Ranong: The Copenhagen of SE Asia

Hmm, perhaps not but this city does seem to have a bicycle attraction! By far the most bicycles I’ve seen in one place, really quite a sight considering all the other places I’ve been the motorbike has been by and large the preferred method of transport. You can see locals happily pedaling about here usually with a passenger perched atop the cushioned rear rack, feet on rear pegs. I knew there was a reason I got good vibes from this city
Yesterday afternoon I scoped out the situation with the pier and how to go about this visa run business. Given there’s no formal guidance on how to go about this process, it was like most things I’ve done here, trial by error. Found the pier area, circled about a few times obviously looking stupid enough to be scooped up by one of the many entrepreneur boat operators who ferry visa seeking individuals to and from Burma (or Myanmar if you insist). I was quoted 500baht for just myself and while not a terrible deal seemed high and on top of that seemed a shame to take a boat all by myself instead of with others. I declined the offer in the hope I could find the people I met on the bus yesterday and band together for a boat ride. As yesterday wrapped up, I was unable to locate them and without their mobiles, no real way of getting in touch. Days end I was able to find a new bike computer (yay) from a place called LA Bicycle (la-bicycle.com) which stocked some pretty high end bike stuff (for Thailand at least).
Woke up this morning with priority mission one: coffee. Swing and a miss on that one, went to a place that supposedly served breakfast but no one was there. I resigned myself to an insanely sweet green tea drink from 7-11. Mission two, visa run. Back to the pier area, this time I found the longtail boat pier where the immigration office is; lots of competing boat operators here. The price was now 300B which I didn’t bother to negotiate down any further. Through the immigration process I was informed I was one day over my visa stay. Damn you Rachel for being right….again (She rightfully informed me 30 days was not equivalent to the same day of the month one month ahead (ie Jan 16 to Feb 16) which I suppose any rational person should’ve deduced but I obviously was not thinking clearly). So…whoops on my part but no big deal, many people do it, its a 500B a day fine. If I had done it yesterday then it wouldn’t have been a problem, double whoops. A lot of whoops moments today you’ll soon find out.
Paid my penance to the Kingdom of Thailand, received various stamps and paperwork and was on my way onto a longtail boat with a fellow from BC, Canada on the same mission as myself (but returning to his Thai girlfriend, heard that story quite a bit and I think I’ll resist the urge to write a diatribe on these sorts).

Attempted conversation over the roar of the overworked, backfiring engine, not very feasible though, mostly just enjoyed the ride. Arrived in Burma and another whoops, bigger this time, I’m told I have no "triangle" exit stamp from Thailand….crap. First its of course disbelief but comparing passports with others they’re right, I don’t have an exit stamp. Yet another one of those situations where you can get pissed off but not I, obviously would’ve done no good. Hell, you won’t find me arguing with the Myanmar government or even the Thai government; aside from not knowing the language its just a bad idea. So, it is what it is, mai pen rai. Only option is to head back to Thailand, get my stamp and then go back once again. Not sure whose fault this was but one can reason it was either my fault for not being more persistent about making sure I was ready to depart but in my eyes it was more fault of the Thai immigration which set me on my way incomplete with no further instructions. I even checked my passport before leaving to see the stamp and indeed there was a stamp but after this incident, I learned it was simply the stamp for my overstay and not the exit stamp (it was in Thai script, unreadable to me). So a warning to all those who might be doing a visa run in Ranong and have to pay overstay fees, when you get out of the overstay office, DON’T leave yet, get back in line and do the process over again at the window to get your exit stamp despite no one telling you to do this. Laughing just thinking about it but I tried my hardest to keep positive and enjoy yet another ride haha. Worked on my tan a little and waved to the Burmese in other boats.

This whole process is very strange to me, just one big charade. You stamp out of Thailand and hop on a boat which takes you through several customs checkpoint islands and then to Burma. On the Burmese shore you’re directed to their immigration which promptly demands ten US dollars for who knows what (since you can’t actually go past a 5km radius of the port). Not only do they want 10 US dollars but you must give them US bills that are newly crisp without creases tears or marks of any kind; again, unsure of the purpose but they are sticklers for this so watch out. They denied the first $20 I gave them but were satisfied by the second I luckily had.

My second trip there, now successful and this time without boat companion, I was able to stay on shore a while to see things. The people who hang about the pier are very talkative and friendly and know English fairly well. They seemed nice enough and weren’t pushy at all about selling me crap (cigarettes, Cialis and whiskey are their specialties). It ended up being a REALLY cool experience I would’ve never had if I was successful my first run.
My impromptu guide and I walked about the town chatting; I was really curious about what his life was like and what the story about Burma was. Uninterested in buying trinkets or seeing the paid admission temple, he took me through the backstreets just seeing people doing their thing. Lots of smiles and hellos, the kids are irresistibly adorable. A group of them were playing a number game with three dice in a bowl and invited us over to play. I still don’t understand how its played, seems similar to craps, but it was fun watching them. Requested some food and was taken for a typical Burmese meal which was delicious! Similar to Indian but at the same time rather unique. Burma is most definitely on my places to see list, if not this trip, another. The only real method to get in though is to fly into Rangoon.
Boy, living in one place is looking less and less likely of a future. I have so many trips I want to do now, so many places to see. Teaching English a couple months a year and traveling the rest is looking more and more attractive. Of course, a decision to be made at another point in time, not yet.
Strangely the BC guy I met said he got a 30 day stamp yet I only got a 15 day (which is the new norm and what I was expecting). Officially have until March 1 to get to Malaysia. Since in Ranong several people have told me to go to Ko Phayam (next to Ko Chang off the coast here) but I’m afraid I don’t have the time now. I’ve estimated I need about 7 days of riding to get to Satun (my last destination before Malaysia) and that only leaves a week of rest days that I need to plan wisely. There’s an island chain off Satun that was recommended as well and seems quite interesting so I think I’ll hold off for those islands.
Eating some rambutan [delicious fruit similar to a longan/lychee but sweeter and very strange looking] and listening to music on my phone which strangely never dawned on me to do; listening to something other than Thai pop is amazing.
Plan to set out bright and early tomorrow at sunrise to my next destination; feels like its been ages since I’ve done any serious riding. Made a contact in Krabi through Couchsurfing so hopefully that works out. But back on the road, woohoo!

15.Feb.09 South East Asia 2009 Comments (3)

Ranong

16 hours of traveling, my brain has turned to porridge

Took the night ferry out of Ko Phangan to Surat Thani. What an experience that was; not what I was expecting at all. The boat is setup split level, the bottom being for storage and crew and the top being sleeping quarters for passengers. You ascend the small staircase ducking your head under the very low ceiling and to the middle of the deck, raised single beds, and to the outside walls on each side, thin mattresses laid end to end all the way from the front to the back. There are numbers spaced evenly along the wall corresponding to your assigned sleeping area on your ticket. Rather intimate arrangement.

Chatted with my roommate for the evening, a mere foot or so away from me, until the lights were shut out. Didn’t get her full story but it sounded interesting: she’s been away from London 18 months now living in Australia for some and traveling South American and SE Asia for the rest. I was rather jealous of her S.America trip, have been planning that as a future trip (along with a cross country US trip).

