Thailand

Thailand
A country with a bit of everything - Long tail boats. Thatched roof huts. The sounds of geikos. Beautiful beaches. Friendly people. Buddhism. Picturesque temples. Limestone mountains. Waterfalls. Rainforest. Monks in orange garments. Coconut trees. Good shopping. Lady Boys. Muay Thai boxing. Elephants. Spirit houses. Full moon parties. Thai massage. Food to die for. Cheap manis and pedis. A tropical paradise. Is there anything that this country does not have? I spent only three weeks here and did not want to leave. It's one of those countries where you definitely return, perfect for a memorable and cheap holiday so not surprised why it has become such a popular holiday destination today. I got to experience the beautiful beaches of the south, the bussling city of Bangkok and the rainforest and temples of the north.


Koh Phi Phi Island

Local Phi Phi fisherman

Snorkling off Phi Phi

Within minutes of arriving at Phucket airport in Thailand on my own, I met some other backbackers who were also looking for a hostel for the night before heading to Koh Phi Phi island the next morning. One of them was Matt from New Zealand who I ended up liming with for the next few days there. Stayed at the nicest hostel I had ever been in on Phucket. That night while walking to get some food, I heard the sound of a geiko for the first time. If someone didn't tell me it was a geiko I would have never known. And when I told other tourists, no one believed me. The noise just doesn't seem to match the reptile at all.  Sounds like it's saying the word geh-koh.

I had ten days in Thailand on my own before I would meet back up with Karen in Bangkok so I tried to get as much feedback on places so I could choose the best spots in Thailand. After seeing the movie 'The Beach' with Leonardo Dicaprio, I knew this island had to be on my list. It was also closer to Singapore so I could make my way up north very easily to Bangkok. We took the ferry the next morning and my first day in Thailand it was pouring with rain and I was sea sick. Not quite how I expected my first day in Thailand to turn out. The chinese girl sitting nearby vomiting in a plastic bag didn't help me feel any better! It sounded like gargling and when I looked to my right there was her boyfriend holding the bag for her to throw up...now that's what you call love! After two hours on the boat, we pulled into Phi Phi where you would see the many long tailed wooden boats in the bay and the infestation of tourists which seemed to have spoilt the beauty here. We were bombarded by locals for accomodation so we waited for the chaos to clear up before negotiating prices. We ended up at PP Sunset Pavillion which was at the end of the beach and furthest point from the Pier. It seemed very peaceful and away from the action until the night time when the party music from the bars on the beach blared until 3am. This gave us no choice for a 'quiet night' and became an excuse to go out every night.

Sunset at Phi Phi

Swimming off Phi Phi islands

My first day we walked down to the other end of the beach where there were some local fishermen who were very friendly and funny. He invited us in his little wooden hut on the beach where he smoked thai weed from a bamboo bong and sang thai reggae songs. The thai people love their reggae music and rasta colours which I loved. Sunsets on the beach were beautiful here and because it was low season, the beach was more quiet than usual. At night however it was filled with lots of young westerners who were always drunk and ready for a party. Felt a bit like spring break here. I went out every night in Phi Phi - the vibes were really good! Fire shows, skipping ropes on fire, dancing, good loud music, florescent lighting, mattress chairs all over the beach to sit down and take everything in. I could now see why Thailand is one of the most popular holiday destinations as it seems to have everything for the young crowds - beautiful beaches, good parties, cheap and lots of other young tourist who are looking for the same experience.

Maya Beach 

Monkey Beach

The next day we booked a half day tour to Phi Phi Lay island on the long tail boat. We met two beautiful Russian twin models Tatiana and Elena who were a breath of fresh air and filled with a really postive fun and upbeat energy. We first stopped at Viking Bay which had caves where people actually lived in. Then next was Monkey Bay which of course had lots of monkeys on it who are greedy for food. One monkey saw me throwing nuts from the boat and ran through the water onto the boat and literally sat on my lap scoffing down the nuts.  Then we were off to Maya Bay which is where the movie The Beach was filmed. Luckily there were not many people on the beach so it was peaceful and really beautiful, just like the movie. So this beach wasn't too good to be true after all. The picture on the blog speaks for itself and probably does not even capture the true beauty. After we went snorkling at Loh Samah Bay and Pi-ley Bay which was just as beautiful blue crystal clear waters surrounded by mountains.

