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Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Samui January 12th 2004

Didn't sleep too well. Must be the pain from that dreadful tummy ache. Woke up in the middle of the night and found it hard to get back to sleep. We checked out early and took a songtheaw back to Chaweng. A motorcycle taxi driver offered to take us both back to Chaweng for THB100. We politely turned him down, cos we know it is too dangerous, especially with our backpacks and all. It is common here though, for more than two persons to ride a motorbike. As many as the rider can handle I guess. And thank God! We managed to get a hut at Charlie's finally (yes, we are a stubborn pair I know)! I couldn't wait to put up my new hammock, and with Vivi's help, I did manage in the ... read more

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Samui January 11th 2004

We got up early today to check out one of the resorts (which we were keen on), if they have any vacancy. Having lived in the concrete jungle for all our lives, we were both keen to stay in those wooden/bamboo huts during our getaway. Plus, the huts at Charlie's Hut looks really great. It was about slightly over 9am and there wasn't any check-outs yet, so we had breakfast at their eatery while we wait. *The receptionist quoted THB300 for a hut with fan and shower, and THB500 for a double. This is what I really called a getaway island. It is 10am plus now and we hardly see many people who are awake. Seems most of them just want to sleep in and enjoy the pleasure of not getting up early for their ... read more

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Samui January 10th 2004

Our hut is just beside Ark Bar, loud music playing till the morning. A half-broken fan, noisier still. Noisy and an unfamiliar room, sleeping on an unfamiliar bed, but we were both dead tired, so we did sleep alright. We slept till about 2pm, paid the rent for the day and had our late lunch at Ark Bar. We ordered from the breakfast menu which serves throughout the day. I don’t quite fancy the sausages, so I fed it to this big, black dog which stared at my food longingly. We took a slow, long walk along the extensive stretch of shops at Chaweng. There were so much things to see. All kinds of shops and stores. Pubs and restaurants. Shops after shops. All catered to tourists and travellers. It is quite unexpected to see ... read more

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Samui January 9th 2004

Arriving in Ko Samui, we were bombarded with overpriced drivers at the pier. Vivienne knew they were overcharging and refused to give in. They were charging from something like 200 Baht to 400 Baht per person, it was crazy. We managed to get to Chaweng beach for 50 Baht each. Although it was raining heavily, the songtheaw driver sure was speeding in the rain. I’m surprised to find Vivienne falling asleep beside me amidst the bumpy ride, she must be really tired. I just opened my eyes wide and took in the sights of the island, and whatever that hit me in the face (including the rain of course). The kids and locals gave us curious stares, eventhough they should be quite used to travellers like us. The songtheaw drove fast in the rain. I ... read more

Asia » Thailand » Southern Thailand » Hat Yai January 9th 2004

In Hatyai, we sat down at a restaurant (near the travel agency where we alighted) and discussed over some iced-cold chrysanthemum tea on what to do next. We agreed on another continuing, tiring trip to Ko Samui, instead of stopping at Hatyai for an overnight stay. I guessed we would have both agreed on staying overnight in Hatyai, if we know we would be shoved into a mini van/bus for another hellish, long bus ride. Well, it’s my fault for suggesting that we go all the way. :P There were 9 travellers heading for Ko Samui. 9 of us squashed into a mini (and I really do mean it when I said it's small), 10-seater van/bus on a hot day, not very pleasant I must say. But the excitement of the trip keeps my ... read more

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Phuket January 3rd 2004

Waking up rather dizzy from yesterday's journey I brush the crud out of my eyes and go back to slumber. As I wake up again I feel rather tired, so I scratch my eyes a bit and go back to sleep. More slumber. As I finally come to my senses I rub my eyes a bit again, wide awake now, and something doesn't feel right. I get up and stumble into the bathroom where I make a nice discovery. No wonder I felt like rubbing my left eye, it is hiding under a nice swollen eyelid and is unable to open up. After a moment's distress I realize that this is mainly a cosmetic problem (though of a worrying magnitude) and I start fiddling about managing to open it just a little, looking like a complete ... read more
Looking like a complete idiot!
Five minutes from bumping into the little man
Catching the scenery from Phuket viewpoint


It is a beautiful morning and I am eager to get going, yet still we are late for the morning assembly at nine, the fact that I didn't catch much sleep last night probably had a lot to do with that. Our group has already transfered to the diving ship and departed, but one of the guys at the beach sticks us in his long boat and we give chase. As we catch up with the ship outside Ko bangu, or number nine, we join in on an improvised breakfast of some kind of fish porridge and toast with strawberry jam. We spend the morning making a few stops around number nine and the northern side of number eight. The amazing colour of the water is even more stark here. We return to the camp to ... read more
Long tails basking in the sun
Majestic tall ship appears
Giving chase to our diving ship


Time to make a new attempt to get on the boat. Yet another early morning packing up routine but this time we are rewarded with a driver who appears on time and we ride down to the Khao Lak pier, which is on the far side of town. We check in with the ticketing office and receive little stickers to put on our shirts, identifying us as "two day, one night" travellers. Among the people waiting at the pier we can see both two nighters as well as day trippers. The pier is chaotic and bustling with activity and lots of boats and small ships. There is a small navy base next door and a little market were Kay finds some precious chicken snacks to bring along. It seems the entire group consists of Thais, the ... read more
Nice doggy... has someone got a rock?
Put on your sticker!!!
Down at the Khao Lak pier

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Khao Lak December 31st 2003

The highlight of the trip, today we'll make the trip into the Andaman Sea and the Similan islands. There is always something exciting about remote islands, and even though the popular nature reserve will hardly be deserted it promises to be something else. We get up early and pack up our things and check out of the hotel and sit down in the lobby like two zombies waiting for our transfer to pick us up. A white minibus arrives a little bit after 7.30 but it turns out it is not ours, and some other guests jump in. This scenario repeats a few times and since I imagine everybody is going to the Khao Lak docks it seems mighty inefficient. A glance at the watch and our transport is now more than half an hour delayed ... read more
06:30
Where is that driver anyway?
Checking out the new surroundings

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Khao Lak December 30th 2003

Sleeping like a clubbed baby seal barely making it to the breakfast buffet. There are a couple of other farangs around but generally the resort feels quite low key. After brunch I have to chase the cleaning lady around a bit to have her commit to fixing the laundry. We head down to have a look at the beach. There's plenty of space but the few chairs are already taken so we wander around a bit. The sand looks nice but Kay is a bit skeptical about the quality of the water. It definitely supports a lot of life though. Each little splash brings in lots of small fish and crabs that duck away in small puddles of water on the little rocks that divide the beach into segments. In the afternoon we catch a ride ... read more
This is where it's happenin'
Swedes welcome...
Everybody has a taxi




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