Koh Pha Ngan + Singapore

Since i last wrote about Ko Samui we have been on the move a fair bit.

The first step was to take a boat across to Koh Pha Ngan island, which is about a 30 min ride away from Samui. It is about 10 years behind Samui in terms of development but its nightlife and beaches are every bit as good. We were staying in Had Rin, which is the site of the famous full moon partys, so has one of the biggest beaches on the island. We went after the months party, so the island was very relaxed, meaning you could actually use the beaches... We may return on our way back to Bangkok to go to one of the partys, depending on time and money of course!

Much like Samui the best way to see the islands is on scooters, so we rented some and explored the other beaches on the island for a day. You can see them in some of the photos attached. There are far more backpackers on this island, so the local bars cater to the crowd, with cheap drinks and the latest films playing on big screens though the day to lure the crowd in.

We thought we could take advantage to watch the Lions rugby test, but none of the bars in Had Rin had the channel to watch it. That meant taking a 'taxi' (pick up truck with a couple of seats in the back) up the coast to Thongsala - which boasted the only bar with the right channel. We met a few Irish guys who had made the same trip up as us, and after the disappointing game we all went down the beach bars in Had Rin for a beer and to watch the fire jugglers. All in all is was a good night.

Despite its size Ko Samui has an international airport, which was our next stop for our flight to Singapore. We took the boat back over to Samui and a taxi to the airport, which looks like a hut with a runway in the back garden. It comes complete with straw roof.. see pictures.

The flight to Singapore was excellent, it was only about a third full so had plenty of legroom, and free food which is always a bonus. When we arrived we took the MRT to our hostel, which is everything the London Underground should be. Its super clean, cheap and always on time. I think the fine for eating or drinking on the MRT is more than i have in my bank account!

We arrived quite late into the evening so only had time to grab a bite to eat in the mini China Town outside our hostel before packing it in for the night. Even with my best efforts its a lengthy process eating with chop sticks. We had to move hostel the next day as they had no more rooms, which meant an early start in order to find the new place. It turned out to be a great hostel, brand new with great facilities. Life is expensive in Singapore so we had to take dorm rooms, which involves about 12 people in bunk beds, but for the 2 nights we were there i only used it as a place to sleep, getting into bed at 1 and 4 am each night- so i can safely say i was not disturbed, but most likely the cause of lost sleep to others!

The first full day we decided to take the MRT across town to the Harbor side. This is the site of VIVO city, which is the largest shopping mall/city in Singapore. It really is Epic, and takes a full day to wander around. Some of the technology on show its pretty impressive, and im sure i will see it again in the UK a few months after i return! The mall is like no other i have been too, with a set of cable cars and a monorail to take you across to Sentosa Island. We took the monorail across to have a walk about. around half the island is still (much like Singapore) under huge development plans, but the other side did have some interesting sites. The Merlion Statue is huge (see photo) and there are some nice beaches which you can enjoy. We decided to go to Palawan beach, which boasts the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia - another box ticked!

We met up with a friend from back home that night, who had just flown in to Singapore with 3 other friends, and took a trip over to Chinatown. The night market in Chinatown is good fun, and there are some impressive temples in the area too, which Ben and I managed to get into for some pictures.

The following day we took the MRT to the other side of the city to the Singapore Flyer. This is the largest Ferris wheel in the world, so naturally has some fantastic views over the city, the Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan, as well as Johor, Malaysia. It was defiantly worth the trip in my opinion, as the audio guide gave a good overview of the history and future plans for the city. Its interesting to know just how superstitious the locals are, by designing the city and its buildings on Feng Shui principles. The wheel itself was determined to be rotating the wrong way, so of course was changed to move in a clock wise direction on the sound advice of the Feng Shui gurus! From the top you can appreciate the size of the buildings, and some of the more unique features of the city, such as the floating concert stadium.

Under the Flyer you can see the Formula One circuit, which i took a walk along after the trip on the wheel. Im not 100% sure if you are supposed to, but nobody seems to stop me, so i made a point of taking some pictures on the pit straight and the final few corners. They had a show on the grid so it was difficult to go all the way down, but it was good to do the grid walk!

The next day we left Singapore and took a bus up to Kuala Lumpur. It cost about 13 pounds for the trip, but included armchair seats, which had an automated massage feature plus personal TV, so a little more advanced than national express! This is my first day in KL so i will write again when i have had time to explore a little more.

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Part of trip: Asia

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