The Maldives. Stunning.
Sadly, our time in The Maldives is coming to an end. This is not only our last night here, but our last night of our entire Honeymoon/Holiday. What a truly amazing and fantastic experience! I shall do another post to summarise the entire trip, but for now, I must blog about our time here in The Maldives. Paradise!
When we arrived at the airport, we were met by the holiday rep and shown to our boat transfer. We were lucky in the fact that we had a speedboat all to ourselves, and it was great whizzing across the water at 50mph towards our destination and seeing all these Islands and Lagoons go whizzing by. It took almost an hour to get to our resort, and it was a great trip! We were met with the obligatory cold towel and taken to reception to check in. There was a fabulous sunset as we arrived as well, the the sun a fire red ball on the horizon!
The following day, we woke to a beautiful sight. Our sea villa was about 100ft from the beach, over the water in a shallow lagoon, with the clearest, bluest water I have ever seen! Simply stunning! After breakfast, Ju and I wasted no time in getting our mask & snorkels out and swimming in the clear lagoon. We saw sooo many fish, as well a a bloody HUGE stingray, it was at least 6foot in length, and we were a bit cautious with it as it was the same kind that speared Steve Irwin! We ventured further out and saw more reef sharks and a smaller ray. After lunch, on the way back to the villa, we saw. A sea turtle in the lagoon by our villa, so I told Ju to watch where it went whilst I ran in, grabbed the camera and dove into the water to photograph it, not realising my new watch was still on my wrist and was not waterproof!! ( it still works) I managed to get a couple of shots before he swam away!!
Most of our time here has been spent in the water, swimming in the lagoon. On the West side of the island, it is about 4 foot deep for about 100m out to sea, then there is a reef and it is a sheer drop to 20- 25 metres. Again, AMAZING to snorkel in and see a myriad of different types and sizes of fish! Another thing was, every night, up by the dive school, at the end of the pier, they would turn on 2 big floodlights and at 9pm, there would suddenly appear some Manta Rays, attracted by the lights and the plankton. Sometimes there were 6 or 7 of them, dancing around in the water, just 4 foot below. Truly and amazing thing to see. they even do a night dive where you can dive in a swim with them!!
Ju managed to overcome her fears and go SCUBA diving. She did a SCUBA dive course and is now a licences scuba diver. She just needs to do 2 more dives at 18m and then she will be open water qualified!! She hated all the practical and skills testing, but once she was diving, she loved it!! I am so proud of her for doing it!! I did both Dives with Ju and I also did another one, to 20m with an instructor, which was great. Another vertical sea wall with everything except sharks! There were Rays, octopus, eels, shoals of fish, big ones, small ones and even a dolphin escort for the boat on the way back. I love diving now!!! And so does Ju!!
I must also add, that we took an all inclusive package for our stay here, which was a good thing- and a bad thing! Good in the fact that breakfast, lunch and dinner, As well as drinks were all included and there was a huge buffet selection available at every meal time and the food was great.
Bad because there was TOO MUCH good food and all the weight we had lost on the holiday, we have probably put on in this last week!!!
We both absolutely love The Maldives and will definitely come again, and this was one of the cheaper resorts as well! So good knows how great one of the more expensive places will be!!!
It is our last night now, and I am sat here, waiting for the sunset (which are always stunning), whilst Ju does her hair. We have a nice candlelight romantic dinner booked this evening. We are both sad, not only to be leaving this beautiful paradise, but also because it is the end of our wonderful adventure.
We have been to so many different places, seen so many different things, met so many different people and done so many new and exciting things along the way.
It was 7 weeks ago today that we left for Hong Kong, and when I think about it, it seems soo long ago, yet also, it seems like the time has flown by!!
No idea when I will actually be able to post this, as the Internet voucher has been used up!
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Monday, 21 March 2011
Paradise Found!
Well, Ju and I arrived in the Maldives in one piece. We were met at the airport by the tour rep who then guided us to the boat to transfer us to the Resort Island. Ju and I had a speedboat all to ourselves, with just the skipper and first mate on board. The trip from airport to resort was about 45 minutes and was great fun in itself, as we were bombing through the waves at about 40 knots, passing loads of boats on the Way!!
When we arrived at the island, we were greeted on the jetty with a cool towel and led to reception, where we were given a rundown of the island and facilities, then shown to our room, which is a sea villa, over crystal clear turquoise waters!! Another decent sized room with another 4 poster bed! We got our bags in and went for dinner which, as we are All-inclusive, was a huge all you can eat buffet. Sunday was Italian night!!
We then had an early night as we were tired from travelling.
Today, we were up early for beeline and a meeting with the events team, telling us about all the things that we can do on the island. We tuen went back to our villa, got changed and then jumped into the lagoon below!! We practically swam from 11am until 5pm, snorkelling the whole time, with an hour out for lunch! We saw sooo many fish and creatures today. Among the best were 2 Manta Rays, a 6 ft long stingray, several black tip reef sharks and a hawksbill turtle!! All right under our noses!! I can't wait to actually go SCUBA diving here!!
Now I am sat, beer in hand(well on the table at the moment) waiting for the sunset over crystal clear waters!!!
Life is so hard sometimes!!!
When we arrived at the island, we were greeted on the jetty with a cool towel and led to reception, where we were given a rundown of the island and facilities, then shown to our room, which is a sea villa, over crystal clear turquoise waters!! Another decent sized room with another 4 poster bed! We got our bags in and went for dinner which, as we are All-inclusive, was a huge all you can eat buffet. Sunday was Italian night!!
We then had an early night as we were tired from travelling.
Today, we were up early for beeline and a meeting with the events team, telling us about all the things that we can do on the island. We tuen went back to our villa, got changed and then jumped into the lagoon below!! We practically swam from 11am until 5pm, snorkelling the whole time, with an hour out for lunch! We saw sooo many fish and creatures today. Among the best were 2 Manta Rays, a 6 ft long stingray, several black tip reef sharks and a hawksbill turtle!! All right under our noses!! I can't wait to actually go SCUBA diving here!!
Now I am sat, beer in hand(well on the table at the moment) waiting for the sunset over crystal clear waters!!!
Life is so hard sometimes!!!
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Bye Bye Bangkok, Ta Ta Thailand and Hellloooo Paradise!!!
Bye bye Bankgkok, Ta Ta Thailand and helllooo Paradise!
Well, after more than 3 weeks, 9 different destinations, much shopping, sunbathing, swimming, eating and sightseeing, it is finally time to leave wonderful Thailand. I can easily see why it is called the Land of smiles and why people can easily fall in love with it. Everyone is so friendly, the weather is great ( most of the time), the food is great and some of the scenery is simply stunning.
We have had some great times, memorable trips, slips, meals, sights, fantastic hotels and one shit one!!!
Now on the plane, far above the Indian ocean, heading for the Maldives.
Both Ju and I are so excited and have been looking forward to this part of the holiday ever since we decided to go! When we first talked about going on Honeymoon, we both said that the first place we wanted to go was to The Maldives!! It was the first place we booked up We have left it till last because we need a holiday to recover from all the travelling we have done over the last 6 weeks!! We are just looking forward to the peace and tranquility, the crystal clear waters and stunning views. I am sure that neither of us will want to leave on Saturday!! One thing I have been looking forward to, more than anything else, is to go diving here! I loved it in Phi-Phi and can only imagine how amazing it will hopefully be here!! Hopefully Ju can join me diving this time as well.
I really do feel like a kid on Christmas Eve!! I am smiling now, even as I write this at 36000feet!!!
I am also a teeny- tiny bit sad, as I know our adventure is coming to an end, and by this time next week we will be back home in London. Hopefully I will do some more blogs before then!
