Signing Out...

As I landed in Heathrow to cold and drizzling rain and sat on a blocked M25 and M1 on my way to Corby looking forward to getting back to work - I thought back on how fortunate I'd been to have such an amazing year!

So I'd like to conclude by saying a thank you to all of you that have been keeping up with the blog and posting comments. A particular thanks to my number one comments poster who has stood by me for the whole trip! And of course a thank you to all the quality people I've met whilst I've been travelling who have added so much to the whole experience.

So for now I'm signing off, but who knows when the blog will be back.....

Phil

Bangkok

We arrived in Bangkok, my final stop of the trip. We'd seen a leaflet of what seemed to be good hotel near Khao San Road in the centre of things - The New World Lodge. Luckily they had enough rooms for us. We were are pretty tired so just decided to grab a meal however the staff in the restaurant were all simple. They served two of our meals then explained that the other two were "off" we suggested that they should have told us that at the time of ordering. The meals were poor when they arrived and Wakey was sick that night. They got the bill wrong then took ages to sort it out by which time Wakey had left as he was going to flatten the waiter!!

It was a bad first impression and it was a shame as the rooms and location turned out to be spot on. On our first day we decided to do a bit of sightseeing we walked along Khao San and headed towards the Grand Palace. On our way a few people stopped us and asked where we were going, if we needed a Tuk-tuk etc. One guy who told us he was a school teacher and listed things we should see and mentioned the Grand Palace wouldn't open until 2. He seemed really genuine - I'm always pretty sceptical and had read in the guide books to ignore anyone who tells you the Palace is closed but he didn't seem to want anything from us and flagged down some Tuk-tuks for us. Well we took 2 Tuk-tuks and that was an experience in itself racing through the traffic, hanging on to the side trying to make sure we didn't lose the other Tuk-tuk. At points it was like a computer game as we raced down tiny alleyways - there could quite easily have been something coming from the other direction it was amazing that we didn't hit something. Then we were racing towards a dead-end but instead of slowing down we actually sped up heading towards a foodcart blocking the alley - at the last second we turned 90 degrees down another alley on 2 wheels.



We laughed about it but I think we were all glad to be at our first stop - Wat Intharavihan a giant Buddah statue. I was amused at the door as Lloydy bought a bird in a cage to release infornt of the Buddah for good luck - he made Wakey carry it and then Wakey released it before we could get any pictures.

There were some other buildings close by and we had a look inside at the artwork and the designs on the outside.



Our next stop after we hesitantly got back onboard our 'transport' was another temple. This place was pretty quiet and a lot of the buildings were locked. Eventually we did notice a Thai man at a small Buddah statue who explained this was the Lucky Buddah.



In front of the statue was a footprint carved into the stone with intricate markings on the sole.



The guy seemed OK but talked a lot - he explained that we had been taken in by a scam of sorts as the teacher we had talked to earlier in the day had given us a piece of paper with a list of things to visit, but had also included a sort of code word on it and had got the Tuk-tuks so cheap because if they took us to the fashion expo (A tailors shop it turned out) they would get their petrol money paid for by the tailors. We had planned to miss out on the tailors shop but didn't want to see the Tuk-tuk drivers out of pocket as they'd been friendly enough. So we let them take us to the shop and after a brief look around made our excuses and left.

Well that was enough sight seeing for the lads so we headed back to the hotel and then hit the bars.

We spent a lot of time over the next few days drinking on the Khao San. The place really grew on me as initially it was nothing like I was expecting. Most of the street looked like it was falling down and a lot of the bars looked dirty, however the place did have atmosphere and it was fascinating to sit outside and watch the world go by.



At night the road took on a completely different appearance as it got more and more lively. They opened bars everywhere - one of the best transformations I saw was a petrol forecourt during the day which changed into a bar and market by night - we only went to the bar here once though as we were put off by the "waitresses" big hands and deep voices!!



There are a lot of sellers who walk up and down the streets including the Frog sellers with strange hats on trying to sell little wooden frogs with a stick that makes them croak - quite amusing the first time you see them - but so irritating after the 100th time!!

