Taiwan Travel I

Taiwan Travel

Location of Taiwan

Taiwan is located 120 km off the southeast coast of Mainland China. It is 394 km long and 144 km wide with an area of 35,980 sq. km. Comparatively, Taiwan’s area is about 300 times smaller than that of Mainland China. It has the shape of a sweet potato. Two thirds of the island is mountainous and the highest peak is Yu Shan or Jade Mountain(3,952 metres).

Natural Disasters

Earthquakes: As Taiwan is on the Pacific Ring of Fire it often experiences earthquakes. The last powerful and deadly earthquake of 7.3 on the Richter’s scale occured 10 years ago (21 September 1999). It destroyed over 44,000 dwellings and buildings, and caused 132 landslides resulting in over 2,400 deaths in Central Taiwan. Besides earthquakes, it also experiences another kind of natural disaster, i.e. floods and mudslides, caused by strong winds (typhoons) which bring large amount of rainfall from the Pacific Ocean. They usually occur between May and November every year.

Morakot: The last powerful typhoon, Morakot, struck Southern Taiwan on 8 August 2009 and killed several hundreds of people. It brought a record-breaking rainfall of 2,900 mm in three days causing massive floods and mudslides in many mountainous areas in southern Taiwan. The floods damaged roads and a railway, washed away several houses into the sea, toppled over a large hotel into a raging river and rose to the 2nd. floors of some buildings. The mudslides buried a few villages, e.g. Shiao Lin in Kaohsiung County where many villagers were buried alive.

History

Taiwan is ruled by the Nationalist Government (Kuomintang Government). In the beginning, the Nationalist Party under Dr. Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911 in the Mainland China. Then the party resisted the Japanese aggression for 8 years from 1937 until 1945 in the Mainland China when Japan lost the World War II. Later, in 1949, the Nationalist Government under President Chiang Kai-shek was overthrown by the Communist Party under Mao Zedong. Consequently, the Nationalist Party was forced to move out of the Mainland China to Taiwan together with two million loyal people. Since the party left the Mainland China in 1949, it still clings on to the hope that one day it will rule the mainland again.

Population

The island is now populated by 23 million people. Comparatively, its population is over 60 times smaller than that of the Mainland China. 95% of the Taiwanese are Hans, 2% aborigines and the rest are other races. The common religions in Taiwan are Buddhism(35%), Taoism(33%), I-Kuan Tao(3.5%), Protestantism(2.6%), and Roman Catholicism(1.3%).

Tourist Destination

Taiwan is a beautiful island that offers lots and lots of scenic and cultural attractions. Its physical landscape of mountains, steep valleys, high cliffs, roaring streams, tranquil lakes, islets, and stunning coasts; its diverse vegetation from the tropical rainforests to alpine trees; its mixed culture of the native and Mainland Chinese; and its food of different regional culinary traditions of the Mainland China and the aborigines are some of the attractions that, undoubtedly, make it a famous tourist destination.

Day 1 : Saturday, 22 August 2009

Journey to Taiwan

On 22 August 2009, my wife and I joined a group of 49 Malaysians at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport for a seven-day vacation in Taiwan. Together with them and a tour leader, Kim Loh, we boarded a China Airlines plane and left the airport at 2.30 p.m. for Taiwan. After three hours of smooth flight, we landed safely at Taoyuan International Airport in north-western Taiwan. On arrival at the airport, our group was split into two: Group A(27 persons) and Group B(24 persons). Group A was led by a Taiwanese tour guide, Mr. Leong, whereas Group B was led by Miss Tracy Tu. My wife and I belonged to the latter group. Coming out of  the airport, we boarded their respective buses, Bus A and Bus B. Then we were on our way to Taipei City.

Taipei City, the Capital of Taiwan

Taipei City was made the Taiwan’s capital by the Nationalist Party since 1949, when it was ousted by the Communist Party from the Mainland China. Taipei is the largest city in Taiwan. Located in the north of the island, it is a vibrant city with a population of 2.6 millions. It is now the economic, financial, commercial and cultural centre of the island

On arrival at the city at 9.30 p.m. we went straight to a Taiwan’s famous night food court, the Shilin Night Market, to fill our empty stomachs.

 

Shilin Night Market, Taipei City

Shilin Night Market is located in between Wenlin Road, Tatung Road and Anping Road in Taipei City. When we entered the market, we could smell the food in the air. It was crowded with both locals and tourists. There were many small stalls selling all kinds of mouthwatering local food, such as the stinking bean curd (or stinking “tofu“), squid soap, oyster omelette, fried chicken fillet, Chinese medicinal pork rib stew, large sausages, etc.

While walking in the market looking for tasty food, my wife and I noticed a stinking smell in the air. We looked at each other and said together, instantly, “It is from the stinking ‘tofu’, a fermented bean curd!” We went to the stall to try it. After eating it, I told my wife that I would never try it again. But, surprisingly, she told me that she loved eating it. Besides the stinking food, we ordered and savoured squid soup and fried oyster omelette which were more palatable to me.

 

Later, we left the market for a five-star hotel known as Sunworld Dynasty Hotel at 100, Dun Hua North Road in Taipei. Entering our hotel room, we were delighted to see two king-sized beds, one for my wife and the other for myself. We  slept soundly throughout that night.

Day 2 : Sunday, 23 August 2009

In the morning, we began our tour in Taipei . The first place we went to was the Martyr’s Shrine.

The Martyr’s Shrine, Taipei City

The Martyr’s Shrine is located along Bei-an Road in the northern part of the Taipei City. This is a solemn place sacred to the 330,000 fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives in the civil wars (1911-1949) and the wars against the Japanese aggression and occupation(1937-1945) in the Mainland China. The grand building for worshipping the heroes looks like one of the imperial buildings in the Forbidden City in Beijing (Tai-he Imperial Palace).

Every year, in spring and autumn, the Taiwan’s president together with his civil and military officials pay their respect at the shrine

Tourists waiting for the Martyr’s Shrine to be opened

from 1911 when the Nationalist Party overthrew the Qing Dynasty till 1949 when the Nationalist Party lost the Mainland China to the Communist Party. The battles include the following: “The 1911 Revolution”, “The Final Attack on Canton(1911)”, “Seizure of Hui-Chou(1925)”, “Battle of Ting-Szu-Chiao(1926)”, “Battle of Lung-tan(1927)”, “Suppression of Mutiny in Fukien Province(1934)”, “The Battle of Shanghai(1937)”, “The Eight-Year War of Resistance Against Japan(1937-1945)”, ‘The Battle of Changsha-Hengyang(1944)”, “The Suppression of the Chinese Communists Revolution” and “The Battle of Kuningtou on Kinmen(1949)”. So many battles that were fought in the Mainland China in such a short period(1911-1949) show that she was always in turmoil causing heavy casualties.

When we arrived at the shrine, we saw a lot of tourists waiting for the shrine to be opened. At 9 a.m. sharp, the gates of the shrine were opened and all of us entered and watched the changing of the guards who were military police. After the solemn ceremony which lasted for a brief moment, we toured the shrine. While we were in the shrine compound, we heard thousands of beetles hiding in tall trees outside the shrine making loud, sharp shrieking noises. I guessed they were welcoming the guests.

After the tour of the shrine, I noticed a lot of tourists taking turns to take photos with two guards standing motionless at the entrance. I managed to take one with one of them. He did not respond when I thanked him.

Then we left the shrine for the Chiang Kai-shek’s Shilin Residence.

Chiang Kai-shek’s Shilin Residence, Taipei

The  residence of  the former President of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek, is sited at 60, Fulin Road, Taipei. In 1950, he moved in with his wife, Song Mei-ling, after his defeat in the Mainland China. The two-storey residence or Main Hall was built in the middle of a large garden. When we visited the garden, the residence was under renovation, but we managed to see some of the following attractions in the garden:

a.   Ciyun Pavilion which was built by President Chiang Kai-shek in 1963 in memory of his mother

b.   Victory Chapel, a small, simple Western style building, where President Chiang, his family and friends who were  Christians prayed. (It was given such a name to commemorate the transfer of the capital of the Republic of China from Chongqing to Nanjing after World War II)

c.    Rose Garden where Madame Chiang liked to stroll and relax

d.   Chinese Garden which was built to commemorate President Chiang’s 80th. birthday

e.    Western Garden of stone-paved walkways, fountains and symmetrical landscaped flowers and trees

f.     an amphitheatre built in 1998 for musical and cultural performances

g.    Orchid Pavilion built in an ancient Chinese architectural style for orchid exhibitions

h.    Horticulture Exhibition Hall built in 1984 for plant exhibitions

i.     Eco-Garden for nature study

 

President Chiang Kai-shek passed away on 4 April 1975 at the age of 88 years at his residence (Main Hall) and his wife died in 2003 at the age of 105 years in New York, U.S.A. In 1996, the Mayor of Taipei (Chen Shui-bian) opened the residence to the public except the Main Hall. In 2005, the Taiwan government designated the place as a historical site.

On arrival at the residence, the first thing that attracted us was an antique black sedan car kept in a garage. It was a Cadillac manufactured in 1988 with an engine capacity of 5031 c.c. and weight of 3.4 tons. It was used by Madame Chiang Kai-shek (Song Mei-ling). Then we walked around the garden that befits a king and queen.

The next place we visited was the world’s tallest building, Taipei 101, located in the centre of Taipei City.

Taipei 101, Taipei City

 

Located in the centre of the busy central business district in Xinyi District, the tallest building in the world, Taipei 101, is standing majestically at a height of 508 metres above the ground and consists of 101 storeys. It is the most prominent and iconic landmark in Taipei City.

Completed within 5 years at an astronomical cost of US$1.76 billions, it was opened to the public on 31 December 2004. Attached to this tall, slim tower of a mix of traditional Chinese and Taiwanese architectural styles is a multi-storey building that houses hundreds of retail stores, restaurants, clubs and other attractions.

Observatory: When we arrived at Taipei 101, we took a lift to the fifth floor where we took another lift. The latter climbed at a very high speed. In 37 seconds, we passed 84 floors and climbed a vertical height of 382 metres to reach the 89th. floor! That 89th. floor is an indoor or enclosed observatory with large glass windows all round it. Stepping out of the lift, we walked round the observatory and were awestruck by the breathtaking view of the Taipei City.

 

Feeling not satisfied, we walked up two flights of  stairs to the 91st. floor which is an outdoor observatory (open-air floor). It was an exhilarating experience to see the spectacular views of the whole city. We could feel the gusts of wind blowing past us. The tall metal-fence surrounding the observatory played symphonies when strong wind kept blowing through it.

The top of the tower is stabilized by a 660 metric ton tuned mass damper suspended from the 92nd. floor to the 88th. floor against movements caused by strong winds.

(The next tallest building in the world will be Burj Dubai which will be 141 storeys and 818 metres high. It is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and will be opened in December 2009)

Later, we left Taipei 101 and travelled to the south-west of Taipei for over an hour to visit the Taiwan’s most famous theme park, LeoFu Theme Park.

LeoFu Theme Park, Hsinchu County

Located in Guanxi Township in Hsinchu County, it is the most famous theme park in Taiwan. It was opened 30 years ago.

There are four areas in this theme park. They are:

 

1.  “African Safari” -an area where there are herbivores, carnivores, bird shows, “Sahara Twist” (a train ride), horse, camel and pony rides, etc.

2.   “Wild West” - stage shows, photo spots and thrill rides like “Screaming Condor”, “Little Rattler” and “Big Canyon Rapids”

3. “South Pacific” -thrill rides like “Pagoda’s Revenge”, and “ Mighty Mountain Flume Adventure”.

4. “Arabian Kingdom” - “Ring of Fire”, “Flying Horse Ride”, “Sultan’s Adventure”

As we entered the park in the afternoon, we were amazed to see lots of young people. We were told that the Taiwan’s schools were closed for holidays and many students like to spend their time in the park. Besides, it was a Sunday and parents brought along their children too.

 

There were many kinds of rides there ranging from slow ones to the extreme adrenalin-pumping ones. The extreme rides are quite popular among the youngsters, such as “Screaming Condor” (a spiral roller-coaster), “Pagoda Revenge” ( a sudden 17-floor  drop), “Desert Storm” (an independent rotating roller-coaster), “Captain Cook’s Swinging Ship” (that oscillates to a height of 6 floors), “Big Canyon Rapids” (a rapids-ride), and a few more. The most extreme and exciting ride is the “Screaming Condor”. It is a roller-coaster consisting of 14 cars for 28 riders. It moves along a semi-circular and spiral track of 192 metres long at a maximum speed of  104 km per hour. The highest height it reaches is 56 metres and one third of its length is perpendicular to the ground. This ride is not for the faint hearted people.

 

Although there were countless rides in the theme park, all of them attract long queues. As my wife and I were put off by the long queues we went round watching people enjoying them. Towards the evening when the crowd was getting smaller, we managed to go for two things that attracted less people then: a slow train ride and a 3-D show which was about Sindbad on a flying carpet trying to save a beautiful princess.

Having spent about two hours at the theme park, we continued our journey to a hotel in the south known as Ataya Hot Spring Hotel which is near Nantou City.

Atayal Hot Spring Hotel, Nantou County

 As Taiwan is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire (or Circum-Pacific Seismic Belt) where countless earthquakes and volcanic eruptions take place in the Pacific Ocean Basin, it is a home to many hot springs. There are two main kinds of hot springs in Taiwan, viz. the sulfur hot springs and sodium carbonate hot springs.

Although the sulfur hot springs stink, they are claimed to do wonders for arthritis and some skin diseases. The clear and odourless sodium carbonate hot springs are claimed to relieve gastrointestinal disorders.

When we reached the Atayal Hotel bus parking area, we took a shuttle train with tyred wheels to the hotel located on a hill. The hotel, built in a European baroque style, commands a scenic panoramic view of the lush tropical rainforests on the mountains and the valleys. After checking in at the hotel, we walked a short distance from the hotel to a few pools of hot spring water which had a mild smell of sulfur. We soaked ourselves for a few minutes in the water of 40 degree Celcius and felt rejuvenated.

On the following morning, we left the hotel and headed straight for Checheng in the mountainous area in the south-east of Atayal Hotel.

( Continued on  Taiwan Travel II )

Taiwan Travel II

(Continued from Taiwan Travel I)

Day 3 : 24 August 2009

Checheng, Nantou County

Checheng is a small quiet village located in a mountainous area of Shueili in Nantou County of Central Taiwan. It has gone through a few times of prosperity and hardship during the last 100 years.

In 1913, Checheng was thriving when a railway line for manually operated railway carts was built to transport cane sugar from the village to Puli. Undoubtedly, it soon became the villagers’ main means of  transport. A workshop for railway carts and residential place for the railway-workers were established here making it a busy village. As Checheng had those railway carts, it was given the name “Checheng” which, literally, means “square cart”.

Checheng became more prosperous, when the Daguan Hydroelectric Power Plant was being constructed nearby in 1919, and another cart railway was built from Ershuei to the village in 1922. But in 1934 when the power station was completed, the dam-workers left the village and it suffered economic hardship.

In 1958, Checheng’s prosperity came back  again when timber factories were established there. Later, in 1985, it suffered economically again, when the Taiwan government banned logging.

Then, in the early 1990s, Checheng became a thriving village once more when two dams, Minghu and Mingtan, were constructed across the Shueili River in the north. But when they were completed in 1995 the village experienced an economic downturn again. Since then it remained a ghost town until 2001 when the Checheng Tourism Board decided to make it a tourist attraction.

Today, the legacy of the logging era can be seen in Checheng. A large, old sawmill is now a museum which houses some of the sawmill relics and provides valuable information about the history of the village. Near the museum vistors can see a large log storage pool where logs were kept temporarily, a crane for lifting logs off lorries and lowering them into the pool, and a workshop where manually operated railway carts were repaired. There are two railway carts at the workshop and visitors may try to operate them manually for a short joy ride. Some of the relics of the steam-engined locomotives are still around at Checheng, such as standpipes, coal-adding platforms and water-tanks. The whole of Checheng is in fact a museum showcasing its economic and cultural history.

