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Published: July 28th 2009
We flew into Bangkok from Singapore and this was our first real taste of South east Asia. We decided to go to the Khao San road because this is one of the cheapest and most popular places to eat and find accommodation. Khao San road is some people's worst nightmare but for us it was very interesting. You could walk up the street and be disgusted and entertained. There is always something new and shocking and it is a backpacker's Mecca. We stayed here trying to find our feet in Thailand and trying to map out a route. It didn't take us long to work out the best way to get around the city and we found great food stalls with tasty and cheap dishes. This is where we got our love affair with Thai food began
With Thailand being our first main country and experience in the region we got some sense of the tricks that can be pulled on tourists. One ocassion left a particularly bitter taste in our mouths as we were looking for visas for our trip to Vietnam. We were looking for the embassy and a well dressed Thai guy who claimed to work in
the New Zealand embassy told us that it would be quicker and cheaper to get our visas at an address he gave us. Something felt a bit strange to us and when he became very forceful and aggressive in trying to "help" us and get us into his friend's tuk-tuk we knew something wasn't right. We went to the embassy and there was no problems for us in getting our visas. The following day we saw him sitting at a food stall waiting to take advantage of the next unsuspecting tourist
During our time in Bagkok we made our own way around by boat, train and tuk-tuk. It was great being able to do it under our own steam and the city itself was fascinating. We knew we would be back so we spent a few days in the capital and then booked a train north to Chiang Mai
This was a much more laid back city compared to Bangkok. The older part of the town is surrounded by a large wall and moat and really adds to the feel of the place. The night market and food stalls were really enjoyable and here we booked our first
Tuk-tuk on a flooded road
How to get around in Bangkokand only tour of the area. We visited a number of small villages, the most memorable of which was the long necks. They are so-called because they wrap a copper wire around their necks in order to lenghten them, changing them every few years slowly making their necks longer and longer. They had many stalls selling beautiful fabrics which they weaved right in front of us. One child was crying and his mother just kept whipping him with a reed until he stopped and stop he did. Capital punishment anyone?! One Aussie couple in our group bought some strange looking cigarettes which we told were made of banana leaves. Curious as ever, Conor tried one and as he was half way through it our guide informed us that the cigarettes were tobacco, banana leaves and marijuana. of course Conor was disgusted although not enough to stop smoking it! Our guide also informed us of our proximity to opium fields and how we would need to get there on a motorbike. He seemed a little keen on telling us about it so we suspected that there are other special tours available for those who are interested. After our trip to the
My sandals!
Vicki near drowns in Bangkok long necks we took an elephant ride through the forest. We weren't sure if this was something we would like to do because we had some concerns about how the elephants were treated and although we both really enjoyed it it's not really something we would do again. When we arrived we bought a big bunch of bananas for our vehicle who, when we got on his back, were told was a mighty 80 years old. He was a big old bull and very impressive to look at. We trekked through some dense bush, up and down some hills and then down a river. Our elephant was kept separate from the rest but at the time we didn't know why. A few minutes before we returned, our guide hopped off to take a few snap shots of us and invited Conor to move forward and sit on the elephant's head. Another great memory! It was only after we got back that we realised the reason we were separated from the rest of the elephants. Although pushing 80 it seemed our old bull still had some blood running through those veins and was a little excited
Soon afterwards we were sat
On the train to Chiang Mai
Vicki skips through Time magazine on the train on a bamboo raft floating down the river and having a beer while clearing the deck of a number of worryingly large spiders. We were then taken to a scenic little waterfall where we hopped in for a quick dip to round off a lovely day
Chiang Mai was the last major city we were in before we crossed into Laos, followed by Vietnam and Cambodia (See previous blogs) and then we returned to Thailand after a month and a half. Our next adventure was the islands but with our hatred of back-tracking, we were disappointed to have to go through Bangkok again. We got a less than memorable bus trip to Krabi, the drop off point for the Western islands, and then got the boat over to Ko Phi Phi. When we arrived we were bombarded by representatives for this and that hotel. After a sweaty few hours with our bags on our backs searching for a place to stay we found somewhere to drop our gear and went straight out, beach bound and armed with a snorkel. The crystalline waters and cliffs rising out of the sea are the very picturesque images of Thailand that we see
on television. It really is stunning! We went out on a boat trip to the surrounding islands, the first of which was Monkey Island. While everyone got a small boat onto the island, like a pair of young Michelle Smiths, we decided to swim. Named for obvious reasons there are a colony of small monkeys who we were all told not to touch. One genius told us he was going to pull a monkey's tail. True to his word he gave it a yank and three monkeys went for him. Idiot! Back on the boat and soon enough onto a smaller boat. A canoe in fact and off we rowed into a beautiful lagoon with steep cliffs on all sides. Then we went back to the boat and grabbed our snorkel gear for a look at what was below us. This was probably the first time we were ever bitten by fish. There were thousands of small fish nipping at us but it was all in jest and we took it in the spirit it was intended. The water was crystal clear, there was so much to see and our super amazing camera helped document this experience. Then on to
Long neck village
Which one's local, which one's Conor? Maya Bay, one of the sites where The Beach was filmed. To get here we swam a short distance with flip-flops in hand. We got to a cave we had to climb through, holding onto a rope all the while being assaulted by the waves. Adventurers we are! Finally we walked through a clearing onto the beach and what immediately struck us was how well it was chosen, really beautiful. Before we left this beach some guy kicked a ball really high into the air. Conor, like an excited child, ran to head the ball. Like a pro, he kept his eyes on it the whole way and when it came down he headed it into the sea and fell back over a log and scraped his back. Just like in the Premiership! Back onto the boat for dinner and sun set. Not so bad! A great day out!
