Slowly but surely getting the photos uploaded. Have added another three sets from our third day in Bangkok and and the trip to Bang Pa-In and Ayuthaya on our fourth day.
Bangkok tour 08 Jan 07
Bang Pa-In Palace 09 Jan 07
Ayuthaya Wat Yai Chai Mongkol and Lunch 09 Jan 07
Ayuthaya - Wat Chai Watternaram 09 Jan 07
Still have another set of photos for Ayuthaya to put up before I can move on to the next day. Hopefully I will have everything uploaded by the end of next weekend (famous last words)
Have started uploading photos. The first couple of days are up.
New sets:
Qatar Airways Flight 5-6 Jan 07
Bangkok 6 Jan 07
Bangkok 7 Jan 07
Have now added most of the Bangkok entries. I've had them all along as I have been writting everyday on the laptop and then putting the entries on my USB key. I was waiting for an opportunity to add photos to the entries but just have not had time to go through all of the photos in order to do that.
Will take care of Hua Hin and the photos when I get back to England. I have a couple of days there so I can sort through things and finish up the Hua Hin diary.
That's all for now, last day in Hua Hin, the beach and the massage places are calling my name....
Our last full day in Bangkok. Today was to be more sightseeing and such but we had to fit it around coming back to the hotel for clothes fitting in the late afternoon. As we were getting ready to leave the hotel the tailor guy came up and asked if we could wait and do the fitting now as his tailor was coming soon. So we hung around the lobby for around a half hour which we didn't mind because it was better to do it now then having to split up the day coming back. That taken care of we hopped in a taxi to go to the Silom District to take in the Jim Thompson House but what had been identified on the map as the Jim Thompson (an ex-WWII GI who popularized Thai silk) House was actually just an outlet, not the Thai Teak House that was his residence. It would have been too much to backtrack so we carried on to the end of the skytrain line where the river is and the central pier. From there we caught a river express boat up to the pier closest to the Grand Palace. After a quick jaunt through the amulet market nearby we headed over to the Grand Palace. The King no longer lives there but parts of the grounds are used for ceremonial functions.
One must be dressed properly when on the grounds so at one of the gates they have Thai pants for guys and wrap around skirts for the ladies avalable for free with deposit. Since Fraser and I had shorts we had to get done up. That taken care of we proceeded to wander about the palace grounds. Add some more about the this later
It was a pretty warm day and we had spent a good 4 hours wandering around under the sun so it was deffinately time for massage. We tried to find the Wat Po School of Traditional Thai Massage but after walking around in circles just could not located it. Bev had remembered seeing a sign down one of the other streets so we headed over there and voila! found a foot massage place. 200 baht (about 6.50) for an hour of bliss. Feeling suitably refreshed after that we went back to the river fraont and caught a boat to the Bangamolou area and then walked over to Khoo Sao Road, the famous backpackers and travellers mecca of Bangkok. Got there just as it was getting dark and the party beggining. We just wandered around picking up some pad thai for 20 baht (.65!) and a few other assorted goodies. I really wanted to find one of the VW van bars but after wandering around a through side alleys came up nil on that. We had passed an outdoor setup of massages and facials. Bev and I decided to have a facial while Fraser had a beer at the outdoor terrace next door. I was an eight stage facial that included a scrub, various moisturizers and cucumbers. This was also only 200 baht (about 6.50). After all the sweat and grime of the city it felt so good because it also included a bit of a facial massage and finished up with a rub down of the shoulders, neck and spine. Life is good.
By now it was around 8:30pm. Bev decided she wanted to go back to the hotel and have yet another massage done at the place she went to yesterday. Fraser and I decided to hit Patong again, Fraser wanted to try to get another genuine Roex watch. Bev hopped in a cab going in one direction and Fraser and I caught another taxi going the opposite way. Soon we were back at Patong, just as crazy as it was a few days ago when we were there. Fraser went to work and after about a half hour had made deals for a Rolex, four wooden frogs and two sets of cuff links. We needed a beer so just sat at one of the sidewalk bars for one. While we were there he decided he needed to have some Mont Blanc pen sets so off he went for a quick deal on two sets, one for him and one for me. At that point we decided it was now or never, time to take in ping pong show. When in Bangkok..... Ping pong balls, razor blades, string, darts, you name it.
Anyway, I really felt sorry for those girls because it sure didn't seem to me that they were really enjoying them selves. Seems like an awful lot of exploitation is going on there. The area we were in around Patpong is a lot less hardcore and blatant than a couple of other areas of Bangkok. After all that excitement it was time to get back to hotel. In the morning we wanted to hit Chatachuk Market once more before packing up and checking out.
