The Heat, The Hawkers, The Hookers...

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I'm fully aware that we have been home for weeks now but we never did get around to telling everyone about the very end of our trip 😊

We've realised how amazing, beautiful, friendly and trustworthy the world and its people can be. Since being back we have a bit of a habit of talking to random people and helping people when we can and most people in England are so cold and just look at you funny if you smile at them in the street. Too many people here are judgemental and aggressive and totally unaccepting of people and different human subcultures and since being back we have watched people blatently walk past people who need help. People don't help people in England enough and thats what is wrong with this country. The first things we encountered on our first day back in Banbury were a heavily pregnant 14 year old swearing her head off and chuffing on a cigarette and 2 chavs walking past us swearing at us because we *look funny*. Its outrageous that one of the richest most educated countries can end up like this but places like Cambodia in tatters with next to no education system can be so warm, gentle, accepting and welcoming. We have a handful of amazing people in our lives and we wish that everyone else would just chill out!!

We have also lost alot respect for very materialistic people. There is no need for half of the things most of us own so dont go overboard buying expensive shit. Be aware that the 5th Ipod you just bought could have fed a family in cambodia for weeks. Its up to you what you do with your money. This is only our opinion.

Fully gutted that it's over and planning a second trip already. Or anything to get out of Banbury really... It's weird to think about us 3 months ago when we were in that taxi arriving in the huge intimidating Kuala Lumpur crapping ourselves about things to come and now we just dont want to go home!! Haha.

Well.. Bangkok. What can I say? The place is nuts. Everywhere you look you get a surprise. We stayed just off the Khao San Road in a great (and very cheap) high rise hotel which meant that we had a lovely view over the city. Even if the climb up the stairs to our room was kindly nicknamed *The Mountain* by the hotel staff (which became problematic when Nick got half way down them and decided he needed to be sick!) the view was well worth it!!

Khao San Road is a shit heap full of western idiots guzzling booze, shagging hookers and eating burgers. The place has changed a huuuge amount from when I (Holly) was last here and has very sadly lost the shregs of individuality and Thai atmosphere that it had. Still nonetheless a funny experience to wander around. And take a camera you'll need it 😉. We encountered the likes of *Mr Thailand* and *scooter man* (see photos). And also in the space of 3 days it was 'World Milk Day' and the Papaya Salad festival hahha. Pretty random.

Aaanyway. On one of our first nights we randomly ended up at this hidden away bar on the Khao San called IMMORTAL (go there if you're there!) that had the worlds most enormous Jack Daniels sign outside of it, ONLY sold Jack Daniels and had a really really amazing Thai Metal covers band playing stuff like Korn, Deftones, Rage etc. We named this MATTY night after my friend who passed away because it was pretty much his perfect evening. JD, a scruffy rock pub and lashings of Metal music!! Hahaha 😊 xxx We got to know all the guys who ran it and a couple of other travellers and ended up having a really really awesome night. Was a wicked end of trip night and just confirmed the fact that we have fallen head over heels in love with Thailand and its amazing people! 😊

You get bothered alot of Bangkok by Tuk-Tuk drivers trying to get you into their Tuk-Tuks by screaming *PING PONG*!!! then going *POP* in your ear haha. Or by belly Dancing or some other silly gimmick. We watched this little fat bloke for about 2 hours from a restaurant getting his big belly out and dancing around to westerners lol. You should never get Tuk-Tuks in Bangkok as they're just a tourist trap and ridiculously expensive. A trip all the way accross town SHOULD cost 70 Baht but they will all try you for 300 Baht cus they know dickheads will pay it. Thus messing everything up for future travellers. We stood at the side of a road for a good hour and a half one day nearly crying trying to get a taxi driver to put the meter on and none of them would. Awful really.

NICK on the other hand seems to get hounded by ladyboys constantly. Im not quite sure what it is they love about him but they absolutely will not leave him alone!! Hahaa. One in particualr (see pictures) was all over him like a flannel. Screaming accross the packed restaurant "SMALL MAN BIG BANANA!" Much to poor Nicks disgust. Ahahahaha. Brilliant.

