Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, October 27-30, 2009

Chiang Rai, Friday, October 30, 2009
Got to bed about 9:30 last night and didn't wake up til 6:20 this morning. It was cool enough overnight to use a sheet and blanket most of the night, although I kept the fan going. Got up about 7. Stretched as much as possible. Still can't do sit-ups. I finished the OJ. Still tasted good, but not as good as Valencia OJ. Showered and packed, turned in my key.

Walked a short distance and hailed a tuk-tuk pickup taxi. Hoped for one which had people going to the bus terminal. This one was empty and the fare is 40B. Seems like too much for a mile or so, especially when the bus fare to Chiang Rai is 132B for the 180km, 3 hour, trip. And in a pickup bed bench seat. The side openings on all these vehicles is too low for me to see out without bending down, and the low roof requires crouching to get in.

I arrived at the bus terminal before 8. Only 2 ticket windows were open and the line on each was 20 people long. I was already standing for the national anthem at 8 when everyone stands. The next seat available was on the 9:30 bus. I walked around the terminal, looking at everything, including something to eat. Nothing looked, except the skewered meats, and they had flies on them.

The bus pulled in at 9:30. I checked my bag into the luggage bay and found my seat, by a window pillar and next to a young Thai man who spoke no English. The bus pulled quickly, at 9:45. The bus looked fairly new but had hard suspension, more like a truck than a big bus. I was near the back and bounced a lot. The road is paved, but has a lot of patches, apparently done poorly, causing the bus to bounce. The air blowing thru the overhead vents did not seem cold, but that was fine, because it wasn't too hot, definitely cooler than Bangkok and the south.
There was a stop at a bus terminal long enough for everyone to get off. I bought a doughy bun with a black paste filling, for 10B. Tasted OK, not too sweet.

The bus pulled into Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 2 about 12:45, and I found by asking several times and showing my ticket that this was the final stop, contrary to both my guidebooks, which state the bus terminal is in the center of town. The central bus terminal is the old terminal and the new one is 7 km away. Tuk-tuk rides are given to the old terminal for 10B. I got on the second one and the driver waited 10 minutes hoping, I guess, to add a 10th person to the 9 of us on the pickup bed seats. As he left the terminal, he stopped and made us slide forward for 2 more passengers.

At the terminal, a man offered to take me to the Ben Guesthouse, by showing me the brochure. I hadn't read about it and resisted at first, but the brochure offered free transportation to the bus terminal and had wifi. So I agreed to go. He led me around the building to his pedicab. I squeezed in with my backpack and he pedaled me probably half a mile. Ben GH is in a residential area and quite a ways from the center of town and the other guesthouses. It looks fairly new and is being worked, including putting in a pool. The pedicab driver wanted to be paid. I asked the clerk about the free transportation and she said they would 'give ride, first call.' The driver had nothing to do with the guesthouse. He probably had told me I would pay him, but his English was very poor and I didn't understand that. I paid him the 30B. The room rates on the sheet showed a low rate of 120B for one with a shared bath. The clerk said the rate was 180B, higher, but she didn't or couldn't say why. Probably, this is the new high season rate. The room has twin beds, and I was not going to walk any distance for another room or pay the pedicab to take me somewhere else, so I took the room.

It was still early afternoon, so I felt like walking around to get my bearings. I found a crude map at the reception desk and walked out til I found a major road, probably only a few hundred yards. I guessed at the orientation and walked along til I found a small cafe with photos next to the Thai names of their dishes, on the wall. I pointed to a fried rice dish and sat down. A glass of ice cubes was provided and the table had a small pitcher of water. The rice dish was large enough and had little taste, so I added some sliced chilles from the jars on the table. Tasted good. There was also a small bowl of broth, which I drank. Cost 30B.

I walked a little further and saw a shop selling cell phones. Many of these shops are more like open stalls, with no front wall, just a roll up door. The young woman could speak some English so I asked her if she could help get my phone to work. She was able to get a message showing the baht remaining, 85, and some other instructions on some long string of letters and symbols to dial. I didn't understand the instructions and neither did she. Finally, she took out the battery and reinserted it. When the phone started up it worked. She said 'You call'. I called Bill and talked for a few minutes. He was getting ready for work. Apparently, it just needed to be reset this way. I hadn't thought of doing that. I considered adding minutes to the phone, but the minutes are good til Nov. 13, so I'll wait a while.

At the next intersection I saw a sign for a wat which was shown on my map, so I could see where I was at. I walked a few block and looked at the wat. I couldn't find an English name anywhere so I just looked around and took no photos.

I found signs for the Chat House and walked in. The room with shared bath is 100B, so I said I'd take it tomorrow, and come by at noon. It is smaller, older and much shabbier than the Ben GH, but there is free wifi.

I walked into another wat and found the same lack of an English name. The 3rd wat had one sign to photograph, so I took some photos. Later, I found another wat with a name sign, so I took a few photos.

I walked over to an island to look for the Aka River House. There were signs pointing the direction. First I stopped into the YMCA Town Center. A woman who spoke pretty good English said it is a school. The Y hotel is out of town. I walked another quarter mile and found the Aka River House. There were no attendants, only a few workers. One said 'No, maybe tomorrow' when I asked if there was a reception area. I did not see any sign of an office, just a 2 story set of rooms.

I walked back toward the Bus Terminal and turned toward the Hill Tribe Museum. It is on the 3rd floor and it was nearly 5. The museum closes at 6, but the tour desk was still open. I asked for a brochure. One little old man, probably a guide, suggested I go on a tour tomorrow. The clerk, a young woman who spoke very good English, said the only tour tomorrow was No.10, a boat ride, an elephant ride, a visit to 3 villages, walking and a ride back. The tour is all day, 9 to 5, and costs 2000B if I go, making 4 people. There were only 3 so far, but 2 more walked up while I looked over the descriptions of all the tours, and told the girl I wasn't ready to decide on a tour. I asked about going on my own and she said there are no signs and the guide is needed stay on the trail. With 6 of us the cost would be 1700B each, so I decided to go. Another woman walked up and decided to join because she didn't have days to wait for another tour to form. I didn't have enough Baht with me, so the girl accepted my Visa card and charged It. The tour includes a hotel pickup. I said that it would be good if they could pick me up before the other 2 because they are at the Chat House and I could leave my things there while they pick up those 2.
On the way back to the Ben GH, I passed a park with a large group of young people doing aerobics. I stopped at a shoe store long enough to buy a pair of slip on sandals, for 69B. I can really use those for the Chat House, to go out to the bath. Fortunately, Ben GH has a lighted sign pointing the way off the main road, because the street name I was looking for, Soi 1, was not in sight, and it was dark.

USAID is having a convention or something in one of the buildings at the GH, and the clerk/manager asked if I wanted to eat at the BBQ being prepared for that group. The cost was 150B and I first said yes, but looking at everything, I wasn't hungry enough to join in, even though it looked like a good selection of salad, noodles and several kinds of meat. So I crossed off my listing on the sheet with my room no. on it, sitting on the reception desk.

Heard only three firecrackers or cherry bombs here today, much better than in Chiang Mai, where firecrackers, cherry bombs and small rockets were going off almost continuously every evening. Apparently, there is some festival coming up soon, maybe on the weekend, or on the full moon of Nov. 2.

So my outlay for today is 1981B, including the 1700B tour for tomorrow, about $60, but not including tonight's 180B room which I'll pay in the morning.

Chiang Mai, Thursday, October 29, 2009
Got to bed about 10:30 last night and didn't wake up til 6 this morning. Got up about 7. Stretched a lot. Feel better and can stretch more than I have since my back seized up.There is still some swelling which will take a few more days to go down, so bending over still hurts. I can't bend over enough to easily tie my left shoe.

Decided I needed more rest for my back before travelling, so I asked for another day at the Smile GH, and paid the 200B for the room, for tonight.

Walked down to a 7-11 and bought a liter of OJ for 67B, $2, and drank over half. Took my laundry over to the lowest advertised rate to wash and dry, 15B per kilogram. My bag weighed over 1.5kg. When I picked up the clothes about 4:30, the charge was 25B.

I rested and read before lunch and walked to Tein Sieng again. This time I was early, before noon, and I got a plate of rice and 2 toppings, one looks like papaya in sauce and the other is fried veggies. Tasted good. 20B.

About noon I walked into the Thai Massage Conservation Club, a studio which uses blind people trained in Thai massage. The agents are sighted. Paid the 150B for the standard one hour session. The masseuse places the sheet on the leather covered bed and pillow. A man was massaging a woman on the bed next to mine. The massage started with me on my back, first massaging the feet. Most of the massage consisted of pressing hard, sometimes with the full body weight, on nearly all of my muscles, with turning one side, then the other and finally on my stomach. The legs were twisted near the end and I was sitting up at the end. Only a little kneading, of the shoulders and head, and a light pounding on the back. I expected the left leg to hurt more, but the pain was about the same all over and the leg twisting was just to the limit for that leg. I felt less back pain after the massage and have less pain than before. I was so relaxed after the massage that I walked back to my room, after buying a 950ml bottle of water for 6B, and slept on and off for 4 hours, with a break to get the clothes.

About 6 I went again to the AUM restaurant for dinner. I had tempura veggies with tamarind sauce and a banana shake, 85B, plus a 10B tip. Bought another 950ml bottle of water on the way back, 6B.

I worked on the diary, then swam for 15 minutes in the pool, the same as last night. The cool pool water is very refreshing.

So my outlay for today is 569B, $17.

Chiang Mai, Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Woke up before dawn. Moved around on the bed to loosen my back. Still very sore. Carefully got up at 7 to use the restroom. Went back to bed. Couldn't get comfortable. I rested til 8:30, and got up after the other 2 had gone out. I stretched more and felt a little better. I walked around to loosen up and look for a better room, one with fewer stairs and a better bed. Julie and one other low priced place were full. Other places looked like they were upper floor rooms or were expensive, 250B or more. Finally walked a side street and saw a Chinese clinic, the Mungkala Clinic. I asked about acupuncture. The nurse asked me to have a seat. I said I would return later.

