Hiding Out In Little Tibet

Delhi India, January 7, 2007

This is a story from my recent Journey in India Aw and I are very thankful to Joanmarie for suggesting we begin our exploration of Delhi in 'Manjuka Tilla' or 'Tibet New Colony'. When the Chinese murdered the Tibetan people and began systematically destroying their Temples, many Tibetans were forced to flee across the border to India. Many of them came here to Delhi and were given refuge in settlements like this one. I was warned that there is very little peace in Delhi if you're looking for cheap accommodation. As we drive from the airport, we see the streets and markets packed with people and cars and cows. The city looks like a madhouse. I wanted to find a place to start this trip where Aw and I could get our bearings for a couple of days and become acclimatized to the Indian culture. If you're looking for somewhere to 'hide out', Manjuka Tilla is the place to come. This settlement is very basic and doesn't have any fancy amenities but to me it's wonderful. I have always felt a strong affinity with the Tibetan people and we enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and the sense of family in this quiet community. There are a few women holding up their babies and begging. And we pass a couple of men showing their deformed limbs for sympathy, but I already expect this in India, so I don't find it particularly disturbing. We walk along the narrow main-street of this tiny village and we buy some steaming fried potatoes from a street vendor. He puts some chilies on it and we eat our piping hot treat on this cold January day, as we walk along looking in the the shops and watching the people around us.

How To Stay Warm In Delhi

Delhi India, January 6,2007

This is a story from my recent Journey in India
It's great to have a place to stay here in the Tibetan Settlement. Lonely Planet says wongdhen house is one of the best for the price; 450 rupees ($13 CAD) per night. The only problem is that the temperature here in Delhi is around freezing at night and there are no heaters in this hotel. I'm from Canada so I figure that doesn't matter cause I'm used to the cold right? The difference is that where I'm from, it's only cold outside. If you're cold in my country, you just go inside and warm up. Here in Delhi if you're cold, you just try not to think about it. You don't really appreciate heat until you try living without it. We realize we have to just suck it up and deal with the situation, so Joan Marie, our Buddhist Nun friend, gives us a pomegranate as a welcome gift and we settle into our room. This guesthouse was probably built around 1900 and the plumbing is pretty basic but at least the water in the shower is hot. We have TV. We have a remote control, and we do have a few warm clothes. If it wasn't for the little sleeping bag I got at the last minute before leaving Canada (thanks mom) we would be having a much rougher night tonight. So we put on all our clothes and we huddle under the blankets. Aw sends me a conspiratorial glance and asks the question: "Stevie, how come you never check weather in Day-lee before come?"
Now let me tell you something in my defence, about the video you're about to see; I am very cold at this moment, and there is an Indian program on TV that has dance music on it with a very catchy rhythm. Think of this as an instructional video on how to stay warm in Delhi.

Aw Canada Snow

Alberta Canada has been experiencing a cold snap for the last week. The weather report yesterday said it was -37 degrees Celsius. For some reason they like to add: "feels like -45."
Yes, it does.

My dear friend 'Aw' in Thailand says it is 'lawn jin jin' (very very hot) in Bangkok right now. She says she wishes she was here where it's cold. So for Aw's benefit I will go over a few tips for enjoying this wonderful Alberta weather.

This is me in the cold. The temperature is -33 degrees. Oh my God.

This is my car. I wasn't sure it was my car until I swept some of the snow off it to make sure. By the way, Aw thought it was funny when I told her I drive a 1985 Lincoln Town Car. 'So old Stevie'. But remember it's paid for and it runs.

Okay. Maybe it doesn't run. In Thailand they have Thai massage. In Canada we have 'battery hot tubs'. I didn't plug my car in last night so I had to take my battery inside to warm it up in the sink. And I did actually manage to start my car.

I don't want to go out today but I have to. Today I have an appointment with the International Travel Clinic to get some shots for my upcoming India trip.
I drove to the Travel Clinic where I got some wonderful advice. This is Mary-Beth. She's from the Philippines. She gave me shots in both shoulders and got me excited about visiting her country in the future. I had my consultation with Chris. He's from Northern India and we spent most of the time pouring over a map while he gave me great advice about how and where to travel.

After getting my shots and some very important information about what to do if I eat a bad chapatti, I headed over to see my fellow carpenter; Duncan. This is Duncan's dog; Roxy. This is how Roxy deals with the cold weather.

In Canada when it's cold, we eat. In this case, we had Ted Heller's favorite meal at Ricky's Restaurant; The Roast Beef dinner with Yorkshire pudding. 'Aroi mark mark' (very delicious).

At the end of the day I got a call from my friend Malcome (who sounds just like Raymond Burr). He invited me for dinner at the Olive Garden...where we had some more great food.

I had lots of adventures today but what I enjoyed most was settling in to my Monk's Cell in an unfinished basement room, where I'm staying for a few more days, and reading my Wilbur Smith book. All I kept thinking when I was reading was: 'I wish I was in Bangkok. It's too cold here'.

