So first full day of honeymoon. Well slept for a start - that always ensures a positive experience. And that our day was filled with a positive colouring turned out to be true, albeit very mixed with the feeling you get when you are thrown in at the deep end into foreign culture.
Having stepped no more than approximately 8 steps out of our extravagant hotel, a very local looking Thai man, probably the size of a year nine or ten boy back home in England, raced towards us with a beaming smile. 'My friend, you nee' tuk tuk? I take you?' He offered us a lift in his multi coloured vehicle. We both tried our best to avoid him and carry on with our planned 'trek' through Bangkok, but he wanted to know every detail and in the end, out of both pity and confusion we agreed. Although, not much of our plan of going to the station to buy our tickets up north to Chiang Mai was a success. Our new friend took us to his friend, a local travel agent to get a good deal. Or so he told us anyway.So as we drove through the war zone of traffic that made up the streets of Bangkok, with 1980s love tunes blasting out of the back of the tuk tuk, we got to experience a real feel for inner City Bangkok. This feel also included an abundance of smells, both pleasant and not. The delicious smell of street food all around was alluring indeed, though neither of us were too keen on the permeating smell of toilet and sewage that engulfed us.
Luckily, the lady at the travel agent spoke quite good English, which was the first sign of relaxation that we had experienced. For the first time, we felt comfortable and not like an alien in amidst a different world. What we didn't expect was to see the driver still outside after our having spent twenty minutes inside! When we offered to pay him, he enquiried as to where we were headed next. When we said we will walk and go shopping, he insisted, almost forcing his opinion upon us that we must go with him to what he made out to be the most amazing shopping centre. So off we went with the guy who quoted us 50 Thai baht (about £1) for the journey, but ended up with nearly double because he'd decided upon our arrival at the travel agents that the price was 'up to us'. Much to our surprise, we bipassed Central Bangkok which bore familiar shops and arrived outside some back alley area, with our bags 'kindly' removed and placed inside a suit and formal wear shop.
'My friend, please.' He said and we both looked confused. He told us that he gets paid coupons if we go in and that we just have to look. As if that wasn't too much to take in, we were instructed to leave our bags downstairs and head upstairs where we were faced with catalogues and pushy persuasion that we could have tailor made suits/dresses for £80. As good as that sounded, neither of us had any intention of taking that to the jungle for the week.
So after working our way out of buying any suits or flashy dresses adorned with labels like 'Calvin Klein' and 'Hugo Boss' we made our excuses (albeit very shady ones!!!) and walked outside... what a surprise our friendly tuk tuk companion was there enthusiastic to take us to our next destination. Our excuses for the next trip seemed to fall on deaf ears again so by no surprise, we took pity and hopped in again to head for Central Bangkok or at least that's where we asked to go.
To be fair to our new friend he was a nice guy and had one of the smarter tuk tuk's so we were relatively happy to join in on our next adventure. Things started to look good when we were driving down a Main Street lined with stalls and street food stands - we were finally getting to the kind of area we wanted to stroll around. All was going well until we pulled into a back alley and our friend tried to shepherd us into the next shop in which he gets commission!!! It was now time to be rude, pay up and be on our way we needed to get the measure of how to deal with these Del Boy transport providers on our first day. Every other tuk tuk driver we encountered that day got the same shake of the head!!!
We were learning to be more in control and after having a beer and a carved out pineapple drink we picked a guy who was admittedly less friendly and flamboyant, but did the job of picking up our tickets from the travel agent and taking us to Hualamphong station where we were to board the 14 hour sleeper train ready to see the mountainous, jungle-filled Chiang Mai.
Excited but anxious were the feelings as we waited in the station. We joined the locals sitting on the floor in the main station area, where we felt everyone socialising was a good atmosphere. We were surprised to see a monk with an iPhone??? We were sure they weren't meant to have money!?
5.30 came and it was time to board our train so we made our way down the platform to find our carriage. The numbering didn't make sense but the extremely helpful train conductor guided us to our seats! He was dressed smart, and much more official looking than the average southern rail conductors we were used to back home.Before our seats transformed into beds, we enjoyed a few hours on them but unfortunately without much to admire due to the dark! The silent man opposite and the helpful local Thai lady were our bunk pairings, but luckily we were able to sleep opposite each other, both on top bunks. Another awesome dinner tonight by the way - Thai red and Thai green!
Joe was seemingly exhausted so as soon as the beds were open we were in bed and falling asleep. Next issue was Joe's snoring. Not sure if anyone around us got much sleep but He managed a good 10hrs flat out!!
In the morning amongst the train staff pedalling orange juice ('orange juuu') again we awoke to a view out of the window of rolling hills and jungle. Our Chiangmai adventure was ready to start.
We were ready to take on any haggling drivers and took each one in our stride as we casually strolled past them. Then suddenly we thought, blimey how do we actually get to our accommodation. 'Hey? Hello!' We heard the familiar foreign accent, but this time, with rather a polite tone. We decided it was best to question 'how much' from now on! (That became the phrase which put us back in the powerful seat) once we showed him our booking reservation with the hotel address, the humble looking man informed us that it would be 150 Baht for the transport and with that being a very reasonable £3.00, we decided to take him up on his offer. So off we went with his wife, in the back of a red transit van which bore an attachment over the top and boot, and appeared to be what was commonly known as 'red taxi' here. We were joined by a few Chinese girls who were clearly on a traveling adventure also! As mrs taxi hung off the ladder on the back of the vehicle, mr taxi drove. Albeit with a bottle of already-drunk liquor, but it was fine, this was Thailand after all! Surrounded by mopeds and scooters of all sorts, we headed to the Parasol Inn, our wifi-ready hotel! After spending a whole 14 hours on the train, hovering over a hole for any toilet needs, and no awareness of where the water in the tap came from, it was well needed for both!Having arrived at the hotel about 20 minutes later, the friendly smile on the hotel reception lady's face was very welcomed by us. The hotel appeared somewhat questionable over quality, and seemed to be situated in amongst crowded and busy roads just off of an intersection... Fab. We weren't sure on this one and wondered whether the luxurious pictures were over-selling it for the £23 we had booked it for! Turns our check-in wasn't until 2:30 pm and we had arrived at approximately 8:30 am, so we asked to have our crazy rucksacks looked after while joe strapped on the waistband bumbag which was handy for keeping our important documents and cash safe! With that, we headed off ready to explore the town.
