After Koh Tao Tim and I took a sleeper boat and bus from Koh Tao to Railey beach in Krabi (on the other coast of Thailand). We were completely astounded by how gorgeous Railey is! The area is surrounded by limestone cliffs, caves, and beautiful green/blue waters and is a climbers paradise. We spent three days in Railey lounging at the various beaches and exploring the caves. Our bungalow was a bit secluded and in the jungle above the beach overlooking the water which was awesome.
We took a boat from Railey to Koh Lanta which we heard was a laid back, fun island with nice beaches. We weren't' disappointed! Koh Lanta had some beautiful beaches and was a really fun place to motorbike around the island because the roads were pretty easy to drive. Tim and I ended up staying at this awesome bungalow resort on Long Beach called Hutyee Bungalows run by a family we got really close to. The family were traditional Muslim, as is most of the island, so it was interesting to learn more about Muslim life. We ate dinner with the family almost every night and spent lots of time playing with the kids, kittens, and other animals in the jungle bungalow resort.
From Koh Lanta Tim and I said goodbye to Thailand and headed into Malaysia. After a long travel day we ended up on the busy island of Penang in Georgetown. This was our first time in a city for a while since we'd been bumming it on the Thai islands for so long. We spent lots of time walking around the city and enjoying the Little India area and food. We had amazing Tandori chicken dinners for 3 dollars each... yum!! After a few days of exploring Penang Tim and I decided to catch a flight down to Bali to meet up with our friends from home, Gui and Kai.
Right now we're spending time with them in Indonesia. I'll finish writing about that later because we're all about to go out to a nice Indonesian meal on the beach right now!!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Koh Phagnan and Koh Tao
We ended up staying on Phagnan for over a week... we got sucked in, it's just so beautiful! After a few nights in the northern part of the island (enjoying the infinity pool and a bungalow right on the water) the four of us moved further south. We stayed in Haad Rin, where the full moon party is. In Haad Rin we enjoyed a gorgeous white sand beach, went motorbiking (Tim taught me!), hiked to a waterfall, and went snorkeling. We also met some great Thai friends that showed us around on Songkran, Thai new year and a huge country wide water fight. In the evening after a poker game and some pool we went to the beach to enjoy the party with some Thai friends from the poker game. The beach was full of foam, dancing, buckets, and of course people throwing water on each other; it was a great time! The next morning Tim and I met up with our Thai friend, Jigsaw, and threw water on people driving by for hours with a big group of Thai kids. Then we met up with a few friends from the night before and went into town for another massive water fight and a party. Needless to say we were drenched the whole day and had a fabulous time!!
After staying on the island for a few days longer than we intended, we headed to Koh Tao for a few days to get our diving certifications. We found a great dive company with an awesome instructor (Steve) and spent three days learning about scuba diving. Tim and I also went on a few dives that were amazing! We saw so many colorful fish, sting rays, eels, coral, and other sea animals. This morning we both officially passed the test and go on two more open water dives today. Tomorrow we head back to Koh Phagnan for the full moon party and then head to the West Coast for more island hopping.
After staying on the island for a few days longer than we intended, we headed to Koh Tao for a few days to get our diving certifications. We found a great dive company with an awesome instructor (Steve) and spent three days learning about scuba diving. Tim and I also went on a few dives that were amazing! We saw so many colorful fish, sting rays, eels, coral, and other sea animals. This morning we both officially passed the test and go on two more open water dives today. Tomorrow we head back to Koh Phagnan for the full moon party and then head to the West Coast for more island hopping.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Cambodia and Our Return to Thailand
Jennavid (Jen and Dave), Tim, and I headed for the somewhat seedy beach town of Sihannokville, Cambodia. We were assaulted by tons of vendors on the beach but enjoyed swimming in the incredibly warm water and trying out the seafood. The next day we headed off for some seclusion on Koh Rung and island 3 hours off the coast. We stayed at the treehouse bungalows for 5 nights where we had our own private beach and bungalow in the jungle. There were so many critters everywhere; monkeys on the trees next to our outdoor shower, huge geckos guarding our room, enormous spiders, ocean crabs, water buffalo, fish, and the list goes on! We spent most of our time snorkeling, fishing, taking boat trips, swimming, and sharing klang beers and buckets with our Aussie friends. We were very sad to leave.
