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Sam Boston
Sam Boston

Sam Boston

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara

    Day 22

    27 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ 🌬 29 °C

    SCUBA 1

    It's a day late but that just means you get 2 posts in 1 day!

    After an 8am wakeup, I pack my bag and head down the beach towards Koh Tao Divers, grabbing a pot of mixed fruits, yoghurt, and muesli. Upon arriving I meet my dive master, a Finnish dude called Mika and my dive buddy, an Italian girl called Claudia.

    First we did some classroom stuff where he went over the basics of what we'd be doing today, as well as the number 1 rule of diving - never hold your breath. The main danger of diving is the pressure difference between the air that you breath and the water so if you hold your breath between depths then your lungs can expand and contract too much and cause alot of damage.

    After our classroom session we go for an early lunch and I sit in a restaurant close to the beach and enjoy a pizza and coconut smoothie watching the sea - which I think has been my first Western meal since travelling. I then head back and we grab our gear from the store room. I grab a mask, dive shirt and flippers - as well as a buoyancy compensator (inflatable vest), regulator (connects tank to stuff, regulating air pressure), air tank, and a weight belt (to weigh you down). We get shown how to set up our gear then we head down to the beach (about 10m away) and hop in the water and go through some basic skills - such as breathing through the regulator, clearing your mask of water, and buoyancy control.

    After some practice, we head on our first dive where we went down to a depth of about 6m which doesn't seem like alot but looking up at the water level you feel very submerged. It was amazing to float (not quite effortlessly yet but I'll get there) and glide past coral and fish. The funniest fish I saw was called a trigger fish which looks as if a cartoonist was told to draw a stereotypical English fish as its teeth were so goofy looking. I wander if they do invisalign for fish.

    After seeing the rain hit the surface of the water above us, we eventually surface when our tank pressure hits a certain point, which must be done slow and controlled as not to suffer from decompression sickness. When we surface we walk onto shore and all of a sudden the feeling of weightlessness is replaced with the feeling of carrying a mountain on your back. I was definitel⁹y feeling like a high gravity individual.

    We walk back and wash our gear in fresh water to stop the build up of salt then that's it, back again tomorrow at 9am. I head back onto the beach and meet Alfie further down where I spend a while lounging and studying the online material as we had a test tomorrow - though it seemed I only had access to half of what I needed which might prove difficult. We grab some food and head back to the beach and watch the sunset.

    We then grab a rotti each (for some reason the island is littered with the same stand with slightly different wording) and we sit by a bar doing a very interesting quiz with questions such as "how many calories in a teaspoon of semen" whilst a fire performer did his thing. The answer by the way is 36 (or something close I can't really remember) but me and Alfie had bigger things to do - planning! After doing some emailing and Google search our quest for a 2 day tour of Khao Sok National Park was seeming more and more unlikely.

    Eventually, whilst Alfie calls Daisy, I lay watching the starts slowly appear, listening to the sound of the waves and the music in the background. I then have a lovely call with Josh, who says apparently the winter in England isn't as warm as Thailand. How weird. After doing some washing and drying (where our clothes came out warm but somehow still wet?) we head to our hostel and chat a bit with some girls where one of them had just been out on a date. If your curious it went well. Then time for bed before another early ish start tomorrow.

    Also, I can't take photos during my course, so the pictures are probably gonna be quite boring compared to what I'm doing.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara

    Day 21

    26 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ 🌬 30 °C

    Koh Tao

    After maybe 2 hours of sleep it was time to wake up and suffer. Not really suffer but oh my god I didn't want to get out of bed. After packing and checking out we hopped on our transfer to the pier and boarded out "speedboat". It wasn't quite as speedy or as small, more of a ferry. We grabbed a weird scrambled egg and tomato croissant for breakfast and then after passing in and out of sleep on the vertical chairs we arrived in Koh Tao.

    Our hostel was about 30 minutes away so we started walking in that direction. Stopping for some Pad Thai and doing some paperwork in Koh Tao Divers for tomorrow, we checked into our hostel. After resting for a bit, I decided to head to the beach whilst Alfie napped. After an ice cream and a short swim around sunset (too cloudy to see) I chilled on a hammock doing some training for my SCUBA tomorrow. That was until I got attacked by loads of bugs so headed back to hostel where I rested for a bit again but this time my bed was sandy.

    Eventually we head out for some dinner, where we go to this Burmese restaurant, treating myself to the national dish of Burma. For pudding I had a traditional Burmese dessert, which was banana in warm coconut milk. I couldn't finish it. We headed to 7-11 for some snacks then back to the hostel for an early night.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara

    Day 20

    25 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Koh Phangan

    I'm writing this the next day and to be honest it was a blur so I'll say as much as I remember.

    The day started off late, so we grabbed some food and then booked our travel onto Koh Tao for the next day. We then headed down to Chaweng Beach for a couple hours. Whilst Alfie sunbathed, I took to the water and after messing about in the waves my new mission was to swim as far out as the bouy. This was great fun going out as the tide gently pushed me out and all I had to worry about was avoiding any potential jet skis. Reaching the flag I now turn around and fight against the tide swimming back to shore. Out of breath I eventually make it back to Alfie then sit on the beach, unintentionally letting the waves fill my swim shorts with sand. Looking down at my foot, it seemed at some point I must have stepped on a squid and my toes were covered in thick black ink, that wouldn't come off nomatter how hard I scrubbed.

    Eventually we head back to our hotel grabbing an ice cream from 7-11 for 1/10 the price as on the beach. We get showered and changed ready to head to Koh Phangan for the famous full moon party. We're eventually picked up from our hotel by a van and we head over to the pier before jumping on a speedboat. I can confirm this speedboat had earned its name, we were flying. Arriving on the island for sunset, we take a back street off the pier to avoid the superficial entry ticket and explore a little before finding some food.

    After grabbing a double dinner of overpriced food, we head to a store and grab our first Chang of the night, starting slow as it was a long long night ahead of us. The beach was still relatively quiet, as the party didn't properly get underway until closer to midnight. We walk up and down the beach seeing what we were in for, and our hopes for some dance classics or white girl tunes (my favourite genre) were dwindling as the heavy repetitive thump of electronic music filled the beach, taunting us with Sweet Dreams before it went back into electronic fuzz. This was until the sweet sound of Murder on the Dance Floor boomed from the speakers. The party had officially started for me. Dancing like a fool I was ready for the rest of the night.

    We then headed off the beach to grab the first of many famous Thai buckets - a small bucket filled with nothing but spirits and mixers. This is (unsurprisingly) when the night starts blurring. We eventually meet with Sam and join some people from his hostel. The beach was now packed with thousands of people dancing under the light of the full moon. Music blared up and down the beach, with a new micro party every 30 meters at a different bar on the beach. Coloured lights flooded the crowds and the ocean with people jumping over flaming ropes & performers throwing balls and sticks of fire.

    I ended up paying way too much for UV paint and I didn't even get a picture! The atmosphere of UV paint and clothing was pretty cool. Eventually I'm pretty done out around 4am and I head to 7-11 (which was completely rammed) to grab some biscuits - my new favourite snack in Thailand - before heading over to the pier. The pier was maybe the most chaotic place on the island. Hundreds of people wanting to get back home trying to push their way forward onto the boat. Fights were breaking out and drunk, high, or both partiers were shouting at the staff. Eventually I get onto a boat and sit right at the front. Speeding through the water, alot of people were screaming and shouting every time our speedboat bumped but I was chilling enjoying the wind drying the sweat off my hair under the light of the full moon.

    We dock on Koh Samui, where transfers from pier back to hotels were a bit calmer than the pier on Koh Phangan. Luckily, I make my way into a van heading to my hotel, probably skipping ahead of the intended queue. Getting back to my hotel, I knock Alfie awake and he lets me in before I shower the UV paint off and sleep for a couple of hours.

