DAY 71
Walked to the end of the beach and watched to rock climbers scale the inverted rock faces once more. Took a swim and laid out on the beach to relax. We then had some food and came back to get Chris to go to watch some movies at a lounge. We sat down, had ginger tea and fried bananas while watching a ridiculous Cinderella teenybopper movie. Chris stayed to hang out since he couldn't do much so we cruised around a bit
and then returned to the Viking Bar to play some pool. I Played ping pong for a while and happened to sit down by Cookie our buddy from Phi phi. It was good times she bought me a beer and
we walked the beach talking and taking in the moment.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Tonsai Beach Day 3
DAY 70
We were going to move to Railay Beach today but decided against it after meeting some great people the night before. We checked back into the hotel and got a two bed bungalow for the next few nights.
We went to get food but Chris didn't feel so good again and stayed to check into the room. After we ate I met up with Ali's crew who were going hike to Railay Beach so I grabbed my camera and sandals and off I went with them. We climbed over the rocks to the other beach and it was quite a journey. The beach was very cool with a big rock jump into the ocean and spectacular formations all over.
As we went to leave a family of monkeys stormed the beach. A guy there knew the monkeys and was feeding them as they climbed all over him. Ali got the idea from him and pretty soon they were climbing all over her snatching bananas and jumping back to the rocks and vines.
We got sucked in and stayed with the monkeys feeding them and taking pictures. The rest of the group had gone so the two of us headed back through town. We hiked back around to Ton Sai the same way we came in the first day which was good exersise . I chilled for a bit and then came back to the room and check on Chris. He was still not feeling good almost Mui Ne status which was bad..
Today I was starting to feel exactly like I did when I was sick in Vietnam. I felt like I was drained of all energy, hot and feeling like I was going to pass out when I stood up. We were in the sun all day yesterday and I was not drinking enough water so im pretty sure it was heat exhaustion again. I really need to be more careful about staying hydrated, especially on hot days.
I told Ali of Chris' condition and she happened to have antibiotics and we brought them to him hoping it would cure his sickness. Later that night there was not much going on around the beach so a group of us went uptown to the street looking for good music and something to do.We all went to get Mr. Pancakes Banana Nutella which is outstanding. Belly's full everyone slowly made their way either back to the beach or off to bed.
We were going to move to Railay Beach today but decided against it after meeting some great people the night before. We checked back into the hotel and got a two bed bungalow for the next few nights.
We went to get food but Chris didn't feel so good again and stayed to check into the room. After we ate I met up with Ali's crew who were going hike to Railay Beach so I grabbed my camera and sandals and off I went with them. We climbed over the rocks to the other beach and it was quite a journey. The beach was very cool with a big rock jump into the ocean and spectacular formations all over.
As we went to leave a family of monkeys stormed the beach. A guy there knew the monkeys and was feeding them as they climbed all over him. Ali got the idea from him and pretty soon they were climbing all over her snatching bananas and jumping back to the rocks and vines.
We got sucked in and stayed with the monkeys feeding them and taking pictures. The rest of the group had gone so the two of us headed back through town. We hiked back around to Ton Sai the same way we came in the first day which was good exersise . I chilled for a bit and then came back to the room and check on Chris. He was still not feeling good almost Mui Ne status which was bad..
Today I was starting to feel exactly like I did when I was sick in Vietnam. I felt like I was drained of all energy, hot and feeling like I was going to pass out when I stood up. We were in the sun all day yesterday and I was not drinking enough water so im pretty sure it was heat exhaustion again. I really need to be more careful about staying hydrated, especially on hot days.
I told Ali of Chris' condition and she happened to have antibiotics and we brought them to him hoping it would cure his sickness. Later that night there was not much going on around the beach so a group of us went uptown to the street looking for good music and something to do.We all went to get Mr. Pancakes Banana Nutella which is outstanding. Belly's full everyone slowly made their way either back to the beach or off to bed.
Tonsai Beach Day 2
DAY 69
In the morning we hung out on the bamboo decks along the ocean and watched the climbers on the rock faces do vertical and upside down maneuvers. I got out my Nikon with 18x zoom and got some sweet pics of climbers 200-300 feet up.
