It’s been another lazy day here in Georgetown, mainly because my back is giving me gyp coupled with the fact It kept me awake last night so I ended up having a late night and slept in today as a consequence. There’s not a lot I can do about the muscle problem I have other than rest it and let time do the healing. Still, I’d always intended staying here for a while, so it’s no big deal. I’m still getting out and about to explore, it’s just my range is rather limited and I’m only carrying part of my camera kit at any one time. The main thing is that I’m fit for wherever I decide to go to next. In the meantime, I’ve plenty to keep me occupied with work, the odd bit of sightseeing and socialising with the ‘young ‘uns’ – although I haven’t seen them today as we’ve all been doing our own things. We’ll make up for that tomorrow as we’re off to the spice garden together.
Despite the inevitable changes that occur to a place when you’ve known it for so long I’m still really enjoying being in Georgetown. To me it feels like another home. When Charlotte and Adi leave on Sunday I’m going to spend more time wandering around with the camera, documenting the place. I wish I’d taken more photo’s of streetlife in the past, but when I was here in 1992 and 98 film was expensive and I was a budget backpacker being careful what I shot, so I’m going to make up for that now whilst I can as there’s still some terrific street scenes to be seen and the place will continue to change.
One of the changes I’ve noticed today is the demise of the bookshops on Lebuh Chulia. There used to be several, some combined with moneychangers. They sold a vast selection of second-hand books – especially guide books that travellers would buy/sell. I remember doing it myself. Flogging the Lonely Planet guides you no longer needed in exchange for the next country you were headed for. Technology has made them redundant. The days of a rucsac full of books (and cassette tapes, and film canisters) are long done. Digitalisation has killed it. Now smartphones, tablets and laptops are king. Nowadays my bags are full of cables and chargers and all my batteries are rechargeable. At least the bookshops lasted longer than another short-lived technological change. Internet cafes. The one thing that does survive – with reduced trade – are the money changers. Now I think of it, there’s something else that’s disappeared. Places offering international phone calls, something else killed by the internet and smartphones.
The world moves on. There used to be several bookshop/travel agents like this on Lebuh Chulia, now there are none. Who carries books anymore? Even travel tickets are bought online although some local travel agents do still survive, offering local packages or minibuses across the border to Thailand. The ‘visa run’ is still alive and well.
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I’ve had a relaxed day here in Georgetown, mainly because I’m resting my weary (and bruised) muscles. The rest of me’s fine and rather chafing at the inconvenience but hey ho. On the plus side, I’ve enjoyed the downtime, got a fair bit of picture editing done and just enjoyed being here without any pressure. I’ve still got out and about to explore the area and get a few pictures as well as enjoy some lovely food.
I left the ‘young uns’ to their own devices today until this evening when the three of us met up to enjoy some gorgeous pork and noodle soup from a street vendor set back from Lebuh Chulia. We’ve been eating lots of different foods whilst we’ve been here, mostly swapping between Indian and Malaysian although we hadn’t really ventured into Chinese, so tonight we put that right. It’s a very busy little stall and I’ll add some pictures tomorrow.
Afterwards our trio retreated to the Chulia Heritage hotel to sit and talk about family and stuff, reminiscing about the past. I’m almost twice my niece’s age which means we have very different memories of the Bigland family history. Poor Adi got a bit left out as the two of us played jigsaw with our common heritage but he coped really well! It’s not something I do very often as I rarely see my remaining siblings which makes being out here with my niece and her husband such a lovely experience. Hopefully, my injury will be more rested tomorrow and I can explore further and spend more time with the two of them before they head off to Kuala Lumpur and Bali.
In the meantime, here’s a couple of today’s pictures.
Lebuh Chulia may slowly be changing but there’s still wonderful places like this bric a brac/antique shop to explore. I loved the racks on the counter to the right which were full of old photographs. Most seemed to be from family albums form the 1960s-70s. Talk about looking back in time. I couldn’t help wondering who the people were and what happened to them,There’s joss sticks – and there’s joss sticks! These massive and decorative ones were being offered up at the Goddess of Mercy Buddhist temple on Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling earlier today.
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Tonight’s blog won’t be a long one as I’ve other things to do, such as continue to wade through editing loads more pictures to get onto my Zenfolio website. It’s a bit like painting the Forth Bridge, as soon as you’ve finished one batch it’s time to start on the new ones you’ve just taken. The latest batch of Malaysian travel pictures can be found here.
