I found my new favorite place - definitely the one in SE Asia: Luang Prabang. We flew here from Pakse, trying to shorten the travel time from the south of Laos as much as posssible before my Sunday departure for Chiang Mai.
The place we booked for 30 USD per night, Merry Guesthouse 2 was beautiful, really well kept and family-run, a great spot to spend a few days at. Our first meal, the mega-size salads at Lao Lao Garden and the walk through our side of Phu Si (not joking with the name) made me instantly fall in love with the city; it is charming, quiet, beautiful, clean, people are kind and noone wants to rape you for half a dollar - very relaxing! The Friday morning we got our Vietnam visas sorted first, for 510000 kip - those numbers really mess with your conscious for a while. In the afternoon I went for a walk around the city and along the Mekong and met 2 Hungarian guys at one of the temples, had a coffee with them and talked about their adventures in Laos - I was SO happy to speak some Hungarian after such a long time... In the eve we went to see the sunset on Phu Si with Dave and laughed our asses off about the name and, the one Buddha for every day of the week collection halfway up the hill - there was even a little song born out of our madness there.. ;) Then walking along the city we found something else Hungarian: Liza's Icon Bar, with a book on Pecs on the shelf and a bottle of Unicum in the fridge - it was interesting to see part of me right on the other side of the world, in such an interesting setup.
Saturday morning Dave was feeling a little rough so I took some water and my camera and headed for the countryside to leave him rest in peace for a few hours. Walking through tiny little villages the first thing I saw was a roosterfight, then jungle and pure magic all the way, talked to some friendly locals, saw women making silk textiles, paper, do their usual Saturday morning chores - and took a gazillion pictures:
I had such a great time walking around I could not believe it. You know, when you are just so content that you smile constantly, dont need anything at all, no food or drinks or music or conversations or any stimulation - when you are just there, loving every minute for the sake of being there..... it was that feeling..
And then Sunday morning I left for Chiang Mai, not sure what to expect but ready to go back to school, learn massage and meet new faces; and at the same time already looking forward to be back on Phuket with Dave at Mama's at the end of the month.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Laos: 4000 islands and Pakse
From Cambodia, we took the only option we found for land transportation to Laos: a bus that left Phnom Phen at 6.45, and was supposed to arrive to the 4000 islands area, the magical place at the south of Loas we only heard good things about, around 4 in the afternoon. We arranged the Lao visas last mintue (very, last minute) at the Lao consulate in Phnom Phen; for which I paid 35 USD while Dave did 55, these including the 10 USD extra pronto fee. The 20 USD bus ride was okay, apart from the fact that the aircon was blowing full-power when it was cool in the morning, and stopped working around midday when it was 35C outside. Oh well, thats just the way things work around here. One scene will never be forgotten from that busride: at the Cambo-Lao border, a lady selling her goods shouting: "something somethiiiiiiiiing", the craziest English phrase I have ever heard in my entire life. We still have massive giggles out of it, months later..... :)
From where the bus dropped us off, a minivan took us to the shores of the Mekong - it was right there when I realized that I left a bag on the big bus, with all my t-shirts and tops inside..... Bummer! Nothing left to be done about it, Dave calmed me down saying: time to make new favorites!
A shaky motor boat, similar to the longtails in Thailand, took us to the biggest of the islands, Don Dhet. I have to say the scenery was absolutely breathtaking; hundreds of these little tiny and slightly bigger islands scattered all over in the Mekong, some with a few people on them but most of them inhabited... Very nice!
The only problem was, we had so high expectations about what was awaiting, that we were probably doomed to be dissapointed by default. There are bars after restaurants after travel agents on Don Dhet, waste everywhere, and fucked up, middle aged Europeans coming down from their various toxicated trips, dirty and smelling like pigs - like a small, run-down version of Phi-Phi where everyone is on drugs. I mean, when asking for some salad at a restaurant, the answer is: "sorry we have absolutely no fresh vegetables today, but I can make you a mushroom shake or an opium tea or a nice joint if you'd like" - thats when I ask for a JD&Coke and find the shortest way out.
