Friday, July 30, 2010—Don Khon Island
I’m still serving as nurse to my neighbor. She didn’t do enough yesterday to try to treat her foot. For instance, she only put ice on it once. This morning I asked about a doctor, but the nearest one is in Pakse (which is 3 hours from hear after getting off the island by boat). I searched on the Internet and found a site that led me through a flow chart based on what happened and what her symptoms are. From it, she needs to use the ice and take anti-inflammatory medication. Today, I set up a schedule for her to take Ibuprofen (which I carry with me when I travel) and to use ice on her foot regularly throughout the day. She needs someone like me not just to push her to do that, but because she can do nothing away from our front porch or her room. Therefore, I went across the street to get a coffee for her breakfast. I went out to get the ice each time it was needed. It would be difficult for her without someone like me around. And I don’t see how she can leave the island until she can at least put some weight on the foot. The only way to leave is by boat, and there is no pier. The boats dock nose-first toward the grassy bank. To get into the boat involves going down the embankment, stepping onto the front of the boat, and moving down it to the seats. The only way anyone could lift her into a boat would be to walk out into water waist deep.
This is a quiet island, so there was nothing else special for me to do for the day. I did go out for a walk for about 1 1/2 hours in the late morning. Because we got lots of rain in the night, there were more puddles on the trails than I encountered yesterday. I had to turn back on one trail.
We’ve had a steady stream of people coming to the island today. All but one of the units has rented here at our guesthouse. It would have rented except for the fact that the people coming either wanted two beds instead of one big one or were in parties where they needed more than one room. I’ve been a bit surprised that a number of the people seem to be younger backpackers. This is supposed to be the island for the more mature set. One group of young women who “drug” themselves to our complex around noon (meaning that they were exhausted still from whatever they did last night), closed the door, and remained in their room all afternoon. My guess is that they will be expecting to party most of the night tonight. I just hope it won’t be in their room or on their front porch.
My current book is The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff. It is so good that I am trying to drag the experience out by reading only a little at a time. It’s based on the true story of the first man who had transsexual surgery. He was a known Danish painter. Nicole Kidman is producing a film based on the book and will play the title character with Charlize Theron as the wife he married while still a man. Having read 40% of the book already, my guess is that if they film is well made it will result in multiple Academy Award nominations. The film isn't due to be released until 2012 at the present time.
Most of my reading has been done in the hammock on the front porch. I use one foot on the floor to swing myself while reading. It’s a great day to spend a lazy afternoon with an occasional thundershower passing.
A young French couple checked into the bungalow next to us. They are nice. And they had a novel my neighbor could read to help her pass the time. They will be here for 3 days, so they can help her if I leave on Sunday as I am thinking of doing. The young man is quite interesting. His father is a researcher, so they lived in places like Senegal, Bolivia, and Austin, Texas, when he was young. He talked to me about his days at Barton Springs and his trip to San Antonio including the Riverwalk.
I helped my neighbor get her dinner ordered from across the street. Then I went down the village to a new place for mine. I sat on a deck overlooking the Mekong River. Across the channel of the river was the island of Don Dhet with the lights of its restaurants and guest houses. To the south where the river was flowing was a huge cloud bank with lightning occurring. I sat at a table with a lighted candle. I ate my food and drank my beer while enjoying the view and the isolation. I was the only customer. I don’t know where most people eat here, but the restaurants in either direction of my guest house tend to have at the most one table of diners between the hours of 19:00 and 20:00. The street lights go off at 20:00, so it becomes very difficult to see after that. My restaurant tonight was beyond the area of the street lights, so when I returned, I took off my shoes in case I should step into a big puddle from all the rain today.
My neighbor is using ice again now. She took another ibuprofen earlier and will take one at bedtime. I am hoping she will feel better tomorrow. Another of our neighbors brought some Tiger Balm for her to use, although I think that is mainly for sore muscles and may not be any help for her. It won’t hurt her, however.
Saturday, July 31, 2010—Don Khon
People here still live much like people did 150 years ago. They live in homes they have built themselves by making the woven cane sides and palm frond roofs. They still make things like baskets that they use in their daily life. They bathe and do their laundry in the river. They go to the river to get buckets of water to bring back to their homes for their needs there. They cook with wood. Their lives are modernized in that most of them have satellite TV, radios/CD players and motorcycles and most of them buy commercial clothing, some building products such as wood and certain food products such as noodles or bread. Of course, they still grow everything to eat that they can in their gardens.
I went walking for 1 1/2 hours this morning starting at 6:30. It was only the local people who were out then. They were bathing, plowing their fields, picking fresh vegetables from the garden, etc. That time of the day they usually have their privacy, since tourists aren’t out so early. I was able to take a couple of candid photos which is almost impossible to do during the daytime. Using my zoom lens and taking them before they were aware that a tourist was anywhere near, I got a photo of a guy plowing his field with a water buffalo and another of a man making a large basket.
I haven’t been able to connect to the Internet since about 20:00 last night. I am connected to the router, but I cannot get web pages. My guess is that their modem has lost its connection and needs to be rebooted. I keep trying occasionally. I just hope that they haven’t noticed me on their service and done something to block me. If so, however, I don’t think I would be able to connect to the router. I just need one of the guests over there to try to use the Internet and report the problem or for one of their employees to try to go online to check reservations via e-mail.
I think I will leave tomorrow. I had originally planned to stay here 3 days, and tonight is the third night. I’m starting to be bored here. My neighbor is still in bed as I write this at 8:34. But I hope her foot will be better and that it will continue to improve today. My fear is that she is going to want to leave when I do which I think will be too early for her. But she said yesterday she would not be able to be here without my help—going to get the ice, going to get food, etc. I am hoping she will be a bit better for moving around and decide she can handle it on her own while realizing that she needs to get better before trying to get on that boat. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to try to get her onto and off of the boat until she can walk on her own and balance herself when walking. With a limp, I’m afraid she would rock the boat and maybe turn it over..
A man in the van coming here told me the other day that Thailand is giving 60-day visas for free from here in Laos to try to promote tourism in Thailand. When I get to Savannakhet, my next stop, I plan to go to the consulate and ask about it. If so, I won’t have to stay in Laos so long. There are more places I would like to visit in Thailand than I will have time to visit based upon the limitation of 15 days that I would normally get for entering via a land border. If I can get the free visa, I can cross back over with maybe 20-21 days remaining before my flight and not have to stretch out my time here in Laos as I had planned to do.
As I waited for the Internet to be on again and for my neighbor to get up, I had my own accident. I got my book from my room and reclined in my hammock to read. I had read no more than two sentences when I suddenly fell to the floor of the porch with a loud thud. The fall was about 1/2-3/4 meter (1 1/2 to 2 feet). I hit flat on my back with the knot from the hammock hitting on my spine between my shoulders. The back of my head also bumped against the floor. It was more of a surprise than a painful experience. I was sure that would awaken my neighbor, but she didn’t come out. Later, however, both she and the neighbors in the next-door bungalow said they heard the noise.
Since I had no hammock anymore, I decided to go down the street to where I had seen a tourist having a tuna sandwich for breakfast and ordered one for me, too. Oh, it was so delicious. She sliced a French baguette, put it in an oven to warm, then she lined it with sliced cucumber and sliced tomato. She spread lettuce and onion down the middle. Then she layered it with tuna from a tin. I sprinkled it with chile sauce and then spread mayonnaise on top of that. It was juicy and messy, but it was so tasty and refreshing!!
When I returned, my neighbor was up and was excited about her foot being better. The swelling had gone down some, and she cautiously took a couple of steps limping. I showed her the photo of my sandwich, and she asked me to go there and get her one and another bag of ice.
It wasn’t until noon that the Internet was working again. I was able to log-on and read an e-mail from Merryl telling me what the woman should be doing. The only thing she had not already been doing was putting compression on it. We didn’t have a stretch bandage for wrapping it, so she put her mid-top sneaker on the foot and laced it as tight as she could while remaining comfortable. Then she continued sitting with it raised above the level of her heart.
I spent the next couple of hours on the computer reading e-mail and newspapers and researching my next stop on my itinerary. I don’t have a guidebook for Laos. Instead, I have pages I copied and printed from Wikitravel and other online sources. The result is that I have needed maps that were not available there. For each town, I have been searching online and making my own hand-drawn maps. So I searched for Savannakhet and found a good map with references to hotels and tourist sights. I made a hand-drawn version which includes my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice places to stay and shows the location of the tourist office, the Thai consulate (for trying to get a visa), the location of a cyber café in case I need it, etc.
As I was finishing that at 14:30, my neighbor announced that she felt like walking across the street to the restaurant for a different view and to have a cup of coffee. She made it fine on her own, so she is now improving quickly. She announced that she would be going over there for dinner tonight, too. I know she overheard me telling the owner that I would be leaving tomorrow when I paid her for tonight, so I imagine that my coming departure has been a factor in her deciding to make these excursions.
Heavy rain came around 16:15 with her still over there. I was in my repaired hammock reading. My plan is to find a place to eat tonight, reorganize my suitcase, and plan on leaving tomorrow morning on the 11:00 boat, the only one that connects to the departure of the van for Savannaket. The only negative aspect of it all is that we will not arrive there until 18:30 with only about 30 more minutes of sunlight. But with my potential guest houses marked on a map, I don't expect a problem finding my way to them so that I can choose on and check in for the night.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Playing Nurse's Assistant in Don Khon
Wednesday, July 28, 2010--Pakse (Continued)
After leaving the cyber cafe, I walked out to the edge of town to try to get a massage at a physiotherapy place I had read about. When I got there, there were two problems: 1) Their prices were much higher than had been quoted where I had read about the place, and they had only women to give the massage. Here in Asia, I am not comfortable getting a massage from a woman. Too often there is a hope of selling sexual favors as a part of such a massage. Therefore, I just walked back into town.
I tried to connect with the young man from last night to go have Vietnamese food. But he was not at his business. Instead, I went to a place nearby for soup. It was a mistake. Although many local people were there, the soup was not good. It had rice rather than noodles which was not a problem. The problem was the meat. I am not sure what it was, but it was tough and was something like tongue or some other "unique" part of an animal. After that, I stopped for a steamed dessert bun, but it was disappointing, too. I got one with taro inside, and it was too starchy tasting for me to enjoy it.
Crossing the border from Thailand to Laos, there are great differences. I find it interesting how borders affect genes, lifestyles, politics, etc. Houses in Laos are still made of wood or woven cane for the most part and are up on stilts. In Thailand, such homes have mostly been replaced by concrete ones (which tend to be hotter). People in Laos are much lighter in skin color than those in eastern Thailand, and there is more of a yellow tinge to their skin. As far as politics is concerned, I see far more poor people in Laos than in Thailand, although eastern Thailand has a great number of poor people. In Laos, I cannot see that the communist government has been effective in improving life. It may have evened the situation out so that everyone is at the same level of poverty (unless a government official), but there has been no great economic progress here under Communism.
Thursday, July 29, 2010--Pakse to Don Khon
The alarm was necessary for this morning. I set it for 6:30 so that I could be out of my hotel by 7:10. Supposedly, my van was leaving at 7:30. Of course, when I got there I was told to relax and wait. We didn't leave until almost 7:50! And it was a full van with 12 of us westerners going to either Don Dhet or Don Khon (see links in post from yesterday). Most of the passengers were young backpackers who apparently had been partying most of the night as backpackers tend to do. They were trying to sleep the whole way. There were four of us who were alert, a man about my age from southern England, another man in his late 30s/early 40s from northern England, and a woman about my age from France. Of the group, the four of us headed for Don Khon, the "quiet, peaceful" island. The backpackers all headed for Don Dhet which is the "party" island known for drug usage, bars, full moon parties, etc.
To get here, the van turned off the main highway and came about 3 km (1.8 miles) on a dirt road to the Mekong River bank. There, we transferred to long boats to bring us to our respective islands.
Don Khon has no paved roads. There is a narrow road (for motorcycles and walkers) around the island, and even narrower trails that cut across the island. The villages are small. They consist mostly of woven cane houses on stilts and the occasional wooden house. The main village where the boat landed has several small guest houses consisting mostly of bungalows made from woven cane and wood. The banks of the island have coconut palm trees. It is scenic and VERY rural. I can imagine that someone who fought in the Vietnam War could come here and say that the villages remind him of the ones that existed in that country then. People are very friendly. Everyone says, "Sabadee," (Hello) as you pass their home on the trails. I walked those trails for a couple of hours this afternoon.
I booked myself into a guest house that had been recommended on a travel guide on the Internet--the Bounphan Pan Guest House. It has simple wooden/woven cane bungalows (duplexes) on stilts with fan, cold water shower, private bath, mosquito net, large bed, and hammock on the front veranda and costs $3.60 per night. My duplex neighbor is a French-Vietnamese woman--born to a father who was half French/half Vietnamese and a mother who was Vietnamese. What's interesting, however, is that she was born in Pakse here in Laos. Her parents had moved here to avoid the war in Vietnam. They left Pakse for France when she was 5 years old and she has lived outside of Paris since then. She has just made her first trip back to Pakse and said she could remember where the house was that she had lived in as a girl.
It's because of her that I titled this post as I did. She had an accident on a bicycle today. Her left food is swollen, and she cannot walk on it. Therefore, I have been nursemaid to her. I told her that I had seen a pharmacy as I walked, and told her I would go to get whatever she needed. Well, she had bandages and things, but she had no ointment for swelling. She had tried ice with no success. I went to the pharmacy which was so very tiny. There were two shelves of medications with each shelf being about 1.5 meters (1 1/2 yards) long. But he understood that she needed an ointment for swelling of the foot and had something he sold me. I also went down the pathway to ask about buses to Vientiane from here for her, since she thinks she will have to leave here and go to the city as soon as she can hobble on her food. Later, I went across the street to a restaurant and ordered food for her and brought it to her. We've talked quite a bit, although her English is limited.
After taking care of her, I went across to the same restaurant and had fried rice with pork and a large beer. The owner and her family apparently had been celebrating with the money from the two of us who checked in today. I could see 11 empty large bottles (640 ml) of beer at the table occupied by her and five of her family members. She seemed a bit wobbly. That's why I ordered a simple fried rice dish.
While I was out running those errands for my neighbor, I had a pleasant surprise. I saw a young man and woman opening a laptop trying to connect to wi-fi. They were able to do so. They said they had heard there was free wi-fi in the center of the village. But my guess it that it is from the fancy resort there that is located here and charges $45 per night for a bungalow. Well, my cheap guest house is just next door to it, so I tried connecting. I got online--barely, with only 1 bar showing the quality of the connection. Anyway, that is why I am able to post right now.
