Diving and beaching

Jan 18-26 Bangkok, Koh Tao, Hua Hin

Landing in Bangkok the first I need to sort out is my train ticket to Chumphon tomorrow from where I will hop on a ferry to Koh Tao. I was planning to go to Laos originally but since I only have a maximum of 8 days until I need to be in Hanoi it would be quite stressed and would involve me sitting in a bus for 50% of the time. So I opt to chill on the beach and dive instead.

Last time I was at Hualomphong train station I checked the schedule and was informed that the only train a day to Chumphon leaves around 7pm. Now that has passed. Today I find out there would have been another train at 11pm which I could have made today, instead of going tomorrow, but now I already have made some plans. So typical for here. No matter who you ask you will always get different information.

So the evening is spent catching up with Mag and Udo and we also make some plans for tomorrow, since my train only leaves at night. I also meet up with a few friends at BU and generally just enjoy the day. The Campus is so packed with people like I've seen it before. The Cafeteria is brimming, school uniforms everywhere. What happened I ask? It's not that BUIC has suddenly seen a gigantic increase in students. Many of them are from the main campus, which still suffers under effects from the floods. Especially final year students cannot wait for their campus to reopen and many classes have been relocated. The BUIC students aren't all delighted about the influx of people here.

After a lovely farewell dinner at Wine Connection it's off to the train station. The only ticket available was a A/C seat. No sleepers, no fans. The seats are very comfy so that is reassuring. But A/C also means that it is cooled down to a felt 5 degrees. And although fully clothed and blanketed I am freezing. And what else to make it less enjoyable. A chatty, and later loudly snoring, Thai next to me.

There's a connecting bus transfer from the train to the pier and all is very seamless. The speed catamaran to Koh Tao arrives timely and now the next task, find a comfy accommodation and diving spot.

Once again like on all Thai islands now, all budget accommodation is somewhat horrible. After seeing one smelly, dingy room after the other I settle on Big Blue Diving. Rooms are not nice here either but at least they are free, as long as I am diving. I had wanted to check out other beaches in the South and East of Koh Tao that are more secluded and quieter than the main beach of Sairee but by now I am just too beat and tired. Damn traveling.

The next days are spent beaching and diving so nothing too exciting to share.

Facebook knows everything so I found out that some fellow Kufsteiners are in Koh Tao at the same time and we spent a lovely evening with food and beers, catching up on news and travel tips.

With diving in Koh Tao you ought to get lucky. There is good dive spots and not so good ones and it strongly depends on visibility, which varied widely while I was there. I did have some enjoyable dives at great sites with plenty fish but others were not so fantastic. You also need to get lucky to get there before the other dozens of dive boats do. Koh Tao is simply overcrowded. Definitely can't compare to the diving in Indonesia.

My flight leaving Bangkok to Hanoi was late evening on the 26^th. And although it was a late flight there was no way of getting there leaving the same day. The ferry, bus/train connections are not that advantageous. You always need to leave a day ahead. On a whim I decided to spend the nights before the flight in Hua Hin, two hours south of Bangkok. That way I could still chill on the beach until noon that same day before catching my flight. Another long ferry and bus ride I found a nice place to stay in Hua Hin and spoiled myself a little with the nice room and comfy bed. After all those nights in shacks, I felt I deserved that.

Hua Hin is catered to tourists and retirees spending their 'Golden Years' here. Mostly Germans, Dutch, French and Russians. The beach is beautiful but overcrowded. When the tide is in there is little space for the beach chairs and everyone is sitting almost on top of each other. I did enjoy watching the volunteer police riding up and down the beach, occasionally renting their horses to tourists as well.

Hua Hin also boasts a lively night market with plenty of seafood restaurants. I rewarded myself with some take out and a movie. Sweet!

Lounging by the pool and then another bus ride to Bangkok. The bus was delayed by over an hour (I expected nothing less considering Bangkok traffic), taking almost 4 hours from Hua Hin to Victory Monument. Leaving me just enough time to head to the storage unit at my former residence, unpack half my stuff from the backpack to the trolley. I have had enough of lugging the backpack around and honestly speaking a little trolley should suffice me for the next month of traveling. The longer you are on the road the less you realize you actually need.

Set out to the airport and got spoiled by Qatar Airways on the way to Hanoi. Vietnam here I come!  

Sitting Buddha, Standing Buddha, Reclining Buddha, Buddha Pagoda, Buddha Temple, Buddha Snake........ I am Buddha'd out!

Jan 15 – 17 Bago

Today Udo and I are separating as well. He is determined to visit Ngapali Beach to see how an 'untouched' beach in Myanmar looks like. I don't feel like shelling out for the expensive airfare and am opting for the bus instead and will stop in Bago, en route back to Yangon where our flight is leaving on January 17^th.

Udo leaves early morning. My bus is scheduled to leave at 1pm from the 'highway' junction outside Nyaungshwe and get to Bago at 3am. So I have prebooked accommodation there. 3am after all is not a great time to be strolling around looking for a place to stay.

I leave on time, hop on a pick-up truck to the junction and wait and wait and wait. Around 3pm I receive a call informing me that my bus is late. Nice for them to be telling me that, but I already assumed, considering that I've been waiting for nearly three hours. Another 45 minutes later and old run down Korean bus finally arrives and unfortunately this one is mine. By now I am just happy to be leaving, but not so fast. The bus breaks down a little later on the mountain roads. Gets fixed within an hour and off we are again. At the rest stop I do buy some locally made Myanmar wine. Considering I would need that if the trip continues that way. A horrible bus ride later (seriously, if you can afford it, fly to and from Inle, the mountain roads will take their toll on you and your vacation) I get into Bago near 6am, pitch dark, hitch a cyclo cab to the guesthouse and nap for a little while.