When we arrived at Checheng, we were famished and went straight to a small restaurant, Cedar Tea House, where we had a small wooden barrel of delicious chicken rice for lunch (Bento lunch). After the meal we were asked to keep the containers as a souvenir which we gladly did. Then we began to tour the little, quiet, quaint village.

Having spent more than an hour at the village, we walked a short distance to a small old railway station. Then we boarded a modern diesel-engined train and travelled to Jiji to experience several kilometres of  train-ride. When we arrived at Jiji, we noticed that there was a remarkable contrast between Jiji and Checheng: Jiji is a large busy town.

Built in 1933, Jiji’s wooden railway station is the oldest in Taiwan. There is a train museum which is a stone throw from the station. It showcases the cultural relics of Jiji retracing the history of the railway line. Besides, an old steam-engined train can be seen standing proudly outside the museum.

On arrival at the Jiji railway station, we boarded our buses and left for the Sun Moon Lake which is not far from Checheng.

Sun Moon Lake, Nantou County

Surrounded by the mountains in Nantou County in Central Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake is the largest lake in Taiwan and it is 760 metres above sea-level. It is so called because the eastern part of the lake is round and looks like the shape of the sun whereas the western part looks like the shape of a crescent moon. It is a picturesque, romantic lake with tranquil water, and surrounded by awesome mountains. To enjoy its natural beauty, visitors may take a stroll, cycle, or row a rented boat round it. To see the whole lake fast, they may board a boat that cruises round it.

The first people to settle at the lake were the Thao aborigines. Later, they were joined by the Han Chinese of the Qing Dynasty who built some temples at the lake, such as Syuanguang Temple, Syuanzang Temple, Wunun Temple and Choh Pagoda. A hydroelectric power station which was built by the Japanese during their occupation makes use of the water from the lake.

On arrival at the lake, we went to a spot where we had a good view of the misty large lake. Having enjoyed the beautiful sight of the lake and the surrounding mountains, we left for Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second largest city, in the south. 

After three hours of travelling, we reached Kaohsiung City in the evening. We went to the largest mall in the city first, Dream Mall, and then the most popular night market in Taiwan, Liouhe Night Market, in the centre of the city to have dinner.

Liouhe Night Market in Kaohsiung City

In the evening from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. part of the Liouhe 2nd. Road between Zihli Road and Jhongshan Road is closed for the Liouhe Night Market. Over 150 stalls are set up on both sides of the road selling cheap and mouth-watering food such as stinking ‘tofu’, grilled squids and fish, large meatballs, fried oyster omelette, squid soup, cooked chicken feet, eel noodle, and many more. It is a street food paradise for both locals and tourists alike.

VIPs: The Liouhe Night Market boasts of visits by VIPs, such as presidents, well-known overseas movie stars,

entertainers and other very important persons. Visitors may visit a tourist information centre and public toilets located next to the Jiangua Elementary School near the crossroads of Zihli Road and Liouhe 2nd. Road.

According to the 2008 survey conducted by the Taiwan Tourism, Transportation & Communication Ministry, this night market is the most popular one on the island.

Having enjoyed the sights, sounds and the roadside food of the night market, we left for the Garden Villa Hotel which is new and looks like a white, grand palace built in a modern architechural style. We stayed at the hotel, comfortably, for a night, and in the morning we left for Fo Guang Shan Monastery.

Day 4 : 25 August 2009

Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Kaohsiung County

Fo Guang Shang Monastery is the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. Located in the Dashu Township in Kaohsiung County, it was founded by Master Hsing Yun in 1967. It is established with the following objectives:

*To propagate Buddhist teachings through cultural activities
*To foster talent through education
*To benefit society through charitable programs
*To purify hearts and minds through Buddhist practice

It has affiliated branch temples and organizations all over the world. It offers many activities for anybody regardless of his /her religion, race and greed, such as morning prayer, calligraphy, meditaion, Tai Chi, etc.

This monastery is built on a hill overlooking a village and flood plain where a meandering river flows. In its compound, there are several buildings for different functions, such as meditation, worship, its history exhibition(mini-museum), pilgrim accommodation, monk and nun accommodation, Buddha’s tooth relic, etc. The most prominent feature  in the monastery is a 36-metre high statue of Buddha surrounded by many identical but small ones.

We spent more than an hour touring the whole place. We felt it was quite an impressive and great monastery. Then we had lunch at a restaurant at the foot of the hill before we left for Taichung City in the north.

Taichung City

It was a long journey to Taichung City. We arrived at the city of 1.1 million people in the evening and went straight to a unique restaurant, Five Cent Driftwood Restaurant, for dinner.

The Five Cent Driftwood Restaurant, Taichung City

The owner of this restaurant in Taichung is an ambitous, artistic and enterprising lady, Hsieh Li-shiang. When she was 8 years old, she built a tree house which later gave her the inspiration to build five restaurants in Taiwan in her own unique architechural designs. She used driftwood, trees, coloured bricks, oyster shells, rocks, sculpture, and other things she fancies as decorations for her restaurants. Besides, the tables, benches, plates, cups, bowls, etc. in all her restaurants are all designed by herself.

Hsieh Li-shiang’s restaurants are well-known in many countries, as Taiwanese tour guides like to bring foreign tourists to her restaurants to see for themselves her unusual architecture and sculpture, besides her delicious cuisine.  

When we were inside the dimly-lit Five Cent Driftwood Restaurant in Taichung City, we admired  the lady’s unusual works of art. Then we sat on the low benches close to the square tables, both made of driftwood and designed by the lady, and enjoyed the simple but tasty food.

Having taken our dinner at the restaurant, we headed for a night market in Taichung Downtown known as Feng Chia Night Market.

Feng Chia Night Market, Taichung City

Feng Chia Night Market was first opened along Wen-hua Road in 1963. As it gained popularity, it expanded to Feng Chia Road, Fusing Road, Xian Road and other roads. It is a favourite place for shoppers and food lovers. Shops along these roads sell a wide range of goods ranging from clothes to modern electronic gadgets, and over a hundred street vendors offer many kinds of local snacks. As there is a university nearby (Feng Chia University), the market is also a favourite haunt of the students.

We spent an hour at the market savouring a variety of local snacks and shopping for some clothes along the busy Fusing Road before we travelled again to the Miaoli County in the north. In the late evening, we arrived at a hotel, West Lake Hotel in Sanyi, Miaoli County, where we tried to get as much sleep as possible.

Day 5 : 26 August 2009

West Lake Hotel, Sanyi, Miaoli County

This hotel, located in a quiet countryside, has a beautiful romantic garden of European style. It has a fountain in the centre and a row of ancient European statutes, like Venus de Milo, David, Winged Angels, etc. Besides, it has an amusement park known as Cartoon Dream World suitable for children. The forests that surround the hotel area provide a natural place for studying the flora and fauna, and trekking for the adventurous. This resort is ideal for families considering the fun and educational activities available here.

In the morning, after breakfast, my wife and I went to the garden admiring its charm and beauty, and enjoying the freshness of the air. Later, we left the hotel and travelled north-east for an hour to the Fantasy World Resort in Hsinchu County.

Fantasy World Resort

On arrival at the Fantasy World Resort which is in the mountainous area, we were invited to a fun-filled parrot show in which a few colourful, friendly and intelligent parrots did some interesting and amazing acts, like two parrots racing up the flagstaffs, a parrot cycling on a thin rope, an intelligent parrot picking the right coloured ball and paper money in one of the three inverted cups, etc. Then we watched tame and beautiful pheasants flying down a hill. Later, we laughed and cheered as we watched 11 little pigs competing with each other in a challenging obstacle race. After the piggy race, we were asked to bet on the pig that would win a 40-metre race. Unfortunately, I bet on the wrong one and failed to get a prize which was a large cute-looking piggy bank

After the three animal shows, we visited the Car Museum which housed vintage cars made since 1912. Some of the photos below show the beautiful cars in the museum:

At night we retired not in a hotel but caravans in the open in the Fantasy World Resort. It was my first and memorable experience sleeping with my wife in a caravan under the starry sky far away from the hustle and bustle of the Hsinchu City. In the morning we left the resort and travelled a long journey to a coastal place in the north known as Yehliu.

Yehliu, Taipei County

Yehliu is a small fishing town in the north of Taiwan. Its main attraction is the unusual landscape on the long narrow piece of land that juts 1700 metres into the sea (headland). It is known as “Yehliu GeoPark“. This land was submerged 4000 years ago in the sea and consisted of  sandstone, coral limestone, shale and other rocks. It was raised slowly at the rate of 2 to 4 millimetres per year, and was constantly subjected to erosion by waves, currents, tides and sea-water for millions of years. The erosive work of these active agents had produced many kinds of shapes and sizes of rocks that are now dominating the coastal landscape.

 
The rocks are named after common things which look like them, such as “pot-holes“, “mushrooms“, “honeycombs“, “ginger“, “candles“, “beancurds“, “fairy’s shoe” and “chessboard“. Among them, the “mushrooms” totaling about 180 are the most striking ones. There is one which looks like a queen’s head. Some rocks with exposed sea-animal and plant fossils can be seen here.

In the middle of the headland stands a statue of a man, Lin Tien-chen. In 1964, when he saw a student being swept away by a large wave, he quickly jumped into the sea and tried to save him. Unfortunately, he failed and lost his life. The student died too. In memory of that courageous man, a statue of him is erected there.

We spent two hours at the Yehliu Geo Park and saw a lot of the physical wonders scuptured by Nature. Then we left for Jioufen to visit a well-known old street in the east of Yehliu.

Jioufen Old Street, Taipei County

Jioufen is an old village in a lush green mountainous area in northern Taiwan. As it is sited on a high mountain it offers a spectacular view of the mountains (e.g. Keelung Mountain), valleys and coastal areas. It was once a  prosperous gold and coal mining settlement.

Besides its awesome scenery, Jioufen has a famous old street that attracts hundreds of tourists both local and foreign alike every day. It is a long street that is lined with over a hundred shops that sell many kinds of local food, snacks, hand-made wooden clogs, apparels, toys, souvenirs and many more. As the street is narrow and crowded, tourists have to zigzag their way or they may be bulldozed by others.

When my wife and I were in the Jioufen Old Street, we bought a lot of local snacks from a popular shop recommended by our tour-guide, Tracy, to bring home and give away as presents. After that, we looked for a crowded food shop which we thought would serve delicious food. We found one and enjoyed the food. Later, we left Jioufen for Taipei City. On arrival at the city, we visited the Taiwan’s most famous museum, the National Museum Palace.

National Museum Palace, Taipei City

Located in the Wai Shuangxi area of Shilin on the outskirts of Taipei City, the National Palace Museum showcases over 650,000 priceless relics of Chinese ancient civilisations of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, rituals, beliefs, etc. dating back to 8000 years. These treasures were brought in from Mainland China to Taiwan by the Nationalist Government in 1949 when it lost the civil war to the Communist Party there. In 1965 these treasures were brought to the National Palace Museum and since then it is open to the public.

The first three floors of the museum are used for exhibiting the relics. Each floor displays more than a theme. Below are some of the themes of the exhibits in the museum:

1. Painting and Calligraphy on the 2nd. Floor
2. Rare Books an Historical Documents on the 1st. Floor of the West Wing         
3. Antiquities:
   a. Permanent Exhibitions: “The Treasures of 8000 Years” on the 2nd. and 3rd. Floors  of the East Wing
   b. Themed Permanent Exhibitions on the 1st. and 3rd. Floors
   c. Special Exhibitions on the 3rd. Floor of the West Wing
4. Others:
    The 1st. Floor of the East Wing is the venue for joint special exhibitions of painting and calligraphy,
    antiquities and rare books and historical documentaries, or of modern painting and calligraphy.

As we did not have much time to see all the exhibits in the museum, our smart Taiwanese tour guide, Tracy Tu, brought us to see some of the important items only and related the interesting histories connected to them. We found that the museum was an excellent place to learn about the China’s last 8,000 years of history.

When it was dinner-time, we left the museum for a very popular night market in the downtown, Xi Men Ding Night Market.

Xi Men Ding Night Market, Taipei City

Xi Men Ding Night Market is in Wanhua District in Taipei. It is a well-known place for shopping, entertainment, and local and exotic cuisine. It is always crowded with people from all walks of life, foreign and domestic alike. Besides, there are buskers on walkways showing off their talents to large crowds. While walking in the crowded night market, we felt as though the place was having a carnival: shops were brightly lit, sales-workers with microphones calling for people to patronise their shops and holding large, colourful billboards that announced

delicious food and attractive discounts for products, frequent influxes of visitors, shops busy serving customers, etc. Then we stopped at a food shop where many people were queueing up. Our tour guide who was near us recommended that we should try the noodle food from that shop. The shop was known as “Ah Chong Flour-Rice Noodle Shop”. When we had bought the food we were surprised that the shop did not provide chairs and tables for the customers. So all of us had to stand or squat on the walkway and enjoyed the hot, delicious noodle.

U.Com Hotel, Linkou County

After an enjoyable experience at the night market, we left for Linkou County where we checked in a hotel known as U.Com Hotel. This hotel is an awesome one. Every quest-room has a car-park outside regardless on which floor. For an example, if a quest’s room is on the 7h. floor, he can drive his car right up the hotel to his car-park next to his room!

 Day 7 : 28 August 2009

Early in the morming on the last day of our tour, with the packed breakfast from the hotel, we left for the Taoyuan International Airport. On arrival at the airport, we thanked and bade farewell to our diligent, helpful, friendly and responsible Taiwanese tour-guides, Tracy Tu and Leong, and the two skilful bus-drivers, Sia and Lim, who had done a good job in transporting us safely for the unforgettable 7-day Taiwan tour. At about 8.20 a.m. the China Airline took off and flew us back to Malaysia, our home.

This is another travel story of mine and I hope you have enjoyed reading it. Please read my other travels in the same website: www.travel-cities.com

Written by: Choo Chaw, Kluang, Johor, Malaysia.

Phuket Travel

Phuket

Phuket is located off the coast of southern Thailand. It has a large island that is known as Phuket Island and 39 small islands in the Andaman Sea. Its total area is about 570 sq. km. which is about the same area of Singapore. The main island, Phuket Island, is 50 km long and 20 km wide. It was formerly known as Tha-Loang, Talang and Jung Ceylon.

Phuket was once an important trading centre on the route between China and India. Traders from as far as Europe came to Phuket to buy tin and rubber in the 16th. century. The tin mining in Phuket had attracted many Chinese immigrant workers and most of them later settled down there. As tin mines are now exhausted the island’s income now depends mainly on rubber, oil palm plantations and tourism.

Phuket’s population is about 320,000 who are mostly Buddhists. About 30 % of them are Muslims. Since 1980s, it attracts many foreign retirees, esp. the Europeans and Americans, who make it their second home.

A Well-Known Tourist Destination

Dubbed as the “Pearl of the Andaman”, Phuket is a well-known tourist destination for the last few decades. It is a peaceful place that has

many stunning, idyllic islands with lush green tropical forests, white sandy beaches and crystal clear water rich in marine life. Besides, it offers a variety of attractions and activities like animal shows, cultural shows, seafood, Thai food, temples, shopping centres, entertainment centres, land and sea recreational activities, and many more.

After the Hanoi trip in March a few months ago, my wife and I were then off again to another famous tourist destination, Phuket in southern Thailand. This time, two of our friends, Mr. and Mrs. Chuah, joined us for the tour. Below is the description of our Phuket travel.

Day 1

15 June 2009

Travel to Phuket

On 15 June 2009, we boarded an Air Asia plane and left the Kuala Lumpur International Airport for Phuket at about at 2.45 p.m. (Malaysian local time) and arrived at the Phuket airport about an hour later. Then we took a taxi to our hotel in Phuket Town which is 40 km south of the airport. On arrival at the hotel, Rome Place Hotel, in the downtown, we checked in and rested in our rooms for awhile.

 

At 7 p.m. we left the hotel to look for Thai food for dinner. There were many small and inexpensive food shops in the town. Having taken our dinner at one of them, we tried to look for a travel agent in the town who could give us the best bargain for the Phi Phi Island trip for the following day. After seeing a few agents, we finally got one and accepted his good offer.