Slept strangely well (Im sure the two Dramamine helped) and arrived in Surat Thani at 4am where we all stumbled groggily off the boat into a small group of early rising taxi entrepreneurs vying for our business. Bike unloaded from the ferry, I set off to find the bus terminal with brief directions from one of the taxi drivers. Ended up getting lost, no surprise there, its actually a surprise by now that I dont get lost. Convenience stores are fortunately everywhere in Thailand, hard to go a block without seeing one, so I’ve been utilizing them frequently for directional help with mild success (and being 4, they were the only things open as well). I had memorized the Thai for bus station earlier (satani kohn song) and they apparently understood me. Three convenience store stops later, voila, I found it. Strangely it was the bust station I had already been to a week earlier when I stayed in Surat, I just didn’t recognize the area because of all the stores being closed and the darkness; really does change a city.

Thai “bus stations” are a lot less “station” and a lot more “random street where we’ve decided to have a bunch of buses stop”. Its not always clear who you talk to about what in that kind of mess so I found an open “travel agency” (very loose term) and asked them. I was told first that the 6am bus was not coming and had to wait for the 8:30am and the price would be 200baht for me and 400baht extra for the bike Quite excessive I thought and it smelled rather fishy. I rode down to the other bus station (yes there are confusingly two) and asked them about it and they confirmed there was no 6am bus anymore. The pricing still seemed suspect but what can you do? I paid, sat, waited.

Bike was loaded barely fitting in the luggage compartment with the wheel off. Long 6 hour ride with very little sleep (noisy and uncomfortable bus).

I got good vibes about the city immediately when I arrived and after doing some exploring my intuition was right, I like it here. Pricing is back to normal Thai standards (bought some bananas for the usual 10B and a nice shirt for 50B and some sweets for 5B each) and English is once again a rarity.

Happy to be back to the “real” Thailand.

14.Feb.09 South East Asia 2009 Comments (2)

Night Ferry

It hit me today, I want off Ko Phangan

Since yesterday I’ve been feeling extra listless, antsy, wanting to do something new. Its strange I feel uncomfortable when I “relax” in one place for too long but at the same time it’s interesting to learn this about myself and I accept it and am therefore moving on to new exciting things.

I suppose part of the reason as well is having only a certain level of tolerance for tourist meccas (Ko Phangan being a huge one). I thought it would be enjoyable to get to know some fellow travelers (which I was sure I would find) but the conundrum I stumbled upon was that there’s simply too many! Where in a small Thai town if I saw another non-Thai face I’d immediately try to start a conversation with them jumping on the opportunity, here, such a task is far too daunting; it’s sometimes hard to spot a Thai face. Parallels ran through my head of the scenario, reminds me a lot of home and although not a terrible thing….it bores me.

So, I’m now excited to get back out into the middle of nowhere. Seems like some of my Thai has been waning as well from non use (been really strange to switch back to the comforts of English everywhere).

Going to catch the night ferry back to Surat Thani and (hopefully) hop on a bus with my bike to Ranong where I’ll stay for a bit and get myself a stamp for anoher 15 days via the Burma border. 6 hour ferry ride, hopefully catch some sleep

13.Feb.09 South East Asia 2009 Comment (1)

Ko Phangan check in

HEY HEY HEY!

Quite a bit of radio silence, it happens. Got myself wrapped up in the joys of island living and haven’t made it to an internet cafe to upload any entries or pictures but as you can see, a fresh update has been made.

My visa is set to expire the 16th and being that is the 12th (or so I’m told, hard to keep track), it’s time to start thinking about when to leave the island for Ranong. Perhaps day after tomorrow; sounds about right.

Little sad some of my friends departed today but I have the resounding comfort that I’ll at least cross paths with one again somewhere along our paths. Our travel goals are quite similar and it’s only a matter of time until we sync up again.

Almost one month since I left, time does fly.

Thanks to everyone following my journey as it unfolds. My love goes out to all my friends and family

12.Feb.09 South East Asia 2009 Comment (1)

Chance run-in & Island life

Yet another last minute change of plans (or creation of plans rather) has landed me on Ko Phangan). More on that later.
Joose (the Finn I randomly met) and I took a short trip over to Suan Mohk temple grounds a few km away from Chaiyaa. I was expecting temples like I’ve seen before, large and ornate buildings, very showy, flashy. This instead is just the opposite: a forest/jungle with minimalist structures and small shrines.

Suan Mohk is known for their mediation retreat programs (like Joose did) and I could see why, the surroundings lend themself quite well to meditation. Spotted a rather large monkey with the most expressive face I’ve seen; very interesting to watch.

…and an enormous spider with an alien looking yellow silk

Ran into a Brazilian brother and sister walking the grounds. We continued walking as a group and then had a small meal together. Coincidentally, the brother and sister were also looking for a small beach town north of where they were to relax for a while so I diligently recommended once again Ban Krut and all three of them should be there now! You really do find time and time again that things just work out.
Planned to get out of town, nothing to see there really and just ready to move on. Another lousy nights sleep; all through the night some rude Thais who must have got a room next door were being obnoxiously loud, talking, playing music, and at 4am I could distinctly make out a porno being played all despite ear plugs being firmly planted in my ears. Set out to Surat Thani with the new idea of heading to Ko Phangan.
I had originally not included this island chain in my considerations; they’re obviously overdeveloped and touristy, something I usually shun and have done quite well staying away from. BUT, from my experience in Chumphon, I knew if I actually wanted to talk to someone for more than 5 minutes or have any real connection with another traveler it might not be a bad idea to just go with the flow and do as they do; at least for a little bit. So I had some time to kill on my visa until I need to be in Ranong for a stamp so I figured why not.
Surat Thani is a fairly large city with really nothing to like about it. I struggled to find accommodation (as usual) for a little while. Found an internet cafe for a mere 15baht per hour and looked up accommodation recommendations on my favorite site travelfish.org. Found a reasonable place and drew myself a map of how to get there. Accommodation was abound in such a large city but most all were double what I was used to paying and far more posh than I needed. I was under the impression I could get a ferry out of Surat Thani to any of the islands since both my maps listed the route but I later learned the pier has been closed for several years and all ferries now leave from Don Sak, 80k to the east. Prior to this discovery I figured I would do as my fellow travelers do and book the ferry through one of the many "travel agencies" (which are usually nothing more than a person at a table in a non descript storefront). Boy was that a mistake. I did my shopping, finding the cheapest price then haggling them down some (which strangely was a little too easy to do). In this process I had assumed the role of average traveler so much I had forgotten about my bike altogether! The package called for a 1 hour bus trip to Don Sak where I’d have to disassemble the bike, find a place for it and on top of that pay a new package total that was now double what it was before. Snapping back into my own reality, I realized I was going about this all wrong and decided to make another consecutive day of riding and ride to Don Sak and just buy a ticket there for what I was certain was far less money.
I did just that arriving mid-day by way of some very quiet country roads with the only price to pay being the poor condition in which they lay.

