So I have now successfully completed my Advanced Diver certification, which means I can now dive to 30m! I had to do two dives on Sunday morning, which was another early start, but they were great! The visibility on the first dive was 30 metres or more, it was beautiful! Had to do a couple of skills, but only bouyancy ones, which were all fine! Had a laid back afternoon, and then got ready for the night dive!
We got into the water as the sun was setting, so that it would get dark gradually, (although still quite fast, not like Britain!) which was nicer, as my eyes got accustomed to the light. We had our computers on our wrist to tell us the dive time, depth and our no decompression limits, and a torch in our hands. It was just me, Gaz and another guy called Jonas, and I must admit, the darker it got, the more I didn't like it! Jonas reminded me of Ben, totally loving it, getting his face down looking under rocks and all sorts, I on the other hand was happy to simply observe from where I was! It was getting darker and darker, until the point where if I looked behind me I couldn't see anything, horrible! I remember looking at my computer and thinking, "oh no, we've only been down here 12 minutes!" Most of our dives have been between 32 and 36 minutes, so I knew I had a while to go. Tried to relax and enjoy it, and not freak out!
We did see some cool stuff, three different sting rays, all moving about as it was night time! Saw a clown fish (Like nemo, but a different coloured one) in his anemone, which was bright blue, and I really enjoyed that! When we'd been down for 22 mins I remember thinking, "just last for ten more minutes then it'll all be over!" However, that was not to be, and this ended up being my longest dive yet at 48 minutes!!!! I was proud I had done it, and had not run out of air with the panic, or caused a fuss, but I didn't not really enjoy it! I think Gaz was a bit disappointed and amazed that I didn't enjoy it, as he and Jonas obviously did, but I couldn't tell a lie! Was glad to be back on land that night! Ben enjoyed a night of football which worked out pretty well!
The next day (Mon) Ben watched his videos for his deep and Nitrox course while I did my academics. We went for lunch, and then I headed out for my final two dives. It rained torrentially for the afternoon, so Ben did not get to sunbathe again, seems the afternoon rain has thwarted his plans on more than one occassion! We had no rain for our first week here, hope that it's not here to stay!
The first dive was great, I was diving with Alan who we did our Open Water course with, and we were given slates with all the fish and coral pictures on and had to try and identify the things we saw. I really enjoyed this and we saw some pretty cool stuff.
The final dive was our Perfect Bouyancy dive, where we learnt how to do sommersaults and go through hoops etc under the water. I seemed to be ok at this, and was able to do a sommersault whilst circling through a hoop! Enjoyed the final dive and felt like I was really gaining confidence (for daytime dives at least!) and hope to do a few fun dives in the next few days.
Ben and I went for dinner in a place that was showing 'The day after tomorrow', which I didn't remember very well, so was happy to watch. After over a week with no TV in our room it was amazing to me how gripped I was by the movie! Had a relatively early night, as Ben was starting his next course at 7.15am the next day (Tues / Today!).
He went out this morning, while I lazed around, the weather today has not been great, no rain yet, but overcast (still boiling though!), so no sunbathing! Finished the Posionwood Bible a few days ago, and traded that in for another book, Faceless by Martina Cole, very different, and harrowing, but a good read! I've almost finished that one, so will have to get another new one, although the bookshop here is not nearly as good as the one back in Chiang Mai!
Will let Ben tell you about his deep dive and what he saw (I am VERY jealous!) he has his last day tomorrow and we might finally be done, and be able to do some fun dives together! We are probably going to move onto a place called Krabbi next, and have looked at some accomodation, that has a big comfy bed, Air Con, a fridge, TV and a swimming pool, and it's still only 12 pounds a night, so REALLY looking forward to that!!!!!!! I must admit, the currunt accomdation is beginning to grate on me now, so cannot wait for Krabbi!
Off to finish my book on the beach now!
Sarah x
I've been bullied into posting something myself! Sarah has been doing such a good job!
So we are currently on Koh Tao in Thailand. It's my kind of place! Clear blue sky, crystal clear seas and soft white sandy beaches. Oh and the beer is cheap!
We've been here for a week and I can't see us leaving anytime soon. I quite like living in our wooden hut by the beach! Some air con might be good next time though!
I have quickly become addicted to scuba diving! Spent the first four days doing our PADI open water course, loved it! You're only allowed to go to 18 meters with this qualification. Is that deep enough for me? I think not! So the next day I started my Advanced diver course, this allows you to go to 30 meters. It took two days 5 deep dives, including a night dive and a wreck dive, which were amazing!
Having completed the advanced diver, it enabled me to go on a special dive arranged by the dive school to a place called Chumphon. A deep dive site well known for it's Bull sharks and Whale sharks. Oh and a place called Barracuda rock, I DON'T LIKE BARRACUDAS!!!! One day dive and one night dive later had I seen any of the above fish? Yep! Only bloody Barracudas though! Thousands of the chuffers! They grow up to two meters long, and their teeth are massive! Bit gutted no sharks, plenty of time left to see one.
Advanced diver done! Enough for me? Nope! Deep enough? Nope! So i start my deep diver and nitrox course tomorrow. This will allow me to go to 40M. This is the limit for recreational diving. It also gives me more chance of seeing something big!
Enough about me! Sarah started her advanced course this morning. Amazing! I never thought she would complete the open water course! She's done amazingly well, You all probably know that all of this is light years away from her comfort zone. I haven't heard the moose call once! I don't think there's been a time yet on this holiday where I've let her relax! Maybe next week?
I'm loving being away! we've done so much in three weeks! I wonder what we'll do next? Just got to get to Singapore by the 18th of October.
I think that's enough from me!
Hope all is well!
Ben
Posted by
Sarah O'Neill
,
02:52
Well the last couple of days I have enjoyed a lie in, while Ben has had to be up and ready at 7am for his advanced course. On Friday he went on two dives in the morning, while I lazed around and read my book on the beach. Then we hung out for lunch and the afternoon, as he was going on a night dive!
Off he went at sunset, and I went to a cafe and read my book, while the film 300 was playing, hoping for a better film today! He got back and absolutely loved it! He was raving about it, and I am trying to get him to write some blog posts, so maybe he will about that? He finished his advanced course this morning (Sat) with another early start! So at lunchtime he was an advanced open water diver! He signed up to go on a special dive they are doing at the dive centre, to a really cool dive site a bit further out that people don't normally night dive at, which is today, so he went again at 4pm, for an afternoon dive, dinner on the boat, and then a night dive! It should be amazing, and I am hoping that he will blog about that for you! I on the other hand, have caught up on some blog writing, and started a new book! What a life!
