21 August 1984, Bangkok

After travelling in India, what a change! This is an organised place by comparison. The streets are clean, there are even garbage cans, and they are being used. We saw only two beggars all day long, and people stop on the street to assist you with directions, without expecting a tip. There is also no comparison to the number of touts bothering you, here there are only a few around the hotels.

Tonight my finger nails are not dirty, as they were every night in India. It is just a completely different world altogether. First we got our money and travel arrangements straightened out this morning, had a Thai style lunch with beer for the equivalentof Can$ 8.00 for two, and after arriving at Wat Pra Keo just after closing we went to see Wat Arun on the other side of the river. This evening we had a beautiful Thai supper with a Thai classical dance show at Silom Village. Later we relaxed at the bar of our hotel listening to Thai singers singing those beautifully soft popular Thai songs, while having a beer and some Mekong whisky.
 

22 August 1984, Bangkok

This was an expensive day. We bought all kinds of souvenirs and with the tours it amounted to something close to $ 180.00. But we had a beautiful day. Wat Pra Keo, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, was as impressive as ever, even more so than I remember it from two previous visits (perhaps it is cleaner?). Bangkok in general makes a much cleaner impression now. There are also a lot of improvements, new buildings.

To the Grand Palace we took the boat, and that was exhilarating. We had a Chinese soup lunch plus chicken liver satay at a little restaurant at the dock. Some Thai boys befriended us there and offered us some 'Mekong'. In the afternoon it was a trip to the Rose Garden, where, of course, we went wild buying souvenirs again. Supper we had at a beautiful place with Thai classical music and singing. We ate Peking duck and Chinese vegetables, a feast!
 

23 August 1984, Nakon Pathom

We arrived at this provincial town with the largest Buddhist chedi in Thailand by local bus. One cannot but marvel again and again, how clean and organised everything is compared to India. We paid $ 1.30 for two persons and baggage for the trip of 56 kilometres.

The temple here is in a well kept park right in the centre of town. Hardly anybody speaks English, and it is a bit difficult to make oneself understood. We had to search first for a hotel. We did find one only, once we learned to recognise the word 'hotel' in Thai script, by studying our dictionary, but now we are installed in a very clean, comfortable but simple room with fan and private shower for $ 5.00.

Our supper was sumptuous again: Sweet and sour pork cooked inside a whole pineapple and served on a flaming plate. Roland, my son, had sweet and sour fish with pineapple rice, again cooked in a whole pineapple. Together with European style soup and 'Mekong' and soda (as much as you could drink) everything cost us $ 15.00. With that again we had the pleasure of listening to and watching six Thai singers.
 

24 August 1984, Kanchanaburi

The town of the Bridge over the River Kwai (Kwa). A bustling town surrounded by low hills. A $ 1.60 (for two) bus ride away from Nakon Pathom. There were no hotels at the bus station, so we had to pay $ 1.00 for two rickshaws to take us to a $ 3.50 hotel, simple but adequate and clean.

This country is certainly more prosperous than India. At least it shows. Many highways are 4-lane, divided, although not limited access. Traffic is all motorised. Bicycles are seen only in towns. There are litter cans everywhere. The buses are almost spotlessly clean, all over the country new buildings are going up. Most temples are either newly built or recently renovated.

In the afternoon we took a leisurely rickshaw ride to the war museum and along the Kwai river to the famous/infamous bridge. There are some pleasant restaurants there and souvenir shops, so we augmented our collection.  Our lunch consisted of some delicious satay with Singha beer and coke.

Lately we have been admiring the spirit houses. They are miniature temples sitting on a post in peoples' backyards and are supposed to give lodging to the wandering spirits of ancestors. There is always a little offering of food, water or flowers in them, which, I suppose, the birds eat, or the cats.

Supper we had at a Thai restaurant on stilts over the river. Nobody spoke English, but they managed to serve us a nice meal of fish, omelette and rice. A young man full of Mekong whisky wanted to talk to us without knowing any English, which became somewhat of a bother, but he was peaceable. The waitress later tried to apologize in her way with the two or three words of English she knew.
 

