victoria cole

Well in the end, Hannah's doctor in Thailand recommended that she go home to recover for the next 3/4 weeks. So I too opted to abandon the trip rather than carry on alone and came back to Europe mid-August. Definitely disappointing, but it was nice to see friends in Paris before they all went back to university. And I soon decided to treat myself with a quick trip to Barcelona to stay with a friend on his boat. Lots of sunshine, restaurants, bars and general relaxation. Not to bad really. Working in Paris for the next month before starting at Cambridge in October. ... read more

We arrived in Chiang Mai late morning after our long journey from the South and stumbled into our guesthouse. We explored the city in the afternoon, very small in comparison to Bangkok ! It was built in the 13th century and is surrounded by a moat and crumbling walls. Had a wander round the soi (small, winding streets where we are staying) area before treating ourselves to an "a La carte" meal. The following day, we begun our exploration further afield...Wat Chiang Man, the oldest temple of the city; Wat Phra Singh, one of the most impressive and pristine temples from the Lanna period among other places. It's a lot more laid back here and the temples seem less tourist orientated, a nice relief. In the evening, we headed to the "Night Bazaar" which we soon ... read more

After the journey from Krabi it was time to head to the beach and relax. By midday we were able to check in to our little bungalow and met our neighbors. After a torrential shower, during which Hannah and I took shelter on our balcony planning our trip, we decided it was time to see a little bit of the island. So we went to the most cultured spot we could find...well, not exactly. "Hinta" and "Hinyai", Grandfather and Grandmother rocks. These two of thousand of granite rock formations dotting the coast line were, well, no as innocent as they sounded. Basically naturally formed male and female genitalia. Hmmm... We then wandered around a local market selling loads of woodcarvings and other souvenirs, unfortunately too early in the trip to make any purchases. Next to the ... read more

The last five days of the Thailand adventure have been spent on Ko Phi Phi Don, a small island located an hour and a half gtom the mainland. We arrived on the 17th via a ferry from Phuket on which Nat and I amused ourselves by sitting at the edge of the boat with our feet dangling over the water. The island is unbelievably beautiful, the image of paradise : limestone cliffs strikingly rising from crysta,l clear water, pure white velvety beaches, palm trees, jungle. The town itself, is relaxed and chilled out, lined with bars and shops. We are off to Krabi tomorrow after only a fwe days here, but it really feels as though we've been here for ages. 17/07 - Our first day on Phi Phi, we arrived at the port early afternoon. ... read more

We've just spent the last four days in Bangkok - bright neon signs, ancient temples, supermodern shopping malls - this truly is a city of great variety. Glad to have stayed here but ready to move on to the islands of Southern Thailand ! 10/07 - Arrived in Bangkok and took a taxi to Khao San Road, the backpacker's haven. We managed to check into the hotel, but not without difficulty as even though I had asked for a third mattress, we were put in a closet-sized room with barely a full sized bed. Welcome to Thailand, scamming capital of the world. Through a bit of haggling, mostly on Natalie’s part, as I was getting a little bit stressed, we sorted out the situation and got a room with king sized bed for the three of ... read more