A little addition to the previous blog about our last few days in Bangkok. On Saturday night we went for dinner at Cabbages and Condoms- not a tasty-sounding combo. The condoms part of the title actually refers to the restaurant's focus on promoting condom use as a family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention tool. It's a project of a charity called the Population and Community Development Association, run by Mr. Mechai Viravaidya, or Mr Condom, as he is more popularly known. We were drawn to the restaurant by our charitable instincts, but as it turned out our culinary ones were in for a treat. We were seated in the outdoor area, beautifully lit by fairy lights suspended from the trees, and colourfully decorated with, among other things, a condom Christmas tree, a condom superhero and condom flowers.
Despite the colourful decoration, it's the proper use of them that the restuarant is about, and to that end after-diner mints are replaced by condoms at the end of the meal. Our meal was simply superb, by far the best we ate in Thailand, and though a little expensive by our very budget-conscious standards, worth every penny, especially as every penny goes to support the charity. Mr Condom is a colourful character (I guess he'd have to be), and is really leading the way in terms of fighting AIDS in Asia, as he is far more willing to speak out, and speak out bluntly, than most people and certainly most governments. Many sources attribute this to his being half-Scottish. I like to think they're right.
Friday, 30 January 2009
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Bangkok, Thailand: temples, Brick Bar and the highest stage in the world.
We've just seen the back of the hottest two days of the trip so far, and we're now killing time until our taxi to the airport. Our flight is at an unappetising 6.15am. Yesterday we did the touristy thing and checked out all the most important and spectacular temples in Bangkok, including Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and the enjoyably bizarre Wat Arun, which is decorated with loads of random Chinese ceramics that ancient traders had been using as ballast on their ships but no longer wanted. Maybe more important religious buildings should be decorated with another people's discarded tea-set.
Perhaps the highlight of yesterday was in the evening when we went out for drinks. Down a little alleyway off Khao San Road (Bangkok's backpacker district) we stumbled across a place called Brick Bar, which features live Thai bands every night. It was absolutely rammed inside, but encouragingly, as we approached we could see that it was almost exclusively Thai people inside. Khao San area is convenient for those on a budget, but if I wanted to go on the beers with English, Irish and Dutch guys every night, I'd go to Amsterdam. It was good to be inside a place where you really felt like a foreigner. Everybody, even the women, was drinking a brand of scotch called 100 Pipers, which they would slug liberally into glass tumblers with a token gesture of soda. The band were superb - launching into soul, ska and disco numbers with gusto. And the crowd were going mental. Jacqui was particularly enjoying how when one trendy girl would start doing a particularly 'hip' dance move, people near her would point and then start dancing in the same way. And so dance moves could potentially spread from one side of the club to the other. It sounds rather naive and innocent, but it was strangely exciting and fun to see.
Tonight we went to see Bangkok's most famous show, Siam Niramit, which was Jacqui's Christmas present to me. The entrance price included transfers in a luxury minibus (if that's not an oxymoron), access to a credible if touristy recreation of a traditional Thai village on the same site as the theatre, and the greatest all-you-can-eat buffet known to man. We stuffed ourselves on poached fish, green curry, steamed vegetables, a carvery, pasta, sushi, salad, Indian curry, cakes and ice cream. I am still full some six hours later. The show itself was insane. The world's highest stage (and surely one of the widest) saw 150 performers (plus two live elephants and a few goats and roosters) recreate scenes from Thailand's history. To give you an idea of how bonkers it was, there was a deep river built into the stage, heavy rain at one point in the performance, and an elephant walked behind us as we sat 24 rows back. If this was in London it would blow all the cruddy musicals out of the water.
It was a fitting end to our latest stint in Bangkok. I imagine we'll be back, once we've conquered Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur and the south of Thailand. We fly to Bali this morning, where I think we'll head straight to Ubud for a few relaxing days in (hopefully) the type of accommodation that we haven't been able to afford in Thailand. I think its fair to say we've not stuck to our budget so far, but we should get back on track in Indonesia where a pound is 15,500 rupiahs and a nice bungalow with fresh mango outside your front door each morning will generally only set you back 85,000-100,000 rupiahs. Better than a punch in the face.
