Monday 31 December 2012

Tom's Q&A

Tom put some questions and answers together as part of his home schooling, of things we all learnt from our the ancient city of Sukhothai.
Q
What are the four postures of Buddha?
A
Sitting, standing, lying and reclining.




Q
What tree did Buddha sit under to overcome suffering?
A
A bodhi tree.
Q
Could Buddha walk when he was a newborn baby?
A
Yes, because lotus flowers cushioned his feet.
Q
What did it mean when Buddha put his hand up - elbow bent - with the tips of his fingers at shoulder height?
A
It meant a sign of protection, peace and fearlessness.
Q
What was the third king of Thailand's name?
A
Ramkhamhaeng.


Q
What did the third king of Thailand invent?
A
The Thai alphabet.
Q
What was the first capital of Thailand?
A
Sukhothai
Q
What does Sukhothai mean?
A
Dawn of happiness.

Tom

Location:Mueang Sukhothai,Thailand

New Years Eve

The woeful, wailing karaoke is punctuated by rockets and firecrackers as we retire to bed on New Year's Eve, Thai style.




The party began around 2pm, with beetles and grasshoppers stir fried with lime leaves (yes, we all tried them!), a whole roasted boar, pigs intestines cooked two ways (and, we tried these, tentatively...), chickens roasted two ways (red, yellow) all enhanced by homemade chilli sauce and washed down with Chang beer, Hong Thong whisky or Coca-Cola.








By 4pm some of the men were staggering.
Men on one table, women on another, a handful of guests like us in between. Dogs milling around, being chased and kicked by children for entertainment; Rosie and Helen distressed by this.
Party games for children. Tie a balloon behind your heel and run around trying to stamp on everyone else's balloon. Blow up a balloon until it pops. Find a coin in a plate of flour with your mouth, down two soft sweet pastries then gulp a bottle of truly orange cordial. Fastest wins. Rosie came second at balloon stomping Tom at the flour/pastries/cordial combo.








Painfully slow gift giving - everyone contributed presents valued around 100 baht ($3). Rosie opened seaweed sheets and strawberry spongecakes; Tom a plastic money box (happily exchanged for Helen's Angry Bird soft toy storage thingy); Shane a selection of cartoon key rings quickly swiped by Rosie.
And throughout without cease and even now the karaoke.


Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:Sukhothai Thailand

Sunday 30 December 2012

Day 12

It seems we can't get away from Sukhothai by train until 3rd January because of Thai New Year. Our commitment to avoid long bus journeys with the kids, together with their excitement at the prospect of another night train (this time to Chiang Mai) means we must remain here until then.

Rosie and Tom think this is good news; they like it here and think we should 'chillax'. So chillax we will.

We are hatching a plan for a trip to Nepal. We can't help ourselves. It's just over there...

Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:ถนนเทศบาลพัฒนา,Ban Kluai,Thailand

Saturday 29 December 2012

Day 11...

As all public transport is fully booked due to Thai New Year holidays we took a private taxi 400km north to Sukhothai, the 'birthplace of Thailand'. The traffic was horrendously busy with holiday traffic - if we weren't careering along from one lane to another at speeds above 120kph (until I asked the driver to slow down) we were crawling in thick traffic jams. My heart was in my mouth for the first 30 minutes!
Up the side of the road there were an almost continuous run of roadside vendors: one had clearly started selling hammocks (for example) and made decent money out of it, so then 20 other stalls have sprung up on the same stretch of road selling hammocks ...and no one makes decent money. The most astonishing thing we saw for sale were rotisseried chickens - rotisseried heaven knows how long ago, some of which had since been put into plastic bags to sweat in the 40 degree sun. They were a bargain at 15c each - we didn't stop for one!
We arrived in one piece at our guesthouse in Sukhothai - a real oasis and the first place we've felt like hanging out. So we've settled into Sabaidee House for a few days.




Sukhothai Historical Park is breathtaking. It's refreshingly well presented and explained through signs/audio tour.








The kids took turns to listen to the audio tour and convey what they learned, and Shane or I would then quiz them on the detail - we all learned a lot. Cycling around the park was fun for everyone.




This afternoon we hung out - kids are writing diaries, we cycled out to the shops to buy nail polish (kids fun) and stick on sparklies for Rosie's iPod and camera. It feels like the first day we've been in the zone - we look forward to staying in it as long as Asia permits.
Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:Mueang Sukhothai,Thailand

Friday 28 December 2012

Thai New Year

Having collected our Mongolian visas (the reason we were obliged to stay in Bangkok) and the obligatory coating of black smut on our lungs, we made for Hua Luamphong station to take a train north to Phitsanulok and the ancient capital of Siam, Sukhothai.


Unexpectedly the ticket office advised there were no tickets available except third class standing until 31st December. The prospect of staying in Bangkok being as intolerable as standing on a third class train for eight hours with two children, we spontaneously decided to take a step toward Sukhothai and managed to secure seat tickets to Ayutthaya (the capital after Sukhothai but before Bangkok) just 1.5 hours distant.
Relieved to leave Bangkok the polluted air mass extended into Ayutthaya and the traffic noise diminished only marginally.


Rosie chose the hotel and restaurant for today but plans were scuppered when we were met at the station by a very convincing Thai lady with excellent English who persuaded us to stay at her new hotel rather than the one Rosie had chosen (enticed by the promise of Thai swords over the bed). Rosie was sold! We all were!
Arriving at the hotel the room we had been shown was 30% more than the convincing Thai lady had told us - and she had mysteriously disappeared. So once again we found ourselves hot, hungry and haggling. Seriously wondering whether we were indeed in Thailand or had been transported to India, we reached a compromise and settled in.
With the hungry and haggling resolved, we were left only to deal with the hot. We hired two push bikes with padded racks over the back wheel for the kids to perch on, adjusted our perception of risk and pedaled off across town to the ruins, creating our own breeze.


As the sun dipped low in the sky the polluted air became our friend; the sunset was rich and lingered. We had a few rewarding hours of Asia at its very best.


Dusty, happy and still in one piece we tuk-tukked off to Rosie's chosen restaurant but were not brave enough to try the deep fried frog, curry wild boar or fried bird. And took this photo ...


Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:Hua Ro,Thailand

Thursday 27 December 2012

Hotel of Deception

3 days in Bangkok and our favourite hotel, The Atlanta, was sadly full so we booked a little luxury via wotif.com. It was Xmas after all.

500m from skytrain - 2.5km from skytrain. Washing machine - no washing machine. Complimentary water - no complimentary water. 36-45 Sq m - 20 sq m. 2nd floor new apartments - 6th floor old apartments. Self catering - a kitchen indeed but void of all utensils, cloths, crockery etc. King size bed - twin beds.

No towels of any description.

On top of all this deception, they incorrectly charged our credit card with a fee that wotif.com had already charged us and 'acquired' one of our towels.

Needless to say this hotel was owned by a swarthy north Indian man who greeted us with the slippery smooth welcome one would expect and distrust in northern India. Of course we complained - forgetting how fruitless complaining is in Asia - "Yes indeed, problems with wotif.com description of this hotel. It is a problem indeed." Followed by that waggle of the head that means "It is fate; it is the wish of Shiva; it is the way it is."

We DID get an upgrade to a bigger room at least.

Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:Hua Ro,Thailand

Tuesday 25 December 2012

World's biggest wave pool!

What to do on Christmas Day in Bangkok with children? Visit the No 1 family attraction - Siam City Park.




We observe: tired, dirty, desperate version of Disneyland; gates open but the rides closed; everyone walking quickly past the closed rides to somewhere; signs are in Thai...English...and Russian!
So...followed everyone...to...the world's largest wave pool...quite obviously the raison d'être for Siam City Park!
There was the expected mix of Asian tourists, but by far the majority were Russians: svelte blond bikini clad young women and their burly partners; monstrous babushkas with angry sunburn; without exception adoring the sun. G-strings akimbo, or bikini bottoms pulled up between butt cheeks; well endowed women routinely grabbing their breasts and pushing them UP. Adoring Russian partners snapping photo after photo of aforementioned attributes and of their girls posing model-like on 'the beach' (slabs of pebblecrete). Is this where Russian package tourists come? Do they go further afield to the islands or just stay right here in Bangkok?




We stood out as The Aussies with our rashies and sunhats.
Curious rules were enforced! No shoes on 'the beach', no t-shirts, no jumping or too much splashing.. Shane got into trouble twice...he failed to understand the demands repeatedly screamed over loudspeakers in Thai as he threw the kids into the air / wore the wrong shirt.
When the rides finally did open, they didn't disappoint!




The 'New' 'African' Adventure was a classic. Initially quite well constructed, with electronically controlled animals now worn and badly patched with giant band-aids. Amongst the expected mix of indigenous African animals, we spied reindeer, wolves, kangaroos, pandas, rabbits, swans, snow leopard, black bears...and the piece de resistance was a scene of Masai warriors crucifying some dour, pudgy, overtly white English hunters - in particularly poor repair!








There was rubbish everywhere, two chained live monkeys in the treetops and an over-sized gorilla holding a screaming child in his hands as he roared and repeatedly poked her - or tried - his digits broke off long ago.
If you go to Bangkok put Siam City Park firmly on your list of must-sees!
Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:Soi Pha Suk,Bangkok,Thailand

Monday 24 December 2012

Multicultural Xmas Eve

French goats cheese, Scottish smoked salmon, Thai beer and an Indian hotel for Xmas Eve dinner in Bangkok.

Two very excited children unable to get to sleep.

Santa has been here, despite us being in Thailand. Wow!


Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:ปรีดี พนมยงค์ 31,Khlong Toei Nuea,Thailand

Saturday 22 December 2012

Massive change of plan

Turns out the monsoons have gone crazy - this is usually the best time of year in SW Thailand, but it's been stinking hot and humid and grey every day and strong wind and rain warnings are out for Xmas and beyond. So our vision of a quiet Xmas on a picture postcard island has been dashed!

The monsoon in Sumatra this year is also particularly heavy with roads washed away... So we have ditched our plans to head south and instead northwards we go in search of dry sunny weather (and an alternative destination to justify our $600 investment in anti malarials bought primarily for Sumatra)!

Night train to Bangkok tonight! Xmas in a flash hotel with pool and WASHING MACHINE (yes! We are SO middle aged...)

Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:Trang, Thailand

Friday 21 December 2012

Our first three days

Our first ten days are going to be in Thailand, and we've set ourselves up with the challenges of re-learning how to fill idle time, and to be tolerant of hot, humid weather.
Hey, Thailand's beautiful, the people are just great, the food's fantastic. It's the right format for us to ease back into travel!
Although Phuket's not the choicest slice of Thailand, the kids lapped it up even more than we imagined - Rosie especially. Leaving Phuket, the taxi (ute) ride to Bang Rong Pier, and the speed-boat ride to Ko Yao Yai (Big Long Island) were "real adventure travel" in her words.
We stayed at Thiwson Beach Resort on the north of the island, which has stunning views of limestone karsts.



Day 1 was unusually hot and humid (or maybe we weren't used to it?) and we both grumbled about whether we could tolerate our room with fan vs air-conditioning at twice the price. The 'traveler' in our heads won, and we've been just fine, thank you very much.
Day 2 saw us walking to a neighbouring resort that we spied on a headland, Esmerelda View. It was delightful to feel so engaged with a 'walk'. Timber houses on stilts, waving kids, water buffalo, rubber plantations, motorbikes. The kids saw latex being cupped from trees and the sheets of rubber ready to be sent off for tyres and shoes.



We easily filled a few hours at the resort. The daughter, Pond, unbelievably hospitable, walking us through her fruit 'orchard' - jackfruit, pineapple, mango, different types of banana, star fruit...



Lunch of green chicken curry and coconut vegetable soup was fresh out of their garden, with the chook having been killed yesterday, the coconut milk being made on-the-spot by Pond's mother...
Throughout our stay the sea was murky, so no snorkelling, occasional swimming, some kayaking, long jump competitions with Rosie, board games, kicking the soccer ball, badminton, reading, showers to cool off...
Our trip from Ko Yao Yai to Krabi was by a big long-tail, passing lots of karst islands; raining; lots of Muslim locals; monkey in a cage with an open sore where the metal neck collar had rubbed. Helen found it hard not to vomit and we talked about jobs working against this type of cruelty.




