Thursday - last full day in paradise

So, the time had come to spend our last full day in Koh Tao.  We had a leisurely morning and then went for a wander, and luckily just missed the torrential downpour around lunch time! 

As the rain was so heavy we decided not to venture out in it, as the 2 minutes we had spent running to the 7-eleven earlier had meant we got soaked; so we sat on our balcony and watched.

That evening thankfully the rain had stopped and we could venture out along to beach to a bar for a 'goodbye' cocktail and watched the broken sunset.

Then, our parting treat whilst in Koh Tao was to treat ourselves to what looked like the best beach restaurant on Sairee beach - King Crab restaurant, with a huge selection of fresh seafood and fish!!

We ordered tiger prawns, squid and crab and it did not disappoint, it was absolutely delicious!!

Today (Friday) we have a mammoth journey ahead; 2 hours on a catamaran, 4 hours wait in Chumphon, 15 hours on a train, 15 minutes on a ferry and then dependant on how we feel either a taxi or bus to our hotel in Penang Malaysia.

Wednesday - rest and a little wander

After yesterdays early start we had a lovely relaxing morning and sat on the balcony reading.  It was such a great spot to chill out, we were only disturbed by the birdsong of our chorister, which looked somewhat like a Thai blackbird, and the occasional passing of people walking down to the beach (as we were literally 20 steps from the beach).

Over lunch we went for a wander along the beach, and also later that evening we set off in the other direction along Sairee beach, so by the end of the day we had seen every bit of it!  It was fast becoming both of our favourite beach holidays ever; the relaxed, small town vibe and great beach side seafood restaurants were fantastic and of course the diving!!

Tuesday...3rd and 4th open water dives...and qualified divers we become!

Our last day of the course involved an early start to be able to get to the dive site before the crowds.  We met at the dive shop for 7am and assembled the equipment, and met our videographer who would be filming our last 2 dives of the course.  So, all looking a bit tired and bleary eyed we boarded the small taxi boat that would take us to the larger boat.

Once on we travelled the 40 minutes, through fairly bumpy waters to our first dive site of the day 'Chumphon Pinnacles'; it would be our deepest dive yet at 18 metres and would also let us see much more sea life than we had done to date.  As we descended down the rope and the daylight began to fade we entered a magical world, swimming with blue spotted stingray, grouper, angelfish, barracuda, trigger fish and white eyed eel to name a few.  We were down for approx 40 minutes which gave us ample time to swim around the 3 pinnacles and explore.  Back up on the surface we had a tough swim back to the boat and probably the toughest climb back up to date as the waves were crashing quite hard against the side of the boat were we had to climb the ladder (with all our equipment on!).

Dive number 2 was 40 minutes back to Koh Tao and on the north west corner called 'White Rock', this is where we had to fool around for the camera...and instead of doing our usual step in off the boat we had to stand on the edge and fall backwards.  Then on the bottom a number of games ensued (also for the video), which was all good fun. 

Back on the boat we travelled back to the dive shop and were then told the final hurdle in becoming fully qualified divers was to sit an exam...an exam...neither of us had sat one of those for many years!!  So, back at the bungalow we swotted up before heading back to the dive shop at 5:30 for our test.  Needless to say we both passed with flying colours and have all the certification to say we are qualified divers!!

We celebrated with the other people on our course with a couple of beers.

Monday - our first open water dive!!

Monday brought a relaxing morning and a late start at the dive centre for a quick 10 minutes on section 5 of the manual and then off to prep the equipment before setting off for our first open water dive.

Prepping the equipment was fairly straight forward and quick and we then loaded the small 'taxi' boat that would take us out to the larger 'Davy Jones Locker' boat that was off shore and ready to take us to our first site.

Whilst on the boat we went through the diving brief and got ourselves into the equipment.  To launch ourselves off the boat we took one giant stride with all the kit on, and took our first hit of the calm but salty waters!  Once in we descended down a rope and had our first taste of open water diving - the scenery was breathtaking and the colourful fish were beautiful!  Definitely one of the most amazing things both of us have done!!

Dive number 2 was at a different site and offered another chance for us to be tested on our skills we had learnt in the pool, and also the chance to see more fish, and at a larger size.  If only our camara would work at such a depth (12metres) the views were truly amazing!!