Until then, I shall do lots of toasting in the sun and swimming in the lagoons!!
Well, after more than 3 weeks, 9 different destinations, much shopping, sunbathing, swimming, eating and sightseeing, it is finally time to leave wonderful Thailand. I can easily see why it is called the Land of smiles and why people can easily fall in love with it. Everyone is so friendly, the weather is great ( most of the time), the food is great and some of the scenery is simply stunning.
We have had some great times, memorable trips, slips, meals, sights, fantastic hotels and one shit one!!!
Now on the plane, far above the Indian ocean, heading for the Maldives.
Both Ju and I are so excited and have been looking forward to this part of the holiday ever since we decided to go! When we first talked about going on Honeymoon, we both said that the first place we wanted to go was to The Maldives!! It was the first place we booked up We have left it till last because we need a holiday to recover from all the travelling we have done over the last 6 weeks!! We are just looking forward to the peace and tranquility, the crystal clear waters and stunning views. I am sure that neither of us will want to leave on Saturday!! One thing I have been looking forward to, more than anything else, is to go diving here! I loved it in Phi-Phi and can only imagine how amazing it will hopefully be here!! Hopefully Ju can join me diving this time as well.
I really do feel like a kid on Christmas Eve!! I am smiling now, even as I write this at 36000feet!!!
I am also a teeny- tiny bit sad, as I know our adventure is coming to an end, and by this time next week we will be back home in London. Hopefully I will do some more blogs before then!
Until then, I shall do lots of toasting in the sun and swimming in the lagoons!!
Saturday, 19 March 2011
Chiang Mai, Rain and Watches!!
Chiang Mai
Well, we had a great 3 nights in Chiang Mai- once we finally got there!!
After our adventure on the sleeper train from Bangkok, which eventually arrived more than 5 hours late, we arrived in Chiang Mai.
Once we got off the train, it was still peeing with rain, we then had to get a taxi to our hotel. Not easy! There are very few taxis in Chiang Mai. Most of them are the converted pickup trucks or Tuk-Tuks, and there was no way we could fit into a Tuk Tuk with all our bags, so we waited in line for our turn for a pick-up taxi. And waited. And waited. And waited. Almost an hour later we were still waiting, so I headed, in the pouring rain, up to the main road, to flag one down. 5 minutes later and a lot wetter, I eventually got one. When I jumped in the back, I was a bit surprised to see someone in there already!! A Thai soldier, probably on leave. Anyway, we drove back to the station and, Having shown the driver our hotel Booking form for the SIRILANNA hotel, we set off. 10 minutes later we pulled up at, what I thought was our hotel, until we got out. We were at the LANNA hotel. So, explained to the driver, again, that we were staying at the SIRILANNA hotel. Off we trundled again. 5 minutes later we stop at the DI LANNA hotel! Again, explain to the driver it is wrong hotel and this time I point out on the map on my phone where we are and where we should be!!! Off we trot again! We stop again 5 minutes later in completely the wrong direction and I am just about to say something when the soldier, who has been there the whole time, jumps out!! Eventually, some 30 minutes after we started, we eventually get to our hotel!! Bless the old timer, he was still smiling though, so I gave him a tip!!
The hotel itself was great. Right slap bang in the middle of the old city. It was only a small family run boutique hotel, but it was bloody great nonetheless! Again, we were upgraded to a bigger room. The room was lovely. All dark wood panelling and furniture. A huge 4- poster bed and a big bathroom with jacuzzi bath and a shower big enough for 5!! The whole hotel was decked out in lovely carved panels and pillars. The staff were really great and friendly too.
Because the train was so late arriving and it took us so long to get to the hotel, it was already 4 pm! So the day was a bit wasted really. We just unpacked, had a shower, got changed and had some food, as we were starving. Ju then got her nails done (most important thing!). By this time it was about 8pm, so we wondered off in search of the night Market. As it was still pissing down, we grabbed a brolly from the hotel and set off.
Now, whenever Ju has the brolly, I can never share it with her, as she either holds it too low for me to be able to see where we are going, or, she constantly keeps hitting me in the head with it!! So invariably walk a step or two ahead!!
This was funny because, on the way to the Market, we passed dozens of bars and Massage parlours, and everyone we passed, one of the girls would say "you want massaaaaggeee?!" or "welcome. You want drinky?!" , then, as soon as they say it, Ju would come into view behind me and they would be quiet then!! It was quite funny!!
Once we got to the Market, I was on the watch hunt again! We were not buying tonight, that was going to be the following night. One of the stalls we found, had a lot on display, and I asked if they had any more. He then led me to the back of a shop, opened what looked like a wall, and inside was a secret room with a couple of thousand watches in!!! I was in heaven!!! I found a few I wanted and told them we would be back the following night. We found another stall, with an even bigger secret room, and even more watches and got an even better price!! After a bit more bargain hunting we eventually made our way back to the hotel for a well earned sleep!
The following day, it was peeing down still, and we got up early to go and do our Thai Cookery class. We bundled into the back of a pick-up taxi with several other bods, and the first stop was a local Thai food Market, which sold all things food. Even 3 foot high bags of freshly made fried curly crisps!! Madness! Anyway, we were there to be shown the raw ingredients for the food we were going to cook. Lots of vegetables, herbs and spices, then it was off to class!
We were In a group of 10 and we got to pick what we cooked. I think we had 6 different things to Learn. If I remember, I did spring rolls, chicken and cashew nut, beef massamann, a spicy chicken salad, banana and coconut pudding and something else!! It was great fun! We chopped everything with a huge meat cleaver ( which I must buy when we get home) and cooked everything from scratch in big woks! Even better still, we got to eat everything we cooked! At one point, Nancy, our teacher, showed us which part of the chilli actually gave out the heat. Some of us tried it, only a small bit, the size of a grain of rice. No harm done! -WRONG!!! 30 seconds later my mouth was on fire and was for the next 10 minutes!! I am never doing that again!!! For the rest of the day I was known as "Hot Man"!!
We carried on cooking until about 3 and then, when we had finished, we were all given certificates and recipe books to take home with us.
It was still raining when we left, so we cooped ourselves up in our room until later in the evening when we raided the night market for a serious amount of watches!!!
The following day was another dull weather day, so we had a bit of a lie in and ended up going up the mountain to see the Duoi Supthep Temple which overlooks Chiang Mai. We got one of the pick-up taxis to get there and ended up feeling a queasy when we eventually made it to the top, because of the twists and turns in the road and the diesel fumes!! We were glad to get out!
The temple is small, as far as temples go, but it is bloody lovely, has loads of bells and Buddhas and a shitload of gold in the temple spire!! Once we finished up there we made our way back to our hotel and went for a bit of a pamper with massages and facial scrubs, ready to face the night Market one last time!! Again, we bought a few watches as well as some other bumpf and watched one round of staged Mui Thai boxing. Ju thought it was real until I told here to watch where all the kicks, knees and punches land- all on the gloves! We got a Tuk-Tuk back to the hotel and packed, as we were leaving at 5am to fly back to Bangkok, where we are now, in a hotel by the airport, looking forward to tomorrow and the most eagerly awaited part of our holiday- The Maldives!!!
Well, we had a great 3 nights in Chiang Mai- once we finally got there!!
After our adventure on the sleeper train from Bangkok, which eventually arrived more than 5 hours late, we arrived in Chiang Mai.
