Dead Souls of Cambodia

A tower of skulls casts a shadow providing momentary relief from the offensively hot rays beating down on us from the midday sun. Many of the skulls are barely bigger than my fist. One young Cambodian man told me, “we don’t think about the past, we only look to the future”. At the Killing Fields it’s hard to think of anything else. Fragments of bone jutting out from behind wild flowers act as gruesome reminders of the horrific truth that lay buried in these lush, green meadows. Palm trees shiver as a gentle breeze occasionally blows like so many dead souls whispering their terrible secrets to the hoards of perspiring tourists. Everything here is vivid green, healthy and alive and the paradox is almost unbearable

The tower of skulls in honour of the dead

Standing in the middle of this oasis is a thick-trunked tree with long, powerful branches and an unmistakeable, negative energy. The brown stains on the trunk is all that remains of the thousands of infants whose skulls were smashed against the rough bark of the Killing Tree as they were swung by their ankles by Khmer Rouge soldiers. Satan himself couldn’t have found a more evil use for one of nature’s finest creations.

A small wooden bench nestled in an orchard is the perfect place to sit and digest everything I’ve learned about Pol Pot’s regime during my tour. “A Memory from Darkness”, Him Sophy’s haunting response to the tragedy plays in my ears and fills me right to the core with unmitigated sorrow. The ground is uneven and beneath every rising mound lays thousands of innocent men, women and children who were systematically murdered as unceremoniously as a colony of ants in someone’s kitchen. 

Left exactly as it was found

I was standing on the bodies of over 17,000 innocent men, women and children who were executed for reasons as vague as wearing glasses or being related to someone who was believed to oppose the regime. From the Killing Fields, or Choeung Ex we were taken to Tuol Sleng, the High School turned high-security prison where victims were held before being transported to the Fields. The blood stained walls and barbed wire have remained untouched since the liberation by the Vietnamese in 1979 and this real life hell on earth was opened up to the public exactly as it was found. In one of the cell chambers there are even instructions written in chalk on the walls such as "il est interdit de faire du bruit" (it is forbidden to make noise). Old classrooms had had cells built in, each barely big enough to fit a human body in.

One of the rooms of cells

The entire complex is a harrowing maze of cells and torture chambers, until you arrive at the ground floor corridor of the furthest building. The Khmer Rouge, like many dictatorial psychopaths, were organised to the point of obsession meaning that every single soul who ever entered the prison was photographed and this corridor in the final building is wallpapered with these records. Infants too young to even stand up are held before the camera by phantom arms while children who are old enough to realise their predicament are frozen mid-scream. No-one in our group made it to the end of the corridor.

It is a very sobering experience but one I recommend to anyone passing through Cambodia's oppressive capital, Phnom Penh. The poverty and destruction wrought by the genocide is still omnipresent throughout the country so be prepared to tip generously everywhere despite the fact that the lonely planet says it is not customary here.

Former high school, now death centre

One Reason To Visit The Genting Highlands (And Many Reasons Not To)

After touching down at Kuala Lumpur airport, I headed straight to the tourist info kiosk to peruse their array of leaflets and decide where my first port of call in Malaysia should be. One brochure contained sections all about the two famous Highlands of Malaysia: the Cameron Highlands and the Genting Highlands. The Cameron Highlands definition mentioned a lot of tea and strawberry plantations, misty hilltop walks and lots of beautiful scenery. Delightful. However, after 6 weeks of gorgeous scenery, jungles and farms, it didn't seem to offer anything new so I flicked my eyes across the page to the summary of the Genting Highlands. I was immediately sucked in by superlatives such as "most fun you will ever experience", "craziest adrenaline rush" and "best place in the world" and thus decided to be spontaneous and to hop on the next bus there.
After an hour long bus journey up some dubious cliffside roads we arrived at a sky bus station where we were ushered into a gondola which was to convey us to the top of the mountain atop which sits the notorious Genting Highlands. Thank God that gondola ride happened so I can write the following paragraph:

