I should have really posted this on Saturday, but eh.
Got back to Australia on Saturday morning (the plane got into Sydney airport at 6:05am - it turns out they don't open until 6:00am, so the pilots timed that quite well). The flight back was pretty good, an hour or two shorter, but i still didn't manage to sleep.
The first person i ran into who i knew was a staffer from Kevin Rudd's office, so i got all the latest news and gossip from her. Things are looking good for the good guys!
My parents picked me up from the Canberra airport, which was an absolute godsend as i was buggered at that point. Went back to their place, had lovely soup for lunch and then spent the afternoon trying not to fall asleep too much.
The temperature is probably the biggest thing about being back - i can no longer just walk around in shorts and t-shirt. Well, not if i want to avoid horrible noxious diseases. It's strange, but the dark, cold winter climate of Canberra i've actually found a bit depressing the last few days. It's not something i've ever noticed before, so maybe it's just the contrast.
There are a lot of things that i'm noticing in comparison to Thailand - i can drink the tap water with confidence, the traffic is more predictable, but i miss not having little merchant stores everywhere. I really found that nice.
It's also really, really nice to no longer be the giant westerner who everyone stared at, and who couldn't speak a word of the language. That's very relieving.
I'll have the photos posted up at some point soon, i swear.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Bangkok again
Caught a bus back to Bangkok this morning. It took less then half the time that the train trip did, but was much less scenic. Sat next to a young woman who commutes into Bangkok to study business administration, she was overjoyed to have someone to practise her English on. She spoke very well, with almost no accent except when she was unsure of a word, which wasn't too often. So, that was nice.
My taxi driver, on the other hand, i could strangle. He seemed to be going around in circles looking for a petrol station where he could haggle down the price. I think the taxi ride to my hotel was longer then the bus ride fro Kanchanaburi. I'm not staying in the same place - this one's much better priced, and decently close to the airport.
After the last couple of days, i'm feeling quite pleasantly tired. I'll probably make the rest of today a 'rest day', and i'm not sure what i'll do tomorrow. Friday's going to be a pain in the arse, since my plane doesn't take off until after 6:00 i'm going to have to find a way to occupy myself.
My taxi driver, on the other hand, i could strangle. He seemed to be going around in circles looking for a petrol station where he could haggle down the price. I think the taxi ride to my hotel was longer then the bus ride fro Kanchanaburi. I'm not staying in the same place - this one's much better priced, and decently close to the airport.
After the last couple of days, i'm feeling quite pleasantly tired. I'll probably make the rest of today a 'rest day', and i'm not sure what i'll do tomorrow. Friday's going to be a pain in the arse, since my plane doesn't take off until after 6:00 i'm going to have to find a way to occupy myself.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
My last full day in Kanchanaburi
Well, as the title says this is my last full day in Kanchanaburi, and i have to say that i've enjoyed my time here a lot more then i did in Bangkok. In fact, i would say that today has so far been the best day of the holiday.
I started off by waking up at a civilised hour (8:00'ish) so i didn't miss out on the hotel breakfast. Most of it's nothing special (eww, they have powder instead of milk for the coffee...), but they have a nice fruit platter.
A bit after 10 i started walking down the road towards the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. It was a fair walk from my hotel to the bridge (my guess would be about 6km), but it wasa nice walk, and there was a cool breeze so it was very pleasant. I bumped into the rickshaw driver who took me from the railway station to the hotel, and he offered to drive me to the bridge, but i was set on walking in order to take things in better. I'm glad i did that, because along the way i found a lovely monument/garden and also the JEATH museum (if memory serves, it stands for Japanese, English, American, and Thai), both of which memorialise the death railway victims.
Both of them were very striking, although the garden was probably more so, as it was completely serene and very beautiful in a low key way. I have pictures of it which i will post, but i doubt they will do it justice.
The bridge itself was interesting. A lot smaller then i expected, and i was a bit taken aback by how much tourism is built around it. In some ways it feels inappropriate to have people hawking hats and jewellery so close to it, but there was also obviously a very sincere effort to preserve the dignity of the place as well, which made it feel quite schizophrenic.
I decided against walking over the bridge, which was definitely possible. In fact, there was a small tourist train which seemed to do quarter-hourly rides across the bridge. Instead, i ended up catching a small boat down the river to the other war cemetery i wanted to visit, the one which is out of town.
By small boat, i mean it was me and my driver, and it was a really lovely experience. I'm very glad to report that i don't share Jonathan's dire reaction to boat travel, and it was probably the highlight of the day. It was interesting seeing how some people lived right up on the water, and i took a few photos that i really look forward to uploading.
