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Published: September 22nd 2008
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As most of you know, I had planned to have a few weeks on a beach somewhere in Thailand before properly embarking on my big adventure. Well, first it took me a while to figure out where I wanted to go, and after my first day on Koh Chang, it started to rain. And then it just rained and rained for two days.
The first day, Dorine and I took it easy - we went up to town and looked around, went to a beauty salon for a bit of personal luxury and then we went to a tailor in the afternoon. Dorine's school of osteopathy have a big ball every year, and she wanted to have a dress made. We looked at designs for a long time and she finally chose a nice design in black silk. It was interesting seeing how they measure people and work out the proportions etc. I've never been to a tailor before, so I was glad Mr. Vanu, a lovely Nepalese man, and his wife were very patient with us and explained the process involved.
In the evening we went to our first beach party at the Treehouse, which was the first guest house
we looked at, when we came to Koh Chang. Although the bungalows were too primitive for us, they threw a great party, with a really good DJ, and nice lights etc. We had started talking to a big group of people earlier in the day, and we all went partying together. We ended up standing out in the rain and dancing. It such a strange feeling to be completely wet with rain water and yet not be cold at all! I don't mind the monsoon, actually. I quite like the sudden downpours that clean the air - the only minus is the humidity afterwards which is suddenly much higher than before...
The next morning we got up early despite having stayed out dancing til 3am - Dorine was having her first fitting of the dress. You could tell that it was going to be a very pretty dress already, despite being just a shell with no finished edges or lining. After that we had a breakfast and a chat with some of our new friends - then it was definitely time for another massage! ;-) This time I had an oil massage, which was quite different from the Thai Massages
I'd had before. Very nice for tired muscles.
At this point the rain had seemed to stop somewhat, so we figured we might have a few hours of nice weather before the afternoon rain. This was Dorine's last day on the island - she was going back to Bangkok the next day as she was catching her plane back to Australia the day after that. I figured I might as well go with her, as I didn't think Koh Chang was going to have really nice weather for the next few days anyway. I'd go to Bangkok with her, and then buy a ticket to Krabi as there were rumours the weather was nicer down south.
I convinced Dorine to rent scooters so we could see a bit more of the island before we had to go back. However, by the time we had rented them and were trying on helmets etc., it started raining again. The guy renting out the scooters was quite reluctant when he heard I had never ridden one before, and he told us there are at least one or two accidents every day on Koh Chang. I was sure it'd be fine, and we
promised to drive very slowly, so he gave in and showed me how to work the controls on the bike. I drove out of their muddy, stony driveway a little erratically as it was hard to work the handle of the bike smoothly to begin with. But it went fine and once we were on the paved road, I felt more secure. Dorine drove ahead of me as she'd tried it once before. We were very careful though and took the road south which is less winding and hilly, and we never drove more than 40km/hr. We were quite a sight I think, with our egg shell helmets and rain ponchos :-)
We drove down south until the road ended. We had wanted to see the lagoon which is at the south end of the island, but there was a resort built there, which charged 150B to enter and view the lagoon. We felt this was extortion and didn't want to support that. As we were turning around, the light rain turned into a real monsoon downpour and we stayed under some trees for a while hoping it would subside. It slowed down a little after about 15 minutes, but
didn't look like it was going to stop so we started driving back. We stopped at a little place called the Sunset Hut, to have a cup of coffee and an afternoon snack to enjoy the view before we were going back to Mr. Vanu for Dorine's second fitting at 6pm. It was really nice sitting there enjoying the view and a good chat.
The second fitting wasn't quite perfect either, so poor Mr. Vanu had to make more alterations, and we were to come back and see him at 9.30 again as we were leaving early the next day. He seemed fine with it though - it's the slow season, and I don't think he had any other customers that day. He told us he was used to all kinds of customers, some in a rush some not, and some suddenly changing their plans, etc etc. That's the life of a tailor on a holiday island, I suppose. We went back to the Siam Hut, where we were staying and had dinner with some of the people we'd gotten to know. The last fitting was fine - any small corrections that might be needed, Mr. Vanu told us,
Monkeys
Running on the wires overhead on a rainy day in Koh Changcould be done by ironing the dress. As it was in silk, he also said that it would kind of mold to Dorine's body after a few time of wearing it. I hope he's right - the dress was beautiful, but would be perfect with a few small changes.
