Photography, vegetarian recipes and travel

What is really strange about travelling, is that although we don’t have to go to work we seem to be sooooo busy. The time just seems to disappear  – leaving little time for getting on the internet and writing blogs. So today we are having a bit of a lazy day devoted to eating, laundry and internet before we head off to Bangkok again tonight (as we will be flying to Krabi in the South tomorrow morning for some diving – hurrah!).

The previous few posts should hopefully fill in the gaps from the last 2-3 weeks.

Keep in touch everyone xxx

As you will know from Paul’s post we were lucky enough to meet an amazing lady  – Mrs Ellis, who we stayed with in Chiang Mai. She was kind enough to take us out to some very nice restaurants to eat eat typical Northern Thai food. Her friend’s restaurant was decked out with amazing antiques and the food was gorgeous.

Anyway, aside from our time with Mrs Ellis, we went on a 3 day trek with Panda Tours. We were lucky to get a great group of people on the tour (age range of 19 to 69!)  – hello everyone that was there!

I got off to an embarrassing start by falling out of the minibus  – almost in slow motion. I still have an enormous bruise to prove it.

Our guides were very jolly  – Bond and Bovy. Bond constantly listened to music and was singing along  – by the end of day two we all knew the tune. Bovy busied himslef making cups and pea shooting guns out of bamboo for everyone.

We started with a nice gentle elephant ride (paul got to sit on the head with his legs behind its ears (rather him than me – I liked having a seat and barrier).

The walk itself was pretty gruelling (for me at least). All I could think on day one was “will we ever stop going up hill!” I was out of breath and sweaty. Finally we reached our accommodation high in the hills. A bamboo hut has never looked so inviting! The views were spectacular. We had a good feed, and rest around the fire (the fire that was resting in the middle of a bamboo platform – god knows how the place hasn’t burned down).

Sleep was a blessing few of us experience for too long – except perhaps Linus who had brought his own 4 season sleeping bag! The rest of us managed with 1 thin blanket and a nice thin mattress. Needless to say it was freezing in the middle of the night!

Day 2  – about 6 hours of walking – more amazing views, and some nice swimming in a water fall (very cold). At this point we had to say goodbye to Michelle and Patrick (only there for 2 days) – hope you are having a great time in Laos.

This time we stayed in a similar bamboo hut, but with pigs, dogs and chickens underneath – so this time we had noise to add to the cold, but it was an experience to say the least.

Last day – a 2 hour walk – all down hill!!!! You would think that would be a blessing but I know Nic’s knees and mine were suffering. Bamboo rafting and whitewater rafting (or should I say rock rafting) rounded the day off nicely!

To everyone on the trip – you were great company. Please register on our blog and wirte some of your own comments about our trek – I know I have missed out some of the best details…

Take care wherever you are now.

becs and paul

This is more for us but I just wanted to note where we had been and when!

10/01 – arrive Bangkok, sleep
11/01 – visit Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho. 1st Thai massage.
12/01 – flower market and Dusit Zoo.
13/01 – travel Bangkok – Khao Yai
14/01 – trek around Khao Yai
15/01 – return Bangkok and visit Chinatown
16/01 – visit Damnoen Saduak floating market and get on train to Chiang Mai. Meet Sumiworn.
17/01 – walk around Chiang Mai. Book trek. Visit night market.
18/01 – visit Wat Doi Suthep, nam tok Mon Ta Thon.
19-21/01 – elephant ride, trek and bamboo / white water rafting.
22/01 – visit Doi’s amazing houses and get a 2hr Thai massage each.
23/01 – visit Chiang Mai Royal Flower Expo and get train to Ayuthaya.
24/01 – 4 hr whistle stop tour of Ayuthaya’s old wats. Buses to Kanchanaburi.
25/01 – Trek around Erawan falls and visit Hellfire Museum.
26/01 – chill out in Kanchanaburi; update photos and blog. Travel back to Bangkok.
27/01 – fly to Krabi and get the bus to Hat Khao Lak.

Have an interesting story to tell about Chiang Mai: we got chatting to an Thai lady (Simone) on the night train up here. She was married to an English bloke and they lived in Henley on Thames for a few years (he worked for Glaxo / GSK). He passed away 25 years ago and she moved back to Thailand. Anyway she invited us to stay with her in her nice house whilst we are in Chiang Mai (!), so we have the comforts of home instead of being in a guest house (not that guest houses are too bad). She’s a lovely lady and has had a very interesting life.Chiang Mai is lovely, a really nice city with lots of countryside around to trek in. Very cheap and so much nicer than Bangkok.

Have just uploaded a memory card dump of 150 photos (internet access is about 15p/hour up here) that I haven’t had time to organise or label, but some interesting shots of Bangkok and the floating market.

Off trekking in the hills for 3 days so more news (including Becs’ missing post) when we get back.

Paul.

