Air Travel

I have lived in the Canary Islands for 25 years, the best time of my life, the happiest time of my life I had in these Fortunate Islands. I went there in 1963 and in 1988 I moved to Malaga. Before that I lived and worked in Gibraltar and went to Morocco often.

In the year 1966 I left my job in Las Palmas and started my own business. But the wanderlust in my veins was very strong and I traveled for some months in Europe, visiting France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Holland and the U.K. I can safely say, without any false vanity, that until now I have not found a refuge in my life.

Around 1966 I came to know a business man who had recently settled in Las Palmas. He came from a country neighboring Spain. He rented a shop in the main business center, paid a hefty premium in cash, thus spreading the rumor that he was loaded.

At that time there was not much business with El Aaiuñ, the Capital city of Sub-Sahara which was under
Spanish control. General Franco was still alive and Spanish foreign Legion was stationed there. But the trade was growing and it was not infrequent to see men in long robes, heads covered with turbans and indeed Tuareg with their blue and white gowns, heads and faces covered, drinking tea in the shops and doing large purchases. At that time if a businessman wanted to visit El Aaiuñ, which was seldom and required a good reason, needed a special permit from Madrid. There was only one flight a week, going and coming back the very same day.

This business man was the first to increase trade with sub-Saharan market and had, without the general knowledge of many, opened a Cabaret in El Aaiuñ. A very strange and puzzling prospect indeed. One day I was sitting with him in his office (my office was in front on the other side of the street) and he casually asked me if I knew some one who would be interested in making some money, transporting some stuff to the sub-Saharan Capital.

I told him that indeed I knew such a person, and if he could give me some more details about this deal, I will talk to that person. He however, asked me to bring that person along and he will tell us both about the trip. So I spoke with this man, who was a friend, unemployed, married with a small child and I thought reasonably that he would be indeed interested. So one day soon after that we gathered in my office and over whiskey & soda, the businessman unraveled his proposal.

He told us that he had charted a boat in Casablanca to transport camels to Al Aaiuñ and he needed some person whom he could trust, to go along with the cargo. That he had persons of confidence who will take delivery. That he will pay good lump sum money for the trip. Now this friend of mine did not know any body in Casablanca and nothing at all about buying camels in Morocco. So we all had a good laugh and had some more whiskey and asked him as to who was going to procure the camels and why go to such lengths when camels could be bought somewhere in the Canary Islands and it was just a hop from Las Palmas to El Aaiuñ. He told us that he needed 48 camels and such number was not readily available in the islands, moreover they would come from Morocco anyway. As to who was going to buy the camels, would I be interested to go along and find some one whom I knew well to buy the camels? So we had some more laughs and splashed some more whiskey & soda in the glasses. It is not every day that such an offer comes along. Had he asked me to ride a camel caravan laden with salt to sell in Timbuktu, I would have jumped at the very idea. My heart missed a few beats.

On the third day of our stay in London, in the morning we took a bus and went to see Trafalgar Square.We got down at Piccadilly Circus and after strolling round Leicester Square, we went down Hay market and Pall Mall, and walked all the way to Trafalgar Square. The day was clear and a shy Sun had come out, many young people were sitting in the Square and on the steps of National Gallery. I think the Square has become a symbol of people's freedom, from here mass protests are organized or they end here, political and social leaders lecture here to the audience of thousands. The Parliament and No. 10 Downing Street are nearby and although nowadays this street is many times closed to general public, in the old days you could enter the street and reach No.10 and have your photograph taken.

Trafalgar square is surrounded by many famous monuments. On its left hand side is the famous st. Martin's Church and the National Gallery. This is also one of my favorite places to visit when I am in London. When I lived there, I used to go often and look at the paintings of Botticelli, Da Vinci, Rembrandt and Von Gogh. Gainsborough and so many others. When we went there, there was an exhibition of works of Velázquez. You could easily spend one whole day there. If you like to visit art Galleries of course. Then you have the famous Charing Cross station, and further down you will come to St.Paul's Cathedral. On the other side you have Soho, the strand and can go back to Shafts bury Avenue. If you go up the Charing cross Road you will see Foyles, the famous Book store.

