South East Asian Invasion

Koh Lanta Days 26 - 29

aydenmunns — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 15:28:00 GMT

From the crowded, busy nature of Koh Phi Phi, next we found ourselves in Koh Lanta and the contrast couldn't have been greater. Koh Lanta is a reasonably large island with small tourist and business areas cropping up every so often. The benefit of this is that most hospitality is situated near the beach, and so this allowed us to find Lanta New Beach Resort. A chance to stay somewhere that matches Thailand's stereotypes; a hut with an ensuite room, aircon, swimming pool, restaurants, bars, good weather and of course, a beach on your doorstep. Not only this, we had an extra traveller in the group (a holidaybreak employee of course) to join us in our escapades.

Being caught up in the hype of Koh Phi Phi for the past few days you'd have thought we would take this time to relax. Instead our days consisted of making whirlpools in the swimming pool (pretty fun - worth a try), drinking mushroom shakes and hiring mopeds. Whilst out on the mopeds we got to see a lot of the island, and unlike Bangkok we had fresh air blowing in our face and the open road. Somehow Zoe and Kate manged to get a flat tyre, but Thailand being Thailand, for £4 they managed to get the tyre repaired and soon we were back on the road. It has to be mentioned at this point that Meg had developed an obsession with monkeys over the course of the trip, so when spotting a monkey school the opportunity could not be missed. The only thing missing were Zoe and Kate as they drove past the entrance. In an attempt to do a U-turn, the throttle got the better of Zoe and they drove straight into a ditch. I think everyone would agree with me, it was one of the funniest things we'd seen all trip - sorry ladies. After some laughing we went over to help them and get them to the monkey school. Unfortunately, their U-turn efforts went unrewarded because it was soon decided that we weren't going to bother going into the monkey school - sorry ladies. But fear not, we headed back to our beach resorts to get patched up and ready to try the island's local cuisine.

As you readers already know, we've had several strokes of bad luck and traumatic ordeals when its coming to eating out. But maybe, just maybe we could manage a nice meal in the form of 'Tiger Wings' restaurant. As painful as it is to be writing this, Tiger Wings was by far the worst meals we have had as a group. Meals were left half eaten leaving us all rather diappointed (except for Zoe, she ate all of hers, crazy person). With empty stomachs we'd resigned to the fact that tonight was just not our night, but the next day promised a great beach party and our spirits were somewhat lifted.

The next day Lucy was due to leave, and so off she went to make her way back to the UK and the group returned to 6. When the party finally came around, illness had already gotten better of Zoe and Kate. But this didn't stop us. With Lucy gone this gave us more reason to party! Just kidding Lucy :) anywho this party turned out to be a dull social gathering in a bar that was situated in the middle of no where. It took us a 20 minute walk on the beach to find somewhere that had at least some resemblance of a 'vibe'. But all in all we had to accept that Koh Lanta just iwasn't the fire throwing, vodka bucket frenzy that Koh Phi Phi was.

And the day after proved to be dull as well, a 10 hour round trip to get our visas renewed on the Malaysian border. Impractical but necessary. For what I saw of Malaysia I can't really claim I have been to Malaysia either. But for now Thailand would more than suffice, and next on the list we planned to hit Phuket. In the several weeks we have been here, it still feels like we haven't found the perfect place yet. Maybe Phuket would change that.

Some travel advice:

- Don't try and do a U-turn on a moped. Actually, don't let Zoe drive a moped with you on the back :P

- Never eat at Tiger Wings, no matter how good the restaurant looks.

- Don't let Tuk Tuk drivers convince you there is a 'better' party happening tonight elsewhere.

- Visa runs are boring but if you can take a day out of your travels then its worth doing of course.

Ayden

Koh Phi Phi, Days 21 - 25

aydenmunns — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 16:25:00 GMT

It was time to get off mainland and head to an island where Koh Phi Phi was the first stop. Throughout Ao Nang we'd heard mixed opinions about Phi Phi as a place to spend your time, but in Thailand (and in life, I suppose) its better to find out for yourself - you may end up surprising yourself.

