Brain B RY

Okay. So I now know why the the monk in Phuket winked at me...the cheeky twinkle in his eye knew what was coming my way and the laugh he gave me then was knowledge. There I wrote on a tile that would be used in the construction of'The Big Buddha' on the hill in Phuket. Having already taken 10 years to build they are still going...after a rip off journey up there on a bumpy tuk Tuk it was all worth it for the view, the Buddha and my blessing from this monk. I thanked Thailand on that marble slate and asked for forgiveness, love and acceptance And it was all in that wink, I just had to awaken it myself. The last laugh will always be mine and yours if you dip into the now ... read more

I was mistaken - grossly it seems. I thought I had arrive in paradise when I reached Phi Phi - surrounded by more jagged karsts, fine white sand, colourful boats lined the bay - paradise no? No. I had met Ollie, a German guy on the boat over and we ended up bonding over a love of animals and laughing over language difficulties. He had a girlfriend and I had my instincts so we ended up sharing a room for the night. Only 200 Baht each and we went to bed with the sound of vomiting next door thrown in for free - oh yeah. We both had similar desires - to find our own slice of paradise and both of us, it turns out didn't want to find it at the bottom of a 'bucket' ... read more

Where do I start?? Phuket and the Chinese vegetarian festival has been a great way to start my travels in Thailand, literally with a bang!! I've been to visit the 'Big Buddha' and Wat Pro temple in southern Phuket on a day trip and got fleeced by the 'taxi' man (it was my first day and getting used to the Thai money - Baht. I have also been on an amazing trip to Pnang Nga Beach where they filmed James Bond 'The man with the golden gun' which was just stunning.....and the rest of the time I have been joining the festivities and relaxing in my very homely hostel run my PiTi and his wife Tanya who are the loveliest hosts and have made me feel so at home. So. The Chinese festival is CRAZY! Good ... read more

After a teary goodbye and a 4 hour delay I finally boarded Malaysian Airlines for the longest flight of my life and the adventure of a lifetime! Was I unsure? Yes! Was I scared? Er. Yes! Did I contemplate turning around? No way! Intrepid not yet, trepidatious,definitely - but I'm sure that will turn around! Lucky for me I was sat next to someone relatively normal even if she was hell bent on having a few. That's fine; she had booze, I had diazepam...nighty night. Before we respectively dozed off I was aware of how much of a novice long haul flyer I appeared... surprise at the in flight entertainment, blanket, meals and drinks....this was no sleazy jet flight no no! Service with a smile continued upon landing in Kuala Lumpur airport and everything seemed modern, ... read more