11-18 (Saturday)
After breakfast we walked to the Tourist Office but it was closed. One the way we stopped at an indoor air conditioned massage place. At the Night Bazaar it has all been outside. Unfortunately this place was booked for the day.
We walked along the river until we came to one of the main streets. As we walked along a couple of local buses came by - we knew we needed either bus #1 or bus #6. #1 showed up and we hopped on. We went to Tesco Lotus. Tesco is a buzz word in Asia for big supermarkets/department stores. This place reminded both of us of Wal-Mart. They were selling everything from cars to groceries.
After we had looked around and bought a few thing we went for a massage in the same building. Joyce had a foot massage and I had a shoulder/back massage. The guy worked hard on all the knots I had especially on my left side. It hurt but was probably good for it.
On our way home we stopped off where we thought we had seen a really neat restaurant yesterday. It turned out just to be a beer garden.
We went to the train station and hired a tuk tuk to pick us up in the morning so we can get the train to Bangkok.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
11-17 (Friday)
After breakfast we walked to the local bus stop where we boarded bus #1 for the long distance bus terminal. Once we got there we had to wait about 45 minutes for our rattle trap unair -conditioned bus to pull out for Sukhothai, the ancient capital of Thailand which flourished between the 14 and 16th centuries. The name means the Dawn of Happiness. Artifacts show that the Thai Alphabet and language originated there around 1238. It covers 6,596 square kilometers and is located 327 kilometers north of Bangkok.
As many of the buses in Asia do, we tried to drum up business along the way stopping when and wherever anyone wanted to get on or off. it took about two hours for us to arrive at the Sukhothai Historical Park. Some girl met us when we got off the bus and wanted us to rent a bicycle to tour the park. This would have been fine if it were cool outside but it was too darn hot so we hired a tuk tuk to take us around. It reminded me a great deal of the Ankor Wat complex. We even went outside the park and drove a long way to the foot of some mountains where we got out and hiked up a hill to get to a 12.50 meter tall standing Buddha. The whole tour took three hours which we ended by visiting the museum.
We were sitting under a tree waiting for the bus to arrive at 3:30. Some girl came and sat down next to us. The next thing we knew she was up flagging down the bus for us. This time the bus was fairly nice and it was air conditioned! It was already almost full. I sat behind Joyce - both of us were next to guys on such a narrow seat that our butt cheeks hung off. Finally people began getting off and we got seats that we could fit on. The return trip also took about two hours. We caught a local bus to the railroad station then walked to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. We were really glad that we took this trip.
After breakfast we walked to the local bus stop where we boarded bus #1 for the long distance bus terminal. Once we got there we had to wait about 45 minutes for our rattle trap unair -conditioned bus to pull out for Sukhothai, the ancient capital of Thailand which flourished between the 14 and 16th centuries. The name means the Dawn of Happiness. Artifacts show that the Thai Alphabet and language originated there around 1238. It covers 6,596 square kilometers and is located 327 kilometers north of Bangkok.
As many of the buses in Asia do, we tried to drum up business along the way stopping when and wherever anyone wanted to get on or off. it took about two hours for us to arrive at the Sukhothai Historical Park. Some girl met us when we got off the bus and wanted us to rent a bicycle to tour the park. This would have been fine if it were cool outside but it was too darn hot so we hired a tuk tuk to take us around. It reminded me a great deal of the Ankor Wat complex. We even went outside the park and drove a long way to the foot of some mountains where we got out and hiked up a hill to get to a 12.50 meter tall standing Buddha. The whole tour took three hours which we ended by visiting the museum.
We were sitting under a tree waiting for the bus to arrive at 3:30. Some girl came and sat down next to us. The next thing we knew she was up flagging down the bus for us. This time the bus was fairly nice and it was air conditioned! It was already almost full. I sat behind Joyce - both of us were next to guys on such a narrow seat that our butt cheeks hung off. Finally people began getting off and we got seats that we could fit on. The return trip also took about two hours. We caught a local bus to the railroad station then walked to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. We were really glad that we took this trip.
11-16 (Thursday)
We got up early so we could catch a boat to Sukhothai but found out there are NO boats to Sukhothai! The only way is to take a bus which we will try to do tomorrow.
We went to Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, a riverside temple, which is one of the city's major landmarks. Its corncob-shaped tower is easy to recognize. The temple is regarded as being the city's oldest historical site. The Buddha inside is said to be one of the most beautiful in all of Thailand.
We were able to get on a tram for a city tour. One of the things we saw that we had been looking for was a big department store. We also saw:Cha Kan Bun School which appeared to be a boy's military school, the clock tower, the railroad station (we already knew all about this!) the Ekathotsarot Bridge (we walked over it last night), some of the remaining town walls and moat, the Chao Phraya Chakri Monument - he was a Thai commander who fought against the Burmese in 2318 AD.
After the trolley tour we walked down to the department store to check it out and have lunch.
During the oppressive heat of the day we went back to the hotel to cool down. Late this afternoon we did email then split a pizza at the hotel.
Tonight we went out to get water. As we were walking by the restaurant where we met the undercover policeman the first day he saw us and come out to talk. I guess he must hang out there.
We got up early so we could catch a boat to Sukhothai but found out there are NO boats to Sukhothai! The only way is to take a bus which we will try to do tomorrow.
We went to Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, a riverside temple, which is one of the city's major landmarks. Its corncob-shaped tower is easy to recognize. The temple is regarded as being the city's oldest historical site. The Buddha inside is said to be one of the most beautiful in all of Thailand.
We were able to get on a tram for a city tour. One of the things we saw that we had been looking for was a big department store. We also saw:Cha Kan Bun School which appeared to be a boy's military school, the clock tower, the railroad station (we already knew all about this!) the Ekathotsarot Bridge (we walked over it last night), some of the remaining town walls and moat, the Chao Phraya Chakri Monument - he was a Thai commander who fought against the Burmese in 2318 AD.
After the trolley tour we walked down to the department store to check it out and have lunch.
During the oppressive heat of the day we went back to the hotel to cool down. Late this afternoon we did email then split a pizza at the hotel.
Tonight we went out to get water. As we were walking by the restaurant where we met the undercover policeman the first day he saw us and come out to talk. I guess he must hang out there.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
11-15 (Wednesday)
We had the breakfast buffet at the hotel then went out to try to set up a tour to Sukhothai which was the ancient capital of Thailand around 1238. It is now a UNESCO designated World Heritage site, one of many that we have seen on this trip including the Plain of Jars and Luang Prabang. We found a tourist information center where we got several pamplets and were told to go "that way." "That way" in the heat was long and hard but after much walking and asking we finally got "there" only to find out that the boats we wanted to take didn't go to Sukhothai unless there were 10 passengers and that the trolley for the city tour was already booked and we couldn't get on until the next day. Bummer.
We walked back the way we had come and had lunch. It was so hot that we went back to the hotel to rest until it was cooler. What was I saying yesterday about it being cooler than Bali? NOT. That was yesterday, this is today.
We went back out tonight after it cooled down. We walked near the Nan River - the birds were so loud you could hardly hear anything else. I asked some woman about it. She said they have come back to those same spots (trees, buildings etc) for years and years.
We walked across the bridge and ate dinner at a restaurant that was right on the water. Afterwards we walked to the Riverside Hotel (a very fancy place) to use their toi-let. Finally it was back to the Night Bazaar for more looking and another massage.
These last couple of weeks we have laughed so long and so hard over the silliest things: our nightmares, a word or phrase etc.
We had the breakfast buffet at the hotel then went out to try to set up a tour to Sukhothai which was the ancient capital of Thailand around 1238. It is now a UNESCO designated World Heritage site, one of many that we have seen on this trip including the Plain of Jars and Luang Prabang. We found a tourist information center where we got several pamplets and were told to go "that way." "That way" in the heat was long and hard but after much walking and asking we finally got "there" only to find out that the boats we wanted to take didn't go to Sukhothai unless there were 10 passengers and that the trolley for the city tour was already booked and we couldn't get on until the next day. Bummer.
We walked back the way we had come and had lunch. It was so hot that we went back to the hotel to rest until it was cooler. What was I saying yesterday about it being cooler than Bali? NOT. That was yesterday, this is today.
We went back out tonight after it cooled down. We walked near the Nan River - the birds were so loud you could hardly hear anything else. I asked some woman about it. She said they have come back to those same spots (trees, buildings etc) for years and years.
We walked across the bridge and ate dinner at a restaurant that was right on the water. Afterwards we walked to the Riverside Hotel (a very fancy place) to use their toi-let. Finally it was back to the Night Bazaar for more looking and another massage.
These last couple of weeks we have laughed so long and so hard over the silliest things: our nightmares, a word or phrase etc.