So after only one day in "paradise", on Monday we decided to leave and head for Pakse, the closest city with an airport, so that I can at least make my flight in Luang Prabang over the weekend.
The bus ride was again eventful: 2 hours later than the planned departure, there were approx. 20 more people on the bus than seats, which meant that a French-Canadian girl was for instance, was sitting on the deck, back against the front window, right next to the steering wheel......... Yep, good times!
Arriving to Pakse at 4, we checked into the Saigon-Champasak hotel, 100000 kip (10 eur) per night, clean room with hot shower - after the place at Phnom Phen and Don Dhet, I was close to tears when I saw it..
Thats it, I have to admit, I hate shitholes, I do need the hot shower, and I am not doing well among dirty backpackers on drugs all the time. Its so much more to life and travelling that that!
First dinner we had at the closeby Jasmin Indian restaurant (seriously, LP recomendations can be flushed down the toilet in so many occasions, that now I only look at the book when everything else falls to pieces). Right when we sat down walked in Nick and Trent, the two Americans we met on the bus from Phnom Phen....
Shortly the question came up if they saw my bag after we got off by any chance, and so they said they gave it to the bus driver, not having either of our contact detials.
To cut this story short, the BIGGEST surprise of all happened: after going back to the bus stop and asking around for 10 minutes, we found a Cambodian guy who called the busdriver and arranged for that bag to be brought back to Laos the following day, with ALL MY TOPS AND T-SHIRTS INSIDE! I was lost for words. The more so, when I wanted to give 50000 kip (5 EUR) to this guy and he would not take the money...... Unbelieveable, there are some really good people in the world! :)
On Tuesday we booked flights from Pakse to Luang Prabang for Thursday, went shopping to the weirdest shoppingmall ever (with so over-priced shitty clothes, that noone buys anthing there), and reserved a bike for the day after, yes, a proper motorbike for Wednesday, when we would go and search for hidden waterfalls and elephants - ended up having the perfect day in the end. Started with an awesome breakfast at the Kafe Katuad, we left on the bike, drove 220 km, found 2 amazing waterfalls, oxen, little local hidden villages and schools, an adventure meal, smiling faces, a monkey farm, and elephants (whose farts are the loudest and longest of all creatures!); and figured that the elephant ride, though not as bad as camels, requires full scuba-gear with mask and snorkel, or at least a set of clothes you dont mind ditching after the ride........... yuck, it was a snotty experience!
From where the bus dropped us off, a minivan took us to the shores of the Mekong - it was right there when I realized that I left a bag on the big bus, with all my t-shirts and tops inside..... Bummer! Nothing left to be done about it, Dave calmed me down saying: time to make new favorites!
A shaky motor boat, similar to the longtails in Thailand, took us to the biggest of the islands, Don Dhet. I have to say the scenery was absolutely breathtaking; hundreds of these little tiny and slightly bigger islands scattered all over in the Mekong, some with a few people on them but most of them inhabited... Very nice!
The only problem was, we had so high expectations about what was awaiting, that we were probably doomed to be dissapointed by default. There are bars after restaurants after travel agents on Don Dhet, waste everywhere, and fucked up, middle aged Europeans coming down from their various toxicated trips, dirty and smelling like pigs - like a small, run-down version of Phi-Phi where everyone is on drugs. I mean, when asking for some salad at a restaurant, the answer is: "sorry we have absolutely no fresh vegetables today, but I can make you a mushroom shake or an opium tea or a nice joint if you'd like" - thats when I ask for a JD&Coke and find the shortest way out.
So after only one day in "paradise", on Monday we decided to leave and head for Pakse, the closest city with an airport, so that I can at least make my flight in Luang Prabang over the weekend.
