After a last breakfast with some of the group I packed my bags and headed across town to the hostel I stayed at in Bangkok before. It was pleasant the first time, and not having to stress over finding a new place is an added bonus, so coming back was an easy choice. I didn't really do much during this second stop in Bankok, partly just because I'd seen much of what interested me the first time, and partly I just didn't feel like rushing around for a few days. I still explored around, trying different restaurants and buying a couple things, but overall nothing really worth getting into detail on.
So tonight is my last night in Bangkok (yes, present tense!) I also spent my few days here catching up on all the blog posts and photos, and when I fly out tomorrow I should be all caught up with everything for the first time in months. The fact that I'm flying out is another one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time, but in hindsight is a bit frustrating. I'm heading over to Singapore tomorrow, and originally when I booked this flight a year ago I was planning to just stop over and likely continue on to Australia. The problem is that I no longer wish to do that. Instead I want to spend another month or so in southeast Asia before moving on. The perfect solution would have been to end my flying in Bangkok, spend the 4-6 weeks travelling into Laos, then south through Thailand and Malaysia and ending in Singapore before flying on to Australia. Instead, I'm going to have to fly to Singapore, and head north through Malaysia and possibly into Thailand again, for the third time, before looping back, completely defeating the purpose of the flight tomorrow. Oh well. It's not really that big of a deal, and when I booked these things a year ago without really knowing what my plans were, there were bound to be a few problems.
Despite this hiccup, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm done all my tours, as of tomorrow done all that initial batch of very cheap, poorly planned plane tickets from the start, and for the first time in awhile have a lot of freedom to just wander wherever I want.
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Day 257: Conclusions and Condoms
It was finally time to head back to Thailand. We took the bus back to Phnom Penh, had some lunch, then boarded a plane to fly us back to Bangkok. That's a short sentence for what was, in reality, quite a long day of travel. After having a little time to relax in our hotel back in Bangkok we met back up for our final group dinner at a quirky restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms. Cabbages and Condoms is part restaurant, part tourist attraction, and part rural education initiative on the use of condoms. The food was really good, but the biggest attraction of the place is, of course, the condoms. All of the decorations in the restaurant, from wall mosaics to lampshades to flowers on the table to the Christmas tree and Santa are made from condoms. The restaurant was quite large and very busy, and it was an entertaining way to spend a last evening out together.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Day 246: The Kingdom of Cambodia
We had about a 4 hour ride by bus to the Thailand-Cambodia border, which we crossed on foot. The lines to leave Thailand were long and frustrating. They seemed to barely move as other people kept cutting in the line and pushing their way past. Eventually one dedicated officer with a megaphone took charge and locked the door most people were sneaking in through, reorganized the lines, and finally got things going more efficiently so we could get through. Getting our visas and passing into Cambodia was a much smoother and faster process, and soon it was time to get on a new bus to continue on in Cambodia.
Cambodia is an interesting country. Tourism is an important source of revenue for the country, but the vast majority of tourists only visit Siem Reap and/or Phnom Penh. I chose this tour specifically because of how thorough it was at exploring more of the rural areas of Cambodia as well - seeing the farms and small towns and getting a feel for how Cambodians really live. Compared to a lot of other countries Cambodia was also a pretty big mystery to me. I knew a little about Angkor Wat and had a vague understanding of the Khmer Rouge massacres, but things were pretty fuzzy beyond that, and the one way to really get to know a country is to experience as much of it as you can.
Once across the border it was a couple more hours to the city of Battambang, which is the second largest in Cambodia by population, but still rather small by international standards. After a long day of travel none of us were too keen on doing much in the evening beyond going out for a group dinner. Along the way I managed to get some US dollars out of an ATM, since it's really the currency of choice in the country. The exchange rate is 4000 Cambodian Riel = 1 US dollar. Everywhere takes payment in US dollars, or a mix of the currencies, but often you just get back riel. In general, and a bit to my surprise, things are quite a bit more expensive in Cambodia than in India/Nepal. I'm guessing it's mainly that the support infrastructure for tourists here is pretty isolated from what most of the locals use. There is definitely a considerable difference in prices between the big, tourist based cities and the rural towns.
Cambodia is an interesting country. Tourism is an important source of revenue for the country, but the vast majority of tourists only visit Siem Reap and/or Phnom Penh. I chose this tour specifically because of how thorough it was at exploring more of the rural areas of Cambodia as well - seeing the farms and small towns and getting a feel for how Cambodians really live. Compared to a lot of other countries Cambodia was also a pretty big mystery to me. I knew a little about Angkor Wat and had a vague understanding of the Khmer Rouge massacres, but things were pretty fuzzy beyond that, and the one way to really get to know a country is to experience as much of it as you can.
