I've decided to spend New Years on Koh Phi Phi, so I went out there the 30th to check out the scene. I quickly discover I am far from the only one who's decided to spend New Years there and the island is packed.
There are dive shops everywhere, so I randomly pick one and talk to them about doing some dives on the 31st. They are going to some local dive sites and the dives are 2500 baht for two dives, which seems on par with what other shops are charging. Sign me up!
Well the diving was incredible. WAY better than Koh Tao (although I wonder if I'd feel differently if I dived Koh Tao in late Jan/Feb). We saw tons of Tiger Sharks, Turtles, all kinds of fish, and my first moray eel (which didn't freak me out nearly as much as I thought it would).
After a long morning of diving, I went to the beach for a snooze in the sun before I got ready to celebrate the New Year.
Several of the bars on the beach are having parties and I wander back and forth between them. It is a very different New Year to be out on the beach in a sun dress counting down to the next year with accents from all over the world. As I dip my toes in the water to celebrate the beginning of 2009, I can only think " so this is January". I still can't believe how amazing the weather is and I luxuriate in the warm sun and fabulous beaches every day.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
West Coast Thailand Beaches
From my two days of roughing it in Khao Sok, I head to the west coast of Thailand for more fun in the sun. It was originally my intention to head to Railey, but I get talked out of that and into going to Ao Nang as it's cheaper.
Coming to Ao Nang is a whole new experience from Ko Tao and Ko Phangan. The downtown looks very new, and much of it has been rebuilt since the tsunami. There is McDonalds, Starbucks, and Burger King amongst other Western additions.
Ao Nang has many activities to offer, and I take advantage of these and do many things I was planning on doing in Chaing Mai before I got sick.
My first full day I went on a kayaking trip, which was a great day. I had only signed up for the half day, but since everyone else signed up for the full day, they allowed me to do the full day at no extra charge!
They put me in a boat with Eric from Finland, who has never kayaked before. This makes things a bit dicey, as they put him in the back and he knows nothing about steering. I do my best to steer without saying anything, but then after about 20 minutes I casually mention that usually it's the responsibility of the person in the back to steer. I give him a few pointers, and after about 20 minutes he's into the swing of things.
The kayaking is beautiful as we go through mangrove forests and feed monkeys. We come back for a late lunch on the peer and then we're supposed to go swimming in a fresh water pool. We get to the pool which is a very small pond filled with still water. At first I think there must be a mistake, but our guide encourages us all to get out. I immediately recall Doug's expression in Nepal and his comments on how his pristine bathing suit was not going in the hot springs. After we all sort of stare at the water for 5 minutes, it becomes clear to the guide none of us are getting in this and he takes us all home.
The next morning I take the boat to Railey which is certainly a more beautiful beach than Ao Nang, although much smaller and far more crowded. Thai people swarm the farang offering various souvenirs and Thai massages, so I quickly learn to look like I'm sleeping to avoid the constant harassing.
In the early afternoon I head back to Ao Nang for Ya's cooking class. I've wanted to take a Thai cooking class for a while, and Ya comes highly recommended by Lonely Planet, my lodge, and some random guy I talked to at the bar last night. And rightly so!
There are several people doing an Intrepid tour in my class as well as three other couples (two of which have taken the class before, one couple is doing their third year in a row). We start off making Pad Thai which is a fun and quick dish to make. Once we eat that, it's on to the more serious work of soups and curries. My experience here is far more successful than Laos, and everything we make is delicious, although a bit spicy.
From here I decide to head to Koh Phi Phi for diving and New Years.
Coming to Ao Nang is a whole new experience from Ko Tao and Ko Phangan. The downtown looks very new, and much of it has been rebuilt since the tsunami. There is McDonalds, Starbucks, and Burger King amongst other Western additions.
Ao Nang has many activities to offer, and I take advantage of these and do many things I was planning on doing in Chaing Mai before I got sick.
