Thai me up, Thai me down

Hello, Well after all this time here comes the biggest update I have done yet. I think it's something like 40 days or so. Most of which I will break down to just the interesting parts. Here we go.

Day 45 - Day 48

Basically I just wasted my time on Ko Samui. I just read books, had some nice food and chilled. A nice relaxing time. On one of the days was a tropical storm that basically took out all the electricity in the area. That was quite interesting; the whole place had about 2 inches of rainwater on the ground.

Day 49

I checked out of my resort and made my way to the airport to get my flight to Bangkok. It was the most bizarre airport I've ever seen. Three huts; one for arrivals, one for departures and one for check in. It was quite effective and surprisingly well run, however my plane did get delayed by about 25 minutes. The flight went ok and I made my way to the hotel. Once in the hotel I went for a swim and then went for some food in the "cabbages and condoms" restaurant. It's a restaurant that promotes sex education and also gives money to local aids organizations. So, if that isn't a good reason to eat there, then I don't know what is.

Day 50

After breakfast I made my way to the grand palace and golden mount via the Bangkok sky train and a Tom-tom. The golden mount was pretty much what it sounds like. It was a golden stupor atop a mount. The grand palace was actually a quite tackily decorated affair. Lots of shiny gold’s, greens, blues etc. One highlight of the grand palace for me was that I saw a shotgun that had four barrels that was really bizarre. After touring the palace, I made my way down to the river to get a little boat trip (about an hour) around the canals of Bangkok. I saw extremes in wealth along the ride. Brand-new houses, with plush gardens, pool etc; and on the other side a houses that looked like the were going to collapse at any moment. The people all seemed quite happy though, waving and calling out. It made for an interesting trip with little boats along the route with people trying to sell you souvenirs and cold drinks.

Day 51

Today was time for me to organize what I was going to be doing over the next few days. I got myself on 2 tours that would take up tomorrow and the day after that were ideal. I needed to get some washing done, did that, and went for a swim. Had an early night, I had to be up by 5:30am ready for the pick-up for the first tour.

Day 52 - My Birthday

Got the alarm call at 5:30 am, felt shattered. Usually on my birthday, it would be a lye-in followed by some heavy drinking all day. This time, however, it was time to do something constructive. The first tour was to the river Kwai and a trip along the Death Valley railway. First stop on the tour was the Death Valley railway museum. This was a somber affair, with pictures, newspaper articles, and paintings of how the Japanese treated the prisoners during the creation of the railway. It was horrific, but a real tale about human spirit. After that, we went to the memorial park where lots of the men were buried. It was shocking to see the ages of all these men, it probably averaged at around 24 (my age, or the age I was yesterday). Many were younger and only a few considerably older (oldest was 44 that I could find). I couldn't believe how tourists quite openly take photographs of this stuff, I find it kind of creepy. Anyway, then it was on to the bridge over the river Kwai. We could walk across it, take a few pictures and walk back in time to catch the train to the Death Valley Bridge. Once on the train we had some spectacular views of the area, and the Death Valley bridge was spectacular and well worth the visit. There was a late lunch that was all you can eat, so I stuffed my face and fell asleep on the 4-hour trip back to Bangkok. Early night, another early start tomorrow.

Day 53

Today's tour was to take in 2 supposed highlights of Bangkok’s surrounding area, the Rose Garden and the floating market. To tell you the truth, neither of these, I would say, warrant a visit. The floating market, is not a fully functioning market anymore, and is just there for tourists. The rose garden was ok, but not really worth the cash. I did get to ride an elephant there so, not all bad. We did however go to a traditional Thai handicrafts center that had some very elaborate woodcarvings.

Day 54

Today, I decided to have a good long sleep. By the time I woke up, it was past midday. I went for a swim and relaxed on the terrace around the pool for a few hours. Then I got fed and made my way to Pat-Pong night market. What a sordid place, people coming up to you showing you what these women in the clubs will do with ping pong balls, razor blades, darts etc.. That was not for me, so to radio city where I had a good laugh watching the Elvis, Tom Jones and Bee-Gees impersonators. I met the band when I went to the toilet and had a little chat with them. It was quite a funny conversation: "How's it feeling out there man?" asked the 50-odd year old bassist mopping his brow, to which I replied "Alright".

