7 December
Arrived in Bangkok by 5:30 though didn't have any idea about our location. After turning down Tuk-tuk drivers who wanted 70B but with some difficulty chose the correct bus, a Number 3, on the basis it was going in the correct direction - it took 30/45 minutes so the tuk-tuk charges were OK. We had arrived at the North Bus Station, not south of the centre at Humphalong as we had expected. We checked in at the Super Siam for 120B for a double room with beautiful shared facilities.
We
decided to try out the water taxis but first took the large Express
boat to China Town. It was a fantastic area dominated by streets of
shops, cheek by jowl, selling textiles wholesale, then a packed market
area selling everything, cloths, clothes, jewelry, leather, even one
fabulous food store selling lobster. The whole area was a maze of narrow
streets some merging into the Indian area, absolutely full of life but
very few tourists as so often missing the bits we found alluring. We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and bought many presents, eg
shorts, material at 28B a square metre, jewelry, wallets and the usual
belt for me. I find it impossible to look back on this month long trip
as other than a glorified tropical shopping expedition!
At the same time we discovered Jack Fruit Ka-Noon,
not unlike Durian in style though the exterior is less prickly and
without the unique intensive smell. Inside are delicious yellow fruits
and nearby stalls were cutting them up, taking out the nuts and selling
them for 10B a portion in small plastic bags. Everything in the Bangkok
of the 1990's days was sold in disposable small plastic bags, especially
pineapple slices and all drinks.
The water boat is a superb way to get about around town - no traffic. We decided to try first to get to Jim Thompson's house to pick up our painting, but found it tricky to choose the right bus for there are no signposts or timetables as found for buses, all information is by asking. This was 3pm and the traffic was at its usual stand still, so mastering the art paid dividends.
We located the painter and secured the painting on paying the final 1000B. Then we walked to the Bows thinking to deliver the doll but again she was out. We got back to the GH exhausted. After a shower we went to the restaurant recommended by Craig the Ton Pho there is no English script sign outside. A very proper and dignified young waiter served us with great attention - we followed his recommendation of a fish in sauce which was served in a dish above a charcoal burner plus rice and a vegetable dish. The bill was 310B including a fruit mixture, the fish alone was 160B. The sauces were excellent, but then as I noted at the time so many of them are.
Saturday 8 December, our last day
We booked a minibus to the airport for 8pm at 80B. In order to capitalise on our last day we intended to explore water transport further. First we aimed for the Royal barges knowing only they were on the other bank of the river, finally sussing it by taking the express boat just two stops on the other Thonbury side, then paid 1B for a ferry across the Klong Bangkok Noi and a waterside walk to the sheds. The boats were impressive but not all that by the standards of the Bangkok WATS (what that means I cannot remember!)
Next attempt was to get a boat further inland as advised by the Lonely Planet. Talking as best I could the lady understood that I wanted to go up rather than just across the Klong Noi, but she directed us back to catch it from a terminal on the Bangkok side via the zig-zagging Express boat.
The LP said it left from the Phra Chan terminal but the correct one was Na Phra Lam, having found this there was a jetty marked Bangkok Klong Noi. Many boats came in and out, mostly specials with tourists but we noticed one moored filling up slowly with Thais and discovered this one we needed. A narrow boat with about twenty double divisions for seating, canvas on springs to keep out the worst spray, a powerful engined long tail boat of the type we had first noted on the Mekong.
We were off soon after boarding at a fair lick with the spray in our faces, the bow lifted as it accelerated and soon it was racing on its bow wave.
Fifty five minutes of sheer delight was in store as we went several miles up stream, the river was little but a street of houses built in the water with pylons in concrete. It looked a superb way of living, folks were dropped off on their own doorstep and others were picked up from home on signalling. Payment was made on leaving coins being passed from hand to hand back to the driver. The river dominated the way of life, there were people washing in the river, women washing clothes immersed in the river, boats fishing, boats selling green grocery, mobile kitchens.
The destination where we moored was a small town so we decided to stay for lunch and bought bottles of water for 3B (we had got used to prices of 5 or 6B. Two young Thai girls were eating at the same stall and bought four lollies and insisted on giving us one each, typical of the friendliness the people and of our welcome.
The young driver for the return drove far more slowly at first but made up for it with an exciting burst of speed at the end in danger of getting into a death roll until he motioned to me to sit down in the centre of the boat, the seat divisions were narrow so I had to sit side saddle. The best 40B worth of the whole holiday, just 10B for each single hour long journey. Such a delight I registered it as being the equivalent of seeing the statue of Liberty in New York for the first time from the Staten Island ferry.
Mastering local transport is always a delight getting you right among the people and saving a lot of money. Trying the same exercise twenty years later with our extended family we could not travel with the locals but had to take a separate long tailed boat for tourists only.
