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[lornie]

Hi,

New to this forum. I am heading off travelling next week to Asia, Malaysia & then onto Oz. I will be on my own for the first 6 weeks of the trip and am just looking for some tips.

Flying into Kuala Lumpur for 3 days then flying up to Phuket, have heard bad reports about Phuket and been advised as a lone female to not stay there so I am thinking of heading onto Phi Phi, I plan on staying there for a couple of weeks and then maybe head onto Samui, how far is Samui from Phi Phi and can anyone advise the best places to meet fellow solo travellers?

Thanks guys

[kathryn77]

Hi Lornie,

You'll meet fellow solo travellers everywhere, no problem at all. You'll also hear bad reports about loads of places, but my view is to heed them, but make your own mind up. I was in Thailand on my own and had no problems (and met lots of people easily).

I wasn't keen on Phuket - depends what you like, but to me it was a big package tourist holiday resort, and that wasn't really what I was looking for. I only stayed a day on that island.

You can get to Phi Phi by boat from Phuket - just takes a couple of hours, and if you wanted to Ko Lanta is also beautiful, and just another hour or so boat ride from Phi Phi. You can get from Ko Lanta to Krabi to get connections to Ko Samui, rather than going back through Phuket.

As for getting to Ko Samui - I went from Phuket to Koh Pha Ngan, so it's about the same distance I think from Krabi to Ko Samui - by bus and boat, and it took about 14 hours!

I love Thailand - I'm going back at the end of June and can't wait

[ScottWoz]

Hi Lornie, welcome to the forums..

have heard bad reports about Phuket and been advised as a lone female to not stay there so I am thinking of heading onto Phi Phi

You've been misled about Phuket. I'd recommend staying out of Patong (certainly worth a visit for the 'experience') but Phuket (the real Phuket) is beautiful and full of rewards. Phi Phi is a short boat ride away. Access from there to Samui (including Krabi - which I'd highly recommend) is all in the same locale.

If you need any help when you're over here feel free to PM me. As for meeting solo travellers en route? I'd say it's impossible not to. Just go with the flow and it'll all bloom in front of you..

Enjoy..

[lornie]

Thanks guys for all the replies. What I have heard about Phuket is that it is sleazy and not a good place to be as a lone female traveller but I will be flying into there so may have to stay there for a night or two? If this is the case should I stay away from Patong and if so what area should I stay in? I will then prob hit Phi Phi and maybe Ko Lanta.. wow didn't realise samui was so far from phi phi! I am getting very nervous now but I know there is prob no need to be I am sure it will be the best thing I do!!

Thanks guys

[kathryn77]

Hi Lornie,

Scott's better placed than me to tell you about areas in Phuket - I wasn't there very long, to know that much about the different areas - just compared to other places I'd been it was way more touristy, so I didn't hang around, as I was running out of time.

I arrived there on my own, and was fine - the thing is, if you're just starting out, close people will focus on the first places you're heading and tell you "what to watch out for" just 'cause they're worried about you setting off on your own / are nervous 'cause they've never done the whole travelling thing themselves etc. don't worry about it - I see from your early entry you're from Dublin - I live here too now - you can probably find dodgier areas here, or in any big city!

Don't be nervous - like Scott said, just 'go with the flow' - you'll probably hook up with people in Phuket and head on to Phi Phi with them - or you never know - you might even change your whole 'plan' when your plane touches down and your brain 'turns traveller'. My best adventures happened when I didn't plan

As for Ko Samui, it does sound far now, but you noticed Scott said it was all "in locale" - it is, it really is, it just takes a bit of time to get round Thailand, but it is so worth it. Plus you've 6 weeks you said - and that's just in the south! Loads of time if you're just hitting the islands & beaches!

[big_red_truck]

Hello Lornie, welcome to the forums. I can't help much on Malaysia...but you said you were from Dublin?

I'm gonna be traveling around the UK in June and we're leaving from Dublin. What is there good to do on the routes between Cobh/Cork and Dublin? And what's the best Irish restaurant in Dublin? Kathryn, feel free to pipe in too!

[ScottWoz]

Cheers Kath..

Thanks guys for all the replies. What I have heard about Phuket is that it is sleazy and not a good place to be as a lone female traveller but I will be flying into there so may have to stay there for a night or two? If this is the case should I stay away from Patong and if so what area should I stay in? I will then prob hit Phi Phi and maybe Ko Lanta.. wow didn't realise samui was so far from phi phi! I am getting very nervous now but I know there is prob no need to be I am sure it will be the best thing I do!!

