Siem Reap is much more intense then I expected. Unlike Bangkok, people will actually grab you as you are walking along the street and try to shove you toward their stand saying 'you buy something lady. I make good price. Just for you, just today. Tomorrow too late.'
I was planning to go to the temples of Angkor alone the next morning, but when I woke up, I met another girl and she asked me if I wanted to come along with her, so I did.
The temples were cool, but I can say that I was pretty templed out by the end of the day. My favorite part of the day day was the sunset.
As we were watching the sunset, a bunch of kids came up to us trying to sell us stuff, but ended up just chatting with us for a long time. It made me realize how lucky I was to have the childhood that I did. At 15 years old, I used to complain about having to wake up at at 6:30am to milk cows or babysit in the evenings, but here was this 14 year old girl who got up every morning at 3am, went to work trying to sell things to tourists until 5:30pm, then went home to watch her baby brother until 8:30 or 9pm only to do it all over again the next day.
Since Karen and I were both pretty over temples, we decided to just go there for the sunrise and then go to the floating villages afterward, so we had to wake up at 4:30.
Our tuk tuk driver knew of another floating village that was not as full of tourist and he highly recommended it, saying that it would be a more cultural experience for us, but it was a little further out. After our experience in Koh Lanta, I was a bit skeptical, but we took his word anyway, and I'm glad that we did. They were amazing.
We had to drive for about 1/2 hour to get there on the red, dirt roads, passing little villages along the way. Then we took a boat to the actual village.
The houses were all built on bamboo rafts so that, depending on the season, they can be moved according to the water level.
We stopped first at a little school. The kids there were so much different from the ones in Siem Reap. Nobody was begging. No one even dared to look at us hardly. They were so shy.
After the school, our driver asked if we wanted to go for a swim. Thinking he was joking, I said of course. He wasn't joking. The boat stopped and he jumped in. The water looked nice, so we decided to jump in too, clothes and all.
Before jumping in, we forgot to think about how we were going to get back up. After we'd finally managed to get back on, we went to a little island which was the 'city center'. This is where all the people who lived in the village would come to meet up. There was a doctor there that day, selling medicines and giving shots.
We stayed there for a few hours playing with the kids and looking around before heading back.
On the way back we heard a loud pop. One of the tires had exploded, so our driver asked us to get out and walk for a bit to a nearby bench where he left us to go find a new tire.
It was such a cool day. There was not one other tourist in sight and we got to see the real way that the real people live without being changed by tourism. It was exactly what I as hoping for when coming here; a true cultural experience.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello
Just as quickly as people come into your lives, it seems, they leave again. Cat had to go back home to England, so for the fist time since I'd arrived in Asia, I was alone again; having to make all of my plans and decisions on my own.
I was supposed to meet up with a girl and we were planning to travel to Cambodia together, but her friend had an accident, so she had to change her plans last minuet.
I didn't know what to do and I was sick of Bangkok, so I decided that if I woke up early enough the next morning, I would leave to Cambodia regardless.
I woke up at 4am, so I decided that it was as good a day as any to go to Cambodia. So I collected my belongings, got an overpriced taxi to the train station and bought my ticket to the border.
Since the border is said to be pretty intense and full of scams, I was relived when I saw another backpacker get on the train.
The train ride was long, but very scenic.
When we got to Aranyaprathet, we had to take a tuk tuk for about 7km to the border market. As soon as we got there, people started yelling at us, telling us that we had to buy our visas there, charging double the price. We ignored them and walked to the Thai customs, and then to the Cambodian one. There was a sign that said Cambodian visa $20, but the guy still asked us for $20+100B. I'd read before that they might ask you that, and you just tell them that you have only $20, so that's what we did and it seemed to work for us.
Once we got through everything, we were going in different directions, so Henry found a taxi to the place where he was going to and I found a few people who were also going to Siem Reap.
I was supposed to meet up with a girl and we were planning to travel to Cambodia together, but her friend had an accident, so she had to change her plans last minuet.
I didn't know what to do and I was sick of Bangkok, so I decided that if I woke up early enough the next morning, I would leave to Cambodia regardless.
I woke up at 4am, so I decided that it was as good a day as any to go to Cambodia. So I collected my belongings, got an overpriced taxi to the train station and bought my ticket to the border.
Since the border is said to be pretty intense and full of scams, I was relived when I saw another backpacker get on the train.
The train ride was long, but very scenic.
When we got to Aranyaprathet, we had to take a tuk tuk for about 7km to the border market. As soon as we got there, people started yelling at us, telling us that we had to buy our visas there, charging double the price. We ignored them and walked to the Thai customs, and then to the Cambodian one. There was a sign that said Cambodian visa $20, but the guy still asked us for $20+100B. I'd read before that they might ask you that, and you just tell them that you have only $20, so that's what we did and it seemed to work for us.
Once we got through everything, we were going in different directions, so Henry found a taxi to the place where he was going to and I found a few people who were also going to Siem Reap.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Teacher For a Day
After we got to Bangkok, we went back to the guest house that we'd stayed the first few nights, dropped our big bags off, ate breakfast and wondered around for a bit before catching the bus to Damnoen Saduak, a town about 2 hours out of Bangkok that is famous for it's floating markets.
