Take me to "The Beach"

Krabi was our base to go to Sofitel in Klong Muang, and after 3 days of "vacation" from our "jobs" (discovering the world) we went back to Krabi, halfway via Sofitel's luxury tuk-tuk. It was an ordinary tuk-tuk, but it had a bitchin' sound system.

So we were back in Krabi, dropped off at the main street, with its stautes of traffic light-bearing neanderthals, sabre-tooth tigers and wooly mammoths. There was a giant prehistoric crab at the end of the quay, but we failed to take a picture of it. Talk about crabby!

The next day, we went back to Klong Muang for a speed boat to the Phi Phi islands on the Andaman Coast. One of them was the setting for the fictitious island in the movie adaptation of "The Beach" (although it was supposed to be around the national park area around Koh Phangan). Can you guess which island it was from these pictures?

3 Nights of Luxury

As mentioned before, we spent three nights at the Sofitel in Krabi. Just a tiny break from the tiring world of backpacking. It was difficult to find a cheap way to get there, even the tuk-tuk was expensive! But here we were, arriving the only way possible, travelling ten kilometers on a 400 baht tuk-tuk.

We were surrounded by forest in the back...

While in the front we were face-to-face with the stunning Andaman Sea.

We had free cocktails every night because we were given VIP status, and you bet we never missed one day of cocktail hour!

Koh Phangan on a Full Moon

Koh Pha-ngan is notorious for its full moon parties, so even though we only planned to stay there for just a few days, we ended up staying for a week because the full moon was due in 5 days. Then we added a buffer day in case of hangovers and after-parties. 

With 5 days to kill, we hired a bike and went all around the island, discovering secrets very few tourists see because most of them stay on the beach. With just a map and the sun to guide us (the Thais were not so helpful, with a few exceptions, most of them are kind of snobby) we felt like we were on the Amazing Race / Pekin Express. I thought our trekking days where behind us, but with roads as bad as in Koh Tao, we had no choice sometimes. A tiring, but great adventure :)

Koh Tao and Koh Pha-ngan

From Chumporn to Koh Tao

First of all, CHUMPORN. Makes me giggle too, but we have to get over this!!! 

Thailand is FULL of PORN. Apparently, it's a popular girl's name. There was Tanyaporn Guest House, Pornpiss, Pornthip, and when you seek relief from seeing all that porn, you can get something at the:

But going back to us, and our suffering in the hands of the Thai transport system:

Yes We Prachuap Khiri Khan!

It took a toll on our sanity, but we got to Prachuap Khiri Khan (PKK)... eventually. We stayed near the night market, which was close to the beach and everything else that mattered. We were finally out of the big tourist grid (not counting Damnoen Saduak, because the main attraction there is one of the main attractions in Thailand even though the road there is the least taken), and it was great! 

We had fresh seafood, the pride of PKK, wok-fried with egg. I don't know what they meant by "with shell" but I promise there wasn't any.

The people were quite nice, and a smile went a long way. Except for one woman (not pictured) who ran a street food stall, whose sour disposition trickled down to the grouchy cooks around her, and perhaps even tainted the food. It was the worst we tried in town, even though it smelled great.

The Floating Market (April 24 - 25)

Getting a bus to Damnoen Saduak seemed too easy, so the Backpacking Gods threw a little wrench our way.

Instead of being dropped off in the city as expected, we were dropped off at the highway and found out soon enough that our hotel is 25 kilometers from where we were dropped off. After a bit of detective work on our part, we figured out that we had to take a song teauw (a pickup with a roof that looks like a jeepney) to the only hotel in Damnoen Saduak.

It looked like a really old hotel, but it was clean and the mattress was comfy. The only trouble was the receptionist, who refused to acknowledge us after we told him we don't want to get a boat to the floating market from him because it's too expensive. We told him the tourism bureau in Bangkok said boats go from 200 - 800 baht, and we can only afford 200. He said it's impossible to find a boat for less than 500, and he wouldn't talk to us again after; he kept his eyes on the TV screen.

We had no idea how to get to the floating market; there were no maps on the Lonely Planet because most people come here on package tours. Luckily, even though the hotel doesn't have wifi (free or otherwise), we found a weak signal and got enough time to look for the market on online maps. Even online sources were inconclusive, though, so we left the next morning with our fingers crossed that we were going in the right direction, and that we could find a boat cheaper than 500 baht.

Well, we did. In fact, we got a longtail boat for 250, no motor, and had the whole boat to ourselves, too.

We came early to avoid the package tourists, and we grabbed a few things to eat and drink from the vendors on their boats.

