The bus was a shaky deal with open windows and doors to let in the smoke and heat from the roadside bush fires. All over Thailand and Laos they were slashing and burning new fields. It made a sort of permanent haze everywhere. I arrived in the dusty town of Soppong and hired a moto to drive me the 9km to where I wanted to stay. This was the first time on the trip I feared for my life (it would happen only once more in Saigon). I had my 20kg or so ruck on my back and he had my smaller pack on his lap. He was going at maniac speed and the road was big enough for one car really, only partially paved, and full of pot holes. Trucks and motos of all sizes came hurtling at us from both directions and I tried my best not to visaulize how painful it was going to be when I hit the ground with or without a moto on top of me.
But I survived. The place I stayed was called Cave Lodge, in a Shan village called Ban Tham Lod. The area is notable for its various caves and some prehistoric sites. There are, as everywhere in Northern Thailand, a number of different minority villages around. Tham Lod is also about 5km from the Burmese border. It's run by an Australian fellow, John, and his Shan wife. He's a caver and general adventurist. He's been living in the area for decades and has been running the lodge for about 20 years. Built it himself. It's a collection of bungalows around a bigger house (common area, kitchen, his house, dorm room, etc.). It's up on a riverbank and close to a cave that the river runs through; the town's namesake Tham Lod.
I was met by a cheerful crowd in the common area. There's a fire pit, hammocks, cushions, books, shrine, incredible pictures John has taken over the years of caves and people. The few days I spent there, there was a neat feel of people moving in and out, coming and going. Everyone was quite sociable and chilled out. There was a group from Yorkshire: an older couple and their daughter and son-in-law, a really fun Australian couple. These were all here for the caving. They werent professionals but knew what they were doing. There was an English couple who were on my same flight to Mae Hong Son and I'd see them again in Pai. There was a fellow, Alex, from Costa Rica but had been living in the US for a long time. He had been traveling in Myanmar and while there he consumed a hallucinogenic secretion from a frog (ie. "licked" a toad). On that trip he had a vision of his childhood invisible friend, a gorilla, and he had plans to have a tattoo done of said gorilla. There was a pair of strapping young gentlemen, English and Russo-American who did tai chi in the common room. I had originally thought they were studying some martial art in Chiang Mai but it turns out they lived in Pai. More on that storyline shortly.
While I was there I lazed around, reading, I went on a little walk around the area by myself, I went on a little tour with Alex. We rode out to see a "coffin cave," of which there are several in the area. It was just a cave with a couple remaining prehistoric wooden (!!!) big trough-like things that used to be elevated on stilts where they would lay the dead. I'm not sure what other details there are (grave goods, state of the body, etc). We also went to one of the Karen ethnic villages. We bought gas from them in a 2-L plastic bottle. One of the young fellas was quite drunk and kept stringing his favourite English sayings together "Thank you very much, Coca-Cola OK, very good, OK!" and was dancing and singing and being generally raucous, but fun. That night we went through Tham Lod, a cave with a river running through it. The coolest part was the river, which we traveled on with a bamboo raft, though we got to see some of the caverns by kerosene lamp. Every evening at dusk hundreds of swifts fly around like mad before they hunker in to their nests in the cave for the night.
My most enduring and cherished memory of Cave Lodge, though, is from the very first morning. I woke up in my little shack, opened my eyes and I saw a perfect, quiet, hazy morning forest image.
A crowd of the guests plus John the owner and his family were preparing to go on a kayaking/caving expedition for 3 days. I was very tempted to go, but I decided it was more money than I wanted to spend just then and I did want to head on to Pai. Looking back, it would have been awesome, but also looking back I wouldn't change much about my Pai experience.
You know, most people come back from Pai and have some story about life-changing experiences or attunement or just what a blast they had. So I do. It's a small place with not really a lot to do. It really is full of hippies, new-agey people, self-proclaimed mystics, and generally "alternative" sort of folk. That's mostly why I loved it there. From the basis of my emotional state then, it was an important nurturing and revealing place.
Some clips of what I wrote in my journal:
"I'm slowly being turned inside out."
"[People I met] have pulled some kind of valve and I'm watching my life's stories and feelings and choices flowing out in front of me in full body heaves and I'm seeing them for what they are."
