Khon Kaen, Thailand
Tuesday, October 17, 2000
Greetings from what can only be described as the armpit of Thailand. Okay, maybe I’m being a bit harsh, but you know when you enter a place and you just don’t get a good vibe at all? I’m having that vibe, so much so that after I took a 12 hour bus ride overnight to here from Chiang Mai, I’m headed out on the first bus out of here that will get me closer to Laos. Not that there’s really anything WRONG with Khon Kaen per se, it’s just not giving me the warm and fuzzies at the moment so I’ve decided to push further on.
Also, it’s always a bit strange doing email in Thailand. There’s always some apprentice Buddhist monks around playing violent video games like Doom, and then yesterday I had to sit beside a guy who was looking for a “Hot Portuguese Wife” on the net. Hey, what can I say, with computers this slow you’re bound to take in the sights around you…
I left Chiang Mai with a bit of a heavy heart. I had met some nice people there, and had some good conversations, but I felt that I had milked the city for everything I wanted out of it and it was just time to leave. My last few days were fine. Hired a taxi with a few Dutch people and headed up to a Wat called Doi Suthep overlooking what seemed to be all of Thailand. It was very beautiful, and the view incredible, but there were so many tourists (I know, I know, not like I can be surprised). There seems to be a large amount of Thai tourists visiting their own sites, which can only be a good thing.
After that, we continued up the mountain to the winter palace of the King of Thailand. It was very boring, and I was really upset that Thais pay 20 Baht to get in while we, the farangs, had to pay 50 Baht (just under one Pound). While I can see why you would want to make foreigners pay a bit more to see these places, 150% seemed a bit excessive to me, especially for something as completely boring and a waste of time as that.
So, that’s about it. I really don’t have much of a travel diary at the moment to write to you as I’m in between places. I’m heading up tonight to Nong Khai, which is on the border with Laos. I’ll hopefully be in the Laotian capital of Vientiane by tomorrow night. I came to Khon Kaen thinking I would apply for the visa here, which takes three days where I could kick back. But after seeing the place, I’ll pay more for the visa upon arrival at the border. When you think about it, with staying in Khon Kaen for three extra days, it’s probably cheaper to pay more at the border.
Just some small observations on Thai life and its people. Some things that have made me chuckle.
Being in a train station in Thailand at around 8am and 5pm daily is an event to see. They play the national anthem, and everything, I mean EVERYTHING comes to a complete halt. They stop walking, talking, buying and bargaining, all stand up and sing. Very odd, especially when in train stations akin to Grand Central Station in scope. Last night while I was waiting for my bus out of Chiang Mai, the anthem started and the stray dogs that were around (there are always lots around) started howling. I watched the locals try to maintain the dignity of the event while the dogs were going on, but a few smiles and chuckles were cracked. Cute.
It’s insane how cheap travel is in this country. I took a 12 hour kamikaze air-conditioned bus last night practically across the bloody country and it cost me less than £6. Not bad, considering it includes those horse-shoe headrest things, a fleece blanket, ‘in-flight’ food and a movie (which was Speed, which I thought was strange since the bus in the movie CRASHES). Buses are often quicker than taking a train, and more comfortable.
It’s funny how we humans love routine and structure. Although my life has very little of either at the moment, I find myself creating new patterns. Everyday that I was in Chiang Mai, I made the same walk at the same time, stopping for a slurpee at 7-11 then buying what can only be described as the Thai version of Doritos (fresh, mind you) from the same lady at her street stall.
One day I decided to sit outside of Wat Phra Singh, one of the big temples in town, and take in the the view. Tourists, tuk tuk drivers, locals all milled about. After being there for about an hour I noticed that a lot of the locals who drove by did this weird thing with their heads and their hands. The local way of greeting someone here is by putting your hands together in a praying mode and ducking your head. It’s called a ‘wai’. After a while sitting in front of the wat, I realized what these people where doing. They were paying homage to the images of the Buddha inside the temple as they drove by. In effect, they were doing drive-by wais. Cool. I just hope that it doesn’t cause many traffic accidents.
Last night was the first time that I really got to see the country at night. When I travel by myself I’m usually done for the day and in my room or at least the guesthouse at 7 pm. But last night, driving through the villages on the bus, I noticed something beautiful. All the wats are decorated with what I can only describe as thousands upon thousands of small glass pieces in different colours. At night, you put any sort of light near them and the whole structure tinkles. It’s as if I was back in the roller skating rink where they had one of those disco balls. Neat-o daddy-o.
Funny how much attention you have to give yourself when you’re on the road. When I’m living somewhere it takes me all of 10 minutes to get out the door. Now that I’m travelling, there’s much more involved. You bathe at least twice a day because of the heat, and you have to put on layers of insect repellant and sun tan lotion etc. I almost feel feminine with the amount of attention I’m paying myself….almost. Oh yes, and the cough is almost gone and I think the bites were from beg bugs, but I prefer to leave that one a mystery. I now carry around industrial strength insect spray and every bed I sleep on gets the full treatment. It’s worked thus far. Hey, I’m tough but I draw the line at creepy crawlie things.
And finally, I pay homage to the travel gods. There are two things that are indispensable when on the road. The first is a guide book, and we all probably know which one I’m talking about. I don’t use it all that often – mainly for accommodation suggestions – but it’s the bible. The second travel god is Teva’s. There’s a reason why everyone wears the sandals, it’s because they are DAMN GOOD. I have worn no other footwear yet while on the road.
That’s about it actually. I don’t know what access will be like in Laos, but you’ll be hearing from me next from there or just after I exit in about two weeks time.
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