Monday, 22 February 2010

So, only a few days left before our big adventure comes to a close…. :(  Well were gonna make the best of the last 5 days, but here is what we have been up to in the last few weeks!   Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!


7th February…..  continued….
After our longest sleep to date, we have a day of relaxing, so it’s off to the river for breakfast and a vitamin rich shake.  Except, we don’t have time to relax, so I'm typing the blog and Lozza is doing her journal.  It’s now mid day, so we’re off to lunch…..  who knows what we will be up to this evening!!!

By the time evening comes around we have managed to fill our day with nothing.  Great.  But as we get stuck into some BBQ ribs, we get chatting to a couple of Aussies, that then turns into a few beers (oohhhh  my liver???....) soon enough, 1am rolls past and we have arranged to go tubing again tomorrow!  
By the time we roll into our room once more, we have decided that it’s probably a bad idea to stay, only as we will need serious time on an NHS ward if we keep this up!

8th February
We wake to catch our bus to Luang Prabang….. 7am, a little difficult, given our late night!  Still, we have 5 hours of fab scenery to stare at as the bus weaves its way through the mountain passes.  After about 2 hours, everyone is relieved to take a break, the hairpin bends are making even the most seasoned traveller feel quite travel sick. 
By 2pm we arrive and catch an overpriced Tuk Tuk to the town.  This journey sets the bar for the town, as Luang Prabang is now quite a tourist town, and the locals have realised the price of the dollar.  Subsequently, everything is at least twice the price of the rest of the county.  Anyway, we reside ourselves to this fact (everyone else is having to pay this too) and we crack on and check into our overpriced hotel room.   (I'm not bitter or anything!!)
Having looked round the town and booked tomorrow’s entertainment, we discover a new game.  Among other things, Luang Prabang is known for having loads of Wat’s (Buddhist Churches).  When we spot one, one of us would shout “Wat!”  However, if you wait until the other person is speaking about something or another, there is much fun and hilarity as they repeat their statement, many times, as the other person replies with “What?”…. until they realise they are talking about a  Wat?!....  wow aren’t we the exciting ones!!!....
Sunset drinkies over the Mekong river before retiring. 

9th February
Today is an action packed day of fun fun fun!  So up we get, jump on our rented mountain bikes and make our way (with a guide!) out of the town and into the hills.  Hills, roads, scenery, rivers etc etc…  you get the idea.
By 11am we have ditched the bikes and get into our canoes…. Water, hills, rivers etc etc….  you get the idea.






After our “white water experience” we jump aboard our elephant……  that’s right, elephant.  Its turns out to be quite the big business out here as all the working elephants have now been retired from the logging industry.
Rather than being turned loose, they have now been put to work carrying tourists.  So we go for a wander round the paths of the forest on top of a 15 year old elephant.  Our Mahout then takes our Nelly into a river for a splash about before taking us back to the camp. 
Here ends the tour, so we quickly nip back to town and jump in a tuktuk to a waterfall… (well, we haven’t seen one for a few days!) 
It’s actually quite amazing.   
The water emerging from a spring 2km away is rich in minerals and as the water reaches its first drop off, slowly deposits the minerals (in a similar process to the stalagmites you will see in a cave).  
This has created a vast network of pools and streams and caverns down the side of the hill.  Anyway, the sun is going down so we jump in to as many pools as we can before heading back into town, shivering in the back of the tuk tuk.
After dinner, it’s  off to bed early as……

10th February 
5:00am the alarm goes off. We quickly get dressed and stumble through the dark streets and pick our spot by the side of the road.   Slowly, more and more bleary eyed tourists make an appearance.  Most carrying little baskets.  Wat are we all up to?....
The 6am bell strikes and 400 monks come out of the Temples and start making their way down the street.   This is a tradition that dates back thousands of years, where the local people donate some food to the monks as they pass by.  This is the food they eat for the rest of the day.  It’s all slightly odd, but the image is quite an amazing sight.  
What made this event even more odd, is the hundreds of tourist taking part in the whole event.  And, of course, the thousands of cameras and flashes furiously snapping away!......  I think that’s slightly taking away from the tradition of the event…  
(I can hardly talk… as I furiously snap away???......)  having said that, presumably the monks bowls are considerably more full and therefore don’t go hungry, than if they weren’t here!

