Phnom Penh and the Khmer Rouge

Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia is a large metropolis, home to over 2 million people. In the 1920's it was known as The Pearl of Asia but those days are sadly long gone. It is an over-crowded, polluted, traffic-congested city that unfortunately has nothing going for it in the looks department anymore. Alot of foreign tourists find Phnom Penh very difficult to deal with, as the poverty and begging is very much in your face. Sat at a restaurant, 7 or 8 different people will come up to you trying to sell you sunglasses, photocopied books, bracelets. Most of these will be children. The majority of these children are actually under the direction of one chap, with all the money going to him, not the children. Tourists are encouraged not to buy anything from these hawkers,as it keeps them on the streets making a profit,though alot do. There is a massive amount of genuine destitution too, though these people will only beg off locals. You see them sleeping in the streets at night. Just around the corner from my hostel, we saw two very young children asleep in an abandoned pram surrounded by rubbish. Mind you, there are those that fall in love with the place. I met a number of backpackers in the hostel who had intended staying a couple of nights and had been there 3 weeks. As sights goes, Phnom Penh has three main attractions. The first is the Royal Palace.

The King stays here when in the city but as he is not here at the present, I was able to wander around some of the grounds. I got to peak into the throne room too, but the throne was so far away I couldn't really make it out. Next to the Palace is the temple. This is commonly referred to as The Silver Pagoda, not because of a silver roof but because the floor was tiled with silver tiles. Now when you go in the floor is covered in rugs but I did get a glimpse of a couple of tiles - they don't look very silver anymore - they need a good clean. The temple houses the Cambodian Emerald Buddha which is made out of crystals, a 90kg gold buddha and a life size buddha which is covered in over 9500 diamonds. It was extremely sparkly. The other two attractions are far more sombre. They are Choeng Ek otherwise known as the Killing Fields and S-21 a former school, which was turned into an interrogation prison by the Khmer Rouge and is now a museum of genocide. The Killing Field is quite simply a small field 15km out of Phnom Penh. It is one of many hundreds of such sites where the Khmer Rouge sent prisoners to be killed. During the Vietnam War, what is commonly not known is that the U.S. dropped nearly 3 million tonnes of bombs on neutral Cambodia (they bombed Laos too). Hundreds of thousands were killed and as a direct result the revolutionary group the Khmer Rouge came to power. Pol Pot was the leader. On 17th April 1975 he came to power and promptly appeared to go mad. He made everyone leave the cities - this was accomplished in only 3 days. He ordered rice production to be tripled - impossible. Soon thousands were starving. Then despite being a teacher himself, he ordered all the teachers and other educated people killed alongside all the monks. Within 4 years 3 million out of a

population of 8 million were dead. Some of his party slogans were "its better to kill 2 innocents then let 1 guilty escape" and "don't just cut the grass, pull up the roots" meaning if one person is found guilty, don't just kill him but his entire family too. So after the party decided you had to die, people by the bus load were transported out to a killing field. They thought they were being taken to a new prison. On arrival, their names were checked off a list and then they were all killed. Bullets were too important to waste, so the victims were beaten with agricultural tools until dead and then buried in mass graves. Today the field looks just like a normal field but as you walk around you listen to the history on an audio tape. You see the place were the mass graves were discovered and you see collections of rags and teeth and bone that have risen to the surface of the field after heavy rains. A memorial stupa has also been erected. This contains over 6000 skulls of victims exhumed from here. The field was peaceful, respectful and silent with everyone listening to the guide or lost in their own thoughts. After the reflection of Choeng Ek came the horror of S-21. S-21 was the name of the detention unit the Khmer Rouge gave to a former school previously known as Tuol Sleng. You saw how former classrooms had been bricked up and sub-divided into tiny cells. The barb wire encasing all sides of the building is still attached (this prevented prisoners jumping to their easy deaths) and there is a photo gallery - the mug shots, of all the people who died there. (The ones who survived questioning were sent to Choeng Ek to be killed). As the Khmer Rouge was very keen on documentation, there are before and after photos and more hideously a few photos taken during interrogation. There are also paintings done by prisoners at the time and afterwards. Out of 17,000 prisoners, there were 12 survivors. You see how ex Khmer Rouge ranking officials were treated as well. The KR quickly turned in on itself and started killing its own officers. In the final room there are graphic photos / paintings not to mention equipment used, so unfortunately you are able to grasp exactly what went on. One of the survivors is still alive today and he sits outside in the courtyard selling copies of his biography. That certainly would not be classed as light reading.