The Sole Reason to Visit the Genting Highlands

The ride in the gondola was probably the most exhilarating half an hour I'd yet spent on my travels. Imagine being conveyed in a tiny little pod on a moving wire over the tops of relatively untouched Malaysian jungles. The only noises are the light hum from the wire pulling you up and your own breathing. Below you is enough foliage to make you forget that cities ever existed, let alone that Kuala Lumpur is only an hour away, and make you feel like you are currently privy to some sort of Lost World/ Jurassic Park. You can only guess what secrets lie below those treetops. Can't imagine that? Here's a photo to help:

Our view from the gondola

Unfortunately, this is the only benefit you will gain from visiting the Genting Highlands. As soon as we got to the top we realised we had no idea where we were or what we should be doing so we sat outside Starbucks (yes Starbucks made it all the way to the top of a mountain in Malaysia) and used their wifi to work out what the hell we should be doing. Of course the first thing that came up when googling "Genting Highlands" was a news article from the day before about a bus that had careered off the edge of the cliff killing almost everyone inside and making the road up to these godforsaken highlands MALAYSIA'S MOST DANGEROUS ROAD. Great start. We the looked for accommodation only to find that the cheapest rooms in the whole area were still about $50 a night and therefore utterly unsuitable for two backpackers who were living off less than that per week. Thoughts of all nighters and sleeping in the forest were discussed and subsequently rejected as we decided to take a look around. Carrying our gigantic backpacks and wearing the comfort clothes we'd donned for the plane journey we traipsed through this concrete hellhole for about 20 minutes and saw nothing but über-rich muslim men dressed head to toe in Dolce & Gabbana with their Burqa-clad wives (making me feel virtually naked in my shorts and T-Shirt), a sea of western food chains and an impenetrable multi-storey jungle of arcades, fancy restaurants and glitzy hotels including the tastelessly named "First World Hotel" which is one of the largest hotels in the world. In short, we came, we saw, we felt nauseous and left. 

I found this on google images but it pretty much sums up the garish mess that is the Genting Highlands

If you've gone backpacking around Southeast Asia or even just visited Malaysia in order to go to what is essentially Asia's version of Disneyland, then this is most definitely the place for you and thanks to the fact that every American fast food chain under the sun has an outlet in the main arena's astronomically large food court, you won't even need to eat any Asian food. In fact while you're there you might as well go to the country's only casino and pretend you're in Vegas or London instead of boring old Malaysia. However, if the whole reason you left home and decided to travel was to escape the suffocation of Western capitalism and experience a truly alien culture in its natural habitat then DO NOT COME HERE. Or at least don't get out of the gondola. There's no harm in going up and then coming straight back down again in order to get a few kodak moments!

Wanna CHOMP Some Comfort Food?

In my "How to Survive Bangkok" article I wrote about the importance of easing yourself gently into an Eastern diet but for those who haven't read that I will reiterate my advise now. Going from salt-filled carb-ridden Western grub to nothing but rice and noodles can be pretty tricky even for the most seasoned traveller. Therefore, to avoid feeling rough for your first few weeks, when your body screams out "I NEED A BURGER" you may as well just give it one. Fast-food chains are a-plenty in the bustling capital of Thailand but to be quite honest the quality of the food there is even worse in Asia than it is in Europe. So where do you find some delicious home-comfort food that is still nutritious and not likely to blow the bank? The answer is CHOMP.
My boyfriend and I were stumbling down Sam Sen Road in Bangkok after a very messy outing in Bali the night before followed by an exceptionally uncomfortable 4 hour plane journey desperately looking for somewhere with a menu that would be kind to our still-tender stomachs. After several disappointed glances over menus serving nothing but oriental food we found this little gem on the corner of Soi 1. The first thing we noticed as we approached was the big sign outside advertising BIG burgers and our eyes lit up with pure joy.

