What's the most adventurous thing you've done in Thailand

[ExpatOilWorker]

6 hours ago, Deli said:

Getting a Thai GF 

 

 

Getting rid of a Thai GF....

[colinneil]

It is good to see so many light hearted answers to this one.

Yes mine was light hearted, but also it was challenging.

 

After all the problems i have had since my accident 3 years ago just a simple thing like going into town

Alone on my scooter was very scary always looking to make sure nobody was close to me.

Now i am slowly rebuilding my confidence, and daily trying to get back to some kind of normality.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members who have sent messages of support and good wishes little things like that make a big difference believe me.

Edited September 6, 2016 by colinneil

[swissbie]

Had an engine breakdown on a fishing trawler during a storm on the way from Koh Tao to Chumphon (no speedboats at that time). Other boats tried to help, but the sea was too rough, really scary. They finally had been able to repair the engine under these horrible conditions and we made the trip within 17 hours. Since than i have a lot of confidence in Thais and Burmese skilled craftsmanship, at least if is absolutely indispensable..

[louse1953]

Went to the katoy bar, 1st floor Nana,by myself.Very entertaining.

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, bangkapi said:

Many years ago I arrived from Taipei about 2 am at Don Meuang. I wanted to get to Pattaya as soon as possible.

I negotiated a taxi fare of 800 baht and within 5 minutes of entering the taxi, the driver was starting to nod off, repeatedly slapping his own face.

In those days it was more than a 3 hour drive through Chonburi even in the middle of the night.

I took out my dictionary and tried in my best Thai to explain that I could drive if he was tired.

Almost immediately, he pulled over and let me drive his taxi.

He fully reclined the passenger seat and was asleep within 3 minutes of me taking over the wheel and he slept soundly all the way to my hotel.

The driver still made me pay full fare and he did not give me a tip.

Gee that bought back memories.My driver was pissed.

[F4UCorsair]

I once took a flight with One Two Go, not only adventurous, but dangerous!

[catman20]

7 hours ago, smotherb said:

Unless it was the driver giving it, where is the adventure

sounds like uve been in Thailand too long.

[silent]

getting off the plane was the highlight. 

[manfredtillmann]

2 hours ago, bangkapi said:

Many years ago I arrived from Taipei about 2 am at Don Meuang. I wanted to get to Pattaya as soon as possible.

I negotiated a taxi fare of 800 baht and within 5 minutes of entering the taxi, the driver was starting to nod off, repeatedly slapping his own face.

In those days it was more than a 3 hour drive through Chonburi even in the middle of the night.

I took out my dictionary and tried in my best Thai to explain that I could drive if he was tired.

Almost immediately, he pulled over and let me drive his taxi.

He fully reclined the passenger seat and was asleep within 3 minutes of me taking over the wheel and he slept soundly all the way to my hotel.

The driver still made me pay full fare and he did not give me a tip.

that's one cool story, love it, big time!

[richard_smith237]

Perhaps not the most adventurous... but certainly Thai related and memorable... 

 

In our 20's we used to enjoy our nights out in the Khao Sarn rd area... 

 

The fun thing (at the time) to do, was to offer a Tuk Tuk driver a few hundred baht to have a go in a Tuk Tuk along the back streets....

When friends used to visit we'd get them to do the same thing...  

 

Tuk Tuk's are surprisingly tricky to drive/ride - but were good fun and provided good memories especially for visiting friends. 

[smotherb]

6 hours ago, Fabricus said:

 

RE: I guess learning to get out and about again is both scary and ....... what's the word for something that grants you the freedom to do new things?

 

EMPOWERING

Yes, it should be. Have you thought about the extra expenses for medical care, pharmaceuticals and/or prosthetics, modifying your house to accommodate your disabilities, getting a van equipped to lift and carry you about, hiring 24-hour care to assist you with damn-near everything, or even just buying a mobility scooter?

[Rod Gold]

The adventure is a daily occurrence, trying to cross the RXR tracks from East Pattaya to Sukhumvit Road without getting run over or involved in an accident with an impatient motorcycle driver.  I have no need of exercise, I get my heart rate up by driving in Thailand. 

[Merylhighground]

When staying near Kaeng Krachan NP a good few years ago, going for a mildly drunken walk in the jungle when locals had strongly warned us against it as they were adamant there were supposedly Tigers around as well as it being the King Cobra nesting season, not to mention the myriad Kraits, Common (Siamese) Cobras, Russell's Vipers, Spiders, Scorpions, Scolopendra, countless ghosts and spirits and many other nasties allegedly. Needless to say we were a tad jumpy like Shaggy and Scooby and turned back after 20 minutes of jumping at every sound, hardly evoking the spirit of Wallace.....

The next day we followed the path we'd taken, now innocent and friendly in the sunshine, only to find that about two hundred yards from where we turned back was a sharp drop which could have seen us plummet several hundred feet and become a Thai Visa news story as there was every chance that our torches wouldn't have picked out the danger...

[Skeptic7]

Rented a Jet Ski in Pattaya a couple times! 

 

Took the Pattaya Park Tower leap. Zip line from about 600 feet up (180 m).

