Tag Archives: Thailand

Chester capers: Part 2…

12 Sunday Oct 2025

Posted by in Cheshire, Chester, Food and drink, Photography, Travel

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The pair of us have had a really good day rediscovering Chester. Despite the weather not being as good as billed (hey, at least it didn’t rain) we’ve covered a lot of ground, which started with us working off breakfast by walking along the Shropshire Union canal from our hotel into the city centre. Let’s face it, after a huge breakfast like this, is it any wonder it needed working off?

For much of the walk the canal towpath was busy with dog-walkers and runners. Hardly surprising, as it’s a linear oasis compared to walking along the adjacent A41 road, which is a congested, noisy, nightmare.

We had a couple of hours to kill before we saw Tim Peake’s show, so we indulged in a rare spot of shopping. Neither of us are great shoppers, ‘retail therapy’ really isn’t our bag. But Chester has all the shops we frequent huddled together in a very small area – and there was stuff we needed to get to prepare for winter, so time wasn’t wasted before we had to head off to listen to Tim Peake at the storyhouse, a venue we were both really impressed by. Storyhouse is a library, theatre, cinema, restaurant, bar and social space all rolled into one. It’s a real community asset. The theatre isn’t huge, making it a great place to see one person delivering a lecture – and Tim Peake packed it out. His talk on the history of space travel was riveting. He told a lot of stories that were less well known as well as covering all the historical landmarks. It was funny, exciting and inspirational at the same time and the two hour show flew by. He opened the second part of his show with a 10 minute Q&A session, answering questions texted in by the audience earlier in the show. Sadly, he ran out of time before answering the one about what happens to a fart in a spacesuit…

Afterwards we headed back to the Brewery Tap for a drink and chance to talk about what we’d heard and learned before hunger overtook us. Having eaten Indian last night we opted for Thai today. The restaurant we choose was Thai Baan, and we weren’t disappointed. We opted for the Thai tapas, sharing four different dishes accompanied by Jasmine rice. Here’s a few of the ones we chose…

Crispy seabass, lettuce, diced shallots, ginger, limes served with a spicy peanut sauce.
Soft shell crab salad with peanuts and a spicy lime dressing – a real favourite of ours.
Roast duck breast with thai herbs and spicy lime dressing.

Having been disappointed by our earlier trip to Chester we both agreed to revise our judgement. We’ve really enjoyed this trip and plan to come back soon – even if it’s just for a day trip. The place has a lot to offer. The architecture is fascinating plus, there’s some great pubs and restaurants. It’s a also good place for shopping if that’s your bag. Whilst the atmosphere can get a bit edgy on a Friday/Saturday night in certain areas if there’s large groups of drinkers around, it’s generally relaxed and quite cosmopolitan.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 30. Border crossing….

13 Thursday Feb 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Malaysia, Musings, Photography, Thailand, Travel

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Surprisingly, I had a really good night’s sleep on the train last night. It wasn’t that it was undisturbed as the track quality can make it a bit of a rocky ride sometimes. Plus, early in the morning, a large Chinese family got on somewhere to occupy the berths around me – but when I slept, it was deep. This is a very familiar journey to me in both directions, stretching back to 1998, so I feel very comfortable with it. It’s familiar.

Not long after 6 am, the train reaches Hat Yai, where it’s shunted and split. Our two sleeping cars plus a day coach are chopped off and parked in a platform awaiting a new SRT loco to take us forward (pics later). Meanwhile, morning ablutions take place in the toilets and washroom aboard, and the process of packing away beds begins.

10:50 (Malaysian time).

Well, that was painless! We arrived at the border crossing of Padang Besar on time and detrained straight into the queue for immigration. Both getting out of Thailand and into Malaysia was easy as you go through one set of controls after the other. There’s around 90 minutes to wait for the connection to Butterworth. Plenty of time to sort out an onward ticket. The KTMB office accepts Thai baht and there’s two ticket machines which take foreign credit cards to pay for the 11 ringgitt 40 sen ticket (around £2).