On the boat over to Phi Phi, we'd heard there are no taxis there and its true! Phi Phi is Thailand's version of Venice, the streets are too narrow for cars and there is a clear tourist presence. The main problem, however, is that Phi Phi is dirty, littered, smells of sewage and doesn't have charm comparable to Venice. By the end of our stay here, I couldn't wait to get off the island. But alike all those mixed opinions we'd heard in Ao Nang, our group had mixed opinions of their own, so there must be something worth visiting Phi Phi for. I guess the fire shows at the beach bars are worth visiting for.

Despite the place itself, it is without question that we'd had our best day of the trip so far - shocking! And it all came to life when we went on an island tour one day. It consisted of a boat trip to Maya Bay (where 'The Beach' was filmed), Monkey beach (with real monkeys on it), and Bamboo island (there was bamboo... apparently). Most of Maya bay is full of tourists, and because me, Josh and Lucy are afraid of the sun, we spent our time spying on unsuspecting tourists where we saw a Japanese family wearing identical outfits - pretty strange to say the least! Next up was a bit of snorkelling which was incredible, an abundance of fish in the clearest waters. I'm convinced I saw the entire cast of finding memo down there. Josh definitely saw an eel, much to Meg's disgust.

Monkey beach had some cheekiest, fattest and most greedy monkeys you'd ever come across. Just don't take bananas because you're asking to be ambushed. But nonetheless it was great to be so close up, not an everyday occurrence in England. Afterwards we kayaked from the boat to Bamboo Island, bit more snorkelling to see some coral and some failed attempts at body boarding. On the way back, we kayaked back to the boat but due to the choppy sea and pull of the tide, myself and josh tactically battled our way through the waves and then let the tide pull us over to our boat. The girls, however, are convinced to this day that me and josh were heading to the wrong boat before realising that ours was further over. Sorry girls, it was just ingenious navigation :p once on the boat we headed back with our tour guide called Rambo, who confessed he'd learnt English by listening to Bob Marley songs.... yeah that certainly explained a lot!

Anyhow, after some sing-alongs on the boat, Rambo invited us and a few other people out for dinner that evening. Having had such a good day so far we couldn't refuse. Whilst at the restaurant, food started coming out in 15 minute internals - the true Thai way. Rambo kindly offered us some of his garlic bread starter, however, he soon took it upon himself to offer out Lucy's onion rings to everyone on the table without her consent. Soon they were snatched up by the hungry Polish dinner buddies and lucy was left to go hungry - poor Lucy. We had a good laugh at her expense though! And as the main courses were coming out, the Polish were at it again. Finishing off dinner plates thick and fast, but it was halfway through their meals that they realised they were all eating each other's food. No problem, they ordered more dishes and yep, you guessed it, they managed to eat the wrong dishes again. It was funny to say the least! Soon realising this night was turning into a circus, we made a dash for it. We'd simply had enough entertainment for one day.

After 5 nights on Koh Phi Phi it was time to escape the smog and head somewhere a little more scenic.

Some travel advice:

Go to Phi Phi if you like booze, mediocre beaches and dirt. And if you do go, do the boat trip - it is incredible!

Avoid Rambo if you can! He's sings the wrong lyrics in songs, steals your food and stalks you around the island. His name should have said it all!

Stay at Phi Phi dreams, the rooms are very nice and you can walk to the bars and mediocre beaches very easily from there.

Ayden

Ao Nang, Krabi - Days 16 to 20

aydenmunns — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 18:31:00 GMT

When we arrived in Krabi we decided we wanted to be by the sea, so we headed over to Ao Nang where we would eventually stay for 5 nights. Upon arrival we ended up staying at J. Mansion which had the best shower yet! (A really good shower can be hard to come by in Thailand, its the little things that count I suppose). Unfortunately we could only stay the one night as they were booked up the following day meaning we'd spent most of our stay in P.K. Mansion, and they ended up stealing my towel! Which I'm still bitter about, grrrrrrrr.

The first day in Ao Nang we spent on a day trip going around on a speedboat to 4 nearby islands. We got the chance to see some picturesque islands, go snorkelling and have a generally relaxing day. However, the beaches were very touristy and for some bizarre reason, there were so many people posing in front of the camera like they were models for a photoshoot. To not pass up such a good opportunity, me and Josh spent the rest of the day photo bombing these posers - definitely time well spent! After a boat trip home with a guy who looked like a fatter version of Arsenal's Santi Carzola, all in all it was a day well spent.

