THAILAND

During the Easter break this year John and I made a quick trip to Thailand with our friends Mark and Pond. We flew into Bangkok, where Mark and Pond met us and took us into the Nice Palace, our hotel. It was nothing flash but perfectly fine for a budget price. It was also within walking distance of some big markets. On our first night Mark and Pond took us to a lovely little bar/restaurant where we had a great Tom Yum. The meal was lovely despite the rain which made everything a little damp. On the way back to the hotel we stopped off at the local girlie bar, where we managed to finish off a bottle of Thai whisky while waiting for Koi (Pond’s daughter) and Ed, her boyfriend, who had just arrived back in Bangkok. We also had our first ride in a tuk tuk, the little 3 wheeled motorbike taxis, who can navigate at quite a speed through some very narrow laneways. The drivers over there are definitely much more courteous than us Aussies. We think it is something to do with the Buddhist religion. They just let each other in, make their own lanes and generally get from A to B with minimum fuss.

View from our digs in Pattaya.

John was impressed with the neat powerlines outside our Bangkok hotel.

Next morning Mark and Pond did some haggling and organised a taxi to take us down to Pattaya on the eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand. Our digs here were not so nice as the ones in Bangkok but right in the middle of the tourist district, close to the esplanade and beach - not that I would be really keen to swim in the water.

A short walk along the beachfront and you see where all the stormwater, rubbish etc. is being washed into the water, as well as the offshore restaurants. It leaves you wondering where their toilets are emptying.

Offshore restaurant - Pattaya

Pattaya itself is very much a tourist town with a surprising number of Russians evident. Also evident is the number of old blokes who are taking their teenage granddaughters on a holiday. While we enjoyed the novelty of sitting on a hired deck chair on the beach, drinking under an umbrella and the fun of people watching, haggling with hawkers and buying the odd sparrow to set free, Pattaya in general is a pretty ordinary stop and I personally would not go there if returning to Thailand.

Downtown Pattaya

Mark & Pond at the beach.

The girlie boys as always were entertaining and there was a guy doing magic in the mall who was really entertaining. I won’t say anything about the Indian restaurant we ate at. Well OK I will. It was here that we got our first dose of 4 step (Mark’s term for the old runs – he reckons when you have it you don’t want to be any further than 4 steps from a toilet).

After Pattaya, it was back to Bangkok and on to Hua Hin on the western shores of the Gulf. We were met in Bangkok with news that there had been a bomb explosion in a carpark in Phuket. This was enough to persuade us that we would head north after Hua Hin. Our digs in Hua Hin were lovely - a little family place which was clean and well maintained. We really enjoyed Hua Hin. The atmosphere was a lot more family orientated and we had some lovely meals and tried some new treats like dried squid at the markets. It was here that I had my first Thai massage with Mark and Pond. This visit provided some amusement for us all when Mark’s masseuse, a young lady, was overheard by Pond offering Mark a towel. It took Pond no time to come down the hall and inform the young lady that Mark would definitely NOT need a towel as he didn’t need to take a shower, which is only necessary if you are anticipating a “Happy Ending”.

 

Mark and John enjoying a coldie at Hua Hin.

John's offer to help with the dishes was met with much amusement at one restaurant, especially when they realised he was a bit too big for the kitchen.

Hua Hin fishermen.

While in Hua Hin we had a lovely day exploring some of the attractions in the surrounding district. The first was Khao Luang Cave, one of the main attractions of the old town of Phetchaburi which is famous for its beautiful temples and architecture. Regarded as the most important cave in Petchaburi, Khao Luang Cave is noted for its beautiful Buddha image cast by the order of a king.

 

The cave has concrete staircases from the foothills leading to the cave entrance. It houses the beautiful, ornamented image of Buddha, cast by command of King Chulalongkan and dedicated to the kings Rama III and IV. There are 170 Buddha statues altogether and it was used by royal families for picnics since the time of King Rama IV. Huge stalactites hang from the walls of the cave.