Once across the border it was a couple more hours to the city of Battambang, which is the second largest in Cambodia by population, but still rather small by international standards. After a long day of travel none of us were too keen on doing much in the evening beyond going out for a group dinner. Along the way I managed to get some US dollars out of an ATM, since it's really the currency of choice in the country. The exchange rate is 4000 Cambodian Riel = 1 US dollar. Everywhere takes payment in US dollars, or a mix of the currencies, but often you just get back riel. In general, and a bit to my surprise, things are quite a bit more expensive in Cambodia than in India/Nepal. I'm guessing it's mainly that the support infrastructure for tourists here is pretty isolated from what most of the locals use. There is definitely a considerable difference in prices between the big, tourist based cities and the rural towns.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Day 245: The Final Tour (For Now)
I had a relaxed morning in the hostel then packed my bags to transfer over to the hotel where I'd be starting my 3rd and final Asian tour - a trip through Cambodia. I had to take sky train and then transfer to the metro which was a little rough working out with my bags. The metro has a security check that is supposed to go through bags, and I was afraid they were going to have me unpack everything to go through my things. Luckily they didn't seem to care too much, and just had me open the zippers so they could stick a flashlight in - which is pretty much pointless since my bag was full and you couldn't see anything anyway. The metro stop was right next to the hotel, and after checking in I just explored this new part of the city for a few hours until it was time to meet my new group at the hotel.
The Cambodia group is the youngest group I've been with, with only two people over 35 I think, and everybody pretty young at heart. In terms of nationalities there are 7 English, 4 Australian, 2 German, 2 Canadian. I decided to make an effort for once and actually memorize things instead of just trying to remember them, and had all the names of the group memorized by the time we finished a group dinner. We only had the single night in Thailand together as the plan was to cross over to Cambodia by bus the following day.
The Cambodia group is the youngest group I've been with, with only two people over 35 I think, and everybody pretty young at heart. In terms of nationalities there are 7 English, 4 Australian, 2 German, 2 Canadian. I decided to make an effort for once and actually memorize things instead of just trying to remember them, and had all the names of the group memorized by the time we finished a group dinner. We only had the single night in Thailand together as the plan was to cross over to Cambodia by bus the following day.
Day 244: The Floating Market
Since I had spent all my time in Thailand so far in Bangkok I decided to do a day trip to a place a couple hours away from the city - the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. I had booked the day trip through my hostel the evening before, and the company running it picked me up with a shuttle bus early in the morning. After a few stops for other people the bus went to the main office where everybody got off and switched to various new buses, depending on which of the many tours out of the city we were doing. The ride to the market was pretty uneventful, and not with any terribly interesting scenery unfortunately.
The floating market is about what the name suggests. It's a section of canals with some shops set up along the sides of the canals, and other shops and vendors being on boats, some tied down and some floating freely. When potential customers float by they will hook the boats with a stick and draw them in next to their little shop to browse. The shops tended to be pretty touristy, but it was still a nice, bustling atmosphere and certainly a unique type of shopping.
After looking around the market I met back up with the others on the trip and we got on a faster boat to go further through the canals, leaving the market and going through more resedential and eventually rural areas. Outside of town we finally docked and found our bus waiting for the trip back to Bangkok. Unfortunately the ride out wasn't as smooth as coming in. It started to rain, and now that it was in the afternoon traffic was much heavier. The ride that took about 2 hours in the morning took about 4.5 returning, most of which was in traffic jams trying to get through the city. After the long, dull ride through the city I was happy to get a bowl of my favourite curry once again and relax in the hostel for the evening.
The floating market is about what the name suggests. It's a section of canals with some shops set up along the sides of the canals, and other shops and vendors being on boats, some tied down and some floating freely. When potential customers float by they will hook the boats with a stick and draw them in next to their little shop to browse. The shops tended to be pretty touristy, but it was still a nice, bustling atmosphere and certainly a unique type of shopping.
After looking around the market I met back up with the others on the trip and we got on a faster boat to go further through the canals, leaving the market and going through more resedential and eventually rural areas. Outside of town we finally docked and found our bus waiting for the trip back to Bangkok. Unfortunately the ride out wasn't as smooth as coming in. It started to rain, and now that it was in the afternoon traffic was much heavier. The ride that took about 2 hours in the morning took about 4.5 returning, most of which was in traffic jams trying to get through the city. After the long, dull ride through the city I was happy to get a bowl of my favourite curry once again and relax in the hostel for the evening.
Day 243: Cruising Chao Phraya River
One of the cheaper ways to get around Bangkok is using the ferry service along the Chao Phraya river. There are a few different boat routes, identified by different coloured flags on the boats, and there are nearly 40 docks that the most thorough ferry stops at. The places I most wanted to see were mostly located along the river, so hopping on the boats was a nice way to see things and get away from the traffic and crowds.
I took the ferry north and got off near Wat Pho. Wat Pho is most famous for a giant golden reclining Buddha statue housed in one of the temples, the site also has a mix of other statues, temples and other buildings to explore.
While in the area I walked next door to check out the Grand Palace. The price to actually go in was more than I wanted to spend, so I just walked around on the grounds outside for a bit.
I walked down to the next dock and took the ferry across to the other bank of the river to visit Wat Arun. Wat Arun is just a structure, so there wasn't really all that much to do there. The structure had an awesomely steep staircase which was the best part, in my opinion. Other visitors would go up (and especially down) clutching at the railing with both hands and slowly crawling up, and I would just bound by them. On the way down I got stuck behind an especially tentative group, and it took me almost 5 minutes waiting at each step for them to finally get down.
