Standards in the Panorama, Tuesday, November 24, 2009

I got up at 8, stretched, had some OJ, worked on my diary and finished watching 'Shortcut to Happiness' and showered.

At 11 I walked to the BTS station, rode the skytrain to the Asok station and transferred to the MTS and rode to the Hua Lumphong station. From there I walked into Chinatown, looking for the Monk's Bowl Village. I was in the wrong area and walked around for over an hour, before I got my hair cut. The barber was Chinese and didn't understand English, so I looked at his poster showing men's hair styles, all longer than I wanted. I finally pointed to the King's portrait to show the type of cut I wanted. He used the electric cutter, then the scissors and comb to get my hair short enough. I had not cut my hair in about 2 months and really needed it cut. Cost was 50B plus a 10B tip.

As I was leaving the barbershop I asked the barber if he knew where the Monk's Bowl Village was. He didn't understand, but a customer, an older Chinese man, motioned with his arm down the street and a left turn. I had no indication of how far to go, but in the next block I found the street sign I had looked for, Ban Bat. I walked down a few hundred feet and was asked by a taxi driver 'Monk's Bowl?'. I nodded yes and he motioned to the right where I could see an open air shop, with glass display cases. Two men said 'Sawadee Krab' and motioned me to the cases which had a lot of bowls, most painted black, some with gold design painted along the top edge. There were some smaller versions and one large one wrapped in a colorful cloth cover and strap. I looked at all of the bowls and tapped one after the man demonstrated it, to hear the tone. I asked about cost. One man said 1000B, and 1400B for the covered bowl. I had about 1200B left, so I showed them my charge cards and one of them said 'ATM'. He led me on a 5 minute walk to a bank ATM down the block and around the corner. I was hoping they had some way of charging the purchase. I tried my debit card and found the fee was 150B for any amount I wanted up to 2000B. Since my bank might have another fee and an exchange fee, I decided the cost was too much. I told the man, and he motioned to the bank door. I asked the teller if they could give me money on my charge card. She asked if I had a PIN and I said 'Only for the debit card', so she shook her head no and said 'ATM', then 'Bangkok Bank'. The Bangkok Bank was next door. I knew they wouldn't be able to charge the purchase to my Visa, so I checked their ATM and found the fees to be the same as the first ATM. I told the man it was too much and we walked back. I put all my money on the top of the case and asked if that would be enough for the covered bowl, which the other man had already put in a plastic bag. The 2 men looked at each other, said something in Thai, then gave me back 82B and said 'Tuk-tuk'. So I got the bowl for 1140B, and I took photos of the cases and 2 workers pounding on bowls.

The walk back to the MTS was all the way through Chinatown and took about half an hour. I walked part of the way in the street because the sidewalk in some stretches is clogged with vendor carts and shoppers. Some of the clerks and others recognized the bowl and smiled. One older Chinese man spoke enough English to ask what I was going to do with it. 'Souvenir', I told him. He asked if I was Buddhist and said some Thais use it to for offerings to monks. About 3, I called Bill to confirm that I was on my way to the apartment and we didn't need to go to IT City.

I walked to Bill's from the Ekkamai station and bought 2 packs of instant noodles at the stand in the parking lot, for 12B. Since I shouldn't need enough Baht to pay $10 for a cash advance, I decided to exchange some of my remaining $114. I checked the camcorder and tripod so I would be ready when I arrived at the restaurant.

Bill and I left about 4:40 and caught a songthaew to the BTS station. I borrowed 100B from Bill to add value to my BTS card just because it is easier than buying a ticket for each ride. I got off at Phrom Phong, as Bill suggested, and went out of the gate to the stores on the walkway. There were 3 currency exchange booths. I changed a $20 to Baht, getting 648.8B, a rate of 32.44B to the dollar. Traveler's checks get a better rate, 33.02B per dollar.

I decided to go onto the sidewalk to find a food cart with something to eat, since I hadn't had anything today except my morning OJ. There were lots of carts, most of them showing meats, with relatively few vegetables in sight. I found one cart on a side street sidewalk, just before the Asok station, with tables and chairs, and an English menu. I ordered the only thing I knew was mostly vegetables, Dom Sam (green papaya salad) and sticky rice. The salad had the usual vegetables, with peanuts a few tiny shrimp in it. It was very good. Cost of both dishes was 45B. Walking further I stopped to look at the bootleg DVD movies on a sidewalk table. They were each 100B, so I got 'Julie and Julia', for Trish, as a souvenir of Bangkok.

I climbed the steps up to the BTS walkway over the street, to cross over the intersection to the MTS station, stopping only long enough to drop a baht coin in the cup of a little girl asleep face down on a landing. There are a lot of beggars in Bangkok, mostly on or near the BTS stations, but I've just passed all the others. Many are crippled and some young women have babies. It is hard to just pass any of them. Couldn't just pass the little girl. One baht is little more than a gesture, but maybe it will help.

My MTS card was low, so I added 100B to it, resulting in a 96B card. I must have been 4B short on my previous trip. There are no add value machines in the station. The agents are in a booth and can add value only outside the gates.

I rode to the Silom station, then used Bill's map to climb the steps to the walkway over the street, then down to the sidewalk by McDonald's and onto the Pan Pacific Hotel. I started the video outside to show the street and the hotel entrance, then rode the elevator to the 23rd floor, arriving about 6:30. The MaitreD led me toward the dining room, but I told her I wanted to see my friend play, so she led me to a table in front of their set. No other customers were in the area. I nodded to them as they were performing and started video recording with the camcorder on the table, propped up with my coin holder. That didn't work well, so I soon pulled out the tripod. I recorded all of their songs, and between sets, got the tripod adjusted to make panning from one to the other performer relatively smooth. I changed batteries before I needed to change the memory stick.

The piano player, Jimmy Cicero, is personable and talked to me briefly on the breaks, mentioning he was from Hayward and hadn't been back there for 8 years. Bill and Chang sat with me most of their break time. We talked about their work and my travels, and I showed Chang the 2 photos of Bill's sister. Their contract is not being extended, so it is completed at the end of December. Bill may travel to India then. Chang may go to London to a language school. She knows a lot about Chiang Mai because she stayed there growing up as her family had a home there. She also stayed on Ko Pha-Ngan, so knows about snorkeling around there, in the Gulf of Thailand.

A group of 3 men sat and applauded the music for a few songs during the last set. At 10 the music finished and I thanked them. Jimmy Cicero said goodbye and Chang said she hoped I would visit Thailand again.

Bill and I stopped at Tops Produce Store. I bought 2 Australian Murcott Oranges, for 40B, and 2 cans of tea, 32B, and 2 bags of soup, 40B, for a total of 112B. We rode back on the MTS and BTS, then a songthaew. I gave the DVD movie to Bill to copy and filled my liter bottle with purified water, for 1B.

Today, I paid out 1671B, about $50. I have left about 250B, but probably need only enough for the ride to the airport.

Bangkok Movie Theater, Monday, November 23, 2009

I got up at 6:30, stretched, started on the OJ, worked on my diary and backup of photos and video. Later I showered and went to the Coffee Art shop to upload some photos and update my blog. I emailed a birthday greeting card and messages to Brett for his 18th birthday on the 25th. About 11:24 Trish called and asked about pre-ordering the Susan Boyle CD for $9.99. Shipping is free if the order is at least $25, so Trish called Bill to see if he wanted anything else from Amazon. He didn't, and called me again after 12 to let me know. I checked through a lot of things on Amazon and found a motorcycle travel book I wanted to read, so I added that to the order to get free shipping. I was in the shop from 11 to 1:30, so my charge for the computer use was 90B.

On the way back I sat down at the lunch cafe in the apartment parking lot. The man was busy cooking for about 8 young people, and wasn't caught up, so I decided to go up to the apartment and heat up a bag of steamed rice and the tray of stir fried mama noodles with sp, from the refrigerator. The sp is spices, and it was good. The Pepsi didn't taste like much, probably because of my congestion.

I watched parts of the movie 'Gabriel' but found it too bizarre and violent. I started to watch 'Shortcut to Happiness', which is OK so far.

Trish had mentioned that Bill wanted to go to a movie today, on his day off work. Bill and I talked for a short time before he went to the dental appointment at 4. The movie he wanted to see, '2012', was at the theater near the Ekkamai BTS station. He called me at 5 and said the movie started at 5:50 and we could meet in the lobby. I showered and put on long pants and carried a long-sleeve shirt and wind breaker, expecting the theater to be AC cold. I walked down to the theater and looked around in the mall shops for 20 minutes til Bill walked in.

Bill was wearing a new cap, with the name of his proposed dance movement workshop, Fo Cuz, stitched on it. We got senior day tickets, 100B for this movie rather than the expected 80B, and found the 5:50 showing was in Thai. The English version was at 6:35. With over 45 minutes to go, we walked next door to the FamilyMart. I found the sandwiches sold out and bought a 450ml bottle of strawberry drinking yoghurt for 19B and a long bun filled with sweetened butter, for 17B. We still had a lot of time, so we sat down at the Black Canyon cafe in the mall. Bill had a Thai tea and I had a coconut soup, Tom Kha, for 80B. The soup was very good, although it still had some inedible stems and ginger in it. I left a 10B tip, so my cost was 90B.

We found our preselected seats and I put on my shirt. It wasn't as cold as the last bus I rode, so I was warm enough without my jacket. There were ads and previews that went on for half an hour. The movie is a doomsday story, with very realistic special effects, and good acting. Billions of people die, off camera, with thousands being saved in huge high tech arks.

During the movie I ate the bun, which was good and sweet, and drank half the yoghurt. Indigestion started soon after and I realized that the yoghurt probably didn't have any acidophilus culture that I expected because it is in all of the US yogurts I've tried. I quickly swallowed an acidophilus capsule and was able to stay through the movie, and the indigestion did not get worse, but didn't go away either.