The tukk tukk drivers here were different. Still offering a lift everywhere and saying hello, but with a smile and not a pushy nature. The lovely thing was that they continued to smile and waved goodbye even when their offers were rejected. We hadn't walked more than 10 metres when we came across a group on orange sarong wearing people. It occurred to us almost immediately (especially after seeing the magnificent temple) that these people were actually monks. Monks of varying ages from 5/6 years old to old, old! There was even a bus full of them near what appeared to be a monk school or monk education centre ! Whilst we were appropriately dressed for the nearing 37 degree temperature, (even this early in the morning) this was deemed 'too revealing' for the temples and monasteries, hence adding the indoor visits to our post check-in plans! We decided to have a wander around the outside and have a little explore of the area. It was lovely. Very busy, and a continuous hum of mopeds with a minimum of two-three people on the back meant that we had to be vigilant, especially when one of them decided it was acceptable to use the pavement as a means to bypass traffic!
We had breakfast in a small diner where street food was the main dish, and although weary of ice, ordered cold drinks! Chinese style omelette for Joe and some sausage and crispy pork for Viv. It wasn't the traditional breakfast we were used to, but we were like eager sponges, excited to soak up the culture.
As can be expected, one of us (won't mention who as it's fairly obvious) needed the toilet so we ventured back towards our hotel. It turned out we could check in early. Luckily, upon entering our room, we were relieved. It was lovely. Simple, but lovely. The quality was no honeymoon suite that's for sure, but it was on par with our holiday inns and premier inns back home! Of course it wasn't much competition for our previous night's luxurious 26th floor hotel, but bearing in mind we were in the north and in the mountains, this was great! The area resembled a back street of Brighton but was obviously dated and less economically developed, but it had a distinct character and friendly atmosphere to it. Showers took priority, and then it was off to explore!
We started by walking around to try and get some idea of our bearings. It was very difficult for us to get used to the town. Living by the sea back home means we were used to the idea that all sense of direction is based on the location of the sea. Here though, there was a river. There seemed to be something about water and its ability to aid with location and bearings. Immediately changing into appropriate clothing for temples, we headed to check these out. The colossal monuments, Buddhas and statues were truly awe-inspiring. Lots of golds, bronzes and candles surrounded the orange-cloaked monks who were in abundance around us ! We later walked around a few local markets, taking in the not always luscious smells, and decided that we needed to see the famous 'Mountain Temple' of Chiang Mai. Only problem was, that it was 15km away and neither of us fancied a city hike up the concrete mountain in what had now crept up to be 40 degree heat! So after asking the red taxi man 'how much' (our new favourite phrase) 600 Baht, or £12.50 seemed extortionate. Perhaps not to English prices, but here, for sure. So we decided to hire a moped being that there were about 25 of these to every car here, if not more. The price of renting one was a much more friendly offer of 250 Baht or simply a fiver for 24 hours. However, we only needed it for about 3-4 hours, so their profit was huge!
We bombed it through town, and after the lady in the rental shop advised us it would take 45 minutes, we were at and up the winding mountain top within half an hour max! The temple was indeed beautiful and very grand looking. Casually being ripped off to buy a ticket wasn't a problem for us, even despite there being no ticket check in place. Joe raced up the stairs and physically ran, not accounting for altitude! It was a brilliant view both in and around the temple. We finished off our visit with a Chiang Mai sausage; meatless and filled with rice, but gorgeously garlicy and fantastic. We raced down the hill and through town, and having penetrated the traffic and gassy fume-fled streets, we made it there and back in exactly two hours! We'd only spent one day in the place and already it felt like we had done so much! Dinner was at the restaurant of our hotel room, thought we may as well try it out. Not amazing, but the competition to the rest of Thailand was massive indeed. Still better than any Thai either of us had cooked! Ready for bed and our action packed trekking adventure tomorrow!
We were up and about around 8am ready to be picked up for trekking at 9am. Our hotel served bacon and eggs for breakfast which was a nice change to rice or a stir fry! 9:15 came and our guides for the next couple of days turned up to collect us. A quick demand for the outstanding money put us a little on edge but we were soon in the truck and on our way. We went around town to collect a few other couples, and much to our surprise, the first couple on, were the same ones who shared our carriage on the train over from Bangkok.
We thought we were on another tuk tuk escapade when we stopped first at a butterfly reserve and then an elephant poo paper manufacturer -but luckily it was just to see the attractions and we weren't made to feel uncomfortable when we didn't buy anything. If ever a place has evoked such confused looking faces, it was the elephant poo park, where we learned that poo can be mixed, purified, boiled and dyed to make coloured paper. It really was fascinating, but took a good while to convince us. Next stop was the market where we were instructed to buy toilet roll, bug spray and suncream if we didn't already have any! Luckily we had swiped a half a loo roll from our hotel but decided to buy a new roll as back-up. Back for a other twenty minutes or so before we finally arrived at base camp!