On a side street near the clinic the Smile guesthouse had a room for 200B, with a shared bath. The guesthouse is very Asian, with shoes left at the entrance. They have a lounge, computers table, tour desk, restaurant and small pool on the ground floor. I asked the girl to reserve the room. I looked for other places near the clinic, and bought a passion fruit shake, for 15B, on the way back to the Same Same. Picked up my stuff and left the key, then looked some more for a cheaper place. Didn't see any that looked better or lower in price, so I checked in to the Smile Guesthouse, and paid 200B.

I rested and worked on my diary, and showered. I left about 1 to check in at the clinic. They were closed til 2 for lunch. I walked over to the same restaurant I ate at last night and had a bowl of veggies and noodles, with ice water, for 20B. Bowl wasn't as full this time. Different cook, maybe the owner. Still tasted good. I added a little chilli powder. Made the broth quite hot. Drank a lot of water to thin it down. On the way back I looked at hand sewn bags, made by the Karen people I was told. I got a large flat bag with a shoulder strap, to replace the plastic bag I often carry, and a passport bag with a neck strap, for 160B total, 8B off the marked prices.
Checked into the clinic at 2:30 and was told a half hour acupuncture treatment was 500B. The clinic is licensed and I didn't have time to shop around for anything cheaper, and might not trust just any acupuncturist. The treatment was as expected based on other treatments I've had, new needles, in the lower back and back of the legs, with electric current to feel, and heat on the back. Three times the cost of the senior center treatment, but still a low price. I now have a patient number and was asked to make an appointment for tomorrow. I hope I feel well enough to travel tomorrow.

I returned to the Smile GH and rested in a soft chair near the pool, and read from one of the guidebooks. About 4 I read that the Tein Sieng Restaurant, which serves a highlighted vegetarian dish, closes at 5. I arrived at 4:25 and they were sold out. I walked to the 3rd of the highlighted wats, Wat Chiang Mun, and looked around and took photos. Feel sorry for the birds in the little cages, which are sold by temples for people to release as part of their offering. Didn't buy any, though.

Walking toward the east gate I checked the front rack at the 'On The Road' used bookstore. Bought a Joseph Conrad paperback novel for 60B. Checked 2 different stores that sell add-on cell phone minutes. No one understands why my phone does not make calls. A check by one girl shows 88 minutes left on my account. She didn't understand the rest of the message and it made no sense to me. Got a 600ml bottle of water for 7B, and drank it all.

About 6, I saw a vegetarian restaurant, the AUM, which looked good and was mentioned in the LP guidebook. I ordered 2 of their best dishes, a Thai soup, called Kausoi, and springrolls, and an unsweetened papaya shake, 50B, 50B and 35B, for a total of 135B, with a 10B tip. Very, very good. Too much food for one meal, but it was too good to leave any.

Returned to the Smile GH about 7 and took the netbook down to a table by the pool, to work on my diary. Talked briefly to Angie, from Canada, who loves this city and the GH, and has been here a week already.

So my outlay for today is 1107B, $33.

Chiang Mai, Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Got up at 6, stretched, showered. Heard the frenchman call 'Gary', but he was gone before I could look into the courtyard. I packed quickly and left my key with a man at the reception desk. At the Coffee Cup I ordered an orange juice, for 30B. It tasted like it had come out of the juice box from a grocery store, not fresh squeezed. The clerk said the taxi would stop here. A large sonthaew, painted with red, white and blue stripes, with 3 long bench seats in back, stopped in front. I was the second passenger. As I climbed up the step and bent down to get under the roof, I felt my lower back muscles squeeze the nerve, and tighten harder. I sat down and straightened my legs as much as possible and tried to relax the back muscles, but I could not lean back very far.

The songthaew served as a bus for about 10 students, all in uniforms, who got on after me and got off at 2 different schools. Only 2 other women rode as passengers to other stops. I was the only passenger for final and longest portion of the 20 minute ride to the bus terminal. I gingerly climbed out of the songthaew and paid the driver the 20B fare.

We had stopped near the ticket windows. I was shown the Chiang Mai ticket window and paid the 218B fare. The agent gave me a receipt and tag to print my name on. He attached the tag to my bag, knowing the bag would not fit in the overhead tray and that the bus would fill up, which it eventually did. I waited with the other bus passengers on the plastic seats in the open air terminal. An empty bus pulled into the correct space within about 20 minutes. I gave my bag to the driver at the bag bay and boarded. The bus was nearly 2/3 full. I had an empty seat next to me, which allowed me to stretch out a little and do some twisting to try to loosen the back muscles. I kept the empty seat for over an hour, but then a Thai woman needed a seat, so I had to hold my camera for a few hours til she got off. Later, I put it in the overhead along with my camera bags and hat at the second of the two 20 minute stops on the way. The first was at Tak and the second at Lampang, where I got off and bought a 600ml bottle of water, for 10B.
Out of all the passengers only myself and 4 others looked like tourists. The 4 were young, one couple and 2 guys, one from France and one from Switzerland. The 2 guys and I agreed to take a songthaew together for a better price, 30B each. We each wanted to go to a different guesthouse. On the way the 2 guys decided to share a room to save money, and they decided to go to the same one I chose, the Julie Guesthouse. The 2 guys got off first and walked the 100 feet or so down an alley to Julie's. There was only one room left and they took it.

The clerk suggested the TR Guesthouse nearby. It had a promotion sign out front stating a price of 200B. I walked back down the street, which had a lot of guesthouses and other shops, tour companies, restaurants, etc., catering to tourists. A sign out front of the Same Same Guesthouse stated a rate of 100B for a dorm bed and free wifi. The dorm had 2 bunks. I got the last bed. The room is on the first floor. The ground floor contains a reception and restaurant, and has high ceilings; and is open to the 3rd floor in the front. The second floor has a common area and 2 rooms. Toilets are on the 3rd and 4th floors and showers are on the 4th floor. Great for young backpackers with their young legs. Two guys were in the other bunk and a girl was above me.
By this time, about 3, I was hungry. So I ordered a bowl of veggie Khao Tom, for 50B, and a mulberry shake, for 50B. Mulberries were from Laos. The soup and shake were both great. The soup was mild and the mulberries had a very strong and sweet flavor. Shakes are usually sweetened with sugar.

In the room I turned on my netbook and found the network. I went down and got the password, and began uploading photos to Flickr. When I got to a folder with a lot of photos, I decided the best thing for my back, now that I had stretched all I could, was to walk to try to loosen the muscles. It was nearly dark, but I saw that one of the 3 wats recommended as highlights in the old city was near. I found it, only because there are street signs here, and I took a free map at the guesthouse. The wat has some spot lights on it after dark. I decided the walk was helping my back, so I walked to a second wat, a little further away. It also had spotlights. Neither wat had visitors, altho there were a few people, including some monks, in the area, and a few vehicles going in and out. All along the way I was offered rides by the songthaew drivers, both as they drive by, often just by a honk, and when they are stopped, asking 'Where you going?'.

I was still hungry, so I looked at several restaurants on the way back. Finally saw one simple place with tables and stools. The kitchen was a small area in the front corner. I asked for vegetable soup with the flat noodles. The bowl was larger than normal and ice water was provided, all for 20B. The soup was several veggies and noodles in a beef broth. Mild, but good flavor. I added only a little bottled sauce, from the holder on the table, for more flavor.
Walked back to the Same Same GH and checked on the upload. Not finished, but I posted a new blog entry, with 3 days of my diary.

I was alone in the room most of the night. One guy and the girl went out early in the evening and didn't return till after I fell asleep, probably midnight. The other guy said there were bedbugs biting him and he moved out into the hammock in the common area. I couldn't sit up on the bed because the bunk was too low, so I did the work lying down, with the netbook in my hand or on the night stand. I did a lot of stretching to try to loosen the back, but it was too sore to stretch very far.

I did a lot of turning all night to try to find a painfree position, but there was none. The pain in the prone, back or stomach, was low pain, so I eventually fell asleep. The back probably went out because of the long train ride on the hard bench coming up to Sukhothai.

So my outlay for today is 528B, nearly $16.

Bankok to Sukhothai, October 24-26, 2009

Sukhothai, Monday, October 26, 2009
Woke up at 6:30 and fell back asleep til 9. Started the diary, stretched, showered and went to the pool. Talked to the frenchman in the pool. He wanted to change to a room next to the historical park also, so we decided to check out and meet at the entrance. I showered again and packed. Checked out before the check-out time of 11 and paid the 430B tab. The clerk suggested hiring one of the tuk-tuks just outside. One of them agreed to take both of us for 100B, more than the 30B I expected for the taxi on the main road, but the extra baht saved us a short walk and some time. The driver stopped at the Vitoon Guesthouse, which had rooms starting at 300B. The frenchman had a recommendation for the Old City Guesthouse, about 100 feet along the road and setback 50 feet from the street. The driver drove us there.

I liked the 150B room because of the price, although the bed is a pad on a board. The pad is thicker than the one in Chanthaburi, so it should be OK. The bed at the J&J was a box spring, but was extra firm, and was OK for sleeping. The room is on the second floor and the bathroom is shared. The frenchman took the larger first floor room, with bath, for 300B. While I placed my pack in my room and registered, paying 150B for the room, the frenchman paid the driver, and I reimbursed the frenchman for my half, 50B. The room included a 920ml bottle of water, a towel and a small roll of toilet paper.