From the peer we headed directly for the night market buying Jack fruit , papaya, and home dried bananas to bring home. How times have changed!!
On the street we sampled the home made green drinks made from herbs in great demand from passing Thais but no tourists! We will try anything now. Finally to Kao San Road to buy four T-shirts, 2 shirts plus long trousers for me plus two midnight oil tapes (presumably a defence against mosquitoes)
Our last act was to eat at the very same restaurant where we had started, weeks earlier I had been startled by the hotness of the spicy soup - no longer.
Pick up at 19:50 by the minibus and we were on our way home with great memories.
Sunday 8 December
Frankfurt at 07:00 and out at 08:35. The temperature was -2C at Frankfurt and just positive at 1C in London - what a reminder. We ought to have had more than a two hour wait for the express bus to Swansea but luckily there was one in place and the driver waited for a couple of minutes whilst we collected the luggage we had left in the terminal. We later found out the bus was yesterday's which had been stranded by the snows. What a change to today's National Bus now (2017) you wouldn't be allowed on without the right ticket and changing the time let alone the date would cost.
Written Conclusions
1 Friendliness of the Thai people and their sense of fun
2 A little Thai language and complete mastery of numbers went a long way but I need to learn more for next time
Korp kun krap thank you
Sawat dii krap greetings
Meua rai when?
Thao rai how much?
Nii rai what is this?
Yaak dai tua I want a ticket
krap yes (krap completes a sentence spoken by a male)
mai si no
kai chicken
yaak ja pai I want to go to
3 The excellent food, everyone eats food cooked in street markets either to eat at a table or as a take away in a plastic bag. Tropical fruit is marvellous
4 Cheapness
Exchange rate 49 baht for £1
Accommodation 80 to 150 baht
Meals 8 to 30 baht per plate
Transport 50 baht for 4 hours on a bus
Total expenditure including air tickets £1018, insurance £94, and purchases was £1666 for 23 days for two. Expenditure in Thailand mainly by travellers cheques of £400 and cash of £80
5 Cleanliness no need for a sheet sleeping bag or concern over toilets
6 Water we drank bottled water no problem with ice
7 Malaria is a hazard but many travellers fear the poisonous medicine even more
8 Sleeping bags need a wider ruck sack for mine, not essential but they offer flexibility
9 Boots essential for trekking, Welsh standard of hills
10 Liked working towns and small touristy villages, no so impressed with major tourist centre like Chiang Mai and surprisingle Mae Hong Son
11 Backpacking is great but the real gain is with the interesting people you meet in their guest houses and the advice they pass on
12 Carry business cards to give away with addresses
Purchases We spent nearly 9000B on things to bring home 36 items in all largely as Christmas presents
Arrived in Bangkok by 5:30 though didn't have any idea about our location. After turning down Tuk-tuk drivers who wanted 70B but with some difficulty chose the correct bus, a Number 3, on the basis it was going in the correct direction - it took 30/45 minutes so the tuk-tuk charges were OK. We had arrived at the North Bus Station, not south of the centre at Humphalong as we had expected. We checked in at the Super Siam for 120B for a double room with beautiful shared facilities.
 |
| BANGKOK TRAFFIC IN 1990 |
 |
| CHINA TOWN MARKET BANGKOK |
The water boat is a superb way to get about around town - no traffic. We decided to try first to get to Jim Thompson's house to pick up our painting, but found it tricky to choose the right bus for there are no signposts or timetables as found for buses, all information is by asking. This was 3pm and the traffic was at its usual stand still, so mastering the art paid dividends.
We located the painter and secured the painting on paying the final 1000B. Then we walked to the Bows thinking to deliver the doll but again she was out. We got back to the GH exhausted. After a shower we went to the restaurant recommended by Craig the Ton Pho there is no English script sign outside. A very proper and dignified young waiter served us with great attention - we followed his recommendation of a fish in sauce which was served in a dish above a charcoal burner plus rice and a vegetable dish. The bill was 310B including a fruit mixture, the fish alone was 160B. The sauces were excellent, but then as I noted at the time so many of them are.
Saturday 8 December, our last day
We booked a minibus to the airport for 8pm at 80B. In order to capitalise on our last day we intended to explore water transport further. First we aimed for the Royal barges knowing only they were on the other bank of the river, finally sussing it by taking the express boat just two stops on the other Thonbury side, then paid 1B for a ferry across the Klong Bangkok Noi and a waterside walk to the sheds. The boats were impressive but not all that by the standards of the Bangkok WATS (what that means I cannot remember!)
