We have spent the last two nights on Koh Tao; a beautiful island off the coast of Thailand. Koh Tao means turtle island and it is famed for its beautiful beaches and dive sites around the island. It has the best beaches we've seen so far. We rented scooters for $5 per day and explored the island. One beach became a favorite due to its idyllic views, beautiful water, and a cliffside restaurant with delicious food and cold fruit shakes. We could have spent the entire day looking out from the restaurant except for the uncomfortable chairs.
At first our plan was to do a five day long dive course to get an open water dive certificate. It then changed to do a one day intro to diving course. Then we went snorkelling and saw so much that we decided we didn't need to dive at all. I could not figure out why I had never been snorkelling before until I realized that I wouldn't have been able to see anything due to murky water. Nevertheless we are moving on and I may have discovered a new hobby.
We are now sitting in a coffee shop waiting for a boat to leave the island. When we get back to the mainland we will find another place to sit and wait for our train. We will be taking the overnight train to Hat Yai. In Hat Yai will will be taking a minivan to a port where we will be taking a boat Langkawi Island in Malaysia. All we need to do is take a plane and we will have a complete transportation experience.
We are excited for Malaysia and intend to spend 10-12 days there. It is generally off the usual tourist path and there are many beautiful things to explore.
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Friday, April 26, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Safe and sound with friends around
We are back in Bangkok after a day of traveling; another unpleasant speeding cramped minivan. We met our friends Matt and Elaina at the airport which was a surprise we are thankful worked out. We did not arrive back at our hostel until 2am. We went to bed and an hour or so later we were awakened by a massive thunderstorm above the city but it soon went away.
Today we have been taking it slow, chatting, eating (we love pad thai), and planning our trip. We have made some needed purchases and are ready to move on. Tomorrow we will try our luck with Thai trains. We are heading far south with a final destination being A little island called Koh Toa. It is supposed to be surrounded by a great reef and is the perfect spot for diving which we are all hoping to do a little of.
We are very excited for this next phase in our trip. Travelling with friends is already a welcome change. We have also begun to count down the weeks until our return instead of the weeks we have been away. This was a sneaky transition but we are okay with it. Time is only a measurement but it is not the most important measurement that we have.
Today we have been taking it slow, chatting, eating (we love pad thai), and planning our trip. We have made some needed purchases and are ready to move on. Tomorrow we will try our luck with Thai trains. We are heading far south with a final destination being A little island called Koh Toa. It is supposed to be surrounded by a great reef and is the perfect spot for diving which we are all hoping to do a little of.
We are very excited for this next phase in our trip. Travelling with friends is already a welcome change. We have also begun to count down the weeks until our return instead of the weeks we have been away. This was a sneaky transition but we are okay with it. Time is only a measurement but it is not the most important measurement that we have.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Photo Update
I have noticed that Erik hasn't been posting photos. If you are anything like me photos hold your attention longer than words. And if you aren't like me, then I hope you still enjoy photos. In any case, a good balance of both is generally appreciated. I do not have Erik's gift of words so I will briefly share what each photo is of.
This first photo is from our trek in Chiang Mai, Thailand (see original post here). Erik was enjoying a shower in an extremely cold waterfall.
This next photo is from Luang Prabang in Laos. I actually have nothing to say about it.
And here we have the only temple we visited in Luang Prabang. It was incredibly beautiful with intricate paintings on all the walls. We were told it is the only temple like this and that the paintings were covered up for a long while before being rediscovered in the recent past.
This photo was taken in Muang Noi, Laos. Erik was playing cards with a few girls who invited themselves over to our bungalow. The game consisted of picking an arbitrary number of cards and placing them in a pile. I think the key to the game was to giggle uncontrollably while placing said cards on the pile.
