[whereissmithynow]

The Final Leg

So the last leg of our trip was returning to Bangkok mostly for shopping and relaxation. After two days of shopping we had filled our bags with pressies and same same but different genuine fakes. Our final challenge was to get all the stuff in the bags and we surprised ourselves by fitting it all in (and it was under weight)! To treat ourselves we spent our final day (and final baht) on a spa day so we were fully relaxed before our epic journey home. In the evening we had our last supper and cocktails before setting the alarms to return to reality at 4:30am. It was a little emotional waking up and realising that that was it. 6 months had passed and it was time to board the plane home. Whilst it was sad, we'd ended on a high and looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead of us. The journey isn't quite over, we've still got a 21 hour plane trip before we set foot in the UK. Words can't really describe the last 181 days but it's been a whirlwind adventure that we will never forget. Starting in China was a culture shock which set us up well for the rest of our trip. Trekking the Great Wall, visiting the Terracotta Warriors, living in a monastery and seeing the giant pandas were just some of the highlights. It certainly opened our eyes to the amazing things we would be experiencing on our trip. Our whistle stop tour of Hong Kong was short but sweet. We squeezed in as much as we could but it's definitely somewhere we both want to go back to. Landing in Fiji was just spectacular. From the smog of China to the clear blue sky it was a very welcome change. Hopping through the islands gave us a chance to see how Fijians really live, experience their culture and Fiji time. Whilst we'd heard about Fiji time we didn't realise quite how much it would affect us - I wish life was like this at home! Besides the stunning beaches, one of the highlights was snorkelling with the reef sharks. While it was a little scary at first it was incredible to see them in their natural environment as opposed to an aquarium. Next stop was New Zealand and meeting our home for the next month, Gloria the campervan. After five weeks living the van life we could see why so many people had recommended to travel this way. Whilst it wasn't the most social method of transport it gave us the freedom to go where we wanted when we wanted. We could travel to more rural areas to meet family and friends, some of which we'd never met before. Every turn we made along the road was another 'wow' moment and a lot of time we found ourselves hanging out of the window to try and capture the moment. We certainly got our adrenaline kicks with boarding down giant sand dunes, white water rafting along the Tongariro River, skydiving over Lake Taupo, bungy jumping and swinging through the Nevis Canyon and luging down the hills of Queenstown. Whilst we saw the beauty of New Zealand we also witnessed the devastation of natural disasters. Seeing the ruins of Christchurch 3 years after the earthquakes was heart breaking and we couldn't quite believe the state that the city was still in. While it is bad, it was fantastic to see projects like the RE:Start centre bringing the community back together. Hitting the heat wave in Australia was another shock to the system and we knew we'd have to get used to it over the next month. We struck lucky by getting tickets to the Australian Open to see Andy Murray and the awesomeness continued from there. Our new camper was a little more special than its New Zealand counterpart but it did the job and took us up the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide. Ten years previously I'd met my cousins, some for the first time, and seeing them again now was just amazing. Their hospitality, laughs and sense of fun will always be remembered as will Noreen's apple pie! Our tour through the Australian outback was better than we ever imagined. We had amazing fun, met some incredible people and saw some of the most outstanding scenery I've ever seen. We met a lot of the famous Aussie wildlife along the way including a koala who strolled across the road in front of our camper van. Our South East Asia adventure was next starting with a few days exploring Singapore and Malaysia. Cambodia was next on our list and proved to be a big history lesson. Learning about the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge era was heart wrenching. Our day at the killing fields and the S21 museum was one of the most moving of our trip. Vietnam was our next stop with the highlight being our easy rider tour through the rural towns and villages. Being on the back of a bike is definitely the best way to see Vietnam. Laos was an interesting two weeks. From the tourist central tubing experience to the incredible zip lining adventures in the jungle it was a fantastic experience. Our final six weeks in Thailand have been a great way to end the trip. We've trekked with elephants, chilled on the beach, surprised my parents, seen fire shows and started drinking from buckets. Epic is the only word left to describe it. Thinking that these adventure are now coming to an end is sad but I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family and of course a decent cup of tea!!