Fire shows on Koh Phi Phi

Me, Matt, Tatiana, Elena

I enjoyed the day so much that I went again the next day and met up with the twins Elena and Tatiana on the same boat. They were good fun to be around as they were friendly and very down to earth. That evening we met them at Stone Bar for drinks and fire show. After three days on the island, I was ready to get out of this busy tourist island. I said my goodbyes to Matt and the girls and I booked my travel to go Koh Tao which is known for its nice beaches and diving. I went to research accomodation online and for some reason couldn't find anything good. Something last minute told me to change my plans and go to Koh Phangan and stay at The Sanctuary which was recommended to me by my friend Darah. Best decision I made on the trip so far! You'll see why....

Koh Phangan Island

Sunset on Haad Rin Bay - Koh Phangan

After a 2 hour ferry to Crabi, 3 hour bus ride to Sura Thani, 6 hour overnight ferry to Koh Phangan, half hour motorcycle ride across the island over hills at sunset, an argument with a tman and a ten minute long tail boat ride from Had Rin bay, I was finally seeing the light - paradise! I started to finally relax as we drove around the headland and pulled into 'The Sanctuary' what I soon found to be Heaven on Earth. Wooden huts up in the lush green mountain, limestone rocks all around the bay, crystal clear blue green calm water, dogs play fighting on the beach, hammocks on the porch and just one or two people tanning on the a lounge chairs. This is exactly what I was looking for. The Sanctuary is a retreat - a place for yoga, meditation, massage, healthy food, fasting, detoxing and cleansing. If you want to be alone, quiet and in peace with nature and yourself, this is the place to go! I didn't want to get a dorm bed to save money as I knew the next 2 months I would be sharing a room with Karen so I decided to treat myself to my own bungalow which was a quiet footpath up through the jungle. I took a cold shower in the outdoors designed in a way so no one could see me and then I took a nap with a pregnant cat sleeping next to me on my bed. I spent more time with this cat than any human being on the island. When I awoke, I had a nice healthy meal and a good foot massage. I felt lazy and almost skipped my meditation class at 6pm but 5 minutes before the class started, I somehow managed to force myself to go and was so glad I did because little did I know what it had in store for me.

The Sanctuary

A hollistic healer ran the class with only 5 of us. We sat in the Buddha temple surrounded by mesh and the jungle. All I could hear were the sounds of the frogs, geckos and insects in the background. Since the day was so beautiful, tthe teacher decided to go for a more free flowing heart to heart meditation type class. We closed our eyes and she began talking softly and slowly, making us aware of our body and the surroundings. She then started to focus on the heart, how it's been there from the day we were born, it has felt every feeling of happiness, sadness, love and pain in our lives. It beats for us, it loves us and knows what's best for us. You can ask the heart any question and it will give you the answer.

Follow your heart

I don't know what happened but within ten minutes of this class, I felt a tear fall down my right eye and then suddenly streams of uncontrollable soft tears were pouring down my face and I found myself crying  silently because I knew I had found my answer. My decision to take the job in Singapore  was a battle of my head vs my heart and this class was a sign that I should follow my heart. I started to think about what was more important in my life at that moment and now. Was it money, job and travel or was it family, friends, and settling down home? Once I asked myself this, the decision was already made. I felt such an overwhelming relief of happiness and love in my heart from knowing I had my answer. I opened my eyes after an hour, smiled to myself and thanked God for this sign. I could now really relax and enjoy the time with myself here. That was easy - first night at The Sanctuary and I found what I was looking for. I waited a few days to see if my mind changed, and it didn't so I sent the email to turn the job down. I felt a little bit of sadness, but I knew in my heart that I made the right choice. I don't believe there is any such thing as a wrong choice actually. Everything I have chosen to do in my life has all been a part of God's plan for me, a plan I always trust in. I know that moving back home will come with its challenges and it will not be easy but it's where I know my heart is and where I will be happiest. Once I am prepared to face the challenges and give it my best, it will be okay and everything will work out as it should. No regrets!

