OK, so I took a trip from
Jan to Apr 2013 which is what I'm posting here on my travel blog b4 I go on
my next trip this fall of 2013, Insha'Allah!
I learned a lot from this
Trip as it was totally different than most I’ve taken
lately!! Cuz I decided to travel with someone which I never do so it also
made it the hardest trip to blog as Not sure if I got my friend's true
impressions as I saw it but wtf this is my travel blog!!
But guess it all started
as I met a real cool person J who’s a total Stoner like myself which was
probably the basis of our friendship! So we hung out for most of the summer
just chilling, camping & yeah just hanging out doing Bleja! (Serbian for
doing fu*k all!) Yeah and also got invited to some cool camping, hot springs
& an isolated island which was so frigging awesome! So really wanted to
reciprocate by inviting them along on my trip in about 6 months!!
Mistake #2 was changing my
itinerary as decided to head to SE Asia rather than going to South Africa as
originally had hoped to do!! Well mainly did it cuz thought it would be easier
to do what we both liked to do (smoke weed & piss around more freely) in SE
Asia rather than in S. Africa!! Also cuz really feel like we could chill out
more in SE Asia than in S. Africa. But my friend was so friggin' paranoid
about getting busted (can’t say as prob blame J) that it kind of f*cked up our
trip but more bout that later!
Anyway thought J was cool
which is why I thought we could travel together as am totally into just hangin
out, chillin, sharing & enjoying! But shit really just wanted to check out
Laos & Philippines that missed on previous trips so thought would use
Bangkok as sort of a base to fly into and out of the countries in the
Region!
So left Vancouver think
about Jan 20, 2013 (adding date as never actually remember when did what) on
JAL & the flight to SE Asia was uneventful except for not being able to
book the seats we wanted in an Exit Row! But we did get one, well sort of one
on the second flight we had from Tokyo to Bangkok after a short stop in Tokyo
to change planes. Just had enuf time at Narita airport to grab a typical meal
& beer at a typical expensive Japanese eatery which cost us about $30!
Hell is that country expen$ive!!!! Cuz we just shared a small noodle dish &
a beer and it cost us like equivalent to $30!!!
So ended up in Bangkok
around 11 PM which is about 17 hrs
ahead of home!! So the first night thought why not stay out by the airport so
wouldn’t have to travel around cuz was kinda late to go around finding a real
nice place! So booked a room at the Plai Gardens Guesthouse as it was close to
the airport & had a shuttle bus from the airport! Since wouldn’t get to
Bangkok till 11 pm and wouldn’t get to the Guesthouse till 1 am or so after
going thru immigration!
Plai Gardens Guesthouse
worked out great as probably the only time that would have a room with an Air Con!!
But wtf it was included for about $16!! So next day headed into the city of
Bangkok on the Sky Train/Metro to find cheaper accomodations & get into the
reality of travelling!! Took the Metro as far as we could and then took a bus
as were heading to Koh San Road where most of the backpackers (dislike being
called a backpacker myself as prefer traveller) stayed as it had lots of
cheaper guesthouses and other amenities! Actually bypassed Khao San Road
because it was so crowded and found a street close where there were a lot of
cheap places!
Shit the first thing I
noticed in Bangkok was that dam Thailand was even more touristy than remembered!!!
But also imagine that all the other countries in SE Asia were probably also a
lot more touristy too!! But that’s cool as J had never been to Asia or to a 3rd Country
before so this all was one big new exploration! So this was a bit different as
usually travel on my own but decided to share my travel with a special friend!
The last time I traveled with someone was with my ex wife and it went Ok even
if it’s very hard to be with someone 24X7!!
Found a cheaper Guesthouse
Lamphu House for 420 baht/$12 for 2 with a fan and shared bathroom! It was
pretty full but managed to get the last double room! So we stayed there for
about 6 days to finalize some personal business!
Then f*ck did some
touristy things even tho it’s really NOT my thing (cuz it hardly ever
involves adventure!!!) plus have had been to Bangkok a few times already
but this was the first time for J in Bangkok & SE Asia so decided to be a
nice guy so shit tried being a bit of a tourist!
So checked out the sights
along Pat Pong Road which would show J the entertainment area where all the
Girly Boys and shows like Ping Pong Balls take place! But never went into see
any cuz neither of us were really that interested plus wanted to spend the $!