Today’s been a relatively easy one here in Georgetown, apart from the fact I’ve picked up an injury which is quite literally a pain in the arse (stop sniggering at the back!). It happened just before I left Thailand. My camera backpack isn’t exactly light, anything but, it’s in double figures when it comes to kilos and when temperatures are in the very high 30’s you don’t fancy wearing it over both shoulders and with a belly-strap. That may well have been my undoing – in more ways than one. I suspect I’ve bruised my gluteus maximus or medius (the muscles in your backside) which I did over 25 years ago with my old Billingham camera bags. It’s why I switched to backpacks. The problem is the pain makes it uncomfortable to sit or bend forwards – hardly the ideal thing when you’re travelling. Actually, the sitting isn’t a problem. It’s getting up afterwards! Typically, it would happen when I’ve left Thailand, a country chock-a-block with people offering massages!
I’m hoping a several days where I’m not carrying the camera bag – just individual bits of kit – will allow it to rest, but these things can take time and I’m not getting any younger. Still, it was always my intention to settle here for a while in one of my ‘happy places’, it just might be for a bit longer than I thought! It’s not an issue as I had no plans after here other than nipping back into Thailand for a while. My main ambition was to meet up with my niece and her husband and that’s been achieved. They’re both loving Georgetown and will be here until Sunday, so no problem.
Today I moved hotels and returned to another old haunt, the Star Lodge in Jalan Muntri. Many of the old backpacker establishments have closed as the gentrification of the area continues and travellers go more upmarket. Covid’s had a huge impact of course, but so’s the fact many younger people are more ‘flashpackers’ than backpackers. The Star’s clientele is almost exclusively older travellers like me who’ve been doing this stuff for years. Folk who don’t mind simple accommodation but quite enjoy a common area where you can sit together and talk rather than just stare at your smartphone.
In the next few days I’ll write an entire blog about the changes I’m seeing in Georgetown and the travelling scene in the 30-odd years I’ve been coming here. One of today’s projects was to look at old photos I’ve taken of buildings and street-scenes and try to capture the same shot in 2023 to show the difference.
Right now it’s time to leave you with a couple of pictures for your delectation.
Two of the older bars on Lebuh Chulia. The Hong Kong bar on the left has been going forever, but styles are changing. I remember passing it 1992 when it was rammed with American sailors as ‘the fleet was in’. Geopolitics has changed since then (as has the size of the British navy, another bar stalwart) so such visits are rare and the bar doesn’t appeal to a younger generation who’re packing the newly opened establishments in Love Lane and further down Chulia. The ‘Mona Liza’ was an old haunt of mine. Its street facing wicker chairs were ideal for sitting and sipping a beer with camera in hand whilst watching out for photographic opportunities. It was also a favourite of the local expat community, but it too seems quiet now. I wonder if they’ll both still be here in a few years time? One of the many clever steel rod arts features that scatter the world heritage site of old Georgetown. They’re metalwork cartoons that tell the story of the area with history and humour. They’ve been commissioned by the local municipality and started appearing in 2010. There’s actually a map you can get that allows you to see where they all are. I got one for Charlotte and now she’s ticking them off with enthusiasm! There’s currently 52, all designed by some excellent Malaysian artists/cartoonists.
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This won’t be a long blog, but it will contain a few different pictures. This morning the three of us took the bus out West to the butterfly farm. It’s an easy journey as the 101 bus to Teluk Bahang leaves from almost across the road from our hotel. Plus, they run roughly every 10 mins. The journey was really interesting for several different reasons. I’ve not made it for over 20 years. Georgetown’s changed a helluva lot, but also because Charlotte got talking to a local man on the bus who gave a lot of valuable insights. My first impression was how much the skyline’s changed. When I first came to Georgetown in 1992 there was only one ‘skyscraper’ – the Komtar Tower. Now they’re springing up like mushrooms. Some of them are rather attractive. Others have all the aesthetics of a road accident! A number are there purely to provide residences for foreigners, European (especially English), Chinese – and Russian. But then Georgetown’s rather an attractive place to have a second or primary home as there’s no shortage of medical services and – generally – things are cheap here. That said, there’s a burgeoning Malaysian middle-class with money to spare and shops that will sell you all the expensive goods that you require to show off that income!