When we got to the bus station, we couldn't figure out where to go, so an officer just told us to follow him. He took us to a random street corner and waited with us until our bus came. He flagged it down and told the driver where we wanted to go.
It was a local bus, so were were the only tourists, which I kind of liked. I felt like I was getting the full experience.
The floating markets were really cool. We hired a boat to take us around for about an hour. Since most tourists only do a day trip, we were the only ones there for most of the time.
There were boats just floating around the canal with different foods and other random stuff, and if you wanted to buy something, they would float up to your boat and give it to you.
We didn't know what was good, so we just bought random things wrapped in banana leaves. I don't knew what they were, but they were good.
After we came back from the market, we saw a sign in our hotel asking for help with English in a Thai school. We didn't knew what else to do for the day, since neither of us had any real desire to spend much more time in Bangkok, so we called the school up and went spontaneously.
The teacher was Slovenian guy and he had 2 different English classes that day. The first class was really shy and didn't say much, but for the second class, he split then up into two groups, putting me with one and Cat with the other. He made them all ask us questions and write down our answers.
Most of the time, it was just 1 or 2 kids asking all of the questions and the others telling them what to ask.
That day happened to be a retirement party for one of the teachers, so they invited us to join. They had really good Thai food and preformed a traditional dance.
It was very funny as the guy was showing us around. I couldn't even count the amount of good morning's, how are you's, your beautiful's, or hello's that we got from giggling kids of all ages.
As we were passing the music hall, the music teacher snatched us up, pulled us inside and insisted on taking photos of us pretending to play instruments that we don't play. For some reason, he thinks it inspires his students to see foreigners who play instruments.
When we got to the bus station, we couldn't figure out where to go, so an officer just told us to follow him. He took us to a random street corner and waited with us until our bus came. He flagged it down and told the driver where we wanted to go.
It was a local bus, so were were the only tourists, which I kind of liked. I felt like I was getting the full experience.
The floating markets were really cool. We hired a boat to take us around for about an hour. Since most tourists only do a day trip, we were the only ones there for most of the time.
There were boats just floating around the canal with different foods and other random stuff, and if you wanted to buy something, they would float up to your boat and give it to you.
We didn't know what was good, so we just bought random things wrapped in banana leaves. I don't knew what they were, but they were good.
After we came back from the market, we saw a sign in our hotel asking for help with English in a Thai school. We didn't knew what else to do for the day, since neither of us had any real desire to spend much more time in Bangkok, so we called the school up and went spontaneously.
The teacher was Slovenian guy and he had 2 different English classes that day. The first class was really shy and didn't say much, but for the second class, he split then up into two groups, putting me with one and Cat with the other. He made them all ask us questions and write down our answers.
Most of the time, it was just 1 or 2 kids asking all of the questions and the others telling them what to ask.
That day happened to be a retirement party for one of the teachers, so they invited us to join. They had really good Thai food and preformed a traditional dance.
It was very funny as the guy was showing us around. I couldn't even count the amount of good morning's, how are you's, your beautiful's, or hello's that we got from giggling kids of all ages.
As we were passing the music hall, the music teacher snatched us up, pulled us inside and insisted on taking photos of us pretending to play instruments that we don't play. For some reason, he thinks it inspires his students to see foreigners who play instruments.
Train in Thailand, Take 2
It was not sunny in Koh Tao until the day we left. We didn't have to leave till around 2pm, so were were able to enjoy a bit of the sunshine, at least.
We took a ferry, then a shared taxi to the train station and then the train back to Bangkok.
We had to wait a few hours for our train, so we pulled out a deck of cards and started to play. As we were playing, an old lady and a little girl just came, plopped them selves in front of us and watched us play.
We started to make silly faces at the little girl, and before long, she was hyped up, running around, making faces at us and trying to get us to tickle her.
Our train wasn't late this time. If anything, it was even a bit early. We were hoping that it would be, because we didn't really feel like getting to Bangkok at 5:30am with nothing to do.
We tried fan this time, since it's quite a bit cheaper. It wasn't too bad, but it was a bit noisy, stuffy and they didn't turn out the lights.
I felt like just as I'd managed to fall asleep, a guy came, ripped my curtain open, told me good morning and that I had to get down so that he could change the bed into a seat.
We took a ferry, then a shared taxi to the train station and then the train back to Bangkok.
We had to wait a few hours for our train, so we pulled out a deck of cards and started to play. As we were playing, an old lady and a little girl just came, plopped them selves in front of us and watched us play.
We started to make silly faces at the little girl, and before long, she was hyped up, running around, making faces at us and trying to get us to tickle her.
Our train wasn't late this time. If anything, it was even a bit early. We were hoping that it would be, because we didn't really feel like getting to Bangkok at 5:30am with nothing to do.
We tried fan this time, since it's quite a bit cheaper. It wasn't too bad, but it was a bit noisy, stuffy and they didn't turn out the lights.
I felt like just as I'd managed to fall asleep, a guy came, ripped my curtain open, told me good morning and that I had to get down so that he could change the bed into a seat.
When it Rains, It Pours
The next day, we wanted to see the north side of the island, so set out to find a taxi to take us there.
A very hyper looking young man came up to us offering us a taxi. He seemed very rushed and really determined.
