Pootling around Phi Phi.

Greetings from Chiang Mai, 

We have just arrived here yesterday after a ferry from Phi Phi to Phuket and then an overnight bus and overnight train. Believe it or not we both slept quite well on the train! Although we definitely need a rest. As we are just over a week into our travels around Thailand we thought it was time to update you a little. 

The first week or so has been spent in and around Bangkok and on the southern island of Phi Phi, which was stunning. Becky has been officially banned from making any reference in this blog to Phi, Phi and English words it sounds like and Robert's contribution whilst there to rising sea levels. 

Becky has almost got rid of her illness although her sinuses are still not 100% which is obviously frustrating. Rob now seems to be a little under the weather. Both of us got a little burned by the sea but are now recovered (sort of) with Becky looking quite tanned and Rob saying 'he is tanned for him, look at my arms'. Rob has grown a beard. 

Our trip started on 21st January in Bangkok. We stayed at Bed Station Hostel which was great fun. The first afternoon we wandered around our area a bit which was pleasant and grabbed a bite to eat before getting an early night. Becky attempted not to disrupt the whole dorm by coughing and was actually fairly successful - getting her first night of more than 5 hours sleep in ages! The following day we slept in and then went out to explore Bangkok. Every single travel guide is clear that the best way to explore Bangkok is by boat so we went to the local boat port and hopped on. It took us all the way down to the main sites in Bangkok. After this we thought we would get a bit more adventurous and attempt to get a tuk tuk... a tuk tuk that likely ripped us off and totally didn't take us where we wanted to go. Nonetheless we got to see Wat Chana Songkhram, Khao San Road, Bang Khun Phrom, Wat Thep Sirin, and Wat Bowon Niwet. 

First day in Bangkok:

During our trip we experienced the worst bit of scamming in Thailand where we were massively ripped off buying a gift for Rob's mum... lets just hope she likes it. The one thing we have both commented on being in Thailand is that we were warned off Vietnam - reading information online and by various people - being told the people are quite cold and if you want an easier introduction to teaching to go to Thailand: the land of smiles. We both feel we are missing the warmth of the Vietnamese a bit! After all you can smile and still scam someone! This isn't to say we don't like many of the people we have met but as a word of advice for any travellers there are people here who do want to take the piss out of you and all they want is your money. In Vietnam the importance of face means the amount of hassle and scamming you experience is significantly lower. Also Thailand is far more expensive than either of us thought it would be but the food has been delicious and it has been money well spent. 

The following day we went on a day trip to Kanchanaburi which is where the death railway was built by the Japanese - or rather by tens of thousands of PoW and coerced Asian contractors- during WWII. It was the event which inspired the film The Bridge on the River Kwai, which in the spirit of our visit we watched one evening in Phi Phi. The film is actually filmed in Sri Lanka and Becky has been to the location of 'the bridge' there. It was an interesting and moving day. The day started at the Cemetery of the Allied Prisoners of the second world war which has the remains of 6,982 Australian, Dutch and British prisoners who lost their lives constructing the Death Railway. The number of graves one could see was staggering and of course this is a very small number of the total number of people who lost their lives. Of the Asian contractors forced into the work around 100,000 perished. This was for a whole range of reasons from the heat, malaria, ill-treatment etc. 

After this we went to the JEATH museum (Japan, England, America, Thailand and Holland). The museum was a little underwhelming and we would not recommend a visit as very little of the museum actually seemed to be informative about the building of the railway and treatment of PoW. However from the museum there was a spectacular view of the bridge and railway. This is where we went next, ensuring we did not get hit by a train. The surroundings were beautiful and it was quite odd to think that such evil and brutality took place in such an incredibly stunning region. We then actually got an opportunity to go on the railway to a waterfall - Sa Yok Noi. The views were incredible and once we got off the train we had lunch before heading to the waterfall. By complete coincidence we bumped into two other teachers from Vietnam there - Jo Dressler and Sharmila. After grabbing a few photos of the waterfall it was time to get back onto our cramped mini-bus to Bangkok. 

Jeath Museum photos: 

The Bridge over the River Kwai 

The trip on the railway: 

The waterfall: 

The following morning we decided to visit Ayutthaya - we got to the train station and attempted to catch our first Thai train. The delays were massive! But eventually we got on our way and when we arrived we negotiated with a Tuk Tuk to take us around some of the main sights in Ayutthaya. This is totally the way to do it if you want to visit - it worked out significantly cheaper than just getting our hostel to take us and we chose what we saw and for how long. The Wats were incredibly impressive and we had a great time wandering about. We got to see: Wat Yai Chaimongkol (Mongkhon), Wat Maha That, Pratuchai and Wat Phra Si Sanphet. 

The next day (our final day in Bangkok) we had booked onto a tour to see the floating market. This started with a long drive to Kaeklong railway market. This is a market which is literally on the railway tracks and when the train comes along everyone moves their stuff out of the way, as well as, themselves (hopefully). It was a bit crowded which made us quite nervous when people are shoving you but it was an interesting experience and the train really does come rather close to you. We felt for the train driver who had to slow the train down completely and honk a lot at stupid tourists still in the track. Once we had done this we went to Damnoen Saduak floating market. It was all a bit overpriced but we had a go at bartering on a snowglobe to add to Becky's collection. There were lots of men with large pythons slumped next to them who were charging people to have photos - Becky made a rapid run past these sections of the market. Once we had looked around we go onto a boat and saw the market on the water before heading back to Bangkok. In the afternoon Becky cracked on with pupillage applications before we got a taxi to the bus station for our night bus. 

