TravelStream™ news feed for member m-and-c on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/m-and-c en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:36:34 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1258630299/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1258630299/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1258630299/tpod.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:36:34 -0500 We sold up in 2002 and ran away for a year around the world. Nobody told us travelling is so addictive! It's now 2009 and we are still exploring!

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Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The cold and rain came so we left (again)To be continued
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1253745227/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1253745227/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1253745227/tpod.html Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:34:45 -0400 We sold up in 2002 and ran away for a year around the world. Nobody told us travelling is so addictive! It's now 2009 and we are still exploring!

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Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

So we’re back on the road again all but briefly for a little visit to Ireland.  A county I (Caroline) is very familiar with having spent many of my childhood summer holidays visiting my Grandmother and Uncles.  However, I have never been to Dublin so it was a good a reason as any for myself and Martin to have a little jolly on our way to visit family.  Our plan is to spend 3 days here and then head to the west coast and Ennis where my family are based.Well so far soooo good.  Dublin seems fairly compact so there is lots of walking but not too far between places we want to see.  We had a walk about yesterday afternoon after we dumped our bags at the hostel.  We are in the centre of places which is really good.  We walked past Christ Church Cathedral and happened upon a film set.....nosey me wanted to know what they were filming and it happened to be the BBC production of The Tudors!  The actors were having a break outside so I took a photo of them.  I will have to watch it now to see who they were??? We found a nice friendly pub yesterday evening and had a few...like you do! And then wobbled back to our hostel.Today we visited Trinity College.  It happens to be Freshers Week so the place is really busy with new students enrolling in all sorts of clubs.  The college is made up of several huge buildings of which tourists are free to roam the extensive grounds.  For 9Euros each you can take a walk in the massive library which houses among its millions of books, The Book of Kells.  We certainly learnt stuff I didn't know before anyway!!Then we took a stroll to the Guinness Brewery.  That was really good.  Your self guided walking tour slowly takes you up this 7 storey building right to the top learning about the process and brewing of the famous ‘black stuff’ on the way.  Then at the very top is The Gravity Bar with its 360 degree views of Dublin.  It was Brilliant.  We even got to meet the great great great great great grandson of Mr Arthur Guinness himself.  He would not normally be there socialising with us peasants but its Guinness brewery’s 250th birthday tomorrow so they were getting ready for the big party etc that is happening tomorrow and film crews outside and all.  I even got his signature but only because they were asking if anyone was having a birthday today.  Well this lady sitting next to us was from California (I had got chatting to her a couple of minutes earlier) She told me it was her 50th tomorrow so I shout out 'its this ladies birthday tomorrow'  So then all the people in the bar all sing happy birthday to her (all my fault, but she loved it!!) and then over comes the Guinness heir and 4th Earl of Iveagh.  I know him as Rory well, that’s what it said on his name badge anyway! He presented Dana (birthday queen)  with his book he had written about the whole Guinness Empire and carries on chatting to us!!  By this time I had had a pint or two of Guinness and no lunch yet so my laugh did get a bit loud....but hey!  It was funny.  And my new mate Rory was laughing too!We've ended up having lunch quite late in a lovely little café called the Queen of Tarts.  The display cabinet (see photo) was beautiful and the food was even better.  We could be returning for lunch tomorrow…..
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1238764740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1238764740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1238764740/tpod.html Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:29:09 -0400 We sold up in 2002 and ran away for a year around the world. Nobody told us travelling is so addictive! It's now 2009 and we are still exploring!

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Koh Phangan, Thailand

Koh Phangan 3rd April 2009So here we are back in Koh Phangan. Why? Well we thought we would give it a more extensive explore this time. The weather in Phuket was cloudy and rather stormy at times and quite often if the weather is bad on the west coast it is normally good on the east and vice versa. So here we are for a 2nd go. This time we have chosen to stay in the very north of the island on a really quiet small stretch of beach called Haad Khom. Wow it's so quiet here too with some good snorkelling reefs just off the beach. You have to time it just right with the tides or else you find your tummy skimming the coral. Mmm not a god idea!!There are only 4 places to stay in our little part of paradise and we are staying at Coral Bay Bungalows. Our little house is just up on the headland with amazing views of the bay of Chaloklum and its busy port there. We had a hammock each strung up on our veranda and life was fantastic. Difficult decisions such as hammock with book or beach were the most taxing options we faced daily. We had visions of staying just a couple of days but one day rolled into the next and the next and before we knew it we were there 12 nights.We hired a 4X4 jeep again and had great fun visiting the beach up in the north west called Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi. We had originally stayed there back in 2003. Then it was a lovely quiet beach with just a few basic options of places to stay. Now that was a totally different story. We hardly recognised the place with a couple of huge swanky resorts in place of the some of the more rustic accommodation options that were on offer all those years ago. It was a little too busy for us and we were glad we were staying where we were at Haad Khom.Then we headed for the more challenging roads and put our poor little Jiminy through it's gears. Down dirt roads with huge craters and ditches at the side they were certainly too difficult for the local scooters to handle. When we reached a very remote beach called Haad Thian (East) we noticed a couple of tourists haggling with a taxi driver to take them and their scooter back to the main tarmac road. We guessed this was a common occurrence.Martin and I had lunch at this pretty beach and then headed off back up the dirt road in 4 wheel drive low ratio it was THAT bad!Our first day of the 3 day jeep hire was certainly very eventful. Sadly I wish I could say the same for the other 2 days left but unfortunately I awoke the next morning feeling very sick indeed and once I started it just did not stop. My stomach was adamant that it was going to throw up everything to the point where there was no more but still it insisted. It was just awful. My head felt like it was going to explode and together with the fact that I was unable to keep even sips of water down, I was dehydrating rapidly. Dear Martin was my Florence Nightingale for the day until I insisted that he went and had something to eat in the evening. Then later on both he and I are competing for the bathroom throwing up together. Bloody great!!We have always prided myself on never getting sick in all the years we have been travelling. I put it down to working with young children and being exposed to all those awful bugs and horrible bacteria for all my working career. But I succumbed to food poisoning big time and my unblemished travelling sick record was well and truly marked this time. We looked and felt like walking dead. We managed to share a slice of dry toast and jam on day 3 and sips of water were staying down just about.On the last day of our jeep hire we relocated to another place feeling the need for a hot shower and internet. Goodness knows how we did it. Looking back it took us a couple of days more to recuperate from moving. But now we are staying at Shiralea Backpackers Resort. A fantastically friendly place (not that our other place wasn't but there are loads more English people here unlike the other beach which was predominately German or French). There is a fantastic swimming pool here too. Only one draw back to Haad Khom was the sand flies which seem to think I was a rather tasty meal. The bites itch for days and I had had enough of them.So that is where we are at. It's a 2 minute walk to the beach at Haad Yao but with this beautiful pool with comfy sun beds and lilo's to chill out on we can't see ourselves moving anytime soon........
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1238939040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1238939040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1238939040/tpod.html Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:18:39 -0400 We sold up in 2002 and ran away for a year around the world. Nobody told us travelling is so addictive! It's now 2009 and we are still exploring!

