The "real" experience

I guess you haven't lived the true backpacking experience until you have lugged your backpacks and boarded a packed mini bus for $4 dollars, traveled 3 hours around the bay in sweltering conditions, just to get to your next destination.  We had debated taking the boat across the bay. This for sure word have been the cooler and more spacious option, but because it involved a connection in Phi Phi island, we would have been traveling for twice as long (if not more). We decided to man up and take the bus so that we can get there quicker and start enjoying Krabi and all it has to offer.

These buses probably weren't truly designed to sit 12 people, let alone when half of the load are westerners. If you were to take a positive out of this ride, it would be the 6 lbs of sweat you probably lost during the journey. We get to Krabi town, jump in a taxi with our next stop being Ao nang beach. Fantastic

We get to Krabi and check into our 8th hotel this trip. We are actually staying down at Ao nang beach, which is just picture perfect. The hotel was on par with what we seemed to have opted for on this "back packing" trip. It's a beautiful resort spa. Clean, classy and close to everything. Once again we lucked out.

The first night we headed over to the coconut bar, which is just opposite the hotel. Time to relax, book some trips for the next day and then its dinner.

The trip we booked was to tour the islands of phi phi don, phi phi leh and bamboo island. Maya bay, which is on phi phi leh, was made famous by the movie "the beach". I knew what we were getting into, but we had come this far, so it had to be ticked off the list. I just knew it would be crazy busy with tourists ..... and we weren't wrong. The boat stopped long enough to jumped off into the crowds, snap a few photos, then go in hunt of something a little more fitting. It was fun to see Maya bay, but we saw beaches that are on a different level totally. The last beach we ended up at was Monkey Bay. It was relativity quiet ..... apart from the local monkeys that seemed to come down from the jungle during the day to play and beg / steal food from the tourists. The beach / bay itself was straight out of a postcard. Great way to end the day.

That night we decided that being on the beach and seeing all these fishing boats come in, seafood was the only way to go. We settled down for some maxing food on the beach whilst we watched the sun set. Great end to a great day ........ until I woke up sick at 3am hat was.

At first we thought it had to be something I had eaten, but we had shared everything that night and it was only me that was sick. We worked out that this little white boy was no match for the brutal Thai sun, and more than likely I had mild sun stroke to go with my lobster red tan. The price to pay for being out on the boat all day and getting so carried away that I only put sun cream on once that morning.

I was rough all the next day, which worked out well really, because all I could handle was hiding in the shade by the pool and catching up on some sleep. We were leaving in the morning, so there wasn't big partying planned anyway.

The next morning we start our two day journey back to the states. It's been a lot of fun ........ and it's been so jammed packed....... so much so that I need a vacation from this vacation ......... where to next I wonder?

Much needed R & R

So after two weeks and having covered 1000's of miles by either air, land or sea, we finally got to put our feet up. The taxi took us from the scuba boat to Kata beach, which is the south end of Phuket island. We checked into possibly the nicest hotel I have ever had the pleasure to stay in. The grand suite consisted of over 1100 sq feet, two bathroom, living room, jacuzzi, kitchen and a dining room ...... it was just what we needed after living on the boat in those cramped, albeit comfortable, conditions.

We arrived and took up our position on the loungers over looking to the pool, ordered two bottles of red wine, and some food from room service, and started our wind down, which we will continue for the next week. Sadly we could only get one night in this ultimate luxury, as the hotel was fully booked, and we have been booking as we go because we dint really have a set plan.

The next morning we moved on to the village resort and spa, 10 minutes up the road at Karon beach. We were not disappointed. We checked into our bungalow at this spa resort and then headed out to explore the beach town. The beach is amazing. It just doesn't get much better that the limestone cliffs, green mountain back drop and the aqua water. We soaked up the atmosphere whilst chilling with some tasty delights and a glass or three of ice cold white wine. Just what we needed to cool us down from the 100 degree midday heat.

The next three days were a mix of zipping around on our scooter, chilling in the sun, a little shopping and a trip to the resort spa for Rachel. It was great to unpack and unwind. After what felt like a very quick three days, we again packed our stuff up, checked out and headed to the bus terminal. We Ao nang (Krabi) bound for some real beach / island action. This is to be our last stop where we will spend the next 4 days, before we head back to Bangkok, and then home.

Everyone has seen the pictures of these beaches (the movie "The Beach", along with several James Bond films were even filmed down here), so now it's time to see if they are equally amazing in real life. We shall find out soon enough.