Woke up way earlier than I wanted to feeling like I had been ran over by a tuk-tuk. Attempted to go back to sleep but no go. Bev and Fraser were meeting up with the RCI rep, something that has to be done everytime they use the service, always trying to sell them something else. That was at 10am, Fraser had said he didn't want to waste time on his vacation doing this so had said that they should be done by 11am. I floated down to the restaurant and had breakfast. Returning to my room around 10 I noticed the maid was there so I went up to the pool. ANother lovely sunny warm day in Bangkok, sun felt really good and I was beginning to feel a bit better. I went back down to my room before 11am in case they finished up and tried to call my room.
So I laid there, half dozed, half watched tv. By 1:30 they hadn't called so I decided to hang out by the pool which I did until 4:30. Went back to the room but no messages. Not sure what was going on so I grabbed my laptop and went to the lobby bar. Had a soda and some shrimp rolls and while I was sitting there Fraser popped up. He said they were with the RCI guy until 3:30, he actually di have a good deal for them. When they finished with that they thought they left a message for my room but I never received it. The guy had suggested a nearby place for massages that was way cheaper than the hotel so Bev was there and Fraser had just done a little shopping. Fraser said that he and Bev had taken advantage of the tailor shop in the hotel and had been measured for clothing. He said come on over and he'll have a pair of pants made for me to replace the pants he spilled wine all over on the plane (and to which were now stained). Sure, off we went. Well, I figured what the heck, may as well have another pair of pants and some shirts made or two.
By the time the threads settled I had ordered three pairs of pants and five shirts. Four shirts were silk and one cotton. Fraser had to try on the jacket of the suit he had ordered. Bev turned up and started talking about what she had ordered and showed me the material she had chosen which were in a book as opposed to being out in bolts like I had chosen. I changed my silk shirts to the silk from the books, much nicer. Figured this was as good as anything to spend my vacation fund on, the 3 pants and 5 shirts costs 350.00.
While all this was going on we decided to take in the Kathoey AKA Ladyboy Show and dinner at the Calypso Caberet
Grabbing a taxi we arrived at the hotel where the show was and bought some tickets. We had a little over and hour before the show so went off to go find some food. Turned down a side street and walked a couple of blocks before finding a corner with some impromptu restaurants sent up. One had a sign Rice Noodles with BBQ Pork 30 bahts. That's all we needed. Sat down and the lady made of three bowls of noodles, veggies, broth and strips of pork. On the table were the normal condaments: sugar, dried chilies, peanuts and fresh chilies in vinegar. You flavoe it as you wish. It was really good. As we were sitting there eating a fruit cart went by and Fraser said Look! Dessert! but when we finished he was no where to be seen. A few minutes later as we walked down the street the fruit cart turned another corner so we grabbed watermelon, pineapple and something else, cost us a whole 30 baht. So, dinner and dessert cost a total of 120 baht, all of about 4.00 for the three of us!
Arrived back at the hotel just before they were letting people into the show. From Wikipedia:The term can refer to males who exhibit varying degrees of femininity — many kathoeys dress as women and undergo feminising medical procedures such as hormone replacement therapy, breast implants, genital reassignment surgery, or Adam's apple reductions. Others may wear makeup and use feminine pronouns, but dress as men, and are closer to the western category of effeminate gay man than transgender. Regardless of their gender presentation, their sexual orientation is towards men, who are not considered to be gay.
At the end of the show the ladyboys were lined up along one side so people couple have photos taken with them so since Fraser hadn't taken pictures with the tigers we made sure that he had his photo taken with a ladyboy. That done it was back to the hotel and bed. Gee, second day in a row with no massage. Can't have that happening!
Off early today as we had a long drive to the floating market and to Kanchanaburi. Sun was just coming up as we left Bangkok over the bridges heading west. On our way we passed an area where they were producing salt from shallow flooded areas. Alongside the road were stands selling salt. First stop was to a small place that did hand painted Thais porcelaine. We walked through the room were all the painting was being done and walked about the grounds that had an impressive teak house with a porcelain museum in it. Back on the road we made a quick stop where they were burning coconuts. An old lady chopped the top of the coconut with a machete and gave us straws. No coconut milk in these, it was coconut juice nicely warmed. After you could scrape out the coconut from the inside of the shell but we saved some for monkeys later on.
Finally we arrived at the Damnern Saduak Floating Market. Terribly touristy but fascinating all the while. We got our own private rowed boat which was mush preferrable to the noisy car engine powered long tail scooting about the canals. The whole town is a series of canals and life pretty much revolves around the canals. There are three clusters of markets with the boats of merchants fighting for space with all of the touriat boats but we managed to get there early enough to avoid the bigger crush of tourist that we could see toward the end of our visit. As we floated down the canals we bought a few food goodies (what else?) including these, I guess. coconut dumplings steamed in banana leaves and trays of sliced pomelo fruit, a sort of huge grapefruit but sweeter than grapefruit. We made a few stops then toward the end stopped at a boat making fried bananas. Most unloke any fried banana I've had before they were quite delicious and we gobbled them up quickly.