25 August 1984, Prachuap Kirikhan

We stopped on our way South  for the night at this delightful fishing town in a beautiful bay surrounded by steep hills. Here we are on the coast but only about 15 kilometres from the Burmese border. This is the narrowest part of Thailand.

Our bus trip to here was uneventful, except that somebody stole Roland's camera out of his backpack, while we transferred from one bus to another. When we made a report to the police here, our interpreter was a young American in jail for possession of hashish. He was detained for one month until his court hearing, at which he was sentenced to a $ 250.00 fine.

Later we ate at the night market, beautiful fried fish and shrimp with rice and vegetables, beer, ice cream and cake, all for $ 4.50 for two. We also bought some music tapes and then strolled to the dock, where large fishing boats were unloading their catch and taking on loads of ice in preparation for another night's fishing.

Our hotel is right by the beach and our balcony looks out over the sea. Tomorrow morning we shall see the sunrise over the harbour entrance as we get up to catch the 06:30 bus. Too bad we do not have enough time, because one could stay here longer. There is a nice temple on the top of one of the hills. Last night in Kanchanaburi we went for some more nice Thai singing with Mekong. A Frenchman was sitting at the next table writing for at least one hour in his diary. He had been in Thailand for eight months and planned to stay another year.
 

27 August 1984, Chaweng Beach, Ko Samui Island

If there is paradise on earth, this must be very close to it. We are here in a little, very comfortable, clean cottage on this beautiful white sand beach in the shade of coconut palms for $ 2.50 per night, all complete with own toilet, shower and veranda. The water is as clear as in the Bahamas, and the bay is surrounded by hills, which invite exploring.

There are several nice little restaurants only a couple minutes walk away, and the food is delicious and cheap. At lunch we had crab and shrimp salad, pork and fruit salad and beer for $ 6.00 for two. Breakfast is $ 1.00 per person with eggs, pork, toast, coffee or tea.

The views are magnificent, last not least, watching the monsoon clouds building up in the afternoon. Other views are attractive too (for men) because all European women here bathe topless, at least I have yet to see an exception. I am not sure whether the other beaches are the same in this respect, but I suspect this is the least liberal beach, since it is the main beach on the island. On this five kilometre long beach there are about 20 different cottage colonies with about ten 'bungalows' each, and although about half of them seem to be occupied the beach is not crowded.

Yesterday we ended up taking the train (milk run) from Prachuap Kirikhan to Phun Pin. The 320 kilometre journey took about 11 hours, but was very enjoyable, since we saw good sights of the country. We travelled third class, and this was immeasurably cleaner than first class in India. We met a German traveller on the train, who had been travelling for eight months in India and Thailand and was now off to Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. From Phun Pin we travelled the 15 kilometres to Surathani by bus.

In Surathani several new hotels have been built, since I was last there three years ago, but we managed to find the one where I had supper the other time, sat at the same table and celebrated with a bottle of Mekong. Then at 23:00 on to the slow boat (five hours) to Ko Samui. We were able to do some sleeping, since everybody got a mattress and pillow. It was still pitch-black when the pickup truck taxi ($1.50 for two) dropped us at the beach on the other side of the island about 15 kilometres away. It was beautiful to watch the sun rise over the remnants of yesterday's cumulus clouds over the sea. We can see this spectacle now every morning from the veranda of our cottage.

When I paid for our lunch today, I left a $ 0.50 tip. The waiter was so surprised, he said he had been working here for three months and this was his first tip.
 

28 August 1984, Ko Samui

Another lovely day in this beach paradise. In between great meals we rented a motorcycle and toured the rest of the island. We found that all the other beaches (except Lamay) were empty, but also not quite as nice. The Thai here are prosperous, just about everybody drives a motorcycle, and they are also very helpful and friendly. When you sit down on a table, and some Thai sit on another drinking Mekong, they want to ber sociable and offer you some. When you buy one litre of gas for your motorcycle, the girl gives you a fruit to eat as well. Everything is served with a ready smile. The only drawback of living at a beach resort like this is that there are too many Europeans around, and one sure can see the difference in behaviour and readiness to communicate between the visitors and the locals.
 

