Krabi to Ko Tao

Today has been the first day that it hasn't really been "beach weather". We were supposed to head out and do some deep sea fishing today but windy conditions have put that activity on hold for the moment. So today has kind of been a "free day" and I'll let you know in a bit what I've been up to.

In the previous post I said we were going to head North of Krabi in search of some more affordable accommodation. Well, we never did find that accommodation but we did manage to see some awesome parts of Thailand that I feel not a lot of people have seen. The spot on the map we were trying to find on the one day was actually called "Unseen Thailand". Call us suckers if you will but we decided that this was definitely a place we had to check out. Turns out we should rather have asked a 3 year old Thai on the side of the road to draw us a map, because the one we had was definitely not to scale and roads were simply missing in reality or were fiction on the map. Anyway we never did find Unseen Thailand according to the map but I think we definitely ventured into territory not often stumbled upon by many tourists. The evidence to support this was the fact that we drove around for about 2 hours without seeing a single white face and we were getting some odd stares from the Thais around this rural area.

On the way home we were cruising at about 60 k's an hour and the next thing Bren's bike (with Laura on the back) starts veering from side to side. The roads were dodgy in patches and a puncture was inevitable. Now it was about 5:30 in the arvo and there weren't any big Shell Ultra City's in the vicinity and we were in a bit of trouble, plus I could definitely have taken down a pepper steak pie and a Super Moo, so that was unfortunate. Luckily a Thai couple stopped to help us and slowly led us to a "garage" where we could have the tyre fixed. The dude fixed it and literally shut up shop straight afterwards, so 5 minutes later and we would have been seriously stranded. The next day I managed to get a puncture as well so were having a bit of bad luck last week.

Anyway after Krabi it was time to head to Ko Tao. From Krabi we had to take a frikken hot bus trip to the station, then catch an "air-conditioned" bus to Surat Thani and from there an overnight ferry to Ko Tao. As with all these overnight missions the best way to do them is, drunkenly. Colin lost the ching to try out a new cheap beer called Cheers Beer and his cotch the next day told us that a few extra bob goes a long way.









On the ferry we met a few Irishmen and as you come to expect with these Irish lot, they kept us entertained. I thoroughly enjoyed the guitar session and the apparent disregard for other passengers on the boat trying to sleep, brilliant!!! This is why drinking on the overnight missions is always recommended.

Ko Tao has by far been the best place I've been to I think. Everyone told us it was going to be expensive but we've found some of the best deals here since we started this trip. Food is pretty much the same price, but accommodation is very reasonable and the location of some of the bungalows is unbelievable. Some of the resorts you can only get to by 4X4 or with some very skilled bike riding. Yesterday saw some more casualties and we found out the hard way that scooters definitely limit you to only certain areas of the island.





So today I've opted for something more capable of tackling the roads around here. I picked up a motorbike cross scooter and did some exploring around the island for the morning. Some pretty hectic roads to negotiate and you have to keep your wits about you. Luckily all I got away with were some singes on the leg from the exhaust pipe but no damage to the bike which is all you're really worried about.

And other than that, the time here at Ko Tao has been spent lazing on the beach, snorkelling and fishing. Like I said earlier we didn't manage to get out for our deep sea fishing jol today but it's provisionally on stand-by for tomorrow. They guarantee that we'll catch fish - the likes of which on offer are Barracuda, Travelli and Red Snapper.

Until next time here's what's been going on lately, hope you guys are all well........


Shoo Baj that's a cuck view hey, you sure you don't want something nicer?








So that's what that basket is for

Railay Beach

This is a short video clip of us approaching a beach with an adjoining cave section to it. You don't actually see the cave on this clip but the scenery is still spectacular. The format of the clip on the blog isn't as clear as I would like it to be but it should give you an idea.
We hired this long tail boat for the day and did some fishing and snorkelling. And just so you know the score - it's 2 to the sun and nil to Badger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XxQ_PRmyho

Thai Boxing in Koh Phi Pih

As promised here it is. I've got a few clips of this but this seems to be the best one.

Map of Southern Thailand

Koh Phi Phi

Hello again everyone. Well as expected this trip just gets better and better. The last few days really have the been the best so far and it definitely feels like this is what it's all about. Living life in search of epic beaches and lying in the sun reading books and listening to the iPod, occassionally falling into the sea to cool off.

