Friday 4 October 2013
We are still alive!
Hello sorry for not being up to date with the blog, predictably we blab mostly on facebook. Anyway we live in queenstown New Zealand at the mo, both have jobs in arrowtown and are working like crazy to pay for the next part of the trip (Fiji and America). We're looking forward to Christmas in the sun and its starting to warm up nicely already. James has a new boyfriend - the cat who came with our flat, he likes him really. And we have a pretty good view from the flat as you can see so life's not all bad. I taught James to ski & he loves it so hopefully well be able to go to Lake Tahoe on the way back home!
Friday 17 May 2013
Chiang Mai and Goodbye!
It's almost been a month since we left already! We are due to fly to Sydney on the 19th of May in two days.
We have been in northern Thailand for the past week and stayed in Chiang Mai. It's set out a little bit like York with the old walls surrounding the city as well as a moat. We really liked it up there as it was much quieter than Bangkok but there was still stuff going on.
On the first night we walked to the Night Bazar, a massive market, it was really touristy and the prices had been whacked up accordingly. So we just wondered around examining the same tat over and over but we expected that before we set off.
Thankfully there were a couple of other markets on Saturday and Sunday where we got some more nice street food, the usual pad thai noodles, corn on the cob and then fried quails eggs (which are really popular) and chiang mai sausages. On the subject of food, we found a great little cafe/restaurant called Mr. Kai's. it was so cheap and the cook was ace. We went a few times and tried spicy seafood with flat noodles and thai basil, Tom yam goong soup (very spicy noodle soup with shrimp) savoury curry ( full of spices and kaffir lime leaves) and chicken and ginger stir fry. A big glass bottle of coke washed it all down for 15 baht! And the mains were between 45 and 50 baht, so we both ate for about £1.50 each.
On Tuesday we went up the mountains visited the zoo, Doi Suthep Temple and a waterfall.
The zoo was okay most of the animals had reasonable enclosures and we saw an animal called a binturong which we never heard of. He or she was a lazy beast that swung its arms below the branch it was lying on.
The temple was up 300 and something steps that we climbed in 38*c heat - not fun! But the view over Chiang Mai was more impressive than the temple.
On the way back down the mountain we stopped off and went to a waterfall, there wasn't loads of water but we climbed through some jungle on an old path to where the locals had gathered at two pools to swim in which was cool.
Wednesday was the best day! We went to an elephant park and learned to be mahouts. The elephants had been rescued from various places including illegal logging companies and parks that train elephants to do tricks like play football etc. they also had some blind elephants that obviously nobody wanted. In the morning we greeted the elephants and fed them bananas. Then some of them went for a walk in the forest whilst we learnt how to get on the elephants safely and ask them to go left, right, forward, stop and lie down. James was made to go up first and get on the biggest elephant!
Lunch was served at 1 at the camp, we had sweet and sour chicken, veg soup, chicken wings, eggs and a cabbage dish that was yum.
Afterwards each couple were introduced to their elephant and got on them bareback for a walk through the jungle. It was ok if you were travelling uphill bit coming down was a bit trickier. Once we had returned to the camp we took the elephants for a swim and a wash in the river and gave them all a good scrub.
We really enjoyed it but the next day we were very saddle sore!!
We left ChiangMai on the 16th and took the sleeper train back to Bangkok which for some unknown reason took 16hours instead of 13! We had booked a slightly nicer hotel in Bangkok as our birthday treat with easy access to the AirPort. It has a swimming pool and hot tub on the top floor with amazing views all over the city.
Next stop Australia
G'day mate!
X
We have been in northern Thailand for the past week and stayed in Chiang Mai. It's set out a little bit like York with the old walls surrounding the city as well as a moat. We really liked it up there as it was much quieter than Bangkok but there was still stuff going on.
On the first night we walked to the Night Bazar, a massive market, it was really touristy and the prices had been whacked up accordingly. So we just wondered around examining the same tat over and over but we expected that before we set off.