The frenchman decided to rest during the middle of the day and visit the park later. I walked to the park, stopping first to buy a little bag of cut pineapple, for 10B. The LG guidebook recommended the museum so I paid the 150B admission and followed a tour group, apparently from Canada. They spoke English and one man wore a Toronto Maple Leafs T-shirt. I listened to their guide for a few minutes then walked around on my own. They left quickly. The museum is not large, although it is 2 story. The museum added little to what I had read, so it wasn't worth much to me. No photos allowed in the museum. I looked at a small display behind the museum and looked thru the gift shop. Bought a 300ml bottle of OJ for 20B.

Hadn't rented a bike even though the guidebook and the frenchman had recommended it. I wanted to get a better idea if I needed one by getting closer to the park. The entrance is set back a quarter mile from the road and I could see at the entrance that the park was very large and the restored temples were widely spread out, so I rented a bike inside the entrance. The entrance fee was 100B and the bike, a girls bike with fenders and a covered chain, was 30B. A small chain and padlock were included.

At the first, and largest, wat I bought a small tray of fruit, for 20B. The fruit, I think, is pomelo. It looks like large grapefruit, but has very little flavor. A small packet of sugar, with salt and chilli powder is included. I used all that and it tasted good.

I pedaled from wat to wat and walked thru all of them. Outlying areas have more wats, but that would have taken more than the 3 or 4 hours I spent, and there were separate admission charges to the other areas. I saw the frenchman pedalling around and talked briefly, before I turned in the bike, about 4. I walked back and kept walking past my guesthouse, looking for another wat. Found out later that I had walked the wrong direction.

About 5, I returned to the room, took a shower and rested for a couple of hours.

I had dinner at the Coffee Cup, right next to the guesthouse. Only one other couple eating there when I sat down. The menu is a book of hundreds of items, less than half is Thai food, but with photos of most items. I ordered the Sukhothai noodle soup, with vegetables, for 35B, fried ginger with rice, for 30B, mango juice, for 30B, and water, for 10B. It was all very good. Everything tasted fresh and full of good flavors. The vegetables in the soup included mushrooms and so many others I couldn't begin to list them. The mango juice was full strength, like eating ripe mango. After all that I ordered a papaya shake, for 20B. It was blended fruit and ice. Had the flavor of fresh, ripe papaya. Great taste. Had to eat it slow to keep from freezing the roof of my mouth. Charged me 125B, less than $4.

So my outlay for today is 885B, nearly $27, but that included 2 rooms.

Sukhothai, Sunday, October 25, 2009
Woke up at 4, got up just after 6, stretched and showered, said goodby to Bill, finished packing, took my key, and walked to the bus stop. Caught a tuk-tuk to the Skytrain, BTS, for 5B. Took the escalator up and rode the BTS to the Asok station, for 20B off my card. Then took the subway, MTS, to the Hualumphong Rail Station and arrived 7:30.

The information desk clerk gave me a schedule and circled the 8:30 train to Phitsanulok. I was directed to the proper ticket window, after walking along the entire row of about 20 windows and seeing most of them closed. When I asked for the ticket circled by the info guy I was told 'all book'. I didn't think to ask for a fan seat. The agent said the 10:50 train had seats. Maybe Sunday wasn't the best day to travel. I thought I had better buy it before they sold out of those seats, so I paid the 449B for the 2nd class AC seat.

Didn't see any juice or fruit stands in the very large station seating hall, so I went in to the food court. No fruit there either, so I asked for the only juice drink listed and was told they were out. Frustrated, I ordered a papaya salad, for 30B, expecting something like I had a couple weeks ago. This was not like that and wasn't very good, but I was hungry and ate it.

I didn't want to wait till 10:50 so decided to change to the 9:25 regular, 3rd class, train, even though it would take an extra 3.5 hours. The agent sold me a ticket. There are no assigned seats. He refunded me the difference, minus the penalty for cancelling a ticket. I had read that in the guidebook, but had forgotten about it, so the exchange cost me an extra 75B and the refund was 155B. Hopefully, that is the only contribution I make to the well being of the Thai rail system.

To wash out the taste of the salad I ordered an ice milk, which is mostly ice, with a red liquid syrup, tasting a little like strawberry, topped with a little condensed milk, for 15B.

I tried to board early, at 9. From the outside it looked like all the seats were taken. I went on one middle car and found one empty seat. The seats are wood benches, alternating throughout, one facing forward and one back. The other 3 young Thai men didn't seem to speak English. The overhead rack was large, so my pack and camera bags, and water bottle, fit easily. I kept a seat the entire trip, moving to the window side, still facing forward, when the young man got off after about 6 hours.

The train pulled out about 10 minutes behind schedule and by the 3rd or 4th station, the aisle was clogged with standees, and food vendors, trying to walk the aisle and announce their food and drink, all in Thai. The toy vendor had left before the train pulled out. Most of the vendors were barely audible, but 2 of the women were loud and therefore, irritating. Probably would have been worse if I knew what they were saying. They weren't both on at the same time, because the vendors walk for a while, then get off and are replaced by a different vendor. They are of all ages, both men and women.

Trish called about 1 and we had a nice talk.

I expected that I would see more on this slower train. I did, but mostly I saw a lot of repetitive scenes and most could not be photographed well. Either they were too fleeting or the scene was marred by wires and/or trees, buildings, or other things. A lot of the extra time was spent in stations and on sidetracks, waiting for other trains, including freight trains to pass. Much of the way is single track, so timing is tricky, and the 3rd class does a lot of waiting, as well as stopping at most of the stations. The seats become harder as the time drags on. The standees gradually left until there were none after the first 7 hours.

The schedule showed 8.5 hours. The train was 50 minutes late getting into Phitsanulok, arriving about 6:40pm, after dark, I won't intentionally take a long 3rd class ride again without a cushion and some reading I want to do, because the seat is too hard, and the waits are boring, although I like the fresh air. I probably won't take the AC.

On leaving the station, I asked a samlor driver if the bus to Sukhothai was still running tonight. He asked someone else, who said yes. The driver said the ride to the bus station was fifty baht. A large sign by the samlors listed the price at 60B. He drove as fast as vehicle, looking like he was going to run into the scooters. The samlor has only one front wheel and is small and narrow, and runs close to everything. I was the only passenger. He stopped near the ticket windows, but in the traffic lane. I gave him 70B and he gave me 10B change, so his fifty really meant sixty. Too dark to get a photo of the samlor.

I looked for a window with a Sukhothai name. Found 2, but they were empty. One agent was directing people and pointed the direction, but I got it wrong. He meant on the other side of the row of windows.

The fare was 39B and the bus was ready to leave. The only seats were the back bench. I used my backpack for a backrest and shared the bench with 3 adults and 2 kids, until the kids and one woman got off after a half hour. The ride was much more comfortable than the train and lasted only 1 hour.

At the station I was looking for a place to set down my pack and pull out my guidebook. One Thai asked me where I was going. I said I wanted to find a room. He told me J&J Guesthouse was very good and the driver with him could take me there. If I didn't want it I 'can go other place near.' I remembered the name J&J from the guidebook and decided it must have been in the budget section. So I agreed to go.

The ride was in the front of a motorcycle taxi, like a motorized push cart, with a cover, probably the real tuk-tuk. Great for viewing the passing scenery. Not so good at night because it is too dark to see much and there are lots of bugs hitting me in the face. J&J is alone on a backstreet, with no visible lights of any adjacent business. I pay the 50B for my ride.

The lowest room price is 300B. The room is nice, with a toilet and shower with hot water, fan, and twin beds. Very clean and like new. I feel too tired to look elsewhere and I don't want to pay to ride elsewhere, so I take it.

J&J has its own restaurant at the entrance. I register and order Panang curry with vegetable and chicken, because they are nearly out of shrimp, plus a papaya shake, because mango is not in season, a bowl of white rice, and a large bottle of water. The charges go on my room bill. The curry dish is spicy hot and the shake tastes like papaya. Both are very good. The rice is essential for me to lower the 'hot' of the curry.

The pool is open from 9:30 to 8. I start on my diary and shower, and turn out the lights at 12:30.

So my outlay for today is 494B, about $15, plus BTS and MTS card reductions, and a bill to pay in the morning for the room and dinner, 430B.

Bangkok, Saturday, October 24, 2009
Slept in til 9, stretched, drank last of the OJ, read and worked on repacking to fit everything into my pack and camera case and fanny pack. I'll leave 3 of my lenses and flash in the suitcase. Still have 5 lenses with me.

Found that the external DVD does work without the power cord. Must have been stuck, so it wouldn't open til I pried slightly. Works fine. I installed the camcorder programs and imported the files from the camcorder, then made a DVD for Bill and a copy for myself.

Had yogurt and the rest of the mango for lunch, along with the first of my malaria pills.

Did one small load of wash for 20B, while Bill and I went to the Coffee Art shop to download a music video for Bill, and upload my blog and photos. Took about 4 hours and then Flickr hiccupped, so my upload froze at 88%. Only charged me 105B for all that time even though the rate is 35B per hour.

Bought a broom and pan for Bill, 70B.

Didn't have time to make copies of the northern sections of the guidebooks, so I'll pack both of them. Would have been 200 pages anyway.

Finished the last of the green tea and cooked rice for dinner.

So my outlay for today is 195B, about $6.

Another rest day in Bangkok

Bangkok, Friday, October 23, 2009
Awoke before 6am, after going to bed at midnight and talking for a few minutes to Bill when he came in about 20 minutes later. Heard children talking in the hall. Heard a small thud and then a baby crying. Children went away.
Got up at 7, stretched and showered, drank some OJ. An hour later I had a 140 gm cup of yogurt. Then a cup of green tea.

Started reading the guidebooks northern Thailand sections. Found out the Lonely Planet's USA office is in Oakland.

Trish called about 9:30 and we had a nice talk. Trish is still tired from work and I'm still tired from my travels.

I need to rest another day, although the train ride to Chiang Mai should be easy and relaxing. The train ride to Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand, in the north, will take 11 hours, over a distance of 685km, 425 miles. All around Chiang Mai the foothills of the Himalayas are forested and much of the area is relatively natural. Tribes from neighboring countries, primarily Burma, have moved into Thailand, and have villages in the hills, some of which depend on tourists for income. I will probably break the trip into 2 or 3 legs.

