After much procrastination, time to come back here and blog down everything while it’s still fresh in my mind.

This time, it's only Jane & me. Everyone told us that it's dangerous for two girls to go Bangkok. Despite that, we still went ahead with our plans. Well, I am glad that we did cos I enjoyed myself alot! It's an eye opener. Even thou, deep down I am still worried about our safety.

The big bird that brings us to Bangkok! Can you believe that this is my maiden ride? I never take a plane before. Oh gosh, I am so excited lar!!

We bought our prepaid card after check-out. The service provider is TRUE. Alike to M1 right? Cost about THB349 (approx SGD 15.00). Quite cheap compared to Starhub's roaming service. I can't even finish the card. Anyway I can leave for my next trip. Hehe...!

The taxi stand at the Departure Hall. A lady will sit at the counter, tell her your destination and she will write it in Thai and give it to the driver.

After two hours++ of flying, we finally reached Bangkok! Bangkok is one hour behind us so it's 3pm only!

Chio pink cabs! I wonder which country has PURPLE cabs? Haha! Oh! Remember to ask the driver, 'meter?' Cos not all drivers go by meter. Some will quote you the price which is usually carrot-ing the tourists lar.

Our hotel, Citin Pratunam is located inside one of the street (also known as lorong in SG & soi in BKK). I forget to take a photo of our hotel exterior. Anyway, it's light green in color.

Ta-da! This is our hotel room. $60/night. Thou small but cosy and clean. There's a plasma TV hor!

Our bathroom and bathtub which is not in the photo. Quite clean unlike the lok-kok toilet during my Perhentian trip. Haha...I know it's incomparable! I still remember that they don't even have a TV over there! *slap my forehead* I need TVs!

We unpacked our stuffs swiftly and left the hotel to the nearest mall, Platinum Mall for dinner. We took the complimentary tuk tuk ride by Citin to the main street.

We went the foodcourt located at Level 6. It operates the same way as Kopitam. Cashless dining, the only difference is we can top up any amount and need not place any deposit amount for the card.

I read the entire thread about Bangkok in Flowerpod before I left. A total of 400+ pages. Most of the netizens recommend the oyster omelette and tom yam goong. So without hesitation, I ordered a plate of oyster omelette from this lady.

If you are like me, 无辣不欢. Then this is something you must try! We paid only SGD 7.00 for two dishes. The oyster omelette is filled with 肥美 oysters unlike those in SG, pay $5 for miserable amount of oysters. And the seafood tom yam soup is DELICIOUS!!

Oh I forget to tell you that the omelette is SUPER CRISPY. So much nicer than the local ones. Yummy!

And we ordered this! I love the mango cos it's freshly cut right on the spot. But the glutinous rice is way too sweet to my liking. It drenched with coconut gravy. Yikes...

We went around to explore Platinum Mall after dinner. Found Sunstar @ Level 5, it's like our local Mini Toons but 10 times bigger. They sell stationaries, cutesy ornaments/cushions/accessories in bulks at wholesale price.

Oh I love their display, Doraemon items! But I guess I am a lil too old for that.Haha

The shops at Platinum Mall close 7.30pm. That's early compared to our local shopping mall. We went to Swensens for ice-cream cos I heard that it's dirt cheap there. We have two sundaes at a jaw-dropping price. SGD 6.00!! No service charge and GST!

We were full to the brim. Urgh! Should have order one sundae and share. Took a photo with this white christmas tree before hopping onto the cab to Saphan Phut night market.

Saphan Phut night market: rather similar to our local night market. Just that they have more stalls over there.

They sells everything, includes pets! Guinea pigs and hamsters @ $4 only!!

We went back to the hotel at around 10pm and even walked those dark streets cos our hotel is located deep inside. Come to think of it, we are so daring!
I was freaking tired by then. Jane has a Singapore friend who works in Bangkok and wanted to meet us at Patpong (BKK’s Geylang) but I was too tired for night programmes.
And guess what? We went for foot massage somewhere near our hotel at 11pm. $8 for 1 hour. Shiok!
I even tipped the lady THB 20 (approximately SGD 0.80) and she is so happy. We turned in at 1am!!
And I only managed to fall asleep at 3am! I just can’t sleep on new bed and pillow! Urgh!

After an overnight bus from Bangkok to Krabi, I find myself on a boat to the island of Koh Lanta.  It’s a beautiful trip across the Andaman Sea with the sun blazing overhead and several islands dotting the horizon.  This would later lead to some rather crispy shoulders, the faint smell of sea-salted pork, and strange looks from the local Muslims.

Upon landing at the local port, I’m whisked away in the back of a flatbed truck along with a guy from Prague named Dave.  Our mutual failure at making conversation in the wind-whipped bed of that truck brings us closer together than we ever would have been otherwise.  Mercifully, we reach our destination:  Green Garden Resort.

After settling into my bungalow, I hit the internet cafe for some friendly updates.  I’m pleasantly surprised to find that a friend I met in Bangkok has arrived in Koh Lanta just a day ahead of me.  As it happens, we’ve independently settled not only on the same beach, but our resorts are a mere fifty yards down the road from one another.  A happy coincidence, I thought.  Little did I know that it may lead directly to my doom.

The calm before the storm

Julie is a sweet girl from Geneva who has an unhealthy preoccupation with tuk-tuks.  Upon meeting me at my bungalow bar, she informs me that she has rented one to drive around the island.  Dave and I exchange looks.  (Dave turns out to be a nice guy once you can understand what he’s saying.)

The rental of motorbikes (scooters, really) is widely available on the island.  The actual rental of a full-on tuk-tuk is unusual, if not completely unheard of, but Julie managed to convince someone at her resort to actually rent her their personal tuk-tuk.  It was probably her adorable French accent.

So, after some initial trepidation, the three of us get into this rickety thing and start inland towards a mangrove park.  In my previous post, I described the mild insanity of a tuk-tuk ride.  Replace “mild” with “terrifying” and you have Julie’s driving style.

Eeeeeeeee!

The first thing one must remember on the roads of Thailand is that you drive on the left side of the road.  Julie’s occasional memory lapses, particularly after turns, led to some surprised cursing in a strange mingling of Czech, French and English.  After several near collisions, I began to wonder what it would sound like if you gathered one person for every language on Earth and had them yell “Shit!” at the same time.  Oddly melodious, I’d imagine.

Tearing through the inland roads of Koh Lanta at what could be described as warp speed, I see we are fast approaching a large grey mass lumbering down the road.  It’s an elephant.

As we barrel towards the creature’s buttocks, I see Julie is making no noticeable move to avoid it.  The various images of death by tuk-tuk quite suddenly shift to the likelihood of surviving a goosed elephant.  At the very last moment before collision, we manage to avoid the beast’s nether regions by inches.

Warning: Objects in picture are closer than they appear.

By some miracle, Julie gets us to the mangroves and back in one piece.  Having failed to kill me the first time, I decided to take pity on the poor girl and give her another chance.  This time I’d make it easier by riding with her at night.  We never did see Dave again.

Replacing Dave is Julie’s friend J.P.  He had wisely turned down the original tuk-tuk adventure, but this time succumbed to the unearthly pull of island nightlife.

If any of you have seen the introductory credits for the David Lynch film Lost Highway, you can easily imagine what this night drive was like.  All I could see was a single, dim headlight barely illuminating the road ahead of us as it flew by at a mile a minute.

The evening went by without incident and I breathed a sigh of relief as we turned into the dirt drive of Julie’s resort.  Ah, safe at last.  How quickly things change. The sigh caught in my lungs as we found ourselves staring directly into the oncoming headlights of a motorbike barreling towards us.

The face of a killer.

Jerking the tuk-tuk left, Julie then proceeds to not hit the brakes, but gas the thing.  We speed into a ditch, up the opposite embankment and slam into a large sign post, nearly killing a stray dog in the process.  After being jostled around and partially thrown from the vehicle, we all climb out and survey the damage.  No one is the worse for wear, even the tuk-tuk.

Julie, with a look of mild disappointment at my uninjured state, laughs it off and asks if I want a ride home.  You all know the saying, “Third time’s the charm.”  Well, so do I.  I never got back in a tuk-tuk with her again.

Recent Reading

• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

After the marathon of flights, and the 12 hour time difference, I – perhaps stupidly – did not expect to be as thrown off as I was.  Yesterday felt like the longest day of my life.  In the fog of jetlag-induced stupor, while battling for all I was worth to stay awake, I must admit that my outlook on life was decidedly “glass half empty.”

The day started off ok.  I went back to the airport, and caught a bus to Khaosan Road.  For those of you who have seen The Beach with Leonardo DiCapprio, Khaosan Road is where he stays when he first arrives in Bangkok.  While my accommodations aren’t quite as bad as Leo’s (no bugs or vermin, and more importantly, no crazy guy in the “room” next to me who kills himself after drawing me a map of a secret island paradise), it is definitely only a small step up from his “prison-like” Khaosan room.

Nevertheless, this is what I expected.  It’s what I signed up for.  It didn’t bother me at all.  However, it wasn’t long before fatigue took hold, and mustering the energy to undertake any form of exploration or adventure was an exercise in futility.  I literally didn’t feel like myself at all.  Where normally I would laugh at something that didn’t go quite right (such as the disgusting either half raw or mostly chicken fat kebab that I bought off the street for dinner before promptly tossing it in the garbage in favor of street cart pad thai), I was in no mood for anything last night.  As the exhaustion intensified, I began questioning my motives for coming out here in the first place, and went back to my room to read a book.

Luckily, I fell asleep at 7pm, slept until 9:30am, and woke up feeling like a million bucks.  As austere as my room is, the bottom floor of my guesthouse is a highly decorated and super nice restaurant/lounge/internet café.  I splurged for the “American Breakfast” and then headed out to Bangkok’s colossal Mahboonkrong (MBK) Center – a huge shopping mall – to buy a cell phone.  The 40 minute bus ride to MBK (which cost about 15 cents) afforded me the opportunity to check out much of Bangkok.  After haggling with a few of the literally hundreds of cell phone dealers that littered the 4^th floor of MBK, I had my cell phone and a sim card.  The rest of the mall contained everything from furniture to designer clothing (mostly “fake” I’m assuming), and food of every kind.

The way back to Khaosan was a bit more interesting.  I couldn’t figure out where the #15 bus picked up in the opposite direction, so I attempted to take a Tuk Tuk instead.  After agreeing on a reasonable price, I hopped in, thinking I was all set.  Unfortunately, he had other plans.  Two minutes later, he pulled to the shoulder and asked me the infamous question – do I want to take a quick stop to see his friend’s store?  Having been through this in India, I declined, and he promptly kicked me to the side of the road.  I had no idea where I was, and was in the midst of finding my bearings when – as luck would have it – the #15 bus drove by.  I waived it down, and found that it was indeed heading the right direction, back to Khaoson Road.

