Backpacker Granny

Backpackergranny Tours THE NEW BACKPACKER GRANNY TOUR GROUP FOR SOLO LADIES

2018-02-23T22:30:00.001+07:00

Backpackergranny Tours THE NEW BACKPACKER GRANNY TOUR GROUP FOR SOLO LADIES

4 CONSEJOS PARA VENCER EL MIEDO SEGÚN LA ABUELA MOCHILERA #BACKPACKERGRA...

2017-05-03T20:57:00.001+07:00

India - Backpackergranny

2017-03-08T18:57:00.001+07:00

India - Backpackergranny

Bangkok – Backpackergranny

2016-03-29T13:01:00.001+07:00

Bangkok – Backpackergranny

Frau has lost her Knickers

2013-02-04T15:38:00.000+07:00

As any hard and fast backpacker traveler will tell you, apart from seeing so many awesome and amazing countries, there are the host of incredible people you meet along the way. The Weirdos and the Wonderfuls, the Nicies and the Nasties, the Sociables and the Unsociables, the Well-Mannereds and the Ill-Mannereds, the Merrys and the Miserables, and so on and so forth.

Birgit lösser a German lady staying at my hostel could possibly be placed in both the categories of Wierdos and Miserables! Before I tell you about this strange lady, allow me to fill you in on the full picture of the hostel.

Bun Kao hostel is a great place to stay. Whenever I visit Siem Reap I head to this wonderful guest house where I can relax, chill and either enjoy the spectacular Angkor Wat or spend hours taking shots of the Tonle Sap lake with it's awesome locals and breathtaking sunsets.

The owner of the hostel Mr Bun Kao is in all honesty one of the kindest, sweetest men you could ever wish to meet. He is so obliging it is almost to the point of sevile. Coupled with this he constantly smiles, in fact I don't think I have ever seen him with a sour face. I might add he has the typical childish sense of humour for which the Cambodians are renowned. This amazing little man who measures about 4ft 6in is truly adorable and I love him to bits as do most of the other guests lodging here.

I met Birgit one evening when a group of us were about to leave the hostel for a bite to eat in one of the many delightful Khmer restaurants nearby, on seeing Birgit very much on her own I naturally (foolish good Samaritan me) asked her if would she care to join us. Birgit assured me that she had eaten but would join us anyway, It was obvious to see that she was delighted to have some company.

Amok Fish

We found our designated restaurant, serving typical Khmer cuisine ..Cambodian Food (Using the Asian expression) is "Very Delicious" and cheap as or even cheaper than chips!!! We all ordered our preferred dishes barring Birgit who had already eaten so consequently limited herself to a glass of water! When the plates of mouthwatering mahop (Cambodian for Food) arrived, suffice to say we all had a little taster of each others eats . Including Birgit!!! who wasn't hungry and had eaten!!!

Ana one of the girls in the group had ordered "Amok Fish"which is a very popular national dish in Cambodia, and every time I eat it, I delight in the wonderful flavors which includes one of my favourites which is fish. It is cooked in a thick and creamy coconut sauce, flavored with a combination of spices, including saffron, lemongrass, and garlic, the sauce is known as kroeung This delectable combination is wrapped up in a large banana leaf and served with plain white rice.

As the helpings were so enormous Ana couldn't finish her wonderful meal so reluctantly she had to leave it. It was then that we realized we had a vulture sitting on our table!... Birgit (Who wasn't hungry and.... ) promptly grabbed Ana's dish and proceeded to devour every morsel down to the very last grain of rice!!! We were all flabbergasted! I mean really, this woman didn't know any of us from Adam and there she was gorging on our left overs! Because we are all very nice, correct, polite and well mannered people we were subsequently flung into a state shock and mutism! In other words we were left darned speechless!

One would think that after that little episode I would have avoided the gannet Birgit like the plague, but believe me, much easier said than done! Just so you can see where I am coming from, let me describe Birgit!

Birgit is sixty six and as I mentioned before comes from Germany, she is a single lady and might I add that she has always been in the unwedded state, plus she has no children, apparently she got pregnant countless moons ago but decided that she wouldn't be a good mother so that was the end of that! As she is a nurse, I can only assume that it wasn't a problem for her to solve her undesired situation. Without wanting to sound heartless, after I got to know her I did think that perhaps that unborn child should thank its lucky stars. Now Birgit is a very plain possible verging on ugly woman and is also very big , and when I say big I mean BIG.. She did in the course of time inform me that she weighed 100 kilos.. which is about 15.74 stone. In fact this sad lady doesn't have much going for her. Lets face it with a surname like Losser it is no surprise! Added to all this she is pretty much the "Eins, zwei, drei" and "Ve haf vays of making you tock" sort of person..Just to give you an idea, a very lovely lady from Turkey whose name was Ayla and also staying at our hostel, casually mentioned that she might accompany her to the temples, but then on reflection of what she was getting herself into, cancelled. Oh my sweet Lord, if you had heard Birgit the way she was carrying, I felt sure that if there had been a gas chamber nearby, poor Ayla would have be marched off immediately. Not nice at all!

Pigs on a motorbike

The very next morning there she was sitting as large as life in the breakfast area.. Noooo not Ayla, Birgit! And where the heck do you think she was sitting?. Yep! at my favourite table! Cautiously I took my place and hoped she wouldn't be too much of a pain and that she wouldn't start tucking into my breakfast! It seemed that this woman was on a very tight almost to strangling point budget as a result she was forever looking for the best deals and prices to go anywhere.. On this particular morning she started to question me on the cheapest way to get to the waterfalls.. Now I normally go everywhere on a motorbike taxi, I love the fun of skirting in and out between the traffic, its much quicker than a tuk tuk and also far more economical. But when I mentioned the motor bike she gave me a horrified look and that was when she told me how much she weighed.. and added "Ow can I go on a motorcycle, I am too eavy" I was on the point of telling her that a vast majority of Cambodians rode around with several live pigs tied on the back of their motor bikes, so didn't think she would have a problem... Fortunately I stopped myself in time,, or perhaps I wouldn't be alive to write this blog..!!!

Big Knickers

The finale of Brigit came on her last day! Seemingly she had handed in some clothes to be laundered the day before.. Well there was Ayla and myself sitting in the main reception area minding our own business when Ze big lady erself comes stomping down the stairs with the biggest pair of black knickers in her hand! Flipping enormous.. I assure you they were absolutely massive!! Well Frau marches over to the reception to our lovely Mr Bun Kao, and frantically waving the offending bloomers in his face shouts, Zer eeez two of theeez missin... Theez is a big problem! At this point I am already seeing the funny side of the scenario! Can you get the picture? So I can't resist shouting out "Mr B K, Oh no.. have you stolen her knickers???" Ayla is nudging me and telling me to shut up and poor Mr B K is trying with all his might not to laugh.. Brigit is so agitated and mad she seems totally aware of my naughty jokes or perhaps she just chose to ignore me! The next thing is Mr B K comes out of reception with the smallest torch imaginable! Clearly he is going to use it to search for the two missing humongous knickers!! I did call to Mr B K saying that instead of a mini light, he would need a dozen enormous spotlights or strobes to find them .. Birgit was still screaming zat it vood be a big problem if zey ver not found! The only problem I could see was her actually possessing such offensive underwear.. I am firmly convinced that her bloomers were the root of all her sad and lonely days...

Oh by the way the horrendous panties were found.. So Birgit will live unhappily ever after!

Long live wonderful sexy underwear! I rest my case :)

Back on Track

2013-01-21T13:38:00.001+07:00

Well everyone here I am finally back on track with Backpacker Granny! Did you miss me? I hope you did and if you didn't, please refrain from saying so!

Just in case you weren't aware, for the last couple of months I have been freezing my little butt off in the UK and still can't believe I actually survived such brrrr brrrrr brrrrrrr cold. Believe me when I say I truly never thought I would live to see the day when I would be able write my blog again.

Thankfully I am delighted to report that I survived (Only just) and at long last I am once again travelling the ever beautiful lands of Asia. On leaving the UK I boarded the very much welcomed and fantastic Thai Airways jet that kindly flew me to my land of smiles, alias Thailand.. Gosh I do so love this country. There is something very special and magical about this part of the world. The food, the culture, the scenery, the climate and above all, the Thai people. But I will write more about this land in another post!

After a month of being in Thailand whiling the time away and doing some pretty awesome photography work, my Thai visa was about to expire so I decided to toddle off to Cambodia. and make my way back to Siem Reap and at the same time carry on with another photographic job.

Sunrise at Angkor

Siem Reap is a great place, certainly chilled, with wonderful warm weather, plus the fab khmer Food is delicious and so cheap it's unbelievable. But my dear friends there is another major factor why I continuously return to Cambodia and that is because I am simply nuts about the awesome Angkor Wat temples. I have been umpteen times and the place never fails to fill me with awe and blow me away every single time. So much so that on this occasion I made a huge effort to drag my body out of bed at the unearthly hour of 4 o'clock in the morning, in other words at the crack of darned dawn to shoot the sunrise in Angkor Wat... Haaaa haaa now I will begin my story of .....

The Trials and Tribulations of a Photographer at Angkor Wat!

Before I start I will own up and confess to having been warned about the hoards of people that also rise early in the morning to see the sunset at Angkor, naturally we humans seem to have an inbuilt conception that "It won't happen to me" or "Ufff I can handle that" Ye ye... I was about to discover oh heck .. How misguided was I!!!

On arrival at the temple.. which logically was in pitch black darkness, foolish me! what did I expect at 5 o'clock in the blasted morning and to top it all, I had left my mobile at the hostel thinking I wouldn't need it, consequently I had to buy a nasty little plastic yellow torch for the grand sum of 3$. Oh well so be it.! I started walking towards the temples and Jesus dearie me! so were thousands of other individuals! I swear there must have been more nationalities there than in the U.N. although on retrospect I would say that the majority were Asians, mainly Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese.. Now let me tell you a little bit about these people.. For some unknown reason they travel in enormous sized groups.. And when I say enormous I mean at least fifty to sixty humans all together! Now the worst bit to follow is .. There isn't just one group, Oh we should be so lucky.. there are enormous amounts of groups.. so now work it out! Enormous amounts of groups multiplied by enormous people in the groups.. Oh no no no! I didn't mean that!! not enormous people, I meant vast amounts of people in each group! Imagine that is one helluva a lot of bodies.. Are we on the same page? Can you envisage? all these folk have had the same brilliant brainwave as myself.. To see the famous sunrise!

Edging my way cautiously along the walkway to the main temple with my rotten torch that only has the dimmest of yellow lights shedding a minute spot of illumination on the ground.. I began to reflect that perhaps things weren't going exactly as I had planned! Halfway along the path, I followed like a lamb to the slaughter as the crowd veered off to the left descending some stone steps that led us onto the grass and a vision on the temple where (in theory)we would able to gather round the moat to await the miracle that is the dawning of a new day! Well just in case I haven't told you, I am only 5ft 2in and unless I had bought a step ladder, no way was I going to get a good view.. Have you heard of Gulliver? Well I felt like one of his little people in Lilliput.. Anyhow I wedged my way round to the furthest area of the water to a place where unbelievably, there were hardly any humans, I set up my tripod with camera and waited! the day was creeping upon us and I waited.. and I waited and I waited.. And guess bloody what! The sunrise failed to rise! Can you conceive .. all that effort?

Temple of Angkor Wat

Not being a person who gives up easily I thought to myself.. Not to worry dear Gerri, I can still go inside the temples and get some good shots.. Photos aren't just about sunrises and sunsets.. Armed with my gear I clambered up the steps to take some images of the inside which in all honesty is very impressive.. But Lord Almighty there were the maddening crowds.. Every time I tried to take a photo several ignorant selfish morons would step right in front of my view! and the joke is they would just stand there simply gazing forever at the dammed ceilings or the walls. What I have yet to get my head around is that it was always some flipping ceiling or wall that didn't have anything on it! One smart arsed guy seeing my frustration suggested that it would be a great idea to hire the Temple exclusively for a whole day! What a prat!! then again, on reflection could it be possible that he thought Carlos Slim Helu was my father??? So now you are asking yourselves who in heavens is Carlos Slim Helu? You sad sad lot.. He is one of 2012 richest men in the world!

It took me an hour to manage to take this photo!

So to continue: I wandered around the temples taking a few shots here and there but after a while I opted to leave and go in search of my motorbike man in order for him to take me to Ta Prohm.

