Day 55-59 (24-28/1/10) - Bangkok --> Chiang Mai (Off We Went With A Trumpety-Trump)

I think Nik's previous blog post probably didn't highlight exactly how sick I was. Yes, we did not do a lot in Bangkok. And that was mainly my fault, as I was struck down with (what I thought was) food poisoning from the moment we left Amman. When the symptoms got worse and I was still incapacitated when we got to Chiang Mai, I decided it was time to see a doctor. Turns out I had a bacterial infection in my gut. Nice. Long and gory story short, I was unceremoniously stabbed in the left buttock with a needle and prescribed a course of antibiotics.

Unfortunately our first night in Chiang Mai - in which we were supposed to do the Sunday Market and see the city - saw us once again confined to the hotel room (where I became acquainted with yet another toilet). But the story gets better from hereon out, I promise.

The next morning we made our way to our new accommodations, 12km out of the city in a village called Bor Sang. The place is called The Secret Garden, and is a secluded property with 12 self-contained bungalows. It is run by Peter (originally from Germany) and his wife, Pai (born and raised in Bor Sang). Pai picked us up from our Chiang Mai hotel and drove us up. It was there that I got a chance to recuperate and get better. Our bungalow was simple but very cute, with tiled floors and Thai decor.



Pai cooks dinner for guests every night - luckily as I started to feel better I was able to fully enjoy the various Thai dishes she and her workers made.

On the second day in Bor Sang I was feeling more energetic, so we decided to cycle into the village. Basically it consists of one main road, about 1km long, lined with small shops and eating spots. The ride in was nice, and we got to see the semi-rural properties on which many of the locals live. I loved the fact that we only saw two other couples who were tourists (and one couple were staying at The Secret Garden too). Everyone else was local. It also meant that the shopping I did was considerably cheaper than it would have been in Chiang Mai (or Bangkok, for that matter). I was able to buy some beautiful cotton dresses and pants - only about 80-120 baht each - so I didn't bother to barter down.


The third day was almost exactly the same; we took the bikes out a bit earlier this time though and spent a bit more time in Bor Sang. This time I bought so much I had to use both the basket on my bike and the handlebars.


The village is known for umbrella-making, and although I didn't buy any, there were beautiful, coloured umbrellas lining the entire street. Apparently they have recently had their Umbrella Festival.


On our last day, we did a one-day tour run through a tour company. Peter dropped us off in Chiang Mai in the early morning, and the tour departed from there. First up was elephant riding, where Nik and I got possibly the greediest elephant in Thailand. He refused to move unless we fed him bananas - of which we bought four bags (each holding numerous bunches).


The walk through the jungle was nice, if a little touristy. But what is a trip to Thailand without elephant riding?


We took a brief stop for lunch (fried rice, tofu soup, stir-fry vegetables and fresh tropical fruits), and also met the cutest little litter of puppies (not on the menu, fear not).



Then we followed our guides through rice fields and jungle for a two-hour trek.


It was surprisingly bearable, given the heat and humidity. We saw some beautiful insects and so many different fruits trees, orchid plants...and even a waterfall.


We were also joined by a dog for part of the way - apparently one of the local hill tribe villages looks after him, and he regularly joins tour groups heading into the jungle.


On the way back we stopped in one of the villages and made a few purchases.


The afternoon saw us given the choice between bamboo rafting or white water rafting. Our group elected the latter, so filled with excitement we headed down to the river.


Because it is not rain season the rapids aren't too dangerous (only a level 2-3 as opposed to 4+); after a quick crash course in white water rafting we were in the rubber rafts and on the water. I was a bit nervous at times, but at least I didn't capsize (which is more than I can say for Nik). There were a few instances where I thought my head was going to hit the rocks - but the entire experience was awesome fun. The last 10 minutes of the rafting was actually very calm; we floated happily downstream to our departure point, just taking in the scenery and listening to the birds.

After being dropped in the city center by the tour guides, we caught a "bus" back to Bor Sang (where Peter picked us up again). By "bus", I mean a songthaew - essentially a covered pickup truck. It was pretty fun, with the added thrill that we had no idea whether we were going the right way.



All in all, Chiang Mai was the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure. I am really happy we decided to stay a bit out of the city though, as we got a real taste of the local life for a lot of Thai families.


That brings the blog almost to the end of our stay in Thailand. Nik will update on our last night in Bangkok and flight to Hong Kong, where we arrived today. And for everyone's information, I am fully recovered, so prepare for much more interesting blog entries!

Day 52-54 (21-23/1/10) Amman --> Bangkok (Dude, Where's My Camera?)

Sorry for the delay in posting. We took a little break while in Thailand, which was probably a good idea. Anyway, now its time to bring everyone up to date.

