Christian December 27th, 2008
First off, sorry for the delay in our last two postings. It has been crazy since we got home last week. We will post another couple of posts this coming week. We took a van from the Jolly Frog Guesthouse to Bangkok. We were both stuffed in the front seat with the driver, but that did not matter much since it was even cheaper than the second class bus + taxi into town would have been. Sitting in the front seat we could really see all of those “close calls” with other cars/ motorcycles, but I guess that is all part of the the experience. When we got to Bangkok, we were happy that the guesthouse that we had booked for the following night had a room available a day early, we hate switching rooms when we don’t have to. We actually sat down for a bit before venturing out and getting our bearings. We walked down the infamous Khao San Road to see what kind of merchandise is on sale, testing the waters on how low the prices can go. Continue Reading »
Christian December 8th, 2008
The trip from Ko Tao to Kanchanaburi was terrible. When we woke up, the rain still had not stopped and it was pouring buckets outside. To get to the truck that would transfer us to the dock, we had to walk through a knee high puddle, drenching our shoes. As we neared the dock the pickup truck that we were sitting in the bed of hit a huge pot hole, making the seven of us in the back fly forward. The truck was stuck, so we got out and walked the last 100 meters. By the time we made it to the checkin counter, we were completely soaked. Our waterproof pack covers could not even keep out the rain. The ferry ended up being about an hour late. When we were finally on the ferry, the air conditioners were on full blast and dripping water all over me. We found the only other two seats next two a wierdo, but decided it would be better than getting anymore wet. When we reached Chumporn, the boat stopped at the end of the longest, rickty dock I have ever seen. It was at least a ten minute walk in the rain over missing boards and nails sticking out. Continue Reading »
Christian December 2nd, 2008
The flight to Ko Samui was great. Bangkok Airways fed us snacks while we waited for boarding and fed us a meal on our forty minute flight. It was a breath of fresh air from all of the super budget airlines we have been flying, while still cheap at $50. As we decended through the dark clouds, our hopes for good weather were slowly dwindling. On the ground we were told that the cheaper minibus option was not available and that we would have to fork over 500 baht (around $15) for a fifteen minute taxi ride. In Thailand, that fare is just crazy so we proceeded to try and walk from the airport towards our bungalows and catch a cab on the way.
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Christian November 22nd, 2008
We arrived Tueday afternoon to Ao Nang after waking up at 5:45am to catch a series of 2 flights, and a shuttle to reach our destination. Once out of the airport we were greeted to blue skies and hot and humid weather. We didn’t know where we were staying and ended up in our 2nd choice and decided to pay the extra $6 to have air conditioning. We were also happy to have a mini fridge and HBO (our only channel) in our room. We each took a quick shower and by now it was after 2pm and we had yet to have a meal so we happily hit up the local McDonald’s. We then walked around town checking out all the tour agencies for the cheapest price on an island tour. Continue Reading »
Christian November 20th, 2008
Bangkok is busy, bustling, loud, and chaotic. This is why we have decided to leave it for last. We flew into Bangkok late on Thursday evening from Melbourne and decided to stay close to the airport since we had a flight out to Chiang Mai early the next morning. Our fancy airport hotel cost us a mere $23 dollars a night. This included breakfast, cable tv, 24 hour room and spa service, and a balcony. We called home and looked up a few things about Chiang Mai on the internet before going to bed. The next morning, we had to leave the hotel early for our one hour flight to Chiang Mai. Upon arrival we grabbed a taxi to our guesthouse, located on the East side of the Ping River. We were impressed by the value for the money. For $15 we had air conditioning, cable tv, and a private bath. The Hollanda Montri guesthouse turned out to be an oasis away from the business of the inner city. Continue Reading »
