3rd May 1992 Day 288

The Diary
Last day in Bangkok. I checked Poste Restante and walked back, stopping on the way for a 1/2 hour Thai massage at Wat Pho. I didn't get a nubile young Thai girl, I got a Harry Cross lookalike and I didn't feel any better for it. Maybe I should have gone for the Patpong-style body massage! Oz, meanwhile, went to the zoo.

The rest of the evening was spent chatting to a Canadian and an Israeli that were staying in our guest house. More tips and warnings about India.


The big news of the day: Wolves 1 Boro 2. 2nd place in Div2 and promotion. It's the Premier League title next year. Or relegation.

A clipping I took from a Thai newspaper

2012
See Harry Cross here.

It was relegation......

2nd May 1992 Day 287

The Diary
We visited the post office near Khao San Road and I posted a book and some photos home and a card to Christy and one to Kim and Richard. We then set off on an epic bus journey in search of the water park. We caught the 39 to the Victory Monument and then changed to the 27. The LP said take the 27 to Siam Park. So we sat, one of us either side of the bus, for well over an hour, looking for slides. The nearest thing was a Makro Cash and Carry. We reached the outskirts of Bangkok and the bus terminated. We decided to walk on a bit and eventually we went in to a police station to ask for directions. We weren't sure they understood what we wanted and one of them took us outside and we assumed he was going to put us on a songathaew. Just then a woman pulled up in her car, the bloke had a word with her and she offered us a lift. She took us all the way back to Siam Park which was far enough off the bus route for it to be well hidden. She paid to use the car park and then took us up to the entrance. Our 'angel' left and we only found out her name was Dang and she didn't work at the police station.

The water park was more than that - it was more of a mini-disneyland. We swam and slid and had a jolly good time. Most of the Thais there had hired their swimming costumes and they all looked very dated. Trunks with flares and bikinis with wide collars etc. The journey back took 2 hours and 3 buses; what a city.

We had a British style curry at the Gaylord (shades of Island Gardens) and then we bumped into Sian and Adam. We last saw them on Feb 20th but we knew we'd bump into them again sometime. They'd grown to dislike the travellers' hippy look as much as we had and they'd also had similar experiences to us at Gili Trawangan, Mt Bromo, Yogya etc. They stayed 8 days in Jakarta as they were put up by friends. Sooner them than me. 


I'm sure we'll see them again.


2012
Did we see them again? I don't remember...best keep working through the diaries.

1st May 1992 Day 286

The Diary
Today we visited the Royal Barges but not by the most direct route. The easiest way is to get a river taxi to the entrance on the canal but we did it the cheapo way. Cross the river via the express boat, walk along the railway tracks, take the bridge over the canal and walk through the shanty town on the canal side to the entrance. The barges themselves were mildly interesting but the museum could have made a bit more of an effort with the information.

We did a bit shopping in the local dept store and I bought some new swimming goggles and looked round the shop. It's probably going to be the last decent shop until Hong Kong. We shall see. We also paid our last respects to KFC.


2012
It was the last decent shop until HK.

30th April 1992 Day 285

The Diary
The last day of April, we returned to Bangkok by train, Boro won their last home game to go 2nd with one game left and I received letters from Dad and Davey C, of all people. 


Bangkok was as noisy as ever but we returned to the peace and calm of the River Guest House. The builders hadn't turned up and it looked exactly the same as before - like a building site. We walked back from the GPO via Wat Saket and I burnt my eyelids. Doxycycline is supposed to make you more sensitive to sun and it was the first time that I'd been out without my hat.

We were entertained in the evening by a backgammon playing taxi driver from Washington DC. Americans certainly can talk - it's good job Oz and I nod well. We also caught a few minutes of England winning the World Cup in 1966. A German lad was watching too but he didn't seem too upset.

2012
Doxycycline - we were taking it to prevent malaria, though it seems to have a lot of other uses including the treatment of Anthrax, Lyme disease and acne. 

23rd April 1992 Day 278

The Diary
The day we finally got some sight-seeing done. First it was the 32m high buddha at Wat Indrawihan, just around the corner and then, after an abortive attempt to catch an express boat, we caught a bus to the Grand Palace. We eventually found the entrance - a few signposts wouldn't go amiss - and battled our way through the hordes of tourists to look at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the palace itself. 

 We followed a tour group of Welsh rugby players around as they had a tour guide but I don't think anyone could make out what he was saying. "On the right side of your hand....put back the shoe on" etc.