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koh Tao, Thailand

Koh Tao 24th February 2009We have finally made it! We have made it to Koh Tao. We have checked into Asia Divers Resort down on Sariee Beach where our friends are staying.When we found out what room they were in we went and knocked on their door only to find that Mike and Lindsay are sick. Ahhh keep away! Ian the other mate was still in his room suffering the effects from the night before!So we left them to it. It turns out that through exchanging various emails lately, that the lovely Canadian family we had met on Koh Lipe were actually staying here on Koa Tao. We found Skye and Pippin home, poor Pippin had ear ache but it was so nice to see them again. Kai their son was celebrating his eleventh birthday today the adventure's way having hired a quad bike with his dad for a couple of hours. We made arrangements to met up for a birthday dinner later.Meanwhile Martin and I went for a walk along Sariee Beach to reminisce about our last visit here back in 2003.OMG! We could hardly recognise the place. Where as before you had maybe one restaurant then a long gap before the next place now you just can't see the beach hardly at all for all the dive schools, shops, and restaurants in between. The path along the beach (known to some as the 'yellow brick road' not only contends with walking traffic but loads more motor scooters and the odd quad bike too.The little bungalow places that were so easy to find and cheap to stay at have mostly been torn down to be replaced by concrete houses. The prices of accommodation have gone up big time too. We are aware things change all in the name of progress but that walk was a real shocker to us.In the evening we met up with Skye, Ronato, Pippin and 'Birthday King' Kai. We had a lovely meal with them on Sariee Beach and finished it off nicely with a delicious chocolate cake brightly decorated with day-glow icing!Our mates from home were feeling much better the next day and it was then on that our livers took a hammering..........We spent loads of time in the pool at Asia Divers generally messing about and watching people practice their diving skills. Unfortunately Martin has not got rid of his chest infection yet so we won't be going re-visiting the dive sights we learnt to dive on here all those years ago!!We did all go snorkelling off Sariee Beach. The coral and fish life was actually quite good the more north of the beach you go right by the rocks.The rest of our days were spent surfacing about 12 noon going for breakfast, pool time then dinner time then bar time then bed. The fire show at the Lotus Bar was good but someone has got to sack the DJ. The couldn't mix sugar and water let alone music!!Our lovely Canadian family left us after a few days for pastures new. We hope to meet up with them on the next part of their trip to Europe. Who knows?As for us 5, we stayed a few more days then took the boat to Koh Phangan 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1238591400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1238591400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1238591400/tpod.html Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:14:25 -0400 We sold up in 2002 and ran away for a year around the world. Nobody told us travelling is so addictive! It's now 2009 and we are still exploring!