Lonely Planet sums up this temple to perfection:

Ta Prohm is as seductive as Lara Croft. The site of some of her cinematic adventures, it is a series of dark galleries and pillars held hostage under the iron clasp of gigantic roots. The walls are decorated with carvings of sensuous celestial nymphs with smaller roots crawling across them like a rash.
Built in AD 1186 by King Jayavarman VII, the temple was dedicated to his mother. In its prime it was a holy trunk of great treasures. According to the Sanskrit inscriptions on the walls, the temple held thousands of pearls, precious stones and golden dishes weighting more than 500kg.

The stunning silk cotton tree roots

You will appreciate from the image I have posted above, this site is overwhelmingly breathtaking in consequence it never ceases to amaze and enchant me. Sadly the multitude flock here in their droves, I say sadly because the total violation to the miracle of nature is appalling, people with no thought or consideration were climbing all over the roots even though there were many signs spread around saying "Do not enter here" They carelessly dropped rubbish in their wake without a second thought, coupled with thousands of grubby hands fingering the bas relief carvings and really only interested in having a photo of their ugly mugs pressed against the trees roots.. Just think with an average of 214.000 foreign tourists visiting Angkor per month (and this figure is escalating as I write) how much damage is being done to this wondrous site that has managed to survive against all odds for over a 1,000 years.

As for my taking photos.. Well it was near on almost impossible! People, people, plus even more people. My father used to have a wonderful framed quote hanging on the wall of his office.. which read "God Give me Patience, But Hurry" Which just about says it all at Angkor.

The young Asians have this weird habit when they have their photo taken of putting up their silly fingers in representation of the peace sign.. It's incredible that every single one of them do it, even the children.. (So if you want to take a shot of a cute little Asian child.. Be warned about the finger pose.. I spend ages trying to get through to them that NO please I do not want them to do that)  Now the older ones are another story! Firstly, they literally run to pose for the pic..it could be because they are in one of those nasty enormous groups I mentioned before, so consequently they haven't got much time.. but once they are in front of the chosen spot, then they proceed to just stand there like a boring solid lump of undiluted jelly, not smiling, not laughing, not crying, or in point of fact not doing anything apart from ruining my what would be a beautiful "photo of the day" in Angkor! This scenario is repeated thousands of times every day at Angkor.. At this moment in time there are millions and millions of the same photo throughout the world, the only thing that changes is the daft face in the picture!!!

As any true Photographer will tell you Photography is a work of art, when one takes a photo, the composition, the light, the distance, the focus, the aperture, the shutter speed, the white balance etc. all have to be taken into consideration.  Naturally I do all this in  preparation for my perfect image in the making, I lovingly take my camera, place my eye on the viewer and presto! OMG everything is black!!! I am filled with a single ghastly moment of panic thinking that the wonderful camera has broken, I hastily remove my eye to look up and there standing right in front of me is the biggest fattest woman I have ever seen!!! Where she came from I will never know! but the bitch nearly gave me heart failure and of course screwed up my shot! As I had been politely putting up with this sort of thing all day, I decided that there was only one solution! So gently tapping on the shoulders of all further offenders, I began to say " Excuse me sir/madam, sorry to trouble you but would you be so kinds as to..... FOR CHRIST SAKE GET OUT OF THE FF ( flying foxes) WAY!"

Along with the virtue of being a persevering little soul to transforming into a rather aggressive grumpy bossy boots, I did manage to get some brilliant pictures  even though "God forgive me for my wicked thoughts," there were moments when instead of shooting photos I would in my imagination quiet happily have shot (Please note: Not with a camera) in mass the masses!

In spite of all my gripes and grouses, I would say to you: Do visit Angkor when you are able, as it rightly merits its title of 7th Wonder of the World! I beg you to treat it with tender loving care and the utmost respect, for it would truly be a very sad day if the magnificent temples of Angkor Wat ever got destroyed.

Cambodia. buses, hostels and rats!!!

2012-09-25T14:38:00.000+07:00

Hello everyone..

On my last post I wrote about doing the famous visa run to Cambodia. Do you remember that I wrote about the Scam with a capital S?? Uuuuf I really hate to admit this, but Mrs Clever Cloggs alias Moi ! (Oh sorry -to all my non-french speaking friends.. Moi is Me in English) Got caught at the Poipet bus station going to Siem Reap.. They actually sold me a ticket for 350 Thai baht equivalent to the enormous sum of nearly 9 euros.. God really unbelievable and even more unbelievable that I should actually be taken in..!! it should have cost me about 3 euros..when I realized I had been had..I was simply furious and still haven't recovered from this exhorbenant lay out on my arrival to Khmer country.

Typical sight in Cambodia.

Now let me tell you that the bus was.. OMG, with all due respect to Noah, it out of the ark!!! and that is being kind to the bus!!! Anyway to continue. Along with a relatively large group of foreigners consisting of Spanish, Italians, and Asians I boarded the rotten vehicular!!! Oh heavens it gets even worse.. To top it all we had this awful Cambodian "Mr Wise Guy" who thought he was God's answer to the top tour companies for a perfect guide!! Not not not.. Can you believe that this simpleton started to give us a running commentary on the Pol Pot Khmer Rouge regime, He was so obviously taking a delight in going into all the horrific details of the tortures and what happened at the killing fields.! For goodness sake please..I have read the book, seen the film and been there on one of my visits to Phnom Penh..Apart from the fact that people don't need to hear all this on their arrival into the country. I was on the point of saying to him "Hey Prat head can't you talk about something a little more pleasant.. E.G.. "Angkor Wat" (At the end of the day that is where in theory we were heading).. But sadly my staunch English upbringing of the stiff upper lip syndrome prevailed and I remained mute.

In spite of a grim beginning We finally arrived to our destination. Did I say destination? Well if you can call a very long four kilometres from the centre of the town destination.. !! Sorry but this is so bad and just creates a nasty start for people visiting this country.

Well well well how about that! Naturally we were invaded by Tuk Tuk drivers who were waiting like vultures for the kill!!! No need to mention that Mr Con (Prat H) would get a nice lump of commission for bringing all this custom to them... No way Jose!!! I was not going to let him get away it! considering he was so rude and obnoxious! Honestly there only so much C..p that a little lady like me will take.. Stiff upper etc was thrown by the board and I told this nincompoop in no uncertain terms that his bus was the biggest load of S..t and a compete rip off..plus plus plus.. uuum I won't tell you what else I said but believe me it wasn't the Queens English..After I had had my say and left the PH dumbstruck, I promptly proceeded gather the Spanish, Italians and even the Asians and told them to follow me to the main road where we would get cheaper Tuk Tuks.. I felt like the Pied Piper of Hamelin leading the way.. I know now that I missed my mission in life! I should have been Mother Backpacker Teresa Granny for cheap Tuks Tuks and protector against scammers in Cambodia !!!!

Ta Prohm

Once again here I am in this awesome and stunningly beautiful country..Yes dear friends, in spite of what I have written above I really love this place.. I have visited Cambodia many times and it never fails to surprise me, delight me, enchant me and drive me to total distraction, naturally in the nicest way possible.. Well just about!

On arrival my first port of call is Siem Reap which is home of the famous Angkor Wat UNESCO World Heritage site. It goes without saying that this is a "Must See Before you Die"

I am adding a link here so that you can read all about it.. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/668

While I get on with writing my stories about my travels..

Monks at the top of Angkor Wat

After spending several days in Siem Reap, whiling my time away, taking wonderful photos and just generally chilling, I finally decided it was time that I took my body down to Kampot! Which is the capital of Kampot province in southern Cambodia. As it is rather a long way and I can't be into spending an eternity caged in a coach, just to break up the journey I decided to go to Phnom Penh first. Of course I had no intention of roughing it, hence I purchased a ticket on a V.I.P bus.. The description sounded awesome! Toilet, Television, Air-con, luxury seats blah blah blah.. Amazing how reality can be so different to what one is told!!! specially in this adorable country.. oh well Granny G go with the flow!!! All I can say is that there is definitely no loo, unless there was a hole somewhere on the floor of the bus that I missed!! Television?? Some poor attempt at a screen meaning just an old fashioned square box of sorts.. Air-con that barely worked meaning sweat sweat sweat!!!, and just forget the word Luxury.. please don't be ridiculous.. la la la... Most of the passengers were local and we stopped every second minute of the journey.. I mean.. any reason why we wouldn't ??? Fortunately there was one other backpacker on the bus so we spent the time chatting and exchanging anecdotes of our experiences in this crazy country. It worked out she was a nurse from Holland and had been doing a months voluntary work for a health center in one of the outlying villages of Siem Reap. After listening to her I came to the conclusion that whatever happened I did not want to be ill in Cambodia.. Give me Thailand any day where the medical treatment is second to none.

Please take note: Do not take V.I.P bus as it is no different to the normal bus.. who knows it may even be a dammed site worse..

After an uneventful journey we arrived in Phnom Penh, without much ado I checked into my usual hostel, which actually is in decline and no big shakes! fed my sweet little face in a lovely little Thai restaurant round the corner .. booked a ticket to Kampot for the following morning and then proptly threw myself onto my very welcome bed till the next morning..

One of the many temples in Kampot

Kampot

Hey folks.. I got there.. I made it to Kampot.. When they say "A quiet riverside town" Believe me they ain't flipping well joking.. Mon Dieu (My God) sorry but a lot of french influence in Cambodia meaning lots of those French baggits or is it baguettes.. for the ignorant that is actually bread!! but not that plastic stuff that comes sliced like we have in the UK.. :(((

Ooops I am getting carried away.. so back to Kampot..!!!

Rice paddies in Kampot

Together with another couple of backpackers Chris and Sophie, I ended up at the (please remember this name) "Magic Sponge hostel" Who in heavens name would call a flipping hostel "Magic Sponge???" perhaps it's because they soaked up all our dollars or riels for food which was terribly overpriced!!! As we approached this hostel.. we saw that they had this amazing sign up saying " $3 for a dorm bed".. Very well, lets live dangerously and try it.. In we went to reception where there was this totally wacky guy called William..he looked very oriental but informed us that he came from the States.... OK whatever.. we asked him if we could see the dorms to which he showed us this amazing photo on an enormous flat screened TV sitting on the wall of the bar...Now just in case you don't know, I am into photography and I have to admit that the picture was awesome. No question about it, photo shop at its very best.. ha ha ha .. Remember what I said about reality being far removed from the description? Hey ho here we go. We decided to take it on the strength of the photo and up the lousy spiral staircase the three of us struggled to the top floor where the dorms awaited us.... Dam dorm didn't look even remotely like the imitation National Geographic photo downstairs.! To crown it there was William with unashamed audacity telling us that the dorms were in point of fact called "The Penthouse" I honestly can think of lots of other more appropriate words that end with ... house!! I know from experience that when one is tired after a long journey one settles for practically anything just to crash out and rest.. So that is what we did.

The Penthouse was really strange.. on one side there were all these windows with mosquito blinds in them.. and the other side of the room was completely unclosed with . no windows .. no doors.. honestly all open to the world.and sundry.. Now hang on, I asked myself .. do the mosquitoes only come in on the side of the windows.. ??? Thank goodness there were mosquito nets, but dread to think how long they had been there without seeing water or washing powder! What joy to be a backpacker.. such fun :)

.Oh dear here it comes.. The next morning Chris mentioned to me, that he had seen a rat running along the rafts in the ceiling of the dorm.. Naturally I couldn't wait to inform William what Chris had told me.. William looked mortified and insisted that they never had rats at the hostel..Please who did he think he was kidding??? Now get a load of this.. he actually added that the rats didn't react to rat poison anymore and that the only thing to give them was Aspirin!!! Oh holy S..t we now have rats with headaches!!! But you know how it is . until you see something for yourself.it doesn't bother you..so I stayed another night.. Chris and Sophie left and Jenny from Germany and Michael from UK arrived in the dorm..

I went for a meal with Jenny and Michael informed us that he was off to Bondi Villas to listen to a live band.. Bondi villas is another hostel approx two kilometres out of town.. Oh gosh almost forgot. Michael had been allocated to a bed by the window and asked us if we minded if he changed beds. as he was afraid of coming home drunk and falling out the window!!! Jesuuuus C.. I did say to him that he should not worry, because if he dropped out the window I personally would come and drag his body back into the dorm..and added that neither Jenny nor I were all that bothered where he fell so long as it wasn't on top of either of us! He was most adamant that that would certainly NOT happen.. Was he trying to tell us something???