Central Festival Phuket

After that, we visited two large shopping centres, Robinson and Ocean, in town. The latest and largest shopping centre in Phuket is located at the crossroads of Wichit Songkhram and Chalerm Prakat in the outskirt of Phuket Town. Known as Central Festival Phuket, it is a one-stop shopping and entertainment complex housing 150 stalls, 30 restaurants, a cine-multiplex of 7 screens, bowling, karoake, financial and tourist service centres. Free transport was provided from hotels and other places to the shopping complex when we were there.

A Trip to Phi Phi Islands

On the second day of our stay, we were going to visit the well-known Phi Phi Island consisting of two islands: Phi Phi Don Island and Phi Phi Le Island. It is located 48 km south-east of Phuket Port (Rassada Port). According to the itinerary of the trip which we had booked one day earlier, we were supposed to visit the Maya Bay which was a location for shooting a famous American film, The Beach, acted by Leonardo Di Caprio, the Monkey Beach where monkeys roam freely and the Phi Phi village.

Hanoi Travel I

Hanoi

Hanoi is in the north of Vietnam. Located on the west bank of a long river, Red River (1,200 km), it has over 1000 years of history.

Red River Delta

The Red River originates from the highlands in Yunan Province  and flows south-east. Midway, it is joined by two tributaries, Clear River (Lo River) and Black River (Da River). Together, the rivers bring a large amount of alluvial soil annually and deposit it in the Gulf of Tonkin creating a large fertile delta, Red River Delta, which is 120 km by 140 km now. The delta is now the economic hub of North Vietnam where tourism, agriculture, industry, trade, commerce, finance and banking are growing. As a result, the delta has become a densely populated area of over 6 million people.

Hanoi as a Capital

Hanoi was first made a capital in 1010 by Ly Thai, the first ruler of the Ly Dynasty. Then in 1887, the French colonialists made it the capital of the French Indochina. Later, in 1954, the Viet Minh led by Ho Chi Minh liberated North Vietnam from the French colonialists and made it the capital of the Independent North Vietnam. Finally, on 2 July 1976, it became the capital of Vietnam when North and South Vietnams were reunited.

Group of Six

On 15 March 2009, my wife and I, together with four friends (Mr. and Mrs. Chua, Grace Chen and Crace Gan), took an Air Asia plane at Kuala Lumpur Internatinal Airport and flew to Hanoi to see for ourselves the places of interest there.

Day 1

15 March 2009

After 3 hours and 15 minutes of flying we landed safely at Noi Bai Airport which is 35 km north of Hanoi. Then we paid USD 15 each for the transport from the airport to the hotel we had booked earlier through Air Asia. The hotel known as Hanoi Palace Hotel is a three-star hotel. It is located in the old part of Hanoi which is called the Old Quarter.

The Old Quarter

 The Old Quarter is a maze of narrow streets lined with narrow quaint shophouses and trees. These old shophouses are narrow because the owners were taxed according to the width of their buildings. To overcome the narrow building space, they built them longer and the latter are commonly known as ”tube houses”.

 The Old Quarter had 36 streets that were named after the trades carried out there in the olden days, e.g. Hang Bac (Silver Street), Hang Be (Rattan Raft Street), Hang Bo (Basket Street), Hang Bong (Cotton Street), Hang Ca (Fish Street), etc. Most of these shophouses have given up their traditional trades and are now cafes, bars, mini-bars, cyber-cafes, mini-hotels, tour-agency offices, restaurants, etc. 

The Old Quarter As A Tourist Attaraction

 The Old Quarter has now become a tourist attraction. To learn about the old city of Hanoi, the Old Quarter is the best place to visit. The first thing we did on our first day in Hanoi was to visit the sights of the Old Quarter and feel the hustle and bustle of the place. The old buildings here are either two or three storeyed. Most of them are built with balconies after the style of the French buildings.

The old streets are untidy and dirty with wires strung from pole to pole and waste water flowing along the sides of the roads. Most of the buildings have not been painted for umpteen years. Quite often a procession of trishaws can be seen moving slowly along the roads. They carry tourists who want to enjoy the sights and sounds of the quaint Old Quarter.

Chaotic Traffic Situation

While walking along the streets, we were shocked to see the chaotic and constant flow of traffic. Besides being narrow, the streets allow two-way traffic flow aggravating the traffic situation.  Motorbikes and cars honk frequently asking pedestrians and others to give way. I was surprised that nobody was agitated by the honking. I quess the locals understand the unavoidable chaotic traffic situation and have already got used to the noise. While walking in the Old Quarter we were always on the lookout for the vehicles making sure that we would not end up in the hospital.

Hardworking Vietnamese Women

It is a common sight to see hardworking Vietnamese women, some in conical straw hats, peddling their goods in baskets which they carry around and persuading passers-by to buy them. They sell fresh flowers, food, drinks, vegetables, fruits, meat, etc. Besides, on the roadside or walkway of every street, there are some women who set up small foodstalls selling a variety of cheap local food like chicken, pork or beef rice-noodle (pho), porridge, spicy rice-noodle, etc. During our three days stay in Hanoi we had patronized some of these stalls. It was quite an experience for us to savour their food in the streets. We had to sit on a low plastic stool (about a foot high), hold a bowl of hot food (no table was provided) and enjoyed the cheap Veitnamese food in the midst of the noisy traffic.

Hoan Kiem Lake

There is a lake, Hoan Kiem Lake, in the Old Quarter. In the middle of the lake, there is an islet with a small, lonely pagoda-like tower known as Tortoise Tower (Thap Rua). A temple, Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple), is located near it. It was built in the 18th. century in dedication to a scholar, Van Xuong, and General Tran Huang Dao who fought against the Mongols in the 13th. century.

 According to a Vietnamese legend about the lake, a Vietnamese king, Le Loi, received a magic sword from a golden tortoise in the lake in the 15th. century. He used it to fight the Chinese invaders and won the battle. Later, he returned the sword to the creature which then disappeared in the lake. So, the Hoan Kiem Lake is also known as the Restored Sword Lake and the Tortoise Tower was erected in memory of the helpful animal.

Old Colonial French Buildings

Old colonial French buildings are still around, especially, in the east and south of the Hoan Kiem Lake., e.g. the Grand Opera House, the State Bank of Vietnam (formerly the Bank of Indochina), the Presidential Palace (formerly the palace of the governor-general of French Indochina), the Cathédrale St-Joseph, and the historic hotel Sofitel Metropole.  

Day 2

16 March 2009

In the morning, we planned to go to a famous place which is known as Halong Bay. It is 170 km east of Hanoi. At 9.30 a.m., a van came to our hotel to fetch us. Together with other tourists, we travelled for

3 1/2 hours on a road which was dusty, busy and sometimes bumpy. We went through agricultural land planted mostly with paddy, villages and towns to Halong Bay. We only stopped once at a large building which sold all kinds of Vietnamese arts and handicrafts.

Embroidery Arts

That building had a large room where young boys and girls were employed to produce embroidery pieces of art. They, painstakingly, sewed a piece of white cloth with coloured threads to produce a picture. A piece of picture of size 20 .5 cm x 25 .5 cm would take a child 2 weeks to complete and cost USD 25 only. We were shocked when their supervisor told us that those children were born with birth defects and disabilities. It was because their parents were unfortunately exposed to Agent Orange during

the Vietnam War in the 1970’s.

Before leaving the place, my wife bought a beautiful picture of a woman pushing a bicycle with a basketful of fresh, colourful flowers (see photo above).

Agent Orange 

In 1970, during the Vietnam War, the Americans sprayed the jungles in Vietnam with a very toxic chemical, dioxin, commonly known as Agent Orange, to destroy the trees depriving the North Vietnamese armies of the jungle cover. Consequently, 3 million people were killed, the survivors suffered disabilities and their chidren were born with birth defects and disabilities.

Halong Bay

Soon we arrived at the Hon Gai wharf at 1 p.m. We were surprised to see the place crowded with hundreds of tourists waiting to board their boats to Halong Bay. There were lots of boats there. They looked like Chinese junks which were large and made of wood. Every boat had a large, wooden and painted figure of a dragon attached to its bow. To the Vietnamese, it signifies blessings and prosperity.

We could not go to the boat yet as we had to wait for an hour for a group of  tourists to arrive. When they arrived, they joined us and together we boarded a boat. Soon it left the wharf  and was moving slowly towards the small and large islands scattered in the Bay of Halong numbering over 1000.

Halong Bay Islands

The scenery of  the  islands in the Halong Bay is considered a natural wonder of the world. The locals name the islands according to their shapes, such as Banana, Tortoise, Wallowing Buffalo, Nail, Small Fish, Wading Ox, Fighting Cocks, etc. Some of these islands, especially the large ones,  have caves.

After having lunch in the boat, we went to the top deck and watched boats cruising to the islands and boats returning to the wharf. It looked as though the boats were on a warpath. Soon we sighted the islands of different shapes, sizes and heights, seemingly, emerging from the sea. The panoramic view of these islands was spectacular in spite of the haze in the air that reduced the visibility slightly.

A Vietnamese Belief

According to a Vietnamese belief, a large dragon came down from heaven to the earth and with its powerful long tail carved a large rock into small hills  and then flew away. So the people call the place ‘Halong Bay’ which means ‘Descending Dragon Bay’.

Thien Cung Cave

An hour later, we stopped at an island and disembarked the boat. Then we climbed steep staircases and entered a cave, Thien Cung Cave. It was large and had a high ceiling. Stalagtities, stalagmites and

pillars of different shapes and sizes were plentiful inside. Some of these formations had collapsed. With a little bit of imagination, we could see some of these rock formations that looked like dragons, lions, monkeys, fish, corals, etc. I noticed that the cave was unusually white and clean. I guessed it had been scrubbed clean not by nature but human beings. My guess was confirmed when we entered an adjacent cave which was in its original condition: dark, dirty, and covered with algae and moss.

Halong Bay Cruise

Later, we left the island. As our boat cruised among some towering islands with sheer rocks and lush rainforests we past by a floating village where the fishermen bred fish in cages and nets. When we saw two small rocks close to each other our tour-guide told us that they were

called ”fighting cocks’. They were aptly named as the two rocks looked like the cocks’ heads facing each other and getting ready to fight. Then we headed back to the Hon Cai wharf and travelled back to our hotel in Hanoi by the same van that brought us to the former place. 

(continued in Hanoi Travel II:  http://travel-cities.com/2009/05/hanoi-travel-north-vietnam/)

 

Hanoi Travel II

 Hoa Lo

On this day, we decided to visit two places of interest, viz. H0a Lo and Tam Coc.  A van came to hour hotel in the morning and picked us up. It brought us to Hoa Lo first. It is about 110 km south of

Hanoi. After two hours of travelling we arrived at a large open field in Hoa Lo. From the field, we could see high hills and temples. Hoa Lo was once an ancient capital as the hills provided protection to the dwellers then.

 Temples of King Dinh and King Le

We visited two well-known temples there. There were built as shrines to the memory of  two kings, King Dingh Bo Linh and King Le Hoan, who lived in the 10th. century. The temples were built like those in China but they were lower. According to our tour-guide, Cong, one day, King Dingh and two of his three sons were assassinated by some generals who wanted to overthrow him. His wife, with the help of a loyal general, Le Hoan, defeated them and made Le Loan the new king. Later, she married him and her youngest son who escaped the assassination lived with them. The first temple we visited had a

statue of King Dingh and his wife inside and the second one nearby had three statues, King Le, his wife (formerly King Dinh’s wife) and King Dingh’s youngest son.

Tam Coc (Three Caves)

Vietnamese Boat Rowers

When we arrived at the Tam Coc wharf, we saw Vietnamese rowers waiting for tourists to board their small boats which were made of metal. Each boat can carry six adults including a paddle-man and his assistant. Before we went for the boat ride, we had lunch first at a new restaurant at the wharf.  After the meal, we boarded the boats: two, three or four persons to each boat. My wife and I sat in a boat which was rowed by a 15 year old boy and his assistant, a 22 year old sister. The small and skinny boy was rowing with two long oars while her sister was rowing with a short one.

Writer Helped to Row

Later, as I felt I needed some exercise, I took over the lady’s task and enjoyed rowing upstream. As we moved along the river we saw paddy-fields and towering hills which were scenic. We also

went through three low caves which were dark inside. On one occssion, we saw two white goats grazing high up on a steep slope of a hill. A few minutes later, we saw lots of boats of tourists on their returning journey. Some of them were smiling at me and taking snap-shots as I was helping to row the boat. Along the river, I noticed some uniformed officers with an arm-band watching the river traffic. I guessed they were traffic police.

When we had travelled midway an oncoming boat came close to our boat and a man transferred a large metal box to our boat. I was wondering what was inside the box. An hour later, we came to the end of the boat-journey and had to turn

back. While we were turning back we were obstructed by a boat carrying food and drinks. The lady of the boat persuaded us to buy some food or drink for our rowers. We bought a pack of snack for the young boy.

Lady Rower Became Businesswoman

As we were going back half-way, the lady of our boat opened the metal box, took out table-cloths with simple embroidery and persuaded my wife to buy them. As my wife felt the embroidery works were not attractive and the cloths were expensive she refused to buy them. Then the disappointed lady took out other handicrafts and showed them to my wife. She became more disappointed when my wife refused to buy them too. But when we gave her and her brother a handsome tip she felt happy and friendly again.

I guessed these poor Vietnamese rowers were trying to make some extra money from tourists even though they knew they would be given tips by generous tourists.

Later, the lady transferred the box to another boat which was going upstream and I was surprised that she  boarded the other boat leaving her poor tired little brother to row. As I was helping to row most of the time, she might have thought that I would continue doing so until we reached the wharf.

Leg Rowing

effortlessly. On arrival at the wharf, we thanked the boy who looked so tired that he could not say a word. As we disembarked the boat, a middle-aged lady talked to us in Vietnamese which we could not understand and at the same time pointed at the boy who rowed us. Then someone told me in Mandarin that the lady said that the boy was her son. In response, I stuck out my right thumb up and then pointed at the boy who was still panting.  Well, that was an enjoyable boat-ride and a spectacular sight of the Tam Coc limestone hills.

Grace Gan, A Good Entertainer

Later, we left Tam Coc for Hanoi. Our return journey was an enjoyable one as we were entertained by one of our

friends, Grace Gan, most of the time, with her jokes, singing and interesting working experience tales. On arrival at the city, we had dinner at a small restaurant which had narrow staircases all the way up to the second floor. As the ground floor and the first floor of the restaurant were full of customers, we had to go up to the second floor. Luckily, our body-size was small enough to go up the staircases, otherwise we had to look for another restaurant nearby.

Puppet Show Tickets Sold Out

After dinner, we went to a famous theatre for a wooden puppet show. But we were disappointed as the tickets for the last two shows in the evening were sold out.  Anyway, we tried to book for one of the following day shows. We were shocked when we were informed by the ticket-

seller that the only show that was available for booking was the 9 p.m. show which was the last show. As we had no choice we booked the tickets for that show.

 Day 4

18 March 2009

Do Xuan Market

On the morning of our 4th. day in Hanoi, we left our hotel and walked to the largest Hanoi market, Dong Xuan Market. It was built in 1889 and now its building is much larger after renovation and expansion. The front part houses lots of stalls that sell goods ranging from apparels and handicrafts to electrical and electronic goods whereas the back part is wet and dry market. Dong Xuan Market is considered as the largest wholesale market in North Vietnam.

After walking for 15 minutes, we arrived at the market and were shocked to see the chaotic and appalling situation of the place behind the market. Roadside vendors set up their stalls haphazardly making the roads narrower. Motorbikes parked on the roadside in a disorderly manner and shops laid their goods in the walkway. Besides, the place was dirty and congested with both motorbikes and cars.

We spent a lot of time at the market as some of us were busy looking for something to buy like clothes and handbags, and haggling over the prices.

Vietnam Military History Museum

In the afternoon, we hired our hotel jeep for a short trip in the city. First, it brought us to the Vietnam Military History Museum in Dien Bien Phu Road in Ba Dinh District. Opened in 1958, this museum features thousands of exhibits that depict the Vietnamese military history and the wars the Vietnamese fought against the foreign invaders who were Chinese, French and the Americans. The most interesting exhibition at the museum was about the Vietnam War (1954 - 1975) when the Vietcongs were trying to conqure South Vietnam from the American imperialists.