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Phuket, Thailand

Koh Pha Ngan 1st to 4th MarchWe took the Catamaran ferry from Koh Tao to Koh Pha Ngan in the afternoon. Martin and I have learnt through previous experience that the sea tends to be a lot more choppy in the afternoon but as the cat was full we had no choice but to take the afternoon sailing. And it was well choppy. To the point that the staff we situated at the front of the boat, hands loaded with plastic bags ready for the sea sickness victims. We had taken sea sick pills thankfully but it took all my concentration not to join the 'chunder brigade' that was going on around us. With ipod in and eyes closed I entered a world of escapism until we finally docked at Thong-Sala, the islands main port.We did battle with the touts representing a million and one hotels and resorts and settled on Haad Thian (west) Bungalows situated on the north west coast of Koh Phangan.This place is rather remote and it turns out to have its own private beach. We all have a very nice (if a little on the small side) house with the usual A/C, hot water, T.V for 1000 Baht (£20) a night.We all settle in with a beer and a swim in the pool just like we had come accustomed to at Asia Divers on Koh Tao.Just a 10 minute walk over the hill takes you to civilisation at Haad Yao Beach where you can find loads of restaurants, resorts and shops. Our place is dead quiet except for the cicada's which start their screeching at exactly 6.36 every evening. The weird thing was they did it at exactly the same time every day in Koh Tao too! We nicked named it the 'cicada wave' and it was always used as a cue to have a beer if we hadn't one in our hands up until then! After 'cicada wave came Zebra Mozzie time. These pesky little buggers are huge here with black and white stripes hence our nick name for them. We would all jump in the pool just to get away from them. But they would still try and bite your forehead! What is the point of a mosquito can anyone tell us???Being that we were in such a remote area we decided to hire a 4X4 jeep for a couple of days to explore the rest of the island. We could only get a little Suzuki Jimney which meant that we took it in turns for 2 of us to sit in the open air at the back! We had great fun with this machine. It gave us a lot of freedom to visit others places on this rather large island. First thing was a tour of all the 7/11's on the island!! Rocking up to each store was a welcome break for the poor buggers whose turn it was to sit in the very back with the sun beating down on them. You can always rely on the A/C in 7/11 to be cranked up high and as you walk through that door we all go 'ahhhhhhhhh lovely.'After the 7/11 tour we then went in search of a waterfall. Needless to say with the season being the 'dry season' the waterfall was dry. Well the one we visited was anyway.Situated further north of where we were staying is a small island called Koh Ma. Timing it just perfectly (fluke on our part) we could walk out to it along the sand bar that appears at low tide. There is good snorkelling to be had there but as none of us bought our snorkel gear with us we will have to take the locals word for it!! The area was rather nice and worth a visit if you have a car. Another place we had to see was Haad Rin. The area of town/beach famous for its 'full moon parties.' It has changed little (its just bigger/busier) since Martin and I first visited back in 2003. Still bar after bar lined up on the beach. Loads of tourists on the sand. Hiring jet-ski's seem to be the norm now. We sat in a bar watching life go by, but glad that we were not staying.In all we had 4 nights on the island then we were all getting itchy feet so we booked flights and headed off to Phuket. First we made the half hour crossing by boat to Koh Samui then flew from a very modern and amazing open airport to Phuket. Mike had been here many times before so we followed him like sheep and where did we end up? Yep that place that I said we would not be staying at.....Patong Beach.Well as it turns out it wasn't that bad after all. I maintain it's the people we were with that made that whole girlie bar experience a right laugh. You certainly see some sights. The lady boys are quite incredible to watch. Some of them are absolutely stunning and some well just haven't got it...bless 'em.We stayed 3 nights there then it was time for Ian to fly home back to England. Myself, Martin, Mike and Lindsay decided we wanted some more island life and so made arrangements by expensive speed boat to go to Racha Yai Island situated about an hour south of Phuket.According to the leaflets its well know for its daily snorkelling trips. And when we went to get the boat over there my goodness it was too. There were upwards of 10 speed boats (with up to 25 passengers on each) leaving Phuket everyday to make the snorkelling trip. Our only consolation was that these boats would all be returning by 3pm each day. Which left the beach areas deserted but for the few people like us who were actually staying on the island. The boats seemed to dock at the one and only 'posh' resort on Ao Batok beach (the likes of Leonardo de Caprio, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are clamed to have been guests in the past) Needless to say we were not tempted with a £1000 a night room and quite frankly with all those boats rocking up each day just outside your resort it was definitely well over rated!We stayed in a very basic attached wooden house costing an extortionate 800 (£16) Baht a night. The walls were so thin you might as well have just divided the rooms with paper! Good job we knew our neighbours! The cicada wave seemed to kick off numerous times in the day and the noise was deafening. With all that sounding negative the views of our quiet deserted beach called Ao Siam was beautiful. The snorkelling was nothing really to right home about. The usual problem of over-fishing was the most likely reason for the lack of marine life in the water as is the case everywhere else where it's not protected by a Marine Park.There were a couple of different restaurant options along the beach however with a captive audience (which we were) the prices were really high especially for the sea-food dishes. On our last night we went for dinner is a nice family restaurant along the beach where we had been before. While we were there sipping our cool beers the wind started to blow really hard and before we knew it a huge thunder storm blew in. Our only refuge was for all the customers to gather in the tiny kitchen. Made in a very rustic and basic way the kitchen resembled a small wooden shack about the size of a beach hut on Brighton beach! When the clouds burst the rain poured in through the make-shift tin roof. We did all we could to avoid the streams of water. All we could do was laugh. The thunder and lightning was right over head at one point. Mike was videoing it all when the lightning struck the mobile signal mast rendering all our mobiles out of service. It really made us all jump with fright. My nervousness continued to make me laugh. I enjoy a good thunder storm at home but this tested my fondness for them now. The poor Thai family were petrified you could see it on their faces as the mother huddled her young child. I just concluded 'if you're gonna go now, better go laughing' Approx half an hour later (but seemed like much longer) the storm had finally blown over and we could resume our positions back at the tables on the sand and the little Thai family could carry on preparing our meals apologising profusely for the delay!! Like it was their fault?We enjoyed our last meal and after 3 nights we headed back to the main land Phuket and our next destination of Kamala Beach.Situated about 8kms north of Patong it was a much quieter option to the mad night life of Patong.When the taxi driver dropped us off at our chosen hotel we were confronted by the owner of the hotel next door who was prepared to beat the price of any room we had looked at so far. Wow, that had never happened to us before today. It felt just like our previous visits to Thailand in years gone by when completion for guests was very competitive. It appeared that Kamala Beach was very quiet at the moment and room prices we very discounted to reflect that.We ended up with a nice big new and very modern room with all the usual facilities for 550 Baht (£11) a night. Compared to the paper thin rooms on Racha Yai Island this was pure luxury. The local restaurants were very competitively priced. We wished we could say the same for the taxi and tuk-tuks though.To make one short journey to the next town of just 3ms away the drivers wanted a minimum of 300 (£6) Baht. Outrageous! And none of them were prepared to haggle. They all had their set prices and they we sticking to it. Even tourists who were here for their 2 week package holiday were complaining about how ridiculous the prices were. The more time we spent in Kamala talking to both locals and expats who had started up and now ran businesses out here the more we learnt about the Phuket Taxi Mafia. We worked it out that at charging those extortionate prices they only had to run a minimum of 4 fares a week for them to live well. The rest of the time they sat around under the shade of the trees chatting with their other fellow divers. Long term this attitude can only do harm. Where as Thailand is full of tourists 'returning' year after year, the area of Phuket will slowly become a place that people will visit once having come to the conclusion that the food and taxi's are priced similar to those at home in Europe! The longer we stayed the more information we were finding out about Phuket in general. The picture was not a pretty one either. We bid farewell to Mike and Lindsay who's time was up. They headed back to England and Martin and I decided that we would return to Koh Phangan for a much longer stay.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1237729080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1237729080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1237729080/tpod.html Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:41:48 -0400 We sold up in 2002 and ran away for a year around the world. Nobody told us travelling is so addictive! It's now 2009 and we are still exploring!