We just spent a week in Siem Reap. We meant to stay for three or four days, but we were enjoying ourselves so we decided to extend the visit. To put it simply, we found excellent food and wanted to keep eating it. We spent three days visiting the temples in the area. They were big and beautiful! We attempted to bike the first day, but only made it as far as Ankgor Wat (about five km from our hostel) before we decided that was enough exercise. It was HOT! We took a tuk tuk the next two days and it was still hot and exhausting, but we didn't have to pedal ourselves around so it was much more enjoyable. All that to show you this next photo. I sadly can't even tell you which temple this was at, they have all become a bit of a blur.
These were a couple monkeys that entertained us while we were taking a snack break at Angkor Wat.
And another temple I cannot name. It may be Pre Rup, or something of the sort. Forgive me, but we saw so many and there weren't any signs to tell us which we were at. I do remember that this one has elephant statues at each of the four corners and there were so many stairs to climb.
We saw this little lady at Ta Phrom. She was playing around the ruins while her mother swept and worked. I have been missing the presence of children in my life so I enjoyed watching her scamper around without a care in the world. She was very sweet.
And that, dear friends, is all for now.
This first photo is from our trek in Chiang Mai, Thailand (see original post here). Erik was enjoying a shower in an extremely cold waterfall.
This next photo is from Luang Prabang in Laos. I actually have nothing to say about it.
And here we have the only temple we visited in Luang Prabang. It was incredibly beautiful with intricate paintings on all the walls. We were told it is the only temple like this and that the paintings were covered up for a long while before being rediscovered in the recent past.
This photo was taken in Muang Noi, Laos. Erik was playing cards with a few girls who invited themselves over to our bungalow. The game consisted of picking an arbitrary number of cards and placing them in a pile. I think the key to the game was to giggle uncontrollably while placing said cards on the pile.
We just spent a week in Siem Reap. We meant to stay for three or four days, but we were enjoying ourselves so we decided to extend the visit. To put it simply, we found excellent food and wanted to keep eating it. We spent three days visiting the temples in the area. They were big and beautiful! We attempted to bike the first day, but only made it as far as Ankgor Wat (about five km from our hostel) before we decided that was enough exercise. It was HOT! We took a tuk tuk the next two days and it was still hot and exhausting, but we didn't have to pedal ourselves around so it was much more enjoyable. All that to show you this next photo. I sadly can't even tell you which temple this was at, they have all become a bit of a blur.
These were a couple monkeys that entertained us while we were taking a snack break at Angkor Wat.
And another temple I cannot name. It may be Pre Rup, or something of the sort. Forgive me, but we saw so many and there weren't any signs to tell us which we were at. I do remember that this one has elephant statues at each of the four corners and there were so many stairs to climb.
We saw this little lady at Ta Phrom. She was playing around the ruins while her mother swept and worked. I have been missing the presence of children in my life so I enjoyed watching her scamper around without a care in the world. She was very sweet.
And that, dear friends, is all for now.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
The river
We have decided. We will float down the Mekong river by slow boat. It will take two days boating for seven hours each day. We will arrive in Luang Prabang on March 19. Luang Prabang is supposed to be a city still in the old ways of life. There is supposed to be a Hmong market and beautiful architecture.
After Luang Prabang we will attempt to go northwest to a smaller, less travelled sort of town. We will see how it works out. Laos has much less infrastructure than Thailand which may make it difficult to travel through. Never try, never know the proverb goes.
See you in a few days.
After Luang Prabang we will attempt to go northwest to a smaller, less travelled sort of town. We will see how it works out. Laos has much less infrastructure than Thailand which may make it difficult to travel through. Never try, never know the proverb goes.
See you in a few days.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Chiang Kong
We traveled yesterday by bus to a border town called Chiang Kong. We are becoming lazy or maybe more comfortable with travelling as we didn't even look at places to stay before we arrived. Maybe it is just how well Thailand is set up for tourists but there was a hostel owner and his partner waiting for people at the bus stop. The rooms were a reasonable 200 baht ($8) per night and they are the most comfortable we've had so far. We are also ideally located on the Mekong river enjoying a beautiful morning. I really like it here and could probably stay for a while longer except that Laos is calling.
