BACK IN THE CITY AGAIN- Bangkok and Penang

.....previously in Nepal....

It was wonderful to be back in Bangkok, and in a place that was clean, and where there weren't massive piles of rubbish everywhere we looked. (Being able to use a shared bathroom without the use of shower shoes was a bonus!). Lovely to know our way around the city, and have a brilliant public transport system at our fingertips, and be able to communicate a little bit with people in their own language. Great to never be a few steps away from an ubiquitous 7-11, where cold drinks, ice, coffee and snacks were readily available, and best of all was to be able to choose what to eat from an outstanding choice of delicious, fresh and economical food. As often in our travelling lives, we experienced another mini culture shock.

Market in Bangkok

Wat Saket at Night

Street posters, Bangkok

The down side was two fold. We had arrived in Thailand at the end of May, the height of the hot and especially humid season. The air was heavy and wet, making it difficult to breath. There couldn't be a bigger difference from the weather conditions we'd just left in Nepal. One website predicted the day to be 38 degrees, but feeling like 47 degrees!!! We stopped checking after that!

There wasn't much we could do about the weather- we had known it would be hideous, but had waited to see what our reactions would be upon arriving. We had many jobs to do in Bangkok, and ended up deciding to stick it out and stay the entire month in the capital. 

We spent the first week in Bella Bella, our usual cheap and cheerful digs on Soi Rambuttri, and quickly re-entered the loud, colourful atmosphere of the area, although being the off season, there were fewer tourists around than usual, and the numerous disruptions (see below) saw many businesses closed. The scorching weather saw us rising early in order to do our jobs, and flaking under the fan during the day. In the evening, we loved the street bars that appeared nightly on Rambuttri, and sat with our 80 baht/AU$3.50 beer and gin (not together- that would be disgusting!), and watched the freak parade that is Bangkok by night.

View from Bella Bella Guesthouse

Rambuttri Street by night

In order to survive (maybe slightly over-dramatic!), we looked into alternative accommodation options. We discovered a very swish place in a completely different part of town, away from the tourists, but still close to public transport. It wasn't too pricey, but included a lovely spacious air-conditioned room with white sheets, a kettle, coffee, balcony, free toiletries, a rooftop pool and a gym for Rich to exercise to his heart's content! We felt very posh indeed staying here, and had to stop the maids from cleaning our room and changing the sheets and towels everyday! The sauna on the roof top was a bit of a laugh- Rich commented that we could hop inside to cool down!

Our swanky room in Bangkok

Rooftop swimming pool, Bangkok

Hotel foyer, Bangkok

The weather didn't induce us to walk anywhere, so luckily there were a myriad of cheap and efficient buses available to every part of Bangkok. The best were the AC trips. We loved sitting and looking out the window without the exertion and sweating of walking in the hot sun. Starting from 6 baht/AU$0.27 a trip, the buses were fantastic, and much better than the BTS or MRT train systems. We found the latter to be crowded and up to 10 times the price of the buses! As usual, we used the boats on the Chao Phraya River a lot whilst staying in Banglamphu. The breeze made them a cool way to travel to some parts of the city.

Ferry on Chao Praya River

On the buses, Bangkok

The second factor we hadn't counted on was the coronation of the "new" king of Thailand. Even though it has been two and a half years since the death of the previous beloved king, only now is his son being officially crowned as the new monarch. During our first week around Khao San Rd, every few days the entire area shut down, and police and army patrolled the streets for the rehearsals for the actual ceremony days. It was quite eerie to walk down the usually pumping tourist central road and see all the stalls and most of the shops and restaurants shut. Other days, only some businesses were shut, and then other days everything was open. It didn't seem to make sense to us, so we just woke up, and waited to see what was happening! An upside of the official holiday period of three days, was that much of the public transport was free, so we took trains to the end of lines to have a look (not that interesting, as the view from the train was very restricted). 

Bangkok lit up for the King's coronation

Our hotel off the far end of Sukhumvit Rd was not too far away from the shopping area of wall to wall malls in central Bangkok. Some were crowded and a nightmare to visit, especially on the public holidays, but we did find the food courts inside a great source of delicious and cheap authentic Thai food. The supermarkets were also terrific for bread, cheese and salad to supplement our spicy food intake. And, of course, being Thailand, every soi (small lane) off the main road was filled with stalls selling a variety of foods, day and night. Items such as fruit were joyously inexpensive compared to rip off Khao San Rd/Rambuttri area.

