Too hot to trot in Bangkok

As we approached the centre of Bangkok by road we saw an impressive high-rise skyline; many prosperous-looking commercial buildings and apartment blocks, only a slight haze of dust and smog, and nothing that gave away the city's identity. At first glance this could be a major capital anywhere in the world.

Yesterday we spent a lovely afternoon and evening with some new friends we met in Halong Bay, and who live in some style in Bangkok. Their apartment is right in the middle of the city, but as soon as we were swimming in their pool (much nicer than the one at our hotel) we forgot about the congested traffic, skytrains, subways, and crowded streets and felt as if we were in a holiday resort again.

Today has been dedicated to sight-seeing, and we've been truly impressed by the splendid buildings at the Grand Palace. As with many of the 'must-see' places on this trip, several of the lovely temple views were marred by scaffolding, but we're getting used to that now. Come to think of it, the church in Kneesall was surrounded by scaffolding when we left, and I bet that's not been taken down yet.

It's really too hot for rubber-necking though; 35 degrees and humid; and, not joking, we're looking forward to wearing shoes, coats and maybe scarves next week.

With regard to the decision on Thaksin's billions, we have heard on good authority that the Supreme Court will seize some and release some, in the hope that a compromise will keep both sides happy. I'll keep you informed!

Photos from Koh Kood

The jetty at Bann Makok, Koh Kood.

Kayaking to the beach.

Sunset at Koh Kood.

One of the rooms over the water.

Our private beach.

Our beach with the tide out.

Inside our room.

Our bathroom.

Outside our room.

Alternative shower the traditional way on our deck.

Brian doing what he does best.

Massage anyone?

Communal living room.

Another lovely beach on Koh Kood.

Have a look at Koh Mak

The garden at Lazy Day resort.


A pier at Koh Mak.

The hospital boat, come to pick up patients.

Having a cup of tea in bed before running down to swim in the sea.

Our outdoor restaurant at Lazy Day.

An enticing path, if it wasn't too hot for walking.

The beach outside our bungalow (tide is in).

Sunset at Koh Mak.

Pictures from around Koh Chang

A typical fishing boat - just one of many plying the waters in the Gulf of Thailand.

A colourful harbour scene in the tiny port of Bang Bao, in the south of Koh Chang.

A glimpse from the ferry of a beach on one of the small islands in the Gulf of Thailand.

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A view of the mountains of Koh Chang taken from Paddy's Palms Irish Bar.

The excellent pool at Paddy's.

Preparing for Re-entry

Well, here we are, back in Koh Chang. We're now staying in the less salubrious surroundings of White Sand Beach, the biggest resort on the island, which has the longest sweep of golden shore; the most bars, restaurants, tour operators, internet cafes, ATMs, pharmacies; the most souvenir/tshirt/swimwear shops, Armani tailors; and by far the most concrete.

White Sand Beach seems like a slightly tacky, bustling metropolis after the pristine havens of Koh Mak and Koh Kood, but we have work to do which requires the trappings of civilisation, so instead of sampling a few more of the 49 small islands in the Gulf of Thailand we have moved into Paddy's Palms Irish Pub and Resort.

Don't laugh - Paddy's Palms, though not a retreat of luxury and style in unspoilt natural surroundings, is clean, comfortable, and very cheap, with a good pool. You wouldn't even know it was an Irish establishment, except that the shower curtain ends nine inches short of the ground, so that the bathroom floor is always awash; oh, and the seat on the lavatory is two sizes too small, so caution when sitting down is required.

Paddy's Palms has a menu that serves potatoes in many forms - mashed, fried, boiled, roast, jacket; even bubble and squeak - very important when potato craving strikes in a land where rice and noodles rule.

What work do we have to do you may wonder. Well, we have photos to edit and download for publishing on the blog; we have transport arrangements to make for our journey to Bangkok;and I need to get my hair done so Louise and Dave aren't shocked by my scarecrow appearance when they pick us up at Heathrow.

Yesterday I called in at a salon to see about having my hair coloured and trimmed. The glamorous stylist I consulted wore short shorts, high heeled shoes, and a low-cut top that revealed a comely bosom. Long, glossy black hair framed a face with a five o' clock shadow and a hint of stubble showing through the perfectly applied make-up. 'Confused of Kneesall' has now developed a rule of thumb; if a Thai girl is taller than me (that is, over 5ft 2in), she is probably a boy. Anyway, I didn't make an appointment, as the price was almost twice what I pay at Sue's Hair Fashions in Ollerton and I thought I could do better.

