Thanks to those of you who took part in our recent survey. Since the poll was so close (it was a tough call), we decided to go in both directions. No, we didn't go separately, Mr. P. sleeping on a bench whilst Mrs P. reclined in luxury, that would just be silly :-)
Action:
1) Take a room costing just over 2 pounds for the night. (Imagine a large, dark wood shed and you got the place!)
2) Get up in the morning, go next door for the full English Breakfast, costing just less than 2 pounds each.
3) Make use of the free wi-fi in the cafe whilst having breakfast.
And so, everybody's happy. Even the bed bugs.
Thursday, 27 September 2007
Busman's Holiday
Never give up an opportunity to educate the masses. Sometimes all you need is inspiration, a spade and a great beach.
A Railay really nice place
Well, we've just about finished our island hopping in Thailand and are preparing ourselves to move on to Cambodia. The time has been fantastic, both in the east and west and seemed to get better and better with each move.The highlight of the leap-froging has to be the isolated isthmus of Railay. Technically part of the mainland, Railay is separated from the rest of Thailand by impenetrable cliffs. There is no motorised transport and the place isn't big enough to warrant too much development. Thus, it holds a very laid-back atmosphere, particularly at this time of year, when the farang hoards have not descended en masse. It was a true delight to arrive in awe of the cliffs, take a scramble up into the jungle and just stop everything to appreciate a tremendous sunset. Having met a couple on the boat over, it was also nice to get further acquainted with Alan and Janine in this small community, where faces became familiar and smiles were not necessarily the beginning and end of an encounter.
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Oh what it is to be poor!
Arrived in Ko Samui just fine. It was a bit cloudy actually, and the island was just not the same as dear old Ko Pha Ngan and the sweet sweet Sea Breeze Bungalows. But anyway, we cast our thoughts to a dear brother as the planes landed overhead and carried on to our abode.
After booking the tour to Ang Thong, we counted our cash. "Hmm, running low but there are plenty of cash machines. They seem to be working.... Hmm, this card doesn't work.. nope, not this one either... oh, not this one. Right, that's it, we're out of cards. Oh well, we have enough to get us to the mainland, maybe it's just a location problem.
After a brilliant tour of Ang Thong (AY, the kayaking was a dreamland!), a small yet developing cloud was appearing over our heads. We shared a curry so as not waste valuable cash! OK, so we might have done that anyway!!
Arrived in Krabi after 6.30am pick-up and 7 hours on ferry and coach. Why we had to rest for half an hour after coming off the ferry was beyond our intelligence to work out. Anyway, got a good deal on a room for 600 Bahts and proceeded into town to check out those lovely ATMs. The cloud turned into a cumulus, darkened and emptied itself on our heads. With a mere 3000 Baht left, all that was remaining was a desperate call to the bank. "Reverse charge" said the bank. Easier said than done in Thailand. We were sent further and further down the high street and back where we'd come. Nobody seemed to know the reverse code, or would let us do if they did.
Time to gamble away some of our remaining lifeline Bahts. Bought a phonecard. Miraculously, the dreaded "on-hold" did not materialise and we were served quickly. Clever these banks; they can sort your account in an instant, and they did. Why they blocked the credit card in the first place is really clever - apparently, we paid for a hotel in Salford! Ooh, suspicious, fraud. And here's a tip: if you ever go on holiday, don't just tell your bank that you are, tell them twice. Nope, that didn't work, so tell them three times and then if you use your debit card abroad, they won't think someone else nicked it, fled the country and tried to take out 60 pounds.
So, here ends probably the worst, yet most relieving day of our trip. Have yopu ever wondered what you'd do in a foreign country with no means to access any money? We have. It ain't nice!! But the feeling is nice now. "A problem is just a solution waiting to happen" as a certain History teacher always tells Phileas. The problem now is do we celebrate having cash by eating well, and upgrading accommodation? Or do we value it and aim to stay in the guesthouse we found with rooms and shared bathroom for 2 pounds a night?! We'll let you have your say!
