Nha Trang, I love this town!

Halloh. I tromped around for thirty minutes finding my hotel to be told they had sent Yao to meet me at the train. No one told me. That was the first of several things the travel desk at my favorite Saigon hotel did to make my travels difficult. Anyhows...

I explored Nha Trang getting my bearings the first day. The second day I booked a boat trip. I chose Mama Linhs, famous for their floating bar. It's an excellant value at $7. They pick you up and drop you back at your hotel. There are four stops for snorkeling and swimming. Also a visit to the local aquarium. There is a lovely lunch prepared on board with fresh fish, soup, salads and prawns, rice and baguettes. After lunch is 'the live show'. Musician crewmen singing off key with out of tune instruments and a drum set made from buckets. Great fun. After lunch is the 'floating bar'. To get your free Mulberry wine, you gotta swim for it. It was mostly Viet passengers. Most stayed in their street clothes and watched us enjoying the water. The locals that were daring, paddled with life vests awkwardly out to the bar.There was another stop for swimming, then a visit to the local aquarium. All day long, beer and soft drinks are available at unbelievable prices. A can of Hanoi Bia is about65 cents. It is cheaper than staying ashore. I had so much fun I booked a trip with a different company the next day. The Hanh Cafe boat had wine but no floating bar, so after a day on shore, I booked another Mama Linh trip!
This is a photo of a very drunk former South Vietnam soldier who wanted to show me his bullet wounds, and a young woman from Singapore. Heres the food!

This little circular boat has a glass bottom. For a nominal fee, the boat 'captain' will paddle people around (with one oar tied to the boat) so they look at the fishes and coral.

I am still having one hell of a time with photos. I had my photos put on a disc thinking it would make things easier. The young man working nights in the hotel said they were put on the wrong kind of disc. So, he loaded them onto his laptop and then transfered them to the 'hard drive'? on the lobby computer. I have a format set up, but each new photo I installed pushed the previous ones arond . They became out of order. When I moved them around it made huge gaps in my text. The young fellow helped me again and again. AARRGGHHH!!!!!

I need a drink!

More later, Ducklass

Long time no write

Halloh. Sorry I haven't written. I didn't have much to write about when in Chiang Mai. Then when I hit the road I was busy moving about.
The only friends I hadn't connected with were Shaun and Boong, (the blessing). When I arrived in Thailand I went south to the islands and they were in C.M. We chatted on the phone. They were going south the day I headed north to C.M. Later, on the night train south I was looking out the window at the Lampang station and there was Shaun on the platform! He and Boong were going to BKK again to fly to Vancouver. We had a nice visit in the dining car sharing a bottle of Regence brandy. Arriving in BKK early we had time to kill and had another visit over coffee in the train station. I've again lost the ability to install photos onto this blog. The one computer I could get to work had Picasa installed. Oh well.
I spent a night in BKK and flew to Saigon. Two nice Vietnamese ladies offered to share their taxi. They had been on a one week holiday to Thailand. They wasted it by going to Pattaya. The sleeze capital of the country. What a shame. I got settled in to my hotel and arranged a sleeper train the next night for Nha Trang. Then I went straight to Bobby Brewers to watch a movie! I had met a Viet lady named Pom my previous trip. She was still working at the same bar. I bought Pom and two friends beers and shredded Cuttlefish from a street vendor. Her friend One, rents motorbikes next door. She suggested we (I) rent one the next day and Pom could drive me around. Pom weighs about 33 kilos. I must have been difficult rear ballast at 73 kilos.
The next day we met and she motored us out to a large amusement park. It was kinda stupid, but a lot of fun. There was a roller coaster that did a double inverted loop followed by a double corkscrew. There was a very tall ferris wheel. After being scared on the roller coaster, Pom wouldn't go on the ferris wheel. The view was impressive. I didn't see another westerner all afternoon. We headed back just as the rain started. Pom hadn't been to the park for ten years and got lost going back. Poms bar has no food but the famous Cafe Zoom will deliver from across the street. It's a great people watching area.
Racism is alive and healthy in Vietnam. There are many black Africans wandering the streets in the evening. They didn't look like tourists. The Vietnamese don't want them in their country. No one wanted to talk about them or tell me why they were there. Finally my guesthouse owner explained that they are football players looking for jobs on Viet pro soccer clubs. They get short time visas, and if the don't find a job they have to go home.
I said farewell to Pom and headed to the train station for an overnighter to Nha Trang. The sleeper train was very nice. I was in a four bunk cabin. There was only one other person, a young West Virginian named Hathan. The interior of the cabin and passage way were rough cut wood looking much like a sauna. Bottled water, a tasty baguette sandwich and coffee in the morning were included in the ticket price. Beer was available. Our attendant pounded on the door at sunrise. We thought we had overslept. She had coffee for us. We still had about two hours before arrival. The countryside was beautiful. There were many rice fields with farmers working their oxen. In Thailand many farmers are reverting back to oxen powered plows because of high fuel costs. The valley was rimmed with rugged hills on both sides. It was quite lovely. As I travel around this beautiful place I often imagine the sound of choppers and American troops tromping through the paddies looking for V.C.
Bye for now, Ducklass