We arrived in Bangkok a little the worse for wear after the long flight and our earlier adventures in Amman. We endured the wait at passport control headed out into the open air only to endure a rude shock - it was hot. Like, really hot. We hadn't felt anything remotely like this in months. It hadn't been that warm when we left Australia. And the humidity was a killer. Nevertheless, we persevered, got in a taxi and headed into Bangkok proper.

We arrived at our hotel, the Legacy Suites Bangkok. It was great. The room was huge. it had a kitchenette, it had a separate bath and shower, it had a plasma TV. All in all, not bad. We stayed in that night, worn out as we were from the long trip.


The next day, we met up with Clare Whyte (a good friend of ours) who happened to be in Southeast Asia on a multi-nation tour. We went down to a nearby shopping centre (which was stacked out with luxury boutiques and stores. While there, I also managed to lose my camera, and many of my photos along with it. Go me. To date, it has not been found but on our very final day in Bangkok I saw at a market what becomes of found electronics, and I don't have high hopes of it turning up.


Anyway, after that unfortunate experience, we wandered down to a nearby market which was scattered along Sukhamvit, a major street. That got old pretty quickly and we returned to the hotel. Zarah and Clare skyped with friends back home before we all headed out to join Clare's tour group for dinner. The restaurant was pretty cool. It was on an open-air second floor overlooking the river.


The next day we stayed in because Zarah was feeling unwell. So not too much to report.


And the next day we left for Chiang Mai, where Zarah will pick up the tale.

Bangkok seems like a great city; we weren't really there long enough to properly get a handle on it though. That's something I hope to correct in the not-to-distant future.

Day 51 (20/1/10) - Istanbul --> Amman (Crossing Jordan)

We enjoyed our last breakfast on the hotel's roof (and said goodbye to the resident cat) before checking out and leaving for the airport.


We were able to through-check our luggage to Bangkok and get our boarding passes for both legs of the trip (Istanbul - Amman; Amman - Bangkok). We were both flying Royal Jordanian for the first time, and we thought it was quite a pleasant experience. The service was great and the first flight to Amman took only a couple of hours.

When we reached Amman we purchased a visa (10 dinar) so that we could leave and see some of the city. For some reason the immigration officers found something funny about my passport (perhaps the photo?) and then decided to question me on the fact that I was born in Singapore but was an Australian citizen. Still, I wasn't denied entry (which in hindsight wasn't necessarily a good thing). Royal Jordanian actually provides free accommodation for all long-haul transit passengers at the Golden Tulip (airport hotel), so we caught the free transit bus there and passed through the heavy security to check in. The room itself was large and had been recently renovated. We should have stayed in and slept on that lovely, safe bed. But no, we ventured out.

One of the hotel employees had told us taxis to downtown Amman should cost about 10 dinar, so when a cab stopped and agreed to that price, we got in. Our driver was a man named Mohamed, who decided that he would give us "good price" - 30 dinar to take us downtown, drive us around for a couple of hours, show us the sights, and deposit us back at the hotel. This was a fine deal, so we said okay. He seemed alright at first - showing us a photo of his son, complaining about his wife ("she always call, want to know 'where are you?', 'what are you doing?'"). When Mohamed started telling us about a little shop he wanted to take us to, I got a bit uneasy and firmly told him a few times we did not want to go (which was true, we had no room in our hand luggage for shopping anyway). Then he wanted to take us to a particular restaurant. I said no to that, too. He did show us a lot of the new and old downtown areas, including a swish new bridge and the very old Roman Theatre.



Despite what I had said earlier, he did pull back up at the previous restaurant. We got out and I made it clear we wanted to look at the menu first. The menu looked fine and there were also other people there, so we settled. It was essentially a fast food place, and Mohamed knew the man serving us (of course he did). In fact, he joined us at the table for dinner...and then made no attempts to pay for himself afterwards either.

By then I had seen enough and wanted to get back to the hotel. When we stopped outside the hotel Mohamed was taking ages with the invoice, so I knew something was up. We had 30 dinars ready (about all we had left on us) and then he told us it would be 45 dinar (essentially an extra USD$20) because he waited for us. Well, too bad. I told him again very firmly that we had made a deal, and that it had included his driving/waiting time. When he pushed back, I threatened to call over one of the hotel security guards. He backed down a bit, but insisted we still give him an extra 10. Poor Nik by this stage was willing to hand over the few dinar we had left, but I told him to get out of the car. By this time Mohamed was pulling the old "what about my children" line and begging for 5 dinar. I reminded him he had got a free dinner out of us (cheeky bastard) and then told him to take the money out of that. With that, I pushed Nik out and promptly got out and walked away. Mohamed called after us ("don't worry Zarah, I take it from my own pocket"). I honestly don't even know if that photo he showed us of his "son" was legit or not.

So that was the sum total of our Jordanian experience: a few glimpses of the city, terrible food (which I am pretty sure made me so sick, but more on that later) and an authentic taxi experience in which we almost got scammed. Not really one that makes one want to rush back. I hope Mohamed's wife gives him hell.

