Worldwide Steps

Kuala Lumpur- Day 16- 19

emiliepb — Tue, 9 Jun 2015 19:33:00 GMT

OK at the time of writing I am extremely behind with writing (around two weeks late).

We stayed in a double room in Travel Hub High Street. We were lucky and got one of the few rooms with windows. This was one of the best places we stayed purely for the bed, which was a raised bed with a sofa underneath.

Our first night we did very little as we arrived late however just round the corner from us was Petaling Street, a hectic (at night) market hiding shops, hotels and food beverage behind the stalls. Apparently known as "the Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur", and with the hetic-ness and lights it lives up to that name.

Next day we decided to explore the area around us and came across Kasturi Walk, another market however a lot smaller and calmer than Petaling Street. Here I first tried (and became hooked on) a rice dessert cooked in a bamboo and had some sort of caramel in it with coconut flakes on top.

Kasturi Walk was right next to Central Market Kuala Lumpur, a large shopping centre protected as a Malaysian Heritage Site.

Third full day we started getting into touristy activities, seeing the Perdana Botanical Gardens and around. Wondering around we ended up on a huge detour seeing the deer park and the beautiful Orchid Garden (think we may have seen them at the end of the season) before ending up back at our starting point. The flowers were absolutely beautiful and probably one of the greatest parts of the Botanical Gardens. A great view is of the skyscrapers reflecting on the lake while sitting on the jetty.

Our last full day we went to see Batu Caves. The giant statue outside of the cave was the main highlight for me, inside of the caves weren't much but the statue outside was an amazing view. Later we went to see the KL Tower and the Petronas Twin Towers in the late afternoon/ evening. We also found out that day that Kuala Lumpur has huge shopping centres in unexpected places. Getting off the metro at KL Sentral we took stairs thinking it would lead to the main station and found ourselves on a floor of the shopping mall Nu Sentral. Once we reached the Petronas Towers we took shelter in what appeared on the outside as a small shopping centre Suria KLCC.

We walked past the Petronas Towers at daylight on our way to KL Tower. We only went up to the glass viewing gallery and missed the open viewing gallery. During daylight the glass wasn't an issue at all however at night the lights from inside got a bit annoying. The view from the tower was amazing and through the super zoomed in binoculars we could even see the statue outside batu caves. Back down on the ground we went back to the Petronas Towers and at night they were specular lit up.

Sorry I've been so bad keeping up to date! Trying to get back on track.

Cameron Highlands- Day 11- 15

emiliepb — Thu, 4 Jun 2015 17:52:00 GMT

The journey to the highlands was one of our most difficult. Leaving Pangkor was difficult and from Lumut we had to wait over an hour to catch our bus to Ipoh to catch another bus. We had no clue which bus was ours and got delayed in Ipoh. Finally arriving at Tanah Rata late at night we were greeted with rain and cold weather. Luckily we were able to stay at Kang Travellers Lodge (Daniel’s Lodge). A huge part of the cuisine here was Indian, so not for the first time we feasted on naan bread.

Although we were staying in the Cameron Highland's during the holiday season (the guide saying it will be packed out) we never felt like the small towns were packed with people. Although a number of people stopped at the lodge and were unable to get a room during our stay.

Our first day we went to the Big Red Strawberry Farm (free entry). We walked past rows of strawberries and able to walk along lettuce plants. We stopped at the farms strawberry packed cafe, here enjoying strawberry and chocolate fondue, strawberry lassi (a yogurt blended drink), scones and tea. The shop was a mishmash of different strawberry themed items.

From here we walked back towards Tanah Rata and went along path 4. We got caught in an extremely heavy downpour and stopped for shelter under little huts along the path. Although the guide says it goes past a waterfall, we never saw it from the path.

Second day we went out hiking again on path 1, ascending Gunung Brinchang- 2000m-high and the highest road in Peninsular Malaysia. The walk was absolutely beautiful, the clouds casting a mist around the trees. Although we heard many monkeys in the trees, unlike other areas we'd been we never caught a glimpse of them. The walk wasn't easy being mainly uphill and a clamber up muddy rooted hills, but the views are worth it. Some parts of the walk near the top were open and on a clear day the views would have been spectacular, instead we got an eery sheet of whiteness blocking all view down the edge except the greyish silhouettes of trees, with only a flimsy rope stopping you falling off the edge. When we reached the hut at the top we were disappointed there wasn't a clear view, down the road there's a radio tower like structure and up here is where you get beautiful views over the mountains. Although it was extremely cloudy so our view wasn't as good as it could have been, we luckily managed to get a window for the views and picture taking. We started our walk back to our lodge but luckily an Austrian couple gave us a lift back as they knew our journey back would be difficult- without them we would have been walking home at night.

Our third day we used to relax and recover.

Last day in the highlands we did what you can't miss- seeing a tea plantation (for us this was the Boh plantation). With a cafe with an outdoor deck looking out over the tea plants it's beautiful (although packed). We intended to get a tour of the factory and see the tea process however they had finished making tea for the day so we only got a quick walk through the factory. Other than seeing the factory, the cafe (and its views) and the shop there is little else to do. The better photos of the plantation where taken walking along the road back towards the main road. Here we saw wedding photos taking place amongst the tea plants. The views of the plantation are amazing, part of the trip I am delighted we did.

