In India

Apologies for the longer than usual gap between updates. I made it successfully back from Krabi to Bangkok and then, after a long gap between flights, to Mumbai. This was my most challenging leg of the trip so far. Other Asian cities may seem busy, noisy and chaotic but they are nothing compared to Mumbai and I was really pushed beyond my comfort zone on the first day, but I got my ticket to Kerala sorted, and the hotel manager was such a charming and welcoming old gentleman he made up for it all! The hotel was in a really good location to, just along the waterfront from the "Gateway of India" - one of the main tourist landmarks. (see photo top left)

I enjoyed my second day there more - I had a boat trip to Elephanta Island to see the caves carved with fabulous depictions of the Hindu god Shiva in some of his many different manifestations.

The 27 hour train journey was quite a challenge too. The Malaysian and Thai trains are the height of luxury compared to Indian ones and I didn't get much sleep in my very narrow berth, but I did get to chat at length to some real Indian people, especially one lovely couple - he was a retired Indian Railways employee and she kept plying me with food, even though the meals you could order on board were good and cheap and filling.

I got to Ernakulam almost on time and met up with Margaret who has flown out from home to join me here. It was great to have someone to talk to properly again, after quite a while on my own just having brief conversations with strangers.

Today we've enjoyed our first day exploring Fort Cochin - seeing the famous chinese fishing nets - and even having a go at helping to lever one of them up with its rather pitiful catch of little fish. It was great to wander round somewhere where it was actually possible to cross the road without risking life and limb!

We're planning to head a little further south - to Alleppey - in a few days to have a cruise on the backwaters.

Islands and fishes

Today I went on a speed-boat trip to Hong Island and Lading Island (also known as Paradise Island). It was great fun especially feeding the fishes at Lading. The guides give you bread and you wade into the sea and hundreds of brightly coloured fishes, about 6 to 9 inches long, come to the surface all around you to feed.

I've been enjoying some lazy beach days, in between the tropical downpours we've been getting. I particularly liked Rai Lei beach - the whitest sand and clearest water. (picture below)

I've also moved accommodation to a nice small bungalow complex nearer to the heart of the Ao Nang resort, so that I can get out to eat in different places at night. The other bungalow place didn't do good food in the evening, and it was a long walk up an unlit road to anywhere else.

The move also means I have access to wifi - so I've gone back over the last few posts and uploaded some pictures.

Desert Island

Just returned to civilisation (well, Krabi) from a magical three days on the unspoilt island of Koh Jum. The accommodation was about as basic as you can get without camping in the wild, but the beach was deserted, the sea was warm, the people were friendly and interesting, the food was delicious and the whole place just encouraged you to do absolutely nothing. I met some people who have given up on the rat race altogether, and either live in a beach bungalow, only leaving Thailand to renew their visas, or who travel permanently, having reduced their possessions to the contents of a backpack.
But don't worry - I do plan to come home and live a normal life again, at least until I save up enough for another trip!
I'm still in an internet cafe, rather than on my own computer so no photos yet, sorry. But they are mainly just shots of the empty beach looking north, the empty beach looking south, the beach taken from the sea, and the sea taken from the beach!

Uodate - 30th Jan - pictures added of my bungalow and the beach - where I stayed is hidden among the trees.

Elephant Trek

I had my latest animal encounter this morning. Went for a ride on an elephant through the local countryside and fed it some bananas at the end. Actually it hardly stopped eating all through the trek, tugging up bits of undergrowth and shrubs to eat.
Then I had a walk to a national park area just along the coast. It's obviously a popular picnic spot with local families, and was very busy as it's Sunday. Unfortunately, even there, there was a lot of litter.
Yesterday I went to a different beach, famed for its beauty, called Phra Nang, but there were too many people for it to rank on my list of favourite beaches.
My bungalow now is pretty simple but tomorrow I'm off to stay for a few nights on an island that only got electricity in 2009, and it'll be even more basic (and even cheaper). I am leaving my big case here with the people at Lakeside Bungalows, to where I will return, and just taking the bare minimum.
It's unlikely I'll be able to update the blog for a few days.

