Thailand - the last stop

On my first visit to Chiang Mai less than a week ago, I didn't really feel for the place, maybe I was tired, maybe my accommodation wasn't the best, maybe I had just got the grumps. This time I stayed somewhere better, but it was a little out of town. After a full on day bus trip I arrived quite tired, went out for a meal and had an early night.  This meant I had a full day and the most of the next before catching the night train to Bangkok.

I had a great wander around the night market, loads to see, do and spend if that's what your into.  I had some nice food and picked up a few souvenirs.

Chiang Mai Night Market Food Street

The main temple in the old city was closed to visitors to get inside due to a visit by someone significantly more important than me.  The upside to this was that around the temple was loads of free food and water.  The down side to this is it made me ill, good for fast weight loss but bad for a pending overnight train.

Chiang Mai Temple

Free food - Rice from Myanmar

Still fragile and not wanting to move more than 20 running paces from the nearest toilet I spent my last morning by the pool.  There were 3 English girls and myself, one of them noticed a rat the size of a cat running from the kitchen, perhaps it was breakfast at my hotel not the free food that did me in. The girls all jumped up onto sunbeds and the rat merrily ran out of sight blissfully unaware of the chaotic scenes he had left behind.

Chiang Mai never really hit the spot for me, I liked it but liked other places a lot more. I was never 100% when there either time which may had something to do with it.  Other travelers I've spoken to rave about the place.

When I was in employment and on holiday I have taken many overnight trains in Asia, but usually gone first class where you get a cabin to yourself or only have to share with one other random. This time I don't have the luxury of a decent income and got a 2nd class ticket. What a result that was, it was such a laugh and got to meet other travelers.  First up were two former army officers from Korea and then we were joined by another Korean a girl who was studying in Thailand.  We all shared plenty of travel stories before crashing for the night. 

Train crew get pre-journey instructions

Managing to get an early check-in I had a sleep before hitting the streets of Bangkok.  I was staying quite far out of town but by a Sky-Train in great new and cheap accommodation. 

Bangkok

Bangkok has many forms of transport an underground (MRT) a Sky-Train (BTS) canal boats, buses and tuktuks, however they are not connected too well.  You can by a day ticket for the BTS but that ticket isn't valid on other forms of transport.  I wanted to experience the backpacker hub of Khao San Road to get there I had to take a Sky-Train, the underground then a boat and a 10 minute walk all of which took well over an hour.  The boat was great it was a tourist boat, therefore a rip off 80p but showed you the sights and gave commentary along the 30 minute trip and was great value even if it was 4 times the price of the local boat.

Bangkok Palace from the river

Khao San was like most backpacker haunts, bars, restaurants tat stalls, hawkers selling everything from fake passports/driving licenses to ornaments that make frog noises, tattoo and massage parlours. Still not feeling 100% I'd had enough of this scene and left after average food and an overpriced beer. It was great to people watch though.

A good nights sleep and feeling loads better I hit the city, taking in Chinatown where a golden Buddha is on display that was found after a crane dropped a large piece of plaster revealing the Buddha.  A walk through the park was nice and peaceful and took me through to the central area of Bangkok.  I came across the Eriwin Shrine which has recently been the target of a bomb attack.  

Eriwin Shrine

With it being Christmas there was loads going on around here. Stages were erected for live bands for a Chang, Singha and Heineken beer parks.  A Disney themed park and Christmas stuff at the other end was all nice to wander though and contemplate the last 11 weeks of this trip.

Christmas has arrived in Bangkok with these carol singers

Christmas in Bangkok

Christmas Decorations Bangkok style

I needed to get Christmas shopping in and where else than the worlds biggest market (Wikipedia's worlds not mine) having 12,000 stalls.  I had a few specific items to get.  I got there, got lost, got fed up and then heard Frosty the Freaking Snowman one too many times (twice) and left empty handed. It took me twice as long to find the way out as it did my attempted shopping trip.

I went looking for food back in town and whilst on my way to a food court I found everything I needed to buy when not looking, who needs 12,000 stalls!

Feeling much better i fancied a few Sunday night beers.  I'd only had one beer in the last 3 days and needed to end my trip in style.  I headed back to the area where the beer sponsored bands were playing.  Alighting the train I got talking to a couple of Thai football fans and found out that this night was the Mekong Club Championship Final between a team from Thailand and one from Cambodia.  

Got my hands on the cup

Football fans selfie

Burirham United - Champions

I rushed to the ground got a ticket and a picture with the trophy and just made kick off, all within 10 minutes.  Nice to get some football in, a decent atmosphere and game, but I was both hungry and thirsty come the final whistle.