Once we got off the train, it was still peeing with rain, we then had to get a taxi to our hotel. Not easy! There are very few taxis in Chiang Mai. Most of them are the converted pickup trucks or Tuk-Tuks, and there was no way we could fit into a Tuk Tuk with all our bags, so we waited in line for our turn for a pick-up taxi. And waited. And waited. And waited. Almost an hour later we were still waiting, so I headed, in the pouring rain, up to the main road, to flag one down. 5 minutes later and a lot wetter, I eventually got one. When I jumped in the back, I was a bit surprised to see someone in there already!! A Thai soldier, probably on leave. Anyway, we drove back to the station and, Having shown the driver our hotel Booking form for the SIRILANNA hotel, we set off. 10 minutes later we pulled up at, what I thought was our hotel, until we got out. We were at the LANNA hotel. So, explained to the driver, again, that we were staying at the SIRILANNA hotel. Off we trundled again. 5 minutes later we stop at the DI LANNA hotel! Again, explain to the driver it is wrong hotel and this time I point out on the map on my phone where we are and where we should be!!! Off we trot again! We stop again 5 minutes later in completely the wrong direction and I am just about to say something when the soldier, who has been there the whole time, jumps out!! Eventually, some 30 minutes after we started, we eventually get to our hotel!! Bless the old timer, he was still smiling though, so I gave him a tip!!
The hotel itself was great. Right slap bang in the middle of the old city. It was only a small family run boutique hotel, but it was bloody great nonetheless! Again, we were upgraded to a bigger room. The room was lovely. All dark wood panelling and furniture. A huge 4- poster bed and a big bathroom with jacuzzi bath and a shower big enough for 5!! The whole hotel was decked out in lovely carved panels and pillars. The staff were really great and friendly too.
Because the train was so late arriving and it took us so long to get to the hotel, it was already 4 pm! So the day was a bit wasted really. We just unpacked, had a shower, got changed and had some food, as we were starving. Ju then got her nails done (most important thing!). By this time it was about 8pm, so we wondered off in search of the night Market. As it was still pissing down, we grabbed a brolly from the hotel and set off.
Now, whenever Ju has the brolly, I can never share it with her, as she either holds it too low for me to be able to see where we are going, or, she constantly keeps hitting me in the head with it!! So invariably walk a step or two ahead!!
This was funny because, on the way to the Market, we passed dozens of bars and Massage parlours, and everyone we passed, one of the girls would say "you want massaaaaggeee?!" or "welcome. You want drinky?!" , then, as soon as they say it, Ju would come into view behind me and they would be quiet then!! It was quite funny!!
Once we got to the Market, I was on the watch hunt again! We were not buying tonight, that was going to be the following night. One of the stalls we found, had a lot on display, and I asked if they had any more. He then led me to the back of a shop, opened what looked like a wall, and inside was a secret room with a couple of thousand watches in!!! I was in heaven!!! I found a few I wanted and told them we would be back the following night. We found another stall, with an even bigger secret room, and even more watches and got an even better price!! After a bit more bargain hunting we eventually made our way back to the hotel for a well earned sleep!
The following day, it was peeing down still, and we got up early to go and do our Thai Cookery class. We bundled into the back of a pick-up taxi with several other bods, and the first stop was a local Thai food Market, which sold all things food. Even 3 foot high bags of freshly made fried curly crisps!! Madness! Anyway, we were there to be shown the raw ingredients for the food we were going to cook. Lots of vegetables, herbs and spices, then it was off to class!
We were In a group of 10 and we got to pick what we cooked. I think we had 6 different things to Learn. If I remember, I did spring rolls, chicken and cashew nut, beef massamann, a spicy chicken salad, banana and coconut pudding and something else!! It was great fun! We chopped everything with a huge meat cleaver ( which I must buy when we get home) and cooked everything from scratch in big woks! Even better still, we got to eat everything we cooked! At one point, Nancy, our teacher, showed us which part of the chilli actually gave out the heat. Some of us tried it, only a small bit, the size of a grain of rice. No harm done! -WRONG!!! 30 seconds later my mouth was on fire and was for the next 10 minutes!! I am never doing that again!!! For the rest of the day I was known as "Hot Man"!!
We carried on cooking until about 3 and then, when we had finished, we were all given certificates and recipe books to take home with us.
It was still raining when we left, so we cooped ourselves up in our room until later in the evening when we raided the night market for a serious amount of watches!!!
The following day was another dull weather day, so we had a bit of a lie in and ended up going up the mountain to see the Duoi Supthep Temple which overlooks Chiang Mai. We got one of the pick-up taxis to get there and ended up feeling a queasy when we eventually made it to the top, because of the twists and turns in the road and the diesel fumes!! We were glad to get out!
The temple is small, as far as temples go, but it is bloody lovely, has loads of bells and Buddhas and a shitload of gold in the temple spire!! Once we finished up there we made our way back to our hotel and went for a bit of a pamper with massages and facial scrubs, ready to face the night Market one last time!! Again, we bought a few watches as well as some other bumpf and watched one round of staged Mui Thai boxing. Ju thought it was real until I told here to watch where all the kicks, knees and punches land- all on the gloves! We got a Tuk-Tuk back to the hotel and packed, as we were leaving at 5am to fly back to Bangkok, where we are now, in a hotel by the airport, looking forward to tomorrow and the most eagerly awaited part of our holiday- The Maldives!!!
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Boats, bridges, Birthdays and Bye bye Bangkok
Boats, Bridges, Birthdays and Bye Bye Bangkok
Had a couple of really good days in Bangkok, even though we spent most of the time outside of Bangkok!!
On Monday we were up at sparrowfart, 0530, in order to get ready, have some breakfast and then get a cab over to the Kohsan Road for 7am. We were picked ip in a minivan, along with ten or so other people for our tour of The Bridge Over The River Kwai and The Tiger Temple.
Unfortunately, it is quite a drive to get to the bridge, so we spent a cramped couple of hours driving there. Our First stop was one of the associated Allied War Cemetaries. Unfortunately, as we were running late, we only had about 30 minutes there, which was not long enough. It brought back memories of when I went to Normandy for D-Day commemoration in 2004, and I went to the cemetery in Bayueax. That day, I cried non stop for 30 minutes when I was walking round that cemetery. This time, I was fine, until I started reading the headstones and the words that the families had put on there in memory of their lost son/Father/Husband. Made me shed a few more tears.
We then drove on a little further to the bridge itself.
When we arrived, our guide gave us a little talk about the bridge, museum, train and the timetable. He had such a hilarious accent, and kept saying PWREEASE, instead of please! If I can upload the video, I will!
We had a look around the Jeath War Museum and saw the remnants of the original Wooden Bridge. There is only a small bit of it left. We then walked up and over the Metal Bridge, which got blown up in 1944. It is still used today. We then took a train along the "death railway" for about two hours. It was bloody hot and like being on a space hopper!! Seriously, the bogies on the train are ferked!! It was bouncing up and down and all over the place. A few people, including Ju, started to feel a bit queasy!! Once we stopped, we had lunch, which was not too bad actually, then we were driven to one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Thailand. Except there was one problem. There was bugger all water!! Because it wad so hot, there was no water falling over the waterfall!! I could see that it would be nice when there was water, but there was only a trickle today!!
After all that excitement (!) we then drove to my favourite part- the Tiger Temple.
Again, a peed off because we did not have enough time here to do too much, but we still managed to get up close and stroke several Tigers and have our pictures taken with them. Absolutely magnificent animals. I have already decided that my next tattoo will be a tiger, because I love them, and I was born in the year of the Tiger! We even got to stroke some baby ones as well!! All too soon we had to leave and had a 3 hour drive back to Bangkok. When we eventually got back, we just had a quick bite to eat and then flomped into bed as we were so tired, and had to be up early again for the following days trip.