11-14 (Tuesday)
We stumbled off the train with all our stuff in a complete fog. We may have been out of it but the city was already abuzz with activity. We turned down offers to take us to the hotel because the Internet said it was within walking distance of the station. That was true but not if you were pulling two broken down, worn out suitcases. We ended up taking a tuk tuk. We arrived before any of the hotel staff was awake. Thank goodness the doors were unlocked so we went in and made ourselves at home on the lobby furniture. It wasn't long before a man came through the lobby and saw us. He must have been a manager because he woke up one of the clerks and they began checking us in. Even thought it was only 5:30 in the morning he let us go to our room which was very nice. We crashed for several hours then got up and walked down the street to find some lunch. The place where we ate was very small but clean. There were two policemen eating there. One was in uniform and the other one was undercover. The undercover one said he had been to Orlando years ago for police training with the DEA. His English was good enough that we knew what he was saying. We walked around the town a bit. The sun wasn't shining so it was much cooler than Bali. We walked back to the train station and bought our return to Bangkok - again we have seats but it doesn't matter because we will be traveling during the day.
Tonight we went to eat at a new place we discovered this afternoon. As we approached the corner we heard a loud racket. We thought maybe it was locus but no . . . it turned out to be 100's of birds perched in trees, on power wires and on building tops on all four corners of the street. We tried to stay away from them and undercover for fear of bird flu. We made it to the restaurant and had a nice meal. We walked back towards the birds, past them and to the Night Bazaar. It didn't compare to Chaing Mai but we had fun walking along looking at things. Before we left there we got a foot massage. When we got back to the hotel we did laundry and fell in bed.
We stumbled off the train with all our stuff in a complete fog. We may have been out of it but the city was already abuzz with activity. We turned down offers to take us to the hotel because the Internet said it was within walking distance of the station. That was true but not if you were pulling two broken down, worn out suitcases. We ended up taking a tuk tuk. We arrived before any of the hotel staff was awake. Thank goodness the doors were unlocked so we went in and made ourselves at home on the lobby furniture. It wasn't long before a man came through the lobby and saw us. He must have been a manager because he woke up one of the clerks and they began checking us in. Even thought it was only 5:30 in the morning he let us go to our room which was very nice. We crashed for several hours then got up and walked down the street to find some lunch. The place where we ate was very small but clean. There were two policemen eating there. One was in uniform and the other one was undercover. The undercover one said he had been to Orlando years ago for police training with the DEA. His English was good enough that we knew what he was saying. We walked around the town a bit. The sun wasn't shining so it was much cooler than Bali. We walked back to the train station and bought our return to Bangkok - again we have seats but it doesn't matter because we will be traveling during the day.
Tonight we went to eat at a new place we discovered this afternoon. As we approached the corner we heard a loud racket. We thought maybe it was locus but no . . . it turned out to be 100's of birds perched in trees, on power wires and on building tops on all four corners of the street. We tried to stay away from them and undercover for fear of bird flu. We made it to the restaurant and had a nice meal. We walked back towards the birds, past them and to the Night Bazaar. It didn't compare to Chaing Mai but we had fun walking along looking at things. Before we left there we got a foot massage. When we got back to the hotel we did laundry and fell in bed.
11-13 (Monday)
Today we leave Bali. I took my stuff downstairs and ordered breakfast then went back to help Joyce. She was half way downstairs by then with a broken or messed up wheel on her big suitcase. We left at 7 a.m. for the airport. Our flight left at 9:15. We were checked in and through immigration by 8:00. That was really fast.
Bali has got to have one of the shortest runways anywhere. When you land the pilot is hitting the breaks with all his might and when you take off he pulls up before you can blink your eyes and you're out over the Indian Ocean saying, "Bye, bye Bali." The pilot told us on the left side of the plane to look at the volcano as we flew over northern Bali.
Even though it was almost 10:00 we got breakfast on the plane (Singapore Air) consisting of an omelet, fruit, potatoes, sausage, baked tomato, a roll and tea or coffee. We didn't get some damn snack box that we had to pay for like on an American carrier.
We arrived in Singapore close to noon. We did free internet while we were waiting for our flight to Bangkok.
We boarded that flight at 2:10 and this time had a fabulous lunch: chicken in wine sauce, noodles, salad, roll, chocolate cake and beer or wine (free of course!)
We had planned to go from the Bangkok airport directly to the train station. We were hoping to get on a night train to Phitsanulok north of Bangkok. After getting all our luggage - Joyce's with a wheel that didn't work and now mine with a broken handle we set out to find a taxi to the station. I went outside and was getting quotes around 900-1000 ($24-$28.) We knew we had only paid around $10 the last time we were through here. While I was out negotiating Joyce came out and found me and said, "We're on the wrong floor! Remember the last time we went downstairs to get our cab?" Sure enough that's where all the "public" metered taxis were. We hired one to take us to the station that a couple of "information" people told us to go to.
I was sitting in front with the driver. I felt really sorry for him because he appeared to have tourets. He could not hold his hands or head still. Sometimes BOTH of his hand would jump off the steering wheel. In Bangkok traffic that's not what you want happening. He wasn't making sounds that are associated with tourets but he couldn't keep his body still. I pretended not to notice.
He dropped us where we told him to but we knew right away it wasn't the right station. Joyce sat beside the tracks with our luggage while I went in to see about getting tickets. The guy told us there were NO 1st class tickets available and NO second class sleepers either. All the trains that we saw coming through that station looked awful. They looked like trains you would see in India. We knew we needed to get to the main train station so we hired another taxi to take us. Unfortunately we found out the same information at this station. We booked two seats (not a compartment) for the 10:10 p.m. train arriving in Phitsanulok at 4:30 a.m. Since we had to wait almost four hours for the train this was a much better station. There was a place where we could leave our luggage - which we did - there were lots of food and drink stands, a toi-let and good security. I got so tired and sleepy waiting all those hours. Finally we went and got our broken down luggage and headed for track #10, car 11, seats 1 and 2. We didn't see all the cars on the train but our car looked dilapidated. Somehow we got all our pieces onto the train but when I tried to pull my large suitcase down the aisle it was too big to go between the seats. One of the guys that worked on the train picked it up for me, carried it to the front of the car and put it on the overhead rack. He did the same with Joyce's big suitcase. Our seats reminded us of the slow boat in that they were uncomfortable and the space between the edge of the seat and the wall in front of us was only inches. The only good thing I can say about our car was that it was air conditioned.
Right before we chugged out of the station a bunch of college kids (they sounded like they were from the US) got on. We thought "oh, no" they're going to be partying all night. They actually settled down before long.
I was surprised that they never turned the light out all night in the car. It was a miserable night . . . the seats were tiny, they didn't recline but rather pitched you forward and part of our luggage was under our feet all night. I cat-napped but no real sleep. When we got ready to get off at 4:30 a.m. I looked behind us and told Joyce the college students must have gotten off during the night. She said, "Look on the floor." Sure enough there they were sacked out all over the floor in the middle of the aisles. I don't know how they could sleep on those hard floors.
Today we leave Bali. I took my stuff downstairs and ordered breakfast then went back to help Joyce. She was half way downstairs by then with a broken or messed up wheel on her big suitcase. We left at 7 a.m. for the airport. Our flight left at 9:15. We were checked in and through immigration by 8:00. That was really fast.
Bali has got to have one of the shortest runways anywhere. When you land the pilot is hitting the breaks with all his might and when you take off he pulls up before you can blink your eyes and you're out over the Indian Ocean saying, "Bye, bye Bali." The pilot told us on the left side of the plane to look at the volcano as we flew over northern Bali.
Even though it was almost 10:00 we got breakfast on the plane (Singapore Air) consisting of an omelet, fruit, potatoes, sausage, baked tomato, a roll and tea or coffee. We didn't get some damn snack box that we had to pay for like on an American carrier.
We arrived in Singapore close to noon. We did free internet while we were waiting for our flight to Bangkok.
We boarded that flight at 2:10 and this time had a fabulous lunch: chicken in wine sauce, noodles, salad, roll, chocolate cake and beer or wine (free of course!)
We had planned to go from the Bangkok airport directly to the train station. We were hoping to get on a night train to Phitsanulok north of Bangkok. After getting all our luggage - Joyce's with a wheel that didn't work and now mine with a broken handle we set out to find a taxi to the station. I went outside and was getting quotes around 900-1000 ($24-$28.) We knew we had only paid around $10 the last time we were through here. While I was out negotiating Joyce came out and found me and said, "We're on the wrong floor! Remember the last time we went downstairs to get our cab?" Sure enough that's where all the "public" metered taxis were. We hired one to take us to the station that a couple of "information" people told us to go to.
I was sitting in front with the driver. I felt really sorry for him because he appeared to have tourets. He could not hold his hands or head still. Sometimes BOTH of his hand would jump off the steering wheel. In Bangkok traffic that's not what you want happening. He wasn't making sounds that are associated with tourets but he couldn't keep his body still. I pretended not to notice.