It was here I understood that I didn't want to go back to Korea and that I needed to end my romantic relationship. I eventually understood that I did have to go back to Korea for a little while because I would have had no money. I was close to calling it all off and just going home, or staying in SE Asia (don't know how that would have worked out!), and a number of other wild ideas. While I ended up taking the cautious route (going back to Korea) I did decide to cut my contract. I am so lucky and happy that I came back, and I am so lucky and happy that I am leaving now when I am.
Anyway, I became enraptured with one of the guys I met at Cave Lodge, Jack, I tried out some tai chi, I spoke to some people with really positive things to say and interesting stories to tell. I ran into Marco, the Dutch guy I met way back in Melaka. I ran into Alex again. I ran into the English couple who were on the place in Mae Hong Son and at Cave Lodge. I did see a couple temples, some waterfalls, a Chinese village originally founded by refugee Kuomintang. Also witnessed/was initiated to the beginnings of Songkran (the Buddhist New Year--Pii Mai in Laos) festivities.
I stayed in Pai for a week just idling: eating delicious food, drinking Kombucha, doing tai chi (sort of), hanging out, chatting. I needed it even if it sent me off into several deep-ends, in a good but exhausting way. For the next few weeks I really hit my stride in my travels and felt grounded but with a floating spirit.
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Mae Hong Son and some festivals
Mae Hong Son was a neat little place where I could walk into town from the air port. I had some trouble finding a place to stay because most of the budget guest houses were full. There weren’t really that many tourists around though. *shrug* There was an important festival going on so maybe it was relatives and culture vultures that were coming into town. I finally found a place and crashed for 13 hours.
In my planning I was intrigued by Mae Hong Son because of its proximity to exotic, unreachable Myanmar. But Myanmar is totally reachable and I met several travelers throughout my trip who had been. I don’t know anything about the traditional and vernacular architecture of the area so I couldn’t tell if the houses and shops looked Burmese but the temples were definitely different than the other Thai ones. These were Shan, specifically, rather than Burmese. The tiers of the roofs are different, the style of embellishments are different, the inside decoration is a bit different.
I just wandered around mostly. I saw the two major temples, went in some shops, walked around the night market. The festival going on was the Poi Sang Long. It’s where the young Shan boys are about to be initiated as novices in the temple. They’re about 7 years old, give or take. They’ll do this in towns all over the area but there’s bigger ceremony in the larger towns like Mae Hong Son and Pai. The boys get all dressed up in fancy “princely” clothes complete with makeup and they’re paraded around town on the shoulders of a relative or on a truck or horse (so that they can’t touch the ground) accompanied by relatives banging drums and gongs, and a sort of decorated parasol. There are several stages of the goings-on, like cutting of the hair, absolution from the local abbots, partying with the family.
I woke up early the second day to see the big procession around the town. It was a gorgeous sunrise and everyone started to gather around the two main temples in their best clothes it seemed. They strap the possessions the boys will take with them to the temple onto poles which the women carry. There was a pickup truck with musicians and middle-aged ladies dancing. There were other offerings and gifts and drums and gongs. Everything brightly coloured. It was really neat to see everyone lining up. Finally they were off for a circuit or two of the town.
I’d arranged a motorbike ride to a “Longneck Village.” I recoiled a bit at the signs advertising tours to these villages because they don’t use the name they call themselves. They are part of the larger Karen group which has three major groups within it I think. The village I visited, Huay Sua Thao, was mostly populated by Kayan (that’s what they call themselves). I suppose tourists who haven’t looked into it at all wouldn’t know a Kayan from a hole in the wall (nor would I were she not a woman with rings on her neck) but I think the tour companies could have a bit more tact.
You pay an entrance fee (there’s an explanation about what the money goes towards, but I’m not convinced that it all goes to the village) and the sort of polite way to go about things is to buy something from their stalls then ask to take their picture. Most spoke enough English to talk about prices and say what items were. Not all of them are their own handicrafts but one woman had had a professional photographer take a number of pictures of her and some of the other women and she sells prints of these. I’d seen her face on postcards around Mae Hong Son too. There was one frustrating episode with a Thai man (I think?) who was barking at one girl who’d just gotten off a motorcycle. He wanted a better picture of her on it or near it or something. She didn’t oblige him but she looked pissed off.