The four of us took a ferry boat back to Shiannokville and the next day departed for a return visit to Phnom Phen. Unfortunately we had to part ways with Jennavid the next day. (We miss you guys lots and hope to meet up again on the trip!!)
Tim and I headed to Siem Reap for a few days to check out the temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. We left the hotel at 5am to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat which was beautiful! We went to a bunch of temples but our favorites were Bayon (the one with the faces), Ta Phrom (tomb raider), and of course Angkor Wat. It was incredible and we hope to go back one day!
We continued on to Bangkok and met up with my friend Lindsey from Los Altos and her friend Lauren at the central market. It was so great to see them! We spent the evening drinking Chang and enjoying Bangkok's nightlife. The next day went to the Floating Market. The four of us ate papaya salads and split a whole grilled catfish from the river. That night Tim and I caught an overnight bus to Koh Samui and parted ways with Lindsey and Lauren. (Let's meet up again soon girls, it was so nice to see you!)
It was a very long trip to Ko Samui and Tim and I very nearly were robbed by a wandering hand in the middle of the night. Luckily all of our belongings were ok but a few people on our bus lost a significant amount of cash. We finally made it to Koh Samui and met two Englishmen, Mike and Gordon that we've been hanging out with ever since. Unfortunately the four of us got caught in a huge storm. There was tons of flooding and we had no power for a while. Tim and I had to switch rooms because ours almost flooded. We waited out the storm for a few days and moved to a part of the island with electricity. When the storm finally subsided we rented motor bikes and toured around the island. It was a beautiful island but very poor timing to be there!
Yesterday the four of us ferried over to Koh Phagnan. We are staying in some great bungalows right next to a white sand beach and the weather seems to be pretty good. Keep your fingers crossed for us that it stays sunny!
The four of us took a ferry boat back to Shiannokville and the next day departed for a return visit to Phnom Phen. Unfortunately we had to part ways with Jennavid the next day. (We miss you guys lots and hope to meet up again on the trip!!)
Tim and I headed to Siem Reap for a few days to check out the temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. We left the hotel at 5am to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat which was beautiful! We went to a bunch of temples but our favorites were Bayon (the one with the faces), Ta Phrom (tomb raider), and of course Angkor Wat. It was incredible and we hope to go back one day!
We continued on to Bangkok and met up with my friend Lindsey from Los Altos and her friend Lauren at the central market. It was so great to see them! We spent the evening drinking Chang and enjoying Bangkok's nightlife. The next day went to the Floating Market. The four of us ate papaya salads and split a whole grilled catfish from the river. That night Tim and I caught an overnight bus to Koh Samui and parted ways with Lindsey and Lauren. (Let's meet up again soon girls, it was so nice to see you!)
It was a very long trip to Ko Samui and Tim and I very nearly were robbed by a wandering hand in the middle of the night. Luckily all of our belongings were ok but a few people on our bus lost a significant amount of cash. We finally made it to Koh Samui and met two Englishmen, Mike and Gordon that we've been hanging out with ever since. Unfortunately the four of us got caught in a huge storm. There was tons of flooding and we had no power for a while. Tim and I had to switch rooms because ours almost flooded. We waited out the storm for a few days and moved to a part of the island with electricity. When the storm finally subsided we rented motor bikes and toured around the island. It was a beautiful island but very poor timing to be there!
Yesterday the four of us ferried over to Koh Phagnan. We are staying in some great bungalows right next to a white sand beach and the weather seems to be pretty good. Keep your fingers crossed for us that it stays sunny!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Lao Continued
Vang Vieng was a "falanged" out town (or in other words very touristy). Despite that Tim and I enjoyed ourselves quite a bit. Tubing was definitely the highlight. We rented a few inner-tubes and rode the river for about 3 hours stopping at various riverside bars. One of them had a few water slides and rope swings that Tim enjoyed immensely (they were free when you bought a beer).
