Ryan
Chasing greatness

So I normally take the approach of just writing a matter-of-fact account of what happened.  I don’t put a lot of effort into the story of it.  Because I’m lazy.  Today I will make an exception.

Coincidentally, this is my 200th post.

We were in Bangkok for a little more than 1 day.  That left us practically no time to see or get a feel for the city, so we had gotten a 1-day itinerary from wikitravel.

First we took the Skytrain (Think monorail!) to our stop.  We walked across a bridge and down into the river banks below.  This area was filthy and scary.  It would be like if you took a homeless person, dragged him behind your truck for an hour, and rubbed crap in their face to add a nice sheen, that would be the people down here.  Of course they wanted to sell you food.

Anyway, we acted like nervous white people and scuttled down to a pier where a boat was rumored to pick people up.  There were no signs or anything, just the nearby homeless fruit zombies.

A boat did show up, and we jumped on, because it only stopped for about 30 seconds.  We paid our fair of 8 baht and were sped down the river.  It was a pretty cool ride.

We got dropped off at the old area of Bangkok where the old temples and palaces are.  This is the tourist area because of the history and stupid 1-day itineraries. 

So we are talking about what we wanna do, and a guy comes up to talk to us.  He asks us where we are from and what we are going to see.  He asked for our map and begins to mark it with big sight seeing spots.  He also tells us that there is a big trade show going on nearby, so the government has compensated the taxis to make them really cheap and reliable.

We thought, “Oh, here’s the part where he says, ‘Get in my taxi.’” 

He didn’t, he just wished us a good day and walked off.

We got in a taxi and went to see a 40 meter tall buddha.  He was tall.

Next we went to the lucky buddha.  It was the next closest thing.  We never saw a buddha, the building it was in was shut tight.

While we were walking around looking for a weak spot to sneak in, a guy came up and started asking us really weird questions like, “What are you doing here?  Why are you in Bangkok?  Why are you at the Lucky Buddha?”  These are kind of hard questions to answer, but we fumbled through it.  We went on to have a really interesting conversation.

Turns out that the Lucky Buddha is rarely open to public because when it is all of Thailand flocks there for blessings in weddings, business, or whatever.  It was weird that some foreigners were there.  The guy then went on to tell us about his honeymoon.  They were going to Sydney for 4 weeks.  That is a pretty impressive honeymoon.

We kept talking and he told us all about the people and culture of Bangkok and asked us if we were going to the trade show today.  We said that we weren’t and he said that we should.  Then he told us all about how Thailand is renown for its sapphires and rubies and that every year the government invites jewelry wholesalers and such to build business relations.

That happened to be this week.  He told us how that this is so important to the government that they even go so far as to pay off the taxis who are normally rather corrupt so that all the people who come can have a really great and cheap time and go back with great stories of Thailand.

He also told us that you don’t actually have to be a wholesaler to go to this show, but that you will be treated differently.  If you are on a tourist visa they will allow you to buy one set of jewelry per passport at an untaxed wholesale price.

We had no idea what he was really getting at, but he kept explaining how that gems are one of those few things that never deprecate and are getting rarer, and how most banks in Thailand offer no interest in bank accounts which makes retirement and savings nearly impossible.  So most people try to get these sapphires and such and hang on to them because they are always more valuable.

He told us how they come to Bangkok almost every year for this, buy a set of jewelry and then sell it back to other jewelers with the normal markup and tax which, he admitted, depended a lot on your personality, but that he always got what he paid in.  He has since gotten good enough to pay for his entire honeymoon from this one trade show.

After we talked for a while we said goodbye and decided to go to our hotel because it was getting toward lunch time and we wanted to make plans to see kickboxing later.  We told our taxi and he said that was fine, but he needed to go to the trade show to get his gas voucher to keep the fare at the low price.  We said sure, and went to the trade show.

The trade show was a pretty neat place.  Thailand is seedy and filthy everywhere but here.  Men in uniform stop traffic to escort you inside where you are greeted by so many people in suits that show you all of the jewelry and give you a brief education and get you drinks and whatnot.

Megan fell in love with a ring after about 15 seconds from getting in the door.

They asked us how old we were and told us that we were welcome to buy anything, but they would put a spending limit on us due to our young age and explained all of that.

Eventually we settled for 2 rings and a pendant.  We told them that we didn’t have passports or credit cards, or any money for a deposit.  It was all locked in our hotel safe.  They said that wasn’t a problem.  Megan’s ring had to be sized up 5 sizes which required about 2 hours, so in the meantime we would go with a private driver and a representative to the hotel where we would complete the paperwork and pay from there.

They said that for the rest of the day we could use that private driver as our own and he would even take us to the airport.

This was crazy because we were smelly and sweaty tourists being told that we were going to be chauffeured the rest of our vacation.