Between Khao yai and Chiang Mai we had another quick stop in Bangkok – enough time to squeeze in a morning visit to the Floating market. The guidebook wasn’t too positive about it – it is very touristy, but well worth a couple of hours just to see the manic scenes of boats and people. Goods and money were passed across the river, and people hooked your boat closer to their stall… check out our pics

Based on Dan and Pilar’s recommendation and the postacards on the wall of their loo, off we went to Khao Yai. They were right! It was beautiful.

We got the bus from Bangkok to Pak Chong (luckily someone spotted us looking aimless and pointed us in the right direction), then a taxi to a funny little guesthouse called Greenleaf (3 pound a night for a double room). We had read good things about the tours of the National park so gave them a go, we were rewarded that day with an evening of bat watching – 2 million bats in fact, pouring out of a cave on a hillside – AMAZING!

Next day up early and off to Khao Yai with the rest of the group (hello Pam and Marcel if you are reading this!). Even on the way there the guides were stopping the vehicle and jumping out with a telescope having spotted some bird or other.

Once in the park we saw lots of hornbills (see pics), monkeys, and best of all, white-faced gibbons. The calls of the gibbons were really haunting. Without a guide I don’t think we would have seen anything but the monkeys waiting to steal food by the side of the road. Their eye for the birds and gibbons high in the canopy was amazing.

check out www.greenleaftour.com

We really didn’t think we would like Bangkok too much, so it was great to discover that we do! There is so much going on, colour everywhere, whether it be fruit on the market stalls, rails of baggy trousers or amazing colourful temples.

On our first day we went on a walking tour taking in the Grand Palace, Wat Pho (with massive reclining Buddha), our first and by no means last taste of Thai massage and Chinatown. Would recommend all of this!

Another great plus is the food and the prices – yummy red curry for less than a pound – we were in heaven.

Day 2 – All I can say is don’t bother going to Dusit Zoo – we found it a bit depressing. But the nearby Thewit flower market and the Royal Plaza (full of military and tanks etc) were pretty impressive.

We also had great fun riding the river taxis up and down (for about 15p).

Staying in the Khao San Road area in Banglamphu you start to appreciate just what a mecca Thailand is for travellers. Many of which no doubt think they are doing something really adventurous and different – but no, there are loads of us all doing the same thing – like being on a travellers conveyor belt…That sounds really negative, but I don’t mean it to be. There is a great atmosphere and I guess the concentration of people gives everyone an odd sense of belonging.

As you will have read in an earlier post, I nearly threw the computer out the window when my blog entry magically disappeared from my screen (having spent an hour writing it. Having got over the devastation, I thought it time to recap on some of the unwritten adventures!

So, off to Turtle Bay beach club we went, leaving the smells of Mombasa behind. Essentially we spent a blissful week with Dan, Pilar, Alex, Julie, Peter, Ben and Willie enjoying the luxurious surroundings, snorkelling lots and grazing on the constant supply of all inclusive food.

Best spot on the snorkelling was a pretty big puffer fish just off the beach. We decided not to go diving as the vis wasn’t amazing, and snorkelling out to the little island off the beach was pleasant enough.

Paul managed to squeeze in a bit of kite surfing so he was pretty chuffed, and Dan, Paul and Peter got very competitive when it came to the volley ball and water polo – luckily the games seemed to involve mainly adults, so no children were maimed.

Low point, or should I say angry point of the week for me was watching some other snorkellers treading on the coral – needless to say I had a right go at them!

We were all pretty sad to leave turtle bay – the fact that we didn’t leave its gates for the entire week probably tells you how nice it was to just veg out there.

The last update was the Lakes – so much has happened since then! After a few days of resting and going out with Dan and Pilar’s friends  – Oh and New Year which passed very quietly as we had to get up at 5am, off we (including Dan Pilar, Alex, Julie, Peter and Julie’s parents) went to Mombasa.

The trip got off to an exciting start with Julie and company going to the wrong airport and only getting to the right one in the nick of time for the flight (well, actually it was delayed so that was ok – phew!).

After finding a clean hotel in Mombasa (second time lucky) asnd having a quick dip in the pool, off we went to Fort Jesus and a walk around the Old Town. In the guide book it says you will either love or loathe Mombasa. I think I am closer to the latter, though granted we were downtown Mombasa  – not the bit with the hotels near a beach.

Fort Jesus was a bit disappointing and the Old Town walk was fascinating… but an assault on the senses that I don’t need to experience twice! There were so many interesting buildings that must have been something in their day, but alas, not any more. Apparently they have really cleaned Mombasa old town up in the last few years…

On a more positive note, the ride back to the hotel with five of us squashed into a little orange tuk tuk was great! Like being on a roler coaster:)

Anyway, we all decided that one night (instead of three) was enough in Mombasa, so Peter arranged for us to go to Turtle Bay early the following day.

Right I am off as the computer is playing up, you’ll have to wait for the next installment.

Bye bye from a frustrated Becs!

I have just spent an hour writing a great post -then it disappeared! Grrrrrrr. So this is a test.