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The last skytrain is around midnight. Chris and Adam were keen to head out as they landed and I hadnt had a night on Khaosan Road yet.
I got to their hostel around 11pm after hanging at a bar that had free billiards with Fitzey.. And I waited.
Their flight got in just before 1am; by 2am we were in a cab to Khaosan.
Somewhat to my displeasure, everything had closed by this time - not really that surprising! The street was still filled with drunken people and various street vendors, but no where near the bustling area it is earlier in the evening.
Immediately after getting to the road, Chris spotted a street vendor selling various bugs. He asked to try a fried cricket and got one for free ... Then decided to buy a plate. I have to admit, these were actually quite tasty. A little crunch as you bite into them but after it is really juicy. They are obviously marinated to hell because all you really taste is a nice barbecue flavour.
We finished the night walking around, having a drink at a bar and cabbing home. Taxi's are surprisingly cheap at night when there is no traffic - catching one through Bangkok at peak hour is less fun.
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Thursday, Chris and Adam went off to stay with Adam's uncle, a few hours north west of Bangkok. Fitzey and I moved into the private 3 bed room we had booked at the same In a Box Hostel we stayed at earlier.
I dont really have much else to write about here. By this stage I had spent around five nights in Bangkok and was just over it. The beauty of Thailand is its nature, not an overcrowded somewhat dirty city - I was keen to get out.
Friday we checked into a guesthouse style hostel about 10 minutes walk from Khaosan Road. After doing so, we caught a taxi down to the Chinatown area, checked out a temple and walked the markets. Once more - a little more of the same.
One thing worth writing about here is the Pad Thai that I ate on Khaosan Road. Wow. For a mere 50 baht I had egg and shrimp pad thai from a little street vendor (with a huge line so you know know its good), and it was the best pad thai I have had and probably will have while here.
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Saturday we reunited with Chris and Adam at the airport and the five of us jumped on a plane to Phuket. At the airport we managed to organise all of our ferries and transfers between the islands - thank goodness because I was a little worried having no idea how to get from one place to the next! I dont mind when its just me and Fitzey, but being responsible for a bigger group is more stressful...
I didnt realise until I got to the hotel, but I accidently managed to book two different places for the same night in Phuket. One I booked well in advance before I left, and the other a hostel a few days earlier. We had to pay for both, about $42 all up. Luckily the hotel was really nice - two rooms between us and a pool in a good area.
The hotel was in Patong, once more a known seedy nightlife area. The four of us boys got lead into a club with a unique type of performances. Let's just say it involved table tennis balls, darts, razor blades and even a bird being removed from certain parts of the female anatomy. #Thailand.
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7am the next morning we were picked up by a minibus and delivered to Phuket Town and its ferry station. An hour and a half on the ferry and we arrived on Phi Phi Don island. This place is just unbelievable. I am writing this sitting in the "common room" at the hostel, looking out into the most perfect beach I have ever seen. Beautiful blue waters, white sands and just cliffs and mountains surrounding it. Incredible.
During the day I begrudgingly spent a bit of time checking out the "Ibiza Pool Party" - DJ's were playing, people were standing around drinking in the pool and moving to the music. I hated it. Who comes to an exotic island with beautiful natural beaches to dance and drink in an enclosed pool area? Douchebags, that's who.
That night we head out from our hostel into the various beach parties. Partying at night? That's ok in my books! A bunch of the hostels/bars/clubs had fire shows out the front - very cool stuff. Some very talented Thai men twirling and throwing fire staffs was a hell of a sight. One guy even got onto a tight rope and started twirling... Practise makes perfect I guess!
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The next day (yesterday, the 2nd) I organised for the four of us to go on a tour - and it was well worth it. We were taken by boat to the next island over from where we were staying - Phi Phi Le.
First stop was Monkey Beach - unsurprisingly based on the name, it had a bunch of monkeys hanging out.
From here was one of the main attractions for me - a cliff jump. We were taken to a rock face just off of one of the main formations and told to climb and wait at the top. The cliff had various levels of heights to jump off, the biggest being some 15m from the water. It was fucking scary. Standing rather safely in the middle of the rock and looking over, my legs were shaking almost uncontrollably.
Chris wasnt waiting around for us any longer and jumped off first. Adam and I look at each other like "ok .. I guess we have to go". I stepped to the edge, looking down at what I was standing on, looking at where I needed to jump, and I froze. I was half tempted to move to the lower platform, which had a much nicer run up than where we were. After hearing cheers from the two circling boats down below I thought "fuck it" and lept off, GoPro in hand.
That falling feeling; I love it. It reminded me of that first few moments when you jump out of a plane - another high adrenaline thing I wish I could do more of. I hit the water hard in what was more or less a pin drop. My contacts were immediately moved around; one had ripped out by the surge of water and the other dislodged on my eyeball somewhere. I swam for the surface for what felt like an eternity. I was out of breath, treading water, waiting for Adam to jump after - I had to film it after all.
I swam back to the boat and climbed aboard. Worth it. Of the eight or so people that jumped, Adam, Chris and I were the only ones to jump from the highest point. #Straya
From here, the next stop was somewhere for a spot of snorkelling - something I had been very excited to do again. I remember snorkelling as a kid up on the Great Barrier Reef and loved it. This time as an adult, I jumped in the water and I panicked. I kept losing my breath and struggling to breathe through the snorkel. It was so foreign, my brain took over and I kept having to take my mask off and tread water to settle myself.
I spent a good fifteen minutes swimming around and begun to relax and breathe better through the tiny tube. You do not need to swim fast, just gently flap around and take in the view - and what a view it was.
I plan to do a scuba diving certification course on Koh Tao in a week or so - mum and dad are paying as my birthday present; thanks guys! After my somewhat of a failure snorkelling I am pretty nervous about diving. It is something I really want to try out so I will persist!
Next stop was Maya Bay - the famous beach from the 1999 film The Beach. It was easily the most picturesque beach I had seen. Perfect in every way.
Unfortunately due to my prior issue with the contacts I could only see clearly out of one eye - I was sure to GoPro a lot of it!
We then jumped back in the boat and headed off to watch the sunset. More beautiful sights.
We only had two days on Ko Phi Phi, next stop was Ko Phangan and the Full Moon Party on the 5th of March.
Today was an entire day of travel. The group woke up around 830am, packed our gear, had a bite to eat at a restaurant and jumped on the 10am ferry. The ferry to Krabi took a couple hours, which was followed by a bus to Surat Thani on the northern side of Thailand's mainland, followed by a final two and half hour ferry to Ko Phangan.
Left at 10am, arrived at 8pm. Long day of moving around, but we covered a good distance in that time!
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