At one point a small procession came by with men carrying logs, some gong and drum banging and girls followed with bowls of water which they were sprinkling at everyone. It was close to Songkran so I thought that might be something to do with it. We followed them up to these sort of totem poles, or rather poles with a small sort of temple on each. There was a foreigner there who was making a documentary about a village outcast and he explained what he knew about it (and then on the way out I noticed a board with explanations of different aspects of their culture).
In their creation story the earth lacked density so the creator deities planted a post and as the post grew, so did the earth and it became firm. The post is venerated and is called “Kan Htein Bo.” Each year they plant a new pole, preferably made of Eugenia tree, the first tree created. The old ones stay up but (as I saw when I was there) if there’s one that has rotted and fallen, they remove it. The part at the top has pieces to represent the Sun, Moon, a sanctuary for the deities, a streamer as a ladder to connect heaven and earth, and a spider’s web which humans must pass through to get to heaven (also a reference to their belief of the interconnectedness of all the parts of the universe).
When I was there they were just making preparations, building the new sanctuary thing for the top, etc. I was really lucky to see it though. Usually the tourists stay where the stalls are I think and don’t get to interact within the daily life and traditions of the village.
On the way to the village I saw some elephants meant for tourist treks. The scenery was nice, and the road was crisscrossed by streams and the pavement covered in algae under the water. Even though the driver always slowed down and took care at the stream we took a spill once. No one was hurt, and we were dry again by the time we left the village. My camera was completely submerged, though only briefly, and it survived. That camera took a real beating throughout my trip but it’s no worse for wear except the water stains on the inside lens and scratched viewing screen.
That afternoon I got the bus to Soppong.
In my planning I was intrigued by Mae Hong Son because of its proximity to exotic, unreachable Myanmar. But Myanmar is totally reachable and I met several travelers throughout my trip who had been. I don’t know anything about the traditional and vernacular architecture of the area so I couldn’t tell if the houses and shops looked Burmese but the temples were definitely different than the other Thai ones. These were Shan, specifically, rather than Burmese. The tiers of the roofs are different, the style of embellishments are different, the inside decoration is a bit different.
I just wandered around mostly. I saw the two major temples, went in some shops, walked around the night market. The festival going on was the Poi Sang Long. It’s where the young Shan boys are about to be initiated as novices in the temple. They’re about 7 years old, give or take. They’ll do this in towns all over the area but there’s bigger ceremony in the larger towns like Mae Hong Son and Pai. The boys get all dressed up in fancy “princely” clothes complete with makeup and they’re paraded around town on the shoulders of a relative or on a truck or horse (so that they can’t touch the ground) accompanied by relatives banging drums and gongs, and a sort of decorated parasol. There are several stages of the goings-on, like cutting of the hair, absolution from the local abbots, partying with the family.
I woke up early the second day to see the big procession around the town. It was a gorgeous sunrise and everyone started to gather around the two main temples in their best clothes it seemed. They strap the possessions the boys will take with them to the temple onto poles which the women carry. There was a pickup truck with musicians and middle-aged ladies dancing. There were other offerings and gifts and drums and gongs. Everything brightly coloured. It was really neat to see everyone lining up. Finally they were off for a circuit or two of the town.
I’d arranged a motorbike ride to a “Longneck Village.” I recoiled a bit at the signs advertising tours to these villages because they don’t use the name they call themselves. They are part of the larger Karen group which has three major groups within it I think. The village I visited, Huay Sua Thao, was mostly populated by Kayan (that’s what they call themselves). I suppose tourists who haven’t looked into it at all wouldn’t know a Kayan from a hole in the wall (nor would I were she not a woman with rings on her neck) but I think the tour companies could have a bit more tact.
You pay an entrance fee (there’s an explanation about what the money goes towards, but I’m not convinced that it all goes to the village) and the sort of polite way to go about things is to buy something from their stalls then ask to take their picture. Most spoke enough English to talk about prices and say what items were. Not all of them are their own handicrafts but one woman had had a professional photographer take a number of pictures of her and some of the other women and she sells prints of these. I’d seen her face on postcards around Mae Hong Son too. There was one frustrating episode with a Thai man (I think?) who was barking at one girl who’d just gotten off a motorcycle. He wanted a better picture of her on it or near it or something. She didn’t oblige him but she looked pissed off.
At one point a small procession came by with men carrying logs, some gong and drum banging and girls followed with bowls of water which they were sprinkling at everyone. It was close to Songkran so I thought that might be something to do with it. We followed them up to these sort of totem poles, or rather poles with a small sort of temple on each. There was a foreigner there who was making a documentary about a village outcast and he explained what he knew about it (and then on the way out I noticed a board with explanations of different aspects of their culture).
