Thailand

December 2, 2003
Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Thailand
7 km today (in 0:40)

We had a late night return "home" from Cambodia to our grungy hotel where the manageress reigns supreme but has somehow taken a liking to us, and where the beautiful blatant transvestite operator tries to make a game of turning off the air conditioning when we're out and switching it back on when we enter the reception area. We've taken to sneaking out the back alley when she's not looking, which makes her positively pouty.

We had hoped for a leisurely day before loading our bikes onto a train to Chiang Mai. After MUCH effort exploring logistics and alternatives, this appears to be the way to go.

But leisurely was not to be. Our camera was ripped off during an inattentive moment in Starbucks. How come everyone else gets ripped off at train stations and we get the treatment at Starbucks? I guess thieves have learned that some people (goofs like us) let their guard down in comfortable surroundings. They'd be right! What dopes.

So we raced around to buy a new camera. Because with a Website to feed, if there's no picture, it didn't happen! I toyed with the idea of no camera being a sort of freedom to just enjoy the moment. But we're having none of that!

Thailand has electronics. The six-floor shopping mall we went to was almost entirely electronics -- the 4th floor alone was almost entirely telephones -- mobiles, that is -- of every shape, colour, feature and description. So if you want to buy a camera, no problem if you have a credit card. Now we needn't miss a Fujifilm moment!

Getting to the train station was quite an adventure. No one cycles in Bangkok. In a city of 10 million people, we saw not another cyclist (although they do exist outside the downtown area). In the four lanes of traffic jam there is not a gap to be found. And, yet, in some ways it felt very safe. Unlike at home where people talk on the phone, drink a coffee and change their child's diaper while they drive, here people are 100% focused on weaving through the crush of cars. People make way or gave way and soon we were snaking through with the scooters. It was slow going, but not nearly as nerve-wracking as I had feared. That said, its not something I'd do often!

Rail travel is popular in Thailand, as are buses since its much cheaper than flying (although a new start-up carrier which opens tomorrow plans to change all that!) Without a prior reservation we had to wait five hours, so had plenty of time to people-watch. One of the most extraordinary occurrences was at 6:00. All else stops, the national anthem is broadcast around the city. Cars stop. Nearly everyone in the train station stands, remains motionless for the couple of minutes, then resume their seats and pick up where they left off. Only the saffron-robed monks in the station do not stand, presumably answering to a higher calling.

Our train eventually arrives and we with the middle-class travelers head to our sleeper room, while the back-packers head to the sleeper car and the locals head to their seats. We decide not to feel guilty by assuming the air-conditioned sleepers subsidize the very cheap non-a/c seats. Besides, the alternative for this 14-hour, 700-km ride is unthinkable!

December 3, 2003
Chiang Mai, Thailand
11 km today / 18 km to date (in 0:55)

The early morning on the train allowed us to catch glimpses of new parts of Thailand as we left the flat coastal area and headed into the northern hills at Chiang Mai. Actually, at 310 metres elevation, Chiang Mai is the last stop before the hills begin. Even so, there are fewer rice paddies and more Thai jungle and forest than we have previously seen. A pretty ride, but largely unchanging and hemmed in by trees, so we frequently found ourselves reading our reference material rather than looking out the window.

Brent liked Bangkok and its great hum of activity and all of its different facets. I didn't. No matter how many facets, its still busy and crowded. Chiang Mai is much more my cup of tea. An easy cycle from the train station, quite little alleyways. Lots of tourists, but no clutching vendors or touts. The old town itself is a moated city -- which we didn't really have time to explore much since our train arrived in the early afternoon.

Thailand is famous for its cheap accommodation, but Chiang Mai is our first exposure. Guest houses all over the place. Ours at 250 Baht ($8 CDN) is clean, has a restaurant, includes air-conditioning and hot water (both of which are luxuries in Thailand) and is about average-priced. I think guest houses are loss leaders or maybe break- eveners for the overpriced tours that are offered out of each guest house. River rafting. Elephant rides. Day trip to Laos. Trip to Myanmar. Hill tribes. Jeep rides, Trekking. Long-neck tour (to see the women whose necks are stretched beyond belief with disconnected vertebrae. I can't imagine what paying for this must mean for future generations of young women in this impoverished area...) Massages. Weaving lessons. You want to do it? The guest house will arrange it.