Michael went off to his live band and Jenny opted to stay downstairs at the bar.. I decided to get an early night as I was catching the 6.45 bus the next morning.. I had a more or less book I was reading so off I toddled or should I say climbed up to the famous penthouse.. Oh golly gosh there I was reading my rotten book when I heard a patter patter ..Hello am I hearing things??? I looked across the room and there in the middle of the bed in front of my very eyes.. was this Rat.. yes a flipping rat!!! My first reaction was to shout ssssh ssssh get lost you dirty rat! well it scuttled to the head of the bed.. and had the cold blooded nerve to stare back at me from behind the pillow.. OMG.. Now I consider myself a pretty cool lady .. but honestly I am not all that keen on rodents at the best of times.. let alone have one sharing my sleeping quarters. .. (although between you and I.. I have shared bedrooms with rats in the past.. but they have always been two legged ones) As you can well imagine sleep was without a doubt a no-go consequently I kept vigil till Jenny arrived back from the bar.. Without a moment to waste I declared to her that we had a undesirable rat in the dorm.. "Oh Nooooo " she cried.." this is too much! how an earth are we going to sleep?" .. Then Michael returned telling us how he was truly pissed.. to which we both ignored and promptly informed him or our visitor that was lurking in some dark corner of the D.. house.. .I will never forget Michael's words when he said.. "I have spent a whole two frigging dollars on a Tuk Tuk to come home to a F..... g Rat." Jenny and I just burst out laughing and our little creature didn't seem so important.. (Meaning rat, not Michael ) and what the heck! we were all leaving the next day..

Scammers at Aranyprathet Thai/ Poipet Cambodia Visa Run

2012-09-06T11:21:00.000+07:00

A few days ago I once again left Bangkok to cross the border into Cambodia! So today I am going to write about how to dodge the visa scammers that you will meet at Aranyprathet (Thai border) into Poipet(Cambodian border) I can speak about this border as a total experts as its the one I always use for my visa renewal. Having done this border crossing so many times I am utterly amazed that they still haven't put out the red carpet for me when I arrive.

Buddist monks in Angkor Wat Cambodia

Many people know all about the visa scams but that doesn't include the people who don't! And it's for those poor innocent souls who haven't got a clue what lies in wait for them at Aranyprathet/Poipet border that I am writing this!

Firstly, let me start by telling you how I get from Bangkok to the Cambodian border. As I am based in Thong Lo Sukhumvit, and the Eastern Bus Terminal (better known as Ekamai due to its close proximity to the Ekamai BTS station) is literally five minutes walk, naturally I leave from there.

The bus takes 4 hours, please note: that it can take longer! Hey just in case you have forgotten.. we are in Thailand! So be prepared.. The cost is 200 baht per person. There are 5 buses a day at : 06:15, 08:30, 10:30, 12:30 and 16:30 (January 2012) The buses have air-con and are within the realms of Asian buses, pretty comfortable. Oh and you even get a free bottle of water! how about that for service?

On arrival at Aranyprathet bus station this is when the fun begins! When I say there are hoards of Tuk Tuk drivers and motor bike drivers waiting to pounce on you.. I am so NOT exaggerating! Ha ha.. all you hear is "Visa Mam" "Visa Mam" and of course "Visa Mam" Actually what they really mean is VISA SCAM MAM.. VISA SCAM MAM.. If you are a new kid on the block and don't know the form.. Oh poor little unsuspecting you! another lamb to the slaughter! The TT (Tuk Tuk) driver or MB (Motor Bike) driver will whisk you away to what in all intents and purposes appears to be a very legitimate office that even has a authoritative sticker on the window saying " Visa service" The strange thing is that they don't actually take you inside the office (they can't because it's completely empty) there are a couple of men sitting outside the phony visa centre dressed in rather formal attire!! And as always conforming to rule of Thai culture - Big big smiles as they start by telling you that the visa will cost you $60, plus photo etc..

Fortunately, when on the one and only occasion that they took me to this fake office, I had previously entered Cambodia by plane, so thankfully I did know a little about the prices and procedures! Consequently I was ready for those shady little rogues so I said to them "hold on a minute guys, the last time I came to Cambodia I only paid $20" Now wait for this one..it's a classic!!! they replied "Mam today is Sunday so more expensive" Ye ye ye tell me more! Obviously I had a dirty great big sign on my forehead that said.. "Anothel stupid mollon tulist" They soon discovered that I was not such an idiot from far away lands when I told them what to do with their visas and marched off in the direction of the Thai border. Naturally it goes without saying that I was hounded all the way to the frontier with touts trying to sell me a Cambodian visa, really unbelievable but folks it's true!

Cambodian vias office on the right

My advise to anyone: Don your blinders or blinkers (Do you know what I mean? those leather or plastic contraptions they put on the poor horses eyes to keep them from being distracted or spooked) If you wear hearing aids this is a good time to switch them off! and if you aren't deaf then use some UpToDate earplugs. Ignore all and sundry and surge ahead till you get to the official Thai passport control.. Oh and once there please don't forget to take off the blinkers and remove silicone plugs, otherwise the Thais might think you are a bit strange if you can't see them or hear them!!! Once safely through then re don you anti tout gear and head straight for the big arch, which is a vague attempt to copy one of the wonders in Angkor Wat.. You will see the words "Kingdom of Cambodia"

To the right of the Cambodian gate is "The International Border Check Point of Poipet Cambodia"| There are uniformed officials plus a large blue sign on the wall, informing you that the cost of the visa is $20.. This is the price, so don't pay more whatever anybody tell you. You will need one passport-sized photo, should you not have one they will charge you 100 Thai baht to scan the one on your passport.. and if you do already have a photograph, they will most probably charge you 100 Thai baht anyway! What for?? God knows! Most probably to put in their pockets! Whatever! just pay them as it's no big deal and the last thing you want is problems with these guys..

Once you finally have the famous Cambodian visa taking up an enormous full page of your passport you now have to go through Cambodia passport control.. Depending on the time of day there can be a never ending queue so arm yourself with patience, a few munchies plus a drink if you don't want to dehydrate, then while the time away with all the other poor blighter standing in the line with you!!!

On reaching one of the five desks .. ooops or is it four? Some miserable looking officer will scrutinise your passport, followed by your photograph and finger print being taken. For heavens sake .. it must be easier to enter the Pentagon!

"Hallelujah" At long last you have made it into the Kingdom of Cambodia with a thirty day visa. Alas your troubles are not over.. Once through to the arrivals you will find hundreds of touts and scammers waiting like nasty greedy vultures all ready to pounce on you and prize as much money off you as they can. Do not believe them when they say you have to change money with them as there are no banks in Siem Reap! Nonsense Cambodia is full of ATM's that will serve you dollars.. you won't need the local currency of Cambodian Riels. Don't let anyone take your bags or your passport, please keep them safely with you at all times.. Do not pay more than the listed price for a bus to your destination.. and be prepared to be dropped off outside of the city of Siem Reap where you will most probably have to take a tuk tuk to your guest house or hotel..

This is taken from Wikipedia

Scam alert
Beware of scams when entering Cambodia overland. Most common is the inflation of the visa fee from the official US$20 to 1000 baht (US$30+) charged by Cambodian custom officers but it is easy to deal with. In Poipet which is a visa-free zone, you can always change your Thai bahts into US dollars with cigarette vendors or restaurants. Insist to pay your visa with US dollars. When dealing with custom officers, standing firm and keeping smiling will give you a long way to go. If you don't have an ID photo for the application of visa, don't let them charge you more than 2 dollars. You can also get your visa in advance - either from a Cambodian embassy/consulate (via an agency if necessary) or from the e-Visa website. See the Visas section for full details.
Past scams have included visitors being incorrectly told they need visas from a consulate at inflated prices before going to the border, fines for not presenting a vaccination certification even though one is not mandatory, charging 50 baht for a bogus SARS health form, and enforcing an imaginary US$100 to Cambodian riel exchange requirement at lousy rates.

Now you have been warned.. but please believe me do not judge the people of this country by what you have encountered at the border as the Cambodians are lovely kind and caring people...

So after reading this... you can either travel on into this awesome, intriguing and at the same time heartbreaking country or you can turn around pass through the Cambodian passport entry control to return to Thailand with another fifteen days extension on your visa.

In my opinion, after all that hassle there is only one way to go.....FORWARD..

OMG the machine gobbled my credit card!

2012-08-16T20:00:00.000+07:00

Today I am going to whinge, whine and re-whinge.

Have you ever lost your credit card to a rotten conniving scheming unscrupulous ATM machine??? Well I have and believe me it is no laughing matter!!

Only just two days into being in Bangkok when I was at the Thong Lo sky station, poor little me had the misfortune to use one of these nasty little blighters!!! Unsuspecting as to what was in store for me, I decided to withdraw a measly sum of Thai bahts out of that horrible wretched metal box . (I am always loath to carry large amounts of dosh on my persona) Imagine my surprise whilst checking my receipt when out of the blue!! my card had disappeared down into the bowels of the cash machine, needless to say at first I thought the Automatic Teller Machine was just having a bit of fun with me and not telling me!. You do realise that all these iron monsters have a mind of their own? Anyhow after waiting there like an idiot for far longer than is deemed respectable and after lots of strange looks from the Thai passers by, I began to realise that this ATM was not kidding me.. and that he literally was not going to return my credit card!

Please note that the culprit is a representative of the "Siam Commercial Bank" I have taken photos of this demon just in case at some time you should be in Bangkok, you will easily be able to identify it as Backpacker Granny's rotten thief!!! Please avoid at all costs as you never know what else credit card gobbler can steal from you!

Now wait till I tell you the next bit!! it just gets better.. or should I say worse! I have always considered myself a resourceful lady and am firmly convinced that there is a solution to every problem! Ha ha ha silly me! I decided to get myself down to the SCB (Siam Commercial Bank) to report the incidence. In I march to the bank to be greeted by a lovely smiling Thai guy (Very normal, everyone smiles in Thailand) to whom I explain my situation. The Thai guy continues to smile while he replies that "Very solly but no can give you cald, all cald deestloyed flom machine!!"As I am fluent in the Thai language I understood him perfectly and so I asked him if the offending machine does that or does the bank??? More smiles as he informs me that the bank does it!!( What a lovely kind bank!!!) Still not giving up I ask him if I can't possibly get my card from their branch that ia in charge of that particular ATM?? How did you guess? Yes, more flipping smiles as I am told that "ooooh noooo no can .. Solly solly company polissy no can letun cald" Smile, smile, smile. I have to tell you that in Thailand you cannot get angry because it is looked on as very bad manners and you can lose face! It's OK to lose your damn credit card but not your soppy ugly face!!!

At that moment a very nice man with a gorgeous Spanish accent (Who I discovered was actually from Barcelona) comes up to me and trying to be helpful suggests that I phone my bank in the UK to get a replacement card. Very kind of a him, but for goodness sake! Do I look like part of my brain missing? Of course I was going to phone my bank if all else failed, which obviously it had. Feeling totally dejected inside but still owning a face, I give a big grin, politely say thank you so much to everyone, and leave the Smiley credit card destroyer bank!!

I started to calm down and thought "Well it's not the end of the world, I will phone my bank and get them to send me another card by emergency courier service which will most probably only take a couple of days, really no big deal" What an innocent assumption!

Barclays! Guaranteed to take you for a ride!!!

First and foremost let me put you into the picture as to the name of my bank. BARCLAYS.. For sure most of you know or have heard of this bank. Barclays is an old British bank dating back to 1690 so one would assume that they are a trusted and reputable bank!

Obviously I went on the website of Barclays to know who to call and this is what is on their web:

If you think your cards have been lost or stolen, contact us immediately on 08700 104 503 (outside the UK dial +44 1928 584421). This is a 24-hour service. We can arrange to cancel them to prevent anyone from using them.

We’ll also get replacement debit cards sent out and, if you order before 10pm, they should arrive in two working days. For example, a debit card ordered on Monday before 10pm will be received by first class post on Wednesday. A debit card ordered on Friday before 10pm will be received on Monday morning by first class post.

Nothing could be more simple (OH GOD SO NOT TRUE!!! DIRTY LIARS!!!)

Feeling much more confident, I mean I am now going to deal with one of my fellow men.. Long live England!!! I phone the number for outside the UK.. I get though to a woman whose name sounds extremely strange and that I can't for the life remember, but maybe it's because I have never heard anything like it before.. I tell her that the machine has devoured my card and that I need a new one.." Ooh Yes Mam we can CAncel yur cad, Waat is yur sot cod Mam?" to which I ask her to repeat.. Again she says "Waat is yur sot cod Mam?" My mind is working furiously and I am trying to fathom out what a "Sot Cod" is.. Sud Cod .. Sid Cad.. Sad Cud.. Salt Cod... "Ah ha Salted Cod' I think.. "That's the fish they sell in Spain and they call it Bacalao" Why didn't she say so??? Then I start to use my brain.. and I am now saying to myself, hold on!!! Why would a woman on the Barclays help line want to know about my Salted Cod???? Obviously I still haven't got it right!! After several repeated attempts all of which is costing me on my phone card.. I suddenly realise that OMG "She means Sort Code" to which I say that I don't know as I don't have it on me. With her strange accent and her unusual name, she promptly tells me that she can't do anything for me without the dammed sort code.. It doesn't matter that I give her the name of the branch where I have an account or my full name.. She can do nothing.. Hey ho it's off to my hostel I go! I am starting to feel panicky as I nervously search through my papers to see if I have the flipping Sot Cod or Salt Cod or Sort Code... Oh whoopee it's my lucky day as I find the SC plus account number, so hurriedly rush to top up my phone and call the amazing number that is going to solve all my problems..

once again! "What an innocent assumption!"