We didn't really get up to much in Bangkok as we both came down with a bit of a tummy bug in the last 2 days so couldn't manage much. But we did make it over to Wat Po where the absolutely amazing 55ft long reclining gold buddha lives!! What a sight that is. Definately one of the coolest things we have ever seen.

Then on our last night both of our bank cards packed in and we HAD planned to treat ourselves to a meal at the Sky Bar overlooking the whole city but we ended up having to have a romantic Burger King instead ahahaha. Nightmare.









So 😊 to sum everything up we have made TOP LISTS OF EVERYTHING (sometimes not the best just the most frequent!)!!

Places

. Siam Reap - Cambodia
. Ko Lipe Island - Thailand
. Ko Kradan Island - Thailand
. Langkawi - Malaysia
. Phnom Penh - Cambodia

Sights

. The Bayon - Angkor Wat - Cambodia
. The Beach, The Beach - Ko Phi Phi Leh - Thailand
. Petronas Towers and Batu Caves - Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia
. The glowing Sea Plankton in Thailand 😊
. The Sand Bar and turquoise seas of Ko Lipe - Thailand
. Sunset over Langkawi every night - Malaysia
. The Gold Reclining Buddha - Wat Po - Bangkok
. Cameron Highlands Tea Plantations - Malaysia

Most Frequent Smells

. Durian Fruit!!!
. Drains!
. Chilli in a wok making you cough like crazy
. Satay street stalls
. That humidity smell you get in the tropics
. Lime
. Fish
. Whiskey
. Car and Tuk-Tuk fumes!
. Mosquito repellant

Sounds

. The Sea
. Beeping Horns
. Tuk- Tuks and their drivers shouting at you
. Thai Ice cream motos and their little tinny Reggae songs! Hilarious.
. Sawat-Dii Khaaaaaa!!! Thai women saying hello (sounds a bit like theyre having a go at you but they're not really)
. Longtail boats and their super loud 2 stroke engines
. BOAT BOAT BOAAAAT The Longtail boat drivers in Phi Phi

Bars/Restaurant

. Bodhi Tree - Phnom Penh. Charity restaurant opposite Tuol Sleng run by a great team of former street kids
. Debbies Place!!! - Langkawi. We have sooo many happy amazing memories from this place 😊 I really cant wait to visit them again. Amazing bunch of people who I miss so so much xx
. Reggae Bar - Ko Lipe Beach. The ultimate paradise bar. Hand built using driftwood. you definately want to go there
. Beach Bar - Langkawi with its little cushion seats right on the sand.
. Pooh Bar - Ko Lipe. Had a great night here on the axe cushions talking to the owners and listening to amazing music 😊
. Bundhaya Restaurant - Ko Lipe. SUCH incredible food 😊

Hotels/Guest houses

. The Red house happiness room - Ko Samui
. Ivys guest house right above a pub - Siam Reap
. Melati Tanjung Beach huts - Langkawi
. Lanta Longbeach - Our flash packing stage in Ko Lanta
. Porn Resort beach huts (you could knock them down with your eyelashes) - Ko Lipe, for the experience!!

Experiences

. Kittens being born in our bag!
. Naca Orpahange kids in Cambodia dancing for us 😊
. Longtail boat rides island hopping in the Andaman Ocean
. Camping on The Beach, The Beach, listening to Bob Marley and looking at the stars all night in the super clear sky
. Snorkelling off Ko Lipe Beach
. Angkor Wat at sunrise
. Angkor wat at night, lit up, free from tourists and in the midst of an electrical storm 😊
. Phnom Penh Tuk Tuk rides - all sorts of moving things on the streets going in all directions at the same time, in both lanes, without any kind of rule. but after changing our opinions from "this is insane" to "they are experts", it was ok. You get used to it!
. Kuala Lumpur lit up at night from afar
. Rainy Tuk Tuk rides
. Talking to the psychic man at the Reggae bar in Ko Lipe
. Sunbathing in Langkawi
. CONSTANT mozzy bites
. Cream Teas overlooking mountains of tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands and far too many more to mention 😊

