Ideas for unique Asian travel that did not pan out.

[aging one]

During our travels here in Asia I am sure many of us have come up with a great idea for travelling around. My second trip here about 35 years ago I had the great idea of travelling from Medan Sumatra to Jakarta, Java Indonesia.

After a lot of searching, there was no internet, I came up with the great idea of a "better cabin" on a Pelni ship. I should have gotten off upon getting on. But by the time we made our way to the cabin we were under way. Wasnt much we could do then.




Suffice it to say it was a few days of grinning and bearing it, while running to the shitter. Sadly my photos of back then were lost in the Oakland fires of years ago. But this is roughly what it was like. I know there are some great tales out there as in reality I was not the real hard core back packer.

The routes of Pelni.



The ships Circa 1975-1985

50% was reserved for cargo back then, no containers.

3rd class, on the deck 95% of the passengers including most of the travellers rode this way, even with a cabin it was just dirt cheap. It is the peoples way around the Indonesian Islands.




I learned my lesson that long ago though.

So lets hear more tales.

[Mid]

I've done Pelni , Jakarta - Padang ...... deck class .

Fish heads and rice was the crusine

[aging one]

Did you do it again is the big question? Glad to have to aboard mate...

[Mid]

Would I do it again ? If I had to I could .

[Mid]

[sabang]

South America, I'm afraid. Andes, 1989- the train ride from Calama, in the Atacama desert in Chile, to Uyuni in Bolivia, high in the altiplano, and next to the salt flats- the largest in the world. Oh boy.

The train was a real bone rattler, most windows smashed, none that you could open or close, wooden seats of course. And the night, as we slowly proceeded up the Andean face, absolutely bone chilling. Seriously, it near killed me and my travelmate- in fact, by the time we got to the Bolivian border, he seemed close to delirium. The other passengers had sleeping bags to keep them warm- s'pose we hadn't done our homework, but even they were shivering. Then it pulled into sidings at the border, dawn had broken, and we waited. And waited, for about four hours. Now, it was absolutely bloody boiling hot, and the sun up there is as fierce as fek- jeez, what harsh country. It took about three hours before I could feel my feet again.

By the time we got to Uyuni, we were basically dead on our feet. Our intention had been to proceed onward to Potosi, but no flaming way. We got a room there, in this dusty, barren one horse town. That's how we discovered the Uyuni salt flats actually, which have become quite a tourist attraction since. Uyuni has gone up in the world too- heck, it even has a coat of paint and some sealed roads now. But damn, it was a barren, impoversihed place back then- and all there was to eat was two kinds of gruel, and stringy, dry grilled llama meat. And beer, by way of recompense.

Wouldn't swap it for the world though- 'cus we made it. but damn, never again.

[Marmite the Dog]

I once flew Air France non-stop from Paris to Bangkok.

Never again...

[armstrong]

a mini van from kohpanngan (sp?) to Bangkok. Driver was obviously fucked and the van kept veering off the road but we stupidly plied on. He ran out of gas halfway too... a horrible few hours.

not very exciting i know.. but the best i've got...

[reinvented]

luang prabang to vientiane 13 hours on a tobacco truck; was sat at the back and hunched forward all the way; 1998
torture
posture never been the same since

[nidhogg]

I once flew Air France non-stop from Paris to Bangkok.

Never again...

One of the last "decent" (meh) airlines to allow smoking on board. They had two areas at the back where you could smoke under some funnel shaped - thingy - .

I flew them many times till they too caved.....

[Malcom]

luang prabang to vientiane 13 hours on a tobacco truck; was sat at the back and hunched forward all the way; 1998
torture
posture never been the same since

Yeah, but now being able to deep-throat yourself is quite a party trick.

[Norton]

Cruised to every one of the black dots above from Dong Ha south. Many times.

Started here and went south. Stopped along the way for several river tours. Quite an adventure. Very exciting.

Cua Viet - Dong Ha



All done on one of these fine sea worthy vessels.



Does this count as a unique Asian travel experience that did not pan out?

[aging one]

It sure as fuck does, have you met Davis?

[Norton]

have you met Davis?

May have but don't know. We did some taxi service for spooks. They didn't talk much. Unfriendly bunch.

[Kurgen]

I've done 2 months off shore on worse you pussies.

[The Ghost Of The Moog]

Long tail boat, 11 hours from Luang Prabang to Vientiane on the Mekhong river in 2004.

