Around The World With Buadhai -- 1977

[buadhai]

My memory is a little vague on these last few countries. So, if any of you spot any errors or think things need clarifying, please post or PM me.

TIA

[diaw]

They say that Dengue fever can be pretty terrible. Did you manage get some treatment for it, or just sweat it out?

[buadhai]

They say that Dengue fever can be pretty terrible. Did you manage get some treatment for it, or just sweat it out?

I just sweated it out. The worst part lasted a week and then I had another week of aches, fever, and sores in the mouth. I did get some "moxibustion"
treatments by an acupuncturist in Hong Kong, but that was at the tail end of the illness.

The Balinese authorities had warned people that Dengue was endemic to what used to be the swampy area just adjacent to Legian beach. But, as a fearless youth thinking that this couldn't happen to me I went and stayed there anyway. (That swampy area has long since been filled in and commercialized.)

I caught Dengue again last June in Surin. A buddy of mine and I stupidly left his car windows open all night. When we got in the car that morning we each got dozens of mosquito bites. One of the ones that bit me was infected and I was miserably ill again for ten days.

It is said that getting Dengue a second time can result in the hemorrhagic variety which is often fatal, but that didn't happen to me.

[diaw]

Thanks, buadhai... I'd heard really bad things about Dengue, particularly in Thailand - although, funnily-enough, many locals don't seem to know much about it.

[Propagator]

My memory is a little vague on these last few countries. So, if any of you spot any errors or think things need clarifying, please post or PM me.

Not sure if the pictures of Repulse Bay are correct. Repulse Bay was well developed in the early sixties - spent many a drunken day there sun bathing and viewing the eye candy.

Repulse Bay 2002



Another view of Jumbo Restaurant



Unfortunately I lost all the photos I took in the 60s

[buadhai]

Not sure if the pictures of Repulse Bay are correct.

Any ideas then? I'm sure it's Hong Kong island as I didn't visit any place else, but I have no idea where it could be....

Anyone?

[buadhai]

Macau had some of the neatest colonial architecture. I loved just walking the streets. Back then it was sort of a backwater compared to Hong Kong. Run down and a little shabby; but quite intriguing.


As you can see the streets were almost devoid of vehicles; especially compared with busy Hong Kong.


The rice fields behind me are in Mainland China. You could walk up to this overlook if you wanted a peek at "Red" China.


I didn't have the guts to eat any of these, but they made a nice photo.


Macau harbor.

[buadhai]

Some more funky buildings in Macau.








Macau Harbor


Another view into mainland China from Macau.

[Propagator]

Any ideas then?

Possibly Stanley or another Bay before you reached Repulse.

The old Star Ferry, about the only thing in Hong Kong that has not changed since I was there - apart from a new coat of paint



The Macau pictures bring back memories.

[buadhai]

Possibly Stanley or another Bay before you reached Repulse.

I agree. I had a look at a map and think you're right. Those photos were probably taken from Stanley Road or that vicinity.

[buadhai]

Nice baskets.


I was surprised to see these portraits of Mao Tse Tung and Cho En Lai in Macao which was still a colony of Portugal.


Macau harbor.


Fish drying at Macau harbor.


The Bella Vista hotel was once one of the grand hotels of Asia. By 1977 it had been allowed to deteriorate and served mainly as a hostel for budget travelers like myself. Still, the rooms were OK, the place had a wonderful view which I'm enjoying here with my bottle of Portuguese Rose, hunk of cheese and crusty bread.

The hotel is now the residence of The Portuguese Consulate General.

[buadhai]

Bridge over the Pearl River.


View from The Hotel Bella Vista.


Plumeria, Macau.


Made by preserving eggs in a mixture of alkaline soil and rice straw for several weeks.


The Bella Vista is the green building on the left.

From Macau I returned to Hong Kong and then flew on to Tokyo, Japan.

[buadhai]

Route Map

I flew from Hong Kong to the old Tokyo International airport at Haneda and took the monorail into town. Since I had a Japan Rail Pass I decided to get moving. First I went down to Nagoya to visit a friend and took a side trip to Kyoto. Then I headed all the way up north and spent almost two weeks touring the island of Hokkaido. Then it was back to Tokyo and on to Korea.


This is the famous rock garden at the Ryoan-ji Zen temple in Kyoto.


Kinkaku-ji, the Gold Pavilion. One of the buildings in the Rokuon-ji (Deer Garden Temple) in Kyoto. Covered with pure gold leaf. The original of this structure dates from the 13th century, but was burned down by a deranged monk in the 1950's and rebuilt. The building houses relic


Anyone know this temple in Kyoto?


