So we all did it. Somehow I managed vaguely, after 2x practicing and 2x being practiced on, most of the steps. Ok, Ok, a slight bit of cheating as my 'victim' would give me subtle reminders. dear ol' Marco ended up lost in translation and assumed that practice test was the real thing. Perhaps my mention of the graduation party meeting time and place threw him off and he was already mentally heading into the buckets, but when we were told 5 minute break and then test, he flew into a panicked frenzy whilst doing turbo massage on me.
As the exam itself was a group effort we were all able to follow one another, tho the differing speeds could make that difficult. Ana, who was sat next to me was discouraged at having blanked on one step, but got it back in the end and of course, we all passed. hah.
With smiles on our faces and certificates in hand, we boarded our daily boat back down the Chao Phraya, laughing and dancing down Soi Rambuttri and the Khao san road. Upon reaching the end of it, everyone had peeled off to their various accomodatoin and only Marco, who resides in my neighbor guesthouse, and I remained. When a taxi driver asked the requisite 'where you go, where you go, you need taxi', Marco scooped me up and said 'I'm her taxi!' , and then bolted through Thanon Tanao's traffic with me in his arms, much like the video game frogger.
our evening began at 9pm, first finding the cheapest bucket on Khao San's neighbor road (vodka and red bull at 150 baht each) and promptly began pulling people in for massage. Yukiko had the first customer, one of the women who wander the roads selling various hill tribe like paraphernalia. Bad deal for her though, she massaged the woman and still ended up paying 100 baht for a bracelet. Next was an easy one, a lone fellow Canadian, followed by myself chasing 2 Brits down the street. It was the chasing bit they were impressed with initially and had brought them in. We soon more than doubled our group with our 'clients' before heading over to Khao san to continue the party.
As it was to be Marco's birthday the following day, at midnight we presented him with a collective gift: calvin klein briefs which he wore over his shorts and we tried to sell him off as the sexy-Thai-masseur-Italian-policeman (and yes, he really is in the police!)-gogo boy dancer.
All in all, super! now I've reunited with Malin (who knocked on the door to find my messy hungover self) and we are off to Ko Chang for 'chai yen yen!'.
29 January, 2009
26 January, 2009
Wat Po Torture Course: Day 4
my feet hurt. my back hurts. my legs have pain in places I did not even know exist. My head will surely soon explode from overload of information and lack of memory space much like a computer on the fritz.
Why again did I do this? Aaeeeghghghghghg.
Why again did I do this? Aaeeeghghghghghg.
25 January, 2009
Massage Massacre: Day 3
Hurrah, hurrah, allelujah we have finished all 5 steps. Thankfully myself a bit better rested today, and even the river ferry commute made more pleasant by the fact that next to no one was on it. And also thankfully making the earlier one as the Japanese posse was a wee bit late..all of us owing to their night out the night before, but reality, they just missed the boat and very few run on Sundays.
I however, was the first one again, thinking that my punctuality may make up for the fact that pretty much anythign in my backpack is likely considered 'too sexy' save for the pink pullover and in no way with this heat and the physical nature of thai massage am i wearing it. have been hunting around khao san for something 'not sexy' and not succeeding :-S
most of the day was spent reviewing all 3 steps. I have to say I have a newfound respect for all these thai masseurs now and how hard the work is. In all my wisdom I thought it a *good idea* to do yoga again, and although the heat warmed away the stiffness during the practice it was back full force this morning. Which was in a way unfortunate as I seemed to be used a lot as the teacher's demonstration unit (ie, the massage was quite powerful).
Also managed to get some cool photos today, in addition to the great ones of Wat Po and Wat Arun from the roof of the school.
One thing I really like about this, is everyone smiles and greets you and we get random fruit handouts. Its a nice warm environment.
I however, was the first one again, thinking that my punctuality may make up for the fact that pretty much anythign in my backpack is likely considered 'too sexy' save for the pink pullover and in no way with this heat and the physical nature of thai massage am i wearing it. have been hunting around khao san for something 'not sexy' and not succeeding :-S
most of the day was spent reviewing all 3 steps. I have to say I have a newfound respect for all these thai masseurs now and how hard the work is. In all my wisdom I thought it a *good idea* to do yoga again, and although the heat warmed away the stiffness during the practice it was back full force this morning. Which was in a way unfortunate as I seemed to be used a lot as the teacher's demonstration unit (ie, the massage was quite powerful).
Also managed to get some cool photos today, in addition to the great ones of Wat Po and Wat Arun from the roof of the school.
One thing I really like about this, is everyone smiles and greets you and we get random fruit handouts. Its a nice warm environment.
Massage (or our version thereof): Day 2
I slept poorly. People slamming doors all night in my guesthouse (seriously, is it really so much effort to close it lightly???), my sleep was also riddled with biting mozzies, apparent dreams of gumby-like contortion/abuse and Geralyn, dear dear Geralyn, having her friday night drinkies and sending me text messages at 5.45, and when i finally slept again, 6.45. Geralyn I love ya, BUT.....
