Jul 2006

Best snack in Thailand: green mango that you dip in chilli and sugar. Yum!

On Saturday I took the train between Ayutthaya and Phitsanulok in northern Thailand. I caught the third class (slow!) train; it was so much fun. The scenery whipping past the windows was what you'd expect in this tropical country - banana trees and lush greenery and long waterways filled with giant lillies, interspersed with stilt houses. Occasionally, huge golden buddhas would emerge from between the trees and houses as the train slipped past.

The carriage was packed but it was mercifully cool with all the windows open. All through the trip, vendors walked up and down the carriages carrying baskets and trays of peanuts, noodle dishes, huge hunks of fried chicken, steamed buns and dumplings, and eskys of beer and softdrink. They would call out their wares as they came through the carriage and with the tonal quality of the Thai language it soundeed like they were singing. I was so impressed - not once did I see anyone drop a single morsel of food. I think that is the test of a true waiter - being able to make your way through a crowded lurching train balancing a tray of soup bowls, constantly scanning the passengers for customers and not stumbling once. I know I couldn't do it.

I am constantly amazed by the friendliness and hospitallity of the Thai people. On the train, I met a Thai university student (Jenni) nwho invited me to stay in her dorm at Saresuan University. For two nights, I slept in her bed while her and her friend Christina slept on the floor. They showd me around the temples in Phitsanulok on their Honda Dream motorbike, took me shopping and fed me fantastic Thai food (mmmm... Papaya salad). I must admitt that for much of the time I was wondering whether at some stage they were going to steal all my money and leave me stranded, but they turned out to just be two lovely 21 year old college students who where worried about a woman travelling alone and wanted to look after me, and get a chance to practice their English on a 'farang' (foreigner).

Jenni and Christina at Wat Phra Si - they weren't quite that blurry in person

And in Ayutthaya I was befriended by a Thai guy who took me out to the markets for dinner and shopping, taught me thai (although my pronunciation is absolutely abysmal) and took me to see his band play in Bangkok (apparently he is a 'very famous rock star in Thailand' who was hiding out in Ayuthaya from his adoring fans. Anyone heard of a Thai band called K9? They were pretty good).

I could go on and on with stories of how lovely the people here are, but this entry is far too long already so I'll stop here.

squirrel count*: 2

I didn't last long in the heat and pollution and massive overcrowding of Bangkok. I was staying in the super-touristy (but very cheap) area around Khao San Rd and it was just so hectic - backpackers everywhere and all that comes with them (touts trying to drag you off to a hotel or on a tour so they can get their commission, hawkers and tuk-tuk drivers shouting at you from every corner). It drove me a little nuts. But Bangkok was great when I got away from the tourist hordes. I went to this great temple at Wat Pho where there is a massive (35 metre long) gilded reclining Buddha, which was just gorgeous.

Chinatown was awesome too - alleyway after alleyway crammed with shops and hawkers and shoppers and motorbikes. Crazy, but fun. I haggled for a while with a woman at a store over a purse I wanted to buy, until I finally realised that I was actually haggling for ten purses (mental note for the future - in Chinatown in Bangkok, they only sell wholesale). The price was still really cheap though - the cost for ten was less than what I'd pay for one purse in Oz. Also good (and gory) was the Forensic Museum at Siriraj Hospital. It's filled with all sorts of body parts in formaldehyde: jar after jar of body parts with stab wounds, hearts with bullet holes, limbs with tattoos on them. I love all that gross stuff. And I loved riding up and down the Chao Phraya River on the ferries to cool off after a morning of sight seeing.

But after 3 days of it, I needed to get out of Bangkok. I headed one hour north to Ayuthaya, the old Thai capital. It was wonderfully relaxing after Bangkok. The town is really beautiful - commercial and residential areas interspresed with national parks and canals, and dotted with the brick ruins of Wats (temples) that were built four to seven hundred years ago - when the population of Ayuthaya was over a million people (population now: 80 thousand). The feeling of history when wandering around the ruins was just amazing. But mainly in Ayuthaya I just hung out in the cool of the garden of the guesthouse where I was staying, drinking far too much Beer Chang with a crew of locals and other solo travellers from Ireland, NZ, England, France and Germany. Lots of fun. I stayed there 3 days before getting up early (with a slight hangover) to hop on a train to Phitsanulok.

• the "squirrel count" started when I was travelling through Europe with my sister Jen in 2001. We were so excited when we spotted one in our the garden of our hostel on our second day in London. We soon got tired of keeping track of squirrel sightgings, though - the things are bloody everywhere in London! When I saw a couple of squirrels at a park in Bangkok (OK, maybe they were squirrel look-alikes) I thought I should restart the counter.

Or should that be "been on a jet plane"? I've made it to Bangkok!

Rather than giving you a long, boring, blow-by-blow account of what I've been up to these past 48 hours, I'm going to give you a little list of reasons why you should be jealous of me:

(1) The weather: so warm and humid, it was a bit of a shock to the system after the cold damp dreariness of Sydney. OK, so it does piss down with rain every afternoon here, but there's no need to mention that is there?

(2) The food: so good, so cheap and there are 5 vegetarian restaurants that I have found so far within walking distance of my hotel. Don't get that in Sydney do ya!

(3) and here's something to make you really jealous: bananas @ 30 cents a bunch!

So I admit these aren't the most profound insights into the Thai culture, but give me time - I've only been here two days.

I'll keep you posted.