A very tired, hungry yet exhiliarated Phileas.
After booking the tour to Ang Thong, we counted our cash. "Hmm, running low but there are plenty of cash machines. They seem to be working.... Hmm, this card doesn't work.. nope, not this one either... oh, not this one. Right, that's it, we're out of cards. Oh well, we have enough to get us to the mainland, maybe it's just a location problem.
After a brilliant tour of Ang Thong (AY, the kayaking was a dreamland!), a small yet developing cloud was appearing over our heads. We shared a curry so as not waste valuable cash! OK, so we might have done that anyway!!
Arrived in Krabi after 6.30am pick-up and 7 hours on ferry and coach. Why we had to rest for half an hour after coming off the ferry was beyond our intelligence to work out. Anyway, got a good deal on a room for 600 Bahts and proceeded into town to check out those lovely ATMs. The cloud turned into a cumulus, darkened and emptied itself on our heads. With a mere 3000 Baht left, all that was remaining was a desperate call to the bank. "Reverse charge" said the bank. Easier said than done in Thailand. We were sent further and further down the high street and back where we'd come. Nobody seemed to know the reverse code, or would let us do if they did.
Time to gamble away some of our remaining lifeline Bahts. Bought a phonecard. Miraculously, the dreaded "on-hold" did not materialise and we were served quickly. Clever these banks; they can sort your account in an instant, and they did. Why they blocked the credit card in the first place is really clever - apparently, we paid for a hotel in Salford! Ooh, suspicious, fraud. And here's a tip: if you ever go on holiday, don't just tell your bank that you are, tell them twice. Nope, that didn't work, so tell them three times and then if you use your debit card abroad, they won't think someone else nicked it, fled the country and tried to take out 60 pounds.
So, here ends probably the worst, yet most relieving day of our trip. Have yopu ever wondered what you'd do in a foreign country with no means to access any money? We have. It ain't nice!! But the feeling is nice now. "A problem is just a solution waiting to happen" as a certain History teacher always tells Phileas. The problem now is do we celebrate having cash by eating well, and upgrading accommodation? Or do we value it and aim to stay in the guesthouse we found with rooms and shared bathroom for 2 pounds a night?! We'll let you have your say!
A very tired, hungry yet exhiliarated Phileas.
To those formerly known as 8MP
Hello from an absentee!
Thank you for your comments and good wishes!
Amanda - very disappointed in you; not for disliking History (altho it's all war this year!) but for not telling Mr. Linton and giving him that sinking feeling! Never mind, just this year to go!
Shannen and Tash - aww, missing you too (altho probably less than you are me, not to be bigheaded or anything but have you seen the scenery around here?!)
Racheeeee - you have seen it and you understand!
Connor - watched Happy Feet last night in the guesthouse's 'chill out zone'. Had dreams about Nelson Thom putting on a production that would rival any before, ever. You had a lead role. You were actually quite good so well done! Carry on with the tap dancing lessons.
Russell - you still cleaning up? Hope so
Chantel - ssshhhh.
The rest of you - forgotten your names. Only joking. Altho who was that loud one who always got in a mood when she didn't get picked. Lorraine Manley was it? It'll come to me.
Anyway, you haven't told me who your new tutor is - I wait with baited breath...
Sir Phileas
Monday, 17 September 2007
Plane Crash
Hello everyone.
Just in case you had some small wonderings about our well-being, we are OK. We are going to Phuket but that will be in a week or so. Over on the opposite coast, on Ko Samui, at the moment. Our next flight won't be until the 2nd November. To Japan. Lots of exploring to do before then!
NAtional Marine Park tour tomorrow; you know, snorkelling, sea kayaking, trekking up to hidden emerald lagoons - that sort of thing. Watch 'The Beach' - it's where they had the community. Looks nice! Will be sure to show you some photos!
