That Redlight Schwing...

Speaking of red light schwing...





What hairdo shall I employ before my "big night out"?

Hmmm let me see.. If I intend to drink a lake's worth of booze, I should try the
'pond lane stagger' ,

If I end up plastered, face down in the ground, I should try the
'ferment mud',

and finally, if I intend to get entangled in the rise and fall of the landscape, I should definitely go for the
'coil the undulation' :P

Anyway, try and spot/match the hair-do of the man 'soliciting' in the photo.. I think that should definitely classify as a 'BAKE OVAL' .. ya think?!




Anyway, what can we say? Walking the streets amidst all these late night 'activities' , we never once felt threatened and eventhough some of the people on the streets might not be doing the sort of "work" that most folk deem proper, I have to say Thai people are still really friendly, charming even, and their smiles still untainted by that 'fake' air that some of our own people put on.. people doing more 'respectable' work, so to speak.

We really like Betong - the laidback, stress free and relatively clean roads. The unpretentious people. The Betong crossing has probably the least traffic and stress and is really rather scenic. Two dozen people or so at the immigration check point vs. 500 people at Bukit Kayu Hitam one means you don't need to enter Thailand all frazzled and tired even before the fun part of the journey begins!

Betong, meaning bamboo, is named in the Malay language. It is administratively divided into 4 areas, i.e. Yarom, Aiyerweng, Tanah Merah, Tan Namtip, and one municipality - the Tambon Betong Municipality.

With a population of around 50 thousand, which can be classified into two major groups Muslims and Chinese, the majority of its people are agriculturists. Climatically speaking, Betong is under the influence of the Southwest and Northwest monsoons. Therefore, there is a lot of rain and the weather is nice and cool with fog in the morning. This is perhaps how it got is name - 'A Town in the Mist with Beautiful Flowers'.

Despite the recent and ongoing troubles you hear in south Thais, we feel (and so do a lot of foreigners!) that it is still pretty safe. Once you pass Betong and meander along towards Yala and to Pattani , you will see the Thai military dressed to the nines, complete with hand grenades, riffles and bullet proof vests, everywhere. These military checkpoints come up every hour or so ... initially it was a little bit unnerving but we soon got use to it!

However, THAT is a different story altogether and you will have to tune in again to see , who had the GUTS to take a photo with the MILITARY BOYS... Cumi or Ciki?


(Place bets now. Winners can take us out to dinner :P ahem!)

Betong : Warfare, Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll?

A small town with a rich past, decent food, lots of swallows (swallows of the feathered-bird kind that is.. ahem! ) and for want of a better word, a redlight schwing!

With swallows perched on cables above us ( it's amazing how none of the droppings hit people.. maybe it's just pigeons, magpies and crows in KL who enjoy the sport of shit-bombing humans!), we traipsed on dimly lit roads in search of our dinner.




Betong wasn't a bustling town that night. It was Saturday and many shops were closed by this late evening. However, we did manage to find some delectable goodies... Apparently there is a lot to chose from. However, upon closer inspection, we find that most vendors are selling pretty much the same thing.

The food was not bad, but not impressionable either. I particularly liked the Tong-sui with the incredible number of quails eggs floating around in it. Cholesterol heaven! The Cendol like dessert was watered down and boring.



We retired early and woke up eagerly for some good grub. Betong is predominantly a Chinese town. Our mission to uncover something unique proved futile as it was mainly the same old Chinese fare eg. dimsum, wantan/rice noodles and bak kut teh (pork rib herbal stew). We have always found Thai dimsum difficult to palate as it is rather bland. Very odd for a country with such strong tasting dishes. The BBQ pork here looks similar to the ones in Perak i.e. pink-reddish outer layer and mostly lean. Roast pork belly was very average.

If there's anything good around in these parts, it is the wantan noodle. A visit later to the Betong Museum (above Mongkolit Tunnel) mentions Betong is famous for flat rice noodle, however, we didn't get to sample any, without a local pointing us the direction *sigh*.



We stumbled across this biscuit manufacturer (owner in collage below, in striped polo tshirt and that's his grandchild) which supplied Chinese biscuits to several towns. Business had slowed down due to the conflict here. The shop was filled with many types of biscuits stuck in limbo.


There's quite a few well maintained antique Mercedes Benz in south Thailand. Must have plenty of parts available. We found this lady barbequing some meat on a stick. I think it was chicken(!)