In their creation story the earth lacked density so the creator deities planted a post and as the post grew, so did the earth and it became firm. The post is venerated and is called “Kan Htein Bo.” Each year they plant a new pole, preferably made of Eugenia tree, the first tree created. The old ones stay up but (as I saw when I was there) if there’s one that has rotted and fallen, they remove it. The part at the top has pieces to represent the Sun, Moon, a sanctuary for the deities, a streamer as a ladder to connect heaven and earth, and a spider’s web which humans must pass through to get to heaven (also a reference to their belief of the interconnectedness of all the parts of the universe).
When I was there they were just making preparations, building the new sanctuary thing for the top, etc. I was really lucky to see it though. Usually the tourists stay where the stalls are I think and don’t get to interact within the daily life and traditions of the village.
On the way to the village I saw some elephants meant for tourist treks. The scenery was nice, and the road was crisscrossed by streams and the pavement covered in algae under the water. Even though the driver always slowed down and took care at the stream we took a spill once. No one was hurt, and we were dry again by the time we left the village. My camera was completely submerged, though only briefly, and it survived. That camera took a real beating throughout my trip but it’s no worse for wear except the water stains on the inside lens and scratched viewing screen.
That afternoon I got the bus to Soppong.
Friday, May 22, 2009
More Thailand (Sukhothai, Chiang Mai)
I've been thinking for weeks about how best to organize the next few posts on my travels, where to put the division lines.
I left Bangkok the night of March 28, just to keep you up to speed with chronology. I forgot to mention one Bangkok anecdote: I was walking down the street towards my hostel and was passing Patpong Market. Something seemed really strange and eerie, then I realized that none of the stalls had their lights on, indeed most had candles. I immediately assumed that the power was out and I looked in to the permanent shops but their lights were on. Confused I started formulating explanations like a fuse was blown in the market's power supply. Then I passed some police cars and a camera crew. Then my imagination really got going. The answer came to me on a t-shirt: Earth Hour 2009. How cool is that?
Now, I had been to Ayutthaya, the UNESCO designated World Heritage site, former Thai capital. I'm not one to miss out on more sweet ruins so I went to the capital that preceded that one, also a World Heritage site, Sukhothai.
There's an excellent night sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. If you time it right you can save on time and money by sleeping on the train and stopping off on places along the way. I took a pleasant fan-cooled sleeper bunk train to Phitsanulok. I arrived just as it was dawning and was able to stash my big bag in a room at the station. After a quick bite I took a cyclo (or trishaw or whatever you wanna call it) to the bus station as the sun was coming up and the monks were returning from their alms rounds. Then I got a bus for an hour to Sukhothai, and then a shared mini van to the historical park. Then I rented a bicycle to get around.
These temples and other ruins have more obvious associations with Hindism, especially lingas and yonis which I hadn't known about before. I learned a lot about Hindu-Buddhist art and architecture and its Thai chronology. The Sukhothai period was know for its standing Buddhas. The creature garuda is the national symbol of Thailand and also the symbol of the monarchy. I wrote this in my journal "I think we're too plain and obsessed with realism and science in Canada. We would never use a crazy monster symbol like in association with our leaders." I really loved Sukhothai, it was more peaceful and less-frequented by tourists, at least when I was there. Really beautiful place.
Sawngthaew (pick-up truck with benches) to the bus station, bus to Phitsanulok, moto to train station. I hadn't been able to book another sleeper bunk that morning so I was in second class for the night trip up to Chiang Mai. Another interesting transportation experience to add to the list. These were rickety but reclining seats. There were fans, the lights were always on, and the windows were open, letting in the loud clickety-clack, various pungents smells, and every insect attracted by the lights or swept in by the wind came to join us. I'd wake up every so often and have to dust the dead bugs off me. The drink and food vendors were there but in fewer numbers and there were no people standing in the aisles, though they were between the cars. I didn't sleep much but I kept thinking about the miserable trip the third-class passengers must be having.