The river just outside of town widened and had some beautiful scenery - i hope the photos will do it justice, but doubt it. After about 15 minutes we got to the cemetery, which had its own docking place.
Like the cemetery in town, it was wonderfully immaculate. It had the same layout, although i think it was probably slightly larger then the one in town. Unlike the cemetery in town however there was almost noone there - other then myself i only saw a single couple. There were no merchants camped out the front either, which made me think that this must be the usual rate of visitors.
The boat driver dropped me off at Kanchanaburi, in a part of the town i hadn't been in before, but my sense of direction took me the right way. I'm quite happy that i've managed not to get lost a single time this holiday, which is quite good considering the amount of walking i've done.
I got lunch at the place across the road from my hotel, and the lesson seems to be that i should stop buying stuff there - it's beautiful quality, delicious, cheap, but they always give me about four times as much as i can fit in, and i leave feeling massively guilty at not having eaten more. But i suppose that's a pretty good dilemma to have.
My plan for tomorrow is to catch the morning train back into Bangkok and get set up there for the last few days, maybe finally see Siam Square.
I started off by waking up at a civilised hour (8:00'ish) so i didn't miss out on the hotel breakfast. Most of it's nothing special (eww, they have powder instead of milk for the coffee...), but they have a nice fruit platter.
A bit after 10 i started walking down the road towards the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. It was a fair walk from my hotel to the bridge (my guess would be about 6km), but it wasa nice walk, and there was a cool breeze so it was very pleasant. I bumped into the rickshaw driver who took me from the railway station to the hotel, and he offered to drive me to the bridge, but i was set on walking in order to take things in better. I'm glad i did that, because along the way i found a lovely monument/garden and also the JEATH museum (if memory serves, it stands for Japanese, English, American, and Thai), both of which memorialise the death railway victims.
Both of them were very striking, although the garden was probably more so, as it was completely serene and very beautiful in a low key way. I have pictures of it which i will post, but i doubt they will do it justice.
The bridge itself was interesting. A lot smaller then i expected, and i was a bit taken aback by how much tourism is built around it. In some ways it feels inappropriate to have people hawking hats and jewellery so close to it, but there was also obviously a very sincere effort to preserve the dignity of the place as well, which made it feel quite schizophrenic.
I decided against walking over the bridge, which was definitely possible. In fact, there was a small tourist train which seemed to do quarter-hourly rides across the bridge. Instead, i ended up catching a small boat down the river to the other war cemetery i wanted to visit, the one which is out of town.
By small boat, i mean it was me and my driver, and it was a really lovely experience. I'm very glad to report that i don't share Jonathan's dire reaction to boat travel, and it was probably the highlight of the day. It was interesting seeing how some people lived right up on the water, and i took a few photos that i really look forward to uploading.
The river just outside of town widened and had some beautiful scenery - i hope the photos will do it justice, but doubt it. After about 15 minutes we got to the cemetery, which had its own docking place.
Like the cemetery in town, it was wonderfully immaculate. It had the same layout, although i think it was probably slightly larger then the one in town. Unlike the cemetery in town however there was almost noone there - other then myself i only saw a single couple. There were no merchants camped out the front either, which made me think that this must be the usual rate of visitors.
The boat driver dropped me off at Kanchanaburi, in a part of the town i hadn't been in before, but my sense of direction took me the right way. I'm quite happy that i've managed not to get lost a single time this holiday, which is quite good considering the amount of walking i've done.
I got lunch at the place across the road from my hotel, and the lesson seems to be that i should stop buying stuff there - it's beautiful quality, delicious, cheap, but they always give me about four times as much as i can fit in, and i leave feeling massively guilty at not having eaten more. But i suppose that's a pretty good dilemma to have.
My plan for tomorrow is to catch the morning train back into Bangkok and get set up there for the last few days, maybe finally see Siam Square.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Death Railway Museum & Foot Massage
Well, i didn't actually get out to the cemetery near the river today as i couldn't find a taxi who wasn't a motorbike - i'll be damned if i'm going to ride a motorbike. So, that idea will have to wait.
I did however visit the Death Railway museum. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the outside, and i had been amused by their advertisement which promised "One free coffee for every visitor to Death Railway museum". It was really good actually. Unfortunately no photography is allowed.
The place is quite small, but it makes very effective use of the space, with a number of miniature displays giving a 'birds-eye' view of the railway construction, and some lifelike models of what life was like in the camps. The models were extremely realistic - each time i walked into a room with some models, i thought i was walking in on people. Sort of creepy.