Day 50 (19/1/10) - Istanbul (The Crimson Flag That Proudly Ripples In This Glorious Dawn)

Although the last day in any place usually means packing for us, we still managed to get out of the hotel for a bit. It was raining steadily, so we caught a taxi up to the Edirnekapı district to see the famous Chora Church (I have a feeling the meter was not so orthodox, as we paid 40 YTL for what should have been a 20 YTL journey).


Although briefly converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire, the church is now a museum where one can appreciate the old artwork from Byzantine times.



By the time we emerged from the church it was well and truly snowing, so we didn't want to walk around too much. We did have to navigate our way to the main road, which wasn't too difficult, and we stopped along the way to pick up some things from a supermarket and say hello to a couple of kittens taking shelter outside it.

We had lunch at Malkoc's and were treated to free tea again. We also tried a traditional Turkish sweet called baklava, which I really loved.


In between lunch and a late dinner we finished up our packing. Dinner tonight was at Rumist, where Turkish Kirby (or Tirby, as we call him) was up to mischief. He somehow got inside the restaurant and, sensing allies in us, settled at our feet beneath our table. When some American patrons spotted him the owners kicked him out...but wiley little Tirby wound up back inside again and nuzzled up to our legs. It took a while but the owners managed to get him out (they said he likes to jump on the tables and eat people's food). However we did discover that he is their cat, and his name is actually Sultan.


It feels appropriate that we have spent the portion of our trip between Europe and Asia in a city that straddles both; where, quite literally, east meets west. Istanbul has been an eye-opening experience for the both of us. It has seen the rise and fall of empires and religions, and these stages in its history are reflected in the well-preserved art, monuments and streets...even below the ground. The city demands attention: from the restaurateurs and vendors hawking their wares to the adhān (call to prayer) that rings out from minarets across Istanbul five times daily.

"View not the soil you tread on as mere earth - recognize it!" This line from the Turkish national anthem makes one realise how special it is to be able to walk the stone floors of mosques and cobbled paths of the old city where men and women of empires past once trod. There is a sense that you are part of something great. And though the frescoes may fade and the gold leaf lose its luster, I think Istanbul - at least for me - will retain its appeal for years to come.

Day 48/49 (17-18/1/10) - Istanbul (Hamam Mia!)

Our first port of call on Sunday was the Hagia Sophia, which Nik mentioned in the previous blog post. We have been walking past it a fair bit on our way to other sites around Sultanahmet, but Sunday was when we actually went inside this impressive structure. What was once a church in Byzantine times is now a Mosque, but relics of years gone by remain on the walls. In fact, one might wonder at how gold embossed depictions of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus complement the dome of the mosque and surrounding minarets.


Somehow, it does. If the sheer size of the Hagia Sofia does not leave you in awe, then closer inspection of the detailed paintwork and tiles that line the walls and high ceilings soon will. Below are a few photos that do not even begin to do this beautiful place justice.




Exploring the Hagia Sophia consumed our time until early afternoon, when we eventually visited our good friends at Malcok's for some tea and a light lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent back at the hotel, where we booked a treatment at a traditional Turkish hamam for that evening. We did not know what we were in for.

The hamam we chose is probably one of the most expensive ones in Istanbul, but also one of the best: Süleymaniye Hamam. The complex was built by Sultan Süleyman The Magnificent in 1557, and you can still see where he bathed today in the hamam. We paid 35 euros for entrance to the hamam (which also included a wash, peel and soap massage).


When you enter they supply you with linen "clothes" (a bikini top and shorts for women, essentially just a loincloth for the guys); you go into the "hot section", which has a temperature of about 40-60 degrees. It is in here that you lie on a marble slab and roast for a good 30 minutes. I found it comfortable for about 15, and then I was worried I would sweat out every last drop of moisture in my body.

Then came the scrub and massage. I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to have cold water thrown all over me. The soap massage was my favourite: imagine having hot bubbles (a la bubble bath style) massaged across your back. Because that is essentially what it was. Poor Nik did not seem to enjoy the massage as much as I did, although that may have been because his masseuse's hands were getting uncomfortably close to his "loincloth".

I did have a rather scary moment when I stood up from the massage (relaxed though I was) where I thought I was going to faint. I think the heat and steam (and the fact I was hungry) had got to me: I stumbled out to the "lukewarm room", gasped for a water and eventually recuperated.


It certainly was an experience!

We had a late dinner near the hotel at a place called Rumist (both a cafe and art/handicrafts gallery). It was here that we ran into Turkish Kirby again. Although not as beautiful and fluffy as my baby back home, I think people would agree there are definite similarities:


Today (Monday) saw us rise bright and early at 7:30am. We had breakfast at the hotel and then got a taxi to Galata, a neighbourhood over from Sultanahmet. We went to the top of Galata Tower, apparently the oldest tower in the world (that still accepts visitors), although from what I read the thing has been built and re-built so many times, that it's probably impossible to tell how old the current structure really is.


