Bangkok to Singapore

A relaxing morning with a late and lazy dreakfast, wonderful, then a trip to the airport. I'm surprised how emotional I feel at leaving Bangkok, at first it over whelmed me but within the last 3 days the city has crept under my skin and into my heart, such a different city with so many facets to it, could you ever completely discover it? Onwards to Singapore ... flying Tiger Airways on Friday 13th is a bit of a worry, hopefully this won't be our last blog!

Security at Bangkok airport is strict our passports are threatening to make the best sellers list. The chinese security lady's in a bad mood and I'm struggling to obey the instructions fast enough,"soo's n boo ox" turns out to be - take your shoes off and put them in the blue box. And at Singapore we must look suspicious or maybe the Chinese security lady phoned ahead as we have our cases scanned before being allowed into the country!

Another beautiful hotel with great city views and a lounge bar overlooking the spectacular Clarkes Quay. An evening stroll open mouthed at all the high rise buildings, shopping centre covered by giant umbrella like fans that change colour and chinese new year decorations everywhere. This city is so very different to Bangkok, modern, affluent, no visible cables, and wide walkways just like America. We're eating indian tonight at a quayside restaurant while people watching, it's a great combination.

View from our room

Floating Markets, Elephants, Monkeys and River Cruises



Thai Style Canoe

A very early start today to reach the floating market at Damnern Saduak. The tour is again led by Yeli and once more we're lucky to be in a group of 4. The drive takes us past Salt farms, and through the Maeklong market where the stalls are set up on the train tracks and have to be moved rapidly when the trains pass through. The final leg of the trip to the floating market is by narrow long tailed speed boat (James Bond style). This is the best bit of the trip as far as Dave is concerned and its a great way to see the traditional Thai style houses on stilts. Then there's the market negotiated on thai style canoes steered by long pole through the narrow waterways with stalls and boats selling fruit, vegetables, clothes, paintings, wood carvings, spices ...... the list goes on and on



Damnern Suduak Floating Market

Drunk with heat and sensations after the boat trip round the waterways we wander on foot round the market trying thai traditional coffee and delicacies. The coffee is a strong mix of both coffee and chocolate served in a tiny cup but delicious. The food is small coconut rice patties flavoured with black sticky rice, coconut or spring onions but somehow don't taste strongly of coconut and the savoury version is surprisingly good.

On the way back to Bangkok we stop at an elephant and monkey place, I hesitate to  call it a zoo as they all seem to have to work for a living. The elephants giving rides to tourists Nd the monkeys demonstrating their skills climbing trees and harvesting coconut - I suppose it's cheap labour! Exhausted once we reach the hotel, the pool and an afternoon nap beckons before the evening trip on a river cruise.



Thai dancing welcome



Jan on the dinner cruise

Ramos 8th Bridge at night

The pick-up time is 5.30pm for a 7.00pm departure and it takes over an hour to travel the short distance to the river. The Grand Chao Phraya Princess is festooned in lights, tables laid with white linen and gorgeous thai girls performing a traditional dance to welcome us aboard.The buffet is a superb mix od traditional thai (tom yum soup, spicy pork mince), international (fish in a creamy sauce, lasagne) and Chinese (pepper chicken) and the view from the river of all the temples and bridges lit up is stunning. We now realise how little we have really seen of Bangkok but at Dave's limit of 1 or 2 temples a day we may have to return many times to see the 600 within the city ...

Palaces, markets and China Town

The Grand Palace

A lazy start to the day with breakfast and sunbathing before our trip to the Grand Palace. The trip is for a select group of 4 plus our tour guide nicknamed Yeli. The traffic in Bangkok is as bad as ever and it takes ages to drive to the Grand Palace, the road to the Palace gates is over run with coaches, taxi's, bikes and tuk tuks, the noise is deafening when we get out to the minibus.

Yeli leads us through the Grand Palace outlining the importance, historical and architectural features and stories behind each of the buildings. We are spellbound with the opulence of the decoration and the grandeur of size. As Yeli says we Thais like bling being! and they certainly do. Each building, palace and temple is grander than the next, the highlight being the Jade Budda dressed in his winter clothes.





The Grand Palace

After the tour we opt to walk part way back to the hotel as we want to see the Flower Market area. The streets are hot and very run down in parts, overhead electricity cables everywhere. By now we are flagging and turning the corner, we come across an ultra modern, marble tiled mall and a very welcome drinks spot where we can watch the river taxi's collecting and disgorging people, all done in 30 seconds a stop. They take off like speed boats.






Marigold garlands in the flower market

Flower delivery Bangkok style

Refreshed, we head for the flower market, the scent reaches us before we see the flowers, as far as the eye can see, marigold heads being strung into garlands, orchids in bunches by the millions and ornate flower arrangements, it's an amazing sight. Down another street is the Sikh area with row upon row of shops selling every kind of fabric imaginable from cheap cotton to silks and wedding dress fabrics, the colours are dazzling. Turn another corner and we're in China Town proper, narrow, crowded alley ways where the sun hardly penetrates selling every item imaginable. I could easily shop for clothes on one side of the alley while holding a broom on the other! And everywhere there are street eating stalls - one person with a giant bunson burner, wok and plastic stools with tables. The noise and smells are overwhelming plus being so hot. An oasis of cool presents itself in the form of the restaurant of the Grand China Hotel, Chinese pork and rice with a cooling beer later we finish the walking tour by finding the Chinese Temple and China Gate at the entrance to China Town. Foot sore, tired and suffering from sensory overload the only thing to do is retreat to the hotel by Metro - equally efficient as the sky train. Roll on tomorrow for more Bangkok experiences.



China man in China Town (he is real!)

Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok

An early morning transfer through the heavy traffic to the airport leaves us relieved that we don't commute in Kuala Lumpur. The airport is modern, sleek, huge and very efficient and after a short flight we're in another country and another airport - Bangkok. A very sweet lady meets us and says she's honoured we've chosen to visit Bangkok and Thailand, we've never had such an effusive and obviously heartfelt greeting before. If we thought KL was busy traffic wise it was nothing compared to Bangkok, nose to tail traffic most of the way into town and it doesn't seem to change with the time of day or night. The Rembrandt Hotel is just a wonderful as the one we've just left.



View from our room

A leisurely afternoon walk followed by a drink and a pizza in an English pub, The Robin Hood. After this a relaxing time by the pool before the evening excursion on the BTS skytrain, efficient, clean, cheap and no mind the gap. At Victory Monument we track down the Saxophone Jazz & Blues bar www.saxophonepub.com a brilliant choice for both entertainment (think Ronnie Scotts in London) and good quality Thai food.


Traffic at midnight downtown Bangkok



Roads are optional for bikes!

Saxophone Pub

Walking Kuala Lumpur

Sri Mahamariamm(hindu temple)

Our second and last day in this captivating Malayan city, we're going to explore on foot even if it is 33 C. The route
 is Sri Mahamariamman (Hindu temple), the railway station, past Menard Tower and the Forest Reserve finishing in KLCC park. Oh the best laid plans, it takes us ages to find the temple (first stop) but the positive is a wonderful Chinese market street all decorated ready for Chinese New Year, the search is worth while. A gloriously exotically decorated temple with traditional live music being played and it opens on one side straight into a shopping centre, shoes left at your own risk - we opt for the 50cent shoe minder option seems wise with a long day of walking ahead.


Pealing Chinese Street Market



Carving in the temple

KL street art

After this it all goes a bit wrong, we get lost amongst the KL street renovations and stop number 2 takes an hour to find and then it's disappointing but the oldest mosque in KL we see on the way was beautiful (Masjid Jamek). A foot sore and hot walk across KL to the KLCC park  now followed, a bar was required and suitably refreshed with the amber liquid we soldier on to find the park hidden amongst the high rise hotels and apartments. But what an oasis of calm and beauty, beautifully landscaped gardens, water features with chrome dolphins (being polished as we sat there .... this just doesn't happen in Hyde Park.....) and tranquil bird song. It was about now we made our great discovery - air-conditioned walkways that went all the way back to the hotel - if only we'd found them last night....



Masid Jamek (oldest mosque in KL)

On our final night in Kuala Lumpur, we felt a traditional Malay meal would be fitting and the Bijan Restaurant www.bijanrestaurant.com  did not disappoint, a wonderfully spicy chicken dish, stir fried fern with prawns and steamed rice amazing. So back to the hotel for a nightcap while I write the blog. Dave has a gin and tonic, how typically English, but the way it was served is not. I can only say I have just watched the sexy alcoholic version of the Japanese tea ceremony translated into Malay with a traditionally clad waitress on her hands and knees adding ice cube slowly to the glass one by one before seductively squeezing the lemon then adding the gin and finally the tonic!!!!  Apparently I must improve my drinks presentation skills...





Kuala Lumpur contrasts

National War Memorial

We've booked a half day city tour today to start our exploration of the city. The guide is good explaining many things about the city, its people and culture like the national colour is yellow, the red hibiscus flower is the national flower (it's seen on many lampposts) and Malaysia is a constitutional Monarchy i.e. the king is elected every 5 years from one of the heads of the 9 states that make up the country. Anyway the tour included visits to see the iconic Petronas twin towers (still the tallest twin towers in the world), the National Museum, the war memorial, Merdeke Square (cricket pitch and old colonial centre of KL and the site of Independence for Malaysia) and the kings new palace.



The Sky Bar

Us in The Sky Bar with Petronas Towers behind

But the highlight of the day is surely the walking round afterwards seeing the old and the new side by side, tatty old white apartments stained with black mould and the ultra modern and shiny new hotels and buildings. After a relaxing swim in the beautiful hotel pool we set off for the evening to the Trader Hotel's Sky Bar. This has to be one of the most stunning bars we've ever been in, amazing views of the Petronas TwinTowers, the KLCC Park with it's lights and water fountains and the beautiful bar set round an inside swimming pool.




Jalan Alor - street eating

To add to the differences we eat at Jalan Alor, a whole street of outside eating filled with tourists and locals all happy and socialising just as it should be.


 





Petronas Twin Towers at night

Let the Adventure s begin!!!

At last the "gap year" we've dreamt of and planned for has started. It's a beautiful bright day with perfect blue skies in Kettering but oh so cold.



Bags packed

The travel plans all work like clockwork, even the 5.30 Friday night transit through Kings Cross, the one bit of the journey we were both dreading. A relaxing meal at Strada in Heathrow before boarding the flight to Dubai. Emirates certainly know how to make you feel important even when you are travelling economy. The only shock was our connecting flight at Dubai, it would have helped if we were able to sprint like Linford Christie! We went by waterfalls (all inside of course), queued to get through security again, caught a train, sped up several floors in an elevator the size of a house and marched for miles to reach the connecting flight. We arrived breathless hot and sweaty but we made it.

So at 11.30pm we're sat in the very grand bar of the hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur enjoying a beer listening to a very good band. What an excellent start to our adventures. And Dave's managed to find out the Spurs v Arsenal result (not good...)