Crazy Tubing Adventure

Okay so we arrived in Vietiane around lunchtime, found somewhere to stay spoke to some people there who said there was not too much to do, had a look for ourselves and agreed so we booked a bus to Vang Vieng the next morning.

The bus ended up being a mini van which I thought was gonna be a great comfortable ride, but I was wrong, it was like getting beat up in a sauna. The road was so bumpy I kept getting bounced into the roof and the air con wasn't on and every time we hit a bump my window would close, not a very enjoyable trip at all an actual bus would have been much better. Anyway we got there found a guesthouse and after all the travel got an early night.

The next day was tubing day. We had heard alot about this, tubing down a river stopping off at bars with rope swings and such, but nothing could prepare us for it. You hire a tube pay a deposit which you get back if you drop it back before 6pm. No problem right? We then got in a tuk tuk and on the way there people told us tales of losing thongs, cameras money...etc... we thought we are not that stupid we will be alright...right?

We arrived at the drop off point to thumping tunes and free shots. All the bars are pretty close together so I will start with bar 1. We stayed there for quite a while as they had a massive rope swing and had a stunt comp on that day and good music. After a couple of beers and some more free shots of the local whisky we headed to bar 2. More free shots and a bucket or 2 were had there. They had a zip line that when you held on till the end it stopped abruptly and you got flung into a backflip whether you wanted to or not. Got some funny video's of that.

At the next bar there was a 10meter platform to jump off so after some more free shots and buckets and lots of jumping myself I finally got Jess to jump off it which was good for her as she has never jumped off anything that high before (and probably never will again).

The next bar had a mud pit so Simon and I thought we would wrestle around in that and some mud fights as you do. It all gets a bit hazy after that. I remember some mud volley ball at another bar and I remember Jess and I doing a rope swing together, but then suddenly it was dark and I was floating down a river by myself not knowing where I was so I was calling out for a while not sure if I had passed town and next thing I hear Jess reply but I couldn't see her. Suddenly a boat started up and headed over to me. I thought this was the best thing. I was being saved! I jumped in the boat and he took me to this tiny makeshift bar where Jess was sitting around a fire and had been for quite some time. We sat around talking to the local Laos guy and next thing he is bringing out a tarp and some pillows and a blanket and he set up a little camp for us on his jetty on the side of the river! So we decided to sleep there.

We woke up when it was still dark and contemplated heading down river in the tubes to home and we checked our "waterproof " bag and saw we had Simons keys and wallet..oops..then we looked in the bag further and what do we find our camera soaking wet and full of mud, no good, so we thought we should head back to find Simon, we will just grab our thongs, nope no thongs. Better check the wallet yep we lost 3000 baht about 100 bucks, the perfect trifecta. No point dwelling on these things more pressing matters how do we get home??? We thought we better wait for the sun to come up which thankfully happened sooner than we thought, as soon as it did we got a good look at where we were. It was absolutely stunning right on the river at some local Laos house in a little cove underneath these massive limestone cliffs I would post a photo if we had a camera ha ha .

Next thing this little old man is coming down to say hi. He says he has some medicine for us and proceeds to pour us, including himself, a shot of the local whisky which has dragonfly's and some other random things in it. It was like 6:30 am so we tried to decline but he persisted so we had one, so what did he do pour another of course! He then wandered around and found us some thongs which had been washed up odd ones of course but we are still wearing them now. He lit a fire for us then asked if we wanted coffee, at least thats what we thought, he didn't speak much english. Sure enough it was coffee but before he gives it to us, another shot, and then he pours a shot into our coffee!! We think he was trying to tell us he would take us home in his boat but we just wanted to float down the rivr as it was quite sunny now. He jumped in his bat and we thought he was coming to get us but he took off to the otherside of the river. Nows our chance so we jumped in our tubes and floated down the river. It was beautiful but a long way so lucky we waited to the sun came up. After a pleasant ride we made it home and found Simon who was freaking out he was about to call the police, fair enough it was 8am we were 14hours late!

So that was our tubing adventure lost a camera and some money but gained some unforgetable memories so all in all I think we are up cause you can't put a price on that!!!