Today was Ju's Birthday, and I surprised her again with a birthday card which I have had since we left home! I also arranged for the hotel to deliver a small Birthday cake to our room as well, complete with candles!!
We were up early again for another trip and this one was to the floating markets. As we left the hotel, it's was pissing down with rain, but thankfully it stopped by the time we had driven the 2 hours to the Market. Once we arrived we were shuffled onto a longtail boat with a V8 engine on the back and the whizzed along some of the canals to the main Market area where we transferred to a smaller boat, with a bloke on the back with a paddle. It was such a weird, surreal experience to be in q boat, drifting along, past all the stalls along the bank. There were other boats where people were cooking on them and selling from the boat as they drew up alongside you. It really is something you have to do if you come to Bangkok. We had just over an hour of floating and shopping and managed to grab a few more bargains as well. We made it back to Bangkok for about 2 and after lunch, proceeded to pack and have a snooze for an hour, before we checked out of the hotel, about 6.
This evening, we are taking the overnight sleeper train up to Chiangmai. Unfortunately, all the First class Private sleeper cabs were sold out, so we have had to make do with second class sleeper bunks! For those of you that know Ju, it did not go down too well!! But fair play to her, she has enjoyed the adventure of doing something she would never normally do!! We are sharing an open compartment with 2 other beds, one of which has a Japanese version of sideshow Bob in it!! Just hope he does not mind my snoring!! We made the best we could of the evening by having several Singha Beers and a curry, watched a movie on the Laptop (Black Swan. Seen it before, still confusing but great!)
As I type this, I am on the lower bunk and Ju is, hopefully, sleeping peacefully above me on the top bunk. We both have earplugs in and sleep masks, and, surprisingly, the bed is fairly comfortable. So coupled with the imbibing of beer earlier, I should get a good kip!!
I will post this once we get to our hotel in Chiangmai tomorrow.
Night all!!
Had a couple of really good days in Bangkok, even though we spent most of the time outside of Bangkok!!
On Monday we were up at sparrowfart, 0530, in order to get ready, have some breakfast and then get a cab over to the Kohsan Road for 7am. We were picked ip in a minivan, along with ten or so other people for our tour of The Bridge Over The River Kwai and The Tiger Temple.
Unfortunately, it is quite a drive to get to the bridge, so we spent a cramped couple of hours driving there. Our First stop was one of the associated Allied War Cemetaries. Unfortunately, as we were running late, we only had about 30 minutes there, which was not long enough. It brought back memories of when I went to Normandy for D-Day commemoration in 2004, and I went to the cemetery in Bayueax. That day, I cried non stop for 30 minutes when I was walking round that cemetery. This time, I was fine, until I started reading the headstones and the words that the families had put on there in memory of their lost son/Father/Husband. Made me shed a few more tears.
We then drove on a little further to the bridge itself.
When we arrived, our guide gave us a little talk about the bridge, museum, train and the timetable. He had such a hilarious accent, and kept saying PWREEASE, instead of please! If I can upload the video, I will!
We had a look around the Jeath War Museum and saw the remnants of the original Wooden Bridge. There is only a small bit of it left. We then walked up and over the Metal Bridge, which got blown up in 1944. It is still used today. We then took a train along the "death railway" for about two hours. It was bloody hot and like being on a space hopper!! Seriously, the bogies on the train are ferked!! It was bouncing up and down and all over the place. A few people, including Ju, started to feel a bit queasy!! Once we stopped, we had lunch, which was not too bad actually, then we were driven to one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Thailand. Except there was one problem. There was bugger all water!! Because it wad so hot, there was no water falling over the waterfall!! I could see that it would be nice when there was water, but there was only a trickle today!!
After all that excitement (!) we then drove to my favourite part- the Tiger Temple.
Again, a peed off because we did not have enough time here to do too much, but we still managed to get up close and stroke several Tigers and have our pictures taken with them. Absolutely magnificent animals. I have already decided that my next tattoo will be a tiger, because I love them, and I was born in the year of the Tiger! We even got to stroke some baby ones as well!! All too soon we had to leave and had a 3 hour drive back to Bangkok. When we eventually got back, we just had a quick bite to eat and then flomped into bed as we were so tired, and had to be up early again for the following days trip.
Today was Ju's Birthday, and I surprised her again with a birthday card which I have had since we left home! I also arranged for the hotel to deliver a small Birthday cake to our room as well, complete with candles!!
We were up early again for another trip and this one was to the floating markets. As we left the hotel, it's was pissing down with rain, but thankfully it stopped by the time we had driven the 2 hours to the Market. Once we arrived we were shuffled onto a longtail boat with a V8 engine on the back and the whizzed along some of the canals to the main Market area where we transferred to a smaller boat, with a bloke on the back with a paddle. It was such a weird, surreal experience to be in q boat, drifting along, past all the stalls along the bank. There were other boats where people were cooking on them and selling from the boat as they drew up alongside you. It really is something you have to do if you come to Bangkok. We had just over an hour of floating and shopping and managed to grab a few more bargains as well. We made it back to Bangkok for about 2 and after lunch, proceeded to pack and have a snooze for an hour, before we checked out of the hotel, about 6.
This evening, we are taking the overnight sleeper train up to Chiangmai. Unfortunately, all the First class Private sleeper cabs were sold out, so we have had to make do with second class sleeper bunks! For those of you that know Ju, it did not go down too well!! But fair play to her, she has enjoyed the adventure of doing something she would never normally do!! We are sharing an open compartment with 2 other beds, one of which has a Japanese version of sideshow Bob in it!! Just hope he does not mind my snoring!! We made the best we could of the evening by having several Singha Beers and a curry, watched a movie on the Laptop (Black Swan. Seen it before, still confusing but great!)
As I type this, I am on the lower bunk and Ju is, hopefully, sleeping peacefully above me on the top bunk. We both have earplugs in and sleep masks, and, surprisingly, the bed is fairly comfortable. So coupled with the imbibing of beer earlier, I should get a good kip!!
I will post this once we get to our hotel in Chiangmai tomorrow.
Night all!!
Sunday, 13 March 2011
Bangkok, heat and almost being Tuk- Tuk for a ride!!
Bangkok. It is fecking Hot!!! Everywhere we go, day or night, it is stupid hot!! I have to change clothes twice daily because it is so damn hot!!!
On our first day in Bangkok, we decided to do some sightseeing, sonwe got a taxi and went to the Grand Palace.
Now, this is where we almost got conned.
As we were walking to go into the temple, a local, very friendly man, said that the temple was closed until 2pm because of some religious service going on. ( it was currently 12.30)
He suggested that we go and visit a couple of other sights and come back at 2. He then 'hailed' a Tuk-Tuk and said that he would take us to these "sights" for only 20THB, wait for us and then bring us back to where we started. I immediately thought that something was fishy, but Ju was already in the Tuk-Tuk, saying "let's go!"
So off we went. All the time, something was playing
On my mind about the price being so low. Our first stop was "the royal Temple"
As we went to go in, we were greeted by a man who claimed he was a Principal of the school across the road who was helping out at the temple at the weekend. He then tried to explain something about the Temple, then he started asking personal questionslike, where we were from, where we lived, how much rent we paid. As soon as he asked that, I knew something was not right. I refused to answer and cut him off. He then left us to explore the temple, which was nothing more than a courtyard. When we returned tou our driver, he was sat with the guy who talked to us about the Temple. We got back into the Tuk-Tuk and he then dropped us off at an "import" shop. As soon as we walked in, I knew it was a con. It was a jewellery/gem shop. We just walked straight out and the driver then got upset saying that we had to go in for 5 minutes and buy something, or he would not get his voucher for petrol. I very politely told him to F*co off, gave him his 20THB and walked away to get a taxi back to the Great Temple! Lesson learnt!!
