by Jane | Feb 2, 2016 | Asia |
[grwebform url=”https://app.getresponse.com/view_webform_v2.js?u=spPd&webforms_id=13182401″ css=”on” center=”off” center_margin=”200″/]What’s the slow boat from Thailand to Laos like?
I asked this question of everybody that I met. I wanted to cross into Laos from Thailand in the north but I am scared of water and the thought of two days on a boat was unsettling me. Beautiful, peaceful, fun, boring, best trip ever, boats often capsize……there were a wide range of responses but the majority of comments were positive.
I decided that I had to give it a go – after all, if I promote a course which contains a series of personal challenges then I should push my own boundaries. Again! (read here about the time I took all my clothes off in public)
The day before my Thai visa expired I squashed into a minivan with my fellow travellers, some of whom would become good friends, for the journey to the small town of Chiang Khong which sits on the Thai side of the crossing point with Laos in the north. You have to love a country which names its land border crossings Friendship Bridges and I was very much looking forward to seeing what Laos was all about.
To accompany this series of articles on Laos, I have published a comprehensive 28 page travel itinerary of my month-long route around Laos. Simply enter your details in the box below to get your free guide.
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The White Temple, Chiang Rai
But before leaving Thailand there was one more treat in store. We were allowed a very short stop at the White Temple in Chiang Rai. This temple positively dazzled in the strong sunlight with reflections glimmering off the water which surrounded it and starbursts bouncing off the mosaic tiles.
This was like no temple that I had seen before. After paying your money you cross a narrow arched bridge passing a cluster of stone hands which stretch out of the water as if they are reaching from the depths of hell. Disembodied heads grimly hang in trees and there are many statues and silver and gold trees scattered around the grounds.
Unlike other temples there was little here in the way of religious adornment – it was all about the building, its frescos and the surroundings. There is a small exhibition at the site but sadly, our driver had been very clear – we had twenty minutes and no more – so I joined my fellow travel companions and we climbed back into the minivan.
Several of the travel blogs that I follow have warned of the rather dubious quality of the accommodation on route to the slow boat – but I have to say that my hotel wasn’t bad at all. I had my own little wooden bungalow set in nice gardens and there was even a swimming pool. After checking in I wandered down the lane to get my first glimpse of the River Mekong.
At this point it was wide. There was quite a strong current flowing and the river resembled a thick brown hot chocolate drink. The sight of it did little to quell my nervousness – if we capsized in that I didn’t rate my chances of survival at all! I tried to ignore my bubbling feelings of anxiety and I returned to my hotel for dinner. The evening meal wasn’t anything special but it was edible and identifiable and then some of us settled down to watch a DVD before getting a good night’s sleep.
Crossing the border
The next day we were up early and breakfasted, given a small packed lunch and we were back in our minivan for Friendship Bridge #4 and the border crossing into Laos at the town of Huay Xai.
This was a VERY relaxed border crossing where you fill in the relevant form, add a passport photo, hand over the fee together with your passport and you wait around in the shade for your name to be called. Calling is not exactly accurate as the officials don’t call out your name but hold up each passport in turn at their window which prompts everybody in the small crowd to flow forwards to see the picture, somebody steps forward to claim their own and then everybody settles back down and chats until the next document is held up to the glass.
We were then loaded onto trucks and taken to another waiting point where people took the opportunity to sell us snacks, water and cushions as well as accommodation for that night and then, after another short truck ride we were at the river.
The slow boat from Thailand to Laos.
At the river people clambered carefully down the muddy banks laden down with rucksacks and wobbled over the rickety gang plank where a team of workers stowed the bags under the floorboards of the boat. I had little time to be nervous as I grabbed a seat and the engines fired up with a blast of noise, heat and fumes.
I was perfectly placed in the middle of the boat – which was interestingly fitted out with rows of old car seats cobbled together haphazardly. As our journey got underway, the back of the boat did indeed turn out to be very noisy and the front was where an impromptu party got going but I could read, work on my laptop and chat to my new friends in relative comfort.
The journey on the river through the mountains was beautiful. The river was mostly calm and wide, but every so often it would race faster past spiky rocks and bubble alarmingly in whirlpools. This was the dry season so many of the rocks were sticking up proud from the surface – it must be far more difficult to navigate when they are hidden under the water.
The boatmen must know every inch of the river although I was warned by many Thai’s not to ride on the fast boats as the drivers are reckless and can be careless. Those longtail boats would accelerate past us at high speed but they have a tendancy to hit hidden rocks and they capsize with alarming frequency.
