The road through Kashmir

Photos from Kashmir are here - not so many as I have taken loads in the past and there are only so many pics of mountains and lakes in my mind that you need - bit like pictures of tents at Glastonbury:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=147054&id=771224918&l=a72efa9c2d

One of the few things that gets me seriously mardy when travelling is being told horseshit at some travel/bus/train station - and this happened the day I went out looking for a bus to Srinagar. Tried to get the local bus but the guys were all on strike - nobody seemed to know what it was all about and when they would be back at work so I ended up having to trail round the agencies. All the jeeps were leaving at the same time but allegedly they could arrive anytime between 4 and 10 in the morning - I knew this was rubbish so went for the one who gave me what I thought was the right answer - though he was a little unwilling to write "jeep to Srinagar" on my receipt till I persisted as I didn't want them thinking I'd given a donation to the festivities at the travel agents Christmas party.

The trip was amazing - if Robert Plant had actually been going to Kashmir when he wrote the words to the song he would have been on the Leh/Srinagar Road. Though it wasn't the most comfortable of rides as I was squeezed in the back next to a chunky policeman from Bangalore who should have either have had his legs tapped together or coughed up some more mullah for a front seat - he wasn't too fragrant either! The other downside was that it was a night drive but it was kinda made up for with the stars which were really amazing - millions of them - we stopped at a small village for chai and you could could tell we were heading west by the pictures of Ayatollahs on the cafe walls as the Muslims in this part of J & K were all Shia rather than Sunni like the rest of Kashmir.

I didn't get much sleep as chunky kept falling on me, maybe I was a bit awful but it's probably the only time I'll get away with shoving a policeman and not getting arrested. I was pretty sure that Zoji La pass was shut at night or only allowed one way traffic as the road was so narrow so at half two in the morning we pulled up in Drass (second coldest inhabited place on earth!!) to join the queue to make the crossing. I managed to extricate myself from the back seat and went for tea in a local cafe with Jessica and Milo who were in the same jeep - it was so cold even in the slight warmth of cafe. The Zoji La pass which marks the border between Ladakh and Kashmir was amazing - once you reach the top, the road winds its way down a cliff face - no photos as I was on the wrong side of the jeep and was drifting in and out of consciousness only waking up when my head cracked against the window - but it was one of those sights that I'll never forget and is described in the Lonely Planet as "not for the faint hearted).

Big welcoming committee at the tourist reception centre in Srinagar which we managed to shake off by going across the road to relative safety of the info centre - we'd been hustled coming into the city by some guys telling lies about where we would be dropped - they shut up when I pointed I knew exactly where we going to be dropped. I headed to my old haunt Dal View as I wasn't too keen on the houseboat the others were staying on and then spent a frustrating couple of days trying to sort out my rail ticket from Jammu. No railway station in Srinagar I was told - that's funny its marked on Google earth (don't ask me how I know but its deffo there) - but the guy was insistent in the tourist office I had to go to the DC office (nothing to do with David Coulthard) - there then followed a long list of complicated instructions as the guy couldn't read a map, the only problem being I couldn't do left/right - took a bit of time and patience till we came to a compromise. I was thoroughly frisked at the DC office and had numerous items taken off me - amazing what they consider a threat to security with items such as malaria tablets, tampons, inhaler, mp3 player being held onto and others like my lighter and mobile phone being okay - after all that palaver the computer was down with no idea when things would be up and running.

Giving the train ticket up as a lost cause I headed off to Aru back to see the guys at the Rohella Guesthouse along with the essential 5 bottles of beer carefully stowed in my rucksack to last me the week - local price in the jeeps all the way. I was bemused in Pahalgam bus station - to be given a hotel recommendation all in Hebrew - "I'm English" - turned out the guy had been living in Bolton the previous year and thought it was beautiful - not the two words I would have thought would have gone together in the same sentence. It was really nice to see everyone back in Aru - Bisma the little girl I remember the most had really grown and was now 7 years old and Rafi was thinking of heading abroad for work maybe Dubai as it wasn't easy to find a job in Kashmir.

Unfortunately I fell ill whilst I was there - really bad cough and fever - in between my bouts of being bedridden want for a couple of short walks, played endless games of Caram and cards and ate far too much pasta. One day a Bengali family turned up - the Bengalis do like to travel - they were a little disappointed that there were no TV's at the guesthouse and two of the family never left their room after checking in - the little girl with them Shibamgini was really surprised that I didn't have a swimming pool at my house back in England and 17 cars in the garage like her. She was really sweet and wanted to be a fashion designer when she grew up - I said I wanted to be an astronaut - but I did feel a little sorry for her as she said her parents were away and to make up for that they had bought her an i-phone - her dad didn't seem to bad as he took her for a pony ride but the others did seem to leave her alone a lot - just shouting random stuff from upstairs every now and again.