 

Next stop was Phra Nakhon Khiri, a historical park in Phetchaburi, located on a hill overlooking the city. The name Phra Nakhon Khiri means Holy City Hill, but locals know it better as Khao Wang, meaning hill with palace. The park consists of three building groups, located on the three peaks of the 92m high hill. On the western peak is the actual palace with adjoining structures. The middle or central peak is a big chedi named Phra That Chom Phet. The eastern peak houses the Wat Phra Kaeo, the royal temple, built in similar fashion to the Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok. The whole complex was built as a summer palace by King Mongkut, with construction finished in 1860. The site was registered as a historical park on August 27, 1979, with two of the palace buildings now housing a branch of the Thai National Museum.

Structures on the two minor peaks.

Part of the main palace.at Pha Nakhon Khiri.

One of the local characters. He must be a nuisance as he was tied up.

Finally we visited Baan Puen Palace, also known as Phraram Ratchaniwet Palace, an impressive European-style palace located in Phetchaburi province's downtown area. Now based within a Royal Thai Army camp, work on the palace got underway in 1910, which sadly turned out to be the final year of the reign of King Chulalongkorn the Great (King Rama V [1869-1910]) and the palace was finally completed in 1918.

Baan Puen Palace.

After Hua Hin we backtracked to Bangkok and went straight to the airport to catch a plane to Chiang Mai. Flying is really easy in Thailand and probably the best way to get around if you are going more than 100 klms at a stretch. There are at least 3 airlines to choose from and you just go up to the counters, see what flights are available etc. and off you go. The cost is very reasonable as well. Chiang Mai is definitely much more to our liking than the coastal towns we visited. Perhaps if we had gone down the west coast we would have liked the coast better but we were happy to have decided against it when we heard that there had been an bomb set off in a carpark at Phuket. Our accommodation in Chiang Mai was very nice and right behind the main markets so it was easy to wander down there whenever you wanted to.

Chiang Mai taxi.

Our hotel in Chiang Mai.

John also discovered that it was handy to the Burger King, which he frequented for breakfast, mainly because it was the only place open in the early hours of the morning when he gets up. I never thought I would see John chomping into a burger & fries at 6 in the morning.

Downtown Chiang Mai.

John wanted to take this one home!

 It was while in Chiang Mai that we experienced the highlight of our trip, the Tiger Kingdom. Here you can choose to get in the cages with baby tigers, young cubs, or fully grown tigers, the latter being the cheapest. One would think that the cheapest would be the safest. But not so – it got you thinking about their reasoning when setting their prices. Even though there were lots of people interacting with the tigers, when it is your turn, you just can’t help but think how awful it could be if one of the tigers decided to get cranky. But it is also the most amazing experience. Sitting down in an enclosure with fully grown tigers, patting them, playing with their tails and watching them play really gives you a feeling of elation. The tigers are shipped off to zoos and breeding programs though once they are 18 months old. Obviously they develop some attitude after this age and are not safe to let loose with tourists.

We also visited the snake show but found this the equivalent of Paul Hogan’s “Piss Weak World”. While you can’t help but admire the skill that these guys have with the snakes, they gain most of their laughs by exploiting the innate fear that most people have of reptiles. Everything at the facility also looked tired and I felt sorry for the other fauna that were on display there in less than idyllic conditions. We had lunch at a local roadside café and it was delicious and cheap. It certainly helps to have someone with a little local knowledge but asking the taxi drivers can help.

Pond loves snakes.

So do I!

We saw this truck on the way to the Tiger Kingdom. What a load of GARLIC!!!!

Chiang Mai is a lovely town built around an old fort city with a river flowing right through the middle. The old city walls are still there with fort gates easy to distinguish. It doesn’t take long to get your bearings and walking around the city is easy and very interesting.

The river at Chiang Mai.

Chickens waiting to become our lunch.