The wooden shabby lodges were where we were greeted by the local hill people with some delicious lunch. Granted it was served out of a plastic bucket, but it tasted beautiful and there was plenty of opportunity for seconds! The strikingly odd thing which sort of looked out of place was the fridge which harboured iced cold bottled water amongst other varieties of cold drink - not what you might imagine a local hill tribe would have at their disposal! A stark contrast, hidden away in the corner was the 'toilet' which was a run-down, concrete block with a home made sign which read: 'TIOLET' on a wooden placard.(no toilet paper supplied) we were instructed by Tommy to take a forty minute nap as it was too hot for walking, before we finally began our forty five minute hike up a mountain.When we arrived at the waterfall, it was scorching hot. Everything felt as though it was swimming on us. Our stomachs, back, legs, back of legs, necks - everything you could imagine was dripping with sweat after having hiked up hill - and joe with a gigantic bag! As we were faced with this mini waterfall upon some jagged rock formations, Winnie said with a smile 'and now, slide down!' What? Wait what? All eight of us looked confused. The crevice at the bottom section looked narrow enough to swallow Viv's leg whole and this was what we were expected to slide down. Joe was Guinea pig and hiked his way up to the top in minutes. With one quick thrust, he pushed himself off, and was down at the bottom of the deep spring almost instantly! Viv needed persuading somewhat before taking the plunge but eventually, a great time was had cooling off before venturing towards the top for our hilltop stay!
A few hours later, in the forty degree heat, we made it to the top. Having walked past the locals of the tribe, we got a fantastic taste for what life was like for these people. However, the unwelcoming look upon their faces which was a mixture of disgust, hardship and sorrow made us become very aware of the distinct differences between our life and theirs. Merely the burden of everyday life seemed to weigh heavy on their shoulders and the only sign of friendliness we could detect was from the children, probably because they were too innocent and naive to know any different.
Our accommodation sat at the very top of the tribe and was a raised building made of bamboo. Equipped with 8 mattresses scattered on the floor of the inside, and mosquito nets, we were ready it seemed, for the stay. Our bed was expectedly uncomfortable. The polystyrene mattress was covered with a thin later of padding and a peculiar smelling sheet. For pillows, a stack of old rags and throws/blankets were folded - these we steered clear of, opting for our own towel, folded to resemble a pillow for head support. The fashioned bamboo terrace overlooking a truly spectacular view of the surrounding mountains as hillside was where we had our first exchange with the locals. Having been offered a massage, a bracelet and some odd looking cigarette which was sure to be made of more than just tobacco, we opted for a bracelet and then had a slightly uncomfortable experience when a local, very dirty looking young lad had a Muay Thai boxing session with Joe. It started off friendly and playful and then turned into punches nearing the face with run ups and the boy's rule that he was the only one allowed to throw punches ! After having a lovely conversation with our hiking crew and guides on the woven tables by candlelight and jungle sounds, they laid us out a carpet upon which we were instructed to lay and look at the stars. Our Thai guides Winnie and Tommy had tried hard to make our experience so brilliant. They explained we would usually have singing and dancing around a fire but due to it being the height of the summer, risk of forest fire meant no fires and not much wood as it had all been pre-emptively burnt to reduce the devastating loss of tribal huts and fire related casualties. After a few beers, it was time for bed and the overwhelming jungle orchestra of insects coupled with uncomfortable bedding made sleeping a chore, but was nevertheless an exceptional experience.
The adventure really took off today. The day began with a shower in a concrete block. A hose hung from the middle of the ceiling of the make-shift enclosure and alternated between spitting a mist or dribbling water droplets for washing. The aim was to rejuvenate ourselves in preparation for the massive hike back down the mountain, but this was no ordinary hike. Through the hills and upon seriously dry distinctly Thai orange dirt, we struggled for grip in our downward quest. Several slips and falls meant nothing near the top, but the more narrow path near the middle of the mountain left little room for mistake. With sheer drops and water fall cliffs, footwork needed to be managed with precision. It was now obvious why both Tommy and Winnie both looked with shock and horror upon our massive rucksacks, and repeatedly instructed us 'too heavy, too heavy, no good for hike, too heavy, ye?' They would say as joe replied with 'it's fine, I'm strong man' with a smile across his face. anyway it was make or break and after 45 minutes of conquering this mountain, we arrived at a much larger waterfall to what we had seen yesterday. No sliding down this one, but swimming was permitted. Permission had been granted by our all-knowing guides, although our minds weren't sure whether to grant us permission for this one or not due to the temperature. Although the locals claimed it was cold, it was much warmer than the English sea in which we kayak, but as always Joe was guinea pig and was left to go first and scope it out for the team! This time Viv was second in, instead of nearly last! Guess the you only live once mindset had really set in. After the refreshing swim under the waterfall, we all continued to trek our way down towards the Elephant Camp. Having passed various tribes through the jungle on the way, it was fascinating to observe the natives. There were some who were just walking, a local with a 12 foot gun, and some tribe members just sat around in their huts, most probably wondering who on Earth we were and why we were intrusively passing through their land.
