Beaches, Beaches and THE Beach! Koh Phi Phi

Oct 7 Koh Phi Phi

Getting up early to catch our Hotel's breakfast. And what a breakfast it is. Yummy! Andaman Beach Resort really spoils us there. And getting ready for our day on the Longtail Boat. Pretty much a full day tour with many stops for snorkeling, swimming and relaxing. And that all for just 400 Baht, roughly 10 Euros. The meeting point is at 9am just a minute from our Hotel. And as we are to find out we only set out over an hour later, since people there are having their breakfast too. Would have been nice if they told us before. I could have managed a bit more sleep. So we just sit around and wait while the other tourists gorge on the breakfast buffet as if they haven't been fed for 3 days.

The Longtail Boat we get on is full with Chinese tourists, the 3 of us and one European girl traveling by herself. The Chinese are very interesting. One has her boyfriend carry her to the boat since she doesn't want to get wet (why go on a full day boat trip then...) and some other are equally challenging. They barely speak English which is ok as the boat captain doesn't know any English either. With sign language he shows how much we have to pay if we loose any equipment, mask, snorkel or fins. And finally off we go to our first stop. It's only a few minutes drive and we stop by a nearby reef. It takes the Chinese forever to get their gear sorted out and it seems they are afraid of the water. After patiently waiting for a while I just head out and jump in. Come on all, there's fish to be seen. And what a great snorkeling site it is. There are swarms off fishes swimming only millimeters by and you right in the middle. Some are even so cheeky to bite a bit. Luckily it's not the whole swarm, I'd be a goner than. I can't name all the fish but there were aplenty and colorful ones at that.

After some snorkeling it's for a looooong boat ride to Mosquito Island (effing horrible name) but there's amazing snorkeling too and I spot my first Nemo's there. Aaaaaaah. Everyone loves Nemo and I certainly do too.

Next stop is Bamboo island where pristine white sandy beaches and turquoise water awaits. There are a few hiccups getting there. The boat just goes to the very deep end where there is no way of getting out without getting soaked, it's too deep to stand. The Chinese protest so the boat takes forever trying to find its way through to shallower waters. It's still breast deep when we get out but hey, I am wet already. The island looks just as in the advertisements. There is no development on the island despite a small snack stand and bathrooms for the tourists. But maybe the wild would be better. Bathrooms house gigantic spiders, luckily they don't move while we're there. At the snack stand it proves again why Thailand won't be a developed nation anytime soon. They simply don't want to make money. They refuse to sell something to Reija as she doesn't have exact change. It's obvious they have change their (I saw a wad of money when the last person bought something) but just don't want to take bigger bills. No money for you today my friend. That attitude is so often displayed in Thailand that they simply don't care whether you buy something from them or not and it really bugs me. Where is the friendliness everyone's talking about?

I get over that by moving my attention to the turquoise waters and wading through the tubwarm ocean. I think they call that paradise somewhere? After what seems like a way too short time to enjoy there is the dreaded whistle. Come back to the boat everyone. Nooooo! I wanna stay, I wanna soak in the water. Luckily it takes some time for everyone to get back so I just swim around the boat taking in the scenery.

The next boat ride seems to take forever. We go all the way from Bamboo island to Phi Phi Leh to stop at the Viking Caves. There's supposed to be nice snorkeling to, but no one wants to get in the water as garbage is floating everywhere. Yikes. The next stop, same thing. Garbage everywhere, so no dipping for us there. It also seems that our boat has more trouble navigating as it is deeper than other ones, they can't go everywhere.

Now what everyone's been waiting for. Maya Bay – The Beach, meaning Leonardo Dicaprio's beach. Except, we are not going to Maya Bay we are going to Losama Bay. From there we have to swim to swim cliffs, climb up some ropes and staircases and walk over to Maya Bay. Well that wasn't planned but for the xth time today I am thrilled about my Drybag purchase. I safely take all my stuff with me hop in the water and am the first one up and across. There is great snorkeling in Losama Bay too and I see a lot of those black and white fishes from Nemo. Along the ropes and up the steep slippery staircases through the island. On the way we pass the makeshift camp where there are plenty of military tents to accompany the people that book an overnight stay in Maya Bay. Doesn't look very cozy to me but apparently it's all about the booze anyway. Few more minutes through the jungle and then we finally reach it. The famous Maya Bay! It opens up for us the way it must have for Leo. Except today there's a few boats and plenty of tourists there. All taking pictures and taking in the scenery. It isn't hard to imagine why this place was chosen for the movie. It is breathtaking. Less so with all the people but still very, very scenic. Relaxing a bit and it's trekking and swimming back to boat. Watching other people cling to the rope for dear life instead of just swimming is simply hilarious. It takes them two minutes to get 3 meters. Maybe we won't get back today after all.

