Island Hopper's Travel Blog

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.

I

Fellow Travelers, welcome to Bangkok, the unplanned and chaotic city of teeming millions, high-rise hotels and modern office buildings, streamlined space-age shopping malls, labyrinth of fly-overs and foot bridges, mind boggling traffic jams and irrelevant street addresses.

The old part of city and the other side of the river is full of hundred of food stalls, temples and an atmosphere of slumbering village, which has long since fallen into ruin. And the new city center of elevated motorways and Sky train, the ultra modern commercial district of Th Sukhumvit brings you to the present day Bangkok. Welcome to the City on the Move. But once you enter the busy Siam Center with its elegant shops, cafes and restaurants, you will feel that unwittingly, you have been transported to a futuristic city. Except for the noise and the high level of pollution which has been strangling the city since a very long time.

The ancient city of Bangkok and indeed Thailand on the whole has been transformed into a modern society. People are friendly, well behaved., polite, well dressed and educated in far more ways than the society in western countries. It is visitor friendly, hospitable, fabulously charming. The population is mostly young, ambitious and eager to learn. Thailand is blessed with breathtaking natural beauty, temples and ancient ruins which inspire you to delve into its history of political and social conflicts, rising and falling kingdoms, which have left their footprints on the pages of its history and monuments.

Thais seem to have preserved their dignity in today's world of vulgar commercialism, pursuit of pleasure is without any feeling of guilt since it was R&R of American soldiers returning from Viet Nam war which affected and corrupted the Thai society. American dollars have indeed corrupted the bodies and souls of many a people in many societies. So who could blame Thai people?

Thailand attracts more tourists than any other country in South East Asia. Hat Yai is popular with Malaysians who come their in pursuit of carnal pleasure. In Thailand sex is one of the main tourist attractions. Bangkok is like a giant sex hypermarket, the capital city of a country chocked by go-go bars, massage parlors, English and German bars, even whorehouses for Muslims.

But what is most degrading is the deluge of European sex tourists, sex offenders to be precise, who have damaged the fabric of Thai society. In countryside, Thai population is poor and there families have been forced to send their young children to Bangkok and Hua Hin, Pukhet and Pattaya, Hat Yai and other large cities to sell themselves to English and German pornographers. It was most reviling to see seventy and eighty years old, fat, bald and shaved heads, ugly tattooed old geezers going with boys and girls of very young age, their arms around them. I bet that these men never ever brought any flowers to their wives in their whole lives, never took them in their arms the way the do with young boys and girls in Thailand.

In Asia the dignity of a person, saving his Face, is most important. In Japan, China and in Thailand , the Loss of Face can lead to humiliation for the whole family and even a village. Men commit suicide if their name has been soiled. Foreign tourists and visitors are much liked in Thailand and many ex-pats have made it their permanent domicile. It is their moral obligation to their host country to respect and safeguard the dignity and honor of its people and not only discourage but to help curb the sex offenses committed by their country folk.

When we had started our trip to Malaysia and Thailand, we had said to ourselves, we will not hurry from one place to another just to reach there, stay a day or two and hop to another place. So when we reached Kuala Lumpur, we liked it very much and stayed there more days than planned. Same happened in Langkawi which is a fabulous island. It will be ideal to stay there for a fortnight or more, explore all the islands, swim, sun bathe, eat delicious food, read your favorite books and relax in the quietness of these islands. Transport is cheap and whenever you have the urge to go some place, hop in a taxi and go exploring.

In Hat Yai we stayed two days instead of one and when we reached Krabi, we took the boat to Phi Phi the next morning where also we stayed for three days. These were relaxing days, the lovely beaches and the bright days, the hot sun which warmed our bodies, giving us a sensation of well being. Friendly people and good food, long tail boat trips around the islands and gazing at the ever changing color of the sea, dark and deep blue, moss green and turquoise. Snorkeling in the open sea and in sheltered coves which were like natural swimming pools, and watching hundreds and hundreds of colorful tropical fish under the surface of the water. Towering rock formations and submerged caves, secluded beaches and never ending tropical forest. What a wonderful country Thailand is.

In Hua Hin where we had planned to stay for only two days, we stayed for four and now, the time of ending our trip was nearing. We had to be in Bangkok on the 24th November 2007 to take our flight back to Germany and it was already the 22nd. We would have very much liked to visit some other islands, had we not prolonged our stay in Kuala Lumpur and other places, but we did not regret it. Because we knew that, God willing, we will be back in Malaysia and Thailand. Our trip had not really ended, it was only a prelude to more travel in Southeast Asia.

So on the 23rd November we packed our bags and took a mini bus to Bangkok, our final destination and point of departure.

In Hua Hin there are many places of interest. The railway station which is one of the oldest in the country, is considered as one of the most beautiful. We went there to take some photos but I had forgotten to recharge the battery and the camera would not work. So we also missed taking photos of the Luxury Scenic Train which runs from Singapore to Thailand, and which was coming in the station at that moment. Ce la vie. The largest statue of Budha (Luang Phor Tuad) is at Huay Mongkot temple. Kao Takiap (the chopstick mountain) about 5kms from the city is another place to visit a Budha temple. If you have time to visit another seaside town, there is Cha-Am, which is about 45kms from Hua Hin and a quieter place. Local bus or tuk-tuk (Bht.40) will take you there. Then there is The elephant Village and Wat Eitisukato with a very large statue of sitting Budha. At a distance of about 70kms. are Pala-U Waterfalls. And the Hua Hin Night Market, a must for every visitor. This market stretches in two long streets and is full of stalls selling fresh Thai food. Satay, Pancakes, noodle soups, Corn on the Cob), fresh fish and seafood and even Beef Steaks.