We got in and as soon as we started going, wee realized that maybe he wasn't the best choice. He was a complete lunatic. In all my years of living, I've never rode with a crazier driver! He would whip around blind corners, driving into oncoming traffic, passing cars with hardly no leeway. this was not a normal taxi either. Most of the taxis on the island are just basically a pickup truck with two benches stuck in the back and a canopy cover.
In the brief moment where I thought my life could possibly come to an end that day, I looked over at the taxi citification paper that was taped onto the window. Unless he'd recently undergone some major plastic surgery in the recent past, the guy in the picture was most definitely NOT the guy who as inside the truck, driving us around the island.
The guy in the picture was an older looking chap, bald on top with a thick mustache. Someone who could possibly be seen as a high school teacher.
I have never been more happy in my life to set my feet on solid ground that I was the moment the taxi stopped.
We spent the rest of the day walking back down the road to where we came from, stopping along the way at different beaches that we passed.
A very hyper looking young man came up to us offering us a taxi. He seemed very rushed and really determined.
We got in and as soon as we started going, wee realized that maybe he wasn't the best choice. He was a complete lunatic. In all my years of living, I've never rode with a crazier driver! He would whip around blind corners, driving into oncoming traffic, passing cars with hardly no leeway. this was not a normal taxi either. Most of the taxis on the island are just basically a pickup truck with two benches stuck in the back and a canopy cover.
In the brief moment where I thought my life could possibly come to an end that day, I looked over at the taxi citification paper that was taped onto the window. Unless he'd recently undergone some major plastic surgery in the recent past, the guy in the picture was most definitely NOT the guy who as inside the truck, driving us around the island.
The guy in the picture was an older looking chap, bald on top with a thick mustache. Someone who could possibly be seen as a high school teacher.
I have never been more happy in my life to set my feet on solid ground that I was the moment the taxi stopped.
We spent the rest of the day walking back down the road to where we came from, stopping along the way at different beaches that we passed.
Taxi Drivers
The next day, we wanted to see the north side of the island, so set out to find a taxi to take us there.
A very hyper looking young man came up to us offering us a taxi. He seemed very rushed and really determined.
We got in and as soon as we started going, wee realized that maybe he wasn't the best choice. He was a complete lunatic. In all my years of living, I've never rode with a crazier driver! He would whip around blind corners, driving into oncoming traffic, passing cars with hardly no leeway. this was not a normal taxi either. Most of the taxis on the island are just basically a pickup truck with two benches stuck in the back and a canopy cover.
In the brief moment where I thought my life could possibly come to an end that day, I looked over at the taxi citification paper that was taped onto the window. Unless he'd recently undergone some major plastic surgery in the recent past, the guy in the picture was most definitely NOT the guy who as inside the truck, driving us around the island.
The guy in the picture was an older looking chap, bald on top with a thick mustache. Someone who could possibly be seen as a high school teacher.
I have never been more happy in my life to set my feet on solid ground that I was the moment the taxi stopped.
We spent the rest of the day walking back down the road to where we came from, stopping along the way at different beaches that we passed.
A very hyper looking young man came up to us offering us a taxi. He seemed very rushed and really determined.
We got in and as soon as we started going, wee realized that maybe he wasn't the best choice. He was a complete lunatic. In all my years of living, I've never rode with a crazier driver! He would whip around blind corners, driving into oncoming traffic, passing cars with hardly no leeway. this was not a normal taxi either. Most of the taxis on the island are just basically a pickup truck with two benches stuck in the back and a canopy cover.
In the brief moment where I thought my life could possibly come to an end that day, I looked over at the taxi citification paper that was taped onto the window. Unless he'd recently undergone some major plastic surgery in the recent past, the guy in the picture was most definitely NOT the guy who as inside the truck, driving us around the island.
The guy in the picture was an older looking chap, bald on top with a thick mustache. Someone who could possibly be seen as a high school teacher.
I have never been more happy in my life to set my feet on solid ground that I was the moment the taxi stopped.
We spent the rest of the day walking back down the road to where we came from, stopping along the way at different beaches that we passed.
Under The Sea
Koh Phangan is most famous for 2 things; beautiful beaches and it's crazy full moon party every month.
The beaches were in fact nice, but it was hard to compare after Railay. We were able to find a nice hut to stay in right on the beach a little bit away from the main beaches on the island.
Most of the time we were on the island, it was overcast. The first day, we got a taxi to take us to Sunrise Beach, one of the most famous beaches on the island.
We were on there for a few moments before a guy came up to us trying to convince us to go on his 'amazing snorkeling tour. Free lunch. Best one on the island.'
He won. We didn't have anything planned for the day besides going to the beach and since it was a bit overcast anyway, why not?
The boat was a bit rickety. They seemed to be fixing up so something or another as we were driving along the entire time and the 'on board bathroom' consisted of a tiny wooden box with a sheet covering the front in which, if you stood up strait, your head would poke out the top. You literally had to climb on in.
They took us to a few different places that are hard to reach otherwise. First to a waterfall that we had to hike out to and then to a few different nice beaches. On one of the beaches, the only things besides us were one horse, 2 dogs, a few chickens and the old lady that lived there.
We didn't see too many fish while snorkeling besides the usual, but as soon as we got out, we spotted a huge, white, jellyfish fluffing about in the water. I think I was a bit relieved that I didn't see it until after I as already out of the water.
