The Hangover Part II Filming Locations In Bangkok

Posted on February 4, 2014 by tokyofox

This 2011 sequel was yet another typical example of scriptwriters being lazy and cashing in on the success of the original. In this case, the plot was very similar to the  2009 ‘Hangover‘ movie but with one difference; it was shot overseas in an exotic location which is the classic fallback when ideas are lacking.

Personally, I can’t say I ever really understood what all the fuss was about regarding the original ‘Hangover’ film. I thought it was okay but not as funny as everyone else seemed to think and it has to be said that ‘The Hangover Part II‘ (to give it its full title) was really lame and needless to say that I didn’t even bother with the third one last year! However, Tokyo Fox has a job to do and that’s to provide you the reader with as much detail as possible for tracking down its movie locations. Besides, its still fun seeking out these places whether you like the film or not!

So basically The Wolfpack are in Bangkok to celebrate Stu’s (Ed Helms) impending wedding and a typical aerial shot of the city at night appears on 24 minutes and that’s pretty much where the story begins. The gang, along with Lauren’s younger brother Teddy, wake up in a dirty hotel room alongside a chain-smoking monkey and with Stu’s face tattooed like Mike Tyson’s. They all congregate on the roof of the Lebua Hotel (below) 35 minutes in and try to fill in the gaps to see what happened the night before.

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A couple of minutes later (37 mins) and they’re in Chinatown on Thanon Plaeng Nam (below) which is a lane where you can get famous dishes like shark fin and bird’s nest. It is nowhere near as hectic as its depiction on screen. If you see the red and white Rubber Stamp sign then you’re on the right street and the blue road sign above Phil’s (Bradley Cooper) shoulder is for Soi Phiphaksa 1. The nearest station is Hua Lamphong MRT station and from there its about a ten minute walk.

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A clue leads them to Sukhumvit Soi 7/1 (below) near Nana BTS station (41 mins) where they are, to their surprise, given a hostile reception. They come across the place in which Stu got his face tattooed the previous night. Sadly this tattoo parlour was purpose built for the film so there’s not too much to see on this street.

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Hoping to return the mute monk in a wheelchair they acquired by accident they take a songthaew truck to Muang Boran (Ancient Siam, formerly known as Ancient City) on 45 minutes which doubles up in this film as a Chinese temple. This is the same place which featured in ‘The Man With The Golden Gun‘ (1974) but unlike that movie, this one is recognised in the reception area where there’s a wall display informing the public of what has been filmed there. The Phra Kaew Pavillion (below) is stop #30 on the map (given as part of the entry fee) and an open pavilion was added to create the atmosphere although no stick-wielding Chinese monks were on hand to greet us on our arrival! The Phra Kaew Pavilion was built to represent Ayutthaya as a centre of Buddhism in the past. Encouraged by the head monk to meditate before they leave results in Alan (Zach Galifianakis) having a juvenile vision which leads them to their next location.

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That place happens to be a strip club which is on Soi Cowboy (50 mins). They stand at the entrance to “Siam Sam’s” which in reality is Cactus Bar (below) although the interior shots were filmed elsewhere.

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Sirocco restaurant on the 64th floor of Lebua State Lounge is seen on 62 minutes and again on 76 mins. Since filming wrapped the restaurant and the adjacent bar have been offering Hangovertini cocktails for 490 BHT ($15). Be aware that if you want to enter this restaurant that there is a strict dress code which must be adhered to.

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The hotel is really using the Hangover fame to its advantage as they also offer a special two-night “The Hangover Part II” package priced at $2,200. Furthermore, there is the opportunity for rich fans to stay in “The Hangover Suite” which is a three-bedroom luxury room accommodating up to six guests with a fully-stocked mini-bar and ample party space.

A single small tree marks the traffic circle known as Wat San Road roundabout which appears on 69 minutes as the place where they encounter the drug dealing monkey which they subsequently steal before a car chase ensues which culminates in a ridiculous stunt which sees the car manage to jump over a river! The seven streets leading out from the roundabout had to be closed for filming. To get there yourself you have to take the Chao Phraya Express boat to Ratchawongse and hang right at the first turning and then its nearly a ten minute walk.