Chillin in a hammock writing in my itouch as long tail boats buzz around the harbor. The views out here are spectacular, sail boats, speed boats, and big passenger boats all stop out in the bay and shuttle passengers by long tail boats to the beaches. It's a backpackers world out here but it is high season so its a bit more expensive then I would like to pay but its all worth it.
In the front of a climbing shop was a small monkey on a leash. I could see his wild side and didn't get to close. As we were walking away a family of 13 monkeys came climbing and jumping tree to tree right above our heads. We just watched wide eyed as they ran around the trees and observed their family status and interactions.
As we were walking back, I met a girl on the beach from Cali who knew Chris from back in Santa Barbara so I took her to our bungalow to wake Chris up. I knew the moment we talked she was from Nor Cal.
Ali is probably the last person I expected to see out on a random beach in Thailand. We were friends back during college in Santa Barbara but had lost contact for the past 2 years. Really goes to show how small the world is.
We met the Iraq boys drinking mango shakes and had some food with them. It was another irie night on Tonsai Beach.
The vibes here are so relaxed and slow paced, I am happy to be staying for Christmas
In the morning we hung out on the bamboo decks along the ocean and watched the climbers on the rock faces do vertical and upside down maneuvers. I got out my Nikon with 18x zoom and got some sweet pics of climbers 200-300 feet up.
Chillin in a hammock writing in my itouch as long tail boats buzz around the harbor. The views out here are spectacular, sail boats, speed boats, and big passenger boats all stop out in the bay and shuttle passengers by long tail boats to the beaches. It's a backpackers world out here but it is high season so its a bit more expensive then I would like to pay but its all worth it.
In the front of a climbing shop was a small monkey on a leash. I could see his wild side and didn't get to close. As we were walking away a family of 13 monkeys came climbing and jumping tree to tree right above our heads. We just watched wide eyed as they ran around the trees and observed their family status and interactions.
As we were walking back, I met a girl on the beach from Cali who knew Chris from back in Santa Barbara so I took her to our bungalow to wake Chris up. I knew the moment we talked she was from Nor Cal.
Ali is probably the last person I expected to see out on a random beach in Thailand. We were friends back during college in Santa Barbara but had lost contact for the past 2 years. Really goes to show how small the world is.
We met the Iraq boys drinking mango shakes and had some food with them. It was another irie night on Tonsai Beach.
The vibes here are so relaxed and slow paced, I am happy to be staying for Christmas
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Ko Lanta To Tonsai Beach
DAY 68
We knew we were leaving today but did not know where we wanted to go. After some research we decided we should head to Krabi and figure it out from there.We read the book and talked to a guy having breakfast next to us and we realized it wasn't the place to see. The guy recommended we go to Ao Nang Beach so we booked our ticket quickly as it was almost 12:00. The boat left at 1:30 and the bus ride to the harbor took 30 min so we were picked up right away.
We got to the pier and I knew the Swedish girls were still there because their boat was at the same time as ours. I spotted Ellen and Miriam having fruit shakes and sat with them until their boat came. Got a beer chilled with the boys by the pier and watched the people pile on and off the boats. The locals with their fliers and signs go to work on all of the tourists as they file off of the incoming boats. They grab bags and holler at everyone like a game to see who can get the most passengers. Its like a competition and they boast to eachother as people slowly choose options and climb into the truck style tuk tuks. They smile and yell in Thai to other awaiting workers and they pull away. Finally they started boarding our boat and as I was confirming our ticket I saw a sticker on another traveler saying Railay. I found out that this boat stops in Railay on its way to Aou Nang and we quickly decided we were now going to Railay.
The top of the boat had an AC compartment with nice seats and we all piled in and plugged in our ipods and snoozed off as the boat left harbor. I don't remember falling sleep but I woke up as we were arriving with the guys all laughing about by my posture and open mouth sleeping against the Thai sized seat. A long tail boat picked us up from the big boat and dropped us on Railay Beach.
We walked from the boat up the beach to check about accommodation. The first hotel was 7000 baht which is around $200. We had heard you could find cheaper rooms in Ton Sai the next beach over. We were told it was a short hike on a dirt path which turned out to be more then we expected. We had to hike through the jungle around the back of one of these massive rock cliffs jetting hundreds of feet in the sky. The ground was loose with a steep incline and with our big bags we were all sweating profusely when we got to the top of the hill. It was not as easy as we were told and took 35-40min to get over to Ton Sai beach. On the way down the hill toward the beach we saw tons of bungalows and hiker ropes hanging on porches so we knew this was a climbers island.