Finally, after getting back to shore - a walk along the beach to enjoy a peaceful sunset on an adventure packed day!!  Bliss!!

The weekend...and the PADI course begins!!

So, with it being the weekend and Saturday being our first full day here we decided to jump straight in the deep end and start our PADI course straight away (sorry for Nicola this included a hangover!).

Saturday involved an afternoon spent in the classroom watching PADI dvds and doing 'exams', phew, never thought we would be back in the classroom on this round the world adventure!  All fairly straight forward though and stored for tomorrows practical lesson in the afternoon.

The evening gave us a chance to experience our first sunset from Sairee beach - stunning!!

Sunday, was a morning back in the classroom, but an afternoon kitted up in wetsuit and gear and in the pool learning the diving basics of breathing underwater, removing your mouth piece, eye mask and many other steps to finishing our enclosed dive excercises before heading for open water tomorrow!

Thursday (spent chilling) and Friday (spent travelling) to Koh Tao

Thursday was a day of nothing much to report - as our bungalow was SO hot and outside in the sun was even hotter (most of the time) we decided to have a day chilling out around the bungalow and reading.  It was lovely to spend time just doing, well, nothing!  Apart from 2 small puppies we were pretty much left to the peace and solitude of our bungalow.

Friday in contrast was another travelling day, you would have thought after now that we would be used to these sort of days, but hey no one is the same as any other so you are never quite prepared for what they will hold!  We checked out of our bungalow and went to the front desk to wait for our 'pick up' which we had booked to take us to the catamaran terminal; after check out we found that this had been cancelled...we didn't quite understand why but just went along with the hotel staff's plan of them driving us instead.

We arrived at the pier and let ourselves follow the standard 'asian' style rules of organisation...being that there is no organisation...or for that matter, any rules!  So, with our tickets in hand and bags labelled we boarded the boat and found a seat to make the 2 hour journey to Koh Tao. 

It was a pleasant enough journey, not too bumpy thankfully, and on leaving the boat we found our hotel rep who drove us the short distance to our Bungalows on Sairee beach on the west coast of Koh Tao.  The bungalows were lovely and the whole resort compact and picturesque...good job we had booked ourselves for a 7 night stay!!

Unfortunately (for Nicola's head the next morning) we then went out and experienced 'Happy Hour' Koh Tao style...first at Chopper's bar with 1/2 price Thai dinner and jugs of Chang, and then in Fizz the beach bar by our bungalow where we had a vodka bucket...ouch!!

Wednesday...a lazy day on the beach

So, last night we had 1 visitor (that we know of)...as he had decided to stick around until day break and we spotted him by the TV.  The nasty looking cockroach was soon killed by the bug spray we had invested in in Hanoi!!

After a late start we headed down to the beach at Mae Nam and idled about for a couple of hours reading and soaking up the sun, after which we stocked up on supplies at the 7-eleven and sat on our balcony and read.

Tonight we go for a meal out (after last nights early finish and dinner of spicy pringles!)

Tuesday...Thai island anyone?!

4:30am...rise and shine!!  On the airport transfer bus at 5am, yawn...and checked in for the flight by 5:30am!

So, after the early start we went for a 'bad' western style breakfast (we figured we were due one after going native for so long!) and ventured to the fine establishment which you may have heard of...a la Burger King!  It was not long after starting our saturated fat feast that we realised our bellies had acclimatised to asian cuisine and were now struggling with the carbs!!  Oh dear, things could get messy!!

We were flying with Bangkok Airways again (Bangkok's boutique airline...thats their strapline promise!), and we got free entry to their lounge with more food freebies...just a shame we had filled up already at Burger King!

The plane took off dead on time at 7am, no sooner had the last person stepped on the plane than the doors were closed and we headed off for the runway.  Airborne we were treated to breakfast...why do people keep throwing food at us (we bagged it and have saved it for breakfast tomorrow).

The flight was quick, and before we knew it we were on Koh Samui.  The airport resembled one of the beach bungalows we had flown over; no sooner had we entered the bamboo hut terminal than we collected our luggage and went out to meet our resort rep.  We had booked 3 nights in Tropical Garden Lounge resort, cheap and pleasant enough, we were in a traditional bamboo hut bungalow - we are yet to see what/who visits us in the night...Nicola is sleeping with the bug spray next to her bed!

Next report tomorrow!!

