...As for Ben, he's here and in Ko Samui for the mo. [...]Samui (mad place mad place!) but it seems he intends to go down to Krabi where I'm spending a couple of days. He's also [...] look into soon. It sounds like good fun. I'm gonna try a blog for recording my trip soon cos I've been doing a little too much for my [...] muslim fishing village and whoa it was brill! Could have easily been something like a 4 star hotel in a village probably entirety in [...] worth 750 baht. Sat down for a bitta banana fritters and tea with a few locals! Not talking to them, I'm not good e [...] suspended above water so you could peek throught the floorboards of your room and see water swimming around below! Oh and [...] visited that famous beach with the rock in the middle of the bay. Nice, but the rock looks smaller than yer think. Type Ko Tapu in [...] James Bond Island in the "Man with the Golden Gun" apparently. Hmmm. Today I just made my way into Krabi and had lunch in [...] Woop! Soon I will probs hire a moped and explore the neighbouring beaches!
The lack of certain portions of text is due to the IT skills of my own mother in printing the email...
Sunday, July 12, 2009
2007 Thailand Records 24 July (lost emails)
Looking through a mountain of papers, my mum found a couple of printouts of two emails that I couldn't find myself - of the days 24-25 July. It fills in a gap in my travels: Phang Nga.
I did get that postcard yeah.
But in any case, here I am in Phang Nga in an internet room full of lots of Thais playing games on da PC lol! I didn't visit much yesterday as I was very tired but I looked into a wat and went down to the "Heaven and Hell" caves where they depicted this with lifesize models of Buddhas and people getting slaughtered in ingenious ways! [my grammer was horrific here, had to change it!] Went across a dragon bridge which...well...looked like a giant dragon. Interesting. But today I go on a tour of one of the most popular parts of Thailand. The national park on the west coast. I will be going on a long tailed boat on which we will explore caves, beaches and giant, tall little islands; one which is called a nailboard or something (so tall and yet so little holding it up on the bottom and it is also one of the most famous). That's in the afternoon but then I will stay overnight at an Indonesian fishing village where I can see the sunset and sunrise in its completely amazing beautehhhh. Should be good.
As for the day before I came here, I went off to the park for the morning to find that as I was taking pictures on the shore of the lake there, a giant 1.5 metre sized crocodile looking animal was paddling on the shore nearby. I was shocked as you can guess. But then I saw its flickering tongue and realised it was one of those dragons. Later on as I passed all the Thais doing Tai Chi and a bitta dancing, I saw a good 2.5 metre sized one too. Wooo. After the park I got some lunch at a nearby stall. Picked the reddish looking noodles. Guess why it was red? So spent a bit of time trying to eat it all! [locals were amused to see a young westerner with tears streaming down his face] I looked around the shopping centre again and came back to Khao San Road to sit in the caf and try some sweet and sour soup. And then off to Phang Nga...
After today's and tonight's bit of fun, I will probably move onto Krabi. Supposed to be quite cheap accomodation there and then there are beaches nearby! YES AT LAST! I'm biding my time in the South till Ben comes along at some point.
I did get that postcard yeah.
But in any case, here I am in Phang Nga in an internet room full of lots of Thais playing games on da PC lol! I didn't visit much yesterday as I was very tired but I looked into a wat and went down to the "Heaven and Hell" caves where they depicted this with lifesize models of Buddhas and people getting slaughtered in ingenious ways! [my grammer was horrific here, had to change it!] Went across a dragon bridge which...well...looked like a giant dragon. Interesting. But today I go on a tour of one of the most popular parts of Thailand. The national park on the west coast. I will be going on a long tailed boat on which we will explore caves, beaches and giant, tall little islands; one which is called a nailboard or something (so tall and yet so little holding it up on the bottom and it is also one of the most famous). That's in the afternoon but then I will stay overnight at an Indonesian fishing village where I can see the sunset and sunrise in its completely amazing beautehhhh. Should be good.
As for the day before I came here, I went off to the park for the morning to find that as I was taking pictures on the shore of the lake there, a giant 1.5 metre sized crocodile looking animal was paddling on the shore nearby. I was shocked as you can guess. But then I saw its flickering tongue and realised it was one of those dragons. Later on as I passed all the Thais doing Tai Chi and a bitta dancing, I saw a good 2.5 metre sized one too. Wooo. After the park I got some lunch at a nearby stall. Picked the reddish looking noodles. Guess why it was red? So spent a bit of time trying to eat it all! [locals were amused to see a young westerner with tears streaming down his face] I looked around the shopping centre again and came back to Khao San Road to sit in the caf and try some sweet and sour soup. And then off to Phang Nga...
After today's and tonight's bit of fun, I will probably move onto Krabi. Supposed to be quite cheap accomodation there and then there are beaches nearby! YES AT LAST! I'm biding my time in the South till Ben comes along at some point.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
2007 Thailand Records 16 July (last email)
I'm afraid I had a little incident regarding one of my hearing aids. I no longer have the hearing aid on my right ear. The reason I will explain more when I get back but most can be explained by mentioning that it involved a couple of mischievous monkeys. I must make clear that the hearing aid was not lost through complacency or carelessness! I need you to phone Wendy Booth and if not her, then the Cleary Centre for a replacement hearing aid and hence probably an appointment. Perhaps two since the one of my left is a little temperamental at time. This is a very annoying situation but not one that will hinder me for now. I'm hoping that the new hearing aid(s) will still be funded by the NHS as I'm still a student but remember that I have always kept good care of my hearing aids as my own and that this was a trivial incident. I am fine nevertheless!
I will leave my "diary" till I meet you "tomorrow" (two days but I will not have slept!) If my email sounds somewhat more formal that usual, well you know what I've been reading. I am quite desperate to see the TV adaptation now!
Damn these confounded problems to be faced on my return!!!
