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Location:Saigon
Friday 31 December 2010
Somebody left something behind...
... Visiting the war remnants museum... A superbly interesting but incredibly horrifying place... The pictures around the place are disturbing but really make me want to understand the war better...
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Cross town traffic Saigon
Rush hour... And the guy in the foreground is on the pavement, a Saigon classic move to dodge traffic.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Vietnam
#happynewyear
First a prelude... so I've started using that Twitter thing (@listentome23) to communicate with the world... I'm getting into it and it is quite cool and weird (last night I read messages between robbie savage, rio Ferdinand and Andrew Flintoff... one thing I've noticed is these things called hashtags... what happens is I think after a message on twitter (or a tweet, if you will) people will put words to label their message so that if someone is looking for tweets on that subject they will find your message... i.e. Henry Winter (Telegraph football correspondent) puts a # and the initials of the football club he is tweeting about in his message (e.g. #mufc)... but people have started using then as like punchlines to their tweet, putting an unusual hashtag at the end... I'll just find an e.g. ...
rioferdy5 Morning tweeps! That time again #ff aka #followferdy I'll #ff as many of u as I can who tweet #ff aka #followferdy - go go go tweeps!
That's an example from our man Rio Ferdinand... but anyway, I'm gonna use this hashtag thing in this post to help people in their search for the things I write about here... anyway, that probably didn't make sense to most so I'll just get on with the blogging... :)
So here I am in Saigon on New years eve... it really is a crazy city... we arrived by bus after the sun had fallen (#wheredoesitgo) and the city is alive with lights, like Times square or the equivalent place in London (#thenameelludesme)... noises flood the streets... women walk down the street with towers of books to sell to travellers (#enivatablephotocopies)... Waitresses holler (#holla) and clap to get your attention and get you into the bar... it has a kind of thrilling atmosphere but I can't tell if, once I've scratched the surface of this wonderment, Siagon might actually turn out to be one frustrating pool of busyness and chancers... like a child in awe of disney land until he catches a sight of goorfy with his head off, smoking a fag and leering at his mum (#justametafoenotarealexperience)... ... ... I'm now all the way down the length of Vietnam, well almost, and I still haven't decided how I feel about the country... my feelings ossicalate and flicker like a blinking phosphorous tube lamp... flickering between light and dark, between great and rubbish, but often annoying (not really often annoying but it just fit with my metafore:) ... ... Vietnam does seem to bring the worse out of my sworn enemy, the thrifty traveller (#hipocracyalert)... Those people who pinch the pennies, who congratulate themselves when they save a dollar on a price and who go crazy when they get scammed out of 5000 dong (10-20p) (#itstheprincipalofthething)... I've met some cool guys who've I've travelled with a bit recently but (#everythingbeforethebutisbollocks) they have taught me the difference between a thrifty traveller and someone who just doesn't pay their way... they congratualated themselves like heros when they got a tour for $5 when others paid $8 (to be fair, they got me the $5 price also) but then on the tour me and David paid for sledges for us to use to tobogan down a sand dune (#iprobablydidntleaduptothatlikeishouldof) and they didn't offer to pay their half... they are not thrifty, they are scabby (sorry if you're reading this guys but it's true)... the irony is that by making me so frustrated by their penny pinching I've allowed them to also get me all concerned about money... it's got to a point where I actually need to be carful that I don't start splashing round the cash too much just to spite them (#cutoffyournosetodpiteyourface)... but anyway, all I say is beware the thrifty traveller!
... One big thing I've experienced in Vietnam and maybe in asia generally is the jealousy (or more accuratly admiration) of youth (I know I'm 25, not old, but I mean children)... everywhere I go children are so happy and playing (well except for those who have to run around selling stuff to tourists... their playfulness is tinged with sadness), they wave and smile and shout "hello", in Nha Trang a little girl was playing hide-and-seek around me... hiding from me by hiding behind me... ... I'm suddenly realising what is so cool and great about kids (in small doses;), the freedom and the adventure is so cool... and also aisan kids are so cute (#notinagaryglitterway) and adorable... ... generally kids are cool little things when they are lost in play:)
I've just been in Muine, the kite-surfing capital of the world (I didn't kite surf, I just realised this place was where it's at after arriving)... I did a tour (the ill fated $5 tour;) and visited sand dunes and a river called the fairy river... ... ... ... OK, it's new years eve, 7:06pm... I meet people at 7:30 for drinks and I feel a bit disjointed now and can't write more (#calmbeforethestorm)... so I'll prick up tomorrow or the next day...
I hope you all have a superb New Year and great celebration and all your dreams come true... I'll write more soon:)
Love to all you beautiful people... I'm in my lumberjack shirt and ready to roll... and don't worry about some of my recent grumpyness, I'm coming out the other end of my mid-travel crisis (#dontrealisehowluckyiam) and perking up... life is full of ups and down and they are all relative... I'm lucky to be in this crazy city with good people to celebrate a happy time of year... I hope you are all as lucky as me:)
HAPPY NEW YEAR:))
rioferdy5 Morning tweeps! That time again #ff aka #followferdy I'll #ff as many of u as I can who tweet #ff aka #followferdy - go go go tweeps!
That's an example from our man Rio Ferdinand... but anyway, I'm gonna use this hashtag thing in this post to help people in their search for the things I write about here... anyway, that probably didn't make sense to most so I'll just get on with the blogging... :)
So here I am in Saigon on New years eve... it really is a crazy city... we arrived by bus after the sun had fallen (#wheredoesitgo) and the city is alive with lights, like Times square or the equivalent place in London (#thenameelludesme)... noises flood the streets... women walk down the street with towers of books to sell to travellers (#enivatablephotocopies)... Waitresses holler (#holla) and clap to get your attention and get you into the bar... it has a kind of thrilling atmosphere but I can't tell if, once I've scratched the surface of this wonderment, Siagon might actually turn out to be one frustrating pool of busyness and chancers... like a child in awe of disney land until he catches a sight of goorfy with his head off, smoking a fag and leering at his mum (#justametafoenotarealexperience)... ... ... I'm now all the way down the length of Vietnam, well almost, and I still haven't decided how I feel about the country... my feelings ossicalate and flicker like a blinking phosphorous tube lamp... flickering between light and dark, between great and rubbish, but often annoying (not really often annoying but it just fit with my metafore:) ... ... Vietnam does seem to bring the worse out of my sworn enemy, the thrifty traveller (#hipocracyalert)... Those people who pinch the pennies, who congratulate themselves when they save a dollar on a price and who go crazy when they get scammed out of 5000 dong (10-20p) (#itstheprincipalofthething)... I've met some cool guys who've I've travelled with a bit recently but (#everythingbeforethebutisbollocks) they have taught me the difference between a thrifty traveller and someone who just doesn't pay their way... they congratualated themselves like heros when they got a tour for $5 when others paid $8 (to be fair, they got me the $5 price also) but then on the tour me and David paid for sledges for us to use to tobogan down a sand dune (#iprobablydidntleaduptothatlikeishouldof) and they didn't offer to pay their half... they are not thrifty, they are scabby (sorry if you're reading this guys but it's true)... the irony is that by making me so frustrated by their penny pinching I've allowed them to also get me all concerned about money... it's got to a point where I actually need to be carful that I don't start splashing round the cash too much just to spite them (#cutoffyournosetodpiteyourface)... but anyway, all I say is beware the thrifty traveller!
... One big thing I've experienced in Vietnam and maybe in asia generally is the jealousy (or more accuratly admiration) of youth (I know I'm 25, not old, but I mean children)... everywhere I go children are so happy and playing (well except for those who have to run around selling stuff to tourists... their playfulness is tinged with sadness), they wave and smile and shout "hello", in Nha Trang a little girl was playing hide-and-seek around me... hiding from me by hiding behind me... ... I'm suddenly realising what is so cool and great about kids (in small doses;), the freedom and the adventure is so cool... and also aisan kids are so cute (#notinagaryglitterway) and adorable... ... generally kids are cool little things when they are lost in play:)
I've just been in Muine, the kite-surfing capital of the world (I didn't kite surf, I just realised this place was where it's at after arriving)... I did a tour (the ill fated $5 tour;) and visited sand dunes and a river called the fairy river... ... ... ... OK, it's new years eve, 7:06pm... I meet people at 7:30 for drinks and I feel a bit disjointed now and can't write more (#calmbeforethestorm)... so I'll prick up tomorrow or the next day...
I hope you all have a superb New Year and great celebration and all your dreams come true... I'll write more soon:)
Love to all you beautiful people... I'm in my lumberjack shirt and ready to roll... and don't worry about some of my recent grumpyness, I'm coming out the other end of my mid-travel crisis (#dontrealisehowluckyiam) and perking up... life is full of ups and down and they are all relative... I'm lucky to be in this crazy city with good people to celebrate a happy time of year... I hope you are all as lucky as me:)
HAPPY NEW YEAR:))
Wednesday 29 December 2010
Muine beach
... It seems to be the kite surfing capital of the world.
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Muine, Vietnam
Tuesday 28 December 2010
Sunday 26 December 2010
Accepting small defeats:)
... Some times you just have to accept defeat... The last few days have included a few minor set backs but now things are returning to normal... As I wrote before, I argued my case when the travel agent we booked our open bus ticket with tried to charge extra, but in the end I had to accept defeat... I regret how I spoke in the travel agent, using phrases like, "You're cheating me.", "That's a lie", and "well now you have a nice bit of extra pocket money." (yes, I know, I was a bit of a twat!... I apoligised for going a bit over the top (I didn't swear though, I was just rude))... in the end I had to pay the extra anyway... Travelling you often here the phrase, "It's not the money, it's the principle"... it's a dangerous phrase really... the brother of the phrase, "cut off your nose to spite your face"... so I accepted defeat and moved on... I let it affect my mood which was frustrating... ... Nha Trang has been a bit of a frustrating place... when we took the night bus from Hoian to Nha Trang the actual sleeper bus (with reclined beds) got impounded by the police before it got to us (rumours went round that locals were trying to sell drugs on it and that it was massivly overloaded... the latter is more likley)... so then they weren't gonna replace the bus (meaning we would have to travel on xmas day... everyone wanted to avoid that)... at one point they said that there would be no bus, but then people power kicked in as we refused it (Vietnamese communism must be rubbing off on us)... eventually they pulled their finger out but instead of a sleeper bus it was a couple of mini buses... I didn't sleep a wink but did manage to complete a game of solitaire on my ipod (so not a complete loss;)... so we arrived on the morning of christmas eve and straight to bed I went... two power naps that day precceded a big night out (one of those night outs where you say, "Well I'll just have one or two..."... the famous last words)... Subsequently I spent all of the sunlight hours of Christmas in bed... I got up to watch 'An idiot abroad' which someone had downloaded, but then it showed a chinese man eating a chicken featus and I started to feel nautious... When I did get my ass out of bed it was worth it... Had a skype video call to home which made me feel great (Christmas is the first day I've actually regretted missing... so it was nice to be a part of it via skype, texts and pictures sent by e-mail and facebook)... so then I felt good, had a little italian (a meal... I mean a meal) ONE beer (I could stomach no more) and then too bed... ... ... so Nha Trang has involved a lot of bed time hours for various reasons... so even though it was a mission actually to sort out our bus tickets, tomorrow me and David set off to Muine, a quiet beach resort (So I've heard) which might act as the calm before the New Years storm of Saigon... ... Vietnam has been great but I'm starting to feel like I've lost my way a bit... I've wondered down the wrong path... I guess because I'm here for Christmas and New Years that place is a bit party-heavy... I look forward to a quick visit to Cambodia... you know, I never thought I'd say this but I miss the temples... I miss the monks and the Orange clothing... I miss the kind of atmosphere which surrounds them... I miss the touristic nievity (or just shambalaty (to be a shambles)) of Laos... Vietnam is a tricky place to understand... and also I'm kind of in the middle here... half way (ish) between Hanoi and Saigon... the northern and southern cities which were under quite different influences during the war etc... ... I know I haven't really understood Laos and Thailand, but I haven't even scratched the surface of Vietnam... I've just smudged the surface of the glass with my greasy nose as I try to look into the window of Vietnam... ... Yes, I'm looking forward to Cambodia and I look forward to New Years with trepidation (because I'm a bit of a boring bastered who is (usually) afraid to drink too much)... OK, so this post is getting a bit introspective which probably tells you I need to move on and start exploring places... Lord, give me a temple!