We want to go to a remote birding area. There are no package tours. Reception won't give Brent the time of day -- or even a phone book. Off we go to tackle the tourist office, the phone system. And eventually we succeed. Tomorrow, into the hills to find birds.

Dinner in the old city reminds me of a large scale Siem Reap. Two tourists for every Thai, but very pleasant surrounds. And stocking up at a used bookstore is always a highlight!

The king's birthday is in a couple of days and celebrations are planned in Chaing Mai as they are everywhere else. The king's picture and presence are felt everywhere -- in office buildings, restaurants, public squares, public buildings. He seems much beloved by the people -- the kind of respect that can't be ordered, only earned. His persona is gentle and kind, almost meek-looking. With a 53-year reign, to be so much loved, he must be quite an individual.

December 4, 2003
Chiang Mai to Chom Thong
69 km today / 87 km to date (3:31)

In the bike saddle again, its hard not to love the flatness of Thailand. The first 30 kms or so we see the real Chiang Mai; the spread-out suburbs and traffic, and then leave that behind for corridors of commerce and, eventually, agriculture and rice.

Lunch in a tiny shop, we now experience rural Thai meal prices -- less than $2 CDN. No wonder people have their EI cheques sent here. They can live like kings.

In no time we're settled into our jumping off spot for our foray tomorrow into Doi Inthanon National Park.

December 5, 2003
Exploring Doi Inthanon National Park

Great idea, bad timing. We had gone to some extraordinary lengths to get to Doi Inthanon National Park, and had arranged for someone to take us to the peak where we could unload our bikes and coast down. When the time came, his jeep was too small even if we took both wheels off our bikes. He obviously knew this all along so had successfully conned us, but was so interesting and helpful in all other respects that it was impossible to be pissed off.

Our reason for going to the peak is not that Doi Inthanon is Thailand's highest peak (2540 m), per se, but that it therefore has some rare flora -- and it is supposed to be full of birds according to the Birdman of Victoria.

But, today is the king's birthday. Its a holiday which falls on a Friday, generating a long weekend, so half of Bangkok decided to head for the hills. I have a theory yet to be checked out that Thailand is very flat for most of the country, so people have underpowered cars when it comes to hills. Whatever the reason, there were cars everywhere, some struggling up the hill, all trying to pass, lots overloaded, many overheating, all jockeying for parking spaces or adding to the mayhem by giving up and parking on the road.

Brent being the die hard that he is, led us up some dirt tracks and we practiced bird-spotting for a bit (OK in the low canopy; Brent got 15 lifers), but impossible in the taller treed areas where the canopy reaches over 100 feet). But by the time we got tot he top of the mountain, with all the people milling about, the birds were outta- there! While its nice to see locals enjoying their own great outdoors, what a zoo!

So we pretty much gave up and allowed ourselves to be led to all the usual tourist spots -- which again is what our driver Tom wanted to do all along. Two for Tom, B&B zero.

We saw the local hill tribe selling produce, stopped for Thai lunch and trampled to all the waterfalls -- the tallest one; the most scenic one; the one with the greatest volume.

The most interesting thing we saw was a Royal Project. I gather there are many of these. They occur when the King sponsors a project to help a certain group of people -- usually economic related. This one is a series of huge greenhouses, probably 200 or more, which a local hill tribe use to grow produce, a replacement for their previous cash crop -- opium.

Dinner at the next door (empty yesterday, busy today) resort and moving on tomorrow.

December 6, 2003
Doi Inthanon to Doi Tau Lake
82 km today / 169 km to date (4:47)

This is a day we won't forget. We cycled from the base of Doi Inthanon (318m elevation) on a quiet-ish road which become even quieter after Hot (272 m elevation), when we turned onto a rural road. We had expected to coast and instead it was quite hilly, but not terribly so. Through rice fields, the mountains as a scenic backdrop.