After we got back, we went to the night market to eat. A majority of the time, I had no idea what it was that I was eating, but it was really good and really cheap. I splurged a little and bought dinner, a drink and dessert. I was feeling a little guilty about spending so much on one meal until I calculated it out and realized that my total had come to just under$2.
The beaches were in fact nice, but it was hard to compare after Railay. We were able to find a nice hut to stay in right on the beach a little bit away from the main beaches on the island.
Most of the time we were on the island, it was overcast. The first day, we got a taxi to take us to Sunrise Beach, one of the most famous beaches on the island.
We were on there for a few moments before a guy came up to us trying to convince us to go on his 'amazing snorkeling tour. Free lunch. Best one on the island.'
He won. We didn't have anything planned for the day besides going to the beach and since it was a bit overcast anyway, why not?
The boat was a bit rickety. They seemed to be fixing up so something or another as we were driving along the entire time and the 'on board bathroom' consisted of a tiny wooden box with a sheet covering the front in which, if you stood up strait, your head would poke out the top. You literally had to climb on in.
They took us to a few different places that are hard to reach otherwise. First to a waterfall that we had to hike out to and then to a few different nice beaches. On one of the beaches, the only things besides us were one horse, 2 dogs, a few chickens and the old lady that lived there.
We didn't see too many fish while snorkeling besides the usual, but as soon as we got out, we spotted a huge, white, jellyfish fluffing about in the water. I think I was a bit relieved that I didn't see it until after I as already out of the water.
After we got back, we went to the night market to eat. A majority of the time, I had no idea what it was that I was eating, but it was really good and really cheap. I splurged a little and bought dinner, a drink and dessert. I was feeling a little guilty about spending so much on one meal until I calculated it out and realized that my total had come to just under$2.
What They Say and What They Mean
From Raialy, we decided to go to Koh Pangan. We were told that we would take a long tail boat to Kraby, then a bus and then a ferry. In reality, I think they meant to say; first they would put us onto a long tail boat, we would wait about an hour for our minibus to Kraby. In Kraby, we would wait about another hour for a second minibus to arrive. That minibus would drive us for a few hours (with a break so that the driver could get out, smoke and get something to eat) and then drop us off at a random restaurant, where we would wait for another hour or so before they would then shove us (10 people, 10 big backpacks and 10 small backpacks) into the back of a pickup truck to take us to yet another bus to take us to the pier were we would finally get onto the ferry.
Most of the people in the group that I was in started to freak out. I don't think that they realize that in Thailand, time seems to have a whole different meaning to it. They started to yell at the lady running the restaurant, demanding that she get someone to come and pick us up earlier. I don't know what they were so worried about. Like that one hour that we had to spend there was going to change their whole life dramatically.
I felt really sorry for the lady, so as we were leaving, I apologized to her for all the yelling. Despite the craziness of my fellow travelers, she was so sweet to me. She just told me 'it's ok. Crazy people. Crazy people. Have fun.'
I hate it when backpackers act like they can come into a different country, expect everything to be run just as it is in their country, and then start demanding everyone around like they own the place. It sort of ruins the reputation of all backpackers.
Most of the people in the group that I was in started to freak out. I don't think that they realize that in Thailand, time seems to have a whole different meaning to it. They started to yell at the lady running the restaurant, demanding that she get someone to come and pick us up earlier. I don't know what they were so worried about. Like that one hour that we had to spend there was going to change their whole life dramatically.
I felt really sorry for the lady, so as we were leaving, I apologized to her for all the yelling. Despite the craziness of my fellow travelers, she was so sweet to me. She just told me 'it's ok. Crazy people. Crazy people. Have fun.'
I hate it when backpackers act like they can come into a different country, expect everything to be run just as it is in their country, and then start demanding everyone around like they own the place. It sort of ruins the reputation of all backpackers.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Just Another Day in Paradise
Even though our originally plan was to go to Koh Lanta instead of Railay Beach to avoid the tourists, we'd heard so much about Railay and how amazing it was and that it was not actually that busy this time of year, so we went anyway and Alison came with us.
I think we were all pretty happy that we did.
For me, it was love at first sight. When I thought Thailand, this is one of the pictures that would come into my head. The water was amazingly blue and surrounded by high cliffs on every side.
We wanted to go up to the view point, but when we got there, we saw that it was really steep, and I was just wearing backless sandals, so they told me to stay down with the stuff and they would see how difficult the climb was; if I'd be able to conquer it without proper shoes or not.
After they got back down, we went to a beach that is supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches. It didn't let us down. The water was even more clear than the first beach and it was right next to a cave.
For dinner that night, we found this little restaurant with tables on the floor and candles. Later they had a free fire show, which was amazing! The youngest fire artist was just 16 years old.
Sitting there, I noticed how calm I've felt lately. Like I don't have a worry in the world and the only thing I have to think about in the moment is living in the moment itself.
I am in a place I would have, years ago, never imagined being in, with people I've only met while being here, and yet, I feel so comfortable to be here with them. That is the beauty of travel.
I think we were all pretty happy that we did.
For me, it was love at first sight. When I thought Thailand, this is one of the pictures that would come into my head. The water was amazingly blue and surrounded by high cliffs on every side.
