Reinicializar a pesquisa
Southeast Asia 2022Southeast Asia 2022
Editar rota

Southeast Asia 2022

junho - setembro 2022
  • Jess Want
  • Dan Want
A backpacking adventure by Dan & Jess Leia mais
  • Jess Want
  • Dan Want

Lista de países

  • Cingapura Cingapura
  • Indonésia Indonésia
  • Camboja Camboja
  • Vietnã Vietnã
  • Laos Laos
  • Tailândia Tailândia
  • Inglaterra Inglaterra
Categorias
Nenhum
  • 11,0kquilômetros percorridos
Meios de transporte
  • Voo5.562quilômetros
  • Andando-quilômetros
  • Caminhada-quilômetros
  • Bicicleta-quilômetros
  • Motocicleta-quilômetros
  • Tuk tuk-quilômetros
  • Carro-quilômetros
  • Trem-quilômetros
  • Ônibus-quilômetros
  • Motorhome-quilômetros
  • Caravana-quilômetros
  • Veículo 4x4-quilômetros
  • Natação-quilômetros
  • Remoção/Arremesso-quilômetros
  • Lancha-quilômetros
  • Veleiro-quilômetros
  • Casa flutuante-quilômetros
  • Balsa-quilômetros
  • Cruzeiro-quilômetros
  • Cavalo-quilômetros
  • Esqui-quilômetros
  • Carona-quilômetros
  • Cable car-quilômetros
  • Helicóptero-quilômetros
  • Descalço-quilômetros
  • 87pegadas
  • 96dias
  • 1,2kfotos
  • 129curtidas
SeguirCalendárioCompartilharLista de metas
Os mais novos primeiro
  • Southeast Asia 2022

    The Adventure Begins

    20 de junho de 2022, Inglaterra ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After months and months of planning, our adventure is about to begin! It still feels pretty surreal that this is actually happening. The 40L Osprey backpacks are all packed and ready to go for 3 months of travelling around Southeast Asia. No idea how but we've successfully packed all 7kg of our gear into each backpack, a miracle in itself. Our flight with Thai Airways is due to leave at 9.25pm and 12 hours later we will be stepping into Phuket, South Thailand. We're not expecting a good night sleep but a few hours would be welcome. Saying we're both super excited for what the next few months will hold, is an understatement.Leia mais

    Ver tradução
  • Southeast Asia 2022

    First Stop... Phuket

    21 de junho de 2022, Tailândia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    An extremely long day…. 21 hours after leaving home in the UK, we finally made it to our first hotel in Southern Phuket, Saturday’s Residence. The 12 hour flight felt very long although we were able to get a little bit of sleep on the plane overnight, but as you can imagine it was not very comfortable at all. Finally we arrived, got through customs and were out of the airport relatively quickly. What struck us first wasn’t the heat but the humidity and within minutes we got a sweat on. The first job was to find a SIM card so we could get online to sort out transfers to our hotel. After reading up prior to leaving, the best place to buy a SIM card was at the airport itself on arrival which was exactly what we did. We were also aware that airport taxis rip off tourists as you can imagine. To somewhat avoid this we'd agreed to keep our heads down and walk a little way out of the airport to find a local taxi. Unfortunately the airport ground didn’t lend itself very well to that so we decided to book a transfer on Grab, Asia’s Uber equivalent. We were really surprised at the cost so proceeded to book the taxi. What turned up was some interesting looking mini bus with a gold interior and an equally interesting but very friendly driver.

    Some time later we arrived at our first hotel. Being the first, we'd booked this sometime in advance and what a hotel it was. More like an apartment with an open plan living space, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and ground floor balcony leading to the outdoor pool. We were very pleasantly surprised although we wanted to ease ourselves gently into the travelling experience but knew this wouldn't be the norm.

