Last night I arrived in Sydney and am staying with a friend from London. It's a lot warmer here
than Canberra, the last stop, which was the coldest place since London!
Anyway, here is the latest on the diary...well, not the latest but the first week of South East
Asia, which I hadn't sent to most of you before.
MONDAY 24 APRIL
Despite spending the most fantastic six weeks in Sylhet, it was
time to move on. It was time for South East Asia and, first, Thailand.
An uncle - the elder of my mother's two brothers - made the tortuous
(in Sylhet we say that it's easier going to London!) journey to Dhakah to
drop me off at the airport. Of course, I was booked on an economy seat
but was upgraded to first class so as to balance the plane! It was the
first time that I'd flown first-class! Pity the journey lasted only
three hours.
Landed in Bangkok at about 2pm. It was effortless getting from the airport
to the Khao San Road area - the main travellers centre of Thailand and
arguably the whole of South East Asia - but I did pay a whopping 70 bhat
(60 bhat = 1 pound) for an airport bus. Booked in to a guesthouse for a
ridiculous 150 bhat a night. It was the first day and I just couldn't be
bothered to look around. Had planned on moving the day after but just got lazy!
Didn't do much in the evening - showered, settled in, ate, called the London
home and, of course, e-mailed! It had been 6 weeks since the previous time -
I was in Bangladesh, remember!
It was great to read all your emails, especially as I was already missing
the people back in Sylhet. You know, I hadn't been to Sylhet for nearly 8
years but as soon as I went back all the love for it came back. When in
London I often ask myself "where is home?", and though most of the times
the answer is "Sylhet", quite often it is "London". But as soon as I got on
the bus (from Dhakah) to Sylhet, there was not a shadow of doubt in my mind.
The question even seemed ridiculous!
TUESDAY 25 APRIL
Woke up for good at about 8am. Went to the Vietnam embassy to apply for
their visa. The application cost less than 35 pounds. On Monday night I
was told at a travel agent that it'd cost me more than 45 pounds. They
were gonna charge me more than 10 pounds just to take the form and my
passport a distrance of 7km or so to the embassy! Rip off or what!
(The journey to the Embassy cost just over 11 pence by bus!)
I then went on a temple round. There are quite a few here as you can
imagine! The oldest and the grandest is Wat Po. It's quite spectacular. Had
never seen anything quite like it before. I'd heard about the illicit nature
of Bangkok massage parlours and so went to the one offered by the monks at the temple. It was
quite expensive (2 pounds for half an hour) but pretty good.
Pretty good but I felt no different after than I did before - I didn't have
any pain before nor did I after! It definitely wasn't as good as the Arabian
bath I had in Damascus but I hope it did some good!
I then went for a walk around the city, being stopped by locals
admiring my new sun hat! It cost only 83 pence, and even the locals are
impressed by that price! Not many people here spoke English outside of the
touristy areas but the ones who did liked to speak a lot. Most are friendly
but I came across a couple of guys, one a few minutes after the other,
who told me about "the great jewellery sale" that Bangkok only has for three
days a year. And of course this was the last day! Though very suspicious I
probably half believed it at the time but had no intention of buying
jewellery even at "rock bottom" prices. Later, in Cambodia, I met a New
Zealander who fell for the scam, paying 1100 GBP for sapphires and rubies
that were worth next to nothing.
Anyway, I returned to the hostel at about 5:30pm, had a shower, slept an hour
before going out to a nearby hostel for dinner. Ate sweet and sour vegetable
with rice and tomato soup. The former was good, the latter wasn't. Sleep
followed catching up with more emailing.
WEDNESDAY 26 APRIL
Had a great day in Ayuthya! Would've been fantastic had it not been
for two things. Firstly, I got ripped off by a tuk-tuk driver. My bus wouldn't come so
I decided to take one of these things, which look like auto-rickshaws and baby-taxis of the
sub-continent that are meant to be cheaper than the regular yellow taxis, to the main train
station. I’d
asked the price before and the driver showed 6 fingers. I thought it a little cheap, but got on
anyway. Once I’d gotten on, it came to me that he might have meant 60, which would certainly have
been way too much for a journey of less than 4km. And so it turned out when we arrived at the
station. I
didn't want to pay. I asked other people what the fare ought to be but they also said it should
be 60
baht. (I'm sure they were part of the gang!). I then asked a traffic police man but he didn't
wanna
know. Then asked another lady who spoke English but still no joy. The fare should be no more
than 30 but everybody was saying 60. I got totally pissed off but had to pay anyway. I didn't
lose much
money (60 baht is 1 pound so I lost only 50 pence) but it certainly didn't feel good being taken
for a ride.