After Maya Bay there are some more stops planned. On Monkey Beach and some sunset viewing. We all gladly decline to get out. We got breakfast, fruits and lunch all before noon and now had nothing other than water for 6 hours. The sun is exhausting and I really don't want to deal with monkeys at the moment. Back on Phi Phi I really just want to shower and eat.

Another nice evening with dinner and drinks with 4 Finns and me at a Swedish restaurant where we coincidentally run into some other exchange students from Bangkok University. Small world that is! Marcus and I book the dive trip for tomorrow at Adventure Divers. They all have the same prices but this one has a smaller group of divers per instructor going for it. Only 2 divers per instructor/guide is great value as most others do 4 or 6. I have our diving Kiwi diving instructor Chris talk me into taking the refresher course. It's 3200 Baht instead of 2500 for the fun dive but may well be worth it since I haven't been diving in quite a while. Yeah! It's gonna be a very early morning for us since we head out at 7 but it's so gonna be worth it. No drinks for me today! Divers stay sober. So heading home fairly early to be fit in the morning for the undersea adventure!

Welcome to paradise, Welcome to Koh Phi Phi

Oct 6 Koh Phi Phi

Leaving early morning to Koh Phi Phi. Yes! Can't wait. Not sure if the weather is going to be better but what I heard at least Koh Phi Phi is already busy with tourists, and all places are open. Yes, most people would think that places heaving with tourists is a bad thing but after the very untouristy place of Koh Lanta I actually can't wait to see people again.

As our luck has it our pick-up is 20 minutes late and we are just hoping to make it to the 8am ferry – that only runs once a day in off season - on time. We get there 3 minutes to spare till we leave, yes, happy we made it. And so far the sun is shining. It's a pleasant 2-3 hour boat ride and just before we get to Koh Phi Phi the ferry docks off to another one that is heading to Phuket. So people actually don't switch boats from Koh Lanta to Phuket in Koh Phi Phi but mid-ocean, which is quite different.

We arrive on Koh Phi Phi and it is still sunshine, lucky us. Being too lazy to drag our luggage across the island we are booking accommodation on the Pier for the next two nights (not before not verifying online that the price quoted is reasonable, thanks to unlimited mobile Internet).

So we get a room at the Andaman Beach Resort and a guy with a cart picks up our luggage. There are no cars on the island, which I love, and virtually no motorcycles either. Even the bicyclists are having a hard time navigating their way through the tourists. A brisk walk later we get to check in, in a tiny but decent room and immediately make our way to the beach / pool. We have to catch the first sun rays in days. And since it's seemingly so long since I last saw the sun I underestimate it a bit and get sunburned the first official day on the beach. Aaaaarrrrgh!!! And I only have myself to blame. So suncream, after-sun, Aloe Vera and shirts with sleeves for the next few days for me.

It again rains a little bit today, but luckily that is soon over and we get to explore the island a little bit, have some late lunch and walk around. The main part of the island can all be easily walked in a few minutes and that makes it so great. No matter where you are staying, you really are close to everything. How nice not to have to rely on overpriced taxis etc. There is a wonderful beach on the other side of the island, filled with bars and cheap guesthouses, so the young backpacker crowd is never far. The beach is incredibly flat a long way out so makes for good scenery but not so good swimming.

Walking around the island we receive the tip to check out the viewpoint for sunset and we are just on time to make it there. Hot, dripping sweat and trying to avoid the monkeys and mosquitos, we reach the perfect setting. You see most of the island, including Koh Phi Phi Le and can watch as the colors change. Aaaaaaaaah! That is how I imagine a vacation. As an added bonus we get to witness a proposal. All well prepared with a blanket, flowers and of course... a ring. As was expected she cries and says yes. Hm, wonder how many people had had that idea before.