Eid and the end of Ramadan happened whilst I was there as well - coincidence that I was last in Aru at Eid two years ago - this time a French lady called Lydia came over with her son Takrick (sp) to celebrate the festival. She was living in Laripura just up the road but she said that she found it hard living there as the locals weren't as accepting as when you were travelling through. We all had lunch up at the big house before heading off to the Betab valley - this was when I started to feel ill and I'm sure it wasn't helped by the drive there - bouncing along the road and facing backwards. It was real shame that I was so bad as two Israelis turned up raring to go trekking and as I could barely walk to the end of the garden there was no way that I could go.

As the RIFF festival was starting on the Thursday, I left Aru on the Monday so I would get there in time - I still didn't have my ticket from Jammu to Jodhpur so I wasn't sure I would make it for the start. Rafi came with as far as Anantnag on the way we stopped off for tea in Ringo Starr's cafe in the bus station - it was strange place with pride of place going to the TV in a very fancy flashing light cabinet, Ringo seemed happy enough in his new life so I didn't bother him for an autograph. Rafi was great he sorted out my jeep to Jammu and I felt like I was handed over into the care of the old man driving - he was really nice encouraging me to eat though I'm not sure how good his eyesight was as he managed to puncture the tyre by driving over a dead monkey. It was lucky we weren't going too fast - wheel changed on the side of the mountain as the trucks hurtled past at breakneck speed before we pulled into Jammu a couple of hours late. The old man I think took his responsibility seriously and took me to a nice hotel only problem it was well over my budget and they wouldn't haggle - one of the porters then took me to a cheaper one round the corner but I still had to do a lot of hard bargaining and even though I was a bit on stroppy side one of the guys went off to find me a beer.

Finally got my train ticket sorted out the following day - went to the wrong place on three occasions before I eventually found the rail reservation counter - the other customers didn't think twice about barging in front of me in the queue even though I was stood waiting patiently with my rucksack on my back and a booking slip in hand. In the end I took to a bit of barging and shouting and eventually got my ticket.

Sorting out a hotel was a bit more problematic - I needed to be nearer the railway station so headed to the tourist office to see if they had any ideas. The guy in the know suggested either a Hindu Hostel for pilgrims or his hotel but then he blotted his copybook a bit by starting a massage conversation - okay hindu hostel it is!! Big mistake - firstly right palaver checking for contraband and they were rubbish at that and then they only had dormitories. I thought they would be single sex and about 6 bunk beds to a room - dream on - they were mixed and the beds a centimetre apart - memories of the Amsterdam Sleep-In came flooding back when I woke up in the middle of the night with this random blokes arm round me - I can't stay here. Luckily I met a guy called Omar once more at the tourist centre who was really nice and found a cool but extremely expensive hotel which looked a lot safer place to stay and he wouldn't take any money off me for finding the place.

I know people go on about Kashmir being dodgy but I felt really well looked after all the way down the valley - even walking down Lal Chowk in Srinagar people didn't hassle me - they stared which I understand but none of the rubbish like "you buy this","which country" - which does get on your nerves if you hear it twenty times a day. I was really sorry next day when the train chugged over the bridge into the Punjab and I left Kashmir behind - just for now!!

Leh-zy days in Ladakh

Slapped wrists as I have left it so long!!

Next set of photos from Ladakh - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=141573&id=771224918&l=eeea14905d

Ladakh was so lovely - the people friendly but not in a hassly way everywhere you went people said "Jullay" and the guesthouse Lakrook was a real nice place to stay - always one of the other guests to talk to at breakfast and a gorgeous organic garden. The only downside was it was a bit far out of town so the second week I moved to downtown Leh to save on the taxi fares. The Ladakhi's were really into environmental stuff as well - water bottles were refilled at the laundry and your washing done out of town so as not to pollute the water - there was a lack of blokes peeing on the the street (though one side of the Bank of India did have the whiff that you smell in the rest of India - my money was all the soldiers who used to clog up the ATM queue with the 77 cards they each had). The strangest thing were the compost toilets - just a hole in the ground that you shovelled earth down when you were done - I thought they were great as they didn't smell though one American tourist was quite horrified when he went to the one at "La Terrasse" in shock a bit when he got back to his mates.