[From a comment I left on facebook:]
Alls been well, I visited wats, chatted with monks, lounged on picturesque beaches with clear waters, partied til morning on the full moon and seen the wonderful and the weird. However a misfortune befell me yesterday when I ventured into monkey infested territory. I was issued with a monkey hitting stick; its purpose I thought I would not have to realise. So after a stroll through the ancient wat of centuries old, I reappeared outside and strolled a little round the grounds. A small daring monkey jumped onto my monkey hitting stick and I amused myself with him. However, I did not notice until too late, whose hands and feet crawled up my back, the larger monkey sat on my shoulders. Rather than my bag full of interesting things, he decided to amuse himself with my hearing aid. By the time I had understood the notion that "something" had stolen my hearing aid (for the first time in my life too of course), he had stolen off towards the wat beyond the reach of my monkey stick.
Part two...He disappeared before a member of staff could hit him with a slinger (or kill him? for the others were very fearful of this slinger of his). So I went back to my nearby town of stay with half of my senses. It will be replaced I am sure when I get back. A very interesting tale to tell in the future! JP
["A small daring monkey jumped onto my monkey hitting stick and I amused myself with him." Unintentional innuendo.]
I will leave my "diary" till I meet you "tomorrow" (two days but I will not have slept!) If my email sounds somewhat more formal that usual, well you know what I've been reading. I am quite desperate to see the TV adaptation now!
Damn these confounded problems to be faced on my return!!!
[From a comment I left on facebook:]
Alls been well, I visited wats, chatted with monks, lounged on picturesque beaches with clear waters, partied til morning on the full moon and seen the wonderful and the weird. However a misfortune befell me yesterday when I ventured into monkey infested territory. I was issued with a monkey hitting stick; its purpose I thought I would not have to realise. So after a stroll through the ancient wat of centuries old, I reappeared outside and strolled a little round the grounds. A small daring monkey jumped onto my monkey hitting stick and I amused myself with him. However, I did not notice until too late, whose hands and feet crawled up my back, the larger monkey sat on my shoulders. Rather than my bag full of interesting things, he decided to amuse himself with my hearing aid. By the time I had understood the notion that "something" had stolen my hearing aid (for the first time in my life too of course), he had stolen off towards the wat beyond the reach of my monkey stick.
Part two...He disappeared before a member of staff could hit him with a slinger (or kill him? for the others were very fearful of this slinger of his). So I went back to my nearby town of stay with half of my senses. It will be replaced I am sure when I get back. A very interesting tale to tell in the future! JP
["A small daring monkey jumped onto my monkey hitting stick and I amused myself with him." Unintentional innuendo.]
2007 Thailand Records 12 July
I stayed in Phuket for a night and went round a few markets and had a meal with Sarah and Ben. We went back and I bought a few goodies to eat back in their room. Watched superman which was good and had a good laugh. The morning after I went down to the pool with them for the day. I looked ridiculously white whereas my arms and face were very well tanned. The pictures of me look pretty disastrous! But later on that day I left them both for the bus to Bangkok. This wasn't very successful as I missed the last one by 30 mins or so! So I ended up staying in Phuket town for the night to simply look around in the shops. [nevertheless people watching was pretty fun] The morning after I was off and the whole ride took 15 hours! Woo I was pretty tired and headachy afterwards! I stayed at Khao San Road for the night (from the first few nights of Thailand) in a cheap guesthouse, cheap for a very good reason! From then I booked a ticket to Chiang Mai at the station and spent the day at Siam Square looking around the shops for probably the third time. Got on the train that evening and was soon trying to sleep on the top bunk. It was certainly a new experience given the fact that I've never slept on any kind of transport before. Funnily enough on this occasion, I still did not get to sleep very well. Ahhhhh well. [there was an air conditioning vent next to my bunk!] When I got to Chiang Mai which is Thailand's biggest city after Bangkok, I found it quite a bit less busy and more relaxed. I hitched a ride to a guesthouse called Julias which happens to be the most chilled out place I've ever been. Hammocks, reed beds, a pool table and plenty of Thai objects and things on the wall completed the scene. My room was practically made out of reed and wood and really gave an authentic atmosphere. I went out of the guesthouse to explore the important wats of the old city which is bordered by the ruins of a square moat and wall. The wats were not too different as ever but more ornate.
The inside of a Wat. Beautiful.
I happened upon a huge Chedis which is entirely made out of stone bricks and I estimated it to be something like 30-50 meters high. It houses Buddha relics and of course the usual large gold images of him. I went off to "Monk Chat" where I firstly met 3 young monks approx my age and then a few minutes later, an older monk who had studied humanities as a sort of degree but majoring in English. He has read the likes of Canterbury Tales, Romeo and Juliet and all sorts. He more or less studied for 4 years and then ordained as a monk for the 5th. So we chatted a bit and had a pic taken of us which I have on memory card to show you later! He wanted to eventually go to a wat in the countryside at the end of his year. It seems being a monk is virtually level with going to university. They do learn quite a bit and as I learned later from an English expat granny(!), there are even some who do Physics perhaps even with a bit of Astronomy!
Me and a monk
Anyways, later on that day, I entered the Chiang Mai Art and culture museum where I learned quite a bit of the origin of the city and the Lanna kingdom. There were once 3 kings of 3 kingdoms, one being the Lanna kingdom. This encompassed the north of Thailand, the east of Burma and the west of Laos. The city of Chiang Mai was its capital and repelled over 30 Burmese invasions (but was eventually captured and smashed apart and deserted). Later it was re-established after a rebellion against the Burmese and they called it the time of vegetable picking or something random like this as people were plucked from the surrounding towns and popped in Chiang Mai. Artisans and the like. And Chiang Mai became a large hub of trading between China and Siam. However with the colonial era, Siam was encouraged to merge together the Lanna kingdom and that of the south (I think only two kingdoms existed at the time). Hence the last monarch of the Lanna was allowed power of such but no one after his death would be able to assume such power (I say monarch because these kings were given the equivalent title for the region by the actual king of Siam). So the kingdom of Lanna faded but its traditions still exist.
