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Hua Hin
Me and my mum Hi everyone we have missed our 'sort of' conversations with you all. Hope yuo are all happy and well?!! Sorry about the late updates we have been on a little remote island on the south east coast of Thailand, where the internet connection costs a packet but we are back to civilisation now on a bit more of a touristy island - Ko Phi Phi.
Before we start this entry we would both like to say a HUGE thank you to Rashpal and her family for their hospitality and showing us an amazing time at the pre wedding party in India. You guys dont half know how to party!! and Hello from Helen to Kalwant: a little birdie tells me you have been following our trip.
Well since our last blog we have gone from dining at the Hilton Hotel to jungle bungalows on stilts! And whilst we mention it we want to say a BIG thank you to Diane and Phil (Lauras mum and step dad) for giving us back all the weight we'd lost, we absolutuely thoroughly enjoyed the process!!!! And im sure Phil enjoyed the Thai version of 'Im a celebrity get me out of here'
Hua Hin
Phil taking it easy at the Hilton tasting session! and thanks for all the goodies we got (we can now lose the weight again due to the extra weight of our backpacks!) We had a great time with you both.
So after the parentals left we got a bus from Hua Hin to Krabi, but whilst at the bus station Helen (in true Helen style) realised she had left (yet again i might add) her swim gear, sarong and underwear (which are most precious!) on a washing line back at the Hotel with 45 mins left untill the bus was due to leave. Helen took the risk and flagged down a tuk-tuk that hit every red light possible back to the hotel to get her stuff and come back. Meanwhile I was left behind nervous and sweating wondering if my travel companion would ever return to make the bus, whilst numourous buses pulled in and out of the station along with announcements (all spoken in Thai) i didn't know what bloody bus was what or if we'd already missed it!!! As it turned out Helens determination not to leave more of her clothes on another washing line, in yet another part of Asia, paid off as
we made the bus by the skin of our teeth....and off we went to Krabi.
In Krabi we stayed in a place called Hollywood......well at least that was the name of the hotel, we thought it sounded good! One nights stop over at Hollywood and we headed to the pier to catch a long tail boat to Railay (an island off the coast). Nothing is ever that simple as you have probably gathered by now. Helen was feeling a little apprehensive to say the least, at the shakey wooden boats that the boatman gestured us to get in. It was like krypton Factor...first we had to climb over a metal railing, then walk accross two other old wooden boats to get to ours. Picture this...Helen (who god bless hasn't the best balance in the world) clambering over rickety wooden boats and then with one leg on one boat and the other leg stretched onto the boat next to it, both boats then began to drift apart! Helen by this point was doing the splits in between which then alerted the boatman to rescue her from falling in. I'm not sure how she didn't fall in the water! That was
Hua Hin
View from the pool to come later!!!
The ride was beautiful to Krabi, limestone cliffs and pure blue waters. The boat came to shore and Helen was so relieved and couldn't wait to get her feet safely on land, so without hesitation or caution she attempted to get off the boat but the sea and the sand was deeper than she expected and the next thing she knew there was a splash and she was overboard!!! It was the funniest thing and i was actually in pain from laughing so hard (after helping her up of course!) The water was only shoulder deep so she never actually went under but she looked like she'd been shipwrecked on Railay Island!!! a drowned rat!!
Here we stayed in a jungle bungalow on stilts with all of the surrounding noises. One night the French couple opposite us told us they had seen a rat in their room and the next night we also had the same little visitor in ours. We were woken to the sound of knawing and chewing at the wardrobe and than it moved to the bedside table! No sleep for us that night!
Railay (the side we were on) was quite remote
Hua Hin
Me, mum and Phil in the Hilton bar with no ATM machine and we began to run out of money. The ATM was on the other side of the island called Railay west, was could be reached by an expensive boat, a steep climb up the rocks or a jungle trek...Doh!! We then came to our own way of getting there.......we swam!!! Helen decided to take on the swim first and I would meet her over there by swimming if i couldn't haggle down the boat driver...i couldn't. So I taped up the ATM card with gaffer tape and tied it to the loop of my shorts (very Bear Grills!) left my shoes and everything else and went for it. Helen arrived first once again looking shipwrecked, and waited in the blistering heat for my arrival with no shoes, nothing. Helen said eventually she recognised me at the other end of the beach stumbling up hunched over like Gollam! Helens legs and arms were cut from the rocks and i completely did my back in!!! (hence arriving like Gollam). After both hobbling to the ATM on hot concrete with no shoes (amazingly the ATM card was bone dry and more in tact than us) we then caught a
boat back again. Moral of the story: dont cut corners!! you get what you pay for, we shouldn't have been so tight and just paid for a boat in the first place! Helens cuts have now healed and my back is back to normal. Secretly we are proud of our dramatic adventure in search of the ATM and we even gathered a crowd of onlookers on the beach!!! HEROS!!!
After this we then relaxed for a few days on the island on Railay west (we caught a boat this time). Here we had a great laugh with Sabina and Dana, some friends we met from Germany. They taught us a few vital German words like 'self timer' and 'bin liner'. SELBSTAUSLOESER!!!! And Helen taught them some good old Norfolk sayings! Dana and Sabinas hotel was beautiful so after our sucess of crashing the Hilton we simply had to sneek into their hotel and feast for free on the breakfast buffet!!!! and even took a swim in the luxury pool!!! Professional hotel crashers!!! Thanks girls we had a great time ( see you in Berlin for the 'exchange')
We are now on an island called Ko Phi Phi about
to meet John Atkins and Mowbray we are so excited!!!
We love and miss you all lots. Love Laura and Helen x x x x
PS Helen says "Hi Rani"
PPs photos soon to come
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Sue
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Sober At Last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi both of you, the Hilton looked good pleased you both got to enjoy the amenities there (must have been share luxury for you both). The Asda tops look very nice. Dont forget to let us know where you will be in November so we can get the flights booked well in advance. I mean if you really can't pull yourselves away from India that's really not a prob (our finances could cope with that much better) but then again we dont care where we meet up with you, it will just be nice to see you both. And as me and your mum are heading for 40 plus 10 = 26 this year it's time we both discovered the joys of packpacking, we dont mind where we doss down for the night, the experience will do us good. We have decided to travel really light so if there is anything you both need we will have enough luggage allowance to bring stuff over. Well we better go now, you both take care and carry on enjoying yourselves. Happy travelling lots of love Auntie Sue and Mum :D xxx PS Do you realise how many bloody sausage rolls and cakes me and your mum have got to bake over the six weeks holidays to meet up with you (answer approx 8000) mind you it gets easier when you do corn flake and rice crispie cakes) (and no we won't be bring any over) :P