My last few days and final thoughts on Thailand

12 September

I took the boat from Phi Phi to Phuket.  It was a large almost cruise ship style boat.  The crossing was nice and simple and we made good time.  Upon arrival, I searched for a taxi and avoiding all the illegal toutts.  It turns out that they all worked for one company.  As with most things in Asia, I was told that I'd have to pay a single persons excess to travel alone.  Luckily for me, a lovely German couple offered to share a cab with me!

I spent the evening wandering around the city centre and eating Pad See Ew which is a type of Thai noodle dish.  Phuket wasn't the place for me, seedy and distasteful.  Certainly not a place I intend on returning to.

So this brings my Thai adventure to an end, so what are my final thoughts:

1. Bangkok- an enjoyable city to spend a reasonable amount of time in.  There are so many different areas, don't just stick to the tourist traps.  The skyline at night is something I will never forget!

2. Food- The food is better than I could've ever imagined, particularly the street food.  At first I was a little wary but in fact it's often cleaner and much nicer!  The cooking course was also a definite highlight.

3. Culture- There is so much more to thailand than just party, party!  One of my highlights was certainly elephant trekking near Kanchanaburi and the temples around Chiang Mai.

4. The islands- Easily the nicer islands were Railay and Maya.  2 places I would certainly visit again.  I hope that I can spend more time on the other islands next time I go back!

5. Unforgettable moments - my birthday in a sky bar, sitting with tigers, riding an elephant, cooking class and my trip to Maya.

Next stop: Kuala Lumpa, Malaysia 

Koh Phi Phi - island hopping, snorkelling and finally my trip to "The Beach"

9 September

It's time to move to my next island, Koh Phi Phi, an island thats been described as sun, sea, glorious beaches and lots of partying.  I took the ferry from Ao Nang which took approximately 45 mins.  As soon as I arrived, I knew partying was definitely on the agenda!  I'd decided not to book a hostel as I'd been told it was pretty easy to find one upon arrival and they were not wrong.  At the port there were stalls everywhere advertising places to stay.  I opted for the cheapest one on the island- Phi Phi Backpackers.  They even provided me with a taxi (a cart like you use on the pontoon at the Marina) so that I didn't have to carry my bag.  The accommodation was basic with bunk beds.  This being said I was one girl in a room full of guys.  Luckily for me, they are probably the nicest group of lads I've met - Angel from Spain, Cristian from Columbia and a guy from Germany.

Angel and I decided to make the most of our first night and walked up to the viewpoint to watch the sunset.  It was magical!  In the evening, we wandered down to the beach to watch the fire-throwing before heading off for an early night.

10 September

The day didn't start well, the lads woke up late meaning that we arrived on the boat...late!  The other passengers were pretty peeved to say the least.  Once we set sail, we motored to our first island- Bamboo island.  As this was a snorkelling trip, one would assume that the organisers would provide the necessary equipment, no such luck; this is Asia, nothing runs smoothly.  Between the group, we each managed to get a swim and see the coral reef.  The water was freezing and it wasn't the warmest of days.  Still we persevered on.  Our tour guide was extrovert to say the least.  As it approached lunch time, we moored on the island known as the National park, where we we told we needed to pay extra.  It was pouring it down with rain, so as a group we made the decision to eat our lunch and therefore not go on the island.  This made our guide furious as obviously he was not going to make any additional money.

The weather got progressively worse and at one point I almost asked him to take us back, particularly when we spotted an over-turned long-tail boat, no bigger than ours.  Thankfully the storm passed and we stopped in a beautiful cove, just shy of the famous Maya beach.  The guide suddenly cut the engine and refused to the us any further without his money. Most if not all of us had only done the trip to see Maya.  As a group we made the decision to pay him.  Obviously I disagreed with paying extra, but sometimes you need to look at the bigger picture; we were stranded on a boat in the middle of no where, what's an extra tenner!

We moored in a another cove just around the corner and were told we had to swim to the shore.  The water was still pretty rough so Hayley and I decided to opt for life-jackets.  I'm not sure if that made it easier or harder to swim.  We scrambled the rocks and walked the 5 or so mins to the opposite side of the island.  As we turned the corner, all I remember thinking is Wow!  This is paradise.  The water was crystal clear, the beach was covered in soft, golden sand and the view was just spectacular.  Some people had told me it was dirty and a waste of time.  I'm glad I opted to go and see it for myself.  

On the way home, we stopped at Monkey beach, which unsurprisingly was a beach full of monkeys.  Although, it wasn't as impressive as some of the other beaches I'd visited, it was a great opportunity to get up close to the monkeys, even if they were a little greedy!

Railay - My first taste of paradise

7 September

I woke up earlier than everyone else and decided to head into Ao Nang.  After finding the bus port and buying my ticket, I jumped aboard my first long-tail boat.  What an awesome experience!  It was still early so the sun wasn't too hot, perfect weather for me!  I took Raj's advice and wore my sandals as the skipper made us jump into the sea and walk to the shore.  First impressions of the island?  Wow wow wow!

I sat in a cafe on the beach and admired the view.  A German lady spotted that I was on my own and asked if she could join me for a coffee.  It was quite nice to have some female company.  After finishing the necessary introductory chit chat, we planned our afternoon.  Not long after, I spotted the guys and gals from my hostel and they joined us.  The water was perfect, the sun was out and I even played a few games of football with the lads.

In the afternoon, we took the kayaks out around the island.  This is definitely the best way to see it.  At about 5ish, we all agreed to head back.  What we didn't realise was that a storm was on its way.  Well, it was too late to come back, we were already on the boat.  The sea was rough, the rain was pelting it down and as a result, we were all drenched.  My only concern was my ipad which was in my liner, luckily.  One of the lads put all the electrics together in the liner and put the bag under his jumper.  Thankfully this worked and all was ok.  We arrived at the shore, freezing cold and soaked through.  The only thought on my mind now was a long hot shower.  

As evening approached, we headed down the road for some dinner before grabbing some beers.  We'd promised the manager of our hostel that we'd attend his gig that evening.  Good job we did too as we were the only ones there!  After a few rounding of drinking games (Thai ones that is) it was time to head back.  We made it as far as the next group of bars, where the boys played pool and the girls danced.  I even met a lad from Wrexham, very random! 

The photo above is the Thai drinking game.  You use a cigarette to make a hole in the cloth.  Whoever is the one to let the coin drop, drinks a shot or drink of the groups choice.