Most of us found it quite easy to ignore the sellers but Wakey (who we described to be like the weak antelope in the pack who the lion picks off!) would always get collared and end up talking for ages (and sometimes buying).

One afternoon Wakey decided to buy a Jack Daniels lighter. Even though he didn't need one Lloydy decided he could get a better deal and bargained the next seller right down - this triggered a bidding war between the two of them which went on all afternoon until we had a table full of tat - they'd even bought something which they weren't sure whther it was a pack of cigars or fireworks - I wasn't going to volunteer to smoke one!!

Our favourite bar had to be Gullivers at one end of the road. It was a sports bar and by giving decent tips we got our own table and some of the best service I've seen. Bars are required to stop serving beer at 1am and a lot of bars close completely however some of the locals showed us a bar that stayed open. I was convinced they wouldn't serve us as we'd been in earlier in the day and I'd seen the "No beer and Spirits served after 1am" sign, however the waiter arrived and we could order pretty much anything we wanted except we had to have it in a plastic cup. Both me and Wakey got hammered that night - I eventually made it back to the hotel. Steve helped Wakey, who apparently wanted to go swimming in the canal next to our hotel - the water was absolutely minging and we could see it bubbling during the day. (I was amazed to see a local worker swimming and "washing" in there one day!!)

The next morning we had booked ourselves on a trip to the Bridge on the River Kwai and Tiger Temple. Only me and Lloydy made it up, but only just - I don't think the rest of the bus were too impressed with the wait - as there were two spare seats Lloydy decided to bring another new friend. The ride to Kanchanaburi passed quickly as I found a comfortable seat on the bus and slept all the way to our first stop - the Allied War Cemetry. It was a strange feeling seeing so many English Graves so far away from home. We went back to wait for the driver after a quick look around - we got bored of waiting so went off for a coffee. When we got back to the bus everyone was waiting for us again!! Luckily I got chatting to a few of them and they turned out to be a nice bunch.

Our next stop was the WWII Art Gallery and War Museum. It was an odd museum which looks like a chinese temple on the outside - there were exhibits about the bridge and WWII but some of the captions alongside were written in very odd English which was even stranger considering the serious subject matter. There was another building lined with historical figures from the war including Hitler. The ground floor was quite intersting with weaponry and photographs from WWII. However the collections got stranger as you climbed up through the building and there was a real mix of artifacts from paintings of the King to Miss Thailand clothing.

You got a good view of the bridge from the museum but we decided to walk down to it and cross to the other side.



For those of you who don't know about the bridge here's a bit of history...

Immortalised in the famous movie and novel, it was a part of the infamous Death Railway to Burma, constructed by POWs working for the Japanese in hellish conditions during World War 2. Begun in October 1942, using prisoner of war (POW) labour, it was completed and operational by early February 1943. Some 16,000 POWs and 100,000 Asian workers died during the railway construction. The present iron bridge is the second wartime incarnation, but 2 central 'boxy' spans were rebuilt after the war to replace three sections destroyed by Allied bombing.

As we got to the bridge which looks quite rickety, someone said a train was coming we thought they were joking so headed across - on our way back we saw that a train was in fact coming and we were trapped on the bridge - we were amused by some American woman who refused to believe a train was crossing the 'tourist attraction' and wouldn't move. We were just worried we'd be late back for the bus again!!

We landed back at the bus just in time and went off for lunch on a floating restaurant and even managed a beer. After lunch we visited the Sai Yok Noi waterfalls and chilled out for a bit.

We then headed over to our final stop for the day the Tiger Temple (Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua) - one of the most amazing places I've seen. The Buddhist temple keeps numerous animals, among them several tame tigers that can be petted by tourists. In 1999 the temple received the first tiger cub; it had been found by villagers and died soon after. Several tiger cubs were later given to the temple, typically when the mothers had been killed by poachers. As of 2006, over ten cubs had been born at the temple and the total number of tigers was about eighteen.

The tigers spend most of the time in cages, being fed with dry cat food and cooked chicken to avoid them getting a taste for blood. They are washed and handled by the monks. Once a day, they are led on leashes to a nearby quarry. Originally they would roam around freely in this area, but now with the increase in tourists they are chained as they get grumpier in the afternoon. A group of Thai staff and some volunteers lead tourists around by the hand to pose and pat the tigers and take photographs of them using the tourist's camera. Those who are not up for it may also observe from a safe distance.

