So after being on Koh Phi Phi for 3 nights we decided that it was pretty awesome and and so thought that staying for another 3 nights was a good plan. There is however only a certain amount of sunbathing you can do before it gets a bit tiresome, so we booked up a half day tour around some of the sights and sounds of Koh Phi Phi for 250 baht (about 5 quid.)
The first stop was Monkey beach and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out what exactly that involved. The highlight was definitely watching one of the monkeys drinking a 2 litre bottle of coke given to him by a local, and then jumping around like a lunatic! From Monkey beach we heading further down the coast for our first spot of snorkelling of the day, however despite seeing a whole array of fish and such like, we didn't get to see any sharks. The nights involved much the same as always, one too many buckets and drunken dancing at Stones bar.
After finally having to leave Koh Phi Phi. (definitely the best place we have been so far) it was a short ferry ride over to Koh Lanta. We didn't know too much about Lanta before we went so it was a bit of a risk because we didn't know what to expect. There are however 3 things that i learnt during my time on Lanta.
One, the food is the worst food i have ever had in my life. The highlight definitely being Alex's 'Breakfast'. Which was apparently the worst breakfast he has ever had in his life, unbelievably involving red kidney beans instead of baked beans!
Two, the concept of the english language is even worse than it is in other parts of Thailand, like getting blood out of a stone at times!
Three, mushroom shakes are rubbish (at least in Lanta they are!) Probably not the best sign when they are one of the best tasting milkshakes i've ever had. Anyway, despite the mushroom shakes we decided to go for a spot of late night swimming, before getting caught in yet another torrential downpour! Luckily because of the virtual no effect of the shakes, appart from all of us having weird dreams that night, the swim didn't turn into a scene from a Michael Barrymore pool party!
On more thing that i forgot to mention during our time in Bangkok is the driving styles of Thai people. To say it's bad is a massive understatement, especially seeing as they 'apparently' drive on the same side of the road as we do in England. There seems to be a mysterious 'middle' lane on any road which can be used by anyone in a kind of suicidal game of chicken. Now this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing (as you often see it in England too). But when you take the potholed roads an a moped with a whole family on it on a collision course with a pick-up truck blasting out a horrible 90's remix of Celine Dion into account, it can be pretty scary!
Wednesday 11 May 2011
Sunday 1 May 2011
Koh Phi Phi
After a 12 hour overnight bus journey, 3 stop offs, and a lady-boy attendant, we finally arrived in Krabi from Bangkok. The first point of call was Ao Nang, and our first, but by no means last, long boat trip to a beach called Ton Sai bay. The plan was to stay for the first night, but after discovering the accomodation was more basic than a prison cell in Vietnam we decided to go to the next beach up, a place called Railay beach.
Now for everyone who hasn't been to Railay beach there are two possible ways to get there from Ton Sai. Firstly, a pretty relaxed longboat trip which takes 5 minutes, or there is the more dangerous and arduous way of walking around the jagged coastline. We of course decided to walk. Now this wouldnt have been such a bad decision if we had any sort of rockclimbing experience or if i didnt have 10 kg backpack or a pair of broken flip flops. Luckily however they're werent too many injuries sustained on the slippery rocks, and it was the small inconvenience of a few cuts on rasor sharp barnicles!
The following morning we took the boat and set off for Koh Phi Phi. 90 minutes later and a couple of early morning beers and we had arrived! It was pretty obvious that the island is now a huge tourist hotspot, partly im sure from films like 'The Beach', and partly word of mouth. A definite step up from Bangkok, and nice to not be bothered every 5 seconds by someone trying to sell you a wooden frog, a fake watch, or a tuxedo! What they expect me to possibly want a tuxedo for in 35 degree heat i have no idea!
The first day involved chilling on the beach (something i have got quite used to already.) Not quite got my head around how the water is hotter than bath water yet though! We then headed out in the evening with a few people we met earlier on in the day for a few buckets, before getting caught in another torrential downpour. Again something we have discovered is likely to probably happen quite a lot during our time here!
The following night we decided to give Reggae Bar a try to see some English lager louts attempt to beat each other up in a boxing ring, whilst other (less brave) lager louts cheer them on from the sideline. All in all pretty good entertainment, including some pretty lethal knockouts!
Now for everyone who hasn't been to Railay beach there are two possible ways to get there from Ton Sai. Firstly, a pretty relaxed longboat trip which takes 5 minutes, or there is the more dangerous and arduous way of walking around the jagged coastline. We of course decided to walk. Now this wouldnt have been such a bad decision if we had any sort of rockclimbing experience or if i didnt have 10 kg backpack or a pair of broken flip flops. Luckily however they're werent too many injuries sustained on the slippery rocks, and it was the small inconvenience of a few cuts on rasor sharp barnicles!
The following morning we took the boat and set off for Koh Phi Phi. 90 minutes later and a couple of early morning beers and we had arrived! It was pretty obvious that the island is now a huge tourist hotspot, partly im sure from films like 'The Beach', and partly word of mouth. A definite step up from Bangkok, and nice to not be bothered every 5 seconds by someone trying to sell you a wooden frog, a fake watch, or a tuxedo! What they expect me to possibly want a tuxedo for in 35 degree heat i have no idea!
The first day involved chilling on the beach (something i have got quite used to already.) Not quite got my head around how the water is hotter than bath water yet though! We then headed out in the evening with a few people we met earlier on in the day for a few buckets, before getting caught in another torrential downpour. Again something we have discovered is likely to probably happen quite a lot during our time here!
The following night we decided to give Reggae Bar a try to see some English lager louts attempt to beat each other up in a boxing ring, whilst other (less brave) lager louts cheer them on from the sideline. All in all pretty good entertainment, including some pretty lethal knockouts!
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