Day 55

Chilled most of the morning due to the late night. Did manage to do something constructive in the afternoon. I went to Jim Thompson’s house, which was gorgeous. Jim Thompson was the guy who introduced to designers in the west hand-woven Thai silk, the kind of which gained popularity due to the film "the King and I". I kid you not, this was one delicious house. Only needed two things, a fridge for beer and chuck the big Buddha out and replace it with a plasma TV, that would be sweet!! After that, I had some food in a place called the pizza company. The waitresses there looked like hookers. They were wearing knee high, red stiletto boots. Dear me. After that, it was time to watch some kick ass Thai boxing. It was pretty quiet by all accounts at the arena. I read that the best fights normally take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and today was Saturday. Never mind, I had a splendid time. The main fight lasted about one and a half minutes. He gave this poor bastard a hiding. They also did a demo of what the original Thai boxing was like, this was awesome. Double fisted punch to the throat, spin kick off the ropes. Quality!!

Day 56

Today was a lazy day, had a look around some shops and went to the weekend market.

Day 57

Today I went to the Laos embassy in Bangkok to sort out my visa. As it turned out I didn't need to get one in advance, but never mind. This took up most of the day. In the evening I sent back some Thai-boxing gloves I bought for my nephew's birthday and a fan for my niece. Then did a little Internet.

Day 58

It was now time to get out of Bangkok. Made my way to the bus station and jumped on a bus to Ban Phe. I was on my way to another Island retreat, this time Ko Samet. Got a boat over to the Island, and got a bungalow at a resort called Malibu.

Day 59

Rained all fecking day. Highlight of which was me falling on my arse while climbing some rocks. I did however sort out a boat trip around the island that included some snorkeling

Day 60

Today was a beautiful sunny day. It was boiling hot, with not a cloud in the sky. I, of course, managed to get sunburn on my back. Not so bad that a little after sun wouldn't sort out. That night I fell a little ill probably due to swallowing to much seawater.

Day 61

Went on the boat trip around the island. Did some great snorkeling, went to see some turtles and stuff. It was a good day. However, my sunburn had now turned to blisters and I was in a lot of pain. I couldn't go on my back to go to sleep or anything.

Day 62

It was time now to get back to Bangkok ready to meet my tour group for Laos and Cambodia tomorrow. Got boat, got bus and bob's your uncle, back in Bangkok. Got little basic hotel room for the night and watched Wales bring in the grand slam. The emotion of the achievement made my blistered (and on fire) back feel cool, it was the first time we had done this in my lifetime and I was away. Bollocks.

Day 63

I made my way to the hotel to meet the Geckos tour group. The guide had arranged a meeting for 6pm. At the meeting we all started to get to know each other and we had a very mixed bunch. They were as follows:
Sandy - A rather camp middle aged Canadian
Leanne - A Canadian Woman in her thirties
Kristine - A very enthusiastic Canadian woman in her thirties
Jane - An Australian, around thirty
Candace - The most innocent 18 year old I've ever met, and from New Zealand
Sharen and Trevor - Not from up north, but from America and a jolly nice couple to boot.
Jenny and Xavier - One French, the other Swedish (brought up in Germany) but use English to speak to each other.
Nigel - My room mate from England.
Amy - Another Australian in her mid-twenties.
After the meeting we all went to dinner together. After the meal, myself and Nigel decided to go to a bar to watch the merseyside derby. We couldn't find anywhere, so it was 7-11 for some beers and back to the hotel to watch it.

Day 64

We went to Wat Pho, which was probably the only major attraction that I hadn't been to in Bangkok and the tour leader gave us some interesting insights. We then went to the grand palace and a boat ride along the canals. This boat ride was far more pleasant than the one discussed previously. Far more picturesque, with the tour guide giving info on the area. Tonight was the overnight train for chiang mai. Me and the crew of naughty people got some booze and snacks in for the train. I got drunk and fell asleep holding the bottle of cheap Thai Rum.

Day 65

Once we arrived in Chiang Mai we checked in and everyone sorted out what they wanted to do. I decided to go to the Elephant Park with Jayne, Trevor and Sharen. We were escorted by our tour guide's wife called Aow who had a far superior command of English and was jolly pretty too. Anyway, at the elephant park I saw my Camera almost get eaten, watched elephants paint, play football, dance, bathe and many other things. This may sound like exploitation, but it was done in a very caring way. Each graduated trainer gets his own Elephant for young and trains it throughout its life. Once back at the hotel it was time to go to the Thai cookery class that we had arranged that morning. We first went to the market to look and the different varieties of vegetables, herbs etc., and get told how to use them. The it was time to start the cooking. We made spring rolls, chilli+basil chicken, Thai green curry and a Deep fried Banana desert. That night people went to get their first Thai massage while, still with my blistered back beginning to shed skin, I went to get a few munchy snacks.

