I wasn't sad to leave Hanoi on the 30th of March and was dying to get to Bangkok to catch up with Katie. I had now spent two months travelling through the sexually unpromiscuous Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia and had completely forgotten how comfortable Thailand is with it's 'sexual personality'. That is until I boarded my NokAir flight (a Thai-owned airway) and the in-flight magazine was RPM - a magazine for men... WHAT THE?
I spent a few hours wandering around the architecturally promising but uninteresting Bangkok airport and was excited to see Katie come bursting through the airport doors ready for her initiation into Thailand. We caught a taxi back to Khao San road where we had booked a hotel down a quiet street and after a quick walk down the main thoroughfare headed to bed so Katie could recover from her Aussie jetlag.
The next day Katie embarked on a tour to see the Tiger Temple and Bridge over the River Kwai and I amused myself doing maintenance jobs in Bangkok like getting my hair cut and purchasing myself a brand new camera downtown. That night we hit the buckets as a celebratory 'welcome to Thailand' drink. One Mojito bucket, one unnamed vodka redbull bucket and one last bucket ordered from our perch sitting in a bar, which operated as a service station during the day, and we staggered back to our hotel via BOTH the banana pancake and sticky rice with mango stalls (bit different to the usual kebab routine!) The next morning I CURSED home made alcohol as my stomach rejected Thailand and all its connotations. We had a day to fill before our night bus to Bangkok so we headed downtown to catch a movie in one of the shopping centres and whiled away a few hours in an Israeli cafe which served fabulous hummous.
Night buses... NEVER AGAIN... Katie swore. As usual our nightbus was the utmost in luxury and comfort and even though we scored the backseat the frigid airconditioning and cramped quarters ensured we arrived in Chiang Mai freshly frozen and feeling muscle cramps in parts of our body we didnt even know existed.
Fortunately we got dropped off at the guesthouse and travel agency which hosted our trek and there was a POOL. A rarity in the world of dingy guesthouses and crowded hostels which I was used to. We spent our first day in Chiang Mai relaxing around the pool, catching up on sleep and enjoying shopping in the gorgeous jewellery stores dotted around the old quarter. Well Katie shopped while I looked on and encouraged!
The next morning we were up early joining a group of fourteen others for our 3 day/2 night trek in the highlands around Pai in northern Thailand. My concerns began when our guide introduced himself to us as 'crazy man' and asked one of the boys for a sip of his Fanta... which he promptly used to dilute half a water bottle full of Thai whisky - at 9am in the morning! All fourteen of us crammed into our 'private truck' - yes I mean a tuk tuk - and were driven for two hours while vegetable juice dripped appetisingly over us from the sweating cucumbers and cabbages stored on top of the cab. God it was a relief to arrive at the elephant village. The sun was hot and the toilets were atrocious but elephants really are as cute in person as they are in the pictures! Katie and I shared our seat on top of the elephant with Lauren an Aussie girl from Brisbane and were the first to set off in our group of four elephants. About five minutes in our guide who was sitting on the elephants head turned around and asked if anyone wanted to sit on the elephant to which he recieved two definite NO's and one resounding YES!! Guess who said yes? I spent the next hour feeling an elephant's shoulder blades massage my bottom while his prickly hairs tickled my legs and his ears flapped away at my calves. I had a ball though and Noi our elephant was very well behaved other than the occasional snort of snot he sent blowing our way!
After our elephant ride we boarded the dreaded truck again for another hour's journey to the starting point of our trek. After lunch we started off admiring the views and enjoying the sunshine as we ambled down the hill. This optomistic perspective soon turned to "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL AM I DOING TREKKING UP A MOUNTAIN IN 39 DEGREE HEAT?"
We nearly died...
Fortunately we didnt... and we arrived at the Lahu village for a shower in a bucket, some yummy curry and the lumpiest bed made of scratchy blankets in a village hut. You can't say we didnt have the authentic experience - particularly when one of the boys emerged from the room before dark to state that he had just seen a rat running across our pillows... before realising that it is not the smartest thing to say to a bunch of girls who are dirty, hot and tired! Eating dinner by candlelight and being entertained by gorgeous Lahu children dancing made it all worthwhile however and the night ended with a giggle as Crazy Man finally felt the effects of all that whisky and opium smoking by passing out with a loud crash in the adjoining room.
