Hey there,
Well, i'm in Koh Tau and so far i have been out for 3 dives. On the third i panicked a bit when i lost my air nozzle and breathed in a lung full of seawater. The instructor got it back for me and managed to calm me down, after that it was the best dive yet. I should be okay getting my padi licence but i'm not sure if i'm going to be the diving type. Todays dive was to 12m, tomorrow we leave at 6:30am and go for two dives at 18m. That is our limit as an open water diver. It's amazing though, and the fish aren't fussed at all about you being there. One of them kept nibbling at a cut on my leg.
I should be okay tomorrow, it was just today i had a real sick belly and was a bit dizzy. I'm glad i went in though, because my tum felt better underwater. I am pretty much okay now, just a bit worn out. I will go for an afternoon nap.
Not sure if you've heard of the social unrest in Bangkok. Don't worry about it, apparently we should be okay and the airport has been re-opened again. The fuss is over ANOTHER corrupt Prime Minister. It's crazy how often they get through them. I think Thailand became a democracy too soon and would be better off a communist country. The one way it will impact us is that the trains are on strike so we will have to go by bus. The bus is shorter but it's uncomfortable. It's going to be a rough journey.
Either way, don't worry about me, i will survive and am safely having a great time.
take care
-Aidan
Koh Tau was pretty much 4 days of being sick and diving... but loving it.
The resort we stayed in was really comfortable and the diving was amazing. Although i messed up a few things (see above) i got to see sooo many cool fish. The water was warm and ridiculously clear.
Hmm, to be honest not much happened. I was sick.
So back to bangkok for one night and spent a great evening with Tanya and Cat. It was sad to see them go, but i will get to visit them in Britain.
Speaking of Britain, i'm heading there next.
Standby please
So, that was my rollercoaster trip through Northern and Southern Thailand. I really recommend going but i wouldn't stay in Bangkok for long. go North AND South they are both very different but both very beautiful. Thailand was also one of the easiest Asian countries to travel through (after Malaysia) so if it's your first trip out.. go there.
I'm going to take a break, and will try to post the next series of posts (regarding the UK) very soon. Maybe even by tomorrow, who knows (not me)
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Monday, 27 October 2008
Going South, in Thailand
We took the night train to Koh Sok National Park in the South, it was pretty good if you didn't mind cockroaches (which i don't) or if you don't enjoy sleeping.
Then a bus trip to the hotel
Nah, it was all good and any problems were made up by the fact that Koh Sok is beautiful. Our hotel/cabins were situated next to a big river and was shadowed by a giant limestone mountain (karst) which are typical of the area.
On the walk from my cabin to the bar i saw a group of 10 monkeys swing in the trees.
Oh i shouldn't forget to mention that i have seen more geckos here than ever and i love it. The clever little things hang out in lamp shades and eat the moths.
That night we went to the local bar and we happened to meet the members from my previous trip up North. We all got sufficiently drunk and probably patted the bar's puppy dog a lot more than was necessary (it was super cute though).
The next morning we all slept in then got up and went for a swim. I love being able to get out of bed and into a river, it's something i will rarely get to do in Britain i think. We all left for the national park and walked for about an hour only to find that the waterfall we hopped to swim in was just a few rapids. We hopped in anyway and i now have a few bruises to prove that fast flowing water is very difficult to swim in.
We headed back in monsoon rain and were greeted at our hotel by a group of about 20 monkeys that were swimming and climbing trees around the river.
We hopped in with them and watched them do a combination of eating, playing and **cough**, well you can probably guess what monkeys get up to. Best part of the swim was a snake happily swimming past my face. I think it was the same one i saw on the trek, so it was venomous. It wasn't fussed though and was more concerned with getting out of the water.
Then a bus trip to the hotel
Nah, it was all good and any problems were made up by the fact that Koh Sok is beautiful. Our hotel/cabins were situated next to a big river and was shadowed by a giant limestone mountain (karst) which are typical of the area.