As I stepped off the train I felt a migraine coming on. I haven't had one for a couple years. It starts with one of my hands becoming numb and tingly and the sentation passes up through my arm, into my neck and face, down my throat and up to my eye. When I first notice it I usually stop all activity and go to bed, except for the time I was in the middle of an exam and this time getting off a night train in Thailand. Luckily I'd phoned ahead the day before to book a room so I got in a tuk-tuk and got there fine. But reception didn't open for almost an hour. Then the bed wasn't available until midday. Fuck, I was dying. I was able to eat, book a short cooking course for that night, then crash on the daybeds on a rooftop terrace. When I finally got to the room I slept the rest of the day and woke up fine.
I had a limited time in Chiang Mai because I'd booked a flight to Mae Hong Son. I planned to return to CM anyway. I hadn't planned on doing a cooking course but there was one just for an evening. I was really glad I did, I had a lot of fun. It was just me and a German couple and the thing was done at the chef's home just out of town. We made pad thai, curry, tom yum, some other stuff. I learned about some ingredients and got a cookbook out of it, included.
When I returned I started chatting with a lovely nice American girl, Katie, who had been to Manitoulin Island (how unusual and awesome is that!) and we eventually went out for food/drinks with a whole crowd of Aussies, Canadians, American, Swede, UK... I had my heart set on reggae and dancing, both together ideally. We hopped around as each place shooed us out. We ended up at a place called THC, a really chill place with reaggae so I was very happy. Then a cute thing happened, and Katie forgive me but I thought it was so adorable. Katie was up getting a drink and a nice-looking French boy said something to her. Now, she's taken French before but was startled and nervous and sometimes we forget our languages when that happens (even our native tongue). She told me the little story when she got back and pointed him out. He notioced us looking/talking about him so he came over. (I might add that this simple assertive but unaggressive action gave me a very favourable first impression of him, nice work Olivier!). Katie was so cute trying to practice her French but slipping into Spanish all the time, and Olivier was so lovely and patient.
So the whole crowd (including new additions and subtractions) hauled off to somewhere else. Not sure cuz the rum and coke buckets were starting to get to me a little, but I know there was dancing and I know I talked about Paris Combo, and I know I danced with some Thai girls and one told me right away she likes boys and not girls (just in case I guess). There is photographic evidence of a tuk-tuk ride with like 10 people inside. Anyway arrived upstairs at some breakfast place having, well, breakfast as the sun was coming up and then everyone was pairing off. Just me and Olivier and Damien, two lovely French boys, were left; lucky me! I was pleased to find I could converse fairly easily in French and not be talking about school, Aliant telecommunications, or breastfeeding (...yeah, old call center job). I rolled in around 10 am and slept. Then caught the plane that afternoon. Needless to say really, but I didn't see a single tourist or historical or religious site in Chiang Mai and I didn't end up backtracking there. But I had a fabulous time. I met a pair of lovely, outgoing, positive Aussie ladies that I'd run into again later.
I sound like a teenager, retelling a "night out" story but what the hell.
Next post will be about Mae Hong Son and Soppong.
I left Bangkok the night of March 28, just to keep you up to speed with chronology. I forgot to mention one Bangkok anecdote: I was walking down the street towards my hostel and was passing Patpong Market. Something seemed really strange and eerie, then I realized that none of the stalls had their lights on, indeed most had candles. I immediately assumed that the power was out and I looked in to the permanent shops but their lights were on. Confused I started formulating explanations like a fuse was blown in the market's power supply. Then I passed some police cars and a camera crew. Then my imagination really got going. The answer came to me on a t-shirt: Earth Hour 2009. How cool is that?
Now, I had been to Ayutthaya, the UNESCO designated World Heritage site, former Thai capital. I'm not one to miss out on more sweet ruins so I went to the capital that preceded that one, also a World Heritage site, Sukhothai.
There's an excellent night sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. If you time it right you can save on time and money by sleeping on the train and stopping off on places along the way. I took a pleasant fan-cooled sleeper bunk train to Phitsanulok. I arrived just as it was dawning and was able to stash my big bag in a room at the station. After a quick bite I took a cyclo (or trishaw or whatever you wanna call it) to the bus station as the sun was coming up and the monks were returning from their alms rounds. Then I got a bus for an hour to Sukhothai, and then a shared mini van to the historical park. Then I rented a bicycle to get around.