This is probably a good time to remind you to get your travel insurance. You can get a quote here from Alpha Travel Insurance
On the slow boat we had time to appreciate the huge cliffs hanging over the narrow chasms and we could watch the water buffalo bathing in the shallows. We could see how the farmers had reclaimed the silt beaches at low water to plant out rows of vegetables and small boys sat with herds of goats whose bells tinkled as they drank. We pulled over to rickety wooden jetties to pick up both parcels and people or we were met by dug-out canoes in the middle of the river that transferred ladies and babies to us for their journey south.
I spent my first night in Laos at the small riverside town of Pak Beng My new German friend Miriam and myself clambered into the back of a truck for the transfer to our hostel for the night. Pak Beng has grown up to service the tourists and villages who travel the river and is packed with guesthouses, bars and bakeries…and furtive guys who come out of the shadows and offer you weed and opium.
Choosing croissants and beer we had a good time at one of the bars before a good night’s sleep. We breakfasted on a deck overlooking the water and watched a couple of elephants chilling on the beach with their mahout before stowing our rucksacs on the (different) boat and grabbing some seats. This time, we weren’t so lucky and we had to sit on hard wooden benches so I was very glad that I had spent 40 pence on a cushion.
The scenery changed as we rounded every corner and we spent the day chatting and mixing with the other passengers, taking photos and generally relaxing.
The second day was a little bit cloudier and we did get a bit chilly as the wind funnelled along the river and I got a bit fed up of just eating snack food but I am very glad that I chose the slow boat to Laos, despite my fear of water.
Close to Luang Prabang we passed the caves high up in the cliffs – called Pak Ou this is the place where many pilgrims and tourists come by small boats to visit the 4000+ Buddha statues, and then we rounded a bend in the river and came to our final stop – a set of stone steps cut into the steep river bank and we were at the end of our two day transfer across the border on the slow boat from Thailand to Laos.
- [grwebform url=”https://app.getresponse.com/view_webform_v2.js?u=spPd&webforms_id=13127101″ css=”on” center=”off” center_margin=”200″/]Don’t be tempted to take the fast boat – their safety record is poor.
- Take a cushion, food and water and a good book or some music.
- Make sure that your camera battery is fully charged.
- You don’t need to pre-book accommodation in Pak Beng. It is a compact town with hostels and hotels to suit all budgets and where plenty of touts wait to greet you when the boat docks.
- Pak Beng has ATM’s, plenty of places to eat and drink and some really good street food
- You are not obliged to take the slow boat from the Friendship Bridge 4. You can head north once you cross the border and visit a very rural mountainous part of Laos or even branch off from Pak Beng after one day on the water.
- You may find yourself on a ‘party boat’ – you can choose to join in or the boats are large enough for you to distance yourself you want to sit and chat or read.
- The boats now moor up some distance from Luang Prabang so unless you want a long hike into the town I would recommend that you take one of the trucks. These have a fixed price with tickets issued from a little office on the river bank and they will drop you at the central roundabout in Luang Prabang
My favourite guidebooks are those from the Lonely Planet You can get your guidebook here
If you would like to know more about personal challenges and how you can push yourself out of your comfort zone, you can read more here
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by Jane | Jan 5, 2016 | Asia |
The Bridge over the River Kwai – the Death Railway
(This article was first published in January 2016 and has been reissued with updated content)
Let me first clarify – the bridge which crosses the River Kwai is not the same bridge that appears in the film of the same name. It is however a part of the Death Railway. If you are coming to see the river and the bridge over the River Kwai from the film you are in the wrong place!
Where is the Bridge over the River Kwai?
This bridge is in the south west of Thailand close to the border with Burma, or Myanmar as it is now known. However, this is the site of the bridge that was built using forced labour by the Japanese: although at that time the river was not called the River Kwai.
This river was a tributary of the River Kwai but following increased visits and interest from tourists, the canny Thais renamed the river the Kwai. And I suppose really it’s not even the actual bridge because that fell into disrepair and it has subsequently been rebuilt, but don’t let any of the above put you off. The bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi and the surrounding region certainly does deserve a visit – and there is enough to keep you here for a couple of days, and I would certainly recommend booking a guest house or a hostel.
This post contains affiliate links and/or references to our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on or make a purchase using these links. Scarlet Jones Travels is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
Kanchanaburi town is long and thin and it stretches from the busy commercial centre around the market and the bus station along the river bank and up towards the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. Don’t be deceived by the scale of the map – when I say long I mean it is long – you would do well to hop on the back of one of the little mototaxis (motorbikes) that scoot around the town.