After leaving the cyber cafe, I walked out to the edge of town to try to get a massage at a physiotherapy place I had read about. When I got there, there were two problems: 1) Their prices were much higher than had been quoted where I had read about the place, and they had only women to give the massage. Here in Asia, I am not comfortable getting a massage from a woman. Too often there is a hope of selling sexual favors as a part of such a massage. Therefore, I just walked back into town.
I tried to connect with the young man from last night to go have Vietnamese food. But he was not at his business. Instead, I went to a place nearby for soup. It was a mistake. Although many local people were there, the soup was not good. It had rice rather than noodles which was not a problem. The problem was the meat. I am not sure what it was, but it was tough and was something like tongue or some other "unique" part of an animal. After that, I stopped for a steamed dessert bun, but it was disappointing, too. I got one with taro inside, and it was too starchy tasting for me to enjoy it.
Crossing the border from Thailand to Laos, there are great differences. I find it interesting how borders affect genes, lifestyles, politics, etc. Houses in Laos are still made of wood or woven cane for the most part and are up on stilts. In Thailand, such homes have mostly been replaced by concrete ones (which tend to be hotter). People in Laos are much lighter in skin color than those in eastern Thailand, and there is more of a yellow tinge to their skin. As far as politics is concerned, I see far more poor people in Laos than in Thailand, although eastern Thailand has a great number of poor people. In Laos, I cannot see that the communist government has been effective in improving life. It may have evened the situation out so that everyone is at the same level of poverty (unless a government official), but there has been no great economic progress here under Communism.
Thursday, July 29, 2010--Pakse to Don Khon
The alarm was necessary for this morning. I set it for 6:30 so that I could be out of my hotel by 7:10. Supposedly, my van was leaving at 7:30. Of course, when I got there I was told to relax and wait. We didn't leave until almost 7:50! And it was a full van with 12 of us westerners going to either Don Dhet or Don Khon (see links in post from yesterday). Most of the passengers were young backpackers who apparently had been partying most of the night as backpackers tend to do. They were trying to sleep the whole way. There were four of us who were alert, a man about my age from southern England, another man in his late 30s/early 40s from northern England, and a woman about my age from France. Of the group, the four of us headed for Don Khon, the "quiet, peaceful" island. The backpackers all headed for Don Dhet which is the "party" island known for drug usage, bars, full moon parties, etc.
To get here, the van turned off the main highway and came about 3 km (1.8 miles) on a dirt road to the Mekong River bank. There, we transferred to long boats to bring us to our respective islands.
Don Khon has no paved roads. There is a narrow road (for motorcycles and walkers) around the island, and even narrower trails that cut across the island. The villages are small. They consist mostly of woven cane houses on stilts and the occasional wooden house. The main village where the boat landed has several small guest houses consisting mostly of bungalows made from woven cane and wood. The banks of the island have coconut palm trees. It is scenic and VERY rural. I can imagine that someone who fought in the Vietnam War could come here and say that the villages remind him of the ones that existed in that country then. People are very friendly. Everyone says, "Sabadee," (Hello) as you pass their home on the trails. I walked those trails for a couple of hours this afternoon.
I booked myself into a guest house that had been recommended on a travel guide on the Internet--the Bounphan Pan Guest House. It has simple wooden/woven cane bungalows (duplexes) on stilts with fan, cold water shower, private bath, mosquito net, large bed, and hammock on the front veranda and costs $3.60 per night. My duplex neighbor is a French-Vietnamese woman--born to a father who was half French/half Vietnamese and a mother who was Vietnamese. What's interesting, however, is that she was born in Pakse here in Laos. Her parents had moved here to avoid the war in Vietnam. They left Pakse for France when she was 5 years old and she has lived outside of Paris since then. She has just made her first trip back to Pakse and said she could remember where the house was that she had lived in as a girl.
It's because of her that I titled this post as I did. She had an accident on a bicycle today. Her left food is swollen, and she cannot walk on it. Therefore, I have been nursemaid to her. I told her that I had seen a pharmacy as I walked, and told her I would go to get whatever she needed. Well, she had bandages and things, but she had no ointment for swelling. She had tried ice with no success. I went to the pharmacy which was so very tiny. There were two shelves of medications with each shelf being about 1.5 meters (1 1/2 yards) long. But he understood that she needed an ointment for swelling of the foot and had something he sold me. I also went down the pathway to ask about buses to Vientiane from here for her, since she thinks she will have to leave here and go to the city as soon as she can hobble on her food. Later, I went across the street to a restaurant and ordered food for her and brought it to her. We've talked quite a bit, although her English is limited.
After taking care of her, I went across to the same restaurant and had fried rice with pork and a large beer. The owner and her family apparently had been celebrating with the money from the two of us who checked in today. I could see 11 empty large bottles (640 ml) of beer at the table occupied by her and five of her family members. She seemed a bit wobbly. That's why I ordered a simple fried rice dish.
While I was out running those errands for my neighbor, I had a pleasant surprise. I saw a young man and woman opening a laptop trying to connect to wi-fi. They were able to do so. They said they had heard there was free wi-fi in the center of the village. But my guess it that it is from the fancy resort there that is located here and charges $45 per night for a bungalow. Well, my cheap guest house is just next door to it, so I tried connecting. I got online--barely, with only 1 bar showing the quality of the connection. Anyway, that is why I am able to post right now.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Resting in Pakse, Laos
Tuesday, July 27, 2010—Pakse (Continued)
Laos will be a bit more expensive than Thailand, especially when it comes to food. They have to import almost everything from Thailand, China, and other places. Meals, therefore, will cost a about 50-100% more here. Also, free water is not provided at the sidewalk restaurants here; so it is necessary to buy a bottle of water to go with meals. Tonight, I ate at a local place similar to where I have been eating in Thailand. I had chicken-rice with basil—a plate of rice topped with chicken, basil, and other vegetables cooked in a sauce and served with a fried egg on top. It was similar to the meals I have paid 95 cents for in Thailand. Here, it was $1.45. Plus I had to pay another 36 cents for a small bottle of water. Afterward, I went exploring at a nearby supermarket, and items such as water, peanuts, cookies, etc., that I have bought in Thailand were priced about 30-50% more here. I can’t tell much yet about housing, but my room here in Pakse costs as much as the most expensive place I stayed outside of Bangkok, yet it lacks a refrigerator and wi-fi which I often had there. Therefore, my guess is that I will be paying more for less in terms of housing here.
I met a very nice young man tonight and visited with him for at least 30 minutes. I walked around a corner while searching for a place to eat, and he said hello. We started to talk. His English was excellent. As time passed, I learned that he is originally from the Cambodia/Vietnam border area, but that his family has been here for many years. He operates a used clothing business and worked for a hotel in Cambodia before returning here. I told him that with his good English and bright personality, I imagined he would be successful at anything. With a smile, his quick comment was that a person has to help himself—that no one else was going to do it for him. And I get the impression that that he will be fine in life. I asked him some questions about where certain streets were located on the map which has many unnamed ones, where some good places to eat local food are, etc. It started raining, so we continued to talk until it passed. He suggested that I return Wednesday night around 18:00 so that we could go together to an inexpensive Vietnamese restaurant where he often eats.
After eating and going to the supermarket, I walked along the Mekong River to see what was there. Unfortunately, the city has not taken advantage of it. For several blocks, there are government buildings and then a bus station and strip center with bars that have their backs turned to it. The bars had tables out front facing the paved parking area! Past that, however, there is a short stretch of stalls set up on a promenade on the bluff above the river. They sell only drinks and snacks, however, and the customers sit at small plastic tables and chairs that seem to have been designed for children.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010—Pakse
Today is a resting day. I was so tired last night that I turned off the TV and the lights and went to sleep at 21:00! I’m glad I didn’t plan to travel further today. I still feel sluggish.
Ratachek, the young man I met last night, had told me in response to my questions about the French-Lao sandwiches I wanted to try that they are sold only in the mornings until about 10:00. So after watching the news on CNN and showering and shaving, I went out at 9:15 to a street where he had recommended I go. I found a nice looking lady who was selling them and bought one. She sliced open a fresh, crusty loaf of French bread about 30 cm (12 inches) long. She spread a thick, dark, grainy looking Lao-style pâté (Can’t believe I figured out how to do those special characters with my Chinese language version of Windows) along the bottom half of the loaf, she added a line of chopped pieces of pork, she squirted some soy sauce, she looked for my approval before squirting a line of chile sauce, she looked again before inserting a spoonful of crushed red pepper, then she added a line of picked onions, carrots, and thin shreds of cabbage. She wrapped the bottom half of the sandwich in a thick piece of paper and put a rubber band around it to hold it in place. Then she placed the sandwich in a plastic bag. I brought it back to my hotel and sat on the patio to eat it. It was wonderful.
Tomorrow I plan to go south from here to an area known as the 4000 Islands. It is an area of the Mekong River with rapids, waterfalls, and many small islands. I will be visiting two of the islands for the next 4-6 days—Don Dhet and Don Khon which are side-by-side and connected by a bridge. I’m writing about it today because I am unsure of my chances of being on the Internet there. Don Dhet has no power system; they use generators. If I understand correctly, Don Khon got power about a year ago. (But that has to be qualified. There is another island called Don Khong, and that could have been the place that got electricity, since it is larger and more populated.) I may find cyber cafes and be able to post to the blog, but I may have problems. The two islands have distinctly different personalities. Don Khon is the “quiet” island where I plan to stay at first. I think that mostly mature travelers go there. Don Dhet is popular with the backpackers and is known as a “party” island. In fact, it is said that there are places there where any food—a milk shake, pancakes, etc., can be ordered in “happy” form for an extra 50 cents. Think of backpackers as the modern form of hippies to figure out what that means. My guess is that I will have opportunities to post to the Internet at least on Don Dhet where there are more tourists, but that no place where I stay will have wi-fi. I’ll have to go to cyber cafes based on the hours that they have electricity and when they have computers available. It should help that the partiers will probably sleep a lot later than I will, but that only helps if the cyber café owners open early and haven’t been out partying also!
After going to the cyber café this afternoon, I may go to a local physiotherapy place that is said to have massage and sauna for about $3. Then I think I will go fetch Ratachek to eat Vietnamese food.
Laos will be a bit more expensive than Thailand, especially when it comes to food. They have to import almost everything from Thailand, China, and other places. Meals, therefore, will cost a about 50-100% more here. Also, free water is not provided at the sidewalk restaurants here; so it is necessary to buy a bottle of water to go with meals. Tonight, I ate at a local place similar to where I have been eating in Thailand. I had chicken-rice with basil—a plate of rice topped with chicken, basil, and other vegetables cooked in a sauce and served with a fried egg on top. It was similar to the meals I have paid 95 cents for in Thailand. Here, it was $1.45. Plus I had to pay another 36 cents for a small bottle of water. Afterward, I went exploring at a nearby supermarket, and items such as water, peanuts, cookies, etc., that I have bought in Thailand were priced about 30-50% more here. I can’t tell much yet about housing, but my room here in Pakse costs as much as the most expensive place I stayed outside of Bangkok, yet it lacks a refrigerator and wi-fi which I often had there. Therefore, my guess is that I will be paying more for less in terms of housing here.
I met a very nice young man tonight and visited with him for at least 30 minutes. I walked around a corner while searching for a place to eat, and he said hello. We started to talk. His English was excellent. As time passed, I learned that he is originally from the Cambodia/Vietnam border area, but that his family has been here for many years. He operates a used clothing business and worked for a hotel in Cambodia before returning here. I told him that with his good English and bright personality, I imagined he would be successful at anything. With a smile, his quick comment was that a person has to help himself—that no one else was going to do it for him. And I get the impression that that he will be fine in life. I asked him some questions about where certain streets were located on the map which has many unnamed ones, where some good places to eat local food are, etc. It started raining, so we continued to talk until it passed. He suggested that I return Wednesday night around 18:00 so that we could go together to an inexpensive Vietnamese restaurant where he often eats.
After eating and going to the supermarket, I walked along the Mekong River to see what was there. Unfortunately, the city has not taken advantage of it. For several blocks, there are government buildings and then a bus station and strip center with bars that have their backs turned to it. The bars had tables out front facing the paved parking area! Past that, however, there is a short stretch of stalls set up on a promenade on the bluff above the river. They sell only drinks and snacks, however, and the customers sit at small plastic tables and chairs that seem to have been designed for children.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010—Pakse
Today is a resting day. I was so tired last night that I turned off the TV and the lights and went to sleep at 21:00! I’m glad I didn’t plan to travel further today. I still feel sluggish.
Ratachek, the young man I met last night, had told me in response to my questions about the French-Lao sandwiches I wanted to try that they are sold only in the mornings until about 10:00. So after watching the news on CNN and showering and shaving, I went out at 9:15 to a street where he had recommended I go. I found a nice looking lady who was selling them and bought one. She sliced open a fresh, crusty loaf of French bread about 30 cm (12 inches) long. She spread a thick, dark, grainy looking Lao-style pâté (Can’t believe I figured out how to do those special characters with my Chinese language version of Windows) along the bottom half of the loaf, she added a line of chopped pieces of pork, she squirted some soy sauce, she looked for my approval before squirting a line of chile sauce, she looked again before inserting a spoonful of crushed red pepper, then she added a line of picked onions, carrots, and thin shreds of cabbage. She wrapped the bottom half of the sandwich in a thick piece of paper and put a rubber band around it to hold it in place. Then she placed the sandwich in a plastic bag. I brought it back to my hotel and sat on the patio to eat it. It was wonderful.
Tomorrow I plan to go south from here to an area known as the 4000 Islands. It is an area of the Mekong River with rapids, waterfalls, and many small islands. I will be visiting two of the islands for the next 4-6 days—Don Dhet and Don Khon which are side-by-side and connected by a bridge. I’m writing about it today because I am unsure of my chances of being on the Internet there. Don Dhet has no power system; they use generators. If I understand correctly, Don Khon got power about a year ago. (But that has to be qualified. There is another island called Don Khong, and that could have been the place that got electricity, since it is larger and more populated.) I may find cyber cafes and be able to post to the blog, but I may have problems. The two islands have distinctly different personalities. Don Khon is the “quiet” island where I plan to stay at first. I think that mostly mature travelers go there. Don Dhet is popular with the backpackers and is known as a “party” island. In fact, it is said that there are places there where any food—a milk shake, pancakes, etc., can be ordered in “happy” form for an extra 50 cents. Think of backpackers as the modern form of hippies to figure out what that means. My guess is that I will have opportunities to post to the Internet at least on Don Dhet where there are more tourists, but that no place where I stay will have wi-fi. I’ll have to go to cyber cafes based on the hours that they have electricity and when they have computers available. It should help that the partiers will probably sleep a lot later than I will, but that only helps if the cyber café owners open early and haven’t been out partying also!