We wanted to go up to the view point, but when we got there, we saw that it was really steep, and I was just wearing backless sandals, so they told me to stay down with the stuff and they would see how difficult the climb was; if I'd be able to conquer it without proper shoes or not.
After they got back down, we went to a beach that is supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches. It didn't let us down. The water was even more clear than the first beach and it was right next to a cave.
For dinner that night, we found this little restaurant with tables on the floor and candles. Later they had a free fire show, which was amazing! The youngest fire artist was just 16 years old.
Sitting there, I noticed how calm I've felt lately. Like I don't have a worry in the world and the only thing I have to think about in the moment is living in the moment itself.
I am in a place I would have, years ago, never imagined being in, with people I've only met while being here, and yet, I feel so comfortable to be here with them. That is the beauty of travel.
Beaches, Bottles, Coconuts and Cameras
Since we were kind of stuck on the island with no where to go and no way of getting there, Alison, Cat and I decided to go on the street, walk toward the nearest town and see if we could find a tuk tuk or someone who would be able to take us around the island cheap for the day.
Across the street, we saw a man in a skirt trying to hail a tuk tuk. The tuk tuk stopped and some words were exchanged. I don't know what they said, but the tuk tuk started going again and the man in the skirt started yelling and then looking franticly through the trash, picking out a large beer bottle and waving it at the tuk tuk driver. The tuk tuk driver had stopped by this point, and got out, starting to walk toward the man. Just as he did, the man in the skirt turned to us and threatened to chuck it at us with this creepy smirk on his face. We bolted, and the tuk tuk driver ran over to the guy and grabbed the bottle out of his hand and shoved him toward the house.
We were a bit skeptical to keep going after that, but we really wanted to make the most out of being sent to this island, so we did. Before long, a taxi truck drove up to us and asked if we needed a ride anywhere. The driver looked like he was about 16 years old. We told him our plan and were finally able to get him down to a reasonable price for him to take us to the best parts of the island for the entire day.
We heard that long beach was one of the best beaches on the island, so we headed there first, only to find an abandoned beach chuck full of trash and little crabs.
After that, we headed to the pier and main part of the town. It was a ghost tourist town. Since its apparently slow season, most of the tourist shops were closed down and being worked on. The majority of the people in the town were construction workers.
The next beach that we went to was not quite was trashy as long beach, but still pretty dirty and just as abandoned.
I found a coconut on the beach and tried to smash it open with a rock, but it didn't work. I really wanted to open it, so I brought it back to our driver to see if he had a machete or something to open it up with. He didn't, but he went into a little gas station across the street, and they gave one to him. He cracked it open for us, we drank the milk and then he cut some meat off for us. The rest, we wanted to save for later when we got back.
Our little driver was so cool. He brought us to some high points where we got a really good view and through little Thai villages.
I don't think there is a driving age here. At one point, there was a motorbike behind us with 4 little boys packed on. I don't think they could have been much older than 10. They were grinning at us and waving the whole time. I love it how happy everyone seems to be here.
Our last stop was at the national park. Once again, since its low season, it s practically deserted except for a few monkeys. There was one munching in something. I was watching it for a bit, and as I was leaving, my natural instinct was to wave at it. So I did. Bad idea. As soon as I did, the monkey let out a loud hiss, flashed his vicious teeth at me and started running toward me. I didn't wait long enough to see what he was gonna do. I was out of there. I don't think I like monkeys anymore. They're scary.
The best beach that we found on the island was in the national park, so we stopped for a quick swim. We were the only ones on the beach except for a Thai family having a little picnic, but we didn't trust the monkeys, so we had to take turns swimming.
At the end of the beach, we saw a light house with a view point, so we decided to go check it out. On our way up there, we passed a group of waving, teenage, Thai boys. We went up, took a few photos and went back down. A we were coming back down, the boys were going up.
They swarmed us with cameras, iPhones and blackberries, taking photos of and with us. They were literally lined up and taking turns being in photos with us. Our 5 minuets of fame.
After our little photo session, we went back to find our drive sleeping inn the back of the truck on a hammock and a monkey happily eating our cocoanut. The monkeys had also bitten a hole in my water, but didn't take it.
Across the street, we saw a man in a skirt trying to hail a tuk tuk. The tuk tuk stopped and some words were exchanged. I don't know what they said, but the tuk tuk started going again and the man in the skirt started yelling and then looking franticly through the trash, picking out a large beer bottle and waving it at the tuk tuk driver. The tuk tuk driver had stopped by this point, and got out, starting to walk toward the man. Just as he did, the man in the skirt turned to us and threatened to chuck it at us with this creepy smirk on his face. We bolted, and the tuk tuk driver ran over to the guy and grabbed the bottle out of his hand and shoved him toward the house.
We were a bit skeptical to keep going after that, but we really wanted to make the most out of being sent to this island, so we did. Before long, a taxi truck drove up to us and asked if we needed a ride anywhere. The driver looked like he was about 16 years old. We told him our plan and were finally able to get him down to a reasonable price for him to take us to the best parts of the island for the entire day.
We heard that long beach was one of the best beaches on the island, so we headed there first, only to find an abandoned beach chuck full of trash and little crabs.