Pulau Pangkor- Day 7- 10/11

emiliepb — Thu, 28 May 2015 22:21:00 GMT

Originally we wanted to stay on coral bay but with only one accommodation we could see charging RM 150 per night (our budget being RM 110) when the guide warned us this place made up prices to whatever they felt like. We stayed at Nazri Nipah Camp on the touristy street Teluk Nipah. Although this area is known for being touristy we only saw the true extent of how manic this area can be on our last morning when we were leaving (Day 11). We had not realised our last days on Pangkor overlapped with Malay holidays.

Our first night we decided to get back into street food (previously sticking to small cafes and reasonably priced restaurants). We knew Malaysia apparently was harder for vegetarians and spicer so I was a little worried. Being so dark for a few bites all I could tell was it was a lot spicier than Thailand and soon realised our many attempts at asking no meat or fish was ignored/ misunderstood.

Our first full day we spent all day on Teluk Nipah's beach which was just beautiful. Although there are a lot of boats on the beach and in the water (and very little beach) it was pretty much empty. The water has been the clearest out of all we've swam in and although a little colder than Thailand one of the best we've swam in. Going as a couple this was our best to be able to swim together, because the beach was so thin it was no problem keeping an eye on our stuff. From the street you also get a great view at sunset as it disappears behind a nearby island. This is also where we spent all of our last day, although it was a little busier. Was scary thinking that this was our last Asian beach and likely swim of our trip, great to end on.

Second full day we spent sightseeing around the island. We started by viewing a historic boulder called Batu Bersurat. Famous for its carving of the Dutch East India Company and of a tiger. The tiger apparently a warning after a child was taken by one in 1743. From here it was an easy walk to Kota Belanda, a Dutch Fort. As we hadn't got a return taxi or got one for the day we made our way by foot along the island to the other attractions north of Pangkor Town. We went to Foo Lin Temple, a slightly comical Chinese temple (I might be wrong). There is no missing the gate decorated with giant brightly coloured animals, this being a continuing theme around the temple grounds. We bought incense and are currently trying to transport them. There's a pound with absolutely enormous fish which the guide says are arapaimas. The back of the temple is a garden up the hill with a mini great wall of China. We made our way up the hill and there's a boulder with big bright Chinese writing on it with views over the tinned roofs of houses and of the temple.

(Sorry for not writting in as much detail- I have fallen very behind :/ )

Georgetown- Day 5-6

emiliepb — Mon, 25 May 2015 18:46:00 GMT

We only spent one full day on Penang island which we spent in Georgetown. As soon as we arrived we noticed Georgetown is such a mishmash of different cultures and architecture, driving down a road you could believe you were in London.

The night we arrived we did very little however our only full day there we explored the area for sights. We were staying on Love Lane and using our free George Town exploration guide we realised we were close to a lot. We saw Goddess of Mercy Temple (No 7) surrounded by chinese looking stalls selling incense (it has another name here but i can't remember at the moment). We found that compared to some of the temples in Thailand this was much more of an active temple so we felt a little uncomfortable taking pictures inside the building. Outside giant incense sticks were burning along with smaller versions. Along the same road we stopped at St George's Church (No 6) opposite High Court. Felt odd being in a very British looking church on pretty much the other side of the world. From here we walked along Esplanade to see The Cenotaph (No 3), a war memorial near City Hall. Where we spent most of our time was at Fort Cornwallis (No 2). Spending a fair bit of time looking at cannons, the largest and most famous carrying the east India trading company logo. Apparently all the cannons were taken off pirates so there's a range of different looks and types. From the Fort you get a good view of Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Clocktower (No 1). We continued down the road until we got to Little India (No 10) where we bought 'Indian' mango (I am not a huge mango fan but this was delicious).

This was the last part of our Places of Interest part of the map but we headed into the street art area and saw a number marked on our map and a selection of new ones.

As soon as we entered the area we saw Kids on Bicycle (A) a old bike on a wall with the street art added to make it seem as though they are cycling. We also saw Lion Dance (N). It was easy to miss stuff as they were down the side and front of houses .

Langkawi- Day 1- 4

emiliepb — Thu, 21 May 2015 12:44:00 GMT

So now we are in Malaysia!

Journey to Langkawi was pretty easy, our first Asian ferry replacing our usual longtail boat.

We spent 4 nights in Langkawi at Rainbow Lodge on the main tourist strip Pantai Cenang. Although Langkawi is touristy and likely Malaysia's equivalent to Phuket it's much more laid back and less in your face. Unlike Phuket where we wished to leave after one night we extended our stay in Langkawi. First thing that hit us about Langkawi- people's English is unbelievably good.

We arrived late on the island so didn't do too much the first night. We walked along the beach, browsed through shops and stalls and ate near our accommodation. Rainbow Lodge was up the road from the main street so none of the noise reached us but close enough it took less than 5 minutes to reach it. I don't remember any of the names of places we ate at (kinda wish I wrote them down but didn't think about it). First place we ate was halfway between the main road and Rainbow Lodge, at night the fence is lined with oil burners and also on the table, a small open hut as the kitchen and some covered and some open tables.