Still, the 360-degree views were interesting (dampened a little by the drizzle) and we got to see Istanbul from another perspective.


We were content to just wander after that, taking in all the different characters going about their Monday morning and walking through Galata/Beylogu.


We crossed the bridge back to Sultanahmet then walked back over again. There were so many men fishing off the top of the bridge (which I found comical in amongst the traffic), some of them working multiple rods at once.


After a brief stint back at the hotel to get the ferry information, we caught one over to the "Asian side" of Istanbul, Kadıköy. The trip over was only about 15 minutes, and we braved the slight drizzle in order to take in the views as we crossed the Bosphorus.


Kadıköy was completely different to what we had seen in the old city. There were high-rise buildings, new shopping malls, a rather graphic statue of a bull and other modern-looking shopping complexes.


We had lunch at a nice place called Mix (where I made a tentative attempt at saying "thank you" in Turkish), then took a look around. It was bit gloomy to be walking around (and Nik didn't have a hood on his jacket) so we got the ferry back over again. We will be heading back tomorrow though for some markets that are only held on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The later part of the afternoon, therefore, was spent on laundry and resting. We managed to get 8kg of laundry done, albeit for the equivalent of 16 euros - ah, the price of cleanliness.

For dinner we went back to Turquoise, where they gave us a hero's welcome and complimentary tea. The food, as before, was excellent.

Day 46/47 (15-16/1/10) - Istanbul (Meowing Towards Mecca)

We awoke yesterday morning to breakfast on the hotel's rooftop terrace as promised, although thick grey clouds and drizzle meant that the views of the Bosphorus and its surrounds went somewhat to waste. Breakfast itself was nice, though: fresh yoghurt, bread, home-made jams and coffee made for a good start to the day.

After that we headed out to explore some of the sights in the area around the hotel. We walked past the Hagia Sophia and through the grounds of the Topkapi Palace (the heavily armed soldiers standing around there were a little off-putting) before heading to the Blue Mosque.


It was closed for midday prayers so we didn't get to see the inside of it, but we did get to take pictures of all the hilarious cats in the vicinity which was nice.


On a whim, we also wandered into the Basilica Cistern, built in the 6th Century by Justinian I, and apparently the largest of several such cisterns under old Constantinople. The area has been very well restored, and it felt strange to be in such a quiet, dark place compared to the bustle and light above ground.



We ventured up and down one of the main streets nearby in search of somewhere to have lunch. This became more complex and the hawkers and spruikers out the front of the various restaurants noticed us going in a continual loop and amped up the pressure on us. We persisted and ate at some small and cheap place, which was nice enough but nothing special.

Lunch having concluded, we walked up to the Grand Bazaar. We didn't get very far into the sprawling, crowded proto-mall before turning back, but it laid the foundation for subsequent visits.



On the way out we had a particularly frightening encounter with one of the many (hundreds? thousands?) of carpet dealers. Despite his assurances that he "no push us, [he] no eat us," we were keen to get out of there.

We recouped at the hotel before setting back out for the evening. We stopped in at a nearby bar, named 'Cheers', for some drinks. It was a little on the expensive side, but the bar staff were friendly and the drinks were good. Zarah became particularly attached to some strange mix of beer, brandy and various fruit juices. After that we (I) were (was) getting very hungry, so we went in search of a restaurant. One of the guys out the front of a restaurant remembered us from the previous night and talked us into looking at the menu. Happy (and hungry) enough, we sat down and had a great meal.


We spoke for a while with a German man one table over. He joined us for some time and we had a great conversation.


We finished the evening with a nargile (Turkish water pipe) before heading back to the hotel around midnight.


We got up a little late today and had to head out into the street for breakfast, free food at the hotel having been taken off the table. We had omlettes at a place across the road, along with tea and coffee. The day slipping away, we headed back to the Blue Mosque to see the interior, which was suitably spectacular, before heading back to the Grand Bazaar.



Zarah went on a bit of a shopping spree (women, am I right?), cutting deals with stall-owners left, right and centre for a deal on this or that.


How all of these rather large items will make the journey from here to Southeast Asia and beyond is not something I fully understand, but I'm willing to be shown the way.


Dinner tonight was close by - we went back to the restaurant we visited on the first night, and they seemed happy to see us once again.

(Zarah: to prove that I was not exaggerating about the gigantic Turkish bread, here is a photo)


The food was great (as before) and we're back at the hotel with full stomachs planning our next move.


So that's us up to date. We're in Turkey for a few more days, which (as usual) isn't nearly enough time before we're on to Thailand and a familiar time zone.