Koh Tao is a beautiful place, and we have stayed here far longer than we expected, and probably will stay even longer. The life style is very laid back, and we have got on really well with all the people at the dive school, which is where I am right now, sat at their computers blogging! I must admit, that I was a bit dismayed that we will be staying in our bungalow even longer than expected, but at the price, it makes total sense! This is because Gaz gas finally convinced me that I should do the advanced course as well, and after that Ben is going to do his Nitrox training, which will allow him to dive to 40 metres, he's definately got the bug!!!! So while we are doing courses, it is still just 4 pounds a night, which is great as we are spending so much money on scuba diving! I miss air con so much, I have to take a daily trip to the local 7/11 (local mini-mart chain all over Thailand), and peruse the shelves even when we don't need anything, just to experience the sensation of being cool! It's crazy hot, and you get no relief (except in 7/11!). I am still getting used to the backwards sensation of the shampoo being HOT when I put it in my hair, due to the sun, and the fact it is a cold shower, it's all the wrong way around!
So, I start my advanced course in the morning, a 7am start! I will do two dives in the morning, and then a night dive in the evening, which I am a little nervous about! However, very few skills to perfom, and I have tripple checked that none of them involve removing a mask!!! I finish on Monday, and then on Tuesday Ben starts his Nitrox course for two days! I never envisaged this when planning our trip! However, it is a LOT cheaper here to complete the scuba training, and it's for life, so thought we may as well!
We bought the DVD of our dive, of course we had to! So a BIG Thank You to Grandma, as we have used some of the money she gave us to buy it! We will be posting it home soon, so you can see it if you like!
Right now I am off for a shower, and then to suss out what film is on tonight while I wait for Ben to get back!
Sarah x
Posted by
Sarah O'Neill
,
02:38
Woke up on Thursday feeling on top of the world, what a difference a day makes! Felt SO much better than yesterday, even though I had to take my mask off later, it wasn't nearly as bad as the prospect of a no mask swim! Today we had our final academic session, followed by our final exam, 50 questions. We were allowed to reference our books, tables and eachother, so not too bad! Ben and I got Q49 wrong, even though I originally said a different answer (the right one!) we both went with the over cautious one, and got it wrong, I should have trusted myself and got 100%, but as it goes, we both got 98%!
After lunch we were to do two dives, both down to 14 - 18m. I asked Gaz if the mask removal was on the first or second dive, and he said second, bummer. I really wanted to enjoy the final dive, getting the mask thing out of the way, and to make it worse, because I was going to do it at 5m instead of 18, it had to be right at the end, I was gutted!
We had a guy come with us today to video the whole experience, and we could watch the film, put to music and purchase it for a princely sum the next day! We went down and did our skills and enjoyed the dive, which was great, got down to about 16m I think. Afterwards I think Gaz could tell I was nervous about the mask removal, so he said we could quickly go down then, and do it before the final dive, which was fab! Was so pleased, although nervous! Went down the rope, and managed it, still with the usual flailing and choking, but what the hell, at least it was done! Came up and was SO happy, it was all done, and fingers crossed I will never have to do that again!
Afterwards we all jumped off the top deck of the boat for the video, which I nearly chickened out of, but thought, how can I after all I have achieved, so did it!
The final dive was great, and I totally relaxed into it which was fab. Needless to say Ben has loved this whole experience and has signed up to do his advanced course! That means he can dive to 30m. Came back and sorted out all our paperwork, and we are now both qualified open water divers, yay!
So relieved it's all over, and could now get back to the beach and my book! Ben had to be at scuba school again at 7am the next day, but I was enjoying a lie in!
So today I woke up and felt so nervous I has silent tears running down my face before I'd even got out of bed. Ben gave me a big hug and told me I could do it, but I was petrified. I felt like we'd wasted money and I wasn't even going to complete the course, it was miserable. We went off for breakfast, and then to school for the morning. It seems silly now, but the whole time I was feeling so fragile, and was at the point of crying all morning. Did all our academics fine, and then went for lunch.
Came back and got on the little boat that took us to the big boat, still feeling terrified. I really enjoy diving, and we only have to learn the skills for if an emergency were to happen, which is highly unlikely, so I knew if I could get through this I would be ok to dive, as I would hopefully never have to take my mask off again! Gaz briefed us about the no mask swim and the other skills, including taking the BDC and weight belt off under water, and then putting it back on again (keeping mask and regulator in, so no worries for me!), and getting our bouyancy perfect to achieve neutral bouyancy, where you just hover in the water, not sinking or floating, again, not a worry to me, as I'd still be able to breath! As long as I have my mask and regulator in, I'll give anything a go! We did our final 'confined dive' in the shallows, about 4 metres down this time. It came round to do the no mask swim, and I'm even feeling jittery now I'm writing about it! I took my mask off, and closed my eyes and held my nose, and was breathing though my mouth regulator fine, Gaz said it was fine to keep eyes closed and he would guide me for the swim, which I did. The next part is where it all falls down! Putting the mask back on, my nose feeling a bit of water, which it feels the instant need to inhale, and the the coughing, spluttering and panicking that ensues! Gaz wrapped his legs around me and wasn't letting me go anywhere, so calmed and breathed through my mouth, had trouble clearing my mask of water, as I was panicking and breathing out of my mouth not my nose, but eventually did it! I was SO glad that was over! After this we came up to the surface and I was absolutely overjoyed! The terrified feelings had gone, as I had done it, and hopefully will never have to again! They say masks can come off when kicked off by accident by the fin of someone in front of you, so I will just be extra cautious to always be a few feet behind everyone!
We then surfaced and got back on the boat, which had fresh pineapple and yummy cookies for us to eat, Ben is a big fan of the cookies, and can't seem to get enough of them, I wonder if that's why he's doing his advanced course now!
Really enjoyed our second open water dive, to about 14 metres. Had to do a few skills at the bottom, but no mask removal, so all fine and dandy!!! After skills were done I was really able to relax and enjoy diving properly for the first time, it was awesome!
Once we were done, I asked Gaz what we had to do tomorrow, our last day. Both of tomorrow's dives were deep ones, as we'd completed our confined dives, and so had to show all the skills we had done in confined, in the deep now, which was a bit of a shock. He told me that I'd have to do a mask removal down at 18 metres. When he saw the look on my face, he said I could do it at five metres, but not at the bottom, it would have to be on the acend rope, bobbing around, so I had a decision to make. Knew I could do it, as I'd done a no mask swim today, but still a bit daunting! Didn't feel nearly as bad though, as I had done this skill, and knew I could do it again, if with a little choking and flailing!