I managed it. We start off the day by praying. The rest of the group it appears are praying to a shrine with a photo of the first teacher of Thai massage. Not that I was capable of following the chanting in Thai anyway, so no worries there. Then one minute meditatoin, in which case I just do what I do every day.
However as they continued to fill our heads at seeming warp speed of information, also whilst being made to 'sit on heels', which my softie western self finds most uncomfortable, I did start to question my decision to engage in this course and whether or not I'd ever remember all these steps (and steps within steps). Seems I was not alone in sleeping poorly though, again poor Ana, she is staying direct on the Khao san road so one can forget sleep pretty much as its a constant party. We also learned steps 2 and 3, but unfortunately left with little time to practice.
Another predicament that I had..which I only have myself to blame for, and yes, we are responsible for all our suffering...having practiced yoga for the first time in 2 weeks, my dear old legs were a wee bit stiff, so having the pressed and prodded was painful enough to have me crying out in the 3 languages of the surrounding folk (Japanese, Thai and well, English only for me as I am the only native speaker of it). Really really wondering what will happen when they add steps 4 and 5 (the final one) tomorrow..
Ended the day by eating a bunch of fruit they had given us and havinga laugh and a recap before boarding our ferry back to the Khao san area. Those crazy Japanese girls had a plan to hit Patpong (for ping pong shows or booze or both, i'm not sure) and much as I'd like to join them...I was once again kaputt. or i'm just getting old.
I managed it. We start off the day by praying. The rest of the group it appears are praying to a shrine with a photo of the first teacher of Thai massage. Not that I was capable of following the chanting in Thai anyway, so no worries there. Then one minute meditatoin, in which case I just do what I do every day.
However as they continued to fill our heads at seeming warp speed of information, also whilst being made to 'sit on heels', which my softie western self finds most uncomfortable, I did start to question my decision to engage in this course and whether or not I'd ever remember all these steps (and steps within steps). Seems I was not alone in sleeping poorly though, again poor Ana, she is staying direct on the Khao san road so one can forget sleep pretty much as its a constant party. We also learned steps 2 and 3, but unfortunately left with little time to practice.
Another predicament that I had..which I only have myself to blame for, and yes, we are responsible for all our suffering...having practiced yoga for the first time in 2 weeks, my dear old legs were a wee bit stiff, so having the pressed and prodded was painful enough to have me crying out in the 3 languages of the surrounding folk (Japanese, Thai and well, English only for me as I am the only native speaker of it). Really really wondering what will happen when they add steps 4 and 5 (the final one) tomorrow..
Ended the day by eating a bunch of fruit they had given us and havinga laugh and a recap before boarding our ferry back to the Khao san area. Those crazy Japanese girls had a plan to hit Patpong (for ping pong shows or booze or both, i'm not sure) and much as I'd like to join them...I was once again kaputt. or i'm just getting old.
Wat Po Massage Course, Day 1
I showed up at 8.30 am, filled in some forms, handed over a sizeable sum of Baht and started my course at 9:00 (or shortly thereafter...Thai time!). Initially I was wondering how it would all work, and not sure I would have any classmates or not, but they filtered in one by one. Thus far, a fantastic lot of folk, including the 3 Japanese, Yukiko, Hiroki and Yuko, all of whom I believe are closet (or not so closeted) alcoholics, Ana from Spain who is here specifically for massage courses, Marco the quiet Italian (bless him, I really wonder how he does it as his English is limited) and on the other end of the spectrum a chatty Czech fellow who actually brings girls over from Thailand to do massage in Prague.
Now somehow I ended up in the Japanese group, and Yuko with the Europeans (???)...so part of my course is being taught in Japanese and I think I get lessons of another sort in addition to this.
So, there are all in all 5 stages. the first stage being rather long took the entire first day for us to learn. Bending, pulling and tweaking each other in ways that I only thought possible in more advanced yoga classes, we muddled through before introducing Ana to the riverboat ferry..the poor girl had paid an astonishing 500 baht from the Khao san road to Wat Po - in a tuk tuk! (for relativity here, I paid 400 in a meter taxi from the airport to Khao san, a considerably longer distance, in the middle of the night when no other option existed). sleeping time....10pm..
Now somehow I ended up in the Japanese group, and Yuko with the Europeans (???)...so part of my course is being taught in Japanese and I think I get lessons of another sort in addition to this.
So, there are all in all 5 stages. the first stage being rather long took the entire first day for us to learn. Bending, pulling and tweaking each other in ways that I only thought possible in more advanced yoga classes, we muddled through before introducing Ana to the riverboat ferry..the poor girl had paid an astonishing 500 baht from the Khao san road to Wat Po - in a tuk tuk! (for relativity here, I paid 400 in a meter taxi from the airport to Khao san, a considerably longer distance, in the middle of the night when no other option existed). sleeping time....10pm..
