Saturday, April 30, 2016

"What now?"

Our days at Koh Kood were unfortunately over, but we were also looking forward to our next destinations. And the most immediate one would be Cambodia and Siem Reap. After some research online and by reading our guide, we saw that it would be quite difficult to do that transition in only one day due to transportation links and how the borders work. The most widely used border-crossing is the one that goes through Poipet, but it is also the one with the worst reputation. Adding to frequent long hours of waiting in line to exit Thailand and enter Cambodia, there are numerous recounts of schams that, apparently, are now the norm.

So our plan when we left the island was to get to Chanthaburi (still in Thailand) and sleep there, get the early morning bus to Battambang in Cambodia and cross the border at Pailin saving us the stress of the scham-driven Poipet. That would make us stay in Battambang another night (which seemed a nice place to visit, anyway) and this would mean use two full days to reach Siem Reap. But that was the plan and we had made our peace with it!

When we get to mainland to the pier of Liem Sok, we border the transfer truck that would take us to Trat's bus station where we could buy the ticket to Chanthaburi. On that same truck borders a French couple that, we realise, has exactly the same plan (go to Siem Reap through Pailin), and they told us that there was a way that we could get to Battambang that day! That was great! We had both found nice travel companions and, probably, saved one day!

When we arrived to Trat we went to the Bus counter and apparently there was a way to reach Cambodia through our desired route that same day! We were so happy! We get the details of the costs and the stops in a few minutes (stop at a city after Chanthaburi and switch to another bus that will go to the border; buy the other ticket later!). Fair enough! And the bus left in 15 minutes which gave us just enough time to get some take-away lunch. In no time we were showing the ticket to the first bus to the driver. This was where we started to think that maybe we should have payed more attention to the details. And the detail (little!) was that neither of the 4 of us remembered the name of the stop! "Bo something?, It's the one after Chanthaburi!". That was our best description. We told the driver it was the one that would connect us to the bus to Pailin. But his English was as good as our Thai! "Oh well, this is going to be fun!" I thought as we boarded the bus with still no clear answer.

On the whole trip that took roughly more than two hours, I kept looking at the road signs. Before we stopped at Chanthaburi, everything was okay as our stop was after that one. Afterwards, my eyes became glued to the side of the road hoping to see a name (written in English!) that would remind me of the other one. Eventually one did (I actually don't remember this name either, now - the nights had been quite short in the previous nights and my memory was/is suffering!) and as the kms decreased I felt increasingly nervous. Around the time when we must have reached the possible stop, the driver comes to us and signals us that we should leave the bus. "Is this our stop? Stop to Pailin?" we asked, but still no understanding signs from him. We got out, as our bags were removed from the bus. In two seconds the bus is back on the move and we are on the side of the road with no idea where we are. Not in a bus station, for sure. We turn back and we were in a gas station! With no buses! We stare at each other with a "What now?" look in all our faces!

We start to ask everyone around where we could go but it was even difficult to explain that we wanted a bus to get to Pailin border. Understand what they were telling us in Thai was borderline impossible. What we understood is that no one had a clue of a bus nearby. Oh no!

Eventually the guys tried asking a lady that had a stall at the side of the road "Bus, Pailin?", "Pailin? Cambodia?". And she did look like she knew about something that could help us!! A small miracle. When the four of us are with her she is talking to us non-stop but we can't understand a word. She makes the universal sign to wait and she calls someone (maybe she wasn't even calling anyone because of us, I don't know). After a few minutes a military-type truck comes by and stops in front of us and two guys that were sitting nearby get up and go in! We start to get our things to go and ask the driver if he is going to Pailin (maybe this was the scheme!). But the lady tells us to stand still (again, with gestures). So we wait. We had no idea how long we had to wait. But that was our only option at that point so we waited! After 10 minutes (maybe) another truck comes by and our savior lady (as I like to call her) waves to it and tells us to go inside. We confirm again with the lady and the passengers "Pailin?", they consent so we go inside. We are so stunned by everything (and still a bit in shock) that we realise only when we are moving again that no one had thank the lady that had helped us (so, savior lady from the unknown place after Chanthaburi, a big thank you from the 4 of us!).

