Thailand

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Bangkok - Chaing Mai - Ko Tao - Ko Phangan

28th March to 4th April & 16th May to 4th June 2011

First of all to explain those dates; our plans got a bit mixed up due to flooding in southern Thailand so when we were leaving Malaysia with the intention of starting south and working our way north we heard of the news of flooding on the islands on the east and west coasts. Instead we rearranged our plans and booked a flight to Bangkok. Because of the flooding Bangkok was very busy with lots of travellers looking for updates on the disaster on the islands. A look at the front page of any newspaper and you didn't need a word of Thai to realise it was a no-go area. Villages were washed away, some people killed, many others stranded and missing along with some tourists.

We went straight to the tourist area of Khao San Road and after Lonely Planet's recommended places were either all full or out of our price range we got a plce to stay in on Soi Rambutri, the usual, very basic but central. We had some Chang beer in the evening as well as pizza, a welcome break from the hawker food of Malaysia; as delicious as it was a change was nice. With numerous places offering massages, fish pedicures and god knows what else we thought we'd treat ourselves to a swedish massage - one hour of bliss in a reputable place.

The next day we got a bus to Siam to MBK shopping cenre, a huge place offering much the same stuff as on Khao San Rd, i.e. endless rails of 'Same Same but Different' and other t-shirts, shoes, jewellery, ipod music stations and forged document stalls including degrees, passports and drivers licences. We bumped into a guy later in our trip who got an ID card stating he was an editor with Lonely Planet which worked out great whenever booking hotels or trips, getting huge discounts and the best of service. That evening we took a venture out to Patpong, the seedier area of Bangkok in search of a ping pong show (if anyone needs an explanation of this look it up yourself as I will not be describing it here). What I will describe is the most bizarre night of my life where we were brought to a 'FREE' show and when we went to leave were given a bill for 5 shows along with our 2 beers. When we refused to pay the tag team mother and daughter got quite agro and pushed Kate insisting we pay. We paid for one show and got the hell out of there (My arm was a bit sore aswell from returning back hands during one of the shows, use your imagination). We found another bar in the area, possibly the only 'normal bar' and had a few beers discussing what we'd just witnessed and i'm not talking about Kate being pushed; We were subjected to more disturbing things than that during the show, trust me. We spent another couple of days in Bangkok buying a couple of t-shirts here and there before booking a bus to Chaing Mai. We booked this at the North bus terminal and after watching Apocalypto on the bus and a nights sleep later we arrived in Chaing Mai at 6.30 am.

We got a tuk tuk into the centre and with no where booked we bumped into an American girl who recommended where she was staying, Jonadda Guesthouse. Lovely place and when checked in we took a walk to a street market, Wat Phra Singh Buddha Temple and in the afternoon hired ourselves a motorbike. Having never driven a motor bike before this was probably a bit risky, especially in Chaing Mai. It was so much fun though. We took off on our pink bike to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a massive temple at the top of a mountain overlooking the city. On the way up the winding roads we stopped off at a waterfall and other spots for views of the city. After spending some time at the temple and making it back down the mountain we continued out of the city to Tiger Kingdom. We were a bit sceptical about this reading reviews beforehand with some stating they had a great time, others disgusted by the way the animals were treated. Having been there one thing is undoubted: Those tigers are sedated! NO question! We spent some time with the baby tigers who were very playful but the big tigers would make Pete Doherty look a novice when it comes to narcotics. It's still amazing to be up close and personal with them but you're lead to believe they're not sedated, that they're just tired because of the time of day but one look in their drugged out eyes and the moans of boredom made it clear to us they were away with the fairies. Making it back into the city during rush hour was great fun, if a little scary with hundreds of bikes weaving in and out of traffic on the way. We had some street food in the evening and went for a walk booking a day trip for the following day.

