Thailand - The Islands..

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On arriving in Bangkok after a long flight from Sydney we were keen to get to the hotel in the city and find some dinner. A bus took us downtown to where we were staying, and on arriving discovered that there was a beautiful bar on the 37th floor overlooking the city lights of Bangkok. We freshened up, booked a table at the restaurant in the hotel and headed up to the bar where we enjoyed a glass of French Champagne with spectacular views. It was another early start the next morning to catch our flight down South to Koh Samui where we would catch a boat to our first stop, Koh Tao.



Koh Tao, or 'Turtle Island' is 7km by 3km, 2 hours North of Koh Samui by boat in the Gulf of Thailand. When we stepped off the boat onto the pier we were inundated with offers from little Thai men of all ages for taxis, tours and hotels. Luckily we had already booked our accommodation so we waited for our pick up in a little cafe. The hotel pick up turned up not long after we'd sat down and we jumped into the trailer along with our luggage and headed South to where we were staying in Chalok Baan Kao. Our room was absolutely perfect with the most beautiful sea views over Taa Toh Bay. The first thing we did was to put the air-conditioner on full blast and go for a dip in the pool to cool off before heading out on our hired scooter to the main strip up at Sairee Beach. It was fairly late in the afternoon by the time we got there so we found a beautiful little beach bar with cushions in the sand and tiki torches lining the beach and watched our first Thai sunset. The evenings entertainment arrived when the sun went down and a group of local boys started fire-twirling, it was the most amazing sight and these were to be the most skilled fire-twirlers we would see all holiday.

The next day we returned to Sairee Beach in search of a dive shop, it wasn't long before we were booked on a dive for the following day at Nangyuan Island off the North-west coast. Koh Tao has a reputation for being the best island for diving in Thailand so we couldn't let an opportunity to get in the water pass us by. The rest of the day we spent on the beach getting lost in books, cooling off in the sea and playing on swings hanging from trees. This evening we were to have the first in a long line of Pad Thai dinners throughout the month of December, and this one really set a very high standard for the rest to follow.

An early start for the morning of our dive as we had to meet our instructors at the shop to get kitted out with our diving gear. It didn't take very long at all to get over to Nangyuan Island once we'd set off and we were soon in the water. It was rainy season on this side of the mainland and the visibility wasn't great, but we still had fun swimming over and around big corals and admiring the beauty in everything that lives quietly under the sea. Our first dive was about 50mins and after changing tanks and moving to a different spot around the other side of the island we were back in the water exploring different corals that play house to all kinds of beautiful ocean life. After getting back to Koh Tao we spent the remainder of our last day taking it easy on the beach and then visiting some of the little shops later on in the afternoon. We were very sad to leave such a wonderful little spot and both agreed we would have stayed longer had we not got a flight to Phuket booked for the next day. So back on the ferry to Koh Samui to board the quick hour flight over to the other side of Thailand's mainland to the very well-known island of Phuket.



Having just come from our little paradise island, Phuket was a bit of a disappointment. Not what we'd hoped for at all, but what we would have expected from a popular tourist destination. It was overrun with foreigners fighting for a space on the beach and Thai people trying to sell you anything from a pineapple to a jet ski ride. There was only one thing that we really wanted to see in Phuket and that was a Muay Thai boxing fight at the big Bangla Road Boxing Stadium. We bought our tickets and at the same time booked ourselves on a high speed jet boat over to Koh Lanta for the following day, we just had to get away from the smell!

That afternoon we walked by many massage palours on the main strip but one in particular caught my eye. They had tanks filled with 'Dr Fish' in the window. I had heard of these fish before in my many attempts to rid myself of psoriasis and was really tempted to try it. With a little encouragement from Brad i was left with no choice but to succumb to the 15 Thai ladies surrounding me. We went inside where they cleaned my feet from sand before i was able to sit beside the tank and lower my feet into the water. As my feet hovered above the water the fish seemed to start to get a bit excited! I nervously put my feet in and hundreds of these little fish got to work sucking off my lovely dead skin! It felt like really strong pins and needles and tickled alot, but after about 5mins the sensation calmed down and i could relax. Twenty minutes later i took my feet out and a Thai lady gave them a little massage, they were so soft! The Dr Fish really worked!