[whereissmithynow]

[whereissmithynow]

Bangla Road Ladyboys

After yet another bus boat bus combo we arrived in Phuket Town and found Jules, our Australian buddy, waiting for us at the hostel. We headed out for some dinner and then onto Bangla road to experience the chaos. As we wandered down the road we were bombarded about all sorts of different shows that were going on. One cocktail in, we decided to go and see a ladyboy show. It was a first for all of us and we weren't quite sure what to expect. It involved a lot of bad dancing and lip syncing to songs where they didn't really know the words. The most convincing performance was of Beyonce's Halo. It was certainly an experience, especially for Graham who was treated to a personal performance from the one and only Marylin Monroe. We moved onto a bar with a live band where our newly learned dance moves were out in full force. The night finished at 4am after a few more drinks and a boogie! The next day it was time for Graham to head back to Bangkok and we didn't really do much but chill. We didn't much fancy the beach after what we'd seen of it last night and decided that a massage was a much better option. Today was our last day in Phuket and after seeing Jules off on her way to enjoy Koh Phi Phi we headed to explore one of the bays. Whilst it was better than Patong beach, it was nothing compared to the beaches on the other islands. Next stop, Bangkok.

[whereissmithynow]

[whereissmithynow]

Upgrade Time

After an early morning boat we reached Phi Phi with a full day ahead of us and made our way down the beach to our bungalows. Another friend, Laura, joined us in the afternoon and we spent the day chilling by the pool. Definitely the best pool we've had for the whole trip! We missed the sunset and headed off for dinner before treating G to his first Thai massage experience. It was hilarious to watch and his face was a picture, especially when the masseuse tried to fold him in half. G and I decided to head to the beach for a drink only to be hit by a storm. We didn't fancy getting soaked so headed back after one and luckily the heavens opened just after we got back. Once we'd enjoyed our free breakfast we headed off to hire a long tail boat for the day to take us around the Phi Phi islands. First stop was the popular Maya Bay, which was made famous by the film, The Beach. It was swarming with tourists so we didn't stick around for long. Our next stop was also short lived after jumping in to go snorkelling and all three of us being stung by what we can only assume were jellyfish. A rather unpleasant experience! The third stop of the day was a cute little bay where we messed around jumping off the boat which is always good fun! Next we drove past the Viking Caves which were pretty disappointing, before spending the next few hours on Bamboo Island. It was pretty spectacular and was exactly what we'd been looking for. White sand and clear blue sea. We spent the afternoon in and out of the sea, napping and taking funny pictures. Once we got back to the bungalows we chilled by the pool with Laura for a bit before heading off to watch the sunset and get some dinner. This evening we took G for his first foot massage and when Laura came to find us we were all sparko. After our lovely nap G and I headed to the beach to watch a fire show and ended up getting hammered, dancing in the rain, watching fire skipping and riding a bucking bronco - standard really! We spent our final morning on Phi Phi at the pool and were having so much fun that we nearly missed our transfer to the ferry! Next stop, Phuket.

[whereissmithynow]

[whereissmithynow]

The Third Muskateer

So after heading to Phuket for the night and collecting Graham from the airport, we grabbed a Chang and some crisps for breakfast before were on our way to Koh Lanta. After a quick stop at Koh Phi Phi for lunch we finally made it and headed off to our beach bungalow. After a few Changs whilst watching the sun go down we went off to find Carly for some dinner. We spent the rest of the evening playing games at a bar - nice and chilled. The next day we went off to see a poorly Carly who had got the sick bug that had been spreading through her hostel. We spent the afternoon on the beach before heading back for a dip in the pool. We checked on Carly in the evening and then went for dinner. We met a couple travelling and ended up raving on the beach with them until about 4am. It was then off to the beach to look at the stars. It was also on the beach that G managed to drop the key. After searching in the sand for half an hour we gave up decided to accept it was lost. After discovering the bungalow was locked we found out I was a lot better at breaking into things that G and fortunately we managed to have our beds back for the evening. The next day we were both hanging and so, after sorting the lost key issue, headed off to move into the new bungalows with Carly. There's not much to say about the rest of the day as it was spent feeling sorry for ourselves. The next day we felt a bit better and headed for Bamboo bay a little further down the coast. We spent the day there and G got involved in a game of volleyball with the locals before watching the sun set. We then, after failing to get a taxi, got the manager of the resort to drop us home and headed out for dinner. A storm hit just after we'd got to a post dinner bar and out went the power. Carly decided to head home and we went off to find the party. After a random taxi, being dropped 2km past where we wanted to go, really loud frog noises and a tuk tuk ride, we made it to the bar. Luckily they had power and the music was blaring. We got the buckets in and raved the night away getting home around 6am. The next day we didn't do much and finally headed out in the evening for curry. Then it was packing time before catching the early ferry in the morning. Next stop, Koh Phi Phi.