Koi and Pond took us to a real local tradition here – the Thai barbecue. It consisted of a huge hall with an incredible array of foods, many of which I had never seen before, let alone tasted. The idea is that you have small burners a little like the traditional chinese steamboat and you pick what you would like and cook it at your table. You can eat as much as you like but you have to pay extra if you leave more than 100 grams of food on your plate. They don’t really have to worry too much about waste though as it takes ages to cook your food. Obviously the social aspects are as important as the eating as we all found it really relaxing and the new foods were another experience entirely. We really enjoyed our Thai barbecue.

Thai barbecue.

Keg of beer - Thai style.

From Chiang Mai we managed to organised to jump on a tour heading up to the border (Golden Triangle) and back through Chiang Rai. We just got off at Chiang Rai. This was a really economical way to do it but we were lucky to get on as they had a spare seat for our luggage. Apparently they don’t normally do this. On the way we stopped at some hot springs which were quite interesting, especially the ladies cooking eggs in the springs.

Hot springs

Boiled egg anyone?

Next stop was the White Palace, Wat Rong Khun, which is unique from other temples in that it has been constructed entirely in a radiant white color with sparking reflections from mirrored glass mosaics embedded in the white plaster.

The White Temple

A few of the many unusual sculptures.

The temple is the idea of Mr. Chalermchai Kositpipat, one of Thailand’s most renowned artists. It truly was well worth visiting. The art work is intricate, quirky and elaborate. You probably miss as much as you see. The “golden” toilet was particularly interesting.

The Golden Toilet

From the temple we continued on through Chiang Rai up to the Golden Triangle. Here you pay about $30 for a trip on a boat on the Mekong River. While it was interesting to see the area and especially the buildings and casinos that have been built on the Burma side by the Chinese, it probably was not worth the money. They let us off in Laos to visit a local market, and while it was cheap it wasn’t too flash, especially the kids begging on the jetty. We were then taken to a small local restaurant for lunch which was a smorgasbord style with lots of lovely curries etc.

Fishermen's huts on the Mekong River - Thai side.

After lunch we were taken to a small town to shop while the driver took some of the others to the border to have their passports stamped in Laos so they could extend their stay in Thailand. Apparently this is common practice and quite lucrative for tour operators.

Thai/Burma border.

Our last stop before returning to Chiang Rai was the “longneck village”. This has become quite a money spinner for some enterprising local businessmen who have set up some highland tribespeople in a fake village and are charging tourists heaps to go and look at them. The tribespeople don’t appear to be over the moon about their situation and there is some ill-feeling in the north about the whole concept.

The walkway to the longneck village.

Koi with a longneck lady.

The bus driver was very obliging and dropped us at our hotel which was a bit more upmarket than we had had previously. Didn’t stop the toilet from blocking up though. Chiang Rai was probably the place we enjoyed most. It is small enough to walk around and the atmosphere is a lot more relaxed. We really enjoyed the local roast duck and Thai sausage, although I think it might have given us a bit of the old 4 step. We visited a local museum about the hill tribes which was very informative and the markets were as extensive as ever. Although the prices get cheaper the further north you go, I don’t think you get as big a range of goods as you do in Bangkok.

The beautiful town clock in Chiang Rai.

 

Chiang Rai market.

 

John still couldn't get over the powerlines.

From Chiang Rai we flew back to Bangkok and decided not to stay in the city as we had a flight home the next day. Unfortunately we got ripped off by the airport accommodation sellers and ended up in a bit of a dive. We were happy though that we would be at the airport in plenty of time the next day. We definitely did not want complications as we had Lachy’s graduation a few days later. That afternoon we visited the local markets and I think we must have been the only westerners there as we got lots of strange looks from the locals. It was an interesting way to end our trip though. Generally speaking, we found the countryside in Thailand pretty boring. The people however were lovely and the food fantastic. Of course it is always great to experience other cultures and Thailand’s is definitely interesting and diverse.