22 January, 2009
Coming back to Khao-Lak
So after I made my escape from the skyscrapers and mammoth shopping malls of Phuket, I got back to Khao Lak's peace and took a deep breath. Nyi Nyi of course greeted me with a smile and said my room was still there for me.
Next was also waiting for the proof of life (ie, surviving Phuket) and I then made all my travel arrangements with him for returning to Bangkok and going on the 'James Bond' tour that my German friends Stefan and Christoph had given thumbs up on. Next worked his magic and got me on a fantastic tour...
costing less than most advertised ones at 1700 baht, I was collected promptly at the promised time outside my 'hotel' by Albert, a most informative multilingual guide, and 2 other German couples. We of course hit the island known as James Bond island, owing to the filming of 'The Man with the Golden Gun' there, and wouldn't you know, you can even get a copy. Following this was the sea canoe - I had one with a guide to myself, and it wasn't long before we rowed off that he broke into a round of 'Hotel California' and we were off; Oasis, Joan Jett, 'Proud Mary' and many others. It garnered some attention from the other groups in the sea canoes who were doing the standard sightseeing to watch us row by belting out tune after tune.
I would have liked more time in the Muslim sea village at which we ate a fantastic lunch (being on a tight budget my food largely consisted of 25 baht noodle soop from street stalls so I was in culinary heaven), but in compensation we had more time at the cave temple, with monkeys cavorting in front of it, myself drawing a most unfortunate fortune (tho really most things in it were not applicable) and attempting to undo it by having myself blessed by a monk.
All in all, a success and I would recommend for sure booking with Khao Lak Asia Tours, and try to get Albert as your guide. He proved to be a real cracker of a person, having done the Southeast Asia route, and knowing many people in town he turned up at this (rather unfortunate) night in the Happy Snapper, sitting in his seat and dancing the night away (I may also add, I estimated Albert to be in his 60's..chronologically anyway!). Next and I were at it again with the Singha, trying to promise to take it easy for my last night celebration the following night, but yuhhhh.....
However it was not a mere hangover that took me down the next day. Rather, an extremely nasty stomach bug manifested itself early evening, and even a trip to the pharmacy proved futile (and if that is the case in Thailand you know you have problems). Next took one look at me the following day and off to the clinic it was. it took 3 injections, very strong antibiotics and about 5 other medications to put me right again. One also knows its bad when the doctor asks if you have insurance! Thankfully, I do!
What is even worse is being told, in a Thai seaside town - that you cannot eat 1) fried foods. 2) spicy foods. 3) seafood. throw in the fact I know lactose does you no favours in these situations, and Nyi Nyi telling me to stay away from fruit.. I was literally on a bread and water diet. Tho oddly seemed to have gained weight as was asked before massage yesterday if I were pregnant. again! (flashback: Istanbul's Grand Bazaar).
2 days later I managed it though (with a bus showing up bizarrely 15 minutes early, sending Nyi Nyi and a random taxi driver into Olympic sprint mode as the bus barrelled past, my luggage in tow!). All in all, Khao Lak is unfortunately going the way of many places in thailand with the development and I fear will soon be not much different than its neighbor Phuket. Gone are the simple beach huts, and post-Tsunami production included only pricey bungalows. But in the meantime, I definitely can recommend the following:
1. Noi Travel (of course I am biased here since that is where Next works, but at least you can know he will give you a fair price and do his best, and was stellar with all my arrangements and has gone out of his way for other guests).
2. The rooms behind the southernmost 7-11 - I believe the company is actually called 'Khao Lak Tour Company'. simple, clean functional rooms at a very reasonable price in a good location.
3. Khao Lak Asia Tour company - for the James Bond tours, and most likely others
4. Medsye - I did my Similan islands trip with them. Very well organized, as they should be - they are the original operator to the beautiful Similans.
Next was also waiting for the proof of life (ie, surviving Phuket) and I then made all my travel arrangements with him for returning to Bangkok and going on the 'James Bond' tour that my German friends Stefan and Christoph had given thumbs up on. Next worked his magic and got me on a fantastic tour...
costing less than most advertised ones at 1700 baht, I was collected promptly at the promised time outside my 'hotel' by Albert, a most informative multilingual guide, and 2 other German couples. We of course hit the island known as James Bond island, owing to the filming of 'The Man with the Golden Gun' there, and wouldn't you know, you can even get a copy. Following this was the sea canoe - I had one with a guide to myself, and it wasn't long before we rowed off that he broke into a round of 'Hotel California' and we were off; Oasis, Joan Jett, 'Proud Mary' and many others. It garnered some attention from the other groups in the sea canoes who were doing the standard sightseeing to watch us row by belting out tune after tune.
I would have liked more time in the Muslim sea village at which we ate a fantastic lunch (being on a tight budget my food largely consisted of 25 baht noodle soop from street stalls so I was in culinary heaven), but in compensation we had more time at the cave temple, with monkeys cavorting in front of it, myself drawing a most unfortunate fortune (tho really most things in it were not applicable) and attempting to undo it by having myself blessed by a monk.