[whereissmithynow]

[whereissmithynow]

Paradise = Found!

After the usual journey of bus and boat this time all we had to do was wander along the brilliant white sand to our hostel. As we walked down the beach it felt like we were in paradise. The sand was white and the sea was crystal clear - this is what I'd been waiting for! Our first evening was spent chilling, eating and getting massages before strolling home down the beach.

We decided to do a snorkelling trip around the islands on our second day and were excited as our little long tail boat pulled up to take us out. Our first stop was quite far out at sea and as I jumped in I realised quite how strong the current was! We were surrounded by lots of little fish and saw some pretty coral but it was hard to enjoy as I was constantly worried about drifting off to sea! Our second stop was better. We pulled up into a bay and snorkelled around off the beach. It was pretty cool and we saw lots of fish including nemo fish and a couple of starfish. The day pretty much continued like this with a stop at Koh Rawi for lunch on the beach. We also stopped at a cool little island where the beach was made of hundreds of small smooth black stones. It was covered in little stacks that tourists had built with everyone seeing who could get theirs the highest. 

When we got back to the main island we headed off to a quiet little spot to watch the sunset. It was really nice and once the sky was black the stars started to shine brightly. We headed into the walking street area for the evening and wandered down the beach later stopping to look at the stars as we went. 

This morning we headed off on our seperate ways. Myself to Phuket and Carly to Koh Lanta where I'd be heading along with a new recruit to our group, Graham.

[whereissmithynow]

[whereissmithynow]

Hello West Coast

The journey to Krabi was long. It all started with a minibus pick up at 6am, a 4 hour ferry to the mainland, a 3 hour bus across the mainland to Krabi bus station and then being fleeced for a minivan into town. We were very glad to find comfy beds and nice showers when we got there and settled in. We very quickly discovered there wasn’t much to do in Krabi itself except eat at the night market so settled down and watched a film to pass the time. The evening was spent eating, chatting to home, sleeping and trying to rid myself of the final few sun stroke effects.

The next day was again a write-off as we all felt pretty horrendous. We sorted our plans for the next few days and settled in for film round two. As we were about to head out for food a huge storm hit. There was thunder, lightning, howling winds, monsoon style rain, the whole shebang! It lasted for ages but once it had died down slightly we went out for dinner and then settled in the bar for a couple of drinks. We met up with some friends from Koh Phangan and the quick drink turned into going to bed at 2am - whoops! The next day we headed off to Ao Nang beach. It wasn’t quite the white sand and clear sea we’d been expecting but sufficed as a place to relax for the day. As the sun started to set and the inevitable rain clouds moved in we decided to make a move back into Krabi town. The next morning we were all leaving, Carly and I to Koh Lipe and Amy to Koh Lanta. It was a little sad to see our little troupe breaking up but I can’t wait to get to a secluded beach on the islands!!

[whereissmithynow]

Party Time!!

After the usual journey we arrived on Koh Phangan and were looking forward to settling in for 5 nights of madness. We started with a little reckie of Haad Rin village and to grab some much needed water and hangover snacks for the next few days. Our first evening was the pre full moon pool party which was held at our bungalows. It seemed quite mundane at first until one girl made a spectacle of herself at only 9:30pm, setting the tone for the evening. We chilled out poolside watching the mayhem unfold with our buckets in hand and chatting to a few Welsh lads. After more bucket consuming we all jumped in the pool and joined in the mass water fight with our newly acquired water guns. It was a cracking night and a good sign of what was to come over the next few days.

We woke the next day and finally left the confines of the hostel by mid afternoon to see what mayhem the Thai New a Year celebrations were causing in the streets. It’s traditional for everyone to line the streets with buckets of water and water pistols and soak everyone and anyone who goes past. It’s part of a cleansing ritual and is great fun! Luckily I still had my water pistol from the previous evening and so got stuck in with the locals and tourists alike. After the 10 minute walk to the centre of town we were all absolutely drenched but had the biggest grins on our faces. We stopped on the main beach for a quick drink and then it was time for a massage to loosen us up after our hard partying. Such a hard life I know! Unfortunately as we left the massage place I noticed someone had pinched my shoes (it’s custom to leave them outside!) - not cool - so we had to go buy some more. Shoes acquired, we stopped for dinner and headed back to get out of our soaking wet clothes.

The next day was the day of the full moon party. We opted for chilling by the pool during the day to work on our tans before nap time in the early evening. The it was time to get ready. We donned the tshirts we’d bought whilst in Bangkok with their ‘SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT’ slogans and attacked ourselves with luminous paint. Once we had the desired look it was off to start on the buckets and head to the beach. The rest of the night mashes into one but it involved; buckets, outrageous dancing, a scuffle with a drunk local, being rescued by a fellow English man, more buckets, food, some friendly northerners, more food, slides, more outrageous dancing, Carly’s version of the running man (not to be missed!), more buckets, losing more flip flops and finally, watching the sun rise lifting the darkness that had hidden the aftermath sprawled along the beach. We headed home long after the sun had risen and fell into bed. Sleeping/passing out ensued until lunchtime came and food was definitely in need. Then, as you probably guessed, it was back to bed! We finally got up and headed out as the sun was going down. We headed into town and went in search of new shoes, food and massages. With all three acquired by 10pm it was back to bed!

For our final day on Koh Phangan we’d decided to go to a beach in the north of the island as they’re meant to be nicer. We were up at a decent hour for once and hailed a tuk tuk to Mae Haad. As we neared the beach the skies clouded over and the daily storm hit so we took cover in a local cafe. Once it had passed we found a little quiet spot and prepared to catch some rays. Unfortunately Amy and I caught a few too many and after realising we’d well and truly burnt ourselves retreated into the shade. The day went a little downhill from here and resulted in me having the effects of sun stroke. Not quite what I’d hoped for on our final day on party island but the girls sorted me out. I had to be better by the following day as we were off to Krabi to start out west coast adventures.

[whereissmithynow]

[whereissmithynow]

Heart of Fire

After another bus-one boat-two boat trip we landed on Koh Tao and as per usual were greeted by hoards of tuk tuk drivers. We decided it was it too far to walk (little did we know!) and hauled our backpacks onto our backs and off we went. About 40 minutes later and dripping from the heat we’d made it to the main town. The next obstacle was finding accommodation. We’d thought this would be easy but didn’t factor in the half moon party happening a day before and Thai New a Year that week. Finally after lots of wandering we found somewhere, dumped our bags and headed to the beach for a well earned Chang.

Once we were a little merry it was dinner time and we stumbled upon a lush duck restaurant. After hoovering up that up it was back to the beach to catch one of the fire shows which seemed to be happening at 50metre intervals. We settled in at AC Bar for a spectacular show and they didn’t disappoint. There was fire poi twirling, lighting peoples cigarettes (while spinning the fire near their faces!), flaming hearts and fire limbo. Amy and I tried our luck with the burning limbo. I gave up after the first round as I value my hair and eye brows but Amy continued for a little longer. Once everyone was done with that it was onto fire skipping. Something that really didn’t float my boat. The young Thai guy got up and made it look easy which tempted people from the crowd to chance their arm. Funnily enough they got hurt and we decided we’d seen enough. As we wandered back down the beach we saw the next fire obstacle - a floating hoop of fire! Here we saw a lot more people (travellers) getting hurt as they dived head first through the flames - definitely not my cup of tea. Instead we watched the drama unfold from the sea, splashing about like you do at 1am.

