Tuesday 13th May
Breakfast on the dock over the river, and then follow the dude from the hotel to Seven Eleven, where there was a ATM, as they didn’t take credit cards. A lot of places don’t, it causes some problems sometimes, having to pay cash, especially for bigger amounts. It was another really hot day, around 37 degrees, and the further we got into Bangkok, the worse it got. The traffic was insane, it was so slow, cars and bikes pushing in wherever they could, and when a light goes red, they try to get across anyway, and end up blocking the green light cars, so no-one ever goes anywhere. The signs are all in Thai, so we couldn’t read them, and as our GPS was out, we had no hope. We had a map, but couldn’t find out where we were, no one could read it to help. Then, due to the traffic, we got separated, and it really topped off the day. Lyn had the map, the money, and the passports, so it was a challenge. I knew the name of the hotel, so found a
Breakfast on the dock over the river, and then follow the dude from the hotel to Seven Eleven, where there was a ATM, as they didn’t take credit cards. A lot of places don’t, it causes some problems sometimes, having to pay cash, especially for bigger amounts. It was another really hot day, around 37 degrees, and the further we got into Bangkok, the worse it got. The traffic was insane, it was so slow, cars and bikes pushing in wherever they could, and when a light goes red, they try to get across anyway, and end up blocking the green light cars, so no-one ever goes anywhere. The signs are all in Thai, so we couldn’t read them, and as our GPS was out, we had no hope. We had a map, but couldn’t find out where we were, no one could read it to help. Then, due to the traffic, we got separated, and it really topped off the day. Lyn had the map, the money, and the passports, so it was a challenge. I knew the name of the hotel, so found a
tourist place to get a map, then got the place googled on a computer, and marked on the map. What could go wrong? Four hours later, I got hold of Lyn on the phone, she had found the hotel, and I wasn’t far away, she would wait out the front for me to go past. What neither of us knew was the guy that marked the hotel on my map put it on the wrong street, so I never went past. Long story short, I stopped at a point where Lyn knew where I was, and she came and guided me to the hotel. We had taken 6 hours to travel about 30 kilometres, not a good day. After all this it was time for the pub!!!! Allan, A friend of Lou and Sue’s lives in Bangkok, and we had contacted him on the net, so met him at the Roadhouse pub, along with a few of his friends. On the way, Lyn hopped in a Tuk Tuk and went to get some wine we had found out about, an Aussie Cab Sav which was on special selling for about 350 Baht at a wine chain, and wasn’t a bad drop. The driver said yes, I know where that is, but he didn’t have a clue, so an hour later Lyn got back to the corner where I was waiting, but she had tracked down 3 bottles of wine…… A great night at the pub, good to talk to english speaking people again. Or it was a good night, till I dropped my backpack and broke one of the bottles of wine…… Ron, one of Allan's friends who works for AAP, was really interested in our trip, and is doing a story on us now for the papers. The next day, after all the recent trials and tribulations, we
sat down and talked about what we wanted from this trip, and what was actually happening, and decided that things had to change. The main problems were the heat, that just sapped your energy, and the communication problem. We decided that we were all asianed out, and research on the net showed it would get hotter and wetter over the next few months, from here to Pakistan, so now we are going to ship the bikes to either europe or canada, not sure which yet, and don’t really care. A heap of emails went out to shipping companies and freight forwarders, and we visited one recommended on HU. There we found out the paperwork we got for the bikes at the Thai / Malaysian border was incorrect, and we would have to sort that out before we could do anything.