These temples and other ruins have more obvious associations with Hindism, especially lingas and yonis which I hadn't known about before. I learned a lot about Hindu-Buddhist art and architecture and its Thai chronology. The Sukhothai period was know for its standing Buddhas. The creature garuda is the national symbol of Thailand and also the symbol of the monarchy. I wrote this in my journal "I think we're too plain and obsessed with realism and science in Canada. We would never use a crazy monster symbol like in association with our leaders." I really loved Sukhothai, it was more peaceful and less-frequented by tourists, at least when I was there. Really beautiful place.
Sawngthaew (pick-up truck with benches) to the bus station, bus to Phitsanulok, moto to train station. I hadn't been able to book another sleeper bunk that morning so I was in second class for the night trip up to Chiang Mai. Another interesting transportation experience to add to the list. These were rickety but reclining seats. There were fans, the lights were always on, and the windows were open, letting in the loud clickety-clack, various pungents smells, and every insect attracted by the lights or swept in by the wind came to join us. I'd wake up every so often and have to dust the dead bugs off me. The drink and food vendors were there but in fewer numbers and there were no people standing in the aisles, though they were between the cars. I didn't sleep much but I kept thinking about the miserable trip the third-class passengers must be having.
As I stepped off the train I felt a migraine coming on. I haven't had one for a couple years. It starts with one of my hands becoming numb and tingly and the sentation passes up through my arm, into my neck and face, down my throat and up to my eye. When I first notice it I usually stop all activity and go to bed, except for the time I was in the middle of an exam and this time getting off a night train in Thailand. Luckily I'd phoned ahead the day before to book a room so I got in a tuk-tuk and got there fine. But reception didn't open for almost an hour. Then the bed wasn't available until midday. Fuck, I was dying. I was able to eat, book a short cooking course for that night, then crash on the daybeds on a rooftop terrace. When I finally got to the room I slept the rest of the day and woke up fine.
I had a limited time in Chiang Mai because I'd booked a flight to Mae Hong Son. I planned to return to CM anyway. I hadn't planned on doing a cooking course but there was one just for an evening. I was really glad I did, I had a lot of fun. It was just me and a German couple and the thing was done at the chef's home just out of town. We made pad thai, curry, tom yum, some other stuff. I learned about some ingredients and got a cookbook out of it, included.
When I returned I started chatting with a lovely nice American girl, Katie, who had been to Manitoulin Island (how unusual and awesome is that!) and we eventually went out for food/drinks with a whole crowd of Aussies, Canadians, American, Swede, UK... I had my heart set on reggae and dancing, both together ideally. We hopped around as each place shooed us out. We ended up at a place called THC, a really chill place with reaggae so I was very happy. Then a cute thing happened, and Katie forgive me but I thought it was so adorable. Katie was up getting a drink and a nice-looking French boy said something to her. Now, she's taken French before but was startled and nervous and sometimes we forget our languages when that happens (even our native tongue). She told me the little story when she got back and pointed him out. He notioced us looking/talking about him so he came over. (I might add that this simple assertive but unaggressive action gave me a very favourable first impression of him, nice work Olivier!). Katie was so cute trying to practice her French but slipping into Spanish all the time, and Olivier was so lovely and patient.
So the whole crowd (including new additions and subtractions) hauled off to somewhere else. Not sure cuz the rum and coke buckets were starting to get to me a little, but I know there was dancing and I know I talked about Paris Combo, and I know I danced with some Thai girls and one told me right away she likes boys and not girls (just in case I guess). There is photographic evidence of a tuk-tuk ride with like 10 people inside. Anyway arrived upstairs at some breakfast place having, well, breakfast as the sun was coming up and then everyone was pairing off. Just me and Olivier and Damien, two lovely French boys, were left; lucky me! I was pleased to find I could converse fairly easily in French and not be talking about school, Aliant telecommunications, or breastfeeding (...yeah, old call center job). I rolled in around 10 am and slept. Then caught the plane that afternoon. Needless to say really, but I didn't see a single tourist or historical or religious site in Chiang Mai and I didn't end up backtracking there. But I had a fabulous time. I met a pair of lovely, outgoing, positive Aussie ladies that I'd run into again later.
I sound like a teenager, retelling a "night out" story but what the hell.
Next post will be about Mae Hong Son and Soppong.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Picking it up again (Bangkok, Ayutthaya)
So where was I? Oh, Bangkok. OHHHHHH, Bangkok.
