Breaking the Law in Bangkok!

I’m an illegal immigrant in Thailand as of today...

Why? Because of my stupid bank, that’s why! After arriving in Laos the first thing I did was check my account online (unusually) and to my horror I was $150 short! I couldn’t work it out, the money had been there this morning! So I panicked and after considering my options and how damn expensive Laos was I decided the best thing would be just to go back to Thailand, where I can stay with friends if need be. So the afternoon after my 23 hour bus journey from Hanoi to Vientiane I was back on another bus making my way to the Thai border to catch a 12 hour train back to Bangkok. At the border I was informed just as he was stamping me into Thailand that I needed to leave by the 29^th October, “You will go before this date?” he asked me.

But my flight to Malaysia is on 31^st!

I just agree and go on my way but inside I’m losing it. What am I going to do? First I double check my flight, yes, it’s the 31^st then I count how many days there is untill the 31^st and it’s 17 days to go so why do I have to leave on the 29^th? I'd forgoten that yes, we get fewer days to visit the country if you enter by land but I’ve always received 17 days in the past but to my horror I now had only 15 days stamped in my passport! Now after a quick Google check it appears tourists now only get 15 days, just my luck that the one time I actually need the full 17 days it’s now 15!  It was also just my luck that 3 or 4 days later the money was back in my account just as it should have been. How very GRRRR! I was really looking forward to seeing Laos as well but guess it will still be there next time. I did consider going back but the lazy side of me decided against it.

I’ve read and been told that as long as I don’t get arrested (but knowing my luck…) before I get to the airport I won’t get in trouble if I pay a fine of 500 baht a day. Having looked at my options this is the cheapest and easiest way to do it as a new flight would have cost me about $50 and catching the bus and train like I did last year was one 30 hour journey I don’t wish to repeat and I'd be paying about the same as the fine. Finger’s crossed I don’t get arrested then! If my blog ends here ya'll know what happened...

I can’t say I’m sad to see the back of Thailand for a while. Lack of money has meant for the last 2 weeks I’ve been stuck in my apartment doing sod all apart from snacking on too many packs of Lays and drinking too much bubble tea. I've been to Kuala Lumpur before but Penang will be something new and that’s always exciting.

Muang Thong Thani: Why I Could Live here

If you're anywhere longer than a few days sharing a room is less than perfect and hotels can start to get expensive, so you'll really need an apartment. I'm staying in a place called Muang Thong Thani, which is about a 20 minute drive from central Bangkok and although it can get pretty boring as it's a place to live in not tourist in, I really like it and felt it deserved its own post. MTT is one of the biggest community projects attempted in the world but is often considered a failure by the people who count in real estate because it went bust during a collapse in the property market in 1992. Therefore, many of the buildings were built, never used and remain empty. It's a real shame to see some of the luxury apartment buildings here falling apart when this place has so much potential! 

Impact, the largest exhibition center in SEA

I've never seen a place have so much you need to hand, I can grab a midnight snack at 7Eleven (seen 3 so far) and anything they don't sell in 7Eleven I can probably find in Big C, Watson's or Tescos. There's a bunch of mid-range department stores, I can surf the net in internet cafes, there's cake shops, fruit stalls, ice-cream shops, bubble tea shops, coffee shops and a steak house as well as loads of cheap restaurants. I can stock up on my jewellery, DVDs, and magazines. I can get photos developed, buy a new or second-hand phone or laptop, a fake iPad, send a fax, visit the doctor and then the pharmacy. I can get my clothes fixed (and I did for about 3$) and washed, my hair and nails done, my eyes tested and grab a massage and a beer in a bar afterwards and all within a 5 minute walk! It has the biggest exhibition and convention center in South East Asia and just in my apartment block alone I have 2 shops, a laundry service and numerous washing machines and dryers if I'd rather do it myself and it's easy as most of the apartments come attached with a little box outside for drying your clothes in so you don't even need the dryers anyway. It's almost as if you could seriously never leave Muang Thong Thani and have almost everything you need to hand. Ahhhh If only it was like that back home, we don't even have an ATM there lol!