After a few days in Vang Vieng we headed south to Laos capital Vientiane. The city was pretty expensive (we only stayed for 2 nights) but we enjoyed wandering around and taking in the big city life during the day. We teamed up with a few Americans Nate and Jessie and ate some street food and checked out the night market together.
From Vientiane Tim and I headed further south to a smaller town called Savannakhet. We had a difficult experience on the local night bus which dropped us off 30 km outside of Savannakhet at 4am. Luckily we caught a ride into town with a nice family. It was incredibly hot in Savannakhet so during the day we mostly hung out in the shade and read/played cards and in the mornings and evenings explored the river front, casinos, lao bbq, and noodle soup stands.
Our next and final stop in Laos was the Four Thousand Islands or Si Phan Don. Tim and I stayed on the island of Don Det. We found an amazing bungalow for 5 dollars a night right on the river and sunk in there for a week. The swimming and the scenery were fantastic but the best part by far was the family that owned our bungalows. They were incredibly friendly and generous with us. The father of the house, Paan took Tim and I fishing 3 times in his boat for free and even brought us to an island deep in the jungle to dine with a few of his friends. Their children were amazing also; they swam with us and jumped off our shoulders at the island (Jesus Island) that was a five minute swim from our bungalow. On the last night we had a bbq of chicken and fish that our family prepared for us along with a lot of Lao lao (rice whiskey). Tim and I were very sad to leave but we hope to go back and visit them again!
Yesterday we made it all the way from Don Det to Phnom Penh (the capital of Cambodia). Today we got a tuk tuk driver for the day and saw one of Pol Pot's killing fields which was sad but very moving. We toured around the city and saw Wat Phnom (a temple) and the Central Market. We also ran into some friends from Luang Prabang, Jen and Dave. We're about to splurge and go out for our first Mexican food for dinner tonight so we have to run! But tomorrow we'll get to our first beach in 1.5 months, Sihannokville (and maybe make it to a more secluded island like Ko Rung). We'll keep you updated!
After a few days in Vang Vieng we headed south to Laos capital Vientiane. The city was pretty expensive (we only stayed for 2 nights) but we enjoyed wandering around and taking in the big city life during the day. We teamed up with a few Americans Nate and Jessie and ate some street food and checked out the night market together.
From Vientiane Tim and I headed further south to a smaller town called Savannakhet. We had a difficult experience on the local night bus which dropped us off 30 km outside of Savannakhet at 4am. Luckily we caught a ride into town with a nice family. It was incredibly hot in Savannakhet so during the day we mostly hung out in the shade and read/played cards and in the mornings and evenings explored the river front, casinos, lao bbq, and noodle soup stands.
Our next and final stop in Laos was the Four Thousand Islands or Si Phan Don. Tim and I stayed on the island of Don Det. We found an amazing bungalow for 5 dollars a night right on the river and sunk in there for a week. The swimming and the scenery were fantastic but the best part by far was the family that owned our bungalows. They were incredibly friendly and generous with us. The father of the house, Paan took Tim and I fishing 3 times in his boat for free and even brought us to an island deep in the jungle to dine with a few of his friends. Their children were amazing also; they swam with us and jumped off our shoulders at the island (Jesus Island) that was a five minute swim from our bungalow. On the last night we had a bbq of chicken and fish that our family prepared for us along with a lot of Lao lao (rice whiskey). Tim and I were very sad to leave but we hope to go back and visit them again!