I hate getting off the bus. The bus ride is always so peaceful with the landscape moving by the windows. It's a protective shield from decision making. We know where we are going and it is someone else's responsibility to get us there. Getting off the bus is a little bit like being born I would imagine. It is a new and unfamiliar place, I often feel like crying, there are a lot of things going on that I don't understand, and people have expectations of me again. I've never been able to relate to a newborn so much.
Tomorrow we will be heading to Laos and we will be deciding today whether we float down the Mekong river to Luang Prabang or go to the less touristy northern part of Laos first. Decisions decisions.
I hate getting off the bus. The bus ride is always so peaceful with the landscape moving by the windows. It's a protective shield from decision making. We know where we are going and it is someone else's responsibility to get us there. Getting off the bus is a little bit like being born I would imagine. It is a new and unfamiliar place, I often feel like crying, there are a lot of things going on that I don't understand, and people have expectations of me again. I've never been able to relate to a newborn so much.
Tomorrow we will be heading to Laos and we will be deciding today whether we float down the Mekong river to Luang Prabang or go to the less touristy northern part of Laos first. Decisions decisions.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Mr. Smiley's barbecue
The story goes like this. On our first night of the trek we ate dinner and sat around a campfire. La said we were staying in a million star hotel and he was correct because we could see at least that many after dark. La has a friend who keeps up the lodge that we stayed in and brings water, soft drinks, and beer in for tourists to buy. He drives the food in for the group and helps prepare it. I cannot remember his name but we later called him Mr. Smiley due to his extraordinary happiness.
Mr. Smiley sang and taught us songs, told jokes, and shared his rice spirits with the group. At around 9:30pm after drinking most of his bottle of hard rice liquor Mr. Smiley disappeared with another assistant. We calmly sitting suddenly saw Mr. Smiley in a dead sprint up the path from the creek. He ran past us into the kitchen area and emerged a second later with what looked like a rifle. He again ran past back down the pitch black path towards the creek. He had put on a ski mask earlier in the night and propped the part that should have been around his chin up to his head using a head lamp which made it look as though he were wearing a turban. After a few seconds we heard one shot of the rifle. We looked at each other in silence and then heard an exclamation of joy from the creek.
After a minute or two our curiosity got the better of us and we made our way down to the creek. Ashley arrived in time to see Mr. Smiley on the far bank rooting around in the vegetation making a joyous racket. In time he found what he was looking for and held up to the group a river otter the size of a small house cat. He then ran it back across the creek and informed us that he had seen second one. I maintain that he definitely saw two of them but whether there actually were two is up for debate. He put down his rifle and poured something into the barrel and that is when I noticed that his rifle was actually a muzzle loading, powder charge, flintlock musket rifle. We're talking circa 1850 make-your-own-musket-ball here.
This man had shot a river otter with a musket rifle in the dark with only a headlamp for light after drinking 750ml of rice liquor. They then skinned and gutted the otter, marinated it in spices, and barbecued it on the fire. It was quite a tasty experience truth be told.
Oh my buddha.
Mr. Smiley sang and taught us songs, told jokes, and shared his rice spirits with the group. At around 9:30pm after drinking most of his bottle of hard rice liquor Mr. Smiley disappeared with another assistant. We calmly sitting suddenly saw Mr. Smiley in a dead sprint up the path from the creek. He ran past us into the kitchen area and emerged a second later with what looked like a rifle. He again ran past back down the pitch black path towards the creek. He had put on a ski mask earlier in the night and propped the part that should have been around his chin up to his head using a head lamp which made it look as though he were wearing a turban. After a few seconds we heard one shot of the rifle. We looked at each other in silence and then heard an exclamation of joy from the creek.
After a minute or two our curiosity got the better of us and we made our way down to the creek. Ashley arrived in time to see Mr. Smiley on the far bank rooting around in the vegetation making a joyous racket. In time he found what he was looking for and held up to the group a river otter the size of a small house cat. He then ran it back across the creek and informed us that he had seen second one. I maintain that he definitely saw two of them but whether there actually were two is up for debate. He put down his rifle and poured something into the barrel and that is when I noticed that his rifle was actually a muzzle loading, powder charge, flintlock musket rifle. We're talking circa 1850 make-your-own-musket-ball here.