The bus ride was again eventful: 2 hours later than the planned departure, there were approx. 20 more people on the bus than seats, which meant that a French-Canadian girl was for instance, was sitting on the deck, back against the front window, right next to the steering wheel......... Yep, good times!
Arriving to Pakse at 4, we checked into the Saigon-Champasak hotel, 100000 kip (10 eur) per night, clean room with hot shower - after the place at Phnom Phen and Don Dhet, I was close to tears when I saw it..
Thats it, I have to admit, I hate shitholes, I do need the hot shower, and I am not doing well among dirty backpackers on drugs all the time. Its so much more to life and travelling that that!
First dinner we had at the closeby Jasmin Indian restaurant (seriously, LP recomendations can be flushed down the toilet in so many occasions, that now I only look at the book when everything else falls to pieces). Right when we sat down walked in Nick and Trent, the two Americans we met on the bus from Phnom Phen....
Shortly the question came up if they saw my bag after we got off by any chance, and so they said they gave it to the bus driver, not having either of our contact detials.
To cut this story short, the BIGGEST surprise of all happened: after going back to the bus stop and asking around for 10 minutes, we found a Cambodian guy who called the busdriver and arranged for that bag to be brought back to Laos the following day, with ALL MY TOPS AND T-SHIRTS INSIDE! I was lost for words. The more so, when I wanted to give 50000 kip (5 EUR) to this guy and he would not take the money...... Unbelieveable, there are some really good people in the world! :)
On Tuesday we booked flights from Pakse to Luang Prabang for Thursday, went shopping to the weirdest shoppingmall ever (with so over-priced shitty clothes, that noone buys anthing there), and reserved a bike for the day after, yes, a proper motorbike for Wednesday, when we would go and search for hidden waterfalls and elephants - ended up having the perfect day in the end. Started with an awesome breakfast at the Kafe Katuad, we left on the bike, drove 220 km, found 2 amazing waterfalls, oxen, little local hidden villages and schools, an adventure meal, smiling faces, a monkey farm, and elephants (whose farts are the loudest and longest of all creatures!); and figured that the elephant ride, though not as bad as camels, requires full scuba-gear with mask and snorkel, or at least a set of clothes you dont mind ditching after the ride........... yuck, it was a snotty experience!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Ko Phi Phi
Though I went diving on Phi Phi last year and I found it so crowded I swore not to go back, it took Dave a minute to convince me to go back there for a weekend with him. I am such a softy.. We booked the round trip with Mama for 1000 THB each, door-to-door (have to mention that 50m down the road, the next guesthouse only charged 750 THB per person, but hey..). Among the many boat companies, we took Phi Phi Cruiser and got soaked on the open deck within the first 10 minutes on the way. The ride was rather pleasant otherwise, with Nick, Brandon and co. from Mama’s too – we were heading towards the same madness. Namely, a boxing ring at the Reggae bar, and free buckets to all who get inside and give a fight a go. So there was Nick the day after with a lovely blackeye… of course.
Phi Phi – if you haven’t been there yet – is all about 3 things: bars/restaurants (best is Calamaro; an expensive and fancy one is Grand Blue where we had our most expensive meal on Thailand for 30 USD; and there is Phi Phi Bakery with apple and coconut muffins, yuuuuuum!), diving (there are about 200 dive shops) and tour-operator offices. We stayed at the Golden Hill Bungalows, was okay for the one night but for 1500 THB I wouldn’t be staying there again if I went back.
Right while looking for the bungalows, we bumped into Naomi, the owner of the SpiderMonkey bar (on Lipe), right at the SpiderMonkey climb shop – the world is small. Based on the great cocktails we had at hers during Christmas, we decided to sign up for a half-a-day adventure with her peeps; snorkeling with sharks, cliff-jumping, Monkey beach, Maya beach, sunset magic around Phi Phi Leh, for 600 THB each, including lunch, pineapples and water, and we had an AMAZING time! She also had some recommendations for food and drinks and places to go to – if you hit Phi Phi or Koh Lipe, make sure you do go and say hello to this amazing lady!
