FIRST VIEW OF THE FAR EAST - PATTAYA

Wednesday 12th December 1984 – Pattaya

Had a lazy start to the day – just finished packing, had breakfast and then it was time to go. All aboard the coach for a rather slow and fairly boring trip to Pattaya. Very little to see on the way, although there was the odd scene of interest with rice paddies in various stages of cultivation.

Rab on the balcony at Pattaya

The road just outside Bangkok as awful. Some said it was under water for three months last year and as a consequence it has to be rebuilt completely. We got to the hotel just after 13.00 and soon had the crushables unpacked and hung up – and then we were off to the beach. Not much sand and quite a few people but it was nice to be back in sea water. David and Chris joined us after a while but the rest stayed up by the pool, which seemed a bit of a waste to me. Jennifer and Patty came by later for a stroll, but we just spent the afternoon lazing there and relaxing. Rather nice.

One of the views from our room

 

And here's another view - very pleasant indeed.

The view of the sunset from our room was spectacular and, as usual, I couldn’t resist a couple of shots. David and Chris came around for a quick spot of Maekong (local rice based whiskey) before we all foregathered for the evening’s entertainment – a trip into town for a show and a dinner. The show was at a transvestite theatre and was fairly interesting at first but palled somewhat as the cast mimed their way through interminable Thai and Chinese ballads. The comic scenes were very basic involving a small man who looked like Arthur Askey reincarnated (and may well have been if one believes in the teaching of the Buddha). We expected him to burst into the Bee Song, but he didn’t.

A ladyboy high kick

Some of the boys were quite beautiful by any standard but their choreography left much to be desired, especially their high kicks, which were often executed with a bent knee and no pointed toe. The audience was quite interesting to watch because photography was allowed, which resulted in a constant movement of people up and down the aisles, in and out of their seats. No one seemed to object and all were enjoying themselves. (These Thai people have become very much better known since we were there in 1984 – and perhaps are better known as ladyboys, the term used in Thailand.)

From there we went to a Dutch restaurant Dolf Ricks. Very few of us had eaten lunch and as it was 21.15 by the time we sat down it was a rather subdued and disgruntled party. It was amazing how quickly everyone perked up after the first beer and the change in atmosphere by the time we had eaten was remarkable. We had grilled fillet and how nice it was. The local food is excellent as has virtually everything else we have eaten on this trip, but it is nice to have plain Western food just occasionally.

Thursday 13th December 1984 – Pattaya

A very good day today! Started with an early breakfast which was not quite up to Bangkok standards as there were no pancakes, but otherwise very good.

We had all opted for the Coral Island Tour, so we assembled in the foyer at 09.00 and set off in what pass for taxis here – a bakkie (ute/pickup) with seats and a canopy. The biggest advantage is that it is usually cool but the canopies are usually designed with Oriental midgets in mind, not tall farengis. We rattled our way downtown to the beachfront and boarded a longboat for our trip out to the converted fishing boat that was to take us out to the island. At night the view reminds us a bit of Lake Kariba as there are hundreds of cuttlefishing boats in the bay with their lights blazing.

 

We set off in good form and in fine weather and with a pack of souvenir sellers aboard it wasn’t too long before everyone was wearing Pattaya hats. The only reason I didn’t get one was that they didn’t have one to fit! The sea had barely a ripple and it took just over an hour to get to the islands which looked calm and serene as we approached them, with a few holiday cottages dotted about. When we rounded the point to get into the lee of the larger island though, what a difference. Dozens of water scooters dashing about; speedboats hither and thither; large boats coming and going; longboats ferrying passengers to and fro and no less than three parasails in the air at the same time. Frenzied activity might be an adequate description and how there are no serious accidents, the Lord alone knows

Take off.

Frying!

We duly went ashore and were assaulted verbally by scores of souvenir vendors selling anything made of shells plus cotton clothes and sundry items. We found a little place to camp slightly out of the mainstream of activity and spent about 45 minutes there while some swam, some bought and some – Jennifer, Patty and I – went aloft on the parachutes. Unlike the Seychelles (where I had an adventurous parasailing trip. The engine of the boat cut out and the crew simply released me and let me blow out to sea where I landed, tangled in the ‘chute. But that’s another story for another time) they dropped their passengers back on the beach, catching them as they came down, except for me. I dropped in the water, partly, I suspect because the catchers wished to avoid any chance of injury. I enjoyed the flight which gave a splendid view of the island and bay.