We make our way down before it gets pitch dark and meet up with Vilma and Marcus who arrived from Ao Nang earlier to plan out the next days trips and dinner plans. So tomorrow there will be an island trip, slow cheap longtail boat for us, speedboat for V+M, and day after diving is on the program. Yeah! Really looking forward to that one! The underwater world around Phi Phi should be breathtaking (hopefully not in a literal sense).

We pick a beachside restaurant for dinner and after negotiation a special price for seafood I decide to get a Whole White Snapper. I've had plenty of Red Snappers before but never a White one. Picked fresh and grilled especially for me, it's very tasty but if I had the choice next time I'll go for the Red one again. There is a live band in a bar nearby the restaurant which makes talking almost impossible, they also put on a Fireshow which seems to last forever. Next stop for us is the Bar area to get a little nightcap. It's Ladies Night with cocktails half off, but as you get what you pay for... they taste more than horrible. It's gonna be another bar next time for sure.

First day on Koh Phi Phi was just amazing! So glad we came here. Looking forward to exploring more tomorrow.

Koh Lanta - island of rain

Oct 4 & 5 Ao Nang & Koh Lanta

Vacation! Vacation! Vacation!

I survived my exams quite well – I hope and after spending many hours packing all my stuff together to vacate the room and for the trip I get a few minutes of sleep before I head to the airport at 4 in the morning. Being way too sleepy and overhearing the Thai announcements of last minute gate changes I almost board the wrong plane but make a run for it and catch mine just on time. But it's all worth it as at 8 am I am in Krabi and the sun is shining!

My pick-up is late but arriving and I meet Jonna and Reija near Ao Nang Beach where they've been trying to enjoy the last few days already (despite the rain). We catch up and our pick-up comes for a “two-hour” drive to Koh Lanta. The two hour drive somehow turns into 5 hours. Where they pick up more people, drop us off somewhere to pick us up in another car 30 or more minutes later. This happens a few times when we switch from Van to Pick-up truck to Van to Pick-Up truck. Hop on two ferries and finally arrive in Koh Lanta after 2 pm. It's been raining heavily for most of the time we spent on the road and the sun only comes up for a short time when we arrive in Koh Lanta.

I use the few minutes of sunshine to hop in the ocean. But unfortunately the beach is not clean, there is driftwood and stones all over. There's a pool there too but it is getting quite cold with wind and more rain. Only enjoyable thing to do is take a nap in a hammock and a massage. Dinner and then to the one bar that is open near bar. The bar only serves beer as it is off season and they have nothing else in stock. Very interesting.

Next day unfortunately turns out to be even more bleak. There is non-stop rain and no activities to do. Everything that you could do on the island, like kayaking, island hopping etc. is either canceled due to the rain or heavily overpriced (as in 3 times the price as on the mainland). So we confide to the hotel room, napping and eating. Since you also don't get any TV channels on the island the few TV shows I have on the Laptop bring us through the day. I take a short walk along the road when the rain stops for a minute but it does lead nowhere and there is no reason to rent a motorcycle because apparently all interesting roads are closed due to flooding and you can only really go up and down the main road from which you can't see anything. Even the bar is closed tonight, although last night the Swedish owner promised us to have cocktails today too. Well seems we are on an unlucky streak. Not open at all. And since our hotels restaurant is run by Muslims there is no alcohol served there. We spend the evening playing Finnish and Austrian card games and eating some more. What else is there to do.

Sorry Koh Lanta, bad weather and everything being closed in off-season really made it horrible to stay here. Am happy to leave to Koh Phi Phi tomorrow.

China in Bangkok

Oct 2 China in Bangkok

It is that time of year again. Reunion time with my dear friend from China, Ryne. Last year I made it out to Shanghai, this year she is doing a stopover in Bangkok on the way back to China after vacationing in Phuket. I have two exams to write tomorrow, but who cares. I only get to see Ryne once a year after all. You have to set priorities here.

Since Thailand is apparently cheaper to shop than in Shanghai we head out to Chatuchak weekend market for some retail therapy. There's plenty to be bought everywhere and food to be sampled but for obvious reasons Ryne stays clear of everything Made in China ;-)

Souvenirs, souvenirs, souvenirs. And after I thought there was no need to come back to Chatuchak weekend market since they have the same at all other markets across Bangkok I stumble upon many other things they have here I have not yet seen elsewhere. Handicrafts made in Chiang Mai, artwork in wood, metal, musical instruments. So there's much more to Chatuchak than I first expected. Maybe I will come back here for a third, fourth or fifth time... Let's see.