Back on the road again we drove a short distance to a cobra show (said it was our touristy day). Saw various snakes and reptiles in cages then sat for the cobra show. Somewhat entertaining. From there we next went to a place where they mke hand carvings. Not just any hand carving but huge frescos with 3d type depth to the detail. We saw somr that were custom orders that had signs on them like 8 months, the ampont of time to carve them. We went inside where the had beutiful furniture. If I ever won a lotto I'd probably come back and outfit a house with some of this furniture.
On the road again it was past lunchtime so we stopped an another roadside restaurant that serves grilled catfish. We ordered up one along with sauted vegitables, rice and an assortment of sauces. We drank water but Fraser had a beer. Grabd total for four including drinks? 300 baht (about 10 bucks). Again, the food was fantastic. Suitably satisfied we took off again finally arriving in Kanchanaburi around 2:30pm. First stop was the Thailand-Burma Railway Museum which told the whole story of the bridge on the river Kwai and of the building of the railroad to Burma during WWII. It was fascinationg. Across the street from the museum is an allied cemetary where some 7000 POWs are buried. We probably spent a little too much time there as Ratt had to scoot to get us to the Tiger Temple before 4pm. We would come back and see the bridge after.
We made it to the Tiger Temple just in the nick of time being one of the last people in before they closed the gates. This is a rescue center for tigers, the older ones having been abused in someway. They now have a whole generation of new cubs. We made our way to a small canyon where they had about 8 tigers chained up with Thai handlers and farang volunteers organizing photo ops with the tigers. They take your hand and lead you around to a couple of the tigers while another takes your camera and takes photos. The tigers all seem very docile. One of the volunteers told us that they are fed only cooked meat and that they are quite well fed and used to being handled by humans particularily the youngers ones born in the compound. As we were at the end of the day we got to watch the tigers being led back to their cages which gave another photo op to have your photo taken with while wlking with the tiger.
Back into the main compound were all kinds of animals, boars, oxen, cows, horses, pigs, peacocks, etc all wondering around. Up in the tiger cages were two tiger cubs being playful. Fraser thought that this would be the perfect graduation gift for Ceilidh, give her a ticket to Thailand and set it up for her to volunteer a week or two here. She is just finishing her degree in June in zoology and has always been interested in animals. There could be other places for her to volunteer also. There are several elephant rescue centers in Thailand. Anyway, we finished with this but we were no done yet.
Off driving again we made it over to Nam Tok, the end of the railroad to nowhere line. It's about the only remaining stretch of the death railway. Most of the rest of the track and wood support structure for the railway into Burma was carted off by local tribes people just after the war to be used in building village structures. Anyway, twice a day you can the train from Kanchanaburi to Nam Lok and cross over the bridge at the river Kwai. Just across one of the train trestles is a large cave with a buddha in it. From there we were racing the setting sun to get to Prasat Muang Sing, a Khmer temple complex that marked the furthest west of Khmer domination. The complex was built in the 10th century and consisted of luterite block intricatly fitted together using no motar. Although it was past closing time Ratt sweet talked the guard and we walked around the ruin in the setting sun.
By now we were absolutely exhausted but there was still one more stop! Finally back to Kanchanaburi and a quick look at the bridge itself. Two bridges were actually built, a wooden one which was used as a supply bridge and a concrete and metal girder one that was only used once before Allied bombers destroyed part of it in 1945. What you see today actually contains very little of the original bridge but, yup, it's a bridge and, yup, it crosses the river Kwai ;-)
We started on the long trip back to Bangkok. Bev had been talking about buying a begging bowl for a friend in England who is a buddhist nun and we had talked about pad thai so, of course, Ratt knew a good place for both of them. I was going to take a pass on all because I was so tired I could barely even think. Despite drinking a lot of water I thing I was also suffering a little from dehydration as I had the chills also. As it was 9:30 by the time we got back in the city we all decided to head straight back to hotel. We thanked Ratt profusely for the two great days of touring. We had her for 10 hours yesterday and over 13 hours today and the total cost was less that 100cdn each. We saw and experienced a lot more than if we had just hopped on tour buses.
Bev and Fraser went next door to grab something to eat at the restaurant Bev and I had eaten in on mOnday while I just dragged my self upstairs, into a hot shower and off to bed.
We met up in the lobby at 6:30am to await Ratt, the private guide I had hired after reading praises of her services on various forum sites. After waiting about 20 minutes and seeing no sign of her I went to the front desk and asked to call her. Slight mixup, she hadn't received my confimation email but she would come and would get there around 7:30am. When she came we decided to reverse the order of things and visit Ayuthaya, the ancient capitol of Thaisland that was destroyed by the Burmese in the late 1700s. What is left are the ruins of the city. On the way we were stopped at Bang Pa In, a royal palace.