War-Hardwares

In the compound of the museum, some war-hardwares used by the Vietcongs and the Americans during the war are on display, such as the captured American jetfighters, helicopter, tank and

artilleries, and the Russian MiG jetfighter and tank. Besides, there is a large and high pile of crashed  American fighter planes near the Flag Tower. The Flag Tower which is 31 m high and was ready in 1812 is a Vietnam national cultural monument.

Ho Chi Minh Museum

the French colonialists and his successful political career.

Ho Chi Minh

According to Wikipedia, Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890 – September 2, 1969) was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary and statesman who was Prime Minister (1946–1955) and President (1946–1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam).

Having learned about Uncle Ho, as he was fondly called, we left the museum and walked a short distance to the place where his embalmed body was laid.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

When we reached the mausoleum we were disappointed to be informed that it was closed to public then. Later, we watched a change of guards in front of the building. Then we left the Ba Dinh Square for the largest lake in Hanoi, West Lake (Ho Tay Lake).

Water Puppet Show

A Pickpocket

As the 9 p.m. show was an hour away, my wife and I decided to take a walk at the Hoan Kien Lake Park for a few minutes. The park was full of people. As we were

walking towards an empty seat by the lake a thin, young man wearing a cap approached and asked me to buy his postcards. I told him I was not interested in his cards but he kept coming closer to me until his cards touched my chest. Then he walked away, quickly.

Later, my wife who suspected that guy could be a pickpocket asked me if I had lost anything, The first thing that came to my mind was my son’s expensive digital camera. Quickly, I touched my chest-pocket and it was gone! Over 400 photos I had, painstakingly, taken the last four days in Hanoi were gone too! We tried to search for the guy in the crowded park, but it was fruitless. Then, feeling unhappy about the theft, we went back to the theatre to watch the wooden puppet show.

Watching The Puppet Show

“Phoenix Dance”

In the theatre, I tried to watch and enjoy the puppet show without thinking of the unfortunate incident. At first the show was boring, but later it became interesting and exciting and I forgot about the lost camera, momentarily.

In the olden days, farmers created puppets from wooden blocks for performing shows to entertain themselves and the villagers after every rice harvest. But they did the shows in ponds or flooded paddy fields. Nowadays, wooden puppet shows are shown in theatres in Hanoi. Both locals and foreign tourists flock to the theatres to watch an hour show, every day.

skilfully make the wooden puppets come alive. The show is performed with the accompaniment of  a live Vietnamese orchestra and rendition of two singers.

The show features 17 unrelated scenes which are mostly about traditional village life and legends. Some of the scenes can be interesting and exciting like the ‘Dragon Dance’, ’Rearing Ducks and Catching Frogs’, ‘Fishing’, ‘Lion Dance’, ’Phoenix Dance’ and ‘Boat Racing’. As the puppets ’spoke’ in Vietnamese which we could not understand we tried to understand the stories by their movements and actions.

At the end of the show, eight puppeteers in brightly-coloured traditional costumes appeared in front of the curtain

clapping and waving farewell to us. We too clapped and waved goodbye to them. We felt the show was unusual and enjoyable.

Day 5

19 March 2009

Confiscated Sharp Objects

We woke up early in the morning, took our breakfast and went straight to the Noi Bai Airport to catch the 9.15 a.m. plane home, Malaysia. As we passed throught the baggage security checkpoint, we were shocked to see lots of confiscated sharp objects in a large transparent plastic box like scissors, knives, nail-cutters, etc. At about 9.30 a.m., we finally left Hanoi and were on our way home.

Acknowledgement

My wife and I would like to thank the staff of Hanoi Palace Hotel at 61B, Luong Ngoc Quyen Street, Hanoi City, Vietnam for their help and hospitality during our stay there.

Special thanks to Lisa Duong, the General Director of the hotel for being so kind as to walk and lead us to a superstore where we could buy the famousVietnamese coffee powder cheaply.

Bali Travel

After a trip to Batam Island in September 2008, two months later we went to another Indonesian island known as Bali.

Located a short distance east of Java, Bali is 153 km long and 112 km wide and has an area of about 5,632 sq. km. It has a few active volcanoes in the east such as Mt. Agung (3,142 m), the highest, and Mt. Abang, and Mt. Batur (1,717m).

A large part of its land is covered with volcanic soil making the land suitable for agriculture. Paddy is one of its main crops and is cultivated in the low flat land as well as in terraces in the highland.

Looking at the map of Bali, the island looks like a bird standing near its egg which represents a smaller island known as Lombok. Denpasar with a population of over 300,000 is the capital of Bali and the international airport, Ngurah Rai  International Airport, is in the south of this city.

Although Indonesia is a Muslim-dominant country , over 90% of Bali’s population believe in Hinduism that is mixed with some local Balinese beliefs. It is surprising  that the small island has about 20,000 Hindu temples. The temples are built in Balinese architechural style and have narrow entrances and stone

statues of Ramayana characters. The island is commonly known as “The Island of Gods”. Sometimes, it is called “The Paradise on Earth”.

Bali is famous for arts and crafts. Its dances are unique and well-known all over the world. They are usually incorporated in dramas that depict stories of Hindu epics of Ramayana mixed with local legendary tales, such as Barong, Legong, Kechak, Pendet, Topeng, Gong Keybar and Baru.

Tourism is the mainstay of Bali. Among all the Indonesian islands, Bali is the most popular tourist destination attracting millions of tourists from all over the world

every year. Its rapid growth in tourism has led to the increase in the living standard of the Balinese. It is commendable that many Balinese take the trouble to learn and speak English.

In 2002, a horrendous bombing in a popular tourist area in Kuta, south of Denpasar, killed 202 people and injured about 200. Most of the casualties were foreigners. It was caused by the Indonesian Muslim terrorists. Then in 2005, a series of terrorist bomb-attacks at Jimbaran and Kuta in southern Bali killed 20 and injured 129. The two bombings in 2002 and 2005 have, undoubtedly,

discouraged tourists from visiting the beautiful island. As a result, they have caused

severe economic hardship to the islanders for several years. To encourage foreigners to visit Bali, the Indonesian government has been taking measures to make the islands safe for tourists. To gain their confidence, the government holds frequent international conferences in Bali.

In November 2008, my wife and I decided to visit Bali, as we thought it was safe to have a short vacation there then.

Day 1 (27 November 2008)

On 27 November 2008, we boarded an Air Asia plane at LCCT at Sepang and flew directly to Bali. In the afternoon, 3 hours and 40 minutes later, we touched down safely at  Ngurah Rai International in Bali. Then we were whisked away by a hotel van to a budget hotel known as Puri Dewa Bharata Hotel which we had booked earlier through Air Asia.

Later in the evening, the same hotel van brought us to Kuta town. While travelling in the town, our driver stopped and pointed across the road at a spot and said that at that place a terrorist powerful bomb attack occurred in a bar known as Paddy’s Club killing 202 people and burning down many shops nearby. He then pointed at a large man-made structure known as “Bali Blast Monument” which was erected on 12 October 2004 on the 2nd. anniversary of the bomb attack. It is made of stone with intricate carvings and a large marble plague with names and nationalities of those killed in the bomb attack. Besides, it is flanked by the national flags of the victims.

After dinner at a KFC outlet in Kuta, we decided to walk about in the town. As we were walking along a road, Pantai Road, parallel to the Kuta beach, we saw hotels, bars, restaurants and a lot of tourists. It is a popular tourist place as there is a beautiful sandy beach with a bay. Besides, we saw horse-drawn carriages trotting along the road carrying tourists for joyride. At 11 p.m. we left the place in a taxi for our hotel.

Day 2 (28 November 2008)

On the second day in Bali, we booked a private car with an English-speaking Balinese driver, Nyoman. He was also our tour guide. At about 9.30 a.m., he came

to our hotel to pick us up and then we left to begin our Bali tour. The first place Nyoman brought us was a theatre in Batu Bulan to watch a morning live Balinese performance known as Barong and Kris Dance.  It was a play about the fight between Barong, the good spirit, and Rangda, the evil spirit. It was an hour show accompanied on the music by a “gamelan” orchestra and it attracted quite a lot of tourists.

The show began with the Barong dance or “Lion” dance which was boring to watch. It was performed by a strange looking creature which had a tiny head but a huge furry body. Subsequently, the show became interesting. There were two pretty girls in colourful Balinese costumes who amazed us. As they were dancing they moved their hands, legs, heads and body slowly but gracefully. But when they opened their eyes wide and looked

left and right their exposed white large eyeballs frightened the audience.

After the show, we left for Ubud which is a well-known area for factories that produce arts and crafts. We visited three of them at different places. The first one we visited produced batik, then the second one gold and silver jewellery, and the last one carved wooden animals like horses, lions, monkeys and crocodiles, human beings, landscapes, masks, etc. Some of these creatures were life-seized.

As we were passing through Ubud to a highland, Tegallang, we saw hundreds of small shops selling nothing but all kinds of  local arts and crafts.

On arrival at Tegallang, we stopped and joined a group of tourists at a vantage-point to see the beautiful scenery of the paddy terraces on steep hill-slopes. At that moment the terraces were dry and the paddy had already been harvested.

Then we moved on to another place, a village known as Kintamani, which is at a height of over 1,750 m. When we arrived there we entered a crowded restaurant, Batur Sari Restaurant, which perched at the edge of a cliff. While having lunch at the back of the restaurant, we feasted our eyes on the breathtaking scenery of the distant landscapes of a volcano, Mount Batur (1,717 m), a deep valley, a higher and larger volcano, Mount Abang, and a large lake, Lake Batur (a crater), with dwellings along its edge.

After enjoying the beautiful sight, we had to pay the restaurant a high price for our meal which cost 121,000 Rp. per person(including the exorbitant 21% tax!).

Our next stop was a coffee farm. While travelling through some villages in the hilly areas, our driver, smilingly, asked us to look out for ladies bathing topless in streams along the road. At first we did not believe him. A few minutes later, we were shocked to see one in a stream.

Soon we arrived at a coffee farm and were treated to a variety of tea and coffee drinks. Looking around, we did not see any coffee or tea plants but a man roasting coffee beans in a little hut. When asked, our driver explained that the area was once a coffee farm but as the area was small, it was planted in a larger area at another place.

Then we continued our journey and soon we arrived at Tampaksiring where we visited an old, large Balinese temple, Tirta Empul Temple. It has a pool where underground water can be seen coming out of its bottom. This so-called “holy water” flows into another pool nearby where Hindu devotees bathe with it to

cleanse themselves of their sins.

The next place we went was a monkey forest, Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, at Pedangtegal. There are hundreds of long-tailed Macagues roaming freely in this forest. Besides, the forest has three temples built in the 14th. Century. We were warned that there were some mischievous monkeys in the forest. They liked to steal or snatch tourists’ possessions like sunglasses, handbags, plastic bags of food, cameras, etc. But when we were there in the late afternoon most of them were

resting in the trees.  I guessed they had seen enough of tourists for the day. We met some Balinese women in their traditional clothes in the forest. They were celebrating a festival and had worhipped at the temples. Tourists who want to visit this forest should bring along an insect repellent as there are lots of blood-sucking mosquitoes there.

Our driver then brought us to Bedula to visit a small cave which I think is man-made. It is known as Elephant Cave (Goa Gajah). It is so-called because its front has been carved into an image of an elephant and a small, short tunnel has been

dug to make it into a cave. In the evening, some local people will spend their time meditating in the “cave”. Near the “cave” are some temples destroyed by earthquakes long time ago.

In the evening , our kind driver brought us to Batu Bulan again to see another Balinese performance known as Kecak and Fire Dance. It is about a prince, his beautiful wife and brother who lived in exile in a forest. A lecherous king who liked the prince’s wife asked his prime minister to bring her to his kingdom. The

prime minister then tricked, kidnapped and brought the lady to his king. When the prince discovered the kidnap, he, with the help of a large troop of monkeys, went to fight the king. He, successfully, killed the king and saved his wife.

After the show, we could not believed ourselves that we had visited so many places of interest in one day. As we were feeling tired, the first thing that came to our minds was to go for a Balinese massage. After the massage, we felt rejuvenated but famished. When we asked for a seafood restaurant, our driver brought us to one which is known as Ganesha Restaurant at Kedonganan Beach in Kuta.

We enjoyed the delicious dinner there. It consisted of a boiled crab of 1.4 kg, a sweet and sour grouper, some chilli clams, vegetable and white rice.

While we were having our meal we heard a band of four male Balinese playing musical instruments and singing English oldies to a group of tourists who were also having their meal.

When we have finished our dinner we were shocked that it was already 11 p.m. On the way to our hotel, we apologised to our patient driver for making him wait so long at the restaurant. We told him to come again and fetch us at our hotel for the following morning trip, as he was a good driver-cum-tour guide.

Day 3 (29 November 2009)

Our 3rd. day in Bali was our last day. As we had to leave Bali by plane at 4.50 p.m.we decided to make a short trip to Tanah Lot in the morning to see a famous temple sitting on a hard rock at the Indian Ocean. Our driver, Nyoman, came and brought us to the place in the morning. On arrival, we were awe-stricken to see beautiful coastal landscapes. The coastal land is high which is about 70 m above sea-level and has steep cliffs, promontories, stacks, arches and caves. All these structures have been created by the strong ocean waves.

Perched precariously on an arch is a small temple which is out of bound to the tourists. Not far from this temple is a another one which is built on a solid rock.

The rock becomes an islet when there is a high tide and it is about 100 m from the mainland. The view of the temple on the rock is spectacular.

On the mainland there is a spot near the edge of the cliff and is 70 m above the sea. It commands a panoramic view of the vast expense of the Indian Ocean. On a clear day, the eastern part of Java Island can be seen from this spot. In the evening, tourists go there to watch the sunset. Hence, the place is known as Sunset Terrace.

Having seen enough of the sacred place, we went to the capital of Bali, Denpasar. When we arrived there we stopped at a small restaurant for lunch. As we entered the restaurant we saw on the walls photos of customers and their words of praise for the food served there. We thought we would enjoy the meal there if what the customers said was true. For 50,000 Rp. for a meal per person, we were given a plate of white rice, a bowl of

pork meat soup, and a plate containing a stick of grilled pork meat, a few pieces of roasted pork (”babi guling”) and some vegetable. After taking the food, we felt that it was “so-so” for us.

Then we went to a superstore which is well-stocked with Balinese-made goods, such as clothes, hadbags, belts, souvenirs, arts, handicrafts, preserved foods, etc. It is called Krishna. After buying a few items there we left for the airport. On arrival, we thanked our good driver, Nyoman, tipped him for his excellent service and bade him farewell. Finally, at about 5 p.m. we left Bali and flew back to Malaysia, our homeland.

Well, that was a short but enjoyable vacation in Bali and we hope to visit more foreign places in the near future.

Here, I would like to thank I Nyoman Sudira, our excellent, patient and obliging driver-cum- tour guide, for making our Bali tour an enjoyable and memorable one. Those who are interested in his service can contact him by handphone: 0361-7432274 or at his email address, Lembut_Bali@yahoo.com .

Our next vacation will be in Hanoi City and hope you will read about it when I have visited the place and written about it. Well, I hope you have gained something from what I have written about our Bali trip.

Written by:

Choo Chaw, Kluang, Johor, Malaysia.

Batam Island Travel

As Batam Island  has many attractions like entertainment, sea-food, shopping paradise, sea-sports, golf games, pristine beach resorts, snorkelling, deep sea-diving, etc. it has become a tourists’ destination, especially for neighbouring countries like Singapore and Malaysia. Over 1 million tourists sail or fly there, annually.