So after a leisurely breakie, we grab the stuff and make our way to the airport…..  Laos….. tick…… we’re off to Thailand!
We arrive in Chiang Mai, the northern capital of Thailand, ditch the stuff and head out for a wander.   One of the Main Wat’s, in the city, has taken the influx of tourist in its stride and has set up “monk chat”  where monks  practice their English while the tourist can ask the monks what their life is all about, why do they where orange etc etc.  It’s quite nice to get a handle what it’s all about…..  orange represents the color of the earth….  Apparently?
Enlightened we head off for a sundown drink by the river.   The rest of the night is taken up looking round the Night bazaar, with their hundreds of stalls selling everything you can imagine (and everything you can’t!) and getting a deserved street massage for 1 hour….. for £2!!

11th February
Time for our next excursion.  We get met by a pickup truck and collect the other 8 guests for our guided tour of the local hills….  That’s right, we’re off for a 2 day trek….   Well  I say trek……  first off, it’s an odd stop off at a butterfly and orchid farm?.... 3 mins later, we are back on the road. 
Our fellow trekkers comprise of a couple from America, a couple of girls from Canada, another couple of WHINGY American girls (one with the biggest gravity defying  knockers Lorraine and I have ever seen…..  seriously, Pamela Anderson has nothing on this girl) and a couple from Italy (oh my god, is she hairy!!!!, as she clings onto the hand rail near the roof of the pickup, she reveals her very hairy armpits!!!....  not that I have a problem with that, but…  it was longer than mine!!...  you could have easily knitted a pair of small mittens out of it!!!)  So, anyway, a reasonably good mix!
12:00 and we get dropped off at the bottom of a hill to start our trek.  Within 10mins, knockers is whingeing…. “how much further”.  I don’t think she quite got the idea about it being a trek….
Having said that, by 3pm we arrive at our overnight accommodation at an elephant camp…..  it’s not quite the salubrious digs we have been used to!  It’s basically a long, open sided building with 8 double mosquito nets lined up.  So, no privacy here then!!    Anyway, it absolutely no problem, as the view is spectacular.
We all dump our stuff and head down to the pool….  (Well, hole in the ground, filled with water!)  and jump in for a swim.  (I bet you can guess what was the most entertaining!!!!.....  no?...  it was the Italian girl in a bikini….. if you get my drift!!.... (we could have easily had a matching scarf as well!!?...  big scarf!!)  ….closely followed by knockers in a bikini!  Lorraine get slightly jealous….. not with me!  she want bigger boobs now. 
Before dinner, another group of 10 trekkers joins the party, then another 6.  Only later will it come apparent that there isn’t enough beds for everyone and that most couples will have to share their mosquito tent room with someone else!
For now anyway we all sit round the campfire chatting. 
It turns out that if you are under 25, you have to be in bed by 8:30.....?  huh, kids of today?  But we olden's show them how to do it and stay up till 10pm!

12th February
After a pretty rubbish night’s sleep (the mattress comprised of a 1inch bit of…..  wood, covered in a cotton sheet???....) we watch the elephants getting washed before we have another elephant ride!!
Then it’s trekking to…..  another waterfall, for lunch and a cool off.
Further down river we jump aboard a raft for some serious white water action…..  well it would be if it wasn’t the dry season.
We spend most of the time trying to bounce the boat over the boulders in the river bed that we get stuck upon, not least the fault of the “guide” who is so pissed, he just sits at the back of the boat smoking???.....  that is until I soon relinquish him of his inept driving duties and steer the raft the rest of the way down stream. 
Then it’s onto the tourist Bamboo raft for the final 1km before we join up with our pickup.
On route back to town we stop off at the curious long neck tribe.  Apparently its a long tradition.......   Boom boom! and the fella's of the tribe find it attractive??? Tick, we head back to town.

13th February    
We rent a motorbike and head out of town, to an area known for antiques, that’s right, we are going shopping!  We decided ages ago that we will try to buy a souvenir of each country we visit.  We failed dismally in Cambodia and Lao, so we figure we will buy 1 big thing from Asia.  Eventually we decide on a couple of things, a carving we are going to turn into a table and a lamp…..  only the lamp is pretty big!  It’s an old sugar cane press (kind of like a vertical mangle?)  that has had most of the inside removed by termites, making it look really interesting….  It sounds rubbish I know, but we like it.   
By the time we have sorted all the shipping etc etc it time for another massage and a fancy meal out.  Back at the hotel we end up spending a bit of time sorting out our Bangkok’s accommodation, we end up having a very late night, which is an arse as….

