Ko Lipe, Thailand 6-8 November 2008

We were headed for Ko Lipe, way down south close to the Malaysian border, and it took us a long time to get there. Ko Lipe is a small island about 65km off the southern coast of Thailand (not shown on the map below - Turatao is the closest I can get) and we got there by a combination of overnight train, minibus, ferry then a long-tail boat.


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We had stopped in Trang to catch a mini bus to the ferry pier and eaten some of the best steamed port buns and drunk some of the best coffee in an old Hokkein (Chinese) coffee house with coffee so strong the spoon almost stood upright. Only elderly Chinese men were in there when we arrived and when Euan left to go buy another cap (his one flew off his head honing along in an open jeep in the Serengeti) I felt very much the odd one out!

The ferry to Ko Lipe ran on one engine (we didn’t know at the time) and was super slow but it was a nice trip as we passed by a few islands in the Turatao National Park. We had to disembark from the ferry off the beach and transfer to long-tail boats that ferried us to wherever we wanted to go on the island. Good balance was essential and there were a few madly waving arms and legs as people tried to navigate their way around a scooter parked on the back of the ferry and onto the raft – all while the sea swell kept things moving nicely and the scooter handlebars and wing-mirrors did their best to snag backpack straps! Very entertaining to watch.



We were disappointed with Ko Lipe or, more appropriately, with what has been allowed to happen to it. It is such a small island and is now overrun with resorts and guesthouses, restaurants. Euan made the comment that it was too developed to be a place to get away but not developed enough to be comfortable. There were clearly no controls on the boats (I think the ferries had only recently started dropping people offshore) and the main beach was more like a harbour with the boat traffic continuous and very noisy. Thankfully it was still the off-season so there weren’t too many people (Euan successfully bargained for cheap accommodation) and the island was pretty quiet and the beaches clean & lovely. This was the beach where we were staying.



The evening we arrived we watched part of the sunset



before walking through the bush to the other side of the island and caught more sunset colours but by this stage it was nearly dark and we got lost walking back. It is a small island but the bush in the middle was dense and neither of us were keen to go venturing into the bush in jandals!



That night there was a thunder and lightning storm that equalled the one we experienced in Madrid earlier this year. The difference was that in Madrid we were in a sturdy concrete building, here we were in a beach hut made of some flax stuff and I was genuinely scared. The thunder and lightning were simultaneous, so virtually right above us and was loud enough for me to cover my ears. Needless to say the rain was torrential so the sound of big fat rain slapping the ground filled the gaps left by the thunderclaps.

You could walk around the island in less than an hour and find some quiet spots where there were people still living right by the beach. Dogs were the only animals we saw on the island and everything else seemed to come across by boat.



It was nice to relax but we’d gone to Ko Lipe taking a chance that there was a boat running to Langkawi in Malaysia (no one we spoke to on the mainland could give us a straight answer) and had decided to island hop as far south as we could. Thankfully the boat was running (they stop service during the wet season) and we cut our Ko Lipe visit short to head into Malaysia mainly for the reason that we weren’t happy staying on an island that was being ruined and wanted no part of it.

The border control was a hut on the beach



and was a very relaxed affair – the boat situation less so. Two boats were going and we were among a group of about 18 being piled onto a small speed boat where the other boat had 9. I flatly refused to get on and told the organiser the boat was overloaded, dangerous and we were not going on it. We had a much more comfortable trip as a result (at times it pays not to do as you’re told.....!!).

Bangkok, Thailand 4-5 November 2008

We were only in Bangkok for one night and the city is just how I remember it: smelly, dirty and busy and Euan wasn’t any more impressed than I was. The food, however, was absolutely top notch and we only ate from street-side stalls/cafes where there was a large collection of locals. Often we were the only foreigners there and got some strange looks as a result. We still had absolutely no idea what we were ordering but it was good nonetheless!

We visited Ko San Road and its changed heaps over the past 8 years. Far more commercial than it used to be and I reckon that when it rains, its the only time the road is clear of people! Its definitely not the best place to buy things that’s for sure as prices are high and I don’t think many folk bargain hard so the vendors do quite well and tourists continue to be ripped off.