Yummo food court massaman curry 

Eventually our trips to the dentists, electronics and camera shops, banks, railways station, book shops, chemists, markets and embassys were all completed, and we left Bangkok for a long trip down to Malaysia.

On the train

Disused railways cars

One bus, three trains, one boat and 48 hours later, we arrived in Penang, and found a room at our usual digs. Unfortunately, there was a strange atmosphere afloat at the guesthouse. May is very low season in Georgetown due to weather, and the fact that most of the old fart Europeans who make up the majority of Penang's foreign residents have returned home. Many dodgy long term characters had replaced them, and their habit of sleeping all day and making noise all night didn't thrill us.

At least the weather was cooler than Bangkok. I never thought we would use the term "cooler" in relation to Penang, but it just goes to show, everything is relative!

Dawn, Georgetown

Back street stray, Penang

Old pier, Penang

Many miscellaneous jobs took up our days once again. The most important was scouring for a good price for a new camera lens for Rich, as our life on the road in many humid countries had caused fungus to grow on his old ones. We found a great deal and he was very happy with his new purchase. It's an purposeful and serious hobby- it brings him great pleasure and focus while we're travelling. 
We do love the few small op shops in Penang (that's Australian for thrift or charity shops). It's one of the few places in Malaysia to snap up some bargain second hand clothes. 
Penang's also our place to stock up on lovely Indian products from the many supermarkets around Little India. Particular favourites items include coconut oil, henna, turmeric and fragrant Mysore soap. 
Ramadan was is full force- although in Penang it isn't very obvious due to the many different cultures and religions here. Mostly it meant extra food markets everywhere, that were extremely busy when Muslims broke their fasting for the day.

Rich was very happy to take up his monthly bargain gym membership again, and keep his body's trouble areas fit for more rigorous travel. The famous Antarabangsa Bar was once again a way to while away the evenings, surrounded by freaky and diverse folk from all over the world and a smashing atmosphere. It having the cheapest beer on the island was also an incentive.

As our trip back to Central Asia grew near, one of Sal's preoccupations was with her trusty Russian phrase book. She discovered YouTube is another very helpful additional means for learning a language- especially for pronunciation. We are determined to know more for our upcoming trip than we did last time.

Meanwhile, Sal gave in once more to the temptation of three weeks well paid work in Melbourne, in order to help fund the rest of our year's travels. So, we sadly said goodbye to each other, and made a plan to meet up in Bangkok soon.


*A random aside........we witnessed a interesting incident in McDonald's, when the leg of a high chair occupied by a little baby suddenly broke. The child went flying, and was only just saved from falling on the floor. We watched, waiting for a furious outburst from the mum, but to our surprise, she simply asked if there was another chair to replace the broken one, and that was that! Imagine that happening in Australia or the UK!! So Asian.....

.....onwards to our return to Central Asia......

THE EYES OF THE BUDDHA- Boudhanath, Nepal

.....previously in Nepal, Dhulikhel and Panauti.....


Our arrival into Boudhanath involved an extremely tricky squeezing and pushing manoeuvre to disembark one of the most crowded buses we've ever been on- it was a good thing us and our bags were reasonably near the door, otherwise it would have been an impossible feat. Once off, we negotiated the slippery mud bath of a highway to the more calm back streets of the town.

Historically, Boudhanath has always been an important link between Tibet and Nepal. Once located on the major trading route from Lhasa and Kathmandu, it's now home to descendants of Tibetans who have been here for centuries, and well as refugees from the time of China's invasion.

The eyes have it, Boudhanath

Praying devotedly, Boudhanath

Boudhanath pigeons (they are fed)

The huge white stupa has been re-built many times over the centuries since the original AD 600 structure, but it has retained a feeling of grandeur and importance. The giant famous eyes looked down from the top four sides of the stupa and supposedly represent the all seeing wisdom of Buddha.

Every day, all day, devotees from all over come here to ritually circumnavigate the building, spinning the thousands of prayer wheels situated around the base of the stupa as they go. The crowds were almost overwhelming, and non-stop- there was no lingering in the middle of the path to watch the scene or take photos! Luckily, around the edge were seating areas in order to watch the spectacle without being crushed.

In charge of butter candles, Boudhanath

Circumnavigating the stupa, Boudhanath

Two of the faithful, Boudhanath

The grand stupa, Boudhanath

Some pilgrims had spin prayer wheels in their hands, many chanted mantras as they walked, and other were simply chatting to friends. The strangest part for us was the inner part of the circle, where people stretched out on long wooden boards on the ground and prostrated themselves over and over again, in what looked like some kind of penance. A few shaven headed women were doing the same thing outside amongst the crowds- two steps forward, then down on their knees and stomach with arms stretched out, then stand again, and repeat.......for hours.

Ringing the bells, Boudhanath

Devotees, Boudhanath

Man with small prayer wheel, Boudhanath

Tibetan lady, Boudhanath

People prostrating themselves, Boudhanath

I quite like this explanation about how to use a stupa.
The people watching was absorbing, with all sorts of folk represented. The Tibetan ladies in their bright aprons stood out, as did the variety of monks from different parts of the world, and a few Westerners gone native studying dharma (at least for a few weeks).

All sorts of dress, Boudhanath

Pilgrims, Boudhanath

Tibetan lady, Boudhanath

Taking a break, Boudhanath

The shops surrounding the stupa were all catering to pilgrims, with practical items on sale along with the religious paraphernalia.

Pilgrims shopping place, Boudhanath

Sal immediately loved it and felt a massive energy from the thousands of pilgrims walking around the stupa. Rich was a bit more sceptical and wasn't sure if the feeling was completely genuine.

One of many "holy" men, swapping prayers for money, Boudhanath

Lined up for business, Boudhanath

Although the numbers of Tibetans in Nepal is relatively small, they are a high profile people. Their plight leaving China in the 1950's and their striking culture make them instantly recognizable. Interestingly, they have a large role in tourism in Nepal, with many hotels and restaurants being owned or run by Tibetans.

Boudhanath was the first places we really saw beggars in Nepal. It was obvious they were there as a result of the huge numbers of religious devotees and the many hand-outs, but it was still a bit of a shock. Some with deformities sat near the stupa hoping to catch people on their rounds feeling generous, and other down and outs roamed (and lived on) the back streets. Many were filthy little children, some with their whole families begging.

Monks hoping for some money, Boudhanath

Handouts everywhere, Boudhanath

One of many dubious "monks" with piles (and bags full of) money, Boudhanath

Boudhanath town is chock a block with gompas-  temples, mostly with monasteries and other religious buildings included in the grounds. We were mostly free to visit and look around respectfully, but often not allowed to take photos. This was a shame, as many of the gompas were richly decorated inside with colourful murals, paintings and thangkas (wall hangings). Early in the morning we caught a few Buddhist prayer sessions going on. Monks were hypnotically chanting and slowly striking the gong, occasionally increasing in speed with sudden energy and blowing on great long horns, only to settle back into the drone again afterwards. We did wonder if all the money used to build these innumerable lavish gompas could be better spent, but, hey, that's religion for you.

Lavish interior, Boudhanath gompa

Giant holy figure, Boudhanath gompa

Monks in reds and gold, Boudhanath gompa

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The buses in Nepal were somewhat of an adventure. For the most part they were stinky, filthy old bangers, with very little leg room. They were as slow as hell, constantly stopping and starting to pick up loads of loud shouting people with bags and baskets full of goodies. The worst part by far was the God-awful pop music played at a seriously ear splitting volume on an invariably crappy sound system. The combination of high-pitched female screeching and a bass line that made us feel like our brains were going to fall out, had us making makeshift earplugs from tissues when it got particularly bad! Whichever one of us sat on the aisle seat and often had boobs in our faces, or people leaning or sitting on our shoulders, or digging bags into our kidneys. Women here didn't seem to mind contact with men on the buses- perhaps it's just impossible to avoid! An added bonus was when someone would invariably begin spewing and the whole bus will fill with the aroma of vomit. It really felt like travelling in India in the old days.
Having said all that, we did become somewhat used to the conditions, and began to enjoy aspects of the bus journeys. The bus boys and drivers were unfailingly kind and friendly to us, and generally the drivers were not too manic, mostly quite sensible and cautious. And, of course, the scenery on most trips just stunning. We were certainly not in a hurry, and appreciated the slow pace.
As a side note- there were some destinations where a very expensive tourist bus was available, but we chose to keep the costs down and go local.

