Thailand's beaches! Almost as famous as the film The Beach set in Thailand. Oh, yeah, that makes sense. But there are so many to choose from and we are clueless, we started off with a plan of visiting about 6 different areas but as each bus journey can add quite a lot to the budget we narrowed it down to 3 areas.
First and thankfully very briefly we have to travel through Phuket to get to Koh Lanta. Our hostel here is the worst hostel ever! The 'room' is a partitioned part of a corridor. Each 'room' has 2 bunk beds with half a meter in between the two, with 2 fans - of which only one could reach the plug socket, the front of the partition was made of plastic, frosted, sliding doors which do not block out light or noise and there was a gap around the top of three of the walls. The lights were connected by 1 light switch outside the rooms and should anyone put the light on to see their way to their room or toilets every room gets their lights on. And we had requested a private, double with air con. They realised the mistake at half-past midnight when another Mr Duncan checked in and had the courtesy to wake us and everyone in the block to ask if we wanted to move... with only 5 hours sleep left we thought not.
The next day involved taxi's, boat's, buses, and tuk tuk's to get to our first hotel in Koh Lanta. Again, the booking was messed up and we were given this time a better room, which the owner kept stressing to us but he had turned the air con off as we hadn't paid for that, reasonable I feel as they had messed the booking up. Anyway, to the beach again at last!
The beach is a bit different to Fiji, which is what I had imagined they would be like, so at first I don't get everyones fascination with the place. Most of the beach is lined with bars, hotels and masseuse tables. There are no loungers for guest use at the hotel and it is busier than Fiji. But the beach is soft and beautiful, the sea is warm and the benefits of having bars close to hand at cheap prices soon becomes obvious! We spend the next few days chilling out, chatting to the bar guys at our resort who are so relaxed and awesome at fire poi, and just eating lots of lovely Indians and Thai food.
After a few days we move all the way to......the other end of the beach and to our second resort! This place (Long Beach Chalet Koh Lanta) was amazing. It is brand new, hence why our tuk tuk had no idea where to go, and run by brother and sister team Taya and Tam. Our rooms is on stilts with a relaxation area below with our own personal hammock, the room is full of mod cons including a super comfy bed. Duncan is mainly happy because he can get the Syfy channel and there is an xbox to play on! The beach here is a bit quieter than the other end of the beach and we love chilling out all over again....
Whilst here we did get a bit more active, we enjoyed a Thai Cooking school afternoon course where we learnt some yummy curry recipes and had a blast with the other 'chefs' and we almost spent a night apart - Duncan went to a half-moon party on the beach with Tam, but I missed him too much after 10minutes and went down to meet him (braving a lone walk down a dark road through a pack of wild dogs!!) On our last day we did a 4 island tour to go snorkeling, see beautiful 'secluded' beaches and see a lagoon but unfortunately about 20 other tours, including 3 that were loaded with about 200 Japanese tourists each, were doing the same route - not quite so secluded and explorative. AND a fish bit my bum! I had no idea they were so rude!
After a week of relaxing we thought we'd better move to another beach to do some more relaxing... off to Krabi. The beach on the main strip is a bit limey, slimey and backed by the main road so not a great. The following day we got a long boat to nearby Raileigh, this is the area we wanted to go to but is a bit expensive for us poor backpackers, the beach was also quite limey and I think there are mini-jellyfish in the sea cause I keep feeling mini-stings. So we get adventurous and head out into the big blue sea, on a hired double kayak. I sat at the front and realised right at the end that Duncan kept stopping paddling and let me get on with it! Cheeky! On our exciting tour we saw some HUGE jellyfish, lots and lots of crabs, overhanging cliff things, monkeys drinking out of coca-cola cans and a cave filled with penis sculptures. Awesome.
After a few days we decided to move hotel to a nicer place, with a swimming pool, free breakfast and closer to the beach for only 40p more....damn we didn't find that first! Days spent at the pool follow... :)
We enjoyed a lovely Valentine's Day in Krabi. The children's local English School was out practicing their English on Westerners. There were loads of them! So as we walked to the beach swarm after swarm of them asked us what our names are..followed by a blank look when Annabell isn't easy to spell, then where are we from...bit easier, then what is your hobby...erm, I have no hobbies, how sad, and what is your favourite Thai food...thought I'd go with an easy Thai Green Curry but that seemed really confusing and what is your favourite fruit...I lied with pineapple as I didn't think Rowntree's Pastilles would be accepted. Then to say thank you they gave us Valentine's Cards (well they actually gave them all to Duncan - no fair!) and I thought I'd try my Thai 'thank you' but they just looked scared and ran away!