I met my friend and fellow travel blogger Jessica in the town and after checking in to our guesthouse we went up to the railway and walked across the bridge – timing it just as a train trundled across.
Standing to the side of the bridge on one of the little piers as the train rumbled past I thought back to another time when the river was so important and the countryside was fought over.
There is an immaculately kept war cemetery at Kanchanaburi to remember and honour the men who died in the area during the war but now the town is home to guesthouses, restaurants and museums and is also a good base to explore the area to the north and west towards the border with Myanmar.
Accommodation in Kanchanaburi
Jessica and I spent a couple of nights onboard one of the raft hotels that float on the river. The Tara Raft is like a giant pontoon with rooms that are built out onto a little wooden veranda which runs around the outside. You walk across a tiny gangplank to the reception and dining area and you climb the steep stairs to a large metal decked area where swings and rocking chairs are the perfect place to watch the sun go down behind the mountains across the river.
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Sitting on the little terrace at night we watched a local man who lived in his floating house next door, gently scull his canoe around the boats and check his fishing baskets.
Jessica and I had the sweetest little room at the Tara Raft. It was ensuite and had large patio doors which let in the light and let us out onto the tiny little wooden balcony. The water gently shucked around the wooden pontoons outside and when a speed boat zoomed past and up the river the room slowly danced. Get up to date prices and details on accommodation in Kanchanaburi at this link: Accomodation in Kanchanaburi
The Erewan Waterfalls
Hiring a scooter Jessica and I set off to explore for a couple of days. We drove an hour up into the hills to the Erewan waterfalls. This nature reserve is popular with tourists and Thais. After parking the scooter we hiked slowly up the mountainside, stopping to look at the different pools.
The water cascades down and through nine falls and pools, each with a distinct feel and personality. The furthermost waterfall was the smallest but the climb up through the jungle was great – with the jungle smells and sounds all around.
We swam in two of the larger lower pools – with tee-shirts over our bikinis so as not to offend the many locals who were more or less fully dressed in the water. These pools had fish. Big black nosy fish that made the water bubble like a cauldron on the boil when they found a part of a discarded sandwich.
Have you seen the fish spas which have gained in popularity over recent years? These originated in South East Asia and these fish were in this river. Jessica and I tentatively dipped toes in and out of the cool water, giggling as masses of fish swarmed to our feet each time, and then just as we were plucking up the courage to put a whole leg in – I slipped off the rock and I was in up to my neck.
The locals were laughing and pointing and I shrugged and tried to look like I had meant to go in – being all super cool and then bimp, bimp, bimp – I was attacked all over by the fish who were determined to slough as much as my skin off me as they could whilst I was in effect a sitting target. No matter that I was wearing a tee-shirt, they tickled and bumped me all over – but you must remember that these fish are substantially bigger than the ones in the little tanks in the fish spas. It was freaky and nice all at the same time.
Jessica swam across the deeper pool and climbed up to sit on the ledge under the waterfall while I sat on a log and played around in the shallows. Jessica was far brave than me and wasn’t put off by the deep, dark water – well she does blog as MissAdventureTravels! (click here for one of Jessica’s reports on Thailand). We then bought coffees and sat on a rock watching the children play and families picnic on the grassy banks.
Hellfire Pass and the Death Railway
On our second day with the scooter we headed away from the Bridge over the River Kwai we went a bit further afield and heading west we went to the Hellfire Pass. After the commercialism and tourism which surrounds the bridge at Kanchanaburi the museum at Hellfire Pass was a sobering place.
Relatively new, and constructed thanks to the efforts of an Australian man to recognise the part played the prisoners of war and the forced labourers from S E Asia, this excellent museum tells why Hellfire Pass was so named and sombrely notes that one man died for every railway sleeper which was laid on this line.
Graphic pictures and excellent informative text boards kept all of the visitors spellbound and there was almost a total silence as people read and digested the horrible information that they were given.
I like to think that I am relatively well informed about the Second World War and I already knew about the short rations, the tortures and the abuse that the prisoners of war were subjected to, but I wasn’t aware that the people of South East Asia were also an expendable labour force who were worked to their death.
Hellfire Pass was so named because the Japanese became fixated on completing the railway from Burma to Thailand in record time despite the totally unsuitable terrain and they worked the men around the clock, forcing them to cut a pass through the mountains with not much more than pickaxes.
A wooden platform juts out over the jungle at the back of the museum and people stand here and look out over the glorious views while they quietly reflect on what they have just read.
