Koh Tao

So we had decided on our best way to get to Koh Tao, overnight sleeper!  This one was   definitely better then my previous in Malaysia.  Cleaner and larger, and the again we got food, which this time was pretty good!  So we settled in for the night ready for our 4am wake up call   :-/

From here it was an easy trip across on the sea to the island... except for the waves that where building which led it to be a bit of a stomach churner...  Luckily we both managed to keep  our  food down... mainly I think as we  hadn't  really had any breakfast.    

We didnt have anywhere booked so we quickly found some bungalows, checked in and headed for some much needed breakfast.

That evening wanting to relax after all our travels (especially Ems, had been pretty non stop since flying from the UK!!).  We found a cool  little  beach bar, with a live acoustic singer, and great cocktails.  Cheap cocktails, a waiter who seemed to sense when we needed a drink and a serious lack of sleep, led us both to get quite drunk, quite quick! After the singer finished, the DJ's kicked in and we where presented with a fire show, and after already seeing 2 of these, this was by far the best one.  After the fire show finished it well and truely turned into a dance club, so we took this as our time to leave a staggered of into the night :-)

One of our highlights at Koh Tao has to be the scooter hire.  We both decided to hire out scooters, as they are a great way to see the island.  As Ems had never been on one beofre we headed out of town, along a quite road so she could get use to the feel.

Both feeling a bit more confident we headed back and decided to head a bit more inland, as we continued along the road got more and more rough eventually just turning into a dirt track, and it was getting steeper and steeper...  onward we kept going thinks surely it will level out soon... but it carried on going and eventually we came to a sign warning us to only carry on if we where on dirt bikes or buggies seemed a good place to do a U turn.  I turned mine around and I could see Ems was struggling, the wheels had got caught in a pot hole.

"Wait there I'll give you hand..." I said.  Ems being as stubborn as she is carried on...I could see her trying to push it with her weight, and give it some gas to help her along, I could see she was going to be off balance if it suddenly went..

"Wait, Wait ill give you hand..."  Ems had pushed and put the throttle, the bike zipped along dragging her with it.  I could see her  desperately  trying to put the brakes on, but she still had the throttle on.  The bike dragged her along, across the track and up a small  embankment, before they both came to a heavy thud back on the track....

Oh crap... Luckly Ems was not hurt (except maybe her pride... but I can say on my first attempt I very nearly did the same thing, only thing that saved me was seeing my friend do the exact same thing before me.  Crashing into 3 cars before coming to a stop, so not to bad...) the bike seemed okayish, only a couple of minor scratches, hopefully we would get away with it...

Ems said she was good to carry on, so of we set to try and find a little  deserted  beach.  We ended up overshooting the beach and never did find it... however the beach we did find, was stunning, crystal clear water,  gorgeous  sand, and lovely little restaurant overlooking.  With the nicest waiter we had seen since getting here, I think he had taken a shine to Ems :-) (I will just put in how nice it was to have a waiter with a smile, everywhere we had been on Koh Tao we had seemed to be an inconvenience to the staff, and we were lucky to be given a smile, really odd compared to everywhere else I had been...)

When we returned the scooter the next day, we sadly did have to pay a rather extortionate amount for the minor damage done.  I tried to argue the case, however they did have it all set out in black and white.  Ems chucked the money on their desk and turned and strode out.

It was soon time to move on to Chiange Mai....

Emily joins me :-)

So I made my way back from the national park, the first couple I wave down for a lift, are headed back to the town so I manage to get a lift with them the whole way (pictured in the last post). From here I catch the train to Bangkok.   Instead of buffet car, or lady with a trolley here instead they have about a dozen people who spend the entire trip shouting out offering there wares, from fruit teas, vegetables, thai curries, to strange and exotic fruit.  Funny at the start but tiring after 5 hours of constant shouting :-/   After a couple more underground trains, i get of at the stop I thought I had been told to get off... oops I got off a stop early there are no taxis, only scooter taxis, so with nothing else I jump on the back with my large rucksack and off we go, hurling along dual carriage ways, and busy city roads, after 30 mins I turn up at the hotel, where I am greeted by the concierge, where I am told I am the first guest ever to turn up on the back of a scooter ;-) lol

IIn Bangkok (BK) tomorrow evening Emily arrives :-)
I spend the day sight seeing the shopping area of BK, insane, after mall, with thousand little shops all seeming to sell the same thing, I wonder how they can make any money!