Perhaps the highlight of yesterday was in the evening when we went out for drinks. Down a little alleyway off Khao San Road (Bangkok's backpacker district) we stumbled across a place called Brick Bar, which features live Thai bands every night. It was absolutely rammed inside, but encouragingly, as we approached we could see that it was almost exclusively Thai people inside. Khao San area is convenient for those on a budget, but if I wanted to go on the beers with English, Irish and Dutch guys every night, I'd go to Amsterdam. It was good to be inside a place where you really felt like a foreigner. Everybody, even the women, was drinking a brand of scotch called 100 Pipers, which they would slug liberally into glass tumblers with a token gesture of soda. The band were superb - launching into soul, ska and disco numbers with gusto. And the crowd were going mental. Jacqui was particularly enjoying how when one trendy girl would start doing a particularly 'hip' dance move, people near her would point and then start dancing in the same way. And so dance moves could potentially spread from one side of the club to the other. It sounds rather naive and innocent, but it was strangely exciting and fun to see.
Tonight we went to see Bangkok's most famous show, Siam Niramit, which was Jacqui's Christmas present to me. The entrance price included transfers in a luxury minibus (if that's not an oxymoron), access to a credible if touristy recreation of a traditional Thai village on the same site as the theatre, and the greatest all-you-can-eat buffet known to man. We stuffed ourselves on poached fish, green curry, steamed vegetables, a carvery, pasta, sushi, salad, Indian curry, cakes and ice cream. I am still full some six hours later. The show itself was insane. The world's highest stage (and surely one of the widest) saw 150 performers (plus two live elephants and a few goats and roosters) recreate scenes from Thailand's history. To give you an idea of how bonkers it was, there was a deep river built into the stage, heavy rain at one point in the performance, and an elephant walked behind us as we sat 24 rows back. If this was in London it would blow all the cruddy musicals out of the water.
It was a fitting end to our latest stint in Bangkok. I imagine we'll be back, once we've conquered Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur and the south of Thailand. We fly to Bali this morning, where I think we'll head straight to Ubud for a few relaxing days in (hopefully) the type of accommodation that we haven't been able to afford in Thailand. I think its fair to say we've not stuck to our budget so far, but we should get back on track in Indonesia where a pound is 15,500 rupiahs and a nice bungalow with fresh mango outside your front door each morning will generally only set you back 85,000-100,000 rupiahs. Better than a punch in the face.
Saturday, 24 January 2009
Kanchanaburi, Thailand: Tiger tickling.
We've done an enormous amount since Jacqui last wrote here. I'll attempt to condense it all into a few paragraphs. On our last day in Bangkok before the Kanchanaburi trip, we went to visit Jim Thompson's House. Thompson was an ex-military man who fell in love with Thailand and was responsible for the huge developments in its silk industry. His house was built in the traditional style using parts of old houses, and featured an impressive collection of Thai art and furniture. Afterwards, as we were on route to a shopping centre to find some lunch, we were stopped in our tracks - along with every other pedestrian and car in a 200-square-metre radius - by police as a procession of stunning cream Rolls Royces sped past in convoy. That'll be King Bhumibol passing through then. The Thais revere their ageing king in an almost messiah-like way. I then bought an earl grey tea flavoured ice cream. I tell you this because not everyone likes reading about Thailand's architecture and royalty. Some people prefer fluffier subjects like ice cream. And it really did taste of earl grey. Jacqui opted for the less exotic chocolate banana. Wimp.
The 3-day Kanchanaburi trip started by calling in at the Damnoen Saduak floating market (from where the photo at the top of this blog was taken). This was probably the most photogenic place of business you could ever hope to see. The river was teaming with narrow boats loaded up with colourful piles of fruit and vegetables, snacks, souvenirs and such like. I got some excellent shots and we munched on crispy coconut pancakes topped with sugary orange and lemon rind.
Later we arrived at the River Kwai, where the museum our tour took us to was disappointing. We believe there was a better museum somewhere, but we didn't have time to track it down. The river itself, and the famous bridge, was obviously very iconic. Many visitors were there to pay their respects to all the allied POWs (largely Dutch, British and Australian) and Asian workers who lost their lives during construction of the Burma-Thailand railway during the Second World War. This was followed by a train ride along the section of the track known as Death Railway.