The movie finished sometime after 9:30. Bill got a call from Ajahn Sumano on the way out. He needed some reference book, I think Bill said. We took a little songthaew back to the apartment, and Bill paid the 10B each fare. The fare increases from 5B to 10B after 10pm.

So my outlay for today is 315B, about $9.45.

Bangkok Chinatown, Sunday, November 22, 2009

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I was up about 8 this morning, stretched, showered and finished the OJ. I worked on diaries, imported and converted my underwater video, and read some more from the guidebooks.

Before noon I started the DVD creation of the UW video, then I walked down to the BTS station, stopping on the way for a plate of Som Dam, which is green papaya salad, and sticky rice, at a street vendor on Soi 4, for 40B. It was very good, quite spicy. I toned it down with the cabbage and a green bean, then washed it down with water.

While waiting for a BTS train, Trish called and we had a nice talk. She has been tired and doesn't sleep well, but forced herself to get out to the senior dance Saturday. I told her the weather in Bangkok since I returned has been mild, cooler and drier than when I left a week ago.

I rode the BTS train to the Asok station, then transferred to the MTS (subway) and rode to the end of the line, at the Hua Lumphong train depot. From there it is a short walk to the nearby Chinatown. Crossing the bridge over the canal, a Chinese man about my age stopped to tell me to come to the Old City tomorrow at 10 for a holiday, at some wat, but I couldn't understand the name. I showed him my map, but the place was to the west of the map. He goes on the Skytrain, then takes buses to get there. The canals shown on the map go to the Old City, he said.

I walked the 2 main streets in Chinatown and took a few photos, but the battery I had changed to is the one which does not always charge up. Apparently, the charge contacts don't touch the charger contacts unless the battery is pushed sideways. I was able to shoot by reinstalling the battery. I could get one shot at a time that way, using the small charge left in the battery. Many stores are closed on Sunday. A small Canon camera store was open, but it didn't have the charger or the aftermarket battery. It had a Canon battery, for 3900B, but I declined because I don't have the Canon charger and the new battery might not be charged, and the price is higher than on Ebay. Traveling back to get one of the other 2 batteries would take too much time, so I kept walking and taking in the sights. There were a lot of people on the narrow and often blocked sidewalks. The blockage was from street vendors, of food and souvenirs, mostly.

Restaurants and food vendors on the street both advertised Bird's Nest and Shark Fin soups. I didn't check the prices. Some jewelery stores were open. One, with gold chains hanging on the back wall, was busy, with Asians lined up 3 deep at the counter. Probably putting their money into gold, or gifts for the folks back home.

I tried to walk to the Monk's Bowl village, but turned the wrong way and ended up near the subway station, so I took it to the Phra Ram 9 station and IT city. I went up to the 3rd floor and asked for a charger at the first camera store I found. The girl had only a battery and charger set, for 1050B. More than I wanted to pay, but the charger was a tight fit on the battery, so I bought it. I also wanted screen savers and was sent down to a camera repair store, on the same floor. They were able to cut down a screen saver for the rear screen, for 100B. Next, I bought a 50 pack of blank CDs and a 7 port USB hub for Bill, 530B. Then I bought a grounded to ungrounded outlet plug, for 10B. I also asked about the serial number for the Adobe programs I bought last month and was told it was in the package.

I felt hungry, so I got a 100B card at the ground floor food court. I tried 2 dishes, not Thai, but Asian, for 45B and 35B. The first was stuffed noodles, sliced pork and green leaves, with a side of broth, and the second was Kyoza, or something like that, 5 stuffed dough crescents, thinly slice cabbage and a dipping sauce. Quite a bit of meat in all that, and not enough green veggies. Both looked good, but neither was great or filling, so I finished with a traditional dessert, for 20B. It was gelatin and fruit, cut into small cubes or that size pieces, topped with crushed ice and brown sugar. Tasted OK. My congestion is still interfering with the tastes or the odors, from food.

I returned to Roger's apartment, using the MTS and the BTS, which is now kept too cold, then walking. I stopped at Big C for a liter of OJ, a small tray of cooked noodles, a bag of soup, and 2 small bags of steamed rice, for 99B. At Roger's I filled my liter bottle with purified water, for 1B.

I finished to cookies in the apartment and watched 'Miss Potter' a very good movie, and started watching 'The Piano Player', a not so great movie.

So my outlay for today is 1930B, about $58.

Rest Day in Bangkok, Saturday, November 21, 2009

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We arrived at the Southern Bus Station about 4:15am, Saturday morning, although I walked around a lot before I figured out where I was. Wanted to make sure I was in Bangkok. I was too tired to try to find a bus into the city, so I asked a taxi to take me to Ekkamai, Soi 12 (1, 2). He drove like mad and I was back at Bill's at 5am. I paid the 241B fare with 260B. I found Bill's door too hard to open, like it was locked, so I let myself into Roger's apartment, drank some of the OJ I had left in the refrigerator and went to bed, falling asleep quickly. Bill said later that the trip can take over 2 hours on local buses.

I woke up about 8, and remained tired all day, having had less than 3 hours sleep. I stretched and showered, then had more OJ and started to update my diary, which I was unable to do on the Surins, both because I was too tired, and because the electricity wasn't available til 6pm.

I talked with Bill, about 11. He has a dental appointment on his day off, Monday, so we won't be able to go together to Ayuthaya.

I had lunch just before noon at the nearby cafe, a soup with big noodles, bean sprouts, fish balls, some other meat and bread rounds, for 40B. Tasted good, in spite of my sinus congestion.
I needed a walk to loosen my back so I walked down to the Big C where I bought tissue, 15.5B, Listerine, 57.5B, 1L of mixed fruit juice, 69B, 4 steamed dough buns, 32B, a small tray of fried rice, 10B, and 2 small bags of cooked rice, 10B, for a total of 194B.

About 2pm Trish called. She had talked to Mom who had just done some eye surgery on her good eye. Results won't be known for a while, but it is only intended to preserve the remaining sight. Trish sounded fine, but is tired from the IRS problem tension.

I ate the dough buns while they were still warm. They were wet on the bottoms and dried out on the tops, and the fillings were nearly tasteless, although that may be partly because of my sinus congestion, which causes most foods to have little taste. They weren't nearly as tasty as my memories of ones I've bought from street vendors. I drank the mixed fruit juice during the afternoon and finished it with dinner, a bag of rice mixed with the fried rice, which had small pieces of sausage mixed in it. I also ate most of the bag of creme cookies I had left in the refrigerator.

When I tired of the diary entry typing, I watched some DVD movies, checking all of the setups and menus til I found the culprit for the lack of voice. The sound for the DVD player output was set to 5.1Ch, so when I changed it to stereo, the DVD sound was fine on all of the movies. So I rewatched 'The Gathering Storm', then watched 'District 9' which was hard to follow and too bizarre for me, 'The Other Boleyn Girl' which was a fine story and well done, and the beginning of 'Miss Potter' which seems like a family film, as it probably should be.

I rested a lot, hoping to get rid of the cold.

So my outlay for today is 494B, about $15.

Surin Islands, Day 3, Friday, November 20, 2009

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I woke with the sun and got up around 7, in time for breakfast at 7:30. We were served rice soup. Tasted fine to me, although I still prefer citrus fruit or juice.

Mikey pointed out a lemur in the tree near the main building. It was up over 20 feet and looked like a lump of gray fur on the tree trunk. I took a video clip, but it didn't move.

The 3 of us tourists, plus Mikey and the 2 crewmen, went out in the long-tailed boat about 9. We went to 2 snorkel sites, skipping one other because the waves were too high and the tide was too low. On the 2nd site, I saw an eel and called the others over to have a look. The eel was in 3 feet of water, and was small. It stayed put, with less than a foot of his body showing out of his home.

About 11:45 we rode over to the Moken Village, a tourist version of the sea gypsies village. The huts are built of native vegetation and are on stilts, on the beach. There is a small exhibit building, a souvenir shop, with T shirts, and women offering Pandanus mats and boxes, and model Moken boats for sale along the path through the village. There are about 50 families living there and they have a clinic and school.

We went back a little after noon for the bounteous Thai lunch. Trish called partway through lunch and we had a nice talk, although she feels the bank is not going to help her with her IRS problem, since they did nothing wrong. Bill called right after that to tell me that Oye had left to be with her grandmother, so I won't be visiting her village.

After lunch I said goodbye to Jamie and Eric, who went out on the long-tailed boat with Mikey. I packed, left the 2 lead weights in Mikey's tent, on top of a 400B tip. On my way down to the beach, the lemur was just climbing back up the tree. I didn't have any cameras out. It looked like a gray squirrel, and it went high up, out of sight.

I waited til 3 when I and many others got in a long-tailed boat to get into water deep enough for the speed boat. The waves were enough to keep the boat off the beach. We boarded the boat about 3:40, after another group, and filled the boat, probably 25 tourists and a crew of 6. I went to the back and found a seat in the center of the side bench. The ride back was the roughest I've experienced in a small boat. The sea was choppy, with a lot of white caps. The boat surged on the waves and dropped in the troughs, pounding again and again. There are no side curtains, so the spray soaked the rear passengers, and there wasn't enough room for them to move out of the way. I was in the drier portion of the boat and was dripped on only a dozen times or so, when the waves were bigger than normal. We didn't get out of the rough water til we were near shore. The trip in to the mainland took about an hour and 40 minutes, about 30 minutes longer than the trip out to the Surins last Wednesday. Fortunately, the seats were padded, although some people stood the entire trip and one woman sat on the very hard ice chest. I am no longer in love with small boats on the open ocean.