We asked Gaz for a good place to eat and he suggested a few places which we chekced out, and came across a really good deal, strip steak and chips and a drink for 4 pounds! Sat down, and it was a really nice place, with real fabric napkins again! When it arrived, it was no strip steak, it was actually a big juicy lump that looked more like fillet, and we think it was, it was absolutely beautiful, and cooked perfectly, what a treat!!!
Had to go back to our bungalow to do some homework, yes homework! It was actually quite taxing, as involved learning how to use the dive tables to work out dive times, and pressure groups, and how long to leave between each dive, it was quite funny, Ben and I working out our answers and then comparing, and if different working through together to see what we had done! Eventually we went to bed in our oven, ready for another long day!
Posted by
Sarah O'Neill
,
04:10
As I am writing this I am sat by the beach at sunset watching Ben sail off on the boat to do a night dive as part of his 'advanced scuba course', so you can see, he loved it and is now continuing his scuba education to become even more qualified! We don't have wifi in our 'bungalow', and have been at scuba school from 8.30 till 6 the last three days, so haven't been able to get on line long enough to blog, so here goes!
We began scuba school at 4pm on Monday after a laiad back day at the beach. We met the other two students, Allan and Scott, Father and Son, and our Instructor, Gaz. We watched over an hour of great videos from PADI produced in the 80's so lots of great hair and fashion! We were given a pretty hefty book each with 'knowledge reviews' 1 - 5 through it, so the idea is you watch a video, read a chapter and then complete the questions in the knowledge review, alongside practical diving of course!!! So Monday night was not too strenuous at all, but concerned me as I became more aware of what lay ahead!
Had an early start to get breakfast at 8am, ready for our 8.30 start on Tuesday. Arrived and went through some academic stuff, and then got kitted out for sizes of equipment, a wetsuit, snorkel, fins and a BDC (Bouyancy control device - like an inflatable and deflatable life jacket). We were then taught how to connect our regulators, (breathing bits) to the huge heavy oxygen tanks, and the all important SPG which tells you how much air you have, and then connecting up the BCD. Gaz made us put this together and disassemble it all about 4 times, but we definately knew what to do by the end! We put our equipment in a numbered bag ready for our dive later. More academics, which are pretty full on, and then lunch at 11! Get an hour, then have to be back as the boat goes out every afternoon just after 12.
Got on a small boat which took us out to the big dive boat and got ready. Gaz gave us a briefing of what skills we had to do under the water. These are called confined dives, that you do either in a swimming pool, or in our case, a shallow area of a quiet bay. We all managed to reach the bottom fine, and had no trouble breathing, so that was all good. I am so glad I did that little intro to Scuba at Centre Parcs, although it counts for nothing, at least I didn't have a hissy fit going under the water for the first time! Had to perform our skills, which included taking the regulator (mouth breathing thingy) out of our mouths and then putting it back in, clearing it of water first and then breathing again, which I had also done at CP so not too troublesome! Then had to take it out, and let it drop behind us, and retrieve it which was a little more scary as lost sight of it, but were taught how to locate it calmy and pop it back in, clear it of water and breathe again! Did all of this fine, but then it came to the mask skills. This did not go so well. I was able to clear a partially flooded mask, which means a little water has got in, and you hold the top and breathe out your nose hard to clear it, and then a fully flooded mask. However, the next step was to take the mask off. As with all the skills I act out each stage in my head and visualise it, then perform it, however, the minute my nose was out it seemed to instinctively breathe in, no matter how much I told it not to. I completely panicked and gasped for breath, and began choking, lashing around etc, Gaz held me down trying to calm me, as I still had the mouth peice, but by now I was so freaked out, I was scrambling for the surface so we both went up. I choked and spluttered and cried, it was awful! Gaz was great, really understanding, and told me the same happened to him when he first tried it, to which I said I didn't believe him, but he said it was true. Once I had calmed down a little, we tried on the surface bobbing heads under water, but I did exactly the same. I asked if I could hold my nose, and he said fine. We went back down, and I tried this technique, which was ok, but I struggled when getting it back on, of course I couldn't hold my nose as I put the mask on my nose, and of course, water goes into the mask as you replace it, which you can easily clear, but my crazy nose decides to breathe again, so had exactly the same problem, but with Gaz keeping me down, and making me breathe through my mouth until I calmed down, I was able to clear the mask and had completed the skill! Needless to say, Ben was a natural at ALL the skills, and has not seemed to be troubled by anything! Once we'd done other skills, including using a buddy's alternate air source in case yours fails, all of which I was fine at, (it's just mask removal I suck at!) we got back on the boat to head somewhere else for our first logged open water dive. We were waiting for a while for another group, which was two Japanese girls, who were certified, but having a refresher as they hadn't dived in a while, and the reason they were so late was that it took one girl 45 minutes to even put her head under, which made me feel miles better about myself!
The dive was to 12 metres, and we just had to descend along a rope, down and down, which my ears struggled wth a bit, but I managed to equalise all the way down, and it only took us 3 mins to all get down, when Gaz said some groups take 15, so that was good! Was able to enjoy this dive, no skills! Was still nervous, being so far under, and getting used to it all, but it was great, we were under for 36 mins in total!
Once we had come up we got our stuff off and I asked Gaz about the next day. Unfortunately he told me I had to do a 'no mask swim' the next day which terrified me! I was quite close to crying again at this point. We headed back to the dive centre, and I was looking out at the beautiful sunset feeling terrified.
We found somewhere nice to eat, it even had real fabric napkins! I relaxed a little, and was proud of what I had achieved, but still worried about the no mask swim!
I have run out of light to write by, the sun has set in front of me, it really is a spectacular sight, but I can no longer see to type, so will have to continue the story tomorrow!
Sarah x
Well we are safely here on an island in the South of Thailand called Koh Tao, it's very beautiful and looks like something out of a picture postcard, have managed to put up a couple of pics for you to see now!
Although we had planned to get another night train after the flight to Bangkok, we decided a night bus would be better in the long run as it was a night bus and ferry ticket all in one meaning we didn't need to worry about the ferry ticket nit once we got to Chumpong. So, the flight down from Chiang Mai was fine, and took us an hour to do what the night train took 16!!!! haha, oh well, it was much cheaper on the train. Then headed to the Ferry company office just off Khosan Rd, and booked up. Had a few hours to kill before 'check in' back at the office, so sat in a bar and watched the world go by, it's amazing all the people here, old and young, and inbetween, some have bought kids, which I find amazing!
