After the boys left it was time to begin phase 2 of our big trip!
We were on our own for the first time since Mumbai so at first, it was a bit strange not to be surrounded by people we knew!
We spent a couple of days in Bangkok regrouping and detoxing (MUCH needed) and also doing some much needed sightseeing as culture had taken a back-seat for the past 4 weeks! We visited the Grand Palace and Wat Arun with Kate who we originally met in Goa all those weeks ago! Thats the amazing thing about travelling the well-trodden “banana-pancake trial”, you will ALWAYS bump into people you met, even if it was in passing, randomly somewhere else! The world really isn’t as large as we think.
Our next stop (and my personal favourite) was Koh Tao, a small island in the South famous for its diving… So famous we didn’t do a single dive! (We’re saving that for Oz). It was my 5th time back and I can still safely say, it is the best island! Its the perfect combination of great beaches, great people, chilling and partying. We met a great group of people composed of both Northerners and Southerners but, as per usual, the Southerners received a lot of stick from the Northerners… Normally on matters of how well we handle hangovers or how much better Northerners are at drinking (apparently!)
Sunset at Eazy Bar
My favourite bar in the world.
The crew!
There is no culture on the Thai islands so you fill your sun-soaked days with activities (and obviously sun-bathing)! We met a guy who worked in our hostel called Brian who took us out rock-climbing, a first for me! It was awesome! We also went kayaking the next day out to Shark Island, an island that looks more like a pile of rocks than an island but nevertheless, has great snorkelling (didnt see any sharks unfortunately!) All of that physical exertion called for snacks, which thankfully Brian had so we enjoyed a feast of: biscuits, apple, crisps and pickled mango (?!) bobbing about in the middle of the ocean listening to chilled out music and enjoying the sun… Something you definitely wouldnt do everyday!
Shark Island
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Golden View viewpoint
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We also visited Koh Nangyuan for the day… You can’t get a view much better than this…
I didn’t want to leave Koh Tao (as per usual) but we had to move on as we needed to head south towards Singapore. Sometimes when you’re travelling, the place you’re in will start to feel “sticky”, you don’t really want to leave. Koh Tao is a sticky place for me! We decided to head South to the un-touristy province of Trang to visit Koh Mook, an island of the coast, the reason of which will become clear shortly! But first, we had to endure an overnight trip on a sleeper boat. This involved being crammed like sardines onto the second floor of a cargo boat along with 67 other people. Ash was unfortunate and got kicked in the head by the woman asleep next to her! Can’t say it was the best nights sleep and to add insult to injury, the bloody boat made it to the mainland early (a rarity in Thailand) and we had a lovely start at 4am!
After 17 hours and another taxi, bus, minivan, minivan, cargo boat later, we FINALLY made it to Koh Mook! Koh Mook was incredible. A tiny island 30 mins off the mainland with a small indigeneous Thai population and not a hotspot for tourism. Ideal! Think shacks, chickens and goats roaming around, dirt roads… That sort of feel! Food here wasn’t the best we’ve had but the people more than made up for that.
The whole point of being here was to visit the Emerald Cave, which has a secret beach concealed inside so we decided to incorporate that with a 4 island longtail tour with our guide we named Kamikaze Steve II. Steve (real name Ched), was a 56 yr old Thai man who has travelled a fair bit but now resides on the beach permanently in a hammock and occasionally takes out foreigners on haphazard island tours. We had the most incredible day snorkelling around Koh Kradan, Koh Hai and Koh Ma complete with a picnic lunch on a deserted beach! Any avid snorkellers amongst you? Go here! Our incredible day finished with the Emerald Cave, something we had been anxious to experience. We jumped into the sea at the mouth of the sea cave and began our 80m swim in darkness (well Steve had a headtorch on but it wasn’t much good) through the cave. It was pretty nerve-racking not knowing what was beneath you and so when a piece of leaf or sea related debris brushed your arm, you immediately panicked! Finally, we turned the corner to see the cave-opening to the beach. It was unlike anything we had ever seen before and the photos really don’t do it justice. It was a life highlight! The beach was completely enclosed in the towering walls of the cave and there was an eery echo inside and the faint sounds of a monkey scratching about somewhere. Absolutely incredible!
Us and Ched
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Snorkelling inside a cave
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The way out!
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Black clown fish in their anemone
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Picnic on the beach
On a deserted beach
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Entrance to the Emerald Cave
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Apprehensive about swimming in
The opening to the beach
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On the beach
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Chillin
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Farang Beach
After our amazing couple of days on Koh Mook, we decided to head to Hat Yai (on the mainland) to hopefully pick up a bus to Singapore. Luckily we managed to get one for the same day so, that night, we began our 13 hour bus trip South! 13 hours was actually 21 by the time we actually reached Singapore, mainly due to the bus breaking down somewhere in Malaysia! It also drove off without me and Ash at the Singapore border but Ash, well practised at running for transportation with backpack on, sprinted to get us both back on board!
Singapore was a typical Asian city minus the usual haze of smog. It is a concrete jungle that is extremely clean and well kept, mainly because you’re fined for doing anything apart from standing and breathing there! For those of you who aren’t familiar, Singapore is known as The Fine City. The usual things crop up like littering and smoking but then you can also be fined for: walking around your house naked, weeing in lifts, not flushing, eating durian (an awful smelling fruit) in small spaces… The list goes on. Either way, it works keeping the city looking and smelling fab with no unwanted nudity, so who cares!
Singapore is a foodie heaven so Ash and I headed straight to Lau Pa Sat market to grab a meal. For £2.50 we got a huge tray of curry, veg and naan… We were craving an Indian! Singapore has amazing food from all over the world so anything you eat here will be authentic and taste DELICIOUS!
Randomly, my cousin Alex was also in Singapore on tour with a theatre company putting on a children’s play called Room on the Broom, so we managed to catch up and have a chin wag over a couple of glasses of vino! She also joined us the next day for a tour around Singapore with a Couchsurfer I’d been speaking to called Eugene. He drove us around Singapore all day and showed us the sights. We even got a Laksa together (classic Singaporean noodle soup) and tried out a soya beancurd dessert at a hawker market near his house. He was a lovely guy and we had a brilliant day with him!
Gardens by the bay
Because we are skrimping and Singaporean accomodation is extortionate, we made the oh-so fantastic decision to save money on one nights accommodation by sleeping at Changi Airport before we caught our flight to Hanoi the next morning. This involved sleeping on a freezing cold tiled floor with clothes as a mattress, our backpacks as pillows and our towels as duvets. Can’t say THAT was the comfiest sleep i’ve had either! I even used my shoe as a back support at one point because the floor was so hard! Life lows.
The next morning at 8am we caught our flight to Hanoi delirious and dazed! Vietnam here we come!
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