itan

30 January 2010

2012-01-30T02:46:00.001-08:00

The last post before the silence...

Heated debate over dinner as Cornelia shocked about the inequality in Thailand and the lack of workers' rights. The sweet Burmese waitress, Cho, explained how the General and his men took all the money and how desperately poor people were in Burma. She escaped with her father 5 years ago. He went back after a few months leaving her working as a beach sweeper at these bungalows. In 5 years she's made it to front of house waitress, married a fellow Burmese and has just been home for the first time for a two week holiday. The money she makes she sends home to pay for her brother's education. She plans to save up money and start a family but she'll have to continue working in Thailand and her parents will raise the child in Burma. All Burmese intend to return home if Aung San Suu Chi becomes leader.

Before leaving London we saw the film about her life, 'The Lady'. Her sacrifice seems so much more meaningful now.

This is our last day on Koh Phangan. The storm in the night and unrelenting rain makes ieaving less hard. The best option was to walk up to Wangsai waterfall.

I'll take the 7am slow boat to Surat Thani and make my way up to Chaiya to the 10-day silent retreat at Watt Suan Mokkh.

Simone & Cornelia will catermaran over to Chumpon and bus to Hua Hin and a national park in search of tigers and bears. I'll be meeting up with them again in Cambodia.

29 Jan 2011

2012-01-29T06:01:00.001-08:00

Kind of uncanny being the odd triplet! Travelling around Koh Phangan on a motorbike with Simone. Cornelia is on a slightly different time zone. At breakfast yesterday the woman looked rather surprised when I ordered two kow tom gai (chicken rice porridge) as she had already served a bowl to Cornelia a few hours earlier. Same for the ice coconut shake in the market and the reverse for kow mun gai (chicken fat rice) sellers.

We made our pilgrimage (500m) stroll to our beach for sunset last night. No Cornelia in sight. 20 mins later she returns to her towel which is 20m from where we're sitting!

At dinner last night a little tabby lady cat came and ate our prawn tails then plonked herself in my lap and curled into a purring ball. Missing Milou & Moritz.

Today was pamper day. Thai herbal Massage with Mr Lec and temple sauna.

Sang for my supper (or translated staff rules from Thai to English for Burmese workers at Island View Cabana - my bungalow).

Last day in island tomorrow:-(

27 January 2012

2012-01-27T04:25:00.001-08:00

Trouble in Paradise...
...had to shoo 2 ugly cockroaches out of our bungalow!

But after massage on beach and stunning sunset even Simone wasn't dramatic!

26 January 2012

2012-01-26T06:19:00.001-08:00

Turquoise water on Haad Kuat (Bottle beach) - a quiet little bay accessible by 'steep mountain road' or by boat from Chaloklum the fishing village on north of Ko Phanghan.

Cornelia and I walked up to the viewpoint which was breathtaking - the view and the vertigo!

23 January 2012

2012-01-24T04:45:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year in BKK
Only dragon we saw was at Siam shopping mall on way back from unlocking phone

Farewell to Tang who fed us homemade yoghurt to protect our GI tract from the chilli onslaught then taxi through Bangkok traffic to Hualampong railway station.

Dumped our bags and headed off for Chinatown (Yowarat) but only got as far as the temple where police were neatly arranging the crowd for receiving the royals.

Queenie (& Thai dykey princess or Kow Mun gai ('chicken fat rice')? Mmmmm... our stomachs ruled so we left the obedient flag-waving throng and headed off to the food stalls opposite the station.
Half an hour later, armed with boxes and bags of way too much Thai takeaway Simone & I spotted the cream Mercedes cavalcade but no sighting of the female royals through the dark-tinted windows.

A relic of my Oriental upbringing is the false belief that every journey comprises crossing the starvation border and must only be attempted with a battalion of food boxes.

'we apologize for the late departure of your train, someone was peeing on the train'

Back in Bangkok

2012-01-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

Slept all the way to Bangkok after month of packing, essay and exam hell, followed by farewells from friends and family ...

.... and found a Simone waiting at Suvarnabhumi Airport to take me and my 28kg bag (I had to take 5kg of books and choc out at Heathrow and put it in hand luggage - don't you love BA!) on the Airport Link and Sky trains to our friends Tang and Latifa's Harmony Living condo near Soi Ari.

The pool was a little chilly (it's winter in Bangkok) but nothing compared to swimming outdoors in the London fields Lido 2 days ago.

My first noodles and red pork from the street stall before coming back for a late night swim, then big brownie cooking fest for our Bangkok friends.