The next morning we woke up energised and a group of us girls decided to get a head start on the boys setting off half an hour early. This worked to our advantage and we minimised heat exhaustion by setting frequent water, rest and gossip breaks. After a few hours we arrived at a small waterfall for a refreshing dip, followed by lunch and then another few hours trekking to our base camp at the Karen village that night. Similar accommodation to the night before but again a beautiful feast and some logic games to exhaust our brains as well as our legs!
After indulging in some locally grown herbs one of the boys woke up in the middle of the night to use the facilities which were down the hill near the village. At first he only woke up Katie and I as he stumbled down the gap in between where we slept before turning right at the wall (away from the door) and heading to the corner. One of the girls shone a torch on him just in time to stop him disgracing himself as he muttered away and we all broke into fits of giggles as he found the right door and headed down the hill. We were still giggling when he came back from the loo at which point he declared “if I was playing Mr Squeaky right now – I’d be the winner…” What the?!
The next morning we were excited with anticipation of the bamboo rafting planned for later in the day. After a supposedly short walk (1.5hr) in the sweltering sun I have never been so glad to see a river in my life! Although as it is the dry season in Thailand in April the dirty brown sludge was a poor excuse for a river. Floating under the bridge were four bamboo rafts and we eagerly boarded our new mode of transport. They were surprisingly stable and it was incredibly relaxing (although not exactly adrenalin packed) floating down the river and pushing ourselves along with big bamboo poles. We had a lot of fun… for the first ten minutes… at which point the combination of the raft continuously hitting rocks and hurling us forward onto the hard bamboo, the loss of two of our propulsion poles, and the seemingly never ending monotonous stream decreased the fun factor considerably. We were glad to get out after an hour and a half but it was a unique Asian experience unlike the overcrowded tuk tuk back to Chiang Mai which was now simply a matter of routine!!
The next day Katie and I explored Chiang Mai and rested around the pool before readying our shopping budgets for the amazing Chiang Mai Sunday market. We spent over 3 hours walking around and still did not see all of it. We took the chance to indulge in loads of local delicacies and, being the rebels that we are, get henna tattoos! So I had a little turtle on my shoulder for all of about a week before the henna wore off and I just had a little patch of henna dyed dark hair – mmm attractive. The next day we relaxed again in readiness for our night bus back to Bangkok that night.
It was the WORST night bus I had experienced so far in Asia and we slept only a little during the twelve hour journey. Katie’s seat was broken and refused to remain reclined instead violently bouncing up every time the bus went over a bump. In the middle of the night we stopped for the usual toilet break and when I returned from the loo Katie said “I thought I saw Kim, but it cant have been him – I think I’m just sleepy.” I peeked around the corner just to be sure as I knew they wanted to catch the train up to Chiang Mai and BINGO there was Kim poking around in the drinks fridge!! I ran up and discovered that Lize was on a bus that had stopped on the way TO Chiang Mai and was feeling grumpy and tired after her first night bus experience. I ran onto the bus and there she was! My very best buddy looking dopey, grumpy and not so pleased about her Asian form of transport. So good to see her – but a very random coincidence and we waved goodbye excited about catching up at our preplanned rendezvous on Koh Phangan in a week.
We arrived into Bangkok with a whole day to fill and no energy to do anything. We spent the day in various cafes, moving on when the restaurateurs woke us up displeased that we were falling asleep and taking up valuable space without ordering another fruitshake. The nightbus to Krabi although 2 hours late into Bangkok was like heaven with seats that reclined almost fully and we fell asleep instantly - utter exhaustion being a key factor to comfort on a night bus. We arrived in Ao Nang, just outside Krabi, on the west coast of Thailand at midday ready to meet my friend Andy who had offered to take us sailing on his yacht for a few days. Poor Andy came in to pick us up in the tender and met two very dirty, smelly and tired young girls.