Day 66

We started early at 6:30 to head for the Laos border. We started off in an air-conditioned bus and then moved to a tiny local bus. At the border, we said our goodbyes to the guides and commenced our short boat ride across the Mekong to the Laos border port town of Huay Xai. This was a lovely little place, with very pleasant people. Our new tour leader (Tui, a bit of a ladies man!!) spoke to us for a little while, then exchanged some money for us (it was monopoly money I tell ya), and we all went for dinner together after watching the sunset. I ate a duck, with some rice, mmmmmmm. The town was having a festival up at its temple so we all went to have a look. It was little like a town fair, games and food stalls and dancing. It was interesting. This is where I got my first photographs of Buddhist monks. In this town I had my first taste of the local brew, a fine ale called BeerLaos, the one and only (in majority of cases) beer available in Laos. And many a happy time I shall have thinking of it.

Day 67

Today was the slow boat down the Mekong from Huay Xai to a tiny village called Pakbeng. The slow boat journey was meant to be about 6 hours but ended up taking almost 8. We saw some amazing scenery and we also got to visit a traditional Laos village. Our guide spoke to some of the locals and some of the women bought some of the hand woven fabrics. It was very interesting. We arrived at Pakbeng about 1 hour before the hordes of other backpackers turned up. We stayed in a guesthouse that was above a restaurant that was made from Bamboo. There was a warning that on the entrance to the rooms that you shouldn't keep food in your rooms because of rats. Everyone took their food out of their bags and took them downstairs for storage. That didn't stop the rats however. While we were at dinner, they shit on some of the peoples beds, bit through this bags in a look for toothpaste or whatever they could smell. It was hilarious, only myself and Amy got away scot-free!! I must admit, I barely had a wink of sleep that night due to the constant movement of the rats. They slammed in to things, I could hear them eating away at Nigel's bag, uhh. Lucky for me, a storm came that helped me go to sleep.

Day 68

It's kind of strange, but yesterday nights hell managed to bring the group closer together. We had a good laugh and joke at breakfast about everything. Today was a fast boat trip down the Mekong. We visited the Pak Ou caves, and the whiskey village. We tasted some of the "whiskey", and it was generally awful. But you could get it with spiders, scorpions, cobra's and other in the bottle with it. Interesting!! We arrived in the backpackers haven of Luang Prabang in the afternoon and went with Tui and the group for a walk around the town.

Day 69

Today was one of those days where everything you do seems to go perfectly. Nigel and I got up early and managed to fit in 5 temples (Wat Phu Si, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Winsunalat, Wat Ahan and Wat Aphai), the royal Museum (just a big house that the king used to live in. It had some funny gifts from various countries. The pick of which was what looked like an Airfix kit of the moon land ship from the USA), changed money and got laundry done, all before lunch. After lunch we went to the Kuang Si waterfalls. We walked up to the top of this before having a bit of a swim in the ultra refreshing cool waters. On the way back in the Tuk-Tuk it started to rain, Nigel and I decided it was time to try out the Laos massage in the red cross center recommended in Lonely planet. In we went with it pissing down outside, had our 1 hour massage then we went for a steam bath. By the time we got out, it had stopped raining. We dropped our stuff off and went for something to eat. As we sat down, it started to rain again, than after we paid the bill, it stopped raining. One of the group spotted us having dinner and told us the girls had kept a table for us in the pub to watch to footy. These girls were getting trained up pretty quick!! Bye the time we got to the pub they had all left, however, the pub was packed and there was one table left, a prime table. Ahh the sweetness!! Watched the football, talked to a stunning Swedish girl who was with this dickhead who wouldn't even acknowledge her, and went home. On the way home, Nigel took a piss on something religious, it was funny!

Day 70

Today we were getting our flight to Vientiane then taking a 3 hour "chicken bus" ride to Vang Vieng. Due to our late night, Nigel and I had a little lye in. We had a late breakfast, changed some money, went on the internet and went with Trevor for a few beers while sharen had a massage. We all then met up and had lunch. We got to the Airport on time but the flight ended up being delayed by 20 minutes. The flight went ok though, there were a few rough patches. As soon as we got our bags we got straight on the transport and headed for Vang Vieng. Everyone was feeling quite sick on the ride, and because the roads were so bad, there was no way of getting any sleep. We arrived late, and everyone I think went straight to sleep.