All in all, a success and I would recommend for sure booking with Khao Lak Asia Tours, and try to get Albert as your guide. He proved to be a real cracker of a person, having done the Southeast Asia route, and knowing many people in town he turned up at this (rather unfortunate) night in the Happy Snapper, sitting in his seat and dancing the night away (I may also add, I estimated Albert to be in his 60's..chronologically anyway!). Next and I were at it again with the Singha, trying to promise to take it easy for my last night celebration the following night, but yuhhhh.....
However it was not a mere hangover that took me down the next day. Rather, an extremely nasty stomach bug manifested itself early evening, and even a trip to the pharmacy proved futile (and if that is the case in Thailand you know you have problems). Next took one look at me the following day and off to the clinic it was. it took 3 injections, very strong antibiotics and about 5 other medications to put me right again. One also knows its bad when the doctor asks if you have insurance! Thankfully, I do!
What is even worse is being told, in a Thai seaside town - that you cannot eat 1) fried foods. 2) spicy foods. 3) seafood. throw in the fact I know lactose does you no favours in these situations, and Nyi Nyi telling me to stay away from fruit.. I was literally on a bread and water diet. Tho oddly seemed to have gained weight as was asked before massage yesterday if I were pregnant. again! (flashback: Istanbul's Grand Bazaar).
2 days later I managed it though (with a bus showing up bizarrely 15 minutes early, sending Nyi Nyi and a random taxi driver into Olympic sprint mode as the bus barrelled past, my luggage in tow!). All in all, Khao Lak is unfortunately going the way of many places in thailand with the development and I fear will soon be not much different than its neighbor Phuket. Gone are the simple beach huts, and post-Tsunami production included only pricey bungalows. But in the meantime, I definitely can recommend the following:
1. Noi Travel (of course I am biased here since that is where Next works, but at least you can know he will give you a fair price and do his best, and was stellar with all my arrangements and has gone out of his way for other guests).
2. The rooms behind the southernmost 7-11 - I believe the company is actually called 'Khao Lak Tour Company'. simple, clean functional rooms at a very reasonable price in a good location.
3. Khao Lak Asia Tour company - for the James Bond tours, and most likely others
4. Medsye - I did my Similan islands trip with them. Very well organized, as they should be - they are the original operator to the beautiful Similans.
21 January, 2009
of Aussie Boys and Ladyboys...
ok, going 180 degrees from my last entry here!
Phuket. Is an island in the south of Thailand that I have only ever once flown into, and once flown out of. as I was just a 2 hour bus ride away, and Next thought I should see more than the airport, I made the trip and realized exactly why the airport had sufficed on my previous visits...
Patong.
the main beach of the area, which I can imagine was once a very pretty spot, is now at best an example of what tourism overdevelopment can do. If anyone coming to Thailand has visions of waves lapping on white sand beaches fringed with coconut trees and quaint palm and bamboo huts, they had better plan to head elsewhere. Patong is like Bangkok. high rise hotels alongside Subway, McDonald's and Nike and all manner of other western things that make one wonder why spend the airfare. Not to mention the traffic.
That latter one I experienced firsthand. Now knowing that Phuket has gotten well expensive, I figured within the hub would be the place to find 'cheap' accomodation. I got a room at CT guesthouse, which is on the street opposite the famous Bang-la, for 800 baht (!). Thankfully that room was shared and thus so was the cost. My other thoughts were, I had also come for the nightlife - and easier to head out in the daylight to other nicer beaches, but be able to crawl home after some buckets in Bangla. So I got a little scooter, and with it managed to check out a temple and a couple other beaches, and not kill anyone/get killed. Kata beach, although still developed, is not anywhere near the level of Patong and is a good swimming beach - a nice place to chill before my company arrived in the form of Malin of Khao Lak fame, and off we were..sort of.
I'd had to sort out one of my usual little..troubles...with being in a new climate, etc and had a wee infection to fend off. At this point I was somewhat thankful for the Patong infrastructure, which includes well stocked pharmacies open till all hours and some hours later was back up and running. This night we just took in the scenery, watching prostitutes run after potential customers pondering which were female and which were...male...
the next night though, went off. Bars, buckets, boys (some of which had nicer dresses than we!). We fell in with some random partying aussies, including one who had a perma-joker grin on his face but they were a right laugh. In the mix of course were the obligatory lady boys, and we carried on in a club til the wee hours, me literally dancing til I dropped, deciding I'd had enough of Patong and promptly boarding the bus back to Khao Lak where I could breathe again (and not pay 250 baht for one bloody chang beer!!!).
Phuket. Is an island in the south of Thailand that I have only ever once flown into, and once flown out of. as I was just a 2 hour bus ride away, and Next thought I should see more than the airport, I made the trip and realized exactly why the airport had sufficed on my previous visits...