****Gay Alert Below**** ;-)

As the hour approaches for Ems flight I head to the airport.  I see that her flight has landed so I head to the arrival point, and as each set of people round the corner, I'm like a dog who has lost his owner, looking up expectantly for her to round the corner... 20 mins pass, no sign, 40 mins, still no sign, 70 mins...  I am in mid sentence to another man waiting for his girlfriend, when I see her round the corner... we both run to each other, Ems with her giant bag, she drops it I lift her up and give her big kiss and spin around (just like the movies).

We spend the next couple of days sight seeing around BK, and planning the next stage of our trip... Koh Tao

The Journey....

During the evening while still in Ayuthaya, I went to the Hostel desk, to find out how long it takes to get to the train station. So he asks where are you going, I say Khao Yao national park..

"on your own??" he asks, a surprised look on his face... erm yes

The next morning as I check out, as Im about to leave he shakes my hand and says "good luck" Oh shit what does he know that I dont...

I manage to get the right ticket and the right train, and as we pull into our first stop I think I have an idea what he was mentioning.  No stop signs where written in English, but I asked the women next to me wake me please when we get to Pak Chong my stop.

So without to much  difficulty I had done the train.  However now I was in Pak Chong not exactly a major route on the tourist trail.  So no one really spoke English, if they did they had no idea how to get to Khao Yai.  I luckly spot a tour group, and approach them, and they ask again the same question... you going on your own?? but point me in the direction of a local bus, which is more like a flat bed van with seats then a bus... and off I go with no idea where I should get off...

Luckily a girl on the bus speaks good english and lets me know that my stop is the next one.  Phew I have made it this far.

So I should explain now that Khao Yai is described as a vast wilderness, with one of the largest intact monsoon forests in Asia.  I has no where to stay, didnt really know where I was going and didnt have a camping equipment on me... For not the first time I considered heading back to Bangkok.

But no I headed to the front gate of the park, where you pay your fee.   She informs me there is no lodging but I can camp, I need to go to the information  center  16km away!!

Oh crap... But luckly at that exact moment a car pulls up fully laden with boxes and barrels, and tells me to jump on the back he will give me a lift.  Im still on my way... to somewhere???

I get to the information centre where I get a rather unhelpful map and Im told the place I need to camp is a  further 5km away. Again I think about turning back, as I have no camping equipment and only my large backpack and no food.  I stop and refill my bag with crisps and coke (hmm that should keep me going:-/.   But again I set of up the road.  With a short while I manage to hitchhike again to the camp site...

To my relief there is camping equipment to rent and also and a food station.

I pitch my tent and head of for a wander with no idea where to go except my rather useless map.  The countryside is magnificent, and as I head back in the evening and the forest lights up with the sounds of the evening, and suddenly the sky is flooded with a millions stars.  Wow it was worth the effort.

Ayuthaya

The capital of the Siam Empire!  I arrived late morning on a bus, after going through the usual tourist farce of being dropped just outside the main town near some very convenient Tuktuks, which I always refused to use out of principle, so walked the 20 mins to my hostel.

As I still had time I hired a fantastic yellow push bike, with a basket on the front (these are so helpful, all your stuff can go in, instead of having a rucksack).

My Trust Steed!!

The main draw for the city is the ancient ruins that are scattered around.  With  incredible architecture, as you climbed around the ruins, and down ancient stairways, you did feel a bit Indian Jones esk.

As I was cycling round I happened on a local market, where I tasted the best thai fishcakes I have ever had, WOW