On the home straight…

I’ve added links (see below right) to the dive schools I’ve dived with in the Maldives and in Thailand – would highly recommend both.

Saturday’s stormy downpour heralded the start of a spell of bad weather in the seas around Thailand’s Gulf Coast, though from the beach things looked sunny as normal. However, as the crew began handing out plastic bags as we stepped onto the Catermaran to leave Ko Tao on Sunday, and a traveller from the previous boat lay prostrate on the jetty moaning quietly about wanting to die, we began to get a feel for the ride ahead. I’ve never seen 150 people look so green. Vicki and I felt smug amongst the queasy backpackers as we had taken our Kwells, but an hour and a half later we too stepped shakily off the boat to be collected by coach to take us to the train station for our overnighter back to Bangkok. The choice of coach music was just a little bit too loud to stomach and very very cheesy; a white-faced traveller next to us mutterered under his breath “managed to avoid the motion sickness but now beginning to feel emotionally sick…”

We’re now back in Bangkok. Bemused by the Caffe Latte I had yesterday which under the froth turned out to be just strong black coffee – surely the second main ingredient is in the name? – but set us up for a day’s speed sightseeing of the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha and a fair few other unidentifiable Wats and all the other main sights that we managed not to see when here last cos we were too busy relaxing!

Last day in Thailand today – Khao San Road has gone crazy – thought it was a bit tame and quiet when we arrived here a couple of weeks ago but apparently Sunday was the start of the high season and here they all are, dreadlocked and Thai-panted, knocking back the Singha and Pad Thai. Whilst v sad to leave the balmy weather (I’m gonna be sooooooooooo cold), great people and laid back lifestyle, massively looking forward to getting home and seeing family and friends for the first time in 4 months! Yay it’s nearly Christmas!! Back in the UK from lunchtime on the 20th – give me a call – it’d be great to catch up!

Ooops

Vix and I hired a scooter today. Managed to rack up 143 pounds worth of damage to a green pick up truck in the first 2 minutes. After that we got the hang of it… J

Lost in Translation and Illegal Immigration

Been lounging around in Ko Tao for a few days now – the original plan was to do a bit of island hopping but it’s just too nice here – lovely and chilled with small but empty beaches, beautiful sunsets and candlelit beach bars, unlike the nearby islands of Ko Panyang and Ko Samui which a German guy we’ve been hanging out with (Wolf, great name, but why are all the Germans I meet called Wolf?) tells us are more akin to holidaying in Majorca… nice…

Spent a comedy evening watching a film in one of the local bars t’other night, complete with dodgily translated subtitles which gave up entirely in the difficult-to-translate bits and weren’t much better during the rest: “tax man” became “tux man”, “medical problems” became “magical powers” – film was rubbish but we were glued to the subtitles – what would come next?!

Managed a bit of diving out here – after 4 dives I have to conclude that I’ve been majorly spoiled by learning in the reefs of the Maldives – the visibility here has been quite poor and there’s just not that many fish, but the corals are great and there’s these cool worm things called Christmas Tree Worms which look, um, like mini Christmas trees – all different colours – which pop back into their coral hole when you wave at them – hours of underwater fun and getting me in the mood for December 25^th! I’ve been acquiring more coral cuts and general travellers’ injuries which attract tiny cleaner fish who come and clean up cuts and scrapes for you as well as for the local fish – a painfully weird sensation. Apparently they’ve been known to go in your ears to clean them too…

The Dive Masters here have been great although the operation may not be entirely legit since a phone call to the dive boat as we were returning from today’s dive resulted in a couple of them staying on the big dive boat to avoid the Thai immigration officials waiting on shore…

It’s now tipping it down in a tropical monsoon way – someone just zipped past through the puddles on a scooter wearing a bright yellow scuba mask and snorkel so as to be able to see through the downpour and breathe – ingenious!

A National Obsession

What is it with Thais and tissue box & toilet roll holders?

More than any other item for sale, so far we’ve spotted them on offer all over Thailand in the following materials:

- wooden (carved, laquered, enameled or with fancy embossed metal bits attached)

- fabric (usually with appliqued, stuffed elephants on them)

- ceramic

- bamboo

The funny thing is that Thais don’t even use toilet roll, preferring a jet hose and left hand…

Dickie and Emma’s Big Trip

We’re having an identity crisis. Nowhere we go can fully comprehend the spelling or pronounciation of our names. From now on we shall be known as Dickie and Emma. Or in fact any variation on the above that takes your fancy…

Roundheads and Cavaliers, Thai style

On a whim we got off the train from Chiang Mai at a place called Ayuthaya, the former capital of what was then Siam, instead of going all the way through to Bangkok. Turns out it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the anniversary of it being declared one was, yep, that night: cue massive sound and light show amongst evocative temple ruins re-enacting a thousand years of history – perhaps the Thai equivalent of a Sealed Knot English civil war display but with fire works and full-on elephant combat – awesome! For a good couple of seconds I actually thought the elephants had just gone crazy and were stampeding for real – trumpeting, charging at the actors, knocking them over, ripping spears out of their hands and picking scenery and props up with their trunks and chucking them around – but no, it was just amazingly well choreographed. Was pretty enamoured with elephants after riding one t’other day, but now… There was even one elephant that repeatedly reared on its hind legs at one stage (didn’t even know they could do that) and hula-ed a hoop with his trunk – certainly didn’t know they could do that. Actually still speechless with amazement about it all.