We got in the car, the representative  with their briefcase got in too, and we went to the hotel.  She took all of the paperwork out and a portable credit card machine and walked us through all of the legal documents and we paid for our jewelry.

She said that the driver will take us anywhere we want for the rest of the day and to the airport in the morning.  She also said that when our sizing is done that they will come to us wherever we are in the city to deliver our jewelry.  Fancy!

Our driver, Tik, asked us what we wanted to do and we said Muay Thai.  He smiled and said, “Absolutely!”

He took us to eat first because we would be there for hours and wouldn’t have much.  He took us to a seafood restaurant that was cheap and had an English menu and the food was pretty good.  When we were done he told us the messenger was coming.

We got in Tik’s car, and the messenger got in while Tik waited outside.  He handed us our bag and told us to check everything before signing off.  Everything was fine, so we signed the delivery slip, and the messenger rode off on his motorcycle.  

At this point I was worried.  All of the sudden I realized I was in a car with someone I didn’t know, carrying jewelry that was worth some money, and I had no control whatsoever.  I realized I was screwed no matter what, so I waited for what happened next.

Tik got in and took us to kickboxing.

He called ahead and arranged for an escort into the arena through the hecklers, gamblers, and potential pickpockets.  He arranged ringside seats.  We paid for them, but he took care of the safety and details.  This was a huge load off our shoulders to not have to worry about our safety.

Kickboxing was awesome and brutal and I loved it for 3 hours.  Tik came and picked us up, took us to the hotel and picked us up at 5:30 AM to get us to the airport just as planned.

The day was so crazy.  We went from being lost tourists to winding up with a personal chauffeur for half a day.

Better than all of this though was one thing: It was a scam!

Read on for the details…

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Our trip in Thailand is over and it was one of the most memorable trips we have ever taken and probably ever will.  This first one will deal with our time in Koh Chang.

Let me summarize it for the lazy.  It is an affordable island paradise.

Thailand itself is full of the destitute and it shows.  Areas will be covered in garbage, mangy animals roam the streets freely, and everyone looks pretty poverty stricken.  That being said, everyone is nice and happy to have your business.

Getting to Koh Chang was a minor adventure because of the lack of information available to us.  We got on a 5 hour bus to the ferry port, took a ferry for 1 hour, then a 30 minute taxi ride into Kai Bae where our hotel was.  We had to figure that stuff out as we went, more or less, which was fun but stressful.

In Koh Chang we rode elephants.  It was a 2 hour adventure, and pretty good fun.  We got on benches on the tops of elephants and were taken through a loop through the jungle.  Eventually we were allowed off the benches and onto the head of the elephants like the driver guy was.  That was fine because the elephant was commanded by the driver who walked and took pictures.

When all of that was finished we went to a small river and swam with the elephants.  Until one of them took a crap in the water.  It looked like a football made of grass.  Floating in the water.

I also got a suit made for me.  In 24 hours no less.  I’m sure I paid more than I should have because I don’t have it in me to haggle, but it was a fun experience and now I have a suit made from an Armani design that fits me perfectly.

I realize I have skipped over a lot here, but the pictures will be better at filling in the gaps.  Koh Chang was great fun, and we only scratched the surface.

Photos below.

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Tomorrow at 6:30AM we’ll be on our way to the airport for Thailand. We don’t have much of an itinerary lined up, but we have high hopes.

Our internet has gone down today which is crushing us. I’m stealing someone’s now to write. We can’t look for things to do, check on our hotels, or any of those other last minute things that need to happen.

Its amazing how quickly you forget things.  We only got back from Hiroshima on Sunday and already I am having a hard time remembering some of the details.

So when we woke up Saturday morning, Courtney and Mika were a little upset.  They were upset because Jim slept with them snored, kicked, or otherwise kept them awake and unhappy.  Think what you want.

After breakfast we went back to the Atomic Bomb Museum because Courtney and Mika didn’t go in the day before.  That was fine because there was still plenty to see anyway.

After that we went for lunch.  We just wandered in the general direction of where we ultimately wanted to get.  Jim wanted spicy ramen, so thats what we ate.  It was pretty crappy.  Usually the cooks put actual spice in the stock to make it spicy.  This place just poured however much hot oil you wanted on top.  It was really not cool to see like an inch of hot oil on top of your food.

After we powered down a quart of hot oil we went to the trolly cars.  This is one of those things that Hiroshima  has and for some unknown reason we had to ride it.  It was packed.  It was hot.  It was full of screaming retarded people.  We got off two stops later.

Eventually we got to Miyajima island.  This place is famous for its gigantic gate in the water.  It is also famous because from one side you can see the face of god in the silhouette, and from the other side you see the profile of a woman.  I forget why that is significant, but it is a special island.

It is gorgeous and amazing and if you are in Japan you absolutely should go.

They have wild deer that walk the street, but are tame enough to let you pet them for some food.  They have a gorgeous small town set in the mountainside.  They have gorgeous cherry blossom trees and temples and all of that.  It is that picturesque place Japan is rumored to have, but is actually hard to find.