I miss you all and hope you all had a great Christmas with family and friends (even though I wish to have shared christmas with my family, I am still with good people here... it's not all bad;)
Lots of love,
Matt
P.S. If you are the person from Pakistan, Slovenia, or Malasya... please drop me a comment:)
I miss you all and hope you all had a great Christmas with family and friends (even though I wish to have shared christmas with my family, I am still with good people here... it's not all bad;)
Lots of love,
Matt
P.S. If you are the person from Pakistan, Slovenia, or Malasya... please drop me a comment:)
Saturday 25 December 2010
A little thank you (I'm getting soppy in me old age;)
Well I was gonna blog to you good people but my mood is mixed.... had one of those frustrating moments when you have to argue your corner (they were trying to charge me extra for a bus I'v already paid for) and are left feeling really bad.... the whole argument and (hopefully) sucessful avoidance of extra unnessacery charge left a bitter taste and made me feel bad and like a bit of a git (I think I let frustration get to me).... but anyway, I found this blog stat thing herer at blogspot which tells me which countriesmy blog page views come from... I copied and pasted it below... this is like a summary of my all time hits but some that don't make this lists include views from as far and wide as Pakistan and Slovenia... I don't know what they were looking for but they found this.... some of the viewing numbers are probably a bit squed by me checking that my posts have gone up and probably Mum and Dad checking the thing daily;) ... but it's nice to know people are taking an interest and are following my adventures through this tour... It's really nice to feel connected to important people back home... yesterday was a prime example... I had a raging hangover and wasn't having much of a merry christmas as I was in bed listening to Ricky Gervais podcasts most of the day... but then I had a skype call home... I saw My Mum, Dad, Nan, brothers, sister-in-laws and even my lovley cat Suki (she feel.... through the ice of the pond recently, but thankfully she didn't get a cold:) it felt really great to see them and bought a lasting smile to my face.... I'm not looking for any sympathy, travelling is amazing and such an awesome oppertunity.... but it can be frustrating at times, and it's at those times it's really nice to know people at home are well and to contact them even just a little bit... so instead of being too grumpy in this post I just want to say thanks for taking an interest in my travels and thanks to all those of you who take the time to send me messages... I really appreciate them... really! ... So maybe I will write more later if the sun shines on me some more and takes my frustrated mood away... but for now THANK YOU people, have a Merry Boxing Day:) Pageviews by Countries | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Merry Christmas all:)
Oh yeah, an incredibly merry Christmas too you all... I miss the Xmas spirit, dodgy tunes, and brussel sprouts!
Love to all,
Matt:)
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Love to all,
Matt:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Vietnam
Christmas dinner
Christmas meal in Vietnam... Apparently "...all the trimmings" means baked beans and two types of mashed potato (moderatly- and heavily-mashed)
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Nha Trang, Vietnam
Thursday 23 December 2010
Wednesday 22 December 2010
David's suit... Done
Only 24 hours for a suit post-alterations... They're pretty good here.
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Hoian, Vietnam
Lumberjack shirt... Done
Less then 24 hours after it was mere cloth, my new lumberjack shirt is born:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Hoian, Vietnam
Tuesday 21 December 2010
Listen to me when I bespeak to you!
So now I'm in Hoian, the town of Tailors, over 300 of the blighters all over the city fighting to be able to bespoke (hope I'm using this word in the right context) you a lovley little suit for around $120... they are bespoking all over the shop... I've not been bespoken to yet but after seeing David wear the preliminary cut of his suit and get correction I understand what everyone is bespeaking about... for someone with an unusual frame (no offense David), they provide a lovley cut to suit even the most lanky of individuals... so now I'm tempted to bespeak (getting annoying yet?) to them about getting a lovley lumberjack shirt to fit my unique (or, as the ladies call it, 'stunning' (in a positive sense;)) figure...
Hoian is an incredibly quite but nice place... it has been nice to chill out and not do too much... but yesterday I went a little too far... the food is lovley and the beer is only 3000 dong a glass (about 20p... I know, pretty dangerous)... I didn't get really drunk, that wasn't the problem... I was concious to eat alot to ensure I didn't get too drunk... so in the space of 4 hours I had 3 meals (crispy noodles with chicken, Chicken with cashunuts and rice, chicken burger and chips, a pack of peanut m and ms, a cream doughnut, and a couple of chicken spring rolls)... When I went to bed I didn't feel too good... for the first time in the whole trip I was sick... and all my own bloody fault... I scoffed the food down quickly like a ferrel cat who doesn't know where his next meal is coming from... like a dog who's broken into the big bag of biscuits and falls into the trap of gluttony... I couldn't believe it... I lined my stomach so much that there wasn't actually any space left for anything else... by crickey I felt foolish... I guess that's why I'm writing it down here for all you to read! ... Oh how I degrade myself for you people ... ;)
... Hue was a pretty cool place (that's the place I just came from)... it's close to the DMZ (demilitarised zone which I think previously served as the main front of the Vietnam war... we did a tour around the sites there which was pretty cool... we explored the tunnels which the local people built to hide in... they were very small tunnels with almost caveman-ish little enclaves for whole families to live in... there were even 17 babies born in the tunnels... ... the whole tour would have been fantastically interesting... we had a guide talking to us in the long coach journeys between sites of interest... it would have been fascinating if I could have made out what the dickens she was saying... Instead I had to settle with steady progress through 'Silvertorn' my book... I plan to buy a book about the war to read up... it seems really fascinating, especially when you reflect on the things that may have happened on the side such as in Laos... the only problem is I'm a bit of a walking library, I only just got rid of the 1,200 page 'Infinite Jest' I don't need to start picking up history books right away... but I need to learn about this war and the history, the basis of communism here and the US interferancethis struck me especially when I visited the old prison in Hanoi... it basically had too parts, a bit where it was used by French colonists to keep the communist activists and then when it was used to keep Americans during the Vietnam war... I've heard it mentioned that the winners of a war write the history about it... indeed, it's unavoidable to tell a story without a slight infliction of your own opinions... so looking at the exhibits of how communists were treated by the French and then reading how they profess to have looked after American prisons, it's fascinating... to have any opinions of my own I really need to read about these things... that is a key thing I've learnt from travelling, I really want to understand the history of the world and it's different regions beyound WW2 and British history (and a smattering of American history passed through that picture box)... the world seems fascinating, if only someone could bring out a 500 page book called, 'A history of the world' which is concise yet detailed (I know, that's really like asking for hot water which contained little blocks of ice)... but who would have thought it, my mind is broadening... hence why I can never find a hat which fits this unusual shaped head of mine!
OK, I'll go now... gonna read for a bit and then meet David to see his final suit presentation (although there will probably not be a ceremony) and possibly order my own lovley little lumberjack shirt:) ... all I need now is a bespoke hat for my beloody big head!
Keep well all, hugs and kisses,
Matt
P.S. Please send me your christmas love, I'm not feeling very christmassy here at the moment... I downloaded 83 christmas songs for my ipod but it aint doing the trick... xmas wishes please folks:)
Hoian is an incredibly quite but nice place... it has been nice to chill out and not do too much... but yesterday I went a little too far... the food is lovley and the beer is only 3000 dong a glass (about 20p... I know, pretty dangerous)... I didn't get really drunk, that wasn't the problem... I was concious to eat alot to ensure I didn't get too drunk... so in the space of 4 hours I had 3 meals (crispy noodles with chicken, Chicken with cashunuts and rice, chicken burger and chips, a pack of peanut m and ms, a cream doughnut, and a couple of chicken spring rolls)... When I went to bed I didn't feel too good... for the first time in the whole trip I was sick... and all my own bloody fault... I scoffed the food down quickly like a ferrel cat who doesn't know where his next meal is coming from... like a dog who's broken into the big bag of biscuits and falls into the trap of gluttony... I couldn't believe it... I lined my stomach so much that there wasn't actually any space left for anything else... by crickey I felt foolish... I guess that's why I'm writing it down here for all you to read! ... Oh how I degrade myself for you people ... ;)
... Hue was a pretty cool place (that's the place I just came from)... it's close to the DMZ (demilitarised zone which I think previously served as the main front of the Vietnam war... we did a tour around the sites there which was pretty cool... we explored the tunnels which the local people built to hide in... they were very small tunnels with almost caveman-ish little enclaves for whole families to live in... there were even 17 babies born in the tunnels... ... the whole tour would have been fantastically interesting... we had a guide talking to us in the long coach journeys between sites of interest... it would have been fascinating if I could have made out what the dickens she was saying... Instead I had to settle with steady progress through 'Silvertorn' my book... I plan to buy a book about the war to read up... it seems really fascinating, especially when you reflect on the things that may have happened on the side such as in Laos... the only problem is I'm a bit of a walking library, I only just got rid of the 1,200 page 'Infinite Jest' I don't need to start picking up history books right away... but I need to learn about this war and the history, the basis of communism here and the US interferancethis struck me especially when I visited the old prison in Hanoi... it basically had too parts, a bit where it was used by French colonists to keep the communist activists and then when it was used to keep Americans during the Vietnam war... I've heard it mentioned that the winners of a war write the history about it... indeed, it's unavoidable to tell a story without a slight infliction of your own opinions... so looking at the exhibits of how communists were treated by the French and then reading how they profess to have looked after American prisons, it's fascinating... to have any opinions of my own I really need to read about these things... that is a key thing I've learnt from travelling, I really want to understand the history of the world and it's different regions beyound WW2 and British history (and a smattering of American history passed through that picture box)... the world seems fascinating, if only someone could bring out a 500 page book called, 'A history of the world' which is concise yet detailed (I know, that's really like asking for hot water which contained little blocks of ice)... but who would have thought it, my mind is broadening... hence why I can never find a hat which fits this unusual shaped head of mine!
OK, I'll go now... gonna read for a bit and then meet David to see his final suit presentation (although there will probably not be a ceremony) and possibly order my own lovley little lumberjack shirt:) ... all I need now is a bespoke hat for my beloody big head!
Keep well all, hugs and kisses,
Matt
P.S. Please send me your christmas love, I'm not feeling very christmassy here at the moment... I downloaded 83 christmas songs for my ipod but it aint doing the trick... xmas wishes please folks:)
Monday 20 December 2010
Bespoke
My Irish mate David getting a bespoke suit... Picking out all the fabrics.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Hoian, Vietnam
Sunday 19 December 2010
Saturday 18 December 2010
Hue (pronounced "Haway") in a manger (oh, how absurdly funny I am!)
Hello Bloglins (people on Twitter call the people who follow them Tweeps... so I've gone for a blogging alternative... don't worry, it won't catch on!)... So I'm in the Citadel of Hue... the 14 hour bus journey was fine (see previous picture), slept well and it flew by... off to the DMZ (DeMilitarised Zone... where much of the front of the Vietnam war was... annoyingly refered to as DeeMZee... I'm trying to promote the use of DeeMZed) there is little else to report but I have somethings I forgot to mention last time... I even made a list... I'll write the list here and then you can see me turn what seems like random phrases into blogging gold... so, to the list:
*Dog/Toiletries
*Jimmy
*USA bomb Laos
*Simon trudging up with the drinking funnel and pipe
*Girls bitching about the tour guide and then seen snogging him
*"Yer man dere"
*Self cupping
... and now for the magic which comes from the pink squishy ball I refer to as a brain... So as I said, the Halong bay tour was pretty messy... a booze festival if you will... it was awash with drinking games and a light dusting of peer pressure... we had a guide for the first day and then two more for the beach day... Our guide for both days was Simon, a somewhat weather beaten Englishman... he looked a bit like Heston Blumetal after 5 years in a POW camp (constant drinking will do that to a man... part of me dreads the thought of him reading such a blunt description... but as he enjoyed saying when ever trying to tempt people into some drinking messyness... "You're never going to see these people again"!)... He wasn't a bad guy but I feel immense pity for his liver... it's probably unrecognisable after constant drinking to the point where all other livers take it for a homeless tramp, trying to find shelter in a broken trenchcoat under the pancreas from the constant flooding of booze into his system... to Simon's credit, he did get things going and everything had a positive feeling, we all know how drink can turn things sour... everyday he drunk tonnes and is (allegidly) seen with another girl (instead of elaborating on it, at this point please refer to point 5 of the list above... the 'snogging' might not be accurate... canoodeling might be better)... he kept saying how he loved his job... boozing everyday with beautiful young western people... but yesterday as I left I saw him trudging up to the hostel bar... I'd not been to one of the hostel's pub crawls... but as I saw him trudge upto the rooftop bar with a funnel and a pipe for (I'd assume) rapid consumption of liquid, I thought to myself, 'thank Christ that's not my job!'...
... on the subject of booze, there was an Irish fellow on the trip to Halong bay (other then David, the Irish guy who is infact with me here in Hue)... I can't remember his real name but he referred to everyone as Jimmy... so we did the same for him... Jimmy was a real boozer... red faced and spoke so fast and Irishly I struggled to follow him... I never saw that las without a beer... for Breakfast, lunch and dinner, without fail a can of Tiger beer... he bought his own Vodka on the tour (he wasn't the only one) and he had it in a water bottle... one guy was very thursty and took a pull from the bottle, he was surprised... a Vietnamese guy who worked on the boat took a swig... he then immediatly ran and threw up over the side... no one can match Jimmy! ... because I've been spending alot of time with David the Irish fella, I've picked up the (probably annoying) habbit of learning and aquiring some Irishisms... my favorite of which is, 'Yer man dere' which basically refers to anyone... ... (I'm now finding it difficult to fit all these points in in a seemless manner... oh well, I'll carry on regardless (who did that song?)) ... ... When I was returning to my bed after the night drinking on the beach I saw one of the beach puppies (young dog... that is not a euphamism of any sort) running around me playfully with a tube of toothpaste in his mouth... 'What a little scally way' I thought (and probably said, due to the booze) to myself... the beach island had two young boy puppies who were cool and playful... they were thick a thieves and so cool... but the next morning when I went to clean my teeth I noticed that the little bastered (as you can see, my affection for the dogs instantly waned) had stolen not only my toothpaste, but also my toothbrush and my antiseptic cream... the little begger! ... ... (Ok so what's left? Bombing and Cupping... hummm...) ... ... I forgot to mention that in Laos I learnt a bit about the USA and Laos involvment in all that war crap back a few decades ago... it's well documented, so you can read it yourself... but apparently the USA dropped more bombs on Laos then Germany and Japan combined... that's quite a fact... maybe they didn't drop that many in WW2... but still, it's a striking fact... ... and now to self cupping... ... I kind of wish I'd just let this sleeping dog lie instead of trying to be funny... oh well, apoligies in advance for my crudeness... basically, it's a bit terrifying crossing the street in Vietnam... hundreds of bikes surge across the road and the trick to crossing is just go for it, keep vigulent, but keep a slow and steady pace, don't hesitate... it's so scary sometimes I almost feel compelled to self-cup like a man getting into a hot bath... protect the vitals and hope for the best... ... but with the grace of God I'm find and dandy... ... ... ... Vietnam is growing on me everyday but the learning curve isn't so smooth.... it's kind of like getting into a hot bath... you'll enjoy it once you're immersed... but descend into the water with caution... :)
So there we are... the list is complete:) ... I need to go now because the internet cafe is full of loud little kids who are doing my nut in... I'm off back to the hostel to get a free cup of tea and read Silverthorn by Feist... ... Love to your mother (and especially my mother)... Matt:)
P.S. Sorry for my occasional crudeness... sometimes I just can't help myself!