We looked around the beach for accommodation and after I had checked out all the places and prices we settled on a true bungalow hut at 500 baht a night. Its really jungle style made of all bamboo with mosquito nets, no toilet seat and electricity which is only on from 4:30 pm and turns off by 8am leaving you to roast if you sleep past 10.
Wael and Chris were tired from the jungle hike while Mofid and I were hungry so the two of us went to get food. We sat down and had fried chicken, sticky rice with a papaya salad that was spicy and delicious. Just as we sat down to eat enormous Mosquito's attacked us. They were nasty and bloody when you smacked them. They swarmed all in your face and as we panicked the locals busted into laughter. The locals lit a egg carton and let it smolder under the table to help but they were relentless and we could barely eat between smacking bugs. We ate and paid quickly and headed out of the jungle to the beach away from the mosquitos.. As we walked toward our bungalow we met up with Chris and Wael and all went together to the Viking Bar. We sat in lawn chairs along the beach out front for a while listening to Katcha Fire and other reggae.
Around 10pm we went to a Restaurant that had over 300 items on its menu. The English is never correct on menus in this country and it was pretty funny ordering. Mofid always tries to make his portion bigger or haggle the price. Chris and Mofid were tired and went to bed but Wael and I stayed out.
We met some girls and as they sat and talked with us I could not stop laughing when I looked at Waels face. I couldn't handle listening to these very happy and stoned yet dull girls talking about shopping and how wonderful life was any longer so Wael and I left them to chill on the beach. We sat and chilled with some very cool Thai guys who worked at the bar and played pool. It was getting late but Wael was hungry again so he asked bar tender if he had food. He replied that he had his own food that he would share so him and Wael went back behind the bar to eat in the owners back hut. I waited for a bit and was getting tired so I looked back to tell him I was leaving and saw that he had a plate of rice with full fish heads on top looking very unappetizing. I was very glad I turned down that meal.
It was very dark and the front path of the hotel is not lit up very well so I totally stacked cutting my right big toe on a protruding rock. I came in and woke up Chris by turning on the light. It was a minor cut but I had intended on rock climbing here and is a bummer to have cut my toe the first night. We had a double bed so I had to climb over Chris and use an airline blanket I had with me for warmth which only covered up to my belly button. They only gave you one blanket for the room and Chris was wrapped up in it like a Burrito
Throughout the night our bungalow was bombarded with monkeys jumping off trees and landing on the tin roof. It was not the quiet spot we had imagined. The monkeys run it out here and we are on their turf.
We knew we were leaving today but did not know where we wanted to go. After some research we decided we should head to Krabi and figure it out from there.We read the book and talked to a guy having breakfast next to us and we realized it wasn't the place to see. The guy recommended we go to Ao Nang Beach so we booked our ticket quickly as it was almost 12:00. The boat left at 1:30 and the bus ride to the harbor took 30 min so we were picked up right away.
We got to the pier and I knew the Swedish girls were still there because their boat was at the same time as ours. I spotted Ellen and Miriam having fruit shakes and sat with them until their boat came. Got a beer chilled with the boys by the pier and watched the people pile on and off the boats. The locals with their fliers and signs go to work on all of the tourists as they file off of the incoming boats. They grab bags and holler at everyone like a game to see who can get the most passengers. Its like a competition and they boast to eachother as people slowly choose options and climb into the truck style tuk tuks. They smile and yell in Thai to other awaiting workers and they pull away. Finally they started boarding our boat and as I was confirming our ticket I saw a sticker on another traveler saying Railay. I found out that this boat stops in Railay on its way to Aou Nang and we quickly decided we were now going to Railay.
The top of the boat had an AC compartment with nice seats and we all piled in and plugged in our ipods and snoozed off as the boat left harbor. I don't remember falling sleep but I woke up as we were arriving with the guys all laughing about by my posture and open mouth sleeping against the Thai sized seat. A long tail boat picked us up from the big boat and dropped us on Railay Beach.
