Fruity Goodness

My new favorite fruit is called Tom Poo. While an unfortunate transliteration, it is delicious, slightly sweet and refreshing. It's like a very light pear with the texture more towards the cucumber side. 20 baht, cut and ready to eat. It comes with a side of a Salt-sugar-chile sprinkle if you want to be all Thai.

Simian silliness.

Inside out

The difference here is that it's the monkeys who are on the outside and the humans are on the inside.

This is a photo looking out from inside the Phra Prang Sam Yod shrine, the most famous spot in Lopburi. It is completely overrun with monkeys.

Most of the local shop owners have two metre poles with rubber flails on the end. When the primates get too annoying, the folks run around like madmen, swinging their poles and scattering simians.

Cacophonous Sleep

The flat wooden seats on a Thai "ordinary" class train (read regular working peoples train) are only slightly less hard than the flinty heart of a bank foreclosure agent. Yet the Thai travelers endure them with a smile. I, however, pull out my trusty little therma-rest cushion and then, only then, smile as well.

What mystifies me, is how anyone gets a nights sleep. The many and various night noises, even in the cities and towns, is simply amazing.

How I wish I could put proper, scientific names to the night orators, but I cannot. First, there is the rhythm bird, which makes a steady, paced, "how-how-how" with the accuracy of a metronome. Then there is my favorite, the Road-runner bird, which does a perfect imitation of the Warner Bros. cartoon character of old, complete with the little raspberry at the end. This incites the "Who?-How?" bird, a creature of amazing volume and a knack for perching in the eaves of guest houses.

None of my feathered friends, however, holds a candle to the tiny tree frogs. How it is possible for so diminutive a creature to create such an amazingly vibrant chorus just plumb evades me.

Once all of these critters reach their nocturne of full voice, all mismatched rhythms and keys, it becomes natures version of free jazz from hell.

Yet my Thai brothers and sisters seem to sleep right through it. No people who possess such quick and ready smiles could be sleep deprived.

From Lopburi, I bid you a fond goodnight. Now where are those ear plugs?

Monkey Shines II

So is this guy

Monkey Shines

"She's gotta, like, feed the monkey, man."

This sign is outside the door of my room.

Monkey Business

Lopburi is a smallish town in Central Thailand that is famous for one thing: monkeys. Troops of a type of macaque have taken possession of several of the ruins as well as some parts of the old town. Like the part my crazy guesthouse is in. As in monkeys hanging around, looking in my window.

Monkey Bars have a completely different function in Lopburi. In this little city, the bars are to keep the monkeys out.

The monkeys exact a steady toll of sunglasses, bags and other grab-ables from less than vigilant tourists.

Stylin'

Not only are Moto Taxis the quickest and most thrilling way to get around town, if you ride with my Thai brother in the photo, you will be styling' as well. Check out his gleaming white Chuck Taylor All-Stars!!

I passed on the guesthouse breakfast and hit the streets again. Yeah, it's really all just about the food. This morning I had a Thai lesson and an amazing breakfast of gang-pla (fish curry) over Kao-suey (plain rice) with a soft-boiled egg to make it breakfast-y. The cost for this feast was one dollar US. Dessert was a bag of perfect papaya. Thirty cents US.

The only difficult thing is finding a cup of coffee in the morning.

Dinner

I remember sitting along the Mekong on the last trip. A woman at the next table asked another woman why she came to SE Asia. The woman questioned looked up from her book, and without missing a beat replied "The food."

S'truth.

Tonight's walking feast through the night market was a four course affair. The starter was what appeared to be sugared strawberries but, was in fact, sugared AND salted strawberries. A wonderful treat and new.

Second course was a twist on Som Tam, the ubiquitous green papaya salad. Ayuthaya has a vibrant Islamic community and the Muslim food stands have a green crescent and moon. Not to pass up a new food, I ordered the spicy catfish salad and out came Som Tam with fried fish. Excellent.