Snazzy exterior decor

We rushed inside, grabbed a menu and took a seat, relieved to be off our feet. We were greeted by Gili, the owner, who asked us what we were after before talking us through some of the dishes. My boyfriend explained to her the fragile state he was in and I told her I was after some sort of banana-based drink. She told us she had just the thing and dashed off behind the bar to whip us up some drinks. A few minutes later she returned with what I can genuinely say was the most delicious drink I have ever tasted in my entire 20 years of existence: a banana, coconut and cinnamon smoothie. Everything about it was perfect. For my cusping boyfriend she had concocted what she termed "the ultimate hangover cure" and presented him with what was basically a virgin mojito but with added secret ingredients to make his stomach stop churning. I'd tell you how it tasted but I didn't even get a look in so I'm guessing it must have been pretty fine and he definitely looked a lot less grey by the time he'd finished it.
We both ordered sandwiches as neither of us could handle anything bigger and despite our condition we pretty much licked our plates clean.
When we went the place had only been open for a few weeks and it was still a bit of a work in progress but that didn't stop it from having a fantastic vibe. Gili's children were there at the restaurant with her and it was so lovely to see a working mother who could still spend time with her babies. Her son brought us our cutlery and her tiny little girl amused us to no end with her gorgeous smiles. She told us about how her restaurant came into existence and how hard her and her husband worked and are still working to get it off the ground.
If you are in Bangkok I seriously recommend you hit this place up whether you're craving home food or not. The atmosphere is great and the food is to die for, the perfect combination.
Enjoy!

Gili and her husband behind the bar

The Pros and Cons of Gili Trawangan

If you ask anyone who has been to the Gili Islands to describe them in a word, 9 times out of 10 you will get the response "paradise". It's true, the Gili Islands are probably the closest you will find to paradise anywhere in Southeast Asia and possibly even the world (although I haven't been everywhere in the world so if anyone knows of somewhere better, please tell me so I can move there). So if these islands are so amazing why the hell have I bothered to write this article? I'll tell you. I only visited Gili Trawangan as this is the more upbeat island which attracts a younger crowd and although the other two may be more peaceful, they are also probably more boring for a 20 year old. Despite the idyllic setting, the perfect turquoise sea and the white, powder beaches, there are a few things to do with this island that have the potential to mar your experience. The annoyances I'm about to describe are minor and often avoidable with a bit of foresight (hence me writing this) so for heaven's sake don't miss out Gili Trawangan but when you plan your trip, bear these in mind.

Getting There

Whether you are leaving from Kuta, Padang Bai, Senggigi or anywhere else, you will probably be ripped off. We left from Senggigi and managed to haggle the price of the boat ticket from 70,000rp down to 50,000rp ($4.50) which we didn't realise would be possible but happened by accident nonetheless. We were told there was a place that did boat tickets for 55,000rp down the road from our hostel and en route we were touted by another travel agency. When we told him we were on our way somewhere else he instantly started lowering his price so we went with it until we got him down to 50,000rp. Feeling very smug sitting among the other passengers in the bus who had paid the full price we arrived at a little café and had to wait there for a bit. Fine. Next we were loaded into a carriage pulled by the most unhappy looking horse I've ever seen and taken roughly 100m down to road to the harbour. After dismounting from the carriage the driver told us that the fare was 50,000rp. Now I'm not one to lose my temper, in fact I don't think I've ever even raised my voice in an argument, but when we were charged the same price for a 3 minute carriage ride we didn't even want to take as a 45 minute boat ride I saw red. A heated discussion ensued between myself and the driver during which I asked why the bus couldn't have just taken us to the harbour to which he replied "the road is too bad for cars to come down here" whilst cars were zooming about all over the place. He seemed to think I was blind/mentally impaired and kept telling me "don't make problem". In the end I agreed to give him 20,000 as long as it went towards the welfare of the horse but when I handed him over a 50,000 note (unfortunately all I had on me) he conveniently only had 20,000 change. I know that for the sake of a few dollars such an argument was probably bit OTT but after having already bought a ticket, to then be charged again for more, unnecessary, transport just seemed so sneaky! On the way back we outright refused the horse and carriage and walked to the café and it took us less than 5 minutes. I'm aware that it is a poor country but ripping someone off is stealing where ever you are in the world. Oh and when we got our boat ticket it had the actual price of the journey on it. It cost 13,000rp. Damn.