One of the places I really wanted to visit before I went to India was the Nubra Valley - it's about as far north in India as a foreigner that you can go due to it's proximity to China. I was supposed to go on the local bus over highest alledged road pass in the world but the night before I was due to leave I had some dodgy soup and then spent most of the night up with really bad stomach pains - the fact I had only taken a few mouthfuls of the stuff before decided it was inedible didn't seem to matter. As the bus only went twice a week I ended up having to take to a shared jeep which wasn't too bad as there were six of us - a middle class family from Delhi and two architectural students from Berlin Hannah and Nicole - and I had the front seat so plenty of leg room and a great view. Though the family from Delhi seemed to think that "Dogey" was their own personal driver - me, Hannah and Nicole were only there to make up the numbers which as the trip went on did irritate me.

The road up to Khardung La (18380 feet) was I thought not as great as the Manali to Leh one but it was still an impressive ride as we wound our way up the mountainsides - on reaching the summit we were met by a collection of huts one claiming to be the highest cafe in the world, another the highest souvenir shop and one which I'm sure they forgot to put the sign on the worlds highest VIP toilet. One over the top it backdown the other side passing no doubt the worlds highest roadworks before we hit the valley of the River Shyok - it was an amazing valley with a bright blue river trickling across a wide plain with the road hugging the side. Quick stop at Diskit to see the gompa - think I was a bit gompad out by this point and to be honest it was so full of clutter it looked like a church jumble sale inside.

We were staying in Hundar about 7k's up the road - got a bit mardy when I was herded into this guesthouse - the Indian family got first pick of the rooms - so I said I'd go find something else. Dogey insisted on coming with me with his mate who looked real shonky with his greasy permed mullet - they took me to another run by this old woman in the middle of a building site. Not happy so I got my bag, told them to scoot (being polite here) "I'll find my own" - which I did within 5 minutes - had a gorgeous garden and the softest pillows I've come across in India. The owner I was warned by some posh English people was supposed to be a bit stroppy but I found him to be a bit of pussycat - even made him show me that the hot water wasn't a figment of his imagination - then it was festival time.

There had been quite a few things happening in Leh over the previous week - cham dancing, polo matches, roadshow (thankfully Bruno Brookes and Gary Davies didn't show up!) to mark the Ladakhi festival but I was lucky in that for that day events had switched to Hundar. Met the Indian family there no doubt driven by their Dogey as Indians don't walk (mummy had stayed in the car at Diskit Gompa) - it was the camels that made it for me - a herd of Bacterian ones leftover from the days when Hundar was on the old Silk Road. They were so placid and chilled sitting on the white dunes - I wanted to take one home - none of bad temper you see in other camels at tourist attractions. Saw a bit of dancing before there was a break to await the arrival of the governor of J & K - I think he had over egged his importance by calling in at Diskit on the way as most people had gone by the time I think I saw his car swerving down the track to the site.

The next day I was up early as had to be at the other guesthouse for 7.30 - consequently I got shafted a bit with the breakfast as no time to argue that hadn't ordered omelette. Only 5 mins late only to find mummy hadn't emerged that morning - half an hour later she swept out jabbering into her mobile followed by a young lad with two big bags - no wonder we had struggled getting our day packs in the car the previous day. No apology was made - "sorry guys" would have been nice - and then we ended up at an army camp waiting for their mate who they going to have tea with - the thing is neither me, Hannah or Nicole would have minded if they had just said something - I do think though Daddy got the message that we weren't happy when we left them to their social engagement for a little drive up the valley on our own.

I know I sound bitchy but I met others who rolled their eyes when I mentioned middle class Indians - I just think if you are sharing a car you should think about your other passengers. All too soon we back in Leh - Dogey misunderstood we would have liked to have been dropped off at the top of the hill so we could walk down through the palace (how I cursed him the next day as I sweated up the steep hill!) concentrating all his attention on the fat tip he was hoping to get from mummy and daddy.

The other trip I did took me out to Patgong Lake - had to get another permit as my previous one had run out - as part of the lake is in Tibet and the Chinese have been a bit naughty flying their helicopters over sensitive areas, there is a chance they may close the area off to foreigners once more. There were only 5 of us this time - Patrick and Alison from Dubai and Canada and Pascale and Louise from Belgium - the driver this time was a bit more chirpy with us. It was lovely ride this time over the third highest pass but by far the most sociable with the Indian army providing free cups of chai at the top.

