The Journey(s) of Ian

(disclaimer: I did post a similar version of this onto the apple applesauce forum) Ok, my review of the iphone 3g (after one week I am now an expert). Let me start by saying that I like it. The iphone is a good phone. I have not had any problems. It is easy to use. I did not need to read the manuals. I like it. I am happy. I am content (relatively, for the moment). By way of background I have lusted after an iphone since S. Jobs announced the original 2 years ago. However, living in Australia, and with the original iphone not allowing apps (ok, it did allow web apps, but I mean real apps, (ok, it had jailbroken apps, but I wanted real apps)), I decided that the purchase was just not worth the trouble. When the new model came out I decided that this was the way to go. The new model had a GPS, could handle the 3g network, and it had real apps. Cool. Since I travel a fair bit I decided that tying myself into an expensive Australian network was not the way to go. Via ebay, via a fr...

The land of the Thai’s is a quiet, peaceful country whose presence is rarely manifest in journalistic circles, and only then for stories about its cuisine, tourism or sex. However, for the last few days, or the last few months, or even the last few years (depending on ‘when’ a ‘crisis’ begins) Thailand has been troubled by increasing levels of political dissent. There is a background to all of this, and a full description is complex, and can be found below, however, I shall summarise the situation here. There are two major factions in Thai politics, the ‘old rich and powerful’ versus the ‘newly rich and want to be powerful’. That is to say, the ‘old guard’, the traditional aristocracy and high society, versus the newly wealthy capitalist class, who have engaged the help of the poorer elements of society. The interests of the two groups clash diametrically. The capitalists want economic reform ‘a free market’ and less restrictions, while the old guard want things just as they are or e...

This or this ? Why do western men (farang—the local term for westerners) come to Thailand, and why do some of them stay in Thailand—is the attraction Thai women (ser-way mark mark = girls very beautiful) or something else? The usual answer to this question is ‘Yes’ (to the former)! The common belief is that farang men come to Thailand for sex with Thai women (some come for sex with ladyboys, many Australian married men, so it seems—but that is a story for another day), however, I will put forward a counter view, that in fact most western men do not come to Thailand primarily for women, rather they come for the entire lifestyle experience—warm weather, low cost of living, a new environment, not being at home, away from their family and friends, an opportunity for greater personal freedom—and that the ‘Thai women’ are incidental. Of course, I make all of these claims without any hard numbers, based solely on personal accounts, so I could be 100% wrong! The western men I will discuss fall...

My 5 days in Laos or ‘How to get a Thai visa in Savannakhet’ In need of a new Thai visa, and wanting to try something new, I decided to travel to the central Laos town of Savannakhet (hereafter referred to as 'S'). S is a smallish town immediately across the Mekong from the Thai town of Mukdahan (‘Mook-Dar-Harn’—hereafter referred to as 'M'). The attraction of S is the presence of the Thai embassy, which can issue Thai tourist visas. There are also a few interesting attractions which are worth a look. I had originally planned to travel south from S to see the town of Pakse and the nearby temple of Champasak, but heavy rain in the area rendered the road impassable. I did not know how long this would last so I headed back to Thailand after a few days. Next time. Mukdahan I arrived in M a day before my Thai visa was to expire. This gave me a day plus to sample the delights of M. My bus was delayed in reaching Surin (my starting point) and delayed in reaching M, by rain. M ...

********************* a few snaps of the event, some have asked for. Keep in mind, I did not pause to photo document every action as it occurred. I was busy doing other things. There is also a rule in Thai hospitals—no pictures, so I was not able to get a snap of me in the medical sections of the hospital, but not to worry. Here I am being brave in 2D. ************************* Hi all, One week after the attack I am ok. I still have more inoculations to take but these are low stress. The result of the full course of vacination will be continued immunity to rabies. It was a revealing experience, the prospect of imminent death, one which should not be repeated unnecessarily, however, as with most things a rational approach produces the optimum outcome. The consolation of philosophy. I found myself thinking of how I should organise my affairs for a smooth transition. I am also further convinced of the necessity of taking precautions. Over the last three years I have visited the Travellers...

Let me start by stating—I have never been a dog person. Now, they are on my hit list.   In the interests of keeping my blog 'real' I will tell the following story, as it happened. A few hours ago I was walking out of a coffee shop in Surin, then a large, silent (i.e. non-barking) dog ran towards me and bit me on the leg! I did not see and did not hear the dog running towards me, but then it did start barking, and I had to fight the animal off! I immediately washed the wound (not serious), and then started panicking about RABIES. This is a fun disease, which can be contracted by a DOG bite or even saliva from a DOG. I took myself off in a tuk-tuk to the public hospital, which everyone told me was really good. Let me add here that I know five Thai people in Surin well. I phoned each one, no one answered. They were all: busy, sleeping, or not answering. Let me also add that my morning was not the best. All in all it was shaping up to be one of those days :(. I got to the hospital,...

* I have added a few pics, but in the usual poor google blog fashion the pics are jumbled. They are of a visa run I made from Pattaya to Cambo. All fairly obvious. The bus, the people, the places. * ------------------------ The Thai visa run There is a necessary ritual in Thailand, which many farang have to endure. Like many rituals it could, potentially, be easily be avoided with forethought, or a modicum of good sense, but this is not the case. Let me explain. If you (that is to say, a foreigner, a non-Thai) wish to visit Thailand for a holiday—no problems—get on the plane, land in Bangkok, and as you exit the airport you will receive a 30 day ‘visa’ ‘stamp’ in your passport. [Sidebar: even though people invariably refer to this ‘stamp’ as a ’30 day visa’ it is not a visa, rather it is a ‘tourist visa exemption’—the opposite of a visa.] People from most countries are eligible to receive this non-visa, visa, stamp. This fits the needs of most tourists. They come to Thailand for a few ...

In Australia tipping is a rarity. There is, in this globalized capitalistic world, still a simple Australian aphorism—which runs counter to the ethos of tipping—that a fair days work should be rewarded by a fair days salary — has lead to the belief in Australia that one’s salary should provide a fair income, sufficient to fund one’s way in the world. In day’s gone past Australia even had the notion, applied via government regulation, that there was such a thing as a ‘basic wage’, but that is a story for another day. The rare beast of Australian tipping is in turn rare in the external world. In the western world tipping is a common practice, and something travelers need to be aware of in order to avoid potential problems. In the 3rd world, such as Thailand, thing are even more complicated, where there is the added complication of the relative disparity in incomes and social expectations between the western guest and the local Thai. To understand this important practice lets start w...

Due to the clumsy way blogger.com handles images these pics of Songkran are poorly organised, however, they do tell the story of Songkran in Pattaya.  As you can see, I had a good time, meeting locals, dancing, taking pre-emptive counterstrike action against hostiles (shooting girls with my water gun), and resting from my labours. There were girls dancing in the streets, an unwary cat sleeping through all of this, children playing around, farangs (just like me) getting into the spirit of things. All much fun. ================================================ Songkran in Thailand ! What is a ‘Songkran’ you may well ask? Indeed—it is a term not often heard in Australia, however, in Thailand it is a special and joyous occasion, one bound into the cultural and religious history of the country and region, and also an occasion which provides lots of fun and amuse...