The survivors of the construction of the railway, as well as the relatives of those who died there, have obviously contributed a large amount of effort and resources to the museum, and it appears to be a continuing project. A very worthwhile way to spend most of the afternoon.
The rest of the afternoon was spent getting another massage. Not much to say except that this one was even better then the one i got before, and i just feel like flaking out for a while.
Not sure quite what the plan is for tomorrow. I still want to get out to the river to see the bridge and the other cemetery. Depends on whether i can find a proper taxi or not.
I did however visit the Death Railway museum. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the outside, and i had been amused by their advertisement which promised "One free coffee for every visitor to Death Railway museum". It was really good actually. Unfortunately no photography is allowed.
The place is quite small, but it makes very effective use of the space, with a number of miniature displays giving a 'birds-eye' view of the railway construction, and some lifelike models of what life was like in the camps. The models were extremely realistic - each time i walked into a room with some models, i thought i was walking in on people. Sort of creepy.
The survivors of the construction of the railway, as well as the relatives of those who died there, have obviously contributed a large amount of effort and resources to the museum, and it appears to be a continuing project. A very worthwhile way to spend most of the afternoon.
The rest of the afternoon was spent getting another massage. Not much to say except that this one was even better then the one i got before, and i just feel like flaking out for a while.
Not sure quite what the plan is for tomorrow. I still want to get out to the river to see the bridge and the other cemetery. Depends on whether i can find a proper taxi or not.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
A pox on early morning pimps
Yesterday i went and visited the Allied War Cemetery in Kanchanaburi. It's very well maintained, a beautiful peaceful little spot. I look forward to being able to post pictures eventually. Today i'm hoping to visit the other war cemetery in the area, which is closer to the death railway bridge.
But the main reason for this post is a little less reverent, as you may be able to tell by the title.
The hotel i'm staying at is quite nice, but it's very close to some kind of bar with loud music that goes until after midnight. That's cool, i don't mind staying up a little late and sleeping in. But last night, something happened.
I wake up some time between 3 and 4 in the morning to a loud knocking on the hotel room door. Shit, what's happened? Is it an emergency? Bad news from home? I turn on a light, open the door, and standing there is a Thai girl who looks about 14 years old holding a mobile phone. I assume she has the wrong room, close the door, go back to bed.
Bang Bang Bang at the door, ridiculously insistent. Wrong door, geez!
I get out of bed again to gently ask her not to knock on my door, but there's a guy with her, probably in his early 20s. He steps forward, almost doing a 'foot in the doorway' thing. My first thought is "Please don't let this be a robbery". Nope. He gestures with his head towards the 14 year old girl and says "Ladiesz?". I imagine at this point my poker face failed miserably.
I shake my head, say "No thanks". He doesn't seem to get the message, asks again. I say "No thanks" again, and then imagine that this budding entrepreneur might return later with a boy firmly say "No, good night".
Now, i really don't mind them trying their luck. I'm guessing that they probably make the lion's share of their money off of western tourists, so it's not for me to judge, but jesus christ surely even the most vile paedophile wants mainly to sleep at 3 in the morning. I really hope that there isn't a repeat performance tonight, or i will be forced to politely ask them to leave again. ;)
But the main reason for this post is a little less reverent, as you may be able to tell by the title.
The hotel i'm staying at is quite nice, but it's very close to some kind of bar with loud music that goes until after midnight. That's cool, i don't mind staying up a little late and sleeping in. But last night, something happened.
I wake up some time between 3 and 4 in the morning to a loud knocking on the hotel room door. Shit, what's happened? Is it an emergency? Bad news from home? I turn on a light, open the door, and standing there is a Thai girl who looks about 14 years old holding a mobile phone. I assume she has the wrong room, close the door, go back to bed.
Bang Bang Bang at the door, ridiculously insistent. Wrong door, geez!
I get out of bed again to gently ask her not to knock on my door, but there's a guy with her, probably in his early 20s. He steps forward, almost doing a 'foot in the doorway' thing. My first thought is "Please don't let this be a robbery". Nope. He gestures with his head towards the 14 year old girl and says "Ladiesz?". I imagine at this point my poker face failed miserably.
I shake my head, say "No thanks". He doesn't seem to get the message, asks again. I say "No thanks" again, and then imagine that this budding entrepreneur might return later with a boy firmly say "No, good night".