There was one little accident over that Saturday night: while cliff-jumping in the afternoon, the camera that I was holding onto snapped off the wristband and hit me right in between the eyes, and I decided to cure the pain with JD&Coke. Many of it! Practically, we did a pub tour, having a Jack in about 10 of the restaurants. My breakdown in the evening and the hangover that followed on Sunday morning was not pretty, and D's bookstore didn’t come up with the promised magical coffees for curing it either. What helped in the end was the climb up to the island’s Viewpoint in the 40C – a must go and see if you are there and have an hour free -, and the mango shake that we turbo-ed up with coconut milk; that was something to die for!
The week after the Phi Phi adventures was full of new things again: Dave left for Bangkok/Cambodia on Wednesday and I was left at Mama’s with more time on my hands than I honestly asked for… I played with my newest awesome amazing Canadian friend Celine for the most of it, hang with the gang by the pool, got a few massages in the books, went wakeboarding on Friday afternoon, to Fatty’s for that famous (and well praised) steak dinner with Celine, Marko and Steve and, to the BBQ Beatdown at Tiger; watched muay thai fights and simply loved them!
In the end, only 2 days after Dave left I decided to fly after him to Siem Reap. The Thai chapter (1) was coming to an end rapidly and I was en-route to Cambodia through KL, with delayed flights and a night spent at LCCT on the 30th of January.
Phi Phi – if you haven’t been there yet – is all about 3 things: bars/restaurants (best is Calamaro; an expensive and fancy one is Grand Blue where we had our most expensive meal on Thailand for 30 USD; and there is Phi Phi Bakery with apple and coconut muffins, yuuuuuum!), diving (there are about 200 dive shops) and tour-operator offices. We stayed at the Golden Hill Bungalows, was okay for the one night but for 1500 THB I wouldn’t be staying there again if I went back.
Right while looking for the bungalows, we bumped into Naomi, the owner of the SpiderMonkey bar (on Lipe), right at the SpiderMonkey climb shop – the world is small. Based on the great cocktails we had at hers during Christmas, we decided to sign up for a half-a-day adventure with her peeps; snorkeling with sharks, cliff-jumping, Monkey beach, Maya beach, sunset magic around Phi Phi Leh, for 600 THB each, including lunch, pineapples and water, and we had an AMAZING time! She also had some recommendations for food and drinks and places to go to – if you hit Phi Phi or Koh Lipe, make sure you do go and say hello to this amazing lady!
There was one little accident over that Saturday night: while cliff-jumping in the afternoon, the camera that I was holding onto snapped off the wristband and hit me right in between the eyes, and I decided to cure the pain with JD&Coke. Many of it! Practically, we did a pub tour, having a Jack in about 10 of the restaurants. My breakdown in the evening and the hangover that followed on Sunday morning was not pretty, and D's bookstore didn’t come up with the promised magical coffees for curing it either. What helped in the end was the climb up to the island’s Viewpoint in the 40C – a must go and see if you are there and have an hour free -, and the mango shake that we turbo-ed up with coconut milk; that was something to die for!
The week after the Phi Phi adventures was full of new things again: Dave left for Bangkok/Cambodia on Wednesday and I was left at Mama’s with more time on my hands than I honestly asked for… I played with my newest awesome amazing Canadian friend Celine for the most of it, hang with the gang by the pool, got a few massages in the books, went wakeboarding on Friday afternoon, to Fatty’s for that famous (and well praised) steak dinner with Celine, Marko and Steve and, to the BBQ Beatdown at Tiger; watched muay thai fights and simply loved them!
In the end, only 2 days after Dave left I decided to fly after him to Siem Reap. The Thai chapter (1) was coming to an end rapidly and I was en-route to Cambodia through KL, with delayed flights and a night spent at LCCT on the 30th of January.
