Krabi,
Ao Nang Beach - Bangkok Thailand 2000
May 20 - 23
...
Woke up early and found another place to stay in Ao Nang. Nice room with
ac, cable tv, hot shower, and balcony. All of us in 1 room again. Off
to the beach. The beaches are amazing here. Limestone jetting out into
the surf and islands all around. There is hardly anyone here. It's like
we have the place to ourselves. The water is so warm. Spent about 4 hours
on the beach today and will pay dearly for it. Mitch & Brian swam around
a cove today. They found a deserted beach area, a snake, and a lizard.
The current gave them trouble swimming back so never try it alone. Had
a great meal that night and was also able to catch up on some Internet
activity. Slept in the next morning and realized that I had gotten a bit
too much sun the day before. I opted to stay in while the others went
over to Raileh Beach. I enjoyed the afternoon with Muay Thai boxing and
CNN. I did see a brief segment on Burn, a thai rock band, which later
made me pick up the tape. Another good meal that night. The food is good
all over here!! Today we went on a longboat ride out to some islands.
I was still a little burned so I couldn't snorkel which sort of sucked!
I enjoyed the trip none the less. The ride was great, the islands beautiful,
the water inviting, the weather ideal. It was the perfect time. Tomorrow
we board a bus for Bangkok. What a change it will be from here. The next
morning I spent walking around AO Nang. I ended up at the Internet place.
No luck though, the connections were down. Our taxi to Krabi town was
a canopy covered truck. It was a nice ride. We only waited at the bus
area for 30 minutes before our bus arrived. A huge double-decker ac bus.
I ended up with the very front seat on the top level, which was very cool.
The drivers here are so tame compared to Indonesia. It got dark quick
and we weren't even to Surant Thani. We went through some police checkpoints
throughout the night but they all just waved the buses through. Should
arrive in Bangkok about 6:30 am.
Bangkok
Thailand 2000
May 24...
Arrived in Bangkok at around 5:30am. We weren't too sure about where exactly
we were in Bangkok since the bus didn't drop us off at the terminal. We
soon realized that we were only a few blocks from Khao San rd. We opted
to go find some breakfast then call our friend Jules who lives in Bangkok.
The small restaurant had a large screen tv blasting the movie Godzilla,
so we had early morning entertainment. A few hours later we reached Jules
and she came to pick us up. When we arrived at her place it was much more
than we expected!! Downtown Bangkok high rise walking distance to the
sky train. We were so lucky for their hospitality! Didn't do too much
today. Took a walk to the World Trade Center which is essentially a big
mall with 5 or 6 floors. Ate dinner at their version of a food court.
You traded Baht for coupons to use at the food vendors. After you were
finished you could trade back in your unused coupons for Baht. Not much
English spoken here so I ended up with some sort of Egg noodle dish. Even
the pointing method didn't work this time. Did make a stop at the Erawan
Shrine since it was close by. They seem to have dancers out there most
of the day and night.
May
25...
Woke up fairly early to hit the Snake Farm in Bangkok. We arrived later
for the show so they seated us about 10 feet from the snakes and the handler.
It was a little too close for comfort. They snakes were amazing though.
Mostly venomous snakes from Asia. They do the majority of the milking
for anti venom here. The spitting cobra was probably my favorite. After
the show we explored the snake pits and cages that were set up around
the premises. One cage had so many pythons in it that they were all over
each other. You couldn't see the bottom of the cage! We also saw a dead
cobra in one of the pits. The keeper hopped right in the pit, with many
other cobras around, picked up the dead snake and wrapped it around his
hand like a guitar cord. Next we hopped on the sky train to meet a friend
for lunch. We were headed for the Ambassador hotel. The lunch ended up
being an incredible buffet. Sushi, crab cakes, tempura, snapper, me krob,
breads, soups, sate, desserts, too much to tell here. It was so good!!!!!
It only cost about $6 US. Our friend then took us to Emporium which was
also a huge mall. It did have a cool Sony store and a Tower records. Walked
around some more then headed in.
