Adventures of an Old Broad... Abroad: February 2017

Monday, February 6, 2017

A Couple Stories and a Grand Finale

This last installment for this trip is being written from home because my travel computer broke on the last day I was in Thailand. Happy it waited! Transportation in Thailand is, for the most part, incredibly well done. They transport thousands of people each day from place to place. An example of this is returning from the island of Koh Tao to the mainland of Chumphon and on to Hua Hin or Bangkok. You buy your ticket in Koh Tao to Hua Hin (in my case). You show up at the pier and check in and they give you a color coded sticker for you and one for your luggage with the name of the destination (in my case purple/Hua Hin). You take the ferry and check in at the ferry terminal in Chumphon. They give you a color coded triangle and one for your luggage (mine was orange). I am now wearing on my shirt a purple circle and an orange triangle. Others have red or blue or green triangles and circles. A caravan of buses show up, each with a different colored triangle in their front window and you simply get on the bus with the triangle matching the one on your shirt! That is the good part of travel in Thailand. The bad part is when the train you have taken from Hua Hin to Bangkok stops just short of your destination and they say it will be one hour to fix it. When, 20 minutes later, they still said "about one hour", everyone got off the train and, this being Thailand and near Bangkok, we discovered a Metro station close by, and a bunch of tourists were on their way to their respective hotels in Bangkok. Don't know if the train ever made it!

The Girl on the Cliff

It was almost 3 and the snorkel boats were arriving, so I decided it was time to leave the beach. I had been there since 10 anyway. Three pretty young Italian girls in thongs arrived just as a guy was jumping off the large rock in the water, so one of them got the idea to do it also. Five minutes later she arrived after swimming and then climbing the rope to the top. There she stood. She couldn't jump. I was, as I said, leaving but now I could not. I had to see the conclusion. So I watched and her friend on the beach held her phone at the ready to record the jump when/IF it happened. I'm guessing it looks a lot further from the top as she would walk to the edge, look down, walk back from the edge and sit for awhile. This went on for quite awhile and then people on the snorkel boat close by began shouting words of encouragement to her. Time passed. Soon, there were 6 to 8 people in the water at the base of the rock shouting, "Jump" and "You can do it". At this point, the whole beach was involved and first one, and then two people went up the rock to talk to her and show her how they did it. Truthfully, even if I could have climbed up the rope (doubtful), I'm not sure I could have jumped. Anyway, FINALLY she did it! She jumped - and everyone cheered and applauded her triumph! And I left the beach.

The Road Situation

There has been a LOT of rain in Southern Thailand - even more than Northern California. Roads have been washed away and two national parks that I tried to visit were completely or partially closed. This day, I was a passenger on a double decker bus returning from Koh Tao on my way to Hua Hin when traffic came to a stop. I looked out the window and saw that the bridge footings as well as an actual section of bridge had been washed away during the previous storms. Construction teams were there (in their requisite footwear of flip-flops) but this being a major route, it couldn't wait for repair. SO, a metal ramp was laid across the missing section and traffic proceeded: double decker buses, tractor trailers loaded with cars, delivery trucks, tuk-tuks, cars, etc. I'm here, so I guess it worked!
This and the two below are Mu Khao Sam Roi Yot NP

I spent one night in Hua Hin, a city where the recently deceased king had a residence. There is a park nearby (Mu Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park) that I was interested in seeing for two reasons: A walkway over some wetlands which ends up at a beautiful overview of the park (closed) and Phraya Nakhon Cave which contains a pavilion built for King Rama V for when he visited the area (not sure how he got there as it was no easy task). It involved a small boat ride around a large rock outcropping to get to another beach where you walked up many, many steps through the forest and then descended into a cave for awhile before coming to the pavilion. The grand finale is pictured below and, while difficult to reach, if you hit this at the right time when the sun is in the right position, it is breathtaking!

Along the Way

More Stairs

The Cave

Called 'Death Bridge'

And Finally!

And that, friends, is all for now.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

The Islands

Koh Phayam:
On the Andaman Sea, near Burma, no cars, not as 'touristy' as some Thai islands, beautiful pristine beaches, not great snorkeling but there are HORNBILLS! Yes! That's the basics. We took the 'Normal' boat to Koh Phayam (two hours carrying supplies for the island as well as tourists). My friends stayed at a place down the beach from me but it turned out that both were owned/run by the same family. Initially, it was difficult to figure out how to come and go between our places, especially at night so my daughter started referring to it as the Fire Swamp (from the Princess Bride). It was almost that bad: My first try I sank in quicksand and scratched up my leg pretty good. I thought it would be better to do the road because of the rocky outcroppings on the beach in the dark but was informed by the owner that cobras liked to lie on the road at night to warm themselves. Yikes! We finally figured out a walking me partway home (past the quicksand) after visiting the hippie bar and having dinner. The Hippy bar . . . don't even know where to begin. It is a work of art - a place that looks like it shouldn't be standing but it is and it's big with lots of strange seating areas, a bar, a pool table, a stage and dance floor! Photos don't do it justice.
Anyway, after 4 super relaxing days on Koh Phayam, I left my friends who are gradually heading North and then to Vietnam, and took a 'taxi' (someone driving a motorbike with your suitcase between their knees and you on the back sans helmets), took the speed boat (40 minutes and you probably shouldn't do it if you have a bad back) to Ranong. From there, it was a taxi to the bus station, a two-hour ride in a minibus and a 30 km ride in a soorng taao (not sure of the spelling but it's a little truck with two long seats facing each other in the back) to Lomprayah pier outside of Chumphon which is where the ferry for Koh Tao departs.
Chumphon:
Big city, surrounding area is mountainous, flatlands are a shrimp growing region, fishing, area near Lomprayah Pier is nice beach with mostly locals. Nice area, at least by the pier where I stayed in a really nice place called Magic House. The hosts were very nice and the food was great! I was super disappointed to find out that the national park near there which I hoped to visit is closed (no reason) until late April but On took me sightseeing to a couple viewpoints and some of the most bizarre places I have visited. It looked like a wat but was actually a tribute to the son of Rama V who started the royal Thai navy and is considered a very special place by Thai fishermen. Not the national park, but interesting!
Koh Tao:
Rocky (big huge chunks of granite), populated, dive capitol of Thailand, good snorkeling, bad roads.
I have now arrived on Koh Tao which has become more populated since my last visit. The ferry stopped at NangYuan Island which is a snorkel spot and, while very few people got off the ferry, LOTS got on - mostly destined for Koh Samui after a day snorkeling. Arriving at the Mae Had pier after that was also mayhem, but after a taxi ride over a mountain on a road that shouldn't exist, I am here and it really is incredibly beautiful. The walk to the beach from here is every bit as treacherous as people described in their reviews: steep, funky stairs and wooden walkways with boards broken and missing and I agree with them - you wouldn't want to do it drunk and in the dark! Mental note of things not to do but during the day to snorkel . . . . Sure!