Soon we had to leave Krabi, and leave our new favourite Italian restaurant (I know!), to go on the bumpiest bus ride to the East Coast and Koh Lanta. hmm Koh Lanta... my beach arch nemesis....
Our resort which was apparently only a few steps from the beach...well it was through the resort, down a road, across a main road and through another resort to finally make it on to the beach! and it so isn't worth the walk! The beach is filthy. Rubbish is bobbing in the water and collecting along the coast mixing in with loads of seaweed. The only spot it looked clean was in front of a nice hotel, we try to use a couple of sunloungers belonging to the hotel as there isn't much space to lie on the sand... then the 'butler' comes along to ask us our room number. I try the confident '107', well it is my room number just not at that hotel and shockingly the security guard is employed to move us along. Commoners. After a long long walk down the beach it just gets worse and worse. The beach is shoulder to shoulder with resorts, the resorts own the land in front of their hotel, the hotels fill this land with sunloungers and the sea comes up to the sunloungers and past in some cases. It is ridiculous and really grotty.
The next evening is Full Moon and we are very near the famous 'full moon' party island. But to get there and in to the party they want £50 off each of us! No way! So we just head down to the beach again, which is less horrible now the tide is out and the sunloungers are in, and enjoy a few Cosmopolitans. At night there are loads of people trying to get you to buy things, as per usual in tourist areas really. But the saddest thing is the animals that get shoved onto people and then try to get you to pay to have a photo (the monkey was the saddest), and there are loads of children trying to get you to play Connect 4 with them (which is also what the prostitutes do with their clients in bars). They bet you that if you win you get 100baht and if they win you pay them 100baht. I have a feeling they may be Connect 4 geniuseseses. They also try to sell you flower necklaces and we manage to say no for ages until a super-cute girl who tells us she has been working this beach for 4 years convinces us, she was only 9 years old and it was 11pm! After she sold one to me she tried to get Duncan to buy one for himself telling him if he did he would look like a ladyboy - hahahaha, he isn't sold. Other children try and tell Duncan he is cheapskate man for not giving in - now they know what I have to deal with!
We gladly and quickly leave Koh Lanta in search of some culture and the North of Thailand... bye for now beaches!
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Malaysia - meh
Getting a dodgy bus from a dodgy bus station in Singapore we do our first land border crossing and almost don't make it! We don't have any evidence of out onward travel plans to prove we aren't staying in Malaysia.... hmm one the guidebook neglected to suggest. Luckily, they let us through and we continue on to Melaka in our shoddy bus with broken air conditioning....
Melaka has been recommended to us by the tourist board in Singapore as an architecturally fascinating city due to all the different countries that have been in charge their at some point... There is probably a more historical way to put that...so we are looking forward to a day exploring. Well, after about 2 hours spent getting lost, me getting grumpy, the map not matching the road signs, walking on the road up a four-lane road in heavy traffic and finding the outskirts of town we finally see 2 white people and follow them back to the centre of town. An excellent plan, had they not been going back to their hotel. Oh well, jump across several traffic lights with no pedestrian light system, risk getting killed and finally we arrive beneath a grotty sign in a carpark welcoming us to Melaka.
The town is supposed to be very dutch, well it is kinda red and there is a windmill but I think Europe may offer a better Holland. We do however find a delicious restaurant and a shopping mall selling loads of cheap shoes! And stumble across China Town and a gorgeous temple but we're not so sure of the protocol so just wander around outside.
Off to Kuala Lumpur on another bus. We're not very good at this bus thing yet and I just agree to the first bus going to Kuala Lumpur so we end up at a bus stop outside of town and get shafted by a taxi driver who gets to about £30 then drops us off a walk away from our hostel as he has no idea where it is!
For the first few days we stay in the china town area which we both love. There is an indoor market which sells all kinds of crap I want to buy and has an awesome antiquey restaurant with happy hour to keep Duncan busy too! They also served these yummy Thai Hats which are rice baskets with shredded vegetables and sweet chilli sauce - YUM YUM YUM! So good we ordered it twice. We also managed to catch one of the New Year's Dragon dances where the dragons dance into the shopping mall bringing good luck in with them. The music is loud and banging and really fascinating although our ears were ringing at the end! Every building in the China Town area does this every day of the New Year period. I love that the Chinese are very into their traditions and cultures and once again I feel sad for the lack of English pride our country has sometimes.
Later that evening we had a wander around China Town which is all decorated and bustling 'cause of Chinese New Year. The market stalls here are more along the fake designer goods and general market trash but it is fabulous for sitting in a bustling bar on the street, ordering large beers and just watching the mayhem caused by shouting market stall owners, slow walking tourists and locals laden down with stuff getting excited by a handbag stall selling everything at £4 - well that is good value!
