poopeedoll

Since I last wrote I have had some interesting waxes in Bangkok, unsuccessfully attempted to visit foreign inmates at the 'Bangkok Hilton' twice, seen some naked ladies writhing around in foam at 'Soi Cowboy', attempted meditation at a silent 10 day retreat, and stayed for a week in a monastery in North-East Thailand which was a positive experience until the last day when I discovered that my laptop (along with my phone and money) had 'gone missing' (Aghh Gahhh!). Therefore, due to the vanished laptop (which had unpublished blog entries on) it may take a while till my next proper blog post. So, if I have any secret fans out there...sit tight! p.s I interviewed each monk, took finger prints, checked under their robes and cleared them all of theft. Thus I allow the reputation of ... read more

This is the article I wrote for my friend Nat's 'SEA Backpacker' magazine: Muay Thai for Beginners After a couple of months of indulgence on the old pancake trail, I was noticed a little extra weight around my midriff that I didn’t remember packing when I left home. In fact, I was beginning to resemble the ubiquitous ‘laughing Buddha’ figures. Well OK, I wasn’t bald and big nippled, but I was developing a bit of a pot belly. Needing some serious exercise and motivation I headed off to one of Thailand’s ‘Muay Thai Camps’. The camp my friend recommended was catered for farangs and as far as I was aware, all paying guests were foreigners. The vast majority being white males in their 20s and 30s. This did not make it a ‘holiday’ camp however and ... read more

Thursday 29th August - Khota Bharu Ready to bust of out Khota Bharu and head back to Thailand, I set my alarm for 5am and packed my bags. At 5:15 the very kind and hard working Mrs. Hang who co-runs the hostel with Mr. Hang (they’re not the owners but they seem to be on duty here 24/7 and they must be approaching their 70s) came and knocked on my door - good job as I was snoozing the alarm. Mr Hang drove me in his old car to the Malaysia / Thailand border (Rantau Panjang / Sungai Kolok) border. On the way 2 cats ran in front of the car and there was a thud as we came into contact with one. Both Mr. Hang and I jumped, and for a while I could sense ... read more

This is all stuff I wrote in my diary. Eventually I realised that if I didn't stow myself away for a few days and actually type it all up, I would never get round to doing a blog. However, looking what i've included I have included some really dull details, so skim through those and just look out for rude words. So here it is, warts and all: 17th July Well after a couple of days in Bangkok I have travelled to Koh Pangan - the home of the famous ‘full moon party’ - with Nat so that she can do some magazine work - check distribution, visit customers etc. The bus ride was a bit rubbish for us. First we had to carry Nat’s magazines through the streets of Bangkok. We couldn’t sleep on the ... read more

Friday 21st August / Skipper’s log day 7 There is no such thing as paranoia - F.X Leach, 1969 OK I feel good because I’ve told JL that tomorrow I will disembark from our trip and he seemed cool with it. I thought that I’d have the chance to leave today and when I realised it would be another night on board I thought “nooooo” but at the moment the water is calm and the sun is strong with a slight breeze so things don’t feel so bad. Although it was calm last night I still found it difficult to sleep. I like to sit on the cockpit reading with my torch until I feel ready to go below deck to sleep. But outside it was pitch black and there were lots of near sounds I ... read more

This isn't a very recent trip - but it's from last year so any info you glean from it will still be relevent. However as I wanted to try and get started with the ol' travel blog, and to write my first article for South East Asia Backpacker magazine (www.southeastasiabackpacker.com) I thought I'd combine the two..ahem, let me begin: Surfing for Beginners My friend has a theory as to why surf spots become popular beach destinations: the barraging waves create an aesthetically pleasing rugged coastline; a constant breeze keeps the endurances of a beaming sun bearable; the churning of the waves release a positive energy into the surrounding environment (something to do with hippy talk about ions), and the surfing community are generally a laid back, well meaning folk. However, I was not heading to ... read more