Pattaya

This town is totally insane. It is kind of peaceful during daytime, but the picture changes at night. The millions of bars open up for business and the employees of those bars (you can call them bar girls) are busy luring customers into their employers establishment. And the customers are usually old "farang" (the thai word for foreigner) that come to Pattaya to have fun for a low amount of money. Whichever street you walk its all the same. Its impossible to escape it.



Of course there is a beach here too, but it is kind of quiet, while the water is low
quality being pretty dirty. So we tend to hang out at the hotel's pool most of the time. Actually our hotel has two pools, one being right outside my room.



Yesterday we tried something new (at least for me) ; JetSki. For 30 minutes (15 mins
each) we cruised around the bay at high speed. It was great fun.





Diese Stadt ist total verrueckt. Es ist ziemlich friedlich hier tagsueber, aber abends aendert sich das bild drastisch. Tausende von Lokalen oeffnen die Tueren, und dessen Angestellten (man nennt sie auch Bar Girls) versuchen Kunden anzulocken. So sitzen eine Menge halbbekleidete Maedchen vor den Lokalen und schreien "Welcome" wenn man daran vorbeigeht. Die Kunden die da meist drauf einsteigen sind aeltere Herrschaften, die hier her kommen um Spass zu haben. Die Szene spielt sich buchstaeblich in jeder Strasse ab; es ist hart dem zu entkommen.



Natuerlich gibt es hier auch einen Strand. Leider ist hier fast gar nichst los. Das
Wasser ist schmutzig. Deshalb bleiben wir meist an einem der Pool's unseres Hotels.
Wir haben 2, einer davon ist direkt vor meiner Tuer.



Gestern versuchten wir mal etwas Neues (zumindest fuer mich war es neu) ; JetSki.
Fuer 30 Minuten fuhren wir dann mit Vollgas um die Bucht. Es hat riesig Spass gemacht.

Thai Cooking Course

I finally decided it was time for me to learn how those fantastic curries are made. A fellow traveller recommended to me a cooking class that specialises in vegetarian food. Sounded good. I gave it a shot and turned up at May Kaidee's restaurant the next day. I didnt make it there until after noon, the morning class just finishing off. There was no official afternoon class that day, but they were willing to give me private tuition for the same price ... Lucky me !

Usually you would shop for the ingredients first, but we skipped that part and came straight to the point. After my instructor (her name is On) explained to me all the ingredients we were going to use we went straight for the first dish :

Tom Yam Soup (Spicy and Sour Soup) and its sister Tom Kha Soup (same as Tom Yam Soup but with more coconut milk) :

From here we went on to make Isaan , a very spicy vegetable stir fry. I hear that in Isaan (a region from which the food originates) they put in a hand full of chillies , sometimes more.

After only tasting a few spoon fulls of the above I was already filled up. We went on to make a very spicy and delicious peanut sauce which we would later use. The famous Pad Thai we made next tasted better than any I had before, especially topped with the peanut sauce. I couldnt help it, but to finish it. Now I was fully filled up. But there was more to come, way more.

The best was still to come. Masaman Curry followed by Green Curry. I cant tell you which one tasted better. They were both tasting awesome. My teacher really knows how to help a student making great curries in no time. And we had a good laugh while we were making them. I could have never imagined cooking being so much fun.

Next on the list were spring rolls. We didnt fry them, they still tasted awesome. Here again we used the peanut sauce to spice it up :

I have always loved Hummus. The pumpkin hummus I made next tasted great and it easy to make, but cannot be compared with the original hummus made of chickpeas.

Last but not least came the papaya salad, which was the spiciest salad I ever tasted (and made).

My instructor was enjoying herself (I believe) and topped up the great day with a dessert : Black Sticky rice with coconut milk, mango and banana. I really loved it!

The course ended with me having to sing the Sap-sap-sap song. This song is a good example for the thai approach to life : with a certain amount of humour and fun. The fun didnt end here. We continued on chatting, singing and dancing for hours thereafter. I made new friends here.

