Chiang Mai (1)

Ok, a few words about the train ride! Well, we were excited about the trip, and were very much looking forward to a nice dinner in the restaurant car. When we got to our little cabin, it was actually quite dirty. A Thai lady came around and tried to sell us breakfast. She took the orders for next morning, and the menu looked nice - we ordered ham, eggs, coffee... She also saw our beer, and immediately was disappointed, because she knew she wouldn't sell any to us. But that did not end her resourcefulness, and she tried to sell us whiskey (we had the feeling "under the table", i.e. in her own pocket). We happily declined, and asked for the restaurant car. We repeatedly were told that the "bar" was at the rear of the train. Starting to get hungry, we made our way through the 2nd class (which was another most interesting journey in itself...) to the "bar"! The moment we opened the door it hit us: About 40+ degrees Celsius, all windows wide open, noise that loud that you can't hear your own words (both from the music, but more from the train), smoke everywhere, colourful disco lights, and drunk Thais at the tables. There was also the open "kitchen", which might have significantly contributed to the heat. Since all tables were taken, we were seated next to two half drunk Thais, who took no notice of us. Being totally perplex I even ordered a bottle of beer, although all I thought was "I have to get out of here NOW". Well, we gulped down the beer and went back to the cabin. Neil ordered some "dinner" instead, and I had a sick tummy, so gave it a miss. After a while we tried to get some sleep, and while I managed to get a little bit of sleep, Neil was awake most of the night, complaining that the pillow smelled like Chinese food, vomit and god knows what else. He was right! Anyway, the train made its way up north, and every now and again it stopped for an hour or so for no apparent reason. Early in the morning "breakfast" was served. Oh dear, the most expensive unedible breakfast I have seen. I just ate the ham, but the egg was pure rubber! The coffee came in a mini plastic cup, and was actually not all that bad. Oh, and by the way, you don't even want to know how the toilets looked like! After a few hours into the journey they were flooded with p*** - after all the ride was quite shaky, and there was nothing to sit - just a hole in the floor... We were longing for the train to arrive in Chiang Mai, and a hotel with clean sheets and a bathroom! In all the excitement (not) we even forgot to take any photos - shame on us!

Arriving at the railway station, we got a cab and went to the hotel, and boi what a relief: It was a beautiful hotel, clean and friendly staff. We just loved it! The location was perfect, right on Chayapum Rd., between the old and the new part of the city. The Amora hotel was the ex-Rydges, and had all we needed (except a pool). The best part was the bar right next to the entrance. It was here that we started drinking a cocktail every time we got back to the hotel. After all, cocktails here are cheaper than beer or wine, and particularly this barman knew how to make it. Coming in from the heat, a Singapore Sling or a Pina Colada went down quite nicely ;-) But hey - a beer (mostly Singha) was never rejected by us either...


The first day we just relaxed and wandered around the immediate surrounding. There was a beautiful night market almost next to the hotel, and we went shopping a lot. In retrospect, it was the most beautiful and enjoyable market we had seen in Thailand. And we were lucky, since it wasn't a daily market, and the only time it was on while we were in Chiang Mai.

The next day was dedicated to a stroll through the old part of the city, and its temples. Very quickly we learned that in Thailand you are never far away from a temple, a buddha statue, or a cat! And we loved all three. The temples are just amazing, and one is more beautiful than the next. Neil, as a fashion photographer, saw hundreds of good spots for a fashion shoot. But even I was overwhelmed by the variety of temples, and couldn't put down my camera. The following is just a collection of SOME of the huge amount of photos we have taken (btw., all are clickable to be enlarged).