The lake was lovely and you could see the sun shining in the distance in Tibet - unfortunately once you had looked at the lake there wasn't an awful lot else to do. The Indian army who were stationed there were having a party on the shore - beer, spirits, cocktail sausages on sticks all whilst playing a game of croquet - very civilised. We were supposed to stay the night there and some guy from the town we had passed through was being a right pain about his hotel - wittering on about ensuites and saying it cost 1500 rupees to stay in Spagmik the village we were heading to ("What they've opened a branch of the Hilton down there?" was my response). I don't think the driver picked the best homestay in the village to show us - I was half and half as the toilet was a hole in the ground outside and my stomach was rumbling so in the end we headed back to Leh - bit of a scarey ride towards the end as it was dark as we hurtled down the mountain and back into town - one of the problems being that cows don't have headlights!

Right that's it for the moment - Kashmir next - hopefully there won't be such a big gap in postings as I'm heading back up north (train to Delhi in an hour - no not Delhi again - unfortunately it can't be avoided - though a night at the Vivek will be!!) and where hopefully the electricity and heat won't be such a problem.

Welcome to Shangri-La!

I always get behind with this and being in Leh doesn't help - sometimes there is no electricity, sometimes no connection and sometimes there is both - but I still love it here - For those only interested in the photos I've put them on facebook this time as it doesn't take as long to download - the link is here and hope it works:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=138288&id=771224918&l=13ed9cf2a6

Anyway back to where I left off - Delhi airport was so easy this time - no hassles from touts who I think were all off attending the annual tout convention and straight into a taxi that actually took me to the hotel I asked for - all for the going rate!! The only downside was the hotel (Vivek) I don't think they had cleaned the hotel since I last visited two and a half years ago - same bloodstains on the wall - while I'm sure their 1000 rupee rooms are very nice, the standard and economy were a disgrace - and the smell lingered with my clothes all the way to Manali.

Marmite sorted and I was out of Delhi as soon as I could - now I may skimp a bit with my hotel rooms but with a bus into the mountains I always think its worth paying a bit more - so I took the Volvo was which was great apart from the girl in front who decided to recline her chair the full stretch - thus jamming me in for most of the night - she was told


Manali was lovely and chilled after Delhi - but it was straight out looking for a bus to Leh in Ladakh as the road is only open till the 15th September and what an amazing road it is. The people on the van with me were all lovely and friendly - Al and Cynthia from Scotland, Ricki from Australia, Jen from Alaska, Ken from Singapore and Severine and Cedrie from France - which made a change from the bus rides in Thailand. The trip took two days going over some amazing mountain passes - the driver was a bit too quick for my liking (I had the front seat) and I thought at one point coming down the Rohtang Pass he was practising for a Grand Prix the way he careered around the hairpin bends - still after a night camped at 4200m he got us to Leh in one piece (we were bit convinced he had a date lined up in Leh as he practically threw our bags off the van before haring off into the sunset).

So I've been here in Leh now for two weeks - highlights of my first week were the Ladakhi Confluence Festival and a homestay in the mountains.

The Festival was the equivalent of Ladakh's Glastonbury - unfortunately the day we turned up (me, Jen, Ricki, Severine and Cedrie) it chose to tip down with rain and it doesn't rain that often here - something about it having as much rain as the Sahara, which I'm sceptical about. So as the stages were mainly open air it threw the whole thing into a bit of chaos - so chaotic that we ended up painting rocks as there were no kids there and getting over excited when a storyteller turned up - even that went a bit awry when the translators started arguing about the gist of the story which everyone had lost within the first five minutes.

If you have ever seen Woodstock the movie - the stage announcements were a bit like that "keep cool, keep dry, we're bussing in warm clothes, always bit of heaven in a disaster area" - okay made the last one up but to say they got any music on was a real miracle as they had to practically rebuild the only usuable stage - tents were built in the audience and fires lit though it is only the only festival have been to where the bouncers at the front were soldiers with machine guns (and the fence made from bed sheets). The music that we did get to see came from a guy called Suchet Malhotra and an Austrian beat box group called Bauchklang - it was a real good atmosphere with everybody up dancing that it was a shame it had to end - if only it hadn't rained though it did make for it being like a festival back home apart from the fact I spent the whole day drinking tea.

