After a great few days in Taiwan and following a very short stop-over in Hong Kong for the second time, I got on a Cathay Pacific flight bound for Bangkok, Thailand. Up next would be two weeks in which I would explore Thailand, for the most part. I would also end up finding a few spare days to visit Cambodia and the fabulous temples of Angkor...
“... Enfin c'était flou tout ça, pour l'instant je manquais de partenaires. Je me levai après avoir payé, marchai cent cinquante mètres en évitant différentes propositions et me retrouvai devant le Pussy Paradise. Je poussai la porte et entrai. Trois mètres devant moi je reconnus Robert et Lionel, attablés devant des Irish coffees. Dans le fond, derrière une vitre, une cinquantaine de filles étaient assises sur des gradins, avec leurs macarons numérotés. Un serveur s'approcha de moi avec rapidité... En plus je commençais à avoir envie de la 47, une petite Thaïe très mince, même un peu maigre, mais avec des lèvres épaisses, et l'air gentille; elle portait une mini-jupe rouge et des bas noirs... Je jetai un nouveau regard sur la 47: c'est un moment excitant, l'attente, on aimerait la faire durer très longtemps ; mais il y a toujours le risque que la fille parte avec un autre client. Je fis un petit signe de la main en direction du serveur... «The girl number four seven!» hurlai-je en détachant les syllabes. Cette fois il comprit, fit un large sourire et se dirigea vers un micro placé devant la vitre, où il articula quelques paroles. La fille se leva, descendit des gradins, se dirigea vers une sortie latérale en se lissant les cheveux... «What is your name ?» en profitai-je pour demander à la numéro 47. «I am Sin» dit-elle... Je me levai à mon tour. Lionel me jeta un regard reconnaissant ; il était visiblement content que je parte en premier avec une fille, c'était moins gênant pour lui. Je hochai la tête en direction de Robert pour prendre congé. Son visage aux traits durs, crispé dans une grimace amère, parcourait la salle — et, au-delà, le genre humain — sans la moindre aménité. Il s'était exprimé, du moins il en avait eu l'occasion ; je sentais que j'allais l'oublier assez vite. Il m'apparut d'un seul coup comme un homme battu, fini ; j'avais l'impression qu'il n'avait même plus vraiment envie de faire l'amour à ces filles. On peut caractériser la vie comme un processus d'immobilisation, bien visible chez le bouledogue français — si frétillant dans sa jeunesse, si apathique dans son âge mûr. Chez Robert, le processus était déjà bien avancé; il avait peut-être encore des érections, mais ce n'était même pas certain; on peut toujours faire le malin, donner l'impression d'avoir compris quelque chose à la vie, toujours est-il que la vie se termine. Mon sort était similaire au sien, nous partagions la même défaite ; je ne ressentais pourtant aucune espèce de solidarité active. En l'absence d'amour, rien ne peut être sanctifié. Sous la peau des paupières, des taches lumineuses fusionnent ; il y a des visions, et il y a des rêves. Tout cela ne concerne plus l'homme, qui attend la nuit; la nuit vient. Je payai deux mille bahts au serveur, qui me précéda jusqu'à la double porte menant aux étages. Sin me tenait par la main; elle allait, pendant une ou deux heures, essayer de me rendre heureux.”
Plateforme, Michel Houellebecq (2001)
Having read Michel Houllebecq’s “Plateforme” a couple of years ago and, like many, having a very limited knowledge of Thailand or anything related to the country and its people, I couldn’t help but have this general preconceived notion that this South East Asian nation’s tourism industry was, setting aside the beautiful beaches and other paradise-like destinations, partially devoted to sexual tourism. Nonetheless, as has been the case in other countries during my travels, this “projection” was more a vague idea cast upon me by Western “thinking” and urban legends rather than a genuine personal belief. Again, as has happened time and time again during the past 6 months, what I would encounter and discover would be totally different to what was projected onto me by the outside world...
After a very early departure from Hong Kong, I arrived to Bangkok in the late morning (factoring in time difference) and headed directly downtown, to the district of Silom, where I had booked a hostel for the next few nights. My initial plan, and after having chatted with Maria, a Spanish girl living and working in Bangkok (and very much a “local player” as her knowledge of Thailand, and South East Asia in general, is impressive) who had been introduced to me by a common friend, was to spend a couple of days in Bangkok and then head over to the Southern islands for about a week. The first day in Bangkok, I took it rather slow... I explored the area around my hostel, went for a nice meal to a local Thai place close by and in the evening met up with Maria and a few friends of hers in a popular expat hang-out spot to meet in person, after the excessive facebook/virtual interaction, and enjoy a fun evening full of music, free cocktails and endless banter on a rooftop terrace.