Cuz were on a tight budget we tried to take city buses and not taxis or tuk
tuks where possible! Also ate in out of the way Thai places or off street
carts! Luckily both of us were OK as were cool, open minded and flexible to do that
cuz not high maintenance! Hell often shared our plates of food as we didn’t eat
a lot in hot weather!
Was being a real nice guy
by hangin out & helpin indulge J in doing some shopping as bought some
Indian clothes and jewellery as J has a bit of Indian blood! Also must have
visited a 100 Temples as J liked to take pictures! One day we walked to the
Royal Palace but didn’t go inside but I did have to put on a sort of sari to
cover my legs to show respect! Yeah I looked dorky as usual with the skirt! We
also took a tour of the Floating Markets which J really enjoyed as we glided
over the water on these funky Thai boats! We talked to a Dutch guy who was with
a Thai girl as I thought it was kind of disgusting as he was kind of slopply
and fat! But that’s SE Asia as guess money talks! J also got a few massages to
try and correct a sore neck! The going rate of exchange was 30 Bahts to 1 CAD!
Also had an American
friend John (who I met in Bucharest Romania and hung out with to go to
Dracula’s Castle) come to visit us at the Guesthouse! He was working in Bangkok
and came to visit after working all night and coming a bit out of way as he
lived near the Northern Bus Station in BKK!
We also took a tour of the
Death Railway! I had never seen a lot of these touristy places b4! But it was
cool to see the Death Railway as it had a lot of historical significance during
the 2nd World War! So there were a lot of Japanese & a
lot of other tourists there (but where weren’t they?)! Also got to visit the Tiger
Rehabititation place which was very interesting and J really enjoyed handling
and petting the Tigers!
Went to Ayattara a
historical city which was the old capital of Thailand/Siam! It was probably the
best day I had on the trip as rented bikes and just biked around the city like
we did back in Vancouver! (probably the only real fun activity that
actually did while hanging together as even had a smoke behind one of the
temples &went for a ride!!) One time when we were biking by a garbage
truck J grabbed the truck to be pulled and almost ran into a parked tuk tuk! We
also bought an entire cooked fish and went to the river to eat it and watch
some men playing some gambling game! I wanted to take a picture but they didn’t
want me to as it of course was illegal gambling! We had taken the local bus to
the northern bus station and caught a bus (140 B each) to Ayattara & had to
walk & took a boat across the river to the old city! Then we noticed that
the train station was close by so we caught the train back to Bangkok (40 B
each)! So we ended up at the Hua Lamphong Train station (which I remember from my
first visit to BKK cuz at that time it was in a real seedy area with cheap
cheap guesthouses) a bit away from our Guesthouse! So like fools we decided to
walk back there but had no idea where we were going cuz it was dark! So we
finally had to end up catching a tuk tuk!
Then shit after about 6
days of playing tourists we took an overnight sleeper bus (1954B/$65 as it
served as accommodation for the night) from the Northern Bus Station to Chaing
Mai! The seats reclined about 70 degrees which made it quite comfortable for
sleeping!
We got into Chaing Mai
about 5 am and thought I had booked a Guesthouse there just b4 we left BKK!
However I didn’t get to see the reply which said it was fully booked due to the
upcoming Chinese New Years in a week or so! F*ck wish I knew that it was going
to be Chinese New Years cuz hell this brought about a billion Chinese into an
already crowded touristy Thailand, Laos & Cambodia!!! Then I kept
being told that in the next year there will be a Railway built from China to
Bangkok! Sure glad will never go to those countries again!!
We had to take a pickup
truck from the bus station to the guesthouse I thought had booked! The pickup
truck carried not only us but others too! So we got off in the sort of
guesthouse area of the city and made our way to the Awanna house Guesthouse!
But it was fully booked and had sent me an email to tell me but of course I
didn’t see it! So we walked around checking other guesthouses but they were all
full too! So we finally came by a tattoo studio/parlour Joker Bros which had
it’s folding steel doors closed but with a sign saying pull it up and wait
until someone came in! So we went inside and waited for a hour until the tattoo
artist/guesthouse owner came down! They only had dorm rooms left so we took it
for 200 Bahts and J took one with a locker in another dorm room for 220 B.