With mobile in hand I am back marking the number.. Ring ring ring.. I get automatic answer "If you have lost or had your credit card stolen please press one.. If bla bla bla press two.. Being an obedient soul I press one.. Surprise surprise.. Voice says "Please press in the numbers of your sort code" Jeepers why didn't that happen the last time??? Once again good girl me puts numbers of sort code.. Ring, ring, ring again and a voice answers.. "This is "whoever" how may I help you" (At least this time I can understand her) For the umpteenth time I repeat my plight and dear friends, you are not so not going to believe me!!! She then asks me for my frigging Salt Cod.. I mean Sort Code.."Jaaayzuz, Mahree, and Jyoseph! I have just keyed in the SSC.. (I will leave it to your imaginations to work out what the added S stands for!)

Arming myself with patience I repeat the number, then she requests my bank account number, my date of birth, up till now all appears to be in order.. WRONG G G G .. Then she adds that she has to ask me some security questions!!! Sorry but could someone explain what were all the previous questions??? Now it is ..."Which standing orders do I have in my account? What is my post code? before it was the sot cod .. now its the pot cod.. Oh gosh I don't know off the top of my head :((( and my Mother's maiden name? How would I know!!! I only ever called her Mother! Of course with all this hassle and jet lag I give her my mothers christian name by mistake!

Please bear in mind that I am revealing all this information over the phone to a complete stranger.. Which I honestly think we should consider very seriously for future reference!! Anyway the outcome of this call is that the nasty woman tells me I have failed security and refuses to send me a new credit card to my home address in the UK, which I might add is registered with my Barclays bank branch!!!!

This is NOT ME on the phone.. But it could have been considering everything!!!

Feeling as if I am in dire straits I contact my son in the UK. He immediately gives me the post code and tells me to phone them again with the correct info.. as he thinks it is impossible that the bank won't send me a new credit card. On my sons instructions, I repeat the whole operation on the magical number, but this time with a woman with a Scottish accent.. I answer every single question correctly to which she says that's fine and then I am told to hold the line.. tic toc tic toc money clock.. finaly she gets back to me saying that as I have failed the security questions the day before.. they won't send me a new credit card.. By this time I am nearly hysterical and I couldn't give a monkey's if I lose face or any other part of my anatomy come to that.. Honestly it's so ludicrous! Every time I say to her that I have given her all the correct answers she just repeats my security failure from the day before and will do nothing more to help me.. Just as well she wasn't physically standing in front of me or I reckon I would have happily strangled her. Once again I contact my son. By this time a feel like the roles are reversed and I am the small child, running to father for help.. Not a nice feeling .. but.. what does Granny do when she is stranded in Bangkok with no credit card and limited lolly ???? My son tells me to call the barclays branch in the UK where I have my account and speak to the manager.!!! I was to discover that my son is also living in lalaland!! Speak to the bank manger??? in our dreams!!! when I phoned my Barclays branch in England and asked to speak to the manager!!! A very pleasant perfect English speaking gentleman called Ricky informs me that Barclays do not receive any calls directly to their branch, so I have to speak to him and surprise surprise!!! I am actually speaking to a call centre again.. However this young man seemed genuinly concerned about my troubles and woes, as I explained what had happened to me. Needless to mention I am feeling like a scratched old record.. Repeat-repeat-repeat! Of course he asks me all the same questions and assures me that he approves my answers.. Wow I think to myself " I have actually passed the Barclays exam!" But but buuuu! He has to get permission from somebody else before he can authorize my card being sent off. Again I wait an eternity (I could almost have got a plane home with what I am spending on these calls ) till he eventually gets back to me and with an apologetic voice he tells me to hold the line yet again while he speaks to someone else..By this time I am suicidal. homicidal, plus all the other words ending in cidal including bankicidal!!!

At last, at last, his sweet voice is giving me the good news that the dearly beloved, much wanted and very much needed card is being sent. I was so overjoyed that the wonderful Ricky had solved my major problem I wanted to kiss him, hug him and tell him he was the best thing in the whole wide world! Naturally I contained myself for fear that he would think I was a raving over the top mental lunatic and might just decide not to send the card off after all!

Fingers, toes, and everything else are crossed till my son confirms bank card has arrived..

Conclusion of my experience with Barclays..

After everything I have written! Work it out for yourselves!

"I rest my case!"

Backpackergranny goes to a wedding

2012-08-15T12:54:00.002+07:00

People dancing at my son's wedding!

THIS BLOG IS WRITTEN SPECIALLY FOR MY BELOVED

SON DANIEL AND HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE MAICA

Hello one and all!

A thousand and one profuse apologies for not having written for such a long time, I promise with hand on heart that I haven't forgotten you all, but when I tell you my reasons (not excuses) you will understand my looooong delay in blogging...

My eldest son Dani, got married! And I know that every one of you will have to agree that that is the most perfect excuse ever for me not getting around to writing!! I mean - it's not everyday that an eldest son gets married! and saying that I have been waiting an eternity for such an occurrence! is putting it mildly! I actually breathed an enormous sigh of "At long last" when he uttered the words "I do" Cos I honestly thought he would never ever get to tie the knot. Talk about taking his time.. Jeepers, God in heaven he is a sweet forty two years of age! OK OK so you are all now counting on your fingers to work out how old I am!!! well you are all completely wrong in your deductions!.. I gave birth to my firstborn at the age of eight! (I was an early developer) That's my story and I am sticking to it and if anyone dares to question what I am saying, ooops correction writing!!!.. well, I am very sorry but I won't be responsible for my actions towards them!!!

Dani and Maica

So on with my story! Don't you just love these beautiful romantic occasions?? It's at times like these that I feel stupidly sentimental and walk around with a great big enormous lump in my throat.. strangely enough I also feel more kindly disposed and caring towards everybody present and find myself hugging and kissing dear friends and even old long forgotten enemies!!! I sometimes ponder on how we all only ever meet up at the weddings, the christenings, the birthdays, the hospitals and the funerals! We reminisce about old times, past experiences and remember the people we used to know and some who perhaps are no longer in this world. As we depart we give everyone another bearlike hug before scuttling back to our present day lives with the memories of what once was safely locked away in our hearts untill such time that there is another family gathering.

Golly gosh! here I am waffling on when I just simply have to write some words about my lovely son's wedding...It was marvellous and I looked gorgeous!... Uuum can I hear you saying you only want to know what the bride looked like??? Are you sure you don't want to know what I was wearing??? Ooooh alright then.. Maica ( in case you haven't cottoned on, is the bride!) wore a fabulous outfit that was stunning! (I will let you into a secret.. With some help from her lovely mother "Tina" she made the dress herself and it was gorgeous) in fact the little minx looked a thousand times more beautiful than me! How dare she!!!! I am only joking and the word "Minx" is being used in the most affectionate term possible, I will own up to the fact that I love her to death, she is such an adorable person who in all honesty if I had ten thousand women lined up in front of me and had to pick one for my son.. it would be Maica every time because I could never wish for anyone more perfect than her for my beloved son..

Maica the beautiful bride

Alright I am getting to the details.. !!!

The wedding took place at "L'Ermita de Espluga de Francoli" Tarragona. An incredibly old monastery set up in the hills in a true fairy tale setting. The chapel is very small but really beautiful, although in point of fact they held the wedding ceremony in the wooded glade on the grounds of the same venue. As you will be able to appreciate from the photos the setting was truly magical and to top it all, the sun shone in all it's splendour

Taking the Wedding Vows

I have to mention that my son's wedding was one of the most informal fun weddings that I have ever been to. There was nothing serious or pompous and what both bride and groom wanted was that everyone just have the best day ever with loads of fun and laughter.. I promise you that is exactly what we had.. really "Mamma Mia" had nothing on this wedding!

Dancing on the tables

After the marriage ceremony under a hail of rice and rose petals we all made our way back to the main area where wonderful typical Catalan food was waiting for us.. Catalan food being many mouthwatering eats including "Salsichon" Spanish type of sausage," Jamón serrano" dry-cured Spanish ham, "Calçots" tender green onions grown in a very special way at Valls in the province Tarragona, they are grilled over a flaming barbecue then served on a terra cotta roof tile, rather than a plate, so keeping them warm. One peels away the blackened outer layers, then dips the tender bulbs in "Salvitxada," a sauce made of almonds, tomatoes, garlic, dried peppers, vinegar and oil. If you get the chance, do do try this dish it is simply to die for.. unfortunately it's seasonal so not served all year round! and of course we come to the famous "Pan con tomate" which literally means bread with tomatoes! With all due respect to the rest of Spain.. Nobody makes pan con tomate like the Catalans.. If you are thinking "what's she going on about it's just a bit er bred with a tom a ter" All I can say is the next time you come to Cataluna just try it and then tell me what you think! If you don't say its scrumptious, I never want to speak to you again!!!! We then had grilled meats and veggies, followed by fresh fruit and the most amazing doughnut wedding cake (between you and I when my children told me they were having doughnuts for the cake! I thought Jesus Christ what in heavens is that!!!) but it was fantastic with each doughnut there was a choice of hot chocolate sauce, coconut shavings, chocolate pearls and hundreds and thousands.

The doughnut wedding cake

I could go on forever about this awesome day, wonderful food, great ambiance, people dancing on the table tops, fantastic entertainment and music.. but perhaps the best part of all was to see my dear dear son so happy and so much in love, I know I am his mother and I love him.. but he is one of the best and deserves all the good things that life has to offer.

For Dani and Maica all my love always.. Mama

Wonderful world of Massage

2012-04-04T12:53:00.001+07:00

Writing from Malaysia and I hope you are all doing as well as me!

Just to make you all die of a massive dose green eyed monster.. today I went for a wonderful hair wash in one of the many salons here in George Town Penang.

Now I know what you are all thinking.. "A hair wash? - that's no big deal" Ah ha that is because you have never had your hair washed in Asia! Here In Malaysia they sit you down in a chair.. carefully put a towel round your shoulders and then promptly proceed to gently and gradually pour shampoo onto your dry head of hair.. and at the same time they start to massage your head! slowly more and more shampoo is added and the more they massage, so your head starts to look like an enormous cone of white candy floss! not to mention that by this time you feel you are in seventh heaven.. This process normally lasts about thirty five to forty five minutes,( between you and me, if I had my way it, I would have it last all day!) then you are led to the back wash.. where you lay down on a vertical couch to have your hair rinsed.. its so comfy that all you want to do is nod off .. none of that sitting and trying to fit into those awkward uncomfortable wash basins that we have in the western world which even in spite of rubbernecks (those bits of rubber that the more considerate salons put on the rim of the basin where your head goes) are still literally a pain in the neck! I personally always feel like Marie Antoinette going to the guillotine but face up not down! Once your hair has been rinsed you are escorted back to your chair where you are finished off (in the nicest possible way) with an awesome neck and shoulder massage.. Can it get any better than this??? Oh boy I want to have my hair washed every day!

After this mornings session it crossed my mind that it was about time I wrote about the Thai massage...Sorry Guys.. I am not going to talk about THOSE sorts of massages.. This is an all above board Blog.. well at least it is for the moment unless my imagination goes into overdrive and I get carried away!

I will start by telling you all that I absolutely love and adore those incredible Asian massages.. Wherever I am .. be it Japan, China, Cambodia, Taiwan, Thailand etc, I always make a point of treating myself to a relaxing and anti stress massage.. I consider that once in a while we all deserve to be completely pampered and cosseted.. what better way than to put your body into the hands of an expert and go to heaven for a couple of hours!

Thai Massage

When one mentions the words "Thai massage" in the western world lots of people mistakenly conjure up visions of sleezy cheap sex, and of course these parlours really do exist and they are in abundance. why wouldn't they be? sex sells!

I might add that I have never ever been to any of these places, nor have I had a "Happy Ending" I reckon if I did.. I might just end up wanting a "Happy Beginning" a "Happy Middle" and be dammed with the rest!

OK I will be serious and get on with my subject!