So my final day of my trip was here and I'd saved the biggest attractions for this day. First up the Golden Mount which is a Golden Stupor on a hill which gave great panoramic views of the city.  To get there I caught a canal boat which raced along through the canals briefly stopping to let locals hop off. It was great value and fun at 16p a trip.

Golden Mount - Bangkok

Bangkok skyline

I then went the Royal Palace bought my ticket (£9.50) got a few photos then got refused entry to the main palace due to having shorts on.  To be fair I got a full refund so what I saw, I saw for free.

Royal Palace

Instead I popped next door to Wat Pho which has a huge (absolutely massive) lying down Buddha, the temples around it were great too.  I loved my hour I spent here.

Reclining Buddha - Wat Pho

Needing a few extra bits for Christmas shopping, I came across a posh Thai food store (similar to M&S) and bought a variety of chocolates, sweets and some indeterminate items.

My last night I headed back to the center where the bands were playing and even though it was a Monday all venues were full of locals and foreigners. I was bracing myself for expensive beers but in my amazement it was the cheapest beers I found in Thailand. I visited all of the venues (some more than once) and headed back.

Chang Beer open air bar with band

The Singha Stage

Skywalk well lit up

On the way home was one last 'attraction' Soi Cowboy.  This is a neon lit up street in the heart of the red light district.  The street was featured on the film Hangover 2. Scantily clad girls and the odd lady boy would tug at your arm trying to get you inside to see various shows on offer.  A 10 minute walk up and down the street was enough for me and I headed back to my hostel for the final time of my trip with mixed emotions.  I didn't want the trip to end but I was tired and keen to see the family at Christmas.

My free night in Istanbul didn't materialise.  Despite Turkish Airlines assuring me I had a transit hotel for my return journey, the same transfer desk (could have been the same person) said no.  He sent me to the hotel desk which required me to go through passport control.  I got turned away as I didn't have a visa.  So after voicing my frustration back at the transfer desk I bedded down for a long (15.5 hours) lonely and hard night in the near deserted airport.  Not a great way to close my trip, but I suppose incompetence and poor customer service is a gentle reintroduction to the Western world.  

I will miss the smiles from almost everyone I met in Asia.  It won't be long before I'm back.

Up North in Thailand

My last blog ended as I was just about to board a 14 hour 'VIP ' bus overnight from Luang Prabang to the Laos-Thai border. It was due to arrive at 8am but getting to the bus station the luxury bus I had booked was actually a minivan.

 

The minivan hurtled over the road that in places was little better than a badly maintained farm track.  Every time I anywhere near got to sleep we hit a very bumpy stretch that ensured that no sleep was to be had.

 

During the journey the driver and the co-driver took a shine to a local young Laos woman so much so they were taking photo's of her sleeping as the journey went along.  One of them was particularly snide and creepy and after finishing his driving shift made an Italian guy sit in the front so he could snuggle up to her.

 

The van went a lot faster than the bus, so much so we got to the destination Huay Xai bus station at 04:20.  It was way too early to even consider getting accommodation.  The tuk-tuk drivers that met the bus were painful to negotiate with.  One in particular was frustrating at best and he caught me in a 'grumpy moment' following a lack of sleep. 

 

I decided enough was enough and I was going to make my way into Thailand to Chiang Rai.  The border didn't open until around 7:30 but I managed to flag down a bus and was in Chiang Rai by lunchtime.

 

Having been a day ahead of my rough schedule I had done no research, and my lonely planet book had limited information on the city.  I saw a sign for a couple of guesthouses hopped off the bus and was sorted.

 

Chiang Rai was great. In a zombie like state I wondered the city took a nap and headed to the night market for my evening meal.  A vast choice of stalls selling Thai food at cheap prices with a stage with traditional dance performances made for a nice inexpensive evening.  It was early to bed as I had so much sleep to catch up on.

Chiang Rai Food Market

Traditional dancing on stage

I decided to stay on in Chiang Rai for another night to allow me to take in a day trip which went to 7 or 8 places.  The trip was great it was £18.60 but was great value for money.  Only two of us were on the trip my travel partner for the day was an English lady from Oxfordshire.

 

We took in the White Temple which was a nice change as every other temple was beginning to look the same.  It had a modern art theme and was great, it was a shame the sun wasn't shining as it glistens in the sun.



White Temple



The rest of the morning we visited a Black House/village which was OK, a tea plantation which had great scenery and a monkey cave, which is where our vehicle broke down.



Tea Plantation



A few phone calls later and we were paired with a mother and daughter group from China who I'd briefly met the day before as they were in my guesthouse.

 

The daughter was great fun, and could speak good English and was hoping to finish her university studies in the UK.  The afternoon flew by with visits to Maisai on on the Myanmar border, an opium museum, the golden triangle (a point were Laos, Myanmar and Thai meet separated by the Mekong river) and an average temple.  A great day with nice people.