It was getting late and we were tired, but we wanted to go to st. Paul's Cathedral. Our son instead wanted to see Buckingham Palace. So we retreated back to Piccadilly Circus and had some food and then walked down all the way to the Buck House. A long and tiring walk and by the time we reached there, it was totally dark and raining and few tourists outside the gates. We lingered there, took some obligatory photos and went walking (again) to Victoria Station. Now it was raining hard and we were cold, so we decided to go back to the hotel.

If it is your first time in London, you have arrived at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted (City) airport, travel to central London is easy. From Heathrow you can either travel by underground or by Airport bus Al & A2 which will bring you to Victoria Station or Paddington station. Both are in the heart of London. Around Victoria there are many budget hostels and hotels and you can also inquire and acquire a place at Hotel Reservation desk inside the station. At Paddington you have a whole row of hotels at Sussex Gardens, the street is lined with hotels on both sides. You can travel by underground and by bus to Marble Arch, Piccadilly, oxford street and Oxford Circus and even can go to Petticoat Lane Market near Liverpool street station. Number 15 bus will take you there from Paddington Station.

On our second day in rainy London, we bought a one day travel ticket (useful for both train & bus) and went to Covent Garden. Covent Garden is one of London's most popular tourist attractions. It has a very fascinating history. Much of its existence (it was created by Queen Henrietta, the troublesome wife of Charles I, who was beheaded by Cromwell. I mean the king and not the queen. She went in exile in France until her son Charles II was restored to the throne of England), first as pasture land in 1600 was subsequently converted as fruit & vegetable market in 1700. However, the gentle folk who resided there, with the expanding of the area as a market, moved out and London's seedy society of gamblers, prostitutes, public bathhouses, gin places and pubs, moved in. But even from these early times, the whole area has been associated with Theaters. Its narrow intertwining streets are full of history. It is worth strolling in some of these places. In mid 1960s the GLC (Greater London Council) took over the whole area and in order to avoid mass development by individual promoters, build about two hundred buildings.

The main garden area is now full of pubs and restaurants, small shops selling ethnic products. It has a wonderful laid- back atmosphere, street musicians playing instruments, people thronging the whole area. The first street to develop with small businesses was Neal Street in 1973, and I used to go there quiet often to absorb the atmosphere of Herbal products, copper ware, leather goods and handicrafts and hand made chocolates. When we went there this time, there were new shops selling clothes and shoes and take away food. Nothing remains the same in today's world. There are 15-20 street markets around central London, notable are Church street Market near Piccadilly, Camden market (which has largely been destroyed by fire recently). This was my favorite market, I would go and spend a whole day looking at art & crafts, antique jewelry, paintings and even out of print second hand books. Then there is the famous Portobello Market and Shepherd's Bush Market which has, since many years now, gained popularity for selling clothing and ethnic food. Worth a visit. Last but not least is Petticoat Lane market. In 1960s and 70s, it was only a weekend market, I used to go with a friend to sell second hand articles, clocks and wrist watches. We had to pay One Pound sterling to get a table and in order to get one in the centre of the market, it was necessary to be there by five O'clock in the morning. Most mornings in winter or summer it rained and it was miserable. But so were the wages and one had to work on weekends to make the ends meet.

In December 2006 my wife, my son and myself went to London for three days. A buss man's holiday really. My son was at that time working in Basel (Switzerland) and he bought cheap last minute tickets with EasyJet. He also arranged hotel accommodation there, in a ***hotel in Queen's Way (Bayswater). He flew from Basel and we two from Dortmund (Germany). We flew in to the London City (Stansted) airport and took a bus from there to central London. The bus fare was BP8.00 per person and took a longer time than the train to Liverpool Street station(BP27.00 one way) which was more than the plane fare. The bus dropped us in Baker Street, it was raining hard and instead of waiting for a bus to take us to Bayswater Road, we took a taxi (fare BP8.00). I write these details to show how expensive London had become over the past five years or so.