Cheerio,
Phileas
Just in case you had some small wonderings about our well-being, we are OK. We are going to Phuket but that will be in a week or so. Over on the opposite coast, on Ko Samui, at the moment. Our next flight won't be until the 2nd November. To Japan. Lots of exploring to do before then!
NAtional Marine Park tour tomorrow; you know, snorkelling, sea kayaking, trekking up to hidden emerald lagoons - that sort of thing. Watch 'The Beach' - it's where they had the community. Looks nice! Will be sure to show you some photos!
Cheerio,
Phileas
Saturday, 15 September 2007
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
History pilgrimmage number 1
It's me going over the bridge on the River Kwai!!
Had a great day today. A long journey north (where we'd just come from - oops!) to the bridge. A brief look at a museum, cemetery and then the bridge itself. It looks much bigger in the film! The best thing about it is how they haven't made it safe to walk across. Fantastic - could quite easily slip down one of the holes as you walk on the track. You get a real taste of the rawness of POW building.
Had a train journey over the bridge and beyond for 90 mins before lunch over-looking the river. Tremendous. An hour raft ride after that - very peaceful. Then an elephant ride. Made us feel rather like Mr. Fogg on his adventure. Yes! We've actually read a book whilst on our journey!
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Bangkok
Moving on from Bangkok tomorrow - bit of lazing on beaches and tropical wandering to be had down in the south. Mmm, so if you don't hear from us, you know why: we are just toooooooooooo relaxed!
Bombay Mix
Having spent a week in largely the nucleus of Mumbai, Phileas does not claim to have seen and know India. That much is clear. However, Phileas has definitely been in India. The question is to what extent Mumbai really reflects its nation. Is it an urban concentration of Indian values, practices and services? Or is it a dissipation, a contortion of the true sub-continent? Phileas is intrigued.
It is unusual to view a sleeping population but during two late-night airport journeys, Phileas was shocked to view the innumerable unfortunates who found their slumber on the streets. Even the daytime betrays the masquerade of privacy as families coil up on scraps of cardboard in bustling porticos.
And what of Mumbai for a matress? The streets are filthy. Dirt, slime, vegetable scarps, loose excretions from hapless dogs smear gutters and pathways. Every so often a pungent smell rises through the nostrils - the faint hearted who cannot face the public toilets, and time-pressed taxi and tuk-tuk drivers do not all make it to restaurant or hotel facilities.
Cleanliness next to godliness? Then Phileas feels sorry for these souls. And yet, apart from the multitude of spitting incidents, it is not possible for these souls to be judged. There are no bins and so environmental malpractice is hardly discouraged. It seems to Phileas that the streets belong to the people who trade, walk and sleep on it. Unfortunately, with so great a community, individual responsibility is negligible and government action is avoided. The people in Britain are no more concerned about others but, thankfully, the government sees fit and is able to employ road sweepers, bin men, road workers and toilet attendants. It only remains for the Indian government to strike oil and then, Phileas hopes and imagines, all these problems would be solved.
Having said all this, Mumbai has been one of the greatest experiences of Phileas' life. Despite the hardships, people get on in the midst of it all. There may be criminally few safety regulations and certain social restrictions but there is also freedom from pressures placed on Western societies. Old men who have dyed their hair or beards ginger are not systematically ridiculed (except by Phileas!) and young heterosexual men who hold hands are not outcast. In many ways, this huge nation of tiny people (Phileas , being tall but not exceptionally so, could not find a single person to look up to, except one obscure transvestite) has a lot to teach us.
Mumbai itself, the place, may be the most unattractive and oppressive of places; it is a place you are happy to leave. That's the way it is and I challenge you to say different. And yet, with 6 million inhabitants, each with their friends and families, it is evident that relationships dominate all other considerations when choosing a home.
Phileas
BTW - they don't even sell Bombay Mix.
It is unusual to view a sleeping population but during two late-night airport journeys, Phileas was shocked to view the innumerable unfortunates who found their slumber on the streets. Even the daytime betrays the masquerade of privacy as families coil up on scraps of cardboard in bustling porticos.