MTT is market mad to and has one every day! It's good during the day but really comes alive after dark and the food court in the middle of the market here is pretty famous, with a wide array of cheap (as little as 25 baht sometimes), healthy (they do great salads, which is a real joy after all the fried rice and noodles) and just awesome food. The portions are small though but I noticed most people get 2 or 3 meals and if you only want one, you might be lucky and get some extra added on your plate like I did :) It's quite common to see people come from outside MTT just to eat here! As well as the everyday market they have here there's also a massive weekly market, selling everything from belts to headphones but the best part is the food! There's just so much choice and so much of it is so beautifully presented, it looks like food art to me!

The cost of living here is so cheap to; you can own an apartment here for as little as $10,000 and I've got Wi-Fi, hot water and a large sitting room all for around 150 USD a month. I never feel unsafe; it's secure where I'm staying as there are security guards and cameras. If you do need to get to central Bangkok it's easy; you can take a taxi but it costs anywhere from 130-210 baht, take a mini-van 30 baht direct to Victory Monument or take a bus, which costs around 18 baht.

There is however, always a little rough with the smooth and here's a little list of my MTT peeves;

• Most people do not speak English in Muang Thong Thani and ordering food can be a nightmare as there are no non-Thai Menus or pictures to point to but learning a language never did anybody any harm and you will learn in a place like this, you have to.
• My apartment is not the cleanest.
• Getting a taxi in the evening can be near impossible after everyone finishes work.
• Access to my apartment building is by key card only but you're not given one for the first month so you're basically stuck in or out until someone turns up who does have one or one of the guards decides to actually do their job and open the door for you but so far only one seems happy to do so without bitching or looking moody. I'm sometimes stuck in or out for up to 20 minutes! I can't get my head around why you have to wait a month before you get a card; it's surely a massive fire risk?
• I'm unable to easily cook in my room, no kitchen and not allowed gas but it's nothing a couple of rice cookers or portable cooking equipment wouldn't fix but with the amount of cheap eateries around (plate of fried rice goes for about 35 baht here) there really is no reason to cook anyway.
• It’s a small community here, I am one of about 4 foreigners in the immediate area so you start to recognise people, they do you and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I quite like being anonymous. 

Cambodia: Or is that Scambodia? Either way I love it!

There aren't too many places like Cambodia around; it has this crafty way of stealing your heart and then breaking it in one swift motion and it's a little bit like Marmite; most people love it, not everybody likes it but it never fails to leave an impression. Now I love Cambodia but every time I've been here I'm some how got on the way into the country. Whether it's being put on a VIP bus when a standard one would have done fine or charged too much for a tuk-tuk to the border the scammers have gotten me :(

Battambang City

Now if you are coming from Bangkok and heading to Poipet (which is the usual route) you’ll have a number of options, you can either take;

• The train, at 58 baht it's the cheapest but slowest, busiest and least frequent option.

• Public bus, which at 200 baht is a little bit more expensive but it’s fast (4 hours) and as long as you state you want the border when purchasing your ticket you'll avoid at least some of the touts trying to scam you out of your hard earned cash. You’ll also be able to walk the rest of the way to the border rather than having to take a tuk-tuk. You can read more about getting to Cambodia and all the visa and entry scams here.

• Taxi, most comfortable way to go but it’s obviously the most expensive (expect to pay around 1500-3000 baht if you choose to go this way).

• Minibuses, often available from travel agents in places like Kao San Road. These are a scam in themselves and I would avoid them at all costs, to see why you shouldn’t take a scam minibus click here.

Don't listen to anybody offering you help; they'll stick you on a VIP bus, which isn't really worth the money. They’ll tell you there are no more buses when there are so you catch a taxi instead. You’ll be offered a free lift to the bus station but instead you’ll end up at a taxi stop. Don’t talk to anybody; you don’t need any help catching a taxi or finding the bus station. Very GRRRRR but it’s unlikely to change when nobody gives a damn, just smile and see it as Cambodian way of life.

Once you actually get to Siem Reap or wherever it is you want to go you can let your guard down a little. You’ll be overcharged from time to time but I found the biggest hassle came from children. You can't escape them, wherever there is something to see you will get children trying to sell you things. They’re polite and speak exceptional English, they'll offer you a seat if it’s available and then they'll tell you your capital city, who is running the country and even who used to. They also know how to say "now you buy lady, I know you rich". If hello is followed by lady/sir run they want something! Don’t feel too bad, maybe if more people did that whoever is giving jobs to these kids might find a different career venture. Watch your stuff, they'll crowd around you and don't buy anything. Once you've brought from one, they'll insist you buy from them all.  