It had not been made clear that we were to move on and most of the party were a bit put off by the crowds and lack of space, but we needn’t have worried as we were soon off to what Sam described as ‘our private island with no Chinese.’. there may not have been any Chinese, but there were a couple of kiosks selling the usual junk. We all had a couple of beers and I hired a water scooter (now known as jet skis) for 300 baht for an hour. 

A bear on a jetski

I went  around the island by myself to get the feel of it and then took Rab and all the others (individually!!) for a ride. They are good fun, especially those with a 30 horse motor as we found  out after lunch when we had another spin. The sea was a little rougher and the much more powerful motor gave a very different ride. Rab chickened out very rapidly, but Jennifer tried another trip, somewhat to her regret I think. I belted around for a while on my own but it was quite tiring keeping it under control.

Chris and David cruise in for lunch

The lunch was excellent. There were green mussels, plenty of fish and some crab with fried rice. The fish were cooked whole in the same way that Dixon and the cook do it on Lake Kariba – delicious. Oh! There was also a bit of squid with a hot chilli sauce. Richard behaved very badly, as usual, but the rest of us had a really good time. We left about 14.30 by which time I was pretty badly sunburned, more fool me! The trip back was somewhat quieter than the outward bound one as the food and drink combined with the sun set everyone off to sleep.

Starting to carve the watermelon

A finished product

Back to the hotel and a cool swim, a shower and then back downstairs for a  special Thai Evening put on by the hotel. There was a wide variety of delicious food and some exquisite examples of “vegetable art”. We had noticed before how artistically the fruit in particular had been set out, both in Bangkok and here and the two girls doing the carving had really gone to town in preparing some really beautiful examples. The sculpted watermelons in particular were striking and in fact one was completed during the evening as we ate so we could see the technique and the detailed work. It took two and a half hours and the end product had a delicate pattern with alternating pink and white panels.

Butter statue behind the cook

There was also an ice sculpture of a rooster and two butter statuettes – one of the flautist who is on the hotel logo and a matching one of a musician playing a stringed instrument.

I decided to have a taste of every dish and I did – just a small serving with very little rice. I was glad I had because so many of them were so tasty. Difficult to say what was best, but probably the fried rice with crab; the ginger and pepper pork and the squid satay. But it was difficult to choose those out of the twenty or so contenders. I didn’t even try to have one of each of the vast array of sweets, contenting myself with fried banana and sesame seed, grilled tapioca, palm sugar and banana and a couple of very small coconut tacos. All in all, a most enjoyable evening and not too pricey we felt at Z45 for the two of us (including a cognac each @ Z$4.50 a throw!) The price of booze in the hotel is ferocious.

(Richard blotted his copybook finally at this evening. He had been annoying everyone. The widow, Pat, who he had attached himself to after being rejected by everyone else almost missed out on the evening because she wanted to avoid him. It was only when I promised her that she would sit between me and Rab that she came down from her room. During the course of the evening he made an absolute pig of himself by loading his plate with a mixture of the dishes time and again and getting steadily smashed as he downed drink after drink. His fate was sealed when he picked on Patty. Her partner, Jennifer, leapt to her defence and the altercation ended with the suggestion that he leave the party. He said he would do that but didn’t have sufficient funds to get to town. Jennifer’s response was to empty the ashtray in front of her and throw some coins into it saying to the crowd that all contributions were acceptable. Everyone threw money in, she emptied the pile of money into his hands and said “Well, you’ve got your fare now, so you can bugger off.” – and he did.)

FIRST VIEW OF THE FAR EAST - BANGKOK DAY#3

Tuesday 11th December 1984 – Bangkok

Rab and a 'friend' - not sure I liked the way he ogled her!

Could never work out what animal??

 Difficult to keep track of time here!

We slept in late as we were not going on any tours and went down to breakfast at about 09.15.delicious meal as usual.

Let sleeping dogs lie

We went back to the tailor who had my trousers ready and which fitted very well, on the strength of which we ordered two more pairs at Z$17.50 each! Not bad at all. Rab had finally made up her mind about which silk she wanted to get, so we went over to the River Shopping Centre to get it. After a quick stop at the supermarket to replenish our drink supply – local ‘Scotch’ is Z$2.75 a bottle – we wandered down the road leading away from the hotel because the shops had always looked so interesting as we drove past. They weren’t on closer inspection. 

Some of the fruit along the road

We strolled back along New Road and popped into a chemist to buy some cold tablets as Rab thought she was getting a cold. No prescription required here for anything – all over the counter.

Freshly grilled fish products?

