Ok folks. I fly home late tonight/early hours tomorrow. On flight TG910. Will be back in Blighty for around 7.30 GMT 29/07/08.
Got mixed feelings really. I'm gonna miss this life! But I am looking forward to catching up with everybody and sleeping in a real comfy bed! It's weird, too late now, flight is booked!
See you all soon xxxx
Monday, 28 July 2008
Sunday, 27 July 2008
Bangkok - where next??
I arrived in BKK yesterday. It feels different this time, less hassle from street vendors etc. Maybe they just bother me less now than they did. I've become used to it! Either way BKK feels more inviting this time around. Met up with Ben & Saskia last night for drinks. They were here for just 1 day between Laos & Hong Kong. It worked out well, we even managed to just literally bump into one another on the street. I knew they were here and vice versa but we hadn't actually arranged a meeting spot! Weird considering how many farang there are in BKK.
Hammy, you're a cheeky funny girl! Diamonds indeed! How about a backpack?
I've pretty much had enough now though. I think I'm coming home! There are only so many temples, waterfalls, caves, cave temples etc that you can look at before it sort of becomes a blur. In fact possibly even a chore. Almost 5 months is a long time to be on the road. I'm tired, fed up with moving about, really missing proper western food (Roast Lamb please Mum), missing work (gasp) and would like to catch at least a little of the English summer, lol! It has been great and I'd do it again although better planned next time and with less in the backpack. Maybe shorter trips or trips with a friend, this travelling on your own is hard work. Constantly on your guard. You even have to take your pack to the loo with you! If you want a wee in the night, get dressed, money belt on, valuables locked up and then lock the room. If you're travelling with someone you don't have to mess about like that. So Monday morning I'm off to Thai airs office in BKK to see if I can bring my flight forward. If so I should be home by midweek. I reckon I'll need a couple of weeks to readjust to "home" and start to sort out the various things that need attending to before I fully rejoin the rat race. In fact, my back still ain't right so maybe I'll ease myself very gently back into a normal working life!
There is a very slim chance that I might change my mind. I used to be indecisive, these days I'm not so sure! People have said things like "when you're on the plane, you'll realise what you had here", "Do not go home until absolutely necessary" and "Within 2 weeks of being home you'll wish you weren't and you'll be planning your next trip". These things do keep running through my mind. You know, I do have aggro waiting for me in the UK. Why rush back? I'm only 500km from Angkor Wat in Cambodia and it's supposed to be awesome. I'm a 2 hour bus ride from Kanchanaburi & the bridge over the river Kwai which I wanted to see. I didn't catch up with Howard Summers and I now have his Thai phone number. I'd like to catch up with Paul and the gang at Lamai, Samui. There are reasons to stay but the way I feel now, I really can't be arsed! Maybe it has something to do with the numerous long necks (large bottles of beer) that I had last night and rolling in at 5 am. Who knows? I may walk out of this Internet cafe and bump into someone I recognise either from my travels or from home who is going to Cambodia and says "Shit dude, come with!" You just don't know what's around the corner do you? Chances are, I'm coming home but maybe, just maybe something will make me change my mind.
Hammy, you're a cheeky funny girl! Diamonds indeed! How about a backpack?
I've pretty much had enough now though. I think I'm coming home! There are only so many temples, waterfalls, caves, cave temples etc that you can look at before it sort of becomes a blur. In fact possibly even a chore. Almost 5 months is a long time to be on the road. I'm tired, fed up with moving about, really missing proper western food (Roast Lamb please Mum), missing work (gasp) and would like to catch at least a little of the English summer, lol! It has been great and I'd do it again although better planned next time and with less in the backpack. Maybe shorter trips or trips with a friend, this travelling on your own is hard work. Constantly on your guard. You even have to take your pack to the loo with you! If you want a wee in the night, get dressed, money belt on, valuables locked up and then lock the room. If you're travelling with someone you don't have to mess about like that. So Monday morning I'm off to Thai airs office in BKK to see if I can bring my flight forward. If so I should be home by midweek. I reckon I'll need a couple of weeks to readjust to "home" and start to sort out the various things that need attending to before I fully rejoin the rat race. In fact, my back still ain't right so maybe I'll ease myself very gently back into a normal working life!