The temple collects donations for feeding and upkeep, and to fund the building of a larger tiger sanctuary to simulate their natural environment. There are plans to release some of the animals back into the wild someday.

When we got off the bus we noticed how much hotter the day had become. The boiling hot walk to the quarry where the tigers were kept was well worth it (there was a rank smell on the way). Although I'd read about it I was not prepared to see the tigers out in the open so close to people with so much freedom to move around if they chose too. However I figured as I'd come this far so I had to get close and get some photos taken.

One of the guides led me to the tigers and I got to pat one. The guide wanted me to sit on a ledge between two of the tigers but I politely declined. The whole thing was an incredible experience.





They were doing a lot of building work on the site to build the new environment but we were still able to walk around and we saw a tiger playing with her cubs as well as some buffalo and wart hogs.

After leaving the temple and stocking up on water we headed back to Bangkok.

On the lads last day in Bangkok Lloydy's friend showed us around MBK - a huge shopping centre. I was amazed by the place - the top floor was like a giant market full of tourist souvenirs whilst the other floors had knock-off designer clothes, dvds and computer software. You could also pick-up Ipods and mobile phones dirt cheap. After a bit of shopping we headed out for a farewell beer and a game of darts and ping-pong. On the way back to the hotel Lloydy decided to have a final feast and found this stall selling cooked locusts, crickets and other creepy crawely treats - I'm not quite sure how he managed not to throw up.

With the lads gone I decided to get some more sight seeing in and headed to the Grand Palace. I was determined not to be distracted this time. I was collared quite a few times on my walk there with people who told me the palace was closed but I politely told them I'd take my chances and headed on.

The palace was open so I got my ticket and headed inside. I should have probably got a guide but decided just to wander around inside. It consists of over 100 brightly colored buildings, golden spires and glittering mosaics, and dates back to 1782, when Bangkok was founded.

The first major site inside is the Temple of the Emerald Buddah Thailand's most important and sacred temple. It houses the tiny Emerald Buddha, which is located high above the heads of the worshippers and tourists. It's thought to have been made in the 15th century and was the cause of several wars before ending up for good in Bangkok in 1782. The image is considered a talisman and holds tremendous significance for Thailand and the Thais. The 'robe' that it wears is changed 3 times each year by the King himself, at the start of each season: A diamond encrusted gold robe during the hot season, a solid gold robe in the cool season and a gilded monk's robe in the rainy season. Security in the temple is very strict and you are not allowed to photograph the Buddah - I saw an old man get caught and the guard deleted half of his pictures.

There was a lot of other stuff to see in the compound outside and the place was crowded with worshipers and tourists. In the main section were huge statues of Giants (Yak) and Bird Women (Kinaree). There was even a scale model of the Cambodian temple complex Angkor Wat. In covered alcoves all around the walls were huge murals, some of which were being pain stakingly restored.






I wandered around the rest of the palace complex and checked out the museum.






I left the Palace and after some lunch I headed to another temple close to the Palace - Wat Pho. Wat Pho is mainly famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses. It holds the dual honors of having both Thailand's largest reclining Buddha image and the most number of Buddha images in Thailand.



The large grounds of Wat Pho contain more than 1000 Buddha images in total, most from the ruins of the former capitals Ayuthaya and Sukhothai



The other buildings and temples in the complex were impressive too even though there was a lot of restoration work going on.

On my last full day in Bangkok I decided to check out the Jim Thompson house and do some last minute shopping.

I'd read about Jim Thompson when I'd been in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia (See my Blog entry). The Jim Thompson House was the home of James H.W. Thompson in Bangkok, a self-made American entrepreneur who was the founder of the world renowned Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company. In 1967, Jim Thompson went on holiday with friends to the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. There he set out for a walk in the surrounding jungle but never returned. Thus began the Jim Thompson legend. His Bangkok house has been left relatively untouched since then.