Golden Triangle (Laos top right, Myanmar left, Thailand bottom)



I headed back to the night market for dinner, instantly bumped into the Chinese girls that persuaded me to get a hot pot meal where you had to cook your dinner on a clay pot at your table.  Thankfully the girls helped me out and the food was delicious. 



Master chef



A couple of beers with the younger Chinese girl back at the hotel and I was done in.

 

Struggling to make an early start the next morning I headed for Chiang Mai.  I found some ridiculously cheap digs £4.50 and went for an explore.  Chiang Mai had a 'big city feel' about something I'd not experienced sine Ho Chi Minh City several weeks back.  I'm not sure if it was because I was tired or the district that my hotel was located I didn't really like it.

 

Deciding to move on and return to Chiang Mai later in the trip to give it a fair trial I headed up in the mountains to Pai.  A much smaller place but overrun with tourists.  I found a great bungalow/wooden hut to stay in with a hammock on the balcony which was very relaxing as I watched the river flow.

 

I took in a sunset tour to Pai Canyon.  A ridge ran along with a huge drop either side.  I walked along it noticing it was only about a foot wide with a shear drop, once I got over this section I turned back and saw exactly where I'd walked which is when my legs turned to jelly.  The only way back was to retrace my steps but this time was seriously shaking and was so glad when I made my final baby step onto safe ground.



Pai Canyon





Sunset over Pai Canyon



On the way back into town we noticed a girl by the side of the road who had come off her motorbike.  She had cut her head open and was covered in blood. I went with her to the hospital, which I was impressed how quickly she was treated.  Anyone reading this considering renting a scooter around this part of the world please wear a helmet, the sight of this young girl covered in blood was not pleasant.

 

Earlier that day I put nearly all my clothes into a very cheap laundrette.  Whilst on a decent session of beers walking back late at night was horrified to see my clothes were hung up on the roadside outside the laundrette with the place shut up for the night.  Luckily when I went to collect them the next day they were all still there, perhaps that says more for my fashion sense rather than the trustworthiness of the other tourists in Pai!

 

The next day i took in a day trip with a great group of people, a young English couple, two German lads, a french girl and Dutch girl and 'a couple' of Spanish lasses.  We took in a waterfall, I took a dip into some hot springs and also had a great lookout place 1450m up over the mountains.

 

The highlight of the trip was a trip to Lod cave.  It was massive with many natural structures that the guide imaginatly suggested looked like animals.  We took a trip through the cave on a bamboo boat which was skimming the water and with each rowing stroke everyone ended up with wet backsides.



Lod Cave





I think this was an 'elephant' inside the cave



From Pai buses only go to two places Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, the latter been a recommendation from the lady from Oxfordshire, so MHS it was.

 

I found 'OK' accommodation for £2.80 a night for a double en-suite room although it didn't have hot water. MHS is small but nice and I saw the sights that afternoon. The evening I bumped into a Japanese girl that was on my bus earlier.  We had a few beers listening to possibly the worst band I'd ever heard.  It was worse than karaoke as it appeared the guitarist and bass were also beginners.  They murdered a few tourist classics.



Mae Hong Son lake





Artistic view of a statue



The Japanese girl was telling me about a week long meditation retreat she was going on in a few days.  Sounded really interesting and something I'd consider.  We swapped details so I'll find out how it was before deciding if it is for me. I might find the no speaking, reading or writing a challenge though.

 

My final day in MHS I took a full day trip with a guy from Holland whom I'd met at Pai Canyon.  Another great day taking in a waterfall, Chinese village, fish cave (not worth the £1.90 fee) a mud spa, bamboo bridge and a bamboo trek.  Some of the spiders I saw that day were huge, actually they were bigger than that I'd say they were absolutely massive!



Lake at the Chinese village



Giant spider



Waterfall





Bamboo bridge over rice fields





Mud spa selfie



My journey to Chaing Mai was eventful due to all the locals (I was the only non Thai) throwing up as we snaked around the 1,864 curves and hairpin bends in the mountains back to the city. A couple of the day trips I'd done had options to visit a local tribe where the women wear brass bands around their necks which stretches them.  I didn't fancy it as it had an element of human zoo about it. One of the passengers on the bus was a 'long neck' so I got that 'attraction' for free (obviously without the photos).

 

So now as I've just arrived back in Chiang Mai I only have little over a week left of my trip.  I've upscaled my guesthouse and have a pool (just over £10 a night B&B).  Still no or little sight of Christmas but I'm looking forward to my Christmas dinner at home, it will be my first Western food in 11 weeks.