Visa run to Myanmar

Pick-up


Have returned to Ranong to do a visa run. The 30 days has gone really quickly and two years will go at the same speed! We could have done a run South to Malaysia but heard reports about unrest there so it is more convenient for us to do it here and cross the border to Myanmar and do it on the Burmese island. We went by pick-up which costs 40cents NZ not matter how far you travel.

We arrived at the immigration office as it was opening at 8.30 and were pounced on by a boat tout. After getting an exit stamp from Thai immigration we went with the tout on a long boat to Myanmar. He was Burmese and spoke great English. He took the two of us across to the border town and we paid $10US each for a Burmese day visa. We stayed 20 or so minutes in Myanmar and were swamped with money changers wanting to buy US dollars from us (in turn they sell them to foreigners who haven't got American dollars to pay for the Burmese visa- but at an inflated rate, of course!), local kids wanting to take us to see the town's Buddah, and child monks begging for money. It felt a very desperate place so we were out of there. Not dissimilar to many border towns we have visited over the years!

We plan to head north and make our way to Chiang Mai next.

Muslim Stilt Village-Phang Nga Bay

We did a tour of this Muslim Village on stilts over the sea and beside a huge limestone rock. We went by longboat through the Phang Nga National Marine Park and then stayed the night in the village in rustic accomodation- made from palm leaves.

It was settled a couple of hundred years ago by 2 fishing families from Java. Now, there are 2000 people in the village surviving on fishing and tourism.

The school had signs on it saying- Marine Biology lab, Hydroponics, and English room. It didn't look very well equipped but the dreams were there. There were concrete walkways joining parts of the village together with signs pointing to the steep limestone rock and showing the Tsunami Evacuation Plan! Glad we didn't have to use it and rush with 2000 others along the narrow paths to the narrow safety of the steep rock!

We travelled the Bay by long boat and it took us to James Bond Island- a place that sells tourist stuff and was in some Bond Film.
This is it here!

The long boat as we stopped for lunch.

Apparently there are black tigers on some of the islands in the bay and the salt water crocodiles that were there have now moved out as the tourists have moved in.

There are no dogs, pigs or alcohol allowed on the island but we saw the odd monkey and lots of roaming pet cats as well as the usual roosters and hens. Many houses had caged yellow birds that looked like jays. Will have to ask about them.

At present we are in Krabi as we decide what to do next and where to go. In the early evening the sky darkens and the wind blows and then the lightning begins to mark a period of rain. It doesn't last long and the mosquitoes decide to make an appearance at the same time.

We have to hang around this area as we need to return to nearby Ranong- the border town with Burma- to extend our visas for another 30 days. Well we are off to look for a place to eat before the rains arrive, it is so funny watching the locals, 4 -up carrying umbrellas on their motorbikes in the rain.

By the sea

Hat Cabana Beach

We arrived in Prachup Kiri Khan Friday 16th.
Our budget hotel is fine. No air con but it has a couple of fans and flyscreens. It feels safe and so far we have not seen many other 'farang' in town.
There is a tourism and seafood festival happening in town and for the next 2 weeks. The street along the waterfront is packed with tables and chairs sponsored by the local beer company Singha. There are street stalls selling furniture, clothes and dozens of food stalls selling seafood- mussels (tiny ones), sunset shell cockles like we get on the beach in Papamoa, crabs, prawns, fish- dried, salted, shredded you name it they do it to fish, and their speciality squid. After a while you don't notice the fishy smell or the dog urine or...
There is a funfair along the street with traditional Thai shadow puppets and there has been a different band every night. Some of the English songs have lost their original lyrics but we could identify them.
Have been eating at the night food stalls that are situated across from our hotel from 6-10 at night. Fresh tropical fruit smoothies and mussel omelettes. Mussel Omlette cook

There is a wat- temple on a rock above the town and we walked the 391 steps to the top and were surrounded by 3 times as many monkeys who are encouraged by the local monkey food sellers below the track. It is so smokey that it is difficult to see very far from the top. People cook using charcoal and then burn their plastic rubbish at the end of the day.
We walked along the beach yesterday and were the only ones on it. It is a sandy beach and it was very flat. We heard a noise above us and saw the tail end of the skydivers forming a flower in the colours of the Thai flag and it was to commemorate the King of Thailand's birthday. The sky divers came from Japan, Germany, USA and America. Quite spectacular and not advertised through the tourist office we visited on the first day here! If it was it was all in Thai!
Watched fishers today throw their weighted nets and catch little fish. Quite fun.