Jessica and I also chose to hike along some of the railway into Hellfire Pass which really helped to understand the massive task which faced the men. We continued to trek deeper along the path and got eaten alive by mosquitoes – a reminder of the malaria and dengue fever that claimed many of the workforce, but the beauty of the place also helped us to understand how many of the men refused to give up and die – they found a strength and a solace in the place despite the horrors and the torture.
After leaving Kanchanaburi behind I read the book [easyazon_link identifier=”0099583844″ locale=”UK” tag=”scajonblo0e-21″]The Railway Man by Eric Lomax[/easyazon_link] which documents the daily struggle for life at that time by a man who was held captive and a subsequent meeting with one of his captors. If you would like to read the book by Eric Lomax, click on this link:
[easyazon_image align=”center” height=”500″ identifier=”0099583844″ locale=”UK” src=”https://scarletjonestravels.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/51Dxe6c2QyL.jpg” tag=”scajonblo0e-21″ width=”327″]
To sum up
- For a better understanding of this region during the war, visit Kanchanaburi and the Bridge over the River Kwai.
- Visit the museum at Hellfire Pass and explore the surrounding countryside (take insect repellent!)
- Climb to the top of the Erewan waterfalls (you can hire a scooter to get there or take an organised trip)
- Stay at the Tara Raft Guesthouse
- Read the book or watch the film [easyazon_link identifier=”0099583844″ locale=”UK” tag=”scajonblo0e-21″]The Railway Man[/easyazon_link]
- I got to Kanchanaburi by bus from Bangkok
- If you don’t feel brave enough to tackle Thailand and S E Asia alone, or you don’t have the time to do everything yourself then I recommend that you take a small group tour with Explore. Whilst I haven’t travelled to Thailand with Explore I have been on 4 trips with them and I can highly recommend them – Get the latest tours here
- And I KNOW that I am always banging on about travel insurance but it is so important. I use Alpha Travel Insurance – get your own quote here
by Jane | Dec 26, 2015 | Asia, Personal stories |
Loy Krathong
I had originally intended to join the hordes of tourists for the mass lantern release, but as I left my guesthouse and I wandered through the back lanes of the old town in Chiang Mai I felt the peace of the night wrap around me. In the darkness, in a district abandoned by the tourists for the evening the Thai people were setting out lamps and candles around their homes. In the distance down by the river firecrackers popped and fizzed while here little night lights encircled gates, steps and doorways; the pinpricks of warm amber light flickering silently. Nobody shouted; the locals moved with a calm purpose and I walked in the opposite direction to the celebrations down by the river and into the temple grounds. Initially believing the gardens to be empty I came across some monks gliding among the statues and the chedis, setting up hundreds of candles along the ledges of the dusty ancient brick structures and next to the sparkling gold of the Buddhas. A man beckoned me towards the temple door and as I drew closer I heard the soft hypnotic chanting of twenty monks who were sat in a line down either side of the hallway. Behind me there was the swishing of wheels and a very sick man in a wheel chair was propelled towards the bottom of the temple steps by his family. Attached to the front of his chair was a tray containing unlit candles which his family started to take from him and towards the temple. The old man, stick thin with sickness got agitated and I understood that he needed to be closer to the temple so I offered to help move him and his chair. Together we managed to get him to a position where he was happy. He could see the chanting monks and then with shaking hands he lit the candles on his tray. With watering eyes he quietly mumbled to himself, lost in his thoughts while we moved back respectfully out of his way. As I looked upwards towards the milky white full moon tens, then hundreds and then thousands of lanterns floated across the city.
Living the Dream
I am often told that I am ‘living the dream’, and it’s quite true; I AM living the dream. I chose this lifestyle and I made it happen. I always wanted to explore different cultures and find out what makes societies different and I’m now combining this with my other passion and I’m forging a career out of writing. I have the time to wander around in the dark in Chiang Mai and to experience the Loy Krathong festival and to immerse myself in the culture.