$12 room in Battambang

Hotels in Cambodia are exceptional, they're clean, and you’ll pay a little and get a lot. 3-4$ can get you a fan room with a bathroom, soap, towels and a TV here. Unless you want to you never need pay more than $10-$15 for a little luxury in Cambodia. Depending on where you are and what you eat food can start from as little as 2000 riel, which is about 30p. Small bottles of water start from about 1000 riel and a can of coke 3500 riel-$1. USD is widely accepted here and in 2 months I've only had one person refuse to accept my $. 

The Khmer people are some of the friendliest around, you won't have to venture far before some kid shouts hello, smiling madly and waving as they pass. Sadly friendly doesn't always mean genuine and there are the trademark smiles of Asia but usually because they want something. I’ve had some real I wanna kill you moments here, last year I caught a bus and the guy who put my bicycle on the bus wanted a tip for doing so. God, I hate being asked for tips!  I refused and he simply walked away smiling but when I got off the bus the front wheel was hanging off... Another time I forgot the most important bag I was carrying on a bus, Everything was in there, you name it, if it was essential it was in there, money, my bank cards even my passport so as soon as I noticed I grabbed the first motodop while my backpack got left on the tuk-tuk I was going to take to my hotel but the driver said no problem, he could wait. I didn’t want to leave my bag but I really had no choice so off we sped after the bus. I get my bag back no problem and luckily everything is still inside it but of course when I get back the tuk tuk is nowhere to be seen. I’m now tearing my hair out because the guy has my bag and I had no idea if he would be back! In the end after 20 minutes and several calls from my motodop friend, the tuk-tuk guy comes back obviously having rummaged through my bag. Even though there's nothing of value in there I still need my clothes and shampoo!

(Banlung) Ratanakiri. Province

Most people come here to see Angkor Wat and while it is just as amazing as everybody says (post to come later), Cambodia is so much more than this and the killing fields. Sure, there's a lot of scams to get through but people are just trying to make a living and if you have time it's well worth riding the bamboo train, checking out the dolphins and watching the world go by in the rural provinces.

 Average daily cost: $25-$35

Vietnam: bikes, rip-offs and how I made it to Ha long but failed to see the bay

@ Chau Doc

I have to admit it and say I'm getting a little bored with South East Asia, It's my 3rd year coming here and I'm like totally templed out! I've been finding myself getting far more annoyed and snappy with people and things over here than I should be. Invitations for a "tuk tuk miss" makes me want to tear my hair out and I'm no longer feeling guilty for waving away begging children in a huff of annoyance. However, never having been to Vietnam before, it felt like a breath of fresh air! Yes, there were children begging and the noodle soup here was the worst I have ever tasted but I had my best meal of the trip so far here (rice with some awesome chicken, simple but just perfect) and the children do go away if you ignore them long enough. 

Even the tiniest streets are busy!

What they say about the traffic is true, it's bad and there are bikes everywhere but it is just so exciting taking a Xe-om (moto taxi) here and every moment feels like life or death! Who would have thought traffic could be so exhilarating! I've since found myself missing the craziness of Vietnam roads and wishing my drivers would go just that little faster believe it or not! The trains and buses in Vietnam weren't the cheapest but they were the best and cleanest I've been on in South East Asia.

                       Yay for sleeper buses!

I didn't get the chance to do everything that I wanted to due to being completely unprepared for the costs in Vietnam. It can be EXPENSIVE when compared with neighboring countries like Thailand. I went through about $250 dollars in just 5 days, which about $180 was spent on bikes, being over charged and my stupidity! I was charged $5 for a 2 minute Xe-om ride after getting off the bus from Chau doc to Saigon, I knew I was getting ripped off but I was just too tired and my bags were too heavy to bargain too much (note to myself to pack a lot lighter)

Might look sweet but far from it!

It seems being over charged is a fact of life when you travel and no one minds being over charged a little but in Vietnam it's like 5x more than it should be. People can be extremely rude and unfriendly here and I felt like people were always out to get me or short change me somehow. I was offered a photo op by an elderly lady selling bananas; smiling sweetly her and her friend insisted she didn't want money. I was suspicious but thought OK what the hell. I was then told I needed to buy some bananas for a steal at only $4.50! I politely told her she must be crazy, and then they said OK you buy 2 for 8000 dong (38 cents) instead. I was angry and paid up but to my disgust I saw one of the bananas was rotten! I wanted to punch her but I ended up throwing the banana back at her and they responded by giggling which made me even angrier but I had to walk away with a lesson learnt nothing comes for free.

