The story so far...
As many of you may know, when it comes to me being organised, I am afraid my best intentions are rarely met... I had, when I first set this blog up, thought that I would keep on top of it, update it whenever a flash of inspiration hit me (I am still waiting!), and post exciting news/thoughts/feelings to it as and when it happened... Sadly, I never really get round to it, and much of what has happened shall be saved over a few glasses of the strong stuff on our return to blighty... Embellished, of course!
This afternoon, I am sat with alot of time on my hands, in a really cheap internet cafe in a city called Nakohn Si Thammarat, in Thailand's Lower Southern Gulf. A great opportunity to get some email done, and update the blog! So, I am sitting writing words, and Lou is on the computer next to me, getting some more photos added...
I thought I might give a little recap of all the places we have been so far, and our intentions for the next few weeks, as some of our initial plans have changed and our route around South East Asia has totally changed to take into account monsoon season and other plans...
So here is where we have been since 9th May 2005 - Countries in bold; Towns/Cities in normal font; and (STATE/PROVINCE) in brackets...
INDIA:
(HARAYANA) Delhi, (PUNJAB) Amritsar, Wagah Border, (RAJASTHAN) Mandawa, Bikaner, Jaiselmer, Ranakpur, Udaipur, Pushkar, Jaipur, (UTTAR PRADESH) Agra, Varanasi, Mughal Sarai, (WEST BENGAL) Siliguri, Darjeeling, (SIKKIM) Gangtok, Lachen, Yumthang Valley, Lachung, (WEST BENGAL) Kolkata/Calcutta, (MAHARASTRA) Mumbai, (GOA) Margao, Panaji, Colva Beach, (KANARTAKA) Hampi, Hospet, Mysore, Bangalore, (TAMIL NADU) Chennai/Madras.
SRI LANKA:
Airport, hotel, hot bath (niiiice), airport.
THAILAND:
Bangkok, Chumpon, Koh Tao, Koh Phanang, Das Sok, Surrat Thani, Nakohn Si Thammarat.
Quite a long list so far, eh?
So, what are the differences in the places we have been to...? I have already mentioned a few regarding dress, money etc, so I won't go over those again, but here are a few others...
Food:
One of my favourite subjects...
Well, in India the cuisine was largely made up of rice (plain/biryani), dhaal (lentils), vegetarian food - corgettes/onions/tomatos/aubergines/mushrooms, potato dishes and roti (bread) - naan, chapaati. These were all freshly prepared using India's much loved Masala, coriander, the occaisional chilly pepper (or 3), black pepper, tumeric, cloves, cinnamon, garlic and other more exotic spices like tarmarind (or so Lou tells me!). Meat (or 'non-veg', as they call it) is rarely on the menu, but it is possible to find somewhere that serves it in most cities. Sadly, as most of the animals in India have even less meat on them than Kate Moss after a month on the Atkins, most non-veg dishes are a disappointment, and usually leave you wanting more...
Thalis were great, and very cheap - a selection of small dishes, including most of the above (veg, fish, and sometimes non-veg) surrounding a mound of rice, with a couple of chapaatis and papads (poppadums) to fill you up... With refills on offer at no extra charge. Very nice for the round of belly, and possibly the reason for us not losing an ounce of weight since leaving blighty.
Street food was great - mostly deep fried pakoras, bahjis or aubergines, vadas (chilli, onion balls), or (my favourite!) rostis (a mixture of dhaal, potatoes, chillis and onions).
We never really had any misgivings about trying food in India - if ever we weren't sure (very rarely - possibly only once or twice in the whole 2 months), we sent our meals back to be heated more, and carried on when we had them returned. The food definately wasn't the same as you would get in a curry house in the UK, but it was always freshly cooked, and always good.
Thailand's cuisine is varied and very different to that found over the Andaman Sea. In most cities, the food is cooked on stalls in the street, as well as the usual restaurants delivering dishes at a slightly higher price.
The dishes are made up of varying fresh ingredients, including: lemon grass, ginger, lime leaves, garlic, chilli (and lots of it!!!), coconut, stock, noodles, cashew nuts, rice and plenty of meat and fish. As in southern India, banana leaves are put to great use as parcel wraps for food, or plates for various dishes.
Stall food is varied in quality, but mostly good - once in a while you find a little gem of a stall serving Tom Yam (thai soup made from stock, lemon grass, a meat of your choice, and dumpings), Pad Thai (fried noodles with egg, chilli, bean sprouts and pak choi) and other assortment of fast/fried meals for about 20 baht. There is also a few 'clangers' which are to be avoided by anyone but those with strong constitutions (like my Father Finke, for example) or those who like their strange food (like my Mother Finke, for example)... A hearty pork soup consisting of a rich gravy containing chopped pork liver, kidney, pancreas, intestine, heart, and probably a bit of bollock for good measure. Needless to say, we couldn't manage to polish it all off, and left most to the many stray dogs that are ambling about...
Other things for those more daring than the average farang (westener), are the evening snack stalls serving salted fried crickets, cockroaches, maggots, and other seemingly unlucky multi-legged creepy crawlies.
So, all in all the food is good - and unfortunately not really much help to us in the quest to flatten our stomachs.
Orientation:
Finding your way about a busy town or deserted village is one of the skills you pick up pretty quickly when you have to - armed with a Lonely Planet book (whose maps you have to take with a pinch of salt), and a forced look on your face as if you know where you are going sometimes isn't enough, you know.
Surprisingly, India was pretty easy. The difference is in language, of course. India, as I would hope most of you know, was at one point, part of the Great British Empire . This means that english is used almost throughout the country - it is taught in most of the schools as at least a second language, and the english alphabet is used in 98% of the cities, towns and villages across the many states. Most people, from the city worker in Bangalore, to the shopkeeper in Amritsar can at least communicate something with a lost traveller (even if it does mean that they require a 50 rupee charge for the privilege!), and if you decide not to ask someone as you don't want to get involved with haggling or seeing their shop/taking their tour/telling them which country you are from/taking their picture/them taking your picture/blahblahblah then at least you can pinpoint to the nearest street where you are by looking at a shop sign (which usually has the address next to the name of the shop and the owner's name) - then a quick look at your dodgy Lonely Planet map, and you are away.
Thailand is a very different kettle of fish... Although the transport system here is much more accessible, and lot plusher, making your own way across country is a little bit more difficult. This isn't necessarily on the islands, which are very tourist savvy (and aren't much bigger than a few miles square anyway), but on the main land. Thailand, or Siam as it used to be called, is one of the only countries in the world never to have been colonised, and therefore, their language and alphabet is pure and undililuted by western influence. Well done to them, I say. Buggered if it helps us to get about though... English is only spoken by the few - those who have to deal with foreigners in resorts or well trodden routes, and those in business with the west (who we don't get a chance to meet anyway). No more looking at road signs/shop addresses either... The twirls and shapes of the thai alphabet are enough to send you mad with disorientation as it is, let alone being lost in a massive concrete city with a heavy pack on your back and the sun blazing down on you...
Still, I wouldn't change it for the world.... I'll post more again soon...
:o)
posted by Al Finke & Lou Wood @ 6:45 pm
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