The Journey(s) of Ian

Getting from the capital of Laos to any of its outlying towns is not a difficult task, but one that requires a little planning and knowledge, so to be accomplished without trouble or annoyance. In this case let us examine a trip from Vientiane to Savannakhet. First, a sleeper bus. These depart from the Southern Bus Station, with is a dozen kilometres to the north of Vientiane. The VIP bus departs at 20.30, an overnight sojurn. Tickets can be purchased at any tourist place in the tourist area, or at the bus station itself. Just walk into the station and there are the ticket counters. Most signs are in Loas, but there is sufficient English to find your buss. A ticket is 120,000 Kip (400 baht, $13)—not expensive, however… Each ‘bed’ on the sleeping bus is for two people. Fine, if you are a couple, but if not you will be bunking down with a stranger for your overnight recline. Also, the ‘beds’ are not overly large. For an average height westerner, too short for a comfortable trip. My...

I have always wanted to make the short journey from China into HK by land, and here in the year and month of the lord June 2017, was at last my opportunity.  On the surface the process is easy enough, embark on the train, complete the hour plus trip, disembark, but the problem is that this is an international journey. The status of HK gives it a degree of autonomy, and border control is one of the features.  I arrived at the Guangzhou East Railway Station midday, and with a bit of back and forth found the departure point for Kowlon (the mainland part of HK). It is upstairs from the main station. This station also departs for Shenzhen, which is an internal mainland destination, far less hassle. Signage is mostly Chinese, but there is sufficient English to get around. Just follow the signs. Buying the ticket (186 yuan ~us$30) was the simple part, no need even for ID!, however, things got more complicated after this. Without going into great detail, expect to be sc...

This is one of China’s megacities. With a population of 10-12 (depends on how you count) million people GZ is a big city (half the population of Australia)! I arrived here a week ago via train from Kunming. I have been here once before, four years back, but this time I was determined to take a closer look, check out the teaching situation, and generally find the lie of the land. GZ is not only big, but old, as in two thousand years or so old. Also a trading and business city. Once the terminus for the silk road stretching between Europe and the far east. A connection still underway. The city is a major part of China’s growing and busy economy. The city is a working city, there is little real frippery. People are into the work ethic. Not a great deal of real tourism, as compared to lets say, Thailand. Crowded, it is crowded. Lots of people, towering architecture, and noise, a constant background hum that one soon learns to forget. The subways, there is an extensive subw...

A name that promises more than it delivers. The small city (half a million, tiny by Chinese standards), is located in southern China, near the Laos border. I arrived here ready to spend a day or two then head further into China to explore the Yunnan province, however, the fate of travellers intervened. My Thai debit card, which I had intended to use as my primary fund delivery system, was found not to operate in the Middle Kingdom (even though I had been assured that it would). Yikes! My aussie card did apparently work, but I had no money on the card. I immediately transferred $ into the aussie card, but then had to wait 4-5 working days for the $ to appear. Yikes. The things that happen. Apparently the problem was caused by a conflict between Visa and the Chinese Union Pay (UP), who are trying to capitalistically carve up the financial world between themselves. Back to the story. Jihngon. Jinhong is pleasant small city. Apparently it has the rep in China of being a party to...

I am not a dorm person by natural inclination. Normally, I prefer a private room, and in most sea countries a good private room can be had in the $15-$20 per night price range, however, not so in the City of the Merlion. Here a basic private room will start in the $50 plus price range. Not overly exorbitant, but a price to avoid if travelling for an extended periods of time, however, there is an alternative to the hotel scene. This is a backpacker hostel. Once, hostels were non-existent in Sing. It was high-class tourism or nothing, now, fortunately, this has changed. There are now a host of backpacker hostels in the city. Most of these cluster near the lower income areas. These areas include "Little India" and "China Town". As you walk through the streets of these locales you will see buildings dating back to colonial days, in a traditional design, two or three stories high, intermixed with the occasional 7-11, and the somewhat jarring appearance of a pub with t...

Light speed, as we all know thanks to Albert Einstein is something approached asymptotically. The closer we get, the harder the next increment—or to put it another way—perfection is something we can aspire to, but never hope to reach. This is true for space ships, and it is equally true for hotel rooms. In south east Asia I have stayed in everything from one to five stars in a half dozen countries in, but have never found a perfect room.  However, for your edification, here, I shall outline what I see as a perfect room. First the basics, for me a room must be clean, and well laid out. In short, what I refer to as a ‘western room’. Something where I feel at home and in which I can relax. Admittedly, much of what makes me feel comfortable is what we I am used to, what I grew up with, but there it is. I am content, in fact, happier with a single room, a ‘standard’ room in hotel parlance, big enough for what I need, small enough to be unburden-some. And in this room ...

Just to bring you all, and myself, up to date. Journeyed from Pakse in southern Laos to Phnom Penh. The bus trip began early in the morning, and we arrived in PP around about 21.00. We were delayed over an hour with a blown tyre. The stop was interesting, just south of the Cambo border, maybe 100kms in. We had a chance to chit chat and visit locals living in wooden houses along the highway. The bus was only half full, even with a dozen or so backpackers we picked up, who were waiting at the Laos/Cambo border for a ride. Road was a bit bumpy, and the trip a bit noisy, but no hassles (foam ear inserts). Phnom Penh is as I remembered it (here one year ago). Stayed at the same hotel, BJs, one street back from the Mekong River. Pleasant, small room, breeky, wifi, good service, $21 a night—what more can one ask for? The city itself, PP is a small city, based upon my baseline of Australian cities. The population is anywhere between two and three million, depending on who you ask, howeve...

It has been a while since I posted a personal blog entry, so here goes. For the past month I have been enjoying time in Pattaya, that jewel of a city, nestled on the shores of the Gulf of Siam, however, time to move on. Things to see, places to visit, visas to get. My second Thai tourist visa was due to expire in late August, thus, I needed to acquire a new. Several options available, but I decided to go with visiting Laos, via Savahhakhet. Sannakhet, is a quiet, poor, visually run down city on the Mekong River, directly opposite the Thai city of Mukdahan. I had visited Sav in 2008 and was interested to see just what changes had taken place. To get there I first arrived in Muk, via the Yellow Bus (which runs from Rayong—south of Pattaya to the city of Mukdahan), a 12 hour trip, best done overnight. I spent a day in Muk, waymarking and generally hanging out and looking around. My hotel this time was the Submukda Grand Hotel, not sure about the 'grand' part, but a solid 500b ho...

Having been told by everyone in Pattani that Nara was the really dangerous province of the ‘deep south’ it was with some trepidation that I bordered the bus for the 90km journey from Pattani to Nara. While on the bus I will confess that my imagination went into overdrive on a few occasions. I saw myself dragged from the rickety "local" bus and incarcerated as a hostage, suffering all privations of the same—while of course writing an account of my adventure, in movie script format. The fate of Julius Caesar in such a situation flashed through my mind, though I would never consider myself to be so persuasive. However none of that occurred. I bordered my bus @ 08.00 in central Pattani city for the two or so hour trip to Muaeng Narathiwat, and the entire trip was uneventful.  a journey. election time. your first stop, province bus station. The bus, the usual: old, slow, noisy, but entirely serviceable. The country side green and lush, with lots of small towns and ...