First full day we did very little but did take a taxi to watch Mad Max Fury Road. The building didn't look like much from the outside, small looking building. Inside we were shocked that there were 4 floors including a supermarket on the ground level. After searching for the cinema and failing we realised there were actually 10 floors and 5-10 could only be reached by lift. It seems cinemas here they don't believe in end credits or many adverts (we were 15mins late to the start time- back home that's advert buffer time but we missed a bit of the start). We were quite shocked to see half the audience (there were very few of us) were very young kids.

We ate at an Italian place on the main road attached to a Mexican restaurant. Extremely good food however a little pricer than the budget we were allowing ourselves.

Second day we spent as a shopping trip. Although Langkawi has its hoard of touristy gift shops (some including some decent stuff- we have good quality tye die t-shirts and some did nice trousers) the main attraction for me to shop here were the handmade unusual shops. The Bus Boutique has a collection of goodies including crystal necklaces for RM 80 (£14), clothing and bracelets. The shops only open at night but it's all in an old fashioned small bus which holds a certain charm. Another interesting shop is ZackCraft, squeezed between two buildings and only fits one person in (open day and night). All handmade with the lady making more in the corner, extremely friendly people running it.

Our last full day we spent at Telaga Tujuh (Seven Pools). We started at the waterfall, stunning to see and photograph, with the waterfall filling into pools where people were swimming in the water. This was the busiest area we saw however its more interesting up on top of the hill where there are more pools and you can slide from one to another. There's also a look out spot where you can see over the side to more pools and also the view of the sea and jungle. We spotted a small family of monkeys in the trees, a mother and two young ones.

Quick Update Day 21-27

emiliepb — Tue, 19 May 2015 23:07:00 GMT

Really sorry I haven't kept this up to date, just realised I haven't wrote since Ko Jum! (Writing this at least a week since this all happened...)

From Ko Jum we travelled to Trang, Hat Yao and then to Satun before Malaysia.

Arriving in Trang our plan had been to head off to one of the Trang islands such as Ko Hai. This became our first sudden change of plan in the trip. Our accommodation had stopped their boats from going to the islands due to the low season. The two times we went to where the guide suggested we were left stood stupidly while they moved without informing us of anything. First time we got told to wait 5 minutes, then we got told they couldn't do anything because the boss wasn't there. We decided to give up and head to the beach instead.

We stayed at Hat Yao for 3 nights. A nice stretch of sand next to some beautiful rocks with views of the islands around it. Think over the three nights there we saw two tourists and that was it. This was the one place where I started to see vegetarian options as slightly more challenging to get, still manageable but eating a lot of fried rice. The waves here were bigger than others we had been to, making me wish I had taken with me my body board (though probably one of the most unpractical things I could have traveled with). Our days consisted of walking into town to get snacks and drinks, spending the day at the beach and then walking back to town for tea on a platform over the water. There isn't much to do here unless you go over to Ko Libong, however with 3 nights we were happy there.

We spent our last nights of Thailand in Satun relaxing and preparing for our journey to Malaysia.

Day 17-21 Ko Jum (Ao Si)

emiliepb — Fri, 15 May 2015 15:01:00 GMT

Ko Jum is paradise. Not sure what the whole island is like but ao si beach is amazing and Loma Sea view bungalows adds to the islands charm to make it something really special.

We arrived on Ko Jum with a vague idea where to stay but nothing booked. On the pier we found out plan a was shut down so we moved onto plan b- Ao Si Bungalows. The taxi was a motorbike with a metal cart seating thing added to the back where our driver kept coins in his ears. Arriving at our destination we guessed quickly that it had closed for the season but reluctant to leave a beach we had already fallen in love with. We wandered the beach and came across wooden huts, volleyball nets, wooden benches and a beautiful bit if beach. B500 a night for a wooden hut right on the beach. This was where I spent my 19th birthday, on an empty beach. First night there and we already felt welcome around complete strangers staying there, playing jenga and drinking late into the night.

Second day here we took a boat trip around 5 islands and snorkeled for B4000 for the boat which was split between 5. The first stop was Ko Phi Phi (Lay) which is an uninhabited island except for the sea gypsies which have made their homes on the rocks and in caves. Here was the first stop for snorkeling. Large groups of people were all already snorkeling so we moved further out to sea and had the spot to ourselves. The fish here were amazing and absolutely everywhere, seeing rainbow coloured fish right in front of you. You didn't have to try at all to see amazing fish, it was more of an effort trying not to hit them. Other boats full of tourists turned up and started snorkeling where we were, looking ridiculous in bright orange lifejackets and cautiously getting off their boats where the deck was in the water. Our boat was a long tail boat with steps just added to the side when we needed them and the whole boat would tip drastically whenever anyone got on and off. All of us were pleased we weren't in part of a tourist tour instead a small group on local transport. We did get the choice to go to (BEACH) from the movie The Beach for B300 each however once we saw the beach full of tourists we decided it wasn't worth paying and snapped our pictures from the boat. You could see why they would film a movie there, it was stunning. We stopped on Ko Phi Phi (Don) for lunch on a quieter part of the island. As the island is touristy it wasn't long before a large group of tourists were joining us. We quickly moved onto the other islands Mosquito and Bamboo islands, here I get confused on which one we decided to stop at but I think we stayed in the water to snorkel again near bamboo island and only looked at mosquito islands. Next stop was home back on Ko Jum. Due to the huge waves on our beach the boat was struggling to stay straight and throwing anyone who tried to get off over. Only two of us made it off, one with my backpack which held my main clothes and flip flops. The boat left after a wave crashed through the back of the boat and filled the floor with water, heading for a pier on the island. From here we took a taxi back to Loma, going up a dirt track seeing a large family of monkeys. Although I am sea sick and some parts of the trip were difficult (explaining some lack of photos) the trip was absolutely amazing.