Day 71

In the morning we visited the caves that lined the west bank of the Nam Song river. The afternoon was left up to us, with almost everyone going tubing. Basically, tubing is when you sit in a big rubber ring and let the current take you down river. This was fantastic, 3 and a half hours of sitting in a rubber ring with the water cooling you down while people on the side of the river pull you in for a beer Laos stop. Now that's a quality way to spend the afternoon. After that, a few of us watched the sun set over the mountains while having a few more beers. We all then went for food together, and I ate a whole chili that screwed me royally. Anyway, a few of us decided to stay out for a few drinks even though we had a very early start the next day. Myself and Amy were the last ones left, steaming we walked back to the hotel.

Day 72

This morning I felt terrible, the hangover was one of the worst I've ever had. Also, Amy had lost her passport, the first bit of drama on the tour. We got on the big bus and headed for Vientiane. I slept most of the way. As soon as we arrived, Nigel and I went to Buddha Park and the golden temple. We had to do this today, because everyone else was doing it tomorrow while we got our flight to Cambodia. After that, we went for a massage. Feeling relaxed, we then settled at a watering hole with some draught beer Laos and watched about a hundred young ladies do dance aerobics on the side of the beach. We all then met up and had dinner together. This was our last meal together and a rather strange affair. You get used to peoples company and then they just go, it's odd. Anyway, we took some group photo's and then headed back to the hotel. We all arranged to say our final goodbye's in the morning.

Day 73

The few of us that were going to Cambodia said goodbye to those carrying on to Vietnam this morning. Amy and Leanne would catch us up once Amy's passport debacle was sorted. So a hug and a kiss for the ladies and a firm handshake for the gentlemen. We then went for breakfast after which we got picked up to go to the airport. Everything went smoothly and I bought my first and last souvenir for Laos, a Beer Laos T-shirt. Quality. Once we arrived in Phnom Penh airport we got picked up by a representative from or tour group and got taken to the hotel. After dropping our stuff off, we walked to the National Museum (which had lots of bits and pieces from Angkor Wat) and then the Silver Pagoda. Both were not really as spectacular as I would have liked.
In the evening we met up with our new group. They were as follows: Laura - An 18 year old English girl, who reminded us of Keira Knightley a little
Susan - A young lady from Australia
Colin - A 20 year old Canadian
Christina - A 23 (I think) year old Australian
Kara - A late 30-something Australian
Bevan - A crazy (not in a good way) 60 year old Australian
Nigel - Same as before, my room mate
And Amy was to arrive tomorrow.
We all went for dinner apart from Bevan, who had already eaten. His eyes reminded me of Charles Mansons, and he always kept refusing to take his boots off. Bizarre!! Anyway, everyone was very nice

Day 74

Today we were going to discover about Pol Pot and the Khymer Rouge. First we went to Tuol Sleng Museum (or S21) which was where the Khymer Rouge tortured and killed thousands and thousands of people. We saw how people were tortured and why they were tortured. It was absurd, horrific and intriguing at the same time. Our guide told us how he had lost several members of his family here, and then told us that most Cambodians would have had at least one member of their family killed here. Out of the Hundreds of thousands of people who came to the detention center, only seven survived to tell the tale; and some of the high ranking officers of the Khymer Rouge are now holding office in the Cambodian government, and hold a majority of the countries wealth. After that, we went to the killing fields. This was an extremely somber affair. There was a giant pagoda filled with the skulls of those found in these fields. The guide showed us a few skulls and how these people must have been killed, from children smashed against a tree to headshots to adults. As we left there were all these children and people without limbs begging like hell. This was probably the most desperate country I have been to, or likely to. After this, we all went for a Khymer lunch that was very good. While the others went off to do what I had done yesterday, Nigel and I went to Wat Phnom, which was kind of unimpressive. Then we went for a blind massage (part of a empowerment for the disabled incentive by the government) that was quite superb. My masseuse even knew where Wales was, whereas these so-called "enlightened" monks didn't have a clue. Anyway, the group then got back together, went for food and we had a few drinks in to the night.

Day 75

An early start and we were making our way on bus to Siem Reap. We past through a place where spiders are a local delicacy (I didn't try any). Anyway, after arriving in Siem Reap we climbed to the top of Phnom Bakheng to watch the sunset. This was not possible because of the weather, it would have been a great picture. That night Amy, Nigel and myself went to a place called the dead fish to eat. The food was ok, but the place was also a crocodile farm (there were loads of the bastards), which showed traditional dancing, played Khmer music and had a kind of Swiss family Robinson vibe to it. It was class.