We walked from the boat up the beach to check about accommodation. The first hotel was 7000 baht which is around $200. We had heard you could find cheaper rooms in Ton Sai the next beach over. We were told it was a short hike on a dirt path which turned out to be more then we expected. We had to hike through the jungle around the back of one of these massive rock cliffs jetting hundreds of feet in the sky. The ground was loose with a steep incline and with our big bags we were all sweating profusely when we got to the top of the hill. It was not as easy as we were told and took 35-40min to get over to Ton Sai beach. On the way down the hill toward the beach we saw tons of bungalows and hiker ropes hanging on porches so we knew this was a climbers island.
We looked around the beach for accommodation and after I had checked out all the places and prices we settled on a true bungalow hut at 500 baht a night. Its really jungle style made of all bamboo with mosquito nets, no toilet seat and electricity which is only on from 4:30 pm and turns off by 8am leaving you to roast if you sleep past 10.
Wael and Chris were tired from the jungle hike while Mofid and I were hungry so the two of us went to get food. We sat down and had fried chicken, sticky rice with a papaya salad that was spicy and delicious. Just as we sat down to eat enormous Mosquito's attacked us. They were nasty and bloody when you smacked them. They swarmed all in your face and as we panicked the locals busted into laughter. The locals lit a egg carton and let it smolder under the table to help but they were relentless and we could barely eat between smacking bugs. We ate and paid quickly and headed out of the jungle to the beach away from the mosquitos.. As we walked toward our bungalow we met up with Chris and Wael and all went together to the Viking Bar. We sat in lawn chairs along the beach out front for a while listening to Katcha Fire and other reggae.
Around 10pm we went to a Restaurant that had over 300 items on its menu. The English is never correct on menus in this country and it was pretty funny ordering. Mofid always tries to make his portion bigger or haggle the price. Chris and Mofid were tired and went to bed but Wael and I stayed out.
We met some girls and as they sat and talked with us I could not stop laughing when I looked at Waels face. I couldn't handle listening to these very happy and stoned yet dull girls talking about shopping and how wonderful life was any longer so Wael and I left them to chill on the beach. We sat and chilled with some very cool Thai guys who worked at the bar and played pool. It was getting late but Wael was hungry again so he asked bar tender if he had food. He replied that he had his own food that he would share so him and Wael went back behind the bar to eat in the owners back hut. I waited for a bit and was getting tired so I looked back to tell him I was leaving and saw that he had a plate of rice with full fish heads on top looking very unappetizing. I was very glad I turned down that meal.
It was very dark and the front path of the hotel is not lit up very well so I totally stacked cutting my right big toe on a protruding rock. I came in and woke up Chris by turning on the light. It was a minor cut but I had intended on rock climbing here and is a bummer to have cut my toe the first night. We had a double bed so I had to climb over Chris and use an airline blanket I had with me for warmth which only covered up to my belly button. They only gave you one blanket for the room and Chris was wrapped up in it like a Burrito
Throughout the night our bungalow was bombarded with monkeys jumping off trees and landing on the tin roof. It was not the quiet spot we had imagined. The monkeys run it out here and we are on their turf.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Ko Lanta Snorkel Trip
Day 67
We were up at 7:45 and hit the restaurant for a quick bite before we left. We were a little late because the food took a while and so we hustled to the shuttle and speed away. Got to the dock and got on a speed boat. There were 4 other passengers, 4 crew members plus the six in our crew making 14 people. We drove out through beautiful uninhabited islands covered in lush greenery. The water was sparkling blue even with partially cloudy sky's.
We stopped along the canal where some wild monkeys were hanging out and fed them banana's. It was interesting to watch them take the bananas and wash them off in the water before they at them.
We went out to a small island, dropped anchor and all went snorkeling for about an hour. The greens, browns and whites of the coral with teams of fish swimming all around was a sight to behold. Chris had his underwater camera and we had fun taking pictures underwater.
Afterwards hopped back on the boat and went to see the emerald cave. It was completely dark inside the cave with only our guides tiny and dull flashlight to lead the way. We all put life jackets on and swam through the cave for about 300 feet into a gorgeous blue lagoon. The cliffs were 200 feet high all around with a small sandy beach hiding below. We read how this cave was used in the past by pirates to hide their gold and treasure. If I was a pirate this would be a ideal place to hide my booty.