Thanks guys

Phuket's beautiful. Patong's a s*%t hole. In your case I'd recommend getting yourself down to Rawai, Kata or Nai Harn (even Phuket Town) and chilling out, away from the debauchery. You'll have no problems and everything will fall into place. It just will.

Samui's not far from Phi Phi at all, it's practically next door, Kathryn's right. You'll have a great time exploring all this (probably the time of your life), there really is nothing to worry about. Again, please feel free to PM me nearer the time and I can help you with anything that's on your mind..

[lornie]

Thanks guys
[/quote]Phuket's beautiful. Patong's a s*%t hole. In your case I'd recommend getting yourself down to Rawai, Kata or Nai Harn (even Phuket Town) and chilling out, away from the debauchery. You'll have no problems and everything will fall into place. It just will.

Samui's not far from Phi Phi at all, it's practically next door, Kathryn's right. You'll have a great time exploring all this (probably the time of your life), there really is nothing to worry about. Again, please feel free to PM me nearer the time and I can help you with anything that's on your mind..
[/quote]

Thanks Scott. Would the places mentioned above be far from the airport? Rawai, Kata or Nai Harn? And presumably any taxi would take me there no probs? Might just stay in one of those places for a couple of nights and maybe might be easy enough to meet other backpackers who could be heading my way to Phi Phi?

[ScottWoz]

From the airport it'll cost you between 700 and 900 baht in a taxi. Pay no more...

[lornie]

From the airport it'll cost you between 700 and 900 baht in a taxi. Pay no more...

Thanks... would accomdation be reasonable in these places? And would there be many fellow travellers around?

Thanks for all your help

[kathryn77]

I'm gonna be traveling around the UK in June and we're leaving from Dublin. What is there good to do on the routes between Cobh/Cork and Dublin? And what's the best Irish restaurant in Dublin? Kathryn, feel free to pipe in too!

Cool The Blarney Stone is near Cork - so you have to go and kiss that. Kilkenny Castle is in....Kilkenny, which is cool, and you could drive up over the Wicklow mountains to get to Dublin (or do all that backwards if you're starting from Dublin... Also, Glendalough is a cute little village in a glen in the Wicklow mountains. Plus (and I've not been here yet, but I'm going to one day - only thing is you have to drive to it, and I don't have a car) there is Johnny Fox's - the highest Irish pub in Ireland!! They have live Irish music every night - it looks like so much fun! www.jfp.ie

As for restaurants in Dublin, my favourite one is Alfies!!! It's really quirky and reasonably priced (Dublin's quite expensive) It's on South William St in the city centre (there's loads of others on that street too) Reason I find it quirky, is the first time I went was with my 70 year old aunt and (older than that) uncle who had dropped in to visit on their hols from Canada. It suited us all as the menu had 'meat & 2 veg' dishes for my uncle, and slightly more adventurous stuff for me and my aunt. When we went in, I noticed the tables each had a centrepiece that was a book...imagine my horror when I sat down and noticed the book on our table (which was at my end with the spine facing me) was called "P*rn for Women"!!! I almost died , thinking I'd brought them somewhere dodgy!! Although older, there's nothing wrong with their alertness, and so I couldn't move the book, as I knew that would draw attention to it, so I just left it and hoped they wouldn't notice. Fat chance! After we'd ordered, my aunt said "Oh look! I'll read you'se a story!" and before I knew it, the book had been snatched from me. The look on her face was hysterical when she saw the title. Then I looked on in horror as she opened it anyway! Thankfully, it turned out to be a joke book, and inside it had things like a man saying to his wife "Go on dear, have another piece of chocolate - I hate to see you look so thin" (i.e. "P*rn for women).

If you want traditional Irish food though, The Brazen Head pub (Ireland's oldest pub) does fantastic Irish stews with soda bread etc. You'll likely get traditional Irish food in Johnny Fox's too

When in June are you going to be here? I'm happy to be a Dublin tour guide if I'm available, although I'm off to Thailand on the 20th

[ScottWoz]

Thanks... would accomdation be reasonable in these places?

What do you consider 'reasonable'?

[lornie]

Thanks... would accomdation be reasonable in these places?

What do you consider 'reasonable'?

Well anything from €5-30 per night.

[ScottWoz]

Five to... THIRTY? Wow that's a big range. You'll find something no problem within that range. Maybe settle on something around 10?