Our day still wasn't over as we had a crab party where a group of 6 of us sat on a table all together and ate freshly caught crabs (except me due to being vegetarian). It was surprising that we had only known these people for less than two days and already bonded.

Our last day here soon became our second to last as we extended our stay to another night- making it a total of 4 nights, same amount of time as Bangkok.

Last two days were spent lounging around and swimming in the sea. The tides here are quite strong and some sections are rocky but said to be one of the better beaches for swimming. First day here and in the rocky sections we swam looking at the few fishes, other days were easier to swim I'm the sandier sections.

We also witnessed thunderstorms the last two nights. From a hut on the beach seeing the sky light up is amazing.

Oh and there are puppies. We learnt that on ko jum people don't like dogs. The accommodation next door had two puppies but only claimed the larger of the two as it would be better at scaring away monkeys. As the two puppies are brothers they have been playing together and spending most of their time at Loma where everyone gives them attention. One of them now belongs to Loma as it wasn't being fed and nobody wants it back.

Less cute there are the poisonous centipedes in the area which apparently cause two weeks in hospital. First encounter with one was our first night where the bartender beat it with a flip flop and drowned it in a glass. These things are nasty looking and vary in size. Second encounter was in our bathroom. After it hide from us near the door Fin managed to get it in a small bowel and transfer it into a tub full of water. We moved it to a glass and went to the bar with our catch. Our centipede now lives behind the bar in an empty alcohol bottle behind the glow of a green light.

The owners arranged their family to take us to the mainland. Walking up the hill I expected a pickup truck or sidecar motorbike taxis to take us to the pier. I was wrong and this became my first time on a motorbike/ moped. That wouldn't be so scary other than Thailand no one wears helmets, the roads on this island are rocky dirt roads, we were off balance as we had a big tube of fuel for the boat and I had a 10kg + backpack and a smaller backpack. I quickly really enjoyed my first time on a bike.

Ko Jum is going to raise the bar high for other islands we see and is somewhere I wish to go back to and would encourage everyone to go to if they get the chance.

Day 15- Ko Yao Noi and catch up

emiliepb — Fri, 8 May 2015 21:04:00 GMT

Haven't really kept this up to date recently, struggling to find the time to sit and write about everything so this is just a quick catch up to say all's good and briefly what we've been up to.

Day 11- 12 was spent in phuket. Spent a little too much on souvenirs in phuket for the quality but oh well lessons learnt. Phuket was our first Thai beach and watching the sun set in the evenings as beautiful. Swimming was nice however further up the beach we found the water was bluer and swimming there was lovely. Here was also the first time we have properly sunburned on the trip, been a lot more careful now. In the market there was also a young elephant that people were paying to feed. I was delighted seeing them on the bus as we were leaving Khoa Sok however it wasn't the same seeing on in an urban setting but it was great to see one so close. In this market was also where I had my first fresh coconut milk in the coconut, it was the nicest I had tasted.

Day 13 - today (Day 15) we have been on the island Ko Yao Noi. The view here is amazing, the islands which appear to just be rocks is a view I have been excited to see since before this trip was planned. Finally getting to see them is great and I can't get over how beautiful the view is here. The first day here we walked over a bamboo bridge climbed up some steps in the hill and reached a look out point of the sea, views from here and the pier are pretty spectacular. We followed the path and came to a beautiful beach.

4 times we tried to see if an Italian place was open (recommended by rough guides and meant to be open all day and late in the evening) every time we went it was closed. Nothing wrong with rice and phat Thai though.

At the moment me and fin are sat on our porch watching the sun set over the hill opposite our hut in a chair and a hammock.

Day 9- Khoa Sok- JUNGLE TREK

emiliepb — Sat, 2 May 2015 23:39:00 GMT

Its not easy to remember everything when you come to write it all down here- seems there's always something to write and something to slip your mind.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday was the fireflies, think its my first time seeing them, they are extremely peaceful and seeing them fly around the jungle has become one of my favourite things.

And my overboard waterproof bag for my camera didn't work- although it was only a bit of water it was more than I would have wanted if my camera had been in it (my flip flops were in it for when we tried to swim down the river.

Today was trek day in the jungle so I have A LOT to write about, also I don't remember all the names of animals, plants etc, places we saw or all of the facts we were told.