We left on the ferry from Phuket a couple of days ago and the trip to Koh Phi Phi took about an hour and a half. The first three quarters of the trip was about as exciting as cruising out of Durban Harbour on a cloudy day with the best view being the one of seeing beers being drunk at Thirsty's, but the last section of the trip was a nice taste of what was in store for the next few days. Wherever you go around Koh Phi Phi you are greeted with these massive plunging cliff faces that drop straight down into the sea and generally all around them are awesome coral reefs. We've done a bit of snorkelling while we've been here and it's been pretty good. Perhaps not as good as the Red Sea but still very impressive and we've made some good sightings, but more about that later.

The first day we spent here we hit the beach and lay in the sun, read our books and as I mentioned earlier, occassionally fell into the sea for a cool down. The vibe has changed considerably compared to what Phuket and surrounds was like. We've basically come from some kiff beaches where a whole lot of foreign ballies wearing banana hammocks hang around, and have now moved onto a 20's and 30's type jol with more young people all doing the same thing as you than you could ever imagine. It's unbelievable how many people my age are doing this and I can't help but wonder what it must have been like to come here when the word wasn't out yet about how good Thailand is, and make no mistake it's pretty insane. It must have been crazy to be some of the fewer earlier arrivals to Thailand before the tourist industry ballooned and the Thai's realised that thay had something special on the cards. Having said that I'm surprised that it isn't all that crowded. The place is definitely cooking but it's not uncomfortable at all and everyone just gets on with their own business.

Take a look at this picture. We had just arrived and were in desperate need of a bite to eat. This is the restaurant we ate at. Pretty siff background hey???

Our second day was spent doing much the same thing but you just don't get bored of it. This time though, we managed to find a more secluded beach with less people around and it was a quieter day than the previous. On the main beach you have bars all along the main stretch and they pump all forms of music out onto the sea. Awesome if you like what's playing and helluva irritating if you don't. One of the more pleasant things though about Thailand beaches is the optional use of the bikini top for the ladies.

The next day, which was yesterday, has gone down as the best day of the trip to date. After arranging the night before that our skipper would be ready to launch his long tailed boat at 7 in the morning we arrived to him telling us (with a surprised look on his face) that he couldn't launch the boat because it was low tide. How he didn't realise that the day before at the same time it was also low tide baffles me. Actually it doesn't. One thing we're learning as we go is that Thais feel nothing to lie to you, that sounds a bit harsh but it's something that's proving to be a common and regular occurrence. They won't steal from you, and so far this has felt like the safest place on earth but, shoo, these buggers can spin you a yarn hey. Anyway after much exchanging of hard looking expressions between skipper and passengers we eventually struck a deal and set off.

The first activity of the day was watching Bren successfully pull a decent sized Baracuda out the sea while trawling our way to Maya Beach. Earlier that morning we bought some bait from this guy on the side of the street and he said he'd cook whatever we caught, for free!!! So we had fresh Baracuda for dinner last night and it cost us next to nothing (the price of the lure).

Next on the list was stopping into Maya Bay which is one of the locations that they used when filming the movie "The Beach". This place gets packed to the rafters by mid morning so we did well to be the first ones there with no one on the beach but us. Quite simply, one of the most awesome little bays I've ever seen in my entire life, but then again I'm comparing it to the only other bay I know and that's Rocky Bay on the South Coast, so it was an easy victory for Maya Bay. Well done Maya Bay!!!.

The rest of the day was spent cruising around stopping every now and again to drop in for some snorkelling. I've bought myself a set of goggles, fins and snorkel which I feel could be the investment of the trip. So far we've spotted huge jellyfish, Puffer fish, a Moray eel, a Sea Snake and then yesterday we went to a dive spot where you're guaranteed to see reef sharks. And see them we did!! The biggest one was probably about 5 foot at a guess but the buggers are so not keen to hang around that you've got to paddle like the clappers just to keep up with them. So the snorkelling has been good so far with plenty more to come.

Last night we finished off the night with a fire show, a lady-boy cabaret and some Thai boxing - as you do. The fire show was great with most of the performers being young kids with some pretty extreme talent. The cabaret show was disturbing, and the Thai boxing was unbelievable. I'm trying to upload a video I took but am having some trouble. The video is better than me describing how it was so hopefully I'll get that on soon.