Authentic Thai massage spas are a world apart, beautifully decorated in true Thai style with gentle fountains, abundant foliage and soft background music such as the music below.

Thai Spas offer a variety of massages including foot massage - head and shoulder massage - facials - full body massage - Ayurvedic - Aromatherapy - and all them are a amazing

True Thai massage (Nuat Boran) is a type of massage that involves stretching and deep massage. It is usually performed on the floor on a mat or firm mattress, the client wears comfortable clothes that allow for movement. (That surprised you didn't it? you don't even take your clothes off!) No oils are used in the Thai massage and most of the massage consists of the masseuse using their own body weight to put pressure on the muscles to open the sen energy lines and softening the muscles in preparation for the stretches.which consist of many yoga positions. By way of stretching and pressure, the muscles are worked and acupressure points stimulated. Often referred to as “Thai bodywork,” as it has such a advantageous impact on the body.

Massage is a highly complex procedure and the person giving the massage should have a very complete knowledge of the body and have had the very first class training necessary to carry out this service.

The benefits are enormous and by the time you have finished you will feel fantastic.. for sure, just like Oliver Twist, you will want to go back for more!

Coffin or Coffee!!!

2012-03-22T12:44:00.001+07:00

From Thailand with love!

I am finally back on track to write my blog! I think I had better start by telling you all that my wonderful, adorable, gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous friend Richard is back in the city! City being Bangkok. Now who can blame a girl for not keeping up with her writing, when a delectable male is on the scene.. Yes I know I am a granny but the sixteen year old inside intends to enjoy life till she dies.. Talking of dying.....

Richard

If you read my post "A day on the bus in Bangkok" then you will know that Richard decided to take me to a very special restaurant in Chinatown! Which actually we never found! Well my dear friends, guess what! Richard has returned and Oh my God, he still wants to take me to this bloody restaurant (The one we never found) in Chinatown.. Before I go any further I must confess that where handsome young men are concerned I am a total wimp! going along with their crazy ideas with my head going up and down in agreement, like those awful nodding dogs that used to sit in the back of peoples cars.. You don't remember them? Lucky you.. they were simply awful!

So thanks to my nodding dog syndrome, I found myself once again in the middle of Chinatown with dear Richard searching for the famous restaurant. Up and down the quirky streets, passing thousands of wonderful little places to eat and secretly thinking.. we could have gone into any of them and had a fab meal! But of course my wonderful friend is on a mission.. so on we continue with our search.. when all of a sudden he informs me that the place we are looking for is on a street that makes coffins.. Yes coffins! those things where we go when we are stiff and cold! Oh Dear God! I thought.. this guy wants to bump me off and leave me in a box in Chinatown!

The coffin makers!

On that score I had the great idea of us asking a Tuk Tuk driver where the coffin makers were! Now Richard's Thai is very good, but unfortunately his vocabulary does not extend to Coffin! So there we are on the corner of the road with the Thai driver with Richard saying he doesn't have the patience to try to explain where we want to go..(Jesus baby he's the one that wants to go the the eating place) Well of course I have now decided that I will use my incredible talents of sign language to get through to lovely little Thai man..

Have you ever tried to mime the word corpse? There I am crossing my arms across my chest, closing my eyes and miming that I am dead! Then I try saying "You know, BOX, for dead people? the guy is looking at me as if I am a complete and utter nutter! OK so I am, but the poor Tuk tuk driver shouldn't know that should he?

And then we try the words "Coffin maker!" Bingo! the driver's face clears and of course he has understood perfectly.. and says.. "Oh you want coffee!" By this time I would have died for a coffee.. but not in a dam coffin thank you very much..

We left the totally confused Tuk tuk man and decided to just walk about and see what happened.. Can you believe it, five minutes into our walking around we actually came to the street of the coffin makers! and so consequently we found the famous place to eat that Richard had been raving about.. It was very good yummy food and worth all the trails and errors to get there.. I then had the brilliant idea that we should get a card from the nearest coffin maker so we would have the address to return again! No! I won't go into the details of how I asked the coffin maker for one of his cards.. But I did get it in the end!!! ;)

Geraldine Ann Forster's photostream

2012-02-25T07:30:00.001+07:00

Geraldine Ann Forster's photostream on Flickr.

Some of my photos while travelling the world..

Fun in the mixed dorms!

2012-02-23T11:02:00.000+07:00

Woopee life is so good!!

Today I am going to write about the fun in the backpackers mixed dorms.

Until I came to Cambodia I have never contemplated going into a mixed dorm... I have always been one of those rather prim and proper ladies that would only go to the all female dorms. How boring is that! Well here in Cambodia I have had no choice than to enter into the world of mixed dorms, as that is what it would appear to be mainly on offer in the hostels in this country!

The" Hunks" have nothing on the men in my Dorms!!

Wow... a whole new adventure for Backpacker Granny... all these drop dead gorgeous young males strutting around in their underpants and making me wish I was a hundred years younger. Every nationality imaginable Hunky Australians, Sexy Italians, Beautiful Indians, Handsome Germans... and so on.. God! Have you ever stood in front of a marvelous sweet shop as a child with no money in your pocket? Do you get what I am trying to say? If someone comes up with the youth elixir... I promise you I will be first in the queue and then I will proceed to spend the rest of my life eating every sweet in that sweetshop!!!

Wishing for the sweets.

Anyhow let me get on with my stories of mixed dorms...

The first mixed dorm I slept in was in a hostel in Siem Reap and I was actually the only female in the room... How cool is that! Granny sleeping with a total of five men... ok, ok, so they weren't in my bed (uuuf) but it sounds cool anyway... Actually nothing eventful really happened but the scenery was wonderful!

The next mixed dorm was in Phnom Penh

Velkommen Backpackers

On the morning that I saw Tom in our dorm. (I was actually still recovering from food poisoning). It wasn't his face that was looking at me as I walked out of the bathroom... but his absolutely perfect and beautiful butt clad in the smallest black tanga I have ever seen... OMG please this was too much for the body! Though I have to admit on seeing the tanga... I did think GAY! Which just goes to show how behind the times I am... and as I was to discover the following day definitely so not GAY!

Tom and Josh were two very good looking Australians travelling round Asia... Josh was a really nice guy, very polite and also very kind; he actually took the time to ask me if I was feeling any better and even offered me medicines. Josh was the type of young man you could safely take home to mother and she would be over the moon that you had found the near on perfect match.

Now Tom was another story! Tom is drop dead gorgeous, keeps his body in trim by jogging every morning for several miles... He has a great personality and is a real Don Juan with the ladies. Tom is the type of young man that you definitely could not take home to mother... as she would either be devastated that you had picked such an unlikely match... or she might even run off with him herself!

All was quiet on the western front till the very next day the rather attractive sexy Dutch girl called Marien installed herself in the dorm, taking the bed directly in front of Josh and Tom and directly behind me! Needless to say it didn’t take Tom five seconds to ask her name and invite her to join them for a trip round the Town. To which she readily accepted and off they all went... Josh, Tom and Marien. Meanwhile I still lay dying in my bed with my bad tummy.\

More or less the same scene!!

That evening the trio returned! Josh retiring to his bed and Tom sitting with Marien on her bed... as I got up to go to the bathroom for the thousandth time I noticed that Marien was now laying down in a very provocative position and Tom was leaning over her.. "Oh dear me" I thought, things are about to happen! Now I don't want to sound like a miserable prude, but honestly If there is something I can't stand, it is to have to listen to a couple having mad humping outrageous sex, specially as I am not the one getting it! I mean there is poor little me completely sex starved and these two are doing it right in front of my very eyes... really it's not on! Now is it? I might add that I just couldn't screw my butt off in a room full of people even to save my life!

Fortunately I had invested in a very good pair of silicone earplugs before I left Bangkok (not that I thought I would be using them to block out the sounds of oooohs and aaaaaah of the sex fiends in the next bed) but oh am I glad I did... As I was finally able to go to sleep and be totally oblivious of the rumpus that was going on behind my bed.

The next morning when I awoke Tom was missing and Marien was looking like the cat that had had the cream... Bitch.. bitch .. bitch.. Suddenly Tom arrived back to the dorm, and without any to do, both him and Josh started madly packing... Backpacker Granny's thoughts were... Jesus he's SSing... which means Screw and Scarper... but actually they were only moving to the hostel across the road, as they had forgotten to book and extra night in our hostel. The boys and Marien spent the day together and even invited me to join them for the kick boxing, sadly I was still feeling a bit weak and wobbly so had to decline...

Needless to say I was wondering what would happen in the evening... when Josh appeared in the dorm and told us that he was sleeping in Marien's bed... OMG this was unbelievable, now she was going to have Josh too, (I hated her more than ever) but nooooo Marien was staying with Tom in the other hostel... Silicone ear plugs had a rest that night!

The two boys departed the following day and I ended up having breakfast with Marien.. Actually a really sweet girl, we had such a laugh about Tom's tanga and when I told that I thought he was gay, she told me that she had also thought the same, till he proved otherwise...

Simon Essex

My next funny experience was in the third mixed dorm back in Siem Reap... I arrived late in the evening feeling really tired after my somewhat hectic journey from Phnom Penh. I walked into the dorm to be greeted by a simply lovely guy called Simon who was beaming down at me from his top bunk, and the first thing I see is the lower bunk with a cow outfit laid out on the mattress and holding a guitar..

There is another cow outfit on the top bunk next to mine... this is really intriguing so naturally had to ask what the cow outfits were doing on the beds! Well these two completely mad hilarious guys called Matt and Jake has been travelling around Asia on motorbikes and wearing these amazing cow outfits...

This is the famous cow outfit

Well Simon, Jake and Matt were so funny (Don't we just love the English sense of humor) Every time someone knocked on the door they were all shouting ... No you can't come in.. Wait please, we are all naked! Noooo not yet please! That night I didn't use ear plugs but I went to sleep laughing my head off and thinking... Gosh mixed dorms are so cool!

New breeds of backpackers.

2012-02-01T12:50:00.000+07:00

During the last few months of travelling, I have had plenty of time to observe the multitude of backpackers that I meet on my way... Many years ago Backpackers were all pretty much the same.. A little bit dusty, a little bit dirty, a little bit down trodden, principally donned in scruffy khaki pants with a thousand and one pockets.. a faded t-shirt, disguised in a bushy beard and sorely in need of a dam good hair-cut! These people are still around and  just meeting them is an experience in itself as they will keep you entertained for hours with their inspiring stories about their adventures and true intrepid travelling.

Today our backpackers come in a variety of the assortment:

Our first Backpacker is the classic above mentioned so I will call them "Originalpacker".

Second comes the "Casepacker"
These packers travel round the world, dragging the biggest suitcase you can ever imagine! They definitely do not.. I repeat do not use a backpack.  Totally mad or just complete masochists, possibly even both, they will be seen struggling for all they are worth tugging, shoving, pushing and sweating profusely as they pull the offending monster box behind them up onto the trains or buses, along the uneven streets and up all the flights of steps to get to the dorms in hostels! Suffice to say the flipping case usually takes up more room than any other bit of luggage owned by the other backpackers. I have yet to ask these casepackers why in heavens they are doing this to themselves?

Thirdly comes the "Designerpacker"
The Barbie and Ken ones! These guys are simply awesome! Body beautiful, looks to kill for, hair cuts that you would most probably have to pay two months wages for in a top London salon. To all accounts and purposes, they must have multiple shares in Macintosh. Mac (for short and in case you don't know) is that company that has the logo of a funny little apple with a bit chewed off in the corner!!! They manufacture iPods, iPhones, iPads, iThis, iThat and iGodknowswhats.. and our B's & K's come equipped with the very latest of all this stuff! Designerpackers wear incredible trendy gear with black being the favoured colour, added to this are the designer sunglasses, designer watches, designer head-phones, designer backpack and designer underpants! (I know cos when you are in a mixed dorm you kinda get to see these things)  These people are gorgeous, but they do make me wish my poor little computer had a chewed up apple on the front and an i before it's name.

Fourthly comes the "Twinpackers"
These are the ones that travel in twos! and no, I am not referring to a couple, I mean two friends male or female. They arrive at the hostel joined at the hip and during the whole length of their stay, you will never ever see them separately. They breakfast together,lunch together, dinner together. They read together, sunbathe together, go out sightseeing together, laugh together,cry together, get sick together. For sure they shop together as they always dress exactly the same.  If one of them is fortunate enough to get a date, it goes without saying that they both go on the single date! It most certainly would never surprise me, if the single date gets to sleep with the two of them, as these twinpackers will never be prised apart! After giving this serious thought I am astounded that some enterprising company hasn't thought of making a twin backpack for these paired up mortals.. They could then share the load and continue to be sewn together forever.