[Davis Knowlton]

In 1977, I was working in Colombo, Sri Lanka. On a whim, I decided to take the third class train from Colombo to Madras, India. So, off I went, riding on top of a very sooty train car, heading from Colombo to Jaffna. Arrived in Jaffna the next day, sweaty, black from soot, and exhausted, only to find out that the ferry across the Palk Straits didn't leave for 12 hours. Found something that approximated food, and slept on the dock. Ferry finally left, loaded to about four times capacity. Great confusion at Indian immigration as, per their book, the last foreigner to enter there had been in 1956.

Finally sorted, and 6 hours later, finally caught a train heading in the correct general direction. Train stopped at every town or cattle crossing, but we finally made Madras the next day. A long, uncomfortable trip, but an interesting one.

[Bettyboo]

I can't compete with you gents, but...

I've done the transMongolian a couple of times (about 36 hours between Ulaan Bataar and Beijing); first class was nice; cattle class with the Chinese was horrible - it was during SARS and the train was stopped by the Chinese army so doctors could come on and test everyone (they all wore full chemical suits) - SARS had been kept quiet at the time, so I wasn't expecting the chemically suited lot with AK47s.

Going out of Beijing, through the mountains, early in the morning is great. Stopping at the border, the train is picked up and the wheels are changed, then the train is put down on the new gauge tracks - passengers still on board, woken up at around 1am for the fun of it all, takes a couple of hours.

The Mongolian steppe is, errm, as you'd expect. Interesting tip.

[sabang]

The suicide run from the border crossing near Alor Setar to Had Yai was my first experience of Thailand, 1982. Big vietnam era V8 yank tanks, now taxi's. Pack as many backpackers in as possible, sardine can style, put yer foot down and Go. Cannonball run on steroids. Ours was an ex-automatic, now jerry rigged to be a manual, 6.7 litre or close. Those guys were insane, playing chicken with buses, trucks, each other, even chickens. What a white knuckle ride- but lived to tell the tale.

[briansk]

luang prabang to vientiane 13 hours on a tobacco truck; was sat at the back and hunched forward all the way; 1998
torture
posture never been the same since

Same year in the opposite direction - driver came off the road - locals with guns turned up, offered a truck for quite a high price - dumb swedish girls haggling aggressively nearly got us killed

[aging one]

My second trip here some travelling companions talked me into going to Mae Hong Son and finding real working elephants, we eventually did, but it was hard going. 8 hours back from wherever we were in the jungle to town in the back of this charcoal truck. Fine dirt 5 inches deep, a long ride and a set of dirty lungs.

[MissTraveller]

^Cool pic, and thread ao!

I spent six weeks in Thailand, and a month in each Cambodia and Vietnam. Did a four month tour of all three countries. Took a plane from Seoul to Bangkok and then flew Air Asia to Hanoi. I then took a train along the coast stopping along the way, but ending up in Hoi An. Also took a train up to Sapa (night sleeper, big mistake cause it was delayed), and then took a motorbike up north from there to see Fansipan the highest mountain in Vietnam. The scenery was stunning! I then took the train back to Hanoi. I then took a bus over to Cambodia. Started in Siem Reap, and did Angkor Wat. I then took the bus to Phnom Penh, spent a fair amount of time there and then took a bus to Sihanoukville for a beach rest. I then took the bus back to Phnom Penh. Then bus back to Bangkok. I then took the train north to Ayutthaya and also south and took a bus south to Kanchanaburi. I ended up seeing a lot and spent quite a bit of time in each place. The best trip I ever had in fact. This was back in 2008.

[Wayne Kerr]

Bangka-Belitung Islands between West Kalimantan in east and Batam & Singapore to the west ... forgot about them fires to burn forest for palm oil production ... the smoke got us stuck on there for a few weeks and ended up 'paying' for a flight out on an old Indo air force Hercules and was shitting pineapples as I knew the pilot had no idea where he was going through the smoke

[chassamui]

Does this count as a unique Asian travel experience that did not pan out

You should put it on trip advisor.

I had booked a safari in the Masai Mara and we were due to go from Mombasa by landrover. The night before, several roads were washed out by floods and the agent arranged for us to go by air instead.

The plane was an ancient twin prop freighter with an assortment of old bus seats and mixed lounge furniture, screwed or nailed to the floor. Other passengers included chicken, goats and small mammals.
The rivets shook violently during take off and landing. Quite an experience.

[Latindancer]

old bus seats and mixed lounge furniture, screwed or nailed to the floor.

Jesus !

A few years ago, a Nigerian plane landed at Heathrow but they didn't let it take off again until they had fixed the captain's seat.....which had been held in place with rope.