Bangkok, Thailand 05/04/2008

I'm a bit behind in my posts because I've been out of range for a few days so will try and catch up.

Last day in Thailand was spent site-seeing in Bangkok. Lots of temples! Head off about midday and first stop was the Grand Palace. The grounds were much larger than I thought they would be so it was great walking around looking at all the beautiful buildings. Wat Phra Kaew was also there which is also known as the 'Temple of the Emerald Buddha'. You couldn't take photos in the temple but it was beautiful. It was still an active place of worship too and there were a few monks in praying while I was in there.

After that I headed up the road to Wat Pho also known as the 'Temple of the Reclining Buddha'. The buddha in this temple was huge! It's feet had engravings made out of Mother of Pearl which were so pretty. The grounds were also surprisingly large so was really nice to walk around them.

From there I still had some time so I headed across the river on a little ferry to Wat Arun. This Wat is really tall with five spires. This was when I learnt the real names of these temples are incredibly complex! Wat Arun is actually - Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahavihara
I took a photo as proof :) The middle building has stairs up the side so you can walk about 2/3rds the way up. It was an incredible view from up the top but the stairs were very steep and it was pretty terrifying trying to get back down again. Most had to go down backwards as it was too much.

I decided to take the river ferry back up towards my hotel so I didn't get hounded by any more people (it was really starting to get a bit much) but wasn't 100% sure about where to get off so asked a girl next to me. Got talking and her name was Debbie and she was also traveling on her own. She'd been traveling around for about 6 months so was definitely the right person to ask questions. We ended up having a drink & dinner together. Was really nice to finally have someone to chat to.

I also checked out Kho San Road which is the backpacker strip and it was interesting. The road was closed at night and it was filled with people selling goods and bars. All up I was out and about walking for about 8 hours so I was exhausted by the time I headed back to the hotel. Unfortunately couldn't have a late one as had to leave for the airport at 6am the next morning. These early mornings are taking their toll!

Thailand was incredibly hot. Averaged about 38/39 deg while I was there. Thankfully when I reached Vietnam is dropped to about 32 deg which was a little more manageable.

I was quite happy to leave Thailand behind. I had quite a few people try and rip me off and many issues with taxi drivers including a few verbal fights with drivers who wouldn't use the meters so I was getting over it by the end of the week. In bangkok I had 2 different guys approach me telling me Grand Palace was closed and I should try such and such instead. Thankfully I'd read lonely planet before hand and knew it was a scam, they'd take you to some commissioned shop instead. I was glad to find Vietnam quite different.

Phuket - James Bond Island

Decided to do the James Bond Island tour on my last day in Phuket, I enjoyed being out on the water so much with the Phi Phi island tour I wanted to be out there again. Unfortunately the tour was more of a river cruise and there was no where to swim.

The tour was only a half day so spent the morning by the pool again. Went for an early morning stroll into town to try and find the post office but it doesn't open till 11 every day so no luck there. I've found I still haven't quite adjusted to the time difference over here so I wake up at about 5:30-6am every morning. Not so bad when have to catch an early flight but it means I get really tired at night.

So the first stop on tour was to a place called Monkey Cave. It was a buddha temple set inside a natural rock cave but there were heaps of monkeys hanging out there, hence its name. There were actually a lot of dogs there too and neither the monkeys or the dogs were particularly friendly so I kept my distance.

After that we headed to the pier and jumped in a long tail boat. These are the fisherman boats that they use up and down the river. We headed along the river for awhile, brown water but scenery was beautiful, and eventually stopped at a fishing village on stilts. Not much here to be honest except a couple food places, lots of people selling stuff and the constant smell of fish. The village itself was quite intriguing but it had obviously turned into a regular tourist destination as the only locals you saw were those trying to sell you something.

From the village we headed to James Bond Island. So named because it was the island where the filmed James Bond and The Man With The Golden Gun. One of the Roger Moore bond films. They played the movie on the bus on the way over so those of us who hadn't seen it could understand what it was all about.