We spent all day there, happily.  I’ve seen everything that place had to offer and I would be happy to go again.

When we got back into town we went to Kawa-chan’s restaurant.  He is a waiter at a place that sells Okonomiyaki, but Hiroshima style.  The difference between the two is that Hiroshima’s has noodles, regular Okonomiyaki does not.

Later that night, Jim, Kawa-chan, and myself headed to the bars.  Megan and Courtney stayed in the hotel and talked about women’s issues and unicorns or whatever it is women talk about.

First bar we went too was some kind of shot bar.  Jim was excited about shots.  Jim was alone in his excitement.  Thankfully the Japanese have no idea what a shot is, despite the fact that tons of bars label themselves as “Shot bars.”  They just do this, no idea why.

We had a few drinks there, and then Kawa-chan brought us to another bar.  This one was full of foreigners.  I’m not going to explain my feelings about foreigners in Japan, but here they are: I hate them.

We had one beer and left for a 3rd bar.  Jim acted lost and foreign to a bunch of young Japanese guys and they pointed us to another bar.  This place had a DJ with an afro, a bar with piano shaped keys, and overpriced beer.

We had another drink there, and called it a night.

Jim slept in our room this time.  Megan was woken up by his chattering teeth from the cold and when she asked, “Do you want to get in bed?”  There was no hesitation in his answer of, “Yes.”

He cuddled up to me, and all 3 of us slept the best we could.

The last day, Sunday, was spent killing time until we had our train.  We went to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).  It sucked.  Really.

We watched some stray cats.  They were awesome.  Really.

Then we went to the Manga (Japanese comic book) library.

We only had a little time left so we went back to near the station and found a 5 story store of nerd.  Video games, trading cards, plastic models, arcades, and so on.  You could smell it.  We enjoyed our personal hygiene for a while and came back home to Gifu.

All in all it was a great trip.  Pictures are below.  206 of them I think.

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As usual, the pictures will be available in the last post of this series.  Be patient!

Let me say that Hiroshima is one of the best cities we have been to.  First it was Osaka, but now we wonder of Hiroshima might have taken #1 in our favorite city rankings.

We took the Shinkansen to Hiroshima.  These trains are the best way to travel.  Even though they are a little expensive, they are really something else.

After we got there, Mika’s friend, Kawa-chan, walked us to our hotel.  We saw the city as we walked and saw how gorgeous it was.  Our hotel was a steal compared to most other Japanese hotels.  I would recommend Hotel Active! to anyone in Hiroshima.

Once we unpacked we hit the road and walked to the Memorial Park.  This is a smallish island whose northern part is dedicated to the atomic bomb.  They did this because it is pretty much right where the bomb hit.

Memorial park has lots of little things that are very pretty and sad.  First and foremost is the A-Bomb Dome.  This was a landmark building in Hiroshima that was a stone’s throw from where the bomb hit.  It was one of a very few buildings that remained standing, and because of that, it was preserved.

The other big thing in the park is the museum dedicated to the bomb and peace.  It is an excellent museum.  At 50 yen per ticket ($0.50), you haven’t got an excuse to not go.  I would say the museum is divided into 3 parts.  The first is pre-war information on Hiroshima, Japan, and the makings of the bomb.  It is fascinating and interesting as it goes into the politics as to why the bomb exists and why Hiroshima was a target.

The 2nd part is the one that is the most memorable.  This is the intense part.  You walk around a corner and suddenly its like you are in a blasted out building.  The walls are a mural of Hiroshima as it was flattened.  As you round another corner, you are greeted by 2 models of children whose clothes are burned and their skin is melting off their body.

From that point on, you see artifact after artifact of the horrors the bomb.  Many of these are clothes that are shredded but still have blood stains.  Some others are fragments of skin and nails left from people.  Others are concrete slabs with shadows burnt into them, fused money blocks, shards of glass removed from bodies or stuck in concrete walls.

They even had a wall stained with black rain.  Black rain fell immediately after the bomb.  It was a mixture of rain, ash, and radioactive materials.  It stained walls and clothes black.  People drank it and died shortly after.  Fish in ponds floated to the top in the rain.

Part 3 of the museum is a call for peace. It talks about who has bombs still and all of the current events involving them.  It is pretty crazy.

Go there.

The rest of the day involved getting a Quarter Pounder t-shirt from McDonalds, playing Pachinko, eating a pricey dinner, and going to the oldest bar in Hiroshima.

The bar we went to is called Jazz Five.  Remember that.  It is over 40 years old.  Do the math on the bomb and that bar existing.  If that isn’t enough for you, the DJ is 87 years old, turning 88 this year.  He is awesome too.  Really awesome.

That more or less wraps up the first day.  The second will focus almost entirely on Miyajima.