A haphazard chronicle of my inevitable misadventures during a year in Vietnam and points east.

p.s. I'll be pitifully grateful if you send me email during my exile: TravelerKaty@hotmail.com

October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 February 2006 March 2006 May 2006

 
Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand

I was able to experience the remarkable ease of travelling in Thailand upon my departure from Kanchanaburi. My objective was to head north and avoid Bangkok, and I figured I'd just keep catching buses and get as far as I could toward Kamphaeng Phet before dark. And though I did have some mild trepidation about this plan, since I was heading through areas that aren't even mentioned iin the guidebooks (adn thus are unlikely to boast many English speakers) it turned out to be a walk in the park. I'd pick a likely bus hub on the map, point to it and vocally massacre the name in Thai, and would be directed to a bus almost immediately.

Due to the high mobility of the Thais (ths must come with improvement in the economic situation -- there sure weren't many buses to choose from in Laos or Cambodia) I never had to wait longer than 30 minutes for my next connecting bus. Even though I didn't drag myself out of town in the morning until 10am, I made it to Kamphaeng Phet by six in the evening, a very successful day from a transportation standpoint. I also had the opportunity to experience Thai local buses, rather than the deluxe air-con versions I had taken thus far. Though no chickens were in evidence, they did represent a substantial drop in comfort level -- five seats across, tiny aisle, no aircon, no reclining, and of course they stop for anyone who hails from the side of the road. And since they are basically the form of public transit in many of these places, these buses serve commuters and schoolchildren and an get incredibly crowded. It's critical to get a window seat.

In contrast with the ease of the journey, my arrival in Kamphaeng Phet was rather more challenging than usual. It seems I happened upon a town where tourists never go, though I'm not quite sure why. The resulting equation would be -- No Tourists = No English = No Cheap Hotels = No Readable Menus = No Convenient Transportation.

I was quite fortunate in one way when I arrived -- another adventurous farang (foreigner) had washed ashore in the Kamphaeng Phet bus station. Marine, a French college student, had already worked out that there was only one way into town (the Thais like to site official bus stations somewhat out of town, I suspect in an attempt to provide full emloyment to taxi, motorbike and sawnthaew drivers), a sawnthaew driver to whom took an immediate dislike, as she refused to take us to any hotel other than the one she recommended. My dislike was reinforced when upon arrival at said hotel (which apeared to have a nightclub attached -- not my cup of tea) she tried to charge us four times the going rate, which I unequivocally refused to allow. It's safe to say that she didn't like me any more than I liked her, since I wouldn't let Marine overpay either.

Afer determining by phone that all the affordable guesthouses listed in our guidebooks were no longer in existence, we ended up at a Chinese hotel nearby that would have been fine if it hadn't already been so full. Our room, the only remaining double, was an interior room, whose large windows offered a lovely view of an adjacent hallway containing a large number of people who stayed up late, rose early, and liked to keep their TV's on loud enough for the Burmese to follow the action. It was also very hot, as without an exterior window, the ceiling fan was of limited use. They did provide towels and soap, which was nice, but the toilet didn't flush consistently, which was not. All this luxury for $7.50. Needless to say, I decided almost immediately to spend no more than one night in Kamphaeng Phet -- I was willing to take a bus in almost any direction.

The perfect way to get around Kamphaeng Phet, which was a major outpost during the Sukhothai period, would be by bicycle. The traffic isn't too bad and the ruins are a bit spread out and some distance from the new part of town. At some point since the publication of teh guidebook, however, Kamphaeng Phet gave up on the whole "catering to tourists" concept. All guesthouses closed, no restaurants with English menus remained, no taxis available, and no bicycles or motorbike rentals to be found. So we walked.

It really was a lovely place, despite the challenges. A couple of ruined temples within the walled, moated city drew wandering Thai famiies and reportedly joggers, though these were understandably absent during our visit, during which we easily sweated off two liters of water in the sweltering humidity. Another slew of ruins required a hike outside the city to a forested National Historical Park. It is quite possible that I have set back US-France relations by my ill-conceived suggestion of a "short cut" back to town which proved to be an hour long sweaty jungle route during which we saw just three other humans, two of them children, and ended up right back at the park entrance. I like to pretend I have a good sense of direction, but then again self-delusion is one of my real talents.

Our nature walk completed, we headed back to the bus station. Next stop: Mae Sot.

Copyright 2003 Katy Warren


posted by Katy at 2:36 AM