News has been filtering through of political unrest in mainland Thailand. On February 26th the Supreme Court in Bangkok will give a ruling on whether the assets of the deposed former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, will be released to him or seized by the government. (Yes,if you're wondering, this is the same guy who tried to buy Manchester City Football Club). The question is whether he used undue influence in his position as PM to boost his family fortunes to the tune of 76 billion baht.

These assets are currently frozen, pending the Court's decision, so February 26th is regarded as a flashpoint. If the decision goes against Thaksin, his supporters, the Redshirts, are likely to take to the streets in protest and a coup has been predicted. If Thaksin gets to keep the money, then the opposition, the Yellowshirts, are expected to protest. Either way, the situation could be volatile. We've spent a good deal of time over the last few days trying to get an earlier flight out of Dodge to avoid being stranded in the capital if the airport is closed as in previous confrontations. Unfortunately there's nothing available, so we've decided to stick to our original plan and hope our flight at 0035 hours on February 28th isn't affected.

If trouble flares we shall follow the sensible advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and hide under our bed until it's all over.

The Getaway

After our heavenly few days lazing at Lazy Day we consulted our tourist bible (the Gospel According to Tripadvisor) and decided we liked the sound of another island hideaway called Koh Kood. Our obliging hosts took us to the pier and we bounced across another stretch of the Gulf of Thailand on a fast but bumpy speedboat ferry.

Our destination was a small, recently-opened guest house called Bann Makok. After a scenic twenty-five minute trip past other islands the speedboat crossed a wide bay and entered a channel of water about fifty feet wide. As the boat slowed we were thrilled to see a picture-perfect group of cottages nestled in the mangroves - our home for the next three days.

Bann Makok, or 'Olive's Home' in English, consists of eight fishermen's cottages which have been lovingly and stunningly restored by a Thai lady with immaculate taste and style. The furniture was traditional Thai design; pieces which Olive had tracked down from all over the country or had her skilful carpenter hand-build from reclaimed materials. The snug bed in our simple room was draped with silk covers, the towels were soft and thick and big enough to wrap around our ever-increasing girths, and the toiletries in the bathroom were luxurious. The spacious, open-sided communal sitting room was furnished with hammocks and small sofas crammed with soft cushions, and even the extra-wide deckchairs were upholstered in thick, supersoft velour fabric to ensure maximum comfort. (Hope the photos which will follow in a couple of days will live up to my descriptions!)

To reach the beach we could paddle the five hundred or so yards in a kayak, or allow one of Olive's obliging staff to whizz us there in Bann Makok's own speedboat. I know you'll be pleased to hear that every time we went under our own steam, and we have the pictures to prove it!

The bay was simply stunning, with sand the colour and texture of soft golden brown palm sugar. The sea, by far the best we've encountered in South East Asia, had the colour and clarity of my birthstone, blue topaz. No surprise then that each morning after breakfast we swam, lolled and rode the gentle waves for two or three hours; amazingly, with no-one else for company.

All the other guests at Bann Makok were Thai, and very friendly, as were the staff. The menu was uncompromisingly Thai (apart from a nod to an 'American' breakfast of bacon and eggs ). Thai food was absolutely not a problem, as long as we remembered to ask the chef to hold the chilli and the potent fish sauce when marinading the freshest of fish from the day's catch for us. Will I ever forget those sensational mammoth prawns fried in garlic and pepper? Mmmm. I don't think so, especially when a plateful cost only five pounds.

As if the lovely setting, the gorgeous rooms, and the relaxing ambience weren't enough, after dark Olive switched off the dining room lights and directed our gaze to a magical display of fireflies twinkling in the trees like a thousand fairy lights. Not to be outdone, a friend of Olive's called Natai changed into his swim shorts and obligingly swam in the channel, splashing his hands and feet to disturb the phosphorus in the water, making it sparkle like a reflection of the stars shining in the black sky. All in all, a truly special and memorable evening.

Incidentally, Natai is a Nottingham Forest supporter, but that doesn't make him a bad person.

