The South Part 2

    Phuket Island, as I had mentioned is a resort island full of beaches and sights for us tourists to explore. I made it to many beaches and waterfalls, as well as some religious structures here, all of which were awe inspiring in their beauty.

Kathu Waterfalls

Surin Beach

   Having a motorcycle while here is a great idea, besides not being harassed by the local tuk-tuk drivers at exorbitant costs, the convenience is second to none. You can decide to go somewhere and just jump on and go, which suits me pretty nicely. I am not much of a planner, so most of my excursions consisted of looking on my map app for beaches or waterfalls, I would choose one and go. I would also find other attractions as I was heading to some destinations, or getting lost and finding hidden gems (a few times).

Upside-down House

Colourful Giant I found

     December 8th is the King's birthday...or Dad's Day, as the locals call it. On the the following Saturday, there was an event for this called Bike for Dad, it attracted what seemed to be over half of the total population of the city, and the other half lined the streets to cheer them on. I was at a traffic circle taking in the festivities when right beside me a young boy crashed his bike and was at risk of getting crushed by a throng of cyclists coming right behind him. While not being too quick witted at times, this time, however, I was lightning fast at picking him and his bicycle off the street before any damage could come his way. I was humbled by the fact that many people came and patted me on the back to thank me, among them police officers and military personnel, was a good feeling to help out and to not witness a serious accident. I was glad to witness this event, but disappointed to learn that it was not used as a fundraiser to help the poor, as there is no lack of them here in Thailand.

Many took advantage to make this
a family event.

 

A very patriotic people in Thailand

   

    I found a bar/restaurant that catered mainly to 'Farangs', was a nice spot to meet westerners and chat about western society and to catch up on news from elsewhere. One evening, I met a man and his wife, He told me it was his birthday and was buying drinks as our conversation drifted to Canada. He was British, but told me he had been to A town in Ontario, where his life was changed and that his trip to Sarnia (we had to figure this out, as he forgot the name). Apparently he met this woman psychic and she encouraged him to pursue his hopes and dreams. He decided to try to write a book, which turned into a series of books, many of which were on the NY bestsellers list. His name: Phillip Kerr.

Phillip Kerr, author

    Went to several beaches, while here, one of them is called Kata beach, I was amazed at the waves, and at the surfers I saw there. The waves were pretty neat as the beach was not far from several others, which did not have such big waves. I enjoyed swimming into and body surfing here, was a good time.

A smaller wave here on Kata beach

    Phi Phi Island is a 3-4 hour ferry ride away, I decided to go for 1 night. A beautiful place with no roads, just paths, I saw a total of 2 vehicles, both were motos of which were used as a delivery vehicle and the other as a garbage pick up vehicle. Speaking of which, upon arrival, everybody was charged a 'garbage tax' as the disposal is quite a chore at a high expense.  I rented a kayak and went to 2 beaches, the first was 'Monkey Beach', where the monkeys come up to you and take water from you as you are encouraged not to feed them. The next beach was made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio film called The Beach. I had snorkeling gear here and the experience was second to none. It was like I was swimming in an aquarium, the water crystal clear and the fish were so beautifully coloured against the white corral and sand background.  The one day was too short, but I'd imagine 3 days would be maybe too long for me.

Monkey Beach, need to be careful, as these
guys will be aggressive

Leonardo DiCaprio....NO!!! I'ts me
 on Maya Bay beach, 

   Back to Phuket, then to Bangkok on my way back to Cambodia to spend time with my brother in Sihanoukville. A few days in Bangkok, this time in the Lat Phrao District, a nice area away from the downtown area. I visited a museum called the Jim Thompson House, I'm guessing it was named after some guy names Jim. Jim Thompson was an American soldier during WWII, who fell in love with SE Asia and decided to stay. He found Thai Silk and single handedly made it a worldwide phenomenon. He was also quite artsy and collected many artifacts and built a home from 6 different houses from different areas of Thailand and assembled them together to build this small compound near a canal, where his workers lived. He used this canal to check on them and to ensure his products were on time. On a trip in Malaysia in 1967, he went for a walk one day and disappeared. A mystery to this day, some say he was simply robbed and killed while others point to the US government and the FBI as the culprits for ending his life. I found a new mode of public transportation from the museum to my hotel. I took a ferry on the canal and ended up being a 10 minute walk to my room. 

One of the buildings at the
Jim Thompson Museum

This sphere is made of hundreds of silver
orbs, suspended by strings. Don't know
much about it, but was quite the
sight to behold

My canal ride, the boat you see is the
same as the one I'm in.