Fifthly comes the "Sexpackers"
These fun loving sex seeking people are the ones who's sole mission on their travels is to have sex, sex, and even more sex. Have sex will travel.. or Travel and have sex.. they will spend their journey jumping from one shared bed to another and couldn't care less about monuments, temples, sight seeing or anything so boring as all that stuff...They party all night, drink to their hearts content and sleep in late. But above all their top priority is where and how they will get laid. They will screw in the disco loo, on the beach, down one of the back alleys, and even in the mixed dorms where all and sundry can see and hear them. (thank God for silicone earplugs)  I have always secretly hated and admired these shameless individuals with no taboos, because it would appear they are the ones who are having more fun than the rest of us put together.

I will be writing more about sexpackers in my future post "Fun in the backpackes mixed dorms"

Sixthly comes "Grandpacker"
These are the Grandads and Grandmas of travel, they have grown up children who are now off their hands, often they also have very much loved grandchildren. These people are nearing or have reached and passed retirement age. Instead of staying at home with only a rocking chair and aches and pains to look forward to, they are out seeing the world, meeting new people every day and making the very best of the last lap of their lifes. I am one of these grandpacker people. Through my blog I hope that I am an inspiration to others to change there lives and enjoy every moment right to the very end.
Choose the life you want to live.
Have a great day everyone! This backpackergranny is off to eat at the Butterfly restaurante! Apparently you eat in a garden full of beautiful butterflies.. will tell you on next blog.

Surviving food poisoning in Cambodia.

2012-01-30T13:58:00.002+07:00

A lovely backpacker friend of mine told me that the best way to lose weight was to go on the "Food poisoning diet" Well folks, that is what I have been on for the last week and OMG I promise you that it is the worst diet I have ever been on! Yes I have lost weight, loads and loads of weight but I am not a voluptuous lady at the best of times, so now I just look like a bedraggled scrawny blonde sparrow!
It all started in the evening after having visited the Killing Fields near Phnom Phnen. I went for supper and I know without question that the culprit was the food I consumed that evening, which I may add was pretty grim.. If I had been alone I would have most probably left it... but a very good looking young man approached my table and asked if he could join me! Now girls! When you reach Backpacker Granny's age .. you realize that life is more about saying yes's than about saying no's! Well almost! ten minutes into the conversation I started to rethink my ideas on Yes and No! What the hell do I have that attracts all these weird and unfortunate people? It was working out he was a raving alcoholic, telling me he drank to give him confidence to ask ladies like me if he could join them! He also informed me that he didn't eat, he just drank.. Lucky bloody him.. at least he would never get food poisoning! Anyhow after listening to all the wails and woes till my attention span was stretched to the limit, I finally managed to politely leave the restaurante and good looking guy to scamper back to my hostel.
I was looking forward to crawling into my little bed and watching the new DVD film that I had just purchased for the total sum of 1.50$ "The girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Well I can tell you all .. the only lousy dragon I encountered that night was the dragon in my stomach and boy he was letting me know in no uncertain terms.. that it was his year!!!
Anyone who has ever had food poisoning in Asia knows the score. God! First you feel sick, then you are sick and then sick again and again and again .. followed by the waste disposal department going into a raging frenzy. In fact on reflection, I honestly think that one almost dosen't even need a bed in the hostel.. just a loo as that is where most of the next few days will be spent.
I was ill for a whole solid week and felt like I had been in fifteen rounds with Mike Tyson.. completely knocked out, shattered, no energy whatsoever and for the first time in many months missing the western world and its western food.
A few bits of advice that I would give to any traveller who should fall ill through bacteria infected food. Soda water is far better than still water. Keep hydrated with the amazing rehydrating powders that they now sell in every chemist, Rehydration sachets contain rehydration salts consisting of sugars and salts (glucose, sodium chloride, potassium chloride and disodium hydrogen citrate) They are used to replace body fluids lost as a result of acute diarrhoea. Only take anti diarrhoea if you absolutely have to, as this will just mask the bacteria in the intestines but won't cure the ailment..Should the symptoms persist or you have a temperature, then please consult a doctor as it could possibly be something more than food poisoning.
Well that's all for now dear friends - I am still around to tell my stories.. Travelling sometimes has a few lows, but they are nothing in comparison to all the highs!

I finally got to see my film.. and it was great.. Daniel Craig gorgeous as always.. loads of gore.. torture.. sex and all the rest of the stuff that we all just love to see on the screen.

Don't miss my next blog.. Fun in the backpackers mixed dorms..

Phnom Penh continued

2012-01-23T14:50:00.005+07:00

It is now the second day that I have been here in Phnom Penh and starting to learn a bit about the city and Cambodia's history. I hate to admit this but I never really knew too much about the Khmer Rouge and the terrible atrocities committed under the leadership of Saloth Sar better know as Pol Pot. During his time in power 1975- 1979, he imposed a version of agrarian socialism, forcing urban dwellers to relocate to the countryside to work in collective farms and forced labour projects. The combined effects of forced labour, malnutrition, poor medical care, and executions resulted in the deaths of approximately 21 percent of the Cambodian population In all, an estimated 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 people died under his leadership. It horrifies me to think that during those years I was safely ensconced in my own little world in Barcelona, bringing up my three children and basically living the life of a very spoilt princess and with no idea whatsoever about what was going on in this beautiful country.. Fortunately the princess disappeared a long time ago, hopefully has been replaced by a much more profound person.. but for the Cambodians their suffering and heartbreak will be in their memories forever.

I have been very undecided about going to visit the Killing Fields of Cheung Ek just outside Phnom Penh.. but it's part of Cambodia's history and I think it will most probably give me a better understanding and comprehension of the Cambodian people.. Who is to say.

As my blog is supposed to be a happy and cheerful place for people to visit.. I will go on to brighter things! There are several details about Cambodia.. or should a say, customs of the Cambodians that never fail to fascinate me.. One being, how many humans they can actually fit on a motorbike! I spend a large part of my time just observing them as they whizz past with three, four, and even five people on their motorbikes.. Incredible.. naturally there is the motorcyclist, then invariable there is a small child at the very front! then there is another child who is often standing up! I swear the kid is actually standing up on the bike.. then comes another child or adult and... wait for it... yes! there is yet another adult at the very back... It's like watching a constant circus.. and do you know what??? I love it, it looks like so much fun! I'm sure I would have been a much happier child if my father had taken me to school standing up on a motorbike.. wow wee! please note I mean me standing up! Not my father!

Next come the tuk tuks.. they are colourfully painted with lots of bright greens, deep reds, or gorgeous electric blues, then smartly combined with shinny wood. really pretty frills and upholstered seats. One can almost imagine them in a fairytale story they are so magical..Mind you when you go for a ride in one them, one realises that suspension definitely does not exist, in point of fact, they are such bone shakers you start to wonder why the hell you were taken in by all that fancy stuff with their NOW hateful decor... obviously the locals are unafected by such disconfort because when the Cambodians take a tuk tuk.. one could swear that the entire family with kids, parents, grandparents including uncle Tom Cobley and all are aboard. It's hilarious! No traffic wardens here ha ha ha.

Heavy load in Cambodia

And of course don't let me forget the lorries with their hoards of goods and chattels and a multitude of humans perched on the very top.. or the trucks carrying twenty to thirty bodies squeezed like sardines inside!! Then there are the carts carrying enormous pieces of furniture and dozens of people to wherever... Viva Cambodia.. It's such a great place!

One other very important small detail is when you cross the road in Cambodia is like playing Russian Roulette! as you can never ever know if you will get to the other side ALIVE! But if you don't want to spend the rest of your stay just going round the block for fear of braving the traffic.. then you haven't any option other than to take your life into your hands and surge forward... Here is a tip, simply step out onto the road and dodge in and out of the oncoming traffic.. please remember to keep looking at them as they zoom towards you! first keep looking left.. then keep looking right.. It works for me.. at least up till now!!

After observing all these delightful and unusual forms of transport I went of to see the Grand Palace of Phnom Penh.. unfortunately this city is famous for bag snatching and camera snatching.. so up till now I haven't dared to take my camera out, consequently not too many pics at the moment.. I mean, If they rob me of my dollars I can survive.. but if they steal my camera.. I will slit my wrists... oh talking of dollars!!! did you know that the ATM machines in this country actually pay you out in Dollars and not in Riels? Imagine! the first time it happened to me I was screaming at the guy in the shop by the side of the machine.. demanding to know why I had been given dollars!!! oh well, just another one of my stupid neurotic moments..

Oh by the way the Grand Palace is gorgeous, so much so that perhaps I will buy a large pair of bloomers where I could then hide my camera and return to take some fab photos! Oh gosh, I have just had a terrible thought! I hope the camera dosen't shoot while it's in my .....

Still in Cambodia.

2012-01-22T20:07:00.001+07:00

It is 5.30 pm in Cambodia, recently arrived in Phnom Penh and relaxing in the hostel where I am taking the time to write a little more about this beauteous country..

Everyone is asking me what happened with the snake that visited the hostel where I stayed at in Siem Reap.. well he hot footed it out of there as fast a possible ( oh my ..did I say hot footed - of course snakes don't have feet) so correction, he hot slithered off the premises faster than you could say "Snake Robinson" between you and me, I think it is almost certain that Mr serpent was multilingual.. and on hearing the Brits shouting kill it .. kill it.. I reckon he thought " Dear Minoan please get me out of here" by the way for all those poor souls who don't know ... Minoan is the snake goddess.. Obviously his prayers were answered as we have never seen him since! Just as we were all feeling highly relieved the owner of the hostel promptly proceeded to inform us that he has actually had scorpions.. Big ones! come to visit the hostel too.. I mean really! what a thing to tell his guests! did this guy not want us there anymore???

Look closely there are 4 on that bike!

So here I am in the capital of Cambodia.. actually can't pass an opinion yet what I think of the city as I still haven't had the chance to explore the town. I came down by minibus.. I was told if I took the normal bus it would take 7/8 hours and only 4/5 hours by private bus.. half an hour into the journey I discovered why it was so much faster on the minibus!!! I can tell you all now if my bus driver was competing in formula 1, Hamilton and Button would never stand a chance in heaven.. I had had visions of a leisurely drive where I could take in the stunning countryside and even take some awesome pics.. Ahaaaa foolish me..I spent the first part of the journey panicking and swearing that I would never ever catch another bus in Cambodia..and the second part I managed to relax, put my fate in the hands of the divine spirit and started planning my next bus trip... Oh to the joys of travel in Asia..

Fisherman sorting his net

The more I visit Cambodia the more fall in love with this country, it is so bewitching and authentic, the scenery is breathtaking and my dream come true for shooting awesome photos, unfortunately I don't have enough eyes, enough time or enough camera to capture every splendid and paradisaical image that there is here. As DeGriff said " There will be times when you will be in a field without a camera. And, you will see the most glorious sunset or the most beautiful scene that you have ever witnessed. Don't be bitter because you can't record it...Sit down, drink it in, and enjoy it for what it is!

Back on Track in Cambodia

2012-01-16T13:43:00.000+07:00

Hello everybody!

Well I have at last got my head together and am here on my blog once more!.. sooooo terribly sorry that I haven't been writing lately, but I am going to be totally honest and admit that I have been very much waylaid with lots of great and wonderful moments.. several marvellous friends have been flying in to visit me, and let's be honest, how can you say to a gorgeous person who has travelled miles to see you, "So terribly sorry but I can't possibly attend to you as I have to write on my Backpacker Granny" !!! I have also been working on a new business project that when we finally launch, it will be fab.. oooops sorry but impossible to tell you more at the mo, but I promise you will all be the first to know once it goes live!

Right that is enough of me rambling on and on.. let me now tell you what I have been up to since I was last scribbling on this blog... I know I have to finish writing about India but today I am just going to fill you in on the latest adventures of BG (BackpackerGranny)

Buddhist Monks walking to Angkor Wat temple

At the moment I am sitting in Siem Reap in Cambodia. The reason being that I had to make a visa run from Thailand, a bit of a pain but that's the way it is.. well I decided to take advantage of the trip and continue into Cambodia and spend a few days here instead of the usual rush in and turn about trip back into the land of smiles... And boy am I pleased I took that decision... I had forgotten how stunning this country is... The road trip down to Siem Reap was an experience in itself with so many fantastic and really funny sights.. You see things that never in a million years would you see in the western world and perhaps that's what always makes me reafirm how much I love Asia. I often think to myself "what would our local police would say if they were to see the traffic and passengers that you see here!"

Lorry Load!

