hi from Bangkok
Greetings from Kao Sahn Road (jallan Kao Sahn)!
Ah just the name of it brings a tear of happy memories to so many of you ex-backpackers,eh? "Kao Sahn road" How many of you arrived here right from the airport, on your fist night in Asia, not really knowing what to expect, only to find this combination "giant-outdoor-backpacker-supermarket" /freak show/carnival unfolding and reshaping itself right before your startled westernized eyes every few seconds? In his book "The Beach" Alex Garland calls it the center of the backpacker universe. Yeah I guess that about sums it up. It is just like I left it/found it in August of 2004. Cripes! it has been a while since I have been here! Feels like home to me...in a way. On October 1, just 25 days ago I began my 5th year of travelling the world! "What a long strange trip its been"-Jerry Garcia It sure is nice to be back on Kao Sahn Road...in a way...
So I just arrived here 4 hours ago on the overnight international train from Penang Malaysia. Nice train. I had an upper berth on the second class sleeper which is the only class available because second class Malaysia is first class in Thailand. Very comfortable and I met a bunch of cool travellers. We told jokes and talked about Penang. Stefano from Italy and Dave from England. Stefano is a 67 year old guy who has been travlling for 25 years. He is funny and wise and has really bad breath. I had to put tiger balm on my nose because I wanted to keep listening to him but didnt know what to say about his breath. Meat eater, y'know??
Penang is a little island in the straits of Melacca right where it becomes the Indian ocean. It belongs to Malaysia which is why I was there, because my Thai visa was expiring and I had to leave to get a new visa. Penang city is also called Georgetown. but since "W" became leader of the free world, everyone is calling it Penang again. It is a model of how the world SHOULD be. Mostly Ethnic hokien Chinese, and malays with lots of Indians:Tamils and Sikhs and Kashmiris and plenty of whites Burmese and Vietnamese also. Everyone gets along fine. There are hindu temples, buddhist wats, 7th day adventist churches, mosques, Catholic Churches but everyone just lives together harmoniously.
It makes you think "what is wrong with the rest of the world?" I think its the food, myself! There is such an abundance of really good grub here! All these folks are out at night in their little hawker stands selling all kinds of great stuff. Samosas and wadis, satai and Nasi goreng, Curry Mee with tofu, coconut sticky rice,fried chicken necks,fish head soup,fruits on a stick. Gado Gado... you name it, they got it. All so delicious. Smells so good. you just wanna eat and eat!! no time for Jihad or preventive strikes to save democracy!!
I stayed at the very good cheap guest house called S&D, on Love Lane. Love Lane is where all the lady boy prostituetes hang out. Reminds me of the old Kinks song "Lola" these dainty young things calling out to you with the voice of Luciano Pavaroti, and feet like Shaquille O'Neal!! but nice tight mini skirts...We talk about a supply and demand economy. In reality it is a demand and supply economy. The demand creates the supply. If there were no customers for these CWDs (chicks with dicks) there would be no supply. but truthfully they dont bother anyone and they are good for a laugh.
So I met up with an old travelling mate of mine called Ryan the American, who I knew 2 years ago in Boca del Torros, a little island in the Carribean Sea, off the coast of Northern Panama. We went all around together and took a bus to Batu Ferringi which is a cool little touristy beach town on the north west coast of Penang island. We saw a very interesting and beautiful troop of monkees in a bunch of rubber trees. Not fake trees but real rubber trees y'know? They had really long tails and white circles around thier eyes. So cute. if you want a photo let me know and when Ryan sends me his pics I will send one on to you. Shhaa I dont even own a camera myself...
So now here I am back in Bangkok. I will be here a few days or a week. Then I will take a bus to Poipet on the Cambodia border and then change to a khmer bus and go to Battambang. Battambang is Cambodias second largest city. It is on the largest lake in South East Asia and you all know how this pisces boy loves to be near a body of water. There is also a big bird sanctuary there so I can go bird watching.
Problem is all the UXO's (unexploded ordnance) which Richard Nixon did NOT drop on Cambodia and all the land mines which the Chinese did NOT give to the Khmer Rouge. All these non existant 35 year old weapons are still killing about 20 Cambodians per month. So I have to stay on well worn paths and watch my "six" if I want to continue buying my shoes by the pair...
From there I will go to Phnom Pehn and get a visa for Vietnam, and travel overland and visit that country for the first time. I welcome any suggestions of places to go if you have been there. I hear the mekong delta is good for culture, and Hoi An for chilling and swimming...
I am going to meet my buddy Andy here for some food in a couple of hours so I gotta go and get cleaned up. This guy has a great website you can check out at www.hobotraveller.com
So thats all for now. Next update from Cambodia.Here are some interesting quotes from two of Americas most famous fight men. both big time generals during WW2. Its funny how the guys who actually did the fighting to save liberty and democracy feel about it after it is all over with..