There is a very slim chance that I might change my mind. I used to be indecisive, these days I'm not so sure! People have said things like "when you're on the plane, you'll realise what you had here", "Do not go home until absolutely necessary" and "Within 2 weeks of being home you'll wish you weren't and you'll be planning your next trip". These things do keep running through my mind. You know, I do have aggro waiting for me in the UK. Why rush back? I'm only 500km from Angkor Wat in Cambodia and it's supposed to be awesome. I'm a 2 hour bus ride from Kanchanaburi & the bridge over the river Kwai which I wanted to see. I didn't catch up with Howard Summers and I now have his Thai phone number. I'd like to catch up with Paul and the gang at Lamai, Samui. There are reasons to stay but the way I feel now, I really can't be arsed! Maybe it has something to do with the numerous long necks (large bottles of beer) that I had last night and rolling in at 5 am. Who knows? I may walk out of this Internet cafe and bump into someone I recognise either from my travels or from home who is going to Cambodia and says "Shit dude, come with!" You just don't know what's around the corner do you? Chances are, I'm coming home but maybe, just maybe something will make me change my mind.
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Pretchaburi
Well that's where I am now! Pretchaburi
Before I forget, Congratulations to Ben & Kaylee for making me an uncle again - My first niece! Hope all is well for you guys. Sorry lack of postcards, forgot to jot down your address!
Ok, I left Koh Tao after just a few days. It was a beautiful Island but very busy. Piccie above of the view from my balcony at View rock resort, Hin wong bay. Went to Chumpon and met a guy called Jason who was on the verge of returning to the UK after a 12 month trip. Hope you got home safe dude. Stayed at the Farang bar & guesthouse there. Great place, piccie above of the gang.
From there to Hua Hin and Bird Guesthouse. Another good place. Not cheap but reasonable considering it's basically a pier. The sea is below you at night - fantastic. Got there by train from Chumpon, cheap way to travel but takes longer than the bus. Hua Hin is really touristy, as bad if not worse than Samui. Bloody suit shops - I know now exactly what the first line is gonna be as they approach and have become quite adept at stopping their patter instantly!! The Girlie bar scene is there although not quite as in your face as it is in Samui. Hundreds of Western men with Thai partners! Almost jealous, I was! And expensive, well compared to the places I prefer to frequent. It is after all a package tour touristy place even for Thai's. Piccie of Pone ........... Thailands first world flyweight boxing champion, Bernard & Bighead Buck - ever heard of him?
Time is running low so I've by-passed Cha-Am and gone straight to Pretchaburi. There's some good caves etc around here. Gonna have two nights here probably. Managed to bag the cheapest room I've ever had - 120B a night, but it's grim!
So, still unsure where I'm headed from here. Well, I know I have to go to BKK but from there. Flights for Sri Lanka have gone through the roof so it looks like I'll be passing up on that this trip. So only really Cambodia & Laos are in the running. Could go back to Malaysia but done quite some time there already. There's potential trouble brewing on the Thai/Cambodian border over disputed land that a temple that's recently been awarded World heritage Status sits on. So the Temple is closed and several thousand troops from each nation are sitting there awaiting further instruction. Maybe it's best to go elsewhere?
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Koh Phangan
13/07/08
Happy Birthday Lianne!!
Yesterday I moved from Haad Rin to Haad Chao Phao and am staying at The Village Green www.phangan.info/villagegreen which is owned & run by Ben Green from Buckinghamshire. I've got a fantastic traditional style Thai bungalow with attached bathroom for 400B a night. The beach is only a short walk from here and is stunning!
16/07/08
Well I got bitten by a rogue dog the other night. The sneaky git attacked from the rear. I heard three paw steps then he had my left leg just above the ankle. No barking or growling, a stealth attack! I was pretty annoyed as it looked like I'd have to get back to Samui asap for post exposure rabies shots. I have already had a course of three in the UK in 2005, ooops! Anyway, I told Ben I'd been bitten and he immediately said 'by the red dog?' It appears to be his party trick! Ben assures me that he & several others have been bitten by that cowardly rear attacking pooch and no-one has died of Rabies, yet! So I've taken a gamble, all be it a little one. The odds are stacked well in my favour.