The 3 Kings of Siam
I have to say I learned of an American woman who was employed by the king of Siam to teach his children English, a language at that time was becoming essential for future diplomatic relations with the superpowers. King and I! But anyway after that museum I went back to the guesthouse with my virtual map in my head of Chiang Mai oriented 90 degrees out hence confusing me to the point of walking many blocks in an aimless direction! When you exit one of the exits of the old city, you're either on the north, east, west or south side. You cannot tell which, they all look the same! But eventually I found my way back and enjoyed some perfectly rightly spicy yellow curry and settled down to read guess what? Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It has only occured to me that I've seen some of it on TV when it came to the point of Helen Burn's death. [sorry spoiler :P] Awwww that was a shame. I totally recognised Adele from the TV series. Anyway today, a teensy bit hungover from last night, I walked off to find the art museum of Chiang Mai Uni and once I found it, there were brilliant paintings on display. I wish I could buy postcards of some of the best pics but they weren't available. That's where I met English expat granny. I always get that wow thing when I say I'm studying Astrophysics. Bah! I'll try and find some images of the paintings on the internet. Pity they were in the region of $3000! After that I walked straight across the city and saw some Jade Buddhas and met another monk who has been across most of Europe and Birmingham?! [lol!] After that, walked back here to find your email titled pissed off or something like that. MONEH!!! Tonight I will go off and have a look at the night bazaar and have some fun as well as reading the very addictive Jane Eyre. He he.
JP WITH AN EXTREMELY USELESS P KEYBOARD WHICH DOESN'T LIKE TO TYPE THE C LETTER (the p meant to have a c after it, for PC but I can't be arsed to ype that in. The T is quite useless too.)
The inside of a Wat. Beautiful.
I happened upon a huge Chedis which is entirely made out of stone bricks and I estimated it to be something like 30-50 meters high. It houses Buddha relics and of course the usual large gold images of him. I went off to "Monk Chat" where I firstly met 3 young monks approx my age and then a few minutes later, an older monk who had studied humanities as a sort of degree but majoring in English. He has read the likes of Canterbury Tales, Romeo and Juliet and all sorts. He more or less studied for 4 years and then ordained as a monk for the 5th. So we chatted a bit and had a pic taken of us which I have on memory card to show you later! He wanted to eventually go to a wat in the countryside at the end of his year. It seems being a monk is virtually level with going to university. They do learn quite a bit and as I learned later from an English expat granny(!), there are even some who do Physics perhaps even with a bit of Astronomy!
Me and a monk
Anyways, later on that day, I entered the Chiang Mai Art and culture museum where I learned quite a bit of the origin of the city and the Lanna kingdom. There were once 3 kings of 3 kingdoms, one being the Lanna kingdom. This encompassed the north of Thailand, the east of Burma and the west of Laos. The city of Chiang Mai was its capital and repelled over 30 Burmese invasions (but was eventually captured and smashed apart and deserted). Later it was re-established after a rebellion against the Burmese and they called it the time of vegetable picking or something random like this as people were plucked from the surrounding towns and popped in Chiang Mai. Artisans and the like. And Chiang Mai became a large hub of trading between China and Siam. However with the colonial era, Siam was encouraged to merge together the Lanna kingdom and that of the south (I think only two kingdoms existed at the time). Hence the last monarch of the Lanna was allowed power of such but no one after his death would be able to assume such power (I say monarch because these kings were given the equivalent title for the region by the actual king of Siam). So the kingdom of Lanna faded but its traditions still exist.
The 3 Kings of Siam
I have to say I learned of an American woman who was employed by the king of Siam to teach his children English, a language at that time was becoming essential for future diplomatic relations with the superpowers. King and I! But anyway after that museum I went back to the guesthouse with my virtual map in my head of Chiang Mai oriented 90 degrees out hence confusing me to the point of walking many blocks in an aimless direction! When you exit one of the exits of the old city, you're either on the north, east, west or south side. You cannot tell which, they all look the same! But eventually I found my way back and enjoyed some perfectly rightly spicy yellow curry and settled down to read guess what? Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It has only occured to me that I've seen some of it on TV when it came to the point of Helen Burn's death. [sorry spoiler :P] Awwww that was a shame. I totally recognised Adele from the TV series. Anyway today, a teensy bit hungover from last night, I walked off to find the art museum of Chiang Mai Uni and once I found it, there were brilliant paintings on display. I wish I could buy postcards of some of the best pics but they weren't available. That's where I met English expat granny. I always get that wow thing when I say I'm studying Astrophysics. Bah! I'll try and find some images of the paintings on the internet. Pity they were in the region of $3000! After that I walked straight across the city and saw some Jade Buddhas and met another monk who has been across most of Europe and Birmingham?! [lol!] After that, walked back here to find your email titled pissed off or something like that. MONEH!!! Tonight I will go off and have a look at the night bazaar and have some fun as well as reading the very addictive Jane Eyre. He he.
JP WITH AN EXTREMELY USELESS P KEYBOARD WHICH DOESN'T LIKE TO TYPE THE C LETTER (the p meant to have a c after it, for PC but I can't be arsed to ype that in. The T is quite useless too.)
Friday, January 30, 2009
2007 Thailand Records 7 July
Yep I am returning. Thai TV can be crazily comical. The equivalent of soaps has random comic sounds to accompany every person's action. Watched some Wimbledon in Ben and Sarah's room here. Anyway I left Ao Nang for Ko Phi Phi and found a cheap guesthouse while they had their expensive bungalow with TV and swimming pool. We spent most of the time in the swimming pool for the first two days, beach on the second of course. Had a drinking night on the second with cocktail buckets and all.
Us. Yes.