We were in the boonies; there is not a farang (foreigner) to be seen anywhere. Our option for lunch was nothing or a thatched stall, unrecognizable food and apparently less than hygienic conditions. We are so full of malaria medication that we're certain we can eat anything. We lived after eating at all the roadside stalls in Sri Lanka, so will likely survive Thailand as well. We mimed and charaded and eventually gave up when no one could guess what we wanted. We cupped our hands, meaning to ask for soup, and succeeded more in looking like Oliver asking for gruel. But it seemed to mean something to them. And good soup it was, too -- onion, lychees, bean sprouts, chicken stock and some crunchy things all mixed up with rice noodles. $1 CDN for both of us -- and a lot of fun!

By 4:00 it was time to find a resting place in Doi Tao -- we had been assured by our friend Tom that there were lots of options. When the single option of a mattress on a floor no bigger than the mattress didn't seem too appealing, we though we'd try at the nearby lake. Maybe there'd be a guest house or two there.

What a hoot! The lake is a reservoir. On one edge are built about 20 large open-air buildings on stilts which seem to serve as restaurants for day-trippers who come to the reservoir for a day of relaxation and swimming.

The really lucky souls get to stay overnight. This means you rent a raft which is a big railed open space with a small hut (for changing clothes) and an enclosed toilet, which drops its material straight into the water in which you bath and wash. Good thing there's no current -- go fast!

Its roomy; about 30' by 10'. On it there are a few plastic mats. The idea is to stretch out on the mat, pull a blanket over you and sleep. Meanwhile, a long boat will have towed the little floating palace out into the lake like a little houseboat.

It took us a long time to figure all this out because no one spoke a word of English and this was new charade territory for us. By the time we understood the concept, I thought it a great idea, Brent thought it goofy. So of course we did it. Not that my powers of persuasion are so daunting -- more that we were out of alternatives. The one concession made to us was rounding up blankets and quilts so that we could have a bit of padding between us and our wooden floor on bamboo flotation. They also gave us a couple of chairs, with lots of giggles. They would have stood or sat -- we must have looked like the king and queen out their on own chairs. Or maybe like white man nuts. No matter, we were having our adventure!

That is, until the fish fly hatch matured. They were everywhere. Flying into our faces. Dying around us on our makeshift bed after their short lives.

Then out came the party boat. Forty rafts all enjoying the warm quiet evening (with our fish flies) and one party boat gears up the music. But it got worse. Karaoke by a bunch of drunks with the sound carrying across the water. Around 10:00 I felt murderous. Around 11:00 we were pooped and feel asleep anyway. Around midnight when they packed it in, we felt relief. Around 5:30 a.m. when we geared up to leave and the long boats started making noise, there was the tiniest bit of vengeful satisfaction!

As we packed up our bikes, we found that our hosts did indeed know own word of English. Tip?

All in all, a less than comfortable evening. But one we will never forget. In fact, I like to do a big holiday every few years, but Brent figures the night bought him an extra year off! I'm sure I'll be reminded of this night. What a hoot!

December 7, 2003
Doi Tao Lake to Li
62 km today / 231 km to date (in 3:56)

This is a moderately hilly area, but the road is quiet with good shoulders, through rural country, so its a pleasant ride. We had plans to ride a good distance today, including over the ridge to the flats on the other side. But for some reason at 1:00 I was exhausted. No one speaks any English in rural Thailand and the infrastructure for travelers is very sparse. But I'd seen a hotel sign in this one street village, so we went to investigate. It looked like a concrete bunker. But it had a fan, a sink, a squat toilet and a bed -- it looked like heaven. I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling for two hours. Might have been the heat, lack of sleep, dehydration, exertion. But most likely not enough food. Its hard to cram the 4,000 calories you need on a cycling day from a diet of rice and vegetables.

The owner/manager was one strange dude. He's probably the only person within 50 miles who speaks a smattering of English. After every sentence or part thereof he'd cackle away like a lunatic at his own wit. It's a happy world he lives in! But at 150 baht ($5 CDN) who's going to complain?