He dropped us where we told him to but we knew right away it wasn't the right station. Joyce sat beside the tracks with our luggage while I went in to see about getting tickets. The guy told us there were NO 1st class tickets available and NO second class sleepers either. All the trains that we saw coming through that station looked awful. They looked like trains you would see in India. We knew we needed to get to the main train station so we hired another taxi to take us. Unfortunately we found out the same information at this station. We booked two seats (not a compartment) for the 10:10 p.m. train arriving in Phitsanulok at 4:30 a.m. Since we had to wait almost four hours for the train this was a much better station. There was a place where we could leave our luggage - which we did - there were lots of food and drink stands, a toi-let and good security. I got so tired and sleepy waiting all those hours. Finally we went and got our broken down luggage and headed for track #10, car 11, seats 1 and 2. We didn't see all the cars on the train but our car looked dilapidated. Somehow we got all our pieces onto the train but when I tried to pull my large suitcase down the aisle it was too big to go between the seats. One of the guys that worked on the train picked it up for me, carried it to the front of the car and put it on the overhead rack. He did the same with Joyce's big suitcase. Our seats reminded us of the slow boat in that they were uncomfortable and the space between the edge of the seat and the wall in front of us was only inches. The only good thing I can say about our car was that it was air conditioned.
Right before we chugged out of the station a bunch of college kids (they sounded like they were from the US) got on. We thought "oh, no" they're going to be partying all night. They actually settled down before long.
I was surprised that they never turned the light out all night in the car. It was a miserable night . . . the seats were tiny, they didn't recline but rather pitched you forward and part of our luggage was under our feet all night. I cat-napped but no real sleep. When we got ready to get off at 4:30 a.m. I looked behind us and told Joyce the college students must have gotten off during the night. She said, "Look on the floor." Sure enough there they were sacked out all over the floor in the middle of the aisles. I don't know how they could sleep on those hard floors.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
The words I’m NOT going to miss when I leave Bali:
Transport?
Manicure?
Braid your hair?
Where are you from?
Where are you going?
This last one, where are you going? has actually become amusing. At home no one cares where you’re going but here everyone from the bellboy to the waiter, to the man on the street wants to know where you’re going. This is the only island where everyone knows where you are at all times!!!
Transport?
Manicure?
Braid your hair?
Where are you from?
Where are you going?
This last one, where are you going? has actually become amusing. At home no one cares where you’re going but here everyone from the bellboy to the waiter, to the man on the street wants to know where you’re going. This is the only island where everyone knows where you are at all times!!!
11-10 (Friday)
After breakfast we went to the internet to research a place, Isaan, in northern Thailand where we thought we might go next. After researching we decided it wasn’t the place for us. We came up with a new place, Phitsanulok which is between Bangkok and Chaing Mai. Next we had to decide how we were getting there. We were going to fly to Singapore and then hop a train to Bangkok and on to Phitsanulok. This sounded easy but it wasn’t. You have to buy tickets in Singapore, again in KL and again when you get to Thailand. If it weren’t for all our luggage, especially mine, I think we would have attempted it. It’s more complicated than I described because of the money and visas so . . . we’re flying from Densapar to Singapore and on to Bangkok on Monday. We’re going to try to spend one night in Bangkok because of the flight and train schedules, leave our bags at the hotel and go on to Phitsanulok the next day.
After hours on the net we headed out to have lunch and get some more money!
Tonight we went back to the net to make all our reservations. Joyce went back to the room and I stayed a couple hours trying to catch up on my blog. Information about our reservations came back from Wired Destinations and Singapore Air – I accidentally deleted both before reading them!! We’ll just have to try to figure something out tomorrow.
After breakfast we went to the internet to research a place, Isaan, in northern Thailand where we thought we might go next. After researching we decided it wasn’t the place for us. We came up with a new place, Phitsanulok which is between Bangkok and Chaing Mai. Next we had to decide how we were getting there. We were going to fly to Singapore and then hop a train to Bangkok and on to Phitsanulok. This sounded easy but it wasn’t. You have to buy tickets in Singapore, again in KL and again when you get to Thailand. If it weren’t for all our luggage, especially mine, I think we would have attempted it. It’s more complicated than I described because of the money and visas so . . . we’re flying from Densapar to Singapore and on to Bangkok on Monday. We’re going to try to spend one night in Bangkok because of the flight and train schedules, leave our bags at the hotel and go on to Phitsanulok the next day.
After hours on the net we headed out to have lunch and get some more money!
Tonight we went back to the net to make all our reservations. Joyce went back to the room and I stayed a couple hours trying to catch up on my blog. Information about our reservations came back from Wired Destinations and Singapore Air – I accidentally deleted both before reading them!! We’ll just have to try to figure something out tomorrow.
11-9 (Thursday)
As soon as I got dressed this morning I went to reception and told them we needed another room. They said we could move next door after breakfast. When we were ready to move we were told the room wouldn’t be ready until noon. We asked for a different one. They gave us a key and we went upstairs to see if the A/C was going to work. It was the biggest room we had been in so far (and we’d been in a lot in this hotel) and it was the nicest! Since the air worked we went back downstairs and I asked the guy if we could have it at the very lowest price since we were such good customers. He agreed to the low price. The room usually goes for 400,000 and we got it for 225,000. We ended up with the best room in the joint for the lowest price.
We headed out to the internet to try to research where to go next. We kept looking at sites in southern Thailand but they are mostly beaches and that’s not what we want. We didn’t find anything that suited us.
We went off to Central Mall to have lunch and a look around. We didn’t eat until 3:00 which made it after 6:00 when we got back to the hotel.
My shoulder was killing me tonight so I went downstairs and got a massage just on my back, neck and shoulders.
As soon as I got dressed this morning I went to reception and told them we needed another room. They said we could move next door after breakfast. When we were ready to move we were told the room wouldn’t be ready until noon. We asked for a different one. They gave us a key and we went upstairs to see if the A/C was going to work. It was the biggest room we had been in so far (and we’d been in a lot in this hotel) and it was the nicest! Since the air worked we went back downstairs and I asked the guy if we could have it at the very lowest price since we were such good customers. He agreed to the low price. The room usually goes for 400,000 and we got it for 225,000. We ended up with the best room in the joint for the lowest price.
We headed out to the internet to try to research where to go next. We kept looking at sites in southern Thailand but they are mostly beaches and that’s not what we want. We didn’t find anything that suited us.
We went off to Central Mall to have lunch and a look around. We didn’t eat until 3:00 which made it after 6:00 when we got back to the hotel.
My shoulder was killing me tonight so I went downstairs and got a massage just on my back, neck and shoulders.
Friday, November 10, 2006
11-8 (Wednesday)
We were awakened by a puppy yapping, a mother dog barking, a rooster and what sounded like a deer getting ready to make an announcement on a loudspeaker! Welcome to the zoo hotel.
We couldn’t see it last night but the courtyard around our hotel was beautiful and went right down to the beach. We walked down for a little look-see.
After having breakfast at the hotel (tea and toast) Luis and the driver were ready to take us sightseeing. One of the first places we went was the Paradise Bar (on a cliff) for a fabulous look down on the sea, other islands and the boats. It was here that we met Kybi, probably the most interesting person we have met on the trip. He is a 30 year old from Slovakia who had ridden his BICYCLE (peddled) from Europe to Indonesia. We were all (guides included) so fascinated with is stories that we just sat and listened to him for about an hour.
When he was riding through Tibet he was attacked by a pack of dogs. He was off his bike defending himself with a stick when on of them slipped behind him and bit him in the leg. He had rabies shots before leaving on the trip but if he were to get bitten he had to take another shot within so many days or it would be curtains. He rode a full day until he found a hospital and tried to convince them to give him a shot. They threw him out. He emailed his doctor back home who said he had to get an injection. He checked into a hotel with a high fever. The hotel had NO heat! He emailed his embassy in Beijing telling them it was an emergency and to please write a letter for him in Chinese to show the hospital so he could get the injection. Everyday he pulled himself out of the bed and went to check his email. It took 5 days for the embassy to respond! He took the letter to the hospital and got the shot. Within 2-3 days he began to feel better and off he went again on his adventure. He bicycled through Afghanistan which he loved. He said they are the greatest people he has met. I don’t know how he was able to peddle over those mountains in Tibet and Afghanistan. Sounds like you, Dave! He had lots of interesting stories about that. We had to tear ourselves away from his stories. He has a web site for his pictures if anyone wants to look: http://foto.kybi.sk He says there are only 3-4 that he thinks are really good.
He has a tent and a gas burner with him. He is pulling a small “wagon” behind the bike. On each side are two “saddle bags” with clothes etc. He had a large case with all his camera equipment. When in China he had it in the basket on the front of his bike. Two guys on a motorcycle came by and grabbed it. He lost about $4,000 worth of equipment. He wrote his dad who helped him get new equipment. He was carrying a digital camera and film camera plus 2 hard drives to download his pictures onto. Before he started his journey he was a computer programmer. He hopes to find work in that field when he get to Austrealia. He only has $100 to his name. He started out with $4,000. which has lasted a hear and a half (that doesn’t include the lost camera equipment.)