The 10:35 is worked by a 6-car, Chinese built SCS Electric unit so there’s normally no problem getting a seat – especially as most people crowd together at the entrance to the platform. Head to the rear of the incoming train and you’ll probably find it looks like this!

Don’t assume it’ll stay that way though, this is a local stopping train, and at Arau (the 2nd stop out of Padang Besar), it quickly fills up with people.

14:30.

By the time the train had got to Butterworth it was packed – but fine. People are well-behaved here. Well, unless you count mobile phone etiquette but the UK’s just as bad nowadays only with added  levels of stroppy entitlement.

The new passenger ferries have started running since I was last here (2023). I’ll post pictures and an initial verdict later. The bizarre thing is they no longer take cash, but the kiosk at Butterworth accepts Mastercard or Visa. All for a fare of 2 Ringgit (less than 40p).

Thankfully, the buses do still take cash, so my RM1:40 trip to Lebuh Chulia was paid for in ‘slummy’ from my last trip here!

I’m now having a breather before it’s time to check into my hotel in Jalan Muntri. Cheers!

17:20.

Having had a break at the room to download the camera I’m adding a few more pictures from the trip before venturing out now the day is cooling down. It ‘only’ got up to 32 degrees today with Humidity of 64%. I’ll add captions later…

Our train from Bangkok was split at Hat Yai where the last 3 coaches were taken forward to Padang Besar in Malaysia. 5226 backs onto the train to do the honours.
Checking tickets in the 3rd class coach from Hat Yai to Padang Besar.
One of the new ferries that ply between Butterworth on the mainland and Georgetown on Penang. Call me a nostalgic if you will, but I prefer the old ones.

23:20.

Time to wrap things up. Georgetown is one of my happy places in the world, and I can’t believe I’ve been mad enough to only give myself less than 24 hours here. Plus, I was gutted to find that the really good travellers bar is closed for a holiday. When I say bar, it’s really a shop that spills out every evening, taking over the backstreet outside with tables and chairs. I’ve met some really interesting people there in the past.

Instead, today I stopped to buy a beer from a local shop on Lebuh Chulia (and that shop has a history!) where I met a local who was missing the same place. We ended up chatting for ages.

Meet Eric. A local chap born and bred here but with an international interest. One of those really nice people whom you bump into by chance and one of the reasons that I love travelling.
Here’s where we should have been sat outside

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 29. Thailand day 10. Time to move on…

12 Wednesday Feb 2025

Posted by in Bangkok, Railways, Thailand, Travel

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It’s 09:00 here in Thailand and I’m savouring a last few hours around a quiet rooftop pool. I’ve picked an unfortunate day to be on the move as temperatures are forecast to hit 37 degrees by early afternoon. Just when I’ll be on the move!

Right now, it’s a balmy 27 but rising. There’s only a handful of guests up here, making it very peaceful with just the sounds of the birds and gongs from the Buddhist temple below where they’re celebrating ‘Big Buddha’ day. Many businesses will be closed today as a consequence – and no alcohol sold.

I’m going to turn this into a rolling blog and update it through the day, so feel free to keep popping back to see how my travels go…

12:48.

I checked out just before, which gave me time to have a saunter and get something to eat after leaving my case with the hotel conceirge. Dozens of others have left today, which probably explains why the pool was so quiet. Mind you, the streets are too. Many stalls haven’t bothered opening. Still, I managed to find a tasty meal. Shrimps Thai style (Still in their shells).

Now I’m enjoying the cool of the hotel’s lobby whilst waiting to see if Chris can give me lift to the station or whether I grab a Grab!

14:30.

In the end, Chris couldn’t get out of a meeting, so I booked a Grab taxi. The app is very useful out here in SE Asia. An almost brand new MG badged EV arrived and the driver expertly manoeuvred his was through the lighter than normal traffic  to deposit me at Krung Thep Apiawat staion with over two hours to spare before I depart for Malaysia.

This station doesn’t have the majesty or history of the old Hualamphong. But what it does have is scale. The place is vast, on multi levels and swallow completely the people using it as it’s been designed with a far bigger network in mind.

That said, it is slowly improving as more shops move in. Now it’s possible to buy freshly cooked food and hot drinks rather than just junk and snack food.

The problem with the station is it’s run like an airport. You’re kept corralled and not allowed onto the platform until 20 minutes before your train departs.

Steamed buns and pork dumplings were just some of the things on offer and the prices were normal, not inflated.

16:20.

Despite the usual confusion from people who’ve never used a sleeper train before everyone settled in soon enough and we left on time. Mine is one of the older sleeper coaches so it’s missing a couple of refinements, but nothing major.

17:20.

We’ve left Bangkok behind to head out into the fertile Thai countryside. It’s also a chance for me to observe the railway being rebuilt as part of the double tracking scheme. Now, little stations like Nakon Pathom have become huge, with raised platforms, footbridges, and substantial staion buildings. The surrounding roads now pass under or over the railway, abolishing all the unsafe level crossings and the traffic congestion they caused. The railway gas installed fencing along its length, but this is suffering mixed fortunes as well worn paths to sections that have vanished betray the fact some locals aren’t happy with losing their traditional shortcuts! The pace of change seems patchy. Some areas I passed through in 2023 seem to have hardly changed. I’m not sure when the project’s due to be finished, but it’s not going to be for a while…

19:20.

Most people in my coach have retired to their bunks now their beds have been made. Mostly for the privacy. Hawkers are still passing through the coach, their melodic (if raucous) cries shattering the quiet, but I doubt they’ll stop me being rocked to sleep by the motion of the train.

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/Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 28. Thailand day 9…

11 Tuesday Feb 2025

Posted by in Bangkok, Photography, Railways, Thailand, Travel

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Yup, there’s another day’s blogging gone missing, but that’s mainly as there wasn’t anything to report other than the fact I was lying around by the hotel’s rooftop swimming pool catching some rays whilst I have the chance.

Today was a much more interesting day as I ventured out and finally had a trip on Bangkok’s new ‘yellow line’ monorail which only opened in 2023. It was certainly an interesting experience. The size of the engineering is impressive as the route towers over the streets it runs along the centers of. But, it’s also disappointing. The ride is far rougher than conventional metro systems and the speeds are nothing to boast about. I’ll talk about it more in another blog, but for now I’ll leave you with these pictures from the trip.

All the trains are four-car sets, running on a frequent service.
There’s few seats and lots of space taken up by equipment inside the monorail cards.

This evening’s my last in Bangkok. Tomorrow I catch the train South into Malaysia, so it was lovely to meet up with my old friend Chrissorn for a meal and a drink, especially as tomorrow is a big day in the Buddhist calendar so nowhere will be selling alcohol. This was our last chance!

I’ll be spending most of tomorrow afternoon (and all of the night) on the train tomorrow, so I’ll have more time to blog then.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 26. Thailand day 7…

09 Sunday Feb 2025

Posted by in Bangkok, Photography, Thailand, Travel

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Really? I’ve been here a week already? Time flies as Bangkok is one of those cities where I feel very at home – despite all its pollution and other travails. When I’m here I just slip back into its life without any stress. Bangkok is one of the world’s major and cosmopolitan cities. There’s few like it. London and New York are in the same league, but after that…

Today I moved hotels for the final time on this trip and I’ve gone ‘upmarket’, transitioning from a windowless fan room to a place with a window and a view (a double-edged sword), a fridge in my spacious room and a rooftop swimming pool. The last one matters the most. When I leave Bangkok I’m going to be constantly on the move, so this bit of the trip is the chance to kick back a bit. That said, there’s a lot to fit into the last few days. I’d hoped to meet up with my old friend Chrissorn today but he’s under the weather. Instead I enjoyed a few hours soaking up the sun by the pool. Then I nipped out for a beer at the Gecko bar (another old haunt) after having a quick video call with Dawn which wasn’t great as I was out in the street and poaching off a previous hotels internet. Cheapskate? Me? Actually .no. My hotel wifi asks far too much detail so I’m limiting what I use it for.