     Thanks for coming by to read my blog, I hope you enjoy my stories as much as I enjoy sharing them with you. Till next time :)

    

The South....Finally! Part 1

    Hi all, the Elephant Round-up was great, very happy I was able to experience it. Now it is time I go to where my original plan dictates. Phuket Island, Thailand and area promise to be a piece of paradise and I want to witness it first hand. I bus from Surin to Bangkok and catch a cab to my room for the night. I go online and book a flight with a Thai company and get the crazy rate of $30 to save me from a 12 hour($25) bus ride, I really love the costs of air travel here!

   I heard that the cost to get to Patong from the airport is about $20 by taxi...that's almost the same as the flight. I notice a counter with an ad for a mini van ride for $6 into Patong, I sign up and get to the van. The drive is about 45 minutes and has a 10 minute stop where you are asked which hotel you are staying and some people had a 5 minute sales pitch, for various tours around the island. The surprising thing about this ride, was that we were all dropped off directly to our hotels, what a treat :)

   My room was great, I had a balcony, fridge, air, king bed, big armoire and a safe(that didn't work...or I didn't work!).  I was a ten minute walk to the beach and 20 minutes from the famous Bangla Street Bar area. I was close to a few markets as well as many restaurants with various menus. I  have notice that my palette has evolved/devolved and I rarely look for for western foods now, not saying I wont eat it, I just no longer actively seek it at all.

view from my room on a rainy day

    I met someone there who worked in tourism and took me to various tourist stops around Patong, several temples/monuments, beach areas, scenic spots, as well as some local dinning establishments.

It was great to have her as a guide around town showing me some places that were not the 'hot' spots, but were none the less spectacular. I saw many beaches, some large, some small and void of travelers, a local or two and maybe a few wading fishermen.

Big Buddha, on a big hill

     Patong is a nice place with 2 beaches of it's own and a pub street with with over 10 side Sois with more pubs and bars.These pubs are all closed until the evening when this area really comes to life. In all, there are hundreds of bars to choose from on Bangla Road, but most are quite similar with many staff dancing on the bars for the entertainment of their patrons. This is purely for the tourists who flock here by the thousands seeking something different, and this is certainly where they'll find it.

Bangla Road, Patong early
enough to avoid the crowds

   Well, the crowds of Patong is only bearable for a short time, so I packed up and moved to Pucket City, a quiet town about 45 minutes from Patong and central on Phuket Island. I found a guesthouse and after 2 days in town, decided to stay for a month. The cost efficient way to stay in SE Asia, my $200 rent was  1/3 of the cost of staying on a daily basis. I rented a motorbike and traveled the island during my stay. Most every place on the Island was less than an hour away, and about 30-40 minutes to get back...I often got lost on my way out. The 30 plus beaches are what this island is all about, there are many to choose from and most are on the east side of the island, perhaps for the spectacular sunsets. The beaches vary in as far as population goes, from overcrowded at Patong beach, to almost deserted at at Mai Khao beach. The beaches are great, but not the only natural attractions in Phuket, there are also many jungles and waterfalls, all of which are just amazing.

Bang Pae Waterfall 

Nai Yang beach...if you look
close, you might see an airplane

   Phuket town is nice spot to be, I was close to everything I needed, my room was cheap ($200/mth) and I found a great little Viet restaurant that served up some great food, my daily lunch of Pho and a Pepsi cost me about two dollars and was very filling. I would also discover the Pizza Company, who made pretty good pie...so I had a few of those while here.  The best places were the stalls at the markets, where you sat at a plastic table on the road and ate great food with just enough spice to make my nose start to run a little and maybe a cough or two.


   One of my first road trips while here was close by...Monkey Hill, maybe about 20 minutes from my room...you guessed it, up a hill. The Maps App on my phone was the best thing ever invented...for me on this great adventure. I make it to the top and park my bike and say hi to the monkeys hanging around. There are three levels of monkeys here, There are 3-4 large males, who dominate the others and also control the food coming in...to an extent. I had peanuts to share, and had to do some maneuvering to give some to the others. The medium sized monkeys were a little scared of the big ones, but they were fast enough to dart in and out with their reward at times. These guys were also brave enough to climb up on me when I held the peanuts high. The cutest ones were the tiny ones...these little guys were pretty shy and all the other monkeys intimidated them, so the best I could do was toss them a nut while the others were busy. I was also fortunate enough to meet a mother and her baby there...the baby clinging to her almost the whole time, but did pose for me, briefly, which I really appreciated.