Didn't quite go to plan since Ben got a little jealous when Sarah got a peck on the lips. Anyway on the third which would be yesterday, we went on a snorkeling trip and saw some of the most spectacular fish. We ended up in some lagoons on Phi Phi Ley which were amazing. [even now I have not seen anything more spectacular to date; being in that lagoon was bliss] You're swimming and yet everywhere you see is the huge grey green cliff faces.
Ko Phi Phi Ley lagoon
We also visited the beach. Ja. The Beach. Which was good. Anyways I'm waiting for a ferry to Phuket where I shall be off back to Bangkok to go off playing in the north. Should be good to get back to Thai culture. Ben and Sarah have just been lazily swimming on beaches and pools. I feel like getting back to something more interesting.
Us. Yes.
Didn't quite go to plan since Ben got a little jealous when Sarah got a peck on the lips. Anyway on the third which would be yesterday, we went on a snorkeling trip and saw some of the most spectacular fish. We ended up in some lagoons on Phi Phi Ley which were amazing. [even now I have not seen anything more spectacular to date; being in that lagoon was bliss] You're swimming and yet everywhere you see is the huge grey green cliff faces.
Ko Phi Phi Ley lagoon
We also visited the beach. Ja. The Beach. Which was good. Anyways I'm waiting for a ferry to Phuket where I shall be off back to Bangkok to go off playing in the north. Should be good to get back to Thai culture. Ben and Sarah have just been lazily swimming on beaches and pools. I feel like getting back to something more interesting.
2007 Thailand Records 2 & 3 July
2 July
Well I have to say, I did not get to meet Ben in time for the moon party which was on the evening of the day I sent the last email. I also could not find any accommodation as everywhere was full. So after a few futile attempts to find Ben that evening (I was told of a place that did not exist very much), I decided to go down to the beach party. And indeed it was mental. The cocktails came in mini buckets and sure as hell, a lot of people were walking about with those buckets. Later on (about 2), the entire beach was virtually heaving full. The sea was at low tide which helped the beach's capacity a bit. Everyone was covered in body paint which unfortunately rubbed off on me as they barged past drunk. There might have been a tattoo epidemic that night too!
Full Moon Party
It was funny as you walked along the beach since you'd constantly tune into new music; different genres of it as you walked past each bar or club. [Bars that were virtually built on the sandy beach itself] There was a bit of cheese, a bitty of house, reggae and even a particular favourite of mine: trance. Yay! I was offered pills but I turned them down obviously. Just shows what a drug fueled night it is there. [I would think pills are a bit boring when you are alone!]
Paper Lanterns
I decided to get some sleep after 2 but found that I couldn't by 4.30. So I walked back down to the beach and had a really good dance on the tables in front of the bars like everyone else. I would estimate that over half of the hundreds of tables were broken that evening! Then I sat down to watch the sunrise, completely and bloody worn out while people kept on partying on at the back of me. Everyone would just cool off in the sea (as well as the men having a winky or a few couples having a splash!). It was good. Longest party ever (I left at 8am and a few people were bopping in front of a couple of bars still booming music.) i estimate it must have carried on til 9 and considering it all started at nightfall (about 7 or 8) that is fucking long man!!! [and yes...my mother actually read this...] Bet you got irritated by my language there eh? Anyway I stayed in Phangan for another night since travelling would be too tiring after a sleepless night. I had a dip in the sea and watched Dukes of Hazard during the day and when I checked my emails, found that there was a pissed off reply from Ben wondering how it was so DIFFICULT to find him after he gave me where they were staying and all. I was looking for a Jungle Jacks (a restaurant nearby apparently) but in this email he mentioned Phang nang Cabera. Looked it up in a guide and found out where the hell it was on the island at last! So took a scooter up there over the hills of Phangan (which are often 45 degrees at times) [also had an encounter with a snake...I think it survived...] and walked into the restaurant and saw Ben and Sarah watching Knocked Up. I grabbed him by surprise and he went meh and after a second looked up and wondered if what he was seeing was not an apparition but the real solid James. Stayed at their place till about 12.30 talking about where we've been and random stuff. Sarah mentioned a lot about travelling in New Zealand. 4 bungee jumps, spider encounters etc. Let Ben and Sarah have a go on the scooter too. Turned out that the whole confusion behind where they were was because I had put more emphasis on find Jungle Jacks than Cabera. Never mind we all agreed we had crap communication! Overall, I think Ko Samui and Ko Phangan are great islands to be on to chill out and party with friends. But unfortunately friends only came on the last night. Ben and Sarah were on the SAME beach at the same full moon party. The odds of bumping into them was slim. I'd estimate a good 2000-4000 people on that beach that night. Ha it was hilarious to see people just casually sitting high up on the buildings on the edge! [like some frat party] Anyways, yesterday I simply took a couple of ferries back to Surat Thani via Ko Samui and stayed in Surat Thani to stuff myself with a little sausage, an interesting coconut pancake, a rather large apple and some beautiful heavenly orange juice that you drink out of a little plastic bag. YEH! Today I took the coach back down to Krabi to Ao Nang beach where Ben and Sarah are staying now. It took me a while to find the hotel they're staying at. I walked a good mile before taking the taxi back to the starting position to find the hotel sign standing in front of me! I'm just waiting for them to come back (Thai woman mimics swimming) so I assume they are swimming and snorkeling or something. Today it is Ben's birthday so we might go out somewhere, get a ginormous pizza and get utterly pissed. Well you never plan what happens while yer pissed!
3 July
I'm hanging out with ben and sarah for the mo and am going to travel with them tomoz to Ko Phi Phi, a famous island for its inclusion in the film "The Beach". Yesterday went out and had a meal and we all got tipsy and had that late night deep discussion thing lol. Today they both went on a daytrip to do a bit of elephant riding and hot spring dipping. I didn't go and it didn't matter because I spent the day lounging on a rather picturesque beach with a coke in my hand.
