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Sawat-dii kha!! Hello from Thailand!
Here we are...safe and sound...but we left the sun back in Aus...
My glorious travel luck found me at my gate in the Sydney airport with 4 friends from Australia heading home to Ireland - score!
After a movie filled 9 hour flight, a new friend, David and I stepped off the plane at a huge, humid, beautiful airport at about 11 at night into the waiting arms of Kat and her new friend from Germany...it was so nice to see a friendly face in such a foreign environment...however, now I have become the foreigner, or "farang" as us white folk are called...
We hopped into a cab and headed down streets with street signs and cars which resembled Australia...despite the lack of appropriate speed limit, our non english speaking driver, and motorbikes zooming past us on the dotted lines, I could have sworn we were still in Aus...
We arrived at our bungalow down a small alley a few blocks from Kho San Road and next to a 7-11 to find Aaron pissed drunk on the computer waiting for us...within minutes we were in our room with a glorious large
Aaron and I
Aaron and I on a bamboo raft king size bed, a bathroom in a small room on the patio, and air conditioning for about $14 a night - yes! He had purchased us a mickey of "sangsun" (rum), coke from glass bottles and redbull and had us drinking within minutes...
We spent that night meeting heaps of Canadians on his tour (he is a tour guide here and spent his vacation week with us), and trying our stomachs at some street vendor food and way too much red bull...
Aaron is the best - hillarious and sweet, friends with everyone, and knows how to work magic with Thai people...whereas I come across like an oblivious "farang", he makes everyone laugh and has you loving him before you know what hit you...
We spent a few days in Bankok and saw the glorious Golden Palace, the Canadian Embassy (Kat had to renew her passport), much shopping on Kho San Road and MBK (a massive, massive shopping centre), getting to and from out destinations on tuk tuks (super cool), in taxis, and once, on a motorbike...of course mine was the only one whose driver didn't offer a helmet...Motorbikes or scooters are definitely the way to get
Dinner!
Dinner at the lake...Kat, Aaron, Kiwi Sarah, Ya, Dalyn, Dallace and I around...with a population of 5 million, we were always getting caught in traffic jams...it pays to be on a scooter - at red lights, all the bikes just scootch between the cars and head to the front of the line...it doesn't help that stoplights take forever and after waiting a few minutes, there are around 30 bikes which screech off the front of the line when the light turns green...
One thing I've noticed so far is that I am an over paranoid traveller...it's good to be safe, but I seem to remember only the bad travel stories that have come my way, and cannot believe how nice the people are, how safe so much of the food is, and how far a smile can really take you....I have already met women who have assured me that travelling alone in Thailand and SE Asia in general is way less scary than it is made out to be...there are the obvious precautions which one must take, but reassurance from others is always lovely to hear...
We are now in a lovely family run bungalow in Khao Sok National Park...a tiny village an hours drive from Surat Thani...
We
Dragon?!
A tiny flying dragon thingy that the Thai guys caught and then threw in the air, it came down a few feet and then swooped off! met up with 2 other Canadian guys who just finished doing a tour with Aaron and who have a few weeks of travel on their own left, and took a midnight bus to Surat Thani...we arrived at about 4 in the morning and had a few hours to kill before our bus to Khao Sok came to get us...we arrived here at 'Smiley's bungalow' and were picked up by Paiwan, who owns the bungalow with her husband, Baow...Aaron's tour group came here and he fell in love with a nearby lake (the name currently escapes me), and promised to take us there...
We have spent the past 5 days getting to know this family, eating amazing thai food, drinking buckets (a mix of booze, pop and red bull), relaxing in hammocks, going for jungle walks, swimming in swim holes and tubing down rivers, getting oil massages, and of course, hitting up the lake...
A one hour drive from Smiley's takes you to a pier where you rent a fishing rod and head aboard a long tail boat...an hours drive with some fishing spots in between takes you to the bungalows which are floating huts in a bay with
Floating Bungalows
Warm water, beautiful scenery and people, tranquility at its best... a common area including kitchen and bar in between the 2 sets of huts...when Aaron was here last, it was sunny sunny but it rained pretty much the whole time for us - no worries, mate! - it was also empty for him but for us each hut was filled with Thai people - awesome!!
Despite the fact that the weather has been pretty shit, lots of rain, thunder and not alot of sun, we spent 2 amazing days at the resort, swimming in the really really warm lake, kayaking, fishing, drinking and dancing with a huge Thai gathering of about 50 people, making our Thai friend, Ya, sing karaoke, scoping out nearby caves, playing guitar and learning heaps of Thai...
Tomorrow morning, we catch a bus and a ferry to Raleigh (don't know the spelling), to spend some days there rock climbing, then head to Puket...or, wherever the wind takes us...
Right now, we are the only people staying at Smiley's, and are pretty much members of the family...need a beer? Head behind the bar and grab it...just jot it it down on your tab...hungry? Try some fried pineapple, pad thai, noodle salad, or Masaman curry,
Serenade
Aaron Serenading the mountains... or my favourite, a salty omlette called 'Kai Giaow' (definitely not the correct spelling)...Aaron just went back to Bankok to join another tour which will last 40 days, but we will see him again, as well as some of our other friends from home and Australia, at the full moon party on Khoa Pagnang on May 20...
I am currently in correspondence with Gala, who is in China right now, and who I will meet up with sometime in the beginning of June...the Africa trip is also coming along, and I have been receiving updates via a dancing mate who will help me organize my ticket from Ireland...definitely excited about the next few months...
I know I said I would be less detailed with the blogs..but it's so hard! Next time...
I am sweaty right now even though the sun is covered...we are surrounded by huge rokcy mountainous cliffs, Sabai (6) and Bandow (4) are playing nearby...the TV is on and someone is watching a Thai Yoga video...construction of a treehouse is taking place nextdoor...motorbikes occasionally scream by with kids as young as 12 at the wheel (in villages, there is no driving restrictions and everyone here
Cutie!
Hottest Thai man I've met...on our floating bamboo raft... has really nice vehicles, mainly trucks and obviously a motorbike or 2), and Kat is around the corner on the hammock writing in her journal...
We will spend the rest of the day doing nothing, and loving it. I am in heaven ....
I have been recieving emails from a Canadian Government travel warning site which informs travellers of current dangers/information on countries and feel pretty safe here...this morning we heard of the cyclone in Burma/Mayanmar, and were a bit worried for friends we know have been travelling there...
I'm not worried about things I cannot control, it's futile...
The weather will do whatever it wants, and I will be just fine! I'd rather be here right now than anywhere else...in other words, mom, don't worry! These things happen 😊
Once again, if you've gotten this far, you are a legend...this thing is turning into quite the novel...
On a side note, I have not been ill at all since arriving, but Kat had a 24 hour food poisoning stint which put her in bed our first day at the lake - "its expected to happen" she said with a smile...trooper!
Stay safe,
Trooper
Our driver, took us cliff jumping, caving, to and from our bungalows, in rain and sun...tropper! smile lots, miss you heaps!
Erin
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Daddy
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Hello beautiful daughter ...
Erin Jane !!! It's Daddin!!! A quick note to thank you for the gifts and to say how proud we are to have such a beautiful, adventureous and educated daughter (my daughter the teacher). Great to hear you are having such fun. Travel safe. Thanks to all who have accomodated Erin's travels. Cheers ...