Thankfully there were a couple of other markets on Saturday and Sunday where we got some more nice street food, the usual pad thai noodles, corn on the cob and then fried quails eggs (which are really popular) and chiang mai sausages. On the subject of food, we found a great little cafe/restaurant called Mr. Kai's. it was so cheap and the cook was ace. We went a few times and tried spicy seafood with flat noodles and thai basil, Tom yam goong soup (very spicy noodle soup with shrimp) savoury curry ( full of spices and kaffir lime leaves) and chicken and ginger stir fry. A big glass bottle of coke washed it all down for 15 baht! And the mains were between 45 and 50 baht, so we both ate for about £1.50 each.
On Tuesday we went up the mountains visited the zoo, Doi Suthep Temple and a waterfall.
The zoo was okay most of the animals had reasonable enclosures and we saw an animal called a binturong which we never heard of. He or she was a lazy beast that swung its arms below the branch it was lying on.
The temple was up 300 and something steps that we climbed in 38*c heat - not fun! But the view over Chiang Mai was more impressive than the temple.
On the way back down the mountain we stopped off and went to a waterfall, there wasn't loads of water but we climbed through some jungle on an old path to where the locals had gathered at two pools to swim in which was cool.
Wednesday was the best day! We went to an elephant park and learned to be mahouts. The elephants had been rescued from various places including illegal logging companies and parks that train elephants to do tricks like play football etc. they also had some blind elephants that obviously nobody wanted. In the morning we greeted the elephants and fed them bananas. Then some of them went for a walk in the forest whilst we learnt how to get on the elephants safely and ask them to go left, right, forward, stop and lie down. James was made to go up first and get on the biggest elephant!
Lunch was served at 1 at the camp, we had sweet and sour chicken, veg soup, chicken wings, eggs and a cabbage dish that was yum.
Afterwards each couple were introduced to their elephant and got on them bareback for a walk through the jungle. It was ok if you were travelling uphill bit coming down was a bit trickier. Once we had returned to the camp we took the elephants for a swim and a wash in the river and gave them all a good scrub.
We really enjoyed it but the next day we were very saddle sore!!
We left ChiangMai on the 16th and took the sleeper train back to Bangkok which for some unknown reason took 16hours instead of 13! We had booked a slightly nicer hotel in Bangkok as our birthday treat with easy access to the AirPort. It has a swimming pool and hot tub on the top floor with amazing views all over the city.
Next stop Australia
G'day mate!
X
Tuesday 7 May 2013
Koh Tao
Hello again,
So the last 8 days we have been in Koh Tao, 30 miles north of koh phangan. We got the lomprayah catamaran ferry over which took about an hour.
We stayed in an interesting place called the Queen Resort, which was a bit dilapidated but we had a bungalow perched on top of some boulders that went down into the turquoise sea.
The owners were stereotypically thai, with 5 pet dogs plus 7 ducks, numerous doves and our favourite a pet squirrel! The lady was probably in 50s and took the dogs down to the beach everyday for a swim and then swam the length of the bay herself, which was pretty impressive!
We went swimming in the sea everyday and borrowed the snorkels available. The water was so hot, not too different to having a bath, but much cooler than being in the midday sun. It was incredibly clear and you could see all the different coral, which were teaming with a huge amount of fish most species we'd never seen before. On our last day we hired a sea kayak and went to a tiny picturesque island close by called Koh Nangyuan it's a protected island and is only open until five for visitors. Unfortunately on the way back it was just about to start thunder storm and the wind was quite hard to fight on the return journey.
We had a few really nice meals, one in particular was exceptional, James had tom yam soup (coconut milk, ginger, chilli and lemongrass) followed by a fried rice dish that was incredibly spicy but full of flavour. Poppy had no name seafood fritters, these were enormous and full of lemongrass, ginger served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce and then a Prawn rice dish.
We are now back in Bangkok and are heading up to Chang Mai tomorrow, this is the old capital and is supposed to be a bit more relaxed than Bangkok and we are going to see the Elephants!