You can buy almost anything… this lady was looking to buy a degree. These guys sold everything, from fake NZ & UK driving licenses to Degrees and Airport passes (a bit scary..).



We also saw so many cosmetic surgeries…. Breast enlargements, Botox, facelifts – you name it and it was on offer.

Wat Pho temple was a must and it requires visitors to have covered legs and shoulders. I had (another) pants nightmare when I went to put on my pant zip-off bottoms and realised I’d bought the wrong ones and the zips didn’t match. I had to pin one leg on and hold the other one on with my hair clasp. What a dipstick.



The huge lying Buddha was quite cool



and his feet had some cool decorations of inlaid mother of pearl



These are his toes



and the base of one heel showing the pattern



… and the detailed designs



These are just more photos from inside the Wat





The Wat was close to the river and we took a look at the dirty grey mass of water that, judging by the water that lapped under the raised walkways, was at high tide. Raised walkways sounds a bit grand; it was really just boards on top of boxes and bricks.



We decided to see if we would be allowed into the escalators to take us up 89 floors of ‘The Dome’ to the Sirocco Sky Bar. We knew there was a dress code but made it through the first bit past a uniformed attendant into an escalator where we headed to the 89th floor. A very immaculate and elegant Thai lady greeted us when we stepped out of the lifts with a fleeting look of surprise that was quickly hidden by a warm smile – amusement perhaps? We were hardly dressed like her normal clientele but she let us into the bar far enough so we could see the view, but not where there were any people! The view reminded me of London as seen from some of the higher buildings in the City. A great view and it would have been a fantastic place to have a drink but prices were as high as the building at £8 equivalent for a glass of coke. This is the view.



These are the balconies that travelled up the entire side of the same building. Looked cool I thought and the only thing that ruined the symmetry was one single and (presumably un-allowed) satellite dish.



Couldn’t help but take a photo of these ridiculous figurines that we’d also seen throughout Laos. What on earth is the point of them??



We checked out the Bangkok Oriental, supposedly one of the worlds famous hotels and, from the outside, it was a real disappointment. We were expecting something really grand and glitzy and we’re hoping it is stunning on the inside as to us it looked just like another concrete block with balconies. Euan chanced a visit into the foyer to see if it was any grander inside but was asked to leave (below) for being too scruffy!



One night in Bangkok was enough for both of us. After having a look around the modern city, travelling on the sky train, checking out a couple of the huge malls (with crazily cheap prices) it was clear that this is what many visitors to the city do – shop!! What we did notice were loads of overweight school children. A sign of the times and the clear Western influence – the number of fast food outlets were noticeable compared to eight years ago. It was with no sadness that we boarded an overnight train for Trang, some 700km south of Bangkok.

Chiang Mai, Thailand 1-3 November 2008

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Chiang Mai (CM) was nothing like we thought it would be but I (in particular) have a tendency to hope places might be more rustic than they actually are! Regardless, we didn’t expect to see Boots Chemist, Starbucks, Burger King and other companies vying for business on CMs main streets. As far as a city goes, CM was OK and we enjoyed our time there, did a lot of walking and consequently saw a lot.

This is Wat Phra Singh, which is apparently a perfect example of the classic northern Thai or Lamma style, was built around 1345-1350.

The Thai bus companies seem to like individualising the buses which makes a nice change from boring old white or red…. although they could have gone a wee bit over the top with this one!



We met up with Aoy and Shawn (who we met in Laos) for dinner at their favourite local café/restaurant.



The chef was a legend. Apparently he’d trained and worked in some fancy hotels but had got fed up with not being able to call the shots so left and set up this not-so-little street corner café-type place.



From the outside it didn’t look anything special and nothing changed when you walked in but the food this guy single-handedly dished up with one wok was the best Thai food we’ve eaten. He dished up some 300 dishes a day, plus all the take-away dishes that people came and ordered throughout the day. He just didn’t stop cooking and it was great to watch him - he was incredibly quick and I’m amazed half the ingredients didn’t miss the wok! At times he literally threw them from a distance into the thing.