On 1 October 2008, my wife and I took a ferry from Singapore Harbour Front to Batam Island for a short vacation. Below is the itinerary of our Batam Island travel:

                 Day 1               Ferry Journey to Batam Island
          (1 Oct. 08)           Batam Centre Tour
                                            Lunch at Golden Prawn Restaraunt and Waterfront  City Tour
                                            Polo Shop, Largest Buddhist Shrine/Monastery    

                Day 2                 i-Hotel
         (2 Oct. 08)           Walkabout in Nagoya City
                                            Nagoya Hill Megamall

                Day 3              Last Day of  Batam Island Vacation
           (3 Oct. 08)

Day 1, Wednesday, 1 Oct. 2008

Ferry Journey To Batam Island

On the early morning of 1st. of October 2008, my wife and I went to Singapore Harbour Front where we collected our ferry tickets and boarded a modern ferry of Ferry Fast Company known as “Ocean Raider”. At 8.40 a.m. the white, stream-lined ferry pulled out of the harbour and sped all the way to Batam Island. As it was crossing the Phillip Channel, we saw large ships anchored at the sea and a Singapore marine police boat patrolling the sea. An hour later we entered Tering Bay and arrived at the Batam Centre Ferry Terminal.

After going through the custom and immigration checks, we waited for our

Indonesian tour guide, Tani, at the lobby of the ferry terminal. Looking around, I noticed a banner with information for ferry passengers. It was about personal

accident insurance benefits for ferry passengers. A few minutes later, some travellers wearing the same stickers as ours joined us. They are from Singapore, Phillipines and Java, and we from Malaysia. Then a tall lady, Tani, appeared and introduced herself to 18 of us. After checking a list of our names and feeling satisfied that we were all present, she asked us to board a coach. Our driver was a young, short and sturdy Indonesian guy, Dasri, who hails

from Sumatera a few years ago. Soon we began our one day tour on Batam Island.

Batam Centre Tour

Our coach driver first brought us round Batam Centre which is a government administrative hub for the island. As the coach was cruising in the town, we noticed that it was quiet and many shops were closed. A large blue and yellow building known as Batam Centre Megamall was opened. Our tour guide explained that it was a public holiday. So, most Muslims had gone back earlier to their homes on other islands, especially Java and Sumatra, to celebrate their “Hari Raya Aidul Fitri” (a Muslim festival) and they would be back a few days later. We realized that we had chosen the wrong day for our vacation and felt a little disappointed.

 

After a short round trip in the town, we stopped at a shop which sold dried and preserved foodstuffs like crackers made from fish, prawns, squids, fruits, etc. The shop assistants were kind to ask us to taste some samples first before buying. Many of our tour members bought several packets each as the shop owner gave them some attractive discounts.

As my wife was busy buying the food stuffs at the shop I walked over to the adjacent shop and was attracted by the Indonesian arts and handicrafts inside, including paintings, sculptures and masks.

Then we left the place for a famous seafood restaurant at a place known as Bengkong.

As we were travelling to Bengkong, we saw many political party posters, banners and flags planted along the road. I learned later that Indonesia is going to have a national general election on 9 April 2009. Over 60 political parties in the country have registered for the election. The election campaign started on 12 July 2008 and will end on 5 April 2009. 580 seats of the Regional Representative Council and 128 People’s Representative Council are up for grabs.

We also saw a lot of people riding motorcycles. It was a Muslim festival, “Hari Raya Adul Fitri” and so they were visiting friends and relatives. Some of them seemed to be carrying their whole families on their machines. Take for an

example of a motorcyclist we saw that day. He was carrying a child in front of him, another child squeezed in between himself and his wife. We were shocked to see none of them wearing a crash-helmet. It would be unimaginable if tragedy should strike them, I told myself, worriedly.

As there are many motorcycles on the island there are also many illegal roadside motorcycle repairers everywhere.

While we were travelling in the outskirts our tour guide brought to our attention some slum areas along the roads. Most of the slum houses were in

pathetic conditions and built in haphazard manner. They did not have water piping system and proper sanitation facilities. Besides, the dwellers lived in poverty and were illegal squatters who had migrated from other Indonesian islands, our tour guide told us, repeatedly.

Soon we arrived at a famous large seafood restaurant known as “Restaurant Golden Prawn” at Bengkong.

Golden Prawn Restaurant, Batam Island

Golden Prawn Restaurant claims to be the largest sea-food restaurant on Batam island. It looks like a village wooden house with an attap roof built on stilts planted in a pool of water. It is large and divided into two parts: Restaurant Golden Prawn 933 and Restaurant Golden Prawn 555. The former serves non-Muslim food whereas the latter Muslim food.

As we entered Restaurant Golden Prawn 555, we saw some water tanks with live sea creatures such as sharks, fish, clams, snails (gong-gongs), squids, mantis shrimps, prawns, etc. 

Eighteen of us sat at two tables at the back of the restaurant and waited anxiously for our seafood meal. While waiting our stomachs were rumbling.

Soon the food came and we all enjoyed eating it. Among the dishes the young waitresses brought to our tables were chili crabs, prawns cooked with tomato sauce, sweet and sour grouper, boiled “gong-gongs” (a type of sea snails), fried squids and chili “kangkong” ( a leafy vegetable or water spinach). Out of 5 stars, I will give 3 stars for the seafood at the restaurant. After that delicious meal we drank fresh coconut water which was very refreshing.

When we came out of the restaurant we were told that there was no performance in the open area in front of the restaurant. It was because the performers were away celebrating “Hari Raya Aidul Fitri”.  When they come back tourists will be able to see them performing traditional dances, tearing

coconut husk with their strong teeth, eating glass, etc. As there were no show then we left the place feeling disappointed.

Our coach driver brought us to a larger shop which sells more varieties of dried and preserved foodstuffs. But not many of us bought them as they were more expensive than those  sold at Batam Centre. Then we left the shop for another place known as Waterfront City. Readers should not be misled by the word “City” as this place is just like a village.

Waterfront City, Batam Island

When we arrived at Waterfront City we went straight to a go-kart race course. As none of us was interested in driving the small machines we left for another place by a bay where one can enjoy water-sports such as parasailing, kayaking (canoeing), water-skiing and banana boat ride. But those activities were cancelled as the workers were on holiday celebrating “Hari Raya Aidul Fitri” (1st. day of Syawal). We left the place feeling disappointed and went to visit two popular resorts in the area nearby: Holiday Inn Resort and Harris Resort. These resorts look impressive and have clean swimming pools. Vehicles entering the areas of these resorts are checked thoroughly for bombs by security guards. The resort owners do not want a terrorist bomb attack on their buildings as it had happened in Bali where terrorist bomb attacks killed 202 people in 2002 and 20 people in 2005.

After a quick tour of the two resorts, we left Waterfront City and headed to a shop known as Polo Shop in Kepri.

On arrival at Kepri, we went straight to Polo Shop. It sells good quality clothes for young and old such as T-shirts and shirts. A few of our tour members bought them although they were not cheap.

Outside the shop, a few peddlers were persuading tourists to buy their arts and handicrafts. Unfortunately, none of them bought from them. I guessed they were more interested in other things.

Nagoya City, Batam Island

Then we headed to Nagoya City or Lubuk Baja, the largest town on Batam Island. (Japan has a city which has the same name, but it is many times larger than this one on Batam Island). It is a commercial and financial centre of the island. We visited the largest megamall there, Nagoya Hill Megamall. It is a popular place for both locals and tourists where they can shop to their hearts’ content at over a hundred retail outlets. They can also hang out, enjoy a variety of foods and beverages in its “Food Street”, test their skills at a video arcade, relax while being massaged, etc. Behind the megamall, security guards were busy searching for bombs inside and underside of the vehicles using mirrors before they were allowed to pass through the gate and enter the parking area. They feared that

terrorists might bomb the megamall. (Remember the Bali terrorist bomb attacks in 2002 and 2005 and the Mariott Hotel tragedy in Islamabad in Pakistan on 20 September 2008).

Largest Buddhist Shrine/Monastery, Batam Island

After spending two hours at the megamall, we went to the last place in our one day Batam Island tour itinerary, i.e. the largest Buddhist shrine/monastery in Southeast Asia located at Batam Centre. It is known as Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya (Providence Maitreya Missionary Monastery) and was officially opened by the Indonesian Religious Minister, Prof. Drs. H. A. Malik Fadjar (M. Sc.), on 23 January 1999. It has large halls for worshipping the Buddhas and Bodhisatvas.  

After the Batam Island tour, my wife and I bade our 16 tour members farewell at Batam Centre. They were leaving the island for Singapore in the evening. My wife and I were going to stay on the island for two more days to learn more about it. Our tour guide, Tani, was kind enough to bring us in her own car to a hotel in Nagoya City known as i-Hotel where we would stay for two days.

Day 2, Thursday, 2 Oct. 2008

i-Hotel, Batam Island

i-Hotel is one of the large hotels on Batam island. It is about one and a half years old. Standing alone majestically on a high ground in Nagoya City, it is a 4-star hotel offering 165 rooms at reasonable rates. It has many facilities for its guests, such as a swimming pool, jacuzzi pool, gymnasium with workout apparatus,

meeting/conference room, bar, KTV room, spa room, etc.

My wife and I enjoyed staying at this hotel. The first reason is that it is clean, quiet and comfortable. Second, it provides free and nice buffet breakfast in a spacious, clean dining room. Third, the hotel staff are young, courteous, helpful, attentive and always smiling. Take for example of a helpful bellboy. On the afternoon of 2 October 2008, my wife and I came back from town to the hotel by taxi. Arriving at the hotel, I took out a large rupiah note to pay for the fare. Unfortunately, the taxi driver had no small change. Then I was surprised and delighted when a bellboy came to my aid. He said he had small change for my big

note. I thanked him but forgot to ask for his name. The fourth reason is that the island’s largest shopping mall, Nagoya Hill Megamall, is just a stone’s throw away. Fifth, the hotel swimming pool is clean and well-maintained. We had a good swim in the pool in the evening of 1 October 2008.

Another reason is that the gymnasium in the hotel is well-equipped with apparatus for physical exercise. Fiyandra, the hotel gymnast, was so kind as to show me the methods of using all the apparatus.

On the morning of 2 October 2008, I opened the glass door of the hotel room (Room 703 on the 7th. level) where we were staying and stepped onto the balcony to get a panoramic view of Nagoya City.  As the balcony had a six foot high wall I pulled a chair, stood on it and had a breathtaking view of the town and its outskirt. After a

hearty breakfast at the hotel, we decided to walk to the town to see what it was like.

Walkabout in Nagoya City, Batam Island

On the morning of 2 October 2008, my wife and I decided to walk about in Nagoya City. While we were walking down a road from our hotel, i-Hotel, to Nagoya City we were greeted with frequent sound of taxi horns. Politely, I waved my right hand to signal to them to mean that I did not need a taxi yet. Soon we were walking about in the town. It was quiet. Many shops were closed for the public holiday as the Muslims were still celebrating the “Hari Raya Aidul Fitri” on the 2nd. day of Syawal 1429. There are many restaurants, bars, shopping centres, money changing shops and hotels in the town centre. I guess

Nagoya City is a place specially for tourists.   
As we were walking we came across a large, old, ugly building which looks like an ancient fortress located by a bay. We were surprised when we were told by a friendly old man that it is a wet market. It was closed then as it was a public holiday. The whole building was in bad shape: many pieces of its roof were missing and its paint was peeling. The road round it was dirty, uneven and stony and the stench in the area was unbearable.

Opposite the market are a few clusters of houses built on stilts in the shallow bay of black and polluted water. They look like a floating village. I was told that the dwellers are not fishermen. They must be poor to live in such an

appalling environment.

While we were at the back of the market, we were surprised to see a large, white cruise ship behind some trees in the distance (see photo on the left). I could not believe with my own eyes that it was there as the island has no large, deep rivers. Out of curiosity, we walked to the ship. When we reached there we were shocked to see that it was actually a hotel known as Pacific Hotel. Alongside this hotel is its daughter “ship”. It is a four star hotel built in 2003.  There is another hotel across the road. It is built in an Indonesian architectural style and known as Novotel Hotel. It is also a four star hotel.

Having seen enough of the town, we took a taxi back to our hotel in the afternoon.

Nagoya Hill Megamall, Batam Island

Batam Island has many departmental stores which are known as megamalls here. They are popular among the locals and tourists alike.

Among the megamalls, Nagoya Hill Megamall is the largest. It has over a hundred retail outlets which sell all kinds of goods ranging from handbags, jewellery, apparels, shoewear to handphones, digital cameras and LCD

televisions, food outlets which serve Asian and Western cuisines, cinema, hypermarket, money changer and many more, all under one roof.

We spent quite a lot of time browsing and eating at Nagoya Hill Megamall. In spite of the goods at the megamalls being exempted from duty, they are still not cheap. But tourists do not mind paying for the goods at high prices.

As 1st. and 2nd. of October 2008 were public holidays, the mall was crowded. While I was there I noticed that most of them like me were window shopping. There are three places in the mall that are popular among the children, viz. the eating outlets in the “Food Street”, toy section in the hypermarket in the basement and the “Funland” where they enjoy

riding cars, sitting on mechanical horses, playing video games, etc.

On the afternoon of 2 October 2008, we walked along a few busy streets that are behind Nagoya Hill Megamall. As it was a public holiday, there were many vehicles moving along the streets and people walking on the roadsides and crossing the busy roads, hurriedly. Coffee shops and restaurants were doing good businesses then. Besides, taxis and motorcycles for hire were busy ferrying passengers.

There are many roadside foodstalls selling cheap local food. My wife and I tried a bowl of beef ball noodle soap at one of the stalls. After finishing the

delicious food we hoped it would not upset our stomachs. Luckily, it did not.

There are many money changing shops in Nagoya City. They are a testament to the popularity of Batam Island among foreign tourists. Over one million tourists visit this small island, annually.

Day 3, Friday, 3 Oct. 2008

Last Day of Batam Island Vacation

On the last day of our Batam Island vacation, my wife and I visited Nagoya Hill Megamall in Nagoya City again. After spending a few hours there we managed to buy a few items for ourselves: a luggage, a shirt, a swimsuit, etc. (At least we have these tangible things to remind us of the island trip.)

While walking back to i-Hotel where we had stayed for two days we entered a travelling fun fair. It was not opened in the daytime then. Anyway, we looked around and saw it had some attractions: children and adult rides and stalls of skill and luck games. Besides, there were some interesting life-sized figures at the fun fair, such as a skinny robot, 2 transformers, 2 E.T.’s, and a pirate.

At 12.30 p.m. we checked out the hotel, thanked the helpful hotel staff we met and left for the Batam Centre Ferry Terminal. After going through the immigration checkpoint smoothly we entered the departure hall and waited for our ferry. While waiting, we observed some passengers leaving the hall to board a ferry which would take them back to Malaysia. Then some incoming passengers disembarked a ferry and walked to the arrival hall. Soon we left the departure hall and boarded the same ferry which brought us to the island three days ago. It had an eye-catching name: Ocean Raider.

On the sea journey to Singapore, we saw a few ferries passing by. Each time a ferry passed by, our ferry would rock violently. It was because it had to hit the waves caused by the passing ferry. An hour later, we arrived safely at

the Singapore Harbour Front Ferry Terminal. Going through the immigration checkpoint at Harbour Front took us quite awhile as there was a large crowd ahead of us when we arrived.

Well, that is our short vacation on Batam Island. Although some activities were closed due to “Hari Raya Aidul Fitri we did enjoy it. We learn that it is more than just an ordinary island as it has some tourists’ favourite attractions like shopping malls, seafood restaurants, resorts with or without golf courses, a place for water sports, discos and bars. Besides, the sea surrounding the island offers tourists some sea adventures like fishing, parasailing, banana ride, snorkelling and diving.

On arrival in Singapore we reminded ourselves that its time is one hour later than that of Batam Island because of their different time zones. Take for an example: when the time in Singapore is 10 a.m. it is 9 a.m. on Batam Island.

Thank you very much for reading my Batam Island travelogue and I hope it is useful to you.

Writen by Choo Chaw, Kluang, Johor, Malaysia.

Bangkok, Ayuthaya Travel (Part I)

Bangkok began as a small village and later a trading centre. It developed rapidly when King Thaksin made it the new capital of Thailand in 1767. The old one, Ayutthaya, which is 80 km north of Bangkok, was captured by the Burmese soldiers in 1767.

People and Attractions    

Bangkok has now become a fast growing city in Asia with a population of over 10 millions.  Although it has become a financial and commercial hub of Thailand with modern, tall buildings, it still preserves the old ones which have historical, religious and cultural significance.