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Trang, Thailand

Penang to Koh Tao 22nd to 24th March 2009So now to our mission to meet friends from home who are already in Koh Tao. Retracing steps/journeys that we had already done just a few days ago made it all the more easier.We got the ferry from Penang to Langkawi and then from Langkawi to Saturn. Again we had calm sea and the journey was fairly uneventful.Then once we docked in Saturn we passed through immigration with officially dressed officers in proper uniforms unlike Ko Lipe in their Billabong shorts etc!!! Then we faced the on slaught of the minibus mafia who try all they can to get you to take their expensive option of transport to Trang instead of us wanting a lift the local bus station about 10minutes away where our journey fare is less than half the price they were quoting. It never ceases to amaze us how many people just believe everything these mini bus drivers say such as 'you wait long time for bus' or "there are no more buses today....blar....blar" We don't listen to that old nonsense anymore we've heard it all before.Once at the bus station we had to wait just 20 minutes for a nice big new ish bus to take us to Trang about 2 hours away.As we had stayed in Trang before the town lay out was familiar to us. We stayed in a nice little place right by the train station called My Friend. In the morning we had free tea/coffee and biscuits before we headed off on the next leg of our mission.We were to find out that our only option of getting to Surat-Thani (for the ferry to Koh Tao) was by minibus. We try and avoid minibuses at all costs. As we have said in the past Martin does not fit into a minibus very well and least of all for a 4-5 hour journey. Thankfully the minibus turned out to be a very modern big one not like the type resembling an old VW Camper with a few seats bolted inside!The only problem is there is not much room for luggage least of all for 2 hefty backpacks and so our only option was to pay for an extra seat for the bags or not go. Ok we surrender and the bus left Trang as planed at 8am. Apart from the driver having to make a couple of stops on route to buy a bottle of M 150 which is like our equivalent to a very strong Red Bull and that swigs from it on the way, our journey was swift and smooth and rapid after the M 150.Once at Surat-Thani bus station we then had to do battle with all these touts trying to sell us ferry tickets with the mini bus to Don Sak (the port where the ferries leave from) included. No we wanted to just get to Don Sak (having been warned that these combined tickets we well over priced) ourselves and buy our own ferry ticket from there. It seemed like everyone we spoke to was on the make from us. "All we want is the minibus to Don Sak" we would tell them. 'Ok come with me' then we find out they want to sell us the bus and boat ticket combined too, just like all the other people that said 'come with me'!!! AhhhhhhEventually I had to got to the toilet and when I came out and paid my 5 baht to the lady I thought I would ask her where we could get the mini bus to Don Sak. She took us over to it and there we paid our 100 baht each for the 45 minute drive to the ferry port. Horray!There were a couple of other tourists on the minibus who had been sucked into buying the combined ticket paying well over what we paid separately for. The ferry ticket to Koh Phangan alone was 220 baht and the mini bus was 100 baht making 320 each in total. They had paid 500 each (making a difference of 180 baht which is just £3.60 extra per person) which I know in the big scheme of things is not much in our world but here in Thailand that is a lot and just because some minority locals want to 'scam the tourist' we object to that. We hope that the more people know this hopefully the less it will happen. Well, maybe! So once at Don Sak we bought our ferry tickets and were on the next ferry at 4pm to Koh Phangan. The big old car ferry took about 3 hours. We were greeted in the dark at around 7pm by a huge host of touts from various hostels and resorts dotted around the island. As we were taking the ferry the next day at 9am we decided we would stay in the port town called Thongsala so it was an easy walk to the ferry again.So it was just one night in sleepy Thongsala. Everywhere seemed to shut down for the night by 9pm. We had a meal in the American diner type place downstairs from where we were staying at Bua Kao Inn and then it was off to bed. The last 2 days have been quite a mission and although you just seem to be sitting whilst going from town to town it still gets quite tiring and catches up with you eventually.We are looking forward do to meeting up with our friends tomorrow in Koh Tao. Get the beers ready guys!!!! 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1234887060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1234887060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1234887060/tpod.html Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:26:07 -0400 We sold up in 2002 and ran away for a year around the world. Nobody told us travelling is so addictive! It's now 2009 and we are still exploring!

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Georgetown, Panang, Malaysia