    The full moon party was fun, definitely a fun experience to have but I think I'm done with parties and alcohol for a while. The beach was full of empty bottles, buckets, and straws and looked like a dump by the time I left, although the next morning there is a massive cleanup effort which would have been nice to stay for - seeing the beach in the sunlight & help clean it - but I had to get back to Samui.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara
    22

    Day 19

    24 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Mu Ko Ang Thong

    We woke up super early for a 7.15 pickup from our hotel, where we must have guessed about 100 wrong cards before the right one finally came by. A short journey to the pier and we were sorted onto our boat with maybe 100 other people - definitely not a close & personal tour - but atleast it made it cheaper.

    On the boat we were served a disappointing breakfast of a tiny crossing and a banana, where we were given a briefing from our guides Christina & Philip about what to expect from the day. An hour and a half later we finally arrive into the marine park. Most of us, equipped with a life jacket and a dry bag, hopped off the back of the boat into kayaks, giving us an opportunity to kayak around the edge of one of the 42 islands before landing on a beach, soaking in the beauty of this national park.

    This beach then took us to a very steep set of stairs, allowing us to climb them and reach the viewpoint of the famous Blue Lagoon (Emerald Lagoon). After doing a loop up and down these sets of steep stairs, we board a long boat back to our main boat where we eat a beautiful lunch with the best potatoes Alfie has ever had. We then are crammed back onto a long boat to head to another island with 3 options: hike to a viewpoint, explore a cave, or swim & snorkel on the beach. We opted for the viewpoint which was a steep hike on well defined steps with stops for viewpoints on the way up. We saw monkeys chilling in trees whilst surrounded by the whistle like harmony of insects and birds. After reaching the top and being very grateful for being a mountaineer (seeing the state some other people were in), we got a stunning view over the national park. This was all whilst Alfie donned his business casual attire from H&M. We headed back down to the beach and went for a quick swim before heading back onto our big boat on our way back to Koh Samui.

    After a nap, we arrive back on the pier and are dropped off at our hotel. We grab some food from the night market & book our transfer to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party tomorrow. Although tonight was the full moon, the famous party was tomorrow and I was looking forward to it alot. Deciding to abandon our plans for the barcade (bar arcade) as it looked dead, we go back to our hotel and shower before I have a lovely call with my mum then go to bed.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara
    112

    Day 18

    23 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Koh Samui

    After a desperate search to find a cheap ish breakfast, I eventually find a Thai chicken noodle soup to munch on. Shortly after, I go on the search for a scooter to rent, using Google to find the places with the best reviews. After trying a couple and them not having any left, I saw a sign on the street that pointed to this random place. This was the quickest scooter rental in history. At first, he said 250 Baht then after I thought about it for a couple seconds it was dropped to 200. "For you my friend special price!". Already you could tell this was a reputable place. After not seeing my passport or drivers license and not even asking my name, I had handed over 5000 for a deposit and I had a scooter. I had a scooter but that didn't mean it had a number plate or any fuel. So after buying some overpriced fuel from this slimy businessman I rode away from what I expected to be the last I saw of my deposit.

    As this was my only full day on Koh Samui, I thought I'd ride down South on the island to experience more than just Chaweng Beach. After passing a beautiful viewpoint and meeting a Liverpool couple called Tracy and Paul (most British names ever), I made my way towards Lamai Beach. I parked my scooter up and walked along the beach passing resort after resort until I get to this rocky area down one end. I suncream up and head into the water which was the nicest water I've ever been in. This was no Scottish Loch, where you have to brace yourself every inch you go in. It felt like I was diving into a hot tub, just as warm as it was clear.

    After some time punting about wishing I had brought some snorkel, swimming over to the 'Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks' - which were just rocks shaped like genitals, I swam back and soaked in the sun on a beanbag. Though I had to spend some time patching myself up as some of the rocks were too sharp for my curious mind. Eventually, I walk back down the beach to my bike where a local dog decides he wants to hitch a ride. The cutest dog insists on sitting in my footwell, and when I eventually got him off, he would run alongside / infront of my scooter. He was adorable but it took a while before I eventually got him to stop trying to hitchhike Koh Samui.

    I grab a late lunch at this pier, very similar to what I had for a breakfast and then decided to head to the Tarnim Magic Garden (a garden full of statues of Buddha and animals) but halfway up a hill, there seemed to be a military blockade prohibiting access further up the road. Not wanting to get arrested, I cut my losses and headed back.

    Getting into town again, I return my scooter, surprisingly getting a full deposit back, annoyingly leaving it with more fuel than it had when I got it as I didn't want to run out on the road. After a quick stop at our hotel, me and Alfie head to the night market where we grabbed some mango sticky rice before heading to the beach so I could show him the fire show I saw last night.

    We head back via a local shop and a 7-11 where we could see a selection of British snacks including wagon wheels and digestives, as well as a very creative stall outside 7-11 with some fun bracelets. We get back to the hotel and after a quick attempt at turning on the TV, we head to bed ready for our boat tour bright and early tomorrow. It would have helped if the AC wasn't as loud as the planes that flew directly over our hotel.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara

    Day 17

    22 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Bangkok > Koh Samui

    Today was a whole load of travel. From Bangkok we boarded another bus which went from 6am to about 1pm to a pier down South. I spent most of it sleeping and having to rewind my audiobook after being woken up to the sounds of Gollum in my ear. Once we arrived to the pier it was a completely different vibe, crystal clear blue water, sandy beaches, and alot of people ready to party.

    Eventually we board our ferry which was due to get in at 4.30... this was a lie. Our ferry went to Koh Tao and Koh Phangan before Koh Samui which in my head wouldn't take that long. Turns out it took almost 5 hours. We spent the first part in the shade before I ventured to the top deck by myself for better views and better sun. I sat next to this American rock climber and we chatted a bit whilst he drank Soju straight from the bottle. Eventually this other American older couple sat between us and like every other American, were very chatty too. Recommendations received, we eventually arrived at Koh Samui for sunset.

    We grab a transfer from the pier to our hotel and check into the nicest place we've stayed so far. Quickly sorting ourselves out, we head to the night market and I get another mystery meal with a mixed fruit smoothie and a chocolate banana bread. I grab a much much needed shower and head out solo whilst Alfie called Daisy, heading along the main road. I can sum up Samui in about 2 things, alcohol and weed. Every other shop sold one or both of these things. This was definitely where people came to party.

    After eventually getting onto the beach, I call my dad and wander down towards what looks like a fire performance in the distance. Eventually I arrive to the steady drum of bass and I stumble onto the biggest beach party in Samui it seemed. Men in black and white masks did amazing things with sticks and balls of fire. If I wasn't by myself I would have loved to grab a beer but instead I wander back to the hotel, watching some Brooklyn 99 (on my data as the WiFi sucks) before going to sleep.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara
    1

    Day 16

    21 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    Chiang Mai > Bangkok

    Today was another day of alot of nothing. Woke up and my first mission was to shave. I've never shaved without an electric razor before so it was definitely a mission. 30 minutes later (which is probably embarrassingly long) my face was as smooth as marble and I didn't even cut myself. I'll count that as the biggest victory of the day.

    After checking out around midday, we went on a trek to find lunch - having not had breakfast. We stop and find some beef noodle soup in the only restaurant in Thailand I've ever seen a queue for. After our first beef of the trip, we head to another place and I grab a lychee smoothie and mango sticky rice. Out of all my smoothies, this was the worst - more of a slushee than a smoothie.

    We then head to a bookstore which didn't allow photos but had thousands of 2nd hand books which made it almost impossible to choose one. After maybe an hour I finally decide on the 1st Lord of the Rings volume as I thought maybe chilling on the beach was a good excuse to read. It wasn't until later that I realised I needed to read The Hobbit first oops.