Thai dancers

We were pretty hot by the time we got back to the hotel, so we went to the pool. On the way we bumped into Sean, who is with the other TFC tour, an Irishman from Durban. He said I must go to the temple at the Grand Palace. Rab wasn’t keen on seeing any more temples, so I went on my own. I caught a water bus up the  river (5 baht each way) which was quite an experience. The temples were the best I had seen yet. They are in magnificent condition and in an enormous variety of styles. The central temple is the Temple Of The Emerald Buddha and is really breathtaking.

More dancers

I was there for about two hours but in that time could really not do more than take a quick look (and a lot of photos). Tremendous experience though.

Back on the ferry to another swim and a couple of beers before a final fitting of my slacks. Then we had to meet Clive Brook-Fox, GRE’s man in Thailand, and his wife Nikki. He is rather intense and, like many ex-pats, full of his own importance, but it was interesting meeting them. They had booked a table at the Thai restaurant across the river, so we caught a shuttle boat which runs between our hotel, the Oriental and the restaurant– non-stop. There was an incredible selection of food and as the Foxes obviously do not really enjoy Thai food, they didn’t really know what to order. The selection we finally got was very good and it was a most enjoyable meal, sitting at a table on the bank of the river on a beautiful balmy evening, watching the boats go by.

A crowded commuter ferry heading home

We got back to the hotel at about 22.45 and would have been quite happy to call it a day, but Clive insisted on having one for the klong. In the bar we met up with a bunch of expat insurance blokes from Singapore and Djakarta, so the final drink developed into a couple or maybe more – we finally  got to bed at oneish. 

A final, wonderful sunset

A pleasant end to a good day.

FIRST VIEW OF THE FAR EAST - BANGKOK DAY#2

Monday 10th December 1984 – Bangkok

Today is Constitution Day and a public holiday, so things were fairly quiet although many shops were open. We were up at 05.30 as we had an early start today. After a rushed, but substantial, breakfast we boarded our boat at 07.00 and went off down the river. 

Everything was washed in the klongs

Laundry? Or very large family?

There was a lot of mist around, but it was really interesting to see the city waking up. The houses on the water are such a mixture too, from tumbledown shanties slipping into the water to mansions costing millions of baht. There are areas of absolute squalor and some pretty ripe smells, especially once we had turned into the klongs or waterways off the main river.

Returning home with the shopping

I was taking pictures, both video and still, furiously and if the video is as good as the stills, which I have just got back from my friendly little photographic dealer, I will be very happy. Once again there were just too many impressions to absorb or record and it is one trip I would love to do again.

Fresh fruit delivery

We eventually arrived at the floating market which was a bit empty due to the holiday and where we were duly fleeced at the local souvenir shop – one toy I saw there (a model trishaw) was marked at 400 baht and the same thing in the street later in the day was 235 baht!! But we enjoyed it and even Richard unwound a little. 

Back to the boat and, munching bananas, we shot off  through more klongs to the Temple Of Dawn, upstream from the hotel on the opposite bank. Once again, some truly beautiful buildings. I climbed the 49 odd very steep steps up to a platform on the main structure which gave me a marvellous view of the surrounding area. We were there for quite a while and I bought some very nice meatballs from one of the food vendors. Rab won’t touch things from the stalls and I must say there are some items I shy away from, but others are very good indeed. (I thought the Temple of Dawn was magnificent - hence a few more pictures than usual below)

Temple of Dawn as we approached

View of the city from the temple platform

Some detail of the temple

The supporters holding the whole edifice up

Sentry Duty

A Spring of Flowers

We got back to the hotel about 10ish and then set off with David and Chris to Jim Thompson’s in Selim Road - reputed to be the best silk merchant in the world. Probably is too – but certainly not the cheapest. Chris bought a dress, much plainer than Rab’s and paid 280 baht more (about Z$16). We didn’t buy anything. When we had finished there, we strolled down Selim Road – stumbled would be more accurate actually because the pavements are in appalling condition. A lot of the shops were closed but there were enough open to maintain interest. I had a couple of snacks too – some very nice freshly cooked Thai biscuits filled with whipped egg white and coconut and some grilled spicy sausage – all for 5 cents!! Our final stop was at a supermarket where we bought a few bits and pieces including an ice cream each. Unfortunately they were out of the durian flavour, which I wanted to try, but we (Rab and I) had, respectively, a coconut and a maize flavour. Yes, mielie in ice cream complete with the odd kernel – and very nice it was too.