Now, i really don't mind them trying their luck. I'm guessing that they probably make the lion's share of their money off of western tourists, so it's not for me to judge, but jesus christ surely even the most vile paedophile wants mainly to sleep at 3 in the morning. I really hope that there isn't a repeat performance tonight, or i will be forced to politely ask them to leave again. ;)
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Photos... hopefully...
Ok, i've found a place that will let me upload pictures, but i'm having a little bit of trouble getting it done. Not sure if it's a problem with the website i was using, or the place's web connection. So i apologise if there are problems with these pictures:
1) This was the outlook from the hotel i stayed at in Bangkok. You can probably just make out the picture of the Thai King which is on the tall building on the right. There are images of him everywhere, and he seems to be genuinely loved by the people. Take that Prince Charles.
http://img187.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p7290001fb2.jpg
Dagnabbit, not having much luck getting any of the other pictures up. Stupid poxy whatever is causing problems.
Anyway, i'll try again later. Let me know if that one picture shows up ok.
1) This was the outlook from the hotel i stayed at in Bangkok. You can probably just make out the picture of the Thai King which is on the tall building on the right. There are images of him everywhere, and he seems to be genuinely loved by the people. Take that Prince Charles.
http://img187.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p7290001fb2.jpg
Dagnabbit, not having much luck getting any of the other pictures up. Stupid poxy whatever is causing problems.
Anyway, i'll try again later. Let me know if that one picture shows up ok.
Dodging through traffic on a crook stomach
Well, i've made it to Kanchanaburi, and i'm staying a nice place called the River Kwai Hotel. Quite happy to be here and to have settled in - i wasn't feeling terribly well earlier in the day. I suspect the culprit is the anti-malarials, so i'm ging to stop taking them for a day or two, see if that helps.
Anyway, i woke up feeling reasonably poor, and suffering from queasy stomach and associated pleasantness. I checked out of the place i've been staying in in Bangkok (yikes was it ever expensive - i got 3 nights in the River Kwai Hotel for the price of 1 night in Bangkok, plus a little change) and then caught a cab out to Thonburi Railway Station.
My cab driver was really nice, very friendly, and he seemed to be a mad soccer fan from what i could make out (his English was sporadic, and my Thai continues to not exist). I'm reasonably sure he ripped me off horribly, but hey them's the breaks.
Whatever his disposition towards Australians, he seemed to hold his fellow Thai motorists in contempt, and weaved through the traffic honking and pushing in like he owned the place. This would have been ok (actually, no) except that i didn't notice until i got in the cab that it had no seatbelts. So, i'm feeling crook and part of me is screaming "Get me to the station, i need to use the loo" and another part is screaming "I don't want to die".
Got there and was really surprised at Thonburi Station. According to Lonely Planet, it is one of Bangkok's two major railway stations, but it was tiny. To give some perspective, Canberra Railway Station would be a good deal bigger. Anyway, given the train to Kanchanaburi wasn't due to take off for about 4 hours, i dashed to the loo only to find that there was no toilet paper. Thankfully, Bob H. had advised me to travel with my own roll, so crisis was averted (thanks again, Bob!).
The train took off from the station at about 1:55, and the ride took about 3 hours. There was some interesting scenery, but i'm reasonably sure that all my attempts to capture it on film failed. We'll see if i ever find some way to upload the pics.
Anyway, got to Kanchanaburi Station and this guy comes up and asks me where i'm staying, and i lie (i hadn't actually booked in to the River Kwai). He starts telling me about how this other place is much cheaper and nicer and etc., which was a pretty standard spiel i had already gotten from a few peope on the train. When he saw that i wasn't going to change my mind, he offered to act as a taxi to the hotel. I accepted because i'm a big wuss.
We step outside the station, and he gestures to his chariot... it was a damn rickshaw! It was an interesting experience, since he was riding on the road with cars and motorbikes, but he got me here safe and sound, and i'm feeling reasonably good now.
Oh, and the place over the road sells Breezers, so Patrick has his lolly water and all's well with the world.
Tomorrow i'm going to visit some of the War Cemeteries. I'm really looking forward to that, morbid as that may sound. Talk to you all later.
Anyway, i woke up feeling reasonably poor, and suffering from queasy stomach and associated pleasantness. I checked out of the place i've been staying in in Bangkok (yikes was it ever expensive - i got 3 nights in the River Kwai Hotel for the price of 1 night in Bangkok, plus a little change) and then caught a cab out to Thonburi Railway Station.
My cab driver was really nice, very friendly, and he seemed to be a mad soccer fan from what i could make out (his English was sporadic, and my Thai continues to not exist). I'm reasonably sure he ripped me off horribly, but hey them's the breaks.
