FromManchesterWithLove

Our time in Chiang Mai was up and it was time to head to the bottom of mainland Thailand to see another part of the country and to visit an old uni friend! We had many hours before we were going to catch our night bus to Hua Hin so decided upon one last Thai Massage, it always seems such a good idea at the time but never feels that way. Jeez she was a harsh one, never had some many parts of my body crack at once. We walked out like we had had accidents and off we hobbled to collect our bags, grab a songthaew and head to the bus station for our overnight bus. There are two different types of buses you can get from Chiang Mai, one a bit more posh than ... read more

We didn’t quite like our accommodation in Chiang Mai but really liked the location, it was pretty central for everything and we managed to find a room two buildings down, it was incredibly small (the double bed touched one wall and there was less than a foot on the other side) but it was clean. A big tip from us, if you are ever moving on but want to stay in an area, go and check out the accommodation first, sometimes it isn’t as it looks in pictures as we all know from previous holidays abroad plus in places such as Thailand they will actually do you a better deal than the online price as it is booking direct with them/discount for staying more than three nights. So for a tidy 500 baht (approx. 11 English ... read more

So our time in Koh Samui was up and it was time to head on to another island. Alex had an old friend from his rugby club whom he wanted to visit so Phuket it was. We decided to fly from Koh Samui and what a surprising treat it was. The airport had a tropical feel to it and unlimited free food, drink and WIFI! Being on a budget, another meal was sorted for practically free. We sat there for some time in our small tropical hut with the runway being metres away watching the tv with the funeral procession of the King who had recently passed. Many Thai's were travelling to Bangkok to pay their respects and there was a somewhat sombre mood in our tropical hut. We spoke to a girl from Israel whose ... read more

Today was our last full day in South Africa and we were off to visit Robben Island. Last year when I came, unfortunately I didn't get to visit Robben Island so we were looking forward to visiting somewhere that was new for us both. Robben Island departs from the V&A Waterfront and must be booked well in advance, we had spoken to so many visitors who had left it until the last minute of their trips and couldn't get tickets to visit. Whilst waiting to board our ferry there were vast amounts of people from Joburg that had been group booked so do book in plenty of time. The ferry takes approximately 50 minutes to transfer to Robben Island where you follow the crowd to the buses. Once aboard the bus, we had a lovely tour ... read more

It was our last weekend in South African and it was certainly one full of animals. Megan and Byron were visiting family for the weekend but luckily were able to make time for to visit Boulders Beach in Simons Town. Somewhere Alex was going to love. It is about 30-40 minutes drive from Constantia, with the most stunning coastal views along the way. Boulders beach is a fantastic area surrounded by African penguins. You can pay to visit Boulders beach and get on the beach but there is a perfectly free walkway allowing you to get just as close to the Penguins. Megan and Byron set off on their long drive and we set off to World of Birds in Hout Bay. It cost us 95 rand each, (just over £5) and what a fabulous little ... read more