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The wedding between Stu and Lauren takes place after that in Krabi at Phulay Bay Resort which is owned by Ritz-Carlton. It has 54 one-bedroom villas with private pools, outdoor baths, butler service all available at sky-high prices!

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SE Asia 2013/14 Pt X: Snake Farm Etc. In Bangkok (Thailand)

Posted on February 1, 2014 by tokyofox

We returned to Bangkok after a fantastic four nights away in Chiang Mai over the New Years period. This time though we stayed in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok rather than Silom as we wanted a change of scenery and a slightly better hotel. We had four full days back in the capital city with a bigger focus on day-trips out of town this time.

There was still time to squeeze in a few highlights though and do some of my more geeky stuff. Of course there was a lot of eating, shopping and just walking around but perhaps the most noteworthy thing we did was the Snake Farm in Silom which was a short and sharp 30 minute presentation of a variety of snakes to the audience in both English and Thai language. What most people were looking forward to though was the opportunity to have their photo taken with one of the huge snakes (below) draped around their neck. I must have done such a thing five or six times before but still couldn’t resist the opportunity.

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After one of the best meals of the whole trip (made all the better for its incredible cheapness!) at a dining hall next to our hotel we went and met up with Will one night who eagle-eyed viewers may remember from my trip to England last Summer! He’s been living there since November and we met up for a few beers in the sophisticated surroundings of Nana!

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One morning with my other half lying in bed I went out alone in search of a few things. Firstly, I went to National Stadium station hoping to find the stadium where the Thailand national football team play. I took my photo (tripod and timer!) on the pitch (above) at what I thought was the correct place but in hindsight maybe the much bigger stadium next door is actually where they play!

After that I visited the hotel which was used for many scenes in ‘Only God Forgives‘ (2013) starring Ryan Gosling and Kristen Scott Thomas. On her arrival in Bangkok, following the death of Gosling’s on screen brother, she is seen checking in at the reception (below) of Emporium Suites (622 Sukhumvit Road) which is close to Phrom Phong BTS station on the Sukhumvit Line. Finding the reception area was a task in itself but once I located it it was instantly recognisable which isn’t too surprising for such a recent film!

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Back in Part VI of these travel tales we met up with Mostyn just before he shot off to Mumbai and Goa. His return to Bangkok also coincided with our time there and so we met up yet again along with my ex-colleague Dean who I finally got to meet up with after sending many mails back and forth to each other. He invited our ex-Principal Richard along too which was a surprise. Over the years our paths crossed a fair few times; most notably on Big Red Bus Day (2007) and an observation of an observation lesson in 2008. We had a great night out starting at Flann O’Briens Irish bar and finishing on Soi 4.

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SE Asia 2013/14 Pt IX: Muang Boran (Ancient Siam) In Bangkok (Thailand)

Posted on January 27, 2014 by tokyofox

The worlds largest open-air museum, formerly known as Ancient City, houses 120 duplications, reconstructions and creative designs to educate modern people about the history of the ancient Siam with the layout of the place supposedly corresponding pretty much to the shape of the Kingdom of Thailand.

I really wasn’t too sure about visiting this place but feeling the need to get out of the city centre for the day I decided that we’d take a day trip here. I’d located it on Google Maps beforehand and could see that it couldn’t be reached by train directly but the BTS train did go as far as Bearing from where we would take a taxi the rest of the journey (30km) and just hope that it was a reasonable price! As it was, it only cost 120BHT ($3.6) although the 500BHT ($15) entrance fee took me by surprise! Thats the same price as entering Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace in Bangkok!!

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The place was way bigger than I imagined (for I really didn’t know too much about the place prior to our visit) but free bicycles were thankfully provided and you can hire golf-carts too to get around the vast area where each of the monuments lies at its correct places geographically. Some of the buildings are scaled down whilst others are life-size replicas of existing or former sites constructed with the assistance of experts to ensure historical accuracy.