    We collect our stuff from our hostel then walk past over a highway to head to a massive mall. It was a throw back to the Western world with H&M, KFC, and best of all M&S. Whilst Alfie was checking out shirts in H&M, I went into the M&S and somehow prices were even higher than in the UK. Shirt brought, we collected our bus tickets and grabbed a classic toastie from 7-11 before getting on our bus.

    Although it wasn't the VIP bus, only standard, the seats still reclined and I actually fit in them for once, allowing me to actually sleep most of the 10 hour journey. Also, one of the bus steward (I don't know if that's the name) was *definitely* flirting with me as every time he came past he would start chatting to me alot, even giving me his personal phone's hotspot. Main issue is, I had absolutely no idea what he was saying so I had to awkwardly smile and nod along trying not to be rude.

    Arriving in Bangkok at 4.30ish, we eventually find our Grab and get dropped off at the bus terminal. Getting another 7-11 toastie, we get given our boarding passes for the bus and ferry, given stickers to wear so the bus drivers could easily sort us out between the 6 different busses. Leaving just before 6, we were on our way down South.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara
    111

    Day 15

    20 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    Chiang Mai

    Today, we were meant to be doing a day trip to Chiang Rai to see the white and blue temple. However, when we woke up, all the busses were sold out till 12.45 which then wouldn't arrive till 4.30 so that was a no go aswell. I gave Dang a call to see if he was free for Muay Thai but unfortunately he was in Bangkok. This left us with no real plan.

    We head out in search of a pharmacy and breakfast. A short walk away and we find somewhere to top up our supplies, finding suncream and some bandages. I also needed tissues, a razor, and shaving foam but I couldn't find any of them for the life of me. A stop in 7-11 found me a razor but no shaving foam. I had never shaved with a non electric razor before so i opted for a 10p more expensive Gillette razor than Alfie's Bic.

    After we grab some breakfast (now more lunch to be honest) from JJ's Waffle again, we head back to our hostel. I go for a quick swim then whilst Alfie goes for a nap I head out into town. I didn't really have much of a plan but I was on a mission to buy some more stuff. Without the tethers of Alfie's judgemental eye, I finally feel brave enough to buy a typical Thai elephant shirt, going for white and red to mix up the colour palette.

    At a temple, I met a dude who had travelled up from Phuket to buy wedding dresses and suits for his daughters wedding, as Chiang Mai was apparently the best place in South East Asia, better than Vietnam which although is cheaper, apparently won't last. I thought fuck it, and with his recommendation headed to Tom's Tailor where I chatted to him about the different materials and prices. Surprisingly, the suits ranged from £180 to £260, which was much more than I was prepared to pay for something I didn't need.

    I grab a mango smoothie, finally find shaving cream, and head to a park to do some planning along with a durian ice cream (wouldn't have again). The park was small and had a nice fountain with some very skilled slackliners set up not far from me. After an hour or 2, I order my very first Grab bike back to the hostel (imagine South East Asia's version of uber, but on the back of a scooter, as fast as it is cheap).

    After a while, we head out to a few of the night markets that weren't too far, where our mission was a dry bag and a shirt for Alfie. As Alfie's clothes are about as diverse as the Brits in Benidorm, he found nothing to his liking and declared he was gonna go to H&M tomorrow. I managed to find a dry bag which would be useful when we venture down South. After finding some fried squid which didn't have a lot of flavour going on, we sit down when I get a message from Hong Yao inviting us to a Cabaret show which just so happened to be less than 1 minute from where we were sat.

    Alfie went back home, but I joined Hong Yao for a 390 Baht experience of a night, with a Chang beer on the house. I can't super describe what the show was like, but it was an hour and a half of both drag and non-drag queens dancing & singing, with alot of audience participation & interaction. It was also an hour and a half of cheering & laughing. Leaving with my ears ringing and not trying their signature drink "Suck Me Please!" which was served in a penis shaped glass, we headed towards some bars.

    These bars also happened to be the red light district, as well as a Muay Thai arena, where for free we were able to watch a 5 round fight of green shorts vs yellow shorts. We obviously were on team yellow shorts. They both persevered but eventually green shorts was declared the victor and we headed towards 7-11. After grabbing some cookies and FINALLY finding some tissues, we chatted more about the differences between Signapore & the UK, where I showed him what a roast dinner was

    Eventually, I grabbed a grab bike back home, brushed my teeth and went to bed.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara
    1
    1

    Day 14

    19 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Ban Rak Thai

    We woke up early at 6am to get ready to catch the sunrise, where I accidently threw water all over the floor in the hostel. Luckily, our host was up too and was happy to clean it up, not letting me help. Alfie, Hong Yao and I took a 5 minute ride up to Wat Phra That Doi Kongmu where we were a tad early for the sunrise, so we chilled for a while taking in the view of Mae Hong Son & the surrounding mountains before the sun peaked over.

    With a quick checkout and a famous 7-11 ham and cheese toastie for breakfast, we headed towards Pang Oung, also known as Little Switzerland. It was this small lake nestled among some trees, with a small campsite on the water front. It was a nice place but we didn't stay too long before heading up to Ban Rak Thai. On the way I used a self service fuel machine that felt super futuristic considering we were in the middle of the countryside.

    As we are about 1km out of Ban Rak Thai, someone flags down Alfie then all of a sudden jumps on the back of his scooter, obviously wanting a lift into town. Meanwhile, I was just behind them pissing myself imagining what was going through Alfie's head. Dropping off our possibly homeless friend off into town we park our bikes up and do the small loop around the man made lake where our friend gave Alfie a big hug. Ban Rak Thai is a small town right on the Myanmar border which strangely has alot of Chinese culture rather than Burmese.

    It's known for its tea, so we find a small café and sit by the lake. I went for an iced peach tea where as Alfie went for a hot apple tea, served with complimentary chai. I'm not sure how authentic iced peach tea but it was definitely nice. We then grabbed some lunch, which was definitely a cross between Chinese and Thai cuisine, looking over the lake once again. After a small ride up to the Myanmar border, technically crossing into a new country, we head back for Pai.

    The highlight of the journey back was when we stopped in a small village where a local farmer let us relax on his land overlooking the fields and mountains before bringing us water and snacks. After a 30 minute or so rest, we leisurely and carefully rode back to Pai, dropping our bikes off before hopping on our bus back to Chiang Mai. I opted for another set of motion sickness pills just in case and I can confirm they definitely knocked me out last time because I slept most the way back this time. The main stop was when we pulled over on the side of the road where our driver hopped out, checked the bus then ran down the road for seemingly no reason.

    Back in Chiang Mai, we check in, grab some food, and I pass out almost immediately.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara
    1211

    Day 13

    18 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Mae Hong Son

    This will be a day that makes all my 2 wheeled lovers very jealous. After waking up at 8ish, we go and find some breakfast in a nearby restaurant and ordering a shakshuka and a mango smoothie we prep our bags and Alfie rents a scooter from Momo and he sends us on our way - gladly offering to store our large bags for us and giving us a banana and a tupperware full of the blueberry sesame rice thingies for our travels.

    Our first stop after the fuel station was the Doi Kiew Lom viewpoint, giving stunning views of many mountains and jungle far into the distance. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the actual road as I'm a responsible (aka somewhat scared) driver but I can promise you it was a lovely winding road up and down the mountains with great views either side. If I didn't want a bike in the UK before, I definitely want one now. The best bit was there was almost no other traffic on the road.

    We stop at Pha Mon Cave, which was not originally on our plan but there was sign posts for it and after nervously passing right by a security check without them batting an eye, we pulled over and with a quick walk it was clear that the entrance had collapsed and no one had been down this cave for a while. We hop back on our scooters and drive to the main cave of the journey, Nam Lod Cave.