James Bond Island was beautiful I have to admit. There were two sides, one side had the big limestone rock which is the most famous landmark, and the other side at the pier at a little beach. I preferred the pier side, it was really nice at the time of day we were there (dusk).

Final stop on the way back was a cave we got to drive through. Not a very big one but kinda cool. And then we headed back to Patong Beach. Got back in about 7:30pm so headed straight to my hotel to pack & get some sleep as I had to be at the airport at 6 the next morning!

Phuket - Elephant Trek

I had a sleep in this morning - well as much of a sleep in that could be had with the construction going on next door. Once up I got to sample my hotel's breakfast for the first time (nothing to rave about at all unfortunately). Checked out some more of the activities and decided to go elephant trekking in the afternoon, so while I was waiting for pick up enjoyed a morning reading by the pool and swimming :) First chance of my holiday to relax. Very happy about that!

The elephant trek was at this place just north of Patong. As I was only doing the trek (not as part of a tour) I was the only one there. The elephants were pretty cool but got lots of funny looks again because on my own. It seems a girl travelling on her own is a very strange thing in Thailand. Every tour guide, taxi etc I've had so far has looked at me twice when they ask 'just one?' and I say 'yes just one'. Some of them even double check! hehe. On the plus side they're all extra nice to me because of it :)

So anyway we start the ride and its pretty cool although not the nicest of settings but still fun and you get to see where some of the locals live (it's not such a pretty site but very interesting). Nice views at the top, so I got lots of photos.

On the way back the guy indicated whether I wanted to sit on the elephant's neck (where he sits) - I think he took pity on me because I was on my own.. uhoh time going to run out back in a sec! need to reset my internet account!

Ok back... So yes the elephant guy asks me if I want to sit where he sits, on the neck. I thought it was just to take a photo but of course I jumped at the chance. Amazing feeling sitting there with an elephants ears beating against your leg. The guide takes a photo and then proceeds to tell the elephant to walk. We start walking back, the guide checks how I'm doing from the ground and i must have had a huge grin on my face because I got to stay there for the rest of the trek. I was so happy! It was amazing. Back at camp I got to feed my elephant and give it a hug for a final photo. Such an awesome day!


My back has been pretty sore thanks to the bumpy boat ride, the hard thai beds & pillows, and then the elephant trek so I decided to treat myself to a thai massage. I have to say it was the strangest massage I have ever had. It hurts, a lot! The not only use their hands but their elbows, knees and feet. So they dig in pretty deep. They also move all your limbs and body into weird positions to try and click you, my body obliged with quite a few hearty clicks which made the thai women laugh every time. The woman spoke barely any english but was pretty lovely and again guessed I was on my own and gave me a big smile and a pat on the arm, hehe. 11/2 hours later it was all over and despite the pain I was incredibly relaxed and my body was feeling a lot looser. All for about $20.

So now I'm back at the internet cafe having a pastry and juice and waiting for the pouring rain to stop! One of the receptionist girls has recommended a thai restaurant to me (because surprisingly I haven't yet had any thai food!) so I'm waiting to see if the cloud clears a bit first before I go and find a tuk-tuk or taxi (got to ride my first tuk-tuk yesterday which was fun). May go back and have another margarita first, it's only a block away from the internet cafe. :)

So yes the food has surprised me. I have a few people ask me about the food and what I'm eating. Well the problem in Phuket is it's so touristy there is every type of food you can imagine (and therefore not many authentic Thai places!). All the hotels serve american breakfasts and the buffet lunch/dinners are very westernised to. They have stir frys but they also have spag bol and chips! Then I had mexican for dinner because I couldn't resist but not very thai. Although the thai know how to put a kick in their food and it was the hottest mexican I'd ever eaten which made it yum! So if I make it to this restaurant tonight I have hope for a little more traditional cuisine :)

I'm going through the money pretty quick here too but I may only get here once so gotta make the most of it! :)

Phuket - Phi Phi Island again

I bought in the travel brochure this time so I could actually right down the names of the beaches I went to!