The hotel (I am afraid have forgotten its name)was tucked between a newspaper/souvenir shop and a coffee shop with an Italian name, Cafe Bello or something. A narrow door barely visible from the street, led us to the first floor. Even the taxi driver could not find the number of the house. A small room on the second floor with three bunk beds and a small bathroom cost BP72.00 per night, including breakfast. Next morning we went down to the restaurant well within the breakfast serving hours but found the room full. So we waited for a table to vacate. Fifteen minutes before the closing time, the kitchen was closed and the staff refused to serve any more breakfasts to the waiting guests. This happened on the day after too. A surly and arrogant girl behind the reception desk dismissed our complaint and told us that we must have gone in late, after the kitchen was closed. She got into a heated argument with a Dutch (couple who wanted to talk to the manager but were told that he was not available in the hotel. "You can complain by e-mail if you want" they were told.

London has changed a great deal in the last ten years. Even Queen'sway had changed, Tesco supermarket, Chinese and Indonesian food shops, displaying ready cooked food, Pizza Hut and other eateries have sprung up, filling the street with the smell of frying fat. Even a Ann Summers erotic lingerie shop. In the old days there were three Greek restaurants, one Yugoslav and three reputable Chinese restaurants. Only one had remained, next to the Pizza Hut and which has been there since the 1960s. We went in the Pizza Hut and found the place untidy. The pizzas were soggy and cold. We did not finish them. We saw that some other people had also found the food unappetizing and had left it uneaten. We were given two glasses of complimentary soft drinks, although we were three. I don't remember if that was the offer of the day or it was because we had left the food untouched.

The influx of tourists has changed the eating habits of the Londoners, in fact that of whole U.K. In 1950s and 60s, it was fish and chips and soggy sausages. Only the Pub Grub was good. Then came Wimpy hamburger chain which folded because Brits were not ready for change. Then came Pizza and Spaghetti restaurants, but with the introduction of Kentucky Fried Chicken chain, people's eating habits changed. When the pubs closed, the hungry drunks rushed to KFC shops. And with MacDonald, then Burger King and Wendy, people were hooked on junk food. But by 1980s, more and more Indian restaurants opened in Central London and in suburbs and today Chicken Tikka Massala is the British National dish. In england, Wales and Scotland the most popular National dish is Chicken Tikka. If you go down in Queensway towards West borne Park road and turn left, you will find Khan's Indian restaurant. The food is delicious, it has a seating arrangement for over hundred people and is always full. A few meters further is another popular Indian restaurant called Standard, which has always received favorable views from food critics.

The weather was cold and it rained all the time for the three days we were there. I have lived in London for two years (1970-72) although I went there for the first time in 1964 and have been there umpteen times. My wife also has been to London many times. But in December 2006 I went there after a lapse of eight years and my son too had not been there for ten years or so and he always wanted to go there, specially for Christmas shopping. But Oxford street has always seen old established shops closed and new ones opened. The street has always had a high turnover of establishments. Oxford street, despite rain and cold was full of shoppers, people lined up in front of food stands, buying sandwiches and bread rolls, streaming in and out of famous shops like Marks & Spencer, Selfridge's, D.H. Evans etc. Selfridge's has always the most elegant and attractive Christmas window decorations. So has Liberty's and Hamley's Toy Shop in lower Regent street.

We went walking down from Cumberland Hotel (Marble arch) to Regent street, turned right to go down to Piccadilly Circus. At the left hand corner of Regent street, there used to be a Wedgwood shop, selling fine china and porcelain, it was gone. So were many other decades old established shops. We came to Piccadilly Circus and went in to a pub next to Regent Park hotel, which I used to frequent, and had a point of stout beer(BP 2.50). The whole area was full of mini-markets, shops selling soft drinks, bottled water and sweets.

