A little incentive....

I recently decided that it'd be a good idea to get fit. I was feeling rather sluggish and substantially overweight and was simply waiting for inspiration to get moving. I went out for dinner and a friend of a friend mentioned that they have started training for the Bangkok mini marathon in November. Where as most people murmured words like 'crazy', 'fool' and 'smog, heat, pollution' I thought it was quite a good idea.

I have undertaken to get properly fit on a few occasions in my life and each time it has resulted in a somewhat 'obsessive' approach to exercise. It seems that I can't motivate myself to do it unless I do it everyday. Then it seems that when I don't do it I don't feel right so I'm more able to keep going.

Over the last month I have been running on the treadmill a lot, doing yoga, interval training and other such energetic things. This all takes place in the small and meagerly furnished gym in our apartment. Here the treadmill is so old that you have to make sure you foot hits it with backward propulsion or it stops dead and you fall off. It took me about 3 sessions to master the technique. I had managed to get up to about 5 kilometres a session within 2 weeks. However I am very aware that running on a treadmill is nothing like proper outdoor running so I started to look for somewhere nearby to go running outside. I live about 3 kilometres from the biggest park in Bangkok that is a sea of exercise enthusiasts morning and night, but I don't fancy the ride there and back on the back of a motorbike through rush hour traffic, especially not the way back when I'm all sweaty, and I'm certainly not such an enthusiast to run 5-10k and then walk 3k home.

One of my colleagues mentioned that he goes running right behind my apartment. Much to my surprise, one of the most popular exercise spots in the area is the largest Chinese Cemetery in Bangkok. I went down there last week for the first time and found that not only does the cemetery have a marked running track, but it also has areas for basketball, Taikwando, badminton, Thai-chi, aerobics, learning the 'Cha-Cha' and a huge weight park all surrounded by the thousands of traditional grass covered, waist high mounds of the Chinese tombs. Not only are there hundreds of people who choose to go there to get fit, there are those who go there to join one of the many games of chequers, to relax, eat and watch TV, or just to sit on the grass and watch everybody else get fit. Yesterday I even saw runners taking a break to sing karaoke. It's hard to know who there's more of; those above ground or those below.

I never thought that what is technically a graveyard could be such a social place. Everybody is really friendly and seems to know everyone else. The number of people old and young who are there getting fit is a big encouragement, but there is no better incentive than the surroundings themselves to make you want to get fit. I am now up to running 8k!!

The pic above is not one of the cemetery I go to but I've not been brave enough to take me camera.

My new favourite place

As I mentioned on the last update, the Thai government obviously feels that we've been overworked this month what with having 2 bank holidays, and had decided to give us a third bank holiday on the spur of the moment. What was nice about this one was that it was so people could go back to their home town and vote, meaning that going away on a break was a reasonably stress free event.
For this weekend we had arranged to go to the closest island to Bangkok, a little known island called Koh Sichang. This small island which can be more or less explored on a bike in a day is often dropped from most peoples holiday considerations as it is located close to the mouth of the Chao Phrya; the dirty great river that flows out through Bangkok. I only know about this island as I was taken there by some long-term expats in 2001. As I recalled the island was low key and relaxing while also being pretty easy to get to. However, the price you pay for convenience and quiet is that it lacks the crystal clear waters and the bars to go to.

The journey down to the island was reasonably uneventful. We left school at 15.00 and were on the bus and moving by 16.00, just over 2 hours later we were sitting on the top of an old Thai ferry with an amused collection of Thais. I have been told many times that you should never trust a Thai boat and it's always wise to sit out in the open or on the top deck, definitely not down below where they usually try and shove you. The boat ride out to the island was an interesting 45 minutes; in the dark with only the occasional use of a spotlight, in slightly big swell, you slalom in and out of the many giant tankers and cargo ships that are waiting to be unloaded with the goods for Bangkok. You never quite realize just how big those things are until you're running along the side of one in a decrepit old wooden boat. The journey was a little bit hair-raising at times but we arrived at the pier safely and were met by the owner of the resort we were staying in.

From our last trip away I was fully prepared this time for the resort to be a bit of a disappointment and not as nice as the pictures. I am very happy to say that this time I had no reason to worry. No photos can really do this location justice. Not only that, but the owners went out of their way to make us feel welcome. As we were taken to our hut which was slightly back from the water but still with a good view, we were told that we would be able to move to one of the other huts later. Then we were taken down to a mat that was laid out for us to eat and drink on the top of the rocks overlooking the sea. The resort we stayed in was called Malee Blue and is owned by an architect and a landscaper. They are a lovely couple and they have put thoughtful touches everywhere. Most places I go in Thailand I always end up saying 'now why did they put that there...?' Or 'what we could just do with is a....' This wasn't the case here. The owners (much to the amusement and criticism from the other people living on the island) tried to make it as un-resort like as possible. They wanted to make it feel like a fishing village, completely natural, without any concrete and in a remote place away from the pier. While building it they were often told they were crazy and they should build on the road and make concrete apartments. Thankfully they did not listen and they now have the most popular and beautiful place to stay on the island. There are only 11 huts and the place has the feeling of a community. In the evening most guests end up fishing for squid off the rocks and it means you end up talking to far more people than you usually would, be it in pidgin English or Thai. While I was staying there my Thai improved a lot, one evening I commented on some of the food we ate, the next day they took me in the kitchen and taught me how to cook it. With my basic Thai it was very entertaining for all (I think most of the staff and family came to watch!).