After travelling all day the next day, Dorine and I went shopping on Khao San road. She wanted to buy some souvenirs and some new clothes for herself. I was being very good and didn't buy more than a pair of fisherman's trousers. They are obligatory here!! :-) But I'd been unable to find any that were long enough until then. I might have packed a few too many things... I'm not happy about admitting it, but my backpack is quite stuffed, so I've been getting rid of a few things I don't seem to need. I might also send some stuff home at some point, when I come past a post office. You really come to hate all the stuff you carry around all the time! After dinner and a fresh coconut to drink, we shopped some more (jeans this time - they are copies of course, but look
very nice and are sooooo cheap. Dorine bought a pair of Diesel knock-offs for 650B which is something like 12 pounds!
Then we met another French guy at the banana pancake stall, and ended up going for a drink with him, before we went to bed. After writing our diaries etc, it actually got quite late, and we were in a bit of a hurry checking out on time the next day. Dorine wanted to go to a shopping center, so we had some breakfast and then went to the river to catch the boat down to downtown Bangkok. I wanted to go on the sky train, and luckily that went to the shopping center too. The sky train is like a metro but up in the air. Compared to London, it is so clean. It wasn't very busy when we were there, but a guy told me that even in rush hour people line up to get on board - that is very different from the masses of people in London all trying to squeeze their way in at the same time every morning, not caring if the cut in front of someone who's been waiting a long time.
Everyone for themselves in London.
Dorine ended up buying even more jeans in the shopping center, and then we had some really nice lunch. I had some red curry that was just the right level of spicy! By then we were in a bit of a hurry to get back to Khao San road. Dorine wanted to leave for the airport around five and my ticket to Krabi was at 6pm. Dorine was quite eager to try to have her hair braided, but was uncertain how much it cost, how long it would take, and whether it would look really silly on her. So we took a tuk tuk back to Khao
San Road - they are little 3 wheeled taxis with a driver up front and a bench at the back with room for 2 or 3 passengers under the canopy. Dorine had tried it before and warned that they drive like maniacs - but I still wasn't quite prepared for the crazy speed and the weaving in and out between the cars and buses and other tuk tuks. I've attached a video from the trip, where we are going quite fast down an avenue and then around a
corner in a big intersection and finally stop at some red lights. I hope it reflects how fast we were going :-)
When we arrived in one piece we found somewhere that did braids quite cheaply and could do it in 45 minutes - so although she would have preferred to have some extensions in to give it more volume, we didn't have time for that (3 hours with extensions), so she went ahead with it. The pictures are quite funny as you can see how nervous and skeptical she is all the way through. I think it ended up looking fine, and she was very pleased she had been brave and done it! There's a T-shirt they sell in Khao San Road called the Khao San Syndrome or something like that, and it lists all the things people 'have' to do there, like eating Banana pancakes, having their hair braided or dreadlocked, and buying stupid t-shirts and fisherman's trousers :-) No worries, I will NOT come home with dreadlocks! :-)
My trip to Krabi took 16 hours and didn't allow me much sleep. It's quite strange the way they only make stops at places they work with no
Dorine and Mr. Vanu's wife
At first she wouldn't smile, as she thought her teeth were too crooked, which was a shame as she has a lovely smile, as you can see :-) matter what time it is when we get there, rather than finding a place on the route that fits better with the time schedule and make arrangements with them. This time we stopped for dinner at midnight when everyone had finally fallen asleep! And then they took us to a place by a river in the morning, where everyone got out of the bus to be sent on to their different destinations. Some people were going to Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and I was the only one going to Krabi. I was loaded into a van and we drove a couple of kilometers to a bus that had stopped in a different place, which had many more people on it, most of whom seemed to be going to Koh Phi Phi. Then we drove for another 2 or 3 hours, until we stopped at a bus terminal way outside Krabi. I then had to get in a local taxi/bus (the ones with 2 benches on the back of a pick-up truck) for 50Baht to get into town where I then had to get another taxi/bus for another 50Baht to go to Ao Nang, which is a beach 17 km
west of Krabi, which I'd read should be quite nice.
I found a guest house, the Sea World Guest House, for 300B pr night - and even though the lady was quite bossy and not very smily like most of the Thais I've met are, the room had lovely soft pillows (most are like rocks here), a balcony, own bathroom, TV, Fridge, Fan and A/C - so I took it :-) After a much needed shower I went to have a look around town, intending to go to the beach, smothered in factor 50 - but it was just too hot in the sun, so I sat in the shade for a while reading my book, then I went for a walk along the beach, as it became slightly overcast and thus bearable to walk around. I had a nice swim and a little nap on the beach - but no tan, as the sun was covered and it was getting late in the day.