Back at the pier, we turned in our towels, fins and snorkels, and I rinsed off in the toilet, because I was very salty and there are no fresh water showers that I could see. I asked one woman Greenview worker about my bus ride to Bangkok, and she immediately told one of the young men to drive me to the bus station, several miles away in the town of Khuru Buri. I paid the 550B for the VIP bus, and waited only about 25 minutes for the bus. I couldn't find the seat numbers and sat in the front til a young couple asked for their seats. I apologized and moved back to the only empty seat. We were given a lunch of a red bean paste filled baked bun, a small waxed box of soymilk and a small water bottle. The seat reclined and their was a thin blanket and small pillow provided, but the seat was too small for me and the AC kept the bus too cold for me to get warm with the blanket. Would have been OK if I didn't already have a cold. Couldn't sleep during the entire 10 hour ride. We stopped once at 10pm for a 20 minute break at a Muslim food court. All of the rice dishes I saw, on signs in Thai and English, had meat in them, so I bought a small tray of roasted hemispheres, of dough with a jam filling, for 20B. There was no English sign for it. Tasted good.

So my outlay for today is 970B, about $29.

Surin Islands, Day 2, Thursday, November 19, 2009

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Being exhausted, Sofie and I both retired early last night, before 9. I fell asleep quickly, even on the thin pad and packed sand.

I woke up with the sun, about 6:30. Got up about 7, stretched, put on my trunks and T shirt, and walked 200 feet for breakfast. We had a fried egg, sunny side up with a soft yolk, on a lettuce leaf, with onion slices, 4 slices of white bread, 2 hot dogs, and slices of cucumber or something else, but I forgot what it was. There was salt and pepper on the table, which I used on the egg. I ate everything because I was hungry, and I liked the egg.

This morning Sofie decided she wanted to go back on the afternoon speed boat and would not risk infection by going snorkeling. So, Mikey and I went out in the long-tailed boat, with the captain and a crewman to 4 snorkel spots, leaving about 9. At each spot, the crewman, Mikey and I fell into the water, with both Mikey and the crewman looking and finding things for me to see and video. Mikey was able to take the camcorder underwater and point it to grouper under a ledge. I had accidentally left the camcorder zoomed out and got nothing that can be watched.

We came in at 11:30 and had lunch at noon. Sofie was still certain she needed to go for treatment, partly because she flys out on Sunday and wants to be healed as much as possible before the long flight. We had a good Thai lunch, with more than we could eat. A weight wrapped in paper was given to Mikey at lunch. It was addressed to Mr. Gary and had other Thai words on it. There were no zip ties and Mikey asked around and found none on the island, so I fastened the weight to the bottom weight with one end of the neck cord.
After lunch, about 1, Trish called and we had a good talk.

We both said our sad goodbyes to Sofie, then went snorkeling. The crewman found a nylon cord from which I cut 2 lengths and tied the weight on a little more securely. The 2nd weight made the case nearly neutral, but there was still a slight positive buoyancy, so that was almost perfect. I shot a lot of video, and hope some of it is watchable. We stopped at 4 sites, all quite clear, with fairly calm water.

We were back about 4 and I put on my socks and shoes to walk the nature trail. The trail is closed because of damage from the Tsunami of 2005?. The other improvement on Surin Islands, including the tents and most of the equipment were washed away. The people had enough warning to go to higher ground. I carefully walked about a half mile of the trail, which goes through the woods a short distance above the beach and rocky shore. A large fallen tree blocks the beginning, and one section is covered with a debris flow. I stopped where a board walk had fallen away, requiring a rock scramble to continue. I wasn't about to risk falling on the rough granite, although if I had been more rested, I probably would have continued. I saw no animals, but clearly heard the Cicadas, which create a chorus of chirping which continues most of the day and evening.

I returned in time to watch the sunset and join Mikey and the new young couple for dinner at 6:30, Jamie and Eric. They are from Houston and are starting a 2 week trip. Eric works as an assets management consultant and Jamie is finishing her internship in Dermatology. They had a good time snorkeling today and are staying in one of the tents. The Thai dinner was great with 2 bowls and plates of everything.

After dinner, we 3 were tired and went to bed early, although I stayed up til 10 waiting for a camcorder battery to finish charging. The electricity doesn't start til 6 and I forgot to plug it in early.

So my outlay for today is nothing extra.

Surin Islands, Day 1, Wednesday, November 18, 2009

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I woke about 4, then twice more before 6, when I got up, packed as quietly as possible, since no one else was moving, and left about 6:30. I turned in my key and got my deposit, then waited. A few minutes after 7 the minivan showed up 5 other young people. We stopped at the Ramada Resort for another couple, then rode comfortably in the van driven like mad, as many drivers in Thailand do.

We arrived at the Greenview Tours building and dock before 8, signed in and picked up masks, snorkels, fins and a towel. I left the mask, since I use my 20 year old prescription mask. I tried on 3 fins before finding one that fit well. The staff was all very helpful and polite. There were probably 25 tourists, many from Germany, or thereabouts, judging from the voices. We boarded the speed boat, a small, probably 20 foot long, fairly new plastic, I think, hulled cruiser, with 3 outboards. On the boat we were given life jackets, and a short talk about the boat and safety, and took off at 8. The boat ran fast over the fairly calm sea, with very little bouncing. The engines and wind noise made conversation impossible, but I guessed which one was Sofie, the only one in our minivan without a partner, and said hello. In an hour and 10 minutes we were at the beach.

Mikey found us and introduced himself, then left allowing a Greenview staff member to show us to our tents, about 200 feet away, near the beach on the other side of the only nearly flat piece of ground in the islands. We left our packs in the tents. I was the only one with a lot of stuff, because I had asked Paul to allow me to get on a northbound bus to Bangkok, in Khuru Buri, rather than return south to Khao Lak first. The bungalows would have been safer for my stuff, but I didn't want to pay the extra 2000B per night that some couples did. I think they were all booked up anyway. Demon Diving subcontracts for the minivan, boat rides, food and tents, providing only the snorkeling guide.

Greenview showed us one tent and said 'for you', meaning both of us, thinking we were a couple or family. Sophie immediately said 'No, we each paid enough to have our own tent.' And there were 3 tents in a row, so Mikey had one, Sophie had one and I had the middle one.The tents were self-supporting, large, probably 10 feet by 10 feet, with netting and floors. We were on the sand, so couldn't keep the sand out completely. We were also provided with a thin pad, a thin sleeping bag and a small pillow. The pad was too thin for comfort, but I was tired enough both nights that I slept soundly.

About 10 almost everyone who came over on the boat got back on with snorkel equipment and we went to 2 different snorkel sites.The water was warm and the nearly calm, with visibility of 20 to 30 feet. Much clearer than Pattaya or Ko Tao.

Sophie wore long pants and a long-sleeved shirt in the water, which I found out later was because she had a bad sunburn, with blisters and swelling, on her legs and feet, and probably on her arms. She had gone kayaking in Ko Phi Phi, alone, on Sunday and the sun screen washed off and there was wind on the way back.

I took only my UW Olympus camera in the morning. I got no good photos, but tried a lot. My sinuses were congested, so I couldn't get more than about 5 feet deep. The guides were the Greenview staff. Mikey was on the long-tailed boat with a couple who were going back later that day.

We came back to the beach for lunch, all Thai food, and all very good. We sat at picnic tables in a roofed area and had plates and bowls of rice, soup, seafood and beef or chicken with vegetables. All our meals were similar, with enough variety to keep it interesting. Most of the meals also had a baked fish.

After lunch we went back out on the same boat and with the same people to 2 different sites. The sites differed mostly in the coral types and depths. Most of the fish were the same in all locations, with no sharks or other large animals, in sight, although they were in the area. We did see thrashing water nearby from the boat, possibly from turtles.

I tried out the camcorder again with the weight zip tied to the bottom of the case. The weight helped, but the case was still too buoyant for me to go underwater with it. Unfortunately, the sun is too bright to allow anything to be seen on the screen, except the white Handycam name on startup. I usually listened for the tone when I pushed stop, to know that the recording had stopped.

We were called back to the boat at 3:30 because rain was starting and the wind picked up a little. There had been almost no wind til then. The rain was light and it stopped shortly after we returned to the beach.

I asked Mikey about another weight and checked around the area, which took only a few minutes because there is only one large building for almost everything. The dive guy has a belt but needs the weights on it. I called Paul to tell him and he said he would send down another weight.

After dinner, we 3 talked for a while. Mikey Gaus grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, from the age of 5. His father moved around til then, because he was in the Air Force. Mikey doesn't want to live in Kansas, and has lived in Australia, where he learned to dive, and spent 6 weeks, I think he said, last summer on a car-with-small-engines rally from London or western Europe somewhere, to Ulan Batar, Mongolia, driving with a teammate in an 1100CC Citroen which broke down often. He flew into Thailand a month ago and got this job as a dive instructor and snorkel guide.

Sofie Goossens is a journalist with a women's magazine in Belgium and is debating whether or not to accept a promotion to manager. She is suffering, on this snorkeling tour, which was to be the highlight of her vacation, because of the blistering sunburn, which she expected would heal overnight, but is so far getting worse. She had rejected a shot of Cortisone, on Tuesday, because she thought it would make her more sensitive to the sun. The swelling in her ankles and feet got worse after that. She wore the long pants and shirt to keep the sun off her skin, but she is in pain and feels she needs to go back to the mainland for treatment, to make certain that the blisters don't open and become infected.

So my outlay for today is nothing extra.

Khao Lak, Tuesday, November 17, 2009

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I woke up when I heard the boat motor slow down. The cabin lights soon came on and everyone quietly got up and picked up their packs and left. Everyone had slept dressed or almost dressed.
It was about 5:30 and still dark but the boat lights and some lights on shore allowed us to carefully walk the narrow pathway off the scow. Slipping and falling into the scow or off the side could have hurt. There were no handrails, and both sets of steps are small and narrow.