Ko Phangnan

I havn't updated my blog in a while because … well I’m on holidays so I will try and remember what has happened.
We enjoyed our last few relaxing days in Ko Lanta then headed back to Krabi for a couple of nights. We were walking around the town on our last night when some guy a restaurant called out “free buffet” so we went and checked it out. Turns out it was their opening night and they were putting on this huge free buffet with beautiful local Thai food. Jess went for the vegetarian looking soup which was in a clear broth and she had one sip and tears started running down her face it was so spicy but looked so innocent Jess kept sweating and crying for a few more minutes then a band started up and we had some more drinks and dancing.
The next day we had a bus to catch but not till 6pm so we sat around in a movie bar watching movies and generally being hung over. We got on the bus to Surat Thani where we had to get on the night boat to Ko Phangan. The boat looked like a giant bath tub and the upstairs part where we all slept was like a hall with a 4 foot high ceiling and mattresses lying next to each other was pretty cosy and we had a good laugh wondering how we were gonna sleep there. It ended up being really nice it was quiet and the windows were open and the boat gently rocking and we actually ended up sleeping really well.
We woke up to the sounds of people yelling “Taxi” from the pier so we jumped in one and headed to our accommodation. We arrived at about 7am and there was no one around so we waited and hour and finally got checked into our rooms. The beach where we were staying was amazing so we just hung out there snorkelling. It wasn’t quite as spectacular under the water as Phi Phi but we still saw some interesting fish and some big schools. At lunchtime we ran into some people we met at Ko Lanta and organised to go scootering around the island the next day.
We set off on our scoote

rs looking for an elusive waterfall but the maps we had were not accurate and after some extreme scootering around some crazy dirt trails and a bit of hot uphill walking we gave up and headed to the beach where the Full Moon party is. What a crazy sight that was. It was day time so not much happening but you could see all the bucket stalls with signs on them like “get fucked up bucket” and “no bucket no boom boom” check the photo for more genius names. Simon decided to party on there that night so Jess and I headed back. On the way home we got a flat tire thankfully but also sceptically right outside a mechanic. Didn’t cost too much so we had dinner and headed home for an early night, as we had the full moon party the next night.
Full moon party what can a say…..crazy madness…never seen such a spectacle.
So many messy people. I had to pull one guy out of the ocean, which was the world’s biggest toilet; I think he was trying to swim home. Was good but won’t be heading there again.

The next day obviously did nothing which was good as the weather really turned was super windy and rainy. The weather was just as bad the day we had to leave and we heard rumours of ferry’s being cancelled due to rough seas. We were a bit worried cause our Thai visa was running out and we had to get to Bangkok and on to Laos. But it turned out alright the ferry was just late and the bus to Bangkok waited for us. It was a 10 hour bus ride to Bangkok supposed to arrive at 6am. 4:30 am we arrived dropped in the middle of Bangkok no idea what we were gonna do. The good old taxi drivers that are always there came up with an idea and dropped us at a 24 hour Mc Donald’s and told us to wait and he will come pick us up at 6am and take us to a travel agent where we can get tickets to Laos. His travel agent was really expensive and only had a bus so luckily he was right near the train station and after much deliberation we ended up with a ticket on the night train to Laos which didn’t leave to 7 that night. There was baggage storage at the train station so we dumped our bags and headed into the shopping district. What we didn’t know was that the big shopping centres didn’t open till 10 and it wasn’t even 8 yet. We killed time for a bit then wandered around the shopping centres, found a huge food court and then caught a taxi boat to Wat Pho which is a temple with a massive gold reclining Buddha statue. It was huge and very impressive the rest of the temple was great too even if we were a bit tired and hot too appreciate it. We then wandered around and got lost in a Chinatown market and ended up back at the train station for another overnight journey.
We all had upper bunks which to me looked like I wasn’t gonna fit or it was gonna hold me but once they folded out it turned out alright (not as good as the boat) .
After another night on public transport we finally arrived very exhausted in Laos.
We have been here almost a week now but will write about that later because….. well…. I’m on holidays.