It was heaven to be onboard Shah again and catch up with Andy and Indah (his little pussy cat.) It was a while since he had been ashore so we charged back into the beach to organize laundry, water and food. After Katie and I did the shopping at a local minimart we met Andy at the beach to load the tender and return to the boat. Not really thinking about the combined huge weight of 10 25L water containers, several cartons of beer, coke and food and of course US we headed back to Shah very overloaded. We only realized how overloaded when the dinghy immediately began to sink and as water flowed in and the dinghy became heavier it was soon obvious that we had virtually sunk and all that was keeping us afloat was the two inflatable tubes. We must have looked hilarious as we sat on the tubes like three drowned rats, one holding toilet paper high to keep it dry, motoring slowly but surely back to the boat. Thankfully nearly everything was salvageable – except for my brand new camera – which after three days drying out in the engine room was still unable to be saved! Not another one!
We stayed anchored off Ao Nang that night and the next morning we relaxed, swimming, sunbaking and gorging ourselves on fresh fruit. After lunch we sailed to Koh Dan otherwise known as chicken island for its memorable silhouette. Phang Nga Bay where we were now sailing was stunning with gorgeous limestone islands surrounded by warm, clear aqua water. Andy had caught a huge Spanish mackerel the day before and we lit the BBQ and toasted our arrival as we watched the sun set in the west. After a good nights sleep we sailed to Tham Phra Nang (which means princess beach) and it was fit for a princess. Named one of the most beautiful beaches in Thailand we were surrounded by soaring cliffs which made the area a rock climbers heaven. That night we went ashore for a few drinks at the nearby Railay beach and asorbed the local atmosphere in a little bar hidden under a huge overhanging climber’s rock aptly called the ‘Stone Bar.’
Unfortunately the next day it was time to leave Andy and head back ashore for the festivities of Songkram. We decided to stay at Ao Nang for the Thai New Year festival and awoke early for a walk along the beach. Nothing seemed to be happening and we were a little disappointed as we headed back for breakfast and a shower. “This is a bit more like it” we thought as we copped a few errant buckets of water over us on the way back to the beach. NOTHING, however, prepared us for what we encountered after an hour’s chill out on the beach. Ao Nang, normally a sleepy resort town, was packed with smiling Thai’s who soaked all who walked, drove or ran past with water, water and more water! For good luck they then powdered our faces with flour, baby powder or whatever was to hand which more than once was Prickly Heat Powder! The main street was a riot and traffic was one way, three lanes and backed up as far as the eye could see with utes carrying at least five Thai’s and one HUGE bucket of water in the back. It is impossible to explain but an amazing experience and I only wish that celebrating New Year with an all in water fight was custom at home.
Due to Songkram our previously booked bus had neglected to arrive so our helpful travel agent rescheduled us for the next day and we set off for Koh Phangan late afternoon. After a few hours on a bus we boarded the night ferry for the ‘party’ island which apart from being sandwiched in like sardines was surprisingly pleasant. We arrived very early in the morning and found accommodation for the night at a bungalow in the centre of Haad Rin – the venue for the monthly world famous Full Moon Party. As per usual we dumped our bags and went out to explore and find some breakfast. Unlike every other place in Asia which is teeming with locals and over eager tourists alike at 8am in the morning Haad Rin was completely dead… Restaurants did not even open for breakfast until 10am and we later realized that due to the massive parties that went on each and every night of the week on the beach nobody could drag themselves out of bed much before midday. We decided to experience the action ourselves and headed out for dinner where we met three nice guys who were keen to have a few drinks. Unfortunately Katie came down with what we thought was food poisoning so I was left on my own with the boys… poor me. I soon saw what everyone raved about as the beach was alive with pumping music from loads of different beachfront bars and people were gathered on cushions on the beach sipping buckets of cocktails and watching fire twirlers. The boys nearly convinced me that initiation involved jumping the fire skipping rope until I saw one guy get tangled up in the rope and catch on fire which his friends promptly doused out by tackling him in the sand. That was it – no fire for me!