Saying goodbye to Mama Susu 

Luxurious Myanmar toilet 

Stocking up on some Kalaw wine 

Since I only have one day in Bago and apparently there's plenty to see no time to be wasted. I set out at 10am with a motorcycle driver. After agreeing to pay him 10$ he agrees to go around to back entries of all the major sights so I do not have to pay the 10$ entrance fee. Gotta love that system ;-)

We visit the local monastery in which several hundred monks are being educated. The big show for the tourists is the feeding of the monks (whaaaat?!?!). As usual, since I am already here I might as well watch it. First my driver leads me around, tells me about his life (10 days) of being a monk, shows me the kitchen and sleeping quarters (all very basic).

And here it is. The big 'show'. At 11am, since monks are required to eat all their daily meals before noon. Hundreds of monks line up, food bowls in hand and head toward the dining hall once the huge Gong has sounded. Tourists (many Buddhist Thais) line up before the entrance of the dining hall and against donations get to sweep up rice and 'donate' it to the Monks before they enter the dining hall. After they all entered you can watch them eat their rice and fish and meat curries. The menu is the exact same every day. Rice and curry. Rice and curry. My driver admits he was tired of it after a few days, the monks in this monastery however agree to the lifestyle for many years.

Our tour of religious artifacts in Bago starts. And there's plenty of them. Pagodas, temples, Buddhas. And by this time you've seen plenty of pictures of them as well I will leave the detailed explanations out. Just to say I did not pay entrance fees and also did not pay the camera fees demanded at most sites. After all do you really want to see more close ups of the religious sights? It's been enough for you too? That's exactly what I thought. So after visiting the biggest Pagoda in Myanmar (bigger than Shewdagon in Yangon), the Pagoda which offers a great view of Bago and a temple famous for a snake (I didn't quite understand the full story) I also get to experience a cigar factory. Women rolling up the tobacco mixed with other stuff in leaves and expertly trimming it to look like a professional cigar/cigarette. Apparently they are quite light, but I've had enough from trying the one in Bagan. Yikes. The working conditions would seem crazy in our part of the world but the women hear seem content, joking in between, eating and smiling (or curiously staring at the foreigner – me).

At this point I was actually hoping that the tour would be finished, is there really so much to see in Bago. But no, we've only seen one side of the river. After lunch break we will see the other part.

Curiosity wins over tiredness and after exploring the Bago market I am ready to be shown some more. The some more is more Pagodas and more Buddhas. I wish I could ask my Moto driver if there is anything to see in Bago that doesn't involve Buddhas but he is so proud of them and showing them off I don't dare say anything. So hear I go to the Stupa with the 30 something Buddhas, the 80something sitting Buddhas, the standing Buddhas. The giant reclining Buddhas. And yes, the reclining Buddhas are impressive. The Stupa with 80something Buddhas inside, the biggest reclining Buddha in the world (real intricate details on that one). By the time we reach the 4 giant sitting Buddhas I am totally Buddha'd out.

Thankfully that's it. So I need some food and cold beer. Aaaaaaaaah!

I love Myanmar and it is beautiful. But for now I am grateful I am leaving Buddha central. For a little while I want to stay clear of more monuments to religion.

I relax for the rest of the evening and morning.

Apparently I need two hours from Bago to Yangon, another 20 minutes or so to the bus station in Bago and another half hour or so from Yangon bus station to the airport, all provided I get immediate buses and onward transport. Since they are hopelessly overcharging for scheduled buses that come once in a blue moon I do what was recommended, just head to a highway stop on a moto taxi for 500K. I leave early enough to have plenty of time to catch the flight should anything be delayed or go wrong (just think of the last bus rides). Against my expectation everything goes smooth. The bus to Yangon is empty when I get there but fills up within a matter of minutes. It's the one of the sort that should have broken down already long ago, but still sputters along. For a short ride, of far less than the planned two hours, that is fine (and only 1000K). And I have an old guy in front of me that loves to practice his English and also chitchat about the local situation, including politics. While everyone I met hates the government they all admit as well it has been getting better in the past months and people are hopeful.

The transition to the airport is smooth as well for a hard negotiated 1500K (considering Mag paid 6000K three days earlier for a spot in a full taxi) I get my own cab to the airport and am there in a few minutes. About five hours before my scheduled departure. Nooooooo!

Killing some time until Udo joins me in the wait. He loved Ngapali and enjoyed his beach time loads. We also run into Nino again, so the hours pass quickly with sharing stories.

That's how fast an adventure can end.

Some beach pictures courtesy of Udo:

Myanmar is definitely worth the trip. It takes more planning than a trip to most other countries but richly rewards the person taking the effort. Challenges will be plenty, especially if you would like to venture off the tourist paths that require permits or would like to visit areas that can only be reached (by foreigners) by air with flights that are not readily scheduled but just happen when they happen. But nothing that can't be taken care of with lots of patience and a smile.

It is a very safe country. While they see any single traveler as weird they are most likely to help you. All the money you bring is safe as well, just keep your wits and street smarts on.

Put Myanmar on your travel list now, before everyone else catches on and Bagan is as overrun as Angkor Wat, Bago sees the hordes of Wat Pho, Bangkok, the developers pave over Inle Lake and Ngapali is the next Phuket.