Election Fever

Considering they are only held on average every 4 years, I do seem to end up in capital cities when they are having an election. It’s happened in Mexico City and Quito (Ecuador) amongst others. Mexico City had a tent city erupt at its heart as the result was disputed, I wandered through the tent city – it had a carnival atmosphere. A couple of days later, there were shootings and mass violence. Well here in Phnom Penh – its election time. The current prime minister Hun Sen, has held the post since elections were introduced in 1984. He is one of the worlds longest serving prime minister, although the U.N. have accused him of corruption, using torture and not holding fair elections. The main opposition party have been without a leader (Sam Rainsy) since he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for printing maps with a disputed Cambodia / Vietnam border – he claims Hun Sen has been giving land to Vietnam. Anyway he has been living in exile in France rather than in jail. 1 week before the election, Hun Sen allows him to be given a royal pardon and he arrives back in the country to a massive fanfare from his supporters, though none of this is broadcast on the news.

Cambodians are very political and love showing their support for their particular party. Rainsy supporters have been going wild and the streets of Phonm Penh have been brought to a standstill every night as massive rallies weave through, making any sort of travelling impossible. These parades are made up of people in trucks blasting load speakers but mostly are consisting of people on motorbikes, two or three to a bike, waving flags and banners. I was sat at a street side restaurant, having my evening meal, when a rally went past. They are not slow moving, they travel at speed, yet it was 40 minutes before the final vehicle passed. Not to be outdone, the other party, the main party, also have spectacular gatherings. There are three parties and each leader has been travelling around the country in even huger conveys gathering support. If you get stuck behind one, you are going nowhere. A couple I met had an extra 6 hours added to their 7 hour journey because they got stuck behind one of these. All sensible people are getting out of Phnom Penh (the capital) whilst its still possible. To add to the traffic chaos, Cambodians can not vote anywhere. They can only vote in their hometown. The weekend of the election is predicted to be local transport madness as everyone rushes home. The vote is held today, Sunday 28th July. On both Saturday and Sunday, the drinking of alcohol is illegal, even in western style guesthouses serving foreign tourists. Alot of businesses have closed, so staff can travel and in my particular guesthouse, they are having problems with the menu as they have run out of alot of fresh food and nowhere is open to buy more. These are very minor inconveniences but unfortunately I am predicting worse to come, and as such, I have made sure I am out of the capital. I am currently in a sleepy coastal town. There is a good chance when the results come in and the opposition lose they will begin to riot. Because of the release of their leader, they believe they have a chance. This party is very anti-Vietnamese and racial tensions are also on the brink of exploding. So I am going to sit relaxing on my terrace, watching the world go by, catching up on my reading and drinking chocolate milkshakes. I am hoping that the next few days in Cambodia won’t be as messy as I think they will be.

Temples, Temples, Temples

The eagled eyed amongst you will have noticed that I bought a three day pass for Angkor Wat but only went twice. Remember how I said the temples were spaced out, well the temples on the grand and mini circuits were not the only ones in the Angkor complex. There were a group of early temples known as the Roulous group, 15km south of the city, there was another temple 40km north of the city, there were some even further out. No way would a bicycle cut it for those. I could rent a taxi but as a solo it would be extortionate, I had no choice but to join a tour. Even then, the cheapest I could find was $40.

I was picked up at half 7 (a lie in) and to my delight found that the tour was not full, there was only two other people on it. It was almost as if I had a private guide. We were driven (in an air-con van) first to the Roulous group and then to Bantrey Srei. Bantrey Srei for many is the jewel in the crown of all the temples. It is tiny, but made out of a pink sandstone with the most intricate carvings. It was the sole reason I booked the trip and it did not disappoint. But then we went to Bang Mealea, this was an additional 50km out of the way. Wow Wow Wow. This place has been demolished by the jungle. There are giant piles of rubble everywhere. Thank goodness we had the guide because he took us scrambling over rocks that I would not have dared climb on, on my own. We had to squeeze through collapsed doorways and shin up walls. A couple of times my head took a good whack, but what great fun. The temple hasn’t been open to the public as long as Angkor Wat because it was so heavily land mined during the wars. Its only in the last few years that they have cleared all the mines from the temples vicinity. On the way back we stopped at the landmine museum, set up by one ex-solider who has made it his lifes work to clear as many mines as he can. He is the recipient of a number of peace awards. Cambodia has still got one of the highest concentration of unexploded mines in the world. You are advised never to leave a well trodden path in Cambodia.