Just after I got settled into my dorm room I went out for dinner with a couple of the girls staying with me. One English girl just out of uni and loving the world and another English girl who works all over the world with limosine services or something also loving the world. We ate at Cabbages and Condoms. This is a really good restaurant for food quality and atmosphere actually and part of its proceeds go towards sex education especially in more remote areas of Thailand. They have a gift shop with all sorts of fun t-shirts and postcards as well as nice handicraft tourist things. There were mannequins whose attire was made entirely of multicoloured condoms and contraceptive pills. They give you a condom in lieu of an after dinner mint.
So then we went to Khao San Rd. Yep.
Alright alright, Khao San road is a sort of infamous backbacker party area. It's excellent for people watching. You may find vendors of fried insects, Ko Pha Ngan full moon party t-shirts, people to dread or braid your hair, tons of clothes and DVDs and knicknacks and what have you. There was a man with a young crazed-eyed elephant and his shtick is that you pay for some food to feed the elephant. Something completely fucked about this elephant in the middle of Bangkok like that. I saw another one on Silom Rd. You'll also find touts to take you to a ping pong show, usually in the Patpong area.
So we went to a ping pong show. Um, maybe you should just look that one up. What happens is they don't charge cover but you have to buy an outrageously expensive drink. We understood this but had been quoted a different price by our tout than the matron wanted. She got quite upset. We left after having paid the price we were originally told though. I don't think I'd encourage anyone to go see one of these shows. I didn't exactly know what I was getting into. Live and learn.
Patpong and Silom Rd. were interesting areas for observing the sex trade in action. You have your ping pong shows but also live sex shows and bars geared towards selling the girls or boys. I read a memoire called "Bangkok Boy" and really got the nitty gritty details. Just incredible.
I can't remember all the order of everything for the rest of the time I was there. I spent 5 days or so. I didn't get to Katchanaburi (Kwai River and all that) just because it was inconvenient from where I was staying. I did do a day trip to Ayutthaya, though. This was a former royal capital, 1351 to 1767. The Burmese invaded on several occasions and fianlly dismantled the city. The new (the present) Thai dynasty was later established at Thonburi/Bangkok. So Ayutthaya in a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has some ruined temples and bits of wall and palace. You know I love that stuff. A lot of it has been stuck together again with kind of unsightly concrete or something. The overall effect is lovely though.
The train up to Ayutthaya is 3rd class. Hard benches, open windows, ceiling fans, people in every square inch of space sitting, standing, squatting, hanging out the open train doors. Food and drink vendors squeezing along the aisles yelling out what they have. A real milk run.
I took the river taxi half often. It's so much nicer than sucking in retarded amounts of exhaust at face-level in a tuk-tuk. A tuk-tuk is a motorbike rigged with a place for passengers at the back. Even though there's a roof (which usually impedes your view) it's open to all the city's elements. The river taxi is cheaper, too. And you don't have to haggle. (200 baht! Oh it's very far! I went there for 80 last night! 100. Ugh, fine.)
My first day of proper site-seeing I met a nice handsome Danish guy, Klaus Andersen (oh yes, how Danish!) at the pier. We went around the Royal Palace and it's adjoining temple. You've heard about the King of Thailand? How he's pretty much venerated more than the Buddha? I had to rent a sarong to go around the palace because my three-quarter pants weren't decent enough. More like a hobble skirt. And yet never in mosques in Malaysia or Singapore was I asked to change my attire (I did have the sense to wear long-sleeves though...even in the Bangkok Palace too!). The palaces and temples of Bangkok are outta control! So much colour and glitter and mirrors and embellishments. It's really amazing to look at and be around, just mind-boggling. In one temple, Wat Pho, they have a HUGE reclining bronze Buddha: 46 meters long and 15 meters high.
Klaus travels differently than I do. He stays in nicer hotels, won't eat stall food. But we had a good chat about European and dogme films (kudos to Matt Sheedy for my education). We went to a nice jazz bar too, with Platoon playing on silently behind the bar. I've never heard Ella Fiztgerald kinda singing emenating from an Asian face. She was excellent.
There's a lot I didn't see and do in Bangkok. I'd visit again for sure. But what a job it does on you lungs! When you hear about Bangkok traffic being outrageous, it's true. It really is the cock of the block, though. I'm a long way from Bangkok physically and emotionally. I'm writing this bit from Luang Prabang, Laos.
More to come eventually!