After tearing ourselves away from Kybi we went to visit the local market. Nothing new there.
Then we went to a cave that is known as mirror cave. We walked a long way to get to the entrance. Joyce decided she didn’t want to go in so she went back to the car. The guide and I entered. It was a huge cave – we saw a giant honey “nest” on the side. We had to squat down and crawl through certain areas. We each had a flashlight. There were bats hanging all over –in one area they were making a noise that scared the liver out of me. When the guide and I got back to the car it was time to go to the airport for our flight back to Bali. I gave the guide a tip. He had a strange look on his face which I took to mean that he wasn’t expecting it and was pleased. I thought I gave him a dollar which would have pleased him but I later realized I had only given him 11 cents!!! No wonder he had such a look on his face! A dollar is 10,000 and 11 cents is 1,000. I have been feeling bad and laughing about it ever since. Trying to keep all the different money we use straight is a real trick.
We checked in at the airport then decided to go back outside and have a cold drink. We were sitting out there when I decided I was hungry. Our food was in one of the bags we had already checked. I went right in without putting my things on the x-ray belt again. I walked right past the check-in counter, out the door and to the luggage wagon where all the bags were stacked. Our bags were on top so I climbed right up, unzipped my bag and pulled the food bag out! I took it back outside and we chowed down. So much for security. Can you imagine doing that in the states?
Our plane finally arrived and everyone crowded around the exit door waiting for them to let us walk out and get on. Joyce and I didn’t get up because we had assigned seats and didn’t want to be in the crowd. It was only a small plane which held maybe 50 but there weren’t that many getting on. As we were sitting there one of the airport workers came up to us – took the tickets and boarding pass out of Joyce’s hand, tore off part of the boarding pass and handed everything back to her. We looked around and saw that we were the only two not on the plane and they were waiting just for the two of us! We prissed out and got on. Bali here we come . . .
We checked back into the same hotel we had just left. I asked the guy if we could have the room for $25 instead of $28 since we were such good customers. He said, “yes” if we would take a room with a shower and no tub. PERFECT! We hated the old tub anyway. You needed a ladder to get in and out of it plus we only used the shower. It was a little smaller than the other room and didn’t have a mini bar but we thought we could manage.
We went out to eat and then did Internet. We found that things are really bad in Kalimantan at the Orangutan Center. The orangutans have been burned and when they tried to escape the fires many were killed by the local people. It is just too sad. We couldn’t stand to see them in that condition so once again we will change our plans. Besides Myanmar that’s the one thing I really wanted to do over here but like I said, I couldn’t stand to see them if they have been hurt plus as of Monday the smoke was still so thick people 100’s of miles away had to drive with their headlights on in the middle of the day. We don’t want to breathe smoke and have it in our eyes and hair for over a week.
We got back to our room which felt cool but after we did our laundry and got ready for bed we realized the A/C wasn’t cooling properly. I guess tomorrow we’ll be changing rooms again!!
We were awakened by a puppy yapping, a mother dog barking, a rooster and what sounded like a deer getting ready to make an announcement on a loudspeaker! Welcome to the zoo hotel.
We couldn’t see it last night but the courtyard around our hotel was beautiful and went right down to the beach. We walked down for a little look-see.
After having breakfast at the hotel (tea and toast) Luis and the driver were ready to take us sightseeing. One of the first places we went was the Paradise Bar (on a cliff) for a fabulous look down on the sea, other islands and the boats. It was here that we met Kybi, probably the most interesting person we have met on the trip. He is a 30 year old from Slovakia who had ridden his BICYCLE (peddled) from Europe to Indonesia. We were all (guides included) so fascinated with is stories that we just sat and listened to him for about an hour.
When he was riding through Tibet he was attacked by a pack of dogs. He was off his bike defending himself with a stick when on of them slipped behind him and bit him in the leg. He had rabies shots before leaving on the trip but if he were to get bitten he had to take another shot within so many days or it would be curtains. He rode a full day until he found a hospital and tried to convince them to give him a shot. They threw him out. He emailed his doctor back home who said he had to get an injection. He checked into a hotel with a high fever. The hotel had NO heat! He emailed his embassy in Beijing telling them it was an emergency and to please write a letter for him in Chinese to show the hospital so he could get the injection. Everyday he pulled himself out of the bed and went to check his email. It took 5 days for the embassy to respond! He took the letter to the hospital and got the shot. Within 2-3 days he began to feel better and off he went again on his adventure. He bicycled through Afghanistan which he loved. He said they are the greatest people he has met. I don’t know how he was able to peddle over those mountains in Tibet and Afghanistan. Sounds like you, Dave! He had lots of interesting stories about that. We had to tear ourselves away from his stories. He has a web site for his pictures if anyone wants to look: http://foto.kybi.sk He says there are only 3-4 that he thinks are really good.
He has a tent and a gas burner with him. He is pulling a small “wagon” behind the bike. On each side are two “saddle bags” with clothes etc. He had a large case with all his camera equipment. When in China he had it in the basket on the front of his bike. Two guys on a motorcycle came by and grabbed it. He lost about $4,000 worth of equipment. He wrote his dad who helped him get new equipment. He was carrying a digital camera and film camera plus 2 hard drives to download his pictures onto. Before he started his journey he was a computer programmer. He hopes to find work in that field when he get to Austrealia. He only has $100 to his name. He started out with $4,000. which has lasted a hear and a half (that doesn’t include the lost camera equipment.)
After tearing ourselves away from Kybi we went to visit the local market. Nothing new there.
Then we went to a cave that is known as mirror cave. We walked a long way to get to the entrance. Joyce decided she didn’t want to go in so she went back to the car. The guide and I entered. It was a huge cave – we saw a giant honey “nest” on the side. We had to squat down and crawl through certain areas. We each had a flashlight. There were bats hanging all over –in one area they were making a noise that scared the liver out of me. When the guide and I got back to the car it was time to go to the airport for our flight back to Bali. I gave the guide a tip. He had a strange look on his face which I took to mean that he wasn’t expecting it and was pleased. I thought I gave him a dollar which would have pleased him but I later realized I had only given him 11 cents!!! No wonder he had such a look on his face! A dollar is 10,000 and 11 cents is 1,000. I have been feeling bad and laughing about it ever since. Trying to keep all the different money we use straight is a real trick.
We checked in at the airport then decided to go back outside and have a cold drink. We were sitting out there when I decided I was hungry. Our food was in one of the bags we had already checked. I went right in without putting my things on the x-ray belt again. I walked right past the check-in counter, out the door and to the luggage wagon where all the bags were stacked. Our bags were on top so I climbed right up, unzipped my bag and pulled the food bag out! I took it back outside and we chowed down. So much for security. Can you imagine doing that in the states?
Our plane finally arrived and everyone crowded around the exit door waiting for them to let us walk out and get on. Joyce and I didn’t get up because we had assigned seats and didn’t want to be in the crowd. It was only a small plane which held maybe 50 but there weren’t that many getting on. As we were sitting there one of the airport workers came up to us – took the tickets and boarding pass out of Joyce’s hand, tore off part of the boarding pass and handed everything back to her. We looked around and saw that we were the only two not on the plane and they were waiting just for the two of us! We prissed out and got on. Bali here we come . . .
We checked back into the same hotel we had just left. I asked the guy if we could have the room for $25 instead of $28 since we were such good customers. He said, “yes” if we would take a room with a shower and no tub. PERFECT! We hated the old tub anyway. You needed a ladder to get in and out of it plus we only used the shower. It was a little smaller than the other room and didn’t have a mini bar but we thought we could manage.
We went out to eat and then did Internet. We found that things are really bad in Kalimantan at the Orangutan Center. The orangutans have been burned and when they tried to escape the fires many were killed by the local people. It is just too sad. We couldn’t stand to see them in that condition so once again we will change our plans. Besides Myanmar that’s the one thing I really wanted to do over here but like I said, I couldn’t stand to see them if they have been hurt plus as of Monday the smoke was still so thick people 100’s of miles away had to drive with their headlights on in the middle of the day. We don’t want to breathe smoke and have it in our eyes and hair for over a week.
We got back to our room which felt cool but after we did our laundry and got ready for bed we realized the A/C wasn’t cooling properly. I guess tomorrow we’ll be changing rooms again!!
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
11-7 (Tuesday)
We had been sleeping in but this morning were up at 6 a.m. for hair washing and final packing before leaving overnight to see the Komodo Dragons. We stored four of our suitcases at the hotel since wed be staying there two more nights when we got back. We planned to just take our “Chinese” bags stuffed full of things.
We hauled the biggest and heaviest bag (mine) downstairs on our way to breakfast. I had been having toast, fruit and tea every morning. This morning they were out of bread so I had to have fried rice. I didn’t eat that much of it because it wasn’t appealing for breakfast.