The Great Temple was pretty spectacular in itself. Lots of big ornate buildings, smothered in gold and jewels. We then went to see the reclining Buddha, which was exactly that! A big Buddha, reclining and he was about 100ft in length!! And very Gold and shiny!!
After the Buddha we took a short trip across the river to Wat Arun, which was another temple, which we could actually climb halfway up to the top. The last set of steps were virtually a ladder!! Great views from up there!
We ended up o. The Kohsan Road for dinner and tucked into a juicy steak each, and our taxi home was Mr. Magoo. He had proper jam jars on and unswear he was nearly blind! Another hair raising cab ride.
Today we went to Chatuchuck Market, which is a ferking HUGE open air Market, covering 27 acres and 14,000 stalls! It makes Wwmbley Market look like a jumble sale!! Again, it was stupid hot!! I think Ju and I had 6 bottles of drink each, but never needed the loo, as we were sweating so much!! We, mainly Ju, had a great time in the Market, buying all sorts of bits and bobs! Even had to buy a suitcase to carry it all!!
We again went to Kohsan Road for dinner and ended up finding a tour operator and booking trips for the next 4 days, starting with a trip tomorrow to Kanchanaburi and The Bridge Over The River Kwai, as well as a stop at a Tiger Temple. Really looking forward to the trip. Only thing is, we have to be up at 5:15am in order to get the bus in time!!!
Will do another blog, once we have done our trips and probably from Chiang Mai, where we are off to on Ruesday on the overnight sleeper train!
On our first day in Bangkok, we decided to do some sightseeing, sonwe got a taxi and went to the Grand Palace.
Now, this is where we almost got conned.
As we were walking to go into the temple, a local, very friendly man, said that the temple was closed until 2pm because of some religious service going on. ( it was currently 12.30)
He suggested that we go and visit a couple of other sights and come back at 2. He then 'hailed' a Tuk-Tuk and said that he would take us to these "sights" for only 20THB, wait for us and then bring us back to where we started. I immediately thought that something was fishy, but Ju was already in the Tuk-Tuk, saying "let's go!"
So off we went. All the time, something was playing
On my mind about the price being so low. Our first stop was "the royal Temple"
As we went to go in, we were greeted by a man who claimed he was a Principal of the school across the road who was helping out at the temple at the weekend. He then tried to explain something about the Temple, then he started asking personal questionslike, where we were from, where we lived, how much rent we paid. As soon as he asked that, I knew something was not right. I refused to answer and cut him off. He then left us to explore the temple, which was nothing more than a courtyard. When we returned tou our driver, he was sat with the guy who talked to us about the Temple. We got back into the Tuk-Tuk and he then dropped us off at an "import" shop. As soon as we walked in, I knew it was a con. It was a jewellery/gem shop. We just walked straight out and the driver then got upset saying that we had to go in for 5 minutes and buy something, or he would not get his voucher for petrol. I very politely told him to F*co off, gave him his 20THB and walked away to get a taxi back to the Great Temple! Lesson learnt!!
The Great Temple was pretty spectacular in itself. Lots of big ornate buildings, smothered in gold and jewels. We then went to see the reclining Buddha, which was exactly that! A big Buddha, reclining and he was about 100ft in length!! And very Gold and shiny!!
After the Buddha we took a short trip across the river to Wat Arun, which was another temple, which we could actually climb halfway up to the top. The last set of steps were virtually a ladder!! Great views from up there!
We ended up o. The Kohsan Road for dinner and tucked into a juicy steak each, and our taxi home was Mr. Magoo. He had proper jam jars on and unswear he was nearly blind! Another hair raising cab ride.
Today we went to Chatuchuck Market, which is a ferking HUGE open air Market, covering 27 acres and 14,000 stalls! It makes Wwmbley Market look like a jumble sale!! Again, it was stupid hot!! I think Ju and I had 6 bottles of drink each, but never needed the loo, as we were sweating so much!! We, mainly Ju, had a great time in the Market, buying all sorts of bits and bobs! Even had to buy a suitcase to carry it all!!
We again went to Kohsan Road for dinner and ended up finding a tour operator and booking trips for the next 4 days, starting with a trip tomorrow to Kanchanaburi and The Bridge Over The River Kwai, as well as a stop at a Tiger Temple. Really looking forward to the trip. Only thing is, we have to be up at 5:15am in order to get the bus in time!!!
Will do another blog, once we have done our trips and probably from Chiang Mai, where we are off to on Ruesday on the overnight sleeper train!
Friday, 11 March 2011
Koh Samui, Crashes and Tattoos
Koh Samui, crashes and Tattoos!
Well, I certainly don't think we will be forgetting Koh Samui!!
We were only there for 3 nights, it rained every day, on and off, but we had a great time.
The hotel was really nice. It was on the opposite side of the Island to all the shops, bars and clubs, but that it what we wanted- a bit of peace and quiet. The staff were really nice and friendly. The food was good, and we managed to get some decent sleep at last!
On our second day, we decided to explore the island a bit, so we hired a couple of scooters for the day. At 11.00am we left the hotel and at 11.00.02s, the scooter trip was over!
Imagine, if you will, the hundreds of clips that you have seen on "you've been framed" of someone, generally a woman, sat on a bike/scooter, and they go to set off and open the throttle full, wobble, scream and then fall over/skid/ crash!
Well, unfortunately, this is what happened to Ju!
After a brief instruction on how a scooter works, we set off, only Ju opened the throttle full, panicked, went to turn and stacked it in under two seconds. Bless her! She ended up with a gravel graze on her elbow and a couple of knocks on her knee. Needless to say, she did not go anywhere near the scooters again! Luckily, we were outside the hotel, so she got patched up and we skunk back to our room. I ended up pottering about on my scooter later to go to a pharmacy to get some painkillers and also for a little tour to see what was about. That was the end of that day!!
The following day, we sensibly decided to rent a car to tour the Island. We ended up driving up to the North to see the Big Buddha, and was a big bugger alright! No sooner had we got there, than the heavens opened again and it proper pissed it down, for 10 minutes, then it stopped almost as soon as it started and was hot again!! We had a good mooch around the site and took lots of pics, then bundled back into the car and headed to Chaweng, which is the biggest town on Samui. We had a wander down the main street, and, even though we both said we would not do it, we both got a tattoo done! We both had a traditional Thai Sak Yant done ( the scripture like Angelina Jolie) Ju had hers done on her back on her upper left shoulder blade and I had to have mine in the middle of my lower back, as I am running out of room!!! We had it done traditionally with bamboo as well! Really pleased with how they turned out as well! After getting inked, we headed back through Chaweng and took a tour through the centre of the island to our hotel.
We managed to persuade the hire car people to let us have the car till noon the next day, so we were able to drive ourselves to the airport and save on taxis.
I must say that Koh Samui airport is one of the nicest and most picturesque airports I have ever been to! It is literally just big wooden huts, with no Walls, and so laid back. Puts you at ease before you get on one of the smallest passenger planes that rattles along!!!
We had a short flight to Bangkok and actually spent longer in the taxi, with another psyhcotic taxi driver, getting to our hotel, than we did flying!!
Again, we have lucked out with our hotel. It is pretty much central, overlooking the river, and we have got a suite, with a couple of sofas, a kitchen, a kingsize and a balcony overlooking the river!! Great Internet bargain!!
Sad to see the news about Japan, and had to reassure several people that we are ok, and not in any danger. Let's hope that there are no more!