And finally, if you're wondering how a Thai person came to be called Olive, it seems that as a child this lovely lady acquired the nickname because she resembled Olive Oyle of Popeye fame!

Lazy Days

'Remote' and 'isolated' aren't words I'd choose to describe the island of Koh Mak; although it's a one and a half hour ferry ride from Koh Chang, 'faraway shores' might give a better idea of what this unspoilt, uncommercialised little island is like. Unlike Koh Chang, Koh Mak is mainly flat, with coconut groves and rubber plantations rather than dense tropical rainforest.

Tourist facilities are in the main discreet; a handful of small properties here and there peeping through the palms which stretch their long trunks across the shore. We took a simple bungalow (just a room with a bed, fridge, kettle plus a bathroom) and a verandah overlooking the beach at a small resort called Lazy Day. The sea was like a rippling sheet of foil in the sun's brutal glare, and we placed our deckchairs in thick shade under the trees on the beach to avoid getting burnt to a frazzle.

The red earth roads around the island looked promising for pleasant walks (we desperately need some exercise!), except it was too hot to contemplate in the scorching heat. Instead, we began a strict regime of ocean aerobics, which began with a brisk jog of maybe fifty yards from our bungalow to the sea. Amazingly, there was rarely anyone else in the clear, bath-warm water, so we could swim and do our star jumps without attracting the wrong kind of attention.

The food at Lazy Day was excellent, and we had no difficulty sticking to our healthy diet of fish, vegetables and fruit. (Cutting down on the booze is another story.) To please the friendly manager of the restaurant we tried the Thai wine (Chenin Blanc can you believe?) and it was truly appalling almost to the point of being undrinkable. Brian gave up after the first sip, but I finished mine (waste not, want not) with the help of large quantities of ice.

Dusk each day found us on the verandah, beer in hand, supervising the sunset, before an hour's peaceful reading waiting for the stars to come out. There's not much in the way of light pollution in this neck of the woods, and I can wave to Betty, Marna and Sue (the Three Sisters) most nights unless it's cloudy.

Easy Does It

Koh Chang has proved to be an ideal choice for our first venture on to Thailand's beaches. It's the second largest Thai island (after Phuket) and is designated a national park. This means that developers have not been allowed to slash and burn the luxuriant tropical foliage that covers the mountainous interior and overlaps almost onto the beaches.



There are busy resorts along the golden sandy beach areas, but most accommodation is modest bungalow style, with just a scattering of low rise hotels.



We've jumped on and off the songthaews (flat bed trucks with bench seats that masquerade as shared taxis ) to check out resorts all along the west coast, finding a range of different options (quiet, lively, pebbly, sandy), and surely something to please everyone.



We preferred the quieter resorts with a choice of bars and restaurants where we could make the most of the fresh seafood. A diet of grilled barracuda, or tiger prawns with pepper and garlic, plus constant fresh vegetables and exotic fruits, must surely help in our battle to shake off some of the pounds we've gained in the last seven months.



Although lots of activities - elephant trekking, snorkelling, parasailing, kayaking to name a few - are on offer, it's so hot we've limited our daily exercise to lots of swimming and a little walking in the evenings. In the heat of the late afternoon our idea of heaven is to lie in the shade with a book, listening to the waves lap the shore, keeping an eye out for the start of another glorious sunset.



No sooner has the sun gone down than dozens of squid fishing boats appear on the horizon, lit up like a chain of fairy lights to dazzle the poor creatures into capture and on to the plates of the tourists. Not us, I should add; we've never managed to acquire a taste for squid - just bring on the lobster, crab, scallops, red and white snapper, that are also in plentiful supply.



Most of the bars and restaurants are open-sided homemade constructions, made attractive by colourful furnishings and cosy lighting. A few bars have pretty girls and lady boys looking for business, but mostly the tourists are honeymooners or oldsters like us.



One evening in a quiet bar, Brian asked the rather camp entertainer (fire-eater, dressed in a grass skirt) who had befriended us between acts, where the toilets were. The guy not only led Brian there, he started to massage his neck while he was peeing. This didn't go down well, and the fire-eater quickly retreated when he felt the neck muscles tensing!

