It's amazing to think our three months in asia are almost up. We've done so much but it has gone way too fast! and we are about to leave the world of tuk tuks and elephants for black taxis and double decker buses.
We arrived in Thailand over a month ago and headed straight for Khao San Rd in Bangkok. Talk about a culture shock. We'd come from the quiet streets of Phnom Penh and walked into the street of neon lights, our first mcdonalds, drunk westerners and pad thai stalls. It had this crazy festival feel as every one was just there for a party.
We spent 2 days in Bangkok, which was long enough to learn not to trust tuk tuk drivers, sample some longer food and attend a buddist festival, enttirely by accident. One of the temples we visited had a huge festival for the junior monks who were about to go to Chiang Mai to finish their trainign. One woman got us dancing in a parade with all the locals and fed us free soup and soft drink. It was amazing.
Junior Monks march in the Buddist parade
After finding our way back to town, we hopped on a bus to the South and a town called Krabi. Spent a few days there going to the beach and kayaking - it was so beautiful.
The next three weeks was a series of island hopping and lying on the beach. Phi Phi Island was the first. We spent a lot of time at the beach, which looks amazing but is not practical for swimming. You walked out for 100 metres and were only uup to your waist and the water was so hot, it was hardly refershing! The snorkle trip was amazing htough. We went around the islands near by and saw the beach where the movie "The BEach" was filmed. The beach parties at night were also amazing!
Maya Bay where teh Beach was filmed
We stopped in Phuket for a night on the way to Koh Samui, where we chilled on the beach for 3 straight days.
The full moon party was fast approachingso we set off for Koh Phangan. The party was fun, but not all it was made out to be. Just 6000 drunk people on a beach, not doing much.
Koh Tao was a completely different experience, we stayed at a resort on the sheltered side of the island where we could climb into the water from a ladder under the deck and snorkle. Very few people around. Beautiful.
The view from our buungalow
But time was running out, we had to get to Bangkok to meet mum and dad so only had about 3 days there.
The islands were amazing but all the beaches were a touch too hot, or shallow, or deep or polluted and it made me realise just how amazing the tassie beaches really are - even if it is too cold to swim.
We met up with my parents for a weekend, which was great fun- we subjected mum to a tuk tuk ride and took dad to the biggest shopping mall in south east asia.
But after a shot while they headed off to different parts of Australia and we were on our own again and heading North to a volunteer program in Chiang Rai.
We've spent the past week working with the Akha hill tribe people. We've hoed fields and planted herbs, made bamboo cups, had traditional saunas, anelephant ride and drank far too much akha water (whisky)! I now have so much respect for farmers in this part of the world. we had to walk up hill for an hour to even get to the field, then the work itself was so physically demanding and it is well over 30 degrees. WE were so hot, we had sweat puddles form in the bottom of or lovely purple lace up gum boots.
OUr last few days in Thailand will be spent doing all the things we have savoured until the end - like massages and cooking courses - in Chiang mai. The day before we leave we are stopping at a tiger temple to pat tigers as our big finale!
Asia has been amazing and I"m sad to leave but I'm looking forward to some of the comforts of England such as flushing toilets, hot showers, newspapers adn Nanna's Sunday roast!
The final fruit shake, just after the final pad thai