Just finished up a delicious lunch of Thai Curry over rice.  About to go take a shower (cold water in the same tiny stall as a toilet…sweet!), and then hopefully stay awake long enough to actually do something cool tonight.  Will report back later!

Setelah pemesanan tiket yang melelahkan TUJUH (7) bulan sebelumnya, sampailah trio kwek-kwek ini ke Thailand, sebelum nantinya pindah-pindah ke negara-negara Indochine lainnya. As planned, we were in Thailand for 10 days, starting with Bangkok, Phuket, island hopping to Phi-Phi Island, and Krabi. We wanted it as easygoing kinda trip, manage to make it to several attractions, but also at least could unpack and spread the backpack into the wardrobes, so we stayed at each place for about 2-3 days. Karena storiesnya boanyak, dan gak mungkin sangat detail, pastinya gue pecah jadi beberapa bagian ya…enjoy the reading trip!

Bangkok

Karena termasuk happy traveller (maksudnya murah meriah ketimpring) (gak menjelaskan juga yah), kita nginep di area backpackers, di Khaosan Road, kira-kira 1 jam deh dari airport (yah kayak di Jakarta aja deh macetnya). Kita mesen kamar di Rambuttri House, harga kamarnya 1100 baht/malam untuk bertiga (harga berdua sih beda) – dari www.khaosanroad.com dan karena kita newbie, kita pun memesan penjemput yang costs us about another 1000 baht also! Gaya-gaya an pake limo private taxi, padahal pake taxi dari airport Cuma sekitar 450 baht aja. Jadi, gak usah lah mesen penjemput, kecuali dateng ke airport malem banget setelah jam 9 malem.

Kamar di Rambuttri House cukup lah untuk sekedar tidur aja, minimalist room and shower room, but it was clean, and the bedsheet didn’t smell nor stained of something suspicious J. Tapi sempet tuh di malem ke dua, kita mendengar ribut-ribut tetangga di area sebelah hotel (apa belakang ya), saking itu area kecil dan dempet-dempet, bagusnya (apa sebelnya) mereka ngoceh pake bahasa lokal jadi kita terpaksa denger tapi gak ngerti hehehehe.

Area Khaosan sih sebenernya enak buat stay in, selain murah meriah, mau jajan dan makan apa aja juga ada, dari rujak, salad mangga yang seger-seger itu (Cuma 25-40 baht), padthai (25-40 baht), nasi goreng, mie tek-tek, sampe cafe-cafe, bar dengan segala minuman warna-warni dalam bucket (yes bucket) lengkap berderet di sebelah hotel dan di depan kita. Mirip area Kuta Legian Bali lah. Mau belanja juga ada pasar kagetnya yang ada dari sore-malem, dari kaos-kaos (100-300 baht), celana (yang ada di kuta juga!), topi, tas, anting, kalung semua murah meriah – sampe kartu keanggotaan ISEC palsu seharga 100 baht aja! (FYI, thic card, is supposedly a student card, which entitles you discount exe :for flying or public transportation if you go overseas). Hebatlah. Ginian aja sampe dibajak juga. Dasar turis murahan, dapet harga 100 baht aja nawarnya sampe mampus. Yang akhirnya mengakibatkan ketidakpuasan di dua belah pihak dan hilangnya transaksi kaos, topi dan lalin-lain. Padahal pas diitung, 100 baht itu kan 30 ribuan yah….hehehehehe

Bangkok by Day : kita gak mau buying stuff dulu, karena kalo udha belanja gawat bener, berarti bawaan sampe negara-negara lain bisa kacau kan. Backpack kecil pula, mana muatttttt. (hoorah for my small backpack that stopped me from shopping), so we decided to go sightseeing by day. Ada banyak temples penting sih di Bangkok, tapi dari segala WAT, kita putuskan hanya ke Wat Po dan Wat Arun aja.

Wat Arun, temple of dawn, better to be visited at dawn karena cahaya matahari nya akan jatuh pas di kepala candinya katanya sih..tapi tentunya kami-kami kesana pas siang bolong dan pas banget panasnya pas kita harus manjat steeps nya yang setinggi nyaris 100 m dan tanjak abis! Itung-itung latian sebelum ke Angkor Wat sih, tapi akibatnya paha jadi kenceng maksimal dan pegal edan. Masuk Wat Arun ini 50 baht aja, dan kita nyebrang pakai kapal nyebrang lewat belakangnya Grand Palace, pp per orang 6 baht aja yang sekaligus bisa nyebrang ke Wat Po.

Wat Po, selain terkenal dengan giant reclining buddha, juga terkenal sebagai pemasok Thai Masseuse paling top, pokoknya semua tempat pijet biasanya majang “masseuse from Wat Po” sebagai penarik pengunjung. Masuk ke sini juga bayar 50 baht, tapi sayangnya kita gak sempet nyoba Thai Massage disini. Capek foto-foto sama patung Buddha yang besoar itu, walhasil kita malah jajan-jajan aja disitu. Di luar banyak tukang sate tusuk ayam mangkal, dimana per tusuknya 10 baht, jadi mari kita ngemil!

Grand Palace termasuk prioritas untuk dikunjungi, dan ternyata walking distance juga dari hotel, kira-kira 15-20 menit lah. Cuma karena panas total bikin gue kepusingan, apalagi harus nyebrang lapangan besar. Gue dan menyebrang memang bukan teman baik. Banyak scam yang terjadi di Bangkok ini terjadinya di depan Grand Palace, dan sudah gue ceritakan di postingan sebelumnya, jadi gak gue ceritain lagi di sini ya. Grand Palace sendiri buka dari 9 pagi sampe jam 5 sore, nonstop-tanpa break. Jadi kalau ada yang bilang di jalan kalo Palace lagi tutup dan silakan balik lagi 2 jam lagi, jangan percaya!

Entrance fee Grand Palace 350 baht, dan jangan lupa pakai pakaian yang sopan, baik baju lengan dan celana panjang, otherwise you can always borrow in front of the gate. Di bulan April pun tempat ini sumpah mampus penuhnya, antriannya cukup panjang karena kita bertarung dengan tour group. Tapi enaknya adalah kita bisa nyelip di antara tour group untuk nguping guide nya, sialnya kebanyakan yang gue nguping-in adalah group Taiwan (bahasa cina), group Jerman (pastinya bahasa Jerman), dan group dari Itali (yo mama…non comprende..), intinya susah nguping hehehe.

Selain scams, akan banyak juga yang menawarkan tour di Chao Praya river selepas keluar pintu gerbang (malah belum keluar lho), dan akhirnya kita pasrah terhadap 1 bapak-bapak tua yang kita pikir baik hati (haaaaa….)menawar dan akhirnya membayar 550 baht each untuk keliling sungai Chao Praya, yang menurut gue – kok kayak menyusuri area banjir Jakarta yah??? Soalnya sungai ini membelah residential juga jadi kita menyusuri area belakang rumah orang-orang, bener-bener berasa lagi naik kapal penyelamat area banjir. Yang nyebelin lagi, kamera gue kok habis batre, jadi gak sempet foto-foto juga (masalah klasik ketika gue jalan-jalan). Yang seru justru perjalanan menuju ke tempat kapalnya yang ada di area belakang Palace, jalan kira-kira 10 menit, melalui pasar dengan aneka makanan, buah yang bikin ngiler… Perjalanan dengan boat di Chao Praya ini juga diakhiri dengan bayar 10 baht di landing pier.

Selain sibuk wisata kuliner kiri-kanan dari pad thai-lumpia-sate ayam-tentunya nyeruput teh thai yang khas itu, dari pinggir jalan, sampe resto di jalan besar yang dari luar tampangnya gak meyakinkan (tapi ada tanda halal, jadi kita coba), turns out tepatnya di belakang besar dengan hall dan meja-meja dan makanan yang super duper enak dan murah! Gak semurah pad thai atau nasi tek-tek pinggir jalan sih tapi selalu ada saat dimana eating spree harus dilakukan, masa mau berhemat terus, itu pun hanya keluar gak lebih dari 400 baht untuk ber3 dengan lauk nasi biryani daging, ayam, lumpia, dan cemilan-cemilan lain. Buat yang bit foodaturous alias food adventurous (gue kok asik-asik aja nyingkat kata), boleh lho beli fried insects (cockroach, dragonfly, and other bizarre insects that I was so disgusted to know more) yang banyak di pinggir-pinggir jalan. Tapi hati-hati makanan ini gak bisa sembarangan difoto, karena banyak tukang jualan yang majang tulisan “kalo motret mesti bayar 10 baht!” walhasil gue mesti kucing-kucingan dan berlagak kayak motret orang lain hehehehe.

Bangkok, kebanyakan orang datang ke sini buat belanja gila. Gak salah sih, beberapa hal memang murah, walaupun ada barang-barang lain yang menurut gue di Jakarta gak kalah murah atau sama. Kaos-kaos standarnya 100-200 baht, dress-dress 150-250 baht. Kita gak masuk ke Chatuchak (padahal jadwal sudah disusun sedemikian rupa biar sampe kesana, eh tetep gak sampe), dan hanya shopping di Suan Lum Night Bazzaar, beli silk scarf yang harganya kira-kira 70-100 baht, jam tangan gelang cute hanya 100 baht, tempelan kulkas 100 baht untuk 3 buah, gantungan kunci 100 baht untuk 5 buah. Lumayan, skill nawar gue bisa diuji disini, dengan sedikit jual mahal tapi dapet! Pengen karaoke di karaoke box disitu, apa daya semua nya dalam bahasa Thai kriting, gimana cara….?

Capek keliling, paling enak relaksasi pake Thai massage yang terkenal itu. Jangan kuatir soal jam operasi tempat pijet disana, panjang! Khaosan, is also heaven for massage places, karena banyak tersebar di antara gang-gang kecil, dan gak bosen jerit-jerit “MASSAGE MADAAAAAAMM..CHEEEEAAP CHEEEAP MADAAAAAAM…MASSAGE FOR YOUUUUU MADAAAAMM..YOU SIRRRRR???”

Harga massage bervariasi, sekitar 120-250 baht tergantung tempat dan durasi. Kita ngambil yang agak masuk gang, karena jam 12 malem masih buka juga, dan masih mau terima pelanggan (kita ngambil yang 1 jam an lho), dan bayar 190 baht. Gak tau deh mbak-mbak nya lulusan Wat Po apa bukan, yang penting pijet! Tempat pijetnya sendiri sebenernya kayak warung germo setelah gue pikir-pikir, kecil, di rumah, lantai 2, tangga nya kecil, dan di atas temaram banget. Tapi karena udah lelah banget, kita langsung buka baju dan telentang pasrah, dan Cuma mengguman “hmmmmmmeeerrrr” pas mbak-mbak nya bisik-bisik “please turn around madaaaaaaaammm” dengan logat khas nya itu. Dan setelah kelar tampang kita kayak habis ‘dipake’ dengan mata kuyu siap bobo, sambil dapet pemandangan bos tempat pijit yang ngorok abis dengna kencengnya di salah 1 bangku disana. Dan pemandangan ngorok itu berlangsung kira-kira sampe sejam kemudian karena di luar hujan sederes-deresnya….