So there was Monkey Beach or Yong Kasem on Phi Phi Don (Phi Phi actually has two islands), Maya Bay which is on Phi Phi Lay which is where they filmed the "the Beach" and we got to go for a swim. We saw Loh Samah Bay & Pileh Cove & Viking Cave.

And then the afternoon with the shark snorkelling was at Khai Nok island.

I am pretty pleased to report I haven't been sunburnt yet. A little tender and brown on my back but it seems there is one big downside to travelling on your own - very tricky to sunscreen your back! :)

Phuket - Phi Phi Island

On my second day in Phuket I had booked in for a day trip to Phi Phi island. Was a chance to see some really beautiful beaches and do some snorkelling.

Up early for a 7:45am pick-up. Unfortunately my hotel doesn't start breaky till 8 so I was pretty hungry by the time lunch rolled around :) Headed to the marina and jumped into a speed boat bound for Phi Phi island. Met a couple Aussies from Belarat - Cindy & Paula, they were really nice and spent most of my time with them. We were lucky to get a spot up the front of the boat which meant we had fantastic views. We were up there with a couple from Finland and a young teenage girl who didn't want to sit with her parents in the back :) Thailand seems to filled with couples, honeymooners & families so its tough to find people to hang out with.

First stop was Monkey Bay. Unfortunately it didn't live up to its name as the monkeys decided not to surface that day. After that we headed around the corner to do some snorkelling. Basic fish spotting really but I think it was just a chance for us to test it out in deep water and see how we went.

After that we headed to Maya Beach which is where the film 'The Beach' is filmed. We got to have a good swim there and lax on the beach. Absolutely gorgeous. The boat took us out for a little sight-see after that and we saw some beautiful islands and cliffs.

Next stop was Phi Phi Lay for a buffet lunch on the beach. This place had been devasted by the Tsunami a few years back and many of the locals had died but looking at it today you would never know. It was beautiful.

Final stop was a different island entirely on way back to main land. Can't remember the name will come back later and write it up. Some more swimming & snorkelling here (plus some yummy pineapple & watermelon nibbles!) but the difference here was our guide (Lek - a very funny and cool guy buy the way) asked if we wanted to go snorkelling with some sharks. Quite a few of us said yes so we headed out around the other side of island - swimming of course and I'm not a strong swimmer so I was thankful for grabbing the life jacket off the boat in a last minute decision. Took us quite awhile to get to the other side but on the way saw some gorgeous coral reefs and some really pretty fish.

I found Nemo! Hehe yep spotted some clown fish and the yellow one that was in the movie also (the scarface fish). In the end I spotted 3 reef sharks. About 1-2 metres long but they don't come very close to you.

Back on the beach (very tired) we got some bananas and feed the fish around the boats. They were pretty keen for the food and ate it straight out of our hand. Was really neat! We got to stay around the last island for a good couple of hours just laxing so it finally felt like a holiday.

On the boat ride back to the marina it got really choppy and the boat was bouncing around like crazy! More than once my whole body came off the seat. My back was pretty sore by the end of it but it was so much fun!

Later on I headed into Patong Beach for dinner. Yesterday I had spotted my perfect place - a mexican restaurant & margarita bar! hehe. Invited Leigh, Cindy & Paula to come have a drink with me but all were no shows. So I enjoyed a happy hour margarita, a yummy dinner and then a second special margarita. It was so cheap - about $30 for all of it and the margaritas were so strong I was pretty gone by the end of the second one! Had to go for a walk afterwards to try and wear it off before coming to write these posts :) I have to say though the second margarita is quite possibly the best margarita I've ever tasted! It was tequila, triple sec, fresh strawberrys, blackberrys & lime juice. So tasty! I will definitely head back for another one if I get a chance another night.

Took a stroll down Bangla road but didn't head into any of the bars. Not really a place a girl on her own should be wondering around I think.

Some lightning has started up outside. My second so far. I also got one on the plane ride over, absoluetly amazing (and scary) to watch lightning out a plane window.

Better go catch a taxi back to the hotel now. Catch you again soon!

Phuket - First Day - FantaSea

Booked in for FantaSea buffet & show in the evening. Upgraded myself to gold seats for a treat and I'm glad I did.