Penang 17th to 22nd February 2009Our mission to Penang started early. We said fond farewells to the staff and our little house which had been our perfect chill-out spot for the last 2 weeks nearly. Then it was a short walk over to Pataya Beach where we found the 'immigration office'. Office being a loose term for a small wooden shack. Open on 2 sides it resembled a beach bar but without the drinks bottles on display or accompanying boom boom music. The immigration officers were suitably dressed in beach attire consisting of bare feet in board shorts and t-shirts. I would loved to have taken a photo but was forbidden to do so for 'security' reasons!!! Being as we are so used to Thailand and its laid-back culture we had no qualms at handing over our treasured passports only to be told we would not get them back until we had reached Langkawi, Malaysia. At 9.30 we were all instructed to board some long tail boats which then ferried all 30 of us to what can only be described as an ex dredging barge. Situated about 500 meters off the shore this was our 'holding' pontoon in no-mans land. There we just stood/sat and waited for our speed boat. We waited a good 45 minutes...... Scanning the bay Martin and I guessed that of all the speed boats moored about the bay (and there were at least 8) ours had to the boat with one of its 4 engines in parts, strewn across the sand. About 4 Thai men stood around it. The usual scene of one working while the other 3 watched! Eventually they must have worked out where all the parts went as it was ready to go and duly turned up at no-mans land with all engines in tact, fingers crossed! We all hopped aboard and were instructed to wear our life jackets and once they were all on and clipped up, off we sped.The sea was very calm, the boat hardly bumping out of the water. Then at some point there was a loud 'thud' and the boat made a big jolt making everyone gasp. The boat driver slowed to a stop and whilst a couple of men checked the propellers it left us wondering what the hell happened? Then as 'if by magic' to defuse the situation a pod of dolphins surfaced by our boat. We counted 12 dolphins breaking the surface in one go. It appeared that all engines were still ok so the boat driver steered his boat slowly to keep with the pod. It was certainly a great distraction from what had happened just earlier. After about 10 minutes the pod disappeared and we carried on our way to the island of Langkawi with no further problems from the engines. The journey took just under one hour and cost 1200 Baht each (£24) which is expensive for Thailand but we were told that it was because the immigration costs were high? We gathered it must be for all those non-official looking beach uniforms they have to wear!!! We disembarked at the Marina in Langkawi full of swanky posh yachts and motor cruisers and there we waited while our passports were taken in one big bag to immigration. About 45 minutes later a woman appeared. She called our names out one by one and we got our passport back with a free 60 day Malaysian visa.Then we took a taxi (15 Ringit each) to the other side of the island to the main ferry port where we bought boat tickets for 30 Ringit each (£6) to Penang. We had some time to kill before our next boat so we took advantage of the free Wifi in KFC and ate there. On checking the latest weather forecast together with looking out of the restaurant window we watched the palm trees sway in the wind. One hoped we wouldn't be taking a second taster of this meal laid out on a tray before us, out at sea!!!At 5pm we boarded the ferry (similar to the one we took to Koh Lipe) which was doing more than its fair share of bobbing about on the water, and that was in the port where it should have been more sheltered! Oh no can we feel KFC part 2 coming on???Once the boat got going out to sea it was actually much calmer than anticipated and we were spared the delights of a Coronal Saunders belly churning meal for a second time, thankfully.Around 7pm and we arrived safely at the port of George Town Penang. A mass of taxi drivers wielding their laminated 'fixed price' sheets were there to greet us. Already knowing how much we should be paying (as I asked the hotel when I booked the room) we had offers of 25, 20 15 ringit......we just walked on.....until one guy said 12. Bingo! You gave the correct answer....so we went with him leaving the other guys huffin' and puffin' whilst tapping their finger to their over inflated so called fixed price (my ar**) sheet. Dream on guys.We are staying in a huge room in Hotel Mingood. Back in the land of luxury with air conditioning, HOT water in a real bath as apposed to just a cold water shower on Koh Lipe although we do miss the outdoor bathroom experience. There is Wifi here which is always a bonus. Although I am so behind with this blog......as Martin likes to remind me, often!!!The next morning we have our free breakfast on the roof terrace. We can see all the roof tops for miles around.We make enquiries down at reception about how we go about getting our 60 day visa for Thailand. They advise us that for an extra 20 Ringit (£4) on top of the normal visa fee, the hotel could have our passports back to us this afternoon at 3pm complete with visa. DEAL. It would have cost us more for a taxi there and back plus we would have had to collect our passports the next day! All we had to give them was 2 passport size photos and sign a form. They filled out the rest. The receptionist then provided us with a George Town World Heritage site map and advised us of all the things we can do and see. She also gave us a list of bus numbers and the routes they take so we could get to those places further out of town. What an excellent service. They could not be more helpful or informative.So we studied the map and went for a wonder.Our hotel is situated right next to 'Little India' and it wasn't long before we were meandering along roads with the smells, sights and sounds just like the real India. Shops blaring out the latest Bollywood tunes, spice shops and sumptuous Indian curries cooking in the many restaurants all that was missing was the constant beeping horns from rickshaws and the odd cow ambling across the road.The architecture in many parts of George Town is really quite amazing. It was declared a world heritage site only in July 2008. Our tourist guide suggests 3 different walks to do in order to appreciate all the different sights. We ended up walking most of them and have tried to name the places in the photos.Down along the water front (Pengkalan Weld) is Chew Jetty. Here are some excellent examples of traditional Chinese fisher folk homes built on stilts over the water. You can walk right a long to the end past their little homes and get some idea of what it is like to live there. The water under the houses at the beginning of the jetty (near the land) was pretty stagnant and smelt repulsive. All waste water from their homes drops directly into the sea. We pitied those poor people living with that smell but with such poor incomes they have little choice.After a busy day sight seeing what better way to finish it off with a local ......beer and a wicked freshly made curry from a little restaurant in Little India. Memories of our time in Southern India came flooding back. The happiness on the faces of the men when we choose their restaurant to eat at was brilliant. They sneaked looks towards us every so often to see how we were getting on eating with our hand, right one only mind which is a bit tricky for me (Caroline) as I'm left-handed! But I get by OK-ish.Over the next few days we took good advantage of the cheap buses and explored further a field. Visiting the north of the island, Batu Feringghi where we found a nice sandy beach with the usual jet ski's and parasailing on offer, spoiling it a little somewhat.Our tourist map also mentioned an area just out of town (take a bus there) called Bangkok Lane. There you find an elegant row of 1928 link houses. Walking down here felt like you were literally stepping back in time. It was a big contrast to the normal modern and run-down houses you saw in roads around the same area. Adjacent to this road is Burma Lane where you find the Wat Chalyamangkalaram Thai Temple and opposite is Dhammikarama Burmese Temple. It's well worth a visit to both as they are so different and yet still jaw dropping in their own design. It was also a welcome respite for us as we had heard a thunder storm brewing in the distance for the last hour or so and while we were inside the rain just poured down. By the time we had visited both temples and taken a million and one photos of each, the rain stopped and we were able to take the bus back to George Town. Phew!One place we would definitely recommend is a visit to Penang Hill. About 40 minutes outside of George Town by bus you are dropped off right at the base of the hill. They you can opt to walk the 3 hours or so up there or take the 'funicular' railway. You can guess we chose the easy option. Every half an hour the train (basically a cable car but on rails) ascends the 830 meters to the peak. You have to change carriages half way up and the whole journey takes about 30 minutes.On the way up the views are restricted somewhat with the trees but from the top the views down to George Town and the vast expanse of Penang Bridge across to Butterworth are incredible. The air temperature is a couple of degrees cooler which is very welcome considering its about 30+ at the bottom.Penang Hill was an early British hill station and that is very apparent when you look at the few buildings up there.We couldn't resist a 'cream tea' at a 'charming' (as they say in jolly old England!) colonial house with beautiful gardens complete with pond full of beautiful lilies. David Brown's Restaurant was certainly a popular choice with both locals and other tourists but with us all having a little private area of garden, sitting a quaint tables and chairs you hardly noticed anyone around you. It was definitely a pleasant way to enjoy scones, cream and jam whilst enjoying the views all about us.In all we spent 5 nights in Penang and really enjoyed every bit of it. Now it's time to head back to Thailand (now we have our 2 month visa) and get ready to meet some friends from home in Koh Tao.....fingers crossed.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1233850740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1233850740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1233850740/tpod.html Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:21:53 -0500 We sold up in 2002 and ran away for a year around the world. Nobody told us travelling is so addictive! It's now 2009 and we are still exploring!

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Phuket, Thailand

Phuket Town 5th February 2009After 2 days of rest and recuperation (back in Khao Lak) from all the excitement of our Similan and Surin Islands live aboard we said our fond farewells (but be warned guys we could be back to see you!!) to all our new diving friends at Wicked Diving and took the bus to Phuket Town.100 baht (£2) and 2 and a half hours later and we are here. We have decided to stay in the town as opposed to the beach as we plan to only stay here a couple of nights. A few years ago we stayed on Karon/Kata beach and have no real urge to revisit it.Today Friday 6th we took the local 25 baht bus (people of Vietnam take note...it's the same price for locals and tourists) to Patong beach. The journey took us up and down some very steep roads indeed (no wonder there are so many motorbike accidents/fatalities here every year) and then after about an hour we arrived at what only can be described at Thailand's Benidorm. Or so it looked to us anyway. Many many rather large 'package tourists' distinctly resembling beached whales, lay on sun (burning) beds which are neatly lined up along the sandy beach as far as the eye could see. Quick someone call Greenpeace!! Speed boats with para gliders attached, interspersed with a dozen jet-ski's, whizzed about while the swimmers (who were brave enough to venture into the water) swam within their 'protected net zone.' It certainly wasn't our idea of fun!! Well, bombing about on a jet ski scaring the swimmers....maybe!The town is made up of hundreds of shops all selling the same rip off (copy) hand bags/clothing, t-shirts, tops, board shorts etc.....Its impossible to walk past a group of women without at least 4 of them calling out 'massarrrgggge!' There are loads of clubs/pubs including the traditional English one ie Red Lion/Rose and Crown pub catering to the masses with their 'full English breakfasts' and Sunday roasts etc and not forgetting the obligatory Irish bar or 7 thrown into the equation. Taking a scan of the clientele sitting outside these bars, there are definitely too many "Mr Dudwee's" in this town for our liking. Anyone familiar with the comedy sketch show 'Little Britain' will know exactly what we mean. And there are more than enough 'Tong Ting's' here to cater for the demand!!Three or four hours was more than enough for our visit and we jumped back on the local bus back to Phuket Town where we don't see too many Mr Dudwee's or Tong Ting's sleazing about the place.Tomorrow we are back on the bus and off further south to Trang.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1234015740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1234015740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1234015740/tpod.html Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:12:23 -0500 We sold up in 2002 and ran away for a year around the world. Nobody told us travelling is so addictive! It's now 2009 and we are still exploring!