This man had shot a river otter with a musket rifle in the dark with only a headlamp for light after drinking 750ml of rice liquor. They then skinned and gutted the otter, marinated it in spices, and barbecued it on the fire. It was quite a tasty experience truth be told.
Oh my buddha.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Trekking near Chiang Mai
The past three days went by quite quickly. We were elephant riding, hiking, and bamboo rafting northeast of Chiang Mai. This is the second trek we have participated in during our travels and we have definitely enjoyed the different perspective that they bring and the different mix of people that we meet. The usual bar crowd of backpackers isn't usually interested in walking through countrysides and learning about peoples and histories.
This trek had twelve of us, which is a large group. There were two pleasant German university students, a thirty something Polish couple with no awareness of cultural sensitivity, three very upperclass English people who had just finished university, two really awesome Scottish fellows, an opium seeking creepy German, and us. It was a very diverse group and while there was some tension between participants here and there it was overall a very pleasant group of people.
Our guide's name was La. He guides for four months of the year and lives in a village of one hundred and fifty people for the rest of the year. He has a wife and a child. Five years ago when he started guiding he did not speak any English. Since then he has learned and continues to learn from the tourists that he guides. He is short, around five feet or a little less, he is usually found smiling, and he is very keen on sharing his life with others. Throughout our hikes he would stop to show us plants that he uses for food, medicines, weapons, and building materials. He also carved from bamboo a set of chop sticks and a fork and knife for each member of our group to take with us. He could be heard stating things such as "never try, never know" and, when alarmed about something, "oh my Buddha".
The first day saw us riding elephants. I don't have much to say about the elephants. They were large, we sat on top of them, and they walked us around a big loop. After the elephants we drove to the trailhead. We were out of city limits and therefor allowed to ride on top of the taxi truck which was a blessing because before there were twelve of us herded in with our bags. Along the hike La showed us a pine tree wood chip candle, a heart medicine plant, ants that tasted like lemon sour patch kids, and many uses of bamboo. We bathed in a waterfall and slept in a lodge made from the woods around.
The second day we hiked seven hours through the woods and into La's village. La cooked for us and made us to-go lunches wrapped in leaves and tied with stems. We found ourselves walking through tiered rice patties being prepared for the wet season, pasture land, and farmlands. La brought us to see a traditional home inhabited by a 95 year old woman. She prayed a blessing for us. We stayed at La's father in law's house. After dinner La told us the story of the people groups around the hills. The Karen and the Hmong and seven other people groups immigrated due to wars throughout the years into this region to start new lives.
Day three saw the group in the back of a pick-up truck. The German students had to catch a train to Bangkok and so instead of hiking we drove to our destinations. The highlight of the day (and one of the trip as well) was floating down the river on traditional bamboo rafts steered by poles. The raftsmen were very skilled even though there were a few sketchy incidents. We were a little skeptical at first thinking it may be another impersonal elephant riding session but the raftsmen were interactive. They joked and splashed us and even allowed some people to steer. We even did a little cliff jumping though it was nothing like the forty foot drop I experienced this past summer but it was really nice to get in the water and play.
In the end we had a good experience. Not even the creepy German guy ruined the fun with his creepy vibe, excessive drinking, and opium seeking. Today we were supposed to do a cooking course but we bumped it until tomorrow and that finds us sitting pleasantly in the "Sweet Love Coffee Shop" writing out our adventures and laughing over the good times and planning what is next.
Tune in next time to here the story of Mr. Smiles, the musket, and the barbecue.
This trek had twelve of us, which is a large group. There were two pleasant German university students, a thirty something Polish couple with no awareness of cultural sensitivity, three very upperclass English people who had just finished university, two really awesome Scottish fellows, an opium seeking creepy German, and us. It was a very diverse group and while there was some tension between participants here and there it was overall a very pleasant group of people.