The next morning nursing a hangover I dragged myself to our previously booked accommodation, Silvery Moon Bungalows, at a little beach outside the city where we were to catch up with Lize and Kim for a week long stay. Set at the bottom of a massive hill the bungalows were gorgeous with a maximum of about 15 people and our own private stretch of beach. My friend Matt who I had met in Chiang Mai in February was also staying there as I had recommended it to him at the time and we spent our first afternoon catching up and laying on the beach. Katie was still feeling unwell but we were both stoked to finally see Lize and Kim arrive exhausted after two night trains but well enough to enjoy a yummy welcoming dinner cooked by the guest house owner who over the next week cooked the best food and curries I have ever had in Thailand. The next day set a pattern for the week as we slept in, read books, sunbaked on the beach, swam in the water and ate yummy food. Several times we went snorkeling straight off the bungalows where the coral was decent once you swam over the inshore reef to the drop off. Every day we walked into Haad Rin which was a thirty minute walk along the beach to check internet, do some shopping or have a meal.
Our second night in Silvery Moon we played drinking games after dinner and then painted each other with glow in the dark fluoro paint. At around midnight we caught a taxi to the ‘Jungle Experience’ which was a big rave like party in the centre of the island in the, you guessed it, jungle. We bopped around with our glow in the dark paint and enjoyed the atmosphere before heading back to the bungalows early the next morning. The next night we had planned to go to the pre Full Moon pool party but Lize had come down with a cold and Katie was still feeling unwell so we had a quiet night instead.
In the morning Katie felt rubbish and after four days of being sick we decided she should go see a doctor. The doctor ran some tests and admitted Katie overnight into the hospital for observation. I stayed with her for the day in the hospital bringing magazines and enjoying the rare airconditioning. That night Kim came back into town to let us know that the full moon party which we had so eagerly planned the holiday around was actually that night so I had to leave a disappointed Katie in the hospital where she assured me she was just going to sleep – I think the poor girl realized how guilty I felt leaving her. Kim had hired a moped and after my initial reservations I jumped on the back and we headed for home. Koh Phangan is very hilly and I was in fits of giggles as our little moped strained up the hills at around 5km an hour with us two heavies on the back! As aways our little Silvery Moon crew was raring for action and we downed a few buckets before painting each other up and hitting the beach. The atmosphere was electric with around 15,000 people crammed onto one small beach and heaving to the sounds of different music. Armed with buckets and boogying on the sand we didn’t make the famous sunrise but it was an awesome night just the same and to share it with Lize (and unfortunately sans Katie) was amazing.
A big greasy breakfast was the cure for us the next day and then we went to see Katie to see how her cure was going. The doctor had determined from the blood tests that she had picked up a bacteria infection from an insect bite so loaded up with a dozen different antibiotics we were able to take her home. Lize and Kim had to leave the next day and it was sad to say goodbye although cool knowing she was now embarking on her own adventure. Katey and I stayed another night while she got better and then caught a ferry to Koh Tao a neighbouring island.
Koh Tao looked gorgeous even as we arrived under cloudy skies and we found a fairly dismal room that was really cheap and right on the main beach area. We settled in and explored the main town finding a nice bakery and enjoying a walk along the beach. Had we known that the next morning we would wake up to pouring rain we may have made the most of the rain free time we had but foresight is a blessing not a given! It rained and rained and rained and rained for the next two days until we had to leave Koh Tao. We spent our time catching up on our diaries, reading books and finding excuses to eat and shelter in cafes.
From Koh Tao it was more glamorous Asian transport back to Bangkok but we managed to travel during the day for once. We arrived back at our haunt of Khao San Road at 8pm at night and determined to find a nice room we asked around at a few places at a slightly quieter street parallel to the main drag. Villa Cha Cha fit the bill and we were thrilled to have airconditioning, separate twin beds, fluffy pillows, clean sheets and OH MY GOD – the shower is separate to the toilet!!! Our last day in Bangkok we filled with a woman’s favourite pastime! Shopping, shopping and more shopping! I purchased yet another camera and Katie filled her suitcase and a day with pretty things to take home.
I waved her goodbye through the departure gates at Bangkok airport that night as she headed home and I headed off on my next big experience. It had been a month of ups, downs and awesome experiences and it had been lovely to experience Thailand again through the eyes of someone new. Overall we had a ball and we each take with us memories to treasure.