Couple of days later me, Jen and Ken set off our trek - we didn't have a guide just a map and vouchers to stay in the homes of various families in the valley - it was quite an easy route to follow and luckily for us Jen hit it off with the monk from Kaya village who said he would show us the way to the first village. This meant crossing the river Zanskar on a metal box attached to a wire pulley system - I was just glad it wasn't too high as some of the ones in Kinnaur I saw a couple of years back - so it wasn't as scarey as it looked - the main problem I found for the whole four days was walking uphill due to the altitude. The first night we spent in Kaya village - mostly playing cards with Jingme the monk who was a little besotted with Jen - the family were really nice but communication was a problem only knowing one word of Ladkhi "Jullay" (a very useful word which means hello, goodbye, please and thank you).

The second day was pretty hard as it rained and was all uphill - I think I must have been pretty comatosed at one point as I failed to smell or see the rotting pony on the track - good job as well (not sure if my breakfast wouldn't have made a guest appearance) and I was so glad to see the small hamlet of Shingo - two houses - where beds were waiting for us. The weather had closed in and the house we were staying in was full of Germans in the most up to date trekking gear who were waiting for their ponies - now I have a good pair of boots but we as a group were a little underprepared for the elements - we even had to put our wet clothes on to dry them so we decided we ain't that stupid to attempt the pass the following day if the weather was the same.

Luckily it was a fine sunny day we went set off the following morning for Ganda La (4900m) - Jen and Ken with with masking tape on their feet, me dressed in my nightie, pyjamas, jeans, two T-shirts and 3 pairs of socks - to say I struggled would be an understatement - sometimes I could only walk 40 paces without stopping for a breather - Ken and Jen coped so much better - in the end I stuck my music on and thanks go to Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd and David Bowie for getting me up to the top - I was a strange sight singing "Shine on you crazy diamond" as I plodded along. After that it was downhill all the way - one night stop over in Yurutse in a freezing cold house - before deciding the following day as the walk was only an hour to head back to Leh - it was such a beautiful valley that we walked through before the taxi pixies sprinkled a bit of their magic dust and a guy called Nazeer gave us a lift back to Leh, fed us Ladakhi apples and didn't ask the earth pricewise.

Okay that's it for the moment - hopefully I'll have time Wednesday to update this week - bit curious as to who is reading this as since my last post I seem to have had 8000 hits - checked my google account no great shakes on where I am listed - though it did make me laugh that apparently I was number 2 in google.com for a search of "German shepherd and a baby goat" last month - the mind boggles. Even when I search the title nothing strikes me - so maybe the counter as gone a bit weird - anyway off to get my laundry now before the electric kicks off yet again....

No hippies left in Thailand

The thing with S E Asia they make the travelling too easy - India you have to do it on your own mainly and so this is why I found myself being herded through Banglampu the other Friday night to catch the bus to Koh Phan Ngam. I felt like a little baby elephant waddling through the streets as Thai fishermen trousers plus moneybelt and rucksack were not a fetching combo - we had all been colour coded with sticky labels but the guys in charge kept changing their minds where the buses were going (in reality we were all going to the same place -Touristland) so confusion and madness abounded at the bus stop.

I ended up sat next to Leo and his mates - party boys on tour from the north of England - to say they were all at Uni they weren't the brightest bunnies - "Is this the River Kwai?" one of them boomed as we left Bangkok and from what I'd gathered (and I did gather a lot- too much info in a lot of cases) they had spent most of their time here carousing with the ladies down Khao San Road. Six hours later we pulled into a roadside cafe - you knew it would be a rip off so I went for Macdonalds view - toilets and bins are all they are good for - the guys couldn't understand why we didn't stop at the supermarket up the road - mate (and I use that in the loose sense) it doesn't work that way when you are on one of these tourist buses.

Five o'clock in the morning we arrived at Touristland, everyone was off loaded and told it was 3 hour wait for the boat - brilliant another ripoffsville (everything was double the price of 7-11 supermarket). Though it was quite funny there was a guy touting for this hotel and he was just like Michael Palin (voice thing) as the guy handing out the crosses in the Life of Brian - "Where you going, where you staying, crucifixion and rip off hotel this way?"(maybe I am being a bit harsh only earning a living) - he could tell from my branding where I was going "hotel" is where I'm staying - he left me alone after that - I know I'm a grumpy arse but I can't do with prattle about hotels at 5 in the morning.

Lovely boat ride over to the islands - 4 plastic seats to myself plus lumpy bag and I was in la la land as luck has it I can sleep in the most awkward of places. I couldn't be bothered trawling through the guide book at hotels so just asked the taxi driver to drop me off in Had Yao up on the western coast of Ko Phan Ngam and just walked into the first place I came to. Ended up with a lovely hut with hammock and ensuite plus a swimming pool for under a tenner a night. Nice place but it was busy so I tended to find the waiters ignored me - came to the conclusion that if you're on your own its lost income to them - they'de rather half two/four people at a table who will usually tip handsomely as well.