Patong.
the main beach of the area, which I can imagine was once a very pretty spot, is now at best an example of what tourism overdevelopment can do. If anyone coming to Thailand has visions of waves lapping on white sand beaches fringed with coconut trees and quaint palm and bamboo huts, they had better plan to head elsewhere. Patong is like Bangkok. high rise hotels alongside Subway, McDonald's and Nike and all manner of other western things that make one wonder why spend the airfare. Not to mention the traffic.
That latter one I experienced firsthand. Now knowing that Phuket has gotten well expensive, I figured within the hub would be the place to find 'cheap' accomodation. I got a room at CT guesthouse, which is on the street opposite the famous Bang-la, for 800 baht (!). Thankfully that room was shared and thus so was the cost. My other thoughts were, I had also come for the nightlife - and easier to head out in the daylight to other nicer beaches, but be able to crawl home after some buckets in Bangla. So I got a little scooter, and with it managed to check out a temple and a couple other beaches, and not kill anyone/get killed. Kata beach, although still developed, is not anywhere near the level of Patong and is a good swimming beach - a nice place to chill before my company arrived in the form of Malin of Khao Lak fame, and off we were..sort of.
I'd had to sort out one of my usual little..troubles...with being in a new climate, etc and had a wee infection to fend off. At this point I was somewhat thankful for the Patong infrastructure, which includes well stocked pharmacies open till all hours and some hours later was back up and running. This night we just took in the scenery, watching prostitutes run after potential customers pondering which were female and which were...male...
the next night though, went off. Bars, buckets, boys (some of which had nicer dresses than we!). We fell in with some random partying aussies, including one who had a perma-joker grin on his face but they were a right laugh. In the mix of course were the obligatory lady boys, and we carried on in a club til the wee hours, me literally dancing til I dropped, deciding I'd had enough of Patong and promptly boarding the bus back to Khao Lak where I could breathe again (and not pay 250 baht for one bloody chang beer!!!).
Nyi Nyi
This is someone's name. I'm not sure on the spelling because I have only heard it, managed to pronounce it correctly one time and seen it written in the person's native language - Burmese. So I'll do my best phonetically there...
Anyway, as this is one of the most interesting and sound people I've come across on this trip I thought I'd make a small entry about him. Nyi Nyi (aaghh...ok, letting go of my spelling issues) is originally from Burma although has lived in Thailand and therefore managed to escape the horrors that are happening in his country. I met him as he worked at the small guesthouse I stayed at in Khao Lak - he worked there every day, as most people here in the tourism (and likely other) industry do for about 12 hours each day, dealing with tourists who I am sure are not always pleasurable to deal with, even if his English was excellent. He dealt with all my requests happily, efficiently and far above standard, including helping me move rooms when I was sick. I often saw him eating his meals at the desk while doing paperwork.
In our western world, when people are working that many hours they are likely to be a bit surly and stressed, but Nyi Nyi was always smiling and cheerful, be it first thing in the morning or at the end of the day.
With one exception - when he spoke of the situation in his home country. Understandably, as I can't imagine anyone smiling while recounting tales of monks being murdered, or how their leader had spent $50 million USD on his daughters wedding, meanwhile many people live in poverty. For myself, who I'm ashamed to say, knows little about the situation, it was interesting for me to hear it firsthand and made me realise how extremely lucky and blessed I am as I have never known such a situation, and nor am I likely to.
After hearing this it made me think what a strong person he must be, to have endured it, escaped, and have very little or no contact with his family still there, and be completely on his own in Thailand. He spoke of keeping a steady supply of medicines (he was actually giving me heaps of advice during my own stomach issues) as there was no one to take care of him.
When he had free time, he would read, and study. He was reading a book about Hitler, as he likened Burma's leader to him and wanted to understand why - although I don't think any decent human being ever could in either situation. He studied, and was keen to practice a few words of Japanese that I taught him, to use with Japanese tourists. Also it was thanks to him that when I left, I did not miss a bus that had come early, a critical connection in getting back to Bangkok, as he ran out into the street, my luggage in tow, until the bus stopped.
The night before I asked him to write in my travel diary, which he did saying he was so glad to meet me and may God bless me. I think perhaps that is the reverse, and I certainly know I am already immensely blessed, so I return that to him, and should he ever read this one day I wish him all the best for whatever he wants in life (although he has no time for things like internet!).
Anyway, as this is one of the most interesting and sound people I've come across on this trip I thought I'd make a small entry about him. Nyi Nyi (aaghh...ok, letting go of my spelling issues) is originally from Burma although has lived in Thailand and therefore managed to escape the horrors that are happening in his country. I met him as he worked at the small guesthouse I stayed at in Khao Lak - he worked there every day, as most people here in the tourism (and likely other) industry do for about 12 hours each day, dealing with tourists who I am sure are not always pleasurable to deal with, even if his English was excellent. He dealt with all my requests happily, efficiently and far above standard, including helping me move rooms when I was sick. I often saw him eating his meals at the desk while doing paperwork.