"The object and practice of liberty lies in the limitation of governmental power." General Douglasss MacArthur
"Wars can be prevented just as surely as they can be provoked, and we who fail to prevent them must share in the guilt for the dead." General Omar Bradley
Peace and Love,
Rambling Robert
Ah just the name of it brings a tear of happy memories to so many of you ex-backpackers,eh? "Kao Sahn road" How many of you arrived here right from the airport, on your fist night in Asia, not really knowing what to expect, only to find this combination "giant-outdoor-backpacker-supermarket" /freak show/carnival unfolding and reshaping itself right before your startled westernized eyes every few seconds? In his book "The Beach" Alex Garland calls it the center of the backpacker universe. Yeah I guess that about sums it up. It is just like I left it/found it in August of 2004. Cripes! it has been a while since I have been here! Feels like home to me...in a way. On October 1, just 25 days ago I began my 5th year of travelling the world! "What a long strange trip its been"-Jerry Garcia It sure is nice to be back on Kao Sahn Road...in a way...
So I just arrived here 4 hours ago on the overnight international train from Penang Malaysia. Nice train. I had an upper berth on the second class sleeper which is the only class available because second class Malaysia is first class in Thailand. Very comfortable and I met a bunch of cool travellers. We told jokes and talked about Penang. Stefano from Italy and Dave from England. Stefano is a 67 year old guy who has been travlling for 25 years. He is funny and wise and has really bad breath. I had to put tiger balm on my nose because I wanted to keep listening to him but didnt know what to say about his breath. Meat eater, y'know??
Penang is a little island in the straits of Melacca right where it becomes the Indian ocean. It belongs to Malaysia which is why I was there, because my Thai visa was expiring and I had to leave to get a new visa. Penang city is also called Georgetown. but since "W" became leader of the free world, everyone is calling it Penang again. It is a model of how the world SHOULD be. Mostly Ethnic hokien Chinese, and malays with lots of Indians:Tamils and Sikhs and Kashmiris and plenty of whites Burmese and Vietnamese also. Everyone gets along fine. There are hindu temples, buddhist wats, 7th day adventist churches, mosques, Catholic Churches but everyone just lives together harmoniously.
It makes you think "what is wrong with the rest of the world?" I think its the food, myself! There is such an abundance of really good grub here! All these folks are out at night in their little hawker stands selling all kinds of great stuff. Samosas and wadis, satai and Nasi goreng, Curry Mee with tofu, coconut sticky rice,fried chicken necks,fish head soup,fruits on a stick. Gado Gado... you name it, they got it. All so delicious. Smells so good. you just wanna eat and eat!! no time for Jihad or preventive strikes to save democracy!!
I stayed at the very good cheap guest house called S&D, on Love Lane. Love Lane is where all the lady boy prostituetes hang out. Reminds me of the old Kinks song "Lola" these dainty young things calling out to you with the voice of Luciano Pavaroti, and feet like Shaquille O'Neal!! but nice tight mini skirts...We talk about a supply and demand economy. In reality it is a demand and supply economy. The demand creates the supply. If there were no customers for these CWDs (chicks with dicks) there would be no supply. but truthfully they dont bother anyone and they are good for a laugh.
So I met up with an old travelling mate of mine called Ryan the American, who I knew 2 years ago in Boca del Torros, a little island in the Carribean Sea, off the coast of Northern Panama. We went all around together and took a bus to Batu Ferringi which is a cool little touristy beach town on the north west coast of Penang island. We saw a very interesting and beautiful troop of monkees in a bunch of rubber trees. Not fake trees but real rubber trees y'know? They had really long tails and white circles around thier eyes. So cute. if you want a photo let me know and when Ryan sends me his pics I will send one on to you. Shhaa I dont even own a camera myself...
So now here I am back in Bangkok. I will be here a few days or a week. Then I will take a bus to Poipet on the Cambodia border and then change to a khmer bus and go to Battambang. Battambang is Cambodias second largest city. It is on the largest lake in South East Asia and you all know how this pisces boy loves to be near a body of water. There is also a big bird sanctuary there so I can go bird watching.
Problem is all the UXO's (unexploded ordnance) which Richard Nixon did NOT drop on Cambodia and all the land mines which the Chinese did NOT give to the Khmer Rouge. All these non existant 35 year old weapons are still killing about 20 Cambodians per month. So I have to stay on well worn paths and watch my "six" if I want to continue buying my shoes by the pair...
From there I will go to Phnom Pehn and get a visa for Vietnam, and travel overland and visit that country for the first time. I welcome any suggestions of places to go if you have been there. I hear the mekong delta is good for culture, and Hoi An for chilling and swimming...
I am going to meet my buddy Andy here for some food in a couple of hours so I gotta go and get cleaned up. This guy has a great website you can check out at www.hobotraveller.com
So thats all for now. Next update from Cambodia.Here are some interesting quotes from two of Americas most famous fight men. both big time generals during WW2. Its funny how the guys who actually did the fighting to save liberty and democracy feel about it after it is all over with..
"The object and practice of liberty lies in the limitation of governmental power." General Douglasss MacArthur
"Wars can be prevented just as surely as they can be provoked, and we who fail to prevent them must share in the guilt for the dead." General Omar Bradley
Peace and Love,
Rambling Robert
posted by Rambling Robert | 2:54 AM
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