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Trang, Thailand

Trang/ Ko Lipe 7th February 2009The big comfortable proper coach/bus took 5 hours and cost 240 Baht (just under £5) from Phuket straight down to Trang.  We stayed in a Backpackers for one night and booked a mini-van and boat ticket to Ko Lipe for the next day, Sunday.  The journey from Trang to the port called Tha Khuan took about 40 minutes.  Just enough time for Martin to cope with the very limited knee space we had!  We got chatting to a British couple who had been travelling for 10 months now.  Comparing travel stories soon made the journey pass very quickly.Once at the port we hung about for the 'Tigerline Ferry' which when it arrived looked like a long narrow torpedo boat!The sea was very calm and we arrived in Ko Lipe after about 2 hours or so.  As we sailed up to the island all these long tail boats come out to meet us.  As there is no fixed jetty (to the island) you have to take a ride to the island at an extra cost of 50 baht per person. (£1)  Cheeky buggers!This particular weekend is a Buddha's birthday so there are many Thai people coming over to the island for a long weekend break.  We thankfully had the foresight to pre-book our accommodation for the next couple of nights and opted to stay on Sunrise Beach at the Tarutao Resort.  The word 'resort' was obliviously a loose term for what can only be described as a s**t hole.  The short walk to our tiny cabin rang alarm bells, with empty plastic bottles, dog ends and scanky used cotton buds strewn about the ground.  Our room was actually OK but the bathroom looked like something out of a haunted house with dark un-painted walls and curtains of cob webs everywhere.  It really was minging.  We dumped our bags and made off to look for an alternative place for when we checked out.We had opted for room only at 600 baht (12 quid!)  Or it was 750 baht (15 quid) with breakfast.  On check-in we were given the breakfast vouchers anyway and for 12 quid a night we weren't going to advise them of their mistake and give them back now were we??The breakfast was certainly nothing to write home about and by the end of day 2 we had found (situated right next door to Scanky Resort) a lovely newly built bamboo bungalow (at Varin Beach Resort 2) right on the beach with a delightful open bathroom (Balinese style) all for 700 baht a night.  It was sheer heaven compared to the haunted bathroom!The first thing we did was put up the hammock.  Ahhhhh it was fabulous.  We can watch the world go by under the shade of our front porch.  We have a fantastic view of the azure blue see with the odd long tail boat 'pop popping' past.  We also have the best snorkelling coral area of all the island right off our beach front too.  We can see ourselves being here a while yet.......All our days just roll into one.... The hardest decision to make is 'beach or hammock.'  The snorkelling is fantastic.  And having all our kit with us means we can do it all for FREE.  Prices here for any sort of snorkelling or island trip are definitely rather high.  The variety of fish is excellent.  The same can be said for the coral gardens also. Each day Martin and I went snorkelling just to escape the hot sun and cool down.  We are pleasantly surprised at the huge concentration of 'Nemo's' (clown fish) there are.  Literally everywhere you see clumps of anemones you will find a Nemo or 3 guarding it.  We could float above and torment them for hours!!  We saw a few trumpet fish, sting ray and sea snakes, moray eels, parrot fish, moorish idols, bat fish......oh the list is endless.  Who says you have to be a diver to enjoy all this?It has to be said the overall cost of accommodation and food too seems to have jumped dramatically since out last visit to Thailand 5 years ago.  We are slowly coming to the conclusion that Thailand is trying to shake off its 'backpacker' image and steer more towards the two week package tourist market.   Only just a few years ago, a nice detached reasonably priced thatched bamboo/wooden bungalow commonly found on many islands in Thailand, was so easy to find.  We have noticed now that those simple houses are gradually being knocked over only to be replaced with so called 'resorts' full of character-less concrete rooms.The 20 bungalows that made up Varin Beach Resort 2 were full everyday without fail by 10am.  No problem.  And everyday whilst we swung in our hammock, we heard countless people asking for a house, only to be turned away because they were already full.  Surely that in itself is a huge indication that this type of accommodation is still highly sort after. While the other slightly more expensive 'concrete' rooms next door stand empty??The visa system has also changed lately for people travelling across land borders (into Thailand) who can now only get a 15 day visa instead of the usual 30 days previously.  Backpackers for many years have been the 'backbone' for the tourist industry, all year round.  We can't help but think that this (and the ever increasing prices) will have a very negative effect on an already struggling tourist market.  Failing currencies (which we know isn't Thailand's fault) around the world also strike another major blow.Reading this back it sounds like we are on a 'moaning mission' but nothing could be further from the truth as Thailand for us, is still 'The Land of Smiles.'  All that being said, it did not deter us from enjoying 7 nights in our lovely little paradise.  That was long enough to make good friends with a Canadian couple travelling for the next 6 months with their 2 lovely children of 11 and 8 years old.  Most evenings we would meet up with them and a couple from Sweden and go for the best and most delicious Thai curries (of all the island and we tried a few!) at Coco's Restaurant just along the beach from the piece of paradise we all called home.So now, after 9 days on Koh Lipe it is time to head off to pastures new.  Our Thailand visa is due to run out on the 20th Feb so we need to do what is commonly known as a 'visa run.'  Our plan is to apply for a 60 day visa for Thailand (yes we're not finished here yet!) once in Penang, Malaysia.We will be taking a speed boat tomorrow (17th) to the island of Langkawi which is just inside the Malaysian border.  Then another boat further south to Penang.  So watch this space........
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1233417000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1233417000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/m-and-c/the_runaways/1233417000/tpod.html Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:36:30 -0500 We sold up in 2002 and ran away for a year around the world. Nobody told us travelling is so addictive! It's now 2009 and we are still exploring!

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Similan and Surin Islands, Thailand

