Koh Lanta Take Two!

25 February 2009

We left the cool hilly north for the quiet beaches in the south. The North was nice, but we realized that Thailand was our last beach-y country until...Turkey? This made us a little uneasy, so we decided to bolt down South to return to our beloved Ko Lanta.

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Before we could think about the beach, we had to see a bit of the North! From Chang Mai we went to hotsprings and a geyser on the way to Pai. We were so happy to hear that it was only 100 baht to camp in the park, and that there was a mineral pool to swim and cleanse ourselves. Wow! Jonny had been feeling a little under the weather for the past while, so a nice hot mineral bath sounded just right. We quickly changed into our suits, grabbed our towels, and headed for the pools. There was only one problem...they were too hot!!! We have been taking cold showers for months now, so hot water is usually quite a treat but this was just too much. MC could barely put her foot in. Jonny went insane and tried his entire right leg for about 30 seconds. Determined to take a bath, Jonny tried to cool the pool with a nearby hose. As a pool owner, MC knew it was too good to be true... We had to give up and go back to the wombat...

After one night at the geyser, we went on to Pai where we visited a doctor for Jonny. We went to the local hospital where he was seen quickly. He had an infection in his stomach and a common cold. The total cost of 6 prescriptions and to see a doctor was 302 baht (about 9 USD). Wow!

Now that Jonny was all medicated and was relatively rested, we went to a waterfall near Pai. Getting lost on the way, we asked for directions...from 2 guys from Quebec. Pretty small world... (they also got lost before). The waterfall was pretty, but the water as freezing!

Now, the area around Pai was gorgeous, but the roads were winding and annoying. To cross to Mae Hong Son, you have to do 1864 turns on the road (they give you a certificate in the end). JD was not feeling very good, and MC thought that if she wanted to do 1864 turns in a car, she could just go in a field and spin around all day. So, we turned around and headed back to Chiang Mai. We decided that we had seen what we wanted to see in the North and to head South. Our deadline is that we have to be in KL on March 6th to organize the shipment of the wombat to Chennai. We figured we would go to Ko Lanta for a week!

This meant about 1500 km of driving back to Ko Lanta. On our first big driving day out of Pai and through Chiang Mai, we stopped at the Wat Lampung, what we read was by far the nicest temple in all of Thailand. Now, we haven’t seen all the temples in Thailand, but it’s true that this one is very special. What makes it stand out is that many parts are made of wood. Some parts were made in the 1400s and have not been extensively restored, so they are very charming. It was a moving place, and definitely a worthwhile stop.

The next day, we drove 900 km. The only eventful part was when MC was stopped by the police. Let us explain. In Thailand, the highways are really well maintained (often with pretty plants between the different directions). There are at least two lanes in each direction on all major highways. Travelling by car in Thailand is a breeze, and it is great that it is possible to do 1000 km in a day! The problem is that there are many overloaded heavy trucks on the road. They generally go about 70km/h and stay on the left hand side of the road (where they should be...in Thailand, we drive like in the UK). This makes for large patches and bumps on the left side of the road where pothole repairs have been done...so most normal cars stay in the overtaking lane (the right lane) at all times. Why hang out on the bumpy side when you can sail smoothly on the nice side? Well. MC was cruising in the overtaking lane for a while (doing as the locals do) and there was absolutely no traffic. She was hailed by a highway cop who asked for her licence and yelled “no right side no right side” to her. She didn’t say anything. Then, the cop yelled “you pay 100 baht 100 baht” After the cop checked the licence (which is Aussie and chances are he couldn’t read) MC reached for her wallet to put it away and grab the 100 baht. As she handed the 100 baht note to the cop, she asked for the ticket, and the cop walked away with free lunch money. Damn. It’s only 3USD, but it sucks to bribe cops unknowingly. (It was MC’s first traffic infringement ever!)

We stopped at a hotel for the night. It was nice to relax. In the morning there were ants everywhere, a nightmare since that day near Fitzroy River (click here for more details). We grabbed a quick breakfast and with the hot sun and gorgeous beach in mind, we cruised on to Ko Lanta!