If she doesn’t already have some, the Queen should definitely get herself a couple of dozen elephants for her royal collection – much better than all those swans that belong to her (can any of them hula?). I can imagine HRH’s elephants now, standing outside Buckingham Palace and trumpeting at the tourists, maybe trampling a few if they get too rowdy…

Still on our way south, we’re now a couple of hours to the west of Bangkok in Kanchanaburi where we spent another surreal evening drinking large quantities of Thai beer and feeding the resident ostriches in a bar near the Bridge over the River Kwai.

Travelling doesn’t get more surreal than this… and that’s why I love it

Whoa Nellie!

So. Elephants. They’re kinda cool and I want one. We’ve been up in the hills in the Chiang Mai area for the past couple of days trekking, bamboo rafting and elephant riding and have had such a good time.

Our guide Su-Tim was amazing, a genuine action man running up and down the hill paths, leaping from shore to raft, fishing with one hand whilst skillfully punting us down the Mae Taeng river rapids on a flimsy bamboo raft with the other, in the evenings proudly showing off his yodelling skills (taught to him by an Austrian client) by candlelight in the Karen hill tribe village we stayed in.

Our trekking buddies – a laid back Aussie and an energetic American (nothing like national stereotypes, hey?!) – were also great, and later on we hooked up with another group of trekkers which included the obligatory Dutch couple with perfect English, a neurotic Italian girl and 2 cockney geezers by the names of Paul and Charlie… Sorted. Good as gold. Nice one me old mucker. And all that.

Our elephants meandered into the village in the early morning, a mahout (elephant driver) riding atop the head of the lead elephant singing to himself, and a baby elephant alongside. They had what looked like small park benches strapped to their backs, where we sat and hung on for dear life as we lumbered along paths that wound steeply up and down and looked too narrow for a large elephant. At one stage, one of the elephants misjudged the width and the baby elephant hard on its heels was knocked clean off its feet – comedy

The rafts were made as we waited by the boys of the hill tribe village from long lengths of bamboo tied together, with a wigwam shape of bamboo to hold our bags out of the water since the whole thing floated a couple of inches below surface level. Love the fact that there were boatloads of white-water rafters on the same stretch of river, helmets on and paddles in hand, and there we were standing up on a small piece of driftwood with a couple of bamboo poles to fend the rafts off the rocks… Loved every minute!

Today was a chance to rest our aching muscles and try our hand at Thai cooking, with a full day of lessons in how to make fish curry steamed in banana leaves, chicken with cashew nuts, spicy shrimp salad… mmmm. Anyone want to come round for dinner when I get home so I can try out my new skills??

More photos…

Check out some more photos of Sri Lanka and Thailand so far… Highlights include Gemma and I posing as UN workers, lots of shiny Thai temples, Vicki and my exploits amongst the hilltribes of Thailand with elephants and bamboo rafts…

But don’t mention photos to Vix – there has been some awful accident which has wiped all the photos off her digital camera since September… boooo

Khawp khun khar*

(*loosely translated from my very basic Thai as ‘ta very much’)

Thailand is officially fab. The people, the public transport, general stuff to see and do… and for the first time in 3 months, rolling hills and not an ounce of sea water in miles.

We happened on some thai boxing yesterday which was amazing – so tough but so graceful (at least until the second match which involved a European and another non-thai guy where they just battered each other as though they were in a street brawl) .

The food continues to be amazing, but what I like most are the colours – the reds and golds and oranges of the gilded temples and robed monks, the greens of the glass temple mosaics and the banana plantations covering the hillsides. Yesterday was the King’s birthday and so we were treated to the surreal sight of the entirety of the Thai population wearing yellow., the royal colour, to show their respect. As Gemma pointed out, not ideal for trying to find family members in a crowd – at least in the UK you can go on hair colour but here, when everyone in the thronging masses is wearing yellow and without exception has black hair, it must be a bit tricky…

After hanging out, sleeping in late and generally taking it easy for a couple of days in Bangkok, we made our way up to Chiang Mai in the north by overnight train last night. Great way to travel – even got airplane-food-stylee dinner and breakfast – apart from being forced into donning thermals and asking for more blankets by the unnecessarily arctic A/C…

Gemma left this morning on a bus to Chiang Rai to catch up with uni friends. Now it’s just Vix and me…sweepstake on how long it takes us to argue…? After a long day of sightseeing, this evening we chilled out with a relaxing massage whilst watching incomprehensible Thai soap operas – what better way to prepare for the trek we’re heading off on tomorrow?

Now we are three…

Hello blog readers! This is novice blogger Vicki writing – Amy has kindly let me ghostwrite her blog…

I nearly arrived in Thailand with no luggage at all, after being delayed in Dubai coz of torrential rain. The captain finally announced that we were leaving without all the luggage from the London-Dubai leg of the flight which had got stuck in a rain-damaged baggage sorting system somewhere in the depths of Dubai airport. Fortunately my battered rucksack did eventually turn up – Amy had told me to pack light, but I don’t think she meant quite that light!

Gemma and Amy met me at Arrivals brandishing the promised large poster with my name on it (in glitter pen no less). They were remarkably chirpy for people who had been waiting in the airport for 8 hours, and we got a very plush taxi into central Bangkok with no probs – so far no sign of the horrendous traffic we were warned about.Our first night was in a traditional Thai guesthouse – atmospheric, but with lumpy pillows which felt like they were stuffed with intestines…. We’ve decided that was enough culture for one night, and have decamped to a posher more westernized hostel nearer the Khao San Road – backpacker central! Spent today at an amazing market – pottery, clothes, pets (I’m sure hairy St Bernards aren’t designed for Thai heat), flowers, food, and plenty of tat. We’ve already bought so much stuff Gemma’s laid down a rule that for every item of clothing we buy, one has to be thrown away…