In this market you can buy leather bags and belts, Thai silk scarves and cushion covers, paintings, wooden carvings and many more things and T-shirts. Every imaginable and most popular designs printed on T-shirts. Billabong, Rip Curve, QuickSilver and some other brands were most popular. The stalls are run by young Thai girls and boys, very friendly and not at all impatient if you want to bargain. But the prices were cheap. A size S T-shirt for Bht.120, size M for 135-150 and size L or LL for Bht.200. A wide assortment of sizes and styles in ladies' fashion handbags. And almost all women seemed to be buying silk scarves.

Since arriving in Malaysia we had stopped eating in western style restaurants, we preferred to eat at local eateries and even preferred to sit with locals and eat food recommended by them. In Pangkor Island, Penang and in Langkawi we frequented fresh food stalls, even eating standing up. Thai soups, Chicken tandoori and rice, fish head fried with fresh okra and octopus and calamari and prawns, we enjoyed them all.

On arriving in Thailand we kept up the same mode of eating and in Hua Hin also, every evening of our stay there, we went to eat in the Night Market. My wife is very fond of sea food, give her baby clams in white wine and lemon sauce, king prawns in garlic & butter sauce or baby octopus, morning glory or fresh vegetables with bean-curd or chicken in ginger sauce, she will be in heaven. I myself like fried and grilled fish, fish steamed with baby clams, with lemon grass and ginger.grilled and fried calamari, king prawns and oysters. I suppose that living in Spain for so many years taught us how to enjoy food.

In the afternoons, we went to eat at an open air pavilion on Chom Sin road (in front of Fishing Pier). A large open place with tables and chairs setup with some space between each place to distinguish seating arrangement of different owners, it was run by five food stalls, running kitchens on the side of the raised platform. Each served a variety of dishes, Thai fish soup with shrimps and ginger, grilled pork and rice, fried chicken at one stall, next frying rice noodles with bean-sprouts and bits of pork, beef, pork balls in soup, the next one serving grilled honey pork with rice and vegetables. All food was fresh and delicious. The place closes in the afternoon so it is advisable to go before 2 0'clock in the afternoon or after 6 0'clock in the evening. In fact all eating places where they cook fresh food, close in the afternoon.

It was our plan to stay in Hua Hin for two days , my wife wanted to have some tailor made clothes, and then to continue our trip bypassing Bangkok, but we felt so comfortable and welcome that we stayed there for four days. Each night we packed our things and told the friendly receptionist that we will be leaving next morning, but very morning we came out to have breakfast and were greeted by everybody, "good morning" "how are you this morning?", we said to ourselves, one more day and then we leave. We stayed there for four days. Hua Hin and Cha-Am are weekend retreats for many people from Bangkok who leave the hectic life of the big city and come to enjoy the quiet atmosphere of these two places.

The morning after our arrival in Hua Hin, after we had changed our hotel and moved in Jing's Guest house, we changed for the beach. At the very entrance is a hair saloon and massage parlour, not with girls in hot pants and closed doors, but a legitimate place where you can have body massage, foot massage and a hair cut. Outside, the street is full of bars and food stalls and shops. Let me describe below the street scene.

Outside on the left is a Chinese laundry (naturally) where we left our dirty laundry. All the women working bowed to us and we bowed back. Everybody smiling. You turn right and first is a tailor's shop where an old woman sits, stitching clothes the whole day. Also Chinese and very dignified and does not speak English. In front are three bars where young girls sit the whole day. In the evening when the business starts, there are more. Every body says "Good morning" "How are you"?. As if we had been living in the street for a year or so. Next is an art gallery, a shop selling canvas paintings really. The painter sits on a small stool, starts with an empty canvas in the morning and by the time we return in the late afternoon, he has almost painted a large canvas with an eye catching scene or already finished it and gone and left the canvas to dry. I have put some of his paintings on my Photo Gallery. Then a few food shops, where the girls every morning put two or three heads of pigs on a tray, some food offerings and flowers and incense, and are some times worshiping as we pass. Near the end of the street which joins the main road, on the left hand side is a pizza restaurant, in front an English pub with billboards announcing English football matches. At the top is a tailoring shop with a Nepali young man, greeting every body who passes by, saying hello before you even reach him, as if staking his claim on you. "Where are you from?" he asks and tries to shake your hand and tries to touch the woman if it is a couple. If you say "Denmark" then the man perks up and starts in Danish, if you say you are German then the sales pitch is in German. This is the same all over Hua Hin. "Same Same" as the Thai say.

We come out on the main road and turn right, pass the Hilton and stop at a bank, take out Bht.200 from ATM cash point and progress to the end of the road, turn left and after walking 200 hundred meters, reach the beach. Hua Hin beach is good four kilometers long with white sand. The beach is not crowded at any time of the day, although where the beach bars are, beach chairs are full. Fat tourists, women mostly, lying on the sand or or chairs getting open air Thai massage for Bht.200 for less (if you bargain). A luxury so cheap.

The water is warm, the sand is warm and horses with riders running, strolling, trotting, walking and sometime gallopping from one end of the beach to the other. Business is brisk. The sea in Hua Hin is not turquoise or moss green or dark blue as it is in the islands, it is dusty and Grey. Not a single sail boat, a ship or a tanker on the horizon. Some days the wind picks up and within a few minutes the beach is empty.

Hua Hin is a homely city, people are friendly and every where you go, you have a feeling of a well received visitor. A large number of ex pats live there and English, German and Scandinavian real estate promoters have developed properties there. The prices are still relatively modest but it is question of time when there will not be much difference in prices in Europe and Thailand.