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Yes, I’m back in Andong, somewhat depressed over the cold weather and snow that we had yesterday. What happened to the warmth and sunshine I have so recently experienced? I’ll need a couple of days to get over my post-vacation blues.
The last days in Bangkok were quite special. I made the acquaintance of a Laotian fellow, Nai Vongkhamchan (pronunciation “nigh ?????” your guess is as good as mine). He was on holiday in Bangkok, staying with friends who were actually natives of the northeast Isan region, the area I visited earlier on my trip. He and his friends took me on Friday to a couple of karaoke bars in places unvisited by Western tourists. . .
Continue reading Back in South Korea
It rained last night in the city even though it’s dry season. The streets had puddles of standing water this morning and it is now overcast and cool (well, relatively speaking). Today might find me touring some of the {{link http://bangkok.sawadee.com/temples.htm temples}}, taking a {{link http://www.bangkok-private.com/bkk_e/boat.htm boat ride}} on the river or just goofing off somewhere, perhaps taking in a night of muay thai.
I noticed that the weather in Montana is being . . . well, like the weather in Montana will be; that is, wait a few minutes and it will change. I posted a few days back that it was near -30 F. in Great Falls and Glendive. Today, the temperatures are approaching 60 F., nearly a 100 degree shift. Not unusual in this land of {{link http://www.bozemannet.com/state_of_montana/weather_climate.php extremes of weather}}.
I decided to stay at the Promenade Hotel in Bangkok, a mid-rate place off of Sukhumvit Road, Soi (street) 8. It’s costing about $30 a night. My brother commented that information about the costs in Thailand would be informative. Well, you can live as cheap as you want or as lavish a lifestyle as you can afford. Cheap guesthouses run as low as $3 a night and 5-star hotels might break Bill Gates. Street food is rock-bottom and some of the world-class restaurants will set you back a week’s wage. I’ve been eating Western food here, since I ate enough Thai food and seafood at Ko Sukorn to gag a shark. The costs at places like Sizzler, KFC or Outback are comparable to the States. There is a fantastic Thai outdoor restaurant, the Suda, where I eat. Prices are around $2.50-3.00 for enough food to fill you up for the evening, stuff like Coconut Milk Curry with Shrimp, Fried Rice with Chicken, Fried Sea Bass with Garlic and Peppers, etc. Pretty healthy and delicious.
This morning, however, I ate breakfast at {{link http://www.travelfish.org/eatandmeet_profile/thailand/bangkok_and_surrounds/bangkok/sukhumvit_soi_1_to_asok/eat/111 Crepes and Co.}}, a marvelous mid-Eastern eatery on Soi 12. I had breakfast to order for about $13. It included a first course of coffee and french toast sprinkled with powdered sugar, followed by a fruit platter of pineapple, watermelon and cantaloupe and a bread basket of baguettes, English muffins and a croissant. Then came the main course of eggs and bacon (ok, so it wasn’t so healthy), pineapple juice, and toast. Finally, another cup of coffee and a maple syrup and cream pancake. Yuuummmmm! I highly recommend the place–they also have fantastic crepes.
Haven’t seen any elephants wandering the streets this time around, yet. Might be as fast a way around Bangkok as anything except the skytrain. The authorities closed down the subway for an indefinite time, but at least for 7 days. It seems that {{link http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/19Jan2005_news31.php the accident}} was caused by human error, someone throwing the wrong switch on the emergency brake system. Motor bike taxis, here I come. More later.
It looks like a just missed another tragedy. I was scanning the headlines when I saw there was a {{link http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/1/17/latest/20792Bangkoksu&sec=latest subway accident}} in Bangkok, with about 200 injured, but, luckily, no deaths reported. I ride the subway and the sky train much of the time I need to travel around the city. So far, so good–in Africa in 2000 there wasn’t a coup while I was in Benin, so far the Demented Leader in North Korea hasn’t turned Seoul into a “lake of fire” while I’ve been there, I was safely in Bangkok during the tsunami, and now I’m in {{link http://www.hatyaitoday.com/menueng.html Hat Yai}}, a day before I go to Bangkok.