*Dog/Toiletries
*Jimmy
*USA bomb Laos
*Simon trudging up with the drinking funnel and pipe
*Girls bitching about the tour guide and then seen snogging him
*"Yer man dere"
*Self cupping
... and now for the magic which comes from the pink squishy ball I refer to as a brain... So as I said, the Halong bay tour was pretty messy... a booze festival if you will... it was awash with drinking games and a light dusting of peer pressure... we had a guide for the first day and then two more for the beach day... Our guide for both days was Simon, a somewhat weather beaten Englishman... he looked a bit like Heston Blumetal after 5 years in a POW camp (constant drinking will do that to a man... part of me dreads the thought of him reading such a blunt description... but as he enjoyed saying when ever trying to tempt people into some drinking messyness... "You're never going to see these people again"!)... He wasn't a bad guy but I feel immense pity for his liver... it's probably unrecognisable after constant drinking to the point where all other livers take it for a homeless tramp, trying to find shelter in a broken trenchcoat under the pancreas from the constant flooding of booze into his system... to Simon's credit, he did get things going and everything had a positive feeling, we all know how drink can turn things sour... everyday he drunk tonnes and is (allegidly) seen with another girl (instead of elaborating on it, at this point please refer to point 5 of the list above... the 'snogging' might not be accurate... canoodeling might be better)... he kept saying how he loved his job... boozing everyday with beautiful young western people... but yesterday as I left I saw him trudging up to the hostel bar... I'd not been to one of the hostel's pub crawls... but as I saw him trudge upto the rooftop bar with a funnel and a pipe for (I'd assume) rapid consumption of liquid, I thought to myself, 'thank Christ that's not my job!'...
... on the subject of booze, there was an Irish fellow on the trip to Halong bay (other then David, the Irish guy who is infact with me here in Hue)... I can't remember his real name but he referred to everyone as Jimmy... so we did the same for him... Jimmy was a real boozer... red faced and spoke so fast and Irishly I struggled to follow him... I never saw that las without a beer... for Breakfast, lunch and dinner, without fail a can of Tiger beer... he bought his own Vodka on the tour (he wasn't the only one) and he had it in a water bottle... one guy was very thursty and took a pull from the bottle, he was surprised... a Vietnamese guy who worked on the boat took a swig... he then immediatly ran and threw up over the side... no one can match Jimmy! ... because I've been spending alot of time with David the Irish fella, I've picked up the (probably annoying) habbit of learning and aquiring some Irishisms... my favorite of which is, 'Yer man dere' which basically refers to anyone... ... (I'm now finding it difficult to fit all these points in in a seemless manner... oh well, I'll carry on regardless (who did that song?)) ... ... When I was returning to my bed after the night drinking on the beach I saw one of the beach puppies (young dog... that is not a euphamism of any sort) running around me playfully with a tube of toothpaste in his mouth... 'What a little scally way' I thought (and probably said, due to the booze) to myself... the beach island had two young boy puppies who were cool and playful... they were thick a thieves and so cool... but the next morning when I went to clean my teeth I noticed that the little bastered (as you can see, my affection for the dogs instantly waned) had stolen not only my toothpaste, but also my toothbrush and my antiseptic cream... the little begger! ... ... (Ok so what's left? Bombing and Cupping... hummm...) ... ... I forgot to mention that in Laos I learnt a bit about the USA and Laos involvment in all that war crap back a few decades ago... it's well documented, so you can read it yourself... but apparently the USA dropped more bombs on Laos then Germany and Japan combined... that's quite a fact... maybe they didn't drop that many in WW2... but still, it's a striking fact... ... and now to self cupping... ... I kind of wish I'd just let this sleeping dog lie instead of trying to be funny... oh well, apoligies in advance for my crudeness... basically, it's a bit terrifying crossing the street in Vietnam... hundreds of bikes surge across the road and the trick to crossing is just go for it, keep vigulent, but keep a slow and steady pace, don't hesitate... it's so scary sometimes I almost feel compelled to self-cup like a man getting into a hot bath... protect the vitals and hope for the best... ... but with the grace of God I'm find and dandy... ... ... ... Vietnam is growing on me everyday but the learning curve isn't so smooth.... it's kind of like getting into a hot bath... you'll enjoy it once you're immersed... but descend into the water with caution... :)
So there we are... the list is complete:) ... I need to go now because the internet cafe is full of loud little kids who are doing my nut in... I'm off back to the hostel to get a free cup of tea and read Silverthorn by Feist... ... Love to your mother (and especially my mother)... Matt:)
P.S. Sorry for my occasional crudeness... sometimes I just can't help myself!
Sleeper bus:)
The view from my seat on the sleeper bus... Slept like a baby after I found a way to fit my feet in a cheese-wedge of a space:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Vietnam
Thursday 16 December 2010
I'm back:)
... So I've got some catching up to do:) ... and I've got 50 minutes to commit to you guys before I meet my friends to see something called Water Puppetry (no, I don't know what that is either) in Honoi... so I will try in earnest to produce something for you now...
Last time we spoke (that's 'we' as in, 'whoever is reading this thing) properly I was in Laos... well now I'm in Vietnam... the countries are really quite different, like Vietnam is a couple of rungs up the social ladder to Laos (that doesn't necessarily mean better)... My journey in highlighted the difference in bus form... my bus to Vinh in Vietnam from Phonsavan in Laos was a crappy seated number which seemed to be used both for public transport and international import/export (as soon as we arrived in the first town in Vietnam we dropped off like 1000 rugs to a shop)... the bus in Vietnam was actually approching justification for the term 'sleeper-bus'... you could lay horizontal and actually sleep:) ... but then again, Vietnam has another set-back to compensate for the comfort provided by the bus quality... the F***ing horns on the cars... you seem to honk people for everything over here... and horns are agressive... they make me feel angry... that is my new discovery... ...
... the bus journey here was a long one because an overturned truck of sweetcorn blocked the mountain road, so just a little 9 hour delay (but I think I've already mentioned that)... oh yes, I didn't mention the Plain of Jars in Laos... I went to this place because it broke up a potential 36 hour-ish bus journey between Vang Vieng (Laos) and Hanoi (Vietnam) (but it actually turned out to be about a 36 hour journey because of the sweetcorn based delay anyway (doh!))... it is just this place with loads of sites with ancient stone jars (see earlier photo)... they don't know why they are there... the legend is that Laos used to be inhabited by giants who drunk Lao-Lao (whisky) from the jars and then throw them upon the group... a far more plausible explanation is that they are old-school tomb stones as some French bird found human remains under some... but I'll let you decide... ...
... When I arrived in Phonsavan there was no rooms avaliable... I was panicing... it turned out to be some kind of ethnic new year and so the whole town was booked out... I was beginning to worry that I'd have to book to sleep on some hostel floor but then a man from what looked like a shop said, "You come with me." ... and then led me to a lovley family run guest house behind their shop which was a fifth of the price of the only other avaliable room in town (yay!) ... there I met some German totti (I'm trying to use every word I can to describe a women in this post... sorry if people find it offensive, I only mean jest)... I forget her name (as one so often does with random totti;) but she was nice and we took a tour to the jars together and shared meals in this strange kind of Ghost town (despite the place being apparently booked out because of some festival) ... When I left her and said good bye, I found it strange but didn't get her facebook contact details... I will never see her again for sure... but even so, there was something unusual about saying goodbye in such a final way... we have social networking and facebook etc almost literally (but not actually literally) dripping off our face these days... goodbyes are not so important because someone we met for two days is now a facebook friend and we see whenever they put a random update on facebook (which is especially random if the updates are in another language) ... so it was kind of nice to be like, 'it's nice to have met you, but why the pretense of random friendship' (OK, so if anyone I've met travelling who I have added after a very transient-friendship will now thing, 'well screw you then')... but anyway, it was just a (probably pointless) point...
... In Hanoi I got a tour to go for 3 days to Howlong (certianly the wrong spelling) bay... I spent one day on a boat among this bay of thosands of islands which included water villages where the people live on floating houses and never step on land (to the extent that they need floating schools and hospitals (we had to kayak to visit these villages... and very nicley my friend Matt (an actual person not me talking about myself in third person) pondered, 'Where do they go to the toilet?' as I was splashing around in the village... the second day we spent on an island owned by the tour company... just us and the staff, no-one else... I booked with a 'youthful' company and so experienced the nearest I ever had to an 18-30s holiday... needless to say, I didn't feel so rosy yesterday after it finished (I became a little worried when, during my hangover, I felt like I was going to fall off my chair... maybe I'd just spent too long on a boat?) ... I met some great people like Matt from NZ (hopefully I will visit him in Wellington when I am there), Kay, a bit of skirt (sorry) from London, Marchya, some tail-feather (even I'm cringing) from Holland, Paul from Oz... and so on and so forth... it was good but I probably wouldn't do it again... a bit too much party for me... but still good:) ... When we went swimming in the evening on the island I noticed something super-cool (yes, super-cool;)... there was some plankton or alge in the water which as a defense mechanism flashing flourescently to warm off predators... so when you run your hand through the water, they sparkeled green in the water in the wake of your hand... it's kind of like what I think it would look like if a wizard waved (... hummm...) ... also on the island we did water sports and I had a go at Ubing (like in an inflatable U behind a speed boat getting pulled about)... it was fun but a bit scary for me... you would get thrown off and into the water with some force... once, with so much force that my shorts feel off (honestly... I know that sounds more like an excuse that wouldn't stand up in court!) (Jesus... I think that 18-30's type thing has turned me into some thuggish, rough-talking scoundrel... from now on I'll only use lovely words to describe women to make up for my poor form in this post)
... so yesterday I slept and today I've enjoyed beautiful sobriety while visiting dead-Ho Chi Min (if only I'd visited Chairman Mao, then I'd have the whole set of dead people with Lenin in the mix... it was kind of surreal today getting led about by guards in white with Bayonettes to visit some dead guy) and visited the history museam for Vietnam ( a bit boring really!) ... but now I need to go to see these water puppets with Matt NZ, David (a cool Irish lad... good banter with him about English people, but I'm still pretty sure he doesn't like us!), and Kay (the lovely lady (much better:) from London)... tomorrow I get the bus down the coast to Hue... let's see what I find there:)
I miss you all... keep well... love from Matt:)
Last time we spoke (that's 'we' as in, 'whoever is reading this thing) properly I was in Laos... well now I'm in Vietnam... the countries are really quite different, like Vietnam is a couple of rungs up the social ladder to Laos (that doesn't necessarily mean better)... My journey in highlighted the difference in bus form... my bus to Vinh in Vietnam from Phonsavan in Laos was a crappy seated number which seemed to be used both for public transport and international import/export (as soon as we arrived in the first town in Vietnam we dropped off like 1000 rugs to a shop)... the bus in Vietnam was actually approching justification for the term 'sleeper-bus'... you could lay horizontal and actually sleep:) ... but then again, Vietnam has another set-back to compensate for the comfort provided by the bus quality... the F***ing horns on the cars... you seem to honk people for everything over here... and horns are agressive... they make me feel angry... that is my new discovery... ...
... the bus journey here was a long one because an overturned truck of sweetcorn blocked the mountain road, so just a little 9 hour delay (but I think I've already mentioned that)... oh yes, I didn't mention the Plain of Jars in Laos... I went to this place because it broke up a potential 36 hour-ish bus journey between Vang Vieng (Laos) and Hanoi (Vietnam) (but it actually turned out to be about a 36 hour journey because of the sweetcorn based delay anyway (doh!))... it is just this place with loads of sites with ancient stone jars (see earlier photo)... they don't know why they are there... the legend is that Laos used to be inhabited by giants who drunk Lao-Lao (whisky) from the jars and then throw them upon the group... a far more plausible explanation is that they are old-school tomb stones as some French bird found human remains under some... but I'll let you decide... ...
... When I arrived in Phonsavan there was no rooms avaliable... I was panicing... it turned out to be some kind of ethnic new year and so the whole town was booked out... I was beginning to worry that I'd have to book to sleep on some hostel floor but then a man from what looked like a shop said, "You come with me." ... and then led me to a lovley family run guest house behind their shop which was a fifth of the price of the only other avaliable room in town (yay!) ... there I met some German totti (I'm trying to use every word I can to describe a women in this post... sorry if people find it offensive, I only mean jest)... I forget her name (as one so often does with random totti;) but she was nice and we took a tour to the jars together and shared meals in this strange kind of Ghost town (despite the place being apparently booked out because of some festival) ... When I left her and said good bye, I found it strange but didn't get her facebook contact details... I will never see her again for sure... but even so, there was something unusual about saying goodbye in such a final way... we have social networking and facebook etc almost literally (but not actually literally) dripping off our face these days... goodbyes are not so important because someone we met for two days is now a facebook friend and we see whenever they put a random update on facebook (which is especially random if the updates are in another language) ... so it was kind of nice to be like, 'it's nice to have met you, but why the pretense of random friendship' (OK, so if anyone I've met travelling who I have added after a very transient-friendship will now thing, 'well screw you then')... but anyway, it was just a (probably pointless) point...