Once we were back, it was so nice to see Kasim’s expression as the wombat pulled in in front of his bar! He was so happy! We sat down and had a welcome-back beer with him. My goodness, it’s good to be back!

So we’ll be here until the 3rd, and then we head for Malaysia. We plan to take it easy, and reorganize the wombat a little before we ship it to India.

What a wonderful place, Ko Lanta. Today, we rested. Swam, tanned, read and swung in the hammock. We are so happy to have the chance to come back to a place we love.

MC and JD

Back in Thailand!

19 February 2009

We left Laos on a high note. As we made our way to the border, we stopped in a village that happened to be celebrating the opening of their tourist information office. And this means everybody from the village at the local eatery, eating, drinking and singing merrily. Of course, as soon as they caught sight of us, we were offered quite potent shots of Laolao(but the host always had to have one first). Laolao is very strong whisky made of rice, tradition says you have 2 in a row, but they were nice to us and let us get away with only one. It was so amazing to join their party! They sang a traditional Lao song to us (Click here to see the video), and we sang “L’arbre est dans ses feuilles”, which they enjoyed. We had sodas, chatted for a while about family, work, school and children, and then headed toward Houay Xay, the border.

We didn’t want to stay in Houay Xay because we heard it was sort of unfriendly, and we wanted to avoid getting a hotel. In a village about 20 km from Houay Xay, we stopped to try and ask for directions to a good place to camp. I had a go at speaking Lao (with the help of a phrase book). The nice family we spoke to let us sleep in their driveway! We were happy they had a driveway to fit the wombat, most people only have a path for motorbikes to their home. I prepared dinner, Aloo Gobi, while Jonny chatted with the family. We joined them at the family table for dinner. They offered us rice, some seaweed dip and delicious sausage (there were onions in it!). We offered them a big plate of Aloo Gobi, which they ate! We met the whole family, Grandma, grandpa, mom, the 3 children and uncle (or dad, I didn’t really understand). The mother was about our age, and she was really friendly. Some neighbours dropped by to see what was going on. There was one entire family that stopped on their motorcycle to say hello. (No minivans or SUVs here! Dad drives the motorbike, mom is behind him holding the baby, and the toddler is squished between his parents, feet floating!). She was laughing and making jokes, and I just laughed along... The dad came to taste my aloo gobi and gave a thumbs up! They left after a few more jokes. After dinner, the grandmother showed me photos on her digital camera of a wedding they recently went to. Wow! The bride looked like a princess all in pink and gold! There were flowers everywhere and the groom even had an usher who held an umbrella over him the whole time! It was so nice to see! It’s hard to explain how small villages are in many parts of south east Asia. People live in small houses made of bamboo, grass or twigs, but they often have satellite tv, cell phones and digital cameras! It is nice to see that certain luxuries are made available to many people in the world, that’s what I think.

The next morning, we said “khorp jhai lai lai”, bowed respectfully and headed to the Thai border! We had absolutely no worries in Houay Xai. We found the port and stamped out the car only to realize we had to go back to town to stamp out our passports! We drove passed the place, so I walked back. The immigration counter was a zoo! Tons of stressed out people trying to get their Lao visas! I looked to be the only one who wanted to check out, so I went to the diplomatic counter, and it was a breeze. We had been told the boat was at 11 o’clock but once back at the port, we paid 30USD (we paid in baht, because we didn’t have enough kip left!) and were off! It turns out to be cheaper to cross to Thailand with a car! Passenger tickets are 20 USD per person, but we took a different ferry so we saved money! Yay! The boat left about 2 minutes after we drove on and arrived in Thailand 10 minutes later. In Thailand, it was a breeze. We got our passport stamped, went to the customs head office to import the car, and we were ready to enjoy ourselves!

We decided to take smaller routes around and bypass Chang Rai. We took “scenic routes” but still got to see the “Golden Triangle” where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet. We drove around and camped at a waterfall near Mae Salong. Using my phrase book as a guide, I hand wrote words in Thai: “Can we camp here? Car, bed, park (verb), night, tomorrow, go”. The characters were too small in the phrase book, so I copied them bigger. It seemed to work because people understood! My Thai penmanship is not so bad afterall! We had a wonderful evening and explored the waterfall the next morning. Gorgeous flowers, banana trees and butterflies everyhwere!