After going to the cyber café this afternoon, I may go to a local physiotherapy place that is said to have massage and sauna for about $3. Then I think I will go fetch Ratachek to eat Vietnamese food.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Moving to Laos
Sunday, July 25, 2010—Khong Chiam
With all the extra people who checked in yesterday, I was worried about noise during the night or this morning. Therefore, I slept with my earplugs during the night. They worked, but I needed nose plugs, too. I didn’t realize it, but apparently Thai families take food with them and cook in their rooms. So at 6:30 I was awakened by the smell of food coming from somewhere. It makes sense. They have come in large vans—extended family groups. There may be 6 of them staying in the same size room as mine. The room beside mine has two large mattresses on the floor. That saves money. Eating out would cost a lot for so many people, so I can understand their trying to save by cooking some meals, especially breakfast, in the room.
As planned due to their being fully booked, I checked out of the place where I was staying. I walked down the main street to where I had made a reservation, and my room was waiting for me. It is smaller and lacks the wi-fi; also, it is more expensive. It has satellite TV, but the stations are all Thai, Indian, Pakistani, Nepali, Laotian, or Cambodian. Nothing is in English. The new place does provide coffee and Thai donuts for breakfast. That’s nice. And the people staying here seem to be a higher class than those at the other place. All but one group has come in private cars. I bet they won’t be cooking their own food tomorrow.
There must have been rain north of here in the past day or two. The Mekong River
I searched for information about how to get to Chong Mek, the border crossing to Laos
All my things are starting to feel damp. My bag feels that way. My clothes feel that way. Even my money feels that way. I will need to spend US dollars in cash for much of the time I am in Laos
The food being so good and the portions being so generous there, I returned to the same place to eat again last night. As on my first night there, I had the fried rice with chicken. Everyone I had seen while exploring was eating in the late afternoon, so, having had nothing other than some donuts in the morning, I went there at 16:40. Then I walked along the riverfront again. Rain was coming, so I decided to retreat to my room by 18:30.
Monday, July 26, 2010-Khong Chiam
During my visit I have met a number of couples and families by offering to take photos of them together when they have been taking pictures of each other beside the river. From these interactions, I can tell that most of the Thai families visiting here are either middle class or upper class. Often someone speaks English. And the way they dress indicates so, too. An interesting fact is that almost everyone has a friend or relative who lives in the U.S. and often one who lives in Texas
The river is up even higher today. The French couple has moved into the room next to mine since they also had to vacate the other place due to advance reservations. He had already been to the river when I came out of the room this morning and told me about it. I went there to walk and to watch people while the weather was still comfortable. Pleasantly, there was a slight breeze so that I could sit on a bench and read without mosquitoes bothering me. Therefore, I spent about 2 hours doing that while occasionally looking up at people or at the boats on the river.
The weather has caused me to have a heat rash under the band of my watch. It’s a cheap ($10) watch with a fabric/Velcro band which I bought at Walmart. I wear it when traveling, since thieves grabbing watches off the arms of tourists is a common travel problem in many countries. Someone caused deep purple bruises on the top of my wrist once in Brazil
I finished reading Money by Martin Amis late in the afternoon. It is well written and is quite funny at times. The big problem I had with it is that the main character was despicable. I don't really enjoy books where I do not like the main character. I gave this one 2 1/2 stars (out of 4), but it would have been much higher if the guy had not been such a boozer, womanizer, brute, etc. Wanting to get rid of the book, I took it to the Australian man who was staying at my old guest house. He seemed happy to get it.
I considered trying to use the wi-fi quickly at my former guest house to post this. But I knew it would be wrong and didn't want to take a chance getting caught, either. I could have asked them to let me do it, but then they would have thought that I gave the book to the Australian just so I could ask about using the Internet. I decided to wait until Laos to post it.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010--Khong Chiam to Pakse in Laos
No one seemed to be able to give me specifics about how to get to Laos from Khong Chiam. There is a direct road that is only 30 km long to the border crossing point of Chong Mek but there is no public transportation on it. As I wrote earlier, I as told I could take a songthaew to Phibun, the market town for the region, and another from there. But still there was no specific information about this except that I should be near the market early. I set my clock for 5:45. I was at the market this morning at 6:10, but everyone kept trying to get me to pay for a taxi to Chong Mek at four times what taking songthaews would cost. No one would tell me where or when a songthaew would be there. Finally, one nice man who was a taxi driver told me where to wait. And while we were talking a songthaew came. He put me on it and told the driver I needed to connect to Chong Mek in Phibun.
We left Khong Chiam at 6:30. As soon as we arrived in Phibun at 7:30, there was a songthaew to Chong Mek ready to go. I quickly switched and was on my way. By 9:35, I had completed all my paperwork at the border and was in Laos in a songthaew waiting to go to Pakse. It didn't leave until 10:00. When we arrived, it was in the southern part of town. I was so tired of riding that I walked the 2-3 km (1.2-1.8 miles) into town. I was booked into my hotel room by 11:55.
From there, I needed to get money. I used Thai baht to pay for my songthaew. I used US dollars to pay for my hotel room. I had tried to use a credit card to get cash from an ATM, but they now have the same system here that they have in Thailand: They charge an exorbitant fee for cash withdrawals using foreign bank cards. Fortunately, I had known from my previous trip to Laos that there are few ATMs and that it is good to have cash. I brought some with me, so I went to a bank and exchanged cash for kips, the local currency. The rate I got was less than 1% below the exchange rate shown on xe.com. I would have had to pay a 1% fee to Visa for getting money from an ATM through them, so I got my local money for about the same cost as using an ATM WITHOUT the added fee of the local bank.
It's hot here, but it doesn't seem to be THAT hot. I walked far today in the afternoon. When I returned to my hotel, the Salachampa, the power was off, however. I asked if that happens daily, and I was glad to hear that it doesn't. The hotel is in an old colonial building and has a few bungalows built around the outer perimeter. I'm staying in a bungalow, since the price was much (about 40%) cheaper than one of the rooms inside the colonial building.
Spending Update: I spent $687.42 over 27 days in Thailand for an average of $25.46 per day. Since leaving Texas, I have spent $2489.92 over 83 days averaging $30.00 per day.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Crowds Flocking Here
Saturday, July 24, 2010--Khong Chiam
The Mongkohn Guest House is where I am staying. My neighbors were quiet inside their room this morning, but at 6:30 they went outside and started their car. That's what awakened me for the day. Since the wi-fi works best outside near the office, I went ahead and cleaned up and dressed. I went first to an area under two bungalows on stilts. I got a cup of coffee and a package of cookies that the guest house provides and turned on my computer. But the mosquitoes were too bad there with no breeze to keep them away. I moved across the parking lot to an umbrella table near the office, and there was just enough breeze that I could sit there with no problem.
After reading and writing e-mails, I returned to my room and read for a while. Then I went out at noon and explored the village. I should have gone earlier, because it was getting hot. But I spent an hour walking up and down the streets to see what was where. I found the point where the sun rises with its sign saying that it is the first place the sunrise hits each morning in Thailand. I could see the two colors of the Mekong (Red) and Mun (Blue) rivers where they come together just past the sign.
On the way back to the room, I stopped where a street vendor was selling fried "balls" of dough. I didn't know if they were sweet or savory, but I bought a small bag of them. They were like fried donut holes, except that they were only slightly sweet. That was nice.
After an afternoon of reading and relaxing in the room, I went out again at 17:00. Cars, vans, chartered buses, pickups loaded with bicycles, etc. were piling into the village. Some were arriving without reservations and being turned away from my guest house. To be safe I walked by the Ban Kiang Nam Resort where I will move tomorrow. It was also a beehive of activity with new guests. I reminded the owner that I would be there tomorrow morning to check in. The town reminds me of Port Aransas, although Khong Chiam is smaller. But it is a small village that really comes to life during a holiday period.
I walked the entire length of the Mekong River Promenade 1 1/2 times over 1 1/2 hours. Diners were beginning to show up at the barge restaurants and those along the promenade. Many tourists were looking at the clothes and souvenirs in the stalls. I met the French lady from yesterday who was looking at the long skirts for sale. Except for her and one man and his daughter, all the tourists were from Thailand.
Although they don't speak English, I returned to the same restaurant where I ate last night. I am more comfortable in a place like that than along the river since I am only one person and the restaurants there are expecting crowds at all their tables. I just put my hands up in the air and scrunched my shoulders to imply I needed a suggestion of what to have. The man pointed to some vegetables, and I nodded my head. When it came, I had two dishes--plain rice with a boiled egg on top on a round plate and a shrimp-vegetable (tomatoes, onions, carrots, baby corn, etc.) dish in a sauce on an oval plate. Again, it was delicious. And again, it cost only about $1.25 U.S.
There were many food stalls on the main street tonight that had not been there last night. Since it was a holiday weekend, I figured I should splurge. I went to a stall where a man was making roti (fried, folded, thin pancake with a filling) and ordered one with banana and topped with condensed sweetened milk and sugar. It was wonderful. Then I stopped at the store and bought a large beer to bring back to the room with me.
Note: I will lose my Internet access when I move tomorrow. I'll try to post again from a cyber cafe here, but if I don't, it may be 3 days before I am somewhere else. I am thinking of staying two nights at the other place, then I will have a whole day of traveling to get me to Pakse in Laos for my next stop.
The Mongkohn Guest House is where I am staying. My neighbors were quiet inside their room this morning, but at 6:30 they went outside and started their car. That's what awakened me for the day. Since the wi-fi works best outside near the office, I went ahead and cleaned up and dressed. I went first to an area under two bungalows on stilts. I got a cup of coffee and a package of cookies that the guest house provides and turned on my computer. But the mosquitoes were too bad there with no breeze to keep them away. I moved across the parking lot to an umbrella table near the office, and there was just enough breeze that I could sit there with no problem.
After reading and writing e-mails, I returned to my room and read for a while. Then I went out at noon and explored the village. I should have gone earlier, because it was getting hot. But I spent an hour walking up and down the streets to see what was where. I found the point where the sun rises with its sign saying that it is the first place the sunrise hits each morning in Thailand. I could see the two colors of the Mekong (Red) and Mun (Blue) rivers where they come together just past the sign.
On the way back to the room, I stopped where a street vendor was selling fried "balls" of dough. I didn't know if they were sweet or savory, but I bought a small bag of them. They were like fried donut holes, except that they were only slightly sweet. That was nice.
After an afternoon of reading and relaxing in the room, I went out again at 17:00. Cars, vans, chartered buses, pickups loaded with bicycles, etc. were piling into the village. Some were arriving without reservations and being turned away from my guest house. To be safe I walked by the Ban Kiang Nam Resort where I will move tomorrow. It was also a beehive of activity with new guests. I reminded the owner that I would be there tomorrow morning to check in. The town reminds me of Port Aransas, although Khong Chiam is smaller. But it is a small village that really comes to life during a holiday period.
I walked the entire length of the Mekong River Promenade 1 1/2 times over 1 1/2 hours. Diners were beginning to show up at the barge restaurants and those along the promenade. Many tourists were looking at the clothes and souvenirs in the stalls. I met the French lady from yesterday who was looking at the long skirts for sale. Except for her and one man and his daughter, all the tourists were from Thailand.
Although they don't speak English, I returned to the same restaurant where I ate last night. I am more comfortable in a place like that than along the river since I am only one person and the restaurants there are expecting crowds at all their tables. I just put my hands up in the air and scrunched my shoulders to imply I needed a suggestion of what to have. The man pointed to some vegetables, and I nodded my head. When it came, I had two dishes--plain rice with a boiled egg on top on a round plate and a shrimp-vegetable (tomatoes, onions, carrots, baby corn, etc.) dish in a sauce on an oval plate. Again, it was delicious. And again, it cost only about $1.25 U.S.
There were many food stalls on the main street tonight that had not been there last night. Since it was a holiday weekend, I figured I should splurge. I went to a stall where a man was making roti (fried, folded, thin pancake with a filling) and ordered one with banana and topped with condensed sweetened milk and sugar. It was wonderful. Then I stopped at the store and bought a large beer to bring back to the room with me.
Note: I will lose my Internet access when I move tomorrow. I'll try to post again from a cyber cafe here, but if I don't, it may be 3 days before I am somewhere else. I am thinking of staying two nights at the other place, then I will have a whole day of traveling to get me to Pakse in Laos for my next stop.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Disappointment and a Reprieve
Friday, July 23, 2010--Ubon Ratchathani to Khong Chiam
I remained in the room all morning on the computer and reading, since I knew I needed to check out before noon. At 11:30, I left my bags downstairs and checked out. I went around the block to an outdoor restaurant and had noodle soup for lunch. I returned to pick up my bags, walked 1 1/2 blocks and caught a Songthaew #3 which took me directly to the bus station.
I had been told last week that the bus for Khong Chiam would leave at 14:00. When I arrived today, I was told it would be at 14:30. In actuality, it didn't leave until 15:00. Every bit later that a bus leaves, the greater the chance that rain will be present upon arrival, since it generally starts in the late afternoon.
There was a French couple also waiting for the Khong Chiam bus. They have been traveling through small villages along the Mekong starting in the north of Thailand and have now worked their way to here. He is retired and looks as fit as I am. She is a school teacher with another two years to go before retirement. But they have been coming to Thailand during her summer vacation for two years now.
The bus trip took longer than I had hoped. It was 2 1/2 hours before we arrived. Fortunately, we were let off within half a block of where I had wanted to stay. The bad news came when I got there and asked about a room. She asked me how many days I needed it. I told her for three, maybe for four, hoping she would think that was a good enough commitment to give me a good rate. But what she said was that she is fully booked after tomorrow night due to Monday and Tuesday being national holidays and could only let me have a room for 2 nights. I was immediately disappointed and concerned. I took the room, however.
After stashing everything in the room, I quickly left to investigate the place that had been my second choice. That's where I got my reprieve. The woman had one small room which she had purposely not booked in advance. She said I could have it Sunday night and Monday, too, if I decide to stay that long. It costs more and does not have wi-fi like the first place, but I was glad to know I didn't have to leave so soon.