29 August 1984, Kata Beach, Phuket

Again we arrived in the dark. We were supposed to arrive at 15:00 hours but it turned out to be a 14-hour trip. First pickup truck taxi to town, then bus, ferry, bus, bus and finally mini-bus taxi to the beach. Much of the trip was through wild, jungle-clad hills with vertical limestone precipices and covered by dense clouds. As we came to the west side of the mountains, rain started to pelt down, but eventually it stopped before we arrived in Phuket.

We had a bit of a wrangle at the resort, when we arrived, because they wanted us to pay in advance for a minimum three day stay, and, it being dark, we did not want to commit ourselves beyond tomorrow, after we had a good look around. But they finally agreed to two nights, and rather than search around in the dark we agreed. The cottage, which we have for $ 4.00, is not as well designed as the one we had on Ko Samui. The breeze has problems getting in, due to only one window, and it is not quite cool enough.
 

30 August 1984, Karon Beach (not as noted earlier Kata Beach)

The guide book is wrong as well as the tourist literature, the former obviously copied and not checked out independently. Our bungalow is two kilometres farther north than we first thought. The weather is grey, windy and uninspiring. We took the bus to Phuket to telephone and to reconfirm our flights, then went to Patong Beach to see, whether it is any better than this somewhat dreary place here.

We had lobster for lunch, a little expensive (1 kg for $ 16.00), but it was enough for two. Patong is somewhat like Pattaya but at a smaller scale, some German restaurants here etc. Since the beach is also much nicer then Pattaya’s with trees right up to the water, we decided to move over there tomorrow. At $ 6.00 a nice looking motel type room is reasonable. Only food seems to be more expensive here on Phuket island than elsewhere (about 50% more than on Ko Samui), and even more than in Bangkok. This must be a nice area when the sun shines with good views from the central ridge, over which the road has to pass from Phuket town to the various western beaches.
 

31 August 1984, Patong Beach, Phuket

Today we moved over here. In order to move about four kilometres along the coast, we had to go 25 kilometres by bus, crossing the central ridge twice. The weather is turning sunny of sorts. The place where we stay is just across the road from the beach, and is only about 30 metres from the water. The beach is nice with trees giving shade right up to the high water line. At low tide I  like to walk along the 100-250 metre wide strip, which is washed by gentle waves, as the wind has moderated now too.

As I was walking into the room tonight, I was stung by a bee on the tip of my nose. There is a nest in the corrugations of the roof just above the entrance of our room. Since the owner (Scandinavian) was not there, I went to the Thai restaurant manager, whether they would not spray some insect killer in there to get rid of them? He said, the bees would not like it and come out and sting, better to change the room tomorrow. Shades of Indian fatalism? No bare tops of ladies on this beach, but a few joggers, including a number of Thai girls. It is funny to see some of the better nourished ones joggle along.
 

1 September 1984, Patong Beach

We rented a motorcycle today for $ 6.50, went to town to change our bookings and then toured the southern end of the island. Nai Harn beach was beautiful, sea on one side and a quiet lagoon with almost fresh water on the other. The surf was tremendous and we swam out a bit riding the big crests. There was a bit of an undertow, but the secret is to stay on top and let the wave crests carry you back, without swallowing too much sea water.

Then we went to the southern tip of the island on a high hill, where many other islands could be seen. Then on to Rawaii beach, where, it being Saturday, many of the locals could be seen with their families. It seemed much less touristy than Patong. The trouble with tourist places is, that there is no Thai but only Western music. It is a pity that most, if not all, tourists do not appreciate some of the good things a country has to offer. So we had to go to Phuket town to hear some Thai singing on our last evening. But first we saw a nice movie, a tender love story in true Thai style. Even Roland was impressed.
 