In our western world, when people are working that many hours they are likely to be a bit surly and stressed, but Nyi Nyi was always smiling and cheerful, be it first thing in the morning or at the end of the day.
With one exception - when he spoke of the situation in his home country. Understandably, as I can't imagine anyone smiling while recounting tales of monks being murdered, or how their leader had spent $50 million USD on his daughters wedding, meanwhile many people live in poverty. For myself, who I'm ashamed to say, knows little about the situation, it was interesting for me to hear it firsthand and made me realise how extremely lucky and blessed I am as I have never known such a situation, and nor am I likely to.
After hearing this it made me think what a strong person he must be, to have endured it, escaped, and have very little or no contact with his family still there, and be completely on his own in Thailand. He spoke of keeping a steady supply of medicines (he was actually giving me heaps of advice during my own stomach issues) as there was no one to take care of him.
When he had free time, he would read, and study. He was reading a book about Hitler, as he likened Burma's leader to him and wanted to understand why - although I don't think any decent human being ever could in either situation. He studied, and was keen to practice a few words of Japanese that I taught him, to use with Japanese tourists. Also it was thanks to him that when I left, I did not miss a bus that had come early, a critical connection in getting back to Bangkok, as he ran out into the street, my luggage in tow, until the bus stopped.
The night before I asked him to write in my travel diary, which he did saying he was so glad to meet me and may God bless me. I think perhaps that is the reverse, and I certainly know I am already immensely blessed, so I return that to him, and should he ever read this one day I wish him all the best for whatever he wants in life (although he has no time for things like internet!).
08 January, 2009
Japanese Songs, Latin Dance, 'Wir Sprechen Deutsch'..must be Thailand..
Sawatdi Kha from Khao Lak! Thus far loving life here and enjoying ample amounts of sun and sea. Managed to find one of the few remaining cheap and simple rooms run by a nice family (my place doesn't even have a name, i just know I reside behind 7-11). It seems a few more of these establishments exist, but unfortunately the beach is now lined with the more upmarket bungalows which were the ones to be built up after the Tsunami.
And after many years, got to spend some time with 'Next', a Thai friend from Phi Phi, back in the day. we took off on the moped for the beach, and a market where we grabbed a few Thai snacks to eat on the terrace of his travel shop. and being as evil as he is, booked me on the boat trip to the Similan Islands, and took me drinking the night before. We hit the Singha beer with a vengeance, first taking in some Thai live music and then heading to the more raucous 'farang' bar, also with live music. and just as i was about to say..this is THE last beer, another round was on teh table. uff. We danced, we sang, and en route out of the toilets I was grabbed by a random Mexican (who had previously sung 'La Bamba' on stage) and flung into some variation of Salsa , or whatever it was, on the stage (!), and enough to have him saying 'you are really a dancer!' and it took numerous minutes after to convince him there is NO latin in me (Canadian, Japense, Scottish, Norwegian....yuh) and that I actually dont even like latin dance (no surprise, i take issue with the whole man must lead thingie)...adding to my randomness which he couldnt get his head around I got a skewed face for the fact I dive and do yoga. Ended up semi-drunkenly going into the tree pose, as in no way was i doing a sun salutation on a bar floor...
made for a rough start as i lugged my bag into Next's shop in the morning and headed out to the Similans. Which, I must say are the most beautiful islands I've seen here. Its been kept pretty basic and I had a little tent to call home for the night with the sounds of the sea to lull me to sleep. Unfortunately though, as package tourists start to invade even this little corner, the group..well, they kinda sucked. And it IS an expensive trip. Basically what I did was what they call this open ended tour/ticket - it costs 2000 baht. one can take a regular boat for this price and then have to pay the 400 baht park fee. Whereas by doing this tour you get to stop at snorkelling sites, viewpoints, a lunch and the fee is included. the tent goes fora whopping 570 baht, but the bungalows far more. you could do the 2 day tour, but this is considerably more expensive..4200 baht which gets you an afternoon boat tour with dinner and a morning one with breakfast and lunch. i preferred my option which gave me the chance to explore the island on my own. i think these trips are also more expensive from Phuket..
and again..teh company..ehhh...save for a cool finnish lad, and 2 germans, Stefan and Christoph. I still had a wonderful time though, exploring on my own, snorkeling in crystal clear waters with an array of tropical fish chasing each other, and hiking up to the viewpoint which apparently few seem to know about - meant i was on my own for the entire thing and I found one of the best meditation spots yet. Of course I took advantage and it was a beautiful start to the day.
Had a rather fun evening back in Khao Lak last night with Next and the German lads, in a low key little thai place - the ones I miss, built with bamboo, lined with fairy lights and where you sit on the floor sipping your mai tai. They also had some live music and Next..I thought he was joking. We made an agreement that if he went up and sang a Thai song, I would go up and do a Japanese one (as its pretty sad, i'm not sure i know any english ones start to finish!). And lo and behold..he was up there singing it, so next I had to keep up my end of the bargain. had a quick run through with the guitarist and he got the tune..too bad I couldnt sing in tune but at least there were no Japanese about so if I stuffed up the words no one would know. hah! so again my rendition of 'Ashita ga Aru sa' went off alright and the barmaid even thanked me after for it..though presumably she was thanking me for leaving the stage (!).
