On Leaving Thailand

As we prepare to leave Thailand we reflect on a few quirky things we've noticed during our 20 day stay. Here they are:

• Traffic lights with a digital display that counts down the seconds until your take-off from the intersection. These are a fantastic invention and should be compulsory in all major cities. No one runs a red light here.
• There are loads of cats with broken (or missing) tails in Thailand. Does this also suggetst something about the traffic?
• Thai people seem to have a dry sense of humour. You're not quite sure whether they're joking or not when they talk to you.
• Every phone call requires a different coloured phone box. For international calls you may need to use a yellow phone or an orange and green coloured one. Both require a different sort of phone card which can often be bought at 7/11 but not always. For local calls use the blue phones however we do not recommend trying to book accomodation this way. You will either need lots and lots of coins or a translater from the travel agency.
• AND A FINAL TIP... Do not bring 25kg of luggage each! WEll, we are going to a country with a temperature almost 20 degrees cooler. But the numerous boat crews and taxi drivers are not impressed with us and complain audibly "So Heavy!" Girls, all you need in a bikini and a sarong. Guys, boardies and a tank-top.

A Feast for the Eyes

We are attempting to share a bucket of Thai whiskey mixed with coke and redbull. A lethal mix unless shared between four.
Above is the view from our balcony on Koh Ngai Island (or maybe its Koh Hai? No one seems to commit). This was a terrific bargain for us because the hotel has only opened recently. We were the only guests for 2 of 3 days. The view from the pool is even more spectacular.
Sunset from Klong Nin beach, Koh Lanta. We stayed 5 nights. We found paradise!

After being Thai'd out we opted for Sunday Roast Lamb at the Brit Cafe. Note the mountain of mashed potato we never got near finishing.



Jane swims with the fishies!! Watch out, they do nip. Still on the hunt for Nemo.

Sunny Days in Ko Lanta

Haven't got the camera with us this time so we can't leave any photos. Thought we'd jazz it up a bit changing fonts etc.
We're loving the BEAUTIFUL beaches on Ko Lanta still. Such fine sand. The water is lovely and warm however the little biting bugs (?sea lice) do shorten our dips somewhat.
We've hired a motorbike for a few days and we've driven up and down both sides of the island. Jane was extremely stiff going around the corners but now seems to have gotten used to it. We are the only two people in Thailand both wearing helmets on a bike. Having seen the injuries form bike accidents does put you off being too reckless. Had a halarious time getting up a very steep dirt track on the bike yesterday. Took two attempts, a long run up and plenty of "I think I can, I think I can"s.
Yesterday we trekked to a trickle of a waterfall. There was the option to get there via elephant but we needed the excercise and we didn't want to interupt their lunch. Grumpy elephants wouldn't be pleasant.
8 more nights in Thailand and who knows what we'll do. If anyone knows of any must-sees on the Southern islands then let us know!
We'll post more photos soon.
Bye for now.

Phi Phi Island Thailand

Finding Nemo!!!
Relaxing on Phi Phi Island.
Fire Twirling on Phi Phi Island.

Fire Dancers and Old Friends

Guess who we bumped into on Phi Phi Island!!! It's Jess Tan from the String Quartet and her boyfriend, Mark (Westy)! We've had a lovely time catching up with them and exploring Ko Lanta, another small island off the West coast of Thailand.
Since we last blogged we've stayed in Ao Nang in a lovely little bungalow with no hot water and a great fan (all we needed) and went on a long boat tour of 4 islands in the Andaman Sea. Greg was able to snorkel for the first time in his life thanks to the wonderful invention of contact lenses. Jane is totally addicted to spotting Nemo. Many many beautiful looking fish but sadly a lot of the coral here is dead. Jane went to the Barrier Reef with the Mitchell family 10 years ago and from memory, the colours there were much more remarkable.
After Ao Nang we went to Phi Phi for several nights. Some of the artists looked about 12 years old!! Phi Phi was hit very very hard by the Tsunami in 2004 adn is still recovering. We think it needs a little more time before its worth the visit. Everything is about twice the price and accomodation is especially difficult. We are doing this Thailand tour by the seat of our pants (ie. nothing booked early) and therefore we did get one of the last available rooms on the island. We heard that some people who arrived later had to sleep on the beach so we shoudl count ourselves lucky. Cockroaches in the shower were not great company though.We watched some fire dancing in a bar on the beach at Phi Phi Island too (See photo).

The last two days have been very relaxing here on Ko Lanta. It is much less frequented by tourists and is perhaps more suited to families than young partying creatures. There are still plenty of night spots and lots of bars and restaurants set their tables up right on the beach at night!!

Photos from Singapore to Thailand

Greg and his most favourite pass time travelling....its "Pass the Pigs"! Thanks to Son and Sime we have this little entertaining game to keep us busy whilst waiting at airports for 5 hours for our flight.
Jane still manages to find a good coffee even if its not quite as good as "Acquum" on Victoria St. If you go Libs, say hi from us.
THis is our dinner tonight. Well not the whole fish. It swayed us to chose this restaurant anyway.

The Adventure Begins in Thailand

Hello everyone,
After a long pause we are finally beginning our blog once more. We've had crazy month and a bit in Geelong with Jane recovering from her hip op and preparing for the trip. So much paper work to do!!! And yet the Thursday before we're due to go we find out that we must both have a Uk police check done before starting work in the UK. That's even though Greg has never set foot in the country!
oh Well. SO after looking at several options (including spongeing off the relies in the UK for 6 weeks (not so apealing) and working in Geelong and delaying our departure (also not at all apealing), we decided to spend 3 very cheap weeks in Thailand!!
We travelled on the plane to Singapore with Jane's brother Jono then said our goodbyes to him and flew to Phuket, Thailand. We really recommend Tiger Airways for anyone looking for cheap Asia flights. Just like Jetstar really.
Phuket town was much cleaner than we remember Vietnam being. Our room was bargain price and yet it was filled with marble and all the mod cons you'd expect in a 5 star place (called Sino House for all those planning a trip to Thailand soon).
Wednesday was spent on the beach at Patong where we apreciated the tips from Amber and Al about wondering women selling everything from pineapples to spare towels.
We checked out a Lonely Planet suggestion for dinner. An Italian restaurant which was fantastic. Great pizza, I wonder if they have Thai food in Italy? I doubt it.
Today we travelled to Ao Nang beach East of Phuket (near Krabi) where we intend to laze around for atleast 4 days (maybe more if we like it). We're staying in a beach bungalow for $30 AUD a night. Its just what we need even if it doesn't have air con or hot water. 20 steps from the beach and seafood restaurants!
Enough rambling for one blog.
Catch you all later.
And please leave us comments. We'd love to improve on our blogging style and hear your news too.