We headed back to the office and got sorted out, then another hours wait, back to a bar! Eventually got on the bus, nice recliner seats and a blanket, and a TV on which they played The Prince of Persia, which was cool! It's a shame the last 10 minutes changed to being spoke in Thai, but it was a good movie all the same! We both slept well, which might be more to do with taking four pills instead of one! Haha!
Arrived at the ferry pier at 5am, and slept on a deck chair until time to board at 7.30am. The sun came up and we got on the ferry, which was about 2 hours, slept some of that too, great sleeping tablets!!!!!
Arrived, and were glad we had people waiting for us from our dive centre that we already booked over the phone in Bangkok, as there seemed to be the world and his wife clammering around to give us a taxi etc, crazy!
We were taken to the dive centre which has great reviews on trip advisor, and then shown our accomodaion. I was under the impression my roughing it had ended in the jungle, but that was not true! This is one step up, we are in a little bungalow, with a bed, a rack for one bag, a fan and a 'bathroom'! there is no flush, just a bucket of water, a sink with a tap that when you use spurts water out the bottom and gets you legs wet, and a cold shower! Wow, down to earth with a bang! I must admit I was a little grumpy at this, and took a while to get over it and get into the spirit of it, but now that I have it's all fine, and I actually find the shower quite refreshing! I am slowly realising that when we first arrive in a new place I take a while to adjust, but once I do I am fine! It was a very hot night in our little bungalow with no air con, and it's hotter here than in the North, but it was bearable and we both slept ok!
Woke up late and lazed around this morning. We only have to walk a minute and we are on the beach which is beautiful, will put up pics soon! Lazed around on the beach today and read my book, bliss! I am reading The Poisonwood Bible, which many people I know have raved about, an am loving it! It is also helping me to keep some perpsective, as the family in it really are roughing it in the Congo in the 1950s, so my concerns about cold showers and fanned bungalows are reduced to nonsense!!!
Had a good lunch and I am just about to go and laze on the beach
again before our next adventure begins. We have signed up for a 4 day Scuba course, which as thos who know me will know, this is another mountain to climb for me! Not literally, like in the jungle, but mentally! I don't really like the sea, hate being underwater, and fear sharks! So all in all, definately taking me out of my comfort zone again! I seem to be s
pending half of this trip out of my confort zone, but what doesn't kill me makes me stronger, so hopefully I'll survive this one like I have all the previous challanges! We go back to school (scuba school) at 4pm, in just over an hour, and lots of it is classroom based, which be funny! No water tonight, just videos and a textbook! Tomorrow is D-Day!
Best go and grab some beach time while I still can!
Sarah x
Today was an early start to be up and about for pick up at 8.45, to be taken to the Thai Farm Cookery School. It was about 45 minutes outside of the city, and we stopped on the way at a local market to pick up supplies. We filled out a form to decide what we wanted to cook, there were 5 'courses' and each had a choice of 3 dishes. T
he chef guy we had for the day showed us around the market and talked to us about the different ingredients we would come across during the day, and the different types of rice available. The market was a very funny place, with meat lying out (over ice, but still strange to see in this heat!), and various bits of animals we don't usually see, including chickens feet and whole pig heads! Once the guy had got all the supplies we needed we headed off to the farm which was in a very rural setting.
We were shown to our work stations and it was all very well run, with our in gredients 
ready on a tray depending on what we were cooking. We all made a curry paste first, either green, yellow or red. I made green, while
Ben made yellow. It was lots and lots of bashing in a giant pestal and mortar! Ben made a fab paste, and mine wasn't too bad after an extra bashing from Ben! 
After this we used the paste to make a chicken curry. It was so
easy! More time consuming than opening the jar of Thai Green Curry Paste from Tesco I usually use, but way better! I don't think I can go back now, and you can make a big batch that will keep in the fridge, so I think that's what I'll do, and we got given a recipe book too, so no excuses about forgetting it all after ten months!
We went on to make a soup which was tasty, but not our favourite thing. Then Ben made chicken and cashews, while I made chicken with basil. Both were yummy and I will definately be making mine again! I must admit, I can't believe we were able to make such tasty dishes from just a few simple ingredients, and believe me, they are tasty!!!
We the had lunch, which was of course, all that we had made! It was De
licious!!!!! Sooooo goooood! Ben's food is on the right mine on the left. 
The guy had made jasmin rice, and sticky rice, which he showed us how to eat, you roll the sticky rice into a bitesized ball and dip it into your curry - great!!!! The food was so good, but we couldn't finish it all so took it in a doggy bag! After lunch, we made our dessert. I made bananas in coconut milk, which I had last night in a restaurant, and loved! Ben made sticky rice with mango. I will definately be making the bananas in coconut milk again when I am home, it was a real comfort food and I can imagine eating it on a cold night, as its a yummy warm pudding!
Finally we made spring rolls. I was really looking forward to 
this bit as we have enjoyed eating them so much! We made the filling in 
our woks, and then he demonstrated how to roll them, which is an art! I seemed to get on really well with this and was so chuffed! Ben did well but his were different sizes while mine were quite uniform! We deep fried them for about 30 se
conds until golden brown. Even Ben admitted that mine looked the best out of everyone's! I was so chuffed, as those of you who know me, this is a real achievement for someone with my culinary skills! So, when we get back Spring rolls are definately on the menu, as long as Ben lets me get a deep fat fryer! So, back at the hotel now, and just off to a second hand book shop where I can sell my book, and get a new one! We're flying to Bangkok tomorrow afternoon, and then catching the night train down to the South to visit the islands and do a Scuba Diving course. We probably won't have wifi in our rooms again for a while, so contact may be less frequent but will try our best! Will blog again as soon as I can! Was so pleased to hear from Mum and Carol how many people have been reading this, I really didn't think many would, and worried it might be a bit boring! Hope you are enjoying it, I certainly am, it's like a diary for me, and I feel like we are taking our friends and family along for the ride with us!
Love to everyone!
Sarah x
.jpg)
Had a lazy morning today and let our bodies recover a bit! We decided to go to the Tiger Kingdom today, and do the cooking tomorrow. We had breakfast / lunch and then got a tuktuk to take us to the Tiger Kingdom. When you arrive you have to choose which cages to go in, smallest, small, medium, large. We chose smallest, small and large! We went in that order and it was absolutely amazing! Can only put a few pics up here, .jpg)
but more on facebook, and hoping to get a flicker account sorted for all our pics!