Valentines day and Monday brings us back to Thailand

Sunday had us celebrating not only Valentines day but also Chinese New Year!!  After a late Valentines brunch of eggs benedict (Nicola was over the moon that they served her favourite breakfast treat) at what was fast becoming our favourite bar 'Sticky Fingers', we went in search of the New Year celebrations.

After a short walk to Chinatown we heard no drums signalling the dragon dance, and saw no signs of any celebration...were we to be disapointed?!  As it was by now midday and the temperature was well into the 30s we decided to head back to the hotel to cool down in the shade of the courtyard for a couple of hours. 

Later that evening we headed back to Chinatown but were still not in luck...sadly we saw no Chinese New Year celebrations in Vientiane!!  We strolled down to the riverfront and enjoyed a last meal in the city at our favourite street stall - of course BBQ was on the menu, so we ordered chicken, ribs and spring rolls.

Monday saw a change in country with us flying from Vientiane to Bangkok for an overnight stop at an airport hotel before flying out again in the morning to Koh Samui.  Our hotel was VERY close to the airport, and the view from our window was of the cargo terminal and runway!  Very convenient though for our 4:30am start on Tuesday, so we weren't complaining.

Saturday - exploring Vientiane

This morning brought an early start, with us up at 7:30am and going for breakfast in the quaint courtyard.  After the delicious pork baguette we headed out for the day to attempt the lonely planet walking tour.

First stop was the most important national monument in Laos, the Pha That Luang a huge gold coloured stupa, with several wats surrounding the perimeter.  We wandered around the complex trying to hide from the sun which seemed to be getting hotter and hotter.

Next we walked back towards the centre of town to visit the Asian version of the Arc de Triomphe, a concrete structure that towered over the surrounding park.  Funnily enough it was built in the 60s with cement that was purchased from the US, with the intention of being used to build a new runway.  It also states on a plaque at the bottom that at a closer distance it appears less impressive and resembles a concrete monster!  We climbed the stairs to the top and admired the views across the city.

Onwards we walked past the fortified US embassy, and onto the brick built That Dam - which was supposedly stripped of it's gold cover by the Siamese years ago. 

To avoid the full heat of the midday sun we headed back to the hotel for a nap and then back out again at 6ish for dinner - another BBQ feast by the river front, this time fish, chicken and spicy beef balls.

Friday...Vang Vieng to Vientiane

Friday took us back on the road, with a shorter journey than the last from Vang Vieng to Vientiane.  We were picked up by possibly the shabbiest bus yet, and to Nicola's horror she thought we would be travelling the entire journey on this bus (the back seat was a plank of wood!).  To our relief it was merely dropping us off at the Southern bus terminal where we caught the VIP bus.  The VIP bus this time around was very different to the last one we had caught...with its broken seats, no AC, and chintzy curtains...but it all adds to the experience, and we were fortunate enough this time around to not be perched on the side of any mountains!! 

We arrived in Vientiane at 3pm (ish) and caught a jumbo into town, and did the short walk to our guesthouse, the Mali Namphu - a beautiful French colonial building set around a courtyard.  After a short rest and sorting we headed out for a wander of the colonial district, were there was a definite French influence from the many years of occupation.

We decided to have our first cocktail since the start of our trip in a bar called 'Sticky Fingers', a far cry from the Sticky Fingers Hong Kong version!  Full of expats and well into happy hour, we found the 'Lao' style cocktails went down rather too easily.  Sticking it out to the end of happy hour we then headed to the river side to get a bite to eat at a street stall...the BBQ's are definitely the best we have tasted!!

Lazy Laos-y Days

Yesterday we accustomed ourselves to the Vang Vieng pace of life, and after breakfast (worst of the trip so far !!) snagged ourselves a couple of sun-loungers and spent the day chilled out by the pool, before enjoying the spectacular sunset and a lovely dinner.


Today we did what everybody else in Vang Vieng does - after breakfast (equally bad) we wandered round the corner to the tubing shop, where we rented a pumped up inner tube each, were driven a couple of miles up river in a tuk-tuk then left to our own devices to float back to town.

As its the dry season the river is low and the currents really weak, so progress was slow - happily there were a number of riverside bars on the way to stop off for a cold Beerlao, and it gave us a chance to admire the spectacular scenery and local wildlife - Nicola particularly liked the river snake which swam across our paths at one point !!