    After settling in we left for dinner at a local restaurant and enjoyed a starter, mini shrimp pad Thai and fresh pineapple juice all for £3. Later on we walked back and decided to take a late dip in the pool before calling it a night. The grounds were so quiet but absolutely beautiful as the pool shone in the dark. Just before going to bed, we had our first mosquito encounter. Not spotting it for a little while, it was eventually splattered by Dan’s hand leaving a little red splodge on his leg. A well needed sleep is in order ready for our first full day in Southeast Asia!    Leia mais

    Ver tradução
  • Southeast Asia 2022

    Beaches, Buddha’s & Bangla Road, Phuket

    22 de junho de 2022, Tailândia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Today was our first day exploring Phuket. We woke up to a bit of a downpour which did throw us a little, but it passed after half an hour or so. We decided to hire a scooter from our hotel and ride to our first stop, Karon viewpoint looking over a small area of Phuket. After taking in the lovely views, we rode to Kata Noi beach to soak up a bit of sun, then Kata beach and finally Freedom beach. Getting to Freedom beach was interesting as the final part of the route was off-road, like really off-road and with Jess screaming on the back, it wasn’t the easiest ride on a scooter! After trekking down to the beach passing a huge spider, we finally got to relax and enjoy the sun on the quiet, sandy bay. It really was a little paradise cove with crystal clear warm water, white sand all backed by vibrant green vegetation set on a mountainous landscape with mostly coconut trees in the forefront. After some time to relax we packed up and began the steep trek back up again to our scooter. We then rode to see Big Buddha, a huge white statue built on a hill that could be seen from miles away. It was stunning and yet again we could take in the beautiful views overlooking the coastline and surrounding landscape. We also encountered our first wild monkey (Dan’s favourite animal) then eventually called it an afternoon and rode back.

    On the way back we were unfortunate enough to be stopped at a police checkpoint looking to catch out tourists who didn’t have the correct documents such as their international drivers license. They were only stopping tourists and seemed more than happy to let locals pass by, often with a family of four, none of whom were wearing helmets. We did have the correct documentation with us so were let through without any problems. As we understand it, there is no official fine to be paid for incorrect or missing documents. Instead it's a small bribe/ fee to the police who will then allow you to pass. The fee is about £10 and will cover you for another 3 days. It was certainly a busy day but we both loved nipping around on the scooter.

    Later on, we’d planned to ride out to Bangla road, a famous and popular night strip on Phuket Island. Bangla road is full of bars, clubs, loud music and questionable late night shows. Not really our scene but we were keen to have a look given it's a famous strip although we couldn’t walk more than a few steps without being pestered for happy hour drinks or shows. We quite quickly realised that the only way to say no was to ignore them. We did both pick up pair of very comfy elephant pants however. Along the road, pick-up trucks were also driving by advertising their Muay Thai shows with two men ‘fighting’ as a speaker played out ‘Muay Thai, Muay Thai, Muay Thai!’    Leia mais

    Ver tradução
  • Southeast Asia 2022

    Old Town & Monkey Hill, Phuket

    23 de junho de 2022, Tailândia ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Our second and final day on Phuket island before we head to Koh Phi Phi tomorrow. We had a few rain showers, but most were extremely short and the weather brightened again shortly after. In the morning we explored Old Phuket Town where we enjoyed wandering around the streets and checking out local shops before riding to Monkey hill. They were not kidding when they said hill and the ongoing climb to get to the top was made even more challenging in the extreme humidity. Half way up, we got caught in a torrential rainstorm, and with the humidity, we definitely weren’t going to dry off any time. Riding past on a motorbike, a local gave us some bananas but they didn’t last long at all. Monkeys rushed over at the sight to which Jess decided to launch the bananas pretty quickly and hastily give a whole bundle to one monkey. Once at the top of the hill, we enjoyed the hilltop views and watched the monkeys in their groups. Whilst observing from afar, one curious monkey walked along a fence and then hopped onto Dan's back. It was a great experience with amazing views and yet again more huge spiders!Leia mais

    Ver tradução
  • Southeast Asia 2022

    Temples & Markets, Phuket

    23 de junho de 2022, Tailândia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Shoes off with covered legs and shoulders before you can wonder inside the beautiful Wot Chalong temples. The temples were just stunning and so intricately detailed, both inside and out - the pictures speak for themselves. There were a number of temples set over a small but beautiful complex.

    After exploring the temples and taking in the culture we rode to a local authentic Thai market spotted on the way to the temples. The market was filled with local ingredients and fresh produce including all sorts of Asian fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood. We then saw what looked like a bag of roast potatoes in a stall. They looked good but the lady on the stall couldn’t speak English so we took our chances and bought a bag. They turned out to be a kind of fried dough ball although were still tasty. Afterwards, we left for the more popular Chillva night market. There we tried so much delicious food but passed on the fried insects this time. Instead we had vegetable gyozas, sushi, beef and chicken skewers, cheese balls followed by coconut pancakes for dessert!