January, the month of contentmen
January was the month of contentment. Staying at the Forest Bungalows, the days started with a 7am yoga class with Simon, Tiger’s resident yogi, followed by, from the second day onwards with Randy’s body fit madness. The initial idea was, that I would go to the yoga classes and find a place where I would learn how to thai-massage – unfortunately/or not, the latter has not happened yet. Instead, on day 2, I decided to try out the body fit – and found myself on the south tip of Phuket, with a bunch of bulls, running up and down the stairs and the hill with a truck tire above my head… Needless to say, I was immediately hooked.
So, morning yoga, then bodyfit every day, followed by the best hours of the day by the pool at Mama’s, reading, sunbathing, drinking coconuts, eating amazing food, watching TV in the evenings or Firefly from Dave’s computer, going to bed at 9pm, sleep well, get up early in the morning and do it all over again – I had the time of my life.
Over the first weekend we went to check out the beaches on the south end and had a quest to find Haag n Dazs later, after our Saturday evening date with Dave went pearshaped: the restaurant we wanted to go to (recommended by LP and TripAdvisor) was closed down, and there was not a single movie in the cinema in English in Phuket town… We had such a chilled time though, there was nothing that could kick me out of balance… At least that’s what I thought. And then came the Wednesday, 12th of January, when in the evening I decided to (try to) ride the scooter the 50m to the drop-off spot – and I crashed it…. Wearing a mini skirt and tanktop, even though I was not going anywhere close to fast, I destroyed my right side: 5, palm-sized bruises became the decoration for the next few weeks. Dave cleaned me up so I didn’t have to go to the hospital (thank god – and him – that he had the guts and all the best ever prepared first-aid kit), but man I looked messy. The repair cost me 3300 THB, approx. 100 USD which could have been a lot worse, but this was just annoying next to the fact that, for the following week, I could not sleep apart from on my back, I was in pain; I couldn’t go to yoga or workout, there was no swimming, no sunbathing – I was just a miserable chicken, with the most ridiculous scooter-crashing story ever: ya, crashed it sober, in the carpark, in front of the bungalow…. AUCH!
The following day I had a reservation for a cooking class (expensive, 1700 THB for a day, but so good I went back 2 days later), and so I did suck it up and went. Bo, from Iceland was helping me with moving around; the day after the accident I was a proper mess. On the Friday the same week, Dave had to do a visa run to Myanmar, and with having the whole day to spend in bed, I started to plan the rest of my Asia-trip – and didn’t get far…
Doomed to be around the house for the most of it, I started to make friends with the people hanging around at Mama’s, most of them training at Tiger, girls and boys from all parts of the world. By the week after the accident, I managed to get my bruises heal up nicely enough so that I could go back to training, and by the end of the month I got myself into a better shape than ever before – I was pretty impressed with myself to be honest. We had another movie date with Dave which was special because we went to see a Thai movie with English subtitles, something to be remembered; it was hilarious! Well, this was the life both me and Dave are now planning to go back to for a while; a truly great time at an awesome spot and great people around. Here are the pics, check them out!
So, morning yoga, then bodyfit every day, followed by the best hours of the day by the pool at Mama’s, reading, sunbathing, drinking coconuts, eating amazing food, watching TV in the evenings or Firefly from Dave’s computer, going to bed at 9pm, sleep well, get up early in the morning and do it all over again – I had the time of my life.
