Saturday, 12 November 2011
Friday, 11 November 2011
raku glass by Jason
not at all travel related but a little reminder that Jason makes
beautiful glass when he is not exploring other parts of the planet.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
catching up with posting photos from the first week...
for us the flooding was just an inconvenience,
the locals have to live with the daily consequences and
limitations, for them this means more than wet feet.
Jason in one of many many temples
view of Bangkok and the swollen river
so high was the river tide..
(better tasting when barbequed)
Monday, 7 November 2011
Sunday, 6 November 2011
soon:
It is soon time for us to make our way to Cambodia. We are choosing a bus, train, local tuk tuk, taxi, walking combination.. Yes it will be a land border crossing.
The only walking will be the few meters across the border.
{soon = we are thinking monday 14th November}
Birgit has spent many hours checking the borders and we will most likely use the busiest border (Poipet), which will mean maybe additional waiting times and more confusing hustle and bustle, but also a well trodden safe path for us to navigate on.
Whenever on offer we are going to use local (nationwide) transport rather than transport specifically offered for tourism. The latter is more expensive and if operated by private companies not necessarily faster or more reliable (rather the opposite from what we hear).
Our current itinerary idea will be:
Taking the VIP air conditioned bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok for about 890 Baht. A Train for 58 Baht from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet which is about 15 kilometers from the Cambodian Border. In Aranyaprathet we will will take a tuk tuk to the Border for around 100 baht or likely we will be pushed to pay some more. We aren't always very good at bargaining the prices low.
The border we cross on foot and get our passports stamped with Visas for $20 each.
The it is time to either spend $45 on a shared taxi or take a bus for around $9 each. We might opt for the taxi if we find 1-2 more people to share with us.
How long will all that take? I think it might be best if we don't think about that too much.... (11 hours for the bus to bangkok, 5-6 hours for the train, 5 hours on the taxi... + several hours transit times.... maybe we should invest in a plane ticket after all...... ?)
oh and I just found this http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/evisa/ so we can apply for our visa online instead and avoid some border crossing negotiations. All good.
The man in Seat 61 is an absolutely great website. Useful for just about every country in the world. LOTS of public transport information. The focus is on train travel, but we just found information about bus connections here, too. very very good. MOST highly recommended for Europe, Asia, America etc..
Quite useful also: http://www.travelfish.org/blogs/bangkok/ we check this regularly as it's independent and really good, while the Thai Government seems to have been a bit slow in updating us previously. Another regularly updated website that has been useful is this: http://www.thaitravelblogs.com/2011/10/essential-thaiflood-information-for-foreign-tourists-in-thailand/#comment-7111
we are following this itinerary: http://www.grisl.org/border-crossings-bangkok-to-siem-reap/
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
We have safely arrived in Chiang Mai about an hour ago. :)
We have safely arrived in Chiang Mai about an hour ago. :)
We are taking a bus departing Bangkok at 20:35
We are taking a bus departing Bangkok at 20:35
We are taking a bus departing Bangkok at 20:35, heading to the North to Chiang Mai. If you don't hear from us in 48 hours call the German Embassy and American Embassy and mention we might be stuck somewhere, Jason Stropko and Birgit Deubner. Birgit's Thai telephone number: 0837829094 (haven't got the country code to hand). Do not worry if you don't get through on the phone, we are traveling through the whole country and reception won't be very good outside the main cities and tourist sites. We are looking forward to the journey but just thought it's best to have a back-up and let someone know what we're up to. x
Even if we get stuck we are well equipped with water and a ton of nuts and sensible foods so no worries, we'd just like to not be stuck for too long, that's all. x
Don't know the name of the bus company but it's a public bus service which is well informed several times daily about safe roads and routes.
Lots of love from us.
Jason and Birgit.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Brief news from us
a link with some more informative links
Monday, 24 October 2011
brief news from Bangkok
We got wet feet today when stepping over the sandbag barriers to board a cross-river boat (standard form of transport to cross the river all year round, saving on going the long way round to the bridge). Some people who have built onto the banks of the river are very affected by the high water levels and there is no way to keep them dry, but the remainder of the city is so far protected by the walls that frame the river and the sandbags that block the few openings in these walls.
The Thai seem very very good at dealing with the high water situation in practical ways and also in carrying on one of their principal cultural aspects, which is: Sanuk = a way of life that places enjoyment at it's core. We can see that there is sincere concern about the potential of flooding but at the same time people are carrying on as usual (although many spending less money to conserve finances should it come to flooding)
It seems that Tourist areas are very well protected, and we are not entirely sure if we are happy to have booked a room in the heart of tourism central or if we remain slightly embarrassed about our predictable choice. Speaking of which, we moved from a room just around the corner to one a touch closer to the river - 4th floor, I think we are definitely going to stay dry here. Our last room broke the banks, this new one weighs in at 400 Baht a night, which is still a little above budget but with the air conditioning, private bathroom and metal safety box (where I = Birgit get to lock my worldly possessions in) it's a good deal. We are going to continue to look out for a 300 Baht a night room though. We don't really need the air conditioning, a sink in the room would be enough actually.
Heat: lovely and warm and our skin feels purified (Jason's observation) and refreshed. We are having dinners for 100 baht, which includes a Thai Green Curry with rice + a Pad Thai (Noodle dish) + two large drnkis (todays choices: iced Thai Tea and a fruit smoothy/Shake made from fresh fruit). ALL that for 100 Baht, which is just under £2, or $3.
I thought this link might be useful for general information, we are going to look at it now.:
Monday, 3 October 2011
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Saturday, 17 September 2011
some of Jason's drawings:
We will place them in Jason't Etsy shop over time. So if you would
like to buy one, keep an eye out.. :) Of course there shall be
drawings from Thailand, Cambodia and India, too.. Your collection
could be quite an exciting one.. 
Thursday, 15 September 2011
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