Our guide's name was La. He guides for four months of the year and lives in a village of one hundred and fifty people for the rest of the year. He has a wife and a child. Five years ago when he started guiding he did not speak any English. Since then he has learned and continues to learn from the tourists that he guides. He is short, around five feet or a little less, he is usually found smiling, and he is very keen on sharing his life with others. Throughout our hikes he would stop to show us plants that he uses for food, medicines, weapons, and building materials. He also carved from bamboo a set of chop sticks and a fork and knife for each member of our group to take with us. He could be heard stating things such as "never try, never know" and, when alarmed about something, "oh my Buddha".
The first day saw us riding elephants. I don't have much to say about the elephants. They were large, we sat on top of them, and they walked us around a big loop. After the elephants we drove to the trailhead. We were out of city limits and therefor allowed to ride on top of the taxi truck which was a blessing because before there were twelve of us herded in with our bags. Along the hike La showed us a pine tree wood chip candle, a heart medicine plant, ants that tasted like lemon sour patch kids, and many uses of bamboo. We bathed in a waterfall and slept in a lodge made from the woods around.
The second day we hiked seven hours through the woods and into La's village. La cooked for us and made us to-go lunches wrapped in leaves and tied with stems. We found ourselves walking through tiered rice patties being prepared for the wet season, pasture land, and farmlands. La brought us to see a traditional home inhabited by a 95 year old woman. She prayed a blessing for us. We stayed at La's father in law's house. After dinner La told us the story of the people groups around the hills. The Karen and the Hmong and seven other people groups immigrated due to wars throughout the years into this region to start new lives.
Day three saw the group in the back of a pick-up truck. The German students had to catch a train to Bangkok and so instead of hiking we drove to our destinations. The highlight of the day (and one of the trip as well) was floating down the river on traditional bamboo rafts steered by poles. The raftsmen were very skilled even though there were a few sketchy incidents. We were a little skeptical at first thinking it may be another impersonal elephant riding session but the raftsmen were interactive. They joked and splashed us and even allowed some people to steer. We even did a little cliff jumping though it was nothing like the forty foot drop I experienced this past summer but it was really nice to get in the water and play.
In the end we had a good experience. Not even the creepy German guy ruined the fun with his creepy vibe, excessive drinking, and opium seeking. Today we were supposed to do a cooking course but we bumped it until tomorrow and that finds us sitting pleasantly in the "Sweet Love Coffee Shop" writing out our adventures and laughing over the good times and planning what is next.
Tune in next time to here the story of Mr. Smiles, the musket, and the barbecue.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Trekking
Today we are going on a three day trek through the mountains. The area surrounding Chiang Mai is home to a number of small tribes. Two of these tribes are notably the Karen tribe which has an offshoot tribe that is very famous for putting rings around their necks elongating them and the Hmong people who have a long history with the US. Our trek will also bring us to the highest peak in Thailand (2,500m) and we will also be doing some elephant riding and other fun things. Chiang Mai is known for its tourism treks.
We had a meeting yesterday to prepare for our trek. The guide informed us of what to pack and explained the first day; elephants and three hours of hiking. We were surprised when he cut if off there. When we asked what we should expect for the second and third days he said that it is a surprise but expect 6-7 hours of hiking on day two. This has made us a little nervous because we don't know if we are going straight up or straight down the whole time or what. So we are trekking into the unknown yet again.
When we return we have scheduled a thai cooking class which we are both very excited about not least because we get to cook 7 dishes and we get to eat what we cook. Very excited.
Well... See you in three days... Hopefully.
We had a meeting yesterday to prepare for our trek. The guide informed us of what to pack and explained the first day; elephants and three hours of hiking. We were surprised when he cut if off there. When we asked what we should expect for the second and third days he said that it is a surprise but expect 6-7 hours of hiking on day two. This has made us a little nervous because we don't know if we are going straight up or straight down the whole time or what. So we are trekking into the unknown yet again.