Off to explore Bangkok in the morning. Looking forward to seeing lots of weird and wonderful things!! :-)
Well, I certainly don't think we will be forgetting Koh Samui!!
We were only there for 3 nights, it rained every day, on and off, but we had a great time.
The hotel was really nice. It was on the opposite side of the Island to all the shops, bars and clubs, but that it what we wanted- a bit of peace and quiet. The staff were really nice and friendly. The food was good, and we managed to get some decent sleep at last!
On our second day, we decided to explore the island a bit, so we hired a couple of scooters for the day. At 11.00am we left the hotel and at 11.00.02s, the scooter trip was over!
Imagine, if you will, the hundreds of clips that you have seen on "you've been framed" of someone, generally a woman, sat on a bike/scooter, and they go to set off and open the throttle full, wobble, scream and then fall over/skid/ crash!
Well, unfortunately, this is what happened to Ju!
After a brief instruction on how a scooter works, we set off, only Ju opened the throttle full, panicked, went to turn and stacked it in under two seconds. Bless her! She ended up with a gravel graze on her elbow and a couple of knocks on her knee. Needless to say, she did not go anywhere near the scooters again! Luckily, we were outside the hotel, so she got patched up and we skunk back to our room. I ended up pottering about on my scooter later to go to a pharmacy to get some painkillers and also for a little tour to see what was about. That was the end of that day!!
The following day, we sensibly decided to rent a car to tour the Island. We ended up driving up to the North to see the Big Buddha, and was a big bugger alright! No sooner had we got there, than the heavens opened again and it proper pissed it down, for 10 minutes, then it stopped almost as soon as it started and was hot again!! We had a good mooch around the site and took lots of pics, then bundled back into the car and headed to Chaweng, which is the biggest town on Samui. We had a wander down the main street, and, even though we both said we would not do it, we both got a tattoo done! We both had a traditional Thai Sak Yant done ( the scripture like Angelina Jolie) Ju had hers done on her back on her upper left shoulder blade and I had to have mine in the middle of my lower back, as I am running out of room!!! We had it done traditionally with bamboo as well! Really pleased with how they turned out as well! After getting inked, we headed back through Chaweng and took a tour through the centre of the island to our hotel.
We managed to persuade the hire car people to let us have the car till noon the next day, so we were able to drive ourselves to the airport and save on taxis.
I must say that Koh Samui airport is one of the nicest and most picturesque airports I have ever been to! It is literally just big wooden huts, with no Walls, and so laid back. Puts you at ease before you get on one of the smallest passenger planes that rattles along!!!
We had a short flight to Bangkok and actually spent longer in the taxi, with another psyhcotic taxi driver, getting to our hotel, than we did flying!!
Again, we have lucked out with our hotel. It is pretty much central, overlooking the river, and we have got a suite, with a couple of sofas, a kitchen, a kingsize and a balcony overlooking the river!! Great Internet bargain!!
Sad to see the news about Japan, and had to reassure several people that we are ok, and not in any danger. Let's hope that there are no more!
Off to explore Bangkok in the morning. Looking forward to seeing lots of weird and wonderful things!! :-)
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
A Tiny Plane and Island Hopping
We are flying in THAT thing?! And island hopping!
It's been a while since the last post, so time for an update!
We left our nice little hotel and got a taxi up to the airport, which was not the biggest of airports! We had to queue for bloody ages before we managed to check in and for some reason, there were hundreds of Russians everywhere! All fat, round, pink and sweaty! Not the best of sights!
Anyway, once we checked in, we then waited for our flight to be called. Eventually it was called and we all shuffled through the gate on to a bus to be driven to our plane. When we got to our "plane" I cracked up and Ju was worried! She could not believe we would actually be flying on such a small plane!! It was a twin propellered small plane with about 50 seats! Needless to say, Ju was a little nervous on take off! After a short flight we landed in Koh Samui airport, which Is the coolest airport in the world, ever!!! We were met off the plane by little buses, the kind you would probably find whizzing around Disneyland, and driven to the terminal "building" which really is just a roof over a luggage conveyor! There are no Walls! There was even a cat sleeping in the middle of the floor!!! So laid back!
We then got a cab to take us to the ferry port- another cab story! We paid for our cab, only for him to bring two other people, drop them off after 5 minutes. Then, 2 minutes later, he stops. We get out and into another cab, carrying 6 people from our same flight!! God knows!
Eventually made it to the fast ferry and took the catamaran over to Koh Pangnang. To get to our hotel we had to get a taxi which resembled a pickup truck with a sheep pen on the back of it!!
Our hotel this time was a small collection of NICE bungalows right on the beach and only a 10 minute walk from the town. What was amazing was, in the town, there was a bloody TESCO'S and 3 minutes from us was The Masons Arms, an English pub!! Ju was happy about this as she could eat 'normal' food again!! The next day, we took a cab up the coast to Haad Yao beach, a psychotic cabbie this time! I actually had to bang on the window to tell him to slow down!! It was a great little beach, with the golden sand and Blue sea that Ju has been longing for! We had lunch on the beach and spent most of the day in the water, snorkelling the reef that was just offshore!
After 3 peaceful nights on Pangnag, we took the early ferry up to Koh Tao to our next port of call. Our hotel was right on the North West tip of the Island, and there is only 1 main road on the island, and it finished at our hotel. Actually, it finished about 1 mile before our hotel- the last bit was a bumpy track that you could only access in a 4x4. We even had to pass under a HUGE boulder that had fallen partially across the road!
The hotel was great. We again got lucky with the room. A nice big suite. The whole complex is built into the hillside, starting at the waters edge and making it's way up the steep cliff. We had a great view over the sea and Islands opposite. One of the best features was, right at the bottom, there was direct access to the water and the snorkelling was amazing!! Sooooo many fish and reefs! We literally spent the whole 2 days in the sea, watching all the fish!! It's a shame we were only there for 2 days. Had we have known how great the place was, we would have stayed longer.
We were up early to catch the morning ferry all the way back to Koh Samui, where I am now. Sat beside the pool, in the sun, waiting for the sunset!
We have 3 nights here before we fly off to Bangkok. I think we will try and explore the Island a bit tomorrow. I will try and upload some pictures when I have time!!
back to the sunbathing for now though........
It's been a while since the last post, so time for an update!
We left our nice little hotel and got a taxi up to the airport, which was not the biggest of airports! We had to queue for bloody ages before we managed to check in and for some reason, there were hundreds of Russians everywhere! All fat, round, pink and sweaty! Not the best of sights!
Anyway, once we checked in, we then waited for our flight to be called. Eventually it was called and we all shuffled through the gate on to a bus to be driven to our plane. When we got to our "plane" I cracked up and Ju was worried! She could not believe we would actually be flying on such a small plane!! It was a twin propellered small plane with about 50 seats! Needless to say, Ju was a little nervous on take off! After a short flight we landed in Koh Samui airport, which Is the coolest airport in the world, ever!!! We were met off the plane by little buses, the kind you would probably find whizzing around Disneyland, and driven to the terminal "building" which really is just a roof over a luggage conveyor! There are no Walls! There was even a cat sleeping in the middle of the floor!!! So laid back!
We then got a cab to take us to the ferry port- another cab story! We paid for our cab, only for him to bring two other people, drop them off after 5 minutes. Then, 2 minutes later, he stops. We get out and into another cab, carrying 6 people from our same flight!! God knows!
Eventually made it to the fast ferry and took the catamaran over to Koh Pangnang. To get to our hotel we had to get a taxi which resembled a pickup truck with a sheep pen on the back of it!!