Secondly, you know that bargain sun-hat that I was talking about on Tuesday, well, I lost it to
the wind whilst cycling in Ayuthya! I retraced my steps all the way back to where I started
cycling but to no avail. I thought I'd be able to buy the hat again but couldn't even find the
shop again! For some reason I'd totally forgotten where I bought it on Tuesday!
Man, I'm spending most of the time on negative things...on to the good stuff.
Yes, Ayuthya was great! Arriving there by train at about 1pm, I hired a bike for the day and made
very good use of it, covering the city thoroughly. It was the first time that I’d cycled since
Luxor, Egypt, so it was great just to cycle, never mind sightseeing.
After a shower and some very good value food, I went to the only, apparently, elephant kraal in
Thailand. It wasn't as spectacular as I'd imagined, as most of the elephants were elsewhere
giving tourists rides 'round town. Tourists like me! Yes, I went on my first ever elephant ride.
It was brief but an experience nonetheless!
Ayuthya is an ancient capital of Thailand so there are many temple ruins to be seen. Most of them
are quite spectacular. It's funny, but the temple ruins there looked better than the functioning
temples
of Bangkok! I think it's because the temples of Bangkok are too coulourful and so look a bit
tacky.
I then went to my first mosque in Thailand. It was quiet a bit out of town and I couldn't have
gone without a bike. And I took a wrong turning, so came back, thinking that the mosque doesn't
exist, realised where I’d made the mistake, went back, but still couldn't find it. The map was
meant to be to scale but I'm sure it wasn't. Had almost decided to give up, but then went on for
a bit more. And there it was! A blue domed mosque! It was a great relief to finally find it! I
got
there only a few minutes before maghrib.
It was a pretty small mosque, well, bigger than the ones I've been praying in the village of
Bangladesh, but small nontheless. But they had a women's section and in the Maghrib prayer there
were as many women as men. After the prayer they offered me food. I knew that
there wouldn't be much for a vegetarian but didn't know how to say no. So went to see what there
was. Sure enough, fish curry and rice. My Thai wasn’t good enough to say that I am a vegetarian
but
somehow I managed to mime that I don't eat fish. So they got me some potatoes. (Not the normal
type, but another type which I've also had in Bangladesh). I would've liked to have hung around
but
it was getting dark, my bike didn't have lights and the streets weren't very well lit.
Enjoyed more great food before calling it a night. (Stayed for only 60 bhat.)
THURSDAY 27 APRIL
Woke up for good quite early. The plan was to go Nakhom Pthom and return to Bangkok in the
evening. Caught the 9am ‘rapid’ train to Bangkok. (No direct trains from Ayuthya to Nakhom
Pathom.)
Only in Thailand are trains called ‘rapid’, though cost 3 times as much, actually take longer than
ordinary trains! As a result I didn’t get much time in Nakhom Pathom – it was about 11am when I
reached Bangkok, the next train for Nak Path was more than an hour later, arriving at 2pm and the
last train back to Bangkok was at 4pm.
So only two hours in Nak Path but that was enough for there isn’t much there besides the biggest
single structured wat in the world – a huge orange thing that dominates the whole town. It was
absolutely gigantic! Had a walk around the local markets after returning from the wat. Lots of
fresh (and dried) fish, which almost made me wish I wasn’t a vegetarian. I said, almost!
Returned to Thonburi just before 7am to catch the last ferry across to Bangkok. It was a very long
time ago and so I really can’t remember what I did that evening. I’m sure I ate and showered but
besides that I don’t have a clue! It can’t have been too exciting, I guess!
(Stayed at the same 150bhat/night place. I told you that I was too lazy to move!)
FRIDAY 28 APRIL
This was a great day but it didn't start off very well. First, I went to a hospital to get a
Yellow Fever vaccination but was told that they didn't have it - the ministry of health had
confined it in Nonthonburi but I didn't go there. Then looked for a mosque to pray Jum'a but
couldn't find it at first. You see, there are two types of 'sois' (alleys) in Thailand; small
roads off main roads and alleys off main roads. And they have separate numberings of course. I
followed the wrong ones at first and so missed jum'a.
So, I went to the Vietnam embassy to collect my visa. And it was ready. Fantastic! Then I went
mosque hunting again. This time looking for the other soi type I found the Darun Aman masjid. It
was pretty big and well facilitated. Prayed Zuhr and Asr there. There were quite a few musollis.
Next up was the Harun masjid near the river. Was gonna take the bus there but on way to a bus
stop I stumbled on to something absolutely amazing - the Bangkok Sky trains! They were brilliant,
fast, clean , quiet and overground so you get fantastic views of the city. I forgot that I was in
Thailand for this could've easily been something out of Star Trek. I was mightily impressed. The
Harun masjid, unlike the other one, I think was run by migrant workers from the subcontinent.