In the complex are lakes, canals, buildings and towers. Rama V, the king in the 1800s who brought Westernism to the Thais lifestyle, had a fascination for things European so there is an odd mixture of oriental and west.The Thais royal family no longer uses the palace but it is sometimes used for foreign dignitaries.
Onward to Ayuthaya. The first Wat we visited is one located on the outskirts of the city, Wat Yai Chai Mongkol containing a temple and a large chedi surrounded by 135 Buddhas and a reclining Buddha in a side garden. We had told Ratt of our plans to take the train to Hua Hin on Saturday so she said we will stop at a train station to pick of tickets. As we pulled into the town she asked if we wanted lunch at a hotel buffet but we said we prefered local food so after arranging for our train tickets we drove to a small roadside restaurant. Ratt ordered various dishes and soup. I had a plate of green curry chicken with rice and noodles and it came to 40baht (about 1.20)!. It was spicy but really good. Fraser had a soup that was quite hot while Bev had a chicken soup. Both were great. When we finished with that we went of to check out another ruin, Wat Chai Watternaram modeled after after teh Khmer monument at Angkor Wat. The main cheddi is surrounded by four smaller ones. This also contains Buddhas with the heads cut off by the invading Burmese.
Back into town and to the main central temple complex. Although not one of the ruins, the first placed visited in this area was a traditional Thais teak house that had been constructed in the 1800s and served for a while as city hall. After that we crossed a moat passing a temple we would visit later. We entered Wat Pra Sri Samphet, a trio od Sri Lankan style chedis built in the 15c and is the most important temple comlex within the former royal palcae compound. These chedis held the ramains of Thais royalty rather than just being memorials to Buddha. We wandered around the grounds of this and the royal palace. The place is huge and must have been magnificent in it's day. A larger Buddha is housed in a temple next door, Viharn Pra Mongkol Bopit. As we left the complex I had my fortune read y a Thais fortune teller sitting under a tree. Things are looking good but it's probably unwise to retell my fortune ;-)
By now we are exhausted but there is still more to see! At Wat Mahathat the chedi is nice but the main draw is the Buddha face that is firmly grasped in the clutches of a banyan tree. From there we went to the Elephant Kraal, one of the few surviving ones in Thailand. Wild elephants were once herded and battle trained under the watchful eye of royalty. One last stop was to (yet) another Wat Suwan Daram. This still serves as an active monastary. There are several smaller temples on the grounds with several ancient Buddhas and some small cheddis, one completely engulphed in the branches of a banyan tree.
Finally we headed back to the city. We had talked about massages so Ratt dropped us off at a spa in the Silom district where Fraser and Bev had a 2 hour Thai traditional massage and I had and hour and a half of aromas massage. Pure luxury. Suitably relaxed after a long day of playing tourist we made our way back by skytrain to the BBQ place on the side street near the hotel. This time it was open and it was packed. No wonder, for 129baht (about 4.50) it was all you can eat BBQ! On each table they placed a charcoal BBQ with a cooking dome surrounded by a trough that you put water in. You grilled your meats on the dome and put veggies and such in the trough. Inside was a whole table full of meats and fish plus veggies, sauces, rice, etc and even a dessert table with fresh pineapple and other delights. Again, we were the only farangs in the place and proceeded to pig out. From there it was to bed as we had an early meetup time (6:30am) with Ratt the next morning.
Took advantage of the free temple tour available through the timeshare setup. After a late pickup because the van was stuck in traffic we were finally on our way. Just a small group, two other couples and us. First stop was the Wat Benjamabopit (Marble Temple). It's nicknamed the Marble Temple because it's mad from imported Italian marble. It is one of the finest examples of modern Thai architecture. It was built around the turn of the century (last one, not this one).It has a large central hall with a bronzed Buddha with two side alters. Outside in coutyard is a collection of 53 Buddha statues displayed in the rear cloisters. There are Buddhas from around the world and show artistic development of Buddhas.
So we hopped back in the van and headed to Wat Traimit (The Golden Buddha) located in a corner of Chinatown. It's claim to fame is that it once sat in a neighborhood covered in stucco which is thought to have been applied during the time of Burmese invaders to protect it. Because of the stucco noone realized the value of the statue and it sat neglected for centuries. In the 1950s a company bought the land and was using a crane to move the Buddha. It dropped and the stucco was cracked. A rainstorm that night further weakened the covering and the next morning a resident noticed a metallic glow emanating from the crack and ordered the stucco removed. Underneath was the 5.5 ton golden image. Local monks say that it is 75% pure gold but no scientific tests have ever been done on it.
Last stop was Wat Po, where the reclining Buddha is. The complex itself is Bangkok's oldest and largest remple complex. The main claim to fame is this is where Bangkok's first established university teaching traditional sciences was located in the 1830s. Traditional Thais massage is still taught there. Crammed into the courtyards are chapels, rock gardens, bizarre statues, bell towers, bots and chedis. We were there primarily to se the Reclining Buddha. The Buddha itself dates from the 16th century and is 45m long and 15m high. The shed that it is in quite claustrophobic so it it hard to squeeze in to see the whole of it.