A common sight in Vietnam.

After visiting the museum of women and seeing how hard it is for some of the merchants here, I decided to help out a woman and buy some of her bread. She said it was 3000 dong, I planned to give her 4500. She claims she has enough change so I handed over 100,000 dong but she didn't really have enough so I ended up paying 30,000 dong...that was the end of my attempted charity work. 

Everyone knows it doesn't pay to get angry over here but how can you smile and keep your cool when people do this kind of stuff everyday? Some people need a slap not a smile! However, I did meet some real genuine people in Vietnam; it was my birthday while I was here and oh the joy I got to spend the day on a train. However, I brought a hard seat ticket but ended up in 2nd class bed after some friendly banter with the staff so I ended up having a really pleasant journey. A lot of the problems could of been avoided if I had bothered to read about these kind of scams before I got here (note to self-do your research, you usually do so why you didn't do it this time I will never know)!

So how did I end up going to Ha Long and not seeing the bay? Well, being the hard core independent traveler I am, I decided I was too cool for a tour. I'd read all the advice claiming that this was the one time everyone should take a tour but I knew better of course. My options were take a train at the crack of dawn or catch a bus, I decided I was going to take the train but being the lazy girl that I am I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to catch a bus and that was a bad decision. 

I woke up early (around 6 am), ate some tasty BBQ and then grabbed a Xe-om to Kim Ma Bus Station, which ended up being wrong one but the driver took me to the right one, happily letting me know after we arrived I now needed to pay double ($5).

The Interwebs had told me I needed to take a bus to Haiphong, which would only take around 2 hours and then I would need to catch a bus to Ha Long city from there, it all sounded so simple and the helpful drivers even put me on a direct bus to Ha Long. I waited and waited for the bus to leave (I got on the bus at 9am but we didn't leave until 9.30) but I was so pleased with how easy this would be and how awesome me would avoid the cost and annoyance of a tour that I was in a great mood.

Then comes the bomb shell, after the bus had left the conductor gives me the price 500,000 dong. 500,000 dong! That's all the cash I had on me and I had no idea if there would be an ATM in Ha Long but as I hadn't done my research, I was unsure of the actual price of the bus and not wanting to argue with him I explained I only had 400,000 dong, which he takes no problem. then I sit back, I calculate how much 400,000 dong actually is ($20), I watch the other passengers handing over their cash and it isn't 500,000 dong and it dawns on me, if that had been the price, he wouldn't have accepted 400,000! I hit the roof and start demanding to be let off the bus and that I want my money back. I'm ignored until I threaten the guy with the police then he gives me back 200,000 dong and we leave it at that but I should of paid only 100,000! At this point I'm in a foul mood and pissed that I'd been so stupid so when after about 2 hours on the bus we have a toilet break, I'm thankful to get off the bus, have a little walk and calm down but in the back of my mind I'm confused why we need to stop when it's only a 3 or 4 hour journey and aware I need to get there before 2. We get back on the bus and the minutes are ticking by, we must be there yet? Why haven't we arrived? I check my phone and see its 1pm! What in the world is going on?

Well the bus ended up taking 7 hours! But I was still kind of hopeful I'd be able to catch a boat out to the bay. I catch another Xe-om into town who again charges me $5 for a $2 journey. I was taken to a travel agency (I'd wanted to be taken to the bay to see if I could find a local boat to take me around) and they did try but there were no boats willing to take me, what a waste of time! My options were then pay another $5 to be taken to the bay to look for a boat myself, stay till tomorrow and take a tour for $22 or catch a 4 hour tour bus back to Hanoi in a couple of hours for $7. I went away and thought about it over some food, which was bloody expensive, $5 for fried rice! I've found street and cheaper local food is quite hard to find in Vietnam unless you want to eat noodle soup, which just tastes like noodles in water here.

In the end I depressingly decided just to get the bus back, I was tired, had no change of clothes and was short on cash. I cannot believe I spent about $27 to basically ride a bus! If you are considering doing this on your own, take the train or just take a tour. I missed out on something I really wanted to see just because I had to do it independently. I will have to do it next time and I will return to Vietnam, despite all the problems I dealt with here I'm looking forward to coming back again, hopefully a little wiser next time.