More photos

This restrauant is named for this dog

Myanmar trucks
Hitching a ride

Some fun photos

Creative Thai sign
A sign in Myanmar
A young Burmese lady. Many were more elaborately painted but didn't want their pictures taken. I bribed her with a 20 bht note.

It's all in the name

This is Pang and her boyfriend Aay. Pangs name translates to Powder in English. She owns Powder Bar. She wants to name her baby, Gang Ho. That translates to mixed salad. Aay is not too keen on that name.
In the Buddhist faith, it's OK to wish for money and be wealthy. Most retailers have a basket or 'bucket' to store the days cash. If your purchase it the first of the day, the vendor taps your money around the basket or purse or whatever. It then becomes 'lucky money'. This little dog showed up last year. Pang named the dog Bucket, hoping she would bring good luck and lots of money. Soon after, Pangs father became ill and needed eye surgury. She had to close her bar for five months to look after him. When her father recovered and she reopened her bar, she changed Buckets name to Garbage Can because the dog didn't bring much good luck.
My friend Katai's name means rabbit. My friend Nine was nicknamed Nine when she was nine years old. Her name was Anurak. She changed it to Suppatra. She changed it again to Suphanon. She laughs that she can't change it anymore because that one is on her passport. Enough about names. Bye for now.
Ducklass

My friend Jan

Halloh. This is Jan. He's a cabbie in my little Soi. Moon Muang Soi 2. He has been operating from this spot for twenty five years. This is his second car, a 1981 Toyota with 585,000 kilometers on the odometer. He replaced the engine 10 years ago. He had the car painted two years ago. He has delivered me to the bus and train stations and the airport many times. There is no meter in his cab. When I ask about the price for a ride, he usually says, "It's aop too yoo". His cab drivers ID expired three years ago. He's not concerned. His car has seat belts but he says that because it is so old, it's not required to use them.
He has a delightful smile and laugh. We have a running joke, that when I book him for a ride a day ahead, he either forgets or finds a more profitable offer. Thats never a problem as there is always a Tuk Tuk available.
Last year, a Japanese group abruptly booked him to drive them to Pai for an overnight. He called his wife to say he would be back in one day. They fed him and booked him into a guest house. He laughed that he didn't have a change of underwear.
Jan is one of the reasons I love Chiang Mai. More soon.