The smallest ones were amazing! There was also an Australian keeper there, who was great to talk to and took some fab photos of us both! Th
.jpg)
ey were quite sleepy, and she told us that Tigers sleep 18 hours a day and the best times to come are early morning, or later evening, which is shame because we went at midday! Oh well! A few were awake, and to be honest I prefered the sleeping ones as they didn't look so scary!!!! These tigers were 5 months old.
.jpg)
The next ones were 7 months old and they certainly grow in that two months! They were three siblings, 2 boys and a girl! The experience was amazing! Ben took a fab photo of one chewing a piece of bamboo, cleaning his teeth!
The large tigers were super scary! They we wide awake and padding around! They are so big when you are standing next to one! One was
.jpg)
more placid and rolled over for a tummy tickle! It was so weird! What an experience!
.jpg)
Posted by
Sarah O'Neill
,
09:01
Well this morning I did not get woken up by a cockerel but a trumpeting elephant! I must .jpg)
admit I was relieved I had made it to the last day! Lek told us that we didn't have any walking to do, so I was overjoyed! It was raining lots, and looked like it was going to for the rest of the day, so I .jpg)
was so glad we weren't treking! We had breakfast and then got our things packed away. We thought we were riding elephants through the jungle as part of the trek, but we found out that it was actually a round trip from where we were. The elephants came down to see us while we were having breakfast and got quite close.
For the ride we climbed up on a big wooden frame and got on the elephants, they even gave us umbrellas! The elephants walked along the side of the river, and the path was so uneven, and steep slidy mud in parts, but the elephants were so strong and didn't miss a beat! The ride was great, it was nice to enjoy the jungle from above and have time to look around!
After the elephant ride we had lunch and then loaded our bags into the truck. We were briefed about the white water rafting with very sparse but concise instructions. Life jackets and helmets on, off we went! We each had a paddle, and had to use it! We were shown how to lock our legs into the boat, and I'm so glad we did! The first major bit was mostly filled with me screaming and not paddling at all! But once I got over the shock, I was able to join in a bit with the paddling, although nt sure how much help I was! After a while we seemed to come to a stopping point and though it was over, but this was where we had to decide if we wanted to carry on, as because of the rain, it was a really rough bit coming up! After a little aprehension I decided to do it, I'd done the whole three day trek, so had to complete this! I am so glad I did! It was crazy and scary, but fantastic! At the end I wanted to do it all again!
.jpg)
We came to the end and had some lunch altogether, and found they had taken a photo of us rafting, which we bought, and will post home soon! Had a great group photo and exchanged email addresses with everyone!
Got back to the hotel and was SO glad for a hot shower, I took ages!!!!!! One thing I that really bugged me in the jungle was my nails, no matter what I did they wouldn't stay clean, and were filthy the whole time, so it was so nice to have clean nails and clean hair! We went back to the Irish Pub and Ben had the yummy burger he had last time, and I had fish and chips and a cup of tea!!!! The comfy bed was the best after a long three days! We slept very well!!!!!
Posted by
Sarah O'Neill
,
04:33
Not too early a start for day two, got woken up at 8.30, if you don't count the cockerel crows! After breakfast, of toast and pinneapple jam, or eggs, we said goodbye to the two day trekers, and also the guide at the back, which worried me! No Lara and no back guide for me, must keep up today! We soon realised that today would be different! All that travelling up meant we had to go down! The beginning was steep!!!!!! However, I much prefered this than yesterday! Rhian, Patick and Patric did not! They weren't wearing walking boots, and were sliding all over the place. The heavy rain the night before meant that it was like a mud 'slip and slide' down through the jungle! We all slid a couple of times, which was quite scary, but with my boots, I was ok! I managed to keep up with the others fine, and it was the other three we were waiting for today. We made our way down through the jungle and followed the river, which meant lots of river crossings, which I was not great at! Balance is not my thing, especially with a heavy bag on my back. Lek made us all sticks to help us in the sliding mud, out of bamboo, with his big knife! This helped a lot on the river crossings too!
We came to a huge waterfall and the boys went swimming. Although I had my swimmers on, the splash from it was refeshing enough, and the
water pool was quite rough, and I did not feel confident enough to brave it, neither did Rhian. Ben had a great time
.jpg)
splashing around, although swallowed a mouthful of water in the process! We carried on heading down throuhg the jungle, which was nice! I was so much more able to do this! However, it wasn't all easy, and at one river crossing I did have a wobble - and thought I couldn't do it, which was a problem as I was half way across! Lek and Patric waded in to help me, they were both wearing flip flops, which was so nice! Later on I also fell in, slipping off a rock during a river corssing, which was not fun! Grazed my elbow and wounded my pride! Got up and soldiered on!
Lek told us lots about his tribe, and living in the jungle. He found a Massive beetle that he
.jpg)
climbed a tree to get and show us! It was huge! Ben had a hold, but I was too chicken! He also found a smaller one, and kept the both, I think they might be worth money for him, and we took them with us in an old water bottle! Later he got out the smaller one to show us, and the boys out it on Ben's head for a photo! It flew away when they tried to take it off his head, and Lek chased it, but it got away! He seemed a bit disappointed, but said it was ok!
As we travelled through the jungle Lek found us fruit to eat. First we had papaya that he found and cut up for us. Then later, we came across big melon looking things in the trees. Frenchie (as we fondly called him) shook the trees until one fell down, and Lek cut it open and handed it out. It was quite like a grapefruit, so that's what we think it was. Frenchie said 'pamplemousse' which I seem to recall is grapefruit too, if I can remember any french at all! As we followed the river the land seemed to flatten out and we found a road which we walked along.
We arrived at the camp, which had elephants walking around, and lads of rafts for the white
.jpg)
water rafting! We were on the river bank, which was very rough, and loud! The hut was much smaller, and was just a bed area, and a sitting area, no fire, and no kitchen. Went for a shower, which was even more 'rustic' than the previous one!!!! Was literally a pipe half way up the wall, which you had to hold yourself, and if you held it too high it wouldn't come out -freezing as well!
Had another good evening with everyone around one of the tables after dinner. Went on a little later, but still all in bed by half eleven! Went to sleep to the sound of crashing water over rocks, will be rafting that tomorrow!