After that, we headed to the pier and main part of the town. It was a ghost tourist town. Since its apparently slow season, most of the tourist shops were closed down and being worked on. The majority of the people in the town were construction workers.
The next beach that we went to was not quite was trashy as long beach, but still pretty dirty and just as abandoned.
I found a coconut on the beach and tried to smash it open with a rock, but it didn't work. I really wanted to open it, so I brought it back to our driver to see if he had a machete or something to open it up with. He didn't, but he went into a little gas station across the street, and they gave one to him. He cracked it open for us, we drank the milk and then he cut some meat off for us. The rest, we wanted to save for later when we got back.
Our little driver was so cool. He brought us to some high points where we got a really good view and through little Thai villages.
I don't think there is a driving age here. At one point, there was a motorbike behind us with 4 little boys packed on. I don't think they could have been much older than 10. They were grinning at us and waving the whole time. I love it how happy everyone seems to be here.
Our last stop was at the national park. Once again, since its low season, it s practically deserted except for a few monkeys. There was one munching in something. I was watching it for a bit, and as I was leaving, my natural instinct was to wave at it. So I did. Bad idea. As soon as I did, the monkey let out a loud hiss, flashed his vicious teeth at me and started running toward me. I didn't wait long enough to see what he was gonna do. I was out of there. I don't think I like monkeys anymore. They're scary.
The best beach that we found on the island was in the national park, so we stopped for a quick swim. We were the only ones on the beach except for a Thai family having a little picnic, but we didn't trust the monkeys, so we had to take turns swimming.
At the end of the beach, we saw a light house with a view point, so we decided to go check it out. On our way up there, we passed a group of waving, teenage, Thai boys. We went up, took a few photos and went back down. A we were coming back down, the boys were going up.
They swarmed us with cameras, iPhones and blackberries, taking photos of and with us. They were literally lined up and taking turns being in photos with us. Our 5 minuets of fame.
After our little photo session, we went back to find our drive sleeping inn the back of the truck on a hammock and a monkey happily eating our cocoanut. The monkeys had also bitten a hole in my water, but didn't take it.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
It's a Small World After All
As we were about to board our plane from Chiang Mai to Phuket, who do I bump into, but Allesandro, my couch surfing host from Rome and his 2 brothers.
The flight didn't get into Phuket until around 1 am and we didn't have a place to stay in Phuket, so we just decided to follow the guys and these 2 girls from Israel to the place where they were staying and spend one night in Phuket before going over to Koh Phi Phi.
We went to the pier the next day hoping to find a cheap ferry ticket. We couldn't find one, so we just bought a regular priced ticket that went first to Phi Phi and then onto Railay beach. Seconds after we bought our tickets, someone told us how we could have gotten then for 1/2 the price, but it was already too late.
Since we didn't have anywhere to stay in Phi Phi either, we spent about an hour or so walking around looking for a cheap accommodation. We were finally able to find a place that wasn't too bad and in our price range. It looked and smelled a bit like a damp basement and didn't have a sink, but it was good enough for us.
Since it was already pretty late, we only had time to go for a quick wander around before dinner. We met up with the Italians and Israelis for dinner and went down to the beach afterward.
We found a nicer guest house that was the same price while we were walking around, so we moved there the next day. We were planning on spending the days biking around checking out different view points, but when we went to get some information about Railay Beach, we found about a snorkeling tour, so decided to do that instead.
There were about 9 people in our boat for the tour. I'm pretty sure that we missed out on the first leg of the tour because our engine wouldn't start, so our first stop was Monkey Beach. The monkeys were crazy! Someone was feeding them bananas and they were jumping out trying to snatch the in tire bunch of bananas out of her hand.
The actual snorkeling bit of the tour was not very long, but it was really cool. There were tons of different types of fish and at one point I saw a big, pink and blue jelly fish floating by.
We Heard that Koh Lanta was supposed to be better than Railay, so we decided last minuet to switch our tickets to there instead of to Railay. When we were getting onto the ferry, a guy came up to us telling he would give us a really good on accommodation 'one day sale. Just for you. Shhh.' usually we don't like to do that, but we met a girl on the ferry who was going to the same place, so we decided to all go together.
We got a free ride to the place, which was actually really nice and a pretty good deal. Until we realized that it was practically in the middle of nowhere and the only way to get around was taxi or tuk tuk.
It was alright though, we just spent the day relaxing on the beach. It was nice to have a chill day after all of the running around we'd been doing.
In the evening, we convinced the owner to take a group of us to this free BBQ in a nearby town that we had heard about, and then pick us up later. It felt like I was in middle school again when he said he'd pick us up no later than midnight. So we piled in, ate our free BBQ and then got picked up again at midnight.
The flight didn't get into Phuket until around 1 am and we didn't have a place to stay in Phuket, so we just decided to follow the guys and these 2 girls from Israel to the place where they were staying and spend one night in Phuket before going over to Koh Phi Phi.
We went to the pier the next day hoping to find a cheap ferry ticket. We couldn't find one, so we just bought a regular priced ticket that went first to Phi Phi and then onto Railay beach. Seconds after we bought our tickets, someone told us how we could have gotten then for 1/2 the price, but it was already too late.