    Arriving at the same time as Andy (from our hostel last night), we head towards the entrance where we paid 600 Baht for the 3 of us to be guided through all 3 sections of the cave by the light of a lantern. Our guide, again, was absolutely lovely but, again, I can't remember her name. She walked us through the first 2 caves and pointed out all of the rock formations that looked like something, from curtains to sharks, from frogs to breasts (yes really - it had a sign next to it describing it as "breast-shaped"). We then hop onto a bamboo raft - this time with seats - and we're guided through a river filled with what must have been 1000s of fish. I had brought some fish food and it was crazy to see how they jumped at food as soon as it hit the water. Above us, there were bats squeaking and flapping about. Apparently at dusk, all the bats flood out from the cave which must be phenomenal to see. Reaching the end of the cave, we get a beautiful view of the other side with trees and sunlight pouring into view. Our final cave had coffins from 1000s of years ago, as well as a very feint painting on the rock also thought to have been from 2 or 3 thousand years ago. We head back the way we came and then said goodbye to Andy after grabbing a lunch and the 2nd mango smoothie of the day.

    Our next cave on route was Mae La Na Cave - however like the 1st one, it didn't go so well. Google Maps I think decided to take us the "most direct" route which took us through decreasingly quality roads through a vilage that I doubt see many tourists pass through. Once we had climbed a sandy hill we decided it was time to retreat from our voyage and head back on the main road. Soon after we see signs pointing up a different road for this cave, obviously the "correct" route but was nowhere near adventurous.

    Alfie then starts to run out of fuel so we pull over at a 4.7 star rated fuel station. This fuel station didn't seem to exist but soon a woman crossed the road and after getting the message across that we needed gasoline, she goes out back and grabs plastic bottles filled with bright orange liquid. I point at my paperwork for 95 petrol and she nods that this is the right fuel so we pay double Thai prices - roughly English prices for a few liters and start pouring in our Irn-Bru looking petrol. With 1L left over we get going again, pleased that our bikes still work.

    Our final stop before Mae Hong Son was Tham Pla (Fish Cave) which uses the word cave very liberally. It was a small nature park with a river running through, part of this river was obscured by some rocks (cave) and there was a small hole where heaps of fish gather. I brought some fish food for these fish too and after feeding them and reading that this hole in the cliff contained spiritual water, we went on our merry way. It was a lovely spot and would have been nice to explore in other circumstances, it just wasn't a cave by most definitions.

    We arrive in Mae Hong Son and check in to our hostel (the only hostel) and our host let's me know of some good spots both in the town and for our route tomorrow. We then head to the night market which is a very small scale market we had seen before, we could have counted how many stalls there were. Nevertheless it was a peaceful atmosphere and I chose an assortment of meats on an assortment of sticks as that is mostly what was sold. And thus it was declared - Stick Day! After sitting down (on mats on the floor) and enjoying the view of the lake and temple, we headed back to our hostel.

    I spent the next couple hours talking to a lovely Singaporean dude named Hong Yao who was doing the full Mae Hong Son loop in the opposite direction before doing the Ha Giang loop in Vietnam. Mid way through our conversation a Dutch biker walked in claiming that he had planned to get the whole loop done in 1 day (which takes 3 or 4 minimum) and now had to spend the night here before leaving at 3am to get back to Chiang Mai where he left his passport. Very bold. Eventually we head to bed planning to be up to watch the sunrise tomorrow morning on a hill with Hong Yao.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara

    Day 12

    17 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Pai

    We woke up too early for my liking and Alfie didn't quite make it for his morning swim, but eventually we made it to breakfast and checked out. It was the day for the bus from Chiang Mai to Pai, infamous for its steep winding roads with 762 turns. When we booked our ticket it suggested we took motion sickness pills beforehand. We boarded at 9.30 into a small bus where our luggage was concerningly strapped to the roof. I quickly fell asleep on the way out of the city but not for long, as I wake up to my head being slammed into the side of the bus on the first hairpin turn. I guess the road had started. It was a beautiful road and would have been lovely to ride a scooter on, but that'll have to wait to tomorrow.

    I'm not sure if it was the motion sickness pills or I was super tired but I kept passing out before being woken from another slam of a hairpin turn. We stopped halfway where I grabbed an ice cream before heading back on the road to Pai. We ended up arriving an hour ahead of schedule so I guess our driver was cruising along. We hopped out the bus in Pai before we could check-in to our hostel but thought it was worth a shot anyways. We arrive and meet our host, Momo, who all the reviews had raved about. He allows us to check in early and we sort ourselves before heading out into Pai's main street (which for once was directly outside our hostel) and went for some lunch.

    After, we went on the hunt for renting a scooter. After realising that we were too late in the day to get any from the big companies that we were gonna get some from originally, we eventually found this small place with a very nice couple of people running it. They were fine renting to me as I said I had ridden before, which isn't technically a lie but isn't far off. My logic was an automatic would be easy enough - and I was right... only after taking slightly too long to turn the scooter on. Alfie however hadn't ridden before but one of the guys there (I think his name is Eddie) who was an 18 year old English teacher so, was generous enough to give Alfie a free lesson in an empty lot. What a dude.

    After the amazing lesson, Alfie hopped on the back of my scooter and we drove to "Two Huts" to watch the sunset over the mountains. It was as beautiful as it was touristy (which yes I know still includes me and Alfie). We drove back and meandered around the night market, looking at dry bags, a bookstore, and Jetboil brand backpacks??? We then grabbed some food - I went for a mystery meal but the ladies running the stall pointed and said spicy so I fucked around and found out. It wasn't too much that I would have started sweating but I was definitely not far off. We went via a 7-11 to grab some snacks then sat on some chairs at our hostel and ate. This was when we started properly chatting to Momo. He is hilarious and a lovely, giving guy. We were then joined by a German guy who kept telling me his name but I kept forgetting, and 2 English peeps and we sat around chatting and talking whilst Momo grabbed us some blueberry fried rice with sesame seeds and milk. Its hard to explain but apparently the people in the mountain make it once a year during Chinese New Year and we were lucky enough to try some. He then promised to cook some more up for me and Alfie to pack away tomorrow, as well as giving us melon and some soju, absolutely free of charge. He said he loves seeing people enjoy new food. What a fun guy.

    And with that, I had a shower and popped to bed.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara
    11

    Day 11

    16 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Bamboo Rafting & Elephants

    After missing the sunrise which Alfie said was definitely worth it, we woke up and enjoyed a beautiful breakfast of watermelon and jam on toast. After gathering our things, we head out of camp and get picked up by a van and head towards bamboo rafting.

    Bamboo rafting was alot of fun, it was 3 per raft, so it was Sam, Alfie, and I sitting on these long shoots of bamboo with our "captain" effectively punting as along with a shoot of bamboo. We were the last to depart and whilst everyone had a relaxing time cruising along, we were hitting rapids and almost capsizing. With a soggy ass we pulled up and hopped back in the minivan to head for lunch.

    Seemingly in the middle of nowhere we pull up to a little hut with tables and chairs where we were cooked a chicken Pad Thai. We had been in our groups now for over a day and we were getting to know the others quite well. Americans, Itallians, French, Polish, it was a mix of it all.

    After lunch we headed back to the minivan and headed for what may have been my favourite part of the whole trip so far. We walked 10 minutes down a track and headed to this remote elephant sanctuary, where there were 3 elephants that had been saved from labour and were being bathed and fed. It was time for us to start feeding the elephants. Sugarcane in hand, we could either feed it straight to their mouthes or give it to their trunk. It was surreal seeing such massive creatures be so gentle. Their skin was dry and leathery with a small amount of hair and their trunks seemed so strange. After getting surrounded by trunks from 2 elephants on either side, it was time to wash them. The keepers lead them down into the river and we followed soon, taking small plastic pots to spread water over them, washing the sand off their backs. This was still so surreal but my face was stuck with a permanent grin.