Posted by
Sarah O'Neill
,
02:50
We got up nice and early at 7am on Monday to prepare for our jungle trek. We had got all our stuff together the night before, but needed to pack up our luggage bags that we were leaving at the hotel. Had a nice breakfast of coffee and toast in the hotel and our bags for the jungle were delivered! They were not quite what we were expecting! Old fashioned satchel type things with horrible back straps - not very comfortable! Creature comforts ended here!
They picked us up, and two others were already in the truck. Mark and Lara, who were friends.
We picked up three more blokes, Andy, Dan and Pete who were all friends from home too. It was great to chat to some English people about what we'd been up to, and vice versa, and find out some valuable info! We also picked up Patric, a French man who spoke NO English! We stopped off at a Butterfly and Orchid farm, Ben took some photos for you Carol! We also stopped at a market to pick up 'supplies'!
I think it was about an hour and a half until we arrived at a small place to have lunch and set off walking from. I had my first experience in a squat toilet here, only to find out afterwards that the 'cubicle' next door was a western toilet! Now I always check every toilet! Had a nice lunch of rice and chicken, with a strange dessert, a bit like eating a cooking apple! Our guide was called Lek, he was great!
Two more people arrived for the trek, Rhian and Patrick, a Dutch couple. We set off up a bit of a
hill, here's a before photo - before the real work started! We began walking at quite a pace for my little legs up a steep hill, and I was quite out of breath. By the top I was pretty sure I should never have signed up for this, and that I wasn't going to be able to complete it! I honestly felt that I was not at the fitness level required for this, and it had been less than twenty minutes! As we went on it flatened out a bit and became much more manageable, and the guide would stop regularly for us (mostly me) to catch our breaths! There was also a guide at the back, who became my saviour as the day went on!
It was incredibly hot and humid, and very hard work. We walked for 4 and a half hours on the first day, and a LOT of that was up very very steep paths. Some bits weren't even paths, and there were lots of river crossings jumping from boulder to boulder etc, I was in a high state of stress the entire time! It really was jungle treking, with muddy, uneven
.jpg)
tracks. I felt completely overwhelmed for most of it, and just had to keep pushing on, there was little else I could do! Ben was taking it all in his stride and loving it! However, he will also tell you that it was pretty tough and I am not exagerating! It wasn't all bad, and when it was relatively flat I was absolutely fine, and could enjoy it, but day one was mostly uphill to get to the top of the jungle to where the hill tribe live. Some of the inclines were so steep, and just pure mud, that I didn't even know how I was supposed to get up them! Throughout the day I fell more and more inlove with my walking boots! I must admit that until then I had begrudged buying them, they were so brown and ugly, but I now LOVE them and couldn't have done it without them! Me and Lara both took it a bit slower with the guide at the back, who was fab and let us rest every so often! We arrived at a small waterfall to jump in if we wanted, but no sooner than Lara and Mark had got in, the heavens opened and we had to take shelter in a tiny shack! (The tribe people make money by setting up shacks to sell drinks along the paths) We were all huddled underneath with our bags, wondering if we'd be there for hours! We were so lucky that it hadn't happened earlier and we'd been somewhere with shelter! As the rain eased another group turned up who hadn't been so lucky!
.jpg)
We carried on, uphill! It was madness, and I was very hot and tired! But just kept going! You can see how high we climbed from this picture, we started at the bottom and this was taken
.jpg)
from the top!!!!!!! See now, do you believe me?! When we could see the huts of the village it all got a bit easier, and the end was in sight. I think you can see from this photo that Ben also found it hard going!
We arrived at the village at about half five, to a warm welcome, a child of about four looked me in the eye, held his middle finger up and told me to foxtrot oscar! Lovely! However, once
.jpg)
we were shown to our hut, the rest of the locals were very nice, and the children even sang songs for us in the evening! The hut was similar to all the tribes huts, so you can get an impression of how they live. The hanging white things are mosquito nets, and yes, the beds were all in rows next to eachother! The hut had three sections, a 'bedroom', middle open air bit, with a camp fire, and a 'kitchen'. I was the first to brave the 'shower', which was a different shack down a path. I went to suss it out and it was a shack, with little privacy, (gaps between the wood etc), and a pipe that ran across the ceiling, with a tap, releasing COLD water! I took my bag with me, and gave it a whirl! It was pretty cold and 'invigorating'! However, it was SO nice to feel clean, ish! Put my flip flops on and headed back to the hut where everyone was chilling out.
.jpg)
They lit a nice camp fire, and we all sat around. They fed us yellow curried potatoes and a chicken dish, we ate it all as we were so hungry! The children sang for us, for donations for pencils for school. We sat around the campfire talking, and it felt much later than it was! Got to know our companions well, although poor French Patic could not speak a word of English, and the guide knew only a tiny bit, and the Dutch people helped a little, but we communicated with actions and got somewhere! With only fire and candles for light, we had to use our torch for the toilet. (Thanks to Matt for buying Ben the torch, was invaluable to us on this trip!) I must admit, I made Ben accompany me to the toilet, I was a bit chicken! I think we made it to about 10pm, before we went to bed, everyone was shattered! The bed was a thin 'matress' on a wooden slatted floor, not the most comfortable, especially after the day we'd had! I did have a little cry, and thought about going back with Lara and Mark (they were only doing the two day trip), as I didn't think I could do any more, but with Ben's encouragement I thought I had better stick it out! I knew I was going to feel so proud of myself if I did it! It was still an 'if' at this point, believe me! Took some sleeping pills, we now know you can take up to four, so no wonder one didn't do much on the night train! I took two and was out! Was broken sleep due to comfort, and an over-zealous cockerel who liked to crow on the hour from about 4am! Woke up not really feeling ready for another day!
So this is a little late coming but a quick update of what we did on Sunday. Wouldn't usually bother catching up a day so long after, but saw something quite unusual! We decided to go and see the main temple here, (there are lots, but guide book says this is the one worth seeing), so headed to the old city, which has a wall all the way around. We walked through Tai Pae gate, the main gate in, and to the other end of the city. There we came across a lot of people, dressed in red shirts!
After standing and watching a while it became very obvious they were actually Red Shirts
(one of the political groups here, that rioted a few months ago,), and I was a bit nervous! They were blocking the whole main road and entrance to the temple, so we just stood on the edge with other people watching on.
Suddenly there was a big bang, which I instantly thought was a gun! But it was a flare! Lots went off, making me jump each time! Then everyone started crowding around, and got cameras out, a man got out of a big blacked out car with huge bodyguards and made his way towards the temple, big TV cameras and people taking his photo following him! It was all very strange.
