Back to Reality

So the reality is that while November in the UK is undeniably cold...at least the sun is shining. We got back into Heathrow in the early hours of this morning after a 36 hr slog from Koh Chang via Bangkok via the Koh San Road for some last minute bargain basement shopping. The trip is officially now over so we both wanted to recap, for our benefit and for anyone else still reading, on the best bits and worst bits of the trip

Trip highlight:

NG: Doing a 60m freefall canyon swing in Queenstown, New Zealand

JW: Our Whitsunday cruise upgrade that saw us enjoying a glimpse of luxury and playing beach cricket on the best beach in the world...or living on the road for a month in New Zealand in Taniwha the campervan

Trip lowlight:

NG: Getting our passports replaced in Brisbane
JW: Phillip Island. Great Penguins, shame about the tourists

Friendliest locals:

NG: The three thai barmaids at the 'You and Me' bar in Kai Bai Beach, Ko Chang.

JW: Impossible to call between the ozzies and the kiwis...and the thais outside Bangkok.

Biggest surprise:

NG: That thai women don't use toilet paper and that James survived a night in the jungle in Chiang Mai.
JW: The rabid dogs with massive boobs in Bangkok...or the fact that we didn't actually encounter any bugs of consequence...or that I survived a gay night in Sydney

Biggest disappointment:

NG: Shelling out a hefty sum in New Zealand to swim with the dolphins and instead spending four hours speeding accross the ocean, desperately trying to find any form of marine life (we saw and swam with nothing)
JW: Doubtful Sound in New Zealand. No doubt stunning on a beatiful day but the rain, cold and wind (and shabby boat) meant all we wanted to do was go home.

Best place visited:

NG: Will get the full photo album up on Facebook soon to give you any idea of how hard this category is! ...Probably Kangaroos and sunset at dawn on the road trip to Melbourne. Whitehaven beach also features highly.
JW: Too many to choose from but probably Whitehaven Beach on the Whitsundays. Nearest thing to paradise we found.

And the worst:

NG: Backward Brisbane

JW: Probably Brisbane. Just...very...boring

Most drunk:

NG: Nothing compared to the below for Jim, but possibly the last night of our travel adventures in Ko Chang...
JW: Erm...Chiang Mai.

Best animal:

NG: Dolphins swimming by the Whitsundays boat at twlight, the seahorse on the last day in Ko Chang.

JW: Kangaroos at the campsite in Melbourne, or turtle at the Great Barrier Reef.

Lessons learned:

NG: Becoming veggie is much easier than first expected.... also you do really need about a year to really see all of Australia
JW: it is hypocritical to say how cute kangaroos are when they're hopping around, then eat kangaroo steak for dinner

Most missed about home whilst away:

NG: My family and friends
JW: Chicken Jalfrezi and cheese platters

Will most miss about being away:

NG: Forgetting which day of the week it is because every day is a holiday.
JW: Beautiful landscapes, sunshine and the sea

So that's it. And if anyone can be bothered, our THOUSANDS of pictures can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/11623316@N08/sets/72157603191858037/

Sun, Sea and Singha

So the trip is very nearly all over. We have spent an extremely relaxing seven days on the island of Koh Chang, 5 hours south east of Bangkok doing...well, pretty much nothing.

The weather has been a particular highlight - it has been HOT hitting the high twenties every day (despite a massive monsoon like thunderstorm last night that knocked out electricity and flooded roads across the island). Another plus point has been the abundance of restaurants and bars on Lonely Beach where we're staying (actually not that lonely) meaning we have eaten lots of quality thai food, drank lots of Singha, played a lot of frisbee (see blue disc in Nadia's hand in the shot to your right), had several thai massages and even had time to get ourselves a couple of suits tailor made by a very nice Burmese man called Henry at a very reasonable price (they've yet to be delivered so there's always the chance he'll flee the country but I'm fairly confident he'll do the business). We have also found a very cool little bar called the 'Treehouse' which sits out in the middle of the water at the south end of our beach where you can while away the evening/day relaxing in a hammock...if you ever find yourself out here, we highly recommend a visit.

Another bonus is that we've managed to catch up with Chris and Sarah, two of our friends from back home who happened to be on holiday out here at the same time which has led to a few late nights, lots of very poor pool playing and some slightly higher quality beach sports.

All in all it's been exactly what we needed to round the trip off. We return home in a few days nursing sun burnt faces, numerous mosquito bites (although we are hopefully malaria free) a lot of knock-off clothes and a more relaxed demeanor than when we left a few months ago. Back to Bangkok tomorrow before flying back home to the glorious November sunshine (we live in hope)

Jungle Fever

Sadly we are now passing our last few hours in Chiang Mai... a small city north east of Bangkok. We have spent the last two days treking through the jungle, riding elephants, living with the resident hill tribes and generally leaving behind modern comforts...electricity, flushing toilets and bricks and mortar there were not.


Day one involved a two hour truck drive to the outskirts of the jungle - eight of us piled in the back with a small thai man hanging on the bumper for luck. It was an hour's uphill hike to the village camp where we were shown our bamboo stilt hut for the night and a 20 minute breather before the four hour slog to the waterfall in the pic above. The water was as cold as it looks (check out James hunching on the end) and ridden with leeches due to it being the end of the wet season (luckily we both managed to avoid being bitten thanks to the 95% deet repellent). The march back (fast pace is an understatement) took us through deep mud, strong creeks and lots of lush greenery. The day was rounded off with a superb thai feast prepared by our excellent guide, host and now friend Noi. There was laughter, drinking, singing and games a plenty before dropping onto the floor and under the mosquito net in the early hours for a solid night's sleep...


A late start kicked off day two, (that and James throwing up the previous night's rum, whisky and beer to a round of applause as he tried to hide behind a tree). An action packed day included elephant riding, white water rafting and more treking. The evening ended in a farewell meal with our fellow travellers preceded by a white knuckle tuk tuk race and more whisky in a tourist free local Thai bar (thanks to Noi).


Chiang Mai has been a world away from Bangkok, friendly people, real Thai culture at its best and food and massages out of this world! Back to Bangkok tonight for a quick stop before heading on to the south eastern island of Ko Chang for some sun, sand and clear blue sea (we hope!).....