    Saying goodbye to the elephants and their keepers, instead of walking back up the dirt track, 12 of us hopped in the back of a pickup truck and precariously made our way up. My insurance almost definitely doesn't cover this...

    Safely at the top, we say a deep thank you to Ron for a great experience and being such a nice dude. It was time to head back to our hostels, which was probably just over an hours drive from where we were. Passing out almost immediately I woke back in Chiang Mai and it was time to check in.

    Somehow, we had scored was a holiday resort with a massive pool, a private twin room, and an awesome bathroom for what was our cheapest night yet. After a quick swim, shower and our first load of laundry yet (yuck), we headed out to the night bazaar and met up with Sam (English), Sheryl (French), Anita (Dutch), Francesco (Italian) & Pietro (Italian) where we ate and drank and talked the night away. Saying goodbye to our new friends, some to never see again, we head back to our hostel, chuck our clothes in the dryer (which did almost nothing) and went to bed.

    PS alot of my photos are stuck on my GoPro for now so enjoy a limited selection    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara

    Day 10

    15 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Jungle Trek

    Today has had alot going on so I'll try and keep it quick so I can sleep.

    Woke up ate some nice breakfast and waited in our hostel lobby for our pickup around 8.30. We jumped into the mini van and headed to the last pickup and it was Sam staying at Mad Monkey which was pretty cool that we were in the same group all my chance.

    We then headed as a group to a market to pickup any water or suncream drove a little bit further before we got out and the couple mini vans worth of people were sorted into their own groups. Soon we met Ron, our guide, and we were on our way into the jungle path. Ron is a legend and is a very sweet man who spoke decent English and has a great sense of humour.

    On our walk in, it was so nice to be out of cities. It had been 9 grueling days of city air and I was relived to breath happy - not to mention the lack of noise except the sound of the flowing and the animals making whatever noises animals make? We passed elephants, buffalo, rice paddies, and plenty of bamboo trees which was so odd having only ever trekked in the UK.

    Eventually we reach one of many White Karen Tribal Villages - being one of three types of Karen tribes these had single women wear white clothes and married women wear coloured clothes. They lived a very basic life in very small villages of less than 100 and it's quite a strange feeling being a nosy tourist poking my head around their town.

    Next, we stop at a beautiful waterfall where we were able to jump in and swim about in the pool of water underneath. This is what I had been looking forward to for a long time and it was such a nice feeling to jump into fresh water again. We also had been prepared lunch which were wrapped in leaves and was a very nice tasting vegetable rice - and am very appreciative of whoever prepared it for us.

    After getting trekking again we took more stops in Trival Villages and at waterfalls so with some more exploring and swimming we made it to our camp for the night, passing banana and jackfruit trees in the wild. How mad. We get to camp and it's definitely been built for tourists but it's fairly simple with some rooms with mattresses, a table, some toilets and even a shower which I was not expecting. After taking in the view on a bench with Alfie, Sam, a French girl and a Dutch girl (I don't remember their names!!) that we had met on our trek, I was feeling very much back in my zone. The gradual decline of chaos from Bangkok to Chiang Mai to the jungle was very relieving.

    We drank Chang (a brand of beer) over a beautifully prepared dinner then sang Joyeur Anniversaire to a French dude named Mateo who turned 18 with his family in a Thai jungle. We then shared cake and sat found the campfire under the clear night sky chatting amongst eacother, before playing some card games. And with that it was time for bed on the floor under a bug net - which I think is pretty cool.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara
    112

    Day 9

    14 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Chiang Mai

    Getting barely any sleep on a seat slightly too small for me, next to a person who didn't understand the invisible line we shouldn't cross between our seats, and sitting right under the AC (cold for the first time since Scotland) - I surprisingly felt awake and dare I say a touch refreshed. Given a breakfast of soy milk - which tasted like wood shavings and PVA glue blended together - we soon arrive in Chiang Mai and brush our teeth in the toilet.

    We make our way into Chiang Mai's old town - a square section of the city completely surrounded by a perfect square of walls and a canal acting as a moat. On our way I grab a chocolate and banana waffle from 'JJ's Waffle' for breakfast which was lovely but probably not very Thai - either way cheers JJ.

    We had achieved peak tourist with Alfie reppin the infamous double backpack, plus giving us am exclusive look of his Valentine's Day monstrosity of a gift for Daisy. We end up going Wat (temple) hopping again which seems to be the hot thing to do in cities - but can definitely become repetitive. I feel like I'm soon gonna be Wat-ed out if I don't take a break.

    After a change into trousers and checking out Wat 1, we plan to meet with Sam and his new friend Ellie at the next Wat. We ended up hanging out with them for a few hours where I passed on my knowledge of Buddhism and Wat etiquette from Dang - where some hyper realistic monk wax figures thew us off completely. We then went to lunch at a sit down restaurant - even treating ourselves to a Leo beer. Out of Leo and Chang, I think I'm a Chang man. After stories from Sam's time in the RAF and Elsie's time as a respiratory nurse, we part ways so we can check in and shower at our hostels.

    After a decent length walk we arrive at our hostel, it was very nice and modern with a great vibe but also a ghost town, only seeing 1 person who didn't work there. The beds were small doubles which is a backpackers luxury so I'm definitely going to be happy tonight. After showering and more planning (who knew there'd be this much planning) we head to the Night Bazaar for some food and a mooch about. As it was Valentine's Day (happy Valentine's Day), Alfie had a long call with Daisy, which left me alone for over an hour - giving me my first taste of solo travelling. Wandering round the markets was cool as it had a lot more variety than Bangkok - with less knockoffs and more artisan things. It was around this time in the food stall sections that I had noticed that Chiang Mai felt alot more touristy than Bangkok, probably just because they were more concentrated, but definitely more white peeps.

    I grabbed some spicy food and sat down eating taking in the atmosphere, then grabbed a cold Smoothie to soothe my throat a little after the spice. After finishing my circle around the market, I ended up back at the start listening to some live music. Eventually I met back up with Alfie, having hinted to Daisy about his gift. We grabbed some dessert, got back to the hostel, did some booking and eventually went to sleep ready for our early staty for the Jungle Trek tomorrow.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara
    2

    Day 8

    13 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Whole Lotta Nothing

    With a long lie in (except from Alfie who had his top bunk mate drop a phone on him at 2am) and nothing planned, it was definitely a rest day. We had a few things on a list that we needed to do but other than that it was sitting in a park (beautiful park by the way).

    1) Breakfast ✅️
    Super easy - counting the small wins 💪

    2) Book jungle trek from Chiang Mai ✅️
    We've got a 2 day 1 night trek through the jungle, staying in a Hill Tribe village overnight, elephant feeding and bathing, and bamboo rafting all for £22 a day per person! Plus we made sure the Hill Tribe and Elephants were being done ethically as it's been a big problem in Thailand.

    3) Book a hostel in Chiang Mai ✅️
    Only for a night so not a big stross .

    4) Lunch ✅️
    There was this yummy street cart right next to the park we sat in which either gave us pork or duck with some rice - I have no idea which . On the way back we walked past some water lizards just roaming about which are basically mini dragons.

    5) Apply to the Jonathan Conville course in the Alps ✅️
    Deadline was looming and we'd been putting it off for too long now. This actually took a good couple hours as each section had a 600 character limit. Fingers crossed!

    6) Break ✅️
    Not originally on the list but a quick stop at the calisthenics park and the 7/11 and we were golden. We saw some crows (or maybe ravens) too and it was starting to feel like a wild zoo .

    7) Find an ATM ✅️
    All ATMs in Thailand charge an ATM fee of about £5 so it was worth getting a big sum out now which is why I wanted an ATM not surrounded by people which was most along the roads.

    8) Dinner ✅️
    We headed *back* to the market we had already been twice as I wanted more shirts but he didn't have any more in the right size yet. Alfie also got a Valentines "gift" for his girlfriend Daisy who is set to join us in Cambodi in less than a month. I didn't get a picture of it as he quickly put it in his bag but I will try and get one ASAP.

