Surat Thani to Phetchaburi - On the Train
2004/5/11 - 23:50
Finally. With a delay of two hours. It’s not like we knew beforehand. Every time we expected the train to come, we were told it would last another hour. We’re both in a very bad condition from taking a taxi with a crazy driver, waiting for the boat for two hours in the heat, sweating on the boat for four hours, taking the bus to the train station for one hour, and waiting for the train for six hours! We’re in the second class sleeping car and were greeted by - guess what! - cockroaches on our bed. By letting the car boy know, I was hoping for a kind of we-have-a-serious-insect-situation-here reaction: “Get pest control over here and move these kids to a clean compartment! Over!” None of the above. He swept some of them aside with a laugh, told the people sleeping next us (“Look! They’re having cockroaches! Ha ha!"), and walked away. In some way, I’m getting used to sleeping with these crawling (but damn fast) animals now.
Phetchaburi - Around the City
2004/5/12 - 16:00
“Welcome to Cockroach City!” The story is not finished yet. Our room in Phetchaburi, a city about four hours away from Bangkok (so we’re in central Thailand again), could be our x-th Encounter of the Cockrach Kind. We had two of them crawl “hello” to us when we entered the room. Turns out that our vicinity is a haven for enormous roaches. These 2-3 inches long bugs crawl around the sidewalk even during daylight - mind your step.
That’s not to say that the city is dirty. On the contrary, it’s very clean, much cleaner than Ayuthaya. We quickly realized that the cockroach problem only exists close to the river (where we live).
In an attempt to sample the local food, we randomly picked a restaurant in some unnoticed street and ordered something we didn’t know since nobody spoke English. The people and the other guests were nice and helpful and we soon realized that it was a rare event to have foreigners at their place. This would follow us around the entire city. We hardly saw any other tourists although there were lots of sightseeing opportunities. At a gas station, where we bought some water, the people were so excited to see us, they even came to shake our hands.
We went to a very cool cave with Buddha statues. I love caves so it was my treat of the day. Outside, the Thais were trying to sell bananas to us so we would feed the herds of monkeys in the cave area. We cordially refused - assuming this may result in some monkey problem for the city in the future - and went down the stairs. Inside, amidst the statues and bats, there were two elderly nuns and a donation box with an unwritten rule that said “You must feed me!” So I put 20 Baht (about 50c) into it. The nun gave me three incense, a candle, three folded papers with little golden papers inside, and a tulip-like flower. In some sign language, she tried to explain to me what to do with these items - I tried my best with care, knowing that these rituals may turn into curses when they are not done properly. I think I did just about everything wrong. And something made me think that behind her friendly, patient smile, she must have thought “Gosh! This guy just doesn’t get it.”
We walked around the cave some more and drove back to the city to go on a temple tour. We saw about five temples (still no tourists around) before we returned to our room with a quick stopover at a department store.
Tomorrow is our last day before we fly back to Germany.
Bangkok - A Last Look
2004/5/12 - 23:50
Again, a fairly exhausting day. After taking the bus and an overpriced taxi to Bangkok’s train station (where we would lock our bags), we took a stroll across Chinatown. The really interesting part of it was the narrow market streets with an endless number of little stores selling just about everything you wouldn’t find anywhere else. The food lane had only things I did not recognize (except fish maybe). Just when you think that it cannot get any more crowded, someone comes along with a motorcycle and lots of patience.
Back at the train station, I had a deserved foot massage (very good!) right before we took our train to the airport.
We have left Thailand and are now on our way back to Germany.
Berlin - Back Home
2004/5/13 - 10:43
We’re home and tired. Three days before we go back to work or university.
So how was my first trip to Asia? For some reason, it was pretty much the way I imagined it. I have talked to many Asians and I have heard and read lots about Thailand so no major surprises there. That isn’t to say that it was boring. On the contrary, this trip was just a tiny little glimpse into what can be experience in the East. So it shall not be my last visit. This is just the beginning.
By the way, Maria and I got wonderfully along. I’ll go and ask her now where she would like to go next