Thailand episode II
Trip Start
Apr 06, 2007
1
27
33
Trip End
Nov 18, 2007
Trang,
Thailand
Monday, October 1, 2007
The most beautiful island I've ever been lucky enough to set foot on. The most beautiful island I've been unlucky enough to have to leave so soon after arriving. Overlooked the small fact that I can't be lying in the sun getting my cast all sweaty and even more stinky. The single night I did stay was on Long Beach, a short taxi boat (there are no roads on phi phi) from point of arrival and is the beach that Di Caprio swims from to "the beach" island in the film. Eager to watch the film again now. Sadly never got round to that island. Apparently its always packed anyway.
After a few days dossing in Krabi I headed South to Trang, a nondescript town where Thai everyday life would be easier to come across what with no Thai tourist industry there
Ko Phi Phi
. (Mengla, the Chinese town in South Yunan we got stuck in for a weekend, being the precedent.) Amongst other things (and a lot of napping) I taught English to two uni students and will now feature in their tutorial as they filmed me on a video camera. After a half naked fat man came bounding up to me in the market that day to sign my cast I went out that night with his mates. What they failed to tell me is that I'd be working the stalls of the night market with them after. So at 3am, all drunk, we were selling veggies with me out the front calling "Get your veggies here!" in Thai. Hilarious in retrospect.A sad goodbye to Thailand as it was one of my favourite countries. The people are extraorinarily friendly, I couldn't tell you the number of times I was invited to sit down and share some beer with them be it in a pub, outside their house or in a park. Had umpteen conversations about football as the Thai's (and Malaysians) are madder about it than we are back home, all crowded round televisions when the football results are up for the EPL. The girls were gorgeous, sweet and flirty. The beaches were picturesque and in ample supply. Bangkok was intense, vast and modern. The landscape did have a little to be desired out with the islands (flat with occasional karst formations, palms, rubber tree plantations) but apparently the North is nice in this respect. Tourism was the most present out of all countries visited, bar poor little Laos, but it didn't have the hugely negative impact I was expecting.
Onto Singapore via a few days in Malaysia...
Comments
Marty's photos or Cbeebies?
...and the winner is Marty's photos but just by a nose. Just pasted your latest batch into powerpoint to show your granny & grandad etc but Ryan's been nipping for Cbeebies...he only got interested in the slug and your nightime pictures of KL (shame you're not doing PNG and all the in the know abbreviations!). Oz won't be the happiest of places having just been dumped by the Poms in the rugby world cup, France did it to the All Blacks...just see if we can keep the Northern hemi run going against the Argies tonight. But what about...the Hibees...Celtic no mowar, Rangers no mowar!!!!!!!
yo
Man, those beaches look awesome! & I had no idea the Thais were so friendly, maybe thats y its such a popular tourist resort. It not dirt cheep there too?