Yesterday we made it all the way from Don Det to Phnom Penh (the capital of Cambodia). Today we got a tuk tuk driver for the day and saw one of Pol Pot's killing fields which was sad but very moving. We toured around the city and saw Wat Phnom (a temple) and the Central Market. We also ran into some friends from Luang Prabang, Jen and Dave. We're about to splurge and go out for our first Mexican food for dinner tonight so we have to run! But tomorrow we'll get to our first beach in 1.5 months, Sihannokville (and maybe make it to a more secluded island like Ko Rung). We'll keep you updated!
Friday, February 25, 2011
"If you can do it, you can do it in Asia"
After Chiang Mai Tim and I took the very windy road up to a smaller town in Northern Thailand called Pai. We found a gorgeous riverside bungalow with a hammock and a bamboo swing and spend lots of time reading and relaxing and making friends with the hippie travelers in Pai. One of the days we borrowed an innertube from our guesthouse and went on a walk up the river and went tubing. It was pretty relaxing except for a group of young Thai boys that chased us part way down the river pointing at us (we were in Western swimsuits and I think they had never seen a girl so uncovered). Tim also mastered riding a scooter while we were there, which was not easy especially because in Thailand everyone drives on the opposite side. The last day in Pai I was feeling the effects of some street food so Tim went fishing at a local pond on the scooter and caught 15 catfish... pretty good! He met some locals and picked up on some of their tricks... using dog food as bait.
From Pai we traveled straight to the border and the next morning crossed into Laos. Once in Laos we bargained our way onto a 2 day slow boat from the border to Luang Prabang. The ride was beautiful, there were lots of locals around fishing and we saw a lot of water buffalo. We stopped in Pak Beng for the night and the next day we made it to Luang Prabang. We teamed up with a couple of Aussies, Jen and Dave from Sydney, and found a nice guesthouse and a good deal on Beer Laos (3 for 21,000 kip or $2.50). The four of us spent a lot of time wandering around the city full of temples and checking out the night market full of handicrafts. Almost every night we ate Lao Bbq, which was amazing (a soup that you cook yourself at the table). For me though, the two highlights of the city were visiting the waterfall and seeing the safron circuit. Tim and I actually went to the waterfall twice, once with Jen and Dave and once after they left because we loved it so much. The water was extra blue from all the minerals and very refreshing. There was a very fun rope swing and cliff to jump off of (Tim and Dave even made it into a tourism comercial for Luang Prabang). After enjoying the waterfall we woke up extra early to see the 500 monks in the city walk around and collect their food for the day. It was an incredible sight!
Tim and I went further north to a small town only accessible by boat called Muang Noi. The town had no electricity but lots of small town appeal. Muang Noi is surrounded by misty limestone mountains and jungle. We spent lots of time relaxing, swimming in the river, and getting to know locals. Tim and I also visited the village market and got to see how the locals trade/buy their goods.
Yesterday we left relaxing Muang Noi and had a 12 hour travel day to get to Vang Vieng. We found a nice quiet bungalow away from the party town of Vang Vieng and have been enjoying the rainy day today. Hopefully we will go tubing while we're here but we'll keep you posted!
On another note, our memory card for the camera got a virus so we may not be posting pictures for a bit until we can buy a new one. Hopefully we can recover the images and post them soon.
From Pai we traveled straight to the border and the next morning crossed into Laos. Once in Laos we bargained our way onto a 2 day slow boat from the border to Luang Prabang. The ride was beautiful, there were lots of locals around fishing and we saw a lot of water buffalo. We stopped in Pak Beng for the night and the next day we made it to Luang Prabang. We teamed up with a couple of Aussies, Jen and Dave from Sydney, and found a nice guesthouse and a good deal on Beer Laos (3 for 21,000 kip or $2.50). The four of us spent a lot of time wandering around the city full of temples and checking out the night market full of handicrafts. Almost every night we ate Lao Bbq, which was amazing (a soup that you cook yourself at the table). For me though, the two highlights of the city were visiting the waterfall and seeing the safron circuit. Tim and I actually went to the waterfall twice, once with Jen and Dave and once after they left because we loved it so much. The water was extra blue from all the minerals and very refreshing. There was a very fun rope swing and cliff to jump off of (Tim and Dave even made it into a tourism comercial for Luang Prabang). After enjoying the waterfall we woke up extra early to see the 500 monks in the city walk around and collect their food for the day. It was an incredible sight!
Tim and I went further north to a small town only accessible by boat called Muang Noi. The town had no electricity but lots of small town appeal. Muang Noi is surrounded by misty limestone mountains and jungle. We spent lots of time relaxing, swimming in the river, and getting to know locals. Tim and I also visited the village market and got to see how the locals trade/buy their goods.
Yesterday we left relaxing Muang Noi and had a 12 hour travel day to get to Vang Vieng. We found a nice quiet bungalow away from the party town of Vang Vieng and have been enjoying the rainy day today. Hopefully we will go tubing while we're here but we'll keep you posted!
On another note, our memory card for the camera got a virus so we may not be posting pictures for a bit until we can buy a new one. Hopefully we can recover the images and post them soon.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai
We made it to Chiang Mai at 6am and sleepily wandered the town to find a guesthouse. We ended up with a great place with hot water for 200 baht or 6 dollars a night. That day the four of us took advantage of the annual flower festival that was occurring in the town center. We watched the parade for nearly 4 hours and the flower covered floats just kept coming! The following day we took a tuk-tuk (open air taxi) just outside of the city to a beautiful temple on a nearby mountain top. Later that day we checked out the Chiang Mai zoo. The definite highlights were the black leopard (and other big cats), hand feeding giraffes, and petting a baby elephant. Later that night we walked around a huge Sunday night market and got Thai oil massages for 200 baht/hour each. Yesterday the four of us toured northern Thailand. We saw a gorgeous white temple, some small hot springs, and the black-gold triangle, the opium and heroin capital of Asia (also the joining place of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand). Unfortunately on the ride home to Chiang Mai our German companions decided to stay north in Chiang Rai, so we parted ways with high hopes of later visiting them in their homeland for some world class beer and sausage! After a long ride home an episode of Dexter on the ipod we got home and passed out! Today we have done nothing noteworthy, and have lazily milled around town just enjoying the beautiful weather and the land of 1000 smiles.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Exploring Bangkok
Tim and I lucked out with our Guesthouse because it is right by Fort Phra Sumen and the large river that runs through Bangkok. At this fort/park we got to see many boats, thai people doing aerobics, people fishing, and we encountered some pretty cool reptiles (Tim's favorite part). We saw a turtle, some geckos, and a huge Nile Monitor Lizard. The lizard looked like a mini crocodile and we caught it right when it was feasting on a large fish.
Yesterday we took advantage of the river and hopped on a ferry boat to the center of town. On our way we met a nice couple, one from Germany and the other from Quebec, (Jensen & Marianne) that we shared the day with. After a long ferry ride, we got on the metro and "got lost". We stumbled upon a huge shopping mall, a temple, the US Embassy, and the Lumphini Park (where we saw more Nile Monitor Lizards). Once the day was over we decided to hang out with our new friends a little longer over some Thai food and Chang beer. Unfortunately they had to take off for an island in the South but we hope to meet them again in our 5 months of traveling.
Today Tim and I are leaving Bangkok for a smaller town, Ayuthaya. We will let you know how that adventure goes and post more pictures soon.
Yesterday we took advantage of the river and hopped on a ferry boat to the center of town. On our way we met a nice couple, one from Germany and the other from Quebec, (Jensen & Marianne) that we shared the day with. After a long ferry ride, we got on the metro and "got lost". We stumbled upon a huge shopping mall, a temple, the US Embassy, and the Lumphini Park (where we saw more Nile Monitor Lizards). Once the day was over we decided to hang out with our new friends a little longer over some Thai food and Chang beer. Unfortunately they had to take off for an island in the South but we hope to meet them again in our 5 months of traveling.
Today Tim and I are leaving Bangkok for a smaller town, Ayuthaya. We will let you know how that adventure goes and post more pictures soon.
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