Hope everyone is well
James and Poppy
So the last 8 days we have been in Koh Tao, 30 miles north of koh phangan. We got the lomprayah catamaran ferry over which took about an hour.
We stayed in an interesting place called the Queen Resort, which was a bit dilapidated but we had a bungalow perched on top of some boulders that went down into the turquoise sea.
The owners were stereotypically thai, with 5 pet dogs plus 7 ducks, numerous doves and our favourite a pet squirrel! The lady was probably in 50s and took the dogs down to the beach everyday for a swim and then swam the length of the bay herself, which was pretty impressive!
We went swimming in the sea everyday and borrowed the snorkels available. The water was so hot, not too different to having a bath, but much cooler than being in the midday sun. It was incredibly clear and you could see all the different coral, which were teaming with a huge amount of fish most species we'd never seen before. On our last day we hired a sea kayak and went to a tiny picturesque island close by called Koh Nangyuan it's a protected island and is only open until five for visitors. Unfortunately on the way back it was just about to start thunder storm and the wind was quite hard to fight on the return journey.
We had a few really nice meals, one in particular was exceptional, James had tom yam soup (coconut milk, ginger, chilli and lemongrass) followed by a fried rice dish that was incredibly spicy but full of flavour. Poppy had no name seafood fritters, these were enormous and full of lemongrass, ginger served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce and then a Prawn rice dish.
We are now back in Bangkok and are heading up to Chang Mai tomorrow, this is the old capital and is supposed to be a bit more relaxed than Bangkok and we are going to see the Elephants!
Hope everyone is well
James and Poppy
Friday 26 April 2013
Koh Phangan
Hi all! So after leaving our hostel in Bangkok on Tuesday night we got the sleeper train to Surat
Thani. It took about 13 hours and was a little stuffy but quite comfortable, the toilets however where a touch vile and looked more like some iron clad medieval torture chamber. We then got a transfer on a coach to the coast and then a speedy catamaran to the island Koh Phangan.
We are staying in some bungalows just on the beach, they are quite pretty and we have a huge bed, balcony with some seating and an ace hammock looking out over the sea. There is also a bar that has quite a good selection of food and we tend to eat breakfast down there and have a few nice evening meals.
On the first night Poppy woke me up at about three am shouting me, I then felt some thing run over me. Thinking it was a lizard or snake a hurriedly jumped to get the light on and there it was a big slimy cockroach. After this first encounter we both had a restless night and Poppy got up about eight to go out onto our hammock leaving the door open, I awoke to find a mangy cat tucked up against me and it took us about ten minutes to get the flea bag out of our bungalow.
On Thursday we went to a full moon party on haad rin beach, there was lots of people there drinking and dancing. James got too drunk so poppy had to take him home at half past 12.
Tonight we visited a night food market in Thongsala, they had loads of nice little stalls with lots of exciting different things. There were stalls with what looked like offal soup, whole cooked ducks, braised pig heads we avoided these stalls. Instead we had shrimp Pad Thai cooked by two young
boys(14-16) one had a Radiohead t-shirt on so we thought it must be good and it was. We also had
some fresh fruit smoothies, some weird spiral basil crisp stick and pineapple and chocolate pancakes, it was all really good and mega cheap.
Hope you are well
Love James & Poppy
Thani. It took about 13 hours and was a little stuffy but quite comfortable, the toilets however where a touch vile and looked more like some iron clad medieval torture chamber. We then got a transfer on a coach to the coast and then a speedy catamaran to the island Koh Phangan.
We are staying in some bungalows just on the beach, they are quite pretty and we have a huge bed, balcony with some seating and an ace hammock looking out over the sea. There is also a bar that has quite a good selection of food and we tend to eat breakfast down there and have a few nice evening meals.
On the first night Poppy woke me up at about three am shouting me, I then felt some thing run over me. Thinking it was a lizard or snake a hurriedly jumped to get the light on and there it was a big slimy cockroach. After this first encounter we both had a restless night and Poppy got up about eight to go out onto our hammock leaving the door open, I awoke to find a mangy cat tucked up against me and it took us about ten minutes to get the flea bag out of our bungalow.
On Thursday we went to a full moon party on haad rin beach, there was lots of people there drinking and dancing. James got too drunk so poppy had to take him home at half past 12.
Tonight we visited a night food market in Thongsala, they had loads of nice little stalls with lots of exciting different things. There were stalls with what looked like offal soup, whole cooked ducks, braised pig heads we avoided these stalls. Instead we had shrimp Pad Thai cooked by two young
boys(14-16) one had a Radiohead t-shirt on so we thought it must be good and it was. We also had
some fresh fruit smoothies, some weird spiral basil crisp stick and pineapple and chocolate pancakes, it was all really good and mega cheap.
Hope you are well
Love James & Poppy
Monday 22 April 2013
Looks like we made it!
Hello! So after a very long journey we finally made it to Bangkok!
We Had our first full day here today and went to the oldest park in bankok, lumphini park, where instead of having ducks they had massive monitor lizards... Explains the lack of ducks. There was also lots of big Karp in the lakes and nice pavilions. Good place to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.
After a sweaty stroll around the park we went to find something to eat, found one restaurant that looked popular with the locals so we went in sat down and got a menu but then every waiter ignored us when we tried to get their attention - we walked out. Found a good shopping area with lots of street food, we had some tempura shrimp, squid and soft shell crab for 40baht which is about 90p! Also got some street waffles for 10baht each one with coconut and one with sweet corn inside, then we got some weird drinks with sago apple jelly balls and cubes in which was pretty gross.
We hopped on the sky train back to the hostel then popped out for tea a bit later, James had some flat huge noodles with stir fried chicken and veg and I had pad thai with shrimp (prawns) which comes wrapped in an egg blanket over here.
Going to get the sleeper train and ferry to koh phangan tomorrow night, hopefully the weather will stay nice, there was a thunder storm this morning but we slept through most of it.
Hope the weather is getting nice for you all back home
Love from Poppy & James xx
We Had our first full day here today and went to the oldest park in bankok, lumphini park, where instead of having ducks they had massive monitor lizards... Explains the lack of ducks. There was also lots of big Karp in the lakes and nice pavilions. Good place to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.
After a sweaty stroll around the park we went to find something to eat, found one restaurant that looked popular with the locals so we went in sat down and got a menu but then every waiter ignored us when we tried to get their attention - we walked out. Found a good shopping area with lots of street food, we had some tempura shrimp, squid and soft shell crab for 40baht which is about 90p! Also got some street waffles for 10baht each one with coconut and one with sweet corn inside, then we got some weird drinks with sago apple jelly balls and cubes in which was pretty gross.
We hopped on the sky train back to the hostel then popped out for tea a bit later, James had some flat huge noodles with stir fried chicken and veg and I had pad thai with shrimp (prawns) which comes wrapped in an egg blanket over here.
Going to get the sleeper train and ferry to koh phangan tomorrow night, hopefully the weather will stay nice, there was a thunder storm this morning but we slept through most of it.
Hope the weather is getting nice for you all back home
Love from Poppy & James xx
Wednesday 3 April 2013
The count down begins!
Hello everyone! First post of the travel blog we've decided to do so here goes...
Its the 3rd of April and the countdown begins! 17 days to go & we still have lots to organise but James finally has his new passport and we have all our visas! Next on the list is foreign currency & travel insurance.
Also just a quick reminder for the leaving party, its a week on saturday. The 13th of April at the Big Six pub in Savile Park from 7.30pm til late.
Hope to see lots of faces before we leave!
Poppy & James x
Its the 3rd of April and the countdown begins! 17 days to go & we still have lots to organise but James finally has his new passport and we have all our visas! Next on the list is foreign currency & travel insurance.
Also just a quick reminder for the leaving party, its a week on saturday. The 13th of April at the Big Six pub in Savile Park from 7.30pm til late.
Hope to see lots of faces before we leave!
Poppy & James x
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