Untuk transportasi, karena kita nginep di Khaosan, sebenernya agak repot dari tempat-tempat belanja kayak Siam Square, Suan Lum, Chatuchak etc, karena gak tercover oleh BTS (monorail). Pake tuk tuk kayaknya kisruh ya, kalo siang-siang muka kita bisa tebel karena polusi dan asap, mana tuk-tuknya brutal ngebutnya, sedangkan pake taksi macet total. Biasanya kita pake tuk-tuk untuk yang deket-deket aja dari hotel, one way sekitar 50 baht aja. Pengalaman kita pake taksi dari hotel ke Siam Square untuk ketemu temen yang dateng dari KL untuk jumpa depan Hermes (gak penting ya), makan waktu kira-kira 1.5 jam, dengan supir taksi yang rada tricky, sok-sok muter padahal kalo kita liat di peta dia salah jalan, dan baru muter ke arah yang agak bener setelah kita protes. Huh! Bagus dia pake argo, gak kayak taxi yang kita pake sebelumnya, tawar-tawaran dan brutal. Cuaca panas, AC mati, padahal taxinya toyota Altis pink! Setelah dipikir-pikir mendingan taxi di Jakarta, asal tau perusahaan taxi mana ya.

Ngomong-ngomong soal taxi, bahasa tubuh sangat berperan penting dalam komunikasi. Kita dari Chatuchak area dan gak ngerti cara tercepat ke hotel gimana caranya, akhirnya naik taxi karena kita ngejer flight ke Phuket dalam waktu kurang dari 1.5 jam lagi. Untung backpack udah siap semua, tinggal diangkut. Perjalanan dari sana ke Khaosan aja udah nyaris sejam sendiri karena macet banget, dan temen gue yang udah sampe di airport duluan karena sebelumnya pisah sama gue sedang berusaha keras merayu airasia untuk nungguin kita (jiaaahh hebat!) – walhasil bahasa Tarzan beraksi “HOTEL RAMBUTTRI-KHAOSAN-BAG-AIRPORT-FAST-FAST-FAST-WE-*adegan tangan gesek-gesek fulus*MORE MONEY MORE MONEY-FAST” – dan akhirnya dia zig zag nerobos lampu merah dan antrian – zinggg zaaaangggg zaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang – dan ngebut di tol – dan alhamdulillah – SAMPE. passssss banget sebelom pesawat boarding. Dan gue bisa pipis! Lesson learnt : money, isn’t always everything, but surely can speed things up!

-kericuhan dalam perjalanan gak berhenti di adegan kejer pesawat – adegan kejar mengejar juga terjadi di tempat lain…continue di postingan berikutnya!

more pictures can be seen at:

http://narizza.multiply.com/photos/album/95/bangkok-phuket-krabi

As described in the movie, Bangkok Dangerous, it’s true that you need to be aware of the scams that often happen to tourists. Having the look like other Asian girls, and some people mistook us as locaIs doesn’t guarantee we would get away from the scams.

Scam 1.

Beware when walking to Grand Palace area, you’ll be strolling through a park where some people with bunches of birds (pigeons) gather round and you’ll be forced to feed the birds – whether you like it or not – and forced to pay some money. Not really much amount (30-50 baht) compared to what I have had in Milan (50 euros), but still! For those allergic to birds or fear of birds (like me) better run through other ways further across the street!

Scam 2.

When you finally manage to cross the street to the Grand Palace, there will be people (in our case, a nice gentle and polite man) who greeted you in much of politeness “please don’t cross here miss, there’s a zebra cross over there, much safer”.  He introduced himself as one of officer who worked at the government and told us that the Palace was on a break at at the moment so please come back again in 2 more hours. Please always check the schedule of the place you want to visit, and bad for us, we didn’t know the Palace had break time.

He suggested us go to some temples (as he said to be not really touristic but very local and good) while waiting the Palace to be open again in 2 hours, and also bargain the Tuk-tuk in local language to take us there for only 50 bahts (he said, that’s the price for locals, if we bargained it ourselves we would pay more) – and we thanked him for it. We thought – Wow, there’s still a nice man in this world!

Then the tuk-tuk drove us to ‘the temples’, and when we arrived there, it was only small temple, really a local one, and I wasn’t really fascinated with the statues there (after having seen some, they all look the same to me), not to mention there was DOGS there. I hate dogs.  We decided to walk out when greeted by a man who claimed to be Director of that temple (such small temple..) in local language and apologised when he knew we were tourists from Indonesia.  (later on we realised maybe that was his trick to judge whether we were tourist or not). We had some discussion about the statues, then he also suggested us go to…gem factory. “You know that Thailand is really famous for its sapphire, you have to go this gem festival, it only happens every 25 years for a week!! You are very lucky to come at this dates!”. And we were naivettes and just gasped to imagine “the gem factory”, which each probably would only cost 100-300 bahts! He said the price started at 100 bahts, and visa accepted. Hm. What kind of factory accept visa..but probably because it’s big, and everyone will buy like crazy – and to bring cash is only attracting some pickpockets there – I started to rationalised that.

Then again, he showed the tuk –tuk driver to go to this place, which he pointed as “very near, only 15 minutes” – turned to be a hell of tuk-tuk journey with at least 35-40 minute ride. There were big demonstration in Bangkok when we were there, theThaksin-pro people (red shirts) vs. Incumbent-pro people (yellow shirts). And lucky we werenot wearing red since the red considered to be the brutal ones – said the locals. But our Tuk-tuk driver wore red, he was one of Thaksin fans, whom he adored to have populist policy by giving them money (suddenly I remember our own President…)

Anyway. The ‘Gem Factory’ here turned out to be just a small shops, and exclusive one, in residential area, with none of it costed less than 3000 bahts,  and that was just a small piece. Indeed, you could always swipe your Visa here, because it wasn’t much of factory at all to my imagination. If the ‘factory’ was like that, you can magine then what the wholesaler looks like.

And the tuk-tuk driver insisted to take us to the wholesaler. Actually it was a nice place, and much bigger than the ‘factory-where there was festival that held in every 25 years to commemorate the King’, and we could just easily find ourselves drooling over the nice blue, yellow, red sapphire with silver or white gold. There was also the ‘small factory’ with some craftsmen and women made the custom-made ring or necklace or earings we order. Since the ring I eyed costed a fortune (around 29,000 bahts) (and when I was busy calculating with my brain in Indonesian, the beautiful saleswoman was on the ball and swift the numbers into Rupiah currency (she understood Indonesian!!) – we walked out of there with emptyhanded. 29K bahts equals the total cost of our trip in Indochine for the whole 2 weeks!

We were starved to death, and the tuk-tuk driver, again, brought us to exclusive restaurant. OMG. He didn’t know any good cheap food stalls??

And when we decided to go to Grand Palace, it was never on a break, and always open from 9 am to 5 pm, and there was a sign in front of the ticketing place written “DO NOT TALK TO STRANGER, THAT MAYBE A SCAM”. Oh, Thank you very much…!

This story, just doesn’t happen to me but also to other friends who visited Bangkok, the modus is similar, but maybe the improvisation is bit different, but the escorting to gem factory part is always the same thing. The players are : the man or woman (who tell us the Palace is closed), the tuk-tuk driver who gets commission from each places he takes us, the temple guy or director whatever, and also the gem place (well they take advantage of ‘forcing people’ to visit). For other cases, ou can check out the website : www.bangkokscams.com . Well not that you shouldn’t go there, Bangkok is still worth visiting, just put on extra cautions, tourists are always easy targets, wherever, on this planet J

After a very brief stop in Phnom Penh, mainly to take a small overnight breather and see a 90kg diamond encrusted gold Buddha, we headed off across Cambodia to Siem Reap – the home of Angkor Wat.  A couple of things we noticed about Cambodia on our excursion across the country was how rural, flat and wet everywhere was; we weren’t really sure what to expect, but it was quite pleasant.

As we’re a little crazy and felt we had to conquer all of Angkor in a day we decided that it was a great idea to be there for sunrise; what we didn’t know when we made this decision was that that meant a 4:15am start.  It was good fun though, as we made our way down the unlit, pitch black roads in the back of our tuk tuk to Angkor Wat (the main attraction).  After getting our entrance photo cards we stopped and were pointed toward the Wat.  Our driver had given us a torch so we could just about see as we headed for the recommended spot to see the sunrise.  Obviously we were a little early, but it did mean we got a great spot a the edge of the little pond.  As the sun rose we were awestruck by the magnificent building emerging from the darkness.  Our first sight of Angkor Wat was really something.

After this we wandered around Angkor Wat for a few hours.  It is amazing, absolutely every piece of wall, ceiling and balustrade inside and outside the buildings is covered in carvings.  Some depict events back in the 9th-13th century, others mythical creatures – all are in great detail.  Apparently at the height of the Khmer (Angkor people) Empire, there was a population in the city of 1 million people, while at the same time London had on 50 thousand.

After a spot of breakfast and chatting to some local school kids (which you find everywhere trying to sell you one thing or another) we headed off on the ‘Grand Circuit’.  It’s a tour of about 35km around some of the temples nearby to Angkor.  We saw absolutely loads of temples and mini-cities of all sizes, shapes, heights, with and without pools.  Even though we had all day we only saw about a dozen of what must have been about one hundred.  Our favourites were:

• Angkor Wat – just fantastic (biggest religious building in the world!)
• Bayon – 216 stone faces looking down on you.
• Ta Prohm – the jungle reclaiming the temple
• Pre Rup – great climb to the top

We also saw (in anti-clockwise order round the circuit!) – Banteay Kdei, Sras Srang, Eastern Mebon, Preah Neak Pean, North Gate of Angkor Thom, Terrace of the Leper King, Terrace of Elephants, Phimeanakas, Baphoun, Phomn Bakheng.

By sunset we were exhausted, and unfortunately the weather was starting to turn ugly.  At our last temple, where we could have stayed for sunset, it started to pour with rain.  So that was that – we dashed back to our tuk tuk, which was transformed into rain mode (plastic raincovers round the sides) and we hurtled back to base for some sleep.

We could have spent more days at Angkor taking it a bit easier and seeing some of the further afield temples.  We were really surprised by the number of people who come to Cambodia just for Angkor, especially Americans (it seemed like the greatest population of them outside of the States!), but if you’ve come as far as South East Asia you’ve got to go and see the spectacle of Angkor.

