| Same Same but Different
Every time it is a different set of musicians so it gets never boring.
Shall put a few pix from the Lisu new year in Lapilu in a few days – if only a day had 48 hours up here in Pai…
Same Same but Different
Every time it is a different set of musicians so it gets never boring.
Shall put a few pix from the Lisu new year in Lapilu in a few days – if only a day had 48 hours up here in Pai…
Woke up early and do the computer thing in the bungalow. There is fireworks from all the mountains around since more than 2 hours now – the dragon is on its way!
Will drive with Terry to a remote hill tribe village far up in the mountains. Lapilu is a litte Lisu village on the mountain on the right of the picture, has a school and a Thai army post. I am really looking forward to the next 2 days out there.
What a fantastic day – today. Went to bed at 3 in the morning and had a really fun night. Got up at 9 – well that is not really nice. Breakfast and some internet. Than i wanted to visit Chris – like last time he wanted to come to my place and we did meet in the middle. He was on the way to give back the motorbike so we went back to my place and took the gasoline. I can use this to go to Lapilu for the Lisu New Year. Than quick to Aya to return the bike. The plan was to go to his place and say Hi to the girl. Ha! It took us over one hour to get to the bridge. 1st stop at Num and Weo to get the bicycle. Than we die meet the swiss guy before the 1st corner. At Good Live there was the rest of the crew – so talk to everybody for a few minutes. Than we walked 20 meters – the Catalans where coming – a few minutes later and a few meters later the German guy with the hat was coming. A few minutes later as we passed Yellow Sun Tee did sit there. Than we did meet Mike but he was in a hurry so that was fast.
Finally we managed to get to Shangri La. Went for a coffee with Lara. We did not find the Japanese place but another nice one. Had a nice chat with a guy from Canada over coffee.
On the way to the road we did meet the old Italian – ok lets have a papaya salad. Than i took off to visit Mike in his house. There was the nice French girl that sings so well. We had coffee, bread with salted butter and guacamole.
Than she even gave me a lift home – what do you want more??
Soon the crew will meet at the Happy Table and the TGIF evening will start!
Eli and Ivan – they did not come to SE Asia for 2 winters but now they are back. Allways a pleasure to meet them 
Coffee with a smile – Thailand!
Off to AYA Service to get a bike
More than 700 bends to Pai – a lot of Thai can not handle that
Fuck – i did manage to pick the only day when it rained. And i do not talk drizzle – i talk heaven opened the gates kind of water from the sky. Of course i was soaked after a few minutes.
What a nice way to bring your dogs with you on a trip
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Monika and Alex – saw them last in Dali 2 years ago – with a Chinese friend: One Night in Bangkok
Every Saturday a farmer comes into my street as well – hmmm – same same but different!
Vespa Market – i love it!
Ok – who wants the old fart on the wall???
They call it art – i do not quite get it – but what do i know about art???
When you think you saw all the cool VW Bus bars in Thailand – there where at last 10 more here plus a fleet of non converted ones – GREAT!
Trend scout Marc reports live from Vespa Market in Bangkok: DIY is the current trent!
Cool ride!
The party crowd!
Bucket time
GHTime Code(s): ncSo what does it look like – the typical tourist day in Bangkok?? Get up at 11, take shower, have breakfast and start doing the internet thing if you like. Later i did meet Dee and Gerben for early dinner – than we went to a nice night market – it is called Vespa Market and not to far from the weekend market. Not so big and not so many people here – and it is after the sun is down so it is not so hot – perfect for strolling along the different stalls with all sort of stuff to get. A mix of flea market, a few live music places, cool hip small bars and a regular market mixed with food. Did run into Jekky, Pennie Lane, Kevin, Farhan and a few others of the cs crew. cool so we have a few beers and talk and zooom it was after midnight.
Dee was supposed to meet some friends in a bar/club thing at khao san rd so off we are with the next taxi. Did meet her girls and the party did start – beer and beer and than we went to a real club – the music got better and we went for buckets than the next club at 5 in the morning and i had to go to gin tonics.
Needed a trouser that i could not find last weekend so i went to the weekend market – and could not find it again. No sleep and some drinks did not really help – after 3 hours i gave up! finally i make it back to my room at 16.00 to sleep one hour and than i have to shower to catch the sunday dinner at Taileks house. Bee & Jekky are cooking there every week. Always some cool people to talk and hang out there. Almost like the good old N6 – if you know what i mean!
i love bkk
After two weeks of more or less party all night and do not sleep enough all day i managed somehow to escape from crazy Bangkok. Took a VIP night bus up to Chiang Mai and of course you have to be lucky to find a room if you arrive at 6 in the morning.