Temple gate, Kyoto.


Katsura Imperial Villa, Kyoto

[buadhai]

Aomori Bay. took the bullet train (Shinkansen) from Kyoto to Tokyo and then an ordinary overnight train from Tokyo to the northern port city of Aomori. From Aomori I took a ferry to the port city of Hokkaido, Hakodate. Now that the Sein Tunnel is open this ferry service no longer exists.


The ferry across the straight here took about four hours. There was lots of floor space to crash out on and the typical amusements.


I spent my first night in Sapporo. It was freezing cold. I spent most of my time in Sapporo in the underground shopping centers they have. This is a pretty typical room in an inexpensive Japanese travelers inn or Minshuku. Your get a three or four tatami mat room, a fold-up foam mattress, a nice thick comforter and a pillow that has barley seeds or something like that in it. The room usually includes hot water and greet tea. Meals are ordinarily extra. I'm not suer why this was served in my room. Note the heater. Wonder what that did to the oxygen and carbon monoxide levels in the room?


Hokkaido is a beautiful place. It doesn't look anything like the rest of Japan. In fact, you could imagine that you're in the American northwest or even Alaska.

I liked the place so much I decided to apply for a job. I needed some dress shoes. I was wearing US 9 1/2 at the time and couldn't find any big enough to fit! I squeezed into a size 9, went to the job interview and got rejected. I ditched the shoes right away. Of course now most Japanese teenagers are bigger than I am so getting larger sized shoes would be no problem today.


Fishing nets.

[buadhai]

I took mainly local trains on Hokkaido and just got off when the mood struck.


The scenery changes everywhere you look.


Aside from the Japanese characters you could be in North America.


This is a typical rural railway station in Hokkaido. So uncrowded compared with the rest of Japan.

[buadhai]

Birch trees.


The indigenous people of Hokkaido are called Ainu. Their culture and language are quite distinct from the ethnic Japanese. They sometimes hide their identity to avoid racial discrimination.


This is a sulphur deposit from a nearby hot spring.


This volcanic lake, located in Akan National Park, is home to the famous spherical algae called "Marimo". There are a number of hot spring resorts in the area.


Lake Akan

[buadhai]

Lake Kussharo, Akan National Park


Fall Colors, Akan NP


Lake Akan


I think I was hitch hiking at this point to get to places not on the railway lines.


Japanese Inn, Hokkaido

[buadhai]

Rural road on Hokkaido


I believe that this room was used for judging produce at some sort of Autumn festival.


Lake Mashu, Akan National Park


Hot springs at Akan National Park


This old woman didn't budge the entire trip. Note how bundled up she is and how beat up her shoes are. Rural Japan is still quite poor in many areas.

[buadhai]

We're back in Tokyo now. This is one of Japan's famous pachinko parlors.


Shopping street, Tokyo.


These Tokyo high school girls couldn't wait to get their photos taken by the gaijin.

Where are they now? All in their late 40's I'd guess.


Shrine in Tokyo.


Stone lanterns, Ueno Park, Tokyo.

[buadhai]

Ueno zoo had just received a pair of Pandas from China so the zoo was, well, a zoo.


Kids waiting to see the Pandas at Ueno zoo.


Tokyo Tower. Typical late Fall weather for Tokyo. Cold air. Gray skies.

From Tokyo I flew on to Seoul, Korea.

[buadhai]

I never intended to visit Korea on this trip, but the agent at Trailfinders in London persuaded me to stop over there for a few days and save a bundle on the trans-Pacific air fare.

I knew nothing about the place or what I ought to do there. It was bloody cold and I was out of money, so I just hung around Seoul for a few days. It was late November, but some sort of Autumn festival seemed to be going on.

This family is out for the cold, crisp day.


The group mixed in modern and traditional dress was waiting outside of a theater where I went to attend a dance performance.


Korean Dancers


Korean Dancers


Traditional Korean Musicians

[buadhai]

Photo Op





This massive temple is in the center of Seoul





Park in Seoul

[buadhai]

MeMock was kind enough to mail me the October 14/15 edition of The Weekly Australian Magazine which contains an article by Rory MacLean who has recently written a book, Magic Bus: On the Hippie Trail from Istanbul to India, about at least part of the journey described in this thread.

I've ordered the book and am most anxious to read it and mire myself in even more nostalgia.

Thanks MeMock.

[Tony Montana]

Excellent stuff Buadhai

[buadhai]

Stone wall, Seoul


Park in Seoul


Stone pagoda, Seoul


When these guys were done they took off their farmer and cow outfits revealing normal business clothes underneath. I guess they went back to the office.


Note the shoes and trousers underneath the costumes.