Over the first weekend we went to check out the beaches on the south end and had a quest to find Haag n Dazs later, after our Saturday evening date with Dave went pearshaped: the restaurant we wanted to go to (recommended by LP and TripAdvisor) was closed down, and there was not a single movie in the cinema in English in Phuket town… We had such a chilled time though, there was nothing that could kick me out of balance… At least that’s what I thought. And then came the Wednesday, 12th of January, when in the evening I decided to (try to) ride the scooter the 50m to the drop-off spot – and I crashed it…. Wearing a mini skirt and tanktop, even though I was not going anywhere close to fast, I destroyed my right side: 5, palm-sized bruises became the decoration for the next few weeks. Dave cleaned me up so I didn’t have to go to the hospital (thank god – and him – that he had the guts and all the best ever prepared first-aid kit), but man I looked messy. The repair cost me 3300 THB, approx. 100 USD which could have been a lot worse, but this was just annoying next to the fact that, for the following week, I could not sleep apart from on my back, I was in pain; I couldn’t go to yoga or workout, there was no swimming, no sunbathing – I was just a miserable chicken, with the most ridiculous scooter-crashing story ever: ya, crashed it sober, in the carpark, in front of the bungalow…. AUCH!
The following day I had a reservation for a cooking class (expensive, 1700 THB for a day, but so good I went back 2 days later), and so I did suck it up and went. Bo, from Iceland was helping me with moving around; the day after the accident I was a proper mess. On the Friday the same week, Dave had to do a visa run to Myanmar, and with having the whole day to spend in bed, I started to plan the rest of my Asia-trip – and didn’t get far…
Doomed to be around the house for the most of it, I started to make friends with the people hanging around at Mama’s, most of them training at Tiger, girls and boys from all parts of the world. By the week after the accident, I managed to get my bruises heal up nicely enough so that I could go back to training, and by the end of the month I got myself into a better shape than ever before – I was pretty impressed with myself to be honest. We had another movie date with Dave which was special because we went to see a Thai movie with English subtitles, something to be remembered; it was hilarious! Well, this was the life both me and Dave are now planning to go back to for a while; a truly great time at an awesome spot and great people around. Here are the pics, check them out!
Monday, February 07, 2011
Transit
After a day of recovery on Ko Phangan - which consisted of laughing at the spray-painted dogs having the time of their lives, watching the afterparty still going at 2pm, doing a few food-runs and getting soaked in the new year rain – we kissed good bye to our two new friends and left the party island on the 2nd of January. Initially, we had a reservation for a boat-bus combo ride, that was supposed to take us all the way to Phuket, but because of some mess with the tickets, we also had to have a 3 hour stopover at the Surat Thani bus station, 10km from the city, no ATM or cash left in our pockets for a proper meal…. After the whole day of travel we finally got to the Gypsy Room around midnight– where the ladies apologized and put us back to the dorm; they messed up our reservation again. I was furious….
On the first Monday of the new year, no longer over-impressed with the Gypsy Room ladies – what concerns me anyway.., we took all our stuff and headed down to Chalong – the part of the island where Dave found a muay thai camp he was planning to train at for the month of January and accommodation at a close-by guesthouse. It was a good half an hour drive through places I have not seen before and the anxiety of the unknown was only growing with every minute.
We (Dave) checked into the Tiger camp, and once done with the admin stuff, Mama came to pick us up and take us to the Forest Bungalows, where we would be staying for the month.
The deal was great: 300 EUR for the two of us for the month, including breakfast; wifi in the room, the place is 10 min walk from Tiger, about 20 mins on a scooter from the closest (nice) beach, 10 mins from a huge shoppingmall; it has a nice swimmingpool, an attached restaurant that clearly serves the best thai food either of us have tasted with variety that keeps you happy for a week without wanting to go anywhere else, and when you do go elsewhere you just swear you wouldn’t make the mistake again…… And the staff…… apart from Mama there is Oil, smiling at the reception, Choo serving food, Maui, nr. 1 candidate for everyone’s babysitter / housekeeper, Man the 16 year old kid from Burma who prepares the shakes and other yummy drinks for everyone, and Pong, this angel who is my moms age, doesn’t speak much English, but apart from serving food does thai massage…….. Thai massage to die for, for 4,5 EUR an hour…. Unbelievable!
So, we settled down, ready to start new adventures – though at that point, I clearly had no idea on what I was going to be doing for the whole month..