Being a "free" tour it did neccitate a quick stop to try to sell us gem stones but that was rather painless and over with in about 20 minute. Of course by now we were starving as it was past 1pm so we asked the driver to just drop us by a skytrain station instead of back at the hotel and headed downtown to the MBK center just to check it out and eat in the food court. They have quite an array of food available in the food court and cheap too but it uses a coupon system. With coupons in hand we happily ate our late lunch.
In deciding what to do next I wanted check out Panthip Plaza, the IT and electronics mecca so we headed that way walking through the variously named Siam mall complexes. The walk in reality was not that far but it was late afternoon, we had been up early (and late the night before) so we didn't have a lot of energy left for 6 floors of goodies. Fraser found some MP3 players he might want to get the girls so we'll probably drop back by before the end of the week. Seeing as it was rush hour and we were not that close to a skytrain station we took a tuk-tuk back to hotel. Interesting to say the least through rush hour traffic!
Was quite tired when we got back to the hotel, all that walking so Bev and I went upatairs to the Massage Spa and made appointments for 8:30pm, a traditional Thais massage for her and an aroma (western) style one for me. We met up with Fraser in the lobby at 6 to walk down to a BBQ place Fraser had seen down one of the side streets but it was closed. Since we were near the skytrain Fraser decided to go and check out a nearby night market while Bev and I walked back to a restaurant next to the hotel. As usual we were the only farangs there. So with a little pointing and such we ordered our meal: a spiciy sea food soup for Bev and a chicken based one for me. After that we ordered some BBQ pork with dipping sauce and sauted veggies. All was good. We stayed there until almost time for our massages. That was basically it for the evening. Wanted to get to be early because we were getting up early the next morning in order to meet our guide for a trip to the floating markets and points west.
Following a great night of sleep we finally got our act together and headed back to the Chatuchak Weekend Market by mid-morning. We picked up some deep fried pork (25 baht, about .80) and then I found those chicken toasts again. This was followed by a fruit shake containing about 6 fruits and ice for 35 baht (1.10) that was oh so yummy. For the next hour or two we wandered through the market picking up little things here and there, shorts, pants, shirts, kitchen things, souvineers. By about 1:30 we had decided we had enough and headed toward the exit. On our way to the gate we decided to stop at a little stall where they were giving foot massages for 200baht (6.50) for a half hour. So for the next half hour we were transported to heaven. On our way out of the market we picked up some more fruit shakes and headed to the skyway station where we bought all day passes for 120baht (4.00) each and took the skytrain all the way to the end.
There was a small mall at the end station. Bev went to go get a leg waxing and Fraser and I went across the street to a little outdoor area and had a beer. When we collected Bev we went back there to munch on some of the food being served. We bought portions of pork on a stick, dim sum, fish cakes done up in banana leaves. Each portion which gave us each one or two goodies costs all of 25 baht each! So we had a great snack. We then hopped back on the skytrain so we could go to the cross over of the other line and take that to the end. It ended at the river. It was getting dark by now so we headed back to the hotel taking the skytrain to the closest station to the hotel then grabbed a tuk-tuk to the hotel.
After making arrangements for the free city tour tomorrow offered through RCI we rested up about a half hour before heading off to taste a little bit of Bangkok's notorious night life, Soi Patong. After getting off the the skytrain the streets were alive with yet another street market. We very slowly made our ways through the crowds until we got to Patong 2 (there are actually 3 Potong streets). As we walked up the street bar hawkers were trying to temp us with cards that showed off what the girls could do starting with ping-pong balls. We kept forging through. At the top of the street we turned and then went down Patong 1 which was closed to vehicular traffic as there were three rows of stalls set up. Want bootleg DVDs or fake designer watches? This is the place along with the standard girly sex shows.So down then back up again we went then headed over to a cafe just across the street from Soi Patong to have some refreshments.
We were getting a bit peckish but there didn't seem to be any food stalls around. I checked in the book and it mentioned something on Soi 10 but didn't make it clear whether the food stalls were there in the daytime or the evening. Well, again we wound our way through the crowded streets but Bangkok street signs don't really make a lot of sense and after a couple of blocks the sidewalk places petered out a bit. We were trying to decide whether to carry on or not when we came to another cross street. Looking down there seemed to be some outdoor restaurants so we made our way there. Seemed to be set up in a parking lot and there were only Thais' around, no farangs. One of the waiter sort of spoke english. There was a display of fish and chicken on ice. So we just pointed to the squid, the mussels and the chicken. He said, squid in garlic, chicken curry and steamed mussels? Sure, why not.
So we sat down and they brought over some water for Bev and I and a beer for Fraser. What came was an absolute feast. The food tasted fantastic. After we finished scarfing all the food (more than enough for three of us) we decided on one more thing so I went over to the counter. I pointed out the shrimp to the waiter and he said something that I didn't understand and said sure. Well, we got lovely sauted shrimp with vegetables. Again really yummy and the shrimp were so tender. So our whole meal came to about 6.00 each. After leaving there we walked back to the main road and then went to one of the massage places we had passed so we could get an hour foot massage. A whole hour along with a quick neck, spine and shoulder massage cost 300baht (10.00). We were jelly by then and it was past the time that the skytrain ran so we just took a taxi back since the taxis are cheap enough.
Eating and massages, I could get use to this very easily!
After about 13 hours of total flying we arrived in Bangkok at around 8am. As we were sitting in the middle seats of the airplane we only caught glimpses of downtown Bangkok as we were landing. We landed at the new aitport. All that we went smoothly, we collected our bags and caught a (metered) taxi to the hotel. Of course, as we left the airport we were beseiged by peple offering us "deals" for rides downtown. Only 600 baht. I told Fraser only grab a metered taxi, it should be no more than 200-300 baht. The tour guides alway say to grab a metered taxi. The ride in was about a half hour and it was 185 baht! That along with an airport fee of 50 baht, some tolls and a small tip made it a taxi ride of about 10 bucks!
Pulled up to the Grand Tower Inn Rama VI, just outside the downtown core. It was around 9 in the morning and we were hoping for a place to leave our luggage as RCI (timeshare) check in isn't until 4 but one of the rooms was ready so we were able to check in right away. Took all of out stuff up. Fraser and I went up to the roof top pool (24th story) to get geographically oriented. We could scope out the weekend market, skytrain location and downtown. We decided to head over to the weekend market since it was nearby. By now my headache had gone. Bev was already in bed. I took a quick shower. During my shower the key for my room arrived. As I was taking my stuff to my room Bev said she would come too and would meet us downstairs. I took my bags to my room two floors down from theirs (too bad we couldn't get adjoining), organized myself a bit then joined them downstairs.
We took a taxi fom there. As we walked out the hotel the first thing Fraser asked was how much to the market as I winced. Driver said 60 baht (as a contrast, later on Bev and I caught a taxi from a skytrain station back to the hotel, about the same distance, and it was a whole 37 baht). I'm going to have to break Fraser of the habit of asking price first. The taxis are cheap, just insist on meter. Some may not like it and if they don't turn the meter on get out and grab another. Anyway, we wandered around the market. I think we'll try to come back tomorrow because we are a bit drained to really appreciate and absorb it today but it's huge! We just walked around to orient ourselves. It was hot and a tiny bit humid but not unbearable. The Chatuchak weekend market has some 15,000 stalls. There are some broad "streets" that run through it but mainly there are little aisleways that criscross throughout. Everything you could possibly think of. We plunged into some of the aisles. Bev found a stall with (possibly fake) Birkenstock sandals that seemed close enough to the real thing and of decent enough construction. She paid the listed price instead of bargaining but they were cheap enough anyway, 200 baht (about 6.50)! It was getting close to 12 and we were hungry. There were food stalls all over the place. Wonderfull smells emanating frome everywhere. I was starving so I stopped by one that seem to be different hors d'oevres to grab what look like 4 bitesize pieces of toast with a chopped chicken and spices mixture on top. Tasted great for 20 baht (.70).
We finally stopped by a stall that had some tables crammed under a couple of trees and underbrella. We ordered 3 seafood pad thais, an order of crab rolls and shakes, coconut, pineapple and ginger and ram somethin or another that tasted like lychee nut. The pad thais came with shrimp and a langostina on top. All tasted great. The stall and presentation of the food was a little fancier than most so we paid a bit more so it came to about 10.00 each but was oh so good. By now the mornining clouds had disipated and the sun was out in full fury so we decided to go back to the hotel. We walked it. Now, the hotel wasn't too far away but seeing as we were all jet lagged and it was the midday sun we were pretty bushed when we got back. Bev had to lay down for a nap. I really didn't want to sleep, Fraser was going up to the pool for a swim. I puttered about in my room, watched a little TV then went up to check on Fraser. He was snoring when I arrived. We yakked a bit then I went down to the next floor where the hotel spa is located. Even though the hotel prices were higher than what you could find elsewhere I made an appointment to have an aroma (scented oil, western style) massage at 8pm. Figured I didn't want to go to sleep any earlier than that and after a one hour massage would be more than ready for bed. Went back up to the pool and Fraser said why don't you schedule one in for Bev too. So I did. Fraser said he was going to wander a bit later so I said give me a call.