Before I'd come to Thailand I'd read that Ao Nang has some of the best climbing in Thailand, so I didn't pass up the opportunity to do a three day rock climbing course. Therefore, the majority of my time in Ao Nang was spent learning the ins and outs of rock climbing and abseiling. Based over at Railay beach, I was climbing grade 5 cliffs and by the end I was lead climbing grade 7s. However, on the last day I came very close to having an accident whilst abseiling, and I was a second away from falling 50ft from the cliff face. So even as I'm writing this, I feel lucky to be alive. It was my common sense that kept me from falling, and as I'd talked about health and safety previously, its not Thailand's number 1 priority so if you do want to do extreme sports in Thailand - be very careful! Ao Nang was certainly an experience I'll never forget, but accidents aside, it was a really nice place to visit. However, after 5 days there, it was time to move on to Koh Phi Phi.

Some travel advice:

- Health and safety, it doesn't really exist in Thailand so always be careful!

- Boat trips are quite a good way to spend a day, but a lot the trips are advertised similarly so make sure you read what's included in your trip.

- Try and pick one that offers something unique to the local area. Rock climbing is very fun and worth a go, even if just for a day. Would recommend Ao Nang as the cliffs are very good there.

Ayden

Bish, bang, bosh, back to Bangkok for Meg and Josh. Days 14 & 15

aydenmunns — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 17:36:00 GMT

The crazy ride back to Bangkok was finally over and after our driver got arrested, we headed over to Rambuttri Road to find some accommodation. We had about 12 hours to kill before Meg and Josh arrived in Bangkok. A sleep deprived ride on the bus overnight meant that I'd basically spent all day napping. When I did finally awake, Taken 2 was being played downstairs in our hostel. It was rubbish but laughable, for those who have seen it, you'll know what I'm on about.

By 10pm Meg and Josh were finally here, hooray! Although they were tired, we managed to get them out for a few drinks down Koh San Road but couldn't tempt them with a grilled scorpion unfortunately. Instead we had a Chang tower before hitting the sack.

The next day we decided to get down south to Krabi as soon as possible, so we booked another overnight bus for that evening. But hopefully this one wouldn't be so much of a rollercoaster as the last one! With some more time to kill, we did the usual - walk around, go to the markets, have lunch, get tattoos. Pretty standard stuff. Just in case you're reading this mum, don't worry! I didn't get one!

Ready to leave Bangkok at 6pm that evening we got to our bus stop, but as usual, its never simple. The bus was late due to all the traffic as it was the King's birthday, so instead we had to walk across busy main roads for about 30 mins to get our bus at another location. With a heavy ruck sack and crazy drivers on mopeds, this was no easy feat. But when we got on the bus at last, it was a relief that the windscreen wasn't cracked and that our driver wouldnt eventually be arrested. Next stop Ao Nang, Krabi!

Some travel advice:

The King's birthday is a big celebration in Thailand so streets and places become very busy and congested. Makes it hard for travelling and could make it hard to find places to stay for the night.

Not exactly travel advice, but don't watch Taken 2, its not as good as the first.

Make sure you understand what type of bus you are booking and who you are booking it with, especially for an overnight journey as it can be the difference between arriving at your destination or being delayed/potentially stranded somewhere.

Ayden

Chiang Mai Part 2 - Days 10, 11, 12 &13

aydenmunns — Thu, 5 Dec 2013 12:50:00 GMT

Sup,

My oh my what an eventful few days! Many highs but not without quite a few lows, it has to be said. So where do I begin? Day 10 at Doi Inthanon National Park. This was supposed to be a good day out, a chance to look over Thailand from its highest peak. And at 1000 baht for the trip we were excited for it. But 10 minutes into the bus journey, the tour guide started to blare out useless information over the speakers, leaving the entire bus a bit deaf, and overall, pretty confused. Something about a king and queen, but I could be wrong, meh, who knows? This was to be the general itenarary of the day - get on the bus, listen to his mumbo jumbo, get off to see something pretty anticlimactic, get back on the bus again. So anyway, we reach the highest peak, couldn't see anything. Back on the bus. Went to a couple of temples, they were OK, nothing special. Back on the bus. Went and had lunch, again nothing special. Back on the bus. Off to yet another waterfall. Again, its good, but having seen about 20 in the past week, nothing special. Back on the bus and off home. Pretty disappointing on the whole, but not to fear, we had a multi activity day to look forward to tomorrow. It only went from bad to worse.

