Rubbishness
Indeed I have been a touch rubbish with the old blogger updates. That's purely because I haven't been up to much. I left Vientiane (no job for me... boo!) and caught the train down to Bangkok. Good train journbey all in all. Got talking with one of the guys serving food and drink and ended up playing about six million games of rummy with him. I arrived in Bangkook at about 8 in the morning and was strangely pleased to be back. I took a tuk tuk to Khao San and was shortly displeased to be back. Bangkok is opne of those cities that makes you feel extremely trapped. Hardly anywhere is there any open space and noise from the traffic and pollution just adds to the claustrophobia. So I spent three days there I think (managed to find a guesthouse with a pool on the roof and that offered a kind of getaway) and then decided to come to Pattaya as Phil'll be arriving here on the 22nd. My hopes of being able to lie on the beach and do nothing were pretty much shattered as there's some kind of Thai festival going on here this weekend. The beach road is lined with stalls selling everything imaginable (and some things that were beyond imagination), offering tours, stage shows, the usual things that you'd associate with festival type activity. I think it might have something to do with the queen but I can't be sure and I don't care that much to be honest. They're also having the X-games at the moment so for the last two days I've been watching skating and BMX, inbetween walking up and down looking at the various stalls. Although my beach lazing was shattered, it's been cool just wandering about checking out all the different stuff that's been going on. The time has come for beachness though, so today I'm going to have a look at Jawmthien beach just south of Pattaya. It's meant to be a bit quieter and cleaner and if it's good I'll move in there tomorrow. After that I'll be moving into the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel (or something along those lines) for Phil's arrival on the 22nd. Can't wait to see him again. As for the hotel, I'm sure you can imagine it's a touch flashpackerish, but it's out of the way so it makes sense for me to stay there whilst Phil's there, otherwise we'd have a nightmare trying to meet up. Haha, it's also got a bloody nice pool. Just found this; you can take a virtual tour of the room I'll be staying in if you click http://www.royalcliff.com/ipix/java.asp?javaName=RCLFbch_Mini_Suite_Jav.ipx on that. Take a look at the pools too. Mmm. Lovely.
Sunday, July 18, 2004
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
A Choice of Stories
Right, I've actually nicked this idea off another blog but it serves to purposes. Firstly, it means I'll have some stories left to tell when I get home. Secondly, it get's the interactive thing going. So here's a choice of stories you can have told:
More Scooter Woe~ Driving safety on two wheels in Lao PDR.
Beek, International Reporter ~ Sauna's, networking and job hunting in Lao PDR.
In A Tube ~ Beer, inner tubes, silly behaviour and a new TLA.
That's it. Just put in a comment of the one you'd like to hear most and democracy shall prevail. Depending on the number of votes, i.e. there has to be enough to warrant a tale, the story will appear on the the 11th of this month. Happy voting.
Revoposty
A new batch shall be out shortly. Lao post is safe I have discovered.
Personals
Martha, skirts are en route, let me know when they get there.
Jess, your skirt would be en route but you haven't given me your address yet (yes I know Katy, I'm only teasing her, and you're not shit you're class). Oh and Jess, please define a colour... I've got one already for you but I'm not sure it'll do.
Scroz, your prize is proving hard to find, I think I may have to send you some worthless tourist tat; will that be acceptable?
World leaders, please stop using my blog as forums for diplomatic chat.
Right, I've actually nicked this idea off another blog but it serves to purposes. Firstly, it means I'll have some stories left to tell when I get home. Secondly, it get's the interactive thing going. So here's a choice of stories you can have told:
More Scooter Woe~ Driving safety on two wheels in Lao PDR.
Beek, International Reporter ~ Sauna's, networking and job hunting in Lao PDR.
In A Tube ~ Beer, inner tubes, silly behaviour and a new TLA.
That's it. Just put in a comment of the one you'd like to hear most and democracy shall prevail. Depending on the number of votes, i.e. there has to be enough to warrant a tale, the story will appear on the the 11th of this month. Happy voting.
Revoposty
A new batch shall be out shortly. Lao post is safe I have discovered.
Personals
Martha, skirts are en route, let me know when they get there.
Jess, your skirt would be en route but you haven't given me your address yet (yes I know Katy, I'm only teasing her, and you're not shit you're class). Oh and Jess, please define a colour... I've got one already for you but I'm not sure it'll do.
Scroz, your prize is proving hard to find, I think I may have to send you some worthless tourist tat; will that be acceptable?
World leaders, please stop using my blog as forums for diplomatic chat.
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Finally...
... civilisation. But could you call it that? Vientiane is the 'capital' of Laos, but let's face it, it hasn't really worked that hard to earn its title. Many of the roads are still dirt, last night the power was down for 3 hours in the guesthouse, and these guys are more mental than Thais on the road. Still, coming through Laos has been a treat.