    Finally the heavens opened towards the end of the evening and we watched the stalls and locals cover up within seconds. Once it stopped we decided to ride back, however as soon as we got back on the bike it started again. We finally got back only to go straight back out (in the downpour) to a local pharmacy to get some steroid cream for Jess’ mosquito bitten butt.    Leia mais

    Ver tradução
  • Southeast Asia 2022

    Little Phi Phi

    24 de junho de 2022, Tailândia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    We left Phuket for a two hour ferry ride to Koh Phi Phi (‘Koh’ meaning island in Thai). The boat took us past Maya Bay, a bay made famous by Leonardo Dicaprio’s ‘The Beach’ movie. Unfortunately we arrived to cloud and a bit of rain so we walked through the beaten semi-paved tracks into the heart of the island and checked into our hotel. The weather remained cloudy and raining on and off all day, but we tried to make the most of it.

    We mooched around the island exploring the local shops and markets before heading to Phi Phi viewpoint. Little did we know, we took the difficult and extra long route so ended up walking uphill for 2 miles. Apparently there was a far shorter route with stairs taking you straight up to the viewpoint in 20 minutes, but of course we missed this. During our walk away from the main area we wandered past dirt tracks for streets, shacks for family homes and endless piles of rubbish. It was really eye opening to see the run down areas that people lived in, but despite this, you still heard the shrieks of laughter and giggling as kids chased eachother around. Once reaching the top after our unnecessarily long walk, we were pleased to say the views were absolutely worth it!

    Koh Phi Phi is a tiny island with very few local people and very little infrastructure. There are only a few roads as you head out of the centre but no cars, only scooters. The only real way to get around is by foot. Due to its size, there's little waste management but a short walk from the centre and it's clear to see where the rubbish ends up. Despite this, it's a pretty island with plenty of character. Tonight we're heading out for dinner and to try the local cocktails and nightlife.    Leia mais

    Ver tradução
  • Southeast Asia 2022

    Snorkelling Koh Phi Phi

    25 de junho de 2022, Tailândia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We had a bit of an unexpected heavy night out last night with some amazing fire shows and parties. Jess even tried jumping a rope on fire. The night eventually ended at 3am, and let’s just say we had a little to drink. The cocktail buckets in Phi Phi are nothing like those in the UK which are mainly just fruit juices and mixers. These cocktail buckets were strong! In total we consumed 27 cocktails between the two of us that night. After getting separated early into the morning and Jess making a few mistake phone calls, Jess was eventually found some way down the beach kindly being looked after by someone.

    Following a lazy morning to recover from the previous night, we hired a private longtail boat to take us on a three hour tour around the island to explore more of the coastline and to snorkel, including a stop at shark point although we didn’t spot any. Nonetheless, it was great fun and we saw lots of reef fish and all kinds of colourful coral. Upon returning to the island and not wanting to call it a day just yet, we hired a kayak straightaway to explore Monkey beach on the north side of the island as the sun began to set. After a 25 minute kayak to the beach we were met with beautiful white sandy beaches facing towards the sunset. Despite its name, we didn’t see a single monkey, but we did enjoy a swim in the warm sea.

    We finished our stay on Koh Phi Phi with a nice dinner and a mooch around the battered streets one last time. We've really enjoyed our stay but it's hard to explain what the island's really like without seeing it; intertwining, battered streets lined with cafes, market stalls enclosed by beaches on either side, overlooking a turquoise blue sea. We've been less fortunate with the weather, however its natural beauty is still incredible. At night time the island transforms into a party and the streets are filled with people eating and drinking. The atmosphere is pretty buzzing. To just experience this in itself is worth a visit. An early night ready for a speedboat in the morning. Next stop Koh Lanta!    Leia mais

    Ver tradução
  • Southeast Asia 2022

    Koh Lanta

    26 de junho de 2022, Tailândia ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    We departed Koh Phi Phi for Koh Lanta this morning on a short 30 minute ride by speedboat. On arrival we were pestered at the dock by a man on an interesting scooter tuk tuk contraption. As a motorcycle engineer, Dan mentioned this handmade welded contraption sent shivers down his spine, however for 50 THB (£1.20) we couldn’t resist a laugh so hopped on and rode to our hotel.

    After checking into our bungalow, we hired a scooter to explore the island making our way to Old Town Lanta and Long Beach before returning back ready for a late afternoon Thai cooking class. We booked this very last minute, however upon arrival, we were surprised to find we were the only people in the class. A private cooking class it was then! We chose four dishes (chicken and prawn golden bags, steamed fish, seafood and tamarind sauce and massaman curry with rice) and learnt to cook them all from scratch. A great experience and by far the best food we've ever cooked. We shall definitely be trying these back home!

    On the second day we'd booked a four island boat tour, however upon booking, we discovered it was only a two island tour in low season due to weather conditions and islands being shut. Nevertheless we booked on, but unfortunately it was cancelled on the morning due to a lack of bookings. A shame but instead we extended our scooter hire and explored more of the island, treated ourselves to a relaxing massage and had takeaway dinner and drinks in a quiet bar overlooking the sunset. We stumbled upon this place by chance after arriving at numerous bars which all turned out to be closed. After riding up to a restaurant that was actually closed, a guy walked out, greeted us and invited us into his bar for drinks. He was so keen to welcome us in and after chatting more it was a real shame to hear how most businesses had closed due to the halt on tourism over the last two years. The many beach front bars that were usually busy were now derelict and we were the only ones around. We were two of three individuals at the bar all night. We sat looking out over the beach which was filled with millions of tiny sand balls arranged in circular rings. It turns out these were made by sand bubbler crabs and were quite mesmerising to watch. A very quiet night listening to local music although really nice to see a bit more of the real Thailand. We knew our presence would have meant a lot to the owner and it was a lovely end to our stay on Koh Lanta, topped off by the most beautiful, deep orange sunset.

    Spending a couple of days in Koh Lanta has been rather interesting and is certainly a real contrast to the lively Koh Phi Phi. We've only seen a few tourists, with only 4 other people staying at our hotel resort. For Thailand this is their low season and they haven't had a tourist season since pre-Covid. The impact of this is definitely seen on Koh Lanta.    Leia mais

    Ver tradução
  • Southeast Asia 2022

    Krabi & Ao Nang Beach

    27 de junho de 2022, Tailândia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We left Koh Lanta for Krabi town this morning. This involved a minibus and boat crossing. After being dropped off in Krabi centre, we didn't spend too long there but walked along the river and looked around Wat Kaew temple overlooking Krabi. A short taxi ride to Ao Nang beach where we're staying for a few days.

    Despite the cloud, today was hot so we spent some time on the beach although the sea was super warm so didn’t exactly help to cool off! A two course Thai dinner and drinks, dessert, cocktails and a half hour Thai massage all for £12 this evening. Not going to complain however areas along the beach front are a little bit pricier.    Leia mais

    Ver tradução
  • Southeast Asia 2022

    Ao Nang Boat Tour & Unplanned Events

    29 de junho de 2022, Tailândia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We booked to go on a four island boat tour but unfortunately the day did not go as planned. Instead, we managed a two island tour and a tour of the local hospital ward.

    Our first stop on the tour was Railay beach. It was very pretty with some amazing rock formations but completely overcrowded with tourists which was a real shame. It was one of those places where you had to fight for a people-free shot, although this was made easier by our rather energetic photographer, bless her.

    We then took a boat to another island with crystal clear water and white sandy beaches. Unfortunately, Jess started experiencing sharp, stabbing chest pains with pain in her shoulder blade and shortness of breath. Any movement was extremely uncomfortable. Only getting worse over the afternoon, we needed to get back to the mainland hospital for an urgent check over. Unfortunately we had to wait an hour and a half for a return boat before we could even think about getting to the hospital.

    Luckily all tests and examinations came back clear so we're unsure what the actual cause was. Jess was treated immediately and sorted within an hour and a half, however we couldn’t be discharged until our insurance company had sent the guarantee of medical payment. This took four hours so we had a rather long wait in the waiting room - such a joke! The nurse who was dealing with our case had never experienced such a delay from an insurance company before and we were far from impressed at the long wait time. Interestingly but not surprisingly, the staff were medically attentive to Jess yet very financially attentive to myself ensuring we could pay the fee before they progress any significant treatment. There was a transport robot which kept whizzing past to keep us amused. Apparently the robot transports blood test samples to and from labs on different floors. Pretty cool although a big surprise to see this level of technology in a Thai hospital.

    Fingers crossed that after a good night sleep Jess should feel better. Late night update: still some slight pain but a huge improvement compared to earlier! What a day, although really disappointed that our boat trip was cut short, but just one of those things to look back on.    Leia mais

    Ver tradução