    9) Pick up our dropped bags from the hostel ✅️
    Inbetween the market and our skytrain station so went smoothly and allowed us to top up on water as I definitely haven't been drinking enough.

    10) Head to bus station ✅️
    A metro and and a straight forward walk - not much to report.

    11) Bus to Chiang Mai 🦧
    This was meant to be barely a task - just hop on bus but this was definitely the most stressful part and alot of monkeying around (hence the monkey). As I queue up to get my ticket, I look at my booking on my phone and see 12/03/24 instead of 13/02/24, at first I panic but then the clerk gives us 2 tickets and sends us to the gate. The tickets read 12/03/67 which confirms my thought that the e ticket was a mess between Thai and English dates. We wait at the terminal and meet a English dude also called Sam who was getting the same bus and as the bus was a bit late we were a bit anxious. 5 minutes later, we board what can be described as a luxury bus. We had opted for an £8 more expensive First Class rather than Gold as it had more room. Settling in to the MASSAGE chair it was less than 1 minute till someone had the same seats as us and it was confirmed that I had booked the wrong tickets. We're ushered off the bus and collect our bags as taken back to the ticket clerk, who luckily was a very nice guy. There were exactly 2 seats left on the 22.15 (our original bus was at 21.45) and he booked us in. We didn't get the £8 refund for the downgrade but atleast we didn't have to spend another day in Bangkok. It's a good city but it's busy, noisy, and I can feel the air quality taking days off my life expectancy every breath I take. Alfie was somehow very chill about my fuckup - though it was a shame to see the luxury we were missing out on. Boarding our new bus (the correct month this time), we were both sat next to strangers but Alfie was behind me. And to be honest, the seats didn't recline as much and there was a little less leg room but it wasn't as bad as we feared. Receiving a blanket, some drinks and some snacks, it's now time to try and get some sleep.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara
    1

    Day 7

    12 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Bangkok Temples

    After obligatory morning routine, our first stop is to head to The Grand Palace but actually make it this time instead of hanging with Dang. Same boat as yesterday and as we got off at the same 'pier' (bit of wood and tires) we had a very similar experience of a Thai teacher who was writing us a list of where go go. We sensed a scam but he gave us a list and said goodbye. Maybe Thai teachers are the nicest people on the planet? Either way he was impressed with our terrible Thai so it's a win regardless.

    Keeping to plan, we headed to The Grand Palace going via Khao San Road, which seemed like a whole lot of nothing compared to what I had heard. Although, it might have livened up by the evening. I guess we'll never know. Finally reaching The Grand Palace it was absolutely heaving with tourists - which I couldn't complain about as I was one of those tourists. It was 500 Baht and for once I feel as if I actually got my money's worth. It's the small wins.

    The Grand Palace also included The Temple of the Emerald Budha so we had both to explore. Although we weren't allowed in many of the buildings, everything was absolutely beautiful. Most walls were covered with coloured glass and gold mosaics everything sparkled in the sun. Words or pictures won't do it justice. It was almost as if everything was so pristine that it was hard to focus on one thing atall. What I found interesting is that there were people very precisely repainting the murals that lined the walls and the inside of buildings. What a insane job to have - to maintain history and culture to such a high degree of accuracy.

    Towards the end, Alfie wanted to go to the gift shop and to avidly avoid the Museum of Textiles. However, it turned out that the gift shop was just for the museum of textiles and took us through part of the museum. This meant that all the shit he had been giving me for going for the "wrong" routes to places (what I would call the scenic route) he had immediately started doing when he tried navigating us about. And just like the Buddhists believe, karma.

    On our way to the next stop, we pick up some munch from the closest food stall we could find, which just so happened to be serving chicken liver and stomach on a stick. Very hungry, I opted for the liver and it definitely wasn't the best I had tasted in Thailand so far.

    Our next stop was Wat Pho, which is famously known for the 46m long, 15m high reclining gold Buddha statue. This cost 300 Baht which was just on the tipping point whether we wanted to see this, or visit Wat Arun and the giant 69m Buddha we had sort of seen yesterday on the boat tour. Seeing as we had already seen it(ish) - we went for this. The gardens were quite peaceful actually, until you got round the back to the hoards of people taking pictures and selfies around the reclining Buddha in a narrow pathway around it. Of course I was one of these people taking pictures so I cannot complain. What I found interesting is that some of the grounds were shut of for what is known as a "Pali Exam" - where monks in training take a test. We happened to be there as their exam finished so we were surrounded by many monks all in their orange robes, carrying certificates. I didn't want to take any pictures of them as I didn't want to be disrespectful but there may be some in the background of some pictures.

    After that it was time to head back the way we came, down the canal again and to the market we went to on day 1 as I was in need of another shirt, Alfie in need of some flip-flops, and we were both in need of some food. We went back to the same place for food aswell, then grabbed some sticky rice with mango for dessert - a common Thai pudding. We then spent a few hours planning our time in Thailand which was reassuring and allowed us to book some travel. Originally we were gonna do a day trip to Ayutthaya - not too far from Bangkok - but the trains were too infrequent and the station was too far to be back in time for our night bus whilst still giving us a solid lie in as we were both exhausted from all the non stop walking we had done. Spending 2 weeks in Scotland shortly before also didn't help I'm sure. So with that, new plan is full rest day with lots of planning and admin.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara
    1

    Day 6

    11 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    Bangkok

    After agreeing last night to wake up at 8 or 9ish, I woke to Alfie shaking my arm at 10 after I fell asleep without setting an alarm. After a western breakfast, brushing my teeth and covering up in sunscreen, we were ready to go. Sporting my linen temple trousers and new shirt, we stepped outside not far from midday and compared to the day before, I felt like I was adjusting to the heat - the air not feeling as thick.

    Our first stop was to the Saket Temple, which we decided against Google maps and planned to take a boat West along the canal. After finally getting to the right side of the canal and waiting for 10 minutes, I suddenly started feeling a bit ill. Fearing the worst, I tell Alfie that I needed to go back to the hostel. A 10 minute walk later, I indeed had caught 'Bangkok Belly' just over 24 hours into our stay - although I hadn't exactly been careful. Luckily, it was nothing a couple of Immodium couldn't help fix - and for now they seemed to have done their job quite well. I'm just praying this doesn't backfire on me.

    Now, after trekking BACK to the pier we eventually board and rapidly surf along the canal until the final stop. This is where we meet the main character of the day - Dang. Now this is how to pronounce it, I have no idea how I'd begin to spell it. He's a retired Thai man who lives in Chiang Mai and was in Bangkok for a couple days to see a friend. He asked us where we were from and where we were going and he said that he would be happy to show us around. Sensing a scam, we were on our toes but we felt safe enough for now. We walked and talked our way to a local place where we sat and drank Thai beer. We spend a while talking about Thailand, England, his life, our lives, places to travel. It was a really nice experience and we helped eachother learn to speak eachothers languages. Now, for us it was the very basics and for him it was very specific, mostly we talked about how Northerners were hard to understand and taught him the word 'Scouser' as he had met one before and struggled like the rest of us. But by the end of our drinks, we had a cheat sheet of Thai phrases and had learnt more about their culture than I knew before. He had studied in Bangkok for 4 years learning history so knew the place quite well, even knowing the best places for a Thai massage - both the traditional and special.

    He had also studied as a monk for 3 months - something most Thai men do in their younger years so was very knowledgeable about Buddhism and its practices. This led us to a local temple which I'll spare you the long English name where he taught us how to properly pay respect to Buddha. This was a very surreal experience, to sit in a temple next to an ex-monk who I had only met a couple hours earlier and worship infront of a giant pure gold statue. He then lead us to the start of a long boat tour which he highly recommended, which was meant to take us past some of the biggest landmarks in Bangkok. He got us a discounted price and away we went. Before leaving, he had told us to give him a call in Chiang Mai and he would show us around. Apparently his brother owns a Muay Thai gym, and we could get a lesson for free. To be honest even after meeting him this all still seems sketchy, but I think that I'm just not used to Thai hospitality and I've read too many warnings for scams whilst travelling.