Bill had a mango in the refrigerator. He had his fill of mangoes a few days ago and told me yesterday I could have the last one. I ate half of it. Very good.

Talked to Bill about 10:30. Showed him the card reader on his computer and he was able to upload photos and burn them to a CD. Played the CD on his DVD player. Tried to make a CD of some music video from his flash drive, but it wouldn't play on the DVD player.

Bill went shopping at Big C and brought back his lunch. He couldn't finish it so I cooked some rice to mix with his extra sauce. Tasted good.

About 4pm, we went shopping at IT city, via tuk-tuk for 5B, skytrain and subway. We found a power cable for 80B to work with Bill's battery charger and a USB cable at 120B, for my netbook, all of which I payed for. Bill looked for a remote control at one store and at shirts at Tesco Lotus, but couldn't find what he needed at either. Bill left for work after a call from Oye and I stayed to look for an adapter at Tesco Lotus. Didn't find what I wanted. Stopped at the food court on the way out and had a Crispy Fried Mussels plate. It is an egg omelete with mussels, bean sprouts and chopped green onions, and a red sauce, served on a heated plate, all for 35B. Tasted good, but was too oily for me.

Took the MTS, subway, back to the Sukhumvit station, which took 9B off my card, each way. I decided to forego the skytrain and walked back to Bills. Sukhumvit is a busy street, with all kinds of shops, restaurants, bars, massage parlors, food carts, tailors, and shopping malls. I bought a small bag of popcorn for 10B, and it was kettle corn, but not as good as I've had in SF.

Back at the apartment I heated up the leftover rice and put some chilli sauce on it. I ate the rice, popcorn, coke and a cup of green tea for dinner.

Tried to connect Bill's computer to my netbook with the USB cable, but my netbook wouldn't recognize his computer as a drive. Probably need some utility program for that to work. Then I found the USB in my suitcase, so I didn't need to buy the cable. May take it back.

So my outlay for today is 250B, about $7.50.

Rest Day in Bangkok

Bangkok, Thursday, October 22, 2009
Slept in til 8am, to make up the previous night on a hard bed. After I showered, and had some OJ, Bill got up and we talked about the trip and plans, then Bill meditated and I tried out the UW housing for the camcorder and found I don't have a USB cord to connect my netbook to Bill's computer. I showed Bill how to download his photos to his computer and make a CD backup copy. We found that I hadn't given him the power cable for the battery charger, or the power cord for his camera, which would also recharge the battery. The battery retainer in the camera is broken, so the battery must be held by hand when the door stays open to connect the USB cable to the computer.

We bought lunch at a nearby cafe, consisting of the broth in one bag and the vegetables in another, which we mixed back at the apartment. Bill also got a bag of spicy bamboo shoots. Cost 110B. We stopped at the food cart in Bill's parking lot and got a small coke for 10B. Bill had a 100B note so I gave him the 20B. Tasted very good.

Late afternoon I walked to the Big C to look for laundry soap and a USB cable. Couldn't find a USB cable in Big C or the Office Depot upstairs. Got some chili sauce, a 6 pack of Coke, a liter of green tea, hair shampoo and a bag of laundry soap, for just under 400B, half of that for the soap. The soap was on sale and the bag should be enough for Bill forever, since he handwashes only a few things and sends out most of his laundry. Also got a tube of anti-fungal creme for my feet, for 45B, at the pharmacy above the Big C. Stopped at the Siam Commercial Bank and got 5,000 Baht, on my debit card, altho they may have used it as a Visa card. I'll need to check my bank acct in a few days to see what it cost me.

The laundry consists of 2 machines along the parking lot. The smaller machine runs a load for 20B. Bill left for work before I finished the load and I couldn't find the folding drying rack. Probably taken by Oye, who took quite a few things, including the soap. Bill plans to join Harry at the Sheraton Jazz club, after work.

After I started the laundry, I took my netbook to a nearby cafe/bar, the 'Old Skool' which offers free wifi, after buying something. I bought an iced Thai tea, for 70B. Internet time at the nearby Coffee Art cafe is 40B/hr, so I may pay more here, but I had an iced tea and now I'm having a mango & peach smoothie, and a free sandwich, and I've been here over 6 hours, with photos from Ko Chang being uploaded. The set is 143 photos, just over a GB total. And, I'll have photos from Chanthaburi to upload after this first set. Probably wait a while to upload those. I may leave for northern Thailand before I do anymore uploading of photos.

So my outlay for today is 440B plus the drinks at 'Old Skool', probably 200B.

Ko Chang and Chanthaburi

Tour and bus to Bangkok, Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The bed was too hard for me to sleep all through the night and I woke up at 4:30. Couldn't get back to sleep, but didn't get up til 7. I packed and went down to pay for the room. Only people there were 4 little kids watching Thai cartoons, with English subtitles. After about 15 minutes the woman manager or owner drove up on her scooter. I said I was leaving and gave her a 500B note. She took off on her scooter and came back in 5 minutes with my 350B change.

I walked on down to the River Guest House, got there about 8 and waited 10 minutes for the manager couple to drive up on their scooter. I asked about a tour, Choice 2 to Wat Kaosukim and Krathing Waterfall. The man called someone, then told me the price would be 700B, not the advertised 600B, and I would pay the 400B for the park. I agreed and he said the taxi would be there in 10 minutes. In 20 minutes, the driver walked up and led me under the bridge to his songthaew, which was parked in a traffic lane, since there are no parking spaces along this part of the road.

I was the only passenger and sat in the front, with my backpack in the back of the pickup. The pickup was an old Toyota, with no AC, which was good for me because the camera lens always fogs up when leaving AC. The temp was not high and the wind through the window was enough to keep us cool. The ride took about 50 minutes, passing through a valley with orchards and fields of many different plants. I recognized only the banana and papaya. The driver spoke no English, although he seemed to understand a few phrases. I could smell smoke, which was from small burn piles of plants and brush in some of the fields. Tropical vegetation along the ditches hid most of the views.

After we arrived at the Wat, the driver, San, said 'one hour" and pointed to a parking space. I was the only Caucasian at the Wat. Everyone else looked like Thai. There were probably 100 or so, with many school-age children in groups, and families with children.The parking lot for cars is near a small lake and some Buddhist images and figures. A larger parking lot a little down the hill had 4 tour buses parked in it. The Wat is up the hill, or mountain, probably a couple hundred steps to the fairly large level bench, or plaza, in the hill. However, 2 cable cars go up and down continuously, so no one needs to go all those steps.

Shoes must be removed to walk into the visitor portion of the Wat, which is a story higher than the plaza. The visitor portion of the Wat appears to be mostly a museum, with one large room and 2 smaller separate rooms filled with imagery, vases and carvings of different objects, some in glass cases. There were baskets of foods, wrapped in cellophane for people to buy for the monks, I would guess. There was one monk sitting in each of the smaller rooms and a couple in the larger room. The Thais knew what to do, with waiing, or bowing, and giving gifts and sitting in front of the monk so they could have photos taken by their friends. One man asked me where I was from and my age, and if i travel alone, and took my video with his phone, asking me to talk. He said he was 47 and pointed out his young son and the son of the other man with him. He had me stand by his wife and the other man to get me on video and in a photo. All done very politely. The view from the Wat, outside the small building, takes in the entire valley and mountains beyond.

Steps up the hill led to other building, a dormitory, a library and many other unidentified building, surrounded by the natural forest. I walked up the steps til the steps became too uneven and my hour was nearly gone. Never got another view of anything and I suspect there were no good views up there because no one else went up there, other than a couple of monks I met on my way down.

The driver was waiting and he drove to the park in half an hour. All of the roads except for one stretch of about a mile were paved with AC and in good condition. The unpaved, gravel road, needed grading because of all the potholes and eroded ditches.

The entrance to the park is guarded by military men, and the entrance fee was 100B for foreigners, til the end of October. Obviously, the River Guest House guy was not properly informed.

First we walked into the reception building which was a small restaurant and San pointed to water in their cooler. I bought the smaller, 600ml, bottle for 10B. San asked if I wanted 1 hour or 2 and I said 2. I took my 2 cameras, and camcorder, and an extra lens, although I used only one camera and one lens. The waterfalls is a series of 13 falls, I started up and found the first one to be #3. A swinging bridge connects to the other side of the falls. The other side is actually an island, because the river splits somewhere up hill. The forest is thick, so there is no good view of the overall area. I continued up the rocky trail, with steps formed over most of the trail. It was hot and muggy, so I was wringing wet during the entire climb. I reclined in the pool below Falls #8, which helped me cool down. The water was cooler than the air, but not cold. As I neared the bottom of the trail, rain, with thunder, began. I continued on to Falls #2 and #1, before washing my feet and socks of sand. I made it back to the parking lot with 10 minutes to spare.

San drove back, through the rain. I called Bill to ask if it was alright to come back to Bangkok tonight. He said 'sure.' Then I asked San to drop me off at the bus station so I could go to Bangkok. San was always very agreeable, accommodating and very polite. Probably should have tipped him. Only shook hands on parting.

We got to the station about 1:30pm and I bought my 187B ticket for the 1400 bus to Ekkamai station in Bangkok. The bus left at 2:16pm. I found a cellophane wrapped roll and many 250ml water bottles in the overhead tray, so I helped myself to the roll and water. The roll had a brown paste inside. Not much taste, so it probably is nutritious. After we started I still had an empty seat next to me and I was able to keep it all the way, even when other passengers got on and there were no other empty seats. The ticket taker handed out the little bottles of water, a 250ml juice box of strawberry flavored green tea and a wrapped roll to each passenger. My second roll had a green paste in it. This one had a little flavor. No idea what it was. The TV screen, right behind the driver, played movies on the way, the first 2 being 'Shaolin Soccer' and a similar movie, then 'Aliens vs. Predator 2', all in Thai, with no subtitles. Rain continued til we arrived at the Ekkamai station at 6:30, about half an hour of that time caused by the stop-and-go rush hour traffic in Bangkok.