Why am I telling you this now? I am telling you this now because as well as living the dream I have been carrying an awful lot of guilt around with me for the past 6 years. I feel guilty that my actions have made other people unhappy. I sit on the top of mountains in complete awe of a spectacular sunset or I feel tiny and insignificant while watching a meteor shower and I hug myself and feel joyful…. and then the guilt sneaks in the back door. It whispers to me ‘
how dare you be happy! Why should you feel pleasure?’ and then the guilt leaps over my shoulder and stabs me in the heart. But I don’t even feel worthy of the guilt because I know that there are so many people who are a million times worse off than me. I have been privileged to have been entrusted with stories from other people that would make the hair on your toes curl so what right do I have to feel sorrowful? Gradually there has been a subtle shift in my feelings and it has been led, initially, by the younger people. Men and women from all nationalities but of a similar age to my own two children or younger offer me a road to peace. They remind me that I did what I had to do and I did it the only way that was open to me at the time, and they tell me their stories. They tell me that I can’t take responsibility for the thoughts and beliefs of others, least of all my children. They tell me that I must shrug off the guilt and get on with my own life. In some way, coming from the younger generation, this gives me permission to move on. In northern Thailand I finally stopped running and I began to put down the roots of some sort of a commitment. I had been working damn hard to establish a project which will empower people and which will build self confidence. On the night of the full moon I movingly experienced the lantern festivals of Loy Krathong and Yee Ping. I lit my candles and I floated my krathong on the River Ping and I joined with two friends to light and launch a sky lantern, each time sending my hopes and wishes off into the darkness.
A week after Loy Krathong and unable to sleep in the sticky dark of the small room in my guest house I took my laptop out onto the deck at the front of the hostel to work. I was joined by Robert an American guy who now lives in Thailand and we quietly chatted about politics and religion and then we moved onto Buddhism and meditation. Guided by Robert I practised meditating – concentrating on my breathing and emptying my mind. With gentle prompts from him I focused on the here and now, accepting the past which I was unable to change or influence and ignoring the future which was yet to come and therefore was unknown. With a snap my mind refocused and I knew that it was now time for me to try to forgive myself and to let go of the guilt from my past.
Self forgiveness
The following day after speaking with Robert I hired a scooter and I drove with a friend on pillion up the mountain to Doi Suthep. My friend had already visited the temple a few days previously so I parked the scooter and I went on alone. As I climbed up between the mosaic serpents which undulate down each side of the long stone staircase I felt a strange sense of purpose which continued after I had paid my entrance fee, removed my shoes and sat on the floor by a pillar over to one side of the main temple hall. A monk was sat on the other side of the hall and as groups of believers entered he murmured blessings over them, glancing occasionally in my direction. As another group entered and knelt before him, bowing low with lotus flowers and incense sticks between their palms he gestured to me to join them. I hesitatingly moved closer, then closer still as he obviously wasn’t going to start until I was included. He began to intone his blessing and with small flicks of his wrist he sent little sprinkles of water over the group from the little swatch of twigs that he was holding, but to the surprise of everybody present he then proceeded to douse me with a series of super strong splashes. 
Along with the others, I bowed and backed out of the hall, not entirely sure why I had been singled out for his special attention. Walking among the rest of the temple complex I hardly noticed the hundreds of other visitors, many of whom were busy clicking off pictures but many other people were walking slowly around the site in some ceremonial way. And then at another smaller temple there was a different monk again sat to the side of the hall. As I peered in through the doorway the monk looked at me. I laid my rucksack down, kicked off my shoes, approached him at a crouch, and then kneeled before him. As he blessed me I knew that I was being given permission to forgive myself. He smiled kindly as he handed me a white cord for my wrist. And then I got on with the day visiting the Royal Summer Palace and a couple of waterfalls. When I arrived back at my guesthouse I found Robert there and I asked him to tie the white cord around my wrist, closing the circle.
Freedom
A week later I was in Laos. I had trekked to the top of a waterfall with some friends. We edged out along some bamboo logs which had been placed at the top, holding on to the rustic wooden handrails. Standing bang in the centre, we could see for miles, across the jungle clad mountains and over and down where the water crashed and tumbled while the misty damp spray rose and swirled around us. I was standing on the very edge of a waterfall in the jungle of northern Laos and as the tears flowed unstoppable down my face and my friends wondered, I raised both arms high. I had finally forgiven myself. I was feeling joy, unfettered from guilt. I am in the jungle of Laos and I am living the dream. Postscript: Forgiving myself does not mean forgetting. Christopher and Sian: – I will never stop loving you nor give up hope
by Jane | Dec 16, 2015 | Asia |
Highlights of Bangkok
This was my first visit to South East Asia and I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Most people told me to head out of Bangkok at the earliest opportunity but I had to be there for a couple of weeks and I intended to make the best of it. I wanted to know what the best bits of Bangkok were and I was offered a place on a tour which was designed to show off the highlights of Bangkok in a day. After checking into my hostel with its 34 bed dorm!! (more about that later) I set out to explore the city. I set off with several other travel bloggers and writers to experience the Highlights of Bangkok tour which was organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. As the sun beat down on us and the humidity rocketed we were treated to a whistle stop tour of some of the best sights in the city. Our first stop was Wat Pho – better known as the place which houses the reclining Buddha. I would get to see a lot of Buddhas over the next few weeks, but this one, my first, holds a special place for me. The Buddha is MASSIVE. And gold – and it has hordes of people around it all jostling to get a better photo with their selfie sticks held aloft. It’s so big that it’s impossible to get it all into one picture on an ordinary camera so you can only capture tantalising glimpses through the pillars.