Horses

It's not actually the horses that are the problem on this island it's the drivers. In a fight between a human and a horse and carriage racing down the road it's pretty obvious who would win, thus, the horse and carriage is king of the road and everyone else better move out the way or prepared to be unceremoniously trampled. This rule is in accordance with the policy that has been established throughout the rest of Southeast Asia which says "even if you are on the wrong side of the road, if you have the biggest vehicle, you have the right of way". So yeah every time you hear a bell - which is pretty much all the time - you need to shift yourself. That's annoying. Also animal welfare is appalling and these horses all look like they might collapse and die at any given moment. They are constantly being whipped and shouted at by their owners and when they aren't being used they are tied up where ever is convenient. We saw one horse who had his face tied to a tree in such a manner that he could barely move and was desperately neighing and trying to chew through the rope. A heart-breaking sight to say the least. Try and buy some water or food for the horses if you have any spare dollar.

That explains the long face

The Mosque

Indonesia is a highly muslim country with well over 80% of the population practicing Islam. This means that mosques are pretty commonplace throughout the country. For those that have not as of yet come into close contact with a mosque, I shall explain why, for a non-muslim, they can be a tad annoying. Firstly they have huge loudspeakers attached to them, which can reach a phenomenal radius, and when it is time for muslims to come to the mosque for prayers (which is five times a day) they use said loudspeakers to let everyone know. Unfortunately, first prayers are at 5am. This means that you will be woken up every morning at 5am by a call which is not just a quick "chop chop guys, time for prayer". As a tourist, we have no right to complain about this really. It is their country and their religion and therefore their prerogative to be as noisy as they like whenever they like and as their guests we should just put up with it and think of it as a enriching, cultural experience. But it is quite annoying. Stay as far away from mosques as possible.

Drugs

All the locals take lots of drugs all the time. This would be absolutely fine if they confined their narcotics abuse to their leisure time. Unfortunately, they don't, which means that after about 3pm all the bartenders, waiters, chefs etc are absolutely mashed beyond the point of actually doing their job. Yes, it is pretty funny to see some young waiter gurning uncontrollably whilst trying to take down a simple drinks order only to return ten minutes later either empty handed with no recollection of your order or with a completely different tray of drinks. However, after the first few times the novelty wears off and you end up on the verge of going up to the bar and making the drinks yourself. Furthermore, it is genuinely impossible to walk down the street without being offered all sorts of drugs by everyone and their mother. Police presence on the island is virtually non-existent but Indonesia carries very harsh penalties even for possession of drugs. Don't be that one unlucky one that gets busted and avoid drugs altogether.

I realise this article seems very whiney considering, as I said before, Gili Trawangan is pretty much paradise. However, hopefully, rather than putting you off visiting the island, the above points will help you make it an even better experience. Now, to counter all the annoyances I've just described, here is a list of the pros that make this island one of the most delightful places on the planet.

No Vehicles

That's right, no mopeds nearly mowing you down, no vans full of tourists nearly mowing you down and definitely no tuk-tuks/ taxis forcefully insisting that you NEED transport and then nearly mowing you down. Most people get around on bicycles and as the island is only 3km by 2km, motorised vehicles are completely unnecessary. This means that the air quality is noticeably better and, apart from the horses bells, the roads are a hell of a lot quieter. It also gives it a bit of a rustic feel if you leave the main strip and delve deeper into some of the back roads.

No cars on the island

The Vibe

The atmosphere on this island is very different to many of the other self proclaimed "party islands" you probably will have visited. There is a distinct absence of loud holiday-makers, whose sole purpose in coming abroad is to get smashed every night, yelling nonsensical chants and puking on their own feet. This is no Bali or Koh Phangan. The island doesn't have any night clubs or fast food joints but what it does have is a few small bars along the beach front where locals do their best impressions of well known, classic reggae, hip hop, pop and rock numbers in order to engage the crowds. They may not know all the words to the songs they're singing and occasionally make weird noises that they think at least sound like the actual lyrics but let's be honest, how well could you cover an Indonesian smash hit? The whole island has such a chilled-out mellowness to it that I guarantee you will find it very hard to leave. Especially if your next stop is somewhere like Kuta.

The Beauty

Despite the fact that this island has been hit pretty hard by tourism and the inevitable accompanying developments, it has still retained much of its natural beauty. The sand is soft and white and the sea is the most idyllic shade of turquoise imaginable to the human mind. The beach is lined with palm trees and behind them lies the main road of the island along which is situated the vast majority of cafés, restaurants and bars. Garish lights and tacky signs are kept to a minimum making this strip of modernisation much more appealing than one might expect. All the locals working there are friendly and happy (probably partly because they're all high but hey ho) and the view of the ocean and the neighbouring islands from your beachside table where you're chowing down on some nasi goreng is utterly sublime.