The show is housed within a theme park style location. They have carnival style games & some markets. There is a 'jungle' walk where you walk through to see different animals - snakes, deer, lemurs, peacocks, tigers etc. And they have some very cool buildings. Will try and get photos up soon.

Buffet dinner was pretty tasty and I was seated at a table with a woman from Sweden & her 4 year old daughter, and an Aussie guy called Leigh. Was first chance of someone to chat to on my travels which was really nice. After the dinner we headed outside and they had bought the elephants from the show out for elephant rides and feeding. I didn't go for a ride as i hope to do that in a few days but I did go over and pat one. It is so strange being that close to an elephant. They feel really strange to pat too. The aussie guy was kind enough to take a photo of me with the elephant so I'm stoked I have a photo of that :)

Headed inside the elephant house for the show and on the way had the opportunity to get a photo taken with a tiger cub. So of course I took it! It wasn't really a cub though as it was pretty big! More of a teenager, but he got draped over my lap and I got to hold him while feeding him a bottle of milk. So neat! Have a photo of that will try and get up soon too.

The show was fantastic! They had magic tricks, dancing, acrobats (they were the best I reckon) and elephant tricks. Definitely well worth it. I had a great time!

Phuket - First Day

It takes a long time to drive down from the Phuket airport to Patong beach. But the drive did give me a chance to check out the Thai driving style. I have found out some very interesting things in the past 2 days.

1 - There is no limit to how many people you can fit on one ute or motorbike.
2 - You can sometimes drive on the left of the road and sometimes you can drive on the right. There is a small sign at the beginning of the road to let you know which side you should be on.
3 - Mopeds or motorbikes can have small metal caged sidecars. These can be used for anything from holding your beer crates to 2 year old children.
4 - Lights have a countdown so you can prepare yourself to hit the gas as soon as it turns green
5 - The horn is your friend!
6 - Give way to whatever is bigger than you.

On the drive down I also experienced one of Thailands downpours. It started bucketing down very suddenly & stopped just as suddenly. However the road didn't quite adjust quickly enough and there was some severe flooding. Our side of the road was sweet but saw cars on another section up to their doors in water. Was even more funny watching the mopeds trying to get through it! Wished I could have taken a photo but my bag was in the taxi boot! Oh well.

Once at the hotel I checked out some of the attractions and booked in a few. Hotel in Phuket again very simple. Have a pool this time but I'm quite far away from the beach. Not so bad during the day, makes for an interesting walk but not so good at night as I have to take a taxi to and from.

I had booked in for the FantaSea show for the night but had a couple of hours spare so wondered down to Patong beach. Had a walk along the beach and paid $4 to sit on an armchair and go for a swim. Water is almost hot! I prefer my cold beaches back home :) There is so much to see at Patong beach, the markets, the people, the chaos! The beach itself isn't very nice but there is so much going on, you're not really here for the beach.

Arrival - Bangkok

Finally found an internet cafe with decent air con so will be writing up a few days so bear with me :) I should also mention I have had 2 very large margaritas so sorry for any crazy grammar ;)

Arrived into Bangkok about 9pm (local time) by the time I reached my hotel & got settled in it was close to midnight (about 6am NZ time) so I had been awake for almost 24 hours and in need of a decent sleep. Flight went well, no major issues except a broken entertainment system for first hour or so, was thinking "this is going to be a VERY long flight" but after a system reboot everything was sweet.

First bangkok hotel near the airport was very simple but clean and not too noisy. Staff were pretty friendly & helpful in the morning and let me use the internet for 10 mins for free. Had an awesome breaky of omelette & toast. Seriously the best omelette I've ever tasted. Dunno how they did it :) Maybe I was just starving. Either way I was very happy.

Took off early to catch a flight down to Phuket. Only about an hours flight. Also found that the Bangkok airport is so easy to find your way around. Took a lot of worries off me!

Arrival

I have arrived safe and sound in Bangkok. Can't write much as have to catch taxi to airport to head to Phuket. Talk again soon!