Then took a river bus in search of my third mosque in Bangkok. Unfortunately, I couldn't find
this
One. It was dark, there were many stray dogs (and rough looking people) and it was getting
late so I gave up after a while. Missed the boat back to where I stayed so had to go the long way
home, taking a boat to a ponit further away
SATURDAY 29 APRIL
Breakfast, a beard trim and it was time to head towards Northern Thailand and Laos. Was gonna
leave in the morning but had a lie in due to sleeping late on Friday because of all the racket
outside. I tell you, I was staying in the busiest traveller centre of Bangkok. The advantage of
course is that all the conveniences are there and everybody speaks English. In contrast, nobody
seemed to speak English in Northern Thailand. Even Syria wasn’t as bad and, besides, I knew some
Arabic.
Before leaving Bangkok I left my backpack at the train station. I was to travel the next three
weeks or so with just my daypack, containing the bare essentials – only one extra of each item of
clothing. I can travel like this all the time.
Anyway, took a bus to Khorat (Nakhon Ratchasima), about 200km NE of Bangkok, at about 3pm,
arriving 5 hours later. Stayed in a really nice place, with en-suite bathroom, for only 3 pounds.
It was more expensive than I'd planned but they didn't have anything cheaper. The place was very
nice
but the elderly couple, especially the guy, were very grumpy!
SUNDAY 30 APRIL
Got out of the guesthouse with the grumpy hosts as soon as possible in the morning! Took a bus to
Pimai (only 35 pence for a distance of 60km - this is even cheaper than Bangladesh and needless to
say the bus was of better quality!
First, I went to the Pimai National Museum which covers the whole of North East Thailand. Not
being a museum guy, I found it pretty interesting. It had local, Budhist and Hindu artefacts
dating back more than a millennia, including, of course, images of Budha in as many positions as
you can imagine - meditating, standing, arguing, subduing mara (evil), reclining, just sitting,
being protected by the head of Naga...
Then I went to the main thing I came here for - the Prasat Hin Pimai Historiac Park. It's a
complex
(210m x 250m or so) of Hindu and Budhist temples but no one really knows who built the thing or
why at the place it's at. It looks great but a lot of is restored stuff, and some of the modern
metal supports are even visible, which kinda takes the gloss off it. But without the restoration
it wouldn't be much to look at.
Next, I went to the Sai Ngam (Banyan tree). It's a park full of Banyan trees whose branches are
so
Inter-woven that you can't tell where one ends and the other begins, so that you get a totally
covered area the size of a football pitch. (no undergrowth of course.)
Returned to Khorat at about 8:30pm. Went to a masjid but couldn’t pray. You see, despite taking a
motor-cycle taxi that cost a fair 50 pence, I went to the masjid a bit after Isha. The gates were
closed; the driver rang the bell; somebody came saying salam; I was heartened. I asked to be let
in to pray but was refused point black. Felt very saddened and ashamed.
I was gutted but I think it was a fitting punishment and a lesson well learnt. Fitting punishment
for I hadn't prayed Zuhr and Asar even by Isha time, planning on praying all together in Nakhon
Ratchasima (Khorat). There was nowhere to pray in Pimai but that is just an excuse. I could've
prayed anywhere but Shaytan overtook me.
So I felt gutted and returned to the bus station. There was nowhere to pray there either
(of course) but I prayed Zuhr and Asar between two stairways near a waiting area, it not
mattering that there were many passengers watching me. But I was stopped by a couple of security
guards from continuing. They said something about praying elsewhere but didn't show me where
exactly. So I went to a less busy waiting area and prayed Maghrib, Isha and Witr.
The whole experience was very valuable. Firstly, it has taught me never to be lazy about prayers
again. Also, the experience of praying at the bus station has given me the confidence to pray
anywhere in future, except perhaps in wats, churches, mondirs, sinagogues, etc.
I'd made a scene by praying in public so after I'd finished dinner I was interrogated by a couple
of policemen. (They'd been watching me for a while when I was talking to a middle-aged Welshman
and approached me as soon as he left and this worried me.) It was the usual deal of checking
passport and asking boring questions. They found nothing of course and left me alone after a
while. But, in the middle of the interrogation the lights in the whole station went off, worrying
me further, but they soon came back.
So, I was finally ready to head for the Laos border on an overnight bus to Nong Khai. But every
bus for it was full! So I took one for Si Chiang Mai and was meant to change at Udon but slept
through it (I was in first class (less than 3 pounds though for a 350km journey) so it was very
very comfortable; the best bus I've ever been on). I had to take another two buses before arriving
at the border. I was kinda lost in Si Chiang Mai but the people really helped me.
No comments:
Post a Comment