Day 2 started with a relaxing drift down the Kwai on a bamboo raft, followed by another elephant trek (equally as enjoyable as the one on Koh Chang). This time we rode a pregnant female, whose main craving seemed to be for rather unappetising tree branches. We then visited Hellfire Pass, a huge carving through rockface that the POWs had bashed through using only primitive hand tools and dynamite, 18 hours a day. The work was completed in just 12 weeks, and many workers died due to being driven into the ground by Japanese forces, or succumbing to illness. Again, a very poignant place. But an enormous tree that has now grown some 30 metres out of the old train tracks served as a reminder of just how much time has passed since WWII.
Day 2 ended with a visit to a Buddhist tiger temple. The story goes that during the early 1990s the head monk at the temple was asked to care for a tiger cub who had been orphaned by hunters. Soon more cubs were rescued and brought to be cared for by the monks. The tigers are well fed every morning and evening, which means that they spend the afternoon lazily basking while the public are carefully guided around by staff to pose for photos and stroke the tigers. I'll try and post a photo or two of ours from this soon. Never thought I'd get to tickle a fully grown tiger's belly. Our guide insisted the tigers are not drugged, and given that this is a place of worship, you'd like to hope that's true.
Day 3 involved (very) scary caving at the Wang Badan cave, where our guide, who spoke almost no English and lit the way with just an oil lamp, had to nurse us around the various rocky slopes and rickety ladders in the dark, while we sweated profusely about losing our footing. Possibly the scariest thing I have ever done, and an experience not helped by smacking my head against a stalactite that I hadn't spotted. Oh, and there were bats, spiders and mutant crickets lurking in the darkness too. We were glad to get out otherwise unscathed, dripping with sweat. I am never setting foot in a cave in this continent again.
Three more days in Bangkok, including temples and a spectacular show that Jacqui loved last time she was in town, and then we fly to Indonesia, kicking off with Bali.
The 3-day Kanchanaburi trip started by calling in at the Damnoen Saduak floating market (from where the photo at the top of this blog was taken). This was probably the most photogenic place of business you could ever hope to see. The river was teaming with narrow boats loaded up with colourful piles of fruit and vegetables, snacks, souvenirs and such like. I got some excellent shots and we munched on crispy coconut pancakes topped with sugary orange and lemon rind.
Later we arrived at the River Kwai, where the museum our tour took us to was disappointing. We believe there was a better museum somewhere, but we didn't have time to track it down. The river itself, and the famous bridge, was obviously very iconic. Many visitors were there to pay their respects to all the allied POWs (largely Dutch, British and Australian) and Asian workers who lost their lives during construction of the Burma-Thailand railway during the Second World War. This was followed by a train ride along the section of the track known as Death Railway.
Day 2 started with a relaxing drift down the Kwai on a bamboo raft, followed by another elephant trek (equally as enjoyable as the one on Koh Chang). This time we rode a pregnant female, whose main craving seemed to be for rather unappetising tree branches. We then visited Hellfire Pass, a huge carving through rockface that the POWs had bashed through using only primitive hand tools and dynamite, 18 hours a day. The work was completed in just 12 weeks, and many workers died due to being driven into the ground by Japanese forces, or succumbing to illness. Again, a very poignant place. But an enormous tree that has now grown some 30 metres out of the old train tracks served as a reminder of just how much time has passed since WWII.
Day 2 ended with a visit to a Buddhist tiger temple. The story goes that during the early 1990s the head monk at the temple was asked to care for a tiger cub who had been orphaned by hunters. Soon more cubs were rescued and brought to be cared for by the monks. The tigers are well fed every morning and evening, which means that they spend the afternoon lazily basking while the public are carefully guided around by staff to pose for photos and stroke the tigers. I'll try and post a photo or two of ours from this soon. Never thought I'd get to tickle a fully grown tiger's belly. Our guide insisted the tigers are not drugged, and given that this is a place of worship, you'd like to hope that's true.
Day 3 involved (very) scary caving at the Wang Badan cave, where our guide, who spoke almost no English and lit the way with just an oil lamp, had to nurse us around the various rocky slopes and rickety ladders in the dark, while we sweated profusely about losing our footing. Possibly the scariest thing I have ever done, and an experience not helped by smacking my head against a stalactite that I hadn't spotted. Oh, and there were bats, spiders and mutant crickets lurking in the darkness too. We were glad to get out otherwise unscathed, dripping with sweat. I am never setting foot in a cave in this continent again.