Our day started earlier than our usual lazy starts, waking at 7 and making our way to breakfast. As we had woke up early we were able to see the morning mist over the hills. My breakfast consisted of a banana pancake with honey on top, the bananas were cooked inside the middle of the pancake and tasted amazing. Our guide arrived a bit before 9 and as we had arranged it through our host it was just the three of us. The tour cost B800 (£15) but didn't include a B300 (£6) entrance fee to the national park. Even though water is provided in the price we decided to bring some of our own- a litre bottle each and were also given another litre bottle. We were told to bring suncream, bug spray (trust me you WILL need it), money to pay the entrance fee and a swimming costume (which I should have worn before leaving our lodge).

As soon as we entered the gates to the park the guide stopped us and told us this innocent looking plant was very itchy and we shouldn't touch. This became a theme early on. We followed the main road like track which you are able to go along without a guide and stopped to see monkeys running along bamboo above our heads. The bamboo there was the fastest growing plant, growing 1 metre a day, and that during the wet season you can drink out of it but during the dry season bugs lived inside. We were told the park is home to 3 different kinds of monkeys and excitingly also elephants, tigers and clouded leopards (but these are all rare to see and your best chances are on a night safari).Although we didn't see any (much to my relief) we were shown tarantula holes where they were sleeping. Along the main path we tried a leaf which is used in thai cooking, our guide had a sense of humour and told us we were going to die in one hour before eating some himself. He also taught us how to say hello to a man, woman and "lady-boy". We went off the main track and up a tiny dirt path which you could almost not make out (I don't think this is allowed without a guide) and here he pulled a plant out the ground and cut off a bit of the root, after eating it he told us it was spicy (it REALLY was), what we had eaten was the equivalent to ginger (which I am not a fan of anyway). We encountered our first proper dangerous creature of the jungle, our guide told us to wait at the bottom of a hill while he went to investigate and then told us to follow him, leading us to a snake resting on a branch that could kill us in 5 hours. Although it was deadly it was beautiful to look at and also somewhat peaceful, at the time I was nervous but looking back I am really happy we got to see it.Down this small path was also our first encounter with leeches, we didn't have any on our skin however one had managed to make its way up my sock. From now on I started checking for leeches regularly. We crossed a river to get some great views and this was the first of many experiences where i learnt I am shit at crossing without a guide. You are able to see Win Him Waterfall (number 1) and Bang Hua Read (number 2) without a guide and this still allows you to swim in the river but for a proper jungle experience you are going to want to go with a guide to see numbers 3- 7. Before the people with guides split off and can start their off path trek you reach the monkey bar, a little covered seating area where you can buy a few drinks and see the river below. Our guide gave us rings made out of a plant that he had been making on the way to the bar. As soon as we arrived we saw why the bar had it's name and a monkey climbed up the side and walked along the wooden railing, once a crowd came in it retreated above us but still easy to view and photograph. At the monkey bar we also picked up another adventurer to our trip.

After this the real trek started. Think its important to mention that I don't trek or hike, my center of balance is terrible and this was my first trekking experience. Probably not the easiest one to start with.

Although we didn't see Win Him Waterfall (number 1) as close as other people we caught a glimpse as we started trekking to our next stop destination. Our guide checked with us multiple times whether we needed a break am stupidly I kept saying no. Along our way we faced even more leeches and climbing up and down pretty much vertical slopes and down rocks before arriving at Tang Nam (number 6). It is a really beautiful location, I would have been happy staying there all day. Here was somewhere where you were able to swim and after being exhausted trekking I was delighted when our guide said we were stopping there for an hour. While I checked my shoes for what had been hurting during the last bit before our break a leech attached itself to my hand, I quickly went over to our guide who flicked it off. I was annoyed I hadn't put my swimsuit under my clothes and was wishing I had been able to go in the water but after my bite the day before would have been hesitant anyway. We ate packed lunches that our host had prepared for us before we left on the side if the river. Our guide also cut up a pineapple for us, using the skin of the pineapple almost like a plate. Fish swam around the water and it was great to throw bits of food in and see them swarm round it, one type of fish almost looked as though it was made of tin foil with the light reflecting off its scales. Here was where I tried to cross the river on my own, I got half way before a massive rock I was on tipped over leaving an obstacle to the path in my head. The guide saw my confusion and come over guiding me to the other side of the river where I was able to take beautiful pictures of the view people swimming had. Once the person I was travelling with came out the water and was covered in 5-6 leeches I decided I was OK sat on the side. However on my way back I slipped on a rock and fell slightly so the guide came and helped me again, as if I wasn't embarrassed enough I then properly fell in the river and my guide took my camera off me until we made it to the riverbank. After seeing such a view and who I was traveling with taking my backpack to make it easier for me my mood for trekking improved.

