Thailand

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We were on a speed boat leaving Malaysia and heading for Koh Lipe- Thailand. The weather was hot and sunny and looking perfect for a week on the west coast islands.

We arrived in Koh Lipe with no accommodation so on advice from various friends we walked across the island to Sunset beach. This was a bad start! We got lost making the 10min walk take about 40mins with all our luggage. Once we got there we then discovered that all the accommodation was booked up. Although we didn't think it at the time, this was actually a blessing in disguise. The beach on Sunset is not great, the sea is full of rocks and coral meaning you cant walk in it and there is only 1 restaurant. By walking back to the main beach (Pattaya) we found ourselves a nice beach shack, at the far end. This was perfect for us as Pattaya is where all the life is and the better sand. Our location on the end of the beach meant it was quiet in the day, yet a short walk down the beach at night took us to all the bars and restaurants! Unfortunately for our first night we had to sneak the 4 of us into one double room. It was decided that 3 could probably fit in the large double bed, however a fourth would be pushing it. On this realisation Paul sprung to life and remarked "well... I'll have to have at least 7 beers before you catch me sleeping on the floor". To Pauls surprise, that night we ended up having more than 7 beers, although Paul still made sure he claimed his spot on the bed! After 2 days spent lazing on the beach we then got back on a boat and headed to our next beach... Koh Ngai. Now having spent the past 4 days lying down, we all felt it was about time to get back on our feet. We decided on a day trip around some of the smaller islands. This was an absolute brilliant day. We had a boat, a driver, plenty of places to visit and no real time schedule; a much better option than the more expensive organised tours. The highlight of this trip was the Emerald Caves, you take a plunge into the sparkling blue sea, swim through a pitch black cave and then as if from a pirates film you appear on the most beautiful paradise beach, enclosed in from all sides by a 200m vertical rock face. WOW, were are exact feelings too. The rest of the day was great too, as we enjoyed lunch on Koh Mook, snorkeling and visiting bat inhabited islands. After 2 more great days on the beach, yes you guessed it; we got back on a boat and went to another one! Phi Phi was our island of choice and was to be our final island hop, so we gave ourselves 3 days here. On arrival, we moved away from the main resorts and headed to Ao Toh Koh, a small charming beach resort on the east side of the island. Although the owners were really nice to us and it was a great spot, it was probably a little too quiet for us. A positive out of this, was that it made us find things to do away from the resort. On our first night we walked back to the main town for a night out. The night started well with a couple of free buckets, however we soon realised why they were free! After Mike managed to work his way through a hefty cocktail, he was rewarded by the sight of a 2 inch bug that had somehow crawled its way into his drink. We then made our way to a bar that was advertising a Thai boxing match, this proved to be great entertainment even though we soon noticed that it was fake. The next day we took a boat trip to Bamboo Island and Mosquito Island, this was not the greatest trip, although the perfect clear waters provided excellent snorkeling conditions. Another day and another trip to another beach. We left our beach and made our way to the beach where 'The beach' was filmed for a few hours on a beautiful beach, just so that we could say that we had been to the beach, where 'The beach' was filmed and as a result increase our beach tally. Life's a beach!

After a week cruising around the stunning west coast Islands of Thailand, we thought that it was about time to check out the mainland. From Phi Phi we caught the boat to Krabi, for a quick one night stop before we got an overnight bus north, to Bangkok. While in Krabi Nick and Paul chilled by the pool, while Mark and Mike climbed a rock face in search of some lagoon I can't remember the name of. The bus to Bangkok was long, hot and boring and arrived at 5am. This gave us a few hours to kill as we needed to wait till 9am for the Nepalese Embassy to open. The visa applicant was swift and efficient and within 20mins we were able to get back on a bus and head 2 hours north to Kanchanaburi. We didn't really know what to expect from Kanchanaburi and I am pleased to say that it far exceeded our expectations. In fact I could go as far as saying that the day trip we did, was one of our most enjoyable in Asia. The day started early but you'd be surprise how quickly riding on the back of an Elephant can wake you up. Nick and Marks Elephant was called Pat and was a large Elephant with huge tusks. After just 5mins of riding the Elephant, our guide got off and let Nick sit on the head and ride it himself. Before Nick had even got over the shock of what he was doing, the guide shouted a command and the Elephant let out a noise that could probably have been heard back in England. Luckily Nick and Mark managed not to fall of the great beast and the ride continued through water and land. After Elephant riding we then caught a ride down stream on some bamboo rafts, although we spent most of the time lying on our backs in the water and going with the flow. We had done all this and it was only just turning 11am as we were making our way to the 7- tired Erawan Waterfalls. These waterfalls look majestic in their tranquil, green surroundings. The walk to the seventh tier took a while, but time was of no concern with each level only getting more beautiful along the way. On level four we discovered that you could even slide down the waterfall, much to our amusement and passers by. From here the day slowed down a bit as it took a more cultural direction. This involved a trip to the Krasae Cave, a train ride along the famous 'Death Railway' and a walk along the 'Bridge over River Kwai'. A great day all round and a fun stay in Kanchanaburi was had.

We arrived in Bangkok hot, bothered and dripping with sweat as we attempted to find the hostel the Swedish girls (from oz) were staying at. Incredibly we couldn't have been looking too shabby though as we suddenly found ourselves in a photo shoot modeling for 'Air Asia' with 3 attractive Asian girls. Eventually we did meet up with the girls, who were obviously pleased to see us! We decided that as it was Marks last night with us, that it was our duty to have a night out to mark the occasion. 'Chang' was the theme of the night. This was to Pauls delight at the time although not by the morning when he suffered what we now call a 'Changover'. The following day Nick, Mike and Mark tried to squeeze a few things in before Mark had to catch his plane. To our great disappointment the Grand Palace was closed, so instead we got conned by the happiest guy we have ever seen. We ended up taking a 'Tuk Tuk' ride round the whole of Bangkok, however his sole purpose was to take us to a Taylor-made Suit shop. We didn't mind too much though as it only cost us 10 Baht and was one of the most random trips, involving meeting some of the most random happy people ever. It was a sad day seeing Mark leave although Paul was pleased to unload some of his increasing clothing supply into Marks bag. Since we had been in Bangkok Paul had gone absolutely wild, he was in his element in the markets, bartering for clothes that cost next to nothing; and there were no signs of his new addiction stopping. Mike also got a taste of the shopping bug and when alone took a trip to a Taylor-made suit shop to get measured up, even though he had no desire to buy a suit. Instead of just admitting to the guy that he didn't want a suit, he for some reason thought it would be better to give a fake name and address. Sadly this wasn't the end of it, the kind man said he wanted a deposit, so Mike responded "I need a cash point!", "No problem, I'll walk you there" he replied. "okay", 5 minutes later, "oh it seems I've left my bank card at the hostel", don't worry he says, I'll walk back with you. Another 5 minutes passes, "Look mate, I'm not going to buy the suit, just stop following me". I'm sure their was probably a simpler way for it too have not gone this far, but it wouldn't have been as nearly as funny! Well played Mike, I wish we were there to see it. On our final day in Bangkok we went with Emma and Emilia to see the Grand Palace. We took advice and wore long trousers and collard t-shirts so not to be denied entry. Not to the girls amusement though, they were forced to rent a sarong for the day. We spent a couple of hours at the Palace and was well worth a visit. The Brightly decorated and highly stylistic architecture was stunning. For our last night with the girls we ordered Pad Thai from a street restaurant, followed by a deeply emotional goodbye! The following morning we headed to Siem Reap (Cambodia), our time in Thailand was perfect, the beaches, the culture, the people and company made our stay truly memorable.

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