At the end, the truck drive was slightly more expensive than what was told us in Trat, and I wouldn't call this a bus (it was actually a similar truck to the ones that did the transfer from the Pier earlier that day), but we ended up getting to the border that had absolutely no lines and no-one tried to scham us and after crossing the Cambodian border we got a taxi that took us directly to 2 minutes away from the place we were going to stay.

So, in practice, everything happened as told back in Trat and was way better than what we had planned early that morning. Apart from the small panic attack we all felt for about 20 minutes! But if it wasn't for these stories, this blog wouldn't be this fun! ;)

In our way to the border

Friday, April 29, 2016

The treasure island

Thailand is often synonymous to postcard perfect beaches with clear blue water and white sand. We didn't want that much, but we wanted to go to one of the Thai islands and bathe in the sea. It had to be close to Cambodia as our 2-weeks vacation did not allow for more, and we didn't want someplace overly touristic. In the combination of these two, we ended up choosing the island of Koh Kood, that most people had never heard of before (including us).

For that we had to rise at 4h30 in Bangkok to be able to get to the Island on the same day. As backpackers we are dependent on the schedules of buses and other public transportation and specially for remote places that require a change in mode of transportation, that means, strange hours! And after 6-hours of bus ride, a transfer to the pier, a 2-hours of boat ride and a transfer to the hotel, we were perfectly installed by 3pm in Koh Kood! It seems long (and it was) but it was relatively straightfoward!

On the transfer to the hotel, already in the Island, we met a Russian guy and an older Indian guy (we never asked them their names!). After the usual "Where are you from", "Have you been here before" questions, we got into discussing the places where we were going to stay. The Russian guy who had stayed in the Island many times before mentioned that he was staying in a bungalow far from the beaches as this meant it was cheaper/best price. We mentioned, our was also far from the beaches but that was probably a bit more expensive because we had asked AC (it was still VERY hot). He said that it was a fair price (After we shared how much we were paying) and continues by saying that some of the most expensive resorts in the country are in this Island and that Hollywood stars would often come one in particular (Soneva Kiri Resort) - prices were absurd according to him. And then the Indian guy says "Yes, that's where I am staying. But I am not paying for it so it's free, and that's the best price!". Indian Guy 1 - Russian Guy 0! I thought it was a bit hard to believe that an island that is relatively unknown and small could have such a luxurious place, but after some research, I realised that this is indeed a well preserved secret.

But expensive resorts and prices talks apart, what stroke me the most, was the fact that the Russian guy had apparently been here many times before and he seemed to know his way around this region (Southeast Asia). And in the next two days, we kept bumping into people that were recurrent to this specific Island, apparently coming back year after year at times; others almost moved here permanently. This was maybe our first sign that this was not just not another picture perfect Island, this was a hidden treasure Island where the treasure is the days you spend here!

The waterfalls are amazing, the fauna and flora still run wild, the beaches are ligned with palm trees and have white sand, the water is clear blue and warm and the seafood amazing and cheap. But what I think captivated me even more was not bumping into a tourist at every turn, not being arressed every other minute to buy something (we never were, actually), being able to leave our things unattended at the beach during our long swims at the sea with no worries of what might happen, the overall "good vibe", and the inspiring sunsets! Andre was also highly captivated by the freedom of having a motorbike (the preferred way of moving around the Island) and driving it around. In short, this is a place where a person can just be and rest!

By the end, we were sorry that our two weeks and our plan didn't allow for a longer stay (we really considered it) because at the end we really understood why people come back again and again and again! We felt like we wanted to do exactly that.

The sunset at the second night
This is a fishermen village where we could find the best seafood restaurants at the best price - Andre actually tried to eat the whole restaurant!:P
(Because we were two days on the Island I thought it would be worth to upload two photos!)

Thursday, April 28, 2016

From holly to kinky

Second day and Bangkok was our town!

On our first day we had a hint of the city and its culture. A hint of the crowds, the tuk-tuks, an amazingly air conditioned metro system, markets, street food, smells and even the odd cockroach. I guess staying near to Chinatown helped with a lot of these.
For the second day we had reserved our must-sees. First thing in the morning, we took a boat ride to Pier 9, the closest one to the entrance of the Grand Palace. This is a Bangkok must see, and to miss it, is almost like going to Rome and failing to see the Coliseum! The problem with this, is that we know this and, of course, everyone eles does as well. So, right from the entrance, we were engulfed in this sea of (mostly Asian) tourists! Most of them separated into large groups with a tour leader waiving an umbrella or a flag and miraculously keeping everyone together. Amazing as well was how smooth the whole entrance process was, especially considering that they take quite seriosly the enforcement of the required dress code. Everyone that did not abide, had to leave a deposit and take additional pieces of clothing that were available on site - I had to take (an oh so sexy!) pink shirt and Andre a pair of trousers.

From dressing line, to payment line, to ticket line, to bag checking line we quickly entered the huge premises. And it was impressive that even inside the number of people was so vast that even inside, the crowds would not disperse. So when we entered the Temple of the Emerald Buddah, was with the company of a lot of other people. But this is a place to pay respect to, so for someone to enter the Temple (even the corridors outside) had to do it barefoot. And everyone did! We put our shoes/sandals together in the pile and go inside. The colours on the tiles outside are intense and wonderfully put together along with large shades of golden. But it was only inside that my mouth literally opened in awe. Maybe it was the intense shine of the golden "pyramid" that caused it, maybe it was seeing that many people were actually praying/showing their devotion to Buddah, maybe it was both. There was even an area that seemed to be reserved for the Monks and they were all together occupying a section of the temple.

All the other buildings enclosed in what is considered the Grand Palace are amazingly colourfull and beautiful and I particularly enjoyed all the masked statues (big and small), but the image of that temple (then replicated in a few other temples around) was what touched me the most. That no matter the confusion or heat (the temperature continued scolding hot), that people wanted to be respectful to their faith.

Coming out of the temple, the rest of the day was split between taking care of some logistics (e.g. arranging our transportation to the next day) and walking around in Siam area and hopping from air conditioned shopping mall to air conditioned bigger shopping mall. In fact, Bangkok does not fall behind of Dubai in terms of quantity (maybe not quality/craziness) of shopping centres (see "Rodizio of Shopping Centres" post).

But at night... for our night we had reserved some time to our other must see. Something, that despite a bit sordid, is also unique in Bangkok (as far as I know). Patpong neighborhood is known to be one of the largest red-light districts in the city. And this means from displays of women on the street seating in chairs waiting to be picked, to ladyboys, to old white men holding hands with young local women/men, to restaurants with more than one menu! Yes, we realised at some point in our meal, that the restaurant we picked had more than one menu: one that we saw, and the other for... special services served upstairs. It is also the place for ping-pong shows. And it was for the latter that we had come here for. For the ones that have never heard of such a thing, try imagining a ping-pong game, where the player that serves is always a woman and never uses a racket! And no, it is played with her hands! Use the most dirty part of your mind! Yes, I guess you got it by now!

So, after escaping some places that looked scham-driven, we find one that promises no extra fees (and delivered!) so we payed 300 Thai Bahts each (a drink included) and we go up the stairs to another dimension. Yes, another dimension because the whole thing was surreal. There was barely anyone in the room when we first came in (and soon enough we were actually the only two in there!) and the show was being "performed" by two women in a see-through night gown that barely covered their belly buttons. And if ping pong sounds weird and/or bad, blowing out candles, smoking, popping out ballons and writing "Hello" using the same part of the body, was of a whole other level of degradation. I confess, after 3 minutes I was sipping my drink away so I could get out of there was quickly as possible. But we stayed because we wanted to see the ping pong show itself (which is, in my opinion, the best one!). When we got out there was a mixed feeling of accomplishment and shame. Shame that we were accomplices to the perpetuation of these kind of shows.