So getting into the groove here, and enjoying life simply..waking smiling each day, and starting the day by either practising yoga or running on the beach, then breakfasting outside whilst watching the world go by. It's like I've been sleeping for years, and I'm finally waking up!
And after many years, got to spend some time with 'Next', a Thai friend from Phi Phi, back in the day. we took off on the moped for the beach, and a market where we grabbed a few Thai snacks to eat on the terrace of his travel shop. and being as evil as he is, booked me on the boat trip to the Similan Islands, and took me drinking the night before. We hit the Singha beer with a vengeance, first taking in some Thai live music and then heading to the more raucous 'farang' bar, also with live music. and just as i was about to say..this is THE last beer, another round was on teh table. uff. We danced, we sang, and en route out of the toilets I was grabbed by a random Mexican (who had previously sung 'La Bamba' on stage) and flung into some variation of Salsa , or whatever it was, on the stage (!), and enough to have him saying 'you are really a dancer!' and it took numerous minutes after to convince him there is NO latin in me (Canadian, Japense, Scottish, Norwegian....yuh) and that I actually dont even like latin dance (no surprise, i take issue with the whole man must lead thingie)...adding to my randomness which he couldnt get his head around I got a skewed face for the fact I dive and do yoga. Ended up semi-drunkenly going into the tree pose, as in no way was i doing a sun salutation on a bar floor...
made for a rough start as i lugged my bag into Next's shop in the morning and headed out to the Similans. Which, I must say are the most beautiful islands I've seen here. Its been kept pretty basic and I had a little tent to call home for the night with the sounds of the sea to lull me to sleep. Unfortunately though, as package tourists start to invade even this little corner, the group..well, they kinda sucked. And it IS an expensive trip. Basically what I did was what they call this open ended tour/ticket - it costs 2000 baht. one can take a regular boat for this price and then have to pay the 400 baht park fee. Whereas by doing this tour you get to stop at snorkelling sites, viewpoints, a lunch and the fee is included. the tent goes fora whopping 570 baht, but the bungalows far more. you could do the 2 day tour, but this is considerably more expensive..4200 baht which gets you an afternoon boat tour with dinner and a morning one with breakfast and lunch. i preferred my option which gave me the chance to explore the island on my own. i think these trips are also more expensive from Phuket..
and again..teh company..ehhh...save for a cool finnish lad, and 2 germans, Stefan and Christoph. I still had a wonderful time though, exploring on my own, snorkeling in crystal clear waters with an array of tropical fish chasing each other, and hiking up to the viewpoint which apparently few seem to know about - meant i was on my own for the entire thing and I found one of the best meditation spots yet. Of course I took advantage and it was a beautiful start to the day.
Had a rather fun evening back in Khao Lak last night with Next and the German lads, in a low key little thai place - the ones I miss, built with bamboo, lined with fairy lights and where you sit on the floor sipping your mai tai. They also had some live music and Next..I thought he was joking. We made an agreement that if he went up and sang a Thai song, I would go up and do a Japanese one (as its pretty sad, i'm not sure i know any english ones start to finish!). And lo and behold..he was up there singing it, so next I had to keep up my end of the bargain. had a quick run through with the guitarist and he got the tune..too bad I couldnt sing in tune but at least there were no Japanese about so if I stuffed up the words no one would know. hah! so again my rendition of 'Ashita ga Aru sa' went off alright and the barmaid even thanked me after for it..though presumably she was thanking me for leaving the stage (!).
So getting into the groove here, and enjoying life simply..waking smiling each day, and starting the day by either practising yoga or running on the beach, then breakfasting outside whilst watching the world go by. It's like I've been sleeping for years, and I'm finally waking up!
04 January, 2009
One Night in Bangkok
Well, its actually been 3, but who's counting?
So, 2 stopovers (Seattle and Tokyo), 20 some odd hours of flying, and would you believe it - no airline distress! despite the snowy mess in Canada all flights departed on time AND my luggage arrived with me. odd, surely! Also managed to get 2 sets of raised eyebrows for the solo travel thing, first being American customs, and the second the nice Singaporean lad I shared some Udon with in Tokyo..is it really so strange? huh.
So since this place is rather familiar its been more of a taking care of business stop, which also meant getting back into the groove of taxi rip off..i've done relatively well with the tuk tuks tho - the first one who took me for free once i'd agreed to go to not one, but TWO shops! they get free fuel for taking people to these shops (ahem) en route to the desired destination, be it tailors or gem shops, the latter with items that carry a cost similar to my flight. I think something might have gone astray there cos honestly, if i were willing to pay that for a piece of jewellery chances are I would not be getting around bangkok in a tuktuk or staying on Khaosan road! Not that I would ever pay that much for jewellery, just not a luxury goods item person and the simple silver sold on the Khaosan for much cheaper suits me just fine.
