Frisk igen!

Jag pulade aldrig antibiotikan, fick daremot nagra andra sorters piller som Actifed istallet for nasspray antar jag och Tiffy som skulle va nansorts kombinerad paracetamol och forkylningspiller. Hur som helst sa ar jag frisk nu efter nastan en veckas forkylning. Hade nog kunnat ga snabbare, men da hade jag fatt leva nyttigare.

Hur som helst, sedan jag sist uppdaterade har det hant en del. Jag lamnade Bangkok och akte till Pattaya for att ta det lugnt och lata forkylningen ga over. Bangkok ar inte kul att vara i om man ar sjuk och inte har nagot sarskilt att gora.
Pattaya o andra sidan ar det sjukaste stallet jag nagonsin varit pa. Har varit dar forr med Pui for 2-3 ar sen, men nu fick jag en helt annan upplevelse. Att aka dit ar som att aka till ett disneyland for gamla vita gubbar. Nu var det lagsasong sa kanske inte sa farligt, men anda helt bizarrt. Dar finns andra delar av stan ocksa som hade ratt bra nattliv utan att vara allt for gubbinriktat. Sa jag gillade stan anda faktiskt, bodde hos 2 svenska brodrar som har ett hus dar. Trevligt, och skont att for en gangskull inte behova bo i ett litet smutsigt minirum utan i varsta lyxen istallet.
Jag hangde ocksa lite pa stranden dar, men den ar ratt smutsig sa badade inget.
Dar finns mycket att beratta om Pattaya, thailandarna sjalva kallar det den 75e staten (om det nu ar 74 officiella stater, vet inte exakta siffran, men dom kallar den staten summan av alla plus en).. Darfor att har galler inte riktigt samma lagar och regler som nagonannanstans. Hogt uppsatta poliser ager det mesta dar, som en nattklubb jag var pa som egentligen inte blir fullsatt forran 6 pa morgonen och de har oppet till 8. Overallt annars maste alla klubbar stanga senast 2. Finns saklart undantag overallt, men i Pattaya har polisen gjort helt egna regler. Maste vara valdigt lukerativt att jobba som bang dar. Dom har tillochmed skandinaviska, tyska och engelska poliser dar. Aah, det ar ett galet stalle, men jag gillar det. Fick dock mer an nog av det efter 5 dagar dar.

Igar gjorde jag Toefl-testet antligen. Det var inte sa jattesvart, men inte jattelatt heller. Mest for att det tog sa lang tid, blev trott och kanske snabbade pa for mycket mot slutet. Var pa bio igarkvall och sag "Eagle Eye", spannande i borjan men klassiskt hollywoodkass mot slutet. Se istallet Bangkok Dangerous! Akta B-film, men anda cool, och kul med en hollywoodfilm som utspelar sig har.
Ikvall aker jag upp till norra Thailand, Chiang Rai. Dar har jag spenderat flera manader forr och jag trivs riktigt bra dar. Valdigt avslappnat och mycket billigare an har. Superfin natur och inte lika bastuvarmt som Bangkok. Kommer ater till BAngkok den 9e oktober, dagen innan jag flyttar in pa http://www.bangkokinterplace.com/

Ha det bra alla!

o Freddan, latt vi far drar forbi Pattaya nar ni kommer, feta trancediscon dar :)

1 year in Asia

Almost three years ago me and Jens and Ola landed in Bangkok for the first time. We were totally lost of course but somehow I got stuck here and since then I've spent about one year in Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Myanmar, China and Japan.

Anyway, I got back friday from Hong Kong where I visited my friend Wing Pling Ling Lai and got my student Visa for Thailand. I stayed at the notorious Mirador Mansion, just next to Chungking Mansion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chungking_Mansion) where I stayed last time. They say people of at least 120 different nationalities pass through there every year. And it must be one of the most densely? populated places in the world. My room was not much bigger than my bed in which had to sleep on the diagonal to fit. I really like it even if the rooms are small, dorty and not so cheap. It's just a really interesting place where you can take one of the many elevators, none of which lead to the same floors or even the same blocks in the big building, get out of it and find a hidden "members only" curry restaurant that serve the best indian food in Hong Kong. No way of finding it if not by accident or if you follow one of the many hawkers on the ground floor.

The student life is closing in on me now. I move in my new place in the middle of October and hopefully then I will be getting all the necessary papers from the Uni to send to Sweden so I can get my money for study. Then everything will be ok.. Maybe, until next big problem surfaces. But den dagen, den sorgen.

Next week Im not sure what Ill do, but I will leave Bangkok and come back on sunday to finally do the TOEFL english test, that I really dont need anymore, but maybe good to have in the future.
I got a cold from the AC in hong Kong that I didnt figure out how to adjust, so now Im going back to my room to try and get better. I started feeling it last night and today I went to the pharmacy and right away they gave me antibiotics and asked me if I wanted strong or normal.. I said normal and I haven't started taking them yet. I don't know if it's such a good thing to take antibiotics just over a cold.. If it gets worse or something else happends atleast I have some good pills!

Adios!