After a few days in the area we move to the Muslim part of town. hmmm. Not so much fun. The shops here employ a method of playing ridiculously loud music and shouting over the top of that about their deals. The area is much dirtier, the food is less delicious and unless I want to buy a head scarf shopping here is limited. We are in an awesome hotel though with the COMFIEST pillows and duvet ever!
And finally we need to go see the Petronus Towers! After navigating the frankly AWFUL train system (you can't change train in the same area like on the London Underground - you get out walk over the road and buy a new ticket from the CORRECT ticket window only before continuing on your journey) anyway.... the area around the Petronus Towers, once you navigate your way out of the underground station and mall, is lovely. All spangly and new and clean! The towers are impressive and Duncan takes about a thousand photos and we even get asked to be in photos with some Chinese girls. The apparently love seeing white people or something, I think we are just so good-looking they couldn't miss the opportunity. There is a massive lake just outside the towers and a little are of it is designated paddling pool area for children and it is rammed! Mind you, it is so damn hot I consider running in in my pants too, although I am already attracting enough attention so I think I'll stay fully clothed for now. We stick around for the sun to set and see the towers all lit up which is lovely and tomorrow we leave for the beaches of Thailand.
Bye Bye Malaysia, it's been meh.
Melaka has been recommended to us by the tourist board in Singapore as an architecturally fascinating city due to all the different countries that have been in charge their at some point... There is probably a more historical way to put that...so we are looking forward to a day exploring. Well, after about 2 hours spent getting lost, me getting grumpy, the map not matching the road signs, walking on the road up a four-lane road in heavy traffic and finding the outskirts of town we finally see 2 white people and follow them back to the centre of town. An excellent plan, had they not been going back to their hotel. Oh well, jump across several traffic lights with no pedestrian light system, risk getting killed and finally we arrive beneath a grotty sign in a carpark welcoming us to Melaka.
The town is supposed to be very dutch, well it is kinda red and there is a windmill but I think Europe may offer a better Holland. We do however find a delicious restaurant and a shopping mall selling loads of cheap shoes! And stumble across China Town and a gorgeous temple but we're not so sure of the protocol so just wander around outside.
Off to Kuala Lumpur on another bus. We're not very good at this bus thing yet and I just agree to the first bus going to Kuala Lumpur so we end up at a bus stop outside of town and get shafted by a taxi driver who gets to about £30 then drops us off a walk away from our hostel as he has no idea where it is!
For the first few days we stay in the china town area which we both love. There is an indoor market which sells all kinds of crap I want to buy and has an awesome antiquey restaurant with happy hour to keep Duncan busy too! They also served these yummy Thai Hats which are rice baskets with shredded vegetables and sweet chilli sauce - YUM YUM YUM! So good we ordered it twice. We also managed to catch one of the New Year's Dragon dances where the dragons dance into the shopping mall bringing good luck in with them. The music is loud and banging and really fascinating although our ears were ringing at the end! Every building in the China Town area does this every day of the New Year period. I love that the Chinese are very into their traditions and cultures and once again I feel sad for the lack of English pride our country has sometimes.
Later that evening we had a wander around China Town which is all decorated and bustling 'cause of Chinese New Year. The market stalls here are more along the fake designer goods and general market trash but it is fabulous for sitting in a bustling bar on the street, ordering large beers and just watching the mayhem caused by shouting market stall owners, slow walking tourists and locals laden down with stuff getting excited by a handbag stall selling everything at £4 - well that is good value!
After a few days in the area we move to the Muslim part of town. hmmm. Not so much fun. The shops here employ a method of playing ridiculously loud music and shouting over the top of that about their deals. The area is much dirtier, the food is less delicious and unless I want to buy a head scarf shopping here is limited. We are in an awesome hotel though with the COMFIEST pillows and duvet ever!
And finally we need to go see the Petronus Towers! After navigating the frankly AWFUL train system (you can't change train in the same area like on the London Underground - you get out walk over the road and buy a new ticket from the CORRECT ticket window only before continuing on your journey) anyway.... the area around the Petronus Towers, once you navigate your way out of the underground station and mall, is lovely. All spangly and new and clean! The towers are impressive and Duncan takes about a thousand photos and we even get asked to be in photos with some Chinese girls. The apparently love seeing white people or something, I think we are just so good-looking they couldn't miss the opportunity. There is a massive lake just outside the towers and a little are of it is designated paddling pool area for children and it is rammed! Mind you, it is so damn hot I consider running in in my pants too, although I am already attracting enough attention so I think I'll stay fully clothed for now. We stick around for the sun to set and see the towers all lit up which is lovely and tomorrow we leave for the beaches of Thailand.
Bye Bye Malaysia, it's been meh.
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