The driver arrived to take us to the airport. He was a really nice guy and told us that George Bush was going to be coming to Jakarta on the 20th. When you travel you have no idea of what is going on in the world. We think he must be on his way to Vietnam for a APEC conference they are hosting.
When we were almost at the airport I got so nauseated I thought I was going to have to ask the driver to pull over. Even though I drank a lot of water I think it was the malaria pill on an almost empty stomach that made me sick I left Joyce with my bags and ran in the bathroom. I wet a cloth and put it on my face and neck. I was able to hold everything down. Isn’t this interesting? After we went through security I bought a package of Ritz Crackers and drank a Sprite. I felt better almost instantly so I’m sure it was the pill.
Our plane was scheduled to leave at 10:15 but since everyone was there we took off early. Why wait around?
The islands here are very close together. It was interesting to see the contrast. Some were lush and green while others looked brown and parched. Some had volcanoes and other appeared flat.
Our guide, Luis, picked us up at the airport in Komodo. The driver took us directly to the harbor where we boarded a private “wooden” boat for our 2 ½ hour ride to Rinca Island. It was such a smooth, cool and relaxing ride that we kept falling asleep. The only thing that could have made it better was if they had had hammocks for us.
We had our guide, the captain, and a crew of two. The crew cooked lunch for us: fish heads and rice (yummy), noodles, cucumbers, green cooked leaves and pineapple for dessert. When we got off the boat there were three sleeping dragons beside the walkway. We walked to the Rangers Station where we had to register. I looked back through many of the pages and only saw one other person from the US. The Rangers told us the order of countries that send the most visitors: 1st Dutch, Germans, French and Brits.
The guides work 10 days on the island and 10 days back home. The only thing they are armed with is a long wooden stick with a V at the end. If attacked they poke the dragon in the face with it and he goes away. We elected to take the long (2 hour) trek. Before leaving we saw several dragons under the cook hut. The ranger said the smell of food draws them but they are NOT fed by the workers. One was a huge male who was sticking his long snake like tongue in and out. He was next to a smaller female. There were several young ones running about.
Along the hike we saw many more. As in Africa it was easy for the ranger to see them but hard for us. They blend right into the rocks and grass. We saw nests that the females use to bury their eggs. July and August are mating season so that’s when most of the tourists come. The males are constantly fighting with each other. They stand up on their hind legs to fight. The female lays around 30 eggs then hangs around her nest for the next 8 months. When they begin to hatch they crawl up in the trees for protection from other animals and their mothers. They hang out in trees (coming to the ground at times) until they are a couple of years old.
On the trek we saw something like a guinea hen, monkeys and deer. We heard a VERY loud, strange noise. It sounded like a loudspeaker. We were expecting an announcement like, “Run for your lives.” But it turned out to be the sound of a deer. It was so loud and strange. We also saw water buffalo (all males) down in what little water they could find. The females come down to drink and then leave because of the dragons. There was one large male dragon under the tree near the buffalo watering hole.
We walked through several river beds that didn’t have a drop of water. Everyone over here is talking about how hot it is and how the rainy season should have started in September but so far there is NO rain. You can certainly see the effects of global warming here. The farmers can’t plant because the ground is dry as a bone. The animals can’t drink because there is no water.
Even though we walked through mostly shady areas it was so hot I finished a large bottle of drinking water. My face was beat red. We actually ended up walking an hour and a half. Before going back to the boat we sat down to rest for a minute then decided to walk back to the cook hut for a final look at the dragons. The other rangers were playing ball when we heard them call out and saw that they were all looking at something on the ground. We went over to investigate. It was a snake, a viper, the most deadly snake in Indonesia. Its coloring was so good that I couldn’t see it even though it was right in front of me. Our ranger had to touch it with his dragon stick before I could see it. When we got back to the boat the same three dragons were still there. The welcoming and good-bye committee!
Luis, our guide and I sat up on the front of the boat and talked for over an hour. All of a sudden I was doubled over with stomach problems. Somehow I made it to the back of the boat and to the toi-let.
I was back talking to Joyce when the crew arrived with dinner. It was the exact same menu that we had for lunch. Thank goodness Luis knew I had been sick so I begged out of eating ANY dinner.
We arrived back in Labuanbajo around 8:30. We went directly to the hotel. We kept telling Luis we had to have two beds in the room. Well . . . there were three! We chose the two cleanest to sleep on. There was no top sheet, just something that was supposed to be a blanket but looked like a large towel. We decided to sleep in our silk sleeping bags. There was an A/C in the room that only began cooling by morning when it was time to get up. The bathroom . . . well . . . it was similar to the Honey Hotel in Myanmar only worse. It had a hand held shower head on the wall and a western toi-let but it smelled terrible. We had to keep the door closed. I think the drain was backing up.
After washing with baby wipes we were ready for a good sleep. Then we heard a puppy yapping. It went on so long I know its throat was sore. I went to find out where it was. It was a couple doors down from our room. The mother dog was nursing about 6 puppies and one was barricaded off from the rest by some boxes. I went and got one of the hotel workers. His solution was to put all the puppies behind the barricade. I thought that would at least keep the one from yapping but NO! The poor thing was probably hungry. I gave up, put in my ear plugs and went to bed.
We had been sleeping in but this morning were up at 6 a.m. for hair washing and final packing before leaving overnight to see the Komodo Dragons. We stored four of our suitcases at the hotel since wed be staying there two more nights when we got back. We planned to just take our “Chinese” bags stuffed full of things.
We hauled the biggest and heaviest bag (mine) downstairs on our way to breakfast. I had been having toast, fruit and tea every morning. This morning they were out of bread so I had to have fried rice. I didn’t eat that much of it because it wasn’t appealing for breakfast.
The driver arrived to take us to the airport. He was a really nice guy and told us that George Bush was going to be coming to Jakarta on the 20th. When you travel you have no idea of what is going on in the world. We think he must be on his way to Vietnam for a APEC conference they are hosting.
When we were almost at the airport I got so nauseated I thought I was going to have to ask the driver to pull over. Even though I drank a lot of water I think it was the malaria pill on an almost empty stomach that made me sick I left Joyce with my bags and ran in the bathroom. I wet a cloth and put it on my face and neck. I was able to hold everything down. Isn’t this interesting? After we went through security I bought a package of Ritz Crackers and drank a Sprite. I felt better almost instantly so I’m sure it was the pill.
Our plane was scheduled to leave at 10:15 but since everyone was there we took off early. Why wait around?
The islands here are very close together. It was interesting to see the contrast. Some were lush and green while others looked brown and parched. Some had volcanoes and other appeared flat.
Our guide, Luis, picked us up at the airport in Komodo. The driver took us directly to the harbor where we boarded a private “wooden” boat for our 2 ½ hour ride to Rinca Island. It was such a smooth, cool and relaxing ride that we kept falling asleep. The only thing that could have made it better was if they had had hammocks for us.
We had our guide, the captain, and a crew of two. The crew cooked lunch for us: fish heads and rice (yummy), noodles, cucumbers, green cooked leaves and pineapple for dessert. When we got off the boat there were three sleeping dragons beside the walkway. We walked to the Rangers Station where we had to register. I looked back through many of the pages and only saw one other person from the US. The Rangers told us the order of countries that send the most visitors: 1st Dutch, Germans, French and Brits.
The guides work 10 days on the island and 10 days back home. The only thing they are armed with is a long wooden stick with a V at the end. If attacked they poke the dragon in the face with it and he goes away. We elected to take the long (2 hour) trek. Before leaving we saw several dragons under the cook hut. The ranger said the smell of food draws them but they are NOT fed by the workers. One was a huge male who was sticking his long snake like tongue in and out. He was next to a smaller female. There were several young ones running about.
Along the hike we saw many more. As in Africa it was easy for the ranger to see them but hard for us. They blend right into the rocks and grass. We saw nests that the females use to bury their eggs. July and August are mating season so that’s when most of the tourists come. The males are constantly fighting with each other. They stand up on their hind legs to fight. The female lays around 30 eggs then hangs around her nest for the next 8 months. When they begin to hatch they crawl up in the trees for protection from other animals and their mothers. They hang out in trees (coming to the ground at times) until they are a couple of years old.
On the trek we saw something like a guinea hen, monkeys and deer. We heard a VERY loud, strange noise. It sounded like a loudspeaker. We were expecting an announcement like, “Run for your lives.” But it turned out to be the sound of a deer. It was so loud and strange. We also saw water buffalo (all males) down in what little water they could find. The females come down to drink and then leave because of the dragons. There was one large male dragon under the tree near the buffalo watering hole.
We walked through several river beds that didn’t have a drop of water. Everyone over here is talking about how hot it is and how the rainy season should have started in September but so far there is NO rain. You can certainly see the effects of global warming here. The farmers can’t plant because the ground is dry as a bone. The animals can’t drink because there is no water.
