Scuba-duba-do
Looking for fish?
After my experience of snorkelling I swore that I would never ever in a million years, ever, go scuba diving. With slight clostraphobia and a tendancy to panic, being stuck under several metres of water with lots of fishy creatures, was not the place for me, no way jose! So you can imagine my surprise when I found my self booked onto a diving course and on my way to the boat!
There was something that really intrigued me about diving. We were staying on Koh Tao, which is according to Lonely Planet, ‘The place to lose your scuba diving virginity”! Every other shop was a diving outfit, you hear people sitting in cafes, or walking along the street talking about this dive and that dive. We decided to push our boundaries and board the scuba diving train (or umm boat)!
We decided to use Asia Divers, an easy decision as that was where we were staying. Everyone there seemed to know what they were doing. We booked ourselves on a discover diving day – argh! I thought, I’m not sure if I slept that night!
In the morning we were fitted out with all the gear and then it was on to the harbor to board the boat with our instructors, Tristan and Estelle. After a worryingly quick theory lesson on a flip chart from 1970, we were strapped into our gear.
I think the scariest moment of the whole day had to be the moment when we were standing on the edge of the boat, you have more equipment on than you know what to do with, and it’s heavy! I had to have someone hold my back to stop my oxygen tank pulling me over backwards. You stand on the edge and are told to step out and fall into the water. I thought, there’s absolutely no way on earth that I am going to float, I was sure I was headed straight for the bottom.
Amazingly, as you’ve already guessed, I survived! And I’m pleased to report, so did Olly. We had a fantastic day. Once our instructor got us below the surface it was incredibly easy, he looked after us continually, teaching us how to equalise and control our buoyancy. I felt completely safe, and remarkably did not feel scared at all. We saw hundreds of tropical fish, including a sting ray and a sea snake. The coral was brilliant. When our instructor showed us the thumbs up sign for dive over, I was gutted, I could have stayed there all day.
For anyone contemplating getting into the diving world, I’d definitely recommend a discover diving day. Before you know it you’ll find yourself booked on a PADI course.
If you’re not into diving I would still recommend Koh Tao, without a doubt. The beach is perfect, and the nightlife runs till the early hours, what more could you want?
All at sea
Longtail boat at sunset
Having spent most of our time on Phi Phi working hard on our tan, we decided to do something more productive with our last day, so we booked a snorkeling tour around the Island.
The trip was called ‘Snorkeling by Sunset on a longtail Boat’ how romantic we thought, it was a full day of snorkeling, stopping at remote uninhabited islands, in the turquoise waters of Thailand. It would be just us and the driver. Perfect!
Of course, as lovely as that sounded I was already starting to worry, it was a very hot day and I was panicking that we would get sun stroke and sun burn being out in the sun for so long. Little did I know, that would be the least of my worries…
So we collected our snorkeling gear and climbed aboard our boat, a teeny tiny little wooden boat, along with 16 other people! We were jam packed in, squeezed onto the tiny wooden planks that ran along the inside of the boat. The bottom of the boat was filled with water and instantly everything got wet (including Olly’s camera). Ok, I thought, let’s just go with it and see what happens.
After a brief stop on the aptly named Monkey Island, we stopped at a point near the coast of Phi Phi, we all jumped off and attempted some snorkelling. It wasn’t long before we had mastering the art of the snorkel and we did see some incredibly beautiful fish, all stripey and luminous. This is going to be a great day I thought.
We all clambered back aboard the boat just in time to see our teenage, non English speaking drivers finishing off the second joint of the morning – we’re in safe hands we thought. They powered up the motor with roar and we set off for our next destination, the picturesque Bamboo Island. It wasn’t long before the calm seas of the bay gave way to open water. The boat started riding up the growing waves, going up and down, higher and higher each time. With every crash down a wave came the spray. We were drenched, it was like somebody throwing buckets of water at your face, we could not breathe or see. Things were getting desperate so Olly and I reached for our snorkeling gear, we sat gripping the boat, being tossed up in the air with every wave, breathing through our snorkeling mouth piece and looking through our snorkeling mask – we looked ridiculous, but it wasn’t long before the idea caught on and other people in the boat started doing the same. We laughed… until the storm started!
And then I think I cried. The heavens went grey, you couldn’t make out the sea from the sky, water was being thrown at us from all directions and the wind really picked up. “Please take us home” I cried, “I don’t want to do this anymore”. I knew things were bad when Olly reached for a life jacket, unprized my hands from the boat and tied it around me, oh god I thought. It didn’t help to think the only person in control of the boat was stoned out of his brain, luckily for us though this kept him quite calm.
Thankfully he did get us to dry land. Shaking but still alive, I don’t think I’ve ever been so relieved in my life. Bamboo Island is incredibly beautiful, and with the recent circumstances in mind it felt like heaven!
We had a whole day of rough seas and clinging on to the boat but in the end we began to see it as an adventure. It just showed me, what I had worried about initially did not happen, instead a whole new set of challenges presented themselves and if I’d have known about those I would never have gone on the trip. This way, I have a great story to tell, and yes, the sunset was incredible. I’ll think carefully before I do another snorkeling trip on a longtail boat though!