And what of Mumbai for a matress? The streets are filthy. Dirt, slime, vegetable scarps, loose excretions from hapless dogs smear gutters and pathways. Every so often a pungent smell rises through the nostrils - the faint hearted who cannot face the public toilets, and time-pressed taxi and tuk-tuk drivers do not all make it to restaurant or hotel facilities.
Cleanliness next to godliness? Then Phileas feels sorry for these souls. And yet, apart from the multitude of spitting incidents, it is not possible for these souls to be judged. There are no bins and so environmental malpractice is hardly discouraged. It seems to Phileas that the streets belong to the people who trade, walk and sleep on it. Unfortunately, with so great a community, individual responsibility is negligible and government action is avoided. The people in Britain are no more concerned about others but, thankfully, the government sees fit and is able to employ road sweepers, bin men, road workers and toilet attendants. It only remains for the Indian government to strike oil and then, Phileas hopes and imagines, all these problems would be solved.
Having said all this, Mumbai has been one of the greatest experiences of Phileas' life. Despite the hardships, people get on in the midst of it all. There may be criminally few safety regulations and certain social restrictions but there is also freedom from pressures placed on Western societies. Old men who have dyed their hair or beards ginger are not systematically ridiculed (except by Phileas!) and young heterosexual men who hold hands are not outcast. In many ways, this huge nation of tiny people (Phileas , being tall but not exceptionally so, could not find a single person to look up to, except one obscure transvestite) has a lot to teach us.
Mumbai itself, the place, may be the most unattractive and oppressive of places; it is a place you are happy to leave. That's the way it is and I challenge you to say different. And yet, with 6 million inhabitants, each with their friends and families, it is evident that relationships dominate all other considerations when choosing a home.
Phileas
BTW - they don't even sell Bombay Mix.
Saturday, 8 September 2007
Bollygood Show!
Well, after the survey conclusively and unanimously confirmed that we were rather silly to turn down 800 pounds, Phileas determined to try his best to recoup the cost as much as possible.
So, we became Bollywood Extras!!
Yes, we took up the challenge thrown down to us by Mr. Rajput (wahey!) and succeeded. What a great experience, even though it was a very long night. We were approached in the street (no doubt for our exceptional Western looks, having not shaken off the driven snow quite yet) and informed the shoot would take place that very night. We weren't quite aware that it would take the night; all night. but still, what an opportunity for fame and glory...
We were transported to a shopping centre at 9pm, fed immediately and then herded off to wait. We watched the crew set up and we waited. We waited some more and then we were selected (being dressed bit more trendily than some Slavs I expect) to do a bit of shopping in the first scene. Did I tell you it was actually a commercial? An advert for Reliance mobiles (although it took us 5 hours to find that out) Well, no Shilpa Shetty but we did get a "50% star"! So, Mr & Mrs Phileas shopping together!
More scenes followed (cafe, dining) but we weren't sure how it all fit together! Perhaps it'll be on the internet one day so we can find out.
Yet the best experience was undoubtedly forming the European Federation of Extras. Meeting so many Europeans was brilliant and we definitely bonded as we fought the agents and production to try and get paid! They were keen to shoot another scene but we were keen to get paid and go - we were s'posed to finish at 6am but by 8.15 they were still making excuses trying to get us to stay. Was it all a question of money for us European capitalists? Well, we were getting paid 500 rupees each for the (what turned out to be) 12 hour shift. You do the maths!!
Tiring but great! Thanks SR for the challenge!
If anyone else has a challenge for us then just leave a message on this post and we'll see if we feel up to it! (btw, we already have a challenge to use 17+ modes of transport. That's going steadily!)
Cheerio,
Phileas, Background King of Bollywood
So, we became Bollywood Extras!!
