Cross the Myanmar Border

Any Thai who holidays up north will normally cross the border into Myanmar. Goods priced as low as 30% that of Bangkok. DVDs so many, of good quality and superb packing. Bags of brands so many, grade A the Thais classified them. When going with girlfriends, just don’t let them know how much you have in your wallet. Sure to drop dead shopping, sure to dry up your money. As Thais they enter Myanmar for free, as foreigners we had to pay THB $500. As Americans with US dollars you pay only $10. US$10 is only THB $350. I should have had US dollars on me.


In the regions there abouts the two countries, exists spots of worlds without borders. I crossed them line a hundred times, no passport was needed for no one bothered.




The old gardener was lonely before we came, and as we approached in delight he elated. In a strange tongue he spoke and showed us much around he did. And proudly he pointed the direction to his village, a gathering of huts we could see. Nested in the distance greens, is his home within borderless worlds.

Where are the Real Hot Springs?

Seem like every hot spring in Thailand had been “commercialized”. I had for four years now tried to seek out a natural spot like I would imagine Yellowstone National Park. Only in disappointment I had the result.


Of the so many hot springs claimed in Thailand, none are left in their natural state. All of them seemed to have been piped up. And sometimes one wonders, maybe the pipes tanks and valves are part of a huge boiler system. I mean with fake Louis Vuitton and such a plenty here, one can not help but wonder if the Thais could also fake nature as a tourist attraction.

Route 118 Chiang Rai

And so having my holiday in Chiang Rai, the resort which I stayed was actually located some distance away from the city itself. Lesson learnt is that now I will recommend to anyone wishing to have a self drive holiday, do rent the car at the Airport. I had mine delivered to the resort and it cost me an extra THB $800 just for the delivery. Avis wanted to charged another THB $800 to collect the car but to which I refused. I drove to return the car at the airport instead.




Now, about route 118. One of the best roads I ever drove. In the rented Vios I drove, severely underpowered and not a car of my choice but budget constraints I had to adhere. However surprisingly, the car delivered burst of reasonable short torques at 3000rpm where I needed to negotiate the bends at speeds my mother would complain. I drove more then 600km in all exploring the area and had heaps of fun shifting between 3rd and 4th gears. Ascends and descends aplenty, long stretches were scarce. The corners tilted at slight angles, the rubber didn’t have to grip so tough. Fun driving, route 118 around Mae Suai. If only I had my dream car, an Evo that I could heel toe from dawn till dusk. In the light aluminum Vios I drove, swaying about round and round the bends. Like a sampan, for the very first time.

Suanthip Vana Resort, my Chang Rai Winter Holiday

In the land where the clouds were on the December ground, I was there.


Winner of three THAILAND TOURISM AWARDS, I just had to go and see for myself. Nestled in the mountains between two cites of northern Thailand (Chang Rai and Chang Mai), basking in the gentle December sun and engulfed in cold morning fog, my winter holiday up north.


Huts of nature made of wood, old style roofs in contrast to that of the ceramic tiles. Every morning, I wake to temperatures of fourteen degrees. I made my coffee and sipped on the patio. The misty blueness of the morning brightened with every tick of the clock. I witnessed the birth of day in the exquisite surroundings, the fresh greens revealing themselves as the sun rose hidden by the fog sea.


They have a large pool, to which I know I will be dipping in if not for winter. But as I was told, in summer the northern region is not a place for visit. And so I leave the pool in her peaceful state of mirrored water.


As we walked in the avenues in the shadows of trees, the mystic blanket of mistiness faded. It was ten in the morning when the clarity of the deep blue sky was revealed. A sight taken in full with eyes wide open, my soul in awe, my wish that this could be everyday.


Our huts blended in with the flora, our foot traversed the hilly steps that lead to her. As I descended on the bricked path, there was a sensation of peacefulness that cannot be put in words. You have to be there to know.


And so the first lunch was served on my first day, to which I see was grass, plants and vegetation. And the other daily meals in our package were as well made of food for the herbivorous. Then I wanted to strangle my gig, when she told me she signed us up for “Happy Heart Healthy Body” promotion, to which is for one to detox in body and soul. I am a meat eater, I longed for the fish and chips. By the end of the trip my conversation with people I hiccup “moooooooooooooo”. Genetically, I was turning into a cow. Chemically, I was undergoing photosynthesis when under the sun.


