Thailand was crazy (in a good way) and like India, I have alot to share but I'll have to share the details when I have more time.
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In Southern Thailand, we only stayed in Ao Nang but we were able to explore the other islands easily.
Getting to Krabi was crazy since we took a mini van from Penang...we were essentially kidnapped (don't worry, it wasn't the scary kind...just the weird kind) by the driver but were saved when then van broke down near Ao Nang...at which point we temporarily followed two of the other backpackers who were in the van and got out of paying for the ride....we were then rescued by a shopkeeper and her husband who took us to an awesome and cheap hotel.
The next day, we were able to take a longtail out to Rai Leh (need spell check) where we had an 8 year old Australian boy as a tour guide at one end of the island. On the other side of the island, we got to see some insane rock climbers (one of whom had no belayer). And then we hiked and sort of rock climbed to the Lagoon...which is a crazy fun hike that has no trail markings, there's just a rope for you to grab onto when there are no rocks to climb up.
The next day, we did a four island tour and were able to go snorkeling...you literally get to swim with the fishes. We also went to chicken island, which looked more like a turkey to me.
Another day, we went to James Bond island which was surprisingly small followed by kayaking through some cool caves and mangroves. We were than taking to a floating Muslim village for lunch where I had the BEST pineapple of my entire life. There was also a transvestite with a super adorable monkey singing and dancing down one of the alley ways in the village...she was pretty good.
Southern Thailand is pretty awesome.
~
In Northern Thailand, we mostly spent our time in Bangkok but we also went to Korat and Ayutthaya.
In Bangkok, we stayed in the happening area near Khaoson road. We met several backpackers (hung out with a German girl named Kiki who is also civil engineer), did alot of shopping (you can get fake IDs and fake degrees here..we saw one for UC Berkeley) and saw Wat Po (after Lauren almost got us kidnapped ha). we also checked out a street bar that offered free beer if you could solve math problems (ie:179*183) within 3 seconds....apparently the bartender is a high school teacher during the day and he actually taught us some math tricks....who knew we'd learn math tricks in Bangkok.
We then went to Korat to visit Lauren's cousin (Jason) and his baby. His wife's family owns a cafe shop there that has an amazing Thai omelette. Jason took us to the national park, where we went hiking. We went on two trails through the forest while it rained (the trees kept us covered for the most part so it was pretty nice)...on the way to the 2nd trail, we had the car window slightly down at which moment a monkey attacked the car and tried to get in. We rolled up the windows in time but the monkey stood there in the middle of the road watching us as we moved the window up and down (to try and get a better picture of him), waiting for his chance to strike. The trails were cool but at the end of them we realized leeches were trying to burrow their way into our shoes....at one point I moved the tongue of my shoe and EXACTLY like in the movie "Alien," one popped out and then quickly scurred away....needless to say, I was slightly freaked out. And apparently picking them off does NOT work...they just swing around and attach themselves to your hand....I think leeches have moved up on the creepiness scale for me. We saw some other interesting animals there and even signs for crocodile warnings. The national park is quite an adventure.
After Korat, we went to Ayutthaya by the crazy local train...people go up and down the aisles every 5 seconds selling foods, toys, drinks and even hammocks. In Ayutthaya, we bicycled around the city and saw alot of cool ruins. People were riding elephants everwhere. Some very cool structures. Riding a bike was actually really fun.
Then we went to Bangkok for one last day and then caught our flight to Bali. Bye Thailand!
~
In Southern Thailand, we only stayed in Ao Nang but we were able to explore the other islands easily.
Getting to Krabi was crazy since we took a mini van from Penang...we were essentially kidnapped (don't worry, it wasn't the scary kind...just the weird kind) by the driver but were saved when then van broke down near Ao Nang...at which point we temporarily followed two of the other backpackers who were in the van and got out of paying for the ride....we were then rescued by a shopkeeper and her husband who took us to an awesome and cheap hotel.
The next day, we were able to take a longtail out to Rai Leh (need spell check) where we had an 8 year old Australian boy as a tour guide at one end of the island. On the other side of the island, we got to see some insane rock climbers (one of whom had no belayer). And then we hiked and sort of rock climbed to the Lagoon...which is a crazy fun hike that has no trail markings, there's just a rope for you to grab onto when there are no rocks to climb up.
The next day, we did a four island tour and were able to go snorkeling...you literally get to swim with the fishes. We also went to chicken island, which looked more like a turkey to me.
Another day, we went to James Bond island which was surprisingly small followed by kayaking through some cool caves and mangroves. We were than taking to a floating Muslim village for lunch where I had the BEST pineapple of my entire life. There was also a transvestite with a super adorable monkey singing and dancing down one of the alley ways in the village...she was pretty good.
Southern Thailand is pretty awesome.
~
In Northern Thailand, we mostly spent our time in Bangkok but we also went to Korat and Ayutthaya.
In Bangkok, we stayed in the happening area near Khaoson road. We met several backpackers (hung out with a German girl named Kiki who is also civil engineer), did alot of shopping (you can get fake IDs and fake degrees here..we saw one for UC Berkeley) and saw Wat Po (after Lauren almost got us kidnapped ha). we also checked out a street bar that offered free beer if you could solve math problems (ie:179*183) within 3 seconds....apparently the bartender is a high school teacher during the day and he actually taught us some math tricks....who knew we'd learn math tricks in Bangkok.
We then went to Korat to visit Lauren's cousin (Jason) and his baby. His wife's family owns a cafe shop there that has an amazing Thai omelette. Jason took us to the national park, where we went hiking. We went on two trails through the forest while it rained (the trees kept us covered for the most part so it was pretty nice)...on the way to the 2nd trail, we had the car window slightly down at which moment a monkey attacked the car and tried to get in. We rolled up the windows in time but the monkey stood there in the middle of the road watching us as we moved the window up and down (to try and get a better picture of him), waiting for his chance to strike. The trails were cool but at the end of them we realized leeches were trying to burrow their way into our shoes....at one point I moved the tongue of my shoe and EXACTLY like in the movie "Alien," one popped out and then quickly scurred away....needless to say, I was slightly freaked out. And apparently picking them off does NOT work...they just swing around and attach themselves to your hand....I think leeches have moved up on the creepiness scale for me. We saw some other interesting animals there and even signs for crocodile warnings. The national park is quite an adventure.
After Korat, we went to Ayutthaya by the crazy local train...people go up and down the aisles every 5 seconds selling foods, toys, drinks and even hammocks. In Ayutthaya, we bicycled around the city and saw alot of cool ruins. People were riding elephants everwhere. Some very cool structures. Riding a bike was actually really fun.
Then we went to Bangkok for one last day and then caught our flight to Bali. Bye Thailand!
hahaha! kidnapped and leeches??? sounds like an adventure. miss you guys and see you soon!
ReplyDeleteivan
yea its been some adventure so far haha
ReplyDeletewe can't wait to see you!