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 25th 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