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| From 8-26-2008 - Koh Sok NP |
On the walk from my cabin to the bar i saw a group of 10 monkeys swing in the trees.
Oh i shouldn't forget to mention that i have seen more geckos here than ever and i love it. The clever little things hang out in lamp shades and eat the moths.
 |
| From 8-25-2008 - Koh Sok NP |
That night we went to the local bar and we happened to meet the members from my previous trip up North. We all got sufficiently drunk and probably patted the bar's puppy dog a lot more than was necessary (it was super cute though).
 |
| From 8-26-2008 - Koh Sok NP |
 |
| From 8-26-2008 - Koh Sok NP |
The next morning we all slept in then got up and went for a swim. I love being able to get out of bed and into a river, it's something i will rarely get to do in Britain i think. We all left for the national park and walked for about an hour only to find that the waterfall we hopped to swim in was just a few rapids. We hopped in anyway and i now have a few bruises to prove that fast flowing water is very difficult to swim in.
 |
| From 8-26-2008 - Koh Sok NP |
We headed back in monsoon rain and were greeted at our hotel by a group of about 20 monkeys that were swimming and climbing trees around the river.
 |
| From 8-26-2008 - Koh Sok NP |
We hopped in with them and watched them do a combination of eating, playing and **cough**, well you can probably guess what monkeys get up to. Best part of the swim was a snake happily swimming past my face. I think it was the same one i saw on the trek, so it was venomous. It wasn't fussed though and was more concerned with getting out of the water.
 |
| From 8-26-2008 - Koh Sok NP |
 |
| From 8-26-2008 - Koh Sok NP |
Back to Bangkok.. sigh
Haha, okay i don't hate bangkok or anything. But it's not the greatest place on earth.
Anyway, we got back and had to say goodbye to half the group after which we said hello to our new half of a group for the southern Trip. It wasn't that bad either because for a little while the two groups will be staying together and heading down south.
But first we had a couple of days in Bangkok. Was a comfort day and we went for a walk through Chinatown.
We quickly decided to leave the crowded chinatown and head to the mall :P
This mall was the biggest i had ever been in. Every nook and cranny had a shops in it. It was mental.
We also had a western lunch. Massive burgers with the biggest steak knife i've ever seen offered in a restaurant.
We also managed to get 6 people in a tuk tuk, seven if you count a driver. It was precarious.
Next day we went for a boat ride through the canals of Bangkok.
Interesting, the river used to be the spot where only the poor lived. But now more and more, rich folk are moving in.
Thought there are few things you have to look out for living by the river.
Catfish
and
Monitor Lizards
As a result a lot of people have spikes on the walls leading up from the river to stop unwanted organisms (probably people more than anything).
After the boat trip i went to a temple nearby. To be honest i wasn't really paying attention so i can't tell you anything about it. I took lots of pics though.
Anyway, we got back and had to say goodbye to half the group after which we said hello to our new half of a group for the southern Trip. It wasn't that bad either because for a little while the two groups will be staying together and heading down south.
But first we had a couple of days in Bangkok. Was a comfort day and we went for a walk through Chinatown.
 |
| From 8-23-2008 - Chinatown |
 |
| From 8-23-2008 - Chinatown |
We quickly decided to leave the crowded chinatown and head to the mall :P
 |
| From 8-24-2008 - Bangkok |
This mall was the biggest i had ever been in. Every nook and cranny had a shops in it. It was mental.
 |
| From 8-23-2008 - Chinatown |
We also had a western lunch. Massive burgers with the biggest steak knife i've ever seen offered in a restaurant.
 |
| From 8-23-2008 - Chinatown |
We also managed to get 6 people in a tuk tuk, seven if you count a driver. It was precarious.
Next day we went for a boat ride through the canals of Bangkok.
 |
| From 8-24-2008 - Bangkok |
Interesting, the river used to be the spot where only the poor lived. But now more and more, rich folk are moving in.
Thought there are few things you have to look out for living by the river.