I arrived on Koh Tao yesterday and went to View Rock resort at Hin Wong bay http://www.scuba-view.com/ . It is stunning there. The huts are all on stilts on the side of a huge boulder strewn hillside. My hut (109) was next to the lightening strike tree and had he noisiest fan ever. Consequently I was still awake to watch a fantastic sunrise.
So I moved this morning to Poseidon Bungalows at Tanote Bay which is a few bays further down the Island. I've got a manky hut here for 300 a night but it has a hammock and is the closest one to the beach. My main reason for coming to Tanote Bay was to stay at Bamboo bungalows as recommended by Lee & Lex. Unfortunately it's closed down - Black Tip Divers have bought them out. I was also hoping for cheaper beer as the Lonely Planet says there are several small shops in Tanote Bay - Wrong! Only inflated prices at the resorts. 90B for a beer that costs 38B in 7-11. So I'm off to the mainland.
20/07/08
I'm in Chumpon on the mainland staying at Farang guesthouse. It's pretty cool & laid back here. Folks are nice are not looking to grab your money quite as much as they are on the islands. I think I'm gonna get a bus up to Cha-am tomorow.
Happy Birthday Lianne!!
Yesterday I moved from Haad Rin to Haad Chao Phao and am staying at The Village Green www.phangan.info/villagegreen which is owned & run by Ben Green from Buckinghamshire. I've got a fantastic traditional style Thai bungalow with attached bathroom for 400B a night. The beach is only a short walk from here and is stunning!
16/07/08
Well I got bitten by a rogue dog the other night. The sneaky git attacked from the rear. I heard three paw steps then he had my left leg just above the ankle. No barking or growling, a stealth attack! I was pretty annoyed as it looked like I'd have to get back to Samui asap for post exposure rabies shots. I have already had a course of three in the UK in 2005, ooops! Anyway, I told Ben I'd been bitten and he immediately said 'by the red dog?' It appears to be his party trick! Ben assures me that he & several others have been bitten by that cowardly rear attacking pooch and no-one has died of Rabies, yet! So I've taken a gamble, all be it a little one. The odds are stacked well in my favour.
I arrived on Koh Tao yesterday and went to View Rock resort at Hin Wong bay http://www.scuba-view.com/ . It is stunning there. The huts are all on stilts on the side of a huge boulder strewn hillside. My hut (109) was next to the lightening strike tree and had he noisiest fan ever. Consequently I was still awake to watch a fantastic sunrise.
So I moved this morning to Poseidon Bungalows at Tanote Bay which is a few bays further down the Island. I've got a manky hut here for 300 a night but it has a hammock and is the closest one to the beach. My main reason for coming to Tanote Bay was to stay at Bamboo bungalows as recommended by Lee & Lex. Unfortunately it's closed down - Black Tip Divers have bought them out. I was also hoping for cheaper beer as the Lonely Planet says there are several small shops in Tanote Bay - Wrong! Only inflated prices at the resorts. 90B for a beer that costs 38B in 7-11. So I'm off to the mainland.
20/07/08
I'm in Chumpon on the mainland staying at Farang guesthouse. It's pretty cool & laid back here. Folks are nice are not looking to grab your money quite as much as they are on the islands. I think I'm gonna get a bus up to Cha-am tomorow.
Thursday, 10 July 2008
Samui part 2
Well I'm still on Samui! I stumbled upon an restaurant/bar on the main road (4169) near the Lamai turnoff called "Cheap Charlies". Went in & met a guy called Paul who's Thai/Cambodian partner is running the place. It serves a great English breakfast for 99B - I was hooked and even ate scrambled eggs every day! I got talking to Paul and found out that he used to do business with one of my uncles - small world eh? He now runs http://www.onlyinsamui.com/ and is based here. I met his circle of expat friends and was sort of taken under their collective wings, so I've spent a fair amount of time with them. Got an education on most things Thai! Paul & his friend Andy are great guys. Andy has lived in various parts of Thailand and was very informative.