The house consists of a complex of six traditional Thai-style houses, teak structures that were purchased from several owners and brought to the present location from various parts of Thailand. Construction of the Thai house was completed in 1959. The house contains Thompson's extensive art and antique collection. Walking around the house and grounds was like stepping back in time. The entrance fee included a guided tour and we ended up getting a really good guide.

After my visit I realised I was quite near to the MBK shopping centre so headed back for some last minute bargains.

Finally it was time to leave Bangkok the last city in the last country of my travels. I had found Thailand to be an amazing place - I'd really wanted to see Chiang Mai in the North but just ran out of time. In fact what I've found is the more you travel the more you want to go on and see, and the more people you talk to about amazing places they've been to the more you realise you could spend years traveling and barely scratch the surface.

Phuket Town, Patong Beach and Ko Samui

The journey to Phuket town was a nightmare. I had a ticket to go by mini-van but spent the first hour of the journey travelling backwards and forwards around Krabi before changing vans and changing back, then being driven to another drop off point and being sandwiched into another van with loads of other people going to various different destinations. We finally arrived on the outskirts of Phuket at a travel agents where they kindly offered to book accommodation - I was not in the mood to be ripped off and I knew Phuket town wouldn't be too crowded so I politely declined. After a large argument a taxi came to take me to my hotel.

As my brother (Steve) was coming out with his brother-in-law (Lloydy) and his friend (Wakey)I chose a hotel a bit nicer than what I'd been used to - The Pearl Hotel. The hotel had a nice restaurant and a swimming pool complete with waterfalls!

The lads arrived and we headed out to an Irish bar. Next day we chilled in the pool before a night out at Patong Beach. Patong Beach is one of the craziest places I've visited on my travels with so many bars and clubs. We decided that we would move from the town next day.

The next few days are a bit of a blur with a lot of time spent at the various bars on Bangla Road and our favourite bar - UK Bar where the beers and whiskies came thick and fast. We randomly met a bloke from Seaham who Wakey and Lloydy knew. Our first hotel was OK but my floor was strange as it had about 10 quiet please hand written notices up on the walls.

As well as the drinking we did find time to have suits made. Generally the tailors are really annoying and come up to you shouting and trying to shake your hand but we decided to buy from one who worked near one of our regular bars - we had just started chatting to him in the bar and we ended up getting an OK deal although we should have probably thought more about the material and waited until Bangkok. After 3 fittings our suits were ready and I was really pleased with the fit - I'm just going to have to watch how many pies I eat!!

One day as a break from the drinking we headed over to Phuket Zoo - this was a terrible place and almost all the animals looked badly treated. The monkey show looked cruel as the monkeys all had big chains around their necks. Half the cages were empty and the cages that did have animals in just had concrete floors. The herd of elephants all looked mad and the only thing any of us enjoyed was the crocodile show. There were two blokes who slung the crocodiles around, jumped over them and for the finale stuck their heads in the crocs mouth - mental.



Lloydy had his picture taken with a big snake on the way out. After the zoo we headed over to the shooting range - wakey decided to shoot a pistol while me, Steve and Lloydy went clay pigeon shooting. As to the outcome lets just say Lloydy is military trained and I didn't come last!!

Half way through our time in Patong we had to move hotels - we had got yet another crap rate through an agent. The girl who worked in the hotel told us the real rate but would not let us have the rooms at that rate as we'd come through an agent so we moved out on principal. This was not the best idea as every hotel and guesthouse seemed to be full. Eventually Lloydy saved the day with the help of his Thai friend and a moped he found us somewhere on the otherside of town. This place had its quirks too as it was run by Italians who didn't speak English (just try explaining over the phone that you are already staying at the hotel but want to book extra nights!!).

From Patong we decided to fly to Ko Samui as we were all ready for a change of pace and a bit of relaxation. We decided to stay at the end of Chaweng Beach. My plan to dodge the accomodation touts at the airport nearly backfired as I told them we were staying at a hotel which when we got there turned out to be a building site. Luckily with a bit of team work we managed to convince the driver he had taken us to the wrong place and got him to drive us back to some bungalows we had passed on the way. We got the last 4 rooms. 2 rooms were standard and 2 were budget (or shacks as we called them). I took one of the shacks as I wanted to save some money but ended up really liking the place. The hotel was called Sea Side bungalows and was set right on the beach.