Then, we kept driving and took the scenic route to Chang Mai. We camped on a little path next to the highway. It was beautiful, safe and quiet. This morning before we left, though, we realized we were in a giant natural flower garden...and there were bees everywhere! Ah! We quickly packed up and drove to Chang Mai. We’re taking it easy in Chang Mai today. The town is really really touristic (full of guest houses, internet cafes, motorbike rentals and trekking booking places). Tomorrow, we are going to visit Pai, a small village recommended by our friend Jenna.

There is a tribe of people living near the Myanmar border in Thailand. They are here as refugees and so cannot own any land. Their main source of income is tourism, and they are quite popular. The women of the tribe are famously known as the “Long neck” or “Giraffe” women, who wear hoops around their neck from a young age and as a result gradually get a longer and longer neck. Tourists pay money to go see these women, and take photos. We wonder how much of the money actually goes to the tribe though... We have read that this village has become a sort of “human zoo”, that people organizing tours from Chang Mai make a large profit off the women, and that the tribe gets very little money. We were intrigued at first, but have decided not to go. We shouldn’t support tourism that exploits people in such a way...

We plan to visit around the North for a few more days and then head south! We are planning to ship the car from Port Klang on the 5th of March, and we have booked our flights to Chennai (fka Madras) for the 8th! Woohoo!

We are happy and enjoying ourselves very much!

MC (and napping Jonny)

Ready to leave Bangkok

4 February 2009

I have had such an amazing time around Bangkok! It was so nice to see Gaultier and to see that he is enjoying the city so much...Alas, there was no ping pong show or Thai boxing for us this time, but we’ve got to keep something for the next time we visit!

Our weekend at Erawan National park was fantastic! The park is well organized, neat, welcoming and affordable! Entry is 200 baht per person (6USD) with a 30 baht (less than 1USD) charge to bring in a car. Camping is 30 baht per person per night. There are clean western toilets at the campsite and cold showers (with shower heads and good water pressure!). There is even camping equipment to rent if you need! I was impressed with the park without even seeing its main attraction: the Erawan falls. We took a jungle (but really well cleared) path to the 3rd tier. The falls are made up of 7 main tiers where there are big pools for swimming. The trek is so enjoyable, with many different trees and pretty vines, butterflies, lizard and even crazy monkeys! The park officials even wrote a dozen panels in Thai and English that give some information on the species of plants in the forest. If it is sunny when you go there, make sure you don’t forget your camera! The vines are wild and the falls are breathtaking!

It was hard to leave the park, but I was glad to be getting back to Bangkok. It’s a big busy city, but I enjoy it! We were going to see Gaultier once more. We had to pick up our passports from the Indian embassy (we were both granted a 6 month tourist visa) and I had to get my tailored suit from Sunny’s. I am very happy with my suit, I look like a real adult! Now I just need a job (or opportunity) to wear it... Sunny was really friendly, professional, quick and honest! I would recommend him. He is on Silom rd near Silom Village.

Now we are ready to head to Laos! We will have a big day of driving tomorrow. We want to get there as soon as possible. The plan is to spend a few weeks there, then come back to Thailand and see the North (Chang Mai area). We will eventually drive back down to Kuala Lumpur to ship the car to India or Bangladesh.

The adventure continues!

MC

No worries in Bangkok

Since the last post, we got another 15-day visa without a hitch, and we crept our way up the east coast, staying on beaches along the way.

It was pretty interesting to do a visa run to Myanmar. The Thai government knows why all the tourists go to Ranong. When they stamp your passport to leave Thailand, they give you a new arrival card. We took a long boat with some Brits to Myanmar and we were there for about 15 minutes. It cost us 10USD each and two big stamps in our passport (stamp space is precious when you’re travelling for 10 months straight!) and then straight back to the other side...Uneventful really. We checked out the hot springs outside Ranong afterwards and MC was super happy to see an elephant in the parking lot. He was on his lunch break from giving people rides. When he saw us, he came straight to me and he tried to touch me with his trunk! It was quite weird, but it made sense afterwards when we noticed that people can buy elephant snacks and feed it to the elephant.