I wanted to catch a trishaw back to the hotel but that idea was vetoed and we all crammed into a Datsun taxi. We had intended to go straight down to the pool as it was pretty hot, but we got  sidetracked and I eventually ordered a pair of tailor made slacks from the resident tailor. They should be ready at 10 tomorrow morning!! Most of the mob were by the pool when I got there. It was pretty obvious they had been there for some time – and they hadn’t been drinking fruit juice! Patty was decidedly far gone and almost incoherent. They are not a bad bunch really and we certainly could have done worse. The only real pain in the arse is Richard who has a positive wardrobe full of hang-ups, but even he seems to be marginally better than he was. Although I must admit to taking basic precautions in avoiding long discussions with him – like not sitting next to him.

After we had a bit of time in the sun, we went up to our room so I could catch up with this diary, postcards etc and then we all gathered again to go out for a dinner at a restaurant -Thai Baan. The coach didn’t turn up so we had to go in the hotel ‘limousines’ which were just big Toyotas. The restaurant was to hell and gone on the other side of town and it was really quite an experience driving there in something smaller than a coach!

The food – traditional Thai, toned down a bit for Westerners - was excellent although it was a bit difficult to get to the table, which was designed for people who kneel to eat. In deference to us non-kneelers, there was a pit under the table to put your legs in, but it was difficult to get in and out. The design seem to have been based on Thai sized people.

A variety of foods was served to each of us – a small bowl of fried rice, a fishy salad, curried chicken, miscellaneous vegetables, fried stuffed egg plus various sauces. Delicious, all of it, although not to the taste of some members, particularly Piet and Margaret. Piet said, “Hell, no wonder these ous are all so skinny – this is not eating, it’s like a chicken pecking.” Mind you he was as pissed as a newt having spent the afternoon drinking local whisky with his tailor.

 

The dinner was followed by Thai dancing which was also enjoyable because they didn’t go on too long – a fatal aspect of most traditional dancing. I got some good shots of the girls in their picturesque costumes.

Even dancers have to relax!

And so to bed.

FIRST VIEW OF THE FAR EAST - BANGKOK DAY#1

Sunday 9th December 1984 – Bangkok

Detail of some of the incredible work at the temples

As the tour of Buddhist temples was leaving at 08.30, we were down to breakfast pretty promptly. Lovely meal, most attractively served with marvellously carved fruit as decorations. I had a full American breakfast with waffles replacing the pancakes. Fortified, we boarded the bus and set off through the bumpy, scruffy streets of Bangkok.

The five tonne gold Buddha

The first stop was a temple where there is a solid gold Buddha, said to weigh five and a half tons!! It was only  discovered in the 50s when it was being moved from its original site. The story was that it had been covered in concrete many years ago during a period of war and had remained in hiding until a workman noticed a crack in the concrete and a gleam of gold. Quite an impressive sight. There were also four smaller Buddhas which were in the process of being gilded. Worshippers could buy small strips of gold for about two Baht – six cents – and stick them on the statues, gradually building up a layer of solid gold.

 

Back in the coach to Wat Pho, a whole series of temples, all of which are in pretty good condition. I just couldn’t get over the sight – really magnificent. Lovely tiles, inset with multi-coloured mirrors and gold foil – it is difficult to adequately describe the beauty and the detail. The centrepiece is a massive temple with an equally massive Buddha reclining. I reckon his feet, which are decorated with inlaid mother of pearl, must be six feet long, while the statue is about fifty eight yards long, as I paced it out, and between twenty and thirty feet high. Really quite an experience to see a work like this. There were stalls all around but we forbore to buy anything, strange though that may seem.

The Reclining Buddha

Detail of the inlay in the feet

Onwards  we went to the final call of the day, the King’s Temple. On the way we passed the Palace which is hundreds of acres in the middle of the city, surrounded by a moat and completely self-sufficient as far as the basic necessities are concerned, with paddy fields, cattle, maize etc. The King’s Temple, built of white marble was another beautiful building and there was an interesting collection of Buddhas, from many countries. The monks were all chanting mantras prior to having lunch. Quite a spectacle.

On the way back to the hotel we made the requisite commercial stop at the Rama Lapidary Centre for some sapphires and rubies but found nothing we really liked. Got back to the hotel at oneish and after I had dropped off my films for processing at the corner shop, we browsed around the shops in the hotel and finally got hold of a couple of carats of square cut sapphires at a reasonable price so that Rab can have her ring made back home. Back to the room for a rest and a shower (and for me to catch up with this diary!) and then back to River Place for the silk dress which Rab had her eye on for Z$85 – very nice too.