We were each asked 'Where are you going?'. I said 'Khao Lak', and was told 'Let me see your ticket.' I showed it and was pointed to the minivan nearby. I climbed into the back with all my bags. The van was full and we were driven to a cafe a few miles into town. Someone said 'Khao Lak, stay here.' The passenger by the door got out and I hunched down and squeezed between the others to get out. I was glad my back was not sore and I had done some stretching before I got up.

I was the only one getting off. The minivan took off and I was in the main office for the Fame Tour Company, which is also a cafe. I ordered a fruit, yogurt and muesli, for 80B, and it was good. It was now about 6:30 and I needed more stretching, so I walked down the sidewalk to the train station, then down the main road til 7, then walked back.

I had been told to be there at 7:45, but when I got back at 7:25, a woman motioned me to follow her to her scooter. I got on back with my bags and we rode a half mile, slowing down for 2 speed bumps, to the old bus station. She said she would be back in 20 minutes to buy ticket. She road across to the pickup taxis, and rode off with a little boy on the back. She returned in 20 minutes, bought a ticket for me and I got on the big bus.

I had both seats to myself the entire 6.5 hour ride to Khao Lak, except for a few minutes when the ticket taker sat next to me. I asked him when we would be in Khao Lak.He said '1440'.

Sometime in the morning, probably as we came to the Andaman Sea coast, I glimpsed a waterfall not far away from the road, among the trees, then saw a green valley with small islands along the edge. Wish we could have stopped to look longer and take photos.

At noon we stopped at a large cafe, and small store building. I showed my free meal ticket, which I had received with my bus ticket, to the ticket taker and he waved his arm toward the cafe. When I asked how long, he said '10 minutes, then 15 minutes.' I saw others using the same meal ticket in exchange for a plate of rice with a choice of 8 toppings. I pointed to the vegetables, and nodded yes when she pointed to a deep fried patty of something, so I had 2 toppings. The patty looked and tasted like a mixture of finely chopped vegetables and spices, but could have been a fishcake. Everything tasted good. A cup of water was also provided.

We stopped about 2:30 by several pickup taxis and a plastic sheet shelter. The rain was pouring down. I was 'told Khao Lak', and I got off, taking my backpack from the luggage compartment, then moving under the shelter. The taxi drivers wanted to know where I was going. I told them 'Tiffy Cafe'. One said '700 meter' and pointed the direction we had come from and said 'this side'. I said I would wait, and in 20 minutes the rain stopped.

I walked aways and started looking for a sign. At one rooming place a woman, probably Indian, called out 'room?'. I said 'Tiffy's Cafe.' She said 'Cheap.' I said 'Yes', and she pointed down the road and said 'near.' And it was just beyond the sign blocking the view. Tiffy's Cafe and Backpacker Inn. There was one dorm bed left in the 6 or maybe 8 bed room, all bunks. I got an upper bunk, for 180B, with a key deposit of 200B. I met only 2 of the other guests, both young women. The one I spoke to very briefly was from Wales.

Although I had 2 meals enroute today, I was still hungry, so I had a bowl of coconut soup, Kha Tom, for 90B, and mango juice, 60B, and rice, 40B, at the cafe. The hard vegetables, the carrots and beans, were undercooked, but edible. The 4 large slices of ginger were for flavor, since they were very hard. I chomped down part of one, anyway. Right after that I brought out my netbook and logged onto the internet with the code they gave me. I started uploading photos, and checking sites about snorkeling and liveaboard boats in the Similan Islands and Khao Lak area, but when I took the netbook back to the room, the upload failed. I called Demon Diving because the site was informative and easy to read, but got no answer, and left no message, but Paul returned my call. They were booked for diving and liveaboards now, but could send me on a snorkel tour of the Surin Islands, which are better for snorkeling because the shelf in the islands is wider. I knew that the 3 day tours offered by other companies were 9500B to 9900B, so when I found the price to be 9900B and I could go tomorrow, I said I would finish my dinner and walk down there to sign up. I had started on my evening meal, a vegetables, squid and rice dish that was very good, for 100B. My total for food there was 290B, about twice what I had been paying in most of Thailand, but I was in the high rent tourist area, in high season.

At Demon Diving I could understand everything Paul said since I think he is from the US, although I forgot where. The charge on my American Express failed, but the Visa accepted the charge. I was told to be ready outside Tiffy's Cafe at 7:10 and that Sophie would be going along. We were to be driven for an hour in a minivan to Khuru Buri to get on the speed boat for the hour long ride to the Surins, where we would meet our guide, Mikey, born in the Bay Area. I asked about weights to neutralize the buoyancy of my camcorder housing. Paul gave me a dive weight to use, about 2 pounds size and 2 zip ties.

When I returned about 9:30, the dorm room was locked because everyone was out. I had showered when I arrived and so I locked the door and went to sleep quickly.

So my outlay for today is 550B, $16.50, plus the tour charge of 990B, almost $300

Ko Tao Tour, Monday, November 16, 2009

I got up at 7, stretched and took my camcorder and housing and other cameras up to the reception at 8. I paid the 650B for the tour and was picked up at 8:40 in an open pickup, with bench seats in the bed with 2 other couples. We drove directly to the Turtle Welcome Tours store, signed for the fins and mask, then walked down to the boat. There were 39 tourists, mostly young couples from Europe.

The diesel motor boat, probably 40 feet long had benches in the front and sides. The guide spoke English but I understood very little of what he said, other than lunch, coke for 30B and beer for 50B, and none of the place names except Mango Bay. Didn't really matter. We got in the water when the boat was tied up and got out when the guide yelled and whistled. Snacks after the first location were pineapple and watermelon. Lunch at noon was light, a tray with a small bag of veggies and meat, white rice and a cold fried egg, a little too oily. Ate it all anyway.

The visibility was much less than expected, probably 10 feet. We probably didn't get far enough away from the island and the sand beaches, but there were dive boats in the same locations, so maybe there aren't any locations much better. I saw only the small reef fishes I've seen in Hawaii, not as many as I remember from Guam, and the water around Guam is much cleaner. The coral outside of the small roped off sanctuaries appears to be all broken, probably from trawling.

The final stop was a nearly 2 hour stay at the pier of a small private island. For 100B we could walk around the island on a boardwalk and climb the 100 feet or so to the top for a higher view. I and 4 others stayed on the boat. I had a beer and finished the watermelon. The girl next to me on the return to the dock said there wasn't much to do except float in the water and lie on the beach, on one side of the island. I feel my day long tour was really a half day tour, plus lunch. Paid the 50B for the beer when the guide returned.

At 4 we walked our fins and mask to the store and were driven back to our resorts.

I asked Mr. J about a joint trip to Khao Lak. He called and quoted 800B, taking the night boat, then a bus. I walked away to check for other deals. The first place had the same deal. I found one store that had promotional prices. 700B for the same trip, so I bought a ticket. The night boat leaves at 11pm for Chumphon, arriving in the morning. The bus takes 4 hours to reach Khao Lak, where I plan to take a snorkel tour in the Andaman Sea.

I walked to the Bam Bam cafe and had red curry soup with vegetables, a plate of rice and a mango shake, for 100B. The red curry was again yellow.

Mr. J was gone when I returned. I noticed smoke down the road, and when I asked about it, I was told 'for mosquitos'.

I checked out of Mr J at 7:50, getting my Sundog neck wallet out of the safe and my key deposit of 100B. The walk to the pier was short and I was directed to the right one after going first to wrong one. I checked in at the desk on the beach and took an upper bunk after 4 Aussie guys got theirs. The boat is a garbage scow, with trash, recyclables, a pickup and scooter in the front, and the control room and bunks on the upper deck on the rear half. The bunks are really double decks on both sides of the room, with no separation, and nearly double size mattress pads. The room filled up before 10:30, with one couple using a pad on floor.

The boat took off at 11, the sea was calm, and I fell asleep quickly.

So my outlay for today is 1500B, $45.

Ko Tao, Sunday, November 15, 2009

The train arrived in Chumphon just a few minutes late of the scheduled 5:47am time, and I was ushered off and pointed in the direction of the bus. The bus was nearly full. The bus ride took an hour, from 6am to 7am. We walked a long, probably 100 yards, uneven board pier to the catamaran. On the bus and boat there were a lot of young Europeans, judging from the voices, with big bags, probably full of diving equipment.

Bovie was right. The gulf water was calm. The cat hummed loudly, shutting down only once. Why, I don't know, although I felt a miss in the hum just before that. The boat trip took just 2 hours.

At the Mae Hat pier, I called Mr. J Resort and asked if they had rooms and how was the best way to get there. I didn't understand what he said at first. then he repeated that he had rooms and he would come get me. In 15 minutes, after I turned down the 100B pickup taxi ride, a man approached and identified himself with 'Mr. J'. I followed him to his scooter and got on. He drove the short distance, less than a half mile, to a unique resort, bottoming the scooter only twice on little bumps. He showed me a nice room and said '300B'. I asked if they had a lower price and he looked disappointed. He said 'discount more 2 nites.' I said I'd like to stay 2 nights, and paid the 600B plus a 100B key deposit when I went up to register and leave my money and passport in the safe.

I talked with Mr. J and understood most of what he said. He has his philosophy, a variation on Buddhism, printed up on large laminated cards which are all over his store and are for sale. I bought one, the Ko Tao Bible, for 20B. I then asked where it would be best to get Thai food. He offered to take me on his scooter this one time, but I would have to walk back. Seemed very generous, so we went less than a half mile to a little cafe. I had the sprouts, broccoli, I think, and some beef, over rice, for 50B. Tasted good. Food here is more expensive than on the mainland, as expected. When I returned, I asked about a snorkel tour and was told that the big boat day long tour, with 5 stops around the island, snorkel equipment and lunch, costs 650B. I can be picked up at 9.