Whilst the bus journey was an interesting insight into the human condition the butterfly farm was a fascinating place to observe the insect world. Since I last visited the farm’s moved site and vastly expanded, it’s just as much an education centre as a refuge for butterflies. It’s not cheap to get in but it’s well worth it just to be with so many beautiful creatures and learn more about them. Here’s a few examples. I haven’t had time to research the names of all the critters we saw, so any help from you, dear reader – would be much appreciated!
Here’s a fantastic example of camouflage. When this particular butterfly is feeding it folds its wings and looks like a leaf. But the next picture shows what happens when it opens its wings in flight. The colours are absolutely stunning! It looks like the inside of an Abalone shell.
You can find many more butterfly shots in my Malaysia gallery if you follow this link.
I could have stayed there all day with the camera but as we’d been up early and left without breakfast we decided a few hours was enough and headed back to Georgetown on the bus, passing through the popular beach resort of Batu Ferringhi once again. The town means Foreigners (Ferringhi) rock (Batu) and sci-fi fans will recognise the name as it was nicked to describe a race of jug-eared aliens in ‘Star Trek’.
The return bus was packed and took ages as it stopped everywhere. By the time we got home we were all famished so headed straight to a local Chinese-run eaterie to hoover up whatever food they had left, which was mostly rice with chicken or fish. Even so, it was delicious! Afterwards we all retreated to the hotel. I needed time to edit pictures and design a personalised Valentine’s card for Dawn so it would be in her inbox first thing (the beauty of an 8 hour time difference and Photoshop!).
The evening was very much in the same vein. Charlotte and Adi had the evening to themselves (who wants to play Gooseberry on Valentines day?) whilst I quickly nipped out to Little India for a vegetarian thali before resuming my editing.
A banana leaf vegetarian Thali. Yours for less than £2.
It’s now 23:00 and I’m listening to a thunderstorm unleashing torrents of rain upon us – which it’s been doing for the past 20 minutes.
Tomorrow I move hotels to another old haunt. More about that when it happens. In the meantime, here’s a couple more pictures from today.
Oh, here’s a food stall on Lebuh Chulia that’s been going for many years, although the food may stick in the craw of the football fans of other teams!
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It’s lovely to be back in Georgetown after so many years. The place has changed, but it still has a relaxed vibe in the main, and some fantastic food! The three of us had a lazy morning following the past few days travelling and ended up having a late breakfast of the signature Penang dish Nasi Kandar at a well-known local back-street establishment, Line Clear. Besides the food it has the attraction of a characterful, ‘bling’ wearing and rapping chef who performs for people gangsta style, which means he features in many customers videos. Charlotte and Adi found him great fun!
A substantial plate of Nasi Kandar, with some very meaty chicken. The local feral cats enjoyed it too…
Afterwards I took them both on a tour of the area. We’d hoped to visit the ornately decorated Koo Kongsie, a wonderful Chinese Clanhouse at the East end of Lebuh Chulia but it seems it hasn’t yet reopened following the pandemic. Instead we popped down to Weld Quay before wandering through the banking and commercial district along Beach St which contains some imposing and impressive old buildings, many of which remain in very good condition still reflecting the colonial affluence and importance of the town. It was a lovely morning, partly because I got to explore a place I really enjoy but also because I had quality time with Charlotte and Adi. Having walked a fair distance we returned to Little India to enjoy cold drinks at a little juice bar we’ve discovered on Queen St.
Suitably refreshed we returned home. I wanted to spend several hours working whilst the other other two had plans of their own. I had a relaxed but worthwhile few hours editing the hundreds of pictures I have in the queue to add to my Zenfolio picture website. Now all I have to do is caption them first. Expect them to appear over the next few days.
By early evening we were all getting hungry and met up to eat. I suggested Indian vegetarian as a contrast to this morning and remembered a place I knew from the past, so we ended up in this establishment which serves a great selection of South Indian food. Adi decided he was ‘going for it’, which meant we feasted on a selection of Dosa’s, Puris and side dishes including sweet potatoes, carrots and spinach. The whole lot for the three of us cost RM30.50 (around £5.75).
Adi and Charlotte enjoying our veggie feast.