Thale Noi; A Life In A Day

Thale Noi Bird Sanctuary, Thailand, January 29, 2006

This was a day that encompassed a lifetime of beauty.

Jook's sister; 'Ten' invited a bunch of us to Thale Noi Bird Sanctuary, near Phattalung. This is a world heritage site on a huge lake that drains out into the Gulf of Thailand. The water is actually fresh water and salt water combined.

We stayed in these wood huts on the water. They are reserved for staff only, but Ten is a government Nurse with many connections so we were given permission to stay here for a night.

We got up around 7am and sat drinking coffee on the dock while we watched the sunrise.

As it warmed up, the lotus flowers began opening up all over the lake.

Jookie got us a 'Long tail Boat' and pilot, to take us into the wetlands.

Ten brought her son; Chip; along. We call him the little monkey and he lives up to that name. He's always exploring or eating something. He's a sweet little guy.

We saw a wonderful array of birds, flying and nesting, but the most amazing sight for me was the sight of so many lotus covering the lake around us.
When we got back to the dock, we stopped for a great 'aroi mark mark' Thai breakfast. Then Jook's brother drove me to town to take a mini bus to Hat Yai where I got on yet another bus to take me to Songkhla. It was only 11am.

Chumphun

Chumphun, Thailand, January 26, 2006

Ted and I have been weighing ourselves once a week and we have a bet on to see who reaches his target first. Just so you know Ted, I'm now this weight. Even in Imperial it's not too bad.

'Chumphun' means: "Meeting Place" in Thai, just as "Toronto" Canada is the native term for the same word. Chumphun is a very busy little town that is used as the port of entry for some of the most popular Islands in Thailand; like Koh Tao and Koh Samui. I love this place. I got a room for 150 baht, a wonderful mussel omelet for 20baht (70 cents) and a two hour Thai massage for 200 baht (six dollars).
Then just when I thought I would relax here for a couple of days, I met a retired Dutchman who insisted I check out a beach sixteen km away. So the next thing I knew, I was heading by motorcycle to a secluded beach. I got a bungalow for 300 baht.

Here's the view from my front door.

this is my backyard.

I sat on the beach for a while and went for a swim.

Then I walked up the coast to a little fishing village where I had a seafood dinner from the local market for seventy cents.

In brief; this was Day One...

This was Day Two...
Awwww? Ahhhhhhhhh...

My Day Off

Since arriving in Calgary I have been working six days a week. So here's how my day off went. I woke up at 8am and walked out into the backyard to see about cutting the lawn. This is a beautiful Garden, as you can see.

I met my landlady and friend, Lillian. She asked if I could help her with a couple of things so I went inside and moved two mattresses and adjusted her computer for her.

Then I went back down to my computer and caught up on my emails. This is my room here in Calgary. It's very simple and I really do keep it this neat every day.

While I was on the computer, my Friend Jookie from Thailand popped onto MSN and we had a wonderful talk using our Web cams. I told Jook I was going to cut the lawn and she asked what a 'lawn' was. I hope this Blog helps my friends in Thailand to see how we live in Canada.

When I was finished on the computer, my room mate and new partner in Construction, Teddy, asked if I would like to join him at Smitty's for breakfast. I love the Eggs Benedict.
As soon as we got back, the phone rang and a new customer asked us to do an estimate for him. We got that job, installing doors and baseboards for later in the week.

Then we noticed that one of Ted's tires was low so we changed it. Then I came home and designed a Website for selling Thai amulets and silk; a business I am pursuing with several friends around the world.

I finally took a bit of time to read before going to bed early. While I was reading, my cellophane rang and I had a wonderful talk with my dear friend Kitty, from Cape Cod. She was driving home in a terrible storm so her cell phone kept cutting out. I said to her: "Kitty, if you don't want to talk to me just say so." She is a joy to talk to.
I find I have tremendous energy these days because my life is so simple and focused. But most of all I have wonderful friends around the world.

Khao San Road; There And Back Again

Bangkok, Thailand, May 2, 2005

So here I am, back where I started from; Khao San Road.

But before experiencing the madness of this place, I climbed to the top of a building to experience a sunset.

Then I did some final shopping before my return.

This is the courtyard of a very nice Hotel I have been staying in the last couple of nights. I decided to treat myself to a slightly better place but I kept having bad karma here. Yesterday the air conditioning quit. So I had it recharged. Then when I got back at the end of the night, it had quit again, so after 5 phone calls and no action, I finally had them move me to another room. But the air con only barely worked there. Then this morning the lights wouldn't turn on. That wouldn't have mattered except my room has no windows. So I chalked it up to Feng Shui and moved across the street the the Khao San Palace Hotel, which is very nice but only had a twin room available.

So if anyone wants to fly in for the last two nights and join me, here's your chance!

These are some friends who came for dinner to join me before I leave for Canada. They are: 'Boi'(who is an account executive at Samsung Electronics), 'A' (who I call 'Eh' in honor of my country, who is a computer programmer at an International Insurance Company in Bangkok),his girlfriend 'Lehk'(Who runs Portugal) and 'Jook'(Who is President of Samsung Electronics for Bangkok). They all kept asking me the same question all night; 'When are you coming back?' The people of Thailand make me feel very welcome. This bunch have decided to adopt me as their family.