As I am sure most of you will be aware Siem Reap (literally means "Siam Defeated") is the city nearest to the famous area of Angkor Wat.. Which I have to say is without doubt a "Must see before to die" Really it is so absolutely amazing and beautiful and is one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of several capitals of the Khmer Empire of the 9th to the 15th centuries. The most famous being Angkor Wat and at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple. This is my third visit to Cambodia, and I have to say that these magical temples of a long gone era still fill me with awe and delight.

Ta Prohm

Cambodia is a very rural and extremely poor country. While you are in the country it is almost impossible not to think of Cambodia’s history. You might be tempted to think that this makes Cambodia a sad place. But I can assure you it is anything but. In all honesty I would go as far as to say that Cambodia’s history is what plays a large part in making it so special. Many countries have smiling friendly people, lots of countries have an incredible cuisine and countless countries have historical sites. But Cambodia manages to have all these things rolled into one. With all the suffering and hardship that this country has suffered. Cambodia’s yesterday and Cambodia’s today is mind-blowing .

Small child in the meat market of Siem Reap

The children of Cambodia deserve a special mention on this blog

It’s nearly 8pm in the evening and I am sitting in one of my favourite restaurants eating my cheap but very delicious noodle and vegetable soup. Across the room sitting at another table is a fellow backpacker (obviously reformed to the Buddhist religion) sitting with one of the local Cambodian children. The place is buzzing with hungry clients trying the local fare. But my eyes keep wondering back to the same table.. The child is obviously starving and is eating with such gusto it pulls at my heart strings. As I sat there I couldn’t help thinking how fortunate I was to have never known what it was to be hungry.. And then I got to thinking about the children of Cambodia, everywhere you look you will see children pitching bracelets, flowers, books and even orphanages. (Something that I am highly suspicious of – surely a reputable orphanage would not be exploiting children to get the foreigners to donate to them) Instead of being safely tucked up in bed these children are working on the streets till the early hours of the morning and are totally vulnerable to all sorts of abuse, for sure they won’t be going to school the following day.. Who can say what their future will be. Fortunately NGO is doing a wonderful job, and If you would like to add your small grain of sand then please don’t buy or give money to the children on the streets as this will only encourage the child exploitation. Give a donation to reputable organizations like NGO, however small you can and will make a difference.

Oh Golly Gosh, a big green snake has just dropped off the balcony and landed on the terrace of our hostel!!! All the Cambodians are winding us up and telling us that one bite and we are dead ducks..Jeeves that's all I need.. to die from a rotten green snake in the middle of Cambodia. On that note ....I will leave you folks and hopefully I will still be alive tomorrow to continue with BG.. Take care.. or perhaps it's moi who has to take care :((

Pushka

2011-11-24T11:41:00.001+07:00

Pushka lake

Hello all, so sorry that I have not been writing my blog lately but will own up to the fact that I have otherwise been distracted with travelling around India and also working on a new project with I will tell you about nearer the time of release

I am now back in Bangkok where I must say, I find it far easier to focus on blogs, work, and all the important things in my life..

So let me stop rabbiting on and write about India..

As everyone who follows my blog will know, I have been to the Pushka camel fair and of course I simply have to write a few words about this incredibly beautiful town set in a valley just about 14 km off Ajmer in the north Indian state of Rajasthan, considered by many to be the most vibrant part of India.

Typical lady from Rajasthan

Pushka means "pond created by flower" coming from the legend that the city along with the lake was created when Brahma released a Lotus from his hands on Earth, for the purpose of deciding the venue for his yagna. (Yagna meaning : to invoke the gods and seek their blessings and favors). This is the only shrine in India dedicated exclusively to Lord Brahma and are one of the five holiest places of pilgrimage on the subcontinent.

To visit the sacred lake early in the morning with the rising of the sun or in the evening when the sun sets and reflects on the sparkling waters are truly magical and ethereal moments.

The people of Pushkar lead a simple life and they speak the local language “Rajasthani”. Unfortunately I don't speak Hindi, as I would have loved to communicate more with these beautiful friendly people who have hardly modernized their way of looking at life and are just innocent and clear-hearted.
Everywhere you see locals living the traditional Indian way of living happily and not in the least bit concerned about the luxurious life. Possibly this is what makes Pushkar a must visit destination in India.

One of the acrobats from the fair

What never fails to surprise and amaze me is the way way the people come up to me and want to touch my hand, they even bring the children up to touch me, In all honesty I really quiet enjoy it as I feel a little bit like "Lady Di" with all this attention and obvious adoration.. For once in my life I am a Princess for a few days.

There are some very stunning havelis in pushka, Haveli is the term used for a private mansion in India and Pakistan, The word haveli is derived from the Persian word hawli, meaning "an enclosed place".
The havelies are not big enough to be rated as palaces, and too elaborated to be called ordinary places of residence. Almost every little village has a haveli, the size and workmanship varying according to the status of the owner.

Black faced monkey

As I am on a tight budget I stayed at a hostel called Chachas.. Now what can I say about this hostel!!! It's quirky, wacky, the owner Rani (Actually English but that is her Indian name now) is adorable and totally off the wall. Her Indian husband Chacha is a great guy and an even better cook.

During the camel fair to accommodate the influx of visitors they set up tent like accommodation on the roof and also in the garden (not actually what we would call a garden but hey this is India!) Anyhow I stayed in one of the tents and it was really cool, the only thing that bothered me was if the pink faced monkeys got in.They are nasty little blighters that can be pretty aggressive. Just so you know, the black faced ones are far nicer and won't attack you. Sorry but I haven't got a clue what the proper name is for them, hence pink face and black face!

Chachas is spotlessly clean and there is a wonderful communal area where you can meet up with all the other backpackers, which at the end of the day is an important part of travelling!

One of the Camel carts

Yes Pushka is a beautiful place, and for sure I will return for the 2012 camel fair which is a truly wonderful and colourful event.. and I will get to have a few more of the best Lassies I have ever had in India!

Train trip from Delhi to Pushka

2011-11-03T21:40:00.008+07:00

Old Delhi Station.

The other night I went to the Old Delhi Station to catch the train for Pushka. As luck would have it the only available seats were on the train that left at four thirty in the morning. Taking the forty minute taxi ride in the early hours of the morning when the city slept, was an experience and a half. Driving through the dust ridden pot holed roads with only the miserable vagabonds and wild dogs roaming the streets as our companions, can only be describe it as Aerie. Thousands of old scruffy rickshaws abandoned for the night and hundreds of enormous trucks and sinister looking Lorries paved our way. It doesn’t happen often but when the taxi driver took a side turning I started to get scared! one thing is for sure, and that is that when one travels alone, well at least for me... all instincts of survival and protection come to the fore. Immediately I asked in an overly loud and agitated voice, where we were going and if he was going to the Old Delhi Station... (I mean well you would never know, if he was going to rob and rape me! And I definitely didn’t want to get robbed!) To which the poor man replied "Yes mam ve go to zee statshone" it worked out he was just trying to avoid all the chaos and cut through a short cut to the station... I suspect he thought “I've got a right nutter here” and was most probably more afraid of me than I was of him!

On arrival at the station... I could not believe my eyes. There were so many bodies inside and outside lying everywhere on the floors, some sleeping, some awake, some completely covered with blankets so much so, at first glance you would have thought they were heaps of nothing..And then there were the ones that were sitting staring into space or as usual at me...(Please Note:- "The staring at me" is the bit I can never get my head round when I am in India. In my later years I have come to realize that I am slowly becoming invisible! Occasionally I do ask the dear Lord to make me little more visible from time to time.. But please if he has anything to do with the scrutiny I get in this country.. He really has gone overboard. Jesus! I didn’t mean THAT visible!) So much for that little notation, let’s get back to the crowds lining the grounds of the station. I confess that stupidly I thought they were all waiting to catch the train. It was only on reflection that I realised that a lot of them were misplaced people with nowhere to go.

The Indian train is an experience in itself.. It goes without saying that if you are an intrepid, adventurous and avid traveller, in other words, a stark stone raving mental lunatic.. You should most certainly give the train a try... Are you getting my message loud and clear? And bye the way,
if you are a masochist then the state bus is even better!

I booked a first class sleeper as Mr Google said that was the best, needless to say I always listen to Mr Google! why wouldn’t I? But now I do wonder if he has ever travelled on an Indian train?

The Indian trains have 8 classes of accommodation on Indian trains, although only some of these classes will be available on a particular train. There is also the storage compartment which is like an enormous box with slats very similar to something you would transport cattle in... There were more bodies in the storage compartment than there was baggage

I read somewhere that the first class A1 comes with carpet etc, Whoever wrote that has a great expanse of imagination, as I can assure you that there wasn’t any such thing in my compartment! Pretty basic but I have to say that I could live with it and at least I wasn’t in the cattle carriage... I shared the compartment with three Indian gentlemen and luckily they were exactly that! “Perfect gentlemen” One of them was from Jaipur but lives in New York, he was very interesting and gave me lots of tips for places to visit in India. He also filled me in a lot of the customs and daily life of his fellow men. All three of my travel buddies left the train at Jaipur and I had the compartment to myself, or so I thought!!!!

While actually writing this on the train and I could have sworn I saw something dash across the floor. uuum not sure if it was an enormous cockroach or a mouse or what.. Unbelievable there I was in first class and my space was being invaded!

On arrival at Ajmer the nearest station to Pushka I was just about to struggle up the enormous flight of stairs with my backpack when this gorgeous man asked if he could help me! He was from Turkey and he told me his name was “Avi” a name I will never forget as that is the name for Grandfather in Catalan! And I really loved my children’s Grandfather. This charming man took control of everything and sorted the rickshaw to take us to the bus station and then arranged everything to get us on the most crowded bus I have ever seen in my whole life... Thanks to this amazing person I arrived in Pushka safe and sound and then to top it all, he even accompanied me practically to my guest house... Once it was established exactly where my lodgings were, he stopped and said “You are ok now so I can leave you” with that he turned and disappeared into the crowds of people. I couldn't help feeling that I would never see him again.

Funnily enough, when I am on my travels it would appear that there is always a guardian angel waiting to help me wherever I go. Are they real or have they just popped down from heaven to make sure I am alright? Who knows! but it’s comforting to think that someone up there is looking out for me.

Those Blasted Mosquitos!

2011-10-25T10:28:00.001+07:00

For all those unfortunate souls who suffer from mozzie-persecution!

Today I have decided to write about those nasty, horrible, killer creatures called Mosquitoes! I had better start by telling you that Mosquitoes absolutely love and adore me, if all the men in the world were so enamoured with me as those wretched bloodsucking creatures, wow would I have fun.

This is unbelievable but true! Those little flying horrors wait for me at the airport. I suspect that they are on twenty-four hour alert to be informed as to when I am booking the plane! For sure they have my flight number, date and time or arrival. The minute I have cleared customs and reached the main airport exit hall, there they all are in their droves waiting.. I am surprised they don't have a big poster with "Welcome Backpacker Granny" on it!

I can literally hear those little b......ds (sorry I can't write the full word as this is a child friendly blog) saying "Here she is, yummy yummy what a feast we are going to have" And then they start coming for me. Yes I know you are going to say that I should use insect repellent! Jeeves I think I have used every product on the market. My last resort has been to buy an anti mosquito with ninety percent deet! Yes that is what I said! .. almost all deet.. Result: I now have no skin and those little pests are still attacking!

I have learnt over the years that every living creature serves a purpose in the balance of mother nature, but honestly, what is the purpose of a Mosquito? I keep saying to God, "Hey I know you are a great creator and you have done a pretty wonderful job when you made the world, but please tell me why the devil did you create those dammed mosquitoes?" He never replies, so I reckon even God doesn't know!

Did you know that there are 3100 species of mosquito and that the name comes from the Spanish and Portuguese for "little fly." Mosquitoes resemble little flies. Thus, 'mosquito.'

They can carry West-Nile, Encephalitis, Yellow Fever, Malaria and Dengue fever among others.

Strangely it is only the female mosquito that bites (stands to reason that it would have to be a female- chuckle chuckle) Females need blood to develop fertile eggs. Since males do not lay eggs, they do not bite. It goes on to say: Few people realize that mosquitoes rely on sugar as their main source of energy. Both male and female mosquitoes feed on plant nectar, fruit juices and liquids that ooze from plants. The sugar is burned as fuel for flight and is replenished on a daily basis. Blood is reserved for egg production and is imbibed less frequently. So it appears the males rely solely on sugar sources for their energy.