Remember I mentioned a monorail (or two)? I still haven’t had time to visit either of them. That’s the plan for tomorrow and tomorrow’s looking like another busy day..

Meanwhile, here’s a couple of pictures for you.

More fantastic food. Crispy fish and pumpkin with egg (plus rice) off my favourite streetfood stall – and all for £1.10.
The rooftop pool at my latest hotel. It has fantastic views over this part of Bangkok. Plus, it’s a good place to catch some rays.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 23. Thailand day 4…

06 Thursday Feb 2025

Posted by in Bangkok, Photography, Railways, Thailand, Travel

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Today’s been another one where I’ve not travelled far as I’ve been too busy sorting out everyday stuff. I was awake by 07:00 when I caught up with the news – all the stuff that’s fit to print, allegedly – and some more expert and intelligent analysis that you won’t find in the mainstream media. For example, if you want considered and fact-checked information about the war in Ukraine. there’s no better place to look than the daily updates from the Institute for the study of war.

Of course, there’s plenty of ASEAN and other European news to trawl through too. After which, it was time to pack my bags and leave my cell – sorry – hotel room. To be honest, for £7 a night it wasn’t bad -it was just like going back 30 years. Well, apart from the wifi access, obviously! My only real complaint was how weak the showers in the shared bathrooms were. There was a gap of several hours between checking out and checking in, but the place I was leaving as happy to store my kit so I went for lunch and a wander. Here’s today’s first course of street-food.

My staple (squash and egg) only this time combined with chicken and bamboo shoots.

By 14:00 I could check into my new hotel. I know the Khao San Art Hotel of old. I think I first stayed here around the mid 1990s. In those days it was called ‘Happy House’ which eventually morphed into ‘Happio’. It became an ‘art hotel’ before I last stayed here in 2023. The place has been refurbished and redecorated, and for what it costs it’s a pretty good cheap-range hotel. As long as you don’t mind the fact there’s no lift – just a labyrinthine network of stairs! On the bright side I now have air-conditioning rather than just a fan, a double bed (nice but not essential), plus my own bathroom with a shower that actually showers rather than just pisses on you!

Budget luxury – as long as you don’t try to swing a cat..

So, I’m all set for the next six days of exploring Bangkok and catching up with an old friend. Oh – hang on, I’m only booked in here for three nights. Maybe I’ll go upmarket and find a place with a rooftop pool for the last few days, especially as I’ve had to cut some places out of my itinerary.

Today I booked onward rail travel through Malaysia through the KTMB (Malaysian railways) app on my phone. Mark, ‘the man in seat 61’ doesn’t recommend it but I’ve been using it for years. The app is really easy to use and lets you choose your seat, which is something many private booking companies don’t. My timetable looks rather different now. I’ll only have one night in my ‘happy place’ (Georgetown, on Penang Island) before getting a train to Kuala Lumpur, where I’ll stay three nights. I’d have preferred it the other way around, but there’s more rail stuff to see in KL. Plus, there’s a friend whom I’d like to catch up with.

My original plan was to continue South by rail to Johor Baru (so I could have a look at the rebuilding of the mainline railway and the LRT between JB and Singapore. That’s out of the window now. To my chagrin I’m having to take another (longer) flight – this time from KL to Jakarta. At least that gets me back in the country I’m flying home from! I’d hoped to fly to Surabaya and make my way back to Jakarta by rail, but that wasn’t to be either. At least now I can concentrate on pictures of the Jakarta rail network and take a spin to Bandung on their high-speed trains. After all, I’ll always come back to Thailand and Malaysia – with the odd side-trip to Indonesia.

