WAKE UP TO THIS!

IT HAPPEND OVER NIGHT – SOMEWHERE JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM KHAO SAN RD. IT WAS A MASSIVE DAY TRIP DRIVING ALL THE WAY FROM KAMPOT – CAMBODIA TO BANGKOK. I GOT NO CLOU ABOUT THERE PARKING RULES SO I JUST PARKET AROUND THE  CORNER FROM MY HOTEL. THE NEXT MORNING – WHEELCLAMPED – SOME LOUSY PAPERWORK WRITTEN IN THAI PATCHED TO MY WINDSCREEN. GUESS I HAVE TO TAKE A TAXI TODAY.

HAD TO GET TO THE MYANMAR EMBASSY TO SORT A VISA OUT FOR MYSELF – LEFT MY CAR CLAMPED – THOUGH I MIGHT ASWELL USE FREE PARKING FOR THE REST OF THE DAY 😉

I WAS JUST WALKING AROUND IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD TO GET A COFFEE AND SAW A POLICE OFFICER – HIS MOTORCYCLE EQUIPPED WITH A SADDLEBAG FULL OF WHEELCLAMPS – I THOUGHT THAT MUST BE THE BANDIT THAT CLAMPED MY CAR – I WENT UP TO HIM  AND TOLD HIM THAT I BELIEVE THAT HE DID CLAMP MY CAR TOO. HE DIDN’T QUITE GET IT AND THOUGHT THE CAR IS CLAMPING AT THE MOMENT IS MINE – AFTER SPENDING A FEW MINUTES USING HAND AND FEET HE UNDERSTOOD – I OFFERED HIM 200 BAHT (5U$) TO GO AND FREE MY CAR – HE AGREED AND I TOLD HIM THE LOCATION – THOUGHT HE WOULD AT LEAST OFFER ME A LIFT ON THE BACK OF HIS BIKE BUT THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN. I SIGNALISED THAT I HAVE TO WALK TO MY CAR AND HE’D COME OVER IN A BIT. SO I WALKED TO MY CAR AND JUST A MINUTE LATER HE ARRIVED AND TREID TO OPEN THE CLAMP WITH ONE OF THE THREE MILLION KEYS THAT HE HAD ON HIS BUNDLE. HE SAID SOME OTHER OFFICER HAS GOT THE KEY – ALRIGHT – HE SAID ‘WAIT’ AND DROVE OFF – WHO KNEW IF THATS GONNA WORK OUT. I STARTED GETTING MY TOOLS OUT TO FIX A FEW MINOR THINGS ON THE ENGINE – AND MEANWHILE IT DID HAPPEN. ANOTHER OFFICER ARRIVED AT THE SCENE AND UNCLAMPED THE CAR FOR ME – JUST HELLO AND GOODBYE – NO EXTRA CHARGE – THAT’S SERVICE – MY CAR WAS FREE AGAIN! 🙂

FREE PARKING IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE – NO MORE CLAMPS PLEASE

HEARD YOU CAN CLIMB UP THE STAIRS THAT ARE LEFT TO CHECK THE OUT VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THIS ABANDONED SKYSCRAPER

AS WE ARRIVED WE MET SOME OTHER TRAVELLERS TRYING TO FIND THE ENTRANCE TO THE TOWER – SURROUNDED BY BIG METAL SHEETS – TRESPASSING FORBIDDEN – WILL RESULT IN ARREST – OBVIOUSLY NOT ALLOWED TO GO UP THERE ANYMORE – I DIDN’T REALLY WANT TO GIVE UP ON THE IDEA AND CHECKED THE FENCE – AS I KICKED ONE OF THE METALSHEETS OPEN – SCREAMS FROM THE INSIDE – SOME GUY SCREAMING I SHOULD FUCK OFF – I THOUGHT HE IS SOME METHHEAD LIVING IN THE ABANDONED BUILDING – WE HAD A BIT OF AN ARGUMENT AND HE TOLD US THE POLICE WILL COME AND GET US – ANYHOW AFTER A WHILE HE AGREED TO OPEN A GATE FOR US SO WE COULD GET IN TO SEE FOR OUR SELVES THAT THE STAIRS ARE BLOCKED OFF AND THERE IS NO CHANCE OF GETTING TO THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE TOWER

SO WE KEPT ON EXPLORING BKK’S NIGHTLIFE

AND THEN

I HAD NO CLOU WHAT IT WAS – THE SECURITY GUARD GAVE ME A CARD – HE DIDNT SPEAK ANY ENGLISH – BUT IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE WELCOME. WE DROVE THROUGH THIS STUNNING AREA, NO RUBBISH, BEAUTIFUL GARDENS, A LOT OF POLICE AND SECURITY AS WELL AS EXPENSIVE FIRE EMERGENCY VEHICLE PARKED EVERYWHERE. NO PEOPLE ON THE ROAD! SPOOKY

AHEAD OF US; MASSIVE BHUMIBOL DAM – I DIDN’T KNOW THAT THIS PLACE EXSISTED..

