30 days in Thailand

I stayed one month in Thailand and I have two big highlights :
Kananchaburi holding tigers of all sizes including the cuddly little ones.
You can see the big ones in the photo section.




















Phang Nga Bay with the famous James Bond Islands. The James Bond movie "the man with the golden gun" was done here in 1973 and still the islands are famous and everywhere tours to the "James Bond Islands" are offered.















It was also my plan to go diving in Thailand, but my place of choice "Kao Lak" and the Similan islands are closed because of the rainy season and no dive boats go there until end of october.

Besides the really cuddly animals, for the first time on this trip I have seen a big Scorpion just walking the street and trying to attack my shoe...
After I was done filming my little video, the scorpion was overrun by a car. He is resting in peace now.



Maybe some of you remember that I bought a new camera in Chile, after my camera stopped working in Bolivia last year. After 14000 ( yes, fourteenthousand) photos, my camera shows, that it was used alot. Some bottons are not easy to handle anymore and the battery opening is not closing properly. After 8 months..., it was time to buy a new camera again. I went shopping in Bangkok and this time it is a Samsung camera.

I will leave Bangkok on the first of September to Macau. I will spent again one night in Las Vegas of the east and I'm sure after 2 months being there last, a new casino has been opened.
Watch out for the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Macau in November. You will see the cars passing by some pretty big casinos.

I will go by fast ferry to Hong Kong for two nights and then fly to India on September 04th.
India will be the last county I will visit on my trip. After India I will fly home and settle into "normal life" again including finding a new job.

Until next time

Tigers in Thailand

Yes, I have heard of Siegfried and Roy, but touching and playing with Tigers is too tempting.
I was really careful with the adults, but with the teenagers and babies you kind of feel like handling a cat. Meeting Tigers in possible in the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi. It is 6 Euros Entrance Fee and you have to sign that whatever you do is on your own risk ! Rumors say that each afternoon the tigers are given drugs to be relaxed for the touristic photos...

arrived in Bangkok

I stayed in Bangkok one week and had to wait for my visa for India. I applied on monday and finally on friday afternoon I could hold my passport including visa in my hands. Luckely this is the last time on this trip I had to get a Visa. So far my visa history is as follows:

Chinese Visa I got in Tokyo, 7 days waiting, 50 Euros
Vietnamese Visa I got in Beijing, 3 days waiting, 40 Euros
Cambodia Visa at the border, 20 USD
Indian Visa I got in Bangkok, 5 days waiting, 50 Euros

all other countries have been visa free for european passport holders.

Besides spending time at the embassy I had of cause time for sightseeing and Bangkok has really alot of nice temples. The main attraction is the Royal Palace and it is so shiny and golden.



















In the moment I"m in Ayuthaya just a bit north of Bangkok and tonight I will go with a night bus to Chiang Mai in the very north. On the way down back to Bangkok, I will stop at the bridge over the river Kwai and then I will head south to the James Bond Islands ( Man with the golden gun ) and find a nice diving spot for one week.

a new type of transport for my list

In Battambang Cambodia, the BambooTrain is a cool type of transport.
Because there is only one train a day, the track is used any other time by anybody who can built a "train". You have to remember the time of the train though !

If you want to try:

Take one pair of axle from an old train and fix a little Bamboo frame ontop.

For a few horsepowers, attach an old LawnMower engine and of you go...

10 days in Cambodia

Cambodia was the poorest country so far and I never had people stealing my leftover food from my plate ever before. Transport is basic and thats what I say after travelling for a long time now.

I tried to book always the most expensive bus ticket, which is still really really cheap, because no way I want to endup in one of the local busses...

The big highlight of any Cambodia Trip is Ankor Wat and the other more then 200 temples in that area. It is the biggest temple area in the world and some places look as taken from Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider. Tomb Raider was actually shot in one of the temples.

For me another highlight was the boattrip from Siem Riap to Battambang. The 7 hour boat ride takes you across lakes, narrow bush rivers and past many local houses built along the river. The boat with tourists passing by seems to be the attraction of the day and everybody comes running to the shore and starts waving at the boat.

Please take a look at all the other tourist photos in my photo section.

It is already august 2008 and that means I will be home next month ! The plan for the next weeks is as follows. Tomorrow on the August 03rd I will take a bus to Bangkok and will stay 30 days in Thailand. Beginning of september I have a flight from Bangkok to Macau and after some days in Macau and Hong Kong I will fly to India to spend 3 weeks there.

Home sweet home is already waiting and thanks to Matze I have already soccer tickets for HSV against Moenchengladbach !