Raj's Round The World Trip

I decide to change rooms, so despite the extra cost, I pay for a room that has a bathroom with a shower and hot water. And I have a T.V. too - sorted.

In the morning we have our first diving theory lesson in the classroom. In the afternoon we get to go in the swimming pool wearing our scuba gear. It's quite good fun, but the diving skills don't come naturally to me, so there's little work involved too. There's six of us in the group, five blondes (seven if you count the instructors) and me. We have two instructors. The first one is Daniel, from Austria, who mainly looks after the three ditsy blonde girls from Denmark and Holland, and the second is Wendy, from Holland, who looks after me and a newly wed German couple Alexander and Kirsten. Alexander and Kirsten are about as friendly a couple as you could meet and we get on really well.

Every evening there's always a barbecue right in front of the beach. It's warm in the evening too. And there are a few bars and restaurants along the beach to visit. It takes less than one minute to walk from my room to the beach. It couldn't be much more different to being back home.

I book out of my hotel at 5:00 am. Yes, that's 5:00am for anyone who know me, this is not a typo. I have to be on a bus at 5:30 am to make my way to Koh Tao island (turtle island, but there aren't any turtles there anymore I'm told) where I will be learning to dive. I've finally ditched my suitcase, but my rucksack is almost bursting it's seems. Perhaps I should have got the next size up.

The bus journey is about seven hours. Luckily, I am sitting next to an interesting guy named Aaron from Holland. He works for nine months of the year and travels for three. I learn quite a few things about Cambodia and Vietnam and even Holland. I wouldn't recommend travelling on a bus for this long as it can be a little uncomfortable, but it's easier if you have good company.

Next it's a two hour trip by Katamaran (another vehicle I've never travelled in before) to the island. On board is a guy named Matt from Weymouth, England. He's been travelling for almost two years. Which, by the look of him is the last time he ate. He's been working quite hard to pay for his trip along the way and has done quite a bit of dive training so is hoping to get a job doing this on Koh Tao.

The site if the island as the boat comes in is very nice. It's a great contrast to the city. From the Katamaran to the back of a small truck. This is one of the types of taxi they have here. Again, I can't remember being on a vehicle like this before.

I'm not too impressed by room at the dive resort. It's a little bleak. No hot water to shower with and the mattress has seen better days. Other things around here are a little different too. You must take your footware off if you go into a room, restaurant, anywhere really, even if it's a shop. The exception being 7-11 shops which, incidentally, open twenty-four hours a day in Thailand.

The first lesson in learning to dive involves watching a two hour video in a classroom. I'm falling asleep watching it. Tomorrow the practical stuff should begin.

Today I'm determined to see the Grand Palace. I've been told it's a 'must see.' I get within fifty yards of the entrance and a tuk-tuk driver intercepts me. "It's closed," he says. I refrain from kicking him up his tuk-tuk. I keep walking the fifty yards up to the entrance and would you 'Adam and Eve it ?' It's open !

It takes quite a while to see all the buildings, statues and painted murals of the Grand Palace. I have never seen so much gold, gold leaf and gold paint all in one place. Devotees actually buy small pieces of gold leaf and paste them on to certain statues and then kneel and pray to the statue. I can't imagine that there's any place like it. I listen in to a few tour guides explaining things to visitors, I'm too cheap to hire my own. It seems all men in Thailand are expected to be Monks, for about three months before at a time before they are married. And they can get away with just doing a couple of weeks. Almost sounds like National Service.

I read that Thai people try not to show anger as it is a sign of losing face. They may try and diffuse a situation by laughing and smiling at a situation which westerners might find a little embarassing, like tripping over something for example. This explains why the hotel receptionist smiled when she found out how much I paid for the room, I think.

I've also noticed that the traffic is far more sedate than in India. I've hardly heard a car horn while I've been here and there aren't too many crazy drivers. They still flout some traffic rules and you get three or four people on a moped sometimes, but it's 'normal' here. It's my last day in Bangkok. I probably should have moved on earlier. Also, it's amazing how clean the streets are bearing in mind the mess tourists make, even though it's hard to find a bin when you need to throw things away - very wierd.

A Wat is a Buddhist temple and it apears there millions of them in Thailand. Okay, maybe not millions, but quite a big number.

I will visit three today. On my way to the Grand place, I stop to look at my map and someone approaches me, you can guess what happenned next. "It's closed today," he says. "Let me see your map." He points to three good temples to see and even helpfully negotiates a fare with a tuk-tuk driver for me. It should be a ride for about two hours.

We visit the first temple and some 'local' starts talking to me and suggests I could pay for my trip by buying jewellery in Thailand and selling it in England at big profit - yes, sure mate !

The Tuk-tuk driver wants to take me to a jewellery shop, I reluctantly agree, but just for ten minutes. He takes me to another temple on my list where I see a huge figure of a reclinig Buddah. It's in a hall about twice as big as an average gymnasium and with a really high ceiling. There's a lot of gold paint that must have gone into painting it. Then it's off to a palace, but on the way we have to look at another shop. Another ten minutes wasted. At the palace I stay inside for about forty-five minutes having a good look. Once outside I look for the tuk-tuk. He's abandoned me - the toe-rag. Apparently, so a taxi driver tells me, my two visits to shops meant he gets two free fuel vouchers from the shops and this will pay for the whole day, so I've been abandoned as he goes in search of more lucrative fares. At least I hadn't paid him. The taxi driver will take me to the next place I want to visit for a discount fare of 20 baht (about 33p) if I visit another shop. Oh well, why not. This time I get to see a huge standing Buddah, about a hundred foot tall.

I start walking to the Grand Palace and I stop to look at my map. This time a guy suggests I should go on a boat trip as the Palace will close soon and I will get more out of the boat trip. I'm the only person on this long boat. I almost fall into the water trying to get on the blasted thing. An hour later I get off the boat somewhere near the Grand palace having spent a bit too much on a boat ride.

I've done enough for today. Another trip to Khosan road for food in the evening, walking past the girls with the big feet. I try food from the stalls - this is living on the edge. A tuk-tuk driver shows me a picture of his younger sister, he must be very proud, but I'm not too keen to tuk-tuk drivers; I like them as much as I like mosquitoes. No, I think I prefer mosquitoes.

Didn't do a lot today, except wonder around Bangkok a little - not feeling too good. Last night got bitten by a mosquito again ! And I have Delhi belly again !

Anyone who travels to Bangkok should try a little experiment, expecially if you are walking to the Grand Palace: Standstill and look at your map. Within a minute you'll have someone come up and talk to you.

1. Where are you going ?


2. Where are you from ?


3. Tuk-tuk ?


4. Taxi ?


5. Massage ?


6. It's closed today.


7. Take a boat trip, you see more.

You will hear at least two of these things, if not all. And if you walk up Khosan Road, especially if you don't have a sun tan yet, you are gauranteed to hear this. Don't believe what you hear. If you don't know where you are they might tell you.