As we mosied out of sleepy Betong to the next town, we headed up the cool hills for the touristy Piyamit Tunnel, drove by the Na Kor Hotspring and tried some Chogun/Shogun Orange which was really nice.



You may ask What and Where are Betong attractions? (kindly click map for a clearer picture!)





Cumi & Ciki.. have wheels will travel... more excitement, more amusement.. more food! Back to regular posts for now..
(but more Thai adventure to come.. especially in the 'dangerous' Muslim towns.. Akan datang... stay tuned!)


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The Betong Connection

Instead of spending a horrendous amount of money, as a result of last minute year-end holiday planning, we decided on a road trip to South Thailand to satisfy our nosy snouts, our food cravings, our need for culture-exchange and play time!

The plan had been to roll on the north south expressway in the wee hours, exiting (no.143) at Kuala Kangsar for highway route 76 passing by Gerik/Grik to Pengkalan Hulu then switching to route 77 which leads us to the border. We ended up starting late morning.
We were hoping to catch a glimpse of wild elephants along the Grik highway but none came in view that day.

We stopped by Lenggong town for a quick break but didn't have time to visit the Archaeological Museum. Here's the blue metal tank junk just outside Lenggong town.


It seems that Lenggong is a popular Archaeological destination in Peninsular Malaysia with many caves of importance(read more here). What a waste.. No time to explore!

Given more time we would have loved to hike up Bukit Kepala Gajah (Elephant's Head Hill) for Gua Gunung Runtuh (Fallen Mountain Cave) where the archaeologists found the Perak Man - Malaysia's oldest complete human skeleton found in 1991. The remains of this late 50s man, was dated to have lived over 11,000 years ago. There had been many more artifacts and animal bones found next to him. In 2004, they excavated another complete skeleton from cave nearby called Gua Teluk Kelawar (Bat Cove Cave). A female skeleton known as the Perak Woman apparently died in her 40s and lived over 8000 years ago.

There are many roads, caves and trails spread out in this hilly area. It's very confusing so if you are visiting, it might be a good idea to find a guide.

Pressed for time, we decided to stop at this one cave because you could drive your car right up to the entrance.

Villagers took the time to build the bamboo structure & platform but never reinforced it as time passed. Kind of reminds you of everything else in Malaysia! I think this is the Asa Cave. It leads us to an open trail at the back.

After quick walkabout in a littered chamber, we had to leave. After another 30 minute drive, we reached Pengkalan Hulu, the town where you can buy your Thai car insurance, exchange your Ringgito to Thai Bahto. We continued on route 77 until the Malaysian immigration & JPJ (Road transport department).. All nicely built and pretty much a quiet riot really.


The immigration officers just waved us as we flashed them our vacation smiles. We're just a lovely couple heading into Thailand for fun and frolic..! NOT sex, drugs & Thai rock n roll!

Ahh.. the Thai Immigration... it was early evening and thank God Thailand rolls back 1 hour so the immigration office was still open. Our earlier online check stated the office closes at 6pm but sometimes it remains open till later during the holidays. The place seemed to be winding down as we arrived.

You can review the application process at these booths.



You have to get your immigration cards at an information booth at the start of the building. If you can't read Thai like us and hate filling up cards, you can pay the eager Thai clerk to complete it for you at RM2 per person. Probably in collusion with the immigration officers. Small fee or not, you decide.



Then you wait your turn on the queue to get your passport stamped and your pretty face registered in their system with the webcam (birdflu/H1N1 screener?).


Next, we head to the car registration section, show your car registration paper and the officer will complete the data entry and churn out a Thai declaration form - to declare that you are the rightful owner and not smuggling that particular car in. Costs about RM16. The document is very importanté! You will need to return it when you 'check-out' of Thailand at the customs.. otherwise, wave bye-bye to your car!


The whole process took about 45mins with some assistance from a few regular border crossers. The Thai's and the immigration officers weren't very helpful, preferring to stare, smile and stare. Maybe the language barrier?

Having settled all the paperwork... We are now officially in Thailand!! Yay!


Now we have to race against waning daylight to find a place to stay.