Even though we walked through mostly shady areas it was so hot I finished a large bottle of drinking water. My face was beat red. We actually ended up walking an hour and a half. Before going back to the boat we sat down to rest for a minute then decided to walk back to the cook hut for a final look at the dragons. The other rangers were playing ball when we heard them call out and saw that they were all looking at something on the ground. We went over to investigate. It was a snake, a viper, the most deadly snake in Indonesia. Its coloring was so good that I couldn’t see it even though it was right in front of me. Our ranger had to touch it with his dragon stick before I could see it. When we got back to the boat the same three dragons were still there. The welcoming and good-bye committee!
Luis, our guide and I sat up on the front of the boat and talked for over an hour. All of a sudden I was doubled over with stomach problems. Somehow I made it to the back of the boat and to the toi-let.
I was back talking to Joyce when the crew arrived with dinner. It was the exact same menu that we had for lunch. Thank goodness Luis knew I had been sick so I begged out of eating ANY dinner.
We arrived back in Labuanbajo around 8:30. We went directly to the hotel. We kept telling Luis we had to have two beds in the room. Well . . . there were three! We chose the two cleanest to sleep on. There was no top sheet, just something that was supposed to be a blanket but looked like a large towel. We decided to sleep in our silk sleeping bags. There was an A/C in the room that only began cooling by morning when it was time to get up. The bathroom . . . well . . . it was similar to the Honey Hotel in Myanmar only worse. It had a hand held shower head on the wall and a western toi-let but it smelled terrible. We had to keep the door closed. I think the drain was backing up.
After washing with baby wipes we were ready for a good sleep. Then we heard a puppy yapping. It went on so long I know its throat was sore. I went to find out where it was. It was a couple doors down from our room. The mother dog was nursing about 6 puppies and one was barricaded off from the rest by some boxes. I went and got one of the hotel workers. His solution was to put all the puppies behind the barricade. I thought that would at least keep the one from yapping but NO! The poor thing was probably hungry. I gave up, put in my ear plugs and went to bed.
11-6 (Monday)
We set off this morning to get Joyce some money. She has Visa Traveler’s Check’s from AAA and there is only one bank (that she has found) that will cash them. I went to buy a pair of flip flops while she was getting her money.
We walked down to one of the fancy hotels and found the Garuda Airline Office. We talked to them about flying to Benjarmasin. It seems we will be able to do it. After having lunch we stopped in at a travel agency to continue our inquiries about getting to Kalimantan. We felt like we got good information from both places and that when we get back from Komodo we’ll be ready to pay for our trip all the way to Bangkok on the 19th.
It is sooooooo hot in Bali. My skin feels like it is cooking We went back to the hotel to cool down and rest before going to Tanah Lot to see the sun set.
Everyone here is tattooed. Joyce and I decided to get matching hearts on our butts with each other’s names! Cute huh?
Besides us there was only one other girl in the van to Tanah Lot. She (35 years old) was so interesting. She grew up in East Germany and was 16 when the wall came down so she could remember what it was like before “reunification.” She lived and worked for hotels in the Middle East for six years before opening her own restaurant in her home town. She is getting itchy feet again and is thinking about moving to either China or Russia. She thinks they are two up and coming places. She doesn’t like to stay in a place more than two years. She was traveling by herself.
Although I had been to Tanah Lot before it was still a sight that took my breath away. It is a temple on top of an outcropping of land that stands alone and becomes a tiny island at high tide.
When we got home we went to eat at Poppies Restaurant.
We packed up for our trip tomorrow.
We set off this morning to get Joyce some money. She has Visa Traveler’s Check’s from AAA and there is only one bank (that she has found) that will cash them. I went to buy a pair of flip flops while she was getting her money.
We walked down to one of the fancy hotels and found the Garuda Airline Office. We talked to them about flying to Benjarmasin. It seems we will be able to do it. After having lunch we stopped in at a travel agency to continue our inquiries about getting to Kalimantan. We felt like we got good information from both places and that when we get back from Komodo we’ll be ready to pay for our trip all the way to Bangkok on the 19th.
It is sooooooo hot in Bali. My skin feels like it is cooking We went back to the hotel to cool down and rest before going to Tanah Lot to see the sun set.
Everyone here is tattooed. Joyce and I decided to get matching hearts on our butts with each other’s names! Cute huh?
Besides us there was only one other girl in the van to Tanah Lot. She (35 years old) was so interesting. She grew up in East Germany and was 16 when the wall came down so she could remember what it was like before “reunification.” She lived and worked for hotels in the Middle East for six years before opening her own restaurant in her home town. She is getting itchy feet again and is thinking about moving to either China or Russia. She thinks they are two up and coming places. She doesn’t like to stay in a place more than two years. She was traveling by herself.
Although I had been to Tanah Lot before it was still a sight that took my breath away. It is a temple on top of an outcropping of land that stands alone and becomes a tiny island at high tide.
When we got home we went to eat at Poppies Restaurant.
We packed up for our trip tomorrow.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
11-5 (Sunday) Bali
We froze last night! We slept in this morning until 8:00 because we didn’t want to get out from under the covers. We had a long discussion about where to go next before we have to return to Bangkok. We seethe day aside to make travel arrangements. We fist bought a bus ticket to go to Tanah Lot tomorrow to see the sunset. We went to another agency and bought a ticket for 2 days and one night (on a boat)to go to the Komoda Islands to see the dragons. We leave Tuesday.
We found an international phone where you can make collect calls. Joyce had prepaid a LOT of money on her card so she wouldn’t have to worry about paying while she was out of the country. When we got ready to pay for our ticket to Bali they told her the card was reject6ed. She tried it at the hotel and it was the same thing. We decided the strip must have gotten messed up. She called them today only to find out that they had “flagged” her card deciding “they” didn’t want her to use it in Indonesia or Vietnam! I would have been livid. Wheat gives them the right to decide where she can spend her money? I used the phone to call my insurance co. They have a toll free # but the international calls have to be collect. I have been trying to find out what they are going to do about my car since September. I emailed them but they wrote back and said I need to call! Why do they invite you to email if they can’t answer? Go figure.
Tonight we went to dinner right on the beach – Jimaron Bay Beach. Lovely!
We still haven’t decided where we are going besides Komoto. Does anyone have an idea for us? HELP. We don’t want to miss anything while we are here. We would like to go to Kalimantan but we don’t know if we will be able to get there because of the fires. We thought about Puket but heard it is real expensive. We thought of Borobudur also but that isn’t looking possible. Okay, Brad, Dennis, Larry, Steve and you hard core travelers . . . put your thinking caps on.
We froze last night! We slept in this morning until 8:00 because we didn’t want to get out from under the covers. We had a long discussion about where to go next before we have to return to Bangkok. We seethe day aside to make travel arrangements. We fist bought a bus ticket to go to Tanah Lot tomorrow to see the sunset. We went to another agency and bought a ticket for 2 days and one night (on a boat)to go to the Komoda Islands to see the dragons. We leave Tuesday.
We found an international phone where you can make collect calls. Joyce had prepaid a LOT of money on her card so she wouldn’t have to worry about paying while she was out of the country. When we got ready to pay for our ticket to Bali they told her the card was reject6ed. She tried it at the hotel and it was the same thing. We decided the strip must have gotten messed up. She called them today only to find out that they had “flagged” her card deciding “they” didn’t want her to use it in Indonesia or Vietnam! I would have been livid. Wheat gives them the right to decide where she can spend her money? I used the phone to call my insurance co. They have a toll free # but the international calls have to be collect. I have been trying to find out what they are going to do about my car since September. I emailed them but they wrote back and said I need to call! Why do they invite you to email if they can’t answer? Go figure.
Tonight we went to dinner right on the beach – Jimaron Bay Beach. Lovely!
We still haven’t decided where we are going besides Komoto. Does anyone have an idea for us? HELP. We don’t want to miss anything while we are here. We would like to go to Kalimantan but we don’t know if we will be able to get there because of the fires. We thought about Puket but heard it is real expensive. We thought of Borobudur also but that isn’t looking possible. Okay, Brad, Dennis, Larry, Steve and you hard core travelers . . . put your thinking caps on.
11-3 (Friday) Bali
Last night we booked a room at the airport that was awful so this morning we walked around hotel shopping. We found a great hotel that we both loved. We got them to discount it to $30 which was a lot more than we wanted to pay but after last night ($2 more) we didn’t care. We had to go get money. The old Matahari center where we used to shop in the past is gone so we had to find another place.
We went to the hotel where we stayed four years ago – where we were during the bombing and talked to a woman who remembered us. I gave her pictures I had taken of her and her family at that time. She was thrilled.
We talked to several travel agencies about a trip to Kalimantan and one to Komoto.
We took a bus to Ubud. We just happened upon the restaurant of a friend. When we were here before, our friend, Dennis, took us to Ubud to meet a friend of his. This was the restaurant. I had pictures to give out. The daughter was so happy we had come by.
