The Ancient City, Bangkok

Took some pictures of the Atlanta lobby which was exactly as described by Lonely Planet, No Humphrey Bogart, but the Queen of Thailand used to eat there in the 60's. (I don't think she does now!)





















Spent Sunday with my charming friend, Miss Tussanee, who works for Swan Industries in Thailand and helped me during a trade show last year. We took a taxi to the "Ancient City", a 300 acre site with a fantastic collection of Buddhist shrines and temples, ancient remains, traditional Thai arts and crafts and wildlife. The site is so big we hired an electric golf buggy to get around (the nearest to golf I will get on this trip) and the breeze while we toured around was a relief from the extreme heat, >30 deg C. We had a meal of noodles and pork with a fresh, chilled coconut in a beautiful floating market in the centre of the park. Cost, 45 TB each, about 60p, can you imagine the cost of that in Alton Towers?

Here are some pictures from my phone camera just to give you an impression of some of the beautiful sights, my lunch and an example of the local fauna...





























We went back in to Bangkok to buy the camera, I withdrew some cash then decided I needed more to get the discount in the Panasonic store, tried to withdraw more and then found the card had been blocked, a security precaution I think, but a bit embarrassing having to explain back in the store. All sorted though and I have a new Lumix DMC FS3 and an instruction book written in Thai. Well I did expect some challenges but that is one I can't overcome!

Thank you to my lovely friend for spending her only day of holiday in the week with me. This is Miss T, "Ginger Juice" trying to look serious but difficult for the most smiley person in the whole of the "Land of Smiles".




Took a taxi that evening to the station and boarded the sleeper to Nhong Kai. Only upper berths available and had difficulty sleeping, worried about turning over and ending up in the aisle. Met an American guy on the train, Jonny, from Montana, and we travelled into the capital, Vientianne and onwards to Viang Vieng together. Border crossing into Laos was painless, no queues, tuc tuc into Vietianne, then a 4 hour VIP bus ride, $7 each. They must have realised we were not real VIP's and allocated a different bus, no aircon or waitress service but the windows did open. Here is Jonny at the half way house with the bus and a bridge we crossed on the way here.







Checked into a guesthouse with a balcony overlooking the river, double bed, hot shower, $4. And dinner of 1/2 a BBQ chicken, sticky rice and a litre of Lao beer, $3. Even a pensioner can live well here.

Welcome to Bangkok

I took this picture of the street where I was staying on 14th...Love Lane, in Georgetown, just like home (where the horses are) and the buildings are in a similar state of repair. At night the street was frequented by some ladies of the night. Well I say ladies but they were certainly not that and I don't think they were even female, scary!



Also got to use my mossie net for the first time. There was one in my room and we fought a battle of wills as I struggled to hang the net from the overhead reading light before it got me... I won. This was the view from my window, corrugated iron comes in a variety of degrees of rust.



Caught the ferry back from Penang in the morning to Butterworth, desparately hot and 5km to the nearest aircon, so I went there, to Pacific shopping plaza, parted with none of my Ringits but at least I was cool until the train left for Bangkok at 3pm. Another eventful trip, the journey is from 3pm to 10.45 the following morning so the seats are arraged like this during the day....



But the numbering is a bit odd. They convert to an upper and lower bunk for sleeping (2 people) but during the day they let day travellers on between stations on the route and everyone has a ticket with a seat allocation. So there can be a total of 6 people trying to occupy the 4 seats. Possession is 9/10ths of the law, don't move once you have your seat! (Not sure I explained that too well)

A major disaster along the way, the camera I borrowed from Helen has stopped working and needs to go back to Nikon. Bugger. Don't think I can manage with just the camera in my phone so I will have to buy one for this trip.

Almost another disaster coming in to Bangkok this morning. I thought the two kids at the side of the line were just waving until a rock they threw hit my window. This was the result.



Fortunately it was double glazed and only the outer skin was broken but the train crew were not impressed. I like to think the aim was not good enough to target the "farang's" window but welcome to Bangkok indeed.