Yes, we took up the challenge thrown down to us by Mr. Rajput (wahey!) and succeeded. What a great experience, even though it was a very long night. We were approached in the street (no doubt for our exceptional Western looks, having not shaken off the driven snow quite yet) and informed the shoot would take place that very night. We weren't quite aware that it would take the night; all night. but still, what an opportunity for fame and glory...
We were transported to a shopping centre at 9pm, fed immediately and then herded off to wait. We watched the crew set up and we waited. We waited some more and then we were selected (being dressed bit more trendily than some Slavs I expect) to do a bit of shopping in the first scene. Did I tell you it was actually a commercial? An advert for Reliance mobiles (although it took us 5 hours to find that out) Well, no Shilpa Shetty but we did get a "50% star"! So, Mr & Mrs Phileas shopping together!
More scenes followed (cafe, dining) but we weren't sure how it all fit together! Perhaps it'll be on the internet one day so we can find out.
Yet the best experience was undoubtedly forming the European Federation of Extras. Meeting so many Europeans was brilliant and we definitely bonded as we fought the agents and production to try and get paid! They were keen to shoot another scene but we were keen to get paid and go - we were s'posed to finish at 6am but by 8.15 they were still making excuses trying to get us to stay. Was it all a question of money for us European capitalists? Well, we were getting paid 500 rupees each for the (what turned out to be) 12 hour shift. You do the maths!!
Tiring but great! Thanks SR for the challenge!
If anyone else has a challenge for us then just leave a message on this post and we'll see if we feel up to it! (btw, we already have a challenge to use 17+ modes of transport. That's going steadily!)
Cheerio,
Phileas, Background King of Bollywood
Wednesday, 5 September 2007
In Memory
Have fun Memory Loss at the Greeny Bank! You will struggle without me ;-) but I'm sure Mary will not cope if the team is not represented. So you'd better go!
Qn 1 - what is the former name of Mumbai? (easy)
Qn 2 - what famous monument, made to celebrate the arrival of George V, was built on the wharf of Mumbai? (medium)
Qn 3 - who is the King of Bollywood? (hard)
Qn 1 - what is the former name of Mumbai? (easy)
Qn 2 - what famous monument, made to celebrate the arrival of George V, was built on the wharf of Mumbai? (medium)
Qn 3 - who is the King of Bollywood? (hard)
Moving on from Mumbai.
Well our time is up in Mumbai - onwards to Bangkok. We've had a great time and even did a bit of hard work to make up for not being at school. An interesting time - stories and (hopefully) photos to follow.
Congratulations to the new Mrs Gordon - have lots of fun in Nursery!!
Congratulations to the new Mrs Gordon - have lots of fun in Nursery!!
Monday, 3 September 2007
Saturday, 1 September 2007
Culture shock!
No photos today peeps - I don't think this computer could take the strain! Not sure you guys would cope with the images either! This place is certainly... different. To be honest, it's one of the most unattractive places I've ever been. I'm just glad we overcame the natural thriftyness and paid for the ensuite bathroom. :-)
Playing 'spot the tourist' is a very slow game. Generally, and surprisingly though, we are left alone in the streets. Yet Mrs Phileas has been the recipient of some extra-long inquisitive looks.
Thankfully, the place seems quite safe. The riskiest business is crossing the road and, oh my word, the taxi ride from the airport! It took over 4 pages in Phileas' journal to describe that journey. It is enough to say, for now, that the whole experience went from the unusual, through bizarre and ridiculous, and ended up at Mr. Bean!
We will endeavour to show you more soon.
Playing 'spot the tourist' is a very slow game. Generally, and surprisingly though, we are left alone in the streets. Yet Mrs Phileas has been the recipient of some extra-long inquisitive looks.
Thankfully, the place seems quite safe. The riskiest business is crossing the road and, oh my word, the taxi ride from the airport! It took over 4 pages in Phileas' journal to describe that journey. It is enough to say, for now, that the whole experience went from the unusual, through bizarre and ridiculous, and ended up at Mr. Bean!
We will endeavour to show you more soon.
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