Pure beauty

To conclude, my advice to you all is visit this island but bear in mind the few things that could potentially put a dampener on your trip. Be super savvy and you're guaranteed the time of your life.

5 Things You Can Do For Free In Singapore

If you are backpacking around Southeast Asia then Singapore should definitely be on your to do list. You've just spent several weeks eating dubious food, being harassed by tuk-tuk drivers and riding buses that had definitely seen better days. Suddenly you're surrounded by shiny skyscrapers and fast-walking businessmen shouting into their blackberry wifi headsets and you realise you're no longer in Cambodia. For most westerners Singapore is a welcome break from the chaos of less developed countries where they can indulge in some health and safety regulations and actual roads with lane discipline! However, you're now used to spending about $2 on a decent meal and about $5 on a hostel. In Singapore, $2 won't even get you a glimpse at the menu in a proper restaurant and most of the hawker stalls will charge you at least $2.50 for a meal and that will be very basic (but still probably delicious). As for a room, you're looking at about $25 just for a bed in a cramped dorm that smells of feet and is about 4000 miles from the actual centre of Singapore. So you have to splash out a bit to eat and you have to splash out on your accommodation and now your credit card has shrivelled up in protest leaving you with a grand total of $0 to spend on activities. For this reason I have scoured the city and found you 5 things you can do for free to make the most of your time in Singapore.

Get Lost in Little India

This vibrant section of the city is the perfect place to wander around for a couple of hours with your head in the clouds. Take in the colours and the smells while you reminisce over your journey so far or ruminate on the nature of existence. As you glide through the streets lined with fresh fruit stalls and quaint street cafés emitting spicy and exotic aromas, appreciate the fact that even amid the hustle and bustle of the power city that is Singapore, there is still place for these traditional districts where women still dress in dazzling jewellery and saris and where the sense of community is still so strong.

Striking colours in Little India

Explore Chinatown

If you've just spent hours wandering around Little India you might be loath to then do exactly the same in its oriental cousin down the road. However, I cannot stress the difference between the two areas enough! Little India and Chinatown are different enough to make you believe that you are in a different city. "But every city has a Chinatown" I hear you cry, so what makes this one special? Well for starters it is surrounded by skyscrapers and business hubs which make a nice juxtaposition with the hawker stalls and hanging lanterns. Most importantly, though, it is probably the cheapest place in the whole city to grab a bowl of chicken rice!

A wok-ful of delights!

Chinatown by night

Visit Kampong Glam

A beautiful mosque just off a dual carriageway. Stroll down the leafy boulevard lined with cafés and take in the view of the mosque standing majestically at the end of the street. The combination of decorative paving and palm trees give a truly magical feel to this little part of the city. If you haven't thought ahead to cover up before you get to the mosque then fear not, they provide gorgeous full length robes in a very stylish powder blue to visitors free of charge. Read up on Islam once you're inside and take a peek at local muslims going about their prayer routine. Make sure you clean your feet before entering! The inside of the mosque is pretty underwhelming compared to the outside in terms of beauty and splendour so don't feel too disappointed once you're inside. Have a glance around and then come back out and take some photos.

Cover up or you have to wear this...

Pretty gorgeous

Window Shopping on Orchard Road

Orchard Road is most definitely a shopping experience unlike any other and no matter how small your budget may be, you can always afford to window shop. Boasting 22 malls and 6 department stores, this road is right up there with 5th Avenue, Oxford Street and Rodeo Drive and is a haven for hardcore shopaholics. Girls, go and lust over the jewellery and luxury boutiques that mix super-cute Japanese twee with all-American block colour staples to create stand out pieces that are both fierce and unique. Boys, rock on over to the many world class suit makers and take a lot at what they have on offer. You'll find everything from ice-cool black suits to slick gold numbers. Don't actually buy a suit (unless you happen to be a millionaire), instead get a feel for what would suit you, maybe even get measured up and try some on. Really get an idea of what are the current trends in the fashion world (maybe sneak a photo of two if you can do it without getting caught) then head over to Vietnam and get it tailor made for you for about 1/100th of the price! Cheeky? Yes, very, but when it comes to economising, everything goes.