Last night we booked a room at the airport that was awful so this morning we walked around hotel shopping. We found a great hotel that we both loved. We got them to discount it to $30 which was a lot more than we wanted to pay but after last night ($2 more) we didn’t care. We had to go get money. The old Matahari center where we used to shop in the past is gone so we had to find another place.
We went to the hotel where we stayed four years ago – where we were during the bombing and talked to a woman who remembered us. I gave her pictures I had taken of her and her family at that time. She was thrilled.
We talked to several travel agencies about a trip to Kalimantan and one to Komoto.
We took a bus to Ubud. We just happened upon the restaurant of a friend. When we were here before, our friend, Dennis, took us to Ubud to meet a friend of his. This was the restaurant. I had pictures to give out. The daughter was so happy we had come by.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
11-2 (Thursday)
Last night we arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 9:00 for the airport. Our plane wasn’t leaving until 11:50.
When we checked in we had all kinds of problems- first the girl thought we hadn’t paid our departure fee but as of the day before it is now included in the price of your ticket. It costs $14 to depart from Vietnam. Then the girl needed proof that we were going to leave Bali and when. We told her we didn’t have a ticket to leave and weren’t exactly sure where or when. She was trying to tell us we couldn’t go unless we had a ticket out of the country. We showed her proof that we were leaving Bangkok for the US on the 22nd of this month. She didn’t seem to care about that. She finally went and talked to someone else, came back and let us on the plane. Thank goodness we left for the airport as soon as we did.
It was an hour and a half into Singapore. We were served a wonderful meal with wine. They didn’t charge us like Northwest did on the way over.
The Singapore airport was VERY nice. They even had FREE Internet throughout the airport and it WORKED! We walked around, did internet and killed a couple of hours until it was time to leave for Bali at 7:00.
We arrived in Bali about 9 p.m. At the airport we arranged for a hotel. It was awful and it cost us $28!!! They said they had hot water but the hotel people forgot to turn it on in our room. We went to bed without taking showers and decided we would move to a new place as soon as we got up in the morning.
Last night we arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 9:00 for the airport. Our plane wasn’t leaving until 11:50.
When we checked in we had all kinds of problems- first the girl thought we hadn’t paid our departure fee but as of the day before it is now included in the price of your ticket. It costs $14 to depart from Vietnam. Then the girl needed proof that we were going to leave Bali and when. We told her we didn’t have a ticket to leave and weren’t exactly sure where or when. She was trying to tell us we couldn’t go unless we had a ticket out of the country. We showed her proof that we were leaving Bangkok for the US on the 22nd of this month. She didn’t seem to care about that. She finally went and talked to someone else, came back and let us on the plane. Thank goodness we left for the airport as soon as we did.
It was an hour and a half into Singapore. We were served a wonderful meal with wine. They didn’t charge us like Northwest did on the way over.
The Singapore airport was VERY nice. They even had FREE Internet throughout the airport and it WORKED! We walked around, did internet and killed a couple of hours until it was time to leave for Bali at 7:00.
We arrived in Bali about 9 p.m. At the airport we arranged for a hotel. It was awful and it cost us $28!!! They said they had hot water but the hotel people forgot to turn it on in our room. We went to bed without taking showers and decided we would move to a new place as soon as we got up in the morning.
11-1 (Wednesday)
After breakfast we headed out to book a flight to Bali for the next day. First we stopped at the corner where Ha (the young street girl Dinki and I met last year) usually works. I talked to a woman I had talked to the night before about Ha. She went around the corner and found Ha’s mother. We met her little brother about 5 or 6 years old and her father who wanted to give us a motorcycle ride. They told us that Ha now works at the Gen Thanh Market during the day and goes to school at night. The mother called her on her cell phone and Ha said she would come to our hotel at 6:00 that evening to meet us.
We went to several travel agencies interviewing them to see which one we liked best to get our Bali tickets. We decided on one. When we went back to book the flight the man who worked there said, “She’s retired!” We thought that was quick but what he meant was that she was at lunch. We went back later and got the ticket.
Tonight we waited for Ha to show up at the hotel but she never did. I don’t know what happened. Maybe she couldn’t find it because it is rather new and she didn’t seem to know when I talked to her.
We went to dinner where I treated Joyce for her birthday – it was closed! We looked through the window and it was totally empty! We saw a sign on the door that said they would reopen in Dec. after they did renovations. We ended up eating at a fabulous French Restaurant.
We had money we had to get rid of so we bought a couple of books then went to a department store. Joyce bought a couple of blouses but I couldn’t find anything to spend my money on.
After breakfast we headed out to book a flight to Bali for the next day. First we stopped at the corner where Ha (the young street girl Dinki and I met last year) usually works. I talked to a woman I had talked to the night before about Ha. She went around the corner and found Ha’s mother. We met her little brother about 5 or 6 years old and her father who wanted to give us a motorcycle ride. They told us that Ha now works at the Gen Thanh Market during the day and goes to school at night. The mother called her on her cell phone and Ha said she would come to our hotel at 6:00 that evening to meet us.
We went to several travel agencies interviewing them to see which one we liked best to get our Bali tickets. We decided on one. When we went back to book the flight the man who worked there said, “She’s retired!” We thought that was quick but what he meant was that she was at lunch. We went back later and got the ticket.
Tonight we waited for Ha to show up at the hotel but she never did. I don’t know what happened. Maybe she couldn’t find it because it is rather new and she didn’t seem to know when I talked to her.
We went to dinner where I treated Joyce for her birthday – it was closed! We looked through the window and it was totally empty! We saw a sign on the door that said they would reopen in Dec. after they did renovations. We ended up eating at a fabulous French Restaurant.
We had money we had to get rid of so we bought a couple of books then went to a department store. Joyce bought a couple of blouses but I couldn’t find anything to spend my money on.
Friday, November 03, 2006
10-31 (Tuesday) dumped
After breakfast we headed out to Chinatown. Joyce wanted to do one thing and I wanted to tour the ancient Quoc Tu Pagoda plus see some of the other sights so we split up. I hired a cyclo to peddle me around to the various places. The driver and I agreed on 35000 for an hour. About half way through the trip he started telling me that he had four children and how poor he was. We were on our way back to where he picked me up and where Joyce was waiting when he started telling me I was going to owe him more money. I told him we had agreed on the price. He kept saying it wasn’t enough. I said “Fine, pull over right here and I’ll get out because I’m not giving you any more money.” He didn’t like it but he kept peddling. He started telling me again that I owed him more money. I said, “Stop.” And he did! I got out and handed him the 35000. He wouldn’t take it. I walked off. In a minute here he comes holding out his hand. I gave him the money. I started following him because I was sure he was going back to the market where he had picked me up. Of course in wasn’t any time before I lost sight of him. I had NO idea where I was. I stopped and asked some woman how long it would take me to walk to the market. She said 30 minutes. I was supposed to meet Joyce in about5 minutes so I hired a motorcycle to take me back. There was that Cyclo driver! Joyce was waiting for me. She said he came up to her and it sounded like he was saying something about medicine. She didn’t know he was my driver but she wondered if I had been in an accident. Several of his fellow drivers came up and asked me how much I gave him. I told them about the agreement and what he had done to me. They said, “He’s a very bad man.” I was furious at the time but later I thought it was really funny.
When we got back to District One (the main part of town) we went on a tour of the Presidential Palace. This is the one that the tanks ran through the gates when Saigon fell. Both tanks are on display on the grounds. The tour was so interesting. We saw where the President entertained, had cabinet meetings, the war rooms with all the original maps, the private quarters, the helicopter pad on the roof and the location where the pilot “spy” dropped two bombs on the palace. One of the most interesting parts was seeing the bunker way underground. We got to go all through it. The equipment (phones, teletype machines etc) all looked like it was from WW I instead of the 60’s. The kitchen was also very interesting with all the original equipment. The woks were HUGE.
That night we went to the historical Caravelle Hotel (9th floor) to the Saigon Bar Rooftop Café where all the foreign war correspondents used to hang out and drink. The view looking down on the city was breathtaking.
After breakfast we headed out to Chinatown. Joyce wanted to do one thing and I wanted to tour the ancient Quoc Tu Pagoda plus see some of the other sights so we split up. I hired a cyclo to peddle me around to the various places. The driver and I agreed on 35000 for an hour. About half way through the trip he started telling me that he had four children and how poor he was. We were on our way back to where he picked me up and where Joyce was waiting when he started telling me I was going to owe him more money. I told him we had agreed on the price. He kept saying it wasn’t enough. I said “Fine, pull over right here and I’ll get out because I’m not giving you any more money.” He didn’t like it but he kept peddling. He started telling me again that I owed him more money. I said, “Stop.” And he did! I got out and handed him the 35000. He wouldn’t take it. I walked off. In a minute here he comes holding out his hand. I gave him the money. I started following him because I was sure he was going back to the market where he had picked me up. Of course in wasn’t any time before I lost sight of him. I had NO idea where I was. I stopped and asked some woman how long it would take me to walk to the market. She said 30 minutes. I was supposed to meet Joyce in about5 minutes so I hired a motorcycle to take me back. There was that Cyclo driver! Joyce was waiting for me. She said he came up to her and it sounded like he was saying something about medicine. She didn’t know he was my driver but she wondered if I had been in an accident. Several of his fellow drivers came up and asked me how much I gave him. I told them about the agreement and what he had done to me. They said, “He’s a very bad man.” I was furious at the time but later I thought it was really funny.