After that, I could relax and start appreciating Khong Chiam. It really is a charming village--the easternmost place in all of Thailand. It is at the junction of the Mekong River and the Mun River. Along the Mekong, the city has built a park with a promenade. There are a couple of large restaurants on the bluff along the promenade, and there are a couple of floating restaurants on large tethered barges in the river. In the distance are wooded hills in Laos. The Mekong is wide and is surprisingly calm right now. Since this should be the rainy season, it would normally be rushing at this time of the year and quite a bit higher than it is right now.
While at the riverfront, two guys were taking photos of each other. I asked them if they would like me to take a photo of them together. I did, then we stood and talked for some time. One is a professor and associate dean from a university in Bangkok, and the other works in securities at a financial institution. The sun was setting and the mosquitoes started to bother us, so we said good-bye for the time being. They will be here for 5 days, so I am sure I will see them again. They are staying at one of the fancier places in town that costs almost double what my place does.
On the way back to my guest house, I saw a very clean looking restaurant with no customers. I entered and ordered fried rice, something I have not yet had on this trip. While they were cooking my food, three other tables of diners entered. I was amazed when the food was delivered. The portion was huge. It was like eating in a U.S. restaurant. There was a big mound of fried rice with chicken and vegetables which was topped with a fried egg. There were several green onions, and four large slices of fresh peeled cucumber. It was more than double what I have been served in most places here. Afterwards, I was stuffed. And I was surprised. The cost was 40 baht (about $1.25), only 10 baht more than what I have been paying elsewhere for small portions.
Although my guest house has wi-fi, it does not reach my room well. I have to connect outside the room and then stay close to my door to get it to work. It has disconnected while I have typed this, so I will have to go outside to get it to connect again before I can send it. That's why I have only included one link with the post. There was no connection while I was typing for me to be able to search and provide more.
I remained in the room all morning on the computer and reading, since I knew I needed to check out before noon. At 11:30, I left my bags downstairs and checked out. I went around the block to an outdoor restaurant and had noodle soup for lunch. I returned to pick up my bags, walked 1 1/2 blocks and caught a Songthaew #3 which took me directly to the bus station.
I had been told last week that the bus for Khong Chiam would leave at 14:00. When I arrived today, I was told it would be at 14:30. In actuality, it didn't leave until 15:00. Every bit later that a bus leaves, the greater the chance that rain will be present upon arrival, since it generally starts in the late afternoon.
There was a French couple also waiting for the Khong Chiam bus. They have been traveling through small villages along the Mekong starting in the north of Thailand and have now worked their way to here. He is retired and looks as fit as I am. She is a school teacher with another two years to go before retirement. But they have been coming to Thailand during her summer vacation for two years now.
The bus trip took longer than I had hoped. It was 2 1/2 hours before we arrived. Fortunately, we were let off within half a block of where I had wanted to stay. The bad news came when I got there and asked about a room. She asked me how many days I needed it. I told her for three, maybe for four, hoping she would think that was a good enough commitment to give me a good rate. But what she said was that she is fully booked after tomorrow night due to Monday and Tuesday being national holidays and could only let me have a room for 2 nights. I was immediately disappointed and concerned. I took the room, however.
After stashing everything in the room, I quickly left to investigate the place that had been my second choice. That's where I got my reprieve. The woman had one small room which she had purposely not booked in advance. She said I could have it Sunday night and Monday, too, if I decide to stay that long. It costs more and does not have wi-fi like the first place, but I was glad to know I didn't have to leave so soon.
After that, I could relax and start appreciating Khong Chiam. It really is a charming village--the easternmost place in all of Thailand. It is at the junction of the Mekong River and the Mun River. Along the Mekong, the city has built a park with a promenade. There are a couple of large restaurants on the bluff along the promenade, and there are a couple of floating restaurants on large tethered barges in the river. In the distance are wooded hills in Laos. The Mekong is wide and is surprisingly calm right now. Since this should be the rainy season, it would normally be rushing at this time of the year and quite a bit higher than it is right now.
While at the riverfront, two guys were taking photos of each other. I asked them if they would like me to take a photo of them together. I did, then we stood and talked for some time. One is a professor and associate dean from a university in Bangkok, and the other works in securities at a financial institution. The sun was setting and the mosquitoes started to bother us, so we said good-bye for the time being. They will be here for 5 days, so I am sure I will see them again. They are staying at one of the fancier places in town that costs almost double what my place does.
On the way back to my guest house, I saw a very clean looking restaurant with no customers. I entered and ordered fried rice, something I have not yet had on this trip. While they were cooking my food, three other tables of diners entered. I was amazed when the food was delivered. The portion was huge. It was like eating in a U.S. restaurant. There was a big mound of fried rice with chicken and vegetables which was topped with a fried egg. There were several green onions, and four large slices of fresh peeled cucumber. It was more than double what I have been served in most places here. Afterwards, I was stuffed. And I was surprised. The cost was 40 baht (about $1.25), only 10 baht more than what I have been paying elsewhere for small portions.
Although my guest house has wi-fi, it does not reach my room well. I have to connect outside the room and then stay close to my door to get it to work. It has disconnected while I have typed this, so I will have to go outside to get it to connect again before I can send it. That's why I have only included one link with the post. There was no connection while I was typing for me to be able to search and provide more.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Rain Has Arrived
Thursday, July 22, 2010--Ubon Ratchathani
The rain began last night about the time I went to bed and continued through the night. When I left the hotel this morning at 9:30, it was comfortable outside. The rain had cooled the air and the pavement. It's amazing how much heat was still radiating from the concrete streets last night when I came home around 20:00. Today, I made it all the way to the park, about 6 long blocks without feeling sticky! And when I got there, I realized I had left my two water bottles in their bag on the sofa at the door. It was so comfortable that I hadn't even noticed.
I stopped at a supermarket near the corner of the park and bought some crackers and chips. I decided not to buy more water since I had plenty at the room.
Things were about the same today. There were scout troups there today in addition to school groups. The cane sculptures were more complete. I saw two giant birds, several large flowers, and others. As usual, I found a bench in the shade and sat and read.
Two different students approached me during the time I was there asking if they could interview me. Their English really wasn't that good. One even asked me just to read her written questions in a notebook and to write my responses.
All over Thailand
I did get sticky returning to the hotel. The sun had come out. It was quite warm and humid at 13:00. It was nice to get the air conditioner on and to get my damp shirt off. After doing more research on the computer, started to get ready to go out again. The rain began, however, before I could get ready. That was about 17:30. It has continued to rain all evening. Thank goodness I had the crackers and chips I bought. It was too wet to try to go out for dinner. I just ate those and watched TV.
Tomorrow, I plan to get a bus in the afternoon (only one bus per day at 14:00) for Khong Chiam. It is a small village on the Mekong River
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Getting Hotter Every Day
Tuesday, July 20, 2010--Ubon Ratchathani (Continued)
After staying inside in the afternoon, I returned to the park in the evening. It was much more active than the night before.
As I entered the park, I saw men using gym equipment. I walked that way. A young man came up to me and spoke English. He said that the gym equipment is provided by the city and is free for anyone to use. I could tell he wasn't Thai, so I asked him if he lived here and where he is from. He said he is from Tajikistan and came here as a volunteer English teacher. He was very proud to tell me that he has recently gotten a contract from the Thai government to stay here and teach English. Then he got a call and had to leave to meet a friend.
I explored the park action. I found a group of young men playing native musical instruments and listened to them for quite a while. There was a xylophone-type instrument, two kinds of flutes, a stringed instrument, and drums. One of the flutes was interesting because it is built like a Gatling gun and playing it involves constantly turning it to be sure to blow into the correct part for the right note.
In the back corner of the park where they have the wax sculptures, there were men making cane sculptures using strips of cane or bamboo. There was a giant elephant and other forms that were still taking place which I could not yet identify.
At 19:15, there was a large fireworks display. After that, I headed back to my neighborhood because I could see a dark cloud with lightning in the distance. I wanted to get nearer to my room in case it started to rain. I stopped nearby and had a big bowl of soup for dinner before arriving at the room.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010--Ubon Ratchathani
I returned to the park again this morning. At 9:30 it was already very hot. The rain never came last night, so we have gone 3 days with no rain and the heat seems to be growing each day.
As I entered the park, I ran into the British guy and his Thai girlfriend from the bus yesterday. We talked for a while. There's something strange about him, though. He leans inward and downward as he talks. That and the tone of his speech reminds me of the Fagin character in Oliver Twist. He's a bit too ingratiating and a bit too solicitous. It's a bit creepy talking to him, but he has been nothing but kind in his comments and suggestions.
After reading in the shade on a bench for about 2 hours, I returned to the hotel. The heat was almost unbearable on the way back. I stayed inside using the computer to do research for my trip to Laos next week. Then I went back out at 18:00.
The past couple of days, by 18:00 the air has been quite comfortable. Not tonight. It felt hot, and my shirt quickly became sticky. The grass and open space of the park didn't help either. I stayed for two hours and remained overly warm the entire time. I did see some nice entertainment, however. There was a stage with another native band performing, and they had singers and dances to perform with them. I also watched a pantomime group and some young people dancing.
Again, I stopped for soup on the way home. This one was made with crispy noodles and had a very thick broth. It had meat, but I'm not sure what it was. It looked a bit like pork, but the texture was more like beef. It may have been water buffalo. However, a TV report I saw this afternoon said that dog meat looks a lot like pork.
After staying inside in the afternoon, I returned to the park in the evening. It was much more active than the night before.
As I entered the park, I saw men using gym equipment. I walked that way. A young man came up to me and spoke English. He said that the gym equipment is provided by the city and is free for anyone to use. I could tell he wasn't Thai, so I asked him if he lived here and where he is from. He said he is from Tajikistan and came here as a volunteer English teacher. He was very proud to tell me that he has recently gotten a contract from the Thai government to stay here and teach English. Then he got a call and had to leave to meet a friend.
I explored the park action. I found a group of young men playing native musical instruments and listened to them for quite a while. There was a xylophone-type instrument, two kinds of flutes, a stringed instrument, and drums. One of the flutes was interesting because it is built like a Gatling gun and playing it involves constantly turning it to be sure to blow into the correct part for the right note.
In the back corner of the park where they have the wax sculptures, there were men making cane sculptures using strips of cane or bamboo. There was a giant elephant and other forms that were still taking place which I could not yet identify.
At 19:15, there was a large fireworks display. After that, I headed back to my neighborhood because I could see a dark cloud with lightning in the distance. I wanted to get nearer to my room in case it started to rain. I stopped nearby and had a big bowl of soup for dinner before arriving at the room.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010--Ubon Ratchathani
I returned to the park again this morning. At 9:30 it was already very hot. The rain never came last night, so we have gone 3 days with no rain and the heat seems to be growing each day.
As I entered the park, I ran into the British guy and his Thai girlfriend from the bus yesterday. We talked for a while. There's something strange about him, though. He leans inward and downward as he talks. That and the tone of his speech reminds me of the Fagin character in Oliver Twist. He's a bit too ingratiating and a bit too solicitous. It's a bit creepy talking to him, but he has been nothing but kind in his comments and suggestions.
After reading in the shade on a bench for about 2 hours, I returned to the hotel. The heat was almost unbearable on the way back. I stayed inside using the computer to do research for my trip to Laos next week. Then I went back out at 18:00.
The past couple of days, by 18:00 the air has been quite comfortable. Not tonight. It felt hot, and my shirt quickly became sticky. The grass and open space of the park didn't help either. I stayed for two hours and remained overly warm the entire time. I did see some nice entertainment, however. There was a stage with another native band performing, and they had singers and dances to perform with them. I also watched a pantomime group and some young people dancing.
Again, I stopped for soup on the way home. This one was made with crispy noodles and had a very thick broth. It had meat, but I'm not sure what it was. It looked a bit like pork, but the texture was more like beef. It may have been water buffalo. However, a TV report I saw this afternoon said that dog meat looks a lot like pork.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Transition to Ubon Ratchathani
Monday, July 19, 2010--Surin to Ubon Ratchathani
Traveling from Surin to Ubon Ratchatani took longer than I expected. I left my room at 7:30 and arrived at the bus station just in time for the playing of the National Anthem! After standing still on the parking lot, I asked about the bus I needed, and a lady pointed that I had to go across the street on the other side of the bus station where the entire pavement had been removed for replacement. I was surprised to find that there was only one more morning bus that would leave at 8:34. The lady couldn't sell me a ticket until later, but she assured me there were enough free seats on the bus that was coming from Bangkok.
Due to it coming from Bangkok, however, the bus was late and did not arrive until 9:00. Being a "VIP" bus (no one allowed to stand and no stopping except at bus stations) I figured we could make it to "Ubon" rather quickly. That was not the case. We did not arrive until noon! By then, it was blazing hot, and the Ubon bus station is far north of the city.
I had talked briefly with an elderly British man at the station in Surin. I saw him and his young Thai girlfriend still standing at the station after I checked on the times for buses I might be taking in a few days. They asked how I was going to town, and I said I would walk. They insisted it was too far and too hot. I had been afraid to try to take a songthaew, a small pickup with a roof and seats along the side, because of my luggage. They told me there would be no problem and told me that the white one would go to the center of town near where I wanted to stay. They were right, I jumped on with my bag and we took off with only two other persons on board.
It was necessary to pay close attention to my map of the city as it made its way to town. Each time we turned a different direction, I tried to read the street signs and see where we were. Eventually, we were heading down the street that would have taken us all the way to half a block from where I wanted to be, but then he turned again. I pushed the buzzer, got off, and paid him his 30 cents U.S. for the ride. Then I still had to walk about 5 LONG blocks to get here.
I'm staying at the Sapphasit Apartments (scroll down about 40% of the way to find them at the link). It is a bit of a let-down after being at the White Elephant in Surin. The apartment is big, is clean, has cable TV with HBO and CNN, has a/c and hot water, has wi-fi in the room, but...it is not as bright and fresh and it is a bit noisier since all the rooms open to an indoor hallway that is tiled. I've considered moving to the Bua Boutique Hotel (first one shown at the link) which is newly remodeled and contemporary and fresh looking, but they only have wi-fi in the lobby there.
When the air cooled down around 16:30, I went exploring. I had been told that there would be lots of activity at the park downtown. Well, because of the Candle Festival, it is really alive! There were food booths, rides, exhibits of candles and wax sculptures, etc.