After an early night I got up and rented another scooter, as I thought I'd drive around and try to find another beach to hang out on. As I was filling it up with petrol,
a guy stopped and asked where I was going. I said I wasn't really sure - just wanted a look around. He wanted to look around too - especially on the coast north of Ao Nang, and was looking for a driving buddy for the day. He wanted to find a place he had stayed at 12 years previously with his family and I thought that would be quite fun - having a kind of destination, so we drove off together. This time the sun was shining and the roads weren't as narrow and winding as on Koh Chang, so it went much better. David, my driving buddy from California, drove ahead and I quickly felt quite comfortable driving around 60km/hr. It was very beautiful all around us, and I thoroughly enjoyed the drive. We stopped for more petrol at one point, and it started raining a bit, so we stayed in the little shop and had a long talk about the history of this region. David was a retired military man, and had been stationed in Bangkok for 3.5 years. He was somewhat of a history buff, and told me all about the developments and different wars and crises
of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. It was very interesting! I am looking more and more forward to going to those places.
After a few wrong turns and dead ends, we finally found the Coconut Home, where he had stayed before, and we had a very nice lunch - very late lunch, as it was almost 5pm when we left to go back. We were closer to the top of Phangnga Bay, which is part of a national marine park which also encompasses Koh Phi Phi. The views along the way were stunning - out over all the islands in the bay. I had told David I was really interested in seeing a rubber plantation, so on the way back he stopped at one and the farmer there showed us how they cut a ridge of the bark off and let the sap run down and into a cup they've placed underneath. After a while, they empty all the white liquid, which already looks a lot like rubber, into a big tray of a sort, which they heat up and then it becomes more pure and thicker, and these big 'sheets' of rubber, they then hang to dry before they
are sold to big factories for further handling. David spoke a little Thai, so he was translating and explaining as best he could what the farmer was telling us.
Back at Ao Nang, I decided to go the Koh Phi Phi the next day, so I bought my ticket and was picked up the next morning at 8.30. I then had my first trip on a long tail boat - and for a minute I thought we'd be going all the way to Koh Phi Phi in it - but they were just sailing us out to the big boat which was in the bay due to the low tide. It was a very nice journey - sitting on the deck of the boat in the sunshine :-)
On Koh Phi Phi there was a bit of a scramble when we all arrived with loads of representatives from different guest houses and resorts trying to get customers to their place. I'd already read that the prices were a lot higher here, and so I was ok with a room for 400B, even though it was a lot simpler than any of the other rooms I've stayed in. As long
as I can have a shower and the bed looks reasonably clean, I don't really mind. I went straight to the beach where i relaxed for a few hours. It seems I have finally found the sun after a few weeks of chasing it around Thailand :-)
I don't think there's actually anyone on Koh Phi Phi that aren't living off tourism in one way or another - there are shops everywhere and tourists and backpackers as well. It's almost crowded. But the island itself is beautiful, as well as the beach.
After the beach I went looking for water, and bumped into a girl from Australia who seemed very nice. Her name was Theresa, and she'd been left behind by her day tour boat! She'd spent most of the afternoon trying to figure out which company she'd booked her day tour with from Phuket (they take your ticket away when you get on board and just give you a sticker for your T-shirt or bag) and finding accommodation for the night. Luckily she had her wallet and her passport with her, so she was able to buy some clothes and shoes etc, as everything else was in her hotel
or on the boat. We arranged to meet for dinner and found a place with a nice view of the bay. It was a nice place, even though the food wasn't thrilling. I'd had the most amazing masaman curry for lunch, so anything in comparison would've been boring, but this was also slightly cold, so really nothing to write home about... After dinner we went to the Hippies Bar as there'd been a lot of advertising for their fire show that night. I've never seen that before, so I was very impressed with some of their moves, even though I could see that some of them weren't that professional. Still a really good show - check out the video from the Grand Finale - it's quite funny as now they kept dropping their sticks and balls, even though they hadn't done that so much in their individual performances.
I think I'll stay here one more day as I'd like to try to go snorkelling - and then I'll try to find a way to get to Koh Lanta next - do a little island hopping :-)
I'll keep you posted.
Lots of love,
Kristine
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Dorine
non-member comment
don't laugh at me !!!
Hello my Kristine !! That's not funny at all ! I've just seen what you wrote on me and my hair... lol thank you ! Finally I decided to take it out, my hair is normal now... but as you said, I didi it ! Lots of love, enjoy your trip, the beach seems very nice... I leave Brsibane tomorrow, back to france.... so sad... bisous ! dorine