Ao Nang Beach
Now that is happy enough for me! I got changed to a different room. To add insult to injury (ben and sarah), not only have I bargained for lower rates for a room with a fan for two nights, the room I changed to has a TV, hot shower and air conditioning. My my backpacking is certainly unpredictable. One night you don't get a room, another you get AC, TV and hot shower for the cheapest price imaginable. SCORE!!! That's all for now.
Ooooooh yeah...
Well I have to say, I did not get to meet Ben in time for the moon party which was on the evening of the day I sent the last email. I also could not find any accommodation as everywhere was full. So after a few futile attempts to find Ben that evening (I was told of a place that did not exist very much), I decided to go down to the beach party. And indeed it was mental. The cocktails came in mini buckets and sure as hell, a lot of people were walking about with those buckets. Later on (about 2), the entire beach was virtually heaving full. The sea was at low tide which helped the beach's capacity a bit. Everyone was covered in body paint which unfortunately rubbed off on me as they barged past drunk. There might have been a tattoo epidemic that night too!
Full Moon Party
It was funny as you walked along the beach since you'd constantly tune into new music; different genres of it as you walked past each bar or club. [Bars that were virtually built on the sandy beach itself] There was a bit of cheese, a bitty of house, reggae and even a particular favourite of mine: trance. Yay! I was offered pills but I turned them down obviously. Just shows what a drug fueled night it is there. [I would think pills are a bit boring when you are alone!]
Paper Lanterns
I decided to get some sleep after 2 but found that I couldn't by 4.30. So I walked back down to the beach and had a really good dance on the tables in front of the bars like everyone else. I would estimate that over half of the hundreds of tables were broken that evening! Then I sat down to watch the sunrise, completely and bloody worn out while people kept on partying on at the back of me. Everyone would just cool off in the sea (as well as the men having a winky or a few couples having a splash!). It was good. Longest party ever (I left at 8am and a few people were bopping in front of a couple of bars still booming music.) i estimate it must have carried on til 9 and considering it all started at nightfall (about 7 or 8) that is fucking long man!!! [and yes...my mother actually read this...] Bet you got irritated by my language there eh? Anyway I stayed in Phangan for another night since travelling would be too tiring after a sleepless night. I had a dip in the sea and watched Dukes of Hazard during the day and when I checked my emails, found that there was a pissed off reply from Ben wondering how it was so DIFFICULT to find him after he gave me where they were staying and all. I was looking for a Jungle Jacks (a restaurant nearby apparently) but in this email he mentioned Phang nang Cabera. Looked it up in a guide and found out where the hell it was on the island at last! So took a scooter up there over the hills of Phangan (which are often 45 degrees at times) [also had an encounter with a snake...I think it survived...] and walked into the restaurant and saw Ben and Sarah watching Knocked Up. I grabbed him by surprise and he went meh and after a second looked up and wondered if what he was seeing was not an apparition but the real solid James. Stayed at their place till about 12.30 talking about where we've been and random stuff. Sarah mentioned a lot about travelling in New Zealand. 4 bungee jumps, spider encounters etc. Let Ben and Sarah have a go on the scooter too. Turned out that the whole confusion behind where they were was because I had put more emphasis on find Jungle Jacks than Cabera. Never mind we all agreed we had crap communication! Overall, I think Ko Samui and Ko Phangan are great islands to be on to chill out and party with friends. But unfortunately friends only came on the last night. Ben and Sarah were on the SAME beach at the same full moon party. The odds of bumping into them was slim. I'd estimate a good 2000-4000 people on that beach that night. Ha it was hilarious to see people just casually sitting high up on the buildings on the edge! [like some frat party] Anyways, yesterday I simply took a couple of ferries back to Surat Thani via Ko Samui and stayed in Surat Thani to stuff myself with a little sausage, an interesting coconut pancake, a rather large apple and some beautiful heavenly orange juice that you drink out of a little plastic bag. YEH! Today I took the coach back down to Krabi to Ao Nang beach where Ben and Sarah are staying now. It took me a while to find the hotel they're staying at. I walked a good mile before taking the taxi back to the starting position to find the hotel sign standing in front of me! I'm just waiting for them to come back (Thai woman mimics swimming) so I assume they are swimming and snorkeling or something. Today it is Ben's birthday so we might go out somewhere, get a ginormous pizza and get utterly pissed. Well you never plan what happens while yer pissed!
3 July
I'm hanging out with ben and sarah for the mo and am going to travel with them tomoz to Ko Phi Phi, a famous island for its inclusion in the film "The Beach". Yesterday went out and had a meal and we all got tipsy and had that late night deep discussion thing lol. Today they both went on a daytrip to do a bit of elephant riding and hot spring dipping. I didn't go and it didn't matter because I spent the day lounging on a rather picturesque beach with a coke in my hand.
Ao Nang Beach
Now that is happy enough for me! I got changed to a different room. To add insult to injury (ben and sarah), not only have I bargained for lower rates for a room with a fan for two nights, the room I changed to has a TV, hot shower and air conditioning. My my backpacking is certainly unpredictable. One night you don't get a room, another you get AC, TV and hot shower for the cheapest price imaginable. SCORE!!! That's all for now.
Ooooooh yeah...
Sunday, January 18, 2009
2007 Thailand Records 26 & 29 June
26 June
After the email yesterday, [email may be deleted] I decided to visit Wat Tham Sui which is near Krabi (or actually in Krabi which is rather large). I walked up to a rather large rocket looking development. [just lacking the engines supposedly] Not complete, still grey from the concrete that forms it. God knows what possessed them to make something so ugly and yet temple like but I guess once it is complete, it will be their own big stone temple to compare with other historical sites of ancient temples.