Whatever his disposition towards Australians, he seemed to hold his fellow Thai motorists in contempt, and weaved through the traffic honking and pushing in like he owned the place. This would have been ok (actually, no) except that i didn't notice until i got in the cab that it had no seatbelts. So, i'm feeling crook and part of me is screaming "Get me to the station, i need to use the loo" and another part is screaming "I don't want to die".
Got there and was really surprised at Thonburi Station. According to Lonely Planet, it is one of Bangkok's two major railway stations, but it was tiny. To give some perspective, Canberra Railway Station would be a good deal bigger. Anyway, given the train to Kanchanaburi wasn't due to take off for about 4 hours, i dashed to the loo only to find that there was no toilet paper. Thankfully, Bob H. had advised me to travel with my own roll, so crisis was averted (thanks again, Bob!).
The train took off from the station at about 1:55, and the ride took about 3 hours. There was some interesting scenery, but i'm reasonably sure that all my attempts to capture it on film failed. We'll see if i ever find some way to upload the pics.
Anyway, got to Kanchanaburi Station and this guy comes up and asks me where i'm staying, and i lie (i hadn't actually booked in to the River Kwai). He starts telling me about how this other place is much cheaper and nicer and etc., which was a pretty standard spiel i had already gotten from a few peope on the train. When he saw that i wasn't going to change my mind, he offered to act as a taxi to the hotel. I accepted because i'm a big wuss.
We step outside the station, and he gestures to his chariot... it was a damn rickshaw! It was an interesting experience, since he was riding on the road with cars and motorbikes, but he got me here safe and sound, and i'm feeling reasonably good now.
Oh, and the place over the road sells Breezers, so Patrick has his lolly water and all's well with the world.
Tomorrow i'm going to visit some of the War Cemeteries. I'm really looking forward to that, morbid as that may sound. Talk to you all later.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Take that, international finance!
Yay, my new debit card arrived. And even better, it appears to work!
So, with this in mind, tomorrow i will be heading off to the Western province of Kanchanaburi, as originally planned for... Monday i think it was.
To be honest, i am looking forward to getting out of Bangkok. I've never been a big city person, and while i've enjoyed my time here, it feels a bit... i'm not sure that constricting is the right word, but it's as close as i can think. That's a weird thing to say given that i've gone out for more then 30km worth of walks while i've been here, but i think the combination of busy streets, weird eggy smog smell, and the heat work together to feel quite oppressive. Not much i can do about the heat anywhere in Thailand, but it'll definitely be nice to get into the countryside.
Just a random little observation - Thai TV seems to be very censored. They were playing the horror film 'Dusk til Dawn' last night, and i swear to god that they must have cut out 1/3 of the film. It really didn't make any sense at all. The other odd thing is that there is an Italian language channel, and they were playing 'Lost in Translation'... dubbed into Italian. That's almost mind blowing.
Hopefully there will be internet access in Kanchanaburi, but if i don't post for a couple of days, that's why.
So, with this in mind, tomorrow i will be heading off to the Western province of Kanchanaburi, as originally planned for... Monday i think it was.
To be honest, i am looking forward to getting out of Bangkok. I've never been a big city person, and while i've enjoyed my time here, it feels a bit... i'm not sure that constricting is the right word, but it's as close as i can think. That's a weird thing to say given that i've gone out for more then 30km worth of walks while i've been here, but i think the combination of busy streets, weird eggy smog smell, and the heat work together to feel quite oppressive. Not much i can do about the heat anywhere in Thailand, but it'll definitely be nice to get into the countryside.
Just a random little observation - Thai TV seems to be very censored. They were playing the horror film 'Dusk til Dawn' last night, and i swear to god that they must have cut out 1/3 of the film. It really didn't make any sense at all. The other odd thing is that there is an Italian language channel, and they were playing 'Lost in Translation'... dubbed into Italian. That's almost mind blowing.
Hopefully there will be internet access in Kanchanaburi, but if i don't post for a couple of days, that's why.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Darn kids
I think i'll have to do these blog updates in the morning. In the afternoon, the internet cafes are overridden by children. I mean, i could wait for half an hour and i wouldn't get near a computer.
No great developments to report. Ate some chicken i got from the market for dinner last night, not entirely sure it has agreed with me, but i'll spare you the lovely details.
No great developments to report. Ate some chicken i got from the market for dinner last night, not entirely sure it has agreed with me, but i'll spare you the lovely details.
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