But one of the many, many malls on offer

Watch the Laser show at Marina Bay

So it gets to evening and you've spent about 8 hours on your feet wandering around Singapore in a heat that is less than gentle and now you're ready to collapse. Perfect. Let your legs give way on the steps of the plaza at Marina Bay and watch the laser show outside Marina Bay Sands. Lots of flashing lights accompanied by some emotive music, what's not to love! You can even get that obligatory photo with the Merlion while you're there. Happy days. Just try not to get too jealous of all the expats eating in the painfully expensive restaurants along the strip by the waterfront which you will probably pass on your way there. The food may be top notch, but the bill will turn your stomach.

Major lasers

How to Survive Bangkok

So you've just touched down at Suvarnabhumi airport, Bangkok. You're bleary-eyed from 14+ hours travelling and starving because although you got a great deal on your flights with this unheard of airline, their kitchen leaves a lot to be desired. Suddenly you step out of the modern, air conditioned airport and in to the sweltering heat whereupon you will need to get a taxi in to the centre of Bangkok. For most backpackers Bangkok is where their journey will begin as it is relatively easy to access and is one of the most westernised capitals in Southeast Asia with its mega-malls and familiar fast-food chains. It would seem the perfect place to break you in to the Asian way of life before you hit less developed countries such as Laos or Cambodia. However, as grotesquely condescending as this may sound, Bangkok is not London or New York and though it gives off an air of first-world sophistication, it is still a long way away from being a city that satisfactorily meets our ludicrously high Western expectations. This means that you have to be a bit more prepared and a bit more savvy than you were when you spent that weekend in Paris/ Madrid/ Berlin etc. People will try to rip you off, you will be ambushed by sex workers (girls you're not exempt from this: ping pong shows are for everyone) and you will be hit hard by the omnipresent poverty in such a seemingly booming metropolis. With this in mind, I have put together a few tips which I wish someone had told me before I went in order to try and help future travellers get the most out of what is one of the most incredible cities in the world.

Taxis
Everyone will tell you before you leave how cheap Southeast Asia is and you will read it all over the internet. Believe it. Although Bangkok is more expensive than the north of the country it is still phenomenally cheap. All registered taxi in Bangkok have a meter (they even say "taxi-meter" on the roof of the taxis) but 9 times out of 10 if you are foreign and you ask a driver to take you somewhere he will give you a fixed price. For example you may ask a driver to take you to the airport and he might say ok 400 baht whereupon you will do some quick mental maths and work out that this is barely a tenner for an hour long drive. Your eyes light up as you think you've hit the jackpot because in England a taxi to Heathrow could cost over £100, you hop in the taxi and away you go happy as larry. Do not accept this offer. If a taxi driver gives you a fixed price for a ride it will invariably be more than what the price would be on the meter, sometimes even more than double the potential meter reading. So when your eyes light up because you think you've got a great deal, your driver's eyes will also light up because he has just ripped off yet another stupid tourist. As a foreigner being ripped off will be one of your biggest problems. This does not mean that all Thai people are evil; it is because they see Westerners as walking ATMs. After all you could afford an airfare to Thailand. They don't know that you saved up for a year to afford it and you have a finite amount of money in your bank. You are a rich Westerner and therefore you can afford to be ripped off.

In a sentence: Insist that the driver use the meter

Taxis aren't too hard to find...

Drugs
Despite Bangkok's apparent hedonistic attitude insofar as nightlife and partying is concerned, drugs are a BIG no-no. If you are caught carrying above a certain amount of drugs (say you bought some for your friends as well or you bought enough to last you a few weeks) you will fall under the category of "possession with intent of disposal" in other words, you are a drug dealer and under Thai laws you can be punished by life imprisonment or death. It is unlikely you are going to get involved with any drug smuggling or trafficking on your gap year backpacking trip but you may be tempted by the cut-price street drugs after a few drinks along Patpong, I certainly was. There don't seem to be many police around and if you take it quickly no-one will catch you. Wrong. It is highly likely that the drug dealer offering you a cocktail of narcotics is actually a cop or at least in cahoots with the cops and is going to bust you the second you hand over your money. If they are working for the police they will go straight to an officer of the law, point you out and watch while you are threatened with either prison or a fine (always pay the fine, a Thai jail is no joke) and then rub their hands with glee when their drugs are returned to them along with a cut of the fine you just paid. Gangs of West Africans are most prominent on the Thai drug scene so if any Nigerian/ Ghanaian/ Malian men come towards you rubbing their nose and asking you "what's up?" (code for "would you like to buy some illegal drugs") you know to do a 180 and walk away.