Similan and Surin Islands Live aboard 31st to 2nd February 2009Day 1At about 7.45 we are collected from Amsterdam Resort and taken to the Wicked Diving dive shop. There we gather as a group of 12 and are then transferred to the harbour at Koh Lak.The boat 'Parinee' is there and will be our home for the next 3 days. First impressions are good. There is a large table and bench seating area with hot/cold water and constant tea/coffee making facilities available. We are strongly encouraged not to just drink water but to mix a sachet of orange flavour electrolytes to the bottle as re-hydration is soo important. There is a large Plasma TV and baskets of fruit on the table to help yourselves at anytime. Our first dive sight is 3 hours away so we are given a full briefing of the boat rules and safety procedures by our trip leader Ricky. We are split into groups and assigned a dive guide. We are each given a numbered safety tag which we have to take from the board and clip to our BCD before each dive and then put back as soon as we are back on the boat. That way the captain can be sure that everyone is on board before we head off to another dive sight.We are given our cabin where there are 2 bunk beds and a small table. There is enough room to stand in, that is if you are not over 6ft!The diving equipment area is large enough to accommodate everyone. We set up our equipment ready for our first dive at Koh Bon. Getting really excited now....We have our lunch on route. A thorough dive briefing is given by Ricky and we arrive at the dive sight. Manta Rays are immediately spotted on the surface. OMG this is going to be amazing.Then we all get kitted up and regulator in and dive dive dive.......We drop to about 15meters and there before us, and above us where the Manta Rays!!!!!They gracefully drift by and then a couple more swim by........then another and another. This was the first time we dived with Mantas, can you tell??? It was truly AWESOME. We just hung around and they just kept cruising by. They are incredible creatures. One was at least 5 meters across. Forget the little fish (of which there was plenty about) on this dive.....bring on the Mantas!!! We had about 55 minutes and then we were back on the boat with huge smiles.Ricky said we had a choice...dive Koh Bon again after our surface interval or move onto the next sight.....errr there is no answer to that we want more Mantas. And that is what we did and more Mantas is what we got. FANTASTICThat afternoon we sailed off to Koh Tachai (where our second scheduled dive would have been) and moored off the island there for 'part' of the night.That evening we all reminisced about the days events, down load the photos onto laptops (its amazing how many people carry them these days!) and then we split into 2 teams and with the aid of a white board and some marker pens we all have a right laugh over a game of Pitionary and Hangman.Then it was off to bed. At 3am (and we were warned of this) the engine starts up.....no more sleep for anyone!!....and we head off for our next dive sight of Richelieu Rock. Day 2At 6.30 we get a wake up call.....well, we were all awake anyway and with bleary eyes we assemble on the dinning/social deck for snacks and dive briefing.Richelieu Rock is a massive underwater limestone pinnacle rising up form 50meters to just below the surface of the sea. It is horse shoe shaped with several smaller boulder areas. The visibility was amazing at well over 30meters. We kept looking out to 'the blue' as this area attracts whale sharks as well as Manta Rays. But sadly there were none there for us to see in the 2 dives we made there. Oh well you can't have it all! We did see all 'the usual suspects' as Martin like to record in his dive log!! Another wicked dive sight.Next dive destination is Jenkins Drift. Yet another beautiful dive sight with pretty coral gardens. We saw our first Tomato Clown fish, just like Nemo but red in colour. There are loads of clown fish on this sight. We also saw a ghost pipe fish. It was so perfectly small holding on to a huge sea fan it was so difficult to spot but our guys found it for us. The visibility was fantastic again. The current got up quite strong towards the end of the dive but we just whizzed along with it doing Superman impressions. Brilliant.Then back to Koh Tachai where we made a night dive or snorkel depending on how people felt. Diving with torches is great fun. Loads of fish sleeping. All the cleaner shrimp are out doing their work and all you can see as you scan your torch over the beautiful Lavender coral are the reflections of all their tiny eyes looking back at you.After 4 dives we are all well and truly knackered. No games tonight. Martin and I decided to sleep on soft mats on the roof of the boat together with a couple of fellow divers, Erron (Australian) and Dawn (UK). We can hardly hear the generator up there and sleeping under the stars is just wonderful.Day 3We slept like logs last night and woke up very refreshed at 6.30am.With a fast surface current here at Koh Tachai it was a very quick entry into the water then grab hold of the buoy line and slowly descend that way. Once at the bottom we avoided the current. A huge thermocline drifted in which was freezing and put my dive computer into a frenzy. The temperature was recording -1 when it should have read 27 degrees! Thankfully the rest of the information it was showing was correct! But the temperature gauge is in crisis and has been ever since that dive!!! The fish around us sensed the thermo cline and went into a mass feeding frenzy. Huge schools of Barracuda and Big Eye Travelly were chasing the smaller fish. It was so weird to watch. You really noticed the change in temperature when we swam out of it. And the visibility got much better too.The safety stop was interesting. We made it back to the buoy line where the current by now was really ripping along. We held on and looking back down the line (quite a few other divers from the other dive boats were doing the same) We looked like flags blowing in the wind. There was just a mass of bubbles everywhere. And then who should cruise by??? Yep it rhymes with 'Santa's slay' Mr Manta Ray had no problems with the current. It circled about us a couple of times as if to say "current? What current?" And then it cruised off. What a wicked way to end a dive?Then it was back on board and our boat made the short distance back to Koh Bon. We just can't get enough of those Mantas. So in again and there they are. Cruising by one after another after another. They are just poetry in motion.......I could go on and on......oh right I have....sorry folks.....you just had to be there......Then back on the boat.......more photos to up load.....yet more delicious food to be eaten. Made by 2 little constantly smiling Thai ladies in such a tiny galley kitchen they worked true miracles with the food they prepared. Not a dud meal was had by any of us. They were excellent. As were all the boat crew. I am especially grateful to the guys who would had to use some muscle to pull me up the steps of the boat, more so after dive 2, 3 and 4. Without them I would never have made it up!Our last dive on our final day was at Boonsung Wreck. It's an old tin dredger which sunk around 20 years ago. Up until the Tsunami of 2004 it was all in one piece but now it is in about 5 parts which has spread the dive site considerably.We went down to about 18 meters and just took it nice and slow checking the hull inch by inch literally. The wreck is home to an abundance of fish. We saw loads of Lion fish, Scorpion fish, Mantis shrimp, Porcupine puffers, and large schools of batfish, fusiliers and chevron barracuda to name but a few. Many different beautiful coloured nudibranches (like pretty slugs) are dotted all over the wreck. We also saw the cutest tiny tiny little yellow box fish we have ever seen. We could have watched it for ages. At the bow of the wreck someone had tied an old pair of pants to the hull. They were covered in brown algae and looked disgusting but really funny at the same time. 60minutes later and our last dive of the trip was over. BoooWhat a fantastic 3 days we all had. Our huge grateful thanks to Ricky (who stole his eyelashes from a camel) Bazza, Henrik, Brad, Christy, Jenessa and cheeky Poy who keep us safe and happy. Plus the boat crew and chefs on board.Definitely a WICKED live aboard this company really live up to their name. And should not to be missed.  
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