... In Hanoi I got a tour to go for 3 days to Howlong (certianly the wrong spelling) bay... I spent one day on a boat among this bay of thosands of islands which included water villages where the people live on floating houses and never step on land (to the extent that they need floating schools and hospitals (we had to kayak to visit these villages... and very nicley my friend Matt (an actual person not me talking about myself in third person) pondered, 'Where do they go to the toilet?' as I was splashing around in the village... the second day we spent on an island owned by the tour company... just us and the staff, no-one else... I booked with a 'youthful' company and so experienced the nearest I ever had to an 18-30s holiday... needless to say, I didn't feel so rosy yesterday after it finished (I became a little worried when, during my hangover, I felt like I was going to fall off my chair... maybe I'd just spent too long on a boat?) ... I met some great people like Matt from NZ (hopefully I will visit him in Wellington when I am there), Kay, a bit of skirt (sorry) from London, Marchya, some tail-feather (even I'm cringing) from Holland, Paul from Oz... and so on and so forth... it was good but I probably wouldn't do it again... a bit too much party for me... but still good:) ... When we went swimming in the evening on the island I noticed something super-cool (yes, super-cool;)... there was some plankton or alge in the water which as a defense mechanism flashing flourescently to warm off predators... so when you run your hand through the water, they sparkeled green in the water in the wake of your hand... it's kind of like what I think it would look like if a wizard waved (... hummm...) ... also on the island we did water sports and I had a go at Ubing (like in an inflatable U behind a speed boat getting pulled about)... it was fun but a bit scary for me... you would get thrown off and into the water with some force... once, with so much force that my shorts feel off (honestly... I know that sounds more like an excuse that wouldn't stand up in court!) (Jesus... I think that 18-30's type thing has turned me into some thuggish, rough-talking scoundrel... from now on I'll only use lovely words to describe women to make up for my poor form in this post)
... so yesterday I slept and today I've enjoyed beautiful sobriety while visiting dead-Ho Chi Min (if only I'd visited Chairman Mao, then I'd have the whole set of dead people with Lenin in the mix... it was kind of surreal today getting led about by guards in white with Bayonettes to visit some dead guy) and visited the history museam for Vietnam ( a bit boring really!) ... but now I need to go to see these water puppets with Matt NZ, David (a cool Irish lad... good banter with him about English people, but I'm still pretty sure he doesn't like us!), and Kay (the lovely lady (much better:) from London)... tomorrow I get the bus down the coast to Hue... let's see what I find there:)
I miss you all... keep well... love from Matt:)
Wednesday 15 December 2010
Back from another trip:)
So I'm back from a tour of Halong Bay... In bed at 9pm, completely knackered! Here is a beach we visited among the mountainous bay:)
I'll update the blog proper after Ho Chi Min's mosaleum tomorrow... In the meantime, I hope you're all well:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I'll update the blog proper after Ho Chi Min's mosaleum tomorrow... In the meantime, I hope you're all well:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Hanoi, Vietnam
Sunday 12 December 2010
Another memo:)
Ok guys, I'm off again on another tour... This time 3 days and 2 nights around Halong Bay... Private boat and island:) should be good... Have to go now because weather goes downhill from Thursday... So I'll catch up on the blog after that. I'm in that dangerous place where new experiences push old ones out of my head... So I've got a lot of writing to catch up with:)
Love you, catch you later!
Matt:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Love you, catch you later!
Matt:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Vietnam
Saturday 11 December 2010
Jars
Some big jars from Laos.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Phonsavanh, plane of jars site 3
I'm in Vietnam:)
Ok so I'm finally here... the bus too almost twice as long as it should have as we got delayed for 9 hours at a mountain pass road just after the Laos boarder as a truck carrying what seemed like infinite amounts of dried sweetcorn went over... we had to wait for them to scrape up literally (well almost literally) every last curnel of corn (and some rocks too... stay away from the South East Asian sweetcorn for a little while if I were you) ... and then wait for them to move the truck... at least I've learnt a bit about the saying, 'waste not want not'...
... but anyway, I'm here now but totally knackered so will have a quiet night with a beer or two, maybe finish off my gargantuian book 'Infinite Jest' and catch up on some Zs... then maybe I'll find time to update more tomorrow after I've explored the old quater of Hanoi...
Love to all,
Matt
P.S. Vietnam is certianly different... it seems I've been constantly laughed at since I've come here... I think the locals are sharing some good natured hurmour while I wave away whatever it is they are trying to sell me... but in my post bus pissy mood, I have to count to 10 to stop myself telling them to fuck off! ... don't worry, sleep will be caught up with tonight and I'll be shiney eyed, butter-wouldn't-melt Matt you all know and (presumably) love;)
... but anyway, I'm here now but totally knackered so will have a quiet night with a beer or two, maybe finish off my gargantuian book 'Infinite Jest' and catch up on some Zs... then maybe I'll find time to update more tomorrow after I've explored the old quater of Hanoi...
Love to all,
Matt
P.S. Vietnam is certianly different... it seems I've been constantly laughed at since I've come here... I think the locals are sharing some good natured hurmour while I wave away whatever it is they are trying to sell me... but in my post bus pissy mood, I have to count to 10 to stop myself telling them to fuck off! ... don't worry, sleep will be caught up with tonight and I'll be shiney eyed, butter-wouldn't-melt Matt you all know and (presumably) love;)
Thursday 9 December 2010
Just a quick memorandum:)
So, today is my last day in Laos... I'm in a city called Phonesavan in the East where they've got a stone-henge-esque arrangment of giant stone urn type things called, 'the plain of jars'... it has been pretty interesting but off to Vietnam tomorrow 12 hours to the city of Vinh and then up to Hanoi the capital... lots of moving!
I'll givce you more of an update from the otherside of the boarder.
Keep well all:)
I'll givce you more of an update from the otherside of the boarder.
Keep well all:)
Monday 6 December 2010
The whole trek group (minus Pet, our guide... he's taking the photo)
Meal time in the village
... topless women, broken windows and lots of Lao-Lao... my trekking experience:)
Well here I am, back on the blog after my trek in northern Laos... I've had about a week of non-stop early starts (sorry, I'm not looking for sympathy, being saddelled with all this tiresome travelling;) so my mind is a little bit frazzelled at the moment... but I'll plough on and we'll see where we get!
I'm now in Vang Vieng in the centre of the top half of Laos... it's the party place with "tubing" which some people might be familure with (you hire an inner tube, float down a river (apparently used by locals as a depositary for human effluent (read, poo (tee hee)) and rumoured to cause pink eye and infections in cuts... (I won't be doing it!) ... and bars chuck you a rope, pull you in and you drink before potentially heading off further down the river, just a little more pissed... there are also rope swings and stuff like that... it's almost the definition of 'bad idea' and I won't be partaking) ... I've come because it is between where I was (Luang Namtha) and where I am going (Vientien, the capital) and I heard everyone goes here... I am coming to observe, much like David Attenborough might... see these species in action, watch their mating dances, and watch them generally implode in front of my beautiful eyes... I'm sure many people would summarise that whole statement by saying something like, "you boring sod" but I can live with that... it's possibly less likley they can live with floating down a river or crap pissed... but the jury is still out... ...
...it'll be interesting and I won't stay long... :)
... So anyway, trekking:) ... it was really great... As me and Venetia (wait, actually she might want to remain anonamus (some people I know are a bit shy about their name going on the internet;)... in that case I'll protect her privacy... I'll call her Miss V (she didn't do anything to merrit needing ananimity though (just to be clear))) (Blimey, I'm starting to get confused by all the parentheses I'm using in these blogs!)... anyway, as me and Miss V took the bus (10 hours) up north to Luang Namtha I started to worry... I'd chosen to go there because I wanted some trekking under my belt... I heard Hervey (English-Belgun, see Chiang Mai blogs) say he trekked in the north and he seemed a man-o-nature and knowledgable so I thought I'd go for it (if I only do one trek might as well go all out:)... so the journey was rather bumpy on the public bus... when we hit roads smooth enough to read, it was evening and too dark to read... Miss V had also been looking into trekking and she made up her mind to come to Luang Namtha after I told her I'd booked my ticket, so I felt a little responsibility... she was on limited time and so I didn't want to lead Miss V to waste 5 days of her travels, so I hoped it would be worth it... on the bus we met some cool English lads (James and Kush... Mr J and K respectivley) and we all found a gesthouse together to stay at... we managed to find a cheap tour late the night we arrived which had 4 people already signed up (prices get cheaper with more people)... so we signed up and left the next day... everything falling into place nicley like dropping jigsaw pieces out of their box and them all just falling into the correct places (ok so maybe that's an exxageration)... ... ... ... ... I'm getting bored with this chronology malark, like normal, so let's just meet the group I toured with: There was Dan (Mr D), an Ozzie who had worked in England (like English go to work in Oz) and then travelled europe and South America before (he's joined me now on the sceptical travels to Vang Vieng... we are both enjoying "quiet" internet time now), there was me, Miss V, Mr J and Mr K and then there were an American couple, Lukas and Amanda (a chef and a bus driver... Mr L and Mrs (... would it be 'Mrs L' or 'Mrs A'... ... ... ... oh sod this, I'm bored with people's privacy... normal names are back in use!) ... they were and are a cool group... (shit I forgot 'Milko' the Slovenian... a bit of a legend, he bought Schnapps (read, 'some kind of dirty spirit') for "medicine") ... we got on well despite some obvious irritations which come with the territory (I didn't enjoy Amanda suggesting to the group how much we tip the guides!) ... ... it was a really great hike but I'll get the one negative out of the way at the start... STICKY RICE... sticky rice has broken my 'gastronomic' back... the food was great really... delicious and spiciy and flavoursom... but with every meal you have sticky rice... it's like rice you ball up with your hand (there was no cutlery and just banana leaves for plates) and use to scoop up some meat or veg and eat (eating with my hands was suprisingly easy for a man of my disposition:) ... but we had sticky rice for every meal... it is basically a bit like overcooked rice... it has kind of destroyed my love of asian food... until now I couldn't get enough rice and privatley mocked those who said they've had too much rice and couldn't stomach it any more... now I can empathise... the first thing I ate after the trek... chips... mmmmmmm:)
... Anyway, we did a 3 day hike with two sleeps... one in a jungle camp after a nigth by the fire, which was cool but nothing special... the next day we hiked to a local village in the forest/jungle... a village of 11 families which had only been visited 3 or 4 times by hiking groups before.... it was quality... they stared at us almost non-stop... we sat in the hut where we were to sleep and they just sat opposite us, staring and giggling... it was really cool... in the evening the whole village seemed to come by to watch us eat and drink the local spirit (Lao-Lao)... the room was packed and glowing with yellow candle light as we ate and the shot glass (made out of bamboo) worked it's way around the room with perpetual motion... the rounds quicker and quicker... I had somewhere between 7 and 9 shots of the toxic green stuff by the end... I wasn't that drunk and didn't have a hangover the next day... but I was decidedly 'dopey' on the next days trek and tripped frequently... but I wasn't the only one surprisingly;) ... The village was a really great experience and I want to write more about it but I also want to rest my fingers soon... so I will comment breifly on local buses in Laos before I depart...
... they are an experience... you need to be patient but they are enjoyable... they come with a driver and a small crew of lackies ready to patch it up when (not if) it breaks down... the trip down south was a bit cold because the journey was so bumpy that the window by me actually fell out and smashed on the road... I was windowless and had to hide behind the chair in front for shelter from the wind... with monks all around me and even in the corridor of the bus sitting on bag of what I'm guessing was rice... the seat in front had a monk with a wolley hat on... It gleamed to me like a button with 'do not touch' written on it... (monks are sacred and to touch their head is incredibly rude... so I resisted despite the curious looking texture to the hat he was wearing)... on the way up to Luang Namtha the bus broke down by a rural roadside village... I looked at people come and go from the local well... pigs and chickens and dogs and cats were milling around... it was a cool scene... I watched as an old women went to the tap... a woman in her pensioner age still working in this little village... such a natural life, I wonder what she is doing? Still fetching water from the well at her age? ... then as I watched, she removed her top... ... ... ... ... oh christ, look away, the old dear is taking a wash next to a broken down bus from the city... oh bloody hell, don't look don't look... ... ... ... ... (N.B. I imagine that is the one and only tale re. me and naked women I will regail on this blog;) .... needless to say, I was glad when the bus moved on...
... OK, in the not so distant distance I can hear girls 'wooing' to the enivatable try hard guy downing a drink to win the fair lady's hand... the courting rituals commence... quiet time is over... time to get my Michlin, I spy drunken bahaviour book out and start observing:)
... Keep well every one and I hope I haven't bored you too much with this!