When we got back to District One (the main part of town) we went on a tour of the Presidential Palace. This is the one that the tanks ran through the gates when Saigon fell. Both tanks are on display on the grounds. The tour was so interesting. We saw where the President entertained, had cabinet meetings, the war rooms with all the original maps, the private quarters, the helicopter pad on the roof and the location where the pilot “spy” dropped two bombs on the palace. One of the most interesting parts was seeing the bunker way underground. We got to go all through it. The equipment (phones, teletype machines etc) all looked like it was from WW I instead of the 60’s. The kitchen was also very interesting with all the original equipment. The woks were HUGE.
That night we went to the historical Caravelle Hotel (9th floor) to the Saigon Bar Rooftop Café where all the foreign war correspondents used to hang out and drink. The view looking down on the city was breathtaking.
10-29 (Sunday) On the Reunification Express . . .Neither of us slept well last night. I was too cold and then too hot. I got the extra cover from the bunk above me. This morning the conductor reprimanded me for using it. It belonged to another bunk even though no one was there to use it! We were awake when the sun came up because the curtains fell off the window last night when we were trying to close them.They brought us a container of dry noodles for breakfast. I’m sure we could have gotten hot water to mix them with but we didn’t want them. We ate the snacks we brought with us, mostly M & M’s and other candy! It’s no wonder I’ve only lost 2 lbs on the trip! For lunch they gave us steamed rice, soup, beef with something in it and another unrecognizable veggie. Pass.A big crowd of Westerners got off in Hue. I got real excited thinking it might be Saigon. The conductor said, “No.” I asked what time we’d get to Saigon and he wrote on his hand, 4:30. Bummer. We were thinking we’d get there around 2 p.m.The scenery on this part of the journey was breathtaking: lush rice paddies, water buffalo chasing each other, quaint villages, and gorgeous mountains with the sea crashing onto giant rocks down below. We traveled in the mountains looking down on the coastline for a long, long time. It reminded me a little of S. Africa.This was undoubtedly the nosiest train I had ever been on and I’ve been on a lot. It was also the roughest ride. We thought we were going to be lulled to sleep last night – NOT! Our compartment must have been right on top of the wheels because we felt everything.At 4:45 p.m. it appeared we were getting near Saigon because the houses and shops started to build up. The train began slowing. We got all of our luggage out in the hall next to the exit. We went back in the compartment to wait when Joyce said, “You know, we haven’t been on the train 24 hours yet.” Oh horrors! We grabbed all of our luggage and hauled it back into the cabin. We knew the trip was no less than 27 hours but we were so anxious to get off that we believed we were almost there. It wasn’t long before they served Joyce’s birthday dinner: steamed rice, some green veggie, beef with what we thought was potatoes but turned out to be giant hunks of fat! Happy Birthday!We were finally over the shock of being another night on the train. We brushed our teeth and settled in for another night. We hadn’t been asleep long when the train stopped at some station around 11 p.m. Don’t you know a whole crowd got on and to make matters worse four people switched on the lights and came into our compartment. Thank goodness we had the two lower bunks. They crawled all over us and went to their places. Happy Birthday!We arrived in Saigon at 4:30 in the morning. We were dead tired. We got a taxi (paid too much) and went to the hotel. We had told them we were coming in the night before so we paid for the room even though we weren’t there. The good thing was that we could go into the room at 5 a.m. and shower and throw our stuff around. I fell asleep while I was waiting for Joyce to come out of the bathroom.We got ourselves together and went out to see the town. We walked down to the Notre Dame Church. Went to a big department store and walked down to the old palace to take a tour. It was closed for lunch! We went back to the hotel after eating some lunch to take a rest. We were pretty much out of it all day.That night we went out for a nice dinner at a place where Dinki and I had eaten when we were here last year. I bought Joyce her belated birthday dinner. She liked it much better than the globs of fat she had on the train the night before.
10-31 (Tuesday) dumped
After breakfast we headed out to Chinatown. Joyce wanted to do one thing and I wanted to tour the ancient Quoc Tu Pagoda plus see some of the other sights so we split up. I hired a cyclo to peddle me around to the various places. The driver and I agreed on 35000 for an hour. About half way through the trip he started telling me that he had four children and how poor he was. We were on our way back to where he picked me up and where Joyce was waiting when he started telling me I was going to owe him more money. I told him we had agreed on the price. He kept saying it wasn’t enough. I said “Fine, pull over right here and I’ll get out because I’m not giving you any more money.” He didn’t like it but he kept peddling. He started telling me again that I owed him more money. I said, “Stop.” And he did! I got out and handed him the 35000. He wouldn’t take it. I walked off. In a minute here he comes holding out his hand. I gave him the money. I started following him because I was sure he was going back to the market where he had picked me up. Of course in wasn’t any time before I lost sight of him. I had NO idea where I was. I stopped and asked some woman how long it would take me to walk to the market. She said 30 minutes. I was supposed to meet Joyce in about5 minutes so I hired a motorcycle to take me back. There was that Cyclo driver! Joyce was waiting for me. She said he came up to her and it sounded like he was saying something about medicine. She didn’t know he was my driver but she wondered if I had been in an accident. Several of his fellow drivers came up and asked me how much I gave him. I told them about the agreement and what he had done to me. They said, “He’s a very bad man.” I was furious at the time but later I thought it was really funny.
When we got back to District One (the main part of town) we went on a tour of the Presidential Palace. This is the one that the tanks ran through the gates when Saigon fell. Both tanks are on display on the grounds. The tour was so interesting. We saw where the President entertained, had cabinet meetings, the war rooms with all the original maps, the private quarters, the helicopter pad on the roof and the location where the pilot “spy” dropped two bombs on the palace. One of the most interesting parts was seeing the bunker way underground. We got to go all through it. The equipment (phones, teletype machines etc) all looked like it was from WW I instead of the 60’s. The kitchen was also very interesting with all the original equipment. The woks were HUGE.
That night we went to the historical Caravelle Hotel (9th floor) to the Saigon Bar Rooftop Café where all the foreign war correspondents used to hang out and drink. The view looking down on the city was breathtaking.
10-31 (Tuesday) dumped
After breakfast we headed out to Chinatown. Joyce wanted to do one thing and I wanted to tour the ancient Quoc Tu Pagoda plus see some of the other sights so we split up. I hired a cyclo to peddle me around to the various places. The driver and I agreed on 35000 for an hour. About half way through the trip he started telling me that he had four children and how poor he was. We were on our way back to where he picked me up and where Joyce was waiting when he started telling me I was going to owe him more money. I told him we had agreed on the price. He kept saying it wasn’t enough. I said “Fine, pull over right here and I’ll get out because I’m not giving you any more money.” He didn’t like it but he kept peddling. He started telling me again that I owed him more money. I said, “Stop.” And he did! I got out and handed him the 35000. He wouldn’t take it. I walked off. In a minute here he comes holding out his hand. I gave him the money. I started following him because I was sure he was going back to the market where he had picked me up. Of course in wasn’t any time before I lost sight of him. I had NO idea where I was. I stopped and asked some woman how long it would take me to walk to the market. She said 30 minutes. I was supposed to meet Joyce in about5 minutes so I hired a motorcycle to take me back. There was that Cyclo driver! Joyce was waiting for me. She said he came up to her and it sounded like he was saying something about medicine. She didn’t know he was my driver but she wondered if I had been in an accident. Several of his fellow drivers came up and asked me how much I gave him. I told them about the agreement and what he had done to me. They said, “He’s a very bad man.” I was furious at the time but later I thought it was really funny.
When we got back to District One (the main part of town) we went on a tour of the Presidential Palace. This is the one that the tanks ran through the gates when Saigon fell. Both tanks are on display on the grounds. The tour was so interesting. We saw where the President entertained, had cabinet meetings, the war rooms with all the original maps, the private quarters, the helicopter pad on the roof and the location where the pilot “spy” dropped two bombs on the palace. One of the most interesting parts was seeing the bunker way underground. We got to go all through it. The equipment (phones, teletype machines etc) all looked like it was from WW I instead of the 60’s. The kitchen was also very interesting with all the original equipment. The woks were HUGE.
That night we went to the historical Caravelle Hotel (9th floor) to the Saigon Bar Rooftop Café where all the foreign war correspondents used to hang out and drink. The view looking down on the city was breathtaking.
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