So spent a couple of nights in Had Yao - every night there was a wicked storm out to sea - and one day I got caught out in a mad storm - there aren't many occasions that you turn up at a restaurant to get out of the rain and say "I'll take my trousers off" - my hat was smelling a la afghan coat (never mentioned that when I bought it on Newport market) and I got every such funny looks off these French group who naturally weren't in such a dishevelled state as me.

Back to being dishevelled again the next day when I hiked over to Had Salad with my rucksack - I'd seen quite a few taxis pootling along the road in the previous few days, naturally no one passed me that morning and offered me a lift until I got over the hoofing big hill - "I've done the donkey work now mate" - so I ended up polling up to reception looking a bit like the wild women of Borneo - much to the horror of this immaculately turned out French women (they always are!) in reception. Got a nice hut just off the beach - it was ever so sweet and like a little pixie house - don't think the lass who showed me the room got many comments like that and it reminded me of the time I got a tad bit carried away about the greatness of the showerheads in a Delhi hotel.

Anyway mainly chilled and walked for the few days I was there - Had Salad was nicer as it wasn't so busy but the days of my friend Melanie's great parties and a few shacks are long gone - it's posh gaffs, plunge pools and people with a bit of money nowadays - but hey the waiters didn't ignore me!!

Wednesday hired a scooter - the guy at the shop gave me a 30 second run down on the bike and luckily an English guy gave me a bit of advice as well. He was staying opposite with his family - reminded me of Del out of Fools and Horses with his Timmy Mallett sunglasses and passion for cocktails - and its amazing how many people out here seem to be wearing 80's Timmy glasses in garish colours - must be fashion thing that's past me by.

Well I was no "Easy Rider" but I managed to avoid getting a Ko Phan Ngam tattoo - automatics are harder to control (little wheels) and with my bad left/right co-ordination it was a bit scarey at times - the hills were the worst as the Thais don't believe in zig zagging if it's a little steep - it's straight up with them - ended up bouncing into one town as the paved bit finished abruptly and I was going too fast - it was like a cartoon as I was trying to stay on the bike and then my raincoat flew off and landed in the only big puddle within a 20 mile radius - stopped the bike to go and find it much to the hilarity of these guys in cafe and then couldn't start the thing up again - nightmare so one of them did come out and give me a hand - though he was bit confused as well as to how you started it up. No idea where I was as riding and navigating at the same time was a bit hard so stopped at this roadside cafe - where the two ladies amid much sign language as it wasn't a tourist gaffe let me know I was 4k's outside Had Rin (full moon party central) on the south east coast of the island. How I ended up there I'll never know - and that's why I prefer the slower pace of a bicycle - it was hairy ride over the hills back to Had Salad - but I think in one way I'm better riding pillion though I did enjoy it. Lad in the shop was a bit over zealous checking for scrapes when I returned it but the only time it fell over and it had to happen was when I parked it outside the shop - and that personally I blame on the vibrations from the bloke who parked behind me.

Thursday hiked over to the next bay which was full of Italians and French in skimpy bikinis - not as nice as Had Salad but the huts were on the beach - on the way back met an Irish lad mountain biking - said the scooters frightened the life out of him - though when I got back to the hotel the young girl just laughed at me when I said I wanted to hire a push bike - no one does it in Had Salad though I was sure I had seen some bikes nearer to Thong Sala the capital - its just easier and nicer I find.

I think Koh Phan Ngam is great if you are with somebody and its your one holiday of the year but if you are on your own on a budget - it can be a bit frustrating. Trying to get a ticket back to Bangkok they were all quoting double what I paid to get there - I just don't do fancy catamarans, I do cattle class cheap as chips - so it was bit lucky I managed to get a cool priced tik back to Bangkok without having to hike into the capital - and then the guys in the hotel and it was a bit like talking to two Churchill nodding dogs said the taxi would be 100 baht (2 pound) - please could I have that in writing as the woman up the road wants 3 times as much - "Yes" amid much nodding and no effort to pick up a pen...

I was amazed when it did turn up and cost 100 baht - thank you - as usually it's never that easy but I had been shoe horned in with a French family off to Samui. Down at the port I let out an almighty "oh no" as Leo (still wearing the same bright yellow T-shirt as last week) turned up with his posse - thankfully they were labelled silver (dumped over the side at the earliest opportunity I took that to mean) as after that I never clapped eyes on them again.