Love from Matt:)
I'm now in Vang Vieng in the centre of the top half of Laos... it's the party place with "tubing" which some people might be familure with (you hire an inner tube, float down a river (apparently used by locals as a depositary for human effluent (read, poo (tee hee)) and rumoured to cause pink eye and infections in cuts... (I won't be doing it!) ... and bars chuck you a rope, pull you in and you drink before potentially heading off further down the river, just a little more pissed... there are also rope swings and stuff like that... it's almost the definition of 'bad idea' and I won't be partaking) ... I've come because it is between where I was (Luang Namtha) and where I am going (Vientien, the capital) and I heard everyone goes here... I am coming to observe, much like David Attenborough might... see these species in action, watch their mating dances, and watch them generally implode in front of my beautiful eyes... I'm sure many people would summarise that whole statement by saying something like, "you boring sod" but I can live with that... it's possibly less likley they can live with floating down a river or crap pissed... but the jury is still out... ...
...it'll be interesting and I won't stay long... :)
... So anyway, trekking:) ... it was really great... As me and Venetia (wait, actually she might want to remain anonamus (some people I know are a bit shy about their name going on the internet;)... in that case I'll protect her privacy... I'll call her Miss V (she didn't do anything to merrit needing ananimity though (just to be clear))) (Blimey, I'm starting to get confused by all the parentheses I'm using in these blogs!)... anyway, as me and Miss V took the bus (10 hours) up north to Luang Namtha I started to worry... I'd chosen to go there because I wanted some trekking under my belt... I heard Hervey (English-Belgun, see Chiang Mai blogs) say he trekked in the north and he seemed a man-o-nature and knowledgable so I thought I'd go for it (if I only do one trek might as well go all out:)... so the journey was rather bumpy on the public bus... when we hit roads smooth enough to read, it was evening and too dark to read... Miss V had also been looking into trekking and she made up her mind to come to Luang Namtha after I told her I'd booked my ticket, so I felt a little responsibility... she was on limited time and so I didn't want to lead Miss V to waste 5 days of her travels, so I hoped it would be worth it... on the bus we met some cool English lads (James and Kush... Mr J and K respectivley) and we all found a gesthouse together to stay at... we managed to find a cheap tour late the night we arrived which had 4 people already signed up (prices get cheaper with more people)... so we signed up and left the next day... everything falling into place nicley like dropping jigsaw pieces out of their box and them all just falling into the correct places (ok so maybe that's an exxageration)... ... ... ... ... I'm getting bored with this chronology malark, like normal, so let's just meet the group I toured with: There was Dan (Mr D), an Ozzie who had worked in England (like English go to work in Oz) and then travelled europe and South America before (he's joined me now on the sceptical travels to Vang Vieng... we are both enjoying "quiet" internet time now), there was me, Miss V, Mr J and Mr K and then there were an American couple, Lukas and Amanda (a chef and a bus driver... Mr L and Mrs (... would it be 'Mrs L' or 'Mrs A'... ... ... ... oh sod this, I'm bored with people's privacy... normal names are back in use!) ... they were and are a cool group... (shit I forgot 'Milko' the Slovenian... a bit of a legend, he bought Schnapps (read, 'some kind of dirty spirit') for "medicine") ... we got on well despite some obvious irritations which come with the territory (I didn't enjoy Amanda suggesting to the group how much we tip the guides!) ... ... it was a really great hike but I'll get the one negative out of the way at the start... STICKY RICE... sticky rice has broken my 'gastronomic' back... the food was great really... delicious and spiciy and flavoursom... but with every meal you have sticky rice... it's like rice you ball up with your hand (there was no cutlery and just banana leaves for plates) and use to scoop up some meat or veg and eat (eating with my hands was suprisingly easy for a man of my disposition:) ... but we had sticky rice for every meal... it is basically a bit like overcooked rice... it has kind of destroyed my love of asian food... until now I couldn't get enough rice and privatley mocked those who said they've had too much rice and couldn't stomach it any more... now I can empathise... the first thing I ate after the trek... chips... mmmmmmm:)
... Anyway, we did a 3 day hike with two sleeps... one in a jungle camp after a nigth by the fire, which was cool but nothing special... the next day we hiked to a local village in the forest/jungle... a village of 11 families which had only been visited 3 or 4 times by hiking groups before.... it was quality... they stared at us almost non-stop... we sat in the hut where we were to sleep and they just sat opposite us, staring and giggling... it was really cool... in the evening the whole village seemed to come by to watch us eat and drink the local spirit (Lao-Lao)... the room was packed and glowing with yellow candle light as we ate and the shot glass (made out of bamboo) worked it's way around the room with perpetual motion... the rounds quicker and quicker... I had somewhere between 7 and 9 shots of the toxic green stuff by the end... I wasn't that drunk and didn't have a hangover the next day... but I was decidedly 'dopey' on the next days trek and tripped frequently... but I wasn't the only one surprisingly;) ... The village was a really great experience and I want to write more about it but I also want to rest my fingers soon... so I will comment breifly on local buses in Laos before I depart...
... they are an experience... you need to be patient but they are enjoyable... they come with a driver and a small crew of lackies ready to patch it up when (not if) it breaks down... the trip down south was a bit cold because the journey was so bumpy that the window by me actually fell out and smashed on the road... I was windowless and had to hide behind the chair in front for shelter from the wind... with monks all around me and even in the corridor of the bus sitting on bag of what I'm guessing was rice... the seat in front had a monk with a wolley hat on... It gleamed to me like a button with 'do not touch' written on it... (monks are sacred and to touch their head is incredibly rude... so I resisted despite the curious looking texture to the hat he was wearing)... on the way up to Luang Namtha the bus broke down by a rural roadside village... I looked at people come and go from the local well... pigs and chickens and dogs and cats were milling around... it was a cool scene... I watched as an old women went to the tap... a woman in her pensioner age still working in this little village... such a natural life, I wonder what she is doing? Still fetching water from the well at her age? ... then as I watched, she removed her top... ... ... ... ... oh christ, look away, the old dear is taking a wash next to a broken down bus from the city... oh bloody hell, don't look don't look... ... ... ... ... (N.B. I imagine that is the one and only tale re. me and naked women I will regail on this blog;) .... needless to say, I was glad when the bus moved on...
... OK, in the not so distant distance I can hear girls 'wooing' to the enivatable try hard guy downing a drink to win the fair lady's hand... the courting rituals commence... quiet time is over... time to get my Michlin, I spy drunken bahaviour book out and start observing:)
... Keep well every one and I hope I haven't bored you too much with this!
Love from Matt:)
Saturday 4 December 2010
Back from trekking:)
Had a great time trekking, was a really great experience with good people... I'll fill you in soon:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Luang Namtha
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Very short blogging hiatus:)
Am off trekking in Luang Namtha tomorrow for 3 days and 2 nights... So you'll hear from me after that. Keep well everyone and speak to you soon. Love, Matt:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Laos
Tuesday 30 November 2010
... finally, I've written about Mongolia:))
Hey All:) So I've been exploring this city, looking at the waterfall (bloody lovely... the water was so cool and refreshing... it was a weird powdered blue, like sherbet suspended in the clear water... it was almost too blue... it was so hot walking to the top of waterfall that jumping into the cold water was perfect:), watching the monks walk through the city in the morning collecting peoples gifts of food to help them live and eat while they live their monk life (a bit of a touristy-underwhelming event in reality but I'm glad I went:)... and that's all in the pictures I've put up... My plan for the rest of this Laos trip is a day bus to Luang Namtha in the far north to trek in the real wilderness and visit tribal people... then down to the den of alcoholic gluttony in VienVieng to see people tubing and getting stupidly drunk but leave before my own soul begins to dissolve through mere proximity!), then off to the capital, Vientien, before a 30 hour bus journey to Hanoi (the capital of Vietnam)... that's the plan... tonight I'm gonna watch a replay of the clasico (barca v Madrid) because it was meant to be liquid football so I can't miss it! (I've watched quite a bit of football here but it'll be off limits in the far north so I'll enjoy it while it's here:)
... Mongolia... Mongolia... Mongolia... It's time to briefly discuss the amazing time I had in Mongolia before it slips out of my ear like so many "good" ideas... it was great, just 4 days but certainly the highlight of the Transiberian express... we had a young girl (Odka) as our guide for the 4 days and she was the best guide we had in all of that trip... she even took us to a night club in Ullanbattar and missed a family celebration in the process (although it was a bit of a weird one, to celebrate her nephews first haircut... apparently a big deal!)... the night club was cool ('Strings') with a live band from the Philippines who were really good but seemed desperate to sing the Black Eyed Peas' collective hits! and also the guitarist went a bit over the top when he started enacting suicide during a rendition of 'Killing me Softly'! ... everything felt a bit kind of, isolated in Mongolia, even in the city... so I didn't want to get lost in the city and in the night club... it was a bit crazy... I saw a drunk Mongolian business man get pulled out of the crowed for being a bit lairy and dragged by about 6 bouncers into one room... wait 10 minutes... then he was dragged (slightly less animated) out the front door (Mongolian bouncers take no shit)... Then we spent two nights in the desert like national park near Ullanbattar where we lived in Ger-tents with people coming in to stoke our fire (not a euphemism) during the cold cold night, rode horses, and generally feel peaceful... they educated us about nomadic life and Gengis Kahn through movies (one of which had been taped from bbc northwest back at the last (2005 or 6) election)... we visited a Nomadic family... spoke with a nomadic woman in her tent as she served us traditional tea (milky with salt... weird but nice) and some not so delicious snacks (like rotten dry cheese... I has to focus to swallow that)... we asked her questions through Odka but we didn't have much to say to each other and the difference in our worlds was highlighted when the Nomadic woman asked, 'What kind of livestock do you have in England?' ... I had to resist the temptation to ask the specific definition of 'livestock' and just said, 'like cows and that' (not as Karl Pilkington-esque as that sounds!)... we learnt a game called 'ankel bones' which is cool and traditional and nomadic and I bought a set to play at home and bore you all with later (I can literally hear the groans of 'Not another bloody game' float over the horizon and I can imagine Dad frantically trying to look busy or asleep to avoid playing it next christmas;)... (almost done)... I really enjoyed horse riding after initially being reticent... I was actually the only person in my group to break into anything close to a canter (when the horse guide (he didn't have a bad throat... boom boom) came to whip my horse on the ass I initially panicked... but it was actually cool to fly through the desert like a lost hobbit on his horse (an Ozzie girl, Masina, said my accent sounds like that of a hobbit!)
... so ok, I'll finish now... off to the night market for some pre-football food... after my slightly arsey last post I thought I should assure you that I've now made some new friends and am not longer the grumpy loner I was on my first day here;) ... there's Julie and Jason the Americans and Venisha the Londoner (she's coming with me to Luang namtha... so I have a hiking buddy:)
... so keep well everyone... I'm good and have finally updated about Mongolia:)... keep well all... I'll update you all post trekking:)
... Mongolia... Mongolia... Mongolia... It's time to briefly discuss the amazing time I had in Mongolia before it slips out of my ear like so many "good" ideas... it was great, just 4 days but certainly the highlight of the Transiberian express... we had a young girl (Odka) as our guide for the 4 days and she was the best guide we had in all of that trip... she even took us to a night club in Ullanbattar and missed a family celebration in the process (although it was a bit of a weird one, to celebrate her nephews first haircut... apparently a big deal!)... the night club was cool ('Strings') with a live band from the Philippines who were really good but seemed desperate to sing the Black Eyed Peas' collective hits! and also the guitarist went a bit over the top when he started enacting suicide during a rendition of 'Killing me Softly'! ... everything felt a bit kind of, isolated in Mongolia, even in the city... so I didn't want to get lost in the city and in the night club... it was a bit crazy... I saw a drunk Mongolian business man get pulled out of the crowed for being a bit lairy and dragged by about 6 bouncers into one room... wait 10 minutes... then he was dragged (slightly less animated) out the front door (Mongolian bouncers take no shit)... Then we spent two nights in the desert like national park near Ullanbattar where we lived in Ger-tents with people coming in to stoke our fire (not a euphemism) during the cold cold night, rode horses, and generally feel peaceful... they educated us about nomadic life and Gengis Kahn through movies (one of which had been taped from bbc northwest back at the last (2005 or 6) election)... we visited a Nomadic family... spoke with a nomadic woman in her tent as she served us traditional tea (milky with salt... weird but nice) and some not so delicious snacks (like rotten dry cheese... I has to focus to swallow that)... we asked her questions through Odka but we didn't have much to say to each other and the difference in our worlds was highlighted when the Nomadic woman asked, 'What kind of livestock do you have in England?' ... I had to resist the temptation to ask the specific definition of 'livestock' and just said, 'like cows and that' (not as Karl Pilkington-esque as that sounds!)... we learnt a game called 'ankel bones' which is cool and traditional and nomadic and I bought a set to play at home and bore you all with later (I can literally hear the groans of 'Not another bloody game' float over the horizon and I can imagine Dad frantically trying to look busy or asleep to avoid playing it next christmas;)... (almost done)... I really enjoyed horse riding after initially being reticent... I was actually the only person in my group to break into anything close to a canter (when the horse guide (he didn't have a bad throat... boom boom) came to whip my horse on the ass I initially panicked... but it was actually cool to fly through the desert like a lost hobbit on his horse (an Ozzie girl, Masina, said my accent sounds like that of a hobbit!)
... so ok, I'll finish now... off to the night market for some pre-football food... after my slightly arsey last post I thought I should assure you that I've now made some new friends and am not longer the grumpy loner I was on my first day here;) ... there's Julie and Jason the Americans and Venisha the Londoner (she's coming with me to Luang namtha... so I have a hiking buddy:)
... so keep well everyone... I'm good and have finally updated about Mongolia:)... keep well all... I'll update you all post trekking:)
Monday 29 November 2010
Alms giving to monks
Finally recovered from the 5.30am early start to see alms giving to the monks... Was a little disappointing but am still glad I went.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Laos
Sunday 28 November 2010
1000 hits!!