Continua il racconto di Carlo da travelblogs.it

Bangkok [Thailand] | | 2009-09-26

Il volo per Bangkok ritarda un poco ma non ci faccio neanche caso. Sul volo sono stato fortunato, nessun vicino a sedere e quindi mi sono svaccato per bene! Ovviamente mi sono preso comunque un leggero torcicollo ed ovviamente mi farò massacrare di massaggi thai :-p
Dopo essermi fiondato con preoccupazione al ritiro bagagli prendo con me il mio nuovo compagno di viaggio, lo zaino: eh già, anche al ritiro bagagli non ho avuto sorprese.
Benissimo allora mi fiondo alla ricerca del bus che mi porterà in centro a Bangkok. In biglietteria cerco di orientarmi un attimo ed alla fine con 150 bath prendo il bus giusto per la zona giusta: KhaoSan Road, una zona dedicata prevalentemente al turismo che offre alloggi a bassi prezzi e vari servizi dalla ristorazione al resto. Durante il cammino conosco Benny, un francese tra i 15 ed i 78 anni (giuro è indefinibile!) che pare giochi coi fuochi per la strada etc etc … va beh morale della favola mi suggerisce di andare nella stessa GuestHouse in cui va lui: la più economica di Bangkok. FISSO! E poi dopo 12 ore di volo ed il torcicollo figurati se ho voglia di sbattermi subito a cercare di meglio con 30 gradi di umido dietro alle orecchie. La Green GuestHouse se non si conosce da se non la si trova mai perché è dentro ad una vietta che a sua volta è dentro ad una "Sai". Sai è quello che può essere da noi un vicolo. Le vie sono le Thanon invece abbreviate con Th… a parte i dettagli la Green GuestHouse costa solo 100 bath, ovvero un paio di euro. Quello che offre è una stanza fatta da divisori completamente spoglia fatta eccezione per il letto, un pezzo di legno che funge da comodino ed un ventilatore che prova a far girare l’aria inutilmente. L’idea era quella di dormire ma l’adrenalina sa il fatto suo e mi tiene sveglio. Il primo giorno a Bangkok quindi è dedicato alla ricerca di un posto più decente e magari con qualche Wi-Fi da grabbare a babbo visto che per un motivo o per l’altro internet può servirmi. Durante la mia ricerca mi imbatto inevitabilmente in autoctoni che offrono il loro aiuto. Come in ogni parte del mondo se ti offrono l’aiuto senza dirti niente c’è sotto qualcosa… praticamente funziona così: a Bangkok ci sono Tuk-Tuk ovunque.

I Tuk-Tuk sono delle sorte di ape cross ma con i sedili dietro per i passeggeri e per 10/20 bath, ovvero 20/50 centesimi di euro, ti scorrazzano in giro. Quelli del tuk tuk fanno un lavoro assurdo stando tutto il giorno tra la vita e la morte nel traffico della capitale e guidando come dei pazzi. 10/20 bath sono pochissimi e allora cosa fanno? In modo tacito lavorano con qualsiasi attività, in genere Uffici Turistici che offrono viaggi, biglietti aerei e quant’altro. Se chiedi ad un tuk tuk di andare in un certo posto, prima di arrivare ti porta in altri 5/6 shop dove in accordo con il negoziante ritira coupons per la benzina in cambio di procacciare clienti. A me mi ha portato in una gioielleria, in un negozio di sarti di alta qualità, in diversi Tourist Information e solo quando ho cominciato ad incazzarmi (visto che DEVI entrare… mica puoi aspettare fuori…) allora si è deciso a portarmi dove avevo chiesto… va beh, comunque fa ridere sta cosa. Ho fatto un video dal Tuk Tuk, spero di poterlo caricare.
Dopo il pomeriggio passato nel traffico mi concedo una cenetta per 3 euro e mangio noodles con carne e verdura: squisito! Scopro che mangio in una GuestHouse familiare, la KC GuestHouse e mi metto in accordo per prendere la camera il giorno successivo a 300bath per notte con bagno privato e ventilatore su soffitto. Niente male e soprattutto pulitissimo!

Dopo cena faccio due passi cercando di capire come sono messo con il fuso orario… dovrei essere 7 ore avanti all’Italia invece sono solo 5 ore di differenza. Scoprirò solo più avanti che con la storia dell’ora legale si giocano due ore: stica!
Passeggiando qui e li, mi imbuco in una sai che pensavo desse sul fiume e vengo avvicinato da un monaco che mi chiama al cancello dentro al quale risiede. Un Wat, ovvero un monastero buddista dove i monaci vivono. Il monaco mi invita ad entrare e mi offre anche la possibilità di dormire nel Wat il che mi stuzzica particolarmente come idea. Cominciamo a parlare. Lui è vestito con i tipici abiti buddisti locali, una tunica arancione, rasato e con occhiali. Si lamenta di avere un po’ di pancetta e di essere solo. Qui in Thailandia è tradizione fare 3 mesi come monaco intorno all’età di 20 anni. Questo dovrebbe portare prestigio allo spirito ed alla famiglia del monaco. Dopo l’esperienza un ragazzo decide se restare monaco o meno. Ho prestato molta attenzione nei miei gesti perché qui in Thailandia ci sono cose da tenere presenti. Mai tenere i piedi e le gambe puntate verso una statua od un monumento sacro e tantomeno rivolti verso ad una persona. I piedi sono la parte inferiore del corpo e quindi sarebbe come dare un senso di inferiorità. Nei locali chiusi, dalle GuestHouse ai negozi, a parte eccezioni turistiche,, si tolgono le scarpe e si va scalzi. Qui la gente trova assurdo che noi occidentali entriamo a casa con le scarpe! Poi come per i piedi la parte più inferiore .. la testa fa da opposto. Mai toccare la testa a nessuno perché fa brutto… un sacco di robette… ovviamente qui sono abituati a vedere gringos che non rispettano questi costumi ma… dicevamo… Poi la discussione col monaco si sposta sull’omosessualità… e poi mi chiede se anche io ho un po di pancetta… e se può toccare la mia pancetta… insomma, morale: io pensavo di scambiare quattro chiacchiere con una persona interessante e saggia mentre questo zuzzurellone diceva in continuazione che era solo…  e alla fine voleva il pisello… ragazzi: prima sera a Bangkok e ho già rimorchiato un monaco buddista omosessuale. Che culo! Per la serie "è tardi" prendo, gli dico "Good Luck e scappo dibbrutto!
Farò altri giretti la sera prima di torbare alla mia topaia preferita da 100bath e dormire un po’.
Il giorno successivo mi sposto come promesso alla KC e occupo la stanza. La giornata la dedico allo shopping estremo visto che ho bisogno di un paio di cosette. Raggiungo il centro prendendo una barca che percorre il fiume e lo skytrain, una sorta di metro sopraelevata tipo Ghisolfa in Milano che ha deturpato gran parte della città. In BangKok ci sono diversi centri commerciali. Ogni ragazza normale impazzirebbe qui: l’MBK è una struttura enoooorme… ma che dico enorme: di più. Sarebbe una sorta di mercato normale ma inscatolato in un palazzo gigante con aria condizionata a manetta. Vendono di tutto ed in particolar modo robe da abbigliamento. Cerco un sacco a pelo ma non trovo nulla quindi mi sposto in un altro centro commerciale dedicato alla tecnologia: Platip Plaza. Non credevo ai miei occhi… un incrocio di SMAU e Media World, ovviamente grande dieci volte tanto…qui ogni negozietto è indipendente e quindi c’è forte concorrenza. Ad essere sincero pensavo di trovare prezzi molto più "asiatici" cmq quello che mi serviva l’ho trovato, anche se con difficoltà: chiavetta usb 4gb per il backup delle info a 5 euro, un termometro digitale per eventuale febbre a 1 euro, la fodera della macchina fotografica a 10 euro (già una rapina…) e la rapina delle rapine: il wi-fi detector: un cazzabbubbolo piccolino che ti dice se nella zona ci sono reti Wi-Fi, necessario per collegarmi eventualmente in giro a babbo, 35 euro circa…
Dopo tutto questo sbattimento torno verso le 19 alla GuestHouse e mi consolo con una cenetta di altri 2 euro mentre passerò la sera a pianificare il giorno successivo visto che fuori piove ininterrottamente.

Czas na blogu plynie nieco inaczej niz ten rzeczywisty, ale postaram sie go wyrownac Wiem ze troche po macoszemu potraktowalam Australie, ale z przyczyn technicznych ze tak powiem, nie mialam energii na robienie setek zdjec. Teraz jest juz lepiej
Tajlandia jest oczywiscie diametralnie rozna od Australii, ale zmiana dobrze nam zrobila i szybko przeszlismy na tryb targowania sie, pytania w kilku roznych miejscach o to samo, podchodzenia z rezerwa do ‘pomocnych informacji’ itp. itd. Bangkok jest ogromny, pelen kontrastow. Ruch na ulicy jest niewiarygodny, jedzenia ‘chodnikowego’ w brod. Mnostwo ludzi, kolorow, inspiracji, taki kulturowy i termiczny kopniak
Zdjecia sa z pierwszych dni w Bangkoku.

So we made it to Thailand…the sensor in my camera is clean again and I have new energy to take pictures Pictures are just from few first days in Bangkok. The city is huge full of contrasts, colors, smells, tastes, people and..tourists. It is such a change after Australia.

Wejscie do naszego dobrze schowanego hostelu

Sniadaniowy widok z balkonu

Tuk tuk…najlepszy srodek transportu

Pad Thai na obiad juz sie robi

Czytanie znakow przychodzilo nam z latwoscia…

Wat Ounalum is near the National Museum and the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) of Cambodia

Phnom Penh got its name from Wat Phnom, arguably its most important temple

Cambodia is very much in the news again these days, mainly due to tensions with neighboring Thailand.

However, I won’t discuss here their strained relations.

I’d rather talk about the sights that I’ve personally seen in the two kingdoms.

I’ve already written three posts about Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.

So it’s only fair that I write something about Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, this time around.

Compact

One of my simplest pleasures in life is walking.

That’s why for me, Phnom Penh is such a fun city to explore: almost all of the major attractions are located near the meeting point of the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac Rivers.

View Larger Map

Victory Monument. Cambodia gained independence from France in 1953

A good place to start a walking tour of Phnom Penh is at the Independence Monument or Victory Monument on Preah Sihanouk Boulevard.

Preah Sihanouk Boulevard, Sothearos Boulevard and Sisowath Quay contain most of the city’s must-see sights.

Cambodia-Vietnam Monument

On Sothearos Boulevard is the Cambodia-Vietnam Monument, a symbol of the friendship between the two Southeast Asian countries.