In a sentence: Avoid recreational drugs like the plague.

Soi Cowboy, one of sex strips where drugs are rife

Scams
It is very rare to encounter any scams anywhere in Southeast Asia that actually harm their victims. Scammers are not criminals but opportunists who do not act out of cold blood but are just a bit too audacious and all they want is to get a few extra baht out of you. Unfortunately, sometimes that few extra baht can turn into a sum of money that our budget simply cannot extend to. That's when it pays to be in the know about the most common scams. The first golden rule to avoid scams altogether are these universal words of wisdom: if it seems too good to be true then it almost definitely is. Thailand is still a relatively poor, developing country and therefore discounts and free stuff do not exist. If something seems preposterously cheap, there is a very high chance that there will be lots more costs as soon as you've handed over the initial few baht. One of the most popular scams goes as follows:

- You are standing in the street looking lost, possibly holding a map, and are approached by an impossibly friendly elderly man/woman
- They ask you where you're from and then tell you they have relatives over there and you remind them of their sister/brother/daughter/son etc and so they want to help you
- You explain where you are going and they convince you that that place is either closed or not worth seeing and what you should really do is go to the tourist information centre and buy a tour there/ go for a tour in a tuk-tuk
- Just like magic a tuk-tuk will appear and your friend will speak in Thai pretending to haggle for you and then tell you that this tuk-tuk will take you where you should be going for only 20 baht!
- You are then driven all over Bangkok being coerced into buying things that you are told are super cheap but are in fact far more expensive than the going rate.

Like I said, this causes you no physical harm but it can potentially destroy your carefully planned budget. It sounds awful but if someone is really friendly and keen to help you then they are probably after money. Of course there are plenty of Thai people that will help you and be perfectly friendly but they usually will wait for you to approach them with questions.

In a sentence: Be wary of overly-friendly locals.

Food
You have probably eaten Thai food back home enough times to feel like you are prepared for the culinary delights of Bangkok. You might even love Thai food so much that you chose to go there solely for that reason *ahem* and most restaurants you go to in the city will serve you exactly what you've been eating at your local Thai restaurant at home for the past 10 years. Fantastic. However, if you have taken the time and effort to go to Bangkok and you're not a sex tourist or businessman (or both) then you are probably there to immerse yourself in the culture. This means living like a local and that means not eating in restaurants. If you want proof go into any nice restaurant in Bangkok and count how many locals there are. Now count how many white people are there. Exactly. So where do you eat then? Southeast Asia is home to the phenomena of street food. This consists of wagons full of fresh vegetables, rice, various meats, a wok and a portable stove. On the front of the cart there will be a very limited menu - usually 3 or 4 different dishes which are all a variation on the same thing - which will hopefully have an English translation, if not, point, guess and pray. You then take a seat on a tiny plastic chair and are served a huge portion of food that is mind-bogglingly cheap and mouth-wateringly good. Is it hygienic? Probably not but if the locals have been eating like that their whole lives then you can survive off it for a few months. Having said this, don't go over the top. Thai people have been eating this food, in this manner for their whole lives and so they are used to it but going from a Western diet to nothing but rice and noodles can be a bit of a shock to the system hence the copious amounts of sickly new backpackers. Ease yourself in to an Eastern diet and if your body is really craving a McDonalds or some pasta then let it have it. You don't have to feel guilty for wanting a bit of home comfort!

In a sentence: Everything in moderation.

A typical street food stall

I hope this has been of some use to any future travellers! Finally, this doesn't merit its own paragraph but it will definitely help you a lot: learn a few words in Thai as the locals really appreciate the effort you've made and the smile you will be rewarded with is well worth the few minutes you spent learning words.


Have fun, be safe and give money to beggars, it gives you good karma.