On the first Monday of the new year, no longer over-impressed with the Gypsy Room ladies – what concerns me anyway.., we took all our stuff and headed down to Chalong – the part of the island where Dave found a muay thai camp he was planning to train at for the month of January and accommodation at a close-by guesthouse. It was a good half an hour drive through places I have not seen before and the anxiety of the unknown was only growing with every minute.
We (Dave) checked into the Tiger camp, and once done with the admin stuff, Mama came to pick us up and take us to the Forest Bungalows, where we would be staying for the month.
The deal was great: 300 EUR for the two of us for the month, including breakfast; wifi in the room, the place is 10 min walk from Tiger, about 20 mins on a scooter from the closest (nice) beach, 10 mins from a huge shoppingmall; it has a nice swimmingpool, an attached restaurant that clearly serves the best thai food either of us have tasted with variety that keeps you happy for a week without wanting to go anywhere else, and when you do go elsewhere you just swear you wouldn’t make the mistake again…… And the staff…… apart from Mama there is Oil, smiling at the reception, Choo serving food, Maui, nr. 1 candidate for everyone’s babysitter / housekeeper, Man the 16 year old kid from Burma who prepares the shakes and other yummy drinks for everyone, and Pong, this angel who is my moms age, doesn’t speak much English, but apart from serving food does thai massage…….. Thai massage to die for, for 4,5 EUR an hour…. Unbelievable!
So, we settled down, ready to start new adventures – though at that point, I clearly had no idea on what I was going to be doing for the whole month..
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Back to the very end of 2010
From Surat Thani we headed to Koh Tao on the 30th of December, to see if we can cancel our reservation at the Freedom Beach Resort for the 31st and 1st.. We had the boat tickets all the way to Tao anyway, neither of us had been on that island yet, so we thought, why not go and check it out. Needless to say, we could not change the booking - 100 eur down the drain. Regardless, and after quite a number of banana daiquires at the Paprika restaurant, we decided to leave Turtle Island and the breathtaking view from the room, and head towards the zoo on Ko Phangan on the morning of the 31st........
The boat was delayed due to the crazy sea conditions - I have to admit, I was a lil scared when we were horizontal on the massive waves, but we made it, just in time to start drinking for the party. Our accomodation, that bungalow reserved by Wes and Daniel was at the Fairyland Resort - based on the name and the initial prices for the room Wes shared with us, I was dead sure it would be a massive gay resort with a huge jacuzzi and things one dont necessary wanting to see - but it was just one of the many on the full moon beach; the epicenter of the celebrations for the night. But of course! We couldnt have had a better spot for watching the madness throughout the night and in the morning, the morning after.
As the drinking (meaning, buckets, of course, SE Asia style, the backpacker's way of getting absolutely shitfaced in the shortest period of time, cheapest way, with a - usually - disgusting mix of alcohol..) started right after lunch at the balcony of room 105. By 7pm I was ready for a nap - yes, I made the big mistake.... A few hours later when the boys woke me, I was many hours behind their bubbling mood; I was not looking forward to see how that evening would end.... I was unnecessarily worried in the end: apart from the half an hour around midnight that we spent on the beach - among tens of thousands of drunk/high kids, mindblowing music, sea, fireworks and mushroomshakes - I have to say the evening was rather calm; the few trips to the Kangaroo Bar guaranteed the early night in, the earplugs the 10 hour sleep; the last night of the year ended without any disaster...... :)
The boat was delayed due to the crazy sea conditions - I have to admit, I was a lil scared when we were horizontal on the massive waves, but we made it, just in time to start drinking for the party. Our accomodation, that bungalow reserved by Wes and Daniel was at the Fairyland Resort - based on the name and the initial prices for the room Wes shared with us, I was dead sure it would be a massive gay resort with a huge jacuzzi and things one dont necessary wanting to see - but it was just one of the many on the full moon beach; the epicenter of the celebrations for the night. But of course! We couldnt have had a better spot for watching the madness throughout the night and in the morning, the morning after.