We progressed towards Shaft bury Avenue and turned into Soho. It was as lively as ever, many new restaurants with new names but many old ones too. This part has always been my favorite place for eating Chinese food. I have, at one time or another, eaten in many of the Chinese restaurants there. In 1970 a family called Poons opened a small restaurant in (I think) George street. Old mother Poons cooked in a corner with three or four tables, they were fixing up an upstairs room to turn it into a dinning room for more tables. The food was superb and the place got rave reviews from food critics. Naturally some time later, you had to wait for a table. By then they had opened a few more restaurants in Soho. They had become popular.

In the opinion of Samuel Johnson, the 18th Century author, critic and literary figure, if you are tired of London, you are tired of life. This is true. In London there is always something new, be it Victoria & Albert Hall, The National Art gallery,Tate or Museum of Modern art, History Museum. Even Madam Tussuad's remove and put new figures from time to time. There are always exhibitions and shows going on. And if you are tired of visiting The Buck House or Big Ben, Parliament and Trafalgar square, you can always go into Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly and have their famous Cucumber sandwiches and Earl Grey Tea.

We left Hua Hin in the morning and took a mini-bus to Bangkok (Bht.180 pp). The journey was fast and comfortable and in three and half hours we reached Bangkok. From the outskirts of the city to reach Victory Monument, the final bus stop, it took more than half an hour, sitting in the traffic jams, the vehicles moving at a snail's pace, stopping for longer length of time for the traffic lights to change, to move forward and again halt. You can imagine the emission of gas with all the thousands of motor vehicles sitting on the roads, with their motors running.

In every city, if we did not have a prior reservation at a hotel and traveling by bus, we would arrive in the city center, leave our luggage in the Left Luggage office or in a locker and take a walk, find out a suitable hotel/hostel and then move in. If we travel by car, we always park it in a secure garage in the city center and go and sit in a Cafe, pour over the city guide or map and then decide where to stay. In Bangkok, the Bus Terminal was in an alley and we were a little disoriented about our surroundings. We decided to go to either Siam Square or find lodgings in China Town. This wasa wrong decision.

We asked the bus driver directions for going to Siam square but he did not respond, either he did not speak English or he simply ignored the question. An English couple who had traveled with us in the bu, overheard us and kindly told us to take the Sky Train (which was over our heads) and get down at Siam square. In Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) we had taken the Sky Train almost every day to go to Suriya Commercial Center and to other parts of the city. So we went up the stairs to the Station and changed money for tokens which we fed in the machine and got the tickets. The train brought us to Siam square.

When we came out at Siam square, on our right hand side was the entrance to a Shopping Mall, on the left you go down the stairs and are on the main street. So we entered the Mall and found a Cafe and sat down and ordered coffee (Bht.5).

We looked at the map of the city with a list of hotels and compared it with our Lonely Planet Guide, indeed the tariffs of hotels in that area for a double room were between Bht.3000 and Bht.4000. I telephoned three or four hotels and although the tariffs were high, it was impossible to understand the addresses they gave on the phone. So we decided to stay away from the chaos of Siam Square and China Town. We came out of the Mall, crossed the street via a foot bride and tried to get some directions. A man clad in a brown suit approached us, I thought he was a hotel receptionist but he said he was a school teacher. He was very helpful and told us what we knew already, that hotels in that area were expensive and we should go to Domestic Accommodation Location office. He even stopped a rickshaw, gave him the directions and told us to give Bht.20 for the ride. So we went to this place which turned out to be another hotel reservation office. We were told that it was most difficult to find economic accommodation at that time of the year, with festivals and King's approaching birthday celebrations. That we should stay in Banglamphu area, near all the main temples and Grand l Palace and Th Khao San, which is the tourist center and backpackers' favorite place of stay. We agreed and he made the necessary reservation for Bht.1600 for a double room including breakfast.