Was in time to catch the 2pm ferry and get on the island with enough light left to get to a destination, quite good.
At the ticket office, yet another chance encounter, I spied the tell tale pannier bags on two bikes. I met Bear and Lisa, two cyclists who had recently come from Malaysia and heaing north but have been traveling India and Nepal and really all over; they’re on indefinite travel, truly the life. We had a chat, packed some fuel away in our bellies and brought our bikes on the ferry. I had a few ideas on where to go on the island but nothing definite so I was more than happy to be invited to follow them on a 10k ride through the island hills to Mae Haad (conveniently plenty far from Haad Rin and the full moon party business). Quite treacherous hills on this island! Got good use out of my granny gear (so glad I have a 22T). Problem is I’m not too keen on riding back out now, haha (Ill probably boat out).
We got in just in time for me to catch my first sunset on the beach (have always been on east facing beaches).

Sun fading away, we all split up to find accommodation. A first for me here….nothing to be had, all full up. I suppose it makes sense with the full moon party coming up and it being a weekend also, but I just thought there would always be something. BUT, hauling a tent around has finally paid off! Bear and Lisa knew the owner of some bungalows and I asked if I could perhaps set up my tent somewhere to which he replied affirmatively. Setup in a small clearing making sure to be out of the way of falling coconuts (talk about a rude awakening).

I tried to give the owner some money for the privilege but he would have none of that, wouldn’t take it, what a guy. I was actually excited, first time using the tent, I thought it was cool (and hey, free also, more money for beer). Had a good nights sleep, was beautiful to look up through my tent mesh to see the nearly full moon shining through the palms.

I think I’ll stay in the tent as long as I can (I have use of the restaurants bathroom with a shower).
Had a nice swim in the beautiful bay this morning; very clear water, smooth as glass, some coral, some fish. Managed to also finally find some swim goggles which for me personally makes swimming a lot easier.
I saw some kayaks down at the end of the beach which I will definitely be taking advantage of later today.
Ah, island life haha. Its actually, hmm, no bad at all if you ignore the full up accommodation and overpriced services (food, internet, rentals, etc). I may even get adventurous and check out the wastoids down on Haad Rin

 

Blog entry from day TWO

As planned yesterday, first order of business was procuring a kayak (well, a canoe really since its a sit on top). Fortunately several places offer rentals and after finding the best kayaks available (ones with tensioned back supports) I worked diligently to knock down the asking price from 250baht to 150 (learning Thai numbers has been MOST valuable).
Set out early in the morning when the water is like glass, hardly a ripple. It’s been quite a few years since I last paddled my way across a body of water; the motion at first seemed awkward and very unfamiliar and the nearest rock formations that established the bay suddenly looked a lot farther away than I first reckoned. Gaining my bearings and a proper paddling motion, I combed the rocky outcrops and caves along the coast spying a nearby secluded beach but noticing it was already discovered by a few nude sunbathers (maybe they swam, no boat was in sight).
Three long weeks of picturing myself out on the water realized and it felt good, damn good; I soaked up every moment.

The craziness (ie touristyness) of the island could drift away so easily despite only being 200m off shore; very peaceful, calm. The best part really was rounding the bend of a bay and coming upon a brand new stretch of beach with a whole set of new foreigners and bungalows and bars and all the activity that goes along with those. I’d set course for an open stretch of beach (sometimes hard to even find) and drag the boat ashore usually to the quick inquiries of beach goers of "Where’d you get that?!". Seeing several of the other beaches now I truly appreciated where I was taken by Bear and Lisa, Mae Haad; it is by far the best location I’ve seen so far and on top of that, one of the few with abundant kayaks for rent.
So after 5 or 6 bays of exploration and the repeated process of drag boat ashore, find cheap beer, meet someone random, swim, then set back out, I was tired and blistered. Made a final stop at a quiet out of the way restaurant (couldn’t see any roads leading to it) and ordered kwaitiao nam khai (noodle soup with chicken, I’m proud of the few phrases I’ve picked up if you couldn’t tell :p ).
All in all it was a fantastic day, a first one at that too. Paddled back at a significantly slower pace than with my early morning exuberance; had to fight the increased afternoon current, stronger sun and tired body but paddling far out to sea sprawling my body across the kayak watching the clouds dance above me was heaven; I was in no hurry to return.
The tent by the way has been working great, I really enjoy it for some reason. And same as biking like I’ve been doing, there’s some sort of self reliant pride in being able to exclaim you’re braving the wilderness in a shelter of your own construction (admittedly its rather plush accommodation for a tent just 50 meters from a restaurant and toilets but my point remains ). I’ve made sure to frequent the restaurant at most every meal to show my appreciation for the allowance of my makeshift campsite.
The restaurant that night was once again our meeting spot. Bear and Lisa always made it their spot and a few others were now proving to be regulars as well. We were joined at dinner by some other travelers, a Kiwi, a Russian and another American from Hawaii. Good people (as I always expect now) and we discussed all manner of things ranging from American politics (hard to get away from this one) to photography to Asian toilets to how one goes about supporting the travelers lifestyle. We had ended the evening with a convincing discussion about their next mornings dive excursion and how I should join; I was convinced…and excited.
Woke up with the sun, easier than ever to do when in the tent without the rain fly. There’s something pleasant about rising to wake before most everyone else; took a stroll and searched out a cafe that was already open and willing to indulge my new coffee habit (never drank the stuff at home). Ran into Lisa strangely enough, she had the same idea that I did apparently. We chatted as I waited for the 7:30 meeting time for the dive.
There’s an island right off Mae Haad, Ko Maa. I noticed it right away when arriving and thought perhaps it would make a nice place to explore by boat. Yesterday evening, like a mass display of miraculous feats, I saw the drunken staggering of dozens walking from the beach…to the island! It was safe to assume that they all weren’t Jesus second coming and safer to assume there was a convenient sand bar allowing passage to the island.
Enjoying my caffeine fix I spotted my soon to be diving partners making the trek across the sand bar from their bungalows on Ko Maa. I didn’t bother waving or getting their attention, they were still a good distance away and it seemed a shame also to spoil the morning tranquility with any shouting. I’d just meet them at the agreed upon meeting place later.
Didn’t seem like much time after the spotting that I decided to go meet them but the small fear in the back of my head was realized and they were nowhere to be found. I walked back to the restaurant and my tent, hoping to spot them; no such luck.
I suppose this is a lot of writing for something so small but this just happened so it’s still very fresh but I’m over it, what will be will be and I’m sure today will still prove interesting, the days always do. I still would like to dive at some point though.
Speaking of drawn out writing, I get the feeling my writing is tersely verbose and long winded; like perhaps I should just be more to the point. But I suppose it depends on if I’m writing with the intention of sharing my experiences or I’m writing as a form of catharsis to simply get everything out and also force my memory to jog. If I am long winded I apologize in advance Feel free to leave me a comment regarding my writing habits. Feel free to leave a comment regarding anything in fact, I love getting them.
Far too sore to kayak again today, I think I’ll keep my legs working and muscle back up the crazy hills and check out the port town, Thong Sala. Not confident there’s anything necessarily of interest in the town itself but I always seem to pick up great experiences simply getting from place to place so I figure its always worth adventuring out somewhere.