May
27...
9 am wake up call for the outdoor market. Took the sky train to the last
stop and the market was right there. Anything you could want or need was
here. And for dirt cheap at that. Everything like clothes, shoes, bags,
backpacks, camping gear, live animals, raw meats, antiques, house wares,
food, and so much more. I splurged here. A puppet, some bronze bells,
shoulder bag, and many t-shirts. Spent all day here and planned to come
back tomorrow morning. As soon as we got back to home base, we were off
again to have dinner with Jules and her parents. Traditional Thai cuisine.
The food was excellent as always. After dinner Jules's mom took us girls
for a drink at one of the more upscale hotel bars. It was interesting
noticing all of the older American men with young Thai women. Tomorrow
we are going to Ayuthaya. About an hour north of Bangkok by car.
May
28...
Hit the weekend market again this morning. Grabbed some last minute presents
and some things for myself. We stayed until about noon, which was fine
with me because the sun was intense today. Hopped on the sky train to
meet everyone else and head to Ayuthaya. The capital was located here
before Bangkok. The ruins are scattered all around the city. We just drove
from one area to the next. I didn't catch the name of any of the individual
temple complexes. The ruins are amazing here! Picture Perfect. We stirred
up some bats living in the tops of the structures. Most of the Buddha's
here are missing their heads. I am told that this is the easiest part
to steal and sell. Each of the complexes were about 30B to enter. One
of them had a Buddha statue with tree roots growing up all around and
wrapping it. Some of the areas were touristy but others were virtually
empty. One that we entered had a staircase leading down into the main
temple. There was some sort of painting on the bottom level. It was very
dark and we had to use a lighter to see it. More bats here. We saw as
much as we could before the 6:30 closing times then headed back to Bangkok.
Spent the rest of the night organizing my goodies from the market. Tomorrow
Chinatown.
May
29...
The girls headed for Chinatown sort of late. We took the sky train as
far as we could then walked the rest of the way. Got detoured by a Tuk
Tuk driver and ended up at a silk and jlry store. We were closer to Chinatown
now so we walked again. Somehow we ended up on exactly the right street
for our walking tour. Long narrow streets/alleys with shops and vendors
all around. We must have walked for 3 hours through there. It was very
cool. At the end you hit Little India so we opted for Indian food at Royal
India. The food was incredible but there were roaches. It got dark really
fast after dinner. Different vendors set up at night. Lines of blankets
& tables with piles of stuff for sale. We hailed a taxi to the sky train
and headed back. Called to confirm my flight home and was glad I did.
I was now leaving on Thurs morn not afternoon. Tomorrow Kanchanaburi.
May
30 ...
8am start to Kanchanaburi. We ended up around 40 miles from the Burmese
border. The Death Railway Bridge was our first stop. Made famous from
"The Bridge Over River Kwai." I was hoping to take a longboat ride down
the river but was unable to talk the prices down. We walked around the
little town for a while then left to find some cave temples in the foothills.
We found an awesome one! Stairs leading up the side of the mountain. The
rails were dragons, the tails leading all the way up. Once up there you
could go inside the cave. More bat sightings here. Just follow the strand
of hanging lights. You have to squat & duck walk to fit through one area
then it opens up again. Climb the ladder up and when you come out you
are on the other side of the mountain. Monks also live on the premises.
We were the only outsiders there and I could tell they don't get that
many visitors. We left Kanchanaburi & headed for Nakhom Pathom where the
tallest Buddhist monument is located. We were taken around the grounds
by a resident monk. 130 live on the premises and they have many language
classes daily. For a late lunch we had bananas and sticky rice in bamboo.
I highly recommend it. Time to head back to Bangkok. That night the guys
went to a Muay Thai match and the girls had Japanese food. Again, the
food was excellent.
May
31...