Paradise to hell ..... and back

We got picked up early Thursday morning by our driver, who then took us 2 hours north to Khao Lak. Here we met up with the dive shop, go over our briefing and then jump on a high powered speedboat out to the liveaboard, which is based out at the Similian Islands. We weren't sure what to expect of the boat, but I'm pleased to say we were suitably impressed. It was a three level boat with a sun deck, living deck and scuba / equipment deck. It had a well organized galley, decent eating area and a friendly multinational crew ........ oh, and not forgetting the good food and cold beer.

We complete two dives on day one. We opted to skip the third dive in place of relaxing with a cold beer and catch some rays. This place looks like it has come straight out of the tropical getaway magazine. Uninhabited islands, huge rock formed coast lines and scattered white beaches surrounded by aqua waters.

The two dives we did were both in excess of 45 minutes each, so we were pretty exhausted anyway and ready to put our feet up and sucked down a few cold ones. That night we both slept like babies in our little cabin. It might have been basic, but it had all we needed ...... a bed. It's been a very different valentines day, which is perfect, because who really likes normal anyway :-)

 Up at 6.30 the next morning for breakfast, a beautiful sunrise over the islands, and then our first dive at 7am. No better way to wake up than a 70 feet dive in a nice cool ocean. A day of diving, eating and sleeping commenced ......... our objective was met.

 The speedboat ride out to the Similan islands was just as you expect. Blue skies, smooth ocean and 90 mins of fun cruising across the ocean. The ride back to the mainland could not have been more opposite. I could see/feel/smell the rain coming, but to be honest I just thought it would be a little passing drizzle to clear the skies. Boy was I wrong. About 30 minutes into the ride to shore, we started to feel a little rain. No real cause for concern you say. Then we hit it like a brick wall. The wind and rain came like nothing I have seen before (and I've seen some storms). The once flat ocean looked like a scene out of deadliest catch. The 10 foot swells and rouge waves crashing from the side, were both slowing the boat down, and tossing us around like rubber ducks in a jacuzzi. Then I saw the driver, who was usually in a vest and shades, had swapped his normal summer attire for a poncho and crash helmet. No kidding, the guy had a crash helmet on. When the life jackets were distributed amongst the passengers, I thought this has all become very real. Another rouge wave crashes the side of the boat and that fear of getting thrown into the washing machine of an ocean dawns on you. I even started to think of a plan should the boat go over, but you cant see more than 10 feet from the boat, so the plan didnt consist of much more than get clear of the boat, try to stay afloat and hope help comes. As everyone was crouched on the floor, I looked round and saw some pretty scared faces. There really was nothing more to do than just hope that the captain gets you through.

Slowly we came out of the storm, and its just another episode that gets added to your list of life's crazy stories. After the fact, II learn from the dive master that in his 18 years of diving and being on the ocean, he has never been in a worse storm than that. He also told me that his biggest fear was hitting another boat at high speed. The driver had ZERO visibility, yet could not slow down totally or we risk being flipped by a wave.

We made it back, and are heading to Kata beach to a gorgeous hotel were we will celebrate with a drink or 5. They say you have to stare death in the face to truly appreciate life ....... and that, in my opinion, was as close as I dare get.

Beach bound

Tuesday night we met up with an old friend of mine who moved to Thailand about 7 years ago. Ironically we pick "johns place", which was a typical expat hangout. Very apt. I knew we might have a few beers and catch up on the time that has passed, but I wasn't prepared for the session that was to follow. It was my first, and hopefully my last, major hangover of the trip. It was great fun, but I'm not sure Lorna (Tonys wife) is going to let him out with me again anytime soon.

Wednesday morning was like the rise of the living dead. Rachel even went to breakfast solo, so the fact that I missed a meal will give you some idea of how bad I was. Eventually I got out of bed, then it was packing the bags, saying goodbye to chiang mai and off to the airport ........ Phuket bound. We landed on the beach island of Phuket about 3pm. We were dreaming of coconut filled drinks with fancy umbrellas, sun, sand and scuba........ as if it was going to be that easy. Me and Rachel agreed, the next 90 minutes were probably the worst 90 minutes of our life. Out of the hundreds of taxi drivers at the airport, we picked the one that was either high on meth, mentally ill or very possibly both. I can't even put it into words, because however well I describe it .......... it was a hundred times worse in real time.

