Back to 35-38 degrees during the day and 24 at night took some
getting use to, as the cold weather stint, really did just stick around for 4
weeks, then like a snap, back to insane heat during the day. The baby talcing powder is working overtime. It is funny
when you hear Thais saying they don't like the sun and prefer the cold
as we always preach the opposite. Maybe every one gets bored quickly
of the same things and craves change, that and the fact no one here
wants
darker skin as the whiter you are the more your viewed as
higher status. Not us however we could live with this heat easily
as it opens the world up to so much more activities outside of the
house. This place has something to do every single night with weekly
evening concerts, markets, shows, sports events, art displays etc.
So at the start of
February Supans was hosting another Holi colour festival which I've
explained in a previous blog but a quick run down is roughly 100 people
partying and throwing coloured paint over each other for the night. The festival originates
from India were the whole country has this paint war and celebrates
the night before with songs and bonfires. I can only imagine the clean up job after.
There was a huge turn out for
the night, bringing in people from a lot of other provinces as well as a few teachers we had met at the last party,so was good to catch up.
We found out there is a group of maybe 25 students from America also
staying not far from us who all turned up after Supans owner went
around advertising and have said they will be back for more events.
However unaware to us, there was currently government elections going on in
Thailand and if you haven't heard anything on the news back home, Google it, as leading up to it there was huge protests in Bangkok
between the 2 factions and after some trouble a curfew was placed on
all of Bangkok and most roads closed to the public only allowing pre-checked taxis to collect and transport westerners and tourists.
Because of the election the whole country was on a dry rule for the night before, stating that no one could serve alcohol and what we found out later
also meant could not drink alcohol. With the event in full swing I was standing chatting at the bar with a guy from the Philippines, when I turned around and to see a police officer taking my picture and
another holding a video camera up to my face. Slightly shocked and confused I stepped back as he asked the owner why she was serving alcohol as its
illegal.
But she had advertised it as a private party not for Thais so shouldn't effect foreigners.
The rule was brought in, as far as I was told to not sway anyone's judgement and make sure everyone turned up to vote the following day.
She explained we couldn't vote but they said it was not allowed for
anyone to drink and shut the party down. Luckily one of the guys from Supan's lived close by and invited everyone back to his place and we continued the party in his
large one room apartment cramming about 25-30 people in there but
still had a great night as he has a fair bit of space and his neighbors were also at the party so no noise issues.
Unfortunately the next day I had to make the trip BACK to Laos again, as
my 15 days were running out on my visa. Not something I should have done with a
hang over I would later learn. I got my bus ticket again another 180 baht and had paid for
yet another Laos visa 1600 baht, all because the Thai embassy in
Ireland had put the wrong date on my visa. I got across the border
and the bus driver who had hurried me earlier to fill in my forms at
the crossing asked me if I'd like to jump off before we got to the bus
terminal in Laos close to the western bars and hostels. I said yes
and jumped off without asking which direction and finding myself in
a very dark shady part of town on a junction not knowing which way to
go, no street lights to be found in this area added to my nightmare journey. I asked a Laotian guy by saying "Mekong river" a few times and he pointed me in the
general direction. After 50 minutes of walking and cursing the bus
driver with every step as I knew the bus station is only 25 minute walk from
where I wanted to go and still being very hungover I thought I'd never
reach my destination. In the 1 hour journey to my hostel I had to walk
along the Mekong river having no idea if I was going the right
direction with no one around to ask. To add to the ordeal while I
was walking, a small fluffy white dog starting barking aggressively at me, running in circles so I
barked back at him loudly.. big mistake, like something from a movie, the
moment I barked, I heard two more much louder barks coming from behind
a car and 2 much larger more vicious looking dogs came charging out
and started barking and growling at me on this dark street with no one around. I took off my bag as one was
trying to bite the back of my legs and swung it at him with every advance. They followed me for an additional
20 meters until they got bored of me and walked away. “I really hate
this place” I muttered under my breath and continued to the hostel.
I stayed in the Funky Monkey backpackers costing 500 baht per
night but it was nice to get a bed to lie down on.The next morning (I'll spare you the full story as its similar to the last blog) but i went to the embassy to do the usually queue for 4 hours as this time I got ticket
272... I really hate this place. Now I'm sure if I was just there
for a holiday it would be fine but the stress of getting your visa
ruined it for me and the journey in.
On my second night I went to play some pool and met a bunch of
westerners in the Funky Monkey backpackers which I would definitely recommend as
every one is friendly even the owner and he serves drink and lets you
play pool all night if you want or if you want a good night a place called "Bor Pen Yang" bar and restaurant and is on the fourth floor over looking the Mekong river, it offers your average pub and falang food , nothing to write home about but the bar and views are nice at night and you can people watch over the large night market along the river, they also have pool tables and show all sports games. Beware the bar girls are expert pool players but only charge 3000 kip per game which is only 10 baht but I held my own, enough for them to fetch the bar owner to play me.
I went to the park at the end of the street to sit by the river having a beer with a group
of falangs from Australia, America. Italy, Germany and Ireland. There
was a playground there and after a few goes on the slide :) we were
getting ready to finish our drinks, when suddenly we
looked up to see 7 or 8 guys all in black standing around us, they had appeared like a silent swat team as not one of us noticed them til they were there and all around us. One
walked up and said "police we have to search you". Now given none of
them showed badges or guns we figure something wasn't right but not sure what to do . I stood up and
said I've nothing in my pockets, making sure to grab my phone and
wallet in my hand as he patted me down.
I said we just came down to
finish our beers we can go if you wants. He said quite angrily" This is
my park" and I said hey no worries we can go if you want we just had a few beers on the way home as drinking on the streets is not an issue here. We walked
out of the park a bit unsure of what could have happened and guessed they where hoping to find something on us in order to
ask for money or else they would arrest us. This town during the day
is quiet and nice but once it goes dark as I've mentions the prostitutes and junkies come out and all the tuk tuks shout as you
pass "TUK TUK" and then under their breath “ drugs, prostitutes anything you like sir” So it was our belief the tuk tuk drivers sell drugs then tell police to whom, Im sure they get it back with a nice bribe thrown in for good measure.
We went back to the hostel and finished our drinks and played
some pool. The following day I went to collect my visa and another
fun filled wait, but this time a guy from Italy was standing at the front of
the crowd doing some amazing magic and card tricks to keep spirits high. He
said he would give 100 baht if some one could guess a trick and one
English guy stood up and told him how it was done, then admitting he was also an
amateur magician and proceeded to do a few tricks himself. he did the large coin trick (making a dollar change to a coin twice its size and then again with some slight of hand movement into a coin the size of an ashtray) and all I could think of was the movie "40 year old virgin" when he does the trick and is asked " so your a grown man and you carry a huge coin in your pocket just for a chance you'll run into some people who want to see magic" :)
Back in Khon Kean now and firstly greeted by the fact that our apartment neighbors have added 4 new puppy dogs to their collection so now we have 2 beagle pups and 3 small bulldog type pups and a few others running around. I was starting to think the dogs were taking over and walked to the local shop to find the owner had been replaced by a dog... its happening. The invasion begins now!!
And some very good news is that Kristine has her work permit
sorted and can now have a Thai bank account and we get cheaper entry
to the gym so joining on Monday. I heard from one of my bosses that
she wants to take me on full time in march meaning a work permit, but no way am I going back to Vientiane, this time I'm going to
either Cambodia or Vietnam as we haven't seen either yet and they both have embassy's we can visit.