Update - 30th Jan - I've added pictures of the elephant trek (obviously) and Phra Nang beach.

On the beach

I spent my last day in Bangkok with a Belgian woman who lives in Spain, where she runs holiday apartments. We got on really well - another new email address to add to my growing collection. Then I got the overnight bus to Krabi, along with all the other European backpackers. Surprisingly I actually slept some of the time! Fortunately when I got here in the morning I didn't have too long to wait before my bungalow was ready.
A bungalow in this context is a hut made of wood and corrugated iron and lined with woven bamboo leaves. It has an oddly plumbed bathroom and a verandah, and is raised on stilts. I've seen a gecko inside and one of those big lizards outside. I've bought mosquito coils to keep the only dangerous wildlife at bay.
Where I'm staying is not actually on the beach - it's about 10 miutes walk to the nearest beach, where you can catch little boats to an array of beautiful beaches set among spectacular cliffs and jungles.
I won't be able to upload photos just yet as I am using an internet cafe rather than my own computer (no wifi) but you will be jealous when you see the pictures.
I'll be here for a few days and then probably go to one of the very basic and unspoilt islands for a couple of days. I plan to have more lazy days like today - swimming, reading, sunbathing and enjoying the food and the views - before I head back to Bangkok to catch my flight to India on 1st February.

Update - 30th Jan - I've added pictures of Ao Nang beach at sunset and Ton Sai beach

Another Bangkok Day

I'm sitting on the terrace of the hostel, looking out into the alleyway, which is actually a bit squalid by European standards, watching the neighbourhood children playing with their hula hoops and their parents preparing food - both the families opposite run food stalls at night in front of their homes.

I had a constructive morning, booking travel and accommodation, finding a post office, getting laundry done, etc, and then went to Lumphini Park again - much quieter than on Sunday and a lovely place for a walk and a breath of fresh air. I saw a nine foot long lizard - there are quite a few there of varying sizes and a local told me they were Komodo Dragons but they're not - I don't know what they are but the big ones are scary.


Sticking with reptiles, this afternoon I went to the Snake Farm, which is attached to a research Institute which looks into Rabies and other tropical diseases, as well as researching snakes and extracting thier venom for treatment. They also have an educational exhibition and they lay on a very entertaining show where snake handlers bring out their cobras and vipers. I decided if I didn't have my picture taken with a python round my neck I'd regret it. Just across the road was a lovely temple, which anywhere else would be a main attraction, but here in Bangkok it's run-of-the-mill.

Tomorrow evening I set off for Krabi and the beaches and islands of the Andaman Coast. I had my hair cut here the other night for the first time since September.

A Great Day

For the first time today I suddenly had the thought that I could happily do exactly the same, all over again tomorrow! I walked through Chinatown to catch a river-bus to the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace complex is worth travelling round the world to see in its own right. It includes the temple of the Emerald Buddha and dozens of throne rooms, temples, government buildings and other splendid examples of architecture and sculpure.

Then it was on to Wat Pho - the temple of the Reclining Buddha. Whereas the Emerald Buddha is quite small, the reclining Buddha is huge. That temple is also in a fabulous complex of stunning buildings, such as the memorials to former kings.

After a delicious lunch I went on a long-tail boat trip round the Khlongs or canals, which included a stop at the collection of Royal Barges, which are really grand. The canals go through some green leafy areas and past houses ranging from traditional Thai homes, to shacks, to modern flats, but all of them using the waterway as their thoroughfare.

Finally I came back the same way through a much livelier Chinatown where preparations are well under way for Chinese New Year.

I hope I don't offend any of the people who have shown off their home cities and towns to me, but currently Bangkok is my favourite. I couldn't live here - too noisy and dirty - but it has a great energy and I love the food.

I took about 70 photos today so choosing the best one or two to illustrate this entry is impossible! The two I've picked at random are the Temple of the Dawn or Arun Wat which I just saw in passing from the river bus, and a row of seated buddhas from a cloister in the Emerald Buddha complex.