I walked back to Bill's apartment, stopping at the Big C to buy an unknown batter-fried meat in a styrofoam box for 15.25B, a liter of orange juice and a 4 pack of yogurt, all of which totaled 113.75B, about $3.40. Bill was at work, so I let myself in, showered and cooked a pot of rice to mix with my unknown meat. The first bite of the meat I chomped on a very hard black substance, which broke into several pieces and had to be found and spit out. I checked my fillings with my tongue and they all seem to be in place. Added some soy sauce and chili oil for flavor and had a yogurt for dessert.

Found that I had a small hard piece of something on my ankle. Picked it off, but couldn't tell what it was. My ankle itched there and in 2 other places. I put neosporin on my ankle and that took care of the itch. I had knocked some large red ants off my ankles on my falls climb, so they may have bitten me. Also squatted some mosquitoes, even though there were very few mosquitoes in the area. At the River Guest House in the morning I had picked up a copy of Lonely Planet's guide and read that the parks here are malarial, so hope the mosquitoes were carrying that. I was told by someone that malarial mosquitoes are active at night, so I shouldn't need to worry. Also hope they weren't carrying Dengue fever.

Ko Chang to Chanthaburi, Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Slept soundly for 4 hours, using the blanket for cover, as I've done the last 3 nights. Woke 3 times toward morning and finally got up at 8. Stretched and showered. Put the 100 macro lens on the camera to look for small creatures to photograph. Found the tiny crabs along the creek to be very shy and most of the butterflies to be too quick. Could get only a bad shot of the crab and another bad shot of 2 mating butterflies, one of which paused for a second. Walked to the road and went north a quarter mile. I was passed my Michele, from Australia, apparently walking fast for the exercise. Went back to the beach at the Nature Resort, at the north end of the sandy beach. I walked along the beach and thru Treehouse Resort, and back to my bungalow.

I rested an hour and read a little, then packed up and left at 10:30, leaving the key with one of the 2 women who clean the resort. I walked to the road and waited for a Taxi. The first one passed by without stopping, at 11. The second stopped when I waved it down, but it wasn't going to the pier. One of the men running my resort stopped to ask if I was leaving and wished me a good trip. The next taxi, or songthaew, came by at 11;20 and was going to the pier. Only one other passenger in the pickup bed. The 30 minute ride cost 100B. The other passenger in the cab was a minibus ride seller. I told him I was going to Chathaburi and he was no longer interested. I walked down to the pier and found I needed to buy a ticket, back at the vehicle entrance the taxi had passed, to give the minibus seller a chance to talk to the passengers. I got a 100B ferry ticket and walked fast to get on the ferry, as the last car was driving on. I wasn't late, because the ferry waited for 4 more vehicles to arrive, before leaving the pier, at 12:10.

The sea was quite calm and the skies partly cloudy. After the 25 minute ride I followed the other passengers to an exit with a small building and a tourist office. The tourist office was small and crowded with a small party. Outside, some Thais offered to let me on a songthaew, going to Trat, for 20B. When I said I wanted to go to Chanthaburi, one of them motioned to the minibus next to us and said 250B. I asked the girl where was the regular bus to Chanthaburi and was told 'go to Trat, get bus'. I asked what that big bus across the way was doing and she shrugged her shoulders. I walked over to the bus and asked the driver 'Chanthaburi?'. He nodded yes and when I asked how much he held up 7 fingers. I thought he meant 52B, but after I got on the bus, the ticket seller came back and said 77B. So I gave him 102B. He didn't come back with change til we had made one stop. He gave me 30B change, so the ride cost 72B. He also walked the aisle with a basket of candy and gave out half liter bottles of water to anyone who wanted one. The bus had less than 10 passengers when I boarded and picked up another 10 or so at the 2 stops it made along the way. The trip to Chanthaburi must have taken a different route, but the time was still only a little over an hour. The seats were comfy, I had an empty seat next to me, and the bus had AC.

Most of the road to Chanthaburi was divided 4 lane; however, the route to the bus station was over city streets, with some very narrow streets and a lot of turns. I recognized the bus station from the stop I made before, and I used the Let's Go description to find the Arum Sawat Hotel, making only one wrong turn for a couple of blocks extra walking. The LG didn't say the hotel was over a half mile from the bus station. I was thinking a short walk. I would have taken a taxi if I had known, but I made it just fine, with a lot of sweating, even though is was overcast and there was a slight breeze. Good exercise. Glad I'm not carry more stuff. I will probably leave some of my lens at Bill's when I go through Bangkok. I need to make room for the camcorder housing, somehow. The room is on the first floor, the floor above the ground floor, and is twice the size of the bungalow I just left. The bed is a thin pad on a board. There is a ceiling fan and an indoor squat toilet and wash basin and shower, but only one small fluorescent light in the window by the corner; and only one electrical outlet, by the door. The rate is 150B.

Going back to the main road I found a shoe repair store. The front is open wide, having only a roll down door to close shop at night. One old man near the front was cutting pieces for a shoe. The younger man, a little further back said 'repair shoe' when I asked if they could do a shoe lift. I showed him my left shoe and took out the 2 spacers to indicate a thickness and showed the sole to indicate that I needed that thickness added. He smiled and shook his head no.
On the main road, going toward the old town, I stopped at the first cafe that had someone speaking English. The menu was in Thai, and the cafe is no more than a food stand with table and chairs inside a small building. I ordered by pointing at the glass noodles and saying 'vegetables and rice'. I picked out a soda with a nice green color. The soup had bean sprouts, bean curd, onions, sliced mushrooms, basil, thin bread chips and 3 crisp corn chips on top, and probably some other veggies, with the noodles, in a mild broth. I added a little chili sauce for spice. The soda was very sweet. Came to 40B, even though the soda was 10B.

I asked the man in the cafe how I could get to the national park. I know there are 2 near here, but couldn't remember the names and knew they were well out of town. He said I could walk to the park and gave me directions. I was able to follow the directions and came to a large park with a lake and statue of Taksin, a national hero. Lot of joggers in the park.

I found my way back to the hotel and looked for directions to a place that offered tours, since I hadn't seen any place offering tours on my walk. I found out the tourism office is next to the park, but I didn't see it. The LG book suggests booking through the River Guest House. I walked toward it and stopped to look at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic cathedral in Thailand. It is being remodeled. Crossing the river I watched 2 long boats being paddled rapidly in unison, by 20 or 30 young men, keeping pace with a chant. One boat was much longer than the other. Probably rowing clubs.

I continued on the street listed for the River Guest House, but couldn't find it, so I stopped in a shop offering tours. They didn't speak English, but called someone who did. He said they could have a car take me to the national park, the closest one, since the other one had nothing to see and was closed, for 1000B. I told him I would get back to them.

Since I couldn't find the River Guest House, I turned to look at the river, just a hundred feet or so further on, and there was the River Guest House. Don't know why the address is the street I was on. The place is far more impressive than the hotel I'm in. And the rates are the same, altho the bath is shared for the low rate of 150B. The manager and his family were eating dinner, so I apologized for the interruption. He said the tour I asked about is a half day tour and he can arrange it in the morning. The cost is 600B, plus the park admission of 400B, double the LG listing price.

I made it back to the hotel with only one wrong turn. I could hear the rowers chanting as I walked near the river.

Washed my shirt and took a shower and went to bed at 9:30. The bed pad gives very little, not enough for me to be comfortable. I didn't get to sleep until after Trish called just after 10. We had a nice talk. Found out there was a heavy rain shower in SF yesterday.
Total outlay today is 312B, about $9.

Ko Chang, Monday, October 19, 2009
Woke up at 4:30 and 6 and got up at 8. Stretched and showered. Rain was light til 9 when it came down heavy. The resort manager? told me it could be sun in other land. It looked like a large storm that would cover the whole island. The pickup arrived at 9:40 and I was the only passenger, so I sat in the front seat. Going over the headland with switchbacks was a little dangerous, because the pickup is so light that the rear wheel spun going up one grade and the driver had to cross over to the other lane to make one hairpin turn. On the other side of the headland the road was dry.

We arrived before 10am. The elephants were benched up and ready. We got on from a platform, by stepping on the back of the elephant, right behind the driver who sits right behind the ears. The seat is a wide bench. I was the only passenger, again. Two girls, from Switzerland, got in the second elephant. That was the whole party.The elephants walk slowly, grabbing vegetation quite often along the way. We went up a drainage, thru the forest, with rows of rubber trees on the slopes, mixed in with the native vegetation. The elephant stepped carefully into the foot deep tracks in the soil areas and between rocks in the creek bed. Rain started after a half hour and I put the rain hood on my camera, but the rain quit within 10 minutes and the sky began to clear. I didn't see the pomelos, although the plants with large yellow flowers could be pomelo trees. Trish called about half way through the trek and we had a nice, but brief, conversation.

The route circled back past the entrance and along the road, then down the steep river embankment, under the bridge and along the edge of and in the river. The river is small, probably 20 feet wide in this area. A dock on the bank next to a pool, probably no more than 8 feet deep, was used for us to get off. The benches were removed and we sat in the driver's seat on the elephants. They were led into the deepest part of the pool and told to kneel so we could slide off and swim with the elephants.The water looked very clear, although there were elephant dung balls floating nearby. I kept my mouth closed, but water went up my nose when I fell off the second time. We took turns standing on the rear part of the back and being lifted up on the elephant's trunk. Four helpers stood on the river bank and took photos with their camera as well as with our cameras, including my video camera. They did a great job of taking stills and video. I left a 100B tip, like the last of the big spenders that I am.

