Gauntlet - Episode 1: Pailin

Cambodia, Pailin province - Jun 24-26, 2014 - And so, we embarked on our first travelling trip together. It was to be an emancipatory journey of mutual discovery. However, I have now dubbed it "Gauntlet" because of poorly-planned, nerve-wracking hassle it sometimes ended up being. Luckily, I will endeavour to present the more interesting things I managed to capture on our three week gauntlet through Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos, instead of boring you with any less-than-humorous details of logistical fuckups and whatnot elses. Pailin is a very small province located on the Cambodian-Thai border, wedged in between the Cardomom Mountains in the South and the rice fields of Battambang to the North. Once one of Pol Pot's most infamous strongholds, it's now mainly farmland, as well as an attraction for scientists who are researching a medicine-resistant strain of malaria that has cropped up round there. It is very peaceful and calm in the hills.

Matt's selected readings (Brunner, Lewis, Hesse, Lao-English/English-Lao Dictionary).

Neng's selected readings (Shakespeare, Rousseau, world history, important names of science).

Memoria Palace is a beautiful, quaint little place nestled at the foot of the mountains. At $35 per night in low season, I'd highly recommend it.

There are plenty of geese running around.

And other things.

There is not a whole lot to do in Pailin, but go to fruit farms. These are saomao (rambutan) trees.

Turain (durian).

Delicious lychee-like fruit called ________________ in Khmer. English name unknown.

One of the main crops of Pailin is doh-loang (cassava).

A spot of earth where they dig gems out of. Unfortunately, the machine was not present that rainy day.

See the rest of the our Cambodia/Thailand/Burma/Laos trip:
Episode 2: Bangkok, Thailand
Episode 3: Mae Sot, Thailand
Episode 4: Yangon, Myanmar
Episode 5: Bagan, Myanmar
Episode 6: Mandalay, Myanmar
Episode 7: Vientiane and Vang Vieng, Laos
Coda: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Concrete Cabin Fever

Thailand, Bangkok city - May 1, 2014 - Bacterial infection in the gut had me stuck in a hotel room in BKK for nearly a week, no drinks allowed. So it goes.

Great old school Thai guesthouse actual, reasonably priced, clean, excellent location, wifi in the lobby and second floor rooms. Pranee Building, next to National Stadium BTS.

Consolation.

A man reeled drunkenly in the bar of a swanky hotel high above me.

Kinda crap you gotta put up with round these parts.

Did get one nice, practiced, Thai smile when I was buying trinkets (to use), however.

Then it was a bus and a van to the border, and a motorbike through the hills home.

The Prasats of Battambang, Part II - Snung

Cambodia, Battambang province - January 30, 2014 - Prasat Snung is a small 12th century ruin, making it just post-Angkorian. It lies about forty-five minutes Southwest of Battambang.

Me...

Three stupas behind the pagoda are made of red brick.

My gorgeous sister and some obligatory temple kids.

The ruin at the front of the temple sits directly on the street. It's made out of larger red bricks.

Stones and Other Things

Chanthaburi province, Thailand - February 26 - January 1, 2014 - Chanthaburi lies not far from the Cambodian border in Southwestern Thailand, and the driving force behind this wealthy little countryside town is the gem trade. Chanthaburi is world-famous for its gem market - as a place that you can sell, manufacture, and buy large quantities of precious and semi-precious stones. In Thailand, it is famous for its durians and I also heard a rumour on the Internet that it is infamous for its high-quality assassins. It seemed very peaceful to me, if not somewhat inevitably characterised by the diverse and bizarre range of gem traders that frequent it.

Eleven people total in the car with us on the way to Pailin.

The driver had a raw chunk of gold.

This is a typical kind of protective grating you might see around Chanthaburi.

This was a birdshop - budgies to pigeons to chickens.

The was some French influence in the late nineteenth century, including a cathedral.

Typical Chanthaburi river scene.

What

This thing was really loud at night time. What it was will remain a mystery.

And frogs.

If you go to this place - Sam Nget, the Great Thaksin Shipyard, make sure you see the archaeological site, the most interesting thing. apparently, that we missed.

Thankyou to the Thai people who let me practically hitch hike around at their own expenses.!

This was the best Chanthaburi graffiti I saw. 

The light under the bridge is a man on the prow of a small boat hunting large prawns. He shines his headlight into their eyes where it is reflected to see them.

King Taksin is all over Chanthaburi. The town is historically famous as the place where
he built warships and formed an army which he used to reclaim Ayutayyah, then capitcal city, froming Burmese invaders in the mid-eighteenth century.

Gem appraisals occur on either side on the gem market in the street beyond.

A cheap gem dealer.

700 baht.

And a typical, morning market scene.