12.Feb.09 South East Asia 2009 Comments (5)

Booked my air back to BKK!

$22 USD! TWENTY TWO dollars Unbelievable

Flying Air Asia out of Kuala Lampur on the 17th to Bangkok where I’ll meet my friend Rachel who’s flying in on the 19th and we’ll travel around for 3 weeks leaving the bicycle in Bangkok (at my favorite hostel, Refill Now).

Flying back into Thailand means that I get another full 30 days visa stamp.

05.Feb.09 South East Asia 2009 Comments (5)

A new plan

…Not like I really had a plan to begin with that is. None the less, the semi plan I had created by the time I got to Chumphon was to head to Ranong, a place touted highly by the travelers I met in Phetchaburi and also a place well known for a visa run destination. So I could either head to Ranong and travel the west coast or continue along the east coast as I have been. I got to thinking about the possibility of the "visa run" though; perhaps I want to take advantage of that? But if I had gotten the visa stamp then, it would do me little good as I had nearly the same amount of days left on my original visa as they would have given me (15). This is where the new plan came about: I continue traveling south along the east coast, ignoring Ranong for the time being, then in two weeks time around when my visa runs out (Feb 16) take a bus to Ranong to get a new visa stamp for another two weeks of Thailand travel where Ill have enough time to make it down the west coast and into Malaysia through a ferry from Satun. Seems to me make the most of my time, I think, rather efficient if I do say so myself. Bus shouldn’t be hard to find at all if I make it to a tourist town; Surat Thani would definitely have one.
Maybe Ill head to Ko Phanga after all too. I understand its level of "touristyness" but right now I’m thinking I will endure it for the sake of tourist amenities (easy tours, other travelers to talk to and my most sought, kayaks to rent).
After a rather sour second day in Chumphon it seems like a decent idea. By the second day it was abundantly clear that Chumphon was merely a jumping off point for people to get to Ko Tao. People would literally get off the train, grab 7 hours of sleep at the guesthouse then get vanned in the morning to the pier. As you could imagine this leaves very little opportunity for socialization; what little I got was crammed into 5 minute rushed intervals catching them before being crammed into their respective vans or even fast paced walking with a girl who was hurriedly getting to a train on time. The town just overall gave me a bad vibe and I had to get out.

 
My usual morning coffee and a few bananas (no rice soup this morning) and I set course (Star Trek?) for Lang Suan. Hadn’t heard anything about it, other than a large Buddha being on the way, but it was a reasonable distance away and I was confident I could find accommodation along the beach.
There was an indeed a giant Buddha along highway 41; rather impressive. Would’ve been hard to see from sitting inside a bus so as always I felt fortunate to be atop my bike.
 

The highway was not a choice route but I knew of none better. Was not the best but it wasn’t terrible either, certainly not as bad as my first riding day, nothing was as bad as that.
Further down the highway I came upon row after row of fruit vendors. Seemed like a nice time to stop and feed my insatiable hunger for fresh fruit.

Bought a small pineapple for 20baht and they whip out a long blade and cut and manicure the fruit right there in front of you until you’re left with just the tasty yellow edible flesh in a bag ready to consume; talk about service! Spied some new strange fruit I had no idea about. I’ve since tried some and its rather strange tasting but not bad; still unsure of the name.

Finally saw an opportunity to turn off the main highway on my map and as soon as I could I veered off onto quiet country roads; I could fortunately take these roads the rest of the trip and along the coast too, always a treat.

Quickly discovered today was a climbing day and I began an ascent through a pass then mercifully a very quick descent down to the coast. Shame my computer is still broken because surely that would’ve been a speed record right there.
Reaching the coast, I saw a nice clearing and figured it would be a great place to stop and rest and finish off the last of my pineapple.

Wheel my bike through the sand (not easy by the way) and through the clearing to where I stand, frozen in disbelief, horror. My idyllic beach I had pictured was instead a glorified landfill. Everywhere you looked refuse littered the landscape: water bottles, plastic bags, M150 bottles, shoes, boxes, JUNK! Saddest thing I’ve seen in a while and you can’t help but let your spirits droop a little and ask yourself "WHY", why would anyone let this happen?!

Thailand is probably much like the US was 40 years ago; they just don’t care here. They’re somehow ambivalent to the abundant natural beauty all around them; it just doesn’t make sense to me. It will catch up with them eventually I suppose but in these circumstances its usually too late; no reason not to act now.
Depression aside, I packed away my pineapple, suddenly not hungry, and continued on for "greener pastures".
I had noticed the night before an peculiarity on my map where a road for a tiny fraction of distance, did not connect. Strange I thought but figured it would connect somehow. I arrived at this point in my journey and noticed a large inlet that blocked passage further along the coast. I continued where I could and headed into a small village. At a dead end I implored directions from anyone around and after some laughs figured out it wasn’t a dead end after all I just had to turn right through a dirt road. This I did and poof, back on the map. Crossed a bridge over the inlet.

Continued on my beautiful coast route south.

Took a rest and I’m not sure what came over me, surely I had the opportunity before, but that day, that moment, I wanted to open my own coconut. Before me was a nice green specimen with a good amount of water inside. As a tool, I employed a white and black striped road marker which conveniently had a pyramid point to its stop. Surely a less efficient tool than the frighteningly sharp golden "spear" devices used by people who this for a living but obviously my best option at the time. I suppose most would assume its not so easy to open a coconut and let me assure you, its not. After giving up once and about 10 minutes of effort (and dirtying my jersey in the process) I finally had the outer husk removed!. A few good whacks of the coconut shell onto the same post and out came the water which I quickly raised to my mouth to consume. It was delicious! I had no idea idea it tasted so good. I was also awarded with wonderful tasting flesh as well; fresh coconut is surely the way to go.

In the same spot as the coconut endeavor I found a bean plant of some sort and still feeling adventurrous cracked one open and tried it. Tasted pretty good actually. No idea what bean it is, if someone knows please tell me, I’ve seen them now in many places here(picture of the bean and its flower)
 

I arrived near Lang Suan beach, somewhere north of it in the middle of nowhere; I wasn’t even sure I could get dinner anywhere (which I ended up not). Found some bungalows where they wanted 600baht but eventually found one for a mere 200baht. Not luxury living for sure but right on the beach! The low doorways to the place did take some getting used to; they came up to about my chin and I bashed my head at least twice.
 