Of course, Chiang Mai is not all about temples. We really enjoyed strolling over the various markets, including another night market. But that was not as nice as the one we saw the previous night. Our hotel also offered a free shuttle to the "airport shopping mall", a brand new large shopping mall. We were silly enough to do that, but it was actually quite disappointing. Just like any other mall, and not much to see or buy, really. The only exception was a section of Thai crafts and we bought incense and candles there. And - not to forget - a cute little restaurant with surprisingly good food! The menu was in Thai only, but they had pictures next to the text, so we had a rough idea about what we ordered. Neil had one of his many Thai Green Curries (his all time favourite), and I had some sort of shrimp dish, which was very nice as well. Of course, you can get the western food here (and all over the city) as well, from the Golden Arches to BK, KFC, etc...

While we were looking at the many temples, some guy talked to us, and offered us a trip to an elephant camp, and other things. Neil got sucked in right away, and we agreed with him that he'll pick us up at the hotel at 8:30am next day. But that is another story, and will be the next blog...

Ubon Ratchathani

After a comfortable 10:55 hour flight from Auckland to Bangkok's brand new Suvarnabhumi airport (opened Oct 2006), we arrived late at night and took a cab to the Narai hotel on Silom Rd. As expected, it was hot and humid. We slept well, and next day we spent walking down Silom Rd, escaping to air-conditioned shopping malls, and a short stroll through the red-light district there. The photo says it all...

Next morning we had to get up very early, and went to the old airport (Don Muang), which was just re-opened a couple of days earlier. After many problems at the new airport, it was decided to relief pressure there, and move a number of domestic flights to the old airport. Our flight left at 6am, and was very nice. It was amazing to see a full meal service with a nice "boxed" breakfast on a 55-minute flight - Thai hospitality! The B 737-400 landed in Ubon Ratchathani, and we were picked up by a transfer driver. We had our hotel booked through the Internet, and the transfer was included. We knew the hotel was "on the river", so we expected a short drive. Well, we were sitting there in the nice air conditioned limousine, and the driver went on and on. At times I thought he'd bring us to a remote jungle spot and we'll be robbed. But after a bit more than an hour and 95 kilometers, our trust was restored, when he indeed pulled up at the Tohsang Khongijam Resort and Spa (I double-checked the address - it is indeed an address in Ubon Ratchathani...). And what a beautiful place this was! We were warmly welcomed, and could check into our little garden villa at this early time. Time to relax here. There is not much else to do, since we are in the middle of nowhere. The Pool is beautiful, and we spent about 2 hours in it... The deck looked over the Mekong river, and we realised that this was the border to Laos. It was also here that we made our first contacts with some "exotic" animals: A giant bug and an incredibly beautiful dragon fly.

The sunset was amazing, and we spent it on the deck with a Thai Singha beer, followed by a nice dinner.

The next day we took the transfer back to Ubon a bit earlier than necessary. We checked in to our flight to get rid of the luggage, and then took a taxi to the reason why we came here in the first place: To see the Wat Phra That Nongbua, a large temple with a stupa that is built in Indian architecture. On the photo you can see how I am dwarfed by the large golden buddha in the huge hall. We spent more time here than anticipated, and the waiting taxi driver got bit antsy (maybe he just wanted a few more baht), which was just as well, because we had a plane to catch... Thus, with impressions that are not possible to put into words, we reluctantly left this place and headed back to the airport.

I am usually opposed to low-cost airlines, but schedules dictated us to take Thai Air Asia back to Bangkok, since Thai would have left far too early. The flight on the B 737-300 was uneventful, and just what you expect from a no-frills (or pay-for-food-and-drinks) service. From the airport we took a cab directly to the Hualampong railway station. The station looked like a beehive inside: Large numbers of people buzzing around the station, some stands and shops, restaurants, waiting areas, a huge TV screen, and noise everywhere. We had another hour until the train would leave, so we went to a restaurant on the first floor and had a nice view over this busy place. At 6pm sharp, suddenly everybody got up and the national anthem was broadcast over many tinny speakers. At about 7:20pm we boarded our train to Chiang Mai. We had booked a first class, air conditioned sleeper compartment. The journey was - let's say - interesting. It will be the in next blog....;-)