We spent the first day just chilling out although we did manage to find a good Irish bar later that night.



Wakey also randomly decided to try Chicken Feet and Frogs Legs (still attached to the frog!)



Next day I decided to book a snorkelling trip to Ko Tao as it would be my last chance to do it before heading home. Steve decided to join me at the last minute.

Next morning we headed out early and got taken to our boat. We realised straight away that the trip was really a diving trip with a few snorkellers thrown in to make up the numbers, however they had slightly over-estimated the numbers as the boat was very crowded and with all the diving gear you were always looking for a seat or tripping over someone.

The speedboat journey was pretty smooth and we got to see Ko Pha-Ngan and Ko Tao. We were dropped at the first spot, a bay on Ko Tao - the snorkelling was pretty good around the rocks in the bay we saw some big fish and some squid. I tried out my underwater digital camera Jen had got for me.





After lunch we stopped at another site and had to swim out from the boat. There were still plenty of fish but the coral seemed to be dead/damaged. The second spot was close to a private beach and resort and I was amused to think some people had paid all that money only to see loads of snorkellers arriving by boat each day!

We checked out another beach and I made a mental note to try and stay on Ko Tao when I come back to Thailand.

Back on Ko Samui we had our last night out before catching our plane late in the afternoon to Bangkok.

Krabi Town, Ko Phi Phi and Ao Nang

Although there's not huge amounts to do in Krabi town I decided to stay there a few nights before going over to Phi Phi.

I stayed in the City Hotel in the centre of town. I explored the town and the river bank and also checked out the night market. At the night market I was a bit aprehensive about trying the food but was glad I did, the food is all cooked at the stalls on bbqs and hot plates. There was also some live music. It was good to be amongst Thai people and not just tourists.

I'd heard that Phi Phi was really busy so decided to pre-book my accomodation (I have since learned you nearly always get over charged doing this) but it took ages until one agent eventually found me a room.

Next morning I headed over to Phi Phi Don by ferry. I'd lost my travel sickness pills but fortunately the crossing was calm. I checked into the hotel (Don Chukit) which was ok (except for a load of ants in the bathroom) and went out for a look around. The island was very busy and there were quite a few backpackers wondering around looking homeless. My hotel was on the main bay (Ao Ton Sai) but it was just a short walk across the island to Ao Lo Dalam which has a nice beach with swimming areas. The impact of the 2004 Tsunami can still be seen and there is shed loads of building and repairing going on which all seems very disorganised. The size of the main town is deceptive too and I kept finding new sections down the various side streets.

I signed up for a snorkelling trip which took me to Phi Phi Leh, famous for Maya Bay - the beach from The Beach. There is no accommodation on the island so everyone does a day trip to visit. The trip was by long tail boat as there were loads of big boats going I chose this one as it was supposed to leave earlier and beat the crowds.

Our first stop on the trip was Viking Cave where the locals collect Swiftlets nests using vine and bamboo scafolds.



The nests I learned later are used to make Bird Nest Soup. After the cave we headed into a small bay which was very picturesque - as our boat was so small we could cruise right around it over some sand bars. We moved on to our first snorkelling spot. There were tonnes of really small fish which seemed to form into a wall which would bend out of shape if you swam towards it. I followed the guide for a bit and he pointed out two Lion Fish then we saw a massive Jelly Fish which I was keen to get out of the way of.

We headed on to Maya Bay. Instead of going directly to the bay we stopped at a hole in a rock on the otherside of the bay we had to swim accross to the rock then use ropes to get through the hole and down onto the beach on the otherside. We then followed a jungle path which led us to Maya Bay itself.



As it was mid morning by this point I was expecting the place to be busy but I was not prepared for the amount of people there. There were around 10 speed boats parked up on the beach with 2 big boats anchored in the bay itself as well as all the people doing the same as us. The beach was crowded and although the bay itself is undoubtedly beautiful I prefer my beaches a bit less crowded. The speedboat crews even used megaphones to yell at there passengers when it was time for them to go! So although I knew I had to see Maya Bay I was not sorry to be leaving and heading for the next snorkel stop at Shark Point. This spot was OK but there were no sharks because of all the boat traffic - there was still quite a few fish though. Before heading back to port we stopped at Monkey Beach back on Phi Phi Don - although there were no monkeys there (probably scared off as we were the 50th boat to stop there!) it was still a nice spot to sit and relax.