Just CHILL

The lotus-eaters have finally found Shangri-La. After seven and a half months of tirelessly travelling the world in search of enlightenment and adventure, like salmon tirelessly swimming back to their spawning grounds, we have discovered where we rightfully belong. Thus the first room on the ground floor has become our home for the next three days.

If we tire of lounging on the day bed on our private patio, and swimming in our lap pool, we can wander a few yards to a different view of the infinity pool and the ocean.

The sandy beach and the warm sea are just a pebble throw away.

By the way, is it still cold, wet and wintry in England?

O Island in the Sun

Well here we are on the island of Koh Chang in the Gulf of Thailand, the dazzling sun is hotter than it's ever been, and we intend to do nothing more than laze in the sun or hop gently round a few more islands in the archipelago.
This is the charming fishing village of Bang Bao, built out on stilts into the water to give 360 degree views of the ocean and small islands in the bay.

House for sale - could be yours for 15,000,000 baht.

Gulf of Thailand from the south of Koh Chang.

Harbour at Bang Bao.

Brian relaxing outside our bungalow at Pearl Beach.

Sunset from our verandah at Paradise Palms.

Power to the People

Officially Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it is still commonly known round here, has a population of seven million people. It feels like a lot more though, and I suspect that figure doesn't include all the tourists, the travellers, the expats, and the thousands of people who pour into the city every day to hustle a living by selling their wares and services.

Taking account of Viet Nam's fairly recent history of colonial rule and civil war, it's remarkable how in the last thirty years this resourceful and hard-working nation has pulled itself up by the boot straps to build a flourishing economy.

Saigon is noisy, chaotic, constantly swarming with people - a curious mix of Communists embracing capitalism to improve their lot; effortlessly using what's good from the west while keeping the traditions of the east.

I'm sure every family has at least one motorcycle and one tv, while every citizen has a mobile phone. As you can see from the photos, it's as if they grabbed the technology with both hands but didn't have time to put in the infrastructure; cables are stretched and coiled on poles along the streets, traffic lights and road signs are few and far between, and of course nobody bothered to write a Highway Code.

It's all but impossible to walk on the pavements in the backpacker area where we based ourselves. Locals cook, eat, relax and socialize on the street; shoe shine boys, hawkers carrying stacks of books, slight young women carrying heavy babies and trays of tissues, cigarettes, lighters etc, approach everyone in the hope of a sale, and visitors like ourselves get in everyone's way.

Saigon is a noisy, exciting, crazy place with an electric energy that will either give you a great buzz or send you running back to your hotel for the cover of the duvet.

I should mention that Saigon also has its beautiful streets with gracious buildings, enticing shops, quality restaurants and open spaces, and a night skyline view from the 25th floor of the Sheraton Hotel rivalling that of many famous western cities.

The only rule of the road seems to be; bob and weave around the other road users, try not to hit anything, use your horn liberally.

Even when you try travelling by boat for a change, it's not long before you hit a traffic jam.

The python coiled in the jar of liquor is supposed to add Viagra-like qualities to the brew.

The creepy reptile wrapped around me and my Vietnamese friend is a live python.

Not to be outdone, Brian holds a honeycomb covered in live bees, busily producing honey for royal jelly and other natural remedies popular in Viet Nam.

This particular day we were visiting the Mekong Delta, and enjoyed the contrast of a day out of the city spent in peaceful countryside with fruit orchards, coconut groves, and rubber plantations. Boats of all kinds plied the massive waterways; huge dredgers, ancient sampans, fishing craft, and best of all the cargo boats laden with bananas, coconuts, flowers and plants bound for the markets of Saigon.

This is how the street outside our hotel looked at 7am every morning. Each one of these drivers presses constantly on the horn of the vehicle.

Our local pavement cafe in down and dirty District 1.

A cheesy photo to round off our day looking round the Cu Chi tunnels, famously used by the Viet Cong in the war against the Americans.

Getting some practice in with an AK47, ready for if I'm driven to become a sniper on the roof of my nursing home.

Backtracking to Nha Trang with Images

Brian looking puzzled on the beach.

A quick excursion to a pagoda before bagging our bed on the beach. This is Quan Yin, my favourite lady goddess.

A wonderful monk who meditated serenely while burning himself to death in protest at the harsh treatment meted out to Buddhists by the Catholic President in 1963.

Shrine at the same pagoda.