I was gold which meant ended up back at Touristland - no Mikey P to entertain me - wasn't a bad bus but I wasn't totally convinced the drivers could drive it as the gear changes were a bit on the painful side. It was really weird as they roped off half of it - first off I thought the driver couldn't be arsed to clean all the bus if it was only half full but then common sense prevailed they would never send a half full bus back to Bangkok - and I was right picked up a load who had been on the fancy catamaran - bit of scramble for seats but I managed to keep my two seats - mainly due to the fact this Thai woman at the front was telling the newcomers they had to sit in that bit that was roped off - though I wasn't so awful and did tell folk that was space next to me as once I had an argument on a bus back from Heathrow with this woman who wouldn't shift her bag till I pointed out the bag hadn't bought a ticket and I had!

Bus arrived early like they always do when you don't want them to - so five this morning landed back here in Bangkok to a gaggle of over excited taxi drivers - "where you going" "to get my bag and have a ciggie" - madness I knew the hotel would never let me check in so early so had to hang around in reception for a couple of hours - before someone checked out early - the room fairies were definately smiling this morning.

Chilled out day today as eventhough I slept most of the way, it was interrupted by a stop at rip offsville again - the whole bus was chilled and sleeping till the bloke who ran the place came on shouting "last stop, no more stops...." repeatedly - I would have happily punched his lights outs if I had been a person prone to violence so had to settle for a "f*** off" - and when I begrudgingly got off was greeted by the sight of this woman dressed in an 80's hot pant suit and Chinese hat doing Tai Chi on the hard shoulder - I think she was a bit tipsy as she got back on our bus at one point before realising she didn't really want to go back to Bangkok.

Fly to India tomorrow - booked a room at the Vivek though no doubt in Delhi airport I'll be told by the taxi driver it's burnt down or full - just off out for a beer now though I have to avoid going near the book shop - sold a copy there this aft of Holy Cow and did feel bad about it but it had a page missing - can't get shot of my Rough Guide - they'll only buy Lonely Planets because thats what everyone wants which I think is a bit of the mad side as you all end going to same hotel and the maps are crap as well.

So its bye bye Thailand - not sure I'd come again even though I've enjoyed it - its just a bit too touristy for me now - looking forward to the madness of India where the waiters don't ignore me and where no doubt I'll have lost my temper with someone within 48 hours....

Postscript

I should have said I am bit convinced that I am going to get a six foot sprawling....English party boy who will spend most of the journey guffawing with his mates about sex, vomit, poo and non uniform days at school - I did though content myself with a little smile when I saw Leo and his mates at the port tucked up in a taxi taking them to the opposite end of the island - a future captain of industry there no doubt!!

Back In Bangkok

Well its nearly two years since I was last off travelling but you do forget stuff - the frog women of Bangkok, blokes who like to sprawl and that all airlines seem to think that vegetarians love ratatouille (sp).

Although the leg room and food weren't great on the flight here, the staff from Ethihad were - usually you find they sod off never to be seen again after the meal in the loose sense of the word has been served - they even managed to find me an aisle seat as I had been put right in the middle.

So hot in Bangkok - the main thing I had to sort out was my Indian visa - thanks to a guy on India Mike who gave real idiot proof instructions on how to get there - finding the office which issued them was a doddle. Though I had to resist the temptation to say "so that's for the bubbly at the shareholders meeting" when informed of the service fee for taking a week to process my application - didn't want my card marked stroppy. That sorted it was time to sort out a beach - went for Ko Samet as it was only a three hour drive from Bangkok.

It was a bit of a crazy ride there - the guy driving I think had passed his test on the old Pole Position arcade game, few Duke's of Hazards over the bridges before I think we took the scenic route to pick up his mam. Got a bit narked at the ferry port as the women at the travel agency practically demanded I buy a return ticket - bit disorientated due to sleep deprevation so complied but really I should have told her to shove it - lesson learnt. The boat over was a bit of a nightmare - I was sat next to a girl with an icky stomach - I knew she would be the moment she sat down being as she was Thai - they don't travel well from experience. They just seemed to ram so many people on that it didn't really equate to the number of lifejackets as well but we made it across in one piece.