Since we didn't have anywhere to stay in Phi Phi either, we spent about an hour or so walking around looking for a cheap accommodation. We were finally able to find a place that wasn't too bad and in our price range. It looked and smelled a bit like a damp basement and didn't have a sink, but it was good enough for us.
Since it was already pretty late, we only had time to go for a quick wander around before dinner. We met up with the Italians and Israelis for dinner and went down to the beach afterward.
We found a nicer guest house that was the same price while we were walking around, so we moved there the next day. We were planning on spending the days biking around checking out different view points, but when we went to get some information about Railay Beach, we found about a snorkeling tour, so decided to do that instead.
There were about 9 people in our boat for the tour. I'm pretty sure that we missed out on the first leg of the tour because our engine wouldn't start, so our first stop was Monkey Beach. The monkeys were crazy! Someone was feeding them bananas and they were jumping out trying to snatch the in tire bunch of bananas out of her hand.
The actual snorkeling bit of the tour was not very long, but it was really cool. There were tons of different types of fish and at one point I saw a big, pink and blue jelly fish floating by.
We Heard that Koh Lanta was supposed to be better than Railay, so we decided last minuet to switch our tickets to there instead of to Railay. When we were getting onto the ferry, a guy came up to us telling he would give us a really good on accommodation 'one day sale. Just for you. Shhh.' usually we don't like to do that, but we met a girl on the ferry who was going to the same place, so we decided to all go together.
We got a free ride to the place, which was actually really nice and a pretty good deal. Until we realized that it was practically in the middle of nowhere and the only way to get around was taxi or tuk tuk.
It was alright though, we just spent the day relaxing on the beach. It was nice to have a chill day after all of the running around we'd been doing.
In the evening, we convinced the owner to take a group of us to this free BBQ in a nearby town that we had heard about, and then pick us up later. It felt like I was in middle school again when he said he'd pick us up no later than midnight. So we piled in, ate our free BBQ and then got picked up again at midnight.
Friday, September 2, 2011
It' a Jungle Out There
For our trek, we had a very nice group. There was one couple who were in the circus from France and Belgium, 2 French girls, 2 Dutch boys, 2 English boys, 1 girl from Poland, Cat and I.
We all piled into a truck that had 2 benches in the back and drove about an hour to an elephant farm. We went on an elephant ride for about 1/2 hour and then hopped back in the truck for about another 2 hours where we stopped in a little village to look around and have lunch. Just as we were getting ready for lunch, it started to downpour, and the rain wasn't giving up. It continued to rain the entire day drenching us from head to toe as we hiked through the jungle. The paths were muddy and steep, so we were all sliding around, grasping for anything stable to keep us from summersaulting down the hill.
We stopped after awhile to set rat traps made out of bamboo using rice and ginger as bait.
When we arrived at our camp for the first night, we realized that our bags were not water proof and everything inside including all of our clothes and sleeping bags were completely drenched, so we made a fire and everyone hung their clothes over it in attempt to get them dry.
We cooked a nice and big dinner together, which was the perfect reward for hiking all day in the jungle in the rain.
After dinner, the guide asked if anyone wanted to go on a night walk to look for snakes. I decided that I'd already paid for the whole trip, so I might as well get my money's worth, so I went. Only 1/2 of us went. We didn't end up seeing any snakes, unfortunately, but we did see a giant tarantula.
The next morning, we got up, had breakfast and started off again into the jungle. It didn't rain, but the trek was more strenuous this time.
Even though it wasn't raining anymore, the ground was still slippery and wet from the day before. We had to balance on logs over rivers, jump from rock to rock, duck underneath branches and squeeze between trees. One part was so steep that the only way to get down was to hold onto a vine and slide down hoping you don't slip and tumble to your death.
At the bottom of the hill was a waterfall where we stopped for lunch. Just as we got there, it started to rain again.
We had caught one rat in our traps from the night before, so we cooked that up along with some Thai noodles. Not everyone dared to taste the rat, but it actually wasn't too bad. It was a bit salty, but other than that, tasted pretty normal.
By the time we were ready to go again, the rain had stopped, which is a good thing. The next part of our journey, I'd like to be known as the Miley Cyrus part because it was all up hill and the song 'it's the climb' kept running repeatedly through my head with the occasional 'climb every mountain' from the Sound of Music.
Our guide was a machine. duracel duracel battery, he just kept going and going. Most of the people were falling behind, but he never looked back, so I don't think he even noticed.
We finally arrived at our camp; sweaty, starving and 1/2 dead. We were staying in a slightly larger village this time, so there was even a (cold water) shower, and they cooked dinner for us.
After dinner, we hung around the fire for a bit, playing music and traditional Thai games before we all passed out.
I woke up the next morning to a little boy with a giant bug on a string. It appeared as if he was taking his prt out for a fly.
That day was just as strenuous, up hill most of the way. W were all climbing, huffing and puffing, and as we were, the little kids from the village who had left after us, came skipping up behind us wearing flip-flops. We walked with them the rest of the way to the village where their school was (about a two hour walk from where they lived) passing a few other small villages along the way. At each of the villages that we would pass, there would be a kid or two, standing outside, yelling 'Bye! Bye! Bye!'
We had lunch in the school village. The whole time we were eating, this group of young girls was sitting there, watching us, giggling the entire time.