And I’m seriously thinking of applying for a teaching position in the Middle East.
I had a great time in Ko Sukorn, doing virtually nothing but sitting on the beach reading and eating. The Bungalows have a few very good cooks, and the catch o’ the day was always quite delicious, prepared in any number of ways. Last night I had a whole, fresh tuna (about 2 pounds) fried in garlic and chili peppers–yuuuummmm! I was very sorry to leave there this morning. I’ll miss Palm, Thom, Iyut, Kan and the rest of the staff. They make you feel like you really belong there. Iyut was telling me about a program where the Thai government might provide extra money to the island to hire a native-speaking English teacher. I would definitely not mind working and living here. Not because of the tropical beach setting, but because of the wonderful people. I’ll email Iyut to keep me informed.
A few days ago, with Thom as the boatsman and guide, a few of us visitors took a boat tour to a couple of the neighboring islands, Ko Takieng and Ko Lao Lieng. The former is good for snorkelling, with fantastic, crystal-clear waters and coral reefs. I didn’t hop in with the rest, who brought along there own gear. They were 3 Germans, a lady and her husband and brother, in their 60′s, I would guess, who have been snorkelling and diving for 35 years, the lady told me. I was content to stay on the boat and talk with Thom (Tohm or the western pronunciation of Tom, if you like). I do have this one phobia, fear of sharks, so whenever I went into the water, it was about ankle depth for 10 seconds. I exaggerate, of course. Thom told me “no sharks in Thailand.” Palm had told me something similar a few days before when I spotted fins breaking the water not far off the beach at the Bungalows. Turns out they belonged to a dolphin. Ok, Thom and Palm, I believe you. More on that later. After the trip to Takieng, we continued . . .
Continue reading Thailand — 1/17/2005 — Hat Yai
As you can see by the subject heading, I, being a somewhat lazy traveler, decided to stay on Ko Sukorn until I return to Bangkok on the 18th. Can’t really say why, except that I like this little island and the friendly people who live on it. Unfortunately, Internet access here is quite expensive, so I’ll keep this short for today and update the blog in more detail when I get back to the Big Mango. Weather is still beautiful, cloudless blue skies, very warm and humid. I notice that family and friends in Great Falls and Glendive, Montana, are “enjoying” temperatures close to minus 30. My sympathies. More later.
I’ve decided to stay on Sukorn for another day, leaving, then, for Ko Lipe on the 12th, then flying to Bangkok from Hat Yai on the 18th.
Yesterday was hiking day, a walk to the scenic view atop a 400-foot tall hill being the main objective, a walk I had taken this past summer. It was another stunning day–hot, humid, with clear blue skies. The walk from the Bungalows to the trail up the hill takes 20 minutes, and the path begins through a shady rubber plantation, winding its way slowly up the hillside. The rubber runs out of the tree as a fluid the color and consistency of milk. It’s guided by a notch cut in the tree to drip into half a hollowed-out coconut husk, most of them attached about 3 or 4 feet up the trunk. If the fluid sits for a length of time, it begins to feel like the rubber that consumers see as the end result of whatever processing must occur. ({{link http://www.geocities.com/~nesst/rubber.htm Read this}} for a good explanation.) There are hundreds of the trees planted in neat rows, and they provide plenty of shade and bird habitat.
Once the path begins to climb more steeply . . .
Continue reading Thailand — 1/10/2005 — Ko Sukorn
(Luckily, Sukorn Beach Bungalows has Internet access, but it is sporadic and VERY slow, so the posts from here may also be sporadic.)
Enough train travel for now–my curiousity about Thai railways was satisfied with the last leg of my journey from Bangkok to Trang, another long overnighter, though I slept better than on the other stretch. Again my seat mate was a young girl, perhaps 16, who was seen off by her boyfriend. She was welcomed by family in a small village just outside of Trang, so I’m sure she wasn’t part of the “entertainment” trade. The train was about 40 minutes late getting to Trang, and I was afraid I would miss my connection to Ko Sukorn, but there wasn’t a problem, riding a pickup truck to the Pallian pier, about 30 kilometers from Trang and then a longtail boat to Sukorn. A short motorbike ride brought me to Sukorn beach Bungalows.