Third week in Thailand

Now that I've been here a little more than 3 weeks doing pretty much nothing at all, I really can't wait to start school. My money is just running off of me, even though I try to keep the spending down. It costs surprisingly much to do nothing.

Since last week alot has happened though in my slow life here. Last Thursday I finally got my letter of acceptance from ABAC University. It wasn't exactly what I hoped for though because it was only enough papers to get my long-stay Visa, not the papers with the amount of hours per week and study plan that I need to get money from CSN back home. Now the next big expense will be to go to Kuala Lumpur probably and visit the thai embassy there to get the Visa, since they apparently stopped giving out long stay visas in Thailand, I have to go abroad. Atleast I don't have to go back to Sweden, which is what they told me at first.

Anyway friday I left with a Canadian girl and an American guy, that I met here on Kao San Road, to Koh Samui, an island off the east coast of Thailand, about 10hours south of Bangkok by bus. We stayed at Lamai Beach, a pretty sweet spot on the island, quiet and cheap enough. Samui is the most exploited and most heavily populated island that I've been on in Thailand. Because of this it also became my least favourite one, still nice though with alot of quiet beaches and jungle treks. Maybe more for the richer and the older, or for the younger and more party-hungry (Chaweng Beach, crazy parties every night).
We had a good time on the beach, in the bars and at the parties and we had really good seafood, best so far in Thailand I think. I already miss my travel companions, nice people do come out of north america! :)

Unfortunately the weather wasn't the best so I guess that also helped not to make Samui a favourite. We had some rain and alot of winds, almost storms sometimes but this made it nice and cool at night.
Yesterday I got on the boat back to the mainland again, it took about 4-4.5h to get there, but now to get back it took 8 hours on a small boat, like the ones that used to go Malmo - Kopenhamn, but about half the size. The waves were 6-7m high and we were flying over them, sometimes it reallt felt like we were gonna flip over and I had to keep my eyes closed and concentrate really hard not to get sick. I heard people all around me throwing up in the white ziplock bags that were handed out, but somehow I managed to keep it in. So 8h after we took off we finally came to the mainland and after another 8h on the bus I was back in Bangkok, sweet Bangkok. No boats here.
Tonight I'm going to see a movie and tomorrow early I'm going to Ampawa.
I didn't take many photos on Samui, but I'll get the ones I have up here sooner or later.

Second week complete

I've been here about two weeks now, I am alot poorer, but no wiser about what's going on with my university application.
Everyone has probably read about the problems here in Bangkok with the PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy) protesting outside the government buildings, demanding the Prime Minister to step down and the other group wanting the protestors to give up (they are called something like People for Democracy against Dictatorship).
They clashed 2 days ago leaving 1 dead and 43 injured. Bangkok is a big city, if you aren't interested in the politics of Thailand, you probably wouldn't notice anything different.
About 2 years ago when I was here with Jens & Ola there was similar problems. Big protests, bombs blowing up here and there, and finally the military coup. Anyway I wont bore you anymore but check out www.bangkokpost.com if you are more interested.

MONDAY
Me and my friend "Gift" went looking for an apartement for me, after falling for the first one we looked at (11200baht=2200kr) and looking at a few others that were cheaper but not interesting at all, we finally found the Bangkok Inter Place. I heard about it before, lots of foreign students at ABAC live there. It's accually a hotel, but they offer good long-stay deals. So at 7500baht/month (1500kr), on October 10(probably) I will move into the Bangkok Inter Place in Hua Mark, near the national stadium and walking distance to my school. Now electricity and water is not included, neither is internet, cleaning or bed sheets and pillows. So I'm thinking around 2000skr per month. Could be cheaper, but for almost-western-standard it's a good price.
Good thing is whenever someone is coming to visit you can either stay in my room for 300baht(60skr) or get your own room at 600baht(120kr)

I was supposed to get my Letter of Acceptance today also, but when I got there guess what. Sorry Sir, there's been a problem, hopefully you can get it in 1 or 2 days. Well, I called them today and he said maybe tomorrow... So I'm still stuck in Bangkok.

TUESDAY
Went to have birthday dinner for a friend from the University at an all-you-can-eat Thai meat buffet (moo kata). Aroi mak mak!
On the way back home, after getting off the Sky Train I saw a guy selling DVDs and I wanted something to watch when I got back so I had a look and found Roy Anderssons "Du Levande" for a mear 100baht! Who would've thought I'd find a brand new swedish quality movie from a pirate DVD shop on the streets of Bangkok. It was a good movie too.
And I was in touch with some swedish newspapers that asked about the current situation here. So maybe my purty face is in the paper back home today.

WEDNSDAY
Today! Started with a 2h herbal massage. I definetly prefer the thai massage or oil massage, but still a nice way to start the day. Then lunch and now internet..
I have to say that I can't wait until I can get my f*cking papers from the school so I can leave Bangkok. This city is not so much fun if you don't wanna spend money or party all the time. As you see I don't have much to do all day. :)

Don't have any new pictures yet, but I promise to upload new ones soon, as I know that's the most interesting part of a blog.
Ha det!