Little did I know before that the next part of the trek I would find most difficult and was also the most narrow. After leaving Tang Nam we were confronted with a vertical rock wall which we needed to climb, I felt my face drop. My first attempt resulted in me sliding down the rock face, putting my camera on my back I attempted again. You had to kind of put your feet and hands either side and shuffle up. The trees we saw along our path were amazing and huge. We continued walking along a "path"- half of the time it was too narrow to stand comfortably with both feet next to each other- which wasn't easy when we were constantly ascending and descending the jungle over tree roots. I agreed to get a stick to help along the path and with my trusted stick the journey became somewhat easier. Our guide stopped us to cut down some bamboo, here he made us little bamboo cups and spoons. We reached Ton Loi Waterfall (number 7) and it was spectacular. Even though this had been the most difficult to get to if was amazing. Along with Tang Nam I couldn't get over how breath taking the jungle was. Here our guide heated water in bamboo and we drunk coffee out of our bamboo cups sat on rocks looking at the view.

The worst part about the day was leaving the jungle at returning to civilisation. Seeing cars after 8hours in the jungle felt a bit odd.

An experience I am delighted I did and won't forget.

Day 8- Khoa Sok

emiliepb — Fri, 1 May 2015 11:59:00 GMT

We headed back to Talet Kaset II with the 'ticket' we were given the day before and returned to the man. We sat down waiting for bus to arrive, he ripped our 'ticket' up and stuck writing on our sleeve- which I assumed said Khoa Sok. Made me feel extremely like a tourist and sightly ridiculous on a bus of all Thai people. When the ticket man came down the bus (who looked around our age 18-19) we were so confused what we were meant to do as we only had our stickers stuck to us. To our confusion we were then handed our ticket over- settling my fear that we had been scammed and would be made to pay again. At the stops around Surat Thani and Phunphin people came onto the bus selling a range of different fruit and food. Our driver seemed to beep his horn constantly, even with no traffic on the road and on straights, and I never worked out what he was signalling. One thing I have noticed about Thai buses is they are rickety- this bus was a lot better than Day 6's. After staying on the bus for around 3 hours (rough guides gives 3 different times to get here so I think it can often vary) we finally arrived at Khao Sok- after nearly getting off the bus WAY too early. We had made it we were in the jungle :D Waiting to great the bus were, who I mistook as more people trying to sell us stuff, free songthaews (equivalent to tuk tuk outside of Bangkok) drivers to take us to our accommodation. It took us down our first taste of a jungle road and my first experiences of the type of thing I came to see Thailand for. The dirt road stretching behind us as the songthaew took us along, trees and mountains not ruined behind a bus window.

Khoa Sok Valley Lodge was our destination. Quickly we were taken to our treehouse- number 5 right at the end of a little path. There are only 5 rooms so its quiet and peaceful. The accommodation really is what it said, a treehouse. Gaps in the floor and walls where it was made, a little balcony on the front made out branches. A perfect experience of jungle life, even non flushing toilet. Our balcony overlooks a mountain and you can hear monkeys on the mountain to the side throughout most the day and evening. We had a frog living in our bathroom for the majority of our first day in Khoa Sok. We had lunch at our lodge- very good and huge portions compared to the usual small street food sized we are used to. The owner was extremely friendly and we decided to arrange a tour for the next day- a full day trek of the jungle.

We headed to the tourist village and made our way to the monkey watering hole, around 20 minute walk from our lodge. Along the way we saw little spots where we walked down to the river and took a closer look. The monkey watering hole is amazing with a rope swing to throw yourself into the water if you want to (be careful the water isn't that deep). As I didn't want to take my camera swimming so we headed back and spotted another swimming spot next to our lodge. Our plan was to start at this swimming spot and swim down to the monkey watering hole. Everything was going fine until I got my finger pinched/ bitten- no blood just a small mark. Despite this happening to both of us we decided to walk to monkey lodge. Here we had a much better experience swimming and monkeys sat on branches which was amazing as it was my first experience seeing animals like that in the wild. However I got pinched/ bitten again, this time hurting much more- my toe had started bleeding so we decided it was time to head back to the lodge.

Our night ended sitting outside on our baloney chatting and watched the sun come down, the view was beautiful, before battling our way under mosquito nets.

Day 7- Surat Thani

emiliepb — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 11:58:00 GMT

We decided as we would have to sort out transport the following day we would head over to find Talat Kaset II and see if we could buy our ticket in advance, and if anything know where we were going the next day.

We found the station and bought our ticket to Khoa Sok at the small room attached to the station for B280 (£5.50), given a piece of paper and told to return tomorrow and we were done. As we had done what we set out to do that day and still had most of the day left we decided to head down to a market that apparently takes place along the river. Walking over there we saw very little setup and nothing selling food, guess it was either too early for it to be set up or we were in the wrong place. We headed back near our hotel and ate at Lucky's which was recommended by our accommodation. The restaurant is located down a side road from Taladmai, a street before Talent Kaset II. Although the meal came no where close to our food at the night market is was still very good and nice to have larger portions than our on the small side street food.

In the evening we headed back to the night market and feasted on more of our favourite phat Thai.

Day 5- Chumphon

emiliepb — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 22:38:00 GMT

Writing this a lot later than I should (again) so hope I get everything in. Also just realised I had these all set to being in the uk :/

So we got up very early in case we couldn't get a taxi to the train station, this wasn't the case and we ended up sat at the station for around an hour. The train from Bangkok to Chumphon was great and it was amazing to see how much the landscape changed as we went along. Leaving Bangkok you saw shantytown like structures, along the way trees as far as the eye can see, mountains and also our first glimpse of the sea :)

I think our whole train was only second class and was nicely air conditioned, fans littered the ceiling but were turned off. They do provide a free meal on the train and also gave us a doughnut/ bun thing. The bun was nice if anything a little on the sweet side. The main food however was a different story, I was asleep and bring veggie anyway wouldn't have taken one however who I was travelling with did, in his words it was "the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted". Do what the locals do and bring things onto the train.