3 September 1984, Hongkong

After a 15 hour bus ride through jungle clad mountains and later through the night we arrived in Bangkok at 05:00 hours. Halfway to the airport we were able to ride on a public bus for $ 0.30 for two, but then we broke down and took a tuk-tuk (motorcycle rickshaw) the rest of the way for $ 3.50.

The flight was very good with, generally, first class service. But I got tempted too much and had too much to eat and too much too drink. The result was that I was too stuffed to eat anything in the evening, even felt a little dizzy. Then came the landing at Kai Tak airport, which is always something special. As you come in over skyscrapers almost touching them, at the last moment the plane takes a sharp turn and before you know it, you are on the runway with the brakes on.
 
 

24 March 1986, Bangkok

We came in on Royal Executive Class since tourist class had been booked fully. So Royal Executive Class it was! Special service all the way. Kirsten, my daughter, had a window seat and allegedly saw and photographed Mount Everest as we flew past it, while I was engrossed in my drinks talking to an UNDP employed demographer sitting next to me. Now we are in the 'City of Angels'. What a difference to India and Nepal, superhighways, no garbage, clean restaurants!
 

25 March 1986, Bangkok

Sightseeing was the order of the day: Wat Pra Keo, Wat Po, Wat Arun, Chinatown and tonight a dinner show with Thai classical dancing.
 

26 March 1986, Bangkok

The big event today was a visit to the Rose Garden with its nice cultural show. We had supper at Silom Village, where we listened to traditional Thai music and watched dancing. Much better than yesterday, as we chose our own food and the audience was much more disciplined. Later some lovely Thai singing at the restaurant next door to our hotel.
 

27 March 1986, Chonburi

What a wonderful day! At last in the real Thailand away from big city life. We took the city bus to the airport to pick up our bicycles. At 10:00 hours we got away, destination Pattaya. It was hot!! but not unbearably so. All day we rode through the rice bowl of Southeast Asia, flat plain, criss-crossed by klongs and paddy fields harvested and waiting for the rains to water the next crop.

We stopped for lunch at a lovely roadside restaurant. What a change from India! Clean tables, ice in a bucket, delicious Thai soup with meat and vegetables. And this was just a little place in the rice paddies with no running water. And are the people in the countryside ever so nice!!

After 80 kilometres we had a series of flat tires which cost us a couple of hours. At 18:00 we had covered our 100 km and had reached a town (village) called Bangkapong, but there was no hotel. We could have slept at the temple, although with Kirsten being a female this might have caused problems. Anyway, we elected to try for a bus to Chonburi, 20 kilometres away. But there was none, so with the intervention of a couple of helpful Thai youths we hired a pickup taxi to get there. This eventful day was crowned with an adventurous meal (ordering from a Thai menu, and, of course, Thai musical entertainment.
 

28 March 1986, Pattaya

It was a hot ride along the superhighway to here. After yesterday's exertions 60 km was all we could do. Then a cool shower, some sightseeing, an hour at the beach and supper with Thai singing, in Pattaya of all places, but one has to search for it away from the touristy beach strip. Ki was busy all afternoon with the Hash House Harrier people, who have their international meet in Pattaya here.
 

29 March 1986, Pattaya

A lazy day. One just has to walk 100 m to the beach and beach chairs for $ 0.50/day are waiting under the palm trees. Vendors come to sell you delicious morsels of seafood. What else does one want?
 

1 April 1986, Ban Pe

Another wonderful day in rural Thailand. After the conclusion of the Hash House Harriers meet we left Pattaya this morning to ride 80 km down to Rayong and on to Ban Pe, the fishing village from where the ferries go to Ko Samet. The ride was smooth along a good road with little traffic and easy grades. All day we rode through back country only recently cleared from the jungle. Many people waved to us.

Tonight we had supper at a seaside restaurant among Thai people: delicious fish with sour sauce. The group at the next table invited us to join them and we had a nice time which carried on to 23:00. They were two men who had worked in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who on their vacation were visiting a local doctor. The teen-age daughter of one of the men was standing beside him all evening, filling up his glass. I mentioned to Kirsten, I wished I had a daughter who looked after her father like that. She just laughed in my face.
 