We were picked up at 9 am and brought to an Orchid Farm, then to a little village where we first floated down a river on bamboo rafts, a very relaxing experience. Next was the highlight - elephant riding. We equipped oursleves with bananas to feed Nelly and with our guide followed a track through some jungle and river with the rest of our group, a little baby elephant joining us for the walk. This was cool and in comparison to the treatment of the tigers it was great to see these guys looked after so well. After lunch we had a short trek through a jungle and then finished the day with some rafting and swimming at a waterfall. When we got back to the guesthouse however we were greeted with a very frosty reception, not one bit happy we didn't book the trip through them...eh simple reason we got it cheaper elsewhere. So we checked out the next day to a place down the road for one more night while we booked a bus for Laos the following day. On the way to Laos we did stop off at Chaing Rai seeing the really spectacular White Temple and then on to the border crossing.

We spent time in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam (see other blogs) before flying back to Bangkok from Hanoi. Our first top here was to McDonalds on Kho San Rd. It was getting near home time now and had been months since we last ate fast food. After making pigs of ourselves we looked in to getting a bus south to Ko Tao. With the Full Moon Party kicking off in Ko Phangan in a few days the prices fluctuated greatly. We booked with a travel agent despite guidebooks advising against this due to bags going missing on the bus trip. We had no problems though and got to Chumphon around 4am with a 2 and a half hour wait for the ferry to Ko Tao. We chatted with a local guy on the bus who advised us where we should stay for just some chill out time with nice beaches. We got accommodation at Sunshine Bungalows right on Chalok Beach. From here it gets quite boring. 7 months of travelling and all we were able for at this stage was some relaxing. We spent each day at Sharks Bay, snorkelling right from the beach in the shallow waters and in the evening having a beer at a cool local shop, Pawjai. I was eaten to within inches of my life most evenings between 5pm and 7pm, with repellent proving most useless. One day we did hire a bike with great intentions of exploring the rest of the island only to find that most routes were inaccesible. Whether due to the flooding earlier in the year or otherwise our bike just could not make it up the hills. So we were confined to Sairee Beach, around the pier and our nearby Sharks Bay. We spent 3 nights here enjoying every minute.

Next up was Ko Phangan, hoping that the crowd from the Full Moon Party 2 days previous were ready to move on. This was answered when we arrived at the pier with hundreds of people queueing for the boat to Ko Samui. It looked like a warzone; legs bandaged from burns off motorbike exhausts, slings, and 2nd degree sun burnt faces. And when we got to the west coast where we were staying we soon found out that the place was pretty much empty. The west coast is quieter but for the first few nights we were the only people around. We stayed at Chao Phao beach, the first night at Hut Sun, lovely but no swimming pool so found a place the next day with a gorgeous pool, Cabana Resort. And this is where our back packing travels as good as ended as we turned to holiday resort mode. We spent each day by the pool, lying in the sun, bored mostly, but strangely happy and content to be bored in our own little paradise. We stayed here a total of 10 nights rarely straying from the resort and if we did it was only across the road for some drinks.

We got back to Bangkok with 3 days to go before our flight back home. Arriving at 4 am we got some breakfast and checked in to the place we stayed when here previously and got a few hours sleep before hitting Khao San Road for pressie shopping in the afternoon. Once again we treated ourselves to massages. Kate went for the same Swedish massage option while I went for traditional with a Thai massage. As I was being man handled by a Thai gentleman half my size with twice my strength I immediately regretted my choice. I've seen rowdy beer louts removed from bars with more grace and subtlety. In the evenings we hung out at street bars on Soi Rambutri and people watched over Changs and shishas.

So with only hours remaining until we fly back home I'm left with time to reflect on the last 7 and a half months: 14 countries, a robbing in Buenos Aires, altitude sickness in Cusco, an overdose of caprinha's in Rio and the many brands of beer along the way, adrenaline rushes in New Zealand, the fending off of tuk tuks in Thailand and dodging traffic in Vietnam, all making for the experience of a life time. But with funds depleted and the small matter of a wedding to organise its time to draw an end to this unforgettable little adventure. Slán!

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Photos

Drugged?? No question
Tiger Kingdom Chaing Mai