Kwai Me A River (April 22 - 24)

Being in Bangkok 3 days longer than needed loosened us up for the tranquil trip around Thailand that everyone told us we will experience. Well, it started easy enough. We went to the bus station and got our ticket to Kanchanaburi, had a little lunch at KFC. TIme went so fast that when I looked at my watch again, we only had ten minutes to get to our bus. But, we were at the bus station, what could go wrong?

Well, for one thing, we didn't count on multiple bus terminals in that mall, which turned out to be a labyrinth. The signs were confusing and we saw a warning that you have to check in at your bus 30 minutes before it departs. Yikes! But all the panic was for nothing, because we're in Thailand after all... nothing happens as scheduled :)

When we got to Kanchanaburi, "taxi" drivers offered to take us to our guest house, but for 100 baht. Henri said 40 and didn't let up, so we got to our guest house for 40 baht on a jeepney (song teauw, I think they call it).

It was just as hot as Bangkok, and we had the sun full on because it was setting in front of us. Our room was ON TOP of the River Kwai. Have you heard of it? If you're at least our age, you must have. So, let's sing it!

Bits of Bangkok

By the end of the week, we had enough courage to use the bus and went on a tuk-tuk once, but mostly we went around on foot. Once, we asked for help and a woman of Chinese origin went out of her way (literally) to help us get back home. She got out of the bus, showed us the bus we needed, and took another bus to go back in the direction she was supposed to go! That is what I mean when everyone gets so down on the Chinese - some of them are really nice, it's their government (and the racist millions that blindly follow it) that worries me.

Anyway, when we went to Sukhumvit, the modern part of Bangkok, we took a taxi to avoid hours figuring out the bus system.

We went there to visit Veronique's (Henri's mom) handsome cousin, Christophe, and his charming wife, Wendy.

They treated us to a gastronomic adventure at the newly relocated Sofitel, and the smile on Henri's face here says everything ;)

Heatwaves and Hitwaves in Bangkok (April 18 - 19)

THIS

is how hot it was in Bangkok. It was 10pm, we had our second shower of the day, but the sweating won't stop. Our bed was drenched in sweat. I joked that this could train Henri for the heat in Manila, but in reality I don't think it was ever constantly this hot at home. 

The next day, heat notwithstanding, we went to the Grand Palace, a second time for both of us. 

We joined the free tour, but felt like abandoning it a couple of times because it was too hot, and we couldn't understand the (well-meaning, I had to admit) Thai guide whose accent we sometimes couldn't understand. I think I understood him more than most, but some foreigners disappeared after the Temple of The Emerald Buddha.

Happy 7th! (updated on May 11th)

Today marks the start of our 8th month traveling, and we're celebrating it in style!

We rarely splurge, so we felt like we were up for some pampering. So, after a difficult 2 hours trying to get from Krabi Town to Klong Muang (we had no idea independent travel in Thailand would be so difficult!), we are now between the rainforest and the deep blue sea, facing the gorgeous limestone islands of the Andaman.

Of course, after enjoying the perks of our VIP status, we're going back to hardcore backpacking, but for now, we're enjoying our vacay.

MAY 11 UPDATE


Our 2 days in paradise was extended a day more thanks to a generous donation from mon beau papa! Merci, Philippe! I'm using this time to learn how to swim on the longest pool in Thailand (je crois) :D

Welcome to Thailand

On a plane, you don't see where one country ends and another one begins. From above, borders don't exist. As we flew east, we said goodbye to the majestic Annapurnas and Langtang, the fertile Terai, the mighty Everest, and Tibet. Henri didn't care so much about missing out on China (because we were supposed to go there for 2 weeks after Tibet), and now that I've had time to think it over, I'm happy we didn't go this time because we would only make the Chinese Government richer; it felt like going there now while they hold the Tibetan people on display like zoo animals would only encourage them more, and perhaps embolden them to continue to encroach on other territories.

We soared past Bangladesh and looked longingly at Myanmar, another country we hoped to visit; but spending money there would only fund the military junta. It might have been especially epic to explore Myanmar because it looks so enchanting in pictures, and the people are lovely... Maybe someday. When the powers-that-be are no longer mass-murdering, child-enslaving jerks.

Arriving in Thailand was a physical shock. It was a blistering 40°, compared to the agreeable 16° of Kathmandu. At the airport, we were promised that we had arrived in the "Land of Smiles" and we are holding on to that promise; even though it's been two and a half weeks, and most of the time people are rude outside Bangkok... but we'll get to that later.

We were ecstatic to be out of the Indian subcontinent. Even though Nepal was a welcome break from India, it was still very similar to its neighbor. But this... This is Southeast Asia, baby! 

The style and level of cleanliness in the budget class is better!

The food is simple, but tasty! (We'd been dreaming of authentic Thai curry for a loooong time.)

And served with heart, hee hee.