What you need to have to drive across the border to Thailand

• Original copy of Car registration - Apparently certified original copies from our local police station might be approved as well. We brought the originals. You will provide this to the car registration/declaration office at the Thai immigration. This form you must keep close to you as you will need to return it to them when you return back to Malaysia.
• Thai 3rd party insurance - purchased from Pengkalan Hulu or Betong. You won't need it to cross immigration but you will need it if you go further than Betong. Price and policy terms varies a little between different Thai insurance brands, car and duration of coverage. Best to get it to prevent the hassle of dealing with the Thai authorities, in the unfortunate event of an accident occurring.
  
• Valid Passport
• RM2/20Baht for the someone at immigration office to fill up the Thai immigration cards - you could do it yourself if you can find the immigration card(!)

KL to Betong is approximately 6hours casual drive exclude immigration delays.
Thai South Border Checkpoints Contact

Is Traveling to South Thailand Safe?
Can i smuggle rice back?
Can i smuggle people back?
Are there still cowboy/girl towns here?
Do you get to fire magnums, ak-47s, bazookas and lob grenades here for fun?
Is black magic still prevalent here? Where can i obtain it/them/that?
If you play around with a Thai girl's heart, will they put a curse on you? Will i carry the curse back to Malaysia?
Are ghost and ghoulies a big part of the Thai society? Why are there so many movies about them?
Are car parts cheaper in Thailand?
Are Thai's really just about Tom Yam?
Is it still cheap to shop here?
Are Thai's prettier, handsomer, macho'er, sexier than Malaysians? (Including the transsexuals)
... and the list goes on...

To have some of the silly questions answered, read more.... (oh, yes, this post will definitely span many, many installments.. stay tuned!)


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It's that time of year again...

Eventhough you sometimes drive me crazy....


with your KUNGFU PANDA antics...,

...your evil knievel jumps..,

.. and your gravity defying stunts...

It's nice to know that life with you... will never be boring.... (here's to many more years of WOO-HOOOO!)

Happy Anniversary Babe!

the eternal wait, till the clock strikes FOUR

Man...we've shopped ALL day... our backs (and bags) are killing us... come on...

Open ALREADY... !

4pm and we haven't eaten since breakfast... hypoglycemia is getting the better of me.. muscle cramp, lumbago.. and gastric pains assault our weary bodies... not a good sign.. !

Introducing my favourite buffet restaurant in Bangkok... reprieve for the shopaholic... when i can no longer dig any deeper into my already cadaverous , drawn , gaunt , shrunken , skeletal wallet, for that final "bargain" , i take refuge in this wonderful thing called "an all you can eat" restaurant.

Oishi GRAND at Siam Discovery... We love it!

But not only does it do copious amounts of Japanese, it has a generous spread of seafood and some Chinese too. There are different prices according to the time of day (and different prices depending on time of year and promotion period). The price i like best is THB 499 (which is a STEAL! ) which starts at 4:00pm, this time period is highly recommended as they will provide full courses of food.

Pardon me, whilst i pile my plate up like there is no tomorrow...

Thank God it's only THB 499 for all this lush food... because that's all that's left, at the bottom of my ravaged wallet :P

Address : 2nd Floor, Siam Discovery Center, 989 Rama I Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok

Food: 7/10

Service: self service!

Ambiance: modern chic

Part 2 bangkok : Le Dalat Indochine, Bangkok

There's nothing as yummie as Thai food in Thailand rite?

Well, not only does Bangkok do amazing Thai.. it also does SPECTACULAR Vietnamese and Japanese and etc.. etc.. too.
It must boil down to the freshness of the raw materials that they use, that is so readily available in Thailand.

Introducing LE DALAT. Soi 23 Sukhumvit. My all time favourite Vietnamese place in Bangkok!



It's a quaint house in the city... just off the main Sukhumvit Road.


The inside of the house is rustic and warm.. makes you wanna tarry... and tarry a while longer .. ;)


We take one look at the menu... and we are totally gobsmacked... where to start? I wanna order it all! Spring rolls are my fav.. and so we start with them!

After the spring rolls, there was no stopping us man...

Dish after dish was served.... The river prawns were divine... so fresh i was reaching for my anti-histamines... bloody exquisite.

It really was.


We were nearing the final leg of the run... but the good stuff just kept right on coming.... oooh... sweet, sweet surrender...

Take me clubbing... quick... i need to work off the calories :P

Food: 8/10
Service:7/10
MSG levels:low
Sugar levels : high
Price: High!