Known as the “City of Angels”, it attracts over 10 million tourists annually. It is well-known for Buddhist temples with unique architectural designs, food, shopping centres, night bazaars, roadside stalls, entertainment, historical and cultural sites.

Over 90% of its people of diverse races have a common religion, Buddhism and culture. There are about 400 Buddhist temples, 55 mosques, 10 churches and 2 Hindu temples in the city. As it has so many temples, it should also be known as the “City of Temples”. The Thais are helpful and friendly, and they live up to the country’s motto: “Land of Smiles”.

 “Venice of the East”      

Located on the east bank of River Chao Phraya in a low delta area with many rivers and canals (khlongs), Bangkok is known as “Venice of the East”. In olden days, canals or khlongs were built mainly for irrigating paddy fields and water transport. Many houses, shops and markets were built along those that were used as waterways. Some of them had floating markets. But nowadays many have been filled up to make way for roads.

Sinking Bangkok      

Traffic jams and air-pollution are two major problems in the city now. Hopefully, the Thai government will find quick solutions to these problems, otherwise tourism will be affected badly. It is reported that the vibrant city is sinking and some parts of its land may be under water in 20 years’ time.

Bangkok and Ayuthaya, Writer’s Next Destinations     

After an interesting trip to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle in Thailand in July 2006, my wife and I were off again to two more cities in Thailand in December 2007, i.e. Bangkok and Ayuthaya

On 4 December 2007, we left Kuala Lumpur Airport by an Air Asia airbus plane, A320 and, two hours later, we arrived safely at Bangkok’s new airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport, which was one year-old then. Built 28 km south-east of Bangkok, it is an airport which is comparable to other large international airports in the world. Its large, massive steel-roof looks like a row of curved and oval-shaped parachutes from a distance.

As a railway linking the airport and the Makkasan Station in the downtown was not ready yet, we took a taxi and in less than an hour to reach our budget hotel known as Bangkok City Inn in the downtown. 

 Below is the itinerary of our unforgettable  Bangkok and Ayutthaya tour from 4 December 2007 till 7 December 2007. 

        1.      Ratchadamri Nightlife and Central World
        2.     Ayutthaya : Bang Pa-In Palace
 
        3.     Ayutthaya : Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Si Sanpet, Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit
 
        4.     Chao Phraya River Boat Cruise
 
        5.     Suan Lum Night Bazaar
 
       6.      The Grand Palace, The Emerald Buddha Temple, Temple of the Reclining Buddha, Wat Intrawihan
 
       7.      Anantasamakhon Throne Hall, King Rama V Monument, Democracy Monument, Victory Monument
 
       8.      Silom, Patpong and Chinatown
 
      9.      Thai Body Massage, Floating Market, Khlong Saen Saep and Phetburi Road
 
    10.      Bangkok City Inn, Vishnu Kurmavatara and Departure for Malaysia
 
Day 1 : Tuesday, 4 December 2007  

Ratchadamri Road Nightlife       

After checking in at Bangkok City Inn we left the hotel in the evening and went to look for roadside food-stalls nearby to savour the cheap but nutritious Thai food for dinner. We found a row of them nearby and tried their spicy, sweet and sour “tom yam”, fried rice, grilled chicken as well as fresh coconut drinks to cool our body system. Later, we found out that almost every street in the downtown had cheap roadside food-stalls.

 Having finished our sumptuous meal we started our city sightseeing tour in Bangkok. The first place we visited was the busy Ratchadamri Road. The traffic was heavy on the road. As it was already evening, we saw lots of small stalls along both sides of the road selling all kinds of goods. They attracted a large number of both tourists and local people. The walkway was made narrow by the stalls and was so crowded that we had to be careful all the time not to bump into other people.

Central World       

Then we walked to Bangkok’s largest shopping mall which is known as Central World. Located at the junction of Phloenchit Road and Ratchadamri Road, the modern multi-storey building houses many shops selling branded goods, such as watches, electrical and electronic products, jewellery, silverware, clothes, shoes, perfumes, cosmetics, etc. Besides, it has 21 cinema screens, 18 karaoke rooms and 28 bowling lanes. It is a place worth patronizing if you have lots of money.

Outside the Central World, we saw hundreds of people chill-out at two open-air bistros which had bands playing loud musics and local singers singing English and Thai songs. Adjacent to the bistros was an open space where there were many decorations including a tall Christmas tree lit with hundreds of small coloured bulbs that gave an atmosphere of Christmas festivity. This area was a

popular place for families and young couples.

Day 2 : Wednesday, 5 December 2007
Travel to Ayutthaya

On the morning of  5 December 2007, we joined a group of tourists from different parts of the world for a tour in the ancient Ayutthaya to learn about its interesting past history, heritage and culture. At about 8.30 a.m. we departed Bangkok by a coach and headed north to the city.

Ayutthaya       Ayutthaya, located 86 km north of Bangkok, was founded in

1350. Since then it had been the capital of the Siamese Kingdom for 417 years before it was beseiged by the Burmese in 1767.

After the Burmese attack many buildings especially the temples were left in ruins and not much work has been done to restore them.

Ayutthaya has been declared as a World Heritage Ancient City as the ruined sites are a testament to its rich history and culture in its heyday.

Arrival at Summer Palace (Pang Pa-In Palace)

After travelling for about an hour we arrived at a famous ancient royal palace known as Bang Pa-In Palace or Royal Summer Palace which is 30 km south of Ayutthaya.

Before entering the palace a large portrait of the present Thai king greeted us. When we were inside the palace complex we were amazed to see a beautiful landscape of large manicured garden, neat rows of trees and flowers, lakes and mansions of European and Asian architectural styles.

Summer Palace (Pang Pa-In Palace)

In 1632 King Prasat Thong (1629-1659) was the first Thai king to build a palace as his residence there. Later, it was abandoned until King Mongkut or King Rama IV (1851-1868) restored it and made it as his residence. Subsequently, more mansions were built at the site by other kings. Many existing buildings were constructed during the

reign of King Chulalongkorn or King Rama V (1868-1919) who loved European architectural styles.

The present king, King Bhumibol Adulyadej or King Rama IX, who lives at Chitralada Palace in Bangkok, occasionally, lives there and holds receptions and banquets.

After studying a pictorial map showing the locations of the mansions we toured

the palace. Our Thai tour guide, Chamrong, who preferred to be called “James Bond” led us to the important mansions and patiently told us their histories. We toured the palace complex for an hour and found some buildings fascinating and worth mentioning below.

There are two parts of the Summer Palace: the outer and the inner.

1. The buildings in the outer part of the palace include:

a.    Golden Palace of the God King Shrine  (Ho Hem Monthian Thewarat)         

Standing under a large old Bodhi tree is a small stone structure in the form of a Khmer-styled shrine. It was built by King Rama V in 1880 and dedicated to King Prasat Thong.

b.    Assembly Hall for Ronal Relatives (Saphakhan Rajaprayon)     

A royal residence built in 1879 for King Rama V’s brothers

 c.     The Divine Seat of Personal Freedom (Phra Thinang Aisawan Thiphya-Art)   

This beautiful, brightly-coloured Thai architectural styled pavilion with 4 porches and a spire roof was built in a pond by King Rama V in 1876. It houses a bronze statue of King Rama V in a Field Marshal uniform that was placed there by his son, King Rama VI.

d.     Excellent and Shinning Heavenly Abode (Phra Thinang Warophat Phiman)    

A royal residence built in a neo-classic architectural style by King Rama V in 1876 as his residence and throne hall. Oil paintings depicting important events in Thai history and scenes from Thai literature can be seen in the audience chambers and ante-rooms.

2. The buildings in the inner part of the Palace include:

a.     Garden of the Secured Land (Phra Thinang Uthaya Phumisathian)     

This is a large royal residence built at the expressed wishes of the present queen, Queen Sirikit. In 2006 Queen Elizabeth II of England was invited to stay

there by the Thai king. She went to Thailand to celebrate his 60th. anniversary reign. This mansion replaces the wooden one which was accidentally burnt down during repair in 1938

b.    The Sages Lookout Tower (Ho Withun Thasana)     

This is a tall observatory tower built by King Rama V in 1881 for viewing the scenery of the countryside.

c.    Royal Residence of Heavenly Light (Phra Thinang Wehart Chamrun)    

It is a large two-storey Chinese-styled mansion given by a group of local Chinese businessmen as a gift to King Rama V in 1889

A Russian prince who visited the mansion in 1889 aptly described the striking red and yellow building as follows:

“It is really a palace of romance, with ornamented tiled floors, massive ebony furniture, gold, silver, and porcelain freely used for decorative purposes, and delicate fretwork on the columns and on the windows.”

There is a Chinese-styled throne on the ground floor. Besides, the building has

an altar enshrining the plates with the names of King Rama IV, King Rama V and their respective queens. This mansion was a favourite residence of King Rama VI (1910-1925).

Journey to Ayuthaya

After a tour of the splendid Summer Palace we continued our journey to Ayuthaya which is well-known for ruined  ancient temples      

Ayutthaya was an important religious centre until the Burmese captured it in 1767. Many temples were burnt down by the enemies. Some large ruined ancient temples can still be seen in the city and are now a tourist attraction.

On arrival at Ayuthaya, we visited some of the famous places of worship including the following:

a. Wat Mahathat      

This ruined temple was built during the reign of King Boram Rachathirat in 1374 and completed during the reign of King Ramesuan (1388-1395) in 1390 to house the Lord Buddha’s relics. It was also used for the royal religious ceremonies as well as a place of worship by the locals and visitors.

During the Burmese attack in 1767 it was burnt down. Since then it was left in ruins.

In the centre of the temple there was a large corn cob-shaped pagoda or prang (built in a Khmer-styled tower) that contained the Buddha’s relics. It collapsed in the  reign of King Songtham (1610-1628). During the reign of King Prasat Thong (1630-1655), its restoration was completed and its height was greatly increased to 50 metres . Later the pagoda collapsed again due to an earthquake that happened during the reign of King Rama VI. The collapsed pagoda can still be seen at the temple.

Surrounding the pagoda are large and small stupas or chedis as well as large and small statues of Buddha. Many of these statues are either headless or torsoless. According to our tour Thai guide, Chamrong, looters had decapitated the statues and sold the heads to antique collectors. Besides, many relics of Buddha and other

artifacts were stolen from the temple. Even the bricks were not spared. But visitors can still see some of the valuable temple artifacts recovered by archaeologists at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum in Ayutthaya, e.g. Buddha statues, votive tablets, fish-shaped boxes and golden plaques in the shape of animals.

At the temple we were fascinated by a stone head of Lord Buddha image which appears out of the exposed roots of an old, large Bodhi tree. It is believed that the rest of its body is buried in the roots. A guard standing a few metres away from the head advised us not to let our heads be above that sacred head if we wanted to go near it to have a closer look.

Then we left that temple and went to another one nearby. It was Wat Phra Si Sanpet.

b. Wat Phra Si Sanpet      

This temple was built in the large compound of a royal palace in 1448 without a monastery. It was used for royal ceremonies and religious rites. Besides, its compound was used for cremating the bodies of kings and royal family members.

Three large pagodas (stupas) were built to house the remains of the Siamese kings ( King Boroma-Tri-Loka-Nat, King Boroma-Rachathirat III and King

Ramathibodi II) and smaller ones the remains of the royal members.

Adjacent to this temple was a grand hall (Wihan Luang). It housed a tall golden Buddha statue (16 metres tall) known as Phra Si Sanpet. The statue covered with a layer of about 172 kg of gold was built by King Rama Thibodi II in 1500.

Unfortunately, in 1767 the Burmese came and burnt down the hall as well as the temple nearby. They also removed the gold from the large Buddha statue. A few tall pillars are the only remains of the grand hall that a visitor can see now. The large Buddha statue has been moved to the Phra Si Sanpet chedi in Wat Phra Cetuphon (Wat Po) in Bangkok.

c. Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit       

This temple located in the old royal palace compound houses a large statue of Buddha known as Phra Mongkhon Bophit (12.45 metres high) and the latter is covered with gold leaves. This statue was made in 1538 on the order of King Chairachathirat.

Besides foreign tourists who thronged that ancient royal palace, lots of local people also visited the place as it was a public holiday in celebration of their king’s 80th. birthday.

Elephant Show and Elephant Ride

Nearby, there was a mini elephant show and many people both foreign and locals alike were enjoying riding elephants. There were some who bought bananas and sugarcane to feed some hungry elephants in a large tent. The whole place looked like a carnival then.

Chao Phraya River Boat Cruise

After a tour of Ayutthaya’s two ancient ruined temples, viz. Wat Mahathat and Wat Phra Si Sanpet, and a grand hall, Wihan Phra Si Sanpet, we travelled south in our coach to Wat Chong-lom Pier in Nonthaburi. On arrival, we boarded a luxurious cruise boat of about 50 metres in length belonging to Grand Pearl Company Limited at Bangkok. It would take us down the large River Chao Phraya for a river-sighthseeing cruise.

Before the boat started, I was standing on the pier and busy snapping photos of the river sceneries. Then a boy appeared in front of me proudly showing off a large fish. I understood what he wanted me to do. So I snapped a photo of him with the fish and he grinned. Then his father holding a fishing rod came and teased him.

Soon the boat left the pier. As it was cruising slowly down the river, we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the river. We saw boats of different shapes and sizes past by, water hyacinth plants floating down the river, villages and towns on both sides of the river and anglers standing on river banks hoping for a big catch. Occasionally, large fish were seen jumping out of the water.

As we were getting nearer to Bangkok City, we saw lots of landmarks, historical and modern and went under a few old and modern bridges.
 
When we reached Bangkok we saw a spectacular sight of the city. It is a city of tall buildings of different heights, shapes and sizes. They are hotels, government buildings, shopping centres and condominiums. Many brightly-painted Siamese temples, a few churches and the famous Grand Palace can be seen too. Besides, the river is bustling with boats that ferry passengers across the river and carry tourists for a river-sightseeing tour.

After over two hours of the enjoyable river boat cruise we finally arrived at the River City Shopping Complex Pier and went back straight to our hotel to rest.

A Walk to Suan Lum Night Bazaar

In the evening, my wife and I decided to visit Suan Lum Night Bazaar. The bazaar is near the crossroads of Witthayu (Wireless) Road and Rama IV Road. Looking at the city map we thought it was not far from our hotel. So we decided to walk there. On the way, we came across a few groups of loyal hotel staff with burning candles standing in front of their hotels and waiting to celebrate their king’s 80th. birthday. After walking for half an hour we were surprised that we had not reached the bazaar yet. We realized the map we used was not drawn to scale. It took us another 15 minutes of walking before reaching our destination.

It was a sight of relief when we arrived at Suan Lum Night Bazaar. Feeling tired and famished, we made a beeline to the Thai food court, ordered some food and gobbled down all of it quickly. Then we took our time to browse a few hundreds of stalls.

Suan Lum Night Bazaar

This night bazaar which opens from 3 p.m. till midnight daily is a place where hundreds of stalls sell a wide variety of  Thai products ranging from accessories, shoes and clothes to antiques, souvenirs, watches, arts and handicrafts. Besides, a traditional Thai puppet theatre, pet stalls, restaurants, pubs, food court, foot

massage rooms and many more are found here. In other words, this night bazaar offers practically anything a visitor wants.

At a stall we were surprised to see aluminium cans made into objects for sale, like alarm clocks and “tuk-tuks”. Thais are truly creative and enterprising people.

 After buying some articles at bargain prices and window shopping at the bazaar, we decided to go back to our hotel by a “tuk-tuk” (a three wheeled vehicle which runs on liquefied petroleum gas or LPG) instead of walking back.

[To continue reading this travelogue, please go to Bangkok, Ayuthaya Travel (Part II)]

Bangkok , Ayuthaya Travel (Part II)

 

[continued from Bangkok , Ayuthaya Travel (Part I)]

Bangkok , Ayuthaya Travel (Part II)

Day 3 : Thursday, 6 December 2007

On the morning of 6 December 2007, we hired a “tuk-tuk” to bring my wife and I round the city for sightseeing. A young Thai man named See was our “tuk-tuk” driver and our tour-guide too.  The first place he brought us was the famous Grand Palace. When we arrived there we felt extremely disappointed to be informed that the palace, a Thai’s icon, was closed to public then. It was going to hold the Thai King’s 80th. birthday celebration. The palace is truly a grand and stunning one. Below is the description of it:

The Grand Palace

Llocated on the eastern bank of River Chao Phraya in the Rattanakosin District, this beautiful palace in a large area of over 200 000 sq. metres is surrounded by a high and unfriendly-looking white wall.  