They continued to watch us as we piled into the truck, and as well pulled away, they came running after us, waving franticly and blowing kisses at us.
We drove to the river where we were going to do our bamboo rafting. This is Thailand. Anything goes. They just took us, gave us a bamboo stick, put us on the rafts; no life jackets, no helmets, nothing, just sent us down the river. We did have have a guide on the front, but if anyone fell off, there was no possible way to stop the raft. We kept crashing into the sides had to duck every few seconds to avoid getting brushed off by a branch. Thankfully, we had the circus guy on the back of our raft, so he was able to maneuver his way back onto the raft every time he fell off.
Once we were all back on dry land and safe, we got back into the truck to drive to the largest waterfall in the Chiang Mai area where we stopped for a quick swim before continuing the 2 hours back to Chiang Mai.
For our final day in Chiang Mai, we wanted to do some sight seeing, so we met up with Luke, Tom and Jo, but we were all feeling so dead from the trek that it pretty much just ended up being a restaurant and cafe tour, occasionally stopping to look at something important. Either way, it's nice to have a chill and hang out day every once in awhile.
We all piled into a truck that had 2 benches in the back and drove about an hour to an elephant farm. We went on an elephant ride for about 1/2 hour and then hopped back in the truck for about another 2 hours where we stopped in a little village to look around and have lunch. Just as we were getting ready for lunch, it started to downpour, and the rain wasn't giving up. It continued to rain the entire day drenching us from head to toe as we hiked through the jungle. The paths were muddy and steep, so we were all sliding around, grasping for anything stable to keep us from summersaulting down the hill.
We stopped after awhile to set rat traps made out of bamboo using rice and ginger as bait.
When we arrived at our camp for the first night, we realized that our bags were not water proof and everything inside including all of our clothes and sleeping bags were completely drenched, so we made a fire and everyone hung their clothes over it in attempt to get them dry.
We cooked a nice and big dinner together, which was the perfect reward for hiking all day in the jungle in the rain.
After dinner, the guide asked if anyone wanted to go on a night walk to look for snakes. I decided that I'd already paid for the whole trip, so I might as well get my money's worth, so I went. Only 1/2 of us went. We didn't end up seeing any snakes, unfortunately, but we did see a giant tarantula.
The next morning, we got up, had breakfast and started off again into the jungle. It didn't rain, but the trek was more strenuous this time.
Even though it wasn't raining anymore, the ground was still slippery and wet from the day before. We had to balance on logs over rivers, jump from rock to rock, duck underneath branches and squeeze between trees. One part was so steep that the only way to get down was to hold onto a vine and slide down hoping you don't slip and tumble to your death.
At the bottom of the hill was a waterfall where we stopped for lunch. Just as we got there, it started to rain again.
We had caught one rat in our traps from the night before, so we cooked that up along with some Thai noodles. Not everyone dared to taste the rat, but it actually wasn't too bad. It was a bit salty, but other than that, tasted pretty normal.
By the time we were ready to go again, the rain had stopped, which is a good thing. The next part of our journey, I'd like to be known as the Miley Cyrus part because it was all up hill and the song 'it's the climb' kept running repeatedly through my head with the occasional 'climb every mountain' from the Sound of Music.
Our guide was a machine. duracel duracel battery, he just kept going and going. Most of the people were falling behind, but he never looked back, so I don't think he even noticed.
We finally arrived at our camp; sweaty, starving and 1/2 dead. We were staying in a slightly larger village this time, so there was even a (cold water) shower, and they cooked dinner for us.
After dinner, we hung around the fire for a bit, playing music and traditional Thai games before we all passed out.
I woke up the next morning to a little boy with a giant bug on a string. It appeared as if he was taking his prt out for a fly.
That day was just as strenuous, up hill most of the way. W were all climbing, huffing and puffing, and as we were, the little kids from the village who had left after us, came skipping up behind us wearing flip-flops. We walked with them the rest of the way to the village where their school was (about a two hour walk from where they lived) passing a few other small villages along the way. At each of the villages that we would pass, there would be a kid or two, standing outside, yelling 'Bye! Bye! Bye!'
We had lunch in the school village. The whole time we were eating, this group of young girls was sitting there, watching us, giggling the entire time.
They continued to watch us as we piled into the truck, and as well pulled away, they came running after us, waving franticly and blowing kisses at us.
We drove to the river where we were going to do our bamboo rafting. This is Thailand. Anything goes. They just took us, gave us a bamboo stick, put us on the rafts; no life jackets, no helmets, nothing, just sent us down the river. We did have have a guide on the front, but if anyone fell off, there was no possible way to stop the raft. We kept crashing into the sides had to duck every few seconds to avoid getting brushed off by a branch. Thankfully, we had the circus guy on the back of our raft, so he was able to maneuver his way back onto the raft every time he fell off.
Once we were all back on dry land and safe, we got back into the truck to drive to the largest waterfall in the Chiang Mai area where we stopped for a quick swim before continuing the 2 hours back to Chiang Mai.
For our final day in Chiang Mai, we wanted to do some sight seeing, so we met up with Luke, Tom and Jo, but we were all feeling so dead from the trek that it pretty much just ended up being a restaurant and cafe tour, occasionally stopping to look at something important. Either way, it's nice to have a chill and hang out day every once in awhile.
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