Wat Tham Sui
The wat was teeming full of monkeys amd one came across many signs saying "bware of monkeys stealing belongings". It is supposed to be the famous site of the tiger cave, which was a bit disappointing. [It was a small recess in the cliffface but nevertheless has stories about a tiger surrounding it] It is enclosed by another building so it just felt like a temple hall but with a rock face on one side. Lots of buddha images of course and I did not see any tigers which was a shame cos I was looking forward to seeing a monk eating tiger. But the main attraction had to be when I started up the mountain to the buddha footprints that are at the top. Don't know why the hell the buddha had to imprint them up there but nevermind. So the climb. Equilivent of about 50 Jacob ladders? [An outdoor staircase in my hometown with about 500 steps or something] In the lovely tropical heat too. Woop. So a bottle of water later and that bottle's contents dripping down my face, I was there. And what was waiting? A bunch of Thai tourists keen to explain what the water tap did. I clearly did not understand them since as soon as I went to wash my hand under the pink one, I got a rather nasty surprise in the form of fairly well boiled water. Whoops. They had a good laugh about that. Soon after, the two girls of the group were keen to get pictured with me on their camera. I seemed to be the best attraction compared to the giant gold 6 metre buddha nearby. From that peak, a magnificent view could be seen. You could see the coast and a few jagged peaks, like giant rocks the size of cities. But nevertheless, from the coast in the west you could turn around and the land is flat and then it gets a few big big giant peaks and then you get crazy bumpy land in the north. Valleys, peaks and all. Very spectacular. I also tried to grasp what it might have looked like in the past and it may not have looked too different. The city may have been there long before... So descending down the mountain, it occured to me that climbing was only 2/3 of the job. Think I was an inch shorter when I reached the bottom. To get back to Krabi, I was going to have to take a long walk but some locals suggested a certain motorcycle contraption. It's like one of the ice cream motorcycles but with a wheel on the side. So I had a fun ride back to Krabi after a bit of bartering and immediately decided "mmmm I might have a little daytrip outside Krabi on a motorcycle!" Henceforth I spent today driving around on a scooter having absolutely great fun. The speedometer didn't work but meh. Who cares if you're speeding! They didn't even ask for a driving licence! Anyways I visited a beach called Ao Nang which has a hawaiian feel to it. It was getting a bit miserable when I got there so I didn't feel like swimming. Sure enough, it started raining like crazy on my way back to Krabi. After a while in krabi, I drove off again in the direction of the local national park which I just spent the entire time driving through. Apparently there is a waterfall somewhere there but I saw the petrol gauge getting low and I didn't dare to venture further. I did manage to do a bit of safari in a large amount of mud after taking a wrong turn but sure enough I turned back with my legs a bit mudded. Very fun. Tonight I eat in the market where I seem to eat every meal. So trying out the cuisine a bit. A spicy cuisine it is. And then tomorrow I will head towards Surat Thani again to take a boat to good ol' Ko Samui where I will meet his Benshiplyness and Sarahattiness. They are going to the full moon party on Ko Phangan. ONCE I contact him I will be able to ask if he organise it a little for me. [I had no idea where the full moon party would be.]
29 June
I've been in Ko Samui and now I'm in Ko Phangan trying to meet Ben...somewhere. But yesterday was pretty brill because I visited Cheweng beach and slept near Lamai beach. Yes white sand. But a but crowded nevertheless. Water was really warm. Beats any beach!
Hat Lamai
I rode a bit about on the scooter I rented and I have to admit I did drive back from Cheweng in a tipsy state. [After arriving at Lamai and stopping at an open air bar, I rode back to bed in a more than tipsy state thanks to a certain expat!] Samui was pleasant and a bit of a lazy place for me to go! Anyway gotta rush!
After the email yesterday, [email may be deleted] I decided to visit Wat Tham Sui which is near Krabi (or actually in Krabi which is rather large). I walked up to a rather large rocket looking development. [just lacking the engines supposedly] Not complete, still grey from the concrete that forms it. God knows what possessed them to make something so ugly and yet temple like but I guess once it is complete, it will be their own big stone temple to compare with other historical sites of ancient temples.
Wat Tham Sui
The wat was teeming full of monkeys amd one came across many signs saying "bware of monkeys stealing belongings". It is supposed to be the famous site of the tiger cave, which was a bit disappointing. [It was a small recess in the cliffface but nevertheless has stories about a tiger surrounding it] It is enclosed by another building so it just felt like a temple hall but with a rock face on one side. Lots of buddha images of course and I did not see any tigers which was a shame cos I was looking forward to seeing a monk eating tiger. But the main attraction had to be when I started up the mountain to the buddha footprints that are at the top. Don't know why the hell the buddha had to imprint them up there but nevermind. So the climb. Equilivent of about 50 Jacob ladders? [An outdoor staircase in my hometown with about 500 steps or something] In the lovely tropical heat too. Woop. So a bottle of water later and that bottle's contents dripping down my face, I was there. And what was waiting? A bunch of Thai tourists keen to explain what the water tap did. I clearly did not understand them since as soon as I went to wash my hand under the pink one, I got a rather nasty surprise in the form of fairly well boiled water. Whoops. They had a good laugh about that. Soon after, the two girls of the group were keen to get pictured with me on their camera. I seemed to be the best attraction compared to the giant gold 6 metre buddha nearby. From that peak, a magnificent view could be seen. You could see the coast and a few jagged peaks, like giant rocks the size of cities. But nevertheless, from the coast in the west you could turn around and the land is flat and then it gets a few big big giant peaks and then you get crazy bumpy land in the north. Valleys, peaks and all. Very spectacular. I also tried to grasp what it might have looked like in the past and it may not have looked too different. The city may have been there long before... So descending down the mountain, it occured to me that climbing was only 2/3 of the job. Think I was an inch shorter when I reached the bottom. To get back to Krabi, I was going to have to take a long walk but some locals suggested a certain motorcycle contraption. It's like one of the ice cream motorcycles but with a wheel on the side. So I had a fun ride back to Krabi after a bit of bartering and immediately decided "mmmm I might have a little daytrip outside Krabi on a motorcycle!" Henceforth I spent today driving around on a scooter having absolutely great fun. The speedometer didn't work but meh. Who cares if you're speeding! They didn't even ask for a driving licence! Anyways I visited a beach called Ao Nang which has a hawaiian feel to it. It was getting a bit miserable when I got there so I didn't feel like swimming. Sure enough, it started raining like crazy on my way back to Krabi. After a while in krabi, I drove off again in the direction of the local national park which I just spent the entire time driving through. Apparently there is a waterfall somewhere there but I saw the petrol gauge getting low and I didn't dare to venture further. I did manage to do a bit of safari in a large amount of mud after taking a wrong turn but sure enough I turned back with my legs a bit mudded. Very fun. Tonight I eat in the market where I seem to eat every meal. So trying out the cuisine a bit. A spicy cuisine it is. And then tomorrow I will head towards Surat Thani again to take a boat to good ol' Ko Samui where I will meet his Benshiplyness and Sarahattiness. They are going to the full moon party on Ko Phangan. ONCE I contact him I will be able to ask if he organise it a little for me. [I had no idea where the full moon party would be.]