Trish called about noon and we had a nice talk.

About 3 I walked down the hill to Pranee's Kitchen and had a plate of red curry vegetables and rice, but the curry wasn't hot spicy and was yellow. Tasted fine, so I ate it and paid the 50B cost. I then walked to the south end of the beach, Sai Ree Beach, through a luxury resort, and took a few photos of the beach and the town. Bought a 950ml bottle of water for 5B. Got back at 5 and took a nap.

I went out again at 7 and sat down at a cafe across from the only gas station I've seen in town. Couldn't find a name on the cafe. The sign just read 'Thai food'. I had sweet and sour vegetables and tofu, with a plate of rice, for 80B. The serving was larger than I've had in most cafes, so I think the price was right.

Came back to the room at 8:30, showered and went to bed.

So my outlay for today is 805B, $24, plus a 100B deposit.

Bangkok & Train, Saturday, November 14, 2009

Up at 8:30, stretched and showered. Read some more and backed up my photos and diary. About 9:45 I walked to the nearest cafe on the main road and had a bowl of soup, with wide noodles, some veggies and several kinds of meat: beef, chicken and fish, for 40B. I planned on getting on the internet at the Coffee Art, but they weren't open. I checked back later,and they didn't open all day. When I first came down the street, I saw a young man on a stretcher who was quickly carried off in the ambulance. A car had knocked down his scooter at the intersection. He looked good, so hope it wasn't serious, and hope it wasn't anyone connected with the Coffee Art shop.

After the soup I was still hungry, so I went into a 7-11 and bought a liter of vegetable and fruit juice, for 43B. Didn't notice it was only 40% juice til after I bought. It was very sweet. Probably had sugar added. The ingredients list was in Thai. I also stopped at a second cafe to buy their toasted rice cookies, 3 five cookie packages, and some jam in small crackers, for 30B total.
Trish called about 10:30 and we had a nice talk. She was able to attend the concert where our neighbor, Georgina, sang.

A little later in the morning I walked down to Big C and bought a six pack of Pepsi, a liter of OJ, a bag of green curry with chicken, 2 little bags of rice, a bag of creme cookies, and a small tray of cooked noodles, for 174B. I ate the noodles first, along with some rice cookies and crackers.
About noon the thunder started, then the rain came down heavy for 20 minutes or so. Within an hour the rain had stopped.

I called a friend recommended by the singer in Bill's combo. Her name is Bovie and she owns or works at the Ocean View Resort in Ko Phangan. She said the weather is expected to be calm for the next 4 days. Monsoon rains are normal in November. She also recommended the boat I took, and the name of a resort on Ko Tao.

About 1 I called Roger to ask about the DVD player. He didn't know what was wrong. Later in the afternoon I watched 'Gathering Storm' and just read the subtitles. Later, I was able to get the settings right for 'The Taking of Pelham 123' and was able to hear it in English.

After noon the washers were free, so a washed a load, for 20B. I hung the clothes all over Roger's apartment and kept the fan running.

Oye, Bill and Ben, 2, now known as Elf by his family because of his elfin ears, came in for a short visit, before Bill had to go to work. Oye wanted to know what I can eat because her family wants to make something for me when I visit. I don't want them to go out of their way. I told Bill I might take the train to Chumphon tonight. They run only at night.

I ate the green curry and one bag of rice, and a Pepsi for dinner, and watched the 2 movies. Then I packed enough for the trip and closed my suitcase, and left it in Roger's apartment. He isn't expected to be there before I leave Thailand.

I left about 6 and got into a bus which was stalled in heavy traffic, and paid the 7B fare. I expected light traffic because there should be very little commute on Saturday, but I had forgotten that people go out on Saturday night. The traffic in the other direction was moving fine. Took nearly an hour to get down to the next street, Sukhumvit. The ticket taker asked where I was going. She said 'fourteen' and held up 4 fingers. She looked in the next lane and motioned for me to get on that bus. It was a number 40, and the ticket taker said 'yes' when I asked if they were going to the train station. I paid the 14B fare. The traffic was mostly stopped. Most of the passengers got off and walked, although others got on. After another hour, with very little progress, I got off at a BTS station. It was the Asok station, the transfer point for the MTS. So I kept walking down to the subway and took the 20 minute ride to the huge Hua Lamphong Train Terminal. The next train to Chumphon was at 10:50, almost 2.5 hours away. I knew the train was after 10, but didn't want to wait til the last minute to arrive and possibly find the seats sold out. The agent showed me a pamphlet advertising a joint ticket. One price for travel to Ko Tao, which is where I wanted to go. The joint ticket cost 1030B, about the same as buying separate tickets, for the train, bus and boat, but the convenience was enough reason to buy there.

While waiting I had a Burberry shake, for 20B. Tasted good. Mostly chopped ice.
The train left within 4 minutes of the departure time. I had both seats the entire trip. The sleeper car must have been full because I wasn't offered that ticket. The AC was too cold. I had 2 blankets. I used one for a cover and the other for a cushion, because the seats are hard plastic.I couldn't stretch out, so I slept very little. Had to keep moving around to avoid cramping.

So my outlay for today is 1378B, $41, plus some baht deducted from my MTS card.

Back to Bangkok, Friday, November 13, 2009

Up at 7:30, stretched and dressed. I again had a breakfast of mixed fruit. After working on my diary I packed and asked for a ride to the bus station, paying my bill of 2160B. The tours were 1500B, the room was 400B and the food was 260B. I paid 2500B, saying 'tips.' She seemed to understand. Joseph seems like the kind of person who would do the right thing with tips. I asked where I could dispose of my pants. The woman took them and said thanks. I don't think anyone will wear them again.

The pickup taxi arrived by 11 and I had my 139B ticket to Bangkok by 11:30. I bought 2 dough buns filled with a rice mixture in one and red bean paste in the other, for 12B. Ate them before the bus arrived. I got on the bus about 11:50, giving my backpack to the ticket taker for placement in the luggage compartment, as directed. I had both seats to myself all the way back. The bus didn't stop except to drop off passengers along the way. Someone handed out cokes at the beginning, which I refused, and cold water later on, and a small hand wipe towel, in a sealed bag, at the end of the ride. I was in the rear of the bus. Not right in front of the toilet, but I got a whiff of the odor from it every time someone used it.

The trip took just over 2 hours. I walked to the BTS Mo Chit station, about 25 minutes, then rode for half an hour to the Ekkamai station, then walked nearly 20 minutes to Bill's apartment, arriving at 3:25. Oye and child had arrived at noon, after a 16 hour minivan ride, and were sleeping with Bill. Oye heard me and woke Bill. We talked briefly and Bill went to work. Oye went back to bed.

I moved my suitcase to Roger's apartment, then went out to get an add on card for my phone. The 100B card added 15 days, making my phone good til the 28th, 2 days after I fly out of Bangkok. I rested and read some, then went down to get something for dinner. I was too tired to go any distance, so I bought 2 instant noodle packages from the parking lot vendor, for 12B. Roger's hot water pot soon heated enough water for the noodles. I tried to watch a movie, but couldn't get the sound track to play. I went to bed early, about 10.


So my outlay for today is 2763B, $83, which includes the 2 night and 2 tour Greenleaf GH bill and 100B on the phone, plus 40B deducted from my BTS card.

Khao Yai tour, Thursday, November 12, 2009

Up at 7, stretched and dressed. I had breakfast of mixed fruit, bananas, watermelon and pineapple. I took my 3 cameras, with spare batteries, and the camera case with the 100 macro and the flash. I had the 70-300 on the Canon and left the 28-135 in the room. I wore my long pants over my swim trunks and the long sleeve shirt, and my white socks and deck shoes, and hat.

We 5 tourists, Eva and Julian from Holland, Natalie and Dennis from Belgium, with our guide, Mr. Nine, and the driver, got on the road shortly after 8. The tourists rode on the benches in the pickup bed. Must have been a half hour ride to the park. The entrance fee of 400B was included in the tour price. All of the tour in the park is in or on the forested mountains. We rode til 10:30, stopping often to get out for viewing of the valley and mountains, and the wildlife, seen mostly with binoculars and the telescope the guide set up when needed. Some animals, like the deer, monitor lizard and macaques were in or on the road. Others, such as the hornbill and many other birds were high up in the trees. Many of the birds are brightly colored, but we needed the scope to see the colors.

At 10:30 we got bottles of water and leech socks and were driven to a trail entry point. On the way I pulled up my pant leg and ripped the pants just above the knee. I took more care after that in pulling up on my pants. We started our 3 hour hike through the forest. We were in shade, but not deep shade. There were openings for the sun to shine on the ground. We stopped frequently, to view the wildlife, mostly with a scope, although we saw the gibbons, both black and white, without the scope. The gibbons stayed high up in the tall trees. Mr. Nine gave me his 300/4 L lens to use. I couldn't get any good shots when I had it, but it is the best lens I could have had to try. Mr. Nine was able to get some good shots of the gibbons jumping between branches. He had good anticipation reaction. We saw many more birds, but no ground creatures other than a chameleon and insects and spiders. We saw claw marks on a tree, maybe from a tiger. No sign of any leeches, and no snakes.

Trish called during the walk and we had a nice talk. She had talked to Mom and Tony. Mom has a bad cold.