Spent the day trying to get the camera fixed and trying to find the best deal if I do buy one tomorrow. Will have local help as Miss Tussanee (more later) is taking me sight seeing tomorrow before my train out in the evening. Have decided to change plan because I need to stop somewhere for a few days and chill out. The advice is head to Laos, so I am changing my route and going to take the sleeper to Nan Koi, cross to Vientianne and then to Luang Prabang to hole up for a a while. The advice is all on from "the man in seat 61" again. Thank you.

Chickened out of the real budget accommodation on Khao San Road, 300 Baht, (about 10 dollars), but a real cell. Didn't think Tussanee's hotel at 2,400 Baht was in the spirit of the trip so settled for the Atlanta, 600 baht, with aircon, warm shower and Lonely Planet recommended.

Hope to have some better photos to post if I get sorted but can anyone tell me what this tree is with the most wonderful scent? Hope the phone's camera picks it up OK.

Leaving on a jet plane

Finally left Heathrow 2 hours late and arrived Singapore with very little time to catch the train...but just made it.
This is what Heathrow looks like at 10.30 at night when you are on the last flight out, never seen it like this before.




No sleep on the plane and very little on the train to Kuala Lumpur. The benefit is I am so tired I can now fall asleep at will and even when it is inconvenient, I was last off the train at Butterworth. This was my little cubby hole on the sleeper.



The train journey through the day was entertaining but I wished there had been someone with me to help with all of the flower names. Was wondering what was shaking the palm trees and saw several groups (collective noun?) of monkeys, beautiful birds I couldn't identify either, so some internet research is called for to report more fully.

Took the ferry from the station to Georgetown on Penang, booked into my first budget hotel and have a real bed in an air conditioned room to look forward to tonight. Very Chinese round here and the New Year celebrations have just finished so the hotel offered me a special rate. Right!

Decided I have too many clothes for this heat (over 30deg C today) plan to ditch both pairs of trousers and get my knees out. That will frighten the natives!

This is Penang from the ferry.

Bags packed, ready to go

In return for the loan of my Mizuno MP60's while I am away, Mark Sadler is taking me to the airport, and in is less than 1 hour from now!
Busy day so far: took Kath to the train station at 7 then took the dog for a long walk on a perfect morning (-2 deg C, cloudless sky), turned out Victor and Deister (the horses), bought a laptop for Helen and took it round to her place in Devizes (she was rather pleased), picked up my malaria tablets, packed and now ready to go.
Decided to take Name of the Rose, Cucumber Man and Flanders Panel as reading matter, should be enough for the first stage of the trip anyway.
This is me with my worldly goods for the next month...hope I haven't over done it!
12 hours in Economy to come, deep joy.

Packing (Reading) List

I am only taking a 35 litre backpack with everything I need for a month away so, with all travel essentials available locally, and at much lower cost than in the UK, the most difficult decision I face is what books to take with me. Space and weight are limiting factors so along with The Lonely Planet - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and the Greater Mekong, I plan to take 3 from a shortlist of the following:
Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian (just finished 2 others by CM and loved them. The Road especially recommended, a compelling story of a father and son struggling to survive on a journey through a post apocalytic America)
Arturo Perez-Recerte - The Flanders Panel (a whodunnit based on a medieval painting of a game of chess)
Umberto Ecco - The Name of the Rose (started once but unfinished, another whodunnit, even more ancient setting than the last!)
Ken Follett - Night over Water (recommended through an on-line book club chat forum, a thriller set on a transatlantic flight just before WW II)
Francois Bizot - The Gate (set in Phnom Penh as the Khmer Rouge captured the city and the last of a series of books I have read since Christmas set in SE Asia. Maybe a bit heavy?)
David Nobbs - The Cucumber Man (I have read the first 2 and this is the last of the Henry Pratt novels that my Dad gave me and guaranteed to make me chuckle)
John Steinbeck - East of Eden (my daughter Katherine's recommendation, beautiful writing)

I have also taken advice and decided to steer away from some of the classic books on my list for this year including Don Quixote, 100 years of Solitude etc., on the basis that I have to be certain I will enjoy what I am reading and it can't be too demanding. Any thoughts you have will be welcome.