To say that the tsunami didn’t have an impact on the island would be a superficial observation. There was no physical impact . . .
Continue reading Thailand — 1/7/2005 — Ko Sukorn
After a long train ride last night, I am in Bangkok until 6:30 this evening, when I endure another long train ride to {{link http://www.trangonline.com/ Trang}}. Then, tomorrow at this time, I should be basking on the beach on Ko Sukorn. I bought a few items at {{link http://thaivillageweaver.com/ Village Weaver Handicrafts}} in Nong Khai yesterday–a couple of nice shirts and a nice little carrying bag, beautifully woven patterns in each. It’s a good project, promoting locally produced items made on looms at the shop and in some of the villages. Click on the link above to read more.
Well, my first train ride in almost 40 years was interesting, but, because it took place at night, it wasn’t very scenic. The noisy beast clinked and clanked and clacked its way through the Thai night, stopping at several places along the way. The noise and the swaying and lurching and jolting kept me mostly awake, though I know I fell asleep at least once because I remember the dream I was having. I dreamed that I was working on some weird road construction crew in Thailand and that we were building a freeway overpass, complete with the unending noise from the road grader. Thus, the sounds of the train impeded on and influenced my dream.
I didn’t have a seat mate until we reached Udon Thani, when, along with numerous other passengers to board, three young Thai girls got on, one of them assigned the seat facing mine.
Continue reading Thailand — 1/5/2005 — Bangkok
Took a loooong bicycle trip today (long for me, at least), 40 kilometers round trip, about 24 miles. I went to visit the {{link http://www.mutmee.net/030040_wet_lands.htm wetlands}} area and cycled through some very peaceful countryside. The region reminds me so much of Africa–wooded savannah-like terrain, flat, with scattered copses of trees until you get to the wetlands, where the vegetation is much more verdant. More importantly, the people are extremely friendly, calling out “hello,” waving and smiling wherever I went. The children, especially, would come out and wave and run alongside the bike. They’re very uninhibited and love having their photo taken, so I’ll post some of their smiling faces when I return. And, it was a warm day with plenty of sunshine, so I fear that I got a bit burned. This is in contrast to last night when it actually felt cold, like perhaps in the 50 F. range. I know, I know, I can hear the all the sounds of pity and condolences coming from my friends in Montana, Korea, and other wintry areas where 50 degrees would feel like summer right now! (Hope you are all enjoying the sub-zero temperatures in Montana.) But with the breeze off the river, I had to put on a sweater and went to bed with a heavy quilt!
Observation: Cats are in charge in Southern Thailand, but up north it seems that dogs rule the roost. Why is that? I asked Sam, a Thai teacher who is staying at Mut Mee. He didn’t know. In Bangkok and farther south, every household has at least 2 cats, but here everyone has 2 or 3 dogs running around and few cats to be seen anywhere. Hmmm, something to ponder.
Speaking of Montana, I noticed in the Mut Mee guest book that “Peter Brown” from “Montana, USA” checked in yesterday. I’ll have to try to find him; it’s a small world, indeed.
I had heard that all trains and busses going to Bangkok were booked full from Jan. 3 to 5th. Arrrghhh, I’m supposed to be in Bangkok on the 5th to catch my train south to Ko Sukorn. I went online to see if Air Asia had room on their flight on the 4th or 5th–they did, so I breathed a sigh of relief. Still, I wanted to take the train from Nong Khai, not have to take a bus to Udon Thani to catch an airplane. So, I peddled down to the train station and much to my surprise, they had room in the 2nd class sleeper train. So, I leave Nong Khai on the 4th at 7:30 p.m. and get to Bangkok the next morning. I’ll goof off in Bangkok for most of the day, then catch the 7:30 p.m. overnight to Trang and Ko Sukorn. This will be my first train ride in almost 40 years! I’m looking forward to it, though I won’t be able to see much in the dark.
The cleanup and the body count still continue in Southeast Asia. I don’t think they will ever find everyone who is still missing. The King and Queen of Thailand, revered by their people, {{link http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20041230-9999-1m30prince.html lost a grandson}} as well.
More later.
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