila immigration bureau and pay $50. All Filipinos have one and foreigners staying beyond 6 months have to apply for one. But it does mean a 365 day visa with multiple entry, so the best option anyway. Shiera cannot take out the connection contract as the house is in my name. They also ask for current bills in my name with the house address on it. So, how do you have that then when you have moved into a new property, so you don’t have any bill yet? Their rules are stupid, and according to what I have been told, many Filipinos have to fake the documents to get things done as the red tape is crazy! A very frustrating situation and still no internet connection, considering we thought we had covered this before getting the house.

Thu 7^th May – A Typhoon hit last night and the volume of the rain was horrendous against the metal clad roof. Most houses here are metal clad, rather than the tiles used in European design. It is like being inside a tin can; Went on all night and made sleep difficult.

Fri 8^th May – Have no idea what we did today apart from doing some work to install an electric shower. Must have been exciting then!

Sat 9^th May – It threw it down most of today, which got in the way of things but served as a forced rest. Since moving in there is always something to do, and so we haven’t sat down much. We had been invited to a 1^st birthday party of a friend of Shiera’s which took up most of the afternoon and evening.

Sun 10^th May – Totally forgot about the ‘Gay parade’ in Silang, which would have been interesting to see. Instead, I awoke with an urge to go to the beach. This isn’t that easy as the nearest is a couple of hours away. Had read about Matabungkay to the west being the nearest beach for the folks from Manila to escape to, so made up some stuff for a picnic and set off. Theoretically, there should be a single bus to get there, which originates from Manila, but, if you have no idea what time it passes, you could be waiting in vain. Picked up a bus heading out west and had to change to a Jeepney at a roundabout heading for Lian, where we got another Jeepney to Matabungkay, which was more interesting as usual. At Lian an old guy got on with a blood soaked gamecock in his hand, plus another guy who I think was his son carrying a plucked dead chicken with its throat cut, one leg which he carried it by, and the other wrapped around its neck. The gamecock had won its battle at the Lain gamecock arena and looked like it only just survived. Sunday is one of the main days for these fights, and so you see them everywhere. His hands were covered in its blood as he bounced along preening its feathers. Not sure how long before it would be ready to fight again?

As usual, someone got on who was interested in us, with prying questions, which I got some interpretation of. You know something, a fact that has just occurred to me…In all of the time I have been in the Philippines, which is getting close to six months now, I have never been on a Jeepney with another European present. That is a surprising fact isn’t it! Not once, and I have been on more Jeepneys than I can remember. So, it is no surprise that it gets some attention. This makes me wonder why? I have heard that most foreigners are scared of them, or maybe have no idea where they go, how to ask how much they cost and probably no idea where to get off. Most foreigners prefer to go between known locations with some help from their trust Lonely Planet guide book or whatever they are using. Most won’t dare to use the more interesting option. To be honest, If I wasn’t with Shiera, I too would be hesitant in many circumstances. The amount of times that we have to have a discussion in Tagalog with the driver as to where it is going and what to do when we get there, leaves even me confused. Most of the place names on their signs don’t exist on a map and certainly not in a guide book. It is a shame, but in a way glad that I seem to be getting a more individual experience. Anyway, rather than go too deep into this for now, on with the day….

Arrived in Matabungkay and was greeted by the sound of videoke blasting from the beach. Oh no…just what I didn’t want. Anyway, this place is a beach on acid! The bay is completely shallow. With the tide in, the water didn’t even come up to my knees. To accommodate this they have developed floating platforms for visitors to rent by the day (upto 700 pesos), or hour. One guy wanted 250 pesos for 2 hours! Some have barbeques on board. The crazy thing is that there are many dozen of these things, so all you can see on arrival is the whole bay full of them and hardly any visible water. Karaoke blurting away from numerous bars along the front made for a chaotic atmosphere. Didn’t want to stay in this area and so headed down the beach in search of some peace and quiet. The main beach was quite mucky, but I was impressed by the clean-up operation being carried out by the barangay. Beyond the main beach was the Matabungkay Beach Resort. Clean beach, swimming pool and pleasant, but at a price. Carried on further and glad we did, as had the next beach completely to ourselves, complete with floating platforms for free, and a bonus of loads of starfish to collect and play with. Ideal place to crash out and eat our picnic lunch and have a splash….well, to our ankles as the water is even shallower here.

Later in the day, walked in the opposite direction through the noisy bit, to find a bit of a treasure trove amongst the rocky spit that stretches a fair way along the beach. In every little crack there were multi-coloured spiny urchins, crabs, sea snakes, cucumbers, corals, fine hair worms, and so many little creatures I lost count. Whiled away a few hours combing the rocks for things to collect and photograph before the sun set in the clear sky.

At 7pm decided to head for home to find that the last Jeepney had already gone. The only option to get out was now a tricycle. They have a fixed price system of 250 pesos for the trip back to Lian. Thought this was a rip-off and negotiated down to 200 pesos. This caused a bit of a row, as the other tricycle drivers argued with ours that he was ignoring the guidelines and a row broke out. He did eventually take us for 200. It only cost us 20 pesos to get here! At Lian we were lucky to catch an FX van, heading back to Pala-Pala (Dasmarinas), which would take us to Silang for 80 pesos. See what I mean about transport here. A minefield of problems for travelers, and confusing even for the locals. You cannot rely on it or ever know what your real options are. You just have to stand there, hope for something to pass, and hope you can communicate where you want to go and get a sensible answer that you can understand.

Mon 11^th May – It has been a real pain trying to sort out an internet connection to the new house so that Shiera can work. Most cannot provide as there aren’t enough houses on the estate to warrant local capacity, and others either have a bad reputation or too expensive. Ended up having to concede defeat and go for the lesser of two evils and hope for the best. Will be glad when it is all in and fingers crossed working ok.

Tue 12^th May – Lazy day as got some stuff coming up so need to get sorted. Boring eh!

Wed 13^th May – My Eldest daughter Amy is 21 years old today…Happy Birthday Amy.

Finally got Internet connection to the house I am renting. Whooppeee. Can now get up to date….!!

Off to the Pahiyas festival tomorrow, which is at Lucban town in Quezon province. Will report on that another time.