 

Most exhausting thing was climbing up to the Tiger Cave Wat near Krabi...1239 steep stairs to a height of 912 feet (278 m).

[tomyumchai]

Spent half a day being flown around thailand in a thai airforce plane, no one knew why i was in it or where i was going.....and neither did i so i just dogged it out till i was chucked off at the final destination. Happy days.....

[Fabricus]

2 hours ago, Merylhighground said:

When staying near Kaeng Krachan NP a good few years ago, going for a mildly drunken walk in the jungle when locals had strongly warned us against it as they were adamant there were supposedly Tigers around as well as it being the King Cobra nesting season, not to mention the myriad Kraits, Common (Siamese) Cobras, Russell's Vipers, Spiders, Scorpions, Scolopendra, countless ghosts and spirits and many other nasties allegedly. Needless to say we were a tad jumpy like Shaggy and Scooby and turned back after 20 minutes of jumping at every sound, hardly evoking the spirit of Wallace.....

The next day we followed the path we'd taken, now innocent and friendly in the sunshine, only to find that about two hundred yards from where we turned back was a sharp drop which could have seen us plummet several hundred feet and become a Thai Visa news story as there was every chance that our torches wouldn't have picked out the danger...

 

Cool. If you're interested in wildlife-themed adventure, here's my favorite story.

 

The Rhino Hunter

 

IMO, one of the most colorful characters to have lived in BKK this century was Colonel Ian Travis John, a man who I'll refer to as the Rhino Hunter.

 

The legend

Colonel Ian Travis John served with the Australian Special Forces during the Vietnam war and rose to the rank of colonel. He also served with the Australian SAS. He arrived in BKK at the turn of the century and worked in boiler rooms. He was feared by just about everyone. One day he went into his office carrying a machine gun. He then set up his own company and, in doing so, pissed off the Americans who at the time controlled the city's boiler room industry. Ian was shot dead outside his house in Sukhumwit in 2002.

 

The reality

Ian was a New Zealander. He wasn't a colonel, nor was he ex-SAS.

 

He was a criminal and a mercenary, sure, but also a really nice guy. He loved rugby. During the last months of his life he changed beyond recognition. He went from being my best friend to someone I hardly knew. The money corrupted him. He became paranoid, aggressive and reclusive. Following Ian's assassination in 2002, the New Zealand Herald discussed his flamboyant lifestyle:

 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=1090699

 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=1190771

 

The Sumatran rhinoceros

Once upon a time the Sumatran rhinoceros thrived throughout Siam and Burma. These days it's almost extinct and known to exist only in remote parts of Aceh, peninsular Malaysia and Sabah. Numbers for the species are thought to be as low as 250, including animals kept in captivity. The ICUN Red List of Threatened Species categorizes the rhino as Critically Endangered.

 

So who do you think was the last recorded westerner to have "discovered" a Sumatran rhinoceros in Burma?

 

=======

 

The website pachydermjournal.org publishes a biannual academic journal, Pachyderm. The article below, Sighting of a Rhinoceros in Upper Myanmar in 1996, was published in 2010 and details what Colonel Ian Travis John found on his travels. To the very best of my knowledge this is the last time the Sumatran rhino was seen by a foreigner in Burma. The sighting was 20 years ago and the animal may now be extinct.

 

http://pachydermjournal.org/index.php/pachy/article/view/164/131

 

PS. The above link may take a few seconds to load.

 

PPS. There are actually seven remaining photos of that rhino. They were taken by Ian's "colleague" in upper Burma at the time. But no one knows who Ian's partner was. This whole story died with Ian in 2002.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Fabricus

[Merylhighground]

Quote

Cool. If you're interested in wildlife-themed adventure, here's my favorite story.

 

It wasn't really an adventure. We were only in the area to (hopefully) see or get first hand accounts concerning the crocodiles recently found in the NP, as a keen amateur herp, I have visited many times and have made a few contacts in the area. This being Thailand, hospitality was naturally offered,  booze followed while the talk turned to recent tiger sightings in the area. Not wanting to miss such a golden chance of maybe seeing an Asian big cat in the wild, my pal and I set off against the stark warnings of our hosts. I still get savage grief off the wife more than ten years on....

 

The rest of your post is fascinating, if poignant reading. Bangkok used to be rammed full of such characters when I first arrived in the 1990s; some claiming spurious links to involvement in the Indochinese conflict and in Special Forces from other nations, some were quite believable, others not quite so convincing. In those times, you couldn't throw a half brick in the Sukhumwit area without beaning someone claiming to be ex SAS.

 

I understand that a Sumatran Rhinoceros was sighted in Kalimantan this year which can only be encouraging news

[Gillyflower]

I feel that I have been a heroine at least twice in Thailand.  One was a bus trip from Sukhothai to CM.  We stopped quite a lot and at each stop the driver consumed a Red Bull.  I still wonder if there were brakes on that bus as we careered downhill.

 

The second time, was a mini van nightmare trip from Pai back to CM.  The driver attacked every bend at full speed.  I will spare you the details.  I had been to a temple just before getting on the damned thing and the monk had given me a small buddha.  That buddha and heartfelt prayers saved my life.