Had a restful rest of the day consuming what food I had left from the ride in and finishing The Beach that night; great read, only sorry that I finished it so quickly!
Had a decent sleep, always nice to hear the waves when you wake up. Wasn’t sure where I’d head from there (besides the general "south" of course) but I knew I had to move on, there was nothing to do there but walk the beach and read and I surely have done my share of that already. Set off south and figured I’d hit a town at some point. 5k in I found a restaurant on the beach where I stopped for some breakfast. I requested rice soup (in Thai) but they looked at me funny and seemed to indicate they didn’t have it….Hard to believe. It was probably my pronunciation I guess, it seems like they should still understand merely from context. Khao either means rice or mountain or some other things depending on how you see it but surely I didn’t want "mountain soup" (on second thought maybe they thought that mountain soup was some specialty that I was requesting, sigh). Ended up settling on a lemongrass, chili and prawn soup that was delicious of course.
Another 5k down the road out of the corner of my eye I noticed a group of people, hm, not just any people though, they were wearing cycling jerseys, bike shorts, helmets, another cycling group! As soon as I realized this I was already being shouted at with "Kaffe!"; I stopped to join them for coffee. All Thai, they were a group from Lang Suan just doing a short ride that day. Very friendly of course, they offered my coffee and some sort of fried pastry. They made sure I was aware of the type of coffee, apparently a brew just "for men" which they explained further by hand gestures regarding the male anatomy, fairly zany. I made sure to get a picture haha

Another Thai cyclist rode up to join them and before I saw him, he came up to me and touched my calf muscles as I was standing (rubbing really). I’ve had a few experiences like this prior, straightforward examples of very different idea of boundaries than we have in the states, to him that was totally an OK thing to do; I really didn’t mind and just laughed a lot, it was pretty funny. I got a picture snapped of all of us and I followed them south.

Another 5k down the road they were already turning back. I was given less than detailed directions (which I ended up ignoring anyway) but the sentiment was appreciated. Across another bridge and back to my coast route. Today it wall flat which was quite welcome, I was growing tired.

Took one of my chances trying to find a route that continued along the coast but found the road literally emptied right into the ocean

Continued
 

Stopped for a rest on a small detour back to the coast, very peaceful and quiet.

Continued on the road to see some impressive mountains doing as they usually do, jutting out of nowhere to extreme heights.

By the end of the day I was exhausted. Still no functioning computer but it was at least a 100k day, too much for me. I did start at dawn like I usually do so I still had daylight but by the time I got to my decided destination of Chaiya, it was already 4pm and the sun had been brutal from 12 to that point. The best riding day for me has been a very early start right at dawn and then an arrival right at mid day, perfect if you ask me.
Into Chaiya, a town I again knew not a thing about, I rode in search of some accommodation. I found the rail station for the town hoping there would be a guesthouse or hotel somewhere nearby as there usually is but nope, nothing I could find. I asked many people where a guesthouse or hotel was in Thai and one person would send me 4km down the road where I found nothing then I’d ask another there and they’d send me right on back to town. It went on like this for far too long, I was getting frustrated. This town was purely Thai, not a single English sign to be found, I was wondering if I would have to finally break out my tent for no better option. I even asked at the police station and they again sent me 4km down the road where I again found nothing. After the final person to tell me to head back to town, I went there and like a gunshot wound, a small English sign hung on a lamppost that read "Hotel ->" !!! Don’t know how I didn’t see it before and I don’t know why people were sending me on a wild goose chase but after I followed two other signs that indicated hotel, I arrived at a back alley place where they spoke some English and charged only 150baht for a basic room.
Thinking for sure I was the only foreigner in this town, I went upstairs to my room only to find a guy whiter than I was just lounging around! What a strange run in in a place like this. We started chatting it up, very nice guy. I was anxious for a shower after that long ride so I excused myself but later that night we convened to have dinner together and take a look through the night market (where I bought some insanely good fresh fruit which I’ve never tried before, will buy more tonight). Very lucky to meet another English speaker here. He’s from Finland. Only reason he’s here is because of the famous meditation retreat at the wat nearby. He attended it for four days but the rigor of not talking to anyone (part of the deal) was too much to handle so he left. Really interesting hearing about the program, apparently it was 160 other people with him! Sounds incredibly difficult to do, certainly not something I’m interested in, that’s for sure.
Ill stay here at least another night if for no better reason than to rest my legs and give my sunburnt legs a chance to heal. There’s a comical strip of half an inch of bright red sunburn where I’m guessing my shorts slipped up while riding exposing a spot without sunscreen. Whoops.
Sometimes unsure how to end correspondences so maybe Ill just do something cheesy like:
Over and out!! Dan
(Ya..cheesy, I’ll work on it)

05.Feb.09 South East Asia 2009 Comment (1)

…Whoa

Just…whoa, wow, unbelievable!
How could such a terrible day turn into such a wonderful one? And furthermore, would there have been a time where I, as a person, would have let the terribleness bring me down enough to disallow the wonderful outcome? (The answer of course is yes)
Story time is once again in order!
I had planned to stay two nights in Bang Burd and although it was quite a pretty beach with myself as the only traveler, I was ready to move on. The food was oddly expensive (yet still nothing to balk at of course) and there was nothing to do around there but think quietly to yourself or read a book sitting on or by the beach listening to the sea’s symphony….well, not all that bad of an option really but come on, I’ve been doing that for a solid week now, time to move on.
Woke up early but not early enough to catch the sunrise at its good point, rats. 

No roosters to wake me up, nice. Paid my tab, had khaao tom muu (rice soup with pork) for breakfast which was quite enjoyable. I’m rather partial to the Thai/Chinese style breakfast rather than the American/English style (although I do indulge about once a week when in a tourist laden area where the option is even available). Had no specific plans of where I wanted to go but was told to head to Thong Wua Len beach; either way, I was headed south and towards Chumpon. Did my usual, bought some water and snacks for the road. I had noticed some slipping of gears ever since way back when I changed a flat in the Khao Sam Roi Yod Park, must’ve inserted the wheel just slightly different than it had rest before. Adjusted the derailleur a bit by tensioning the cable with a turn of the barrel adjuster and away I went to start on my route up the hill.
Barely even outside town, up the first hill, I shift gears to begin my climb and feel the highly unsettling jolt of lost momentum and the sudden lock of the wheels as I stand still in space for a moment then plant my feet to the ground (luckily without injury). Obviously something is wrong at this point, that much is clear, the question is the severity. It doesn’t look good….
I look back to discover the gruesome scene of my rear derailleur twisted and mangled into the wheel with the chain lassoed around it and splayed broken at one of its links. The worst was yet to show itself though; the derailleur hanger, the piece which attaches the derailleur to the bikes frame, sheered right off, split in two.
 
I suppose some may have lost it at this point; flipped their lid, cursed, shouted, kicked the bike to the ground, etc. Its coming off as high and mighty already, which I don’t like, BUT, my reaction was a polar opposite. I was none too happy, obviously, my beloved bike and vehicle upon which I’m traveling had been rendered immobile and possibly unrepairable in Thailand spelling out the nail in the coffin for my bike trip. Unhappy, disappointed, feeling stupid for not checking my limit screws more carefully (the cause of this mess) but also feeling like "hey, this can be fixed, I can at least try, this isn’t over yet". I was even of the spirit to take a silly picture of myself holding an "angry" fist up to curse the world.