Over 1000 hits!! Thanks for reading everyone... Stay tuned for the next installment (and yes, I will write about the great time I had in Mongolia eventually:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday 27 November 2010
Slow boat along the Mekong.
... So here I am in the lovely city of Luang Probang... I'm here to regail you with tales of my two and a half day journey here... it might be a bit of a struggle though as the keyboard on the hostel computer is so well used that all the letters have faded, so I need to type using my memory of the old qwerty keyboard (so far so good... there is another computer, but the 'n' is broken on that keyboard!).
... My first impression of Laos is quite positive... it kind of strikes me as a ferrile version of Thailand... a rough diamond... a jack-the-lad! ... but anyway... the boat...
... (Jesus some of the people here are getting on my metaphorical tits (I'm now in one of my lone ranger spells where I pretty much fly solo until lonliness gets the better of me and I become social again)... it's clear a group has formed here and it seems that the group is as impenetrable as a Yale-brand chastity belt (sorry!)... You're forced to sit on the periphery while I listen to a guy trying to jam to music with a harmonica he can't play and listen to a ginger kid (although there is nothing wrong with that in itself) chatting up a dutch girl by talking what can be only described as bullshit (describing Johanna Newsome as the true voice of American folk, Tom Waits as the direction jazz should have taken, and discussing the existentialism of society... yawn!)... but please alert me if I'm being a hypocrite, as that is a common occurrence... anyway, after the claustrophobia of the boat I think these sentiments might just be a reaction to wanting a bit of downtime)...
... so, the boat... To get from Pai to Laos I decided to take a slow boat up the Mekong river to the city of Luang Prabang... we left Pai at 8pm and arrived at a Thai border town at 3.30am... slept in a shithole til 7am (literally, there was petrified cat shit on one of the sofas!)... then we were driven on the back of a pickup truck to the boarder (I say we but I was really alone, just a mini-bus of us from the same tour agent in Pai... I got to know a few of them on the boat, but more about this later)... I already had my Laos visa so just had to wait for the others in the group to get theirs on arrival and then we set out for the boat...
Humm, I've become a bit board with this writing just now... I need to work on my concentration... also, having the football highlights in the corner of my vision is not helping... we spent two days on the slow boat going down the Mekong with an overnight stop at some place I can't be bothered to look up the name of... it's called the slow boat for obvious reasons, there was an alternative of a 6 hour speed boat but I've heard that you're left shaking for days from the experience if you don't end up strewn on rocks... I'd heard horror stories about the state of the boat... about cramped conditions and basically having a horrible time... as I waited for the bus from Pai to the Boarder, some smug Dutch C-word kept saying how bad he'd heard the boat was and how glad he was to be catching the bus... on and on and on... I wanted to say something but only I would look bad then... why put fear into other people? Just to try and justify your own decisions? (There is probably a tad of bitterness here and a fact that I wasn't sure of my own decision to take the boat after all the stories I'd heard)... but the boat was beautiful if a bit long (6 hours on day one and 9 on day two)... it wasn't rocky and the first day there was plenty of space to sit and read and drink and be merry (some folk got a little over merry on the first day, polishing off bottles of whisky etc (all travellers)... needless to say, they were less merry the next day)... the second day was more cramped but not ridiculously so... a mix of my currently (slightly;) grumpy mood and the fact that fellow travellers seemed a little bit try-hard (although maybe I wasn't trying enough) led to a little bit of frustration until I finally lost myself in my book... there were some cool people though who I had a nice little chat with without having to go too deep into the boring rigmarole of listing the countries I've visited, my age, what I've been doing with my life, what are my plans for the future... but my patience was tested when an Irishman from Skilgow mistook a question of, 'What music do you like?' with 'List every band you've ever heard of.' (and he didn't even mention the Smiths!)... I felt a little uncomfortable in the place where we spent the night stop... it seems like everyone is a drug dealer there... I got offered dope with my room, with my meal, offered a happy (read, opium) pancake... but to be fair, you say no once and they leave you alone... In Luang Prabang it's less of a problem although I did get offered some when walking around this morning... a tuk tuk driver smiled and asked, 'tuk-tuk?', 'no, thanks'... then his face immediately changed to intense seriousness as he asked, 'Marijuana?' with a sneer which screamed terrible John Wayne impression... but a simple 'no' sufficed (that's all you need to do kids, just say no!)...
The scenery from the boat was spectacular, palm-treed and lush and green... random beaches with wild-buffalo... occasional stops in the middle of nowhere to let locals off or to allow local children on to sell souvenirs, bananas, or even beer (an 8 year old selling 2 beers for 100 baht... I couldn't tell if I was outraged with the kids selling booze or just the price!)... the river was strewn with rocks all over... a driver needs to be alert and skilled to stop crashing into rocks or to avoid swaying too much in the whirlpools along the river... local families even sat on the boats roof on the crowded second day. ... the driver was skilled and managed to steer us into the smallest possible collision with rocks when the engine failed at one point (everyone started to panic a little bit (especially the inebriated ones) but they soon had the old girl moving again:)...
... O might not choose to take the slow boat again... but I'm very glad I took it:) ... I now need to plan my days in Laos... I might go to the north to trek for a day or two before heading to that boozy tubing place to watch the human zoo of apocalypticly drunk humans teetering on the boarder between euphoria and oblivion... and then maybe go to the capital before catching a flight or 24 hour bus to Hanoi in Vietnam... these are all rough plans... today I just acquaint myself with this beautiful city as well as relax and read and drink and eat... then tomorrow maybe I'll visit the local waterfall and have a swim:)
... OK, keep well all... I hope I'm not boring you all too much with this blog:)
... My first impression of Laos is quite positive... it kind of strikes me as a ferrile version of Thailand... a rough diamond... a jack-the-lad! ... but anyway... the boat...
... (Jesus some of the people here are getting on my metaphorical tits (I'm now in one of my lone ranger spells where I pretty much fly solo until lonliness gets the better of me and I become social again)... it's clear a group has formed here and it seems that the group is as impenetrable as a Yale-brand chastity belt (sorry!)... You're forced to sit on the periphery while I listen to a guy trying to jam to music with a harmonica he can't play and listen to a ginger kid (although there is nothing wrong with that in itself) chatting up a dutch girl by talking what can be only described as bullshit (describing Johanna Newsome as the true voice of American folk, Tom Waits as the direction jazz should have taken, and discussing the existentialism of society... yawn!)... but please alert me if I'm being a hypocrite, as that is a common occurrence... anyway, after the claustrophobia of the boat I think these sentiments might just be a reaction to wanting a bit of downtime)...
... so, the boat... To get from Pai to Laos I decided to take a slow boat up the Mekong river to the city of Luang Prabang... we left Pai at 8pm and arrived at a Thai border town at 3.30am... slept in a shithole til 7am (literally, there was petrified cat shit on one of the sofas!)... then we were driven on the back of a pickup truck to the boarder (I say we but I was really alone, just a mini-bus of us from the same tour agent in Pai... I got to know a few of them on the boat, but more about this later)... I already had my Laos visa so just had to wait for the others in the group to get theirs on arrival and then we set out for the boat...
Humm, I've become a bit board with this writing just now... I need to work on my concentration... also, having the football highlights in the corner of my vision is not helping... we spent two days on the slow boat going down the Mekong with an overnight stop at some place I can't be bothered to look up the name of... it's called the slow boat for obvious reasons, there was an alternative of a 6 hour speed boat but I've heard that you're left shaking for days from the experience if you don't end up strewn on rocks... I'd heard horror stories about the state of the boat... about cramped conditions and basically having a horrible time... as I waited for the bus from Pai to the Boarder, some smug Dutch C-word kept saying how bad he'd heard the boat was and how glad he was to be catching the bus... on and on and on... I wanted to say something but only I would look bad then... why put fear into other people? Just to try and justify your own decisions? (There is probably a tad of bitterness here and a fact that I wasn't sure of my own decision to take the boat after all the stories I'd heard)... but the boat was beautiful if a bit long (6 hours on day one and 9 on day two)... it wasn't rocky and the first day there was plenty of space to sit and read and drink and be merry (some folk got a little over merry on the first day, polishing off bottles of whisky etc (all travellers)... needless to say, they were less merry the next day)... the second day was more cramped but not ridiculously so... a mix of my currently (slightly;) grumpy mood and the fact that fellow travellers seemed a little bit try-hard (although maybe I wasn't trying enough) led to a little bit of frustration until I finally lost myself in my book... there were some cool people though who I had a nice little chat with without having to go too deep into the boring rigmarole of listing the countries I've visited, my age, what I've been doing with my life, what are my plans for the future... but my patience was tested when an Irishman from Skilgow mistook a question of, 'What music do you like?' with 'List every band you've ever heard of.' (and he didn't even mention the Smiths!)... I felt a little uncomfortable in the place where we spent the night stop... it seems like everyone is a drug dealer there... I got offered dope with my room, with my meal, offered a happy (read, opium) pancake... but to be fair, you say no once and they leave you alone... In Luang Prabang it's less of a problem although I did get offered some when walking around this morning... a tuk tuk driver smiled and asked, 'tuk-tuk?', 'no, thanks'... then his face immediately changed to intense seriousness as he asked, 'Marijuana?' with a sneer which screamed terrible John Wayne impression... but a simple 'no' sufficed (that's all you need to do kids, just say no!)...
The scenery from the boat was spectacular, palm-treed and lush and green... random beaches with wild-buffalo... occasional stops in the middle of nowhere to let locals off or to allow local children on to sell souvenirs, bananas, or even beer (an 8 year old selling 2 beers for 100 baht... I couldn't tell if I was outraged with the kids selling booze or just the price!)... the river was strewn with rocks all over... a driver needs to be alert and skilled to stop crashing into rocks or to avoid swaying too much in the whirlpools along the river... local families even sat on the boats roof on the crowded second day. ... the driver was skilled and managed to steer us into the smallest possible collision with rocks when the engine failed at one point (everyone started to panic a little bit (especially the inebriated ones) but they soon had the old girl moving again:)...
... O might not choose to take the slow boat again... but I'm very glad I took it:) ... I now need to plan my days in Laos... I might go to the north to trek for a day or two before heading to that boozy tubing place to watch the human zoo of apocalypticly drunk humans teetering on the boarder between euphoria and oblivion... and then maybe go to the capital before catching a flight or 24 hour bus to Hanoi in Vietnam... these are all rough plans... today I just acquaint myself with this beautiful city as well as relax and read and drink and eat... then tomorrow maybe I'll visit the local waterfall and have a swim:)
... OK, keep well all... I hope I'm not boring you all too much with this blog:)
My weird pillow.
This pillow saved my ass (literally) on the two day slow boat on the Mekong. I don't really get the maggot love thing though:s ... I'll blog on the whole thing soon:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Laos
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Cycling in Pai
So it's my last day in Thailand... my 30-day stamp expires on the 28th so I better hot-tail it out of this joint... off to Laos... I'll take the bus to the border, cross a river (the Meekon, maybe), and then take a two day boat down to Luang Prabang in Laos... so I've been in the north of Thailand for a while now but it's convenient that my visa expires because I can imagine getting stuck here... floating in Jelly, it's sweet but I'm going nowhere fast... I'm not sure about Laos ... I've heard many things about the place and alot of people love it but a lot of people only go there to do tubing (float down a river on an inflatable tube and bars along the river throw you a line and pull you in, offer you a free shot and then get you truly pissed... I hear they serve ridiculous things like opium pizzas (wtf?)... some Americans I met here in Pai (seemingly squeezed straight from the script of some teen movie which seems to revolve around getting as many crude jokes and as much soft core porn in 90 minutes as possible... don't get me wrong, I loved 'American Pie' at 15... but now I've gone all arty farty)... anyway, these Americans described the tubing (in a place called Viang Vieng) as Spring-break on crack... the sighing of my soul echoed in my head when they said this (they were actually nice and friendly these Americans... just overtly textbook)... I think I'll give it a miss)... but I also hear there is great nature and all that in Laos... so I guess I should keep an open mind...
Pai, this hippy (or as a French-girl (Emma) said, "EP") haven, has been quite nice and relaxing... if you've read what I wrote about Koh Chang then just copy and paste much of that description here (sans-sea/beach)... Yesterday (as I alluded to in an earlier post) I thought it would be a good idea to cycle around the peaceful roads around Pai and visit the Canyon and waterfalls and hot springs (cycling also seemed like a good idea because a scooter seemed like a bad idea)... Jesus wept it was knackering... some people might know me as the highly-athletic specimen who is seemingly fatigue-proof on the football field (sic (I always wondered but I think that 'sic' means that I'm being sarcastic... rather then look it up on Wikipedia, I'll just leave it in))... but a couple of months without exercise have turned me into a slightly less fit person (if that can be imagined)... I had a simultaneous aching of my thighs, calves, ass, soul and dignity as I struggled up yet another bloody hill with scootered people slowing down next to me to say hello... piss of you smug bastereds! ... I cycled with a French girl I met called Emma who as it turned out is a bit of a dab-hand at the old cycling game... she was always that frustratingly elusive dot on the horizon, mocking me until the dot passed into the unimaginable void in front... ... ... (I love ellipses... I learnt that word yesterday:)) when I thought I could feel no more broken, tired and dejected... forever wishing that the end would come, whether that be the end of the road or some other more finite road... at that very point a 8 year old (ish) girl cycled past, enthusiastically smiled and said, "Hello!"... ... ... :(
... but of course I exaggerate... it was a good choice to cycle and as soon as I'd got back, had a shower, had a meal, and had a beer... I felt good and happy with my choice to cycle... my muscles ached pleasingly as I had another beer and played cards with a french girl (Emma), an Ozzie girl (Masina), and two Dutch girls (Melissa and name-unknown)... (my girl-heavy travels continue... it's really great but I did long to sit with the "lads" (oi oi) and watch the Champions League (TM) last night (well done Spurs)... the cycle was through lovely, peaceful and safe roads with a lush green landscape around and the sun in the clear sky slapping me on my factor-50 lathered neck... as well as those landmarks I mentioned there was also what seemed to be some kind of Elephant district where all the trekking companies were based and so we saw some cool elephants (although one was trying repeatedly and in vain to escape the chain around his foot (do elephants have a foot or is it a hoof?), constantly fiddling with the chain with his trunk as well as non-stop testing the strength of the chain... it wasn't the happiest thing I've ever seen)... ... ... so all in all, once I'd toweled down and all that, it was nice:)
...today I leave Pai on the 8pm bus, so today is relax on soft, bum-friendly chairs day:) ... blog is done, so now I'll take a few more pictures of this place and then settle down to read 'Infinite Jest', the 1,200 page book I'm enjoying but eternally resenting having to lug round with me!