Got back on the boat and headed to another island and had lunch. Laid out on the beach after lunch with our Sweedish crew and Marium and I walked to beach picking sea shells.
When we got to the island I took off on my own on a random trail into the jungle to see what I could find. I had my ipod speakers in my back pack and listened to some mellow Bob Marley jams and as I trekked through the jungle. I was feeling really good about life and everything around me. I had no shoes on, and the trail turned into volcanic rock which slowed my pace until I came to a pristine bay with soft sand. I hiked down onto the beach and took a swim by myself enjoying the scenery.
Back on the boat for a bit to another snorkel spot that was the best of the day. There were hundreds of fish all around us and the boat captain started throwing rice in the water right around us and the fish went nuts.We were surrounded and astounded by ammount of fish around us, you could barely see because there were so many.
When we got back to the dock a truck picked us up and took us to the hotel where we all swam in the pool messing around and talking about our plans for the night. We all crashed out for a couple hours and got up for dinner around 9. It was a nightmare trying to order our food because the staff spoke very little english and was clueless even about their own menu. Mafid and his brother wanted to stay around the hotel but Mariam wanted to go out into town so Ellen, Chris and I joined her and we got a cab. We did not where we going but on our first stop we found a local Thai concert along the beach.
Walked down the beach to a little bar where we got buckets. The bar was very slow but enjoyed our conversation with a local guy who owned the bar.
We were up at 7:45 and hit the restaurant for a quick bite before we left. We were a little late because the food took a while and so we hustled to the shuttle and speed away. Got to the dock and got on a speed boat. There were 4 other passengers, 4 crew members plus the six in our crew making 14 people. We drove out through beautiful uninhabited islands covered in lush greenery. The water was sparkling blue even with partially cloudy sky's.
We stopped along the canal where some wild monkeys were hanging out and fed them banana's. It was interesting to watch them take the bananas and wash them off in the water before they at them.
We went out to a small island, dropped anchor and all went snorkeling for about an hour. The greens, browns and whites of the coral with teams of fish swimming all around was a sight to behold. Chris had his underwater camera and we had fun taking pictures underwater.
Afterwards hopped back on the boat and went to see the emerald cave. It was completely dark inside the cave with only our guides tiny and dull flashlight to lead the way. We all put life jackets on and swam through the cave for about 300 feet into a gorgeous blue lagoon. The cliffs were 200 feet high all around with a small sandy beach hiding below. We read how this cave was used in the past by pirates to hide their gold and treasure. If I was a pirate this would be a ideal place to hide my booty.
Got back on the boat and headed to another island and had lunch. Laid out on the beach after lunch with our Sweedish crew and Marium and I walked to beach picking sea shells.
When we got to the island I took off on my own on a random trail into the jungle to see what I could find. I had my ipod speakers in my back pack and listened to some mellow Bob Marley jams and as I trekked through the jungle. I was feeling really good about life and everything around me. I had no shoes on, and the trail turned into volcanic rock which slowed my pace until I came to a pristine bay with soft sand. I hiked down onto the beach and took a swim by myself enjoying the scenery.
Back on the boat for a bit to another snorkel spot that was the best of the day. There were hundreds of fish all around us and the boat captain started throwing rice in the water right around us and the fish went nuts.We were surrounded and astounded by ammount of fish around us, you could barely see because there were so many.
When we got back to the dock a truck picked us up and took us to the hotel where we all swam in the pool messing around and talking about our plans for the night. We all crashed out for a couple hours and got up for dinner around 9. It was a nightmare trying to order our food because the staff spoke very little english and was clueless even about their own menu. Mafid and his brother wanted to stay around the hotel but Mariam wanted to go out into town so Ellen, Chris and I joined her and we got a cab. We did not where we going but on our first stop we found a local Thai concert along the beach.
Walked down the beach to a little bar where we got buckets. The bar was very slow but enjoyed our conversation with a local guy who owned the bar.
Ko Lanta Island Day 2
Day 66
Today we decided to rent motor bikes and ride around the island to see what we can find. Ali and Weal got their own scooter and I drove another with Zev on the back as he did not feel confident enough to ride his own. There was a basket in the front of my bike so I taped my ipod into my speaker dock and then bungied down the speakers in he basket so we were bumping tunes all day.