14th February     
5:30am the alarm goes off so we can catch our next flight to Bangkok.  We are both pretty knackered and end up having a sleep on the plane….  Trouble is, its only a 45min flight. bugger.
Once we’re into our massive hotel room, we go out to see the sights of Bangkok!  First off, a cruise up river to see the presidential palace, a vast network of over embellished buildings that shimmer in the midday sun….  which, incidentally, is intense.
Having wandered round in our rented long trousers and shirt (these are the rules, no shoulders or knees within the palace!) we are hot tired and frankly, bored of cultural stuff.
We have come to the conclusion that as we approach the end of our trip, we have had enough of culture and all we want is to do is relax on a beach for the remainder of the trip….  Well we will see if we can do that, but in the meantime, we give the palace a big tick and decide to nip back to the hotel for a kip and to escape the harsh effects of the sun.
2 hours later, refreshed and showered, we head back out.  This time to China Town, why…..  not only is it valentine’s day but it is also Chinese new-year!   On the main street through the district, thousands of people line the street.
Hundreds of police patrol a path through the masses.  We figure it must be a procession or something big so we shoulder our way through and find a gap and sit down…….  1hr later and we have gotten very bored….  Nothing is happening.  Turns out, the queen is going to be leading a procession, and the Thais love their royal family so they are all diligently waiting.
30 mins later and there is a hive of activity….!!  Here she comes!!!...  the crowd stands!!!!...  they all start clapping!!!  She drives past in a car……  that’s it……  ….  That really is it… no procession, nothing??..  oh well.  oh ye???....  the police man stopped me from taking a picture???....  its not allowed apparently?  Quite how they can stop the massed crowd from taking pictures, is a mystery?
We make our way through the crowds, stopping every 20 paces to sample another Chinese delicacy from the street vendors.  Dim Sum, beer,  Tiger Prawns - dipped in a lime and chilli sauce, beer, pork dumplings, beer.  Needless to say, we are quite full by the time we’ve weaved our way to the other end of the district.
We were expecting  a big firework display, but apparently that was last night… Bugger!  So we decide to cut our losses and head out for Bangkok’s other big attraction…… Ping Pong.  
Now those of you “in the know”, will know what we are talking about……  So for my mum…  (sorry mum!) I will give you a very brief run down.  (cant believe I'm doing that??...)
Bangkok has a reputation for Gogo bars.  These bars are all down a couple of streets that look similar to that in Soho in London.  In an attempt to pull in more customers they have come up with some ingenious ways of entertaining the onlookers.  This includes shooting ping pong balls across the bar, bursting balloons with darts from a blowpipe and blowing out 4 dozen candles on a cake…..  only, they’re not using their mouth……
I know it sounds awful, but it is more about having a laugh and has become a Bangkok tourist rite of passage……  I thought the blowing of a whistle was a really useful talent!??!!.... you never know when you might need that?!?....
Hay, for all you girls waving your arms, screaming “it’s all right for you men??...” it’s not all one way you know.  Loz got her action, with the muscle guys parading up and down looking all…..  well…. Wooden?!...  (shame they were  more interested in me ……….. as we ended up in a gay bar!!.....  don’t read into that?...)

15th February
03:00am…..         We arrive at the hotel…..somewhat inebriated…..  bed.
09:00am……        Breakfast……. Bed
10:30am……        Will gets out of bed to try to book some accommodation for the last bit of our trip.  Lorraine stays in bed
13:00pm……        Lorraine gets out of bed.
16:00pm……        We leave the hotel room for the first time today.

I jest, but this is pretty much what happened, today was spent trying to find a fabulous place to visit for the last week of our trip, so we can really spoil ourselves.  I think we have managed it, but it involves leaving tonight…  on the overnight bus trip….  Big shame really, as we have only seen Bangkok for one day and we know there is plenty more to see.  However, the beach beckons.   So we pack up and head off to the station to book our ticket.
All the VIP buses, with the aircon, big reclining seats/beds, personal entertainment systems…..   are full.  That leaves us with the first class bus.  Sounds good?  Well it’s just a regular bus with a toilet.  Still we settle in to the ride south.  I type out this blog and Lorraine carries on from where she left off a couple of hours earlier (she went to sleep!).