Now I’ve all the planning/moving out of the way I’m going to have a day out tomorrow and check out the two new monorail lines that have been built in Bangkok. It’s not a technology that’s really caught on worldwide, although there is one in KL which I’ve travelled on a few times.

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/Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 22. Thailand day 3…

05 Wednesday Feb 2025

Posted by in Bangkok, Food and drink, Photography, Thailand, Travel

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The Prussian General Helmuth von Moltke has a saying attributed to him, which is that (and it’s paraphrased) ‘no plan survives first contact with the enemy’. It’s the same with travelling. I’d planned to leave Bangkok on the international train to Padang Besar in Malaysia on the 9th. Only it’s full. The first available berths are on the 12th. Having checked online I’d a sneaky suspicion that I was going to be frustrated, but a trip out to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station (aka Bang Sue Grand Station) to book a ticket confirmed things. As station names go, it hardly trips off the tongue. But getting there was fun. I’ve no guide book for Thailand, I don’t really need one as I’ve been here so many time before, and the advent of the internet has eaten into their market. The fact ‘Lonely Planet’ guides are so crap they’re a waste of money is another issue (I’ll blog about that another time – honest!) There’s lots of ways of getting to Bang Sue (no sniggering at the back!)

The best way is the Chao Praya river taxi from nearby Phra Arthit pier which took me up river and delivered me at Bang Po. From there it’s two stops on the skytrain, but me being me – I decided to walk. That way, you get to explore and peer into Thai life. Like small businesses like this, which I spotted whilst passing. I haven’t got a Scooby Do what it is they’re making, but I find these places fascinating.

Having secured my onward train ticket at Bang Sue (now what did I say about sniggering?) I had a wander and found the new locomotive depot, which was full of old crocks like this.

I then paid the princely sum of 2 baht to catch a local train to the grand old terminal at Hualamphong, which is just as much a museum as a mainline terminal nowadays. All the long-distance trains have disappeared, along with a lot of the life. Instead, the tracks once used by trains to Chiang Mai and Malaysia are full of relics like this.

Still, there were some great pictures to be had – and as trains are now so infrequent I had time to pop over to and old restaurant opposite the station I know of old. I ordered a beer and the Papaya salad (Tom Sum). The cook asked me if I wanted it ‘spicy’ so I told him yes ‘Thai spicy’. ‘Kin hell – I’m very used to spicy food and regularly ladle the local chilli condiment onto my food, but this was weapons-grade! My tongue was on fire for a good half-hour!

Looks innocuous enough, doesn’t it? This Som Tum was nuclear!

My tastebuds re-appeared just before I caught the 16:30 train back to Bang Sue. Initially it seemed a fairly quiet train on departure. I was in for a surprise! One of the reasons Hualamphong was replaced as the main station is the number of level crossings in the way to Bang Sue. Trains stop at them all – and commuters know this, so stand in the tracks waiting for their train! Like this.

Oh, then there’s the poorer Bangkok residents who simply utilise the railway for recreation…

There’s so much that I could blog about today but the evening’s wearing on and I’m moving hotels tomorrow as well as working out a new itinerary. Hopefully, I’m meeting up with an old Thai friend in the evening, but a blog will still be in the offing…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 21. Thailand day 2…

04 Tuesday Feb 2025

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I’ve had an easy day today here in Bangkok. I decided that my first day flying solo would be spent catching up on planning the rest of my trip, picture editing and generally kicking back in the vicinity of my cell, sorry – hotel room!

The temperature here in Bangkok is almost identical to that of Bali and Java, only it’s not the rainy season and we’re seeing more sunshine. Well, when the smog isn’t present. The day before I arrived flights had to be diverted from the airport I flew into due to visibility being crap thanks to pollution. Bangkok’s an amazing city but the air quality’s pretty crap. To be honest, I’ve not noticed it being too bad on this trip, but then I’ve been here less than 24 hours and nowadays the most prevalent smell around Banglamphu (the area I’m staying in) is the sweet smell of cannabis due to the amount of legal ‘medicinal’ shops selling grass and the amount of people smoking it! You can buy grass of various strengths by the gram or even individual rolled joints if you so decide. Of course, if you’re travelling into Malaysia or Indonesia you’d better ensure you have not a trace of it in your luggage or on your person as both country’s have very strict drug laws. In fact, when you fly with any Indonesian airline they point out that there’s the death penalty for drug trafficking, as a few unfortunates (including some Australians) have found out to their cost in the past.