The Grand Palace was built in 1782 during the reign of King Rama I (1737-1802) who used it as his royal residence. Subsequently, other Thai kings lived there too from the 18th. century till the middle of the 20th. century.

The last king to live there was King Rama VIII or King Ananda Sun Mahidol(1925-1946). The present king, King Bhumibol Adulyadei (King Rama IX), who succeeded him (his brother) does not live there. Instead, he lives at another place not far from the old one and is known as Chitralada Palace.

The Grand Palace is now used for religious, state and royal ceremonies. It has several buildings built in unique Siamese architectural style.

The Emerald Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Kaew)

In the compound of the Grand Palace is Thailand’s grandest and most sacred Buddhist temple known as Wat Phra Kaew. Built in 1785, it houses a Buddha statue known as Emerald Buddha Statue. There are other statues, such as monkey kings and giants resembling the characters in the Ramayana mythology, around the golden temple. Besides, artworks from art masters during the Rattanakosin era are displayed here.

As we could not visit the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew we visited a famous temple known as Wat Po or Wat Phra Chetuphon nearby.

Wat Po or Wat Phra Chetuphon (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)           

Wat Po houses a large reclining Buddha statue of 46 metres long. The walls inside the temple are beautifully painted with colourful pictures depicting the Buddhist way of life of the Thai people.

This temple has a monastery for the monks. Besides, it is the birthplace of the traditional Thai massage school. Around this temple are several large statues of characters with serious looks guarding some entrances of the temple.

Having completed the tour of this temple, we headed north-east to another famous temple, Wat Intrawihan

 Wat Intrawihan         

Located at 114, Wisutkasat Road in Phra Nakhon District, Wat Intrwihan was built towards the end of the Ayutthaya Period. Standing tall in the compound is a large golden statue of Buddha. It was built in the reign of King Rama IV in 1867 and completed in the reign of King Rama VII. It claims to be the world’s tallest standing Buddha statue and is known as Phra Si Ariyamettraiya or Luangpor Toh.

While we were at the temple we were shocked to see many cats and dogs roaming

freely in the compound and their excreta was all over the place. As we walked around the temple we were careful not to step on it.

Anantasamakhon Throne Hall          

Located in the Dusit District is a majestic building of marble built in the Italian Renaissance style. It was constructed during the reign of King Rama V and completed in the reign of King Rama VI.

It receives foreign dignitaries and holds the Royal Advisory Council meetings. It was once used for parliamentary meetings.

In 2006, royal personages from 25 countries celebrated King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 60th. anniversary of monarchy reign at this building. He is the world’s longest reigning king.

King Rama V Monument           

In front of Anantasamakhon Throne Hall is a large open space known as Royal Plaza. In the centre there is a monument of an equestrian statue of King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn) in a field marshal uniform. The Thai people loved him so much that they raised fund to get the statue cast by a French sculptor in Paris and placed it there in 1908 when he was still alive.

King Rama V (1853-1910) succeeded his father in 1868. He had travelled to many foreign countries in Asia and Europe and learned about their reforms and governments. With that knowledge he modernized his government. Besides, he abolished slavery in his country. In 1896 he built the first railroad in Thailand connecting Bangkok and Ayutthaya. His subjects called him “The Great Beloved King”.

During his reign he had four queen consorts and some royal common wives. He was the only Thai king who had the most number of children, about 77. His second son, Vajiravudh (1881-1925),  succeeded him as the sixth king (King Rama VI) of the Chakri Dynasty in 1910.

Not far from the monument, we saw a colourful arch with a large royal emblem at its top at the crossroads of Ratchadamnoen Nok Road and Si Ayutthaya Road. It was erected to celebrate the Thai king’s 80th. birthday. We also saw four horsemen, police

and many people lining the roads from Chitralada Palace to the Grand Palace. They were wearing yellow T-shirts and holding national flags and yellow royal flags waiting to cheer their king. The king who would pass them while he was on his way to the Grand Palace to celebrate his 80th. birthday.

{To the Thais, yellow symbolizes devotion to their beloved king. On the evening of the previous day (5 December 2007), the king’s birthday was celebrated nationwide with festivities and prayers, and thousands of people packed the streets near the Grand Palace to watch a spectacular firework display.}

Democracy Monument         

Located on a large roundabout where Ratchadamnoen Klang Road, Prachathipatai Road and Bandinsor Road meet, is the Democracy Monument. It

was erected in 1939 to commemorate the June 1932 military coup which resulted in the establishment of the constitutional monarchy.

In the centre of the monument is a turret which has two golden offering bowls on its top. The “1932 Constitution” is on the top bowl. There are four wing-like structures standing round the turret. They represent the army, navy, air force and police guarding the Constitution.

Victory Monument

There is another monument not far from the Democracy Monument. It is known as the Victory Monument which was erected in 1941 on Bangkok’s largest roundabout where Phahon Yothin Highway, Phaya Thai Road, Ratchawithi Road

and Din Daeng Road converge. This monument commemorated the Thai victory in a brief, bloodless war with the French colonialists in Indo-China. The victory led to Thailand annexing some territories in western Cambodia, and northern and southern Laos. Some of these territories were formerly Thailand’s and ceded to France in 1883 and 1904.

The monument has 5 human statues standing round a tall obelisk. The statues symbolically represent the army, navy, air force, police and civilians.

After the interesting Bangkok City tour, we went to a popular shopping centre known as MBK Centre or Mahboonkrong Centre which is near BTS Central Station (Siam).

There are a few more shopping centres near it, e.g. Siam Centre, Siam Discovery Centre and Siam Paragon. Later, we went back to our hotel to have a rest.

Silom Road        

In the evening, my wife and I went to Silom Road by “tuk-tuk” again as it could manoeuvre easily in a traffic jam and reach any place quickly.

Silom Road is in the heart of the Central Business District of Bangkok. Multi-storey buildings line the road. They house banks, trading companies, insurance companies, finance companies, law firms, shopping centres, luxurious hotels, etc.

The road is full of traffic and the walkways are always crowded during day and night. This place is easily accessible by either Rama 6 Road (an expressway), Rama 4 Road or the Skytrain.

When night falls roadside food stalls and other stalls appear and attract influxes of visitors both locals and tourists. Most of the tourists would head for the red light district of Patpong which is very near to the Sala Daeng Skytrain Station.

Patpong        

Patpong has two short roads, Patpong 1 Road and Patpong 2 Road, which are parallel to each other and sandwiched in between Silom Road and Surawong Road.

Patpong belongs to the Patpongpanich family. It is estimated to be worth over US $100 millions! When the family bought it in 1946 they built a road, Patpong Road, and shophouses for rent along the road.

A Red Light District     

Later in 1968 the whole area was transformed into a red light district catering mainly for the U.S. soldiers who needed recreation and recuperation (R & R) after their duties in Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1965-1975). Its notoriety spread far and wide by word of mouth in the 1970s and 1980s. In fact, the place has been featured in many western movies such as Deer Hunter (1978) and Miss Saigon

(1989). Besides, many authors have written about it in their novels.

Since the Vietnam War was over in 1975 the place has become a tourist attraction and many foreign tourists as well as Thais like to patronize the bars there.

Night Market         

In the 1980s, the enterprising Patpongpanich family set up stalls  for rent in the middle of Patpong 1 Road. These stalls are now a busy night market selling goods ranging from souvenirs, caps, T-shirts and shoes to jewellery and watches. Their presence has affected the night entertainment business of the bars there.

Hard Bargain

Then we decided to see the bars along Patpong Road. As we were walking past a few of them and trying to get a glimpse of some activities inside, some touts were inviting us in for a sleazy show. As we had no intention of watching it we did not heed them but kept on walking. I remember what our Ayutthaya tour guide had

told us about these Patpong bars. He said, “If you go inside with a lot of money, you will come out without a cent!”

Chinatown (Yao Wa Rat)

Having seen the Patpong area, we left for Chinatown that is not far from Patpong. It is a place where shops sell all kinds of products which are mostly Chinese and Thai, such as herbs, jewellery, clothes, watches, handbags, electrical and electronic gadgets, etc.

Sea Food

When night falls, roadside stalls in Chinatown suddenly appear and do brisk businesses, especially those that cater to food lovers like us. When we were there we looked for a sea food restaurant. We found one which was selling crabs, prawns, squids, snails, fish and cockles. The cooks could grill, steam and fry them for customers. Although they were not cheap we asked for a large crab and told a waitress to get it grilled over red hot charcoal. We tried other dishes too. We finished the delicious meal with some fleshy Siamese durians and a refreshing fresh coconut drink . Then we left Chinatown for our hotel.

Day 4:   Friday, 7 December 2007

Thai Body Massage

On the morning of our last day in Bangkok, we went for a Thai body massage at a shop, Mr. Feet, which is a few doors away from our hotel, Bangkok City Inn. While we were fully clothed, our young masseuses expertly massaged our limbs and the back of our bodies. Occasionally, we felt a little pain in some parts of our bodies when strong pressure was applied. After having been massaged for an hour we felt relaxed and energized. All our muscular and joint pain due to walking too much during our last three days in Bangkok and Ayutthaya miraculously disappeared. Before we left the shop I saw a floating market in one of the large pictures printed by the Thai Tourism Board on a wall. We regretted to give it a miss as we had to depart for Malaysia in the evening.

Floating Market

In the early days, there were many floating markets in rivers and man-made canals or khlongs which were lined with dwelling-houses in Thailand. Later, when

supermarkets were opened and people found it more convenient to shop at these places. Consequently, the number of floating markets dwindled a lot. Nowadays, there are few floating markets left in Thailand and they attract many tourists.

At a floating market, ladies in straw hats row about their small boats laden with fruits, vegetables, food, flowers, groceries, etc. looking for customers who usually live along the waterways. A busy floating market is a fascinating sight as you can see it in the photo on the left.

The largest floating market in Thailand is at Ratchaburi which is 101 km west of Bangkok. Small floating markets can be found in Bangkok, e.g. Tailing Chan and Wat Sai floating markets.

After a Thai body massage, we decided to walk to Phetburi Road nearby. While crossing a bridge over a large canal or khlong known as Khlong Saen Saep, we saw boats plying on the waterway.

Khlong Saen Saep

Khlong Saen Saep is a long canal connecting Khlong Phadung Krungkasem which flows into River Chao Phraya in the west to Prachinburi and Chachoengsao in the east. Today, it is a busy waterway which has 30 stops for over 100 passenger boats.

Originally, the canal was built to transport soldiers and weapons to Cambodia which was in conflict with Thailand during the reign of King Rama III.

After crossing the bridge we came to a long road, Phetburi Road.

Phetburi Road

Phetburi Road is a busy road lined with large buildings. It has a lot of traffic during day and night. Lots of stalls selling cheap food and snacks can be found on the roadside and five-foot ways in the morning. It is indeed a bustling place. Photos below show different types of stalls along the road.

Thailand General Election

While we were in Bangkok, the Thai people were gripped with a general election fever. The previous government of Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, was toppled by a military coup in 2006.

Posters of candidates standing for the coming Thailand general election on 23 December 2007 could be seen along major roads in the city. The photo on the right showing three candidates was taken along Phetburi Road. Besides, large portraits of the Thai king were put up in front of large buildings like hotels and government buildings in celebration of the king’s 80th. birthday.

While walking along Phetburi Road we were surprised to see lots of electric

cables and telephone wires hanging untidily high above the road. It was undoubtedly an unpleasant sight.

 Later we walked back to the budget hotel, Bangkok City Inn, claimed our luggage and took a taxi to the airport at 2.00 p.m. to check-in earlier before we departed for Malaysia at 6.00 p.m.

Bangkok City Inn

Located in Bangkok downtown, Bangkok City Inn is surrounded by many shopping centres which are within walking distance, including Central World, Zen, Big C, Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery, Siam Square, Siam Centre, MBK Centre, Gaysorn Plaza, Peninsula Plaza, Pratunam Complex and Amarin Plaza. In addition, bustling markets

and entertainment establishments are also nearby. The area is easily accessible by the Skytrain and some main roads. Taxis, tuk-tuks and buses are easily available here day and night.

We had stayed at Bangkok City Inn for three days and concluded that it is worth staying there. The rooms are clean and the bathrooms are large. The accommodation is inexpensive and free breakfast is provided daily in the clean and comfortable dining room. Its staff are helpful, friendly, and always smiling. They have made our stay a memorable one.

Check-In at Suvarnabhumi Airport

After checking-in at the airport we walked a long way to a place to wait for our plane. On the way, we came across a model of a royal Thai throne. Opposite the throne is a sculpture of a long serpent with a few heads, known as Vasuki, the “King of Serpents”. It is being pulled by several demigods and demons. There is a statue

of  Vishnu Kurmavatara with four hands standing on a “mountain”. The “mountain” with the serpent round it is carried on a “tortoise’s” back. It is a beautiful sculpture.

Vishnu Kurmavatara

According to a legend about Vishnu Kurmavatara written on a board placed in front of the sculpture, I quote:

“This scene depicts Vishnu Kurmavatara and the churning of the Milk Ocean. The naga, Vasuki, (the King of Serpents) curled around the mountain, Mandara. Vishnu, incarnated in the form of a great turtle, supports the mountain on his back. Devas (demigods) and Asuras (demons) pull the naga’s body to churn the water of the ocean

for thousands of years in order to produce the nectar of immortality, Amrita. From the churning, numerous opulent items are produced, including Dhanvantari carrying the pot of Amrita. In the end, the cooperation between Devas and Asuras is shattered. The Devas fulfill their plan of acquiring all Amrita and disperse the Asuras out of Heaven to the Underworld.”

Departure for Malaysia

Our air flight back to Malaysia was supposed to be at 6 p.m. but we departed Suvarnabhumi Airport at 7 p.m. On the way to Malaysia, my wife and I agreed that our three days’ stay in Bangkok was too short as we had missed many places of interest there. Anyway, we are now planning of going to another destination soon.

Thank you for reading this travelogue and hope the information is useful to you.

Written by: Choo Chaw, Kluang, Johor, Malaysia

Chiangmai, Chiang Rai, The Golden Triangle Travel (Part I)

Chiang Mai Travel

Thailand (Free Land) is dubbed “The Land of 65 Million Smiles”. It is well-known for its many tourist spots. And Chiang Mai is one of them.

Location  of Chiang Mai     Chiang Mai is in North Thailand and is about 750 km north of Bangkok. It is over 310

metres above sea-level and located in a large flat Slain surrounded by dense monsoon forest-covered mountains in the east , north and west. A river, Ping River, flows from north to south through the plain to join the Thailand’s longest river, Menam Chao Phraya.

Climate  It has a Tropical Monsoon climate with the temperature ranges from 13 to 28 degrees C between mid-November and January and 17 to 36 degrees C between February and mid-November. The raining season starts from June to mid-November.

Population    It is the second largest city in Thailand with a population of about 250,000. Most of the inhabitants are Thais and majority of them embrace Buddhism.

Hill-Tribes     Chiang Mai also has several small hill-tribes living in the rural areas, such as the Karen (Kariang, Yang), Akha (Ekaw), Lisu (Lisaw), Lahu (Mussur), Yao (Mien) and Hmong (Meo). These hill-tribes are steeped in traditions and cultures. They live on subsistence agriculture like planting paddy, maize, fruits and vegetables.

In spite of the rapid growth in the last 10 over years Chiang Mai is still a charming and quaint city. It is dubbed “The Rose of the North” and North Thailand is known as “The Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields”.

Tourism  Chiang Mai is well linked to Bangkok by road, rail and air. Tourism is now a fast growing industry in Chiang Mai. Its charm, beauty, tranquility and rich culture attract hundreds of thousands of domestic and foreign tourists every year. Besides, the people are kind, friendly and hospitable. Tourism is an important industry to the local people as it provides them lots of jobs in hotels, transport, restaurants, cottage industries and recreational and entertainment activities.