Those pillars which hold the ceiling up and hide the Buddha from you are a work of art in themselves and they are covered with intricate paintings and pictures; as are the walls. Along one side of the hall is a long row of little brass bowls. You buy a tub of coins and then walk along the row while dropping a coin with a gentle chink into each pot. At the end, if your coins match the number of bowls then your wishes will come true. The entire complex of Wat Pho is magnificent with chedis and stupas (pointy bits) in every direction and it has to be top of everybody’s list of the highlights of Bangkok. There are ancient drawings depicting the pressure points for Thai massage and small outcrops of rock gardens. The sun bounces off the jewelled walls, the colourful tiled roofs and the mosaic encrusted snakes and everywhere there are tourists. But if you want a really magical experience, get along to Wat Pho in the evening. You will virtually have the place to yourself and it takes on an unearthly glow under the floodlights (click here to read about my night time tuk tuk tour of Bangkok with Expique)
After Wat Pho we went to the Grand Palace where the word grand is an understatement. Like Wat Pho there is simply glitter and bling and grandeur in every direction. Strangely, at first glance, many of the buildings appear to be decorated with cups and saucers and plates….and when you look even closer, you realise that they ARE decorated with cups and saucers and plates
Hundreds of years ago, silk was brought in ships from China in exchange for rice from Thailand. Silk is relatively light in weight so the Chinese used bricks as ballast in the holds of the ships. Once the ships had docked, the bricks would be dumped – it wasn’t required for the return journey because rice is heavy and the cargo didn’t require additional ballast. A couple of enterprising Chinese sea captains decided to use crockery as ballast instead of bricks –they could sell this in the ports and make a little profit from what would otherwise be a waste product – and this did indeed prove to be a lucrative side trade. The Thais, who were building their temples at the time decided that rather than waste the inevitable broken pieces of crockery that arrived following storms at sea, that they would decorate the walls of their temples with the shiny colourful pieces. The funny thing is that somewhere along the way they took this a stage further and used whole cups and saucers and plates to make flowers and random patterns. It seems a weird product to use but it does actually work.
The Grand Palace was even more chaotic and packed with tourists than Wat Pho so eventually we were quite relieved to get out of the relentless sun and find refuge in a riverside restaurant for lunch. The Supatra River House was a peaceful haven from the crowds and we all enjoyed a tasty, traditional lunch in the upstairs restaurant before boarding one of the longtail boats which ply the river. We were given a tour of the canals -the klongs that Bangkok is built around and we buzzed among the waterside neighbourhoods where mail boxes stand on posts at the water’s edge, a hat shop was operating from a rickety wooden jetty and a fish feeding frenzy was taking place outside one of the temples. In the klongs, ramshackle wooden houses balance precariously at drunken angles over the water next to upmarket and very expensive riverside real estate. This was a glimpse into another part of city life. We spotted a water monitor basking on a rock in the sun, boys bathing in the water and wizened old men swinging in hammocks in the shade on verandas.
Our final stop of the day was to the iconic Wat Arun. Much of this temple is currently covered in scaffolding as it is being renovated but we could still climb some of the steps and look out over the other buildings. The teacup art is taken to a new level here with whole pieces of crockery adorning the walls. Despite the renovation work taking place, Wat Arun should still be on your highlights of Bangkok list. We had a lovely introduction to Bangkok, if tiring day, thanks to our guide Dom and the cute On and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. I was also pleased that On was able to accompany us the following day when I went to the Silom School of Cooking, and we had a chance to chat a little bit more
A hostel with a difference
The 3Howw Hostel, Sukhumvit
After a hot busy day it was back to my hostel. Always wanting to try something new I had snubbed the standard 10-bed dorm and chosen the 34 bed dormitory at the 3Howw Hostel in Sukhumvit. I like to be different and this certainly was different. On my arrival I was greeted by the delightfully friendly Pon and shown to my bed. Described as a pod it looked remarkably like one of the chambers in a Spanish or Latino graveyard. Chambers were set into the walls and you climb in and you lie down head first with your feet pointing out.