Also on Sothearos Boulevard is the Royal Palace compound, the number one attraction in the seat of power of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Some of the major sights inside are the Throne Hall, the Preah Tineang Chanchhaya and the Silver Pagoda.

Visitors are required to pay a fee of 25,000 riels or 6.25 US dollars each before they are allowed to enter the Royal Palace compound. That was the rate in November last year, I don’t know whether it has changed or not.
!!!

Shopping

Of all the sights shown in this post, only the Central and Russian Markets are relatively far from the major roads mentioned in the preceding paragraph.

That could mean the end of a walking tour, and the start of a shopping spree! Shopaholics would love the cheap but quality products that Phnom Penh’s markets offer.

100 Riels. 1 US dollar is worth about 4,000 riels

One thing though about money in Cambodia: it’s not really necessary to change your US dollars to the local currency, the riel. The locals prefer the greenback.

But make sure your US dollars are crisp and clean, especially the Franklins and the Grants. The locals would reject damaged and/or dirty bills.

Genocide

The Russian Market is about one-and-a-half kilometers away from the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a reminder of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot in 1970s Cambodia.

A visit to the museum could be combined with a trip to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, about 12 kilometers south of the city.

This will be the subject of a post in the future.

Batu Ferringhi

I spent last week in Malaysia with my girlfriend, Waew. It was our first proper holiday together and my first proper trip to Malaysia (I did a brief border hop from Brunei in 2005 but that was essentially just to tick another country off the list). It was also my first proper holiday in South East Asia since moving to Thailand last year, having so far failed to live up to my promise to myself to see as much of the region as possible while living here.

We flew in and out of Penang, where we spent half of the week. The other half we spent in Langkawi. It proved a decent mix of city and countryside, culture and relaxation, with stays in three locations.

GEORGETOWN

Approaching from the air, the provincial capital looked to have been spoiled by an overabundance of ageing high-rise condos, which scarred an otherwise lush, green island. However at ground level I found Georgetown to be charming. True, a lot of the buildings are greying and flaking, but then it is a very old city, and you can’t have history without a bit of wear.

Thankfully the ugly high-rises are more of a feature of the outskirts than the downtown region, which is full of character. Malaysia is known – and celebrated – for its multiculturalism and tolerance, and this is certainly evident in Georgetown. Ancient Chinese shophouses mingle with mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples, and old colonial architecture.  Dining options offer Chinese, Indian, Malay, Thai and European, while browsing the myriad  ethnic stores is a delight. Aural atmosphere is to be found on every street, too, whether the five-daily Islamic prayer sessions, the joyous songs emanating from the Hindu temples, or bhangra pop music blasting from sari shops and Indian CD stores.

A short walk from anywhere in the city centre can take you to most of the downtown attractions and to the seaside, although typically of an urban coast, the sea is murky and unremarkable. However the beach legs of our trip were ahead of us; Georgetown was the cultural side.

A bus or a cheap taxi ride into the centre of the island takes you to the island’s showpiece tourist attraction, Kek Lok Si Temple. The sprawling Buddhist place of worship straddles one side of Penang Hill and dazzles in its colour and design. Chinese, Burmese and Thai influences come together in one site and make for one of the most impressive religious sites I have seen, and certainly among the very best Asian temples.

It’s then a short hop – 5 minutes by taxi or a 25-minute walk – to the Penang Hill funicular station. The train will take you on a steep ascent to the 830-metre-high summit, from where you can take in the inevitably sweeping views, although again the rash of condos do blight the landscape in places. It probably looks better at night, when the city lights switch on, but still the view is far-encompassing enough to offer plenty of interest, whether the cityscape or the jungle or out to sea.

In terms of nightlife, Georgetown offers some smaller, more characterful bars along Jalan Chulia which attract backpackers and expats, or the more upmarket Jalan Penang, boasting smarter bars, a throbbing high-end nightclub and the city’s beautiful people.

We stayed at the Broadway Budget Hotel, which was basic but centrally located, clean and staffed by very friendly and helpful employees. We couldn’t fault it for RM50 (£10) per night. We found it by simply walking around after finding one of the Rough Guide’s recommendations, the Blue Diamond Hotel, to be unacceptable (ancient, musty, threadbare rooms) at the same price.

BATU FERRINGHI

With Penang island being circumnavigable in a day, we decided to hire a car and do exactly that. The car hire company we called was booked in Batu Ferringhi, the nearest significant beach spot to Georgetown, on the north of the island, where we intended to stay one night. The price of the rental was reasonable, but the hire rep had to come from BF to Georgetown, and then drive us back to BF, where his office was based and from where the rental would officially begin. Fine, we thought – it’s a free ride. Unfortunately the rep had seemingly been trained in the Bangkok tuk-tuk school of transporting tourists and rather than simply drive from our hotel to his office, he took us via a luxury chocolate store, a fabrics mill and a coffee outlet – all overpriced and all of which presumably paid him commission.

After checking in to a seaside guesthouse – Shalini’s, which was in a great location, just on the opposite side of the beach road, but otherwise not worth the RM75 they charged, if you compare with Broadway in Georgetown – we set off on our driving tour of the island, working our way clockwise.

The emphasis was simply on looping the island and seeing the countryside, and as it was already 1pm by the time we set off (thanks to our commission-seeking car hire rep), we didn’t have time for the major tourist attractions such as the Butterfly Farm, Tropical Fruits Farm and Snake Temple. Still, away from the city, the island proved beautiful, with lots of photo opportunities along the winding roads of the coast or of the jungle interior – just be careful when driving of monitor lizards crossing the road as if they have all the time in the world!

Almost back in Georgetown, we swung on to the bridge that links the island with the mainland portion of Penang province. At 13km long, it’s an impressive piece of architecture. The mainland seemed fairly featureless and access to Butterworth, the nearest city of note, incurred a toll, so, bearing in mind we were also pressed for time, we simply returned to the island via the bridge, which does offer a scenic run.

Finally, a quick run through Georgetown and then back up to BF and we had completed the loop while it was still daylight, giving us time for a stroll on the beach, which did not boast clear water but was scenic enough, with large boulders framing the western end and playful stray dogs chasing crabs . Dinner of carpetbag steak (beef stuffed with smoked oysters) inside a restaurant fashioned as a life-size ship, followed by a stroll around a night marker, completed a very pleasant day.

Part 2: Langkawi

One of the kids shot this expressive photo of Vannak.

While in Siem Reap I gave Savuth and Sopiee’s three oldest kids – Odam, Kong Kea and Vannak – single-use cameras. Odam, a son, is about 8 or 9; Kong Kea, a daughter is about 7 or 8; Vannak, a son is around 6. I am a big believer in the value of encouraging creativity and am always curious to see what interests kids when they have a camera in their hands. Here is a selection of what they came up with: lots of friends, schoolmates and of each other, Mom and Dad, some nature and as you will see, it seems boys everywhere love power cars.

Kong Kea celebrates at the fun fair and her baby sister Srei Kong cries

Odam took this nearly perfect composition of his Dad, two sisters and other drivers

The full album:

Thru Children’s Eyes

(Thinking of visiting the temples of Angkor Wat? Don’t forget to check out my friend Savuth’s tuk tuk services!)

Reality

Rather than ruminate on how long it’s been since I last posted on this forum (17 days – I’ve been spending my “writing block” on translation projects, my dissertation and a filmography for a book), I will elaborate on a few of the major events that have marked the last two weeks.

Our film AOP, a mockumentary about a secret West German fetish, debuted at the HFF “Konrad Wolf” as part of the end of orientation festivities on Friday October 23rd.  It went over lukewarm compared with the other “Knaller” made by the other nine groups (at least 3 of which took place in a bathroom), but director Maurice M. Mohn swore to me that the film “wasn’t unsuccessful” at the party afterwards.  Speaking of THAT party:  it was held after 11:00 p.m. at a sketchy, illegal club in Kreuzkölln with no fire exits, no windows, a sketchy fridge full of bottled beer and nothing but techno beats (the latter being a plus against the other factors).  I sort of plowed my way through the packed bathroom line to reach the exit around 2:30 after quaffing a few cheap beers and yelling my way through several conversations in the smoky darkness.  An experience, to be sure.

I went to a wonderful Fulbright brunch on Sunday October 25^th held by the generous Luisa Greenfield and Ming Tsao in Kreuzberg, where I met Jacob Comenetz, a former Fulbrighter now working at the Bundespresseagentur (more on him to come) and got a pile of great book recommendations from Ming about writing about the electronic music aesthetic (you want that list? Send a comment my way!).  Later that day, I picked up Kat at the Berlin Tegel airport, who successfully got her very heavy baggage out of the terminal without a cart (or my help, since that’s how European airports work) and we ate out at Tuk-Tuk, the Indonesian restaurant down the street from us.

Having Kat around has been great for many reasons.  Here are a few:

* Cessation of married-man-long-distance loneliness;

* More satisfying sleep;

* The apartment is now warmer;

* Increased intake of generally nutritious food that tastes good;

* New impulse to plan social events and outings, and I can show her all the old stuff I’ve gotten to know;

* Celebrating birthdays and holidays is much more meaningful again!

In the first week (Oct. 26 – Nov. 1st), I purposefully overscheduled us with many social events, including coffee with Kira and Beverly and dinner with the same, carving pumpkins with Katie Weeks and Hilary Bown, Luisa’s film screening on Friday night, and a Fulbright alumni Halloween party at Joe’s Bar in Prenzlauer Berg on Saturday night with Jacob.  I did so to make Kat feel at home and connected here, which also conversely made me feel more at home and connected here as well.  Speaking of Luisa’s screening, we had a great turn-out for the two shorter, more experimental films (Light and Bridegroom… see below) but, since we started over an hour late, over half the audience missed the wonderful mess that was John Ford’s Seven Women (1966).  We hope that everybody returns for our continuing Ford/Straub pairings, as well as other assorted film gems we manage to procure.  As for the Halloween party, Kat and I went as a vampire-zombie duo who hated each other through our expressions on our T-shirts:  “Vampires Bite” and “Zombies Need Brains.”  Ha ha.

This last week has presented us with opportunities to walk around and shop (such as in Kreuzberg’s famous Bergmannstrasse), watch movies together (many reviewed below) and get our visas (by waking up at 3 a.m. and surmounting the evil LABO).  All in all a good time, and I anticipate more to come.

Professionally speaking, I’ve had some ups and downs the last two weeks.  Ups:  I spent four hours with Herr Dieter Kosslick, director of the Berlinale, and two hours with Dr. Gottfried Langenstein, director of ARTE; I’ve found hundreds of newspaper articles with revealing insights on the reception of the Indianerfilme in East Germany; I’ve met up with Reinhild Steingröver of the University of Rochester and established contact with several other scholars working on parallel topics to my dissertation.  Downs: I lost my first month’s worth of book/film notes due to a faulty data back-up attempt, so I’ve got another 10 hours of work to do in reconstructing it.  This is the way it goes.

