Mr Beem's Asian Journal




Bangkok




For the last week or so I had just been hanging around waiting. Waiting for Amex to sort out my checks and because of their failure to do so, waiting for Visa to reissue an emergency card. Nothing was happening in a hurry so I felt it was time to move on and fix things as I went. I had not travellers Cheque, I had no Visa card all I had on me was some Bath that I had changed with Terry for American Dollars and no back up if something else went wrong, I was up the creek.

Terry had given me a fifty percent discount on my bill and said 'pay me when you get it all sorted'. I had arranged to have my new credit card sent to the hotel so that I could pick it up on my way back through to Malaysia on route to India in a couple of months.

VISA had arranged for me to collect a new emergency card in Bangkok, so once I was there I had a safety net again. Leaving Phuket was actually very depressing, I was leaving with a cloud over my head and feeling very much like a victim, and I was leaving behind a big pile of lose ends, and I hate that. Plus I think that there was some doubt about my credibility also, if Amex think he’s a crook then maybe he is, how would we know we only meet him a couple of weeks ago – he seems all right, but how do you really know. And I hate that more than anything.

So there I was heading north thinking about Phuket and the fact that some bastard back there had my passport and money and no one, myself included, was going to do a damn thing about it. I tried to shake off all these negative feelings, but one thing about the solitude of motorcycle riding is that it gives you time to think, unless you are ridding hard then you have no time to think about anything except the road in front of you. So that’s what I did I had a couple of hours of pushing the bike around bends thinking about angles and braking and when to put the power on. It’s a great distraction and a wonderful sense of accomplishment when you get it right, when you have gone around that bend in complete control and at high speed, it’s a great feeling. I had taken the back roads I didn’t fancy the boredom of the freeway. It normally takes about thirteen hour to drive from Phuket to Bangkok, if you stay on the freeway and keep your foot down. I was planning on taking two days and doing a little sight seeing along the way. That night I spent at a pretty little fishing village with a few hotels and restaurants along the water front a big pagoda on the hill top to the north. Pleasant, laid back, quite, and cheap. I had dinner walked around town and went to bed early. Next morning I was on the road at about nine o’clock. I had planned to start earlier but some of the sea food at the restaurant was obviously off and I had a busy night back and forward to the toilet, thank god I had taken a room with a bathroom.

Bangkok cars tend to be rather new and shiny and a little scratch could work out expensive. I decided to drive like a car. Stay in my own lane and move when the other traffic moves, and stop when it stops. You feel very conspicuous doing this as the other bikes fly around you and nearly hit you because they don’t expect you to be stoped. It was the only way I could handle the traffic. You are being continually challenged for your peace of road, cars and bikes will crowd you from either side and you just have to hold your own or you will be pushed to the curb, that is where having a bit of size, and good pick-up and braking does come in handy. If it starts to get a little hairy - just drive badly, start to wobble a little and look behind you a lot. It’s amazing how much space they can find to give you.

I was looking for the Bamboo Guesthouse, David the German guy had recommended it. Not really recommended it as said they are in a nice quite area, have good off road parking for the bike and you can usually meet other Motorcycle travellers there. He went on to explain that the management was surly, the room were basic and the bathrooms and toilets were in the hallway. And they had an almost fanatical approach to Thai girls being in the room – they don’t like it, married or not, Euro-women can do what they want. Sounds like my kind of place 150 baht a night for a single room – make sure you turn the electricity off in your room, when you are not there. There is a switch outside your door, use it, if you don’t do it we will. I don’t care if you are charging your computer or not – swine hund. It was one of those you have to earn our respect and friendship kinda places, In this price range the majority off their guests were not the cream of Bangkok society – myself and the nice people that I met excluded. I put up with the pitfalls of the place because I was on a very limited budget and didn’t know how long I was going to be in Bangkok. In the end I got to quite like that place silly rules and all, and I even got a couple of good mornings out of the manager, which was a small personal triumph for me.

Some places are conducive to meeting other guests some are not, luckily for it the Bamboo was. I met Ton, a gay guy from Holland on his first trip to Asia and he was loving it. I met Kathrina, a German girl who had just come overland on a Yamaha 350 from Germany and was looking to make the return journey via Russia. I met Stephanie an English girl who had been involved in various aid and welfare projects around the region and loved South East Asia and its people. I met the Professors Dave, Jim, and Jim, they were over from the States, guest lecturing at the university on their summer break, some thing to do with law and personal security. I met an Indian Guy who was the self appointed telephone monitor and another American guy who had a medical complaint and was not the full quid. I also met young Dan an English guy who was attempting to drink his way around the world and was succeeding quite nicely, several other minor characters came and went during my brief stay there.