Keep well everyone and catch little random nuggets of madness from me at my twitter page at ... usually contributed to when I find a bar with wifi... so there may be the odd, failed attempt at forced humor on it... but isn't that what Twitter is all about?
Anyway, miss you... keep well:)
P.S.I've finally decided to use spell check on my blog:)
Pai, this hippy (or as a French-girl (Emma) said, "EP") haven, has been quite nice and relaxing... if you've read what I wrote about Koh Chang then just copy and paste much of that description here (sans-sea/beach)... Yesterday (as I alluded to in an earlier post) I thought it would be a good idea to cycle around the peaceful roads around Pai and visit the Canyon and waterfalls and hot springs (cycling also seemed like a good idea because a scooter seemed like a bad idea)... Jesus wept it was knackering... some people might know me as the highly-athletic specimen who is seemingly fatigue-proof on the football field (sic (I always wondered but I think that 'sic' means that I'm being sarcastic... rather then look it up on Wikipedia, I'll just leave it in))... but a couple of months without exercise have turned me into a slightly less fit person (if that can be imagined)... I had a simultaneous aching of my thighs, calves, ass, soul and dignity as I struggled up yet another bloody hill with scootered people slowing down next to me to say hello... piss of you smug bastereds! ... I cycled with a French girl I met called Emma who as it turned out is a bit of a dab-hand at the old cycling game... she was always that frustratingly elusive dot on the horizon, mocking me until the dot passed into the unimaginable void in front... ... ... (I love ellipses... I learnt that word yesterday:)) when I thought I could feel no more broken, tired and dejected... forever wishing that the end would come, whether that be the end of the road or some other more finite road... at that very point a 8 year old (ish) girl cycled past, enthusiastically smiled and said, "Hello!"... ... ... :(
... but of course I exaggerate... it was a good choice to cycle and as soon as I'd got back, had a shower, had a meal, and had a beer... I felt good and happy with my choice to cycle... my muscles ached pleasingly as I had another beer and played cards with a french girl (Emma), an Ozzie girl (Masina), and two Dutch girls (Melissa and name-unknown)... (my girl-heavy travels continue... it's really great but I did long to sit with the "lads" (oi oi) and watch the Champions League (TM) last night (well done Spurs)... the cycle was through lovely, peaceful and safe roads with a lush green landscape around and the sun in the clear sky slapping me on my factor-50 lathered neck... as well as those landmarks I mentioned there was also what seemed to be some kind of Elephant district where all the trekking companies were based and so we saw some cool elephants (although one was trying repeatedly and in vain to escape the chain around his foot (do elephants have a foot or is it a hoof?), constantly fiddling with the chain with his trunk as well as non-stop testing the strength of the chain... it wasn't the happiest thing I've ever seen)... ... ... so all in all, once I'd toweled down and all that, it was nice:)
...today I leave Pai on the 8pm bus, so today is relax on soft, bum-friendly chairs day:) ... blog is done, so now I'll take a few more pictures of this place and then settle down to read 'Infinite Jest', the 1,200 page book I'm enjoying but eternally resenting having to lug round with me!
Keep well everyone and catch little random nuggets of madness from me at my twitter page at ... usually contributed to when I find a bar with wifi... so there may be the odd, failed attempt at forced humor on it... but isn't that what Twitter is all about?
Anyway, miss you... keep well:)
P.S.I've finally decided to use spell check on my blog:)
P.S.
Don't forget I'm also tweeting on Twitter at http://twitter.com/listentome23 ... For nuggets of nonsense from my travels, go there:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Something I liked
This is just something cool from the book I'm reading at the moment, 'Infinite jest' by David Foster Wallace... A wise old whiskery fish goes up to three young ones and says, "morning boys, how's the water?" and swims off. The three young fish watch him swim away and look at each other and go, "What the fuck is water?" and swim away.
... Don't worry, an actual blog post coming soon:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
... Don't worry, an actual blog post coming soon:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Cycling around Pai
Was going to do a big blog today but am completely knackered after cycling around Pai so it can wait until tomorrow... Here is a pic of me at the Pai canyon... My legs were a bit too wobbly to enjoy it though.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Pai
Monday 22 November 2010
Sunday 21 November 2010
Tiger
So I saw a baby Tiger today... kind of a dream of mine I think... I miss my Suki (for any Russian readers, that's my cat's name (you see in Russian Suki means, 'Bitches'... although yes, I do miss my bitches as well!))... So I went for it even though it was a little expensive... and yes, I considered the big moral issues about human contact with large wild animals such as tigers... I'm not sure if I made the correct moral descision but at least I saw it and can to some extent banish the thought that the cat's are drugged or sedated to allow human contact... they are wild-animals (albeit, hand reared) and so you have to handle with care... they can be unpredictable and I'm sure they could wipe you out with a swift cuff to the face... ... when I first walked up and saw the other people with the tigers they were lying there all limp and I thought, 'Oh Christ, they do sedate them... bloody hell, I've spent all this money on something I'm gonna feel guilty about.' ... but as I was waiting one properly perked up and was being a little scamp (what a lovely word:), they were lively but probably slightly perturbed at their midday nap being disrupted... I also read on the net suggestions that they are not treated that well by the keepers but I don't think so... they weren't being cruel... they were just treating them like (I'm gonna sound stupid here) like cats... they wern't excessivly rough with them if they started getting a bit too playful (coz , let's face it... these baby tigers had bloody big paws... if they grabbed your arm and did that playful nibbling-while-kicking-away-with-their-legs thing you'd be in trouble... I really enjoyed it... and even though it was a little bit expensive (by Thai standards, not English), it was a bit of a dream and was probably the first paid excursion I've done since I left the VodkaTrain tour... To be fair, although I think the tigers are treated ok and not drugged or anything, the issue remains of them being kept tame and controlled and having their valuable midday nap time adulterated by us pesky humans... it was a bloody lovely experience but definatly not an essential thing... I'm going to use a Tony Blair, Iraq war kind of get out about choosing to go and say, 'I made the correct decision based on the evidence I had at the time.'... I'm glad I saw with my own eyes but I guess my concerns about potential overt cruelty distracted me from the basic issue/problem of allowing people to pay for all this contact with such a rare, beautiful and wild creature...
... ... but it left me with a warm glow... this time yesterday I was feeling low and lonely... I was ready to learn violin just so I could sadly emphasise my lonliness with music while I quenched my thurst for human interaction with my own salty tears... ... ... but then this girl from Oz started chatting to me (her name is Messina... what a lovely little name (Football ramble reference))... then along came a German lad she'd met called Sebastian... then my English mate Herve (half-Belgian), we played pool, then checked out the cracking lantern festival which happens each year on the November full-moon... Suddenly my lonliness dissappeared into the night sky like so many paper lanterns... The sky was full of these lanterns... I let two off myself and made a wish each time (as is the custom)... it was really cool and festive atmosphere... people out on the street, with friends and family... it was cool... ... ... but they clearly don't have the same anti-fireworks adverts we have in England... they were going off left, right and centre... it was like a very flamboyant war was going on (you'd have loved it Jay)... those fireworks which go off like a mushroom were exploding only meters away from people, landing in the road among the heavy traffick, or borrowing under water to unleash a huge upward serge of water like someone had just dropped in the worlds biggest pebble... even I started to fill with a little bit of fear (the dog in my hostel literally wet itself because of the sound of bangers near the hostel... the poor confused little scamp)... Then I headed off to meet Martina (one of the Italian girls I met in Koh Chang... she came to Chiang Mai for one night as she was flying to the south from here tomorrow) and a friend of hers (Nora, a french girl of half Morrocan descent) and we had drinks and it was cool... and then today I went to the Tigers and then got befriended by a Canadian girl just now... not so lonely any more:)) ... my line for this life as a lone traveller is that we have lots of friendship-one-night-stands (maybe I've already mentioned this)... you meet people and have an intense, whirlwind friendship (you are more open and willing to speak because you are alone but also together in this strange boat travelling around the world)... but just as you think you may have made a friend for life (which in this whirlwind takes like a day-and-a-half), you go your seperate ways... maybe to meet somewhere else on the circuit but probably not... but it is a great way to interact with people and is only sad when you are tired and you start to wonder where your next friend will come from (often, that friend is sat next to you while you think all these sorry and lonely and neurotic thoughts)...
... My parents now know how much I hate haggeling and so this morning, as I set off to get a Tuk-Tuk to the Tiger place I didn't look forward to negotiating the price for a Tuk-Tuk to pick me up, wait and bring me back... I asked at the hostel how much is a fair and usual price and they said 300 Baht... so I was thinking, 'Ok, ok, Just go with 300, don't mess about, if they take it all good, if they don't they are taking the piss, it's a fair price'... I nervously ambled up to the first tuk-tuk I saw, I asked how much... '150'... I felt compelled to literally bite his hand off then and there... I'm starting to think that if Bangkok is the disease, then Chiang Mai is the cure... it reminded me of a story I heard about Leeds United in their recent period of Champions league success, before they pissed all their money away and went into melt-down... They were signing Seth Johnson (1 England cap, his middle names are 'Art' and 'Maurice'... thank you Wikipedia:) from Derby for 7 million... he was going in with his agent to agree wages... before they walked in to the office his agent said to him, "We're not gonna take a penny less then 20 grand-a-week."... they walked in and Risdale (Leeds Chairman) said, "We'll not pay a penny more then 40 grand-a-week."... que another literally-bite-their-hand-off type situation...
... Tomorrow I go to Pai in the mountains for a couple of days... it's meant to be hippysville and quite cool... then I'll take the slow boat to Laos (I know you're probably thinking, 'What's the slow boat?'... well I'll save that little beauty until next time... what a tease;)
Keep well everyone... I'm going to try and post a couple of Tiger photos up soon:))
... ... but it left me with a warm glow... this time yesterday I was feeling low and lonely... I was ready to learn violin just so I could sadly emphasise my lonliness with music while I quenched my thurst for human interaction with my own salty tears... ... ... but then this girl from Oz started chatting to me (her name is Messina... what a lovely little name (Football ramble reference))... then along came a German lad she'd met called Sebastian... then my English mate Herve (half-Belgian), we played pool, then checked out the cracking lantern festival which happens each year on the November full-moon... Suddenly my lonliness dissappeared into the night sky like so many paper lanterns... The sky was full of these lanterns... I let two off myself and made a wish each time (as is the custom)... it was really cool and festive atmosphere... people out on the street, with friends and family... it was cool... ... ... but they clearly don't have the same anti-fireworks adverts we have in England... they were going off left, right and centre... it was like a very flamboyant war was going on (you'd have loved it Jay)... those fireworks which go off like a mushroom were exploding only meters away from people, landing in the road among the heavy traffick, or borrowing under water to unleash a huge upward serge of water like someone had just dropped in the worlds biggest pebble... even I started to fill with a little bit of fear (the dog in my hostel literally wet itself because of the sound of bangers near the hostel... the poor confused little scamp)... Then I headed off to meet Martina (one of the Italian girls I met in Koh Chang... she came to Chiang Mai for one night as she was flying to the south from here tomorrow) and a friend of hers (Nora, a french girl of half Morrocan descent) and we had drinks and it was cool... and then today I went to the Tigers and then got befriended by a Canadian girl just now... not so lonely any more:)) ... my line for this life as a lone traveller is that we have lots of friendship-one-night-stands (maybe I've already mentioned this)... you meet people and have an intense, whirlwind friendship (you are more open and willing to speak because you are alone but also together in this strange boat travelling around the world)... but just as you think you may have made a friend for life (which in this whirlwind takes like a day-and-a-half), you go your seperate ways... maybe to meet somewhere else on the circuit but probably not... but it is a great way to interact with people and is only sad when you are tired and you start to wonder where your next friend will come from (often, that friend is sat next to you while you think all these sorry and lonely and neurotic thoughts)...