My first full day I went on a kayaking trip, which was a great day. I had only signed up for the half day, but since everyone else signed up for the full day, they allowed me to do the full day at no extra charge!
They put me in a boat with Eric from Finland, who has never kayaked before. This makes things a bit dicey, as they put him in the back and he knows nothing about steering. I do my best to steer without saying anything, but then after about 20 minutes I casually mention that usually it's the responsibility of the person in the back to steer. I give him a few pointers, and after about 20 minutes he's into the swing of things.
The kayaking is beautiful as we go through mangrove forests and feed monkeys. We come back for a late lunch on the peer and then we're supposed to go swimming in a fresh water pool. We get to the pool which is a very small pond filled with still water. At first I think there must be a mistake, but our guide encourages us all to get out. I immediately recall Doug's expression in Nepal and his comments on how his pristine bathing suit was not going in the hot springs. After we all sort of stare at the water for 5 minutes, it becomes clear to the guide none of us are getting in this and he takes us all home.
The next morning I take the boat to Railey which is certainly a more beautiful beach than Ao Nang, although much smaller and far more crowded. Thai people swarm the farang offering various souvenirs and Thai massages, so I quickly learn to look like I'm sleeping to avoid the constant harassing.
In the early afternoon I head back to Ao Nang for Ya's cooking class. I've wanted to take a Thai cooking class for a while, and Ya comes highly recommended by Lonely Planet, my lodge, and some random guy I talked to at the bar last night. And rightly so!
There are several people doing an Intrepid tour in my class as well as three other couples (two of which have taken the class before, one couple is doing their third year in a row). We start off making Pad Thai which is a fun and quick dish to make. Once we eat that, it's on to the more serious work of soups and curries. My experience here is far more successful than Laos, and everything we make is delicious, although a bit spicy.
From here I decide to head to Koh Phi Phi for diving and New Years.
Monday, December 29, 2008
My Big Girl Pants Are Kinda Tight And Uncomfortable
When we were traveling together, Doug would laugh at me as I would always want to do anything that was deemed "fun" or "worth seeing" regardless of the source of this declaration. Before he left he advised me to think twice before doing something just because someone else recommended it.
So fine - but when the recommendation came from the person I traveled with for 2.5 months - well I thought I was safe. And so, based on Doug's recommendation, I stopped at Khoa Sok on my way across Thailand.
I randomly selected one of he places recommended in Lonely Planet and showed up at their doorstep. They only had a room for one night, but it was already dark and after 7, so I took it.
They showed me to my room, I put my stuff down, and came back to have a lovely dinner. After dinner, I innocently walked back up to my bungalow to be immediately dive bombed by cicadas. I ran back down the stairs and had a moment. I then tried to reason with them.
"I come in peace" I proclaimed. "I just want to get into my room."
After a couple of minutes of really really wishing Doug was here to do something about this, I hoisted on my big girl pants and walked back up the stairs and quickly went into my room.
I was safe for the night!
That is until the mosquito net came crashing down on me in the middle of the night . . .
Now the events of the next day were, mostly, entirely my own stupidity. There was an "Adventure Tour" of the park that I could sign up for and so sign up for it I did. The tour was billed as involving a steep climb as well as walking across rocks and through some streams. I figured it was nothing I couldn't handle.
Ha!
I set out with four Germans in their mid twenties and our guide. We hike straight up for about an hour and arrived, rather sweaty, to see the Rafflesia Kerrimeyere (or wild lotus) which is the world's largest flower. We were very lucky to see a total of three in bloom which is pretty spectacular as each flower only blooms for a couple of days and usually can only be seen December through February.
As we headed from there to the waterfall things got a bit more dicey and I often had to use hanging roots of trees to navigate down. By the time we got to the waterfall, we all felt we had had quite the adventure, but it was beautiful and well worth it.
From there things were disastrous. We were supposed to scramble down the rocks of the waterfall to get to the bottom. Given my natural grace and agility I opted to slip and slide my way down most of the waterfall. I ended up flat on my butt twice and nearly flat on my butt another dozen times, including once when I almost took out our guide as well.