Three more days in Bangkok, including temples and a spectacular show that Jacqui loved last time she was in town, and then we fly to Indonesia, kicking off with Bali.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Bangkok, Thailand: Finding Nemo
We're back in Bangkok now, and feeling like truly seasoned SE Asia travellers as a result. We left Koh Chang on Sunday morning, and had a fairly painless return journey (though it inexplicably took two and a half hours more than the journey there). Our last few days on the island were excellent, though we restrained ourselves from sampling the sausage and mash. On Saturday we went on a snorkelling trip, to four different islands all with fantastic coral reefs and a huge variety of fish, including big, colourful wrasse and the famous Nemo (tiger fish). Chris (half man/half fish) took to it much better than I did, but I got the hang of it eventually, with some help from the fishman (i.e. he pulled me along for a bit).
We spent most of yesterday booking flights, trips and researching visas- travelling isn't all fun and self-indulgence you know! Tomorrow we're off on a three-day trip to Kanchanaburi, to see the bridge over the River Kwai. We'll also visit a floating market and a tiger temple, and possibly do another elephant ride and bamboo rafting. It all sounds pretty exciting, but we're off at 7am, unfortunately, so it's an early night tonight for us.
We spent most of yesterday booking flights, trips and researching visas- travelling isn't all fun and self-indulgence you know! Tomorrow we're off on a three-day trip to Kanchanaburi, to see the bridge over the River Kwai. We'll also visit a floating market and a tiger temple, and possibly do another elephant ride and bamboo rafting. It all sounds pretty exciting, but we're off at 7am, unfortunately, so it's an early night tonight for us.
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Koh Chang, Thailand: Bathing with elephants.
Holy cow! The elephant trek was one of the best things I've ever done. It's like riding on some sort of dinosaur. Once you're on the back of one looking down, you realise just what freakishly superb creatures elephants are. Ours was a female, yet still seemed enormous. It's feet - like the base of roman pillars with toenails the size of teacups - were so graceful as it picked and chose the most comfortable path along the stony, beaten track.
The highlight was arriving at a crystal clear mountain pool where first we went in for a paddle. And then three elephants came in to join us, including an enormous male with huge, gleaming white tusks. I sat on our elephant's head while she bathed, and responded to the gentle calls and instructions of our guide. I'd recommend this to anyone who ever visits Koh Chang. You can do it in other places but the elephants are very well cared for here, and there were no touristy gimmicks like making them squirt water in the air or tip you into the water. We then finished the afternoon on the beach, where I got my first mossy bite, right on the knuckle. It's currently swelling up a treat. Little git.
What else? Jacqui's had a massage in an open-air hut by the beach, which she absolutely loved even though they pulled her about a bit and cracked her fingers and toes. Koh Chang is a bit quiet at the moment, and some bars have resorted to free BBQs to lure in the punters. So we've dined for free on tasty chicken kebabs the past two nights.
Last night I was kept awake by the whistling wind, which is surprisingly strong, and the strange incessant crunching noise from inside the beams of our hut. I assume this is woodworm? Its rhythmic and droning and, well, sounds like an unpleasant thing munching wood I guess.
I shall now proceed to devour an entire, freshly caught snapper fish for three of your English pounds. I'm splashing out tonight, y'see. Most dinners are a quid fifty. Ta-ta.
The highlight was arriving at a crystal clear mountain pool where first we went in for a paddle. And then three elephants came in to join us, including an enormous male with huge, gleaming white tusks. I sat on our elephant's head while she bathed, and responded to the gentle calls and instructions of our guide. I'd recommend this to anyone who ever visits Koh Chang. You can do it in other places but the elephants are very well cared for here, and there were no touristy gimmicks like making them squirt water in the air or tip you into the water. We then finished the afternoon on the beach, where I got my first mossy bite, right on the knuckle. It's currently swelling up a treat. Little git.
What else? Jacqui's had a massage in an open-air hut by the beach, which she absolutely loved even though they pulled her about a bit and cracked her fingers and toes. Koh Chang is a bit quiet at the moment, and some bars have resorted to free BBQs to lure in the punters. So we've dined for free on tasty chicken kebabs the past two nights.
Last night I was kept awake by the whistling wind, which is surprisingly strong, and the strange incessant crunching noise from inside the beams of our hut. I assume this is woodworm? Its rhythmic and droning and, well, sounds like an unpleasant thing munching wood I guess.