Tastes

. Thai Buckets
. Angkor Beer - Cambodia
. Thai Yellow Curry
. Cambodian Curry @ The Boddhi Tree
. Paneer Butter Masala and Dosa at the authentic Indian restaurants
. Chicken Satay
. The amazing Sandwiches at Bundhaya in Ko Lipe!!
. Sloe Gin Slings 😊
. Water and LOTS OF IT!

People

. Liz & Joe
. Mr Tom Fotheringham
. Debbie (the one armed wonder) and the team at Debbies place!
. The Psychic man who ran the Reggae bar in Ko Lipe
. The Naca Orphanage lady Pam and her wonderful children
. Baan from Ko Lipe
. Gif and his brother who drove us to a bar, didnt drink and would not go home untill we wanted to because we were their guests and they wanted us to be happy 😊 even though we had only just met!!! You wouldn't get that in England would you??
. And almost every single Thai and Cambodian we met 😊 such wonderful people.

So thats it!!! Back in Blighty mate 😊

What an amazing time we had. 3 months ago we wouldn't have believed you if you told us some of the stuff that has happened to us before we went haha. I also dont know how possibly the 2 most disorganised people to walk this earth managed to trawl accross 3 countries successfully!! We have had some shitty times and its been really hard occasionally but the amazing times and the beautiful moments that we can't even describe in words or pictures totally outweigh any bad. This trip has been the best experience of both of our lives so far and i'm sure we will be planning a trip again in the next few years!! So dont delete yourselves from this blog just yet! Hehe. It is crucial to life to see the world and we have learnt more about life and different cultures in this 3 months than we ever learnt in education.

Looking back at the trip now from the comforts of my 3 bedroomed house in Oxfordshire, we have more appreciation for everything we have. Not just material possessions, but opportunities and support. The people we met were so kind and welcoming. They asked questions and told us about their lives of being a tuk tuk driver, a bar worker, student, cook, or a cleaner. Most people we talked to would love to come visit England, but don't have the means to. What money they make goes directly to the family or back into the business to try and scrape together more daily comforts that we take for granted everyday. But they carry on regardless with dignity and a huge smile. Because to them, their glass is definately half full!

We are very lucky 😊


Thank you to everyone who has commented us and supported us throughout this trip. It really means alot to us and when you do something like this you really come back knowing who your true friends are!! Bloody diamonds you lot.

Love you all

Holly and Nick xxxx


We're going to leave you with some quotes and we really hope we have inspired atleast one of you to live out your travelling dreams. Memorable travel quotes are like messages found on the beach; beautiful, timeless, and read at just the right moment...

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.”

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.”

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.”

"life is more fun if you get a bit dirty"

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure - self-determined, self-motivated, often risky - forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind - and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever be black-and-white again.”

"Since all things are new, you see only the beauty in them, and you feel happy to be alive."

"Don't tell me how educated you are or how much you own, tell me how much you have travelled."

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

"May all your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you."

"Take half the clothes and twice the money"

X

Proper Travel photography now up on; www.myspace.com/hollyskyesnap and www.myspace.com/nickthompsonphotography Check them out!

And check out our gift card and joint photography site at www.myspace.com/shangrilaphotography (click on pics in top left hand corner of these sites to see more folders of pics)

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Photos

Mr Thailand
Loves it!

Comments

[HollyNick]

No problem :) thanks so much for reading it. And if you need any advice about any of the places we went then dont hesitate to contact us! Definately do travelling. It will be the best thing you ever do guarenteed :) xx

[Emma Watts]

Absolutely beautiful x

[Debbie and Steve]

Cheers from Langkawi
Hey guys, Great to see you and your blog. Best wishes from Debbie and the team in the Irish Pub.