My bunglow

The Sanctuary really gave me ALOT of time to myself, maybe a little too much than what I expected as there were times I felt quite very alone, but in a good way. Something I probably needed to experience for a change. I ate every meal by myself, tanned on the beach, went swimming, slept alot, read my book, listened to music and went for walks alone.  It felt strange being with my own company for almost 4 days straight but it was nice. I had never felt so far away from everyone that I knew and for 2 days I had no phone reception so I had no communication with anyone else. I met a few nice people there from Norway and Germany, but no one I talked to for very long. I probably spoke to the cat more than anyone else! I was quite happy to take time out from always meeting people on this journey as I needed this. I took a boat ride, taxi, ferry, bus ride and taxi to Bangkok and after this time alone, I was really excited to re unite with Karen again after 2 weeks. We had lots of stories to catch up on!

Bangkok

Happy to be back travelling with Karen

Grand Palace - Bangkok

I shared a taxi with a girl from Norway to the famous Khao San road which is the crazy hectic place where all the tourists in Bangkok stay. There are stalls, hasslers, scammers, lady boys, alcohol, and lots of drunk immature westerners everywhere. I found it entertaining for the first day or two but then after that could not bare to be on it one more day! When I arrived at 6am, walking down Khao San road, I could see the night had now ended with people cleaning the streets from the parties the night before. I saw lots of drunk young men being

Buying food on Khoa San Road

Best Thai Food ever!

teased by prostitutes and Lady Boys. These lady boys look like good looking women - I can see why so many drunk men make the mistake of going home with one. I've heard so many horror stories about what happens to men who get completely drunk here and recall very little of their nights activities. No comment. I was still looking for our hotel that Karen booked and guess who I bumped into stumbling down the road drunk at 6am? - good ole Matt who I met in Koh Phi Phi. I walked up to him laughing at his drunken state and did not want to know what he was doing roaming these streets at this time. I met Karen and we met up with Matt, Vittorio (Matts friend) and Ilan who we met in India. All five of us spent the next few days in Bangkok together, a fun but mature group to lime with.

Khoa San Road

The crew liming with Thai locals in Bangkok

Thai boxing training 

The next few days in Bangkok were pretty repetitive - eating, shopping, liming, drinking, massages and failed attempts at bargaining. Shopping here was nothing like India where they love to bargain. Here they get insulted and very rarely lowered prices by much. Don't think there is much else to do where we stayed. Sightseeing in Bangkok seemed very expensive for a backpacker so we just walked around instead. There is lots to see from just browsing, we saw some cool thai boxing training going on which seemed intense. We also went to Pad Pong one night and watched the famous ping pong shows - which was quite disturbing. Women shooting ping pong balls out their privates so that customers can hit them with ping pong rackets. Really? That just felt really wrong. Women shooting darts out to pop balloons, women writing, outing candles, etc all with their privates.  Impressive skill but this should not be a profession for public display. Could never understand why any woman would choose a career like this, but I guess it pays the bills for them. At least they looked like they enjoyed it. I heard many of the shows, the women are sad and don't want to be there. They were very hassling and annoying as well, the entire time in there women were constantly trying to massage us and nag us for tips.  We didn't last longer than an hour before we got out of that 'shithole'. I will be honest, this was just something to tick a box, not something I actually wanted to do. Sometimes you just feel the need to experience something very different and this was one of them. As annoying as we found Khoa San Road, we found it hard to leave it!! For some reason, we just ended right back there, probably because it's where all the action is! Matt & Vittorio showed us a street stall where all the locals ate and it was the most amazing thai food. We watched her cook it from scratch, so fast, easy and cheap.

Getting a foot massage in Bangkok

Getting tattoo

I ended up getting a tatoo in Bangkok (so cliche yes I know) but always wanted something to symolise balance and tattoos here were cheap. Balance is something my father has always instilled in me since I was very young growing up and he has always helped me set goals in the different areas of my life. For a long time I struggled to find an abstract unique symbol that reflected this, so I ended up just getting the word 'balance' on my wrist. Balance is also something that a traveller struggles with as well because you are constantly off balance along the journey, experiencing new cultures and people in foreign lands. The tattoo will be a reminder as well of this trip which has and continues to be a big learning experience.