Average daily cost: $25-$45

Pics from pointy hatvile, Vietnam

Malaysia: Fireflies and food in Kuala Lumpur, Kamper and Ipoh!

It wasn't part of my plans but I'd heard some of the best food around could be found in Kamper, a small town about 2 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and wherever the food is good, I'll be good to. So me and Kevin took a detour into Kamper and Ipoh on the way to KL. Funnily enough I may have prayed to a romance God, had a dip in a pretty waterfall and checked out some temple caves that would have given Batu Caves a run for it's money but Kamper and Ipoh really did end up being all about food for me. 

Making noodles for 25 years!

Me and Kev were either eating or talking about it. We ate noodles by a guy who has been doing it for 25 years! This guy is so good there's a reason it takes so long there's probably a queue of 10 or 15 tables in front of you!  We tried Mister Donut for the first time and I can't say I was impressed as it tasted under cooked and sickly. Somehow some favorite Japanese dish I'd eaten a lot while I was in Tokyo ended up being on the menu of a fancy restaurant we ate in with Kevin's mum and dad. It wasn't as nice as I remember, just rice with cheese on the top and rather sickly to but the portions sizes are obviously too small to get sickly in Japan.

Romance themed temple

I tend to think I'm templed out but that's not exactly true, I still really enjoy the bright and colourful ones just like The Temple of Supreme Bliss, which I may have forgotten to mention in my post about my time in Penang. It's the largest buddist temple in South East Asia, fantastic and a must see. I'm glad Kevin came with me as the walk up to the temple didn't look very fun in the hot sun. We stopped to get laksa on the way to, which was a first for me and really yummy mixture of everything from lobster to lemongrass paste!

Temple in a cave

I really enjoyed seeing the temples in Ipoh and Kamper. A couple were like the one at Batu Caves but the artwork was far more fascinating and interesting. It was more spooky to as the power kept cutting out every 5 seconds! There was a wacky romance temple that even featured characters from the TV series Monkey Hero! I'm not sure how quickly offerings are supposed to work but I guess I must of done something wrong as I'm still waiting for my 'love' wishes to be granted. I also got to 'let it all out' at the childrens' traffic park running around whilst making car noises...

Me and Kevin (red shirt) getting drunk for free

The food theme continued in KL as me and Kevin went to a wine tasting event. I felt a little out of place in my faded t-shirt and baggy fisherman trousers but people were friendly and welcoming. I met some really funny and charming characters and It was so interesting listening to their how they had all ended up in Kuala Lumpur stories. Some had come to study, some to find themselves and others had simple been travelling and loved it so much they'd never left! It's just  a shame I got so drunk I couldn't remember peoples' names afterwards haha!

Can you spot any fireflies?

Kuala Lumpur is a beautiful, ultra modern city, with towering skyscrapers and awesome food, In fact some of my favorite meals have been eaten right here in KL. There's a lot to do here but it's my 3rd visit and my time was short, which is why I didn't do much this time round but there was something I've been wanting to see. Go see the fireflies at Kuala Selangor (kelip-kelip in Malay)! It had been raining on and off the day we went so we were a little concerned we wouldn't get to see any as they don't like the rain but much to my excitement I got my first glimpse of  a green blimp as we driving up to the swamp, then another and another. We got our tickets and somehow Kevin managed to persuade the staff to let us queue jump in front of the long line of tour groups. We stepped in our little rocking boat, which was swinging all over the place and we spent the next few minutes chatting with the Russian couple sat in the boat behind us and looking at what we thought were just flashing LED lights in the bushes but as we neared the bushes to my excitement I realised they were the flies! Me and Kevin began snapping our cams aimlessly but with no luck at getting a decent photo and I had no luck at getting any to sit on my hand either, they just died when I tried! Seeing the kelip-kelip was an interesting experience but it was a little disappointing as they looked no different from green christmas lights. However, I'm sure in the right weather it must be a magical and romantic experience.

After we got back me and Kevin drove around the city taking more photos and had dinner at a gorgeous open air restaurant opposite the twin towers called NZ. The portions here are so HUGE even I struggled to eat it all but it in the end it was so tasty I managed it. On the way back to my hotel Kevin tried to convince me to come out with him and some friends to a nightclub but I was tired and I had to leave in a few hours. It was time to say a sad goodbye to Kevin and KL and an exciting hello to my one of my best friend's Lina, her boyfriend Raf and my next destination the PHILIPPINES!