A large monkey getting a bite while a small guy looks on

The medium monkeys were very active here

Mama and her babe

    I still have much of this island to explore, as well as Phi-phi Island, I am going to talk of those adventures soon, as I have been slow to post this one. I have a few interesting stories coming up soon that you will hopefully enjoy as I did experiencing them. As always, Thanks for reading.

Thailand....South...right?

     So, now is the time I explore the south of Thailand. I get a flight to Bangkok, and meet a really nice guy from California, Chris. Chris has been exploring China lately, but has been in Thailand on and off for years. In Bangkok for a few days, until I figure out how to get to Phuket, bus, train, or plane.

    Then it occurs to me...the Elephant festival in Surin, I'm here (Thailand) and that is one of the major festivals, I should go. I catch a bus and make my way to the Guesthouse I had been at he last time here. A room is available, but for the week-end coming up, nothing. I'll worry about that later. I make my way around town, figuring out my plans for the festival, there is a parade and breakfast spread for the elephants to kick start the weekend, so I gotta be ready Saturday morning.

    Thursday I decide to go out into the countryside to check out some of the rice farm activities, as it is the time of the harvest.  I get a bus and a Song-taow (pick-up with benches in back) and head out for the evening.

the roads are covered with these tarps

I see many farmers and their harvests, or some of it, soaking in the hot sun out here. The rice is drying and then it is bagged and sold at the rice markets all over the northern provinces. I meet a guy who sort of walks me through the process in broken english and hand signals...and a lot of laughs. I ask him about catching a song-taow back to town and his eyes widen a bit. He starts to laugh and then tells me there is none tonight. It's the boonies and there aren't any after 6. He tells me not to worry as he has a neighbor who will take me in for the night.  I go with him and the neighbors are excited to have me there. I am served some fried chicken and rice (my favorite meal out here) and then we sort of just look at each other and the man gestures and points and mumbles something. I feel quite comfortable here, other than the communication gap, my hosts are quite pleasant. A few neighborhood kids, and adults come to see the 'farang' but nothing extraordinary happens, only the good will of some strangers to a foreigner, a beautiful people.

I was embarrassed to take photos of
my hosts' home, so I snuck one in 

    The next morning, the man drove me to where the song-taow would come by. He thanked me when I was trying to thank him, was quite an experience. The song-taow came by about ten minutes later, with a few people already in. I sat down and a few stops later we were crowded. I gave up my seat and made my way to the back, so I could stand on a small platform out the back of the truck. I'd like to say I was forward thinking, but it was just dumb-luck as there were so many people on this vehicle, I was thinking sardines, or clowns. Most of us goth off at the end, where we all went our separate ways on buses heading to different towns or  schools, as there were a good deal of students.

Song-taow
Song is two Taow is row
two rows of benches

was squishy inside, lucky I was out back
on a small metal grating...safety first

     Back to Surin and planning for the morning of the parade. I figure out where I will park myself so I can witness the 'breakfast' offered to the elephants and settle in for the night. I tell my landlady of my plans and she informs me that the 'breakfast' is really a dinner, and they had it last night. Nooooo!!!! Oh well,I have more time for my breakfast and to go to the show. 

    The show at the stadium was well worth the trip here, there were wars, soccer matches, a special dedicated portion to the Royal Family and to top it off there was a White elephant, which are quite rare and very holy here. I had mentioned seeing it later and was told it was a fake, but only because the speaker was jealous, he told me so himself.

Opening ceremonies

Royal March

War

Soccer match

The White Elephant in the room

   I spent another few days in Surin, often seeing the elephants walking around town, I suppose they like to kick back and relax as well. Next stop....Phuket!!!

Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Phrom Temple

The reason so many people come to Cambodia, and Siem Reap are the Ancient Temples. Angkor Wat is among the Wonders of the World. I have now been and, like many before me, left with a sense of awe.

At the moat's edge,

The classic photo of Angkor Wat

Library

All over the walls are stories of valiance 

The artwork here is just amazing

Between Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom was a gang of monkeys waiting for unsuspecting passer-biers to get whatever they could get, also there's a girl selling bananas there. 

This guy got fed up with me after this shot

Angkor Thom is a series of smaller temples, the most famous being the ones with the many faces,

Entrance to Angkor Thom

Theses are 2 different sculptures
my guide told me to position to give
headless lion a face

Next was the Ta PhromTemple made famous by Angelina Joli in her role as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. It's the temple that has been taken by the jungle, it is quite a sight to behold

You have to walk about 10 minutes in the
jungle to get to the buildings