Thailand is rather more relaxed on a lot of fronts, which is why it’s so much fun sitting somewhere people-watching. This place is still an international crossroads, even if the old ‘backpacker trail’ isn’t what is was when I first came here in 1992. But then, neither’s the Khao San Rd. In those days you could be locked out of the place you were staying in of you were out after midnight (as I once found out to my cost). Now, it’s gone from being a backpacker street to more ’24 hour party people’ with loud music blaring out from so many different places and even the arrival of ‘girly bars’. Admittedly, I haven’t stayed on the Khao San for 20 years. It was becoming difficult then because of the building of big, brash new hotels and the influx of Israelis’ (ask any old Asia traveler about Israelis’ and their reputation and they’ll no doubt explain). Now the Israeli’s’ have been supplanted by Russians, who’re also doing their bit to subvert international goodwill. Admittedly, the Russians are somewhat easier to spot. Well, the women are anyway. It’s the combination of endlessly posing for selfies/tiktok videos and the combination of bleached-blond hair and industrial quantities of lip filler that makes them stand out. You see, people-watching is one of the great (cheap) pleasures of being here in such a melting pot. There’s lots of younger travelers, bright-eyed and excited at being in such an exotic place, then there’s the older people (gulp, like me I suppose) who’ve been coming here for decades and who’ve decided to spend much of their retirement in Thailand due to the quality of life and cheaper cost of living. The other demographic that changed is that the tourists are no longer mostly European or North American. there used to be a lot of Yanks and Australians who came back due to serving in Vietnam in the 60’s-70’s as Thailand is where they went for ‘R&R’ (rest and recreation). I remember passing a bar they used to frequent with a sticker in the window about ‘Hanoi Jane‘ (Jane Fonda). Now they’re being supplanted by Chinese and Indian tourists, both countries with a burgeoning monied middle-class. It all makes for a very interesting melting pot.

OK, I’m going to call it a day now as I have a lot of stuff to sort out, so I’ll leave you with a few pictures.

Thailand is one of the best places in the world for street food. He’re a chap looking at buying a drive-by meal. Bugger McDonald’s!
My lunch of squash and egg along with green beans and pork (with rice, obviously) bought from my favorite street stall. They’ve been selling food since 1974 and I’ve been eating here since 1999. This still costs 50 baht (around £1.10), They’ve not put their prices up for years. The condiment is red and green chopped chilis with fish sauce and lemon juice. It’s not for the faint-hearted but I love it.
The view from the floor of my hotel. It looks out over Wat Chana Songkhram Ratchaworamahawihan, an 18th century royal temple.
Khao San Rd in all its glory. It’s been pedestrianised for many years due to encroachment and the sheer weight of people.
It’s rather calmer and more civilised outside the place I’m staying in. Soi Rambutri.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 20. Thailand day 1…

03 Monday Feb 2025

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The pair of us were up at 05:30 this morning in order to get to the airport in plenty of time as traffic around Denpasar can be a bit of a ‘mare that time of morning. We needn’t have worried. When we got close to the chaos, our driver took us along a near empty expressway that didn’t exist last time I was here. The airport’s changed a bit too as it’s expanded quite a bit and looks very modern. We had to do a double take when we walked past all the shops and spotted a WH Smiths!

Our AirAsia flight was on time, only taking 90 minutes to cover what took us the best part of 3 days by land and sea. We flew into terminal one, but my flight was from terminal two and Dawn’s from three – several hours later, so I sat with her at her terminal for as long as I could before I had to catch the Skytrain back to two. Saying goodbyes at airports is always difficult and rather emotional, especially when you’re both flying, but to different places, especially after a trip like ours.