We left Koh Phi Phi on the ferry this afternoon and are now camping out at Krabi. Tomorrow is mission day with some more bike riding in store. The plan is to head North and try find some cheaper accommodation. From here we'll just play it by beer and take each day as it comes. The only next thing "to do" is get to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party on the 2nd of Feb.

So that's all for now and to finish off I'll leave you with a few more pics. Shot guys for the comments and keep it up, good to hear from you guys from all over the place. Cheers, Baj





Laura tentatively placing an order from one of the side street vendors. This was a major break-through for poor Laura last night but she's getting braver by the day. Bless....

To the Beaches!!!

Hi everyone, plans have changed a little and we've hit the beaches sooner than expected, but it was a choice that has already proved to be a good one.

The last time I finshed off we were leaving for the Golden Triangle. We've now done this trip and although it wasn't terribly exciting it's nice to be able to say that I've now crossed the border into Laos and had a look at the border gate into Bhurma. While I was at the border gate to Bhurma (a scene that resembled a flea market on steroids) I picked up a small tripod for my camera so hopefully some good sunset photos are in the pipeline. To get to Laos we hired a long tail speedboat that took us along the Mekong River and crossed over to the other side. The speciality in Laos is this Snake Whiskey that they make. Just like the Mexicans put worms in their tequila so the Laosians (????) put snakes in their whiskey. All of a sudden tequila sounds like drinking chocolate milkshakes. Looking at Snake Whiskey and not trying it would be a sin, so the only fair way to decide which sucker would sample some of the stuff was to settle the issue with a ching (rock, paper, scissors). I knew I should have pulled rock, damnit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The trip to the Golden Triangle was a mission and we did over 600kms in a mini taxi which was a test of character in itself. Part of the day trip included a stop in to the long neck tribes people. Originally from Kenya these guys just sit around like animals in the zoo while tourists like us come along and have our pictures taken with them. It was kind of weird but at the same time pretty cool to see these ladies in the flesh with all these rings around their necks.

The next day we just spent cruising around Chiang Mai and took in some temples and things. That night we took our overnight train back to Bangkok. The overnight train really is one of the coolest ways to travel. It takes 15 hours but in reality if you drink enough beers you end up sleeping until there's only 1 hour left to go. So we drank a lot of beers and slept through the night only waking up after 10 the following morning.

Before we left Chiang Mai we booked some flights from Bangkok to Phuket. We could have caught another overnight train but the difference in price was minimal so now we're camped just outside of Phuket a day earlier than originally expected. Bren and Laura have laughed off Cambodia and replaced it with more days on the beach. This means that Colin and I will probably do Cambodia once Bren and Laura have left for SA which also means that it could tie in nicely with me doing Cambodia and Vietnam with Greg and Matt hopefully. (Matt have you booked those tickets yet????)
Our first night in Phuket was spent in Putong which is on the West side of the peninsula. All I can say is that I would reccommend that you never ever go and visit this place. It basically resembles something similar to a Vegas on the beach, but in a tacky way. All along the main street you just have loads and loads of markets all selling the same stuff with bars along the side with music blaring out on to the streets. Lights everywhere and it's in all out assault on the senses. Prices are inflated and there are more lady boys around than I care to mention. In some ways it was quite interesting to see exactly what I didn't come to the beaches to do but at the same time witness what so many foreigners seem to think is a great holiday. Crazy stuff!!!

The next day our mission was to find some accommodation outside of the madness and within budget. So we hired some bikes again and went riding. I have to admit that riding these bikes around is something I'm growing to enjoy more and more and it's such an awesome way to see Thailand. You have to be careful though cos every now and again you get a little cocky and try do wheel spins which generally ends in tears.

We found some accommodation and for half the price we are literally just 50 meters from the beach. So much better than staying at the Yorkshire Inn in Putong (I kid you not). Here's a pic of our hut that we're sleeping in now.

That brings us to yesterday which was spent on the beach for the entire day. I had to stay under the umbrella for most of the day as the day before when I was testing the sun, the sun won. I was determined to get a tan in one day and now I've got it but I just look like the lobsters that you see for sale on the side of the streets here.

Last night was spent first back on the beach for afternoon sundowners and then back at our posie for a dinner and some rum. Very chilled and helluva relaxing. Today we're booking a ferry across to Ko Phi Phi which is an island off from here and we will leave tomorrow morning at sparrows. Apparently the beaches only get better as we go from here so looking very forward to that. Anyway that's all for now. Speak to you soon again, cheers for now. Baj