Back at the hotel we sat by the pool again before heading into town for dinner.

Off to Vientiane in the morning !!

Tuesday...The Long and Winding road

Tuesday morning meant a fond farewell to our lovely Thong Bay Guesthouse and the beautiful bungalow we had called home for 4 days!  After a lovely send off from the staff, who all came out to wave us goodbye as we headed off in our 'Jumbo' (a motorized tuk tuk) and drove the short distance to the southern bus terminal.

It was then that we felt very pleased that we had invested a little extra money to get the VIP bus to Vang Vieng, as we saw the 'local bus'!!  After a short wait at the bus station we headed off south, and for about 1 hour did a steady climb higher into the mountains.  The views were truly stunning, with every switch back taking us past another small remote village.

We stopped for lunch at a hill top restaurant and had noodle soup - compliments of our bus ticket, that's what you get for traveling VIP!!  With bellies full we set off once again southwards, and came across our first near miss...as the roads are very narrow and wind around on the edge of the mountains in a steady stream of tight switch backs it seemed inevitable before we 'nearly' hit an oncoming truck/bus.  Never in a million years would we imagine that we would be left hanging off the side of the road though!!  A quick escape from the bus allowed to view in full how close we were to going over the side...to the bus driver and locals however, this seemed like a common occurrence.

Once they had maneuvered the bus out of it's sticky situation we hopped back on, all a bit shaken and headed down into the valley amongst the limestone karsts towards Vang Vieng.  We arrived at 3pm (miraculously only 1 hour later than scheduled) and caught a jumbo to our hotel.  First impressions are that it is a small town in a stunningly beautiful location...surrounded by towering limestone karsts and green fields.

We are staying at the Vansana hotel, our biggest splurge to date, at a whopping 15gbp per person per night...it is rated as the top range option in town and has a pool!!  So, we know where we will be tomorrow.

Sunday and Monday...two days of rest!

Yes people, you read right...we spent 2 days doing nothing!!!  We had decided to make the most of our peaceful bungalow by the river!!  So, not much to report...just chilling out and reading.

Saturday...exploring Luang Prabang

After a rather relaxed start to the day, with breakfast delivered to our balcony (did we mention it overlooks the river?!), we caught the free hotel transfer to town.

Town consists of 2 main streets that run parallel to the Mekong river and several blocks running away from the river, which were basically dirt tracks.  As we walked down the main street we realised that the traffic in Luang Prabang would be a welcome relief from Hanoi's buzz, and apart from the odd motorbike and 'Junk' taxi we were the only ones on the road!!

After some time acquainting ourselves with the surroundings we set off on a walking tour of the town, which took us down one street and up the next, witnessing the daily life of Luang Prabang.  We soon noticed that this was a very religious place, with Wats on practically every street...and with Wats came Monks, and plenty of them!

A quick stop at the Royal Palace Museum allowed us to escape from the midday sun, which was beating down at a healthy 36 degrees.  The Royal Palace which had been built in the early 1900s used to house the Royal family until 1975 when the Pathet Lao Government asked them to step down and subsequently imprisoned them in 're-education' camps in the mountainous north...never to be seen again.  It was truly stunning to see, as nothing had been changed since they left; we browsed the interior which had a slightly strange feeling, as you looked into empty bedrooms, and viewed worn clothes from the Royal era.  It is said that local people will not venture into the palace after dark as they believe the ghosts of the Royal family roam the halls!

Back on the street we wandered down a couple of blocks which took us to the main street that skirted the river front; it's French colonial houses lined the road, and looked stunning in the afternoon sun.  The road took us to Wat Xieng, the most impressive Wat in Luang Prabang; built in the 1500s and of Royal patronage until 1975, it truly was a sight to behold.  With its mosaics and gold leaf Buddhas hiding within we explored the complex thoroughly not wanting to miss a thing.

The road back to the centre of town took us past several other impressive Wats, where the Monks were beating their instruments in prayer.

Before we headed back to the bungalows for the night we wanted to make one last stop, and this involved several hundred stairs as we climbed to the top of Mount Phu si, the mountain that overshadows the town.  The climb up was well worth it as the views from the top overlooked the entire surroundings, we stayed up there to watch the sunset, which was beautiful.

Back at the bungalows we had a delicious dinner and headed for a well deserved rest.