Arrived at a busy, small pier and jumped onto a pretty full open minibus with around ten on board. By the time we got to Krabi over an hour later there were 34 folk (with two French guys standing on the back), six empty LPG bottles and two empty petrol drums.
The kids laughed at it all. We were glad to stretch again.
Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:Ko Yao Yai, Thailand

Thursday 20 December 2012

Phuket - first impressions

Rosie recalls...

Girls with black bobs, noodles for lunch, families on mopeds but no helmets, bike and side car selling only squid for his job, garbage man asleep on pavement, knitted Micky Mouse purses, school girls staring at me on the bus listening to their MP3 players, steamed custard buns, giant trailers selling soft toys (please can I have one), friendly people, men trying to sell us things, "taxi? taxi? taxi?", school starts at 7:30 and finishes at 4:30! All school children seem to wear the same uniform and Mum noticed how all their shirts were ironed and crisp and clean even though it's really dirty around here and if we hadn't been on the pink bus we wouldn't have noticed all this. Pad thai is better here. A bag of shopping for $4 including lychee ice block and red grape ice block and Mum let us eat pot noodles! Dirty shops. There's a tap in the bathroom wall with nothing underneath it. The bottom of the bath bounces up and down. The toilet is normal!

Tom recalls...

The buses aren't boring like the ones at home because they're bouncy and we all squish together and they go accelerate brake accelerate brake and there's lots to see really quickly as we whizz past instead of walking around slowly looking at things. An old man sitting down at a shop wanted to hold my hand and then he pulled me in for a hug and he was smiling.

Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:อุดมสุข,อ.เมืองภูเก็ต,Thailand

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Shrine of Serene Light

We wrongly thought the children wouldn't be interested in temples.




Visiting our first Chinese temple Rosie was in awe and took scores of photos with her new camera, while Tom was invited to pour oil into the never extinguished candle and ring the bell three times while the monk conferred chokh di (good luck) on him.
The monk showed them what to do with three incense sticks.





The next morning Tom explained "They've got it wrong in western video games Mum. They don't know what shrines are, they think shrines are valleys or places with crystals and shapes in."
Watching Rosie take photos gave us a window into how she sees the world. When asked to discuss photo of a door - which to us was just a door - "you couldn't see what was behind it, it was amazing and the arch was so beautiful".
Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:Phuket, Thailand

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Just what are we doing anyhow?

Dinan, 2010, the final and magnificent destination of our two month cycle tour through France: "So should we keep going? There'll never be an easier time than now." For six days we tossed around the notion of continuing our family euphoria. We chose to return to Australia, determined to do something longer 'next time'.

In 1988 Helen was booked to travel the Trans Siberian to China. The Beijing massacre happened a week before departure and her journey took her to India instead. She determined to travel the route 'one day'.

Every day in Canberra our children asked us to play with them for longer than we could spare; asked more questions than we could find the energy to answer. 'Ask again tomorrow kids'.

In 2012 we sold our house south of Sydney. On the cusp of buying an unexciting home in Canberra on the cliff of the greatest economic downturn we've lived through, with two children still in primary school, with aging parents in the UK missing their only grand children and an aging parent in Canberra bursting to see more of the world with us, we determined: now is the time.

So we sold our car, off-loaded many of our belongings, deposited the remainder in storage, prepared next year's tax returns, squeezed a billion tasks and errands into the small windows of time between high pressure full time work engagements, bought one way tickets to the cheapest destination in South East Asia, parked all the reasons we shouldn't do it (and there were many) on the virtual shelf, and made it happen.

We're traveling overland from Sumatra to Somerset in the UK (where Helen's parents live). The trip is in four segments: 3 months in SE Asia up to Beijing; 2 months across Mongolia, Siberia and Scandinavia; 5 months cycling from the Netherlands around Europe along an as yet undetermined route on our tandem made for four; and 3 months in the UK.

We're off!

Shane, Helen, Rosie and Tom

Location:ศักดิเดชน์ ซอย 9,Talat Nuea,Thailand