The name of the hotel is Boonsiri Place, 55 Buranasart Road, Pranakorn(www.boonsisriplace.com). I give full details of the hotel as we found it central to tourist attractions, comfortable and at walking distance to all the important monuments and Wats, which are in the vicinity of the hotel. Democracy Monument, Wat Ratchanada, U.N, Golden Mountain are on the right hand side. Cross Buranasat Road and you are in the area of Grand Palace, Wat Pra Kaeo, Wat Pho and other cultural sites. Banglampu is straight on and Prapinklao Bridge will take you to Chao Praya River. And to reach Th Khao San, you come out of the street where the hotel is, reach the main road, Rajdamnern-Nai Roa, cross the dual carriageway and the street in front will take you to Khao San.

Th Khao San had a lively atmosphere and bohemian flavor of young people and colourful night life. In the evening, shops were selling clothes, backpacks, sunglasses, leather goods, wood carvings. Food halls and restaurants, English Pubs. Fresh fruit and fresh juice and Satay and grilled Corn. Very attractive prices too. Only ice cream was expensive.

We went there for the last two days of our stay in Bangkok and had fresh fish and seafood, rice noodle soup with pork balls and bean sprouts. On the first evening, we went strolling round the parallel streets and found an open air Thai massage center. Men and women were lying down on tables, in open view of passerbys and getting foot massage and face massage etc. The charge was Bht.200 for a 45 minute massage so we too had a very refreshing face massage. Just to lie down and relax was worth the price. In Penang (Malaysia) we had Chinese Massage, a bone crushing experience where the masseur kneaded our bones and the points of pain. A full hour's massage cost MR.10 and afterwards the pain was gone. Believe it or not. We stayed one day more in Penang and paid MR.100 more for the hotel, just to get another massage the next day since I was told that it was not advisable to have more than one massage a day.

On the next morning we came out of the hotel, turned right and reached Ko Ratanakosin area. We visited almost all the Wats and the Grand Palace. The day was warm and it seemed that thousands of tourists were thronging the whole area. It reminded me of crowds outside the Buckingham Palace in London on a sunny day. After we finished the obligatory tour of "places of historical and cultural" interest and dodged the touts who were offering river tours at prices between Bht.1500 and Bht.1000, we reached Th Phra Athit where all the cafes and open air restaurants are. The place was busy, Thai, Chinese dishes displaced to entice your appetite. We were hungry and chose a corner restaurant with a wide range of food trays laid out. Chicken in sauce, frogs in sauce, fried and steamed fish, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts, rice, noodles. My wife as always chose fresh vegetables with rice, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts. I had (twice) fish in lemon grass and ginger sauce , grilled eggplant (no taste) bamboo (no taste) rice and chicken curry and a cold beer.

Thus sated we entered the pavilion where the offices of River Cruise are situated. The touts wanted Bht.1000 for two, then without any bargaining on our part, they brought it down to Bht.500. You may pay even less if you keep on bargaining. However, there are boat cruises which ply on both sides of the river, north bound and south bound. The fare for one hour cruise is Bht.13 per person, although the boats are over crowded and you will feel as if you are commuting on a rush hour underground train in London or Paris. No space to move, packed like sardines in a tin can. No chance of taking any photos or even turning your head. From these jetties you can also go to China Town, which would otherwise cost you Bht.50-70 if you took a taxi.

Afterwards we took a ferry and crossed the river by public ferry (bht.1.80 pp) and went to see Wat Arun on the Thonburi side. The temple is named after Aruna, the Indian God of Dawn and is carved from granite. The temple has hundreds of striking figures etched on the sides of walls and you climb up very narrow steps from one stage to the other. The climb is steep and I had a feeling of vertigo. But very impressive sight it was.

Well, the days of sunshine, the deep blue seas and white sand beaches and fine food and fruit were over. We came back to the hotel and took our luggage. We had arranged for a taxi which came to fetch us and we were on our way to Bangkok airport. At 20hrs. our flight left and we were on our way to freezing cold, rainy, dull and dark Germany.

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