It was really busy around the boxing stadium when we got there that evening, we made our way through the crowd and picked up a couple of beers and some popcorn and found a good spot in the arena. There were 8 fights lined up and the traditional music soon started and two boys entered the ring. There is quite a long warm up ritual for the fighters which often lasted longer than the fight itself. There were lots of old Thai men trying to make some money betting with the tourists and all the fights seemed to be going their way until the last fight of the evening when a big Australian fighter entered the ring, suddenly none of the Thai men wanted to make a bet with the arena full of Aussie tourists! Needless to say the Aussie guy won. We battled our way through the crowds to a nearby pizza place overlooking Bangla Road for dinner where we could watch the madness from a distance, safe from propostions from Thai men and women willing you sell you almost anything.



Our boat to Koh Lanta left from Phuket pier on the East coast of the island the next morning. The high speed jet boat was supposed to get us direct to Koh Lanta in 1 1/2 hours, instead of breaking the journey up at Koh Phi Phi with a 2 hour journey on each side on the regular ferry. The sea was incredibly choppy once we left the sheltered waters around the island and unfortunately one of the passengers on the boat was thrown into the air when we hit a wave and landed on his back and was in a lot of pain. The driver slowed down and it took us an extra hour to reach our destination with this poor bloke in agony on the floor each time the boat hit another wave. We arrived at Koh Lanta and he was carried off the boat. We were grateful to be away from the hustle and bustle of Phuket and smiled at each other when we were greeted with the now familiar sight of funny looking Thai men wanting you to jump on their truck, bicycle or even their backs to make some money. Another Pad Thai for two very hungry travellers at the pier before heading to our little bungalow on the beach. It was another idyillic setting. A long strip of beach (hence the name 'Long Beach' i guess), a few of those wonderful Thai beach bars and beautiful still ocean as far as your eye could see. We hired another scooter and headed up towards Saladan village where there were lots of little restaurants and shops to browse through, even though they all sold the same things over and over again!

Another thing that Brad and i were keen to experience together was an elephant ride. We were picked up from our hotel and taken inland to the elephant sanctuary where we were greeted by a huge elephant and his trainer. We climbed onto the elephant and set off through the jungle not knowing whether we would make it up the steep upward and downhill climbs. The elephant was so strong and powerful and it didn't take long to realise that we were in safe hands, or trunks? It was a wonderful experience and was finished off with a show from their baby elephant performing tricks in exchange for bananas. We spent the last part of the morning in a kayak paddling down the river in search of monkeys in amongst the mangroves, we fed the bananas to the monkeys in most parts and the rest were taken from our hands by monkeys that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere. Cheeky monkeys.



The last of our island stops before heading back up to Bangkok was the famous Koh Phi Phi. As we approached the island and it's amazing cliffs rising dramatically out of the water, it was easy to see why this was the location chosen for the film about a paradise island called 'The Beach'. The views were breathtaking and the water was so clear and looked good enough to drink. We had 2 days here and obviously weren't going to leave without taking a trip over to Koh Phi Phi Leh to see the famous 'Maya Bay'. We booked onto a snorkeling and sunset tour around the island and it took us past Monkey Beach, Viking Cave and finally around to 'The Beach' itself. If you could picture a scene without tourists it really was a stunning location, and we played around in the water until it was time to get back on the boat to watch the sunset. Tonight we dined on fresh lobster and banana and nutella pancakes before watching a cabaret show with a beautiful view out of the bay. We enjoyed our last day playing frisbee in the sea and relaxing on the beach, there may have also been another Pad Thai somewhere.



Our journey back to Phuket began early the next morning so that we could catch a flight to Bangkok where we would meet up with Mummy, Daddy and Tom for the next round of adventures.


Lots of Love from Thailand,

Danielle xx

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