Arriving at Chumphon we were pestered by people trying to hand leaflets out, to get them to shut up and leave me alone I took them and they stopped pestering. We had no idea in what direction we were to head in but to avoid trying to be sold something we said we knew and headed in a random direction until we found a map. A group of young kids came up smiling and saying hello to us, before kids had just not been around us or never spoke a word. I found the walk in the heat with two bags difficult and we were on the 5th floor at the Euro Hostel but we had completed our first step out of Bangkok after a 6 hour train ride.

In the evening we headed out to the night market on Kromluang road. This was the type of night market we had expected to see in Bangkok. Another phat thai, starting to compare them all against each other to find our best. Although I am the only vegetarian we have found it easier to order both veggie to avoid confusion.

That was our one day in Chumphon, nothing much but nice enough to stop over.

Day 6- Surat Thani

emiliepb — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 00:31:00 GMT

Due to our checkout time and how it lined up with the train times we faced ourselves a 3 hour wait in weather I wasn't adjusting very well to. As we had overslept breakfast I went on the hunt for food at the train station, proudly returning with a tube of Pringles. Our train from Chumphon to Surat Thani cost us B100 (£2) but unlike Bangkok we weren't able to book the later ticket we had the day before. After the long wait we boarded our train and it was a lot busier and stuffy than our first train ride, the air conditioning wasn't on instead the many fans blew hot air around the train. I decided to get some rest and fell asleep, I only found out later that day that the young boy realised I was asleep so leaned over and shut the curtain for me so I wouldn't be in the sun. I don't know why this surprised me so much but I was touched by the simple act of kindness which I don't think would ever happen back at the uk.

Arriving in Surat Thani's station (which is actually in Phunphin) we faced the worst of the tourist pestering. As soon as we left the train we were bombarded and continued to be pestered by what I assume were touts. The issue rose when we didn't know how to cross to the platform and while we waited with the locals the touts told us to follow them. I seemed to be the only one questioning why only tourists were going in this direction. They kept showing us a sign of tourist locations asking where we were going and not listening when we said none on the list. I had read that there were many reports of scams in Surat Thani and wasn't keen on being scammed the minute we arrived. After herding the tourists of the train they tried to cram a group of about 10 of us into one songthaew (all with big backpacks for travelling). It was obvious we were never all going to fit and being at the back of the queue we were quickly moved to the other side of the road to another songthaew where we were able to escape and find our own means of transport.

In our case this was a rickety, very narrow and cramped bus. To get to Surat Thani cost us B20 (39p). After about 30mins on the bus we realised we had NO idea when we were meant to get off, the only reason we didn't end up on the wrong side of the river was a man with good English on the bus told us to stay. It got to the stage where we decided to just get off and see where we were. Due to this bus not having anywhere to put bags, our backpacks were in the main section and had to get past the narrowest bus door I have seen. This was where my bag got stuck. Have to say being stuck unable to even jump off in a country I don't speak the language with the person travelling with me stood on the pavement terrified me. The people on the bus stopped the bus, I got off, and it turned out we were on the right street after all just got off too early and made our way down Taladmai road. We were chased down the street by a dog and that along with the bus incident had done it for me, I had had enough.

Although my first impressions of Surat Thani were terrible, my day and the city picked up once we headed for the night market between Ban Don road and Namuang road next to Tonpor road (marked on the rough guides book). The night market was lit with lanterns down the street and it was here I had my best phat Thai in Thailand, it was amazing. Cost B26 (50p) and was covered in some sort of sweet sauce which was the best part of the dish. There was a stand (higher than most) where you placed your order, with bits of food also on the stand, and then the woman cooking on the side. We were so tempted to buy second helpings as we couldn't get enough. I also got a drink further down the market which was pure sugar- sweets(?) mixed with strawberry syrup and water with ice. It was ridiculously sweet and I struggled to finish.

Day 4- Bangkok

emiliepb — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 23:45:00 GMT

We walked around an hour from our hostel to get our tickets at Hualamphong Station for our departure from Bangkok the day after, this is recommended to do if you take a first or second class coach. Ticket from Bangkok to Chumphon cost B510 (£10) for over a 6 hour train ride in second class. The train station gas reserved seating for monks which I thought was interesting.

Over the past few days we are starting to get the hang of getting tuk tuk drivers to leave us alone. Generally when they pull up next to you or drive alongside a shake of a head is enough to get them to move on however some will continue to shout "where you going?" after you and beep their horns following you. We only had one instance which i became annoyed by the driver for continuing to pursue us. Along our trip to the station we had drivers beep at us pretty frequently and unless they were next to us or in front we pretended we didn't hear.