Later in the day 3 Kiwis on 2 motorcycles pulled in. With 650 ccs they are the envy of every Thai on a motor scooter. They had planned on 3 months to see SE Asia, having bought bikes in Bangkok and with plans to sell them at the end. We swapped addresses and hope to connect with them when we get to New Zealand.

December 8, 2003
Li to Thoen
52 km today / 283 km to date (in 3:00)

From an elevation of 318 m at Doi Tao two days ago, we cycled over the ridge (624m); at that climb it was a non-event, so an easy day. The road continues to be very quiet. The most activity we've seen is a well attended scooter sales promotion. One restrained itself to a DJ and balloons; another had raucous music and go-go dancers.

Monks are a very common sight. In the previous generation, by custom rather than law, each young man at the age of 20 becomes a monk for three months. Since its entirely optional, some become monks for greater or lesser times and some not at all, but because shame would otherwise be brought upon the parents, most did. For the current generation, especially in the cities, this custom is largely vanished. Still there is no shortage of monks.

Because monks do not earn a living, they are fed by offerings from their community. As they walk down the street in the morning, people bring them a bowl of rice or other offering. People must also be able to ask for blessings since after handing over a bowl of rice, one old gent stood quietly by while the old monk held the bowl and chanted -- more eerily than harmonically.

Other signs of Buddhism are equally common. Wats (temples) are regularly along the roadside and schools seem often to be located at or near a temple. We had been told earlier that the old temple complexes had five essential components -- I forget them all but it was something along the lines of temple, chapel, school, monastery and crematorium. It appears that some of these components are still co-mingled.

We saw our first Thai cyclist yesterday and today Brent met a Dutch cyclist going the opposite direction to us. We knew these guys were out there somewhere! Strangely enough I was only able to find one decent cycling trip report on the Internet before leaving Canada. I didn't really study it until we started cycling in Thailand a few days ago. In the middle of the report the writer mentions running into a neighbour from his -- get this -- Cordova Bay neighbourhood. This guy is from Victoria! Had I only know I'd have asked him all these questions before we left..

December 9, 2003
Thoen to Tak
98 km today / 381 km to date (in 5:11)

Its flat countryside, so its pretty fast but at 32 degrees in the shade and 41 degrees on the pavement, we're toasting. A while back, Brent hadn't tightened the nuts on my front fork in one of our bike reassemblies. After a couple of days one was gone altogether. Scary to think of some of those bumps I've gone over at speed! I had to remind him that I'm worth more dying on the job than when I'm on leave!

So today he was more subtle. After adjusting my rear brake which I'd managed to screw up, he inadvertently (he says!) locked it on. For the first hour, it was such tough slogging. I kept checking to see if I had a flat tire. But we eventually figured it out, and even that didn't do me in. Keep at it, Brent!

A day of small hills, lots of green and, out of nowhere, about one solid kilometre of stalls selling woven hats -- straw coloured, all shapes, fluttering from strings and twisting in the wind. Then back to green.

It wasn't easy finding a hotel in Tak. We had no map, no hotel name, no idea. Went round in circles. Couldn't really figure where city centre was. Brent's miming of sleep worked, though, and a customer in a gas station pointed out a hotel.

Dinner tonight ranks up as a new thing. We found a buffet in an open-air courtyard. It looked safer than the stalls in the market because this way we could control what went on our plate from amongst the tasty-looking morsels rather than the slimy looking bits. We have no idea what we're doing, but with pointing and all we gathered there were two prices: 59 baht and 79 baht ($2 and $2.75). We cleverly figured out that 59 would be for vegetarian and 79 would include meat. We each took a plate a filled up with the old standards of rice, noodles, veggies and some raw beef and chicken for Brent.

We sat down at a picnic table with a big whole in the middle of it. A guy brought a pail of burning charcoal and inserted it into the hole, then put a metal colander-looking thing with a 2-inch "moat" around it upside down over the coals. There -- a ready-made BBQ. We ordered beer and Brent started to cook his beef.