Throwing caution to the wind, the main course, from my best Thai stand, was stir-fried kale with salted fish, as shown in the photo. A shy dish until the salty fish kicked in and the large chilies delivered surprise doses of fire at intervals. I'll be trying this again.

Last course for the stroll home was 10 baht worth of watermelon.

Oh, but I do love the cult of street food!

Leaning ruins

Flooding

The damage from the incredible flooding of this past winter is evident everywhere in Ayuthaya

The high water mark is visible on buildings, signs, statues and the ruins themselves. Many of the stupas and chedi have been undermined and are leaning at crazy angles. I fear that some of the ruin will not survive.

Frog Cars

Ayuthaya, Thailand

I thought I had seen all of the Tuk-tuks that there are in Thailand. The insane, fast ones in Bangkok and Chiangmai, the Laotian ones, complete with Che stickers, and even the Jumbos of Luang Prabang. But the Tuk-tuks here are frog-like things, weird little Daihatsus that are slow and almost art-deco in form.

I avoid Tuk-tuks like the plague, but yesterday afternoon, my hostess at the Baan Lotus guesthouse talked me into a three- hour tour. Ominous words for the TV generation.

It was 90 degrees and 85% humidity so what the hell. Three couples and myself so I got to ride up front with our jolly driver, Mr. "fifteen" minutes. At each stop he would say the required time. By the third stop, he would grin, look at me until I started giggling and then he would say "fifteen minutes!" and I would reply "Sip-ha" and then we would both laugh our heads off at our little joke.

So around the island we went. It was actually a hoot and a bargain. Six bucks for three hours and a good orientation.

Our last stop, before he dumped us at the night market for dinner, was the Elephant Centre. Of this, more later.

So the three hour tour ended well with fiery prawn curry at a riverside stand and an evening stroll home. Lovely

Luck

What is better than skill or knowledge?
Luck, that's what.

Off the train in Ayuthaya and walked, by dead reckoning and luck, right to the tiny ferry across the river to town.

Then, also by luck, I walked almost directly to the Baan Lotus guest house which was the top Travelfish pick.

And now, by luck, I am ensconced in my amazing teak fan room, showered, and waiting for the Tuk-Tuk tour of the old city. I normally avoid Tuk-tuks like the plague, but this is a set fee tour, super cheap, and it's hotter than the aforementioned magma.

I can walk my ass off tomorrow. This evening I am riding in two-stroke style.

Hot

Question: What is hotter than a third class train in a Bangkok Station?

Answer: Magma, but only barely.

Transit

As I wait on the northbound train out of Bangkok, I am remembering the flights required to get here.

The EVA Air flight from Seattle to Taipei will forever be known as the "stinky-foot" flight, thanks to my middle seat mate. I rarely think kind thoughts about pharmaceutical companies, but I bless the greedy little hearts of the folks that created Ambien.

Veggie food options on overseas flights are always at least amusing.

Passport Control at Bangkok's airport is interminable, but is mad more enjoyable when one group of Russians try to cut line on another group of Russians.

Better than any reality TV.

Gotta go catch a train. Ciao for now.

Sent from the Borg Device

Soup

Birds Nest soup makings. This is supposed to be the most expensive food, by weight, on the planet.

Dessert

Hot Tort, a sort of oyster omelet with sweet- hot chili sauce.

Chow

Best Phad Kee Mao on the planet, complete with the ambience of two-stroke exhaust.

Chao Phraya

Bangkok

The only viable means of transport in the Big Mango is by river. The Chao Phraya runs through Bangkok as an artery through the heart. And so i found myself, once again, as if with an old friend, traveling through the city.

While I waited for the Yellow boat to take me down river, some Thai folk were feeding scraps to the fish. The river around the pier was a seething mass of sharp finned catfish, writhing and flipping in the chocolate waters.