Then, a huge procession came out of the temple gates. With big
red flags, and following it was a huge coffin high up on a vehicle, with red draped everywhere and a gold top. It was a bit disconcerting knowing what we do about the riots and unrest, and particularly the red shirts!
Ben got talking to a couple of young Thai teenagers, who explained to us that it was the funeral of one of the Red Shirts leaders. Later, we found out from the lady who runs our guest house, that he was assassinated a couple of months ago, in a drive by shooting with an M16 - she showed us the newspaper! All the red shirts followed the coffin along the street and disappeared out of sight, and the road cleared again. If we had been an hour later visiting the temple we would never have known anything!
The temple was very beautiful and ornate, but to be honest they are all very much the same. However, in Chiang Mai the monks actually live in them, where as lots of the Bangkok ones are not dwelling places. There was a monk sat very still at the front, facing us, and we were trying to work out if it was real or not. I was convinced it was real as it was so life like, and even after walking up to it as close as we could, we couldn't decide! Ben thought it wasn't, as he couldn't see it breathing, but I was convinced it was real! We walked out not knowing, but then I asked a lady selling flowers, and she showed me a sign, that said he was a wax model! Ha, he was SO lifelike. He was 93 when he died last year and was the head monk at the temple and was very important. I can't believe how real he looked!
Later Ben had a swim, while I looked at options for our days after the jungle trek. We decided to fly from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, and then catch a night train to the South, Chumpon, and then a boat to one of the islands, we will fly on Saturday!
We went out to the Saturday market which is more for locals, and had a look around. Then moved onto the night market, which is more for tourists. Had a wonder around, and then the heavens opened, it was crazy! Ran for cover, and found a little bar among the market, and sat for a drink. One of the locals said it would be raining for at least a couple of hours. Stayed inside for a while, and when it calmed, took a swift walk back in the drizzle to pack for our jungle adventure! Had to stop on the way for a few supplies, including toilet roll! Was definately feeling very apprehensive about the next few days!
Got back to the guest house and packed for our adventure! Then got to skype with Mum, Dad, Emma and Michael, and later Carol and Mike (Ben's Mum and Dad) which was great! Had lots to talk about, and was so good to see them! Loving this technology that makes us feel so much closer to home!
I will update you all on our jungle adventure tomorrow, really tired from it all, so off to bed now, but you'll be glad to hear we got back in one piece and had a great time! So glad for a comfy bed tonight, can't wait!
Night night!
Sarah x
Well, the much anticipated journey on the night train across practically all of Thailand happened last night! We started the day in our lovely hotel, packing up and preparing ourselves! I also got to Skype and FB chat with two of my great friends, both Rachels in the USA - what a treat!
We got a taxi to the train station and checked our bags into left luggage for the day, still 6 hours until the train to kill! Yesterday we hatched a plan to stay out of the heat in the airconditioned cinema in the massive shopping centre we visited! This was a great plan, but only films on in English were The Expendables or Resident Evil, as Ben had seen the former, we had to watch the latter! Not my first choice of film! I am so so so glad I refused to watch it in 3D, there was enough screaming at the jumpy bits in 2D! After loads of ads, all in Thai, everyone began to stand, and I suddenly remembered I'd read in the guide book that the National Anthem is played at the begining of all movies, and you must stand as a mark of respect, and EVERYONE stood, it made me wonder what the yobs of our culture would have done, there doesn't seem to be any of that here!
So, after the film we made our way to the train station and got the bags and waited. A Thai man came up to speak to us, starting the conversation by commenting on how short Ben was, and where was he from, he could hardly believe he was from England, and called him a pigmy! He chated to us for ages, saying he wanted to practise his English, which seems a common thing here. As we waited and chatted, we saw a cat chase a mouse through the station! I asked the Thai man if he was travelling on the train, he replied that he liked to come here for an hour a night to watch the TV screen, he was really sweet.
We went to find our train at about twenty mins before it was due to leave, it was already there, so we got on. Once we settled ourselves we took a few pics, and Ben went outside to take some. A few min
utes later the train began to move, my stomach lurched, and I was banging on the window like a maniac, thinking I'd be on the way to Chiang Mai on my own! Ben ran to get on board, and we needn't have worried, as it was going so slow he would have been fine, but I still took a few moments to regain my composure!
We ordered our dinner from a lovely lady, who had definately not 
been a lady all her life, and she set the table up for us. Had a chicken and cashew nut meal, and settled in for the ride. It was dark outside, so not much to see. At about 9.30 they came around to make the beds. It was all very clever, and our area became two bunks, each with a curtain across, ready for bed!
We took our sleeping tablets, cleaned our teeth and went to bed. I read for a
while, and then tried to settle down. I had taken the top bunk, while Ben had the bottom. I think his was pretty dark, however, my curtains did not reach the ceiling, so it was as light as the whole room, so as well as my usual earplugs, needed my eyemask too! We both felt that the pills did not help, but wonder if we should have taken more, so will research this if we get a night train again! I did sleep, but it was quite broken sleep, with the noise and lurching of the train, but a bit of sleep all the same!
Was woken by Ben at about 8.30am, breakfast to be in half a hour, so got down and ready for them to make into chairs again! Train was supposed to get in about half nine, but as we passed a station we saw the name, and after looking on the map it became apparent we had quite a way to go! Our lovely 'hostess', who seemed to take a shine to Ben, informed us it was another two hours! S/he motioned to Ben at his IPod, and began flicking through his music, and chatting! S/he asked if he had his charger, but we showed her/him it was only a USB port charger, so s/he carried on listening to Ben's music and played Lady Gaga! S/he disappeared for a while and came back asking to borrow the charger for 20 mins as s/he'd found a USB port! S/he was so grateful.
Eventually we got to Chiang Mai after over 16 hours! Carrying our bags, we found a phone booth and began to phone a few of the places in our guide book. While Ben was doing this a lady approached me with a brochure, saying 350Bahts a night, which is just over £7, and it looked really nice. She sadi she'd take us there and we could look around with no obligation, so we decided to even if just for the free ride! When we got there, it was absolutely fine, and had a pool, (a real plus point for Ben!), we asked for aircon, so room was a bit more, but still great value! Had a quick look on TripAdvisor.com and it got fine reviews, so we think we did ok!