My thoughts immediately went to making the bike mobile again. Being no stranger to this kind of bike tragedy, I knew what to do and I knew it was basically the sole reason for carrying a chain breaker: shorten the chain and make it into a singlespeed. And that I did
 

In this time, sitting on the side of the road mucking about in the grease trying to pry the derailleur out of its spoke laden coffin, a nice Thai guy on his motorbike stopped to see if everything was alright (way too common, just the Thai way, did I mention how great the people are here yet?) He obviously couldn’t help me in any large way but he did take me the short way down the hill to his house to wash my hands outside with laundry detergent to get the grease off which was quite appreciated. Bike now singlespeed, I tested its road worthiness and at first it made some disagreeable noises but it then settled into place and I was off up the same hill I had intended to climb in the first place. I had chose a gear ratio suitable for hill climbing to make that easier for me but on the flat (or heaven forbid downhill) it was downright comical to watch me go along spinning my legs about as fast as they’d go making very little headway. At first I instinctively clicked my shifter, second nature strangely, realizing only after no gears changed that, uh, ya, there was no derailleur. Made it eventually the 4km to the main highway. After finishing the singlespeed task, I then recalled hearing Ben talk about Chumpon as the place he went to get his rather nice bike (for Thai standards) serviced. I figured that certainly was my best bet for finding new parts and getting this sorted. I briefly wondered about buses but then settled on trying my luck on hitching a ride. Hitching had been discussed at times with some of the fellow travelers I’ve run into, usually with positive experiences to report back on so I figured what the hell, people are so friendly what do I have to lose. So at the highway junction I stood waiting for a pickup truck making its way south and possibly ferrying my bike and I to Chumpon.
Sitting, waiting, I listened to the birds around me, noticed the flying squirrels in the trees seeming to be fighting over something important and looked through the wild grasses finding something bean shaped and considering eating it then quickly convincing myself that an upset stomach on top of this wouldn’t be very welcome.
 
I also noticed the interesting look shell I had affixed to my bike earlier that morning after finding it on my early walk across the beach. I thought it looked cool and had a hole through it convenient for attaching to things but I suppose it could also be construed as an object of luckiness, my "lucky shell". I laughed to myself, some luck it sure has brought me so far.
 

Twenty minutes had passed, my shade had disappeared and two trucks had passed by despite my waving (which is the preferable way to hitch here apparently as the "thumb" method is not understood). They did either honk or flash their lights as a way of maybe telling me "sorry, just can’t". Gave it another shot and what do you know, they pulled over. Man, alone, pickup full of white bags, seemed to speak mild English, was asking how he could help. I expressed as best as I could that I would like to go Chumpon and that I need a ride there as my bike is disabled. He said he was going that direction but not all the way; I tried to get him to point on my map (which is conveniently bilingual Thai-English) where he was going but he complained of not being able to see without his glasses (always comforting for someone who is about to drive you somewhere). I figured getting at least a bit more south would be at least one step so I plopped my bike on top of the white bags (which I learned had fertilizer in them) and away we went.
 
The man (whom I got a name from but both didn’t understand, names are tough here), could actually speak decent English; enough to get petty small talk out and entertain us both. He told me he was meeting with some friends along the way for a quick chat, only a couple minutes, which I agreed to.
The first place I merely sat in the car. The second place we stopped though his friend looking thrilled to see me beckoned me out of the car and offered me coffee which I politely accepted. I was invited to sit at a small table with my driver, his friend, his friend’s wife and his friends parents (who often seemed to look at me disapprovingly as if I shouldn’t be there, hm, generation gap I suppose). The man told me his daughter was in Washington DC working for Fannie Mae and asked me about Barak Obama (which has been a question a handful have asked; my reply always being energetically happy). Was really pleased by the warm reception I got, was just so amazing to be meeting all these strangers and being treated so kindly. Back in the truck I was taken to the third and final of his friends where I sat in the cab briefly before again being beckoned out. I sat outside at a long wooden bench at a table where maybe 8 other men had gathered. The table had on it a plastic container within which a bushel of green leaves sat. Before even sitting down I was offered to take a leaf to "sample" (this was surely the reason they had called me over). Recalling a discussion with Ben (from Ban Krut) it dawned on me what this was, it was gathom. After the men at the tables description of it making me "bike fast" (with the visual of their hands spinning in circles representing fast moving pedals), I was sure of what it was. With a short pause, I then questioned: "gathom?". At this point, in unison, the group exploded with laughter! Their ruckus laughter so strong it brought over even others to laugh along with them. This surely made their day to find out that a farang knew what these leaves were and in a way outsmarted them. I took a leaf to be polite but didn’t chew it, not sure what its effects are but surely didn’t want to find out at that point. I’ve been heavily trying out what little learned Thai I have an continued to do so with this group further amazing them. Its quite rare unfortunately that travelers pick up any of the language (it is quite daunting admittedly). So any bit you do learn makes you an instant hit almost anywhere you go since its such a rarity. I’m trying to pick up more and more; every time I meet someone who speaks both English and Thai I make full use of the opportunity and have them teach me as much as they’re willing.
Onward to Chumpon in the truck, at a junction the man decides that he’ll just take me the whole way into the city, which he did. And when there, he even asked around for where the bike shop was!
I removed my bike from his truck and I gave him my sincere thanks and a bit of money for his trouble. The bike shop he dropped me at seemed rather typical for Thailand, mostly junk bikes and kids toys. They looked at my bike and laughed and pointed down the road a little to another bike shop. This shop was even junkier than the one before but the guy working was extra nice and had me follow him a fairly short distance to yet another bike shop that sold higher end bikes (for Thailand at least, mostly Trek MTBs that I’d call low end for the states). Here was probably my best bet. After some simplistic English explaining that was only half understood and showing my mangled derailleur I had ensured to bring with me, the shop owner started sizing up the situation. First and major undertaking was getting a replacement for the derailleur hanger which is essential for mounting a derailleur (and is unfortunately a part specific to my model of bike and no other, dumb if you ask me but not unusual at all for the bike industry). Being a Trek dealer, of course he only had Trek hangers, which he did have several. Disapprovingly he shook his head indicating he had nothing. I knew I could get a replacement, loosescrews.com has them, it was just a matter of getting it to me here in Thailand. I asked them about getting one maybe shipped from Bangkok or some place and I’d just wait however many days it took but they either didn’t understand what I was saying or didn’t think it possible.
 
Out of no other option I suppose the shop owner went back through the tray of different derailleur hangers test fitting them on my frame seeing if any somehow fit. All didn’t fit of course….but there was on that was mighty close…….close enough to perhaps work. The only difference was basically the bottom extended too far into where the dropout was. Being very Thai, if something doesn’t fit, they make it fit damnit! So with a blue pen and some boldness the two shopkeepers marked the area that needed to be removed. At a table vice the man worked carefully removing the chunk with a hacksaw then filing out the shape.
 

He would file, then test fit, file and test fit, over and over and until by golly, the thing fit! Granted not perfect but surely it was the best shot I had. Bolted back on it was surprisingly stable, it was really one with the frame, perfect.