2 April 1986, Ko Samet

Arrived here around noon with the ferry, and caused some surprised comments among the islanders with our bikes. Now we are in one of the beach huts, quite clean but very basic with mattress, pillows and sheets, common shower and toilet. Mosquito nets are also provided as this is a malaria area. There are lots of cottages and restaurants around here and the food is quite good. Since on some parts of the beach there are quite a few Thai tourists there is also some taped Thai music.
 

3 April 1986, Ko Samet

Lazing on the beach. This is a fairly small island and most water is brought in by boat from the mainland. The cottages for rent are, though clean, rather primitive. There are more Thai here than 'farangs' which seem to congregate in a few establishments. Under these circumstances it seems a bit out of place when the white ladies (mostly German) show up on the beach in 'topless' condition. Perhaps they have to show more to compete with the Thai girls, who are generally much better looking than their European counterparts, at least as facial features are concerned.
 

5 April 1986, Laem Mae Phim

Today we left Ko Samet and rode the 25 km to this village where the road turns inland. Leaving late as we did, it was not wise to press on to Chantaburi 90 km away. Being Saturday, Thai holiday makers are out in force, many of them camping and picnicking on the beaches. Consequently all the accommodations are full and the prices are about double than what they are during the week. Even so it is an interesting experience to watch Thai on their weekend antics.
 

6 April 1986, Chantaburi

We started early and it was fine riding, when the sun was still low, but it became quite hot later on. Just before we got here we met a nice young man who steered us to this lovely cheap hotel ($ 5.00) super clean and all the conveniences except AC.

We arrived quite early (13:00) and so had time to get a look at the town. We had planned to see a movie tonight but there is nothing good showing. So it is supper with Thai singers again.
 

7 April 1986, Chantaburi

A day of surprises. This morning we rode out to the harbour trying to find the hill where they mine gems but without luck. Instead we had a great lunch of seafood soup and Singha. Another attempt to find the elusive gem stone hill in the afternoon failed also, although I found a village where almost everybody was busy grinding and polishing gem stones. So I must have been close.

Since there were again no suitable Thai movies it was Thai singing with supper again. We had the most attentive as well as pretty waitress. This is a type of service you do not get in the West anymore. Every wish is read off your lips. Meanwhile, since nobody spoke English, we had a couple of surprises in what we got and what we thought we had ordered. But it was beautiful food anyway, and since it was served so beautifully we were completely happy.
 

8 April 1986, Trad

We left early again to take advantage of the cool of the morning. About 20 km down the road we stopped at Praen waterfall (Nam Tok Praen) where at least we had a nice swim in cool water under the falls. At the stalls of the vendors we supplied ourselves with water pistols for the coming festival of Songkran.

Onwards the country grew bumpier with many small hillocks obliging us to change gears often. At Trad we arrived at about 13:30 and are now only about 20 km from the Cambodian border. At a police post on the way we had to stop, not to have our papers examined but to be offered a glass of ice water.

Trad is a small provincial town. Supper we had at the night market where we could point to what we wanted. Later we saw a movie about the life of a nurse who had to choose for husband between a wealthy and handsome ex-patient and a crippled doctor. A very nice movie but first we had to sit through a horrid Hongkong Chinese Kung Fu film.
 

9 April 1986, Trad

Rode out today to Laem Ngop from where the ferry goes to Ko Chang. There are no beaches here on the mainland, but Ko Chang looks impressive from the distance, a large island with high mountains. It would be nice to go there some time. Had some great seafood soup at the restaurant near the ferry dock. It was a very nice ride, riding in the heat of the day through sleepy little villages. I shall miss these impressions of the Thai countryside when I leave.

Tonight we had another adventurous supper not exactly knowing what we would get. I did get a very spicy beef curry exactly as ordered though. Then off to see a Thai movie about recruits in the Thai army, pleasant but of little substance.
 

