Sunday, August 25, 2013

'Joy Travel'- Not a Joy to travel with


1 minibus; a few (folding) seats free. I sat on one of these at an angle (the seat was on top of a backpack) and I kept having to move as the guide arranged the luggage and people.This wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for a rude German woman hitting me on the shoulder with her fan trying to boss me about!

"You move. You sit there," she instructed me.

"How about we wait and see what the tour guide has to say about where I need to sit?' I returned.



Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Cham Island

I was lying on the beach, looking at Cham island in the distance and wondering what to do, when I remembered you can dive the Cham Islands
 Back at the guest house I got my phone out, googled Cham and found Cham Island Diving- a dive shop in Hoi An. Shortly after I was booked into a hotel for the next night- Tuesday, and to go diving on Wednesday. Seemed perfect!


Monday, August 12, 2013

Lost on the Beach!

I'd hired a bicycle to get to the beach from Hoi An. The way there was pretty flat, with one slight downhill and the great thing about it was I only had to go in a straight line, before coming to An Bang Beach. Even I couldn't get lost-yet!


An-Bang-beach-beaches-Hoi-An-Vietnam
View of Cham Island from An Bang

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Out in Bangkok

After going past bar upon bar with girls plying for trade –whether for themselves or for the bar I wasn’t sure- I came across an Irish pub called ´Hannigans’. There was a band playing and it seemed allright.


They played well and didn’t sing too badly either,  but next thing, they gave a guy the mic and he sang a whole song about Hindustan. Next it was the bagpipes played off a woman’s mobile phone! Did he not want to sing any more or what? As I neared the end of my beer and started to wonder if this was the best there was, another guy in the band started singing. He had a great voice and the other could certainly play guitar, so I decided to hang around a while.

Regular bars tend to close 2 a.m. but there is always the option of reasonably priced drink served from a camper van on the street, often with pumping music! 

So when I say 'regular' bars, there are of course the Go Go bars in Bangkok, and I was admittedly curious, so when my (male) Japanese friend asked me if I wanted to have a look in one, I accepted. 


It wasn't one with a ping pong show (as far as I know- maybe that happened in the VIP room at the back- entry 1000 baht -about $30)...  What it did have was lots of balloons on the floor and tables with girls dancing in micro minis, bum cheeks on show, holding onto handcuffs that hung from the ceiling; kind of appropriate I reckon, as if you want to take one of the girls out, you pay a release fee of 650 baht.

How do I know all these prices, you may ask?! Well, after sitting there a while we were brought a 'menu' and on it was a list:
1,000 baht Blow Job
1,800 2 girls BJ
2,000 1/2 hour (no idea what doing)
3,000 baht 3/4 hour
650 take girl out of bar

Very interesting, i thought,  but I think I stared at it too long as a girl came towards me and said something about 'pillow'. I frowned, not sire what she was on about, and she put her fingers to her mouth and wiggled her tongue between them saying

"We do ladies too."

Well, I'm pleased to know they don't discriminate, but i didn't know what to do with myself, and even though I'd put the beer money in the little pot, I could hardly make a quick getaway because of all the balloons! 

As it was, I necked my beer, and waited til my mate had finished his drink before asking 

"Shall we go?" 

And I'm afraid I won't return. To Bangkok, definitely, but Go Go Bars are not for me! 



  

Night Dive

Being a bit claustrophobic, I quite honestly didn't enjoy the last time I did a night dive. All we saw was plankton- not ideal for keeping your  mind off the surrounding darkness!