Our hotel this time was a small collection of NICE bungalows right on the beach and only a 10 minute walk from the town. What was amazing was, in the town, there was a bloody TESCO'S and 3 minutes from us was The Masons Arms, an English pub!! Ju was happy about this as she could eat 'normal' food again!! The next day, we took a cab up the coast to Haad Yao beach, a psychotic cabbie this time! I actually had to bang on the window to tell him to slow down!! It was a great little beach, with the golden sand and Blue sea that Ju has been longing for! We had lunch on the beach and spent most of the day in the water, snorkelling the reef that was just offshore!
After 3 peaceful nights on Pangnag, we took the early ferry up to Koh Tao to our next port of call. Our hotel was right on the North West tip of the Island, and there is only 1 main road on the island, and it finished at our hotel. Actually, it finished about 1 mile before our hotel- the last bit was a bumpy track that you could only access in a 4x4. We even had to pass under a HUGE boulder that had fallen partially across the road!
The hotel was great. We again got lucky with the room. A nice big suite. The whole complex is built into the hillside, starting at the waters edge and making it's way up the steep cliff. We had a great view over the sea and Islands opposite. One of the best features was, right at the bottom, there was direct access to the water and the snorkelling was amazing!! Sooooo many fish and reefs! We literally spent the whole 2 days in the sea, watching all the fish!! It's a shame we were only there for 2 days. Had we have known how great the place was, we would have stayed longer.
We were up early to catch the morning ferry all the way back to Koh Samui, where I am now. Sat beside the pool, in the sun, waiting for the sunset!
We have 3 nights here before we fly off to Bangkok. I think we will try and explore the Island a bit tomorrow. I will try and upload some pictures when I have time!!
back to the sunbathing for now though........
Thursday, 3 March 2011
One night in Phuket
One night in Phuket!
So it is bye bye to Ko Phi Phi- after a false start!
We got up at 9, to pack, check-out and make our way to the pier for the 10:30 ferry to Phuket.
Only there was not a 10:30 ferry to Phuket! But there was one to Krabi! The next ferry was not until 13:30!! Bloody fecking arse!! So we now had 3 hours to kill, so we just went and had breakfast and then pootled online for an hour and a half until was time to go! We eventually got on the ferry after much disorganised chaos on the pier. We both sat up on deck, soaking up the rays. We made it to Phuket in about 95 mins and then went about getting a taxi to our hotel, which was about 30 miles away, just by the airport.
Either we get all the nutty taxi drivers or they really all are mad over here!! We had yet another nutty driver, who spoke not much English, but thought he could! He weaves in and out of traffic, at one point, he stopped off at a school and picked up his 7 year old son and dropped him home en route!! He had the local Thai radio on and was singing along, really badly, as well as trying to dance whilst driving!! All along the way, he kept saying, you want to stop here, 2 minutes, go shopping or stop get pineapple or stop get coconut! By the end of it, I had to say please, we just want to go to our hotel!!! Ju was cracking up in the back, trying not to laugh!! Eventually we made it to our hotel and was quite nice. It was in Nia Yang Beach, just south of the airport and is right opposite the beach. The road is lined with seafood restaurants, bars, massage parlours and tailors?! Just up the road is a huge hotel complex which has been deserted since the tsunami hit here. It looks spooky. Some of the bars have pictures up of before and after the tsunami hit. This place looks like it was hit pretty hard.
We ended up in a lovely little place, having a candlelit dinner on the beach as the sun was setting. It was really beautiful and the food was great too. Now getting an early night as we are both shattered from the lack of sleep over the last week and are looking forward to flying to Ko Samui and then on to Ko Pang-Nang tomorrow! More beaches and sunsets to come for the next week!
Today (2 March) is our halfway point in our holiday! 3.5 weeks down 3.5 more to go!!!
Seems like such a long time ago that we Landed in Hong Kong!!! Let's hope these next few weeks are as great as the ones gone by already!!!
So it is bye bye to Ko Phi Phi- after a false start!
We got up at 9, to pack, check-out and make our way to the pier for the 10:30 ferry to Phuket.
Only there was not a 10:30 ferry to Phuket! But there was one to Krabi! The next ferry was not until 13:30!! Bloody fecking arse!! So we now had 3 hours to kill, so we just went and had breakfast and then pootled online for an hour and a half until was time to go! We eventually got on the ferry after much disorganised chaos on the pier. We both sat up on deck, soaking up the rays. We made it to Phuket in about 95 mins and then went about getting a taxi to our hotel, which was about 30 miles away, just by the airport.
Either we get all the nutty taxi drivers or they really all are mad over here!! We had yet another nutty driver, who spoke not much English, but thought he could! He weaves in and out of traffic, at one point, he stopped off at a school and picked up his 7 year old son and dropped him home en route!! He had the local Thai radio on and was singing along, really badly, as well as trying to dance whilst driving!! All along the way, he kept saying, you want to stop here, 2 minutes, go shopping or stop get pineapple or stop get coconut! By the end of it, I had to say please, we just want to go to our hotel!!! Ju was cracking up in the back, trying not to laugh!! Eventually we made it to our hotel and was quite nice. It was in Nia Yang Beach, just south of the airport and is right opposite the beach. The road is lined with seafood restaurants, bars, massage parlours and tailors?! Just up the road is a huge hotel complex which has been deserted since the tsunami hit here. It looks spooky. Some of the bars have pictures up of before and after the tsunami hit. This place looks like it was hit pretty hard.
We ended up in a lovely little place, having a candlelit dinner on the beach as the sun was setting. It was really beautiful and the food was great too. Now getting an early night as we are both shattered from the lack of sleep over the last week and are looking forward to flying to Ko Samui and then on to Ko Pang-Nang tomorrow! More beaches and sunsets to come for the next week!
Today (2 March) is our halfway point in our holiday! 3.5 weeks down 3.5 more to go!!!
Seems like such a long time ago that we Landed in Hong Kong!!! Let's hope these next few weeks are as great as the ones gone by already!!!
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
A postcard from Koh Phi Phi-fecking noisy place!!!
Koh Phi Phi, Diving and "BRRING, BRRING!"
Hello campers! It's been a while since the last blog post. As we are leaving KPP tomorrow, I thought I may as well update our adventures that we had this week on KPP.
When we arrived last Wednesday (2 days earlier than planned because of the Krabi debacle!)
We were already half cut due to the Chang beer we had on the ferry! Not knowing that it is about 6.8ABV!! So we needed a pee stop and went to the first bar next to the pier for a pee. Thing is, it was for punters only, so we had 2 more beers!!
It was sweltering hot and we had to lug all our bags to the other side of the island to our hotel, through all the narrow uneven streets. 10 minutes later we got there, drenched in sweat and half pissed, only to find out that, because we Did not call to confirm our reservation, they had let the room! Bastards! And KPP was exceptionally busy as well. Most of the hotels were full. In a bit of a panic, I managed to find a place just up the street, closer to the beach. It was a quaint looking bamboo bungalow, quite nice for the price I thought, and what's more, at least we had a room for the night!
How wrong was I?!!!
What I did not realise once we had booked and paid for the room, was how noisy, hot and uncomfortable it was!! Being only literally 20m from the beach, was great during the day, unfortunately, at night, at both the bars to the right and left, they had nightly beach parties, with fooking huge speakers and bass bins!! It was sooooo loud that the whole hut sook with every beat!!! Whats worse is that it was like an oven in there! The one pissy fan did bugger all to cool us down! So, after being blasted with music and sweating bucketloads, we went to find another hotel at midnight, just to get some rest!! They were all full, so we had to bed down for the night in the hellhole!! Mercifully, the music stopped about 2am and we eventually managed to sleep! Needless to say, we did not stay another night! We found a little hotel on the other side of the Island for the next night and managed to get some decent sleep at last!