Now I’m having an early night, sorting out some more work and a picture request from a company in the UK before an early start tomorrow. We’re off to visit the famous Penang butterfly farm which seems to have changed out of all recognition since my last visit in 1998. We’re all really looking forward to it.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
It’s been quite a day! I woke up on the sleeper train around 06:00 this morning, just in time to enjoy a wonderful dawn from the comfort of my bed. Food was soon sorted by the arrival of some hawkers who’d joined the train at the last stop so I literally bought breakfast in bed, spicy friend chicken and sticky rice, washed down with fresh coffee from a different hawker, leaving me free to enjoy the world passing by my window at a sedate enough speed to allow me to enjoy it. This Southern part of the railway is a marked contrast to the ongoing modernisation and double-tracking of the Northern sections as it remains undisturbed. You still pass through gorgeous little stations bedecked in bougainvillea and other colourful pot plants. The smart wooden buildings are home to sharply dressed staff. One stands by with green flags as our train passes whilst another collects and swaps single-line tokens with the driver of our train. The big brass station bell each station boasts remains silent because we’re not stopping.
Whilst scoffing my chicken and sipping my coffee a series of colourful snapshots passed by my window. A group of middle-aged women doing calisthenics in a lineside park. Klongs (canals) and rice paddies alive with masses of wading birds such as Lapwings, Egrets and Herons. Some burst into flight when they’re spooked by the train which causes a mass flight. It’s wonderful to watch. This section of line still is ‘old railway’ which is lined with telegraph poles and a multitude of wires which provide a perfect perch for other, smaller birds. Some sections of wire have been colonised by masses of spiders, like some weird alien invasion. Occasionally, the wires act as their own web, trapping an unwary child’s kite. We lost these telegraph poles in the UK many years ago although they were once a common feature. The last section of line I remember them in any number was the line between Norwich and Ely, but these are gone too.
Further away from the line the countryside is divided between palm oil or rubber plantations and rice paddy fields, leavened by Coconut palms and Bananas, just to remind you (where you in any doubt) that you’re in the tropics. The view from the train’s not always picturesque, but it is an insight into Thai life – like the shanties along the lineside on the approach to Hat Yai where plastic and other detritus takes over their back yards. Plastic pollution’s a big issue in Thailand and I’m really not sure how it’s being dealt with.
At Hat Yai our train’s split. The locomotive that brought us from Bangkok is taken off and retires to the depot and the station pilot (an old, leaky ‘Shovelnose) takes over to remove the two Padang Besar bound coaches from the head of the train and shunt them into an adjacent platform where a 3rd class coach is waiting to be attached to the rear. Then the locomotive to take us forward arrives. In this case it was an old Alsthom-built Class 44. Our train took on new passengers too – around a ten railway police who were there to escort the train due to the recent terrorist bombing of the line between Hat Yai and Padang Besar boarded. Three sat opposite me and I got into conversation with one officer who had good English. He translated my words for his colleagues. They were all incredibly friendly and chatty, which was great.
Finally, we arrived at Padang Besar where I went through the border rigmarole I’d completed only a couple of weeks before – only this time in reverse. I’d talked Charlotte and Adi through what to expect, which was painless. I did get quizzed by Malaysian advance immigration but once I explained I was returning to Malaysia with my niece and her husband the latter two got waved through without demur.
Upstairs, the Malaysian ticket office was closed but there are now two ticket machines which accept credit cards (but NOT cash) so I bought our tickets onwards to Butterworth. The train arrived 40 minutes later which gave us enough time to buy a drink at the Warung upstairs. I was surprised to see our train was formed of one of the Chinese built 6-car SCS sets. Last time I’d used the line it was an older 3-car ‘Komuter’ set that had been recommissioned to operate the new local services. By the time we got to Butterworth I understood why they now use the SCS trains – it was packed – and loads were waiting to board it for the return trip.
It was at Butterworth I had my biggest surprise and biggest disappointment. The interchange between train and ferry had always been a pain sine the station was rebuilt as you were up and down several flights of stairs. Now there’s a brand-new and expanded ferry terminal and the adjacent bus station’s in the basement of a massive shopping complex. All good so far, until it came to the ferry…
The old Penang ferries are gone. They stopped in 2021. The joy of sitting on the top deck of a ferry with massive open sides, admiring the view of Penang or watching the mass of commercial shipping are history – as are the chances of getting photographs. Instead we were loaded into a cramped, claustrophobic and awkward catamaran that used to ply the Langkawi route. How are the mighty fallen! You don’t even go to the old terminal anymore which was right next to the bus station. Now you go the Swettenham Pier, further north. But, (allegedly) this is all better because it’s ‘faster’…
As there were three of us we split the fare on a taxi to get to Lebuh Chulia. If nothing else, it saves the wheels on your suitcases melting on the hot tarmac. It may not be as toasty as it was in Kanchanaburi, but 31 degrees is still warm!