History  According to the Siamese history, Chiang Mai  was established by King Mengrai in 1296. Later, in 1558, it

was captured by a Burmese king, King Bayinnaung of Pegu,. Since then it was ruled by the Burmese for about a quarter century. Then in 1799 it was recaptured by a Siamese prince, Prince Kawila.

The present King of Thailand is King Bhumibol. He was born on 5th. Dec 1927 and acceded to the throne on 9th. June 1946. He is fondly loved and respected by his subjects because of his compassion, warmth and commitment to his country’s progress. He is the world’s longest reigning, living monarch.  

New and Old City  The city is divided into two parts by the Ping River. To the west of the river is the old part of the city whereas to the east the modern one. The former offers more interesting tourist attractions.

In the old part of the city there is a rectangular moat (1.8 km x 2 km) which surrounds a wall made of bricks and earth. The wall was built to protect the

royal city during the reign of King Mengrai. This part of the city is more than 700 years old.

Buddhist Temples  Buddhist temples can be seen all over the city and also in the outskirts. It claims to have more than 300 temples which the Thais called them wats. A large number of them are restored and used for religious purposes. Saffron-robed monks are a common sight in the city.

Most of these temples have common features. They have a consecrated ceremonial hall which houses a large Buddha figure and other artifacts. The walls of the hall are beautifully decorated with murals depicting scenes of Buddha’s life. Near the hall is a monks’ living quarter and a general purpose

hall. Besides, a temple has a tall tower (chedi or stupa) which is either in the shape of a bell or stepped style (prasat style). Some temples have a school in their compound.

Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama who lived in North India in the 6th. Century B.C. (Before Christ). The religion spread to Thailand via the Khmer Empire and the Silk Route from China.

Temples play an important role in the ritual and social life of the Thais. It is a normal practice for every Thai male to take up monkhood at least once in his lifetime.

My wife, our big son and I wanted to enjoy the sights and sounds of Chiang

Mai very much. So, on 4 July 2006, we joined three of our friends from our hometown and flew together on a low budget plane, Air Asia, from Kuala Lumpur straight to Chiang Mai. The journey took less than three hours.
 
The Travel Itinerary   The following is the itinerary of our unforgettable Chiang Mai experience:  

       Day 1       Travel to Chiang Mai City 
                       Cottage Industries I 
                       Cottage Industries II 
      Day 2        Travel to Chiang Rai  
                       Hill-Tribes of Northern Thailand I 
                       Hill-Tribes of Northern Thailand II 

                       The Golden Triangle 
                       Mae Sai (BorderTown) 
      Day 3        Maesa Elephant Camp 
                       Mae Ram Orchid Farm 
                       Mae Sa Snake Farm 
                       The Monkey Centre 
                       Wat Phratat Doi Suthep 
                       Chiang Mai Arts & Cultural Centre (Museum) 
                       Chiang Mai Night Bazaar 
       Day 4       Warorot Market 
                       Departure to Malaysia    

Day 1 Tuesday 4 July 2006    Travel to Chiang Mai City 

Upon arrival at the Chiang Mai airport before noon, we took a ‘minibus’ to the downtown. In the city we saw large pictures of the Thai king, King Bhumibol, and Thai flags flying everywhere. The whole nation was celebrating the 60th. anniversary of their king’s accession to the throne.

Lai-Thai Guest House    We checked in at a hotel known as Lai-Thai Guest House which we had booked earlier through Internet. It is at 111/4-5, Kotchasarn Road, Chiang Mai 50100 (www.laithai.com). It is a  three-storey semi-wooden building that is in a U-shape and has a clean swimming pool in the centre. The building is built in Siamese architechural style.

‘Tuk-Tuks’    After lunch, six of us hailed two ‘tuk-tuks’ to bring us to see

some famous cottage industries located along Chiang Mai-Sankampaeng Road. Our two friendly ‘tuk-tuk’ drivers introduced themselves as Yau and Pantip.

A ‘tuk-tuk’ is a small three-wheeled vehicle which runs on petrol and can carry three passengers at the back. The only problem with this type of vehicle is that its roof is too low.

Chiang Mai Cottage Industries  

Our ‘tuk-tuks’ we hired brought us to the Chiang Mai-Sankampaeng Road to visit some cottage industries. This road is also known as “Handicrafts Highway” as there are countless cottage industries of handicrafts on both sides of the road such as silverware, copperware, lacquerware, woodcarving, parasol making, leather goods and many more.

Silver Factory   The first industry we visited was P-Collection Factory which makes all kinds of silverware. In the factory, artisans can be seen busy making silver articles like jewellery and figurines.

Jewellery Factory  International Fine Creation Co. Ltd. was the next factory

we went to. It makes and sells jewellery with precious stones which are beautifully cut, like sapphire (pink, blue), emerald (green). topaz (orange), opal (mixed green and blue), garnet (red), diamond, ruby, amethyst and many more. 
 

Leather Factory   S.K. Leather Co. Ltd. produces goods made of skins of snakes, crocodiles, deer and cows such as bags, handbags, belts, shoes, wallets and clothes. It exports most of its goods. 
  
Lacquerware Factory   Then we went to another factory known as

Lantong Factory Ltd. where lacquerware is made. Here wooden objects are sculptured, painted and finally lacquered so that they look shinny. At that factory, I watched a worker painstakingly gluing small pieces of egg shell on to a seven-sided black board and then pressed them into smaller pieces giving the board an artistic pattern. That was an interesting and unusual piece of art.

Parasol Factory   Sankampaeng Umbrella & Handicraft Industry produces silk, cotton and paper umbrellas of different sizes. The umbrellas are beautifully painted by talented local artists. They usually paint flowers and elephants on the umbrellas.

Woodcarving Factory  Chiang Mai Sudaluck produces teak and

rosewood furniture with beautiful carvings. Besides, its skilful and artistic workers are able to produce 3-dimensional pictures of Siamese villages on rosewood and wooden sculptures. Carving a 150 cm x 50 cm three-dimensional picture of a village usually takes an expert-carver two months to complete. 

Carpet Factory  Heritage International Ltd. sells beautifully designed carpets for use and carpets with semi-precious stones sown on them for wall decoration. Besides, it imports bronze antiques from India for sale.

Jade Factory  Siam Gifts House of Jade was the last factory we visited. It

sells a variety of products using jades of all kinds of colours, like jewellery, figurines and large and small objects.

Day 2 : Wednesday 5 July 2006    Travel to Chiang Rai 

Our Coach Driver and Guide     At about 7 a.m. a coach we had hired earlier came to our hotel. The coach driver introduced himself as Mr. Nom and the tour guide, a young fresh university Thai graduate, as Mr. Hacks. As we had not taken our breakfast, our kind driver brought us to a popular roadside noodle-stall not far from the hotel. We sat tha tables on the five-

foot way and soon we were served with hot Siamese noodle soup. After the delicious meal, we began our long journey to the north to Chiang Rai.

Chiang Rai   On the way, we passed through a scenic mountainous region. When we reached Chiang Rai we stopped at a market known as Bandu Municipality Market, Fresh local vegetables and fruits were bountiful there. We bought big, juicy and sweet lychees, durians, rambutans and cut pineapples. Besides, we bought some local snacks to munch while travelling in the coach.

A Baby Elephant   At the market we were surprised to see a baby elephant. It was following its owner who was selling some snacks. Kind

vegetable and fruit sellers who found the animal so cute and lovable gave it some of their produce. Foreign tourists and I asked the friendly owner for permission to take a photograph with the tame elephant. We were amused when it curtsied.

Union of Hill-Tribe Villages   Then we moved on again. The next stop was a well-known place, Union of Hill-Tribe Villages, which is 12 km from Chiang Rai. At this place one will see five types of hill-tribes in their traditional costumes, namely Akha, Yao, Mussur, Palong and Karen. They stay at their mini-villages which are at different spots but near to each other. They are there during tourists’ visiting hours only as the place is just a showcase of Thailand’s different hill-tribes.

Hill-Tribes in Northern Thailand      In the olden days, the hill-tribes

migrated from southern China to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

Now, there are six major hill-tribes in Northern Thailand belonging to the Thai national minorities, namely Karen (Kariang, Yang), Akha (Ekaw), Lisu (Lisaw), Lahu (Mussur), Yao (Mien) and Hmong (Meo). 

These hill-tribes are steeped in traditional cultures and live on subsistence farming. They use simple tools like hoes to cultivate hill paddy and plant cash crops, such as maize, fruits and vegetables on a small-scale. They also raise domestic animals like fowl, goat and buffalos.

Most of these tribes live in poverty. Their wooden houses are small and the roofs are made of dry large leaves or fronds of palm trees. They have bare necessities inside their houses.

Each tribe has its own distinctive culture, religion, language, art and traditional costumes.

The hill-tribes believe in territorial spirits for forests and fields, tutelary spirits for houses and towns, and ancestral spirits.

These tribes are good at making handicrafts. They sell them in Chiang Mai and other towns to earn extra income.

Union of Hill-Tribe Villages   Located 12 km from Chiang Rai, the Union of Hill-Tribe Villages is a showcase of five hill-tribes, namely Akha, Yao, Mussur, Palong and Karen. 

Before we entered the villages, a man at the main entrance asked us to look at a dirty, old map and told us the route we had to take to visit the five hill-tribes. As it had rained earlier the ground was wet, soft and slippery. So, he

asked us to take along a long stick each.

Akha Village  The first village we came across was the Akha village where we were greeted by a few young and old ladies in their traditional clothes. They were sitting on raised bamboo platforms in front of their houses. They were wearing black headgears covered with silver coins. We felt frustrated as we could not converse with them in their language or Thai. All we could do was to smile, say “Hello” and wave our hands to mean “Goodbye”. Then we walked to a larger house where a group of Akha ladies entertained us with their simple traditional musical instruments.

Yao Village   The next village we visited was the Yao’s. The Yao

ladies looked well-dressed in their traditional costumes. They wore black turban-like headgears. When they saw us, they greeted us with a big smile. We were surprised that two of them could talk to us in Chinese. After a short conversation with them, we had a good look at their handmade purses. jewellery, trinkets, etc.

Palong Village  Then we visited the Palong hill-tribe. We noticed the Palong people were wearing simple black clothing and some ladies were wearing simple coloured head-scarves. They entertained us with a lively traditional dance. Their children joined them too.

Karen Village   The last hill-tribe we visited was the well-known Karen. We were fascinated and amazed to see only female children and women

wearing shiny brass coils round their necks. They were very friendly and loved to take photos with us. 
Female Karens are the only people in the world having very long necks. They start wearing coils round their necks when they are a few years old. As they grow older more turnings are added to their coils. Some say they wear the coils to prevent tigers from biting their necks and others think they wear them for beauty hoping to get a life-long partner easily.

I left the Karen hill-tribe with a big question in my, i.e. ”How do they eat, drink, bathe, sleep and get up from their beds with the heavy metallic coils round their necks?”.  A large neck coil may weigh about 5 kilograms!

After visiting the hill-tribes, we went to a place where we sprayed water on the soles of our shoes to get rid of the mud which we had collected while walking in the hill-tribe villages. Soon we left the place and continued our journey to the well-known Golden Triangle in the north.

The Golden Triangle    The Golden Triangle was actually a notorious region for the harmful opium trade. It covered a large area of 350, 000 sq. km. including the northern parts of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, and eastern part of Myanmar. As the governments of the four countries knew that drug addiction would ruin their people’s lives and cripple their economies, they constantly cracked down on drug barons and encouraged their people especially the hill-tribes to plant cash crops instead of opium poppies. Now, they have successfully eradicated poppy-growing

in many parts of their countries. They are always on the look out for illegal planting of the poppies, especially in the jungle areas.

Now the Golden Triangle is a small area around the confluence where River Mekong (or Mae Khong- 4,184 km long) and River Ruak meet. These two rivers form the common border for Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. The Golden Triangle is now a popular tourist attraction that reminds visitors of the past busy and lucrative opium trade there.

Sop Ruak    A small old Thai town known as Sop Ruak exists in the Golden

Triangle and is 9 km north of Chiang Saen. It is located by the Mekong River. Small restaurants, souvenir shops and other types of shops line the roads of the town.

On arrival at the Golden Triangle we noticed that the place has a  picturesque view of the two wide rivers, the lush green forest-covered mountains in the distance, the quaint Sop Ruak town and the old and new temples.

An Open Air Temple   There is a beautiful open air temple at the confluence where a huge golden statue of Buddha sits cross-legged on its large altar. It is about 8 metres high. At the back of this statue is a smaller white statue of a

Chinese version of Buddha, “Tuah Peh Kong”. In front of the golden Buddha are three smaller golden statues of Buddha and a large statue of a black elephant carrying Buddha’s relics.  Further down the Mekong River bank are six golden columns with beautiful and intricate Siamese designs which I think are monuments to the great Siamese kings. On the Myanmar river bank in the distance are some red-roofed buildings which are known as Paradise Resort. It has a casino to attract foreign tourists.

It is a frustration for a foreign tourist not to know the names of the temples, the structures and the statues at the confluence as all the writings there are in Thai. I hope the Thai government will translate them especially in English for foreigners.

Wat Phrathat Pukhao  On top of a small hill near the confluence is a small, old

and simple temple which is over 1000 years old. It is known as Wat Phrathat Pukhao. To go up to the temple, I walked up a flight of 104 steps alone. These steps are lined with two long Siamese legendary grey dragons each with five heads. Each head has a long crooked horn projecting from its forehead.

When I reached the top, I realized I was the only person around. Fearlessly, I looked around and walked to the doorstep of the temple. I looked inside and saw a large statue of Buddha looking down at me. After taking a few photos at the temple, I walked to a vantage point nearby. From that point I could see a scenic panoramic view of Sop Ruak town, the wide Mekong River and the

lush green mountains in Laos. Then I went down the hill to join my tour group.

Hall of Opium Museum    Owing to time constraint, we did not visit a museum at the Golden Triangle. It is known as Hall of Opium where one can gain an insight into the history of opium trade there and harmful effects of opium. The museum provides photographs, films and videos about opium and other types of dangerous drugs from other countries. It should be a worthwhile visit there if one has some time to spare.

Our next destination was a Thai border town known as Mae Sai which is 28 km by road from the Golden Triangle.

Mae Sai (A Border Town)    Mae Sai is the northern-most town in North

Thailand. It is a small town near the Myanmar border. It has a large arcade where lots of stalls are selling a myriad of things ranging from accessories and clothes to watches and electronic goods. Near the place is a brightly and heavily-decorated temple which houses a large statue of Buddha. Besides, it has colourful murals inside depicting the Buddha’s life. 
 
Mae Sai has an immigration checkpoint at the border between Thailand and Myanmar. To cross over the border to a small town known as Tha Kwee Lek in Myanmar, one may pay 300 Thai baht to a Thai motorcyclist who will bring one

over there. One may extend one’s Thai visa when one comes back to Mae Sai from Tha Kwee Lek.

At about 4 p.m. I saw many Myanmar vendors pushing their carts with unsold goods to the the immigration checkpoint. They were going back to their country after a day’s business at Mae Sai Town.

Chiang Rai Hot Spring     After spending an hour at Mae Sai, we headed back to Chiang Mai City. On the way, we stopped at Chiang Rai to see natural hot spring water in three wells. The steam coming out of the wells has a little bit of sulfur smell. As the temperature of the water is 90 degrees C, local

people immerse bags of sweet-potatoes and corns in the hot water for half a day to get them cooked. Then they take them out and either sell or bring them home to feed their families.  
 
One can buy some eggs from lady-vendors near a well, borrow their bags for the eggs and slowly lower them into the well using strings attached to the bags. If one waits for a few minutes, one will get to eat the hard-boiled eggs.  
 
Many stalls selling souvenirs, jewelleries, accessories, handicrafts, clothes, etc. are found near the wells.

Dinner at Anusarn Market   At 9 p.m. we finally reached Chiang Mai. We had late dinner at Anusarn Market where there are many open-air restaurants. After dinner we visited a few stalls along Chan Klan Road. An hour later we went back to our hotel.

[To continue reading this travelogue please go to "Chiangmai, Chiang Rai, The Golden Triangle Travel (Part II)"]

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