Never really a worry through this whole experience, I always knew there were always other ways and SOMETHING would work out. With the hanger fixed though I was almost as good as being back on the road already. Luckily the shop had in stock a nice derailleur (strangely the EXACT same model as I had before, Deore LX). Into the order went also a new chain and a less important purchase of some new riding gloves as my others had been unfortunately a road casualty, fallen as a sacrifice to the road gods somewhere in my journeys. All these parts, a retrued rear wheel and a fixed flat in the front (that very strangely occurred at the same time as all this other mess, crazy) and the bike was rideable again!
It felt really good to get back on and give her a test spin; shifted just fine.
Rather steep bill but sometimes its just what it is. Total was 3600 baht ($108US); the parts all ended up being the same or more expensive than they are back home, Same story goes for electronics). After him me write up a receipt for each item I noticed that he included no charge for his time! I insisted he charged me, only fair I thought, it had been over 2 hours but nope, he wouldn’t do it. I thanked him graciously.
On my way out one of the spectators (there’s always spectators) approached me and with broken English began small talk. He worked for the phone company (TOT) and was interested in doing a ride that evening and wondered if I wanted to join. Hadn’t biked today at all of course so I said sure, why not. I got some food in me and went back to the shop to meet this guy for the ride. To my great surprise, my eyes wide, I saw what must have been a dozen helmet, jersey and bike short clad riders waiting for what seemed to be the same ride I had agreed on. I could only think that word had got out and others now wanted to join, crazy. We had planned to go to Thong Wua Len beach (my original destination for the day) but they decided to head inland instead. Quite spirited riders, kept a face pace; I couldn’t help but think they were trying to impress me. The TOT guy kept asking me questions about what’s my average rate of speed and balking at it and boasting about his own (without realizing I’m in no race and have many pounds of gear I’m hauling). Machismo aside, it was a fun ride and a surprise to ride with so many.

Coincidentally there was a guesthouse just literally across the street from the bike shop by the name of "Fame". Checked in there, only 150baht. Incredibly strange spartan rooms with a rock hard mattress on the ground but I really don’t care at all; its clean enough and that’s really what matters.

This place is really a hub for backpackers (this guesthouse and the city at large). People use Chumpon as a jumping off point to Ko Tao and are seemingly at all times of the day both arriving and leaving at a blinding pace. I think I could probably hold up a timetable and synch when the next round of backpackers will come marching through and then when the next will go marching out and onto a van and then a boat.
Its been really great to talk to younger people again and people who are more traveler than tourist (or retiree). Met many people today but most for only very brief spurts as they were literally rushing to get somewhere. Again with the tooting my own horn thing but I’ve been feeling very confident, especially today; I approached all manner of people with simple hellos, some taken back at the boldness but all in turn happy and friendly. Another strange coincidence, ran into the same guy I met way back in Hua Hin from Colorado! He was just sitting at the bar at the guesthouse, strangely unlikely I’d say.
Hit the night market after a welcomingly cold shower. Been deprived of good night markets for quite a while; been away at the quiet beach towns which lack such luxury. I thought this one was quite good foodwise, every possible thing you could imagine and many of my favorite deserts. I got a big slice of my favorite custard desert, a new rice desert I wanted to try (which was good, of course) and a crepe style delicacy with bananas inside I’m unsure the name of (but this was also good). On top of that I bought one bunch of bananas and a kilo of tamarind (which I’ve recently grown a passion for).
Nothing planned for tomorrow (like I even do, ha). Would like to find some swim goggles, which seem like a challenge to explain, and maybe look into getting a cheap eye exam and perhaps some prescription sunglasses made. Have to take full advantage of these bigger towns

 

02.Feb.09 South East Asia 2009 Comment (1)

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

….Or whatever the Thai equivalent of a rooster noise may be (coquiriquiri comes to mind).

Somewhere along the line, perhaps via movies or cartoons, I had the idea that roosters would call their song of the morning as the sun just peeks out over the horizon; the day begins. Some of these roosters missed the memo though. Rudely awoken by their crowing several hours before dawn this morning. Whether this is a cruel joke is yet to be determined.
Frustratingly I am rewriting this entry as my phone decided to betray me. Finished with my writing I was prompted to save the text file, entered a name which stupidly contained a greater than sign (>). Most always these aren’t allowed in filenames but in the same, the program simply tells you to name it more appropriately; but not this program! It merely flashes an unhandled exception error and then poof, everything’s gone. Program is BBNotePad, beware if you use it and if you wrote the code for it, shame on you.
Anyway, been several days since an update. Stayed far longer in Ban Krut than I had planned to, sometimes things like that just happen. I had met several people there and we had been hanging out frequently. I vacated my bungalow after the first night in favor of the cheaper and more friendly guesthouse down the road (no roosters to wake me up there either). A small bar across the street, the local farang hangout, ended up being where I spent most of my time (if I wasn’t swimming or reading on the beach, hard life I know). Strangely, or so I thought, neary all the people I met in Ban Krut that didn’t live there were from Germany, very curious. What it turns out is that someone leaked the little secret of picturesque quiet Ban Krut by publishing it in a German guidebook! I’m sure soon enough Ban Krut will be just another tourist overrun place to avoid given enough time. You can already see the same-same boxes popping up for well off retirees to populate. I seem jaded I know but I’ve got a very good picture already about the kind of travelers to Thailand. The kind I’ve run into mostly think of the country as nothing more than their playground; a warm place to go to get fat, bake in the sun and exploit the local people. Surely I can’t blame them but just the same, they are not the kind of traveler I care to talk with much and I’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing mostly nothing but them. It does make meeting the "others" quite nice and refreshing though.
Finally escaped Ban Krut and headed out for a short 40k ride late in the day to Bang Saphan.

  Nice ride along the coast but did stop at one point to snap a picture to try attempt to capture the depressingness of such a beautiful country destroyed by people who simply don’t care.

Plastic bags and various refuse litter the countryside; quite sad. Between this and the burning garbage, not good.

Had a destination in mind (recommended by Ben, a ex-pat Brit married to a Thai in Ban Krut) but his informal directions had already proved less than useful. When in doubt though, comb the coast; you can always count on at least some accommodation. Of course, I found several options and the selection process began. I try to look for a place that looks nice but not too posh, has the basics but is clean and has window screens without holes. Found a place run by a family who spoke not a word of English. Luckily I have my Thai numbers down pat by now so I was able to awkwardly indicate I wanted a single bed fan room (neung, one).

Dining options in the area seemed limited so just like accommodation, surely I could find something to eat if I just combed the coast long enough. Made my way north across the empty beach (aside from a few fishing boats). I thought it was rather coincidental but somehow he seemed rather casual about it, but I ran into a French fellow I met earlier in Ban Krut sitting at the bar/restaurant I just happened to mosey on up to. I joined him and we talked travel at rather great length. We were joined by an Israeli living now in Pai later and our discussion continued. I was told to head to Pai once the rain had begun and that I could get a room the Israeli was renting; I got his cell and e-mail. On my way out (almost forgetting to pay the bill, Thais are very standoffish about the check) the Israeli reminded me I should be wary on my walk home; be careful of dogs. Hm, he was right. Its a real problem around here walking alone at night, dogs decide to give chase often, nasty beasts most of them unfortunately. Found a bamboo stick I figured I could use to protect myself if necessary and began my trek. I was leery of every shadow but turned out it was a dog free night (luckily).
Rather unpleasant sleep that night and then as I said, awoken by roosters too eager to start the day. Through the night there was some kind of strange insect ramming itself against my screen with such force as to wake me up. On top of that I had a bee that seemed stuck in the screen buzzing away loudly. My mild fear of bees coupled with the proximity of the bed to the window and my leeriness of whether I checked the screen for holes well enough all lead to a less than restful night sleep. I took this all as a sure indication that it was already time to make an exit from Bang Saphan.
I remembered Ben had also recommended I head to Bang Burd. I had looked this up on my maps to no avail but did find "Bang Boet"; seemed similar and perhaps the same I thought. Ben seemed to think otherwise but now that I am there I am fairly certain they are one in the same. There are often problems with Thai transliteration, leads to many different spellings, gets to be confusing sometimes. Was another short ride of 40k.