Catfish
 |
| From 8-24-2008 - Bangkok |
and
Monitor Lizards
 |
| From 8-24-2008 - Bangkok |
As a result a lot of people have spikes on the walls leading up from the river to stop unwanted organisms (probably people more than anything).
After the boat trip i went to a temple nearby. To be honest i wasn't really paying attention so i can't tell you anything about it. I took lots of pics though.
Chiang Mai made me jump off a crane
ChianFirst day in Chiang Mai and the plan today was to Bungie Jump.
The bravest of the group, Olga, Cat, Brad, Tim and Myself got on the truck to surrounding jungle and looked up at the 50m crane we were going to bungie off.
Okay, i'm not the best on heights so needless to say i was shit scared about jumping off the crane. As you can see.
But with some encouragement from watching Brad jump first i got over to the crane, was tied up and taken up.
I wish i could have taken a picture from the top, it really was fantastic. You could see dark clouds in the high hills in the horizon and see the thousands of palm trees below.
But i didn't have time to admire the surroundings, and that's not what i was there for.
3
2
1
Are you ready?
No, not yet.
Then i started getting that horrible feeling in my gut and i knew if i didn't jump i wasn't ever going to be able to do it. So i jumped.
You get this crazy feeling that can only be described as "oh shit, i'm going to die, i'm going to die!". Then you bounce up, tense up and experience zero gravity. It was really fun, but also kind of uncomfortable hanging upside down. Oh and i didn't half crap my pants when i felt the roap slip a little. Though it was natural for it to do that and i wasn't in danger.
For my troubles, i got a certificate and t-shirt and then a stiff drink with the rest.
On the way back we experienced what i think was the first monsoon rain of our trip. Man, does that rain come down. It's no wonder Thailand can suffer from flash floods. It was sunny before, what happened?
That evening we went out drinking at an open air jamaican club in Chiang Mai (apparently the Thai people love Bob Marley, the whole rastafarian culture gels really well with them). Hmm, to be honest i can't actually remember what we did the next day. That's a worry. Ahh, i do remember we left for our 3 day trek into the jungle.
More pics:
The bravest of the group, Olga, Cat, Brad, Tim and Myself got on the truck to surrounding jungle and looked up at the 50m crane we were going to bungie off.
 |
| From 8-18-2008 - Bungie Jumping |
 |
| From 8-18-2008 - Bungie Jumping |
Okay, i'm not the best on heights so needless to say i was shit scared about jumping off the crane. As you can see.
 |
| From 8-18-2008 - Bungie Jumping |
I wish i could have taken a picture from the top, it really was fantastic. You could see dark clouds in the high hills in the horizon and see the thousands of palm trees below.
But i didn't have time to admire the surroundings, and that's not what i was there for.
3
2
1
Are you ready?
No, not yet.
Then i started getting that horrible feeling in my gut and i knew if i didn't jump i wasn't ever going to be able to do it. So i jumped.
You get this crazy feeling that can only be described as "oh shit, i'm going to die, i'm going to die!". Then you bounce up, tense up and experience zero gravity. It was really fun, but also kind of uncomfortable hanging upside down. Oh and i didn't half crap my pants when i felt the roap slip a little. Though it was natural for it to do that and i wasn't in danger.
For my troubles, i got a certificate and t-shirt and then a stiff drink with the rest.
 |
| From 8-18-2008 - Bungie Jumping |
On the way back we experienced what i think was the first monsoon rain of our trip. Man, does that rain come down. It's no wonder Thailand can suffer from flash floods. It was sunny before, what happened?
 |
| From 8-18-2008 - Bungie Jumping |
That evening we went out drinking at an open air jamaican club in Chiang Mai (apparently the Thai people love Bob Marley, the whole rastafarian culture gels really well with them). Hmm, to be honest i can't actually remember what we did the next day. That's a worry. Ahh, i do remember we left for our 3 day trek into the jungle.
More pics:
On the second day, Bhudha relaxed
Well, it turns out that most of the people on my tour were hungover. But for those that weren't we were on our way to a boat ride to the Royal Temple.
