tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59660691228687256832024-03-19T09:47:43.204+01:00Water Lily (Eng.)Stories and anecdotes about life in Amsterdam and travel in Asia Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-16143009659653239682024-02-01T09:00:00.040+01:002024-03-18T18:37:33.501+01:00Travelogue 2024/1: The Green Side of Bangkok<p><span>Bangkok is a delightful city, vibrant and
diverse. I enjoy visiting it frequently. Amidst the chaos and hustle, you’ll
discover the true hidden gems, the most beautiful spots, the friendliest
people, the most surprising alleys, and the best-cared-for cats. But sometimes,
you have to escape the crowds, the noise, the heat and the grime.</span></p>
<p><span><span lang="EN-GB">In this travelogue I describe three
excursions in Bangkok: two immersed in green and one on the water. </span><span lang="EN-GB">🌿💧</span></span></p>
<h2><span lang="EN-GB"><span>Walking through Bang Kachou, Samut Prakan</span></span></h2>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"><span>Today, we embarked on an excursion to
Bangkok’s “green lung,” a vast area enclosed by a river loop. First, we took
the bus (number 47 from National Stadium), a very old vehicle with holes in the
wooden floor through which you could see the road. But also, there was a screen
indicating the stops. Traffic flowed reasonably well, except for one instance
where we needed to turn right, but the lane we had to cross remained blocked
due to congestion. Another bus forced its way through. After 40 minutes, we reached
the final stop.</span></span></p>
<p></p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvGFb1EEx2PMnLAmtSCMsoIKfmOQsflDSmMkaMXgJbhgUwKghrmhaMv_jeTyucl029Q9Wngl_VmjnRM3Y78uIvUmcBQYlAidaKQ5E92xFalIxPm33GhdeBYhkwazmiog1nUk3fo-IjdXUeWVf61nll2-PEJURdbifYY6ugsO6LR3-_wRC-f4pWsf65Bpj/s4080/20240122_103857.jpg"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvGFb1EEx2PMnLAmtSCMsoIKfmOQsflDSmMkaMXgJbhgUwKghrmhaMv_jeTyucl029Q9Wngl_VmjnRM3Y78uIvUmcBQYlAidaKQ5E92xFalIxPm33GhdeBYhkwazmiog1nUk3fo-IjdXUeWVf61nll2-PEJURdbifYY6ugsO6LR3-_wRC-f4pWsf65Bpj/s320/20240122_103857.jpg" width="240"></a></div><span lang="EN-GB"><span>We started with a cup of coffee at Amazon.
The two (!) ladies behind the counter guided us to the restrooms, which were
somewhat hidden in an adjacent empty market. We stocked up on provisions at one
of the two 7-Eleven stores flanking the Amazon Café. Next, we took a short walk
to the pier. The Chao Phraya River was noticeably wider here. On the left, you
could see the harbour and sea vessels. We were ferried across in a small boat.</span></span><p></p><p><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><p></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"><span>Initially, the area was filled with rental
bicycles and parked motorcycles, but soon we found ourselves walking amidst
greenery, passing small houses and fields. The footpath we followed for a few kilometres
was an elevated concrete walkway—truly beautiful. You could hear various birds
singing in the trees and animals rustling in the leaves, although they were
mostly hidden from view.</span></span></p><p><span><br></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span></span></span></p><div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FgQZsU8xfkIMAcUri6Ifl1O1xQVg2tC-lhwQvSkNsrhy3_9L5B7ChVexMzKy6cMgh2AxOhiuRZg87z_Nyq2VOXE7WJHsoOveCrzfNMhmaEtv57yXGV7hhNdnL2V_3Fm1dgk-gdTaS6MsHrUMjbNZxUe4Jlp-ZRYAZKJH9ThyqrKWc3eNYsXGr-uG5K7U/s3472/IMG_20240122_124019.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FgQZsU8xfkIMAcUri6Ifl1O1xQVg2tC-lhwQvSkNsrhy3_9L5B7ChVexMzKy6cMgh2AxOhiuRZg87z_Nyq2VOXE7WJHsoOveCrzfNMhmaEtv57yXGV7hhNdnL2V_3Fm1dgk-gdTaS6MsHrUMjbNZxUe4Jlp-ZRYAZKJH9ThyqrKWc3eNYsXGr-uG5K7U/w400-h400/IMG_20240122_124019.jpg" width="400"></a></span></div><p></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"><span></span></span></p><div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljoVJqQA3XeEOLwB5sLnhonwHgQWv-9YE0dE3uTIHUdQQrN1McZKBSgD5tJ4My3nMdOE-QiauUe4kY-yjaYXXVdfUj1mX8sR0Vr3FrFZdbQwWflN1JSeQbpXoT2TlXIb3YssnJrrJFqmYm8PfiM74-oBMQJXt-dfEWOq9cBV5jIQc8cR0aMbGJqsHwrvY/s4080/20240122_124155.jpg"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljoVJqQA3XeEOLwB5sLnhonwHgQWv-9YE0dE3uTIHUdQQrN1McZKBSgD5tJ4My3nMdOE-QiauUe4kY-yjaYXXVdfUj1mX8sR0Vr3FrFZdbQwWflN1JSeQbpXoT2TlXIb3YssnJrrJFqmYm8PfiM74-oBMQJXt-dfEWOq9cBV5jIQc8cR0aMbGJqsHwrvY/w400-h300/20240122_124155.jpg" width="400"></a></span></div><span><br>After about an hour, we reached the
botanical garden, a meticulously landscaped park. We strolled through the rear
section, where efforts were made to restore three types of original forests,
including apple mangroves characterized by their small aerial roots shooting
out of the ground. It was green, airy, and peaceful, making the heat bearable.
At the park’s edge, a passage led to a small café just outside. There, we
enjoyed a refreshing cool drink.</span><p></p>
<p><span><span lang="EN-GB">All in all, we walked for a solid 2½ hours
before returning to the jetty. Including the bus ride, it was a full-day
excursion. </span><span lang="EN-GB">🌿🌞</span></span></p>
<h2><span lang="EN-GB"><span>Phi Suea Samut Fort, Paknam, Samut Prakan</span></span></h2>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"><span>Another substantial excursion. It began
with 40 minutes on a cold BTS (Skytrain) ride to Pak Nam. The crowd quickly
thinned out, while on the opposite platforms, towards the city, many people
were waiting. From Paknam BTS, we walked into town. It felt different right
away: the air was clearer, with fewer gasoline fumes and more sea breeze. And
it felt somewhat less sophisticated and more provincial. We stopped at
Inthanin, a coffee shop, for a decent cup of coffee. The coffee shop didn’t have
a restroom. But having learned from previous experiences, I understood the girl
when she gestured: outside, to the left, to the left. Indeed, there was a
narrow passage. And at the back, there was a turnstile where you could insert 5
baht. Behind it were the restrooms.</span></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"><span></span></span></p><div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjnjtBtFL1Rhn6kZBx6zS2nlSoYz27Vy68gDxy6S1e1ZRC76BC6q3T-T7ryy6q_VAwxDvPhl23vPDiJmBwCwhOZIvZMRNF2dwUhsBIti4IIBTEpKZ7mMPR1XhqxEdYvQ5nxBW3wOpqAvu6dvmuMm5ndXLR7WRw4jVnsyNmmZWv60DmNA_9YmI-spKtnMf/s3472/IMG_20240228_100731.jpg"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjnjtBtFL1Rhn6kZBx6zS2nlSoYz27Vy68gDxy6S1e1ZRC76BC6q3T-T7ryy6q_VAwxDvPhl23vPDiJmBwCwhOZIvZMRNF2dwUhsBIti4IIBTEpKZ7mMPR1XhqxEdYvQ5nxBW3wOpqAvu6dvmuMm5ndXLR7WRw4jVnsyNmmZWv60DmNA_9YmI-spKtnMf/s320/IMG_20240228_100731.jpg" width="320"></a></span></div><span><br><br>We continued walking to the market, through
the market, and at the back there was a pier. A medium-sized wooden boat
arrived swiftly. It was busy as we crossed the river. We navigated between
large cargo ships and naval vessels, eventually docking behind Phi Suea Samut
Island. We were near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, where it meets the
sea, so the water was brackish and tidal. Under the footbridge from the pontoon
to the shore, a mudskipper spectacle unfolded in the mud. We had never seen
such large ones, up to 20 cm long. They looked eerie. Usually, they sat still,
but sometimes they crawled with their fins through the mud or swam away.
Smaller ones, around 10 cm in size, displayed beautiful green hues and
occasionally raised their dorsal fins. Occasionally, a crab emerged from a hole
in the mud, its disproportionately large claw adding to the sense of awe.</span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTaR4UdSb6MNVQbUQhsYsbulH6JXFDlplZUonjwSYVsNS_rcF_kNkeL0D0zdhnVM3pl7EhV4aTA-3lzEgGY-sM6b4R73gBkaKZREj6ShPRaD0zSLN8V2GS8kXQkEP7BRkUoRbc38s3mku7qmY0Ej2QcHgaHLfrpvPh6A3lOv5cxGxgiitp1prRIKH9Qq9/s3472/IMG_20240228_103232.jpg"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTaR4UdSb6MNVQbUQhsYsbulH6JXFDlplZUonjwSYVsNS_rcF_kNkeL0D0zdhnVM3pl7EhV4aTA-3lzEgGY-sM6b4R73gBkaKZREj6ShPRaD0zSLN8V2GS8kXQkEP7BRkUoRbc38s3mku7qmY0Ej2QcHgaHLfrpvPh6A3lOv5cxGxgiitp1prRIKH9Qq9/s320/IMG_20240228_103232.jpg" width="320"></a></div><p></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWtQLCSz-pIJkYG1P7LKocCJkRv7mOZAz2MUVwYq-9fnlsk0GMfljCjyu9LWtRaFkanz-zH-0S5ED3OyVXqHcCnAs-PyuaGxyWVmt6Gr_CIkWvgilWUE5XoG7Mdc18bXzeSJtOaqD7cHx9X4sxQBsyoped1x4ACS3Ih6lABnystOm0_BAv9Lht-xqkIx1/s3472/IMG_20240228_102456.jpg"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWtQLCSz-pIJkYG1P7LKocCJkRv7mOZAz2MUVwYq-9fnlsk0GMfljCjyu9LWtRaFkanz-zH-0S5ED3OyVXqHcCnAs-PyuaGxyWVmt6Gr_CIkWvgilWUE5XoG7Mdc18bXzeSJtOaqD7cHx9X4sxQBsyoped1x4ACS3Ih6lABnystOm0_BAv9Lht-xqkIx1/s320/IMG_20240228_102456.jpg" width="320"></a></div><p></p><p><span lang="EN-GB"><span>We walked through a slightly smaller market
toward the street. Turning right, we passed a row of shops, most of which were
closed, heading toward the temple. Through a peculiar, half-decayed building,
you could climb the stairs to the suspension bridge over the river's tributary
that ran along this side of the island. That small island was mostly a nature
reserve, home to mangroves, snakes, bats, and large white birds. A concrete
path on stilts led to the southern tip, where a fort stood - guarding the river
mouth. The fort had rooms for troops, ammunition, cannons, and periscopes.
There was a statue of an admiral and an exhibition with posters about an
incident involving the French.</span></span></p><div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8K_WF7oHOLoQ3JJfyhzrppGVUbGP1XA7KqNHb5ei3I-JYWu6Upo_pIpHY53zsiJXvaOLhdiUVmFjBkho2WEsm6gDNXcaKJezKn2ATdt7jYEoq_NWVRxsJ03DXMZ2pKgN8nRozXHTKgKdmtFbAJngcEmAwUnk1O8nUCnOGYanVq66uQcUmZkwC4rB83P8V/s3472/IMG_20240228_112018.jpg"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8K_WF7oHOLoQ3JJfyhzrppGVUbGP1XA7KqNHb5ei3I-JYWu6Upo_pIpHY53zsiJXvaOLhdiUVmFjBkho2WEsm6gDNXcaKJezKn2ATdt7jYEoq_NWVRxsJ03DXMZ2pKgN8nRozXHTKgKdmtFbAJngcEmAwUnk1O8nUCnOGYanVq66uQcUmZkwC4rB83P8V/s320/IMG_20240228_112018.jpg" width="320"></a></span></div><p></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"><span>Until then, it had been a reasonably cool
morning, but the walk back was quite warm. Returning to the Paknam side, we
headed to the OK restaurant, which had garnered some attention on social media.
It was nicely decorated, and the owner was an enthusiastic man. Although they
promoted vegetarian options, those were somewhat limited.</span></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"><span>We walked to the large observation tower.
It followed the tradition of watching for ships arriving from the sea. Even
though today wasn't clear, you still had a beautiful view all the way from the
river to the sea. The first few kilometres were visible, but the high-rise
buildings of downtown Bangkok remained vague.</span></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"><span>An elevated walkway connected the tower to
the BTS station. However, finding the right floor and door in the tower proved
challenging. And then we discovered that the walkway was closed. The reason was
unclear. So, we ended up walking along busy roads to reach the BTS.</span></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"><span>This, too, was almost a full-day excursion.</span></span></p>
<h2><span lang="EN-GB"><span>Three-Boat Tour</span></span></h2>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"><span>Just like Amsterdam, Bangkok is a city with
many canals. I devised a route through the city that involves taking three
different boats. We started at the Hua Chang pier, just south of the Rachathewi
BTS station, but you can also board at the northern end of various Sukhumvit <i>sois</i>
(such as 3, 15, 21), or even all the way at the Bang Kapi pier, where the
Yellow Line runs.</span></span></p>
<p></p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbH6Mh62yMdd5zBCKKgFwAOxkk2lNw0kgcil-dgKqxRyNtCKxIZo2chrp3TI_10UWzlysArLCwc816HonUt0Og-okujoTAtZ08aWjWO6H1rGnuSgBoNM1Zy4GyUQFLslNyaS6kuhGpomZpVN_ob3GsByNhpDQQIVYICxcTu_M5xiD9RdwdYcATQJy6FHH/s3472/IMG_20240229_130634.jpg"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbH6Mh62yMdd5zBCKKgFwAOxkk2lNw0kgcil-dgKqxRyNtCKxIZo2chrp3TI_10UWzlysArLCwc816HonUt0Og-okujoTAtZ08aWjWO6H1rGnuSgBoNM1Zy4GyUQFLslNyaS6kuhGpomZpVN_ob3GsByNhpDQQIVYICxcTu_M5xiD9RdwdYcATQJy6FHH/s320/IMG_20240229_130634.jpg" width="320"></a></div><span lang="EN-GB"><span>Through the Saen Saep canal, large boats
speed, leaving behind wild waves and blue plumes of smoke. These boats are popular
for commuting. At the piers, they are not securely docked but rather pulled
against the dock with a rope. Quick embarkation and disembarkation - then off
they go. Small houses line the canal closely, allowing a glimpse inside.</span></span><p></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB"><span></span></span></p><div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xUhhWDxeaSj6GUWVEd33EqZTQeX1wHJcIOZj3IPA8A5h2JeoF9Q4oC0B6eqW7rnvJ4tT9oG0u7AHzjbcvKqdMwQFBk59jiFqW4oSyKOM6i6Mja76txkkTBlVq6PyT1AGn10Z0ena0fk6Qub2Ovnb6mdAFpJrxbkXFoFXmxXxXgzxq7b-Tt8eaKxPyRN2/s4080/20240226_161413.jpg"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xUhhWDxeaSj6GUWVEd33EqZTQeX1wHJcIOZj3IPA8A5h2JeoF9Q4oC0B6eqW7rnvJ4tT9oG0u7AHzjbcvKqdMwQFBk59jiFqW4oSyKOM6i6Mja76txkkTBlVq6PyT1AGn10Z0ena0fk6Qub2Ovnb6mdAFpJrxbkXFoFXmxXxXgzxq7b-Tt8eaKxPyRN2/s320/20240226_161413.jpg" width="320"></a></span></div><span>We disembarked at the Bo Bae pier, situated
right in the midst of a clothing market. Similar to the metro, skytrain,
monorail, and train systems, transfer points are not well-coordinated. So, it
was quite a walk to the next pier: Yek Lan Luang on Krung Kasem Road. This boat
doesn't operate frequently - once an hour on weekends and only during the
morning and evening rush hours on weekdays. A small electric boat approached
slowly, carrying just a handful of passengers. Serenely, we sailed down the Krung
Kasem canal. This canal was wider, with more picturesque banks and busy roads
running alongside.</span><p></p>
<p></p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8qDeJ8s5S4EYL8AndO2vavKAieCe8fm0E5fzRph2-LbP9Ej0KoDGAVxxKurZH9Frv2RI6-iWgeWd7DlHwL8i3cNCR6zodyzk6n7iQdrOoUHmuBGUOLkvFLsec1sAYH086TZANw-y_vaGUPtx363OF7Ro7GjVK1y94RgKM9hsF0WB8TdvFIFjNUNBGpBj/s3472/IMG_20240125_124934.jpg"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8qDeJ8s5S4EYL8AndO2vavKAieCe8fm0E5fzRph2-LbP9Ej0KoDGAVxxKurZH9Frv2RI6-iWgeWd7DlHwL8i3cNCR6zodyzk6n7iQdrOoUHmuBGUOLkvFLsec1sAYH086TZANw-y_vaGUPtx363OF7Ro7GjVK1y94RgKM9hsF0WB8TdvFIFjNUNBGpBj/s320/IMG_20240125_124934.jpg" width="320"></a></div><span lang="EN-GB"><span>At the endpoint, we had to walk again,
passing locks and a pumping station where the canal meets the Chao Phraya River.
Here lies the Thewes pier. Boats dock here by reversing against the floating
jetty. Dozens of large boats ply the river, serving as crucial public
transportation. There were also plenty of other boats - tourist boats, ferries,
cargo ships - so it was bustling, requiring skilful manoeuvring by the captain
and sometimes wild rocking in the waves. We sailed along for about half an
hour. Along the way, we passed various landmarks such as the Royal Palace and Wat
Arun. You can disembark there or stay aboard a little longer. From the Marine
Department pier, you can walk through the southern part of Chinatown.
Alternatively, from the Sathorn pier, you can take the BTS back to the city centre.</span></span><p></p><p><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpjXN2iMMthqXJn_UEMKHTFawYZd6cb1fROp0yrxWQmmaWvg_08WXnK4CpFhcAKK2p5QoYTYM0TSwcVlqrmCKNG1ZVUyZ0JhR5Gc7e70yguYq3F3IjH1Ko5s3orwQ9JoUK_V24VaGwBsxYXRAgOmJfyY-Km6JpC7thPFkrp-aEhmF5qrnLTlTMRvBtFlj/s3221/IMG_20240226_170357.jpg"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpjXN2iMMthqXJn_UEMKHTFawYZd6cb1fROp0yrxWQmmaWvg_08WXnK4CpFhcAKK2p5QoYTYM0TSwcVlqrmCKNG1ZVUyZ0JhR5Gc7e70yguYq3F3IjH1Ko5s3orwQ9JoUK_V24VaGwBsxYXRAgOmJfyY-Km6JpC7thPFkrp-aEhmF5qrnLTlTMRvBtFlj/s320/IMG_20240226_170357.jpg" width="320"></a></div><br><h2><span>More</span></h2><div><span>Read <a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/search/label/Thailand?m=1">more Thailand Travelogues</a>.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><p></p>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-33992116038278926942023-03-14T10:42:00.036+01:002023-04-01T14:59:04.293+02:00Travelogue 2023/4 Satun (TH) - Kuala Lumpur (MY)<h2><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Satun<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">We
stayed for two weeks in Satun, that small town in a remote corner of south
Thailand. This time it started less quiet and dusty than we were used to. The
27th Master Athletics Games were being held here, with participants from 13
countries - mainly Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Iran. For that, a grand
night market had been set up with countless food stalls - nice - and a stage
with loud music that blared through the whole city until late at night - not so
nice.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">During
the first week, we shared our resort with 22 civil servants who had come from
Bangkok to issue passports. Our receptionist had only just managed to keep a
cabin for us. It was a young group who chatted very quietly in the evening
before going to bed early.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">There
were also more foreign tourists in Satun than in previous years. Up to 10 a
day. Because the boat to Langkawi only went once a day now, people from eg
Krabi had to spend the night here instead of being able to continue the same
day.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Jly9F-P52d440H26eTqZ5VaC1mYWUMUj7IotcGue-lI-w8oxqLHNCz4AL7RvW6corh0Q6fss82ywaDxEg3B0DHcWhPs1e4Dse4sRqC8dIKVIUsbkZt7ovoDLRV56mxcSciMDQUicMEqL9NpksemUH7bio6Ujpvec9kV5cJk3YpLdcKxvSdakXqLv9w/s3472/IMG_20230226_105507.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Jly9F-P52d440H26eTqZ5VaC1mYWUMUj7IotcGue-lI-w8oxqLHNCz4AL7RvW6corh0Q6fss82ywaDxEg3B0DHcWhPs1e4Dse4sRqC8dIKVIUsbkZt7ovoDLRV56mxcSciMDQUicMEqL9NpksemUH7bio6Ujpvec9kV5cJk3YpLdcKxvSdakXqLv9w/s3472/IMG_20230226_105507.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd1uBgWnYdvET4_LzPZp7Fy8exXbTI7j04hoUpJA_bRm97VETXtJ8ur8-PeCzEagCXfvsrOL1yeT671UEsb6_XWVnbQVzfzA14Mp3nv8FJythmSGr3LENXzzaTcCFQocxAB4P8GTOsbZXvLsda7n6QcZPbozoMm0mFytSwiQFmNOpRmAam07Uih02Tw/s3472/IMG_20230222_113902.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd1uBgWnYdvET4_LzPZp7Fy8exXbTI7j04hoUpJA_bRm97VETXtJ8ur8-PeCzEagCXfvsrOL1yeT671UEsb6_XWVnbQVzfzA14Mp3nv8FJythmSGr3LENXzzaTcCFQocxAB4P8GTOsbZXvLsda7n6QcZPbozoMm0mFytSwiQFmNOpRmAam07Uih02Tw/w400-h400/IMG_20230222_113902.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">It
didn't matter to us, we had wonderful days, where our main concern was where to
drink coffee and where to eat.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">There
was no sleeping in, from half past six there was a concert of birds trying to
drown each other out. One with bright melodies, the other with screams.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">We
took morning walks through a spooky mangrove forest, where crabs and
mudskippers moved through the mud of tidal streams when the tide went out. We
walked through the countryside with plantations of rubber trees and oil palm
trees. We passed karst rock formations where monkeys were swinging between the
trees.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Other mornings we had a choice of several nice coffee shops. Only the opening times were quite irregular so more than once we stood in front of a closed door.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Jly9F-P52d440H26eTqZ5VaC1mYWUMUj7IotcGue-lI-w8oxqLHNCz4AL7RvW6corh0Q6fss82ywaDxEg3B0DHcWhPs1e4Dse4sRqC8dIKVIUsbkZt7ovoDLRV56mxcSciMDQUicMEqL9NpksemUH7bio6Ujpvec9kV5cJk3YpLdcKxvSdakXqLv9w/w400-h400/IMG_20230226_105507.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">For
lunch we usually went to one of the two vegan lunch restaurants: Chinese buffet
with lots of tofu and seitan dishes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Twice
a local friend took us out for lunch. Then we were picked up by a car with a
driver and came to restaurants where we would not have been able to order
something vegetarian on our own. Really something different.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">In
the afternoon we sat on our porch or by the pool. No shortage of animals there
either. In addition to the various house cats, there were squirrels, iguanas,
birds of prey, lapwings, sparrows and butterflies. A little further on was a large
bright blue bird, not a kingfisher, but what was it?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">At
half past six the sun set and from the distance came the sound of several
mosques, just out of sync. It seemed as if they were singing a quadrophonic
canon. Moments later, the sound of thousands of crickets and a few frogs with
deep bass voices began.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">We
cooked dinner at home a few times, in the kitchen of our resort. But my
favorite restaurant is a curry restaurant where the waitress recognized us
after three years, and even knew what my favorite dish was.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">That
was typical of the many heartwarming friendly smiley Thai we met.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAOjzmsXK8JAjQBNgQlsBDiSo8zLVj6MWSW-w8cwRIM45jEusht9Z3svPRt6fJYrEjrmsbzUu97Szilz-6yJ5wtkM1vmko1Uhst4gv7NBhf45ZqzfoS9jKpxq7u-0BHqRPQXkXz1OoQmUIGlUny3nj98Y4FdGY53qIMXWbF-YJchbxrGeqCyy3mQOMQ/s2765/IMG_20230305_194158.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2765" data-original-width="2765" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAOjzmsXK8JAjQBNgQlsBDiSo8zLVj6MWSW-w8cwRIM45jEusht9Z3svPRt6fJYrEjrmsbzUu97Szilz-6yJ5wtkM1vmko1Uhst4gv7NBhf45ZqzfoS9jKpxq7u-0BHqRPQXkXz1OoQmUIGlUny3nj98Y4FdGY53qIMXWbF-YJchbxrGeqCyy3mQOMQ/w400-h400/IMG_20230305_194158.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<h2><a name="_ay9fcwjjrclv"></a><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">From
Satun to KL<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">In
the last 8 years we have crossed the Thai-Malaysian border 6 times. Each time
in a different place or with a different mode of transport. A new border
crossing could still be added to the list.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The
first stage was a very short one (as we also started with short stages in
Kerala) of 40 km to the Thale Ban National Park. There we stayed in a beautiful
spot in the shadow of the huge wall of a karst mountain. A stream with some
waterfalls ran through the garden. In the garden there were coffee plants that
had grown into trees and then had been cut back. The flowers smelled
wonderfully sweet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The
owner had arranged a car for the next day to take us across the border. The car
had both Thai and Malaysian license plates; the driver spoke both Thai and
Malay, and he knew just about every border official and police officer we met
along the way (and there were quite a few, but they were all equally cheerful and
friendly).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIvFbzqM5V0fdt2UsvQ7gLZD0sxL3MQUqwxWZhIBopxAH7UcDaX-JBKxoM3JwKv8um2dEPJMdzOfa6L4IPrOlaLwdcJQgX2cEiL_jQAHIzPjIrtZ_TievrGLrJGqjpZ8ZJKHeWSsaAdynwA0bNOTrEGLq8C5GI1iTgLusAzRFoCCTgwsCsCv7C4fAfg/s2046/IMG_20230308_160753-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIvFbzqM5V0fdt2UsvQ7gLZD0sxL3MQUqwxWZhIBopxAH7UcDaX-JBKxoM3JwKv8um2dEPJMdzOfa6L4IPrOlaLwdcJQgX2cEiL_jQAHIzPjIrtZ_TievrGLrJGqjpZ8ZJKHeWSsaAdynwA0bNOTrEGLq8C5GI1iTgLusAzRFoCCTgwsCsCv7C4fAfg/w640-h640/IMG_20230308_160753-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">We
crossed the border at Wang Prachan, and were dropped off 20km further at Padang
Besar station. There we took a slow train south. The local trains also run
quite fast here, up to 120 km/h. But after fifteen minutes we heard a few loud
bangs and the lights and air conditioning went out for a while. After that we
barely trudged through the beautiful landscape at a walking pace. We missed our
transfer and ended up arriving in Taiping two hours late. There had just been a
tropical downpour. All we could do was looking for our hotel (which we still
knew from 8 years ago, and luckily they still had room) and getting a bite to
eat.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The
next day all trains to Kuala Lumpur were already fully booked, so we had to
take the bus. Unlike the train stations, the bus stations are located way out
of town, so we lost a lot of time with pre- and post-transport. The bus itself
was spacious and comfortable and took a nice route through the mountains.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">All
in all, it had been a couple of long and tiring travel days. But luckily we
still had four days in Kuala Lumpur to recover. The pleasant hotel room with a
rooftop swimming pool did help. So we had plenty of opportunity to enjoy the
excellent coffee and food, and to explore hidden backstreets in this mega-city.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJs7ZcpIdZx360jMdECeNlifjpd005iqK7-4zd4Rc8VfHjTIHWuH0KJ6SRNjVid5HtAbe53jCU6jOQ7AFg_2_-0AYdWuD1C3AL-Wj5IAgWIZLjVV8C8seYlDEFk2-k2W_x-cM8Oz-zdLL_BVXI98jCfrvwpCdVwDPDrf7Pcqu5N9m6FXV-oG15fEe1Mg/s3472/IMG_20230311_160616.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJs7ZcpIdZx360jMdECeNlifjpd005iqK7-4zd4Rc8VfHjTIHWuH0KJ6SRNjVid5HtAbe53jCU6jOQ7AFg_2_-0AYdWuD1C3AL-Wj5IAgWIZLjVV8C8seYlDEFk2-k2W_x-cM8Oz-zdLL_BVXI98jCfrvwpCdVwDPDrf7Pcqu5N9m6FXV-oG15fEe1Mg/s320/IMG_20230311_160616.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWt6JNoUeTUaGToLLA23l22FoQnZLnyPJhdJ6rxdGL7lPRDFJ5idlwQyjeHniPxypahLayI6sa73RkUsLDULk28AKkxQOoAH5qnk3WlSjiWs_OS4_lv1JmOMmxi_FZIlTzUtKd1N8pPmJPGHKqkLnAZYM54PC8WFOk12pnBuWVZ-b7hc4r_-6G1-qtPw/s3472/IMG_20230211_132435.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWt6JNoUeTUaGToLLA23l22FoQnZLnyPJhdJ6rxdGL7lPRDFJ5idlwQyjeHniPxypahLayI6sa73RkUsLDULk28AKkxQOoAH5qnk3WlSjiWs_OS4_lv1JmOMmxi_FZIlTzUtKd1N8pPmJPGHKqkLnAZYM54PC8WFOk12pnBuWVZ-b7hc4r_-6G1-qtPw/s320/IMG_20230211_132435.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><br /></span><p></p>
<h2><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">More</span></h2><div>How the journey began: <a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/01/travelogue-20231-amsterdam-dubai.html?m=1https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/01/travelogue-20231-amsterdam-dubai.html?m=1https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/01/travelogue-20231-amsterdam-dubai.html?m=1">Amsterdam-Dubai-Mangalore-Kuala Lumpur by lowcost carrier and narrow-body</a></div><p><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">How we got to Satun: <a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/02/travelogue-20233-jungle-railway-my-and.html?m=1">The Jungle Railway (MY) and Pattani Sultanate (TH), by train</a> </span> </p><p>Practical information about Satun: <a href="https://www.waterlily-unlimited.nl/travelguide/thailandsatun.php#">Lily's Mini Travel Guide | Satun, Thailand | Border crossings Malaysia - Thailand</a></p>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Phiman, Mueang Satun District, Satun 91000, Thailand6.6120518 100.0723349-21.698182036178846 64.9160849 34.922285636178842 135.2285849tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-13524470794325399172023-02-20T10:40:00.056+01:002023-10-30T17:07:58.915+01:00Travelogue 2023/3 The Jungle Railway (MY) and Pattani Sultanate (TH), by train<h2><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The Jungle Train <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77C8pRAw-DJyfEn7cA6jYQTEjd8plQ9_GMQAYGQ2yH3iBAYvVlV_GWGIAqjAuCoohXJLYU9z4T0LmN5X6YHPbaCZmDvnt_G6z3CuQH6o6WzPnYt3296sZPnTEBce0YiLS6Qs_o2WgfyUnSrM0T-qK9BcwPMG5XqyuPqM5Z6peg_oEUl6fuuRVzOiwpg/s3390/IMG_20221223_103326.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3390" data-original-width="2173" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77C8pRAw-DJyfEn7cA6jYQTEjd8plQ9_GMQAYGQ2yH3iBAYvVlV_GWGIAqjAuCoohXJLYU9z4T0LmN5X6YHPbaCZmDvnt_G6z3CuQH6o6WzPnYt3296sZPnTEBce0YiLS6Qs_o2WgfyUnSrM0T-qK9BcwPMG5XqyuPqM5Z6peg_oEUl6fuuRVzOiwpg/s320/IMG_20221223_103326.jpg" width="205" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The
main railway from Singapore to Bangkok runs along the west coast of Malaysia.
But there is a branch that takes a more central and eastern route. It branches
off at Gemas and rejoins the main line in Hat Yai (in the south of Thailand).
At the time of construction, this was still largely jungle, hence the nickname.
The center and east is still the less developed and more conservative part of
the Malaysian Peninsula.</span><p></p>
<h2><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Gemas<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Gemas
is a small provincial town with three x three blocks of shops. Cars drive
around all the time, hardly anyone walks here. Yet there was a decent hotel and
a vegetarian restaurant - only open for lunch, but they were willing to cook
something for us. We saw the most extraordinary phenomena when we took an
evening stroll: thousands and thousands of swallows had perched on every
telephone and electricity cable that hung over the road, and also on many edges
of facades. Always at exactly 15 cm distance from each other. In the twilight
you saw all those little black balls with a white belly sitting next to each
other. Fascinating.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBRn0cmDM8k6JwxmNfn84iawAISy5i1HKYwS0HVxZV-eP45CochveW0vIsW75oXzB9UFrChHjr8syhjPANKyRQgQKyWd89YjHG_7D2_KSii83mxWFgHyVTQbNPlj21l6xPLqbZ-WjzXY_fKwsmzfUdQWkh9hrruMFc2XMALfGzRmermSEHo3Zzg9PPw/s2880/20230223_145621-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBRn0cmDM8k6JwxmNfn84iawAISy5i1HKYwS0HVxZV-eP45CochveW0vIsW75oXzB9UFrChHjr8syhjPANKyRQgQKyWd89YjHG_7D2_KSii83mxWFgHyVTQbNPlj21l6xPLqbZ-WjzXY_fKwsmzfUdQWkh9hrruMFc2XMALfGzRmermSEHo3Zzg9PPw/w640-h640/20230223_145621-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The
first stage was to Kuala Lipis, about 275 km in 5 hours. This railway line was
recently refurbished, and new a/c trains were running. Still diesel, still
single track.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">With
about 60 km/h we drove through a green world. Many rubber and palm oil
plantations, some neglected. In between were plots where nature immediately
blossomed. Streams with swirling brown water, and pieces of flooded land. The
rainy season had just ended. ...nearly endless palm plantations... Sometimes on
both sides so close to the track that the branches touched the train. It seemed
as if you were actually inside the plantation, as if you were walking under the
palm trees.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h2><a name="_rks90kwljscn"></a><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Kuala
Lipis<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Kuala
Lipis once was a gold mining town. And the old center still has a wild-west
feel. The British made it the capital of the state/sultanate around 1900. When
the railway line came to town in 1922, development took a leap and a handful of
colonial buildings were built: railway station, British residence and state
mosque. And a row of stone houses in the main street between the station and
the river - in your mind's eye you can still see the cowboys and covered wagons
driving through.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">After
independence, the capital moved to the coast and Kuala Lipis became less
important. Urban expansions look very unplanned: separate areas where a mall
and houses are built, at a considerable distance from each other.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">We
walked around a bit. Along some roads lay a narrow strip of jungle. One step
into the jungle and it is dark, uneven, the soil full of smelly decomposing
organic material, and the noise of a thousand of insects. Two steps into the
jungle and you risk getting lost.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZ-gW6Htowg0FnYjPQfAtZY9SAPLU9Ff5bB94j9Du7PiTbGTSy6iPUHNrOIIOC19s7yo6w5KM9xcUvyO1RYrvB9yVCqSbxwWelG1S-tZbM5QBIL7JQjVed5ldZanCjmw2zZ_RRcPQchb9omxzkvBaYOnCUw2HDI6GGkP07uys2ysferjXmLfcvoPd6g/s2880/20230223_150117-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZ-gW6Htowg0FnYjPQfAtZY9SAPLU9Ff5bB94j9Du7PiTbGTSy6iPUHNrOIIOC19s7yo6w5KM9xcUvyO1RYrvB9yVCqSbxwWelG1S-tZbM5QBIL7JQjVed5ldZanCjmw2zZ_RRcPQchb9omxzkvBaYOnCUw2HDI6GGkP07uys2ysferjXmLfcvoPd6g/w640-h640/20230223_150117-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The
second stage was to Gua Musang, about 75 km in 2 hours.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Still
plantations along the way, but more and more wild green in between.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">In
the last stretch, straight karst mountains appeared in the landscape, with bare
steep rocky sides, sometimes sloping slightly forward, bushes and trees in
cracks and on top.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h2><a name="_nnlri0aanth8"></a><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Gua
Musang<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Gua
Musang has almost the same layout as Kuala Lipis. Three old streets between the
station and the river, and new neighborhoods at a considerable distance from
each other, all geared towards car traffic. Only the colonial buildings are
missing. Instead you have the karst mountains that rise vertically, a dominant
one right behind the station.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">On
the platform of the <u>old</u> train station we turned right, heading south. At
the end of the platform, we went down the stairs and crossed the railway. A
path led into a very small <i>kampong</i> of
shabby wooden houses. It almost seemed deserted, but there were some children
milling around, watching us shyly. We followed the path between the houses,
also in a southerly direction. We crossed a stream via a narrow concrete dam.
