I had been anticipating and
planning Mom's visit for months. In fact, even though the rest of my south-east
Asia travel with friends has been "plan-as-we-go" and on a serious
budget, I'd made a concerted effort to have a basic schedule for each day of
the short two weeks Mom was with me. I researched the best routes and
accommodation areas and gathered information from friends who had done the same
trips before. I sent Mom email upon email of travel tips and reading
preparation. Sometimes, however, all the planning in the world does not help.
Before Mom even arrived, things started to go a little awry.
I went to the Hua Lamphong
train station in Bangkok a few days early to book a scenic day train and bus to
Krabi, in the south of Thailand, so that we could enjoy a bit of the Thai
countryside. What I'd failed to notice while doing all that previous research
was the major fact that it was Thai New Year. And over Thai New Year, Thai
people travel. Bigtime. Needless to say, there were no train seats available
for the day or night. There were only overnight buses, so Mom and I would have
to forego our first night's accommodation in Krabi and spend it on a bus. I
booked a "direct VIP bus with air conditioner", hoping it would
make the experience a little more pleasant for all concerned.
Little did I know that
Jayne's plane to Bangkok would be delayed by nearly seven hours. Therefore,
after travelling for close to two days, I then subjected her to another
uncomfortable 14 hours but not before an "interesting" attempt at a
shopping day in Bangkok, being royally ripped off by a tuk-tuk driver and
dropped in the middle of nowhere, a good old catch-up and a hearty lunch
supplemented with several Chang beers in apology.
Lowlight: Ripped off by tuk-tuk driver
Highlight: Reunited over beer and laughs |
It took very little time for
Mom and I to realise that the bus was not at all VIP, nor was it direct as
promised. We were also delighted to learn that some passengers had paid half
the price and were travelling even further than us. Ben, a German-Kiwi
seventy-year old man was our saving grace throughout our non-direct trip. At
each stop, he made sure we were on the correct mode of transport at the correct
time. He entertained us with stories of his extensive travel experience and his
various business adventures. He is truly a remarkable man and a reminder that
one is really never too old to travel.
By the time we arrived in
Krabi, we were both relieved and exhausted. We spent a splendid six days there
swimming, walking, visiting the beautiful surrounding islands and beaches,
eating good food, spending times with friends from South Africa (they had also
completed the “VIP” bus trip which we laughed about for hours) and swimming
some more. Mom turned even browner than
ever and slept better than ever.
| Highlight: Bamboo Beach, Phi Phi - magnificent water and swimming |
Besides both of us suffering a few minor
travel ailments, everything ran very smoothly. We even managed to fit in a Thai
cooking course with Bin and Noh. We learnt so much about the country's culture
as well as the delicious food. We sampled so many dishes that we inadvertently
steered clear of Thai food for the rest of the trip.
| Highlight: an afternoon of Thai cooking at Siam Cuisine |
Both of us were devastated
to leave Krabi a day early again for transport reasons. We convinced each other
that it was part of the real Thai experience. It was a lengthy trip; first by
bus to Surat Thani, then a long wait at the train station and lastly the
sleeper train to Bangkok. Mom's period of sleeping well was over but we saw
some magnificent scenery and enjoyed the cooling relief of the rain.
| Lowlight: a six-hour wait at Surat Thani train station but still smiling |
I had booked what I thought
was a hotel on the infamous Khaosan Road for a night. We'd have easy access to
some good eateries and Mom could do a bit of gift shopping and sightseeing. Our
timing and my booking could not have been any worse. For one thing, it was the
opening day of Songkran, the water festival held all over the country in
celebration of Thai New Year. The Grand Palace and other sights were teeming
with tourists and locals and absolutely none of the
shopping stalls were open. What we did find were throngs of people armed with
water pistols and buckets of freezing water to throw on us unsuspecting few.
As for our
"hotel", it was actually a filthy hostel in a dark alleyway called
Susie Walking Street. The staff was unhelpful, we had to drag our bags up 6
flights of stairs, there was cat pooh all over the corridors (tail-less cats
kept appearing from all over the place) and the walls were surely made of
paper. Heck, we didn't even have a basin in the bathroom. Mom found it all rather amusing (it took me a
little longer to see the funny side). We took cover at a restaurant and watched
the madness unfold around us while consuming a lot of Chang beer in wet
clothes. We even caught a glimpse of the Queen of the Thai royal family on her
way to officially open the New Year celebrations.
We left for Cambodia early
the next morning as the water festival party-goers were only going home, having
done no shopping or sleeping. Looking back at Mom and I sharing the equivalent
of a single bed, giggling and cursing at the couple next door having a
ridiculous drunk argument for several hours, inventing ways to block out the
rave music coming through the window (besides it being "closed") and
dodging the cat pooh, I still can't quite believe it. One thing is for sure;
Jayne is a better backpacker than I will ever be.
I had been to Siem Reap, Cambodia,
two years previously. A friend and I had stayed at Palm Garden Lodge, a lovely
little guesthouse with a convenient location, quaint atmosphere, good prices
and the big selling point: a pond where the fish would nibble at your feet. I found
the website and booked there again for Mom and I. My friend, Bronwyn, also
booked there upon my recommendation. The three of us were dropped us off at the
Palm Garden Lodge. But hang on. This was not where I stayed two years ago. We
checked the address and the website and sure enough, this was the guesthouse I
had booked online. It had just mysteriously changed location, manager and the general
ethos of the place. By now, I was a giggling-swearing mess of a human being and
resigned myself to the fact that all forward thinking should be thrown out of
the window. I think Mom was most upset about the lack of the fish pond.
| Highlight: Fortunately, we still managed to have the fish eat our feet |
The Angkor temples are
something of wonder. We happened to be exploring the temples on the first day
of, wait for it, Cambodian New Year. Although it was ridiculously busy, it was
a fantastic experience to see how the local people celebrated with music,
dancing and good food. We moved on to the capital of Phnom Penh via bus.
Cambodia’s capital city was pleasantly surprising and we spent a culturally-enriching
two days learning and being shocked by the country’s violent history, driving
through the outskirts of the city and ambling along the wide streets of
embassies, temples and government buildings decorated in gold.
| Highlight: Angkor temples |
Our only minor issue at our
last destination was when we took our laundry to a little place on a side
street. When we went back a day later to collect it, they couldn’t find our
laundry at all. In fact, our bag of laundry had not been touched at all and was
sitting along with the bags of rubbish ready to be thrown out. Mom and I looked
at each other in disbelief and shrugged. It was nothing that a Chang beer and
some hand washing could not fix.
Unfortunately, hardly any of
my planning proved successful. While travelling in south-east Asia, sometimes
it is better to simply go with the flow and have no set schedule at all. Fortunately,
it was an unforgettable two weeks of laughs, tears, ridiculous journeys, some
of the most beautiful sights in the world, more laughs, major perspiration, fresh
food and fruit and too much Chang beer.
And fortunately, I have the
most wonderful mother. She makes the absolute best of every situation. Not once
did she complain; she simply took it all in her stride. In hindsight, we'll
only laugh at all the mishaps and treasure the best memories of a most (un)fortunate
series of events.
| Highlight: Railay Beach, Krabi and Leo beer |