As I wrote yesterday, these are quiet days of the festival. In fact, many things are just being set up in the park. And the bleachers for viewing the parade are just being constructed on the street beside the park. The exhibits I saw, however, show what a unique event it is. Besides the candles that have always been the center of the event, it has grown to include carved wax panels and huge wax sculptures. Wax panels were on display and some artists were working on new ones. They are in wooden frames the size of a large portrait or a small painting. But what I was surprised to see were the large sculptures. They were the winners from past competitions with information about the artists who made them and had come from all over the world. Apparently this International Wax Sculpting Competition is much like the sand sculpture competitions that are held on beaches around the world. Artists travel here and create giant sculptures, maybe 3-4 meters (yards) high and 2-3 meters (yards) long or wide. This seems to be a competition that is separate from the sculptures that are included in the Festival Parade.
Returning to my room, I found a nice place for dinner just around the corner. Then I watched a film on HBO and the news on CNN.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010--Ubon Ratchathani
Spent three more hours exploring and relaxing in town this morning before the heat really set in. I stopped at the tourist office to get maps and information. I also complained to them about the high fee that banks have started charing for withdrawals from ATMs and told them they should tell the government that tourists are complaining.
I returned to the park which is much quieter in the mornings. The wax artists were working on their panels. And lots of school groups were there to see the exhibits. I sat in the shade and read from my current novel.
I wandered to a more modern, newer section of town hoping to find a supermarket. I found a department store that lacked one, and it was too hot to keep going further to where I knew there would be one. Instead, I stopped at a small restaurant that had a wonderful looking red curry with pork in a pot at the front. I ordered that with rice and had lunch. Then I returned to the room to stay cool in the afternoon.
It's now getting cool outside, so I will go out again. I'll find something to eat and may return to the park.
Traveling from Surin to Ubon Ratchatani took longer than I expected. I left my room at 7:30 and arrived at the bus station just in time for the playing of the National Anthem! After standing still on the parking lot, I asked about the bus I needed, and a lady pointed that I had to go across the street on the other side of the bus station where the entire pavement had been removed for replacement. I was surprised to find that there was only one more morning bus that would leave at 8:34. The lady couldn't sell me a ticket until later, but she assured me there were enough free seats on the bus that was coming from Bangkok.
Due to it coming from Bangkok, however, the bus was late and did not arrive until 9:00. Being a "VIP" bus (no one allowed to stand and no stopping except at bus stations) I figured we could make it to "Ubon" rather quickly. That was not the case. We did not arrive until noon! By then, it was blazing hot, and the Ubon bus station is far north of the city.
I had talked briefly with an elderly British man at the station in Surin. I saw him and his young Thai girlfriend still standing at the station after I checked on the times for buses I might be taking in a few days. They asked how I was going to town, and I said I would walk. They insisted it was too far and too hot. I had been afraid to try to take a songthaew, a small pickup with a roof and seats along the side, because of my luggage. They told me there would be no problem and told me that the white one would go to the center of town near where I wanted to stay. They were right, I jumped on with my bag and we took off with only two other persons on board.
It was necessary to pay close attention to my map of the city as it made its way to town. Each time we turned a different direction, I tried to read the street signs and see where we were. Eventually, we were heading down the street that would have taken us all the way to half a block from where I wanted to be, but then he turned again. I pushed the buzzer, got off, and paid him his 30 cents U.S. for the ride. Then I still had to walk about 5 LONG blocks to get here.
I'm staying at the Sapphasit Apartments (scroll down about 40% of the way to find them at the link). It is a bit of a let-down after being at the White Elephant in Surin. The apartment is big, is clean, has cable TV with HBO and CNN, has a/c and hot water, has wi-fi in the room, but...it is not as bright and fresh and it is a bit noisier since all the rooms open to an indoor hallway that is tiled. I've considered moving to the Bua Boutique Hotel (first one shown at the link) which is newly remodeled and contemporary and fresh looking, but they only have wi-fi in the lobby there.
When the air cooled down around 16:30, I went exploring. I had been told that there would be lots of activity at the park downtown. Well, because of the Candle Festival, it is really alive! There were food booths, rides, exhibits of candles and wax sculptures, etc.
As I wrote yesterday, these are quiet days of the festival. In fact, many things are just being set up in the park. And the bleachers for viewing the parade are just being constructed on the street beside the park. The exhibits I saw, however, show what a unique event it is. Besides the candles that have always been the center of the event, it has grown to include carved wax panels and huge wax sculptures. Wax panels were on display and some artists were working on new ones. They are in wooden frames the size of a large portrait or a small painting. But what I was surprised to see were the large sculptures. They were the winners from past competitions with information about the artists who made them and had come from all over the world. Apparently this International Wax Sculpting Competition is much like the sand sculpture competitions that are held on beaches around the world. Artists travel here and create giant sculptures, maybe 3-4 meters (yards) high and 2-3 meters (yards) long or wide. This seems to be a competition that is separate from the sculptures that are included in the Festival Parade.
Returning to my room, I found a nice place for dinner just around the corner. Then I watched a film on HBO and the news on CNN.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010--Ubon Ratchathani
Spent three more hours exploring and relaxing in town this morning before the heat really set in. I stopped at the tourist office to get maps and information. I also complained to them about the high fee that banks have started charing for withdrawals from ATMs and told them they should tell the government that tourists are complaining.
I returned to the park which is much quieter in the mornings. The wax artists were working on their panels. And lots of school groups were there to see the exhibits. I sat in the shade and read from my current novel.
I wandered to a more modern, newer section of town hoping to find a supermarket. I found a department store that lacked one, and it was too hot to keep going further to where I knew there would be one. Instead, I stopped at a small restaurant that had a wonderful looking red curry with pork in a pot at the front. I ordered that with rice and had lunch. Then I returned to the room to stay cool in the afternoon.
It's now getting cool outside, so I will go out again. I'll find something to eat and may return to the park.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Making More Travel Plans
Sunday, July 18, 2010--Surin
The weather remained cloudy without rain. I am fortunate, I think. The hurricane that hit The Philippines and China is now headed for northern Vietnam and Laos. I am right at the border with Laos, but it is southern Laos. I'm hoping that the rain from the low pressure system will all remain north of where I am. Otherwise, there could really be some wet days ahead!
I walked to a park and sat on a bench beside a lake this morning. I read from my current book. It was comfortable and pleasant sitting there.
This afternoon I made further travel plans. United Airlines is having a fall sale. I didn't realize that in advance. I went to their website to check out possible destinations where I could go before the end of the year to get enough miles to retain my elite status on their frequent flyer program for another year. When I saw the sale, I got serious about finding a flight. The first place that popped into my mind was a trip to New York, a city I have not visited for several years now. I did a search using the restricted dates for the sale and found flights at great prices. I chose a routing through Denver for two reasons: 1) The extra distance will give me the miles I need to assure my elite status, and 2) The departure flights don't leave until after 10:00 going each way assuring that I do not have to be up too early for catching my flights. I will go at the end of October and stay for one week which should assure me nice autumn scenery and weather. I've already investigated possible places to stay and have found some very nice one-bedroom apartments in good locations for $60-70 per night. A whole week in New York during autumn should cost me only about $675 for airfare and housing!!
After all of that, I went to a new place down the street for dinner. The lady made me a rice dish with pork and vegetables and made it spicy. It could have used a little more salt, but it was good.
Tomorrow will be an uncertain day. I will check out of my room here and take a bus to Ubon Ratchathani. Unfortunately, the entire month of July is the big festival there--the Candle Festival. I've checked the calendar, and nothing special related to the festival seems to be taking place during the next four days. Besides, it will be Monday through Thursday which are not necessarily big days for people to travel somewhere. But I am going there without a room reservation. I wrote 3 e-mails this morning, but I have had no responses. I am hoping that rooms will be available for me when I get there, however. I have four preferred places picked out based on their features and prices. I will probably get a room even at the first choice. But in case every place is booked up, I have an alternative plan. I will just skip the city and move onward to Khong Chiam, the next place on my planned itinerary.
The weather remained cloudy without rain. I am fortunate, I think. The hurricane that hit The Philippines and China is now headed for northern Vietnam and Laos. I am right at the border with Laos, but it is southern Laos. I'm hoping that the rain from the low pressure system will all remain north of where I am. Otherwise, there could really be some wet days ahead!
I walked to a park and sat on a bench beside a lake this morning. I read from my current book. It was comfortable and pleasant sitting there.
This afternoon I made further travel plans. United Airlines is having a fall sale. I didn't realize that in advance. I went to their website to check out possible destinations where I could go before the end of the year to get enough miles to retain my elite status on their frequent flyer program for another year. When I saw the sale, I got serious about finding a flight. The first place that popped into my mind was a trip to New York, a city I have not visited for several years now. I did a search using the restricted dates for the sale and found flights at great prices. I chose a routing through Denver for two reasons: 1) The extra distance will give me the miles I need to assure my elite status, and 2) The departure flights don't leave until after 10:00 going each way assuring that I do not have to be up too early for catching my flights. I will go at the end of October and stay for one week which should assure me nice autumn scenery and weather. I've already investigated possible places to stay and have found some very nice one-bedroom apartments in good locations for $60-70 per night. A whole week in New York during autumn should cost me only about $675 for airfare and housing!!
After all of that, I went to a new place down the street for dinner. The lady made me a rice dish with pork and vegetables and made it spicy. It could have used a little more salt, but it was good.
Tomorrow will be an uncertain day. I will check out of my room here and take a bus to Ubon Ratchathani. Unfortunately, the entire month of July is the big festival there--the Candle Festival. I've checked the calendar, and nothing special related to the festival seems to be taking place during the next four days. Besides, it will be Monday through Thursday which are not necessarily big days for people to travel somewhere. But I am going there without a room reservation. I wrote 3 e-mails this morning, but I have had no responses. I am hoping that rooms will be available for me when I get there, however. I have four preferred places picked out based on their features and prices. I will probably get a room even at the first choice. But in case every place is booked up, I have an alternative plan. I will just skip the city and move onward to Khong Chiam, the next place on my planned itinerary.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Exploring Surin
Friday, July 16, 2010--Surin
Determined to get out even if it was hot and humid, I left the room around 9:45. I walked to downtown Surin where I arrived by bus. I didn't find much worth seeing. I checked out 3 shops near the bus station that sell silk products that are produced in the area. Mainly, they sold women's dresses. I walked through Chinatown which again had nothing worth seeing. They do have a huge market which someone who has never seen an Asian market might enjoy exploring. It looked dark and depressing to me, so I just passed on by. I did find a nice statue of elephants as I took a different road back toward the hotel. I took photos.
I was back in the neighborhood by 11:30 and it was very hot. I stopped at the same place across the street and had an early lunch. The lady had taken the leftover yellow curry, thinned it, added chicken, leaves, Thai eggplant, and a round berry-like vegetable that is popular in Thai food to make a new dish. She served it over noodles. It wasn't quite as spicy as the puree had been last night, but it was delicious.
I intended to go back out in the evening, but that was when the rains finally arrived for the day. I just stayed inside on the computer and reading from my book. I had some snacks in the room which I ate for dinner.
Saturday, July 17, 2010--Surin
It was cloudy this morning, so it didn't seem so bad to be outside. I decided to explore the south side of town with plans to go to the National Museum in Surin. I left about 10:30 and was gone for almost 4 hours today. The clouds were what made it easy to be out--that, and the fact that the rain never came today.
I planned a route that would take me out one road and bring me back on another. The road I took out was lined with sports facilities--a large gymnasium, several football fields, etc. It also passed along the side of a forest park on the south side of town.
I was surprised at how far it was to the National Museum after I turned onto the main highway heading that way. My city map has been quite accurate so far. But it is obviously out of scale on the edges. What looked like it should have been a 15-minute walk was actually 3 km (almost 2 miles). The walk there from my hotel took me 1 1/2 hours. With the nice cloud cover, however, I didn't mind it. In fact, I was glad to be able to get the exercise.
The National Museum had sounded nice in the brochure I got at the tourist office, and it proved to be as nice as it sounded. I was impressed. All exhibits were well posted in English as well as Thai. And they were quality exhibits covering the history of the area, the different types of soils/building materials from the area, the different ethnic groups living in the area (clothing, traditions, and housing), the famous elephant festival held here each year, etc.
My route coming back into town brought me to a traffic circle and a lake with temples to the elephants of the area and a statue of a local leader and statues of elephants. It also took me by a small park where men were playing board games and gem dealers had set up tables to try to sell their baubles.
I returned to eat across the street. Again, however, it was a version of the yellow curry. I ate it, but I am getting tired of it and will go elsewhere tomorrow. It was nice and spicy today, however.
It was a bit awkward for me when I returned to my room at 14:45. The fat, elderly European who is renting the room next to me was calling the Danish owner to take a photo for him. He was wearing only his underwear which was worn and early. And he was encouraging his young Thai girlfriend to come out on the porch to have their photo taken together. She was wearing only a bath towel wrapped around her and was obviously embarrassed, especially when she saw that I had picked up my key and was walking across the way also. I looked out the window a few minutes later and noticed there were 4 large (640 ml), empty beer bottles in a trash can on his front porch, so I guess he had been drinking most of the afternoon up to the point when he decided the photo of them would be a good idea.
The rains never came today. It got a bit dark, and there was the feel of moisture in the air (light moisture that could be felt on the skin but never showed on the streets and sidewalks). I never went back out, however. I was tired from the outing before, and I didn't have anywhere nearby that I wanted to go.
Determined to get out even if it was hot and humid, I left the room around 9:45. I walked to downtown Surin where I arrived by bus. I didn't find much worth seeing. I checked out 3 shops near the bus station that sell silk products that are produced in the area. Mainly, they sold women's dresses. I walked through Chinatown which again had nothing worth seeing. They do have a huge market which someone who has never seen an Asian market might enjoy exploring. It looked dark and depressing to me, so I just passed on by. I did find a nice statue of elephants as I took a different road back toward the hotel. I took photos.
I was back in the neighborhood by 11:30 and it was very hot. I stopped at the same place across the street and had an early lunch. The lady had taken the leftover yellow curry, thinned it, added chicken, leaves, Thai eggplant, and a round berry-like vegetable that is popular in Thai food to make a new dish. She served it over noodles. It wasn't quite as spicy as the puree had been last night, but it was delicious.
I intended to go back out in the evening, but that was when the rains finally arrived for the day. I just stayed inside on the computer and reading from my book. I had some snacks in the room which I ate for dinner.
Saturday, July 17, 2010--Surin
It was cloudy this morning, so it didn't seem so bad to be outside. I decided to explore the south side of town with plans to go to the National Museum in Surin. I left about 10:30 and was gone for almost 4 hours today. The clouds were what made it easy to be out--that, and the fact that the rain never came today.
