71. Golden Triangle Tour - Loo Laughs and The Pink Bus

The Outdoor Dunny
Walking back to the bus from the village I desperately needed the loo as did another lady. The dunny was a tin shack, no electricity, a dirt floor and you could barely see inside as night was falling. The other lady went in (while I was hopping from foot to foot), came out with look of disdain on her face, her nose in the air and said she wasn't going to go there it was disgraceful and she would wait until we made our next stop.

Me? I'm realistic/. I went right in, peered in the murky gloom, found where the "hole" was. What do people expect when they go to a village in the hills in the middle of nowhere - all the mod cons of the 20th century? As a child dad used to take us for a picnic (we went all over Victoria) on many Sundays, usually there were no loos where we stopped, it was out bush, so it was go behind a bush in the tall grass and hope you don't get anything on your shoes. The thing that stands out most is the grass tickling your nether regions!
Anyway, I had a comfortable ride on the bus. And when we did eventually make our next (and last) stop, that other lady was the first off the bus!

NOTE: "Dunny" is Australian slang for toilet - mostly used in reference to an outdoor toilet.



The Last Stop
Finally after a couple of hours we came to the last stop of the day. It must have been around 7.00pm or thereabouts. We would have been travelling for around two hours I think. And as we pulled in, I saw this most glorious pink bus pull up along side us on the right hand side. I just knew I had to get a photo of it.

 

Above: The Pink Bus
I've never seen a pink bus before in all my born days. Such a very "manly" bus - complete with pink curtains, pink swags and pink tassels, pink swirls along the side, in four shades of pink and even pink writing (in two shades of pink). I had expected a bus load of females to get off this bus. Instead, there were men and women of both sexes, but more men that women. It was a Japanese tourist bus.
I thought it hilarious.

 

Above: So much pink
Front view. There's even pink rosebuds on white dingle-dangles! And one of the identification papers is in a pink cover! Here I was in the north of Thailand somewhere in the middle of the night grinning away at the sight of this bus. It gave me quite a laugh I can tell you. I couldn't have organised it better myself. What a glorious end to a day's outing!

 

Above: The Stop-Shop
This is our last stop. Remember the fastidious one? With her nose stuck in the air? Well she sped off the bus just as fast as her legs could carry her. I declare, she was so fast she'd have beaten Michael Schumacher in a race!

 

Above: Lollies, drinks and coffee
Inside was a pleasant surprise. Considering the lateness of the hour it was good to find just about anything you could want. This place is obviously used as a stopping place by buses and tour groups so they'd do a pretty good business and stock most things. You can get a half-decent cup of coffee here too. I bought a coffee and strolled around in the darkness of the night.

 

Above: The Palm
Outside, I wandered around the little car park and was quite taken with this palm. I'm sure it was real and it's been decorated with Christmas decorations.

 

Above: A Mexican Sombrero?
Now this, this was intriguing. A Mexican sombrero in the north of Thailand? It definitely looks to me like a person wearing a sombrero. Perhaps there was an artist from South America staying here?

We were all herded back on the bus, our guide telling us it was a three hour drive to Chiang Mai and we could all go to sleep. We arrived in Chiang Mai around 10.30pm, tired but happy. It was a long day but worth it. I had a wonderful time and really enjoyed it. I understand now why some companies do this as an overnight trip - there is such a distance to cover and so many things to see that doing it as a day trip means you don't really get enough time to spend at some places. However, the overnight trips are very, very expensive and out of reach of those on a budget!



Next: Chinese Market

69. Golden Triangle Tour - Tachilek, Burma

Burma
This was for me, the most exciting part of the tour. I longed to go to Burma and this would afford me the opportunity, even if it was only for an hour or so. We stopped at Mae Sai - I was the only person on the tour who wanted to do this. I had only 30 minutes, it was supposed to be longer but too much time had been spent earlier. I remember feeling disappointed because I would have liked longer there but it was not to be.