Finally we made it to the bottom where we were rewarded with lunch and a cool swim in the waterfall.
But I was not out of the danger yet! We still had more rocks to climb and when we finally reached the wooded trail I celebrated by falling flat on my face.
An exhausting 8 hours after wee started, we were finally home. It was no small miracle that I was still in one piece.
I should also mention that during our trek I ended up standing right next to a snake that was sunbathing on a rock. As a testament to how much I had already been through, I didn't even react to the snake - no shriek and no dance. I just complacently stood there while everyone took their pictures and prayed to god that I wouldn't fall on it as I walked by it.
When I arrived back to the lodge, they had a new room available for me. On my way to put my stuff down our guide pointed out the most enormous spider I have ever seen. I just kept walking.
Once inside I took a quick shower and lay down for a nap. Not three minutes later I heard the all too familiar buzzing of the cicada.
There was not one, but two! in my room. The roof of the room didn't quite meet the wall which allowed my friends a free night stay. As they flew madly about I tried a method I'd seen refined by my mother and took shelter under the covers. Unfortunately, this method only works if there is a Michael in the house. Michaelless, I was forced to bust out the big girl pants again and get out of bed. I decided the best solution was to leave the room for dinner and hope for the best.
I had a lovely dinner with my German friends, who had fared only slight better on the adventure tour and were also exhausted.
After dinner I discovered that the cicadas were gone. Woot! And a lovely little gecko had popped in for a nosh. It's amazing how something that a month and a half ago in Hanoi I had wanted removed immediately from the room was now a friendly surprise. I can totally bunk with a gecko!
During the course of the evening my friends, the cicadas, came back. I did my best to hide from them in the mosquito netting.
In the morning we arranged a peace agreement that I would pack as quickly as possible if they wouldn't move. Thankfully they kept up with their end of the bargain and I was happily on my way back to the beach.
The thing I found so interesting about all of this, is that when Doug left we agreed that the hardest thing I would find about traveling on my own was dealing with the bugs. And then he sent me to the buggiest place in Thailand . . .
So fine - but when the recommendation came from the person I traveled with for 2.5 months - well I thought I was safe. And so, based on Doug's recommendation, I stopped at Khoa Sok on my way across Thailand.
I randomly selected one of he places recommended in Lonely Planet and showed up at their doorstep. They only had a room for one night, but it was already dark and after 7, so I took it.
They showed me to my room, I put my stuff down, and came back to have a lovely dinner. After dinner, I innocently walked back up to my bungalow to be immediately dive bombed by cicadas. I ran back down the stairs and had a moment. I then tried to reason with them.
"I come in peace" I proclaimed. "I just want to get into my room."
After a couple of minutes of really really wishing Doug was here to do something about this, I hoisted on my big girl pants and walked back up the stairs and quickly went into my room.
I was safe for the night!
That is until the mosquito net came crashing down on me in the middle of the night . . .
Now the events of the next day were, mostly, entirely my own stupidity. There was an "Adventure Tour" of the park that I could sign up for and so sign up for it I did. The tour was billed as involving a steep climb as well as walking across rocks and through some streams. I figured it was nothing I couldn't handle.
Ha!
I set out with four Germans in their mid twenties and our guide. We hike straight up for about an hour and arrived, rather sweaty, to see the Rafflesia Kerrimeyere (or wild lotus) which is the world's largest flower. We were very lucky to see a total of three in bloom which is pretty spectacular as each flower only blooms for a couple of days and usually can only be seen December through February.
As we headed from there to the waterfall things got a bit more dicey and I often had to use hanging roots of trees to navigate down. By the time we got to the waterfall, we all felt we had had quite the adventure, but it was beautiful and well worth it.