No, no, no! The owner came over with a big smile. She went over to the buffet and loaded two big plates of meat -- beef, pork, chicken, bacon, squid, lard, gooey stuff. She showed us how to let lard sizzle on top, then put some meat on. But apparently we weren't doing it quite right. She waved our hands away and with chopsticks flying layered all sorts of meat on. BOO-FAY she said, smiling and nodding. Yes, buffet, we agreed smiling and nodding.

Next we weren't doing the veggies correctly. She poured water into the moat and gestured us to put some veggies in. Apparently we were to boil them? Make a soup? But, again, we were inept. She waved our hands away and, chopsticks flying, piled bok choy, cabbage, carrots, white stuff, green stuff in.

When we didn't handle the egg too expertly, she gave up, pulled up a stool and started doing all the cooking, putting bits in our bowl as they were cooked. BOO-FAY, she smile. Yes, buffet, we agreed.

FAMILY, she said, pointing to a table of gigantic Thais, apparently attracted by the BOO-FAY. Ah, family, we nodded in understanding. BOO-FAY FAMILY. Uh, huh. We nod. Smile. FAMILY, BOO-FAY. Yup. We got it. Smile.

We eventually figure out this is a buffet (duh!) where individuals pay 79 baht and families pay 59 baht each. Ah, OK, now we've got it. Yes, Brent and Brenda are a family. Yes, a family having a BOO- FAY.

Now that we've survived this, we order another beer. Drinks all round! Brent, Brenda and Alown. Yikes, she's gone off to get more food! There's no stopping her. More beef, more veggies. BOO-FAY! Better have another beer.

By the end of the evening, we've all agreed that the three of us are a family. BOO-FAY! Yes. FAMILY! Indeed.

When fruit arrives for dessert, we are so full we can hardly groan. But we are a FAMILY and we are having a BOO-FAY. We stuff some in our mouths. I exchange phone numbers with Alown, although we've exhausted her two-word English vocabulary. We agree for approximately the 500th time that it was a great BOO-FAY and that we all make a wonderful family. She beams as she sees us on our way. Our total bill was $10. A remarkable evening, a lot of fun in a friendly surround. And I won't be doing that again for awhile!

December 10, 2003
Tak to Kamphaeng Phet
74 km today / 455 km to date (4:10)

The hills are short, only 100 - 200 metres, and never more than a 3 or 4 per cent grade, so this is pretty quick cycling. Brent decided to do time trials (as if its not hot enough!) so his cycling time is almost an hour less than mine (3:18).

Its harvest time now, so we often see groups of Thai in the rice fields with their big, shallow, round woven reed hats - the standard image of rice paddies. Small trucks laden with rice several times their height and twice their width at the top go past often. There's also truckloads of cabbage, sweet potato and other root vegetables. These latter usually end up dumped into a parking lot size square of asphalt and are moved around in the sun to dry out by a small dozer.

Lots of corn kernels line the round, but we have yet to see a cornfield. Strange.

Aside from a kilometre stretch of shops -- this time of furniture -- its still green terrain, easy cycling.

Both of our bikes sustained some damage when a macho staffer at the hotel insisted they'd fit in the elevator. We had planned an early start this a.m. because we've got a long distance ahead, but it was not to be. The damage to Brent's bike included a shot bearing. The mechanic we approached seemed to be working on motorcycles but understood right away what was needed. The Thai system lept into action. Parts were called for; a girl on a scooter brought them over. All the mechanics squatted on their heels -- how do they do that, squatting with their feet flat on the floor and their bums 1" from the ground? Terrific Achilles tendons these folks have! Anyway, some more conversation. Call for more parts. Girl on motorbike returns. Some discussion. Much nodding. All of this on a dirt floor, parts and rags everywhere, looking very chaotic (albeit orderly compared to Brent's shop at home!) Within an hour, Brent has a new axle and bearings and we're on the road. $3 CDN. Fantastic!