 

Perhaps not so interesting as earlier posts, but.........

[smokie36]

Leaping into the sea off a boat by Thong Nai Pan on Xmas day in huge waves rings a bell.

 

More stupid than adventurous however....not to be recommended.

 

The beer was excellent and we were the only arrivals by sea that day however.

[212Roger]

I can name two: bungee jumping from a 50 meter platform in Chiang Mai with "high anxiety" while having Dengue Fever and having a son with a Thai bargirl.

[Merylhighground]

13 minutes ago, 212Roger said:

I can name two: bungee jumping from a 50 meter platform in Chiang Mai with "high anxiety" while having Dengue Fever and having a son with a Thai bargirl.

 

What did the bargirl think about giving birth on a 50M drop?

 

 

Quote

More stupid than adventurous however....not to be recommended.

 

I think there are a few folks confusing 'adventurous' with 'stupid' here, myself included...

Edited September 6, 2016 by Merylhighground

[Centrum]

23 hours ago, catman20 said:

had a B J on a overnight bus 

Self inflicted?

[catman20]

49 minutes ago, Centrum said:

Self inflicted?

i wish i could do.

[catman20]

23 hours ago, Deli said:

Getting a Thai GF 

i thought getting rid of one would of been better 

[Fabricus]

13 hours ago, Merylhighground said:

 

It wasn't really an adventure. We were only in the area to (hopefully) see or get first hand accounts concerning the crocodiles recently found in the NP, as a keen amateur herp, I have visited many times and have made a few contacts in the area. This being Thailand, hospitality was naturally offered,  booze followed while the talk turned to recent tiger sightings in the area. Not wanting to miss such a golden chance of maybe seeing an Asian big cat in the wild, my pal and I set off against the stark warnings of our hosts. I still get savage grief off the wife more than ten years on....

 

The rest of your post is fascinating, if poignant reading. Bangkok used to be rammed full of such characters when I first arrived in the 1990s; some claiming spurious links to involvement in the Indochinese conflict and in Special Forces from other nations, some were quite believable, others not quite so convincing. In those times, you couldn't throw a half brick in the Sukhumwit area without beaning someone claiming to be ex SAS.

 

I understand that a Sumatran Rhinoceros was sighted in Kalimantan this year which can only be encouraging news

 

RE: Bangkok used to be rammed full of such characters when I first arrived in the 1990s

Most of those guys were pricks. They stood out a mile. I never gave them the time of day.

 

But Ian was completely for real. He was more real than anyone I've ever met. He found that rhino while smuggling guns to Shan rebels in 1996.

 

You may have come across him. I met my son's mother at The Londonner (Suk 33) in February 2000. She'd just come back from working on a cruise ship and temped at The Londonner for about three months before heading off to Alaska to work on another ship. She knew Ian (he often drank at The Londonner) and called him "Hitler". He was about five foot eleven and had a small moustache.

 

Ian and I used to meet for breakfast at Checkers (Chequers?) in Sukhumwit Soi 4 during 2001. That would have been at about 10am. At that time he was Sales Manager at Foreign Currency International (a boiler room in Asoke) and earning staggering amounts of cash. Towards the very end he would walk in to Checkers and simply say "Hello" and nothing else. He'd then sit down in a corner, drink a coffee and scan the paper for news about the All Blacks. He was pumped up and muscular by then, but very reclusive.

 

Right at the very end (early 2002) he was earning half a million USD per month, but had lost the plot. The money just killed him. And then he was shot.  

 

RE: I understand that a Sumatran Rhinoceros was sighted in Kalimantan this year which can only be encouraging news

Yep, the WWF reported the find back in March this year. It was the first recorded sighting / capture of a Sumatran Rhino in Indonesian Borneo for forty years.

 

 http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?264130/New-hope-for-Sumatran-rhino-in-Borneo

 

Shortly after, however, The Guardian reported the animal (a female) had died from injuries sustained during an earlier poaching attempt.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/06/first-sumatran-rhino-found-in-borneo-in-40-years-has-died

 

Making sense of this is hard: no one anywhere has info / stats / data about the number of extant breeding pairs versus the number (or estimated impact) of poachers.

 

 

[GarryP]

Traveling from Bangkok to Surathani on a bus while suffering a severe case of the trots. Back in 1982 the roads were terrible so actually being able to accomplish the act at least 10 times without getting covered in crap was a feat in itself.  

[robhufton]

On 9/6/2016 at 1:04 AM, catman20 said:

had a B J on a overnight bus 

 

What did it taste like?

[Aussie69]

Posted an opposing view on TVF

[catman20]

17 hours ago, robhufton said:

 

What did it taste like?

 cheeky

[The Deerhunter]

On 9/5/2016 at 8:45 PM, pgrahmm said:

Attaboy Colin....

"Poor bugger life in a Thai prison is no fun ( i know been there)."  

Quote from Colin Neil. Methinks there are other more adventurous things here from Colin's past here in LOS than just his mobility scooter urban reconnaissances. 

Edited September 8, 2016 by The Deerhunter
completion