Arriving in Thailand with a bad cold and struggling with the heat the walk to the station was very difficult for me without a sun hat so we decided to explore a market on our journey home, which was somewhere along Charden Krung (New Road) and Rama IV road. The first section of the market we went round seemed to mainly sell pirated DVDs, sex stuff (never expected to see in a market) and porn. Unfortunately my search for a hat failed and we headed back to our hostel.

I forgot to mention before that by around Day 3 we had learnt that there is some interesting building to see not far from anywhere, near our hostel there was Sao Ching Cha, City Hall. Our hostel was located next to temple supply shops so walking out the hostel onto the street and there were buddhas bigger than us.

As this was our last night in Bangkok we decided to explore as much within a fairly easy distance from our hostel.

We went east to see Wat Rajnadda and Loha Prasat walking next to the old city wall, seeing the Golden Mount again in the distance (beautiful when the suns starting to set, first time we saw it was lit up at night Day 1 on our exploration of the area). We then headed past the Democracy Monument (middle of a roundabout) which we had walked past previously on day 2.

Although we had avoided staying on Khao San road due to it being THE tourist street we felt we needed to visit it before we left. The street was great to visit but filled with tourists and overpriced goods- I bought a sunhat here for B250 (£5) and a bag for B100 (£2) although pound wise that's fine I know I could have got it a lot cheaper in Thailand. We got some phat thai for B30- for egg, meat was more expensive (60p) and was really good food. Everyone on this street seemed to want to sell you a tattoo. I wouldn't want to stay on this street however I enjoyed visiting it and the energy and atmosphere of the street was nice.

We then headed to Phra Sumen Fortress and sat in the park around it facing the river. Sat under a tree we saw an exercise class happening. I was still struggling with the heat and amazed anyone could do exercise in it. The park was a lovely park and it was nice to be able to watch the river.

We had planned on around Day 2 to see a night market and headed to one that was marked on the guide book on Atsadang road. However when we arrived there was very little setup, nothing more than any other street food stands near our hostel, nothing to suggest an actual market. Possibly we had arrived before it opened (we got there around 7) but there was no indication of anything else beginning to happen.

Day 3- Bangkok

emiliepb — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 21:15:00 GMT

OK so this is the 4th time trying to write this and is now Day 5- having issues with all my text being deleted.... (So the font may be different)

We walked over to the Ratanakosin district with the plan to visit the Grand Palace and other temples in the area. However we only saw the Palace from the outside instead visiting Wat Pho temple across the road. The main attraction is the reclining Buddha and according to the guide its the oldest temple in Bangkok. Here we managed to spend around 3 hours visiting the main attraction and exploring areas of the temple. Thai people, guides and monks all have free access however it will cost tourists B100 (£2) at the entrance which comes with a free water coupon. We brought our own 1L bottles and were glad we did as the free water is in a tiny bottle and other drinks are priced higher than 7- Elevens that can be found everywhere. Although the reclining Buddha was amazing to view I preferred exploring around the temple in the courtyards where you can see the beautiful architecture and there are little fountain/ponds dotted around- it was rewarding to find little things rather than following the crowds to the attraction.

At the temple we also experienced the sudden downpour of rain to go with the season we are travelling in. Crowds swarming into the attraction to avoid the heavy rain. We decided to wait it out under a small tree and continue our exploring once the rain died down.

In the evening we walked to the Chinatown district for food on Yaowart road. We joined the lively street in search of food and were quickly whisked onto a table shared with an older Thai man as soon as we chose a food stall. Here we tried our first Thai phat thai for B40 (80p) and it was SPICY. I spent the meal wishing I enjoyed spicy food as it was delicious and gulping down a bottle of water. We on!y explored the top part of the street as we were desperate for food so there might have been more happening down the street. This was one of the most exciting street food areas we saw in Bangkok (with a man adding something to the fire and a huge fireball exploding into the air) and well priced so well worth a visit.

Day 1\2 - Bangkok

emiliepb — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 00:30:00 GMT

Since arriving in Bangkok the main thing we've done is sleep. Jet lag has hit us kinda bad, slept through most of Day 2.

Taxi from the airport cost us B500 (£10) for a 40min ride into the heart of the city- from research this seems to be the expected price. Our driver didn't turn the meter on- which worried us a bit to start with but costt what we expected.

The humidity of the city is unbelievable- step outside the comfort of ac or fans and you can't wait to return.

Our adventures have led us into the streets near our hostel to the nearest 7- Eleven and continuing to landmarks ( such as Soa Ching Cha ) Haven't been around yet to say for certain but seems Bangkok has something impressive not far from anywhere.

We expected things to be cheap over here but we are still amazed how much you can buy at places like 7- Eleven and how little it cost. 2x 1.5L bottles coated us B25 (55p). What we did find were main meals cost more than what we expected but that might have just been a one off- Veggie option if a meat meal B200 (£4- but made half price), meat dish B450 (£9). Considering how cheap the supermarkets are and the cost of the taxi we thought the cost of the meat dish was a little high.

We are leaving quickly there is NO traffic rules, zebra crossings and green mans (if you even get one) mean nothing, motor cyclists drive around with no helmets, everyone is speeding and changing lanes without indicating and also driving in the middle of lanes.