A little curtain gives the feeling of privacy and each pod has a light and an electric socket. The mattresses were the best ever and there were thick scrummy duvets, all with crisp white linen. I did wonder about the duvets in a city where the temperature hardly dropped below 30 degrees but the frosty air-con made them necessary and I had the best nights’ sleep for a long time. So much so that I extended my booking and I even returned a week later for more. The 3Howw Hostel Sukhimvit had its unusual 34 bed dorm, but it also had some nice little places to chill and relax. Despite the size of the dorm this was one of the quietest ones that I have slept in, and each morning there was fresh coffee and samples of different Thai snacks to try. And something else that is worth a mention – I think that the staff cleaned and mopped out the toilets and showers after every single guest! After the conference quite a few bloggers moved in to the 3Howw Sukhumvit and we commandeered one of the large tables in reception and converted it to our office. It was Rish’s birthday when we were there and the staff even went out quite late in the evening to try to find her a birthday cake and candles which was a nice touch.
I also experienced firsthand the benefits of a VA. A VA (virtual assistant) is like a PA (personal assistant) but as the name suggests, she (or he) works with you virtually. Louise has an awesome capacity for grasping concepts and new ideas, teaching herself from online seminars and courses and then puts into practice what she has learnt for the benefits of her clients. I mercilessly picked her brains, but we also got out and explored quite a bit of the city too. I will tell you some more about what we saw and did in a later post, but if you want a VA, check her out at Louisetheva.com and see what she can do for you. Hopefully I have given you plenty to whet your appetite with these highlights of Bangkok. It is worth spending a few days here – be brave – learn how to get about on the metro and the skytrain and find out for yourself what makes this vibrant Asian cosmopolitan city tick. Disclaimer: I must thank the Tourism Authority of Thailand for the Highlights of Bangkok tour and also thank the 3Howw Sukhumvit Hostel for a discounted stay. All opinions are, as always, my own and have not been influenced in any way
by Jane | Dec 8, 2015 | Asia |
To coincide with the launch of my long-awaited online course I have re-designed my website Scarlet Jones Travels.
I have been working in Chiang Mai – a large town in the north of Thailand – which is home to probably the largest gathering of digital nomads other than in Medellin on the planet.
Chiang Mai is an intriguing mix of the old and the new, a smorgasbord of street food and it has one of the best markets that I have seen on my travels so far (it even beats the one in Otovalo and that is saying something).
As well as working on content for the course I have some great articles in the pipeline too.
You can learn more about some of the great things to do in Bangkok, my stay in a 34 bed dormitory and about some of the other travel bloggers that I met at the TBEX conference.
a rather creepy exhibit at the toy museum in Ayuthaya
You can learn about my trip to Kanchanaburi where I stayed on a river raft and where I walked over the bridge that crosses over what was once not the River Kwai but it is now. You can learn about Hellfire Pass and the cruelty of man against other men and read about the waterfalls at Erewan and the fish that do their best to eat you slim.
I went to the city of Ayutthaya with its packs of (probably) rabid, feral street dogs and I cycled the ruins and the paddy fields of Sukhothai. I expected one bus journey to take just 2 hours not the 6 that it was scheduled for (I DO know how to read a timetable) and I went three up on a mototaxi (motorbike) during the rush hour without a helmet and I survived.
Gridlock Bangkok
All of these little gems will be with you shortly – and hopefully will be enough to entice you to sign up to my newsletters if you don’t already receive them
In the future I will post many more stories of inspiration and I will also be including contributions from other travellers, bloggers and writers, so you don’t have to just listen to me rambling on. I am going to mix it up a bit.
So don’t go too far away because service will be resumed very shortly – just in time for Christmas.
Next week I am crossing the border into Laos. I could fly but despite being afraid of water I have opted for the slow boat down the Mekong. It will certainly be a challenge as it is two days in something not much bigger than a motorised canoe on the muddy brown river, stopping overnight at a town midway.
See you on the other side.
by Jane | Nov 10, 2015 | Asia |
I enjoy cooking despite evidence to the contrary, I simply find no pleasure eating alone. Over the years I have done several cooking classes so when I found out that a Thai cooking class was on offer as part of the pre-TBEX activities I jumped at the chance to apply.
I have to admit to not being too familiar with Thai food apart from the well-known Thai green curry but after just a few days in Bangkok I quickly realised that there is a lot more to the cuisine than that dish.
Visiting the market
Our group of travel bloggers were taken by minivan to one of the smaller backstreet markets where Jay our guide and chef showed us some of the main ingredients which are used in Thai cooking.
Jay from the Silom Thai Cooking School
We saw bright pink (painted) duck eggs, lemon grass and tiny Thai eggplants. We inspected the live fish and seafood and the thankfully dead meat. We learnt about the huge variety of chilli and their differing strengths and we saw people going about their day to day shopping and then it was off to class.
Thai Cooking Class
At the Silom Thai Cooking School we each removed our shoes, put on a colourful apron and followed Jay up the stairs to wok heaven.
The cooking area was above the dining room and here in a long narrow room, 2 rows of woks were lined up waiting for us while underneath each work station (or should that be wok station?) was a little basket containing the ingredients for the first dish that we were going to learn to cook.
We learnt the correct way to rip the kaffir lime leaves, cut the lemon grass and how to chop the spring onions. And before you ask, of course I know how to chop a spring onion but much emphasis is placed on the visual in Thai cooking and there is a right way and a wrong way to do things.
our Thai cooking class
And then on cue we lit the gas under our woks and things began to really heat up in the room. There was one temperature allowed – scorching – so with Jay nipping around the room with his instructions (that man has the most amazing capacity for remembering names and information) we sizzled our way to our first masterpiece.
When Jay was satisfied that the last person was ready to turn off the fire under their wok we served up and paraded with our dishes downstairs to the dining room where we tucked into our Tom Yum (spicy sour soup) while upstairs a team of helpers magicked away our dirty utensils and provided the ingredients for the next dish.
one of my masterpieces
The morning passed in a really pleasant, enjoyable, fun and sociable blur and to be honest, I’m not too sure which bit I enjoyed the most – the cooking, the eating or Jay’s banter.
But we turned out an impressive array of dishes, and we all contributed and helped to grind down the ingredients for a thai curry paste in a mortar (no jars, packets or monosodium glutamate here). If you want to know more about Alice Nettleingham who is having so much fun in the picture below check out her travel blog here at Teacake Travels. I met some amazing bloggers like Alice at TBEX Asia and I love her articles – all written with style and humour.
Alice Nettleingham takes her turn at the pestle and mortar
The school cater for vegetarians and they will swap ingredients if, for instance, you don’t eat seafood you can substitute chicken, and you are free to add your own level of spiciness when you chop your chillis.
At the end of the class we were each presented with a small cookery book from the Silom Thai Cooking School and all completely stuffed full, we rolled or rather waddled out of the door.
Scarlet Jones – Thai cook
The Thai cooking class certainly stirred up my passion for cooking again and classes are offered at a VERY reasonable price (click here for samples of the classes that they offer and the price). I have a real appreciation of the work which goes on behind the scenes; whether the food is being prepared for a nice restaurant or on a street food stall.
Cabbages and Condoms
While I am on the subject of food I would like to drop in a mention of a worthwhile project that you might like to seek out while you are in Bangkok.
Cabbages and Condoms – their motto is ‘our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy‘ was set up in part to ‘promote better understanding and acceptance of family planning and to generate income to support various development activities of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA)’
You can choose to sit outside in a pretty courtyard which is festooned with fairy lights or inside in one of the air conditioned salons. The restaurant is quirkily decorated with condoms and with messages which support family planning. There are life sized statues or sculptures of characters made up of numerous condoms – much as a flower display would be made of petals and even the carpet has a condom design.
our happy little condom family
There is a small handicraft shop here and instead of receiving an after dinner mint with your coffee you are given a condom. As well as providing excellent food in wonderful surroundings, you can eat well and know that a proportion of your bill will be used to fund the social development programs of PDA
So here are two food options for you which you should certainly check out if you have the time while you are in Bangkok. My last blog article was all about my specialty one-off tuk-tuk tour around Bangkok at night during the Vegetarian Festival, although rest assured, there is plenty to do in Bangkok other than eating and drinking.
If you want to re-kindle a passion for something that you love or once loved whether it be food, art, music or anything else, but somehow life seems to have got in the way, make sure that you continue to read my blog as I will shortly be announcing the launch of a new course which will guide you to getting the zest back into your life again.
Disclaimer: whilst I received a complimentary cooking class from the Silom Thai Cooking School this has not influenced my article. All opinions and comments are my own.
Do feel free to Pin any of the images over to your Pinterest boards if you want a reminder in the future of this article.
heating up in the kitchen