We had our carnet stamped at the border at Sadeo when we entered Thailand, not knowing that Thailand doesn't use carnets, and just rode through thinking that was all good. It turns out that you need a temporary import/export form, or "white paper" for the bikes, along with a couple of other forms, none of which we had. The only thing we could do was try to get across a land border, then come back in and get the correct forms, so we planned a trip to the Cambodian border at Aranya Prathet and
Poipet. It was about 250 kms from Bangkok, and we left at about lunchtime. Two hours later we got out of Bangkok on to the motorway towards the border, having totally had enough of the traffic, and remembered that motorcycles aren't allowed on the motorways. At the first toll point alarms went off, lights flashed, and we found ourselves the centre of attention as the attendants all waved their arms yelling stop, stop. The motorway police came over and when they saw we were foreigners, eventually waved us on. The same thing happened at the next one, but I think they were forewarned, as they didn't seem surprised. From their it wasn't a bad ride to the border, still suicidal drivers, but we were
used to that now. We arrived just on dark, and then the fun began. When they found we didn't have the right papers, we couldn't leave Thailand, and they said we would have to ride back to Sadao to get it fixed, so I showed them the carnet and explained their people in Sadao had stamped it and told us to go ahead on it. After a lot of discussion, phone calls, and lots of other people getting involved, they stamped our carnet out of Thailand, and we moved to the Cambodian side of the border, where it all started again, as they wanted the same paperwork for us to enter. I cracked it, so Lyn stepped in and sorted things out while I stood and fumed. We eventually got through, by not
clearing our bikes into Cambodia, locking them up at the casino car park, staying the night in Cambodia, and crossing back into Thailand the next morning. We asked about the price of a room at the casino, and were surprised to hear 1,000 baht, (about 30AUD), so took one. Then we found the room was 500 baht, and you got a 500 baht casino chip for your money. OK, upstairs to the casino, over to the roulette table, Lyn put it down on red, and red came up. Winner, we got the room for free!! A feed and a couple of cocktails later, and time for bed. Next morning we re-entered Thailand, (spending 2 hours in the queue for our passport to be stamped), got all the right paperwork, and rode
back to Bangkok. The next few days were spent shifting hotels, chasing shipping prices, and organising the the next leg of the trip. We have decided to fly to Germany, and had to crate the bikes to fly them. There is a HU meeting in Germany on the 29th of May, which we will try to make it to. After that there is the largest HU meeting, in Donnington in England, so will go to that one also. We found the crate people out in the middle of nowhere, and from arriving on the bikes with all our gear, agreeing on a price, and having the crates built and both bikes packed in them, it took two and a half hours. Their were 7 guy working on them at one stage.
Crating the bikes, My bike is plastic wrapped in the background, Lyn's is being done in this shot. As fast as I could remove the front wheels and mudguards, handlebars, and disconnect batteries, they were onto the next bit. Good guys to work with.
While we were trying to sort out all this, there was some political dramas happening in Thailand, which ended in a Coup d' etat, so there was a bit happening on the streets in Bangkok. We went to the pub and met Allan and co again, and got the lowdown. The
While we were trying to sort out all this, there was some political dramas happening in Thailand, which ended in a Coup d' etat, so there was a bit happening on the streets in Bangkok. We went to the pub and met Allan and co again, and got the lowdown. The
Prime Minister and some other senior ministers had been removed from office in the last few weeks, martial law was declared a day ago, and now there was the coup, so there was a bit of excitement in the air. First all the foreign news TV stations went off the air, then everything else followed, the shops were closing at 8.00 pm, and the BTS (Skyrail), and other rail services would be shut down at 9.00pm. There is also a 10.00 pm curfew. Allan catches the same BTS train as us to get home, and gets off at the same station, so we headed home from the pub just after 8.00pm, walked to the very crowded station, and got onto a train before they were shut down. Home about 9.40, time for a drink.
Lyn posing with a soldier at the BTS station on our way to town. We went in to try to get my camera fixed, no good, that bloody communication problem again. I got told one address to go to, turned out to be Panasonic head office, they directed me to somewhere else, that turned out to be a retail outlet only, and they told me to go somewhere else entirely. I have tried ringing first, but they don't speak English, so get nowhere. I thought by visiting I would get the correct information, as I showed them the camera, what was wrong, and they had a go so they understood the problem, made phone calls, and still couldn't tell me where the right place is. Very frustrating........
