Thailand (19.1)
Micah & Rouen
15 March - 5 April 2019
Photos
13-14
March – Jomtien, Pattaya
I’d
precisely one day to do laundry and repack bags before travelling to Bangkok to
meet Rouen (brother-in-law) and Micah (Niece) on a three-week holiday in
Thailand. The easiest way of getting to Bangkok was to catch an airport bus and, from there, a bus direct to Khao San Road, leaving a short stroll to the
Riverline Guesthouse.
15
March - Bangkok
Rouen
and Micah arrived around 3.30 pm, and we wasted no time exploring the nearby
area. They must have been exhausted following their long flight but never
indicated they wanted to stay put. As Rouen’s bag didn’t arrive on the same flight,
we hoped it would reappear the following day. Still, we searched for clothing,
just in case the bag didn’t materialise. Finally,
enough time remained to do my favourite budget sunset cruise on the Chao Phraya
River. The trip involved catching the late ferry to its final destination and returning
on the last boat. All at 30 THB. Luckily, the weather was good, and the ride
offered a spectacular sunset. The Chao Phraya River is a busy river with a
constant traffic flow, and the river breeze is a welcome relief from the
Bangkok heat. Our ferry passed barges carrying huge loads moving slowly
upstream as people commuting to and from work filled the boat.
Returning,
we hurried to the famous Gecko Bar for beer and food. That night, Rouen and I
sat on the terrace of the Riverline Guesthouse, reminiscing about old times. Finally,
after a few beers, we concluded the world was in the right mess and stumbled off
to bed.
16
March - Bangkok
Following
a delicious plate of noodle soup, we roamed the
streets of old Bangkok. Our meander took us past the old Phra Sumen Fort, one
of only two remaining forts out of 14 built more than two centuries ago. Following the Burmese destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767,
Bangkok was established as the new capital. Initially, Bangkok was a walled
city with canals dug to act as a moat. However, the university campus has
an excellent location, right on the busy River Chao Phraya, and a walkabout
revealed ruins of the old city wall.
The amulet market sported a beautiful and
bizarre collection of amulets, albeit somewhat creepy. The market sells small
talismans and is primarily frequented by collectors, monks and taxi drivers. The
clientele mainly appeared men looking through magnifying glasses at tiny
amulets, primarily used for “good luck” or fertility. Several items appeared more
ominous looking than innocent Buddha necklaces. In fact, a few seemed downright
voodoo-ish!
Before popping into one of Bangkok’s most
visited spots, Wat Pho temple, home to a massive reclining Buddha, it was
necessary to remove shoes. The statue measures 46 metres long and 15 metres
tall and is covered in gold leaf, an impressive sight by anyone’s standards. The reclining Buddha
represents the historical Buddha during his last illness, about to enter parinirvana. On leaving the vast hall, one could purchase a bowl of
coins which were then dropped in the 108 bronze bowls lining the length of the
wall. Dropping the coins into the bowls made a beautiful ringing sound. I
understood the money went towards helping the monks renovate and preserve Wat
Pho. One hundred and eight is a significant number in Buddhism, referring to
the 108 positive actions and symbols which helped lead Buddha to perfection.
That
evening we strolled along the famous Khao San Road, ate a few bugs, and drank
smoothies from the cart around the corner. We further learned it was election
day, and no beer was sold. Fortunately, Rouen brought two bottles of red wine from
home. So we sat on the roof terrace looking out over the Chao Praya River,
enjoying a good bottle of South African wine.
17
March - Bangkok
A
slight misunderstanding caused missing the train to Samut Songkhram, home to the Maeklong Railway Market.
Still,
we managed to catch the 10.30 one, but it took a long wait for a connecting
train. So a better option was a minivan taxi. This allowed us to watch the
train come through the legendary Maeklong Market. Here a warren of stalls spilt over onto the
railway line. As the train approached, traders hastily packed produce and
canopies, allowing the train to pass. Once passed, everything went back into
place in record time and trade continued as if nothing had happened.
Then
onto the Amphawa floating market in Songthaew. Eventually, we returned to
Bangkok by minivan, where we opted for beer on the roof terrace.