I still haven’t done all the temples included in the Angkor Pass but I have used up my three days allowance. The Khmers were seriously good builders though.

Angkor Wat

The town of Siem Reap in Cambodia is famous the world over, for it is here that the magnificent ruins of Angkor Wat are situated. Like Machu Pichu in Peru, Angkor Wat features of many people’s once in a lifetime type holidays. Not everybody knows about their history, but the majority know these were the temples that Lara Croft fell into in the beginning of Tomb Raider. Unlike Angelina Jolie I am not staying at the $300+per night Raffles hotel, but I do have a bunk bed in a hostel on the road to the temples.

Angkor Wat is the name of one of the temples here, but there are many more and they are spread over vast distances. Unlike Machu Pichu or the Taj Mahal, or the Pyramids it is not possible to walk between the temples. That was a major surprise and setback for me. The main temples are on two overlapping routes, the mini circuit which is 15km long and the grand circuit which is around 35km long. Plus the temple complexes are huge, once you arrive at the entrance you have at least 1 hours exploring / scrambling / climbing to the top before you reach the other side. Factor in the heat and humidity and you can see why walking is not an option. Most people hire tuk tuks, but at a cost of $15 for the mini circuit only, it is not for the budget conscious. I went for the eco / charity / budget option. My hostel rented out White Bicycles, these are charity bikes costing $2 per day, $1.5 goes directly to the charity. They are not in the greatest of shape. No gears or suspension and not much in the way of brakes. This was my vehicle of choice. I decided to do the grand circuit first – then if it nearly killed me I could hire a tuk-tuk for the smaller circuit. I cycled the 5km to the ticket office the evening before. The tickets are embossed with your photo, so there can be no passing on of tickets and were good value at $40 for three days (especially when you hear about how much everything else costs in Cambodia). You get take rest days too, so long as you complete your three visits within a week. Because I got my ticket at 5pm they left me in for a free couple of hours. I cycled another 4 km to get to the temple of Angkor Wat. This is supposed to be the amazing one, the wow factor personified and .... I was disappointed.

To be fair, there was scaffolding and green netting blocking the view. Once I had walked the gateway into the main complex, the wonder of the structure struck me and I spent the last remaining light exploring. The next morning I got up at 4.45am (yes) and cycled in the dark to get to the temples before sunrise. Everyone goes to Angkor Wat for sunrise, whilst I went in the opposite direction. It was a wise decision. At the first three temples I visited, there was only one other family there. I stopped for a well earned breakfast at 7am and then continued by cycling and exploring. By midday I had completed the grand circuit. I was feeling a little templed out so I called it quits for the day and went to eat the largest pizza ever in town. The next day , I took as a rest day but surprisingly, I did not ache. Then it was up at 5am again to get on my bike. I decided to follow the crowds and headed to Angkor Wat for sunrise. There was no sunrise, just the sky getting lighter and I hated being surrounded by hundreds of people so I dashed off as quick as my little legs could peddle to try and outrun the crowds. It was an exhausting day but so rewarding. I took a couple of hours off in the afternoon to rest and shower before heading back in for the afternoon.The temples were part of royal city states and were built between 900 and 1300 and were all originally hindu temples. The Khmer civilization was advance and in the 13th century there were over 1 million people living in the City of Angkor, whilst at the same time London housed 50,000 people. Angkor continued to be the capital until 1500 when the royal court moved to Phnom Penh. The buildings started to fall into disrepair and be reclaimed by the jungle. The country had by this time converted to Buddhism but they did not destroy the temples, the simply sat a statue of Buddha and the top of each tower. A modern day monastery is situated next door to Angkor Wat and monks can always be spotted in and around Angkor.

When I went back in the afternoon, I was on one of the less used paths when a monk crossed my path. He started speaking to me and was obviously enjoying saying “lovely jubbly” to me alot. He then asked if I would like to see the monastery! I had to walk in front of him on the public path so no one would think he was chatting to me but when we got into the monastery grounds, then he became very talkative. He explained that the monastery take as many children in as they can and educate them in English and Khmer. He showed me the classroom and the temple where the Buddha was. He explained some of the history of Buddhism and how it was nearly destroyed by the Khmer Rouge and how the war affected the local population. He was so informative, spoke really good English and not once did he ask for, or hint at, a donation, which here is practically unheard of. I can’t believe I got a tour of the monastery by a monk! These things do not happen if you are travelling with other people. (I did put some money in the donation box, in front of Buddha. Every Buddha has one, no matter how remote he may be). My afternoon was made complete by being able to climb to the top of Angkor Wat’s central tower. I was one of the last up before they closed and I was able to linger longer waiting for them to check nobody was hiding in the corners. By the time I made it home (in the dark again) I was shattered and ready for an ice-cold beer, but what a fantastic couple of days it had been.

Border Crossing

A few years ago, the Thai-Cambodian border between Bangkok and Siem Reap was notorious for its difficulty in getting through without being well and truely ripped off by every official, money changer and taxi driver on the Cambodian side of Poipet. The taxis were all controlled by the local mafia and it could cost $60 dollars for the taxi ride. Foreigners’ were not allowed to take the bus – it had to be the controlled taxis. The customs guys would want a bribe to allow you to stay in the queue, if you didn’t pay they let others in front of you. They would try to charge double what the real price of the visa should be, the roads were a nightmare – when you found an overpriced taxi it would take hours on bumpy potholed roads to get anywhere. All guide books have pages devoted to minimising your scam ability at this border. The worse border in S E Asia – this was going to be fun..... But since February a direct bus has been running out of Bangkok. It was a comfortable brand new coach with air conditioning – vital in these parts. The bus left at 9am (usually you would need to depart by 6.30am at the latest, to ensure you didn’t get stuck at the border). We enjoyed a comfortable ride. The bus did stop for half an hour at the scam visa office. Here you could buy your Cambodian visa for $40. Its a real visa and would get you into the country but the price should only be $20. Thanks to the joy of the internet, the majority of the passengers knew this was a scam and stayed on the bus. I was one of them. Some people did get the visa here for ease, but those of us that didn’t were not hassled. Next stop was the border. We could leave our entire belongings safely on the coach. I travelled through the border carrying my passport and my visa money only. It was bliss. I was stamped out of Thailand in under 5 mins, and went to get my Cambodian Visa on arrival. Historically this was the place of the major scams. There was nobody else there, no queue at all. I gave over my $20, the guard asked for another $3, I pointed to the sign that said $20, he grunted and I got my visa. It was so easy. Along with everyone else I had to wait an hour to be stamped into Cambodia, but as I had no bags, this was not a problem. And the guys who paid $40 for “the ease of it”, got back onto the coach an entire 10 minutes before me. BY 6pm I was unpacking in my hostel. Even better, there was no one else in the dorm room that night, so in essence I got a private air – con room for the grand total of $5. Luckily for me, it seems as if the days of border nightmares are over.

Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya was once the golden city, the jewel of Siam, the capital of the old kingdom. It had been founded in 1350 and was going along very nicely until the Burmese came along in 1767, defeated and looted the place. The capital moved to Bangkok. Ayutthaya is like an island – the rivers surround it like a moat. Even though the Burmese sacked it, alot of ruins still remain.