At 1:30 we walked to a viewing tower and had lunch of fried vegetables and tofu on rice and a sweet coating on rice for dessert. Eva gave me her dessert because she couldn't eat any more. Didn't see any animals from the tower, which looks over a small lake, and a salt lick nearby. The salt lick is a bare soil ledge gouged or cut into the slope. After lunch we walked for 10 minutes to the pickup. We rode to the visitor center and were treated to a drink of our choice from the little store. We watched the macaques, one of which walked onto the lawn, then, when the area was clear, dashed onto the counter and ran off with a small bag of chips. She ran back to the edge of the woods, opened the bag and ate the chips, pausing only long enough to climb up a tree when other macaques came toward her.

We were driven to a waterfall at 3, and Eva and Julian were taken to the campground, where they are staying overnight. We 3 had an hour to look and photograph. The sign says no swimming, but several dozen of the tourists swam in the large pool below the falls. It may be unsafe during the rainy season when the water flow is higher and faster. The water was not as clear as the pool yesterday, and I decided to stay out of dirty water. I just took photos, and walked back up with Natalie and Dennis, the hundred or so steps, before our hour was finished.

We rejoined Julian, Mr. Nine and the driver, at 4 and rode through the park, looking at the scenery. The forest flora changes with elevation, and we drove up and down, mostly up, til we reached a high view point, next to a radar station. It was now 6 and the sun had set. The haze in the valley obscured the view. We had a treat of watermelon, then rode back down the mountain, to the campground where Julian got out. The air was quite cool and the front opening was covered with a rolled down plastic sheet to stop the wind.

Before we left the park, we saw several cars stopped up ahead and heard Mr. Nine call out 'Elephant on the road!'. The pickup stopped, then backed up with most of the cars. An elephant was walking on the shoulder of the road, and turned toward the salt lick by the time I saw him, or her. I was able to take out my camcorder, put it on night shot, and get some video of the elephant in the salt lick, shooting first from the pickup, then from the road. The cars headlights were too weak to shoot with anything other than night shot, and the elephant soon walked out of view. The elephant was wild but calm.

We were back in the cafe at 7. I had dinner with Natalie and Dennis, and another 3 guys who just arrived, from Holland. I again had fried vegetables with tofu on rice, but this time I drank a small can of Singha beer.

Took a cold shower, and got to bed about 10.

So my outlay for today is nothing, but I will owe for the room and tours and meals when I leave tomorrow.

Greenleaf Guest House, Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Up at 6, stretched and showered. Finished the orange juice. Finished packing and left the apartment at 6:40. Walked to the Ekkamai BTS station to loosen my back, rather than risk pulling it getting in and out of cramped tuk-tuks. Got off at the Mor Chit station and walked to the Northern Bus Station, stopping only once to ask for directions, at a 7-11, where I also bought a small OJ drink for 18B. The clerk didn't speak much English, so she asked one the customers to help, and she called someone, who told me on the phone to go to the stoplight and turn left, with her friend pointing me in the right direction.

I saw the terminal from the stoplight corner. I walked to the first ticket window open and asked for a ticket to Pak Chong. The clerk pointed down the long row of windows, and then back. He didn't say anything. I understood that there was another ticket booth location. I walked in the indicated direction. When I didn't see any windows, just more buildings, a man in a room full of cars asked me where I was going. I told him 'the ticket counters'. He spoke English quite well. First he said to go back and turn right and go to the 3rd floor. He asked where I was from. Then he said, 'Come this way', and he led me through the building to a shortcut to the escalator to the 3rd floor hall AC room with ticket windows, offices, shops and seating. There was a window just for Pak Chong. I bought a 108B ticket for a bus which was to leave in a few minutes. The man stayed with me even though I said 'you're doing too much for me'. He walked with me down to the bay and shook my hand just before I got on the bus. Since I hadn't asked for this much help I didn't feel like tipping him. I would have found everything anyway since I was close to the right place. I hope he was just making merit as a good Buddhist, but I suspect he expected money for the help.

The bus left about 15 minutes late. At the first stop vendors walked through and I asked for chicken on a stick and the little bags of cooked rice. She gave me a small bag with both in it and I asked 'how much?'. She said 'Thirty baht.' I gave her two 20s and instead of change she pushed another chicken on a stick in my bag, then quickly walked down the stairs in front of my seat. I had 6 sticks with chicken and the 2 bags of rice. The chicken was in thin pads, possibly beaten to that shape, and tasted of unknown herbs and spices. They tasted good, so I ate all 6 and both bags of rice, which was moist but had no particular flavor.


I had an empty seat next to me for the first half hour, then the bus filled up, after making numerous stops. I was moved to the aisle seat by the ticket taker to allow a young monk to use the window seat. The monk and I both dozed before I received a call from Trish. We had a brief talk because she was going to a music concert at the nearby school where a neighbor was singing. I felt drowsy the rest of the trip. It could be just because I ate so much, or maybe the chicken coating had enough MSG to cause drowsiness.

We arrived at a bus stop, by a 7-11, in Pak Chong, at 11:40, a 2 hour 45 minute trip. I called Greenleaf GH and was told I would be picked up. Within 20 minutes, a pickup arrived and the driver asked if I was going to Greenleaf, by showing me the brochure. A 12 minute ride and I was greeted by Joseph and shown a 200B room, number 14, which I said looked fine. I had lunch at their cafe, of Pad Thai and water, and rested for 2 hours. After the rest I felt awake again and ready for the half day tour.


At 3, I met my fellow tourists, Victor and Linda, from Holland. We got in the pickup taxi, while the driver and Joseph, our guide, rode in front. We stopped a short distance down the road to view and hold a small white whip snake. There were several in the area, moving around on the tree branches just a few feet off the ground. We proceeded to a cave with concrete steps into it, and some Buddhist shrines in it. Joseph pointed the creatures living in the cave, including a relatively few bats, scorpion spider, tarantula, beetles and other insects. We then stopped at a swimming hole, fed by a spring. The water was cool and clear, and there were others, mostly boys, playing in the water. The pool looked natural and was about 7 feet deep in the middle. There were other stops to view small creatures. The drive to the bat flight viewing area was long and we didn't arrive til twilight. We then had to walk about a quarter mile down a muddy trail through a corn field. The bats were coming out of the wooded hill, or small mountain, in long wavy lines. We could not see the cave entrances. There are many caves in the mountain and they are on private land. A few hawks dove into the lines of bats, looking for a meal. When we were in position, near the edge of the trees, some of the bat lines would pass overhead, fairly low, and we could hear the hum of the wings beating the air. We slipped and slided in the dark on the way back to the pickup. The driver had caught a large gecko to show everyone. We arrived back at the Greenleaf GH at 7:30, and we had dinner. I had fried vegetables with basil and tofu on rice, with a bottle of Ice Tea. The tea wasn't good, but the entree was very tasty.

Got to bed about 10:30.

So my outlay for today is 148B, $6, and I will owe 200B for tonight's room plus about 100B for the meals and 200B for the half day tour (discounted of 200B from the 300B full price because I am taking the full day 1300B tour tomorrow).

Rest in Bangkok, Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Up at 8, stretched and showered. Drank more orange juice. Read some more from guidebooks. Helped Bill move his computer into his bedroom in am.

Had lunch at 11:45 to avoid lunch crowd, again at the 2nd cafe from Bill's. This time I had flat noodles in my soup, just for variety, for 30B. At 12:06 I was in the Coffee Art shop uploading photos and my diary into the blog. Read some more info about tours in the Khao Yai NP. The Greenleaf Guest House and their tours looks like the best of anything shown on the internet or in the guidebooks. Bill came in to check his emails. I showed him the site for Social Security. Bill had just had a visit from his friend, Art Barfield. Bill left before I finished, to rest, then get ready for his session. After Bill left, I had a yogurt smoothie, for 65B. I finished uploading at 4pm. I paid 140B for the Internet.

I called the Greenleaf GH and let the man know I would be coming up tomorrow and would like to take their tours. He said to come in the morning to take the half day tour in the afternoon and to call for a ride when I arrive in Pak Chong.

At 5, Bill went to work. Then I walked to the Big C to get dinner. I picked out 3 items, but found that I had not taken my fanny pack with the money, so, I was able only to buy one of the items with the coins I carried. I had 30B with me for the 29B bag of vegetarian broth. Back at Bill's I cooked a cup of rice and poured the green broth on it. There were a lot of chopped veggies in it and it had a nice spicy flavor. Good that I didn't buy the other items because this filled me, and it was very good.

I watched 'Vanilla Sky' and went to bed at 10.

So my outlay for today is 264B, $8.

Rest in Bangkok, Monday, November 9, 2009

Up at 8, stretched and showered. Started on the orange juice. Not as sweet as expected. Talked to Bill about the trip and plans for the day.

At 10 I was in the Coffee Art shop uploading photos and my diary into the blog. Read what info I could find about tours in the Khao Yai NP. Everything shown was high rates. Just before noon I crossed the street to have a bowl of soup at a small cafe that Bill likes. I didn't know what to ask for other than soup with veggies. They didn't understand, and pointed to the types of noodles in the case. I selected one and the cook prepared a bowl with noodles, dark sliced meat and a separate plate with bean sprouts and a minty leaf and a glass of ice. The water pitcher was on the table. It all tasted good. For 30B. Shortly after I sat down the place filled up with the lunch crowd, and Trish called. The traffic increased at noon and the noise was too much for a quiet conversation with Trish. So it was short, but nice. Back at the Coffee Art shop I finished the uploads before 12:30 and was charged for just 2 hours, 70B.

Afternoon I read about the park and tried calling the Royal Forest Department. The number was busy the 3 times I tried.