18
March - Bangkok
Feeling
lazy, we all slept in and thus late when we had breakfast at the Gecko Bar.
Micah wanted a tattoo, so we enquired at Divine Ink about time and
prices. Bangkok was sweltering, and after having our fill of dim sum, we made
our way to the relative coolness of our guesthouse to relax until sunset.
19
March Bangkok – Ayutthaya by train
The
following day we headed to the train station to board a train to Ayutthaya. The
train was hot and the seats hard, but it came at a very reasonable price. Arriving
in Ayutthaya was in the mid-day heat and we flagged down a tuk-tuk for the
short ride to Baan Lotus Guesthouse. The sweltering weather made opting for an
air-con room in this lovely old building.
Later
a short walk took us to the UNESCO World Heritage Park. Once the capital of
the Kingdom of Siam, Ayutthaya was founded around 1350. The city enjoyed an
ideal location between China, India, and the Malay Archipelago and soon became
Asia’s trading capital. By 1700 Ayutthaya had become the largest city in the
world, sporting a total of 1 million inhabitants. However, all this came to a
swift end when the Burmese invaded Ayutthaya in 1767 and practically raised it
to the ground.
Albeit too hot to take pictures, we snapped a few before returning to our
aircon room, only to reappear long past sunset.
20
March Ayutthaya – Kanchanaburi – by Mini Van
A
minivan picked us up for the ride to Kanchanaburi. Less than three hours later,
we were dropped at Tamarind Guesthouse, where we booked a barge on the River
Kwai. Brutally hot, we stayed indoors until around 5 o’clock before wandering to
the bridge over the famous River Kwai.
The
bridge is a significant tourist attraction in Kanchanaburi. Hundreds of people
were milling about, taking pictures and strolling across the bridge to the opposite
side. En route to our abode, we followed suit and uncovered a roadside eatery
and beer.
21-22
March - Kanchanaburi – Hua Hin
Finally,
we headed to the famous Thailand coast for a beach holiday. A tuk-tuk took us
to the bus terminal, where minivans ran to Hua Hin. Again, a 3-hour ride and dropped
within easy walking distance to our guesthouse. A room in an old, rickety
guesthouse situated on stilts right over the water became home for the next two
nights. We wasted no time heading to the beach, where the rest of the afternoon
was spent in the shade of a large umbrella. In fact, so pleasant was Hua Hin we stayed an additional day.
23
March - Hua Hin – Koh Phangan
Checking
out was at midday, although our bus to Surat Thani was only at 22h00. Micah and
I found it pretty impossible to sleep, but Rouen dozed off occasionally. Our arrival
in Surat Thani was around 8h00, from where a bus transported us to Don Sak pier
to catch our ferry to Koh Phangan. Arriving at the Tropicana Resort, we were
dead tired but headed straight to the ocean.
24–29
March - Koh Phangan
The
days slipped by without doing a great deal. Instead, we swam in the lukewarm
water of the Gulf of Thailand, drank cold beers and ate numerous plates of Thai
food. Rouen and I attempted half-heartedly to run but never covered a
significant distance. Eventually, Rouen rented a motorbike and, with Micah, set
off to explore the remainder of the island.
30
March - Koh Phangan – Bangkok
We
checked out of our comfortable accommodation and strolled to the ferry port,
where enough time remained to grab a bite to eat. The ferry to Surat Thani
takes almost 2.5 hours, and once there, all were ushered into a bus to the city
centre. From the city centre, passengers were taken by tuk-tuk to a different
bus station to catch the bus to Bangkok. This gave us enough time to explore
the night market and sample an array of tasty dishes. Eventually, we boarded
the night bus, a long and uncomfortable ride into Bangkok.
31
March – Bangkok
A
day of leisure was spent in Bangkok as Micah had an appointment at the tattoo
studio. Afterwards, we headed to Pattaya, where a few days were spent.
1-4
April - Pattaya
We
lazed around the swimming pool and walked along the beachfront, nibbling food
from the night market while drinking copious amounts of smoothies, iced
coffees, and Chang beer. Unfortunately, we didn’t do half the planned,
but Micah and Rouen had to return to Cape Town.
Having them was a pleasure; I hoped it wouldn’t be 12 years until their next visit.