From there things were disastrous. We were supposed to scramble down the rocks of the waterfall to get to the bottom. Given my natural grace and agility I opted to slip and slide my way down most of the waterfall. I ended up flat on my butt twice and nearly flat on my butt another dozen times, including once when I almost took out our guide as well.
Finally we made it to the bottom where we were rewarded with lunch and a cool swim in the waterfall.
But I was not out of the danger yet! We still had more rocks to climb and when we finally reached the wooded trail I celebrated by falling flat on my face.
An exhausting 8 hours after wee started, we were finally home. It was no small miracle that I was still in one piece.
I should also mention that during our trek I ended up standing right next to a snake that was sunbathing on a rock. As a testament to how much I had already been through, I didn't even react to the snake - no shriek and no dance. I just complacently stood there while everyone took their pictures and prayed to god that I wouldn't fall on it as I walked by it.
When I arrived back to the lodge, they had a new room available for me. On my way to put my stuff down our guide pointed out the most enormous spider I have ever seen. I just kept walking.
Once inside I took a quick shower and lay down for a nap. Not three minutes later I heard the all too familiar buzzing of the cicada.
There was not one, but two! in my room. The roof of the room didn't quite meet the wall which allowed my friends a free night stay. As they flew madly about I tried a method I'd seen refined by my mother and took shelter under the covers. Unfortunately, this method only works if there is a Michael in the house. Michaelless, I was forced to bust out the big girl pants again and get out of bed. I decided the best solution was to leave the room for dinner and hope for the best.
I had a lovely dinner with my German friends, who had fared only slight better on the adventure tour and were also exhausted.
After dinner I discovered that the cicadas were gone. Woot! And a lovely little gecko had popped in for a nosh. It's amazing how something that a month and a half ago in Hanoi I had wanted removed immediately from the room was now a friendly surprise. I can totally bunk with a gecko!
During the course of the evening my friends, the cicadas, came back. I did my best to hide from them in the mosquito netting.
In the morning we arranged a peace agreement that I would pack as quickly as possible if they wouldn't move. Thankfully they kept up with their end of the bargain and I was happily on my way back to the beach.
The thing I found so interesting about all of this, is that when Doug left we agreed that the hardest thing I would find about traveling on my own was dealing with the bugs. And then he sent me to the buggiest place in Thailand . . .
Monday, December 22, 2008
Happy Hannukah!
Happy Hannukah to all those who are celebrating!
After a plane ride to Bangkok and a day spent in Bangkok, I took the night train to Chumpton then a boat to Koh Tao and finally arrived on the beautiful beaches of Koh Tao. It was a long trip, but with the exception of one incident when I was quite young and my parents encouraged me to plummet to my death - I do really enjoy sleeping on the night train. So I would highly recommend it if you are traveling south in Thailand.
Koh Tao is known for it's diving, and after a day of relaxing and recovery, I was ready to hit the water. I had been warned by some that the diving in Koh Tao is not that great, and I'll be honest, they're right. I hear that I'm about 6 weeks too early and that they're still recovering from the monsoon season - so apparently starting in February the diving and visibility is supposed to be much better.
As it was I was talked into getting my Deep Adventure certification, so now I can dive to 30 meters! I did morning dives one day, where we didn't see much. The second day I opted to do an afternoon dive and lucked out. The two other "fun divers" didn't show up - so it was just me and the dive master. I found the afternoon dives much more interesting than the day before's morning dive. I had shrimp crawl on my hand, we saw some Spanish dancers and loads of butterfly and anglefish amongst others. It certainly wasn't the best diving, but at 700 baht a dive it was rather cheap and I did really enjoy just hanging out underwater.
I arrived to Koh Phangan today and, as Doug predicted, became quite smitten with the island. There are fresh fruit stands everywhere and miles of white sandy beaches to walk upon. The downtown is quite with plenty of flip-flop buying options (I broke my Eddie Bower pair on Koh Tao).
If you're looking for me - I'll be laying out on the beach.
Happy Holidays!