Under advice, while in Ko Phi Phi we booked a dive as it is supposed to have some of the best diving in the world. Unfortunately the fates conspired against us because Vicki came down with a dose and we didn't want to make anything worse by diving. Instead we went
Long necks
Selling their crafts drinking! At night the beach bars come alive. The bars give away free buckets of alcohol for ten minutes every hour. The tourists go from bar to bar planning when to get their free drink and getting drunk for next to nothing. The life of a traveller has it's challenges - how to best time what bar to go to! The fire jugglers at each bar are mildly entertaining but the real amusement is when the tourists try to get involved. When there's fire involved people are deceptively fast!
Our next destination was Koh Tao but in order to reach said location we had to get a famine ship to Ko Pha Ngan. Another less memorable journey but all good times. After another short boat ride we finally arrived at Ko Tao, an island famous for its cheap diving. We pretty much spent the day looking for cheap accommodation. After losing a few gallons of sweat and walking vast distances on foot we found somewhere to call home for a few days and set up shop. Our beach hut was quaint and roomy with a nice veranda where we both shared a beer or two and Conor crooned to
nature with his guitar and dulcid tones. We were set right on the beach and it was a great time for us to roll right out of bed and snorkel down in the sea. There was coral just off the beach and Vicki spotted a variety of sea life including a tiger fish. She is Clontarf's answer to David Attenborough! We spent most nights dining on BBQ sea-food and drinking in bars being entertained by fire jugglers and lady boys (parental discretion is advised!). The highlight of our time on this island was our two dives. They were really beautiful sites with a huge abundance of sea life. Just amazing!
Full Moon party time! We headed off on a boat trip to beautiful island of Ko Pha Ngan with hundreds of other backpackers. We had pre-booked our accommodation of Thong Noi Pan Nui, a small beach on the north eastern side of the island. When we arrived at our beach hut we were delighted that we made this the site of our last few days relaxing in Thailand. It was nothing more than a comfortable bed covered with a mozzie net and bathroom facilities. It was simple and simply
Parade in Chiang Mai
Vicki couldn't get enough of the outfits great! We spent our days lying on the beach, relaxing in the sea, getting massages on the beach, eating fresh fruit, grilled fish and sipping on ice cold beer. At night the beach was lit up with fairy lights and mini hot air balloons floating up to the heavens. On the 9th we went to the Full Moon Party on the southern part of the island, Haad Rin. It was a great spectacle to see so many people having a good time and the islanders really make an effort to make each one as enjoyable as possible for everyone. As usual, some people over indulged and suffered for their art but for the most part everyone was in good spirits and there for a good time. In order to sober up before getting back on the boat Conor ate some chicken legs, then some more, then some more, then some more and some donuts. Drinking buckets of rum makes one very hungry!
Before we knew it it was time to head back to Bangkok. As usual, the boat was over-crowded and Conor was sat on the edge of the boat. As luck wouldn't have it, the weather was terrible
War elephant
Great spectacle and the sea was very choppy. Fifiteen minutes into the journey we were all soaked and Conor's guitar was getting ruined so we forced our way inside. After ten minutes of being sat down some chap's sea legs gave out and he threw up on himself so we had a rather pungent odour to contend with along with everything else. After we reached dry land there were buses involved, many many buses! Finally we arrived back in Bangkok, our final holiday destination on our world trip. By now we were familiar with the city's do's and don'ts and this helped us enjoy our last few days. We dined on delicious street food such as green and red curries, numerous pad thais and a healthy serving of crickets, maggots, grubs and other such delights washed down with some beers and hooka pipes
Our time away drew to a close and we set off, homeward bound to give our families a nice surprise
This experience was the best thing we have ever done! Travelling is not for everyone but for the vast majority of people who have done it and who are considering it, you will not be disappointed. We
Chiang Mai's old town
The old part of the town is surrounded by a wall and moat are already planning our next trip and look forward to whatever adventure is in store for us
Thanks for reading
Conor & Vicki
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