I spent numerous days doing very little - big breakfasts, numerous cups of tea and a few beers while chatting. I kept thinking I should have a look around the Island but for that you need a motorbike and Samui's roads are notorious - a westerner (farang) dies every week! Yesterday I bit the bullet & hired a bike, a semi automatic 4 geared 100cc machine. It's been a godsend. I've seen some of what Samui has to offer!
Met a wonderful couple from Germany today at Cheap Charlies, Chris & Yeleana (sorry about the spelling!). Chris is a musician and plays in several bands. Check out www.myspace.com/marcandthemillioaires or www.myspace.com/radioroadwest or www.myspace.com/trafficjamsongs or http://www.radioroadwest.com/ . We made arrangements to meet tomorrow to do the Big Buddha and maybe some other tourist attractions after that.
Things took a funny old turn after that. Myself, Paul, Andy & Big Bill the American were all making arrangements when a guy that has a long running feud with Paul turned up. Words were exchanged and the next thing we knew a pint of Hydrochloric acid had been thrown in Paul's face. We doused him with water, got him to hospital followed by the police station and another hospital with an eye specialist? Looks like at best he'll have impaired vision in his left eye.
Pardon the pun but this was a real eye opener for me. The first thing the ambulance crew asked for was his insurance. We said he has none and that he has no money as medical treatment on Insurance or for rich farang is a huge scam here. So they took Paul & myself to Na Thon hospital where they washed his eyes out with two litres of saline, said he needs an eye specialist which wasn't available on the Island and turfed us out, not before demanding payment for the little they had done. In fact that's not fair, 566 baht for an ambulance journey there & back, treatment & cream & painkillers.
After our visit to the Police station some funds became available and what do you know? There is an eye specialist at the swanky Bangkok Samui Hospital - specially built to treat Thai's that can afford it and well insured tourists. This place looks like a 5 star hotel. Praise the NHS! At least in the UK rich & poor alike are entitled to the same free treatment.
10/07/08
Ok folks I'm in Koh Phangnan. Staying at http://www.coralhaadrin.com/ . I'm hoping to move from here tomorrow. My passport was demanded at check in and when I refused I was almost shouted at. Reluctantly I handed it over although I'm really not happy about it. Apparently it's illegal to hold someones passport but the Thai's like to do it. That way they can demand money from you in order for you to get it back. Most of the motorcycle hire places do that. This is the first guesthouse that's ever done it to me - never again - I'll look for somewhere else from now on!
On top of that it's a really young party crowd here. I've sat through at least two meals on my own without anyone making even the slightest effort at chatting, I'm too old, ugly or smelly for these lot of too cool for school types!
Everything here is expensive, Internet is three times more, transport is more, beer is more, food is more, accommodation is more! So I'm moving! Will move away from Haad Rin and see what I find. May even head over to Koh Tao earlier than I anticipated. Take care folks xxx
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Koh Samui
The mini van from Penang was cool, only 4 people in it. Malay & Thai borders were a breeze although the Thai immigration man was a grumpy old sod - no response at all to my Sawasdee kup & Khrap con kup. I was accosted in Had Yai by a tout and led to a private firm who tried to sell me a minivan ticket to Surat Thani. I left and purchased a 260B ticket for the big bus with all the locals. Was OK, met a Thai guy called Sam who was great company and big buses are not as scary as minivans.
Arrived in Surat Thani at around 7pm. Trouble started within 30 seconds. Taxi tout agrees to take me to the night ferry pier for 20B. 1 min later we're outside his mates shop and they're telling me that there's no night ferry tonight and that I must buy a day ferry ticket & nights accommodation from them. Yeah right!! I'll walk to the night ferry pier then. So, back in the open back bedford rascal type vehicle and off to the night ferry pier - now it's 40B though. I was annoyed but put into perspective, we're talking about 65p for a taxi ride so I let it slide. And what do you know? The night ferry is running. Lying gits. I hate liars!