After a plane ride to Bangkok and a day spent in Bangkok, I took the night train to Chumpton then a boat to Koh Tao and finally arrived on the beautiful beaches of Koh Tao. It was a long trip, but with the exception of one incident when I was quite young and my parents encouraged me to plummet to my death - I do really enjoy sleeping on the night train. So I would highly recommend it if you are traveling south in Thailand.
Koh Tao is known for it's diving, and after a day of relaxing and recovery, I was ready to hit the water. I had been warned by some that the diving in Koh Tao is not that great, and I'll be honest, they're right. I hear that I'm about 6 weeks too early and that they're still recovering from the monsoon season - so apparently starting in February the diving and visibility is supposed to be much better.
As it was I was talked into getting my Deep Adventure certification, so now I can dive to 30 meters! I did morning dives one day, where we didn't see much. The second day I opted to do an afternoon dive and lucked out. The two other "fun divers" didn't show up - so it was just me and the dive master. I found the afternoon dives much more interesting than the day before's morning dive. I had shrimp crawl on my hand, we saw some Spanish dancers and loads of butterfly and anglefish amongst others. It certainly wasn't the best diving, but at 700 baht a dive it was rather cheap and I did really enjoy just hanging out underwater.
I arrived to Koh Phangan today and, as Doug predicted, became quite smitten with the island. There are fresh fruit stands everywhere and miles of white sandy beaches to walk upon. The downtown is quite with plenty of flip-flop buying options (I broke my Eddie Bower pair on Koh Tao).
If you're looking for me - I'll be laying out on the beach.
Happy Holidays!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
On Cipro Again
The same evening Doug left I stopped by Le Meridian where Joy, a friend of mine, is staying. We went out and got a couple of drinks before calling it an evening. Which turned out to be none too soon.
I will spare you the details, but I can say I spent the whole next day in bed trying not to die. Fortunately I was staying at a place with a TV, but unfortunately there were only a few English channels so after watching an Iraqi reporter throw shoes at President Bush for the 10th time I moved on to the sports station . . . which was showing WWE. Now I've never watched this before but I can tell you that after a solid 20 minutes, I really do not see the appeal at all. Perhaps because I know nothing about the rules and am only vaguely aware that some of it is fake and some of it is real, but I just really didn't understand any of what was going on or why this is at all entertaining.
Fortunately the next day I was doing a little bit better and moved over to Le Meridien with Joy where I preceded to hang out by the very swanky pool all day.
My plan now is to head south to Ko Tao for some diving and some beaching and eventually make my way across to Koh Phi Phi for more beaching and diving. I should say that I have been talking about wanting to spend a week on the beach since about the second day of trekking in Nepal. I love the beach. I love laying out on the beach and I could happily do this for months. So finally, two and a half months later I'm on my way!
I will spare you the details, but I can say I spent the whole next day in bed trying not to die. Fortunately I was staying at a place with a TV, but unfortunately there were only a few English channels so after watching an Iraqi reporter throw shoes at President Bush for the 10th time I moved on to the sports station . . . which was showing WWE. Now I've never watched this before but I can tell you that after a solid 20 minutes, I really do not see the appeal at all. Perhaps because I know nothing about the rules and am only vaguely aware that some of it is fake and some of it is real, but I just really didn't understand any of what was going on or why this is at all entertaining.
Fortunately the next day I was doing a little bit better and moved over to Le Meridien with Joy where I preceded to hang out by the very swanky pool all day.
My plan now is to head south to Ko Tao for some diving and some beaching and eventually make my way across to Koh Phi Phi for more beaching and diving. I should say that I have been talking about wanting to spend a week on the beach since about the second day of trekking in Nepal. I love the beach. I love laying out on the beach and I could happily do this for months. So finally, two and a half months later I'm on my way!
Doug Answers The Call
After hemming and hawing for a couple of months, Doug has finally answered the nar's call and is headed home to Denver for ski season.