On The Beaten Track
I have to admit I've followed the same route as probably thousands of travellers. Not something I like to do, but lets be honest, I always end up doing it anyway. Before I start, it might be useful to have a look at a map of Laos first off. So I started off in the North West coming in from the border with Thailand. From there it was two days up the river on a slow boat. Slow boat conjours up images of dangling ones toes in the water as you chug along and take in the atmosphere. Not when you're sat in the engine room. It should have been called the ear drum disintegrating boat. Haha, it was only the second day that we were in the engine room though and it wasn't that bad. incidentally, the picture I posted lasted time was from the film Apocaplypse now. The actual slow boats looked like this.
Luang Prabang was the next stop (after a night in Pek Bang... What noise does a chicken in a minefield make? Suspicious lack of chickens there!) and that place was great. Very little to do, apart from wander around aimlessly without a CBD in sight, or visit waterfalls. The waterfalls (two different ones) were unbelievable and the water was actually turquiose even with the sun behind cloud. There was also a random tiger, very strange. So what better thing to do in a place of such natural beauty than try a back flip off a waterfall and smash your face up? Nice one me. It wasn't that bad though, all healed now.
Vang Vieng was next on the well trodden trail. This is basically just a place to break up the long journey to Vientiane, and it shows. Hoards of backpackers, an over supply of guesthouses and a DVD player in every bar/restaurant. Not all bad but it gets tiresome after a while. They also had tubing there. That was truly inspired. If you go to Laos, go to Vang Vieng and tube. I did, two days on the trot.
Up to the Now
So now I'm in Vientiane, the capital city that never was (not even a city). I was thinking about getting a job here if possible but I've been under the weather for a few days now, swollen glans, sore throat etc so I'm not really bursting with the get up and go required. Still, three mails ain't that much to send is it? Might as do it now whilst I'm on line.
Revoposty and Other Matters
I'm afraid I trust the Laos postal system as much as I trust a Laos truck driver who's indicating left. Therefore, revoposty might be on a break for a while, but then again, nothing ventured and that.
As for the competition; well, we've a call for 2007 but that was my brother. We can't have that can we. 2008 was the next one called by a certain Scroz. I'm sceptical that she was 2008th but no call no prize. Well done Scroz, a genuine piece of Laos art work will be winging its way to you shortly. I bet 2000 was taken by some miserable random... come on randoms, give us your addresses... ooh, or anyone currently on the mailing list is welcome to send me some distant rellie's or a mates address. Whatever.
... civilisation. But could you call it that? Vientiane is the 'capital' of Laos, but let's face it, it hasn't really worked that hard to earn its title. Many of the roads are still dirt, last night the power was down for 3 hours in the guesthouse, and these guys are more mental than Thais on the road. Still, coming through Laos has been a treat.
On The Beaten Track
I have to admit I've followed the same route as probably thousands of travellers. Not something I like to do, but lets be honest, I always end up doing it anyway. Before I start, it might be useful to have a look at a map of Laos first off. So I started off in the North West coming in from the border with Thailand. From there it was two days up the river on a slow boat. Slow boat conjours up images of dangling ones toes in the water as you chug along and take in the atmosphere. Not when you're sat in the engine room. It should have been called the ear drum disintegrating boat. Haha, it was only the second day that we were in the engine room though and it wasn't that bad. incidentally, the picture I posted lasted time was from the film Apocaplypse now. The actual slow boats looked like this.
Luang Prabang was the next stop (after a night in Pek Bang... What noise does a chicken in a minefield make? Suspicious lack of chickens there!) and that place was great. Very little to do, apart from wander around aimlessly without a CBD in sight, or visit waterfalls. The waterfalls (two different ones) were unbelievable and the water was actually turquiose even with the sun behind cloud. There was also a random tiger, very strange. So what better thing to do in a place of such natural beauty than try a back flip off a waterfall and smash your face up? Nice one me. It wasn't that bad though, all healed now.
Vang Vieng was next on the well trodden trail. This is basically just a place to break up the long journey to Vientiane, and it shows. Hoards of backpackers, an over supply of guesthouses and a DVD player in every bar/restaurant. Not all bad but it gets tiresome after a while. They also had tubing there. That was truly inspired. If you go to Laos, go to Vang Vieng and tube. I did, two days on the trot.
Up to the Now
So now I'm in Vientiane, the capital city that never was (not even a city). I was thinking about getting a job here if possible but I've been under the weather for a few days now, swollen glans, sore throat etc so I'm not really bursting with the get up and go required. Still, three mails ain't that much to send is it? Might as do it now whilst I'm on line.
Revoposty and Other Matters
I'm afraid I trust the Laos postal system as much as I trust a Laos truck driver who's indicating left. Therefore, revoposty might be on a break for a while, but then again, nothing ventured and that.
As for the competition; well, we've a call for 2007 but that was my brother. We can't have that can we. 2008 was the next one called by a certain Scroz. I'm sceptical that she was 2008th but no call no prize. Well done Scroz, a genuine piece of Laos art work will be winging its way to you shortly. I bet 2000 was taken by some miserable random... come on randoms, give us your addresses... ooh, or anyone currently on the mailing list is welcome to send me some distant rellie's or a mates address. Whatever.
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