So stayed one night and
then booked a Hill Tribe trek for 5000 B for 2 for 3 days! Fuk not sure why I
suggested the Hill Tribe Trek cuz did it b4 and now think about it didn't
really enjoy it except the interaction with these indigineous peep! (but must
say in after thought didn't really enjoy this trek either!!) But had to do some
shopping for the trek! So spent most of day shopping for J to get Nike running
shoes (1800 B/$60) as the other shoes we saw sucked, a day pack, a sweater for
(300 B) and some sort of underwear to keep warm in the hills! I bought a pair
of socks which would absorb sweat and dry quickly but when I wore them well
they sucked!
So then were ready to go
trekking in the hills! We went with a group of 8 peep! There were the 2 of us,
a couple of 20 yr old Brits on their first overseas trip on their way to Aussie
on a working holiday visa, an older Israeli guy who had just got a divorce, a
couple from Germany and an older quiet German guy who told J that he liked girly
boys?? Plus of course the Karin guide who was quite entertaining and good!
We left the starting point
and trekked about 1000 m up hill the first day! Then it started to rain and we
got quite wet by the time we reached the first huts in a village to sleep! The
guide did our cooking and got the breakfast and lunch for the next day ready!
We stayed in huts away from the actual village so J and I then walked to have a
beer and talk (they couldn’t speak English so we did it by gestures)! A young
Karin guy of the hill tribe on a motor bike came by and we bought him a beer or
2 and he got a bit drunk as he had been drinking b4! He then gave us a ride
back to our huts on his bike as he drove a bit fast and crazy but it was all
good fun! When we got back to the huts we invited him for a beer & the
others were a bit shocked that we invited him back to our huts! The British
guys said we were the type to bring rowdies to the huts but we didn’t think
they were! The others were too shy or didn’t want to associate with the locals!
The Israeli guy told us he was a busker in New Zealand so we asked him to sing
for the Hill tribe guy but he said he was too shy! We got the impression that
they wanted to do the Hill Tribe Trek but not really meet the Hill Tribe peep!
While J and I enjoyed hanging out and meeting the Hill Tribe peep! The first
night we got separate sleeping arrangements as J and I had our own kind of room
if u could call it that! I guess I wasn’t too good company in the morning as I
was kind of grumpy as thought J hogged my blankets during the night! Hell had
lent J my one sleeping bag while I used the other thin sleeping bag not really
suitable for colder weather!
So the next day we trekked
about 800 m and visited a cave to get out of the rain! We found that J’s camera
didn’t work as it got a bit wet! So let J my camera to J took more pics than
me! But unluckily J lost my camera in a stream and told me at lunch time! So 4
of us hurried back to look for it but couldn’t find f it! I was a bit pissed as
it had a lot of pic’s and some personal stuff on the 16 GB Memory Card! So for
the rest of the trek we couldn’t take any pics! So the 2 Brits and Israeli
offered to let us have their pics!! I think J felt quite bad but what could u
do as it was an accident!
Of course it rained again even
tho we were told it hardly ever rains at that time of year! I was thinking and
not paying much attention to where I was going on the trek so I sort of got
lost! But luckily J noticed and came looking for me along with the guide! I was
way up in the hills above where they were so had to yell to let them know where
I was! I finally met up with them at a waterfall where the others were
swimming! It was only a 10 mn walk to the next huts we would sleep at! At this
hut we all slept in one big room under of course mosquito nets like the
previous night! We had an enjoyable evening sitting around drinking beer and
talking! J and I went and helped the woman wash dishes and went inside their
hut to help cook or whatever! But the others never helped or even met the woman
or her family!!
The 3rd and last
day we didn’t have a very long trek so we were finished by about 2 pm! We had
to wait for a bus/truck to return to Chaing Mai so we went to check out the
Hill Tribe stuff for sale and I bought a bracelet and J bought a top!
When we got back to Chaing
Mai well stayed at the Joker Bros Guesthouse again! But this time we had booked
a double room to get some peace and quiet! The night b4 we went trekking when
we stayed in the dorms well some guys were drinking and talking until about 3
am so only got maybe 3 hrs sleep! The double room only cost us 250 Baht and the
dorm 100 baht so it only cost us 50 baht more for the quiet and peace from the
dorms! The funny thing is the 2 young Brits (Chris and Chris) couldn’t get a
room at their other guesthouse so they ended up staying at ours!