Two young Thai men sitting next to me we're ignoring the feeding frenzy and I followed their gaze. On a raft of flotsam weeds, just below us, was a huge aquatic lizard almost four feet long. It looked exactly like a Komodo Dragon, although my lack of knowledge regarding Thai reptiles prevents me from naming it exactly. It was truly amazing.

I spent the morning shopping for good fortune in the Amulet market, a labyrinth of tiny aisles and booths where one may buy all the good luck and protection that Baht can buy.

As is my wont, I wandered and ate, silently chanting, "Slow down, Marco, slow down."

It was a pleasure beyond counting to tread streets that I know, and now love, as well as getting lost on those that I do not know and now love as well.

I ate well, as anyone in Bangkok will, save the complete fool. Pineapple in Chinatown, egg Roti and sweet tea after the boat, mango along the river walk and, of course, noodles for lunch.

I have never been in SE Asia during the monsoon, but today I had a lesson in what it is like. The fish noodles of lunch were consumed at a stall under awnings as the skies opened up and dropped biblical portions of rain on the city. Thai folks and falang alike scurried about with all manner of rain wear, most of it improvised. There is nothing quite as entertaining as thousands of people hurrying about with plastic bags on their heads, while the entire city turns into an 85 degree shower. The umbrella merchants in Chinatown were very pleased.

The deluge let up enough to allow me progress, but only at intervals. I took refuge as needed, ducking under awnings and roofs with the Thai folks. A fine watery crescendo caught me near my favorite back alley tea stand where I huddled with the old men as they argued about the luckiest lottery numbers.

The skies have cleared and I have smoked my afternoon cigar on the finest balcony in Bangkok. Tonight will be devoted to another roving dinner in the street stalls. Tomorrow I depart the City and head North by train.

Sanctuary Bangkok

This is my beautiful, backstreet Bangkok balcony. It causes one to relax completely and smoke cigars, so why fight it?

Taipei

The Taipei airport, showing its multi-faith tolerance. Onward to the Bug Mango!

Ready, Set.....

The bag is packed and sitting ready.  Once again, it is a single 40 litre backpack, my trusty Deuter, with even less stuff in it this time.  Lessons learned, methods changed.  I am so ready to be gone.  


This is really just a test post to convince myself that it is now time to get the littlest bit excited, and be ready to roll with it.  In a few days, it will be noodles for breakfast in Bangkok, and then it will all seem real. 


The funny thing is that people ask me about the difficulty of the departure, which is the easy thing.  Pack the bag, point in a general direction, and, "Poof";  gone, Baby, gone.  No, the trick is not in the departure, the trick is returning.  Tolkien was right when he has Bilbo say "Its a dangerous thing Frodo, going out your door.  You step into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."


Its a funny thing.  People ask me about the business of departing, as if that is the hard part.  The hard bit is not leaving; pack a bag, aim in a general direction and "Poof!"  Gone, Baby, gone.  No, the tricky bit is returning.  I am coming to believe that one can only push one's luck so far with the returning.  Eventually, comes the time when there is no door to return to, either because one is swept past it, forgets where is was, or forgets to remember.


No matter.  Returning is just a prelude to departing again, until one finally stops doing one or the other.


Happy trail to you, until we meet again!

First Email Post

This is the first email post to test the blog.  

The Time Approaches

It is time, once again, for me to set out for South East Asia.  For anyone that is interested, I will be using this blog to keep folks up to date on where my wanderings lead.

This redux will have me flying put of Seattle on the 26th of January and into Bangkok on 27th, this time via Taiwan instead of Korea.  I will be wandering North in Thailand from Bangkok to Chiang Rai, then overland into Laos, instead of heading down the Mekong River.

Once in Laos, things will start getting a lot more free form.  I intend to end up in the far North East corner of Laos, up near the border with China and Viet Nam, but intentions in Laos are ephemeral.  What actually happens, once Chaos Lao sets in, will be the subject of the blog posts.

Its all magic.