Last full day in Bangkok. Mitch and D headed back this morning to the
States. Just bummed around all day and got things in order. Hit Tower
records again and bought a few things. I had Baht I wanted to spend. Ate
at the Ambassador again for lunch. That night we went over to the mall
again. I played a goofy video game where you pretend to play guitar. I
was weird and really loud. Had some french fries at McDonalds and some
ice cream at DQ. I have to be at the airport by 6:30am tomorrow. Bangkok-Taipei-LA-Atl.
Final thoughts, wish I was still there!!!!!!!!
Bangkok/Cambodia
2002
Bangkok
Jan 27-29 2002
Arrived in Bangkok Jan 26th midnight. I had booked a driver before I left
the states and he was waiting as I came out of customs. Exchanged about
$20 US and followed my driver out. We had a little trouble finding the
Baan Sabai GH. My driver stopped a few times to ask some locals. Finally
we were able to contact the GH by phone and we were on our way. Baan Sabai
was an ok deal. $8 for 1 double bed a bathroom with cold shower and AC.
Ate next-door at the Sawadee Smile Inn before turning in for the night.
Had some breakfast downstairs in the morning then was off the find the
weekend market. I was told to go over to Kho San Rd a pick up the bus
to Siam Sq. Then take the sky train. The bus never came, or I was in the
wrong place so I hailed a taxi and headed to Siam Sq. The Sky Train is
so clean. Almost sterile. I went to the end of the North line and exited
at Mo Chit. The weekend market is only a block away. Spent about four
hours walking through the maze of aisles and merchandise. As usual, I
saw my fill of raw meat, shoes, t-shirts, antiques, veggies, fruits, dried
fish, pets and other interesting things for one place. Reversed the order
back to the GH and battled traffic all the way in the cab. Saw a woman
on bicycle with a tray of fried insects riding along past the stopped
traffic. Back at the GH I caught up on some email and had a bowl of Thom
Kha Gai soup. Watched some vendors set up for the evenings festivities.
Walked over to Kho San rd after dinner. Did see a cart of fried insects
for sale up close. Interesting stuff. I picked up an alarm clock and an
extra t-shirt while there.
Jan
27 2002
Got up early and had some coffee while watching "Reality Bites"
on the tv in the GH restaurant. Had to exchange another $20 at the changer.
I cut through the Wat as a shortcut on the way back to my GH. Peaceful
place. Next I went over to the river for a canal tour. It was a nice way
to see another aspect of Bangkok, and I had the boat to myself. We stopped
at the Thonburi Snake Farm and went through a small Floating mkt. Passed
a lot of Wats along the way with young children swimming and playing near
the river. Took a Tuk Tuk back from the river to the GH. I love those
things. Ate some lunch at the street vendor across from the GH. Had red
curry. It was excellent. Went in to take a nap and woke up the next morning!
Jan
28 2002
Decided to go on my own walking tour today. Went down to the riverfront
and watched some fisherman and children playing before school. Also saw
quite a few people doing Tai Chi I believe. Ended up near the Grand Palace
and Wat Pho. I was ducking into alley ways left and right along the river
front. Ended up in a lot of fish warehouses but no one seemed to mind
I was there. I was really neat. I did this for about 3 hours, what fun!
Went back to the GH and back to the good street vendor. Had some red curry
again, as it was so good the first time. 35B about .80 cents US. As I
was sitting in the small garden area of my GH I noticed a small snake
slither across the deck area. Finished my night with another walk over
to Kho San rd to find the insect carts for some pics. I slid the cart
owners 10B for a few pics. They didn't mind at all. I did noticed earlier
how they got a little upset when tourists would snap pics and not buy
anything. On the carts were scorpions, locust, crickets, meal worms, roaches,
and beetles. I didn't try any but I did have Roti (Indian bread) with
banana from a vendor. It was excellent. I also had a squid-on-a-stick.
I love squid and I found it tasteless. Off to bed as I have an early flight
to Phnom Penh in the morning. Cambodia
Cont Here...
Thailand
Cambodia 2005 Here
Thailand
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