I shall now proceed to devour an entire, freshly caught snapper fish for three of your English pounds. I'm splashing out tonight, y'see. Most dinners are a quid fifty. Ta-ta.
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Koh Chang, Thailand: Monkeys on the power lines
We've arrived on Koh Chang after a very long and sweaty bus journey after the air con broke. The driver tried bashing it a few times but strangely that didn't work...
We're staying in a hut on the beach, pretty basic but there are more or less four walls and a shower (cold). Cheap though. The beach is beautiful, and the bar area looking out to sea is very chilled. Everyone just lies back on comfy triangular cushions and tucks into a BBQ cooked by the staff.
We're planning elephant trekking and a snorkeling trip for the next few days. Along with a massage on the beach. I've also found somewhere serving bangers and mash I'm hoping to pay a visit to...
Oh yeah, and today we saw monkeys on the power lines. Just like in London.
We're staying in a hut on the beach, pretty basic but there are more or less four walls and a shower (cold). Cheap though. The beach is beautiful, and the bar area looking out to sea is very chilled. Everyone just lies back on comfy triangular cushions and tucks into a BBQ cooked by the staff.
We're planning elephant trekking and a snorkeling trip for the next few days. Along with a massage on the beach. I've also found somewhere serving bangers and mash I'm hoping to pay a visit to...
Oh yeah, and today we saw monkeys on the power lines. Just like in London.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
Bangkok, Thailand: Shut the frog up.
Hello from a warm yet (happily) not humid Bangkok. We've spent our first couple of days haggling hard (with mixed success) for various bits and pieces we needed. I've bought myself some Teva sandals (60 quid back home) for about 10 pounds. I know full well that they are fakes, and will doubtless curse loudly when all the glue stops working and they fall apart in three days time. But for the time being I am pleased that I waited until I got here to buy them. Cue angry tirade soon...
Bangkok inevitably has a few little culture shocks when you first arrive. A cockroach ran past my foot within an hour of us setting out after we'd dumped our bags.
We're staying just off Khao San Road at a decent place called the Rambuttri Village Inn. There's a nice (but chilly) pool on the roof - bonus. My only complaint is that my pillow has a firmness more suited to backsides than backs of heads. It's every bit as firm as the mattress. But since you lot back home are shivering in minus temperatures, I'll quit whining.
A trip on the water taxi down the Chao Phraya river was a great way to see a slice of the real Bangkok. Only two or three other Westerners were on our busy ferry, which included several young Buddhist monks in their orange robes. The back row of seats is reserved for them.
As we sat with a cold drink on a side street last night, the same whiny woman kept badgering us to buy a wooden frog. The frog had carved grooves on its back, which made a croaking sound when stroked with accompanying stick. "She might sell a few if she ever shut the frog up," said Jacqui, which made me laugh.
Tomorrow we plan to brave the 15,000 stalls of Chatuchak market and book a bus trip to the island of Ko Chang (the ticket includes ferry; it's not an amphibious vehicle). And now we're off to stuff ourselves with fried roti bread at a restaurant round the corner.
Bangkok inevitably has a few little culture shocks when you first arrive. A cockroach ran past my foot within an hour of us setting out after we'd dumped our bags.
We're staying just off Khao San Road at a decent place called the Rambuttri Village Inn. There's a nice (but chilly) pool on the roof - bonus. My only complaint is that my pillow has a firmness more suited to backsides than backs of heads. It's every bit as firm as the mattress. But since you lot back home are shivering in minus temperatures, I'll quit whining.
A trip on the water taxi down the Chao Phraya river was a great way to see a slice of the real Bangkok. Only two or three other Westerners were on our busy ferry, which included several young Buddhist monks in their orange robes. The back row of seats is reserved for them.
As we sat with a cold drink on a side street last night, the same whiny woman kept badgering us to buy a wooden frog. The frog had carved grooves on its back, which made a croaking sound when stroked with accompanying stick. "She might sell a few if she ever shut the frog up," said Jacqui, which made me laugh.
Tomorrow we plan to brave the 15,000 stalls of Chatuchak market and book a bus trip to the island of Ko Chang (the ticket includes ferry; it's not an amphibious vehicle). And now we're off to stuff ourselves with fried roti bread at a restaurant round the corner.
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