16th February
Good job we had plenty of sleep (Lorraine anyway) as we get dropped off at 5:30am in a dark bus stop.   Fortunately, within minutes we are greeted by a guy selling boat tickets to Surin Island, our planed destination.  By 6:00am we are both asleep on a sofa in his ticketing office, with our 9am boat tickets in hand, snorkel gear and ………. a tent.
Once the 1 hour boat trip was over, we make our way across an uninhabited island to the most beautiful beach you can imagine.  The only people here are a few tourists and a couple of locals running a canteen/restaurant.  Idyllic doesn’t describe it.  Once the tent is up we settle in to some hardcore reading of a book and tanning.    
It’s at this point (as I type this) I realise that being on a beach is really quite boring for the blog as, by definition, not a lot happens….  And that is kind of the point……  so, anyway, ermmm....  look at the pictures I guess??...……




17th February
Today is a big day……  it’s the day I become a toyboy and get me a sugar mummy!!!   That’s right, its Lorraine’s birthday.   Now I did have a plan to buy a card and little pressie for my beloved (I did explain on Christmas day, when I gave her a diamond necklace that it was a Christmas/anniversary/valentine/birthday present….  I know that’s a bit of a cop out, but it is a nice necklace!!!) …..   anyway, I was going to sort all that out in Bangkok….. and as you know, we left early having spent all day in our hotel room, trying to book our final few days with a hangover……   
So, without wanting my darling disappointed, I woke in the night (3am) and wrote out a morning message for her to read for when she awakens, out of sticks in the sand.  Of course she jumps out of the tent, needing the loo, almost destroying the entire thing!  but I manage to grab her just in time.  
I'm sure she would have preferred a card (and a pressie) but the view of the ocean in the morning inches away from our front door is the probably the best birthday present money can buy!  (Incidentally, how much do you reckon this view would cost in a hotel?  It’s costing us £2!!!....  not bad!)
As I said before…  the rest of the day is a little boring……  buts that’s just the way we want it…..  snorkeling, sunbathing and relaxing.  Perfect.

18th February
After our morning stroll along the beach, we settle into the now well practiced routine of jumping into a hammock and reading the day away.
Only to be interrupted when the sun has moved so far round that we are no longer in complete shade and need a dip in the azure waters to cool off.  Tough day.



19th February
After our morning stroll along the beach, we settle into the now well practiced routine of jumping into a hammock and reading the day away, only to be interrupted when the sun has moved so far round that we are no longer in complete shade and need a dip in the azure waters to cool off.  
 Humm….  As you can see, it’s the same as yesterday!....  very nice, however we are leaving today at 2pm, so that was the routine until 1:45pm before we jump aboard the speedboat back to the mainland.
Once back on shore, its straight back into another boat!  To another island!  By 5pm we have arrived at Golden Buddha resort.  
This place is quite special (here begins the spoiling of ourselves for the last bit of the trip!!!)  and we check into our individual villa, 5 meters away from a 4km long deserted beach!!!!   AMAZING!!  
The villa has glass sliding doors, the full width of the villa, which we leave open to hear the crashing waves all night and for a fab view in the morning!








20th February
Up early for our morning activity before breakfast……  yoga!  (bloody heck, we are turning into a couple of travelling hippies!!)  Having no idea what to expect, I found the session quite….  Exhausting! 
Now time for the real pampering to begin!  I'm first to lie down in the day room (attached to our villa) for a 1½ hr Swedish massage, the sound of the crashing waves enlightening the experience!  How Zen! 
After lunch, it’s Lorraine’s turn.  First off, a foot massage, then an Indian Chakra Head massage, then a back and shoulder massage!  Oooohh we are spoilt!
The sun begins to set, so we stroll down the beach to watch…..  doesn’t get much better than this!.......  well, actually it does, no one’s around so we go for a spot of sunset skinny dipping!!!....  but then you probably didn’t need to know that!













21st February
Another morning stroll, another spot of sunbathing, another dip in the sea......  can you see lorraine in the surf??......  (humm….  Not looking forward to being back in London!...)  Unfortunately, our time here is short.  By 11am we are back in a boat heading for the mainland, to jump in a cab to our last destination of our trip.  A fancy hotel further south. 

5 days and we will be back to reality…..  L

See you later!!

W&L

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