So I bought my ticket and politely refused the boat owners offer of leaving my pack on board. Went off to find food & beer and grabbed the first western face I saw. Yaan, a German guy was my victim. We ate together, drank too many beers and chatted until about 20 mins before our individual boats 11pm departure time. His boat is for Koh Tao, mine for Samui. He too is not over keen on the brief encounters. Hi, how you doing, where you going, where you been - good or bad? How long you travelling etc? And then, well I'm going this way, take care, travel safe and nice to meet you - hand shake & part company.
The night ferry was great. 6-7 hours of drunken slumber on a 3" thick mattress laid straight on the deck of an ancient wooden cargo boat. 76km of calm sea passed away slowly with barely a murmur. I arrived in Na Thon at 6 am safe & sound with all my possessions intact. Went & found somewhere to get a hot drink & wait until the swangtheaw's start running at around 7.
Koh samui was a rude awakening. 100B for a 50B swangthaew ride - I don't think so! Got him down to 60B. I can handle that, 16p over the top - OK dude but Buddha is watching you. Have you heard of Karma?
So I arrived in Hat Lamai early. Booked into Lamai Pearl bungalows. Got a stilt bungalow with attached bathroom near the beach for 200B a night. It is a very tired bungalow though, a million miles from where I was last week. I really must move from here. Walking down the main strip I was offered drugs twice, tailor made clothing 9 times and lost count of the number of massages - I have something special inside for you lover! I think not - hmmmm - No, Billy, No!
I was initially pleased to be back in Thailand. Perhaps I should of listened when folk said "give Samui a wide berth". But, at least I've seen it. 37 years ago the first backpackers arrived here on a coconut boat and now the place is so touristy that they would never recognise it as that deserted beautiful island. Why do people come here? Oh, of course!
Arrived in Surat Thani at around 7pm. Trouble started within 30 seconds. Taxi tout agrees to take me to the night ferry pier for 20B. 1 min later we're outside his mates shop and they're telling me that there's no night ferry tonight and that I must buy a day ferry ticket & nights accommodation from them. Yeah right!! I'll walk to the night ferry pier then. So, back in the open back bedford rascal type vehicle and off to the night ferry pier - now it's 40B though. I was annoyed but put into perspective, we're talking about 65p for a taxi ride so I let it slide. And what do you know? The night ferry is running. Lying gits. I hate liars!
So I bought my ticket and politely refused the boat owners offer of leaving my pack on board. Went off to find food & beer and grabbed the first western face I saw. Yaan, a German guy was my victim. We ate together, drank too many beers and chatted until about 20 mins before our individual boats 11pm departure time. His boat is for Koh Tao, mine for Samui. He too is not over keen on the brief encounters. Hi, how you doing, where you going, where you been - good or bad? How long you travelling etc? And then, well I'm going this way, take care, travel safe and nice to meet you - hand shake & part company.
The night ferry was great. 6-7 hours of drunken slumber on a 3" thick mattress laid straight on the deck of an ancient wooden cargo boat. 76km of calm sea passed away slowly with barely a murmur. I arrived in Na Thon at 6 am safe & sound with all my possessions intact. Went & found somewhere to get a hot drink & wait until the swangtheaw's start running at around 7.
Koh samui was a rude awakening. 100B for a 50B swangthaew ride - I don't think so! Got him down to 60B. I can handle that, 16p over the top - OK dude but Buddha is watching you. Have you heard of Karma?
So I arrived in Hat Lamai early. Booked into Lamai Pearl bungalows. Got a stilt bungalow with attached bathroom near the beach for 200B a night. It is a very tired bungalow though, a million miles from where I was last week. I really must move from here. Walking down the main strip I was offered drugs twice, tailor made clothing 9 times and lost count of the number of massages - I have something special inside for you lover! I think not - hmmmm - No, Billy, No!
I was initially pleased to be back in Thailand. Perhaps I should of listened when folk said "give Samui a wide berth". But, at least I've seen it. 37 years ago the first backpackers arrived here on a coconut boat and now the place is so touristy that they would never recognise it as that deserted beautiful island. Why do people come here? Oh, of course!
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