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I had an ulterior motive for visiting this place of course as the ninth James Bond film ‘The Man With The Golden Gun‘ (1974) as well as ‘The Hangover Part II‘ (2011) used the place for filming but you can read more about that as each movie will get its own separate entry on Tokyo Fox very soon. My Lonely Planet guidebook also reassured me that this was an architecturally sophisticated place rather than the kind of tacky replicas seen in Las Vegas for example. I tend to think its a blend of Nihon Minka-en in Kanagawa and Tobu World Square in Tochigi.

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Being able to cycle around the area was quite delightful as the place was fairly empty and of course free of all the exhaust fumes that are very much part and parcel of daily life in  the centre of Bangkok. There are too many places to go into detail on any of them but overall they was a great number of wide and diverse mix of constructions.

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The night before I saw on Facebook that my number one Chinese friend Yayu was in Thailand too and so I mailed her to see if meeting up was possible but with us relying  only on wi-fi (usually only available in our respective hotels) to access the internet I had pretty much given up on the idea. I guess you know what’s coming next though as why else would I mention this?!!

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We’d just left the place where we had had lunch (very nice, cheap and Thai style with no westernised restaurants in sight!!) at Floating Market when I heard my name called after cycling past two ladies who I didn’t recognise!! I was most shocked to see her and her Filipino friend Alain given how far we had come from the centre of Bangkok and all the attractions it has to offer there! Seems we’d all been at the same New Years Eve event in Chiang Mai but of were of course unaware of each others presence which was a shame but at least we did get to meet up in Thailand.

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The place is a photographers paradise with so many beautiful constructions in one place but of course there’s always that doubt in the back of your mind that its just not authentic enough.

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I’m quite surprised that more tourists don’t make their way down to this part of the country whilst they’re in Bangkok but I guess its never a priority and, due to the relative difficulty in reaching the place, it often gets left off one’s itinerary but I’d definitely recommend giving this place a day if you’ve done all the other major city sights.

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SE Asia 2013/14 Pt VIII: Tiger Kingdom In Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Posted on January 24, 2014 by tokyofox

When it comes to new experiences on a trip I think its fair to say they don’t come too more unique than what we encountered on one of our days in Chiang Mai.

Tiger Kingdom is located about 10km from Chiang Mai’s centre and on arrival in the car park you are given a card to keep with a three digit code on it. The reception area has machines displaying the options available, a counter where you actually choose the package you want and a checkout where you can finally pay!

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There are four different sizes of tigers; Smallest (2-4 months), Small (5-10 months), Medium (11-15 months) and Big (16-36 months) which unbelievably you can play with and touch whilst using your own camera to capture the moments. We opted for a package ticket of Big and Small which cost 840 BHT ($25); a bargain for such a priceless activity if you ask me. For the record, just one tiger costs 420-620 BHT depending on size and you can do all four for 1480 BHT ($45).

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Even without the hands-on aspect of the place its still pretty amazing that you can actually watch some of the tigers without there being a glass window in the way which is the usual style for viewing such animals in most zoo’s in the developed world. You can see a white tiger, a lion and a few other tigers and poke your camera through the fence to capture the animal well on photograph.

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The whole system seemed very efficient as outside the cages for each size tiger is a monitor displaying all the numbers of each visitor so can see how far down the list you are. We had to wait 45-60 minutes at the most to spend about 15 minutes with the small tigers followed not long after that by the big tigers for the same amount of time. It was all definitely worth the wait.

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The tigers are hand raised and trained and over time they are used to being around humans. Of course when you go in the cage there is a trainer with you who basically does whatever it takes for the consumer to get their photos which some like and some don’t!

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You’re told to approach the tiger from behind rather than head-on and to cuddle and stroke the big cats firmly which they find comfortable. However, gentle stroking is ticklish and irritating to the tigers, especially if they are sleeping which seems to be a very common activity for them! I’m told that some of them sleep up to 18 hours a day which of course leads many visitors to wonder, given their wild status, if they’ve maybe been drugged. Tigers daytime vision is supposedly similar to humans but their night vision is six times stronger and thats when they tend to hunt their prey meaning they’re more active at dusk which can explain why they’re sleeping in many of our pictures.

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I know I said in a recent post that the elephant adventure we went on just a couple of days prior to this one was great and it really was but to get up this close and personal with one of my favourite animals was absolutely awesome and something I never even realised was possible until I saw some friends pictures from this place a few years ago.

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I felt like young Pi; the Indian boy in ‘Life Of Pi‘ (2012) as we were allowed to rest and pose in all kinds of positions with the tigers not that such scenes ever happened in that movie or the book that it was adapted from!

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We were on a bit of a high after experiencing such an incredible thing and had lunch (yet another green curry for me!) in the Tiger Kingdom’s restaurant which overlooks the cages where you can see all the other tourists spending their time with the big tigers.

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SE Asia 2013/14 Pt VII: Elephant Training In Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Posted on January 21, 2014 by tokyofox

The elephant is the national symbol of Thailand and wherever you go you see them whether it be elephant souvenirs, stone elephants outside temples, posters of elephants being used to promote tours (even if they’re nothing to do with the animal!) and of course the ubiquitous bottles and cans of Chang beer. Chang is the Thai word for elephant which gave me an idiotic eureka moment! Of course it seems so obvious now!

Our first mission on arriving in Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand was to book an elephant tour for the following day which was New Years Eve. My first choice place was booked up for the next week so we chose another company called Jumbo Elephant Camp which was booked through ‘Kunt Tours‘ and believe it or not I didn’t actually notice that unfortunate name till we had stumped up the cash!

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One of the first stops was at Elephant Poopoopaper Park and yes you did read that correctly. This was a fun outdoor museum park where we learned all about how, as the name suggests,  elephant dung is used to make paper. Dye is added to the poo, made into balls and then spread out to form a sheet of paper which is then used to make greetings cards, postcards, notebooks and so on which can naturally all be bought in their gift shop otherwise known as “The Poo-tique!!” No, it didn’t smell at all and was an interesting warm-up to the main event which followed on.

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Once at the elephant nature park, 40km away from Chaing Mai, our tour party of six (an American family of four and us) met and fed the elephants before we had to change into special elephant trousers and bright yellow t-shirts. Our elephant training tour guide then ran us through the four short words and instructions needed to control the elephant which we put into practice on a short test-run albeit with a mahout (trainer) always on hand as reassurance.

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The keywords were as follows; Pai = Forward; How = stop; Toy = Backwards and Pe = Turn left or right *. This latter instruction decides the direction by way of how you use your stick on its head. For example, you tap the elephant on the opposite side of the head to the way you want to turn….or something like that! I wasn’t particularly accomplished at it but I knew that you really didn’t need to be!

* The spellings of these Thai words may not be correct!

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Following the short trial run, there were baskets of bananas waiting for us to feed to them. They generally took the fruit from our hands by way of curling their strong muscly trunks around the food but we could also just place the bananas directly into their mouths which was a pretty awesome thing to experience.

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As there were only four elephants, the American family went first on the main ride  whilst we had a very nice chicken and rice lunch. A while later and the roles were reversed and it was our turn to ride these huge animals through a jungle course which was immense although a bit nervy at times, given the high position at the front of the elephant in which you sit as well as the gradient of the landscape.

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The finale was the bathing of the elephants which was similar to what I did in Laos just over five years ago not that I can really recall that too well. This was great fun actually and needless to say we got a good soaking doing it all.

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Whilst it was my third time to ride an elephant it was my girlfriends first time to get up close and proper with the elephants and she found it an incredible experience. Its no wonder this is a such a popular thing for all travellers who make it to the north of the country.

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SE Asia 2013/14 Pt VI: Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Posted on January 18, 2014 by tokyofox

The curtain came down on our 2013 (and indeed 2014 began) in the lively mountain city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Our time in the city coincided with the Winter Fair around the Tha Phae Gate area, where we were staying, which was great as it meant there was an abundance of northern Thai food being sold and we spent two nights there sampling all sorts of things with each one only costing around a $1 each. I was keen to try Thai sausage (oo-er!) which was way spicier than I expected.

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During our time in Chiang Mai the sky was full of specially lit lanterns (above) every night, particularly New Years Eve, which many people were setting off whilst making a wish for the new year. This was actually something I had never seen and it was quite a spectacle to watch.

On New Years Day we did a walking tour of the town loosely based on yet another Lonely Planet walking tour; my third time on this trip to follow in the footsteps of the travel guidebook giants! First up was Wat Chedi Leung which proved to be an interesting start and not just for the appearance of the place. As much as the elephant sculptures (a mix of original and restored) were impressive the highlight was a young Thai girl who ran up to me saying “photo”. I just assumed she wanted me to take a picture of her and her friend but she wanted a picture with me! At the time I was wearing both my hat and glasses which I nearly always take off for photos but I decided to keep them both on as that was how she had spotted me and I didn’t want to risk her changing her mind once I’d removed them! Its not often I get called “cool” or “handsome” but this girl said so which made my day and my girlfriend was happy too as she was relieved to know she wasn’t the only one!

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Wat Phan Tao was pretty much next door and quite an interesting little temple in appearance with all its outside features like the little red umbrellas seen below.

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Continuing on down Ratchadamnoen Road via a lunch-stop we arrived at Wat Phra Singh which would be our final temple for the day. I think three Wat’s is enough for anyone in one day! This one was much busier and with the buddhist chanting being piped through speakers dotted around the place it wasn’t exactly a peaceful and tranquil place so we left.

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One of the quirkiest things to do in the city is visit Chiang Mai Womens Prison to receive a massage from a prisoner. Strange but true. However, the place was full when we got there so we sadly never had the chance to rub shoulders, or indeed have our shoulders and the rest of our body rubbed by a criminal.

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Anusawari Sam Kasat (Three Kings Monument) was pretty much next door and is a bit of a power spot for locals who could be seen leaving flower offerings at their bronze feet in the hope that they get blessed in some way by the three kings.

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After a fair bit of walking we treated ourselves to yet another ‘Dr Fish’ fish-spa as part of a package which also included a very nice foot massage.

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Before returning to Bangkok we checked off a few more Thai delicacies and walked around the night bazaar, just off Chang Klan Road, which was more of the same for me but I’m not a woman nor a shopping lover! In fact the majority of Thailand seems to just be one big open market!!

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Next: Elephant Training In Chiang Mai. Click here. 

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SE Asia 2013/14 Pt V: Bangkok (Thailand)

Posted on January 15, 2014 by tokyofox

After an absence of 5.5 years I was back in Thailand and it couldn’t have got off to a more un-cultured start! We met up with colleague and friend Mostyn mid-afternoon and after a spot of late-lunch the plan was for Mostyn and I (my girlfriend wanted to return to the hotel to relax for a bit longer) to go to Jim Thompson’s House (a famous attraction in Bangkok) but in the end we plumped for the Penis Shrine!!

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This is a small garden full of carved stone and wooden cocks surrounding a shrine at the back of the Nai Lert Park Hotel which is a short walk from Phloen Chit BTS station. Its not exactly easy to find and, despite having been there twice now, I still can’t pinpoint its location exactly. Its basically next to the river!

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We saw Mostyn again that evening (Boxing Day) along with friend and ex-colleague John (below), who has been living in Thailand for a few months now, for a night out on the lash (celebrating our big news as mentioned in Pt V) which started on Soi 4 and continued on to some other unknown places of ill repute in the Silom area. It was great to all be together again and good to catch up with John in such an exciting place and the fantastic mix of champagne, beer and yellow curry could certainly be felt the following morning!!

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William was the next colleague to be met the morning after the night before. Both of our hotels were very close to each other in Silom and we briefly met for a catch-up. We’d only worked together six days earlier but it was good to share our experiences of Thailand and so on whilst sitting amid the relative calmness of Lumpini Park which is so close to the madness of Silom but felt so much further away!

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After a quick lunch stop (above) at one of the city’s many cheap restaurants (approximately $1 for noodles!) we bid farewell to each other. He was returning to Japan later that night and my girlfriend and I were on our way to Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace, though more out of a felt obligation rather than a real desire to go there. I’d been there before but thought that she should see at least one or two of the famous temples in that same area as you surely can’t go to Bangkok and not view a few of its majestic temples can you?!!

This may have been my third time to visit this Thai mega-city but it was the first time that I really took responsibility for where we went. On my previous visits I mostly just followed Ethan (2008) and the group of people (2001) I was with on the programme stopping off en-route to Australia. Stop 9 on the Chao Phraya Express boat took us to Wat Phra Kaew (below) and the adjoining Grand Palace albeit in a rather long winded way! The boat was fine but after disembarking we must have missed the one entrance by a whisker meaning that we ended up circling the whole place before finally going in. I think the same happened in 2008 which resulted in Ethan and I inadvertently ending up in Wat Po next door which is a huge attraction in itself.

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It cost 500THB ($15) to enter and to be honest I wasn’t really feeling it due to the alcohol intake the night before and having done a huge temple complex only two days before in Myanmar. Wat Phra Kaew is Thailand’s most famous temple and though its main attraction; the Emerald Buddha, was very impressive I wasn’t too bothered about the rest of the place. Of course I took a few pictures though to include in this piece!

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Luckily our time in Bangkok coincided with the Chatuchak Weekend Market in the north of Bangkok which is a huge monstrous market selling just about everything under the sun. Ethan and I actually went here back in 2008 and we both enjoyed it despite not liking shopping! This time my girlfriend and I bought some stuff for our place and had a caricature done (below) which was exciting although I think the illustrator was maybe a bit too kind to us as our faces are not as thin as in the picture!

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Kao San Road (below) is probably the most famous backpackers hideout in the world and where we stayed last time. I wasn’t really planning on going there this time but when it came up in conversation a few days before my girlfriend seemed interested in seeing what it was all about and I thought it might be nice to see another side of Bangkok! It was quite strange being on this road, which is not too far from all the political demonstrations, and seeing absolutely everything displayed in English for the hundreds and hundreds of travellers who congregate in this area.

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Street food (above) was a staple part of our daily food intake and we had some great stuff at ridiculously low prices but we decided to splash out a bit more one night at a very popular restaurant in Silom. Now, I’m more than happy to just eat hawker food most of the time but its got to be said that the restaurant food we tried was absolutely lovely. I just wish we had communicated a bit more beforehand as we both chose some very spicy red curry dishes (below) to share along with a couple of other dishes.

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Next: Seeing in the New Year in Chiang Mai (Thailand) 

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SE Asia 2013/14 Pt IV: A Pressing Engagement In Yangon (Myanmar)

Posted on January 13, 2014 by tokyofox

As promised at the tail end of the last entry here then is the #BigNews of what happened during our time in Myanmar (formerly Burma). After eight years of world travel, movie locations, English teaching ideas, restaurant reviews and so on, there is finally an announcement on Tokyo Fox which may, just may interest some of my actual friends.

I proposed to my girlfriend on Christmas Day and she said yes!

That line should be enough to satisfy many people but for those wanting to know the details and the backstory, please read on…

A couple of days before we began our trip I went to buy her the engagement ring in Shinjuku. Now, I thought you could only get breakfast at Tiffany’s but it seems this store also sells rings! I’d been carrying this diamond ring (wrapped in bubble wrap and in a plastic bag tied up) with me for a few days; firstly in my big backpack in Malaysia and then in my little rucksack. Needless to say that I was a little nervous every time my girlfriend went in the rucksack at Shwedagaon Paya where at one stage she even took out the bag it was in and put it on the floor whilst applying some sun cream! I was planning to pop the big question at this stunning golden pagoda but it was all a bit too public for my liking…..and the fact that we had an argument didn’t help either!!

Not wanting to get interrupted by a vendor at a critical moment or for a local scoundrel to see me presenting an expensive diamond ring in public I decided that a different place would be more suitable and safer option not that I ever felt that Yangon was in any way a dangerous place.

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Back in our twin bed room (no bed sharing till after the wedding! haha!) at Agga Guest House a few hours later I was aware that we were soon going to be Skyping my folks and likewise for her parents so I thought it was best to hurry things along a bit so that we could announce the news then and there rather than having to try to get hold of them later on again in a country where wi-fi is not that common or reliable!

That Christmas morning I had woken and suddenly had the thought of whether to present her with the box (with the ring in it) or just the ring to which my googling of it didn’t help too much. Eventually I chose the former and so with not too much happening I told her to sit on the edge of the bed as I said I had something for her.

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As soon as I took the package out of the bag she shrieked with delight as she could see the green colour of the Tiffany’s box through the carrier bag and knew what was about to happen. The next few moments passed by in an instant as she excitedly unwrapped the ribbon and opened the box. I took out the ring, went down on one knee and said “Kekkon shite kudasai which is the Japanese equivalent of “Will you marry me?’ although in reality its more like “Lets get married”.

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To mark the occasion I cracked open a warm can of ‘Myanmar Beer’ and cheesily played the ‘Diamonds Are Forever‘ 007 theme by Shirley Bassey and moments later we were relaying the news on Skype to our parents one after the other.

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To celebrate the good news we went out for dinner in style! First of all we took the cheapest, dirtiest local bus down to Sule Pagoda (it was the only place/landmark I could think of to say!) and the young bus conductor couldn’t have been more helpful in looking after us. Of course I already knew exactly where our destination was but as we were only communicating via body language I decided to just let it be.

Motorcycles are outlawed in Yangon so these packed local buses are often the way to travel around. After a walk around town we ended up back on 19th street where we had been the previous night. Time for another barbecue on the streets where you put your skewers of meat, fish and vegetables in a basket and they then cook them for you. All this was washed down with a few Myanmar Beer’s (coke for her!) and we briefly practiced the kind of kissing sound you have to make to attract the waiters attention each time. Don’t try that in the western world!!

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That was it for our short time in Myanmar’s capital but it was most definitely a case of it being Yan-gone but not forgotten!!

Next: Moving on to Bangkok

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SE Asia 2013/14 Pt III: Christmas Day In Yangon (Myanmar)

Posted on January 10, 2014 by tokyofox

It’s not every day that one visits Myanmar so I think it merits a further entry to accompany the previous one which you can read here. Christmas Day began for us in capital city Yangon with mohinga; a traditional Myanmar breakfast of thin rice noodles mixed with thick fish soup, roasted chilli powder, a squeezed lemon, fish sauce and coriander. All very different from what I’d normally have on Christmas morning which is often nothing due to the hangover from the previous nights shenanigans!!

The home of Aung San Suu Kyi (below) by Inya Lake on University Avenue Road was our first stop that morning for what should have been a straight forward taxi ride ($3) but trying to communicate that to the driver was another thing! Eventually after a few u-turns here and there it was located. Of course its just a gate and not too much more than that but a couple of years ago the only way you could photograph this place was from driving by. This place is one of such historical importance and I was very pleased to stand outside it. Suu Kyi spent about 15 years of her life under house arrest by the military before being released in 2010.

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Despite the ineptness of the driver we decided to persevere with him as he couldn’t fail to get us to Shwedagon Paya (below) which is certainly the number one tourist attraction in Yangon. This huge 2500 year old buddhist pagoda is the spiritual home of Goldmember of Austin Powers movie fame!! The compound was a palace of glittering delights and an awesome sight albeit a slightly overwhelming one for me as I felt I could never truly appreciate all the buildings and the fine detail of each one.

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We continued on to find Happy World (below) nearby which is a place I knew about thanks to the excellent RocketNews24 website. I naturally assumed that it was a theme park with rides and so on but after paying the 20 cents entrance we found out that it was nothing more than a game centre! As it was the entrance fee was a waste of money but better to know than not know what was inside! The highlight for me was seeing the puny and wimpy looking Batman statue outside the place.

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We then tucked into the Christmas turkey for lunch and pulled a couple of crackers! Of course thats not true but we did have a meal outside Happy World before taking a taxi back to central Yangon and the port area (below) which was an area I was curious to see not that there actually was much action going on down there!

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Next: A Pressing Engagement In Yangon (Myanmar) 

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SE Asia 2013/14 Pt II: Two Nights In Yangon (Myanmar)

Posted on January 6, 2014 by tokyofox

The original idea was to fly from Kuala Lumpur into Yangon and then book the next flight up north but when it came to that next stage the availability of those flights was non-existent so I thought it better to fly from there to Bangkok and then come back to Myanmar a few days later. However, that possibility eventually eroded away as times didn’t match up and the schedule would be a bit too punishing….even by my standards. So with all that in mind it became clear that our time in Myanmar would unfortunately be very short and certainly not what I had in mind when first planning things.

In fact, the time spent going to the embassy in Tokyo took about as much time as we were there but that wasn’t gonna stop us from getting the most out of it. I’ve had my heart set on going there for quite a while now and really enjoyed watching all the various films ‘set’ in Myanmar beforehand for the On Screen series on this site not that that did too much too put one’s mind at ease before descending on the capital city in a country which has suffered so much in the past.

We arrived on Christmas eve and took a taxi from the airport to our guest house which was easy enough and was a pre-paid one done before exiting the terminal. Before that I had to exchange some yen to the local currency kwat which made me seem like a millionaire once the bundles of 1000 kwat ($1) notes (no coins in Myanmar) had been handed over which were so thick that I could only really keep them in my bag.

One of the reasons I wanted to travel to Myanmar is the unknown factor and I was quite surprised at what was to come. Sule Pagoda is the golden clump temple in the middle of a roundabout thats the brightest thing in a very, very dark city. This was our focal point for taking a walk down Maha Bandoola Road on what I thought would be a fairly straight-forward route. Although it was, there was far more to it as the pavements are packed full of vendors, stalls and shops extending out on to the street

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Most people in Myanmar, especially women and young kids, wear thanaka which is the make-up you can see on some locals in my photos. Its one of the most noticeable things for any new arrivals and it comes from tree barl and eventually becomes a soothing, cooling cream that feels both refreshing and smells nice too. I believe its good for protecting the skin from the sun and is seen as fashionable too but please don’t quote me on that as I’m probably wrong!

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Low plastic stools and tables provided most eating places. No picture menu’s here and rarely any English too as the signs were of course only in the local language. Back to basics and the good old fashioned way of body language and pointing in particular to get what you want!

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One thing that did keep popping up were tables with the old-fashioned telephones on them which I can only assume is some kind of pay phone system which is a little strange given that most people seemed to have mobile phones anyway. We eventually stumbled upon 19th Street which I found out later is the hottest street for nightlife in Yangon and a thriving place full of restaurants and bars selling barbecued food and cold beer.

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The following evening I took us on the Lonely Planet walking tour of Yangon having not really learned my lesson from doing their tour of Little India in Kuala Lumpur! Can’t say I’ve ever been to enthralled by such excursions but they give me something to focus on. This one was quite interesting for me though as it included the Strand Hotel, Customs House and a few other crumbling, fading British colonial Yangon buildings and places offering a slice of Asia that time has forgotten. I wanted to have a drink in the Strand Hotel (below), which opened in 1901, but with daylight running out I wanted to complete part of the tour before dark when the photos would not look so good due to the lack of street lighting which requires your eyes to adjust to the darkness as soon as possible.

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My girlfriend and I both loved our time in a country that has been hidden away for far too long. Of course our trip was way too short but I felt privileged to catch a glimpse of how things work in this wonderful country and though communication with the locals wasn’t always easy, we found them to be so nice, helpful and honest in ways I could never have imagined. Long may that continue and we both hope to return to travel to other parts of Myanmar one day to see how the country has further developed.

Next: Aung San Suu Kyi house, Shwedagon Pagaoda and Happy World! Click here

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