The first 30 seconds of the journey was fine, then came the cat noises, constant jumping in the seat, punching the steering wheel, screaming to himself, almost getting in a wreck, picking the sores on his face, blaring techno music like we were in a rave, and lots more . What made things worse was that the traffic was awful, and we were stuck with a guy that I didn't want to be within 3 feet of. It was so bad, that I diverted him to the nearest town (patong), just so we could get out ....... have a beer, then once we had collected ourselves mentally, find a sane taxi to take us the rest of the way. We paid up front ....... but he can keep it, we just wanted out.

 We arrive at Kata beach about 6.30pm. After arriving in the party town of Patong, it felt like a couples paradise. Intimate fresh seafood restaurants (with their fresh seafood displayed out the front on ice) lined the main high street. It was seconds from the beach and was a relaxing change from the two busy cities we have visited before. Once we had erased the taxi drive from our brains, we could start concentrating on our objective. Eat, drink, scuba and relax ....... this looked like the perfect place.

 We walked the street market, haggled a few random local purchases, then settled down for an early valentines lobster dinner like no other. We are due to get picked up at 5.45 in the morning to head to our liveaboard boat that will be our home for the next few days. Dive, eat, sleep and repeat is the boats motto .......... sounds perfect......... providing we don't need to take a taxi there. I'm allergic to Thai taxis.

An unforgettable experience

After seeing the way the elephants were treated the other day by their mahouts (trainers), we decided we wanted nothing to do with any elephant camps that mistreat these animals, and just work them to death for the sake of tourism. We searched for something a little different, and came across the elephant nature park. This place is amazing. It's an elephant sanctuary that was started by one woman (Lek), with the idea of firstly rescuing elephants that were being mistreated, or severely injured (a lot of times by owner abuse), and secondly, educating people about what really goes on with these animals in Thailand.

Some of it was sad to see / hear, like the story of an elephant called "Hope", that refused to work after it gave birth, and her baby fell down the mountain and died. The owner then fired a sling shot into her eye, which blinded her. She still refused to work, so he stabbed her in the other eye with an arrow, blinding her totally. Lek rescued her, along with many other elephants with similar stories, and that is how the sanctuary started. We got to feed them, bath them in the river, spend the day with them up close, and basically just hang out with them. No fences, no chains, no hooks ....... just you, the elephants, lots of mud, and a bucket of fruit.

It really was a once in a lifetime opportunity. They weren't aggressive at all. lets face it, if they wanted to, they could have just swatted us with their powerful trunks pretty easily.

Easy rider Thai style

So this morning we decided that we should rent a motor bike, head into the mountains, and basically enjoy a day totally on our own schedule. What we forgot to add into that plan was a map that covered a larger area than the one we had (which for all purposes was as useful as a chocolate fire guard for a long distance motorbike trip). Who cares anyway...... maps are over rated.

We battled the roads of Chiangmai on our 400cc honda phantom, and made it out of the city in one piece. We knew that the tiger kingdom was to the north, so that's the direction we were heading. Once out of the town it was great to unbutton the shirt and just ride into the mountains, although I realized real quick that sun cream would have been a nice addition.

 I normally don't do animals in captivity, but tiger kingdom is actually a place were they have a breeding program for tigers that otherwise probably wouldn't make it in the wild. There are something like 35 tigers here, which when you consider there are only a total of 700(ish) in the wild, it's a pretty high percentage. Because many of them are born in captivity they are very tame towards humans, this means that against all my natural instincts you get in the animal enclosure with these guys. The cubs were fun and rolling around playing with you, but luckily the larger cats didn't really want to play ....... I'm fine with that. It's was actually a really cool experience, and I'm glad we took the opportunity to see these guys up close and personal. If you are ever in Chiangmai Mai, check this place out.

 After playing around with tigger and co, we jumped back on the bike and carried on heading north. We weren't really heading anywhere specific, we were just enjoying the winding mountain roads, great sunny weather and the amazing scenery. It wasn't until we were getting low on gas, hadn't seen any other tourist (or towns) for a while and couldn't read any of the roads signs at the t junction, that we started to think about how we might get back to town. Luckily we found this little old policeman and his dog, in his little hut at the side of the road. Once he had stopped starring at Rachel, we used our best sign language to help get directions to Chiangmai. He had a helpful map, which I'm sure he was amazed we weren't already in possession of, and then we were back on track. 50 miles later we were rocking into Chiangmai ..... albeit a little sore and supporting a red farmers tan. It might not have been the relaxing day we were after ...... but it was a fun day non the less.

Sundays are for rest, vacations are for experiences!