I have to admit, I’ve had a fun afternoon introducing Charlotte and Adi to Georgetown and I’m chuffed that they’ve really taken to it. It’s always been one of my ‘happy places’. Having spent a few hours wandering I can say it’s changed but not enough to destroy its character.
I’ll type more tomorrow, but for now I’ll leave you with a picture of what has been lost – which is a crying shame. Here’s one of the old Penang ferries, seen from a sister ship on my last visit here on the 24th February 2017.
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It’s not even 19:00 here in Thailand but we’ve already had the beds made up by the staff in my sleeper coach, not that I mind, I’m tired and happy to lie down and compose today’s blog. Charlotte and Adi are in the next coach, which has received the same treatment.
I must admit, I did enjoy a lie-in until 08:00 today. Having the luxury of a fresh, soft bed and an air-conditioned room made it hard to resist! Even so, I was checked out well in advance of time so that I could move up to Bang Sue Grand Central by taxi. You never know how long it’s ging to take by road so I always leave plenty of time as the plan was to have a ‘play’ on the new sections of the blue line MRT railway which I’d photographed being built but had never ridden on. And, as I’d have a wheelie suitcase in tow, I could test out their accessibility.
I was rather disappointed. The stations are all good when it comes to access, with lifts and escalators (and helpful staff) but the platform/train interface (PTI) isn’t. There’s a noticeable gap and difference in levels that mean you have to lift your suitcase on and off or risk it getting stuck – and maybe rip a wheel off. I can’t understand how this happens on a new railway with a new fleet of trains to compliment the existing ones.
Another thing I noticed on the section from Bang Sue Westwards to the end of the line is how difficult photography is due to the placing of platform barriers, lineside equipment and roadside cables. All conspire to make clean shots as difficult as possible. Admittedly, I didn’t try every station as I had a suitcase with me, but I did visit several. I’ll add a couple of shots tomorrow when I’ve access to wifi. But what the lines elevated position is good for is offering some great panoramic views of central Bangkok. I’d liked to have explored further but that’s going to have to wait until later in the trip.
Back at Bang Sue I met up with Charlotte and Adi (my neice and her husband) who’d come down on the sleeper train from Chiang Mai earlier this morning. It was great to see them and hear some of their travel tales. We swapped a few more on the train before our enforced ‘bedtime’ when I had to go back to my own coach. No doubt we’ll add some new stories from George Town when we get there…
One of SRTs new Chinese built locos at the head of our train to Hat Yai and Padang Besar.
Oh, talking of level access, I nipped out to visit the old Bang Sue station which is right next door to the new. When I looked for a way acoss I noticed this. How many faults can you spot?
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After an interesting and relaxing few days in Kanchanaburi I’m now back in the big city. To be honest, I enjoyed the journey back more than the one there which maybe has something to do with the light and the time of day. I was up at 05:30 in order to enjoy the sunrise and a cup of coffee before catching the 02:20 train. The early mornings where I’ve been staying are well worth getting up for – as you can see…
Looking down on the floating rooms from the communal area of the Tamarind.
I’ll miss the Tamarind hotel. It was a great place to stay, although next time I’d be tempted to upgrade to a room with a/c, but then no-one expected temperatures to hit 37 degrees!
The train back to Bangkok that time of morning is a local service that stops at every blade of grass but that means it’s more relaxed operationally. I bagged a seat in the rear coach next to the helpful young guard who willingly and without prompting lifted my bags up the steep steps onto the train and who was equally happy for me to take pictures from the open back of the train. Some guards get nervy about this as no-one wants a foreigner falling off the back coach, there’s too much paperwork!
Watched by a lone dog, ‘Shovelnose’ 4004 arrived from Nam Tok to head to Bangkok’s Thonburi station as ‘Ordinary train No 60.