The benches were replaced and we rode back the way we came. While still riding the elephant, the driver offered to sell some necklaces and bracelets with tiny elephants carved from ivory, but only from elephants that died naturally, his sign stated. He said they were luck. Bracelets were 500B and the necklace was 1000B. Probably a bargain, but I passed.

Water and pineapple were waiting for us after we finished the ride. We were all offered souvenir framed 6x9 photos of ourselves on the elephants, both in and out of the water. The colors looked faded. The girls didn't want any, but I took one, for 200B.

I asked for an hour to walk around before my ride back. I walked toward the nearby waterfall for 25 minutes, but didn't see the falls, so I walked back, and rode back to the resort. I read more about different areas in the Let's Go guidebook and took a nap til 5. No more rain this afternoon and a little bit of orange in the sunset, which I watched from the sand beach. Back at the resort I had coconut curry with vegetables, 40B, and steamed white rice, 15B, and a 2 liter bottle of water, 50B, for dinner, for a total of 100B. The curry was not too spicy, and delicious.
Total outlay today, 400B, about $12.

Ko Chang, Sunday, October 18, 2009
Rained most of the night, which kept the air relatively cool. Didn't need a fan, and used the blanket toward morning. Got up about 7, stretched, showered and had breakfast at the resort kitchen, about 9, when the rain stopped. Mixed fruit, papaya, pineapple and banana, with yogurt, granola and milk, all in one bowl for 60B.

Walked along the beach past Treehouse resort to get a few photos, then walked to the road for photos of the macaques on the wires, then stopped at a minimart to buy a small towell and soap, for 58B and 12B. Took them back to the bungalow and walked back south toward Bailan Beach. Followed a group of about 20 Thais celebrating and dancing as they walked in front of a pickup with a combo playing what sounds like Thai music. The store owners came out and gave something, probably money, to some of the people in the group. Took a photo and a short video. I went into the Sunflower minimart, near my resort, and asked the German owner about the group. He said they were Buddhist holy day people raising money for the temple. Bought a mirror, 15B, a small roll of tp, 10B, and soap, 6B, the same bar which the other minimart charges 12B. I tried to buy an umbrella for 140B, but was told it was a hammock. Took the items back to the bungalow.

I resumed my walk down toward Bailan Beach, passing through Paradise Resort, which appears to be in a remodeling phase. The land south of the resort is undeveloped and the jungle extends down to the beach, with water draining off the slope, making walking through the weeds very slow and wet. I stayed on the beach most of the way, carefully picking my way over the cobbles and pebbles, and ducking under the low hanging branches in some spots.

Came to Bailan Beach, which has a few resorts. The first one appears to be closed and falling apart. The next one looks nice and is expanding. From the beach a headland juts out, leaving no room to walk along the shore. I rested a short while on a seawall, then got in the water and exchanged my saltly sweat for sea water. Felt good and cooling. The road winds uphill from here, so I elected to wait for a taxi. The first one was going south and offered to take me back to Lonely Beach for 50B. I was tired enough to agree. The road back goes up only a small hill before dropping down to Lonely Beach, so the walk would have been easy. We passed one group walking the road, but there is no shoulder most of the way, so the taxi has to move out of the lane to pass. Not the safest walkway.

Got back about 1:30 and had a lunch of glass noodle soup with veggies, 30B, and a half liter of 7up, 25B. I rested for an hour and started to walk toward the sand beach for a swim. A light wind and rain started, so I waited at the restaurant to see if it would clear. Watched some men catch fish with a net strung out from a small motor boat, which was then driven through the circled area, beating the water with a paddle, before the net was pulled in.

While I waited for the weather to clear I called Bill and found out Oye is going home tomorrow, and I wont be going to see her village. Bill was resting between shifts. I booked the elephant ride, 900B, and paid for an extra night, 100B.

The rain stopped, so I went for a swim. The waves were the biggest I've seen out here, but still small, probably no more than 2 feet high. The rain resumed about 5, mostly very light.

A group of young travelers asked me if I wanted to join their BBQ. They grilled potatoes, chicken and beef, fish, tofu and veggies, on leaves and on skewers. The grilling was done next to the reception and laundry area and the food was taken to the porch of the last bungalow, past my room. The group of 10 is from all over, Holland, Bali, Australia, Germany and where else I don't know. All early 20s or at least under 30, I think, mostly young enough to be my grandchildren. Wonderful, fun, beautiful people some of whom probably work to travel. Julian, Thomas, Arm, Joshua, Michele, Nunda; wish I could remember all their names. I should have taken some photos; maybe they will email me some of theirs. They all stayed up late to party. I was tired and went to bed early.

Total outlay today, including tomorrow's tour and another night here, is 1266B, about $38.
Ko Chang, Saturday, October 17, 2009

Slept well last night, with mosquito netting keeping out bugs, and fan blowing to keep cool. Used blanket to keep warm toward morning. Not many mosquitos in this area, so netting probably is not really needed. Got up at 7, stretched and showered, and finished the pineapple juice.
Walked along the road for a half mile and decided the fast traffic and lack of shoulders ahead, especially in the hilly, switchback area, made the idea of walking to the waterfall, probably 7 miles, too dangerous. Trish called near the start of the walk and we had a nice conversation. Renting a scooter to drive there was also rejected because of the fast vehicles and switchbacks, and wet spots. I checked on tours. The one I think I'd like, a jungle trek, isn't offered in low season. The island is covered with mostly pristine rainforest. The next best tour is an elephant tour, which I may take tomorrow or the next day, depending on the weather.

On my way back along the road, a family of monkeys, probably macaques, walked on the phone wires, looking for food, I think. I bought a liter of orange juice, for 75B, at the nearby minimart, and drank half immediately and the rest in the afternoon. I checked with 3 tour sellers and found the prices to be all the same. A snorkle tour is 500B, the elephant tour is 500B for 1 hour and 900B for 2 hours.

Late morning I swam out from the sand beach, taking my mask and camera. The water was not clear, so I took no photos, just swam and floated for an hour to get the exercise. For lunch I finished my jam sandwiches. I walked around the area, mostly along the beach, in the afternoon to try for a good photo. Talked briefly to one american who was on a year long vacation in SE asia, and planning to spend 3 months in Thailand.

For dinner I walked over to the Treehouse BBK, and had a coconut fruitshake, for 30B, and a grilled chickenbreast, with sticky rice and green salad, for 80B. I ate out on the deck and tried to get a photo of the lightning before my food arrived. Got 3 with some light among the clouds. When it began to sprinkle I moved under an umbrella to eat. Everything was very good. Back at my resort I bought a 920ml bottle of water for 10B. So my total outlay today was 195B, about $6.

Ko Chang, Friday, October 16, 2009
Got to bed 11:30 again last night. Didn't sleep well, thinking about my travel in the morning. Woke up several times. Checked the watch when it seemed like the time to get up and found it was 5:30am. Too late to try for the 6am bus, so I rested and got up at 6:30 to try for the 7:30 bus. I finished packing, drank some pineapple juice and showered. I took my still damp clothes off the rack on the entryway and left the condo shortly after 7, throwing the keys into the garage, as Roger asked. We had said our goodbyes last night, with Roger saying he would see me in Bangkok Nov. 1.

I asked the scooter driver where I could get a ride to the bus station. He pointed down the road and said 'bus, 100 meters'. I walked a little ways and remembered that Roger said to go the other way, so I hailed a passing, empty, songthaew and asked to go to the bus station at Sukhumvit and Central Pattaya. He understood enough to say it would cost 100B. When I offered 50B, he shook his head no and gave me an explanation in Thai. I couldn't argue in Thai, and I didn't have time to look for another ride, other than the scooter. I decided that saving some baht wasn't worthwhile when I had quit a bit to carry, so I got in. I was the only passenger all the way. We drove up to the bus stop at 7:30 and there was no bus and none in sight going away. So, the bus had come early or was going to be late. A scooter driver asked me where I was going. I said Trat. He said 8:30, then 10:30. I knew the sign said 11:00. I waited. Three buses stopped in succession. The scooter driver and the ticket agents said no to the question, 'Trat'? Each bus has a driver and a ticket agent. At 7:50, as I was finishing my last yogurt, the scooter driver pointed to the next bus. I asked the same question of the agent. He said 'Chanthaburi', and motioned with his arm, which I understood that I would change buses there. I found 2 empty seats near the front and used one seat for my bags. When we were moving the agent collected fares and told me 119, but gave back 885B for my 1000B note.

The bus filled up after a few stops and I moved some bags to the overhead shelf and held my backpack and camera on my lap. Trish called about 10 and we had a nice conversation. The scenery was everchanging, from jungle and fields of corn or trees in rows to settlements and towns, with numerous stores and food stands along the way. Sometimes, bright sun, but mostly cloudy, with a few heavy rain showers. More people left the bus than got on at each stop, so there were no more standees by the time we arrived in Chanthaburi, at 11:20, a 3.5 hour trip. The seat were cloth covered and comfortable, not any narrower than bus seats in SF. The AC worked fine, almost too cold part of the way.

The bus station resembled an old Greyhound station, with buses in stalls and everything open air, but sheltered. I asked the agent, in a booth, if I needed to buy a ticket from him for Trat and if I could get a ride to Laem Ngop from there. Laem Ngop is the port for the ferry to Ko Chang, or Koh Chang. He said yes and the bus would be there in 10 minutes. I paid the 52B for a ticket. He wanted to know how much is my camera. I said I wasn't selling it, but he pushed a blank paper and asked me how much. I wrote $3000 and he gasped.

I waited a half hour. Two buses arrived together. Most of the people, Thais, went to the second bus. The agent was standing by the first. He said 'Laem Ngop', which I understood to mean this bus went direct to the port. Since I had no need to go to Trat, I boarded. The agent on the bus looked alarmed when I showed him my ticket, and said 'Laem Ngop'. We were already moving and I said that Laem Ngop is where I want to go. I hadn't known about the direct bus. The Let's Go guide didn't mention it. The agent didn't ask for more money, so the fare must not have been more, even though it is nearly 20km further, as I discovered when we turned right, where a sign showed 20km to Trat and 39km to Laem Ngop. When I got on the bus the seat I sat in had a 2B coin on it, so my fare was really 50B.