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Es war an der zeit herauszufinden wie diese leckeren thai curries gemacht werden. Eine reisende die ich am vortag traf erzaehlte mir von diesem kochkurs - einem vegetarischen kochkurs. Genau das Richtige fuer mich. Am naechsten tag entschied ich mich dort mitzumachen und
traf bei May Kaidee am fruehen nachmittag ein. Die Morgen-Klasse ging gerade zu Ende und ich war der einzige der fuer die Nachmittags-Klasse. Eigentlich gibt es das wohl gar nicht, so wurde
eben einmal improvisiert und eine eingerichtet, extra fuer mich.

Die Klasse beginnt normalerweise mit Einkaufen der Zutaten, aber wir uebersprangen dies. Die Zutaten waren ja eh da, und mein Lehrer kam auch gleich dazu diese mir zu erklaeren. Eine Menge Informationen. Wir gingen dann dazu ueber das erste Gericht auf der Liste zu kochen,
die Tom Yam Suppe - eine scharfe, suesse suppe. Diesselbe suppe aber weniger scharf und mit mehr kokonus milch nennt sich Tom Kha.

Weiter zum naechsten Gericht : Isaan, gebratenes Gemuese, sehr scharf. Ich habe gehoert in Isaan, einer Region in Thailand von wo das gleichnamige Essen stammt, wirft man eine handvoll Chilli hinein. Nachdem ich ein paar Loeffel voll zu mir nahm war ich bereits recht voll.

Nun gingen wir dazu ueber eine Sauce zu machen aus Nuessen ('Peanut Sauce'). Die wurde sehr scharf - ganz nach meinem Geschmack. Die Sauce benutzten wir dann spaeter noch als Geschmacksverstaerker.

Als naechstes gingen wir zum beruemht beruechtigten Pad Thai ueber. Das Ergebnis war das Beste Pad Thai welches ich jeh ass. Mit der Peanut Sauce schmeckte es noch besser. Ich liess nichst ueber.

Danach war kein Platz mehr in meinem Bauch, aber es sollten noch mehr Gerichte folgen....Curry ! Wir (oder besser Ich unter Anleitung) kochte ein Masaman Curry und Green Curry. Ich kann nicht sagen, welches von beiden besser oder schlechter schmeckte. Die waren beide grossartig.

Als naechstes machten wir Spring Rolls, welche wir nicht fritierten. Sie schmeckten auch so super, und waren unwiederstehlich mit der Peanut Sauce oben drauf.

Ich liebe Humus. Der der folgte hat wenig zu tun mit dem Original, aber hier wird eher eben Kuerbis Humus genannt. Sehr sehr lecker, aber kein Vergleich mit dem Original.

Den Papaya Salat den ich als naechster machte war sicher der schaerfste Salat, den ich jeh zu mir nahm (und machte). Kann ich nur weiter empfehlen.

Da mein Lehrer so viel Spass mit mir hatte gab es speziell fuer mich eine kleine aber sehr leckere Zugabe : ein Dessert aus Schwarzen Reis mit Kokonus milch, Mango und Banane. Sehr lecker und eine nette Abwechselung nach dem ganzen scharfen Essen.

Das Kurs endete mit dem Sap-sap-sap lied, welchen ich singen musste. Ich verbrachte dann noch ein paar Stunden hier, um mich mit den Leuten hier zu unterhalten. Es war eine super Erfahrung fuer mich und ich machte an diesem Tag neue Freunde.

Ayutthaya

I took a train in the morning (actually it was more like around noon) from Bangkok to Ayutthaya. The ride took about 1.5 hours and only had cost me 15 bath (around 33 cent) riding 3rd class - an interesting experience.



After arrival, I crossed the river by ferry (2 bath). On the other side I checked into a guesthouse on the river side, which was inexpensive as it is low season. I think I was the only person staying there that night.