Complete and utter false advertising!

Typical Nepal bus

Inside Nepal bus (that Tartan again!)

Food, in the main, was predictable. Outside of Kathmandu and Pokhara, the choices were limited, usually to momos (dumplings filled with various fillings) and chowmein (noodles with a few scattered vegetables). We did quickly become sick of both, although Sal had the most amazing potato and cheese momos in Boudhanath which completely changed her mind!!

Momo heaven, Boudhanath

Dal bhat was an option in the day in basic restaurants sometimes, and usually the only option in home stays. We both really loved this thali-like plate of rice, various curries and pickles, and enjoyed the contrasting styles at different places.

Dal bhat in Pokhara restaurant 

Home stay dal bhat

The "all you can eat" aspect was great after being out walking in the day. The unusual chiura, or beaten rice, sometimes comes with Newari style dal baht, and although it wasn't to our taste, it was interesting to try something new.

Dal bhat with chiura rice

Sometimes Tibetan dishes were available such as thukpa (noodle soup) and laping, (a cold noodle dish), especially in locations with large Tibetan populations, such as Boudhanath. We skipped the salty Tibetan butter tea, after trying it once in Rawalsar Lake in India, and finding it revolting.

Thukpa soup

Nepalese samosa are the best ever, in our opinion, and luckily available almost everywhere. We often scoffed one or two as an easy breakfast or snack.

Preparing samosas

A funny experience in a small village saw us ordering breakfast, and receiving a julebi in between two puri breads. Julebis are super sweet, deep fried gooey sweets which explode with oil and sugar in your mouth when you bite into them. Combined with the deep fried and greasy puri bread as a sandwich, we couldn't think of a more unappetizing breakfast. Needless to say, we declined and chose a samosa and tea instead!

A cheap local meal with non-alcoholic drinks would cost us around 300 rupees/AU$3.75 for the two of us, and a more Western meal at a restaurant in Pokhara or Kathmandu would be closer to 700 rupees/AU$8.75.
Grapes were our fruit addiction of choice (there wasn't much choice, to be honest).

Aloo parotha (potato bread) for breakfast

Raja (beans) and aloo jeera (our favourite potato dish), Kathmandu

Sal's fav- samosa masala- a mess, but tastes so good!!

Our western picnic complete with local cheese and wine, Pokhara

Our accommodations in Nepal were very hit and miss. The price we paid didn't necessarily match the level of comfort involved. Our cheapest room was 500 rupees/AU$6, and perfectly nice and clean with a piping hot shower, and the most expensive was 1500 rupees/AU$18, and wasn't particularly clean and had no hot water. The best room without a doubt was our cosy, clean and comfortable retreat in Pokhara town, where we waited for the weather to warm up to continue our travels. That was 1100 rupees/AU$13, for pure luxury!!! One odd characteristic in Nepal hotels was consistently being given only one towel in our rooms, even after requesting another.

Our lovely homestay in Tansen

The grand looking (only from the outside!!) hotel in Gorkha

Our favourite room (with the sun streaming in!) in Pokhara

Kathmandu room

The weather slowly but surely became warmer during our three months between January and April. But it was still very inconsistent, and there were many rainy, cloudy, misty, foggy and cold days. This was a surprise, considering the monsoon season was not supposed to officially start until June! We absolutely wouldn't travel in Nepal again in January and February because of the weather. The coldness wasn't the primary problem- it was more the damp days and lack of visibility, in conjunction with the cold and the lack of basic comforts like hot water. The upside was that we did feel we had a completely different experience in many places due to the lack of other tourists around in the off season. It's hard to say if it balanced out.............
Although we knew the weather back in South east Asia would probably be hideously hot and humid, we found ourselves pleased to be returning to a comfortable and familiar place- Bangkok.

....back to Thailand....