10 April 1986, Bangkok

After a hot and tiring bus ride we arrived at the Eastern Bus Terminal close to 17:00. The ride into town on bicycles was quite easy. Contrary to reports, Bangkok drivers seemed quite disciplined, at least during rush hour.
 

11 April 1986, Bangkok

Tried to go to the 'Ancient City' but it was too late for the tour. So we visited the Jim Thompson House, a traditional Thai house, formerly owned by Jim Thompson who revived the Thai silk industry. Later we went to see the solid gold Buddha, all seven tons of it. I should say it was burglar-proof. In the evening we saw another Thai movie, a light comedy about the adventures of some teenagers, quite amusing and pleasant to watch even without the benefit of being able to understand the language. Among 14 theatres this was the only one which showed a worthwhile film, the others all being either Western or horror Hongkong Chinese.

After the movie while having supper I got invited again to join another table with two young men from Ubon and Songkla who were in Bangkok on an English course. They were water resources/conservation people soon to go to Australia to study there.
 

12 April 1986, Bangkok

Went wild shopping today. Bought some pants and shirts. In the morning we went to the weekend market, now moved to Chatuchak near the Northern bus station. This market has to be the granddaddy of all flea markets. Earlier we were at a private hospital so Ki could get some treatment for a rash. Surprising how low hospital rates are here (private hospital), as little as $ 35.00 for a private room or $ 20.00 for a bed in a 3-bed room.
 

13 April 1986, Bangkok

We had an adventurous morning indeed. We took the city bus out to near the 'Ancient City'. Ten minutes after we got off and were on our way by 'soengtao' (pickup taxi) I noticed that I had left my camera on the bus. So immediately we had the taxi turn back to go back to the bus terminus. Luckily all buses take a two hour break at the terminus before heading back, and our bus was still there with the camera still on the seat we had occupied. So only with an hours delay we were back on track. Although I had seen the 'Ancient City' before it was interesting to be there again.

Later in the evening it was off on the night bus to Chiang Mai. For $ 25.00 return you get a 2x700 km ride including taxi rides to and from the bus at both ends, and including meals and soft drinks on the bus. Also provided but not appreciated was an awful Hongkong Chinese movie on the video.
 

14 April 1986, Chiang Mai

Songkran in Chiang Mai is an outstanding experience. The Buddhist New Year is celebrated as the end of the hot dry season. Lots of water, some ice cold, some scented, is thrown about, the idea being to bless you for the coming year. Traditionally, a cup of scented water is emptied over your right shoulder by the well wisher, but in practice it is mostly shooting water pistols or emptying whole buckets of water over anybody within reach. Pickup trucks with happy teenagers roam the streets carrying whole tubs, and throwing water everywhere. I ventured out of the hotel twice and got drenched over and over again each time. But then it is fun to shoot your water pistol at pretty and laughing girls.
 

15 April 1986, Chiang Mai

This was just another wonderful day. Before the water battles started again we went up to the temple on the hill, Doi Suthep, one of the most beautiful temples in Thailand. On the way back we were already being sprayed. Then we went off to the Songkran parade where we arrived totally wet. The parade was a joyous affair which gave the onlookers the chance not only to enjoy the views and sounds but spray the beauty queens and the policemen as well. I took some good pictures standing on top of a garbage container where I escaped most of the deluge, and consequently, after the parade was finished, felt the need to get wet again. Fortunately we got invited by the crew of one of the pickup trucks roaming the streets and participated in the general fun. I cannot remember ever having seen so many people innocently and purely happy.

In the evening we went to the night market for supper ($ 6.00 for two with drinks) and watched the beauty contest for Miss Songkran.
 

16 April 1986, Chiang Mai

Shopping today before our trip back to Bangkok on the night bus. This is practically the end of our holiday. Only beautiful memories will remain once we leave this lovely country, where from every door one hears beautiful music, where every restaurant down to the humblest street vendor sells delicious food and almost everybody gives you that extra smile of which we in the West have much too little.
 

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