Arriving at the elephants appeared initially exciting, but our excitement as a group quickly grew to become sorrow and grief. Seeing the should-be wild animals chained up around the feet, and given no more than around 5 feet to walk was truly heart-breaking. We were able to purchase bananas to feed the Ellies that we were later asked to board. We were first of the group and headed the trek of 4 elephants. We walked down steep, rock-filled marshes and through full flowing rivers. The elephants continually amazed us both at their ability to carry us uphill even in very steep areas. About half way though the trek, an overfamiliar and banana-greedy trunk invaded our seat. It wasn't the one we were riding, but the elephant our new friends François and Déborah were riding. The trunk patted around our bananas eagerly awaiting a feed! It was both fascinating and frightening at the same time. These gentle elephants, albeit tame, had the power to do as they wished and may not necessarily mean to hurt anyone in their innocent quest for a banana, but nevertheless undoubtedly had the power to. It was the most amazing experience to be able to get so up close and personal with creatures you can normally only see in a zoo, but we both felt extremely sorry for them, especially after watching the keepers repeatedly striking the elephants with a metal hooked stick in order to usher them to comply with being chained up. The trumpeting elephants' awful cries were enough to make us all regret paying to fund such cruelty. It may have been an incredible experience but at what cost? It certainly left a bitter taste in all of our mouths. When questioned about how much the elephants are kept on chains like this, our guide informed us that at night they go to the jungle, but it was questionable how well treated they were, or whether they were simply moved and chained elsewhere, if moved at all.
There was little time to digest everything that had just happened, because we were rushed off our feet and ushered into the beaten, old looking hut and asked to pick a suitable helmet ready for white water rafting. 'Take off shoe first' our guide Tommy instructed us. 'Then move your bum, quickly' he continued with a smile on his face' His lighthearted friendly nature eased the uncomfortable atmosphere and we were quickly issued with life jackets and helmets, ready to tackle the low waters of the Thai summer season. Lots of 'to the left' and 'to the right' orders we're given by our white water rafting captain, who called himself Jack Sparrow, and we conquered a few currents and some epic water flows. This was followed by a much calmer, relaxing bamboo rafting session. As we passed local tribes we really got a feel for the Lahon village way of life. Young boys hunted for fish with their spears as we strode past and many of the locals waved and smiled our way too. Passing some elephants was difficult especially after they appeared to be strategically placed to make for scenic rafting viewing. It was sickening. One elephant who left a memorable imprint on us was the young female who appeared to be jumping around and splashing by the river bank. As we approached the Ellie it became blindingly obvious that there was no play going on, just a desperate plea to escape the chains which bound her two front feet together, forcing her to hop forward. The chain was only about three feet long and allowed just enough access for the elephant to reach the water. This wasn't right and irony was revolting that the elephants we had previously encountered in captivity back home in England were far more free than these elephants who were in their natural habitat. Things began to look up when we came across another elephant who was bathing the middle of the river, surrounded by local children. There were no chains, just a happy elephant cooling off and splashing around. Free. Much to our relief there were a few more examples of this but far too few in comparison to the captured prisoner elephants we encountered earlier in the day.
With one final meal to be had, we all sat down, including our lovely guide duo Tommy and Winnie, and just after were ready to begin our long journey home. If you think hiking up and down huge hills in 41 degrees makes you swear, try a back of a pick-up truck ride meant to seat eight, crammed with 11 people and 11 rucksacks... Then times that by at least 5 and add in some traffic pollution, dusty air and local smells of food and sanitation!Having arrived back in Chiang Mai, we were relieved to find our rucksack and the sole credit card we'd stashed in it (in case we encountered thieves on our trek) safely kept! We walked through town and like true backpackers, in search of accommodation. It turned out we were in need of some comfort, and reluctant to find accommodation, so we opted to book in for another night at the hotel we had already stayed at. It appeared we got an upgraded room. Though no window, there was an extra mirror and a better shower- one which we both desperately needed! A lovely meal at 'Hot Chilli' was the first bit of romantic luxury we had in amongst our dining experiences, and although ok, the chilli had defeated Joe and we were both too stuffed for pudding. The evening was topped off with a lovely walk in the night bazaar, and a beer and some darts for the evening finale. The humidity and heat were a warm welcome, literally; to the 10pm evening stroll home.
First full day in Chiang Mai without any traveling today was... Relaxing! We began the day well, and had a lovely omelette for breakfast. This made a nice change to stir-fry and the lovely staff at Parasol were more than welcoming. We were really going to miss the place, but were forced to stay at Thong-in due to the helpful tukk tukk driver in Bangkok who took us to the tourist information centre, where we were forced to buy the package in order to get the train tickets.. Nevermind, we had a chance to experience Thailand firsthand. So with our bargaining hats on, we were expecting around 300-400 Baht to be the going rate for the 10 minute journey, and like wise wizards we decided we weren't going a penny (or a baht) over 100! Much to our surprise, the man with the gigantic smile on his face led us to a tukk tukk at the end of a very long queue of them, and introduced us to the driver. Upon enquiring with the power phrase 'how much' he responded with a price which made for both a happy driver and two very happy passengers: 'one hundrey, I take you' he confirmed. We seemed to be getting the hang of this now. Arriving at the hotel caused more chaos, though we didn't know it whilst we waited in the hotel office, which comprised of a small desk, set up with a desktop computer and posh printer in the corner. Though the corner was not in an office as one might typically expect. This 'office' was set up within somebody's kitchen/dining room area. The wait for our room, though only being around 10 minutes felt as though hours had gone by. The lady who was anything but helpful assured us someone will be along to take us to our room. At long last when the man arrived to escort us to our room, we wanted nothing more than to just settle so we could plan the rest of our travels. The words he was speaking to us on our way out were perfectly understandable English, but put together, made no sense. as he continued to mumble on, we approached his car. Massively confused we stared at one another hoping we weren't about to be victims of kidnap. The driver who was actually very friendly it turns out, continued his incomprehensible English, but we managed to deduce as much as our hotel was full. As a result, we were driven out to basically a mile away from the expertly booked hotel by the tourist office back in Bangkok. Fab. However being the optimists that we were and continuing the 'we are sponges for culture' attitude, we worked out that we were actually within waking distance of the train station now! Perhaps the positive attitude was slightly quashed after being faced with what would serve as our humble abode for the next 24 hours or so. The basic room, which boasted an 11 inch tv screen and was decorated with some admirable stains scattered in some areas of the wall, was just fine. The king sized bed was clean and the sheets smelled fresh. The water in the shower was hot, we were fine. Actually, we both thought it was pretty nice being away from traffic and we were subjected to jungle noises at night. After quickly dropping off our clothes to be laundered, we headed out to scope out the new area. Joe was itching for a second go at riding a moped, and we therefore hired one almost immediately! 200 Baht this time, but with an empty tank so it was up to us full up with fuel. That was an experience in itself - turns out, the method is to pre-pay the amount, and the clerk at the side of the pumps loads the credit on to the pump. Reason we needed a tank was because we were off to Tiger Kingdom to play, hands on, with real life tigers!
Once again, we shot through town, though this time the journey was much longer, about 45 minutes and perhaps even the best part of an hour with motorway roads and sketchy road surfaces. We travelled with a bottle of water wedged between our bodies, unsure of how readily available water would be, it was a necessity in the 35 degree heat.
At Tiger Kingdom, the distinct lack of queues were striking, especially in comparison to the queues we were used to back home, albeit usually for rides at theme parks and such attractions, not tiger petting!! We waited about 2 minutes to pay for our tickets, and then were almost immediately escorted to the cages. The area was divided into different sections - 'small', 'smallest', 'medium', 'big', and 'biggest' with arrows pointing in all directions. We opted for smallest - playing with baby cubs and also a medium due to wanting to experience a real tiger feel to the encounter. Well with less than a minute wait, we were summoned. The feelings working both of us were a mixture between anxiety, fear and excitement to name a few. It was so surreal that we were enclosed within seconds and taking instructions from the keeper to stroke firmly, or lay down ON the tiger etc. admittedly he seemed asleep, and we wondered if we were supporting cruelty and exploitation once again, and whether they had been drugged to sleep. But having read in the leaflet that these animals are in fact cats and they naturally sleep lots, coupled with the fact that we were surrounded by countless 'alive' looking tigers walking around and playing, seemed to relax our worries. The beast that laid in front of us shared his cage with another 3 tigers and as we both had a turn at stroking them, it became obvious how well cared for these animals were. A welcome contrast to the elephants yesterday. As Joe had his time with tiger number one, who awoke from his sleepy state and rolled over on his back, he was instructed to stroke the tiger's belly. Surreal. We had cuddles with another tiger before we said thank you and goodbye. We for sure did not have our 15 minute entitlement due to nerves. So we walked past the electric fence and headed for the door, before making our way over to the cubs!
With slightly more of a wait of around fifteen minutes, we were instructed to wash our hands and remove our shoes in exchange for some tiger kingdom sandals! Finally in with the tiny babies, we were able to have a play. The keepers would drag out sleeping cubs by their hind legs or their tail, similarly to how their tiger parents might. The sleeping cubs awoke and sort of said hello before becoming cranky and choosing to return to their cat-like sleep. One pair of siblings was having a serious sibling fight and were having to be coaxed out of feud by the other keepers. There were in total around 10 cubs in the enclosure and about a ratio of one keeper to two cubs. Our keeper encouraged us to hold the cub's paws and lay in between his arms and on his tummy. Again, surreal. It was lots of fun but we both had a constant streak of fear lingering in the back of our heads. Our encounter lasted a little longer than our allocated fifteen minutes and after a coke in the cafe, we were ready for our journey back home!
Tonight, we decided to visit another night bazaar, one which was full of everything you could imagine - a bit much to be honest, but an experience nevertheless. We were in search of food, but found nothing that took our fancy, so went without dinner due to having had such a plentiful lunch anyway. We experienced some lady boys tonight which was funny to see, and we quickly zipped back home through the Chiang Mai streets at night, by moped, ready for an early night. We were too aware that we would not have a bed to sleep in for the next two nights which were full of two overnight sleeper trains in a row!
This morning we had to rush back for check out time after taking the moped back. Today was going to be a long long day with heavy rucksacks, trekking through town! We started with breakfast at an American diner where joe had a fry up looking thing and Viv chose some spicy jalapeño and tomato sauce covered egg. Both were ok, but we agreed that Joe won this food choice! We bought some postcards on our way to the train station, and stopped for a couple of hours in a riverside bar for some beer. It was a lovely day in the sun today, and made for a great last day in the lovely place that is Chiang Mai. We boarded the train around 5pm and were eagerly awaiting the making of the beds! A tiresome day was had!
We arrived in Bangkok by morning and immediately alleviated Joe's stress of fear of not having any tickets for the train journey to our next destination of Krabi. We planned to have massages today, and after having French toast and maple syrup for breakfast at a beautiful bar at the popular Khao San Road of Bangkok, we were off in search of a spa. After what seemed like forever in the scorching heat, we finally found one situated in a back alley. But it was gorgeous. As we were instructed to take a seat as they washed our feet before ushering us upstairs, we felt instantly refreshed.The man that was Joe's masseur and the lady who was allocated to Viv led the way upstairs to a room with massage mats spread out. Side by side we endured an initially painful back massage followed by a very relaxing neck shoulder and scalp massage. We were flexed and bent every way you could imagine and swung left to right a few times before our massage therapists began cracking our backs.
We kicked back in a nearby bar with some lunch and beers. Too much stir-fry resulted in us sharing a pizza with a good sized portion of chips! We both felt so relaxed we wanted to take it even further so we headed across the way, just after printing our hotel voucher in an internet cafe, for a Thai foot massage. Half an hour for 120, around £2.30! After having paid around a fiver each for the back, neck and shoulder massage earlier, we were astonished that you could get pampered for two for an hour for under £15 for two! Free wifi was a bonus! We has become reliant upon wifi due to no service by Orange/EE here in Asia! We headed for some more beers and had our first beery evening.
We decided we just could not cope with any more Gourmet Bogie food (aka the train restaurant) and opted for a local rice stir-fry. It looked dodgy and smelled bad. Heat mixed with humidity, old food, and a hint of bleach in a cheap looking 'Food Court' in the station was where dinner was to come from tonight. It was confirmed by an English lady in the queue that it was fine and she eats there all the time and has done for three years! It sounded legit, we ate the dinner which was indeed very tasty, and boarded the train to Surat Thani in the south, where we were to take a bus for two hours to Krabi, followed by a taxi for another hour. Distance wise, we had covered further in one week than the length of Europe! Most of it we had slept through, so it was difficult to comprehend! Despite our lack of effort with Bogie restaurant tonight, we made up for it by enjoying several beers in the Bogie bar! We hoped for the advertised karaoke party, but instead were presented with a load of western music. This was brilliant. We made a couple of new friends also. They came from Canada and we enjoyed a drink with them before heading off to our bunks!
In the morning, we arrived in Surat Thani - an area south of Bangkok, heading down towards the coastal parts of Thailand. It was a desolate place with hardly anything there. Even obtaining water was difficult so Joe went to hunt for some. The bus we were supposed to take, was the least modern looking of all the four buses waiting in the unorganised car park. We were instructed to wait by a lady dressed in green who we assumed to be the tour operator. 'You wait now here 10 minute. So bus i' leave in 20 minutes' is what she said... So naturally someone asked for clarification, and was told with a smile (by the same lady) 'ye you wait one half hour'! So in the space of about 40 seconds we were told three different departure times. We therefore sat ourselves down in the shade and hydrated our dry mouths and chilled out ready for the journey. Similarly, the driver of our bus appeared just as chilled out, as he relaxed with his feet on the wheel and a massive newspaper in hand. After what was actually longer than a half an hour, another 6 or so people turned up, looking as though they had also been instructed to take our bus. Finally we were boarding after joe approached the door and questioned whether we could get on. The journey itself was somewhat of a negative experience. The tour operator woman and the male driver had what appeared to be an argument. Half way through, he pulled his bus over and got out to go buy a drink! Then when we arrived in what appeared to be a dirty and very unattractive area, the tour operator jumped off and we were driven further about five minutes more by the driver, dropped off at another tour office and told to wait twenty minutes more for yet another bus. So there we sat on the side of the road waiting for a bus. We had drunk so much coke over the last week or so that we couldn't take any more, so instead Viv chose to skip a drink this time. The coke drinking was due to contaminated water here in Thailand, and bottles were not always sealed, therefore opting for a coke was sometimes the safest.
The waiting game was intercepted by a quite modern looking minibus. There were 11 seats for the 11 of us but seemingly no space or place for luggage. Anyway the main thing was that luckily we were on our way of our TWO HOUR journey - well to Krabi town that is, we had yet another hour to endure after that, to reach our beachfront hotel.
Another chilled day on the lovely beach! We both became somewhat pink so were careful not to over expose ourselves, so broke up the day with a walk, and some reading with our rented books! We went much further today and came across several coconuts strewn across the beach and even some locals who appeared to be fishing for cockles. It was amazing to see how different our cultures were. Everyone here appeared so leisurely and not over- laden with work. The mopeds were never too far from the Thai way of life and soon enough we heard and then saw one zipping across the sand on the beach!! Another thing about this beach was the scurrying crabs! They were everywhere and impossible to avoid. We wondered whether they may come close to the fastest animal in the world relative to its size that is.
Our mission was to watch the beautiful sunset which last night had turned the sky a blood-orange red mixed will all sorts of shades of pink and purple too. We missed it last night due to an overly long afternoon nap, so tonight was going to be the night.. That was the plan, but it reality, it was a beautiful walk, but by the time the sun came to set, the clouds had drawn in and over it! On our walk back to our hotel room, the overpowering squeaking and squawking from the native locusts living in the palm trees, signalled the storm which was about to come. The bugs, probably only the size of a very large beetle, made a noise louder and more distinct than some birds I have heard. They mimicked the sound of seagulls we were used to at home, though no full squawk but more of an electrifying buzz sound which when they all joined in sounded like a sort of squawking army. Anyway, the storm hit - thunder, lightning, a monsoon of rain, so that was us settled for the evening!
Today we had a few hours of beach time, the sun was scorching and beat down on the resort already by 7:40 am with temperatures boasting around 38 degrees even that time of morning... And climbing higher! Not an ideal day to travel for an hour in a taxi then another hour and a half on a ferry over to Ko Phi Phi! Especially being that in Thailand, departure and arrival times never meant much and they sort of resembled 'subject to availability' offers and deals! In short, they were mere guidelines. Just as we found out on our way here, being that we were 2 hours behind our quoted arrival time, the ferry journey was not too dissimilar. We were scheduled to leave at 3pm and were still piling on at twenty past. The heat was verging on unbearable on the ferry and every minute wait felt too long to qualify as being only one minute. LUCKILY we weren't much past 3:30 when we left and arrived an hour and a half later, at a port situated between two gigantic rock formations (which may even have been mini mountains) to a beautiful island with clear waters. The overpowering abundance of marine life was immediately striking and included clownfish, zebra fish, and various other exotic looking swimmers.
Upon disembarking, westerners were instructed to pay a fee for entering the island, whilst locals and native looking people were ushered in a different direction, free of charge. 'It's clean up for beach charge, 20 Baht each' the lady at the kiosk instructed us. Whilst it's reasonably fair to assume it would be partying westerners who litter the island with bottles and various other articles of 'a good night', it's not wholly a welcoming feel when you are being treated differently the exact second you walk onto an island. By the same token, it's fairly correct to assume that it won't be a westerner (unless really drunk and in no mood to use the non-flushing local toilets) who decides it's acceptable to crouch down and do your business in a nearby ditch, or even the sea! Oh well, here in this place where there wasn't the usual emphasis on 'equality' that we were used to, it was seemingly acceptable to discriminate against foreigners - us! With that, we trekked towards our hotel which we had rebooked due to having read a review of our prior booking that it harboured 'murderous mosquitos' and cockroaches and various other bugs in the BEDS! Turns out, the new place that Joe had picked in the Gypsy Village was actually well located between the port side of the island, which harboured a row of restaurants, and the beach side of the island which was lined with bars. The room itself was very basic and the shower struggled to expel any more than a tiny dribble of water which made washing virtually impossible, but it smelled nice and appeared clean, so that was okay for us.
As we sat on the beautiful beachfront Four Seasons restaurant, we spotted our 'friend' Michele from our trek back in Chiang Mai. He and his girlfriend Syl mentioned coming to Ko Phi Phi. He told us about a fire show later on the other beach so we agreed we would check it out. The sky was pink and we watched the day turn to night before heading back to our hotel ready for a beachy night out!
We started off in a bar called Easy Bar, which was a small scale bar with an English feel to it. There was a variety of games laid out on the tables including Connect Four and Jenga. We ordered the special which was a bucket of 5 beers for 350 Baht - about £7! Then played Connect Four. We sat opposite a Thai massage boutique, where two very happy looking men sauntered out of. There was a row of girls sat outside, some looking glamorous, and trying to rope in customers, but especially men! It didn't take a genius to figure out that although this place was probably a very good massage place, they specialised in 'Happy Ending' massages for men. With that we headed off to check out the beach.
We spotted the fire show, which comprised of a few local (mainly men) people carrying out all sorts of whirls and twirls with fire. There was a distinct space around them and the front row chairs seemed oddly empty. The smell of gasoline was pervasive and it soon became obvious that this was a high risk exhibition. They flung petrol-soaked sticks high into the air, whilst balancing on a plank over a small cylinder. The fire show was hot, almost burning to watch. We opted for a bucket. Of what, we weren't entirely sure, but it claimed to have some rum and coke in it and tasted like it, just crazy strong ! In the stalls they were selling DIY versions of these' booze buckets' with whole quarter-litre bottles of alcohol. Our bucket tasted as though it may have been similarly constructed! We spotted our friends Syl and Michele and Michele took Joe off to a secret alley location where buckets were considerably cheaper. Syl and Viv stayed behind and were subjects of camera-harassment by some guy who wouldn't stop taking photos, albeit with our camera so at least the photos were ours to keep? By the point the boys got back, the fire show had transformed into an interactive ordeal, and we were itching to take part in the skipping rope which was burning hot and bright due to being doused in petrol. Then, it was on to the ring of fire, which was literally that! We all had a go jumping through it; individually, together and in small groups. The fire was crazy hot and it seemed to slightly singe our skin as we jumped near, but luckily the couple of buckets we shared helped to ease any worries or indeed burning sensation. After saying goodbye to our traveling buddies, we ended the evening with a walk in the sea at night.
This morning, we were both slapped in the face with our first hangover of the trip! We had been careful not to drink much on our trip, but the island which threw undoubtedly the best party, was responsible for a tired both of us. Especially when it came trying to shower underneath the barely bubbling shower. We were both confused over whether it was broken, screwed on too tight, or if that was just the norm in Gypsy Village. This was Thailand - and boy did we keep repeating that phrase to ourselves! Thankfully, the cockroach from the loo, did not lure any of his relatives our way, so we were only a shower down, with a gecko roaming free. That, we both decided was okay.
Having decided that the beach was going to be the best plan of action for the day, we headed down at around 11 am when it was already so hot that the sun's rays were like torturous laser beams, waiting to attack all foreigners. We saw our fair share of lobster/crab looking pale-skinned victims, and didn't much fancy that. Despite factor 50, we were cooking ourselves. For this reason we were reliant upon Faj. (Pronounced like 'Y' and with a f- sound at the start) Faj was responsible for the hiring out of parasols, and we were in desperate need of those for sure. We scurried across the scorching sand, and after burning off approximately 1mm of the skin on the sole so our feet, we chilled.
It was here that we came to realise all boyfriends, husband, and partners in Ko Phi Phi seemingly transformed into photographers for their partners who were on a 'Thai Shoot'. Apparently. Everywhere we looked were women (and not all particularly attractive) posing and directing their other halves to photograph them. Quite incessantly too, because if the photographer missed the ideal wave, or happened to click his lens too long after the perfect breeze which may have accentuated the flow of the 'model's' hair, they were instructed to retake.