WE GOT FILLED IN LATER; THE PLACE IS SO NEAT AND CLEAN BECAUSE THE KING USED TO VISIT THIS PLACE A LOT (PROBABLY BECAUSE THE DAM IS ALSO NAMED AFTER HIM)

THESE DAYS KING BHUMIBOL IS IN A BAD WAY AND IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE HIS LAST VISIT – EVERYTHING IS STILL IN PERFECT ODER THOUGH

I SPOKE TO AN INTERN WHO IS WORKING INSIDE THE DAM’S POWER STATION – MAINTAINING ONE OF THE 8 TURBINES PRODUCING HYDROELECTRICITY WITH A CAPACITY OF 750 MEGAWATTS – HE TOLD ME THAT THE WATER LEVEL IS ON IT’S LOWEST PIONT IN HISTORY – YES, DUE TO NO RAIN THIS SEASON. TO NOTE THOUGH THAT LAST YEARS WET SEASON FILLED THE LAKE TO IT’S MAXIMUM LEVEL. THE OPERATOR’S OF THE DAM GOT SCARED AND TOOK PRECAUTION AND DRAINED A LOT OF WATER PRE WET SEASON TO AVOID THE LAKE OF OVERFILLING – THE PROBLEM THERE WASN’T ANY RAIN THIS YEAR

SCHOOL KIDS ON THE WAY TO CHIANG MAI – IN A TYPICAL CHIANG MAI CAB

FINALLY  WE MADE IT TO CHIANG MAI

DEFINITELY AN AWESOME SPOT – AND ONE OF MY FAVOURITES IN THAILAND

IT WAS TIME FOR ME TO MAKE MY WAY TO THE MYANMAR BORDER – HAD TO MEET SOME PEOPLE

THAILAND SIDE WAS SUPER EASY – THEY CHECKED THE IMPORT PAPERS AND I HAD TO GO TO A FEW DIFFERENT WINDOWS BUT IT WAS SUPER EASY – I LOVE THAILAND – IT JUST SUCH A STRAIGHT FORWARD PLACE – NOT TO MUCH BULLSHIT

ON TH OTHER SIDE – MYANMAR – NOT SO EASY WHEN IT COMES TO FOREIGN VEHICLE POLICIES. THEREFOR I HAD TO ARRANGE A SPECIAL COMPANY WHO ORGANISES CROSSINGS THROUGH THE COUNTRY AS THERE IS A LOT OF FORMALITIES TO ARRANGE. AND ALL THAT COSTS A HELL LOT OF MONEY AND IS NOT AVOIDABLE

SO FROM NOW ON THERE IS A TOUR GUIDE, A DRIVER, A PILOT VEHICLE AND A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL AT ALL TIMES. 24/7 AND TO BE PAID FOR

TO SPLIT THE COSTS: WE GRUOPED UP, SO I MET CHANTAL, PETER & LEONIE AS WELL AS STEFAN AND KERSTIN. ALL OF THEM ON MOTORCYCLES – ALSO INTENDING ON CROSSING MYANMAR, THESE GUYS ARE ALL HEADING TO EUROPE AS WELL – STARTING THEIR JOURNEY FROM ALL OVER THE SHOW AS WELL AS BANGKOK AND KUALA LUMPUR

IT WAS ACTUALLY KIND OF NICE TO LEAN BACK AND LET SOMEONE ELSE DEAL WITH THE IMPORT PAPERS – THE ADVANTAGE OF PAYING MORE THAN A 1000 USD

SAW SOME ARMOURED GUYS JUST JUMPING INTO A 4WD – GOD KNOWS WHO THEY WERE

I SAW A LADY ON A SCOOTER AHEAD OF ME LOOSING HER HAT – SHE REALISED A BIT LATE AND THOUGHT IT WAS GONE – WE STOPPED AND PICKED IT UP

I MET KYLE AND ANYA ON THE BORDER – THEY NEEDED TO GO THE SAME WAY – WAS AWESOME HAVING YOU GUYS IN MY CAR

WE STAYED AT A PLACE NOT FAR FROM THE GOLDEN ROCK AND HAD TO TAKE A TRUCK UPHILL TO GET THERE

I COULD ONLY IMAGINE HOW GOOD IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE WITHOUT THE BAMBOO SCAFFOLD AROUND IT

ONLY MEN ARE ALLOWED TO TOUCH IT – AND THERE WAS A LOT OF THEM PLATING MORE GOLD ON ITS OUTSIDE

THE GOLDEN ROCK – BUDDHA’S HAIR UNDERNEATH THE ROCK IS STOPPING IT FROM ROLLING DOWN THE HILL

THE NEXT MORNING – TOURIST POLICE WAS WAITING TO ESCORT US OUT OF THE DISTRICT