Muay Thai (Thai Boxing)

Jesse and I went to the local stadium in Chiang Mai to see a series of Muay Thai fights, which after a 50 minute walk didn't feel so local anymore. We thankfully arrived late, I'm not sure what the warm up entertainment consists of, but am quite happy to never find out. The second of eight fights was underway, by the end of the night it did feel a little like an endurance test for the crowd too.

Give it to him ref!


As our minds wandered and the beer kicked in it became difficult to really say who was winning. When there was a bit of excitement (a fighter was stretchered off) we both could have done with an instant replay to see what had happened, for that matter the fighter could have too. A guy came over the PA to tell all the nice tourists that the guy would be fine, while we could still see him out cold in the corner of the room.
It was also disconcerting that everytime new fighters entered the ring the Benny Hill music was played, I have no idea why. Another unique experience.

Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara

I visited this fabled hillside temple with Sarah and Jodi, two girls from Leeds I'd met on the cookery course. They had kindly kept me company as I watched Liverpool go out of the Champions League the night before. Until they arrived I was watching alongside prostitutes and middle aged Western men who should know better, in a bar in Chiang Mai. Sarah and Jodi's arrival was very welcome.
It is easy to become "templed out" in South East Asia. It's not surprising really, I can't imagine spending months wandering around churches in England. Yet Doi Suthep (between friends) was awe inspiring. Sarah (with expert bartering skills) had arranged a sawngthaew (basically a red taxi) to take us on the forty minute journey up the mountain. It's a regular deal that the driver waits for tourists for the return journey.
Although there were many tourists walking around the temple complex (some building date from the 16th Century), it remained peaceful. The sunshine was reflected off the glorious golden surfaces, the air was filled with incense and monks wandered amongst tourists. The site also offers amazing views of Chiang Mai.






Well you've got to have some fun.

Pad Thai Cookery School

I took the sleeper train from Bangkok north to Chiang Mai. I've met many travellers who are smitten with the Northern city and amongst Thai's it holds an almost mythic status. There is a strong contrast between the islands of the South and the North. Although I really enjoyed the South, it does feel more like a beach holiday, than an adventure and I think the area has become far too developed.

This is my bed on the sleeper, without a window I had the strange sensation I was going into space.

I got chatting to an American guy Jesse, at the train station, we were both going to the same guesthouse. I spent my first day wandering around the streets of Chiang Mai, it's a fairly condensed city centre, with the usual number of temples to visit, it's also quite famous for it's night bazaar. You can buy any colour of La Coste polo shirt you want.
I decided to spend my second day in Chiang Mai at the Pad Thai cookery school. I choose this particular school after a rigorous investigation and because Pad Thai is my favourite dish.
Each student is given a menu with a choice of about 20 dishes, from this you choose the six dishes you want to make and at the end of the day you are presented a certificate and a cookery book, so you can actually make all the dishes at home.
Another guest at my guesthouse, Neil (CAN) was signed up to the class and we were collected by a typical open taxi. Along with the other students we were driven to the local produce market, we handed over our choice of dishes and someone bought the ingredients for us. While this was happening our teacher explained all the local produce. All the teachers spoke really good English and had a great sense of humour. On some trips the jokes are a little stale, but here I felt we really got to see some Thai humour, dry and sarcastic.

Class begins at the market.

The Pad Thai Cookery School has a great set up, we were put in groups, depending on which dish we wanted to make. Gathered around a table, we each had a tray of ingredients for the dish and our teacher would make the dish step by step. We would then go over to a cooking station and first watch our teacher and then cook for ourselves.

Making Pad Thai, it took all my will power not to eat the ingredients raw.

The teachers made everything seem so easy and I'm pleased to say I managed to follow the instructions. This is something I normally find hard to do, my mind starts to wander, I stop listening and next minute I have no idea what I'm meant to be doing. Thankfully I'm pleased to report this only happened once or twice during the day.
I made Pad Thai (of course), a mushroom stir fry, a green Thai curry, spring rolls, sticky rice and mango pudding and a fruit salad. As we ate what we made, by the end of the day I needed a wheel barrow just to get out of the class.

Enjoying the results.

Cooking up a storm.

The last dish for me caused the most confusion. We gathered around a small table, ready to make a Thai fruit salad, as usual all our ingredients were in a small tray next to each workstation. There was plenty of fruit, pineapple, mango, papaya (I tried to drop this on the floor - I absolutely hate the stuff), carrot, green beans - wait a minute! Had the kitchen staff become confused? Not according to our teacher. Worse was to come, we added garlic and chillies. Yes to fruit salad. The amazing part? I couldn't taste the papaya.

Bangkok

I was slightly apprehensive heading to Bangkok, my aim was to get to know the city so I would find it familiar on my return, as Bangkok will be my last stop; my flight to the UK leaves the capital 11th June.
On my arrival (on another night bus), I found everyone I met to be a travel agent. It's not uncommon for security guards, tuk-tuk drivers and just about any member of the public to be working for a guesthouse. It starts with "Where are you from?" "Oh, Micheal Owen!" Or some such footballer is mentioned and then casually it moves on, "Do you have somewhere to stay?" After naming a guesthouse, they wrinkle their noses and frown, sometimes this is followed by mimicing the act of shooting up. "No, no you should stay at such and such, my sister was there just the other week, it's a great place, let me show you".
This is all fine and well, but what really annoys me and has happened a few times, is when the walking saint/tout takes my guide book off me and starts DRAWING on the map! I've started pretending to be Hindu and finding this an outrage, but with little effect.