Could of been less actually if gave up my hope of a nice coastal route and just took the main road. The idea of "keep left" (ie keep along the coast) is nice in theory but the Thai road system is so scatterbrained and random it often leads to disappointment. I took chances today and kept left but I would often either end up heading south as desired….the suddenly heading north or I would get to a wonderful (even paved sometimes) coastal route only to be dumped into a dead end impassable coconut grove. Suffice to say, the minor roads make no sense, they follow no one direction and are hardly every connected to one another.
After some rolling hills and my fastest (downhill) speed yet, 54km/hr, I arrived in Bang Boet (or Bang Burd, I’ve seen both on signs).

Did the usual accommodation hunt trying to find the best balance of cheap and quality. Ended up at quite a nice place, Krua Khanthong. Limited English but very friendly, rooms clean, spacious, even a flush toilet (quite a rarity); 300baht ($9US) is the damage, reasonable for a small town where options are more limited. Quite a nice little beach/bay, steep cliffs on both ends make it quite scenic and I think I’ve only seen one other farang here.
Exchanged a book I finished yesterday for "The Beach", I suppose quintessential reading material. Its actually quite good and fun to read about certain things when you actually have a familiarity with the region. Had a good long read on the beach and then did some good ol random walking around. Somehow stumbled on to a cave/shrine area just up the hill, pretty cool (I thought even more cool because it was such a random find).
I’ll likely stay at least one more night then head to Chumphon where I’m expecting to finally start seeing a heavy flow of tourists again.

02.Feb.09 South East Asia 2009 Comments (2)

Right out of a damn beer commercial

NOTE: This post was written offline in the past, bear that in mind

Right out of a damn beer commercial. Sitting at a carved wood table and bench right on the beach watching the waves massage the shore and sipping a cold Singha. Can life be any sweeter?
Spent yesterday in Prachuap at the same friendly guesthouse (Yuttichai) and seeing the monkey hill the day before, I felt very content to do positively nothing. Donned my swimwear, hopped on my bike and headed south to supposely a decent beach. Strange configuration but you can pass through some kind of millitary installation with a huge airfield. There are guards and checkpoints at each end but they seem to be strictly ornamental as the guards simply let anyone through without even a question or glance. Never biked on a air strip before…that was a new experience. Got to the beach and it was rather nice; relatively secluded although there was a good share of Thais doing their weekend beach thing, I was by far the only farang. I’ve been told about the drastically shallow shoreline but entering the water I was still surprised by it; it really is shallow! Nice for a weak swimmer such as myself though, can go quite far out yet still touch the bottom. Read my novel (Villa Incognito, Tom Robbins book, very enjoyuable and playful writing style), soaked in some solar energy (still a long ways from tan) and just did plain nothing.

Ate at the night market again that night; tried out my developing Thai to order but surely bumbled it badly. Hard to tell your progress sometimes as I think that Thais are too polite to correct and just plain happy you’re trying. I am trying! Had ice cream both nights I was there, first night I tried it topped with sweet corn (consistency somewhere in between creamed and whole) and that night I tried it with rice (in a sugar syrup). Both were quite good! I really would request it at home if givevn the option, everybody should go try it….or not. Spoke with my next door neighbor Patrick from France for a while about the usual things: home countries, travels, US politics. He seemed extremely proud that his home city near the German border was home to the EU (I forget the name but its strange since its a German name but squarely inside France).
Set out right at dawn this morning; the early morning is always the nicest time to be out and the sunrise is gorgeous.

Was for some reason a rather rough day in just motivating myself to press on. I took frequent breaks (which isn’t necessarsily a bad thing) but I felt like it was a harder day than it should have been; I must just generally be tired. Of course I did know I had all day to cover a mere 70 or so km so no sweat. To keep myself going I would convince myself if I made the next hill, I could have a few more cookies from my stash. Ah, which brings up the point, today was the first real day with hills all the way. Nothing major granted but it was undualting the entire time. It was probably just my mind but it really seemed like I did far more uphill than downhill! Really glad I have the gearing options that I do, its quite nice to simply pop into low gear and spin your way slowly slowwwwwly to the top. Sometimes it does seem like slower than even a walking pace but surely it is less effort than walking is. Stopped at a 7-11 to pick up a map of Southern Thailand just to have something a little more detailed to consult with. I stood outside the store for a good bit studying the map and taking a breather; an employee approached me after some time making the usual small talk I hear very commonly from locals: where are you from, where are you going and for how long will you be here. Very nice woman, she even asked me if I was hungry, I guess she would have got me food, but I had just unfortunately ate and indicated as such. She slinked away after that without as much as a goodbye, did I offend? I do not know, but I did feel a tinge of guilt.

Arrived in Ban Krut (or Ban Kroot or Ban Krud or Ban Grood depending on which sign you read) after much questioning of whether or not I had passed it or not. Nice ride down from the highway to the beach along coconut groves. Very small little beach town here, quaint really. Mostly bungalow style accomodations which I’ve checked into for tonight at 400baht but tomorrow am moving to the guesthouse down the road for a mere 150baht, again quite the steal. The bungalow is extremely peaceful and nice but it lacks the frequent in and out of other travelers and the guesthouse offers some tourist features like moto rental and diving.
Tomorrow Ill rent a motorbike and head first to the gigantic (from the looks at least) temple on the hill due north (can be seen from anywhere on the beach). I’ve been told its quite amazing. I figure Ill take what’s left of the day and head to the closest waterfall and check that out as well. Not sure how long I’ll stay here but its certainly peaceful enough to stay for quite a while. Granted though, I am realizing that the more touristy towns do have something to offer: there is always the possibility of social interaction with other travelers, there are many services geared towards English speaking tourists and the food and accomodation options are wide ranging.
Still sitting here along the beach, now dark, watching the faint green lights of fishing boats on the horizon and the candle atop the table slowly melt itself into obscurity. Met the nicest woman when I went to check out the local guesthouse who speaks excellent English, I believe the guesthoue is hers. She invited me for a drink at her small bar across the street and I am being whipped up a dinner of fish and rice. Not sure at all about internet access in this town so this entry will likely be posted at a later date. I think I will surely trade the internet access for the kind of peace you get at a place like this

28.Jan.09 South East Asia 2009 Comments (2)