I had sorted out accommodation away from the backpacker street – alot closer to where some of the major temples are situated. I had booked on line with a new hotel. Thankfully the man who drove me from Kanchanuburi to Ayutthaya was not a typical minivan driver. Instead of dropping the passengers at the minivan stop – as he should have, he drove each of us to our hostels. I was dropped off last as we couldn’t find the place. It was not at the address given. We drove round the block where it should have been 3 times till eventually I noticed a tiny A4 sign on a window hidden by a huge awning. We had found it! But again, luckily for me Te (drivers name) insisted on carrying my rucksack to the door. The door was locked with a phone number written on it. I don’t have a phone. Te however heard someone working in a side street. It was the cleaner and he made her ring the manager. The manager who had the key was at the other side of town. Te waited with me until she turned up and I finally got into a room. Goodness knows what I would have done without him. Turns out the place was not a hotel as advertised but apartments. I expect when they start getting busy reception will be manned but I was left with the words, “If you have a problem – ring me”. My room however is amazing. I’ve got a tv???? (only Thai channels) but also a fridge! I can keep my drinks cold. And this place is hot. It appears to have its own microclimate. The hottest place in Thailand – come to Ayutthaya! By the way I could only afford this place because it was in a price promotion and even then its slightly more than I wanted to pay but it is a great location (now I can get in) and I do have a fridge. Yesterday I made a bottle of ice!

I have visited some of the major sites. Its not possible to rush due to the temperatures. Today was 36 degrees but according to the forecast it felt like 41. It certainly felt like 41 to me. I love how nature is trying to reclaim the old temples. This Buddha’s head has been completely enveloped by the tree and the two are now inseparable. Watching the sunset behind these ruins gives you a real feeling of awe and wonder. I simply cannot image what daily life here must have been like. I also took a boat ride around “the moat” to visit some of the outer lying temples. I defy anybody not to have a grin on their face when they are speeding up and down the waterways getting splashed by the river. As well as the old ruined temples, there are also Buddhist temples – these can be over a couple of hundred years old but they all look brand new, very sparkling and very much like Chinese Temples. Both sort of temples (ruins and Buddhist) are marked on the visitor map but they don’t differentiate which is which. Hence I walked round in a giant circle for nearly an hour trying to find the ruins when in fact I had past the temple (a Buddhist one) countless times! Just outside this particular temple I watched an old man make giant candles for the temple. He had a wok full of melted wax which he dripped into each of the 10 large candle moulds. I then observed locals doing the same thing with the wax. It is part of the Buddhist custom to offer a little wax into each candle. The chandler insisted I have a go too. I wasn’t as steady as the others. The chandler was not impressed with my original only half full ladle of molten wax and made me fill it full. I promptly then spilt some of it over my bare feet, then some more down my trousers. I did get wax into every candle though. Out of his pocket he produced some oil, dipped my fingers into it and indicated it was to remove the wax from my feet. My feet were fine but there is rather a large hole in my flipflops. The chandler was a lovely old man and he made my day.

Kanchanaburi and the Death Railway

Kanchanaburi is a beautiful town, 100km from Bangkok, nestled in the mountains and built up around a river. But is isn't famed for its beauty. The river is the River Kwai and the town has a rather famous bridge crossing it. The railway here links Bangkok to Burma - or it did. The last 4 km of track was destroyed by the allies cutting off the Japanese supply route through Burma. During WW2 captured POW's and 90,000 locals were worked to death by the Japanese in order to create the railway. The majority of people visit the area to visit the war memorials and the beautifully maintained war cemeteries.

I myself visited a couple of museums and travelled further north, to the now legendary Hellfire Pass. This is the location of Konyu Cutting the most difficult stretch of the railway and the one were the conditions were the most appalling and brutal. 69 men were beaten to death in the twelve weeks it took to construct, whilst hundreds more died of diseases and malnutrition. When you see the place for yourself, you simply cannot imagine how on earth the men were able to dig this out by hand, whilst being starved, beaten and forced to work 18 hour days. The irony being that this place is stunningly beautiful. In the 1980's a group of surviving Australian POW's raised the money to re-excavate overgrown portions of the cutting and build the museum to honour their fallen comrades. It is still maintained by donations only.