Shortly after that we turned left and crossed the stream again via a slightly
larger concrete dam. I thought it was too narrow, until I found a stick to keep
my balance. Now we were just 10 meters from the rock wall, with a jagged edge
of jungle in front of it. There was a sort of path leading up between the
gigantic trees. With the help of ropes you could go further up. Immediately
surrounded by huge leaves and fallen branches. There was a ladder that you
could climb to go into a cave. But we didn't. This was already a beautiful
piece of jungle walk, however small and short.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">⇒</span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> If you want to
make this walk, make sure to assess the risks.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWiaq-uUd96E4ODShZbfFIft_VIdKweLgSGOWMB9lBhuCbuAUvp1kTV5MgJewJEILw-ZeiSF-Ws5GGCapB2uu2zvnTTYXDd-BB3MPp_8tCMazMd8uLFYJRkP8Yi3gIqN8chM6GHNZt0iiG2ZJzQ5Cjh8l6AJDEcF1kAhMiXnaPtBiWJ8oplRCmVATXMA/s2880/20230223_145654-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWiaq-uUd96E4ODShZbfFIft_VIdKweLgSGOWMB9lBhuCbuAUvp1kTV5MgJewJEILw-ZeiSF-Ws5GGCapB2uu2zvnTTYXDd-BB3MPp_8tCMazMd8uLFYJRkP8Yi3gIqN8chM6GHNZt0iiG2ZJzQ5Cjh8l6AJDEcF1kAhMiXnaPtBiWJ8oplRCmVATXMA/w640-h640/20230223_145654-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Early
in the morning for the third leg of the Jungle Railway, we boarded the night
train that had left the Malaysian-Singapore border the night before. This was
an older train that wobbled and rattled more. We wanted to have breakfast in
the dining car, but the toast had already run out. It was still too early for
fried rice, moreover it was not vegetarian. So we enjoyed the view with a cup
of coffee. The landscape with the rising sun and rising morning mist was
beautiful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">We
rode out of the mountains and into the flat delta. Suddenly we were riding
between green rice fields. After 5 hours and 200 km we reached Kota Bharu, a
big city. Heart of the conservative Islamic northeast. You saw many facades
inspired by Arabic motifs. Malay, Chinese and Arabic were the most commonly
used languages </span><span lang="EN-US"></span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">on facades and signposts, while
English and Tamil had receded into the background.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">It
took a day for the city to unveil its charms to us. There were still pieces of
old <i>kampong</i> between ugly high-rise
buildings. Some houses were old and dilapidated, others still looked well
maintained. It was wonderfully quiet and peaceful. A few houses must have been
villas in their day: large, beautifully designed, with hexagonal extensions and
verandas. Now sadly somewhat neglected. They would just be salvageable if
someone would pay attention to them now. But a little further on their fate had
already been announced: new houses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAYXf8lfB_2BPmFOFIB1unfX5x0FgrWnU4p7gIi7tsCVzzfzRYxryDKkqRVb2OMFSPVtz1Lyzlo7mwppnzQrSDMpO5eEYBG_QP2ZUiVu67MLU9d7RcHofsqQYqLowc_ijG6llwy1E5i34AHLauD4-KnJXaAbzbT8XNvVmg9qvtqqZrTISnWiK5b5WWA/s2046/IMG_20230216_074021-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAYXf8lfB_2BPmFOFIB1unfX5x0FgrWnU4p7gIi7tsCVzzfzRYxryDKkqRVb2OMFSPVtz1Lyzlo7mwppnzQrSDMpO5eEYBG_QP2ZUiVu67MLU9d7RcHofsqQYqLowc_ijG6llwy1E5i34AHLauD4-KnJXaAbzbT8XNvVmg9qvtqqZrTISnWiK5b5WWA/w640-h640/IMG_20230216_074021-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><br /></span><p></p>
<h2 id="pattani"><a name="_4i6abu9q1of8"></a><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Pattani,
in the deep south of Thailand<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">From
Kota Bharu we entered Thailand. Trains no longer run on this stretch of railway
line, so we had to take the bus for an hour. The border was a classic: first
the formalities to leave Malaysia. Then walk through no man's land across the border river, </span>parallel to the unused railway bridge. Then get the forms and stamps to enter
Thailand.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">In
Sungai Kolok we got back on the train, to Yala (120 km in 2 hours).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">⇒</span><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> If you want to
take this train, make sure to assess the risks.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjg1Y58a1P0txKz636yGGttbNCi7niSWkOcr1Bbm01PU1ck82T3vle8-BN-M16utTWxxtZPko-dbIkdw1_svbDwbWGYAfcF41S5kFMy_RDSVI7wwAzU-N4oKppojqT9p1GB3YHbwThJJ7DIcxAJ4yJGNDKj9kOf4gCZcNtV7zON51sPwg1Kr7Foyc8A/s2448/IMG_20230219_100359.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjg1Y58a1P0txKz636yGGttbNCi7niSWkOcr1Bbm01PU1ck82T3vle8-BN-M16utTWxxtZPko-dbIkdw1_svbDwbWGYAfcF41S5kFMy_RDSVI7wwAzU-N4oKppojqT9p1GB3YHbwThJJ7DIcxAJ4yJGNDKj9kOf4gCZcNtV7zON51sPwg1Kr7Foyc8A/s320/IMG_20230219_100359.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZQjJ6zBVXALDtWI2Gsb9nRLhPXmKYk5qlCe2usbqAaXOy8Nh5eLpx7BxD5Lyogn401DAPlM0ek2st5VMsk5O_zsSABxLKCfE_3q2gJZZAzEZp2LZ27c2Gl0h7WN4N2yMHsd0dbps9ieg4fxlcpExyf92hoFMeljxtilKchbRyEuYwTRmwuJhMARNCw/s3472/IMG_20230219_113244.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZQjJ6zBVXALDtWI2Gsb9nRLhPXmKYk5qlCe2usbqAaXOy8Nh5eLpx7BxD5Lyogn401DAPlM0ek2st5VMsk5O_zsSABxLKCfE_3q2gJZZAzEZp2LZ27c2Gl0h7WN4N2yMHsd0dbps9ieg4fxlcpExyf92hoFMeljxtilKchbRyEuYwTRmwuJhMARNCw/s320/IMG_20230219_113244.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p>
<div style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1pt 4pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">For centuries, Pattani was one of the
Malay sultanates. Its heyday was in the 16th century. In the 18th century it
was conquered by Thailand. For a long time it remained Thai in name but
actually independent. At the beginning of the 20th century it was divided by
England and Thailand into a Thai and a Malay part. On the west side, Thailand
also gained Satun, and it gave up its claims on other sultanates - which became
part of British-occupied territory and later Malaysia. This was a treaty
between England and Thailand, the Malaysian sultanates who were involved had
nothing to say.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Thailand introduced Thaiification
programs in the part allocated to them, which did not go down well and
resistance movements arose that wanted autonomy, especially in the former
Pattani. At the beginning of the 21st century, they were taken over by
ISIS-like groups that want to establish an Islamic Caliphate, have become more
violent and aim for chaos and lawlessness, in which their criminal activities
flourish. They are now also turning against the local population because they
consider them not strict enough in their observance of islam. Police officers
and posts, Buddhist monks and monasteries, teachers and schools, and trains and
railway lines are particularly targeted by attacks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Despite that, daily life is generally
quiet. It is a pity that the official travel advice from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs is "red", which only further isolates the area. Red
here cannot be compared to the red for Syria or Afghanistan, for example. As an
outsider, only the heavily armed soldiers who travel on the train stand out.
(*)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">We had been following the local news
closely for a while. Currently, it seemed relatively quiet and safe for
foreigners to travel through Pattani. We made two train journeys with a
stopover in Yala.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<h2><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Yala<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4q2T5N8RzzuKnGuiUvjE-3Y0udcDZm_I-dbEjMHXUTPFSIhJPces9piL66Ix5RwKDYa0FAuw7N1REycbgEeF6w6JTcYsBS0kzjvaNMXMKj11KpCRY-9LvQkDgex81_haDfscYxbN3rZxiAxrk_H9AsBGr_ao-y6bohaYXtJPxePaipByIKo1hWWrUg/s2880/20230223_150334-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4q2T5N8RzzuKnGuiUvjE-3Y0udcDZm_I-dbEjMHXUTPFSIhJPces9piL66Ix5RwKDYa0FAuw7N1REycbgEeF6w6JTcYsBS0kzjvaNMXMKj11KpCRY-9LvQkDgex81_haDfscYxbN3rZxiAxrk_H9AsBGr_ao-y6bohaYXtJPxePaipByIKo1hWWrUg/w640-h640/20230223_150334-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><br />Yala
is a vast, quiet, green city. There is a large district with all provincial
institutions, built in circles around the city pillar. The roads are quiet and
wide and lined with trees. The spacious layout means you have to walk quite a
distance to get around.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The
city pillar is located in a temple in the middle of a round park with fish
ponds. Feeding fish is popular, and the fish will swim towards you as soon as
you stop on the bank. Hundreds of mouths snap above the water. The rear fish
push so hard that the front ones are lifted above the surface.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Bells
hang from the temple and tinkle softly in the wind. Inside, a few people are
doing <i>puja</i>. Pieces of gold leaf
flutter from the statue of a monk.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Everything
looks peaceful and quiet. Muslims also feed the fish, even though it is a
Buddhist tradition. And from under a headscarf the big, warm Thai smile
radiates just as bright.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwejh0WLHP231k52ic4cotK_fKUcAYyAx124N6Fiez_4c0zIkXNVHif8p45fl2_GS_jD98eU_ZkPqzVNvKqietWVLvadSGB4ut-9DZ5J4B4eYYpKdPf5K2EoptUKcshrWKM1kVMwBdCsymAN9dTz0EpIZHT1TlJDD7JB3BVPVAMEk8hU9lZnytU1XtGQ/s3472/IMG_20230219_141427.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwejh0WLHP231k52ic4cotK_fKUcAYyAx124N6Fiez_4c0zIkXNVHif8p45fl2_GS_jD98eU_ZkPqzVNvKqietWVLvadSGB4ut-9DZ5J4B4eYYpKdPf5K2EoptUKcshrWKM1kVMwBdCsymAN9dTz0EpIZHT1TlJDD7JB3BVPVAMEk8hU9lZnytU1XtGQ/s320/IMG_20230219_141427.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">From
Yala we took the train to Hat Yai (another 120 km in 2 hours), where the
eastern branch rejoins the main line from Singapore to Bangkok. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">More </span></h2>
<p><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">(*)
6 weeks later the Dutch government changes the travel advice from “red” to “orange”. But throughout 2023 there were still quit a number of attacks and bombings on police posts and the like.</span> </p><div>How the journey began: <a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/01/travelogue-20231-amsterdam-dubai.html?m=1https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/01/travelogue-20231-amsterdam-dubai.html?m=1https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/01/travelogue-20231-amsterdam-dubai.html?m=1">Amsterdam-Dubai-Mangalore-Kuala Lumpur by lowcost carrier and narrow-body</a></div><div><br /></div><div>How the journey continued: <a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/03/travelogue-20234-satun-th-kuala-lumpur.html?m=1">Satun (TH) - Kuala Lumpur (MY)</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Practical tips to make this trip: <a href="https://www.waterlily-unlimited.nl/travelguide/malaysiajungletrain.php#" target="_blank">Lily's Mini Travel Guide</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com018300 Gua Musang, Kelantan, Malaysia4.8842789999999994 101.968178-23.425954836178846 66.811928 33.194512836178845 137.124428tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-12537105295485803602023-01-31T12:00:00.052+01:002023-04-25T11:10:54.053+02:00Travelogue 2023/2 North Kerala Coast by train<h2><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Travel in India<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">"Nothing
comes easy in India. There are always unexpected complications. And even the
shortest walk on the street becomes an adventure."<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkK1_1tsfVDNjWHKuTcIopUFNISYtqS5ouct6Ts5n8VZBjxP9htqEnuYVXapDTCM3i0dny68_1zkXuCwLKyEOrcwrdr1qxNpgIWCCiR9UrM_gzPNMNbyHSneJFERCpZ_s4FgmcrwgZUL0CarBePDGAB-I7x5XIQuaDlKiuWuCM7YuDVASPhattWcr3EQ/s3422/IMG_20221223_103248.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3422" data-original-width="2620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkK1_1tsfVDNjWHKuTcIopUFNISYtqS5ouct6Ts5n8VZBjxP9htqEnuYVXapDTCM3i0dny68_1zkXuCwLKyEOrcwrdr1qxNpgIWCCiR9UrM_gzPNMNbyHSneJFERCpZ_s4FgmcrwgZUL0CarBePDGAB-I7x5XIQuaDlKiuWuCM7YuDVASPhattWcr3EQ/s320/IMG_20221223_103248.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>Despite
massive modernization in India, those statements have remained true for the
past 30 years. Sometimes it is tiring that you always have to pay attention,
you always have to adapt to a new situation, you always have to process new
impressions, you always have to filter out what you do and don't want to hear,
you always get talked to (however friendly). But you also get a lot in return,
you see fantastic things, experience the strangest things, talk to special
people.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For
two weeks we traveled down the coast of North Kerala. Mostly by train, mostly
fairly short journeys. <a name="_4zsdnw4u7csu"></a>We took slow regional trains,
sometimes with a seat, sometimes squeezed together standing in the hallway. Open
windows provided much needed ventilation. Our trains ran on time or were
delayed by up to half an hour.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObkNcHD4rYxuQh8qeWiIYdNWEVGsE3Gpvy3vsz73NuqPaax1QaVKCjI82Rz6NGI376JjLTwYpsVZEAivh2_iapikk3ocwGyAi9wnDOT9420iDk5VO_Rek1W-Kyt1C0Tb9z3jTekZi0QEwb7jtLgmq7X7nQXy--d1cqiTtXtc08Ldf8dSoe8aM-A8Dlw/s4000/20230122_093539.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObkNcHD4rYxuQh8qeWiIYdNWEVGsE3Gpvy3vsz73NuqPaax1QaVKCjI82Rz6NGI376JjLTwYpsVZEAivh2_iapikk3ocwGyAi9wnDOT9420iDk5VO_Rek1W-Kyt1C0Tb9z3jTekZi0QEwb7jtLgmq7X7nQXy--d1cqiTtXtc08Ldf8dSoe8aM-A8Dlw/s320/20230122_093539.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhauW5-6w7HvdaJySUk5xwQWMZALUvog9WRu1rUN5rIT7RwY9srF53qUr1H7nM_cJnxiIfhJmiSo4xqYdpNuMev963sFPvNtPRfDI68HH0JqCMBtObmsVW9U7dSdz3G86ZAHjNu6MjQCtPNnQwDnm3b_L7DSK9U0oc7Zn5VEFOg-nrB1jg_B3LNYxZo4w/s3472/IMG_20230120_110911.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhauW5-6w7HvdaJySUk5xwQWMZALUvog9WRu1rUN5rIT7RwY9srF53qUr1H7nM_cJnxiIfhJmiSo4xqYdpNuMev963sFPvNtPRfDI68HH0JqCMBtObmsVW9U7dSdz3G86ZAHjNu6MjQCtPNnQwDnm3b_L7DSK9U0oc7Zn5VEFOg-nrB1jg_B3LNYxZo4w/s320/IMG_20230120_110911.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h2><span lang="EN-US">Arab influences<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">For
more than 2000 years there have been trade routes between Arabia and the
Malabar coast. As a result, the first Christians were here in AD 50 and the
first Muslims in AH 10. The smaller coastal towns are still predominantly
Islamic - vegetarian food is less common here than in other parts of India.
Maybe because of that old commercial spirit people are more open than I'm used
to in India. They spontaneously smile at you and welcome you to India.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpt7JjQrg-koxdpW5g3PmfLE18EcvP_yyR16GYNL3UGB41UTPgSnrkM0qO1A0WNA1VQPSbEKRROoLs1JOMjWnBTJ0lNPFS_IVtWCJOG91KQIOT23NDxt73EMK6tc16ZxEM5-b1myFBtmvnk-gEEw5D57QDLD-eOl_CkVT4SYw7sh-4j4aKAVTb7W_nQ/s2046/IMG_20230123_101346-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="2046" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpt7JjQrg-koxdpW5g3PmfLE18EcvP_yyR16GYNL3UGB41UTPgSnrkM0qO1A0WNA1VQPSbEKRROoLs1JOMjWnBTJ0lNPFS_IVtWCJOG91KQIOT23NDxt73EMK6tc16ZxEM5-b1myFBtmvnk-gEEw5D57QDLD-eOl_CkVT4SYw7sh-4j4aKAVTb7W_nQ/w400-h300/IMG_20230123_101346-COLLAGE.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Besides
those ancient middle eastern influences, there are also newer ones. Today,
hundreds of thousands of Indians work in the Gulf. With the money they earn
there, they build large modern houses. Every village, every town has sprawling
suburbs with beautiful villas. And you see it in the many shawarma shops, the
mint drinks, the gold shops.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">At
a tea stall we spoke to some young men who were constantly traveling back and
forth between different Gulf states, trading in expensive cars, gold and
whatnot. Real wheeler dealers. In a garden restaurant we spoke to a man who had
worked in Dubai for 20 years at management level, who was now taking early
retirement and had bought a plot of land in the interior of Kerala with the
money he earned, where he started farming as a hobby. In both cases they paid
for our drinks.</span></p>
<h2><a name="_attknd24r169"></a><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Forts,
backwater and beach<o:p></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknWY5wrPfmAtLbCKgmczyXbtY_vi8JbYiqlqMuCKdg_VCW0hQIE4QmFmJH9NxKvRzbVxhDRieVeR0RChCNj0TkfdQdLRS4arHykmlNEHaFzIJa4enyWxZf38ATRw_8BnUduJNwFGHpYmeDSq98IrzvOZd63VX1onlAT3wz1ofw1GSBGXkA2yefA-SQg/s2046/IMG_20230114_164011-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknWY5wrPfmAtLbCKgmczyXbtY_vi8JbYiqlqMuCKdg_VCW0hQIE4QmFmJH9NxKvRzbVxhDRieVeR0RChCNj0TkfdQdLRS4arHykmlNEHaFzIJa4enyWxZf38ATRw_8BnUduJNwFGHpYmeDSq98IrzvOZd63VX1onlAT3wz1ofw1GSBGXkA2yefA-SQg/w640-h640/IMG_20230114_164011-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The
Portuguese, the Dutch, the English, the French and various regional warlords
fought each other for centuries for influence over the prosperous coastal
strip. You can still see many cultural influences, the most tangible are a
number of forts. We visited five. That varied between a search for some
overgrown remains of a wall, and a large restored complex with walking paths,
bastions and lookout towers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Most
forts have stepwells, where you can descend to groundwater level. They are less
beautifully decorated than in North India, but functional if your fort is
besieged. Some have (secret?) tunnels to get to the sea.</span></p>
<h4><span lang="EN-US">Kasargod <o:p></o:p></span></h4>
<h4><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4agCkMvtaiErgPIWYIBnJquDJ-S7IeyjGBrD1myBSomJTm0DnxWi8tdKLGRQNFrzXjiCl5XNbrUOlToNbVxGVH2bPhIGIqD0izyHDrKImLZrO8Ny3aZ2jbKvqzBErZXgzvcbbKPDGjXCaaNspP9F7sPG-Os_l8iZzIK7D5BA9PcpeKr1dO476LqcOw/s4000/2023%20India%20Kasargod%20brug.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4agCkMvtaiErgPIWYIBnJquDJ-S7IeyjGBrD1myBSomJTm0DnxWi8tdKLGRQNFrzXjiCl5XNbrUOlToNbVxGVH2bPhIGIqD0izyHDrKImLZrO8Ny3aZ2jbKvqzBErZXgzvcbbKPDGjXCaaNspP9F7sPG-Os_l8iZzIK7D5BA9PcpeKr1dO476LqcOw/w400-h300/2023%20India%20Kasargod%20brug.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Kasargod was a bigger place than expected. We settled on
the edge of town, near the new bus station. There were hotels and restaurants,
and quite surprisingly a group of food and drink stalls where young people
gathered after school. Even boys and girls mixed with each other.<o:p></o:p></span></h4><div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<h4><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">The thoroughfares were congested with dirty and noisy
traffic. But as soon as we turned into a side street, we walked through a rural
area. From endless noise and hooting to almost serene silence. Finally we got
to the place we were looking for, where the ruins of Kasargod Fort are supposed
to be. Everything was overgrown and with difficulty we recognized the remains
of a bastion and a watchtower.</span></h4><div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<h4><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">5 km outside the city was the well-maintained Fort
Chandragiri. The perimeter of the fort was still completely intact or restored.
Thick high walls surround a field the size of two football pitches. There was a
footpath along the inside of the outer walls, with a number of bastions. You
had a good view over the river, the estuary and inland - a good place for a
fort.<o:p></o:p></span></h4><div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We had gone there with a rickshaw "the long way 'round", but
we walked back, just like the locals, over the railway bridge over the wide
river into the town. It was a long walk, and in the meantime it had become
quite warm and we had run out of water. When we arrived at the almost 1400 year
old Malik Deenar Juma mosque</span></span> <span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">it was
immensely busy there. Today was the last day of a festival in honor of Deenar </span></span>(who also founded the Mangalore mosque we visited)<span style="font-size: 11pt;">,
and people had come from far and wide. We were warmly welcomed and a friendly
gentleman fetched us a few bottles of water.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h4><span lang="EN-US">Bekal<o:p></o:p></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgkN-Rf7vyYDu0kzI6UjtBtNHT9Mi5FBCbxOh6Q4FdvnK59EndSGTwjEZdw5138WUV3PRBvhfPxExDI9JrB_f7KS5BmZIEj7j7bgxLqwaTOX0W8exGwfLz39hVVKyTNFjqQNe1s7O42bz3tN3nLxW7geqMPX-f_ZUvNcmkwVMXVVc3oy2svF5qrGeSw/s2046/IMG_20230116_124637-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgkN-Rf7vyYDu0kzI6UjtBtNHT9Mi5FBCbxOh6Q4FdvnK59EndSGTwjEZdw5138WUV3PRBvhfPxExDI9JrB_f7KS5BmZIEj7j7bgxLqwaTOX0W8exGwfLz39hVVKyTNFjqQNe1s7O42bz3tN3nLxW7geqMPX-f_ZUvNcmkwVMXVVc3oy2svF5qrGeSw/w640-h640/IMG_20230116_124637-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></h4>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">In
Bekal we lived in a kind of mini-resort, literally in the shadow of the fort.
The peacocks walked between the coconut trees. Close by was a beach where you
could sway in the waves of the Arabian Sea. And within walking distance was a
lunch restaurant where they twice cooked an evening meal especially for us.
Sublime home cooked meals. The lady was from Bangalore and felt anything but at
home in this small hamlet, where they lived because her husband had to maintain
the family temple.</span></p>
<h4><span lang="EN-US">Payyanur <o:p></o:p></span></h4>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61lddzRxy3O4Jzm_nfLrqMGcxk3S5UXwePojiXd5Odzg6XjisvyEfnBsl0zLcJdMDt7fjyjouiFxeCO-afgmq4_bVgZXMURGWHRng48NFMhAIMJhtBVi4lse9FVg6TcArW2RB1Ffx3xVokGLyUn1n5qa41mtuClVSJLOI7idXexDksjtTgHpYRJ2i_Q/s3472/IMG_20230121_100734.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61lddzRxy3O4Jzm_nfLrqMGcxk3S5UXwePojiXd5Odzg6XjisvyEfnBsl0zLcJdMDt7fjyjouiFxeCO-afgmq4_bVgZXMURGWHRng48NFMhAIMJhtBVi4lse9FVg6TcArW2RB1Ffx3xVokGLyUn1n5qa41mtuClVSJLOI7idXexDksjtTgHpYRJ2i_Q/s320/IMG_20230121_100734.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaksMB7TpRXc1Tbi1XSk3SArYOBjN4JC9RMHWSssNH16siwb3BvLUG_eTNMDoHpgtfQK6BuoMyZmK9BLp2GQs3DqIoc3Oav0c84XsrMQBqdJLujKZ2qnu2jYbKfsX_kIpfF3CTSuzG1Vjq30BBfGc_WMXGUY7bTabshikX1EvLMvlFl0RdmWZMdudSw/s3472/IMG_20230121_112157.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaksMB7TpRXc1Tbi1XSk3SArYOBjN4JC9RMHWSssNH16siwb3BvLUG_eTNMDoHpgtfQK6BuoMyZmK9BLp2GQs3DqIoc3Oav0c84XsrMQBqdJLujKZ2qnu2jYbKfsX_kIpfF3CTSuzG1Vjq30BBfGc_WMXGUY7bTabshikX1EvLMvlFl0RdmWZMdudSw/s320/IMG_20230121_112157.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />In
Payyanur we made a long trip over the backwaters - river arms and lagoons
separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land. Surrounding it are small
communities and coconut plantations. When we looked for information about
departure times at the jetty, we were treated to fresh coconuts by the
neighbors. Normally you drink them with a straw, without that it became a huge
mess. We saw a video of it the next day on the phone of one of the crew
members!<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">We
were on a ferry that zigzagged back and forth between several jetties. Most
people just crossed to the other side, but we eventually covered about 10 km as
the crow flies. Some parts it was just us and the five-man crew. The views, the
water birds, the fishing boats, the palm-fringed coastline: it couldn't get
more beautiful than that.</span></p>
<h4><span lang="EN-US">Kannur<o:p></o:p></span></h4>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9N6uE-nA8WlR6RNiwPSMM2iTzt3YXzN2fr5pZ27U1nntkp3kgIbObY220eBlEkw9kJqId4ZrHRwKVJ-tHAjBKCI0ZrExIMWGjGdC4yTyhN2CA6rKFDh_IfmYb3dMZfjt9D2k_stEP44V0Oq6sDFKGtbEzUhy8e8tXyHf2kiDtLe8Yy5c97zkYQaahA/s2359/kannur%20fort%20tomb%20stone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2359" data-original-width="1631" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9N6uE-nA8WlR6RNiwPSMM2iTzt3YXzN2fr5pZ27U1nntkp3kgIbObY220eBlEkw9kJqId4ZrHRwKVJ-tHAjBKCI0ZrExIMWGjGdC4yTyhN2CA6rKFDh_IfmYb3dMZfjt9D2k_stEP44V0Oq6sDFKGtbEzUhy8e8tXyHf2kiDtLe8Yy5c97zkYQaahA/s320/kannur%20fort%20tomb%20stone.jpg" width="221" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><br />In
Kannur Fort we got a personal tour from a local policewoman. She came towards
us when E leaned over a fence. Instead of whistling her back, the two ladies
climbed together over the walls and battlements of the fortress. She knew quite
a bit about the history, and the three of us studied the tombstone of Susanna,
the young wife of the former Dutch commander. The text was in weathered old
Dutch. The policewoman had an older photo on which the text was less
weathered. Finally we managed to decipher everything. We promised to record it
and send it to her.</span><p></p>
<h4><span lang="EN-US">Kozhikode<o:p></o:p></span></h4>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lohj2QNWk-QkvStiqt3JT49fsbWyS7pycQYiWg7BB2RhJxojX8Ba8DhfQAG-sVUCtbtWT3f5_axNaCA0tpgZ1flpiUcqQ3Qx9Q9ZQ-U7a22fe2vIXXd3baP-w6EQ4NutQbn28YxAW1GpGg3Zq43gEpsLTLV-z5gXAu1hOGuNGp_oz5ASxUDGEsi0Kg/s3472/IMG_20230125_093754.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lohj2QNWk-QkvStiqt3JT49fsbWyS7pycQYiWg7BB2RhJxojX8Ba8DhfQAG-sVUCtbtWT3f5_axNaCA0tpgZ1flpiUcqQ3Qx9Q9ZQ-U7a22fe2vIXXd3baP-w6EQ4NutQbn28YxAW1GpGg3Zq43gEpsLTLV-z5gXAu1hOGuNGp_oz5ASxUDGEsi0Kg/s320/IMG_20230125_093754.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Kozhikode
was by far the largest city in North Kerala. Busy but also with a more
metropolitan atmosphere, e.g. at the tables on the lawn of our hotel and in the
mall. In the oldest part of the city you will find 14th century wooden mosques
with beautiful carvings. As in Mangalore, the old districts along the coast
were the oldest and poorest. We also visited theold Tali temple and the archaeological
museum.</span><br /><br /><br />Kozhikode was our last coastal town this journey. From here we went inland. Via Palghat and Dindigul (two more forts!) we reached Trichy.<div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><o:p>More</o:p></span></h2><div style="text-align: left;">How the journey began: <a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/01/travelogue-20231-amsterdam-dubai.html?m=1https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/01/travelogue-20231-amsterdam-dubai.html?m=1https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/01/travelogue-20231-amsterdam-dubai.html?m=1">Amsterdam-Dubai-Mangalore-Kuala Lumpur by lowcost carrier and narrow-body</a></div><div>How the journey continued: <a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/02/travelogue-20233-jungle-railway-my-and.html?m=1">The Jungle Railway (MY) and Pattani Sultanate (TH), by train</a></div></div><div>Practical tips to make this trip: <a href="https://www.waterlily-unlimited.nl/travelguide/indiakeralacoast.php#" target="_blank">Lily's Mini Travel Guide</a></div>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Kozhikode, Kerala, India11.2587531 75.78041-17.051480736178846 40.62416 39.568986936178845 110.93666tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-55234111834142586172023-01-12T09:45:00.044+01:002023-04-01T14:29:22.252+02:00Travelogue 2023/1 Amsterdam-Dubai-Mangalore-Kuala Lumpur by lowcost carrier and narrow-body<p><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPcCJQt8v_KNsN8ljxoV99qs8ba6JePw8Z-4XAYtMhnX_MXsQ4JcTkAB8C7zqGhxPh1k34U62ZIvIrKVjvge7a_80llINacp261yPvOW3gHT6cOTjX49bGz85a_p8ivCKeq8yx72W-YryEfAVLSX3kTomGF5tnS5IW-bPIWrZ868INBpSDe6Z6RVrGA/s328/2023route.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="328" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPcCJQt8v_KNsN8ljxoV99qs8ba6JePw8Z-4XAYtMhnX_MXsQ4JcTkAB8C7zqGhxPh1k34U62ZIvIrKVjvge7a_80llINacp261yPvOW3gHT6cOTjX49bGz85a_p8ivCKeq8yx72W-YryEfAVLSX3kTomGF5tnS5IW-bPIWrZ868INBpSDe6Z6RVrGA/s320/2023route.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">From
Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with one-way tickets booked separately, with low-cost
airlines, with small planes? Yes, you can, with stops in Dubai and small
airports in South India.</span><p></p>
<h2><a name="_rbier9ao05b5"></a><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Amsterdam-Dubai<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">A
one-way ticket to Dubai with Transavia was so cheap that we didn’t mind the
early departure. Although I wasn't so sure about that when we were waiting at
the gate at 5AM. We had spent the past 1½ hours looking for security and
immigration counters that were open. It makes sense that not everything is open
at night, but there could have been better signage...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">It
was strange, flying for 7 hours in a narrow body aircraft without service. But
the staff was very friendly and everything went fine. We just had not expected
to be dropped off at a low-cost terminal in Dubai. Kind of an old shed. No
metro here, as in the shiny terminal across the tarmac. It took a while to find
out how to take the bus into the city, but in the end that worked out well.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">At
dusk we walked the last bit to our hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h2><a name="_3a6i8q31lfzq"></a><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Deira<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGztyc9I8BJEqOcap5tBL1v72KIIF_-tewvoBsSE_jeeGLfKI2kSz9i1d-cuqW2uPiiRjHDmE3UEw1R9EzO6EQYfkrMW5LWwrVBT_wgaNRlwIKv6IyyQUPAOIF1NhVXkyFdbUk1amZ2HszV3Ngtz5kEEQN6gMEIqo33PbJwRwvuaPxiiAVx1RSyaFJg/s2991/IMG_20230110_074640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2838" data-original-width="2991" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGztyc9I8BJEqOcap5tBL1v72KIIF_-tewvoBsSE_jeeGLfKI2kSz9i1d-cuqW2uPiiRjHDmE3UEw1R9EzO6EQYfkrMW5LWwrVBT_wgaNRlwIKv6IyyQUPAOIF1NhVXkyFdbUk1amZ2HszV3Ngtz5kEEQN6gMEIqo33PbJwRwvuaPxiiAVx1RSyaFJg/w400-h380/IMG_20230110_074640.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><br /><br />We
concentrated on Deira, the old town on the north side of the creek. Well, not
all was old, our hotel was at the site where the fish market used to be. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Across
a major road was the Gold Souk, which is a maze of ancient streets and lanes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">You
have the hypermodern Dubai with skyscrapers and shiny malls. You have the new
construction like in our neighborhood, which is quite tasteful. You have the
60s-80s buildings along the main streets in the old city, ugly concrete buildings
of 3 to 4 floors that contain all those gold shops. And you have the small
alleys behind them where they forgot to demolish the houses from the time they
used mud as a construction material.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">We
walked a bit along the gold shops that were on the tourist route, where you
were constantly harassed, and then entered the smaller streets of the perfume
market and the textile market. It was very pleasant and peaceful there. We were
admiring the colorful dresses in a shopwindow when a lady approached us and
said that this was a great store. Under her black robe you could see the edge
of such a colorful dress. When I made a remark about that, she opened her black
robe wide to allow herself to be admired.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMsYn0cni6JI5ld3Sa84D6um69tlttOLirIWOlV0h5LHk0ZE-8KNRAW9D9cyBlA3xGRZBhXdLW8q0sK74wJ0IUWnawI5VZg7qPJhS25IG5tN9Vz-q-jU8dbZ14z4xhs0TqPna8E5IgybGj2oM1bF3Yiuuecxzd3B9g1TRLj5lyrlOkPuiQWns5w47rA/s3472/IMG_20230111_115623.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1961" data-original-width="3472" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMsYn0cni6JI5ld3Sa84D6um69tlttOLirIWOlV0h5LHk0ZE-8KNRAW9D9cyBlA3xGRZBhXdLW8q0sK74wJ0IUWnawI5VZg7qPJhS25IG5tN9Vz-q-jU8dbZ14z4xhs0TqPna8E5IgybGj2oM1bF3Yiuuecxzd3B9g1TRLj5lyrlOkPuiQWns5w47rA/w400-h226/IMG_20230111_115623.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">In
the area in and around the Gold Souk, most residents, shopkeepers, restaurant
staff and gold traders are from Kerala. We got talking to a salesman who came
from Kasargod - the first town in Kerala that we want to visit. We immediately
got his cousin's phone number.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">All
in all it was a nice trip around the back of the Gold Souk.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The
great thing about Dubai is the mishmash of half the world you see. Tourists
from half the world, workers from half the world, everyone with their own
clothes and their own habits. An Arab lady all covered in black; a Philipina in
shorts and a tank top; a stout lady in an African dress; a Russian with too
flashy clothes and too much make-up and too bleached hair. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Food
is also available from all over the world, we ate Indian and Iraqi.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h2><a name="_cqu423j2egla"></a><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Dubai-Mangalore<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CxWvq3lImBJgYL67ZOC19RbmgfIles-UL2Tb1GnmOGV93PhlHC3NdKUIAGg_mgbRCjngBje9tjyv630V3fB2Dklz4a_eyG43sJsWHKuhrWPtZGwvC2akMW1--adwChH_5zSj5ppjhLMjjvZvmiCNyx9ShKhZdFQYSRb1_P-KzO8KXIm0gsS8k7fcAA/s2448/IMG_20230112_105902.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CxWvq3lImBJgYL67ZOC19RbmgfIles-UL2Tb1GnmOGV93PhlHC3NdKUIAGg_mgbRCjngBje9tjyv630V3fB2Dklz4a_eyG43sJsWHKuhrWPtZGwvC2akMW1--adwChH_5zSj5ppjhLMjjvZvmiCNyx9ShKhZdFQYSRb1_P-KzO8KXIm0gsS8k7fcAA/s320/IMG_20230112_105902.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">For
this route we had bought a one-way ticket from Air India Express. It was only a
three-hour flight, again with a 737, but due to time difference and delays, we
arrived in Mangalore at 6PM. It took a very long time before we could enter the
country. Not because of bad will, but because of ignorance. It seemed that so
few foreigners entered the country here that the officials were unfamiliar with
the procedures and the equipment.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Once
in the city and in our hotel, we were a bit overwhelmed by the huge transition
from organized Dubai to the total chaos of India. After six years we had
forgotten how dirty everything is, how everything once broken, stays broken,
how big the holes are in the road and that there are even bigger holes next to
the road, how you are constantly submerged in noise and air pollution.
Mangalore seemed to have all the lesser sides of India, without the mysticism
of Junagadh for example or the atmosphere of a city like Mysore.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h2><a name="_fhdijb62qhfy"></a><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Mangalore<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The
next day we were able to discover a few gems in Mangalore.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">In
the morning we walked through the oldest district, where it was very busy with
carts and lorries loading and unloading goods in the narrow streets, to the
river. We took a ferry to the other side. There was a long and narrow peninsula
between the river and the Arabian Sea. It had a village feel, there were more
cows, goats and cats on the street than cars, and the houses seemed to be built
on dune sand. We zigzagged through narrow alleyways until we reached the beach:
miles of white sand. Birds and fishermen hunted for fish.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTM88IU9sfwRZHq-cB0UFKPUMjjtogU9_B5VskRJEkX52u9ED0Y_JQ7sanacn-1CFCZaERmfJxImSAYEFahV_nxvLXxZzqGnhgk_Rut9_P2mpj39sJrXVkRlnNRBypoTjINDwcdXD7WSngy-rPqu8b73ode1c3MWlh_95sqRHWJotw9AaaV5qLyxLew/s3472/IMG_20230113_194844.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="3472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTM88IU9sfwRZHq-cB0UFKPUMjjtogU9_B5VskRJEkX52u9ED0Y_JQ7sanacn-1CFCZaERmfJxImSAYEFahV_nxvLXxZzqGnhgk_Rut9_P2mpj39sJrXVkRlnNRBypoTjINDwcdXD7WSngy-rPqu8b73ode1c3MWlh_95sqRHWJotw9AaaV5qLyxLew/w400-h400/IMG_20230113_194844.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">In
the evening we visited the third oldest mosque in India, almost 1400 years old.
Built in the year 22 of the Islamic era, only 5 years after the death of the
Prophet. This could happen so quickly because of the existing trade routes
between Arabia and the Malabar coast. The oldest wooden part was somewhat
hidden behind a newer hall. An old man said that women were not allowed to go
to the back. But when I got there and got talking to some of the elders, they
were okay with me to go and fetch E. She made an impression by knowing the name
of the father of the sultan who renovated the mosque. Together we admired the
ancient architecture and lavish carvings. Very impressive.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"></span></p><h2><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Trichy-Kuala Lumpur<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">We
traveled by train and bus from Mangalore to Trichy (*).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPnu8bbEdwuo_jwClA8Xyn-ki5C9A5unyIrM1ypvDPUq6z0tU8dNbQ836GgxK6NHo-fCoWXrkUkDmSMsYKpHKpuWleP60wq1OSmPzvgL52pw_MXEczV7TscaZwiokTMbjtpjiyRBRvd35gfIf8LHZtRe-MsW2Lz2CxRK4-1_aAvSSyG3rnYii-dPJVg/s606/2023%20AirAsia.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="606" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPnu8bbEdwuo_jwClA8Xyn-ki5C9A5unyIrM1ypvDPUq6z0tU8dNbQ836GgxK6NHo-fCoWXrkUkDmSMsYKpHKpuWleP60wq1OSmPzvgL52pw_MXEczV7TscaZwiokTMbjtpjiyRBRvd35gfIf8LHZtRe-MsW2Lz2CxRK4-1_aAvSSyG3rnYii-dPJVg/s320/2023%20AirAsia.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">We
had selected the flight from Trichy to Kuala Lumpur with AirAsia because it was
a day-time flight. But after our booking it was canceled and we were
transferred to a night flight. The small airport of Trichy was easy to reach,
quiet and well-managed. It had as many flights to Dubai, Singapore and Kuala
Lumpar as to Indian cities. On board the Airbus 320, another narrow-body, the
East Asian flight attendants caught the eye. And the uncomfortable chairs. Suddenly
four hours of flying was a long time. Of the three flights, this was by far the
least comfortable.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">It
was an interesting experience: with one-way tickets booked separately, with
low-cost airlines, with small planes from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All in all
a successful experiment.<o:p></o:p></span></p></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">More</span></h2><div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">(*) How we traveled onwards from Mangalore: <a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/01/travelogue-20232-north-kerala-coast-by.html?m=1">North Kerala Coast by train</a></span></div><div>How we traveled onwards from Kuala Lumpur: <a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2023/02/travelogue-20233-jungle-railway-my-and.html?m=1">The Jungle Railway (MY) and Pattani Sultanate (TH), by train</a></div><p></p>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Dubai - United Arab Emirates25.2048493 55.2707828-3.1053845361788461 20.1145328 53.515083136178845 90.4270328tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-14995138183665707462022-05-23T08:00:00.007+02:002022-10-21T16:45:02.072+02:00The Slow Train from Trang to Bangkok<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">The train is a wonderful way to explore Thailand. It is convenient, takes
you from city centre to city centre, and offers the most stunning views along
the way.<br />
This is my journey from Trang to Bangkok.</span></b></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Stage zero: Trang – Kantang – Trang </h3><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Trang is another quiet provincial town. It sees quite some tourists
passing through to Andaman Sea islands, but few stay. They miss out on a small
night market, some traditional Chinese coffee houses (<i>Copi, Sin-ocho</i>), a
modern clocktower, a lively Chinese New Year and the colourful Underwater
Wedding festival and parades. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Some ten km south of town are botanical gardens with a stunning canopy
walk, a rare patch of original forest.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">30 km southwest, in the mouth of the river Trang, is the old seaport of
Kantang. Connected by railway it is potentially an important harbour for
east-west cargo, but its glory days are long gone. There is one daily (nightly,
actually) train connection between Bangkok and Kantang.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">You can join that train from Trang for the last hour. As most people get
off in Trang, there are hardly any passengers. It was odd, being on that
enormous train almost by ourselves. It’s a smooth ride through flat rural land,
quite beautiful and very green.<br />
The Kantang station is the original century-old wooden building, still brightly
painted, with the original ticket windows and signs. One room is a small
museum, an outbuilding now is a nice coffee shop: the Love Station.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaQi8NyCORDXOdKD7U4KZvWEKSwoVmN1L-Q_2tqhwqb3RHpcfZd-oLcORqIQ8R7qD40XtJcjnk94nS2NCAvzrmxBZ5d23ahZfR0NB7lGn_pnvWvktEO8c9gvubgc3bOzvtsUMUZIxMCzFrAwkfRzHxjG1vKGno22fIhy54B4EWiSii5A7qDO4QQSjEA/s4608/Kantang%20(11).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaQi8NyCORDXOdKD7U4KZvWEKSwoVmN1L-Q_2tqhwqb3RHpcfZd-oLcORqIQ8R7qD40XtJcjnk94nS2NCAvzrmxBZ5d23ahZfR0NB7lGn_pnvWvktEO8c9gvubgc3bOzvtsUMUZIxMCzFrAwkfRzHxjG1vKGno22fIhy54B4EWiSii5A7qDO4QQSjEA/s320/Kantang%20(11).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4LWBvP8EvJtzu3Qj0bi5xvX9jlP7YYIR_9BUPEe0RmXWSUaajX_9qKHm-EDs_Zv29ILBNhvVirE_IeGeU-MlXxnaCUW4S1zGkpTSVRIkYrORE9BGoEKeFeYKot8ejdXaIdbfmC7CZVybsj8fTUeay7NpkE8qgGbHZeFRNKZ0zjIhr5OmJxDRKTyjyA/s4608/Kantang%20(12).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4LWBvP8EvJtzu3Qj0bi5xvX9jlP7YYIR_9BUPEe0RmXWSUaajX_9qKHm-EDs_Zv29ILBNhvVirE_IeGeU-MlXxnaCUW4S1zGkpTSVRIkYrORE9BGoEKeFeYKot8ejdXaIdbfmC7CZVybsj8fTUeay7NpkE8qgGbHZeFRNKZ0zjIhr5OmJxDRKTyjyA/s320/Kantang%20(12).JPG" width="213" /></a></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRi3Ql634mz-09arhYUhmt1l3hMHgsrLhFnmBiSR_K2qnxx-orbytGcMP2qgpxIV-Vr_XKST2gzeGLg72QiajtbRqEpj3jOezGxXH49c161GET7xuzsfLr7MNAD_9sVTb-7pNBqn2h84chDBuF-NQ9nkxQb8DDYocr9DUSw40wy__vKZdJFBMfmTlxRQ/s4608/Kantang%20(13).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRi3Ql634mz-09arhYUhmt1l3hMHgsrLhFnmBiSR_K2qnxx-orbytGcMP2qgpxIV-Vr_XKST2gzeGLg72QiajtbRqEpj3jOezGxXH49c161GET7xuzsfLr7MNAD_9sVTb-7pNBqn2h84chDBuF-NQ9nkxQb8DDYocr9DUSw40wy__vKZdJFBMfmTlxRQ/s320/Kantang%20(13).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">We walked to the former residence of Praya Ratsadanu. A century ago he was
a local entrepreneur who introduced the rubber tree to Thailand. The impact is
still visible throughout large parts of Thailand. It’s the most grown crop
nowadays.<br />
His house was a two-storey wooden villa with many verandas, airy and
undoubtedly very luxurious for the time. It was poorly maintained, but still
had some old furniture and old photographs. The dining table on the back porch
was quite impressive. It was surrounded by lush forest with the deafening sound
of crickets.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0FmJqPaFiHqzGJvtl58h89e43HEoyqXnFPuFbXq72wudUfLrHyAVf8BDJbQvSwlFcuNzJoo84WZ6bIOj5-B1bINgt0zVYeL1wpmUM_fEoik3BCUr0eyIB3I1edsExip5a6djIk2ykciWSYoXSnBQSdljdLuhnAOPXb3Gzlh2mYos5lc-w6SU_kkIEA/s4608/Kantang%20(14).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0FmJqPaFiHqzGJvtl58h89e43HEoyqXnFPuFbXq72wudUfLrHyAVf8BDJbQvSwlFcuNzJoo84WZ6bIOj5-B1bINgt0zVYeL1wpmUM_fEoik3BCUr0eyIB3I1edsExip5a6djIk2ykciWSYoXSnBQSdljdLuhnAOPXb3Gzlh2mYos5lc-w6SU_kkIEA/s320/Kantang%20(14).JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb8jYrNgXfx3KfwIC2jzfIjUt6WRE6MA7QeyL4kdc4XhIRfdvdUQaARjedhYqQV_YZynhZAc6xKb5fkbznt9dkNE61BSi9laM3BjEkJLChSS1fAQsoknxk6Z_RqhuRDB2f4sGA6PDAPlPn78-XgPBrXNPWvdeiSkOG7wq-hVdmwcSg7rfreMrjncKJw/s4608/Kantang%20(15).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb8jYrNgXfx3KfwIC2jzfIjUt6WRE6MA7QeyL4kdc4XhIRfdvdUQaARjedhYqQV_YZynhZAc6xKb5fkbznt9dkNE61BSi9laM3BjEkJLChSS1fAQsoknxk6Z_RqhuRDB2f4sGA6PDAPlPn78-XgPBrXNPWvdeiSkOG7wq-hVdmwcSg7rfreMrjncKJw/s320/Kantang%20(15).JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">To catch the same train back to Trang, you have to make it a very quick
visit. If you want to explore more of the town and the harbour, you have to
go to the (shared) taxi stand at <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">140
Ratsada Rd, or stay the night</span>.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Stage one: from Trang to Chaiya</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuGT6etuSEUidQSETU9AoiLnPuqfPFXXXwX3M3whdKkBAOMTIwSk8W-VGmdvEYbVEquL-tnBOSCHIt6iW4QDMJTeX3_X617vBrA0W6wcN2XSD-uIqdhy1bKyKMT4cNRJhgMDoe2WCq7fSpJoNldQrSUE7WcC0BvLP7vSOFacV5JfpvoVTF7U3NOgTPg/s4608/Trang%20(11).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuGT6etuSEUidQSETU9AoiLnPuqfPFXXXwX3M3whdKkBAOMTIwSk8W-VGmdvEYbVEquL-tnBOSCHIt6iW4QDMJTeX3_X617vBrA0W6wcN2XSD-uIqdhy1bKyKMT4cNRJhgMDoe2WCq7fSpJoNldQrSUE7WcC0BvLP7vSOFacV5JfpvoVTF7U3NOgTPg/s320/Trang%20(11).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIyNXSQi6nTWzOqMejMMlnX_BPgv2VRDvsZPW4MIrdLUoaR3Of8CGP_ROX0I-rPms4W3E1mLWxXlhHBqe5IQc7jdPb1c-HO63lySCiZzW7oAlI0G5LNp5uOESd4oXfpcmfb1b-Ug7Bmwi4Vxrw7MKAHWffp5-yQVr7rwQaqmlUwFSYoXc2tQMWRt0Ug/s4160/Trang%20(15).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="4160" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIyNXSQi6nTWzOqMejMMlnX_BPgv2VRDvsZPW4MIrdLUoaR3Of8CGP_ROX0I-rPms4W3E1mLWxXlhHBqe5IQc7jdPb1c-HO63lySCiZzW7oAlI0G5LNp5uOESd4oXfpcmfb1b-Ug7Bmwi4Vxrw7MKAHWffp5-yQVr7rwQaqmlUwFSYoXc2tQMWRt0Ug/s320/Trang%20(15).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTQrjcaVXmNbOa-fDa70nxgeohUqZrwh8AcuqJ34MH05bzj_vXufysTiY3EZ6MtQmPp-puskB3_rLhrexy6hTIXWWYH6CsfNZeqAZp5CZwK_WhvifCi1U9VWMKFc4rOzHP-s3rBSQDgwcMzf1ryu7odnaPzoZbTsjtg7a3T8Z72np-kPRohRuYzjN5Q/s4608/Trang%20(16).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTQrjcaVXmNbOa-fDa70nxgeohUqZrwh8AcuqJ34MH05bzj_vXufysTiY3EZ6MtQmPp-puskB3_rLhrexy6hTIXWWYH6CsfNZeqAZp5CZwK_WhvifCi1U9VWMKFc4rOzHP-s3rBSQDgwcMzf1ryu7odnaPzoZbTsjtg7a3T8Z72np-kPRohRuYzjN5Q/s320/Trang%20(16).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>If, like me, you are not a fan of night trains, you have to use the
Kantang – Trang – Bangkok train to cross from the west coast to the east coast
and get off when night falls. I had a second class ticket that gave me an old
wooden carriage but with comfortable modern seats. For hours we passed rubber
plantations, banana groves, jungle, huts and hills.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">At Thung Song Junction we joined the main line from Bangkok to Hat Yai. Surat
Thani is the first major stop, and a possible stopover, but I rode a bit
further<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">After 230 km Chaiya is a small town with just two streets, mainly with
wooden houses, mostly shops. There is one hotel and one place to get <i>egg
fried rice</i>. At 7 everything is closed and dark.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBf5WPToiejguihJR4uGN8Yy-kUtAwN72VzMenLSsUqiRt3hEIqWRH2adGjUMywCWhJgMJpEk29j3l6OXdkSrKmilg8aMdnBHZggpMdTXaQsI-mV8Yly0cvL9UoUU4KI0MxdMJ_ihhfUPeaNSYlsMQef3xBjkcMAQLeGnT4mWugMchcjBnV6ws-uqVw/s4608/Chaiya%20(11).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBf5WPToiejguihJR4uGN8Yy-kUtAwN72VzMenLSsUqiRt3hEIqWRH2adGjUMywCWhJgMJpEk29j3l6OXdkSrKmilg8aMdnBHZggpMdTXaQsI-mV8Yly0cvL9UoUU4KI0MxdMJ_ihhfUPeaNSYlsMQef3xBjkcMAQLeGnT4mWugMchcjBnV6ws-uqVw/s320/Chaiya%20(11).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YFRwkOx-DShkwsS9lk3HIbSjp05rAnC2PiToO0iM0znBeetPEoKVoVC563zEG-keb1s72RbowPsQRbBZiokBnuLh5akCgVvtHuSmpm-cTWXoP18iQBcV6KaMxalRtG6T8RIgPrxrJwfwBNZ76uXXK91DcYkeVdW7LCLY55C4RNmB6cB7dgN8mIS8LQ/s4608/Chaiya%20(12).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YFRwkOx-DShkwsS9lk3HIbSjp05rAnC2PiToO0iM0znBeetPEoKVoVC563zEG-keb1s72RbowPsQRbBZiokBnuLh5akCgVvtHuSmpm-cTWXoP18iQBcV6KaMxalRtG6T8RIgPrxrJwfwBNZ76uXXK91DcYkeVdW7LCLY55C4RNmB6cB7dgN8mIS8LQ/s320/Chaiya%20(12).JPG" width="213" /></a></div></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">In the morning I had enough time to visit famous Wat Phra Boromathat.
There are clear similarities with temples and chedis in Central Java. This once
was part of the Sri Vijaya empire, that comprised Sumatra, Java and the Malay
peninsula.</span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stage two: from Chaiya to <span class="tlid-translation">Prachuap Khiri Khan</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ls249bQH5G-avvTKLuBrroVZPSc2iTlWvXFuu4__hZUm1VvYdR6CH3dRLjEpo2f4E5R0zF6cy2eNFDNTwE0_CZ0YidFO4ZvbDy7NBenZyLrAK-6ekQrLN7oFV3U_u4uKm4jzRZo_aV2Dgw4tEe2XzzzWoeddGNa6ODZwqeF3Jy0IGu0a4luMGB7Log/s4608/Chaiya%20(10).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ls249bQH5G-avvTKLuBrroVZPSc2iTlWvXFuu4__hZUm1VvYdR6CH3dRLjEpo2f4E5R0zF6cy2eNFDNTwE0_CZ0YidFO4ZvbDy7NBenZyLrAK-6ekQrLN7oFV3U_u4uKm4jzRZo_aV2Dgw4tEe2XzzzWoeddGNa6ODZwqeF3Jy0IGu0a4luMGB7Log/s320/Chaiya%20(10).JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><h2><o:p></o:p></h2><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">For the next 300 km north it is best to take the <i>special express #40</i>.
It is a Rapid Diesel Car. No locomotive and only three coaches, each of which
seemed to have their own diesel engine. More modern and faster than yesterday's
train, although the seats were older. A/C. There were quite some western
tourists on it, about ten in my carriage. Lots of rubber plantations along the
way, and also pieces of uncultivated land.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Train number 40 is the only day train from Surat Thani to Bangkok and
sells out quickly, so you may want to get your ticket in advance. I am still
confused when you <u>should</u>, when you <u>must</u>, and when you <u>can</u>
buy advance tickets. It seems to vary per stretch. Tickets are definetly more
expensive in advance, with <i>rapid</i> surcharge and <i>a/c</i> surcharge.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Construction was going on along the track between Chumphon and Prachuap Khiri
Khan. You saw large sand beds, ramps and new concrete sleepers in the grass. Culverts
were dug, iron bridges forged, concrete flyovers erected, skeletons of station
buildings appeared. Train travel in Thailand was about to change.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7xa_P7_Jc5l-bh_LXFS_7Bt1UoyYYCBTf0QNfmn5idNVdtgQkdCM2tvy-ST_Sy-XbO4WbHfjbtsuZkr-HfQ6x0czhhveNvp6ay5tuMb0t0uM785PLultNvrI8IMMo4Gr4TKox2TjHWnJ3lLNmDD7SkZ6AiBVz20pTpnahD9MQKoEiElrVMnBHxv5OA/s4608/Prachuap%20-%20Nachon%20(14).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7xa_P7_Jc5l-bh_LXFS_7Bt1UoyYYCBTf0QNfmn5idNVdtgQkdCM2tvy-ST_Sy-XbO4WbHfjbtsuZkr-HfQ6x0czhhveNvp6ay5tuMb0t0uM785PLultNvrI8IMMo4Gr4TKox2TjHWnJ3lLNmDD7SkZ6AiBVz20pTpnahD9MQKoEiElrVMnBHxv5OA/s320/Prachuap%20-%20Nachon%20(14).JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6BlQYQZ_LxbgzZu70tEYgwUZaXg9slOOyRRleWP1g_afq4kFVlu-V89sWDCeZpqSLyAqmITiUaamK9hiFkX3_SuhhKTruoT13ATQ1XkufSSSalY0N1uQlROKpNiSomus8s7FNUxAdfvuwgt7suPYNDZm9sG48RHmXgdHNJ81bY_OkezqWxu1RhNRXA/s2304/Prachuap%20(14).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6BlQYQZ_LxbgzZu70tEYgwUZaXg9slOOyRRleWP1g_afq4kFVlu-V89sWDCeZpqSLyAqmITiUaamK9hiFkX3_SuhhKTruoT13ATQ1XkufSSSalY0N1uQlROKpNiSomus8s7FNUxAdfvuwgt7suPYNDZm9sG48RHmXgdHNJ81bY_OkezqWxu1RhNRXA/s320/Prachuap%20(14).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></div>Prachuap Khiri Khan is situated on a fairytale-like bay, a half circle
with pointy rocks on the ends that protrude into the sea. It hardly has any
tourist facilities. No strip with bars and restaurants that are specifically
aimed at foreigners. Still there are hundreds of tourists in town.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">It’s a nice walk to the next bay to the south. The beach is actually
inside an airforce base! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Stage three: from Prachuap Khiri Khan via Nachon Pathom to Kanchanaburi</h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">From Prachuap Khiri Khan you can take the rapid #40 again and arrive in
Bangkok at around 21h. But I did it the long way.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">I took the slow train north, 255 km to Nachon Pathom. It is fun and
there’s a lot to see, but it is also slow and hot. The open windows provide a
warm föhn wind.</span></p><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvEknZq8iCCcmB0BZWLjNpxDBhQ9biBZJcBe0qftoNfgk4hMBupGjCsezN1_tyPacsFc3VxpItFxk1aNTY_XgOzzNDmTdM-a9z7NG-Dveg3XZh3csLaQcpnFeZ78XAR1MiTjoaMn5KU1lY_9JATElR7kLNCI7pqbls_RQsRNaY_2j2y4LdUJ6QK5mAQ/s4160/Prachuap%20(11).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvEknZq8iCCcmB0BZWLjNpxDBhQ9biBZJcBe0qftoNfgk4hMBupGjCsezN1_tyPacsFc3VxpItFxk1aNTY_XgOzzNDmTdM-a9z7NG-Dveg3XZh3csLaQcpnFeZ78XAR1MiTjoaMn5KU1lY_9JATElR7kLNCI7pqbls_RQsRNaY_2j2y4LdUJ6QK5mAQ/s320/Prachuap%20(11).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIpRs0fozr08_UPEghilPYkbKU3afU3ZrsF97g1_KdRJKnzAwC20IoPxK8rqqUGU3pxR7ejMr6VvJon1RSp5IHBk_o2E-PUJO16kpvf6fBJxHVkPzh_UXCSZd1znHTqnGP6aV4mC_uP1VX-3sTXv4_k12dgLOdHQwgyS9DO6I3yhPJPyGPoBTWPzZnQ/s4608/Prachuap%20-%20Nachon%20(15).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIpRs0fozr08_UPEghilPYkbKU3afU3ZrsF97g1_KdRJKnzAwC20IoPxK8rqqUGU3pxR7ejMr6VvJon1RSp5IHBk_o2E-PUJO16kpvf6fBJxHVkPzh_UXCSZd1znHTqnGP6aV4mC_uP1VX-3sTXv4_k12dgLOdHQwgyS9DO6I3yhPJPyGPoBTWPzZnQ/s320/Prachuap%20-%20Nachon%20(15).JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">The rubber trees were gone. They were replaced by pineapples, coconuts, vineyards,
fish ponds and the first rice fields. Towns, villages, bamboo huts. In Hua Hin,
more tourists got off than on. The journey was long and hot. Sometimes a long
wait for an oncoming train. The train slowly emptied, unlike what you would
expect getting closer to Bangkok..<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">The train schedule forces an overnight stop in Nachon Pathom. If you want
to avoid that, you can get off at Ratchburi and take a bus to Kanchanaburi
there. Get off at Chulalongkorn Bridge and it’s just a short walk to the bus
stop in front of Numsin Hotel. Be careful getting off, as the last carriages
may halt where there is no gravel path next to the train and the ramp is too
steep to stand.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHFTvBoC0-Q-a4U2a53A9_sOJmqf994M4j6oyDU5h0EQDaKRBNfkKzTSivADCmY_Pgm7oWUzYri5U9L6a36NIeV6SGMJsL-nTKaL0XCBtVCENxj6cJ-93z4VksP9DOQ7uUkKHFtDlfdp5-c7WVSKUYukwee3s8liYZYEWN3ylhCf1hksVwCfjFmPg7Q/s1323/Prachuap%20-%20Nachon%20(16).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1323" data-original-width="1323" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHFTvBoC0-Q-a4U2a53A9_sOJmqf994M4j6oyDU5h0EQDaKRBNfkKzTSivADCmY_Pgm7oWUzYri5U9L6a36NIeV6SGMJsL-nTKaL0XCBtVCENxj6cJ-93z4VksP9DOQ7uUkKHFtDlfdp5-c7WVSKUYukwee3s8liYZYEWN3ylhCf1hksVwCfjFmPg7Q/s320/Prachuap%20-%20Nachon%20(16).jpg" width="320" /></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQqI6XLfli5ouXuAFhnzKFAihjpk9iJnj1i5U0hltyvtcdAJVBEmTOIqjdp5iyyq3Bum6Vv7LcBYtsFRi2Z5FvNAnPNWW0NmwrYn7SBGYJHGjPtIh-ep4WlNSpaPgiYi-oEJXLYOCbI4G6ID2w4IzwyhtGa6L2ESbqr0-S9FvGmxqp08Rzx8eUGX--w/s4608/Prachuap%20-%20Nachon%20(17).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQqI6XLfli5ouXuAFhnzKFAihjpk9iJnj1i5U0hltyvtcdAJVBEmTOIqjdp5iyyq3Bum6Vv7LcBYtsFRi2Z5FvNAnPNWW0NmwrYn7SBGYJHGjPtIh-ep4WlNSpaPgiYi-oEJXLYOCbI4G6ID2w4IzwyhtGa6L2ESbqr0-S9FvGmxqp08Rzx8eUGX--w/s320/Prachuap%20-%20Nachon%20(17).JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span></div>Nachon Pathom is a pleasant and thoroughly Thai town. The downside is that
there is no decent hotel near the train station, and there is nothing to see
but the huge Phra Pathom Chedi.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">The most lively place at night was the train station, with tourists who
came from Kanchanaburi waiting for a night train south.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">The next morning I took the <i>ordinary</i> to Kanchanburi.</span> <span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">It was another third class train, mostly filled with locals
and food vendors pacing up and down the aisles. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Stage four: Beyond Kanchanaburi</h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Kanchanaburi is an excellent base to see nature, waterfalls, caves,
elephant camps and tiger gardens. But it is most famous for the Burma railway.
One of the key passages was the Bridge over the River Kwai, as in the movie
with the same name. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">I walked from town to the Bridge. You can pass underneath it via a small
park, in the shadow of the bridge itself. I heard the whistle of a train. Yes,
there was one coming. It turned out to be the Eastern & Oriental, the
super-deluxe train from Singapore to Bangkok, which made a small detour to
catch the Bridge over the Kwai. It just drove over it, and then back again.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mV8QNVL3mUhv_2PARvLBCAQHCDC1_EY_glFHN9Aa9KglIQWGw-aVqLGIeSBE2GIGLGb5yM8Vl8r214zABd3oBfjfr1xV6v5nWlGdhKj9_19g3usABJtKxKCOT_qtuMNEGzvt_p0nrO5bBz32v3fkIo5bg-EFJT5WcDkODXuE1u9-X4J09Ypy0D8_Xg/s4608/Kanchana%20(12).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mV8QNVL3mUhv_2PARvLBCAQHCDC1_EY_glFHN9Aa9KglIQWGw-aVqLGIeSBE2GIGLGb5yM8Vl8r214zABd3oBfjfr1xV6v5nWlGdhKj9_19g3usABJtKxKCOT_qtuMNEGzvt_p0nrO5bBz32v3fkIo5bg-EFJT5WcDkODXuE1u9-X4J09Ypy0D8_Xg/s320/Kanchana%20(12).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWG-MR5FcN1egfzhgL2JXAeEWS67ol5RxAmFetkIO8OwZpyt4Ru39TPjZmGCsqcrOQEYKAQ_zVOXvwr0fz3Fz22mp2kPSND7SfzXGW65_wd98IVzKI0OsIfAAXommWYHKEWpUcYxQ_9l39Ja-n7WaVk_M7fLht6tssW3Zsjoa4ZWdCVzVjdGUVGlAjg/s4608/Kanchana%20(13).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWG-MR5FcN1egfzhgL2JXAeEWS67ol5RxAmFetkIO8OwZpyt4Ru39TPjZmGCsqcrOQEYKAQ_zVOXvwr0fz3Fz22mp2kPSND7SfzXGW65_wd98IVzKI0OsIfAAXommWYHKEWpUcYxQ_9l39Ja-n7WaVk_M7fLht6tssW3Zsjoa4ZWdCVzVjdGUVGlAjg/s320/Kanchana%20(13).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I made a daytrip by public bus to <i>Hellfire Pass</i>, a notorious part
of the Burma railway. There was a small museum with information panels about
the construction of the railway by prisoners of war. Outside was a walk, first
a long staircase into a valley, where I walked in a bamboo forest. <i>Hellfire
Pass</i> was a piece of rock "just" 100m and 30m deep, hewn out of
the rock by hand (!) and dynamite. After that I walked a bit further on the
railway track bed, sometimes flat, sometimes parts were sagging and I had to
climb and descend. The gruesome history is impressive and a strange contrast to
the beautiful bamboo forest, which stretched all over the area, and where there
was a continuous concert of crickets and other insects.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4K6fiT0S47h3Xadbow-hCBUTJxC5HCzUPdSz8FMO9t73kQSBovMT4pD7OKEI-bsZl10kkw0TTFA-k8JW2aXBEj5lKp5OdUM-PiloMNTgPLBfu8OZiAbsUWw9FikeMQsfkPsWo5bjQo6XVmhskYRIKyvz__bpx6ibMcQDUe0Xsq2pYxn_GdCVsnc8G7g/s2304/Kanchanaburi%20Hellfire%20Pass%20(13).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4K6fiT0S47h3Xadbow-hCBUTJxC5HCzUPdSz8FMO9t73kQSBovMT4pD7OKEI-bsZl10kkw0TTFA-k8JW2aXBEj5lKp5OdUM-PiloMNTgPLBfu8OZiAbsUWw9FikeMQsfkPsWo5bjQo6XVmhskYRIKyvz__bpx6ibMcQDUe0Xsq2pYxn_GdCVsnc8G7g/s320/Kanchanaburi%20Hellfire%20Pass%20(13).JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">On my travels I visited several Khmer temples, satellite cities of the
famous Angor Wat. <a name="_Hlk104051380">Prasat Muang Singh </a>is the
westernmost Khmer site and far from the others in Cambodia and Isan. Also
relatively far from Kanchanaburi, 40km, and the only public transport is the
train. It only runs a few times a day and there is just one combination of
return trains that can be done. If the trains are on time.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">According to a sign in the station, the train would arrive 10 minutes
late. That should leave me just enough time. Three special coaches for
foreigners at tourist price (100b) were already waiting, because this ride also
did the passage of The Bridge. When the train arrived from Thonburi, the
locomotive was disconnected, it picked up our carriages, drove forward, then
back again to connect to the coaches from Thonburi. So we became an extra long
train.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtzTAu4yVDVKDF-XunwlyzgovRUj5BmtSNfrC0eqZN5BQfdaWHG8ZpHS0OwuOgKHDqzfXCxCXXjfAB2IhCLEcmOQlA8zw3Uj146c8EE2a2JPZ-kfApABNaCI7mjpr6H76TDJmgctl7WcaPLefalITJvkzAU-6BZYacVzgY5XK9fnEkXhz-wv1TQemQQ/s4160/Kanchana%20(31).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtzTAu4yVDVKDF-XunwlyzgovRUj5BmtSNfrC0eqZN5BQfdaWHG8ZpHS0OwuOgKHDqzfXCxCXXjfAB2IhCLEcmOQlA8zw3Uj146c8EE2a2JPZ-kfApABNaCI7mjpr6H76TDJmgctl7WcaPLefalITJvkzAU-6BZYacVzgY5XK9fnEkXhz-wv1TQemQQ/s320/Kanchana%20(31).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Epx2eeEt1i5S-LnLis-I5AZKCYN0wCfd5F2A60RTx41XTHiyF7HScrqw0dYzwv-MXVTODPFNxG9ZmwC00UevVLDnIlcAOyk1LZ0tqBKfGjw6Dgs_gkrNueZv0APV4E3MbCmAolI_MH6YdHxyTW_vrxFpJy46hth48r0lJjl-r25RkxeWGnD6y3jsvw/s4160/Kanchana%20(32).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Epx2eeEt1i5S-LnLis-I5AZKCYN0wCfd5F2A60RTx41XTHiyF7HScrqw0dYzwv-MXVTODPFNxG9ZmwC00UevVLDnIlcAOyk1LZ0tqBKfGjw6Dgs_gkrNueZv0APV4E3MbCmAolI_MH6YdHxyTW_vrxFpJy46hth48r0lJjl-r25RkxeWGnD6y3jsvw/s320/Kanchana%20(32).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />We drove over The Bridge very slowly. After The Bridge, the tracks
followed the valley of the Kwae Noi. Lots of agriculture, rice fields, corn,
bananas, and crops that I did not know. Occasionally unexplored tracts of land
with the bamboo bush that was so characteristic of the Hellfire Pass. Villages,
Buddhist monasteries, schools, children and farm workers waved to the train.