The reason that I had come to Bangkok in the first place was not to experience the traffic and sit in the social area of the Bamboo Guesthouse, but to get a new Passport and pick up my emergency Credit Card. So first thing on Monday Morning I am off to see my old Chums at the British Embassy. The fairly innocent question of “where do you come from” has always posed a dilemma for me. I am never quite sure as to just how serious the question is and on what level they want the answer, so generally I say England or Australia, depending on who is winning at that weeks sporting event, that’s not true, it generally depends on what passport I am travelling on at the time and where in that world I happen to be. Sometimes I say I am Irish, not because of my accent but because of my genes, sometimes I say Papua New Guinea, because its there that I have spent the last sixteen years.

But this morning I was proud to say that I was British. The Embassy is on Wireless Road, one of Bangkok’s main thorofares. Ghurkha’s guard the gates and check for bombs. When you get inside its all business, quite, smooth, effective, business. The staffs are polite and make you feel as if they are on your side. You're one of us and we are here to help you is the impression they give. You need to do this, this and this, you will have to pay this, and you will have a new Passport on Thursday – how’s that. Well to be truthful it was quite expensive a little over 4,000 Baht almost a US$ 100 but it was for ten year so ten buck a year foe a passports not bad, its more the fact that I already had one and now it is lying in the gutter somewhere or ripped up in a garbage bin, that’s what gives you the shits. Well that took care of the morning. In the afternoon I went to the Siam Commercial bank and pick up my Visa card and withdrew some money, it was nice to be cashed up again.

All I had to do now was wait for the Passport to be ready, get a new entry visa for Thailand stamped in it. Get a Visa for Cambodia and I would be out of Bangkok and on my way west to Cambodia.

25th June

Hi Guys,

I have finally made it out off Thailand with everything intact - except my wallet. I did everything that I had to do in Bangkok, except get the Travellers Cheques sorted...do NOT call us until the 25th they kindly told me.

WARNING - Buy American Express Travellers Cheques...at your own Risk.

Anyway, getting out off Bangkok is just as hard as getting in, the traffic is murder and the road signs are a law unto themselves. The Thai people are great but very few of them know their City or the set up off it's one way streets. I did however manager to find my way, with the help off many individuals and small groups. One Guy even followed me five kilometres down the road to amend his previous directions, which I thought was above and beyond being a good citizen.

Bangkok Police are something special...I have even amended some off my favourite sayings to include them - 'Slyer than a shithouse Rat', has now become 'Slyer than a Bangkok Policeman'. 'Lower than a snakes belly' has be altered to 'Lower than a Bangkok Policeman's Boots'. They have a very dubious rule about motorcycles and which lanes they can use. Basically you can't leave the left hand lane even when turning right across four lane off traffic. If you find this a little hard to implement then they will fine you 1,000 Baht about USD 24.00 however it is not their intention to inconvenience you by making you go to the Police Station to pay the fine (they explain this while brandishing your drivers license) so if you give them 200 Baht about USD 5.00 then no more will be said, and the nice thing is that they don't burden you with a receipt either - which is thoughtful. Luckily I only met two thoughtful Policemen in my time in Bangkok, so I suppose it wasn't that bad.

Once on the road to the border the motorways turned to dual carriage ways and then to good two lane Highway and I got to the checkpoint just before five. I was just going to have a look at the border and cross over the next day...but the Customs guy said come on hurry up, you still have five minutes, and I thought well if it saves me from having to pay another 200 Baht in over-stay I can always use that for a hotel on the otherside, so I said O.K. I gave the guy my carnet and that was done with a quick stamp, then he said you have overstayed you have to pay 100 Baht per day for the bike. No one said anything about that...so I paid him the 900 Baht..."don't worry about the receipt', I said. Then I ripped down to Immigration, they were all for fast processing but by then the Cambodians had rung the bell and closed the boarder on their side, so the Thai immigration officer said 'Tonight you sleep in Thailand'. Off I went to find a Hotel - I'll tell you the rest next time.

Remember...To be nice to people on Motorcycles.

Into Cambodia

Next morning eight thirty I was back at the boarder. The Customs guy waved me through and I went straight to Immigration. I said 'I have overstayed be cause I had my passport and money stolen'. They said 'you have overstayed...you must pay'. I said 'I know'. So I was sent here and then there and then back again. I paid 2,000 Baht for overstaying my 30 day Visa by ten days and then did the paper-work for the bike, all together it took a little over an hour which I thought wasn't too bad at all. There is a market right on the border and the number of carts and bikes and wheelbarrows crossing is phenomenal so I was happy to get through so fast.

I drove a hundred metres to the Cambodian side showed them my Visa ..filled out a form and was directed to Customs across the street. Went upstairs had a cup of Tea with the boss, he stamped my carnet, wished me luck and I was on my way. Too easy.