This is 'Juu' who joined us a bit later, and 'Boi'. I promised 'Boi' I would show a decent picture of her this time. The Post on 'Monkey's Birthday' had a very poor picture of her. I find the Thai people have eyes that seem to sparkle. And they really are like family when they get together. There is such a genuine love between them.

As you can see, I finally picked up my suit, so I'm ready to leave now. You may remember that I ordered that suit the third day I was in Bangkok. It is an Armani suit with two pairs of pants, three custom shirts and three silk ties for about $500 Canadian. The same suit sells for about fifteen hundred dollars back home. Armani's factory is just outside Bangkok. Thais make the suits and then they are shipped to Italy and other destinations around the world.

I will try to post more articles before I leave Bangkok on Wednesday but it's possible you might not hear from me until I return. Either way, it's Blogging as usual when I return. The greatest adventure is the answer to the question: 'What do I do next?'
I'll leave it to Jookie to give you the final word here.

Click To Play

Phuket: Alive and Well April 7

Phuket is famous because of the Tsunami but I was urged by so many people here to make sure I told you that Phuket is a beautiful destination right now and worth visiting. I agree!

This is Tony Messenger from Britain. (I don't make these names up... honest!) Tony was eating breakfast next to me so we got talking about Phuket. He told me that Patong beach is actually much nicer since the Tsunami. He said the Wave removed the old layers of sludge and now the beach looks the way it did 15 years ago; pristine and white. I asked him about the feeling here now. Again he said: "Much better. There are fewer tourists now, so it has much more of that small town feeling like it did many years ago. I love it here now!"

I want to give a plug for the hotel I stayed at here; 'Sandy Beach Mansion'(I know the sign read different). The staff here were very friendly (notice the little guy behind the desk) and my room was the best one I've had in Thailand; very comfortable and inviting. And best of all, it had sheets on the bed, AND toilet paper!

I've spent so much time talking disaster that I never mentioned just how wonderful the beach actually is. There are palm trees for shade and the water is warm and inviting with a sandy bottom that feels great on the feet.

I got upset when I talked about the movie 'The Beach' because when I spend time here, I see a beach as beautiful as the one in the movie. Paradise is right here.

Even McDonald's is making a comeback!

These are the staff of a great Sushi restaurant in town. I ate here and thought it was as good as Sushi Ginsa in Calgary Alberta; which is saying a lot!

Yes, Phuket is alive and well. Everywhere I went, people asked me what I was writing about. They wanted to make sure I wasn't scaring people off. I told them all the same thing. The people are wonderful, The food is great and the water is fine. Come and visit!

Wallenpone 2: Bangkok April 3

I have a post titled 'Wallenpone'. I talk about how I almost missed the train to Chiang Mai and all I had to get me there was this one magical word which I repeated again and again until I got on my train with only seconds to spare. Well now I know that Wallenpone is the name of Bangkok's Central Train station. But I seem to have a curse when it comes to this place. Here's what happened.

It's 6pm Sunday night and here I am, sitting on the train that leaves Bangkok Station (Wallenpone)in 20 minutes. I have booked the ticket through my travel agent in Bangkok. I have no worries. I am content. Then a woman sits down across from me. She smiles. I smile back. She shows me her ticket and smiles. I show her my ticket and smile back. Then I read her ticket. It says seat 30. I look at my ticket. IT says seat 30. I wonder how she and I could have the same seat. Then I look at the date. My ticket is not for tonight. My ticket is for Wednesday. Then I put it all together. My travel agent booked using the March calendar instead of April's. I have to get off the train RIGHT NOW.

I leap off and race to the ticket refund area. I find a Tourist information person who sees my panic and comes to my aid. She lets me know that there are no seats left on that train. She sends me upstairs where I book a ticket on an all night bus. Then I race downstairs to get a refund on my train ticket. I try to phone my travel agent but there is only voicemail. The bus leaves at 7pm. I pay 800 baht and get my refund of 435baht for most of the train ticket. I get help to phone the hotel I am booked to in Phuket to change the arrival day. Some day I will tell you how I was able to accomplish so much in such a short time and still make it to Phuket the next day.

But for now, let me just say that the good luck from Buddha was with me that night. Thank you to all the dear souls who helped me get on that bus that night, especially one wonderful woman from Bangkok who saved my Canadian Bacon that night by translating for me on more than one occasion. It was 17 hours sitting in a cramped bus that got me to Phuket on Monday just after noon.

And this is the hotel room the Travel agent booked for me. It is a beautiful place but too fancy for my needs. It cost me 1200 baht, which I didn't realize until I found out how much my travel cost me. The next day I booked out of there into something much more modest.

This is the first glimpse I had of the ocean from Phuket (Pronounced 'Poo-get'). This is Patong Beach, which was hit very hard by the Tsunami in December. I will show you more in the next post.