Tuk-tuk driver

Anyway after batting off guesthouse agents from all angles I checked into a guesthouse in the Siam Square area of the city.
Bangkok has so many sides, ancient and modern stand side by side, everything seems chaotic and then you turn a corner and find peace and quiet, rich and poor, huge corporations and street vendors, everything sizzles with energy.
For the three days I spent in Bangkok I managed a trip to the Grand Palace, Reclining Buddha, a river boat ride, skytrain to the weekend markets and the huge shopping centre MBK and a look around Jim Thompson's home. Not bad really.

Jim Thompson's home

Skytrain Platform

View from the back of a tuk-tuk

Me at the Grand Palace

Reclining Buddha

Ko Pha-Ngan, Phuket and Ko Phi Phi

I travelled up from Malaysia into Thailand, to Ko Pha-Ngan in time for Full Moon Party. It's a really beautiful island, but very much geared towards tourists. I met up with Sian and another English girl she'd met, Aretha. I had a day or two relaxing at what was a really nice resort.

You get a lot for your Baht!

In the tuk-tuk on the way to the Full Moon Party


I then travelled from Ko Pha-Ngan back to the mainland and across the country to Phuket. I met Naheed, another English girl on the journey and we ended up spending the next few days together.

Naheed and I in a tuk-tuk on the way to the Butterfly Sanctuary


Maya Bay, this is where they filmed "The Beach", it was very crowded and not the most beautiful place I've visited, but I did enjoy the snokelling.

Am I going to Georgetown?

I took a night bus from Singapore up the Malaysian peninsular to Penang. There was some confusion about where my final destination would be on the Penang island. Every time I asked, hopefully, "Georgetown?" I would be met with the same reply, "Yes, close to". I even resorted to the pointing at a map tactic, but to no avail.
So I boarded the bus and hoped for the best. The air conditioning on the bus was turned up, past the ridiculously cold point, everyone on board looked freezing. For some reason the driver couldn't do anything about it, something trivial about making the windows impossible to see through.
We surged on through the night, I was regretting wearing shorts, but had my silk liner in my pack, so I crawled into that. However it is the flimsiest piece of material, I pulled my hood over my head and then snuggled into the liner and wrapped the top piece under my hood. My view was, I imagine the same as Micheal Jackson's children.
We made a couple of stops on route and then at 6am, we let some passengers off. I decided now was the time to ask the driver again, where would I be dropped in Penang. This time his reply was different, "Quick you get off bus". I looked at him incredulously, no one had mentioned the need to change buses. I was escorted with my bags to a bus waiting behind us.
For some reason I ended up sitting next to the driver, in his cab, on what can only be described as a piece of garden furniture. The driver was very chatty, although it took me several minutes to realise he was speaking English. I asked him "Am I going to Georgetown?" The reply "No", why would this bus be going to Georgetown, it is after all only the main city on Penang?
However the driver told me he'd drop me at the bus station just out of town (as it turned out along with the rest of the passengers) and tell me where to get a local bus into the centre. He told me taxi drivers would rip me off, he then used the international sign of a throat being slit. Reassuring.
The local bus driver thankfully let me on without paying as I had no small change. The sight of a chain smoking bus driver is still a shock.
I found a hotel in Chinatown and waited to check in. I then remembered something Sian had told me a few weeks earlier, about seeing loads of rats in some place in Malaysia and then finding one on her bed in the middle of the night. I suddenly realised where I was! I took a look at the guest book and sure enough saw Sian's name. Let's just say I didn't sleep much in Georgetown.

Rat Watch Room

Sights Around Georgetown

Singapore

I arrived in Singapore on Monday evening and I'm moving onto Malaysia tonight. No it's not really that bad, I just have less time left to see a lot and need to be in Ko Pha-Ngan by Sunday to meet up with friends.
Singapore is a real melting pot, for me it's the first country I've visited where I've had no idea how to identify a local. There is such a mix of ethnicity's, but somehow it works. Singapore is obviously very affluent compared to much of S.E.Asia and for me a good introduction.
I'm staying in Little India, which surprisingly is full of Indians! I've found a great restaurant, thanks to a little publication called Lonely Planet and by Singapore's standards its cheap.
Singapore is famous for it's giant, exclusive shopping malls. Yesterday I took a wander around the Orchard Road area, where most of the shops are and was surprised to find a Marks and Spencers, see Mum you could live here. I also walked to the Botanic Gardens, it isn't very far, but with the humidity was too far.

Inspiration will you wait

The transport system is really good, air-conditioned buses, air-conditioned underground system and inspiring quotes on display, what more could a public want. Oh yes that's right a mobile phone signal underground.
My bus leaves Singapore at 9pm tonight and I will arrive in Penang at 8am tomorrow morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed!