23rd June 2010

Today we just lazed around the pool. It was hot in the morning but rained at about 3pm so we decided to come back to our rooms and start packing for our early departure to Phuket in the morning.
Guy is meeting us tonight for dinner.
We meet Guy and his mates Wayne and Ali who have been travelling in Europe for the last 4 weeks. First to dinner. Al isn't feeling too well so decides to stay at the hotel. We went to Ninja's restaurant. I have read good reports about this restaurant and am looking forward to trying it. 6 of us with about 8 different meals and we are all disappointed. We had asked for Thai hot and we got very mild meals. Even meals that are supposed to be hot Red and Green curry are so mild that you have to put chillies with them, which shouldn't be necessary  Eating has been disappointing in Koh Samui. Thank goodness we are going back to Phuket tomorrow.

20th June 2010 Touring around the island

Today we hired a car and went around the island.
First we visited Grandmother and Granfather Rock. We parked the car in a car park and went to look for the rocks. We climbed up and down through rocks and over them. Up ladders and around. We finally found them and realised that we had taken the hard way around.

We had lunch at a lovely little place somewhere along the beach, I think at Laem Set.

Stopped for a drink at a restaurant that overlooked lots of long tailed boats and had a sign that we laughed at. Gotta love a Sirgapore Slirg.

Visited the Big Buddah and had another Banana pancake .

We did intend to visit the mumified monk but somehow we missed the turnoff.

22nd June Koh Tao

Today we are picked up at about 7.45 for our boat trip to Koh tao We have a quick breakfast at Petcherat Marina and then are herded onto our boat for the hour and 20 minute trip to the island. The sea is really rough and we get drenched. Al puts on a snorkel and mask because it is like we are having buckets of salt water thrown into our faces and our eyes are really stinging. I don’t think that I have ever been out when it is so rough. However nobody on board gets seasick.
We arrive at the island and are given snorkels and masks and told where we can go to observe the coral. There are quite a few people here the island is really pretty with a thin strip of sand joining two different islands.
The fish are really colourful and I wish that I had a underwater camera. Lots of different varieties small and big but the prettiest is the parrot fish with greens pinks and purple colours. We then go a short way to be picked up by utes where we sit in the back to be taken to a restaurant for lunch. We are all starving and have green chicken curry and omlette mixed vegetables and a pork dish. All very yummy.
We then go a little way around the island where the water is much calmer and anchor at a place called Lighthouse cove where we are to snorkel for about and hour and a half. The water is really deep and the bottom is covered in what looks like a million white coral trees, very sharp and pointy. Around the rocks is a beautiful garden of colourful coral. Lots of fish and I even saw an eel winding its way in amongst the coral to hide.
Back to the boat where we again battle the sea, this time with just our bathers on. It is really rough and at times I think we are not going to make it back to shore. The boat rolls and pitches and every few seconds we are swamped with water like someone is throwing a bucket over us. We are drenched and its not really funny any more.
We then go to an inlet that is part of Koh Phannang where we are given about 15 minutes to swim. I really just wanted to get back to the marina as I felt like I had been preserved in salt and couldn’t wait to have a shower and wash my hair.
Tonight we just walked around the corner for dinner We had dinner at a restaurant called Mini and the lady that ran it was lovely. The food like much else we have had in KS lacked any spice but was cheap and tasty.. As we were all exhausted it was only about 7pm and we were all ready for bed.

Friday 18th June 2010

Up early and a walk along the beach. We walked to see where Guy was going to stay. 7 hotels along from us. We then had a swim before breakfast. Yummy breaky.



We then just chilled out on the beach with swims every so often.

We were told that we could move to our new room at 2pm. This was all done without any fuss.



We all got burnt today even though there wasn’t any sun or not much.

Tonight we are going to collect our laundry and go to Bophut for the fisherman’s market.


Had dinner at Fishermans village in Shades restaurant. Dinner was 950bt for 2 and included. Steamed fish, crab in curry sauce, prawns in tamarind sauce and calamari. It was really hot sitting here eating but the views over the bay were lovely.

Thursday 17th June Koh Samui

Arrived in Koh samui about 3.30 pm. Very hot and humid.
Short drive to our hotel at about 500bt for a 4 wheel drive for 4 people.
Our resort is lovely, but our room is against the road which could be a bit noisy. I request another room and am told that we can move to one that is one back from the beach tomorrow. We are in room 803 and move to 618 which is just one back from the sand. The bed in our first room is enormous. But our second room has a normal king size one. Other than that the rooms are identical. Jude and Al are in the room next to us 617.

We venture out to get our washing done and find somewhere for dinner. Washing 40bt per kg. Much dearer than in CM where it was 20 to 25 bt.
Dinner just up the road very westernized but quite cheap.

16th June Doi Suthep and Tiger Temple

Today we tried to get the same driver that we had for the craft villages but he was not available and he sent his friend. His friend didn't have very good English but we made do.

We actually wanted to go to Tiger Temple first but with the language barrier we ended up at Doi Suthep. The views here were pretty good some low cloud but not too bad. On walking down the steps we saw the prettiest little hill tribe girl all dressed in pink. She would have been about 3 yo.

We got out our cameras to take a photo and as quick as a wink she demanded money.

On to Tiger temple where we are excited about having our photos taken with the baby tigers. We have previously been to tiger temple and had photos taken there with the bigger ones so this time just the babies. Jude and Al were going to have photos taken with both.

This place is so well organised and we didn't have long to wait for our photo session we had paid the extra amount of 300bt to have a photographer and we were so glad that we did. Our photos of the 4 week and 6 week old cubs are just beautiful. The photographer told us how to pose and also took natural shots. I really didn't want to leave the enclosure as the baby cubs were so cute.

Jude and Al then went for their photos with the bigger tigers while we went to the restaurant.

We all had a great lunch here.

Sunday 13th June 2010

Julian and I woke up at about 5am. We were still on Melbourne time. We decided that we would get up and go for a walk to familiarise ourselves with our surroundings. We had seen a restaurant called the Antique house on the map so we thought that we would go and see if we could find it. The streets were just coming alive and it was a lovely temperature. We realised that we weren’t very far from it so decided that we would go around the block crossing over the Ping river and along past all of the restaurants. We took lots of photos and looked at all of the restaurants and decided that we would book Deck one for dinner on Monday night. We then realized that we were not far from the flower markets and thought that we would get Judy some flowers. So we walked across the footbridge and bought some lovely roses and caught a tuk tuk back to the hotel.

 As we were running out of time we didn’t get to go back and look for Antique house.
After breakfast we enquired at the desk of the hotel about going to the handcraft villages. The receptionist told us that we could get a mini van for 200bt for as long as we wanted as long as we stayed in the same area. We left the hotel at about at about 9.15 and visited the silk village, where we bought lots of beautiful things. We then went to the  Umbrella village where I had my netbook cover and my camera cover painted.

Judy had her shorts, glasses case, netbook cover and camera case painted. We had to stop her as she was getting a bit carried away.

We then went to the world’s biggest jewellry store as they had a money exchanger but the rate wasn’t very good.

We bought a tiny Jade elephant charm here. Most of the jewellry was very overdone but it was beautiful. I really wanted to buy some Saa paper but the one that I had seen at the umbrella village in a yellow colour wasn’t to be found anywhere in the paper village. I really wanted it in a cream colour. We also went to the celendon factory where we bought some pepper and salt shakers in the shape of a lotus blossom. We arrived back at the hotel at about 3pm. All this for 200bt which is about $7.54. We did give a very generous tip.

After a short rest we had a beer and fruit shake at Café de Siam. We then hailed a tuk tuk to the walking market. 4 people squashed in a tuk tuk, what more can I say……

We bought lots of bargains at the market and didn’t push the bartering as the prices were so cheap. I got some lovely cotton scarves for 20 bt.

We also tried some grasshoppers, crickets and some sort of lavae.

Our feet were killing us so after having dinner at the far end of the market in a lovely little restaurant that had lovely trees and water features we walked back and caught another tuk tuk back to the hotel. Early start tomorrow for Flight of the Gibbon.

Tuesday 15th June Elephant Nature Park

Julian feeling the baby elephant move inside its mother.

This is officially the first day of our holidays as yesterday was a public holiday at home. We really feel that we have done so much. Another early start as today we are off to Elephant Nature Park.
Picked up at hotel at 8am. On the trip we are shown a dvd about the park. Had tears in my eyes when they showed a baby elephant begging on the street in Bangkok. He was rocking back and forth and they commentator told us that elephants have very sensitive feet and feel the vibrations through them. The traffic and people were all around him and he looked so sad
When we arrived we were shown the correct way to feed the elephant, then feeding time came and a lot of the elephants came up to the feeding platform for us to feed. We were told a bit about each elephant. The elephants have all been rescued by a lady called Lek who has done an enormous amount of work to put a ban on elephants being used to attract tourists while working in the streets in Bangkok. She was a tiny little lady that obviously had a heart as big as her elephants. There were about 30 elephants on the property and they had made about 5 herds. They all had very sad stories. One had half its hind foot blown off by a landmine, another had been drugged so that it would work around the clock. It came to the park addicted.
One had lost its baby giving birth while working and the baby rolled down the hill and died. When the elephant refused to work the mahout stabbed it in its eyes and blinded it.
My favourite one was 65 years old named Kuhn Pan and she had only been in the park for a year, she had not made any friends and except her mahout who she followed around like a puppy. If he fell asleep in the grass he would awake to find her with her trunk wrapped around his body. All of the other mahouts followed their elephants .
The one with the foot that was damaged by a landmine was due to have her baby any day. You could see it moving inside her and we all put our hands on her stomach and felt it.
It was unbelievable how quietly the elephants moved. We would be standing looking at them when all of a sudden you felt something behind you and looked over your shoulder and there was an enormous elephant just about a meter away.
The 2 baby elephants were about a year old and such happy little things they were in the same herd and played just like brothers and sisters jumping all over each other in the water and in the mud. At one stage one of the babies got scared and all of the adult elephants charged to make a circle around them. They stayed like this until the baby had settled.
We got to go down to the river with the elephants and throw water over them. It was a bit daunting being in the water with this huge animal and not knowing which way it was about to move.
The park is manned by lots of volunteers and some of the people there had been there for months. The volunteers worked in groups doing different jobs but seemed to have a lot of time to just go out and enjoy being with the elephants.
Watched another DVD on the way they break elephants. The cruelty involved in this was horrifying.This time tears were streaming down my face. Never again will I ride on an elephant.
We had dinner tonight at a seafood restaurant in Anusarn restaurant really yummy with 12 beers and a large entre to share and 4 mains altogether $52.
We then went to the fish spa and internet café. This was a unbelievable feeling having tiny fish nibble on your feet and clean off the dead skin. Our feet came out really clean. We then did a bit of shopping before going back for bed. This was our latest night so far as each night we have been so exhausted. Back to the hotel by 11.30.

Monday 14th June Flight of the Gibbon

We were up early and waiting for our tour bus for this days adventure. With mixed feelings Judy and Julian were excited Al and I were apprehensive. After picking up 4 other passengers we had about an hours drive to our destination.
Up into the mountains the temperature getting cooler as we went.
Upon arrival we were given safety instructions and signed our life away. Then we were suited up, headband and helmet and harness. Back to the bus to be driven a short distance to our first platform.
This didn’t look too scary. We were given safety instructions and soon it was time to be clipped (cripped) in and zip from the platform to another that wasn’t too far away. Julian was videoing most of our attempts. Our first zip was only a short one. Hey I like this!!
We had a lot of different ones fast, long, short, 2people together, repelling 3 times each time getting a bigger distance until the last time we were a very long way from the ground. On one of the ziplines we had to jump off the platform and drop about 3 meters before the line took up the slack and we started to fly through the air. We then ended up flying into a rope net, where we had to climb up to the platform. We also had three swing bridges to cross. This was not a frightening as I thought it would be though.
We all really enjoyed this day. I did not feel frightened of the height at all even though I usually get scared of heights. I think the reason for this is that the canopy of trees gives you a feeling that you aren’t up very high.

Dinner tonight was at Deck 1 and was really lovely cost of dinner for 4 people was 3400bt including 4 cocktails and 6 beers.

A bit of shopping and then a foot massage completed the night
Foot massage 2 people 300b 45 minutes

Chiang Mai 12th June 2010

Having a drink at Gekkos

Arrived at airport at 2pm. It had been an extremely long day with a 6 hour wait at Bangkok airport after our flight from Melbourne.
We were asked as we departed if we wanted a taxi by a nice man called Somboon. He explained that he had a 10 seater bus that he could take us and all of our luggage. We were travelling with our friends Jude and Al and had quite a bit of luggage between us.
He gave me his lanyard with his name on it and disappeared. We waited outside and after 10 minutes he arrived with a nice new mini bus. His English was good and he told us that we could have a day tour for 1000bt. Day tour being 8am to 5pm.
We drove through the street with us all being swivel necks taking in our new surroundings.
Our check in to Centara Duangtawan was easy with a lovely receptionist who gave us prices of different tours that were very reasonable. Jude and Al were excited to hear that they could have a smoking room and were upgraded. We had a requested room overlooking the mountain and they told us that that wasn’t a problem and that we had a nice room.
It was after we got to the room that I was able to look in my luggage for the folder that I had for months been preparing with all of our notes about the places that we were going. It also had all of our bookings made over the internet. It wasn’t there. I was nearly in tears. I did have a back up of notes on my netbook and Jude and Al had a copy of all of the bookings of rooms but we were the only ones that had a copy of Elephant Nature Parks booking.

We were just so tired that I couldn’t even be sure what day we had booked it. It also had our Nancy Chandler map and maps of the other places and hand drawn maps from friends of different restaurants and massage places in Bangkok that they recommended.

After a quick shower we met in the lobby to explore. We needed to book Flight of the Gibbon so we walked across the road and started to barter with the tour operators that were there. They all wanted 1700bt and we ended up paying 1610. The boys had a beer and Jude and I had a Mango smoothie at Café de Siam just down from the hotel. We then decided that we would walk to Pantip Plaza but hadn’t gone very far when we saw Gekkos so we had to stop for another beer and a Daquiri and a few spring rolls to keep us going. This place sure has atmosphere. On to Pantip to see same same but different. Then back to hotel before we ventured out for dinner. We walked along the markets on the way to Kalare food court and kept hearing all of this cheering when we got across the road we realised that nearly every vendor had some sort of tv and were watching the World cup.
The Kalare food court was nearly empty but we had a decent meal we were getting so tired after our long day that we decided to make it a night and get a good nights sleep.
When walking back we looked at the artists drawings and I fell in love with one of a hilltribe girl we really wished that we had a photo that they could copy as their drawings were fantastic.

Long Wait at Bangkok Airport 12th June 2010

We arrived at Bangkok Airport at about 6am. Our flight had been cancelled to Chiang Mai and we had a wait of 7 hours till the next flight.

We sat in the food court and waited and waited.

Sampled most of their food and admired the gardens outside the window.

Six days to go

I am writing this in the early hours of the morning. My daughter has just left for her holiday in Vietnam and Laos

Julian and I leave on Friday night. It has been really cold here today and we will be glad to get to a warmer climate.

All of our jobs have been completed and we just have to wait now and get through another week at work. We also have to try to get rid of horrible colds. Taking all sorts of medication and herbal remedies.

All Good in Bangkok

Well things have settled down in Bangkok. They still have a curfew, that will be reviewed this weekend. Hopefully by the time we arrive on the 4th July things will be totally back to normal.
We only have 12 more days until we leave. The weather here is getting colder and lots of rain, so looking forward to the heat.
I have started to get all of my clothes ready but Julian will probably pack the night before.
Guy has left for Europe, Dad has left for Bali and Sheridyn leaves next Saturday for Vietnam. Seeing them all go has had mixed feelings. Lucky them, but it means our time is getting closer.

Our trip to Thailand

It's only 3 weeks to go until we leave for Thailand.
Our Itinerery:
Chiang Mai 5 nights
Koh Samui 7 nights
Phuket 10 nights
Bangkok 4 nights.
Starting to get excited but still unsure if we will be able to do the Bangkok leg due to the unrest. Hopefully things will be normal by the time we arrive.