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Published: March 19th 2008
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Fishing boats in Gulf of Siam
Working boats and we ate their catch....yum Sa wat dii (Hello in Thai)
Well we are about to leave for the next step on our tour. Thailand has been a revelation - it has everything and we both recommend anyone to come along - don’t go to the touristy places which are concentrated in a very small area but go everywhere else - it is great -food, culture, people, countryside (jungle, forest, mountains, rivers and beaches) and everyone is so hospitable.
We are now in Cha-am (150 km south of Bangkok on the coast) and staying courtesy of some Thai friends in their beach front condo for a few days. Many thanks Jack and Robin for your great hospitality!!! It has given us the chance to stay in a home like place and Carol even cooked last night (first time in 4 months!!!!!!!) - Thai chicken noodle soup and pork with morning glory with fishy things and chilli dip to start. We went to the local Tesco in Hua Hin to get the makings. Bizarre? Everything has been washed and ironed - and we have even thrown out the long johns!!! The temperature here is a steady 29 degrees centigrade.
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Anyway since we
A wedding to be held on the beach
This was later added to with palm fronds for the couple to walk over - theDutch professor staying near us said it looked as though the groom should takehis clothes off and walk into the sea!!!! last updated the blog we have had a good tour around the south of Thailand. We left Yao Noi where we stayed for 10 days. Interesting that it all passed in a blur which is true lotus eating I suppose. We got the local boat service at 8.30am for the 45 minute trip back to the main land. Just a small boat which was packed with 11 people and two motorbikes. 2 people had to sit on the motorbikes as space was limited. A very kind Muslim lady offered us a lift to our hotel in Krabi whilst we were talking to her on the boat - in the car she made us learn to count to 10 in Thai - neung, sawng, saam, sii, haa, hok, jet, paet, kao, sip which was fun.
Krabi is a nice little town on a river which seemed very busy after being so remote. Great night market with every sort of Thai food imaginable (no bugs though) - fish, crab cakes, roasted sweet corn, sticky rice with mango, we had a little bit of everything. Next day went on a 4 island trip to do some more snorkelling and we both really
Stalagtites
... stalagmites go up Stalagtites go down.... I think enjoyed it although it was busy. We ended up on a sandy spit connecting two islands sitting half in the warm water and half on the white sand which was idyllic. I have gone to sleep in bath water which was colder. Another happy afternoon.
Then it was onwards and we hired a pickup truck again which is good fun and means we are more flexible in what we do and where we go. We also seem to cover a lot more ground even getting a bit lost makes for interesting episodes. The roads here are tremendous and Caol has been driving herself as well.
We drove to Khao Sok national park and although we took a different route than one intended, we saw some fabulous sights as we approached. The place is so lush and the jungle so dense that it takes your breath away. Sounds and screeches really jungly. Reached "Our Jungle House" which has 7 tree houses set in clearings in the jungle. I walked into ours, turned round and there was a frog sitting on the pillow - Carol tried to kiss it. Had a nice dinner though…. Thai fish cakes chicken noodle soup
From bamboo hut on the beach to 23 stories up in luxury condo
Again thank you Jack and Robin for your kindness in letting us stay at your condo - by the way I have a problem with heights!!! and som tam and chicken fried rice.
Very jungly in the evening with noises and insects all over the place. Mosquito nets essential.
Next morning after breakfast of porridge and banana with fresh coffee Ian went for an early walk in the jungle. We had been assured that it was pretty tame with concrete steps and things but it wasn’t quite like that. I went down a separate track to a water fall. It was rough going, no one else around and very steep bits with occasional steps cut. After going for a couple of hours I thought “Bugger this for a game of soldiers” and decided to turn back. After a while I stopped for water and looked down to see leeches on me. BLIMEY! Anyway I got them off and Carol said I came back looking a bit shell shocked and thought I must have met up with some lost ww2 japs in the jungle.
However after showering had nice lunch of fried rice som tam and mussaman curry.
We had decided to go on a canoeing trip that afternoon and unexpected we were rowed in inflatable canoes by Thai boys (rather than doing our own paddling) through the gorge between the limestone cliffs. Saw snakes, butterflies and at one point our driver shinned up an overhanging tree to shake egg sized mangoes down to us. Yum!
Continued our drive on excellent roads towards Surat Thani and eventually out of tired ness and lack of choice, we stopped at Chaiya.
Only one hotel in this place that reminds me of Brigg and we had to ask directions. One shop lady flagged down a friend who was on a motorbike. She was about 60 and Carol hopped on the back with Ian following in the truck so she could lead us to the hotel. Very charming and so helpful. Walked around the place in evening having noodle soup in one street and roti from a stall on way back. Girl didn't have any bananas so Ian went off to buy some. Carol had a chocolate one whilst waiting and then we gobbled 2 banana roti on the way back.
Best ones yet and trick is … forget the egg.
All in all a very full day
Set off from Chaiya after paying the huge sum of 250bhts (less than £4 for our room
Road was great and lined with fruit stalls according to what the area grew….. Bananas and every sort of banana product crisps, dried and in huge bunches, melons, pineapples, coconuts, wicker baskets.
Stopped at a service station for breakfast and had rice with pork and Ian had spicy fish sauce that burned his lips off. With water, 60bhts and delicious as was the range of dishes available.
Stopped by the traffic police and had to show drivers licence…. Naturally, it was at the bottom of the pile but cop was a Liverpool fan - all was ok when I said they were a great team.
Decided to stop at Khao Sam Roi Yot national park just below Hua Hin. We had seen in the Lonely Planet guide that there was some accommodation at Dolphin Bay and made for it.
Couldn't believe our eyes when we arrived…. Huge bay backed by wooded hills and pastel painted fishing boats bobbing on water in front of palm fringed beach. Did a bit of negotiation and got a little bungalow at " Lealawadee" on the beach. Nice pool and wifi as well. After a delicious dinner of som tam, white snapper in plum sauce and fried rice with a pit stop at the most perfect beach bar which even Mr. Bond would not have eschewed, looking at palm trees underlit and listening to the sea ripple up against the shell beach. This is perfection and another dangerous spot where you might find yourself eating lotus flowers with your Khao phad.
Interesting people staying there including an ex-Canadian Mountie who was undercover with the motor bike gangs and now is an author with three books published and a Dutch professor.
After a couple of days we needed to move on to Cha-am and on the way climbed a steep hill to see some famous caves - good fun and rewarded ourselves with a lunch of baked shrimp and glass noodles whilst watching the fishermen dry cuttlefish in the sun.
So here we are 23 stories up at the top of a condo looking down at the pool and beach as wide as a motorway and 3 miles long - its 29 degrees and time for a swim!
Well next stop Hong Kong day after tomorrow, then China, back to Bangkok for a couple of days then we fly down to Penang in Malaysia after that it gets really FUN!!!!! What a life!
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