Took off going south with no real destination and got to see a lot of the beautiful country side of the island. There is a big Muslim population on the other side of the island and since I was using Ali's ipod he had muslim music on it so we rolled through town playing traditional Arabic music, it was pretty comical and we got a lot of smiles from the people.
We had reached the bottom of the island and there was no road connecting to the other side so we went back up and all the way around the long way. Stopped at Long Beach and had dinner on the beach and watched the sunset as well as checked out some Mui Thia Boxing Training.
Today we decided to rent motor bikes and ride around the island to see what we can find. Ali and Weal got their own scooter and I drove another with Zev on the back as he did not feel confident enough to ride his own. There was a basket in the front of my bike so I taped my ipod into my speaker dock and then bungied down the speakers in he basket so we were bumping tunes all day.
Took off going south with no real destination and got to see a lot of the beautiful country side of the island. There is a big Muslim population on the other side of the island and since I was using Ali's ipod he had muslim music on it so we rolled through town playing traditional Arabic music, it was pretty comical and we got a lot of smiles from the people.
We stopped a a amazing overlook of the island and had some fresh mango shakes and talked with the owner who told us more about the island.
We had reached the bottom of the island and there was no road connecting to the other side so we went back up and all the way around the long way. Stopped at Long Beach and had dinner on the beach and watched the sunset as well as checked out some Mui Thia Boxing Training.
Headed back to the hotel and did some late night pool swimming with the crew and booked our snorkel trip for the next day.
Phi Phi to Ko Lanta
DAY 65
We checked out today and went to get shakes. Afterwards were waiting for Iraq boys to show so we got food at Garlic and waited around. After we still hadn't seen the guys so we walked to our shake lady and got our boat tickets from her. We then sat at the cafe and messed around on the net until the Iraq boys came along. We all got our stuff snapped some more pics and headed to the dock.
The ride was cool and as we took off, our side of the boat began to get splashed massivly by the waves and I got totally soaked. I took a little nap and before I knew it we were arriving in Koh Lanta.
We talked to a guy on the boat and he promised us a room for 1000 baht and 4 beds but when we arrived only 2 beds, a double and a single so we had to tell them we needed another bed. We were right in front of the pool and by the beach so we were happy. I busted out the iPod speakers got a beer and relaxed.
We got some food at the restaurant and chilled out.. We walked what was to told to us to be 1 kilometer but its was more like a mile to the 711 for supplies and got a motor bike tuk tuk back.
With all of us it was way to heavy for this little motorbike with a side cart attached and the bike was doing wheelies and spinning in circles when he tried to go so we had to get out and push, it was pretty funny.
We sat in front of the room drank for a while and two Swedish girls Marium and Ellen from the ride to the hotel joined us as well as two English birds. We all jumped in the pool and played around being pretty loud. Seems to be a pretty sweet place.
We checked out today and went to get shakes. Afterwards were waiting for Iraq boys to show so we got food at Garlic and waited around. After we still hadn't seen the guys so we walked to our shake lady and got our boat tickets from her. We then sat at the cafe and messed around on the net until the Iraq boys came along. We all got our stuff snapped some more pics and headed to the dock.
The ride was cool and as we took off, our side of the boat began to get splashed massivly by the waves and I got totally soaked. I took a little nap and before I knew it we were arriving in Koh Lanta.
We talked to a guy on the boat and he promised us a room for 1000 baht and 4 beds but when we arrived only 2 beds, a double and a single so we had to tell them we needed another bed. We were right in front of the pool and by the beach so we were happy. I busted out the iPod speakers got a beer and relaxed.
We got some food at the restaurant and chilled out.. We walked what was to told to us to be 1 kilometer but its was more like a mile to the 711 for supplies and got a motor bike tuk tuk back.
With all of us it was way to heavy for this little motorbike with a side cart attached and the bike was doing wheelies and spinning in circles when he tried to go so we had to get out and push, it was pretty funny.
We sat in front of the room drank for a while and two Swedish girls Marium and Ellen from the ride to the hotel joined us as well as two English birds. We all jumped in the pool and played around being pretty loud. Seems to be a pretty sweet place.
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