But before the Royal Temple we stopped in to see our old friend the Great Reclining Bhudha. It's fantastic, and although not the biggest Bhudhas i've ever seen it is probably the most beautiful.
Even the feet are carved in with encryptions, of which i am sure each have important meaning.
Nextdoor to the temple housing the reclining bhudha was another overlooked series of temples that were made from parts of Chinese Vases that were damaged on their way from China. They thought that they were so nice that they needed to be preserved, so part of the temple they became.
Next up we headed across the road to the Royal Palace. We were told again that the temple was closed and that we should get on a tuk tuk but i knew better. Okay i might have said to everyone that there is a possibility that the temple would be closed and that "that guy had no reason to lie to us"... but yeah.. I DID figure it out when i saw the Palace was well open.
The palace itself was pretty cool, and big.
But the best parts were the golden temples nearby. They were so ornate. Each one is covered in gold and delicate pieces of mirror. The phrase "Tone it down" doesn't occur in Thailand apparently.
That night we got on the sleeper train.. next stop: Chiang Mai
Here are some more pics from Day 2.
 |
| From 8-17-2008 - Bangkok |
 |
| From 8-17-2008 - Bangkok |
Even the feet are carved in with encryptions, of which i am sure each have important meaning.
Nextdoor to the temple housing the reclining bhudha was another overlooked series of temples that were made from parts of Chinese Vases that were damaged on their way from China. They thought that they were so nice that they needed to be preserved, so part of the temple they became.
 |
| From 8-17-2008 - Bangkok |
Next up we headed across the road to the Royal Palace. We were told again that the temple was closed and that we should get on a tuk tuk but i knew better. Okay i might have said to everyone that there is a possibility that the temple would be closed and that "that guy had no reason to lie to us"... but yeah.. I DID figure it out when i saw the Palace was well open.
The palace itself was pretty cool, and big.
 |
| From 8-17-2008 - Bangkok |
But the best parts were the golden temples nearby. They were so ornate. Each one is covered in gold and delicate pieces of mirror. The phrase "Tone it down" doesn't occur in Thailand apparently.
 |
| From 8-17-2008 - Bangkok |
That night we got on the sleeper train.. next stop: Chiang Mai
Here are some more pics from Day 2.
One night in Bangkok and the world's your... mediocre
Okay, so after an easy Taxi ride into my hotel and a good sleep I was ready to start my day in the stinking hot bangkok. I do mean Stinking coz no offence to Bangkok or anything but dude you smell.
I went for a big walk around town and was amazed how much like China Bangkok is. Except for the rivers, they are everywhere.
I looked at my map and thought about going to the Golden Mount, a man made hill in the middle of bangkok that has a solid gold idol in the middle of it.
The view from the top was a really good one of Bangkok but you know, not that impressive. There's really not much going on.
After that i headed to the Royal Palace, only to be told that it was closed and that i should get on a tuk tuk to go to see other things. Yeah i was scammed into going for a tuk tuk ride all across town. At first i was pissed off until the tuk tuk driver told me that he gets a petrol voucher for every customer he takes around. So i came to an agreement, i go to various stores and he takes me to the sites in between. It worked out well and i saw heaps of Bangkok. Oh yeah, and if you ever go to Bangkok don't buy jewellery it's all a scam.
On my tuk tuk ride around i saw the Standing bhudha, The National Museum and my favourite temple in Bangkok, the Marble Temple.
It was quiet, understated and littered with bhudha statues all exhibiting the various attitudes (poses) of Bhudha, i still remember them a lot to this day. Really cool.
That evening i met the tour group i would be spending the first half of my trip (up North) with. Everyone was really cool, and British. Started the night by going for a quick meal, in which i found out that British people generally don't like spicy food, and then a great night out with lady boys.
Okay, so down below is a little slideshow of my pics from that day. You can either view them there or click on them at go at your own pace. They are saved to my picasa webalbum, in much bigger formats than displayed below. Go on, i dare ya.