The multi activity day it was a similar affair, get off the bus, do something, get on the bus again. We started at the butterfly sanctuary, which was pretty cool, but it was to be the highlight of the day unfortunately. We were soon back on the bus and off to an elephant trek. But unlike Koh Chang elephant trek, this was outright awful. We had to cross a dodgy bridge to get to the elephants, then the trek lasted about 10 minutes, and most importantly, the elephants were treated very poorly. It was a sad sight to see :( Next up was a bamboo raft down the river, pretty uneventful and somewhat boring, just like the lunch that followed. And just when it couldn't get worse, we went on a zip wire some 30ft above the river, where safety was nonexistent. No helmet offered, a rusty zip wire, death looked quite possible at this point. We ended up having to demand for a helmet, even this didn't make me feel better about the rusting zip line. Its becoming more and more evident that health and safety rarely exists in Thailand (more on this later). We then went on a trek, I didn't have high hopes at this point but it wasn't too bad in the end. The only annoyance was the Chinese family who kept holding the group up. They just couldn't stop taking photos of just about anything and everything. Literally, one minute they were taking photos of industrial piping brefore deciding to have a family portrait on the most unstable bamboo bridge known to man. They were completely mental! Just when I thought we were all set to go home (not before another trip to another waterfall of course) we then stopped at a tribe and a factory where they make paper out of elephant poo. Being annoyed by the whole day I remained on the bus for the last two excursions, but some say the poo poo factory was really good, who would have thought it?

The next day we went on a Thai cooking course, and kudos to the company, it was brilliant. At last, a day out that seemed worthwhile. I learnt how to cook red curry, coconut soup, chicken in cashew nuts, pad Thai, and sticky rice with mango. The whole day was great from start to finish, even the cooking instructor definitely had her eye on me, asking me to take my clothes off on numerous occasions. It definitely got a bit hot in the kitchen. Later on we went to the bar with a South African couple we met on the course, not without a pre-drinking party at our hostel first of course. All in all a good day all round.

Overall I think we had a great time in Chiang Mai, certainly an experience. So we were back to Bangkok the next day to meet Meg and Josh. But three hours into the journey, we realised the front windscreen of the bus was completely smashed, the police pulled us over and it turned out our driver didn't have a license. After a two hour delay we were back on the road to Bangkok with a policeman on board, where our driver was eventually arrested once we had arrived. Just another day in Thailand. I'm excited but dreading what may be around the corner!

Some travel advice:

- If you are booking day trips, make sure you fully understand what you are booking. A day of bus hopping isn't exactly what I'd call fun.

- Thai cooking courses are a must-do.

- Make sure you get buses with respectful tourism companies, a smashed windscreen and an illegal driver doesn't bode well.

Ayden

Photo Uploads

aydenmunns — Wed, 4 Dec 2013 19:45:00 GMT

Hi all,

I had a system in place to allow me to post photos whilst travelling. However, it has failed and for the past few weeks I have been trying to solve it but not with much luck. Therefore I will have to post all photos once I'm back, hopefully they will be worth the wait! :)

Ayden

Chiang Mai Part 1 - days 6, 7, 8 & 9

aydenmunns — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 22:10:00 GMT

So after a long day travelling (yet again) to Chiang Mai by bus, boat, taxi, aeroplane, just about anything possible; we found a substandard guesthouse (yet again) but nonetheless glad that we'd finally arrived. Dinner and a few drinks at John's Place and we were all looking forward to a more chilled day the following morning.

Chiang Mai, meaning New City, seemed quite good for a city in comparison to Bangkok. After some mooching around it became obvious that Chiang Mai is less manic and less confusing. Despite this, crossing the road is nearly impossible here. You basically end up playing a game of chicken with Thai motorists, not a wise choice! However, when you do eventually cross the road there are nice restaurants, bars and a very large night market.