We took a tuk-tuk out to Wat U Mong, in the forest on the outskirts of CM. The Wat wasn’t as maintained as the others but was far larger and had a great brown lake full of squirming catfish which looked fantastic – all these whiskers kept appearing out of the water, followed by a huge gaping mouth then the swish of a huge back and tail as the fish dived again. I couldn’t count them there were so many.

There was a rather scary ‘fasting’ Buddha at Wat U Mong and we’d never seen one quite like this. It was a big contrast to all the other Buddha images we’ve seen on our travels.



The museum of insects is an interesting place to visit if you like insects and are ever in CM. Its also the most unusual and quirky museum we have visited yet and is owned by world-renowned mosquito expert, Manop Rattanaithikul. The ‘high tech’ doorbell kind of gave it away that the owner was a bit of a character….



The jandles were linked up to some water buffalo bells that alerted him when he had a visitor



Manop was incredibly eccentric and so passionate about what he does. He is around 75 but so energetic and in really good shape. He reckons he’s had malaria about seven or eight times but doesn’t take any medication. What he does instead is monitor the level of malaria in his blood (peering at it under a microscope) and only takes medication (only the hard stuff, quinine) when he suspects he might die. He and his wife (also a mozzie expert) have spent most of their lives in awful conditions in various swamps around the world discovering new species of mozzie and doing research for various organisation. A really interesting chap to talk to.



It was really Manop that made the visit really worthwhile (the entrance fee was very steep) and he spent ages talking to us about all sorts but in particular, mosquitoes and we learnt a lot about mozzies and malaria. I may never take malaria tablets again but then I can’t look at my own blood under a microscope like he can! Perhaps unsurprisingly, the museum housed both live and dead mozzies and I got absolutely eaten. Euan got bitten too but our reactions were so different - we've both been bitten in the below photo but you can't see where on Euan. Anything bites me and, from the reaction, anyone would think I was about to loose a patch of skin! Euan, on the other hand, doesn’t react at all (perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised?)



The museum itself housed a very eclectic mix of objects, mainly insects but mixed in were unusual shells, meteorites, fossils, coins and the odd sword thrown in for good measure. Some of the butterflies were really pretty and some of the flying insects he had on display had bodies as big as the palm of your hand. It would be like a ball hitting you in the eye!! No thanks..

Apparently someone in the US offered Manop US$2 million for his collection but he reckons its not for sale at any price as its his entire life’s work.

We decided to continue our journey south although were sorely tempted to do a loop of northern Thailand as we’d heard Chiang Rai and Pai were lovely towns. We’ve got something like three weeks to get from here to Singapore and its sounds like a lot but we needed to keep heading in a southwards direction so it was onwards on a sleeper train to Bangkok. Travelling at night is still a great option and this is one of the sleeper apartments on a Thai train (this is 1st class by the way – we ‘treated’ ourselves).



We left in the daylight and we had the guards carriage right next door where all the doors and windows were wide open so we had some great views (just had to make sure we didn’t fall out the door as the train rattled along!).

This is Tha Chom Phu station and has to be the prettiest and most well maintained train station I’ve ever seen. At another station we stopped at there was a welcoming committee of over 16 dogs all whom freely roamed the tracks and even when the train was moving away they were still passing underneath it. Clearly train-smart dogs!

Chiang Khong, Thailand 31 October-1 November 2008

Chiang Khong (CK) is another pretty non-descript border town, similar to Huay Xai (HX) but with less dogs and roosters. After leaving the Bokei forest we were sorely tempted to stay the night in HX and have a few drinks with Ronnie, Annemiek, Line and Gitte but we did need to at least start making our way into Thailand. As it was, we’d given HX way more time than we ever intended. Once in CK, we really did wish we’d stayed in HX as HX had way better accommodation for a lot less money and beer was about half the price! We were stuck however, as although Laos was just across the Mekong, there was the US$25 visa fee to consider. We shouted ourselves one-way bus tickets to Chiang Mai the next morning as a consolation.