Bill was invited to go to a talk by a monk this evening. We left about 6, traveling by tuk-tuk and BTS (80B off my card for the round trip), to the Ari station, then walking a short distance. First to a Tesco Lotus convenience store at an Esso gas station for Halls cough drops, 9B, and a small ham and cheese on whole wheat, for 35B, and a dough bun with some meat filling, for 8B. I ate the bun, but arrived at the room for the talk before I could eat the sandwich. We were early enough to get chairs up front. Most 100 or so people in the room sat on mats. There were also a large group of people on chairs and mats outside the full height glass wall. The talk was amplified and heard on speakers outside. A large screen on the side wall showed a close-up of the speaker. One monk, Ajahn Pandit, gave an introduction for the visiting monk, Ajahn Jayasaro, shown in the photo. The talk was about some basic Buddhist beliefs and comments and stories, and lasted an hour. That was followed by a 20 minute meditation, then a Q and A session, mostly about intent and meditation, of about 20 minutes. At one side were 2 monks from Sri Lanka and a monk, Frank Newbold, a man nearly my age who was ordained 7 months ago. Frank introduced himself, thinking that he recognized me. He had lived 25 years in Berkeley. I forgot to ask him what he had done in Berkeley. I don't remember meeting him, but the name, Newbold, seems familiar. We took a couple of free books and a 2 CD set of Ajahn Jayasaro's talks.

Ate the sandwich when we returned to Bill's place. The ham and cheese slices were very thin and the bread was cake bread. Had to add chili sauce to give it some flavor. The sore throat and congestion is nearly gone.

So my outlay for today is 152B, $4.50, plus 80B off my BTS card.

Rest in Bangkok, Sunday, November 8, 2009

Slept in til 10. Stretched and showered. Sorted through my things, trying to get ready for the next leg, to the Khao Yai National Park.

I connected the DVD to my netbook and burned a DVD of all my video so far, about 1.5 hours worth. Took about 6 hours to convert and burn. Made a second copy very quickly so I can leave one with Bill. I backed up all my photos, raw video files and text, nearly 25GB, onto the 500GB pocket hard drive, so my 16GB flash drive can be formatted and used for future backups.

Talked to Bill for a few minutes before he left for his Sunday buffet session, 11 to 1. At noon I walked down to Big C. Had planned to stop at a cafe on the way for lunch, but the one closest to Bill's is small and was full, probably because it was Sunday noon. At Big C I bought a liter of OJ, a 6 pack of Pepsi, 2 foam tray entrees, and 2 wrapped sweets, for 184.5B. The OJ is 59B, the Pepsi is 62B, the entrees of rice and omelet with sausage and veggies are 10B and 13.5B, and the sweets, one a white paste in little woven leaf cups and the other a green gel cut into squares, are 20B each.

I cooked a cup of rice in Bill's rice cooker, and ate that with the entrees. The omelet was too oily, but the veggies had a thin, probably egg, batter on them and tasted good. Had a Pepsi and some of the sweets a little later. The sweets are not pure sugar, but have a good flavor. Bill doesn't know what they are.

Bill came home between sessions, and was full, from the buffet, and rested for an hour or so before going in for his evening session.

I watched 2 of Bill's DVD movies, 'Sweet and Lowdown' and 'Mrs. Palfry at the Claremont' in the afternoon and evening.

About 7 I was again hungry, so I walked into a large cafe across the street from the little one that was full at noon and was closed now. Bill had never mentioned going to this cafe before. Probably because the prices are much higher and there is very little vegetarian food. I ordered the roast duck salad for 80B, sticky rice for 12B and water for 20B. The salad was fried chopped duck with onions, chilies and a few greens, on a lettuce leaf, with mint leaves on top. Slightly spicy. I had asked for no chilies, but it tasted very good. The table set included a bowl with string beans, cabbage and some leaves on ice. I was able to eat some of these for a green salad. The bill was 110B. I gave 120B to include a tip.

On the way back I bought a pack of 5 rice cookies, for 5B, and a jelly sandwich, for 6B. The sandwich wasn't much good, but the rice cookies, which are crispy and have a caramel drizzle on top, are very good.

The sore throat and congestion stayed with me all day, but I have no fever, and feel OK otherwise.

So my outlay for today is 315.5B, $9.50.

Mae Salong to Bangkok, Saturday, November 7, 2009

Got to bed early again last night, about 9:30 pm. Didn't sleep well. Kept waking up. Probably rested too much during the day. Got up at 6 am, stretched and showered, then packed. At 7 I paid my tab of 525B to Shin Sane, had oolong tea and waited for a ride. A young woman tourist needed $30 US dollars to pay Laos customs so she could cross the border and get a new Thai visa. So I gave her a ten and a twenty for 1000B.

At 7:35 a pickup taxi showed up and I boarded for the ride to Mae Chan. I had been told there would be a mini-bus, but the pickup showed up. This one didn't smoke as badly as the one coming up to Mae Salong 3 days earlier, but the fumes were bad anyway. Other passengers got on and off as we went along. The ride was up and down, and around. It took 1.3 hours to get to Mae Chan. Everyone got out and I was pointed to a pickup taxi across the street. I had expected to get on a regular bus, but there were none in sight, so I got in the pickup bed and slid to the front of one of the bench seats. The driver was the first woman pickup taxi driver I have seen in Thailand. After we started I saw 2 regular buses, and they were packed, standing room only. A little ways down the road a large bag on top fell off, so the driver stopped and backed up to retrieve the bag. The owner, probably a high school girl looked depressed but said nothing. The pickup stopped frequently to add passengers, and drop off some a short distance down the road. Most of the riders were school students. When the benches were full the driver had to climb up her ladder on the back and pull down a narrow bench which she slid into the bed for passengers to sit. At one point there were 17 passengers in the bed and 2 in the front passenger seat. Most of the passengers got off before the old bus station in Chiang Rai. I paid 55B, about 3 times the regular bus fare, but I would have stood for the entire 1.5 hour ride on the bus.

I looked around the old bus station to make sure there were no offers in English of a ride to Bangkok, and found none, so I boarded another pickup taxi for the 10B, approximately 10 km, ride to the new bus terminal. I asked at information about going to Bangkok. She said 'now?'. I said 'yes'. She said '1' and pointed to the other side of the building. The only windows on the other side were for Sombat Tours. They had a second class bus leaving at 1 pm and first class and VIP buses leaving at 5 and 6. The 2nd class trip would take 13 hours and the bus has no toilet. The first class and VIP trips are an hour shorter because they don't need restroom and meal stops. It was nearly 11, so I thought about it a while, and decided that arriving in Bangkok at 2am was as good as anything else. The later buses would cost more, but it would be morning and I could take BTS back to Ekkamai. However, there would be tuk-tuk costs getting to BTS and up to Bill's from the Ekkamai station. The taxicab ride would cost more, but not that much. So I bought the 1pm ticket for 475B.

While I waited, I bought 3 dough rolls, 2 with the red bean paste filling and one with a green coating on the dough which was rolled up, for 36B. I saved these for the trip and bought a small tray of rice and an omelette. The omelette was too oily and had no taste. I also bought a 920ml bottle of water for 7B.

The bus left on time. I had a front row seat, which I picked so I could see out the front; however, the driver compartment is separated by a partition, with a door and windows, so I could see down into the driver compartment. The passenger seats are higher than the driver compartment, and the high windows on the front of the bus had curtains pulled over them, so all I could see out the front was the pavement right in front of the bus. I was on the sunny side so my curtains were shut. I could see out of the other side most of the time, so I was able to watch some of the passing scenery: the tropical greenery, fields, orchards, buildings and green-covered mountains in the distance. After 6:30, it was dark and all I could see was the lighted areas along the road and in the cities and towns.

I had forgotten about the video that these long distance buses play. I was just below the screen, so I had to look up to see it, but everything was in Thai so I couldn't understand it anyway. The sound was sometimes too loud, but I think there were speakers throughout the bus. First they played 3 movies, 2 horror films and one Disney film, something about the National Treasure. All American films, dubbed into Thai. After that there were Thai music videos, not too bad since they were all a type of ballad. After 9 the video was turned off.

The AC was left on all the time. I closed my vents as well as I could but still felt the cold air. The outside air wasn't hot, so AC wasn't really needed at all. After dark I needed a blanket, just like nearly everyone else on the bus, even though I was wearing long pants, a Tee shirt and a long-sleeved shirt. Could not stretch out well enough to sleep, but I dozed a little at times.

The bus stopped over a dozen times, sometimes letting off passengers with no sign of a bus stop. The city bus terminals were the only times, other than the 6pm dinner stop, where everyone had at least 5 minutes for a restroom visit. The 6pm stop was at a roadside cafe, where I had the same as the guy in front of me, pork and hardboiled egg over rice, for 30B. Tasted OK. My only other purchases on the trip were a bag of 5 small ears of cooked corn, still in their husks, for 10B, and a bag of 12 candied fruits, probably plums, for 15B. I saved the corn and had only 3 of the fruit, because they were too salty and had big pits.

We arrived a half hour early into Mo Chit station, in Bangkok. The station is the most cluttered station I've ever seen, because of the myriad vendors. On leaving the bus I was immediately asked by 4 men 'Where you going?'. I figured out that each driver has a man to solicit passengers. I told all of them 'Ekkamai, Soi 12.' I was told 'I can take you.' I asked 'How much?'. And was told '35 kilometers, 480.' When I said no, I was told '380'. Then, 'How much you pay?'. I told the driver, the only one still offering, that I would wait for the Skytrain. He laughed and said 'wait 5, morning.' I walked away to look around, use the restroom, for 3B, the same cost as at other bus terminals, and sit down to look at the guidebook. The guidebook only mentioned using a metered taxicab, and that a taxicab ride anywhere in Bangkok should cost no more than 180B. When I finally saw the metered taxicab sign, which was well lit, but hidden from my view when I first got off the bus, I walked over. I was asked my destination and guided to a cab. The cabs were lined up in 4 rows, with guides on each row. It was very efficient and quick. The driver looked Indian. He repeated my destination as though he understood and he drove as fast as anyone on the road. We arrived at Bill's place in less than half an hour, only slowing down once where hundreds of young Thais were milling about, and cabs clogged the road, with police directing traffic. The driver said 'Saturday' as we crept through this area. The meter showed 143. I gave the driver 150B and said 'keep it', being the big tipper that I am.