Anyway relaxing few days on Ko Samet - cool bungalow which didn't cost an arm and a leg just off the beach. The thing I noticed you never saw anyone on their own - young kids in packs, families and the inevitable over 30's bloke with his Thai girlfriend - never saw a guy on his own (not that I was specifically looking) and to be honest and I ain't being bitchy some had obviously gone for the cheaper deal. Anyway that said I don't so much mind my own company - felt very Shirley Valentine - and the beaches were stunning and the sun shone what more could you ask for - Mr Tok's beach party was a bit of a damp squib though - I went just for a look expecting balloon and drinking games and was greeted with the sight of a rather drunken Swedish girl trying to do YMCA - had one beer and then made my excuses and left - avoided the "Boogie Night" the day after. Finally found all the single people on my last night - they were either watching TV "Only Fools and Horses" repeats or sat under darkened umbrellas at the quiet end of the beach - very scarey!!

Getting back to Bangkok took an age - bit of a barny at the ferry port with this bloke in a blue T-shirt who had an unhealthy interest in my boat ticket - I have a general rule that my ticket only gets given to someone behind a desk or to a person wearing badge - he got real agressive when I asked "Who are you?" but eventually he left me alone. Back at Ban Phe - I knew the van outside the travel agency wouldn't be for us going back to Bangkok - too nice with reclining leather seats what I call a "photo purposes" van. Though I was really surprised when the one for us turned up - it was really nice - began sniffing a rat though when we turned left instead of right at the end of the street and headed off towards the Cambodian border only to be off loaded 30k's up the road onto another bus heading to Bangkok - there's always a catch when something seems to good to be true!!!

Back in Bangkok the streets were full of women dressed in blue as it was the Queens birthday and Mothers Day - the traffic was choatic and it took nearly two hours to crawl through it back to Banglampu where I was staying. Getting the visa sorted involved quite a few taxi rides across the city - convinced the first one was taking me on a bit of magical mystery tour till I said Siam Square's up that road mate - the last one was really nice said I wasn't fat though I think he trying to sweet talk me into visitng a shopping emporium of his choice.

Which brings me back up to date - bit of a freak out this morning - when I rang my bank to get my balance and was told it was zero - Brian from fraud who in my opinion needs to brush up on his customer care skills was a bit on the brusque side sorted it - I'd like to see how would have reacted if he'd just been told there was nothing in his bank account. Then a chill at a cafe to calm down - there were these horrible posh English kids at the next table - you know the kind who camp in filth at a festival and then leave their tent - well I really don't think me and the rest of the cafe needed to know that Rupert (my name - as there's usually a Rupey among them) had been in his words been "jacked off by the massoose last night" - makes you wonder what all that expensive education is for!!!

Couple of hours I head off to Koh Phangan - overnight bus I am a bit convinced I am going to get a 6 foot sprawler next to me so not counting on too much sleep tonight. Right thats me finished I will try and do this once a week as I found it doing it more has taken over on my other trips and you really don't need or want to know what I had for my breakfast,dinner and tea - off for a chill now and for a game of spot the English - very easy they're usually the ones carrying a hoofing great rucksack down Khao San Road dressed in jeans and a fleece - I should I know I was one of them last week though I did in my defense ditch the fleece at the airport.

Time for a change

I'd just like to say haven't abandoned this blog - spent so much time on here the last 2 years just wanted a break.

The big news is that I am attempting to sell my house in the "current climate" - just got thinking that we put so much money into places we live in and then to put it bluntly we either die or the government makes us sell them to pay for some dodgy care in a OAP home - it's a bit diff if you have kids or someone - been here nearly 14 years in this house, in total 20 years on this estate so I need a change and I have always had the "wanderlust" - had a few people come round and an offer not that far off the asking price but then they couldn't get the finance - which is a bit frustrating - but I'd really like to go over to the continental way of living renting and moving on - it was the livestyle that I was born to...

Still running but it's embarassing - had so many coughs and colds this winter that I've not been able to train - the last good race I had was at Magor last July with a 55 for a 10k - today in the cross country I wasn't last but I finished like an "asthmatic pit pony" (to quote Auf Wiedersehen Pet - my fave prog ever) and was still suffering when we landed back in Cardiff.

Anyway couple of photos from Liverpool - Matthew Street Festival last August:

The Lambanana Photos - Sergeant Pepper and Chorley on the ears!!

And a couple Jimmy Cliff videos from Glastonbury - just wish I had not drunk so much red but then again I wouldn't have been such a cheeky monkey and got to the front...

Not the greatest - and that's weeding out a lot of floor but they are Hollywood masterpieces compared to what I saw on you tube - and I think the wooing you hear is me - big smile - was a good night............