Just after I got settled into my dorm room I went out for dinner with a couple of the girls staying with me. One English girl just out of uni and loving the world and another English girl who works all over the world with limosine services or something also loving the world. We ate at Cabbages and Condoms. This is a really good restaurant for food quality and atmosphere actually and part of its proceeds go towards sex education especially in more remote areas of Thailand. They have a gift shop with all sorts of fun t-shirts and postcards as well as nice handicraft tourist things. There were mannequins whose attire was made entirely of multicoloured condoms and contraceptive pills. They give you a condom in lieu of an after dinner mint.
So then we went to Khao San Rd. Yep.
Alright alright, Khao San road is a sort of infamous backbacker party area. It's excellent for people watching. You may find vendors of fried insects, Ko Pha Ngan full moon party t-shirts, people to dread or braid your hair, tons of clothes and DVDs and knicknacks and what have you. There was a man with a young crazed-eyed elephant and his shtick is that you pay for some food to feed the elephant. Something completely fucked about this elephant in the middle of Bangkok like that. I saw another one on Silom Rd. You'll also find touts to take you to a ping pong show, usually in the Patpong area.
So we went to a ping pong show. Um, maybe you should just look that one up. What happens is they don't charge cover but you have to buy an outrageously expensive drink. We understood this but had been quoted a different price by our tout than the matron wanted. She got quite upset. We left after having paid the price we were originally told though. I don't think I'd encourage anyone to go see one of these shows. I didn't exactly know what I was getting into. Live and learn.
Patpong and Silom Rd. were interesting areas for observing the sex trade in action. You have your ping pong shows but also live sex shows and bars geared towards selling the girls or boys. I read a memoire called "Bangkok Boy" and really got the nitty gritty details. Just incredible.
I can't remember all the order of everything for the rest of the time I was there. I spent 5 days or so. I didn't get to Katchanaburi (Kwai River and all that) just because it was inconvenient from where I was staying. I did do a day trip to Ayutthaya, though. This was a former royal capital, 1351 to 1767. The Burmese invaded on several occasions and fianlly dismantled the city. The new (the present) Thai dynasty was later established at Thonburi/Bangkok. So Ayutthaya in a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has some ruined temples and bits of wall and palace. You know I love that stuff. A lot of it has been stuck together again with kind of unsightly concrete or something. The overall effect is lovely though.
The train up to Ayutthaya is 3rd class. Hard benches, open windows, ceiling fans, people in every square inch of space sitting, standing, squatting, hanging out the open train doors. Food and drink vendors squeezing along the aisles yelling out what they have. A real milk run.
I took the river taxi half often. It's so much nicer than sucking in retarded amounts of exhaust at face-level in a tuk-tuk. A tuk-tuk is a motorbike rigged with a place for passengers at the back. Even though there's a roof (which usually impedes your view) it's open to all the city's elements. The river taxi is cheaper, too. And you don't have to haggle. (200 baht! Oh it's very far! I went there for 80 last night! 100. Ugh, fine.)
My first day of proper site-seeing I met a nice handsome Danish guy, Klaus Andersen (oh yes, how Danish!) at the pier. We went around the Royal Palace and it's adjoining temple. You've heard about the King of Thailand? How he's pretty much venerated more than the Buddha? I had to rent a sarong to go around the palace because my three-quarter pants weren't decent enough. More like a hobble skirt. And yet never in mosques in Malaysia or Singapore was I asked to change my attire (I did have the sense to wear long-sleeves though...even in the Bangkok Palace too!). The palaces and temples of Bangkok are outta control! So much colour and glitter and mirrors and embellishments. It's really amazing to look at and be around, just mind-boggling. In one temple, Wat Pho, they have a HUGE reclining bronze Buddha: 46 meters long and 15 meters high.
Klaus travels differently than I do. He stays in nicer hotels, won't eat stall food. But we had a good chat about European and dogme films (kudos to Matt Sheedy for my education). We went to a nice jazz bar too, with Platoon playing on silently behind the bar. I've never heard Ella Fiztgerald kinda singing emenating from an Asian face. She was excellent.
There's a lot I didn't see and do in Bangkok. I'd visit again for sure. But what a job it does on you lungs! When you hear about Bangkok traffic being outrageous, it's true. It really is the cock of the block, though. I'm a long way from Bangkok physically and emotionally. I'm writing this bit from Luang Prabang, Laos.
More to come eventually!
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