Ducklass

Heading north

Halloh. From way in the south to Chiang Mai is a long haul. I could have flown from Ko Samui to C.M. for 8000 bht. I would need to stay one night in Samui. Or, I could boat back to Chumphon, sleeper train to Bangkok and fly to C.M. for 4000 bht. Thats what I did.
It was great to back in my favorite Thai city. Most of my frends were here. I've been taking it easy. The weather is hot, but not unbearable. 92 degrees doesn't feel much hotter than 88. It's funny that my Thai friends are complainig about the heat. It rains nearly every day, but not for too long. I've always been near a place I can duck into to wait out the shower. When it rains, it really comes down. It then feels cool and refreshing for awhile.
I needed to make a visa run. Myanmar is the easiest exit point. I planned a loop trip. Straight to Mae Sai, then down to Tha Ton and Fang for some cave exploring. The bus times were all wrong for me. I would have needed to stay in Mae Sai two nights. The town is deadsville at night, so I bussed back to C.M. the next day. There may be something going on here. There were armed soldiers roaming around on both sides of the border. About half of Thailand is still under marshall law. There are many check points in the north. The bus was searched twice. Id's were examined (not mine though) and many young Thai men had their bags checked and were frisked in their seats. I will plan another attempt to Tha Ton and Fang. Then Saturday its off to Bangkok and to Vietnam. With 25 percent inflation in Vietnam it will only cost more later. Great logic huh?
The internet shop where I sucessfully loaded photos is closed today. The computers there have Picasa already installed. Tomorrow I will try again.
English David arrived yesterday. We will have some lunch and then he's off to Chiang Rai for a few days. Ta for now
Ducklass

Learning to walk

This is a meal I had in Hoi An vietnam. It was pork stuffed squid and was mighty tasty.
Annie! There was a power failure and all the computers in the shop went black. When we powered up I started over, My photos are still here. Not that I care.
Am I a blogger now?
Ducklass

Hua Hin and onward

Halloh. When the train got underway, Clark and I retired to the dining car to drink beer. There was another farang in the car and Clark invited him to join us. Oliver was also German and a Berliner like Clark. Oliver? Clark? German names? When we arrived in Hua Hin we met another German couple, Heinreid and Anna. We all piled into the same sawngthaew (a covered pickup truck taxi) and headed to the Sirima Guesthouse. Heinreid and Anna changed to another guesthouse the next day. "Too many animals" they said. They meant bedbugs. Clark became badly bitten too. I had a great photo of the bites on his leg but it's in cyberspace along with the rest of my shots. He was moving faster than me and headed to Ko Tao. I recommended a place there, and hoped we would meet again.
I had a nice visit in Hua Hin. I played pool with miss Lao, and traded political barbs with the Swede in Chanee Bar. She has been ill and has lost weight. The Swede had been sick too. After a few days it was time for me to go. I took an afternoon train (which was an hour late) to Chumpon, which is the departure town to the islands of Ko Tao, Ko Phangan, and Ko Samui. I spent the night at Fame Guesthouse. There is a nice cafe there and travelers can hang while waiting for a boat or train. My room was 200 bt (about $6) An overnight downpour was so loud on the steel roof I had wear earplugs.
At Ko Tao I walked to the D.D. hut, and there was Clark having breakfast. We had some drinks together that night and later went on a snorkel trip around the island. He was headed to Ko Samui and I was going to Ko Phangan. Ko Phangan is world famous for its full moon parties, young people getting REALLY drunk on the beach. I found a nice guest house with easy access to the party. It was family owned and there were four small children living there. The entire family was very nice. There was a small hourglass shaped swimming pool. Two of the larger children could speak some English. By the second day, in the pool they were climbing on me and showing their prowess as swimmers. "Doahlah, watch me!"
I was a little bit old for the full moon party concept. There are many loud music venus and the kids paint themselves to glow to the many black lights mounted outside the bars. One woman had 'I love John Deere' painted on her back. From nearby Ko Samui, Clark was going to take one of the hourly speedboats and come to the party. We had made a plan when and where to meet. We had a nice visit. I got some shots of young men jumping a flaming rope in the sand. By midnight, I'd had enough. The day of the party I had signed up for a snorkel trip. I met two fun Irish lads, Ado and Donal. Donal had a tatoo on his shoulder of Jack Nickelson (sp). It was a very good likeness of the scene in The Shining when he is peeking through the chained door and says "Here Johnny".
After five days I moved up island to check out another beach. It was quite nice there too. I liked Ko Phagnan and would like to go there again.
I am in a different internet place. I loaded photos of my last trip into the computer. During my schooling, Annie had said that in a public use shop, when you log out your photos are deleted. During my fumbling around, I found a large batch of someone elses. I tried to make a blog with a photo, but I may have posted a photo only. Oh well. I'll come to this same terminal tomorrow and see if my photos are still inside the hard drive or wherever they are.
Bye for now, Ducklass

Learning to crawl