Since we had lost our one
good camera (the other one no longer worked as got wet) we asked the owner if
there was a place in Chaing Mai where we could buy a camera! He told us that
there was this big mall with many places to buy a camera! So we went there and
found a Canon shop as we both liked Canons as that’s what we both had b4! We
bought a point and shoot camera for about 4200 B/$140 which was probably better
than the one we lost! So now at least J had a camera to use as I didn’t take a
lot of pics anyway!
Then J saw these places
giving shots to help with U’r weight (duh, not that J needed help with
weight!!!) so got a couple which cost 12400 B/$400. So was happy that J could
get these shots for that price as it was a lot more back in Canada!
Then that evening a bunch
of the peep at the Guesthouse were going dancing so we went too! I had been
drinking so got a bit drunk and then got some weed to smoke too! So we went to
this Reggae bar/dance place! We lost the 2 Brits Chris and Chris along the way
as we went to another club which kind of sucked! But all in all we had a good
time! Then the next night I got a bit stoned so went to the Reggae bar and came
back to get J to come but didn’t stay long!
Another night J lined up
some peep to go to a Thai night club but the others didn’t show up so the 2 of
us went by tuk tuk to the place! All there seemed to be there were a bunch of
young rich Thai’s going to a Club! The place had some live entertainment with a
couple of guys playing some slow music! Then another group was a group of
musicians and a singer! It was cool to hear but not the type of place I’d go
twice!
Then J saw there was
another Tiger sanctuary which she wanted to see! So J went inside while I
waited outside as didn’t want to spend the money as already seen one! But of
course this Tiger Sanctuary turned out to be better than the one saw in
Bangkok! But I wasn’t interested but wtf J got to enjoy playing and handling
Tigers!
We spent a couple days in
Chaing Mai just walking around talking pictures and seeing the sights! Then one
day J got a cold and fever from little sleep and rest! I think this was the
beginning of the end of us travelling as I think traveling together was not a
good idea! Cuz think I was too bitchy in the morning and complained a lot! Also
I like to be on the go all the time while J liked to stay in one place longer
to prevent getting run down and sick! So I went and got J some cold mediation
and sleeping pills to rest!
So then it was time to go
as wanted to go to Pia a small cool village in the hills! J wanted to do a
video with hookers so we went down to area and made one with Hookers singing!
But unfortunately it was close to Chinese New Years so there weren’t any buses
to Pia so that ended that idea!
So the only way out of
Chiang Mai it seemed was sort of a bus tour to Chiang Khong and into Laos! So
even tho wanted to take a night bus out of Chaing Mai it was full so booked
leaving the next day! So got our passports scanned and got some more visa pics
printed in preparation for crossing the border into Laos and getting Visas!
Also got our clothes washed after the rainy muddy trek!
So took a bus for 1400 bahts
each to go to Laos and a slow boat! We left early in the morning in a mini bus
and of course who was on the bus but Chris and Chris the 2 young Brits!! We
stopped in Chaing Rai and visited the White Temple which was the best temple
saw in Thailand or anywhere! It was only built about 20 years ago and was a
funky white temple with a lot of Pop Art type paintings inside and out! There
were pictures of Michael Jackson, Star Wars, etc in and around the temple along
with skeleton heads hangin on trees outside! Completely different than any
other temples around!
Then we stopped and stayed
the night at Chiang Khong by the Laos border! Didn’t do too much except go for
a walk to their downtown area which didn’t have much! We got our evening meal
included in the trip which was nothing special!
So it was time to get the
f*ck out of Dodge (Thailand) for Laos after realizing couldn't go to Pia (a
chill place further in the hills cuz it was f*ckin Chinese New Years with a
billion peep from China in Thailand!) so couldn't do our own thing but had to
take a sort of a bland touristy bus & boat from Chaing Mai, Thai to
Luaung Prabang, Laos via the Chiang Khong, Thai - Huy Xai, Laos ferry/border
crossing!
BTW kind of lost one camera
& ruined the other so f*ck have no pictures to show U for Thailand but wtf
have bin dar dun dat b4 anyway can find awesome pics online except no pics of
peep which is cool as dislike my pic taken anyway! But hell U can check this
site as every pic I could take wouldn't look as good as these pics online! Plus
f*ck U see one pic of Thailand, Laos or Cambodia well shit U've seen
everything! LOL
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