Sometimes we had a view of the river, which was quite wide despite its name. With a fifteen minute delay we arrived at Tha Kilen station. I was the
only one who got off and walked the km to the entrance to the historic site. The site was beautiful, and I could even get lunch. But I had to hurry to
catch the train back. And at 37 degrees, that's not what you want. Back through
the gate, the access road, through the village, the station road. With 5
minutes to spare I arrived at the station. Time to buy a cup of coffee before
the train arrived.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCn6ifJdmGbfATauaNJllL8bmkVRxskcR0oCFd28bKRZdQmFT6GmXQE9RTH8mOgkbLYTQoAOvizN9VGjTyc7uVSU_MSxWCTebr6iHSaAngsgad2M2RTpgRac7_bth7QnpRH72XWVyAVnIdRN9ZnmS0mPo88ZOHpBLK-cVbDyfSKSOjEm0pNTCawydCQ/s3264/Kanchana%20(33).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCn6ifJdmGbfATauaNJllL8bmkVRxskcR0oCFd28bKRZdQmFT6GmXQE9RTH8mOgkbLYTQoAOvizN9VGjTyc7uVSU_MSxWCTebr6iHSaAngsgad2M2RTpgRac7_bth7QnpRH72XWVyAVnIdRN9ZnmS0mPo88ZOHpBLK-cVbDyfSKSOjEm0pNTCawydCQ/s320/Kanchana%20(33).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYEL5yYkysyDs-JQsx6iZbbVOm2VrAohiMCQOmI_3Ynwb1R427wJhI967oCCu49l8Lu0TleCDLpUL9ty3nx5L2uUsC-9qfaeL_8VGJ0oCxraz7bhT8A4JDjFpYFvzmQacrccd19nZbFuy1OIa1xhQmpVvPbgkiEi8uqAjziHDXTRKPJbMdLS52J9ufQ/s4160/Kanchana%20(34).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYEL5yYkysyDs-JQsx6iZbbVOm2VrAohiMCQOmI_3Ynwb1R427wJhI967oCCu49l8Lu0TleCDLpUL9ty3nx5L2uUsC-9qfaeL_8VGJ0oCxraz7bhT8A4JDjFpYFvzmQacrccd19nZbFuy1OIa1xhQmpVvPbgkiEi8uqAjziHDXTRKPJbMdLS52J9ufQ/s320/Kanchana%20(34).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">The final stage: from Kanchanaburi to
Bangkok</h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFh8XCyeLQbYlVmLqB96OSWcwa7DzNbJtn2dfLnImUUqdggCYDdsnY3hhSHMJux5-DekVhSZug-d5hwV093P3I54Ijlhh7nBDKIYDxBoY_lO_BLDw6xsbXbOchwlYpLLg8dC7wto62xjCHd98dBMiSMfilSagqy2UnpqN9KnHbGeH7lvE0uWmJOWDCgA/s4608/Kanchana%20(11).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFh8XCyeLQbYlVmLqB96OSWcwa7DzNbJtn2dfLnImUUqdggCYDdsnY3hhSHMJux5-DekVhSZug-d5hwV093P3I54Ijlhh7nBDKIYDxBoY_lO_BLDw6xsbXbOchwlYpLLg8dC7wto62xjCHd98dBMiSMfilSagqy2UnpqN9KnHbGeH7lvE0uWmJOWDCgA/s320/Kanchana%20(11).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">There are two daily slow trains from Kanchanaburi to Bangkok. The terminal
changes over time. They used to run to the old Thon Buri station (then called
Bangkok Noi) close to the river. Then a new station more inland was built. These
days it may be more convenient to get off one stop earlier at Jaran Sanitwong
to connect to the Metro. And soon all trains will terminate at the Bang Sue
Grand Station. That will be the new era of train travel in Thailand, with
double track, and electrification and fast trains.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt 3.15in 283.5pt right 415.3pt;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt center 207.65pt left 3.15in right 415.3pt;"><a name="_Hlk508003562"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast; mso-no-proof: yes;">Thailand, February 201</span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast; mso-no-proof: yes;">5-16-19-20 – Amsterdam, May 2022<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">
<p class="MsoHeader" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt 3.15in 283.5pt right 415.3pt;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">More</span></h3>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt 3.15in 283.5pt right 415.3pt;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2022/05/slow-train-from-bangkok-to-hat-yai.html" target="_blank">The Slow Train from Bangkok to Hat Yai</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt 3.15in 283.5pt right 415.3pt;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/search/label/Thailand+Train?m=1" target="_blank">More blogs on Thai trains</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoHeader" style="tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt 3.15in 283.5pt right 415.3pt;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/search/label/Thailand?m=1" target="_blank">More blogs on Thai travel and destinations</a></span></p>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Trang, Tambon Thap Thiang, Amphoe Mueang Trang, Chang Wat Trang 92000, Thailand7.554479999999999 99.6045999999999917.5374628587976416 99.587433862304678 7.5714971412023564 99.6217661376953tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-89462938140712093292022-05-17T17:00:00.086+02:002022-05-23T08:13:35.047+02:00The Slow Train from Bangkok to Hat Yai<p><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Thailand is working hard on a new railway
system. Double track and electrified. No doubt train travel will become more
efficient. But the older slower trains had some charm too...<br />This is a trip we made in 2019.</span></b></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Stage one: Bangkok to Samut Songkhram (Mae Khlong)</h3><h1><o:p></o:p></h1>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Going south there is an alternative to the main line.
There’s a stand-alone line from a Bangkok suburb to the almost-coastal town
Samut Songkhram. It’s actually fewer kilometers, except it doesn’t connect to the
mainline, making it a cumbersome enterprise.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The journey started with the modern Skytrain from Siam
Square. We crossed the Chao Phraya river and got off at Wong Wian Yai. It’s a
bit of a puzzle to find the right exit and the right flyovers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JSlJof0RFp49dlxMiONNGknLhDea-A2EEGRjgLa3YsnRTZqpd9zT8BlFrDJ7NdAvYA5CuvPk1EOv-0GCa1JiZBBLlSxHH479rcozGHvCuhiLQLFM2vbyWgioZxxdqunrJYSFQUpshRgxyPrJnQOvaCk_x3tyxtVx8qCBmeUiODX-cKp64g4pBZPo2Q/s4608/SAM_5189.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JSlJof0RFp49dlxMiONNGknLhDea-A2EEGRjgLa3YsnRTZqpd9zT8BlFrDJ7NdAvYA5CuvPk1EOv-0GCa1JiZBBLlSxHH479rcozGHvCuhiLQLFM2vbyWgioZxxdqunrJYSFQUpshRgxyPrJnQOvaCk_x3tyxtVx8qCBmeUiODX-cKp64g4pBZPo2Q/s320/SAM_5189.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Hidden behind a market is a small train station, also
named Wong Wian Yai. It’s the starting point of the slow train to the southwest,
single track. There are only a couple of connections per day <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for this trip. We rode along small houses and
the backs of buildings, past banana trees and market stalls. Slowly the urban
development became less dense. After an hour, in which we covered 30 km, the
terminal station was in a large fish market in Maha Chai /<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Samut Sakhon.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoHeader"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">From there it was a short walk to the river, which we
crossed by ferry. There was just enough time for a quick lunch and a coffee at
a halfway café that obviously catered to travellers making exactly this trip.
It was much more modern and stylish than its surroundings</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIBCzH7qXmRAYFO1B_FaJ5g6EwN7v24C9EVy4pcGI53uWWbbDKT93ZtYlQ5Uz33T8uDTBpU78QaBJzaeowoKetznu9IEn01RiNuCAyGbNYMiFj3VnCB4vehAbsw8nHi8dLk5N0Mw6nw_-2J6tzWj5OUviH4luhZ5fw3OI0zV-ePC1FqFhQYm0LPmwuQ/s4608/SAM_5211.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIBCzH7qXmRAYFO1B_FaJ5g6EwN7v24C9EVy4pcGI53uWWbbDKT93ZtYlQ5Uz33T8uDTBpU78QaBJzaeowoKetznu9IEn01RiNuCAyGbNYMiFj3VnCB4vehAbsw8nHi8dLk5N0Mw6nw_-2J6tzWj5OUviH4luhZ5fw3OI0zV-ePC1FqFhQYm0LPmwuQ/s320/SAM_5211.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAH0xyTaYzsirULkYPLUpXXZz4MEDWACc0B4AgWAdxmaH9EwhkHsVj5KJESpE8kb_h4xhzXFB1WBAWNpUXX7LvYhNneV8-PyNAsvTGehBGQ6tLNfa28jobjU-S6Zit0zzO4w7m9RAA4WVGrVpYnOqZbmoFiVjoThVLkLOQ8H5jhXUIVQWf4uPD9XoBZg/s4608/SAM_5219.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAH0xyTaYzsirULkYPLUpXXZz4MEDWACc0B4AgWAdxmaH9EwhkHsVj5KJESpE8kb_h4xhzXFB1WBAWNpUXX7LvYhNneV8-PyNAsvTGehBGQ6tLNfa28jobjU-S6Zit0zzO4w7m9RAA4WVGrVpYnOqZbmoFiVjoThVLkLOQ8H5jhXUIVQWf4uPD9XoBZg/s320/SAM_5219.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq41sWCqGzLpiug1q9H12D5Poe8Yitofc3jZWCQSLTlohi0HWp2-XEqLBGusljZ8bzFDVuDJNIwhr27DnUeoq_I-qb_g7Xv0UYf8EyvVhcX2zrgyip3mR8nLI1D5fVjbmHy4dbF6d99-0lpJlbd2YQo4q-bPd-6baUnhMfPg4CK4lOzom0V-Lx98eWQQ/s4608/SAM_5227.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq41sWCqGzLpiug1q9H12D5Poe8Yitofc3jZWCQSLTlohi0HWp2-XEqLBGusljZ8bzFDVuDJNIwhr27DnUeoq_I-qb_g7Xv0UYf8EyvVhcX2zrgyip3mR8nLI1D5fVjbmHy4dbF6d99-0lpJlbd2YQo4q-bPd-6baUnhMfPg4CK4lOzom0V-Lx98eWQQ/s320/SAM_5227.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Then another ten minutes walk to the next train station,
Ban Laem, where a similar train ride took us to the next river. This stretch was
more rural, with large fish ponds and salt basins. Here too, the line ends in a
market. When a train comes in, the goods have to be moved from the tracks and
the marquises folded back. This has become a true attraction in recent years,
and is visited by thousands of tourists as a day trip from Bangkok. So our
train was welcomed by a huge crowd that was photographing and waving at us.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoHeader"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFktO6shQWyBmgAnQababeXeTnyMhmgA6S4eqnBz22rdw9Ch_ZN4N0WyFu5cf6kTRZAOd3_Esel8VF2pBtnJoy1vVXeRpVphBhr51FRT5c4oXAR_Yd1EktpGNV2kOmKggtJEzrOhdlE1dCzSuiIDUkklKz8d7-UCcFkLI-hVnJOw54dCeJB9k3VYg2sw/s4608/SAM_5239.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFktO6shQWyBmgAnQababeXeTnyMhmgA6S4eqnBz22rdw9Ch_ZN4N0WyFu5cf6kTRZAOd3_Esel8VF2pBtnJoy1vVXeRpVphBhr51FRT5c4oXAR_Yd1EktpGNV2kOmKggtJEzrOhdlE1dCzSuiIDUkklKz8d7-UCcFkLI-hVnJOw54dCeJB9k3VYg2sw/s320/SAM_5239.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Unlike most visitors, we stayed the night in Samut
Songkhram. That gave us the opportunity to see the evening train arrive. But
now the market was closed and there was hardly anybody around.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHdH1wjXSOM7srXyYmNku202wEw4RSwFhX3O7EOOP8MgsktQrR8dkgo7dguRr3pgT6T3NKdA2TWP9UXVwaF4NXryMwlqC5FwSYtnJvqeKf2plRdFAPJgy9NVqF1ozKdpZQfE1stSi9TRcngMX00BG5CdiAf1Zyzu3w-IR_aFWl83_T2QRA8UcpARWXA/s4608/SAM_5268.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHdH1wjXSOM7srXyYmNku202wEw4RSwFhX3O7EOOP8MgsktQrR8dkgo7dguRr3pgT6T3NKdA2TWP9UXVwaF4NXryMwlqC5FwSYtnJvqeKf2plRdFAPJgy9NVqF1ozKdpZQfE1stSi9TRcngMX00BG5CdiAf1Zyzu3w-IR_aFWl83_T2QRA8UcpARWXA/s320/SAM_5268.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The next morning we watched the scene from the other
side. Already busloads of tourists had arrived from Bangkok to watch the
spectacle. Some stall owners had put their crates of goods on a moving rack,
which slid over small rails to make just enough space for the train. Others had
stacked their vegetables so low that the train ran overhead the cabbage and
mangoes. What struck us was how little space there was between the market
stalls and the train. Really just 2 to 3 cm clearance. And a train is very big
when it passes a few centimeters from you ...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Stage two: From Hua Hin to Chumphon </h3><h1><o:p></o:p></h1>
<p class="MsoHeader"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Hua
Hin<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It should be possible to take a bus from Samut Songkhram to
nearby Ratchburi or to Petchaburi and catch a train there. But we happened to
end up in a minivan to Hua Hin. A combination of a typical small Thai town and
a seaside resort. Lots of Scandinavian families there.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Hua Hin railway station is a beautiful wooden building,
almost a century old. The famous royal waiting room isn’t that old. It was all
very pretty, with fancy details.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmziTpOVOsVHYqQEEIBc8xiBNxQOWn-YQVKf9kSaZfwpv_3ERLo30QK66S3MtI6wrNgZOklm9pYCgg30yinGKIoAYeBANACHh3jl6Z2bCIhUcyLMhoMm34z5yHVp_ZbCr_XUHazVEAGn3lehG2t1q3z0IqjsLRXo_mwX1C6tbaWl7osBqabQNBn7Wr4Q/s4608/SAM_5287.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmziTpOVOsVHYqQEEIBc8xiBNxQOWn-YQVKf9kSaZfwpv_3ERLo30QK66S3MtI6wrNgZOklm9pYCgg30yinGKIoAYeBANACHh3jl6Z2bCIhUcyLMhoMm34z5yHVp_ZbCr_XUHazVEAGn3lehG2t1q3z0IqjsLRXo_mwX1C6tbaWl7osBqabQNBn7Wr4Q/s320/SAM_5287.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNCpu9IGyokvZ6NBo9ahPQYQkI5Fz1h1ezj8G4QQJEF3yvoqGYyXNpaWuFSg1IMuL3eB4Acdv3mCuaa8mmglAVF_xF-6h_Tp8jVeHFpNtBSt85Ibwc5zEddI7L8asqJw9gmY8yIj15tBYVaDblVHM4R_1p-2VfYOff49P2N32NsudGRpo2_CDDkXVKw/s4160/IMG_20190109_101919.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNCpu9IGyokvZ6NBo9ahPQYQkI5Fz1h1ezj8G4QQJEF3yvoqGYyXNpaWuFSg1IMuL3eB4Acdv3mCuaa8mmglAVF_xF-6h_Tp8jVeHFpNtBSt85Ibwc5zEddI7L8asqJw9gmY8yIj15tBYVaDblVHM4R_1p-2VfYOff49P2N32NsudGRpo2_CDDkXVKw/s320/IMG_20190109_101919.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We bought a train ticket for the next day.The station
café was closed, but opposite was Patty’s Corner, a nice place with excellent
coffee. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoHeader"><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">To Chumphon</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Our train should leave at eleven thirty. It was delayed
for half an hour. Apart from our express train, several slow trains were due to
leave both north and south.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuOz8nQ0OsygqZGL8iDRUGdYjP9tnU6ioaYjvGjbZFBn-uh5wjFf7m3TrmnOkDRaioW_pOYcijxn22cPNE9IbJt1kotctCBmbv6GTpQWSWYzODDA7rQktR7A2usyZ68L33B7O06lAUAVRyC8mH3D8P_Jo4jqPpOtE9GrP0N5AUm0qsbJ29TnTs-PEaw/s4608/SAM_5326.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuOz8nQ0OsygqZGL8iDRUGdYjP9tnU6ioaYjvGjbZFBn-uh5wjFf7m3TrmnOkDRaioW_pOYcijxn22cPNE9IbJt1kotctCBmbv6GTpQWSWYzODDA7rQktR7A2usyZ68L33B7O06lAUAVRyC8mH3D8P_Jo4jqPpOtE9GrP0N5AUm0qsbJ29TnTs-PEaw/s320/SAM_5326.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We had the fast diesel train, reaching up to 120 km/h. It
had only three carriages, air-conditioning, and reserved seats. It was filled
half with tourists and half with Thai. We saw a lot of construction work along
the way: all for the modern fast track being built. The further south we came,
the more green, palm trees and rubber trees we saw.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A lot of the tourists got off at Chumphon. You can take a
ferry here to the popular islands Koh Samui and Koh Tau. We stayed on the
mainland, and had a couple of days at the almost deserted Thung Wua Laen beach.</span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1pt 4pt;">
<p class="MsoHeader" id="singletrack" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;"><i><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">#singletrack<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Often there were just
one or two trains a day that were useful to us (there are also many night
trains, which we disregard). These are old tracks and diesel trains, with
antique signalling systems that work with hoops, tokens and flags.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">To prevent two trains
running into each other on a single track, each track section (block) has one
token (a metal disc) that a driver <u>must</u> have to be able to drive on that
section. At stations where opposite trains pass each other, the token is given
to a station employee. To make the transfer easier from a moving train, the
token is clamped in a large hoop. The station employee brings the hoop with
token to the other train. Sometimes the employee pulls a long sprint for that,
once we saw him driving down the platform on a moped!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDB5WWcBF-AdP0DxP3Mogtud6q2nMU0KdfWxvVRooT5Dk_xI1OlppcRo9pb0wiA_4u-D4bQBCA56pAQDak0LQHP6ZXrNQzq78pNlkklT-aTE-dANvdVcg8QXsRlR4y4AKMX_RZQGQjF7lMslcOmP_J26-INfB0HBdVWhUUKE6l0UqRY8nZUeTXpUpHA/s2480/SAM_5642%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2480" data-original-width="2479" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDB5WWcBF-AdP0DxP3Mogtud6q2nMU0KdfWxvVRooT5Dk_xI1OlppcRo9pb0wiA_4u-D4bQBCA56pAQDak0LQHP6ZXrNQzq78pNlkklT-aTE-dANvdVcg8QXsRlR4y4AKMX_RZQGQjF7lMslcOmP_J26-INfB0HBdVWhUUKE6l0UqRY8nZUeTXpUpHA/s320/SAM_5642%20(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If the train enters a
new section at a station where it does not have a scheduled stop, the co-driver
may just throw the token of the past section onto the platform, and pick up the
next token from a post it is hanging on – without stopping!</span></span><p></p><p class="MsoHeader" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></p>
</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stage three: from Chumphon to Surat Thani (Phun Phin)</h3><h1><o:p></o:p></h1>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When we bought our tickets for Surat Thani, they were a
lot cheaper than for the previous stage. Even though it was the exact same
train. Was it because we bought them on the day of travel in stead of in
advance?</span></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Next to the station is Aeki’s Bar, a great place to have
lunch before the train departs. Lunch time was quiet. It seemed to have more
tourists coming from the islands, waiting for the night train to Bangkok.</span></p><p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvFmBlrMRfiOk2ktLSCmjUu680ay0uXzs6uQkuClnSC9ROXR_kCj7A0crpxDwoHguhWJgjDiu3DDvDVxqjatCDh9ZHgKNL8dj7GqrDrTN9vnew3Wd-ZigE9Mti1zXXM5-YsQ66d12_XcZJE4EI8B2Xqjb1QBn_iXX_p5_q5dIepgIErUxxivOJO90-g/s4128/20190111_144244.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3096" data-original-width="4128" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvFmBlrMRfiOk2ktLSCmjUu680ay0uXzs6uQkuClnSC9ROXR_kCj7A0crpxDwoHguhWJgjDiu3DDvDVxqjatCDh9ZHgKNL8dj7GqrDrTN9vnew3Wd-ZigE9Mti1zXXM5-YsQ66d12_XcZJE4EI8B2Xqjb1QBn_iXX_p5_q5dIepgIErUxxivOJO90-g/s320/20190111_144244.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-YEYweNknjXrJL7Iyt-K-pkrjnWi8jUyub3jnQI3vIRRCEG5qLeySi6UvDDcUUppeA9Ec4J11cfyqAcO5Pi3xJ2i51ZW36X5aRysx7mDYN03rEkyuNr-z7tKFSTRj5cfLXcu2ssvM5bzUvP0kv5J_FZFcCYbPqyyFm72SAePsKHMTPRIZPKhNQomWw/s4608/SAM_5360.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-YEYweNknjXrJL7Iyt-K-pkrjnWi8jUyub3jnQI3vIRRCEG5qLeySi6UvDDcUUppeA9Ec4J11cfyqAcO5Pi3xJ2i51ZW36X5aRysx7mDYN03rEkyuNr-z7tKFSTRj5cfLXcu2ssvM5bzUvP0kv5J_FZFcCYbPqyyFm72SAePsKHMTPRIZPKhNQomWw/s320/SAM_5360.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">So we had the same train, with the same delay, but today
it was a much older one. A lot of tourists got off again, but we were the only
ones getting on.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">At a quarter past five we arrived at Surat Thani station,
which is way out of town in the suburb of Phun Phin. The transfer point between
the Gulf and the Andaman, and between Koh Samui and Bangkok. We were
immediately approached by <i>touts</i> who wanted to sell transport. But we
quickly slipped out of the back of the station via the footbridge. Via a small
market we arrived at our hotel. The room was very basic but absolutely ok. With
train view if you leaned out the window.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Close to the station were some restaurants that catered
to tourists waiting for the night train to Bangkok. In one of them we had a
great <i>pad thai</i>. The waitress and the cook were in a good mood, so it was
a happy bunch. Everybody was very friendly in Phun Phin, which was a lot livelier
than I had imagined.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">For most people this is a transfer point. But you can
actually use Phun Phin as a base for a day trip to Ratchaprapha Dam a.k.a. Khao
Sok National Park.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoHeader"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgaPbBsCnM1tCVh1f5MIr-OiuMqv_7Wv9XwbRsIznTgUUvC_eAZI85As4z2vuAZ2KtU_0O8c7vAL6Xm7RoYdbp4sJ9yZDgw1wI_ynAsO4-ingQ2V6j3PHrk40_z1JGQhKcizSdyUXvTBs6UKM_3_0yzCVlSqEKqOSDg0cbWoVIBvGfkPfGku5NLb2ww/s4128/20190113_093030.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3096" data-original-width="4128" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgaPbBsCnM1tCVh1f5MIr-OiuMqv_7Wv9XwbRsIznTgUUvC_eAZI85As4z2vuAZ2KtU_0O8c7vAL6Xm7RoYdbp4sJ9yZDgw1wI_ynAsO4-ingQ2V6j3PHrk40_z1JGQhKcizSdyUXvTBs6UKM_3_0yzCVlSqEKqOSDg0cbWoVIBvGfkPfGku5NLb2ww/s320/20190113_093030.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuxFxCP5LtdTuNcROIhvG6Hz9mMWtLH_swq7yzSyB5u4bNn64aVhjos2tDO5aKg_9TqVGROdl856TIFDsHhdgYW0uyUlKnt7XzMp45fEFsekz4B5aIOAGproTtLAQunoLLMZEtb-hXKAT4F3OWhWczXKeCh5l5B-y5fBaDPpDc3hgOX-4zEr-W6dt2g/s4608/SAM_5413.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuxFxCP5LtdTuNcROIhvG6Hz9mMWtLH_swq7yzSyB5u4bNn64aVhjos2tDO5aKg_9TqVGROdl856TIFDsHhdgYW0uyUlKnt7XzMp45fEFsekz4B5aIOAGproTtLAQunoLLMZEtb-hXKAT4F3OWhWczXKeCh5l5B-y5fBaDPpDc3hgOX-4zEr-W6dt2g/s320/SAM_5413.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stage four: from Surat Thani (Phun Phin) to Phathallung</h3><h1><o:p></o:p></h1>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We had tried to book our ticket the night before, but the
reservation system was down. When we returned to the station in the morning,
the express train was full. So, we took the “<i>ordinary</i>”, the slow train.
A very local <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>affair. The interior, the
benches, the walls, the floor, everything was made of wood. Open the windows
and the warm air blew through your hair. The noise from the engine and wheels
was deafening. Earplugs highly recommended if you don’t want to damage your
hearing. We reached almost 90 km / h.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoHeader"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KDN6XtiYPsmIOqiDhIhrozsS0Ww4IdO5Dnq-8_xwzKouPcolhiZtwKxYKG04LNQ3w2drlOOxhq403HLmTTJzJ_FAY30qZX9lEJXtINMGxvxMFEhIkr-xtg49AxphUUGaPfA1MsseD_hcHJD9Bng3ko_5YOc6oNsNH60_c0XN40ZZzoeneAq4tx1zHw/s4608/SAM_5420.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KDN6XtiYPsmIOqiDhIhrozsS0Ww4IdO5Dnq-8_xwzKouPcolhiZtwKxYKG04LNQ3w2drlOOxhq403HLmTTJzJ_FAY30qZX9lEJXtINMGxvxMFEhIkr-xtg49AxphUUGaPfA1MsseD_hcHJD9Bng3ko_5YOc6oNsNH60_c0XN40ZZzoeneAq4tx1zHw/s320/SAM_5420.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpyzQKj29wAcNC1abkKZGcNJNZcMiraK3-kjZooxWXbBpy4kq1r_-_BKiheAvIkVzQH0S5vsisRV6XX11ps_iD6O3gJgfVWe0i2BP1Xsk4sVnt77vZb84l8GNF16XwYQt91DvSnXabLQNeWDV-LNWY7tfSa25aIZhf4n-faHRr7lm91riP4-oYZJ-9w/s4608/SAM_5422.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpyzQKj29wAcNC1abkKZGcNJNZcMiraK3-kjZooxWXbBpy4kq1r_-_BKiheAvIkVzQH0S5vsisRV6XX11ps_iD6O3gJgfVWe0i2BP1Xsk4sVnt77vZb84l8GNF16XwYQt91DvSnXabLQNeWDV-LNWY7tfSa25aIZhf4n-faHRr7lm91riP4-oYZJ-9w/s320/SAM_5422.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1IvmsZSm21Vr-5RgWL5y_T979FV7Jg0nTVfe_gzfIwXoWrTRrMhi0jKMKS5uQet0PtMaVaa7VJeHN-H4GPaHJs7h39M3udDT96L6IFmTA7mfpy9mUNo1fTLulARAROFdDAGnb8bWU5sbUzteb_zZvWuCCnkVaCRx4gV_eDtDapU5yZVSuBRx1OXZyog/s4608/SAM_5428.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1IvmsZSm21Vr-5RgWL5y_T979FV7Jg0nTVfe_gzfIwXoWrTRrMhi0jKMKS5uQet0PtMaVaa7VJeHN-H4GPaHJs7h39M3udDT96L6IFmTA7mfpy9mUNo1fTLulARAROFdDAGnb8bWU5sbUzteb_zZvWuCCnkVaCRx4gV_eDtDapU5yZVSuBRx1OXZyog/s320/SAM_5428.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroPMTVjfHB1aUW0yZUO3sogJ7mQf5DvGhqjUMPVkyshMujQoVs3eK1K8t0jZmeVcnrJuicqmwYDioSmy8FoN0TN2ZpkkvI78cARYfCETe5xqGiaiXsB4y2hCCUfZZTc_7p1-SGVDV4n7aAjfZDZnzNzWcHv9I2S_nmn32f9FKzDI8XnYFzezC-rfBig/s4608/SAM_5433.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroPMTVjfHB1aUW0yZUO3sogJ7mQf5DvGhqjUMPVkyshMujQoVs3eK1K8t0jZmeVcnrJuicqmwYDioSmy8FoN0TN2ZpkkvI78cARYfCETe5xqGiaiXsB4y2hCCUfZZTc_7p1-SGVDV4n7aAjfZDZnzNzWcHv9I2S_nmn32f9FKzDI8XnYFzezC-rfBig/s320/SAM_5433.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMomUAbDyJZ8IUOUsdpl9TuBvL_CRd86iGEXp5zrVWnW0IQl6bHMyv3hg6rZ862YNiDk_BujcSRwc3gJQzpsJ6-S9kGVQ33azqRHnCaCNtlL8kjLDN5SAU27dLrPF5mE10FtjuZL2pgRxbLycvksqZlvlGzkBhGaC2L9MUryxkI7BWKRP9xOEpJyHf1w/s4608/SAM_5443.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMomUAbDyJZ8IUOUsdpl9TuBvL_CRd86iGEXp5zrVWnW0IQl6bHMyv3hg6rZ862YNiDk_BujcSRwc3gJQzpsJ6-S9kGVQ33azqRHnCaCNtlL8kjLDN5SAU27dLrPF5mE10FtjuZL2pgRxbLycvksqZlvlGzkBhGaC2L9MUryxkI7BWKRP9xOEpJyHf1w/s320/SAM_5443.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebzxx_qBPRQ4LSVa-xvxSO8B_8jGjzsDX_maJXXN41YprUNDSF4_60I-VBi0-latD6JA0R-FYhwGzQod5oL4i7r4C0oOEGlUgb_JjHlv0hXUA4p-9vYw0B5RgOawehnV5cldRhuTh1Mt5Ol9U-5ZNjloHR5FyfPyBAhtaQm5VVmTk_FePxh-iUupMUw/s4608/SAM_5444.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebzxx_qBPRQ4LSVa-xvxSO8B_8jGjzsDX_maJXXN41YprUNDSF4_60I-VBi0-latD6JA0R-FYhwGzQod5oL4i7r4C0oOEGlUgb_JjHlv0hXUA4p-9vYw0B5RgOawehnV5cldRhuTh1Mt5Ol9U-5ZNjloHR5FyfPyBAhtaQm5VVmTk_FePxh-iUupMUw/s320/SAM_5444.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The landscape was green, humid, hilly, rural. We stopped
at dozens of small stations. Some were hardly more than a platform, others had
cozy looking station buildings and a well tended garden. We could closely watch
the procedure of the passing of the hoop. At one station the opposite train was
rather long. The station guy drove his moped to the end of the platform to
collect the hoop!</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It was a lovely ride, but after 4½ hours, wooden benches
are very hard indeed and the afternoon heat sort of cooked us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Phathallung<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Phathallung is another dusty provincial town, with a lot
of charm once you see it. To reach the foot of Khao Ok Thalu, the mountain
overlooking the town, you can go via the shunting yard. Luckily there were some
floorboards over the cables that served the signals and switches. One more
ditch to cross and we were out of town.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">About 8 km to the east of Phathallung is Thale Sap, the
largest lake of Thailand, connected to Lake Songkhla. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">30 km to the north is the smaller Thale Noi. Still pretty
large and with a stunning bird reserve. If Thale Noi is your destination, you
may consider getting of the train earlier, at Pak Khlong station. No guarantee
though further transport will be awaiting you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoHeader"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxTua-X_iS2PpBvVDuZK20b1gb33YT7if63aCB7HXa5_UugRioaTkBCdV4d7vASWg2wqbo194HH1gGLZ8PEc2uszD1p4-f26CwcyEQsQV_wPJYyzQSfVcT0THdzENkgS18R7WLv1riHGlNrYbLEPL_aE9v6MCYvOfcOiqpPm9vSL0c85kDozC1LpM1w/s4608/SAM_5532.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxTua-X_iS2PpBvVDuZK20b1gb33YT7if63aCB7HXa5_UugRioaTkBCdV4d7vASWg2wqbo194HH1gGLZ8PEc2uszD1p4-f26CwcyEQsQV_wPJYyzQSfVcT0THdzENkgS18R7WLv1riHGlNrYbLEPL_aE9v6MCYvOfcOiqpPm9vSL0c85kDozC1LpM1w/s320/SAM_5532.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyCWG1MW0YdXGTEEbPDjelB1KWuX49F0Qlqn5n1AXmSViQrCDNqLaBbv0Eat6oF-xBJydy2PU8u9dsYXriuwWRnKaWEYi-TVzn0O3fHYVbJxhspYiCHU9XJWN2B_u-wY0rJhQSO0-FhwxJfENJJ3hqyxWNa_KX010uuFdgmjICv2OCvF25GA3qSj7gA/s4608/SAM_5545.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyCWG1MW0YdXGTEEbPDjelB1KWuX49F0Qlqn5n1AXmSViQrCDNqLaBbv0Eat6oF-xBJydy2PU8u9dsYXriuwWRnKaWEYi-TVzn0O3fHYVbJxhspYiCHU9XJWN2B_u-wY0rJhQSO0-FhwxJfENJJ3hqyxWNa_KX010uuFdgmjICv2OCvF25GA3qSj7gA/s320/SAM_5545.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlBI_DO2lo64_PCbOcwnTmnqB3Ml4VcCUtQWVMxi8uJ7VdSerKoHh525FuW-u860qaN2FPcrcygqoBYdhN9F-oB3Wz_FxYrGZ15NUo9GYbtryWh5Sl8ay8a6J71Ml27bO1ynumLMKCwub9v-rLt10F4_zSifx7jHmvNazz_QwGblin6Hm5YXcGgBIEQ/s1990/SAM_5555%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1990" data-original-width="1990" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlBI_DO2lo64_PCbOcwnTmnqB3Ml4VcCUtQWVMxi8uJ7VdSerKoHh525FuW-u860qaN2FPcrcygqoBYdhN9F-oB3Wz_FxYrGZ15NUo9GYbtryWh5Sl8ay8a6J71Ml27bO1ynumLMKCwub9v-rLt10F4_zSifx7jHmvNazz_QwGblin6Hm5YXcGgBIEQ/s320/SAM_5555%20(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stage five: from Phatthalung to Hat Yai </h3><h1><o:p></o:p></h1>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We picked up sandwiches and coffee at the Seven – their
coffee is simply the best. We drank it at the station. Slowly it became busier,
especially with elderly ladies who carried baskets of food to sell on the
train. They targeted the <i>express</i>- and <i>rapid</i> trains – our <i>ordinary</i>
didn’t have many passengers. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoHeader"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXCEQyOvrEPUeJn5ZCJ8OQEkAiutF5ZfTpshZVFlQLMPuctEcb0ApqkIb6cLOyokuFnaVV4Dl4dfngdLkOfyNDhsrRDcnrZIdBbGr1LifOeav8GCfHFjyUMGIIg7j88t8rc9pX7ISqscJ66-WetvyzTDS9OjHpMtw7R2j53o5bQt1GaCGEluvi6jDeg/s4608/SAM_5638.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXCEQyOvrEPUeJn5ZCJ8OQEkAiutF5ZfTpshZVFlQLMPuctEcb0ApqkIb6cLOyokuFnaVV4Dl4dfngdLkOfyNDhsrRDcnrZIdBbGr1LifOeav8GCfHFjyUMGIIg7j88t8rc9pX7ISqscJ66-WetvyzTDS9OjHpMtw7R2j53o5bQt1GaCGEluvi6jDeg/s320/SAM_5638.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPXu4n7At0jwz4p4A2k128aPy5qJ4QxX5ZLYzPzzvq3zss_TEgggOh-PAFzpBgAqy1vNVSX2f5cfxp4UooisS1LYTe0hFOFTWWJBxiL11hB41eAyicMfiOCJqzLGuEKC8jTJIG8aiyu2DB7azPyvWFzJU1LA4q4giO3bJarxbGg-DRtSCHBTtZfpSnw/s4608/SAM_5641.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPXu4n7At0jwz4p4A2k128aPy5qJ4QxX5ZLYzPzzvq3zss_TEgggOh-PAFzpBgAqy1vNVSX2f5cfxp4UooisS1LYTe0hFOFTWWJBxiL11hB41eAyicMfiOCJqzLGuEKC8jTJIG8aiyu2DB7azPyvWFzJU1LA4q4giO3bJarxbGg-DRtSCHBTtZfpSnw/s320/SAM_5641.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZu5PInti_NzfpTAYfxi_nnDYFP3I89KT4FbAZHkkM8Kk8SHuDl1HoqD3yuV3V9nmZoliCX2Fpadt9G1yAS6CqeWY6HLIgoM52CYLMBOo6RbnWioT_y-tShfLLOxtwnyyx7XNlUI2mm03GzNKON1DblZ4oqV2yZyCXyTjiQMB86sK3E7KS5J2Ze5Y8CQ/s4608/SAM_5653.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZu5PInti_NzfpTAYfxi_nnDYFP3I89KT4FbAZHkkM8Kk8SHuDl1HoqD3yuV3V9nmZoliCX2Fpadt9G1yAS6CqeWY6HLIgoM52CYLMBOo6RbnWioT_y-tShfLLOxtwnyyx7XNlUI2mm03GzNKON1DblZ4oqV2yZyCXyTjiQMB86sK3E7KS5J2Ze5Y8CQ/s320/SAM_5653.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkuNwT2As-MggRDKsbp0R8NhPYNeHq14ubYbWt7jHh0LFUIyZYxZPdE-MZ_1Wz7V5vaCbX375Tw6MP9SvxKpedi5An286Ua792mhL08FOf6TVCHgOcJzDa_Gym-vx4xaFlEN2znpZ4sX7AoiOmRGyRs_ta7PDcIEFU7tcWCYcb_7-mGEW3U2Z8W_j0Q/s4608/SAM_5658.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkuNwT2As-MggRDKsbp0R8NhPYNeHq14ubYbWt7jHh0LFUIyZYxZPdE-MZ_1Wz7V5vaCbX375Tw6MP9SvxKpedi5An286Ua792mhL08FOf6TVCHgOcJzDa_Gym-vx4xaFlEN2znpZ4sX7AoiOmRGyRs_ta7PDcIEFU7tcWCYcb_7-mGEW3U2Z8W_j0Q/s320/SAM_5658.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Our train was on time. It was another nice ride through a
lot of greenery. Rice fields, rubber plantations, cows, birds. It was quiet on
the train. Until we arrived in Hat Yai and so many students got on so fast that
we could barely get out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Hat Yai is the centre of the deep south. From here you
can take trains further south to Yala, Sungai Kolok or Padang Besar. The latter
is the place for crossing the Malaysian border and catching a train to Kuala
Lumpur or Penang (as we did the year after in the opposite direction)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We could have taken the direct night train. But this was much more fun!<br />Train travel is the way to go in Thailand. It
is easy, easygoing, comfortable and gives you a beautiful view of the country
and the countryside. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt 3.15in 283.5pt right 415.3pt;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt center 207.65pt left 3.15in right 415.3pt;"><a name="_Hlk508003562"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast;">Thailand,
January 2019</span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast;">
– Amsterdam, May 2022<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">
<p class="MsoHeader" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt 3.15in 283.5pt right 415.3pt;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">More</h3><h1><o:p></o:p></h1>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt 3.15in 283.5pt right 415.3pt;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2022/05/slow-train-from-trang-to-bangkok.html" target="_blank">The SlowTrain from Trang to Bangkok</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt 3.15in 283.5pt right 415.3pt;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/search/label/Thailand+Train?m=1" target="_blank">More blogs on Thai trains</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt 3.15in 283.5pt right 415.3pt;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/search/label/Thailand?m=1" target="_blank">More blogs on Thai travel and destinations</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" style="tab-stops: center 56.7pt left 113.4pt 170.1pt 3.15in 283.5pt right 415.3pt;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Hat yai, Tambon Hat Yai, Amphoe Hat Yai, Chang Wat Songkhla 90110, Thailand7.003904 100.4676766.99538506539864 100.45909293115234 7.0124229346013607 100.47625906884765tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-76904644949264870532022-05-01T20:00:00.005+02:002024-03-18T16:24:55.199+01:00Riots in Thailand, May 1992<p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">There was this huge departure board at the Bangkok airport. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">It was about 3x4 meters in size. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Each departing flight was on a line consisting of a number of positions, each of which had 36 rotating flaps: all letters and numbers. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">When the top flight had left, all positions rattled until the second flight was displayed. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Then it rattled and the third flight took the second position. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">And that happened about 20 times. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">By the time it was done, sometimes the top flight would already take off and everything would start over.</span></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><b><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We spent many hours under that board. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Political tensions were running high. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The airport was cut off from the city due to heavy riots. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The kerosene was almost finished. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Could we still get away?</span></span></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://translate.google.com/website?sl=nl&tl=en&hl=en-US&client=webapp&u=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixu4Ejbhr4zotO3pk-5nnTlJHY8KieFhCbWmtQom7vC-T76UibVMowwyYyVKjVqtAGERsonCkP3911qz1eupRV1emDYpQLNsK32IqfhiTl9fBx5lb7oVgZyiukoATzEUNwfabXZ2ERGOl4k7jXktmczmC1jJ0ZYC5_3eeQ12m57hP6C7MtHhtqr_Y5/s1000/bangkokpost19920519_cropped.jpg" style="color: #009933; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="1000" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixu4Ejbhr4zotO3pk-5nnTlJHY8KieFhCbWmtQom7vC-T76UibVMowwyYyVKjVqtAGERsonCkP3911qz1eupRV1emDYpQLNsK32IqfhiTl9fBx5lb7oVgZyiukoATzEUNwfabXZ2ERGOl4k7jXktmczmC1jJ0ZYC5_3eeQ12m57hP6C7MtHhtqr_Y5/w400-h330/bangkokpost19920519_cropped.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.32px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Front page of the Bangkok Post</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">30 years ago I made my very first trip to Southeast Asia, to Thailand. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The global plan was to fly north via Bangkok, descend slowly overland to the south, end up on a bounty island, and then return via Bangkok.</span></span></span></p>
<h2 style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span lang="NL">Chiang Mai</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">With a million inhabitants, Chiang Mai was the second largest city in the country and the capital of the north. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The 'old city' ( </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">muang</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ) lay within a square of about 1x1 kilometer, surrounded by the remains of city walls and a moat.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The larger shopping streets ran between the old center and the river. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">There was the noise of traffic everywhere: an endless stream of mopeds, </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">tuk-tuks</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> (a kind of covered tricycle mopeds with two-person rear seats, that served as taxis) and </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">songtheaws</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> (Japanese pickup trucks, with two benches in the back that served as busses)</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Everywhere in the quiet dusty old center and also around it were dozens of temples ( </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Wats</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> ). </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Usually located behind walls, so instantly quieter than the street. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">They were often somewhat neglected, had bell-shaped </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">stupas</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">, gabled roofs and mosaic decorations, sometimes gilded or with remnants thereof. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Sometimes deserted and sometimes still in use, the monks shuffled around there, their heads shaven and wrapped in orange robes. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">You also regularly saw them in the street, or in the cabin of a </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">songtheaw</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Towards the river was the Night Bazaar, a large market with 1001 stalls with items from the wider area. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Clothes, souvenirs, gadgets, rarities, games: everything seemed to be for sale here.</span></span> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">And the Thai everywhere: smiling back when you smiled at them, leaving you alone when you left them alone, always pleasant and with an inner peace that sometimes radiated visibly.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">After a few days it was a national holiday. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">It had been 46 years since King Bhumibhol was crowned. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The king was revered as a semi-god by the Thai, his actions and thoughts (represented in books and music) were widely reported, and criticism would be unimaginable. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">But it were </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">turbulent</span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">times in his kingdom. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">Every day there were demonstrations against the semi-military government in the square near the eastern city gate (Tha Phae), and there was also unrest in Bangkok, as we read in the English-language newspapers.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">For dinner, our favorite destination </span></span><a href="https://waterlilyunlimited-blogspot-com.translate.goog/2021/05/tien-memorabele-restaurants-110-sai.html?_x_tr_sl=nl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp" style="color: #009933; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">AUM</span></span></a><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , a small vegetarian restaurant, soon became dominated by a photo of Sai Baba. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Downstairs three small formica tables, upstairs cushions for those who wanted to eat seated on the floor (shoes off). </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">All very simple, but of great quality and very friendly people.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We also regularly visited Daret, a large restaurant with wooden benches and red and white checkered table cloths outdoors under the trees. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">It was the meeting place for the itinerant backpackers, and also had good food.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">On a Saturday night we went to look at some different places of entertainment. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">You can order a beer (Singha) at the bar or on the semi-open terrace. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">There were some </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">young</span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">Thai ladies at the bar. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">They would come and have a chat with you and refill your glass of beer. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">Then they would ask for a drink that was lemonade but cost the same as expensive whiskey. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">The audience mainly consisted of slightly older men and/or they had already a drinks too many and/or they were quite fat and unattractive. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">It was no surprise that the ladies preferred to come and have a chat with M and me.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Conversations were in broken English, in the end we also started using a simplified vocabulary and sentence structure. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">What made it difficult was that the Thais seemed unable to put a sense of time in their language: it was never clear whether something you were talking about was in the future or in the past. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Perhaps that was characteristic of the attitude to life: the present is reality. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Looking back and forward was not done as much as in the west.</span></span></span></p>
<h2 style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span lang="NL">The Golden Triangle</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Monday we got up at six o'clock, along with the sun, for a day trip to the northernmost tip of Thailand. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">This region used to be notorious as the world center of opium cultivation. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Now it was mainly the three-country point that attracted tourists. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">A row of stalls selling food (including our lunch) and souvenirs had formed along the way, and children in traditional costumes had themselves photographed for ten </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">baht</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In the background, majestically wide and imposing, lay the Mekong, one of the mightiest rivers in the world. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">Brown</span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">muddy flowing. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">On the other side the banks of Laos, and a little further on behind a branch was Myanmar (Burma). </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">A few dozen meters below us small narrow boats </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">were</span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">moored. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">Every now and then one would come by with a deafening roar from the engine - they could go pretty fast.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Over a dirt road that our van could barely navigate, we went to the next stop, the border town of Mae Sai. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The border here was formed by a small, narrow river. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">You could cross the bridge and even take a few steps past the barriers, so that we had actually set foot on Burmese territory, but you couldn't really get in here as a foreigner. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">It was possible for the border residents to cross on foot, which resulted in a steady flow in both directions. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In Mae Sai there were also many stalls and shops, and it was very busy.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">On the way back we stopped late in the afternoon in two </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">'hilltribe villages'</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">These were ethnically different people, and the already limited economic growth of the rest of Thailand seemed to have passed them by (except for those who had discovered tourism). </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">It looked very shabby: unpaved dirt roads, wooden huts, some free-range chickens, children who came barefoot and in a worn dress or t-shirt asking for ten </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">baht</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span></span></span></p>
<h2 style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span lang="NL">Sukhothai</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We liked Chiang Mai so much, with its relaxed atmosphere and the many excursion options, that we lingered longer than intended. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">But today we finally moved on as by our original plan: a stage to the south, 5 hours by bus to Sukhothai.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Sukhothai was much poorer, less touristy and less exposed to western influences than Chiang Mai. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Most people who visited the ruins of this ancient Thai capital did so from nearby Phitsunalok. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">There was a still, scorching heat.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The next morning we hired a </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">tuk-tuk</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> with a driver, who could drive us around for a couple of hours. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">That took us through a very beautiful, vast area full of ruins and sometimes partially restored remains of temples, palaces, lily ponds, statues of Buddhas and elephants, ... Too much to take in. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">An entire city had once stood here in all its glory. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">And now only the remains between the open meadows, a few people looking around, otherwise it was absolutely quiet and deserted. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">It was also pretty hot between the stone remains.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Back to 'new' Sukhothai. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Our hotel had no room for that night. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Moving to another? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Well, actually we had seen everything here. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Maybe move on to the next destination south? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">... Or-eh...? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Why not back to Chiang Mai? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We looked at each other again, and it was deceded. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">On to the bus station.</span></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span lang="NL">Bangkok</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We had lingered in the north of Thailand for so long that we finally took the plane to Bangkok. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">At that time, Don Muang was the only airport in Bangkok, the international and domestic terminals were a kilometer apart. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In the arrivals hall it seemed like you could only take expensive limousines into the city. E</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">ventually we found out that there was also a city bus that stopped along the eight-lane highway that passed in front of the terminal. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In the increasingly busy traffic, the bus didn't make much progress, but after more than an hour we arrived at Siam Square, the neighborhood we had chosen to look for a hotel. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Not the cheapest area, between the center and the business and entertainment districts.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">There was a wide range of hotels in the alley. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The ones up front were a bit overpriced, the ones in the middle too shabby, but the last one in the back, Wendy's, was fine: modern and clean and cool.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><a href="https://translate.google.com/website?sl=nl&tl=en&hl=en-US&client=webapp&u=https://www.waterlily-unlimited.nl/travelguide/bangkoksiamsquare.php%23" style="color: #009933; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Siam Square</span></span></a><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> would always remain my favorite area of Bangkok. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">With the arrival of the Skytrain it has only become more attractive as a base.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We took a look at MBK, the large department store on Siam Square. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">(Later, another row of much more luxurious department stores would appear along Siam Square.)</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The pedestrian flyovers also led into the complex, forcing you not only to walk through it, but were also concealed in such a way that you almost certainly had to get lost. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">It consisted of some large, expensive shops, and long corridors of small shops with everything you could imagine. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We went to eat at the </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">foodmarket</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> on the top floor of the department store. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">It consisted of a lot of small food stalls, including a few vegetarian ones with delicious food. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Strange that something you would expect outside, is upstairs in a large building</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Bangkok was a stuffy, oppressive, hot, dirty, noisy, big city. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">About ten million inhabitants. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Wide streets with six lanes of rushing or jammed traffic. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Crossing was sometimes impossible, and then you had to use one of the many pedestrian bridges. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">A system of toll/motorways was constructed on high concrete pillers.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In the evening we walked to Patpong, the entertainment center. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">It was a lot less innocent than in Chiang Mai. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Much more noise, advertising and people trying to lure you in. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Here's that dubious phenomenon of go-go dancers: girls in bathing suits dancing on the bar in disco light.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">To the centre. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">First a temple with a solid gold Buddha statue. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Then a long walk through Chinatown, with very narrow streets completely jammed with market stalls with all kinds of vegetables and fish. W</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">e didn't see a restaurant that was open, and it seemed impossible to get something vegetarian at the stalls on the street. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Well, finally a bite of rice.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">At the end of what seemed to be a dead end street, you could go through a kind of gate and you came to the stop of the riverboat, which sailed the Chao Praya like a kind of bus. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We zigzagged from one bank to the other, with magnificent views of river life, boats and buildings along the bank.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">From where we got off the boat we walked through the neighborhood with the low-budget hotels. We had a thick banana pancake somewhere and tasted the special atmosphere of that neighborhood. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Khao San Road was not for us.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The next day again we took a bus (Skytrain/BTS and metro did not exist yet) into the center. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We walked past the Democracy Monument along a field where again all kinds of demonstrations were held. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Towards the royal palace, but we were not allowed in because we were wearing shorts. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Smartly, some traders had anticipated this because you could buy long trousers opposite. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">But we only saw the white outer walls with battlements.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">To Wat Po, a large monastery complex with all kinds of beautiful, partly dilapidated and partly restored </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">stupas</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">And with the gigantic reclining Buddha: fifty meters long, and gilded. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">There was also a school in traditional Thai massage on the monastery grounds, where you could both take lessons and undergo treatment. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In a hall about thirty mattresses were placed next to each other. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">You had to wash your feet and put on a loose-fitting cotton shirt and pants. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In addition to their hands, they also used legs and feet to squeeze you into all kinds of poses. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In addition to your muscles, your guts and bloodstreams were also manipulated. B</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">lood supply f</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">rom your arms and legs</span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"> was pinched off for a minute...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">If you got to know it a little better, through the hectic, busy, sweaty Bangkok </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">you saw</span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"> a city with its own atmosphere, charm and even tranquility.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We followed the developments in the English-language newspapers. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The tension seemed to be mounting. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Large demonstrations had been announced by the opposition for the weekend, which had been banned by the government. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The tone grew grim. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">We thought it was time to leave this city.</span></span></span></p>
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<h2 style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span lang="NL">Phuket</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">By plane to Phuket. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">A large island in the south of Thailand, on the Indian (west) coast.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Phuket town was a true provincial town, with shops and a lot of traffic. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">But for tourists there wasn't much. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">They were all on the various beaches the island had.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">On Sunday we also decided to move to the coast. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Behind the market the buses left for all corners of the island. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Ours was a slightly larger </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">sized</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;"> truck, with four long benches in the back that could seat about fifty people. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">With that we drove to Patong Beach, one of the older 'resorts'. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;">In the meantime, new beaches were developed, each targeting their own audience (more chic, more sporty, etc.).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Patong lay in a bay. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The main road ran parallel to the beach. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Left and right, the forested foothills of the hills ran into the sea. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">At the end the beach was pierced by a small river, and you could just wade past it. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Or couldn't we, and did we have to cross the old uphill bridge? </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">On the beach some palm trees provided some shade, which was welcome under the scorching sun. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">That very sun had put us on the wrong foot orientation-wise: we lost our direction for a while, until we realized that we were below the Tropic of Cancer, and the sun was now in the north!</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In the meantime, we followed the news closely. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The demonstration at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok had gotten completely out of hand. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Hundreds were killed in shootings, and the chaos was complete. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">When we read on Tuesday that the kerosene supply at Bangkok airport was only sufficient for two more days, we decided to leave the next day. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Calling the KLM office in Bangkok heeded no response (!?).</span></span></span></p>
<h2 style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span lang="NL">End</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Although the plane to Amsterdam didn't leave until after midnight, we didn't want to risk taking the last flight out of Phuket, so at noon we went to Phuket airport. W</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">e just caught the two oçlock flight, so that we were already at the airport of Bangkok at three in the afternoon - while KLM would only leave at half past one in the morning. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">First we made inquiries at the KLM office. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">There we heard that for security reasons the employees had already stayed at the airport for a few days, and that in the meantime no traffic was possible between the city and the airport.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The long wait began. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Sit down for a while. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Then take a walk through the large, overcrowded departure hall. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Then sit down again. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Then take a trip outside over the highway and railway, where in the oppressive heat there was a small market and some shops next to the train station with wooden roofs. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Then sit down again. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Then have a snack in the cafeteria. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Then sit down again. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Then stretch out for a while in a quiet hallway on the cold floor. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Then again sit in front of the large departure board, where the new flights appeared clattering. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In the night we saw a lot of flight to Europe saw leave - KLM would be the last in line.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Then, at midnight: great excitement! </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The monitors in the departure hall switched to a live speech given by the king. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">All the Thais ran from behind their counters to crowd in front of the screen. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The king, standing far above the parties here, had finally decided to intervene and summoned the government and opposition leader. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">According to Thai custom (your head should always be lower than the king's) they knelt at his feet. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">He ordered them to shake hands and admonished them to reconcile. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">And with that, the worst of the bloodshed seemed to end at least for now.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://translate.google.com/website?sl=nl&tl=en&hl=en-US&client=webapp&u=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrHXPu-cmQUM4D5MRZhqJ7QkQptbjc1M4vCXNXXivH4sgRqzrrRh7DTgjtN8zxZFseraviLYDSTEaZQ8V_t5Daof8wkyn5ON5LKOEvPOcLvMOqOUQOVmoSkh1jAmY7oixE9mJrB9UQg4LFMWy30pCTua0D6d0F_-VLak54cNG89KMOqeZVt8iMhYT/s976/bangkok%2520king%25201992%2520c.jpg" style="color: #009933; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrHXPu-cmQUM4D5MRZhqJ7QkQptbjc1M4vCXNXXivH4sgRqzrrRh7DTgjtN8zxZFseraviLYDSTEaZQ8V_t5Daof8wkyn5ON5LKOEvPOcLvMOqOUQOVmoSkh1jAmY7oixE9mJrB9UQg4LFMWy30pCTua0D6d0F_-VLak54cNG89KMOqeZVt8iMhYT/w400-h225/bangkok%20king%201992%20c.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.32px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">from left to right Chamlong Srimuang, General Suchinda Kraprayoon, King Bhumibhol</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">At that exact moment we had to go through customs and to the gate for our flight back to Amsterdam.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">I would go back to Thailand about 15 more times in the next 30 years, and also several times to 6 of the neighboring countries. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">My favorite region </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">first</span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">was the north, then the northeast, and nowadays the south and Bangkok. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Read </span></span><span style="color: #009933; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/search/label/Thailand?m=1" target="_blank">more Thailand blogs here</a></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/search/label/Thailand?m=1" target="_blank"> </a>.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="NL" style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In the same 30 years, there have been more riots and mass demonstrations, and several </span></span><i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">coups</span></span></i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> by the military.</span></span></span></p>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Bangkok, Thailand13.7563309 100.5017651-14.553902936178845 65.3455151 42.066564736178847 135.6580151tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-36481700241854493232019-11-01T09:00:00.000+01:002019-11-02T09:25:42.384+01:00Nathaniel's Nutmeg - Giles Milton - book review<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQpMArIVbyZ4KxfMZzSg-iLXU7UnPZvokiX-lXucLmkPKepqozFuYTQIkY-4APFZB61ggQRY79DBGQ7E9vRhYKe9YRYZz5rp4VNmrGlZkBe6kI3PZXy9Tfs-6TZuTHJyE4KZbWaPBZwkB/s1600/IMG_20190925_123000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1078" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQpMArIVbyZ4KxfMZzSg-iLXU7UnPZvokiX-lXucLmkPKepqozFuYTQIkY-4APFZB61ggQRY79DBGQ7E9vRhYKe9YRYZz5rp4VNmrGlZkBe6kI3PZXy9Tfs-6TZuTHJyE4KZbWaPBZwkB/s400/IMG_20190925_123000.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"<i>Nathaniel's Nutmeg</i>" is a vivid and gripping
story about the search for the spice islands and about the struggle to get hold
of the spice trade. Spices such as cloves, mace and especially nutmeg were just
about the only means to keep food (or to suppress the spoiled taste) and to cure
diseases (or to soothe them). Nutmeg was more expensive in Europe than gold,
while in the Far East it could be picked up for a dime. If you survived the
long and dangerous sea journey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The highs and lows take place at the end of the 16th,
beginning of the 17th century. From an English perspective we read about the distress
on the ships and in the outposts and how the Dutch get the upper hand on the
Moluccas / Banda islands. Notorious Dutchmen like Jan Pieterszoon Coen play a
leading role. The book provides a staggering insight into a period of history
of which you may have been vaguely aware, but probably know no details.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Two things stand out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(1) Being Dutch, I will be the last to
play down how violent, ruthless and unjust the VOC has conquered Indonesia. The
writer explicitly says so too. Remarkably, on the other hand he portrays the
English as honest, reliable and loved by the local people. If they are ever
betrayed, murdered, extradited or exploited by an Englishman, that was the
incidental misconduct of an individual. The English people as a whole retain
the moral upper hand. It takes little insight to see that the English were no
better than the Dutch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(2) The title and subtitle ("<i>How one man's courage
changed the course of history</i>") do little justice to the content of
the book. Nathaniel Courthope plays a minor role and his contribution is that
he managed to defend a small island (Run, one of the Bandas) for a few years.
That should have given the English a piece of the spice trade - but failed. </span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Decades later, as part of a peace treaty that mutually consolidated
conquered territories, Run island became Dutch and Manhattan became English.
And the latter island is indeed of greater importance in today's world. The
book omits what Dutch schoolbooks find more important: Surinam (Dutch Guyana)
was part of that deal - they don't even mention Run. Of all the factors that
led to that exchange and the rise of New York, the steadfastness of Courthope
was only a futile one. By making New York so much more important than the
Moluccas, the book unmeritly subverts its own importance to understanding
history.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More <a href="http://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.nl/search/label/Book%20review?m=1">book reviews</a>.</span></div>
<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Run, Molukken, Indonesië-4.5561777 129.68535429999997-4.5878347 129.64501379999996 -4.5245207 129.72569479999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-7830365669724697702019-11-01T08:00:00.001+01:002022-01-05T14:54:41.092+01:00The last king of Burma and the last emperor of India (2/2) The Last Mughal - William Dalrymple<br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB">William Dalrymple
- The Last Mughal</span></h3>
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<i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB">Dalrymple
describes the events surrounding the great uprising in India from an original
perspective, which differs considerably from British historiography.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB">Bahadur
Shah Zafar was the emperor or mughal of India in name, but all the power was
with the British occupiers. After the mutiny in 1857-1858 he was exiled (forever
disturbing the balance between Hindus and Muslims in India along the way) to
Rangoon in Burma - now Yangon in Myanmar. There he died in 1862. He was buried
as quickly as possible by the British in a secret place, not to create a place
of pilgrimage for anti-British. His grave was rediscovered in 1991.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB">The location of his grave had been a
secret for a long time. But the book gave some clues as to where it was, so now
we wanted to look for it. The first step was to find a hotel in the part of the
city where the grave should be. Theatre road now had a Burmese name, but our
guess was it must have been near the National Theatre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB">The second step was to inquire about the
Shah's grave at the hotel reception. Five people pieced the answer together,
and they even sketched us a map. It was a half-hour walk. Through the embassy
area, with many vacant ministries. The capital was recently moved to a newly
built city in the interior. The Russian embassy was an unprecedented fortress
with high walls, lots of barbed wire, heavy security and fenced off streets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFtn6rRJYNt9_10MO27Ghy0WohSRlwIuq7BUHZrne-7HlvArLMCSEQdzAZ3XX-w1cydtRefzLdXUU9yslleQ8l_SFDq6CHEYnNB_Fhgr79sVJb_b8BSkxQROfPHz_DdrqGEb0xWlq0eFk/s1600/100_0783.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFtn6rRJYNt9_10MO27Ghy0WohSRlwIuq7BUHZrne-7HlvArLMCSEQdzAZ3XX-w1cydtRefzLdXUU9yslleQ8l_SFDq6CHEYnNB_Fhgr79sVJb_b8BSkxQROfPHz_DdrqGEb0xWlq0eFk/s320/100_0783.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB">When we arrived at the destination, we
had to ask for the exact location. Five different people gave four opposite
directions. But after fifteen more minutes we had found the right place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB">A modest compound with small minarets;
some halls ("established in cooperation with the Government of
India"); three "graves" that looked like a made-up bed, for the
Shah, his wife and his daughter-in-law. A little further on, where his real
grave was found in 1990, a basement with another tomb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzQknNUk4goLFEZNByqDaHvzRNnb5FThM1Pgz521HGeeyreMnKT_C_uXAD24du2Do4buidAZefqYJkkhjYZKqhvX7ArPz7rS_WrSyN6Jg0IDM_pBWT8DK7ojptrfhZ9wLQ7vkPx8IjcqO/s1600/100_0787.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzQknNUk4goLFEZNByqDaHvzRNnb5FThM1Pgz521HGeeyreMnKT_C_uXAD24du2Do4buidAZefqYJkkhjYZKqhvX7ArPz7rS_WrSyN6Jg0IDM_pBWT8DK7ojptrfhZ9wLQ7vkPx8IjcqO/s320/100_0787.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB">There were some visitors who worshiped
the deceased as saints (in the religious sense). It was lively and serene at
the same time. The whole thing was simple but made quite an impression.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="text-align: right;">Yangon, January 2008</span></i></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="text-align: right;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-GB">The last emperor of India had been exiled
to Burma. The last king of Burma had been exiled to India. I had now visited
the last place of residence / grave of both. This makes history tangible.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">PS Nowadays both places are easy to find on Google Maps and attract quite some foreign visitors.</span></div>
<br />
<h3>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">More</span></h3>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Continue reading about </span><a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-last-king-of-burma-and-last-emperor.html" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">the last king of Burma</a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">More <a href="http://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.nl/search/label/Book%20review?m=1">book reviews</a>.</span><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<p>
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Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Zi Wa Ka St, ရန်ကုန်, Myanmar (Birma)16.7897649 96.1499003000000132.4540789000000007 75.495603300000013 31.125450900000004 116.80419730000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-61874294467129503892019-11-01T07:00:00.000+01:002019-11-02T09:04:52.054+01:00The last king of Burma and the last emperor of India (1/2) The Glass Palace - Amitav Ghosh<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The British used to ban defeated and
deposed rulers from their colonies to other countries. This way they prevented
them from becoming a martyr who might inspire rebels.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The last king of Burma and the last
emperor of India were exiled to each other's country, and I visited the last
hometown / resting place of both. In both cases following instructions in a
book in which they appear.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<h3>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Amitav Ghosh -
The Glass Palace </span></h3>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Glass Palace is a beautiful novel
against the historical background of Thebaw, the last king of Burma, and what
became of his staff and acquaintances. The different storylines develop across
India, Burma and Malaysia. I had already visited most of the places where the
book is located: Mandalay, Rangoon, Calcutta, Penang and even the hidden
archaeological excavations of Lembah Bujang.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thebaw was deposed in 1885. He was
exiled to Ratnagiri, a small town on the west coast of India, some 300 km south
of Bombay - now Mumbai. A small palace was built for him. He died in 1916 and
was buried in a walled part of the Christian cemetery.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, the reason I visited Ratnagiri was
to visit the king's palace. It was a lot more impressive than I expected:
fairly large, three storeys, verandas and balcony, majestic, on a large compound.
The outbuildings now house an archaeological or educational institute. The main
building was empty. Grass grew through the cracks, roof tiles had snapped,
windows were broken. The doors were locked. For a moment I considered breaking
in, which would surely succeed with some force, but I rejected that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gy8_Q2AEW8s6Bl95GrKbeS6aT7dFWf9-UQE4yEgs1sjrL652UWCQ8zA34tzbofXzctYi-lBuwRTpnSA2bKBJMLA9UhxTZ55e-wty477iMChF0jCs8PsBoJQW7PfHMAeFaNIVDO_yu_Il/s1600/2RNG_paleis_int0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gy8_Q2AEW8s6Bl95GrKbeS6aT7dFWf9-UQE4yEgs1sjrL652UWCQ8zA34tzbofXzctYi-lBuwRTpnSA2bKBJMLA9UhxTZ55e-wty477iMChF0jCs8PsBoJQW7PfHMAeFaNIVDO_yu_Il/s320/2RNG_paleis_int0003.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I walked around the building a couple
of times and found a staircase that took me to the rear balcony. One door there
was not locked. That was a way inside. I wandered through the deserted halls
and rooms, over the large wooden stairs and up to the front balcony, from where
the king looked out over the mouth of the river and the bay. That was an
important element in the book, and it was overwhelming I could enjoy the same
view.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXzbioSgOVJpajRa7jYtVac_fZQ24RtUZurct5Ihc9zwSZWo6QlF3HI6qdDe6_lByH_6rlDBIUmsZbQHHIdifP0FRVRvxSYt_fevN1E0Ek7u_-QRg7aCw0rg4i-J70N8ERDghBN5xUtj4/s1600/2RNG_paleis_int0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXzbioSgOVJpajRa7jYtVac_fZQ24RtUZurct5Ihc9zwSZWo6QlF3HI6qdDe6_lByH_6rlDBIUmsZbQHHIdifP0FRVRvxSYt_fevN1E0Ek7u_-QRg7aCw0rg4i-J70N8ERDghBN5xUtj4/s320/2RNG_paleis_int0011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Opposite the palace, a stone staircase
led down the hill. I walked down to a small settlement of shabby huts. I climbed
back up and went looking for the Collector's Bungalow. The collector and his
wife also played an important part in the book. This place was harder to find,
everybody pointed me in a different direction. In the end it turned out to be a
surprisingly simple retreat for what was at the time the district's most
important British civil servant. At the bottom of the garden was indeed a place
where you could sit and look over the river.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVdRU0XnNq3PFq2ZZ_IVXYxZNMqySUmZ2gKb4Icxb6rlX399J5aYi6WqmHgtzGwtHR4fZHxwrJiTdzZtArOkXwO6GSilsWRiUpOM_vxRnII8K9wDmCfp2lBIpAkuy9eTY8IBipRBFTlX2/s1600/2RNG_paleis_view0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVdRU0XnNq3PFq2ZZ_IVXYxZNMqySUmZ2gKb4Icxb6rlX399J5aYi6WqmHgtzGwtHR4fZHxwrJiTdzZtArOkXwO6GSilsWRiUpOM_vxRnII8K9wDmCfp2lBIpAkuy9eTY8IBipRBFTlX2/s320/2RNG_paleis_view0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoSubtitle" style="text-align: right;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Ratnagiri,
November 2004</i></span></span></span><span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Continue reading about </span><a href="https://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-last-king-of-burma-and-last-emperor_1.html" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">the last emperor of India</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More <a href="http://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.nl/search/label/Book%20review?m=1">book reviews</a>.</span>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Thiba Rd, Abhyudhya Nagar, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra 415612, India16.983494793415776 73.3115100860595716.975901793415776 73.301425086059567 16.991087793415776 73.321595086059574tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-57413698512596347622019-11-01T06:00:00.000+01:002019-11-07T11:36:17.684+01:00The Monk Of Mokha - Dave Eggers - book review<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A fascinating book for those who - just like Lily - love
coffee and culture. It is a blend of the American dream, the history of coffee
and a good dash of Yemen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglF8YsvrJY4hyL0WG8Jumu_NSjwjr70v1o-V-Po760Q9ZAYAdu4zt-PLyxbt8AWcr9EkGmd-s_Pv1tD9ZQYTNXud0T8iqzwUfOrkm-InfR5KEqBLG_ZM4uFK8fv-wOO7cabSD_IPB4t5sY/s1600/monk+of+mocha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglF8YsvrJY4hyL0WG8Jumu_NSjwjr70v1o-V-Po760Q9ZAYAdu4zt-PLyxbt8AWcr9EkGmd-s_Pv1tD9ZQYTNXud0T8iqzwUfOrkm-InfR5KEqBLG_ZM4uFK8fv-wOO7cabSD_IPB4t5sY/s400/monk+of+mocha.jpg" width="260" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Having visited Yemen back in the day, I remain interested in
this beautiful and tragical country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mokha, a port in Yemen, once was the center of the global
coffee trade and has given its name to a top quality coffee bean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mokhtar is an aimless underprivileged youngster who becomes
a successful businessman (while it lasts). He is described vividly enough to get
annoyed over his stupid decisions. Along the way countless interesting facts
about growing, harvesting and roasting coffee come along.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In order not to disturb the happy ending, the developments
of the war in Yemen are not mentioned. The USA's very dubious role in this is conveniently
left out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dave Eggers strength is content and storyline over his prose
power and that's why it's okay to read the translated Dutch edition. Maybe it
reads even better than the real thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More <a href="http://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.nl/search/label/Book%20review?m=1">book reviews</a>.</span>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Mokka, Jemen13.3203021 43.24731459999998213.2584941 43.166633599999983 13.382110099999998 43.32799559999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-29820690085548861702019-04-18T15:51:00.000+02:002019-04-19T16:36:52.649+02:00Cats and dogs<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In general you can say that cities are feline territories,
and the countryside is canine territory. That is why in Asia, when you take a
walk out of town, you always need a stick. Cyclists tell me they go right for
the calves. If you are going to cycle here, a rabies vaccination is
recommended. Then you have 48 hours instead of 24 hours to find the life-saving
serum, if you get bitten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mmucRYarmUu2XbXJt3zIwA8qCr9bHRrZ1hwh-lUAgBrQkESmrqPFzroJdcrIK1NQZbTxWA3ZhCJXj-5R_Y-o9qxwqVmpk_GW6wo_ni-OWhyHBAx1Zy4GwIWqvd2yVT5mUDhgm9iShs3v/s1600/AMBER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mmucRYarmUu2XbXJt3zIwA8qCr9bHRrZ1hwh-lUAgBrQkESmrqPFzroJdcrIK1NQZbTxWA3ZhCJXj-5R_Y-o9qxwqVmpk_GW6wo_ni-OWhyHBAx1Zy4GwIWqvd2yVT5mUDhgm9iShs3v/s1600/AMBER.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And there are towns that are in between - just.
During the day, you see<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cats walking
around, or sleeping on the sidewalk in front of their house / shop. They push
their head against your legs and let themselves be stroked under their chin and
purr. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But after 8 o'clock at night, when it is dark and it gets
quieter, the dogs take over the streets. Packs of dogs roam, and where you
could easily pass a sleeping dog during the day, now they bark at you. The
first gets the next started, and before you know it you have a whole bunch
coming after you. They are not completely wild though: if they come too close,
it is usually enough to raise a finger (literally) and then they back off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The cats have withdrawn further, you can still see them
sleeping here and there, but they keep still.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJz7yTg-k1XpnGjM_AGqYEwyxZGo-eJNZuS5lF7XsEk-g-w1Uc9xz5rCUJHgFSLeRwbnJPqyLFXy_yVEwr-eHSkOqhysgabrngbLs8l0I6_LImYC8NEDA-wYWiV79ppZznz_VFN8WukYg/s1600/20190217_163839-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJz7yTg-k1XpnGjM_AGqYEwyxZGo-eJNZuS5lF7XsEk-g-w1Uc9xz5rCUJHgFSLeRwbnJPqyLFXy_yVEwr-eHSkOqhysgabrngbLs8l0I6_LImYC8NEDA-wYWiV79ppZznz_VFN8WukYg/s320/20190217_163839-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0147 Satun Thani Rd, Tambon Phiman, Amphoe Mueang Satun, Chang Wat Satun 91000, Thailand6.6148636539780084 100.066172770361396.6069771539780087 100.05608777036139 6.622750153978008 100.07625777036139tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-68866993425833649442019-03-15T21:00:00.000+01:002022-06-05T15:52:00.709+02:00Coffee Museum: World wide ways to make coffee<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdrRWWUE89ff2DMZvA_zztH2Z_9iCSSdm2kpgPKSCPprZWCUVDdDizrWdx1Ro2Lamcwi6KHRthLXzLueqszSb78FAtpKvYWUtZ2_3d7_xznvrk_SmwjGySY2sFb1NMngWfUGjv9zs5duY/s2048/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1425" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdrRWWUE89ff2DMZvA_zztH2Z_9iCSSdm2kpgPKSCPprZWCUVDdDizrWdx1Ro2Lamcwi6KHRthLXzLueqszSb78FAtpKvYWUtZ2_3d7_xznvrk_SmwjGySY2sFb1NMngWfUGjv9zs5duY/w139-h200/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252811%2529.jpg" width="139" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"><br />Lily likes
coffee. There are many ways to make coffee. Various countries and regions
prefer various methods. Over the years we've seen a lot of them. Let's have a
closer look at some of them.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJCBv6UvBrR5qbkwE91SMyi2BZxqn1BRwkahuumoyeGx0iJA9kdENpYvUhunarnzVECgp1CwJTiaNnQkpzIREfX799FLb9JxeHp6VcEyCzKgbrgdJwQMaDz7fs0Ec2ku3t-sjTH8gMrtk/s2048/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252813%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJCBv6UvBrR5qbkwE91SMyi2BZxqn1BRwkahuumoyeGx0iJA9kdENpYvUhunarnzVECgp1CwJTiaNnQkpzIREfX799FLb9JxeHp6VcEyCzKgbrgdJwQMaDz7fs0Ec2ku3t-sjTH8gMrtk/w410-h410/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252813%2529.jpg" width="410" /></a></div>In <b>The
Netherlands</b> and surrounding countries filter coffee is very popular. Hand-poured
filter-coffee probably is the most delicious coffee around. Especially if you
like a soft, round taste. Filter coffee is more healthy because cholesterol raising
substances are caught in the paper filter.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jxxzbvm9h8iXUjJXCnKuuzBhwEGErq5trfI0g0h2xElHjysdzautFwNNOTvnZw1TW9KUeaj0WRT4Gtcq_lRgzi-LuMu8gfFd0366q8sxfJR0jwD4SKt-el9p_U1-IIFncNKraydwidmt/s2048/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252820%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jxxzbvm9h8iXUjJXCnKuuzBhwEGErq5trfI0g0h2xElHjysdzautFwNNOTvnZw1TW9KUeaj0WRT4Gtcq_lRgzi-LuMu8gfFd0366q8sxfJR0jwD4SKt-el9p_U1-IIFncNKraydwidmt/w328-h328/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252820%2529.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>The second
half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century saw th coffee machine as the most widely
used way to make coffee in The Netherlands. Add water and coffee powder, and
the machine does the work. Later one-serving-machines like Senseo and Nespresso
and the likes became more popular.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6Z88A7eTd1t0VWfNezOdXwUV11Zo7VWIo1s8n1UWABpBQOBjYbwSmgXU0GlfKfOM7RS8G2Z8S0hT4Pe0WTBKxmpvWeMUGr9hdnQKHbtSdccRTxY77-5QoEvYCyanaQ7vuJCCNjhDk9cK/s474/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252821%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="474" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6Z88A7eTd1t0VWfNezOdXwUV11Zo7VWIo1s8n1UWABpBQOBjYbwSmgXU0GlfKfOM7RS8G2Z8S0hT4Pe0WTBKxmpvWeMUGr9hdnQKHbtSdccRTxY77-5QoEvYCyanaQ7vuJCCNjhDk9cK/w379-h118/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252821%2529.jpg" width="379" /></a></div>Instant
coffee is considered an easy and cheap way to make inferior coffee in The
Netherlands. Elsewhere it is more popular. In England with water. In India with
buffalo milk. In <b>South America</b> and <b>Southeast Asia</b> it is often
sold pre-packed / pre-mixed with sugar and non-dairy creamer<span class="oi732d6d">: "3-in-1".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
taste of coffee is hard to find but it makes a comforting "hot
drink". <br />
If you prefer black coffee, these regions are hard on you. In recent years
Southeast Asia developed a more tasteful coffee culture based on espresso
machines.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQ_8NTdIVhkPIJltbJToIvfVOtwqW5wcV-y3NvA97wPcpKRX7XaWG6sqGIxFmEOWj-J6HvafN47sR9BCK5Q1aAwpaeW_YCNevFdTqsZBJoxap3m1WDc9v-ZIka7FMdXGpzatyKL9yRreb/s2048/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252814%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQ_8NTdIVhkPIJltbJToIvfVOtwqW5wcV-y3NvA97wPcpKRX7XaWG6sqGIxFmEOWj-J6HvafN47sR9BCK5Q1aAwpaeW_YCNevFdTqsZBJoxap3m1WDc9v-ZIka7FMdXGpzatyKL9yRreb/w328-h328/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252814%2529.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>In <b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">South India</b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> the taste is extracted from the coffee with hot water ("</span><span class="oi732d6d" face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>decoction</i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">"). Various cities and states claim to be the origin (o.a. </span><span class="oi732d6d" face="Verdana, sans-serif">Kumbakonam, Mylapore, </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Kerala en Tamil Nadu). It produces a very strong coffee extract in the lower reservoir. Add hot water to make your cup of coffee. </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">I</span><span class="oi732d6d" face="Verdana, sans-serif">t’s most commonly referred to as Madras Filter Coffee, even though no filter is used...<br /></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">More at </span><a href="https://recipesaresimple.com/how-to-make-coffee-decoction/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">https://recipesaresimple.com/how-to-make-coffee-decoction/</a><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEL-9QGkfcURb3ZlLkJgW0hf82i1ev9TyB3Xgw5vbXAaTOq36Qn_srk9lJwvvVcN8Mc1BCHAepOGx9_cAOYSy21wTd0AspQAZHzM-boFTXgyV4PsVSlT9h8EZ-1G5uGJ-nJJvJncknCeM/s2048/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252816%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEL-9QGkfcURb3ZlLkJgW0hf82i1ev9TyB3Xgw5vbXAaTOq36Qn_srk9lJwvvVcN8Mc1BCHAepOGx9_cAOYSy21wTd0AspQAZHzM-boFTXgyV4PsVSlT9h8EZ-1G5uGJ-nJJvJncknCeM/w328-h328/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252816%2529.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>In <b>France</b>
the cafetière is popular. Put coarsely ground <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>coffee in the jar and poor hot water on top.
After five minutes gently push the sludge down. This coffee can contain up to
30 times as much cafestol (cholesterol raising substance) as filter coffee.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-DP1M00JZtVlGvkXiffcDBKVzvY9VOZ2oX74kLSd7XuEMkXi8e4kM-5B5lc9NGt1MeNJa7ne8DwPHVZSegCwlyyqR5R37fYF4MUR7oxi9M7De0imdVPTGFZNmSKN4KG_u-k5OvzkxnPU/s2048/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252818%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-DP1M00JZtVlGvkXiffcDBKVzvY9VOZ2oX74kLSd7XuEMkXi8e4kM-5B5lc9NGt1MeNJa7ne8DwPHVZSegCwlyyqR5R37fYF4MUR7oxi9M7De0imdVPTGFZNmSKN4KG_u-k5OvzkxnPU/w328-h328/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252818%2529.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>Probably also
from France, but we saw it in <b>Belgium</b> and <b>Vietnam</b>: this
traditional method to make one cup of coffee. Put the holder on top of a cup;
put a round filter at the bottum; put a spoonful of coffee; pour hot water. Put
the lid on top and that is how you get it served in a restaurant.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="oi732d6d"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKGSikMnBuyuQKs2icFCJ3YxJJaoedXu2r0SCzhygt-26WcoO5u0JxcWOmNAA08S_9xaiV83vfkMdV_nkNGquaRwyqq4brwfP882YonHKmfl18n09yodA9FEQq5bPc7LhQByd6AKbjxMy/s2048/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252817%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKGSikMnBuyuQKs2icFCJ3YxJJaoedXu2r0SCzhygt-26WcoO5u0JxcWOmNAA08S_9xaiV83vfkMdV_nkNGquaRwyqq4brwfP882YonHKmfl18n09yodA9FEQq5bPc7LhQByd6AKbjxMy/w328-h328/Blog+koffie+zet+methoden+%252817%2529.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>The<span face=""Verdana",sans-serif"> espresso cooker is very popular in <b>Spain</b>
and <b>Italy</b>. Put water in the lower compartment and fine ground coffee in
the middle compartment. Put on a low stove. The water will be forced through
the coffee and end up in the upper reservoir. It's the same principle as a big
professional espresso machine.<br />
More at <a href="https://www.waterlily-unlimited.nl/espresso/english.html">https://www.waterlily-unlimited.nl/espresso/english.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><font face="verdana">More</font></h3><div><font face="verdana">More on </font><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-size: 15.84px;">the history of coffee and a good dash of Yemen: <a href="http://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-monk-of-mokha-dave-eggers-book.html" target="_blank">The Monk of Mokha</a></span></div><div><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-size: 15.84px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #eeffee; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-11275791165155067712019-02-28T17:59:00.001+01:002022-12-27T17:10:19.277+01:00Travelogue 2019, Episode 4, Canopy walk and Khmer Temple<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">It took some effort
to get up and start moving again. I had to return to Bangkok after all. The
first stage was a short one: to Trang by bus. After that I would take some long, long train rides.</span></b><br />
<h2>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Trang & the Canopy walk <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Like the other relatively young cities Hat Yai and
Phatthalung in the region (founded 100 years ago, with the construction of the railways),
Trang has a large ethnic-Chinese population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Trang is a transfer point for tourists on their way to the
islands in the Andaman sea. They remain in town just one night and may miss some stunning sights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Almost all of the original vegetation in Thailand has been
cut down or burnt down. In the south for rubber plantations, in the center for
rice paddies. The occasional plot has escaped. Outside Trang a 1x4km area
of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>original jungle has been turned into a botanical
garden. With a trail through it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BTRLHUoJJ-LEf6NzP8DxB__xDmzgwUP_CoGlv3L9Z9qT76iJ7rCSV8xzbTINH_tD1aqsH3FQyOHBbW2jWC-D8hCfKAr7DXleKfrXCprAQ9sRgeGntJnRoVZnpNNfxpaP7eP-jFTrQjXS/s1600/22Trang+%252816%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BTRLHUoJJ-LEf6NzP8DxB__xDmzgwUP_CoGlv3L9Z9qT76iJ7rCSV8xzbTINH_tD1aqsH3FQyOHBbW2jWC-D8hCfKAr7DXleKfrXCprAQ9sRgeGntJnRoVZnpNNfxpaP7eP-jFTrQjXS/s320/22Trang+%252816%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span face="verdana, sans-serif">It felt as if I walked into the jungle instantly. Which was
just what I did. Except for the trail and a few signs, in Thai, everything was
original jungle. Most varied: denser and thinner, lighter and darker, higher
and lower, drier and wetter. Palms, ferns, bamboo, tall trees, parasite
plants, lianas, gigantic leaves - it was all there.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">In the distance I could hear traffic noise, but closer by
was the sound of birds, insects and the rustling of lizards through
the leaves.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQVyD2bJ5owM7M0C1NSQS3oWpYeuTRDoiCTHo3nA_YU7uyrQlZhIKR-FO1Btwu7mmtELSOeCWnTKrNRZZ3cAoBns3uJGrmR1XcVM3k0h-XcrSvphS76zgLkS_cqHf7zSHXJiwD5B7Yhmu/s1600/22Trang+%252817%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQVyD2bJ5owM7M0C1NSQS3oWpYeuTRDoiCTHo3nA_YU7uyrQlZhIKR-FO1Btwu7mmtELSOeCWnTKrNRZZ3cAoBns3uJGrmR1XcVM3k0h-XcrSvphS76zgLkS_cqHf7zSHXJiwD5B7Yhmu/s320/22Trang+%252817%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">At one point, a red-colored construction rose up between the
green: an iron watchtower. I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>climbed
it to about 9m. There was an iron suspension bridge to the next
tower, about 40 meters further. There I could go up the stairs and on to the next,
higher suspension bridge. Same again to the third and middle suspension bridge
that rose to 18m. Then I really walked alongside the higher treetops, and
looked down on the lower parts of forest. That was very special.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPD52OjcNY__yLHZjERRuocE6U6s_jpK7TprlkpOCvREkevxugpUfLIWM8paxa7EaSdI9JjzRq54859tstwXfxK-GUEgoKLYw8QdeE4juTUE3DjWoQrQnqexUvQLluRNo5_Z-mp79d6tA4/s1600/22Trang+%252819%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPD52OjcNY__yLHZjERRuocE6U6s_jpK7TprlkpOCvREkevxugpUfLIWM8paxa7EaSdI9JjzRq54859tstwXfxK-GUEgoKLYw8QdeE4juTUE3DjWoQrQnqexUvQLluRNo5_Z-mp79d6tA4/s320/22Trang+%252819%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">After the canopy walk the path continued through the wet part, the "swamp". Today it was not too wet, only the middle part was
submerged. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">From there the trail returned to the starting point. All in
all, the walk had lasted an hour. Time for a break at the coffee shop. The
ladies of the shop and the information boots had a kind of jungle camouflage
blouse as a uniform. Most charming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiP5X0aitTk03HCgQ9U34fJyrxuoeDXA3x4x7wlxSHb_fyQT8YetTH7lNMcB6XIHvkUXA9WSvzreAPwf3Rjt1I3UpAS_J1tYoBU2twcUltyTFjyuYGxbJu6yzo5esZQcl4ZnCnYDAS1KRd/s1600/IMG_20190213_110722.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiP5X0aitTk03HCgQ9U34fJyrxuoeDXA3x4x7wlxSHb_fyQT8YetTH7lNMcB6XIHvkUXA9WSvzreAPwf3Rjt1I3UpAS_J1tYoBU2twcUltyTFjyuYGxbJu6yzo5esZQcl4ZnCnYDAS1KRd/s320/IMG_20190213_110722.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="NL"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Kanchanaburi & the Khmer tempels</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Kanchanaburi is best known for the "Bridge over the
River Kwai" and the horrors of the Burma Railway. It is also a base for
natural beauty further down the valley. One street in the town has become a mini
tourist ghetto with a series of guesthouses, bars, restaurants and massage
parlours.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">If you want to have a drink in the evening, there are
countless possibilities. There are bars with groups of beer-drinking men. There
are large sports cafes with large TV screens. There are cocktail bars with a/c
and fluorescent lighting. There are bars with musical instruments set up on
stage (but no musicians yet). There are bars where ladies with deep necklines help you finish your beer fast and order another one. And then there is
the bench in front of the supermarket, where a man drinks the can of beer he just bought
inside. It was not so much the setting, but the blank expression in his face
that gave it such a sad look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">There is a lesser-known sight. On my travels I visited many
temples, often Khmer temples, satellite cities of the famous Angor Wat. Prasat
Muang Singh is the westernmost Khmer site and far from the others in Cambodia
and Isan. Also relatively far from Kanchanaburi, 40km, and the only public
transport is the train. It only runs a few times a day and there is actually
only one combination of return trains that can be done. If the trains are on
time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaib9f1X-DEFT9Nm2AQ8oO-Dlm2dvUOSxYt47WpwdUB-vRJvyyNYH2jU_S_mlaLdFtIk20k7LSw6TNlHh0LP2El-L_yrUY21vn4PVPcYH7jLvxShfPNhtrC6Hf_SIUWBeG3SFW9ln09VhM/s1600/IMG_20190221_105205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaib9f1X-DEFT9Nm2AQ8oO-Dlm2dvUOSxYt47WpwdUB-vRJvyyNYH2jU_S_mlaLdFtIk20k7LSw6TNlHh0LP2El-L_yrUY21vn4PVPcYH7jLvxShfPNhtrC6Hf_SIUWBeG3SFW9ln09VhM/s320/IMG_20190221_105205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">According to a sign in the station, the train would arrive
10 minutes late. That should leave me just enough time. Whole school groups
were waiting. And already three special wagons for foreigners at tourist price
(100b), because this ride also did the passage of The Bridge. When the train
arrived from Thonburi, the locomotive was disconnected, it picked up our
wagons, drove a lot forward, then backed up again to connect to the wagons from
Thonburi. So we became an extra long train.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">We drove over The Bridge very slowly. Funny to see that from
the other side, just like the market of Samut Songkhram, which we have also
seen from two sides - once from inside the train, once from outside the train. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjG4liDt-Qayn1re7JIm2yLlBYjTj-ePfQz5yHwyNdPL-xPOz0shyphenhyphenh3W_Mj58OS8ZFdLuYLWiKfkFRfhrCaIWTwPQ6DiIC4ZCPa63Tle-pEwcY_odNpp23rQUT7SZww0zvGhXk1zcM8_Tz/s1600/IMG_20190222_143708.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjG4liDt-Qayn1re7JIm2yLlBYjTj-ePfQz5yHwyNdPL-xPOz0shyphenhyphenh3W_Mj58OS8ZFdLuYLWiKfkFRfhrCaIWTwPQ6DiIC4ZCPa63Tle-pEwcY_odNpp23rQUT7SZww0zvGhXk1zcM8_Tz/s320/IMG_20190222_143708.jpg" width="320" /></a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">After
The Bridge, the tracks followed the valley of the Kwae Noi. Lots of
agriculture, rice fields, corn, bananas, crops that I did not know.
Occasionally unexplored tracts of land with the bamboo bush that was so
characteristic of the Hellfire Pass. Villages, Buddhist monasteries, schools,
children and farm workers waved to the train. Sometimes we had a view of the
river, which was quite wide despite its name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8gjKUi5IRlKVPWkAzbhZZUdnTq3EjN4dzHcxp50YJBLCsIU-wfkaeB9YSg9CjdBHvndBIVMXO6PZEkuAxZ-rhrEozqx1zmH77UEJW0qbShXoSZ_CLZR_PHtRaETryMRmMCa68clHe6n1/s1600/IMG_20190222_134411.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8gjKUi5IRlKVPWkAzbhZZUdnTq3EjN4dzHcxp50YJBLCsIU-wfkaeB9YSg9CjdBHvndBIVMXO6PZEkuAxZ-rhrEozqx1zmH77UEJW0qbShXoSZ_CLZR_PHtRaETryMRmMCa68clHe6n1/s320/IMG_20190222_134411.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">With a fifteen minute delay we arrived at the Tha Kilen
station. A few tourists got out, who were met by a waiting van. Most people continued to the end of the line. I was the only one who walked the 500m long
road from the station to the village, between the fields. It was about noon, a
scorching heat had stopped everything. It was beautiful!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The village was a T-junction with 8 shed-like buildings. One
was a kind of shop with a very old lady. I was unable to communicate properly,
she did not understand that I was asking for a cola. Fortunately I was able to
get it myself. But when I forgot my walking stick, she came calling after me -
and her gestures showed that she understood why I had it with me - and that I needed
it to scare away the dogs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The entrance to the historic site was another 500m away,
just before the ancient city walls. The site was 9 centuries old and excavated
from the jungle over 40 years ago and beautifully maintained. The areas between
wall, moat and buildings were neatly raked. In historical monuments, these are
often lawns, here it was an open forest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2N-AXbeXg5veWDGbQyDL_1Q5O9DBsGjeOjm82ek5ZEZALekoniyf5Cjy_Ur20JXaEttSAR1CNI6RbYBnW29FV7iPK67BZoErYxqOWb3AV5gj6zZ9ZBiylcjzwWDYwTsnXPG1Pdws7cDn/s1600/IMG_20190222_121257.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2N-AXbeXg5veWDGbQyDL_1Q5O9DBsGjeOjm82ek5ZEZALekoniyf5Cjy_Ur20JXaEttSAR1CNI6RbYBnW29FV7iPK67BZoErYxqOWb3AV5gj6zZ9ZBiylcjzwWDYwTsnXPG1Pdws7cDn/s320/IMG_20190222_121257.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">A path through the trees led to the central part, the
remains of a temple. Outer walls, a passage that was still partly covered, a
middle building with a statue and a second, higher building whose roof was
still intact, with a statue. The stones were weathered and mossy and hot in the
sun. It radiated power and strength.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I was the only one here. I sat in the courtyard of the main
building. Then I walked to the parking lot where there were toilets. And a
stall with fried noodles. A real lunch was tempting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlRQP6QFEG-tdkgbkLr4Z9RM2lFOMkno3vvsuEcqWlYf3A3B158Puj1gRjgoS3RtIRwI73Ht2-TovKMp-sm-jEheAYjM5DifI4tAa85BWNWNnj1XPZJqwWabvpKKUJemk2pyX1Fow7WFM/s1600/IMG_20190222_121437.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlRQP6QFEG-tdkgbkLr4Z9RM2lFOMkno3vvsuEcqWlYf3A3B158Puj1gRjgoS3RtIRwI73Ht2-TovKMp-sm-jEheAYjM5DifI4tAa85BWNWNnj1XPZJqwWabvpKKUJemk2pyX1Fow7WFM/s320/IMG_20190222_121437.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">When I finished it, I had only 45 minutes left until the
train would leave. But I still wanted to see how the walled city touched the
river, so I walked along the south wall. That was further than I thought and
time was running out. I was about fifteen minutes short. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The strip between the city wall and the river was beautified,
a kind of park with covered seating areas and something that might have been a
restaurant and guest rooms. Here you could really have enjoyed the view. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">But I
had to hurry to catch the train. And at 37 degrees, that's not what
you want. Back through the gate, the access road, through the village, the
station road. I did not suffer from overheating, but my legs hurt. With 5
minutes spare I arrived at the station. Time enough to buy a cup of coffee before the
train arrived.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Kanchanaburi, Changwat Kanchanaburi, Thailand14.1011393 99.417943113.1152898 98.1270496 15.0869888 100.7088366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-32889166182365471462019-02-17T17:39:00.000+01:002023-04-01T14:58:04.176+02:00Travelogue 2019, Episode 3, Destination reached: Satun<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our final train ride
southbound was to Hat Yai, the biggest Thai city south of Bangkok and an
important transport hub. For Malaysia Hat Yai is what Amsterdam is for
England:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you go there for the weekend
for everything that god and your own country have forbidden.</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This time </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">we only stayed for
lunch. With a mini-van we crossed over to the west side of Thailand,
the Andaman coast, where it is warmer and sunnier.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Satun we received
a warm welcome in our guesthouse / resort. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Home sweet home<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37cDr6cJTlY3kNgFMNC64fIpWB4rsBHvg2qLld7l1TEKbyUgbanfNKUCSgQZe3I9DFtvdUOnCy5iMbxD9Ec1bC6Qug7-sBQl2zZpdNi076Pf1KVEOOl6jpF1EEwYNTlLCuX7KLlngpy2j/s1600/21Satun+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37cDr6cJTlY3kNgFMNC64fIpWB4rsBHvg2qLld7l1TEKbyUgbanfNKUCSgQZe3I9DFtvdUOnCy5iMbxD9Ec1bC6Qug7-sBQl2zZpdNi076Pf1KVEOOl6jpF1EEwYNTlLCuX7KLlngpy2j/s320/21Satun+%252811%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was our fourth time in Satun in five years. And we
still find it delightful. How come? It’s a combination of many things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The resort where we stay is beautiful. The cottages are
designed tastefully and maintained well. Comfortable bed and plenty of
space. A private veranda overlooking the well-tended garden. The pool is great
to cool down in the afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Usually It’s not crowded. On weekdays but a few houses are
occupied, during the weekend more. The visitors are a mix of Westerners living
on Langkawi and Malaysian and Thai families. Almost always quiet people. The
staff is always nice and helpful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The resort is located on the outskirts of town, between cow
pastures and tall palm and tamarind trees. When the sun rises, there's an
incredible noise of birds and insects, accompanied by the call for prayer in
the distance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9lZcntZX16xPliZjDqR__Yal0zsbuK3h9H_qTjHWS4-r_EZik0zO61UELtPAbnzxim-WXYtjBDLZ5_TtQ7xGocQAl4syzQDBaYRkK9QEw6-tyUUtEVlNIX0poBz70GN4BTPHMnFbjt57/s1600/16Satun+%252828%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9lZcntZX16xPliZjDqR__Yal0zsbuK3h9H_qTjHWS4-r_EZik0zO61UELtPAbnzxim-WXYtjBDLZ5_TtQ7xGocQAl4syzQDBaYRkK9QEw6-tyUUtEVlNIX0poBz70GN4BTPHMnFbjt57/s320/16Satun+%252828%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s a 15 minute walk down town. Satun is a small town, with
several restaurants that we like. Rich, creamy Thai curry in one, spicy Malay
noodles in another, English pizza at Bobby's, one of the few expats living
here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Almost every walk in town we experience something new or
unexpected. We discover a new street of a new store, we have coffee in a new
coffee shop, we see cats sleeping in the strangest places, we see a snake
zigzagging across the road, we see a new construction project of a dilapidated
corner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrR8R2x1wq5bUlNfHFk70kuG6870J8TM02OLzQW_YOuMBQVpo3NSFyLvM4KWkBQsKJUwzqFG-JVr2k4ixDJiRZ7daaYijXtJyY4Lzzqjg98LqzZ9VUiFLluGMNvBsweuXas8ohWxUosZJ/s1600/16Satun+%252824%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrR8R2x1wq5bUlNfHFk70kuG6870J8TM02OLzQW_YOuMBQVpo3NSFyLvM4KWkBQsKJUwzqFG-JVr2k4ixDJiRZ7daaYijXtJyY4Lzzqjg98LqzZ9VUiFLluGMNvBsweuXas8ohWxUosZJ/s320/16Satun+%252824%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Outside the city you can make the most beautiful walks.
Alongside rubber plantations and fish ponds, or through the mangrove forests.
In a rubber plantation we saw trees with the cups filled
with fresh rubber. Normally they are emptied early in the morning, or you see
old neglected trees. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Walking through the mangrove forest we came as close as 8½km
to the Malaysian border. As the crow flies. With impenetrable mangrove, swamp,
delta and jungle in between. It would be 80km by road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We made two trips out of town. The young lady who made us an ice coffee 5 years ago, and who made an impression because of the
mindfulness and love she applied to that, had moved a few times and now had a
coffee stall 30km away. It was lovely to see her again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our receptionist invited us for a trip to a fishing
village that until recently was only accessible by boat. Now you drive 10km through
mangrove forests on a wide and winding road. The hamlet is a different side of Thailand:
simple wooden houses on stilts, life here is hard and shabby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We spoke two volunteers who worked for a year in a similar
village. That’s tough: nobody speaks decent English, never eating good food,
completely depending on yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIowZMxfRbbB5otIFX4an5xD0wvDSLCXleZkCPyBEhAx3aW3gIXdlOpNd7sM2KTV3KCMfMFV518Oge0MT7KpzlKG5X1sHAKNWaVjPR2jnX65NudF7s0lPwaTJHIV5lwm345ZI7g7VseUU/s1600/16Satun+%252833%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIowZMxfRbbB5otIFX4an5xD0wvDSLCXleZkCPyBEhAx3aW3gIXdlOpNd7sM2KTV3KCMfMFV518Oge0MT7KpzlKG5X1sHAKNWaVjPR2jnX65NudF7s0lPwaTJHIV5lwm345ZI7g7VseUU/s320/16Satun+%252833%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile it got hotter every day. Especially the sun became
increasingly fierceful.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Red Bull<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvnnCQfJF8gKpZGVfhilaCliDRxCJ7tKjj6Q11j-5L1YuMsEWBqIPFKr3_LD4W-VXSIBvdTk2Nkz0MCcX0MN7sqfwkf8uKCzjaIQy4J91FelFrmZVJmA6Mp7SOxxyBqFodWZ9eLyJ6S0_/s1600/iced+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvnnCQfJF8gKpZGVfhilaCliDRxCJ7tKjj6Q11j-5L1YuMsEWBqIPFKr3_LD4W-VXSIBvdTk2Nkz0MCcX0MN7sqfwkf8uKCzjaIQy4J91FelFrmZVJmA6Mp7SOxxyBqFodWZ9eLyJ6S0_/s1600/iced+coffee.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The only thing that can give you a boost in this oppressive
heat is an iced coffee. Specifically one with condensed milk ánd coffee milk ánd
milk powder. It is refreshing and energizing at the same time. The combination
of caffeine, sugar and milk fats apparently has this special effect - for hours
you are wide awake. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The recipe for Red Bull is derived from this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You may think that Red Bull comes from Austria. No, it is a
Thai thing, but the inventor had an Austrian partner for the global marketing.
That has proved successful, one might say. The Yoovidhya family is one of the
richest in Thailand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ll take the "original version" - sometimes with
milk and sometimes black - but always with less sugar than the Thai do.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Chinese New Year<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcb1VrS5yBDItkBZyjh0Dj1h5kbevlQOxiEHIZUr7fOxOiJ3enmJTwmV1o0pOi2fMl6dsm-kbUt71-s-Fv0p-R0wSwrdwXd1A1UakDLi3bFbhENl01MEPm9uBpGZtBoEUnDOfIp376nKT/s1600/IMG_20190201_183037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1173" data-original-width="1173" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcb1VrS5yBDItkBZyjh0Dj1h5kbevlQOxiEHIZUr7fOxOiJ3enmJTwmV1o0pOi2fMl6dsm-kbUt71-s-Fv0p-R0wSwrdwXd1A1UakDLi3bFbhENl01MEPm9uBpGZtBoEUnDOfIp376nKT/s320/IMG_20190201_183037.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some Thai cities, like Ayutthaya and Trang, have a prominent
Chinese population and CNY eclipses public life for weeks. There are markets,
fairs, stages with music and shows, parades with dragons and drums, everyone
wears new red clothes, and meals are put on a table for their ancestors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Much less so in Satun. Still, a lot of red lanterns dangle
throughout the city. Many businesses are closed for a few days or a week, so
the already quiet city seems almost extinct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">People are broad minded here, which is prooved by Muslima’s
wearing red CNY dresses.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cats and dogs<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In general you can say that cities are feline territories,
and the countryside is canine territory. That is why in Asia, when you take a
walk out of town, you always need a stick. Cyclists tell me they go right for
the calves. If you are going to cycle here, a rabies vaccination is
recommended. Then you have 48 hours instead of 24 hours to find the life-saving
serum, if you get bitten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">According to this classification Satun is a town - just.
During the day, you see<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cats walking
around, or sleeping on the sidewalk in front of their house / shop. They push
their head against your legs and let themselves be stroked under their chin and
purr. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Gt5XHTscdachN8ETwdhAh2JmWRmKOQCy0pjQu29N5yPIigG-F4mqwaDfaIqup2wRfZMrz8OMeFfxS2gcI90UMLegH7RG0owR5O2lHDuySQGF43pi99GwE9unq1DPK-y_AF5E27nrck5j/s1600/IMG_20190121_084626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Gt5XHTscdachN8ETwdhAh2JmWRmKOQCy0pjQu29N5yPIigG-F4mqwaDfaIqup2wRfZMrz8OMeFfxS2gcI90UMLegH7RG0owR5O2lHDuySQGF43pi99GwE9unq1DPK-y_AF5E27nrck5j/s320/IMG_20190121_084626.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But after 8 o'clock at night, when it is dark and it gets
quieter, the dogs take over the streets. Packs of dogs roam, and where you
could easily pass a sleeping dog during the day, now they bark at you. The
first gets the next started, and before you know it you have a whole bunch
coming after you. They are not completely wild though: if they come too close,
it is usually enough to raise a finger (literally) and then they back off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The cats have withdrawn further, you can still see them
sleeping here and there, but they keep still.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0108 Thanon Satun Thani, Amphoe Mueang Satun, Chang Wat Satun 91000, Thailand6.6147357650020533 100.066086939672866.6107927650020537 100.06104443967286 6.6186787650020529 100.07112943967286tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-49632367225194811842019-01-20T12:00:00.000+01:002020-04-17T17:26:54.000+02:00Travelogue 2019, Episode 2, Beaches and Lakes in South Thailand<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We went further down
south. We visted two beaches and two large lakes. We seldom go to beach
destinations, now twice, on the northern part of the Gulf of Thailand.</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the central part
of the long stretch that forms Southern Thailand, we visited a large
reservoir in the mountains and a large natural lake near the sea.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Beach town Hua Hin<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6z8PGhPVr3aKt_1omdrklClJ3wFHdrZDFtwFamYOIhKJwsqStw4UeZOi73sHkS3yO2-j7VBv41tKQz0RMSUGUNUkQ8SNQydgX7HsaCUS0NZIHq4CWVflcxOu_BvbQ6HUW4SmL3ecsIkU/s1600/SAM_5300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6z8PGhPVr3aKt_1omdrklClJ3wFHdrZDFtwFamYOIhKJwsqStw4UeZOi73sHkS3yO2-j7VBv41tKQz0RMSUGUNUkQ8SNQydgX7HsaCUS0NZIHq4CWVflcxOu_BvbQ6HUW4SmL3ecsIkU/s320/SAM_5300.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Hue Hin we had a nice hotel in a rather Thai
neighborhood. Thai people lived and worked in the alleys around us, and the
local market was nearby. But other parts of the city were completely taken over
by mainly Scandinavian tourists. Many families with children, many elderly
couples, and older men with their Thai wife. Mostly people come to stay
over for the winter or come for the beach. There must be literally tens of
thousands of Scandinavians living here. And there were quite some Asian
tourists around too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4m4Q_j1YNRxH82USU9ms2yT-tjmR1CuQUMwQZdHOCnR-FWvj2VOmbV1x2tuZuq8iec4RUD1X3BkfKSPQeF2KJBeUyZfctxSD3yP-dmJAcYtlHJupXN3xwOuQiIPHFQvXcuEcJ2JWFirYn/s1600/SAM_5301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4m4Q_j1YNRxH82USU9ms2yT-tjmR1CuQUMwQZdHOCnR-FWvj2VOmbV1x2tuZuq8iec4RUD1X3BkfKSPQeF2KJBeUyZfctxSD3yP-dmJAcYtlHJupXN3xwOuQiIPHFQvXcuEcJ2JWFirYn/s320/SAM_5301.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This time of year it is normal for the water to be high in
the Gulf of Thailand, but these days it was extra high. There was hardly any
beach for much of the day. One morning none at all. We stood at a beach
entrance watching people carrying their mats and towels, looking a bit
alarmed, and turning away again. But in between we could swim and
paddle in the surf and enjoy the sun.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hat Thung Wua Lean (Chumphon)<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yA1NXG8QX9Sr8F81vjv44SuPDinCrgy27AX6S6WYPC-db9TjiskddgIi6j_6GLBqqUUStZOAredwgIPnhCdoyQtdMxmAcTowz6mXqWE1wpWhias3JqNgBHLvIMEFATbU-wRm0c3rsb1z/s1600/SAM_5331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1600" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yA1NXG8QX9Sr8F81vjv44SuPDinCrgy27AX6S6WYPC-db9TjiskddgIi6j_6GLBqqUUStZOAredwgIPnhCdoyQtdMxmAcTowz6mXqWE1wpWhias3JqNgBHLvIMEFATbU-wRm0c3rsb1z/s400/SAM_5331.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With an express train and a songthaew (a pick-up truck with
benches in the hold) we moved 260km further south. There is a small beach, one
kilometer long, with one road alongside, where it is busy with Thai during the
weekend. During the week it is very quiet, the few hotels and restaurants that
are open hardly have any guests. Here too the beach is narrow because of the
high tide, but you share it with just a handful of others. We had two
quiet days.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Single track trains<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We did all our longer transfers by train. Often there were
just one or two trains a day that were useful to us (there are also many night
trains). These are old tracks and diesel trains, with antique signaling systems
that work with hoops, tokens and flags.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8XrJnO2zD1pBLeGnxU1gQbwBcdufuLG8JeVStVU6x3SFLCXAj3D5e3I14bkuvpPf-ZIFYTtgxmFVjmbNt_02ijBuTTqAEGD43NwIQE4SJ0arpgG6aSkebyvEHFXPVO7fD8ajCOfG_fP5/s1600/SAM_5417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8XrJnO2zD1pBLeGnxU1gQbwBcdufuLG8JeVStVU6x3SFLCXAj3D5e3I14bkuvpPf-ZIFYTtgxmFVjmbNt_02ijBuTTqAEGD43NwIQE4SJ0arpgG6aSkebyvEHFXPVO7fD8ajCOfG_fP5/s320/SAM_5417.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To prevent two trains running into each other on a single
track, each track section has one token (a metal disc) that a driver múst have
to be able to drive on that section. At stations where opposite trains pass
each other, the token is given to a station employee. To make the transfer easier from a moving train, the token is clamped in a large hoop. The station
employee brings the hoop with token to the other train. Sometimes the employee
pulls a long sprint for that, once we saw him driving down the platform with a
moped!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrQNWUYxXmUJfZaUp8SJ8a-pS8AT2Py4V9Rg2eXHbVxj5d-mkqU8F8mS54z5X0tCVeMR8e7ZN7nseYtwGQdf1m8LuHJ-yeCzXwNpC4O1UYeyPVmaMjk87gM3gCKOQ6xqdVqFjAw7CDiol/s1600/SAM_5434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrQNWUYxXmUJfZaUp8SJ8a-pS8AT2Py4V9Rg2eXHbVxj5d-mkqU8F8mS54z5X0tCVeMR8e7ZN7nseYtwGQdf1m8LuHJ-yeCzXwNpC4O1UYeyPVmaMjk87gM3gCKOQ6xqdVqFjAw7CDiol/s320/SAM_5434.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The express trains reached up to 120 km / h. And even the
wooden (!) local train that we had, reached almost 90 km / h. After 4½ hours,
wooden benches are very hard<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>indeed…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ratchaprapha Dam / Khao Sok NP<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the town of Phun Phin (Surat Thani) we made a day trip
to the Ratchaprapha Dam, the largest reservoir in South Thailand. It is a
popular destination for boat trips, both by backpackers and in the weekend also
by Thai. Almost everyone comes with an organized tour, so it took some time to
find our bearings in the chaos. But in the end we sailed on our own little boat
inbetween the rock formations, mountain peaks and jungle. Magnificent!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID9B6nfVtWvt-6DXK1YSXaZi3AyCRwI7Z0mR1p_kIPWILrDVdJZxn8IupsAjVA8F90if5ydaIp_ZvPmioLZEpBe2iRLzZ3TaFdYUTMzbSqJxgUmkCZ0rR0hOlPphc1G2jl2Y129Xg5VtO/s1600/SAM_5393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID9B6nfVtWvt-6DXK1YSXaZi3AyCRwI7Z0mR1p_kIPWILrDVdJZxn8IupsAjVA8F90if5ydaIp_ZvPmioLZEpBe2iRLzZ3TaFdYUTMzbSqJxgUmkCZ0rR0hOlPphc1G2jl2Y129Xg5VtO/s320/SAM_5393.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(Find the details how to organise a day trip from </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Surat Thani to Khao Sok National Park <a href="https://www.waterlily-unlimited.nl/travelguide/thailandsuratthani.php#things" target="_blank">here</a>.)</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
</div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Phatthalung & Thale Noi NP<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We stayed in the small provincial capital of Phatthalung for
a few days. It is situated pretty much in the middle of nowhere and there
are hardly any tourists. Yet there are some beautiful limestone mountains with
caves and it is located near the largest lake in Thailand: Lake Songkhla.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A remote corner of the lake, still 5x5km, is a bird
sanctuary, Thale Noi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could make a
boat trip. We got in with a somewhat older man who turned out to be a fine
boatman. The trip was fantastic. We passed a variety of "land" scapes, vegetation and animals. Large parts of the lake were covered
with water plants, but the water was crystal clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincPJh_y4H5Qd7eEkUKmabKIKt5akX12VVqrG-yOQdZBR0EX3mORl-by3GsFing9nLimPpJg5EZzck1QBPCpulHl02KNt7C1OPmqBHohbaKgksLftCg-6KobVF9nYdxxgQrRDVvvzumclz/s1600/SAM_5555+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincPJh_y4H5Qd7eEkUKmabKIKt5akX12VVqrG-yOQdZBR0EX3mORl-by3GsFing9nLimPpJg5EZzck1QBPCpulHl02KNt7C1OPmqBHohbaKgksLftCg-6KobVF9nYdxxgQrRDVvvzumclz/s320/SAM_5555+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first part was the water lily zone. Up close there was
plenty of space between the flowers, but if you looked into the distance, there
was a purple-pink glow over the water. We saw moorhens, gulls, herons, storks,
cormorants and many more birds, of which I do not know the name. Part of the
trip went through reeds, and we saw a large herd of water buffalo. The
shepherds sailed in two small boats to keep them together. A baby buffalo
stayed behind. Every now and then we cut through pieces of water plants, which
separated underneath us. But once in a while, our boatman had to turn around. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Next we passed large moving fishing nets (Kochi type) that were strung along a
kind of canal in the middle of the lake... </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hidden
in the reeds we saw three more water buffalo. We saw the huge animals swimming
and clambering lazily. Finally we sailed along a long row of trees, where each tree root
formed its own small island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
</h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Further south, the Thai seem even more friendly.
There is not only the proverbial “Thai smile”, but also radiant faces, happy
eyes, helpful interventions, greetings and an overall feeling of being welcome.
Unfortunately, hardly anyone speaks English, so we had no deep and meaningful
conversations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Changwat Phattalung, Thailand7.6166823 100.07402316.6091738 98.783129600000009 8.6241908 101.3649166tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-1640753183571754112019-01-06T20:00:00.000+01:002024-03-15T11:33:02.756+01:00Travelogue 2019, Episode 1, Old and New in Bangkok<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We arrived in Bangkok
on New Year's Eve. I thought over here New Year’s Eve would be a non-event like
in many Asian countries. What a mistake.</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAdJQ7dBTEDLzN8mOQsjoQfm-841pQeeW-kTS3YhsGmxXFEQVJGfUUfOxhVrw9GEzXvB9XKk-Eu7Q4IzPaZTC9CkRM4b7hKBjgEMVdui5jo_Esf3RmHHQCIgzldAKuiSrr8La7Nihf9Hf/s1600/IMG_20181231_205354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAdJQ7dBTEDLzN8mOQsjoQfm-841pQeeW-kTS3YhsGmxXFEQVJGfUUfOxhVrw9GEzXvB9XKk-Eu7Q4IzPaZTC9CkRM4b7hKBjgEMVdui5jo_Esf3RmHHQCIgzldAKuiSrr8La7Nihf9Hf/s320/IMG_20181231_205354.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A large part of Siam Square was closed for traffic - and
that says something in this car city. Six-lane roads were transformed into
pedestrian areas and party locations. The decoration and lighting was
impressive: so cheerful and colorful. The amount of people already in the
streets at 9 pm was even more overwhelming. Thick masses of people flocked to
the plazas with music and show for the countdown, many wearing illuminated
headgear. Despite the crowds and noise, the atmosphere was relaxed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikHd2kSSoYj7iAQvz7PyhxyRZ38082r-uVsCJNtxL-kwBV09c8PYZbaCpF52GDL_yU613sPCfgoQbz4_pQJxtudlTFYFFl0RXSQXsEO2Dc6T2cKBL5C0nIH3ztLIkLomeR_owxFd0L4eX/s1600/IMG_20181231_203346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikHd2kSSoYj7iAQvz7PyhxyRZ38082r-uVsCJNtxL-kwBV09c8PYZbaCpF52GDL_yU613sPCfgoQbz4_pQJxtudlTFYFFl0RXSQXsEO2Dc6T2cKBL5C0nIH3ztLIkLomeR_owxFd0L4eX/s320/IMG_20181231_203346.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We passed a large temple with the sound of chanting. Rows of
people, hundreds, prayed and sang. A group of monks led the chanting. Almost
everyone was dressed in white and had a piece of string tied around their head,
that came down from a network of strings that had been spun above the whole
site. So everyone was connected to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At midnight there were some big fireworks shows. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Walking from park to park<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Every dark-gray autumn day, every ice-cold winter day I had
been looking forward to this moment, after the night-flights and the long walks
through air-conditioned terminals, after the train-ride and the station
building: to feel the solid ground and to taste the warm air of Bangkok.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bangkok is vibrant, lively, colorful and cheerful. But also
busy and noisy. That's why it's so nice to discover the quiet, hidden corners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">New Year's Day Lumphini Park was lively but not crowded.
There was walking, jogging, cycling and picnics going on. There was a light
breeze, just perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrlMpz2unJPKOQD1jB7Jq3BtWahMBxMuY8Y6qqiLRXXEjwMNi2x2hBxS9AZ9F3wo6rj2f9eFfFuVFXhyphenhyphenStUv_OyAGjUufD-vJ7BsACRo17JiGwJBOHPrui-jVSi7CmswGa31DtppEKkA2/s1600/SAM_5110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrlMpz2unJPKOQD1jB7Jq3BtWahMBxMuY8Y6qqiLRXXEjwMNi2x2hBxS9AZ9F3wo6rj2f9eFfFuVFXhyphenhyphenStUv_OyAGjUufD-vJ7BsACRo17JiGwJBOHPrui-jVSi7CmswGa31DtppEKkA2/s320/SAM_5110.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We sat down at one of the big ponds. A few crows were
fighting over a fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we looked
sideways we saw a monitor lizard that was also busy with a large fish. At first
the lizard seemed<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>smallish but it was
still one meter long. It had a hard time with the fish. Tore it in half and
then swallowed half of it. The fish got stuck and for a long time two tail fins
stuck out of the lizard’s mouth. A pretty silly sight. Eventually it managed to
swallow it. Then the other half of the fish was eaten, say shredded. It was a
bloody scene. Later we saw an even bigger lizard more peacefully sitting in the
sun on a bank.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlHada4ovNK0tk4wvNUYRPbk5-t8UWmZIbwjb3cbM5pxXdyGdKp0NyjD50-ZWkBTmCzpdNhSjJErkX62Iu7iKf9uJkiOxasMh7AtiGQLKTkGIkBqaeV80tOiu0qX81FyeNHN-mrVcqcT_/s1600/SAM_5117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlHada4ovNK0tk4wvNUYRPbk5-t8UWmZIbwjb3cbM5pxXdyGdKp0NyjD50-ZWkBTmCzpdNhSjJErkX62Iu7iKf9uJkiOxasMh7AtiGQLKTkGIkBqaeV80tOiu0qX81FyeNHN-mrVcqcT_/s320/SAM_5117.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is an elevated bike path from Lamphini Park to
Benchakiti Park, partly above, partly next to a canal. It is a beautiful
walkway along the backs of <u>old</u> neighborhoods, far from busy roads. You
see wooden houses, small gardens, banana trees. Birds whistling, cats sleeping
in the sun. The village was messy, and only the <u>new</u> skyscrapers in the
distance reminded you that you were in the big city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Around Bangkok<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We made two trips to suburbs of Bangkok that are officially
located in another province. A big contrast in means of transport. To Paknam we
took the brand new, just opened extension of the hypermodern Skytrain. To Samut
Songkhram we took a slow train over an ancient narrow gauge single track ...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgjyOHQzLPe6rvcsQPXZDqb-W8YqFHjjBn2fahRJQF43EJ7Xcwr32IniUkLUqnCK2mPAD9FNCr29_h06jBiYOjS1zO2sbTfrIRCwq-6BRqWoVSY6kUnLaG0piqctMEraMt3WYafAczyW2/s1600/SAM_5146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgjyOHQzLPe6rvcsQPXZDqb-W8YqFHjjBn2fahRJQF43EJ7Xcwr32IniUkLUqnCK2mPAD9FNCr29_h06jBiYOjS1zO2sbTfrIRCwq-6BRqWoVSY6kUnLaG0piqctMEraMt3WYafAczyW2/s320/SAM_5146.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyGfGSY8MhUXYpujtwoam7Sizu1z80tJe7gfjaPzQmj2OsVkkW9aeqhiev-hARlTTtA0ugpdlP6stU9GreOqTf1EZeNf9wW2wgqb7e8xKKqj7cblHfGSwOY5y_5ZaKffW1aHZA7pYO0VZ/s1600/SAM_5165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyGfGSY8MhUXYpujtwoam7Sizu1z80tJe7gfjaPzQmj2OsVkkW9aeqhiev-hARlTTtA0ugpdlP6stU9GreOqTf1EZeNf9wW2wgqb7e8xKKqj7cblHfGSwOY5y_5ZaKffW1aHZA7pYO0VZ/s320/SAM_5165.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Erawan Museum in Paknam is a bizarre collection of
kitschy elephant statues and historical Buddha statues in and around a giant
three-headed elephant. The elephant reaches 47 meters high and can be seen
above everything from a great distance. Around it gardens and ponds and temples
and elephant statues. Ínside the elephant is an overabundantly decorated stairwell,
where Asian ladies like to be photographed in graceful poses. Upstairs, in the
belly of the elephant, is a blue lit room with precious ancient Buddha statues.
Very remarkable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hidden behind a market is a small train station, Wong Wian
Yai. It’s the starting point of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a slow
train to the southwest. We rode along small houses and the backs of buildings,
past banana trees and market stalls. Slowly the urban development became less
dense. After an hour, over 30 km, the terminal station was in a large fish
market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Cx8DUBsq3QoCX86kpFqC1MtCogeHJxCZCk4i7znmhUxDvqzk30gfq1Jkxv2mTF4wKex5vips4JO6UwqrmIHwFR7E8G78VKjbQJb8Kvog8q4h3dFaiSTo-x_SAOZc0-wRZNPZrC512JUf/s1600/SAM_5237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Cx8DUBsq3QoCX86kpFqC1MtCogeHJxCZCk4i7znmhUxDvqzk30gfq1Jkxv2mTF4wKex5vips4JO6UwqrmIHwFR7E8G78VKjbQJb8Kvog8q4h3dFaiSTo-x_SAOZc0-wRZNPZrC512JUf/s320/SAM_5237.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From there it was a few minutes walk to the river, that we
crossed by ferry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then another ten minutes walk to the next train station,
where a similar train ride took us to the next river. This strech was more
rural, with large fish ponds and salt basins. Here too, the line ended in a
market. When a train came in, the goods had to be removed from the tracks and
the marquises folded back. This had become a true attraction in recent years,
and was visited by thousands of tourists as a day trip from Bangkok. So our
train was welcomed by a huge crowd that was photographing and waving at us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkQnvQvt3gU7WaLvw2xifm8wGUD9Sx58fOlNH9EnFwvhigH1gNo8UFTzslnhv9km5_v2uKDmhLnILTklJ4qdFXgigxZM7RuPG4C_GGgiHUM0DxZ1_A-V3ZsWr5cFWZk2yx7QymZFYTuD_/s1600/SAM_5269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkQnvQvt3gU7WaLvw2xifm8wGUD9Sx58fOlNH9EnFwvhigH1gNo8UFTzslnhv9km5_v2uKDmhLnILTklJ4qdFXgigxZM7RuPG4C_GGgiHUM0DxZ1_A-V3ZsWr5cFWZk2yx7QymZFYTuD_/s320/SAM_5269.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The next morning we watched the scene from the other side.
Some stall owners had put their crates of goods on a moving rack, which slid
over small rails to make just enough space for the train. Others had stacked
their vegetables so low that the train ran overhead the cabbage and mangoes.
What struck us was how close the space between the market stalls and the train
was. Really just 2a3 cm clearance. And a train is very big when it passes a few
centimeters from you ...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Siam, Rama I Rd, Khwaeng Pathum Wan, Khet Pathum Wan, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330, Thailand13.7457428351634 100.5341232695556613.7380308351634 100.52403826955566 13.7534548351634 100.54420826955567tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-45947920091028495102018-06-30T17:00:00.000+02:002018-08-23T16:51:40.368+02:00Travelogue Summer 2018 (4/4) Going underground in Kashan, Iran<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our fourth and final destination was Kashan, another
relatively small desert town. More of those winding alleys between mud walls,
which soon became a maze. The final days of an incredibly beautiful and
fascinating journey.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kashan<o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-u0kL2THUGc8W4gscBDRP3_4-c0jbrdG2IfvZwnmKFS6PQHeeSukDq3u_kH6ZOZc1YWffoDLNDxXQD3GjeFxZolnEB4zJCpTXSJ-l6axT6kjnlPVhKwVyU0OGOB9d533K8PyHWXvO1MeL/s1600/Kashan+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-u0kL2THUGc8W4gscBDRP3_4-c0jbrdG2IfvZwnmKFS6PQHeeSukDq3u_kH6ZOZc1YWffoDLNDxXQD3GjeFxZolnEB4zJCpTXSJ-l6axT6kjnlPVhKwVyU0OGOB9d533K8PyHWXvO1MeL/s400/Kashan+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kashan historical house</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kashan is famous for its "historical houses",
19th-century houses of wealthy traders. You might say city palaces. Some are
ghostly ruins. Most have been restored and become a landmark or hotel. We
looked at some of them closely. Around several courtyards, over three floors,
one of which is underground, were numerous dwellings. A winter cellar that
caught the sun, a summer cellar in the shade, kitchens, water distribution
rooms, reception halls, a mirror hall, there is no end to it. Some rooms have
stained-glass windows, some have decorations and paintings and sculptures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gW9mRsbGLskjqPQZ1KzhyU1PrLsYEevAXfTVDO8sRlzJyp4v4IIOSglNiodFsCWKJjZbldVS-kjyYiVuwnJ_j_6NcaaOsD9xcVvI0mEXg1iZSjr8VzP6K65eklCeI7wV_cEGYBohhxWb/s1600/Kashan+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="1600" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gW9mRsbGLskjqPQZ1KzhyU1PrLsYEevAXfTVDO8sRlzJyp4v4IIOSglNiodFsCWKJjZbldVS-kjyYiVuwnJ_j_6NcaaOsD9xcVvI0mEXg1iZSjr8VzP6K65eklCeI7wV_cEGYBohhxWb/s400/Kashan+%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">kashan bathhouse</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then there was the Sultan's bathhouse. Beautifully restored,
with different rooms, corridors, domes, paintings, tiles. The boiler room, the
hot water supply, the changing room, the shaving area and the blood outlet area
... It was like a fairytale, especially when we climbed the roof. It was a curved
scape with upright domes, on top of which were small top-domes with tiny round
windows, against the desert city backdrop. Because nothing was straight, it looked
like a cross between a skateboard track and a collection of Martians.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_rCzMtmDJut6ZuLtTvGBMq6Gyt-_HMrmuUKVwn6ZkRCR3ZtZIIWivU-JvHCESrI1dOhnXC6DMPLsLs0cYIjb7JQNDJeAlJAOodsxoU1bw7v2strAUEnCXIBbPmDyMUGQCz1ZkR2vIyhu/s1600/Kashan+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="1600" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_rCzMtmDJut6ZuLtTvGBMq6Gyt-_HMrmuUKVwn6ZkRCR3ZtZIIWivU-JvHCESrI1dOhnXC6DMPLsLs0cYIjb7JQNDJeAlJAOodsxoU1bw7v2strAUEnCXIBbPmDyMUGQCz1ZkR2vIyhu/s400/Kashan+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the map I saw a strange part of the city without alleys.
On the satellite photo it looked like a circular wall with green in it. It was quite
a search, because there seemed to be no way leading there. But through a
mausoleum and a covered alley and a parking lot we reached a park that hit a
high mud wall. You could climb up there easily. Indeed, from the top you looked
down a circle of about 500 meters in diameter, it looked like a crater wall.
And a lot of vegetable gardens, some just plowed, others green. Mind blowing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With some effort we climbed down on the inside. We walked
across a narrow footpath along a small irrigation canal to the other side,
where there was a pointed dome that we now knew from cisterns and ice houses.
Undoubtedly it had to do with the former water supply. Now it looked like it had
been restored on the outside, but out of use. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Later we read that the mud walls are the remnants of a
1,000-year-old city rampart. Discovering this hidden treasure was the kind of
bonus that gives great satisfaction to a city walk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Iran - past, present and future<o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Almost 40 years ago, the uprising against the Shah began,
which led to the revolution that has shaped modern Iran. The clergy in power,
in a complex interplay of influences - the president, the parliament, the
spiritual leader, the revolutionary guard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">20 years ago I was in Iran, halfway the current age of the
Islamic Republic. Has it changed a lot in those 20 years? In some ways yes, in
some ways not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Western media still paint a totally distorted picture of
Iran. We are thinking of a primitive country full of terrorists and extreme
Ayatollahs - while this century has unmistakably seen greater support for
terrorism by Western ally Saudi Arabia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Still it is probably the most friendly, sweetest and most calm
people I know. People like to have a chat with us, are interested without being
intrusive. The public space is clean and feels calm and safe. Despite<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it being a strict Islamic country, mosques
are not prominent and there is no loud call to prayer five times a day. The
streets are cozy, mixed, young and old, modern and traditional. There are many
small shops that are open to the street, busy old bazaars, and also large
modern shopping malls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Because of the boycott and wrong decisions, the country has
ended up in a permanent economic crisis. As a result, it has developed less
than was potentially possible, but you would still compare it with Southern
Europe rather than with an Asian country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Although much equipment is out of date, there is a
reasonably working infrastructure; there are no power cuts; the level of
education is high; telephone and internet are used extensively. As a result,
the average Iranian has a better view of the outside world than 20 years ago;
on Instagram there is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">de facto</i>
freedom of speech; tourism has increased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The future of Iran depends both on world politics and on
domestic politics. Economic despair could well be the biggest destabilizing
factor. Will the country remain isolated or will it be connected?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSJI_OB0mqTMYJVTOcFebhsjjzVbMf31yG-BROBgmMOXB4U3C0So4UE7u7pmroxOB7anXvPeobNE2VYA4D0O17VgmH4AAAJHegos530lBwy85sUXjmG2D3sepGzht2i8sATmN5TstB4XX/s1600/Kashan+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="720" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSJI_OB0mqTMYJVTOcFebhsjjzVbMf31yG-BROBgmMOXB4U3C0So4UE7u7pmroxOB7anXvPeobNE2VYA4D0O17VgmH4AAAJHegos530lBwy85sUXjmG2D3sepGzht2i8sATmN5TstB4XX/s320/Kashan+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally/more<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do you want to read more about what we ate in Iran? Take a look at <a href="https://www.waterlily-unlimited.nl/travelguide/iranvegetarian.php">Lily's travel guide</a></span></div>
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<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Kashan, Shahabi - شهابی، Iran33.978025325155613 51.44380124893189133.976379325155612 51.44127974893189 33.979671325155614 51.446322748931891tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-10220390784495584832018-06-26T16:00:00.000+02:002018-08-23T16:51:52.956+02:00Travelogue Summer 2018 (3/4) Fairytales in Isfahan, Iran<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With a comfortable
VIP bus we drove from Yazd to Isfahan. A taxi to the hotel. A cheerful young
girl without a headscarf (until she hit the street later) welcomed us. It was a
kind of hostel around a beautiful courtyard. And for us it was the base to view
one of the most beautiful cities in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<h3>
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Isfahan <o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIXfqlgwqsgz8BE8YeUFUmUGkC3bE5dCVhiZPhiYcLvOkrPEnD6JRwxrizCalw2cy6oZwMs4Xkqb_e6tJ6d7tFtETPUXI07-dXGvUG0GEATkHT1FraqQFwpJR8VPYwj-9VYFboDNzjTOf/s1600/Isfahan+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIXfqlgwqsgz8BE8YeUFUmUGkC3bE5dCVhiZPhiYcLvOkrPEnD6JRwxrizCalw2cy6oZwMs4Xkqb_e6tJ6d7tFtETPUXI07-dXGvUG0GEATkHT1FraqQFwpJR8VPYwj-9VYFboDNzjTOf/s400/Isfahan+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Isfahan Nagh-e-Jahan square</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Nagh-e-Jahan square is immense. With 150 by 500m it is
the second largest in the world. Surrounded by double arcades, two fabulous
mosques and a palace. With footpaths and lawns. And in the evening hundreds,
thousands of people gather. The stone benches and the lawns were almost
completely full. With the darkness in the sultry evening, it was wonderfully
relaxed. Groups of women and children formed the majority. They took out rugs,
thermos jugs and gas stoves - having a picnic was taken to a higher art here.
Under the full moon, surrounded by the façades where each arch was lit, it was </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Arabian Nights</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> live. The weekend mood
made the people even more open to greetings, waving, laughing and welcoming us.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx0uuL5WF4dKJga6oiZ8CEnYkbnhiG2GqDZoxDNTUevGLJ9JKNdTblD_hQ8qvDLNPJyk9xvmfarFBbJVxL0_Vu2abmqouxWWn2JwTXs0FDYe2K2aieTk09qUkz2i-5fDYCJPxC2jOclXy/s1600/Isfahan+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx0uuL5WF4dKJga6oiZ8CEnYkbnhiG2GqDZoxDNTUevGLJ9JKNdTblD_hQ8qvDLNPJyk9xvmfarFBbJVxL0_Vu2abmqouxWWn2JwTXs0FDYe2K2aieTk09qUkz2i-5fDYCJPxC2jOclXy/s400/Isfahan+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Isfahan Great Abbassi Mosque</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Great Abbassi Mosque, the largest of the two on the
square, stood out because of the overwhelming amount of blue tiles and blue
mosaic. Halfway through the construction they switched from mosaic to painted
tiles, because it went faster. Not only the large alcoves are blue, but also
the entire span of the courtyard and a number of niches. Abstract, geometric
and fantasy figures interspersed with Koran texts and the occasional scene with
animals. A lot of marble has also been used. Several parts of the mosque were
being renovated, including the largest niche and the dome which were scaffolded.
In a workshop we could see how with a real size mold of 1 / 16th
"part" of the dome, the tiles were re-drawn and copied before they
were replaced.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQk_TrCOhyphenhyphen_QQzXc5GfAJE0lPteYs8i33lpCM48SDdpDup4MIezgijuApg3PSlbLVkUC3DJ3RbeeK1VNJRFK5YJQmR-55iYWXzo0ltlAvjVF6vwAflENN7XfIn-WRrCEFD539mJaISZ1VO/s1600/Isfahan+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1600" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQk_TrCOhyphenhyphen_QQzXc5GfAJE0lPteYs8i33lpCM48SDdpDup4MIezgijuApg3PSlbLVkUC3DJ3RbeeK1VNJRFK5YJQmR-55iYWXzo0ltlAvjVF6vwAflENN7XfIn-WRrCEFD539mJaISZ1VO/s400/Isfahan+%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isfahan Khajou bridge </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Khajou bridge again was incredibly beautiful. 350 years
old. The lower base was a dam, then granite pillars and waterways with stairs,
then brick pillars under which people were standing in the shade. A man was
singing. The upper part of the bridge had raised sides that again formed gates
where people were sitting in the shade. Everyone was cheerful and friendly. The
only dissonant was that the river was dry, which is almost always the case in
recent years. The water is diverted to elsewhere.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Paterns and dimensions<o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe02HI4jnzWbSRdWJpk_539uQY0uJpHONy7cqDuIa7MFzI9K6QjTU-hUA-T_aO8qtjPNbnojtoQ2kdI2xtlDt16GVzbVz3UhXhdKOApcVaEuQYQ70OChyphenhyphenANKCLb3vq4Pf0h7eZY76wfcJ6/s1600/Isfahan+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe02HI4jnzWbSRdWJpk_539uQY0uJpHONy7cqDuIa7MFzI9K6QjTU-hUA-T_aO8qtjPNbnojtoQ2kdI2xtlDt16GVzbVz3UhXhdKOApcVaEuQYQ70OChyphenhyphenANKCLb3vq4Pf0h7eZY76wfcJ6/s400/Isfahan+%25289%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The mosques could be overwhelmingly large, but never
pompous. Because of the perfect proportions in the dimensions they always
seemed serene and soothing. The surfaces consisted of abstract patterns that
overlapped, intertwined, repeated themselves, varied, coalesced with the arches
and domes, expanding or shrinking where necessary. Breathtaking mosaic that you
could look at endlessly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If only Escher or Gaudí had seen this ... In fact, Escher did
see this in Andalucía, and then became the draftsman we know today. Gaudí
studied Persian architecture and Islamic art mainly from books, during his
training.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ladies and dress codes<o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In recent years there has been a wave of relaxation of the
dress code. Especially in fashionable Isfahan you could tell. The long overcoat
was by no means always over the knee, was by no means always black, was
sometimes open or fitted, and sometimes even almost transparent. Also blouses
were sometimes tight, colorful and playful. The headscarves were often worn way
back and there was a lot of hair showing. Usually straight black, but also
bleached and wavy. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Occasionally it hung loose down the back. Jeans were
sometimes pretty tight, but always to the ankle. Some women were exuberant with
</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">rouge</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> all over their face, bright red
lipstick, and especially the eyes, eyelashes and jet-black eyebrows received a
lot of attention.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxa9xJW5WrKmBMqx-6IMhsVik_i9KA9sVq9ySuWhwOs-c8hEq8rcQvj_-Mltk6eomYm78RzWsPxl1OoilZuxcV3RGtRYCUPkOC3Cx8xceOVafR1Lk0pFUbwXKnKqiVfVVe1V55fb50wxu-/s1600/Isfahan+%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxa9xJW5WrKmBMqx-6IMhsVik_i9KA9sVq9ySuWhwOs-c8hEq8rcQvj_-Mltk6eomYm78RzWsPxl1OoilZuxcV3RGtRYCUPkOC3Cx8xceOVafR1Lk0pFUbwXKnKqiVfVVe1V55fb50wxu-/s400/Isfahan+%25288%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not only the more modern dressed ladies were keen to flirt a
bit. My blue eyes, long hair and radiant smile :) attracted the ladies'
interest, and they showed that openly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you do not know that women in Iran are legally
disadvantaged, you may get the impression that they are equal. They are fully
present in the streets and behave in a self-confident and self-assured manner.
They are on average higher educated than men and sometimes they are the main
breadwinner in a family. In any case their position is better than in any of
the surrounding countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Isfahan Province, Isfahan, Chahar Bagh e Khaju Ave, No. 20, Iran32.649266242868535 51.6814472892547232.649057242868537 51.68113228925472 32.649475242868533 51.681762289254721tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-20261956495741017962018-06-22T19:30:00.000+02:002018-08-23T16:52:06.328+02:00Travelogue Summer 2018 (2/4) Fire, water, air and mud in Yazd, Iran<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We rented a taxi for
the day to take us from Shiraz to Yazd (430km) so we could stop <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">en route</i> in Persepolis. 2500 years ago
this was an important capital, and you could still see beautiful remains.</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Yazd we found a
lovely hostel with nice rooms on a roof terrace. There we could sit together,
eat, drink tea with a view of the city. Yazd is smaller than Shiraz and has a
more provincial feel.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<h3>
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yazd<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We wanted to take a walk through the mud alleys to the
Friday Mosque. As the crow flies no more than 500 meters. The houses are turned
inwards, so towards the street you mainly see walls with some small windows and
doors. Because everything was muddy-brown, it seemed like one design. Some
alleys were covered, then there were turns and squares, domes and arches. It
was very quiet, every now and then a lady covered in black passed in the
distance. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUZNTQVgLBf5Q_QmukeAOf-s2Ep8mwbqMxAsuAagaROD_jTf-4ALPlV2VoQswxkOxx7UOhZBd7WG9TVRPqGf-iYplEU43YyOc1wE7nyh23Weypi6vvXO_aHCReuQOzaCXhB7cYoy8Lf89/s1600/Yazd+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1600" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUZNTQVgLBf5Q_QmukeAOf-s2Ep8mwbqMxAsuAagaROD_jTf-4ALPlV2VoQswxkOxx7UOhZBd7WG9TVRPqGf-iYplEU43YyOc1wE7nyh23Weypi6vvXO_aHCReuQOzaCXhB7cYoy8Lf89/s400/Yazd+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yazd mud buildings</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Because of the twisting and turning of the alleys we totally
lost our sense of direction. The maps in the guidebook and even google did not show
many alleys, so we did not know which way to go. We asked a few men which way
to the Friday Mosque, and they all pointed in different directions. Eventually
we saw the tall minarets and managed to keep our course. In the bazaar and in
the street towards the mosque, which had been very busy last night, it was very
quiet now. After all, Friday morning is a kind of Sunday morning. A few
domestic tourists wanted to take a picture with us, with the impressive
entrance in the background.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04KxUPBL3qZCyjeHngCT0WTQ51sI9fOUScCryZp0z0HduJalEzsH_lOBVgEf3kyIWmJnt81Ilv0peUSlBIphwymzgreFOYnyxExdBzvbKxi21BhQFL-nj6P4Mt-IvvtAVMbUBGoIq8DAk/s1600/Yazd+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1013" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04KxUPBL3qZCyjeHngCT0WTQ51sI9fOUScCryZp0z0HduJalEzsH_lOBVgEf3kyIWmJnt81Ilv0peUSlBIphwymzgreFOYnyxExdBzvbKxi21BhQFL-nj6P4Mt-IvvtAVMbUBGoIq8DAk/s400/Yazd+%25284%2529.JPG" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yazd water supply</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Friday Mosque is decorated with a particularly beautiful
mosaic of tiles, many abstract lines, lots of blue. There were some people
around making phone calls or sleeping, otherwise it was quiet. A man told us
about the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">qanats</i>, underground
channels that used to supply water from the mountains. Now the system is
polluted and closed, and the water comes from Isfahan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We visited the water museum. Actually an old mansion, but
suitable as the water museum because there are not one but two old <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">qanats</i> underneath, from which can be tapped.
Through narrow tunnels that had been excavated underground, the water ran out
of the mountains to the city. Rich families could get water in their cellar.
The bottom channel is so deep that there is a cool space where you could store
food and the family could sit during sweltering afternoons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We took a taxi to the Zoroastrian fire temple just outside
the city center. Zoroastrianism has its origins in this region and is one of
the oldest surviving religions in the world. In a garden stood a couple of buildings,
above the door the symbol with two long wings and all kinds of details that had
a specific meaning. With themes like "good thinking, doing good" and
"karma" there were many concepts recognizable from Buddhism. The
"eternal flame" burned behind glass. This particular specimen has
been burning for 1,500 years, another one outside the city for 6,000 years. In
another building was a large photo exhibition with images of daily life of
Zoroastrians from the area of Yazd.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGHGpiyYLkhzwzWcr1UyxGbtaD49MH_YLVMaBL-JGk03zD1N5eBYggtNN8h2ljqSqt6_QbgYVhRrBl5GmOiCGGp9UzZipvk2Dht0VFAfScWV5N2TwlheDwfZwzKxqnbdN0yEGkjrBVq9e/s1600/Yazd+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="1600" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGHGpiyYLkhzwzWcr1UyxGbtaD49MH_YLVMaBL-JGk03zD1N5eBYggtNN8h2ljqSqt6_QbgYVhRrBl5GmOiCGGp9UzZipvk2Dht0VFAfScWV5N2TwlheDwfZwzKxqnbdN0yEGkjrBVq9e/s400/Yazd+%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yazd fire temple</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<h3>
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Air coolers en wind towers <o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first time I saw one was in Rajasthan in 2001. My hotel
room had a pack of straw in front of the window with a fan behind it. If you
wet the straw and the air flows through it (wind or fan) you get a cool
airflow. Meanwhile, there are more modern versions with a grid instead of
straw, and a few years ago I even bought one to use at home. For those few warm
days a year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Iran we saw plenty of air coolers. Ideal because, unlike
an air conditioner, they work in an open space, so you can leave your shop door
open. And they use much less power, although that does not seem to matter much
in Iran. We saw them in shops, in workshops, in restaurants and even on top of
a city bus!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNz_m7t7fZb9sLLPLYfxALKWK1RR3mP5I2FwU7YfTcWg3udJn1wjB7Aby7K9CQTjWXpJYVe3cpEmWdH15n_FVPDWnrg_9E9jwLuh64yICwZ9mya5uJpksMHJMKfXgCiWJ3DMY8JWAOz0Tc/s1600/Yazd+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNz_m7t7fZb9sLLPLYfxALKWK1RR3mP5I2FwU7YfTcWg3udJn1wjB7Aby7K9CQTjWXpJYVe3cpEmWdH15n_FVPDWnrg_9E9jwLuh64yICwZ9mya5uJpksMHJMKfXgCiWJ3DMY8JWAOz0Tc/s400/Yazd+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yazd wind towers</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also, in the desert cities Yazd and Kashan you have the
ancient wind towers. High towers that protrude above the buildings, and catch
the slightest hint of wind in the air in some kind of reverberation holes. That
air then falls down the hollow tower, where it flows through the living room
like a cool breeze.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We knew it would be warm, in June, in central Iran. But it
was "hot for the time of year" and afternoon temperatures varied from
37 to 42 degrees Celsius. "Close to forty" is a totally different
temperature zone than "low thirties", which we have a couple of days
a year in the Netherlands. All objects are warmer than you are, everything
radiates heat and feels warmer than your skin when you touch it. You dehydrate instantly.