Nevertheless, I did enjoy the package. In the morning when we first woke, room service walked the long garden paths to bring us warm “rice water”. To cleanse our digestive system with the claimed therapeutic properties of the concoction. We were instructed to down that before we even brush our teeth, it had to be the first thing we did in the morning. Breakfast was husky brown rice with vegetables and the very freshly squeezed lemon juice. Fresh honey was served along for us to dose out the biting sourness. Lunch was mostly strange fusion of nuts and greens. The soup was strange and bitter. It was vegetable soup and I could see the chef did put heaps of effort to think out the recipe for which I could never imagine. Dinner I was happy, they served us fish every night among yet again more greens. My first detox experience, and I swear I felt the difference. Happy in my heart somehow, light in soul I was. After meals we don’t feel bloated and ailing of greasiness like on my other trips, where on reds and seafood fried and crispy feasted I must.


In the winter nights, warm flowing waters took an hour to fill the outdoor tub. To which after I soaked in tranquility with my head tilted back and gazed I did on all the starts so clear. The croaking frogs and the singing insects accompanied the lazy haze raising out from my shoulders. With the cold contrast of the surrounding warmed by the yellow lights, my world was then in a state of induced elation as I soaked when the deep night progresses.








Full photo sets here under Changrai Winter Dec 2008.

Trippin Beats in Darkness towards Thailand Balloon Festival

Ah, keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel
Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel

The music I played loud (Roadhouse Blues), my adored Crystal Method CD I worship. 4am the darkness, up ahead the dense mountains. Exhilaration filled my soul, my lone world in my darkness only lit ahead by the beams. The trippin beats and loud decibels, the fuel in my blood. Crystal Method, music I reckon that will turn any road trip into a gratifying ride.

Let it roll, baby, roll
Let it roll, baby, roll

My Volvo hard I drove, the Swedish shogun heat seared through the cold heavy nineteen degrees air of the dark hilly roads. Her turbo spooling gently at times, rolling along the long roads. Gently her turbo spooled in anticipation of acceleration I command, and when I did, soul, metal, horsepower and beats became one. The turbo heard in increasing hertz, exhilaration of the drive. Pressed against my seat towards hundred and sixty, my world.


Reached my destination I did at 6am, Thailand 2008 Balloon festival. Unknown to many, but knowledge of this I have. The fields were cold, the wind was strong. The 6am conditions did not allowed for liftoff, and so all the participants waited. Farang a plenty, mostly the pilots of the basket to which they command.


Free rides for some who queued. One photographer I met told he came three days in a row to finally get a chance to board. Happy he was, like a bird. The air was cold, but the sun that rose slowly warmed the hay sprawled fields. The breeze still gave a chill however, the omnipresence of a Thai December. I loved it much.




One by one they lifted soon after, when the climatic conditions was a stable. As they rose in turns, the crowed applauded in appreciation. And in about an hour or so, they have all left but one for some reason. One that was of adventure, a single seat tied to the large inverted floating pear that was suppose to be.


When the balloons were gone, the crowd soon dispersed. Leaving the peddlers in bad business, such was life for them. The final day, 7th Dec 2008, it started on the 3rd.


No trip for me north is completed with meals in the steakhouse. A farm I drop by so often for her juicy best burger in my book. Fat… I will grow even fatter, the good cheap food in Thailand. It was my weekend, just another weekend. My drive, my ride from darkness to light, my car, myself, my world.

Photo sets here under Balloon Festival Dec 2008.

Rayong Clams, Big and Yummy

No, I was not on holiday again. Just a casual lunch we don’t know where to eat. Along the coast of Rayong we drove, the thousand shacks lined the road a plenty. We had lunch, a casual lunch. And next to the sea on the sands we sat. The repetitive sound of waves breaking, surprisingly just another working day in Thailand. In sharp contrast to eating in the concretes of Singapore, I say Yipee yay yeah.

Samet Ville Resort

Mention Thailand to anyone a few things will come straight to their minds. Girly bars, ladyboys and cheap branded goods – aka imitation. Now, imitation as I experienced in Thailand goes beyond that of just jeans shirts and other apparels.

The normal definition of Resort:

re.sort [noun] (r-zôrt)

1. An area where many people go for recreation, usually in remote and natural locations which allows people to stay over.