I used the rest of the day to explore the various temples and 'wats' the town had to offer on my rented bicycle. I was most impressed with one wat (?????) that resembled Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Lots of Japanese tourists were there too. Anyways, I had been really hot and I was sweating a lot. Regardless, I managed to do a full circle around town seeing most of the places.



After returning to the guesthouse I had a most needed cold shower. Afterwards I explored the night market, eating local food and sweets. I went to bed early that night and did not rise until 10 the next morning. After breakfast (fruit salad) at the river side I boarded a train back to Bangkok. Back in Bangkok I went to the embassy of myanmar to apply for a visa. Here, I was told that the headquarters will have to review my application first. I assume my application will end up in some tray. We will see.

Bangkok

A different country, a different city, different people and different customs.

I arrived in Thailand - a familiar place , my comfort zone. I know this place well enough not even needing a guide book anymore. However, this time I am NOT staying anywhere near Khao San Road - what a surprise isnt it. I am staying at a brand new hostel just off Silom Road - or 5 minutes from Patpong night market.

People are (as per usual) very friendly. They are different from Chinese. Chinese are also friendly, but Thai people are more laid back and easy going. Its very easy to get a smile out of them. And they are more used to foreigners here, which of course can also be a problem as there are way more touts out here. In general, I feel very comfortable when surrounded by Thai people. Its the change I was looking for - 5 weeks in China had been enough though I havent seen everything yet.

I spent the last week in places like Shenzhen and Hong Kong, which have no cultural assets whatsoever. Bangkok with its stupas, temples and markets seems like a heaven compared to it.



The food is another thing. I got really tired of Chinese food, especially of the smell that is so ubiquitous. So a change was more than due. Time for some Thai curry I suppose. Today I treated myself to a very very spicy (but tasty) red curry containing fruits and vegetables. I would call it the best thai curry I have ever had. I suppose its the day of superlatives as prior to that I had the best massage ever - a full body thai massage. Life should continue in that manner.

Hong Kong and Macau

Hong Kong and Macau

This place was overwhelming, even though it wasnt my first time here. Skyscrapers and people everywhere. We found a good (enough) place to stay in downtown Kowloon. We took the Star Ferry the same evening to get a good view on to the skyline at night. We spent the rest of the first night walking around the streets of Kowloon. Memories flashed back - i had walked the same streets about 8 years ago. Not much has changed apart of the prices which seemed to have rockened.

The next morning we headed for Victoria Peak. We took the legendary cable car to get to the peak. I couldnt remember much from the same ride 8 years ago, enabling me to enjoy this amazing ride even more. We walked the 3 km long 'Morning trail' around the peak providing good views in all directions. We spent playing EA games (they had an exhibition going on) to wait for the sunset. As sunset came the peak was packed with people and we had to play more games as the queue for the cable car was massive.



The next day, we split paths me heading for Macau and Shawn heading back to Shenzen. I took the ferry from Chin Ferry Terminal which was only a short walk from our hotel. The ferry took 1 hour. It was 3pm by the time I entered Macau. I spent the rest of the day exploring the town. Macau seems a lot more laid-back and relaxed than Hong Kong. The town has also more sights on offer, the city centre packed with european architecture and squares. I am sitting on the famous Senado square as I am writing this. Its packed with locals and tourists who hang out here and spend their night with others.



Added : Later on the same evening I bumped into a Canadian (cant avoid them) who also was looking for ways to have a good night. We checked out a couple of places, but nothing was going on there at 11 pm at night. So we walked the streets and were eventually joined by a group of Filipinas. We spent the night by drinking beer from the convenience store and playing drinking games - all in public. This turned out to be real fun. The police also stopped by telling us to be more quiet. The final drinking took place on Senado square ... i had so much fun i didnt even notice how time went by. It was 5am when I said my farewell to my new found friends.