Luckily though, there is far more to Kanchanaburi than war, suffering and death. My accommodation for one was great - it was a raft room built on stilts in the river. Whenever a boat went past, the room swayed slightly. I loved it. I took a trip to Erawan waterfalls. It is a hike through the countryside with 7 levels which have waterfalls. You can swim in the falls - but there is a catch! Fish live in the water. And these are the type of fish that like to nibble your feet for fun. These are the fish on which those fish spa's are based. Only in the wild, the fish are bigger and so is their bite. I managed ok with the little fish (size of a large fat sausage finger) with minimal squealing but when the big fish arrived (size of my forearm fingertip to elbow), I could not take it. Those buggers bite! But my favourite experience has to be my cooking class with On. Not only does she run vegetarian cookery classes but she spoke brilliant english, so I did not have to put up with any pesky nuts in my food! I learnt how to make Tom Yum soup (which On then made into 3 different dishes) Massaman Curry and a Thai Issan salad. I was then expected to eat it all. I forced 2 soups and the hot spicy salad down but then I was stuffed. No way could I stay for desert let alone the curry. On gave me doggie bags instead. Still it was over 24 hours till I ate next! 30 hours after creating it, I managed to eat my curry. Turns out time makes left overs even spicier! By mouth was on fire - but it tasted good. I visited On a couple of days later (when my stomach could cope again) and we made Mango sticky rice. A scrumptious desert which knocks the socks off rice pudding. It was not the only desert I had in Kanchanaburi. As I was walking down the road, a local man was buying icecream from a passing vendor. It looked good so I went to buy some. The chap was having none of it and insisted on buying me a large tub of ice-cream. The people here are that friendly. Later that same day a lady rushed over to give me a bottle of water because I had taken off my shoes (the correct custom) before going to sit in a sheltered waiting area. I am going to miss Kanchanaburi!

Back In Bangkok

The sleeper train finally made its way slowly into Bangkok by half 1pm. Not bad, but it should have arrived at 9am. I had the day planned out. I had not booked a hostel as I had not had internet access for the last few days but I did not expect to have a problem getting a bed. Wrong. The first hostel I tried next to the train station was full, so I made my way across town to Mile Map, the hostel I had originally stayed in, in Bangkok. They were also full! But no worries, the reception lady walked me and another bed searching fellow around the corner to a side street I had not seen. Here, her friend John had a hostel. Well it was sort of a hostel. It had no guests, and it didn’t look as if he was trying to get guests. The dorm room was lovely and big, with individual lights and sockets, it could have been lovely. But the place had not been swept, and the floor in the bathroom had not been cleaned, there were no towels, bins or toilet paper. It was strange. Still it was 300B in a lovely air-con room. I don’t mind supplying my own toilet paper. The other lad left at 3am to catch a flight, so I literally had the place to myself for 2 nights. I had a front door key, when I wasn’t in, the whole hostel was locked up. The place had excellent wifi, so I was able to spend some time planning out the next stages of my trip. I think I am getting too used to this amount of privacy – the next dorm may be a shock.

I was much more of a tourist this time around. I visited the Grand Palace, which was once home of royalty, it is also home to the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. I almost did not go as the price put me off. At 500B (£12.50) it’s the most expensive attraction in Bangkok, but I really am glad I changed my mind. As soon as I got inside the complex I was awestruck. The immediate impact was far more breath-taking than say the Forbidden City in Beijing. First of all there was the glistening. The majority of roofs were gold covered tiles, and even with a thunder cloud overhead, these shone. Then there were the walls and columns that had tiny mosaic pottery and mini mirrored tiles adorning them. Then there were the Buddhist figurines, some of which looked alot like flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz. I paid my respects to the Emerald Buddha (its made out of Jade) and it is quite tiny but sits aloft a really tall column. The thunder broke and torrential rain lashed down for 10 minutes but fortunately due to Buddha’s kindness I got one of the few undercover chairs to sit on and wait it out. Now if I thought the place shone before, when the sun came out, the temple roofs actually became blinding!As well as the Grand Palace, I also climbed to the top of Wat Arun. This is a Buddhist temple through the spire is covered with images of Hindu Gods. It is named after the Hindu God of the Dawn Aruna. I’m struggling with why alot of Thai Buddhist temples are dedicated to Hindu Gods? There are similarities between the two religions but giant noticeable differences too, esp the one God concept with the Hindu’s certainly do not go for. When I said I climbed to the top, I climbed as far as the steps go – you can just make out a pinkish band going around the temple – this is the top of the stairs. Its a good view over Bangkok.

Not content with the famous temples, I wandered up and down random Bangkok streets and found dozens more. There are temples everywhere, all of them incredibly elaborate. I also managed to find something that is exceedingly rare in Bangkok - and that was a quiet green space. A mini park, complete with fountain, pond and ornate bandstand. The tranquility wetted my appetite for more. I've had enough traffic, pollution and noise, its time to get into the countryside.