The following morning, I got up early ready to take in as much as I could from Bangkok’s cultural and local offering. I was in for a treat. Following a combination of my hostel’s map/guide and Maria’s sound advice, I visited the most amazing of places. This was one of the greatly surprising things about Bangkok: A huge city... yes; a hectic city... yes; a loud city... yes; a vibrant city... yes. But also a beautiful city, full of temples, green areas, amazing sights and some truly amazing areas to wander around and get lost in. Some of the highlights of that first day were the Golden Mount (Wat Saket), a golden temple nested atop a hill in downtown Bangkok where one can get some astonishing views of the city, the Grand Palace (and neighbouring temple), the former residence of the royal family where I was forced to borrow long pants from the cloak room as a sign of “respect” before entering the premises, the Reclining Buddha (inside Wat Pho), a gigantic golden statue of a reclining Buddha (of which I unfortunately have no pictures as my camera’s battery died as I was entering the templ!!), Chinatown and the commercial district around Siam Square. I have to admit that my first full day in Bangkok was rather exhausting... I spent most of the day outdoors, walking around the city under an intense and humid heat (a common trend in most of the Asian countries I have visited, whereby one sweats incessantly all day long!) so by the time I reached my hostel in the evening I was not in the mood for much. In addition, I was due to catch a plane to Phuket the next morning at 7am (very cheap by the way... flying with AirAsia is like flying with Ryanair pretty much!). I caught up with a few friends, wrote a few emails and called it a night.
After a c. 1.5 hour flight, I arrived to Phuket International Airport. As one can expect, and similar to what I would experience in many other places across the region, upon exiting the terminal building (well, not even – actually upon leaving the arrivals lounge/baggage reclaim area), I was surrounded (as were all others who had been on the flight with me) by cab drivers, tour operator representatives and other similar individuals begging that I follow them into whatever business they were offering. Having done my homework, even if just the night before, I had already booked a hostel in Patong Beach and had learned that a shuttle bus from the airport would take me there for just about 80 baht (c. 2eur). Compared to the ludicrous prices charged by most taxi drivers, I felt I did well. After sharing an interesting conversation on the bus with a Thai lady, mother of two and married to a Scottish dude, I arrived to my hostel in Patong. I relaxed for a bit before heading to grab a bite (my first Pad Thai – a local and delicious noodle-based dish with vegetables and a choice of chicken, seafood, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pad_Thai) to the beach. To be frank, I wasn’t very impressed by the area in general – it didn’t really live up to my expectations. Again lead by urban legends, I thought Phuket would be worth a visit, even if short. Very crowded, very dirty (especially the beach) and a panorama filled with eager European tourists seeking pleasant and relaxing experiences in massage salons (here very much on the same wavelength as Houllebecq’s portrayal). Aside from that, not much to report really. Not my kind of place... spent the afternoon at the beach enjoying some beers and a good read. In the evening and after getting a sense for the “ambiance” along the main streets, I had a delicious bite at a tiny shop close to my hostel and called it a night quite early. I was also quite keen to work on updating my blog so I spent part of the evening on that.
The next morning, I took a bus from my hostel to the Phuket town harbour where I got on a ferry to Kho Phi Phi. I had heard great things about it, namely that it (or one of the islands – Phi Phi Ley) was where the movie “The Beach”, with Leonardo di Caprio, was shot. I met a couple of German guys, Carsten and Toby, on the bus/ferry ride over and after the 3 hour ferry ride agreed to spend the afternoon/evening with them. As a side note on the general transportation around the islands in Thailand if I may. It is rather interesting that it tends to be the case that hostels and hotels offer all-inclusive transportation packages, which most times include various legs and vehicles, at a cheaper bundled price than if one were to travel independently. Economically interesting that no real (or at least apparent) margin is obtained from ridiculous tourist prices on these bundles... nonetheless, assuming it is likely a question of volume rather than price as the “facilitators” likely get substantial economies-of-scale benefits... So in Phi Phi I was planning to spend just a day/night before hopping on yet another ferry en route to Ao Nang/Krabi. Phi Phi Dong, the island where I was staying (and, in fact the only part of the archipelago that is inhabited) is a beautiful little island with a stunning beach. Most shops, guesthouses, restaurants and bars are located on a thin strip of land with the beach on one side and the harbour on the other. After walking along the beach with my camera in hand for a while, I asked my hostel’s receptionist for some tips on local spots for fine dining. He recommended a small pad thai place just a few meters down the street. Overall, I must have had something close to 20 pad thais and the one in that intimate, cosy and tiny wooden “shack”, which very much resembled someone’s kitchen, was by far the best. Not only was it succulent but also the experience was a pure treat. The whole place was covered in notes, messages and drawings that had been left by previous visitors. I wasn’t surprised after my meal why nearly all of them praised those noodles... I also left my own “review”. In an effort to promote that little place I will not share it with you. Maybe, who knows, this will lead you to visit the island. Just need to ask for the best pad thai place in town to find it or try to recognise the setting from one of my pictures below. That same evening, I met up with the German guys and got a taste of the local nightlife. Totally different crowd and atmosphere when compared to Phuket, to say the least... A very young crowd in general (even younger that me I would say. ..), all foreign, very few locals and a nightlife comparable to Mykonos or any other Greek island. You get the idea, I imagine. Still fun to party on the beach in the company of interesting/fun people and those loveable “buckets”. It ended up being quite a late one, yet again.