Although the city is very nice, it was tourist attractions that brought us up here. By the end of the day we had booked Thailand's popular Flight of the Gibbon, a trip to Doi Inthanon National Park, a multi activity day (elephants, waterfalls, bamboo rafting), and a Thai Cooking course. Its safe to say that the next few days were going to be far from relaxing.

So to begin, the Flight of the Gibbon, Thailand's "No.1 tourist attraction". This was to involve white water rafting, a homestay, Thai massage and zip wiring through the jungle, all across two days. We arrived at the white water rafting around midday, and after a safety brief we were kitted up and out on the water. Our raft instructor informed us of some commands to follow whilst out on the water, the basics were paddle forward, lean it, get down, and over (move to the other side of the raft). So some way along this grade 5 river, i.e. very dangerous river, our instructors told us to get over to the other side of the raft - I accidently nearly pushed Kate out of the raft, much to her distress. But before she knew it, our raft hit a rock and she was swimming anyway! Although it was a tough river, we made it to the end in style.

Feeling worn out we were then transported to our homestay, we ended up staying with a Thai woman called Pok who was very kind and welcoming. She cooked us some home made food which was brilliant and after dinner we were treated to a Thai massage - just what the doctor ordered. Wrong. It was horrendous! Never has a massage been so painful, she was pulling on my arms and legs so hard I thought she was going to dislocate them. Feeling somewhat beaten and bruised, some rest was definitely called for.

The next day was zip wire day. This involved a mixture of 19 zip wires, a few bridges and a couple of ropes drops through the jungle. The whole experience was incredible and it was easy to see why it was Thailand's number one attraction. And you do actually get to see some real gibbons! However, its not for the faint hearted. After exiting the jungle after a few hours, we had some lunch and then were off to see the local water fall. All in all it was a great couple of days that were well worth the 5900 baht.

Some travel advice:

Don't cross the roads in Chiang Mai.

Visit the night market, its massive and you can get basically anything there.

Book flight of the gibbon for sure! But don't have the Thai massage unless you have a high pain threshold!

Ayden

Koh Chang, Trat. Days 3, 4 & 5

aydenmunns — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 18:03:00 GMT

Hello :)

So after leaving Bangkok at 9am, our 7 hour bus ride, 1 hour boat ride and 30 minute taxi ride finally got us to Lonely Beach at Koh Chang (elephant island). After a quick scout around for a hostel we ended up staying at a place called KL KL Hostel. It was a fairly basic room with a private swimming pool but at 200 baht a night, we couldn't complain. Well, except that there was no toilet roll, only the bum gun...... nice.

We ended up eating at a place called the Magic Garden, the food was sooo good we decided to eat there every night. Chicken chashew nut being the highlight and best meal of the trip so far. The next morning we needed the day to rest, so a day out on the scenic and sandy shores of lonely beach was just what the doctor ordered. Definitely the most scenic and stunning place I have seen yet, paradise seemed almost possible! But before too long, we saw it fit to book a jungle and elephant trek the following morning. So with yet another early start, we promised we wouldnt drink much at the beach party later that night. However, I guess promises are made to be broken, I think you can see where I'm going with this :p

So later that night with a few cocktail buckets and flame throwing lunatics, we didn't stand a chance of a quiet night. After chatting to a few of the local travellers, Zoë met a Swedish guy. That's nice, or so we thought.... It turns out he jumped on a bag snatchers motorbike in Cambodia and accidently killed the theif! Feeling somewhat safe after that, we made it back at 3am and were up again at 7am for the jungle and elephant trek.

We got picked up in a truck at 8am and started making our way to the north of the island. Lucy ended up throwing up during the journey there haha. Feeling a bit tender, the last thing we needed was a 5 hour trek through the jungle, scaling almost 750 meters. It was so hot inside the jungle all the alcohol was sweated put in minutes. Despite the hard work it was well worth it once we reached the top - the view was incredible. And reaching the cold water fall on the way down was a relief too! The day was nicely rounded off with an elephant trek and a chance to feed the elephants - definitely a worthwhile experience :)

It was another dinner at Magic Garden and an early night (I promise), as the next day we planned to get out of Koh Chang and head north to Chiang Mai.

Some travel advice:

Try haggling for the price of the room as they gave it to us cheaper on the last night.

Take some extra food and some spare clothes when you go jungle trekking - you get hungry and very sweaty.