With the bikes gone, we did a river cruise, seeing some really nice hotels, picturesque temples, and brilliant bridges, but what really stood out to me were some of the houses that the lined the river bank, house that the river people lived in every day, and that were falling down around them. I'm not sure I could live like them..... The other pics will be in the gallery soon.
On the last day before we flew out we took a trip to Kunchanaburi, where the bridge over the river Kwai is. There is a museum dedicated to the " Death Railway" as it is known, due to the large number of POW's who died building the original bridge, and railway line from Burma into Thailand during the
On the last day before we flew out we took a trip to Kunchanaburi, where the bridge over the river Kwai is. There is a museum dedicated to the " Death Railway" as it is known, due to the large number of POW's who died building the original bridge, and railway line from Burma into Thailand during the
second world war. The trip from Bangkok to Kunchanaburi in a mini bus with the others on the tour was an adventure in itself, driven by Captain Phsyco, who seemed to think that the road was his, and everybody else was there to be driven over, around, or pushed off the road. Never have I seen nine people so glad to get off a bus as us when we arrived. I didn't know Toyota Hi Ace's could do 150kph.....especially in traffic....
We walked over the bridge, and then did about half an hour on the train along some of the track build by the POW's, before stopping at a waterfall, and then heading back to Bangkok.
We walked over the bridge, and then did about half an hour on the train along some of the track build by the POW's, before stopping at a waterfall, and then heading back to Bangkok.
The view from the train going over one of the bridges.
We had moved out of our room in Bangkok to stay close to the airport on the last night, as we had an early flight in the morning, so more haggling with taxi drivers who claim the meter is broken to get to a train station to get to the airport, then into the the hotel we had found on the net. A walk around the area, some local food from the street stalls, then off to bed for the early morning wake up call.
We flew Air India to Frankfurt, via a one and a half hour stopover in Delhi, and I was a bit sue on how it would be, expecting a cramped uncomfortable flight, but that was not the case. The plane was roomy, service good, and even though it was a lot cheaper than the other airlines, I would fly with them again anytime. We had a new Boeing Dreamliner from Delhi to Frankfurt, really comfortable.
We had moved out of our room in Bangkok to stay close to the airport on the last night, as we had an early flight in the morning, so more haggling with taxi drivers who claim the meter is broken to get to a train station to get to the airport, then into the the hotel we had found on the net. A walk around the area, some local food from the street stalls, then off to bed for the early morning wake up call.
We flew Air India to Frankfurt, via a one and a half hour stopover in Delhi, and I was a bit sue on how it would be, expecting a cramped uncomfortable flight, but that was not the case. The plane was roomy, service good, and even though it was a lot cheaper than the other airlines, I would fly with them again anytime. We had a new Boeing Dreamliner from Delhi to Frankfurt, really comfortable.
We ended up sitting next to the same guy on both legs of the flight, a young German named Peter, a good guy, and we shared a few drinks on both legs of the flight. I think we were all a bit wobbly when we got off....
Thailand, summary. A land of friendly people (mostly), their are those who see tourists as a target to rip off, but you would expect that in a country with a large population that have very little, and have seen the "rich" tourists come in who seem to have everything. We timed it wrong, our fault, hit it in the hottest part of the year, and just before the monsoons arrive, poor planning on my part. The biggest things that got us down were the difficulty in communicating the simplest things, and the oppressive heat, not good for bike clothes, helmets, and boots. The food and accommodation was cheap and good. Away from the cities, the people try to help strangers however they can, and always with a smile.
Overall, a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.........
Thailand, summary. A land of friendly people (mostly), their are those who see tourists as a target to rip off, but you would expect that in a country with a large population that have very little, and have seen the "rich" tourists come in who seem to have everything. We timed it wrong, our fault, hit it in the hottest part of the year, and just before the monsoons arrive, poor planning on my part. The biggest things that got us down were the difficulty in communicating the simplest things, and the oppressive heat, not good for bike clothes, helmets, and boots. The food and accommodation was cheap and good. Away from the cities, the people try to help strangers however they can, and always with a smile.
Overall, a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.........
