Never Trust Anyone Who Rides A Motorbike!

Hello from Bangkok! We have spent the time since the previous blog travelling up through Malaysia and Thailand and have spent a lot of time exploring the beaches and islands and enjoying the sunshine! After we flew back to Kuala Lumpur we travelled up the coast to Georgetown in Penang. We had a lovely night time stroll wandering around the town, taking in the beautiful buildings and ended up along the waterfront which was all lit up with lights that flashed like fireworks. It was a really nice way to spend an evening, so pretty!

The following day we had an adventure trying to find somewhere to get a bus to take us to a temple. There didn't seem to be any bus stops anywhere and we ended up walking for a long way until we got to the main bus station where we found the bus we wanted. The bus then drove back down the long route we had just walked and stopped at a bus stop just round the corner from our hotel, in the opposite direction from the one we had taken. BUMS.

We eventually arrived at the temple after once again getting a bit lost after we got off the bus and were pleased to see that it was worth the effort. Kek Lok Si temple is very impressive indeed. It is huge and still being added to now as we saw from all the massive pillars taking shape and the sound of builders all around. It looks as if they have taken on a job that is a bit big for them as they have ran out of funding and have several different sections unfinished and being worked on but even so, walking around the temple you can see that it is going to be amazing when it is completed. It will be a building that will be appreciated for years to come and the effort that has gone in to it will not go unnoticed. We felt very lucky to be able to see a building that will no doubt become a part of history.

From Georgetown we went to the island of Langkawi which is in the very north of Malaysia. Very developed yet managing to retain some beauty, the island is definately worth a visit. We stayed in Pantai Cenang, the cheapest area on the island at a guesthouse filled with rasta types listening to Bob Marley at all hours of the day and night. We enjoyed the beach and found some lovely cheap places to eat which always puts us in a good mood!

From Langkawi we moved on to Thailand, getting a ferry to a place called Satun where we had our passports stamped before getting a taxi (which was actually a man and his wife making some extra cash) to the bus station which was actually an open fronted shop in a random place with a single bus parked up outside.

We got the bus to Krabi which took about 5 hours and was by no means problem free! After 3 hours we stopped at a rest stop and I along with several other girls got off to have a wee. We were all queing for the toilet when the horrible woman from the bus who barely spoke any English came in and shouted at us that the bus was leaving and we had to go. "Won't it wait for us?" I asked. "NO - BUS!!" was her reply. So, very cross and still needing a wee we returned to the bus. 5 minutes later the bus pulled over again at a cafe and not wanting to miss another chance I pegged it off to the toilet leaving all my stuff on the bus with Jed. Halfway through my wee I heard the bus drive off. I dashed out in to the cafe looking around for the bus. A German guy asked if I was looking for the bus and told me that it had gone. I said some naughty words quite loudly and quickly realised that I had nothing at all with me, and I was stranded. Luckily I knew Jed wasn't going to let them drive off without me so I sat down with a group of girls who had also been left and we waited. 10 minutes later it returned! I quickly got back on it determined not to get of again until Krabi! Jed had had a confusing time trying to defend my seat as the bus had gone off to collect more passengers and the new passengers were taking all the current passengers seats. I must say, not the most organised bus trip I have been on!

Anyway, Krabi when we got there was a nice place. We only stayed one night but we had a nice meal round the corner from our guesthouse where we watched a huge rain storm which started not long after we arrived and lasted a very long time. We had a chat with a friendly old Malaysian man, visiting Thailand who seemed to much prefer everything in Thailand to Malaysia and then we returned to get some sleep before our ferry to Ko Phi Phi the following day.

We enjoyed a few days on Ko Phi Phi with a mixture of sunshine and storms to liven things up. In the rain the island was beautiful but when the sun came out it was incredible. We spent some time lazing at the beach, took a dip in the crystal clear water and strolled up to the viewpoint overlooking the island. Phi Phi is a heavily visited place, crammed with restaurants, bars and diving shops and you don't really get a feeling of isolation. There were many English tourists and all the amenities that they could desire crammed into a bazaar of alleyways. We were staying on the busiest part of the island though and it was still fairly quiet on the beach. Wander just a few feet from the hive of activity and you stumble into some interesting parts of the island that are still piled high with wreckage from the tsunami and a shanty town of corrugated iron shacks occupied by the locals.

From here we headed back across mainland Thailand to the gulf coast and first to Ko Samui. We found a nice hut next to the beach in Maenam on the north coast. It was very peaceful here and we had the sands largely to ourselves. We spent the best part of a week swimming, sunbathing and sipping on fresh fruit juices, it was very hard work!

Finally managing to drag ourselves away on the last day we took a look around Chaweng. The main tourist draw to the island and packed with shops including tesco, boots and subway Chaweng feels like the ultimate beach holiday destination. The beach is incredible though and it is easy to see why it has become so popular. Perfect sand, clear water and all the water sports and restaurants you could want on a package holiday. It was also a little too expensive for us to stay there although it was tempting. It must also be said that I never knew there was so many different ways of spelling 'jet ski'. I counted five!

The next day we jumped onto the ferry to Ko Pha Ngan and into a songthaew (basically a pick up truck with benches on the back) heading to the picturesque Thong Nai Pan Yai. A long, bumpy ride along the dirt tracks later and we arrived on a perfect arc of sand in a nice quiet cove. Only a handful of restaurants and guest houses and the beach virtually empty. The perfect location for another 5 days of relaxation in paradise. When it was time to move on we headed south to the lively part of Ko Pha Ngan.

Taking a boat down the coast we headed for Hat Rin. On route we passed incredible boulder strewn coastline dotted with amazing sandy bays and backed by mountainous forests. The whole island is still largely a jungle. In Hat Rin we stayed on sunrise beach, famous for the full moon party but we couldn't quite time it right to take part arriving the week before. It was still much quieter than we had expected and everyday was hot and sunny. The sands stretching out under the water making it perfect for swimming and a good selection of places to eat made for yet more fun days on the beach. There were many bars showing films and we also managed to watch the champions league final which was a strange game to say the least.

After so many days sunning ourselves it was time to move on and we made our way up the coast to Bangkok. Most of the city is run down and pretty drab. An urban sprawl that reminds me of the outskirts of London. The traffic is heavy, the river makes the thames look sparkling and there doesn't seem to be any bins. It doesn't feel like a capital city as the buildings aren't tall and imposing and there is no real major landmark to speak of. On the positive side there are many great street stalls selling noodles and even muesli and yoghurt for breakfast for a bargain 40 pence.

Thailand has been fascinating to travel around. It has not been as welcoming as Malaysia but the beaches are worth it. With 90% of the people here buddhist religion is all around and reverence and devotion for the king is everywhere. You can't go anywhere here without seeing pictures of the king in huge ornate frames lining the roads. If anything it is more expensive than Malaysia but it is still good value. One of the highlights has been the food with amazing flavours in every dish from curries to simple noodles on the street.

So we will be off to Cambodia next and at some point will return to explore northern Thailand.

Sam and Jed

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Part of trip: Asia

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