29 June
I've been in Ko Samui and now I'm in Ko Phangan trying to meet Ben...somewhere. But yesterday was pretty brill because I visited Cheweng beach and slept near Lamai beach. Yes white sand. But a but crowded nevertheless. Water was really warm. Beats any beach!
Hat Lamai
I rode a bit about on the scooter I rented and I have to admit I did drive back from Cheweng in a tipsy state. [After arriving at Lamai and stopping at an open air bar, I rode back to bed in a more than tipsy state thanks to a certain expat!] Samui was pleasant and a bit of a lazy place for me to go! Anyway gotta rush!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
2007 Thailand Records 20 & 22 June
These are email records from the first backpacking trip I did back in the summer of 2007. Since I was unable to use my blog as a journal and had no writing pads, I relied on the emails sent to my mother (who would worry if I didn't reply for more than a week). The best place to store the content of these emails is on the online blogger server. The emails are barely edited, kept in their informal form. Present thoughts are displayed inside [].
20 June
Ello its me of course. I got here last night well jet lagged. Managed to watch plenty of movies like The Incredibles, Flushed Away and Bridge to Terabithia. Yeh I know they're all children movies. Why did I get to watch all the movies I wanted? Well lets see... My seat was equiped with a TV where you could select any movies, TV (friends, simpsons etc) and you could even watch a couple of cameras strapped to the plane. Cool eh? Anyway when I got outta the plane in Dubai, oh my god yup. It hit me. Compared to the weather here, it is hotter over there! You never told me Bahrain was an island! I also know where Aden is now. [I've forgotten!] Anyways, I visited Siam square today and looked about a bit. I went on a proper bus, not a tourist bus and quite enjoyed it. Not air conditioned but that's part of the fun. I'm going to do the full sightseeing tomoz as I wasn't equipped with the trousers for the tours around the temple and grand palace. Lots and lots of wats to go to tomoz! After that I may stay another night and then go off on an overnight train down south to lounge on some beaches. Overall plan I think is go south and then up north and then back to Bangkok. The reason I want to do it in this order is beacause I can get used to Thailand in a more touristy area and then go up north to the more traditional area. Chiang Mai is defo on the list.
Anyways currently staying in Sawasdee inn on Khao San Rd for the mo. My passport and everything else is safe in a safe for the mo if you're concerned at all about that he he. I get food by popping out on the road and looking for a stall. Last meal cost 30B which is about 50p. Got a can of coke a few minutes ago for 20B, about 35p. [for some reason I thought it was 17p and 10p respectively at this point but in reality it was £1 to 60B] Last night when I got in JET LAGGED I got locked out of my room by my own padlock yay. [I ended up spending 10 minutes rattling the lock and got hot and flustered, wasn't the best start to the Thailand experience] Had to get a man from the reception with a wrench. Then it turned out they gave me the wrong room. Blah. Thats all behind me now tho.
Its 20:16 for the mo and 13:16 in England. So I'm pretty confident that you will check your emails by (your) evening!
22 June
Yeh meant to leave it since I realised I would be unable to charge it anyways. But yeh yesterday I visited the grand palace, the emerald buddha temple (a wat) and about 3 other wats. As a result, I am fed up of buddism now! But hell the buildings were huge and ornate. Like inside out jewellery boxes. Gold everywhere on the outside of each building! It was very interesting but with a lot of tourists of course. One of the wats housed a school - children playing amongst the monks!
The Emerald Buddha
Grand Palace
I had a bit of a ride on a tuk tuk to an artificial hill called golden mount where you could see an excellent view of bangkok around you. Lots of steps wind around the hill to the top with large bells along the way. Those bells are struck in prayer I think. I didn't dare strike one lol! I took loads of pics so I will be able to bore you senseless when im back. [This was a correct prediction] But as for the evening, I moved to a different guesthouse for approx (omg where is the pound key???!) [This is refering to the Thai electronic keyboard] - 2 pounds. Cheap for a good reason. No AC. A ceiling fan. [Wasn't particularly fast ceiling fan but quite relaxing to look up at] A bed. A window. Small room. That's it. There are communal showers and sinks of course. I don't mind too much as it saves a bit of money. [Going to the toilet was an ordeal, wondering whether someone might suddenly barge in while you sit on the toilet] Last night I sat down for some good old Thai beer and got talking with a Norweigan guy (who is South Korean by origin!) and whiled the night away getting a tad bit drunk on the good beer. Its weird because I got a craving for beer the past few days and hell I never used to like beer much! [So this is where I sped up my beer drinking...] Times change. But yeh we talked about travels and all sorts. He's been to China and Tibet and was staying in Thailand for a bit of a holiday. [He gave his name so I could look him up on facebook. But...I didn't remember thanks to a hangover] He's just going to stay on Khao San Rd for the whole week. Not me. I'm going down to Surat Thani on the bus tonight and will arrive about 6am. [I recall trying to go all the way to Phuket on that fare alone but it turned out the bus changed at Surat Thani anyway!] I will spend a bit of a day there and then probably decide to get a bus to Phang Nya where apparently it's a bit quieter than the touristy Phuket. It is near a national park as well so who knows. Hopefully I should meet Ben sometime in Phuket or Ko Samui. I don't intend to stay long in the south though I will try and stay long enough for Ben. Hopefully we might organise a week long or so trip! Who knows. Anyway I'm off to have a relaxing day in a certain park on Silom road. [On arriving this park, it seemed some creatures roughly the same size and appearance as crocodiles lurked on the shores. I was aghast!] I cannot be bothered about another hectic day of sightseeing (not much left anyway) and besides the sun is out. TOO HOT!!! WANT CLOUD WANT CLOUD!!!