We left just after noon. The bus trip from Chanthaburi to Laem Ngop took 1 hour and 10 minutes. I stood in line to buy a 100B one way ticket. The ferry boat is a large car ferry, carrying probably 50 vehicles. It loaded quickly, but not before I ate 2 of my jam sandwiches. I had a full loaf bread, with most of the bread made into jam sandwiches, to finish off the strawberry jam. We started across the water a half hour after arriving at the pier. The trip over was 35 minutes long. I took too long getting off and was in the 3rd or 4th songthaew. The capacity is 12 and the driver didn't want to leave with only 9, so we waited 20 minutes until some passengers agreed to pay 20B extra, each. When I gave the driver 120B for the 100B trip to Lonely Beach, he gave back my 20B note. Either a senior discount or the off-season rate is lower than posted on the back of the cab.

Three of us went to the 4th and last beach on the west side, Lonely Beach. The other 2 were a young couple from Portland. They were looking for the original resort on this beach, Treehouse. I had read on Travelfish.com that Treehouse had closed and the Gecko Garden and International Yod were recommended as low priced resorts. The Portland couple walked down toward the beach and I walked up the road. I found several resort signs, with rooms at 250B and 200B, going to the end of the developed area.

I walked back along the road and found nothing lower or with the names I had, so I went down to the beach. There is very little depth to the development and I saw no sign of any resorts up the hill. The road I took was an ungraded clay dirt road, and it led to a resort which one couple walking out said had rooms for 300 to 500B. I followed them a little ways and asked an old man on a porch of one bungalow where the cheapest rooms were at. He said there were some 100B rooms in the other direction. I walked over some rough vacant land, very pebbly, as the beach is all pebbles here, to a weathered reception and restaurant building. I asked about a room and was told they had one with, meaning with a bathroom, for 200B. I asked if they had any 100B rooms and she showed me a large group of bungalows behind the reception area. Many of the bungalows are over a dry creek bed and on stilts.

I liked the first one I saw and took it for 3 nights. It is very small, a foot longer than the bed and 4 feet wider. The steps up to the covered porch are a branch ladder. The room has mosquito netting to drop down over the raised box spring mattress, a light, an electrical outlet and a fan on a stool. The bungalows each stand alone and look alike. Mine has a 2x4 frame, with clapboard sides and floor, with a corrugated tile roof. Two small door covered openings serve as windows. The cold water showers and bucket flush toilets are about 30 feet down the dirt walkway, built of mortar and stone with concrete floors and no roof. Almost as good as camping.

The beach along this area is closed, with barbed wire fence. A sand beach is about a quarter mile away, reached by walking a pebbly path and crossing the wood deck at the Treehouse Resort. On the beach side of the deck is a small dive shack, the Eco Divers. I talked a few minutes with the couple, apparently running the place. He liked my camera and said his Canon D9 had recently quit on him, so he was going to send it in for repairs. He has a great UW housing for it. The company offers several dive courses, Discovery Scuba Diving for 4,500B, about $135, all the way up to Dive Master, for 30,000B, about $900, with a 10% discount for off-season. Snorkel trips are 850B and 1000B for 2 different areas.

The resort I am is called Ice Beach, I found out later. I did not get a receipt, although I registered in their book.

I started a diary for today and kept it brief because I couldn't plug in the netbook cord. The electrical outlet is 2 slot and my netbook cable is for a grounded outlet. Then I drank some more pineapple juice and ate 4 jam sandwiches.

I asked about an adapter at the reception area and was told they did not have, but that the minimart nearby 'can have'. The minimart did not have an adapter, although I got a small bar of soap, for 6B. The owner sent me up the road. The next minimart clerk said to go to the 7 Day minimart, farther up the road. They were bigger than the first 2 and had an adapter, for 35B, about $1.

Walking past the shops about 7pm, the Ting Tong club was starting their party, on an open deck, with a girl playing the guitar and singing 'Over the Rainbow' in her version of Izzy's recording. Sounded very good.

I stopped at my resort's restaurant and ordered glass noodle soup and pad thai and a 7up. I was the only customer, other than the owner's family. The dining area has a corrugated tile roof, withgrass thatching along the edges, over a low bench and cushioned room, open air, and next to it are several bamboo tables and chairs. I chose the table and chair. I don't think I can sit cross-legged, yet. It was about 7pm and dark except for the small lights in this area. The air was still, warm and humid, and pleasant. The only sounds were the crickets or toads, or frogs and the waves washing on the shore, and the distant beat of the party music from the next resort, the Treehouse. Glad I didn't stay there. When I finished and gave my dishes to the cook, the guy totaled my bill by looking at the menu. He said 85B. I gave the girl a 100B note and she gave back two 20B notes. I think the dishes were 60B and she didn't charge for my 7up. Maybe she thought I had already paid for it. Anyway, I wasn't sure and I was not going to ask for a recount. I think I got a good deal.

So my outlay for the day is 866B, about $26, including the 3 nights at the resort.

Floating Market, Thursday, October 15, 2009

Got to bed 11:30. Woke up twice in the night, then slept til 7:30, and got up at 8. I stretched and showered, then microwaved an egg for a sandwich and finished the bread with 4 slices of toast and jam. I finished Sumano's first book and read again about Trat and Ko Chang from the Let's Go guidebook. Crossed the road to get a liter of pineapple juice and a loaf of bread, for 52B and 32B.

Roger got up at noon and we drove out to check his Vitara, then went to the floating markets, a popular tourist attraction. It consists of shops and walkways on wood posts in a large pond, with small wooden boats giving rides and selling food. We had lunch from a little cafe. I had the Kao Cluk Ka Pi, a scoop of white rice covered with red something, surrounded by mango, cucumber, onion, peppers, egg, fried meat, probably pork, and a separate bowl of chicken broth, and a glass of iced and sweet Chrysanthemum tea. Mine cost 40B plus 20B and Roger's was 45B total. I paid for both.

We went to the northern bus station, the only one Roger knew about, to see the schedule for Trat. I was told to go to the Central Bus Station, which Roger knew nothing about. We found it at the intersection of Sukhumvit and Central Pattaya Road. It is no more than a curb side stop, with a chalked listing of the towns and times. The buses to Trad, not Trat, leave at 6am and 7:30am. No price listed. Let's Go states the cost from Trat to Pattaya is 173B. Roger thinks I should buy 2 side by side seats because the bus seats are so narrow.

Roger stopped at a store for some small electrical items, then we came back to the condo about 3. I washed a load of clothes and watched "Charlie Rose". Roger cooked chopped sausage with onions, broccoli and rice for dinner. We watched a History channel documentary about the battle of Okinawa, then 'Burn After Reading'. Going to bed about 11.

Tour Prices, Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Last night I watched the last 2/3 of the Monday Night Football Game, between the Dolphins and the Jets, and didn't get to bed til 12:30. Woke up at 4:30am and finished uploading photos to Flickr, then slept til 7:30, and got up at 9. I finished the OJ, stretched and showered. I read from Sumano's book and the Let's Go guidebook, and finished the cornflakes and milk and had 4 slices of toast and jam for lunch. I also read travel info on Travelfish.com. Someone suggested going to Ko Chang from Pattaya by minibus, but only guessed at a price, estimating 300B.

Roger had the gardeners working this afternoon and another crew changing his 6 or 7 water filters.

I walked down to the beach, just below Cabbages and Condoms. On the way down I stopped at the Birds and Bees Resort to ask about a tour to Ko Chang. I was told the bus leaves every hour from the central bus station, and given a city map. On the way back to Roger's I asked about a tour at the tour desk in the only large hotel on the street. The woman said there is a minibus trip which leaves every morning at 7:30 for a price of 850B which includes the ferry boat ride.

Farther up the street there was another tour office, with a sign out front listing a price of 1260B round trip to Ko Chang. Let's Go reports the bus trip from Trat to Pattaya as 173B, plus 50B for a songthaew to the pier and 100B for the ferry boat trip.The minibus would be direct to the pier, and would be much quicker.

I read some more of Sumano's book and ate dinner with Roger, who made a very good pasta salad. We watched a History channel show about the Underground tunnels and rooms in New York City, then the movie 'No Country for Old Men'. Trish called during the movie before she went to work. She sounded good, but was tired from yesterday's work.

Spent nothing today.

Ko Laan, Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Woke up about 7am, stretched, had OJ, showered, and read some more on Pattaya and Ko Chang. Had a nice call from Trish at 8:50am. Left at 10:30 and bought a 100B top up for my cell phone, at the FamilyMart store. Needed help from the clerk to call in the added minutes. 100 minutes were added; good for a month. Tried calling Bill, but got message that the number was incomplete. Found out this evening from Roger that the number was too long. Didn't need the 1 at the beginning.

I walked on down to Beach Street, then over to Bali Hai pier and bought a 20B ticket to Ko Laan, or Ko Larn, or Koh Laan, depending on which map you have. The ferry boat left at noon, from the end of the 200 yard long pier. The boat was nearly full, probably 100 passengers, noisy, with constant vibrations, and slow. It took 40 minutes to cover the 5 miles. The boat ties up to the Na Baan pier, next to the town which is a cluster of small building crowded together, with narrow paved stone streets. There is no sand beach, just a seawall along the town. Scooters are rented, and songthaews are available at the pier. I walked on the only road out of town to the sand beach at the south end of the island, Nual Beach.

On the way I photographed a small Buddhist temple, and further down the road, bought some barbequed meat tied between 2 thin sticks, from a road side food cart. The meat was probably chicken, chopped into short pieces, with lots of little bones. Good flavor. Cost 10B.