Island in the sun
The paradise that is Phi Phi island
A jewel of an island. Its full name is Ko Phi-Phi Don, but more commonly its known as Phi Phi. Often it is simply called paradise.
Phi Phi’s main attraction are two long beaches on either side of the tiny island. Separated only by a thin collection of bars, restaurants and dive shops, you can cross from one side of the island to the other in less time than it takes to mix your favourite cocktail, something you’ll no doubt be enjoying frequently in the beach side taverns that are sprinkled down both shores.
There are no cars because there are no roads for them to drive down, only small paved walkways to share with your fellow dreadlocked and tattooed backpackers. Days are spent lounging on the beach, or snorkeling around the plethora of equally beautiful but less inhabited islands nearby (look out for a post about the snorkeling soon, it turned into quite an adventure!), while the nights are spent watching fire shows, drinking buckets of cocktails in hammocks or trying your hand at fire limbo. There’s always an excuse for a party on Phi Phi, so you’ll never be short of nocturnal activities.
After being devastated by the tsunami Phi Phi quickly got back on its feet. The only real reminder of what happened here are the tsunami evacuation route signs dotted around the walkways and the picture of the island just after the tsunami hit, which is pinned to the tree at the view point overlooking the island.
We loved our time on Phi Phi, and of all the places we have visited so far, it’s this precious piece of paradise that has captured our hearts the most.
Rainy days
Two kids wade through the rain
During our stay in Chiang Mai we took a bus up to the mountain temple of Doi Suthep. The easiest way of getting up to the top of the mountain was by mini bus in an organised tour, so we signed ourselves up and off we went.
No tour in northern Thailand would of course be complete without a visit to a hill tribe. This particular hill tribe was right at the top of the mountain, past the temple at Doi Suthep.
The steeper the mini bus climbed the more I noticed that my tummy started to turn and the more I noticed people on the bus started to feel the same. The thing with going up a mpountain is that there’s never a straight road up, wouldnt that be great? This particular mountain involved a twisty road that snaked its way round and round up to the top. The higher we got, the thinner the road got and the worse I felt. At one point the road was so narrow that when Olly looked back he saw one of our tires slip off the road, inches away from the sheer drop off the mountain. I’m glad he told me about that when we’d parked up!
Eventually we reached the tribe. Most people go here to see the magnificent waterfall which is situated there. Unfortunately before we got to the waterfall, the sky turned a heavy grey colour and within minutes we had a different kind of waterfall to contend with. The heavens opened and everyone ran for cover. Rain water was gushing down the road and street vendors were protecting their stalls. Olly and I took shelter in a local shop, fascinated at how so much rain could fall so quickly, and concerned at how on earth we were ever going to get down the mountain without skidding off road.
As the rain began to clear our tour leader announced that we were driving down to the temple. The roads were soaked, but thankfully we had a fantastic driver who drove carefully and slowly down. I was so preoccupied with the perilous journey that I forgot to feel sick on the way down! We did pass an overturned Landrover though which had obviously mis-judged a turning, that put the shivers up me a little bit.
Eventually we reached Doi Suthep temple. With its lofty position, high above the city, you can see all of Chiang Mai in the sprawling landscape below. We were just in time as our rain had now descended onto the plains, leaving us with clear blue skies and a brilliant rainbow floating over the city.
Cooking up a feast
Pad Thai as cooked by 'master chef' Olly
After eating so much delicious Thai food recently, we thought there was no way we could leave here without cooking up some of our own, how hard could it be? With this in mind we signed up for a course at the Thai Farm Cookery School near Chiang Mai.
The school is based out in the countryside, with its own organic gardens. En route we stopped off for a trip around the local market where we could see all the ingredients we would be putting into action that day. Once we arrived at the farm they gave us a tour of the gardens, complete with amusing Mexican hats to keep the sun off. Much of what they grew there were a familiar sight to us, basil and tomato plants etc, however they had a few things that came as a surprise, we saw purple bananas!
After the tour we donned our aprons and set to work, cooking up some of the tastiest Thai food over to grace our palate (even if I do say so myself). We got to cook five courses and for each course, there was a choice of three dishes, giving everyone a good chance of picking their favourite Thai dish.
Throughout the day they emphasised that the cookery school is fun and not hard work, whenever you stir the wok you are required to smile and show that you are having a good time, all part of the Thai Farm charm.
We made some delicious food, which we’ll definitely be preparing back home, it’s so quick and easy. We got a handy recipe book to go home with too, so there’s no chance of forgetting what we’d learnt.
For anyone thinking of doing a cookery course in Chiang Mai we would recommend Thai Farm. Remember though, don’t eat breakfast, and you won’t need dinner. You get to eat everything you cook: I’ve never felt so full in my life.
A trek up North
Elephant trekking
Chiang Mai is the gateway to activity. An hours flight, or overnight train journey north from Bangkok, sitting in the mountains of Thailand, it’s the place people come to to do stuff!
It’s most commonly know for trekking. One to three day hikes through the jungle where you visit various waterfalls and hill tribes. Most treks include an elephant ride and bamboo rafting. We elected to participate in a one day trek. Due to my slight phobia of huge spiders, and well all creepy crawlies, I didn’t fancy a night in the jungle, in a tent, surrounded by insects, in the dark. What would happen if I needed to go to the toilet?!