Took me 15 minutes – than i got lucky. A little bit of sleep and things where back to normal. In the afternoon i did meet with Eli and Ivan – did not see them for about 4 years now. They are happy as ever and i am looking forward for some more quality time with them.
Than it is up to Pai in a few days – looking forward to meet the good old Pai crew up there!
Last dinner before i went to the bus station. Thanks Dee for your help with the hospital!
Due to Bangkok traffic you better go early to whereever you have to be in time. That means that most of the time you are to early and have to wait. A bus station is one of the worst places to do so. Imagine a 1000 buses or so and most of them have the engine running – pollution and noise – not even a few golden Chang bullets can help to make that wait pleasant.
Finally the bus arrived. Massage seat, more than 140 movies (do not know how many as i stopped to count, games, snack and drink, coffee in the morning and even a power outlet! Had many flights where things where not as nice as this bus. Still i can not really sleep when i am sitting.
Good bye moon – hello Thapae Gate
Makes one wonder what they put in the safty box for you?
So what do you get for 7.50€? A lot more if the € would be stronger. This year it is 40 Bath to the €. In the last 10 it was 51-46 – so things looked a bit more different. I have to add that they did carge me 1.25 € more because the room had a tv that was blocking the table – so i had to put the useless thing on the floor. Lets say this is what you get for 6 € than!
Shower comes with hot water!
A lot of light in the room and you can leave the door to the balcony open day and night – it has a mosquito screen and the balcony a thick enough metal grid.
Bed can sleep two – note the funcky flower blanket – lenghts fits children up to 11 years – but not me…
This is strange – the sink is out on the balcony – now what is that good for? You use the bathroom and have to go all the way there to wash your hands? Why why why – but this is what i have to ask every 3 seconds when i look arround at the most asian places
I am still in Bangkok – to many friends coming in all the time. Last night i did meet Monika and Alex on their way back to Dali. They did stop a day in BKK as their plane from Munich did land here. Tomorrow Weekend Market and than dinner at Taileks house. Hope to get a ticket for the Monday night bus to Chiang Mai as well – looking forward to a few quite days in Pai. Lets see if that works out
Dee did help me find a cheaper private clinic this time. Armed with the address in written in Thai and the menu of the day i boarded a taxi at 9 in the morning. Took almost 40 minutes to get there – to much traffic in Bangkok! Than it was a big hello at the reception but Dee did tell them that i come so they had my name written down. Did take another 15 minutes to fill out the paper work – you give the passport and they do it but than nobody really did speak english so they had to ask which country etc.
Than i got a “personal assistant” A nice thai girl with a blue uniform – she guided me all the way to the building and the different stations. This is a private thai hospital but not build for international customers – so the girl that was sitting in front of the x-ray room did most of the questions they had to know – smoker, alcohol etc. Than we did talk a while about the hungarian dog on my biz card to pass time. Sweet!
Than i had all of the checks done and the girl from the reception served lunch while my assistant got water and coffee.
Will get the results in 2 days – lets see.
Than i had to see the dentist and he was the only one that really did speak good english. I have a chipped tooth but it is to small to get fixed and he told me it really does not make sense if he starts to do there anything – so he only took the sharp edge away a bit – than he did the rest of my papers so nothing got filled out wrong – that whole dentist appointment was 5€!! and the € is only 40 Bath right now! “Our” health system would be very happy with dentists like that!
Had a tasty dinner at Taileks house and went towards Khao San Road for midnight. Did meet with Dee, Gerben and the rest of the crew. It was a fun night!
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Did spend the 1st few nights at Taileks House in a really non tourist area of Bangkok. Bee took me to the next food stop and i had my 1st thai food for a while. Great!
Than we went to her friend that has a hair saloon and a little tailor shop – did need a new moneybag so she made one for me.
The next morning after only 2 hours of sleep i had to pick up Rebecca from the airport – this is part of the sky train station.
Getting ready to great package tourists.
One of the many things i had to show Rebecca – my favorite place for Tom Yam Goong i eat here for more than 22 years now!
It is still as good as it was – only it is 100 Bath now – still a bargain if you compare quality and size!
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