I knew you had to have your passport as you get stamped out of Thailand, stamped into Burma. Then stamped out of Burma and stamped back in to Thailand. What I did not know was you also had to have your departure card with you - this is the card given to you on the plane just before you arrive into Thailand. The "entry" section is kept on entry and the "departure" section is handed over to immigration on leaving Thailand. It just didn't occur to me to bring it. The tour guide asked me at the very beginning of the tour if I had my passport, but he didn't mention the departure card.

I was terribly, terribly disappointed, I had so wanted to visit Burma. The immigration officer said get two photo copies of my passport. I did. Our tour guide was very good, he came with me and helped me. He (immigration officer) wanted 100 baht for his trouble. He got it - I'd have given 200 if he'd asked for it! Anyway, he stamped one (photocopy) but he kept my passport. The Burma side stamped the second one.

Above: Burma (Myanmar)
The border gate.

 

Above: Through the arch - No Guns!
I just had to get my photo taken here - it was the "no guns" sign that did it. One of the immigration officials wanted to be in the photo and posed and smiled.

Above: Tachilek
This circular garden bed is in the middle of the road bearing the sign "City of the Golden Triangle".

 

Above: Local Load transport
Now that is quite a load for a thing on three wheels! I looked at it and asked myself what could be in those boxes? Where have they come from? Where are they going to? Is the man driving the owner or a worker? Does he have a shop? Is it local, is it out of town?
The lower boxes are obviously different from the ones above. The upper ones have pictures of tomatoes while others show a green capsicum.

 

Above: Public transport
The Burma tuk-tuk. There are eight or nine passengers here. They run as a taxi or a bus and I thought it would be a real thrill to ride in one - that is until I read how dangerous they can be. There's only three wheels, and they're often over-loaded and the weight isn't distributed evenly. There have been a number of accidents.

 

Above: Transport - Mae Sai
More transport modes, this time in Mae Sai. Note the blue plastic bucket hanging over the side. The stalls along this part of the road are food stalls.

Above: Architecture
Pagoda spire in Burma. There are seven "tiers". During my time here, I was on the (constant) lookout for a souvenir. I ended up I bought a lovely scarf - this was my souvenir from Burma. Whenever I wear it, the memories return.

Above: Children
I took a snapshot of these children playing - they wanted money! Because I took a photo. They didn't get any.

Above: Government Official
The fellow was happy to pose for a photo.

Above: Passport Control
The immigration chaps were happy to have their photo taken too.

Above: Family

Above: Mae Sai - Busy Throng
Back in Thailand = the road was packed with people everywhere. I think it was market day. Hundreds of food stalls.

Above: Main Street
Walking down the main street in Mae Sai.

Crossing over the border and back into Thailand, I was unaware that I would not get to keep the "copy" of passport. Had I known, I would have photographed it. Handed it over to Thai official for stamping, asked could I photograph it, he said no. But he gave me a "souvenir" stamp in the back of my passport, which was rather nice of him. I really was disappointed that my visa stamps weren't there - oh well, at least I got to go to Burma.

The it was time to get back on the bus for our last stop.


Next: Long Neck Karen Village.

62. Train 13

Above: Train ticket
I picked up my pre-paid ticket in front of the information window. As you can see, it shows the departure and destination points, in this case, Bangkok to Chiang Mai. In the row beneath reading from the left - the train number, date, departure time and arrival time followed by the class, car and seat number and price:
Train 13, for the 10 February 2011 departing 19.35 arriving 9.45, 2nd class, lower berth, car 5, seat 22 @ 881 baht.
On the lower left hand side is Your Name, while on the lower right-hand side is the date and time of purchase.

Above: Railway staff
It was just after 6.00pm, the national anthem had finished playing and these two gents were very happy to have their photo taken. They check tickets, help with information and see that everything is running smoothly

Above: Train 13 - Bangkok to Chiang Mai
It was just as well I happened to check the board near the entrance on the concourse for the train was departing from a different platform to what was showing elsewhere - platform 3. Lucky for me eh? Otherwise I'd have been still waiting in Bangkok while my train sped off into the night.
The blue carriage was the one I was in and the purple one was first class.

Above: 2nd class air-con sleepers - modern type
Train 13 Bangkok to Chiang Mai have very comfortable air-conditioned sleepers. They are arranged in door-less compartments and each berth has its own curtains for privacy. The other three occupants all wanted to lie down and sleep - how come I always get the ones who want to go to bed early?
The train had comfy velour seating, the other ladies said this train was "new" but they liked the older trains better. I can see why - there's nowhere to put your luggage and the beds are so narrow even Twiggy would have had a hard time trying to sleep and not fall out! Try lying on a narrow space with a girth that is on the large side. Fun and games. It was fun though and I'd gladly do it again.

The lady in the berth above me wanted to lie down and read, the other two were on the way to a gentle snore and me - I made my way down to the dining car.

Above: The restaurant car
The dining car was fun - I was expected to buy something for the privilege of sitting there and smoking. (I asked the lady in charge at Hualumphong station about smoking, she told me "You can smoke in the dining car and in the toilets!")

The more popular trains have a restaurant car, some are air-conditioned but ours wasn't. I was glad it was not air-conditioned - you could open the windows and look out.

Above: Sláinte
Cheers! Over the teeth, past the gums, look out stomach, here it comes.

The food was relatively cheap. The "menu" is a leaflet with pictures of food and Thai & English writing. They also sell beer, wine, tea and coffee.

Above: Wine - it's SPY
This is the wine sold onboard, well....what pretends to be wine. Lolly water, not unpleasant by a long shot, just very...lolly waterish - you could down ten bottles and still feel no alcoholic effect.

A young French chap came and joined me and we chatted about this and that and talked travel. He was with his girlfriend he said, but she didn't want to join him in the dining car, she just wanted to lie down. Every now and then he went back to check on her but preferred to sit, drink and talk.

Above: Um...what is it?
The French bloke had come back while I was eating this and asked me what it was. I wasn't sure, the menu said it was chicken, it was supposed to be chicken. We both agreed it didn't look like any chicken we'd ever seen. Those white glutinous blobs had the texture of rubber and were un-biteable. We had great fun dissecting technically what this flubber could be!

Above: American rice
Dinner was forgettable. Don't ever order American Rice, it's nothing like Chinese fried rice which is what I had been expecting, instead you get this rice, flavoured with tomato sauce with bits of carrot in it topped with seven raisins (I counted them), a greasy fried egg, a triangle of sandwich ham and some sort of mini hot dog. I felt like I'd eaten a tub of lard. Needless to say, most of it was left on the plate.

Above: The Rookie and the Teacher
The young fellow in the yellow shirt sat down opposite me - he's a police cadet. I was joined by five coppers (transit police) and one girlfriend. They had removed the top half of their uniforms and had on white singlets, plus their trews and police paraphernalia around their waists. They were great fun.
One was a trainee, and one was from Laos - his name was Ray and he kept showing off and flexing his muscles. The beer flowed (I stuck to the lolly water) and a good time was had by all.

Above: Transit Police
A group photo. We had a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed the train, the atmosphere and people. Much more fun than train travel back home - here nobody worries about what they look like, or making noise. It's raucous and loud and noisy and really a whole lot of fun.

Above: Railway stations
It really is better having a dining car without air-con - you an stick your head out the window when it stops and you get a great view of the stations. Here is
Ayutthaya and Don Muang station.

The next day
I woke up the next morning and it was bloody freezing!

Above: Early morning to Chiang Mai
Everyone else had thick tops and jumpers on. It was 10°C. As the darkness gave way to daylight, I saw wonderful scenery and was very glad the 18.10 train had been sold out. Getting the later one enabled me to really see the beauty of the country side. Those majestic mountains with mist swirling around like a mysterious phantasmagoria.
These photos were all taken from the dining car and let me tell you sticking half your body out the window for a snap going through the mountains at 10° took a bit of doing. The pics might be a little blurry but they are the memories I carry with me of that early morning ride.

Above: Dining Car on Train 13 - Breakfast
Breakfast was a very busy time. Firstly, there were all the hot drinks - so many wanted hot coffee, hot tea, I drank several cups of hot stuff (helps to warm you up), for food, I stuck with two pieces of toast, orange juice and tea. Food was a long time coming I remember - the staff were run off their feet. It can't be easy providing meals to a few hundred people, and don't forget, most of the passengers were in their carriages, so there's lots of meals to be taken to them. They really did do a magnificent job.

Above: Countryside
Daylight had broken, the temperature had risen and there were lots of interesting things to see. I love photos of train carriages going around a bend - if you look at the photo top right-hand side you can see six cars plus the engine. The water on the left side - is it a river, a trickle of a lake or what?
The wee doggie was standing on the tracks quite unconcerned at the train whizzing past.

The train arrived at Chiang Mai on time - 2 hours late as usual but no-one minds, after all, TiT This is Thailand where the trains depart on time (usually) and arrive late (always)!☺

55. Death Railway

Namtok Railway Station to Kanchanaburi

The famous, or rather infamous Death Railway which ran for 415 kms was constructed by POW's and forced Asian labourers in WWII. The working and living conditions of those prisoners was horrific and the brutality of their captors was unmatched. At the end of the war, most of the railway was pulled up and it exists today only from Kanchanaburi to Namtok, a distance of around 50 kms.

Above: Harvesting

The views from the train are breath-taking and beautifully scenic. It is an unforgettablbe journey along the river and mountains.

Above: Tall steeple
About 25 minutes into the journey, I saw this pretty little building (a temple?) on the left-hand side.

Above: Wang Pho station
There were many passengers who alighted at this station, many of them school students.

Above: Thamkra Sae Station
The train goes past Thamkra Sae Station just before crossing the Wampo Viaduct.

Above: Wampo Viaduct
Crossing over the shaky bridge, alongside the River Kwai, or more correctly Khwae Noi, sleepers and pillars creaking, is a thrilling experience. The train slows right down and the views are spectacular. The best way to see the Viaduct is by train.

Wampo Viaduct was built in March/April 1943 and completed in "speedo" time (non-stop work). It was rebuilt and strengthened in the original design during the post war years of WWII.

Here is a real life account of building the viaduct by Leo Rawlings.

Above: The viaduct hugs the cliff
Much of the journey was spent with heads hanging out the window, hands madly trying to catch that perfect photo. At certain times however, you had to quickly pull your head back in - unless you wanted to arrive at the end of the trip headless!

Above: Man sitting on sleeper
It was quite astonishing seeing this chap sitting casually on one of the sleepers. I do hope he managed to get some good photos.

Above: Lookout Tower
This is one of the lookout towers which offer wonderful views across the river.

Above: Gardens
A little further along is this pretty garden or park.

Above: Tha Kilen Station
Although the station is small, it seems to be a popular one for people to hop on and off the train.
From Nam Tok station it is eight stops to Kanchanaburi - Koe Mahamongkol, Wang Pho, Tham Krasae, Thakilen, Baan Kao, Wang Yen, River Kwai Bridge then Kanchanaburi.

Above: Temple
I haven't been able to find out the name of this temple, but it is about 20 minutes before the train crosses over the River Kwai Bridge.

Above: Over the river

Above: Topiary
The topiary seems to have been done by a very clever artist.

Above: Kanchanaburi township
As the train approached the River Kwai Bridge, you could see lots and lots of people all out to see the train come in.

Above: Kanchanaburi Station
The journey over, I walked out through the station where the chap from my guesthouse picked me up.

Above: Death Railway map
This map shows where the train line for the Death Railway (Burma-Thailand Railway) ran.



DEATH RAILWAY, NAMTOK TO KANCHANABURI
I rode the train along the Death Railway from Namtok to Kanchanaburi Station over the Bridge on the River Kwai on 9th February, 2011. The scenery is so wonderful, it is easy to forget the horror and suffering endured by the POW's and enforced Asian labourers who built it, but the beauty of the surroundings is their legacy.