The trekking was great, it was hardly a Ray Mears survival course, but we got to walk through the jungle with a sense of adventure in our step, well, for an hour or so at least. The tour took us to visit a couple of hill tribes in the jungle. We imagined we would be stumbling upon native people, completely cut off from the ‘real world’. Just as Olly had finished practicing saying ‘take me to your leader’ in Thai, we came across the hill tribe version of Tesco – stalls selling everything from scarfs to cans of Coke. We clearly weren’t the first tourists to come this way!
Soon after the tribe we were whisked away down the road to a remote piece of land. Within minutes we were scrambling onto the top of an elephant. No talk beforehand, no advice and not even a hint of health and safety. Not that we needed it though, it’s quite simple: either you hang on, or you fall off and possibly get trampled to death by your elephant. We rode around for half an hour, up steep muddy banks and through gushing rivers. We enjoyed it, and it was exciting to be so close to such an amazing animal. However, I was glad when it ended as I don’t think I could have clung on for much longer. Although we never saw these elephants come to any harm, we’ve since learnt that some elephant trekking operations mistreat their animals and that the harnesses used can cause scars. Knowing this now we would not participate in a ride again.
We finished the day with a spot of bamboo rafting. It’s not quite white water speed, more like a relaxing float down the river. Three to a raft, we drifted by as elephants grazed and dragonflies danced along the river, it was a peaceful end to an action packed dayl.
A fishy affair
Something fishy going on?
There’s a lot of rain in Bangkok in October and this day was no exception. Olly didn’t think sight seeing would be on the cards as the photos might look a bit pants, so we took the sensible course of action and decided to go for a drink.
Now it might be because our beer of choice, Chang, is a whopping 6.7% (quite standard for Thailand), but what followed was one of the strangest experiences of my life! For this was no ordinary bar, in the corner of the room sat a massive fish tank with hundreds of little tiny fish darting around, next to it the sign read ‘fish foot spa 100 Bhat for 30 mins’ for £2 it’s got to be worth a try I thought, so we ordered another large Chang for courage and prepared to enter the fish tank.
Olly went first and I don’t think I’ve ever heard him laugh so much, I mocked him, even made a video of it on my camera, until it was my turn…
For some reason the fish love feet. In fact they love any skin, you can dip tour hands in too. They swarm up to you and start to nibble like crazy, it’s the most delicate tickling sensation I have ever felt, almost like a VERY mild electric shock, over and over again.
After about five minutes you begin to get used to the feeling and the laughing dies down, it’s then that you realise what a bizarre thing it is we were doing. If at any time you want the fish to stop you just wiggle your feet and they flutter away, be careful not to squish any between your toes though!
Since having the spa I’ve done a bit of research and discovered it’s quite a sought after treatment in many places. I had the smoothest feet afterwards, but I don’t know if I’d fork out hundreds for it. For a laugh with a Chang and some brilliant photos I’d definitely recommend it – £2 well spent!
A brush with Bangkok
Three wheeled thrills in Bangkok
“An unfriendly place where people are out to scam you, don’t trust anyone, it’s crazy!”, is what we were told. Even upon checking into our hotel we were made to read a list of 10 warnings about ‘what’s out there’ from the Thai tourist board. It’s fair to say we were a little bit worried about Bangkok.
When we finally plucked up the courage to leave our hotel room we walked clinging to our bags, not smiling at anyone and suspicious of any living thing that came within a metre of us. We were ready to answer any and all questions with a flat no. Tuk tuk? no, taxi? no, ping pong show? errr… no.
However, it wasn’t long before we started to like Bangkok. The people were friendly, we didn’t get much hassle and even the tuk tuks (when we eventually did say yes) took us straight to where we wanted to go. I was almost a little bit disappointed! The only bad experience we had was with those blood sucking mosquitoes, I don’t think Olly or I had ever been bitten so much before, and that was our own fault for forgetting to put bug spray on that day.
I was pleasantly surprised by this hectic city. Having visited it briefly myself in 2005 I didn’t really enjoy it, the constant pestering and annoyances like tuk tuk drivers taking you to buy a suit on your way to visit a temple – obviously there’s a dress code for such places, but I didn’t think they were that strict.
No, this time around it was brilliant, people were falling over themselves to help us. We took water taxis, visited the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and enjoyed the nightlife on the Khao San Road, we even caught a glimpse of Thai royalty visiting a temple. One thing I should mention is the heat, it’s October right now and about 35°C, quite hot right? Well add to that 95% humidity and any visits to a temple are likely to result in a sweaty mess.
It seems the Thai authorities are really working hard to clean up Bangkok’s reputation, with tourist police (‘the boys in brown’) on every corner I certainly felt very safe and well looked after. Yes it’s still easy to get scammed if you’re stupid, but if you’ve ever been concerned about visiting Bangkok, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Oh yes, and the food… wow!
All the paragraphs are by Lau, all the pixels are by Olly. Hope you enjoyed it! You can read more about us on the