When we return we have scheduled a thai cooking class which we are both very excited about not least because we get to cook 7 dishes and we get to eat what we cook. Very excited.
Well... See you in three days... Hopefully.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Bangkok
Bangkok may be the largest city we've seen to date. It is crammed full of buildings, people, rivers, street vendors, and vehicles. It was hot when we arrived, blazing the next day and almost unbearable the day after (I'm sure Ashley would use the terms "nice, nicer, and nicest").
I was surprised at how quiet of a town it is all things considered. Other than the hustle and bustle of a city it didn't make that much noise; except at night, it was terribly loud at night. Our hostel was right next to a particularly loud bar. The music shook our beds until 2am and then empty bottles and dishes would clink for another hour or so after. Poor Ashley and I were so exhausted from jet lag and colds that we didn't even look for different accommodation. In fact we hardly left our room except to get pad-thai or as we called it, "breakfast, lunch, and dinner." We walked around for only a few hours and then found ourselves heading back to our room. We split our sleep times from 6-8pm and then 4-11am. Did you know that Michael Jackson songs are only played once the DJ has run out of over-basses nonsense songs? Did you also know that Mambo number five is used to clear the bars out before closing? I do now.
We are now in Chang Mai. We were bullied into coming here by a government tourist association rep. She told us that all other ways of getting here were too hard or were unavailable. Now we are here safely but I am holding a grudge. The bus ride was interesting. They woke everyone up at 1:30am to go inside for a meal then started playing music videos at 6am. Bizarre.
We are feeling drained and overwhelmed. We essentially have to start learning all over again. Neither of us knows any of the language and signs are rarely in English. We also don't know the scams to stay away from or the the lines in which to read between. All we know is that there are a lot of temples and that the food is delicious.
I was surprised at how quiet of a town it is all things considered. Other than the hustle and bustle of a city it didn't make that much noise; except at night, it was terribly loud at night. Our hostel was right next to a particularly loud bar. The music shook our beds until 2am and then empty bottles and dishes would clink for another hour or so after. Poor Ashley and I were so exhausted from jet lag and colds that we didn't even look for different accommodation. In fact we hardly left our room except to get pad-thai or as we called it, "breakfast, lunch, and dinner." We walked around for only a few hours and then found ourselves heading back to our room. We split our sleep times from 6-8pm and then 4-11am. Did you know that Michael Jackson songs are only played once the DJ has run out of over-basses nonsense songs? Did you also know that Mambo number five is used to clear the bars out before closing? I do now.
We are now in Chang Mai. We were bullied into coming here by a government tourist association rep. She told us that all other ways of getting here were too hard or were unavailable. Now we are here safely but I am holding a grudge. The bus ride was interesting. They woke everyone up at 1:30am to go inside for a meal then started playing music videos at 6am. Bizarre.
We are feeling drained and overwhelmed. We essentially have to start learning all over again. Neither of us knows any of the language and signs are rarely in English. We also don't know the scams to stay away from or the the lines in which to read between. All we know is that there are a lot of temples and that the food is delicious.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Found them
Remember when I questioned where all the Russians are? I found them. They're all in Thailand. There were plane-loads of them at the airport.
Needless to say we arrived in Bangkok yesterday, found a hostel and napped the day away. Today is looking to be similar. We are both jet lagged but moreover we both have colds. So here we are runny noses and all saying "thag you bery buch" to the locals. I don't expect to see much of Bangkok as we have plans to take a train out tomorrow evening but we'll see what we can squeeze in between naps.
It is also very warm again.
Needless to say we arrived in Bangkok yesterday, found a hostel and napped the day away. Today is looking to be similar. We are both jet lagged but moreover we both have colds. So here we are runny noses and all saying "thag you bery buch" to the locals. I don't expect to see much of Bangkok as we have plans to take a train out tomorrow evening but we'll see what we can squeeze in between naps.
It is also very warm again.
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