Although sleeping was hard on the bus, particularly for Becky who was still not 100%, it actually wasn't that bad at all. You get water on board and a snack and they got us there earlier than scheduled. Our experience on Thai buses so far has been that they are pretty efficient. It is a cheap and fairly comfortable way to travel. Our destination was Phuket where we had one night - we spent this time wondering around the town which is actually rather pretty - almost Portuguese in style - and going up to Rang Hill to a restaurant recommended by Livvy. The food was delicious and the views were spectacular. The following day, after a sleep in, we went out for a walk and breakfast before getting the ferry across to Phi Phi. 

Neither of us have really seen water like there is around Thai islands. It is crystal clear and it feels like stepping into a bath rather than freezing your tits off. For the day we arrived we wondered about checking out the beach and found a nice sea-side restaurant to relax in. We allocated the next day for a sleep in, to recover after the bus, and a beach day. During our third day we were in Phi Phi we organised a day trip on one of the long tail boats. This trip took us to Bamboo Island, Viking Cave, Maya Bay (famous due to film The Beach), and Monkey island, as well as stopped occasionally to let us jump in and snorkel - the best snorkelling Becky has experienced. It was a really enjoyable day and we got to see lots of beautiful sea-life. Photos will follow from the underwater camera when we get home. Bamboo Island was particularly beautiful. We both felt tourism has ruined Maya Bay and also it was low tide when we were there so swimming was virtually impossible. If you want to get a true Maya Bay experience arrive early before the crowds descend. We knew this but it was kind of out of our control. Once we got back we realised Rob was extremely sunburned.... despite us being quite good at applying suncream. He was like a lobster. Becky also was quite red but there were bizarre lines where she had also tanned. Ironically the burn seemed to be where the cream had been applied! It does show you how powerful the sun is and how careful you have to be. 

We gave some attention to these wounds when we go back before getting an early night. The next day we set up camp in a cafe, which had the most delicious Dragon Fruit smoothie, so Becky could work on getting those final applications all in - this has now successfully been done! We wondered about the town and grabbed a nice bite to eat and got ourselves a few pretty postcards. It was this evening that we decided to watch Bridge on the River Kwai. It was our last night in the hotel so after packing we headed to bed in advance of our next two nights, which were to be spent on buses and trains. 

We grabbed a final lunch in Phi Phi the next day before getting the ferry to Phuket and then getting on our overnight bus to Bangkok. Once we were in Bangkok we got breakfast and then went sightseeing. Our trip started with a walk around China Town which was full of good smells and lots of people selling lottery tickets. The first formal stop we made was at the Grand Palace - expensive to get into but pretty stunning once you are in! Becky was extremely unhappy because despite wearing leggings almost to ankles - which is uncomfortable in 32 degree heat - they wouldn't let her in. This was even though they were letting girls in in short skirts and ironically the dress code people had skirts above the knee.... pot kettle black and all that. Anyway this ended in Becky having to purchase the dreaded gap jah trousers. They actually are quite comfortable and looked ok! Rob even likes them. Rob would like everyone to know he was wearing trousers all day - equal opportunities and all that... although Becky would comment they seemed to let men in in shorts. It was probably all worth it, although irritating. After the Grand Palace we got a boat to Wat Arun (The Temple of the Dawn) which was, without a doubt, the most incredible Wat we saw in Bangkok. If you are going here avoid all the tours trying to flog you boat trips for 250 baht, keep going to the port where it is 4 baht for one way. Rob is very proud of this discovery. Once we got back Rob used his incredible bartering skills to get us a super-cheap tuk tuk to the Golden Mount or Wat Saket. This was another Wat really worth visiting. It had beautiful views of Bangkok and an amazing spiralling staircase on the way up. 

We then negotiated a tuk tuk to the station, got some snacks for the train (would recommend doing this), and waited for our train. We boarded at 19:00 but the train was 2 hours late leaving so we sat there until 21:30 before the train even moved. We managed to get a 2 person cabin for very a reasonable price. There seemed to be a lot of back-packers in the first class section. The meals they serve are a bit pricey so we were grateful we had snacks. Also they offer you juice and coffee like it is free - then before you depart the train sting you massively so watch out! Like everywhere we have been here they are all trying to make money out of you. Both of us slept really well once we finally departed and got to see some beautiful views from the train. 

Yesterday we arrived into Chiang Mai. We headed to our Hostel for check in - thanks Jess and Sam for the recommendation. We went out to get a feel for the place and grabbed lunch before having a post-train nap and getting our dinner. Unfortunately Rob isn't 100% today so we are resting in and Becky might go and see some of the Wats later. Tomorrow we are going on a trek in the jungle and to a waterfall. 

After Chiang Mai we head to Chiang Rai and then will hopefully successfully cross the border into Laos. We hope to update you again on our travels in Laos. 

Until then!