Graduation from monk school

Today I walked around without a real plan. Bought contact lens fluid in a spectacles shop over the bridge left. Bought delicious cakes at a small cake bakery there too. Walked so in the direction of Kaosan road at N13. Visited some temples on the way.

Then I saw monks. Grown ups, kneel in front of an old monk. It looked like they had a chair on their back. But no that was where their offerings were in before. I asked some Thai people if they knew what was going on.

It was the most important temple of Thailand! Because the king had been a monk there. Now it is a temple for monks from rich families. I understood right, after 7 years or more at monk school you can graduate and become a free man again. In pairs if 3 students they kneeled in front, then they were blessed, prayers were said.

I took the pictures from outside through a Windows opening while wairing shoulder covering and no hat. Thai and falangs made pictures.

From Trat to Bangkok,, Steve boutique hostel

During the 10 o'clock flight with Bangkok airlines they served this snack. But big, not?

And that on a 40 minute flight. So I had to get up at 06.00. The pop lady was 40 minutes late to bring me from pop riverside to Pop, so my taxi for the airport was already waiting. The oldest taxi you can imagine, and superslow as well, but I made it in time.

Because I maybe only slept one hour last night I took a metered taxi to my hotel from BKK airport. New was that I had to have a numbered ticket appointing me a taxi in the cue. PRICE WAS 333baht, plus 75 baht for the highway. A shared taxi for 25 to 29 dollar cannot beat this!

Slept a little and went by boat from pier N15, Twethen, to N8, to this Wat Arun.

WatArun or the Temple of dawn I will remember as the 'kop en schotel' temple, because of the Chinese cups and plates in it.

With evening coming it was time for a boat to N13, Nissan road, where I ate dinner and talked with a French lady also travelling alone. She told me the last boat goes around 19.30, so back home early.

I stay this time in old Bangkok near the river, pier N15, at Steve boutique hotel. Here some pics of my room. Tip book your room directly at the hotel, a booking site is much more expensive. But the nice lady at the reception only speaks Thai.

The table shows the boat lines, the line colour showing the colour of the flag on the boat, with where they stop. 13 baht per ferry taxi trip.

I definitely will go here again. Very good mattresses with cotton, cotton sheets, good pillows, daily cleaning, daily 2 waters, very clean, very quiet, good sleep quality, but noisy neighbors you will hear, no mosquitoes, hot shower, food on the corner of at the pier. Plant market in the street. Good hairdresser just 3 stores away. 2 chairs per room outside.

Phone +66-922720191, +66-262897002. 

Room 750 bath.

Snorkeling at Ko kut, Mata guesthouse

No bicycles for rent as the website promised, so walking everywhere. Six kilometres a day, good for my body.  Just 25 minutes to the nice main beach, 20 minutes to lots of restaurants, 35 minutes to S beach.

S beach had a beautiful beach A N D offers good snorkeling. Just pass the island on the right side, follow the edge of the reef, pass the island, snorkel on the back side above the plateau and you will see lots of fish, big blue green ones, to schools of thousands white fish with a yellow dot. The further I swam, the more coral I discovered .... rests if what was not ruined by the boats before. So much better then I expected when I heard there were only sand beaches around.

Beautiful beaches but with lots of sandflies I am allergic for since 2 months. So I bought extra deet50 at the pharmacy in Trat, as well as some cream sisalic to help the itching afterwards.

Everywhere I travel alone I meet people. On KO kut I spend the first days with dola Melitta from the USA, followed by days with interesting discussions with Nigel from Vancouver island Canada. With both I went walking, 30 minutes uphill, to the nearby waterfall. So nice this place is. The water a bit cold  at first, soon delightfully refreshing. And those nibbling fish:-), eating dead skin of my feet :-) a cosy free fish spa :-)

The waterfall is maybe not the highest, but has a fabulous pond just below. Totally round, covered in green trees, a holy rock , quet relaxing, especially if you are so lucky as me the second time visiting without hords of noisy Russians also visiting. Having swam in this waterfall I did not needed to see the two bigger ones.

Mata guesthouse is on a very quiet location. My cabin was the last one, over the bridge again, on the right side. Beside a river with jungle view. My first night I was plagued by extremely nousy drinking Russians. They always seem only to think about themselves, not bothering about sleeping neighbours. At 01.10 I asked once more if they could keep quiet. Finally they did, but the next day I felt broken because lack of sleep. Luckily the nearest Russians checked out the next day, and normal behaving people became my neighbors.. my savings a fan, 3 windows with good closing allumin netting, but a nylon thin mattress. Nice bathroom, cold water only, 20 dollar. Mata only serves breakfast, but you can eat dinner at one of the PD restaurants next door. You can rent a cheaper motor bike there too. There are some shops there too.

Mata has no sit on top kayaks as advertised, but it has a small rowboat with 1 paddle you can use for free. Television is only Thai. Wi-Fi only at he reception, but sometimes also at the restaurant. Pra the owner is very chearfull and helpfully. She speaks good English. Very clean.

Bangkokairways

Two flights on one day with Bangkok airways today. From Vientiane, Lao to trat, Thailand (near the boarder with Cambodia, where the ferries leave to KO Chang and KO kut kood) by bkk international.  I guess it has to be a daughter of Thai airways. On a 1 hour flight, within 20 minutes from departure, everybody had been offered a tasty warm meal,water, tea, coffee and wine, etc. What an excellent and comfortable speed! I give Bangkok airways a ten!

A snack on the 40 minute flight trat BKK.

I expect my next flight to be similar. Now I am enjoying sitting in the domestic lounge of Bangkok airways opposite gate a2 at bkk. Still a long walk to come here. Next time I take the electric walkway.

 I have to say, I am in love of those chocolate finger cookies, but the white tea and mocha taste good too.

Vientiane VIP lounge, the tea and coffee here don't take those just awful, but everything else I can recommend. Nice Quiet place.

Maybe you should ask me tomorrow if I prefer to get the cakes  and the lounges or a discount on my 250 dollar tickets. For now I am just tired and enjoying sitting here, instead of going around at the airport , its restaurants and shops.

Every lounge offers you a free Wi-Fi access code.

Yeh you are right, my first time ever in a lounge:-)


Boarding starts in only 35 minutes:-) if I would close my eyes I could fall asleep. Pfft, just 50 minutes then I can close my eyes at the airplane. Two short flights taking more then 10 hours from hotel to hotel. I see a lot of tired people around me, I am not the only one.

KO kut mood, I am coming..... tomorrow. No more tired legs, just floating in salty water :-)