buy the ticket take the ride

26-09-12 to 02-10-12 Soooo, I didn't get to update the blog for Koh Phangan until now, 5 days after leaving. Here goes a test of the old mind cogs... After spending the most chilled out 5 days on Koh Tao I landed on Koh Phangan on the 26th after catching a ferry at around 2pm. Like I've said before, the organisation of island hopping in Thailand is mad! I bought my tickets in Chiang Mai in the North and was told someone would be there to meet me. One thing I've learned whilst in Thailand is to take all info/advice with a bit of salt and remember to add your own common sense!! I was hanging around the 7-eleven store waiting for my taxi (as I was kindly told) only for loads of taxis to be ... read more

Could get used to Koh Tao, so laid back and if you want the bar crawls n that at night then there's plenty going on. I've basically spent the last 3 days testing out all the beach front bars, sunbathing, reading and having a few beers, the days have flown by without even realising! I liked my place so much after the first day I extended another day and decided to just do good stints on Koh Tao and Koh Phangan rather than try and squeeze Koh Samui in as well. Glad I did as it's given me chance to just hang out by the beach rather than worry about packing and catching boats every 3 days! The sunsets here are amazing, ocean views all the way to the horizon as the sun goes down. I'm ... read more

As a liverpool fan, I've heard and read a lot about the hillsborough disaster over the years, from the alleged cover ups to the survivors heartbreaking stories. 23 years and 5 months on from that fateful day when 96 men, women and children went to a football match but never made it home, I find myself reading with increasing anger and astonishment, the findings of the Hillsborough independent panel report. That it wasn't the fans fault, there was no evidence to suggest ticketless fans, violence or drunkenness was to blame. That's what they wanted everyone to believe, that fans stole from the dead and pissed on police trying to help the helpless victims. It was a number of errors that culminated in Britain's biggest sporting disaster. The fact Sheffield Wednesday had not had an updated safety ... read more

That was noooo a fun journey! Caught the bus at 7pm last night from Bangkok to Chumphon. Stocked up on sweets n shit pop, standard travel dinner! Bus was a double decker thing.. I barely fit in the seats!! At 2.30am, 7.5 hours later, we arrive in Chumphon with about 1 shite hours sleep to my name only to find we're 4.5 hours early, the boat doesn't leave until 7am! Polished off the third and final Fifty Shades book and tried to sleep on 2 chairs, which obviously didn't happen!! Fiji was a lot more slick in terms of boat transfers, no waiting around just on a boat and off you go. The only similarity is the ticket system..you buy a ticket for bus/boat and given vague as fuck instructions as where to be and when..it ... read more

I'm now back in Bangkok after 3 days in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. Really liked Chiang Mai, would definately have spent more time around that area had I got more time. Everything there looks chaotic and hectic but it's actually really chilled and laid back, definately my scene! Moped drivers are fucking crazy though, saw a family of 4 on this rickety hair dryer engined thing with the youngest kid standing on his mums lap...I had to do a double take to count them all again...just normal to everyone else! 18-09-12 Chiang Mai After finding a cool cafe near the old city gates of Tae Pae and updating the last blog I spent the afternoon wandering the streets of the old town in Chiang Mai. Some really cool shabby little bars and cafes, hundreds of street ... read more

I'm still working on the NZ blog, 3 weeks to write up from a stream of consciousness and events that me and annie put together so should be up in a few days!! Meanwhile, I'm now in Thailand!! 17-09-12@ 11am Arrived at 8pm. Slept a lot on the flight. Screwed my body clock over! Arrived at Hostel in Siam Square after negotiating another countries train system! Thai railway is so cheap and easy to use, we've got a lot to answer for in the UK with our ever increasing fares..cost me about £1.20 to get from airport to siam square!! Checked in to Lub D which I found on Hostel World (aka my bible for reviews!), couple of Singha's looking at chaing mai overnight trains. Met an Aussie guy asked if I wanted to join bunch ... read more

All of my Fiji photos... Mouse x... read more

20th August Chilled for the whole afternoon, finished reading Fifty shades of Grey!! 21st August1 night Nadi. Met French Julia and German Anne from manta again. Internet. Few beers. 22nd August Day 1 Guys i met on my Feejee experience tour of Veti Levu. Dublin Alec, Nova Scotia Adrienne, Durham Marc, Hamburg Phillip, Chinese Dong family. Bus didn't pick me up!! Was meant to pick up at 8.30am but by 9.30 not there so called them up and was told bus had left and that they would drive down to collect me a connect me with the bus. 2 hour wait in total. Dropped at bus. Met people on the tour In nadi town and drove to Natoula???? beach. Volley ball with locals and body boarding in ocean. Beers with other NZ tourism students group in ... read more

Saturday 11 August, 9,30am, Yasawa Flyer heading north to Octopus Resort. So, since I arrived in Fiji 17 days ago I've discovered that the answer to the age old equation 'the square root of fuck all'...it's Fiji Time, baby! Meeting people here has been a totally different experience from hosteling in the states..In the US it was mainly groups of friends sticking together which was difficult to get talking to them. Looking back I was probably a bit overwhelmed having spent time with friends in Miami and NYC so once Cockney and Chrissy's wedding was over it dawned on me that it as just me, myself and I. Time to get in the mix and meet people. Camerardery is an amazing thing, the realisation that everyone's in the same boat, all looking to have a great ... read more