2. A frequently visited location with numerous activities for the customer to enjoy, good food, wine and all, where customers are diligently served and prioritize as number 1.

3. A top notched visited place for people to enjoy with luxurious accommodation, providing hotel equal services and a very good night’s sleep.

4. A place for people to re-charge their souls on weekends from their normally exhaustive working life.

The Thai definition of Resort:

Samet Ville re.sort [con] (ke-na-bluff-overprice r-zôrt)



1. An area where many people go for recreation, on Koh Samet beside the sea, THB$4k per nite. Equally expensive to some proven luxury hotels in Phuket and other parts of Samet.

2. A frequently visited place by Bangkokians for it is 2 1/2 hours away with limited activities for the customer to enjoy – no spa, average food at inflated prices, bring your own wine and in company of free mosquitoes, where customers (I) have been ignored countless times by the serving staff and customers (I) can wait 30 minutes for their order and 20 minutes for their bill.

3. A top notched visited place for people (I) to realize the luxurious accommodation seen on web is in fact just some smart photo shooting skills, providing the normal pump-pump hotel equal services and a very sleepless night in cheap mattress and thin cheap feeling blankets.

4. A place for people to torture their (I) souls on weekends from their normally exhaustive working life and to return to live doubly tired, feel being cheated and yet there is nothing they can do about their awful experiences. Especially true after complaining to the all ears reception staff who have nil experiences of dealing with customers’ (I’s) complain and had no strategy whatsoever tactics to soothe the customer.

References:


There will be no towels for your shower till you asked for it, in the middle of shower when you suddenly realized you have nothing to wipe your ass with. The towels when asked for, are yellow when delivered.


The dinner promised in the package with seafood and delicious Thai cuisine are but cold BBQ food and tiny boiled shrimps (10cm), dirty mussels (4cm) and a lousy bowl of Tom Yam soup (soup fortunately served hot, diameter 20cm).


There are many styles of accommodation to choose from. As to why one would go for THB$4k instead of THB$2k (2k still expensive) is that one would expect a more comfortable sleep. However, one would then realized 4k bungalows are units shabbily split in two my removing connecting doors and covering with a thin piece of plywood.


Resorts normally have crowd control with security guards on petrol to ensure a gentle environment in unity with nature. However here in Samet Ville RESORT, your neighbor could turn their units into a noisy gambling den. All the rowdiness can be heard clearly through plywood that one will realize does not entirely cover the opening. In the night once could peak at each other through the vertical opening at the corner of it. So, one can see neighbor’s girlfriend’s bosoms and compare shape and size to one’s girlfriend’s bosoms. Bear in mind that so can one’s neighbor do the same.

Since one’s resort’s neighbor is that does not have a civic mind for their thoughts had been drowned out by alcohol, one would then decide against confrontation and decide to drown oneself at the restaurant 11pm in the night ordering beer. Only then to realize the joint is closed and to be brushed aside by the unfriendly staff who will not make any exception in a effort to make one happy.

The closing time of the next door gambling den is then determined by one thus when patience runs out at about 2 am, by directly confronting the tattooed neighbor to ask his friends to keep quiet.


The morning hearty breakfast promised after a bad night of sleep is set in shadowy old plastic tables and chairs, with a singe bowl of foul porridge served.


As pictures above shown on the quality of materials in the room, these are low quality accommodations one would encounter in many parts of this Kingdom masquerading under the grand name of resort. Samet Ville Resort, an imitation resort one can give a miss to without regret, and one to regret if gone to.

Dining on the Phuket Cliffs – Cheap

And again, why we should rent cars when on holiday destinations. I was on work, not on holiday. I was looking for a place to eat, the rental car I drove devouring the curves and slopes of Phuket. We stumbled on the E-San food shack up the hill. I had a choice, the concrete building with the fancy restaurant name that had the “welcome farang” feel, or the wooden shacks that looks like it will be blown down into the sea during heavy storm. I choose the later to discover the idyllic simple sitting arrangements hidden from view by the road. It was simple E-San food at slightly expensive price. THB$400 for three of us, as we savored our eyes did too. Just don’t drink here get high, will fall off the cliff for sure. The sunny sun, the shady tables. The view, the air, the sea. This is the life, this is my life.