Amazing Ko Lanta

Ahhhhh Ko Lanta just the place we were looking for, cheap, laid back and not too commercial but still enough going on.
We arrived with no real expectations as we hadn't heard much about the Island. After a mini van trip with what must have also been the local courier, he stopped every 5 mins to drop something off, and a couple of ferries we arrived with no where to stay the driver asked where we wanted to be dropped off and we said long beach so he dropped us at long beach resort after trying to explain we don't have anywhere booked and one more stop at another resort we finally got off on the main st in long beach. We found a place with bungalows for 200 baht a night which is real cheap, so decided to stay there and booked in for 4 nights. The next day we discovered not only was it cheap but we get housekeeping and free water every day, an amazing deal so that is one of the reasons we are still here 2 weeks later.

So our first day here we witnessed one of ..well probably.. the best sunsets I have ever seen it was incredible. We sat at the bar associated with our accommodation right on the beach on these Thai style lounges and the afternoon just slipped away.

The next day we hired scooters and went on a bit of a tour around the island to the old town which was really nice old houses on stilts above the water. We saw some great views and found an amazing beach bar and witnessed another incredible sunset. The sunset every day is amazing every one different depending on the cloud positions. You just can’t take enough photo's, but we try. The Rasta bartender at this bar was super friendly and brought us some free shots, but not just any shots it was sea snakes and scorpions preserved in alcohol we were a little dubious at first but all ended up having one anyway he had a good selection of different snakes like pythons and others but we all had the same one didn't taste like poison and we are still alive. He also had monkey brains but I will tell you about that one later.

We have been pretty much chilling and playing frisbee, drinking beer chang, and reading which has been nice. We found a good cheap roadside stall which we have been to every day which does amazing fruit shakes, just fresh fruit and a bit of sugar syrup blended with ice, so good, cools you down from the inside, pineapple and coconut seems to be the flavours of choice.

We hired scooters again today and went on search for a waterfall. After some extreme scootering up steep dirt hills with ditches and pot holes you could lose a small child in, we made it to the track to walk to the waterfall. It said it was a 1 km walk but you can’t trust Thai distances. As we set off a group of possibly Germans said (insert accent here) " you cant get there, there is a big tree blocking the track" we said thanks but we will try anyway, they said "see you in 10 minutes ja" so we set off headed upstream as there was not much of a track after about 5 minutes we came across what we assumed was what the Germans were talking about, stepped over the 2 tiny fallen down trees and kept going. We lost the track for a bit but just stuck with the river which was only ankle deep and kept going till Simon said I think the track heads up there. Now I know we all have played the game "Simon says" but in real life if Simon says go up here don't do it. We scrambled up a 45 degree slope full of ants and spiky trees and mud. It took us a bit too long to realise what the hell are we going up here for and after sweating off a few kilos thought we better slide back down to the river because usually waterfalls are associated with rivers. We passed a couple of other people who told us it wasn't too much further so we trundled on and came across a sign that said Bat Cave. After all the necessary Batman jokes we headed into it. It was an amazing cave with big tree roots growing through it and a few different caverns but no Batmobile to be seen.

Finally we got to the water fall which was more of a trickle but the water was nice and cool so we stood under it for a bit and headed back. The walk through the jungle was full of strange noises but thankfully we didn’t see any strange animals.
That night we headed back to the bar with the snake shots and had many sunset beers and shakes with our new found Pommy buddies. The guy brought round the snake shots and the monkey brain shots this time couldn’t refuse so I did the monkey brain shot, it was not too bad cept for the bits of bone or possibly brain I got caught in my teeth. They then put a fire show on for us and let us have a go. I had never used a fire staff before. It was a lot different then poy, lots more fire, and if you stop spinning the flame starts to crawl up towards your had I got a bit close to the end of the staff and got a small burn on my hand, so I gave up. Simon spat fire which was a highlight and ended up being a really fun night, interesting scooter ride home too…..

We still had scooters for the next day (yesterday) so we headed south to a beautiful calm bay called Katiang Bay and chilled on the nice beach and chucked a bit of Frisbee and not much else. We still have a couple of nights here before we head over for the crazy full moon party, so we are just gonna chill and soak up some sun and do not much at all.
Sounds terrible I know.