Apart from having somewhere so nice to stay the weekend was also really enjoyable due to the fact we hired a motorbike for most of the time we were there. I explored more of the island this time than in all the previous visits combined. Our first visit was to an old Chinese shrine built in a temple on the hillside. The best thing about the Khao Yai Spirit Shrine was probably the view, but the shrine itself was quite interesting, set in a cave that had been painted completely gold and had a figure carved into the wall. We continued up the hill from the shrine another 300 steps to see the imprint of the Buddha's footprint and a rather well dressed rock. The steep climb in noon heat nearly killed us but the view from the top was worth it, as was the cooling breeze!!
Next stop was to the old Phra Chuthathut Palace. This was once used by the royals when on holidays from Bangkok. Most of the buildings have gone now but a few pretty ones remain and the grounds are still well kept. Our main reason for going there was to walk up the white chedi that stands on the hill. Apparently one of the kings had this chedi specially designed to be hollow so that he could go inside and meditate. We had the place to ourselves and were kindly allowed to go inside. It's in a fantastic location and is really peaceful.

Even when we weren't going anywhere in particular it was just nice to explore the island's quiet tracks and roads on the bike. Koh Sichang is unlike most other Thai islands and is rocky, craggy and slightly windswept. It's more like Scotland than Phi Phi or Samui. We went down to the only beach on the island and had a drink, but didn't stay there long as the beach had rubbish on it and the water wasn't very clean. We then took a bit of a wrong turn on the way back and ended up driving through a disused quarry and up a small track on the other side. Along here we found a lady and her herd of goats chilling out under some trees and a very small and rocky beach with nice clean inviting water. No tourists and absolutely no umbrellas.

All in all, this was one of the most rewarding and relaxing trips I have been on. What with the cool breeze, nice surroundings, good food and friendly people, I was really sad to have to leave. I can't wait to go back. Hopefully I only have to wait till next month!

Long weekend away

So…. After 8 full weeks of teaching without one of Thailand’s many bank holidays last weekend we finally got to take a short break and go away for 4 days. Nick and I were joined by a friend from work and his girlfriend and we headed out for some R ‘n’ R in the back of beyond.

We had decided that we wanted to do something a little different and avoid the regular tourist areas; places within driving distance of Bangkok end up absolutely crawling over bank hols and it can end up taking over 5 hours longer than usual to get there and back. For this bank hol Nick had found a resort that was in a little known area called Kung Wiman about 40 kilometres from Chantaburi.

Our journey down there was surprisingly easy for a bank hol, we seemed to avoid all the traffic. We got to the resort, a new ‘eco’ spa retreat, and it felt like we were the only ones there. In fact, by the time we had eaten breakfast (a single option of bacon and eggs to be consumed everyday for four days!) the next day, we still hadn’t seen anyone else. The resort was not far from the beach and we got stared at quite a lot when we walked down there. There were no tourists Thai or otherwise anywhere to be seen. Over the course of the next four days we didn’t see another foreigner in the area, it is definitely the most ‘Thai’ experience I’ve ever had. Kung Wiman seems quite new to the hol scene and when we hired the bikes we did see busier areas, but it was kinda nice that things were so quiet around us. We got to enjoy the beaches without jet skis and banana boats.

The break was mainly eating, reading and playing cards. The food was fantastic but limited. We ate seafood more or less straight for 4 days, and for someone who is reasonably new to eating fish, prawns and crabs (especially the type you have to peel, crack or de-leg) it was quite an experience. By the time I got back to Bangkok I was desperate to eat steak or bangers and mash. However, if it hadn’t been for our Thai friend who came with us our menu would have been even more limited as everywhere we went the menus where only in Thai and my food ordering is far from up to scratch.

On our day exploring the area (on rather decrepit mopeds), we checked out another beach, visited a local temple and went around the local mangrove forest. The King here is very environmentally minded and has set up an educational tour around the plantation that is constantly being extended. It’s all free and really well set out. You can see new areas being planted and also oysters being grown. While we were down there I tried oysters for the first time (cold, de-shelled and over ice, definitely not to my taste), we got around 50 oysters for less than 1 pound 50.

The place we stayed was set in really lush tropical gardens with waterfall, pool and lookout point over the surrounding area. We did find that although the rooms were nice and the people there very friendly, that they were not really set up for guests. In the pictures posted on the internet all of the terraces are decked out with cushions, mats and plants to make them look nice and inviting. When we got there the terraces were more or less bare with not a plant or mat to be seen. Me being the ‘pushing demanding foreigner’ that I am, obviously was not ready to let this slip as most Thai visitors would and went and asked for cushions and mats so we could sit outside. It took 3 attempts before the staff went and raided the proprietor’s house for stuff. This was obviously a case of dressing the place up for pictures, and while I understand that this takes place everywhere, there is a limit. I hope that they now realize that people will come to expect what is advertised and they need to be a little more prepared. On a better note, the spa treatments were professionally done and the massage was well worth it.

After our 4 day weekend we have now returned to work and are just about to take another 3 day weekend. Even better than this, is the fact that somebody high up the chain of command has just decided that 2 bank holidays in a month isn’t enough and that we need one more. We have just had a week on Monday confirmed as ‘Referendum Day’ and we have another day off.

The pictures are from around the garden, our explorations, and our room. You get the nicely presented brochure picture of our room. After much pestering we got some resemblance of this.