The road branches off part way, to go to the west side and another 2 sand beaches. I spent an hour or so, on the beach, relaxing, and floating and swimming. There may have been 100 people on the beach, but the end I went to was almost deserted. There are a lot of lounges, umbrellas, food stands and a table and chair eating area, with a bungalow resort at one end of the beach. The water looked clearer than at Pattaya, probably about the same as at Ko Rinn. I didn't bring my mask, but I should have, because I could see dark areas, indicating rocks and probably coral, within a few hundred feet of the shore.

I walked back in time for the 4:30 boat, but there was none. I was thirsty, so I bought a little bottle of coke, 250ml, at the 7-11, for 10B. The boat left at 5pm, and again, it was 20B for the ride.

I again walked down Walking Street, to see it in lights, since the sun was setting. Most of the lights were not yet turned on. I continued onto Beach St. and turned inland at a narrow street to find a cheap place to eat. The side streets have bars, with lots of girls in some of them. Probably the start of their shift, with no customers. One group clapped and called out to me as I walked toward their bar. Many of the bars are open air and right next to the sidewalk or street. The girls stopped as soon as I passed. The street did not go through as a young man walking toward me, informed me. He asked where I was from and said he was expecting a friend to fly in next week from Seattle. The girls ignored me as I went back past them.

I found the bigger street, which did go through, past Boyz Town, and onto 2nd Road. I stopped at a sidewalk restaurant and looked through the long menu book, complete with photos. Being hungry, everything looked good. Lots of choices, including all kinds of seafood. It all looked asian, although I can not tell the difference among the types of dishes. I guess that it is all Thai, although I don't know what makes it Thai. I ordered fried mixed vegetables and chicken, for 80B. It was served in a bowl, in a broth. Also, got a helping of steamed white rice, for 20B, and a bottle of coke for 15B. The broth had a nice gentle flavor, although I don't know what it was. I left a 5B tip. After I got back I found the place was named in Let's Go, the Pakboongloyfa. The place is near Boyz Town and some of the waiters acted like 'boys'.

I was still thirsty, so I bought a small bottle of orange juice from a food cart. Fresh squeezed from small oranges. Unusual flavor, but strong. Cost 20B.

I went back through Walking Street. It was now dark and more of the lighted signs were turned on, so it had more character. I kept on walking up the hill to Roger's condo, perhaps a mile distance. I was talked to only by the songthaew drivers asking 'Taxi?', and a couple of girls asking 'Where you going?'. Not as direct as some of the streetwalkers, or possibly decoys, in SF. The walk would have been a little scary because some of the land is brushy, but the roads are lighted and the traffic, mostly scooters, is almost continuous. Got some good walking exercise and saved a few Baht.

Finally got the number right and talked to Bill tonight, on his break. Harry will be in for one day tomorrow, and Oye and kids come in on Friday.

Total outlay today 300B, including 100B for the cell phone minutes.

Big Buddha and Big Scam, Monday, October 12, 2009

Had a nice call from Trish at 11:40pm last night. I had already gone to sleep, after a long day riding on the bay and snorkeling, so I was exhausted. But it was good to wake up briefly and hear her voice.

I woke about 7 this morning, had OJ, showered and checked on my washed clothes. They were still damp so I moved them to my room where the fan could help finish the drying.

Later Trish called and we talked for half an hour. She called again after talking to Bill, and told me he hadn't heard from me. I will call him when I have my schedule figured out for a return to Bangkok. I would like to go to Ko Chang, an island just of the coast from a 4 hour bus ride down the coast, with a national park, and possibly clearer water for snorkeling.

About 10am I talked to Roger, dozing in his recliner while watching the History channel airing a story about Nostradamus. He had watched Raiders and the 49ers games in which they were both beaten badly. Roger decided to get some sleep and said we should go out after he got up in 4 hours.

I did some more reading in the Lets Go book and the Sumano book.

At noon I went for a walk, first to the nearby overlook. Walking up the hill, a scooter stopped and motioned for me to get on. I didn't realize til I was riding that this was a taxi. His shirt was the same blue as all the scooter taxi operators wear, but it was a knit pullover rather than the usual shirt. The hill was steep and he had to go in first gear most of the way. He was short but stocky, so our combined weights probably exceeded the scooter's rated capacity. However, I have seen many scooters in Thailand which were obviously overloaded, either with people or loads of various items. Two days ago, I saw a family of 4 riding, and 3 on a scooter is a common sight. A lot of food carts are bolted to scooters, as if they were a sidecar. And they go quite fast when the traffic allows, rain or shine. Most riders wear helmets, but not all, and there is no other protective gear worn.

The ride up the hill was short, no more than a quarter mile. I asked how much when he stopped and he shook his head and showed me his English book which stated the ride was free and he was deaf and dumb and was raising donations for the Boy Scouts of Thailand. He showed me his register with columns for name, country and donation amount. The amounts were all 200 and up. I wrote down 100 and gave him that amount. He shook his head and showed me the page stating the donation amount was 200B. I realized finally that it was all a scam and gave him the extra 100B, because it was easier than being disagreeable. He smiled gratefully and pinned me with a small blue pin showing a yellow sliver moon with a face on it and 7 stars. I felt that being taken was my fault for not recognizing that he was a taxi driver in the first place. Probably the smallest amount I've ever been scammed.

I walked onto the large viewing platform, took a few photos of the bay, and Pattaya, and a statue a prince. I walked on down the hill to the main road, Phra Tumnak Road, which goes past Roger's house and crossed it to go up to the Big Buddha. On one side of the roads intersection a food cart had a container of fried chicken. Made me hungry, so I asked for a piece. The largest leg and thigh I have seen in Thailand was on top, so I asked for it. It was placed in a bag with a small bag of some type of pepper oil for 35B, about $1. A separate kitchen and tables and chairs in an open air building, more like a sheet metal shed, stood behind the cart. I was motioned to sit down when I asked for steamed rice. Appeared to be run by a family, parents and 3 girls, possibly their daughters. The man motioned his arm to the glass front cooler for drinks. I declined that and waited for the rice, which was served in about 5 minutes. Apparently, it was already cooked, and just needed some steam to heat it. The chicken did not have a batter, but had some type of coating, which was tasty but too oily for my taste. The bag of pepper oil was not hot, so I mixed it with the rice. The chicken meat was good and filling. I paid an extra 15B for the rice. So the meal was 50B, about $1.50, total.

Walking up toward the Big Buddha, I came upon a Chinese Confucius park, with one of the buildings probably being a temple, so I looked in and took some photos. At the base of the of steps leading up to Big Buddha several little shops sell food and souvenirs, palm reading and tattoos. Little birds in small cages are also sold by the side of the walk. Apparently, they are bought and used as part of the Buddhist offering, because the birds are released near the statue, after raising hands, palms together, as though praying. The birds scatter, into the trees, although one flew into a shelter, and was chased by a couple of cats, who otherwise act very lethargic, as do the dogs, because of the heat and humidity. It rained for about 15 minutes, so I stood under the roof of the temple to stay dry.

I walked down the hill and turned left to follow a new road around the hill. After a half mile I came to another good view point from the south side of the hill, just above a new children's playground, empty now, possibly because kids are in school.

Since the road I took did not have shoulders, I took a footpath back to the base of the Big Buddha, then walked down and back to Roger's condo, arriving before 2:30. I started the blog. Roger got up and suggested that we go out. He needed to check with the body shop regarding his Suzuki, so we went there first. He confirmed that the rear bumper was what he wanted.

We drove to the electronics mall. At the 3rd store I checked with, Boss and Boom, there was a replacement charger for my Olympus batteries, for 540B, about $16, probably twice the price on EBay, but then, that is the one that shorted out. The charger box has no model listed; the battery model, Olympus LI50B, is written on the box in ink, by hand. When I opened the box to charge batteries I found the battery model on the charger is L105B, perhaps the Asian model no. The specs are right and the battery fits, so it should work OK.

We continued on to a view point, which was the same one I went to this am. Roger had not understood me when I told him where I had been this morning. But I got a look at the bay and Pattaya in the afternoon. Not much different, since the sky was cloudy both times.

Next, Roger drove to Walking Street, the bars and girls part of Pattaya. It is a one way street now, which Roger didn't know since he hadn't been down there in years. He had to turn around and get on the street from the other end. Cars are banned from this street at night; hence the name. It really is just the south end of Beach Road, where piers cover the beach. Most of the stores look old and rundown, although the names are often suggestive or racy, all with English and Thai names. Names like Molly Malone's. Didn't see any Trader Vic's but it may be there somewhere, because franchise names are often used without permission, I suspect.

On the way back, Roger tried one ATM machine, which was not working and couldn't see the next one at a hotel, so we didn't stop.

As we were near Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant, I asked Roger if he had eaten there. He said that would be a great place for dinner, since it was 5:30 and we stopped there. The restaurant is part of the Birds and Bees resort and is built the way a tropical rain forest restaurant should look. Trees everywhere, even coming through the open air decks, with roof cover for the eating area, and on a low cliff above the sand beach and view of the bay.

I ordered a Lychee shake, for 80B, and one of their specials, a spicy mushroom salad, for 120B, and steamed Jasmine rice, for 30B. Roger gave me 3 of his fried tofu sticks. Tasted very good with the peanut sauce. My salad was spicy hot. I needed all the rice and shake, plus the last swallow of Roger's water, to wash it down. Roger got a pineapple shake, water, tofu satay, a chicken salad, apparently the Yam Tra Krai, and ebony rice. A 10% service charge and 7% VAT is added, so my share was 305B.

I had intended to be frugal today to help make up for the expensive snorkel trip yesterday, but this turned into another expensive day with on outlay of 895B, about $27. Hopefully, the lesson of the scam will prevent future scam losses, the charger will work a long time to justify the cost, and the profits from the meal will be put to good use, by the charity it supports.