I planned a route that would take me out one road and bring me back on another. The road I took out was lined with sports facilities--a large gymnasium, several football fields, etc. It also passed along the side of a forest park on the south side of town.
I was surprised at how far it was to the National Museum after I turned onto the main highway heading that way. My city map has been quite accurate so far. But it is obviously out of scale on the edges. What looked like it should have been a 15-minute walk was actually 3 km (almost 2 miles). The walk there from my hotel took me 1 1/2 hours. With the nice cloud cover, however, I didn't mind it. In fact, I was glad to be able to get the exercise.
The National Museum had sounded nice in the brochure I got at the tourist office, and it proved to be as nice as it sounded. I was impressed. All exhibits were well posted in English as well as Thai. And they were quality exhibits covering the history of the area, the different types of soils/building materials from the area, the different ethnic groups living in the area (clothing, traditions, and housing), the famous elephant festival held here each year, etc.
My route coming back into town brought me to a traffic circle and a lake with temples to the elephants of the area and a statue of a local leader and statues of elephants. It also took me by a small park where men were playing board games and gem dealers had set up tables to try to sell their baubles.
I returned to eat across the street. Again, however, it was a version of the yellow curry. I ate it, but I am getting tired of it and will go elsewhere tomorrow. It was nice and spicy today, however.
It was a bit awkward for me when I returned to my room at 14:45. The fat, elderly European who is renting the room next to me was calling the Danish owner to take a photo for him. He was wearing only his underwear which was worn and early. And he was encouraging his young Thai girlfriend to come out on the porch to have their photo taken together. She was wearing only a bath towel wrapped around her and was obviously embarrassed, especially when she saw that I had picked up my key and was walking across the way also. I looked out the window a few minutes later and noticed there were 4 large (640 ml), empty beer bottles in a trash can on his front porch, so I guess he had been drinking most of the afternoon up to the point when he decided the photo of them would be a good idea.
The rains never came today. It got a bit dark, and there was the feel of moisture in the air (light moisture that could be felt on the skin but never showed on the streets and sidewalks). I never went back out, however. I was tired from the outing before, and I didn't have anywhere nearby that I wanted to go.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Great Day
Thursday, July 15, 2010--Buri Ram to Surin
I was up early this morning. I rushed to arrive at the bus station by 8:00, since I didn't know the schedule for buses to Surin. I arrived right at 8:00. I would have preferred arriving a few minutes later. Why? Because at 8:00 and 18:00 each day, the National Anthem is played throughout Thailand. Everyone is expected to stop what they are doing and stand still. It just comes too often! They also play it before every movie starts at the theaters. But that is just one way they try to force patriotism here. They also have a law making it illegal to say anything bad about the king. Then, because no one says anything bad, they brag that everyone loves and respects the king! How can they know for sure? They live a bit in a fantasy world. That may be why the government in power right now (put there under martial law) has no idea how serious the situation is in terms of its lack of underlying support by many people. This is such a wonderful country, but it is becoming more like the South American dictatorships of the 1900s. Twice in the years I have been coming here, the army has exerted its power to control things the way they want them to be. It is quite common for people here to admit that they do not have true democracy.
Anyway, I didn't miss my bus because of the national anthem. The hourly departure schedule is based on the half hour, so the next bus was at 8:30. I caught it, paid only 35 Baht (a little over a dollar). As we left Buri Ram, we passed a traffic circle with a wonderful statue of an elephant that I did not know existed or I would have gone there to get a photo of it. (This is the area of Thailand known for its elephants.) We were in Surin in a little over an hour.
I had written the White Elephant Resort yesterday to ask if they would have a room available for me, so I walked there directly from the bus station. It was even better than I expected. The room is bright and clean and has character with moldings around the ceiling, artwork on the walls, attractive furniture, etc. The resort has an indoor pool. The wi-fi is good. I think I could just stay here until time for me to return home!! Instead, I paid for 3 nights and will probably stay a fourth.
I was surprised to learn that the owner of the resort is a Dane. He is from Jylland, but lived in Copenhagen for years before moving here. The website, if you co licked the link to it above, is in Danish along with English and Thai.
HEAVY rain came about noon. I just stayed inside and ate some nuts I had. But it cleared soon afterward, so I walked to a major shopping area nearby. I first went to Makro. I have seen these in various cities, but I have never been to one mainly because they tend to be in suburban areas. They are a British-based hypermarket selling everything in bulk somewhat like a Sam's Club without a membership fee. It was interesting to look there, but I couldn't buy in bulk. Instead, I went next door to Big C, one of a chain of large stores here. I bought a Pepsi Max, some chips, and some cookies.
It rained again while I was at Big C. It was still raining lightly as I returned to the room. By the time I got there, it was 17:30. I sat on my front porch for a while enjoying the cooler air. Then I went across the street for dinner. A woman at a home there had a setup with one table. I had seen a westerner there eating earlier today. She opened her pot to show me a nice thick yellow curry which she called puree. I bought a bowl that came with noodles in it. She brought out a basket with bowls of chopped vegetables--leaves, an okra-like item, cucumbers, and pickled onions/greens and said to eat them with it. It was SPICY!! It was wonderful!!!! It was the best Thai food I have had since arriving this time. I asked if she would have something new tomorrow, and she said she would. I'll be eating there every day I am here, I think.
I wandered through the neighborhood and found a couple of other places I will try while I am here, too. I located the stores I might need while here. I bought a large beer at one and brought it back to the room where I sat on the front porch again watching the sun set and the sliver of a moon rise while I drank it.
I was up early this morning. I rushed to arrive at the bus station by 8:00, since I didn't know the schedule for buses to Surin. I arrived right at 8:00. I would have preferred arriving a few minutes later. Why? Because at 8:00 and 18:00 each day, the National Anthem is played throughout Thailand. Everyone is expected to stop what they are doing and stand still. It just comes too often! They also play it before every movie starts at the theaters. But that is just one way they try to force patriotism here. They also have a law making it illegal to say anything bad about the king. Then, because no one says anything bad, they brag that everyone loves and respects the king! How can they know for sure? They live a bit in a fantasy world. That may be why the government in power right now (put there under martial law) has no idea how serious the situation is in terms of its lack of underlying support by many people. This is such a wonderful country, but it is becoming more like the South American dictatorships of the 1900s. Twice in the years I have been coming here, the army has exerted its power to control things the way they want them to be. It is quite common for people here to admit that they do not have true democracy.
Anyway, I didn't miss my bus because of the national anthem. The hourly departure schedule is based on the half hour, so the next bus was at 8:30. I caught it, paid only 35 Baht (a little over a dollar). As we left Buri Ram, we passed a traffic circle with a wonderful statue of an elephant that I did not know existed or I would have gone there to get a photo of it. (This is the area of Thailand known for its elephants.) We were in Surin in a little over an hour.
I had written the White Elephant Resort yesterday to ask if they would have a room available for me, so I walked there directly from the bus station. It was even better than I expected. The room is bright and clean and has character with moldings around the ceiling, artwork on the walls, attractive furniture, etc. The resort has an indoor pool. The wi-fi is good. I think I could just stay here until time for me to return home!! Instead, I paid for 3 nights and will probably stay a fourth.
I was surprised to learn that the owner of the resort is a Dane. He is from Jylland, but lived in Copenhagen for years before moving here. The website, if you co licked the link to it above, is in Danish along with English and Thai.
HEAVY rain came about noon. I just stayed inside and ate some nuts I had. But it cleared soon afterward, so I walked to a major shopping area nearby. I first went to Makro. I have seen these in various cities, but I have never been to one mainly because they tend to be in suburban areas. They are a British-based hypermarket selling everything in bulk somewhat like a Sam's Club without a membership fee. It was interesting to look there, but I couldn't buy in bulk. Instead, I went next door to Big C, one of a chain of large stores here. I bought a Pepsi Max, some chips, and some cookies.
It rained again while I was at Big C. It was still raining lightly as I returned to the room. By the time I got there, it was 17:30. I sat on my front porch for a while enjoying the cooler air. Then I went across the street for dinner. A woman at a home there had a setup with one table. I had seen a westerner there eating earlier today. She opened her pot to show me a nice thick yellow curry which she called puree. I bought a bowl that came with noodles in it. She brought out a basket with bowls of chopped vegetables--leaves, an okra-like item, cucumbers, and pickled onions/greens and said to eat them with it. It was SPICY!! It was wonderful!!!! It was the best Thai food I have had since arriving this time. I asked if she would have something new tomorrow, and she said she would. I'll be eating there every day I am here, I think.
I wandered through the neighborhood and found a couple of other places I will try while I am here, too. I located the stores I might need while here. I bought a large beer at one and brought it back to the room where I sat on the front porch again watching the sun set and the sliver of a moon rise while I drank it.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Rain in Buri Ram
Tuesday, July 13, 2010—Buri Ram
I had trouble sleeping at first last night. I think I had an allergic reaction to the laundry detergent used to wash the sheets at first. I was scratching. And when I got up and turned on the light, my arm had a light rash. Anyway, it passed and, using my earplugs because of the sounds of the train announcements at the nearby station, I slept well.
I finished reading White Jacket by Herman Mellville. Its another book I chose from a list of books that provide excellent descriptions. What this book described was what a frigate and life on it was like in the mid-1800s. Unfortunately, it was not in the style of a novel. Instead, it was a series of essays on the various topics. And much of the book seemed to be written for the purpose of trying to convince the U.S. government to pass laws that would protect seamen from bad practices that took place on ships at that time. I found it mostly boring. One interesting aspect is that although he spent 367 pages being quite specific about all aspects of life on the ship, he left out the topic of sex. If he had included that, it might have been better. I gave it 1 1/2 stars (out of 4).
I had been asked to show up at my new hotel, the Lek Apartments, at 11:00, so I knew I needed to pass some time before leaving. I didn’t want to go to the lobby to use the Internet as I had done last night. By opening my room door and holding the computer in the air, I could just barely get a strong enough signal to connect to the wi-fi network. I sat on my bed and read and wrote e-mails and read the newspapers. Each time it was necessary to upload or download via a command, I had to raise the computer in the air and aim it at the door. When I closed it down at 10:10, my wrist was sore.
It wasn’t so bad walking here this morning. The skies were a bit cloudy. Still, however, my shirt was damp from perspiration by the time I completed the 40-minute trip. I wore the dirty clothes I had worn in the heat yesterday afternoon when searching for the new place.
It’s actually difficult to convince myself to ever put on clean clothes. As soon as I go out and travel a few blocks, everything is clammy. My tendency is to think that I should just put back on the old clothes I have already worn rather than quickly mess up something that is fresh. I don’t remember the weather being this hot and humid before, but maybe it’s just been a while since I traveled in Southeast Asia during this time of the year.
The new room is so much more comfortable for me. First, it is brighter. That’s due to having a window with see-through glass that looks out over the leaves of large trees, as well as the fact that the floors, walls, etc., within the room being a nice, bright color. It has cable TV instead of just the Thai channels that the other place had. And the wi-fi reception is great inside the room—all bars lighted vs. just the one smallest bar in the old place.
Because of my clothes situation, the first thing I did was wash laundry. This room has a balcony with two stainless steel drying rods on it. I washed shirts, socks, shorts, etc. Then, because it was the hottest part of the day, I just did more exploration on the Internet while keeping my eye on the weather. I downloaded Firefox to use as a browser since I read an announcement that MS will end all service for XP Service Pack 2 today which includes no longer providing upgrades to any of its Explorer programs whatever the version for computers using XP. Firefox will continue to update its program assuring better safety when surfing the Internet as they patch problems that are discovered.
Eventually, I heard thunder and brought in everything I had washed. My shorts were already dry. After the storm passed, I put everything else back on the balcony to continue drying.
Unfortunately, lightning apparently shut down the broadband connection during the storm. I was still connected to wi-fi but could not pull up web pages anymore. So I watched English-language news on TV and started reading a new book.
I am living in the neighborhood where many expatriates live. Buri Ram was the home of an American air base during the Vietnam war. Quite a few American men married Thai women and stayed here after the war. Also, there are Germans here, too. There are some large homes in fenced-in compounds. There are special restaurants serving pizza, steak, etc. There’s even a book store. If the rain holds off, I will look around for a place for dinner tonight. I had intended to go to a public swimming pool late this afternoon, but a second squall of bad weather came through. Therefore, I just stayed inside. When it is time for dinner, I’ll go out nearby and look for a good place to eat.
______
I decided to splurge and went to eat at Muang Pizza operated by a young man from The Netherlands. I had a meat-lovers pizza and a large beer. The waiter was concerned about the size of the pizza, but I asked if I could take whatever I had left with me. He said I could, so I ordered it. He brought me a small loaf of bread hot from the oven with freshly-made garlic-chive butter. Ummm. When the pizza came, it was large, but it had a very thin crust. It was so nice to have something different that I just ate the whole thing! The flavor was a bit strong, and the salami on it was way too salty, but what a nice change of diet. It was definitely a splurge meal, however, since it cost more than 10 times what I normally pay for dinner in Thailand. I’ll consider it a belated birthday treat!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010—Buri Ram
The owner of the pizza restaurant last night told me about a nearby coffee shop operated by an American that has a book exchange where you leave a book, take a book and pay 50 Baht (about $1.65) for the privilege. Therefore, I took the book I finished yesterday by there this morning. As I expected, however, he had nothing that I wanted to read. They were all the typical best sellers by authors such as Nora Roberts, Tom Clancy, Danielle Steel, Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Dan Brown, Ken Follett, etc. I just gave him my book to keep and didn’t pay to take one with me.
I walked from there to a retail area. I went inside a home improvement store and looked around for a while. Then I went to a Walmart-type store where I bought a large bottle of strawberry drinking yogurt for lunch and a bottle of water. By then, it was close to noon and getting warm, so I returned to my room.
For the second day in a row, my hopes for going swimming at the public pool here were spoiled by thunderstorms which started coming through around 14:30. At least today, they did not knock the Internet out of commission for 4 hours like they did yesterday. But the rain did keep falling for the rest of the day. I stayed on the computer doing things that I should have done before—downloading and installing the free AVG anti-virus program and the free Zone Alarm firewall. I also read the newspapers and sent a couple of e-mails.
I went out for dinner around 19:00 during a lull in the rain. I just went around the corner to a place where I had seen several people eating yesterday. It was a bit awkward at first, because the lady didn’t offer to show me what she had for making meals. I just walked to a table with two young women eating and looked at what they were having. It looked good, so I ordered that--khao kha moo—a rice dish with pieces of pork, small green leaves, small slices of green onion, and pieces of red pepper in a sauce.