Went back to the room and tried real hard not to sleep. It worked! around 4ish I called to the other room. Bev answered and said Fraser had already wandered off but she was ready to do something so we met downstairs and decided to see how long it would take to walk to the skytrain station. The hotel is actually located between two stations but about a kilometer (or two, can never judge distance) away. The next street up from the hotel leads right over that way so away we went. About 15 minutes later we were on the main street that runs under the skytrain. In the distance in both directions we could see the stations, we decided to head to the one that was "away" from downtown, it seemed slightly closer. About halfway there we came to a major intersection. Already having experienced trying to cross a busy street on our way back from the market (a scary experience indeed) we noticed some over head walkways decided that would be most prudent! Back on the sidewalk there were stall everywhere! The Thais seemed to obsessed with two things, shopping and food. From what I read the Thais don't really cook at home. The smells were wonderful. There was barely passage on the sidewalks for all of the stalls and people.
We finally came to the skytrain station so we took a train downtown. Fare was 30 baht (1.00). We took it right down to the Siam Center. Wandered around a couple of the malls that were there a bit just to get oriented. After about 45 minutes or an hour we headed back. This time we got off at the other station (remember, the hotel is between two stations) and take a taxi back but before getting on a taxi I wanted to just pick up a snack at a small store right there. I didn't really want to eat a meal but wanted a couple of things to have in the room for munchies as I knew I wouldn't make it to morning without getting hungry. As we paid for our things and came out a side door I noticed a pharmacy. Now, (the males out there can put their fingers in their ears and go lalalal for a few sentences) originally when we planned this trip and I made the calculations, I was suppose to start my period on Wed, so that meant I would be on my period for half way through Bangkok to half of the beach portion, ugh! So I researched if there was anyway to delay a period and came up with a hormone that does that but in NA is only available by prescription. You take it three days before you are supposed to start and for as many days as you want to delay then when you stop taking it you start three days later. Well, I went to the clinic but they said you have to see a gynacologist. Yeah, try getting appointment in the two months I had before going on the trip but I had read that many NA prescription drugs are available over the counter in Thailand. So I decided to wait. Well, in the subsequent months my period shifted and so now having started right at the beginning of Bangkok I don't mind having it now as I will be done by the time we hit the beach but Bev was interested because she was starting next week at the beach.
So, long story short, we went over to the pharmacy and lo and behold they had it under a slightly different trade name but the hormone was the same. Bev bought ten days worth which came to the princely sum of 140 baht (4.60)! And on top of that the taxi fare was only 37 baht back to the hotel so I guess that will be our prefered method for trips back and forth to the skytrain. Fraser was sitting in lobby when we got back taking advantage of the with three beers you get the fourth beer for free deal. They offerd some finger food and he said the fried pork with spicy sauce was good so we ordered that and some seafood food rolls. Again it was very delicious and cheap. It was close to 8pm so it was time for our massages.
Just went up to the room for a quick shower then headed upstairs to the spa. Led into a small, dim lit room with just a bed. Stripped down and laid stomach first on the bed. Looking out the window was a full night view of litup, downtown Bangkok. A room with a view! Anyway, what followed was one hour of pure pleasure. I was jelly at the end. While the massage prices in the hotel are higher thanwhat you would normally find on the street it was still a bargain, 600 baht (20.00) for the hour plus I gave the girl a 100 baht tip. Bev and I headed downsatirs in a blissful haze. I hit the sack just after 9, watched TV for about 5 minutes, turned out the light and was gone....
Wow, what a great airlines. Luxury flying for budget prices. Not only did each seat have it's own TV screen but there was a detachable contoller in the arm of each seat. You had a choice of about 50 movies, tv shows and documentaries plus interactive games and news channels. All could be started, started or paused at any time. As soon as we took off hot towels were passed out. Menu cards were passed out with the choice of two chicken, one lamb and a vegetarian meal. Beverages (including alcoholic) were generously passed out. Legroom was more than adequate. Toward the end of the flight we were served a snack, curried chicken wraps.
My only problem with the flight is I got hit with a double whammy, not only did my monthly pleasure beginbut I also developed a raging migraine which seems to be SOP for the last few months. When we arrived in Qatar I was in great shape. We had about a one our layover. I had read in some airline critique forums that one of the major complaints with Qatar Airlines was the terminal in Doha but it all seemed ok to us. I know they are building a new airport/terminal there (I think scheduled to open next year) but if that was the terminal they were complaining about then they were on crack or something. We left fairly on time (we had been delayed about 45 minutes at Gatwick).
On this flight (same type of plane so all the seat screens stuff was same) there was a goodie bag sitting on each seat. It consisted of earphones, sleep mask, earplugs, socks and toothbrush kit. These were all in a reusable nylon pouch that can be used as an underclothes money holder. Cool. On this flight we didn't get a menu card but we did have two choices of meals. Despite taking lots of drugs and a sleeping pill before boarding my headache raged on making a bit of an uncomfortable trip. And I didn't sleep, damn.