Its flat as a pancake, so we make good time, but with the late start its dark by the time we arrive in Nakhon Sawan. Its another highway town, so there's nothing in particular we wanted to see. But for the first time, hotels are a problem. The first three we find are full. Its now dark and we're cycling without lights in city traffic among Thai drivers. In addition, we've been in the sun all day. Even with 30 SPF sunblock and with a long-sleeved shirt as protection we feel fried. Even our lips are sunburned. When 1 1/2 hours later we locate a place to stay it takes us about 15 minutes to rinse off under the hose in the bathroom and head for an air-conditioned restaurant -- no open-air stuff tonight!

We had planned to take a train around Bangkok, do some cycling along the coast for a few days and then pick up the train again into Malaysia for a short stop in some birding territory Brent has his eye on. Bad news times two. First, we can only get past Bangkok by going right into the city and changing trains. Second, the trains we can take are limited to those that carry cargo (for our bikes) and there is no connecting train. We'll have to spend the night in Bangkok. Third, with Christmas approaching, the trains are booked -- we'll have to spend two nights in Bangkok and its almost a week before we can get to Malaysia. Having had my fill of Bangkok, this is not exciting stuff, but traveling means rolling with the punches, so we sort it out as best we can.

The train is late, we arrive in the dark, we battle Bangkok traffic under the street lights (we must be insane!), the one-way streets send us to places we don't want to be, we get lost, we find ourselves and, after an eternity, we're in a hotel in the trekker heaven part of Bangkok that I swore I'd never come to -- and boy am I glad to be here!

I admit to being fickle. Last night it was a relief to arrive, today I'm reminded why I don't like this place. Brent thinks I make it sound like Sodom and Gomoraugh (sp?). Walking tattoos with body piercing wander the streets shopping for more grungy clothes and pirated CDs. They ease the boredom by drinking copious amounts of liquor in bars with pounding bass.

This is perhaps exaggeration -- maybe a gross exaggeration. But that's how it strikes me right now. To the country tomorrow! Yeah!

We're old hands now at Bangkok traffic and train logistics, including the added dimension of bike cargo. There's no air-conditioning on the train, so its a hot trip, but no one seems to mind. No one reads -- they just loll around snoozing, relaxing, buying snacks from the many vendors that ply the aisles every minute or two with rice or pop or fruit or water. Time passes slowly, easily.

Hua Hin is hardly country. I thought it was a small fishing village -- and apparently at one time it was. Its now a big town with more than 100 guest houses and a fair number of big hotels and a smattering of swish resorts. But it has a small town feel to it.

The area we gravitate to is only a block off the main street, but its like a little tourist community. About 15 guest houses line the 2 sides of the street, several including a small outdoor restaurant. They're four storys, cheek by jowl, looking almost like one building. They share a single common swimming pool. Scooters are for rent, there's a laundry service and, Thailand being Internet heaven, there's lots of E-capacity.

Looks like a pleasant place for an easy stay.

December 15, 2003
Hanging out in Hua Hin

Brent rented a scooter for the day (180 baht = $6 CDN) and toodled up to a waterfall for a little birding. The watefall was 3' rapids and there were no birds, but he came back full of ideas to revolutionize traffic patterns in Victoria with thousands of $500 scooters. (Let's not even raise the question of helmets.)

We burned our lips so badly the other day that they blistered, turned grey, bleed, hurt like heck. If they come in contact with spicy Thai food, our eyes water and our feet stomp with agony. We have to take food and toss it back into our upturned heads so there's no contact. Come to think of it, looking rather like birds ourselves.

All else is fine. Life is easy at the Nilawan Guest House in Hua Hin.

December 16, 2003
Taking the train from Hua Hin, Thailand to Butterworth, Malaysia

An early morning stroll on the empty beach which is only a few steps away from our guest house. The water is warm, the beach is lined with as-yet-unfilled beach lounges and umbrellas and there is a cooling 20-knot wind. This could be good spot for those who want quiet R and R.

Overnight train to Malaysia coming up tonight. We'll be tired cats tomorrow.

Web site navigation

On to Brenda's next Thailand diary.

Back to the Thailand page this way

Back to the trip overview page this way