Have a look at the local attractions, there are normally great day trips to do.

Look around at different tourism offices for best prices for travel to your next destination. We were quoted 3100 baht for a bus and flight to Chiang Mai. We managed to get a bus to Bangkok for 450 baht and a flight to Chiang Mai (whilst at the airport) for 1800 baht, saving us 850 baht which is worth a lot in Thailand!!!

Ayden

Here at last! Flights and Bangkok day 1 & 2

aydenmunns — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 17:20:00 GMT

So after leaving the house in England at 7.30am, we finally arrived in Bangkok at 6pm the following day. Instantly we picked up our bags and had a well deserved Chang beer at the bar. It soon occurred to us that we still needed to find somewhere to stay but with little time and luck, the nicer and cleaner places were full. Being somewhat desperate, we stayed in a room called The Place Inn for 150 baht or £3 per night. It promised to make it "feel like home", however, it was anything but. With a cockroach in the shower and a half cracked sink, we were well on our way early the next morning. I suppose we should have listened to previous guests advice written on the whiteboard by the reception, one notably but jokingly saying "I caught rabies from here!".

The next day we stayed at Mango Lagoon a few doors down, at £7 a night but a far cleaner room - it was well worth it! With spirits lifted we took a wonder around the local markets, particularly the infamous Khao San Road. After some looking around, and a lot of hassle to buy a suit (god knows why, its too hot to start wearing a suit!), we took a tour around a few temples in a tuk tuk. Our driver Shelly was kind enough to chauffeur us around asking only £3 for the whole trip - bargain. However, tuk tuk drivers get free fuel for taking tourists to certain places, this meant a trip to the silk shop, a pretty awkward experience as we didnt want a shirt or dress made. Highly unnecessary! Once back near the guesthouse, a quick shower, some drinks and some street food, we were out on Khao San Road to hit a few bars and meet fellow travellers. Soon enough the booze was flowing and grilled scorpion was being passed around like candy. Unfortunately, it's tastes nothing like candy. The scorpion had been barbequed to death that rather it tasted like munching on a bit of old charcoal. By 3am we were back at the guesthouse ready to catch some sleep for the 8am bus to Koh Chang. It was going to be a long day...

A little advice:

- Get a taxi from the airport, its cheap and is quicker, just what's needed after a long flight.

- Try looking around for somewhere half decent to rest your head, the Place Inn is definitely to be avoided.

- Tuk tuks are a great and cheap way of getting around Bangkok.

- Eat street food as its cheaper and nicer than restaurant food.

- However, this does not mean that you buy grilled scorpion even when drunk. It is not a kebab. It is to be avoided at all costs.

Ayden

Travel Itinerary

aydenmunns — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 17:18:00 GMT

Howdy,

It's a difficult process deciding what to take when travelling abroad, particularly if you have never been there before. But based on everything I have read and past experience, this is everything that I will be taking with me on the trip:

Mosquito net £10
Sleeping bag inner (thin sheet) £12
Inflatable pillow £8
Travel towel £10
Mac in a sac £15
6 t-shirts
3 shorts
2 trousers
2 long-sleeved tops
1 jumper
Toiletries (general toiletries including bug spray, suncream)
Tablet
iPod
2 books
Chargers (for phone, tablet, etc)
And of course, travel documents (this includes passport!!!)
8,800 Thai Baht (approximately £200)

Other expenditure includes travel insurance (£140), my return flights from Manchester International Airport to Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok (£670), and my travel to the airport (£40)

As you can see this trip has nearly reached £1000 already, thank god Thailand is cheap!!!

Feel free to comment and ask questions :)

Ayden

The journey begins!

aydenmunns — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Hello,

Tomorrow (20th November) I fly to Bangkok, Thailand where I will be spending a few months travelling South East Asia. There will be lots to see and do, this means there will be a lot to talk about and lots of photos (and maybe some videos).

I will be updating this journal where possible so that you can follow my trip, see what I'm up to, and (if you're considering travelling somewhere) I will be giving tips about just about anything and everything. To begin, you can have a look at the 'Travel Itinerary' post to see what I'm taking and how much the trip has cost so far before I've even got on the plane!

Ayden

Photos: Thailand

aydenmunns — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 10:29:00 GMT