    Now, enough about Dang, although he may appear more in the future, time for the '1.5 hour' boat tour. First we head along the main river to a canal off shoot. I thought, wow, this is going to be amazing. Immediately then we wait for an hour as the canal's locks had a bottleneck and a very slow turn around time. After having my legs crammed in a seat to small and my ass on a wooden seat too hard I started to think I had wasted my money - although it gave me time to eat my spring rolls we had grabbed before hand. Eventually we got going along the canal and it was super interesting to see the state of the buildings along the canal. A very different way of living to what I had seen before. The temples on the route were cool but it was definitely a whistle stop tour, it would have been better time spent seeing them on foot - which is the plan for tomorrow. After reversing our route and waiting for the lock again, it turned out to be almost a 2.5 hour ride.

    After our extended ride, we headed to Chinatown to check it off our list. And wow, what an atmosphere. It was lucky we came during the Chinese New Year weekend as the streets were packed with people mostly wearing red and were lined with various food and merch stalls. Drumming filled the background and the more we explored we found various performances of different scales, ranging from 1 person with a guitar to an entire stage production with film cameras. We grabbed a delicious selection of food including pork noodles, fresh coconut ice cream out of a coconut, and a pomegranate juice drink.

    After eating all of our yummy food we made 1 final stop before heading back to our hostel. I want to be clear we did not partake in any activities, purely an exploration of a famous part of Bangkok's culture - the red light district. And I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't as crazy as I imagined. Maybe we went to the wrong street, or on the wrong day but it definitely wasn't as absurd as I expected. With a few ladyboys spotted it was time to head back to Pinto Hostel.

    One thing we had learned today after making a stop in the tourism office is that our lack of planning loosey goosey style of travelling was costing us more than we had hoped and could soon prove troublesome with transport and accommodation especially as the full moon parties down South began to book up accommodation. While we decided to plan the rest of our time in Thailand when we got back, we only made a vague plan for the next 2 days before Alfie went to bed. And that's where I sat writing this before a Kuwaiti dude from our hostel started chatting with me about his last 30 days in Thailand. I'll spare you his details but he seemed to go to the randomest places and showed me SO. MANY. PHOTOS. AND. VIDEOS. I was happy to talk but why is this man showing me a 1 minute video of someone trying a piece of candy. Anyways... shower had now time for bed.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara

    Day 5

    10 Februari 2024, Thailand ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Plane to Bangkok

    It was definitely the biggest plane I can remember flying on, which isn't saying much but I was still fascinated by the in flight entertainment, the meals that were served, and the packet load of free stuff. I started the flight watching out the window tracking where I was on the map and seeing if I could pick out the cities. Soon after, dinner was served which was way better than I had expecting, with Alfie going for the pasta whereas I went for the scrumptious meatloaf. Then, taking full advantage of the screen, I queued up Tarantino's Django Unchained which I'm mightly glad I did as it was a brilliant film. After that, I queued up David Attenborough's Green Planet (I thought it was only Blue to be honest) and within minutes I was dead asleep. 3 hours later I was awoken to the sound of breakfast being served and sunlight pouring through the window. Though not as tasty as the dinner I was still glad. Not long after, we had landed in Bangkok at 10am local time. This plane was definitely more touristy than our first, which was proven when the clapping started as we landed.

    After getting through security and collecting Alfie's bag (what a schmuck), we took the very cheap and convenient public sky train into Bangkok, where our first mission was to source a SIM for cheap ASAP. We had learnt our lesson from Istanbul. From the moment we left the train not only the heat but the humidity hit us. The air was so thick you could drink from it if you tried hard enough. It was also relatively cool for Thailand at 31° so ditching the trousers and fleeces were probably a good idea. Making our way to one of Bangkok's many mega malls, we found our way to an AIS shop and asked about the 900 Baht 50GB SIM we wanted. Unfortunately, they didn't do that deal. Fortunately, they had a much better deal. Double the data AND half the price. 4x as good as we were hoping for. After asking many questions to make sure we weren't being set up for an elaborate rouse, we were set up with our SIM. Double win!

    We couldn't check into the hostel until 2 so we found some lunch, and although probably a little pricy for Bangkok, I still had a fairly cheap and most definitely the yummiest mixed seafood Pad Thai. Pulling out tentacles and assorted things with chopsticks I hadn't used in months, I was starting to really get to like Bangkok. A small walk later we were at our hostel and my first priority was to shower and change out of my sweaty clothes into some fresh clothes, donning some shorts instead of my Temple trousers I had been wearing for 4 days straight. All cleaned up and settled in we took an hour planning all the things we wanted to do in Bangkok over the next few days. However, we hadn't slept much so today was gonna be an easy day and an early night (I say writing this at 1am).

    It just so happened that today was Chinese New Year's which also so happens to be quite big in Bangkok, so many shops and streets were dressed in Chinese New Years atire, with dragons around most corners. This meant Alfie had found us a show in a park to celebrate at 7.30pm so we had a few hours to kill first. First mission was to find Crocs, which we did (eventually after I navigated us to the wrong super mall) but they were just as expensive. We were now going to find some cheaper knock offs in the night market after the show. After walking around Bangkok's largest and oldest park (Lumphini Park) - seeing numerous joggers, dancers, and even the Bangkok Orchestra performing - we grabbed a metro to Benchasiri Park just in time for the show.

    What followed was (wait as I totally simplify it) a beautifully choreographed display of dancing, acrobatics, and music - backed by a rave-like light show - coming to a crescendo of a dragon breathing sparklers. After that it was time to hop back on the sky train as we head to the Pratunam Night Market - a wonderful mixture of food stalls and knock off merch. That just so happened to be exactly what we needed: some munch and some crocs. After a while of finding our bearings in the maze-ness of stalls, we try our hand at haggling and end up not buying any crocs, any temple trousers for Alfie, any temple shirts BUT I brought myself a nice light shirt which "Alfie wouldn't wear himself" but I'm extremely excited to melt slightly less in it tomorrow. We grabbed some cheap street food where we head back to the hostel and get ready for bed. I opted for a 2nd shower where I forgot my towel which was a fun problem to solve.

    Having no solid plans for tomorrow but alot of things on the list, I'm ready to pass out.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara

    Day 4

    9 Februari 2024, Turki ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Istanbul > Istanbul Airport

    With a leisurely lay in it was the first morning in a couple weeks I didn't feel like I had been hit by a bus for existing. After a final Turkish breakfast we pack our bags and check out of Agora Guesthouse, with almost no plan of what to do to fill the day before our flight.

    Mission 1 was to post a postcard. Buying it was the easy bit, but posting it proved harder. After finding our way to the PTT, I finally managed to get some stamps and send it on its merry way back to England.

    Mission 2 was to find a fee free ATM. After finding one it was a mission in itself to be able to use it. Luckily Google Lens came to the rescue, translating using the camera.

    Mission 3 was to find Mario the Fisherman's restaurant where we weren't able to find Mario himself but we were able to enjoy a yummy Balik Dürümcü (fish wrap) which I would say was the tastiest thing we had in Turkey.

    Mission 4 was to find a classic Turkish ice cream man. 100 Lira later my nose was covered in ice cream and my dignity was gone but I walked away happy.

    Mission 5 was to find some snacks before our flight. Turkish Delight acquired.