On arrival at Thonburi I shared a taxi to Banglumphu with two young French girls who were in Bangkok for the first time. I was staying somewhere different for a change as my usual hotels were full. As my room wasn’t ready I dumped my case at the hotel and went for a wander, only to find the area’s packed. I’d only been away for a week! But in that time, the younger backpackers have returned. I couldn’t plan to do much other than a bit of shopping, work out my next day’s moves and respond to work emails from the UK. As I’m staying somewhere slightly more upmarket I’d been hoping for some decent wifi. That proved to be a disappointment – but I do have a/c! As said wifi’s rather pedestrian and I still need to eat, this is going to be a short blog. You may get more insights later but probably not. I want to have another early start checking out some of the new lines emanating from the new grand station at Bang Sue before I head South on the 15:35…
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30 days already? Sheesh. I’m half way through my trip…
There’s a short blog from me today. There’s wifi problems at my hotel which may or may not be connected with the temperature, because today the mercury hit 36 degrees – unseasonably warm for Kanchanaburi. Now I don’t mind the heat, but 36 degrees with the humidity that accompanies it in Thailand is pushing it, even for me – and tomorrow is forecast to be even hotter. Add to that the fact I had restless night’s sleep last night so cancelled my plans to go to Nam Tok and it’s been a bit of a washout day. Oh, I’ve still enjoyed being here, and the food is fabulous as always, but I find my appetite’s subdued by the heat so I’m only eating twice a day. I find you don’t need the calories to keep you warm the way you do in Northern Europe. Mind you, I have been drinking bottled water like it’s going out of fashion because you lose so much moisture through sweating.
The weather’s meant most of my day has been spent holed up at my hotel trying to keep cool and get clothes washed as you go through them at a rate of knots. On the bright side – they dry in a trice! Whilst I was relaxing on the verandah I did manage to get some shots of one of the enormous Monitor Lizards that inhabit the rover. These things are well over 1.5 metres long, they’re the smaller cousins of the Komodo dragons, but they’re still impressive.
A Monitor lizard does its best to merge with a tree fragment by remaining perfectly still. It would be easy to miss if I hadn’t been watch its movements for the past half-hour.
I’m having an early night as I’m going to hope for a better night’s sleep, then look at an early start in the morning before the heat of the day really kicks in…
In light of today’s washout I’ve extended my stay for the last and final time as there’s some pictures I’d still like to get here -weather permitting. After that I must get back to Bangkok to see friends and meet up with my niece and her husband in order to get the train down to Butterworth, Malaysia, where the weather’s a much more comfortable 32 degrees. But, I’ll be back…
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I did threaten that there may be a second part to today’s blog – and here it is…
My earlier blog was more concerned with memories. This one’s bang up to date. Today I’ve been hanging around Kanchanaburi. Not the tourist bit near the bridge but the other end where most people (including me) are staying. I love street photography and here’s an ideal place. The roads aren’t too busy and the people are really friendly – and aren’t camera shy.
I spent a couple of hours sat on a street corner just watching the world go by my lens, and one thing really struck me. In Thailand, cars have become monsters. They’re massive and heavy, taking up far more of the public domain than they used to – and I hate to think what the fuel consumption is. Some of the SUV variants are bloody tanks! That was my project for today, look at the reality of life on the roads and here’s some of the pictures…
This is more like it. I’m saying nothing about health and safety, but I’m always impressed by how many people can fit on a scooter. The most I’ve seen is five.A brace of massive gas-guzzlers – and these aren’t even the worst examples. I couldn’t get a shot of them today but several looked like they wouldn’t have been out of place in a dystopian future like the one portrayed in the ‘Mad Max’ films.– contrast the gas-guzzlers with this. Pooch-friendly transport. Sadly, I wasn’t quick enough to get a shot of the pillion passenger on another scooter who had a Cockerel tucked underneath her arm.Then there’s this, which took me completely by surprise. It’s an old British MG. I don’t do cars so I haven’t the foggiest about it beyond its marque.OK, scooters have an environmental impact too – but at least you can do this and interact with people.Moody skies over the main drag outside my hotel entrance. Fortunately, the rain never arrived…The brilliant food stall where I had the excellent but fiery ‘Som Tam’ this morning. This time the lovely woman who runs it is preparing me pork fried rice.– and here’s the results of her labours. And all for 40 baht (£1). It was delicious.
So, here’s a little snapshot of life in Kanchanaburi and insight into why I’ve really grown to like the place. The people are lovely. Expect something a little different tomorrow as I’m going to be up early to take the train to the end of the line at Nam Tok.
Oh, before I go, I said I’d mention washing machines! There’s lots of launderettes here, mostly new but rarely beautiful, but there’s also this weirdly (to Western eyes) thing where you find a single washing machine plumbed in outside a shop. You bring your own soap-powder, load it with your washing, pay your money – then come back when it’s done. You take it away on your scooter to dry it at home. Sod tumble-dryers for chrissake – this is SE Asia!
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Paul Bigland 