For my evenings entertainment on the island I found a cheap restaurant that showed films and served beer. I watched Blood Diamond and of course The Beach. I had a look in a few of the other bars - one had it's own boxing ring where they were looking for volunteers to kickbox - I laughed at the sign outside promised live lady-boy boxing and inside two Australian lads were knocking each other about.

On my last day on Phi Phi I decided to climb up to the viewpoint. The route up to the viewpoint is now the Tsunami evacuation route and it was quite a climb. Once at the top I had a great view of the beach and port - you could actually see the whole area that had been hit by the Tsunami.



There were various trails leading off and I followed one to another viewpoint which gave me a different view of the island. I headed back to the first point and noticed that more and more people were arriving to watch the sun set so I grabbed a spot on the rocks.



I caught the ferry back to Krabi then took a taxi to Ao Nang. Although my first choice hotel only had the most expensive rooms left I opted for a budget option next door. I was in the mood to do some activities so signed up for an Elephant Trek. The trek was with a company called Noisey Parkers (do you see what they've done there?) They drove me out to the start of the Trek and got me onboard the elephant. I thought I was going to be on the only one on the trek as my guide led me off straight away. At one point he jumped off the elephant and let it roam around which was a strange feeling as I didn't know what it was going to do next. I got off the seat and sat in the driving postion behind the elephants head - she kept flapping her ears and banging her head and trunk against trees.



Eventually some more trekers turned up and we headed off into the jungle. On the way back one of the elephants saw a geko and panicked which entertained me but not the guys on its back. Once across the stream and back at the camp we got to feed the elephants before visiting the rest of the elephants.



You could see why they cost a fortune to keep as they all had massive piles of food which they scooped into their mouths. There was also a baby elephant there which played the harmonica and span a hula-hoop for us. Unfortunately though he had a really short chain around his leg (apparently chained for its own safety as it kept escaping) and it looked like it was in the process of going mad.

That night I went to see some Muay Thai (Kick Boxing). It was very touristy and a bit of a scam. I was glad I had not paid for the VIP seats as they were arm chairs by the edge of the ring. I had a good view from up in the stands. There were lots of kids fights and only a couple of adult fights. It was good to see all the ceremony surrounding the fights along with the traditional music though.

On my last day in Ao-Nang I did a combined day trip to the hot springs and Wat Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple). This was a really good trip and we had a good guide. Our first stop was Klong Thom Hot springs in the jungle. The springs were so warm you were only supposed to stay in the water for a 15 minutes. There were naturally hollowed-out 'bathtubs' in the smooth stone. When you got too warm you could climb down into a big pool to cool off. From the springs we headed to another great swimming site 'Crystal Pool' in Khao Phra Bang Khram Nature Reserve. There was a scenic nature walk through the forest to reach the pool.



The pool itself was impressive and the water was crystal clear and great to swim in.

The lunch stop was nice too as it was Thai Chicken and Chicken Curry dishes at a local restaurant. After lunch we went to Wat Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple). 3 of us decided to climb the 1200 steps to the top of the 600m Karst peak. At the top was a Buddha statue and a guilded stupa but the views of the surrounding area made the climb worth while.





When we climbed down we couldn't find the guide so I went off exploring I found another set of stairs and climbed up them over a gap in the ridge then down into a valley of tall trees and limestone caves. I explored some of the caves and walked past the small houses where some of the monks lived. I followed the trail around then realised I should probably be heading back. By the time I got back to the start of the trail the sweat was pouring out of me, luckily the guide was waiting for me at the bottom of the steps. She showed me into the main temple where I met one of the monks and had to sign a visitor book - I was a bit embarassed at how much I was sweating. We had some time to look around the temple and went up a staircase leading to the Tiger Cave which gave the temple its name - no sign of any tigers though! I was glad to get back to the air-conditioned van but was gutted when I realised I'd dropped my travelling hat (see the picture on my profile) - if any of you visit the temple look out for a rather stylish monk!