After Chatuchak market there's still more shopping to be done for Ryne so we are off to Chit Lom to go to a few malls. First stop is the Erawan Shrine in front of the Grand Hyatt which is famous in China for the four-faced Buddha. People praying and putting down decorations everywhere. A band singing and performing for people that pay them to wish for their prayers to be heard. Very busy shrine indeed. Centralworld Mall is not that busy. Quite empty for a Sunday actually. After a streetfood dinner we head there for desert only to run into a few Austrians at Cold Stone. What a small place Bangkok is. Nowhere is safe to hide anymore.

Sad to bid farewell to Ryne again so soon but promising to keep up our yearly meetings.

Now wish me luck for the exams tomorrow!

"Exam preparation"

Sep 20 onwards.... Exam preparation and relaxing

So if you gotta study hard you gotta party hard... or how did that saying go?

It's the last classes before mid-term exam, I have a few papers to write, speeches to prepare but nothing too much. I actually end up spending much free time trying to fix my Netbook that I got back from the repair shop. At the end of the day I need my Internet and I also need it to study, since all my notes and papers are electronically only. But hey, evenings are there to be enjoyed. We go out for Italian food, Irish food, American food and cocktail, movies. Its a good week. For the first time I also get to go to nightclubs in Thong Lo that are mostly Asian and not only filled with foreigners. The disadvantage at one club... the foreigners have to pay entrance fees while the locals don't. Doesn't feel fair since we are all living here, but that's just how it goes. So ate ourselves through the city partied up Thong Lo and Silom (again) and just enjoy lifeeeee!

Monday is the day before the exams start and to relax make it a beauty day before all else. There's still time to study, isn't it.

So no there's one or two exams each day – Tues/Wed/Thu/Fri – so that week isn't too exciting as I also do have to spend some time with the books and since the rain is hitting hard on many days it's not so bad either.

Friday, most exams survived is a day to celebrate again. Food at the Great American Rib Company. Food doesn't disappoint but the furnishings remind me more of a German Beer Garden than a Southern American Place. But hey, the company is good. And quite a few are already leaving tomorrow for their mid-term break, being lucky enough to have finished their exams this week already.

Got two more exams till I am off into vacation wonderland, and a nice day out planned for tomorrow!

The Siem Reaper

Sept 19 - The Siem Reaper

Time's gone by so fast and we are about to head back to Bangkok. Markus is going to stay in Cambodia to explore the countryside and capital via motorcycle and I can't wait for the great stories he will have to tell when he gets back. I enjoyed Cambodia very much for the little I have seen so far and can't wait to be back early next year at the latest.

The Taxi back is half the price than it was going here. Take that, Poipet Taxi mafia. Nice breakfast in the Hostel and Vilma and Marcus have secured 2 cabs to take us back to the border. Decked in with some nibblers for the journey we make it back with no problems seeing again a lot of overladen trucks, mopeds and all other stuff on the way. Border crossing is no problem – hurray to the multi-entry Visa. Once in Thailand the trouble start again. Since it's already scorching heat and our bus leaves in 30 minutes (there's only three daily buses to Bangkok Ekkamai, although there are a few more to Bangkok Mo Chith) we take a Tuk Tuk to the bus station and have to haggle very hard for the price. And although we tell him roughly 20 times to which bus station we need to go, where it is and where we need to go from there and he assures us his understanding we end up at a wrong bus station anyway. WTF! This wouldn't have happened in Cambodia. Back in Thailand and once again they don't speak English and take you wherever they want to go. Not a great welcome back to Thailand. To all ends Vilma and Marcus also end up on a different bus station than Joonas, Nina and I do. Somehow we all end up at the same place again and the Lady there is nice enough to honor our already bought bus tickets back to Bangkok even from this bus station. Turns out its the 2^nd stop after the border bus stop we actually wanted to get on and we are still able to go back with the bus at the same time we had planned. So good ending after all.

The bus back is luckily not nearly as full as coming here and the ride from Aranyaprathet to Ekkamai is smooth. Back to Bangkok.... Back to reality....well not for all of us. Marcus brought The Siem Reaper with him to stay for a bit.