We drove up to Chumpon on the east coast, and stayed near the national park along the coast. Near- not in, it would of coast us 200 bhat each to camp overnight, 5 times the price because we are foreigner, of course. It’s all official too!

29 January 2009

Next day was more driving towards Bangkok, and we stayed the night at beach near Hua Hin. Hua Hin is over developed and crowded!

The next day, it took us a while to negotiate the Bangkok traffic, which wasn’t that bad, but making a U-turn in that city is a nightmare! Someone had told us that we could camp out in Lumphini park, which turned out to be wrong, since they shut the gates at night and everybody had to be out. We went into Chinatown, thinking that we would find cheap accomodation. After parking the car, we got in contact with Gaultier, who is now living a real life with a real job in Bangkok (maybe we should get one of those soon?), and he offered for us to stay over at his place. Amazing!

After a shower, a couple of beers, and dinner, all the lost time was caught up, and Gaultier filled us in on what he knew of Thai culture, as we talked about our trip and experiences so far. After that, Gaultier slept in the guest cot and left us his double bed. What a host!

So far, Bangkok is good to us!

JD

Burma Visa-Run

25 January 2009

We wished good-bye to our new friends here in Koh Lanta, and we are about to leave the island. Our 15-day visa is about to run out, so we need to get it renewed, and the easiest way is to hop over the border and come back again. So to Burma we go, and then onwards in to the north.

We drove by some loud banging noises this morning- no it wasn't somebody shooting off a machine gun, it was kids letting off loud firecrackers. Of course, it’s Chinese New year. Yet again, we managed to time our dealings with government officials perfectly, on a public holiday. I hope that it wont get in our way!

Apart from that, all the rest is the same as usual. Any ideas on getting rid of our surfboards? I am a big fan on the forgetting them on the side of the road option, but MC is not so keen on that. They are just so big, get in the way all the time, and we haven’t used them once in the past 3 months!

Jonathan

In love with Koh Lanta

23 January 2009

Hello!

We’ve been on this little island for 10 days now, and we can’t leave!

We haven’t seen the beach in so long, and chances are we won’t get to enjoy another until we get to Turkey....so we don’t feel bad about dragging out our stay here.

We had a wonderful week! We met a nice man from France, who we hope to catch up with again once we get there. We enjoyed quite a few sunsets together, and Ko Lanta isn’t the same without good Cherif!

If you are here, or plan to come here, make sure you meet Kasim. He runs a little bar on Kantiang beach. We’re trying to get him to change the name to Bar Kasim...we’ll see how it goes! He’s a super friendly man, and he can give you travel tips! He speaks English well and is slowly learning French!

We’ve also met many people from Québec here! We’re slowly taking over!

We are thoroughly enjoying ourselves....It’s going to be hard to leave.

We are healthy and happy. We are planning to go to Myanmar in the next few days to get a new visa for Thailand. We should have planned ahead and gotten a visa in Panang...but we didn’t. Now, we only have 15 days, so we’ve got to renew it. We’ll just hop across the border and back. No biggie.

Marie-Claude

Thailand is so good to us!

15 January 2009

We are in Ko Lanta in Thailand.

Everything has been going really very well! We had no problem importing the car into Thailand, but we only have a 15 day visa because we came overland and did not request one in advance. We will have to do a traditional visa run (done by many tourists who visit Thailand) we will be going to Myanmar in the next week to get our visa!

We are fully back in camping mode, staying in random spots on the beach every night...That means, no more wifi! We will not have daily updates of the blog anymore, but we will post pictures of each day with comments whenever possible. Our ultimate goal is to have an entry for each day... MC hand writes a diary, and will eventually type it up and post it! So please enjoy the photos, they give you a pretty good idea of what is going on :)

We extra miss poutine, but Tom yam soup and bbq fish will do for now!

MC and Jonny D