So my outlay for today is 1400B, $42.

Mae Salong, Friday, November 6, 2009

Got to bed early again last night, about 9 pm. Got up at 6:30 this morning, and stretched. I had an American breakfast. There was no orange juice at the cafe, so I ordered toast and scrambled eggs, for 25B, and lemon juice, for 20B. That wasn't satisfying, so I went to the 7-11 and bought a liter of orange juice, plus a pack of clorets and Halls mentho for my sore throat, for 87B total. On the way back I bought 3 Chinese pastries for 5B. Probably should have bought the hot soymilk to go with them. A little later I drank about half the orange juice. That would have been enough for breakfast.

I gave yesterday's dirty clothes to the girls to be washed (no extra charge here to wash clothes), then walked up to the day market for exercise and would have bought a steamed bun but they were just being put in the steamer. When I looked for them afternoon, the steamer was gone.
I rested and read, which is what I did most of the day. Trish called about 11 and we had a nice long talk.

For lunch I again walked to the day market and had noodles in red curry with some pork and liver, rice, and Jasmine tea, for 55B total. I was still hungry so I had fried veggies and tofu, oolong tea and rice, at the Shin Sane, which should be 40B on my tab.

Mae Salong is in the mountains, so the weather is cooler than most of the surrounding lowlands. The high during my visit is probably 75F and the nights are cool, probably in the low 60s.
I called Bill about 5, on his way to work, to check in and confirm that it was OK with him for me to return to his place tomorrow evening.

For dinner I had fried rice with veggies, at the Shin Sane, which should be another 30B on my tab. Wifi connection at the Shin Sane is 10B an hour for guests, so I'll upload some photos.

So my outlay for today is 147B, $4.50, and I still owe another 50B for the room and 120B for the meals, plus something for wifi.

Mae Salong, Thursday, November 5, 2009

Got to bed early last night, about 9 pm. Got up at 7:30 this morning, stretched, showered and packed. I asked the manager about a 50B room. None was ready, but the girl workers were cleaning a room and he gave me the key. I moved my bags into the room, locked it and took a look at the 2 ponies being used for the village tour. They are small. The tour was to leave at 9. I left a little after 8.

The map is not to scale, but I was able to follow it, mostly because there aren't many side roads, except in town. I took 2 side trips, the first was probably 200 yards to a small Akha village, where I was called with 'Hello' by an old woman in traditional clothing. When I kneeled down she got up and brought out a small plastic stool for me to sit on. There were 2 young women and 2 children with her on the porch of their home. When I pointed to the camera and asked 'OK' the woman said nothing. Since no one said no I took 2 photos and offered a 20B note. She smiled and nodded a thank you. I have no idea how much to offer. I didn't pay anyone else for their photo, although one the the 3 boys playing with tires hid when I pointed the camera at them, and said something to me when he ran by, probably scolding me for not asking, or not paying.
The rest of the walk, sometimes on concrete pavement and sometimes on clay soil, was entirely on a single lane road, after leaving the town road. The road was up or down with very little level ground. The second side trip, about 6 km roundtrip, was to a Lahu home stay village, Ja Bu Si, where guests can sleep in the village, in a separate building. The posted cost is 100B, plus 50B for food, probably for each meal. The road was nearly all downhill going there, and it took me over 1.5 hours to reach the village, although I was able to walk faster uphill and returned in an hour.

Trish called on the return from Ja Bu Si. Reception was broken up when she called and she called back later when I had nearly finished climbing back up the ridge. We had a good talk. She may be able to go to the pet store permit hearing tomorrow.

The map doesn't show all of the distances. With the side trips, I estimate the distance was 21 km, about 13 miles. Took me over 7.5 hours, and I was exhausted. The last 5 km took me 1.3 hours. I carried only the camera, camcorder, 2 extra lenses and the 1.5L bottle of water. Don't yet have my hiking legs back. The left hip is still too weak.

When I got back at 3:40 I took a cold shower and rested for over 2 hours. I had my meal for today at the guest house restaurant. The vegetable curry and 2 plates of rice, plus oolong tea, and a banana shake all tasted great. Cost should be 80B, on the tab.

So my outlay for today is 20B, $0.60, and I still owe another 50B for the room and 80B for the meal.

Mae Salong, Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Got to bed early last night, about 9:30am. Got up at 7:10 this morning, stretched, showered and packed. Left my key with the manager at 8 and walked to the songthaew stand, about 1/4 mile. Got ride with 4 others to the bus station, for 15B. The 4 were an old man, a young woman and a small child, and a young monk. The child turned away from the monk, but changed when the monk gave the child a small sealed treat.

The ticket clerk told me 'number 5, pay on bus', and I was able to get right on the same type of bus I rode yesterday. This time I sat in the back bench seat which had a large floor space in front of the seat for my backpack and other riders bags. The bus pulled out at 8:47. I told the ticket agent 'Ban Basang' and 'Let me know?'. She nodded yes and I paid the 25B fare. The bus was full, with some standees. The police stopped the bus once at a check point and checked the passengers' IDs, but ignored me. The agent motioned to me when we reached Ban Basang at 9:30. I still saw no sign.

I walked across the divided 4 lane road at the T intersection, to the 2 lane road. I was called by the taxi driver sitting at the side of the cafe, with a monk. The driver spoke no English, but the monk did. He told me the fare to Mae Salong is 50B with 8 passengers, and we could leave now if I paid the 400B fare. I told him there was no hurry. The monk and I talked about a few different things. He was going to Mae Salong for the first time. He has a small Wat near here, and he has a sister somewhere in California. After a couple of hours wait he said he had to go back to the Wat. Guess he got tired of waiting.

After nearly 3 hours Trish called and we had a nice talk. I decided to catch a bus to Chiang Rai, and motioned my plan to the driver. He said 'wait' and called on his cell phone. A man and a young girl were waiting at the table. After 15 minutes I again motioned my intentions to the driver. He said 300B. I said 200B. He shook his head no. I decided 300B was the lowest cost I could expect to get to Mae Salong today, even if I took the bus to Chiang Rai and rented a scooter, and the taxi would be faster. So I agreed to the 300B. The man and girl were happy.

At 1, we got in the back and I soon regretted my decision because the road became hilly and the pickup smoked a lot, with some of the fumes coming into the bed. The taxi stopped after 20 minutes and the man and girl got out and talked to the driver. Then they got back in and the taxi proceeded, turning to a side road at a fork. He stopped in 5 minutes, at the end of the paved road. The man and girl got out.

The driver motioned for me to move to the front seat. We proceeded onto the rutted and rough dirt road, mostly packed clay. We passed through a couple of villages. The driver said 'Akha' at the first and near the second said 'Me Akha' and pointed to his chest and then to a house in the village down the hill. I said 'blue' for the only house, or hut, with a blue roof, and he nodded yes. The huts looked small and crowded close together, and the others had brown thatch or grass roofs, probably rice straw.

The road continued through the forest, with only one good view point of the valley below. After about 15 minutes we came to a paved road. The driver went in back and moved my pack back to the front of the bed, then must have told the highway maintenance truck to move. It didn't start with the starter, so the driver let it roll a little ways and it started. The truck backed up out of the way and the taxi crossed in front and proceeded uphill, passing a sign showing 20km to Mae Salong. The original distance was 26km.

The view from the front seat was great. The road is in good shape, but has a lot of up and down and some hairpin turns. As we approached Mae Salong the driver motioned sleeping and I said 'Shin Sane'. He said 'Akha'. I thought he meant I should stay at the Akha Mae Salong Guest House mentioned in the guidebook, but he stopped at the Shin Sane. It was 2:20.

A man at the Guest House took my backpack as I moved it out and asked if I had paid the driver. He is Chinese and speaks English quite well. I said no and gave the driver 300B. The man with my backpack walked up the walk to a bungalow. When I asked how much, he said '200B'. I asked if he had any 50B rooms, with shared bath, and he said 'full'. The room looked good, and I was too tired to go next door, so I agreed. I was given a key and an area map.

I called Bill to let him know I might return to Bangkok in one or two days. Roger is staying in his apartment near Bill and Sumano is coming in for dental work and will give a talk on Friday.

Later I went down to the cafe table and was offered oolong tea. The waiter/helper and I talked for a few minutes. He is from Burma and his parents are from Canton. He said the horses are ponies and too small for me. Also, the villages trail can be walked as fast as the ponies travel.

I walked up hill to the Wat Santakhiri, buying a 2 pastry roll package for 20B. The flattened rolls have a paste filling. Nothing special, but I needed something since I hadn't eaten yet. The climb to the Wat is all uphill and includes 718 steps. The view from the top is very good, of Mae Salong and the entire valley and mountains, and at least 2 small hilltribe villages. The air is smoky, probably because the farmers burn ground cover in the fields and the cuttings. Most of the fields are on steep hillsides. Crops include all the usual, plus a lot of tea.

The Wat appears to be unused, but has 2 open buildings and is clean. There was one small structure on the 3rd floor of the larger temple, and a Buddha in the smaller temple. The grounds include landscaping with trees and poinsettias and yellow sunflowers, which look like large daises.

Going down I continued down the main road and found a cafe mentioned in the Lonely Planet guidebook, the Sui Hai. I ordered a Shitake Mushroom salad, rice and tea.The salad was spicy hot and delicious. Cost 80B for the salad and 15B for the rice. I left a 5B tip, for a total of 100B. As expected there are several tea shops in the village and only one 7-11, where I bought a 1.5L bottle of water for 13B.

So my outlay for today is 473B, $14, and I still owe 200B for the room.