Thailand
....and on
The next
stage was a bit of filling in time and I knew exactly where to go to do this, I
had a train to catch from Darwin, but not for a week or so, so I thought I
would go and see my mate Jim.
Jim is a
musician I met in Germany, many years ago, that had decided to try and find a
place in the world for his later years, where he could live well and cheaply, without
the hassle, or winters, of Germany, but still continue to play his music. He
had opted for Thailand and was now in a little place outside Krabi called Ao
Nang, he had invited me if ever I was in the area. I was, so that was where I
headed.
Unfortunately,
however, I now had, not only my foot giving me a bit of jip, but also had
developed a ‘killer’ cold and turned up sniffing and spluttering feeling very
sorry for myself. Of course for a guy that sings in a bar, 4 nights a week, for
a living, having me turn up was like a visit from the tax man but, bless him,
he made me most welcome and it was great to see him play through some of his
enormous repertoire at the local beach bar.
Ao Nang is a
pretty relaxed and laid back place at this time of year, but that was because
it was approaching rainy season and capacity was probably down to about 30%,
but things did get a bit heated one night down at the beach bar, when the hotel
we were in caught fire!!
No matter
how pretty and romantic Chinese Lanterns look, how it is possible for members
of the public to buy a flying ’ fire bomb’ anywhere is beyond me. But on a
beach, that is subject to onshore breezes, next to a large hotel, that has a
bamboo thatch roof......really........?????
So whilst
Jim was giving it his all with his rendition of Harry Chapin’s ‘Cat’s in the
Cradle’ and I was helping to sort out the low season dip in lager sales for the
hotel, we, along with the rest of the appreciative audience in the beach bar,
were unaware that the roof of the building was well and truly ablaze.
Fortunately the incident was contained within half an hour or so and we were
able to return to an undamaged bar for an ironic burst of ‘Smoke on the water’,
the hotel however lost three bedrooms through this lunacy, but it could have
been a lot worse.
Jim
introduced me to a few of his new mates, notably two Australians, Rick and
Phil. Phil, a former 747 pilot, had some business to attend to in Bangkok and
asked me if I fancied a couple of days with him there.
My initial
plan had been to return to Bangkok to get my connection to Australia and to
this end when I had travelled to Krabi I had booked a return flight. My plans
had actually changed slightly and I was now going to fly to Darwin from Phuket
which I could get to from Ao Nang by boat, and this meant that I was going to
waste the flight back to Bangkok.
I decided to go with Phil and then return to Ao
Nang, for the sake of just the one way flight it would give me a chance to have
a look at Bangkok with someone that used to live there (and give Jim some ‘germ
free’ time, although by now my cold had all but gone).
The plan was
fine in theory, but in reality, Phil’s business commitments and our attempts to
track down some computer equipment for Jim, left us with little free day time
whilst we there, but, in the night, we did get the chance to get out and in
particular one evening had a really great night of jazz and good food at the
appropriately named Saxophone Club.
On my return
to Ao Nang, the weather had become a little more typical for the time of year
and on the Sunday in particular I went to a local restaurant with another new
friend, Chris from Melbourne, and we sat and watched an afternoon of torrential
thunderstorms roll in off the sea from what had been, when we started, the best
view in the area.
A couple of
days later and it was time to take the trip to Phuket but unfortunately the
weather caused the cancellation of the boat and I had to take the 5 hour mini
bus option, lucky I was an old hand at this sort of thing, but this was just
the start of another long travel stint.
I didn’t go
to Phuket town, but rather to a convenient small hotel close to the airport.
The evening was good fun with a couple of Welsh guys watching the Lions on tv
and having my last in situ Thai dinner for a while.
On the subject of food I
must admire the Thai ability to make a meal out of nearly anything ....... !!!
A pleasant
an uneventful hour and a half or so and I was in Singapore for a tedious and
seemingly never ending 11 hour wait.
Most modern
airports have super facilities and Changi is one of the best, but 11 hours was
hard work, and even then the worst was still to come!
I had been
trying for a week or so to get some accommodation sorted out for myself in
Darwin and there just seemed to be nothing available unless I was prepared to
pay really big bucks. Five hours after leaving Singapore I found out why.
Darwin was hosting the current round of the V8 Super Car tournament........uh?..........
exactly what I thought, but this is THE biggest event that this area hosts and
hen’s teeth were as common as hairs on a dingo, compared to rooms to let under
$500 (£350 ish) per night.
Put into the
mix that the facilities in Darwin airport are seriously eclipsed by most Kwik
Fit centres, the internet didn’t work and it was 4.30 ......... am! I was not a happy bunny!
Six hours
later the lady in the Information Centre fought to hold back the laugh when I
asked for a room for two nights in Darwin and this was the story for the next
five (!!) hours as I walked, (in 30 degrees of humid sunshine), carrying 30kg.
of luggage and knocked doors, pleaded and even begged for a room anywhere, but
nothing.
Pretty much
resolved to having to pay $1000 for digs at The Marriott, I caught sight of
some people going into a corner shop about 400 yards in front of me and decided
that a bottle of water or even an ice cream and a taxi number would probably be
available there. I just prayed it wasn’t a mirage
As I was
nearly there, opposite the shop I noticed a broken sign, hidden behind a hedge,
that read ‘Gecko Lodge’ and, with no optimism whatsoever, I crossed the road
for the next refusal ..... which I duly got, from some stupid French git who was
too busy working on his stupid tan to even get up off his stupid Gallic
derriere to talk to me, but rather grunted “Non .... backpackers it finish” in
a stupid, Monty Python-esque, accent from his stupid string hammock.
Of course my
predicament was nothing to do with Monsieur Stupid, but I suddenly had an
incredible urge to knock him back to Le Dordogne, but instead, bit my toungue,
muttered something very rude and turned away, straight into a tall Thai man,
who asked what was going on. Had I not been so exhausted I think I would
probably have told him to ‘run along’, but I was, thankfully, too slow, and, it
transpired, he had not finished his sentence, which concluded, ‘I am the
owner’.
I explained
as briefly (and emotionally) as possible my predicament and he explained that
the only room that he had was awaiting redecoration after a long term let. I
told him that I was desperate and then, this complete saviour offered me a
room, for $120 provided I didn’t mind sharing a shower with a young German
couple in the next room. I explained that I would share the bloody shower with
Goebbels and Himmler and that $240 was fine and that I would give him cash,
immediately, and then, to my surprise, he explained, $120 would be for 2
nights. What a result!!
The room was
fine, the linen crisp and clean and the kids next door were a delight and
started work 2 hours before I got up.
The next day
was my chance to see Darwin and frankly there’s not really much to see and what
there was, wasn’t up to much imho.
A lot is
made of the fact that it was the only Australian city to be bombed in WW2, by
the Japanese and the harbour area has some interesting historical sites; a new waterfront
development has transformed a previously tired, semi industrial wasteland and
is now home to new apartments, bars, restaurants and an impressive lido with
sufable waves; former fishing wharfs are used for fish and chip and fast food ‘sheds’
and the main drag, Mitchell Street, is where you find the Irish bars and steak
houses.
Darwin does
have a couple of good museums and art galleries and it is certainly a centre from
which to explore - the National Parks are supposed to be fantastic - but I didn’t have time for any of these
unfortunately ........ I had a train to
catch .....
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