Anyway see ya and don't forget I'm not necessarily going to email every single day. When I go up northish in julyish there isn't a huge amount of internet going on around there. [This is incorrect, it was virtually the same not to mention with the inclusion academic institutions like Chiang Mai university, more later]
20 June
Ello its me of course. I got here last night well jet lagged. Managed to watch plenty of movies like The Incredibles, Flushed Away and Bridge to Terabithia. Yeh I know they're all children movies. Why did I get to watch all the movies I wanted? Well lets see... My seat was equiped with a TV where you could select any movies, TV (friends, simpsons etc) and you could even watch a couple of cameras strapped to the plane. Cool eh? Anyway when I got outta the plane in Dubai, oh my god yup. It hit me. Compared to the weather here, it is hotter over there! You never told me Bahrain was an island! I also know where Aden is now. [I've forgotten!] Anyways, I visited Siam square today and looked about a bit. I went on a proper bus, not a tourist bus and quite enjoyed it. Not air conditioned but that's part of the fun. I'm going to do the full sightseeing tomoz as I wasn't equipped with the trousers for the tours around the temple and grand palace. Lots and lots of wats to go to tomoz! After that I may stay another night and then go off on an overnight train down south to lounge on some beaches. Overall plan I think is go south and then up north and then back to Bangkok. The reason I want to do it in this order is beacause I can get used to Thailand in a more touristy area and then go up north to the more traditional area. Chiang Mai is defo on the list.
Anyways currently staying in Sawasdee inn on Khao San Rd for the mo. My passport and everything else is safe in a safe for the mo if you're concerned at all about that he he. I get food by popping out on the road and looking for a stall. Last meal cost 30B which is about 50p. Got a can of coke a few minutes ago for 20B, about 35p. [for some reason I thought it was 17p and 10p respectively at this point but in reality it was £1 to 60B] Last night when I got in JET LAGGED I got locked out of my room by my own padlock yay. [I ended up spending 10 minutes rattling the lock and got hot and flustered, wasn't the best start to the Thailand experience] Had to get a man from the reception with a wrench. Then it turned out they gave me the wrong room. Blah. Thats all behind me now tho.
Its 20:16 for the mo and 13:16 in England. So I'm pretty confident that you will check your emails by (your) evening!
22 June
Yeh meant to leave it since I realised I would be unable to charge it anyways. But yeh yesterday I visited the grand palace, the emerald buddha temple (a wat) and about 3 other wats. As a result, I am fed up of buddism now! But hell the buildings were huge and ornate. Like inside out jewellery boxes. Gold everywhere on the outside of each building! It was very interesting but with a lot of tourists of course. One of the wats housed a school - children playing amongst the monks!
The Emerald Buddha
Grand Palace
I had a bit of a ride on a tuk tuk to an artificial hill called golden mount where you could see an excellent view of bangkok around you. Lots of steps wind around the hill to the top with large bells along the way. Those bells are struck in prayer I think. I didn't dare strike one lol! I took loads of pics so I will be able to bore you senseless when im back. [This was a correct prediction] But as for the evening, I moved to a different guesthouse for approx (omg where is the pound key???!) [This is refering to the Thai electronic keyboard] - 2 pounds. Cheap for a good reason. No AC. A ceiling fan. [Wasn't particularly fast ceiling fan but quite relaxing to look up at] A bed. A window. Small room. That's it. There are communal showers and sinks of course. I don't mind too much as it saves a bit of money. [Going to the toilet was an ordeal, wondering whether someone might suddenly barge in while you sit on the toilet] Last night I sat down for some good old Thai beer and got talking with a Norweigan guy (who is South Korean by origin!) and whiled the night away getting a tad bit drunk on the good beer. Its weird because I got a craving for beer the past few days and hell I never used to like beer much! [So this is where I sped up my beer drinking...] Times change. But yeh we talked about travels and all sorts. He's been to China and Tibet and was staying in Thailand for a bit of a holiday. [He gave his name so I could look him up on facebook. But...I didn't remember thanks to a hangover] He's just going to stay on Khao San Rd for the whole week. Not me. I'm going down to Surat Thani on the bus tonight and will arrive about 6am. [I recall trying to go all the way to Phuket on that fare alone but it turned out the bus changed at Surat Thani anyway!] I will spend a bit of a day there and then probably decide to get a bus to Phang Nya where apparently it's a bit quieter than the touristy Phuket. It is near a national park as well so who knows. Hopefully I should meet Ben sometime in Phuket or Ko Samui. I don't intend to stay long in the south though I will try and stay long enough for Ben. Hopefully we might organise a week long or so trip! Who knows. Anyway I'm off to have a relaxing day in a certain park on Silom road. [On arriving this park, it seemed some creatures roughly the same size and appearance as crocodiles lurked on the shores. I was aghast!] I cannot be bothered about another hectic day of sightseeing (not much left anyway) and besides the sun is out. TOO HOT!!! WANT CLOUD WANT CLOUD!!!
Anyway see ya and don't forget I'm not necessarily going to email every single day. When I go up northish in julyish there isn't a huge amount of internet going on around there. [This is incorrect, it was virtually the same not to mention with the inclusion academic institutions like Chiang Mai university, more later]
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