As we laid there, we were amused. Both taking a look every now and again, but astonished at the amount of time that these women had commissioned their piece of sea for photos. One couple even had to move further out to sea due to the tide having gone out. We watched the desperate posers a little while longer before heading to get some lunch in a shack near by. Having been advised against chicken and burgers, we decided to take our chances and devoured a chicken roll and burger between us. It only took about two hours for Viv (who had opted for the chicken) to be struck by the Thai dilemma, and as a result we had to rush to find a toilet. It seemed that they were non existent in Phi Phi so we rushed to a restaurant and bought a bottle of water in order to be allowed the toilet. Making sure to grab lots of the tissue on the tables to compensate for the non existence of toilet paper in Thailand, viv rushed out to the back of the restaurant, following the signs to the toilet. This seemed to be the family toilet, and the realisation came when it was located directly next to the kitchen and behind the sofa on which the children were playing on their xbox. This not only gave little privacy, but there wasn't much dignity to be had either. The toilet, a hole, which didn't flush was equipped with a large barrel of water upon which a dog-bowl looking plastic bowl floated. One was expected to wash down their business with the water. An ordinary plastic bag hung on the wall for the disposal of soiled toilet paper and the like. Fantastic. The chicken roll definitely wasn't worth this.
The eventful toilet run meant having to rush back to the hotel room, and being nearer there, than not, for a while at least! By the time evening came, we were both ok may and ready to have a hearty meal. We decided to eat in a pirate themed restaurant. Prices were nowhere near western prices, but were definitely much dearer than the rest of Thailand we had experienced so far, so we thought we might as well treat ourselves to a nice place as opposed to the wok-like stalls we had grown accustomed to.
So last day in phi phi, the hygiene on the island had us both annoyed after just four days, so we were more than happy to get packed up and move on! Our plan for the day was pack, head to the beach for a few hours and head straight for the ferry which was due to take us to Phuket. Joe awoke with a bit of a Changover (Thai saying meaning hangover after their local beers which we called 'Chang') or in our case after one too many buckets of cheap plonk! So the day started slowly. After a quick dip in the sea though everything was back to normal! A couple of hours were spent chilling on the beach then before we knew it was time to head for the ferry!
We got to the pier early to try and secure a good seat but it seems others had the same idea! It felt like 100 degrees in the sun so there was a ton of people bidding for the only shade there was on the pier! However, some locals seemed to reserve shade for their luggage and opted not to offer shade to some passengers. We huddled next to a seriously potent bin which reeked a sour, just-baked-in-the-sun sort of smell. Still though, this was the more pleasant option compared with heat exhaustion in the sweltering sun. The normal Thai chaos ensued as we queued. Three boats, parked side by side and no instruction was given as to who would board which boat. No one had thought of, or was directed to form a queue, the Thai official motto seemed to be to just let tourists bundle on and off at will! Got to love them but the lack of order was starting to grate a little. Whilst we welcomed the cultural experiences we had so far encountered, we longed for a good British queue to join in an orderly fashion! Of course with it being a Thai boat we couldn't possibly leave on time even though the boat was fully boarded early! Thailand's residents seemed to be fully qualified faffers who frequently exercised this skill.
Once on our way, the captain treated everyone to a quick lap of Ko Phi Phi Le (smaller of the islands) just in case some people hadn't taken a tour during their stay. This was good to see as we had in fact opted not to take a boat trip due to frequent and often immediate need of a toilet thanks to the lack of hygiene in all aspects of the island.
The rest of the boat journey went well. We both chilled on the sun deck but had to seem shelter inside once we realised how much we were burning. Joe took the biggest hit and even with two applications of suncream, he ended up looking like a tomato!
We spent the rest of the journey cowering in the shade in a bid to avoid getting burnt! On arrival the normal chaos ensued, people bundling on the deck to get to the pile of bags first, hippy useless travellers and obviously fed up locals causing havoc as they jostled off the boat first!!! At least the next stage went relatively well (compared to our Krabi bus debacle!!!) and we got to Patong beach (Phuket) quickly and cheaply on a minibus organised for 150 baht each.
As soon as we hit the main strip of Patong beach it was all guns blazing ready for Songkran, the Thai new year! The streets were lined with locals and westerners armed with water guns ready to soak whoever came along. Some people were more brave and were continuously throwing buckets of water around. There was no doubt how much celebration was taking place, and it made our entrance into the busy town of Phuket seem extraordinarily welcoming. Just like during New Years for us, everyone appeared to be out to just enjoy themselves!
As we approached our hotel with anticipation due to it's hectic location, being that it seemed to be right in the heart of town, we were excited for our stay in Phuket. The hotel was lovely. The staff who seemed to be Italian were extra friendly, and this was a welcome contrast to our Thai experience so far. We quickly showered and settled and headed out in search of dinner. We found a nice restaurant close by and sat closest to the road so we could survey the wet street chaos outside. People everywhere were armed with water guns or buckets.....tonight would be interesting for sure!!!
We had plenty of beaching and swimming crammed in to the next day, and enjoyed the continuing water fest. We made some new friends out in a bar this evening. Celine and Matt were two friends traveling from Australia and they were a great pair to spend the evening with. We even made friends with some locals in our Songkran celebrations! We just had to purchase a new water bazooka. The whole street was at war with each other - but a friendly water war, and each water blow to the face came with a smile, followed by a hearty laugh. Generous local bars were offering free water for your gun when you bought a drink, others were charging a minimal amount. The third option, was to go dirty and scrounge for barrels of free water. This was usually brown and probably highly contaminated. Joe had perfected his aim and was aiming for any head passing by, whilst Viv had taken to squirting a cheeky splash into the mouth of passer-byers. What a brilliant evening - Phuket was a buzz!
We had a final day in Phuket before flying back to Bangkok in the late night. We opted to stay in an airport hotel this time, to ensure we got a quality night's sleep on the superking sized bed! We needed it because we were having to endure the 14 hour journey back home to England, after our last day in Bangkok.
This was by far the most enjoyable, and thoroughly exciting holiday. All we can say is thank you to everyone who contributed to the experience - it has given us one to treasure forever.
Love,
Mr. and Mrs. Rose x