Just in the airport in Doha, Qatar waiting for the flight to Bangkok.
That's all!
Uploaded more photos. For now I am posting the photos over on flick because it's a lot quicker to post them there.
This is the URL for the photos: www.flickr.com/photos/chezbasson
I have also added a link to the Flickr photos in the menu to the right.
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Well, the Queen wasn't home so we had to fend for ourselves.
Ceilidh and I went into London today. She was looking for some close to wear to a party in London on Saturday night and I went in just to go in. We go in around 11:30 and went to the Covent Garden area to got to Canada House, a store that specializes in - you guessed it - Canadian items. They also have stuff from Australia and New Zealand. Bev had ordered a book but since it was a while since they had received it and she didn't come for it so they didn't have it any more. We wondered around the Covent Garden area. I had to have obligatory phot shoot of me at the Nags Head Pub, a McMullen Brewery pub. We went in for a quick drink.
We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for Ceilidh's things at Camden Locks, quite an eclectic area for goth, punk, ethnic, new age, all sorts of stuff set up in stalls and markets. After that we headed over to the theatre district to eat at a shushi place calle Osatsuma. By then we were stuff so we rolled back to the tube station and on to the Marleybone train station to catch the train around 7:00pm back to High Wycombe.
But not before one more bit of glutonny, grabbing a couple of trifles from the Marks and Spencers in the train station ;-).
Spending the evening packing for Thailand as we leave tomorrow!
Starting to add some photos to the photo gallery.
Also experimenting with putting some photos on Flickr. Will give the URL for that later on.
Yes, I finally moved yesterday. Bev and Fraser had to go into to work so around lunch time I took the bus from from Lane End to downtown High Wycombe. Big change from last time I was here. They are redoing the city central shopping area and as one of the first phases have built a new bus station. Quite an improvement over last time I was here. It's just south of where it used to be to be so it only took me a few minutes to reorient myself and be on my way. Fisrt stop was to be a fish and chip shop around the corner from the Octagon Center that I ate at last time. Oh no!, It wasn't there any more so I just wandered in and out of the stores trying to think of what I wanted. to have for a meal.
Went into Marks and Spencers for some undie things then decided I would go to a pub. I was there late enough that I was able to get the Tuesday grill and drink special, a steak with trimmings and a beer for the price of normally just the steak. Then I wandered back but not before dropping into Tescos to pick up a few items. They really have neat stuff at English supermarkets. Spent the rest of the evening as I have for several days now, researching Thailand, watching the telly and yacking.
Today Tanis was heading back back to Aberwyswyth, Wales so she was putzing around getting things gathered. Bev was still not feeling well so spent most of the day in bed. I took Austin just before lunch and we went to a park nearby and played on the swings. We passed by some shops on the way back where I bought a newspaper and some fish and chips. When we got back Austin and I shared them, yummy.
So they have taken off now. I'm just catching up on blogging. Bev is up and about but feeling a bit better. She has a wicked cold and is quite congested. Hoping it clears out by Friday for the 13 hours worth of flying to Bangkok. Ceilidh comes in tonight so her and I will probably spend the day tomorrow in London. This evening I hope to sort out what I am taking to Thailand. The airline only permits 20 kilos per person. My bags are heavy to begin with before you even start putting stuff in them. I may just take one of Frasers extra duffle bags and then buy something cheap if I need more space coming back. I'll then repack into my suitcases for the trip back to Montreal. I'll be taking as little as possible with me to Thailand.
Yes, we have seen all of the coverage concerning the bombings in Bangkok on New Years Eve. We are not concerned. Can't let things get to you that easily. Unless the country was about to dive into complete anarchy I don't think we would change our plans and I don't think they are anywhere near falling into the abyss like that.
Well, we're an exciting bunch. We ended up doing nothing. Even Tanis stayed home to work on an essay. We watched the fireworks from London on TV but we did break open a bottle of Champagne at least.
Didn't go out for Sunday Roast on Sunday because a lot of pub's kitchens were closed but we went out on New Years Day to try and find someplace. Tried the Peacock just outside of Lane End where I had Sunday Roast last time I was here. Although they were serving a holiday lunch they did not have Sunday Roast so we drank down our pints and headed back into Lane End to go to the Grouse and Ale, a new pub/restaurant that is slightly upscale. Yay, they were serving roast so we stayed.
It was quite nice. Fraser and I had the roast beef while Bev took a checken breast done up with a sauce and avacado slices and parma ham. Very delicious. Bev and I also stuffed ourselves with desert, creme brulee for me and a tart tatin for Bev. Both were great.
So we rolled back home and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening being lazy. Gee, I think I have found a theme for this trip, the Being Lazy Tour 2007. Sure haven't done much since I've been here except I've probably seen more DVDs in the past week than I've seen the last two years.