My check-in was relatively painless, and both security and immigration were hassle-free. I even had chance to get some aircraft shots before I boarded as this is a very busy airport.

My carriage awaits..

Seen at Jakarta airport. Insert own joke here…

My flight to Bangkok took three and a half hours, but I dozed for much of it. We landed at Don Mueng  (there’s no time difference between Jakarta and Bangkok) and I breezed through. I was one of the first dozen off the plane. It took me less than 5 minutes to get my passport stamped with a visa on arrival. My suitcase was waiting for me on the carousel and I was out of the airport in no time. By 20:40 I was sat on the A4 bus (fare 50 baht, around £1.10) heading for the Khao Sarn Rd and my hotel.

It’s now 00:44 Bangkok time and I’m winding down after a long day. I’m staying in Soi Rambutri in a place I’ve not been in for years because Bangkok is busy right now. It’s the height of the season so many places are booked up. I’m in a place Called ‘Merry V’. The rooms are plain vanilla only without the vanilla! It reminds me of how this area was when I first flew into Bangkok from Nepal way back in 1992. Dawn would hate it! It’s not so much a room as a cell. Buddhist monks would feel very at home here. On the bright side – I’m only here for three nights before I move to somewhere with a few more amities – like your own bathroom!

I’ll have chance to blog further (and add pictures) tomorrow. In the meantime – goodnight!!

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

27th November picture of the day…

27 Wednesday Nov 2024

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Thailand, Travel

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Not quite the sort of the day I had in mind, but hey ho.

I’d planned to work from home today as the forecast was suggesting we’d be having snow-showers and all sorts of sh*t today. In reality, we ended up with almost wall-to-wall sunshine. Bugger.

That said, I had plenty of things to keep me occupied with at home, but I couldn’t help feeling it was a wasted opportunity to get out with the camera – but that’s life. In the end It was fortunate that I didn’t as Dawn (who’s still not recovered from a virus) was knocked for six by a migraine, so I ended up donning my nurses uniform once more. Dee retreated to bed whilst I alternated between looking after her and working/cooking/shopping.

Mind you, whilst the weather’s been sunny it’s also been bloody cold as the day’s moved on. The council’s gritting lorries have been kept busy as temperatures hover just above freezing. With those conditions in mind I’ve been kept occupied by watching the birds feasting on the oats I’ve put out for them on one of the shed roofs outside the back of the house. The beauty of oats is that they appeal to a much larger range of birds than if I put out old lentils or other pulses plus, they’re far cheaper than birdseed, which I reserve for the feeders that attract the even smaller birds like tits and nuthatches. That said I had a woodpecker gorging itself on the feeder outside the bedroom window the other day but the damned thing moved too quickly for me to be able to get a picture.

As we needed supplies I did manage to get out for my daily constitutional, popping in to our local supermarket as part of the trip. Oh, and a quick pint in our local pub. Anyone else noticed the paucity and lack of quality of fresh vegetables nowadays? It’s not confined to one chain either. Having secured what I wanted my evening’s been spent productively (apart from the pub, obviously!) making another batch of pea and ham soup for the other invalids in the Platt family, which we expect to deliver as ‘meals on wheels’ tomorrow. Never let it be said that we don’t live the rock and roll lifestyle here at Bigland Towers!

Now for the picture of the day. Hmm, what to choose? I’ve still not finished editing yesterday’s haul, so how about this? The seasons are moving on. I’ve got itchy feet and it’s time leave this septic isle for a while. Here’s a famous feature of a country that’s likely to be the first stop in the new year. Recognise it? You might do if you’re a fan of old James Bond films or you’ve ever been to Thailand…

We were last here in 2017. This is ‘Ko Ta Pu’ otherwise known as the ‘nail’. You can find it in Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay which is off the West coast, not far from Krabi.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312