We went tonight by coach with another TFC party who have been touring India and who we will cross paths with again in Pattaya and Hong Kong. This was an additional tour for about Z$20 each to a seafood restaurant. There was a three course meal – a very thin and somewhat tasteless soup, a grilled fish between four people with a tasty, pineapple flavoured fried rice followed by a delicious basket of mixed crustaceans – half a dozen small prawns, three large ones, two small rock lobsters, a crab and six each of clams and mussels. There was a rockess (female bogan/redneck) from Botswana in the other group who didn’t like sea food, so I had hers and a few leftovers from our group too. Delicious. On display on ice at the entrance was the biggest crayfish I have ever seen. It must have been three foot long and was as thick as my calf. Huge, but not for eating. All a very good day – most enjoyable. Must call it a day now – we are off early in the morning.

FIRST VIEW OF THE FAR EAST - SINGAPORE/BANGKOK

Saturday 8th December 1984 – Singapore/Bangkok

We were up bright and early this morning to finish the packing and to test the video camera. Unfortunately it was overcast and drizzling and, having read very rapidly through the rather complex instructions, I think I cocked up the first few feet of film. Anyway, we’ll see in Harare! (Clearly at this stage I hadn’t fully grasped that there was immediate viewing with a video camera, unlike a movie camera where the film had to be developed.) I managed to get my Hewlett Packard calculator to replace the one stolen just before we left, although that was a close thing.

We got to Changi Airport very early but that meant we could all sit together on the dividing line between smokers and non-smokers (the party being divided exactly evenly between these two categories). There were a few bridal parties coming to have their photographs taken there while we were waiting. It certainly is a charming background in parts, but the favourite choice – a map of the world showing the time in various capitals – seemed a curious choice.

We spent a few bob in the duty free and changed our Singapore dollars into Thai baht at an appalling rate – last time I will listen to the ‘experts’ who said you would get a better rate that way. The flight – in an Air Thai Airbus – took off on time and was very pleasant if a trifle warm. It was the first aircraft we had been in where there were no individual air nozzles to adjust one’s individual temperature. We had window seats but there was no view – cloud all the way. Lunch was prawns and fried rice – delicious. There was booze, and good booze at that, aplenty. Again another first because the spirits were poured willy nilly from the bottle – no miniatures or measured tots. Remy Martin all round concluded a memorable meal. The party was literally in high spirits when we landed.

It had been said tht it would be cooler in Bangkok, being further north and winter. Both Jennifer and David wore jerseys. Not really necessary at 32C which is what the temperature was when we arrived. Unfortunately a Kuwaiti plane had touched down just before us and there were enormous lines waiting to be processed at Immigration. I suppose it took about 25minutes to get through.

Our guide Sam was waiting for us and we were led out to the coach where we were presented with orchid leis. We received so many dire warnings about conditions in Bangkok and the town looked so bloody awful and tatty that I felt very anti, especially as I just couldn’t work out how to work the camera. (Lynne and Sam both reiterated that crime was a major issue; that no one should wear jewellery; we should take a minimum amount of cash and be very aware of pickpockets; if we lodged our valuables with the hotel, including travellers cheques, we should check that we received everything back – and check that all the cheques were there. We didn’t encounter any problems and when I was going out on my own, Rab asked the doorman at the hotel if it was safe for me to do so. Looking up at the 12 inch height difference between me and the average Thai he said with a grin “I don’t think so.” )

The elegance of the room - with the orchid garlands we were given

The hotel is magnificent and all the rooms have views of the river which is a very busy one indeed. I started cheering up and when I finally got the camera going I felt fine. Drinks in the hotel are, once again, exorbitant so we went out to a nearby supermarket and got a couple of beers and some fruit juice. There is a new shopping centre  adjacent to the hotel, so we went in there and had a snouse around, mainly looking at the silk shops. What gorgeous material and very reasonable. We began to run out of time, so dashed back for a quick wash up before setting off on our evening optional tour by the river bus to the nearby Oriental Hotel where we had a barbecue on the terrace. What a setting! And what a meal! Everything was delicious although naturally we tended to gravitate towards the prawns and lobster. (This was because it was almost impossible to obtain either in Zimbabwe at the time. Very few goods were imported and there was no seafood in the landlocked country.) There was a very nice sweet and sour sauce which went with the fish – there was also squid (clearly before squid went upmarket and became the very much more expensive calamari!) and snapper – and one could (and did) eat as much as one wished. After dinner we had a look around the hotel which was in business 106 years ago. Lovely old place – well, that might give the wrong impression, palatial magnificence being more the order of the day.

The hotel pier with a waterbus ready to go

And so to bed, via another water taxi.