I went for a big walk around town and was amazed how much like China Bangkok is. Except for the rivers, they are everywhere.
 |
| From 8-16-2008 - Bangkok |
I looked at my map and thought about going to the Golden Mount, a man made hill in the middle of bangkok that has a solid gold idol in the middle of it.
 |
| From 8-16-2008 - Bangkok |
The view from the top was a really good one of Bangkok but you know, not that impressive. There's really not much going on.
 |
| From 8-16-2008 - Bangkok |
After that i headed to the Royal Palace, only to be told that it was closed and that i should get on a tuk tuk to go to see other things. Yeah i was scammed into going for a tuk tuk ride all across town. At first i was pissed off until the tuk tuk driver told me that he gets a petrol voucher for every customer he takes around. So i came to an agreement, i go to various stores and he takes me to the sites in between. It worked out well and i saw heaps of Bangkok. Oh yeah, and if you ever go to Bangkok don't buy jewellery it's all a scam.
On my tuk tuk ride around i saw the Standing bhudha, The National Museum and my favourite temple in Bangkok, the Marble Temple.
 |
| From 8-16-2008 - Bangkok |
It was quiet, understated and littered with bhudha statues all exhibiting the various attitudes (poses) of Bhudha, i still remember them a lot to this day. Really cool.
 |
| From 8-16-2008 - Bangkok |
That evening i met the tour group i would be spending the first half of my trip (up North) with. Everyone was really cool, and British. Started the night by going for a quick meal, in which i found out that British people generally don't like spicy food, and then a great night out with lady boys.
Okay, so down below is a little slideshow of my pics from that day. You can either view them there or click on them at go at your own pace. They are saved to my picasa webalbum, in much bigger formats than displayed below. Go on, i dare ya.
Taking off and leaving New Zealand, goodbye stinktown
Okay here's the first of what will hopefully be of many retrospective blog posts documenting my trip to the U.K.
Well, it started at the airport and saying goodbye to my best friend Ed, my flatmate Berit and my Aunty Isabel and Uncle Robert who all came to say goodbye.
According to flight restrictions i am allowed only 20kgs of total luggage and 7.5kgs of carry on. Turns out i had about 28kgs of luggage and 15kgs of carry on. The carry on was fine because they weren't going to catch me with it until i was already through the departure gates. But in a mad panic i had to get rid of a lot of stuff i thought was essential. Warm clothes for a start (which i now regret being in the UK). That kind of sucked but once i was through the gates i then got caught by security and was told to weigh my bag.
"Are you aware that your are only allowed 7.5kg's sir? What is your flight number? Do you have any electronic equipment?"
Wait? What, yeah? Most of my carry on weight is in electronics.
"okay that's fine sir, carry on".
And that was it.
Wow, who would have thought that electronics don't actually count as carry on luggage? Not me. But worked out quite well.
The flight to Bangkok was 12 hours and actually pretty good. The plane was half full so each of us had 3 seats to ourselves. Sweeeeet.
Got to Thailand in good time and thus starts the first day of my Trip.
Well, it started at the airport and saying goodbye to my best friend Ed, my flatmate Berit and my Aunty Isabel and Uncle Robert who all came to say goodbye.
According to flight restrictions i am allowed only 20kgs of total luggage and 7.5kgs of carry on. Turns out i had about 28kgs of luggage and 15kgs of carry on. The carry on was fine because they weren't going to catch me with it until i was already through the departure gates. But in a mad panic i had to get rid of a lot of stuff i thought was essential. Warm clothes for a start (which i now regret being in the UK). That kind of sucked but once i was through the gates i then got caught by security and was told to weigh my bag.
"Are you aware that your are only allowed 7.5kg's sir? What is your flight number? Do you have any electronic equipment?"
Wait? What, yeah? Most of my carry on weight is in electronics.
"okay that's fine sir, carry on".
And that was it.
Wow, who would have thought that electronics don't actually count as carry on luggage? Not me. But worked out quite well.
Got to Thailand in good time and thus starts the first day of my Trip.
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