Chaing Mai

Elephant Nature Park

Karen and I were loving the thai massages so much, we decided we wanted to do a course to learn the technique. So we took a 13 hour overnight sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai where there is a school that was recommended to us. Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand, north of Bangkok and also on our way to our next country Laos.The train ride was nice and comfortable, anything after India was luxury for us. Had a nice sleep until 8am we were awoken abruptly by loud annoying Thai people working on the train. They walked down the aisles shouting 'Wake up, Breakfast!!!' over and over, pulling people's curtains aside and literally tapping us to wake us up - VERY annoying. It's one thing to shout and wake someone up, but another to actually touch and tap someone, especially when it's done by someone NOT your mother and done to a non morning person like me! Karen was laughing at watching my reaction every time they came around as I looked as if I wanted to hit one of them. The train was still about five hours away from its destination so I didn't see what the rush was to disturb people in their precious sleep. Sleep is very sacred to me, my closest friends know that from how lovely I cope without it ;)

There was an alcohol ban in Chaing Mai for 2 days because of elections so alcohol wasn't being sold. We did find some guest houses that sold it secretly in coffee mugs. Not a big deal for me as I wasn't drinking. I haven't really drank on this trip and enjoyed the break. The next day I went to The Elephant Nature Park for abused, injured, handicapped and sick Asian elephants. You can go here for a day trip, stay overnight or volunteer for a week. They show you documentaries on elephants and how they are tortured and beaten into submission by humans, a video that had people in tears and walking out the room because it was so unbearable to watch. I got to feed these majestic creatures, bathe with them in the river and interact with them all day.
It was so interesting to hear the life story of each elephant and what each had been through. You could also see the different personalities of the elephants. I felt afraid at first being so close to them knowing they could crush me any minute, but as the day went on I became more confident and closer to them. The woman Lek who founded this reserve is an incredible woman who has devoted her life to saving elephants and building awareness of their endangerment. What an admirable life she has and I felt truly grateful to be part of this good cause for animals. Thank you Darah for recommending this place, it was a beautiful experience. Last night a group mof us went to the night market which was really nice - lots of cool things selling.

Since Karen and I enjoyed the Thai Massages so much, we decided to stay longer in Thailand and do a thai massage course for a week in Chiang Mai. Ilan who we met in India also did it with us. We stayed in the dorms on the school campus away from the tourist area so it felt like we were living there and we got the real Thai experience. It was also very cheap and we had easy access to fresh fruit juices and nice cheap local food which is all cooked in front of you. All of our interaction for the week was with locals - at the school, in the shops, at the markets. You could see how much nicer the people are outside tourist areas. The course was 9am-5pm so we were busy everyday but we enjoyed learning this new skill, something I hope would come in handy in the future. I was amazed at how much effort and energy thai massage takes as you use body weight for 2 hours. It takes alot of concentration to balance the right amount of weight, to keep the flow going and to memorise the over 100 steps for a full massage. We were literally sweating all day! But of course, you give them AND you also receive them. I couldn't believe how sore I was everyday from giving them. This was my exercise for the week.

White Temple

Chiang Kong temple

Cute dogs in Thailand everywhere

I found the cutest little puppies at this vet nearby so everyday after school I went to the vet to play with them. People left their dogs there while they went to school. For some reason, everyone in Chiang Mai seemed to have top breed CUTE dogs, so I found myself going puppy crazy.  At the end of the week, we had a test on our massage and received a certificate.

As soon as our course was over, we left Chiang Mai and headed to Laos. We stopped off at the White Temple which was very different looking from all the colourful or rustic temples we have seen.

We spent one night in Chiang Kong where there was another beautiful temple there, but this was my favourite so far. Golden buddhas, bright and colourful designs all over. Best part was that there was no one around. Just us and the temple so we stayed for an hour just taking pics and admiring the intricate detail that went into this place of worship. I am Catholic, but since being in Asia I have developed a true appreciation for the Buddhism faith and its principles. However, as much as I respect Buddhism, I know nothing could make me stop believing in my own faith.

I had 3 really nice weeks in Thailand - not enough to see everything but I was glad I got to do a bit of everything. I will definitely come back here one day. Crossing the border to Laid Back Laos...