A local using this gadget to scrape the sand and get shellfish like the tuatua at papamoa Beach.

Since Bangkok

For the last few days have been travelling in the north of Bangkok.

We noticed the guy to the above. Thought it might be a possible international posting for Ian Crichton when Nestles NZ run out of work for him!

Started of at Ayutthaya the ancient capital of Siam, founded around 1350. Was destroyed by invaders since. Really sank home what a short history we have in NZ. Went there by train, hired a couple of bikes and spent the best part of the day looking around the UNESCO site. Had a shower of rain around the middle of the day, the first rain at the start of the coming wet season. On the way north a lot of the rice growing area is in drought. Only areas able to use irrigation schemes look in good shape. Further north planes are seeding the clouds in an effort to produce early rain.

Headed into central Thailand and spent three nights with Lee-anne Hill, a relation of Lil's. Lee-anne is teaching English at a university in Nakhon Sawan. She made us most welcome, educating us on things Thai, and providing valuable IT support!! What do you think of the photos Lee-anne.

So,back in Bangkok overnight then catching a train tomorrow to Southern Thailand to check out those famous Indian Ocean beaches.

Lee-anne hill sending us off in air conditioned van to the coast.

Exploring Bangkok

VIMANMEK TEAK HOUSE

Have had lots of difficulties getting this blog up and running with the photos. Some cafes do not allow us to put photos to the blogs but at last we have got it sussed so will try to post more regularly.

These postings will be out of date order so bear with us!

After leaving the Indra Hotel where we stayed for the first two days here we moved to the budget hotel A-One near the incredible shopping Complexes of Siam Centre, MBK and Paragon. On the 3rd floor of Paragon you can buy a Lambourgini- it's so flash there. We have nothing like it in NZ.

The shopping centres have enormous whole floors of all the same stuff- cellphones, clothes, food shops etc. No wonder people like to shop here! We can't- don't have enough space and don't want to carry all that stuff in our small back packs. We are just carrying around 13 kilos each!

Have managed to work out the simple skytrain networks and get where we want to go with those often grabbing a Danish pastry on the way through the stations.

Have also enjoyed the local buses with one fare system no matter how far you go. The locals are entertained by having 'Farangs' - foreigners on the bus. Tried the air-conditioned buses but found they pulled the curtains and we couldn't see where we were going!

It took a while to work out how the boats on the Chao Praya river worked but once we got it we had fun going up and down the smelly dirty river to all sorts of places. Again it was a set price no matter how far you went.

Visited the famous Wat Pho, the Reclining Buddha and the Emerald Buddha as well as the area

all around them.

The largest teak mansion- Vimanmek and the Grand palace were wonderful too while Jim Thompson's house was a treat. He revived the silk industry in Thailand and went missing in the 70s.

Sky Train Bangkok

30 years on

Phew, more people and less smog. More cars and no Vespa motorbikes but lots of Japanese bikes. Cars on lpg and not so much smog. NO horns tooting evrytime the driver wants to change lanes. No Tricycle rickshaws. Lots more beautiful women with old whitemen!

Airport is great- lots of glass and joined to the city by an incredible motorway system with toll roads.

Sky train is wonderful and the walkways that link to it are above the footpaths and over the busy intersections. great to get out of the rush of people and pestering taxi and tuk tuk drivers. No stall holders are allowed on the walkways so it is heaven above 6 million people!

39 degrees today and 3o percent humidity! All new modern stores are great for refuge and iced tea and coffee go down a treat.

Bangkok is a shopaholics paradise. Not our thing as we cannot carry so much stuff in our light back packs.

Spent first two nights in an upper class hotel to aclimatise but are now in a backpackers as recommended by the Traveller's bible! It has an air conditioned room with hot shower and Sky TV but no lounge where we can meet others and exchange travel news. Hardly see any travellers as they come and go all the time. Not like the olden days!

Leaving on a jet plane!

The bags are packed and we are ready to go...
Don't know when we'll be back again!

Bangkok here we come...