Wat Pho, the oldest and largest Wat in Bangkok and the largest reclining Buddha was next. Then we caught a boat across the river to Wat Arun, the temple of the dawn. We climbed up its really steep steps for a view of the city. As we were told at Borobudur, life is a struggle, hence the unergonomic steps.

We were flying today. Back to the Khao San Road for dinner and then back to the National Museum. Thailand wouldn't have much historical interest without Buddhism. The various kings have been good chaps though. Learning English, going to school in Britain, inventing the post office, trains etc. and trying to follow the western lead without losing the Thai culture. It's a shame they didn't build an underground.


We went back to the River Guest House, got a shower, had some food and caught the bus to the train station. The bus didn't go as close to the station as we were expecting but we made it with plenty of time to spare. The train was as good as the last overnighter and we even got free bottles of water.

22nd April 1992 Day 277

The Diary
The long trip to Nepal again but this time we knew where we were going. A good page in the passport for the visa. I took $200 out as a cash advance on my credit card, we went to McDonalds for lunch and then to Jim Thompson's house. We discovered that we were in the Cameron Highlands 25 years to the day that he vanished there. Wow. The house was overpriced at 100B but was good value if you were into Thai antiques. 

We went to the GPO - no message from Hels and Kate - and then to Wat Traimit to see the 5.5tonne solid gold Buddha. And by that time it was 4pm and all the tourist sites were shut. We had our evening meal on the Khao San Road and then caught the bus to Patpong Road. It was all rather tame and much milder than the Reeperbahn in Hamburg and it had a market like Khao San Road.

We went into one of the bars with the girls dancing in swimsuits above the bar and we soon had two girls sitting next to us. When one started stroking my leg I told her that was enough thanks. We sat there for a while with a beer (first for 6 weeks) and a coke and chatted. The best looking girl by far came over and eventually put her incredible bum on Oz's lap. It would have been great if they weren't expecting to be paid so we finished our drinks and left. We didn't see any sex shows - maybe next time when we've got more money.

2012
The Reeperbahn - that's a story from another trip....

21st April 1992 Day 276

The Diary
I went to the GPO to post Kingdom by the Sea to Christy and then went to the Australian Embassy to ask about residency. 5 minutes in the GPO, 15 in the embassy and 3hrs 45mins travelling. Absolute Hell. Oz meanwhile, had a quiet morning in, wrote letters, did the washing and had a leisurely breakfast.

We put some films in for developing and then set off sightseeing. I had a bad attack of palpitations so I gave up and went  back. Oz went off for a walk.  We picked up the photos, I wrote a letter home, had a meal down the Khao San Road, browsed the tapes and failed to find anywhere showing the Freddie Mercury Concert from Wembley. What a wasted day.

20th April 1992 Day 275

The Diary
The trip to Nepal took ages but we made it before noon. The trip from Nepal to the GPO took even longer and then we had to fight with the ridiculous system. Just hand out all the letters in rubber band bound blocks. How do you know when you've seen all yours? Travellers everywhere, wandering in all directions with blocks of mail.

Still we both got mail from the women and nothing from our families. I got a copy of A Secret Country so my reading matter is well stocked up again. We wandered off via another bus towards Siam Square where I enjoyed the delights of Burger King and Oz had some fries. We bought some malaria tablets for the north and made our way back.


The evening was a Khao San Road meal and a bus to the GPO for some international phone calls. I managed to get Christy out of bed. At least she was in! Then we had some more fun getting back. Travelling in Bangkok is frustrating to say the least.


2012
Not really Nepal, just the Embassy.

19th April 1992 Day 274

The Diary
Train back to Bangkok, express ferry across the river and then a hunt for The River Guest House. We eventually found it and then set off to try to get to Poste Restante by 1pm before it shut. Fate was against us, we missed it by minutes. But it took over an hour to get there - a foretaste of things to come.  

On the river

National monument

 We walked to the railway station to book tickets to Chiang Mai. The booking system didn't make sense at all so I circumvented it by sitting down at one of the desks. A couple of minutes later it was all sorted out. We then caught a 53 bus and by a very roundabout route eventually got to the Tourist Authority (TAT). They showed us where the Nepalese Embassy was and then Oz went back to relieve his bowels.

I went for a walk and discovered the kite flying at Sanam Luang and the traveller's paradise that is Khao San Road. More batik, tie dye, nose rings, second hand copies of shoestring, tin tin t-shirts, dodgy tapes, bad haircuts, more nose rings and bumbags than anywhere else in Asia. We had our evening meal there.


2012
A few Bangkok ditties: