In Search of a Legend

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1483560456/papa-santiago-three-artists-in-search-of-a-legend

Are you interested in literature, religion, culture, art? Or maybe you just want to see Doc get killed in the running of the bulls? Well then, with 25 days to go...check out this documentary film project on Kickstarter and lend your support 

With Mark Freear, Serge Huot, David Dagley, and Brett Smith.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1483560456/papa-santiago-three-artists-in-search-of-a-legend

Khone Pha Pheng Waterfall

Khone Phapheng Waterfall

When I arrived on the shore of Don Khone I had never really heard of it or done any research on it. I usually do it the other way around, show up and find out, especially in this case because I hadn’t planned on coming here in the first place. I landed on this island because the island Don Khoung was one and one half hours away by boat. And that’s when you find the unexpected cool stuff.

When I pulled into Somphamit Guest House for 50,000 kip/night and a bungalow on the Mekong I thought to myself, ‘self, you are going to like it here.’ My neighbors are journalists from Viet Nam and spoke English. With brief greetings we got to chat about the area and they were headed to the Khone Pra Pheng waterfall the next day and she was bargaining a price with the kind gentleman that owns the place. The more the merrier and they invited me to join them because it also brings the cost down per person. I agreed and explained that there were some Brits that might want to come as well and that I would talk to them.

I decided to take a look around the riverside village and inroads. I took a very hot walk though what I thought to be the center of the island on a narrow road. After an hour walking in the sun through dry rice fields and water buffalo I was thoroughly drenched in sweat. On my return I crossed paths with the two Brits and told them of a loose plan for the next day if they were interested. They said yes and off I went to shower and change into something not so wet.

8 o’clock came around a little earlier than I would have liked but the game was a foot and we had our numbers up to 10 so with a little negotiating we got our cost for a boat ride back to the port and a mini van to take us to Khone Pra Pheng and back for 30,000 kip. It’s about an hour each way and an hour or two at the falls exploring.

These are the falls that stopped the colonial French in their tracks trying to find a navigational passage into western China as a trade route. The French were convinced it could be done and continued to push on ward. The French found that much of the Mekong River is transport worthy but these falls are not. The Mekong for the most part is a calm and languid river that silently pushes down to the sea but here at the falls the Mekong is constricted and roaring with turbulence and power. Khone Prapheng falls are approximately 1 kilometer across and up to around 15 meters high. I would suggest turbine power for an additional electricity source, but hey, I'm just a wanderer.

When we got back to Don Khone (Island), I joined on a bike ride to the south end to see the Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong. Apparently they hang out in a particular area but we had a problem paying 25,000 kip to pass under a bridge that the locals don’t pay for, just foreigners; that made us choose another path. I told the now five Brits of my walk the day before and we went down the road with no payment. To rent a bike it’s about 10,000 kip but two people can bargain down to 15,000 kip for two bikes as we did.

About 3 kilometers down the dirt road we came across a sign that pointed off to a restaurant, suspension bridge and a series of waterfalls and pools where fishermen did their thing and we did ours. There were 6 beers in the cold box and there were 6 of us. We sat on the balcony and played with the owners little daughter. After awhile we decided to head back to town and go for a swim in the Mekong River.

A quick change of clothes, cocktail hour, dinner, and a torrential down pour finished off our evening. The lights went out frequently as we had just ordered food and drink and the candles came out. The lightening and thunder kept us entertained until it was time to get home. The road had ankle deep water in it and the only light was from the intermittent lightening. The sound of wind and heavy rain filled our ears for the night and slept like babes with a full day under our belt.

www.davidcdagley.com

Vientiane to 4,000 Islands

I pulled out of Kata Beach in a cab around noon for a flight at 2 pm. It takes about 45 minutes from the south end of Phuket to the International Airport. It was a sorrowful drive with Kings of Leon and earphones. I flew back to Udon Thani and considered a night in town but chose to go to Friendship Bridge and carry on as loosely as I can plan. I ended up crossing the bridge and grabbing a very nice cab driver that felt the need of a stop at the store and get a beer. I thought that was an excellent idea, I even bought him one, if it keeps his concentration on a particular plane.

As we drove I recognized things and then realized I had past my destination. He pulled a U-turn and off we went back the other way. The Friendship Bridge is south of Vientiane; I thought it was north so there were some small difficulties to overcome but with beer anything can be accomplished. J He dropped me off and I scurried through the dark back to what I know and to a house on the Mekong River that I know. The gate was locked and they knew I was coming. I whistled and the gate was opened. All’s well, they didn’t think I’d make it but then again they should have known better.

We spent four days with little Will, two week old baby, and caught up with Will senior and ran into the past for that’s where we know each other best. We watched the Mekong from reclined positions and local Lao food and family. After four days of R&R I hit the 5am taxi to the airport and headed south to Pakse, Lao that I unfortunately missed before. I don’t have a lot of time here but some is going to have to do. I can always come back, and will.

Once in Pakse Airport I asked for a taxi to the southern bus station for either the Tourist bus or a blue taxi truck at 60,000 kip, $7.50 USD, to take me 3 hours to the Mekong and I would sort out my trip into 4,000 Islands. I hadn’t a clue and that’s exactly how I like it. I’m not one to read travel books; it takes all the fun out of it. I am more of a social worker, meet people and talk or introduce myself and just scuff along. On the blue taxi were two from ladies from Wales and one born in Britain and now living in Spain. Great trio, will probably cross their path again by accident and with a smile. At the end of the line we got out and looked for the Mekong River. I had loose intensions of going to Don Khoung but I was dropped off a little south and grabbed onto the three’s coat tails and crossed to Somphamit Guest House, Bane Donekhone, Khong District, Champasak Province Bane. Okay, so I’m on an island in the middle of the Mekong River at high summer, low water. Some of the photos I have show a 15 foot drop from rainy season to now. But now that I am where I am I’ve decided to stay for a few days. I don’t have a lot of time due to a friendship emergency in Bangkok. I want to be there for people when they are in need of me; she’s there and I’m on my way. She’s under the knife the day after I get there.

For now I’ve got a few days of uncluttered exploring. THE waterfall, Khone Pha Pheng, is coming tomorrow; its said to be the biggest in South East Asia, oh, did I say it’s on the Mekong and the French tried to find a way past it for a really long time of exploration to no avail. Sorry boys dynamite was not the answer, nor portaging really a consideration. The waterfall is 1 kilometer wide and drops 15 meters.

All the foreigners here are terrified of Malaria and Dinghy fever, well I’m from California but have been living in Alaska long enough to know what cold is and so forth. Everyday at this time of year in South East Asia is a sweating contest. You don’t have to move and it will come and you win, it’s like breaking a fever every day and you must drink water . . , or beer. It is not Malaria season and Dinghy is always present primarily by mosquito.

www.davidcdagley.com

Phuket to Koh Phi Phi

Phuket to Koh Phi Phi

I boarded a taxi van from my Garden House Hotel and the driver drove me to the pier near Phuket town and it took about an hour and one half to get to Koh Phi Phi. Inside the boat people slept, read books, listened to music, played on their ever-present phones and chatted with friends. On the outside above deck people sat half in the sun and cooled by the breeze. Beer was flowing on the upper deck. I chatted with a couple women from England, a guy from Italy, a couple from Australia and we had a quick and painless ride to Koh Phi Phi.

I didn’t have any reservations for a place to stay but during slow season you really don’t need one. I pulled into a travel agency and got all my questions answered and a man showed up with a push cart and a few of us loaded our bags into it and we followed the man to where we ere staying, The Mountain View. It seemed like the furthest away but the views were great of the bay and nighttime entertainment on the beach.

I was only planning on staying a couple days so I had to make the most of it. Of course I walked the beach at night where people played with fire, slack lined, juggled, sprayed flames into the night sky, and spun sparks all under an electronic throb of music. Each bar has it’s own ways and means of getting people to sit and watch the entertainment and the place still seemed packed with people, even in the off season. Of course the crowd is half my age and can wake up after 4 hours and start all over again. I don’t fit into that category anymore.

I took an evening snorkeling trip with about thirty other tourists all with smiles and a beer in their hand. It was 100 degrees again direct sunlight is to be avoided for long periods of time. You WILL burn. We saw monkeys playing on the limestone cliffs, snorkeled in blue clear water, jumped off the boat, walked through jungle to small empty beaches, had a simple dinner on the boat and watched the sunset. Everybody chose to meet at one Banana Bar which would really make a bartenders night.

Koh Phi Phi has fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, boxing and training, boat tours of the neighboring islands and beaches, etc. During the day people are pretty scarce due to the heat but when the sun goes down everybody converges on the beach for a multitude of parties and entertainment.

My hotel had a pool that over looked the bay and beach so even at night one could stay in the fray and have a good time watching from afar with a beer of other refreshment in hand.

A relaxing breakfast with bag packed I returned to Phuket for a brief tour up to the big Buddha that watches over the southern half of the island. From Kata Beach it’s about 45 minutes to the top, from Phuket town its 30 minutes and worth a visit on a clear day.

Tomorrow I cross the Friendship Bridge back into Lao via Udon Thani to Vientiane. The bus takes about an hour to get to the border. $35 bucks for a visa and have exact change, because they give back nothing, just something to keep in mind.

www.davidcdagley.com

Phuket and the Water Festival (Songkran)

Udon Thani to Phuket 

After Li’l Will’s birth in Udon Thani, I arranged a flight to Phuket. I figured I’d take twelve days and have a look around. I’ve heard good and bad things about Phuket and it has been a few years since I had been this way. My flight was late in the day and I would arrive after dark at the Phuket International Airport. The airport is at the north end of Thailand’s biggest island and most of the beaches are on the west coast.

On arrival in Phuket I had some transportation options to get south, public bus, group van, or a taxi. I chose a taxi because it was the quickest but also the most expensive. I went straight to Patong Beach where Bikers Week 2014 was going to begin the following day. The taxi driver didn’t speak much English but I got it across to him that I didn’t have a hotel reservation and I told him approximately how much I wanted to spend and he made a few calls and got me a reservation at a rather new hotel out of the party zone which is always a good thing in Thailand. It took about 45 minutes for the driver to arrive at A.T. (9) Resortel 46/34 Soi Khlongbangwat, Pisitkorranee Rd. Patong, Kathu, Phuket. Tel: 081-538-6535. For 700 baht/ night I stayed two nights. The room was immaculate and the hotel staff are very helpful. Patong Beach shares a stretch of white sand coastline with Kalim beach.

Patong Beach has a lot of activities, as do many of the other beaches, snorkeling, fishing, and parasailing behind a speedboat, water skiing, kayaking and more. The beach is lined with umbrellas and beach chairs. At this time of the year the temperature and the sun are relentless. It is around 100 degrees in the shade.

As the night approached I found the Bike Week Festival grounds and wandered through as the crew set up the stage speakers and booths for the first evenings entertainment of ethnic and local dancers. 

People came from all over the world representing different clubs and everyone had a great time. I went home rather early and played pictures on the computer. My camera at night is not the best and I don’t like using the flash at all, natural light or none at all. Lots of bikes came to represent.

As Patong was filling up with people for Bike Week I decided to move down the coast to a little quieter spot for Thailand’s Songkran Water Festival. HA! The festival is foremost for the blessing of water (rains) to come but it’s also for social tension relief, anybody can throw water at those that may have agitated them in the past or just a pair of tourists in the right place at the wrong time. Good thing no one is allergic to water. I took a motorcycle taxi over the hill to Karon Beach for 200 baht and a half hour later road into the Pineapple Guesthouse and Café. 291/4 Patak Rd. www.pineapplephuket.com. Rooms have aircon/TV/refrigerator and comfortable beds. The owner suggested I stay at least two nights because no one will be working the following day. Not pressed just yet, I said okay and toured the local area and ended up at a street alley bar and playing with the boys and girls that were warming up their water guns on un-expecting tourists and locals alike. I bought a water gun for a boy that didn’t have one and was the focus of the other children having fun. Things changed after that and then a young European boy joined the battle oh and did he get wet. After getting completely soaked myself by the kids in the alley I went back to the Pineapple Guesthouse and changed for the evening festival and left the kids while reloading their water guns.

The motorcycle festival rumbled over the hill to the sound of Harley Davidson thunder and others in droves all before the bands began in Patong. Karon Beach has it’s own little secrets to explore all the while being pelted with water and characters. Karon has many musical venues playing everything from local Thai to western guests.

The day of Songkran (Happy New Year) has traditionally been an astrological calculation that is now rather fixed between the 13^th and 15^th of April. Chiang Mai folks cherish a week of Songkran where other parts of the nation tone it down a little but still recognize a holiday when they see it and they accept. Here on Phuket Island the holiday is anywhere between 1-3 days.

I went for a swim and a long walk down the beach to the quiet end to the north and swam and snorkeled along the rocks and cliff. There were lots of fish and the water was clear.

On my return by road I saw stations where people were throwing water at passing trucks full of drenched people with a vat of water they were throwing water out of. Even in 100 degree (40 C) heat the road stayed wet as did anybody on the road. Music blared out of the boot of a car set up for this very event.

I returned to the Pineapple early evening to change cloths and head out for something to eat and stopped by the alley bar for a quick beer and ran into an English woman sitting with some German motorcyclists. We got to chatting and she joined me for dinner. She too was soaking wet. Everything was wet, money, flip-flops, shorts, shirt, the lot. Everyone had a great time.

The next day I moved to Kata beach which is said to have really good diving and diving instruction but when I asked how much, it was double the price as Koh Tao so that means I’ve got to try it again before I blast off to England. Kata Beach is a little smaller but also busy with tourists but I stayed off the beach and party zone in a beautiful hotel called Garden Home. www.phuketgardenhome.com. It was cheap with clean rooms and a pool.

I didn’t swim so much in the ocean at this beach because of the pool but I am a sucker for a late night swim in the ocean. From here I went to Koh Phi Phi.

www.davidcdagley.com