... My parents now know how much I hate haggeling and so this morning, as I set off to get a Tuk-Tuk to the Tiger place I didn't look forward to negotiating the price for a Tuk-Tuk to pick me up, wait and bring me back... I asked at the hostel how much is a fair and usual price and they said 300 Baht... so I was thinking, 'Ok, ok, Just go with 300, don't mess about, if they take it all good, if they don't they are taking the piss, it's a fair price'... I nervously ambled up to the first tuk-tuk I saw, I asked how much... '150'... I felt compelled to literally bite his hand off then and there... I'm starting to think that if Bangkok is the disease, then Chiang Mai is the cure... it reminded me of a story I heard about Leeds United in their recent period of Champions league success, before they pissed all their money away and went into melt-down... They were signing Seth Johnson (1 England cap, his middle names are 'Art' and 'Maurice'... thank you Wikipedia:) from Derby for 7 million... he was going in with his agent to agree wages... before they walked in to the office his agent said to him, "We're not gonna take a penny less then 20 grand-a-week."... they walked in and Risdale (Leeds Chairman) said, "We'll not pay a penny more then 40 grand-a-week."... que another literally-bite-their-hand-off type situation...
... Tomorrow I go to Pai in the mountains for a couple of days... it's meant to be hippysville and quite cool... then I'll take the slow boat to Laos (I know you're probably thinking, 'What's the slow boat?'... well I'll save that little beauty until next time... what a tease;)
Keep well everyone... I'm going to try and post a couple of Tiger photos up soon:))
Saturday 20 November 2010
Friday 19 November 2010
Chiang Mai
So as you might have seem, I'm in Chiang Mai... it's nice to be out of Bangkok and especially to be in such an unusual place... it has the weird feeling of a little town... there's a city wall and a mote... I'll use the word quaint (a hell of a word)! ... It was a bit of a treck to get here... 12 hours from 6pm to 6am on a bus... I was sat next to some sort of sea-cow of a man... like someone had taken the mass of three of me and put it into a skin coloured lycra suit and roughly bashed it into the shape of a man... I'm being unfair because I'm grumpy because he deprived me of sleep and comfort (and also, he'll never read this anyway!)... ... ... Do you ever get that moment when your on a bus or something and someone nods off next to you and slowly their heads descends until it's on your shoulder with a small trail of dribble working its way down your sleeve like a viscous river? ... I once had it on the bus home from Glastonbury, I sat down and a beautiful girl sat next to me, I fell asleep only to wake up with her sleeping heavily with her head in my lap... needless to say she was embarrased when I woke her up... and somewhere in my neurotic, adolescent mind I though, "Maybe she fancies me?"... (Jesus, why did I write that! (I meant that retorically, hence the absence of a question mark))... anyway, last night I woke with a 19 stone sea mammel on my shoulder... I could suddenly empathise with clostraphobics... also, he refused to wake up... I periodically had to edge him over to his side which sighing and looking out of the window whistfully (I'm not totally sure that's the right word)...
... ... The biggest surprise has been the people really... maybe you could sense that I was feeling a bit touchy about being badgered all the time by people selling stuff etc... making new friends until the moment it was clear I wasn't going to spend money... well in Chiang Mai people (locals) have come up to me... they have started innocous conversations ("Where are from?", "How long have been in Thailand?")... the kind of questions which usually lead to a sales pitch which often contains the statement, "Only one stop." (Which makes you furiously say (Semi shout... like those walking people in the olympics... they do that funny walk but it's not quite a run), "No stops!"... which seems weird, to tell a taxi driver no to stop and also to insist that he goes on the meter rather then a fixed price... seems a dangerous recipie)... anyway, where was I... Ah yes, so innocuous questions lead to advice from the local about where to visit... 'Ah here we go, here's the sales pitch' I smugly thought with psudo-wisdom... but it didn't come to that... we just had a friendly conversation and they gave me advice about places to visit... it was a miraculous and beautiful moment where I could just relax and not tense up whenever a local started to talk to me:)
I met an English guy in the hostel and we walked around the city today... in a temple they has this garden with loads of buddist sayings hung on the trees... they were really interesting nuggest like, 'There is no saturating the fire with fuel' (still haven't worked that one out) and 'Constant dripping wears away the stone' (slightly easier to understand) ........ They even have a monk-chat thing (makes me imagine like a sex-line advert with monks pouting while on the phone) where you can sit and chat with the monks and ask them about their life and about buddist teachings etc... really interesting and I might have a proper sit-down with one some day before I leave (I did chat to one today but this was before I'd lost my tension about locals trying to tell me stuff so I sat with him feeling very uncomfortable and wondering what a monk might try to sell me... but they seem genuine and helpful and all so I might have a chat... also, in the temple, some lads were kicking around like a large hacky-sack kind of thing soing keepie uppies and it rolled to me and kicked it back... christ I wanted to play... it was like giving a coke addict a sniff... damn you, I'd love a kick-a-bout right now! :)
... Tonight we'll explore the night market and then maybe tomorrow my Italian friends Ullrika and Martina will pop over here and I can catch up with them (although me and the English lad have agreed to watch the football... what ever bloody game is on:)... also it's a festival here this weekend, everything looks like it's proper gearing up... I'm not really sure what happens but I've heard talk of those flying paper latern thingies... well when I see it I'll be able to divulge more and even post a couple of snaps... until then I'll go... probably for a nap:) (Oh how I love my new life as a cat... just sleeping and eating:)
Keep well all...
P.S. Congrats to Dave and Maz for winning the Twix and Milky Way respectivly for commenting on my blog:)
... ... The biggest surprise has been the people really... maybe you could sense that I was feeling a bit touchy about being badgered all the time by people selling stuff etc... making new friends until the moment it was clear I wasn't going to spend money... well in Chiang Mai people (locals) have come up to me... they have started innocous conversations ("Where are from?", "How long have been in Thailand?")... the kind of questions which usually lead to a sales pitch which often contains the statement, "Only one stop." (Which makes you furiously say (Semi shout... like those walking people in the olympics... they do that funny walk but it's not quite a run), "No stops!"... which seems weird, to tell a taxi driver no to stop and also to insist that he goes on the meter rather then a fixed price... seems a dangerous recipie)... anyway, where was I... Ah yes, so innocuous questions lead to advice from the local about where to visit... 'Ah here we go, here's the sales pitch' I smugly thought with psudo-wisdom... but it didn't come to that... we just had a friendly conversation and they gave me advice about places to visit... it was a miraculous and beautiful moment where I could just relax and not tense up whenever a local started to talk to me:)
I met an English guy in the hostel and we walked around the city today... in a temple they has this garden with loads of buddist sayings hung on the trees... they were really interesting nuggest like, 'There is no saturating the fire with fuel' (still haven't worked that one out) and 'Constant dripping wears away the stone' (slightly easier to understand) ........ They even have a monk-chat thing (makes me imagine like a sex-line advert with monks pouting while on the phone) where you can sit and chat with the monks and ask them about their life and about buddist teachings etc... really interesting and I might have a proper sit-down with one some day before I leave (I did chat to one today but this was before I'd lost my tension about locals trying to tell me stuff so I sat with him feeling very uncomfortable and wondering what a monk might try to sell me... but they seem genuine and helpful and all so I might have a chat... also, in the temple, some lads were kicking around like a large hacky-sack kind of thing soing keepie uppies and it rolled to me and kicked it back... christ I wanted to play... it was like giving a coke addict a sniff... damn you, I'd love a kick-a-bout right now! :)
... Tonight we'll explore the night market and then maybe tomorrow my Italian friends Ullrika and Martina will pop over here and I can catch up with them (although me and the English lad have agreed to watch the football... what ever bloody game is on:)... also it's a festival here this weekend, everything looks like it's proper gearing up... I'm not really sure what happens but I've heard talk of those flying paper latern thingies... well when I see it I'll be able to divulge more and even post a couple of snaps... until then I'll go... probably for a nap:) (Oh how I love my new life as a cat... just sleeping and eating:)
Keep well all...
P.S. Congrats to Dave and Maz for winning the Twix and Milky Way respectivly for commenting on my blog:)
Thursday 18 November 2010
Wednesday 17 November 2010
Plans yet to be put into action
Well here I am again... I'll try to blog to y'all now about stuff seeing as I'm in a better mood and less tired then the last few days... for the first time I've really had to "make plans" and sort things out... tonight I get a 12 hour overnight but to Chiang Mai and today and yesterday I have sorted out my Vietnam and Laos visas (I know I can get the Laos one at some boarders but I wanted to avoid the faff... also it was nice to have like a task for the day:)... I've changed my on going flights to allow me more time in South East Asia (although I'm still trying to make sure everything has been changed properly as the e-ticket thing has become quite complicated seeing as Joe isn't travelling with me any more yet is still listed as the 'lead passenger' on some parts of the ticket... a technicality, I'm sure (I was travelling with Joe but he had an accident in St.Petersburg which required brain surgery and so (obviously) he had to return home... so yeah, if anyone was wondering why I hadn't mentioned my travel mate, that is why! ... I know it sounds kind of vague but a blog isn't really the place to chat about all that stuff in St.Petersburg (what happens in St.Petersburg, stays in St.Petersburg... and all that crap) ... but in the future I'll regail/bore people with the story on a strictly face-to-face basis (although I'm not sure where video calls on skype fit into the strictness of that!... anyway, back to today))... so it's been good to assert my own plans on this trip although I was initially very reticent and probably will still worry a little until I'm actually out of Bangkok and then out of Thailand and putting these plans into action:) ... when I said goodbye to my parents and thought about the planning I needed to do and the visas I needed to aquire I felt a bit lost for a moment... I felt like a (not another bloody simile!) salmon who'd swam downstream with ease and wondered what all the fuss and worry was about, only to turn and see that he was meant to be going the other way and taking the harder route (that might go down as the worst simile so far... that's it, I'm giving them up for life!)... but that soon passed and I took action and it now feels like things are progressing:)
... that is not to suggest that I've not enjoyed Thailand, I really have... Koh Chang was great and I had a fantastic time here with my parents... but I'm totally bored of Bangkok... I've spent too long here and the Khao San Road is getting to me a bit... ... ... 'No I don't want a bloody wooden frog', 'No I don't want a friggin' laser pen', 'Of course your meter's not broken', 'you said the wifi was free'... so I'm looking forward to experiencing some new places... also it seems that I might meet the Italian girls from Koh Chang up north which will be really great because they were nice and seemed to find it funny when I spoke English in an Italian accent (they'll regret their (probably) fake laughs soon enough:)...
... Although I'm not in the Hostel-de-sex-festival this time, it seems aquard experiences seem to follow me about... There was a quite "flamboyant" waiter in a resturant I visited with my parents... we were pretty sure he was gay... he bantered with us and it was all quite funny... the day after my parents left I bumped into him working in a different resturant I went to for lunch... he asked where "Mum and Dad" were and seemed really interested and talkative... about halfway through the meal I got the feeling he was quite strongly cracking on to me... whenever I wanted to order something the waitress would always call him down to serve me even though he was meant to be working behind the bar... he kept sitting down to chat and touched me a lot... on the upper arm... I started to feel very uncomfortable... maybe he just wanted to be friends... and if so, well I'm ignorant... but I felt incredibly uncomfortable... I've never eaten rice so fast in my life!
... As for my time with my parents, it was good... we spent most of our time in Koh Chang (and I'm sure I've already gone on about that enough previously)... we then returned to Bangkok and I showed them the giant reclining buddha, the weekend market, MBK etc etc... ... ... ...
... and there we have it... I'm burnt out with this typing game... it's all gone for another day... When I have more input and stimulus greater blogging results will follow... Without all the necessary ingredients a cake just isn't a cake, and at the moment I'm a pancake... hopefully Chaing Mai will provide all that's necessary to turn this blogging pancake into a delicious victoria-sponge of a journal (Shit, another simile... damn my obtuse nature!)...
Keep well people:)
... that is not to suggest that I've not enjoyed Thailand, I really have... Koh Chang was great and I had a fantastic time here with my parents... but I'm totally bored of Bangkok... I've spent too long here and the Khao San Road is getting to me a bit... ... ... 'No I don't want a bloody wooden frog', 'No I don't want a friggin' laser pen', 'Of course your meter's not broken', 'you said the wifi was free'... so I'm looking forward to experiencing some new places... also it seems that I might meet the Italian girls from Koh Chang up north which will be really great because they were nice and seemed to find it funny when I spoke English in an Italian accent (they'll regret their (probably) fake laughs soon enough:)...
... Although I'm not in the Hostel-de-sex-festival this time, it seems aquard experiences seem to follow me about... There was a quite "flamboyant" waiter in a resturant I visited with my parents... we were pretty sure he was gay... he bantered with us and it was all quite funny... the day after my parents left I bumped into him working in a different resturant I went to for lunch... he asked where "Mum and Dad" were and seemed really interested and talkative... about halfway through the meal I got the feeling he was quite strongly cracking on to me... whenever I wanted to order something the waitress would always call him down to serve me even though he was meant to be working behind the bar... he kept sitting down to chat and touched me a lot... on the upper arm... I started to feel very uncomfortable... maybe he just wanted to be friends... and if so, well I'm ignorant... but I felt incredibly uncomfortable... I've never eaten rice so fast in my life!
... As for my time with my parents, it was good... we spent most of our time in Koh Chang (and I'm sure I've already gone on about that enough previously)... we then returned to Bangkok and I showed them the giant reclining buddha, the weekend market, MBK etc etc... ... ... ...
... and there we have it... I'm burnt out with this typing game... it's all gone for another day... When I have more input and stimulus greater blogging results will follow... Without all the necessary ingredients a cake just isn't a cake, and at the moment I'm a pancake... hopefully Chaing Mai will provide all that's necessary to turn this blogging pancake into a delicious victoria-sponge of a journal (Shit, another simile... damn my obtuse nature!)...
Keep well people:)
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