Day 76

Today we went to Ta Phrom, Bayon, Baphuon, the terrace of elephants, terrace of the Leper King, the south gate of Angkor Thom and of course, Angkor Wat. Some of this stuff was so impressive, but it was somewhat hampered by the amount and the attitude of the other tourists. Basically all Japanese. Anyway, some of the pictures I've got are breathtaking, but unfortunately, my camera battery ran out while in Angkor Wat. Due to this unforeseen problem, I now needed to buy some postcards of the change in the temples color as the sun was going down. I managed to haggle 2 postcards off a young boy for 200 Riel (about 2p). Once I realized how little I gave him, I was a little disappointed with myself, but then again, so what. Tonight we arranged to go to an all you can eat with traditional dancing. This was a little disappointing. Some of us then hung around in the hotel bar and arranged what we'd do tomorrow. Most of the group was going to wake up at 5 and go see the sunrise at Angkor Wat, then travel to some other temples. Screw that some us thought. Tomorrow was time to take it easy. Late breakfast, swimming and a massage was a call from the gods.

Day 77

Today was a total success. We all managed the late breakfast, we found a saltwater pool that had no-one else using it, and we all had our blind massage. My massage wasn't very good, and the owner apologized to me, because the person who gave me a massage had a few beers with lunch. Never mind, we all had a good laugh about it. We all then went for dinner in the evening, some of us then went to the Irish pub to drink in to the night. This girl from Ireland came up to me and recognized the accent, and she asked me where I was from. Turns out, she used to work in the cross keys in town, what a coincidence. I'm in Cambodia, and meet someone, not from Swansea, who used to work in a boozer I frequent. It was a good night.

Day 78

Feeling rough and another early start for the trip to Battambang (Colin turned up 5 minutes late, these Canadians eh!!). I tried to catch up on some sleep on the bus and boat to no avail!! I did however catch up a little sleep when we transferred to a pick up truck. After arriving in Battambang, we all had lunch and some went to walk around, while others (basically the people out late the night before) decided to have a little afternoon nap for about 6 hours. We all then had dinner together and then congregated on our balcony to tell stories in to the night.

Day 79

Today was just about traveling to the border. Nothing remarkable happened. We did however arrange what to do that evening. It was time to go to Pat Pong to take in one of their "shows". So after dinner Christine, Amy, Laura, Susan, Colin, Nigel and myself made our way to this sordid little area. First we had a little look around the market, while basically all of us trying to pluck up the courage. After getting put upon by all the touts, we just went somewhere for a drink. This wasn't a normal pub I can tell you. Anyway, after getting out of there, we went to the go-go bar called "Super Pussy". It was kind of funny, the two people who thought they wouldn't be shocked by this (me and Colin) were the ones most appalled by it all. The girls looked disinterested (possibly drugged, I don't know), and I hop no-one gets off on what they do. One funny thing was when one of the girls was opening bottles of water, and I gave her 100 Baht to shoot it in Nigel’s face, and fair dews, she got him. We then all went to a bar and had a few jars.

Day 80

Today was a relaxing day. Amy and I just chilled while walking around some markets (she wanted to get certain things, and I knew some places where she could get them) and then got a two hour Thai massage. This was the first Thai massage I had had, and it was rough. My bones must of cracked 20 times. We met for dinner, some then went to a night market while Colin, Amy and myself went back to my room for chats and to see Nigel off.

Day 81

There were now only a few of us left. Colin and Laura went to stay in another part of Bangkok, while Christina, Amy and myself were still in the same hotel. We all met for lunch and arranged to meet for dinner. I managed to get fined for dropping litter and we went to the cinema to watch "Hitch" which was shit!!

Day 82

I took Amy to Jim Thompson’s house and gave her a private tour as I had been there and now knew extensively about J.T. We then went to a hotel in search for a swimming pool, the one which we chose had a film being made while we were there. Weird.

Day 83

Went to the National Museum, did a little shopping, went for an oil massage and said goodbye to the last person from the group to leave, Amy.

Day 84 - 85

Yesterday and today I have spend my time typing up all about what I have done, maybe not as extensively as I would have liked, but I'll sort that out some other time. The rest of my time I have spent sorting out what I'm going to do in Australia.