Before he left we decide to load up on souvenirs. I love a night market oh so much and Chaing Mai has one of the best we've seen in Asia so far. We decide to take advantage of Doug's heading home to purchase a new suitcase and fill it full of fabulous goods. We started at the night market the day before he leaft and packed in a good 4 hours of shopping at the special Sunday street market (who knew there could be so many other fabulous things to buy?) before scurrying home to get Doug packed up and out of there.
I headed out with Doug to pack him in a Tuk-Tuk and shed a tear or two upon his departure. As I waved good-bye, I was forced to settle my depression in the only reasonable manner and immediately went back to the market and bought a pair of flip-flops. Shopping really is fun!
It's been a great two and a half months traveling with Doug and I've certainly learned a lot from him. I'm sad to see him go, but also excited to try traveling on my own.
Before he left we decide to load up on souvenirs. I love a night market oh so much and Chaing Mai has one of the best we've seen in Asia so far. We decide to take advantage of Doug's heading home to purchase a new suitcase and fill it full of fabulous goods. We started at the night market the day before he leaft and packed in a good 4 hours of shopping at the special Sunday street market (who knew there could be so many other fabulous things to buy?) before scurrying home to get Doug packed up and out of there.
I headed out with Doug to pack him in a Tuk-Tuk and shed a tear or two upon his departure. As I waved good-bye, I was forced to settle my depression in the only reasonable manner and immediately went back to the market and bought a pair of flip-flops. Shopping really is fun!
It's been a great two and a half months traveling with Doug and I've certainly learned a lot from him. I'm sad to see him go, but also excited to try traveling on my own.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Pai Pai Love
762 curves north of Chaing Mai is Pai (pronounced similar to bye). Doug had heard some good things about, so we headed up there on our motorbikes. The road is windy and was challenging for my second day motorbiking - but very rewarding as well. We got to Pai quite refreshed and were ready to check out the town.
It was not long before I was quite taken with Pai and planning ways I could come back. After we found a room and settled in - we went walking about town. The downtown is not very big and at night becomes a huge market. Pai is known for it's artist community and there were dozens of adorable t-shirts and chotchkies to buy.
The best part was all of the food vendors. The streets were lined with vendors selling all sorts of delicious (and some not so delicious) looking food. The standard price for anything was 10 baht (about 30 cents). Doug and I happily walked around sampling from different vendors (Doug was quite taken with the skewer guy and tried one each of pork, beef, and chicken). We tried a purple pancake that I believe was made out of rice, some quail eggs, more sticky rice, fried chicken, pancake with something that looked like hot dog but the guy claimed was chicken - amongst other things.
I'm going to be honest - I love a nice spread. And this type of market was ideal. You get to going around trying everything that looks awesome (I even went in for a little mystery meat) without really having to commit to anything.
We didn't do too much else there as we had to turn around and head back to Chiang Mai the next day - but if you find yourself here with time to head up to Pai, I would highly recommend it!
It was not long before I was quite taken with Pai and planning ways I could come back. After we found a room and settled in - we went walking about town. The downtown is not very big and at night becomes a huge market. Pai is known for it's artist community and there were dozens of adorable t-shirts and chotchkies to buy.
The best part was all of the food vendors. The streets were lined with vendors selling all sorts of delicious (and some not so delicious) looking food. The standard price for anything was 10 baht (about 30 cents). Doug and I happily walked around sampling from different vendors (Doug was quite taken with the skewer guy and tried one each of pork, beef, and chicken). We tried a purple pancake that I believe was made out of rice, some quail eggs, more sticky rice, fried chicken, pancake with something that looked like hot dog but the guy claimed was chicken - amongst other things.
I'm going to be honest - I love a nice spread. And this type of market was ideal. You get to going around trying everything that looks awesome (I even went in for a little mystery meat) without really having to commit to anything.
We didn't do too much else there as we had to turn around and head back to Chiang Mai the next day - but if you find yourself here with time to head up to Pai, I would highly recommend it!
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