Past, present and future
The story 'Nostalgia in the Isaan' by De Inquisitor will have revived memories of a gray past for many. A lot has changed over the years and not only in Thailand.
I had to think back to my very first foreign trip that I was allowed to make as a 17-year-old because I had passed my final exams well. The trip went by coach to the Swiss town of Weggis on Lake Lucerne. Snow in the summer high on top of the mountains, it was a sensation. Remember the price exactly 79 guilders and fully cared for. Also had to think back to a trip to Koh Chang where there were no electricity facilities 25 years ago. Everyone was given a kerosene lamp to help them find their way in the dark. In the evening you could have the electric shaver charged via a generator. Can still fondly remember that romantic event with all those walking people with a lamp walking on the beach.
How easy it is to travel these days compared to my childhood years. At the time, I experienced talking about the past as nagging when the elderly started to complain about it again. You can prepare an entire journey via the Internet. Booking flights, booking hotels, not to mention accessibility via mobile phone. Saw this afternoon in Pattaya on the Beach Road with admiration and sometimes with horror, a lot of people of different backgrounds pass by my eye. Sometimes you have to look closely whether they are men or women. Guys with earrings and women who dress like men. But what am I interfering with; each his own.
By train through Asia
Read the story in The Nation about the construction of an extensive rail network that will enable large parts of Asia to be reached by train in the future. Three lines: the central, the eastern and the route to the west are planned. From Bangkok to Kunming in China, to Mohan in Myanmar, to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or to Phnom Penh? The future trans-Asian Railway still has a long way to go, that will be clear. In any case, Thailand and Laos have already decided to switch from the narrow gauge to the current standard. The Thailand-China train will reach a speed of 250 kilometers per hour. Still, we will have to be patient for a few more years, because the plans to realize a railway line from Singapore to Kunming, the capital of the Chinese province of Yunnan, were born in 1995. Incidentally, Laos has now started to widen the track and it is expected to be completed in 2021.
Reader question
In a few days my trip to Cambodia will start and of course not yet by rail. The country is not foreign to me and I have been there several times, but I still have a question for the readers of this blog.
Would like to travel from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh by boat. That possibility exists, but can only find one review on the Internet that does not exactly exude an ultimate pleasure. Who can say something more about this from their own experience? With thanks!
Well, I am a little younger than the writer of the article, but I also agree with his story.
First independent journey was by bus to Hungary, then still Eastern Bloc. Hours waiting in the bus at the border crossing.
Later during my first trip to Asia, you made a collect call upon arrival to indicate that you had landed safely. Another phone call two days before your return to make sure someone picked you up from Schiphol. You had stories when you came home. Now keep your family informed via whatsapp via a live report.
Aircraft without a personal entertainment system. Nachtvlucht, in which a film was shown twice. 12 hours of total boredom between two elderly Asian ladies who were snoring.
Nostalgia for that time? No not really. The older I get, the more I really need a little comfort. Why sleep on a wooden board when you can spend the night in a hotel with a few stars. Discomfort is for the younger generation, but they will not easily experience the complete disconnect now that everyone is connected via social media.
Yes, a beautiful trip on the river from Phnom Penh to Siemrap vv Years ago you had the choice between the big and the small boat; the small boat had the disadvantage of hitting the waves rather thumping which is very tiring in the long run when you are in that boat for about 6 hours. But in the meantime a lot has changed, but the river remains the same..
Did the trip in reverse 4 years ago and it was not recommended. Firstly, it was 7 long hours. outside you could sit on the roof where you almost blew off. You could buy a bottle of water and when you arrived you could jump straight from the boat into the mud, then I thought, never again. Took the plane back, wonderful.
I do not speak from experience, but I have found some more reviews and it is mainly suffering.
Maybe you can plan a boat trip from Battambung to Siem Reap, people are a lot more enthusiastic about that.
https://www.camboguide.com/cambodia-destinations/battambang/battambang-siem-reap-scenic-boat-tour/
I can give a reqction on the boat trip from PnomPenh to Siemrap, the trip goes with a super fast boat, so fast that when people go on the roof of the boat their sunglasses blow off and lose. The seats in the boat are quite small. In the beginning of the trip it is interesting, because then you see how people live by the water, but on the very shallow lake there is only water around you. On arrival you are told that if the boat gets stuck in the shallows, small boats will arrive with people who want to help you get rid of your belongings. On arrival in Siemrap it is chaos because a lot of people want to help you with transport, only if you have booked through the hotel then it is not a problem. We were relieved by the police and helped with transportation. All in all just in the beginning of the trip it is interesting.