My plan is to leave for Surin tomorrow, but I will let the weather decide that. This time of the year, rains can continue for days. I was stuck in Chitwan National Park in Nepal once for 7 days with heavy rains each day. I’m comfortable where I am living, so I will stay here and be happy if the rain is falling in the morning.
I had trouble sleeping at first last night. I think I had an allergic reaction to the laundry detergent used to wash the sheets at first. I was scratching. And when I got up and turned on the light, my arm had a light rash. Anyway, it passed and, using my earplugs because of the sounds of the train announcements at the nearby station, I slept well.
I finished reading White Jacket by Herman Mellville. Its another book I chose from a list of books that provide excellent descriptions. What this book described was what a frigate and life on it was like in the mid-1800s. Unfortunately, it was not in the style of a novel. Instead, it was a series of essays on the various topics. And much of the book seemed to be written for the purpose of trying to convince the U.S. government to pass laws that would protect seamen from bad practices that took place on ships at that time. I found it mostly boring. One interesting aspect is that although he spent 367 pages being quite specific about all aspects of life on the ship, he left out the topic of sex. If he had included that, it might have been better. I gave it 1 1/2 stars (out of 4).
I had been asked to show up at my new hotel, the Lek Apartments, at 11:00, so I knew I needed to pass some time before leaving. I didn’t want to go to the lobby to use the Internet as I had done last night. By opening my room door and holding the computer in the air, I could just barely get a strong enough signal to connect to the wi-fi network. I sat on my bed and read and wrote e-mails and read the newspapers. Each time it was necessary to upload or download via a command, I had to raise the computer in the air and aim it at the door. When I closed it down at 10:10, my wrist was sore.
It wasn’t so bad walking here this morning. The skies were a bit cloudy. Still, however, my shirt was damp from perspiration by the time I completed the 40-minute trip. I wore the dirty clothes I had worn in the heat yesterday afternoon when searching for the new place.
It’s actually difficult to convince myself to ever put on clean clothes. As soon as I go out and travel a few blocks, everything is clammy. My tendency is to think that I should just put back on the old clothes I have already worn rather than quickly mess up something that is fresh. I don’t remember the weather being this hot and humid before, but maybe it’s just been a while since I traveled in Southeast Asia during this time of the year.
The new room is so much more comfortable for me. First, it is brighter. That’s due to having a window with see-through glass that looks out over the leaves of large trees, as well as the fact that the floors, walls, etc., within the room being a nice, bright color. It has cable TV instead of just the Thai channels that the other place had. And the wi-fi reception is great inside the room—all bars lighted vs. just the one smallest bar in the old place.
Because of my clothes situation, the first thing I did was wash laundry. This room has a balcony with two stainless steel drying rods on it. I washed shirts, socks, shorts, etc. Then, because it was the hottest part of the day, I just did more exploration on the Internet while keeping my eye on the weather. I downloaded Firefox to use as a browser since I read an announcement that MS will end all service for XP Service Pack 2 today which includes no longer providing upgrades to any of its Explorer programs whatever the version for computers using XP. Firefox will continue to update its program assuring better safety when surfing the Internet as they patch problems that are discovered.
Eventually, I heard thunder and brought in everything I had washed. My shorts were already dry. After the storm passed, I put everything else back on the balcony to continue drying.
Unfortunately, lightning apparently shut down the broadband connection during the storm. I was still connected to wi-fi but could not pull up web pages anymore. So I watched English-language news on TV and started reading a new book.
I am living in the neighborhood where many expatriates live. Buri Ram was the home of an American air base during the Vietnam war. Quite a few American men married Thai women and stayed here after the war. Also, there are Germans here, too. There are some large homes in fenced-in compounds. There are special restaurants serving pizza, steak, etc. There’s even a book store. If the rain holds off, I will look around for a place for dinner tonight. I had intended to go to a public swimming pool late this afternoon, but a second squall of bad weather came through. Therefore, I just stayed inside. When it is time for dinner, I’ll go out nearby and look for a good place to eat.
______
I decided to splurge and went to eat at Muang Pizza operated by a young man from The Netherlands. I had a meat-lovers pizza and a large beer. The waiter was concerned about the size of the pizza, but I asked if I could take whatever I had left with me. He said I could, so I ordered it. He brought me a small loaf of bread hot from the oven with freshly-made garlic-chive butter. Ummm. When the pizza came, it was large, but it had a very thin crust. It was so nice to have something different that I just ate the whole thing! The flavor was a bit strong, and the salami on it was way too salty, but what a nice change of diet. It was definitely a splurge meal, however, since it cost more than 10 times what I normally pay for dinner in Thailand. I’ll consider it a belated birthday treat!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010—Buri Ram
The owner of the pizza restaurant last night told me about a nearby coffee shop operated by an American that has a book exchange where you leave a book, take a book and pay 50 Baht (about $1.65) for the privilege. Therefore, I took the book I finished yesterday by there this morning. As I expected, however, he had nothing that I wanted to read. They were all the typical best sellers by authors such as Nora Roberts, Tom Clancy, Danielle Steel, Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Dan Brown, Ken Follett, etc. I just gave him my book to keep and didn’t pay to take one with me.
I walked from there to a retail area. I went inside a home improvement store and looked around for a while. Then I went to a Walmart-type store where I bought a large bottle of strawberry drinking yogurt for lunch and a bottle of water. By then, it was close to noon and getting warm, so I returned to my room.
For the second day in a row, my hopes for going swimming at the public pool here were spoiled by thunderstorms which started coming through around 14:30. At least today, they did not knock the Internet out of commission for 4 hours like they did yesterday. But the rain did keep falling for the rest of the day. I stayed on the computer doing things that I should have done before—downloading and installing the free AVG anti-virus program and the free Zone Alarm firewall. I also read the newspapers and sent a couple of e-mails.
I went out for dinner around 19:00 during a lull in the rain. I just went around the corner to a place where I had seen several people eating yesterday. It was a bit awkward at first, because the lady didn’t offer to show me what she had for making meals. I just walked to a table with two young women eating and looked at what they were having. It looked good, so I ordered that--khao kha moo—a rice dish with pieces of pork, small green leaves, small slices of green onion, and pieces of red pepper in a sauce.
My plan is to leave for Surin tomorrow, but I will let the weather decide that. This time of the year, rains can continue for days. I was stuck in Chitwan National Park in Nepal once for 7 days with heavy rains each day. I’m comfortable where I am living, so I will stay here and be happy if the rain is falling in the morning.
Monday, July 12, 2010
A Birthday and a Day of Travel
Sunday, July 11, 2010—Phi Mai to Nakhon Ratchasima
Happy Birthday to me! I’m 65 today. That’s unbelievable.
I caught an early bus to Nakhon Ratchasima. That was a mistake, because I had to wait to check in at my hotel when I arrived there. Apparently the city gets lots of weekend tourism, and the hotel had been full. I read. I spent some time on the computer via their wi-fi setup. I walked to the train station and bought my ticket for tomorrow and returned. Finally, at 12:20, they had my old room clean and ready for me.
My train ticket seems expensive for tomorrow—the same price for a 1 1/2 hour trip that I paid for the 5-hour trip to come here. And I’m still in air conditioned second class as I was before.
It was so nice to be in the room that I stayed there watching TV, doing more on the computer, etc. Finally, I went to dinner at 18:30 to a place around the corner that my hotel recommended. Since I had arrived in Nakhon Ratchasima, I had been trying to find a place to eat Pad Mee Korat, a local dish that is somewhat of a spicy version of Pad Thai. Well, this restaurant made it for me. What a nice surprise to finally get to try it for my birthday. It had a sweet-heavy soy sauce as a part of it, and it was nice and spicy. I wondered what the meat was, but not too much! Sometimes it is best to eat and not think.
There are bakeries all over Thailand, but I couldn’t remember one anywhere near my hotel. So rather than having cake as a dessert for my birthday, I had a small package of Oreos as I watched an Australian film on TV.
Monday, July 12, 2010—Nakhon Ratchasima to Buri Ram
My train was delayed as expected. At first I was told it would be 15 minutes late. Then I was told half an hour. Eventually, a tuk-tuk driver came to me and said it was delayed for 3 hours and that I should exchange my ticket for an earlier train. I went into the station, and the ticket man agreed. The new ticket was for a train leaving in less than an hour, and I got a refund of 250 Baht (almost $8).
A woman and a security man were keeping an eye on me to make sure I was on the right platform and was not getting on the wrong train. When my train was 15 minutes late, another train pulled into the station. It was the original train I should have taken. The security man rushed me into the station to change tickets again. There went my 250 Baht again, but the ticket agent said that my new train would not be here for another 4 hours! I don’t know what had happened, but this one train I took was the only one that had come through going eastward in the 4 hours I had been at the station. At least 5 trains had gone through going the opposite direction.
They gave me a meal on the train, so I guess that was the reason for the extra $8. It wasn’t worth that much, but it was nice to have something to eat.
We eventually pulled into Buri Ram 3 hours later than the train should have arrived. I walked directly behind the station to the place I had written for a reservation--the U Jarern Serviced Apartments. The looked essentially like the photos on the Internet (except it is a bit worn from the time when the photo was taken). But there were two problems. First, it had only a small window with opaque glass opening to a shaft. I like light to come into my room. And second, it was at the end of the hallway, and the wi-fi signal was so weak that I couldn’t connect to it inside the room. Instead, I had to go to the lobby where the signal was strong. That convinced me that I would not stay here more than this one night.
Therefore, out I went into the heat of the day at 15:00 looking for other places I had taken notes on. They were all on the south side of town, so I had to walk to there first. Then I had to search for the address numbers, since they all were along one major street. One I never found. One was a pleasant surprise because it was located on a university campus. However, it did not offer free Internet. A major hotel, the Vongthong, was fine and included both Internet and a breakfast buffet. But just down the street from it was a small, family owned place called the Lek Apartments for $8 less that was very clean and nice. I told them I would return tomorrow and stay two nights there. All the possibilities can be found at this website: http://www.buriramexpats.com/hotels/buriram-city/
It was 18:30 by the time I got back to the hotel. I was still full from the late lunch on the train (served at 14:00), so I decided not to eat out. Instead, I will have one of the granola bars that I brought on the trip for occasions like this.
Happy Birthday to me! I’m 65 today. That’s unbelievable.
I caught an early bus to Nakhon Ratchasima. That was a mistake, because I had to wait to check in at my hotel when I arrived there. Apparently the city gets lots of weekend tourism, and the hotel had been full. I read. I spent some time on the computer via their wi-fi setup. I walked to the train station and bought my ticket for tomorrow and returned. Finally, at 12:20, they had my old room clean and ready for me.
My train ticket seems expensive for tomorrow—the same price for a 1 1/2 hour trip that I paid for the 5-hour trip to come here. And I’m still in air conditioned second class as I was before.
It was so nice to be in the room that I stayed there watching TV, doing more on the computer, etc. Finally, I went to dinner at 18:30 to a place around the corner that my hotel recommended. Since I had arrived in Nakhon Ratchasima, I had been trying to find a place to eat Pad Mee Korat, a local dish that is somewhat of a spicy version of Pad Thai. Well, this restaurant made it for me. What a nice surprise to finally get to try it for my birthday. It had a sweet-heavy soy sauce as a part of it, and it was nice and spicy. I wondered what the meat was, but not too much! Sometimes it is best to eat and not think.
There are bakeries all over Thailand, but I couldn’t remember one anywhere near my hotel. So rather than having cake as a dessert for my birthday, I had a small package of Oreos as I watched an Australian film on TV.
Monday, July 12, 2010—Nakhon Ratchasima to Buri Ram
My train was delayed as expected. At first I was told it would be 15 minutes late. Then I was told half an hour. Eventually, a tuk-tuk driver came to me and said it was delayed for 3 hours and that I should exchange my ticket for an earlier train. I went into the station, and the ticket man agreed. The new ticket was for a train leaving in less than an hour, and I got a refund of 250 Baht (almost $8).
A woman and a security man were keeping an eye on me to make sure I was on the right platform and was not getting on the wrong train. When my train was 15 minutes late, another train pulled into the station. It was the original train I should have taken. The security man rushed me into the station to change tickets again. There went my 250 Baht again, but the ticket agent said that my new train would not be here for another 4 hours! I don’t know what had happened, but this one train I took was the only one that had come through going eastward in the 4 hours I had been at the station. At least 5 trains had gone through going the opposite direction.
They gave me a meal on the train, so I guess that was the reason for the extra $8. It wasn’t worth that much, but it was nice to have something to eat.
We eventually pulled into Buri Ram 3 hours later than the train should have arrived. I walked directly behind the station to the place I had written for a reservation--the U Jarern Serviced Apartments. The looked essentially like the photos on the Internet (except it is a bit worn from the time when the photo was taken). But there were two problems. First, it had only a small window with opaque glass opening to a shaft. I like light to come into my room. And second, it was at the end of the hallway, and the wi-fi signal was so weak that I couldn’t connect to it inside the room. Instead, I had to go to the lobby where the signal was strong. That convinced me that I would not stay here more than this one night.
Therefore, out I went into the heat of the day at 15:00 looking for other places I had taken notes on. They were all on the south side of town, so I had to walk to there first. Then I had to search for the address numbers, since they all were along one major street. One I never found. One was a pleasant surprise because it was located on a university campus. However, it did not offer free Internet. A major hotel, the Vongthong, was fine and included both Internet and a breakfast buffet. But just down the street from it was a small, family owned place called the Lek Apartments for $8 less that was very clean and nice. I told them I would return tomorrow and stay two nights there. All the possibilities can be found at this website: http://www.buriramexpats.com/hotels/buriram-city/
It was 18:30 by the time I got back to the hotel. I was still full from the late lunch on the train (served at 14:00), so I decided not to eat out. Instead, I will have one of the granola bars that I brought on the trip for occasions like this.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Phi Mai
Friday, July 09, 2010—Nakhon Ratchasima to Phi Mai
I was up at 6:30, checked out of the hotel at 7:30, at the bus station at 8:00 and leaving for Phi Mai at 8:05. Perfect timing.
A Thai woman and an American man were on the bus and talked to me. She had married an American soldier stationed here during the Vietnam war. She moved to America with him and stayed there after he died soon afterwards of a heart attack. She married again, but that one ended in divorce after 11 years. Essentially she made it on her own in the U.S. by working in factories to support her and her two daughters (one for each husband). She is now retired and living on Social Security. The could not afford to remain in the U.S., so she returned here and built herself an American-style home in a farm compound where she has other relatives. The man was a friend of hers from Santa Rosa, California, who is here visiting. They met at a social dance and have been friends. She is very friendly and very social. She invited me to come visit her on her farm when I return to Thailand again.
