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Published: October 31st 2008
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Goodbye Malaysia
Crossing the border bridge between Malaysia and Thailand Thailand...
Goodbye English speaking Malaysians, hello to confusion and hand gestures of Thailand. We have been looking forward to reaching the border as Malaysia is more expensive than its neighbour. In Thailand the minimum daily wage is about 3 quid so we knew we could live a little more comfortably here. Having taken a couple of cheap local buses to the border, we made our step onto Thai soil. The border was quite hectic but it wasnt long before we got our passports stamped and ushered along. It was excellent. We could feel the difference already as everybody wanting to say hello and smile at us. And we seen Monkeys. As a jeep cruised by there were a few lads sitting on the back and 2 monkeys. Not sure if they were pets or not. Further down the road and we seen another one clambering about a building, probably foraging for some food. It was pretty cool and has since got us excited about seeing more wildlife along the way.
Now, the plan for Thailand is to head up towards Bangkok, meet Chloes Mum Jean and brother Rory who are coming for a 10 day holiday, then head for
Hello Thailand
Welcome sign as we cross to Thailand some beach somewhere, well thatæ¯ kind of the plan. Bangkok is about 900km from the border so we decided we would break up our journey as Jean and Rory werent arriving for almost a week and we didnt want to spend that long in a city. So off to the train station to catch a train to Cha-am, a little sea side town 300km south of Bangkok. Unfortunately all trains were full for the next 3 days, so that idea was out the window. We eventually got a taxi van to take us about 300km north of the border to the town of Hat Yai. We stopped off here for a couple of days but it was all rather uneventful. We did get a night out on the drink though, something we had been saving ourselves for as it was too expensive in Malaysia. It was great craic. All 5 of us went to a bar in town where we were waited on by 3 different waitresses. All the bars over here seem to employ young girls and very rarely any males unless they are pulling pints or are indeed a lady-boy! We had some authentic Thai food, a massive
Monkey
Not the best photo but its the wee monkey we seen scaling a building improvement on Malay food I might add, and chilled out and sang along to a cheesy band that were singing old chart favourites that we all knew a few of the words to. Having hung around Hat Yai for a couple of days we were bored as it wasnt near the beach, and had too much of a city feel to it. We bought some tickets for a VIP bus to Cha-am, a further 300km up the road, and finally we got back to the beach.
Cha-am was a beautiful wee place. Its known as a popular holiday destination for folk from Bangkok, with jet skis and banana boats and millions of umbrellas along the beach. Accommodation proved quite hard to find here. I mean there was lots but because it was a popular place the rooms were a lot more expensive than what were accustomed to. At 8quid for a double room for the night we werent happy. But we adventured around a bit and came across a beach front guesthouse. It was stinking of dogs, and we were greeted by a wee man with no teeth. You know the sort that looks like they could easily win
Thailand flag
One of the proodest most patriotic country i am aware of, they have flags hanging everywhere the world gurning championships. He had his bottom lip covering his top lip, almost touching his nose. But he was a funny wee character, and the rooms were relatively cheap so we moved in for a few days. Each time we pay for a long bus journey we try to keep the next couple of days low key to save some cash. This place would be perfect. While Chloe went and done her own girly things me and the boys went fishing for a couple of hours. It was hilarious. We hired 2 tandem bikes and had a laugh trying to keep our balance while pedalling at the same time. They were a fetching shade of pink and we looked like complete twats. However they got us to the pier for fishing and again we caught bugger all, just like every other time we go fishing.
Nearby Cha-am, there is another sea side town called Hua Hin. Described as the older bigger brother it attracts more people. So we got a bit adventurous and hired ourselves 4 scooters to go and check it out. I have never been on a scooter but I assumed that it must be easier
All Tied Up
Davey strapping Ecto to his bed with 2 mattresses on top of him. Well drink has a lot to answer for than riding a bike as u dont even need to pedal. Chloe put her life in my hands by riding on the back with me and the rest of the boys got one each. At only 200baht (4quid) for a whole day they were quite cheap. We rallied about likes a bunch of kids, up and down every wee street and ally we could find. With a few near misses, including Wilsy almost completely coming off his bike taking a corner at about 5kph. As they say in Scotland what a dafty? Me and Chloes bike was fastest, managing to tip almost 120kph on a good long straight and the most fuel efficient. Poor old Ecto had to refill a couple of times and I still had fuel in my tank when we got back. It certainly was fun and we intend to do it again when we visit another part of Thailand. Cha-am didnt produce any other wild or wonderful moments, however our next stop is Bangkok. Tune in soon as we will be coming face to face with real life tigers at the tiger temple, meeting Jean and Rory, and most likely getting on the drink again. Thanks
Cocktails
Treating ourselves to a cocktail on a very hot day. Unfortunately it didnt have the desirable effect of qenching our thirst so we had to buy lots more :) for reading friends and family. Until next time korp kun krap and la gorn (Thank you and goodbye).
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