Now that I have given you all a mine of useful or useless information on the banes of my existence I will continue:

Please be aware that I am completely and utterly against killing in any shape or form... BUT.. and it's a very big BUT I do take great pleasure in eliminating those disgusting little blighters.. They are also very annoying .. Imagine, when I was in Nepal I was sleeping under a mozzie net.. this is amazing but those creatures actually spent the entire night looking for a way to get into the net and kept me awake till the early hours of the morning with their buzzzz buzzz buzzz. In fact I really would love to lock them all up in a confine and do the buzzz buzzz buzzz on them too and see how they felt about it!

A few points to remember and to be aware of..

It's is vital you practice good prevention measures at all times. When the Sun goes down every evening, Mosquitoes begin their attack on exposed skin, so always wear long sleeves and trousers after dusk. There is no vaccination against Malaria and your best chance of avoiding it is to reduce the number of Mosquito bites you receive. Always sleep under a Mosquito net, unless you are in a city hotel with closed windows and air conditioning.

Anti-malarial drugs are a good prevention measure in the short term and you should certainly consider their use but always seek up to date advice on the latest situation from experts for your destination, as drug resistance is now becoming common. Long term use of anti-malarial drugs can have significant side effects however and they are not generally recommended in countries such as Thailand due to the relatively low risk. Also remember Prophylaxis is no guarantee of prevention and often causes side effects. Remember the golden rule... prevent Mosquito bites.

Malaria can develop quickly, or it can develop up to several years after exposure. If you have traveled to an area affected and you subsequently develop symptoms, such as a fever, headache, joint and muscle pains, seek medical advice promptly. In Thailand where I visit often they are well served by medical facilities, even in the countryside and all have the ability to diagnose and treat Malaria.

This is a rather fun poem by Patsy Cairns (A fellow Backpacker)

Lovely Mosquito attacking my arm
As still and quiet as a statue
Stay perfectly still,
I'll do you no harm
I simply desire to pat you

Just puncture my vein
and swallow your fill
for no one is going to swat you
Now lovely mosquito
Stay right where you are
A swipe and a swat
And I got you!

Please excuse me but now I have to go and investigate on the most effective methods on mass murder of mosquitoes.. If you come up with any ideas please let me know..

Have a great mosquito free day!!!

Helping at the Flood Relief Thailand

2011-10-21T17:32:00.005+07:00

Just one of the mountains of donations

Yesterday I went to lend a helping hand to the Flood Relief that has been set up at the old part of the Don Muang airport outside the city of Bangkok.

What was amazing (although in many ways unsurprising) was to see how the Thai people were all so united together in helping and pledging their support to the flood victims. The atmosphere was incredible with people of all age groups from very elderly to the smallest of children sitting on the floor working alongside each other with the sorting and bagging of food, medicines, clothing, candles plus whatever is classed as necessary for survival, and needs to be sent to the flood-bound communities.

Bagging Rice

Amidst the ever smiling faces and the words สู้ สู้ (sū̂ sū̂) meaning "fight" or "we'll deal with" I took my place on the floor with these awesome people and started to add packs of rice to the plastic bags provided. It is sad to say that I hardly saw any foreigners from the western worlds, in fact I think I could have counted them on one hand with myself included! Ooops sorry yes I did see a small group on the top floor.. Prancing around with silly Tshirts from their company and actually doing sweet nothing - I am sure you must have met at some time in your life this breed of snooty nosed people who try to look important but actually are a complete waste of space.. uuf God who gave birth to these morons!!! Please forgive my little outburst but I really can't stand superficial posers!
However I did meet many people from other parts of Asia, including China, Taiwan and Japan, they were all helping as much as they could and they were a delight to be with.

Another thing that took my breath away was the way the Thai people worked.. my goodness they just didn't stop! so fast, so organized, working in unison and actually having great fun at the same time... I was in my element, and I have to say that if I had a high esteem for these people before they have gone up in my estimation a thousand fold since yesterday! There was even a seventy two year old lady helping out, she has lost her home in the floods so is now staying with her daughter.. But her words were "I have nothing to do, so I might as well be here helping my people" She is an example to everyone.

Pass the Parcel

Then came the moments of "Pass the Parcel. This was hard work but as you can see I really enjoyed it! People of all ages and backgrounds formed two lines, starting from the lorries outside the building and stretching to the very end of the hall where the bags will be stored. Then they literally passed each parcel or bag along from one to another.. rather like a human conveyer belt. It was a very efficient way of getting all the goods into the designated place.

amidst all these going ons, were people outside serving free delicious Thai food and refreshing iced tea and coffee, so nobody went hungry and neither did I! Everywhere I looked, happy laughing people were throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the task at hand.. What a great ambiance to be in, where hands on support extends far beyond financial contributions!

Tents set up at the airport for the flood victims

After several hours and a rather sore backside, I really should have taken a cushion.. or even a little sofa so I could have sat there forever! It's horrible to have to face up to this fact, but I simply can't do that lotus position.. Legs all over the place, but definitely not where they should be! plus the fact I have this dreaded fear that once I do get into that position.. I won't ever be able to get out of it.. Between you and me .. its the one thing I don't like about the Thais! That is that they can do the lotus position so easily and I can't! I mean what a dam cheek! Oh God .. did I say cheek? I can't believe I just used that word!!!

A homeless mother and her child

Anyway I left the hard floor and made my way to another part of the airport where they have set up tents for the people who have lost their homes in the flood! This was the moment that I actually started to take in the enormity of this situation and see what some of these people are going through.. Unfortunately until we come face to face with these problems, we can't always register how serious they are. I walked amongst the small provisional abodes and felt how very little I had done for these people.. Tomorrow I will return again.. it's not much but every little helps..

My Tribute to the Thai People

2011-10-17T17:51:00.002+07:00

Happy group of school girls in Siam Square

I have been visiting Thailand since 1992 and often spending several months in this utterly spectacular and awe-inspiring country. Many people repeatedly ask me what is it that I love most about Thailand and my answer is always the same: The Thai People.

Yes Thailand is amazing and I could spend forever writing about its endless wonders, but what really makes a visit to this country worthwhile are the people.

A normal scene of happy laughing people

Often called "The land of smiles" Significant with all the beautiful smiling faces of the Thais. Wherever you go you will be greeted by the biggest and friendliest smile you will ever see. When you offer these people warmth and understanding it will be returned a thousand fold. I can honestly say that never, have I received so much kindness, care and love from anyone as I have from the people of Thailand.

Thai people are a proud and hard working people, when the little Tuk Tuk man or street vendor calls out to try and generate some business I try to take the time to reflect and realize that they are struggling to make a living and earn a few bahts. If they slightly overcharge me it's no big deal! it won't break my bank! I tell myself that if I was living in a little tin shack with absolutely nothing. I too would most probably add a bit on to the price in order to make a little bit extra.. and it would be in the only way I knew how.

Kindness and understanding are my rule of thumb, I know I don't have to be rude to say no! and as always once I have conveyed my respect and consideration to these people, they immediately respond showing me just how lovely they are.. Sometimes I even have the pleasure to know them better and become their friend. Which I consider an honour.

I know that the Thai people are too polite to complain about any ignorance on my part about their ethics and codes, as I am also fully aware that if I really would like their respect, I should conduct myself in a proper way. I am a firm believer in doing the correct thing.. wherever I may be.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej

I respect the king of Thailand and the whole royal family. Not only because the Thai people are extremely fond of and loyal to their monarchy but also because of what I have learnt and heard, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, which means "Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power" known as Rama IX is a wonderful man.

I respect their religion. Temples, Buddha, statues, and monks (plus I know that it is never allowed for a woman to touch a monk,) Buddha images are held sacred and sacrilegious acts are punishable by imprisonment which can even apply to foreign visitors.

I have since learnt that it is incorrect to touch somebody’s head (even children) as the head is considered the most sacred part of the body. The feet are classed as the dirtiest part of the body, so again I try to avoid pointing them at anyone as it is taken as an insult. The last thing I would ever want is to insult these wonderful people.

On the boat of the wonderful Chao Prayha River

I hear many foreigners complaining about the Thai people, insulting them and categorizing them all in the same group.. I find it very offensive and unacceptable.. The Thai people are Not crafty, They are Not false, They are Not rude,They are Not cheats, and most certainly Not stupid and idle.. And if any visitor thinks they are.. It's so simple.. Leave!

A Walk through the Steets of Bangkok

People stand and criticise the sex scene of Thailand, but should I do that, firstly I would have to have the courage to enter into the deep, seedy and sinister bowels of the underworld of London, Paris, Rome, New York and many other cities on this planet to witness for myself the sordid, perverse, bizarre and often heroin, crack filled dens where any type of perversion can be purchased. Then and only then would I know if Thailand was any worse. But I truly doubt it!

Evening time in Sukhumvit

The Thai people readily welcome us to their county with open arms, hopefully we can be forever, deserving receivers of their incredible hospitality.

I love the Thai people so very very much - and can only say thank you to Thailand and your people for taking me to your heart.

A day on the Bus in Bangkok

2011-10-15T15:42:00.008+07:00

Bangkok Bus

One thing has to be said for the public transport in Bangkok and that is that it is really excellent. This includes the bus service which is one of the cheapest ways to see the city, it will also give you an insite into the true Bangkok that perhaps you wouldn't see if you were using other forms of transit.

I have a very dear friend called Richard who I had the good fortune to meet at my favourite hostel in Bangkok and since meeting we tend to hang out together whenever we coincide in the city. Now I have to tell you a little bit about this wonderful man, apart from being drop dead gorgeous (oh to be a hundred years younger) never mind I won't dwell on that thought any more, and I will get on with this story. As I said, apart from being drop dead gorgeous, he is also very friendly,extremely kind, outgoing and intelligent. On top of all these dons, Richard is an absolute expert on the buses in Bangkok. It's is amazing! He knows all about the air-con buses, the fan buses and the no air-con, no fan, nothing at all buses, he knows which number buses go to where and from what point they start and end.. Plus he will even tell you what rates they charge for your chosen journey! which by the way, is minimal.

Naturally being aware of Richards great knowledge on Bangkok's cheapest form of transport, when he suggested that we take a wonderful ride from Sukhumvit to Chinatown and go to a fabulous Chinese restaurant near a certain bus stop I was all for it. One bright and sunny Sunday at almost mid-day found us waiting on the main road near Soi 38, in order to catch the 205 bus, as luck would have it the number 45 arrived first. Richard informed that this would also take us to Chinatown. Totally confident in my friend's know-how, I happily boarded the bus and spent a great time with the two of us chatting and taking in the views of the city and of course so looking forward to the yummy lunch. Forty five minutes later (estimated time for arrival to our designated bus stop) there we were going through Chinatown. Richard assured me that he would know the point of decent as soon as he saw It.!

Well it was really strange!!! The stop that we were meant to get off at... Didn't appear!! Now If Richard wasn't such an expert on the buses I would have thought he had made a mistake... but please that was impossible, without question it had to be that Thai bus driver didn't know where he was going!! Anyway to continue we went the whole way through Chinatown and still no sign of our stop, I asked myself, "did they move the stop sign to some other part of town??" I mean, you never know what can happen in a city do you!!! We were now leaving that part of the district accompanied by a bus conductor giving us very black looks and irately saying something in Thai, which could only mean that we had overstayed our journey for the fare that we had paid. Then Richard had a simply brilliant idea! This was that we get off the bus and return to our starting point to wait for the 205 bus.

China Town Bangkok

Believe me; it was at this point that I started to have serious doubts about my friend's brain logic! I mean honestly, why we would go all the way back to Sukhumvit, when we so relatively near our destination! I might add that my poor little stomach that is so used to being fed regularly was starting to scream "Feed me woman I am famished" with all this in mind, I started to make tentative suggestions about trying to catch the 205 from a nearer point..Which in the end, was exactly what we did. Oh God you will never believe it.. The flipping 205 had yet another bus driver who didn't know where he was going...(please take note that if I wasn't such a trusting soul, I might have thought that Richard was mistaken, but of course I knew that was impossibe! and it was totally and unquestionably the bus drivers fault!" ) Needless to say, once again we still didn't pass the dam bus stop!!!

By this time it is now about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and I am about to stab Richard to death as I am practically on the point of dehydration and starvation. Fortunately for my friend, just in time he saw that the usually happy backpacker granny's face was transforming from sweet to sour and he realised it was time to simply go and eat just anywhere!

Thank God we finally ate at a little stall near the Grand Palace, it wasn't the fab Chinese restaurante, but it was good and at that moment in time any form of alimentation was welcome.. Once revived by food, I started to feel much better when my lovely friend Richard ventured to give me the option of either going back to our hostel by bus (excuse me! did I hear correctly? or catching the river boat and sky train... I will give you three guesses as to which option I took!!!!

Thank you Richard, In spite of what I have written, I really had a great day riding around with you on the BKK buses.. Take care and love ye loads...