Koh Pha Ngan

The party island of Koh Pha Ngan was, as I had hoped practically deserted. As I walked onto the deserted beach for the first time, I actually said "wow". The sand was soft but the water was not only clear but so shallow for so long. You could walk 10 metres out and the water was still up to your ankles. So no swimming then! I spent a couple of nights in Ban Tai, one of the only foreigners there.

I ate a couple of times at a roadside shack, where I was joined for dinner by the owners son, Mak. Its good to know that whatever nationality they are, all young boys want to do is crash their cars together. We played crash for quite a while! However Ban Tai proved a little too remote so I moved to Haad Rin. The photo above is of the beautiful white sands there. Even people who have been there, may not recognise it, as it is the scene for the monthly full moon party, when up to 60,000 revelers can be found on the beach partying all night. I had decided to move as I had heard of an offer sounding too good to be true. Coral Bungalows (home of the pool party) had reduced their rates, so instead of paying 1000Baht a night for a bungalow (approx £25), they were going for 300B. Thats the same price as a room in a cheap Bangkok hostel. The rooms are designed to sleep two or three so as a single, these bungalows would be normally out of my reach. Much to the amusement of the staff I had walked from Ban Tai to the resort in Haad Rin ( a distance of 7km, which in the heat seems a lot further). The resort is not well maintained catering as it does for young party goers, but at the price I couldn't say no. I got myself a fan bungalow.

This was the first time I had gone fan - as opposed to air con. The room never seemed to cool down but I could cool down by jumping in the pool. I used my time trying to even out my tan but to no avail. The restaurant served poor quality food but cheap alcohol. One of the staff, a burmese man, who had the strongest cockney accent ever, found a guitar and spent the evening singing western songs with Burmese words. It was a relaxing and surreal experience at the same time. Even better, because I had stayed for 3 nights, they knocked the price down even further to 200B a night (approx £5). Despite the lack of cleanliness of the place and the poor food, it was difficult to leave. But if I want to see any of Thailand before my visa runs out, I had to leave. I jumped on the car ferry and made my way to the mainland. Who would have thought that the car ferry would be far more comfortable than the passenger ferry. Plus they provided an air con coach to drive the passengers the 70km from the port to the nearest town. Passenger ferries provide uncomfortable trucks, where the passengers sit huddled in the back. The day was going swimmingly until I got to the train station. I know I exulted the virtues of the sleeper train, so I booked one going back to Bangkok. It was due in the station at 8.15. It wasn't on time. Apparently no trains are ever on time. I was offered the chance to change my ticket for an extra 300B, this would get me on a different delayed train, that was due in before my one. I wasn't going to waste money - I could wait. Wait is what I did. Every time the train was due in, the station master went over to the notification board and amended its arrival time. It eventually arrived at 11.45pm - 3 and a half hours late. I was very glad to see it! Do I wish I had upgraded? - no because of the interactions I had with the locals whilst I was waiting. At one point I got up from my bench to stretch my legs. It was obvious that my back was aching a little. A woman sat on the same bench jumped up with her arms outstretched and started to massage me. I tried to decline but she was having none of it. The strength tiny Thai women have in their fingertips is astounding. then the chap opposite started to chat with me. He had very basic english skills, but I learnt that he was a sales manager for a food company. i also learnt that the thai concept of food is slightly different to mine. He showed me his prize stock - the one he carried in his leather satchel, not in the carrier bag with the others.... it was sachets of powdered collagen. I thought collagen was used to enhance various parts of the body but in Asia it is considered a food supplement designed to give you strong bones and healthy skin. Thip (the chap's name) gave me a free sachet. He was very excited, I tried to show equal levels of excitement. He told me that this was the real stuff - all the way from Japan! Even if it is a wonder drug, alas the one sachet will not go far. You are supposed to take 3 sachets a day from 3 months. Next time I am looking particularly old I will try my sachet and hope for the best. But that is not all. He also gave me a free lip salve. He had a box of those too in his satchel. I must admit it is very nicely flavoured, but I cannot comprehend how it can be classed as food!