At the end of the day, and looking back to all of these hours, it is almost like we had expected two extremes of this city - one the respect to the holiness of Buddah and the other, the capitalisation of human desires with apparently little limits. They are two sides of Bangkok that are a bit of a mirror of the different sides of Men and the complexity of human behavior. And all of this made like Bangkok a bit more, even with all the cockroaches!

One of my favourite parts of the Grand Palace. The statues that seem to be supporting the weight of the World. Their masks are supposed to be scaring, but they just look sad!

Monday, April 25, 2016

When everyone stands still

16 hours later and we arrive at Bangkok! 16 hours since the first flight took off until we landed and 6 hours of jet lag. But this was very tranquil experience compared to the one we had last year (see 'Where are we going to sleep tonight' post). This time, everything worked as planned and we were even able to get from the airport to the hostel using public transportation without getting lost! YAY! :D

So first day, we're a bit dead and most large attractions will close soon (it was 15h00 when we got to our room and most things close around 16h00). So we look at the map and decide to go the Luphini Park. Google said it was a 36 minutes walk which sounded a good way to see the city a bit. Maybe we should have remembered the 35+ degrees outside and the high levels of humidity. We put our foot on the street, crossing the blessed barrier of air-con, and are immediately remembered of that! But there was nothing stopping us! We had just flown almost half a world, sun and warmth was part of the calling! Armed with water, light clothing, and a map, there we went!

The walk, which was waaay longer than the estimated 36 minutes, took us through narrow streets with local workshops (including an old school printing place) and street food (with no tourist on sight). We also passed by a few people that were offering massages. They did not offer a happy ending, but I guess that could be on the table - specially as we later found out that that was quite close to the 'Red District' area of Bangkok.

Over an hour later (with lunch somewhere in the middle) we got to the Park. It felt like a bliss to get off our flip-flops and feel the welcome freshness of grass. We layed down and admired the view. Aaahhhh, this is what people dream about! :) After a few more sips of water and laying down on the grass I look around to do a bit of people watching (that I love doing while travelling, I confess). And I notice the number of people running! Duzens, most probably hundreds of people run around the park at the end of the day. Men, women, old, new, all of them run! It is a non-ending stream of people that were all coming in our direction. At some point a voice comes through the loud speakers, but we don't pay attention. However, a woman running, suddendly stops and stays still. Everyone does! And the music starts... We had no idea what was happenning but we figured that the music must've been the Thai National Anthem. And everyone around us was paying their respects. It is quite a sight to see a mass of runners stop for 1 minute to the sound of a few notes. I have no picture of the moment as I was stunned and just wanted to be respectful to a moment that was obviously important to the people around us.

Later, at the hostel, I searched for the meaning of that moment and saw that it happened daily, not once, but twice (at 8:00 and 18:00). It is also something that happens in all of Thailand and that is equally respected by everyone! It is an interesting moment and is part of the Thai culture that I had no idea about!

On our way to the park we passed by this park of tuk tuks. Bangkok without tuk-tuks would not be Bangkok!

PS: This time I am only carrying my tablet, which is great as it is small and practical to use (for most things). However, adding photos to these posts is a semi-maddening experience. Because of this, I will only add one photo (a photo day) to each post.


Sunday, April 17, 2016

A long delayed trip!

Back in 2012, when I first started this blog I was planning for a 3 months trip (see the post The Plan so Far). Now, after getting to know a lot of travelers that go around for 6 or more months at a time, 3 months seems to be a regular trip, but at that point, 3 months looked like quite an adventure. One that I was really looking forward to! Unfortunately, for professional reasons, I had to cut the trip short to only 1 month. It was an incredible month that I have multiple fond memories (with a bit of adventure here and there), but there were a few destinations that had to be left out, destinations that I was really looking forward to!

Four years later, after a few other travels, I am one week away of  going back to the original plan and visit some of those countries that were left behind. Southeast Asia was the region that always stuck to my mind and that most fueled my dreams. So finally!, finally!, the flight ticket is bought, the jabs and medicines are taken care off and everything is ready to go!

Here is the map of the (as usual) draft plan of the trip.

The plan for the 2-week trip