In spite of the late night, the following morning I got up relatively early (10-ish) and in the early afternoon got on a ferry to Ao Nang, which is located in the Krabi municipality. Initially I wasn’t all that attracted by the area but as my parents are planning a trip to Thailand in the near future (potentially to Krabi), I decided to inspect the area nonetheless and to see what it had to offer. Again, very different to both Phi Phi and Phuket. This time around, I found that the Ao Nang area was more set up for families and couples. It is more resort-based than the other destinations I had checked out beforehand and it was a bit quiet I would say. Maybe part of it was due to the low (rainy) season during which I visited Thailand and the Andaman Sea. The day I arrived, and due to the fact that the journey from Phi Phi, which began at 2pm, took a few hours, I was unable to do much though. I explored downtown Ao Nang for a bit and hit up a local “food cart” on one of the main streets. Had some great curry chicken and a mango shake. Superb combination. Back at the hostel, which was unfortunately a bit out of town, I met an English guy, Dan, with whom I chatted for a while. As in so many occasions, the conversation mainly versed around our travel experiences. On top of that though, as with all Brits I have met on the road, there is quite a substantial “football” component to any conversation. Fun stuff...
The next morning, and after exploring the surrounding beaches for a while (which were quite phenomenal... and totally deserted!) I got on a bus to Hat Yai, which is the largest city in Thailand before the border with Malaysia. There was nothing in particular that I was aiming to do over there, but it was a must to stopover for the night if I was aiming to reach the island of Koh Lipe the next morning. In Lipe, which is part of an archipelago to the very South of the Andaman sea (if one were to draw an imaginary line continuing along the border between Malaysia and Thailand towards the Andaman sea... that’s where Lipe would be), I was hoping to spend a few relaxing days on the beach doing as little as possible, aside from snorkelling and enjoying endless beers and pad thais. Nothing much to report on Hat Yai really... I had been informed beforehand so wasn’t all that surprised.
Early wake-up the next day to get on the bus + ferry combo to Koh Lipe. The bus was standard enough, the typical minivan which is used for most short haul overland trips in Southern Thailand. But what I wasn’t expecting was the ferry... I was thinking it would be a proper ferry, similar to the ones I had been on over the course of the past few days, which were relatively slow and had a capacity of close to 200 people, but much to the contrary I got to ride on a c. 20 person speed boat for just about an hour, doing speeds of nearly 40mph the whole way over to the island. The sea was a bit rough that morning and many people got sea sick along the way. I was lucky enough not to, even if “sudé la gota gorda” (or had a few real bad moments) from time to time. Interestingly enough, during the low season (May – October) this once-a-day boat trip is the only means of access to Koh Lipe, so you can imagine how many people were on the island. Absolute paradise! Once there, I got to my “resort”, which consisted of a bunch of bungalows spread out across the beach and, after a little rest, set out to explore the beautiful virgin island. During the next couple of days, I didn’t do much really. Snorkelling, pad thais, beers, beach, reading, blogging... what a real holiday should be all about. At times on this trip it has been hard to “relax” (at least 100%) as I have mostly been going around “like a headless chicken” from one place to the next. This time though it was 100% though. The setting was ideal as well. Barely any foreigners, no one on the beach, the corals and the surrounding islands all to myself to explore with my mask, snorkel and fins...
After a superb couple of days, I returned to Hat Yai, where I got on a plane (again at Ryanair prices with AirAsia) bound for Bangkok. This time around I was hoping to spend one day or so before heading over to Cambodia. There were still a few things on my list that I had left from my previous stay a week or so back. From the islands though, I would conclude (and this really comes after having seen only a few spots) that there is in fact a bit of everything. I think there is sufficient variety out there for one to find whatever is being sought... whether it is go-go bars, family resorts, party central or stunning diving spots. That’s the beauty of Thailand I guess... there’s a bit for everyone. Maybe that’s probably why their tourism model is so successful as well! In Bangkok the following day, I made sure to enjoy a boat on the Chao Phraya river and go to Wat Arun (or Temple of Dawn), which is a big pagoda-style temple with unique decoration and from which there are nice views of the city laying across the river. Some more wandering around that amazing city and I called it a day rather early. I had to pass (not very common in me) on a night out with some people at the hostel as next up on the menu was a 4am wake-up in order to catch a train to Cambodia. That calls for another chapter though... I will leave you with some pics of my stay in Thailand. I did take way too many pictures (this time many many more than usual), so hope I picked the ones that let you picture this beautiful country best.
Hasta pronto amigos.