Krabi Town and My Tattoo

We left Phi Phi for Krabi town on the mainland via a ferry with a hungover Simon who had been out all night with a few frenchies we met. Simon managed to fall asleep on the ferry.

Krabi town is meant to be a stop over town for heading to other beaches and islands but we loved it. The first night we were there we went for a beer at this tattoo parlour slash bar place and ended up playing bongo's with the tattooist while he played and sang classic rock tunes. The next thing we were looking at his tattoo books and saw he had won competitions in Bangkok so I thought why not get my tattoo here. So we tried to explain to him I wanted a snowflake but he had no idea so Jess and I drew up what I wanted and he fixed it up and after a coupe of attempts he came up with this.....

It wasn't a spur of the moment idea I have wanted ths tattoo for a while but its alot cheaper here. We continued playing Beatles covers and more classics for a while then called ita night.

The next day we hired scooters and went looking for hot springs which we thought wasn't the greates idea as it is so hot any way. After scootering down the main highway for about 50 kms (not too much fun when trucks and cars are flying past )we came to a police road block and I looked at Simon and said "you got ya license" and he said "no, you?" "I don't think so" . The police came to me first and I searched through my things and luckily had my Aussie license on me but not my International one. This seemed ok for them and they sent me on my way, but.... Simon didn't have his he told them it was back at the hotel but they said he had to pay a fine anyway, they were nice about and one cop turned to us and laughed and said " no license" he though it was funny that he would ride around without it on him. Luckily the fine was only 300 baht equal to about $10 so not too bad.

We continued on to the hot springs which were amazing the water was soo hot almost 40 degrees I think, and we soaked it up for a while the water was full of minerals and we came out feeling refreshed even though it was so hot.

We scootered on to a water fall and hiked up the 6 tiers and did a bit of paddling in the pools.That night we hit the night market for food again and found a guy cooking the best Pad Thai on a big hot plate it was delicious. The food here has been amazing especially the markets with so much to chose from its really hard but you just point at what looks good and you know it will taste good.

After only planning to stay one night in Krabi town we ended up staying 3. On the last day we did a 4 Island tour, im not a big fan of tours getting herded around like cattle and pushing and shoving for photo's of the same thing but this was the only way to see these islands. It turned out really good once we got off at the islands we got to do heaps of snorkelling saw some big barracuda and even found nemo, who tried to bite me because he had his babies around, seems nemo has grown up and started a family.

We stopped at Hat Rai Lay which was gonna be our next destination but after seeing it on the tour we though we would head south to Ko Lanta which is where we are now so stayed tuned for that update...... maybe tommorrow

1st Post Phuket and Phi Phi

So Im in Thailand on the balcony of my bamboo bungalow and picked up some free wireless so though i wouls start a blog.

The trip so far has been amazing. It started with a trip to Sydney to organise my French working holiday visa which we pulled off somehow in 24 hours. We flew to Phuket the next day on what was quite an easy flight turns out Jetstar international is not too bad.

We arrived quite late so just had dinner and went to bed.

The next day we went to a morning market and got a delicious egg pancake with condensed milk then proceded to find a beach. The beaches around phuket were quite commercialised we did a bit of shopping lots of haggling and decided to head to Ko Phi Phi the next day.

That morning we left on the early ferry with half of India and more cameras then I have seen in my life. They were even taking photo's with us for some reason. On the ferry a guy came to harass us about accomodation and showed some pictures of these great bungalows so we took them. The place was amazing but basic right on the beach but no showers or mod cons and electricty only came on when it was dark.

We were staying quite far from the main town so we ventured in one night and saw lots of fire twirlers and they also had a fire skipping rope to jump as well as a ring of fire to jump through and every time you did this you got a shot. We somehow made it home over the rocks and through the jungle and home.

The next day we went snorkelling around our beach literally 3 meters off the beach and it was like another world so many different fish and coral it was amazing. We ended up doing that most of the day and we all got nicely sun burnt on our backs and calves which were the only bits out of the water. I also went coconut hunting an after figuring out how to strip the husk it was delicious except for the one that had bugs inside it!

We stayed in Phi Phi for 3 nights but had to leave as it was pretty expensive.

Will post again later soon wuth more photo's and up to where we are now