    Mission 6 was to get our way to the airport. 2 trams and some 5 flights of escalators down, we had made our way into Istanbul Airport an hour before checkin. With our time we spent it researching SIMs, transport and the like before Alfie succumbed to the airport prices and the smell of food and begrudgingly spent £15 on a small meal from Popeye's. Eventually we board the biggest plane I can remember being in WITH in-flight entertainment but somehow less legroom than Ryanair. And this is where I sign off until Bangkok.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara

    Day 3

    8 Februari 2024, Turki ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Asian Istanbul

    After optimistically setting my alarm for 8, we begrudgingly woke to a symphony of grating alarms at 9 and headed for breakfast. Feeling like a pro at the hostel's breakfast by now, I grabbed a plate full, and then another before we embarked on our days journey.

    Mission 1 was to find Istanbul's public transportation card 'Istanbulkart' and load that with enough Lira to get us go Asia and back. Without a hitch, we hop on the metro. However, it wasn't until 1 stop later when the metro reverses and takes us back to where we came. Attempt 2 was a bit more successful, and we made our way to Karaköy, just in time for a ferry to Kadiköy. Worry set in when we had realised that the ferry was taking us right back to where we caught the metro. Luckily for us, it was only a stop on its way to Asia.

    Upon arriving in Karaköy (sounding annoyingly similar to Kadiköy) we explored the market where unfortunately for Alfie, we walked up and down, left and right, forward and back past the same fresh fish vendors, with the poignant smell of fish floating through the air - apparnelty he wasn't a fan. Grabbing some (more chicken doner wraps) we make our way up North with Üskudar being our goal. One stop was a Mosque where we accidently stumbled across a military funeral from which we soon escaped from. If there's anywhere to not stick out as a tourist it's not only at a funeral but a funeral with armed military guards. Simple lesson for sure.

    Walking along the coast into Üskudar, we sit and appreciate the small landmark of Maiden’s Tower, a small lighthouse just out from shore. Unfortunately, there was no information so I couldn't tell you anything about it. Meandering about, we almost enter a non-tourist Mosque as I had read the map wrong and then begrudgingly to Alfie, we went in a small local library which we swiftly left after asking 'Why are we here?".

    We then take the metro further inland to check out the Çalıca Tower, the highest structure in Istsnbul, which, as you may have guessed, is quite tall. We didn't go up to the observation desk as that was more money which we didn't want to spend. Next, we head over to Çalıca Hill, where we ate dinner and watched a disappointing sunset over a not so disappointing view over European Istanbul. Next was our final stop which was Çalıca Mosque which is the largest Mosque in Turkey (I think?). Best of all, it was completely free and fairly empty. Now this bad boy was BIG. Although as Alfie said, there was definitely bigger Mosques in Hereford (his home 'city'). After starting to master the art of bidets, we reversed our journey and took a night ferry home over the Bosphorus, only stopping to grab some Turkish Delight. And after a while booking onward travel from Thailand to Cambodia, we showered and headed to bed.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara

    Day 2

    7 Februari 2024, Turki ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    European Istanbul

    After what I can only describe as a not so ideal first impression of this city after last night's taxi debacle, we awoke at 8am for an included 'traditional Turkish breakfast' at our hostel. Having nothing to compare it to except a bowl of Wheetabix or a plate of toast, it was bloody lovely. I couldn't name half the things on my plate but with a buffet style selection and unlimited fresh orange juice I wasn't one to complain.

    After last night's planning our precise plan was to aimlessly wander around, letting our hearts do the navigation and hopefully find a SIM along the way. Wandering only a couple minutes from our hostel, we realised that we had stumbled across the Hagia Sophi, however if turns out that there is now a charge as of a few weeks ago of over £20. Very frustrating, but we move on for now. Attempting to explore the Topkapi Palace Museum, we are also blocked by another charge, move on again. We then stumble our way onto the Blue Mosque which was free and absolutely beautiful. Learning the etiquette of entering a Mosque, we remove our shoes and lower our sleeves and take in the immense architecture. Dotted about were leaflets about Islam which proved interesting.

    After breakfast and the Blue Mosque, we were finally starting to get some wins which was releiving to say the least. Further meandering about, the streets are laced with food carts selling either grilled corn on the cob and roasted chestnuts, or various simits (Bagels) and for only 26p, it was a must. Of course we were in tourist central so everything was more expensive, but this still seemed very reasonable. This is where we did a little shopping for a SIM and found a 10GB deal for less than £20 which seemed fair enough as we only needed it til Friday.

    Eventually we stumble across the Grand Bazaar, which I (perhaps controversially) thought was an uninteresting maze of jewellery, designer clothes, and ornaments. Repeat those 3 things 1000 times every meter in every direction and that's the Grand Bazaar. Eventually we find our way out from the labyrinth of salesmen, unsuccessful on our mini knock off Croc expedition. Stumbling our way through the Egyptian Bazaar, and various oddly defined districts (including the underwear zone), we decide to cross the bridge and head North into Karaköy.

    Following the metro line North, we discoved the power tool district, looked up at the Galata Tower (another paid entry - plus the top floor with the best views was shut so definitely not worth it), and the walked back along the sea passing the Istanbul Modern (more paid entry!!). Eventually we head back to our favourite restaurant where we are now locals (Hayat Cafe) and grab some grub - with our lovely host giving us some tea to end the meal with on the house. After befriending yet another precious cat, it was now time to bite the bullet and pay for entrance to the Hagia Sofia. Simply, it probably wasn't worth it, but we couldn't come to Istanbul and not go. We were lucky that it was so empty and it was definitely grandiose - just not particularly £20 grandiose.

    Grabbing some overpriced Baklava, we sit by the fountain and take in the atmosphere of the sound of prayer and the view of the Blue Mosque and try our new treat. I thought it was super tasty, but Alfie was not the biggest fan. Ending a day of terrible attempts at Turkish, we make some more solid plans for the next day and our transfers to and from the airport for Friday.    Baca lagi

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  • Sam BostonSouth East AsiaPengembara

    Day 1

    6 Februari 2024, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    England > Istanbul

    Woke up fresh at 7am and spent most my morning making 4 breakfast baps, 2 for me and 2 for my dad - turns out he didn't like them so that was a waste. After a brief and emotional goodbye with me mum, I said goodbye to the kittens and left with nothing but my backpack. What should have been an hour and a half drive to Stanstead turned into two and a half hours but it was all worth it to see Alfie's butchered buzz cut. He said he won't be taking his cap off for a month and I can't blame him.

    Bags checked, security passed and shit had, it was time for the only reason anyone ever goes abroad - day drinking. A pint at 12pm? Yes please. Soon we board our 12.45 flight to Istanbul - paying the extra £9 so we could sit next to eachother - but I still got lumbered in the middle seat. With a beautiful view of the Alps, a free lunch, and a nap, it wasn't long till we were descending into Turkey.

    Leaving the airport we had realised our lack of planning had already fucked us over as we had no WiFi as our SIMs would charge us an extortionate rate (£5 per MB?!), it was dark and we didn't know how to get into the city centre. Overwhelmed by busses, taxis, and trains we weren't sure what to do. Eventually we opt for a taxi as it was getting late and our brains weren't prepared to think this hard. This was a huge mistake as the lack of data meant we had no Google Translate to communicate with our driver who generously gave us the white guy rates and charged us over £80 for less than an hours drive. Cunningly playing into the language barrier and the new exchange rates we were most definitely learning lessons fast.

    Upon arriving at our hostel we had already become accustomed to the neighbourhood cats and dogs roaming the city, which was very nice as our hostel had its very own pet dog. Stowing our stuff into the lockers of our 10 person room we set our goals to find some cheap food. Being in a tourist hotspot this was definitely a challenge, having to dodge enthusiastic salesmen trying to get us into their restaurants. 2 business cards later we find a nice small place with very cheap price and an ever nicer chef / host. For only 100 Lira we had a much needed chicken wrap. And with that we head back to our hostel and explore the cosy roof terrace and hatch our plan for tomorrow.    Baca lagi

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