Next attempt was to get a boat further inland as advised by the Lonely Planet. Talking as best I could the lady understood that I wanted to go up rather than just across the Klong Noi, but she directed us back to catch it from a terminal on the Bangkok side via the zig-zagging Express boat.
The LP said it left from the Phra Chan terminal but the correct one was Na Phra Lam, having found this there was a jetty marked Bangkok Klong Noi. Many boats came in and out, mostly specials with tourists but we noticed one moored filling up slowly with Thais and discovered this one we needed. A narrow boat with about twenty double divisions for seating, canvas on springs to keep out the worst spray, a powerful engined long tail boat of the type we had first noted on the Mekong.
 |
| LONG TAILED BOAT SPEEDING UP THE KLONG NOI |
 |
| KLONG NOI, RIVERSIDE DWELLINGS SERVED BY FLOATING SHOPS |
Fifty five minutes of sheer delight was in store as we went several miles up stream, the river was little but a street of houses built in the water with pylons in concrete. It looked a superb way of living, folks were dropped off on their own doorstep and others were picked up from home on signalling. Payment was made on leaving coins being passed from hand to hand back to the driver. The river dominated the way of life, there were people washing in the river, women washing clothes immersed in the river, boats fishing, boats selling green grocery, mobile kitchens.
The destination where we moored was a small town so we decided to stay for lunch and bought bottles of water for 3B (we had got used to prices of 5 or 6B. Two young Thai girls were eating at the same stall and bought four lollies and insisted on giving us one each, typical of the friendliness the people and of our welcome.
The young driver for the return drove far more slowly at first but made up for it with an exciting burst of speed at the end in danger of getting into a death roll until he motioned to me to sit down in the centre of the boat, the seat divisions were narrow so I had to sit side saddle. The best 40B worth of the whole holiday, just 10B for each single hour long journey. Such a delight I registered it as being the equivalent of seeing the statue of Liberty in New York for the first time from the Staten Island ferry.
Mastering local transport is always a delight getting you right among the people and saving a lot of money. Trying the same exercise twenty years later with our extended family we could not travel with the locals but had to take a separate long tailed boat for tourists only.
From the peer we headed directly for the night market buying Jack fruit , papaya, and home dried bananas to bring home. How times have changed!!
On the street we sampled the home made green drinks made from herbs in great demand from passing Thais but no tourists! We will try anything now. Finally to Kao San Road to buy four T-shirts, 2 shirts plus long trousers for me plus two midnight oil tapes (presumably a defence against mosquitoes)
Our last act was to eat at the very same restaurant where we had started, weeks earlier I had been startled by the hotness of the spicy soup - no longer.
Pick up at 19:50 by the minibus and we were on our way home with great memories.
Sunday 8 December
Frankfurt at 07:00 and out at 08:35. The temperature was -2C at Frankfurt and just positive at 1C in London - what a reminder. We ought to have had more than a two hour wait for the express bus to Swansea but luckily there was one in place and the driver waited for a couple of minutes whilst we collected the luggage we had left in the terminal. We later found out the bus was yesterday's which had been stranded by the snows. What a change to today's National Bus now (2017) you wouldn't be allowed on without the right ticket and changing the time let alone the date would cost.
Written Conclusions
1 Friendliness of the Thai people and their sense of fun
2 A little Thai language and complete mastery of numbers went a long way but I need to learn more for next time
Korp kun krap thank you
Sawat dii krap greetings
Meua rai when?
Thao rai how much?
Nii rai what is this?
Yaak dai tua I want a ticket
krap yes (krap completes a sentence spoken by a male)
mai si no
kai chicken
yaak ja pai I want to go to
3 The excellent food, everyone eats food cooked in street markets either to eat at a table or as a take away in a plastic bag. Tropical fruit is marvellous
4 Cheapness
Exchange rate 49 baht for £1
Accommodation 80 to 150 baht
Meals 8 to 30 baht per plate
Transport 50 baht for 4 hours on a bus
Total expenditure including air tickets £1018, insurance £94, and purchases was £1666 for 23 days for two. Expenditure in Thailand mainly by travellers cheques of £400 and cash of £80
5 Cleanliness no need for a sheet sleeping bag or concern over toilets
6 Water we drank bottled water no problem with ice
7 Malaria is a hazard but many travellers fear the poisonous medicine even more
8 Sleeping bags need a wider ruck sack for mine, not essential but they offer flexibility
9 Boots essential for trekking, Welsh standard of hills
10 Liked working towns and small touristy villages, no so impressed with major tourist centre like Chiang Mai and surprisingle Mae Hong Son
11 Backpacking is great but the real gain is with the interesting people you meet in their guest houses and the advice they pass on
12 Carry business cards to give away with addresses
Purchases We spent nearly 9000B on things to bring home 36 items in all largely as Christmas presents
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