Had a little explore around the city and had a yummy rice dish, I really like the food here! Another Thai man started speaking to us, commenting that Ben looked like Buddha! He seems to be a real conversation stater here! He was really friendly, and told us he was a Thai Boxer, here for his last fight! A few moments futher down the street a man asked where we were from, and said Ben looked like Buddha! Ben is proving very popular here, everyone wants to talk to us! We went to the tourist info place where you can book tours, to find our about the treks and cookery courses. It seems like we will be doing a three day, two night Trek (starting Monday) through the jungle, and staying with a hill tribe, riding elephants through the jungle, taking a bamboo raft down the river, and then finishing with white water rafting! Then on Thursday we'll be doing a Thai cookery course in someone's house! It all sounds fun, and a little bit scary, but I'm kind of getting used to it now!
We've just spent the evening in an Irish pub that was playing the football so Ben was a happy bunny! Had a great meal, proper pub grub, they even sold pie and mashed potato! Off to bed early tonight as we have some sleeping to catch up on, in fact Ben has fallen asleep beside me! I can't put the pics up tonight, as we locked the camera in the safety deposit box downstairs, so will put them in tomorrow!!!
Hoping to Skype with my Mum and Dad and Emma tomorrow, which will be great! I am so glad for all this technology, it is amazing!
Sarah x
I'm sat writing this by the poolside in our beautiful hotel while Ben is having a swim, and this will be the last evening of luxury for a while, me thinks! We got up and lazed
around this morning, using our time to plan our next steps while we still have fast internet and a nice room! Plans decided, we set off to Siam Square, where there are many many shops, and it's near the train station. We were both starving hungry and desperate for something a bit familiar, enjoying the food here lots, but sometimes you just fancy something greasy and full of carbs! Saw signs for a KFC and got very excited, followed them, but found oursleves in a random building with no KFC, tried again, and were about to give up, when we spotted it! Yay, had a zinger meal and even though the chips were cold, it was good!
Found it difficult to orientate oursleves when trying to find the station, so hopped in a taxi and he got us there for so cheap it's totally worth it when you have no idea where you're going! Turns out it would have been quite a walk anyway! Had no trouble booking the night train for tomorrow night (nerves, but no trouble!) as everyone here speaks enough English and they are really helpful! So, we're booked on the 7.35pm 2nd class train tomorrow to Chiang Mai, which gets in around 9.30am the next morning! Must get sleeping tablets tomorrow!!! It is practically the length of the big chunk of Thailand, and takes longer than the flight to get from England! Both of us are wondering what to expect and are admittedly a little bit scared!!!! We've looked up places to stay and we know roughly where we're going, and most seem to have wifi so should be able to blog again in a few days, so you can read all about the night train!
Got a TukTuk back to Siam Square and saw the aftermath of a motorbike crash, people making a big circle around him lying on the floor, while the crazy traffic carried on at pace! It was pretty horrible! There seemed to be a medic of sorts there, trying to help, and others held jackets up to make shade and fan him. As we drove past we saw a lot of blood and a bone sticking out of his leg - drove past the ambulance on it's way towards them - this is a crazy place to drive, looking forward to leaving that part behind!
We went to the biggest shopping centre I've ever seen, called the MBK Centre, it had 7 floors, and was absolutely huge, the top floor contained a cinema, bowling alley and karaoke bar - it's massive! Wondered around enjoying the air conditioning for a bit, and bought a t-shirt each! Mine is a Little Miss Tidy one, saw it and had to have it!!! Had a wonder around Siam Square, which is more shops lining the street!
Came back to the hotel as we were both hot and our feet were achey and tired, we've travelled a lot these past few days! So, I'm back where I started and Ben has just got out of the pool, so best be off, hopefully find somewhere nice for dinner!
Hopefully blog again in a few days, when we're settled in Chang Mai!
Sarah x
So, after saying I was off to bed early last night we layed awake watching a film, so didn't sleep until gone 11pm. I woke up thinking I'd had a decent sleep and was waiting for Ben to stir - when he did we checked the time, thinking it'd be at least 6am, but unfortunately it was only 2am, ahhh! Thought of you, Rachel Stevenson! Had to try and go back to sleep, and gladly did after not too long! Slept right to the alarm at 9am - we were both dead to the world!
After breakfast we made our way to the SkyTrain station down the road,
and headed towards the centre of Bangkok, our journey was not done here, as we needed to catch a boat down the river to get to where we needed! This was an adventure in itself and you can see from the pics the colour of the river, yuk! After successfully making our way using public transport we
arrived in the popular area where the Grand Palace is situated. We were casually making
our way down the stall lined streets when a police man came to speak to us. He was super friendly and helpful and showed us on the map some good places to visit, and told us that using a TukTuk was our best and cheapest
option, and even told us how much to barter the price to with the driver! So we found ourselves a lovely TukTuk man, showed him the list the police man had written (3 places in all), he agreed for 50Bhat (roughly £1) and off we went. You have to just relax and go with it in a TukTuk, the driving is CRAZY and you fear for your life at the beginning, but have to just get into it!!!
We went to see the Golden Buddha in a big temple. We went through the gate and had
just figured out where the Temple Entrance was when a man approached us. He began to tell us how lucky we were, as this place was not usually open to tourists, but it's a big tourist week in Bangkok this week to get tourism back on it's feet after the riots etc. He said lots of Thai people were here to pray for health, happiness and family, and we could hear the monks praying in the temple. He told us he was waiting for his wife and daughter who were inside. He was so pleased to hear we were from England, as so many tourists cancelled due to the riots, and he talked about friends who'd been there etc. At first I think Ben thought he was going to try and sell us something, but he was genuinely just chatting with us! The Golden Buddha was huge and very beautiful, the whole temple was very ornate and peaceful.
Our TukTuk driver was waiting for us to take us on to the Royal Centre, which we thought would have info about the royal family, as that's a big thing here, however, it turned out to be a place that sold Gems, another big thing here! After the tour, and then the 'hard sell' we left empty handed and met our driver again. He asked us if he could take us to shop, and even if we didn't buy anything he'd get a petrol voucher, so we agreed. Ended up in another gem shop with the hard sell!
We decided to visit Khao San Rd, which is where all the backpackers go and there's loads of shops and bars lining the street - it was so busy and loud! It was a great place to see, but must admit we were glad we weren't staying in the heart of it all! After a beer (a Sprite for me!) we headed back to our hotel via the ferry and SkyTrain, what a long day!
Back at the hotel, had a swim and a shower, and then went out for a bite to eat. Going to spend tomorrow researching our next steps while we have free internet access and a nice place to stay! Looks like we'll be heading towards Chang Mai on the night train on friday night, perhaps we'll visit a chemist and get something to help us sleep!
Sarah x
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