As the drinking (meaning, buckets, of course, SE Asia style, the backpacker's way of getting absolutely shitfaced in the shortest period of time, cheapest way, with a - usually - disgusting mix of alcohol..) started right after lunch at the balcony of room 105. By 7pm I was ready for a nap - yes, I made the big mistake.... A few hours later when the boys woke me, I was many hours behind their bubbling mood; I was not looking forward to see how that evening would end.... I was unnecessarily worried in the end: apart from the half an hour around midnight that we spent on the beach - among tens of thousands of drunk/high kids, mindblowing music, sea, fireworks and mushroomshakes - I have to say the evening was rather calm; the few trips to the Kangaroo Bar guaranteed the early night in, the earplugs the 10 hour sleep; the last night of the year ended without any disaster...... :)
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Plans for February and Cambodia to start with
I know I know I know, nothing for the past month..... it has been......... busy. Okay, not quite, but everything else was more important than spending too much time in front of the laptop - sorry about that.
I start with the plans first, so that you know where I am, why I am not writing.. ;)
I am currently in Cambodia - wait, let me tell you quickly about it. I dont like it very much, at all. Angkor Wat and the temples are truly amazing and worth all the hassle of travelling over here, but if you ask me: dont waste more time here than necessary.
Something is off in this country, and though the first impression, Siem Reap with all the rip-offs was not helping the good overall picture, after 6 days, including some awesome things - like a cooking class in Phnom Phen at the Frizz restaurant -, I still dont like the country. Looking forward to travel to Laos tomorrow.
So Laos is next, the 4000 islands at the south and then Luang Prabang towards the end of the week. We will most likely part with Dave during the week when I head north, he is in no hurry while I have a reservation for a thai massage course in Chiang Mai, starting the 14th of February! :D wooohoooo!
After the course I will make my way back down to Phuket and Mama's - explanation for the love for that place is coming soon... -, Dave will join towards the end of the month, and during the first week in March we fly to Borneo, to climb Mt. Kinabalu and dive Sipadan for my birthday. What an awesome idea was that, dont you think? :)
The post-Borneo plans are not yet clear, depending on the weather (seriously), my finances and my mood, I will either travel to Vietnam for a few weeks or head back home for a while, and enjoy every moment of the beautiful spring, my bed, company of friends and family, a kelkaposztafozelek and the 3million other things that make me homesick more often than you would think.........
I start with the plans first, so that you know where I am, why I am not writing.. ;)
I am currently in Cambodia - wait, let me tell you quickly about it. I dont like it very much, at all. Angkor Wat and the temples are truly amazing and worth all the hassle of travelling over here, but if you ask me: dont waste more time here than necessary.
Something is off in this country, and though the first impression, Siem Reap with all the rip-offs was not helping the good overall picture, after 6 days, including some awesome things - like a cooking class in Phnom Phen at the Frizz restaurant -, I still dont like the country. Looking forward to travel to Laos tomorrow.
So Laos is next, the 4000 islands at the south and then Luang Prabang towards the end of the week. We will most likely part with Dave during the week when I head north, he is in no hurry while I have a reservation for a thai massage course in Chiang Mai, starting the 14th of February! :D wooohoooo!
After the course I will make my way back down to Phuket and Mama's - explanation for the love for that place is coming soon... -, Dave will join towards the end of the month, and during the first week in March we fly to Borneo, to climb Mt. Kinabalu and dive Sipadan for my birthday. What an awesome idea was that, dont you think? :)
The post-Borneo plans are not yet clear, depending on the weather (seriously), my finances and my mood, I will either travel to Vietnam for a few weeks or head back home for a while, and enjoy every moment of the beautiful spring, my bed, company of friends and family, a kelkaposztafozelek and the 3million other things that make me homesick more often than you would think.........
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