I checked into a guesthouse I had selected based on Internet recommendations on WikiTravel. It is clean and fine, but it has mosquitoes. Even with air conditioning, they are in the room. I’ve killed 4 so far, and I have seen at least one more. I hope I can kill all of them before trying to sleep. I paid for two nights. That may have been a mistake if the mosquitoes are bad. The room is rather basic. It has a/c and hot water in the private bath, but there is no TV and no Internet. There is a TV in the lounge area outside, but it is not air conditioned there, and there are two remotes—one for satellite and one for TV—making it difficult to know how to operate it.
I’m the only guest at the guesthouse. I may be the only overnight tourist in town. I think most people come here as a day trip out of Nakhon Ratchasima. I am trying to use my time until my return to the U.S. by staying longer than most people would at each place. That’s why I came here for two nights. At each stop, I will be staying longer than would be normal for tourists, since I have about 7 weeks before I return to the U.S. and have decided not to make any other side trips.
After checking in, I went to the see the old Khmer ruins here. They predate Angkor Wat in Cambodia (where I visited last year) and apparently were the basis for the design of the great project there. The temple here looks just like what one sees in Angkor Wat, but on a smaller scale. It is a clean, attractive site. And there are lots of tourists, including many school groups. I went through the ruins taking photos, then I met with the Thai woman and American man again. We sat in the shade and visited. Eventually, some teachers with a school group joined us. They were asking the Thai woman how they could meet an American man. It upset her, because everything in Asia thinks you can just meet someone and live happily ever after. The Thai woman explained that Americans are like anyone else. Some are poor, some are wealthy, and others are in-between. Then she explained that it is very difficult to have a good relationship with anyone and that it isn’t logical to expect just to meet an American man and live happily ever after. But Asians tend to think that if they just meet a man they will have it all—love, happiness, money, etc.—forever.
I returned to the room in the hot afternoon and read some inside. Then I moved to the covered porch to read more. Eventually, I went exploring. I’ve been needing a haircut for a week now, so I looked for barber shops. In Nakhon Ratchasima, I found only stylist shops in which women cut men’s hair. Here, however, I found about 4 true barber shops. The nicest one was just around the corner from my guesthouse, so I went there and got my hair cut for a little less than $2 U.S. The barber wore a face mask which was a first for me. He did a good job of cutting the hair, although he was not as clean with his products as most places are that I visit. For instance, the combs were not in a sanitizer solution, yet they usually are in even the poorest countries. I think he did a good job of cutting it. I will know for sure after I wash my hair tomorrow.
Around 18:30, I went to the Night Market. There are many stalls selling prepared foods, fruits and vegetables, and clothing. I didn’t see anything I wanted there, however. I went down the street further and found a very clean looking food stall with tables on the street. I had chicken and rice with a very nice spicy sauce and a bowl of spicy soup. Then I went by the 7-11 and bought a large beer to bring back and drink on the front porch of my guesthouse.
I went back out one more time around 19:30 just to see what was happening in town. The Night Market was slowing down. I did pass a Buddhist Temple in which a group of monks were chanting with persons sitting on the floor in front of them worshiping. This is essentially a small village, however, so things were coming to a close for the day. Therefore, I returned to the room. I will play games on the computer (since there is no Internet connection) and read more. Then it will be time for bed.
Saturday, July 10, 2010—Phi Mai
The bed in my room is the worst I have had so far this year. It has a poor quality mattress that has been used enough that the springs can be felt. By the middle of the night, however, I figured out that it was better if I positioned myself in the middle of the double bed rather than on one side.
I walked to the National Museum of Phi Mai early this morning. The air was still fresh, and the temperatures were not too high. I didn’t go to see the museum. That’s because I know it holds mostly religious objects which have no interest for me. Instead, I went to relax under the large shade trees. I read for about an hour.. Then I reclined on two side-by-side concrete benches and napped for another hour.
From there, I walked outside of town 2 km (1.2 miles) to see Thailand’s biggest banyon tree. Actually, though, it is a bit of a misnomer. Banyon trees drop “roots” from their limbs. When they come in contact with the ground, they start the process of growing another tree. Well, over the years, people here have built concrete supports for the branches of the banyon tree limbs here so that they grow further and further out. What has happened is that the original banyon tree is now a cluster of about 50 banyon trees that have formed from dropping roots around the original. Anyway, I saw this site which is part of a large park complex along the Mon River which passes Phi Mai.
It was so hot that I returned to my room around 14:00 and stayed until 16:30. Then I went out exploring again. The Night Market was set up and was bigger than last night, apparently since it is Saturday now. I observed that two big events are apparently taking place here tonight (or maybe one big event with two venues). As I went past the old Khmer ruins, there were banners up and women in native costumes. Three large VIP buses pulled up and let out groups of passengers. Then as I went by the large playground near the night market, it was set up for an event with a stage, sound system, seating, etc. It seems to be somewhat of a Buddhist "Revival." The large image behind the stage shows a young man getting his head sheared in preparation for serving as a monk. And monks were involved in setting everything up. Therefore, the purpose seems to be to encourage young men to do their duty of serving as monks for a year of their life.
I went to one of the street stalls to have dinner—noodle soup with slices of pork. I was almost finished when I felt a drop of rain. I picked up my bowl and gulped the last 4-5 spoonfuls of broth from the rim rather than using my spoon, rushed to the stall to pay, and barely made it across the street before hard rainfall came. I sat at a table in front of a store with some other people waiting out the rain. Then I returned to my guesthouse and drank a beer outside on the patio.
While doing that, rain began again. This time there were high winds. I had to hold my beer bottle to keep it from being blown over. I eventually went inside and turned on the TV. The only English program I could find was Russian TV news. I haven’t written about this before, so I will now:
In China, the only English news I could watch was CCTV 9 operated by the Chinese government. Here in Thailand, this is the second hotel where I have been that has had RT News in English (probably provided for free to the cable company or over the satellite). It has been interesting to watch each. CCTV (China Television) seems to be rather honest and fair in its reporting of the West. It has commentators who feel that the US is wrong and that China is right, but they balance those with other commentators. Where there is a problem is that it is seldom critical of China at all. China is always doing what is right in the world according to CCTV. (Things got exciting once when a western commentator tried to say something negative about China due to its Communist government, and the show’s moderator quickly moved the discussion from him!) RT (Russian Television) News, however, is always quite negative about the U.S. They see Russia as being in the right all the time and the U.S. as being an aggressor who is always in the wrong. I've seen no deviation from this so far, and I have watched it several times.
Speaking of television, all the channels, no matter where they are from, right now are focused on the World Cup (for futbal, which in America we call soccer) in South Africa. The finals are tomorrow between The Netherlands and Spain. I doubt that U.S. citizens are much aware of what is happening related to this. But for the rest of the world, everything will stop tomorrow when that game is being played. It will be the most important event in the world at that point in time.
I was up at 6:30, checked out of the hotel at 7:30, at the bus station at 8:00 and leaving for Phi Mai at 8:05. Perfect timing.
A Thai woman and an American man were on the bus and talked to me. She had married an American soldier stationed here during the Vietnam war. She moved to America with him and stayed there after he died soon afterwards of a heart attack. She married again, but that one ended in divorce after 11 years. Essentially she made it on her own in the U.S. by working in factories to support her and her two daughters (one for each husband). She is now retired and living on Social Security. The could not afford to remain in the U.S., so she returned here and built herself an American-style home in a farm compound where she has other relatives. The man was a friend of hers from Santa Rosa, California, who is here visiting. They met at a social dance and have been friends. She is very friendly and very social. She invited me to come visit her on her farm when I return to Thailand again.
I checked into a guesthouse I had selected based on Internet recommendations on WikiTravel. It is clean and fine, but it has mosquitoes. Even with air conditioning, they are in the room. I’ve killed 4 so far, and I have seen at least one more. I hope I can kill all of them before trying to sleep. I paid for two nights. That may have been a mistake if the mosquitoes are bad. The room is rather basic. It has a/c and hot water in the private bath, but there is no TV and no Internet. There is a TV in the lounge area outside, but it is not air conditioned there, and there are two remotes—one for satellite and one for TV—making it difficult to know how to operate it.
I’m the only guest at the guesthouse. I may be the only overnight tourist in town. I think most people come here as a day trip out of Nakhon Ratchasima. I am trying to use my time until my return to the U.S. by staying longer than most people would at each place. That’s why I came here for two nights. At each stop, I will be staying longer than would be normal for tourists, since I have about 7 weeks before I return to the U.S. and have decided not to make any other side trips.
After checking in, I went to the see the old Khmer ruins here. They predate Angkor Wat in Cambodia (where I visited last year) and apparently were the basis for the design of the great project there. The temple here looks just like what one sees in Angkor Wat, but on a smaller scale. It is a clean, attractive site. And there are lots of tourists, including many school groups. I went through the ruins taking photos, then I met with the Thai woman and American man again. We sat in the shade and visited. Eventually, some teachers with a school group joined us. They were asking the Thai woman how they could meet an American man. It upset her, because everything in Asia thinks you can just meet someone and live happily ever after. The Thai woman explained that Americans are like anyone else. Some are poor, some are wealthy, and others are in-between. Then she explained that it is very difficult to have a good relationship with anyone and that it isn’t logical to expect just to meet an American man and live happily ever after. But Asians tend to think that if they just meet a man they will have it all—love, happiness, money, etc.—forever.
I returned to the room in the hot afternoon and read some inside. Then I moved to the covered porch to read more. Eventually, I went exploring. I’ve been needing a haircut for a week now, so I looked for barber shops. In Nakhon Ratchasima, I found only stylist shops in which women cut men’s hair. Here, however, I found about 4 true barber shops. The nicest one was just around the corner from my guesthouse, so I went there and got my hair cut for a little less than $2 U.S. The barber wore a face mask which was a first for me. He did a good job of cutting the hair, although he was not as clean with his products as most places are that I visit. For instance, the combs were not in a sanitizer solution, yet they usually are in even the poorest countries. I think he did a good job of cutting it. I will know for sure after I wash my hair tomorrow.
Around 18:30, I went to the Night Market. There are many stalls selling prepared foods, fruits and vegetables, and clothing. I didn’t see anything I wanted there, however. I went down the street further and found a very clean looking food stall with tables on the street. I had chicken and rice with a very nice spicy sauce and a bowl of spicy soup. Then I went by the 7-11 and bought a large beer to bring back and drink on the front porch of my guesthouse.
I went back out one more time around 19:30 just to see what was happening in town. The Night Market was slowing down. I did pass a Buddhist Temple in which a group of monks were chanting with persons sitting on the floor in front of them worshiping. This is essentially a small village, however, so things were coming to a close for the day. Therefore, I returned to the room. I will play games on the computer (since there is no Internet connection) and read more. Then it will be time for bed.
Saturday, July 10, 2010—Phi Mai
The bed in my room is the worst I have had so far this year. It has a poor quality mattress that has been used enough that the springs can be felt. By the middle of the night, however, I figured out that it was better if I positioned myself in the middle of the double bed rather than on one side.
I walked to the National Museum of Phi Mai early this morning. The air was still fresh, and the temperatures were not too high. I didn’t go to see the museum. That’s because I know it holds mostly religious objects which have no interest for me. Instead, I went to relax under the large shade trees. I read for about an hour.. Then I reclined on two side-by-side concrete benches and napped for another hour.
From there, I walked outside of town 2 km (1.2 miles) to see Thailand’s biggest banyon tree. Actually, though, it is a bit of a misnomer. Banyon trees drop “roots” from their limbs. When they come in contact with the ground, they start the process of growing another tree. Well, over the years, people here have built concrete supports for the branches of the banyon tree limbs here so that they grow further and further out. What has happened is that the original banyon tree is now a cluster of about 50 banyon trees that have formed from dropping roots around the original. Anyway, I saw this site which is part of a large park complex along the Mon River which passes Phi Mai.
It was so hot that I returned to my room around 14:00 and stayed until 16:30. Then I went out exploring again. The Night Market was set up and was bigger than last night, apparently since it is Saturday now. I observed that two big events are apparently taking place here tonight (or maybe one big event with two venues). As I went past the old Khmer ruins, there were banners up and women in native costumes. Three large VIP buses pulled up and let out groups of passengers. Then as I went by the large playground near the night market, it was set up for an event with a stage, sound system, seating, etc. It seems to be somewhat of a Buddhist "Revival." The large image behind the stage shows a young man getting his head sheared in preparation for serving as a monk. And monks were involved in setting everything up. Therefore, the purpose seems to be to encourage young men to do their duty of serving as monks for a year of their life.
I went to one of the street stalls to have dinner—noodle soup with slices of pork. I was almost finished when I felt a drop of rain. I picked up my bowl and gulped the last 4-5 spoonfuls of broth from the rim rather than using my spoon, rushed to the stall to pay, and barely made it across the street before hard rainfall came. I sat at a table in front of a store with some other people waiting out the rain. Then I returned to my guesthouse and drank a beer outside on the patio.
While doing that, rain began again. This time there were high winds. I had to hold my beer bottle to keep it from being blown over. I eventually went inside and turned on the TV. The only English program I could find was Russian TV news. I haven’t written about this before, so I will now:
In China, the only English news I could watch was CCTV 9 operated by the Chinese government. Here in Thailand, this is the second hotel where I have been that has had RT News in English (probably provided for free to the cable company or over the satellite). It has been interesting to watch each. CCTV (China Television) seems to be rather honest and fair in its reporting of the West. It has commentators who feel that the US is wrong and that China is right, but they balance those with other commentators. Where there is a problem is that it is seldom critical of China at all. China is always doing what is right in the world according to CCTV. (Things got exciting once when a western commentator tried to say something negative about China due to its Communist government, and the show’s moderator quickly moved the discussion from him!) RT (Russian Television) News, however, is always quite negative about the U.S. They see Russia as being in the right all the time and the U.S. as being an aggressor who is always in the wrong. I've seen no deviation from this so far, and I have watched it several times.
Speaking of television, all the channels, no matter where they are from, right now are focused on the World Cup (for futbal, which in America we call soccer) in South Africa. The finals are tomorrow between The Netherlands and Spain. I doubt that U.S. citizens are much aware of what is happening related to this. But for the rest of the world, everything will stop tomorrow when that game is being played. It will be the most important event in the world at that point in time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