Since the price was the same no matter how far you go, I took the boat all the way up to the last stop to just enjoy the day, then took it all the way back and got off near my hostel and walked back.
I took the ferry north and got off near Wat Pho. Wat Pho is most famous for a giant golden reclining Buddha statue housed in one of the temples, the site also has a mix of other statues, temples and other buildings to explore.
While in the area I walked next door to check out the Grand Palace. The price to actually go in was more than I wanted to spend, so I just walked around on the grounds outside for a bit.
I walked down to the next dock and took the ferry across to the other bank of the river to visit Wat Arun. Wat Arun is just a structure, so there wasn't really all that much to do there. The structure had an awesomely steep staircase which was the best part, in my opinion. Other visitors would go up (and especially down) clutching at the railing with both hands and slowly crawling up, and I would just bound by them. On the way down I got stuck behind an especially tentative group, and it took me almost 5 minutes waiting at each step for them to finally get down.
Since the price was the same no matter how far you go, I took the boat all the way up to the last stop to just enjoy the day, then took it all the way back and got off near my hostel and walked back.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Days 240-242: Relaxing and Hunting Buddhas
I followed through on my intent to take things easy. The first day in Bangkok I just wandered around some of the local streets looking around and getting food, but never ventured far from the hostel. The lunch I had deserves special note. One of the staff at the hostel recommended a little hole in the wall Thai curry shop down the street when I asked for suggestions, and it was an amazing one. I got the chicken Massaman curry, and it was almost certainly the best tasting meal I've had my entire trip - and only cost me about $3. I ended up eating at the same place on several other occasions since it was just so good.
On the second day I ventured a bit further abroad. There was a special festival going on which resulted in many of the famous Buddha statues in the city being free to visit for the day, so I decided to hunt a few of them down. The first one I visited was a giant standing Buddha facing a temple.
Despite having every intention of walking everywhere, I gave in to a smooth talking tuk-tuk driver who took me to the next two stops on my list, as well as a Thai suit shop I argued with him over but he insisted was mandatory. When will I ever learn... Besides that, he took me to a temple famous for its lucky Buddha, and to the Golden Mount, an artificial mountain with a temple built on the top.
After trying to take me to a few more unscheduled stops I just gave up and paid the driver and told him to let me off so I could just wander on my own some more and check out random places. Other than the tuk-tuks and the occasional pushy shopkeeper the people of Bangkok were brilliant though. Throughout the day I had 3 or 4 people volunteer directions or just stop to talk to me and recommend things without any expectations, and after that good, friendly samaritan vibe is something I've missed since Japan.
Third day I did a little shopping (not buying anything, but looking around at least) and got a much needed haircut. I still had a few days left in Bangkok, and as I was feeling better with each passing day I planned to be a bit more active with my remaining time in the city.
On the second day I ventured a bit further abroad. There was a special festival going on which resulted in many of the famous Buddha statues in the city being free to visit for the day, so I decided to hunt a few of them down. The first one I visited was a giant standing Buddha facing a temple.
Despite having every intention of walking everywhere, I gave in to a smooth talking tuk-tuk driver who took me to the next two stops on my list, as well as a Thai suit shop I argued with him over but he insisted was mandatory. When will I ever learn... Besides that, he took me to a temple famous for its lucky Buddha, and to the Golden Mount, an artificial mountain with a temple built on the top.
After trying to take me to a few more unscheduled stops I just gave up and paid the driver and told him to let me off so I could just wander on my own some more and check out random places. Other than the tuk-tuks and the occasional pushy shopkeeper the people of Bangkok were brilliant though. Throughout the day I had 3 or 4 people volunteer directions or just stop to talk to me and recommend things without any expectations, and after that good, friendly samaritan vibe is something I've missed since Japan.
Third day I did a little shopping (not buying anything, but looking around at least) and got a much needed haircut. I still had a few days left in Bangkok, and as I was feeling better with each passing day I planned to be a bit more active with my remaining time in the city.
Day 239: Kathmandu to Bangkok
I had another early flight out of Kathmandu, but the airport wasn't as far away as it is in many cities. I got a taxi around 5am and put it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. The Kathmandu airport is much smaller and less developed than any of the other airports I've used so far, but the check-in process went smoothly and my first flight to Delhi for a layover went fine. In Delhi I had a 3 hour wait for my next flight and got some lunch in the airport, then it was off once again on a flight to Bangkok.
With all the time zone changes it was already evening when I got into Bangkok. I took the airport train into the city and then switched to the skytrain to get to the area my hostel was in. It was a bit tucked away, but a really nice and modern hostel. Although my stomach was feeling much better now, I was still feeling pretty worn out and planned to just take the first few days in Bangkok easy.
With all the time zone changes it was already evening when I got into Bangkok. I took the airport train into the city and then switched to the skytrain to get to the area my hostel was in. It was a bit tucked away, but a really nice and modern hostel. Although my stomach was feeling much better now, I was still feeling pretty worn out and planned to just take the first few days in Bangkok easy.
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