Cambodia here we come

It’s just as well that I have had no activities planned for the last two days.  It has taken me most of that time to rearrange my Cambodia trip.  No doubt I will eventually recover all the money spent on the hotel reservations and air tickets that have had to be cancelled, but it does not make up for the fact that I have lost four days of holiday thanks to the Bangkok airport situation.

Anyway, the Cambodia trip is now sorted and I will be escaping there tomorrow.  If the situation in Thailand has still not improved by my planned departure date of 5^th December, at least I can fly out of Phnom Penh to somewhere.  Now off to one of the many bars to be found here in Pattaya to engage in intellectual conversation with the locals and expats. 

Pattaya by Night

From Robin's Travel Blog

From Robin's Travel Blog

Looks as if my hopes of doing some diving are not going to come to anything.  In being forced to switch from Phuket to Pattaya, I had forgotten these locations are subject to different weather systems.  Phuket is good in the winter months during the North East monsoon season, whilst the reverse applies to Pattaya.  End result – there is a tropical storm affecting the Gulf of Thailand which rules out diving for the next few days.

Pattaya is apparently famed for its night life. Having sampled it last night I can see why - I won’t go into details here.  One place of interest I came across was the Blues Factory, off Pattaya’s famed Walking Street (both pictured).  The resident band was headed up by a guy who is apparently Thailand’s number one rock guitarist. I had actually seen him perform once before in Bangkok and can confirm that he is pretty good at what he does.  He is a ‘70s throwback, looking like a Thai version of Richie Blackmore (or more accurately, his grandfather). Anyway, the band gave an entertaining performance.

It’s looking as if Bangkok airport is going to be closed until at least 3 December, so my plan to fly to Cambodia is not going to work. I have been researching overland travel and it seems that I can get a mini bus from Pattaya to Siem Reap easily enough.  Once in Cambodia, I can fly back from Phnom Pen to Bangkok, if open by 6th, or to Singapore if not. Slightly ironic this. There was a time when people tried to escape the killing fields of Cambodia by fleeing into Thailand. Now I find myself doing the reverse!

Escape from Bangkok

The situation in Bangkok appears to be deteriorating and it is clear that there is now no chance of me being able to fly to Phuket as originally planned.  The general view here is that there is likely to be an escalation of the fighting between the Red Shirts and the Yellow Shirts (the ones currently occupying the airport), and foreigners are looking for ways to get out of the country.  I am still waiting for my Cambodia e-visa to come through so I have decided to escape to Pattaya for the next two or three days until the situation improves.

Having arrived in Pattaya and checked into my hotel (I was the only new customer they have had for the past two days), I am not so sure that this was a good move.  Bangkok was getting rather boring, but this place is the pits – at least as bad as the guide books make out.  The dregs of western humanity seem to have washed up here.  I hope the diving is good.

Stop press:  just heard the news that the Thai government has declared a state of emergency and the Bangkok airports are going to be closed for at least two days.

Still, at least it is better than being in Mumbai.

Trapped in Bangkok!

I had planned to be in Phuket by now, for a short diving holiday with my ex work colleague Jim, before heading on to Cambodia.  However, I found out that Bangkok airport has been closed because of a protest rally by thousands of anti-government demonstrators.  Luckily I discovered this before heading out to the airport otherwise I would be trapped there now with the other 3000 or so tourists that you can see if you look at the TV news.  I have extended my hotel stay in Bangkok by an extra night to see what happens tomorrow.  There are rumours that the government may send in the troops soon to sort things out - we will see.  Meanwhile, I am looking at alternative places to visit in Thailand that I can get to by bus, in case the problem drags on.  Thinking about Kanchanaburi, which I recall Adam recommending.  Other possibilities are Hua Hin or Pattaya, if I want to stick to the diving itinerary.

Sorry I can not post any exciting pictures of the latest news from the airport, but frankly I would rather be lying here by the pool than sweating it out there.  Watch this space for further developments!

Khon Kaen

I caught the bus from Bangkok's Mo Chit bus station for the 6 hour trip to Khon Kaen.  The ride was not at all bad considering that this was a standard bus (you can also go via VIP bus, which is even more luxurious).  The views on the way were nothing special but still interesting to see some of the countryside outside Bangkok.  After arriving at Khon Kaen, I met up with my friend David, who took me to his house in a new development a few km outside the city.  He lives there with his Thai wife and their 2 year old son.  Not a bad lifestyle but I don't think I could stick it myself.

Spent some time exploring the local countryside on bike.  Mostly rice farms and a few water buffaloes as far as I could see.  We went on a tour of some of the local temples, including the one pictured, which is still under construction.

Bangkok

Flew in for the start of my Thailand-Cambodia holiday.   Met up with Jim, a colleague from Subex, for a drink and some Thai food.  My original plan was to join Jim for some diving in Phuket, but this was modified as I bumped in to David, a friend from earlier work trips to Thailand, who was currently working in Bangkok.  He invited me to visit him and his Thai wife at their home near Khon Kaen, in the Isaan region of Thailand.