And one final note:  if you’re ever on Akazienstrasse in Schöneberg, DO NOT eat at the South Indian restaurant called Chennai Dosai, not only because their food is not particularly good, but because they played the opening track from the Hrithik Roshan sci-fi Bollywood film Koi Mil Gya (2003) on a loop THE ENTIRE TIME WE SAT THERE.  It was a unique form of tourist torture, though I’m sure they weren’t expecting a customer who knew the film.

Fantasy

Posse (dir. Mario van Peebles, USA 1993)

Woody Strode, Big Daddy Kane, and many other prominent African-Americans star in this somewhat violent, misogynist and cliché Western.  Its primary contradiction lies in its seeming original mission – to re-insert African-Americans into a Western film tradition absolutely dominated by actors coded as “white” -  and its aesthetic outcome – a cheap Leone treasure/revenge plot with a lot of melodramatic cheese and macho strutting from Van Peebles.  The fact that I couldn’t really read the blocky explanatory text at the end didn’t really detract from the palpably saccharine coating that Van Peebles put on this piece of macho-masculine self-glorification.

The Treasure of Silver Lake (dir. Harald Reinl, FRG/France/Yugoslavia 1963)

The film that started the whole Euro-Western trend, and a completely necessary entry in the cinema books next to adventure films such as Errol Flynn’s Captain Blood (1935)or Lucas’ and Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).  The superhuman duo of Winnetou (Pierre Brice) and Old Shatterhand (Lex Barker) stumble upon an injustice committed (the murder of Götz George’s German immigrant father) and a treasure to discover.  Let’s just say that, on a superficial level, the film absolutely delivers:  colorful landscapes, bold action sequences, and plot twists that still convince the 8 year-old inside of you.  You only think about the crazy exoticism of the whole charade afterwards…

The Sons of Great Bear (dir. Josef Mach, GDR 1966)

The East German response to Reinl and Wendlandt’s Winnetou films, The Sons of Great Bear is the most “historically accurate” of all the DEFA Indianerfilme and also one of the most visually compelling.  That being said, Mach had little idea how to direct an action sequence, so the ending fight scene is confusing and frustrating to say the least, not to mention more-or-less tacked on to Liselotte Welskopf-Henrich’s original source material.  The press reviews made sure to note how much actor Gojko Mitic’s physique looked like the “real-life” Shoshone, though their basis on which to judge that comes from other Westerns’ portrayal of Native Americans.  Hmmm….

Little Big Man (dir. Arthur Penn, USA 1970)

Thomas Berger’s picaresque about the only white survivor of Little Bighorn, a man brought up by the Cheyenne (a.k.a. the human beings) named Jack, is expertly executed by Penn, if awkwardly assembled as a whole.  General Custer’s portrayal in the film is nothing short of brilliant – an arrogant prick more than a proper villain – and the Cheyenne are given a lot of positive screen-time.  Of course, Dustin Hoffman’s Jack dominates the majority of the film, with mixed results.

Battleship Potemkin (dir. Sergei Eisenstein, Russia 1925)

Restored 35mm print containing all the original scenes?  Check.
Live accompaniment by an adept pianist?  Check.
Kat’s first time seeing a leftist modernist classic?  Check.
I really can’t say anything more, other than that the Kino Arsenal has a special place in my heart.

Trick ‘r Treat (dir. Michael Dougherty, USA 2008)

A kind of Four Rooms treatment of Halloween, Trick ‘r Treat is a very smooth movie with regard to horror clichés, playing on one’s expectations, and the usual twists and turns one expects of even the slasher genre nowadays.  One should watch this with one’s tongue firmly in cheek, even through all the horrifying bits.  I say no more.

The Omen (dir. Richard Donner, UK/USA 1976)

Um… Gregory Peck’s character is kind of dumb?  This is at least what the film suggests, after one is led through a constant barrage of corroborating evidence that demonstrates his son is the antichrist, and he still doesn’t seem to get it.  Oh well:  there are many other films with evil children that work with the formula that The Omen put forth, so I suppose it’s influential.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (dir. Stephen Norrington, USA 2003)

This was the second time I’ve seen the film, and the second time I’ve seen it in Berlin (the last time was with Mary Brandel in 2003 – and I hated it then too.)  Alan Moore’s excellent graphic novel was to be transformed into a grand piece of pulp, and instead turned into a nightmarish gobbledy-gook of lame special FX (including the atrocious Venice sequence), too many characters running around (including “Tom Sawyer,” their worst revision), and sequel-baiting (the *ahem* “ending”).  Stuart Townsend is about the only redeeming feature of this feature, and that’s because he’s so damn charming in any case.

V for Vendetta (dir. James McTeigue, UK/Germany 2006)

Another slightly second-rate “good” film from the Wachowski Brothers, V for Vendetta continuously bills itself as a smart action thriller which raises bits of moral ambiguity for the postmodern cinema-goer, but is ultimately far too utopian about the power of the masses to stomach.  Alan Moore wasn’t nearly as idealistic as this, and far more critical of the respective places within society that Evie, V and the masses inhabit.  You can tell through the exquisite detail of the sets that the Babelsberg people worked on this one, though.

Genau Gleich (dir. Burkhart Wunderlich, Germany 2009)

A film that I’m currently subtitling for Burkhart about an incestuous relationship between German-Polish twins and an old woman on a bench waiting for Elvis.  An absolutely brilliant concluding shot is likely to give this one high marks at the Berlinale if, indeed, we manage to get the film into competition.

Light (dir. Marie Menken, USA 1964)

Dizzying Christmas lights, spinning motion, elliptical editing.  The lost American avant-garde.  Shall we see it again?

The Bridegroom, the Comedienne and the Pimp (dir. Jean-Marie Straub, Daniele Huillet, FRG 1968)

I must’ve seen this film something like eight or nine times since I’ve come to UMass.  Nevertheless, the mixture of prostitutes against an industrial backdrop, Ferdinand Bruckner’s “The Pains of Youth” by Fassbinder’s antitheater group, and the intense chase/marriage sequence at the end never fail to incite thoughts of alternatives to mainstream cinema and new spatial configurations of narrative.

Seven Women (dir. John Ford, USA 1966)

Ford’s last film is an outright laugh riot starring Anne Bancroft as a self-confident doctor who winds up in a doomed community of American missionaries in Mongolia.  Oh wait – this wasn’t supposed to be funny?  Then perhaps there’s too much Sirkian irony in this overstuffed, full-color studio epic, which is probably why the film was buried after its creation:  Ford’s film is trapped between gender and a hard place.   Oh yeah, and there’s actually eight women, but one of them happens to be Chinese…

Coraline (dir. Henry Selick, USA 2009)

Coraline is a well-executed animated feature in glorious 3D that was screened at the HFF as part of our overall 3D research project.  Many of the fantastic landscapes, both interiors and exteriors, are enhanced by the 3D effects, but these effects don’t overwhelm the adaptation from the original text.  What does overwhelm the adaptation is the inclusion of a male character who has to save Coraline’s butt in the end, classifying it as yet another film with a strong female character who needs a man to both tame and save her.  Why can’t Hollywood ever be done with its male heroes?

G-Force (dir. Hoyt Yeatman, USA 2009)

Most 3D films rely on re-vamped spatial relations that make tighter spaces seem even tighter and wide open spaces seem glorious.  So what better means of exploring tight spaces and big vistas than making a supremely small cast, through whose eyes we must view the world?  Such is the visual premise of G-Force, which has guinea pig commandos saving the world from a silly plot in a classic Jerry Bruckheimer fashion.  Nevertheless, the effects are convincing and most of the side-plots are not particularly annoying.  I would say:  Mr. Yeatman’s background in visual FX for advertising and trailers paid off in a big way for the film, though its effects scenes are so pronounced as to make all of the dialog sequences seem drawn-out and dull.  Definitely a movie that attempts to satiate a hyper-active age group.  Critics who don’t fully “get” 3D films and who are thoroughly in Pixar’s camp are liable to hate it,  but I can root for it from the sidelines.

I awoke around 6:30am on the second day, having missed my opportunity to be humbled by the famous one night in Bangkok.  Eleven hours of jetlag-fueled sleep had saved me.  I sat at the porch, drinking coffee and mapping an itinerary for the day.

Many a site I would see on a self-made walking tour.  Off I went in search of my first destination: a walk through the Sanum Luang.  With a brain still addled from my long journey and excessive hibernation, I stroll through the streets.

Lucky Buddha? More like Sucky Buddha. Yeah, I said it.

Turning a corner, I’m hailed by a Thai gentleman asking what it is I’m looking for.  I tell him.  “No, this is not interesting,” he says and goes on to describe some other sites I may be interested in.  He speaks very good English and had mentioned some places I was planning to go to anyway.

As we’re talking, a tuk-tuk pulls up and the gentleman tells me I can take it for 10 baht due to special promotion: free petrol vouchers for the drivers.  I think to myself, “Why not?”  I’m curious about the tuk-tuks anyway.  So in I go, off to Lucky Buddha.

In this way, I experience the mild insanity of a tuk-tuk ride.  Weaving in and out of traffic at high speed, turning into oncoming traffic and being nearly clipped by motorcycles flying by, we make our way.

After the Lucky Buddha (nothing to see here, move along),  the driver must stop to TAT (Tourist Authority of Thailand) to get a voucher.  After which I request we head to Marble Temple.  “Oh no, closed today,” he says.

This fool was driving like a bat out of Hades.

Now, even with a brain functioning at around 50%, I realize this sounds familiar.  The driver must now go to another place to redeem the voucher.  This destination?  A fashion store.  Yes, familiar indeed.  I’ve unwittingly stumbled across the 10-baht tuk-tuk scam.  A harmless scam when it comes to money (10 baht is around 30 cents), but it cost me 2+ hours of my day and my itinerary.

So, humbled, I share this:  Lo!  Beware the 10-baht tuk-tuk, for therein lies the succubus of time.

Recent Reading

• Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

I have never investigated Thailand ever let alone Bangkok. I know the 80’s song by Murray Head – “One Night In Bangkok” and I have watched the movie “The Beach” many times but never really thought I would step foot on the ground in Thailand. So I clearly had no idea what to expect. Besides being in the airport which is “internationally” clean I was introduced to a city that smells different every 10 feet and that is beyond dirty! The saying “Good from far but far from good” should be the slogan when entering the city of Bangkok. If you have a view everything looks fine other than a couple noticeable blemishes entering your sight.

Other than garbage on most streets you’ll be distraught by the smell of whatever whoever is cooking. I was warned not to touch and walking by it was clear enough why. I was disappointed that there wasn’t any Thai food restaurants on some or most corners. We were staying at the Millenium Hilton and in a busy district of Bangkok. We were surrounded by more 7-11’s than we were “appropriate” Thai restaurants. Meaning ones you go in and sit down at and not ones you go sit on the curb. In the end we settled for Arabic or Egyptian food which was no problem for me. I am slowly learning to eat with no utensils and possible may make that step maybe once to eat sitting on the floor.

Other than the smell, pollution, prostitution and child poverty Bangkok is not that bad. Well let’s just say it’s a place to visit and do some cheap shopping. Other than that jump on another plane or Tuk Tuk and get to the islands ASAP. A good experience overall but 7 days was enough for me. Ideally 1 or 2 nights in Bangkok is plenty. 5 or 7 nights on the islands would be perfect. Still a place to say you went to and experienced. I’ll say it’s not really on my list again and honestly never was. I can happily say, been there and done that.

Owning a car in Bangkok would be a huge no no! Maybe a scooter or motorcycle but nothing with four wheels on asphalt. Anything on two wheels will get you through traffic and to you destination in 1/4 the time. Traffic at the key commuting times like any other major centre will hold you back longer than anticipated. Boat, Metro or Tuk Tuk are the easiest means of transportation around downtown Bangkok and all are very inexpensive. Negotiate a price before jumping into a Tuk Tuk and whatever he says offer 75% less. All three modes of transport will get you either to your destination or to the next transport station.

From SU Hong Kong student, Joshua Books’ blog.

This morning I got back from a four day vacation/tourist visit to Bangkok, Thailand. I traveled with four of my friends and we all stayed in a double suite at the Prince Palace Hotel. Although descriptions and looks on the internet can be deceiving, this resort did not disappoint. Equipped with three lodging towers, two pools, two restaurants, and a panoramic view of the city, I could not have asked for a better location to reside at. They had a pool-side restaurant that provided a relaxed atmosphere, this was our safe haven for western food. After chowing down on my first ever lamb burger,  which was delicious in flavor I must say, we left the hotel to explore streets surrounding Prince Palace.

As soon as we took a step outside of the hotel we were greeted with a bell-captain asking us the question, “Where are you going?” At first we brushed him off, assuming he was trying to earn the hotel some extra money by providing their services. Throughout the trip we realized this was a common gesture, as the locals were not only interested in our plans, but willing to help us with transportation to our destination. We finally made our way down the lobby steps, approached again by another hawker. This man asked us if we wanted a tuk-tuk, a three-wheel motor bike that could hold three passengers not including the driver. My research before our arrival led me to the conclusion that these were a great way to view the city, but were somewhat dangerous.

We bypassed the hawker and explored the crowded, disorganized, and unique streets of Bangkok. Right across the street from our hotel was a row of various clothing stands. These shops had a ridiculous amount of inventory, most of which was stacked up in twelve foot high plastic bags. We turned the corner, crossed a bridge, and found ourselves in a market area. The first thing I realized was the abundance of pineapples, locals had huge straw baskets of the fruit. The next thing that caught my eye was the amount of stray cats and dogs. I’m not sure where they came from but throughout the trip this was a common site. It is very interesting to compare cultures between China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the United States. They differ in every aspect – values, norms, customs, etiquette, attitude, and even traffic regulations. Thai locals were extremely friendly, I attribute that to the fact that we are white attractive young males.

I’m usually good at haggling. I wouldn’t say I’m in my element, but I do enjoy the hustle, bustle and hassle of foreign bazaars and markets, and the fun of trying to negotiate with a merchant for some kitsch souvenir that will inevitably end up in the attic about a week after you return home.

And even though you’ll always end up paying over the odds, no matter how tenacious your attempts to drive a hard-bargain, there is a sense of satisfaction to be found as you walk off with your fake D&G glasses, cheap alabaster idol and decent wad of remaining foreign currency.

So, when I was travelling I figured that I’d be able to waltz past the street traders of Bangkok effortlessly collecting all manner of sundries and crap without surrendering much of my Baht beer-fund in return.

But there is an inhabitant lurking within Bangkok that I hadn’t anticipated on the flight over from Tokyo. He is a force that occupies every corner of the city’s streets, and is unfaltering in his doggedness. He is the Tuk Tuk man, and the tale of our paths crossing goes like this…

March 2008. And after two surreal weeks in Japan, my friend and I hopped onto Tokyo’s sprawling metro system taking the long journey out to Narita airport to catch our flight to Thailand. Disgustingly ignorant, we knew little of our next destination right until the moment we landed in Bangkok. It was here we decided to consult the traveller’s oracle: The Lonely Planet.

‘Khao San Road is the hub of backpacking in Thailand,’ we were told by the repository of travelling wisdom. ‘That’ll do,’ we thought. Armed with such extensive knowledge we strode forward into the swealtering Thai heat and sought out the world’s most recognisable con artist: the taxi driver. One eye-watering cab fare later, in which the cabbie sold Bangkok to us as, ‘Disco number one! Yeeeeeeeeees, Bangkok, you like! Disco, disco number onnnnnnnnnnnne!,’ and we’d arrived at Khao San Road.

As we stepped out of the taxi and onto the road that is Khao San it suddenly dawned on us that ‘backpacking hub’ may have been a euphemism for ‘place where you will get pestered by more people in the space of 30 seconds than any other place on Earth’. And it was here, amongst the repeated cries of ‘You want pong?’ and ‘Sir, would you like a lovely tailored suit?’ that we encountered the Tuk Tuk man.

For those who are not familiar the Tuk Tuk man is someone who makes his living driving a Tuk Tuk: a three-wheeled, blinged-out motorbike encased in a luminous shell. It resembles the red and yellow Fisher Price children’s toy, except it also has a lawnmower engine in it.

Now, the Tuk Tuk man differs from your typical market trader in that he is by far the most aggresive and persistant of all the street-based purveyors. His guile goes unmatched, as does his determination to scam. It’s not really his fault. He’s probably at the mercy of some evil Thai gang who have threatened to murder his family should he not fleece a quota of 100 backpackers a day. But regardless, the experience for the backpacker is an irritating one.

Anyway, as we passed the Tuk Tuk man he introduced himself by grabbing my wrist and saying ‘Hey! You English! Tuk Tuk?’ before pulling me towards his Fisher Price taxi. Taken completely by surprise I lost all normal composure, and for no reason I can now think of I decided to say, ‘I’m Japanese’.

Now, I’m not Japanese. In fact, I look about as Japanese as Johnny Vegas. So I wasn’t sure how saying this would get me out of the predicament I was in. But for a moment the Tuk Tuk man stopped what he was doing, and it looked as if I was going to be able to make my escape.

But the Tuk Tuk man knows better than to fall for such diversionary tactics. The Tuk Tuk man is a seasoned pro, and he has within him a repertoire of phrases from every language that he can call upon at will. And so, in response to my lame effort, he uttered, ‘Ah, Konichiwa! Tuk Tuk?’. I now had nothing to say except ‘no,’ which the Tuk Tuk man clearly wasn’t going to take for an answer. And after a few minutes’ rally of ‘no’, ‘Tuk Tuk’ I succumbed.

Two hours later and I’d been cajoled into buying a tailored suit, seen every attraction in Bangkok, spent a week’s budget and acquired Tinnitus from the Tuk Tuk engine. I would have another seven days in this city.

Beware the Tuk Tuk man.

Today, I sat down and was hit with a distant memory from 2004. It was my first time in Bangkok. 2nd or 3rd night. I was drinking it up at Bedsupper Club. I walked outside and as it was closing and asked a couple of people if there were any after hours bars. Someone mentioned Spice Club. So I walked out to the parking lot and asked a Tuk Tuk to take me there.

Well, old Dude took me for a ride. Charged me 100 Thai baht (3 USD) and deposited me exactly one hundred feet down the road from where I started.

To get there though, he drove up past Q Bar around to Soi 5 down to Sukhumvit and back up Soi 11.

I didn’t really figure it out until about 3 months later when I partied at BSC again but this time with some friends. BSC closed. One of the gals said; “Let’s go to Spice!” I said; “Cool. Let’s do it.” and started to get a Tuk Tuk. The chic looked at me like I was an idiot and was like come on you lazy moron.

She turned and started walking down the street. I followed. When I saw Spice, I remembered the tuk tuk ride from earlier. I just started laughing. Everyone was looking at me like I was crazy. So I told them the story. And they all laughed at me.

Luckily, though, the first time that I went to the Grand Palace, I’d read lonely planet and been warned about the touts and “it’s closed today, let us take you to thirty gem stores and 14 tailors” so we can get gas coupons and what not.

I did ride around with a tuk tuk guy for free once or twice. He drove me around the city for free. I saw everything and every once in a while, we walked into a Tailor shop or a Gem Store and I acted interested and promised to return the next day with my credit cards because I was “fearful of carrying them with me in the big bad city of Bangkok.”

It was actually a fun day and the tuk tuk driver was a cool old guy. I’ve got his pic somewhere. Nice old dude.

I’ve done some weird things in Bangkok.

Still looking for that damn two story after hours bar with the big tree trunk and a circular platform around it in the middle of the dance floor. I’d love to party there again. Been there three or four times, but, each time too drunk or tired to remember the name of the joint.

___________________________________________________________________

In Sanjaree, right outside Camp Hovey in the north of the ROK. There are several of what we called “Drinky Bars.” These bars are strikingly similar to the bars of NaNa, Soi Cowboy, Pattaya and Patpong. You walk in. Girls surround you. Ply you with drinks and try to get you to by them “Lady Drinks.” Usually, some kidn of fruit juice. Some of these bars have dancers on stages or platforms. Some pool tables. What they all have is SEX for SALE.

I did two tours in Korea. A little over two years on station.

It never failed to amaze me that guys would frequent these establishments and actually FALL IN LOVE with the girls from whom they and every other Tom, Dick and Harry were purchasing sex. Boom Boom.

These bar owners. Mamasans. They’d bring girls in from the country side. Poor girls with little to no education. After bringing them, these girls would have a “bar debt” to the Mamasan. The money for room and board. New clothes and make up. Food and whatever else Mamasan and the bar provided for their survival/livelihood until they were established and taking in customers.

One girl. Amazingly pretty. She had an excellent scam going. Before she was found out, she scammed three different guys. She would get some poor soul. A sucker. To fall in love with her. They’d start “dating” while she was working at the bar. She’d be “working” all the while. Raking in the dough, but, telling him that she was only serving drinks and what not.

So she got the first one. The first sucker. She got him hemmed up. They made marriage plans. Old Dude would start supporting her while she was supposedly not “working” at the bar and just serving drinks. The guy would pay the bar debt for her. Somewhere between 3 and 5 thousand dollars. They’d start the VISA process.

Once everything was paid off. Bar debt, etc. And old girl had soaked the poor sucker out of his hard earned money, it would usually be time for GI Joe Loverboy to PCS back stateside.