For the following night, we were over on Phi Phi Leh Island, camping on the beach in Maya Bay, which was the one used in THE BEACH. ( see previous post for blog about that)
When we returned from Maya Bay we got our bags from the tour operator and then checked into our original "hotel". I say hotel loosely, as it is just a couple of dozen bungalows. Mercifully, the one we booked was made of bricks and mortar and not bamboo! It was only about 30M behind the previous hellhole, but the Walls blocked out most of the noise, so we invested in earplugs!!
Had a quiet day mooching on the beach and a lite dinner by the pier.
Next we we went to Viking Divers to start our SSI open water training. We had to sit and watch some videos in the morning and In the afternoon went diving just off the beach in the harbour side of the island to about 3-4m depth, but learning all the health and safety stuff. Things like removing masks and replacing, bouyancy, breathing. All mundane, but necessary. Ju, bless her, who is not all adventurous, did really well and managed to all tasks. Unfortunately though, she did not really enjoy it and did not want to continue the course. Also, shae was a little scared about diving too deep and having a panic attack underwater. Bless her. I am sooo proud of her for trying though!
So I ended up going on my own for the second day. I was teamed with the same Instructor, Laura, who was great, and a Bulgarian girl called Antonia, who became more whiny and annoying as the day progressed!
We went out past PP Leh to a place called Shark Point (for good reason) and I did my first open water dive. Almost as soon as we got to depth, we saw a HUGE Leopard Shark! About 6-7 foot long! Just sat there, chilling on the bottom! Awesome to see. We ended up seeing 3 or 4 more in the next hour, among thousand of other fish!
We then had a break for lunch ( at 0930!) and then did a second dive in another location, both 12m depth. I bloody loved it!
It was much the same the following day, except this time we went to 2 other locates and went to 18m and it was just Laura and myself. It is so peaceful and colourful down there and I cannot wait to go diving again! I passed my final exam, got my SSI divers license and dive log and a video of my dives! Poor Ju. She feels sad about missing out and hopefully will be able to do a controlled dive in the Maldives, which I am sure she is going to love!!
This is now our final night in KPP and, don't get me wrong, it is a lovely place- if you are young and single!! There is so much onus on partying and drinking and booze cruises, that it sort of detracts a bit from the real KPP. And, as in Pangkor Laut, the soundtrack was Ju going AIEEEE, here it is BRRINGG, BRRINGG or BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP!!! that is the soundtrack of all the locals on pushbikes, cycling up the narrow streets, trying to get past!!! If they don't have a bell, the do just say beep or brringg!! It was funny the first few days, but now, just annoying!!
Overall, I have enjoyed KPP for the experiences we have had here, the tour, the diving, the beach, but I don't think Ju was overly impressed! Next stop is Phuket tomorrow for one night before we fly to Ko Samui the following day and then on to Ko Pangang when we land. Have looked online, and there and no raves on the beach in front of our hotel!!! So until next time............
Hello campers! It's been a while since the last blog post. As we are leaving KPP tomorrow, I thought I may as well update our adventures that we had this week on KPP.
When we arrived last Wednesday (2 days earlier than planned because of the Krabi debacle!)
We were already half cut due to the Chang beer we had on the ferry! Not knowing that it is about 6.8ABV!! So we needed a pee stop and went to the first bar next to the pier for a pee. Thing is, it was for punters only, so we had 2 more beers!!
It was sweltering hot and we had to lug all our bags to the other side of the island to our hotel, through all the narrow uneven streets. 10 minutes later we got there, drenched in sweat and half pissed, only to find out that, because we Did not call to confirm our reservation, they had let the room! Bastards! And KPP was exceptionally busy as well. Most of the hotels were full. In a bit of a panic, I managed to find a place just up the street, closer to the beach. It was a quaint looking bamboo bungalow, quite nice for the price I thought, and what's more, at least we had a room for the night!
How wrong was I?!!!
What I did not realise once we had booked and paid for the room, was how noisy, hot and uncomfortable it was!! Being only literally 20m from the beach, was great during the day, unfortunately, at night, at both the bars to the right and left, they had nightly beach parties, with fooking huge speakers and bass bins!! It was sooooo loud that the whole hut sook with every beat!!! Whats worse is that it was like an oven in there! The one pissy fan did bugger all to cool us down! So, after being blasted with music and sweating bucketloads, we went to find another hotel at midnight, just to get some rest!! They were all full, so we had to bed down for the night in the hellhole!! Mercifully, the music stopped about 2am and we eventually managed to sleep! Needless to say, we did not stay another night! We found a little hotel on the other side of the Island for the next night and managed to get some decent sleep at last!
For the following night, we were over on Phi Phi Leh Island, camping on the beach in Maya Bay, which was the one used in THE BEACH. ( see previous post for blog about that)
When we returned from Maya Bay we got our bags from the tour operator and then checked into our original "hotel". I say hotel loosely, as it is just a couple of dozen bungalows. Mercifully, the one we booked was made of bricks and mortar and not bamboo! It was only about 30M behind the previous hellhole, but the Walls blocked out most of the noise, so we invested in earplugs!!
Had a quiet day mooching on the beach and a lite dinner by the pier.
Next we we went to Viking Divers to start our SSI open water training. We had to sit and watch some videos in the morning and In the afternoon went diving just off the beach in the harbour side of the island to about 3-4m depth, but learning all the health and safety stuff. Things like removing masks and replacing, bouyancy, breathing. All mundane, but necessary. Ju, bless her, who is not all adventurous, did really well and managed to all tasks. Unfortunately though, she did not really enjoy it and did not want to continue the course. Also, shae was a little scared about diving too deep and having a panic attack underwater. Bless her. I am sooo proud of her for trying though!
So I ended up going on my own for the second day. I was teamed with the same Instructor, Laura, who was great, and a Bulgarian girl called Antonia, who became more whiny and annoying as the day progressed!
We went out past PP Leh to a place called Shark Point (for good reason) and I did my first open water dive. Almost as soon as we got to depth, we saw a HUGE Leopard Shark! About 6-7 foot long! Just sat there, chilling on the bottom! Awesome to see. We ended up seeing 3 or 4 more in the next hour, among thousand of other fish!
We then had a break for lunch ( at 0930!) and then did a second dive in another location, both 12m depth. I bloody loved it!
It was much the same the following day, except this time we went to 2 other locates and went to 18m and it was just Laura and myself. It is so peaceful and colourful down there and I cannot wait to go diving again! I passed my final exam, got my SSI divers license and dive log and a video of my dives! Poor Ju. She feels sad about missing out and hopefully will be able to do a controlled dive in the Maldives, which I am sure she is going to love!!
This is now our final night in KPP and, don't get me wrong, it is a lovely place- if you are young and single!! There is so much onus on partying and drinking and booze cruises, that it sort of detracts a bit from the real KPP. And, as in Pangkor Laut, the soundtrack was Ju going AIEEEE, here it is BRRINGG, BRRINGG or BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP!!! that is the soundtrack of all the locals on pushbikes, cycling up the narrow streets, trying to get past!!! If they don't have a bell, the do just say beep or brringg!! It was funny the first few days, but now, just annoying!!
Overall, I have enjoyed KPP for the experiences we have had here, the tour, the diving, the beach, but I don't think Ju was overly impressed! Next stop is Phuket tomorrow for one night before we fly to Ko Samui the following day and then on to Ko Pangang when we land. Have looked online, and there and no raves on the beach in front of our hotel!!! So until next time............
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