It was quite nice being asked at one shop if I wore suits and to answer 'not anymore!'. :-D However as a person with more time than money, I could manage the 10 minutes at each doing the diplomatic joker-grinned 'oh yes, very nice' whilst watching the clock and getting on out of dodge at the first available opportunity. normally once you've gone through the rigamorale , the tuk tuk drivers smiles turn upside down but this guy remained pretty cheerful and even tried to convince me to go to a party later..tho a rough calculation meant he made more than 10x what he would have just taking my 20 baht fare with those fuel cards. Not a bad deal since all it cost me was 20 minutes of my time, and he did shuttle me around to the tourist authority, the train station and eventually Maboonkrong, Bangkok's large shopping centre which in itself is an experience, full up with Thais and foreigners alike, negotiating deals on all things imaginable.
Note to anyone else looking to get a mobile phone over here, the 4th floor there is where its at and shop around - for the SIM i bought one place asked 150 baht, the next one 50..exactly the same thing. In any case, success and I am once again reconnected to the GSM mobile world!
Else than that, revisiting Wat Po (I wanted to photograph the large reclining buddha as well as the other examples of Thai architecture inside), and managed to sit before my first golden buddha inside one of the temples! Turned an ear to a tour group that had entered as well as their leader spoke about monks and Thai style of prayer/meditation. Have also taken reprieve at the rooftop pool from the craziness (this area does not sleep), had a Thai masseuse 'break' me (its worse than doing yoga that, and I suggest one warm up beforehand!) and partook in some good cheap street food, where I basically just look at what they have (at most i can slightly recognise the Thai characters for chicken) and hold up one finger and hope for the best!
Off on the night train to Surat Thani, and over to the Andaman side tonight (Khao Lak and Similan, where I will meet a Thai friend for the first time in years), so looking well forward to that! the weather has been fantastic, and the perfect antidote to Canadian winter! until the next entry...
So, 2 stopovers (Seattle and Tokyo), 20 some odd hours of flying, and would you believe it - no airline distress! despite the snowy mess in Canada all flights departed on time AND my luggage arrived with me. odd, surely! Also managed to get 2 sets of raised eyebrows for the solo travel thing, first being American customs, and the second the nice Singaporean lad I shared some Udon with in Tokyo..is it really so strange? huh.
So since this place is rather familiar its been more of a taking care of business stop, which also meant getting back into the groove of taxi rip off..i've done relatively well with the tuk tuks tho - the first one who took me for free once i'd agreed to go to not one, but TWO shops! they get free fuel for taking people to these shops (ahem) en route to the desired destination, be it tailors or gem shops, the latter with items that carry a cost similar to my flight. I think something might have gone astray there cos honestly, if i were willing to pay that for a piece of jewellery chances are I would not be getting around bangkok in a tuktuk or staying on Khaosan road! Not that I would ever pay that much for jewellery, just not a luxury goods item person and the simple silver sold on the Khaosan for much cheaper suits me just fine.
It was quite nice being asked at one shop if I wore suits and to answer 'not anymore!'. :-D However as a person with more time than money, I could manage the 10 minutes at each doing the diplomatic joker-grinned 'oh yes, very nice' whilst watching the clock and getting on out of dodge at the first available opportunity. normally once you've gone through the rigamorale , the tuk tuk drivers smiles turn upside down but this guy remained pretty cheerful and even tried to convince me to go to a party later..tho a rough calculation meant he made more than 10x what he would have just taking my 20 baht fare with those fuel cards. Not a bad deal since all it cost me was 20 minutes of my time, and he did shuttle me around to the tourist authority, the train station and eventually Maboonkrong, Bangkok's large shopping centre which in itself is an experience, full up with Thais and foreigners alike, negotiating deals on all things imaginable.
Note to anyone else looking to get a mobile phone over here, the 4th floor there is where its at and shop around - for the SIM i bought one place asked 150 baht, the next one 50..exactly the same thing. In any case, success and I am once again reconnected to the GSM mobile world!
Else than that, revisiting Wat Po (I wanted to photograph the large reclining buddha as well as the other examples of Thai architecture inside), and managed to sit before my first golden buddha inside one of the temples! Turned an ear to a tour group that had entered as well as their leader spoke about monks and Thai style of prayer/meditation. Have also taken reprieve at the rooftop pool from the craziness (this area does not sleep), had a Thai masseuse 'break' me (its worse than doing yoga that, and I suggest one warm up beforehand!) and partook in some good cheap street food, where I basically just look at what they have (at most i can slightly recognise the Thai characters for chicken) and hold up one finger and hope for the best!
Off on the night train to Surat Thani, and over to the Andaman side tonight (Khao Lak and Similan, where I will meet a Thai friend for the first time in years), so looking well forward to that! the weather has been fantastic, and the perfect antidote to Canadian winter! until the next entry...
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