Three weeks in Thaiand

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After a very busy three days in Bangkok, Chiang Mai was a welcome change! A complete contrast to where we had come from – Chiang Mai was green, mountainous and flood free. As one of Thailand’s largest cities, it was still very busy but the hustle and bustle was diluted by the beautiful scenery, laid back lifestyle and friendly residents. The old city is walled with four gates and is located at the foot of a mountain.

We were staying in a small guesthouse on the outskirts of the City gate – Finlay’s Cottage is the cheapest place we have stayed but it was where we were made to feel the most welcome. The landlord (an ex pat from Portsmouth) and his Thai housekeeper Ratchi were lovely; each morning they provided a cooked breakfast and they even did our washing!

On our first day, we followed the Lonely Planet’s walking tour and I lost count of the number of temples we visited! Amazing architecture but the interior was very much the same. Needless to say, I am now all templed out! We also visited the City Arts and Culture Centre, an air-conditioned museum which was a welcome break from the mid afternoon sun. We skipped the final part of the tour, a visit to the local massage centre which was run by inmates at Chiang Mai’s womens prison!

A Thai Cooking course was on our Thailand ‘to do’ list so we enrolled on a one-day programme and were taken to a farm on the outskirts of the City. As part of the day, we visited a local market so we could buy the produce for our dishes and so we could experience what the locals call delicacies... a one month old salted crab and 100 year old egg – disgusting! After the market, we were able to prepare and cook our six chosen dishes – my Pad Thai, Massaman Curry and Banana Fritters were amazing but there was just too much food to eat... we left feeling very full and three pounds heavier! At the end of the course, we were given a Thai cookery book as a memento – I’ll happily cook again for anyone that is willing to try?!

From Chiang Mai, we wanted to travel south to the islands for a beach break so we flew back to Bangkok and caught a sleeper train to Chumphon. Unfortunately our second class sleeper cabin did not match the photographs I had seen on the Thai Railway website... I certainly wasn’t expecting to see the train tracks from the toilet seat!!! Rich was very sweet and reassured me all would be okay, and he was right! After a bumpy 10 hour journey on a top bunk and very little sleep, we arrived at the port ready to catch our speedboat to the islands. In total, it took us 27 hours to travel from Bangkok to Koh Tao but it was worth it!!

Koh Tao was unbelievable – although only 21 sq km, it had a relaxed and very laid back atmosphere with beautiful scenery, lots of cafes, beach bars, restaurants, snorkelling, diving and hiking – there really was something for everyone. After our full day of travelling, we arrived at the hotel only to be told that the room we had booked was occupied... so they upgraded us to a superior suite free of charge. The room was amazing and not what we were expecting to stay in on this trip!

It is such a social island – in the evening the beach comes alive with brightly coloured lanterns, entertainers and vibrant music. Although a popular destination for tourists, they are plenty of secluded alcoves where you can sit, relax and just enjoy the atmosphere. One evening we walked to the end of the beach and watched the sunset across the bay – the highlight of my trip so far! We often used our Lonely Planet for recommendations on places to eat and drink - they suggested that all Koh Tao visitors should take a trip to the local legend, Ally the Pancake Man, so we did. We were not disappointed. His banana and Nutella pancakes were incredible and quickly became our favourite dessert! We enjoyed beach life so much that we extended our stay for an extra few nights :-)

We were soon back on the mainland and heading west for our final few days in Thailand. After a ferry, several buses and a taxi, we arrived in the Krabi Province on the Andaman coast. We stayed in a very quiet town called Ao Nam Mao and were just a stones throw away from the pier which took the locals and any visitors to nearby Railay by long tail boat. We thought Koh Tao was beautiful but then we discovered Railay – a true slice of Thai paradise. Enormous limestone cliffs, white sandy beaches and warm turquoise water, we felt like we were in an episode of Lost! The beaches are surrounded by caves and huge rock formations and really are a site to be seen. We hired kayaks for a few hours and were able to explore some of the really secluded spots and enjoy the spectacular views looking back towards land. After originally booking just one nights accommodation, we ended up staying for 5 – we really didn’t want to leave. We took a day trip to neighbouring Koh Phi Phi and visited Maya Bay (the location for the film The Beach) – unfortunately it was not as idyllic as were we expecting... the beach was full of tourists all competing for that perfect photograph!

After 21 days in beautiful Thailand, it was time to say goodbye & so we flew to Singapore. We had met an American couple who were living in Singapore just a few days previous and they very kindly invited us to stay with them for three days. Their apartment was directly opposite a strip of cafes, bars and restaurants and overlooked the river - a pretty great location!

I am not sure what I was expecting Singapore to be like, but it completely blew me away. The city is incredible and we absolutely loved our time there. On our first evening we visited the Marina Bay Sands (a huge hotel made of up of three separate towers and has a boat shaped viewing platform at the top!). Visitors are able to take the lift up to the 57th floor so you can experience a panoramic view of the city... after just 10 minutes, our camera ran out of battery (typical!) but we did manage to get a few good pics! We were due to leave on Sunday evening but we were one of the 70,000 ‘stranded’ Qantas passengers and our flight to Adelaide was cancelled. I use the term ‘stranded’ loosely as there are definitely worst places to get stuck, we were actually very grateful for the extra 24 hours in Singapore. Qantas paid for our extra accommodation, food and transfers and re-scheduled our flight for the following day so we really can’t complain. Disappointed to leave but we will definitely be going back!

The past few weeks have been brilliant, better than I could have imagined and we are absolutely loving our time away. And now onto Australia... first stop... Adelaide!

Ally

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