On-the-Road Tales

Took a ‘taxi’ to the port. Read ‘climb into the bed of a pick-up truck’. With all the backpacks and scuba tanks coming to this island, no one uses cars to transport. Another 1.5 hour ferry to the port town of Chumphorn where I grabbed a “VIP” coach to ride for the next 7 hours north to Bangkok. Double-decker air conditioned, pink leather bus which plays DVDs so the time passed rapidly until they put in Texas chainsaw massacre and I decided to try and read a book instead of dealing with crazies – there are enough real threats to busy myself with – do not need to occupy myself with gore.

The bus was supposed to drop us at Khao San road, a small backpacker haven lined with places to stay. We got off somewhere that was decidely not lined with anything. Great – first time downtown in one of Asia’s largest digs, it is dark, raining and while I have a map in hand – it is not much help when I do not know where in the dickens I am on that map. No one could get a clear answer why the bus did not stop where it was supposed so I latched onto some brits who had stayed there before and we prodded directions out of people until we made our way.

What a place – neon, crowds, stalls. Anything you want on this street you can get – fake designer this and that, jewelry and amusingly fake NY driver’s license and even diplomas! Might have to pick me up a degree in something. First place was full so since it was now thundering and downpouring, I sidled to the next lit sign since next door and took a room. Not exactly sure what about about the charthouse gave me the creeps but it did. Perhaps it was the sign encouraging you to add your own padlock to the door but I checked out in the morning first thing and went back to the first place D & D inn.

I survived the night with Mr. Gecko and reclined on the deck for my morning toast – literally ‘on the deck’ since you are seated on the ground with these triangular cushion seat things. I can not get myself to try the traditional soup or noodle breakfasts yet. Thai food is amazing and cheap. You can get satay, cashew chicken, curry for next to nothing. Eating requires some caution though, my hibernian palatte tolerates little in the way of spicy or hot. I made the mistake of asking the waiter at dinner if the sauce with my fresh sole was ‘hot’, and he said no, not at all. Which for him I am sure was true, for me, I was breaking into a sweat. Different gauge.

I joined a group for snorkeling around the island. The guide was English and there were only 5 of us on a large boat that normally caters to 40 so we had plenty of room. Since the coral reefs are so shallow, we taxiied out to the motorboat using ‘longtail boat’. This is a frightfully unstable little buggar which uses a prop extending 6 feet or so out the rearend. We stopped at 4 various sites around the island to fin around and check out the underwater wildlife. First stop, I got up close and personal with some blacktipped reef sharks, very cool – lovely little creatures. I saw dozens of different coral, fish, squid at the various sites. If you are into marine life, this is the place to be. I chatted with the guide about some of the various horror stories he has experienced in 30 years of dive instructing around the world. Scary stuff, always check for aluminium coming out of your oxygen tanks! He told me how the movie ‘The Beach’, filmed on a nearby island, boosted tourism considerably to the country – quicker perhaps than the govt was prepared for considering the pollution and impact it has had on many areas. It continually amazes me the influence Hollywood has on entire societies and regions of the world. Our final stop of the day was to Nangyuan, a private island just off the coast. I climbed to the top of some rocks and got a splendid birds eye view of the shaded blue and green sea.

After way too much sun than my palid complexation can handle, I got back to ‘the shed’. Greeted my gecko. Took a ‘cold water’ shower which was near to boiling because the tank is probably exposed somewhere to the beating sun and headed back out. I witnessed another amazing sunset, probably second only to the one last night and tried out some more fish. It was a fitful night’s sleep with crickets clanking, cicada buzzing and presumably Mr Gecko knocking over all my toiletries at 0300. Glad I knew he was there or I might have been afraid there was some other creature in my bathroom…

I enjoyed breakfast on the deck watching men and women transport goods they would sell that day on the beach by balancing them on both ends of a long stick carried across their shoulders. I decided to take a ... [Continue reading this entry]

Attempting to get acclimated to Thai customs. People are very friendly and helpful and since it is a tourist destination - their english is passable. Of course like me when speaking a language, they grasp for the closest ... [Continue reading this entry]

I had to leave my plush digs in the morning without even getting to explore the fabulous looking buddha adorned fountain courtyard I could see from my room. Headed back to the airport for my Bangkok Airways flight to ... [Continue reading this entry]

Obviously requesting a window seat at the ticket counter was too late but she decided not to tell me. Probably better so I did not dwell on the fact until I boarded and was seated in the center of ... [Continue reading this entry]

On the bus once again for the long haul to Christchurch. Stopped for some volcano views along the way but otherwise straight on through arriving at Base Backpackers situated in the evening, dead centre in Cathedral Square. Explored ... [Continue reading this entry]

Aronse at 0600 to try a catch a sunrise. Met the two diehard photographers I had been standing in the same spot with 12 hours earlier for sunset! Not a great morning for colour but worth it none ... [Continue reading this entry]

Two hour drive from Te Anau to Milford crossing the Southern Alps. This road often closes due to avalanche risk. In fact, the day we entered Queenstown while it was flurrying there, the road was shut. The ... [Continue reading this entry]

Spent the day in this lakeside town. It is the starting point for some of the most famous tramps in the world (tramps = hiking in NZ) the Kepler, Milford track. So lots of people at the YHA ... [Continue reading this entry]