In the afternoon the sun is almost straight above you and burns mercilessly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Still, it was dry air, so at least you were not crushed by a
pressing sweaty mass of humidity. Hiding in the cool hotel room for a couple of
hours in the afternoon was enough to keep all systems going. Emerging from your
A/C room, five minutes in the sun was a breeze.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A bonus of the hot weather was that there were very few
tourists around and all hotels had vacancies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Yazd, کوچه اب انبار وزیر، Iran31.901904587564523 54.36861500432132731.898534587564523 54.363572504321326 31.905274587564524 54.373657504321329tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-3160412157215817812018-06-18T05:00:00.001+02:002022-01-05T14:57:12.651+01:00Travelogue Summer 2018 (1/4) Shiraz - the Andalucía of Iran<br />
<h3>
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Short connection<o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">We had just half an hour to change planes in Vienna. We had
deliberately selected seats as far in the front as possible. When the door
opened, an employee asked if we were going to Shiraz? If so, please deboard
first. There was a man in the gangway with a notepad. I thought for a moment
that he was our guy, but he did not look up when we walked by. Maybe our guy was
waiting further down the corridor?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Just as we were walking through a sliding door 30 meters
away, he called out: Shiraz? He came after us and opened a side door with an ID
card. Normally no passengers were allowed here. We walked down a corridor, down
a flight of stairs, and much to my surprise we went outside. Suddenly we were
standing between the airplanes. And to my even greater surprise, we stepped
into a van. We were driving airside. Our companion was half Persian, and his
job was to put people on flights to Shiraz, Isfahan and Tehran. We stopped at a
door of a large building. Another ID card to open it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">There were a couple of immigration counters in an empty
hall. He explained to the lady behind the desk that we were exiting, normally
this was the desk for passengers arriving in Schengen. With the five of us on a
trot up some stairs and down a corridor. There was a very long line, but he gestured
we could walk past it to reach our gate, which seemed completely abandoned. Quickly
through security. And then it turned out boarding had only just started, so we
had five minutes to spare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Arrival<o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Five hours later, in the middle of the night, we landed at the
small regional airport of Shiraz in the south of Iran. An announcement was made
that all ladies had to put on their headscarves. A little less than half of the
passengers got off, the rest continued to Isfahan. We had a bus to the terminal
building, basic and old. Just a few people got in the lane for foreign
passports, and at the counter all went very smooth. Our luggage arrived within
five minutes. We were considering changing money at a bank counter, but a guy
said we'd better do that somewhere else. All in all, we had entered this
country in record time. A big contrast with the preparations beforehand: the
visa and many other documents that had to be delivered. That had been quite a
hassle, especially because of the unclear and contradictory and ever changing
information that was available.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">In the arrival hall stood a guy with a piece of paper with
the name of our hotel and a lot of text in Farsi. On his phone he also had a
lot of Farsi with in between my first name. That was enough to trust
him. We followed him outside, where it was pleasantly cool. Put the luggage in
the back of an old car in the parking lot. A ride into town on a wide boulevard
with lots of trees and lights and on every lamppost a big picture of a
"martyr" from the Iran-Iraq war. It was very quiet on the street, big
neon signs were on, but everything was closed, so we had no idea what all those
Farsi texts were promoting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Cash, lots of cash<o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Due to the boycott, Iran is not connected to the
international money transfer systems. Even though there are ATMs everywhere,
and almost everyone pays with a tap-and-go card, foreigners are dependent on
hard cash. Euros or dollars. That you swap for very soft rial. There's the
official buying rate, the official selling rate, the street rate, the euro
exchange rate and the dollar exchange rate.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Our hotel reception could change money, but, as the
receptionist said, the exchange rate depends on how much we want to change. How
much we want to change, I said, depends on the exchange rate. We agreed on €
200 for 60,000 rial / euro. Well above the official rate, but in the bazaar we
should be able to do better. We got a big pile of money - and then another one,
she had already divided it in two for us.</span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-E1stIn0lXC6J-m9WKI1ltgIGubJDrbrwPwGSHCQHzjtLMMuxfRMd38sXa7G5jrjSr_HarCjjcE7vT5xF3hu9oYRfwcflS6memigfhJwmCrO1hBzm83k4dEd0Ca5WMXRkwfJQLSU3wN8F/s1600/GELD+WISSELEN.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="1600" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-E1stIn0lXC6J-m9WKI1ltgIGubJDrbrwPwGSHCQHzjtLMMuxfRMd38sXa7G5jrjSr_HarCjjcE7vT5xF3hu9oYRfwcflS6memigfhJwmCrO1hBzm83k4dEd0Ca5WMXRkwfJQLSU3wN8F/s400/GELD+WISSELEN.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The huge amount of zeros was rather confusing. And even more
so because you pronounce 60,000 Rial as 6,000. Then they mean toman but don't say
that. On some banknotes it says 500,000 Rial, on older ones with the same value
it says 50. That means 50,000 toman, or 500,000 rial. For example, if something
costs 300,000 rial, it can be said as 300,000, 30,000 or 30 ... It is not helpful
either that 100,000 and 10,000 rial notes have the same color.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Later we would change in the street a couple of times. Every
city has a strip where some guys are standing, who ask if you want to change
money. In Shiraz an old man was sitting in a folding chair on the side walk,
with piles of cash on a small carpet in front of him. You choose a guy and step
aside. You negotiate about the exchange rate and how much you want to change.
The guy counts a pile of notes. Then you say that is not enough and he will add
one or two. Then you count the pile again and give him two euro bills.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shiraz<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Next morning we walked to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pink Mosque</i>. More a sight than a sanctuary, and it was already
quite busy when we went inside. The main attraction was the prayer hall with
stained-glass windows. The morning sun shone through it and cast a colorful
pattern on the floor. Everyone wanted to pose in the color spectrum, and
especially on draped white robes it was a stunning sight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddVRscK5pNjKB4Tc88k83enoqG3-t6rGl6X629zhwG69ACO_N7t1ohOelQiKoHD5ozeUwWtABQQ5E-j7MJzuQq29M22deCtXUW9oJjSx-scVFx80JjP3GvQ2iIzcWVaiah3uYrBeSN1li/s1600/SAM_4725.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddVRscK5pNjKB4Tc88k83enoqG3-t6rGl6X629zhwG69ACO_N7t1ohOelQiKoHD5ozeUwWtABQQ5E-j7MJzuQq29M22deCtXUW9oJjSx-scVFx80JjP3GvQ2iIzcWVaiah3uYrBeSN1li/s400/SAM_4725.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shiraz Pink Mosquee</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The prayer niches at both ends of the courtyard were
decorated with beautiful tile work, with pink being the prevailing color.
Remarkably, sometimes a miniature landscape was incorporated in the floral
patterns. There was a well with blue light, to symbolize that there had been
water until 10 years ago. There was a small side courtyard, where we had a
photo session with a mother and her daughters from Mashhad. Mom made all the
pictures of the daughters with us. When I insisted that I wanted a picture of
her too, her black headscarf went off, and a more colorful one appeared from
underneath.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">A bit further away was a museum in the gardens of an old
mansion. Beautiful orange trees, water features, and a large guest pavilion.
Mirrored walls, painted ceilings with European scenes. On the walls of the
entrance building were images that we knew from the Moghuls in North India:
elephants.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK51jWTZss9FseZ539hEtC0GxLyQADG_LhnrzIwIk3sjsiibHCmxE0j75Mi3YI4LFqLnZl1PwF5ul7Dbqi3vUWiHAJsWIAXncFYl1nj3xQQLLQ0_Yh2Rouxkn5bZ4fscoH_MpwdFcjGRpO/s1600/Shiraz+%25283%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK51jWTZss9FseZ539hEtC0GxLyQADG_LhnrzIwIk3sjsiibHCmxE0j75Mi3YI4LFqLnZl1PwF5ul7Dbqi3vUWiHAJsWIAXncFYl1nj3xQQLLQ0_Yh2Rouxkn5bZ4fscoH_MpwdFcjGRpO/s400/Shiraz+%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shiraz bazaar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The covered bazaar of Shiraz was always pleasantly crowded.
There was plenty of shopping going on. There were sections for clothing, for
carpets, for spices, for household items. Despite all these people there was a
quiet atmosphere, merchants were not shouting, passersby greeted us without
being intrusive.</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvu3J7C3KMyd-r88ELC3s93rpLAGwHkzvsViycVsnbwIR9avmc6hV3-9tNm8A-QQnGc5A33uut7ZfWIP0jfWB83f2ZZKNG2LpYY3UYyvQ5gxRzfaepx8-y7sqXGC3cS1GM5GXTsbP59MZ/s1600/Shiraz+%25284%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1600" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvu3J7C3KMyd-r88ELC3s93rpLAGwHkzvsViycVsnbwIR9avmc6hV3-9tNm8A-QQnGc5A33uut7ZfWIP0jfWB83f2ZZKNG2LpYY3UYyvQ5gxRzfaepx8-y7sqXGC3cS1GM5GXTsbP59MZ/s400/Shiraz+%25284%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shiraz bazaar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">In the middle of the bazaar was a small square with a pond. It
was simultaneously busy and intensely peaceful, serene. We sat down on a bench
and looked at Iranian life passing in front of our eyes. The ladies all looked
fascinating. Sometimes shapeless under a large black piece of cloth, sometimes unassumingly
stylish, sometimes concealing, sometimes accentuating their figure, sometimes
eccentric and challenging. If you did not know it already: even with the
strange dress codes in Iran, women can dress in a personal and charming style.</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgAheq4Q2sbyKOd7t-_YyzS7g225JjHIECIcv4BF3khQcP0tSsWxYEmj_NepQdhgnJ9bGTesQnhDdv_Wz-QiQS_NC0HDGlUbzhz41sERi9nz9ovbcxgvFgACHAP71d43ClI60g59JRoY7/s1600/SAM_4705.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgAheq4Q2sbyKOd7t-_YyzS7g225JjHIECIcv4BF3khQcP0tSsWxYEmj_NepQdhgnJ9bGTesQnhDdv_Wz-QiQS_NC0HDGlUbzhz41sERi9nz9ovbcxgvFgACHAP71d43ClI60g59JRoY7/s400/SAM_4705.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shiraz bazaar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shiraz is a big, cosmopolitan city. Because of the southern
location, the friendly atmosphere, the long siesta and the custom to eat at ten
o'clock at night, the province is nicknamed the Andalusia of Iran. And that's
how it felt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<p>
<hr>
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src="https://ivisa.s3.amazonaws.com/affiliate/220200generic.jpg" /></a>Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Shohada Sq., Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran29.617177865783695 52.54344360710456429.613726865783697 52.538401107104562 29.620628865783694 52.548486107104566tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-47066616417682228402018-01-27T12:00:00.000+01:002018-08-23T16:52:35.589+02:00Travelogue 2018, Episode 3, On familiar grounds (Penang & Satun)<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Penang, Malaysia</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We stayed 6
days on Penang, Malaysia. We’ve been here before and again we enjoyed the great
facilities and the variety in cultures. We paid tribute to all three population
groups. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We visited a
large Chinese temple in the mountains, a mix between a building site and an
amusement park.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We visited
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">floating mosque</i>, a mosque built
on stilts over the sea. It was a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>peaceful and serene place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everyday we
visited Little India for a touch of the real India. The sari shops,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bollywood music blaring from the dvd shops,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>grocery stores with all Indian ingredients
and spices, ladies in sari and jeans walking hand in hand, restaurants where
the food is better than anywhere in India. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An inherent
part of Penang’s history is its colonial past. We visited a guided tour around
the Protestants cemetery. There were 15 people listening to the funny and
knowledge guide. Lots of little stories about Penang’s history and its
inhabitants. One of them was the Scottish lawyer James Richardson Logan, who
invented the name Indonesia, as he believed its people had the right to have a
name that was not made up by or connected with its Dutch colonizers. It
wouldn’t be until early 20<sup>th</sup> century that “Indonesia” was picked up
by the independent movement. And so Indonesia stays with us this trip, just
like India.</span><br />
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Penang was as cloudy as Sumatra, but much warmer, in the low 30s. Two
and three years ago we saw nothing but blue skies here.</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Satun, Thailand</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was the
fifth time I went from Penang to Thailand. And again I found a new route and a
new transport mode. This time it was the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">super
fast ferry</i> via Langkawi. Despite the long wait on Langkawi it was an easy
and relaxed route.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As soon as we
arrived in Satun, walking to the hotel, we looked for things we recognized,
things that were new, things that had changed, things that were gone.
Considering the dusty old town it was, surprisingly much had changed.
Fortunately not in our hotel. That was as pleasant, quiet and comfortable as we
knew it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Qatari,
Indonesians and Malaysians have almost always been very friendly and helpful to
us. But the radiant heartiness of the Thai exceeds it all. The famous<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thai smile still is a joy to see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We were often
called at and greeted by passers by. Sometimes when they were on a bike. Like
these three young people on one bike, shouting “hello”. We cheerfully waved
back at them. The two girls on the backseat did the Thai greeting with hands
folded in front of the chest while making a small bow. And they did so in
perfect synch. On the back of the moving bike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As far as
understanding goes, it is the opposite. Very few signs are in English and
English is hardly spoken. It takes a lot of sign language.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our favorite
lunch restaurant was gone. A search around the new, relocated market was in
vain. We inquired with the neighbors of the shed where it used to be, with a
picture of the woman, pointing at the former place, and looking puzzled. After
some talk amongst themselves we were put on the back of a motorbike and driven
to the new location!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our friends
in Satun, the owner of the hotel, the lady of the restaurant, the girl of our
favorite coffee shop (who worked somewhere else now) all looked very pleased to
see us and they all gave us food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And so we
enjoy having a coffee on our veranda, taking a walk in the countryside or the
mangrove forest, cooling down by the pool, reading a book, eating a delicious
Thai curry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIxCA-9d_FX6tGV5T0dc-W8xOT4UEs-eC5M-vngEs-bRNVgVAHwQgsDL1GlTzHl2-aFQwY8wZjIirD4QqX0_mBOkl2x5ETFTt8l09hNcAPDHH0HTKyYTtSi-qdXm2deEo5l17FWg1Upev/s1600/IMG_20180130_175440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIxCA-9d_FX6tGV5T0dc-W8xOT4UEs-eC5M-vngEs-bRNVgVAHwQgsDL1GlTzHl2-aFQwY8wZjIirD4QqX0_mBOkl2x5ETFTt8l09hNcAPDHH0HTKyYTtSi-qdXm2deEo5l17FWg1Upev/s400/IMG_20180130_175440.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At last the
skies turned blue and sunny and it got seriously hot. We were lucky to have a
clear sky during the lunar eclipse. We saw the shadow of the earth slowly cover
the moon that got more and more red, more and more round (in the 3d sense) and
in the end looked like a semi-see-through egg with the rabbit inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">PS Preview of the upcoming Satun info
sheet *link*</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Satun is a
small provincial capital in the far southwest corner of Thailand. It has a
definite end-of-the-road feel to it. A dusty little town where nothing ever
happens. On the surface.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">8km further
south is the port and jetty of Tammalang. It has ferries to Langkawi and Koh
Lipe, but for neither island this is the main gateway. So Satun sees very few
tourists passing through. You may see some people living in Malaysia on a visa
run or having their yacht maintained at the wharf. And there’s a hand full of
western men living here with their Thai wife. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Satun is part
of the Islamic south of Thailand, that used to be part of the Kedah Sultanate,
until that was divided up between Thailand and then British Malaysia. Satun has
none of the troubles the other (southeastern) Thai provinces have. It is
largely Muslim but with a strong Thai influence. People speak more Thai and
Malay than English.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Thanon Buriwanich, Tambon Phiman, Amphoe Mueang Satun, Chang Wat Satun 91000, Thailand6.6148636539780217 100.066086939672916.6109201539780216 100.06104443967291 6.6188071539780218 100.07112943967292tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-22510489608759338902018-01-06T12:00:00.000+01:002018-08-23T16:52:48.765+02:00Travelogue 2018, Episode 2, Negotiating North Sumatra<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From Doha we travelled via Kuala Lumpur to Medan. A rollercoaster of cultures, levels of
development, climates, time zones and day-and-night rhythm.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sumatra is roughly the size of Spain and has
a similar number of inhabitants, but its infrastructure is way less developed.
So we designed a non-ambitious tour of the province of North Sumatra.</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Medan city</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At first
sight Medan is large, busy, dirty and noisy. At second sight too, but then you
also see the relaxed and cheerful people, always willing to give you a big
smile and have a chat. Nobody gets upset, everybody is helpful. There are nice
vegan eateries and trendy coffee shops. The mood is pleasant, and if the noise
and air pollution wouldn’t chase you away, you’d happily stay for a while.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One could
measure the degree of development of a country by the number of meters one can
walk on the pavement. In Medan the sidewalks are usually blocked by shop
fronts, parked cars or motorcycles, or heaps of building materials, mud or dug
up sewage sludge. There are holes big enough to fall into the sewer, unexpected
steps, loose slabs or ends of reinforcing steel sticking out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So mostly you
walk on the street, between parked cars and the traffic, hoping the drivers
will see you. Traffic mainly consists of relatively new cars, motorbikes and
becaks – bikes with a side car that you rent for a ride.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One morning
after looking at old colonial buildings and Little India, we took a becak home.
It was the oldest and most ramshackle one of Medan. The engine stalled all the
time, the front wheel wasn’t in line, petrol came via a tube from a jerry can
hanging on the steering wheel. When the driver lit a cigarette he held it in
his hand right next to the jerry can. We drove slower than the flow of traffic,
which was a real problem as weaving in and out of lanes is crucial for
negotiation traffic here. Because of the one way system we had to make quite a
detour. All in all we took half an hour inhaling exhumes for what would have
been a 2½km walk. Still, we survived. And most drivers were relaxed, gave each
other room to move, hardly used the horn and didn’t dive into non-existing
spaces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<h4>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bukit Lawang jungle</span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHFW9EBbHBtY6I0lP_0bQBz59IYFEpLeGiInadkvMNnHQ6XL86FZCIQ7dWbY0n661JzqQJzA9lXwXT7cG2XPqThDU4TH2EU4aL688-gho4oyg-976ZXvs4zbM6c6qNfEMhDOlybsVzogM/s1600/SAM_4175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHFW9EBbHBtY6I0lP_0bQBz59IYFEpLeGiInadkvMNnHQ6XL86FZCIQ7dWbY0n661JzqQJzA9lXwXT7cG2XPqThDU4TH2EU4aL688-gho4oyg-976ZXvs4zbM6c6qNfEMhDOlybsVzogM/s320/SAM_4175.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Usually I
don’t feel at home in places that are purely touristic. Bukit Lawang is such a
place. It’s a village on the edge of a National Park where an orang utan
rehabilitation center used to be. The feeding platform used to be a great spot
to watch the mighty animals. The platform is closed now and the only way to see
the semi wild orang utans that stuck around is on a long, overpriced jungle
trekking – and that is what all the tourists do here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>(<a href="http://waterlilyunltd.blogspot.nl/2016/06/lost-in-jungle-of-sumatra.html#blog2018ep2">Here is the story</a> of
my 2000 jungle trek) </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bukit Lawang
survived thanks to the treks, the river, the fresh air and as a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">backpacker</i> hangout. We stayed a couple
of days in the strip along the river, in the one guesthouse / restaurant that
was busy, cozy and had good food.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKNlNAFE51P05EPKKzARPvvw7JsFX71trtzU68pa_p38ljBQwaW-4NLE9m07wXALKxle0ExzZGoJDiaG-RADLyRVbJf_ljnG9sL9Cb3UUh-y6C0xL9PC5Sodh2bKPRtsmtsxidvYiMt0R/s1600/SAM_4167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKNlNAFE51P05EPKKzARPvvw7JsFX71trtzU68pa_p38ljBQwaW-4NLE9m07wXALKxle0ExzZGoJDiaG-RADLyRVbJf_ljnG9sL9Cb3UUh-y6C0xL9PC5Sodh2bKPRtsmtsxidvYiMt0R/s320/SAM_4167.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then we moved
upstream for a couple of days to a rather remote guesthouse, 1km over a small
footpath. There we found the real jungle feel. The place was well designed and
decorated with lots of wood and bamboo, the Australian-Indonesian couple that
ran it made you feel relaxed.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2f7NnksXowYva1KH9nUpZkcibeT3oTlWyoCD6SnR6fnSjMCQ1q5_jlglrWkR0QxOZCV5fYMc4PvxYLJLnaAnMPDuW1qdUTDo46VjuFF0sKLmKnLLVfxtpgGwA0KD7RWJIH_AmMn_PXC6/s1600/SAM_4183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2f7NnksXowYva1KH9nUpZkcibeT3oTlWyoCD6SnR6fnSjMCQ1q5_jlglrWkR0QxOZCV5fYMc4PvxYLJLnaAnMPDuW1qdUTDo46VjuFF0sKLmKnLLVfxtpgGwA0KD7RWJIH_AmMn_PXC6/s320/SAM_4183.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The raging
river,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the green wall of jungle on the
opposite shore, the monkeys and the butterflies, one more cup of coffee on the
veranda – I could get used to that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dinner with our hosts in the evening, total darkness at night, the
sounds of monkeys and crickets in the morning. After a rain shower water vapor
would slowly rise from the forest and form clouds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Berastagi volcanos</span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Berastagi is
a former Dutch hill station at 1400m. Now it’s an agricultural town, the center
of growing non-tropical vegetables. The wholesale market where the farmers
bring their produce was a fascinating chaos where huge quantities of carrots,
cabbages and potatoes where hauled around in old trucks that got stuck in the
mud.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrojiRqLWTJnZAidKk44iJSQcHyB8DZDVUDsbAo1GqDmk7C_Jil_q707aKJyZV9naF4q9zezP_xtRime5arKd6UfEJ5lMGusicHLSn84cQJQE4SIK9vzVht3_J62WU_x63RolgSZFIi0mN/s1600/SAM_4210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrojiRqLWTJnZAidKk44iJSQcHyB8DZDVUDsbAo1GqDmk7C_Jil_q707aKJyZV9naF4q9zezP_xtRime5arKd6UfEJ5lMGusicHLSn84cQJQE4SIK9vzVht3_J62WU_x63RolgSZFIi0mN/s400/SAM_4210.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the
weekend Medan people come to escape the city. The dozen western tourists vanish
in the crowd. There are two active volcanos nearby, one of which can easily be
climbed – and that is what all the tourists do here. We went straight to the
hot springs at the end of the descent to soak up the sulphur.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUS780fXsQXzqLyU4yxeNmmj1XegPLw2UnvGey_A7DNLxjxiSkoy-WHLeEw-VXMqls3gvdJl6rzXBqzfpOJqqIEPTcFyHtXwABkdhlHN2jZH2B1qqJu1BqRbNFUau7Gtu4HQeE7QtZDIBn/s1600/SAM_4224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUS780fXsQXzqLyU4yxeNmmj1XegPLw2UnvGey_A7DNLxjxiSkoy-WHLeEw-VXMqls3gvdJl6rzXBqzfpOJqqIEPTcFyHtXwABkdhlHN2jZH2B1qqJu1BqRbNFUau7Gtu4HQeE7QtZDIBn/s400/SAM_4224.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A trip to the
foot of the other, even more active volcano was canceled due to the weather.
There were daily eruptions, but they lasted just 5 minutes, so you had to be
lucky to see one. After one such eruption the mountain had totally hidden
itself behind its own cloud of ash. When it started raining a thin layer of
volcanic ash covered everything, including our roof terrace.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwwg-CeCACEtU3kGBr_ZHnfy-TTC6eWnOzEmTZWiQjpCy17hcBitF2Kx1Vzk0H9pZSlWYI-X07ZtabNtCx1FeghxXcknqTOpxbkJkx5Zczd56sKfYwdb0VeMUg79QHEA7RIEqLUYrSaoM/s1600/SAM_4198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwwg-CeCACEtU3kGBr_ZHnfy-TTC6eWnOzEmTZWiQjpCy17hcBitF2Kx1Vzk0H9pZSlWYI-X07ZtabNtCx1FeghxXcknqTOpxbkJkx5Zczd56sKfYwdb0VeMUg79QHEA7RIEqLUYrSaoM/s400/SAM_4198.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just like the
rain forest, volcanos create their own clouds. Steam rising from the cracks in
the rocks rise and form a cloud that will stick to the top of the mountain.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The weather.
The monsoon lasts long this year, it’s cooler than usual with just 23-26
degrees and mostly overcast. Sometimes the sun sort of breaks through, and most
rain is at night.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lake Toba</span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgL9va7lnrNK1ixKjWiOgst57U8rQ9wybr3B73RTlfYEIiyIZUsEYD-elXbIXoku07b2ON1GL8k-VDeDsSX848Rr23Xp5o4UZhfKGTayh05QZ52jmjPCocmKLOT_d1piqqXqma-ILrWJbO/s1600/SAM_4248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgL9va7lnrNK1ixKjWiOgst57U8rQ9wybr3B73RTlfYEIiyIZUsEYD-elXbIXoku07b2ON1GL8k-VDeDsSX848Rr23Xp5o4UZhfKGTayh05QZ52jmjPCocmKLOT_d1piqqXqma-ILrWJbO/s400/SAM_4248.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Travelling in
Sumatra isn’t harder than in say India, but over there I know my way around
things better. A night in a lousy hotel, a sick day, serious harassment at a
bus station, a meal that doesn’t go down well, a credit card that gets rejected
– it can be tough and exhausting at times.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All the more
pleasant that we could relax at the shores of Lake Toba – and that is what all
the tourists do here.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfTPgPxhOx-L8nM6N2ndHYFEYdglQHdZc1Ag4SsCE3_jknQ_yEc8-_XF-cMII2c-bxLC9VVuI9YWtFWsx44VMNe1uo8exHgsav0AD37pOwLeW4AOWeSpkSH6dVCxdWuWNhwlYBukRb4bB/s1600/SAM_4254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfTPgPxhOx-L8nM6N2ndHYFEYdglQHdZc1Ag4SsCE3_jknQ_yEc8-_XF-cMII2c-bxLC9VVuI9YWtFWsx44VMNe1uo8exHgsav0AD37pOwLeW4AOWeSpkSH6dVCxdWuWNhwlYBukRb4bB/s400/SAM_4254.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We stayed
there for a week and it was the first place on Sumatra where we really felt at
home. The mood was relaxed, nature was beautiful. Even though it is rather
touristy, there’s enough <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">couleure locale</i>
in the small shops and cafes. And it just takes a couple of steps off main
street to be among rice paddies and water buffaloes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDOSG6hlfyZissFxsbZIsIKNb8WG_G1Lf0DM6tNkRs-Oqa-JqEIXGBwqjOG7V304g5A9dqHfuShyphenhyphenUvujzmOf4llUE9MyWNIsVOMz_1sQVT8FY021dr4wyXRuoxKyQNSoTfmQMAn4HuUPb/s1600/SAM_4278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDOSG6hlfyZissFxsbZIsIKNb8WG_G1Lf0DM6tNkRs-Oqa-JqEIXGBwqjOG7V304g5A9dqHfuShyphenhyphenUvujzmOf4llUE9MyWNIsVOMz_1sQVT8FY021dr4wyXRuoxKyQNSoTfmQMAn4HuUPb/s400/SAM_4278.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Medan, Medan City, Noord-Sumatra, Indonesië3.5951956 98.672222700000023.0881111 98.026775700000016 4.1022801 99.317669700000025tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966069122868725683.post-63618690614147527872018-01-01T00:00:00.000+01:002018-08-23T16:53:16.830+02:00Travelogue 2018, Episode 1, Stopover in Qatar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcl2T1wJjpdw8-CkZYfmjXNOkxl7BHqZVPrV4TR75xZ-yJR02n-al8IoZkY3c8aLgpceJSTvI9W3KMEJkensRxgFnoCGr6L9zhYlTkb0fqstCKMIfhcEREWUUv8OXYY-8GmhtTzhI4rQvx/s1600/IMG_20180102_112330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcl2T1wJjpdw8-CkZYfmjXNOkxl7BHqZVPrV4TR75xZ-yJR02n-al8IoZkY3c8aLgpceJSTvI9W3KMEJkensRxgFnoCGr6L9zhYlTkb0fqstCKMIfhcEREWUUv8OXYY-8GmhtTzhI4rQvx/s320/IMG_20180102_112330.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Arrival</span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2018 didn’t kick
off easily for us. We were standing in a long queue for immigration at Doha
airport when the clock struck twelve. We wished each other and the Malaysian
mother and daughter in front of us Happy New Year, but other than that, the
thousands of other people remained rather quiet and subdued.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After a
pleasant flight with Qatar Airways, Doha airport was a disappointment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the glitter, glamour, marble and luxury
couldn’t make up for the bad organizing. With only two immigration counters
open, the arrivals hall quickly filled up. Serious looking men with walkie
talkies were running up and down and putting passengers in line, but they would
have been more useful stamping passports. Occasionally an extra counter would
open, but that only benefitted the people at the back of the line. We were
stuck in the middle. After one and a half hours at last we got through.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By then I was
so dazed and confused that I forgot to take my luggage after using the atm
behind the carousel. I only noticed once we were through customs. It wasn’t
easy talking my way back against the one way system through security and
customs. But I managed and fortunately the bag was still standing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- the bomb squad hadn’t been called yet.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Looking around </span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNC2b_H_RFqC63dgBu0Adn05zj2uKFoS1tBFnuY7c9MVNg3BNGpI0JcixwXfTKY_dLFw-sDyECrVhnapWlBsWJdktd_ZAvqA0N6pgF98vWR5DVqMUCbTxvADwzaswxWDBlePCX7-qkwQ7/s1600/SAM_4032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNC2b_H_RFqC63dgBu0Adn05zj2uKFoS1tBFnuY7c9MVNg3BNGpI0JcixwXfTKY_dLFw-sDyECrVhnapWlBsWJdktd_ZAvqA0N6pgF98vWR5DVqMUCbTxvADwzaswxWDBlePCX7-qkwQ7/s320/SAM_4032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Apart from
being a bit tired after that night, we enjoyed looking around </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Doha for the next three days. We walked a lot,
mainly in the old city center, that had been enriched with a new </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">souk</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and the impressive Museum for
Islamic Art.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nights and
mornings were cool and hazy, but afternoons were sunny and pleasant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most Qatari
wore traditional dress. Men in white dresses with shawls on their head. Women
with thin black robes over their other clothes – maybe high heels or tight
jeans. Head scarves and big sunglasses couldn’t hide the care they took for
make up and looks. Not all Qatari women wore headscarves. We saw some young
mothers in a café smoking a waterpipe, while their Philippinian nannies took care
of the kids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5p4ph74O_ehoM9kVfpbzwnCnBVvX1_RIZ7elexdI9KfMUEJgPmmW4AeXnypFN1nbUx4p8vbI2yMKZkzq8BFFljugSjpJFytq4QHxVbUQnbzUq-XBhSysv-yewqWfFExJmuQRjGz2A2d9/s1600/IMG_20180102_112342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1332" data-original-width="1600" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5p4ph74O_ehoM9kVfpbzwnCnBVvX1_RIZ7elexdI9KfMUEJgPmmW4AeXnypFN1nbUx4p8vbI2yMKZkzq8BFFljugSjpJFytq4QHxVbUQnbzUq-XBhSysv-yewqWfFExJmuQRjGz2A2d9/s400/IMG_20180102_112342.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Eating
vegetarian in the Middle East takes you to an Indian restaurant or Lebanese
fast food place. It takes some searching, but then you can enjoy delicious <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hummus,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>falafel, foul </i>and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pita</i>
bread. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Qatar development</span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A fascinating
and varied city with old and new, rich and poor, east and west, north and
south. People seem to come from all continents and shops and restaurants are as
varied as that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Doha is
trying to catch up with Dubai and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abu
Dhabi, investing oil dollars in trade and service industries. They still have a
long way to go. The old city center is a patchwork of 25 year old high-rises, a
couple of modern buildings, lots of building sites blocking streets and
sidewalks, wasteland turned into parking lots, a couple of forgotten 50 year
old two-story shops – and in-between all of that sit all these cute tiny old
mosques. There isn’t a lot of street life, except at night<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the side streets with old shops and
restaurants for the migrant workers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamg80-wc8qMzzoe4PmlHfoEeK-SgPdlxAtozJF3CJAZMTgWVK2RkQEHJy5CLCQ0M-tkZBGUZjuCWrdmZhF3p3-fvMVsUH0TDhd1NUaKIXVT3Sgz9mtqQ6GDCcRmQbAXsLfcY4xjf9m0wZ/s1600/IMG_20180102_092930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1600" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamg80-wc8qMzzoe4PmlHfoEeK-SgPdlxAtozJF3CJAZMTgWVK2RkQEHJy5CLCQ0M-tkZBGUZjuCWrdmZhF3p3-fvMVsUH0TDhd1NUaKIXVT3Sgz9mtqQ6GDCcRmQbAXsLfcY4xjf9m0wZ/s400/IMG_20180102_092930.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At first
sight the Saudi boycott doesn’t seem to do much harm (though the paper said
house prices are falling). Our little neighborhood shop running out of yoghurt
rather seemed a logistical issue. And that seems to be the sore spot all over.
Building an airport, buying a new fleet of city buses, painting a pedestrian
crossing on a six lane road, designing a metro route – all that is doable. But
to organize it well, to get enough immigration officers in place, to publish a
consistent bus route map, to teach drivers to stop for pedestrians – that is a
lot harder. Metro works are going on all over town<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but nobody dares to commit to a year it will
run. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If I were
FIFA, I’d be worried about the 2022 World Cup, given that only one stadium is
finished<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">.<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
<h4>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">India connection</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Qatar the
India connection is obvious. Almost half of the 2 million inhabitants is from former
British India. When we walked down the aircraft steps a group of Indian
cleaners was waiting to board. They tend to do the hard labor and building.
Cleaners, cooks and shopkeepers mostly are from South Asia as well. Female laborers
tend to come from the Philippines and work as a receptionist, maid or nanny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">New Year’s
night we had dinner at Saravana Bhavan, the international chain of Indian restaurants.
It was full with indian families, we were the only Non-Indians. The food was
authentic South Indian served on a banana leaf, and delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Waterlily Unlimitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506809521678446633noreply@blogger.com0Jabr Bin Mohd St, Doha, Qatar25.290569276395562 51.5394512074706225.276212276395562 51.51928120747062 25.304926276395562 51.55962120747062