Getting back
This post is definitely well overdue and although the temptation is just to forget it, I feel I really do need to close the door on this fantastic episode of my life.
The journey back started with a hop on an Air Asia from Saigon to Bangkok on a Sunday night. which saw me arrive in a somewhat tense city around 9 in the evening. The ongoing red shirt occupation of small parts of Bangkok had been beginning to look a little dicey with some 20 people being killed in violence on the Saturday night but I had no choice in the matter really. Besides which I'd been assured it was quite localised. When I got into the city centre I soon found a place to stay off the Ko Sahn Road, dropped my bags off and went in search of a veggie restaurant, which my guidebook assured me I could find at the end of the Ko Sahn Road. And there it was!
On the other side of the barricades.
Past the red shirted protesters.
Ah.
So, localised but at the end of the road. They were a peaceful enough bunch but it did mean the place I wanted to eat was shut. Damn. Also transpires this was where some of the people had been shot and killed the previous day. Ended up get a cheap pad thai on the street and ruminating on slightly bizarre situation of a life and death protest going on at the end of a road of backpackers partying.
So obviously my mind then turned to beer, although only as an aid to staying up late to help me adjust back to the European time zone of course. Turns out it was the eve of Songkran, the Thai new year celebration that comes at the hottest time of the year and celebrations were starting to kick off as the night wore on. Songkarn celebrations consist of soaking people with water and occasionally throwing chalk dust over them. I ended up drinking with an American chap, John, and as the night rolled into morning we threw ourselves into the fun, throwing buckets of water around and purchasing a water pistol. We also then drank buckets and I have vague recollections of zig zagging down the road trying to find my hotel at around dawn.
Next thing I knew it was 10AM and I was sprawled on the bed still drenched and fully clothed feeling as though death would be a mercy. It was after stumbling outdoors in order to find breakfast that I began to see why Songkarn can be less than amusing when the dry clothes I'd managed to pull on got soaked by a kid with a bucket of water. Dammit man, I had to catch a bloody 15 hour flight later and I was running out of dry clothes.
After breaking my fast and spending some time in my room just going "Urgh" I ventured forth again to quickly go onto the internet. The plan was to reassemble the bike and cycle into Islington when I arrived at Heathrow at 6:30 the next morning and I needed to print out the directions. I found an air con internet round the corner, managing to duck the water on the way. As I sat and browsed away I got a message through from Rob.
For those of you who haven't been following this blog too closely I first came across Rob when he was cycling a day ahead of me through Europe, then teamed up with him in Istanbul to cycle along some of the Black Sea coast in Turkey. I then bumped into him briefly again in Goa. So, of course, where was he now? Bangkok, of course. In the same hotel as I was staying... We met up for lunch, after which I just had time to get myself vaguely together and get to the airport. I'll wrap this up with a picture of Rob and I taking lunch.
The journey back started with a hop on an Air Asia from Saigon to Bangkok on a Sunday night. which saw me arrive in a somewhat tense city around 9 in the evening. The ongoing red shirt occupation of small parts of Bangkok had been beginning to look a little dicey with some 20 people being killed in violence on the Saturday night but I had no choice in the matter really. Besides which I'd been assured it was quite localised. When I got into the city centre I soon found a place to stay off the Ko Sahn Road, dropped my bags off and went in search of a veggie restaurant, which my guidebook assured me I could find at the end of the Ko Sahn Road. And there it was!
On the other side of the barricades.
Past the red shirted protesters.
Ah.
So, localised but at the end of the road. They were a peaceful enough bunch but it did mean the place I wanted to eat was shut. Damn. Also transpires this was where some of the people had been shot and killed the previous day. Ended up get a cheap pad thai on the street and ruminating on slightly bizarre situation of a life and death protest going on at the end of a road of backpackers partying.
So obviously my mind then turned to beer, although only as an aid to staying up late to help me adjust back to the European time zone of course. Turns out it was the eve of Songkran, the Thai new year celebration that comes at the hottest time of the year and celebrations were starting to kick off as the night wore on. Songkarn celebrations consist of soaking people with water and occasionally throwing chalk dust over them. I ended up drinking with an American chap, John, and as the night rolled into morning we threw ourselves into the fun, throwing buckets of water around and purchasing a water pistol. We also then drank buckets and I have vague recollections of zig zagging down the road trying to find my hotel at around dawn.
Next thing I knew it was 10AM and I was sprawled on the bed still drenched and fully clothed feeling as though death would be a mercy. It was after stumbling outdoors in order to find breakfast that I began to see why Songkarn can be less than amusing when the dry clothes I'd managed to pull on got soaked by a kid with a bucket of water. Dammit man, I had to catch a bloody 15 hour flight later and I was running out of dry clothes.
After breaking my fast and spending some time in my room just going "Urgh" I ventured forth again to quickly go onto the internet. The plan was to reassemble the bike and cycle into Islington when I arrived at Heathrow at 6:30 the next morning and I needed to print out the directions. I found an air con internet round the corner, managing to duck the water on the way. As I sat and browsed away I got a message through from Rob.
For those of you who haven't been following this blog too closely I first came across Rob when he was cycling a day ahead of me through Europe, then teamed up with him in Istanbul to cycle along some of the Black Sea coast in Turkey. I then bumped into him briefly again in Goa. So, of course, where was he now? Bangkok, of course. In the same hotel as I was staying... We met up for lunch, after which I just had time to get myself vaguely together and get to the airport. I'll wrap this up with a picture of Rob and I taking lunch.
posted by Bill at 12:15 pm
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