After landing in Chiang Mai and getting our bearings, we booked ourselves on several fun expeditions to keep us busy over the next few days. This city feels a lot more like what I expected from Thailand, friendly, inviting, fun and traditional.......... and a little chaotic.

We landed, checked in and headed straight to a Thai cooking class we had booked for that evening. There's just something refreshing about hitting up the local market and not having a clue what 75% of the items are ...... these are the same items you're about to cook a 4 course meal with. After the market we headed back to the guides' house for our lesson in traditional Thai cooking. After plenty of chili, coconut, random items I can't spell, and the occasional pan fire ..... we are now both ready to throw down a dinner party Thai style, that His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyade would be proud of. 




 We woke early the next morning for our adventure trek into the jungle. This was to include the elephant camp, jungle trekking to a waterfall, visiting the long neck tribe in the mountains, white water rafting, and then finishing up, half dead and exhausted, getting paddled the rest of the way down the river on a bambo raft. What they forgot to mention to us when we booked it, is that there will be 11 of us "riding Mexican" in the back of a pick up truck for 90 minutes to get there. The day started early with breakfast at 7.30, then was the surprise of the pick up truck. At first there were the two of us, then we picked up two more, and two more ..... you get the picture.

After about 90 minutes we arrive at the elephant camp. People started to get on the elephants to head back down the mountain. After seeing the appalling treatment (and use of hooks to control these amazingly friendly creatures), we actually declined the rides and took the truck back down to wait for the others (we looked like tree hugging hippies, but there was just no way we were going to be part of that). Whilst down there we stocked up on raw sugar cane and bananas from the locals, and fed the gang of exhausted and over worked elephants when they rocked up with all the others.

 Then it was on to the jungle trek. By now it's 90 degrees and the humidity was getting to sauna levels. We were told it was a 2 mile jungle trek, but again the language barrier proved to be a problem, and that turned out to be 2 miles each way...... and let me tell you it was no walk in the park..... it was most definitely a walk in the jungle.

 

 The rafting was as you would expect. 6 novice tourist that had to be told which end of the paddle goes in the water, beasted by a drill sargent that was our raft captain for an hour. There were easy times, fun times, exhausting times and then times where you actually thought you might not make it out. The main thing is that there were smiles the whole time, and I'm writing this, so we made it out of our sticky situations.

 If we though the pick up truck was bad in the morning, after that day it was dam right torture going home. Who cares though ...... this was what we signed up for.

 Chiangmai really is an amazing place. You will hate it if your idea of a vacation involves laying by the pool day after day repeating the same drink, eat, sleep pattern ..... but if you want outdoors adventure, experiencing a different culture, and just a dam good time ...... put Chiangmai on you bucket list, you won't regret it. Tomorrow we plan to rest ....... or that was our plan anyway.

Bangkok or not?

We arrive in Bangkok at 3am. Our sleep pattern up to this point has been erratic at best, so we decided to head to the hotel, check in, shower and head out to see what this city is all about. What we notice first of was this truly is a city that never sleeps. As we head down the street in the direction we "think" we should be heading (towards the old city / backpacking district), we are pretty much stepping over the people from the night before. The rush hour traffic is building up around them, and it feels like any other major asian city at this time. Not really what we were expecting, but then I'm not sure what we were expecting? The food street vendors we were passing weren't really serving anything we could recognize be sight or smell, so although the locals are lining up to get some of these culinary delights...... we decided to skip it.

 We gave up dealing with the chaos and opted to jump in a taxi and let the guy overcharge the two obviously lost tourists. We make it to the old city (back packing area), find a coffee shop, and although its 7am at this point ....... I opted for a beer (although Rachel wisely took a coffee), then another, and another ....... and all of a sudden the city was a lot easier to deal with :-)

 Rachel persuaded me to take a pedicure (maybe because of the beer, maybe because of the jet lag, but I said yes). Not something I have ever done before, but considering I'm asking her to undertake several "firsts" on this trip ..... I could hardly say no. I was actually pleasantly surprised.,

After we took care of the pampering we then dealt with the city. The tut tut tour was fun, although I feel it would have been more fun without the exhaust fumes and traffic jams that would make Houston look rural. Considering our 34 hour + journey here, I knew it was going to be a short day. We tried to fight it, but after the touring, some amazing food, a few drinks in a bar full of middle aged white men and 20 something year old Thai girls, and an accidental stroll through the market street full of sex toys and Viagra (we realized we were in the red light district by mistake) ....... we decided that a 12 hour sleep is what was needed seeing as in the morning we were up at 5 to head to the airport ....... Ching Mai bound.