At this point, the gal would disappear. All of the money with her. Up in smoke. She’d make some excuse about going home to see her family before she went to the land of the Big PX or whatever.

Loverboy would be sitting at the Airport waiting for the love of his life who would, of course, never show up. She having absconded with all of his money.

This gal was able to do this three times before she was caught. I’m sure she wasn’t the first or the last to run the scam.

Broken hearted GI Joe on the airplane headed back to America sobbing. The gal and Mamasan splitting his money.

After the guy PCS’d, the girl would come back to work for the same bar. Find a new sucker and do it again.

Beautiful scam.

The hell of it is that you’d think that only dumb farm boys from Kentucky or West Virginia would fall for this kind of scam.

Nope!

Two of this gals victims were Officers. One was a Major. I guess education doesn’t help in matters of the heart.

Bunch of numb-nuts, if you ask me.

The same kind of scam that happens in lower Sukhumvit to naive farang (foriegners) happens all over the world. Same scams in Panama as well. I saw similar scams and set ups there as well. And I laughed at the suckers there too.

It’s amazing. The ingenuity and artfulness of the deceit of some of these characters.

Bali Hugh's: Surf was down that night!

After Titanium Club & Ice Bar closed down Sridhar Ryalie, Howard Worden, Elmar Gabriel and I went to Bali Hugh’s Beach Bar & Grill where we witnessed idiotic and alcohic behavior between the partners (which led to an Australian customer attacking one of the owners, putting him in a choke hold until he conked out and hit the floor). We tried to go to Penny Black but the police shut it down, though we did score one single beer somewhere I am not sure where it came from…

Come on Bangkok! Where can you get a 3 a.m. beer these days?!?

So we decided to go to an all night Thai place near my house called Baan Rie Coffee shop. Take a taxi, right? Hell no! Too damned easy! Howard commandeered a tuk tuk and we (minus Elmar, who disappeared with some horizontal refreshment, though he didn’t tell any of us beforehand) were on our way…

In order to be a show off, Howard tried to prove we could do a wheelie. Mistake. But we found our wheelie success whenever it was unintended. Howard drove generally worse than a Thai tuk tuk driver, which led me to believe he’d done this before. There was a taxi with two lovelies in the back seat so we spent half our time chasing the taxi like a yard dog chases a car. Whenever we’d get close enough Howard or I would bang on their window. If looks could kill that taxi driver would be in prison this morning.

When we finally arrived at our destination we were refused alcohol even though the table behind me had a jug of beer and the table to my right had a bottle of whiskey. I think it had more to do with the Howard Worden show in the parking lot than any police regulations. Oh well…

Sridhar and Howard went on home and I found an open place still serving beer. A 24 hour dimsum shop next to my office of all places. I waited about an hour there for Howard and Sridhar to come back but they wouldn’t head my beckoning, the woosies!

Howard Worden on Sukhumvit behind the wheel of a tuk tuk at 0330 hrs

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"Neak Pean is a tiny temple and was built by Jayarvarman VII. The King ordered the construction of a vast baray (reservoir) east of Preah Khan temple to provide water to its hundred-thousand support workers."

Some people may be wondering why there has been so little mention of the temples as that is the primary reason the vast majority of people visit Siem Reap. For one, there is so much information devoted to the temples that I don’t feel like I have much to add to that body of information and experience. The other reason is that we didn’t really visit many temples this time. I did go to see my favorites which included Banteay Srei (which I previously wrote about in The Lingas and the Lady), Angkor Wat, Bayon, Preah Khan, and Neak Prean. Unfortunately the visit to one of my real favorites, Ta Prohm, fell victim to my conviction I was leaving on Sunday when on Friday I discovered I was leaving on Saturday.

There were three distinct differences to my visits this year

"Preah Khan, meaning 'sacred sword', is a huge, highly explorable monastic complex, full of carvings, passages and photo opportunities. It originally served as a Buddhist monastery and school, yet it was more than just a monastery, it was an entire city enclosing a town of 56 hectares. About 100,000 farmers produced rice to feed about 15,000 monks, teachers, and students."

to this limited number of temples. One was using once in a while a very interesting downloadable audio tour of some of the temples from Tourcaster either during, before or after the visits when reviewing my photos. The second was the entirely different perspective I gained on the Angkor empire from the excellent recent coverage of the subject by National Geographic. I highly recommend reading this material before your temple visits. Thanks to the style and depth that is unique to good stuff from National Geographic, I was able to visualize and feel the immensity and complexity of this social, spiritual and engineering  wonder that makes the Angkor temples and the Angkor empire so unique in world history.

But the third and most special difference this year was going to see the temples with Chov. I was moved by his quiet and reserved sadness when we witnessed all the evidence of the poaching that has been done over the years of these marvelous antiquities. I was also impressed by his emotional connection to the great ancient history that his people has experienced.

"The Bayon was Jayavarman VII's state-temple and in many ways represents the pinnacle of his massive building campaign. Bayon features fascinating bas-reliefs on its exterior walls. Some contain real-life scenes from the historical sea battle between the Khmers and the Cham, and others give a unique insight into Angkorian daily life depicting market scenes, cockfighting, chess games and childbirth."

He spoke of what a shame it is that more attention is not given in school to the ancient Angkorian empire. I asked if he saw in the temples merely interesting antiquities or his past. He answered that he thinks most Cambodians unfortunately only see interesting antiquities while a minority perhaps experience some spiritual connection since these were all mostly once temples. But for him, these remains represented his past and the historical roots of himself and his people.

Later he continued to talk about his admiration for Jayarvaman VII who was one of the greatest and most productive of the Angkorian kings. At this point in the coversation we were waking around Bayon, Jayarvaman VII’s state temple. The temple originally had 54 towers with what some believe to be a combination of Buddha and the face of Jayavaman VII carved into the four sides of all 54 towers (only 37 towers remain standing). It was as if he was inspired by the presence of the king whose spirit if not face dominates Bayon.

Is Angkor's future to be found in Angkor's past?

When I later looked at the portrait I shot of Chov next to the face that dominates Bayon, the similarity in looks and serene strength of both faces was striking. Chov was quite touched in his quiet and reserved way when I remarked that perhaps the spirit and strength of Jayarvaman VII resides in his own soul (something of which I myself am convinced now that I know Chov so well).

The Cambodian nation and people has lost so much from its thirty year period of devastating social destruction. To rebuild the spirit of a nation is an extreme challenge when the cultural and intellectual foundation has been destroyed. I wonder if one way to reconnect to a well-spring of strength, deep roots, historical continuity and pride that any peoples need to flourish could partly lie in reviving the knowledge, appreciation and embrace of ancient Angkor – one of the most unique spiritual, social and engineering marvels the world has ever seen.

Angkor Future, Angkor Past

(Thinking of visiting the temples of Angkor Wat? Don’t forget to check out my friend Savuth’s tuk tuk services!)

'Main Street' Kompong Khleang

(Note: due to the slow Internet here in Laos the posting has less pictures in the body. At the end is the usual link to the full album which I thankfully uploaded in Siem Reap)

On each of my three trips to Cambodia I have visited a new place on Tonle Sap. On my first trip I started as most people do with the floating villages at Chong Khneas. Last year we did Kompong Phluk and this year I made it to what I thought to be the best of all three, Kompong Khleang.

Since I had never seen anything like any of these places before, I found the floating villages I first visited to be really interesting. Last year we visited Kompong Phluk which is a stilted village in a flooded forest as they say. I found that more interesting than the floating villages from the previous year because it was much less touristy with no floating cafes annex souvenir shop annex crocodile farm. I also had the impression, admittedly as a completely uninformed outside visitor but with decent intuition, that there was more sense of community there. And that would be logical as Kompong Phluk is a permanent village versus the floating villages that relocate with the ebb and flow of the lake.

So this year,

the furthest and by far least visited place by tourists was on the agenda. I found Kompong Khleang, about an hour and a half drive by tuk tuk, to be more than worth the extra time and expense to get there. My impression is that it is a more extensive and widespread settlement than Kompong Phluk. It is so interesting that you have to be careful that you don’t end up seeing the entire village through the viewfinder of your camera.

Yield for school bus

We were taking our tour around the time that school gets out (or begins for the afternoon) so the waters were full of school kids in their boats going to or coming from school which was cool. We motored out to where the tree line ends and visibly demarcates where the lake actually begins in the dry season. Out there we had a great swim before heading back. I put my camera away for the return journey, vowing to myself to just enjoy and take in the experience. But the people we passed along the way were just too interesting and too friendly to pass up. I did manage the last fifteen minutes sans camera.

We had the boatman drop us off about a kilometer and a half away from where we started and walked back on the road that some of the homes are built next to. That was also a great experience getting to interact with all the kids and seeing some of the economic activity a bit more up close.

There were many places where they were unloading, packing and weighing fish that would then be jammed into cars devoid of any interior except the driver’s seat for the journey mostly to the Thai border. The villagers were getting about 2,000 riels per kilo which the dealers will sell at the border for around 10,000 riels per kilo from what I was told.

Whether the dealers make such a huge profit in the end was unclear as no one was able or willing to explain how much their additional costs were especially for the apparently many commissions (or bribes) that are collected along the way. But just by looking at the dealers, the fellows who were supervising and noting all the weights in a notebook at each packing place, it seemed clear to me just by how they were dressed and their demeanor that they enjoyed a very different socio-economic lifestyle than the villagers.

It had the distinct air that I recall so well from my childhood and youth growing up as a ‘boss man’s’ son in a small semi-rural industrial town with a lot of underclass and illegal laborers. I wondered to myself if the villagers would be well or ill served in the end by establishing their own cooperatives, buying their own vehicles and then sharing in the profits of the entire distribution chain.

Throw it back in and tell it to get its big brother

On the way home we stopped at a new restaurant that was really great. Besides the normal outdoor eating area they have many small open-air huts where you can also eat or do some hammocking after lunch. Chov also got back to his village roots with some fishing, the fruits of which went either back into the river if the catch was too small which most were. One fish got relocated to the lucky fish pond of the restaurant. This restaurant is also a great place to stop if you visit Kompong Phluk, the Roulos Group or Beng Melea. Sorry I don’t have the name but your driver will know it.

If you only have time to visit one location on Tonle Sap then I would recommend Kompong Khleang for the best experience. It is well worth the extra time and bit more for transportation to get there. The costs for the boatman will be the same as in Kompong Phluk ($20).

Album Kompong Khleang

Kompong Khleang

(Thinking of visiting the temples of Angkor Wat? Don’t forget to check out my friend Savuth’s tuk tuk services!)

Howard is putting forward his best tuk tuk driver charms for some young Thai lasses heading home at about 0300 hrs on October 31st, 2009. That night was a real burner.

Howard Worden: Casanova, tuk tuk driver...

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