The next morning didn’t exist and we headed into town at around lunchtime. With lunch in our bellies it was off to a quiet bay to fully recover from our hangovers. We opted for Shark Bay, aptly named due to the large amount of black tip reef sharks found just off the shore. That pretty much sums it up for the day, we really didn’t do much else but lie there. The next day we decided to head out to Koh Nang Yuang, a small group of three islands, just off the coast of Koh Tao, joined together with a sand spit. It was a picturesque location and had a little bit of snorkelling off the coast (we even spotted a black tip reef shark). All in all a lovely place to spend our last day. We watched the sunset once we were back on the main land and then spent the evening on the beach with a couple of drinks.

Next stop Koh Phangan - PAARRTTTTYYYY TTTIMMMMMEE!!!

[whereissmithynow]

Back Again

After flashpacking from Bangkok we arrived on Koh Samui late afternoon after a pretty chilled journey. Once we’d eventually found a ride to the hostel it was a lovely 1.5 hours squished in the back of a tuk tuk that finalised our journey. It was a little weird being back on the island without all the excitement of my previous trip. As we drove past mum and dad’s hotel it felt a bit sad that I wasn’t jumping out to surprise them again. Anyway…after checking in it was time to get some food. We set off towards the night market area, grabbing a cocktail en route (a mistake on an empty stomach!). Once we’d realised the night market wasn’t on, as it was Sunday, we settled in a restaurant for some decent food and a few more cocktails. Chaweng town was pretty quiet compared to usual so we called it a night relatively early and headed back for some shut eye.

The next morning Amy arrived after her epic overnight bus-boat-tuktuk journey and we headed to the beach. We didn’t really move much all day except to cool off in the sea and make a few trips to 7/11. That evening we headed down to the night market to grab some cheap eats and ‘enjoyed’ the beautiful singing of a local live band. After a little explore of the night life we set off back down the beach to the hostel to get some shut eye ahead of a full day of being beach bums the next day.

The following morning I was up early and on our new exercise regime. I called it quits after a bit of skipping and headed to the beach to grab some rays - something I’m now much better suited to. Mother Nature however had other ideas and it proceeded to rain for the next couple of hours - not cool. Once it stopped the others had hauled themselves out of bed and came to join me on the sand. From there the day pretty much continued like the previous one as did the evening.

The next morning it was off to Koh Tao, the east coast island that I’d really been looking forward to. I was just hoping there would be more of a backpacker scene there than the two week family holiday one we’d had on Koh Samui.

[whereissmithynow]

Flashpacking Bangkok Styley

We arrived into Bangkok pretty late and after avoiding being ripped off by the taxi drivers arrived at our hostel. This is where the flashpacking began with our £10 a night hostel. It was nice to have a bit of luxury and some personal space. We each had our own little pod complete with tv and a huge collection of movies. After a decent nights sleep we headed down for our free breakfast. We were well chuffed to find an unlimited supply of cereal and cold milk, something that had been hard to come by over the last few months. With our bellies full we started on our to do list. First we headed off for a bit of a pampering and then worked out how to get ourselves to the islands. In true flashpacking style we opted to fly as we really couldn't face another overnight bus. Somehow the evening was upon us already so we set off to Khao San Road for a quick pad thai and some shopping before settling down in Fu Bar for some fab cocktails and live music. The band were pretty awesome and we stayed there all evening. The next day we headed off to Wat Pho to see the golden reclining Buddha and surrounding temple buildings. It was one of the most well cared for temples that we'd been to and the colours were so bright. We wandered around the complex for a couple of hours until the clouds came over and the rain started to pour. We opted for a tuk tuk rather than the 20 min walk back and after arriving back at the hostel received word that the final member of the IT crowd was back in town. We met up for dinner and a few drinks and watched Khao San come to life, with the exception of one man who was so drunk he fell asleep on his friends lap! Next day had been assigned as shopping day. The hunt for genuine fake same same but different mulberry bags was on the cards and we headed off to MBK mall to start our search. After wandering around for a couple of hours we decided to head off to Patpong market where we'd been told there would be some good fakes. We did find some good ones however the prices were extortionate! We got a little fed up of the constant bombardment from ping pong touts and decided to head back to MBK to continue our search. Just before we left Amy managed to haggle a good price for the bag she wanted and that was it, mission accomplished. We headed back for some dinner, drinks and more live music. Next stop, after a plane, bus, boat and tuk tuk, we'll be on Koh Samui for the start of our final month of island adventures.

[whereissmithynow]