The Holes of Thai Roads

These are the things that make your wheel break away nicely in unpredictable direction. Road repair takes forever in Thailand and so, when driving on un-chartered roads you never been before, always watch out for the holes. Drive slow, or let the car behind take over and follow his pace at a distance. He could be more familiar then your irritatingly slow car. Watch him closely and if he goes airborne, brake hard. One fine day, I finally understood why their existence. I saw cows drinking from these water filled holes after the rain.

The Naga Fireballs

From various sources on the internet:

The Naga fireballs are a phenomenon seen in the Mekong river - in Thailand (Nong Khai province and Isan) and in Laos - in which glowing balls rise from depths. The balls are reddish in colour and about the size of an egg; they rise a couple of hundred meters before disappearing. The number of fireballs is variable, being reported at between tens and thousands per night.

The fireballs have been seen for centuries and are most often reported around the night of Wan Awk Pansa - the end of the Buddhist rains retreat - in October, although displays have also been reported in March, April, May, June and September. It is speculated by Scientist that during particular periods of the year, the full moon will cause methane to be released from the sediments in the river. This rising methane gas upon emerging out form the water then ignites when mixed with the atmosphere resulting in the fireballs witnessed by the public. Mythological beliefs interpret these fireballs as steps for the Buddha to descend from the heavens.

Hmmmm .. very intriguing. I think this October on a full moon night, I will fart in the swimming pool in an attempt to replicate the phenomenon. I want to see if my fart turns into fireball or not. If not I will just make a lot of farting gaseous balls and maybe, just maybe, a passing owl will descend (fall dead) from the sky.

Hot Springs Beach Resort

I was in paradise, The Hot Spring Resort in Phang Nga. A lesser known paradise north of Phuket but still, stunning beaches and tranquility. The Tsunami of 2004 had devastated her, but she was quickly rebuilt and restored to her former glory. It was not easy to get to this heaven as she was nested deep within the unknown roads of Phang Nga. A destination popular with the Asian crowd I was told, as she was mostly promoted in countries like Japan, Taiwan and China. The Thai holiday makers were scarce in this hidden jewel of idyllic serenity. It is the only resort that has her own natural hot springs, a destination to break stress and detune your busy life to the pace of slow waters gently flowing as run offs by the side of the emerald pool.


It was the mob season and so we read that many tourists had cancelled their travel plans Most of the hotels in this region and others suffered a huge dip in business. To me, it meant having the whole resort almost to ourselves. A normally packed weekend with only 4 bookings. A normally packed season with less then 10% occupancy rate. How else was I able to take those pictures with so little people in it? The normal buffet breakfast had to be turned a la cart style. The restaurant by the beach was closed for economic reasons. It was peace to our benefit. I see it as a small stroke of luck. The loud chats and proud talks of Chinamen were absent.


Almost all resorts in Thailand will exhibit their own special spa courses. The experiences vary and I would call them a good con for most. These so-called spas normally can be interpreted as ultra expensive massages fifteen times the price of a good two hour rub in the normal massage parlous of Bangkok, at a quarter of the expected skill set. But here, I finally found the difference. We had thirty minutes to ourselves in the hot therapeutic pool, bits and pieces of aromatic drifty bits in the water. With our energy sapped out by the warmth and our spirit drowsed down into a lethargic cloud of drowsy soul, we laid on the massage beds and enjoyed one and half hours of exceptional rubs, twist and squeezes. It was poles apart form the con type spas I had in the other so called resorts. You just gotta try it. The sleep on the night of the spa felt like I had never slept in years. The morning after the energy I had was fresh like the first rays of sun. Superb.


The jetty that led to the promised beach was there. The beach that was supposed to be was not. The jetty ended abruptly and so we asked. The season had been strange after the tsunami years. The storms had been odd. They washed the sands away overnight, the beach that once was had gone. But on some good seasons the sands accumulate, and the promised beach was there. A grand wedding party was recently held, the newly weds walked the sands that were present. The owner had wanted to show me the photos just to convince me there really was a beach.


It was a bad season, it was bad business. It was Thais killing their own business which was yet another trait of never thinking of consequences. As you work with Thais you will know by majority count that they have the inherent attribute of short foresight. This season the mannerism exhibited on a grand scale. This is why we have mostly foreigners filling critical positions in most companies. We try our best to pass down the proficiency of envision. I am teaching, they are learning, but however most are not. It was a great holiday nevertheless.









Full photo set at cllim.com under Phang Nga Sep 2008.